Searching Through the Debris

I find myself trying to write a blog at a time when I know I can't find the right words. And yet I feel compelled to write something.

I have been reading about today's car bombing in Pakistan. Yes, another car bomb.

But this one shook me.

Earlier today, a car exploded outside the Danish embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan. Early reports indicate at least 6 dead and approximately 35 injured.

Many suspect that al-Qaida is behind this bombing.

Background information:

You might remember back in September of 2005 when Denmark published some political cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad wearing a turban shaped like a bomb. These cartoons infuriated some followers of Islam because they believe it is wrong to depict Muhammad in any way. To do so could lead to idolatry, and for that reason it is prohibited.

These cartoons, appearing in Danish newspapers, have sparked riots and deaths on more than one occasion in the past three years.

But why now, you might ask? Well, supposedly, al-Qaida bigshot Ayman al-Zawahri encouraged Muslims to attack Danish targets because of these caricatures of Muhammad. According to Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080602/ap_on_re_as/pakistan;_ylt=Avr.4yXzmyqMq0wcvWk.9mwZO7gF),
IntelCenter reports that al-Zawahri recently said, "Denmark went too far in its aggression against Muslims by repeatedly slandering the Prophet, God's peace and prayers be upon him. I urge and incite every Muslim who can harm Denmark to do so in support of the Prophet."

So presumably, the Danish embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, was blown to pieces because a Danish newspaper depicted Muhammad in a way that some Muslims (including al-Qaida) did not like.

Here are a couple pictures of the aftermath:
















(Mian Khursheed/Reuters)

















(AFP/Aamir Qureshi)

So why does this bombing sadden me so much? Why this one when there have been so many others like it?

I don't know exactly.

Maybe it's because I recognize how senseless it is. How pointless it is to blow up an embassy in Pakistan because of something printed on paper in Denmark. Seriously, what did this bombing accomplish? 6 dead. Guess how many of them are from Denmark. Maybe one. The blast killed two Pakistani policemen, a Pakistani cleaner, a Pakistani handyman, and they are still trying to identify the others. One might have been from Denmark, but they aren't sure.

I think I'm also saddened because there is no end in sight. These cartoons were first published nearly 3 years ago. People died because of it then. And now, after a Danish newspaper reprints some of these images, now al-Qaida is calling for Muslims to murder more. All to "support the Prophet."

(I must also stop and wonder whether the irony is lost on these extremists. They are blowing people up to defend their Prophet because somebody depicted him with a turban shaped like a bomb. Hmmm. It's like a kid telling a bully, "I don't like you because you punch me." And then the bully gets mad and decks the kid.)

Maybe I'm just saddened because I don't understand how people can continue to adhere to these beliefs. I fully understand that not all Muslims are willing to blow up cars outside of embassies. In fact, the majority of those who follow Islam do not support the extremists. And yet, far too many are willing to kill for their God (and their Prophet), and I really don't know how we can change that.

















(AP Photo/Khalid Tanveer)

The picture above shows a peaceful protest that occurred in Pakistan today, the day the car bomb exploded outside the Danish embassy. The banner declares that Pakistan should sever all diplomatic ties with Denmark. And I'm fine with that. If 300 men want to march in the streets, carrying a banner calling for a severing of diplomatic ties, that's fine by me. In America, we call that freedom of speech. Or the right to assemble.

But I am not fine with more senseless killing. I am not fine with a terrorist leader calling for Muslims to kill anyone and anything affiliated with a country that printed something disagreeable in a newspaper.

As one who follows a different God, I want to ask these Muslims, "Why must you kill to defend your Prophet, to defend your God? Why is your God not powerful enough to withstand slander? Why must you exact revenge for your God? Why must judgment come from your hands?"

But even more than those questions, I want to ask these bombers, "What do you think you are accomplishing? Do you honestly think you are doing something good? "

Denmark is not going to stop printing their caricatures because of this. Instead, the Danish Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen (which is a sweet name, by the way), is left sounding like George W. Bush following September 11:

"We will not give in to terrorists," says Rasmussen.

And so it continues...

