As it happens, I have a fairly grand holiday break set up for myself this year, due to the fact that my class ends the week of December 10, I’m three days a week at Graywolf, and I have saved up vacation days all year, apparently. I will more or less be off of a regular work schedule from December 13 to January 7.

I’m hoping that might mean I can come to Kansas for a few days somewhere in there–either before Christmas or sometime after. I will certainly be in Minnesota roughly December 23-26 for family gatherings here. I thought I would see when others of you might be around the McPherson area during the holidays, to see if I can match my schedule to yours, as it would be great to see you all, in addition to my parents, grandparents, and extended family.

I need to get my air fare set as soon as possible, so let me know what your plans may be. And of course, it’s always interesting to know what all of you are doing for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s…

So I’m busy on my Thursdays and Fridays away from Graywolf–preparing my syllabus, creating assignments, and fretting in positive ways about the fall semester. I’m sort of giddy to be back on a campus, right across from the library and chapel, and around some of the bustle that’s already starting to take place. My class doesn’t start until September 10, so luckily I have some time yet. It will be a great experiment to be back in the classroom again, and I’m feeling like it’s a great time to return to it. And with just a one-class appointment, it’s not a huge loss if it all doesn’t go perfectly–so in it’s way, it’s nice to have some pressure off.

Meanwhile, I’m trying to get some writing in and some freelance editing to try to make up some of my reduced salary. This seems like a much healthier schedule for me, and I’m finding myself happier even than I thought I’d be at taking a step back from Graywolf. Here’s to good things ahead.

It allows you to calculate the amount of carbon you create in a year, advises on carbon reduction, and allows you to choose what projects you want to put your donation toward when you offset through CarbonFund. It also lists partners in the project, which may be a determining factor when you buy your next computer, bike rack, or CD – another way to offset your footprint. Something worth considering.

I attended the funeral service yesterday for Bob Hapgood, Sr.  He was of course a neighbor of mine and the father to Tony and Bobby, childhood friends.

His death was sudden and unexpected, but the result ultimately of a food habit. Bob had heart surgery several years ago and had a recent heart attack. As his wife, Jeanne, said, “he went in for the surgery and never came home from the hospital.”

I admit it was a tougher loss than I thought it might be, to see the effects on the kids, my friends, eyes welling, but holding back the floods, bravely soldiering on. Bob was a local celebrity and apparently everyone’s friend; what seemed like the entire town reportedly showed for the viewing of the body the night before.  The wait was over two hours for the entire two hours the viewing was open. I saw the Shotts’ at the funeral service, which was a pleasant surprise.

I have been doing a lot of reflection as we are prone to do in these instances. Bob was 65 — just a couple of years older than my father. The boys are a year older and a year younger than myself. I wonder if I am putting enough into living for the moment, and putting enough of myself into all of the important relationships in my life.

I have also been thinking about the lyrics of the song on Deathcab’s CD, “What Sara Said” and what a powerful piece that is.

It is actually 70 degrees here in Minnesota. Which means we only have three or four more snow storms before summer arrives. That got us thinking…

Are any and all of you interested in coming to Minnesota for a weekend at the Aspengren lake place? After talking previously with J. E. and Toby about this, it seems a non-holiday weekend would work best for many of us. That said, let us know if this sounds fun and if there’s a good weekend that you could take the drive or flight up this way. It would be terrific to have you.

Jen’s parents’ place is great–four bedrooms, two bathrooms, very family friendly. There’s a good kitchen too, a nice patio for outdoor lounging, and they have a dock in the lake with boat and jetski. Lots of fun things to do in the little town of Elysian, MN, about one mile away. There are great paved bike and running trails that run for miles.

No HUGE rush, but if we’re thinking of doing this in early June or some such we should begin making plans so we can all get it on the calendar.

(pause for applause.)

1) Our house is on the market now and we’ve had some stong interest already. I’ll post the MLS listing as soon as it is available.

2) I came across the painting below, Gasthof zur Muldentalsperre by Peter Doig, in an old issue of Harper’s that had been lying around for a few months. I reminded me a bit of some of Ned’s work. Especially Concrete Cabin. I’ve had some Doig’s images on my computer desk top for a few weeks now. I think they’re in my dreams now.

3) Here is another modern use of the pipe organ: Megalomania from an early Muse album, Origin of Symmetry. And another track thrown in for good measure: New Born. My guess is that Muse is a bit too bombastic for the tastes of the Hollow Men brothers but I like their baroque operaticism. Their newer albums are more refined but, sadly, they don’t feature the pipe organ. Some people say Muse sounds like Radiohead but a close listening will reveal that Muse is much more romantic and hot-blooded than the ultra-cool Radiohead. Perhaps Muse could be described as a blending of the best of Radiohead and Queen.

4) I am currently reading The Mill and the Cross: Peter Bruegel’s “Way to Calvary” by Machael Francis Gibson — very well written art history. Reading one book about one painting is very enjoyable. I only wish I could see the painting first hand.

