Did Christians miss the boat?

In the days leading up to the opening of The Da Vinci Code, as rumours of bad reviews came out of the Cannes film festival, I began to wonder if we had been duped. What if the movie was not that good, would stir up little or no controversy (on its own merits), and the uproar of Christians had just guaranteed that the film would be a hit.
Did Christians and churches waste their time studying up on the book's claims, preparing to refute them? Was it just a lot of preaching to the choir? Or was it a useful exercise, motivating Christians to step outside our fortresses and mingle with our culture?
I can see both sides. I think there is value in learning our own history, shoring up confidence in what we believe. Also, our enemy is crafty beyond belief and is the ruler of this world. Perhaps he wanted us to be distracted and occupied with something of his choosing for a while.
Just a few thoughts. No answers. You will have to provide those.

Caring a great deal about something they hardly know

Yesterday, for my 4th semester Greek class we were supposed to recite the first seven lines of the Iliad from memory. It was on the schedule for weeks, everyone knew about it. There were only two people in the class that were remotely prepared two days prior. On the day of the blessed event, about 10 minutes before class, one of the aforementioned prepared students walked in. I gave her a hard time, told her we all hated her because she was ready and we were not. She smiled, laughed really, just did it silently. I said something else and then she walked over and handed me a note.

"I am observing the National day of Silence."

Oh, OK. I've heard of it. Sort of a vague memory, but couldn''t tell you anything about it. So I ask "For what organization?" She is quiet (of course she's quiet, she has a cause!), looks a little fuddled, then writes "PRIDE, I think". So she can't even tell me for whom she is doing this.

Well, class time comes and she shows the note to our professor. He's not impressed. After everyone else has recited, he calls upon our intrepid mime. She shakes her head "No". He tells her she must. She clenches her fists, and rapidly shakes her head "No". She looks like a toddler being told to eat her broccoli, but I'm sure she believed herself to look noble and courageous. And she doesn't know who she is doing it for! But she must care an awful lot, right?

I think Yeats applies:
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Finals aren't even here yet and I'm already toast.

I had to take a brain break. Every day I check one or two major shool projects off my list, but the list is long and I am starting to crack. One week from today finals officially start, even though I have one tonight.
I still have two software projets that are way behind and they are my main concern. The tests will take care of themselves - good or bad, they will be over soon. The software won't write itself (yet).
On top of that, my in-laws are coming, which alone would be a good thing, but in tandem with finals, it feels like competition for my time.
OK, that was a waste of your time, but I needed the break. Hopefully next time will be more worthwhile for you (whoever you are).

Country road, take me home

We decided to take a last minute, but much needed, three day holiday for Easter. We decided to head for the mountains of North Carolina. It was Monday night when we started looking for a place, assuming we would board our dog. When we found that some places allowed pets, we redirected our search in that direction. I found a bed & breakfast called the Dog House Inn that caters to dog owners, with free pet sitting and a small private dog park.
The Morrigan liked the link I emailed her, so she called on Tuesday - we were in Thursday night. I got out of class at 3:15, drove home like a madman, grabbed the wonder dog to get her to the vet for a two month overdue shot and a bath. The plan was to be on the road by 6:30, but it was 8:00 before we finally got underway.
For a couple of city dwelling devils, the road was a bit harrowing. When the pavement ended and the dirt road ran for half a mile beside a river, I was wishing we had driven the 4WD and/or arrived before dark. But we arrived with no mishaps, and the place is pretty nice, emphasis on pretty, but in a deliberately rustic sort of way. It was far too dark to see the view, but I could hear the river from our private terrace. Nice.
We slept with our balcony door open (the heat had been left on and the room was stifling, but the cool air balanced it perfectly) and the morning was beautiful.The sky was overcast (just the way I like it) and morning came slow, not in a blaze of glory but instead slowly brightening until you could see all the neighboring mountaintops. I can see one other house, three hills away, and on a smooth patch of ground in the distance two black dots move slowly. They are either horses or cows, but it is too far away to tell. As dawn broke, I thought there was a vineyard a couple of hills away, but more light revealed that it is a Christmas tree farm. The river is still flowing, as I can hear it below, but can't see it, only the gap in the trees that defines its path.
We may stay here all day, we may go for a hike (yea right!!). But we will soak up all of this that we can store, and take it back with us.

Why I've been reluctant to write anything here.

