The Blog From Nowhere

International Spy Museum

2010-09-03T19:48:00.001-04:00

The International Spy Museum pulls you in with the lure of having a James Bond like experience, and then ends up giving you a detailed history of espionage. It's a bit of a bait and switch, but the museum is excellent and interesting nonetheless. I highly recommend it.

I find the admission price for the International Spy Museum a little steep: $18 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under. I've been spoiled by all the free museums in D.C.; These are not unusual admission prices for a museum in any other city. I was able to get two tickets for $9 each, plus a $3.50 fee from the discounted ticket web site Goldstar (www.goldstar.com). Tickets to the Spy Museum on Goldstar are available only for select days. I had to make my purchase a day in advance, but I saved $11.50.

As we waited to board the elevator from the ground level entry area, a statue of Lenin dangled over our heads. A plaque on the wall showed a photo of the same statue being toppled at the collapse of the Soviet Union. Cold war era exhibits dominate the museum, but exhibits from other eras can be found throughout the museum.

From the elevator we were escorted into a small theater to watch a short, interesting, and enjoyable film on espionage and spycraft. From there we were released into a room with many plaques bearing basic details of a cover identity. Another plaque instructed us to remember the details of one the identities. I've been to the Spy Museum a few times, and I've yet to find any other exhibit in the museum that asks me to recall the details of my chosen cover identity.

There are many artifacts of espionage in the museum, such as a chunk of concrete with an embedded listening device from the U.S. embassy in Moscow, and a German enigma machine for decoding orders to troops deployed during World War II. Some exhibits explain the skills and tools of intelligence gathering. Others explain significant or famous incidences.

The museum has a variety of interactive elements. We crawled through duct work to eavesdrop (on the other visitors to the museum?). We sat at computer monitors to analyze satellite imagery of soviet airfield and count and identify aircraft. Some exhibit areas of the museum recreate scenes, such as the Berlin Wall, checkpoint Charlie, and an American dug tunnel underneath the wall.

Finally, the exhibit area exits directly into a gift shop that sells many books, DVDs, gadgets, and toys. From the gift shop is an entrance the full service restaurant Zola, and across the entry area to the museum is the over the counter service Spy Cafe.

The International Spy Museum should interest anyone fascinated by the history of World War II or the Cold War. It is located at 800 F St NW in Washington, D.C. The nearest Metro Station is Gallery Place/Chinatown on the Green and Red Lines. For more information see the museum's website at www.spymuseum.org.
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Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad

2010-08-29T10:06:00.000-04:00

The Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad runs 4 tourist trains departing from the former Western Maryland Railroad depot in Elkins West Virginia. The boy, his grandmother, aunt, and I traveled on the New Tygart Flyer today.

The route climbs through the Monongahela National Forest in the mountains and along the shallow Cheat River, passing through a tunnel, and by many campgrounds along the way.

For most of the route it follows the line of the former Coal and Iron Railroad that ran from Elkins to Durbin. An older man announced landmarks and told stories as we passed.

Lunch was served on board during the outbound trip: a buffet of potato chips, hamburger buns, cold cuts, pasta salad, and assorted drinks.

After an hour and a half of climbing, the train stopped and the two locomotives used a siding to move from the front to the rear of the train. Another fifteen minutes of climbing with the locomotives pushing, and the train stopped to offload passengers at a small shelter. A short walk downhill led to the High Falls of Cheat, a wide waterfall (the railroad's brochure tells me that it is 18' high, and 150' wide). The surrounding rocks there are slippery, as the boy discovered when he slipped, falling into a mud puddle. Not wanting my son to feel embarrassed for being the only one to slip and fall, I slipped and landed in the same mud puddle right after he did.

On the return trip downslope, we were treated to cookies and brownies.

The ride was fun. The train creeped up the slope on the outbound trip, but went faster on the return. The scenery was attractive mixing the natural with the historic. The food was nothing to get excited about, but we all appreciated being well-fed on a long trip over lunch time.

Elkins, West Virginia is a four hour drive from the Washington, D.C. area without traffic (which there won't be at 6 am on a Saturday when you leave to make it in time for an 11 am departure). The drive is very scenic through the mountains, and lots of fun if you enjoy winding mountain roads.
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LEGO Architecture

2010-08-27T12:46:00.004-04:00

Exhibits at the National Building Museum seem to change frequently, which makes going there repeatedly worthwhile.

The boy and I enjoyed our June visit, and headed back there yesterday for the LEGO Architecture exhibit. This exhibit had an admission cost of $5/person, and admittance was timed. We arrived at 12:30, and immediately bought our tickets for the next available time: 2:00.

The wait gave us the opportunity to enjoy other features of the museum. The boy quickly made friends, and they got to work building an entryway sized arch out of large styrofoam blocks. I bought a cup of coffee from the Firehook Bakery kiosk, and enjoyed my lunch, and read some e-mails on my BlackBerry while seated against on of the large columns near the fountain in the center of the museum's atrium.

When it was time, we made our way up one of the sets of worn smooth brick staircases to a second floor exhibit space. The buildings on display are well-known landmarks. Mostly skyscrapers, and mostly from Chicago, hometown of the artist, architect Adam Tucker Reed.

I was struck by how Reed had mostly used very small LEGO bricks to build his very large models.

Beyond the exhibit space was a room with wide child height tables, and bins full of LEGO bricks. Inspired by what they had just seen. The kids got to work building towers. One particularly tall tower collapsed with a crash and the clatter of LEGOs bouncing every which way that momentarily silenced the room. The final room to the exhibit is a gift shop selling, much smaller, less detailed kits designed by Reed of a few of the buildings on display.

The LEGO Architecture exhibit will be at the National Building Museum through September 5.

The end is near

2010-07-10T21:31:00.001-04:00

Sitting in the last row of the last car of the train, the woman next to me asks which direction to the cafe car.
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NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

2010-07-10T13:26:00.000-04:00

The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Visitor Center is a small, sophisticated, and educational museum.

At entry, we were greeted by a notice that model rocket demonstrations were suspended until NASA receives a permit from the FAA to launch rockets in restricted airspace.

The center's exhibits explain the scientific significance of, and the science behind the programs conducted at the Goddard Space Flight Center: satellite and space-based telescope monitoring, and development of space exploration robots. Several of the exhibits are interactive, and some feature games geared at children. Several exhibits relate to satellites gathering data concerning the earth. Others focus on the solar system, the galaxy, and the universe beyond.

The visitor center features a theater with a globe-shaped screen at it's center. Four projectors shine onto the globe. The movie explains the work of NASA in general and the Goddard Space Flight Center in particular. During the course of the film, bright colorful images of the earth were projected onto the globe, as well other planets, giving this viewer the feeling of the planets from outer space.

Behind the visitor center, is the rocket garden where several small and medium-sized rockets are on display.

The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is located off Greenbelt Road in Greenbelt, Maryland. The visitor center is accessible from the oddly named ICESat Road, which is the second entrance to the space flight center one passes when coming from the west.
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Please Touch Museum

2010-07-08T12:02:00.000-04:00

Philadelphia's Please Touch Museum is a children's museum with the most clever of names.

Please Touch is located in the beautiful, palatial, and historic Memorial Hall in Philadelphia.

It scores lots of points with this dad amongst children's museums for having lots of benches for tired parents to sit on.

Please Touch makes use of corporate sponsorships in a way I haven't seen at other Children's museums, and that I'm not so sure I am comfortable with. I'm accustomed to the signs that recognize the benefactor of an exhibit. Please Touch works sponsor's brands into the exhibits. The grocery store is a Shop Rite, the gas station a Hess, and there is a mock-up McDonald's. I found no other signage at any of these exhibits aknowledging the company that's logo appeared on the exhibit.

In addition to the exhibts just mentioned, some of the other highlights were a SEPTA bus, a mock-up of a monorail, a water play area, and an Alice in Wonderland themed maze and play area.

Less interesting for the little kids than for the adults, is the exhibit on the 1876 Centennial Exhibition explains the history of the building housing the museum and the surrounding buildings and park land. There is large scale model of the sprawling Centennial Exhibition grounds.

The final notable feature of the Please Touch Museum is century old Dentzel Carrousel in an adjoining pavillion. The boy declined the opportunity to ride the carrousel. I've never known the boy to miss the chance to decline a ride on a carrousel.
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Philadelphia 30th Street Station

2010-07-07T20:30:00.000-04:00

Philadelphia 30th Street Station is the boxy sibling of Washington Union Station. While Union Station has a vaulted ceiling 30th Street has right angles.

The high-ceilinged main hall of 30th Street Station is also a concourse. The gates are stairwells down to the platforms beneath the station that serve Amtrak Northeast corridor trains as well as destinations across Pennsylvania. There are several large wooden benches similar to those at Boston South Station throughout the main concourse.

A second concourse off one end of the main concourse serves SEPTA and NJ Transit trains from gates that lead to platforms either below the station, or to an elevated line at the second floor level. Another hall off the main concourse contains many shops and eateries.

The main concourse is dominated by a dramatic statue at one end of a winged angel holding a dead body. A plaque at the base of the statue reads:

"In memory of the men and women of the Pennsylvania Railroad who laid down their lives for our country 1941-1945."

On an earlier trip through 30th Street Station I remember discovering a waiting room off the main concourse that was dominated by a large dramatic painting. The details of that painting escape me now.
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College Park Aviation Museum

2010-07-06T17:27:00.001-04:00

In College Park, Maryland is the oldest continuously operating airport in the world. Don't try to book a ticket there the next there the next time you're flying to the Washington, D.C. area. Unless you fly your own plane, or know someone who does, your not likely to ever use this airport, but it is worth going to for the College Park Aviation Museum.

This excellent, small, modern museum tucked away out of site on the edge of the airport, explains the basics of flying, and the development of airplanes that took place at College Park.

We were welcomed to the museum by Mort who collected our admission ($4 for adults and $26or children). Mort's name tag identified him as a recent volunteer of the year award winner. As he handed me my receipt he said to me and the boy: "If it's behind a rope, or glass, don't touch it. If it isn't, play with it."

An animatronic Wilbur Wright welcomed us to the exhibit area, and gave us a history of the early years of flight. The main exhibit halls has replica and relic planes that were developed and flown at college Park on display on the floor and suspended from the second story ceiling. A catwalk let's you see the suspended planes as up close as the ones you can see on the floor. Amongst the features of the museum more interesting for children, are a propeller that you can spin to start the engine (the boy spun it, but nothing happened), an airplane dashboard, bomber jackets to try on, and two flight simulator video games.

There were only two other families at the museum when we visited on a hot federal holiday. It made for cool break from the heat.

The College Park Aviation Museum is located at 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive in College Park, Maryland.

To get there when heading away from the University of Maryland campus from the Paint Branch Parkway turn left onto 51st Avenue at the large sign for the museum. Head straight down 51st until you reach the entrance to the airport. Follow the signs there to the right. The museum has plenty of parking. The museum should be a manageable walk from the College Park Metro Station on the Green Line. The museum's website is
www.collegeparkaviationmuseum.com.
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Smithsonian Folklife Festival

2010-07-02T18:01:00.000-04:00

For two weekends at the beginning of every summer the Smithsonian Institution puts on the Folklife Festival on the National Mall.

