A Fireplace

There are few things in this world that are as manly as a fireplace. A fireplace really allows a man to show the world what he's made of and is, in essence, a microcosm of his manliness. There are several angles to this theory, so I'll explore a few.

The basis of my fireplace hypothesis revolves around the fact that a fireplace, like a man, has many different facets (that are involved in it's use). The first: firewood. Firewood involves a number of manly exercises that allow a man to illustrate his muscular prowess. First, he must fell a tree. Now, to fell a tree you can use a variety of ways, but I personally prefer the chainsaw. Once felled the tree must be cut to length, then split using any variety of splitting implements. My brother-in-law and I can attest to the value of a heavy maul, a double-bladed ax, and a wedge with sledge hammer. This is certainly my favorite step in the firewood-getting process, and probably the step that brings us closest to our Braveheart/ninja/caveman (ding ding ding) roots.

The next facet in the fireplace theorum is the fire itself. Nothing says "Manly" like a roaring fire. 'Nuff said.

Lastly, nothing is more manly than a stately fireplace surrounded by brick or stone. What better backdrop in front of which to read philosophy, watch football, sleep, or do any other variety of things. I truly believe that every man worth his salt will have, at some point in his life, a fireplace.

Oh, and I have two.

No Good Topic

I know that I need to be posting, to continue feeding my adoring public with almost-good-enough-to-syndicate literary goodness. But today I feel uninspired. Textually deflated, if you will. There are a plethora of blog topics I could choose from, actually. Anything from my new buzz cut, to global warming's gift today of an unexpected snow storm, to my daughter's unwillingness to finish her potato soup. (She did finish it, BTW, and promptly devoured her ice cream with strawberries.) But, sadly, none of these are stimulated my creative side. The real problem probably lies in the fact that Louisville and Tennessee are currently playing the second half of their Sweet 16 game and I'd rather veg and watch basketball than actively type. So I'll leave this post unfulfilling and dull and pick up with more spark tomorrow. If you've got a topic you'd like to see this author pick apart, just drop me a comment. Otherwise, I'll probably be talking about my lack of weekend plans tomorrow. See you on the flip side.

Stubborn People

I work in customer service, so I've spoken with my fair share of irrational, stubborn people. I'm not talking about your average Joe Stubborn that will argue why he's right about basketball being superior to soccer, I'm one of those people and can admit it. No, I'm talking about the person who will call in needing help figuring out how to fix a problem they have, then turn around and tell you that your solution can't possibly be right. As if they know better than the professional they're calling what is the right way and what is the wrong way to adjust their desk drawer. It can get really annoying when, after offering countless solutions and explaining the issue from a variety of angles, the customer refuses to work with you. In an attempt to illuminate them to their own ridiculousness we say "Well, sir, what do you think is the problem?" Inevitably the response will be: "Well, you're the professional, you tell me!" That's about the point where I go from a glossy coat of stupid-dodging to a semi-transparent "you called me, so listen or go away" edge. Thank goodness for opportunities to grow in patience.

Leave it in 1993

I would first like to express what an honor it is to serve as a guest columnist here at TMC. I hope to serve the blog well. Now, let’s get down to it…

I don’t know why, but for some reason it bugs the $!%# out of me every time I see a fella walking around with an extra 6-18 inches of his braided belt hanging from his waistline. There was a time, namely 1990-1993, when it was extremely popular to buy and wear your braided belt too long. Do you know whom I blame for this? Marky Mark. I also blame M squared for hooded flannel shirts and fellas letting their underpants hang out the back of their jeans, but that will have to wait for another post.

Sure, there are times when a braided belt can accessorize an outfit nicely, but I would go so far as to say that a braided belt should never be worn unless accompanied by other fine accessories, like silk ties and cufflinks.

I will close with this tip for those who continue to allow their belts hang outside of the loops. They are the same two options that doctors give to those considering a “gender reassignment”: Tuck it in or cut it off.

Jesus Christ is Risen Today...

Yes, He is risen today. Easter is definitely a beautiful holiday, and I love all the celebration and the beauty of the Triduum. But this post is not about the day itself, but about the music. Specifically, Jesus Chris is Risen Today. That has always been one of my favorite Easter songs, one that I looked forward to hearing and singing. While growing up it was always played on the organ, and that's still my preference. During my time at Steubenville I experienced the song played on guitar, but in a beautiful, reverent way that I still appreciate. This morning, however, my experience of the song was shredded into a digital, tinny mess. Rather than utilizing the beautiful pipe organ and experienced organist at our parish, the choir directer opted to use a pre-recorded keyboard version, complete with digital drums and trumpets. But, like every clavinova preset reminiscent of a Time-Life leftover special, this one sounded contrived and rushed. It was definitely not the experience I looked forward to and certainly was not a musical illustration of the grandeur befitting the risen Christ. I feel let down.

In other news, I start my new hours tomorrow. The good side of the story is that I'm carpooling with three other guys, thereby saving myself roughly $150 per month. Now that's good energy stewardship.

