Just Finished Reading Ruth Rendell's The Best Man to Die

The Best Man to Die is the fourth book in the late English mystery writer Ruth Rendell's Inspector Wexford series.  As has been the case in all of her books I've read so far, this book is very England-centered and goes deeply into that country's culture...and often different vocabulary.  Once again, Kingsmarkham's Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford teams up with his deputy inspector Mike Burden to go after a couple of mysteries, this time the late night murder of a suddenly-prosperous lorry ("truck") driver and a fatal car crash, one of the victims unexplained by her presence and identity.  We get to know the inspector's family better, with his daughter coming to town...and dumping her boyfriend's dog on him to take care of for a while.  And against his own wishes, a lift ("elevator') is installed in his police station...guess what happens when he finally decides to ride it alone?

The Best Man to Die, for me, was the most satisfying of the Inspector Wexford novels I've yet read.  We have here the red herring suspects, problematic disappearances, and seemingly inexplicable situations that are staple fare in mystery stories.  And that "lift" ride plays its own role in how it all is resolved at the end.  A short, fun sleuthing mystery!  Now onward to the next book in this series...

Quote of the Week...From Oscar Wilde

What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise.
                                                                                                  ---Oscar Wilde
Here's a new feature to this blog: the "quote of the week"...

Although I have an incredible number of TV channels to choose from, I often find that all of my surfing through them is fruitless and end up on Music Choice, which here in Gainesville with Cox Cable occupies Channels 900 and up and offers genre-based music.  On Channel 943 is Soundscapes, which features instrumental music that is often called ambient, new age, or space.  I like the soothing music on it, but I also enjoy viewing the various quotes that pop up on the screen every few seconds.  Their messages are generally encouraging or philosophical in nature, and some have practical value.  These quotes range from famous historical figures to current celebrities, and while I generally agree with them, every now and then I have to object...a few weeks ago I wrote about one like this from Oprah Winfrey.  But today's quote is from English writer Oscar Wilde, probably most famous for his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, which I recently read .  Sometimes in order to understand a short statement like a quote, you need to know its context.  And while the above quote might take on a clearer meaning if I knew Wilde's own circumstances in making it, it seems to me to have a universal application...

First of all, I will say that I wholeheartedly agree with Oscar Wilde's quote, and that's mainly because he used the word "often" to connect bitter trials with blessings in disguise.  Not all bitter trials resolve themselves in a favorable manner to us, and it is small consolation to say that at least we "learned" something from them...often that lesson leads to cynicism and despair.  On the other hand, the writer of the Bible's New Testament book of James, which my church has been covering of late, fully embraces the opinion that passing through difficult hardships makes one stronger in faith and perseverance.  And wasn't it the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche who once wrote, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger"?  As far as I'm concerned, the attitude I take through whatever trials I am experiencing will largely determine how they are resolved, as well as the resulting change in myself that having gone through them will reveal.  If I throw up my hands and play the blame game against others as well as "Monday morning quarterback" with all kinds of hindsight-based recriminations, then my mind is focused on the past and not on how to get through the crisis.  On the other hand, if I reduce the trial to specifics and tackle each sub-problem within it in a dispassionate and constructive manner without pulling down others around me into a negative cloud, then I am much more likely to arise from the difficulty stronger and more confident in my ability to face problems in the future...

I think a lot of folks who are in a state of despair over the outcome of this recent presidential election see themselves as going through a bitter trial.  But instead of descending into cynicism and hatred, it will be more constructive to look at the steps they can take from now on, given the changed circumstances, to forge for themselves and those around them a better future.  No, I'm not happy Trump was elected, and I'm afraid he's going to do some pretty awful things as president...hope I'm wrong about this, I know I'll be elated if I am. But there are things I can do, and then there are things that are beyond my control: how well I get through "bitter trials", regardless of their nature, depends in large part on me being able and willing to recognize the difference...

11/6 Sermon on James, Part 7

This past Sunday at Gainesville's Family Church our pastor, Philip Griffin, continued his series of talks about the New Testament book of James, with this seventh installment being about wisdom: how to recognize what it is, how to obtain it, and how to know when you have it.  The scriptures covered are James 3:13-18, which are shown below, in the New International Version via the Bible Gateway website...

