Going...going...

Gone! I'm at http://oddlysaid.com now. Comments closed here, but open there. Come on over, the water's fine!

I haven't abandoned the blog!

But...I am planning on abandoning the blog. Or relocating.  So watch this space and then watch this space.

So, I was wrong

Last fall when I wrote about the TSA molestations (Yeah, I'm gonna use that loaded term. It's what they are. Deal or don't read.), I figured it would be a temporary thing because Americans would never put up with this kabuki theater. Once our moms and grandmas started getting felt up, once our grandfather's urine was spilled all over him, once rape victims, toddlers, and six year olds were violated, we'd stand up and say, "That's it! Line crossed. Back up or bleed."  I really thought that.

Boy, do I have egg on my face.

So... go here and watch the video at the bottom of this blog post. (Watch at least the first 3 minutes, but all of it worth the watch. This young woman is amazingly brave and strong.)

"This woman, she touched my vagina four times."

Let that sink in.  Apparently, you have to stand and be violated multiple times if you want to travel by air. What the hell was that TSA agent expecting to find the fourth time?

Oh, and now the TSA agents are going to unionize. Lovely. That will make it much easier to fire the thieves and sexual criminals among their ranks. Or even to get them to back the hell off from feeling up little kids. Or wear clean gloves.

But I was wrong. I thought Americans loved liberty, loved their families, and loved their self-respect more than to stand like sheep while being manhandled, while allowing women and children to be molested, while being humiliated in the name of security theater.

I was wrong. God help us all.

ht: Evan Pokroy on twitter

He is risen, indeed!

Just a thought, Easter service in heaven must be pretty awesome. I really can't wait to take part.

Lenten Devotions, Part IV

And now for the finale.  Sort of.  Life has been so frantically frantic and we're taking a roadtrip, so I haven't finished looking up the music. BUT I will be updating this week and will hopefully have everything finished before Easter. It's important to have goals.

Ahem: the ornaments for the last eleven days.

31st Day: Crown of thorns; 32nd Day: Robe; 33rd Day: Donkey; 34th Day: Palm branches (Palm Sunday); 35th Day: Nail

36th Day: Spear; 37th Day: Basin & Towel; 38th Day: Bread & Cup (Maundy Thursday); 39th Day: Cross (Good Friday); 40th Day: Butterfly/Chrysalis; 41st Day: Empty Easter Egg (Easter Sunday)

Check back for updates on the music. I promise to try to post the music the day before it's "due." (How's that for the run-around.)

Day Thirty-one: "My Jesus, I Love Thee" music "O Sacred Head Now Wounded" music "Jesus Is All the World to Me" music
Day Thirty-two: "We Will Glorify" music"My Eternal King" music"Crown Him with Many Crowns" music "What Child Is This" music
Day Thirty-three: "Hosanna, Loud Hosanna" music "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" music "Be Still, My Soul" music
Day Thirty-four: "All Glory, Laud, and Honor" music "Tell Me the Stories of Jesus" music "Alleluia" music
Day Thirty-five: "It Is Well with My Soul" music "Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart" music "He Never Said A Mumbalin' Word" music
Day Thirty-six: "Were You There" music "Rock of Ages" music "O Love Divine, What Hast Though Done" music
Day Thirty-seven: "Freely, Freely" music "Take My Life, and Let It Be" music "This Little Light of Mine" music
Day Thirty-eight (Maundy Thursday): "Let Us Break Bread Together" music "One Bread, One Body" music "In Remembrance" music
Day Thirty-nine (Good Friday): "The Old Rugged Cross" music "In the Cross of Christ I Glory" music "At the Cross" music
Day Forty: "Beneath the Cross of Jesus" music "What Wondrous Love Is This" music "Open My Eyes" music
Day Forty-one (Easter): "He Is Lord" music "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" music "He Lives" music

Christ is risen!  He is risen, indeed!

Asplode with the cute

I swear, that first kid is telling the second kid the story behind the lost sock.  I think it's happened before. And it will happen again.  Because he will not listen to his brother's advice.

