Rest In Peace, Big Guy

Last February, I took my daughter to see the legendary Maynard Ferguson at the local high school. Today, I learned that the legend himself passed away at the ripe, old age of 78. All I can say is I'm glad I saw him when I did. What an inspiration he was!

Maybe It Was Just Me...

Last night, my family and sat down to watch the premier of the acclaimed HBO special "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in 4 Acts." (Part 1 aired last night. Part 2 is on tap tonight.) I've always liked documentaries. They fascinate me. To me, it's neat to see a chronological account of a particular event. No matter how much one knows about what happened, there's always something new in there somewhere. I guess as a result, my family likes them, too.

In this case, I'm not sure what I expected to see last night, whether I would learn something or what. I was up later than I really wanted to be watching this piece. When it was over, I could only wonder if it was worth it. After thinking about it for most of the day, I thought I could do a little better with it if I wrote about it. So, here I am.

Now, in defense of the film - or whatever it is - there was some really interesting footage that must have been gathered from everywhere. And, as expected, director Spike Lee did a masterful job piecing the entire event together from the piles of footage. As a result, it seemed like the events from that fateful week were being relived right before our eyes. For the first hour, no one in our living room moved. We all felt the weight of the tragedy and couldn't believe that it had only happened within the last year.

As the film progressed, the mood began to shift from sadness and despair to frustration and rage as, one by one, each victim applied blame for the tradgedy to the official of choice. After an hour of one complaint after another, I was ready for the first half to end. It was getting harder and harder to feel sorry for people recounting their experiences. Regardless of what I felt or what anyone's opinion is on this tragedy, I think this is truly a situation that none of us, who watched from afar, will ever understand.

For instance, I've been to New Orleans a handful of times. None of my experiences there were that memorable. I just thought it was old and dirty. I do like Cajun Food, but I don't think I just have to eat it in the Big Easy. That's just me. I wasn't raised there. I'm sure it would be different if I were. But, I guarantee you this, whether I was raised there or not, whether I was told one day or one week before a storm the size of Katrina was on its way to my town, if I had to walk, crawl or beg, I'd get out of there. Who cares if the storm didn't turn out as expected! Me and mine would all be okay. End of story.

Of course, that isn't what happened. Hundreds died and thousands were displaced. I understand there were poor and impoverished people who were at the mercy of the government. But, really, who's fault is that? Would anyone really put their lives in the hands of any federal, state or local entity? In essence, when those people ignored the warnings of their city government to evacuate, they took their lives in their own hands, all the while thinking the government would be there for them when it all was over.

If anything, the most pathetic part of this tradgedy is the fact that it didn't have to happen. Of course it did. Tons and tons of TV footage tell us so.

My, How Time Flies!

I've had way too much time on my hands at work lately (I hope my boss doesn't see that!) and I went back to look at some of the previous 80-some-odd posts over the last year. I started this blog in August 2005. Since that time a lot has transpired, as could be expected with any given year. Specifically, last August was when Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans. It was also when my wife and I finally enrolled our children in our local school district.

Everybody was scared last August - especially myself. Nobody knew what to expect. After just a few days it was clear that everybody was going to be fine. Now, we're gearing up to do it all again. The kids are all a year older now, moderately bigger, taller, etc., going to the next grade up. They're all so excited - as are their parents!

Do You Really Want To Be A Millionaire?

Who hasn't thought about what it would be like to win the lottery? I know I have. I've thought about it a lot actually. That doesn't mean that I've gone to the extent of buying a lottery ticket. No surprise that I've not won. I don't see the point on one hand. Then again, I wonder why I shouldn't allocate a portion of my paycheck to play regularly. Afterall, at the heart of the Texas Lottery Commission is the promise that it supports Texas education. Yeah, now there's a good cause!

There are too many stories of people who literally strike it rich only to blow it all without bettering their lives one bit with the big payday. That brings me to an article I read today in the Houston Chronicle. A Jourdanton, Texas man won the lottery almost 6 years ago only to regret that he ever won the prize. The old addage "money can't buy happiness" falls painfully short. According to the article, this man isn't alone in his troubles. How ironic! In a culture that idolizes wealth, society says a rich person should be happier than everyone else. Yet in talking to just a few of those who became instantly rich, they're more miserable than they were - before their windfall! Simply amazing.

