Tuesday, January 27, 2004

It’s been misty and drizzly (in an icy kind of way) all day, but there are fat snowflakes falling at the moment. It’s pretty.

LATER: I stepped out on the balcony to snap a picture or two. There’s some sleet in there too. I could hear that distinctive sound as it hit the ice-covered cars in the lot.

I’ll try to post pictures tomorrow.

Internet Monk has a very good essay about the popularity of I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me in popular culture, not just the Christian ghetto as Discoshaman calls it. What stood out for me:

It was Martin Luther who suggested that no religion was a superior option when compared to wrong religion, at least from the standpoint of the Gospel.  In that respect, the widespread acceptance of “I Can Only Imagine” may be worse than an outright rejection of such a song in the venue of popular culture. The popularity of the song probably doesn’t indicate hunger for the truth, but a desire for a message that will sooth any anxieties about mortality brought up by these troubled times.

If we rejoice that “I Can Only Imagine” is popular, we should also be concerned that its popularity may indicate that popular culture is ready to appropriate the comfort of the Gospel without embracing the heart of the Gospel: Christ crucified. Christians who assume that the non-Christian audience relates to this song in a “Christian/Biblical” context are probably very mistaken. It is much more likely that we are seeing people embrace the Christian hope of heaven, but without any interest in Christ as the Way to heaven. If he welcomes us when we are there, that’s fine. Telling us how to go to heaven, however, isn’t any more popular now than ever.

Such is the influence of CCM that it can now produce an explicitly Christian product that non-believers like enough to listen to, even as they send Christ himself to the garbage dump of irrelevancy.

Go read the whole thing.

I couldn’t find anything to “watch” while online so I thought I’d tune in to Days of Our Lives - I used to watch it and I know there’s some serial killer storyline going on right now.

Dear Lord, help me.

That. is. the. worst. television. ever.

Someone near and dear to me watches faithfully every day. I beg you to stop. Please. For your own good. To quote my beloved Simon Cowell, “That was horrendous!”

I was surfing and came upon Right Wing Stuff - the cafe shop for those of conservative persuasion. (There’s some fun stuff there, I might have to buy a sticker for my car.) Anyway, one of the bumper stickers has a fantastic quote:

All of us need to be reminded that the Federal Government did not create the States; the States created the Federal Government.—Ronald Reagan

MyDoom Virus hits email.  Apparently, people who are stupid enough to open the attachment didn’t read this helpful post of mine from last week.

A rapidly spreading e-mail worm on Monday afternoon shut down e-mail systems at several large corporations and is causing problems for computer users connected to the Internet, security experts said.

Known as “MyDoom,” it is the fastest spreading e-mail worm ever, according to Network Associates, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based maker of McAfee Antivirus software. The company classified it as a “high alert,” its most severe status level.

Mydoom is wreaking havoc with businesses and home computer users, said Steven Sundermeier, product manager for Central Command, an anti-virus company in Medina, Ohio. Sundermeier said the worm is spreading fastest in the United States and Europe.

The virus spreads in an e-mail message that looks like it was garbled during its journey to the recipient’s in-box. The body text urges recipients to click on the attached file if the contents of the message are damaged or unreadable. The virus launches when the attachment is opened.

DON’T OPEN ATTACHMENTS IN EMAIL THAT’S NOT REQUESTED BY YOU.

I don’t care if it’s coming to you from your best friend or your sister. If you didn’t request the attached item or it’s an attached item that you are not expected to receive via email - DO NOT click on it!

Sheesh, people. It’s common sense.

[via OTB, although I’ve seen it mentioned all over the place.]

Bryan is asking for some assistance. He’s pondering a blog name change as he prepares for his blog to move to a new (non-b*s) home.

Go help him out, will ya? 

Nominations for the 2003 Oscar™ awards were just announced. LOTR: ROTK has 11 total nominations, although none for acting which is a shame. Sean Astin should have been nominated, imho. Cold Mountain was pretty much shut out, interesting.

