GoodeStreet

[Update: Added another photo below, courtesy of high school and beyond friend, Nancy Olson. Also corrected anniversary date mistake. Oops.]

Thirty one years ago today tomorrow, Barb stood in front of a hard-of-hearing minister who spent three-fourths of his time marrying her to a guy named Gary. After objections from the crowd in attendance, the minister spent the rest of the time marrying Barb to a guy named Glenn. Which leads to a few questions:

Where has Gary been for the last 31 years?

Have Barb and Glenn been living in sin for 23 of 31 years?

And here's the biggest mystery question:

How has Barb put up with Glenn for so long? That alone is a miracle.

Happy Anniversary, Barb.

You are amazing. Every day.

-g

P.S. Glad your eyebrows grew back.

Update: Below is a scanned photograph of The Western gang posing in front of the apartment where Barb and I met, courtesy of Nancy Olson. (Note the image size. It was obviously taken a few decades ago.) How she found this image so quickly is a mystery, but thank you!

Nancy is one of the two reasons that I met Barb. Nancy was rooming with Sharon (the blonde in the center, unfortunately Nancy is taking the picture). Sharon was taking a class with Barb. Barb's studio apartment didn't have a kitchen, so she went to Sharon's to make a meal. I went to say "Hi" to Nancy, Barb and my paths crossed, and here we are 34 years later. Getting old friends back together, again..... virtually.

BTW, it was love a first sight for me. Yep, it does happen. I can attest to that. However, Barb took her sweet time, dating a horde of guys before deciding I might be the guy for her. But Barb didn't become convinced until AFTER I had given up on her, and had left for Alaska with my cousin, Marilyn, and her husband, Tom, to lick my wounds for a while. (Note: Tom was my good friend in college and I was the reason he met my cousin, so there is symmetry in this world if you look for it.)

 We returned to Kauai, the "home port" of our Marriott Vacation Club, for the first time in six years. It was nice to see "our" place again, on the south-east tip of the island.

We were joined by our friend, Sue. She has been a friend in spirit for five years, but this was the first time we have met in the flesh. Sue was as expected - fun, thoughtful, and short.

The week couldn't have been more enjoyable. Did only one "touristy" thing (thankfully, because while I enjoy doing a tourist, I abhor doing touristy stuff). We took a charter boat from Port Arthur to the Na'Pali coast and did some snorkeling.

Other than that, we explored the dirt roads of the island in search of beaches and trails off the beaten path - thanks to a trusty Subaru AWD. Barb and Sue were good sports for tolerating my blasting down pothole-filled roads, to who knows where and most often in search of who knows what. It was disconcerting at first when Barb and Sue talked about offing me and striking out on their own, but after a while I didn't put too much stock in how serious they were about their plan.

Rather than bore you with details, I have set up a gallery for you to browse through. A couple photos are pretty good, while most are of the "memories" variety. So with school back in session it seems only proper to ask...... what did you do this summer?

 

 

Some of you may remember Alex Karras. I always admired him. A real character, he is a combination of brutish strength and thoughtfulness with a sense of humor. Recently found a quote attributed to him, and wanted to pass it along:

"It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them. More strength to relate to people than to dominate them. More manhood to abide by throughout principles than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in the muscles and an immature mind."

~Alex Karras

Each and every day, I hope that I'll never have to ask "Where's the high road".

Each and every day, I fear that I'll need to ask.

photo by /GST

The photo above is straight from the camera. There are no post processing tricks applied. It was taken using only ambient lighting, and a zoom lens set to minimum depth of field. Well..... patience and timing played a role, as well.

(Trying the Posterous to Facebook connection for the first time. We'll see how it works.) (It did. This post was forwarded to FB automatically. Cool, I guess.)

My wife has a masters degree. My daughter just got hers. Her husband is getting his in a year. My father-in-law is an attorney and judge. My wife's uncle is a doctor. My son-in-law's father is an attorney.

Put them all in one place, and I'm quickly the Dumbest Guy In The Room. I have a lowly bachelor's degree. A seven-year-to-get one. Clearly, being the smartest guy (or gal) in the room is out.

Being the wisest person in the room is still up for grabs, though. Hmmmm. If being short of hair and long of nose spawns wisdom, I have a chance.

 I like people with an irreverent attitude who say things that make you think. Apparently, around the year 2000 a letter was published called "Why can't I own a Canadian?" It doesn't take long to learn the origin of this letter seems murky. There are various claims as to the authors name, and who it was addressed to.

What if we opt to put that debate aside for a moment, and consider instead what it says? Below, I have removed the parts that are in question, and have left what I consider to be the meat. If you have seen the "original", I know some will question my decisions of worthiness. If so, fine. We disagree. [see update below] The content is worth thinking about, no matter which side of the issue(s) you fall on...

"Why can't I own a Canadian?"

"Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. I do need some advice regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?
6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination?
7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?
8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.19:27. How should they die?
9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

The letter closes with this: "God's word is eternal and unchanging." My question: Is that true?

[Update] My friend, Le Hook, questioned why I felt the letter, as referenced, was tainted in serious ways (see first paragraph above). He's a pretty smart guy, so that helped me realize I hadn't been as clear as I should have been (meaning I stunk up the place the first time around). Here's the clarification that I sent him, which also betrays my sentiment towards the letter (something I wanted to avoid):

GST: Le, the point I attempted to make is that the authors name is uncertain, and it is questionable who the letter was actually addressed to. Those errors/omissions taint an otherwise great letter. Further, slyly throwing Schlessinger's religion (in practical effect, her) under the bus adds nothing to the discussion and is a cheap shot under any circumstance. For those who disagree with the sentiments, the factual errors and personal challenges are "easy outs" and will be used to dismiss the entirety. Why open that door unnecessarily?

LH: Now I've got it.

(Lee, I hope I do.) :) 

We're in Austin,TX. No, this isn't The Cathedral of Junk. It's around back, behind the house, and is freaking amazing (but you gotta see it in person to appreciate it, thus no pics posted.) Got the chance to talk for quite a while with the guy who built it, Vince Hanneman - a strange and interesting experience. The CoJ is worth seeing, if for no other reason than to meet him. [Update: unfortunately, it appears the CoJ will no longer be. Maybe I should circle back and post pics after all.] Hung with a few students for a while on the beautiful UT campus, and learned the 'proper' way to do the "Hook'em horns" hand signal! Also went to the LBJ presidential library on the UT campus. 

photo by /gst, from my iPhone

We went into a golf course pro shop to check out the furniture and displays. Strange, I know. Who checks out the woodwork in pro shops? Well, we do ever since Barb's sister, Lin, married a guy who designs and installs displays in pro shops throughout the US (and lately, in other countries too). He didn't do this one, and it shows. His work is much better, we've visited a few. Loved San Antonio, though. The Alamo, river walk, restaurants, parks, missions, and experienced Texas pride. Below, is Barb with her "don't you dare take a photo" look. She has her Texas hat on and is ready to go kick the ever-livin' crap out of a bull that she's been eyeing since we came to town. 

 

photo by /gst, from my iPhone