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵ Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Regarding the "good" life in Verse 13, Pastor Philip pointed out that the original Greek word used here was not the "good" that means "moral", but rather a different word meaning "beautiful" or "attractive"...i.e. an attractive, beautiful life for others to see and follow.  He referred back to the first chapter, which stressed the importance of hardships in gaining understanding and perseverance.  First, one needs information, which leads to transformation, which leads to application.  If a believer isn't applying God's wisdom, then maybe it's an issue of what's deep down in the heart...which ultimately derives from the information that they have accepted as truth, which is the wisdom of the world and not that of God...

Near the end of the talk, the pastor brought up what he regards as the three stages of relationships, be they in the context of marriage, family, workplace, church, or simply friendships: the honeymoon stage, the conflict stage, and the true relationship stage.  With the honeymoon stage, people look upon each other as they want to see them.  With the conflict stage, each recognizes the other does not meet up to their previously idealized expectations...and they try to change them to conform to those expectations.  And with the true relationship stage, the parties finally recognize and respect each other...through the wisdom and maturity attained after weathering the conflict state...for who they truly are and not as projections of their own desires and goals.  Unfortunately, many relationships do not survive that important conflict stage into maturity and they end, often bitterly.  And many also try to rekindle that honeymoon stage by going outside the relationship with others...not a good idea either.  That does not mean that in a true relationship there is never conflict: but when conflicts do happen (and they will), they are instead addressed and resolved in a compassionate yet honest manner that respects the personal integrity and dignity of the other, with grace and mercy playing preeminent roles...

I wasn't able to make it to church to hear this sermon, but was still able to get it by going on the church's YouTube video website.  You can follow it as well by clicking on this link: [link]...

Just Finished Reading James Patterson's The 8th Confession

Continuing with James Patterson's Women's Murder Club crime series, I just finished reading The 8th Confession, yet another writing collaboration of his with Maxine Paetro.  Once again, the setting is San Francisco and the main protagonist is police homicide investigator Lindsay Boxer.  She typically works informally with her friends Cindy (a reporter), Yuki (an assistant d.a.), and Claire (a medical examiner), trying to solve murders and disappearances while each deals with their own personal issues as they meet together to brainstorm everything out and give each other support.  This particular story features two main plot lines: a string of mysterious deaths of rich and famous people with questionable reputations and the brutal beating death of someone who appeared to be an advocate for the homeless.  I enjoyed this book a lot, even though the police once again are abusive and deceitful toward suspects and witnesses...a distasteful recurring element of this series.  Although some of the earlier novels in this series weren't very good, Patterson and Paetro have, with this eighth entry published in 2009, got their formula down pat and seem very comfortable with the characters...both the heroes and villains are believable and interesting, and that's what makes it all work for me... 

Escape the Election With The Weather Channel

The Weather Channel came up with a pretty cool idea for those of us who are completely burned out on this year's election: from three o'clock this afternoon until midnight, it changes its programming to something it calls "Escape the Election".  While some of the media outlets are gearing up for extreme election results coverage and analysis, this channel will be continuously presenting beautiful nature scenes, accompanied by light jazz music.  Not that The Weather Channel gets into politics anyway, but I guess their thinking is that they'll get more viewers with their promise of "no coverage".  It just so happens that I'll be at work for the entire duration of this alternative to the election: I would have preferred them to have extended their show until at least two in the morning.  On the other hand, I have a surefire remedy for those who don't want to risk seeing election coverage on their television set: TURN IT OFF!  Go sit outside, go to a park, do a jigsaw puzzle, play a board or card game with your family, take a nap, read a book, clean out the garage, listen to your own music collection, cook, meditate, pray, eat, go running or biking or whatever sport you like...I think you get my point.  Besides, I seriously doubt that every single TV channel will be devoting itself to the election results...I imagine that most of them aren't.  Still, I'm happy that The Weather Channel is offering this service today.  Only one problem: sooner or later, we're all gonna have to come to terms with the election results.  Sigh...

Oh, by the way, you might just want to keep off the Internet for the rest of the day, too.  And that especially means Facebook! Well, unless, that is, you're one of those who thrives in the middle of all this political crap...

Two Days Before the Day After (the Election)

The Sunday before last, at a little past noon, I got the brilliant idea of driving out to the nearby Millhopper branch of my Alachua County public library system, where I knew they were holding early voting for tomorrow's election.  I was going to stand at the entrance with my camera and photograph the plethora of different campaign signs planted there...and call it the "2016 Election Sign Garden".  Alas, when I arrived, though, two police cars were there flashing their blue lights and a number of people were holding campaign signs and waving at passers-by, effectively messing up my "garden"...so I left without taking a pic.  Fast forward to yesterday afternoon at the same location...I had a library book due and I was looking for another to check out, but I was wary of encountering early voting congestion there.  No need to have worried: early voting had ended, along with every single campaign sign that had been planted there.  Well, my election garden was gone, but I enjoyed the complete lack of any reminder of this horrendous, discouraging campaign season...

