Okay, the New York Mets completed the most spectacular end-of-season meltdown last night. How is that two weeks ago they were seven and half games in first place and after last night, they are down a game, with two games left, behind the Phillies? My little noodle of a brain doesn't compute that; to make matters worse... the Chicago Cubs clinched their division. Pretty soon pigs may fly, watch the skies.
There is still a chance that the Mets will be able to pull something off, but now it is imcombent on the Philies tripping up. If the Phillies lose and the Mets win tonight they will be tied up. Then, tomorrow, if the Mets win and the Phillies lose the Mets will win the division. I was reading an article on ESPN.com about the various scenerios that might emerge in the National League. Let's just say it sounded an awful lot like a football playoff schedule... if so and so wins, then they'll have to play such and such here, but if whoie-what-is wins, they'll play such and such at home... it was quite confusing, but also the excitement of a crazy playoff season did increase.
But the question remains: how did the Mets meltdown? That shouldn't of happened. They have been in first place, comfortably, for most of the season, something like 135 games... and yet, here at the end they are fighting for ever loving lives... I don't know, all I can say is:
LETS GO METS!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
In Which Your Faithful Narrator Talks About the Emergency Room at 0530
The Emergecy Room at 0530 is quiet. Its not like the frantic, kinectic place one got used to seeing on NBC's shock-drama ER. It is, to quote a Hemingway title "A Clean, Well-lit Place." Yesterday morning when we took my father to the ER because of chest pains it was very quiet, almost lonely.
The waiting room was empty save for a tv blaring the early morning news and a nurse sitting at the reception desk. They took my father quickly, chest pains equal immediate reaction. They took him, we followed, to room 9, I think. And suddenly four or five nurses just kind appeared, I haven't the foggiest where they came from. I looked for a stage-trap door in the floor, but I saw none. They start asking questions like: how are you feeling? on a scale from one to ten, how is your pain? How old are you? When were you born? What happened? You took how many nitro pills tonight? When? Did they make you feel better? If I had put a bassbeat to it, those questions might sounded like a fast rap. My father and we answered the questions the best we could, it was verbal tennis match.
As they ask the questions, they hook him up to monitors, and IV's. I've done this whole ER thing enough times to know when the numbers on his heart monitor are good. They looked good yesterday morning. And I know that the nice peak and valley of the heart monitor is a good thing. The more the steady and same it is the better it is. Once the uber-activity subsides we sit there. He in bed, my mom and I on chairs that were not designed for long term sitting. The minutes tick by and I wrap my arms around myself for warmth (the ER tends to be chilly) and the silence continues. About 0630, or 0700 it starts to get a bit louder: night shift leaves, morning shift/day shift starts to arrive. A new nurse comes in, this time his name is Greg. He checks my father's blood pressure and checks his heart monitor and all that, takes some readings, prints them out, attaches them to his chart and leaves.
When we got there last night there was or two other people in the ER. There was a woman in the room to the left. She was asleep in a darkened room. Eventually another patient came in. He was probably in early-20's. I was able to learn about him and the woman next door through simple act of inadvertent eavesdroopping. The woman to the left had a migraine, a real bad one, I could and can relate, I've had migraines since I was a kid and I had one so bad that it sent me to the doctor. I felt sorry for her. The guy to the right was something else. He may or may not have tried to commit suicide. He certainly had too much of something. I wasn't sure if it was drugs or alcohol or both. I did hear the word Xanax at one point. The conversations were one-sided in that I could only hear what the doctor and the nurses were asking. I couldn't hear that patient. I felt a bit guilty about listening, I'm pretty sure I was breaching the whole doctor/patient priviledge thing.
Eventually, my mom and I left. There's only so much we can do in the ER, sit and wait. My dad was comfortable and sleeping off and on. He was going to be admitted so we left to take care of somethings, i.e. feed cats and other mundane daily activities, I went and got a haircut, you stuff.
We got a call from dad that he had been moved up a room on third floor, the "progressive care unit." The rooms are very nice, nicer in fact than many hotel rooms I've been in: single occupancy room, big window looks outside (in this case to trees and a parking lot), flatscreen tv attached to the wall, subtle brown hues throughout the room and floor. In fact, it the color scheme does wonders to relax the patient, but also the family. Its not that cold, hard, institutional hospital color of blue and white. If I was into Feng Shui I'd say that the Feng Shui was acheived, but I'm not, so I really can't.
