An Artistic Diversion

Spring Break has come and gone, with sadly little family time to show for it. I did manage to take Friday off to spend with the boys, highlighted by a trip to the bowling alley. It always feels good to know that even after 10 months or so since my last trip there, I can still pull down a 160+ average over 3 games. Not great, but certainly passable.  But I digress.

Saturday, we took a trip as a family to the Huntsville Museum of Art, where our youngest son was among many area students selected to have their artwork displayed. It was quite interesting to see a nice-quality caption card with his name affixed to the wall next to his piece. Almost 10, I still marvel how one day he looks older than his years, and the next day, just by the angle of the pose, he seems even younger. The boy likes to draw, and I think I'm finally starting to figure out how, as a parent, to get out of the way (sometimes) and let my children explore their capabilities and their interests.

Here's a close-up of his piece, a mixed media creation using watercolor and crayon:

After the trip to the museum, we went over to Hobby Lobby so the boys could buy some models.  The photo below, taken at the museum beforehand, gave me the notion to also buy him a sketch book and some charcoal pencils.

I have no idea how long this hobby will last, but I for one am certainly not going to do anything but encourage it.  After a little tutoring today in charcoal pencil technique, he's diving right in.  I can't wait to see what imagination comes to life on paper.

Page 17

On this special day, brimming with meaning, I offer this performance of my favorite hymn. The group is called Reprise. There are few hymns as rich in meaning, expressing what every soul deeply needs to express, as the Spirit-inspired words found here. Its timelessness spans beyond the years, be it 19, 93 or 128, to an eternity of wonder and praise.


Amen.

PS: Page 17 is a reference to the 1966 edition of the Methodist hymnal (the old red hymnal). Some will insist on it being page 77 (1989 edition), but for me, it belongs on page 17.

3 Weeks. Could It Be?

Two days ago, I sent an email to the property management agent for our rental house, officially setting the date for what I hope will be our last day of occupancy. We have finally broken through a few major bottlenecks, and once again Chase Manor 2.0 is a beehive of activity.

Cabinet frames have been installed, countertops and sinks too. Flooring started yesterday and will continue through next week. The electrician has been on site, and appliances are on order. HVAC and plumbers are at the ready. A race is underway to schedule and pass an inspection by the second week of April. Our goal is not completion, in the sense that we have a closing on the house and the construction loan. Rather, we are shooting for a certificate of occupancy that will allow us to get out of the rental and into the new house, while outside work (landscaping and retaining walls) continues. Insurance support for the rental has dried up, so the sooner we get into the house, the better.

Here's a shot of our new Corian countertops, an upgrade over the original Formica:

Deck construction is also underway. This is one feature that I am very much excited to see, and I pray that it is done well. The original house had a screened deck under roof, with a small landing for a long set of stairs that went down to ground level. With the loss of our towering oaks, however, I wanted an extension that could take advantage of the view. The result is a creation of our own design, handed off to the builder. And now it is finally coming together:

It is hard to describe how I feel, knowing now that this time next month, perhaps, I'll be sitting inside a recreation of my home. It is not a feeling of pure joy, or even relief, though I'll allow there is some of both. We've been so consumed by this chapter in our lives, that the prospect of it coming to an end is strangely unnerving. I'm not sure that makes sense, to have even a little trepidation of this next transition. Maybe I'll better understand it all once it comes to pass.

One thing I know for sure: We'll be home soon.

Killing the Mood

I know I'm not supposed to judge a book by its cover. I know that our perceptions and attitudes are often shaped by our environment and our upbringing, those cultural peculiarities that are impressed upon us from a very early age. I know that I should never ever judge a thing by the color of its "skin."

But the man in me just cannot wrap my mind around this. I found that I couldn't even bring myself to approach what ultimately may be a fine product, because I was instinctively repulsed by the blinding glare that filled my vision.

And at Sears, of all places. Right next to the stellar, sleek lines of Craftsman grey, black and red.

Forgive my prejudice. But I just can't. If this were in my garage, it would totally kill the mood. It's just .... wrong.