With an acknowledging nod to the title of one of my favorite South Park episodes, today marks "two days before the day after the election".  Although Wednesday is my ultimate goal, with the nasty, awful campaigning hopefully finally placed behind us, I have to recognize today...the "day before"...as the last complete day of the campaign.  For as soon as the polls close tomorrow evening...at least here in Florida...I am going to celebrate, regardless which candidates end up winning the various races.  I will be at work when the results of the presidential race begin to filter through the media and, as was the case in 2012, will find out who won through hearsay from my co-workers...I myself will instead be listening to David Bowie, Beck, or an audio-book on my mp3 player...

Melissa and I plan to go vote at our local precinct tomorrow morning.  Personally, I don't like voting early, although if it suits others then the more power to them.  I feel a sense of civic pride that I am a responsible participant in my country's representative democracy when I go to my polling place on election day.  And I feel a sense of camaraderie with others who are also there to vote, whether they go along with my choices or not.  Voting is a celebration of the great freedom we have in America to choose our leaders...but I'm afraid that many of us refuse to accept the results unless their preferred candidate wins.  Whoever wins the Presidency will be my president and the winners of the other races will represent me in their future positions, whether or not I voted for them...this is an essential element of democracy that every citizen should understand.  It's too bad that so many will not recognize this and that, whoever wins, a substantial portion of the population will be in a state of near-rebellion, refusing to accept their newly-elected leader as legitimate.  You can openly express your opposition to the new president's policies and actions and campaign for his or her defeat in the next election...but somewhere along the line you need to agree that this individual is your duly elected president, and with that agreement comes the expectation of respect for that office...even if you dislike the person occupying it...
 

Our Trip to North Georgia

For the last few days, Melissa and I traveled around northern Georgia, enjoying the mountains, shady trails, and an old-style railroad that reminded me of The Polar Express...albeit without Tom Hanks or the hot chocolate.  We saw our share of sites, staying overnight at Kennesaw and then spending two days in the far northern town of Blue Ridge.  There we rode their passenger train to the Georgia/Tennessee border, with a brief layover in the towns of McCaysville and Copper Hill.  Then we drove over to Anna Ruby Falls in the northeastern corner of the state...what a beautiful hike along the brook with all of the different plants and the massive stones...by the way, Melissa drove around the steep mountain roads like she was brought up there!  After a two-mile-long traffic jam surrounding nearby Helen, which was oversaturated with tourists searching for a restaurant or business that could accommodate them, we headed down to Gainesville (Georgia) to link up with I-985 for our journey back.  But alongside US 129, close to the I-985 entrance, a number of sections of the GROUND were on fire, with flames lapping up on the street as we passed by! Yes, a "city on fire"...I believe that was the title of a book I read recently.  I wonder what that was all about...

Our hotel accommodations were splendid throughout the trip, and we had a couple of great dining experiences with southern-style restaurants...Mike's in Ellijay and Southern Charm in Blue Ridge.  Once again, I was struck by the good-natured, natural hospitality of the folks living in this region.  We had to pick and choose where we went, so there's plenty of stuff left for us to do in future outings in north Georgia.  All in all, a great time for Melissa and me!

And now, a whole lot of pictures...

The Doomsday Scientist

A few days ago I was watching the National Geographic Explorer TV channel and a program was on about global warming/climate change, hosted by Bill Nye (the Science Guy).  I think it was just a year old, so we're talking pretty recently.  Toward the end of the show he interviewed a University of Arizona ecologist named Guy McPherson, who predicted that there will be no more human life on Earth by the year 2030.  Yes, that's what he said...we'll be extinct by then, and it will be due to the cascading effects of human civilization-caused superheating of the planet from built-up carbon dioxide as well as methane gas.  The seas will become lifeless and the oxygen will disappear from the atmosphere.  McPherson didn't explain all of his reasoning to Nye, but I did look him up on Wikipedia and saw his blog page, which goes into much greater detail about his somber conclusion on humanity in the near future...

