Resurrection 2010

This Easter was particularly bright and colorful. I'm glad that our typical tradition of a meal and recounting a mysterious tale of a man rising from the dead was accompanied by play and laughter. What a perfect and appropriate combination. Here are a few snapshots of my day.







He is risen and so are we.

To see my other photos, click here! : Resurrection 2010

Observations

So, here I am - chillin' at the Roasterie in Brookside. Let me give you a snapshot of what's going on.

To my left, a middle-aged woman, clad in an obnoxious amount of green, who looks like Sophia Loren is trying to subdue a terror child. The volume control is broken on this child. Screeching anti-melodic tones brings him unending delight. A man, perhaps the lady's husband, attempts to counsel the child. His voice is high and raspy, as if he got kicked in the testis after having a cold for two weeks, and thus, carries no authority. The terror screeches on.

Pause ...

Hey, Jim and Bethany showed up! We enjoyed some coffee and tried not to snicker each time the poor fellow next to us spoke in soprano. They are hanging with friends tonight and playing Settlers of Catan. What a great game.

Thankfully, things have simmered down, and all of the folks who came in after the St. Patty's parade have gone home. But the Irish music plays on. Death by pennywistle. You can't help but tap your feet to the chipper arpeggios. But goodness, they're never ending. I think it's making people irritable. One of the bro-istas behind the counter surveys his patrons with wide, aggressive eyes, seemingly eager to whup the ass of the first person to give him reason. I try to avoid making eye contact with him. This is probably what it feels like to live in Dublin - happy music and scary guys ready to turn you into a pretzel before you can say "Top 'o the morning."

St. Patty brings out the best in all of us. Here's hoping you find your pot 'o gold. Whatever or whoever that might be.

Lightbox Photo Shoot

Cold! Brrr...
Originally uploaded by Tom Page

This is why you don't give Youth ministry or Missions people keys to anything ... Caley did a great job as our photographer! And HCC - if you see this, it was all Shibu's idea.

See our other pics here.

Ultimate Return

After several months of being sidelined with a rib injury - thank you, Skylar - I made my valiant return to the Ultimate Frisbee field.

I am out of shape.

Today was really fun, and wet, and muddy. Not only did we have to play against the formidable Kyle Blake (like always, what the heck?), we had to play against his NFL caliber brother, Dave ... Lord, have mercy. The first throw to go Dave's way when I was guarding him, resulted in me getting so manhandled that my only option was to climb onto his back, which I did. It was like trying to bring down a pachyderm. Graciously, Dave took this in stride and decided not to torment me for the rest of the match.

At the end of the day it was 2 wins, 2 losses. Our last win has an asterisk by it, because we ended early, but I was so stinking tired by that point that I didn't care who won the last game. Currently, my legs feel like they are filled with led. The hurt is gonna come tomorrow!

Never Say Die - Goonies Wallpaper

This is incredible! This made my day! This is the Goonies slogan, turned into a wallpaper! Someone please make this into a t-shirt, size medium, for me!

"Thank you, Mr. Willy (Frank Spohr). Thank you ... "

On Relegating Facebook

"Remember, remember the 11th of Novem ... uh ... January. The Facebook treason and plot; I see no reason why the Facebook treason should ever be forgot."

I finally relegated Facebook by deactivating my account. I understand that my digital imprint is still going to be out there, but that wasn't why I broke ties with the social networking giant. I went western show-down on Facebook, because it is the gateway drug to being a full-on creeper. Stalking is now socially acceptable, and that freaks me out. I wasn't worried about having to fend off strange, hairy, overweight, cheeto-crumb-infested maniacs ... I was worried that I'd become one.

Here's to old-school human interaction.

Cheers.

Separation Anxiety Kitty

Over the last week and a half, I've been house/cat - sitting for my grandfather while he is away visiting our southern kin. Usually, I love animals, yet as of just recently, I think I might actually hate them. My heart is not unlike others who ooh and aww when they see a pathetic feline begging for attention. However, if said cat has separation anxiety disorder, your empathy will steadily wan, followed by your normally humane inclination toward animals, followed by your conscience that keeps your barbaric instincts in check with your normally humane inclination toward animals.

Here is the Wikipedia entry on the disorder:

Separation anxiety disorder is a psychological condition in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety regarding separation from home or from people to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment (like a father and mother). It becomes a disorder when the separation reaction becomes strong enough to impair people's ability to conduct their day to day lives and relationships.

My grandmother was the first bond to break for this cat. She loved having "Kitty" on her lap 24/7, and Kitty loved being there. Since grandma passed away, Kitty has only had the attention of my grandfather, who is only moderately affectionate toward her (for good reason), and that of the occasional drop-in friend or family member. And now that grandpa is on a furball-free vacation - broken bond number two - Kitty has entered into full-on disorder mode. Oh, happy day.

My official grievances against Kitty the cat:
1) Kitty must be touching me at all times
2) Kitty will only eat when I am near her food dish
3) Kitty sleeps all day when I'm gone
4) Kitty wants attention all night when I sleep
5) Kitty jostles the doorknob when I lock her out of my room at night
6) Kitty's meows sound like dying children
7) Kitty seems to be gifted with omniscience and omnipresence
8) Kitty is an evil manipulator
9) Kitty is merciless
10) Kitty is named Kitty

Since I am unable to function as a normal human being, I believe she is creating in me the converse disorder: Proximity Anxiety Disorder, which has entered me into an inescapable, demented yin and yang, cyclical, symbiotic love/hate relationship.

I'm like Harry Potter and Kitty is like Lord Voldemort.

The saga continues ...