Yesterday, the girl at the checkout counter in the supermarket asked me if I wanted the Senior Discount.
You bet I do.
I went home and looked in the mirror. Who me? I don't look any different...than someone approaching 60, I guess.
Except I'm not. In fact I was still getting carded, CARDED at 48.
I made her guess my age. For a couple of minutes she went through the routine of pretending not to hear, making me repeat everything, just to wear me down and have a little fun.
She said, "see, I was close." So what was the discount? After more repeating, she finally said it was 10%. Whew, 62 here I come!
And I'll get back to her once I find out if they discount haircuts to girls under 17.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Lib No Longer
This started as a response to a friend of mine, questioning my politics. It’s a position paper, clearing the air about where I’ve come from and why I believe the way I do.
Put me to the right of Abbie Hoffman. Please understand that I was once far left. I went to college in the late 60s – early 70s and was deeply involved in that movement as we all thought we had a better idea. I understand it all too well – the
Weather Underground, Fred Hampton, Mark Clark who were murdered (I knew them a little as they spoke at my college and I covered their appearances when I was on the newspaper).
With all the peace and love abounding and promises of “the revolution” and the ubiquitous “bleep the establishment” (hey, we won, eh?) I started questioning motives.
What bothered me the most was amidst all the peace/love, ethics were slipping. The sense of right and wrong was vaporizing into a gray area. Morality was becoming relative. Under the guise of love, justice and mercy, the baby was being thrown out with the bath water and much of the altruism going on seemed to be a smokescreen for the great "I". I needed the truth, for real – a real bottom line.
I found it, as did many others, especially the ex-hippies, yippies, et.al. of that era, in the Lord. His word finally settled the questions and issues I was having. It took seven years of floundering after college, seeking, going through what I had to go through, but in the end, I found it, in spades.
And even then, it took years of going to various churches, being involved as a Christian person, reading God’s word in the spirit, to find out that it’s not church people, denominational differences, shallowness, hypocrisy (oh, I’ve discovered plenty) that mattered – it was ME, working on my own personal baggage and my own relationship with Jesus Christ, that was the most important thing in my life.
If Libs could only do some of what they do in the name of God and stop being so self-serving, some of what they do would actually help. But they have to mean it. Hand me the rib tape, please.
I'm still somewhat irreverent, irascible, whacky, etc, but best of all, I now have that bottom line. People don't seem to understand. Unfortunately, those who have taken that step (crossed the threshold as Pope John Paul put it – he wrote a book with that title) smell funny to people who haven't. None of us are perfect.
That said, there are other people, under the guise of religion, who are trying to wipe us out, period. Annihilate us and this country. There is no other way to put it. The current administration has a great idea of extending an olive branch to hostile nations and terrorist groups. I get that. This philosophy is straight out of the hippie movement. In fact if anyone gets the notion to protest, just run photos of these folks from the 60s! But anyway, peace, love and appeasement – that’s a great blackboard philosophy and as Christians, that is how we should treat each other.
But in practice, it’s not worth the toilet paper that should be used to wipe it off the blackboard. Huh? Lemme explain, in case nobody's ever thought of this: the others may not necessarily accept peace, love and the truly nice, gentle, open, loving, generous, well-meaning, egalitarian people that we are. They have their own agenda – to kill us. In the name of their God.
Americans, the whole ecumenical lot of us – Christian, Jew, Muslim, et. al. had better remember how to defend ourselves militarily, socially, and culturally, or we're going to lay down like a limp dishrag and this country is going to disappear by default.
I can feel it coming. For me, the bottom line is the Lord's word. What’s the problem with that? I’ve read the book. All of it. And when He gets pissed off, look the hell out! Revelation: white horse, flaming sword coming out of His mouth, name written on His thigh.
I'm forever glad I chose to be on His side. My life experiences and choices I've made have all pointed me in His direction. He will be victorious in the end, and we who endure and keep His word (best we can, I raise my hand) are invited to share in that victory.
Now let's make some music!
Put me to the right of Abbie Hoffman. Please understand that I was once far left. I went to college in the late 60s – early 70s and was deeply involved in that movement as we all thought we had a better idea. I understand it all too well – the
Weather Underground, Fred Hampton, Mark Clark who were murdered (I knew them a little as they spoke at my college and I covered their appearances when I was on the newspaper).
With all the peace and love abounding and promises of “the revolution” and the ubiquitous “bleep the establishment” (hey, we won, eh?) I started questioning motives.
What bothered me the most was amidst all the peace/love, ethics were slipping. The sense of right and wrong was vaporizing into a gray area. Morality was becoming relative. Under the guise of love, justice and mercy, the baby was being thrown out with the bath water and much of the altruism going on seemed to be a smokescreen for the great "I". I needed the truth, for real – a real bottom line.
I found it, as did many others, especially the ex-hippies, yippies, et.al. of that era, in the Lord. His word finally settled the questions and issues I was having. It took seven years of floundering after college, seeking, going through what I had to go through, but in the end, I found it, in spades.
