Goin' Out To Cally - Part 2, The Fourth Wheel

The members of the University of Florida theater department often found themselves socializing in a local dive of a bar called the WinnJammer. It was small and smoky, but they allowed all of the actors to put their headshots on the wall. It was interesting to see actors from years past on the wall, seemingly participating in our conversations in the two large booths that were almost continually inhabited by theater department faculty and students.

Pete at the WinnJammer

It was at this bar that I realized the importance of networking in show business. It was my first lesson in the understanding that who you know will get you in the door and talent will allow you to stay there. When I wasn't getting cast in plays, I decided to up my social quotient and became a frequent off-hours resident at the WinnJammer. I was broke, so I could only afford a Pepsi because of the free refills.

And I'll never forget Diane, one of the cooks at the bar. She was a sweet black woman with a gold front tooth who's maternal instincts were honored upon me, because, knowing my financial status, she would frequently sneak out some chicken fingers for me to eat. Without her generosity I truly do not believe I would have had enough nutrition to make it through my last year in college. She was a doll and I will never forget her.

After I became known at the bar and comfortable with fellow students and staff, I used my humor to ingratiate myself to them and they became more comfortable with me. I found my interactions with my teachers more fruitful in class as a result as their criticism and education of my acting talents were more valid and applicable to me... they knew me as a person and knew when I was relying on "me" instead of acting as someone else.

Doc Shelton and I had a love/hate relationship, in the best sense of the word. Shelton pushed me harder than any other teacher I've ever known. His criticism was brutal and honest and accurate and that hurt more than I would have liked... but he challenged me to be better than I could imagine within myself. I don't know how talented I ever got as an actor... how can one effectively measure oneself in that way, but I know that whatever level of talent I had achieved, it would have been substantially less if it had not been for him.

During one of these nights at the WinnJammer, I was sitting across from two of my friends, David and Sunday. They had been dating for a while and I really enjoyed their company. Dave had a wonderful wit and was always found with the front-half of his shirt untucked. Sunday was what I call early Madonna, minus the voice. And I'm speaking of Madonna the singer, not the Mother of Jesus.

Sunday in a print ad
in a local paper

Sunday had a smoldering femme fatal sexuality about her and wore an intricate mess of clothes, yet the look somehow worked with her. I remember asking her "don't you want to look nice?" She replied "I think I do look nice." I realized at that moment that no one dresses up thinking they look bad and that my tastes are just that, mine.

So, that night at the bar the weight of the impending end to the school year was upon us. We mulled our options and Dave asked what I was planning on doing over the Summer. "Well, I'm helping out with the Summer Stock program first and then I'm taking a road trip to California, check out the U.S.C. and U.C.L.A. film departments," I replied.

Dave and Pete at Graduation

Dave had no interest in going, but Sunday was envious. I half-heartedly replied to her "you want to go?" knowing that the answer would certainly be no... after all, their relationship was relatively new and what boyfriend would be okay with sending his sexually comfortable girlfriend on a road trip with another guy where they would spend almost three weeks together, some of which would require being in close quarters such as sleeping in a tent camping?

Surely the answer had to be no.

Yet, to my surprise, Sunday replied "Sure!" And to my greater surprise Dave didn't object. With a slip of the tongue I suddenly found my fourth wheel for the trip. I really should have objected in some way, but, at the time, I was a slave to my fear of confrontation, so I just said "Okay."

Against all logic, the foursome was set.

I really should have objected in some way.

********

Goin' Out To Cally - Part 2, Audio

Goin' Out To Cally - Part 1, The Seed Planted
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 1, Audio

Goin' Out To Cally - Part 1, The Seed Planted

College has numerous rites of passage between childhood and adulthood. Taking "the road trip" is one of those time honored traditions.

As I neared the end of my senior year of college at the University of Florida in 1988, graduating with a degree in Fine Arts, I dreamed of a long term career in Hollywood. One of my teachers, Doc Shelton, mentioned that a school alum was a producer in California and would probably be open to meeting with me. I said, "Why would he do that?" Shelton mentioned "If I called you and asked you to meet with someone, would you?" I said "of course." "So would he," Shelton replied.

And that was how it started. The seed was planted. I could visit someone working in the biz and check out the world renown film schools. I needed to get to California, somehow, someway.