Other embassies will most likely be evacuated before nightfall. And even once things calm down in Islamabad (you could certainly make a pun out of that name, huh?), the enmity will spill forth in another city, outside another embassy, or hotel, or streetcorner cafe...wherever another extremist decides to park a car full of explosives, or detonate a bomb strapped to his chest, all because someone is telling them they must destroy life in order to "defend their Prophet."

I think I've figured out the main reason why I am so bothered by this bombing. Typically, the more I think about something, the more it begins to make sense to me. But I can't pinpoint the logic behind violence like this. I can't find enough justification to even begin to comprehend the motives at work here.

And yet things like this keep happening.

I really don't understand why. And I can't accept that.



--Thanks for reading

Knock yourselves out...

I stumbled across this embeddable version of Guitar Hero III, and I decided to throw it on my blog.

So far I haven't been able to hit any notes. But maybe that's just me. If it's absolutely impossible, I'll take it back down. That would just annoy everyone who tried to actually play it. As funny as that might sound, I won't do that to you.

Have fun.


EDIT: I found out later that you have to hit ENTER while you hit the appropriate number key. Without hitting ENTER, you'll never hit a note. I played twice and my high score is 9500 on the first song. Now my fingers are tired, so I'm going to take a break.

Growling Tiger

Think of one thing that you're really good at. One thing.

Let's pretend that one thing is staring contests. You're the master of staring contests. Now let's say that all the best starers in the world get together for staring competitions. You have to stare over and over again for 4 day tournaments. And you're so good at staring that you beat all these other professional starers. And you do this regularly. And everyone expects you to win. Always.

Well, I'm realizing that staring contests was a horrible example. So hopefully you thought of something better that you're good at. Whatever that may be, the scenario above is what it would be like to be Tiger Woods.

PGA Tournaments pit all the best golfers in the world against each other, and they play 4 rounds, or four days, of golf. And, obviously, in keeping with how golf is played, the lowest score at the end of the tournament wins. Everyone else doesn't lose; they place. The golfer with the second-lowest score finishes second. (And he still gets a lot of money.) And for many golfers, a top 5 finish would be the highlight of their career.

But when Tiger Woods finishes anything other than first, you'll notice sports gurus referring to it as a loss for Tiger Woods (I'm sure, as competitive as he is, Tiger sees it the same way). But I think the suggestion that a second-place finish be considered a loss, in a field of all the best players in the world, in a sport where strokes can be determined by fractions of an inch, is just absolutely absurd.

In golf, not winning is not the same thing as losing.

If Ernie Els finishes 9th, Vijay Singh winds up 5th, Mickelson shoots 3 under on the final day and heads to the clubhouse in 8th... none of those pros "lose." Yet Tiger Woods finished 5th last weekend, and all week people have been talking about Tiger Woods "losing."

Here's why:

Tiger Woods is the best athlete ever. Ever.

Yes, better than Michael Jordan. I said it.

No one has ever been as dominant in their sport as Tiger Woods is on a golf course.

Here's a few numbers for ya:

-Heading into last weekend's PGA tournament, Tiger had won the last 5 tournaments in which he played (including every one thus far in 2008).

-Tiger had finished first in 7 of his last 8 tournaments, with the one exception being a second place finish on September 3, 2007 (a "loss," clearly).

And remember, he is playing against the whole field. Of professionals. All it should take is for one player to play great golf, and Tiger would get edged out. But this rarely happens. It's truly remarkable. Woods is just that dominant.

Last weekend, when he didn't win...when he was edged out by fellow professionals...did Tiger tip his hat to them and say "nicely done, chaps"? (I think that's how golfers talk, right?)

No, Tiger, the greatest athlete ever, decided to blame his loss on the photographers.

Come again?

That's right, those photographers, believe it or not, were taking pictures of him. And he heard their cameras click when he was in the middle of his backswing on an approach shot. Apparently this made Tiger flinch, pulling him off the shot a little...and instead of landing on the green his ball nearly went in the water.

Immediately after this, Tiger turned to the crowd and yelled at the photographers:

"The next time anyone takes a ****ing picture, I'll break his ****ing neck!"

You might want to read that quote again.

Right now you're thinking, "Tiger Woods said that?"

Yeah, Tiger Woods said that.

