This is the final podcast for 2008, mostly because I’ve pretty much run out of 2008 in which to pod. Or cast, for that matter.
You can listen to it here, or if you have iTunes subscribe to it here. The RSS feed is here.
I haven’t finished the song graphics yet — I’ll update the post when they’re completed – but here’s the transcript for this edition. As always, please let me know what you think, and thanks.
And welcome to the yearend edition of the Diecast Dude’s (Mostly) NASCAR Positively Persnickety Podcast. It is Wednesday December the thirtieth-first, 2008, and in this episode I’ll be reviewing what’s transpired during the past twelve months in various areas. First up, let’s take a look back at the year that was in NASCAR.
2008 was a troubled year in stock car land. The new car was for the most part a miserable failure in terms of producing quality racing. The Big Three among drivers, namely Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart had two points race wins between them. About the only truly memorable race moment was Carl Edwards’ kamikaze blast up the track at Kansas in a desperation move to try and snatch a win away from Jimmie Johnson. It didn’t work, which pretty much sums up the entire year.
Certainly Johnson deserves far more acclaim than he has received for winning his third straight championship. However, given that California calm excites very few people his accomplishment has barely raised an eyebrow. Add to this how the present economic crisis has cast a deep shadow over the entire sport, and I’m wondering what is in store for NASCAR next year.
What I’m most hoping for from a personal standpoint is to enjoy the sport more. This year it felt more like a burden than a blessing, trying to follow everything in minutia and either report or comment on same. I’ve already discussed in depth the subject of why I left SportBlogs Network and went back to being independent, so there’s no need to go through it all again outside of offering a thumbnail sketch of how I felt it pressed on my heart that I needed to get back to the mix of ministry, musings and mirth that while usually about NASCAR didn’t always reside there. That said, there was another consideration that went into my decision I haven’t mentioned.
Blogging is an occasionally odd exercise. There’s a camaraderie among those of us who commit thoughts to digital paper, notes penned with magnetic ink to be neatly filed away on an otherwise anonymous server somewhere where they patiently lie in wait for others to ruffle through the pages, seeking whatever it may be they are in pursuit of. Sometimes the camaraderie is flinty at best, competing ideals and competition for the most readers spilling over into enmity. Or ennui. Perhaps both. However, even in such cases far more often than not there is a coming together when someone or something threatens one of us. It’s how we do things in the blogosphere.
How much greater this is when there is genuine affection. You often hear social pseudo-pundits sneer at the concept of what to them are words on the Internet bearing no genuine connection between author and reader somehow conveying any genuine heart and soul. They don’t know what they’re talking about. The medium isn’t always the message. Blogging facilitates communication. It doesn’t strain or strangle that which is authentic.
It can also be a reminder of cold reality. There is no immunity in cyberspace. People change. They move away, not so much physically but emotionally, mentally, spiritually. Relationships go sour. Friendships end.
Sometimes people log off forever.
It took a lot of the wind out of my NASCAR blogging sails when Southern Cindi passed away. It took even more when a friend, also one of my fellow Jeff Gordon fans, took ill earlier this year and then stopped communicating with me. I don’t know if this was due to her being miffed at me for whatever reason or because she’s no longer able to write. In either case, her absence along with Southern Cindi’s have drained a lot of the joy out of NASCAR blogging for me.
I hope I get it back in 2009. Because I’ve come to realize how much I miss being Diecast Dude at least once a day. Hopefully he’s waiting to be re-energized. Hopefully.
Shifting gears — no pun intended — let’s take a look back at the year that was in IRL.
Yes, Danica finally won a race. Granted, it was on a fuel mileage gamble. But she still won, much to Bob Margolis’ displeasure. I hope during the 2009 season she wins at least one race outright if for no other reason than to watch Margolis either completely ignore it or write another sulking, pouting festival of frustration over being shown up for all the times he’s slagged on the driver of the #7 Motorola car.
Meanwhile, Scott Dixon with his combination of driving skill and a personality that makes oatmeal seem dynamic won the championship. Still, it was good to see Indy cars back together with only one league. Hopefully the IRL can build on this and start working on regaining the place of prominence it once knew in the American sports landscape.
