Here's the Visual

In case you need to see it. Truly boggles the mind.

David Strand's Questions and Answers Document

Mollie has given a link to the pdf file over here.

Let me sample you a gem from the official document:

'Why did you discontinue “Issues, Etc.” and terminate Rev. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz
during Holy Week?

In retrospect, one can only regret the timing of the cancellation. Although there is never
a good day to lose one’s job, anytime close to a major church festival, before or after,
certainly may be perceived as a worse time. In this case, if we had waited until early
April, we would have been obligated to pay another $5,500 in monthly Sunday-night
syndication fees. But again, in retrospect, such savings pale in comparison to the valid
point that Holy Week was not the best time to effect this decision.'

No kidding. You didn't know canning these men on Holy Week was a bad idea at the time? And I find it hard to believe a stinkin' 5 grand was going to kill you all. US all. Hey, but at least we had the 25 grand billboards for Jefferson Hills, right? I mean, that stuff is all shizzy with the kids. Word? Word. Oh, yeah, they will be pouring in. Granted, that church is sucking up to other churches, not exactly reaching the masses, but who cares. It's the money, baby!

Amish Friendship Bread

I received the sweetest gift today! A loaf of baked Amish Friendship Bread, and a bag of the starter to keep the batch going. This bread is so beautiful! The Amish make the starter (yeast) mixture, and multiply it for other people to do the same. The process takes about 10 days, and you end up with four batches, one of which you can bake, one you save to duplicate again, and you can give away two. Boy, is it a sweet, lovely, coffee cake type bread.

Ironic that I was just talking about the Amish, how they are not creepy and contribute to our society. And then I get this! Pretty cool. The starter I have is a basic recipe, and I don't think it's the one with the pudding mix. Not sure if this batch is from actual Amish, but it's a fun thing to keep giving away.

I'm going to keep it going, for a long time, and give many batches away. Not sure how this will fit in with my Weight Watcher's points, but I may have to get this homesteading thing going ahead of schedule, just to keep in shape!

New Section

I'm including a section now for sustainable and economical living. This area will be a work in progress as my interests are not in reducing my "carbon footprint", (which is such a scam, you would think the mob invented that one!), but in regular people who want to live freely and in a self-contained manner. The simple life movement, so to speak.

The links may come and go, depending on which direction they move in. Sustainability to me also includes rational and sound energy policies, and links to that information will be included.

Any suggestions will be appreciated!

Another One!

Southern Illinois:

The Board of Directors

The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod
1333 S. Kirkwood Road
St. Louis, MO 63122-7295

Dear Friends in Christ Jesus on the Board of Directors of Synod and the Board for Communication Services:

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

We, the Board of Directors of the Southern Illinois District of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, wish to go on record in expressing our disappointment over the cancellation of Issues, Etc. This radio program has been a great blessing to the pastors and people of the Southern Illinois District and has reached people around the globe with the good news of Jesus Christ. Even though Issues could be controversial at times, it addressed the important issues facing the church today and excelled in defending the truth of the Christian faith. Those interested in apologetics and in a careful, thorough treatment of God’s Word have lost a valuable resource.

Furthermore, official explanations for the show’s cancellation have not answered many of the concerns expressed by the pastors and people of our district. Sadly, the cancellation of Issues has left many with the impression that certain voices in the church are being silenced. These impressions will persist without a full disclosure of the reasons for the show’s cancellation.

We also wish to express our concern over the hasty terminations of Rev. Todd Wilken and Mr. Jeffrey Schwarz, both of which belong to congregations in our district. From our vantage point, Rev. Wilken did an exemplary job as host of Issues and Mr. Schwarz an exemplary job as producer. These faithful servants of Christ were dismissed without any prior notification or expressions of appreciation. Secular businesses may operate this way, but we expect more compassion and brotherly concern among the people of God.

Therefore, we, the Board of Directors of the Southern Illinois District, respectfully request that you and the Board of Communication Services revisit your decision to terminate Issues, Etc., restore the program, and reinstate both Rev. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz to their positions. We also request a full disclosure of the reasons why this show was cancelled. Too many concerns have been raised to keep your proceedings and rationale for termination a private matter. We urge that this issue be approached openly and in a spirit of love, asking the Holy Spirit to guide us and work among us as we fix our eyes and message on Jesus.

