Going Home

This afternoon I watched the movie "Cars" at the old(er) movie theater in my hometown of Grand Prairie, TX. Now, before you run off with visions of a 1920's cinema palace with deep pile carpet and gilded everything I must warn you that the old(er) movie theater in my hometown is a Cinemark 16 Multiplex. The only thing old fashioned about it is the lack of stadium seating.

When the theater was built in my youth, it was state of the art and exciting. Its construction meant that we didnt' have to drive to Arlington to see a movie. (Not that I saw many movies in the theater as a kid what with my family's annual income and my parents strict isolationism.) It was the theater where I remember seeing my first PG-13 movie (Batman Returns). It was(is?) the theater of my childhood. There is something oddly comforting about that. It was almost on par with wrapping up in an old blanket.

Oh, and about the movie. When I drive home to Abilene tomorrow, I'm jumping off I-20 at Weatherford and taking hwy 180 out. It's much more scenic, I highly recommend it.

Friday Update

Just thought I'd let all my faithful reader's know what's going on in Hairyworld. It's been pretty rainy in King Fred's kingdom recently, but I am devoting more energy to the spiritual disciplines of prayer and reading so it is to be expected.

>Harry

The Ballad of King Fred (part 1)

Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Palacia, lived King Fred. Officially he was King Frederick II, but to his subjects he was just King Fred. Sometimes, behind his back, people who didn't like him all that much called him Fatty Freddy Fat Fat.
King Fred was not your average, everyday potentate however because he had a special connection to the weather. Some people have jewelry that supposedly changes color to display their mood. You could say that King Fred had a mood sky. When he was happy, the weather was nice and pleasant. The sun was warm, but not hot. There was rain, but not too much. When King Fred was sad, the clouds were low and dark and it drizzled constantly. When he was angry there would be thunderstorms with dangerous hail and lightning, and it would rain so much that it caused floods.
King Fred's subjects liked it when he was in a good mood. They would have picnics and play ball in the park, or go relax on the beach and play in the ocean on those days. On bad mood days they would stay inside or if they absolutely had to go out they would put on their raincoats and grab their umbrellas to go out.

[to be continued . . .]

International Incident Brewing

It is halftime of the US vs. Ghana match, and I am PISSED OFF. It appears that there is a conspiracy among certain referees to prevent the US from going on in the tournament. It began in the last game by a Uruguayan referee who believed that he was what people all over the world were coming to see. It has continued in the current game by a German referree, one Markus Merk, who sees penalties where there are none. Most infamously awarding Ghana a penalty kick in stoppage time of the first half for a LEGAL CHALLENGE by US center back Ugechi Oneywu.

I realize people the world over despise our president and his warmongering policies, I know I do. But the chicanery perpetrated by our president should in no way affect the officiating at games where our national team plays.

Well, my ranting is done, but I'm still mad. Hopefully the second half will quell my offended spirit with a US win in spite of the referree's attempts to insure the opposite.

Why I Love the World Cup

Reason 1:

A tiny country with little recent reason for national pride has the chance (and takes it as often as not) to upset a perennial powerhouse (ex. Senegal vs. France; Ecuador vs. Poland; Trinidad and Tobago vs. Sweden) on the world stage. For a time, citizen's of said tiny country walk tall and proud because of what their team did on the pitch.

Reason 2:

Like the Greek Olympics of ancient times, the World Cup has the power to make peace between warring parties. In the Ivory Coast, a civil war which has raged up til this past weekend has been suspended for the duration of the tournament. Granted this peace is probably only temporary, but it sets the stage for a lasting peace.

I'd like to hear your reasons for liking / loving the World Cup tournament.

Saturday Morning Update

It is now day 2 of the 2006 World Cup and I have watched 3 games. Can life get any better? I submit that it cannot.

6-9-06
I watched legendary Germany defeat a very competitive Costa Rican team 4-2. Prediction Wanchope (Costa Rican forward) becomes a household name the world over by the time his team is out of the tournament.
I watched an out of shape Poland squad get RUN OVER by an energetic Ecuador. It looked like 1939 all over again for the Poles.