April invades New York, part III

Grand Central Station: the adventure begins!

And now for filling in some of the blanks, as my rather terse blog posts left much to be desired.  So instead of pathetically brief, this will be interminably long.

The background. During the huge, never ending project with late hours and lost weekend that MTG worked on through the winter, I said, "If I survive this, I'm taking a vacation." (Yes, he worked the long hours, but I wrangled the children. I get the vacation.)  He said, "You should go see Lori."

Lori was my supervisor when I was lobbying mumble mumble years ago, and she is one of the best people on the planet. She found another one of the best people on the planet to marry and together they had a superb child. Just...awesome.  Said child was two months old when last I saw all of them. She is now 5. That's really much too long.

Anyway, I contacted her and said, "Can I come?" and she said, "Can you! SQUEE!" (Incidentally, she didn't know that what she was doing was squeeing until I explained it to her. I don't know what to think about that.)

After much juggling, we finally pinned down a date that fit both our busy schedules.  And I'm off to New York.

Home

"Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star,
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar."
Bilbo Baggins   
The Hobbit J.R.R.Tolkien

Adventures are delightful, and friends are treasures, but home is best of all.

April invades New York, part 2

Lori and I spent 29 hours in New York City, and we shoved about as much into those 29 hours as people can without going crazy.  We also caught up after 5 years of not seeing each other.  It was a very good 29 hours. 
Day one from arriving at Grand Central Station (noonish) to hitting the sack (1:30 am ish) was a blast.  We stayed in and around the Times Square District, expect for our jaunt to South Street Seaport.  This morning we went to Times Square Church.  Yes, there is a mega-church in Times Square.  We sat in an overflow room.  It was awesome.

Brooklyn Bridge is actually behind  us. Unfortunately, so is a window.

After breakfast, we checkout of the hotel, stored our bags and asked the concierge about good pizza.  "As a New Yorker, I like" are generally words that you should heed if you hail from Texas. So we passed on the sit-down restaurant and hit the corner dive "Two Brothers."

A slice, two slices, who's counting? (Me. It was two.)

In my 29 hours in New York, Lori wanted me to experience the quintessential NYC experiences. Like the Broadway show.  So, of course, we went skating in Rockefeller Center.  As we are wobbling around the ice, I told Lori, "I can promise you two things: Before we're done, I will get better and I will fall."  I was right on both counts. Not only did I fall down, I took her with me.  I also was the unofficial photographer of the ice rink.  I figured so many people had taken pictures of Lori and I that I should pass on the favor.  Although, I'm not sure how smart people were to give the wobbly girl their cameras.

If you're not moving, people can't tell you don't know what you're doing.

After skating, we shopped our way back to the hotel to pick up the bags.  I'm proud to say that other than the subway we took to South Street Seaport, we walked everywhere (or sprinted in the case of the theater, making it 2 minutes before curtain.)  Which is a good thing since I fairly gorged on bread.  Walking into Grand Central Station, I saw a bakery and had to look away. Don't worry, I'm sure it will pass in a day or two.

It was only at the train station that we realized we were utterly exhausted.  Barely able to move, we did what anyone similar tired does on the train ride home: we discussed various tax systems and the positives and negatives of each.  I have really missed Lori.

I may post more pictures later, but for now let me say: I love New York.

April invades New York, part I

So, after not seeing my friend for five years, I got off the plane and there was much rejoicing. Also, blurry picture taking.

This morning, we came to New York City.  I have pictures. I also have issues with my brand new phone. We're still getting the hang of each other.

But, to recap:
Rosie O'Gradys
Ticket line for show tickets (COLD)
South Street Seaport for drinks and much fun talking while looking at the River.
Mama Mia. Squeee!
The Mean Fiddler for a Half and Half, but we were a little older than the other clientele, so we found a different pub where I had baked macaroni and cheese with bacon. I love New York.

More detail and hopefully pictures soon. But I'm having too much fun to figure it out.

Squee!