Respectfully in Christ,

Rev. Antonin Troup, District Secretary
Rev. Herbert Mueller, District President, SID

[This letter was adopted in the regular meeting of the Southern Illinois District Board of Directors on April 26, 2008.]

Let's Do It Again!!

Get it?

Motorcycles for Women

So I'm thinking of buying a motorcycle, for road riding. I already own a Honda X-R 100, circa 2000, for dirt riding. I am small, only 5'3"-1/2", 125-130lbs. Inseam 29-30". My upper body strength is a bit stronger than typical women, but I still don't want a bike to overpower me.

Something dependable, but not ridiculously expensive like a Harley.

I'm open to advice. Anyone?

Iowa Resolution, (now one of many)

To Request the Restoration of "Issues, Etc." on KFUO AM, the Disclosure of Board for Communication Documents Related to Its Cancellation, and an Independent Audit of KFUO:

Whereas, members of Iowa District East have voiced their confusion and frustration at the handling of the "Issues, Etc." cancellation and firing of its host and producer; and

Whereas, "Issues, Etc." has been a blessing to many people - Lutherans, other Christians, and the unchurched - listeners in the KFUO broadcast area, listeners of stations across the country which carry this program in syndication, and thousands of listeners from around the world who download audio files of the show on the Internet; and

Whereas, "Issues, Etc." has been a valuable resource for pastors and congregations, keeping us abreast of current issues at the intersection of theology and American society, and helping us to respond to these issues in a truly biblical, evangelical, and Lutheran way, indeed serving as a model LCMS outreach effort; and

Whereas KFUO recently cancelled "Issues, Etc.", pulled it from and subsequently restored it to the KFUO web site, and dismissed its on-air host, Todd Wilken, and its program director, Jeff Schwarz, for widely-disputed reasons; and

Whereas, over 7,000 Christians from around the world and across denominational lines, including soldiers serving in Iraq, have signed an online petition requesting KFUO to reinstate "Issues, Etc." with its host (www.petitiononline.com/Issues/petition); and

Whereas, resolutions attesting to the faithfulness and value of the "Issues, Etc." program have recently been passed in Central Illinois, Southern Illinois, South Wisconsin, and South Dakota Districts, and quite a number of LCMS seminary professors, pastors, and district officials, and laity have signed the aforementioned petition; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Board of Directors of the Iowa District East of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, requests that the Board for Communication Services and KFUO AM publicly apologize to the dismissed staff and their listeners and strive toward a mutually agreeable arrangement under which Rev. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz may continue their exemplary production and airing of this program, and reinstate "Issues, Etc." to its previous broadcast times as soon as possible; and be it also

Resolved, That the Board of Directors of Iowa District East of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod requests, for the sake of trust and unity, that Mr. David Strand and the Board for Communication Services make public all internal documents and memos concerning this cancellation, and, in addition, allow for a complete, independent, and publicly documented audit of KFUO finances, including directly comparable financial performance of all of the station's programs.

Passed by IDE BOD April 22, 2008

An Example

While I was over at the Augsberg1530 site, Miss Mollie put up information on the Jefferson Hills church, the one our synod has spent thousands and thousands of dollars on for billboards that say "This Church Sucks, Signed Satan". I found a link to that church's blog/website, and found this video:



Yes, my friends, this is the example I have been looking for.

With the first minute, I heard about getting together for one prayer. I heard over explaining, I heard how fantastic and magical it would be, to get together and be in our own juices, and pray one prayer. It sounded like our magical powers would do something magical, like Snow White, Elvis, and the Teletubbies would come down from a cloud, strike an A chord, and Jesus would hear us. Not like any regular praying, in any little, non-Power Point church, no. This would be special.

Then the words just faded in and out. I thought about QVC, and blenders and food choppers, and for $19.99, I could get both.

Look, please hear me. I'm not trying to be mean, or cruel, and I don't know this man who is pastor there. But this is the death of faith for my kind. For many kinds. This will not feed people, especially long term. Flashy, Joel Osteen-like, money driven, fluff.

I, unlike the Jefferson Hills blog, will not moderate comments here, if the pastor or members wish to express anything.

It needed to be said.

Happy Pascha!