My options were pretty limited. I was essentially broke, didn't have a working car and did I mention I also had no money? After much thought and deliberation, there was only one viable option. I called my best friend, Tim, and had a very quick conversation that went something like this... "Tim, you want to take a road trip to California?" He replied "Sure."

And that was it. The trip was on.

Pete & Tim- 1986

The trip benefited both Tim and me. It gave Tim a chance to visit his brother, Paul and his wife Anne, both of whom lived in Los Angeles and worked for the mouse and it gave me a chance to try to get my foot into show business.

I also felt a certain kinship to my older brothers, Stephen and John. When they were about my age our family moved from Massachusetts to Florida. Instead of traveling with us, John and Steve decided to ride bikes from the North to the South. I'll let them share their own journey, but the stories I listened to in my youth about their trip seemed so funny and adventurous and unique and I had hoped my trip to California would offer similar memorable moments.

Tim was engaged to Beth, so she would join us on the road trip and he suggested I invite someone so I wouldn't feel like a third wheel. I had met Beth a couple of times and she seemed nice enough, so adding her to the journey didn't seem much of a worry. And I wasn't overly concerned about being a third wheel, but I did mull over my options, just in case.

But who would I ask?

********

For my father, who's eyesight has been hindered due to Parkinsons Disease, I have made an audio file for him to listen to the story. So, if you want to hear the story, either click on the LINK and listen from your browser or Right Click the LINK and save to your computer for listening whenever you'd like.

Goin' Out To Cally - Part 1 Audio

Home Opener

Monday evening my son, Gabe, along with my best friend Tim and his brother Kevin, attended the home opener of the Devil Rays against division rivals Baltimore Orioles. Under new ownership and management the franchise is revitalized and we're gladly basking in the honeymoon phase. The talent is still lacking, but the commitment from ownership, for the first time in team history, is solid.

A simple idea of how things are different under this new ownership can be found in the bathrooms. The previous ownership would go out of their way, it seemed, to be anti-customer friendly. The stadium was always dirty and by the end of the games, the bathrooms were awful. Today, there was a janitor continually cleaning the bathrooms throughout the game and, as you left, would go out of his way to say "Have a great time at the game today!" A janitor pushing customer service. Boy, things are different in DRay land.

The new owners also offer free parking, discounted concession stand prices, the repainted the entire stadium, gave away goodies as you entered the stadium, greeted fans, etc. They did everything they could to show that things were different now. And the fact that it was only the fourth sellout in team history supports that assertion. The fans were ready to have some fun.

The team is full of exciting, young players. We have no allusions of competing with the big market teams every year... MLB still hasn't fixed disparate revenue streams for the teams in the league... but the DRay fans think that we have enough talent that a magical run could happen at some time.

We got to the field early. I had owed my son a hot fudge Sunday for hitting a home run Saturday, so we got that first. We then watched the DRays batting practice, during which, Mark Hendrickson, one of the Rays starting pitchers, threw Gabe a MLB ball. As the crowd started to fill out I was most impressed by how many 20-somethings there were in attendance. That is the fan base the new ownership needs to attract and they were there in force.

During the game time caught a spongy ball and a DRay t-shirt thrown into the stands and gave them to Gabe. During the game a dad in front of us bought one too many Carvel Dippin' Dot ice creams and gave the extra one to Gabe. And, though the DRays ended up losing, Gabe was able to watch Toby Hall hit a two run homer. Hall has a special place in Gabe's heart because at the end of last season, we celebrated Gabe's birthday at the field and, due to a variety of circumstances, Gabe got to stand next to Hall on the field during the national anthem.

Overall the evening was a lot of fun. The crowd was excited. My son had a great time and I got to spend a fun night with my best friend of 25 years. It's the simple things that offer the greatest rewards. Sure, it would have been great if the Rays would have won, but the evening was memorable for so many other reasons.

Flightplan (2005)

There is a saying that all of the original stories have been told and that every story we hear now is merely a retelling of one of those original gems.

That is certainly true in Hollywood.