So here’s the list of top categories:

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Johnny Depp - PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL
Ben Kingsley - HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG
Jude Law - COLD MOUNTAIN
Bill Murray - LOST IN TRANSLATION
Sean Penn - MYSTIC RIVER

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Alec Baldwin - THE COOLER
Benicio Del Toro - 21 GRAMS
Djimon Hounsou - IN AMERICA
Tim Robbins - MYSTIC RIVER
Ken Watanabe - THE LAST SAMURAI

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Keisha Castle-Hughes - WHALE RIDER
Diane Keaton - SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE
Samantha Morton - IN AMERICA
Charlize Theron - MONSTER
Naomi Watts - 21 GRAMS

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Shohreh Aghdashloo - HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG
Patricia Clarkson - PIECES OF APRIL
Marcia Gay Harden - MYSTIC RIVER
Holly Hunter - THIRTEEN
Renée Zellweger - COLD MOUNTAIN

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
AMERICAN SPLENDOR
CITY OF GOD
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
MYSTIC RIVER
SEABISCUIT

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS
DIRTY PRETTY THINGS
FINDING NEMO
IN AMERICA
LOST IN TRANSLATION

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
BROTHER BEAR
FINDING NEMO
THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE

DIRECTING
CITY OF GOD
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
LOST IN TRANSLATION
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD
MYSTIC RIVER

BEST PICTURE
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
LOST IN TRANSLATION
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD
MYSTIC RIVER
SEABISCUIT

UPDATE: Also interesting is that Master & Commander got 10 total noms. I love that movie. And I find the following category really interesting:

VISUAL EFFECTS
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL

I forgot that I submitted a caption for the latest caption contest at Outside the Beltway. I usually read what others have submitted and know that I can’t possibly compete. Somehow I was clever enough to get second place this go ‘round.

Thanks, James!

I’m opting to remain home today given that there’s a nice, shiny coating of ice on my car and on top of the lovely snow we got yesterday. It’s supposed to weep some form of freezing liquid all day. I don’t drive in ice. Period.

I considered going in for a minute or two, but made my final decision after listening to someone spend almost an hour scraping his car windows. Of course, at some point I will have to do that myself, but I’ll worry about that much, much later.

My friends in the deep south who got a lot of ice overnight - I’m praying for you and hope you’re safe, warm, dry, and well.

Bryan brilliantly offers his insights into the question of freedom. I think he hit it out of the park - what say you?

A snippety-snippet:

Ask one hundred people what freedom means, and ninety-nine of them will tell you something that looks like, sounds like, or maybe even feels like freedom, but really isn’t. And if there is anything that has mastered the ability to deceive the “duck test,” it’s the wolf of carnal bondage wearing the lambskin of freedom.

Contrary to popular opinion, freedom isn’t being unfettered from responsibility. It isn’t release from consequence or accountability. It isn’t entitlement, license, or absolution. People all over show their total incomprehension of freedom by their perpetual abuse of it, as well as for settling for a myriad of experiences and states-of-being that are freedom-ish, but in and of themselves not genuine freedom.

I’ve been meaning to post the lyrics to Never Loved You More by Nichole Nordeman from her Woven & Spun CD. It’s been my theme for the past week - God is huge and amazing and this song sums it up perfectly.

Never Loved You More
by Nichole Nordeman and Charlie Peacock

You could take a cup and fill it up
And just keep on filling ‘til it all comes spilling down the sides
That’s what You do in my life

Or watch the sky at sunrise
And see the clouds turn shades I never knew could make me want to cry
That’s what You do in my life
Never mind moderation
You exceed my expectations

I have never love You more
‘Cause You have never loved me less
Than the day before, or the day before
I have never loved You more

Have you ever tried to count the stars way up past Mars?
It will blow your mind, don’t even try to think about infinity
But that’s how You love me

Much more than I can contain
A balloon once tethered to the ground,
but could not stick around to stay
Free to fly away
Never mind moderation
You exceed my expectations

I had never dared to dream
Beyond what I’ve already seen
The day before, or the day before
I have never loved You more

Exceedingly, abundantly more

Dixville Notch, NH, is a tiny little town in the upper corner of the state. There are 33 people in the town, 15 of whom voted at midnight when the polls opened.

A Single Southern Guy has been assisting with the campaign one of the candidates in New Hampshire for the past month. His chosen candidate won in Dixville Notch with a mighty 8 votes.

So, now the question - as goes Dixville Notch so goes the state (or even the general election in November)? Nope - McCain won Dixville Notch in 2000. I don’t think Clark will be the Democratic nominee.

Monday, January 26, 2004

Absinthe & Cookies is two today. Go give Ith your best wishes!

From Bryan (it’s a little spoilerish):

I really did not know what to expect. I was thrilled to have been invited to a private viewing of Mel Gibson’s film “The Passion,” but I had also read all the cautious articles and spin. I grew up in a Jewish town and owe much of my own faith journey to the influence. I have a life long, deeply held aversion to anything that might even indirectly encourage any form of anti-Semitic thought, language or actions.

I arrived at the private viewing for “The Passion”, held in Washington DC and greeted some familiar faces. The environment was typically Washingtonian, with people greeting you with a smile but seeming to look beyond you, having an agenda beyond the words. The film was very briefly introduced, without fanfare, and then the room darkened.