When asked on Monday about his outburst, he said that it's happened 3 or 4 times this year (can you believe that? People have been taking pictures of him...), and he's made a bogey on three of those holes. Apparently after we learn that photographers have made him bogey 3 holes this year we're supposed to think, "Well it's a wonder he didn't threaten to break their necks before!"

I should pause to point out that one of the reasons Tiger is so good is that he is a fierce competitor. As a competitive person myself, I can think of times (too many times, actually) when I have been frustrated or annoyed in the middle of a competition, and I have done things and said things that were inappropriate. In fact, I'm not proud of this, and I hesitate to post it, but during a competition I once told a girl, "If you weren't a girl, I'd punch you in the face."

Yeah, I said that (and I was 21 years old at the time).

I'm pretty sure though, if I had been asked about it the next day, I wouldn't have tried to provide background information that would justify a desire to punch that girl in the face. I would have been able to say, with my head down, "Yeah, I shouldn't have said that."

Tiger, on the other hand, smiled his patented smile and justified his outburst by saying that it's now happened 3 or 4 times (surely that warrants breaking a cameraman's neck, right?). When the interviewer pushed harder to get Tiger to address the severity of his response, Tiger smiled (of course) and said, "You have no idea what's said out there all the time on the golf course."

Then he repeated:

"That one shot took momentum away."

So again he is justifying his outburst.

From where I'm sitting, I don't even care if he's right. If I had been playing that hole and a photographer's clicking camera made me flinch, stripping me of my momentum and costing me the tournament...I'd be hacked off, too.

But the next day, I could still say, "I shouldn't have responded that way." ("Why don't I just eat some hay. I can lie by the bay. I think I may. What do you say?")

Like it or not, cameramen will be there. For that matter, so will birds. And heaven forbid that one of those creatures of flight might coo or chirp at the wrong time in the upcoming Master's tournament...

As much as I love Michael Jordan, I now firmly believe that Tiger is the most dominant athlete I've ever seen. And his competitive nature is the thing that makes him great.

But instead of pointing to photographers for costing him the win, Tiger should still be able to tip his hat to the competition on those rare Sunday afternoons when someone else is receiving the over-sized check.

And he should definitely have enough class to admit that there is really no excuse for threatening to break necks on a golf course. Golf, after all, is a gentleman's sport. And as the greatest ever, Tiger should be able to win (and lose) like a gentleman.

--Thanks for reading

P.S. I eventually did apologize to the girl who I would have punched in the face if she hadn't been a girl. And for the record, we were playing a sport and she was cheating. And it destroyed my momentum. And it had happened 3 or 4 times. And...uh...she was asking for it...

March Madness, Easter, and a Killer Robot

Warning: This is a hodgepodge. (On second thought, it's not really. But I'm not going to edit that out, because "hodgepodge" is a fun term.)

Looks like somebody at the calendar company should be losing their job. Easter in March? That's madness. Or "March Madness," more like it. (Picture me slapping my knee and making the I-think-I'm-so-funny face.)

I'm not thrilled about this new March/Easter arrangement. First of all, here in the suburbs of Chicago, they're predicting 6 inches of snow tomorrow. Easter eggs are not supposed to be hidden in snowdrifts. Unless you're from Canada. But Canadians don't celebrate Easter, so that's irrelevant. (What's that? They do?) Moving on...

The real reason I'm unhappy about Easter in March is that it conflicts with the NCAA tourney. Those who know me know that I love March Madness. Well, I also love spending Easter with my family. That's why I'll be driving to Ohio tonight...while the games are on TV. And that's why I'll be driving back to Illinois on Sunday...while the games are on TV. And then Saturday is my mom's birthday (while it always falls in the middle of March Madness, it usually lands a safe distance away from Easter festivities). So we'll be going out to eat to celebrate her birthday on Saturday night...while the games are on TV.

In short, due to this new March/Easter arrangement, I'll miss about three quarters of the first 2 rounds of March Madness. That's just plain sad. But, there is one thing that will make up for it:

Cadbury Mini-Eggs. The best candy ever made. (They recently introduced a Christmas version of these eggs--although the Christmas treats are not eggs, but balls--but somehow, even though they're the same candy, they don't taste as good as these eggs. But I digress...)

