What would Jesus do, especially, in the current political climate we find ourselves? Sadly, I’m constantly appalled at our country’s leadership. A daily exercise of outrageousness. What to do with that anger? Where to go? Stuck here in one of the reddest places in Florida where none of my representatives truly represent me or care to.
Most parents I know have decent values that they want to impart to their children. Basic values like love one another, trying your best in whatever you endeavor, speaking with respect even with those you might not agree with. How wise was Buddha with the three questions we should ask ourselves before speaking: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?
Okay, as an aside, I know that’s a fake Buddha quote with no clear idea where it’s from. Some say Rumi, some say Socrates. Beside the point, however. The questions are meaningful and make so much sense, especially, today.
How do parents explain the crudeness of our president? It pains me that these children see Trump as the President of the United States. The man they’re supposed to admire and aspire to. The ultimate bully, which schools and parents across America are on a constant crusade to counter. Even his wife alleges that her first priority is to stand up to bullying children.
And, yet, she’s married to the bully-in-chief! He’s so egomaniacal, he goes after climate activist 16 year old Greta Thunberg, chosen as Time’s Person of the Year. And, this is the person who has access to the nuclear codes.
Yes, he was impeached by the House. We already know he is not going to be convicted by the Senate. There will not even be a trial just a vote down party lines. There will be no witnesses called and the president’s chief apologist, Mitch McConnell, has already stated he is not an impartial juror. It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion. I seriously don’t think any of those Senate Republicans are asking What would Jesus do?
Or are they? I never would’ve given it another thought until a little noticed editorial was published this week in Christianity Today, the evangelical Christian periodical founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. The op-ed written by it’s editor in chief, Mark Galli, wrote the following:
‘Whether Mr. Trump should be removed from office by the Senate or by popular vote next election—that is a matter of prudential judgment That he should be removed, we believe, is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments. We believe the impeachment hearings have made it absolutely clear, in a way the Mueller investigations did not, that President Trump has abused his authority for personal gain and betrayed his constitutional oath. The impeachment hearing have illuminated the president’s moral deficiencies for all to see.
None of the president’s positives can balance the moral and political danger we face under a leader of such grossly immoral character. To the many evangelicals who continue to support Mr. Trump in spite of his blackened moral record, we might say this: Remember who you are and whom you serve. Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior. Consider what an unbelieving world will say if you continue to brush off Mr. Trump’s immoral words and behavior in the cause of political expediency.”
Naturally, the president dismissed the criticism, calling the publication a “far left magazine.” Hilariously funny, except that we’re dealing with a seriously unhinged individual.
But, I thank Mr. Galli, who’s leaving the magazine in two weeks, unfortunately. At least, he put it on the line. Why did it take this long to reach that conclusion? It's been pretty apparent as long as Trump's been around. He's certainly no Christian.
Do I think he’s going to change the minds of Trump’s base of white evangelists? Probably not too many, but he sure scared the you know what out of Trump.
It’s a glimmer of hope. I welcome that. It’s the season, right? WWJD? We all know the answer to that. Live in love. Live with hope. And keep your kids away from the TV news shows.
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Saturday, December 14, 2019
It's the Most Wonderful Time of Year
I know what you’re thinking. Christmas. The holidays. Winter Break. New Year’s Eve. But, actually, you’d be wrong. At least, for me. I love this time of year because, FINALLY, all the good movies surface to the light.
I’ve always been more a lover of indies, documentaries and foreign films and took for granted The Charles Theatre, that bastion of all the best movies one could ever hope to see, conveniently located in Baltimore. More than a few days I spent going from one fabulous film to another. Sometimes, seeing three movies in a day. In case you’re wondering, yes, I paid for every one.
But, this move to Florida put the kibosh on that! There is one independent film theatre in Sarasota but there only two movie rooms and absolutely no parking. Our theatre in Venice used to show a few indies before it went bankrupt, which resulted in a large percentage of broken chairs, and more than one report of fuzzy rodents scurrying around your feet.
Thankfully, it was bought by some big midwest chain which promised state of the art reclining seating. The promise was that it would be thoroughly renovated by now. That dream has been deferred for at least a year. No indies in sight.
