Rub Some Dirt On It, Kid

File this under the heading, "Things not to say anymore".  My fellow coaches and I have sort of joked about it on the football field this year.  We had a string of injuries to start the season and each time I would pronounce an injury as 'nothing serious', it came to pass that the injury WAS serious.  When I say we joked about it, understand, it isn't funny.  Not at all.  We haven't really joked about it as much as we've just wondered at how many times somebody got hurt and it turned out to be serious.  And I said, (really without thinking only that I was hopeful) "It's nothing serious".  And I was wrong.  So I'm not saying it anymore.

The fact is, I've been wrong about this sort of thing too often.  Who am I to tell if someone is hurt badly or will be able to shake it off in a day or so?  I hate being wrong.  But as I get older, and it happens more often, I learn that being wrong is just something that can happen from time to time and that the important thing is not to make it worse by denying that you're wrong.  My own dilemma, not shared by everyone, is I become so convinced of being right that the being wrong part that comes later stings more than it should.  But that's ok.  I'm a big boy, and I can deal with it.  I guess the point is, there's no reason to take a position on an issue if you really don't know what you're talking about.  And since I'm not a doctor, I really have no business taking a position on injuries.  Saves me the trouble of being wrong, too.  I think I'll just stay quiet and hope the injury isn't serious.

Why Do Mean People Go to Church?

OR ... How Can You Go to Med School and Skip All the Science Classes?

So I'm having lunch the other day with an acquaintance who had some very interesting and disheartening stories to tell about his church experience.  In sum, for all of his adult life, he's been very involved in two different churches only to have been behind the scenes long enough to realize there was stuff going on (in both) which he could not be a part of.  He's decided to pare it down a bit, opening up his home for Sunday services and essentially, starting over. 

What really stood out to me was how familiar the story sounded and how it reminded me of some of my experiences years ago.  For me, the question went unanswered back then.  But, I've since learned a thing or two, and I thought today I would tackle this question that's been on my mind since I was a kid:  Why do mean people go to church?

Life, Liberty, and Shades of Gray

I took a political self-assessment the other day which was basically answering a handful of questions and returning to me where I stood on the political spectrum.  Turns out, I'm high on personal liberty, low on government intervention.  Any action that the government takes should further 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'  My underlying philosophy is that freedom is good.  And restrictions on freedom are bad.

I've actually read two very different columns today on two very different subjects but they both got me thinking about freedom.  What one person sees as freedom, someone else might see as a restriction of freedom.  Moreover, the idea that the government can do something to grant freedom to one person might often mean that someone else's freedom is compromised.  Ayn Rand puts it like this:

It only stands to reason that where there’s sacrifice, there’s someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there’s service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master.

The Greatest Luxury of All

In Joseph Ellis' biography of George Washington, we're offered a look into the world of the "new" landed gentry - the Virginia planting class.  This elite group had stumbled upon a rare combination; a new crop and a ready-made market, albeit an ocean away.  While tobacco took Europe by storm, becoming an instant success and a mainstay commodity for the civilized world, it was something of a puzzle to the agri-businessman because it was particularly hard on the land itself and required a great deal of physical labor to cultivate.

The labor issue, tragically, led to the infamous colonial slave trade.  As far as tobacco's toll on the land, it just so happened that Virginia provided  a seemingly endless supply!  It doesn't take an economist, merely a glance at a map, to understand the scope of North America and how it dwarfed the comparatively crowded European states.  A Virginia planter was more concerned about protection than he was space.  So while a market existed and land was plentiful, the planters had uncovered a unique set of challenges in managing these tobacco plantations.

Trimming the Olympics Down a Bit

I've enjoyed the Olympics so far.  At our house, it's the kind of thing that's 'on' whether we're into the particular event or not.  But there are some events that just seem too oddball to be included.  And then you have some events that are just 'done to death'.  Swimming, for example.  I like what one guy said on the radio about swimming.  "I like it but what's the deal with all the different swimming events.  Just get from one end of the pool to the other and however you get there is up to you."

In 2012, there will be 302 events.  That's all the sports and sub-categories.  I guess that means, there'll be 302 gold medals, 302 silver, etc.  302 people who finish 4th.  Man, that would be bad.  For the rest of your life ...

"You were in the Olympics?  That's awesome!!!  How did you do?"
"I came in 4th."
"Aw.  So..."
"Nope, no medal.  Nothing really.  Just my memories."

A Bit of Local Shoe Legend

Yes, the Heaton family is oddly preoccupied with shoes.  Or more broadly, as Heather pointed out recently, 'what goes on below the knee.'  This because our oldest is not only particular about his shoes but about his socks as well.  I must say, I am particular about socks also.  I've been known to get so irritated with a pair of dress socks that I've gone to the store in the middle of the day to buy some more comfortable ones and thrown the old ones away.

With the kind of socks you might wear with tennis shoes (sneakers for you Yankees), Tucker and I face a divergence of opinion.  This is, in fact, how it all got started this morning.  On a normal day, Tucker comes down looking like this.