Happy Easter, to everyone on the Orthodox calendar. I found this video from yesterday, from a town in Greece called Corfu, I think? They seem to celebrate by throwing bags of crap out the windows. Most likely some candies or something for the crowds? Not sure.

*update: they are throwing old pots and pans filled with water out the windows. Uh, OK, what the heck.

Have a great Easter Part 2, everyone!

Latest Firefox Upgrade Problems With MAC

I downloaded the latest Firefox/Mozilla upgrade a few days ago, and I am having problems with the images blanking out. Plus on Blogger, templates are all screwy.

Anyone having this problem also?

Salon Article on Colorado Lost Boys

I found a piece written in 2006, about the Colorado boys here. (I don't think I linked this one yet).

This one is more personal, interviewing a few of the kids. The local government was already getting involved back then, with finding solutions for the them. Hopefully the red tape on the new housing will end soon, and they can move in.

The Smiley Face Murders

Yeah, so who else out there didn't get to sleep until 4AM? I was having fun on the blog, doing some crafting and comedy links for enjoyment, and I went to bed shortly after Phil Hendrie's show was over. Put on the Coast2Coast to fall asleep to, because UFO stories and junk like that make for funny dreams.

Except the host last night, Ian Punnett, usually does serious topics. And last night's kept me riveted.

In short, a series of "accidental drownings" over the last ten or so years of young college men has now been proven to be a serial murder situation. Investigators around the country believe an underground network, with cells all over the US, may have killed at least 40 men, maybe up to 100. The victim's bodies are found in rivers and outlets, usually weeks or months after the murders. Only recently did a determined police officer find evidence, not at the scene of the bodies recovery, but at the point of the murders: a smiley face. The video can be seen here.

And my warped mind thought of a skit from the Michael Nesmith video I have been sampling from, "Elephant Parts". In that video, there is a "Have A Nice Day" bit, which shows an add for a silly horror movie. The killer wears a happy face mask, and throughout the skit there are images of a happy face being the visual, along with murder and blood. Other folks called in the show, and talked about certain video games having a link between smiley faces and murder.

No, this isn't about proclaiming video games or Nesmith's work as being evil!! But there may be a connection somewhere, as to how and why the smiley face was picked to be the signature image.

The stuff nightmares are made of. Please keep safe.

James Lileks

I think I found the best example of Mid Western humor.

OK, now I HAVE to set up a comedy section. And don't give me grief, Lutherans, for all it's content. I'm re-working sections tonight, as it was getting kinda boring around here. (Well, not exactly BORING, but I need to branch out a bit.)

More Help for the Lost Boys

I found another article here, of Christians helping the boys get their lives together in the "outside" world. Every article adds a bit of light on the situation. In this one, the boys said that football and basketball were banned in the FLDS a few years ago, so they had to learn how to play sports.

And the long underwear. I knew the first Mormon's were into this weird, heavy underwear, that they wore all the time. Something about the devil never getting close to you, or some garbage. Sure enough, that underwear is required on the camps, all year around. I'm itching just thinking of that.

If there are any Lutheran families in the Utah/Arizona areas, or the Texas camp area, and you wanted to adopt a teenager, here you go. One 15 year old boy in this article said he hoped he would get adopted.

I just want to bake lasagna for all these kids. Makes me cry.

Scuttlebutt is Killing Me!

All Lutherans, you must go here, because it is comedy gold.....

Here is NOT CREEPY

See? Not creepy. Just as reserved and proper, but NORMAL. Better patterns, too. And wow, they go out in public, and MAKE THINGS for the world, like quilts and furniture, and all sorts of stuff.

Oh, yeah, and they don't dump their 13 year old boys off by the side of the road, because some creepy "apostle" dude tells the parents to do so.

(You know, those little head bonnets are sweet. I'm kinda liking them....)

Texas Lost Boys

From the Fathers and Families blog. I just found them a few minutes ago.

Texas Polygamy Case: Don’t the Boys Count?
April 15th, 2008 by Ned Holstein, MD, MS

467 Children Removed—But What About the Ones Previously Exiled?

Eldorado, Texas–Recent news reports about a Texas polygamist compound highlight the abuse of underage girls by compelling them to marry men two or three times their age under threat of excommunication.