6-10-06
This morning England defeated Paraguay 1-0 in a game marked by bad calls and bad football by both squads. Here's hoping the Soca Warriors of Trinidad and Tobago give the Viking Swedes a run for their money today at noon.

That's it from the World Cup so far. 3 more games to watch today. Woo Hoo

Home of the Brave?

Engraved on a bronze plaque on the base of the Statue of Liberty is the poem "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus. It reads:

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Perhaps that door that was once open allowing my ancestors entrance to the land of opportunity is now shut. Perhaps it is only open to those who are white, or have some talent which grants them entrance. If that is the case, then perhaps we should close ol' Lady Liberty down. Either we are what she says we are, or we are not.

In the Army Now?

Tomorrow, at a little after 9pm, I will be talking with a recruiter from the Texas Army National Guard about becoming a chaplain in the Guard.

It is FINISHED!

"And the Lord look at all that he had made and behold it was very good."

The semester (aside from two pending assignments) is completed. More importantly the 125 or so young men, who up until today I had been responsible for, are GONE. I am now going to bed.

Good night all.

Who Am I?

You Are Kermit

Hi, ho! Lovable and friendly, you get along well with everyone you know. You're a big thinker, and sometimes you over think life's problems. Don't worry - everyone know's it's not easy being green. Just remember, time's fun when you're having flies!

The Muppet Personality Test

Almost there

As of the writing of this post there are now 22 hours til I have to turn in my written briefs (papers not underwear) for my comprehensive exams. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and though it's most likely the train coming the other way I don't care at this point. I just want to finish.

Thank you to all of you faithful friends who have been praying for me and supporting me to reach this point. I promise I will not let you down.

~ Harry

Why we create . . .

In a recent discussion with Marcella Walker, I came to a tentative conclusion that art - in its various forms - is the response of the created order to the fall. In short, we are artists because we suffer the pangs of separation. We know that the world is not as it should, and so we respond with art. (We also respond with humor, but that is a different post.) Our music, poetry, literature, painting, sculpture, cinema, et cetera is at is most foundational level our attempt to deal with the brokenness of the world around us, and reclaim, however tenuously, a connection with what the world could be.

I would like to hear the thoughts of you, my loyal visitors and readers.

~Harry

Lunchmeat (2005-2006)

Last night, Thursday March 9, Lunchmeat the cat, formerly of Smith Adams Residence Hall was struck and killed by a passing motorist while crossing EN 10th Street. The motorist remains unidentified and is assumed to be unharmed by the colision.

From the day he first appeared at Smith Adams, he was a friendly and affectionate cat. He was content to spend long hours sitting in laps and relaxing with the residents of the hall.

In short, Lunchmeat was a loving and loved member of our community here. We miss him.

The Broadway Version of My Life

Today while I was walking home from the library and seriously rocking out on my iPod (think the commercials) I thought what a cool thing it would be to make a musical of my life out of the songs on my computer. The list is incomplete (acts 1 and 5 are kinda hard to set to music.) But here is my life as a musical

Act 1
Superman by Five for Fighting
Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

Act 2
Rave On by Buddy Holly
Come Fly With Me by Frank Sinatra
Kiss the Girl from Disney's Little Mermaid
I'm a Believer by The Monkees
Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley

Act 3
Charade by Bobby Darin
Your Mistake by Sister Hazel
She Hates Me by Puddle of Mud
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry by Johnny Cash
Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own by U2

Act 4
Somebody to Love by Queen
The Date Song by Jamie Hooten and David Graves
Bridge Over Troubled Waters by Simon and Garfunkel and Johnny Cash (I can't decide which version)

Act 5
O'Sullivan's March by the Chieftans
Into the West from The Return of the King (performed by Annie Lennox)

Let me know who you think should play me in both the stage and movie versions.

PS Thank you for indulging this little bit of narcisim on my part ;-)

Austin City Limited

This past weekend I had the great fortune to travel to Austin, the capital of Texas, to visit my good friends Nathan and Melissa Jerkins. While there I took a much needed break from school life and became, for 2 days, just another 20-something. We ate gigantic chicken fried steaks and fish tacos. We played washers and enjoyed one another's company.

