Mr. Coffee is Dead

Despite my best efforts at keeping him alive--I made significant repairs a few weeks back--my trusty Mr. Coffee grinder is dead.

After almost ten years of faithful service, the last six years of so providing fresh ground coffee in my school office, Mr. Coffee has been replaced. Oh, I'll no doubt take him home and see if I can patch him up yet again, but he'll be put on emeritus status and will only tackle the duties of grinding the occasional flavored bean.

Farewell, Mr. Coffee. You served me well.

Told You So

I've been ranting, maybe even whining, for several months about the possibility of Hillary Clinton being named the Democratic Presidential nominee. I've said to STK, on numerous occasions, that a Clinton candidacy will bring out the Swiftboat For Truth folks in droves. Guess what:

Paul's anti-Clinton effort is getting help from two technical producers who set up the Web site for Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the 2004 campaign that went after Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry by raising questions about his decorated military service in Vietnam.

Mark my words: a Clinton candidacy = Republican victory. I have nothing against her, personally, and would love to see a woman President. I'm not a huge fan of her politics as she's way to moderate for my liking. The biggest problem, however, is the vehemence with which conservatives seem to dislike her (or her husband, actually). You want to give the Republicans something to get fired up about, give 'em Hillary. Disaster in the making.

Geek Update

• Ordered DVR service for the homestead. Due to demand, I'm told it will be 2-3 weeks before we actually receive the DVR.
  
• Purchased Transformers DVD.
• Located Battle droids to replace battle droid with missing head. Threw in a Justice League Unlimited Batman just for good measure. How did I NOT know about the Justice League Unlimited Kyle Rayner?! That's on the list for next month.
  
• Swindled Fatal Revenant for $10 thanks to my B & N membership. I'm hoping I'll sit down and start reading the book tomorrow night. I need to finish Eragon first.
• Watched the first three episodes of Jekyll, the BBC's contemporary update on the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story. Freakin' fantastic is all I can say. I haven't been this thrilled about three hours of television since discovering Farscape.
  

St. John Paul's Fire?

While discussing the rhetoric of postmodern theology with one of my students, I offered Flaming Pope John Paul II as Exhibit A. The student laughed and said, "Yeah, right. That's just silly."

I smiled and responded, "I know it seems silly, but think about it. Listen to how people are discussing the photograph. These people are putting forth the argument that this is Pope John Paul II. What does that mean? This photograph has great significance to those featured in the article and, I'll bet, any number of Catholic readers."

Again, my student sounded skeptical: "You can't be serious."

"I am. Dead serious," I replied very matter of factly.

The student looked at the picture on my computer screen, then turned back to me. "You think Pope John Paul is appearing in fire?"

"Me?" I laughed. "Of course not. Actually, I'm pretty sure he's not, but I'm going to leave a little wiggle room in case I'm wrong. The point isn't whether the Pope is on some kind of fiery pilgrimage or not. The point is that believers are starting to use this photograph as a kind of symbol of their faith. We're seeing the meaning negotiated right before our eyes!"

I don't think the student bought into my argument, an argument I think has a great deal of merit. Said student wasn't nearly as excited about the photograph, either. Does the photograph capture a moment of the divine made mundanely manifest? I have no clue. At least three people, as noted in the article, believe the dead Pope made an earthly appearance. Thousands of people flocked to websites to see the photograph.

The photograph and the comments in the article suggest three things to me. First, the flaming Pope serves as "evidence" for the holiness of John Paul II. Performing his faith through a lifetime of service, he has transcended death. Second, his reappearance signifies the presence of something greater, namely God. Sirius Black and John Paul II aside, few individuals possesses the ability to communicate by way of fire. As a "Servant of God," flaming John Paul II implicates a special place next God for those who serve. Not everyone who passes on to heaven returns to Earth in the form of an apparition; those deemed Holy servants, or even saintly, return to continue their work. Finally, the appearance John Paul II at a service commemorating his death puts the presence of God smack dab in the middle of Earthly affairs. Through the photograph, the metaphysically transcendent announces, "I am present." The photograph, and subsequent interpretation, brings followers closer to God.

That's what I'm reading, at least. I'm pulling some of these ideas together for a potential article regarding the rhetoric of divine presence in everyday life. Whether it's a bonfire apparition, a likeness seen in the knot of a tree, or a face burned on a tortilla, the rhetorical performance of "pilgrim" or "follower" attaches meaning to what could very well be random occurrences. There's a piece of me that wonders, however, "Could this be the voice of the divine speaking?"

Sweep?

Watching the Rockies on their recent amazing run is kind of like having your best friend win the lottery. It's cool and all, but it would be better if you (or the Cubs in this case) were the one winning. As a former inhabitant of Denver, at least I can say I've been following the Rockies since they arrived on the scene. I've been to tons of games, even in the seasons when they were absolutely awful, and I even have a Colorado Rockies wind breaker and hat around here somewhere. I have a feeling that's not the case for most of the present CR fans. Colorado sports fans, with the exception of Bronco fans (they're just plain nuts), are the biggest bunch of bandwagon jumpers you'll ever meet.