But very little attention has been paid to the abuse and neglect of the boys. Even those as young as 13 are frequently expelled from the compound and forced to fend for themselves without education, friends, or adult guidance. The order is usually given by the spiritual leader of the compound, and the parents of the boys are too fearful of excommunication to object.

In the family court reform movement, we see the media ignore injustices against men over and over. Likewise, in reporting on the Texas compound, they are ignoring serious injustices against boys, even when they are in plain sight. In fairness to the media, the New York Times did run one article about the plight of such boys last September, but there has been no follow-up and current reporting from Texas almost ignores this aspect of the problem.

According to one exiled boy, now in his twenties, 70 percent of the boys in his school class were expelled. The New York Times article estimated that 500 to 1,000 boys had been expelled from one Utah compound alone over the past six years, out of a total compound population of about 10,000 — meaning that a large percentage of the boys had been expelled.

The claim is that they are expelled for offenses against the communal religion, but in most cases the offenses are trivial — watching movies or showing interest in a girl their own age.

In a polygamist society in which some men have many wives, simple math tells us that many men will have no wives at all. One way to deal with this inevitable imbalance is to expel the extra men, even if they are still boys. So the reasons offered smack of convenient excuses for getting rid of the boys. To learn more, click here.

These issues have been largely ignored. The excommunication of boys has been occurring for years and nothing has been done. Are state officials ignoring this problem? Why? — this is child neglect. Will charges be brought against the members of the sect for neglecting their male children, or only for the sexual exploitation of the girls

Red Green

Well, I'm done with the arguing for kids right now. How ironic that I'm the one arguing not to abandon kids. Or, maybe not. Hey, I love the kids. Don't tell anyone, though, it will ruin my reputation.

ANYHOO, I could use some silly, Canadian humor right now. The Red Green Show is adorable, and I swear my pastor is the California version of this guy.

I'm on a roll...

Boredom and insomnia do this.

So here's another side of the women. Watch what happens when this one woman is asked specifically, what age the young girls are allowed to marry.

She knows it's wrong. That's my opinion.

Polygamous Wives Clip

I'm a couple of days late to this interview, but I just watched it, and I am freaked out beyond words. I have linked it below in case any readers have not seen it either.

Oh my Lord. Is this what people think "religious" women are like? I heard commentators remark about the interview, how the women were simple and country-like. My question to those commentators: ARE YOU INSANE? Have you ever met religious women? Maybe the local nun, or even a monk? THEY DON'T ACT THIS WAY!

Look, please, I'm not making fun of these mothers. I know the pain they feel is real, and they are scared out of their minds, worried about their kids. But here's a newsflash for those people who have never met a woman, religious or otherwise. Or who are unable to have a close, emotionally AND physically intimate relationship with a living woman. THIS ISN'T NORMAL.

"Lost Boys" Website

At www.childbrides.org, there is information on the hundreds, (if not thousands total in all sects), of underage boys kicked out of the Mormon cults. They are left homeless in the towns they live near, with no money or continuing education to survive with. Some are as young as 12 when they are forced out of their homes.

You can read years worth of articles on the fight to help these kids, long before the media grabbed the spotlight on the cult.

It makes me sick, that certain "conservative" outlets are one-sided to this situation. Yes, we all know CPS can be fascistic in cases, but how can the abuse of these kids, not to mention the wives, be ignored? And all you fiscal conservatives, who yell about Mexicans going on welfare....why do you not mention this Mormon cult? For the obvious reasons? Because they are lilly white Mormons?

Isolation abuse: the invisible Burka.

Wonderful Church Website

I just checked out the link over at Steve Martin's blog, and found a wonderful church website. Steve is this your church?

What a fantastic site. Church of the Master is an LCMC church in southern California, I believe, and the layout is so nice! It's fresh and clean looking, modern graphics (but not corny), and has lots of wonderful Lutheran-specific information. Plus sermons from the pastor.

See, it can be done! A site that is confessional, intelligent, current, and doesn't have rubber duckies or mauve. It doesn't talk down to me, with idiot "X"-treme phrases and snowboarding-type banners. It's also not ashamed of the Lutheran tradition. And the pastor isn't talking about himself everywhere, either (the other end of the spectrum sometimes).

I like it, good job!

