Tuesday November 30, 2004 
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All
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Holes in the Water
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Non Sequitur
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Sun
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The Orthodox Church
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What's in the CD player?
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What's in the DVD player?
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What's on the bookshelf?
Tuesday November 30, 2004
My wife woke up at the end of Van Helsing, and the first words out of her mouth were "Is it over? Oh, thank God!" I kid you not. What a joyless turd of a movie. Hugh, baby, what were you thinking? Faramir, baby, how did this happen? Pippin scored Master and Commander. Even Sam got 50 First Dates. Did you lose a bet with an Orc? Is this how you get back at Dad for trying to set you on fire before you were dead? Dude, Eowyn digs you! One more flick like this and she'll go back to Viggo. Puh-lease! Oy. (2004-11-30 18:59:45.0) Permalink
Saturday November 27, 2004
What a sweet movie, with just enough bittersweet to keep it from going totally over the top. Even the porn star lovebirds were... touching. (Sorry! :) Not really a movie you want to watch with your kids, he says with 20/20 hindsight -- Lizzie was kind enough to yell "DADDY, CLOSE YOUR EYES!!" at all the right moments -- but for all that, it didn't feel trashy. It was tender, actually... (2004-11-27 19:32:30.0) Permalink Comments [2] Andrew Chaikin: A Man On The Moon
Tom Hanks writes, in the forward to A Man on the Moon, of preparing to play astronaut Jim Lovell in Ron Howard's 1995 film, Apollo 13: I realized there was a great deal about the Apollo program that had never been brought to light, things that I did not know. I wanted to understand the events that enabled Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to make the first landing on the moon. I also wanted to know what went on when other men, like Pete Conrad, Al Bean, Dave Scott, Jack Schmitt, and Gene Cernan, made their footprints in the lunar soil in the five landings that came afterward. I wanted the whole story of mankind's exploration of the moon. I found it in Andy Chaikin's impressive and illuminating book. I found it as well, in this detailed and well-written account of the Apollo space program. Reading the book a second time inspired Hanks to create the 1998 HBO mini-series From the Earth to the Moon, and it became one of his primary resources for that series as well. Now, Hanks is just a few years older than me, and clearly we share the same fascination with and drew the same inspiration from the space program of the 60's and 70's. In high school in the mid-70's, I voraciously read the accounts of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, and the televised images of of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landing on the moon in July 1969 were still fresh in my mind. I wrote away for lots of literature from NASA, everything they would send me, and when I saw how many of the astronauts and how much of the behind the scenes support for the space program came from MIT, I put MIT at the top of my list of college applications. When I received the thick acceptance package in 1977, there was no decision to be made. All of this is to say that A Man on the Moon read like living history to me, like a flashback to a golden age -- of the world and of my own -- when anything seemed possible. But like another icon of my youth, Puff the Magic Dragon, who found that all good things come to an end (and long before you're ready for them to), the Apollo program ended with Apollo 17, and in the wake of the Vietnam War and the Watergate era, the golden age of space exploration and adventure was over. I started out an Aeronautics and Astronautics major at MIT; I wound up in Management. (Those who can't do... manage. :) Chaiken feels this loss palpably, and expresses it poignantly in the Epilogue, in which he follows some of the moon walkers in the years after. Whether they landed well or poorly, it is a heartbreaking chapter, as is his conclusion: Project Apollo remains the last great act this country has undertaken out of a sense of optimism, of looking forward to the future. That it came to fruition amid the upheaval of the sixties, alongside the carnage of the Vietnam War, only heightens the sense of irony and nostalgia, looking back twenty-five years later. By the time Apollo 11 landed, we were already a changed people; by the time of Apollo 17, we were irrevocably different from the nation we had been in 1961. It is the sense of purpose we felt then that seems as distant now as the moon itself. We conquered the moon -- once -- thirty-five years ago. Using computers which make the eight year old Mac on which I'm typing out this blog seem like HAL 9000 by comparison. Heck, my cell phone probably has more MIPS than everything they had at their disposal in 1969. We do not have a technology problem; we have a failure of the human spirit. Of imagination. Of heart. Which only makes the current quagmire of our groundedness all the more frustrating. While you're waiting for humankind to get a clue again, this book is a great way to pass the time. (2004-11-27 15:12:02.0) Permalink
