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We recently flew United Airlines; Virginia to Dulles DC, to San Francisco to Hawaii, and back.  In the past we’ve flown Northwest and Delta among others…

As I look at my sleeping daughter and son, home today from flights that carried them and my wife halfway round the world, my heart swells with gratitude, appreciation and praise towards all the people who have worked and died to to make air flight what it is today.

Sure we paid cash for our flights and yes, the bottom line is what sustains the business but having my family safely home again is worth far more to me than the price of our tickets so I’d like to express my admiration and thankfulness for the professionalism, dedication, competence and service of all those involved: the air traffic controlers, flight crews, flight attendants, ground crews, security personell and all the various managers, clerks, assistants far too vast to recognize here.   To all who design, build and service the airplanes and airports. Thank you all for the years of dedication and service. Your skill, knowledge and effort live within and indeed, form the flying machines upon which so many rely.

It would be a great oversight to forget those hidden behind the sceens, the little guys and gals upon whom the operators and controllers rely; such as the janitors who keep the airports clean, the window washer with squeegee in hand, for I can’t help but feel that a clean airport fosters a safe flight.

I am very impressed with my 1996 Nissan 200-sx.  It’s really just slightly souped up version of the Sentra.  It’s got about 130,000 miles and the interior looks as good as the day I drove it off the lot back in 1996; no broken knobs, no torn upholstery (although the headliner has started to sag), no flaking this or that like I’ve seen in countless American made cars.  And the exterior never ceases to amaze me; it’s so glossy – no oxidation. Except for a few scratches, I think it looks brand new!  It’s had maybe two waxings in it’s entire life and not many more washings and the car just glistens.  It runs great to!  About 6 years ago I changed the fuel injectors myself; it wasn’t nearly as complicated as the manual made it out to be.  The car has run like a champ ever since.  We use it every day; it’s a very reliable workhorse.

Our other car is a white 1994 GMC Suburban.  Unfortunately the paint for 1994 Suburbans was defective and is chipping off so it looks like hell – I’ve taken to applying cans of spraypaint every so often so you can imagine what that looks like…  Also, it used to chug and jerk going fast up hills because of an oil fowled plug (because the previous owner let the engine run low of oil which damaged a valve stem) but the mechanics must have put in some new kind of plugs because it hasn’t jerked in a few years.  But I like the car.  It runs smooth.  It starts every time.  And the blue cloth seats are impeccable even though, as with the Nissan, it’s held dogs, bicycles, sporting equipment, bags of cement, lumber, etc… 

We haven’t had a car payment in at least 8 years.  Whenever I get tempted to buy a newer car I simply have to think of all the other things I could buy with the money; guitars, boats,  video games, and a thousand things for the kids, etc….. and the urge is staved off for a few more months.  Some day we’ll get a newer car – a Nissan something-or-other; I want to stay loyal to Nissan.

What actually is the most over used word in the English language?  You actually guessed it:   Actually.

Actually is everywhere.  I was just reading a technical document and found it several times in one paragraph.  It reads:  

“This product will actually use a number of these properties…, … you can actually define many items….”.     

Next paragraph:

“….. you can actually define…. Our connection is actually made up of a number of properties….. SharePoint will actually use a number of these properties….

Are all those actuallys necessary?  To me the sentences read much better without them:

“This product will use a number of these properties…., … you can define many items…
“…. you can define many items…. Our connection is made up of a number of properties….. SharePoint will use a number of these properties….”

Why such overuse of the word?  I belive there are two reasons.

First, marketers, especially in technical fields, in an attempt to bolster the credibility of their product, often cram far more words than necessary into instructions and product documentation, and, by far, the word most commonly used to emphasise the obvious, and to add length (which is often misconstrued as substance), is the word “actually”.   We, as a society, are gullible to quanity over quality, we mistake more for better and mistake substance for quality.

The second reason, I belive, stems from the fact that the lines between reality (actual reality) and virtual reality are are becoming blured. Therefore the following conversation may ensue:

“I went to Spain.”  Jane says.
Tom, with a puzzled look on his face thinks “Did she actually go to Spain or virtually, such as in a video game?”  
Jane, seeing Tom’s confusion, feels the need clarify by saying  “I actually went to Spain!”. 
Tom now knows she is not referring to the virtual word but to the actual world.

The pervasive use of actually seems to precede verbs.  He ran to the store becomes He actually ran to the store.  She won the game becomes She actually won the game.

So keep an eye out for the most overused word in the english language; you’ll actually be amazed by how many times you actually find it!

We Catholics know about the Virgin Mary but the Virgin Joseph is someone we hear little of.  Virgin Joseph?  The Virgin Joseph is Jesus’s father; married to the Virgin Mary.  Since, as Catholics believe, Mary was celebate her whole life, it follows that Joseph, being the faithful husband we all know he must have been, was a virgin as well.  And I’m sure that, since the father and mother were virgins, the child, Jesus was a virgin as well.  Which leaves us with the Virgin Mary, the Virgin Joseph and the Virgin Jesus.

