29 June, 2006 at 9:49 pm (General)
Tags: world-cup
While I’m not particularly impressed by the Cup this time around, (Same faces in the quarters; atrocious officiating and TV) I am compelled to offer my thoughts on the next round of matches. Because you’re dying to know…
Germany - Argentina
Match of the quarters. Germany have steadily improved while Argentina have been rolling since the beginning. Hard to pick against the hosts, and I’m not one to make tough choices. I say they go on… though I won’t be disappointed if I’m wrong.
Italy - Ukraine
I can only hope that Italy FINALLY go out. Has their been an uglier, dirtier, cheaper, team? Their continued involvement in almost enough to make be question the possibility for ultimate justice in the world. (OK, I exaggerate.)
That said, Ukraine haven’t shown me that they can get it done. The Bane in Blue progress.
England - Portugal
If Italy has been dirty, England has been dull. 90 minutes of mediocrity saved by one brilliant kick. Such is soccer. Problem is, Portugal are so depleted after taking out the Dutch, I don’t know if they have the manpower. And John Terry is getting so good at falling over….
This one I pick with my heart: Portugal advance.
Brazil - France
Brazil seem to be putting it together, and I certainly wish I was as fat and disinterested as Ronaldo. The new French faces are also stepping up, but I doubt they’ll have enough to overthrow the holders. The Samba continues.
Kerri just walked in from the grocery. Here are her quick picks: Germany, Ukraine, England, & Brazil.
4 Comments
28 June, 2006 at 9:25 pm (General)
Tags: books, credo, Reading, william-sloane-coffin
I finished a book earlier this week, and strangely enough that’s an accomplishment. I absolutely love to read, but am not particularly fast. many books wind up being returned to the library half completed. This one, however, was not going back unfinished. Credo is a collection of quotes by the late William Sloane Coffin. Bob introduced me to Coffin a couple months back with his memorial tribute. After reading that I had to see if my local library had anything by him, and sure enough it did. Go Dayton Public Library!
The book is fantastic. Don’t get me wrong: Coffin’s politics are transparent. For example, he’s anti-war and pro-homosexual rights, and that will put some folks off him… to their loss, in my opinion. There is much wisdom contained in those pages. Coffin’s convictions are born of a deep commitment to both a gospel of radical and universal justice and a gospel rooted in nonviolent resistance. Our world could do with more of both. I’m thinking about posting a few quotes for discussion over the coming weeks, but I’m not sure I can narrow it down. (Reposting the entire book would probably be frowned upon.) I still have the book, so I may yet. Needless to say, even though my local library owns the book, this is one I wouldn’t mind having as well as a reference.
Next up: The Da Vinci Code. I’m curious about all the fuss. Besides our wonderful library has a nice illustrated version that shows off a lot of the art and architecture mentioned in the book. I like pictures.
3 Comments
27 June, 2006 at 8:24 am (General)
Tags: ebible, Reading
Oh yeah,
I’ve got three invites to the eBible beta. Anyone interested?
[Update #1] Two down; one left
[Update #2] They’re all gone for now. You three be sure to come back and let us know what you think.
5 Comments
26 June, 2006 at 9:17 pm (General)
Tags: armegeddon, hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia, questions, Thinking
Huh! How do you like that. Somehow I deleted the comment Rantz left on my comment page.
Rantz - I’m sorry. I’ll do my best to pick this up from memory.
So, Armegeddon. If I remember correctly the student had some panic over June 6, 2006, and it’s numerical “significance.” In fact, that seemed to be what sent the student searching for answers.
Well, clearly the world didn’t end, (Or perhaps it did while I was sleeping and I’m now a part of the Matrix.) so I’m not sure where to go with this. How about a cursory overview of Christian eschatology - that is the end of the world - as I, a layperson, understand it?
Everything hinges on the return of Jesus. This is the one thing that ties all the positions together, though there is a fair amount of disagreement in the details.
OK, on the one end of the stick you’ve got the fundamentalists. They take a very, well, literal view of the symbolism found is apocalyptic books like Revelation. They are keen to assign specific people, places and dates to those texts. Think of the Left Behind series, and you have the general idea. Some wind up looking foolish, as one “end of the world” after another passes without event. You could also call them escapists, because most think Christians are getting sucked up into heaven at some point during the course of events.