The big attraction for me at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival is always the food, which represents the cultures being featured in the exhibits and the performances of the festival. This years festival features Mexico, Asian Pacific Americans, and exhibits under the umbrella "The Smithsonian Inside Out." This year there were four vendors offering foods from the following cultures: Indian, southeast asian, and Mexican. There was also a barbecue tent, surrounded by the Smithsonian Inside Out exhibits.

The food options were mostly platters of an entree and side dishes. Since we'd already eaten lunch, and it was still too early for dinner, I opted for something light, and ordered Elote from the Mexican vendor, Casa Oaxaca. Elote turns out to be roasted corn on the cob, slathered with mayonnaise, and sprinkled with cayenne. It tastes better than it sounds.

The boy opted for french fries from one of the permanent kiosks on the Mall (the boy often opts for french fries).

The Folklife festival features dance, music, story telling, cooking, and folk art. We listened to a trio from Mexico sing folk music. We sat in on stories by two doctors, one American-raised ethnically Chinese, and the other an immigrant from India, who compared eastern and western medicine. We watched Indian dancing, and skipped the demonstration on spam sushi. We also watched four men Mexico spin upside down from a pole. We never got down to the Smithsonian Inside Out exhibit.

This year, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival runs through July 5.
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Smithsonian National Zoological Park

2010-07-02T14:10:00.000-04:00

The boy and I have been going to the National Zoo for all of his nine and a half years. The zoo has changed a bit over those years, as has the boy, whose had different favorite things about the zoo from time to time.

When he was younger, the boy, like so many others, was fascinated with the baby animals. First it was Kandula, the elephant. Later it was Tai Shan, the giant panda.

There was also a time that the boy really seemed to enjoy Amazonia, an indoor exhibit tucked away in an easily overlooked part of the zoo. Lately, I can't drag him there.

For the last few years, the boy has mostly seemed to enjoy the giant pizza. Yes, they have a giant pizza at the National Zoo. No, I don't know why. The boy will play on the pizza for hours. Our days at the zoo lately end with me insisting that we must go, greeted by much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Near the bird exhibits is an eagle statue carved from pink granite that was once on the exterior of the original Pennsylvania Station in New York City. The boy has a book I gave him about the construction, and later demolition of Penn station. The boy and I often pass through the new Penn station on the train. The statue at the National Zoo is one of the few remaining statues from the old Penn. We both appreciate it for its striking visual appeal, and connection to railroad history. In addition, the boy likes to climb on it.

For a while there, the zoo seemed to have a problem keeping it's animals alive. Just from memory, in my ten years in Washington, I recall accidental deaths of a zebra, a lion, and two red pandas. The red panda deaths were tied to a very severe rat infestation. I recall, when the boy was a toddler, pushing him in his stroller on a late fall weekend through the zoo. When we came to the prairie dog habitat we discovered not prairie dogs popping their heads out of the holes, but rats, and one very nervous looking prairie dog.

It was shortly after that day I read about the two red pandas that had died from eating rat poison, buried in their habitat. The zebra, as I recall, died from a problem with the animal's diet, and the lion died in surgery from problems with the anesthesia.

The first bit of advice that any local should give a visitor when making a trip to the zoo: alight Metro at the Cleveland Park Station. Don't use the deceptively named Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan Station. Alighting at that station will require you to walk several blocks uphill to the zoo. The walk from Cleveland Park isn't any further. The zoo is laid out on a slope, so be prepared for the uphill walk after you've seen everything. Also, plan to bring your lunch or eat at one options near zoo. The prices on food at the zoo are pretty steep.
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National Building Museum

2010-06-30T23:06:00.001-04:00

The National Building Museum is one of Washington, D.C.'s lesser known, under- appreciated museums. The building itself is striking, and the exhibits, focusing on the built environment, change frequently.

The best way to get to the National Building Museum is by Metro. I'm not suggesting this for the obvious benefits of avoiding traffic and limited (and expensive parking), but because as you ascend the escalator out of the Judiciary Square Station at the F St. NW exit, the six-story-tall, red-brick National Building Museum looms over you.

On today's visit to the National Building exhibits featured the layout of Washington, D.C., parking garages, solar houses, and New England house designs.

As interesting as the exhibits are, the building itself is worth going to see. The 19th century structure originally built to house the Pension Bureau has many fascinating and distinguishing features. Wrapped around the exterior is a frieze featuring Civil War era soldiers. The centerpiece of the interior is the naturally-lit Great Hall featuring four-story, faux marble columns under the six-story roof, and a series of busts in individual alcoves at what would be the fifth story level. The Great Hall has a carpeted floor and a fountain in the middle. It's a great place for kids to run around. Indeed, the National Building Museum has provided some kid's toys in one corner of the hall. In the opposite corner are cafe tables, and a small cafe counter. The museum has a large shop with an extensive collection of books on architecture, a variety model kits, and various quirky items.

The National Building Museum is located at 401 F St. NW in Washington, D.C. The nearest Metro station is Judiciary Square on the Red Line (take the F St. NW exit). Admission to the museum is free, but they do ask for a donation. The museum is open seven days per week, Mon. through Thurs. 10 to 5, and Sun. 11 to 5.

Washington Union Station

2010-06-22T07:40:00.001-04:00

Everyone who visits D.C. should arrive, at least for the first time, by train to greeted by Union Station's expansive main hall and the view of the Capitol as you exit the front of the station. Union Station serves as a kind of portal to federal Washington. When you arrive in D.C. by train, you don't ease into the city, you arrive greeted all at once by its grandeur.

The main hall with it's arched ceiling, is impressive both for its expansiveness, but also for the details: surrounding the hall at the second-floor level are Augustus Saint-Gaudens'
statues of soldiers holding their swords and shields. You can get an up close view of the soldiers by eating dinner in one of Union Station's restaurants. Indeed, you should eat a couple meals at Union Station; after you've viewed the statuary up close from America the Restaurant or Thunder Grill, eat at the upper-level of the station cafe in the center of the main hall to enjoy the experience of being surrounded by the main hall's arched ceiling, and enjoy watching people pass by below.

Union Station has many shops and restaurants. There is a food court at the basement level. Stores and restaurants are located along the perimeter of the main hall and the two wings. A second level has been built into the original concourse making space for shops on two levels. Amtrak's ticket counters are located on the ground floor of the original concourse. Departure gates are located in a new, architecturally unremarkable concourse behind the original. Amtrak's Club Acela is located in a pleasant, but windowless and also unremarkable, room in the new concourse.

Washington Union Station is served by Amtrak, MARC (Maryland commuter trains), VRE (Virginia commuter trains), and Metro by way of the Metro station of the same name located underneath Union Station. Metro buses, the Circulator, and various tour buses depart from the front of Union Station. Washington's intercity bus station is located just a couple blocks behind, and some buses depart from Union Station's parking garage.

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Boston Back Bay Station

2010-06-19T08:27:00.001-04:00

Just a few minutes from the terminus at the palatial South Station is Back Bay Station near Copley Square. The station, also serving the T Orange line and MBTA Commuter Rail, is concrete and brick, in the brutalist style of most T stations. At Back Bay the platforms are below ground level.

For travelers taking Amtrak from the northeast corridor to a destination on the Downeaster route (New Hampshire and Maine), Back Bay station would be the stop to disembark for the Orange Line for a single ride transfer to North Station. There is no direct rail connection between North and South Stations. The transfer from Amtrak and commuter rail to the Orange Line is merely a matter going up one level, walking a few yards, passing through the fare gates, before descending one level to the T platform.

Pictures of historical railroad stations from the region adorn the walls at Back Bay Station, as well as pictures and text about the railroads that served the station in the days before Amtrak and MBTA. There's also a placard with the story of a railroad porter.

There's a convenience store, and two Dunkin Donuts(!) in Back Bay Station.
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Boston South Station

2010-05-31T21:24:00.001-04:00

South Station is a jewel of a train station. It's beautiful in it's own right, but especially so when considered in contrast to either of Boston's other two intercity stations: Back Bay's subterranean brutalism, or North Station's unadorned utilitarianism.

Perhaps not surprisingly then, looking at Amtrak's materials, more promotional photographs are seemingly shot at South Station than at any other station in the system.

South Station is bow- shaped with two wings. Stairs and escalators descend to the T subway station of the same name serving the Red and Silver Lines, at the middle of the bow, creating a smooth flow of foot traffic.

A new, naturally-lit concourse area was created some years ago by building a glass ceiling over the area between the two wings of the building. Cafe tables occupy the central part of the concourse, which also holds a newsstand, an Au Bon Pain, and a bookstore. The concourse almost has a sidewalk cafe feel to it, albeit, a sidewalk where a few hundred people periodically stream by.

Other take out eateries occupy one wing of the station. The ticket counter, and Amtrak's Club Acela for first-class passengers occupies the other wing.

I'm particularly fond of the Club Acela. It offers an opportunity to use a bathroom not nearly so crowded, or filthy as the one for coach, business, and commuter passengers. It is also in the most attractive part of the station. The attractively adorned ceiling in Club Acela is original to the station. It also affords a great people watching opportunity, perched as it is on the second floor looking out over the concourse.

The one thing that South Station lacks that would really improve it would be a full-service restaurant. There is a bar, Clarke's, which I would appreciate and make use of, but it is usually closed when I am at South Station.

A concise history of South Station can be found here:
http://www.south-station.net/stationhistory.asp
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Dover Transportatin Center

2010-05-31T16:24:00.000-04:00

Dover Transportation Center, recently built for Amtrak's Downeaster service, is a small contemporary looking building that nonetheless evokes the look of classic Boston and Maine Railroad Stations common to this region. Dover has one combination low-level and high-level platform for the single-track serving the station. There is a wheelchair ramp up to the high-level portion of the platform.

Dover Transportation Center is served only by Amtrak Downeaster trains. The Downeaster service operates trains between North Station in Boston and Portland, making several stops along the way in New Hampshire and Maine's seacoast region. The cafe car on Downeaster trains serves regional foods adding such items as Maine's Shipyard Ale and Gearyaks to Sam Adams Boston Lager, which is also available on Northeast Corridor trains, and soups such clam chowder and lobster bisque.
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Children's Museum of New Hampshire

2010-05-31T13:22:00.000-04:00

The Children's Museum of New Hampshire moved to it's current location on the Cocheco River in Dover two years ago, having previously been the Children's Museum of Portsmouth for twenty-five years.

The whole facility has a much newer look to it compared to the previous location's more worn and homemade appearance. Several exhibits have been carried over including the post office window, the Music Matrix, and the Greek restaurant. Gone is the space shuttle cockpit. The much loved yellow submarine, great for climbing on and hiding in it's nooks and crannies, has been replaced with a more submarine-like yellow submarine without places to climb or hide.

The museum exhibit area is a single, open room with a ramp rising to a second level loft.

There is a lunch room with a vending machine, and a gift shop on site, but eating out will require going to one of the many restaurants nearby.

www.childrens-museum.org6 Washington Street Dover, NH 03820
(603) 436-3853
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Boston North Station

2010-05-31T09:25:00.001-04:00

Boston North Station is a very new, and purely utilitarian train station. It sits at ground level, under TD Bank (Boston) Gardens arena. Adjacent to the North Station is a T Station of the same name served by T Orange and Green Line trains.