Jack Reacher

Gotta love the recurring Lee Child character, Jack Reacher.  Here's an excerpt where Reacher had been confronted by two guys and told them if they wanted to make it a fair fight, they needed to bring more men.

“Six of you?” I said. “Is that it?”

No answer.

“That’s kind of incremental, isn’t it?” I said. “I was hoping for something a little more radical.  Like the difference between an airborne company and an armored division. I guess we were thinking along different lines. I have to say, I’m kind of disappointed.”

No answer.

I said, “Anyway, guys, I’m sorry, but I have a dinner date.”

They all took a step forward, bringing them closer to each other and closer to me. Six pale faces, sallow in what little light there was.

I said, “I’m wearing a brand new shirt.”

Child, Lee (2011-09-27). The Affair (with bonus short story Second Son): A Reacher Novel (Jack Reacher) (pp. 189-190). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Places and Seasons

Going to Hiawassee today and they're expecting some weather up there.  But once it passes, Saturday is scheduled for sunny and 73!  There aren't a whole lot of places that can beat the Georgia mountains in the spring.  In fact, Hiawassee is the kind of place where there isn't really a bad time to go.

In the summer, you get on a boat and hit Lake Chatuge.
In the fall, you plan a weekender around college football and drive up from Athens, if you're lucky.
In the winter, you settle in by the fire, read a good book or do a puzzle, and pull for snow.
And in the spring, you do what I'm doing.  Take your fishing pole, maybe your golf clubs, and leave your worries behind in Atlanta.

That got me thinking about some of the places I've been and the ideal time to go there...

Stuff I Like

I ain't talkin about buttercups, and poetry, nuh uh.  Or even my family or walks in the park with nature.  Nah.  All that is fine but today, it is unadulterated STUFF.  In the spirit of good ol' American consumerism.  My birthday is coming up and it is a biggie. So I thought I'd give my readers a chance to see the stuff I like. In case you're struggling with what to get me.

I see it is also Chipper's birthday and he and I are the same age.  I can't help but wonder what might have been.  Had I stuck with baseball instead of going with the video game industry and casual tennis, who knows how far I could've made it?  My guess is, right to the top!

I digress, here's some stuff I like.  Happy Shopping!  If you get the shoes, I'm a size 11.

"Is There Any Easter Music?"

That was the question posed to me recently.  Like a lot of churches, we have a 'contemporary' service and a 'traditional' service.  As a planner for the traditional, there is no shortage of congregational music that one might select for an Easter service.  Likewise, if you are looking for a song about the cross, (thinking maybe about Holy Week and not the Resurrection itself) we've got it covered.  My only problem is choosing which songs to do and which ones to leave out.  There's a deep well.

But when asked if I could think of some Easter music that would be stylistically suited for the contemporary service, I had to think about it.  I know quite a bit of 'what's out there' but I really had difficulty coming up with anything that was topical and I thought would 'fit'.  That got me thinking.

Following Up on The Hunger Games

I saw the film and finished the final book over the weekend.  Where to begin?

The book got real philosophical at the end and chalk that up as a win for the author.  One of my issues with the books was the relentless first-person medium.  It couldn't help but make you (eventually) a little tired of the protagonist and find her a bit self-centered and her self-depracations ... hmmm ... disingenuous.  Shorter version:  I sure wish I had some points-of-view described belonging to some of these other very (otherwise) well-developed characters.

Then I'm constantly reminded of the target audience.  Certainly not a ... ahem ... thirty-something male who was taught to examine the viewpoint of every author who ever wrote and insist that there is no such thing as a truly unbiased accounting even in fiction (brought to you by the fine folks at the University of Georgia's History Department at Leconte Hall).  They also taught me better sentence structure than that but I sometimes ignore that one.

The Half-Marathon Play List

No, I don't expect you to care.Yes, I do expect some snide remarks related to my choice of music, my age showing, my lack of exposure to the "right" kind of music, my lack of culture, my affinity for Simon and Garfunkel, Willie Nelson, and Dwight Yoakum, etc.  The fact is, I don't have a lot on my iPhone that might be considered 'running music'. 
Perhaps even someone who suggests this is a lot of music so let me save you the trouble.  It took me 2 hours and 57 minutes.  (The next time will be better I promise)

The song that best matched my pace was "Free Falling" and the one that I might should've left off was "A Most Peculiar Man", which came right around the mid-point and might've slowed me down a little.  It seemed hilarious to me when I put the list together to think about that song coming up in the middle of the race but there's actually very little that occurred during the race that even I could find funny.  Certainly not a slow song about a weird guy who kills himself.  Live and Learn.

Without further adieu, the half-marathon Playlist as chosen by Shuffle...

This Guy Meanders Better Than I

Anyone know of a guy named Harry Reeder?  He is a pastor at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, AL.  I came across an article he wrote entitled, "Cultural Narcissism and a Titanic Lesson".  It takes him a while to get to the point, but coming from me, that is sort of a compliment.

