Hey, Another Guest Columnist (or as I like to call it a couple more days for me to be lazy. :-))
Presenting, once again, Dean Schmitz:
Well, beat the drum and hold the phone - the sun came out today!
We’re born again, there’s new grass on the field.
A-roundin’ third, and headed for home, it’s a brown-eyed handsome man;
Anyone can understand the way I feel.
Chorus:
Oh, put me in, coach - I’m ready to play today;
Put me in, coach - I’m ready to play today;
Look at me, I can be centerfield.
Well, I spent some time in the mudville nine, watchin’ it from the bench;
You know I took some lumps when the mighty casey struck out.
So say hey willie, tell ty cobb and joe dimaggio;
Don’t say "it ain’t so", you know the time is now.
Got a beat-up glove, a homemade bat, and brand-new pair of shoes;
You know I think it’s time to give this game a ride.
Just to hit the ball and touch ’em all - a moment in the sun;
(pop) it’s gone and you can tell that one goodbye!”
-– John Fogerty, "Centerfield", Centerfield (1985)
As I started putting together an entry as a guest writer for Tom’s blog, I planned on using the theme of baseball. I am a big baseball fan, always have been (even though the owners and players drive me crazy with all their stupid politicking) – the game of baseball is a beautiful thing. My entry was going to be a ‘baseball is a metaphor for life’ type article. It has been written many times before and I was thinking I would take my shot at it.
However, as I was reading another friend’s blog, entitled “What’s Next?” it got me thinking. Justina was writing about being an old married lady and not staying up past 10:30pm. She isn’t sure that her current life is exciting enough for a blog. It may be a calm recovery time that she is experiencing until the next phase of life kicks her into a higher gear. Additionally, the name of her blog may be reflective of her hoping to explore the answers to “What’s Next?”.
Obviously, I don’t have the answers for my friend. I, however, do have some answers for myself, or at least as much as anyone has answers. LIFE is next. Every single moment of it, no matter how exciting or ordinary. While I have a similar life to what my friend is describing (I rarely make the 10 o’clock news, let alone Letterman anymore), and it may not be very exciting to a lot of people, it is life to me and very important to enjoy. Obviously it is good to plan for the future and reflect on the past to learn lessons for the future. But to me, it is so important to live for right now and enjoy it. Whether that means you are climbing a mountain or enjoying pizza on your back porch with family, enjoy the now.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Kind & Generous
You've been so kind and generous,
I don't know how you keep on giving,
For your kindness, I'm in debt to you
For your selflessness, my admiration
For everything you've done.
You know I'm bound,
I'm bound to thank you for it....
--Natalie Merchant, Ophelia, "Kind & Generous", (1998)
Actually, this song in it's entirety is applicable to my wife, Melissa, but that's another blog. Instead, this blog is about everyone else who has been so kind and generous to me, and more importantly, to my family. We had yet another anonymous and embarrassingly generous gift of what my dad and Uncle Steve (or as he is known around these parts "The Uncle") call "folding money." This is not the first anonymous gift we've received and besides sending our thanks back through my parents who gave us the envelopes, this is the only way I can think of to try to try to reach them "personally."
And I decided to at least try to thank some of the people who have helped us so generously with their thoughts, deeds, and actions. (Yes, Mom, you did teach me better than this. I even have two boxes of thank you notes sitting inside my desk as I type this. I'm just lazy and rude I guess. :-) )
The danger in doing these kind of public thank yous is that you inevitably leave off people because you just forget. I hope nobody's feelings are hurt, because that is not my intent. You have to admit I have a pretty good excuse for forgetting. :-)
Friends and of course family have helped us out immensely, but my sister Megan has gone over and above the call of duty, carting the kids around to various activities, seeing that they're fed and giving us a couple moments of sanity in between all this madness.