Friday November 26, 2004
This one actually started out okay. Reasonable cast: Halle Berry, Penelope Cruz, Robert Downey Jr., Charles Dutton, and Bernard Hill, who played Theoden, King of Rohan, in Lord of the Rings -- not too shabby. Reasonable plot: prison psychiatrist, dark and stormy night, strange vision, car crash -- wakes up a prisoner/patient in her own institution, charged with axe-murdering her husband. And reasonably cool, Gothic scenery, including a prison straight out of Alfred Hitchcock or Stephen King. And then it all goes horribly, horribly wrong. I don't mean for Halle Berry -- I mean for me. All of a sudden, we've gone from this cool neo-gothic horror flick to... "What Lies Beneath: The Prison Edition". (Perhaps we have Robert Zemeckis to blame for this -- he produced both.) The plot gets positively daffy. Berry basically walks out of jail and escapes in the front desk guard's car: he felt sorry for her and gave her the keys. No alarm bells go off. No one chases her, even to an obvious spot like her own house (and the scene of the crime). And in the end, despite the fact that she obviously did off her husband with great vigor, she's never charged with the crime. (I guess demonic possession doesn't require a plea of temporary insanity to pass legal muster.) Throw in the obligatory secret sex room her husband kept underneath the floor boards at the country cottage, and the local cop with domineering mother issues and a huge tattoo of a flaming woman on his chest -- this is the same guy who dated Mimi on the Drew Carey show, so you know he's a little off -- and you can see how a good movie goes bad right before your eyes. I hope Halle Berry gets a good role again soon. Monster's Ball was excellent. This felt more like Catwoman. If I were you, I would not not... (2004-11-26 13:37:02.0) Permalink
Thursday November 25, 2004 The Final Words of Fr. Alexander Schmemann From the Fr. Alexander Schmemann web site: Father Alexander Schmemann celebrated the divine liturgy for the last time on Thanksgiving Day [in 1983]. This was particularly appropriate since Father Alexander had devoted his whole life to teaching, writing and preaching about the Eucharist; for the word eucharist in Greek means thanksgiving. At the conclusion of the liturgy, Father Alexander took from his pocket a short written sermon, in the form of a prayer, which he proceeded to read. This was a strange occurrence since Father never wrote his liturgical homilies, but delivered them extemporaneously. These were his words, which proved to be the last ever spoken by him from the ambo in Church. Thank You, O Lord! Everyone capable of thanksgiving is capable of salvation and eternal joy. Thank You, O Lord, for having accepted this Eucharist, which we offered to the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and which filled our hearts with the joy, peace and righteousness of the Holy Spirit. Thank You, O Lord, for having revealed Yourself unto us and given us the foretaste of Your Kingdom. Thank You, O Lord, for having united us to one another in serving You and Your Holy Church. Thank You, O Lord, for having helped us to overcome all difficulties, tensions, passions, and temptations, and restored peace, mutual love and joy in sharing the communion of the Holy Spirit. Thank You, O Lord, for the sufferings You bestowed upon us, for they are purifying us from selfishness and reminding us of the "one thing needed": Your eternal Kingdom. Thank You, O Lord, for having given us this country where we are free to worship You. Thank You, O Lord, for this school, where the name of God is proclaimed. Thank You, O Lord, for our families: husbands, wives and, especially, children who teach us how to celebrate Your holy Name in joy, movement and holy noise. Thank You, O Lord, for everyone and everything. Amen. The Orthodox Church, Vol. 20, No. 2, February 1984, p. 1:1 And while you're here, check out the guy in the back of the line in this picture of Fr. Alexander, taken just a few days before this sermon was delivered, on the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple in 1983. (2004-11-25 05:01:04.0) Permalink Comments [1]
Tuesday November 23, 2004
Will Ferrell is Buddy the Elf. Raised by Bob Newhart (Papa Elf) under the watchful eye of Edward Asner (Santa), he journeys from the North Pole to New York City, in search of his father, James Caan (Sonny Corle... erm, Walter). What's not to love about this movie? You'd have to have a heart of stone. Or coal. (2004-11-23 20:08:26.0) Permalink Comments [2]
Sunday November 21, 2004
