Gobble Gobble!

It's been so long since I've made an entry that I wonder if I have a single reader who even checks my dusty little corner of cyberspace. If you're out there, I hope you're running an RSS feed and don't waste your time checking the page on a regular basis. I'm not sure why I can't seem to manage to update on a regular basis. At the end of the day, with school, family, and other obligations, blogging just drifts to the end of the "To Do" list.

Life has been very good of late. The school semester continues to fly by and, after the end of Thanksgiving break, only two full weeks of classes remain. Tons of grading looms on the horizon, but I just don't get freaked out about that anymore. Considering that I used to have 230 students every semester, 60 seems entirely manageable. I have to bite my tongue not to laugh out loud when I hear some of my colleagues complain about grading 60 papers or exams over a ten day period. I'll take that any day.

The other bit of exciting school news, I suppose, is that I finally received an "affirmative" on the long in development Battlestar Galactica essay and, barring an "I hate it" from the editor, should have another publication under my belt come next fall. The deadline for the completed draft is still ten days away and I have the difficult part of the essay finished. Another five or six pages to go, which I should finish this weekend, and I'll spend the next week or so tinkering, editing, rewriting.

Writing should be no problem this weekend as the house is completely quiet. To celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary STK's parents decided to take the family on a dream vacation to Ireland. Despite my warnings that I cannot take time off during the school year, they booked the trip during the school year. As such, I'm the only one of the family--STK's parents, offspring (STK, siblings, and spouses), grand offspring (TLO and his two cousins)--who is not enjoying the streets of Dublin and the rolling countryside of Ireland proper. Yes, I'm a bit miffed that I'm the one who got stiffed in the entire affair. And her parents wonder why I'm not all that hip to family events. Had this been my parents, and my parents would never fork out the cash to fly everyone out of the country, they would have picked a time when everyone could go. I will always be something of an outsider with STK's family. Some of that is my fault (I won't conform to family expectations) and some of it is there's (I'm not the person they would have picked for STK's partner). It is what it is. Anyway, I've been playing bachelor since Thanksgiving morning. It didn't take long to get back into my preferred sleeping habits; I stayed up until 3:30 am and slept until 10:30 am. I wish I could do that every day.

I spent Thanksgiving driving to an airport, helping STK get TLO loaded into a plane, and driving home. Driving to the airport we spotted a flock of 16 wild turkeys having their own Thanksgiving meal in a recently harvested corn field. I believe my response was, "Run, you fools, run! It's Thanksgiving Day and you're strolling around a field a 1/2 mile from town?! Run! Be free!" Later in the evening I had the not-so-traditional holiday repast with Dr. OneDink and the Alabama Hick. Most items on the menu, while based on a traditional holiday dish, had some slight modification. We ate Quorn cutlets (vegetarian meat like product), yam sautée (boiled in apple juice), cheese potatoes (baked potato slices with a tidbit of cheese), etc. As far as Thanksgiving dinners go, it was delicious and moderately healthy. We did have steamed broccoli/carrots/cauliflower, stuffing, and pumpkin pie so it wasn't a completely alternative meal. I went home feeling full, but not stuffed. I'm very thankful Dr. OneDink and Alabama Hick invited me into their home.

I leave you today with what is most definitely my favorite scene from any movie dealing with Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving, gobble gobble, and all that.

Writers Unite!

I'll try to make substantive comments about the hollywood writers strike soon. In the meantime, check out the following link for up-to-date news regarding strike doings.

United Hollywood.

Like my support matters much, or at all, but I'm all for the writers. I can read, write, and watch DVDs (a bit ironic, given the major issues of the strike) until the writers get a fairer piece of the new media pie.

Spirituality

I believe there is an important distinction to be made between religion and spirituality. Religion I take to be concerned with belief in the claims to salvation of one faith tradition or another--an aspect of which is acceptance of some form of meta-physical or philosophical reality, including perhaps an idea of heaven or hell. Connected with this are religious teachings or dogma, ritual, prayers and so on. Spirituality I take to be concerned with those qualities of the human spirit--such as love and compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, a sense of responsibility, a sense of harmony, which bring happiness to both self and others.

-His Holiness the Dalai Lama

More Word Games

Scientolotot: another name for Suri, the Scientological offspring of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.

Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy

With the exception of The Music Man, a film my family forced me to watch over, and over, and over again, I have a soft spot for musicals. The cinematic release of Grease remains a personal highlight of the 70s and repeat viewings of The Wall, Quadrophenia, and Tommy offer a glimpse into my teen mind during the 1980s. Fashion a movie around rock and roll numbers and I'm all yours.

With that in mind, I've been counting the days since learning about Julie Taymor's Across the Universe. Today, after a horribly long wait, the Beatles fan finally saw the film . . . and loved it. The narrative itself--the traditional boy meets girl love story--is nothing new and this seems to be the major criticism from many of the professional critics. The strength of this film is the musical numbers and the emotion packed within. This isn't a thinking movie, but a feeling movie. Maybe it's my fascination with the social upheaval of the 1960s, but the use of the reimagined Beatles classics to capture the spirit of a turbulent period really struck a chord with me. In fact, the film moved me to tears on multiple occasions. I teared up in deep sadness, in fury, and in happiness. I enjoy a wide variety of movies and have dozens of favorites, but few have the ability to make feel this deeply. I enjoyed this movie so much, that I'll probably try to see it again during the coming week. For the record: I haven't seen a film multiple times since Revenge of the Sith. The soundtrack will be purchased, as will the DVD when released.