Has anyone else ever experienced this?

You’re online and you post a reply to a video or something and get attacked for you views?  This has happened to me on several occasions; my comments have drawn vicious hate filled rebuttals.  Funny thing is, I find, that after the initial shock (and if I can restrain myself from firing a likewise hate filled message back) a calmness flows over me and I begin to look deeper at the replies and I begin to see a second message (sort of like a hidden message) appearing behind the hatred. I see the weak, vulnerable human; scared and confused.   Anyone who attacks you online (and I suppose in person – although it’d be much harder to do what I’m saying) with hatred and disrespect can always and immediately be silenced with love and respect. 

When you hold the moral high ground, as revealed and tested for centuries, nothing can shake you.

For instance recently I posted a critical reply to a video on a very popular video website.  I immediately was attacked; one person said I was nothing but a whiper in the middle of an ocean!  Very poetic!  To which I replied “An ocean of people yes, and the right whimper can foment that ocean”.   Another told me to “shut the f**k up, it’s the internet, get over it”, to which I pulled the old “I will never get over evil.” And “We should treat others as we would have them treat us”  lines.  (And never quote the bible, if so they just pigeon hole you as a jesus freak).  And the best one is when they say to “shut up”.  No matter how rude (or polite) they say it, it practically means you’ve won. It’s as if they’re asking you for help because they cannot deal with your retort so they’re asking you to take it away.

I’m playing with these guys.  They get so worked up.  But as long as they reply, with their hate filled comments they leave themselves vulnerable and that’s exactly, EXACTLY the key.  When they fire shots at you they’re looking to see how you’re going to handle what they’ve said.  They’re waiting to see how you’re going to reply.  They’re waiting to see how you’re going to treat them!  And they are VERY, VERY, VERY sensitive to how they are treated (as we all are).  So even if they dish out hatred, if you dish back love you win!  If you serve back time tested noble, peaceful, lovefilled comments such as from Jesus, Ghandi, etc…) they are dumbfounded and pleased because you have treated them well. 

But it can be hard.   The vicious attacks, even over the internet, DO HURT and the instinct is to hit back, but then you just fall into a vicious cycle and no one wins.   If you can restrain yourself from striking back, get over the pain and find the scared human cowering behind the hate, and treat that person with respect, kindess and truthfullness (think Jesus, think Ghandi, think MLK), not only will you win them over to your side but you’ll do the world a whole lot of good.

Of course like Jesus, Ghandi, MLK, etc…… you could get killed doing this.  But look on the bright side; you’re sure to have many followers (friends) and, after you’re gone, you may even be labeled a saint.

I go to church with the family; it’s a good family thing to do.  It’s a catholic church; the mass can be very beautiful and moving at times.   I was raised catholic but somewhere along the line my mind got warped.  Was it all those Twilight Zone episodes I watched as a teenager?  At certain moments during the mass strange images and thoughts course though my head.  One thing that I really struggle with is the virginity of Mary.

For catholics, it is very important that Mary, the mother of God, be a virgin.   Strange how she is still referred to as the Virgin Mary even though she was married.  So Mary and Joseph were never intimate?   They never sleep together as husband and wife?  Of course they did.  Why catholics refuse to recognize this almost seems to me as an insult to them.

Catholics refuse to recognize the sexuality not only Jesus’ mother, but of his father as well.  For after all, if Mary was a life long virgin, and married to Joseph, then Joseph was celibate as well… unless he was unfaithful, and, as Jesus’ father, an unfaithful Joseph is even harder to accept than a celebate one.

Is this the link for the catholic church?  Is it really a message to catholic priests?  In our minds force Mary to be a virgin, therefore so is Joseph and if he can do it so can you!

But then we see that this backfires for some and they resort to secretive, twisted, unhealthy and abusive sexual practices.  Of course Mary and Joseph can be virgins; they’re dead.  Much harder to do for the living.

At the ”Just For Catholics” website the discussion on topic of Mary’s virginity (after Jesus’ birth ) begins not by focusing on the question at hand but rather by claiming that it is a ”curiosity” that we are even asking the question; in other words we are in the wrong for even asking the question.   Obviously they don’t want the virginity of the woman questioned and to no doubt, if I were a catholic priest endevouring to remain celibate I wouldn’t want the celibacy of two of the most revered religious figures questioned either.