North Station is served by MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak Downeaster trains that serve destinations in New Hampshire and Maine.

North Station has a digital train information board that plays pre-recorded flipping sounds as the information on the board is updating.

If you are hungry or thirsty, and in a hurry, North Station is a good place to be with several quick-service food options. There's a Dunkin Donuts, where you can get your coffee "regula" (cream and sugar). There's a McDonald's, a convenience store selling snacks and bottled drinks, an ice cream stand, and even a bar (Maker's Mark Crossing).

North Station has plenty of seating, but many people there can be seen standing as they wait to see which platform their train will be departing from.

When a game or other event is being held in the arena, traffic in and out of the station can get congested.

Someone at North Station has a sense of humor: there are signs on the ceiling that read "Danger Do Not Stand on the Ceiling."

Trains departing North Station cross the Charles River with views of the Boston Museum of Science and Cambridge to the West before proceeding on lines built by the former Boston and Maine Railroad.
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Melrose-Cedar Park

2010-05-31T08:24:00.001-04:00

Inspired by Metro Venture (http://emilyhaha.wordpress.com/) blogger Emily HaHa (recently profiled in WashPo - link forthcoming), I've decided to start writing about train stations much the way she's been writing about D.C. Metro stations, and bus routes.

Not a train station, just a stop on the MBTA Commuter Rail Haverhill line. Melrose-Cedar Park has low level, canopied platforms, and metered parking, adjacent to the eponymous Cedar Park on West Emerson Street in Melrose. A few blocks away from the central business district along Main Street, there is, nonetheless a convenience store, bakery, coffee shop, pizza takeout, and a few other businesses within a block of this stop.
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The InterCity Dad Express

2010-03-13T17:12:00.002-05:00

After an evening workout, and a shower I made my way to Washington Union Station to board the 10 pm train to Boston last night as usual for weekends with the boy.

I made myself comfortable in coach class. After an on schedule departure, and once my ticket had been collected, I made my way to the cafe car at the front of the train for a double whiskey to sip back at my seat. I read WashPo stories on my BlackBerry, and caught up on e-mails until I got sleepy, which happened just after the train pulled out of Baltimore Penn Station.

Putting on my mask and pulling out my pack pillow, I made myself as comfortable as could be lying across the two seats, legs curled-up against the wall of the car. I slept soundly that way through most of the night, oblivious to the train's stops in Wilmington and Philadelphia, waking only briefly when the train stopped in Trenton. I slept soundly through the 50 minute stopover in New York City where there is a crew change. On some other trips the new ticket collector has insisted upon waking me, although I always leave my ticket out in full view (tucked behind the strap of my eye mask). I awoke again only briefly at New Haven, and New London, before finally waking up for the day when the conductor announced the stop in Providence, one of my better night's sleep on the North East Corridor.

Once up for the day, I headed back to the cafe car. The same attendant who had served me whiskey the night before, served me coffee and Raisin Bran for breakfast. Back at my seat, I read more WashPo on my BlackBerry while eating my cold cereal, and watching the southern New England scenery go by in the dreary weather.

Having eaten, I brushed my teeth, and then pulled my things together just in time to alight the train at Back Bay. Off I went to catch the green line at Copley Square to pick up the boy for the weekend.

I've been commiserating for years

2010-01-26T09:24:00.002-05:00

Job Opening at Washington Report on Middle East Affairs: Circulation Director
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
http://www.idealist.org/en/job/365370-279
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Salary: Commiserate with Experience.

IMG00084.jpg

2009-12-10T09:58:00.001-05:00

There are no seat belts on this bus

2009-03-18T21:41:00.000-04:00

The Metro bus I was riding to work this morning played a recorded reminder to "buckle-up."

Regular Coffee

2009-03-15T20:46:00.004-04:00

I regularly travel to Boston overnight on the train. I'm also a coffee drinker. So right after I get off the train, I'm looking for a cup of coffee. I have frequently had the experience when ordering coffee in Boston of having to confirm for the clerk, sometimes twice, that I don't want sugar in my coffee.

While I've become accustomed to this, yesterday I had an experience ordering coffee that really took the cake. I placed my order for "coffee with cream; no sugar." The clerk repeated back to me "no sugar." Then one of her coworkers came up from behind with a coffee cup, asking "was that a regular coffee?" The clerk said "yes" as her colleague proceeded to shovel spoonfuls of sugar from a bucket on the counter top into the empty coffee cup in her hand.

Like Butter

2008-05-08T18:54:00.000-04:00

Long-time readers of this blog will recall that The Boy likes butter. One day several years ago, when The Boy was a young toddler, The Boy's Mother was dropping off him at daycare. The Boy was being particularly clingy and weepy that day making it hard for his mother to leave him. One of the caregivers picked him up and explained: "your mommy needs to go to work, so she can earn money to buy food for you to eat."

The Boy sniffled and then replied, asking, "like butter?"

Dancing on the Ceiling

2008-04-15T07:53:00.002-04:00

Someone at North Station in Boston has a sense of humor. I took this photograph looking up at the ceiling.

I Will Turn This Train Around

2008-04-04T10:21:00.009-04:00

The boy and I were riding Amtrak on the North East Corridor one day. As the train was pulling out of Boston's South Station at the beginning of the journey the conductor's voice came over the public address system making the usual announcements and finishing his comments by proclaiming the rules of the quiet car, saying, "the last car of the train is the quiet car. Talking is allowed in the quiet car only in hushed tones. Using cell phones is not allowed in the quiet car and is punishable by death."

Several people in the car we were riding in chuckled. Later that morning, the conductor announced "I have received reports of talking in the quiet car. Don't make me come back there! I will turn this train around!"

As if that wasn't funny enough, a short-time later, somewhere in Connecticut, the train stopped between stations and two members of the train crew ran by us toward the back of the train. Then the train started backing-up.

My first thought, of course, was that the conductor was following through on his earlier threat about talking in the quiet car. The train ran in reverse for what seemed like twenty minutes, and while it was doing so he announced that the train had missed a signal and would need to clear the track for a north bound train. After sitting for what seemed like another twenty minutes we got on our way southbound again.

A Victory for Faith-Based Organizing

2008-04-03T10:55:00.005-04:00

The Washington Post reported this morning, in an artilcle headlined "400 of 'Most Vulnerable' Homeless to Get Apartments," D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty's ambitious plans to create supportive housing for the chronically homeless in the city. Not mentioned in the article is the effort on the part of the Washington Interfaith Network that went into prompting the Mayor to make these plans and the reason for the timing of the announcement: Mayor Fenty will at an accountability action organized by WIN on Monday evening.

WIN is an association of around 50 congregations and other organizations in Washington, D.C., and is an affiliate of the Industrial Areas Foundation. WIN uses IAF's method for organizing and successfully working with public officials to improve quality of life in the city. The recipe for success is very simple, but requires persistence. WIN leaders negotiate with public officials in private meetings over what portions of the WIN agenda the official will commit to. Then an event is organized where the official makes a public commitment, including the commitment to appear at another public event to report on progress.

The success of an accountability action relies on turning-out a large audience. WIN congregations are asked to make commitments to turn-out a certain number of people. Each event begins with each congregation reporting their goal and the number they actually brought. The WIN events I have been to have all created standing-room only audiences in a large D.C. church. All of these audiences have been turned-out through organizing and without advertising or handing out flyers or posting announcements in public places.

Religion in America

2008-04-02T18:55:00.003-04:00

For several years now the public discourse on religious life in America has been framed as "the country is divided between evangelical Christians and secularists."

At an otherwise excellent recent Take Back America conference, I attended a panel of self-proclaimed progressive evangelicals who shed some light on the diversity of values amongst Evangelical Christians, but who, nonetheless spoke within the evangelical/secular split frame.

This new spin on religious life in America story that many evangelicals' values include progreessive concerns such as for the environment and the poor has been getting a lot of play lately. Jim Wallis, who's been pushing for years that progressive values are Christian values, seems to be popping up everywhere lately. The Washington Post recently ran an opinion piece by David Kuo, the former head of President Bush's Offiice of Faith-Based Initiatives. In the piece, Kuo criticized Bush for using the program and his talk of "compassionite conservatism" soley to turn-out evangelical voters, while never really addressing the needs of the poor or other social problems.

I welcome social and political activism for the environment and the poor from Evangelicals. This is a refreshing change from what appeared to be an exclusive focus on abortion and same-sex marriage while turning a blind eye to tax-cuts for the wealthy and the torturing of children of God that seemed to define the movement as recently as 2006. Unfortunately, this new story of progressive activism by Evangelicals is still set in the frame "the country is divided between evangelical Christians and secularists."

America is a diverse religious society. Evangelicals are not even the largest group of Christians. One of the panelists mentioned that there are 35 millioin evangelicals in America. I don't know where that number came from. I checked the website of the National Association of Evangelicals and don't find any claim as to the number of people in the evangelical movement. The National Council of Churches claims that the numbers of members of the churches in their association is 45 million. I have seen estimates for the number of Catholics in America at around 50 million members in the US. That makes fewer evangelicals than either mainline protestants or Catholics. Of course, America's religious landscape is even more diverse than that with Jews, Muslims, Hindus and others.

I recently read Stephen Prothero's very good book Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know--And Doesn't, which makes the point that even if you aren't religious you need to know some basic things about the diversity of religions in America and their beliefs and practices to understand American society politics.

The frame of our public discourse on religion in America is wrong and inadequate for understanding, even discussing religion in our society.

The Red Rocks of Sedona

2007-07-08T23:50:00.000-04:00

I Went To Phoenix...

2007-07-05T22:13:00.000-04:00

and it was hot.

Most Unfortunate Name Ever

2007-06-17T23:47:00.001-04:00

While I was stepping through the metal detector at Logan Airport earlier this evening, I noticed that the name tag on the TSA agent who was flagging me through identified her as... Latrina.

WIPE! ROTATE! PINGPONG! JUMP!

2007-03-06T07:32:00.001-05:00

There's a sign at the Silver Spring MARC Station, I can see it from the platform of the adjacent Metro Station, which flashes a series of words and scrolls messages. I'm continually amused by several of the words that flash accross the screen. I've taken pictures of a few of them to share here.

As much as I am amused by the sign, I do question the wisdom of flashing the word "Jump" next to a railroad track.

This is A Bad Sign

2007-02-06T08:02:00.001-05:00

When I boarded the bus to home last night, the driver asked if anyone on the bus knew the route.

Hanibal Lecter Was A Great Humanitarian

2007-01-29T23:53:00.001-05:00

If a vegetarian is someone who only eats vegetables, then why isn't a humanitarian someone who only eats humans?

The Misinformation Center

2007-01-06T16:24:00.001-05:00

I'm dying to know what goes on behind this door.

2006-12-05T15:14:00.001-05:00

Common Cause wants me to write to Eleanor Holmes Norton, the Delegate to Congress from Washington, D.C. who can't vote on legislation, to urge her to vote for a bill that would give her the right to vote on legislation:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Ed Davis, Common Cause [mailto:CauseNet@commoncause.org]
Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2006 1:29 PM
To: The Absurdist

Subject: Give DC a Vote!