Fawlty Towers

Pastor Esget posted a Fawlty Towers video, and I have been in the mood for this show. Loved it as a kid on the PBS.

Here's a compilation, although it doesn't have the funny walk bits from Cleese....

I'm Bored

Yup. Bored. Today was a day of boring work. I have still to type up some proposal stuff for my husband's job, as we got a little stint at a theater. Installation and house hang thing. He's also doing a design of Madame Butterfly, and union work for the SF Opera. It's a good month for his stuff. Completely exhausted, he is.

I am not doing anything creative right at this moment. I'm bored. This will change soon, I know. But I'm bored.

Bored, bored, bored.

I want to get to Nevada soon, to check things out. The San Francisco East Bay is getting highly annoying, and not just because of the crime. The "Nanny State" is done with me, and I am done with her.

But it's more than that. I really gotta let myself go crazy. But how? No drugs anymore, not much of a drinker. OK, maybe a shot of absinthe will be fun. But it's not about substances, it's about doing something. Not much money....but will a mini vacation help? Not sure.

Bored AND tired. Not an easy combo. Was even too tired to go to church last Sunday, so it was the occasional vacation from the Lutherans. I might go to a Saturday night Greek Orthodox Easter service, just for kicks, this weekend. However, their vigil service is at midnight. Which means I will probably blow off the Lutherans again, if I do that. I'm tired just thinking about it.

The purse stealer called, and said her church is setting up the "house church" situation, to invite new folks. I think she will have better luck with that in her area, (out east by 40 minutes), than I will in mine.

It's also time to make more friends. There is a problem in this area, in that people keep moving, or my entertainment friends are always on the road. I'm not hanging with anyone at church, because the people close to my age keep to themselves. All 3 of them. The others are much older, which isn't a problem for me all the time, but it's not a good fit.

Bored.

I should get to the Greek church, and meet some Greeks. I think I am suffering from Mediterranean Withdrawal Syndrome.

Bored.

Lifting the Veil of Poligamy

I found this video while searching for news stories on the Mormon cults. It's a fantastic documentary, that takes you through several different levels of emotions. At around 60 minutes in, one woman shares her receiving Christ as her savior, and her crying out to God. It brought tears to my eyes.

What's New

So someone stole a car from one of my neighbors last night, in our car port. Also, a neighbor smelled crack being burnt, which is always nice to have a neighbor smoking crack.

There was a huge armed robbery last week down the avenue from me. The youths without fathers are getting restless, and are attacking Asian store owners and the elderly. However, now the Asian store/restaurant owners are buying guns. I give that a BIG thumbs up. It will only take one or two thugs to get it in the face, and the stores/restaurants won't be considered easy pickings anymore. An Italian joint is packing now too.

The liberals are pissing their pants about this, but too bad. Rubber duckies won't help this situation. Unless they are packed with grenades. Hey, there's an idea.

Is this food rationing buzz for real? I'm sure you heard people talking about it, in Mountain View, CA. I have to do some research, to check out the source.

And how fun is this Mormon compound story. The original call is a hoax, but now it appears the people are a bunch of creeps. Sending out their boy children, when they hit puberty, so as not to compete with the old guys? Oh, man. There are "mainstream" Mormon groups who have tried to help the boys, getting them off the streets. And all the women in the compound are on Welfare? That's great.

I'm as Libertarian leaning as the next pain in the @ss, but don't look to me to validate these nut bars. Unless this whole thing is a complete hoax, I won't be shedding tears for that crew. Maybe I should get a government contract for building machinery, and take the government cheese too, I don't know....

The world is nuts right now, with all the suckers who voted for Bush doing a mea culpa, and the Democrats eating each other alive. I haven't checked out political Internet forums for a long time, but I'm betting the Bush Bots and Hagee "Christians" are besides themselves. With a president who goes to New Orleans to open the MEXICAN CONSULATE, how could they live with themselves? Thanks, guys. Another fine mess you got us into.

If I didn't have my faith now, I would be insane.

The Lame Duck

Hat tip to Frank at the Putting Out the Fire blog for this image. This picture from the 2007 youth gathering says so much, doesn't it? When I first came upon the Lutheran blogoshere, I stumbled upon this post from Frank. There's a theme here. Babying our teenagers and youth, babying our adults. No room for serious seekers of theology.