BH is a more eclectic movie goer. He’s primary interested in what the critics write, although he’s not interested in Marvel Comic movies, horror, thrillers, and sequels. More a lover of old movies, he almost panicked when Comcast got rid of the Turner Classic Movie channel. Once free, now we pay.
Up until recently, we hadn’t seen many movies we could recommend. I loved “Booksmart,” but he wasn’t all that impressed. I think it’s more fun for the ladies, especially, those who were nerds in their former lives. “Harriet” was well worth seeing for the acting, the cinematography and its powerful message.
Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” was nothing if not hilarious with Leonardo DiCaprio, an aging TV western star, and Brad Pitt, his stunt double. I’m not a big fan of either one but they were both as good as it gets. Usually, I abhor the violence in Tarantino’s films but not only could I stomach this one, but I found myself a devotee.
Now, we come to the most wonderful time of the year! All the best movies bombarding us at once. I am waist deep in movie watching right now. Here are my faves so far in the order that I enjoyed them:
1). “Marriage Story.” Far and away the best writing, acting and directing I’ve seen in years. One of my top 5 for all time. They should win every award. If I had to whittle that down I would hands down give Best Actor to Adam Driver. Who knew? One amazing performance from a former Marine. Best Supporting Actress to Laura Dern who portrayed the witchiest divorce lawyer ever. And Noah Baumbach ….who writes better relationship stories than him?
2). “Ford vs. Ferrari.” I’m not a race car driver nor do I care about NASCAR or any car racing. But I absolutely love Christian Bale. To me, he is his generation’s best. However, Matt Damon is no slouch in F v F either. The movie is just over two and a half hours long and I was never bored for a minute. A first for me. Generally, two hours is my absolute limit.
3). “Knives Out.” Described as a murder mystery with kindness, it’s a laugh out loud experience that is all too rare these days. It’s just a fun who dun it. The only thing I couldn’t wrap my head around was Daniel Craig with an over the top southern accent.
4). “The Irishman.” Thank goodness for Netflix! Really, who can watch a three and a half hour long movie in the theatre? Not me! We watched it over two nights and it’s one helluva of a story and I do mean story, because it’s become increasingly clear we will never know the real Jimmy Hoffa story. Hats off to Scorsese….it’s epic! Out of the three leads, I thought Joe Pesci was the best and Al Pacino the weakest.
Well, that covers it for now. Hoping to see “Farewell” and “Parasite” on Netflix. As usual, we will be debating our Christmas Day movie for the next couple of weeks. My choice? “Little Women,” of course! I am enchanted with Greta Gerwig, its director and screenwriter. Plus, she and Noah Baumbach are quite the creative genius couple! What a year for them!
I’ve always been more a lover of indies, documentaries and foreign films and took for granted The Charles Theatre, that bastion of all the best movies one could ever hope to see, conveniently located in Baltimore. More than a few days I spent going from one fabulous film to another. Sometimes, seeing three movies in a day. In case you’re wondering, yes, I paid for every one.
But, this move to Florida put the kibosh on that! There is one independent film theatre in Sarasota but there only two movie rooms and absolutely no parking. Our theatre in Venice used to show a few indies before it went bankrupt, which resulted in a large percentage of broken chairs, and more than one report of fuzzy rodents scurrying around your feet.
Thankfully, it was bought by some big midwest chain which promised state of the art reclining seating. The promise was that it would be thoroughly renovated by now. That dream has been deferred for at least a year. No indies in sight.
BH is a more eclectic movie goer. He’s primary interested in what the critics write, although he’s not interested in Marvel Comic movies, horror, thrillers, and sequels. More a lover of old movies, he almost panicked when Comcast got rid of the Turner Classic Movie channel. Once free, now we pay.
Up until recently, we hadn’t seen many movies we could recommend. I loved “Booksmart,” but he wasn’t all that impressed. I think it’s more fun for the ladies, especially, those who were nerds in their former lives. “Harriet” was well worth seeing for the acting, the cinematography and its powerful message.
Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” was nothing if not hilarious with Leonardo DiCaprio, an aging TV western star, and Brad Pitt, his stunt double. I’m not a big fan of either one but they were both as good as it gets. Usually, I abhor the violence in Tarantino’s films but not only could I stomach this one, but I found myself a devotee.
Now, we come to the most wonderful time of the year! All the best movies bombarding us at once. I am waist deep in movie watching right now. Here are my faves so far in the order that I enjoyed them:
1). “Marriage Story.” Far and away the best writing, acting and directing I’ve seen in years. One of my top 5 for all time. They should win every award. If I had to whittle that down I would hands down give Best Actor to Adam Driver. Who knew? One amazing performance from a former Marine. Best Supporting Actress to Laura Dern who portrayed the witchiest divorce lawyer ever. And Noah Baumbach ….who writes better relationship stories than him?
2). “Ford vs. Ferrari.” I’m not a race car driver nor do I care about NASCAR or any car racing. But I absolutely love Christian Bale. To me, he is his generation’s best. However, Matt Damon is no slouch in F v F either. The movie is just over two and a half hours long and I was never bored for a minute. A first for me. Generally, two hours is my absolute limit.
3). “Knives Out.” Described as a murder mystery with kindness, it’s a laugh out loud experience that is all too rare these days. It’s just a fun who dun it. The only thing I couldn’t wrap my head around was Daniel Craig with an over the top southern accent.
4). “The Irishman.” Thank goodness for Netflix! Really, who can watch a three and a half hour long movie in the theatre? Not me! We watched it over two nights and it’s one helluva of a story and I do mean story, because it’s become increasingly clear we will never know the real Jimmy Hoffa story. Hats off to Scorsese….it’s epic! Out of the three leads, I thought Joe Pesci was the best and Al Pacino the weakest.
Well, that covers it for now. Hoping to see “Farewell” and “Parasite” on Netflix. As usual, we will be debating our Christmas Day movie for the next couple of weeks. My choice? “Little Women,” of course! I am enchanted with Greta Gerwig, its director and screenwriter. Plus, she and Noah Baumbach are quite the creative genius couple! What a year for them!
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Travel Tips?
Travel tips? I’ve got none. Basically, I’m not much of a traveler….one week and I’m done. Get me back home in my own bed. But, how could we miss that bridge cruise in the Caribbean on the Symphony of the Seas….basically, a luxury 18 story hotel with the best food I’ve had in decades.
I had the dreaded flu shot prior to embarking and sanitized my hands five times a day on the ship and yet on the fourth day, there it was. The Sore Throat. Noooo….even wine and pina coladas didn’t knock it out of me. Believe me, I tried but no luck.
As the sore throat subsided, the congestion, cough and sneezes ensued. As soon as we got home, I went to my go-to: DayQuil followed by NyQui. Gotta love that NyQuil. Sleep is imperative and NyQuil is quite the aid.
Then, there’s my mother’s cure for everything: Sun. “Go sit in the sun,” she’d say, “it cures whatever ails you.” Yes, I definitely believe in that but weeks later and sporting a good ole Florida tan, the cough lingers. It didn’t help that we flew to Maryland for Thanksgiving….now both of us are cold bearers chugging NyQuil. Apologies to both of our families.
The plane ride there was uneventful though I had to pay $3 for a very tiny bottled water on Spirit Airlines. Lesson learned. BYO water and snacks. The plane trip back was slightly more turbulent but we landed safely and I thanked God profusely.
Only problem was I couldn’t hear out of my left ear. Even after round-the-clock swallowing, my hearing is still impaired. Hopefully, it’s just a side effect from congestion and I’ll stop asking “What?” after anyone speaks to me.
Truly, I haven’t been sick in about 20 years. That time I caught the flu flying back from St. Maarten’s. That was the worst…couldn’t get out of bed for a week. Of course, it’s all relative. It wasn’t terminal and I returned to my normal energy with about a 10 pound weight loss.
Being a teacher can be hazardous to your health. We are exposed to germs constantly and I always prided myself on having a pretty great immune system, except on winter break. I cannot tell you how many years I was sick during the holidays.