In looking at the current situation we have with increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, McPherson decided to investigate the Great Permian Mass-Extinction of 250 million years ago, when almost all life on Earth was obliterated.  The trigger event for this seems to have been the eruption of massive super-volcanos in what is now Siberia, causing fires over the area and smoke and ashes surrounding the planet.  But the fires then ignited the masses of coal deposits underneath the surface, and Earth went into a long-term greenhouse effect with mass releases into the atmosphere of methane gas, much more potent in its greenhouse effect than CO2.  The oceans and the atmosphere were starved of oxygen and nearly all of the animal and plant species on Earth became extinct.  Now that process back then, as McPherson recognizes, took place over a much longer time span than the global warming going on in our time.  But in both cases, he emphasizes the concept of "self-enforcing feedback loops" that accelerated the process back then and now as well.  For example, global warming melts ice in the far north, but that ice melting exposes holes in the Earth where large methane deposits have been held dormant for millions of years.  Now they are being released into the atmosphere and speeding up the heating.  The more the heating, the faster the methane is exposed and released, which speeds up the heating further...

Guy McPherson does not place much hope in the efforts taken today to restrain carbon emissions, and he thinks a carbon tax is ridiculous.  No, he believes we have already gone too far, and this process leading ultimately to his predicted doom in the too-near future began with human civilization thousands of years ago with the advent of agriculture...

I just heard about this guy last week and already the world's coming to an end?  Uh, please give me a little more time to ingest this!  But McPherson does seem to have his own following, a growing doomsday cult if you will.  His conclusions show to me how someone, if they package their theories in a compelling manner, can pretty much sell anything.  Listen to the folks who are global warming deniers: some of them sound pretty convincing, too.  Look, if we're all perishing in fifteen years anyway, it won't matter, in terms of our habitat on Earth, what I do now with my time or "carbon footprint", and if there is no human-induced climate change, the same is also true.  So in a perverse sort of way, Guy McPherson, with his presentation of impending and certain human extinction, is making the point for folks who want to just forget about climate change and do whatever they want with the environment, for better or...more likely...for worse...

10/30 Sermon on James, Part 6

This past Sunday at Gainesville's Family Church, Pastor Philip Griffin began Chapter 3 in his sermon series on the New Testament book of James, focusing on how uncontrollable the tongue is.  Here are the verses he covered, once again in the New International Version as provided by Bible Gateway:

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. ² We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
³ When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. ⁴ Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. ⁵ Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶ The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
⁷ All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, ⁸ but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
⁹ With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ¹¹ Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? ¹² My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

So, as the pastor pointed out, that old nursery rhyme "Sticks and stones can break my bones but names will never hurt me" isn't at all true, as broken bones will completely heal in a few months but words of derision and ridicule can have a lifelong negative effect.  It is important to be careful about what we say, but ultimately we screw up...well, at least speaking for myself, I screw up from time to time.  According to James, the effects of an uncontrolled tongue is similar to that of a great forest fire, out of control...it cannot be tamed.  So what hope is there in all this, then?  As Pastor Philip pointed out, what we say in the end reveals what is in our hearts.  And if we have turned our hearts over to God, then He will reveal himself through our words of compassion and grace.  And that is the only way to control the tongue...

Neighborhood Social Media

When I first set out to publish my blog on the worldwide web in 2007, I had in mind a reading audience that itself was worldwide.  This did happen, but to only a small extent: I didn't promote my blog as others do, but rather wrote my (usually) daily articles as a personal exercise in writing.  Still, readers would sometimes respond from other parts of the U.S.A. and other countries.  But back then, blogging was considered the primary means of social media on the Internet...MySpace was in itself a blogging site and many enjoyed its user-friendliness.  But when Facebook started, much of the blogging community switched over to that format and it become more socially networked around people's personal friends, family, acquaintances, and associates...and the more cosmopolitan nature of the blog dwindled as the web drew in on itself.  I resisted Facebook for a few years...although I had nominally been a member...until I realized that my blog readership had diminished along with that social media site's rise.  So in early 2013 I began to link my blog articles on Facebook and work to increase my readership by that means.  But it took away the more random sort of reader just the same...that's a shame, in my opinion...