On the other end you’ve got the humanists. They strip most - if not all - of the supernatural from these same Biblical texts. (At the extreme they will deny the physical resurrection of Jesus.) As a result, the “end of the world” as they see it comes when humanity finally learns to get along. For the humanists, Jesus’ return is strictly metaphorical.
I would not put myself in either of those camps. In fact, this is a place when I’m a bit unsettled in my personal belief. But I’m OK with that. I’ve got enough to busy myself with for now - stuff like grace. However and whenever it all works out, well… it’s not like I get to re-write the script.
6 Comments
25 June, 2006 at 7:54 pm (General)
Tags: barnes-&-noble, dates, Family, friends, kerri, old-navy, red-lobster, thanks
For the first time since I’m not sure when Kerri and I had a date. No kids. Just us. It’s been since before Christmas at least.
Funny, but this one afternoon - lunch, a browse thru Old Navy, and a mocha at Barnes & Noble - has done wonders for my demeanor. I should write this down: Minimum one date every six months…. Wait! Make that every five months, cause these last few weeks have been a bitch.
Lot’s of people to thank: Joey and Kelli, who herded the cats while we were away. My boss, Steve, whose generosity - a birthday gift card - secured our lunch and Red Lobster. The Academy.
I also want to thank a couple of retired couples I’m honored to know. (We ran into one of them today.) Their kids are grown, and they are living life to the fullest. They are traveling and pursuing their passions. Most importantly by all evidence they are still deeply in love with one another. Seeing them makes me look forward to the rest of my life with Kerri.
I think you know who you are. With deep appreciation: Thank you.
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25 June, 2006 at 12:04 am (General)
Tags: money, proper-7, Week in Review, world-cup
OK, first things first. Before you go thinking I’m completely narcissistic, I realize most of you don’t care all that much about the mundane of my life. Don’t go looking for anything profound in these “Week In Review” posts. I’m just sorting through the last seven days.
Also, don’t expect any commentary on the Lectionary. If it happens, it will be a bonus. I’m just using the designation to mark off the calendar. Occasionally I get the itch to write something directly related to the readings, and when that happens they will have their own post.
So, what’s this week been like? In a word: Blue. I’ve been in a bit of a funk lately. The fact that Samantha and Jake have both had the chicken pox hasn’t helped. I should be on a World Cup high, but no. I’m blue.
Two minor personal epiphanies this week. First, I figured out why our cash flow goes to crap every Memorial Day but not every Groundhog Day. We’ve been no more able to keep to a budget, but we don’t have the windfalls, like tax returns, to hide our shortcomings. Doesn’t really provide a solution; just understanding.
Second, I am realizing more and more that I need order in both my space and my time. I’m not sure how to create that in the chaos of life… while still allowing for the chaos of creativity. But I’ve got to try.
So, that’s it for tonight. Here’s hoping my demeanor turns upward.
2 Comments
23 June, 2006 at 1:20 pm (General)
Tags: feedburner, General
Quick programming note: Those of you who are subscribed to Bald Man Blogging via my Feedburner feed (http://feeds.feedburner.com/coryaldrich), be forewarned that I’m nuking it over the weekend.
I can still be found at http://baldmanblogging.com/feed/, so I hope you’ll update your RSS readers.
Thanks.
3 Comments
22 June, 2006 at 11:24 pm (General)
Tags: ben-rothlisberger, goonies, pittsburgh-steelers
After the US Cup capitulation, I needed some cheering up. Maybe this will help you, too.
8 Comments
20 June, 2006 at 8:03 pm (General)
Tags: 401k, Happening, retirement-plans, Weblogs
OK, here’s the other blog I’ve been working on for a while:
KnowYour401k.com
I’m not completely satisfied with the design, but it’s good enough to get out in the open. I’ll be gathering some expert help to finish it up before I really tackle building the traffic. Getting it out in the open will also help me stay accountable to posting regularly. (As a secret it’s too easy for me to bump it off the priority list.)
I hope you’ll find it useful. Feel free to pass the link on to whomever, and please I’d appreciate your feedback and participation.
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