Curt and Julie, Doug and Patti, Rod and Holly, Ben and Wendy, Bruce, Scott, Tom, Al and Phyllis, Terry and Sandie, our old neighbors (you know who you are), and our new neighbors, Ron and Joyce, Vicki and Harold. All of the people at the City of Des Moines, who generously donated their vacation time and for inviting me to lunch every Wednesday months after I went on disability. Thanks to James for seeing that the details at the city were taken care of.
I am writing this from the Taylor House Hospice. Hopefully, a temporary stop on the way to Kavanaugh House and eventually home for the inevitable. I apologize if I left anyone off. I think I still have a couple of blogs in me, but we'll just have to wait and see.
I don't know how you keep on giving,
For your kindness, I'm in debt to you
For your selflessness, my admiration
For everything you've done.
You know I'm bound,
I'm bound to thank you for it....
--Natalie Merchant, Ophelia, "Kind & Generous", (1998)
Actually, this song in it's entirety is applicable to my wife, Melissa, but that's another blog. Instead, this blog is about everyone else who has been so kind and generous to me, and more importantly, to my family. We had yet another anonymous and embarrassingly generous gift of what my dad and Uncle Steve (or as he is known around these parts "The Uncle") call "folding money." This is not the first anonymous gift we've received and besides sending our thanks back through my parents who gave us the envelopes, this is the only way I can think of to try to try to reach them "personally."
And I decided to at least try to thank some of the people who have helped us so generously with their thoughts, deeds, and actions. (Yes, Mom, you did teach me better than this. I even have two boxes of thank you notes sitting inside my desk as I type this. I'm just lazy and rude I guess. :-) )
The danger in doing these kind of public thank yous is that you inevitably leave off people because you just forget. I hope nobody's feelings are hurt, because that is not my intent. You have to admit I have a pretty good excuse for forgetting. :-)
Friends and of course family have helped us out immensely, but my sister Megan has gone over and above the call of duty, carting the kids around to various activities, seeing that they're fed and giving us a couple moments of sanity in between all this madness.
Curt and Julie, Doug and Patti, Rod and Holly, Ben and Wendy, Bruce, Scott, Tom, Al and Phyllis, Terry and Sandie, our old neighbors (you know who you are), and our new neighbors, Ron and Joyce, Vicki and Harold. All of the people at the City of Des Moines, who generously donated their vacation time and for inviting me to lunch every Wednesday months after I went on disability. Thanks to James for seeing that the details at the city were taken care of.
I am writing this from the Taylor House Hospice. Hopefully, a temporary stop on the way to Kavanaugh House and eventually home for the inevitable. I apologize if I left anyone off. I think I still have a couple of blogs in me, but we'll just have to wait and see.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The Grateful Dead and Me
My brother Esau killed the hunter, back in 1969,
Before the killing was done, his inheritance was mine.
When at first my brother walked away,
Before a weary band,
Esau gave his sleeplessness for a piece of moral land.
Our father favored Esau,
he was eager to obey,
All the wild commandments, the old man shot his way.
But all this ended when, my brother failed at war.
He staggered home and found me in the door.
--The Grateful Dead, "My Brother Esau", In The Dark, (1987 (cassette only)).
--See also Genesis 25:21-34
Let me make something clear: I never liked the Grateful Dead growing up. Yeah, I had the Greatest Hits album like everyone else, but even the songs I liked, such as "Truckin' ", marked me as someone who was not a "true" Deadhead. To me, they were kind of a so-so blues band who put out a lot of live albums, doing so-so covers or sometimes hack jobs of other people's songs. The idea of someone slipping acid in my drink at a concert scared the shit out of me. If you need to plan in advance for someone to take care of you in case you freak out, that's a substance you probably shouldn't be putting in your body.
On the other hand, how can you beat the resigned nature of lyrics like this:
Sittin' and starin' out of the hotel window.
Got a tip they're gonna kick the door in again.
I'd like to get some sleep before I travel,
But if you got a warrant, I guess you're gonna come in.
--"Truckin' ", American Beauty, (1970)
I also liked St. Stephen, which was also on the Greatest Hits (a/k/a "Skeletons from the Closet") album (along with "Truckin' ").
