...and a good time was had by all

Went to my parents on Friday the 23rd and whaddaya know? Santa was there too!

I also went to Midnight Mass. That is some late church!. I don't know what else to say about it right now so I'll just say, "It was nice. "

On other topics...haven't been attending the Church of Gravity very regularly which is unfortunate because I think I will be racing again in a week or so. yikes! I have been running a bit so hopefully I have retained some fitness there but biking...?

Nora starts soccer again next week. This time she will be in a U10 league which is co-ed but there is a girls only team she will be playing on. I hope it's a good experience for her.

countdown begins...

it's 2am and I just finished getting ready for our christmas (as metaphor). Really Santa has a tough job but I guess someone's got to do it.

I actually put up some more decorations tonight. A couple of years I put up some greenery and lights on the sly and developed a reputation for doing that. Well this year I did it again. finally. The last several years I have not done it for some reason or other. Mainly probably because I have had trouble getting excited about the holiday as much as I used to. This year is different. I have been looking forward to Christmas for a while now. I have listened to Xmas music at work enough to drive anyone crazy but all the same it is almost over and I don't feel like I have even begun to feel like it's here.

True, we do have three weeks of celebrating left. Tomorrow with our little family and Dan, this weekend with my parents and brothers and their spouses and child. Then two weeks later we are supposed to go to KC for a third celebration with Bridget's side. That one will be a quick visit unless Nora doesn't for some weird reason have a game on that sunday.

More later, i got to go to bed...Santa has to come yet and I have a feeling that it will be time to undo all the work I just did in a very short amount of time.

Update at 11:30am: It looks as if I was a bit tired when I wrote this morning at 2. ah well.

Bridget and Sam are off to the mall to exchange a pair of shoes which Santa left for him but which are a bit small. Fortunately, Santa left the receipt with the shoes. Nora has been out playing with her new soccer ball from Santa already and is now sitting next to me on the couch checking out her new "origami a day" calendar. After I wrote that bit up top I got a few hours sleep and after asking Sam to get the coffee going for us Bridget and I made it out of bed by 7:00am. I tell you, it's all worthwhile to see the kids eyes light up at the idea of opening presents and stockings. We try not to overdo it presents-wise. But it's easy to get carried away sometimes. Pictures to follow.

modern day puritans

Some key quotes from a story in today's Chicago Tribune (subscription required)

A few Christian churches to this day dismiss Christmas with a polite theological humbug, among them a small number of independent Pentacostal churches.

[A] mother of three, sat quietly in the back pew. She covered her head with a white lace, as she said the Bible required women to do in church.

The 3-year-old is the one who asks more than any other," she said, smiling. "He sings the songs of merry Christmas and that he wants Christmas and he wants a tree. We tell him that Christmas is all the time, we celebrate Jesus every day.

"There is nothing biblical" in the yuletide celebrations, said Pastor Santos Carrasco, 56. "And we only practice what Jesus orders us to practice."

[F]or all the pleas to "keep Christ in Christmas," Christmas has not always been, well, Christian.

The day that Christians today think of Jesus' birthday was marked in pre-Christian days by midwinter agricultural and solar observances.

Oliver Cromwell persuaded the British Parliament to make the holiday illegal, terming it both "papist and pagan."

"Christmas was really a carnival season," Stephen Nissenbaum, a professor of history at the University of Massachusetts and author of "The Battle for Christmas," said. "There's that warm remnant of the Christmas season as a time of drinking and letting go and just misbehaving. That survived but it has survived only on New Year's Eve."

To which I say MERRY CHRISTMAS!

“creationism in a cheap tuxedo.” *

In case you haven't heard, intelligent design as a constitutionally protected and legitimate scientific "theory" went down in flames yesterday morning. (jumping for joy is appropriate at this juncture).

These people were so destroyed! And you wanna know the best part? The judge in the ruling was a 2002 W appointee! hee! hee! Of course, since ID is not really a scientific theory, facts have nothing to do with it and as faith is its only ally this won't be the last we hear of it. Let the fire and brimstone begin!

The ruling from the Dover, Penn. courtroom, "provides an excellent case study of evolution in action; ironically, in this case how the language of creationists has adapted to changing cultural environments. The defense argued that Intelligent Design is an entirely new species unrelated to creation science, and the plaintiffs expertly demonstrated both the clear ancestral relationship between creationism and ID and the selective pressure of higher court decisions that caused the speciation. With that phylogenetic relationship clearly established in the trial, the judge evidently decided that creationism had not mutated enough to survive as the new species of Intelligent Design." -- eskeptic newsletter, Dec. 20, 2005

One of the co-authors' blog has much more good information.