I’m sure it was from trying to get everything ready for Christmas for my family, burning the candle at both ends, wrapping gifts until the wee hours of the morning, hoping the children wouldn’t catch us playing Santa, sipping Bailey’s and listening to the Pope’s midnight mass. There were many late nights leading up to it….going out to late night sales at Toys R Us and the bigger department stores. Going out in freezing cold temps cutting down our tree and desperately trying to keep it standing as the dogs and cats played with the ornaments.
Ahhh….the good ole days pre-Amazon. Who goes out to shop anymore? I am ashamed to admit I rarely do.
I loved those days with all the excitement of the children and the fun we had, but, now our children are doing that with their children. As for us? We order a wreath from LLBean, go out for Christmas Eve dinner and choose a movie to see on Christmas day. Last year, we chose a Will Ferrell movie which, after the fact, was panned as the worst movie of the year. Not the best decision. Not one review was written prior to its release. Note to self: do not select a movie that has not been reviewed!
So, as you can read, I’ve got no good travel tips. All I can say is I’m happy to be home for a few months. You’ll find me out on the lanai soaking up the sun, baking the tail end of this congestion out of me, hoping to restore my hearing!
I had the dreaded flu shot prior to embarking and sanitized my hands five times a day on the ship and yet on the fourth day, there it was. The Sore Throat. Noooo….even wine and pina coladas didn’t knock it out of me. Believe me, I tried but no luck.
As the sore throat subsided, the congestion, cough and sneezes ensued. As soon as we got home, I went to my go-to: DayQuil followed by NyQui. Gotta love that NyQuil. Sleep is imperative and NyQuil is quite the aid.
Then, there’s my mother’s cure for everything: Sun. “Go sit in the sun,” she’d say, “it cures whatever ails you.” Yes, I definitely believe in that but weeks later and sporting a good ole Florida tan, the cough lingers. It didn’t help that we flew to Maryland for Thanksgiving….now both of us are cold bearers chugging NyQuil. Apologies to both of our families.
The plane ride there was uneventful though I had to pay $3 for a very tiny bottled water on Spirit Airlines. Lesson learned. BYO water and snacks. The plane trip back was slightly more turbulent but we landed safely and I thanked God profusely.
Only problem was I couldn’t hear out of my left ear. Even after round-the-clock swallowing, my hearing is still impaired. Hopefully, it’s just a side effect from congestion and I’ll stop asking “What?” after anyone speaks to me.
Truly, I haven’t been sick in about 20 years. That time I caught the flu flying back from St. Maarten’s. That was the worst…couldn’t get out of bed for a week. Of course, it’s all relative. It wasn’t terminal and I returned to my normal energy with about a 10 pound weight loss.
Being a teacher can be hazardous to your health. We are exposed to germs constantly and I always prided myself on having a pretty great immune system, except on winter break. I cannot tell you how many years I was sick during the holidays.
I’m sure it was from trying to get everything ready for Christmas for my family, burning the candle at both ends, wrapping gifts until the wee hours of the morning, hoping the children wouldn’t catch us playing Santa, sipping Bailey’s and listening to the Pope’s midnight mass. There were many late nights leading up to it….going out to late night sales at Toys R Us and the bigger department stores. Going out in freezing cold temps cutting down our tree and desperately trying to keep it standing as the dogs and cats played with the ornaments.
Ahhh….the good ole days pre-Amazon. Who goes out to shop anymore? I am ashamed to admit I rarely do.
I loved those days with all the excitement of the children and the fun we had, but, now our children are doing that with their children. As for us? We order a wreath from LLBean, go out for Christmas Eve dinner and choose a movie to see on Christmas day. Last year, we chose a Will Ferrell movie which, after the fact, was panned as the worst movie of the year. Not the best decision. Not one review was written prior to its release. Note to self: do not select a movie that has not been reviewed!
So, as you can read, I’ve got no good travel tips. All I can say is I’m happy to be home for a few months. You’ll find me out on the lanai soaking up the sun, baking the tail end of this congestion out of me, hoping to restore my hearing!
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