From the gripping opening scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the very human and tender portrayal of the earthly ministry of Jesus, through the betrayal, the arrest, the scourging, the way of the cross, the encounter with the thieves, the surrender on the Cross, until the final scene in the empty tomb, this was not simply a movie; it was an encounter, unlike anything I have ever experienced. In addition to being a masterpiece of film-making and an artistic triumph, “The Passion” evoked more deep reflection, sorrow and emotional reaction within me than anything since my wedding, my ordination or the birth of my children. Frankly, I will never be the same. When the film concluded, this “invitation only” gathering of “movers and shakers” in Washington, D.C. were shaking indeed, but this time from sobbing. I am not sure there was a dry eye in the place. The crowd that had been glad-handing before the film was now eerily silent. No one could speak because words were woefully inadequate.

We had experienced a kind of art that is a rarity in life, the kind that makes heaven touch earth. One scene in the film has now been forever etched in my mind. A brutalized, wounded Jesus was soon to fall again under the weight of the cross. His mother had made her way along the Via Della Rosa. As she ran to him, she flashed back to a memory of Jesus as a child, falling in the dirt road outside of their home. Just as she reached to protect him from the! fall, she was now reaching to touch his wounded adult face. Jesus looked at her with intensely probing and passionately loving eyes (and at all of us through the screen) and said “Behold I make all things new.”

These are words taken from the last Book of the New Testament, the Book of Revelation. Suddenly, the purpose of the pain was so clear and the wounds, that earlier in the film had been so difficult to see in His face, His back, indeed all over His body, became intensely beautiful. They had been borne voluntarily for love.

At the end of the film, after we had all had a chance to recover, a question and answer period ensued. The unanimous praise for the film, from a rather diverse crowd, was as astounding as the compliments were effusive. The questions included the one question that seems to follow this film, even though it has not yet even been released. “Why is this film considered by some to be “anti-Semitic?” Frankly, having now experienced (you do not “view” this film) “the Passion” it is a question that is impossible to answer.

A law professor whom I admire sat in front of me. He raised his hand and responded “After watching this film, I do not understand how anyone can insinuate that it even remotely presents that the Jews killed Jesus. It doesn’t.” He continued “It made me realize that my sins killed Jesus” I agree. There is not a scintilla of anti-Semitism to be found anywhere in this powerful film. If there were, I would be among the first to decry it.

It faithfully tells the Gospel story in a dramatically beautiful, sensitive and profoundly engaging way. Those who are alleging otherwise have either not seen the film or have another agenda behind their protestations. This is not a “Christian” film, in the sense that it will appeal only to those who identify themselves as followers of Jesus Christ. It is a deeply human, beautiful story that will deeply touch all men and women. It is a profound work of art. Yes, its producer is a Catholic Christian and thankfully has remained faithful to the Gospel text; if that is no longer acceptable behavior than we are all in trouble.

History demands that we remain faithful to the story and Christians have a right to tell it. After all, we believe that it is the greatest story ever told and that its message is for all men and women. The greatest right is the right to hear the truth. We would all be well advised to remember that the Gospel narratives to which “The Passion” is so faithful were written by Jewish men who followed a Jewish Rabbi whose life and teaching have forever changed the history of the world.

The problem is not the message but those who have distorted it and used it for hate rather than love. The solution is not to censor the message, but rather to promote the kind of gift of love that is Mel Gibson’s filmmaking masterpiece, “The Passion.” It should be seen by as many people as possible. I intend to do everything I can to make sure that is the case. I am passionate about “The Passion.” You will be as well. Don’t! miss it!

It never fails that I encounter some snafu when trying to get payroll done faster than normal. HQ has a new system in place, but there are a few districts (like mine) that don’t have it yet. So we’re still using the antiquated DOS-based database that hoses our computers and causes all kinds of problems. But I’m used to those old problems - hiccups really, at this point in my tenure.

But they’ve modified the timesheets and budgeting codes as well and we are required to use the new stuff NOW. So I attempted to download the code tables into the old system and the old system won’t recognize the files. And in my attempts to load the tables, I lost the original tables. The original table that are no longer available.

Despite this hurdle I managed to get all of the timesheets that I have in my possession inputted and transmitted. The rest will have to wait until tomorrow (if we’re here) or Wednesday. The rest are the people who didn’t leave their timesheets on my desk like they were told to on Friday. So if they don’t get paid on time, it’s not my problem.

I can’t wait until my replacement is hired and they get to deal with this crap.