Check out this delicious quote from an unrepentant originators of the trouble, Dover school board member William Buckingham:

"I'm still waiting for a judge or anyone to show me anywhere in the Constitution where there's a separation of church and state," he told The Associated Press. "We didn't lose; we were robbed." -- USAToday, Dec. 20, 2005

File that under "Things you should have learned in school had you been paying attention."

*quote from the article in the eskeptic.

is anyone excited about the holidays?

There is a certain 7 year old girl at my house who is pretty darn excited for Christmas. The stockings are hung with on the piano with care. There are packages under the tree. But you want to know how I can tell she is excited? For the past two evenings she has spent what seems like an hour runnning back and forth between the dining room window and the front door singing christmas songs. over and over and over and over. It's really very sweet. Naturally one is not supposed to run in the house but I haven't the heart nor the wish to make stop. All I can do is ask her to change her song once in a while for variety's sake.

I myself am excited for Solstice (tomorrow!). The days will be getting longer, which means more sunlight for riding. But if I remember right the daylight usually starts extending in the evening first before the morning.

Happy holidays: So what’s wrong with that?

From an editorial in the Columbia Daily Tribune, December 15, 2005.

"After all, that friendly admonition ["Happy Holidays"] can include those who get their jollies this time of year from paying homage to Jesus Christ as well as those who don’t, and there are millions of the latter. [more...]"

and a response:

"I’d like to say I take great offense at your disparaging remark about those of us who are devoted followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. How dare you have the audacity to denigrate those who follow the words and teachings of Jesus? It’s quite one thing being tolerant of all things, but to single out the believers of one particular faith, in this case the Christians, to belittle is inexcusable. In my opinion, you owe all Christians a huge apology."

The caller to "Trib Talk" is probably right but let's look at the response shall we?

How dare you have the audacity Sounds like a not-so-veiled threat to me.

It’s quite one thing being tolerant of all things, but to single out the believers of one particular faith...is inexcusable. The caller is also quite right; it is, "one thing being tolerant of all things," obviously the original writer was not, nor did he claim to be. That is his right just as she has a right to be angry with his opinion.

The caller is giving us another another example of the general fundamentalist paranoia which holds that anyone advocating "tolerance" is against Christianity (or whatever fundamentalist religion is being "belittled"). Sometimes the "tolerant" person is against Christianity but most often s/he is intolerant of the intolerance advocated by such hard-core fundamentalists.

new documentary

Jesus of Nazareth never existed.

low bone density in cyclists

Lately I had read of some studies (another one, and another one) which point to excessive bone density loss in highly trained male cyclists; middle-aged male cyclists with bones more typical of an elderly woman than a fit young(ish) man. So, after talking my doctor into it, I had my bone density tested last week and got the results back the other day.

Not good.

My diagnosis was osteopenia, or The First Step to Osteoporosis. While my doctor still seemed unconcerned, it concerned me! See the chart? I have "T-scores" varying between -1.1 to -2.3 depending on where it was taken. Osteoporosis is defined as a T-score of -2.5 or less. Of course my results stated that my "fracture risk is moderately increased."

All you cyclists, male and female, get your bones tested. Even if you are young. Do it now so you can take steps to assure that you avoid any problems in the future. You will also know how much better or worse your bones are in the future.

The Mayo Clinic has a good summary of the bone density testing procedure and the results.

finished.

That's it I am done. I can't take it anymore. There is just no way to get through to these people. They make me feel like throwing up.

Minority tries to undermine America’s Christian customs "As a member of the so-called "silent majority," I am herewith breaking my silence. The ever-increasing crescendo by the anti-Christian zealots in their constant denouncement of everything that suggests Christianity is enraging and insulting."
Kudos to Boston’s mayor for Christmas Tree stand "Christians have stayed silent too long...If someone is going to be offended by someone praying to God, then they should carry earplugs and use them."
Retailers choose to ignore Christmas’ true importance "What happened to Christmas? I just finished looking through 11 retail ads that arrived with my Dec. 4 Tribune. I did not find the word "Christmas" printed even once in the texts of any of these 11 publications...I have seen the story about the Grinch who stole Christmas, but that’s just a fairy tale."