The tests they ran were nothing special. Its not like the tests are going to reveal anything new: bad heart. But to be on the safe side and maybe for shits and giggles, the doctors shoved a camera down my father's throat to check to see if his stomach was okay and that his chest pains were in fact chest pains and not some really bad indigestion. It wasn't indegestion. On happy note we won't have to get to know a stomach doctor on a personal basis-- my father has enough doctors: eye doctor, kidney doctor, heart doctor, general practiction doctor, foot doctor, diabetes doctor...
Right now, they want to do a catherization. They've been wanting to do that for a while, but my father won't let them and its driving the doctors nuts. He had one three or four years ago. That time he passed out in church (actually during Sunday School) was taken to the hospital and was found to have a heart rate of less than 20 beats a minute. That was scary for me. That was also when he got his defribulator in his chest.
The doctors did a cath and then came out, a bit white faced and apologized for doing it. It didn't go well and they almost lost him on the table, so they said, or maybe that's the way I remember it. Either way, it was a scary time. Last night, a nurse came with some forms and asked my father to sign them for the "procedure" and he asked what procedure that might be and she said "a catherization" he said "I'm not going to have that done" and sent her on her way. This morning they didn't give him breakfast because they thought he was going to have it, but he again reiterated the fact that he wasn't going to do it. So they gave him breakfast. It would be almost funny, if it wasn't so serious.
I saved this entry in the "draft" stage for a while. I went and visited my dad in the interim. He was sitting in a chair by the window reading a book in his hospital johnny. His heart monitor (wireless) was stuffed into the big pocket on front of his johnny, his hair was a bit mussed and he watned his razor so he could shave, but other than that he looked like he was feeling better.
I'm not sure when the man is going to come home. Hopefully this evening, but probably tomorrow. Who knows. So long as I don't have to go to the ER at 0530 for a long time, I'll be happy.
The waiting room was empty save for a tv blaring the early morning news and a nurse sitting at the reception desk. They took my father quickly, chest pains equal immediate reaction. They took him, we followed, to room 9, I think. And suddenly four or five nurses just kind appeared, I haven't the foggiest where they came from. I looked for a stage-trap door in the floor, but I saw none. They start asking questions like: how are you feeling? on a scale from one to ten, how is your pain? How old are you? When were you born? What happened? You took how many nitro pills tonight? When? Did they make you feel better? If I had put a bassbeat to it, those questions might sounded like a fast rap. My father and we answered the questions the best we could, it was verbal tennis match.
As they ask the questions, they hook him up to monitors, and IV's. I've done this whole ER thing enough times to know when the numbers on his heart monitor are good. They looked good yesterday morning. And I know that the nice peak and valley of the heart monitor is a good thing. The more the steady and same it is the better it is. Once the uber-activity subsides we sit there. He in bed, my mom and I on chairs that were not designed for long term sitting. The minutes tick by and I wrap my arms around myself for warmth (the ER tends to be chilly) and the silence continues. About 0630, or 0700 it starts to get a bit louder: night shift leaves, morning shift/day shift starts to arrive. A new nurse comes in, this time his name is Greg. He checks my father's blood pressure and checks his heart monitor and all that, takes some readings, prints them out, attaches them to his chart and leaves.
When we got there last night there was or two other people in the ER. There was a woman in the room to the left. She was asleep in a darkened room. Eventually another patient came in. He was probably in early-20's. I was able to learn about him and the woman next door through simple act of inadvertent eavesdroopping. The woman to the left had a migraine, a real bad one, I could and can relate, I've had migraines since I was a kid and I had one so bad that it sent me to the doctor. I felt sorry for her. The guy to the right was something else. He may or may not have tried to commit suicide. He certainly had too much of something. I wasn't sure if it was drugs or alcohol or both. I did hear the word Xanax at one point. The conversations were one-sided in that I could only hear what the doctor and the nurses were asking. I couldn't hear that patient. I felt a bit guilty about listening, I'm pretty sure I was breaching the whole doctor/patient priviledge thing.
Eventually, my mom and I left. There's only so much we can do in the ER, sit and wait. My dad was comfortable and sleeping off and on. He was going to be admitted so we left to take care of somethings, i.e. feed cats and other mundane daily activities, I went and got a haircut, you stuff.