Employment, Holy Week thoughts

Not too long ago the company I work for announced that they lost money last year. A lot of money. To the tune of $15-18million. Now we're a $450million+ company, but that's still a lot of money. So, the decision was made to make some personnel cuts and restructure the business. We've all been waiting with baited breath to see who was going and who was staying. Yesterday the bomb was dropped. Six of the remaining eighteen phone representatives were cut and sent to production or given buyouts. I lost my position as Product Trainer and as of next Wednesday will find myself on the phones again. It's a blow to my pride, but fortunately I'll keep my pay. There will be minor life changes as I adjust to a slight schedule change, but at least I have a job to tide me over until I can find something better. I know that God always opens doors and provides for us, as long as we do our best to do His will.

On to better thoughts.

Holy Week has always been a special time for me. I've been Catholic all my life, and for our family Holy Week was a time for reflection and prayer and really focusing on Christ's journey; from triumphant entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to His willing passion and death on the cross. During college some of my household's traditions focused heavily on the Triduum, so today begins a special time for me.
As I mentioned, I've been Catholic my whole life. My parents always made a point of drawing us into discussion about the faith, sharing with us Christ's teachings and allowing us to reflect on the meanings behind them. Of course, as we get older we all understand things a bit more clearly, but one thing that was always very clear in my mind was the understanding that on Holy Thursday, the Jewish Passover, Christ gave Himself up for death as the unblemished Lamb. Of course, Christianity would not be complete with His death alone, for his Resurrection on Easter seals the triumph from the cross. But Passover and his Last Supper have always been a very personal time for me, as it was at the Last Supper that Christ gave us the Eucharist, His body and blood, for all time. Not only do we have Christ present to us in this sacrament of love, but we share in His ongoing sacrifice whenever we partake in His paschal sacrifice. It's pretty amazing to see the intimate connection that Jesus makes with the tradition of sacrifice when he fulfills the old law and begins the new on Holy Thursday. I only wish that we could reconcile our differences with separated brethren and all be united in communion under the Body and Blood of Our Lord.

Fave Idol

David Cook is quickly becoming my favorite idol contestant. His rendition of Day Tripper just now really rocked the house. Diggin' the voicebox, regardless of what Simon said. Waiting to see what Chikeze pulls out tonight.

In like a Lion, out like a???

Here we are in the middle of March, and after a week or more of snow-less, warming weather I'm sitting at the computer and there is snow falling outside. And these are not flakes, they're snowballs. Anyhow, I'm curious to see how March marches out. Will we see warm weather or will global warming strike again in the form of a blizzard? One can never tell in NW Ohio.
We're supposed to hear on Thursday who's getting cut at work. Everyone feels like it could be them and the rumor mill has been churning out gossip overtime. I gave up worrying about who's going and who's staying some time ago. I don't think that worry would do me any good so I'm trying to focus on going forward and facing whatever challenges that getting cut or being left behind to pick up the pieces may bring. This attitude is definitely not the norm for me as I'm the type that likes to be in control. I don't like thinking that I may possibly be out of work in a week or two, unable to provide for my family. I am a strict schedularian; I hate being late and am prone to check my watch religiously. I'm sure I drive my coworkers nuts and my wife probably wishes I would chill more often than not, but it's in my genes to be in control of things as much as I possibly can. However, God has really put on my heart lately the realization that I'm too focused on being in control. He doesn't want me to be in control of my life, He wants me to let Him be in control. Hard concept to accept for a 25 year old who sweats over time and finances like my life depends on it. My mom, wise woman that she is, often tells me that I just need to chill. I certainly know that's true and that in order to follow Christ better I need to let things go and trust in Him. Still working on that.

March Madness

Glad to see that Notre Dame got a decent seed in this year's tournament. Now if they can only play up to their potential and beat a couple of teams, they should be able to square up with UNC. We'll see what happens. I'm afraid that if Mike Brey doesn't coach this team to the Sweet 16, his job could be in jeopardy. I don't think a coach can go too long (2 years undefeated at home or not) without winning some tournament games and not start sweating his position just a little.
We had a youth group retreat today and that went well. The Passion of the Christ was the feature of the day, with discussion on redemptive suffering to complete the day. I really appreciate getting the chance to work with these kids, it's challenging and rewarding at the same time.
Catch you on the flip side.

