My Mad Life
September 21, 2010
Hello dear readers:
I haven’t abandoned you, I assure you, but things have gotten a little hectic around the house. After a month or so of having no work, I’ve had to scrounge up every opportunity possible to keep the bills paid, especially as my student loans start to come due. Teaching and tutoring so much has been rather rough, but the real drain on my intellectual capabilities has been writing test copy for my parent company. Basically, I’ve been writing passages for mock SAT and ACT exams and I haven’t had time to write a word of anything I’d actually like to have down on paper.
Well, I guess I did sneak a question or two about Christopher Hitchens into my passages, but that’s besides the point.
I still owe you a Japan entry, something that I think about nearly everyday. Sometime soon, I will get those words down on the page and get my butt back in the pews at local churches. As soon as I do, you will hear about it.
One final thing: Christopher Hitchens has written an autobiography, Hitch 22, and I believe everyone should go out and read it. For those of you who say we atheists don’t believe in anything, check the previous sentence. It’s not a tirade against religion, but rather a discussion about the formation of one of the most brilliant minds of our times. My father, a man who regularly disagrees with Hitchens, has come around to see who the man is and where he has come from because of this book, and I believe you might as well. The second half of the book, when Hitchens gets more into our modern condition, is slightly more relevant to this blog than his younger days, but the whole thing is well-written and worth the effort.
I hope to see you all back here soon.
About Chris Hitchens, if you read this book, don’t stop in the first half due to it’s content. To understand this man, you HAVE to read it. I always thought he was a jerk, but after learning of his youth, I now understand where he comes from and why he is who he is. The second half of the book is great, but you really need to know the first first half to get all you can from it. I cam away with a lot of respect for Mr. Hitchens. I still disagree with some things he says, but I now know the roots of his beginnings. And thus I understand his arrival at where he is now. Give it read, I am glad I did.
Thanks for the recommendation! I love biographies, many have challenged and encouraged me in the past. I will look for the book…
We missed your words ’round here CJ, hope to hear more from you soon!
Regards,
Rafa.
Mom, Melissa and I have been attending a Church that one of Melissa’s friends family likes. I will mention no names here. When you enter the Church, located in the Industrial area of Simi Valley Ca., you are greeted by a very nice coffee bar,in several flavors. There are the usual folks standing at the door with the agenda for the service. The seating is Movie Theater style with the seats gradually set higher than the ones in front to allow a good view.
The regular preacher has been in attendance only once in the several times we have been there. He was on a vacation to Hawaii the first two times we attended.
We went to a service in the evening a couple of weeks ago and he actually was there. He sounded more a motivational speaker than a preacher. He is young and handsome. He wears street attire and delivers his words in a more common manner. He uses no big words and wears a perpetual smile.
When you enter you may sit where you want. Then… the music starts! The front man is shoeless fellow with a preachers message. His back up band is a motley crew of musicians. Among them are two lead guitars and sometimes three. There are acoustic and electric. There is a drummer and a keyboardist. The music is so loud that I have resorted to wearing earplugs! I do not think that God meant for you to have your hearing ruined for life.
Back to the band if I might. One of the lead guitar players is tipping his guitar back side up as he plays. One base player looks as though he just stepped in from the halls of a very informal high school. He wears t-shirts with some sort of message on the front every time he plays. Some of others look like the usual battle of the bands type. Funny hats, faded blue jeans and tatoos. A couple have the clean cut look. There is even a screen that shows the lyrics while you sing along. But, the last time I was there, after the lyrics to Amazing Grace had been depleted, they added a made up verse of their own. And that one had no screen assistance. It left thinking “What the?”
As I said before, I had to wear ear plugs. The funny thing is, they were not much good to me as the music was extraordinarily loud. After the music was over, I could hear only my ears ringing. I could not make out half of what the preacher was saying. In short, the word I was supposed to receive was unobtainable to me.
I am told it was a pretty good sermon. I will never know though. I don’t know if I will try it again. Maybe I am getting to old for this? I do wish that they had, had a healing session after, I could have used it.