Although Facebook does the service of bringing people one already knows closer together in a communication network, it is still lacking in a geographical sense.  How well, for example, do you know the other residents in your own neighborhood, and how well are you keeping up with events that are going on there?  I'm not talking about gossip, but rather things like crimes such as burglaries or vandalism, social events, helping people in various states of crisis or emergency, lost and found pets, advertisements for services like lawn care or handiwork, things wanted to buy or sell, unrestrained dogs, and so on.  A few weeks ago a friend pointed me to a site called NextDoor.com that specifically works to establish communication networks within residential neighborhoods.  Free to join, NextDoor members can choose to become actively engaged in interaction through posts with neighbors on the site or can, like me, sit back and read others' postings to see what's going on in my subdivision.  Because people tend to emphasize their privacy within neighborhoods and many assert their right to rule their own "castles" aloof from others living around them, the general sense of community in a geographical zone between residents is tenuous and the communication is usually much more formal on NextDoor.com than it is on Facebook, which typically features folks being more themselves and relaxed...even silly...after all, the "Facers" are among those they are familiar with.  Besides, we're not quite sure exactly who some of these neighbors of ours really are, are we...

So with NextDoor and its current serious, down-to-business, minimalist tone, I'm not inclined to be posting links to any blog articles of mine in the near future as I do on Facebook.  I also have a Twitter account, though, and think that this may be a way to go in the other direction and promote my blog more nationally...and internationally among people at-large, not just among my own circle of family, friends, and associates.  Do you have a Twitter account...if you do, do you post on it or, like me, just follow others?

My October 2016 Running Report

As reported yesterday, I tried on the last day of October to run for 10 miles, but stopped after 3.5 when my sore throat got too dry and I was having coughing fits.  Still, I also had solid 8 and 6.2-mile runs last month, and continue to feel encouraged about my running.  In October I ran for a total of 126 miles and missed running only one day out of the month.  But I think, especially when attempting longer runs, that taking more breaks in the future would be prudent for my recovery...

I'm looking forward to November and the cooler weather it should bring to northern Florida.  From Wednesday through Saturday this week I doubt I'll be running much since I'll be traveling through Georgia with Melissa, but afterward should start getting back on track with my training.  I'm not sure whether I'll get a half-marathon in during the calendar year 2016 as I had hoped, but still may run in some local, shorter races...that Thanksgiving day Turkey Trot 10K race at the Tacachale center off Waldo Road would be a good one...I've already run it a couple of times in the past.  And, of course, there's always December to try to squeeze in a half-marathon if I feel I'm ready by then...

My Vacation Effectively Begins Today

Although my week off from work technically began at midnight Friday night when I finished my shift, Saturday and Sunday were off-days anyway, so I haven't yet been feeling like I'm on vacation...until now that is.  Normally, I would be going to work right now, so being off instead is a sweet, sweet feeling.   In a couple of days Melissa and I will be traveling to northern Georgia to enjoy the sights, fall season, and hiking.  Today and tomorrow are "home" days, which I also greatly savor.  I had planned to try running for ten miles, but early on my lower throat, which is a little sore, got too dry and I was coughing too heavily, curtailing the run after 3.5 miles.  I'll either try again tomorrow or wait until after Georgia to go on another long run.  In the meantime, I went to AAA and picked up some trip information and maps, after which I stopped off at the Starbucks on NW 13th Street (US 441) and 16th Avenue.  I hadn't been there in a while, mainly because I'd previously experienced a string of frustrating failures at finding parking spots there.  Today, however, I pulled right on into an empty slot and walked in, planning to sit at the long red counter facing the window.  But lo and behold, the counter was gone and the place's entire seating was changed...I opted instead to sit at a long, library-style table where I am right now, writing this.  And now I think I'll first take a little time to study some foreign languages, temporarily memorizing sentences in Chinese, German, Spanish, and Russian and then writing them out as I do on a daily basis, and then read a bit...I'm currently in the middle of a Ruth Rendell Inspector Wexford mystery novel and just starting a James Patterson Women's Murder Club book...

Social Visit and Sports Watching

Late this afternoon, Melissa and I attended a get-together in rural southwestern Alachua County celebrating the successful adoption of two little boys, brothers, into one of our church's families.  The location was way out in the country, the landscape dominated by vast cow pastures and wetlands.  Just outside the lodge where our party was being held is a pretty wetlands area...look at the picture.  Didn't see any gators, though...

And right now I'm toggling back and forth on my television between the World Series and the Major League Soccer playoffs...see the other two pics.  So far game number five between the Indians and Cubs has been close and exciting...if Chicago can't hang on (they're currently leading 3-2 in the bottom of the 7th inning in Wrigley Field), Cleveland will close out the series 4 games to 1 and continue the "Curse of the Billy Goat" for the Cubs, who haven't won a World Series since 1908.  Meanwhile, I've been watching the divisional semifinal round in the soccer playoffs: right now it's the Seattle Sounders playing at home against Dallas.  Well, those are the two major sports I'm following right now...as I've mentioned before, I'm boycotting the "Anti-American" Football League (see link: [link])...