Life doesn't unfold in a straight line. You can prove this in your own life, I'm sure. To illustrate, here are two non-sequiturish examples from mine. The first Bonnie Raitt song I ever took notice of was "I Can't Make You Love Me", from her 1991 disc Luck of the Draw. I bought it when it first came out, and then moved backwards in time, listening to the work she'd done in the 70's and 80's -- and then, throughout the 90's, bought each of her newer releases as they came out. I started in the middle, moved backwards, then forwards. Another example. My grandparents came to this country in the early part of the 20th century, mostly from Eastern Europe. You'd have to go back to Lucy to find even a speck of DNA I share with anybody who'd set foot in North America prior to 1900. And yet I look back to the Civil War and the Revolutionary War as part of my history; I think of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington as two of my presidents; my town, North Andover, founded in 1646, gives me a personal sense of antiquity that dates back over 350 years. And yet I just showed up on the scene some 44 years ago. I popped into the story most of the way through it, and that story, my history -- my perception of everything that has happened prior to this moment -- is woven together from a series of threads that only come together for and in me: my story is not sequential but, literally, random access. This is how life works. And this is how 21 Grams unfolds, starting in the middle, slipping backwards, surging forwards -- a random access story. And yet, a story that draws you inexorably, irresistably, towards a tragic climax. You see it coming -- in fact, you see scenes from the very end of the movie at the very beginning. But you have to watch the whole thing to be able to put those scenes into context, into a timeline, into a coherent history. It helps to watch it twice or three times; more and more pieces fall into place each time. Sean Penn is hypnotic as Paul Rivers, a dying mathematician in desperate need of a new heart. Benicio Del Toro is white hot as Jack Jordan, a born-again ex con who, in a perverse trick of predestination, provides him with a donor. And Naomi Watts is unforgettable, heartbreaking and haunting as Christina Peck, once-and-future drug addict, and widow of the aforementioned donor. Three stories, three lives, that seemingly intersect at only one point, a fatal hit-and-run accident, circle each other in ever eroding orbits as Rivers pursues Peck, his new heart calling out to its old mate, and as, together, they seek vengeance and closure and release in killing Jordan. You can see the end coming like a car crash, unfolding in slow motion. In fact, you have seen it coming, from the first moments of the movie. And yet you can't take your eyes off the fragments of the story as they flash across the screen, pieces of a jigsaw puzzle scattered in front of you, slowly rearranging themselves as you watch. You know what the final picture will look like, and yet your mind struggles, literally, to put the pieces together, to look for any outcome other than the only possible one. It's maddening and magnetic all at the same time. And definitely worth watching. More than once. (2004-11-21 13:46:20.0) Permalink
Saturday November 20, 2004 Today is the prelude of the good will of God... On November 21, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Entrance of the Theotokos (Greek: "God-bearer", as the Church refers to the Virgin Mary) into the Temple in Jerusalem. Following is an explanation of the feast by Fr. Thomas Hopko, Dean Emeritus of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, from his four-part series on The Orthodox Faith. The second great feast of the Theotokos is the celebration of her entrance as a child into the Jerusalem Temple which is commemorated on the twenty-first of November. Like the feast of her nativity, this feast of Mary is without direct biblical and historical reference. But like the nativity, it is a feast filled with important spiritual significance for the Christian believer. The texts of the service tells how Mary was brought as a small child to the temple by her parents in order to be raised there among the virgins consecrated to the service of the Lord until the time of their betrothal in marriage. According to Church tradition, Mary was solemnly received by the temple community which was headed by the priest Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. She was led to the holy place to be "nourished" there by the angels in order to become herself the "holy of holies" of God, the living sanctuary and temple of the Divine child who was to be born in her. There is no doubt that the verses of the Old Testamental Psalm 45, used extensively in the services of the feast, provided a great inspiration for the celebration of Mary's consecration to the service of God in the Jerusalem Temple. Hear, 0 Daughter, and consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father's house, and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your Lord, bow to him... The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes, in many-colored robes she is led to her king, with her virgin companions, her escort, in her train. With joy and gladness they are led along, as they enter the palace of the king.
