Thursday March 31, 2005 Trivial Tidbits
The month of April, according to some, is named from the Latin word aperire, meaning "to open" (as do buds and flowers in the Spring).
April always begins on the same day of the week as July. In leap years, April also begins on the same day of the week as January.
According to the Modern Birthstone list provided by the Jewelers of America, the official birthstone of April is diamond.
( Mar 31 2005, 02:29:12 PM PST )
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Tuesday March 29, 2005 Final Four Flop
For the first time since I started prognosticating on the NCAA Basketball Tournament, I failed to predict a single one of the teams to eventually reach the Final Four. I am now going to go hang my head in shame for a bit.
( Mar 29 2005, 08:26:58 AM PST )
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Monday March 28, 2005 2 Month Checkup
Caleb had his two month checkup today and everything continues to look good. His weight is up to 10 pounds 4 ounces and his length is now 22 inches. To his dismay, he underwent a hefty round of immunizations - three injections in all. While not terribly happy about it, he made me very proud by bearing it with an admirable degree of stoicism.
( Mar 28 2005, 10:30:23 PM PST )
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Sunday March 27, 2005 Words to Live By
John 20:1-21
1: Now on the first day of the week Mary Mag'dalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
2: So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him."
3: Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb.
4: They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first;
5: and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
6: Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying,
7: and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself.
8: Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;
9: for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
10: Then the disciples went back to their homes.
11: But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb;
12: and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.
13: They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him."
14: Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
15: Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away."
16: Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rab-bo'ni!" (which means Teacher).
17: Jesus said to her, "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."
18: Mary Mag'dalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
19: On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."
20: When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
21: Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you."
( Mar 27 2005, 09:11:01 PM PST )
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Caleb's First Easter
Caleb's first Easter was a fine one. We started the day by reading the story of Easter from Caleb's children's Bible (he was appropriately attentive). We then dressed him up and attended a beautiful Easter Mass at St. John's. After church, we enjoyed Easter dinner with family at Tiffany's brother's house. There was an Easter egg hunt after dinner and Caleb managed, with a bit of help, to find an egg of his own. We ended the day by calling the grandparents in Missouri. Caleb is really starting to vocalize a lot so this was a real treat for the folks to which we spoke.
( Mar 27 2005, 09:09:51 PM PST )
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Saturday March 26, 2005 Public Enemies
Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34 - Bryan Burroughs (2004)
*** 1/2 (out of 5)
John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Alvin Karpis, Fred and Dock Barker, Bonnie and Clyde, and Machine Gun Kelly were all operating in 1933. By 1934, all were either dead or incarcerated. Public Enemies tells the stories of these gangsters and their role in "America's Greatest Crime Wave". Also chronicled is the role of the FBI, led by J.Edgar Hoover, in ending this crime wave (not to mention Hoover's PR role in making the FBI and the criminals they pursued famous).
Burroughs does a great job in using a wide array of sources, including a lot of material only recently released by the FBI, to recount history in an engaging way. The narrative technique he uses to tie all of the individual stories together is a bit awkward in places, but is largely effective. The strength of the book is certainly the material related to the gangsters and their exploits. His account of how the FBI evolved from almost comic ineptness to an effective crime fighting organization is interesting but a bit sparse. My primary complaint with the book is its tendency to drag at times due to an overabundance of detail adding little to the narrative.
Historical crime afficionados and casual readers alike should find much in this book to enjoy. Readers that have bought in to the "Hollywood" depictions of Ma Barker's criminal genius, Bonnie and Clyde's daring, and Baby Face Nelson's good-natured humor should prepare to be enlightened.
( Mar 26 2005, 09:11:17 PM PST )
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Family Visit
My mother and my brother headed back home to Missouri yesterday after a terrific visit. It would have been nice if they could have stayed for Easter, but they both have to work on Monday and consequently needed to get back.