So, the shorter Harry goes like this.  The story of the MOVIE Titanic differs greatly from the story of the actual SHIP Titanic.  The movie, Harry says, was a technological and cinematic success but was, however, a "factual failure".  The movie portrayed the event as an example of "class warfare".  You had Leo, the poor guy, hooking up with Kate, the rich girl.  Or maybe she was just the girl who was dating the rich guy.  Doesn't matter.  Point was, the rich folks were staying up top where they were safely ferried away by the lifeboats and the poor folks down below were left to drown.

Hunger Games

I'm halfway through.  Which is to say I've read the first book and I'm halfway through the second.  It is very difficult to critique because I've read so very little that can be compared to it.  I think if you've enjoyed any of the teeny bopper Twilight books, you would probably really enjoy the Hunger Games series.  I tried to read Twilight but was thoroughly nauseated and bored.  Aside from an interesting premise, (and by interesting, I mean interesting enough to spend 5 minutes thinking about it) the story was painfully slow and intellectually numbing.  Sorry if you liked it.  This is just one man's opinion.  Still, I don't see how anyone who is exposed to good fiction would think that book was well-written.  I'm actually a bit uncomfortable just re-living the week or so I wasted on it.  In the end, I simply wanted to regain my adulthood and return to a more literate world.

Hunger Games has moments that are like that, too.  And it seems, the longer the book goes on, the sillier it gets.  Almost as if the author really wants to indulge in talking about a teenage girls' interests.  And she's really been trying to rein it in and stick to the story.  And as the story moves along, either she just can't help herself or the editors identified the market for the story and she began talking more and more about the all-too-boring details.  What makes this book good is the creativity and the action.  It is certainly NOT an insightful look at relationships - offering us those wonderful moments of being able to relate to remarkable characters.  These characters are remarkable because of what they DO - not because of what they say about us. 

This teenage girl who can survive in the wilderness and shoot squirrells with her bow and arrow - doesn't care about her physical appearance or makeup or her hair or her clothes and yet we're subjected to LOTS of information about all of these things.  I'm offering this disclaimer:  if you read these books and you're thinking, 'how did Tommy take this part seriously?' - well, it was hard.

The Confession by John Grisham

I'm really kind of irritated.  I'm irritated at myself for not being able to put the book down.  I stayed up way too late reading The Confession by John Grisham.  And I am irritated at the author because I didn't even like the book.  I thought it was cliche, cheap, easy shots all the while stinking of political correct garbage and yet it was wrapped up in a compelling narrative that kept me wanting to know what was going to happen.

It's very anti-capital punnishment and while he pushed some buttons in that department and prompted me to examine my own thoughts and feelings about the death penalty, it was so conveniently packaged in favor of the accused that the author turns it into a straw man, easily pushed over.

But the thing that bothered me most was the ever-present race theme in the book.  As in many of his books, he writes in the South and this was set in Texas.  The thing that bothered me is that the white characters in the book are mostly evil or at best, tragically flawed.  And the black characters in the book are all principled innocents.  I may be casting a wide net so I am thinking, a character review is in order...

Humanus Self-centricus

You know that old song, "You Always Hurt the One You Love"? 

You always break the kindest heart,
With a hasty word you can't recall.
So, if I broke your heart last night,
It's because I love you most of all.

OK, that's weird.  And in the world of conflict resolution, I'm quite certain that rationale won't get you very far.  There is some truth to it, of course.  But I feel like taking this apart a bit.  It requires some honest self-analysis OK?  Wait!  Where are you going???  Nothing to be scared of here.  All we're going to do is compare how we treat our friends and family with how we treat people we barely know.  OK, let's get started by breaking this down into the two groups ...

Winning is Also Important

I'll never forget an interview I heard with former Tech/Bama/Kentucky coach Bill Curry.  This was several years ago and Alabama had just fired Coach Shula.  The radio station did the obligatory Let's-interview-Curry-because-he-knows-how-football-crazy-Alabama-is story.  As I remember it, Bama had come out the prior week and said Shula was going to be their coach for at least another year.

Then, Auburn beat Bama.  Again.

It is just different in Alabama.  Winning is bigger and losing is bigger.  It's more important.  More important than anywhere else, I think.  I speak only from third person experience. 

Losing is Important

I am talking to you.  You're the parent who will rig the system so that your kid - no matter what - doesn't lose.  And if he/she does happen to lose despite all your efforts, you spin it so that he/she won't get his/her poor little feelings hurt.

I am also talking to myself.  (that's the youngest, Annie)

We live in a house of competitors.  I've noticed that the kids have picked up on the importance of winning.  I admit, they've learned that from Mom and me, in addition to the natural way that kids pick up on these things.  Unfortunately, though I've matured through the years, a loss can affect my day in a negative way and people around me are usually able to tell!