Even though I won't get to see much March Madness this weekend, I will have the chance to eat many Cadbury Mini Eggs. Or, I guess you could say I will be eating "Many-Eggs." (Picture me being disgusted by that terrible joke.)

Madness and Mini-Eggs aside, I'm really looking forward to going home to Ohio and spending time with family--mine and Barbie's.

Completely unrelated... a co-worker/friend/arch-nemesis of mine shared a link with me yesterday, and I feel compelled to pass it on.

As I read it yesterday, my emotions went through this progression: interested, incredulous, scared, impressed, and then very sad. Perhaps your experience will be similar:

Deadly Robot





On that note, I will wrap this up.

I hope you all have a happy Easter, and I hope you enjoy some (more than me) March Madness and some (less than me, I'm sure) Cadbury Mini-Eggs. And take a moment or two to think about just how unthinkable the Easter story was and is.

--Thanks for reading.

In Cozumel...

Now that it's been nearly 6 months since Barbie and I got married, and over 5 months since we got back from our honeymoon in Cozumel, I decided it is finally time to post our pictures from the honeymoon.

I first tried to post these about 4 months ago, and about 3 times since, but I kept encountering formatting problems, and the pictures were overlapping... and it was frustrating.

I finally got motivated enough to sort it all out (I think). Here goes:




(Above: Pretty self-explanatory)



(Right: This is the bridge between the two pools at our resort. Under the bridge, there were dozens of turtles. Barbie liked to pretend to throw food to them so that they would open their mouths and flap their front feet out of the water, jockeying for a better position to snatch the food that she wasn't really providing.)



(Above: This picture isn't all that clear, but I'm not strangling her, if that's what you're thinking. I forget what this place was called, but this photo was taken at the beachfront restaurant at our resort. We ate lunch here almost every day.)

(Above: Relaxation Pool)




















(Above: Out of something like 300 hold-the-camera-myself attempts, this was one of the few that turned out fairly well.)

(Left: I think we just got done eating a lot, although that could be true for most of our pictures.)














We spent one day at Xcaret (pronounced Sh-care-ette, because in Mayan, x's are pronounced "sh"), a hybrid park that is historical, zoo-like, and a natural waterpark. The park contains quite a few Mayan ruins, it is located alongside the ocean, and it is absolutely beautiful. We walked through caves, floated down underground rivers (that also went through caves), admired the Mayan ruins, and relaxed on the oceanfront beach. I highly recommend Xcaret to anyone who goes to Cozumel, Cancun, or anywhere else close to Playa del Carmen.



(Left: This is a picture of the underground river that Barbie and I floated down. We didn't actually take a picture of this, so I found this one online. Sorry it's not a great shot.)



(Above: Some of the Mayan ruins within Xcaret.)


(Above: Us standing by some of the Mayan Ruins at Xcaret.)

(Above: One of the many iguanas we saw while in Mexico. This was the best picture we took of one of them, probably because this was one of the few times I let Barbie have the camera.)
(Above: Another picture with the same iguana. This shows how big some of them were.)

















(Above: This is where the underground rivers at Xcaret end. Just looking at this picture makes me want to go back right now.)


(Above: I think this picture was taken after dinner, and judgding by the reddish tint to our skin, I think it was our final night in Cozumel.)

(Above: One of the days we rented a jeep and drove all the way around the island. You can see a little bit of the lingering hurricane damage that Cozumel sustained.)

(Above: Barbie looking beautiful.)



















(Above: I tried every night to get a good picture of the sunset. But clouds always seemed to appear at just the wrong time. This was the best I could manage.)




So those are the pics that I planned to post months ago. Now that I've finally overcome my formatting difficulties, I hope to get back to actually writing blogs again. We'll see.

--As always, thanks for reading.

What Really Dragged Dumbledore Out of the Closet?

If you've seen the news recently, you know the truth: legendary wizard and Hogwarts Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is gay.

Yes, the war in Iraq is still going on. The entire Middle East continues to be on the verge of even more chaos. A couple days ago a child was shot in Chicago. He was ten years old and had gone to the store for candy. His friend heard the shots, then watched him hit the ground just as blood started running out of a hole in his neck. The gunmen got away and the police were left with no answers about why anyone would open fire on an innocent child.

