To Blog or not to Blog

I don't know how to blog and I feel embarrassed to be a blogger. I hate to sound like Andy Rooney but "blogging" seems obscene to me. Really, in our entire language we couldn't come up with a better term for keeping a personal web log than a blog? How about a webichle (web + chronicle)? or a wost (web + post)? OK, these aren't that great either but it seems like there must be something better out there than "BLOGGING". Even still, I have decided its time, as the scriptures say, "to keep a record of this people" and so I will blog! Despite the ickiness of the term, I hope you enjoy it!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Sunday Afternoon

In January, our church changed to the 8:00am start time.  Its REALLY hard to get up before the sun; but its so nice to have the whole day after we get home.

At one point in the day, just after reading scriptures, I said “Pace, could we trade places for just one day?”11-24-10 Pace Weight close-up

“No we can’t. ” he said.

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because, I have little problems in little pieces and you have big problems with big pieces,” he said as he hummed a little tune.

And it was that simple; I have too many problems to be little again (which is precisely why I want to trade places with him!).  He always finds a way to express himself with exactly the right words.  How does he do that?!?!?!  

Then later, after Pace had done all the Sunday things he knew to do, I heard the T.V. go on and then immediately go off.  I knew he turned on the T.V. but then remembered it was Sunday and turned it right back off.  I looked at him playing in the corner of the room.  I said, “So Pace, what would you like to do?”

He quickly replied, “I don’t know but I have crackers.”

Again, sage words from a wise six-year-old.  If only we could all have little problems in little pieces and be happy with just a handful of crackers.

A Tragedy In Arizona

Yesterday, while Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was hosting a town meeting in Tucson, Arizona, 18 people were shot by a 22-year-old man.  Six of the 18 died including a nine-year-old girl and a federal judge.  12 others were injured and are in various degrees of recovery.  Congresswoman Giffords, who was shot in the head, survived both the shooting and the surgery, and, against all odds, the doctors are optimistic for her recovery.  It is incomprehensible.  My heart actually aches when I think of the depth of devastation this has caused in so many lives.  One choice, one decision has changed the course of hundreds of lives.  What if the choice had been different?  Why wasn’t his choice different?

But his choice wasn’t different and now the blame begins.  We need tougher gun laws, the level of vitriol in our country is outrageous; its killing people, people are being killed because of the irresponsible things politicians have said on radio and tv, Arizona is the hot-bed for intolerance right now, Sarah Palin was connected to the shooting, crazy conservatism is to blame, etc.  People jump on whatever band wagon they agree with and the finger-pointing, name-calling, and mud-slinging explodes.

I think they are all wrong.  I do not think this happened because our gun laws are too lenient or because the talking heads have riled up the citizenry.  I do not think this happened because one state in the union is promoting intolerance.  I think vitriol is no more or less present than it always has been but it is expressed more loudly.  But I do not think any of this is caused one man to shoot people.  I believe all of these, including the shooting are reflections of a change in American culture.  As a country, we have moved away from the ideals of self-reliance, accountability, and conscience.

The greatest generation, our grandparents generation, was not that long ago.  Why were they the greatest generation?  Were there stricter gun laws?  Did politicians act more responsibly?  Was the level of vitriol in the country lower?  We were fighting WWII after all; losing more men and women in battle than ever before or since.  Yet they supported each other and continued to respect America.  Why were they the greatest generation?

The greatest generation was individually self-reliant, accountable to one another for their actions, and had a collective moral conscience that was not regulated by government.  The American climate during the greatest generation was responsibility and respect.  They did not want to remove the phrase “Under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance” while ignoring the most vile music lyrics under the guise of artistic liberty and freedom of speech.  America really was a shining city on a hill, an example to the world, a symbol of hope to humanity.

What has changed since that generation?  The people.  People who used to be self-reliant have become dependent.  People who used to be accountable to their God and to their neighbors have become entitled.  People who used to have a conscience have become selfish and unprincipled.  Our greatest generation grew up working and sacrificing; they became adults instilled with gratitude and respect.  Our generation has grown up with abundance and hand-holding; we have become instilled with selfishness and immaturity.  The people have changed.  We are a nation of spoiled brats. 

So, why is anyone surprised by the finger-pointing, name-calling, and mud-slinging?  Why is anyone surprised that people are willing to yell the most hateful things at each other?  Why is anyone surprised when our Congress can’t get along?  Why is anyone surprised when there is argument and disagreement among our media?  Why is anyone surprised at the level of violence in America?    

