Simple Faith

I tend to look askance at organized religion. Simple religious faith should unite people, not divide them with all kinds of special rules, stipulations, and rituals. Each organized religion says they have the only prescription for spiritual growth and the "good" afterlife based on their own preciously-held rules, names, and catch-phrases. If you talk to any true believer in one, to be sure, they will tell you that behind the utterances and ritual one must "feel it" in the heart as well. Maybe, but a Christian will still insist on the rituals as the required public expression of salvation. And a Muslim will point to the phrase in the Qu'ran that converts to that religion must utter to gain favor with Allah as a true believer.

I tend to have problems with religious people who get completely entangled in their own particular faith's doctrines and subdoctrines, especially elements thereof that assign exclusivity to that religion and consign nonbelievers to suffering after death. Instead, I respect...no, I ESTEEM those who may be members or part of the culture of a particular religion but themselves practice something I call "simple faith".

Underlying simple faith is the idea that life is a mystery, and so is death. What death is like, we don't know. And if there is any special meaning or power behind our lives and our "reality", we don't know either, based on what we can detect with our senses. But if there is, then we can entertain a hope that death is a transition from one type of existence in one reality to another, and that "God", if you will, is a protector and guide to help us on our way, both in this life and thereafter. Having this simple faith can help its possessors to feel empowered to make something of their "earthly" lives with some feeling of confidence that it is meaningful and that all is not lost with death. If you want to call God whatever name your specific religion uses (or forbids), then go ahead. Just don't get hung up on names, unless of course you just have as an agenda the desire to set yourself apart from others with the aim of somehow feeling superior to them.

Illegal Immigration Issue

Concerning the illegal immigration issue...

Proponents of strict enforcement of American immigration laws are often hammered as being "racist" or anti-immigrant. I have read and heard countless exhortations by well-meaning people (including President Obama) who, like me, want reasonable immigration reform that is realistic and compassionate toward those here without documentation. One of the arguments I hear, though, is patently condescending: we are a nation of immigrants, those currently here without documentation are the same as all of the others who passed into this country while following the law, and if you don't like the largely uncontrolled, primarily-Mexican influx then you must be racist or at least xenophobic (and therefore in need of this patronizing rebuke).

I remember in the not-too-distant past how refugees to the U.S. from Indochina often encountered hostility from some of the "natives": they were seen as "outsiders", supposedly taking away people's livelihoods by working cheaply or setting up competing businesses. But these were admitted into the country within the parameters of immigration law, with many more never making it into the United States. To the ones opposing those refugees, a rebuke about us being a nation of immigrants would be right on target and not condescending. After all, they came here within the confines of the law and were a true continuation of our admirable tradition of enhancing our national diversity through immigration.

Now I have no doubt that there are xenophobes among those clamoring for strict immigration enforcement. They are particularly strong among those who want the millions of illegal immigrants rounded up and summarily deported, even those who have been here for many years. But I can see that those arguing for strict enforcement have some good points without automatically attributing their motives to prejudice.

It is important to provide an avenue for legal residence to those currently in this country outside the law for a number of reasons. For one, they need to be able to rely on police protection and feel that they are not under the yoke of those who would exploit their vulnerable undocumented status to their own nefarious ends. For another, this is America, dude! You know, the land of the free! And when I interact with others in this great land, I want to feel that they, like me, are free to exercise all of their constitutional rights and to hold their leaders accountable. Only with the type of reasonable immigration reform proposed by our present and previous presidents, representing both major parties, can this be achieved.

But please, let's can the condescending lectures, O.K.? I also think our national borders need to be made more secure. That doesn't make me a bigot.

