In honor of the day...

I give you Richard Beck's answer to the question: Which Hogwarts's house would Jesus be in?

Very interesting conclusion.

Just my thoughts,

Sean

Interview...

While up in Canada teaching last month, I was interviewed by new friend Terry Pitts for his blog, Author's Journey.

Part one of that interview is now up.

Just my thoughts,

Sean

Just sayin'...

Kooky Cookery

I collect comic books. My friend Bryan collects meats.

Specifically, canned meats.

Strange canned meats.

See a can of kangaroo cuts, chances are, Bryan saw it first.

And weird jerky. Bizarre baked goods. Foods that may not at first glance seem like it should be food.

He used to have a museum of such food at his office - you could stop by and take a tour.

I'm just saying, the man knows his strange food.

And now that love of culinary curiosities has fueled a book of strange recipes - "Koody Cookery - A campy archive of irregular recipes from yester-year." 

Worth taking a look, says I.

Just my thoughts,

Sean

The Call to Live

Catherine and I first ran into Peter at the Butterfly Sanctuary in Kuranda, a rain-forest village near Cairns in Australia. 

We didn’t meet him then, but we were part of the same handful of people following a guide around the butterfly haven.

I felt a strong prompting, telling me I should introduce myself and strike up a conversation.

Being the spiritually in-tune person that I am, I did what I always do when prompted to engage a stranger in conversation: I ignored that prompting.

Which made it all the harder to ignore when we ran into him again seven days later and seventeen hundred miles away. Catherine pointed him out at the gate for our flight home from Sydney.

So this time I did strike up a conversation, and we gelled instantly. We even learned that he was friends with one of my all time favorite story-tellers – Walter Wangerin, Jr.

Peter’s own story is amazing – a long-time caregiver for his wife, who upon her passing decided to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. Sounds like a movie, no? It would in fact make for a great screen story.

He has kept a blog chronicling these adventures called The Call to Live.

I bring this up because Catherine and I are the topic of today’s entry.

Worth spending some time thumbing through his archives.

Just my thoughts,

Sean

Bryant Park Horse Race

Found this here.

Mary Poppins would be proud.

Script Cops

Found this over at Go Into Story.

This is my life.

Another Example of Blatant Discrimination

What about those that don't fall into either category? I'm writing to congress about this.

How I Spent My Weekend...

Yep, I broke into churches and forced them to listen to me lecture on the structure of Star Wars.

It was a good time until the police showed up...

Just my thoughts,

Sean

But I Play One On TV...

Phone Booth Faux Pas

Weather Prediction

You think the weather guy got any credit for getting this one right?

Doubt it.

Doodlebug

Short film made in college by a kid named Chris Nolan. I think if he sticks to it, he might make something of himself someday.

Enjoy.

Now That's a Movie I Want to See!

Power of Words

Beautiful.

According to the Letter or the Spirit?

Friend David sent me the link to this article. 

As a conservative evangelical, I don't like being told this sort of thing. But the guy has got a point.

His last line, where he quotes someone else, really hits it for me:

"As T.S. Eliot once said: The last temptation that's the greatest treason is to do the right thing for the wrong reason. We may have truth and right morals on our side. But our anger and harsh judgments towards those who don't share our truth and morals may well have us standing outside the Father's house, like the older brother of the prodigal son, bitter both at God's mercy and at those who are receiving that mercy."

As a protegee of the prodigal's brother, I get that.

Just my thoughts,

Sean

A Real Twit

Dear readers of my blog:

It isn't that I haven't been blogging. I've been tweeting. Real pithy, wonderful things.

And according to the apps I have installed, my twits have been coming over here as blog entries, so y'all wouldn't be left out.

They are also, according to the apps I have installed, been posting on my facebook book.

They haven't.

And technologically I'm a real twit, so no idea if/when/how/why it will get fixed.

Just saying.

Sean

Zoo Reading

While down under, we went to the zoo.  Cath decided to bring one of her favorite books along.

She was quite engrossed in her book, which was a good thing, as the trip turned out to be rather boring.

Cath didn't see anything of interest on the ferry ride there.

She didn't see any kangaroos that day.

Or any wallabies.

She didn't see any emus.

Nor did she spot any elephants.

No big ol' bears were to be found.

She didn't even see any giraffes.

What a boring zoo! Good thing she had such a good book with her!

Just my thoughts,

Sean

Zoo land

3rd Friday is zoo day.

The Taronga Zoo sits on a hillside facing the city. A brilliant location, as each corner one rounds offers a new spectacular view of the opera house, bridge or skyline.