As I stated on the original posting, if I was treated this way as a teen, I would have been insulted. Why this trend?

Men

What is it with men, that they always hit on women when we are wearing sweats, haven't showered, and are not wearing make up?

I'm out for a quick walk up our hills after dinner, when some guy drives by in a car and slows down to look at me. He then drives around the block, pulls up along side me, rolls down the window, and says, "I just have to talk to you...."

Me:"Yeah?"

"I just had to stop and talk to you.....wow...."

Me: (Continuing huffing and puffing) "Well, what?! What are you, my first $*@#%^$ hemorrhoid?"

"Wow...."

Me: "Keep moving, buddy!"

No, I was not nice. Don't get me wrong, I am not Ms. Feminist. I've had men stop and compliment me, hand me a flower, even silly cat calls. But I draw the line at stalking me with a car, or grabbing your junk, like the Mexican day laborers do. Come on, who the heck thinks that is going to cause me to turn around, and go "Oh, sure!! Let me just hop in your car!"

But rudeness aside, what I truly don't understand, is why men find women hot while sweating and wearing gigantic t-shirts. Can someone explain this? It's happened to many of my girlfriends. We just don't get it.

In other news, I just came back from a great night of comedy. My friend Phil was playing in Berkeley, and all the comedians were good. The crowd was tough in the beginning, but slowly they got comfortable. One performer's wife got mad at Phil's musical content, which goes to show you even comedian's wives can fail at humor. She actually walked out on him, and confronted him afterwards. It reminded me of my own mother, who hated Randy Newman's "Short People" song. Some people don't get the joke.

Anyway, we had wonderful, home baked cake afterwards. ;-)

Idaho, Washington, and Montana: Comedy

Hey, anybody involved with booking comedy for clubs, bars, frats, whatever, or who would like to have a private party/house show? My friend Phil of Roadside Attraction is going out there in May with Justin McClure, and has some slots open for bookings. Here are the open dates:
Mon May 19th - Twin Falls, ID
Tue 20th - open
Wed 21st - Lewiston, ID
Thu 22nd - open
Fri 23rd - Bozeman, MT
Sat 24th - open
Sun 25th - Spokane, WA

Drop me a comment in the comment section if you are interested, with contact info.

Thanks!

LuLu's comedy booking!

I Want Your Grandfather's Church

With better food, possibly. And if the service is in German, well, I'm kinda lost. Yet aside from these secondary, non-essential issues, I want what you were given. Is that too much to ask for?

My friend the "purse-stealer" is one of two people that I know who say they prefer a contemporary Lutheran service. Her church started up one again recently, and she confided in me that it was a "bit too contemporary" for her. The main issue with her seems to be two things: one, her bad memories of the Roman Catholic church mass and things Catholic, and two, not fitting in with Lutherans culturally.

The irony is that the contemporary service isn't truly changing the second issue for her in the end. I joke about lifer Lutherans, but honestly I do not want them to change who they are. It seems to me if they do try to force something different, it makes a worse mess than before. The past 30 days are a perfect example of that.

So I will take the brats, the Norwegians who usually don't smile, 15 different types of cabbage, (I do love the red one), meat and mustard everywhere, and even the stinkin' Chicken Dance. Just give me your grandfather's church. (Your grandfather's, not mine. That would be bad.)

Just knock off the mauve already.

New Kitty

Sadie is adorable. She's mostly black, with white on her paws and bib. Didn't scratch or hiss at the vets, and seems to be pretty laid back. Mr. Murphy is ready to play with her, and there was only a bit of hissing from each at one point. For now she is in her own room, with food and pan. I will put pictures up of them both soon.

I feel so encouraged by the Lutheran activity going on, with the support for Issues and our faith in general. As a new convert, it's great to see. I can't believe they put barricades up in the interiors of the Purple Palace, in preparation for the crowds. Talk about out-of-touch, what did they think the Lutherans were going to do? Get violent and beat people up? You folks in there should be ashamed. Well, except Pastor Weedon and his crowd DID organize it. Who knows with him, you give him a few drinks....

I am now in a strict fat-loss program. I put muscle on, but didn't lose enough fat. Might as well look smoking hot for the summer. Not that I wear anything different than jeans most of the time, but what the heck.