Hot Weather and Smoky Haze

The last couple of days have been stifling-hot, with temperatures climbing in the afternoon to the upper nineties. To compound the effect, a thick smoky haze from many area fires has descended upon the Gainesville area, making issues of breathing second-hand smoke from cigarettes a moot point. There is no way I am going out in this horrible weather to run, so for a while at least I am hitting the indoor treadmill at my local YMCA. Hopefully, some rain is forthcoming and we'll eventually begin to see the typical summer afternoon showers that make living here enjoyable, or at least bearable. But for now it's almost uninhabitable!

I have noticed that the haze is much worse during the evening hours, but I can now detect it throughout the day...

Orlando Visit

I went with my wife today to Orlando, where she had to go to do a mandatory part of the Masters-level class she is currently enrolled in online. Melissa attends the University of Central Florida, but does the bulk of her academic work online from home. Today, though, we were in eastern Orlando at UCF. What is it about this very crowded, noisy city that makes me want to quickly return to Gainesville in a way that ultracrowded Manhattan didn't on my visit there?

I believe that my problem with Orlando is its vast, sprawling nature wholly dependent on street traffic, in combination with lots and lots and lots of people. When I let Melissa off for her class, I drove around trying to find a place to get a good cup of coffee and study. I drove through the UCF campus, where no-parking signs were everywhere (unless you had bought a permit) and some for-pay parking garages, of which I felt no desire to avail myself. So although there were some places I could have gone at UCF, I ended up passing through the campus and back out on the main highway. I found a nearby Starbucks, but every table was taken. I skipped the local fast food places like Burger King and McDonald's, which was probably a mistake. Finally after driving around for several miles, I came across a Dunkin' Donuts that was right off of Colonial Drive. It was a big place, with an even bigger crowd of customers. But I did manage to get a seat and studied some amid the enormous din there. It was awfully unpleasant, though.

If you exclude my theme park experiences there, I don't like to visit Orlando. And I don't like anything to do with driving down its congested streets, full it seems of crazy drivers. Nothing personal, but to me it is an ugly, noisy, overcrowded sprawl. Probably like Los Angeles in miniature! If you like that kind of environment, then go for it! I won't be hanging around, though...

On the other hand, to be fair about it, if I actually lived in Orlando and had roots in the area, I might have a different take on it. But just passing through as a visitor is no fun!

Dallas Does It Again

A few days ago I wrote how the National Basketball Association Dallas Mavericks made an incredible late-game comeback against their playoff opponent Oklahoma City, after I had given up on the game to watch another TV show. Last night they did it again, although I was at work during the game and unable to watch. Their victims this time were the Miami Heat, their opponent for the NBA Championship series. After Miami had easily handled the Mavericks in game one, the buzz around the sports media was that the Heat were too hot for anyone to handle. And it looked like that last night, too. Midway through the fourth quarter they were easily handling Dallas, 78-63. Then the Mavs stormed back, with their stars Nowitzki, Kidd, and Terry leading the way. They pulled out their comeback with a 95-93 improbable victory, and on the road. The next three games will be home games for Dallas, so they now have a real opportunity to do damage to Miami's presumed cakewalk to the championship.

Bummed Out on Negative Personal Narratives

I am really tired of being expected to sympathetically listen to other people as they emotionally spew out their very personal hyperjudgemental rancor about others. I don't know how to change this: these people seem totally focused on the negative aspects of certain relationships they have and tenaciously refuse to consider the bigger, more complete picture that includes the positive. I have come to the conclusion that this negativity is at best a form of manipulation of me as a hostage listener and is at worst a psychological disorder, with negative feelings and their open expression feeding on themselves and demanding more and more.

This isn't just one person, either. I see it all around me in various settings. It tends to make me more susceptible to spiritual feelings only in the sense that it appears that demons have a hold on these very negative people. All I want to do when around them is escape.

I am 54. That isn't young. I would like to look forward to my remaining future years as a time of happiness, health and positive relationships. But not around these people, the way they currently are! It matters not what shortcomings they see in others: I have only one option, which is to tune them out...