Stop the Presses: The Senate Drafts a Budget!

After 4 years of blowing off one of their primary Constitutional responsibilities, the Democrat-controlled Senate finally came up with a draft budget. I guess we should chalk this up to "progress." At issue is the direction this so-called progress would take us (emphasis mine):

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats unveiled a largely stand-pat budget on Wednesday that calls for $1 trillion in new tax revenues over the coming decade and increases spending while protecting the party’s domestic policy priorities and adding $4 trillion more to the national debt than a slashing alternative from House Republicans.

The plan by Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray of Washington blends about $1 trillion in modest cuts to health care providers, the Pentagon, domestic agencies, and interest payments on the debt with an equal amount in new revenue claimed by closing tax breaks.

But because Democrats want to restore $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts over the same period — cuts imposed by Washington’s failure to strike a broader budget pact — Murray’s blueprint increases spending slightly when compared with current policies.

I guess adding another $4 trillion to the national debt, already over $16 trillion now, is no big deal. After all, the president has told us that there is no debt crisis.

Here's what an Alabama senator had to say (emphasis mine):

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala), the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, summarized the contents of that budget effort: “The Senate Democrat plan offers $7.3 trillion in new debt in the first 10 years, with interest payments climbing to $791 billion in the tenth year and total debt rising to $24.4 trillion. Debt remains permanently elevated above the danger zone of 90 percent of GDP, resulting in slower growth and lost wages. Excluding war spending gimmicks, net deficit reduction is only $279 billion. In the Senate Democrat plan, the deficit in 2023 is $566 billion; the House Republican plan, in contrast, produces a surplus in the tenth year.”

Obviously, I'm in no position to assess the veracity of these descriptions, as the spin cycle is already in full force. In fact, a later version of the AP article removes the sentence about adding $4 trillion to the national debt.

In 2008, the national debt stood at about $10 trillion, and we thought it was bad then. If the Senate's budget were ever enacted (which it will not as long as the Republicans hold the House), by 2023 - a timeframe of a mere 15 years - we will have fully doubled the national debt.

So you'll have to forgive my snarky attitude and my pessimism about the fiscal direction of this nation. It is just plain stupid. Not a nice thing to say, I know, but it is true.

Brennan's Symbolic Gesture: Oops

Public figures of all sorts will from time to time make grand, symbolic gestures designed not so much for their intent, but rather for the PR they receive in making them.

Such was the case when the White House related the nature of the oath taken by new CIA Director John Brennan:

Hours after CIA Director John Brennan took the oath of office—behind closed doors, far away from the press, perhaps befitting his status as America's top spy—the White House took pains to emphasize the symbolism of the ceremony.

“There's one piece of this that I wanted to note for you,” spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at their daily briefing. “Director Brennan was sworn in with his hand on an original draft of the Constitution that had George Washington's personal handwriting and annotations on it, dating from 1787.”

That's nice, taking an oath on an authentic copy of the Constitution you are swearing to uphold and defend. But wait, there's more:

The Constitution itself went into effect in 1789. But troublemaking blogger Marcy Wheeler points out that what was missing from the Constitution in 1787 is also quite symbolic: The Bill of Rights, which did not officially go into effect until December 1791 after ratification by states. ...

That means: No freedom of speech and of the press, no right to bear arms, no Fourth Amendment ban on “unreasonable searches and seizures,” and no right to a jury trial.

Oh, the irony.

Word of advice to all who would try to make a grand gesture and then crow about it: make sure you do your homework and know your history, else risk sending an entirely different message than the one you intend.

Awesome Image of Coronal Activity

I came across the image below following a link to dallasnews.com. At first, it looked a little too fantastical, and I was sure it was simply the fine work of a graphic artist.

Au contraire. I poked around on NASA's website and found the posted image. The image was indeed captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. While the image has been "enhanced" to make additional wavelengths visible, it is altogether real.

And very awesome.