Instead of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth. I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations, therefore, the peoples will praise you forever and ever.
The Orthodox Church understands these words of the psalm to be a prophecy directly related to Mary the Theotokos. According to the Gospel of Saint Luke which is read at the Vigil of each of her feasts, Mary herself speaks the following words:
My soul magnifies the Lord and my Spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, hence-forth all generations shall call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me and holy is his name. And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation.
The main theme of the feast of Mary's entrance to the Temple, repeated many times in the liturgical services, is the fact that she enters the Temple to become herself the living temple of God, thus inaugurating the New Testament in which are fulfilled the prophecies of old that "the dwelling of God is with man" and that the human person is the sole proper dwelling place of the Divine Presence. (Ezekiel 37:27; John 14:15-23; Acts 7:47; II Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:18-22; 1 Peter 2:4; Revelation 21:1-4)
Today is the prelude of the good will of God, of the preaching of the salvation of mankind. The Virgin appears in the temple of God, in anticipation proclaiming Christ to all. Let us rejoice and sing to her: Rejoice, 0 Divine Fulfillment of the Creator's dispensation.
The most pure Temple of the Saviour, the precious Chamber and Virgin, the Sacred Treasure of the Glory of God, is presented today to the house of the Lord. She brings with her the grace of the Spirit, which the angels of God do praise. Truly this woman is the Abode of Heaven!
The fortieth chapter of Exodus about the building of the tabernacle is read at Vespers, together with passages from the First Book of Kings and the Prophecy of Ezekiel. Each one of these readings all end with exactly the same line, "for the glory of the Lord filled the house (tabernacle) of the Lord God Almighty." (Exodus 40:35; I Kings 8:11; Ezekiel 44:4) Once again on this feast, the Old Testament readings are interpreted as symbols of the Mother of God. This "glory of the Lord" is referred to the Mother of Christ and it "fills" her and all people after her who "hear the word of God and keep it" as the Gospel of the festal liturgy proclaims. (Luke 11:28) The epistle reading at the Divine Liturgy also proclaims this very same theme. (Hebrews 9:1-7) Thus, the feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple is the feast which celebrates the end of the physical temple in Jerusalem as the dwelling place of God. When the child Mary enters the temple, the time of the temple comes to an end and the "preview of the good will of God" is shown forth. On this feast we celebrate-in the person of Christ's mother-that we too are the house and tabernacle of the Lord. ... We are the temple of the living God, as God said, "I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." (II Corinthians 6:16; Ezekiel 37:27) For another explanation of this feast, see the Sermon on the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple by Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica. A glorious feast day to you all! (2004-11-20 19:54:59.0) Permalink
Saturday November 06, 2004 Now Here's a First -- Rx: Blogging Okay, so the reason I've been relatively quiet as of late is that I have this fun new job at Sun, which happened late in September. It's fun and also rather big and hairy. Imagine playing some backyard football with, say, Mean Joe Greene (I'm from Pittsburgh) and you can visualize the interplay of fun, big and hairy. Sometimes, it's so much fun you can't get up off the ground afterwards. Anyway, I was at the doctor's yesterday for a checkup, feeling rather like I'd been skydiving sans chute, and she gave me a rather interesting prescription for getting my life back on track. It had five parts.
1. Exercise at least five times a week. And then she asked me what I have enjoyed doing in the past, that I haven't done for a while. I think she was expecting me to say gardening (ha!) or working on the house (ho!). Or some other manly pursuit that all my neighbors seem to do so naturally. I said I missed blogging. So, as a result, the last part of my prescription is: 5. Blog at least 15 minutes per day. I would venture to guess that in the (short) history of blogging, this is a first: blogging as prescription medicine. I can't swear that I'll do 15 minutes each and every day, but I promise to do better than I've done. Which won't be hard, you say, and rightly so. "Creep, crawl, walk, run," I say in reply, to quote a Sun buddy of mine, Kurt Ross. So as my first creeping return to normalcy, here we are. I'll be back again soon. Doctor's orders. (2004-11-06 14:48:15.0) Permalink Comments [1] Check the archives for entries dating back to the dawn of recorded history (June 14, 2004). |
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