The Sublime Roundabout

I think there's a fascination about abandoned places that appeals to many people. The traces of humanity left in a kind of decaying reality are compelling and speak to the transitory nature of the built environment. It seems to say that we are all just here for such a short time, and even our most grand edifices change and fall away. I read this article: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150922-the-places-the-world-forgot Have a look. Be sure to read the captions on the images - it provides interesting information and insights... These pictures are beautiful in their mystery and compelling in the stories that they tell... It's lovely and makes me want to go poke around in old buildings. Anyone with me?

Jason Chaffetz needs to look up "non sequitur" in a legal or other dictionary. Here's what m-w.com has to say: 1 : an inference that does not follow from the premises; specifically : a fallacy resulting from a simple conversion of a universal affirmative proposition or from the transposition of a condition and its consequent 2 : a statement (as a response) that does not follow logically from or is not clearly related to anything previously said Here's Mr. Chaffetz offering a very emotional and impassioned speech about how his parents were affected by cancer, and then equating dollars spent on Planned Parenthood with people killing others with bombs and bullets: The whole thing was a debacle. Never mind that the esteemed representatives come off sounding hostile and misogynistic. Never mind that Planned Parenthood actually helps ensure that there are fewer abortions in the US due to offering women's and reproductive health counseling (including contrace...

I like being busy. It's good. But it keeps me from writing as much as I'd like. So, sorry for the short post, but I hope you'll hang with me until things slow down a bit. In the meantime, here's a brilliant little bit from John Oliver. Enjoy!

I just read this: http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2015/09/22/442486129/the-true-meaning-behind-the-popes-rejection-of-god-as-magician I was initially intrigued by the headline, which should make the author and/or editors pleased. :) I was not familiar with the Pope's remark (there's a link to it in the article), but I find that it jives pretty closely with what I have felt for a long time. Some people, as the article points out, want God to be "the God of the Gaps" - meaning, that God fills in the interstitial places between what is otherwise easily known and understood. How did the Big Bang start off? God did it. How does cellular mitosis occur? God is behind it all. And why are we inspired by a beautiful sunset? Clearly, it's the hand of God. Some of this may be true, but for me, it's always felt insufficient. It's felt like a cop-out, an excuse to not explore further, to not ask further questions. And that can be deeply dissatisfying for someon...

There's something about being a father Having children of my own That makes it all seem worthwhile It's never been particularly easy For someone like myself I struggle with feelings of self-worth And I wonder if I'm doing a good job I want to teach my children well I want to love them, to guide them And to cherish them, every moment But I wonder... I wonder... And then there's days like yesterday Like the day before And I know... So while I'm going to miss you, son I know you're going to do amazing things And have incredible experiences Both good and bad That will shape your eternity You've left the shelter of my care for a time But you've entered the sea of possibilities Launched into a limitless, boundless world Of even greater vistas And growth God speed, my son.

This is awesome.

Check this out: http://morgannews.com/article/cobabe-sworn-newest-morgan-city-councilman-after-lots-drawn I guess that sometimes it's better to be lucky than charismatic... :) I wanted to serve because I like serving and I feel that I have a lot to offer the City. I am grateful for the chance to share my experience with the City, and I think I can also be a helpful bridge between the City and the County. Anyway... Life certainly is interesting.

One of the reasons I like to read so much is that I am able to see the world through different eyes, to experience different kind of perspectives, and to have things happen in an accelerated, yet controlled environment. I like to give myself over to the heroes and let them take me where they will. There is comfort, of course, in knowing that I can put the book down at any moment, but the best books are those that can engage me to such a point that I don't want to put them down. I can feel emotionally invested in the character, rooting for the eventual (and almost always expected) victory of the good guys, and pulling for them while they overcome struggles. Honestly, it's not that difficult for me to do - I am an inherently empathetic and deeply feeling person, and I've found myself in tears at the loss of a fictional character I've only read about in a book. And I'm OK with that. One of the most used and useful tools that an author has is the existential crisis....

"And, can you imagine how great it is to be loved? Can you imagine how great it is to be loved fully? … And imagine if you knew that was a possibility, and then that was taken from you, and you knew that you would never be loved. Well that's hell - to be alone, and know what you've lost." - Stephen Colbert

Also, the LOOK... Dang.

i dreamed of you last night (this should come as no surprise as i dream of you most every night) it was so sweet and good you laid your head on my shoulder as we sat close and talked your hair as soft as silken threads warm and perfect under my cheek your words were even more warm and soft and felt like the brush of an angel's wing on my soul i whispered to you the deepest longing of my heart and you whispered to me your own and it felt like we two were no longer two but one i awoke with a sweet kind of sadness a smile in the dark that no one saw and a tear that no one wiped away and i wished i could go back to sleep and be near you again

Today's the day - James Sirius Potter went to Hogwarts today. Couple of observations: I've written before about Harry Potter and what a fun series it's been. I've read each of the books several times and still thoroughly enjoy them. I do that with books, by the way - read them several times... The thing I find appealing about the books is that they're, well, appealing. The characters are well-developed and engaging, the situations they find themselves in are entertaining - with just enough peril to keep it interesting, without being overly terrifying or troubling (because you know they're magic and will OF COURSE find their way out...), and the descriptions of the various scenes are warm, inviting, and well-written (even if they're intended to be cold, dank, and forbidding). Because that's part of the charm - you GO SOMEWHERE in these books. It's intended to be a fantasy, a world that is not real, but somehow still feels tied to the "rea...