Home of the jester in the court of the ragtag soldiers.
Archive for May, 2006
Update… And Thank You For Being You, You Two
May 28th
Given how I’m posting this after midnight, forgive me if I don’t say much. That noted, I do need to post an book update, plus note something related to the book.
I’ve finished the first draft of Mike Stand’s (Altar Boys) chapter, and have done interviews with Steve Hindalong (The Choir) along with Glenn Holland (4·4·1). So the work progresses. I still have a stack of interviews to do, and several to transcribe, but things are moving along, especially now that I’ve finally gotten through this sinus infection that knocked me for a loop several days in a row. Next time, remind me to not be stubborn and go see the doctor.
What I need to note related to the book is the immeasurably tremendous blessing it has been and continues to be getting to know the people involved, especially Beth and Dawn. My faith is alive and active again because of them and the work they’ve done. What’s more, they’ve become old friends newly made, as the saying goes. I love you two, you wacky kids. I am, though, afraid to see what will happen the more you conspire with my wife!
Worker Ant
May 12th
I finished the first draft of Dawn’s chapter today, and also printed out to proofread the earlier completed chapters for Ojo and the as-yet unnamed artist (I’ll name him once he gives his approval to the chapter). Found a few ‘and just what were you doing when you wrote that because it certainly wasn’t paying attention’ moments of grammar and such I corrected; hopefully there aren’t too many more.
I’ve started transcribing the next interview; artist to be named later. For whatever reason, it’s going faster than had been the case with the other interviews. I’m not altogether certain why, other than a simple case of hunkering down and doing the work. Not that I hadn’t been working before, but rather adopting more of a worker ant mentality where I accept nothing gets done until I do it, so get to it and don’t let up.
I’m also feeling rather empty tonight. Again, I’m not altogether certain why; it’s been hanging over me all day. Maybe I’m tired out from silly ego battles at my day job; maybe it’s the after-effect of this bug I’ve been fighting all week (super sore throat, coughing fits). Maybe I’m simply tired. I’m sure the anniversary of my dad’s passing away being a few days ago is a contributing factor. Six years now, and while usually I deal once in a while something will spark the pain like it was yesterday. Whatever the cause may be, I’m feeling quite morose at the moment. Oh well. I’ll get through; I always do.
Uncool As… Oh, Who Cares
May 7th
I’m sitting here on this Sunday morning, being as uncool as imaginable. So far today I’ve done the dishes, written an entry in my NASCAR blog, responded to an e-mail from a recently made yet already beloved friend talking in an effaceable manner about her work doing the Lord’s work, getting ready to do some more work on the book… and listening to Marillion. If I was more courageous, I would have bought the t-shirt the band had on sale for a while at their online store that read “Marillion: uncool as (blank)” with the latter spelled out. Eh, what can I say? I’m an aging rocker.
I finished the first draft of Ojo’s story yesterday afternoon. Quite the industrial strength workout. Not that he was in any way difficult; quite the opposite — an absolute delight to talk to. The difficulty came in that there was so much high quality material from the interview needing full coverage, plus working the band’s history into the story. I’m not complaining, believe me. As Super Chicken used to say, “You knew the job was dangerous when you took it, Fred.” (Quoting that dates me most severely… sigh.. look, I said I was an aging rocker, all right?!!)
Let me get back to that e-mail I mentioned. In the process of putting the book together, something that’s touched me deeply is how most everyone I’ve spoken to are in some fashion carrying on in ministry regardless of whether or not they still grace the concert stage. Be it active church leadership or simply how they live their lives and treat others, there is genuine carrying out of the commission all believers share. It’s often been said what goes on when the colored lights go off that matters. Well, these people are living proof of that. They are a credit to the Gospel, and I hope this comes through in the book.
Speaking of which, back to it. Oh, and whose story is currently being worked on? Dawn from Crumbächer.
Early One Morning At The Zoo
May 3rd
Cherie yawned as she opened her eyes that morning. Through a sleepy haze she looked out from beneath the row of bushes where she lived, planted along the top of the back of her friend Gord’s home. She briefly glanced at the sky, bright blue mottled with scattered puffs of white clouds. It should be a nice day, she thought.
She walked over to the edge of the short ledge the bushes were just barely hanging over and looked down for her friend. Normally, Gord would already be out of his cave and walking around, perhaps taking a swim in the small pond at the front of his home where he liked to stop and look through its Plexiglas front at the people who’d come by to see who Cherie liked to tease as her silly polar bear. This morning, though, Gord was nowhere to be seen. Odd.
Cherie flew down into Gord’s home and peered inside his small cave. She saw Gord near the back, curled up as though asleep, yet with his eyes open and staring at nothing.
“Gord?” she said quietly. Gord made no reply. Very odd for this most talkative bear.
Cherie took a couple of steps into the cave. “Gord? Are you all right?”
For the longest time Gord remained curled up and silent, still staring at nothing. Finally, he sighed deeply before replying, “Why, hello Cherie. I apologize for my lack of manners this morning in not saying hello sooner.”
“Is something wrong? Are you sick?”
Gord closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again and turned to look at his friend. He tried to smile, but it fooled no one. “Why, no. I feel fine. It’s that… well… why, it seems rather silly, really.”
Cherie walked all the way into the cave until she was directly across from Gord. “Something’s bothering you, Gord. Do you want to tell me about it?”
“Just a bad dream, my friend. Nothing, really.”
“Sometimes bad dreams spill over into when you’re awake.”
“Why, yes. Yes they do.”
“It might help if you talk about it.”
“In a moment. First, I really should get up.” With that Gord stood up, stretched, and walked out of the cave with Cherie walking ahead of him. He slipped into his pond for a moment, then looked over at Cherie and smiled. She knew what this meant, so she took off and flew about for a minute as Gord shook himself, spraying water in all directions. Once he was done shaking, Cherie landed next to the pool’s edge.
“Now, about your dream,” she said.
“Yes, that,” he softly replied. “I dreamt I was back in the forest next to where I used to live. Everything seemed normal and all right, like it used to be. Then… why, it was very strange. Something started hitting me from out the sky.”
“Do you know what it was?”
“No. I thought it might be a bird — I hope you don’t mind — or perhaps two of them, as it seemed like there were two of them. They would hit the back of my head, and every time they did so they’d scream at me.”
Cherie asked, “Was it just a scream?”
“Why, no. It would be a few words. They didn’t make any sense, but after a moment I’d remember them as being part of something different people had said to me at different times. Bad things, calling me names and such.”
“Like the bad people who come here to the zoo?”
“Why, yes. Thankfully, most people who come here aren’t like that.”
“True. Anyway, about your dream…”
“I tried to see what was hitting me, but no matter how I turned and twisted I never saw anything. Then I started running, but whatever they were followed me and kept hitting me. The only change was now each time they screamed, the word ‘remember’ was in what they were saying.”
“What did you do?” Cherie asked.
“Why, I tried something. I stopped running.”
“And did what?”
“I looked up and yelled ‘you’re over!’ And the attacks stopped. Then I woke up.”
Cherie paused for a moment, then said, “So why were you so upset when you woke up?”
Gord thought about it. “I guess remembering the bad things people have said.”
Cherie quietly replied, “Silly polar bear. They’re over, too.”
“Why, yes. Yes, they are.”
