Really John McCain? Really?

Ok...  So, I find myself needing to vent.  I kind of wanted to stay away from Theology and Politics in this blog, but desperate times call for desperate measures...

Number 1:  I don't care what network you work for, Barack Obama is not  the fulfillment of MLK's dream.  King said that he dreamt that his children would be judged by the content  of their character  and not  the color of their skin!   So saying that a black man winning the nomination, though historic, though profoundly great, though a huge step in the right direction, is not the fulfillment of a dream.  If it were, we would be talking more about what a much, much, much better choice Barack Obama is than John McCain on his merits of integrity, vision, character, and ability to empower the people around him.  What I loved most about his speech last night (which actually choked me up and that is by far a first in the political realm) is that he kept saying it isn't about him as much as it is about us.

A better comparison between Obama and King's dream is Obama and Roosevelt (another thing I don't say lightly).  Of course, Obama was milking comparisons as much as possible.  But Bush to Hoover is a good comparison.  And Obama's vision is not too unlike FDR.  Lord knows, if he becomes President (and I truly hope he does) he's going to be inheriting a huge mess of a country.  

NUMBER 2 (which is far bigger and thus demands bold capitalization) Really, John McCain?  Really?  Come on now.  Really?  I don't know if it is better to ask if the only woman you can get to run with you is some obscure governor from Alaska or if the only person you can get to run with you is Palin.  Listen, I understand you want to steal Hilary's voter base away from Obama, but that got much harder after last night.  Isn't it pretty obvious what you are trying to do here?  Why not get a Mexican dishwater (no offense to Mexicans or Dishwashers.  I'm sure none would want to work with you) as a running mate?  You may find one more qualified.  Which is SHOCKING since a majority of your complaints against your opponent are levied at his experience level.  Do your really think that Americans are that stupid, Sen. McCain?  Really?  If anyone was thinking of voting for you, perhaps now would be a good time to reconsider.

There.

I said it.

Blood pressure dropping...

"I'm Only Happy When It Rains" and Other Garbage

Well, I only have a few seconds and then its out school shopping, hair-cut getting, and dinner eating.  Firstly I want to thank my friend Rob for all the hard (and free) work that he has decided to do on my layout.  I don't know why he wants to do it, but I'm not going to argue.  That said, The Tired Kingdom is a little under-construction.  Though, Rob predicts that it will all be done by tomorrow afternoon.  Then things like the comment box for you not to leave comments in will be back along with everything else missing.

I would also like to express my relief for the rain that we've been seeing around here.  Being a pastor in a small, rural community during a drought is never any fun and quite frankly I'm tired of being asked why my prayers weren't being answered.  Prayer received, prayer answered.  Although I'm not so sure my "God make it rain so Bob gets off my back" prayers were really the ones that work, if prayer works like that at all.  That, my friend, may be a different entry for a different blog.  

I'm also strangely well rested today.  In fact, I can't remember a time in recent history that I felt as well rested.  Perhaps it is lack of stress.  The wife is starting to dilate (I have no idea how to spell this) as the doctors tell me.  So, don't fear!  Between the new baby coming, the class load I'm taking, and work I will be back to my fully exhausted self in no time.  But for now, I'll enjoy walking around the Kingdom with my eyes fully open.  Until tonight.  Target and restaurants with small children wear me out and I will attempt to write more then. 

Journeys, Stories, and a Book I Don't Have

This may be my favorite time of the day.  Everyone is asleep and I am alone.  I am tired but alone.  It's quiet and I can think without interruption.  It becomes meditative for me.  When I was younger I hated to be alone.  Now, I tend to enjoy it. I've had a headache all day.  It hasn't gone away.  Headaches and bouts of insomnia.  I'm glad I haven't had one of those lately.  Headaches are bad enough, but they usually are accompanied by the latter.  

I want to tell you a story but I can't think of any.  Stories are good.  My father would tell me bedtime stories at least once a week and he would tuck me into bed every night.  Our kids don't like to be tucked in.  Isaac is really too young to be tucked in, I suppose.  My dad's favorite story was almost utterly pointless when I think of it today.  It was about three house plants that were journeying to see where the sun slept at night.  They were great.  He would make them up as he went along.  Maybe this is where my love of journeying comes from.  I love the idea of journeys or that life is a journey or that we are all on a journey.  Where are we all going?  It makes no sense.  Maybe that is why some meditations put so much focus on the "now", as it were... Because we are so busy worrying about where we are going that we never take the time out to enjoy where we are.

That is one thing that really can frustrate me:  People constantly telling me what they have to do next.  Honestly, I rarely care about what I have to do next let alone what you have to do next.  Sometimes I just want to sit down and enjoy the moment.  My friend Rob is good at that.  A lot of people don't like him, but he's okay in my book.  He likes to think and talk about what he thinks about and I appreciate that.  Whether or not I agree with him, sometimes I just like to sit and have him talk about what he is thinking about.   I don't really have a book where I write down who is okay with me and who isn't and I have yet to meet anyone with a ten-foot-pole they use for not touching things.  