And even then, it took years of going to various churches, being involved as a Christian person, reading God’s word in the spirit, to find out that it’s not church people, denominational differences, shallowness, hypocrisy (oh, I’ve discovered plenty) that mattered – it was ME, working on my own personal baggage and my own relationship with Jesus Christ, that was the most important thing in my life.
If Libs could only do some of what they do in the name of God and stop being so self-serving, some of what they do would actually help. But they have to mean it. Hand me the rib tape, please.
I'm still somewhat irreverent, irascible, whacky, etc, but best of all, I now have that bottom line. People don't seem to understand. Unfortunately, those who have taken that step (crossed the threshold as Pope John Paul put it – he wrote a book with that title) smell funny to people who haven't. None of us are perfect.
That said, there are other people, under the guise of religion, who are trying to wipe us out, period. Annihilate us and this country. There is no other way to put it. The current administration has a great idea of extending an olive branch to hostile nations and terrorist groups. I get that. This philosophy is straight out of the hippie movement. In fact if anyone gets the notion to protest, just run photos of these folks from the 60s! But anyway, peace, love and appeasement – that’s a great blackboard philosophy and as Christians, that is how we should treat each other.
But in practice, it’s not worth the toilet paper that should be used to wipe it off the blackboard. Huh? Lemme explain, in case nobody's ever thought of this: the others may not necessarily accept peace, love and the truly nice, gentle, open, loving, generous, well-meaning, egalitarian people that we are. They have their own agenda – to kill us. In the name of their God.
Americans, the whole ecumenical lot of us – Christian, Jew, Muslim, et. al. had better remember how to defend ourselves militarily, socially, and culturally, or we're going to lay down like a limp dishrag and this country is going to disappear by default.
I can feel it coming. For me, the bottom line is the Lord's word. What’s the problem with that? I’ve read the book. All of it. And when He gets pissed off, look the hell out! Revelation: white horse, flaming sword coming out of His mouth, name written on His thigh.
I'm forever glad I chose to be on His side. My life experiences and choices I've made have all pointed me in His direction. He will be victorious in the end, and we who endure and keep His word (best we can, I raise my hand) are invited to share in that victory.
Now let's make some music!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Letterman's Crude, Foul Remarks About Palin's Daughter
On his low-rated liberal, conservative-bashing-oriented talk show Tuesday night, David Letterman suggested that Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin's 14-yr. old daughter, Willow, be raped by Yankee baseball player Alex Rodriguez during a game.
This, after intimating that Palin, who has an 80% approval rating, looks like a "slutty flight attendant."
David, it's a good thing you don't have any real power.
(photos from Fox News)
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Pork Chops on the Grill
I already cooked this dish and had started eating it when I thought, hmm...I think I'd like to share it.
3 pork chops of any kind
Herb blend: Grind the following:
8 peppercorns
A little kosher salt
1 tsp. onion flakes
1 tsp. minced garlic
Add to a marinade of olive oil and soy sauce, rub over pork chops, cover, let it sit.
Oil the grill with some peanut oil on a paper towel.
Preheat and start grilling the chops.
I had some mushroom and sauerkraut pierogi on hand and boiled about 8 small ones, then added some frozen veggies to the water.
A little more olive oil to the dish, some extra coarse ground black pepper, Parmesan cheese (I had Munster on hand), several green olives, Kosher salt to taste, and that’s it!
This was a dish where all the flavors blended together delightfully.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
A Great Quote
"God will not have his work made manifest by cowards."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19th century philosopher
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19th century philosopher
Friday, May 29, 2009
Graduation Steak
One graduating 18-yr. old senior – prime ingredient, receptor of the above steak.
One Saratoga steak about an inch thick, on sale at the Jewel today, $6.99/lb.
Oil the grill grate w/peanut oil (I put some oil on a paper towel and rubbed it all over the grate). Pre-heat the grill and prepare the meat while the grill is heating.
Rinse the steak in cold water, dry with a paper towel, put it on a large dinner plate.
Into the little grinder: 8 peppercorns, tsp. oregano, tsp. minced garlic, tsp. minced onion.
Make small cuts with a kitchen knife on both sides of the steak. In a few of the cuts, only on one side, insert a bit of Earth Balance Spread.
Rub both sides of the steak with ground herbs.
Put the steak on the preheated grill and cook to whatever “doneness” suits your fancy – we like medium.
While steak is grilling, boil some asparagus and then add corn to the boiling water just before asparagus is tender.
I’d bought two potato pancakes at the Polish Deli this afternoon. Gobbled one up when I got home, placed the other one on the Grad’s dinner plate.
I’m into antipasto and I like artichokes, dill pickles, olives – I added a large artichoke heart to each of our plates. Also a few small organic carrots.
The Grad and I reminisced and argued about whether I shot video or still pictures the day he started high school.
I didn't bring it up, but I remember every inch of the video tape I shot when he started Pre-K3.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Surprisingly...