Highlights for us include watching the ittle bittle elefinks play together (ittle bittle by a combination of distance and comparison to the adults); the snow leopard (Gorgeous - for Cath clearly the Hugh Jackman of the animal kingdom); and the koalas.

The koalas were sleeping when we saw them (they sleep up to twenty hours a day, a skill that quite frankly I admire) which only meant that we had them mostly to ourselves. They would wake up just enough to be incredibly adorable for the cameras.

I imagine that I look equally adorable when I wake up in the morning. Right, hon? Honey? Hmmm, she must have stepped away for a second.

Friday night is the royal wedding. Kitty holds a viewing party, but John and I (hoping to find a better viewing location) head out, and quite by accident watch a movie instead. We console ourselves for having missed the nuptials by stopping at Max Brenners for some chocolate drinks.

Pretty royal, thinks I.

Just my thoughts,

Sean

Animation, James Bondi and Books

3rd Wednesday and we head to John's work for a tour of the animation studio. Gotta say, pretty dang cool.

Then another walk. We bus to the famous Bondi Beach (insert Scottish accent - James Bondi Beach). Most famous for the start of lifeguarding. Yep, without this place there would be (shudder to think it) no Baywatch Nights.

We walk from there to Bronte Beach, where I can't help but think my book club is following me. I give up walking in case we hit a Tolstoy Bay - who has time to walk through a Russian novel?

At night, The girls drool over - Uh, I mean watch an early Hugh Jackman film while I find a tournament at a local pub. (6th out of 35 or so.)

3rd Thursday is another stormy day, so we devote our hours to discussions on writing, and then some actual writing! Add in reading and more gabbing, and we quickly fill the day.

Just my thoughts,

Sean

Manly Men

3rd Tuesday we explored Manly Beach.

That's right, I spent a day being Manly. Why is that surprising?

Cath led John, Kitty and me along a path described in her guide book, until realizing that we were way off the described path. We weren't lost, per se. Merely on an un-scheduled adventure.

The off course course took us through WW 2 bunkers, under more than a few giant spider webs, past a hidden lake on a cliffside, and through the mines of Moria.

Oh, the balrog is a lot nicer than you might think.

We eventually found our way back to civilization, caught the ferry back from Manly (that phrase just doesn't sound right) and headed to a pub for a steak dinner special.

Steak twice in one week; I'm really liking it down here.

Just my thoughts,

Sean

Soul Food

3rd Monday and the rain that has been chasing us since Tasmania catches up in force.

Which is just an excuse to avoid walking around sight-seeing, and instead spend the day reading, gabbing and taking naps. I've opted to go back to the first book of The Auralia Thread to rework up to the series finale; Cath dove into L'Engle's Crosswicks Journals.

For the evening, we head out to experience traditional Aussie food - also called Thai food. Seriously, there are a lot of Thai restaurants here.

Then off to the Sydney Opera House to be serenaded by Mavis Staples, Aaron Neville and the Blind Boys of Alabama. Place was packed out, and the night rocked!

For those that know me well: the Boys did their own version of Amazing Grace to the tune of House of the Rising Sun, a version with personal meaning for me.

A good day/night for the soul.

Just my thoughts,

Sean

Kevin, Spielberg and Sermon Illustration

Oddities down under:

Over a week away from the States, and Cath and I decide to check out the telly. Up comes an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond featuring our friend Kevin.

Watching our LA friend on Aussie tv. Level of oddness: surreal.

We're riding the sky tram over the canopy of the rain forest, when the air is split by a shrill shriek. I've heard that sound once before - made by the freakasaurs in Jurassic Park in a forest just like the one below us.

Level of oddity: freaky scary.

Easter service includes a children's message. All the kids crowd to the front, sitting on the floor around the cheerful, young and pretty youth leader. She amuses the kidlets and adultlets alike using a fresh, cold bottle of Coca Cola as an illustration of our pre-Fall perfect selves. Then to show the corruption of sin, she takes a small clump of dog poop from her purse, breaks off a chunk and mixes it into the cola bottle.

Then asks if anyone wants a sip.

Easter pooie coke. Level of oddity: bizarre.

And a little bit disgusting.

Just my thoughts,

Sean

Pancakes, Neat. No, Wait, Make That On The Rocks

2nd Saturday and we're on the move, heading down to Sydney. Kitty and John meet us at the airport, and give us a bus tour of the town.

Steaks for dinner, and chat until way late - not much to write home about, just good for the chattees. So I'll stop writing home about it.

2nd Sunday and Easter is here - one day earlier than if I was still in the states. To show you how shallow my faith is, part of the joy of Easter this year is one day less of Lenten practices.

Ah, welcome back chocolate!