Purple Palace Protest

Hey, nice job on the gathering, fellow Lutherans! Picture links are here on Weedon's site. Perfect job, with signs, smiles, and coffee.

I knew you guys wouldn't get out of control. Man, I wish I could have been there.

If there are pictures of the Brat Fest, please leave a link!

87 Degrees in the East Bay!

Today was the first day of our early summer, and it was unbelievably beautiful. Even in the city last night there was no fog. People were out on the streets hitting the clubs and restaurants in force.

A new kitty cat is coming to our house on Tuesday! Our boy kitty, Mr. Murphy, is finally going to have a companion. He's been lonely since our older girl passed away almost 2 years ago. Mr. Murphy is a hysterically adorable cat, a tiny orange tabby with a Scottish Fold type face. But with ears. His ears are on top of his head, something everyone notices when they see him.

The new kitty is named "Sadie", and she was a rescue from a house of 24 cats! An older woman let them breed, as she wasn't able to keep up with them. An ELCA church group rescued them, and had them tested and fixed. She's about a year and a half old, mostly black with white spots. The foster "parents" are a sweet couple who have had her for 2 months.

Not sure if there will be doctrinal issues with Sadie, but she knows this is a confessional household. Mr. Murphy isn't so much a church goer anyway. I think he likes the pub the most.

Monitors

Have a new computer monitor. It's a Samsung, 2032NW, I think. About $230 at Costco.

My old Lacie brand was discoloring in the corners. The only problem, is that my old Lacie was beautiful. Almost ten years old. I don't feel like spending another 800 on a monitor.

Yes, it's LCD, but the detail is no where near my Lacie.

What to do. What to do.....

Fun Day in SF!

Luckily I didn't have to go into the city today, but the news alone was a riot.

"And the torch is making it's way down....wait, they just ran into a warehouse....."

By now you probably have seen the pictures of a strange banana boat on wheels holding the press, as they shot footage of the runners. With all the switching and dodging, everything did take on a comedy theme.

Normally I am not a fan of protests, but I believe China deserves every minute of this. A small voice the working schmucks can have, when the trade deals are created by others.

I do feel for the athletes. Most do, I believe. Yet I don't get all choked up by a torch, either.

This High Speed Thing...

....is pretty cool. Thanks to a very helpful cable guy, (due to a mix-up on the company end I needed a tech), I am up and running.

I love not having land line stuff around. You don't realize how much space a phone system takes up, until you get rid of it!

So not long a hiatus. "Hiatus"? (Romani joke, for about five people out there.)

The LuLu on Hiatus

I am in the process of switching over to Comcast cable for internet. (For those who have my email, I will send you all a new address soon. It most likely will be the same name, with comcast.net as the suffix.)

All cable modems are universal now, how cool is that? I can buy one at Best Buy, and it appears I will not be dependent on India with this system.

Have a good Monday, see you soon!

Television Airwaves

Here's a question for all the old school radio pirates out there: when they change analog television over to digital, are they going to jam the airwaves somehow? I don't think that can actually be done, can it? The airwaves are still airwaves....

Oh My

Hat tip to Polly over at Mossback Meadow, because this had me screaming with laughter.

The descriptions are PERFECT!!!

A Wonderful Song

After all this synod garbage, I needed some sweet tunes. One of my favorite CD's in the world is the Belize Tropical compilation that David Byrne released in the 90's, of absolutely wonderful Brazilian sounds.

I tried to find a decent YouTube video of some songs from that album, and stumbled upon these folks doing an ADORABLE live version of the song, "Sonho Meu".

Out of the Synod

With more and more information coming out of the woodwork regarding the politics of our synod, I dare say it's time to evaluate the worth of being attached to such a group. Now mind you, I am a person who is not at all involved in the money wheel arm of the LCMS. I am also very new with what it takes to run a church, as well as being a very, very independent spirit. In my personal and professional life, if something is hindering growth, health, or moving forward, I dump it from my environment.

These past weeks have left me feeling the need to do just that.

This does not mean leaving my own church, because ironically the district whoevers and Purple Palace people eaters would just as soon see us die. We are not a "flashy" seeker church. We already do not exist to them. In my opinion, the mega church is dying anyway. The house church may be the wave of the future.