Spoon June

Spoon is a Texas-based multihyphenated modern-indie-alternative-rock band that has been around since the nineties. Unfortunately, I only have their music that has been released since 2002. They are very good, with strong perscussion/guitar/keyboard interaction in their songs, along with group cofounder, singer/songwriter Britt Daniels' idiosynchratic raspy voice as lead vocal. Even if you don't normally listen to this genre of music, you may have heard their 2006 hit I Turn My Camera On on a TV commerical a few years back.

I Turn My Camera On was the song that made me notice this talented and creative band. Their material, like that of Regina Spektor and Radiohead, is all eminently listenable and there are several tracks on their albums that I have come to like a lot. In fact, I have recently begun to solely listen to my collection of Spoon's music (in shuffle mode) on my MP3 player while running (succeeding Regina and Radiohead for this honor). June looks to be a month full of Spoon listening...

The following is my personal "Top 25" list of Spoon songs. Please keep in mind that I don't yet have their early albums, though. I do have Kill the Moonlight [KM], Gimme Fiction [GF], Get Nice! [GN], Ga Ga Ga Ga [GGGG], and Transference [T]. I have put the above-indicated abbreviated forms for the corresponding albums next to each song.

Here's my list:

1 My Mathematical Mind [GF]
2 The Ghost of You Lingers [GGGG]
3 Don't Let It Get You Down [KM]
4 Goodnight Laura [T]
5 Merchants of Soul [GF]
6 Someone Something [KM]
7 Don't You Evah [GGGG]
8 The Mystery Zone [T]
9 My Little Japanese Cigarette Case [GGGG]
10 I Turn My Camera On [GF]
11 Stay Don't Go [KM]
12 The Way We Get By [KM]
13 You Got Your Cherry Bomb [GGGG]
14 I Summon You [GF]
15 Small Stakes [KM]
16 Paper Tiger [KM]
17 Is Love Forever? [T]
18 The Underdog [GGGG]
19 Jonathon Fisk [KM]
20 Sister Jack [GF]
21 Well-Alright [Dark Was the Night compilation]
22 Who Makes Your Money [T]
23 The Delicate Place [GF]
24 Dracula's Cigarette [GN]
25 Tasty Fish [GN]

The Swing Voter Bloc: Fools

Please, somebody explain to me the American voter. In 2008, Barack Obama won the presidency with a majority of votes cast. He also won the state of Florida over his Republican opponent John McCain. Two years later, in statewide races for the U.S. Senate and Governor, teabagger Republicans Marco Rubio and Rick Scott won their races, respectively, putting into office candidates with a diametrically opposite view of how to govern than Obama. Now just a few months after they took office, public opinion polls have Governor Scott with an approval rating under 30%. And he's only been doing what he said he was going to do when he was voted into office!

Now polls are showing President Obama ahead in Florida against the GOP, and incumbent Democratic Senator Bill Nelson has a commanding lead for reelection next year. Huh? I thought the tea party reigned supreme here now!

What is wrong with voters? What I see here isn't a thought-out shift in political philosophy that is reflected in the polls. Instead, it looks as if we, as a collective body of voters, are suffering from mass attention deficit disorder and vote strictly on emotional impulse!

Sure, there are those who stick to their own political perspective and consistently vote in accordance with it. I'd like to believe that I am one of them. But a frighteningly large portion of the electorate seems, at least to me, to be a bunch of silly, easily manipulated fools. Sometimes they vote as I vote on election day and sometimes the other way. But they are still fools regardless. No wonder candidates are now advertised and sold nowadays like sports cars, beer, and laundry detergent!

St. Augustine Memorial Day Outing

Today I took my family for a Memorial Day outing in St. Augustine, which is about 75 miles east of Gainesville. We split the time up between the beach and the old city (St. Augustine, founded by Spain in the late 16th century, is the oldest city in the U.S. in continuous existence). For the beach part, we went to Anastasia State Park, one of the nicer parks I've been to. While in the pretty turbulent ocean, I practiced swimming, concentrating mainly on trying to improve my breaststroke form. This was interesting as the waves were pretty strong around me, quite a different experience from my local YMCA pool. It was a pretty good workout, though. But I think I prefer swimming pools to the ocean, at least when they are actually open and have available lanes.