Speaking of bandwagons: you'd better jump on board with the Denver Nuggets before the regular season starts. Once the Nuggets start the regular season, and their inevitable drive toward the Western Conference Finals, latecomers will not be allowed.

The Feast

Friday's Feast, October 5th, 2007

Appetizer--On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you look forward to your birthday?
3. I'm not that into birthdays. It's nice having and ice cream, who doesn't like that, but a birthday isn't really that big of a deal. What are we celebrating, the fact that we managed to make it another year? Weird.

Soup--What is one word you don’t like the sound, spelling, or meaning of?
Ocassion. Er, occassion. Um, occasion. ::sighs:: I don't know why, but I spell that word wrong every. Damn. Time.

Salad--Do you wear sunglasses when you’re outside? If so, what does your current pair look like?
If I'm outside, I have sunglasses. It doesn't matter if it's rain, sunshine, or snow, I always wear sunglasses. I wear them just to be cool (although not as cool Cory Hart who wore his sunglasses at night). My eyes are hyper sensitive to light. Walking out into the sunshine, without sunglasses, results in instant headache.

I have four pairs that I use on a regular basis. These are my current favs. That's a great site for clothing, apparel, and whatnot. Top notch product and service. I've purchased dozens of items from Sierra Trading Post--jackets, shoes, sunglasses--and not once have I had anything I would even remotely categorize as a bad transaction.

Main Course--If you were to write a book, to whom would you dedicate it?
My first book, and really do think there's a book in my future, will be dedicated to STK.

Dessert--Name a beverage that you enjoy.
Anyone who knows me will know that I'm a huge coffee geek. Coffee, coffee, and more coffee, please.

Why? Why? Why?

Cubs get a two run homer in the top of the second. Lilly gives up a 3 run blast in the bottom of the second. A triple scores another run. Cubs down 4-2. Why am I Cub fan? What did I do to deserve this?

UPDATED: Bottom of the 4th
WTF is Pinella thinking?! Why did he let Lilly continue to pitch when he was obviously struggling in the 2nd and 3rd? Two more runs in. Pinella is supposed to be one of the premiere managers? Screw that. He's doing a terrible job of managing his starting pitchers. This is exactly why I don't watch games during the regular season. I live and die by this team. It's much easier to look at a box score and think, "Too bad the Cubs dropped one. Glad I didn't watch the game." I then move on with my day without another thought. Tonight, I'm agonizing over the game.

Patriotism, Poptarts, and Pop Flies

Patriotism. I love the fact that Obama has decided to quit wearing the flag pin. I'm sure I'm not the only person who sees this symbol as representing a particular type of patriotism, the type espoused by our current administration. The idea that one needs to wear a pin to remember 9-11 (who can forget?), or prove to an intelligent, discerning audience that you understand U.S. American values, is absurd. Any predictions regarding how long it will be before someone questions Obama's authenticity as a patriotic American? If, or should it be when, this happens, I believe I'll start wearing a flag pin painted black.

Poptarts. So, Britney's MTV comeback was a bomb, eh? Tell that to the media's favorite poptart--her new single is number 3 on the charts. Who needs kids when you're loved by your adoring fans? BTW, anyone who criticizes her post-child appearance (I heard one of my students refer to her as "fat") needs a reality check.*

Pop Flies. That's how I felt about last night's game between the Cubs and Diamondbacks. From the moment Arizona scored the initial run, I felt like I was watching a towering infield pop fly. It took a while, but I knew the ball would be caught for an out. And the Cubs did lose last night, 3-1. Pinella is taking a ton of heat for pulling Zambrano after 84 pitches in what looked like a move to help the starter stay fresh for his next start. The bullpen blew the game, but the Cubs have an ace ready for Sunday's game 4. If the Cubs get to game four. Did Pinella forget that the first round of the playoffs is a best of 5 series? Gotta win one to make it to game 4, Lou. In Pinella's defense, the Cubs have a decent bullpen and that move would have worked on many an evening. Alas, it didn't work last night. Hope springs eternal for tonight's game. Go Cubbies!

To bring the Cubs a little luck, I thought I'd resurrect one of my favorite Harry Caray moments. Back in the day when the Cubs really sucked, Harry used to make up songs on the spot. Here's one of my favorites (I can't believe I remember the words--this is from 20+ years ago). The lyrics are sung to the tune of The Ballad of Davy Crockett.

Jody. Jody Davis.
Hits the ball high and far.
Jody, Jody Davis.
He's a Cubs baseball star.

*When I heard the comment in class, I turned to the student in question and said, "You realize you just insulted almost every woman in this room, right? You have a very distorted perception of feminine beauty."