Other than the difficulty of paying a pastor in a house or gathering church setting, I have to say, having the above fantasy is relaxing after all this synodical BS. It appears to me that the Purple People Eaters have done a tremendous amount of damage, and will continue to do so. If I personally remain in this destructive-enabling environment, I will feel something akin to battered wife syndrome.

Unless we are able to clean house, and clean it well, I suggest we mentally/spiritually/financially disconnect from this bureaucracy.

For what it is worth.

My Dad

I spoke with my folks tonight, and my dad had a stress test done recently. The results are not perfect. My father had a triple bypass about 4-5 years ago, and has watched his diet very well, taken meds, etc. But he slacked off on the exercise a bit. It actually made a difference in his blood flow. So now he has to get on the exercise bike or elliptical for an hour 6X a week.

I pray he is going to be alright. My dad is 70 now. My mother is another story with this, as I know she is going to be given a slap down from the doctor, too. My dad came into this situation because of high blood pressure. The medicines they have for that now a days are better, but back a few decades, the prescriptions didn't prevent the damage to the heart. Luckily he is a success case.

Eventually my parents will die, as we all do. They are my only family, aside from my husband and his side, so I would hate to lose them early. Not to mention the whole witnessing thing. To be honest, I have no idea where they are in any faith right now. It's a touchy subject with them.

Getting Rid of Home Phone?

We just got the bill for our home phone and DSL, and it's about $85. I think it's time to get rid of this dinosaur. Especially since my cell phone plan with MetroPcs is a flat rate of $45 + tax a month, unlimited calls, texting and long distance.

I don't have/use a lap top, only the home system. Husband doesn't use a lap top at this point either. Most likely won't ever, he's not exactly computer savvy. (I will be teaching him the CAD programs soon, while I learn them also. He's so cute, very "old school". Mr. drafting table!) So switching to our cable company for ultra high speed, even at the full rate of around 50 bucks a month, is still a better deal.

The amount of taxes on my home phone bill are a riot. It's close to $12-$15 alone for state and federal.

This is strange, though: has anyone felt sad about getting rid of a phone number? I feel kinda silly!

San Francisco PSA

Here is the latest Public Service Announcement, with the slick mayor announcing that SF is a sanctuary city for illegal aliens.

This means he does not want ICE coming to get criminal illegal aliens. Yes, Gavin, some illegal aliens are criminals. Technically the person being here illegally is a criminal just for that fact, but Mr. Newsom is even concerned about the hard criminals living in his city.

Mollie Ziegler Hemingway Responds

A Wordpress blog has been created, called Augsburg1530, in which Mollie Hemingway responds in depth to the Issues, Etc. scandal. Considering Ms. Hemingway was a member of the synod's Board for Communications Services, this should prove to be a very interesting read.

The Leaked Document on KFUO Finances

The whole mess is over here.

I truly pray this is not true.

(For those non-Lutherans, this is the financial record of the LCMS station that broadcast "Issues, ETC.")

Look, here's my plea: let's clean up the mess. IF this really is a corruption of trust and money, hold the perps responsible. And as far as whether to throw out the whole "Ablaze!"(tm) program, I have no idea. Are there churches benefiting from it? Pastor Cwirla says his ministry is. Truthfully, I don't care if it's called the "Fart in a Jar" campaign, if it is a Godly program that gets our message out, without gimmicks and corruption. And 5 million dollars.

Alright, I take that back. "Fart in the Jar" would bother me, I wouldn't want it called that. You caught me.

Man, I wish I could make it out to the vespers-and-brats shindig.

More Comedy for the Troops!

I blame the absinthe....

Blogging on Absinthe

No, not on the subject of absinthe, literally, drinking it. This week has been all about home remodeling, done by my hands, and I need a bit of the green fairy. Husband ripped out the old carpet, cleared the bedroom, and I painted it, etched the concrete floor, and stained it.

I am beat.

The room is a dark periwinkle, on the masculine side. Trim and ceiling is butter yellow. Floor is tinted darker, mustard yellow.

Floor needs to dry for three days, so we are living in a 698 square foot condo piled with crap everywhere. But hey, we did all this for under $100.

I "looshed" with brown sugar. The fairy is nice and cloudy. Good stuff.

See if anyone else is drinking tonight on the WT....

Check This Out

Found something interesting, right here.