The old city was the same as I have come to know it from several previous visits spanning the last 25 years. We browsed through different stores and had dinner at Meehan's Irish Pub and Restaurant, not to mention some coffee and chocolate from other stores. We didn't buy much merchandise, preferring instead to simply enjoy each other's company as we leisurely browsed around and took in the surroundings.

Our day together was full of laughs and good feelings, elevating my spirits and making me look forward to the busy week ahead of me.

Theme Park Weariness

From late 2002 through 2006 I was an avid thrill ride fan, enjoying theme parks like Busch Gardens, Universal Studios Orlando, Disney World, Wild Adventures, Cypress Gardens, and Dollywood. Before this time I had been afraid to ride any roller coaster, and any ride that flipped me over or dropped me quickly? Forget it! It took my two fearless children to shame me into gutting it out through some scary rides, and before I knew it I was hooked on them. But my children have since been growing up and now have other interests. The rides never did take hold with my wife, so it often seems that I am the only one left with a real desire to visit a theme park. And even with me, I am not 100% on board with it, either.

For one, just to get to one of the relatively close parks involves some tedious long-distance driving for 100-140 miles. That, simply put, is not a fun ride for me! Then, when I'm finally at the park, there is the chronic problem of having to wait in long lines just to enjoy a ride that often lasts only a couple of minutes. On top of that, it seems that usually several of the rides are in disrepair at any given time, and some of them are my favorites.

So when I read about some of the new rides coming out at places like Busch Gardens, Sea World, and Universal, I wonder to myself whether I really want to invest the time, effort, and expense to go try them out. Shoot, I haven't even tried out any of the rides at Sea World, but I don't see any visits there in the foreseeable future.

Years ago I saw a promotional show on TV about Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. They had a wonderful steel coaster called Alpengeist (similar to Tampa's Montu), and a man who liked this ride so much he had ridden it more than 500 times rode it again for the cameras. I bet that dude probably lived across the street from the park!

When I occasionally go to South Florida for family reasons, I check out a place in Dania called Boomer's, which is primarily a large arcade building with a whopping giant wooden roller coaster towering over it. I just drive over there during my visit, park my car for free, buy my coaster ride ticket, and walk right up and get on the coaster with nary a wait nor hassle.

Why can't other places be like that? They wear me down.

About My Chinese Study and Reading of Late

I am currently adding about 2,500 Chinese characters to my personal vocabulary, doing this in a painstakingly methodical fashion. Much of this involves looking up words in dictionaries and adding them to a "grand notebook" that I have constructed, holding new words learned along with where I encountered them. I am also inserting Japanese transliterations of the characters that they have incorporated into their language.

All of this takes a lot of time, but it is interesting that, when I have free time, I do a lot of writing that involves little actual thinking. And when I am involved in something else, I can mentally multi-task and practice my newly-acquired vocabulary from memory. Hopefully, this all will lead to me being able to more fully enjoy exposure to Chinese (and eventually Japanese) by being able, as I currently already am with Spanish, to pick out, either from reading or listening, the gist of what is being expressed in that language.

One result of this increased emphasis on foreign language study has been to reduce my time in reading fiction. Usually I am working on one or two books, but lately that has slowed down. Now, at certain times I still pick up a book, concentrating now on getting through Stephenie Meyer's interesting Twilight saga. Yes, this series is primarily targeted at teenage girls, but I enjoy it, too! I am currently beginning Eclipse, the third book. By the way, I have carefully avoided the movies made from this series, preferring instead to give my own imagination a workout, thank you.