Dear Absurdist,

"Without Further Delay." That's the headline of an editorial this morning in the Washington Post.1

Here's more:
"The people of the District of Columbia shouldn't have to wait another minute, let alone another month, to get the full voting representation in government that is their due as Americans."

We can make this happen in the next few days. The DC Voting Rights Act is headed for a vote in the last few days of the 109th Congress. The Act will give DC a vote in the US House of Representatives for the first time.

Tell Del. Eleanor Norton to vote for the DC Voting Rights Act.

http://www.commoncause.org/demandDCvote

Nearly 600,000 Americans living in the District of Columbia have no voting representation in Congress. It's the only national capital among the world's democracies that lacks a vote. Even citizens in Baghdad have the right to representation in Iraq's legislature.

The DC Voting Rights Act recognizes that partisan political considerations have always entered into issues that are fundamentally about fairness and justice. This proposal puts those considerations aside by adding two new seats to the House, one for the District and another that will go to Utah, which barely missed gaining another seat after the last census. It's a practical, fair solution to a problem that has been a stain on our democracy for over 200 years.

Even in the bitterly divided partisan atmosphere in Congress, this historic bill can pass in the next few days. But we need your help now!

Tell Del. Eleanor Norton to vote for the DC Voting Rights Act.

http://www.commoncause.org/demandDCvote

Thank you for your help.

Ed Davis and Sarah DufendachDC Voting Rights team

1: Washington Post editorial, December 5, 2006.

Forward this email
---------------------------------------------------------

Seriously, if you don't live in Washington, D.C., then write to your member of Congress right now to urge him or her to vote for the D.C. Voting Rights Act: http://www.commoncause.org/demandDCvote .

Your Special Gift

2006-10-01T22:17:00.001-04:00

Jaleo is one of my favorite restaurants. I enjoy the food. I like that servings are small so that I can try several dishes at one meal and I like that I can order dishes as I go to suit my appetite. So I was excited to receive an e-mail from Jaleo a few weeks ago telling me that if I were to come in the restaurant would give me a "special gift" for my birthday. I must have given them my e-mail address and birthday on an earlier visit.

The Sassy Girlfriend and I went out to dinner at Jaleo the week after my birthday. I handed the waiter a printout of the e-mail about the special gift when we placed our order. He said he would talk to the manager and be right back. As we waited, The Sassy Girlfriend and I speculated as to what the free gift would be. Maybe it would a pitcher of Sangria, or a free dessert? Maybe it was flan?

The waiter returned with a clay jug of extra virgin olive oil.

Tunbridge World's Fair

2006-09-19T23:15:00.001-04:00

A big ox.

A cow for Bernie.

Prizewinning Vermont-grown pumpkins.

Prizewinning Vermont-grown watermelons.

What happens in Vermont...

2006-09-19T07:50:00.001-04:00

Bizarre Bazaars

2006-09-06T06:39:00.001-04:00

Fall in Washington is church bazaar and festival season. I went to four church bazaars last year. I learned of them when I passed each of the churches while riding the bus and saw their signs announcing the festivals. I enjoy these bazaars because they allow me to explore two different interests of mine at once: exotic food and the diversity of the church. The format for these events seems to be the same at each church; there is cafeteria food service, vendors selling jewelry and icons, and tours of the church nave. I’ve spent a little time researching bazaars in the area this fall and these are the ones I’m going to try to make it to:

St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church Come-In-Unity Festival
(featuring hot priest on priest basketball action)
11911 Braddock Road
Fairfax, VA 22030
Sat., Sept. 16

Saints Constantine & Helen Church Greek Festival
4115 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC, (202) 829-2910
Fri., Sept. 15, 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Sat. Sept. 16, Noon to 10:00 p.m
Sun., Sept. 17, Noon to 8:00 p.m.

St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of Washington DC
15100 New Hampshire Ave.
Silver Spring MD 20905
Sat. and Sun. Sept. 16-17

Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Church Annual Parish Bazaar
7164 Alaska Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20012
Sept. 23

Bazaar of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
4001 17th St. NW, Washington, D.C.
(the corner of 17th and Shepherd Streets, NW)
Sat., September 30, 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sun., October 1, noon – 6:00 pm

The Spiritual Discipline of Public Transportation

2006-08-30T22:34:00.001-04:00

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (RSV)

I have been blessed with a long commute.

I ride the bus every morning for thirty minutes to a Metro station and then I ride the Metro for another twenty or twenty-five minutes before arriving at Farragut North and walking the couple blocks to my office.

It might sound strange to hear me describe my long commute as a blessing, and, indeed, for many months I thought of it as a curse. I’m going to share with you the story of why I changed my attitude about commuting.

When I first moved to the Washington, D.C. area, I lived in an apartment close enough to work that I could walk there in about thirty minutes. Walking to work was a nice way to start the day. Later, I moved to a house further away, but near a Metro station within thirty minute ride from work. Three years ago I moved again, this time into a house in the middle of suburban nowhere, well beyond walking distance and not near a Metro station. However, I am on several bus lines. For more than a year, I rode the bus every workday morning, sometimes reading, sometimes just looking out the window, but usually resenting that I couldn’t have slept in just a little longer.

Then sometime last year I decided that I would make better use of the time and start doing daily devotional readings. I began using The Upper Room magazine that Foundry provides in the narthex. So for several months my morning routine became get on the bus, read a bit of scripture and a brief inspiring message, and then dig out a book or magazine to read for the rest of the ride.

Earlier this year I began praying after I had done the devotional reading. Now, the devotional reading does end with a brief prayer, but I don’t think reading the one or two sentence prayer really counts. I wasn’t getting into the spirit of prayer within those couple of lines.

Up until that time, I had been the kind of person who prayed only when led to do so. That means that for the most part I prayed during church on Sunday mornings. I had been thinking for some time of taking up daily prayer. I figured that it would do me some good. You see, I have been carrying around a lot of hurt and unresolved anger. I have also had anxieties that need to be relieved. I knew, instinctively, that I needed to spend some time every day in the company of God. I needed to pray, but I did not have the praying habit. Developing new habits isn’t easy. Distractions and old ways of doing things get in the way.

My commute has created the perfect opportunity for me to read scripture and pray every day. I have now built into my day plenty of time free from distractions. Indeed, there is little else that I could do with the time.

When I pray, I do a bit of talking: I thank God for my son, for my friends and family, I ask to be transformed, I recount my sins and ask forgiveness, and I ask God to intercede in other people’s lives. But I don’t do all the talking; I also make a point of spending a few minutes sitting silently listening to God. So far God hasn’t had anything to say, but I do enjoy the silent time we spend together.

Occasionally I put off reading the Bible and I don’t get around to praying before my commute is over. Now when I skip my devotional reading or praying it seems like I haven’t really started the day right. I haven’t cleared my mind. I’m anxious and distracted. Starting my day with the Bible and with prayer helps me get through the day, and I’m praying because I’m riding the bus.

Now if I could just find something to do on the ride home.

18th Street NW, Washington, D.C.

2006-07-30T18:49:00.001-04:00

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Back To Silver Spring...

2006-07-17T22:11:00.001-04:00

Desktop Office Defense System

2006-07-11T23:56:00.001-04:00

Yes, it really works.

It lobs the yellow clay ball up to about 20 feet. I built it from a kit that I bought.

Going Home

2006-07-09T22:31:00.001-04:00

The Boy and I spent the long Independence Day weekend in my hometown, Montpelier, Vermont. On the drive up Interstate 89 we stopped to visit my father's grave at the Vermont Veterans Cemetary, where I shot the above picture of the view from his headstone and the one below of the state seal on a granite post at the cemetary's entrance.

Montpelier is Vermont's state capital and, while not an otherwise industrial place, it also is home to the country's last plant manufacturing wooden clothes pins.

The Boy and I took in a ball game. We watched the Vermont Mountaineers defeat the Concord (NH) Quarry Dogs (what's a quarry dog?). Both teams are in the New England College Baseball League. Fittingly, the Mountaineers mascot is a woodchuck, the local vernacular for a Vermonter.

Montpelier's Independence Day parade has become a large affair lasting over an hour and featuring politicians, performers, and community groups.

The victorious Mountaineers riding on an historic firetruck.

The sailor's of the Mighty Monty came all the way from their home port of Norfolk, Virginia. One of these days I'm going to look up the story of how the capital of a landlocked state came to have an attack submarine named after it.

The Shriners were there driving their little cars. The Boy remembered them from last year's parade and he was eager to see them again. I remember them from parades when I was his age.

Vermont's Bread and Puppet Theater performed political street theater and had their trademeark washer women and giant flying bird. I also remember Bread and Puppet from parades when I was The Boy's age.

The Boy and I also visited nearby Barre, Vermont to take in a matinee of the new animated movie Cars. We had a few minutes to kill, so I took these pictures of the old Socialist Labor Party Hall. Notice the arm and hammer over the door in the picture above.

Barre is home to the world's largest granite quarry (but no quarry dogs that I've ever seen). It has over the year's attracted and turned out many very talented stonecutters. There are several excellent examples of stonecutting to be found in Barre like the statue pictured below.

Lipstick Roses

2006-07-01T00:30:00.001-04:00

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

2006-06-18T18:40:00.001-04:00

I took a date yesterday to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. We had a picnic lunch and then strolled through the ponds of water lillies and lotuses before walking out onto the boardwalk through Kenilworth Marsh.

The aquatic gardens are one of D.C.'s hidden gems. It's a national park on the edge of the district where the park service grows flowering water lillies and lotuses in man made ponds. I've been a few times now. Each time there has been only a few other people there. On past visits I've seen a variety of birds, turtles, salamanders, and butterflies. On this visit my date and I saw just one small turtle, sitting on a lilly pad, and three muskrats (I wonder whether the park service considers muskrats pests or just part of the ecosystem). Going to the aquatic gardens makes me forget that I'm in D.C. and I feel like I'm in on a well kept secret.

Irreverent Humor

2006-06-09T06:39:00.001-04:00

This is one of my favorite jokes:

A crowd was preparing to stone a woman who had been caught committing adultery.

Jesus tried to stop them by saying, “let whoever is without sin among you, cast the first stone.”

Just then a stone came flying from the back of the crowd and struck the woman.

Jesus blurted out, “Mother, I’m trying to make a point here.”

Do They Serve Baby Giant Panda?

2006-05-21T22:53:00.001-04:00

Conway Scenic Railroad

2006-05-17T23:05:00.001-04:00

The Boy and I drove to North Conway last Saturday just to take a short ride on this historic train.

We purchased tickets to ride in the dome on top of the car pictured above.

The Boy has a book about the Conway Scenic Railroad so he recognized the rail cars and called them by name. When he saw the one in the picture above, he said "there's the Gertrude Stein."

I corrected him, "it's the Gertrude Emma."

Then I asked him "where did you ever hear of Gertrude Stein?"

"I don't know."

I wonder what his mother has been reading to him, or maybe it's his public radio habit.

It rained all day. The rain got heavier as the day wore on. By the end of the weekend a state of emergency had been declared across the region. Roads and bridges were washed out. Low-lying areas were evacuated due to the threat of flooding. On a rainy Saturday in May riding a train with The Boy was the perfect place to be.