Important as these things might sound, they clearly pale in comparison next to today's most important story:

Read all about it! J.K. Rowling reveals Dumbledore is gay!

I am a devoted fan of the Harry Potter series. The books are exceptional (the movies are pretty good, too), and J.K. Rowling is a great storyteller. Which is why this is so absurd.

J.K. knows how to tell a story; she knows how to captivate her readers. But her masterpiece was already complete, right down to the last period on the last page of her epilogue. So why thrust Dumbledore out of the closet now?

I have a theory...

As strange as I think it is that J.K. decided to "out" Dumbledore at this moment, I'll begin by saying that I'm glad she didn't try to work it into her series sooner. Doing so would have been a distraction from the story. (Anyone who says otherwise must be oblivious to the current response this simple statement has received. If it were announced in, oh let's say, book 3 that Dumbledore were gay, suddenly it would have been the main focus in that particular book.) It may not be fair or right that somebody's sexual preference provides such a distraction, but the truth is, it does. J.K. Rowling would know this. And that might be why she didn't include it earlier. But I don't think that's the real reason...

Upon her completion of book 7, Rowling supposedly encountered criticism for the "heteronormativity" of her bestselling series (or so Alan Jacobs claimed in his review for the September/October issue of Books and Culture). When critics were unhappy that no gay couples were even briefly alluded to anywhere in the HP series, you'd think J.K. would either:

1) Immediately silence those critics by acknowledging that one of her most prominent characters is a homosexual

or

2) Never mention it and let the reader assume whatever he/she chooses

Why stay silent until this moment?

Like I said, I have a theory. But first I want to say that Rowling's outing of Dumbledore changes nothing for me. Sure, it might make some readers wonder about the kids who eagerly joined "Dumbledore's Army," perhaps attracting some pied piper allusions. And it will certainly evoke some ill-humor regarding Dumbledore's role as "Headmaster." Not to mention the inferences some might make regarding Dumbledore's brother and his infatuation with goats. But as distracting as these sentiments might be, the story itself is hardly altered.

But do I think Rowling has altered her role as the storyteller? Definitely. And for the worse.

If Dumbledore were a real person, I would not have a problem respecting him for his many admirable characteristics. Even though I am not a supporter of gay rights, I don't think we should paste a large "Homosexual!" label on someone as soon as they step out of the closet. Individuals are complex and ever-changing, and affixing labels (of any kind) will only hinder interaction with others.

But the rules are different for fictional characters. Labels work. Characters can't change drastically on a whim or the reader won't accept them. We expect our fictional characters to be true to the mold in which they were cast.

But Dumbledore's character was changed after the story was completed. And for this reason (not because he is a homosexual), I cringed when I heard this news. Dumbledore, fictional character that he is, is not a real man struggling with same-sex attraction. Nor is his homosexuality part of a writer revealing her story.

No, this is an epic story being hijacked by an agenda. Or an author pandering to one.

Because I have acquired so much respect for J.K. Rowling, I almost feel bad accusing her of this. But I must.

After completing her magnum opus, book sales (record-breaking as they were) were bound to decline. Fans' intense interest in Harry Potter, though it would renew a little bit with the release of the next two movies, was bound to dissipate. Unless...

Unless Rowling could say something to spark a new and profound interest...something that would make people want to read her novels again... something that would send readers searching for hidden meaning, shadowed themes, undertones... something that would keep Harry Potter in the forefront a little longer... and something that will sell a few more books (I'm sure her publisher wouldn't discourage this).

But what could she say that would elicit such a response?

Well, she could reveal that one of her characters is gay.

Perhaps J.K. planned this all along. Who knows? Initially I said that this last-ditch admission changed nothing for me. But maybe it does change things a bit. I loved it when Rowling surprised me while I was reading her books. But that was supposed to end with her epilogue, not with her rewriting her work from a podium in Carnegie Hall.

The epilogue was supposed to provide closure for her readers. But how much closure can readers feel when the author continues to reveal things about her characters that were never included in the books?

What next?