Workout Room Supplants Swimming

As many articles that I have recently written about swimming, you might come away thinking that I am a hard-core fanatic about the subject. This is not so, though. What I have been trying to do is TURN myself into a fanatic, because I have reasoned it out and believe that swimming is a very healthful and potentially enjoyable form of physical activity that can endure with my passing into the "golden years" of life. But transforming that conclusion into reality is another matter...

This week I completely skipped out on swimming, substituting my YMCA pool sessions with intense workouts in their adjacent "wellness center". I found that doing weight training and using the elliptical cross-training machine gives me a better workout than swimming. There is no competition for access as I have to endure at the pool. It also doesn't matter what the weather is like outside: I am pretty much guaranteed a seventy-something degree environment that is nice and dry, without the need to spray on sunscreen. And like with running, after my indoor workout I am hot and sweaty but don't have the pool water to wash off of me. Also, I don't need to deal with that water seeping into my body through swallowing and sinuses.

Today I had a great time in the workout room. I looked out at the pool, where one of the local elementary schools had sent some of their students to play today. It was packed, and the swimming lanes were reduced for the occasion. But managing to get a lane wasn't enough: the swimmers had to endure large beach balls continually drifting over into their paths. I saw one swimmer doing several meters with a ball riding his back! I said to myself, "Isn't it nice to not be there right now!"

My main issue with swimming is access. The other problems are either resolvable or are things intrinsic to the activity that I have to adapt to. But I don't see that access issue improving in the near future and, besides, I have for now quite an acceptable alternate with the weights and elliptical trainer. Not that I've given up swimming, but something has to change to make it less of a hassle for me.

I Don't Get the Sport of Bicycling, I Guess

Many years ago, I was seated in the middle of one of those obnoxious small groups that tend to plague my existence on Earth. It was at someone's house and there were several married couples informally sitting around the living room "shooting the bull". One woman, her proud husband right beside her, beamed that she had purchased a bicycle and was going to ride it and enjoy it (my words), but her hubby, who was a mechanical engineer by trade, had pointed out to her that something called "gear ratios" or the like was a little off kilter with the bike. So she didn't ride it and, boy, wasn't she glad! I sat there dumbfounded: I don't think I ever spent more than $115 on a bicycle and I sure as all don't think that I ever gave a hoot about its mechanical details. I would get on a new bike, ride it around, and if it felt good, then it was a winner, pure and simple.

I have piled up many miles just riding my bicycle around town over the years, but I am not into the culture and expense of maintaining the activity to the level that others insist upon for themselves. For example, I am not going to shell out a couple of thousand dollars just for a bicycle. Nor will I wear that tight, stretchy bicycling clothing that may be good while on the bike but completely foolish looking once off. I also don't have the bicyclist posture of practically hanging over the handlebars, and I have the seat low enough that I don't have to dismount every time I stop. But I get around anyway.

I was watching the Tour of California bicycle race on the Versus Channel the other day. It was the first leg and was 76 miles in length, starting from the Lake Tahoe area and ending through the streets of Sacramento. With that much distance, you might think that at the end the pack would be spread out a bit. But you would be wrong.

At the end, ALL of the bicyclists were clumped together as in one mass. The finish was so close that everyone was given the same time. As I was watching the race, it looked to me like someone had cloned one bicyclist, along with the bicycle, everyone looking damned near identical with only their clothing and helmet colors to distinguish them.

I don't get this mass photo finish after 76 miles, I don't get the heavy expense, I don't get the conformity of appearance.

I don't get the sport of bicycling, I guess.

Heidi Revisited and Kinison

The other night I was at home watching game four of the NBA West Conference finals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Mavs, which I wanted to win, were leading the series two games to one and were trying to win another one. But this game, held in Oklahoma City, was going the Thunder's way and it was getting late. OKC had extended their lead over Dallas to a whopping 15-point margin late in the fourth quarter, 99-84. I sadly switched channels over to the Sam Kinison tribute program on Epix I had been wanting to see. Oh well, I thought, the series is just tied 2-2 and Dallas will have other chances to win it.