Brotherhood

I'm blessed to have an amazing wife. Yes, she's the most wonderful woman that I've ever met. Now, before you write off this post as a big, slobbery, e-kiss to my wife, I will give you a few reasons why she's the best. #1, she always puts our kids first. A good mama puts her kids first, but my wife does it really well. #2, she puts up with me. This is actually the reason I give her the most credit for, as I consider myself a mere few rungs up from our primate cousins. #3, she's a woman of deep faith. Not only does she know and defend her beliefs, she lives them. I find this extremely attractive. And #4, she's hot...'nuff said.
I love my kids. They are the best kids I could ever have dreamed of. My daughter just turned two and with her birthday came an unquenchable desire to say "tank you!" Melts me. Also blots out her unquenchable desire to get into everything liquid and spill it (drinks, lotion, oil, etc.) But for a two year old, she's a wonderfully respectful and generally obedient girl. Quinn is going to be a stud, no doubt about it. He's mellow, but charming. Footballs, soccer balls, basketballs of all sizes interest him, along with everything electronic. That's my boy.
Now how do the previous paragraphs have anything to do with brotherhood, the title of this entry? Well, here it is: as much as I rely on my wife and kids for my very emotional survival, sometimes I need someone who can relate to me at my level. Men and women operate on different levels; or, to put it more accurately, at different wavelengths. Not on a 1-to-10 scale, but more of an AM vs. FM relationship. I promise I'm going somewhere with these thoughts, if you've made it this far I promise I won't let you down; the point is straight ahead: Sometimes a guy needs to have his guy time. Simple as that. There is nothing like a game of pool, having a drink, and talking about anything from the serious to the not-so-serious. Guys have a very relaxed way of interacting. There is no hidden agenda, fear of emotional mis-reads, or unreasonable grudge-holding. We certainly don't think too much about whether "Joe invited Steve over more than he invited me, he must really prefer to spend time with Steve." No, no, no. We're just a lot more chill than our counterparts. As stated before, my very life is completely dependent on my wife and kids, I would be a wreck without them. God's beautiful plan is so much clearer when I witness His love revealed in my family. Sometimes, though, there's no substitute for friends that are solid, God-fearing men. Whether it be camping trips, poker nights, pool games, political/social debates, or whatever, hanging with the guys is really necessary for every man. I also believe that spending time with your buddies brings men closer to their families. Not just because after a rain-soaked weekend camping with the boys I'm glad to be back with wife and kids under my own roof (although that's true), but because in our interaction, conversation, etc we remind each other of how much our wives and families mean to us. Solid friends can only serve to build each other up, and I'm blessed to be able to say I've got some very solid friends.

American Idol, et al.

I'm glad that David Hernandez got voted out last night. Maybe we would have like him better if we never heard about his past employment, but it's probably for the best that he's gone. Syesha has been my favorite gal since the beginning of voting, so I was worried when she had an off week. I'm sure she's going to turn it around.

In other news, tickets for the Blue-Gold game at Notre Dame go on sale March 17th for $12 bucks each, so I'm seriously considering getting a vanload of friends to go see the game. It's a great opportunity to size up new and/or improved talent, which this year is going to be basically the whole team. I've been thinking about the whole "Irish are overrated" argument the haters out there spout year in and year out. Well, I understand. Jealousy can get ugly, it really can. Those poor souls that cling to the idea that their team (could be Alabama, maybe Cal, perhaps Miami, the list goes on and on) could ever rise to the levels of popularity and staying power that Notre Dame has. The golden domers have a following like none other, and it spreads beyond the boundaries of the midwest. These fellas are loved from sea to shining sea. But, they're loved by conscientious and God-fearing men and women. (haha! I love stirring the pot) The haters love to quote the fact that we have off years and down years (2007 was painful in every way for us believers) but let's not forget that ND is an establishment of academic excellence, where school is #1 and football is #1.1. Exhibit A: Since 1962, Notre Dame has graduated 98.74% of its football players in four years. As of 2006, only 13 football players in this time have left Notre Dame without finishing their degree requirements. The bottom line is: Mary's Boys are going to be around for a long time. They're going to have good years and we're going to love them. They're going to have bad years and we're going to love them. And we're always, always going to be better than the rest of you. Go Irish!!!

Conservative vs. Liberal

Do you ever wonder why the terms "liberal" and "conservative" are applied to political parties as a whole? If the terms are to be applied accurately, they should be used to tag an individual's beliefs. Or, if we want to get really specific, we could label individual votes or policy stances as conservative or liberal. There are plenty of elected men and women who reside on one side of the aisle or the other, yet from time to time vote in a way that goes against their stated party's ideology. John McCain, for instance, supports embryonic stem cell research and amnesty for illegal immigrants, but he's part of the Republican (conservative) party and is now the obvious selection for presidential candidate. Now, I don't believe that to be a member of a party you need to agree with every position on the party platform. But if an elected official is enough of a party rogue than I believe they need to go independent. I really think they should. This is where the 2-party system really breaks down. We're so stuck with the idea that we need to have two parties that we have major power brokers within these parties throwing around ideas that their consituents disagree with. The same goes for the Democratic (liberal) party. I know alot of individuals who agree with some of the Democrat's social policies (or amended versions of them) like reformed welfare for the needy, unemployed, etc but disagree with Dem's ethical stances on abortion, embryonic research, etc. For those persons who really wrangle with wanting to improve education, stop public support for abortion, offer a humane yet legal option for immigrants, fix the taxing system, etc...where do we go? This is why I'm decrying the liberal and conservative tags. I don't think that many people can be labeled a conservative or liberal without overlooking issues that fall outside those lines.

Post #1

Yikes, I'm posting on a blog. I wanted to do this so I could put some thoughts to paper and respond to the ridiculous stuff that people say, and hopefully provide some intelligent insights. But, this won't be any snoggish whine-fest. This is the man-cave, expect us to keep this real with as much intelligence as we can muster. More will come later, I'm gonna get this thing organized.