Time Immortal

Your Eyes Should Be Blue

Your eyes reflect: Innocence and sweetness What’s hidden behind your eyes: A calculating mind

Grace adds: Hey, I did the test and it said my eyes should be brown, go figure: depth and wisdom. -G

Ken adds: Neat! This is one of the few times I’ve ever seen a web-based test display any real accuracy in its results, which is kind of cool.

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Mother Nature decided to let Edmonton know who the boss was today.

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Not that I’m complaining; I rather like the snow, as does Grace. It was pretty fun to go for a wintery stroll this morning, actually.

More snowfall pictures can be found here.

I figure that if the blog update had gone wrong, that would have been foolish enough for two years’ worth of April 1sts.

Vacation-related remarks will be posted tomorrow.

Wordpress 2.5 has been released, so I’ll be updating the blog software shortly. I apologize now for any disruption in the site’s proper operation later today.

Update: The upgrade is done, and seems to have gone through without a hitch. I’ve still got a few features and functions to test, and a couple of things in the site backend need adjustment, but for the most part it seems to be up and working.

I’ll be back late tomorrow, so regular posting will resume on Tuesday…most likely, and assuming I get enough rest. It’s been…a trip with ups and downs, to say the least, and I think both Grace and I are going to be glad to get back.

One thing struck me as rather funny this morning, however: yesterday was apparently when Earth Hour was supposed to happen. Grace’s family, however, wasn’t taking part in the “lights out” campaign to fight…climate change or global warming or whatever (as though turning the lights out for a single hour, even in several major cities, would do anything to stop a process driven, primarily, by an even more powerful light source that won’t be extinguished for…what?…billions of years yet?

Instead, the lot of us were partying it up on a docked boat, using a diesel generator to power the lights (and sound system) while we grilled nine racks of pork ribs and two beef tenderloins (as in, the whole loin) on a propane barbeque.

This family knows how to party.

At any rate, I haven’t checked to see if Ed Darrell or anyone else has sent any Reader Mail my way since I left Edmonton, and I won’t be checking until I get back to Edmonton. So if I haven’t yet answered something you’ve sent my way, O Reader, rest assured that I’ll get to it…in April.

And I’ll have an announcement to make as well.

Update: Welcome, Steynians! I’m back now — slacking is at an end.

In what will likely be my only extended holiday of the year, Grace and I will be heading out to Vancouver today to celebrate Easter with her family at her grandparents’ house. It’ll be my first trip out to British Columbia in the better part of a decade (I don’t count choir tours toward that remark), and we’ll be staying out there an extra week so that we can celebrate Grace’s grandfather’s birthday the following weekend.

In the interim, we’ll probably try and visit my grandparents, and maybe a few other relatives of both mine and hers that live in or near the city.

Which means, O Reader, that I’ll be posting minimal amounts of content to the site over the next between now and April 1st. In the meantime, I’ve built up enough of a buffer of Pics of the Day that you should be able to check back every day between now and then and find something new. Additionally, you can check out any or all of these fine websites if you need your daily fix of content:

• Ace of Spaces
• Amy Welborm
• Ars Technica
• Blazing Cat Fur
• Chesterton & Friends
• Chris Johnson
• Church of the Masses
• Custos Fidei
• Dale Price
• David Warren
• Disputations
• Dr. Helen
• Dr. Sanity
• Engadget
• Ezra Levant
• Free Mark Steyn!
• George Jonas
• GetReligion
• Girl on the Right
• Halls of Macadamia
• John C. Wright
• Kathy Shaidle
• Knowledge is Power
• La Vie Catholique
• LIBERTAS
• Mark Shea
• Mark Steyn
• Michael Yon
• Michelle Malkin
• Mike Brock
• Newsbusters
• Peter Hitchens
• Pontifications
• ProWomanProLife
• Right Wing News
• Sigmund, Carl, and Alfred
• Singing in the Reign
• Slashdot
• Small Dead Animals
• Steve Janke
• Stupidus
• Suicide of the West
• The Anchoress
• The Curt Jester
• The Jawa Report
• The Last Amazon
• The People’s Cube
• Truth Laid Bear
• Udolpho
• Vox Day
• Western Resistance

And finally, O Reader, if you live in or near the Edmonton area and appreciate good choral music, the Mixed Chorus will be holding their 64th Annual Spring Concert at the Francis Winspear Centre for Music on Saturday, April 5th. Get your tickets soon!

