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Warning: I’m talking about religion today if that sort of thing bothers you.

This past Sunday in church we discussed Jesus Christ and what he went through in his final hours. It occurred to me just how humble and patient he was to put up with it. Here was the son of God, with the power to heal bodies and souls, raise the dead, multiply food, transform matter, and any number of other miracles, allowing wicked, corrupt men to stand in judgment over him and decide his fate. He allowed men to abuse him, to torture him, and eventually slay him in one of the most cruel methods known to man.

He allowed it. He could have stopped it. He could have killed every one of the vain and foolish men who, in spite of all the evidence that he was who he claimed to be, sentenced him to death for claiming to be very Messiah they were supposedly waiting for.

Why? Because it was essential to his Father’s plan. He endured it all out of love for all mankind–even for the very people who were mocking, abusing, and killing him. Even for Jeffrey Dahmer, for Jim Jones, for Atilla the Hun, for Pol Pot and Stalin. Even knowing that most of those he did it for would turn their backs on him and his gifts to us. I have no doubt he would have done it even if only one of us ever benefitted from it.

He allowed himself to be judged by people who had no business or authority to judge him.

So why do I get so bent out of shape when I am judged unfairly? Am I better than he? Far from it, and that’s why I rail so when I am treated unfairly. I don’t even manage to take it with indifference, let alone forgive those who are treating me so unfairly and unkindly.

I’m not sure it’s possible to be that forgiving, that patient. But I can certainly be better than I am. I can at least try. As a Christian, as a disciple of Christ, it’s the least I can do.

There are just some things you shouldn’t do. Step on Superman’s cape. Spit into the wind. Create un-pop-able bubble wrap.

If there’s nothing quite as satisfying as popping bubble wrap bubbles, there’s probably nothing quite as torturous as seeing them and not being able to pop them. If you’re into that sort of low-key torture—for yourself and any house guests—Peter Brown has the project for you.

The process is simple. Just take a square-shaped mold, lay down a layer of resin, put down some bubble wrap, and then cover it with another layer of resin. Then, when everything is all hardened and dried, cut the sucker up and take care of any rough edges. Bam, coffee-table torture.

Peter Brown, you are evil.

…but can you dance to it?

Scientists have been able to “hear” gravitational waves for the first time. I didn’t realize what all the headlines were about until Physics Girl explained it all to me:

This is cool stuff!

As I’ve said before, we tend to find what we’re looking for. And if I really wanted to find reasons to be unhappy, there are certainly plenty to be found. The death of a Supreme Court justice has once again shown us that there’s no shortage of people happy to politicize everything, and even more who would rather argue about who did what when than figure out a better way of doing things now. Our city has only recently been released from an inversion full of toxic air. The vendor I’m working with at work has found yet another reason to delay the project even longer, to the point it’s beginning to resemble a death march. More people are leaving out department, making me wonder what they know that I don’t. Many of my friends are struggling with various things right now.

But I’m tired of living that way. While it may be easier–or at least habitual–to always look at the negative, it’s certainly not fun, and it’s probably not all that accurate, either. There are a lot of good things to grab onto, too. I’m working on training myself to look for those things instead. It’s not easy to change a deeply-ingrained habit, but I think this one is worth the effort.

After all, my children are all doing well in school, my wife loves me, and my dog thinks I’m a decent person. My job, whether it’s currently satisfying or not, pays enough to cover all our needs. Our cars and major appliances are all working at the moment. Spring is dropping hints at making her entrance soon. I’ve got more than enough books to read for the next while, and the urge to write not one, but two different books. There are signs of God’s love all around me, and quite a few people who will admit to being my friend. While I could always find things to complain about, I really don’t see much point. In fact, it would be quite silly to complain what’s wrong in the midst of so much that’s right.

So that’s where I’m going to leave this week. Many things are certainly in flux right now; some could go poorly, and some could go well. There’s little point to worrying about what might be. And in the mean time there is reason aplenty to be happy with what is.

Everyone have a great weekend! If you get the chance, get outside and take in some sun!

I don’t understand the need people have to make things up. I saw a post on Facebook recently that claimed that Lee Marvin got a Navy Cross as a Marine on Iwo Jima, that he fought alongside Bob Sheehan (Captain Kangaroo), and that Mr. Rogers was a former Navy SEAL who wore sweaters because his arms were covered with tattoos from his time in the service.

The truth? At least according to Snopes.com? Lee Marvin got a Purple Heart, but it wasn’t at Iwo Jima. Bob Sheehan was a Marine, but too late in the war to see action, let alone at Iwo Jima. And Fred Rogers was never in the military, and has no gaps in his biography in which he might have done so. (I did check out the latter myself because it seemed so incongruous, and saw nothing to suggest time in the military either.)