Good links: http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/virgin.htm

http://maranatha777.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/did-mary-remain-a-virgin/
http://www.tbm.org/didmary.htm (see bottom)

One interesting thought would be, to tally up the counts of some events; that is, the number of times they’ve occurred since the beginning of time.  Which events must really add up to huge numbers.  I wonder the counts for the following:

1. Number of rain drops that have fallen on the Earth.
2. Number of snow flakes that have ever fallen.
3. Number of leaves to have ever sprouted, grown, withered and fell since the beginning of time.
4. Number of CPU cycles since 1975.
5. Number of spark plug firings in internal combustion engines since 1902.
6. Number of steps taken by ants (all species) since the beginning of time.
7. Number of orbits of all electrons on all atoms in the universe since the beginning of time.

Counts for these events are big numbers.  Do they reach or surpass a googol, googolplex or skewe’s numbers?  #7 probably out ranks them all, but has it reached a googol? googolplex?

I know of nothing in the natural world of which there is just one.  Just one flower? No.  Just one bear? No.  Just one cloud? No.  Tree? No.  Mountain? No.  City? No. etc…   So why would there just be one life sustaining planet?  It makes no sense.

There are thousands, perhaps millions of life sustaining planets in the Universe.   And there’s life out there; lots of it.  It’s just too far away for us to see or hear.

Do you realize that by our best educated estimates there are at least 100 stars (in the universe) for each grain of sand on Earth?  Astronomers believe most stars have planets.  So there are trillions upon trillions of planets orbiting stars out there.   You still think the one beneath your feet is the ONLY ONE CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING LIFE?   I definitely think not.

It’s analogous to prehistoric man here on Earth; each tribe living in isolation, separated by thousands of miles of ocean, unaware other peoples even existed and having only very limited means (hollowed out logs) of navigating space (ocean).   Very little has changed.

In the grand scheme of things, our Space Shuttle is comparable to that hollowed-out log used by ancient peoples to navigate the immediate ocean and rivers around them.  In time we’ll develop great ships to quickly navigate space (AKA starwars/star trek).

Unfortunately it is possible for other life forms to find us before we find them.  Think Europeans landing on North America about 600 years ago.  Like wise, those aliens may posess superior weapons or host deadly germs and we, Earth humans, may not stand much of a chance.  Scary stuff.  But there is NOTHING that guarantees this can not or will not happen.

Imagine the native American’s long ago; going about their daily life, foraging for berries, hunting, war parties, etc… going about their business completely oblivious to the events transpiring thousands of miles away and the devistating consequences (MILLIONS OF THEM DIED) .  Some things could come here and put us in the same shoes.  It’s possible.

Have Americans forgotten how to form lines in fast food restaurants or what?  I go in to McDonalds, or Chick ‘Filet  and there’s a cluster of people in front of the registers.  There might be three registers but there aren’t three lines; there’s just a cluster of people and no one knows who’s next or where the end of the line is.

On top of that, when the first person in line is served and moves away from the counter  (like to go sit down) and there’s a big gaping space at the counter (in front of the register),  NO ONE STEPS UP TO FILL IT.  NO ONE STEPS UP TO BE SERVED!  They just stand there, at least 3 feet back from the counter,  and wait for the clerk to say “May I help you?”.  This just kills me.

Am I the only one who notices this?  Is this a new trend? Because I remember the days long ago when, if there where three cash registers, then there would be three lines and when you went in you got in one of those lines.

Is it because people don’t want to get close to one another?  Because that’s the only thing I can see that’s preventing the lines from forming; people wait like about 3ft behind the person before them.   I’ve seen this in other situations to; like buying tickets for a movie.  There were two ticket windows  and a mess of people in front of them.

When you enter McDonald’s stand behind someone, make it clear you are in a line.  When the person in front of you has been helped and takes their lunch to their table and there’s a big gaping space between you and the counter move up and fill it, it’ll make room for the people behind you and it will help organize the situation.

Ride your bike to work? What a joke.  In most cities, you ride your bike to work and you’re going to get slaughtered.  Especially since traffic’s getting worse which makes people more rude and more full of road rage than ever.  And you want to be on a bicycle in the middle of all that?

I’ve seen people all over the bike lanes; big SUVs, all over the line.   I’ve even done it myself a couple times (In my monster SUV);  didn’t mean to, but the car just swerves down the road, you know how it is.

Cities ought to be ashamed of themselves expeciting and encouraging people to ride their bikes along side 2000+lb cars whizzing by at 40+MPH.  it’s a recipie for disaster. Let me tell you; a 4 inch wide strip of white paint on the ground isn’t going to save nobody!

How many more have to die before cities abandon the “bike lane” thing.  Bikes should be no where near cars.  A coworker’s friend was killed recently; she was riding her bike to her job.  It’s true.

Look, our transit system is based on the car; fast heavy cars.  Now if, in the future, that changes, (or cities install bike paths away from traffic) then, if I live close enough (which, at the moment, seems highly unlikely),  I’ll ride my bike to work.  But for now give me the biggest SUV I can get.