And finally, when all else fails: chill out and laugh at a lolcat.

I heard the tail end of this song on the radio last night, and rather liked the idea Brad Paisley was expressing. That guy, I tell ya…he has released some interesting tunes over the last little while (my favourites being alcohol and Whiskey Lullaby). This one, in particular, speaks to a mentality that is too sorely lacking from our society today. I know in the past that I’ve kind of hated the thought of being a “typical guy,” but I have to admit that there’s a lot in the lyrics below that has a certain appeal.

Title: I’m still a Guy
Artist: Brad Paisley
Album: 5th Gear

When you see a deer you see Bambi
And I see antlers up on the wall
When you see a lake you think picnics
And I see a large mouth up under that log
You’re probably thinking that you’re going to change me
In some ways well maybe you might
Scrub me down, dress me up oh but no matter what
remember I’m still a guy

When you see a priceless French painting
I see a drunk, naked girl
You think that riding a wild bull sounds crazy
And I’d like to give it a whirl
Well love makes a man do some things he ain’t proud of
And in a weak moment I might walk your sissy dog, hold your purse at the mall
But remember, I’m still a guy

I’ll pour out my heart
Hold your hand in the car
Write a love song that makes you cry
Then turn right around knock some jerk to the ground
‘Cause he copped a feel as you walked by

I can hear you now talking to your friends
Saying, “Yeah girls he’s come a long way”
From dragging his knuckles and carrying a club
And building a fire in a cave
But when you say a backrub means only a backrub
Then you swat my hand when I try
Well, now what can I say at the end of the day
Honey, I’m still a guy

And I’ll pour out my heart
Hold your hand in the car
Write a love song that makes you cry
Then turn right around knock some jerk to the ground
‘Cause he copped a feel as you walked by

These days there’s dudes getting facials
Manicured, waxed and botoxed
With deep spray-on tans and creamy lotiony hands
You can’t grip a tacklebox

Yeah with all of these men lining up to get neutered
It’s hip now to be feminized
I don’t highlight my hair
I’ve still got a pair
Yeah honey, I’m still a guy

Oh my eyebrows ain’t plucked
There’s a gun in my truck
Oh thank God, I’m still a guy

Okay, I’ve never been one for hunting, but I absolutely hate the “Bambi complex” that too many people today seem to have developed in their view of wildlife. And while I have gotten my hair accented in the past, well…let’s just file that under “Mistakes,” and the less said about it the better. There was a time, O Reader, when I was well on my way toward liberalism and all the trappings that it brings. Thank God that the love of a good woman, and the support of a good friend, managed to pull me back within the fold of orthodox Catholicism.

I can’t help but think that if the above were still more the norm in society, society itself would be a nicer place to live. There’s a certain…I don’t know…virtue in being able to just stand up to, and if necessary knock down, someone who offends you (or your friend/loved one). Compared to the modern method of dealing with people we who offend us (which seems to involve Censorship and human rights commissions), the old practice of two or three exchanged punches and a bloody nose seems a pretty enlightened way of resolving conflicts. It’s right to stand up to someone and demand an apology for something offensive which is said or done, but only if the offended person himself confronts the offensive person and makes the request in person, one on one. Forcibly compelling an apology, perhaps accompanied by $30,000 HRC-mandated dollars in “fines” is not — or shouldn’t be — a socially acceptable way of settling differences.

And as for backrubs…well, let’s just say that it would appear that Mr. Paisley knows from which he speaks.