And we move on.
I finally finished the writing portion of the new book this year, and am currently in the dreaded proofreading portion of the proceedings. I wouldn’t say it’s editing as much as tidying, but as you can imagine with four hundred plus pages leaning heavily on lengthy quotes, there’s a lot of tidying.
My prayer is the book will help people rediscover their heart for God even as I did through becoming reacquainted with the music I once loved so much. No one’s going to get rich off of this, but if I can help bring people back together with Jesus that will be a payment far bigger than even one of J.K. Rowling’s royalty checks.
Not that I’d mind getting one of those, of course!
Anyway, let’s see. What else happened this year. Oh yeah, there was that election thing.
My fervent, genuine prayer is that I’m completely wrong about Barack Obama. I pray that he’s not an elitist empty suit who thinks he knows what’s best for everyone and everything but in reality offers nothing but the recycled leftist junk that simultaneously offers addle-pated blather about evening things out for the poor which led to the subprime mortgage mess that has brought our economy crashing down while also failing to confront the genuinely evil in this world with the only viable method for doing so, namely destruction, that led to Bin Laden and variations thereof being able to carry out September 11th and other terrorist attacks. I pray he has the capability to genuinely lead. I pray he will do so wisely. Like I said, I pray that I’m wrong about him. Completely wrong. Because if I’m not, we’ve got problems.
I also pray that in some fashion Goldfish And Clowns serves as a conduit of the idea that none of us can afford the luxury of ideological differences being used as an instrument of hatred. During the campaign, whenever I’d make a comment about Obama or Jeremiah Wright or whoever — and I could get quite testy about it, I admit, although hopefully I never made it a personal deal — inevitably I’d get numerous comments about how John McCain and/or Sarah Palin were utterly unqualified for the highest office in the land and Lucifer incarnate to boot. And that was all I was hearing from the other side of the political fence. So I said okay. You’ve all gone to great lengths to tell me why McCain shouldn’t be President and Palin shouldn’t be Vice President. So tell me why, based on experience, policy and demonstrated leadership capability Obama should be President. And you know, I never got a single response laying out a case for Obama. Against McCain and Palin, oh you betcha. But actually for Obama? Actually detailing why he was the one for the job? Nothing. Not a thing. Not once.
It’s easy to tear down, to assault, to insult. It’s not so easy to build a case for something or someone. But it’s something we must do. That, and making sure we do the right thing by reaching out across the aisle regardless of how it’s received.
I hope you’ll indulge me if I quote from one of my recent posts:
The ranting raving outraged histrionics act has long since worn out its welcome. Instead of knee jerk reactions, we should be on our knees praying for wisdom with which to refute arguments against what and why we believe. The calm measured response and the logically laid out proposal go much farther as far as persuading others to at least consider our words than all the vein-popping venom we can spit at the opposition.
It would also help tremendously if we were more open about our faith. As mentioned above, we need to be articulating not only what we believe politically, but why. The whole Gospel – the need for repentance, the availability of salvation, the joy of life in Christ, the call to serve – should be part of our daily vocabulary. We also need to live out that about which we speak out. The posing and preening “look at me – SQUEE!” attitude needs to be permanently dismissed pronto. We must stop turning the blogosphere into an excuse for the latest chapter of the mutual admiration society. What have we done that’s genuinely worth admiring? Self-serving isn’t service. We need to get over ourselves by abandoning class distinction and embracing each other regardless of social or site visit standing.
We need to adopt the four tenets of the blogging evangel:
* The ability to broadcast ones opinion neither elevates nor validates said opinion;
* Blog from and for the heart, not the bank account;
* Answer your e-mail every time all the time;
* Never become what you profess to oppose.
If we do these things, we’re doing the right things for the right reasons.
The world, although it would never admit as much, needs us. Christ needs us to do His work and spread His word. To sum it up, we need to git’r done. So let’s do this thing. Starting now.
Starting right now.
And right now is the conclusion of this podcast. Take care, everyone, and we’ll get together again next time — next year!