On Sunday, taking a break from home renovations, I saw Explosions In the Sky at Hogg Auditorium. Highly recommended. There are still tickets available for the Minneapolis show later this month but, alas, the Bottleneck is sold out. Check out the review.

Secondly- about the Myers-Briggs. What I would like to do with these is more of a self-analysis piece. I think it would be really interesting and possibly a growth experience to be able to compare how we see ourselves compared to how our close friends see us. So with the information provided by the tests (which I must add, I am not qualified necessarily to interpret), I would encourage each of you to read the descriptions provided in the connected sites and find a few things you agree strongly with about yourselves and some things you might disagree with and, if willing, submit those to the rest of us to dialogue about. My thinking is that this will provide a little information to others about what we percieve about ourselves and also some feedback; so it may be beneficial both ways.

Another interesting thing I have come accross lately has to do with the show Gilligan’s Island. Which character do you most identify with and why. Will provide more on this later.

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No pressure but friendly pressure. I don’t want to lose that thread here on the site.

–Shotts

We have talked briefly about fasting on this blog, but never in depth. This February 24th, I am going to participate in a Thirty-Hour-Famine. This amounts more to a hunger strike than a fast, which implies a more spiritual journey. I will be going thirty hours without food in order to raise money for Worldvision activities in Uganda. I am once again calling upon my friends and family to donate to this cause by the date above. Checks can be made to WorldVision for any amount. I will say that I will cut a check for five dollars more than the largest check I get from any of you.

Two: Recently, I have been reading some essays by John Ruskin. Oddly enough, I searched out one of his essays, because Gandhi mentioned it having changed his life (come to find out, so did Proust, Tolstoy, and William Morris). The essay is called “Unto This Last”. It is a four part, medium length essay expounding on the inherent problems of England’s capitalist economy. I have read things by John Berger challenging the notions of capitalism as well, but Ruskin’s is more direct, more reasoned, and oddly more contemporary. It is written in high Victorian language, which is beautiful and difficult to understand. Ruskin is rapidly becoming one of my favorite historical essayists. Many economists after Ruskin have felt compelled to answer to his charges in this essay.

Three: Shoot. I forgot what number three was.

Though there are more scenes of graphic violence than I would have liked I highly recommend this movie. I didn’t see a better movie in 2006 and I don’t expect to see a better movie in 2007. I’m looking forward to Netflixing Guillermo del Toro’s other work as well.

–Shotts

Hard Rain

After I heard “It’s a Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”
played softly by an accordion quartet
through the ceiling speakers at the Springdale Shopping Mall,
I understood there’s nothing
we can’t pluck the stinger from,

nothing we can’t turn into a soft drink flavor or a t-shirt.
Even serenity can become something horrible
if you make a commercial about it
using smiling, white-haired people

quoting Thoreau to sell retirement homes
in the Everglades, where the swamp has been
drained and bulldozed into a nineteen-hole golf course
with electrified alligator barriers.

“You can’t keep beating yourself up, Billy,”
I heard the therapist say on television
to the teenage murderer,
“about all those people you killed—
you just have to be the best person you can be,

one day at a time”—

and everybody in the audience claps and weeps a little,
because the level of deep feeling has been touched,
and they want to believe that
the power of Forgiveness is greater
than the power of Consequence, or History.

Dear Abby:

My father is a businessman who travels.
Each time he returns from one of his trips,
his shoes and trousers
are covered with blood–
but he never forgets to bring me a nice present.
Should I say something?

Signed, America.

I used to think I was not part of this,
that I could mind my own business and get along,

but that was just another song
that had been taught to me since birth—

whose words I was humming under my breath,
as I was walking through the Springdale Mall.

–Tony Hoagland

Earl Grey Tea Cookies (makes 6 dozen)

2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. granulated sugar

2 T. Earl Grey tea leaves (or two tea bags)

1/2 t. salt

1 t. pure vanilla extract

1 c. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Pulse together all the dry ingredients in a food processor until the tea leaves are pulverized.  Add the vanilla, 1 t. water, and the butter.  Pulse together until a dough is formed.  Divide the dough in half.  Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a 12 inch log, about 2 inches in diameter.  Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.  Slice each log into discs, 1/3 inch thick.  Place on parchment or foil-lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart.  Bake until the edges are just brown, about 12 minutes.  Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.  Enjoy!

FYI, for our allergy-ridden friends, mangos are in the cashew family.

http://www.wcco.com/video/?id=20474@wcco.dayport.com

As you can imagine, there are already fans pledging to boycott The Hobbit if it is directed by anyone other than Peter Jackson.

In other LOTR news, a great independent theater not far from our neighborhood in Minneapolis is playing all three LOTR films back to back to back on December 28th. I have to admit, I’m considering it–11 hours straight. It’s become part of the holiday tradition.

–Shotts

Please go to www.bocce.org for further information on the sport, its history, and its rules. Certainly, our version–termed “extreme bocce” by several passers-by–bends the rules in numerous and important ways–which is to say, any terrain is fair play, as long as it does not risk damage to the bocce balls. I’d say it is a cross between lawn bowling, billiards, and miniature golf.