Sometimes I think it would be cool to have a small flat and be involved in the art scene of some city.  I wonder what I would do for money.  I wonder what I'd do with my family.   I think the kids would go nuts.  I really want a small, messy apartment that would be my office and I would sleep there.  I don't think my wife would appreciate that.  She may if it meant I wasn't messing up her house.  I've decided with this blog, in the spirit of "in the moment" and "journeys" that I am not going to edit it or censor myself.  I will type and what comes out, comes out.  I'm not going to go back and re-read it.  When you are tired mistakes happen anyways and I am almost always tired.  Maybe I should ask my doctor about it.  Maybe something is wrong with me.  

My sister once told me I was smart.  That was the dumbest thing she ever did. 

Being Pregnant: Something I'm Glad I Know Nothing About

I was supposed  to sleep in today.  That didn't work.  Sigh...  You know its funny how foreboding a blank canvas can be on these things...

My wife looks like she's about to explode.  I don't say that to be mean.  Its just if that baby gets any bigger inside of her it looks like there are going to be some serious space restrictions.  I'm so glad that I don't get pregnant.  When I was younger I had these romantic notions of what it may be like to have a life growing inside of you.  Let's be honest, there's nothing all that romantic about being pregnant.  Don't get me wrong, pregnant women, for the most part, are beautiful.  But, when you get down to the day-to-day of it?  No thank you.  I like my feet the size they are and I enjoy having ankles.  I also like being able to bend over.  Yet, the excuse to eat anything and everything that you want would be great.  This pregnancy doesn't seem to be as rough as the last one, but it still doesn't look like any fun.  

Its hard to decide all of what I want to do while Isaac is napping and I think he's getting up now...

So, Finido...  No more Greek.  I took the final today with no cares of successes or failures; just to be done.  So now I can breath right?  Now it's time to sit back and relax, right?  Oh, perhaps after the weekend.  They tend to be the busiest times of the week for me.  Ah, the life of becoming a pastor.  This week its retreat (that I still need to fully put together), birthday party for church member and then dinner with a church member, and somewhere in there figuring out what the sermon and church is even going to look like for Sunday.  But Monday,  MONDAY I'M SLEEPING IN! If I can that is...

Funny things tend to happen if I sleep while people under three feet are awake.  Yesterday I awoke to the choking stench of perfume.  I didn't even know we owned perfume.  But there was the 1 year old, smelling like a French whore.  It was so strong you could taste it.  Oh well.  It wasn't as bad as the time the two older ones decided their skin was dry.  Did you know it is possible to wear an entire bottle of hand lotion at one time?  They aren't allowed in the bathroom at the same time anymore.  

The Fun of it All...

So, I've been debating....  Where do I start?  The say that all stories begin in the middle of an action.  Is that where I start?  What action do I choose?  I guess I chose with the debate of whether or not to start in the middle of an action.  Well, there's irony for you.  Is that ironic?  Who knows.  Do I fill you in on who I am or just pick up and go where we are from here?  Who knows?  Who cares?

I've been studying Greek.  Not by choice, but because I was made to.  Its been seven weeks now and the final is this Friday.  Then it ends.  Rest will follow (at least for two weeks).  We're expecting our fourth child this September.  Well, its my second, my wife's fourth which makes it my fourth too.  She's a little girl.  I don't mind telling you that.  I'm not sure how I feel about having a girl.  It seems like a lot more stress to have a girl than a boy.  I don't really have any proof of that.  It's just speculation.  I imagine that the first 12 or so years go pretty smoothly, though my step-daughter proves that wrong, and then puberty hits and girls get difficult, which every girl I knew in middle school proves right.  

Having children is scary.  I don't care what anyone says; its scary.  Why?  Because babies can die for no reason whatsoever.  You can do everything right and scary crap like that happens every day.  Its funny that the beginning of someone's life can make you suddenly aware of the fragility and finitude of life.  I mean, I know that its cliche to say that all you want is for your baby to be healthy, but really...  That is all that matters.  Nothing else matters.  You really don't care about anything else.  I just want a healthy baby.  I just want her to be okay.  Alright... And I want her to look like her mother because I make an ugly woman.  

Oh well.  Its late... again... I'm tired... again... Ah life in the Tired Kingdom where the work never stops and the sleep never seems to come...

First post that no one reads

So it is in the course of human events that one finds himself worn out.  Maybe its the children, maybe its school, maybe its work, maybe its life in general, maybe its all of the above.  These days I find myself needing a place to flush my mind and express myself freely, openly and honestly.  Why I feel the need to do so publicly? Well... How public is this really?  Are you really going to sit down and read about my life?

Well, welcome to my life.  Welcome to perhaps the only place Q reigns supreme.  Welcome to my kingdom:  The Tired Kingdom