We got a call from dad that he had been moved up a room on third floor, the "progressive care unit." The rooms are very nice, nicer in fact than many hotel rooms I've been in: single occupancy room, big window looks outside (in this case to trees and a parking lot), flatscreen tv attached to the wall, subtle brown hues throughout the room and floor. In fact, it the color scheme does wonders to relax the patient, but also the family. Its not that cold, hard, institutional hospital color of blue and white. If I was into Feng Shui I'd say that the Feng Shui was acheived, but I'm not, so I really can't.
The tests they ran were nothing special. Its not like the tests are going to reveal anything new: bad heart. But to be on the safe side and maybe for shits and giggles, the doctors shoved a camera down my father's throat to check to see if his stomach was okay and that his chest pains were in fact chest pains and not some really bad indigestion. It wasn't indegestion. On happy note we won't have to get to know a stomach doctor on a personal basis-- my father has enough doctors: eye doctor, kidney doctor, heart doctor, general practiction doctor, foot doctor, diabetes doctor...
Right now, they want to do a catherization. They've been wanting to do that for a while, but my father won't let them and its driving the doctors nuts. He had one three or four years ago. That time he passed out in church (actually during Sunday School) was taken to the hospital and was found to have a heart rate of less than 20 beats a minute. That was scary for me. That was also when he got his defribulator in his chest.
The doctors did a cath and then came out, a bit white faced and apologized for doing it. It didn't go well and they almost lost him on the table, so they said, or maybe that's the way I remember it. Either way, it was a scary time. Last night, a nurse came with some forms and asked my father to sign them for the "procedure" and he asked what procedure that might be and she said "a catherization" he said "I'm not going to have that done" and sent her on her way. This morning they didn't give him breakfast because they thought he was going to have it, but he again reiterated the fact that he wasn't going to do it. So they gave him breakfast. It would be almost funny, if it wasn't so serious.
I saved this entry in the "draft" stage for a while. I went and visited my dad in the interim. He was sitting in a chair by the window reading a book in his hospital johnny. His heart monitor (wireless) was stuffed into the big pocket on front of his johnny, his hair was a bit mussed and he watned his razor so he could shave, but other than that he looked like he was feeling better.
I'm not sure when the man is going to come home. Hopefully this evening, but probably tomorrow. Who knows. So long as I don't have to go to the ER at 0530 for a long time, I'll be happy.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
In Which Your Faithful Narrator Gives a Prayer of Thanksgiving
I took my father to the emergency room this morning. He was complaining of chest pains and general discomfort. Those two things are not played with lightly in our household. I took him this morning about 5:30. He was admitted to the hospital, but he is doing well and the tests they took have come back okay.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
In Which Your Faithful Narrator Feels "Chuff" Because a Term He Coined is Being Used Elsewhere
I would just like give a shout out to my newest Loofrin-cyberfriend David Yow. It seems that he's "snagged" the term "loofrin" and made it his own with "Looferin," so okay, I ain't mad. Makes me happy to see my basic disgruntled world view is making inroads to the cyber-consciousness. So, a throaty HUZZAH!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
In Which Your Faithful Narrator Becomes a Lutheran Carnival Barker, aka Luther's Punkin Hat Carnival
Before commencing withLutheran Carnival 59 I feel it important to give a shout out to Concordia Wisconsin's football team. Congratulations on the drubbing you gave to Eureka College yesterday on the gridiron... 70-0... I'd've loved to see that game. I certainly hope you treated the defeated to beer and brauts afterwards. Lord knows, they probably could of used the cheering up. But either way here's a Disgruntled World Citizen HAZZAH! in your honor.
Speaking of the Con-Yous, and being a graduate of Con-You Austin (hence forth to be known as Con-You Texas and also being a "Behnken Boy" (I lived in Behnken Hall) I thought it might be fun to highlight
John Behnken, former president of the LCMS.Born: 19 March 1884, Cypress, Texas
Died: 23 February 1968, Hollywood, Florida
After graduating from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, John Behnken was ordained by Rev. Gotthilf Birkmann at Trinity Lutheran Church in Fedor, Texas, on 12 August 1906. He was awarded an honory Doctor of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, in 1934, and in 1953 he received an LL.D. from Valparaiso University.
He first served as a missionary-at-large in Houston. Two years later, he accepted a call to Trinity Lutheran Church in Houston.