Later that night I just happened to surf through the channels and happened upon the game's final score: Dallas 112, Oklahoma City 105! What happened?

Right after I switched channels, the Mavericks went on a furious 17-2 run to tie the game at the end of regulation and then overpower the Thunder in overtime. The sudden reversal in this game after I had left it reminded me of the "Heidi" football game in the late sixties between the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders.

These two teams were, at the time, dominating the old American Football League. This game between them was therefore a featured contest shown nationwide on NBC. The only problem was that the network on Sunday evening had a prior commitment to air a children's show, a brand-new version of the Heidi story. So late in the fourth quarter of that game, with the Jets ahead 32-29 and seemingly in control of things, the network switched over to Heidi and left the country to wonder how the game ended. Well, right after the game's televised coverage ended, all hell broke out on the field and Oakland made a dramatic comeback, winning the game going away 43-32. There was so much anger expressed over NBC's curtailment of its coverage that, from then on, televised sports events as a rule are shown to their conclusion and later programming is broadcast on a delayed basis.

I wish I had hung around to see the Mavericks' dramatic turnaround, but oh well...

As for the Sam Kinison tribute, I have mixed feelings about the late comedian. There is no doubt that he had a very funny delivery and style. He was unashamedly brash and loud, with that trademark scream of his that would send his audience into an uncontrollable frenzy of laughter. But on many of his topics, which ranged from the homeless to gays to relationships with women, I found myself sinking into the feeling that this guy was just acting out the part of a stinking bully. That's too bad, because Kinison could have chosen any material he wanted for his content and been funny (he himself said that), but for some reason he decided to pick on elements of the population that needed support, not more hateful bashing. What a waste, not just for his death in 1992 due to the negligence of another driver, but also for the legacy of the idea that piling on certain demographic groups is fair game as long as you call it "comedy" (from which conservative talk radio seems to have capitalized heavily).

Still, now that I have witnessed Sam Kinison's act, from time to time I will notice people behaving illogically around me (or in the media) and I'll develop my own inner "kinisonian" monologue about them, ending in the obligatory (but usually silent) "scream".

I'm Still Waiting, GOP

I'm still waiting for someone on the Republican side of the political aisle who wants to be president to stand up for mainstream American values and set themselves apart from the right-wing ideology that has made this party currently unelectable in a national election. I suspect that Mitt Romney wants the mainstream voter to think that he stands for maintaining the country and tweaking things in moderate ways where they need to be tweaked, but he knows that he is stuck trying to get around the tea-nuts in his own party and the radio and TV blabberjocks in order to secure the nomination. As for me, as well as the American people in general, a competent leader who understands the diversity of interests and people in this great country and leads from both the brain and the heart, no matter which political party he or she belongs to, will be the preferred candidate for president in November 2012. Right now, in spite of what I perceive to be mistakes in his presidency (abandonment of the NASA moon project initiated by his predecessor, acceptance of a health insurance reform bill too accommodating to the private insurance industry, critical two-week delay in responding militarily to Gadhafi's ruthless attacks against his opposition in Libya, and the most recent attempt to capitalize on a success in that part of the world by trying to impose a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians), Barack Obama has established himself as a mainstream, centrist president who meets my criteria for that important office.

Even if the eventual GOP nominee turns out to be someone who would govern more from the political center than from the extremes, I still would need to scrutinize the candidate who got the VP/running mate nod, especially since that individual most likely would be more ideological in order to placate the teabrains.

Nasty Weather of Different Types

I woke up this morning to the news of the devastating tornado that swept through Joplin, Missouri and destroyed an estimated 2,000 buildings and at last count took 116 lives. The twister was estimated to be a mile wide with winds reaching 200 mph. It hit around 6 PM yesterday and was part of a massive storm system that passed through the Midwest.