Tougher gun laws are not the answer.  More stringent media regulation is not the answer.  More regulation and bigger government is not the answer.  I submit that if we really want to see the climate of violence and all other negative trends in America change, we as a people need to change.  It is not the government’s fault, it is not the media’s fault, it is not the school’s fault, it is our fault.  It is so much easier to point a finger away from yourself, blame someone else, or look somewhere else for a solution than to realize I am responsible and I must change.  As the people go, so goes the country. 

We must return to the principles that once made us great.   Individual self-reliance, personal accountability, and every man’s character of conscience.  Only in this will we achieve a collective restoration of the American culture.  Until then, we will continue to sacrifice principles of liberty, individual freedoms, and human life.

And I will pray for our nation, live within these principles to the best of my ability, and instill these values in my son, who is the next generation.  And I wonder, will America be better or worse then?

Saturday, January 1, 2011

The Record Player

For many reasons I love my dad.  One of them is the entertainment he provides for our family.  He has a unique way of communicating that usually ends up with an outburst of unexpected laughter from the listener.  Also, he is always doing something so unbelievable that no one would believe it if it wasn’t my dad doing it.  My dad marches to the beat of his own drummer and if you aren’t paying attention, you might miss something great!

My dad has an extensive record collection.  It’s the good stuff, old Firestone Christmas records, old 40’s music, etc.  He even has a few of my mom’s and my old stuff in his compilation.  A few years ago for Christmas, we gave him a new record player/radio/CD player/tape player created to look like an old radio.  The turntable works great but it only plays one record at a time and the CD player has quit working.  For awhile now, he has lamented that technology has progressed past his collection and he worries that, although he has a turntable, at any moment it could quit and all his vintage music would be inaccessible.  He looked into buying a new combination player that will burn a CD from any music it plays, but the price tag quickly changed his mind.   As a result, he has been trying to figure out a way to get his music onto CD’s which are the latest technology.  He sporadically spends a lot of time trying to find a solution to this problem without spending a lot of money.

It started this Christmas.  He heard me say how much I miss the old records at Christmas.  That set everything off.  He decided to bring the working record player/broken CD player to my house for Christmas with several of his old Christmas records – which I loved.  Then his mind began to plot.  He called me one day and suggested that “Since I love the record player so much, he would like to gift it to me.”  When I asked what he would use, he told me '”Oh, I have some options in mind.”  Then, he pulled out his OLD Gerard turntable from some unknown corner of the garage. This is the unit he used before we bought the combo unit and hoped to never see again.  However, he likes the Gerard because it plays more than one record at a time (scratching all the records below but that’s beside the point).  He dusted it off and brought it to his room.  He plugged it into the boom box he inherited 20 years ago from Michael and let ‘er rip!  All he heard was what sounded like mice squeaking throughout his room.  He couldn’t figure out what was wrong with the hook-up.  So, as he has done so many times before, he called the local technological superman, Lamar Newmeyer.  Within minutes Lamar was in his room listening to (and wondering at) the ancient sound set-up.  Lamar took one listen and suggested a pre-amp was the ticket; he suggested Dad check with Radio Shack, The Guitar Center., etc.  So, off Dad went to procure a pre-amp. 

In the middle of his quest, I spoke to him.  I suggested he purchase a turntable at Costco that would not only plug into his old boom box, but could plug into the computer and pull his music off the records and turn them into mp3 files which could, in turn, be made into CD’s (which is what he wanted all along).  He was delighted with the suggestion and to his great joy, found that the turntable with the USB plug-in was $30.00 less this year than last.  At last, he could rest easy, his music would not die!  He went to Costco and made the purchase.  He called me with his report; “I have the turntable, it’s really nice.”  I told him that was great.  Then he dropped the bomb; “So, I was thinking you could borrow my turntable for as long as it takes to turn the records into CD’s.  In the meantime, I went to the Guitar Center.  They have a pre-amp but it’s $70.00.  They have a cheaper one, $21.00, but they won’t have it in until February.  I decided I can wait until then.”

I blinked in total confusion.  I was now to get the entire record collection onto CD?  He was still going to buy a pre-amp?  And then it hit me, this is my Dad’s true genius.  He was able to get rid of the broken turntable/CD/Cassette/radio unit under the guise of being benevolent, purchase a new-fangled turntable with plug-ins and procedures he didn’t understand and get someone who does understand to get all his music onto CD’s saved for generations, and  get his beloved Gerard to work in his own room to listen to his own records for as long as he, and/or his Gerard, are alive.  Do you think this series of events just fell perfectly into place for him or was it a carefully planned plot with all details cunningly designed to save his records, record player, and music legacy?  I think the latter.  DSC06833Or maybe he just wants to be a DJ mixer with his old Gerard – DJ Larry Lair; wickie wickie wickie  . . .