Maine

2006-05-08T22:56:00.001-04:00

The Open Road

2006-05-08T00:35:00.001-04:00

Carlsbad Caverns

2006-05-04T01:07:00.001-04:00

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

2006-05-02T23:14:00.001-04:00

El Capitan

2006-05-01T23:04:00.001-04:00

Cafe Nema

2006-04-25T22:53:00.001-04:00

On Friday night I met some friends for dinner at Café Nema on U Street. I had walked by Café Nema many times since I lived in the U Street neighborhood when I first moved to Washington in 1999, but I had never eaten there. I had no idea what I had been missing.

As we were settling in, one of my friends told me that Café Nema is owned by a Somali man. Being unfamiliar with the cuisine of Somalia, I was surprised to discover that the menu included many dishes that I recognized as Middle Eastern or Italian. Upon reflection, I decided that this made sense. Somalia is a predominantly Muslim country, which would explain the Middle Eastern influence, and part of Somalia had for a time been an Italian protectorate. The menu included dishes I did not recognize that I assume are wholly Somali.

Googleing “Somali food” to read other’s descriptions of Somali restaurants, I learned that Somali food is often eaten with the hands and that, Somali’s being muslim, Somali restaurants are typically alcohol free. However, Café Nema is a full service restaurant with silverware and there is a full bar. The beer selection includes Heinekin, Fischer Biere D’Alsace, and Spaten amongst others. All beers were $6 per glass or bottle. I didn’t look at the wine selection.

Our group shared several appetizers, all enjoyable: sambousas, triangular pastries filled with jalapeno-spiced meat; falafel; kibbeh, an oblong-shaped fried ball of seasoned ground meat and pine nuts; and hummus, with a strong cumin flavor, rather than the garlic flavor I'm more accustomed to, and served with pieces of tortilla like wheat flatbread.

So many things on the menu looked good, but my mouth started watering when I read the description for Kalankal: either chicken, lamb, or beef stewed in tomatoes, onions, peppers and spices. The actual dish lived up to my expectations. Apparently I wasn’t the only one whose mouth watered at the description, several in our party ordered it. One who didn’t, had lamb chops and he later reported that they were very good.

There were some downsides to Café Nema. It is a small restaurant and was very crowded when we were there. We were interrupted half-way through our dinner to make room for a DJ to set-up. Also the service was poor. There were not enough menus to go round and our waiter took appetizer orders from only half of our party and didn’t return until they had been consumed and we were ready to order entrée’s. Despite these problems, the quality of the food made it enjoyable.

Café Nema is located at 1334 U Street NW inWashington, D.C.

Hu is the president of China?

2006-04-22T11:55:00.001-04:00

I was happy to hear on Thursday that a Chinese woman had disrupted the joint press conference between President George W. Bush and President of China Hu Jintao. I was irritated by the later news that President Bush had apologized for the incident. China is not an open society, but the U.S. is. It's unamerican to try to protect a foreign head of state from the discontent of his own people.

I was irritated to see the staged shows of friendship that I photographed later that day along Connecticut Avenue. I'm confident this was arrainged by the Chinese embassy to create a backdrop for Chinese television showing the appearence of American support for the Communist Party's rule of China. Judging from President Bush's eagerness to protect President Hu from being exposed to the grievances of protesters, perhaps the U.S. does support Communist Party rule there.

Unnerving

2006-04-12T07:20:00.001-04:00

The new animated advertisements in Metro's red line tunnels are hard to miss. They're large and brightly backlit. They're also eerie. You're riding along on Metro and suddenly the tunnel is lit up with images of sled dogs mushing past mountains in the background. Then a Lincoln drives by. Judging from the comments I've heard, I'm not the only one who was a little unnerved upon first seeing the new ads. One evening on my ride home I heard one women blurt out "what's going on?" to her friend and on another trip I heard, "what just happened?"

The Good Life

2006-04-08T16:21:00.001-04:00

Tater Tots and Rice Krispies Treats

2006-04-04T23:37:00.001-04:00

I recently met some friends for drinks at the Quarry House Tavern in Silver Spring. The Quarry House Tavern is a basement level bar with well worn furnishings and interior. There was an unpretentious mixed ages crowd.

One of my companions commented to me that the menu was a little strange because it listed grilled cheese sandwhich as one of the options. I had to agree that grilled cheese sandwhiches aren't generally considered bar food, but they are frequently offered at diners. The boys mother, for as long as I have known her has always ordered a grilled cheese sandwhich whenever it was an option.

While I didn't think the grilled cheese sandwhiches were strange, I did think it was odd that the hamburgers and sandwhiches came with tater tots instead of french fries and that the only item on the dessert menu was Rice Krispies treats.

Eating tater tots while drinking beer makes an evening at the Quarry House Tavern unlike an evening anywhere else. There are a couple other noteworthy items on the menu. First, the homemade potato chips with sour cream and dill dip. The potato chips were thin, crispy, and served hot. Also, my hamburger was thick and juicy. I reccomend both.

The Quarry House Tavern is located at 8401 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring.

Fathers and Sons

2006-03-29T23:02:00.001-05:00

My mother has been sending newspaper clippings to The Boy about Tai Shan, the National Zoo's panda cub also known as Butterstick. So The Boy was pretty eager to see Tai Shan in person on his most recent visit. Tai Shan is an active youngster. He was climbing a tree when we first stopped by to see him.

The panda yard is divide by a wall. Tai Shan was on one side with one parent and the other parent was on the other side of the wall. It just seemed obvious to me that Tai Shan was being kept with his mother, but The Boy insisted that Tai Shan was playing with his dad.

I love the boy.

Seven Samurai

2006-03-26T01:24:00.001-05:00

It’s a three and a half hour movie about rice. The villagers have rice. The bandits want the rice. The villagers find seven samurai and pay them with rice to keep the bandits from stealing their rice. (It's a great movie. I highly recommend it.)

The Maryland Avenue Project

2006-03-20T22:55:00.001-05:00

Since starting this blog, I’ve been receiving press releases in my e-mail from now three different organizations. I assume that these are being sent to me in hopes that I will write about the releases. Perhaps someone has been spreading advice that to create buzz about your organization you should court bloggers to write about you.

The Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University has been sending me releases about upcoming shows. I haven’t been to any performances at the Lisner, much less blogged about any, but I won’t rule out doing either of those. I also have been receiving releases from DC Vote, an organization I’ve had some involvement with and whose mission I support. I haven’t blogged about them either, but I probably will in the future. Most recently, I’ve begun to receive press releases from the Institute for Religion and Democracy. If IRD is hoping that I’ll blog about them then they are about to get their wish, but they aren’t going to like what I have to say.

In their own words, IRD works “to reform the social and political witness of the American churches, while also promoting democracy and religious freedom at home and abroad.” I’m all for second part of that statement, at least on the face of it, but it is the first part that I have a problem with. IRD has targeted for what they call reform the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Church, and the Presbyterian Church (USA).

IRD’s stated goal is reform of mainline churches. The policies of the mainline churches are the business of their members and their members alone. What really bothers me about IRD is the presence of outsiders on its board of directors and its use of outside money. At least six of the seventeen board directors are not members of the denominations targeted by IRD. The Rev. Richard J. Neuhaus, Michael Novak, Dr. J. Budziszewski, George Weigel, Mary Ellen Bork, and Dr. Robert P. George are all Roman Catholic, but IRD is not trying to reform the Roman Catholic Church. Its efforts are focused on three protestant denominations plus the National Council of Churches, and the World Council of Churches. The Roman Catholic Church isn’t a member of either NCC or WCC.

Others have written about IRD, most notably Leon Howell who authored United Methodism@RISK, A Wake Up Call. Howell documented the network of groups working to drastically change the United Methodist Church. Most of these are groups composed of members of the church. While I disagree with their agenda, I can’t deny that as members of the United Methodist Church, they have every right to pursue it. IRD has connected the money of the political right with the right-wing activists in the denominations it has targeted in order to silence the progressive social advocacy of the mainline denominations.

From Howell’s book, IRD’s agenda is to influence the governing bodies of the mainline denominations to oppose feminism, gay rights, abortion, environmentalism, hate crimes legislation, and the social safety net. IRD also supports the war on terror and the war in Iraq. IRD’s tactics include: sample resolutions to be introduced at annual conferences and General Conference; recruiting and training delegates for annual conferences and General Conference; recruiting and training candidates to run for church leadership positions; provoking church members to bringing charges against clergy on accusations; and using press releases to spread misinformation and smear church leaders.

Howell also details the financial connections between IRD and the philanthropists and foundations that typically fund right-wing secular causes. IRD has received millions of dollars from Richard Mellon Scaife, the John M. Olin Foundation, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Castle Rock Foundation, and the Fieldstead Foundation.

As it happens, the three denominations targeted by IRD, and the National Council of Churches, have their public policy and advocacy offices in either 100 or 110 Maryland Avenue Northeast in Washington, D.C. One hundred Maryland Avenue is the United Methodist Building and 110 Maryland Avenue next door is additional real estate also owned by the United Methodist Church’s General Board of Church and Society, the public witness and advocacy agency of the United Methodist Church. In fact, over 40 denominations have their offices in those two buildings. Just like Tom Delay had his K Street Project to put his loyal associates in positions at lobbying firms located mostly on K Street, IRD appears to be conducting a Maryland Avenue project for the right to neutralize the support for a progressive public policy agenda by mainline churches. Not satisfied to have the support of evangelicals and fundamentalists, the right wants to shut down any opposition on its agenda from the religious mainstream.

So, IRD, thanks for the press releases. Keep them coming. I want to keep tabs on what you’re trying to do to my church.

So This is How Liberty Dies

2006-03-20T15:39:00.001-05:00

The two women of the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, have both recently spoken out about threats to judges, which in turn threaten the independence of the judiciary.

In a March 9 speech reported by National Public Radio, but ignored by most other major media, retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor defended the necessity of an independent judiciary to protect freedoms and prevent tyranny. She named no names, but quoted both Rep. Tom Delay (R-TX) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and criticized their comments for promoting retaliation against individual judges and the federal judiciary as a whole for rulings on particular cases. Delay had criticized the courts for decisions on abortion, prayer and the Terry Schiavo case. Of the Schiavo ruling, DeLay said: "The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior" and he later called for the impeachment of the judges involved. Cornyn had made a statement that there may be a connection between violence against judges and the decisions they make after a Georgia judge was murdered in the courtroom and the family of a federal judge in Illinois was murdered in her home.

O'Connor noted recent suggestions for retaliating against the courts such as the massive impeachment of judges, stripping the courts of jurisdiction and cutting judicial budgets. O’Connor asserted that judicial independence relies upon an environment in which judges and justices won't be subject to retaliation for their rulings.

A March 16 article in Legal Times, reported on a February speech by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg delivered at the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Justice Ginsburg said she and Sandra Day O'Connor were the targets of an Internet death threat in 2005 because of their citation of foreign law and court rulings in Supreme Court decisions. In her speech, Ginsburg suggested the threat was prompted by bills introduced by Republicans in Congress that would prohibit federal courts from referring to foreign laws or rulings in interpreting the U.S. Constitution.