Is Hagrid Harry's real father?

What about Hermione? Where did her powers really come from?

Maybe Dobby was phony.

Was Snape secretly married? Did he endure a messy divorce?

Maybe Neville is in love with Hermione.

Maybe Lily and James Potter were potheads.

One thing I do know: If any of these were true, it wouldn't have merited a leading story on CNN. Maybe months ago when the Harry-hype was still in full swing, but not now.

But proclaim that one prominent character is gay and America will take notice.

I think Rowling knew that. And I think that's why she did it.

And I also think it's sad that we are so interested. With all the news stories of significantly greater importance, America is captivated by an old fictional wizard slinking out of the closet.

But then again, what news story am I writing about? What news story am I focusing on for this post?

When it comes to misplaced priorities, I'm just as guilty as the next American.

But shame on you, J.K. Rowling, for taking advantage of that. And even more so, for besmirching the beauty of your story in exchange for a little extra press coverage.

And some additional book sales. As if you need it.

As a fellow writer and a fan, I was proud that you planned to refrain from writing a Harry Potter follow-up set years after the end of book 7. I was glad that you knew when to close the book. When to let the story speak for itself. When to let the characters speak for themselves.

...and then you stepped to the microphone at Carnegie Hall and changed all of that.

I hope it was worth it.

--Thanks for Reading

Strange Newness

I haven't posted in awhile, but I won't apologize for that. Getting married, going on a honeymoon, and then moving to a new apartment are pretty good reasons for being "too busy."

As I was sorting through my numerous blog ideas (in my head; I'm not organized enough to store ideas anywhere else), I decided I didn't want to address any of those yet. Since getting married and moving, I've found that I live in a very different world than I did 2 months ago when I last posted. I'm still getting accustomed to sharing life with someone else. We (Barbie and I) are still furnishing our first apartment together, and we're still unpacking. So every day our surroundings look just a little bit different.

With so much changing in my life, I've noticed myself taking a weird inventory: likes, dislikes, concerns, and interesting observations. Maybe it's because I'm trying to nail down my identity, the intricacies of my individuality, now that I'm united as "one" with someone else for the rest of my life. Or maybe not. Whatever the reason, these are some things I've recently noticed:


My commute used to be 2 minutes. Now that I drive a full 10 minutes every morning, I enjoy spending that time with my new friends on ESPN radio: Mike and Mike.

I don't like those credit card, phone plan, and perfume peddlers who harass me in shopping malls.

I miss being more actively involved in a ministry.

I like Kirk Herbstreit a lot.

How I Met Your Mother is a really good show--one of the funniest sitcoms I've seen in awhile.

I want to take more classes, preferably relating to psychology.

Waking up when the alarm goes off in the morning is a lot easier when there's someone in bed to prod me with a finger, elbow, or knee.

Fall smells better than any other season.

These guys make me nervous:







(AP Image)


Craig's List is a very helpful site. One that almost provided a free houseboat for Steve and me. But no dice. Not yet.


Speaking of lists, I think this one is long enough. After Barbie and I get settled in, I'll upload a few of our honeymoon pictures from Cozumel.

I know this was a pretty weak post, but thanks for reading it anyway.

Another Serious Post

I am busy this week working on 4 articles which all happen to be due on Friday. So I don't have time to tackle any of the more serious topics I hope to address in the near future.

But I wanted to give you something to check out in the meantime. I know I've posted a lot of videos lately, but this one is by far the best.

If you've ever played minesweeper, you need to check it out. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.




http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1770138

--Thanks for reading and watching

More YouTubing

As promised, here is the latest YouTube video from Steve and me. This one is for a Best Buy contest in which the videos are supposed to show why we need them to "tech out" our dorm room. I hope you like it.

I'm including the link here so you can check out the competition, post comments, or rate our video. If we make the top 20, the rating starts on August 22. Here's the link:

Steve n' Tyler's Best Buy video

-Thanks for reading and watching

Showing grace at the Border...

Judging by my title, some of you probably thought this post would be about immigration laws. But don't worry, I wouldn't waste your time with a petty political post; I'm nowhere near interested enough in politics to write one of those.