Just Finished Reading John Grisham's Gray Mountain

Although I never considered myself a John Grisham fan, I just realized I've read more of his books over the years than I first thought: The Pelican Brief, The Firm, The Brethren, A Painted House, The Appeal...and now, Gray Mountain.  Other than A Painted House, which was a fictionalized autobiographic work about his childhood on a cotton farm near the Mississippi River, these books focus on lawyers and their cases...not exactly something I typically care to delve into.  Let's face it: I can't even stand walking into a courtroom for jury duty, and I feel an instant repulsion when the lawyers...either for the prosecution or the defense...spring into action and begin to speak.  Yet here I am reading John Grisham books...all I can say is that the dude must be a good writer...

Gray Mountain, recently published two years ago, is set in 2008 just as the Wall Street financial crash is causing massive downsizing in Manhattan corporate law firms.  The protagonist, young attorney Samantha Kofer, works for one of these and is put on unpaid furlough for a year...she just has to work for a nonprofit group doing pro bono work and she'll be able to retain her benefits and possibly return when the economy improves down the line.  There is a free legal clinic down in coal country, in the town of Brady, Virginia...and Samantha is hired and moves down there.  The clinic helps poor people who need legal aid but can't afford the fees that paid lawyers usually charge.  The woman heading the clinic has a nephew, Donovan Gray, who practices law in town and specializes in suing coal companies.   In his childhood, his father had sold strip mining rights to the coal on their private property, on Gray Mountain...and the company they dealt with devastated the mountain and the area.  More personal tragedy followed, and Donovan is on a personal crusade to do everything he can to fight the coal interests.  Naturally, he and Samantha become friends and, well, this is where I feel the need to taper off the plot description in case you might someday want to read this story for yourself...

I was a bit taken aback by the intense opposition to coal mining and the companies behind it that John Grisham expresses in Gray Mountain...there are no "grays" here, bad pun notwithstanding...everything is black or white, courageous heroes or diabolical villains, depending on which side of the coal issue they're on.  It kind of reminds me how people who are deeply into partisan politics will ascribe nothing but virtue and good intentions to their own side but will then paint those in the other party as degenerate and corrupt...even calling them "evil" or "monsters" or "deplorables" (see, I'm trying not to take sides here).  I find it hard to accept that only bad people are involved in running the coal industry, although I'm sure that there are also those who have cut corners at the expense of the environment, workers, and the general population in order to maximize profits. But if you're looking for a balanced analysis of this issue, don't waste your time reading this book.  Still, Gray Mountain is a good story and I give it a "thumbs up"...

Long Runs, Pain, and Injuries

This past Tuesday, around noontime, I ran eight miles, winding up and down my neighborhood streets. It was my longest single run since this past January, when I ran the Newnan's Lake 15K (9.3 miles).  I felt good at the end, not only knowing that I could have run for longer, but also that my body seemed to be suffering no adverse effects.  Other than a brief thigh cramp about an hour later, the rest of that day gave me a sense of optimism that I could start going on a couple of longer runs per week, which would put me in a constant state of preparedness for entering, running, and finishing any half-marathon race that might come along my way.  I strategized staging these long runs on Mondays and Fridays, so I had intended to run today.  Instead, I'm writing about NOT running today after experiencing a sporadic, unusual feeling on my right shin yesterday evening while at work...no pain whatsoever, but still something I want to monitor at least through today before I run again.  After going through that IT-band injury just below my knee in early 2011 and having to deal with plantar fasciitus in one of my feet two years later, I am learning to pay more attention to warning signals from my body.  Endurance running training inherently involves feeling sore and aching a bit, but some pains may indicate problems "down the road" and need to be addressed before complications can develop.

I'm still looking forward to going on long distance runs.  If things look clear on Monday, I'm trying out another one, maybe getting to the ten-mile level: the course is already mapped out in my mind and my running music is already downloaded on my mp3 player...