Take Flightplan, starring Jodi Foster. Flightplan is a direct, updated copy of the Hitchcock classic The Lady Vanishes. In Flightplan, Foster plays the distressed airplan designer, Kyle, who wakes up on a long overseas flight to find that her child is missing. In The Lady Vanishes, made in 1938, Margaret Lockwood wakes up on a train to find her recent acquaintence, Miss Froy, suddenly missing.

Both women go through the riggers of trying to convince the other passengers that someone is missing in a place where no one can hide (plane/train). In both cases they are convinced there never was the missing person and in both cases the women, unable to believe the missing person was imaginery, enlists the help of a male to assist them. In both films, a window seat plays a pivotal point in the storyline and in both films the potential plots teeter on the brink of complete unbelievability.

In The Lady Vanishes, Hitchcock's style hides the potential plot missteps. In Flightplan, the pure energy of Foster's performance along with Sean Bean's compassionate portrayal as the pilot and Peter Sarsgaard as Air Marshal Carson keep us distracted from the pitfalls of the flimsy storyline.

In the end, both films are enjoyable and both films are worth watching. If you have enough time in your day, do what my daughter and I did and watch them back to back. Then you'll really see that what was once original, is original no more.

Parental Gloating

It's a parent's duty to gloat. Ask any of them. In that spirit, give me a few moments...

Gabe's had a tough little league season so far. The team of eight and nine year olds had opened with a win, but have lost every game since... some were one-run games, others were not so close. Gabe is one of the better players on a below average team and he's been very frustrated. His competitive nature gets the best of him and losing multiple games is hard on him.

Saturday, he had a very good game and helped the team win their second game. He pitched a shutout inning, stole home and hit a home run.

I decided to bring my video camera to this game and put together a small little highlight reel to brighten his spirits.


Sure, this entire entry is a parent being overly proud of his child, but if I don't do it, who will? :)

You'll need a free Quicktime Player (located here) to view it. Most computers have it, but if you don't, you can download it here.

Here's the highlights:

The clip shows Gabe pitching and making a diving play

Striking out a player

Making another diving play to end the inning.

He then hits his homerun and
beats the throw to the plate.

Click on the link below and view it for yourself. Click here to watch it in your browser. Or you can Right Click on the Link and Save As to save it on your computer: - http://www.localtalentfilms.com/ltp/GabeHighlights040806-6.mov

If you save it onto your computer and the picture is too small on Quicktime, click on Movies, then click on Double Size.

Enjoy. We did.

Corpse Bride (2005)

What happens if you accidentally marry a woman who was killed just before she was to be married? You end up in the wacky and unique world of Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. Bride is another stop animation work from Burton, with his trademark style and dark humor, the story follows the misadventures of Victor Van Dort, voiced by Johnny Depp as he struggles between his empathy and affection for the corpse bride, acted by Helena Bonham Carter, and his true love, Victoria Everglot, who's voice is provided by Emily Watson.

Amidst a cinematic world of computer animated films such as Shrek 1 and 2 and other computer animated characters in King Kong and Jurrasic Park, it's refreshing to see the art form brought by stop animation has not lost it's magic. Despite this, the overall effect of the film is hit and miss. As a love story or as a film with musical numbers, neither the love story or songs are truly memorable. And the surprise twist of the film in the second act was none too subtle either.

If you are a true Burton fan, you will love the dark imagery, the off-kilter humor and occasionally gross moments. If not, I'd suggest watching some of Burton's more touching fare, such as Big Fish or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where his unique take on the world is at its cinematic peak.

Waterborne (2005)

Waterborne, written and directed by Ben Rekhi, is an interesting and disturbing film about the impact to society if our water supply is contaminated. The story unfolds in Los Angeles and the societal impact of such an event is told through three intertwining stories that elaborate on the potential effect such a issue would have on people during a panic situation.

One of the stories involves two twenty-something friends, Zach, played by Christopher Masterson and Bodi, portrayed by Jake Muxworthy, who struggle to get out of Los Angeles. Masterson, best known for his work on Malcolm in the Middle, is excellent as the ever-forgiving friend to Muxworthy, who continues to put them in precarious situations.