Also, my desire to get my firearms license just rekindled itself. When I have time to take the necessary classes…

Grace (yes, my wife) writes in to try and stimulate a bit of creative thought on my part.

Ken, do you consider yourself an orthodox Catholic and in what sense? Just curious.

Grace
Love You

I love you too, sweetheart.

As to whether I consider myself an orthodox Catholic, the short answer is: yes, I do. Now, I will be the first person (though hardly the only one) to tell the Reader that I have not lived anything like an exemplary Christian life; I’m a sinner as sure as anyone else is, and I mean it very literally when I reflect that Christ came into the world to save sinners, “of whom I am first.” If you wrote every sin I’ve committed on a standard yellow sticky note, you could wallpaper Edmonton.

But as the priest at Mass noted yesterday, that heightened awareness of sinfulness is one of the things that separates the people who have entered into the light of the Christian faith (of which Catholicism is the pinnacle) from those still caught up in darkness. That’s not to say that Christians are any more or less sinful than non-Christians…it is merely to remark that they are more aware that they do, in fact, sin. For what does sin, despite its reality, mean to an atheist?

In my faith journey, I try and live by the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the Code of Canon Law. I could ask for no better guidelines for living than these three books, and to the best of my ability I try and live a life that follows the tenets outlined in each of them. Of course, I fail at doing so on many accounts, which is why I am eternally grateful that Christ instituted in the Church the glorious and somber Sacrament of Reconciliation (also called Confession). When I am confronted, in my life, with a conflict between my desires and the teachings of the Church, I strive to remember that I am flawed and weak, and that there will never arise a circumstance in which I am correct and the revelation given to (and through) the Church incorrect. And should any occasion arise in which I cannot achieve even that reconciliation in mind, I will still cleave to the faith and my ongoing participation in it, rather than walk away as so many of my family have done.

I rise and fall on the Apostle’s Creed (and the Nicene Creed as well), and that same prayer I would gladly have as my death warrant, if it came to that.

For me, the source and summit of faith is the Eucharist, and ongoing participation in that Sacrament is the most important action I can, will, and do undertake in my life. I find, especially, that I am drawn to, and captivated by, the Blood of Christ during the celebration of the Eucharist. During consecration, I always strive to ensure that I can catch at least a glimpse of the cup holding the Blood, and for me the moment that the wine is consecrated and transformed is the pinnacle of the Mass.

I hope that the above, while short, is an adequate answer to the question posed. It’s a complex question that I could, if I gave myself more time, compose a very lengthy answer to. I’ve tried to hit the main points, at least. And I hope I have done at least that.

I’ve been tagged!

So I have to come up with six non-important things, habits, or quirks about myself, eh? Well, let me see…

1. I rarely go anywhere without my camera. When possible, I bring multiple lenses as well
2. I’ve next to no ability to remember things that happened between 24 hours and 2 weeks ago
3. I own a pair of klogs
4. My favourite style of photography is panoramics
5. I make a mean omlette and a pretty darn good frittata
6. This is my favourite beer

Now, as to who I shall tag…

1. Grace
2. Myles
3. Peter Sean Bradley
4. Graham Lettner
5. The Subversives
6. Stupidus (if you’re still out there, buddy!)

A reader named Graham wrote in what I can only assume was a drive-by attempt at rebuttal in response to…some article I’ve written, although for the life of me I cannot guess which one based on the body of his message. Still the message can be broken up into two distinct parts worthy of two separate responses, so I think I’m going to respond in that fashion.

I’m never quite sure how to react to viewpoint expressions like yours. It’s kind of like reading “The Onion“. News so ridiculous that it has to be a joke (which it is, of course). Only, I think you were serious.

Pretty much everything I write does have a certain quantity of tongue embedded, to some degree of firmness, within a certain area of cheek. Some posts are obviously more serious than others, but I think it’s fair to say that everything I write has at least a small element of hyperbole inherent in its composition.