In 1909, he married Gertrude Geisler (1890-1910). He married Hilda Grassmuck (1890-1954) in 1914.
Behnken served the Texas District first as the chair of the Church Extension Board, then as second vice-president (1920-1926), and finally as president (1926-1929). He served the Synod as second vice-president (1929-1932), as first vice-president (1929-1932), and as president (1935-1962). At the end of his presidency, he was named honorary president.
Behnken is the author of God Is Our Refuge and Strength (1942), Know Your Synod's Work (1961), Mercies Manifold: Radio Messages Broadcast During the Summer of 1949 (1950), Noonday Sermons (1925), and This I Recall (1964).
He was the President of the LCMS when my father was ordained in 1962. And, I lived in the dorm named after him on Concordia Austin's campus. So, I just wanted to give the "Original Behnken Boy" his proper due. (source)
Oh, before I forget: Luther's Punkin Hat!
was taken on October 31, 1999 on Concordia St. Louis', aka The Big House, Campus. It seems that some of students from the Catholic school nearby decided to dress up ol Marty Luther. I thought it was a hoot, but when the Dean o' Students, aka Fourth Use of The Law found out, he was none-to-pleased (party pooper). Sorry I wasn't able to get a better picture. I scanned the picture I took. If you want a better look at it, go here. 
Its been awhile since I did was a Carnival host. So, I may be a bit rusty, but lets give it a shot and see what happens. Our first submission for your purusal comes from ye olde blog of
House, M.Div (cool title for the blog btw). This entry discusses Lawsuit against God. He, House, has a nice little rebuttal for Mr. Chambers at the end. I've heard of Chambers before; he played an important role in this documentary I saw a few months back. Then there's this submission in which House discusses praying for Muslims during their holy days.
James Wilson, co-author of the House, M.Div blog, sent along two of his posts as well. The first takes on the New York Times book review (which is always fun to do) and the review for the recently published book How to Read the Bible. Mssr. Wilson does a fine job of deconstructing and arguing against the New York Times, HUZZAH! James Wilson's second submission discusses an interesting side note to the debate over illegal aliens, but also puts a little smack down on the role of the church.
From the Rebellious Pastor's Wife sent this post; being a PK, I can relate to it quite well. I think her tagline sums it up nicely: "Some basic, hurtful assumptions that are directed at pastors...how they hurt, and how we really should treat our pastors," if only your parishoners did see how hard you guys worked every week... but that's neither here nor there...
Next we have everyone's favorite cyber anteater, Aardvark. He was kind enough to send along two posts, which, of course taught me something... darnit! The first one discuses Holy Cross Day and the second discusses St. Matthew, but also shows the etymology of the word Gospel. An aside, how does the 'Vark has so much time to devote to blogging? There must be more than one of him, either that, or he is the most caffinated Lutheran ever... anyway, moving on...
Rev. Snyder comes at us with two posts this week. The first could probably dovetail from House M.Div's post regarding Ernie Chambers' suite against God. But Rev. Snyder discusses in detail the ins and outs of Christians and lawsuits, not from a lawyler point of view, but from the position of a faithful Lutheran pastor. Thought provoking as per usual. Then Rev. Snyder hits us with a post based on 1 Thes. 5:16-18 and discusses the "pray without ceasing..." what does that look like? How does it feel? Answers here.
From the Lutheran Library we get this post; in which Noah's Ark is discussed. After reading this review, I may have to give this book a looksee for myself.
Dan the Man from Necessary Roughness sent this post about a television show I've never seen: Survivor and its "token" Christian. It will be interesting to see how well she does on the show.
I add this to the mix: review of the book American Band, a book that I'm pretty excited about right now.
And last but not least: This post from livingsermons, over at wordpress.com: "Chaplain Boarts shares a story about four valiant chaplains in World War II and how their sacrifice is remembered today by young Airmen, Soldiers and Sailors." This one has video to go with it.
Well, I guess that's it. Thanks for stopping by. Peace and blessings to all.