I am happy to let others try.

Season’s bleatings trivialize Christmas "Some of the earliest Christians were stoned for their beliefs. In some parts of the world today, Christianity is a crime punishable by death. And the AFA is feeling persecuted because a salesclerk says "Happy holidays"? That’s not persecution. It’s a persecution complex."
Those who claim Christmas has been stolen only divide "Christians carry their beliefs in their hearts, and they reflect their faith through their generosity of spirit and by the way they treat others."

In the words of one of those persecuted in the above letters, "I suggest that these people lighten up and enjoy this wonderful time of year along with the rest of us." Minority tries to undermine America’s Christian customs

From now on only happy happy things: bike riding, my kids, bike racing, my family, riding bikes with my family.

the latest happy couple

My sister-in-law, Michel, got married this past weekend to the gent on the left, Doug. I did the ceremony which I believe was the shortest yet. It could not have been longer than 2 minutes. Even then I forgot my lines. Michel had written out everything I was to say but when I got done with the reading, vows and the rings, I wanted to say and she wanted me to say that, "having witnessed your vows along with your family and friends, I am happy to announce that you are now husband and wife." I forgot the family and friends. Seriously I think it has taken longer to read this thing that it did to do the ceremony. Afterward we adjourned for food and drinks. All in the same room in Doug's sister's home. Doug is a great guy, I really like him and I am happy to have him join with me in the family.

lord of the dance

Wow! I am not sure what to make of the show last night. It certainly was a well done production. The dancers were all top notch, the music was pretty good and the set was really cool. This show had it all; music, dance, lots of female skin, torches and of course battles ending in a clear victory for the good guys.

The storyline, if I followed it correctly, has to do with the Lord of the Dance and his battle against an Evil guy challenging him for supremecy as well as his inner moral battle against a raven haired temptress (in a red dress no less) . There is "Music" whose flute is broken by the evil challenger and which is eventually restored by the Lord. After several battles between the armies of the Lord and the Evil one, the Lord is apparently destroyed and all is dark. But wait! He comes back in a cloud of smoke! In the end he finally vanquishes the Evil guy. Then for some reason he is faced having to choose between the blonde in a white dress and the aforementioned temptress who has been cavorting with the Evil guy. It's a tough decision and he flirts with the red dress a bit before casting her aside and settling down with the white dress.

I think the whole show is a sort of, ethnic, "get in touch with your roots" kitsch thing for older people of northern European extraction, which was the overwhelming majority of the audience. For folks who normally wouldn't be found in a drum circle or other rhythmic locations there was an awful lot of drumming going on.

My mother-in-law would say, "why do you have to be such a snot?" but I thought it a bit strange that the temptress did a solo dance which appeared to be a kind of belly dance set to music which sounded like it was influenced more by Arab culture than Irish culture. Was that intentional? Like the bad guys in Lord of the Rings all coming from the South and East? A reference perhaps to the dance by the daughter of Herodias which seals the fate of John the Baptist? And I am not sure how she fit into the story or why she was in the story except that it made for some good dancing (and served as a warning to young men to beware of dark haired women who belly dance).

Of course, the best part for me was seeing how much Nora enjoyed the show. Nora sat on the edge of her seat the whole show itching to dance. She loves dancing and after being forced to sit still for the first half we went out and she danced in a quiet corner during intermission. Of course she could have danced in the aisle but she is getting a bit old and self-conscious to do that anymore. That she really had a good time and enjoyed the whole show made it all worthwhile for me. I wish she would take some more Irish dance lessons.

geezus?

Update 12/13/2005: several people responded to Mr. Mull in a much better fashion than I could ever hope.
See:

Instead of tall tales, writer could spread holiday joy

‘Bah, humbug!’ to those who are upset by diversity
and
Christmas not at risk from religious diversity: 'Happy holidays' greeting simply good manners

I swear I didn't make this up!

OPEN COLUMN

Published Thursday, December 8, 2005 in the Columbia Daily Tribune

Editor, the Tribune: My neighbor and I were discussing the upcoming holiday, and my neighbor gave me some advice. He told me I needed to curb my enthusiasm about Christmas. He noted that last Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I would say "Merry Christmas" to all the folks I met. He felt this could get me in serious legal problems.