Kitty and John are in the choir, so we head off early to service. Then a trip to a place for pancakes on the rocks. I've had chicken and waffles, but never iced pancakes, so this would be a new experience for me.

Come to find out that "on the rocks" is a location here, across the way from the Opera House, and not slang for "with ice cubes." I still have ice cream with my chocolate pancakes; close enough, thinks I.

(Yes, I said chocolate pancakes. With orange slices, chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream. Worth the trip to Australia for that breakfast alone.)

More wandering the market, then home for some Doctor Who. Ah, perfect day.

Just my thoughts,

-Sean

It's the Great Reef, Charlie Brown

2nd Friday - time to explore the Great Barrier Reef.

In honor of my book club having just read Henry V, we go to the Agincourt Reef on the outer part of the Barrier. I convince five rival snorkel boats to play the French and we reenact the battle.

Everyone raves about Branagh performing the St. Crispins Day speech, but he didn't recite the sucker with a snorkel in his mouth, now did he? Just so as we have some perspective on the thing.

The barrier reef was great, just as the name says. Saw all kinds of coral, fish and giant clams. Lovely day.

Our bungalow on the beach transformed in our absence. Maybe a half dozen people in the bungalows, cabins, RV hookups and campsites when we left in the morning; virtually every site packed out by our return.

Australia is hitting a five day weekend, and the locals are taking full advantage of the perfect beach weather.

Tomorrow we leave the beach and head for Sydney.

Just my thoughts,

Sean

2nd Thursday

2nd Thursday.

Explore the beach.

Read.

Write.

Eat.

Repeat.

Ahhhhh...

Just my thoughts,

Sean

Life's a Beach

2nd Wednesday and we're on the move again, trading in our Cairns hotel room for a bungalow on Ellis Beach.

And on the beach it is. As I try to figure out how to open the front door and get our luggage inside, Cath spots a couple of dolphins playing in the surf a couple of meters straight out from our front porch.

Naturally, I shake my fists at them and yell, "Hey you kids, get off of my lawn!" But they ignore me.

The one drawback to our location is that we are in the midst of jellyfish season. Which is very different from peanut butter and jellyfish season, which is a very tasty time of year.

But without the peanut butter, jellyfish get unruly and sting people. So we can only swim by heading down the beach and frolicking in a netted area.

Yep, you heard me right - down under the dolphins swim free and it is the humans that swim in the nets. I should start a fundraiser.

The rest of the day we explore the beach and sit and read. Cath is halfway through "The Ale Boy's Feast," and I finish my sci-fi novel.

Then we sleep to the lull of the waves.

Sweet.

Just my thoughts,

Sean

Umbrella Woods

2nd Tuesday is another "be a tourist" day as we took the scenic train to the rain forest village of Kuranda.

"Kuranda" is Australian for "What? You still have money in your bank account? Okay, then we've got a hundred more markets for you!"

The niftiest part of the day was our time in the butterfly sanctuary. Why butterflies would need sanctuary I do not know, but I don't pretend to understand Aussie politics.

The return trip was via sky gondolas on a wire stretching over the rain forest canopy. Pretty dang spectacular.

On a side note, I just misspelled "dang" and my autocorrect fixed it. My computer knows "dang," which impresses me to no end. Let me see if it knows "golly gee willikers."

Nope. Here's the correction: goal gee while.

Not nearly as expressive of old timey wonder.

Just my thoughts,

Sean

North to Alaska, No, Uh, North to Florida, Uh, Forget It

2nd Monday is a travel day as we say goodbye to our Hobart hosts and travel up to Cairns (or as the locals call it, Cans. Which is confusing, because they call "cans" "tins." And we certainly aren't visiting Tins.)

We went from wear layers need a fire use an electric blanket world to hot at night wear shorts where's the air conditioning land. Good thing we brought a variety of clothing options.

Except our luggage didn't make it all the way up here, deciding to do some sight-seeing in Sydney without us. Which is silly, because we have the camera, so our luggage won't have any photos of their time without us.

Alas, alack. We are told that the luggage will arrive before tomorrow. We shall see.

The evening brings a walk along the esplanade, which is a word meaning "Lucy is in trouble," as in (insert Cuban accent here) "Lucy, you have some esplanading to do!"

Dinner at an outdoor cafe and shopping at the nightmarkets, and I'm ready to call it a day.

(Already miss the fireside evening chats with our Hobart hosts. Tried sitting on the check-in counter and reminiscing about the good ol' arts festival days with the night clerk, but it wasn't quite the same thing. He didn't even offer to make a cuppa for me!)

Just my thoughts,

Sean