I’m ready for a relationship again. It’s been over a year since the divorce.
Marriage? NOT, but I don’t rule it out. It’s 3 to 50 steps beyond meeting someone I’m interested in. And, let’s say I’m at step 1, but still open.
I stopped in to see Pastor Doug yesterday. Doug, a former college football player who has fathered 2 sons and has had a long, REAL marriage with ups and downs, has counseled probably 100s of couples who were either planning on getting married or – the greater number by far – thinking of ending their marriage.
He has counseled me for almost three years. Now we just talk or visit occasionally. But I want to pass this along because Doug has an encouraging way of avoiding the use of a cattle prod and you still come away motivated and wanting to improve yourself as a person, spouse, father.
Marriage dynamics are like two rods (not Blagojevich, more like “lightning”), parallel to each other, that keep moving in relation to one another. This is my analogy, based on what Doug and I were talking about. Each rod has two ends and a definite middle. Those three points are like volume knobs on a radio. They are also the dynamics of assertion in a relationship (bingo).
What Doug said, and I’ve found personally, is that marriage needs to be in flux. If it is in flux around both middle points, then neither is dominating and neither is afraid to speak their mind. The midpoint is the strength point where you’re not overly aggressive, nor are you keeping all of your feelings in and you wind up being a victim.
Out of hand, or if one rod stops (gives in, gives up), the other one can become not only dominating, but abusive, especially if one spouse does not have the backbone to stand up and speak his/her mind. The dynamic is then gone and enter, all sorts of problems, which all too often end the marriage.
Lesson learned: If you can stay in that middle, the two ends tend to drop off and you are neither victim, nor abuser. Call it becoming whole. I call it having the resources to function as a human being. It’s a great feeling of achievement. And to a spouse or relationship pardner, it is nothing but nurturing. If two can function this way, or keep the dynamics in flux, you’ve got a good one! Think about marriage if you’ve got that – it’s a blessing.
True: Played a club with the big band last year. Our lead singer, a fantastic voice and personality, spotted a pretty, young lady – long, blonde hair, red sweater, petite. He got her up on the floor and danced with her, while he sang. I’m in the back, behind the drummer (I play guitar). The singer knows me well and what’s gone on in my life these last few years, so when the song was finished, he asked the girl if she was single. Yes. He goes, how about Randy? He just got divorced.
Well, chiseled looks, no. And no motorcycle. But I still get looks. The young lady took a look in my direction, a good look, turned to the singer (who was holding the mic in front of her) and said, “How much money does he have?”
She needs to ask a musician that?
Marriage? NOT, but I don’t rule it out. It’s 3 to 50 steps beyond meeting someone I’m interested in. And, let’s say I’m at step 1, but still open.
I stopped in to see Pastor Doug yesterday. Doug, a former college football player who has fathered 2 sons and has had a long, REAL marriage with ups and downs, has counseled probably 100s of couples who were either planning on getting married or – the greater number by far – thinking of ending their marriage.
He has counseled me for almost three years. Now we just talk or visit occasionally. But I want to pass this along because Doug has an encouraging way of avoiding the use of a cattle prod and you still come away motivated and wanting to improve yourself as a person, spouse, father.
Marriage dynamics are like two rods (not Blagojevich, more like “lightning”), parallel to each other, that keep moving in relation to one another. This is my analogy, based on what Doug and I were talking about. Each rod has two ends and a definite middle. Those three points are like volume knobs on a radio. They are also the dynamics of assertion in a relationship (bingo).
What Doug said, and I’ve found personally, is that marriage needs to be in flux. If it is in flux around both middle points, then neither is dominating and neither is afraid to speak their mind. The midpoint is the strength point where you’re not overly aggressive, nor are you keeping all of your feelings in and you wind up being a victim.
Out of hand, or if one rod stops (gives in, gives up), the other one can become not only dominating, but abusive, especially if one spouse does not have the backbone to stand up and speak his/her mind. The dynamic is then gone and enter, all sorts of problems, which all too often end the marriage.
Lesson learned: If you can stay in that middle, the two ends tend to drop off and you are neither victim, nor abuser. Call it becoming whole. I call it having the resources to function as a human being. It’s a great feeling of achievement. And to a spouse or relationship pardner, it is nothing but nurturing. If two can function this way, or keep the dynamics in flux, you’ve got a good one! Think about marriage if you’ve got that – it’s a blessing.
True: Played a club with the big band last year. Our lead singer, a fantastic voice and personality, spotted a pretty, young lady – long, blonde hair, red sweater, petite. He got her up on the floor and danced with her, while he sang. I’m in the back, behind the drummer (I play guitar). The singer knows me well and what’s gone on in my life these last few years, so when the song was finished, he asked the girl if she was single. Yes. He goes, how about Randy? He just got divorced.
Well, chiseled looks, no. And no motorcycle. But I still get looks. The young lady took a look in my direction, a good look, turned to the singer (who was holding the mic in front of her) and said, “How much money does he have?”
She needs to ask a musician that?
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