Instead I'm writing about a vital issue I am interested in, a matter of the utmost importance to me. That's right, I'm writing about food.


Here's the scene:


Sometime around 7:30 tonight I was about to walk into my apartment when I was seized by a sudden Taco Bell craving (of a magnitude I haven't experienced since college). So off I went.


I ordered an assortment of tacos and burritos that I was told amounted to $6.09. Let me deviate from my story for a moment to say there's one thing I hate about going through a drive-thru: trying to pull my wallet out of my back pocket. Especially when my seatbelt is fastened and I have to keep the clutch depressed and I know Chicago drivers will honk for no reason at all so I'm expecting a cacophony of car horns to erupt at any moment...

but, getting back to the story, tonight I didn't have to worry about any of that. Because I drove to Taco Bell without my wallet. Without the necessary $6.09.


I realized this sometime in that curve between ordering and arriving at the window. So I started digging feverishly through my change, extracting quarters and dimes, pushing pennies aside, hoping for some hidden Sacagawea dollars.


"That'll be $6.09," I heard the lady say when I, still hunched over the change in my center console, rolled slowly up to the window.


I looked over at her, my hands full of coins, and I said, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize I had forgotten my wallet. I can give you change, but you'll probably need to take some things off my order."


"How much do you have?"


"I don't know. Three, maybe four dollars." And I started counting again. I felt pathetic, by the way. But what else could I do? (There was a car or two behind me, but miraculously no one was honking yet.)


I was scraping bottom when I finally amassed an even $5.


"I have $5."


She held out her hand, took my mound of change, and then gave me my food. All of it.


I felt like I should at least give her everything I had left. "Do you want all my pennies?"


She laughed and said, "Don't worry about it."


So I drove away. And I did so with a prevailing sense of gratitude. (I still felt somewhat pathetic too.) I don't know if she had to contribute the $1.09 out of her own pockets (I hope not). I don't know if her boss would care, or if her boss will even know.


But it's not just about the money. Not only did she extend grace to me when she cancelled my debt (so to speak), but she also did it without reluctance. She didn't let out a massive sigh of displeasure, didn't frown at me, didn't start muttering about idiots who try to buy things without money.


She was patient. She accepted the best I had to offer. And concerning the rest of what I owed her, she simply said, "Don't worry about it."


And at the risk of sounding feminine, I want to stay that I was touched by her kindness. I felt the way I always do when strangers are unexpectedly generous. Or when they extend grace to me in times when I least expect it...like in the Taco Bell Drive-Thru.


I know I could turn this into a spiritual message, focusing on the cancellation of debts idea or another aspect of grace. But I don't think I need to be that direct. I think the message is already there. And you're smart enough to take something from it without me preaching at you.


Besides I just wanted to briefly share this story so you could 1) laugh at me for being an imbecile (or as Brian Regan might say, an "imbecilen") and 2) so you might be encouraged like I was, reminded that there are a lot of kind-hearted people in our world.


I'm am also challenged to be one of those kind-hearted people when I have a frustrating experience with a stranger. I should strive to be someone who can shrug off an inconvenience, someone who can smile at the other person and say without a hint of resentment, "Don't worry about it."


--Thanks for Reading

Current and Future Things

I'm going to begin with a little shameless self-promotion (I feel like I've been doing a lot of that lately).

Today, I had a book review featured on The Burnside Writer's Collective. In this article, I reviewed Anne Lamott's Grace (Eventually). For those interested, I've attached a link right here:

Review of Grace (Eventually)


I'd also like to apologize to anyone who reads my blog even somewhat regularly. I haven't been posting as routinely as I would like. And my content has been pretty shallow as of late. I plan to remedy this posthaste.

In the near future, I will be blogging on these topics:

1) How Old-Age Intersects the Eternal

2) How to Make Enemies, and Why We Should

3) Death and Two-Year-Olds

...and somewhere down the line, I will address homosexuality and the church's response.

Note: I reserve the right to post these in any order I choose, thereby rendering the above number system meaningless.

For those of you who prefer my shallow posts: Steve and I are set to film our second commercial tomorrow. (Sorry, no ketchup in this one.) When it's complete, I'll link to that too.

--Thanks for Reading