I really started this blog with a specific purpose in mind. My father died in June of 2005 and I waqs going to write about my feelings, sort of a therapy. So I created a blog and couldn't bring myself to write. Then I moved over to Livejournal and sat on my hands some more. Then I moved back here and decided I was going to keep this up. But every time I've logged on, I've been reminded of why I started this.
So here it is. I loved my dad and wish he hadn't died, but he was surrounded by a family that loves him. He was able to make the final decisions about his life, and we didn't have to wonder what he would have wanted, he told us what he wanted. So in that respect, we were lucky. He wasn't afraid to die and was a great example of courage to me. There are things I wish I'd said, things I wish we could have done together.
That's it. I don't want to say anymore here, I just felt that I needed to at least acknowledge him and the reason I am here.

I love you Dad.

Something old made new, in an old fashioned way.

By the time anyone reads this, if anyone actually does read this, it will probably be too late to see the Triad Stage production of Brother Wolf. But probably won't be too late to buy the CD of the music from Brother Wolf.
BW is an original musical production that mixes Beowulf with Appalachian music and folk tales, with a little Hell-fire and brimstone thrown in, just because. It deals with Pride, Vengeance, Forgiveness, long knives, pistols, demons, snake-handlers, snakes all played out to toe tappin' fiddle music soundtrack. I doubt that it will see a national tour anytime soon, and if it does, it probably won't take along composer/musician Laurelyn Dosset or musician Riley Baugus (they form two parts of the trio Polecat Creek). The music is the soul of the play, even though the actors are very good. But the script loses steam in the last act and the music, consistently good throughout, has to carry the show at the end. I don't know if the music was composed after the script or simultaneously, but it fits seemlessly into the plot, and at times seems crucial.
I recommend the CD if you like mountain music (not Bluegrass, mountain). You can hear snippets here and here.

Where'd you come from?

If you're here, you're probably lost. If not, welcome. This is a bit of a restart, hopefully more successful than its predecessor.
Leatherwing

Why does good TV fail?

I recently became a fan of a television show that had already gone off the air before I saw a single episode. The creator of the show had reassembled the cast and made a feature film. Before I saw the film, which I expected to like, I wanted some background in case there were inside jokes or bits that would make more sense if I knew the show. The movie is Serenity (if you hurry, you might still catch it in theaters) and the show is Firefly.

Both are the brainchildren of Joss Whedon, the writer who created Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. I was already a fan of those shows and expected to like Firefly, but BtVS and Angel both take place in the same universe. Firefly is a new creation, still full of Whedon's excellent writing, but in it he looks at the world(s) a little differently. I won't go into a review of the show, other than to say it's good, it's available on DVD , and you should try to watch an episode or two.

What I want to say is that Fox, which used to stand behind its innovative shows, treated it very poorly. The show was scheduled for Friday night, the episodes were shown out of order, disrupting continuity, it was preempted for baseball after two episodes, and the pilot was shown dead last. Very few shows would have produced decent ratings with this type of treatment, and Fox unceremoniously canceled it for low ratings.

If you look at some of the breakout hits, shows that everyone knows by name, you will find that many of them struggled in their first season (or longer). The X-Files, Everybody Loves Raymond, Cheers all took time for an audience to warm to them, and then ran for many years, becoming the backbone of their network. Does this mean that every poorly rated show would rise to that level given enough time? Of course not. Bu there are very few original ideas on television these days. We have three versions of CSI, uncountable Law & Order spin-offs, multiple Apprentices, OC-like dramas and I'm sure we'll soon have more Desperate Housewife clones than we can bear. Television always wants to copy someone else's original show, without letting its own original gel and rise to its potential.

Where am I going with this? I don't know. I guess it's just a rant. A really good idea has been snuffed out. I hear that Whedon was able to sign a three picture deal. I hope that Serenity has been successful enough to allow him to make the next two. He created a world that I liked to visit and would like to see more of. You should too.

You can rent it from Netflix.

Tough Chicks

I don't know about you, but I am getting tired of all the women in movies/TV beating up men. For me the straw that broke the camel's back is the Michelle Rodriguez character on Lost. I know that Sawyer is weakened from being shot, but when she punched him while they were in the pit, I felt like the writers were equating them, as if she could do that whether he was weak or not. I just don't buy it.
This summer in Texas, I went to a martial arts belt test for my niece and nephew. My brother (their dad) was all excited about these two female instructors and especially how one of them always kicked her sparring partner in the head. I watched them spar (He is about 6'2") and she got her foot up there, but I don't think it had much power (granted a kick in the head is a kick in the head). But being limber and able to place your hand or foot somewhere does not equate with being able to put it there with enough force to be effective.
I have to say that when done well, the movie/TV tough chick can be a good thing. But right now I feel like I've had too much of it, and not all of it is even done well.