Here in Florida we have a different problem: excruciatingly hot days (into the upper nineties) with little or no rain. And fires breaking out everywhere. The weather forecasters hold out some hope for a little rain later this week, but we are in serious trouble here. It is quite different from other places, with their flooding and tornadoes, though. But when I see the extreme weather that has been affecting the country, I wonder how severe the upcoming hurricane season will be this year.

On a personal note, I ran 7.18 miles this morning while the temperatures were relatively mild in the low eighties. And it was a fast 7.18 miles for me, although I'm not quite sure why. With the heat, it sure wasn't a pleasant run. Still, I am astounded when it's later in the afternoon, the temperature is approaching 100 degrees, and I see people outside jogging in it! Ouch!

Final Endeavor Launch and Flight

The other morning I happened to be sitting in the Magnolia Parke Starbucks, just before the Space Shuttle Endeavor was to be launched into space for its final mission. There is a multi-storied building across the street, and its stairwell is open to the outside with views of the south and east. In other words, a perfect platform from which to watch the launch. So that's what I did: I walked across the street, up the stairs, and voila, a couple of minutes after the scheduled launched I saw a sharp point of light followed by a long white trail, hugging the horizon in the southeast above the treetops and tapering almost horizontally (from my vantage point in Gainesville) in a northerly direction. Then it was gone.

Now it's out there in low Earth orbit, delivering and installing its important scientific cargo to study the universe and try to unlock some of the secrets about its composition, beginning, and future. Hopefully, with the reports of damaged tiles on the shuttle's outer casing, it will return safely again intact and with all aboard alive and well.

I am saddened by what seems to me the downsizing and outsourcing of our once highly respected, ambitious, and capable space program. But apparently this is reflective of what the American people want. They collectively have little interest in space exploration anymore. That wasn't the case when I was growing up in the 1960's, when at school they would have the the TV on all day to show how the Gemini and Apollo flights were progressing, complete with simulations, long drawn-out commentary, and Tang commercials...

...Hey, wait a minute, that WAS awfully boring, come to think of it. No wonder the American people lost interest!

Gainesville Starbucks Store to Close Sunday

Thursday's Independent Florida Alligator reported that the Starbucks on 3822 Newberry Road will be closing this Sunday, the 22nd. I was surprised to read this, considering that almost every time I go there, it seems overcrowded and noisy. Its location is perfect, next to several upscale eateries and a large cinema complex. True, the interior seating is a bit cramped, and I usually have to look for an outdoors seat when I go there. I haven't visited this Starbucks much in the last couple of years, but there was a time when I was a daily customer there.

As a matter of fact, many of my blog articles from 2007 and 2008 were written at this soon-to-be-defunct Starbucks, usually at one of the outside balcony tables. Sometimes I would first go to the Coldstone Creamery a couple of doors down and enjoy some cheesecake-flavored ice cream while reading whichever Stephen King novel I was working on. Ah...those were the good old days! But I've read all of King's novels, I have found better locations to do my writing, and that Starbucks just seems out of my way nowadays. Still, although the newspaper article hinted as a reason of the closure that Starbuck's relatively slow business, I was never there when it wasn't annoyingly packed.

I don't know who has been managing that Starbucks lately, but I liked the former manager Marty Bower, who incidentally was the one who suggested to a couple of LifeSouth employees who stopped by while jogging that a local marathon sponsored by LifeSouth would be a good idea. It's a shame that this part of our local history will end.

As for the employees at the 3822 store, they are being relocated at other Starbucks in town, similar to the way that the Postal Service handles its closures. And much unlike what happened to the employees at my local Hooters restaurant who showed up to work one day and found the doors locked, the business permanently closed, and themselves abruptedly without jobs, without any advance warning. Tacky...and very unrefined!