Does it diminish any of these men that they weren’t as “bad” as it’s claimed? Not in the least. So why come up with something like that? They all have reason to be respected on their own merits. They don’t need anyone to make stuff up, no matter how compelling a narrative it might make.

The truth is becoming far too fluid these days. Few people have any compunction against twisting or outright altering the truth to fit whatever narrative they want to advance. Far too few people stop to question. Granted, making Sheehan and Rogers out to be even bigger heroes than they were doesn’t really hurt anything, but truth is truth. Why should we fear it?

Every year I go to LTUE and come home with a bunch of books and all of my allowance gone. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does get a little out of hand. I don’t usually go there planning to spend all my money. It just kinda…happens.

This year was looking to be just like all the past years. Besides all the authors pushing their books in the dealers’ room (including a guy who brings in a huge collection of used books every year–pure, unadulterated evil!), they’ve recently added an art room where you can often pick up prints of the originals on display. It’s just too much to resist.

But I mostly did. Part of it was just through sheer procrastination. I like to scout things out for the first day or two, to see how far I can make my allowance go. So by the time I went back to get the latest Michaelbrent Collings YA fantasy he was sold out. Well, that spared me a little. Then I went to buy a print for my wife for her upcoming birthday. But the artist whose print I bought last year wasn’t showing anything this year. Most of what was available I couldn’t picture my wife wanting to display. I did finally find something, but at a lower price than I was prepared to pay. Aw darn.

The last day, however, my money was still burning a hole in my pocket. Then I hit on a brilliant idea. I would only buy stuff I couldn’t get anywhere else. Since for most of the writers I’m interested in I can find their latest and greatest in the local bookstore or on Amazon, that reduced my choices quite a bit. In fact, for the most part, that limited things to art. I did pick up another art print for myself. And then in the dealers room I got talking to an author and decided to pick up her book.

The bottom line: I bought three art-pieces overall, and one book. I actually spent more on art at LTUE than I spent on books.

And then came the real kicker. Toward the end of the week Melva Gifford, one of the pillars of LTUE, brought out her collection of promotional photos she’d collected through the years. She was de-cluttering and decided to put them out for everyone else to take for free. I just happened to be one of the first ones there, and though I was sorely tempted to take a lot more, I decided not to be greedy and only selected three.
I still love the movie Ladyhawke to this day. Etienne of Navarre was awesome, Michelle Pfeiffer was ethereal, and Matthew Broderick was a loveable rogue everyman caught up in things beyond his comprehension. Great movie.

While I will never forget Ricardo Montalban’s turn as Khan, deliciously delivering literary quotes while putting Kirk through the wringer, I always had a soft spot for Joachim, his loyal lieutenant who was smarter than his Ahab-esque leader.

“V” (for Victory, not Vendetta) was a cool miniseries on NBC back in the 1980s, which I guess they tried to reboot a few years back. I never saw their second attempt, but the original was right up my teenage fanboy alley–and freaked me out something fierce. Juliet Parrish was one of my crushes back then. She was tough and tender, a strong leader and, as you can see in the picture, could handle weapons. What more could a teenage boy want in a heroine?

Anyway, thank you Melva! These were great, and a fun walk down memory lane!

I had a great time at LTUE once again. Now comes the work, of course. It’s always about the work.

Hi, everyone! I’m back from LTUE and dealing with the fallout from being gone from home for the better part of three days. I had a great time, learned a lot, met some good people, got compliments on my ties, and got inspired to write two novels at once! (Not gonna happen, but I still have to choose.)

I had a great Valentine’s Day with my family, and am still alive after at least a week of toxic air on our area. But I’m also battling what feels like a cold, or finally succumbing to the extra-chunky air around here. Either way, I’m feeling a little under the weather.

Catch you all tomorrow!

“Forty-nine times we fought that beast, your old man and me. It had a chicken head with duck feet, with a woman’s face, too. And it was waiting in the bushes for us. Then it ripped off your dad’s face. … But we all got a chicken-duck-woman-thing waiting for us. Every day I worry all day about what’s waiting in the bushes of love. ’cause something’s waiting in the bushes for us.” – Bad Lip Reading

There are chicken-duck-woman-things out there. And they’ll rip off your face. But we have to face them, otherwise every day we’ll worry all day. So we can live our lives overcome with worry, or we can face our chicken-duck-woman things and defeat them.

It seems like fairly sage advice to me. Maybe because it comes from Obi Wan Kenobi. Or maybe just because it’s darn catchy tune. I don’t know if they intended to be anything but funny, but the BLR people really have something here.