Just Like Pathology is the Study of Paths

2006-03-17T06:45:00.001-05:00

It makes me crazy how people who should know better (for examples look here, here, and here) misuse the word methodology when they just mean method. The suffix -ology refers to the study or science of something. Methodology is the study of methods and should not be used to describe the method used to study a thing or phenomenon.

Church leads effort for fairness in congressional representation

2006-03-13T15:08:00.001-05:00

March 8, 2006

By Mark Schoeff Jr.*

WASHINGTON (UMNS) - For many years, Foundry United Methodist Church has helped lead an effort to establish a voting representative in Congress for District of Columbia citizens.

Now there's something tangible to rally around: a bill that is being considered this spring on Capitol Hill.

Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., has reintroduced the D.C. Fairness in Representation Act, which would give the district a fully enfranchised House of Representatives member and would temporarily add a House member to the Utah delegation.

The bill would increase the size of the House from 435 to 437 until the 2010 census, when congressional districts would be reapportioned back to 435 for the 2012 election. Currently, the District of Columbia is represented in the House by a nonvoting member.

Advocates for the measure are pushing for hearings in the House Government Reform Committee, which Davis chairs, and in the House Judiciary Committee, which is chaired by Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.

If the bill gains traction in Congress, it will mark a milestone for Foundry's efforts on the issue. Foundry was instrumental in getting a D.C. voting resolution revised and readopted at the 2000 United Methodist General Conference. In the resolution, the denomination's top legislative assembly called on the president and Congress "to take action to provide congressional representation to the citizens of Washington D.C. by whatever means they should find suitable and appropriate."

The resolution called on all U.S. United Methodist congregations and church members to support the citizens of Washington and request that their "elected representatives in Congress . demand democratic rights for the District of Columbia."

The resolution also asks all communities of faith across the country to advocate for the effort so that "at last the citizens of the District of Columbia are provided with the same democratic rights available to all other Americans."

"You all have helped keep this issue alive, not only in our city and the Congress but also in the church," said Jim Winkler, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, the social action arm of the denomination. Winkler spoke Feb. 19 at a voting rights bill meeting at Foundry church.

So far, Foundry has been advocating the issue in principle, and the Davis bill now provides something to point to when building support in Congress, he noted.

"Now there is something specific you can ask them to do," said the Rev. Mark Schaefer, United Methodist chaplain at American University and former head of the Foundry Democracy Project. "We're hoping to energize the community of faith and tie it to the specific relief we have before us," he said.

'Strategic influence'

The church and society agency will urge United Methodists across the country to contact their representatives and senators, Winkler said. A sample letter will be sent in an Action Alert e-mail to 18,000 subscribers, and the board will include an appeal in its Faith and Action newsletter, which goes to 15,000 people.

If a member of Congress gets a couple of dozen calls on a bill that otherwise wasn't on the radar, it tends to get his or her attention, Winkler said. Even 300 phone calls to congressional offices over the course of a couple of months could make a difference if they're targeted at key politicians, he said.

"The way we look at it is strategic influence and pressure rather than trying to get 8 million United Methodists to arise at once, although I love that idea," Winkler said. "The key is to get enough members of Congress hearing from people."

Although opposition is sure to flare over any proposal to give the District two senators, which likely would be safe Democratic seats, overcoming detractors is not the biggest problem.
"The biggest challenge is interest, it's not opposition," said Ilir Zherka, executive director of DCVote, who spoke at the Foundry event.

A spiritual matter

Winkler suggested presenting the voting issue as a spiritual imperative. He recommended that the issue become part of Sunday liturgies through litanies, statements in sermons and Scripture references.

"We need to figure out ways to go beyond Action Alerts . so that it's not just seen as a political matter," Winkler said. Enfranchisement "is in our Methodist DNA."

Winkler, who had joined other religious leaders in protesting the cuts to social programs under President Bush's budget plan, said a vote from a district congressional representative might have turned the tide against the budget proposal this year, which passed the House 216-214. "If Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.'s representative) had been a voting member of the House, we would have been only one vote away from defeating the 2006 budget, which cut many human needs programs."

Bipartisan support

Robert White, a spokesman for the House Government Reform Committee, said the bill has garnered nearly two dozen bipartisan cosponsors.

Davis, chairman of the committee, welcomes the United Methodist Church's efforts to build support for the measure because, like the church, he views a District of Columbia vote in the House as a matter of social justice.

"When you get people who believe in the bill on that level and can explain it to other members of Congress, that's helpful," he said.

White said the committee wants to hold a hearing on the bill soon. The House Judiciary Committee is not planning any action on the bill in the near future.

The Senate

Advocates for the district's voting rights said Senate seats will have to wait for another day. "We can't get the Senate at this moment through this bill," Zherka said. The House vote measure "is a creative, vote-neutral result. That's how you can get movement in a partisan atmosphere."

For now, the focus will remain on the House - and, for Foundry, on the religious underpinnings of the effort. The entire congregation plans to reach out to House members on the fairness in representation legislation.

"People of faith have historically led social justice movements, such as the abolitionist and civil rights movements," said Seth Chase, leader of the Foundry Democracy Project. "The faithful across America should continue their historical mission and lead the movement to grant all Americans representation in Congress."

*Schoeff is a freelance writer in the Washington D.C. area. He is also on staff at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan think tank.

News media contact: Linda Green or Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

Something To Be Proud Of

2006-03-10T07:31:00.001-05:00

This blog is the top Google search result for "why do today what you can put off until tomorrow.”

Hope and Faith

2006-03-08T22:44:00.001-05:00

Hebrews 11:1-3
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old received divine approval. By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear. (RSV)

I used to feel challenged in my faith by my belief in reason and evidence. The problem for my faith is that there is no evidence that God exists. To be sure, there is no evidence that God does not exist either. The result was that God seemed, not impossible, but unlikely. Yet I found that I could not do without God in my life.

My dictionary tells me that faith is belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. If we had evidence or proof that God exists and created us and the universe, then by definition, we wouldn’t have faith. Faith means believing despite the lack of evidence. Faith is emotional, not rational. Faith is based on hope, which is believing in something even when the evidence indicates that it is unlikely.

Geological evidence indicates that the earth is 4 and a half billion years old. Astronomical evidence indicates that the universe is billions of years older. Fossil and genetic evidence indicate that all life on earth comes from a distant common ancestry and that differing species, including humans, evolved over millions of years.

To be fair, it is consistent with a Bible-based faith to choose to believe in the biblical story of creation. However, if reason and evidence are to be applied in any aspects of life, then it only makes sense to apply them to every aspect, not just those that are not addressed in the Bible.

Would it affect your relationship with God, if you believed that God created the universe in an instant billions of years ago, rather than in a week merely several thousand years ago? The big bang theory is no less miraculous than the story of creation told in Genesis. If you consider how improbable it is that life began at all millions of years ago and that upright walking, rational, and emotional beings evolved after millions of years from that first single-celled organism, then it all seems miraculous. When I read about the big bang and evolution, I feel closer to God.

Finally, my real reason for talking about this subject is that my reaction to people whose primary concern is insisting in believing in the details of the biblical story of creation despite evidence to the contrary, is to be concerned that they are missing out on the wonderful experience of faith. Creeds don’t save us. Getting the theology right doesn’t save us. We are saved by entering into a loving relationship with our creator, regardless of how he went about creating us.

Why Do Today What You Can Put Off Until Tomorrow?

2006-01-12T00:03:00.001-05:00

On Tuesday evening of last week I was perusing the shelves at Kramer Books when I came across a self-help book for stopping procrastinating. Now, I know that I am a procrastinator. This looked like a book I would benefit from reading.

I decided that I would buy the book some other day and put it back on the shelf.

It took me over a week to get around to blogging about this.

The Express Cuts the Cheese

2006-01-09T23:34:00.001-05:00

The Express reported the following on Friday:

Cabot Cheese Road Show. Be a Cheesehead for a day without going to Wisconsin. Kids can have their pic taken as Cabetsy, the Cabot cow. At 12 local Whole Foods, Fri-Sun., free; check cabotcheese.com for a schedule.

The Cheesehead joke would be funny here, if Cabot was indeed a Wisconsin company. Had the writer followed his own advice and checked cabotcheese.com he would have discovered that Cabot is a Vermont company.

Of Course, If I Won the Lottery Then I Wouldn't Need the Job

2005-12-29T23:02:00.001-05:00

My hour and a half commute is starting to wear on me. I'd like to live just a short walk from my office. Unfortunately real estate in that area has become very expensive. So, I've been buying lottery tickets in hopes of winning enough money to buy a house near my work.

Men Explained

2005-11-26T11:32:00.001-05:00

I have frequently heard that boys mature slower than girls. I do not believe this is true. From what I have seen, boys mature to their full potential quickly and then stop. The only difference between men and boys is their size. To illustrate, I will share a scene I witnessed of The Boy's behavior when he was somewhere around 18 months old:

While I was working in the kitchen on a weekend afternoon, the boy was sitting in his toddler-sized chair, at his toddler-sized table enjoying a drink and a snack. He raised his sippy cup full of soy milk (the boy has a severe dairy allergy) to his lips and tiltling his head back he proceeded to drain it without pausing. He then threw the empty sippy cup aside belching loudly without shame before turning to consume his snack.

The only thing that would have made the scene perfect would have been if he had attempted to crush the empty sippy cup on his forehead before casting it aside.

The Importance of Messaging

2005-11-12T12:07:00.001-05:00

Last Thursday, as I was heading down M street returning to my office from a meeting, I passed a shivering, twentyish man holding a clip board. As I walked by he said, "would you like to help fight global warming?"

Amtrak Bling Bling

2005-10-30T23:36:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning I rode Amtrak home from Baltimore. One of the staff on the train, a woman, was showing her pride in her employer with an impressive collection of Amtrak accessories. She was wearing a jewel (rhinestone?) encrusted Amtrak choker, a jewel encrusted Amtrak bracelet, a big Amtrak belt buckle, and jewel encrusted letter A earrings.

International Food Festival

2005-10-25T23:09:00.001-04:00

If you've been reading my blog than you know that I like to eat. I've been making the rounds of church bazaars and festivals this fall to try out different ethnic foods. This Sunday, Oct. 30, Foundry United Methodist Church is holding it's International Food Festival to benefit the child development center. The festival runs from 12:30 to 2:00 in the Fellowship Hall. The cost is $12.00 for all you can eat. Food is prepared by the parents of the children enrolled in the child development center who come several different cultures.

Foundry United Methodist Church is located on the corner of 16th and P streets in Northwest Washington, D.C.

She would make an excellent chair of the Stewardship Committee

2005-10-23T19:24:00.001-04:00

Today was pledge Sunday at church. While Rev. Snyder was preaching on the "Principles of Spiritual Giving" the woman sitting next to me, picked-up a pew bible and shared the following chapter and verse, saying "I don't know why they don't just read this during pledge drives":

Acts 4
32 Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph who was surnamed by the apostles Barnabas (which means, Son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field which belonged to him, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.
Acts 5
1 But a man named Anani'as with his wife Sapphi'ra sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife's knowledge he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, "Anani'as, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God." 5 When Anani'as heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. 7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for so much." And she said, "Yes, for so much." 9 But Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Hark, the feet of those that have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out." 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and died.