DWC
Saturday, September 22, 2007
In Which Your Faithful Narrator Writes Disparaging Remarks About Baby Lawyers
Sometimes the Baby Lawyers drive me to drink. Really. They can be so needy and are so entitled, I find myself wanting to line them up against the wall and walk down said line smacking each one of them. Oh, they aren't all bad, but you know the phrase about bad apples ruining the batch, right? I just had to go up the stairs and tell one Baby Lawyer to either stop talking on his cellphone in the stairwell or take said conversation outside. He waved his hand at me like I was a gnat. Good thing I'm a righteous fellow, luckily he did stop talking so he's not echoing throughout the library. Yesterday I was in the restroom. There was roll of toilet paper on the floor. While I was in there, three or four other guys either came in or left (not all washed their hands, by the by) not a one of them leaned over and picked up the paper. I did when I left, but come on folks, is it that hard to lean over and pick something up?
Oh, then there's the *scorn in voice* Law Review Baby Lawyers. I think they think they walk on water, piss rosewater, and their sweat don't stink. In other words their entitlement quotient goes through the roof. Can't take food into the library... oh, I'm law review... can't take a bottle of Coke into the library... oh, I'm Law Review... so what? But I have to let them go because their law review... gah! Drives me batty.
I'm sitting at the circ desk tonight. I'm closing the library down tonight. Yeah, so exciting. So, I'm I just chilling and surfing the internet and clicking on "the next blog" link atop the screen. That can be dangerous, one never knows when one will land upon a risque blog, most have been in a foreign language so I can't read them any way.
IU lost to Illinois today. Ball State almost beat Nebraska (lost by one point, that would of been an upset) and West Virginia manhandled East Carolina. And the Baby Lawyers are really starting to bug the hell outta me.
Oh, then there's the *scorn in voice* Law Review Baby Lawyers. I think they think they walk on water, piss rosewater, and their sweat don't stink. In other words their entitlement quotient goes through the roof. Can't take food into the library... oh, I'm law review... can't take a bottle of Coke into the library... oh, I'm Law Review... so what? But I have to let them go because their law review... gah! Drives me batty.
I'm sitting at the circ desk tonight. I'm closing the library down tonight. Yeah, so exciting. So, I'm I just chilling and surfing the internet and clicking on "the next blog" link atop the screen. That can be dangerous, one never knows when one will land upon a risque blog, most have been in a foreign language so I can't read them any way.
IU lost to Illinois today. Ball State almost beat Nebraska (lost by one point, that would of been an upset) and West Virginia manhandled East Carolina. And the Baby Lawyers are really starting to bug the hell outta me.
In Which Your Faithful Narrator Describes Lunch With an Author and Reviews Her Book, Again
I had the opportunity to have lunch with Kristen Laine, the author of the bookAmerican Band: Music, Dreams and Coming of Age in the Heartland this afternoon. I had emailed her a couple weeks ago after reading her book and told her how much I had enjoyed it. She emailed me back thanking me and from there we kind of had this ongoing email exchange.
She told me that she was going to be in the area and BN was going to be helping with a book signing, so last week I was able to meet her at the signing and visit for a few hours as we sold her books. It was good fun, cold, but good fun. We decided that we would meet up again today seeing how she was going to be at the Greenwood Band Invitational in good old Greenwood, Indiana. So we set up a time to meet at the local Panera Bread and we chatted about the book and writing in general and she grilled (okay, maybe not grilled, but talked to me) about my interest in editing. I even gave her may resume. She said she would get me in contact with her agent and her editor and I could talk to them about what they do and such. I guess we'll see what happens with that.
I've written about the book American Band before. I did a quick Google search on the title and discovered a few interesting reviews about the book, all positive. My favorite one came from popmatters, though I'm not sure I like the fact that they wrote that "...American Band is Friday Night Lights for the geek set..." that's a bit disparaging and kind of backhanded insult. Though, I do agree with them that it does have the feeling of a Friday Night Lights, or another great Hoosier classic Rudy. In short, it is a feel good book, but it does take you on a journey and at times it is not necessarily a journey you might want to go on. I found myself rooting for these kids and could easily identify with them even though I was never in the band. And you know, there was never a once-in-band-camp moment which was nice. Its good see American teens portrayed in a positive light, dealing with real problems and not running away from them, and stepping up to take on challenges.
Is it just band kids and their families? No. As I can testify. As I said, I was never a bandkid, but I found myself identifying with the kids Laine wrote about. Granted, bandkids and their families might identify more strongly with aspects of the book than I did, but the feelings and emotions and even the challenges these kids face, particularly Grant, are universal. It really is worth a trip to your local bookstore to pick this book up.
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