Obviously, the primary intent of the visit was to spend some time with Caleb. This was, after all, my brother's introduction to his future godson. Fortunately, they were also able to take in a few sites during the last couple of days of their trip.
We walked around Pearl Street Mall in Boulder on Thursday. I have personally never found Pearl Street as alluring as many, but it was a real treat for my aunt. On Friday, before Good Friday service, we made a trip down to Estes Park. It was cold and blustery, but we all had a good time.
Tiffany and I are now looking forward to taking Caleb to Missouri, in the very near future, for the first time to visit some of the relatives that he has not yet had an opportunity to meet.
( Mar 26 2005, 09:08:06 PM PST )
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Friday March 25, 2005 Word of the Day
verb - indicate by signs; portend
( Mar 25 2005, 09:10:47 PM PST )
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Tuesday March 22, 2005 Joda
Joda is an open-source Java project with similar aims to those of the Jakarta Commons project. The stated goal is to "improve core Java functionality".Current subprojects include:
- Joda Time - date and time API
- Joda Primitives - collections designed for primitive types
- Joda Beans - "next generation" bean handling API
Joda Time appears to be the current 'marquis' API of the project. At least one blogger has remarked on the interesting design decisions evident in the API.
( Mar 22 2005, 10:42:45 AM PST )
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Sunday March 20, 2005 Big Day for Caleb
Caleb had a big day today.
He spent the first part of the day getting lavished with attention from my recently arrived relatives
In the afternoon, my brother Jeff and I took him to the Denver Zoo for his first visit. While he is still less than two months old, he is already very alert and appeared to be captivated by many of the animals. This was also, btw, Jeff's first visit to our fine zoo.
After our zoo visit, we all (including my mother and Tiffany) attended Palm Sunday Mass.
I am now hoping against hope that all this activity will tire Caleb sufficiently to cause him to sleep through most of the night. :-)
( Mar 20 2005, 09:34:14 PM PST )
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Words to Live By
Mark 11:1-11
And when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Beth'phage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, and said to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat; untie it and bring it.
If any one says to you, `Why are you doing this?' say, `The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.'"
And they went away, and found a colt tied at the door out in the open street; and they untied it.
And those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?"
And they told them what Jesus had said; and they let them go.
And they brought the colt to Jesus, and threw their garments on it; and he sat upon it.
And many spread their garments on the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields.
And those who went before and those who followed cried out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming! Hosanna in the highest!"
And he entered Jerusalem, and went into the temple; and when he had looked round at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
( Mar 20 2005, 06:09:42 AM PST )
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Saturday March 19, 2005 Two Final Four Picks Lose
2 of my 4 'Final Four' picks have been eliminated from the tournament. Wake Forest dropped a double OT game to West Virgina, 105-111. Kansas also lost - 63-64 to a 14th seeded Bucknell team that had previously never won a single NCAA Tournament game.
Hopefully, my other two Final Four picks, Duke and Oklahoma State, will play with a bit more heart.
( Mar 19 2005, 11:47:52 PM PST )
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Family In Town
My mother, my oldest brother, Jeff, and my aunt and cousin are coming to visit for 4 or 5 days, starting today. This visit is very special to us for two primary reasons: 1) it will be the first time that my brother Jeff, Caleb's Godfather-to-be, has met the baby and 2) it will provide an opportunity for us to enjoy part of Holy Week together.
( Mar 19 2005, 04:13:30 PM PST )
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Friday March 18, 2005
Thursday March 17, 2005 Trivial Tidbits
St.Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, lived between 387 and 493 and is primarily known for spreading Christianity throughout Ireland.
According to legend, St.Patrick used a shamrock, with its three leaflets, to illustrate the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity.
According to legend, St.Patrick charmed the snakes of Ireland into the sea. This legend is likely a metaphor for St.Patrick's influence in putting an end to pagan practices (e.g. use of serpents as religious symbols) in Ireland.
( Mar 17 2005, 03:07:03 PM PST )
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