P.S. 7/8/07 For the last year she's also been making an excellent girlfriend.

They Always Believed Me

2005-10-06T06:46:00.001-04:00

Among the jobs I've held in my checkered past is interviewer conducting phone surveys for a political and market research firm. Occassionally as I was reading the introduction over the phone to a randomly dialed subject, the person would ask me, "is this a recording?"

I always answered yes.

Humor for Word Nerds

2005-09-29T23:36:00.000-04:00

Earlier this year, I drove by a sign in front of a restaurant in St. Johnsbury, Vermont that read, "Busses Welcome."

I had to resist the urge to stop in just to kiss the host on the cheeks.

Found Food

2005-09-28T23:54:00.001-04:00

My father was into found food.

Every Spring when I was growing up in Vermont, he would go out in search of dandelion greens and fiddleheads. Then he'd try to get the rest of the family to eat them with him.

I Shouldn't Go Into Bookstores

2005-09-25T22:06:00.001-04:00

On Thursday I took my lunch break to go book shopping. I was looking for a softcover Revised Standard Version Bible to replace the hardcover one that is falling apart and weighing down my briefcase. I carry the Bible in my briefcase to do devotional readings while riding the bus during my morning commute.

I headed first for the Borders on the corner of L and 18th streets. They had plenty of Bibles, but no RSV Bibles, much less in paperback. Next I went to the Olssens on 19th Street and found the same situation. From there I headed to the Books A Million on DuPont Circle. Again, no RSV Bibles. Finally I went to Kramer Books on Connecticut Avenue. They had just one Bible on their shelves, a hardcover King James Version.

Then I spotted a 600 page thick book called Philosophy In The Flesh. I had to have it. I bought it and headed back to work.

My Big Fat Greek Food Festival

2005-09-21T23:18:00.001-04:00

Last Sunday afternoon, some friends and I headed out after church for (pause for dramatic affect) another church, Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church on 16th Street in the District.

Saints Constantine and Helen was holding their annual Greek festival (this year's theme: It's chic to be Greek). There was a small bazaar inside where vendors were selling icons, Greek groceries, and jewelry. Tours of the nave were also available, but clearly the main attraction was the Greek food being served in the courtyard behind the church.

The food was served cafeteria style along an outside wall of the church. There was ample seating under a large canopy and, something that as a protestant I'm not accustomed to seeing at a church event, there was a bar serving beer, wine, and ouzo (I love ouzo).

Going through the cafeteria line, I selected roasted lamb, manestra (orzo in tomato sauce), and a Greek salad. The lamb was served wrapped in tin foil in which it seemed to have been cooked. It was just as succulent as I had hoped it would be. The manestra was was fine, but nothing special. I was also able to sample from my friends' plates sousoukakia (meatballs in tomato sauce), and fasolakia (string beans tomato sauce). Both were excellent. I regretted not ordering those instead of the lamb. Later I had a glass of ouzo. I added a splash of water to it and watched it turn milky white.

Later still, because I like to eat and we were making an afternoon of it, I tried two pastries, a galactobouriko, a custard between two layers of phyllo dough, and a baklava. Both were very good.

After lunch a member of the Saints Constantine and Helen congregation showed us the nave and let us peek into the sanctuary behind the iconostasis.

This seems to be festival season in Washington. The previous weekend I went to the Adams Morgan festival. I had some good food from the vendors there.

This Saturday, September 24, Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Church on Alaska Avenue is having a bazaar. I may stop by to see if there is any good food.

Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral on Massachusetts and 36th streets is having its annual Fall festival from from Friday, September 30 through to Sunday, October 2. I may go to that on Friday.

The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist on 17th and Shepherd streets is having a bazaar on October 1 and 2. I won't be able to go to that one as I will be out of town visiting The Boy.

From the Mouths of Babes

2005-09-14T23:45:00.001-04:00

On a Sunday in March two years ago, when The Boy was just two and a half, he and I spent an afternoon together, just the two of us, while The Boy's Mother went to her office to get caught up on work.

We headed first to the Capital Children's Museum that used to be on 3rd street north east. When we got there, The Boy wanted to head first to the Japanese bullet train exhibit. He was excited just to sit in the train seat and watch the video of the bullet train. He pointed excitedly at each train that passed across the screen. From the bullet train exhibit we hit the Metro bus, the fire engine, and then the bubble exhibit.

After we'd hit the highlights of the Children's Museum, we stopped at Union Station to get a snack of french fries from McDonald's. The Boy was very insistent that I share his french fries with him. If my hand was empty he would offer me a fry and say "I share." Sometimes he would eat just one half of a french fry, and then offer me the other half. We were having a pleasant chat when I asked The Boy where he got all of his nice qualities from. "From Mommy," he replied.

We headed from there to The Boy's Mother's office. She took a break when we arrived to get something to eat. While we were sitting and talking, I thougth I would impress her by asking The Boy again, "where did you get all of your nice qualities from?"

The Boy looked straight at me and said to my surprise, "from you."

That wasn't the answer I was expecting, and while The Boy's Mother said that was sweet she hadn't been impressed the way I had hoped. I looked at him again and asked this time, "what did you get from Mommy?"

"I stubborn."

Overheard

2005-09-06T21:01:00.001-04:00

"I don't go to church to get preached to!"

I Call a Spade a Spade

2005-09-03T14:43:00.001-04:00

Actually, I don't. Because I'm an American, I call a spade a shovel.

Because Even Criminals Have Bed Times

2005-08-28T00:50:00.001-04:00

Three weeks ago on Sunday evening the Absurdist was at a cookout at a home on Spring Place Northwest in D.C. At about 8:00 as we sat on the front porch enjoying bratwursts and beer, we witnessed a D.C. National Guard Humvee, towing high-powered lights, pull up to the triangle formed by the intersection of Spring Place and Perry Place where Spring takes a turn north.

Three soldiers emerged from the Humvee and erected the lights, which ran off a generator in the trailer at the base of the light pole. As they were setting up they were joined by two D.C. cops who drove up in a MPDC van. The lights were set up to illuminate the entry to the alley behind Perry Place.

As we watched this scene unfold, the discussion turned to speculation about the purpose of this operation. The consensus quickly reached was that this was an effort to discourage drug dealing at that spot, prompted by the community’s complaints to the police.

Once the light was erected and shining on the alleyway, the soldiers and police officers stood around chatting for the next two hours.

At 10:30, the National Guardsmen tore down the lights and drove away.

Grace Happens

2005-08-24T22:55:00.001-04:00

The more I learn about Methodism’s founder, John Wesley, the more I admire the man and the more apparent it becomes that his legacy has shaped who I am. John Wesley was both a theologian and a social reformer. You could say that he not only talked the talk, but that he also walked the walk.

One of Wesley’s contributions to theology was the concept of prevenient grace. Now, I don’t know about you, but prevenient isn’t a word that I use every day. It turns out that it means coming before or preceding. Prevenient grace is the love of God that already exists for each of us no matter who we are or what we have done. When we open ourselves to the experience of prevenient grace we are not tempted to sin. Salvation is an experience in the here and now, not just the promise of everlasting life.

Wesley’s concept was in contrast to the teaching of the theologian John Calvin - predominant amongst Protestants at the time - that grace is applied selectively to those whom God has determined to save.

Someone has found a pithy bumper sticker phrase to explain prevenient grace. I’m sure you’ve seen these bumper stickers: the one’s that say “Grace Happens.”

If you think being a Christian is about living by rules, then you’re missing the point. Because grace happens, anyone of us can be saved. You are saved when you allow yourself to be loved by God. You are not saved by getting the theology right. You are not saved by believing in the correct doctrine. You are not saved by belonging to the right church – not even Foundry. You are not saved by reading your bible every day, going to church on Sundays, taking communion, and praying before meals. Although, all those things will help you to feel grace happening.

I am trying to put all the pieces of our religion into their proper perspective. There will always be questions which we cannot answer. God warned us of this in Isaiah 55, verses 8 and 9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

We cannot always know what God wants of us. Christians will always disagree, but we can rest assured that God’s love is there for us when we are ready to accept it. Ours is a faith that is experienced – and the experience is waiting for us.

March of the Penguins

2005-08-19T22:45:00.001-04:00

Finish your supper. There are penguins starving in Antarctica.

Are You Sure There is a Shuttle to the Airport?

2005-08-18T22:46:00.001-04:00

Last weekend I needed to fly to Manchester, New Hampshire and spend the night. I compared hotels and made a reservation at the cheapest one that offered a courtesy shuttle to and from the airport: the Econo Lodge.

When I arrived at Manchester Airport I walked out of the terminal and found the parking area for the hotel shuttles. I saw neither a shuttle for the Econo Lodge, nor a sign indicating where to wait. So I headed back into the terminal and used the hotel courtesy phone to call Econo Lodge. I was told that it would be a while before the shuttle arrived and to take a taxi and get a receipt to be reimbused by the hotel. That worked just fine for me.

The Econo Lodge is located in one of Manchester's many old mill buildings. When I checked-in I mentioned that I needed to be back at the airport by 8:30 and I asked about getting a shuttle. "No problem," I was told. I headed up to my room.

Econo Lodge fills a very important niche in the hotel industry. It offers reliably clean and comfortable rooms inexpensively. The Econo Lodge's that I have stayed in have been well worn hotels, but that is fine by me.

The continental breakfast the next morning offered coffee, orange juice, cold cereals (Cheerios and Corn Flakes), and plastic wrapped muffins and danishes. Photographs on the wall of the breakfast room revealed that the building had originally been a shoe factory.

Having eaten breakfast and packed I went to check out and asked when to expect the shuttle to the airport. "Eight o'clock" I was told. It was just quarter till. I bought a copy of the New Hampshire Sunday News (a mediocre newspaper with a conservative editorial line) and sat down to read until the shuttle arrived.

Eight o'clock came and went with no sign of the shuttle. I'm a patient person, I just figured it was late. At ten past I asked, "are you sure there is a shuttle coming?"

"The shuttle is running late. I have called a taxi. It is on its way."

Within minutes the taxi arrived and I was delivered to the airport on time. Obviously the hotel didn't reimburse me for the second cab ride.

I doubt very much that the Econo Lodge in Manchester offers a courtesy shuttle. Maybe they once did. I suspect that they do just as they did with me on the occassions that someone actually asks about it.

However, Yankees Fan is Always an Insult

2005-08-07T07:20:00.001-04:00

I have a friend from church who was born and raised in Arkansas. I grew-up in Vermont. When she wants to give me a hard time she calls me a Yankee.

It seems she thinks that is an insult.

Yankee is a word that’s meaning, both who it applies to and the denotation, differs by geography. Outside the U.S. it is used to apply to Americans generally. It is just as often as not used derisively. In the American South, it means anyone from the North and it is always an insult.

For New Englanders, Yankee is used self-referentially and denotes self-reliance and thriftiness. It is sometimes used jokingly to describe older men who hoard things for some possible future usefulness or who go to ridiculous lengths to avoid spending a small amount of money (these traits are actually very common in New England and they are considered charming and amusing).

Mixed Messages

2005-08-02T00:32:00.001-04:00

One of the new Circulator buses passed by me on Seventh Street at Pennsylvania earlier this evening while I was walking to Screen on the Green. The sign on the bus was alternating between "Try Transit" and "Not In Service."