10/23 Sermon on James, Part 5

The series of Sunday-morning sermons about the book of James continued at my local non-denominational church this week covering Chapter 2, Verses 14-26.  The topic was "true faith" and Pastor Philip Griffin discussed how such a faith is reflected not in "talk, good intentions, or knowing the right things"...no, it is revealed and made complete in how we act upon it, i.e. our deeds.  Here are those Bible verses, in the New International Version courtesy of Bible Gateway:

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
²⁰ You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? ²¹ Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ²³ And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. ²⁴ You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
²⁵ In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? ²⁶ As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Pastor Philip, throughout his talk, emphasized something he has repeatedly covered in the past: as believers, we should aim for inner transformation through Christ...with our actions following from that change...instead of the often held belief that we must keeping trying and trying harder to do good things in order for God to approve of us.  In other words, it is "being into doing", not "doing into being".  Furthermore, the "shuddering" by the demons in verse 19 refers to their actions, which are motivated not by their love for God, but rather by their fear of his wrath upon them...this idea of avoiding divine retribution through acts of goodness is also "motivation by shuddering".   The point of this passage in James is not so much to make people go around "proving" their faith by going around helping others...although the deeds themselves might be laudable...but rather to make them inspect their own faith and whether they feel prompted by the Holy Spirit to manifest that faith in their lives...

There are Old Testament references to Abraham and Rahab to illustrate that these two were known by their faith because they followed it up with obedient action.  Pastor Philip also mentioned that Abraham might have raised the value of his beloved son Isaac to himself above that of God: this command to sacrifice him...rescinded when Abraham demonstrated his obedience...returned God to the ascendancy in his life.  And the theme of the father giving up his son as a sacrifice carries strongly into the Christian faith, with Jesus replacing Isaac as the offered sacrifice and God as the father...

You can watch this sermon, as well as others, on the Family Church YouTube website.  Here is a link to it [link]...

Signed Up at the Senior Recreation Center

I turned sixty a little more than three weeks ago, which makes me eligible to join the Senior Recreation Center, just a few blocks down the road from where I live here in far northern Gainesville.  I first found out about it because it is also my voting precinct...I was looking forward to finally meeting their minimum age requirement.  Oh, did I not mention that it is free for members?  Well, about an hour or ago I signed up and got my membership card.  I don't know how often I'll go there and what all I'll be doing...I guess time will tell.  I do like their computer room, as well as that front lobby area with the comfy-looking chairs.  There are a lot of classes and programs that they hold during their 8am-5pm weekday hours, including yoga, tai chi, bridge, chess, dancing, and so on.   They also have an exercise room, but alas, only one treadmill.  That's all right, I can run around my neighborhood...and besides, I still have that Gainesville Health and Fitness membership with their hellacious number of treadmills...

This Senior Rec Center looks like a good place to meet others and develop some friendships.  For someone with a reclusive nature as myself, this might be a healthful place to hang around.  I don't know when I'm going back, except that I KNOW I'll be there this coming November 8...to cast my ballot...

Just Finished Reading John Green's Looking for Alaska

The 2005 young adult novel Looking for Alaska, John Green's first book, didn't capture my attention until recently.  But it was a big bestseller as well as highly critically rated...although some folks tried to get it removed from their libraries because of its language and the subject matter.  After all, we are talking about a story describing relationships among teenagers at a boarding school and, well, sooner or later the subjects of sex, alcohol, smoking, and drugs are bound to come up...plus, you know how the profanity can fly between peers at that age.  But that's not what made this book significant: rather, it was a modest introduction, in story form, to philosophy as well as being a study about people's attitudes concerning death and grieving.  It is difficult for me to go much further in describing Looking for Alaska unless I begin to give away the plot (I'm afraid I might have already unwittingly done so).  So instead, let me contrast my memory of adolescence with that of this novel's characters...

One of the first things that protagonist Miles "Pudge" Halter, who tells the story in the first person, experiences as he enters a private Alabama boarding school as a junior in high school is cigarette smoking...and then drinking, thanks to his roommate Chip "The Colonel" Martin and friends Takumi and Alaska.  Throw in lots of talk about sex and some scenes to that effect.  Then add the school's dean, nicknamed "The Eagle", who is continually going around trying to catch his students breaking the rules, and we have a situation where emotionally immature, bratty kids, albeit remarkably intelligent, are totally engrossed in petty dares, feuds, and stupid pranks.  Miles chose to go to boarding school for his own enlightenment...he called it looking for the "Great Perhaps", based on the purported last words of Rabelais (Miles collects famous people's last words).  Chip is fiercely loyal and demands the same from his friends, while...along with Alaska Young, a girl who to me seems to have bipolar personality disorder and with whom Miles becomes infatuated...being incredibly smart.  I could dig the story, and the author spun a good tale, which does provide some life lessons.  But what really bugged me about it was that these kids acted as if they knew more than the grown-ups around them.  When I was that age, the adults around me were very dominant and unyielding: I had none of the kinds of freedom that the young characters in this book enjoyed.  In a way, I'm glad...for example, I never did start smoking, for which I am very grateful.  But my own circumstances were so vastly different from those of Miles and his friends that it interfered with my reading...they somehow just didn't seem to be authentic...