The fact of the matter is, though, this blog exists not to provide aggregations of news, but as an outlet through which I make commentary about the news, or about events that somehow escape the notice of the major news services, or about trends and fads in society and pressing social issues. That means that it’s just me talking “off the cuff” most of the time, since I rarely invest more than half an hour in writing any post (and usually I invest less than 10 minutes in same).

This is why I asked Graham to specify which article he was referring to in his comments, so I could have an idea which issue he thought “ridiculous.” Something pertaining to the Mark Steyn/HRC fracas, perhaps? Something pertaining to climate change? Something pertaining to Religion?

I recognize that this isn’t your original work, but clearly you wouldn’t have posted it here if you didn’t agree with it. I originally started writing a break down of all the deplorable moral viewpoints expressed here-in, but it was taking up too many pages of text. So, I’ll suggest simply to study the world a little less synchronically. Read an article about the environmental conditions in China without passing it off as what happens to those other people. Read a few history books without passing it off as the way things used to be. If you think a simple organism can’t make any notable change to a planets climate, study some biology; Specifically: Blue green algae.

The contact form allows for approximately 10,000 characters (not a small number by any means). If it’s really worth responding to something I’ve written, I’m sure the average reader would have no qualms about sending the message in parts — I’ve done the same myself on Facebook comment threads in the past, to great effect.

The assertion of synchronic analysis is, I admit, rather puzzling, since my analytical framework has always involved both a study of history and an attempt to understand the present context of events. Especially pertaining to religion, but also to most other topics, I’m only too willing to look at “what has gone before” in my attempts to comment on “what now is.”

Obviously, when the subject is Catholicism, one cannot speak about the subject accurately unless one considers the historical formation and evolution of Catholic teaching, back to the inception of the Church nearly 2,000 years ago. When one is discussing climate change and global warming, one cannot help but framework that discussion in the context not only of present trends in the global average temperature, but also in terms of the rises and falls that can be “observed” (albeit through a double-blind) in history. In fact, it is precisely because of the historical precedent in the case of global warming that I refuse, completely, to buy in to the alarmism that so infuses the present discussion thereof.

And while I can appreciate that individual organisms can have lasting impacts on a planet’s climate, the relationship between “anthropogenic” global warming and blue-green algae is…what, exactly? It’s true that cyanobacteria often play an important role in the nitrogen cycle. But how does this relate to humanity’s contribution of CO2 to the atmosphere? Especially since CO2 really doesn’t do anything statistically significant for the ability of the atmosphere to retain heat (water vapour plays the primary role in that regard)? Humanity could completely stop all CO2 production (we could all even stop breathing the stuff out, just for the sake of this hypothetical situation) and we’d have less than a percent of a percent effect on the average global temperature.

How that compares to the nitrogen fixing effect of cyanobacteria (without which, 75% or more of the world’s rice supply would die out), I have no idea. I think, though, that while it means that I concede the point that individual organisms can have lasting impacts on climate, and while I even concede that humans can do things which will have lasting impacts on climate, CO2 production is not an area of concern.

It’s really a question of scale, and unfortunately the scale of the effect of humanity’s production of CO2 is insignificant, both statistically and as compared to, for example, the scale of the nitrogen fixing effect of a very common type of algae.

I suspect that Graham either didn’t really read anything I’ve actually written, or that he has taken me quite out of context. Of course, he hasn’t written back yet, so I don’t really know what the case honestly is, and will have to content myself with simply posting this little missive, in which one can note that I point out several errors in his assertions.

Which will happen first? The end of the DVD rendering process presently at work on my Powerbook, which will produce at its conclusion a burnable DVD image of the video footage from the wedding? Or 4:00 PM?

Update: 4:00 PM finished in second place.