Deliver Us From Weevils

2005-07-31T16:53:00.001-04:00

I finally settled on the title for my autobiography.

Meat on Sticks

2005-07-18T07:37:00.001-04:00

After spending a good hour or so playing at our favorite playground, it was supper time and The Boy and I both had appetites. I listed some options in town for The Boy to choose from, a place to get sandwiches, a place to get hamburgers, or Chinese food. To my surprise and delight, because it was what I was hankering for, he chose Chinese food.

We went to China Star, a store-front restaurant offering over the counter service for eating-in or carrying-out. I read the appetizers off the menu to The Boy so he could choose what he wanted. He selected chicken fingers. I looked over the menu for something else and ordered sweet and sour pork.

When our food arrived I was disappointed to discover that despite one being an appetizer and the other an entree, chicken fingers and sweet and sour pork were very similar dishes. The chicken fingers were long cuts of chicken breast heavily battered and fried with a bowl of bright red sweet and sour sauce on the side for dipping. The sweet and sour pork was small cubes of pork heavily battered and fried and served in a plate of bright red sweet and sour sauce.

The Boy reminded me that we had ordered food for carry-out from China Star last year, but that we had beef teriyaki, which he called, “meat on sticks."

The next evening, after watching the Independence Day parade, I asked the boy again where he wanted to eat supper, and again he chose Chinese food, so we went back to the China Star. This time we ordered meat on sticks, chicken noodle soup, and mixed Chinese vegetables.

The meat on sticks reminded me of an incident from years earlier, in better times, of eating Chinese food with The Boy’s Mother. We had met in college and befriended each other. She had a boyfriend from home, but after they broke-up our mutual attraction became evident to each of us. We made plans to get together over Christmas break our sophomore year in West Lebanon, New Hampshire, halfway between our homes.

We had lunch that day at a Chinese restaurant called Dragon Island, which offered a buffet – as a college student I thought a Chinese buffet would make for a good first date. The Boy’s Mother much later confided in me, that she had never had Chinese food before, so she didn’t know what she would like from the options on the buffet. She followed my lead by selecting from the buffet the same things that I did. I remember when we were eating that she didn’t eat much of her food and she seemed perplexed as to how to go about eating the meat on sticks, attempting first to bite off the meat from the pointy end of the stick, then reconsidering before she stabbed herself.

China Star restaurant is located at 11-15 Main Street in Montpelier, Vermont. It is open seven days per week serving lunch and dinner.

Beeston

2005-07-14T22:29:00.001-04:00

This photograph shows West Yorkshire police onTempest Road in the Beeston neighborhood of Leeds. The Absurdist and the boy's mother lived on Tempest Road in happier times in 1998 and 1999 when the Absurdist was a post-graduate student at the University of Leeds.

West Yorkshire Police raided two homes in the Beeston neighborhood earlier this week as part of the investigation into the bombings on July 7 in London. Two of the suicide bombers were from Beeston. A third was from nearby Holbeck.

The Absurdist and the boy's mother probably walked by these young men on the sidewalk or watched them play cricket in Cross Flatts Park.

Leeds is a tough city. A place where men drink and fight to pass the time. I witnessed several fist fights on busy city sidewalks and once saw a brawl break-out in a McDonald's.

Beeston was looked down-upon by people in Leeds. It was a densely populated, working-class neighborhood on the edge of the city. It was a mix of older English men and women, junkies, Sikhs and Muslims - with their roots in Kashmir, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The Muslims and Sikhs were the targets of people's derision. Paki's was the slur used in Leeds.

The boy's mother and I made many friends there, the boy's mother in particular. While I was busy with my studies, she was volunteering in the community. She was the guest of honor at several "leaving-dos" when we left.

Despite what the rest of the city may have thought of the immigrant population in Beeston, the different communities in the neighborhood got along. Strong ties have been built amongst them. The Methodist Church where we worshipped was working with the immigrant community to develop an adult day care for elderly immigrants. The boy's mother and I once ate dinner at the Kashmiri Muslim Welfare Association.

The Old Schoolyard

2005-07-09T15:43:00.002-04:00

The main attraction of the playground at Union Elementary School is the long, green slide built onto the side of a hill. I took the boy there recently for a little recreation. This is the same playground where the Absurdist was routinely picked last for kickball as a child.

It’s long been one of the boy’s favorite playgrounds (long for a four-year-old, that is). He particularly enjoys the long slide. Even as a toddler at 20 months old he would repeatedly run up the steps to go down the twenty-five foot run alone.

On this trip I explained to him that when I was a student at Union Elementary School the big, green slide had not been built yet, but we would slide down the hill in the snow on our butts. No doubt the school built the slide to stop that from happening.

The playground to the side of the school also features a large component play structure by Miracle Recreation Equipment that features three slides including a corkscrew.

Only two items of equipment on the playground date to the Absurdist’s childhood, the swing-sets and a set of parallel bars. Both were once orange but are now green.

There is also a small younger children’s playground behind the school.

Union Elementary School is located at 1 Park Avenue in Montpelier, Vermont.To reach Union Elementary School take Exit 8 off Interstate-89. Continue straight through the first three traffic lights (Route 2). At the third traffic light, turn into the left lane. At the fourth traffic light, turn left onto the bridge (Main Street). You will pass Shaw's Supermarket on the left and Sarducci's Restaurant on the right. Continue straight past City Hall on the right. At the traffic light, turn into the right lane and continue straight past the City Center (a large brick building housing BEN & JERRY'S ICE CREAM). Turn right at the 4-corners onto School Street (you will see churches and the Kellogg Hubbard Library). Continue straight and you will see Union Elementary School ahead of you in a brick building. It is located on the corner of School and Park Streets.

Holy Boldness

2005-07-07T23:09:00.001-04:00

Like many people in Washington, I work in politics. I also have a one track mind, so when I was asked to deliver the homily for this evening, the only thing I could think to speak about was politics and faith.

Now, don’t worry; I’m not going to make a plea for Christians to vote for candidates with progressive values. I’ve heard that plea from many others in recent months as I am sure all of you have too. You don’t need to hear it from me.

We have all heard that the nation has become polarized between a secular left on one side and a religious right on the other – in last fall’s election roughly three quarters of evangelical Protestants voted for one candidate while the same rate of Americans with no religious affiliation voted for the other. I don’t know about you, but I don’t belong in either of those groups. The truth is, small as they may be, there are also a religious left and a religious center.

I want to raise a concern that I haven’t heard anyone else address. My concern is not the impact that religion has on the outcome of elections, rather, my concern is about the impact that politics is having on religion in our society. Specifically, I have two concerns: One that the religious center is declining as the place where Americans of all political affiliations can find common ground and two that the non-religious – and those whose faith is not secure – will think that Christianity is an inherently political movement – concerned primarily with the accumulation of power – and that those people will be driven away from our churches rather than being drawn into them.

When I was growing-up in the Methodist church it never occurred to me that there was an inherent connection between religion and party identification. I believed at the time – and I still do believe it was true – that there were both Republicans and Democrats in my church. That is the way it should be. Society needs a place where we can find common ground on values - a place where we can talk about values outside of a political context.

The public discussion should be about how best to address society’s needs. Instead we seem to be moving into an ideological debate. Unfortunately, when we talk about the emergent split, a message is sent about religion that is inherently divisive. The message implicit in the way we talk about religion and politics in society today is that religion divides us. It doesn't have to be that way.

The emergent split of our society along religious and political lines isn’t good for our society and it isn’t good for our churches. This split was engineered for political purposes. It will take determination to reverse the trend.

The good news is that our Methodist tradition offers guidance as to how to respond to this situation. The answer is holy boldness – a favorite phrase of John Wesley’s – we know he used it in at least three of his sermons. Holy Boldness is being a Christian with integrity no matter what the challenges or circumstances. Holy boldness can be understood in terms of walking the walk and talking the talk.

Usually people are criticized for talking the talk without living the life they claim to live – the walking part of the analogy. In the Methodist churches where I have worshipped over the years I have often heard encouragements to do more to walk the walk – always good advice, but in my experience, we do O.K. at walking the walk. We don’t do so much talking the talk. We need to do more

My experience has been that there is a tendency not to speak openly about faith outside of church in our community of Methodists. I think other communities display this tendency, especially other mainline Christians. While I am sure this tendency is born in part out of genuine humility, it has also contributed to making the left and center of Christianity invisible. We need to raise our profile to show wider society that Christianity is more than just the religious right. We need to show that there is a vibrant religious center where people with different political identities and objectives can find common ground.

Learning holy boldness – in both words and deeds – has not come naturally to me. Indeed, I have far to go. I grew-up in a community that treated religion has a private matter. I am learning to be comfortable speaking-up, but I do believe it is important to do so. I do believe that holy boldness includes talking the talk, and that may be our most important contribution to the world right now.

In closing, from now on when I am confronted - either by those from the secular left, who believe that Christians do not truly love humanity, or by those from the religious right, who believe that progressives do not have faith, or even by those in the middle who feel they cannot reconcile their faith with their politics, I will speak up – with holy boldness – and say: “I am a believer. I feel the love of Jesus Christ and a love for humanity and it motivates and informs my actions in the world.”

The Cell Phone Generation

2005-06-22T08:38:00.001-04:00

"How do you dial another area code from this phone?"

"Dial one, then the number."

I Can Feel His Beady Little Eyes Staring At Me

2005-06-06T23:48:00.001-04:00

The first night The Boy's Mother and I brought him home from the hospital we put him to sleep in a co-sleeper, a kind of bassinet open on one side that was cinched-up to the side of the bed on her side. The Boy was still awake when we put him down to sleep, but he was wrapped tightly in a blanket and was content. We shut-off the light and climbed into bed. Exhausted, I rolled over to go to sleep.

After a couple minutes, The Boy's Mother said, "I can feel his beady little eyes staring at me."

I chuckled. She persisted: "Really. Turn the light on. He's just staring at me."

Being the kind of husband who indulged his wife, I did turn the light on.

Sure enough, the boy was calmly lying there, eyes wide open, staring at his mother.

You Can Get Knocked-Down Too, You Know

2005-05-29T23:02:00.000-04:00

My mother tells this story about her and my father: One day, during her first pregnancy - with my sister - she and Dad were walking along. When they reached the corner Dad stopped, but she continued walking accross the street without looking. Since there was a car coming, Dad grabbed her and pulled her back to the curb, and said "you can get knocked-down too, you know."

More! More!

2005-05-05T23:44:00.001-04:00

When The Boy, his mother and I still lived together our mail was delivered through a mail slot in the front door. The boy was near the door one evening (for reasons that neither make much sense and are too long to go into now, our mail was delivered in the evening - sometimes very late in the evening when it was delivered at all) as the mail started to arrive through the mail slot a few envelopes at a time. The boy put out his hands to catch the mail and shouted: "More! More!"

Where's my food?

2005-05-04T22:36:00.002-04:00

About two years ago my mother, my sister, The Boy, and I went out to dinner at Mr. Chen's on Connecticut Avenue in Woodley Park. We were seated and handed menus. Before the waitress had returned to take our orders, the boy immediately looked around and asked "where's my food?"