IronKnee's Xanga

Construction Has Begun

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 04:53:13 GMT

The Board of the Bay County Council on Aging and I have worked for months on grant applications and financial statements to try to come up with a half million dollars to renovate our main Senior Center. It's the headquarters building, and it's in such bad shape that the light fixtures fill up with water every time it rains. The whole thing is very shabby, and the kitchen equipment--where they prepare the Meals on Wheels we deliver every day--is positively antediluvian. We're in desperate need of renovation.

When I got there this morning, I was greeted by the sound of jackhammers. The renovations started TODAY! It was loud, but that sound was music to my ears. The staff will have to put up with many inconveniences, but in the end it'll be worth it. They're excited about it, and so am I.

Saturday Afternoon with Liza

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:57:09 GMT

It has been awhile since I've posted any video of Liza, my granddaughter, and she's growing fast. She spent the day with us today, as usual, and this afternoon, she, Beth, and I had some fun. The first thing we did was to play with her toy bowling set.

We have a few Halloween decorations around the house, including a candy dish on the coffee table that has some hard candy in it. Liza had been circling that dish all day, so we let her have one after her nap. She chose a strawberry-flavored piece with a liquid center, and I think the sweetness kind of got to her.

After we took the candy away from her, I cut some slices of cake for the three of us. Here's Liza eating cake and talking about her birthday. She will turn 3 on October 15.

Have a good weekend.

A Team of Mavericks

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:14:28 GMT

I haven't commented much on presidential politics unless I thought something was funny, but Sarah Palin's insistence that she belongs to a "team of mavericks" is ludicrous. Doesn't "team" mean a group of people who work together, often in lockstep, to achieve a common goal? A maverick football player who doesn't do what the coach says might occasionally achieve some minor greatness, but a "team of mavericks" couldn't form up on the line of scrimmage.

And, of course, there's the nuclear-nucular thing. We've heard "nucular" from Bush for almost eight years, and it has me wondering if Bush, Palin, and their ilk have a whole different ways of hearing things than I do.

This all pales, though, because tomorrow is Liza Time™, and I can't wait.

The Last of the Bushes?

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:57:07 GMT

We haven't seen the last of the Bushes on the national scene. Let's not forget JEB--John Ellis Bush. Here's the Wiki link to him: click here. We'll see how this pans out.

Fundraising

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:47:35 GMT

Beth and I both "work" for non-profits, and we're both in the middle of fundraising season. As Executive Director of the Bay Education Foundation, she's trying to get members and donations from businesses and individuals; as president of the Board of Directors of the Bay County Council on Aging, I'm working with Council staff and other board members on The Official Panama City Centennial Cookbook and on our Fall Festival (November 1st). Given the financial news of the last week and a half, could there be a worse time to try to raise funds for charity?

For example, today I called one of my former students, who I know loves me and would do anything he could for me, for a donation of services at his business. He was most sympathetic to our cause, and he said they'd probably be able to help us out. "But you know, my first priority has to be to keep my people employed." He's right, and I told him so. I find that ironic. And sad.

What's Your Name? Who's Your Daddy?

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:52:15 GMT

Sarah Palin, the vice-presidential nominee of the Republican Party, gave her kids some rather odd names. Somebody has come up with the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator. You type in a name, and the Baby Name Generator tells you what Sarah Palin would have named you. My Sarah Palin name would have been Tape Boise Palin, and my wife's name would have been Ripper Shook Palin. Here are the Sarah Palin names for my children:

Susan: Stoppage Leak Palin

Sean: Bang Walmart Palin

Catherine: Slap Spear Palin

Michael (Mike): Hen Waffle Palin

Did you notice the names of my children? Susan, Sean, Catherine, and Michael? You would be hard pressed to find a more traditional lineup of names. I love it that Mike (who is a graduate chef) has two food names. [Re: Hen. Today at the Obama Rally (see previous post) a lady was telling me about her grandmother's recipe for dumplings, as in "chicken and dumplings," which she contributed to The Official Panama City Centennial Cookbook that the Bay County Council on Aging is producing. The secret of the wonderful dumplings was that her grandmother used "hen fat" instead of butter or Crisco as the shortening. She said one day she came home from school, opened the refrigerator, and saw what she thought was a pudding. She got a spoon and dipped some out . When she put it in her mouth, she realized it was congealed hen fat. I vomited a little bit in my mouth when I heard that.]

I love the irony of the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator. Don't you wish you knew what Palin's daughter is going to name her baby. If it's a boy, maybe they'll call him Levi Gene. Or, better, Levi Genes. That would capture so much more of who he is. Assuming Levi Johnston is really the baby daddy, of course.