In the interests of peace and unity with someone I hold very dear, I’ve removed — after some intense discussion — all the “This Machine Kills Jihadists”-related media from the site. While the initial motivation behind the creation of that logo was Kathy Shaidle’s proposed parody of Woody Guthrie’s “This Machine Kills Fascists” sign (seen here taped to his guitar), it has become clear to me that regardless of any initial intent, that logo can and will be taken very differently by people today. Given the very harsh anti-jihad tone that this site already adopts, I’ve been told that some people might mis-interpret the attempt at pop-culture parody as an incitement to murder.

And we don’t want that, O Reader.

So, in the interests of peace and of clarity, I’ve withdrawn the content from the site. And to my dear friend, I can only offer, once more, my apologies.

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The hottie in question is the one on the left. The goof on the right, on the other hand, is the luckiest man in the world, and entirely undeserving of the love and affection of the aforementioned hottie.

[image:6914:r:s=1:l=x]The art of Cooking, in my experience, is:

• 1/3rd skill
• 1/3rd luck
• 1/3rd willingness to take a risk that dinner might taste awful if you mix those two ingredients
• 1/3rd deliberate ignorance of proportions in the recipe

Your mileage may vary, O Reader, but this is basically what I’ve learned after working in kitchens for just long enough.

Hence tonight’s dinner recipe: steak marinated in olive oil and cherry juice, dusted with cocoa and cayenne pepper, and grilled. Oh, and some kind of grilled vegetables. Hey, the weather is nice, so why shouldn’t I use the barbeque?

Title: That’s Where it Is
Artist: Carrie Underwood
Album: Some Hearts

I’m posting this only because I occasionally have issues being “tactful” myself. It’s an interesting theory, though.

All people have a “tact filter”, which applies tact in one direction to everything that passes through it. Most “normal people” have the tact filter positioned to apply tact in the outgoing direction. Thus whatever normal people say gets the appropriate amount of tact applied to it before they say it. This is because when they were growing up, their parents continually drilled into their heads statements like, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all!”

“Nerds,” on the other hand, have their tact filter positioned to apply tact in the incoming direction. Thus, whatever anyone says to them gets the appropriate amount of tact added when they hear it. This is because when nerds were growing up, they continually got picked on, and their parents continually drilled into their heads statements like, “They’re just saying those mean things because they’re jealous. They don’t really mean it.”

When normal people talk to each other, both people usually apply the appropriate amount of tact to everything they say, and no one’s feelings get hurt. When nerds talk to each other, both people usually apply the appropriate amount of tact to everything they hear, and no one’s feelings get hurt. However, when normal people talk to nerds, the nerds often get frustrated because the normal people seem to be dodging the real issues and not saying what they really mean. Worse yet, when nerds talk to normal people, the normal people’s feelings often get hurt because the nerds don’t apply tact, assuming the normal person will take their blunt statements and apply whatever tact is necessary.

So, nerds need to understand that normal people have to apply tact to everything they say; they become really uncomfortable if they can’t do this. Normal people need to understand that despite the fact that nerds are usually tactless, things they say are almost never meant personally and shouldn’t be taken that way. Both types of people need to be extra patient when dealing with someone whose tact filter is backwards relative to their own.

If nothing else, it would seem to have merit based solely on the fact that it explains a great deal not only about my own interactions with people, but also the way I see other people in my circle of friends interact with one another.

(In Soviet Russia, hat tips you: Kathy Shaidle)

[image:3960:r:s=1:l=x]Our apartment has been taken over by photos and presents. Almost every free surface has something on it.

I’ll bring you all a picture on Monday.

I admit it. When I read this, I had to look up the answer afterwards.

I’m having a bad day, and I’ll be spending a lot of free time at work today in front of my computer, waiting for files to copy. Any further commentary today, apart from the Pic of the Day, will not be of a nature that could be described as “delicate” or “subtle”.

As the astute reader may note on the sidebar, I have finished uploading the official photos from the wedding to the gallery at the site here. I’ve separated the pictures into three categories: the Nuptial Mass, the Reception, and our Formal pictures.

Our photographers were Kevin and Cori Van Tassel of Boardroom Communications.

And don’t forget: the photos from our Honeymoon in Greece are also online.