My sophomore year of college, "In The Dark" came out, and I really liked "My Brother Esau" which was the "B" side of the Dead's only top 10 hit, ("Touch of Grey"), so I bought the cassette. It wasn't on the album (really big CD's for those of you who are Wendy's age :-) ). I also spent a great deal of time hanging out in GDI bars in Iowa City, like Joe's Place, the Deadwood, and so forth. Later, I discovered, I really liked a song on the "Dead Set" CD, which included, amongst other songs, has "Samson and Delilah", Friend of the Devil", and "Greatest Story Ever Told." And so, I've sort of become a Dead fan gradually over the years.
And what's occurred to me lately, (besides What a Long Strange Trip It's Been) is that many of the artists, I like best have a lot of biblical allusions and references in their material. Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison. There's a lot there if you listen carefully. My all time favorite song may be "The Weight" by The Band. So, I've started comparing the biblical verses to some of the songs I like, just for fun, while I am reading the Bible.
I know that most of my friends and family are not exactly avid Bible readers (and frankly, neither am I), but since we have this wonderful toy we call the Internet, you should take some of your favorite songs, compare and contrast them with the actual verses and ruminate on them for a while.
Before the killing was done, his inheritance was mine.
When at first my brother walked away,
Before a weary band,
Esau gave his sleeplessness for a piece of moral land.
Our father favored Esau,
he was eager to obey,
All the wild commandments, the old man shot his way.
But all this ended when, my brother failed at war.
He staggered home and found me in the door.
--The Grateful Dead, "My Brother Esau", In The Dark, (1987 (cassette only)).
--See also Genesis 25:21-34
Let me make something clear: I never liked the Grateful Dead growing up. Yeah, I had the Greatest Hits album like everyone else, but even the songs I liked, such as "Truckin' ", marked me as someone who was not a "true" Deadhead. To me, they were kind of a so-so blues band who put out a lot of live albums, doing so-so covers or sometimes hack jobs of other people's songs. The idea of someone slipping acid in my drink at a concert scared the shit out of me. If you need to plan in advance for someone to take care of you in case you freak out, that's a substance you probably shouldn't be putting in your body.
On the other hand, how can you beat the resigned nature of lyrics like this:
Sittin' and starin' out of the hotel window.
Got a tip they're gonna kick the door in again.
I'd like to get some sleep before I travel,
But if you got a warrant, I guess you're gonna come in.
--"Truckin' ", American Beauty, (1970)
I also liked St. Stephen, which was also on the Greatest Hits (a/k/a "Skeletons from the Closet") album (along with "Truckin' ").
My sophomore year of college, "In The Dark" came out, and I really liked "My Brother Esau" which was the "B" side of the Dead's only top 10 hit, ("Touch of Grey"), so I bought the cassette. It wasn't on the album (really big CD's for those of you who are Wendy's age :-) ). I also spent a great deal of time hanging out in GDI bars in Iowa City, like Joe's Place, the Deadwood, and so forth. Later, I discovered, I really liked a song on the "Dead Set" CD, which included, amongst other songs, has "Samson and Delilah", Friend of the Devil", and "Greatest Story Ever Told." And so, I've sort of become a Dead fan gradually over the years.
And what's occurred to me lately, (besides What a Long Strange Trip It's Been) is that many of the artists, I like best have a lot of biblical allusions and references in their material. Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison. There's a lot there if you listen carefully. My all time favorite song may be "The Weight" by The Band. So, I've started comparing the biblical verses to some of the songs I like, just for fun, while I am reading the Bible.
I know that most of my friends and family are not exactly avid Bible readers (and frankly, neither am I), but since we have this wonderful toy we call the Internet, you should take some of your favorite songs, compare and contrast them with the actual verses and ruminate on them for a while.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Buying in Bulk
"After all, the chief business of the American people is business."