Looking for Alaska is not very long, and it is interesting although pretty disturbing.  Go ahead and read it...you might get something out of it.  I'm not very happy, though, about the way that some high schools are using it as reading assignments.  Author John Green also seems just a little too smug about his success with this work...

Early Voting Begins in Florida Today

Early voting has begun today in my state of Florida, yet another positive sign that this overly drawn out, tedious, and extraordinarily ugly campaign season is finally about to draw to a close.  Yippee!  Still, I personally don't care to vote early...I like the tradition of going down to my assigned precinct on Election Day and savoring the experience on the same day that the results are later revealed.  Besides, the early voting site I'm closest to also happens to be my branch of the Alachua County Library System...and while early voting is going on it's well-nigh impossible to find a parking space, a nuisance I'm willing to endure, however, if it helps others to get out to the polls...

The sample ballot I received recently in the mail has a number of races to be decided, as well as votes on the retention of three State Supreme Court justices, some state constitutional amendments, and a couple of Alachua County questions about special projects and taxes.  But of course, the main item of interest is the presidential election, followed by the Florida U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by Republican Marco Rubio, who is running for reelection against Democrat Patrick Murphy.  My U.S. House race has Republican teabagger incumbent Ted Yoho running against Democrat Ken McGurn in a redrawn district that Yoho is still expected to win.  In my State Senate district (also redrawn), Republican Keith Perry, currently a state representative in an adjacent district, is running against Democrat Rod Smith, a former state attorney and legislator who is trying to make a political comeback with this race.  The television ads between these two have turned horribly negative...the irony is that I could see this two otherwise decent, reasonable public servants working together in Tallahassee were they serving in different districts.  As for my Florida House district my incumbent (Clovis Watson) is running unopposed, so that race won't appear on my ballot.  But just a few blocks over is the 21st District and it features Democrat Merihelen Wheeler going against Republican Chuck Clemons.  Our county sheriff Sadie Darnell is also running again for reelection, favored to win easily.  And a couple of my county commissioners are essentially running unopposed, with only write-in provisions offered as alternatives to them...

Maybe I'll discuss some of these races a little more before election day, as well as those constitutional amendments and county proposals.  I think I'll lay off the presidential election, though: if you haven't yet figured out who the best candidate for that office is by this time, I seriously doubt that reading what I have to say is going to influence you...

Watching Soccer and Doing Jigsaw Puzzles While Resting

Today has been one of those days I experience from time to time when the old body just doesn't feel all that well...happily, I have the day off and am quite content to hang around the house, resting and watching television.  Right now, I'm toggling back and forth on ESPN and ESPN2 with their broadcasts of the final week in Major League Soccer's 2016 regular season: the playoffs are at stake today, at least in the Western Division.  There are four teams there vying for the final three playoffs spots, with the 2015 defending champion Portland Timbers currently the odd team out...and losing its matching so far in the second half, 4-0 to Vancouver.  The other three are Real Salt Lake, Seattle (these two playing each other with Seattle ahead 2-1 at the half), and Sporting Kansas City...ahead in their game at half with San Jose 1-0.  This will most likely all change by the time you read this...I supported Portland last year and am disappointed they probably won't make the playoffs this time around.  In the Eastern Division, my home state's team of Orlando, in their second year in the league, once again missed the playoffs.  The rest of the playoff lineup is pretty much set, with the only other outstanding issues being which two teams in each division will receive first round byes: right now in the East both New York teams are in a good position with Toronto right behind them, while in the West Dallas and Colorado are in front with Los Angeles challenging for that bye: all will be decided by the end of today's matches.  Personally, I prefer the system in England, Spain, and Germany where the team with the top regular season record automatically wins the league championship with no playoffs.  But here in North America, we're playoff-crazy and have to go through this high drama...whatever the sport...wondering which mediocre teams will eventually qualify...

Yesterday Melissa and I attended the opening day of our local Alachua County Friends of the Library book sale, something I've done regularly for this twice-a-year event while she hasn't been there in a few years.  Melissa picked up several books while I bought three 300-piece jigsaw puzzles and a book full of cryptograms.  H-m-m, today would be a fine time to get out one of those puzzles to work on...