This image provided by NASA shows an image captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory of a blast of plasma streaming from the sun in August 2012. (NASA)

Outcomes-Based Governing

Is there a right way to govern? I ask this question, because as easy as it is to pound my fist at the cynical abuse of rules and processes committed by both parties when in the majority, I cannot help but to wonder that if there is a "right way," would this or any forthcoming generation of politicians even recognize it, much less employ it.

This phenomenon of "outcomes-based" governing, while it may not be entirely new, is a troubling trend that can only undermine further the already fractious relationship between the voters and those who purport to represent them. By outcomes-based governing, I simply mean the trend that "anything goes" in the quest to get desired legislation into force. Outcomes will not engender trust nearly as much as the transparency of the process used to achieve those outcomes.

The case du jour: A few weeks ago, Alabama Republican legislators crafted a bill designed to provide a method for local school systems to opt out of a state-mandated school calendar. The background, in brief, is that in late spring 2012, just weeks before the end of the school year, the state passed legislation mandating the start and end times of the school year. School cannot start before the 3rd week of August, and must end within days of Memorial Day. The result of the 2012 legislation forced school systems to scramble to adjust their 2012-2013 calendars, and was generally received negatively by all except the Alabama Tourism Department. This new bill was designed to give local systems the chance for a waiver to opt out of the mandate, and thereby the ability set their own calendars. This bill actually had some bipartisan support, the endorsement of the state superintendent of schools, and was on track for quick passage. The state Senate passed it, then the state House passed it. From there it went to committee, where all hell broke loose.

What happened in committee is still a little murky, but the 9-page bill for school flexibility came out as a 27-page bill establishing what amounts to a school voucher program. There was no substantive debate allowed on the revised bill, and both the state House and Senate passed it. The governor was supposed to sign the bill on Tuesday, but a judge issued a restraining order, and now we're at an impasse. The Republicans are appealing to the state Supreme Court, completely Republican, but the outcome is far from certain. Just for the record, this type of back-room behavior is standard operating procedure for Alabama, no matter which party is in power.

My beef is this. I'm supportive of the school flexibility bill, and in principle, I'm supportive of school choice solutions. But the manner in which the state Republicans handled this matter disgusts me. If you want a school voucher program, craft a bill, debate it and vote on it. Make a public case for it. You may win, you may lose, but at least you did it the right way. Instead, the perception is now fully entrenched that somebody hijacked a simple bill to push through something entirely different. And that perception may be the truth. While I personally think the judge is out of line in preventing a passed bill from going to the governor's desk, the Republicans only brought this upon themselves.

In the end, good legislation may not see the light of day, because somebody got greedy and tried to ram something else through the process. Outcomes-based governing is a live-by-the-sword, die-by-the-sword proposition. It fully undercuts and erodes virtue and principle. And it is clearly the wave of the future.

But it is a terrible way to govern.

Testing the New Headphones

The company for which I work recently completed a major relocation. We left our original facility, home to us for 8 years, for "new" digs a mile or two away. The new arrangement has us temporarily sharing offices, while some additional renovations at our new facility are completed over the next several months.

Although I have had my own office for the last decade, I'm no stranger to office-sharing, so it is really no big deal. However, I can no longer just close the door and put on background music while I work, or watch that must see news video telling me how screwed up Washington is. So I invested in an inexpensive set of Bluetooth headphones by Kinivo.

But I needed a test run. So what better sound test of frequency range and depth (not to mention assurance that I'm not disturbing my office mate) than to pump up these guys. If you have 26 minutes and 3 seconds to spare, put this on in the background and enjoy. I love this. Oh, and the headphones work great!

One Year

A year ago today, I came home mid-morning to this:

In the year since a high-end EF-2 tornado turned our lives upside-down, I can only marvel at how fresh the memory remains. Reminders of our struggle are everywhere, but so are the reminders of grace, of blessing. It is this light we hang on to, knowing that in time all things can be restored, after a fashion. Not the same, but we press ever onward.

Today, we're still waiting for this long year to end. It won't end until we can finally move back in to this:

Projected homecoming: April.

April, please hurry.