His concern was that I might say this to an atheist, Muslim or Jew*. I questioned him as to how this could cause a legal problem. He felt this could cause mental anguish and low self-esteem. He said the government was being sued because the money in their pockets had "In God We Trust" written on it. He said a "Merry Christmas" right to their face is much worse than something you have to look for on your money.

So, I have a question for the Anti-Christian Legal Union, or ACLU. Am I in danger of being sued for saying "Merry Christmas" to a nonbeliever?

Dick Mull
704 New Market Place
[Columbia, Missouri]

*He forgot the Pastafarians!

And, further, it's more likely that you'll get broadsided for not saying "Merry Christmas". If you follow the link note the inflammatory language, "small minority who oppose Christmas."

Oppose? Who the hell opposes Christmas?

In a related story, Jerry Falwell is up to his usual tricks as well.

"Jerry Falwell has put the power of his 24,000-member congregation behind the "Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign," an effort led by the conservative legal organization Liberty Counsel. The group promises to file suit against anyone who spreads what it sees as misinformation about how Christmas can be celebrated in schools and public spaces."

snow days

Because we got about about 1.5 inches of snow the kids are out of school today which means I am not going to work this morning. Bridget is working this morning and I am working this afternoon. Nora is still asleep and doesn't yet realize that she is not going to school. Good for her. Sam is out playing in the snow. Good for him.

Tonight Nora and I are going to see the Lord of the Dance. It should be fun. Check back tomorrow for a review.

<< This is our solstice holiday tree.

tut tut

What's missing from the White House Christmas card? Christmas. And it seems that some fundies have got their panties in a wad over it:

This clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and that they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture," said William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

I know this will get a lot of press but here's the best and most important point in the article:

"I think it's more important to put Christ back into our war planning than into our Christmas cards," said the [National Council of Churches]' general secretary, Rev. Bob Edgar, a former Democratic congressman.

'nuff said.

picture perfect

Went out with the kids and Bridget Monday evening to get our holiday tree. We found one at the Alspaugh tree farm. After walking around in the cold for 1/2 an hour or so we settled on one which was 8 feet tall and not to bushy. A very nice one actually. The kids kept picking out 10 foot trees which would have to lay on their side in our living room. (there's an idea, a tree lying in state) No one wanted a small one except me. Cut it down, took it home, moved out some chairs, set it up and decorated it while sipping hot spiced cider (laced with whiskey for Dad). 'Course there was the small problem that I dallied at the grocery store which set Bridget on edge because her noodles were getting soggy in the soup she had made for dinner. If there is one thing she can't stand that is people to be late for dinner. (ok 2 things: people late for dinner and soggy noodles).

the most wonderful time of the year

Having rejected most of everything that is held to be true by the Christian religion, every year at this time I still find my thoughts turning to religion and, somewhat spookily, Christmas carols. I don't know if it is the holidays which triggers this or that I am not riding as much and so have more time, but every year I start reading more about religion again and wondering about believers and what there is in it for them.

season is over?

I raced Sunday. Missouri State Championships. In Kansas. In the Cold. In the Wind.

I had a good race which means I don't think I could have gone any harder. The start wasn't the best. I am not sure how the call-ups to the line were decided but if I heard right the guys on the line were all from Kansas. The rest of us were left to jostle for position behind the "elite" 8 who had the front. I started at the back of the pack and didn't get the greatest start. I was able work my way around toward the front by the time we left the pavement. The way the leaders were flying, I don't believe that I could have stuck with them anyway but I held my own except when Matt Speer of Ozark Cycling came roaring by (he must have had a really bad start position). At one point there were three of us battling it out for 5th place. Then Matt hammered away from us and it became a battle for 6th between me and Jason Knight (I think) from Lawrence. And it was a tough battle. We swapped places several times before I was finally able to stay away.

Did I mention it was cold? 18F when I got up and I am sure it must have been less than 25 at race time. I opted for gloves rather than my "clumsy" mittens but through the first half of the race I felt as if I was trying to shift with a short stubby stick cuz my fingers were just a bit cold. Strangely, by the time the race ended my fingers were fine, that never happens to me. My feet were frozen but my fingers...fine.

Now...I have to talk my wife into going to KC for the Grote Prijs Shawnee Cyclocross.

weekend forecast

lookin' good (if a bit cold!). Race starts Sunday at 9 am. I want to get there at least 1 hour before. It's gonna be cold! But at least it's looking like it will be dry. And being in Kansas, we might just get some sunshine.