weekly post-April 15, 2005

Hello friends and loved ones,

Another week has passed by and instead of being outside enjoying the glorious sun I'm sitting here at the computer typing this email listening to the first CD I've purchased in months. Last week I mentioned the film Millions and I really liked the music, especially the song at the end. It's called Nirvana by a group called El Bosco. I've no idea what they are saying since the lyrics are hard to understand. It's a neat twist on Pachelbel's Canon. The rest of the album features alternative acts such as Feeder and The Clash as well as some instrumental pieces from the film. It's a great album to listen to if you're in an introspective or somber mood; a mood I've been in all week.

Ridiculous item of the week: Well just shoot me now!!!!!!! That's what a 911 operator in Texas said to a woman of two daughters. The woman called 911 because her daughters were out of control and one had punched a hole in the wall. The humorous response of the operator, "Do you want us to come over and shoot her?" was not met with appreciation by the mother. The mother proceeded to ask the operator his name and announce she was going to file a formal complaint, no doubt by this time oblivious to her rambunctious daughters. Yes, the comment was inappropriate, however, the sad part of this story is that the woman can't control her daughters and had to call 911. If she were really smart she'd take her kids to Brie Van De Kamps home and SHE'D put them in line (I apologize to those of you who don't watch Desperate Housewives). To listen to the recording go to http://www.woai.com/news/national/story.aspx?content_id=4B76022F-4EA9-4BB0-8312-E35F90525A24

My final thought before I sign off and go "play" outside (ahhhh, the days of being a kid and just going out to play) is this. I've believed in God for as long as I can remember, however, I've never believed that God "did" things to people or "caused" things to happen. I've often heard things such as "why would God do that?" or "why is God punishing me?" I've heard these things all my life and I've always believed that while God is watching, God doesn't participate in the day to day activities. Our bodies get sick, wear out, fall apart, even when we are as healthy as humanly possible, we are only humans. Bad things happen because we have free will and some people just choose to exercise poor judgment and make poor decisions. I say this as I get more upsetting health news in my family this week. No matter what happens the key is to try and remain hopeful, optimistic, and keep a sparkle in our eyes.

Wherever you are this weekend, have fun and stay safe, stay healthy and happy.

Until next week................

paul