--Calvin Coolidge, Address before the American Society of Newspaper Editors, Washington, D.C., Jan. 17, 1925
When the doctors start telling you your time is growing short, and there's really not much they can do (as will happen after my latest scans/pictures today) you have about 4 options :
1. Piss and moan about how unfair life is.
2. Sit and around the house and cry and feel sorry for yourself.
3. Read the Bible, try to contemplate life, while spending time outside.
4. "Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Most of us do some combination of the above. I was never very good at #1, spent most of least week doing #2. That leaves #3 and #4. I'm going to start using some self discipline and starting on #3 in a more serious fashion this next week. That leaves #4. Now there's only so many time you can read a poem so you kind of have to think metaphorically here.
One of my protests against this whole dying thing has been shopping. Nothing extravagant mind you , but grocery shopping for example. We always bought the bag with 50 coffee filters for about 68 cents. I am the only one who drinks coffee in my house, so it makes sense. A few weeks ago, I dropped a whole $1.79 on 200 filters as my little protest against cancer. I've used about 75 so far, so this huge investment may pay off yet :-). I bought a huge (3lb.?) coffee can of Folgers because it was on sale for $4.99. Melissa was mad about it because the can takes up so much cupboard space, but I drank it all. Working on a small bag of Starbucks now.
I bought 10 cans of Chunky (both Campbell's and the HyVee (store) brand) and Healthy Choice soups for $0.75 from the scratch n' dent carts they put at the front of the store. I know it's almost summer, but I intend to eat them all.
I always check out what's in the clearance aisle at Target. I am Bargain Betty and I'm not changing, cancer be damned.
The visits to the oncologists this morning went as I envisioned. There's really nothing else they can for me at this point, my lungs sound pretty good, the cognitive and physical declines are not very steep at this point, and I'm in as good as shape as someone with terminal cancer can be.
On a lighter note, the first two of the ducklings whose mother set up shop in our yard hatched yesterday. The first one with any yellow color is going to be named after Steve Bowman.
--Calvin Coolidge, Address before the American Society of Newspaper Editors, Washington, D.C., Jan. 17, 1925
When the doctors start telling you your time is growing short, and there's really not much they can do (as will happen after my latest scans/pictures today) you have about 4 options :
1. Piss and moan about how unfair life is.
2. Sit and around the house and cry and feel sorry for yourself.
3. Read the Bible, try to contemplate life, while spending time outside.
4. "Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Most of us do some combination of the above. I was never very good at #1, spent most of least week doing #2. That leaves #3 and #4. I'm going to start using some self discipline and starting on #3 in a more serious fashion this next week. That leaves #4. Now there's only so many time you can read a poem so you kind of have to think metaphorically here.
One of my protests against this whole dying thing has been shopping. Nothing extravagant mind you , but grocery shopping for example. We always bought the bag with 50 coffee filters for about 68 cents. I am the only one who drinks coffee in my house, so it makes sense. A few weeks ago, I dropped a whole $1.79 on 200 filters as my little protest against cancer. I've used about 75 so far, so this huge investment may pay off yet :-). I bought a huge (3lb.?) coffee can of Folgers because it was on sale for $4.99. Melissa was mad about it because the can takes up so much cupboard space, but I drank it all. Working on a small bag of Starbucks now.
I bought 10 cans of Chunky (both Campbell's and the HyVee (store) brand) and Healthy Choice soups for $0.75 from the scratch n' dent carts they put at the front of the store. I know it's almost summer, but I intend to eat them all.
I always check out what's in the clearance aisle at Target. I am Bargain Betty and I'm not changing, cancer be damned.
The visits to the oncologists this morning went as I envisioned. There's really nothing else they can for me at this point, my lungs sound pretty good, the cognitive and physical declines are not very steep at this point, and I'm in as good as shape as someone with terminal cancer can be.
On a lighter note, the first two of the ducklings whose mother set up shop in our yard hatched yesterday. The first one with any yellow color is going to be named after Steve Bowman.
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