NBA Conference Final Series Going On

I have been enjoying the National Basketball Association playoffs lately, with two fantastic conference championship series going on. In the West, the Dallas Mavericks, led by an assortment of talent headed by Dirk Nowitzki and ageless Jason Kidd, are up against the Oklahoma Thunder and their scoring ace Kevin Durant. The East pits the preseason favorite Miami Heat with Lebron James and Dwyane (yes, that's how it's spelled) Wade against the Chicago Bulls and this year's league MVP Derrick Rose. I was only able the watch the first games in each series so far, due to my work schedule. But I'd like to see a few more, hopefully with a Chicago-Dallas NBA championship series the result.

The fact that I am rooting for the Bulls has been interesting, considering that I have in the past supported southern teams like Atlanta and Miami, both of which I have rooted against so far in their playoff series with Chicago this year. On the other hand, Chicago features as one of its starters former University of Florida standout Joakim Noah, who participated in the Gators' two national championship seasons a few years ago. Since Atlanta also has former Gator star Al Horford in its starting lineup, this can't be the only reason I supported the Bulls this year over the Hawks. I suppose that I wanted the stronger team to put up a better fight against the Heat, which I don't support because of its prima donna superstar Lebron James. I came to dislike James a few years ago when, after unexpectedly losing a playoff series to Orlando when with Cleveland, he refused to congratulate the winners and showed his lack of sportsmanship. He has also been very erratic regarding how hard he plays from game to game. I can't support a player like that. On the other hand, his Heat teammate Wade is a class act.

But we'll see who eventually wins. If Chicago and Dallas both make it to the finals, I don't know whom I'll support. If Miami makes it, I'll support the West winner, whoever that is.

And God Said, "Where Are You?"

I recently attended a sermon in a conservative Christian church. The topic was how it was important for a believer to confess all personal secrets to God in order for prayers to be effective. This all sounded like a typical session in this church, where a member apparently is expected to spend the rest of his or her life deep in emotional anguish over every little dinky-ass thing he or she has ever done, is doing, ever will do, or even consider ever doing, and whether, if there is the remotest possibility of any impropriety going on (Christian translation: sin), this shouldn't be confessed, not just in quiet prayer to God but also to each other. Ho-hum, so what's new, anyway...

Well, here's what's new. During the message, the preacher made a reference to the Genesis story of Adam, Eve, and the Garden of Eden. It seems that humanity's first couple had been naughty and eaten the forbidden fruit of knowledge. Now they were hiding from God because... well, they were naughty and knew they were naked, to boot. The Lord happened to be walking in the Garden and called out to Adam, "Where are you?"

It was then that the preacher did something I have heard preachers do often over the years: he made presumptions about God that were not mentioned in the text. He said that, of course, God knew all along exactly what Adam and Eve had done and where they were hiding. And then he used this personal revision of the actual text to illustrate his argument for confession (which I don't quite get since God had already told Adam that eating the forbidden fruit would bring on a death sentence, so why confess and die).

The original writer of that section of text in Genesis in which God said "Where are you?", as well as the compiler of those ancient textual fragments into a cohesive narrative later known as the Book of Genesis, did not reveal God's motives behind his statement. And the statement, literally read, is self-explanatory: God is asking someone where he is. The preacher/interpreter, though, in order to ease any sense of awkwardness in this passage, which implied that God really wasn't all-knowing after all, inserted the "divine omniscience" doctrine into his interpretation during the sermon. As he performed this oratory legerdemain from the podium, I looked around at the faithful, uncritical congregation and saw person after person nodding and smugly smirking. Yeah, God knew all along where Adam and Eve were... but that's not what the text says!

Why am I belaboring this point? Because just a few passages before this in the same book of Genesis, the Biblical creation narrative is laid out. Those Christians claiming that evolution is false and that the origins of everything are literally explained in the first few verses of Genesis include the same preacher who, when it was convenient to HIM, added his own special enhanced interpretation to a nearby passage.

Hmmmph!