To get a taste of the film, check out all the cool videos on Yahoo.com.

Word Games

As we wrapped up a unit on the rhetoric of food, my students engaged in a rousing debate regarding the meanings of "supper" and "dinner." I grew up, in the Midwest, calling the evening meal "supper." Today, however, I refer to the evening meal as "dinner." As far as I can tell, I don't treat the meal any differently today than I did back in the supper days. Is there a difference? If so, what?

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."

Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Holy Cow!

I've spent the last few weeks biting my tongue, biding my time, waiting for the announcement: the Cubs are in the playoffs! After 27 years of being a Cub fan, you learn to keep your expectations in check. Time after time, this team has broken my heart; unfortunately, I have a very long memory. I can remember, with a great deal of clarity, the exact moment Steve Garvey smashed my dreams. I still dislike that guy with a passion. Don't even talk to me about Leon Durham. Remember Greg Maddux, the great young Cubs pitcher who defected to Atlanta? I cursed the day he returned to the Cubs a couple years back. In fact, Maddux still retains the number 3 position in my Top Ten Hated Athletes list.

So, I spent the last two weeks holding my breath, waiting for the Cubs to clinch the division. I kept my excitement to myself, fearing that any kind of open enthusiasm would invoke some long forgotten baseball hex. When I tried to share the briefest flicker of hope with another Cubs fan, I was met with a rebuke. She said, "Sshhhh. Don't talk about it. Just don't." And you know what happened that very night? The Cubs lost their second game in a row and went on to be swept by the Marlins. That was my fault, I just know it.

I posted back on April 2 that this is the Cubs year. Is it? Probably not. They'll break my heart for the umpteenth year . . . and I'll be pulling for them every last second of the disaster. Who knows, maybe they'll surprise me this year.

Go Cubs!

Empty

Empty and calm and devoid of self
Is the nature of all things.
No individual being
In reality exists.

There is no end or beginning,
Nor any middle course.
All is an illusion,
As in a vision or a dream.

All beings in the world
Are beyond the realm of words.
Their ultimate nature, pure and true,
Is like the infinity of space.

-Prajnaparamita

Conversational Realities: Slut Roommate

Overheard while walking across campus.

Person #1: You lost?
Person #2: I'm just waiting for my slut of a roommate.

Life, The Universe, and Everything

Life. Oddly enough, I've had this conversation with several colleagues. Some [professors think college is about producing a product, a skill set that increase a person's chance of success in the workplace. I, on the other hand, am all about raising the big questions regarding life. What's our purpose? Who are we? What does it mean to be an ethical human being? How do we co-constitute the answers to all these questions by way of rhetoric? Most of my classes, but not all, reflect my personal bias. In the course of engaging these questions, I'd like to think that students become better writers, improved speakers, and proficient critical thinkers. My main goal, however, is to encourage students to become increasingly self-reflective about their own place in the universe. If I'm just handing them a toolbox consisting of how to impress in that interview, how to influence patrons/customers, and how to persuade coworkers that a plan is the best choice, then I'm doing something wrong.

The Universe. Amazing. I'm still baffled as to how astronomers are able to make these kinds of observations. Baffled, but amazed. I guess I'm still a photograph-from-the-rover kind of guy.

And Everything. Everything is change; change is everything.

Performing Pareidolia

I submitted the following abstract as part of a potential panel for an upcoming conference.

Pareidolia and the Space of Communicative Praxis: Performing Mystery in the Presence of the Metaphysically Transcendent Other.

This essay examines communication regarding pareidolia--the act of perceiving a distinguishable pattern or likeness, typically a thing or person, in a random image--as a means by which the self performs the extraordinary and unknowable in the midst of the everyday mundane. Negotiating the always already subject positions of both self and other within the communal moment of the communicative encounter, a moment Calvin Schrag describes as the space of communicative praxis, embodied human agents cooperatively reify and subvert cultural institutions and discernments. An analysis of the communicative discourse and action surrounding perceived encounters with the metaphysically transcendent other via pareidolia--the likeness of Jesus on a tortilla, a demonic visage in the smoke of the World Trade Center, or a Virgin Mary formed from chocolate drippings--offers an opportunity to explore how the self resists the hegemonic discourses of science and attempts to reclaim a sense of the mystical, the magical, and the mysterious.

I'm also reworking the Battlestar Galactica abstract/proposal for the umpteenth time. The question of the hour: to what convention should I submit my BSG work? Should I submit to the RSA convention in Seattle or the PCA convention in San Francisco?

Feast-o-licious

Friday's Feast for Friday, 7 September 2007:

Appetizer--Using only one word, how does grocery shopping make you feel?
Hungry.

Soup--What is your favorite part about the season of Autumn?
Autumn is, by far, the most amazing season here in the Corn Furnace. The temperatures are just right (70s) and the air is filled with the scent of decaying leaves. Mmmmm.

Salad--Have you ever had any bad experiences online?
I once had a used bookstore try to scam me out of some money. I ordered the book and, three days later, the company closed shop. Thankfully, I ordered the book via Alibris.com and received a total reimbursement.

Main Course--Name three things that make you happy daily.
Coffee, STK, TLO

Dessert--What one household cleansing or organizing item would you not want to be without?
My computer. I can't imagine keeping lecture notes, class assignments, and research organized in any other way.