Where ya been, dude?

I have been recuperating from some otorhinolanryngeal infections (not too severe, just so draining, like mono), dealing with some political (and ego-driven) scullduggery at work, trying to get a leg up on a big writing project I've let slide (no, this one isn't even for the blog -- it's so big it's offline! /gasp!/), learning French and Spanish with some audio programs on my iPod as I travel to and from work, trying to keep up with tai chi and judo, returning to Chinese lessons three times a week, and basically dealing wtih any number of things that make up a life. I have gotten a number of important letters out at last. Strangely enough, over the past few weeks I've been sleeping more, which is surprising given my habits, but good. Culturing and drinking snow fungus yogurt (it's a Tibetan thing) has seemed to work wonders on my sinuses and allergy problems.

I am happiest to report that I have finally, by the grace of God, gotten on fairly stable and healthy ground as far as Lent goes. I am avoiding mortal sin more ably, praying a bit more regularly, my hunger for God's Word in the Bible has spiked (with the added bonus of keeping my German in shape by switching full-time to my German Catholic Bible), and, once my food-only med series is over, I am ready to fast and pray for peace in Iraq. Fasting is not merely self-denial; it is strategic self-denial for the sake of something better. A desert father (or perhaps just "Eastern Christianity" in general) once called fasting without prayer the fasting of demons. On the negative side, I have fasted from Amazon.com and reading any other blogs. On the positive side, I've also committed to a daily examen of conscience (or "consciousness" as now seems to be the hipper sense of the practice). I haven't kept this discipline perfectly, which grieves me, but I shall keep walking, even hobbling, in the light.

I'll admit it has been a very hard time for me lately. Lent has been a very trying time for me, not the least because I've been so aware of my lack of zeal, depth and piety. While I have finally formulated a solid, feasible timeline for the next two years, the present is often a very inscrutable fleeting mystery to me these days. Yesterday was a testing day, so we got off early; I made remakrably good use of the extra time by completing numerous errands. Even so, once the dust had settled, and I was left with myself, I experienced an all too familiar disorientation, perhaps even faceless disquietude. My confessor told me I must learn to "float" right now; the time for deciding, moving, changing, beginning and all the other "active" parts of growth will come. Right now I am in an opaque sea, and feel disconnected from my usual delights, feel removed from my old assurances and alliances. I won't say it's a "dark night of the soul" -- more of a hazy early morning. I can't seem to sink my teeth into anything. I'm not actually sad (at least, not very often); it's more the case that, when I look within, I often feel as opaque and amorphous as this sea on which I am floating.

My little addiction

I keep my eyes peeled for news about the bird flu. This article paints a pretty grim picture.

In a remarkable speech over the weekend, Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt recommended that Americans start storing canned tuna and powdered milk under their beds as the prospect of a deadly bird flu outbreak approaches the United States. ...

U.S. spy satellites are tracking the infected flocks, which started in Asia and are now heading north to Siberia and Alaska, where they will soon mingle with flocks from the North American flyways.

"What we're watching in real time is evolution," said Laurie Garrett, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. "And it's a biological process, and it is, by definition, unpredictable."

I see the light

Wow now I understand why Elliot wanted some help with this blog. Easy to dive in with some steam... but then keep posting day after day? Too many articles, too much good TV on.

Anyway, here's a joke I heard.

A man was auditioning for an anchorman job at a leading news network. The producers were happy with him, he spoke clearly, looked good, sounded intellligent. But towards the end of the audition he started winking and smirking and twitching.

"Are you okay?" the TV guys asked. Worried now. "You were doing great until you, uh, started twitching and winking like that."

Oh don't worry," said the anchorman. "It's a small nerve disorder of mine. It's easily treated with a packet of aspirin."

"Really?" asked the news guys.

"Yeah, let me show you," said the anchorman. "I've always got some aspirin with me if this starts up." He reached into his pockets but pulled out packet after packet of condoms. Still looking for the aspirin, the anchorman now had a little pile of condoms on the table.

"Ahem," said the news guys. "I'm afraid we can't hire a... womanizer. We have a good reputation."

"I resent that" yelled the anchorman. "I am a faithful husband, been married twenty years. I'm no womanizer."

"Well how do you explain all the condoms?" they asked.

"Have YOU ever gone into a drug store winking and smirking asking for a pack of aspirin?"

Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week.

Great, just great

Before the pandemic even begins to break, Europe is melting in an epidemic of mass hypochondria. What a great breeding ground for disease.

Crotchety conformist Catholics

Always enforcing the status quo, always enabling the elite.

Then again...

Bush said what?

The uproar is about Bush claiming no one expected a levee breach in New Orleans during Katrina... but now videos show he was warned about a danger of levee trouble. This is a such a sad ugly mess but I wanted to stake my claim.

Technically, in legalese (or Talking Head BS), Bush was right. So far no videos or testimony shows a levee BREACH was expected. Bush heard about levee flooding, for sure. But not a BREACH. And I hear that makes a very big differnece, really. Plus, it turns out the Louisiana governor, Blanco, accidentally misinformed Bush about the levess being OK or not. I feel terrible for her. Like she meant to donwplay the danger for her people.

This doesn't get Bush off the hook in my book tho because the point of his claim "no one expected" was to clear him and the FEMA boys from blame. It would have been so much more... savory? noble? presidential? ... if Bush had just admitted "We heard conflicting reports, but the fact is, we miscalculated and failed to deliver enough support on time. I am deeply sorry, America. Let's pull together" like that. Hearing "this is the big one", and that Katrina was just as intense as Hurricane Andrew ... only way bigger! ... and when you realize the NO levees weren't even up to CAT 3 standards yet ... this should put some steel in your presidential spine, and get you into the mess with both hands, all guns blazin.

Bush malevolent? No, just too far from the scene and too relaxed, and he let himself get distracted with advisors technicality. The onlt thing that should have been on his mind was "Wow people are going to die, let's go go go!" Even aside from Bush tho NO got drowned because it had a long history of inadequate levees and, facts is facts, I don't think anyone could imagine a storm as wicked as Katrina. It just broke all expcetations, it was the uber-storm and no scenarios could handle that.