Political Rally

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:58:43 GMT

I've been interested in politics for a long time, but today I did something I had never done before: I went to a political rally for Barack Obama. It was billed as targeting senior citizens to talk about health care, and they touched on that topic. But they were all over the place on virtually every issue.

The three speakers were Senator Bob Graham of Florida, Governor Ray Mabus of Mississippi, and Governor James Hodges of South Carolina. That's right. I didn't make a mistake. Who would have thought twenty years ago that an African American would be running for president or that former governors of Mississippi and South Carolina would be touring the country trying to get people to vote for him? The irony is almost overwhelming.

Barney

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:41:49 GMT

Barney the Dinosaur of Our Imagination is a big part of the lives of many toddlers. Liza loves Barney, and, frankly, Barney teaches the kids some good stuff.

The Barney I'm writing about, though, is Barney Frank, the chairman of the Financial Services Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. He headed up the creation of the compromise bill that was supposed to bail out the financial community, shore up the economy, and, presumably, prevent a depression in the United States and, indeed, the world. As it turned out, the bill was voted down in the House, so the process has to start over.

The great irony is that Barney Frank is openly gay, and, as such, would not be allowed to serve in the United States military. Save the economy? Sure, no problem. Fight in Iraq? No way! He's queer.

Visiting Strangers

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:24:09 GMT

This morning after Mass a lady went up front to talk about some very special thing that's going to happen in our parish during October. I'm sure there's a name for this program, which I don't remember, but, basically, next Sunday we're supposed to draw five names of registered members of the parish from a bowl, or something, and we have two weeks to visit these people in their homes. This is supposed to be a way to build community and family and lots of warm fuzzies. She said that if we draw the name of somebody we actually know, we should put it back and draw again. They have a talking-points memo they'll give out next week when we draw the names. This will all culminate on October 19th with some grand open-air Mass under a tent (bring folding chairs and blankets), followed by lunch catered by a restaurant that I never go to because I don't like anything on their menu. She assured us it would be good weather on October 19th, so not to worry. Oh, and she and her husband are moving to Tennessee on October 20th to be near their grandchildren.

But, uh, the grandchildren are probably moving to California from Tennessee. But the lady and her husband have already closed on the sale of their house here, and they might have already bought something in Tennessee. I can totally understand why people would want to move to where their children and grandchildren are, but it looks like this couple might have inadvertently shot themselves in the foot. I don't mean to denigrate this lady because I think she is living out my idea of the Christian ideal of service to others. I just think this idea is totally wrongheaded and destined to fail.

But what about this visiting total strangers to talk about our parish? She said we can call ahead if we want to, but just dropping in unannounced is okay, too. Not to me, it's not. When I told Beth about this, she was appalled. She asked me if we'll be subject to visitation, and I said I guess we will be. She said she's not letting strangers in the house if I'm not home, and I don't want her to. I have absolutely no intention of visiting anybody, and I don't want anybody visiting us. After Mass I asked my friend Phyllis if she's going to do that, and she said she wasn't. They don't open the church that Phyllis isn't there, so that made me feel better about my resolve.

I don't know what motivated this, but I know our parish has been losing Mass attenders for years. Revenue is down, and a priest, who spent about a month with us this summer while the pastor was on vacation, commented to me on how much Mass attendance is down from when he was here as a substitute two years ago. Ten years ago, there was standing room only in that church at the 10:15 Mass. Now there are banks of empty pews. I have a theory about why this is happening, but I don't feel comfortable expressing it here.

Anyway, if I wanted to knock on the doors of strangers and ask to be invited in to discuss religion with them, I'd become a Jahovah's Witness or a Mormon. I'm a Catholic. A man for others. I think I can spend my time a lot more effectively delivering meals to poor, homebound seniors than I can knocking on the doors of strangers wanting to talk to them about my parish.

Happy Birthday, Catherine

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 03:18:48 GMT

Today's our daughter Catherine's 31st birthday, and I want to publicly tell her HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I already told her that in person, both when we saw her this morning at Liza's Kitchen and this afternoon when she came to pick up Liza. This morning our friend Judy, who is one of Catherine's godmothers, went with us for breakfast, and she and Beth sang Happy Birthday to Cat. Everybody in the restaurant joined in, and it was a really happy occasion. Catherine told us tonight that she had happy tears in her eyes when they did that.

When we visited Grandma Jane this morning (Beth's mother, Catherine's grandmother, and Liza's great-grandmother, and my friend before she became my mother-in-law) as we do every Saturday morning with Liza, Beth and I commented that it was hard for us to realize we have children who are 33 and 31 years old. Jane, who will turn 90 in December, said, "Well imagine me. I've got two children who are on Social Security!"

Liza is so blessed by having so many generations of relatives who are still alive and who are so active and present in her life. Liza's third birthday is coming up on October 15th, and we think she knows that will be celebrated in style. And all four generations of women will be there in their party finery.