It reminds me of the old proverb:

An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning will not be blessed at the end. Proverbs 20:21

I don't have anything against rich people or people getting rich. I think I'd like to try my hand at it one of these days. However, that fortune may cost a lot more than the price of a lottery ticket at the local convenience store.

Winds Of Change

There's not a good way to explain it. Everything feels different, better than before. Hope is in the air - literally. I can't get into specifics right now, but things are looking up.

Now, what can I be talking about?

The lyrics from one of my all-time favorite songs can fill in the blanks for now:

The Winds of Change
Danny Tate/Danny Wilde
Performed by Russ Taff

Well, I've seen my chances come and go
And come back round again
But everytime they took me by surprise

There was a day I used to want
the things I did not have
But it's never better on the other side.

Well, I've never gone so far that I've
forgotten my way home
The best things always bring you back again
over and over

(chorus)
The Hands of Time
Go Round and Round
They don't slow down when you lose your way
At every turn
The things you learn
You wear them proud like you wear your name
And as you go
On Down that road
Don't let the dust get in your eyes
It blows in the winds of change.

Hunger is no stranger
I've sat with him before
And everything I've done has not been good

As I've tried to make my stand
I've had to learn to fall
And maybe I've seen more than I should

But I've never gone so far that I've
Forgotten my way home
The best things always bring you back again
over and over

And I held on to my life
And I kept my dream alive
And the dream ain't over
Over and over

I hope to chronicle what takes place from here on this blog in the days and months to come.

God is good!

Observations On The Latest Middle East Crisis

I'm not much for politics these days. Call me burned out, a drop-out or whatever. I've been so frustrated with both sides within our political system for longer than I care to add up. Too many broken promises, hidden agendas, conflicts of interest, yadda-yadda. I'm jaded. Politics and politicians won't save any of us from any of the hundreds of thousands of threats that we face as a nation each and every day. With the latest trouble in the middle east, it's hard to believe that anything a talking head has to say will have any bearing on what is currently happening. The same rhetoric is just that - empty, meaningless talk.

Yesterday, during my drive home, I tuned into the Savage Nation, a radio show hosted by Michael Savage. (This radio show has been labeled ultra-conservative by various pundits mainly because Savage regularly spouts a lot of radically conservative ideas. I personally tune in to hear the man rant and rave. There's nothing like hearing a New York yankee lose his cool.) Instead of the normal talk about the Bush Administration or a guest from Washington, Savage was interviewing Pastor John Hagee, from San Antonio, Texas during the first hour of the show. Hagee, a TV preacher and a regular teacher of "End-Time" events, was talking about various prophecies from the Old Testament and their relevance to the current fighting in the Middle East. Savage, along with much of his radio audience, was stunned. "There are such striking similarities to what's going on today." No kidding. "You won't hear this interpretation on the nightly news, my friends." Yeah, you got that right. You know things are getting serious when people resort to consulting the Bible to interpret events of the day.

I grew up in a church tradition where preachers talked a lot about the 2nd Coming of Christ and sought to interpret current events to show everyone just how close His return is. There's not a lot of interpretation needed these days. Sure, there are more than enough cooks and goofballs around that could serve to turn anyone off. But, despite all the craziness and weirdos, I think the entire world is about to see the climax of time unfold before our eyes.

So what does all this mean? Well, I think if you believe what the Bible says, then you should get ready and start looking up. If not, the events of the world might yet make a believer out of you.

So, I Cut My Hair...

After almost a year of trying to grow it out, I again cut my hair. Yeah, I know. Everybody else in the world was telling me to continue growing it. The one person who wanted me to cut it mattered the most: my wife. Yep. Nobody said anything about it at work. My mom even was leaving me alone about it. But, Danelle hated it - with a passion. Stupid me. I thought I could convince her that it was cool. Nope. She wouldn't buy it.

So, a couple of weeks ago while she was getting her hair cut, she made an appointment for me, too. The girl used a "magic comb," which was a comb with a hair razor in it. Probably the coolest thing I've ever seen. It made mince meat of my mane within a matter of minutes, leaving clumps of hair 6 to 10 inches long on the floor. What a waste!

The truth is I really like being married. I guess it means I'll be keeping my hair short for the rest of my life. I guess there are worse things, though I'm not able to think of any right now.

I still like being married, though. I really, REALLY do. Which is exactly why I cut my hair in the first place.