Today is our daughter’s 21st birthday. Wow! Where did the last twenty-one years go? She came into our lives twenty-one years ago and at least in my case completely revised all of my assumptions about girls and women. She has gone from being cute to beautiful. She has her mother’s charm and beauty and my candor. She likes Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, Bob Dylan and the Beatles. She’s owns a VW Beetle now. Those are all things I did at one time or another. Just last week I told her the only thing left is to join the Navy. I don’t think she’lll be doing that anytime soon. She leaves our home again soon, this time for a year long student teaching assignment. She taught me and later her mother how to send text messages and now that’s one of the ways our family stays together. My daughter has given me insights into the feminine mystique and in ways a father can understand. She’s been God’s gift to us and we are more than grateful. Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday to you!
Sunday Games at Hornell Gus Macker 3 on 3 tournament
[blip.tv ?posts_id=1133660&dest=33730]
Video of Jeff Haskell, Jason Luther, Devin Watkins and Bob Gibbs competing. They eventually finished 3rd in the Top Mens Division
Gus Macker Tournament
[blip.tv ?posts_id=1125607&dest=33730]
This weekend our family spent much of the weekend in Hornell, New York at the annual Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament. Our son Devin has competed in many of these events over the past ten to twelve years. This weekend Devin’s team finished third in the Top Mens Division. His teammates included Jeff Haskell, Jason Luther and Bob Gibbs. This video taken from the second game on Saturday features Devin and his teammates along with our neighbor Ben Kopp who was on the opposing team. In fact this game featured neighbors and relatives playing against each other. This weekend was a lot of fun watching lots of talented players compete.
I took the video with my Canon ZR200 camera and edited it on Ubuntu 7.10 using Kino. Kino works well with Blip.tv.
Thirty five years
Yesterday was the thirty-fifth anniversary of my father’s death. It’s a day that will always live in my memory. I was serving on active duty in the United States Navy and stationed at the Naval Air Station in Albany, GA. I was working the afternoon shift in the newborn nursery when I was summoned to the executive officer’s suite. He greeted me and told me that he was sorry to have to tell me that my Dad had passed away earlier that day. I cannot remember the XO’s name, but I will always remember his face and the look of genuine concern. Though I had only been stationed in Albany about four months at that point my shipmates took the best of care of me.
Bill Kirkland, one of the dental technicians magnanimously offered the use of his Datsun 240Z for me to make the trip home. I’ve often thought of what a special gesture that was. I’ve completely lost track of all my shipmates in the last thirty years, but I’d like to say thank you to Bill because his gesture stood out from the rest. I don’t even know if he’s still alive, but you really bumped me up that day with that offer.
Thank God
Thank God we got a goat herder from Kenya to move to America. Yesterday, as I watched Barack Obama’s speech in Berlin, I was reminded of an earlier time and an earlier American leader. Though not officially our president, Mr. Obama did more to resurrect good will with his speech in Berlin than anything I’ve seen in recent memory. Mr. Obama is a truly gifted orator and I hope that he will be our next president.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAhb06Z8N1c]
Relief from weasels
We are in another election year. It’s a cycle that lasts longer than “road construction” it seems. Each year the hookah gets deeper and deeper. Politicians have always been full of it, but with 24×7 spin doctors on all the cable outlets it’s become near impossible to get a story without an interpretation. What passes for journalism is often spin. Then too we’re surrounded by a culture where the truth is often obfuscated by fancy words. Don’t you yearn for straight talk. Take a look at Weaselwords for some relief and maybe a laugh.
Frappucino’s rock!
Today I found myself in a Starbucks and I decided to follow the suggestion of my nephew’s Navy chaplain. I ordered a double chocolate chip frappucino. The chaplain’s metaphor of God’s love and double chocolate frappucino’s is right on the money. I have to take my wife and daughter one of these soon. On the way home from the mall I stopped at Abbey of the Genesee. I arrived just in time to be a part of Compline. I also stopped in the bread store for a loaf of multi-grain bread and a Monks Chocolate Brownie. I think Monks Bread is another way to know that God loves you.
Pickens Plan
My brother Marc sent me this link to T. Boone Pickens’ plan to reduce our dependence of foreign energy sources. It seems like a good alternative. There can be no doubt that our continued dependence on oil is the bogeyman that will destroy our country. Anyone who advocates keeping the oil standard is either an oil investor or delusional.
Leadership
A real leader is always at the scene of the battle. Contrast Barack Obama’s tour of Afghanistan, Kuwait and Iraq with the leadership style of our current president. Senator McCain’s camp actually leaked the details of the trip, but Obama, a real leader went anyway and visited U.S. troops. That’s a paradigm change from our current leader who always arrives in Iraq under the cover of darkness and cloaked in secrecy.
Take a look at this video.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bimTBZPYvWM]
Chapel Picture
This is a picture I took with my Motorola RazR when I was in the St. Bonaventure University Chapel last night for the Feast of St. Bonaventure. Although a picture can’t really capture my own emotions, it can convey a sense of what we experienced last night. I was lovely and a moment that I’ll cherish. I felt so blessed to be in the company of so many other Franciscans.
As we closed the Mass last night all voices were raised singing.
All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!Oh Praise Him! Oh Praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!