Shivering... cold cold cold

What is the price of a quiet moment at work?  For me, it is to bear the cold morning chill by sitting out on the patio with a hot cup of coffee.  I have to sit in the shade so I can see the computer screen.  Brr.

Reading more about Solomon.  I love this line from 1 Kings: "The people of Israel and Judah were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, drank, and were happy."  Yeah, except those that are under Adoniram's watch.  He's the dude that Solomon put in charge of "forced labor" (1 Kings 4:6).  Slavery is in full swing, prostitution is in full swing, and soon Solomon will get himself a ton of women to sleep with.  Life is wonderful.  Sigh.

Sometimes I hate being an idealist, because all my heroes always turn out to be duds.  Any time I find someone that I want to believe in and follow after, I find that there's a horrifying flaw or characteristic that leaves me feeling disappointed.  Take Martin Luther King, Jr., for instance.  Great guy, right?  Fought for equality and freedom, right?  Did you also know that he was an adulterer, who confessed his years of unfaithfulness to his wife WHILE SHE WAS ON HER OWN DEATHBED?  Rest in peace, Mrs. King.

So, I've given up on heroes.  In fact, in my eyes, heroes are just average people that have been put up on pedestals because other people don't want to know the whole truth about them.  Call me a cynic.

But on a lighter note.  I'm excited about this weekend.  Julie and I are going to take a short roadtrip somewhere.  I love it when she surprises me with stuff like this!

Tim

"Your mom goes to college..."

So, my parents are here for the weekend!  Finally!  They've been trying to break away from their ties in SLO for like, 12 thousand years to come visit, but now they finally made it happen.  Too much love and wisdom has been shared to really comprehend or document it properly... but I wanted to say... at a minimum...

That I'm in love with my parents.  I know I don't really understand them fully.  I know they are often baffled at my strange thoughts and willingness to abandon reason in search of truth.  I know there is a lot of hurt underneath all of our surfaces.  But I think we're finally coming to a point in our relationship in which I feel like they trust me to live my own life and make my own decisions, and I no longer judge them and whine that they don't love me the right way.  It's taken awhile (25 years) but I think there's a point in the midst of pain in which you toughen up and realize that the problem isn't someone else.  It's me.  All my life I've had two amazing people who bore me into the world trying their damndest to love me and support me, despite my best attempts to thwart them.

They are not perfect.

But they are REAL.

And HONEST.

And compassionate.

And silly.

And frankly, they are some of the best human beings that I know.  They are strong and they are humble.  They are proud and slightly insecure (who isn't?).  They love fiercely.

Happy Valentine's Day, my beloved mom and dad.

Solomon... Wise king or misrepresented fool?

So, I've been contemplating writing a short paper on Solomon.  Short because I don't have a lot to say, not short because there isn't enough material on the subject.  You see, the Bible records Solomon as "The Wisest of Kings" and yet much of what he said and did kinda makes me think that the narrator of 1 and 2nd Kings was biased, or maybe had a sword pointed at his neck.  The whole dream he had of God granting him whatever wish he so desired seems a bit unlike God.  Yes, people have seen God in visions... but usually it is in order for God to give them a message, not for God to come smoldering out of the Genie's Lamp and say, "Your wish is my command..."  It is my opinion that Solomon wanted the world to know that he was wise and rich and powerful so that he could hold on to his rule as long as possible.  I mean, the first thing the guy did was to knock off his brothers that were itching for the crown, just to "secure his reign."  Julie pointed out that he didn't really have a good role model in King David.  Sure, that dude was "God's Right Hand Man" but he was also a d-- well, he had his issues.

More thoughts to come.  I have to go back to work.

P.S. For some of my conservative readers: Yes, I DO believe scripture is Holy and ordained by God, but I believe that it was written by flawed men with sometimes flawed intentions.  The Truth gleaned from the pages of the Bible will always be from God, but not all should be taken literally, and not all should be taken at face value.

Death and Taxes

Not sure why I'm blogging while I'm doing my taxes, but I am.

Did you know that there are people out there who LIKE doing their taxes??  You people are sick.  Just kidding.  But seriously.

The only way I get myself to do them is to remind myself that it's so painful that it's actually enjoyable.  I'm weird like that.  And, because Julie and I are in the lowest income bracket, we usually get a pretty good return.  Thanks, Uncle Sam, for cutting me some slack.

The Superbowl was yesterday.  I won 15 bucks!  Um.  The best part of the game was playing "try to throw the frisbee through the man-made hoop" during half-time.  Thanks Jeff, Noah, and Andrew for the good times.  And thank you, mosquito herd (flock? swarm?), for eating us alive.  (P.S. Jeff was the only one that actually made a hole in one.)

My favorite commercial was the Car-max one where the guy is like, "I feel like a kid in the candy store" and then it shows the kid in the candy store and he says something like, "I feel like a hippie in a drum circle" and then it shows the hippie and he's like, "I feel like an acrobat in a mattress store!" and it shows the acrobat bouncing on the mattress... it was wonderful.

So, I'm throwing a concert at my Peet's on the 26th of Febtober.  Oh yeah, I'm calling this month Febtober. Just in case you didn't figure that out.  I'm not just completely ignorant.  Only mostly.  So, yeah, it's going to be fun, I hope.  I'm hoping Andrew will want to play a song, and maybe my friend Kevin from The Reel.  He's actually in a real live band!  It's nice to know people in high places.  We might do an "Open Mic" night in the future, but this time around it's just a concert.  I feel like there's more expectation that way.  I hope I don't suck.

It really is a gorgeous day out.  Just plain beautiful.  And I'm doing my taxes.  Sigh...