12″ of thick wet snow were dumped on us here in S. WI overnight, and pretty much everything is closed today. I’m working from home today and enjoying a) VPN access to work, and b) lapdogs. The system seems to have sat down over us and slowing spinning as it adds new snow to the total. Tonight, the temperature is supposed to drop and the wind is supposed to kick up. We’ve been under a blizzard warning since last night.
buried
E. and I left home around 11 am on Thursday, July 9th, from south-central Wisconsin to drive down to Chicago to meet SF author Cory Doctorow and see a stage production of his YA novel, “Little Brother.”
E. and Cory Doctorow
It was a great day for a trip. When we left town, I asked E. if he was interested in something to eat. He suggested McDonald’s. At just that moment, a semi with a McDonald’s logo passed us. We were amused. It would not be the last completely random timely circumstance of the day. Read the rest of this entry »
This is a really cool article that builds on another cool article. Adding to the fray, I think it’s cool who otherwise irreverent pop culture figures appear to have a sincere, unexpected reverence for Christ, seeing in him something noble where their own followers wouldn’t expect that of them in a million years (and I’m thinking here of both Monty Python and Penny Arcade).
http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctmovies/2009/06/jesus-spartacus-and-monty-pyth.html
And then Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) came along and put the two stories together. At the end of that film, Brian is crucified along with dozens of other Jews (and at least one Samaritan), but then a soldier comes along, asking who Brian is so that Brian can be taken down from the cross. And whereas the extras in one movie all yelled “I’m Spartacus!” as a sign of self-sacrificial solidarity with their leader, the extras in the other movie all yell “I’m Brian!” as a way of selfishly trying to save their own skins, at the expense of the genuine Brian’s life.
It’s also interesting to consider that Spartacus was written by people who had an active interest in progressive politics — the screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo, almost didn’t receive any credit for the film because of the 1950s blacklist — so it may reflect some of that left-leaning idealism, whereas Life of Brian devotes a fair bit of screen time to mocking British left-wing politics, albeit in first-century Judean garb.
I don’t think the Pythons were anti-liberal, by any stretch, but I do think they were somewhat cynical about the ability of humans as a whole to rise above their own self-centredness. And so, in a roundabout way, they brought the story of Spartacus back to the story of Jesus, as the “hero” of their story is exploited and abandoned by nearly everyone he meets.
I took Linda to the airport in Milwaukee early yesterday morning. She was flying to Arkansas for a business trip. That left E. and I home alone.
I sat on my actual couch in my actual living room while eating pizza and watched an actual movie in HD on my actual HDTV. It was phenomenal. All my normal routines are kittywumpus. It’s like a vacation without leaving home.
I had the bed all to myself last night. You’d think I’d celebrate by sleeping in the middle and luxuriating in all that extra room, but no. I had a little trouble getting to sleep. I’m not used to sleeping alone. I’m grateful it’s only until the weekend.
This month, Overlord Paul Christian Glenn—the silent, crafty one of the galactic trinity—unleashes a bold new design for Ray Gun Revival magazine. Get a taste of the best space opera pulp adventure here in Issue #52!
43 pages
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I’m working on the blog for a day or two and have turned off new user registration for the moment. Check back soon.
I got this recipe (or a variation of it) from a co-worker at Parker Pen in Janesville, WI, in 1995. It’s been making my wife purr for thirteen years. She’s from the Southwest and really likes food that evokes the region.
What You’ll Need:
* Crock pot / slow cooker
* 4 to 5 lb. chuck roast (serves 4 to 6)
* 1 cup flour (for dredging, optional)
* 1 green bell pepper (sliced)
* Favorite seasonings (see suggestions)
* 2 to 3 tbsp. of olive oil
* 1 cup of water
* 5 beef bouillon cubes
* 1 box taco shells (we prefer white corn)
* 1 can refried beans
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…and it was painless!
I never do this. I reserve this blog as pretty much a writing-only forum to showcase my work. However, this is a topic too big to ignore, and it is about time we stood up and said something.
As I don’t make regular posts, I rather doubt I have any regular readers, however, for those few who do follow this blog, this is what I’m thinking about right now. Let’s start with a column from noted Christian columnist Cal Thomas. You might be surprised at what he wrote.
http://www.calthomas.com/index.php?news=2419
Thirty years of trying to use government to stop abortion, preserve opposite-sex marriage, improve television and movie content and transform culture into the conservative Evangelical image has failed. The question now becomes: should conservative Christians redouble their efforts, contributing more millions to radio and TV preachers and activists, or would they be wise to try something else?
I opt for trying something else.
If results are what conservative Evangelicals want, they already have a model. It is contained in the life and commands of Jesus of Nazareth. Suppose millions of conservative Evangelicals engaged in an old and proven type of radical behavior. Suppose they followed the admonition of Jesus to “love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison and care for widows and orphans,” not as ends, as so many liberals do by using government, but as a means of demonstrating God’s love for the whole person in order that people might seek Him?
My full name is John E (for Elliott) Cook, son of John W. Cook. Some close family and friends called me ‘Johnny’ growing up. My career name is John Cook, and my casual name is Johne (with the middle E snugged up against the first name). It’s a deliberately ambiguous pronunciation which can be pronounced with or without the ‘e’ sound. Personally, I think of it as a silent vanity ‘e’, but I know some people who see it and resort to the Johnny sound, and that’s fine. It’s left up to the beholder.
You’ll note that whether or not you choose to use the vanity trailing ‘e’ in my first name, and whether or not you choose to pronounce it, there is no permutation where the trailing ‘e’ ever appears in my last name. There is no ‘Cooke.’ Ever.
That is all.