An excellent weekend, Toby and Peters. Good form. You were greatly missed, J. E. and Ned.

Happy Halloween, and a good All Souls’ Day ahead.

–Shotts

To: The Honorable Russ Feingold
506 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-4904 

Dear Senator Feingold, 

This letter is written to plead that you and other United States representatives pay attention to what is happening in Darfur, Sudan. I, a voting citizen in a swing state, implore you to take some action, whatever action you can, to prevent the genocide occurring as we speak. How many more hundreds of thousands must be killed before we act? President Bush himself has described the situation as genocide. I am horrified, outraged, and flabbergasted that our country has remained neutral in action on this heinous situation. “You can look at it this way: back in 1944, the Germans didn’t want anybody coming in and seeing their death camps. Today in Sudan, the government doesn’t want anybody coming in and seeing what amount to death villages.” * 

Please let us use our resources where we can make a true moral stand against murder and injustice. Can we not send more aid to these areas? Can we not more fiercely condemn these behaviors? Kofi Annan and Bill Clinton both recognize Rwanda as their crowning failure. Will we stand by and do nothing, again? Is it true that we have resisted sending a U.N. Peacekeeping force because we have received information on Osama Bin Laden from leaders in Sudan? “It’s been a very good deal for the government of Sudan to give little tidbits of information about suspects around the world in order to blunt United States outrage over what’s happening in Darfur,” Prendergast says. * 

First, I challenge you as a respectable acting member of the government of the United States to respond to me with a letter entailing actions you are taking to prevent the slaughter taking place in Sudan and answer my questions. Are we turning our backs on Africa and Sudan because we have no financial interests there? Secondly, I challenge you to send me information on how I can make a tangible difference. 

Ned Gannon
2028 8^th Street 
Eau Claire, WI 54703

* http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/20/60minutes/main2111909_page2.shtml

Speaking of food and going hungry, just thought I’d mention that I’m doing a three mile CROP walk this October. I’m supposed to have sponsors to raise money. I Don’t know too many people here to whom I can appeal. I’m trying to get people to send ten dollar checks made out to CWS/CROP Walk. Our goals are for ten people to raise a hundred dollars making a thousand per church out of twenty-two participating Eau Claire churches which will amount to twenty-two thousand dollars, or more…

For those of you who don’t know what this is: CROP Walk is intended to fight world hunger. Twenty percent of what you send will go to regional food banks, sixteen percent will go to administration costs and the rest to purchase seeds, farm equipment, land, drills for wells, water pumps, and other equipment intended on making communities self-sustainable mostly overseas in struggling countries where war does not prevent assistance and stability such as Malawi Africa. In other words, if you donate ten dollars, two dollars will go to local food banks, a dollar-seventy will go to administration, and the rest to fight hunger worldwide.

This is not the most efficient charity to fight world hunger, but it ranks as one of the more effiicent. CWS stands for Church World Service (an inter-denominational organization that includes all denominations, including Aglican and Orthodox, with the exception of Catholics who have a myriad of their own organizations) and if some of you are uncomfortable giving to a Christian based charity, I understand. It may also bother you that this organization also receives approximately 18-20 percent of their annual funds from the U.S. government. Again, I understand if this bothers you. Although, this situation arises because CWS has a much more effective manner of using funds than any direct governmental agencies do.

Despite these aspects, I do believe the organization does a lot of good, and I’m walking whether I get my hundred or not. Again, if you want to send a check, send it to: 2028 8th Street, Eau Claire, WI 54703, and make checks to CWS/CROP Walk.

If you aren’t interested in this for political, personal, financial reasons, or because you give time and money to other causes, no need to explain yourself in a blog. I know we’re all doing the best we can with what we’ve got. I’ll be grateful for anything that arrives before the October 8th deadline. Just know that if you pass on this. Spectra has already won.

Thanks,

Ned

Be careful clicking on the link. It opens up with sound and video. And it may forever scar-black your soul.

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Okay, I’m going to shake things up a bit.  Now that we’ve hit our one-week anniversary for this project, I am going to swap design templates in and out.  It’s as simple as flipping a switch and I can revert back to this design any time.  Let’s try a new one each day and let me know which one you like best.  Comment below to vote!

Liz has been doing more driving for work out in the boonies of Texas so reliable transportation has become more important. We were tired of renting a car any time we went on a long trip. Furthermore Baxter gets 34 MPG which is 10 MPG better than George. Baxter has dual airbags whereas George has none.

If it sounds like I’m trying to justify purchasing a new car (that’s right, new new), I am. We don’t deserve a new car and it is sort of difficult to enjoy it as I resent needing a car at all but the fact that Baxter is iPod compatible really helps.

I know some of you may think that the Scion xB is an ugly car but you are wrong.

Alternate dates are the weekend of October 21 or November11.

What say you?