The weekend was more than simply good food and games, however. The weekend was an eye opening experience. I have spent the better part of the past decade living in the theorhetical world of the university. Virtue is a topic of conversation, tolerance a matter of course in a world where everyone operates with similar agenda's toward similar ends. The weekend in Austin opened my eyes to the world outside the academy. In this world, virtue is a lifestyle that must be practiced faithfully if one is be virtuous. In this world, tolerance must be embraced as each new person is encountered. Here, in the real world, the theoretical world of the academy must actually be put into practice. Honestly, it was unsettling. This is not a safe world, and the consequences for our actions are real, the stakes much higher.

God help me as I prepare to enter the real world.

A For Real Update

I have just finished reading the book Farnham's Freehold by Robert Heinlein. It is a science fiction novel which describes a family catapulted 2,000 years into the future by nuclear war. There they discover that the cultural roles have reversed. "Whites" have, by their own self-immolation, become the subservient culture to the dominant "Black" culture. I will not give away any more details because it is a good story which you should probably read.

When it was published in 1964 it was, to be sure, a controversial book. It seems to me to be controversial for both sides of the racial divide. White people would be offended by its portrayal of white people as the property of others, while Black people would possibly be offended by the assertion that, given power, they will be no more humane than white people were.

The question of power is central to the understanding of the author's point. It is not about race, it is about power. Power is the dividing factor in human relationships. It is the thing which makes its posessors strive for more, and those who lack it to fight for it. Once again, it is not about race, but about the attitudes of power. Power corrupts those who posess it as surely as people die and governments levy taxes.

Jesus Christ laid aside his power and priviledge and became the lowest of humanity. He laid aside his divinity to become a slave, and he calls us who claim to follow him to do the same.

An Update

This update is for you Jamie Hooten.

I will be going to Austin to visit Nathan and Melissa Jerkins this weekend.
Comps are still beating me about the head and shoulders.
Changing door locks is a fun diversion from schoolwork.

The Life of the Minister

"Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God." 1 Corinthians 8:1b-3

Perhaps those of us who are called to ministry would be well served, and would well serve God's church if we take these words to heart and enact them in our lives.

Survival of the Fittest??

We now live in the twilight of the human race. Human beings (homo sapiens) have peaked as a species and are now on the way out. Soon we will be joining the dinosaurs in the pre-historic section of the museum.

We get into machines and routinely race around at 3 to 5 times the speed our bodies were designed for. We get into other machines and fly, a feat for which we are not physically equipped. This high level of technology should carry with it a large body count as the poorly equipped and the unadaptable are weeded out of the collective gene-pool, thus making the remaining whole better equipped to deal with the world we have created. Is this the case? No, it is not. We have used our high level of technology to create not only faster modes of transportation and the like, but also safer ones. Now, the unfit are allowed to persist and even procreate through the proliferation of helmet laws and seat-belt legislation thus muddying the gene-pool. I submit that humanity has thus ceased growing and has begun to revert to previous lower levels of intelligence.

It will not be long before the curtain closes on the human act and we go to intermission. Current expenditures of resources and the increasing pollution levels will soon leave us with a world no longer capable of sustaining human life. A fact somehow missed by the law making bodies of the United States especially. The Dinosaurs had a run lasting millions of years, we've been going for several thousand. A meteor ushered their demise, we are bringing about our own.

You Can Never Go Home Again

This post is on location at my parent's house in Grand Prairie, Texas.

This afternoon I drove "home." I say "home" because Home is Abilene, Texas where I have spent the majority of the past decade and "home" is Grand Prairie, Texas where i spent the majority of the previous two decades and where my parents still live.

Everytime I come to visit, something has changed. Except to me, one who visits so infrequently, it seems as though a lot of things have changed. Because this is the place where I grew up though, it seems more than a bunch of new buildings. It appears as though the fundamental nature of the universe has been altered. This town is the place of my memory, and now that memory is disconnected from reality.

I love holidays, and I love spending time with my family at holidays, but I do not enjoy going "home." It reminds me that even the most fundamental things in the universe are changeable and not always for the better.