Another storyline follows the relationship between Vikram, excellently played by Ajay Naidu, who's a man of Middle Eastern descent who's fallen in love with an American blonde, played by Mageina Tovah. Their relationship is a great example of the subtlety of bigotry as Vikram must deal daily with looking similar to those responsible for 9/11, while his girlfriend must deal with the bigotry from Vikram's own family as she tries to establish a relationship with them. Vikram, who runs a convenience store with his mother, performed by Shabana Azmi, deals with the rising tensions and price gouging as the water supply grows in demand.

The final story involves Ritter and his wife and child. Ritter, who is played by veteran actor Jon Gries, best known for his work as the Uncle in Napolean Dynamite, is wonderful as the worried father pulled into his National Guard duty while his wife, played by Lindsay Price, and daughter struggle with the shortage of water and deterioration of social laws. Ritter is forced to face having to keep fellow American's from potentially contaminated water supplies by any means necessary, up to and including killing them, if necessary.

All of these stories are interesting and well honed, culminating in Vikram's convenience store as the wear and tear of days of no water have taken their toll on everyone involved.

Waterborne is disturbing not only in it's presentation, but in the questions it asks. What would happen if water was suddenly the hottest commodity? How would society react? Would you be prepared? Could your family survive? Could you protect your water and your loved ones from those who would take it by force? It makes you want to buy a little extra bottled water and canned goods every time you go grocery shopping... just in case.

Waterborne is so effective because it does not relay a heavy hand in its storytelling. And kudos for presenting all sides to the terrorist threats without being politically charged on either side. The film presents interesting and unique characters in a way that effectively propels you through their journey... a journey that is exceedingly real in today's international climate. Unless things changed dramatically, the reality is that, this will probably happen in some way in our lifetime…either this or something equally as devastating.

Lastly, the film was made for under $200,000 and shot with digital video equipment. It just goes to show you what can happen when you have talented people involved in any project. The lighting and color is exceptional and the acting is spot on. It gives an indy filmmaker such as myself, hope.

After watching Waterborne, you will not take that next drink of water, or shower, or dip into the pool for granted.

New Orleans

My sister Mary, and her husband, Steve, are in New Orleans with a group of volunteers helping to evaluate homes to see if they are salvagable. If they are, the houses are gutted from roof to floor and rebuilt from the inside out.

According to Steve's daily letters, the stench is still strong and the destruction still massive. It will take years to overcome the damage. Below are some pics from their trip so far.

Mary preparing for the day's work.

Examining a severly damaged house.

Damage is still extensive in the area.

Some of the houses cannot be saved.

Steve in front of one of the
30 or so houses they inspected.

In spite of all, love of God and
country are still strong in New Orleans.

Mary and Steve have always been selfless when it comes to helping others, from taking in foster children, to helping out at their church, to Boy Scouts to volunteering all across the nation... they are very special people.

Three Simple Questions

You know, with the DaVinci Code movie, there is going to be a lot of discussion on Jesus as man instead of Jesus as Christ. This, of course, is heresy and often based on half-facts and unique interpretations of events in order to fit the end goal.

By the way, Dan Brown, author of the DaVinci Code, is being sued for plagiarism by another author of a book called The Jesus Papers, which states Jesus survived the crucifixion and moved to France with Mary Magdalene and his daughter. I will say this about that... if Jesus' offspring are seeded throughout France, then why does everyone hate the French?

All joking aside, just like when the Dead Sea scrolls came out in the 1950s and other Jesus isn't Christ books were written in the 1970s, there will be a lot of discussion and ignorant credence given to alternative theories as to the divinity of Christ.

When discussing these alternative theories on Christ, they often omit some crucial, basic questions in their discussion.

1) What makes the Apostles so unique in following a "dead" leader?

There were many people claiming to be the Messiah around the time of Christ. There were prophets with followers throughout the region (i.e., John the Baptist). There have been a lot of people since who have claimed to be either a Son of God or Jesus Christ himself (Charles Manson, David Koresh). Yet, when those people have lost their power (Manson) or have died (Koresh), what happens to their followers? They disappear. The followers lose their way. If Koresh was really Jesus, why aren't there Koresh Churches sprouting up all over the country? Why aren't their churches of any of the hundreds of other false Messiahs located throughout the world?

The fact that the Koresh Center for How To Be Jesus Studies doesn't exist, or any of the other false Messiah religions, means that the Apostles were truly unique and completely brilliant men. After all, they are the ONLY people in the history of the world to put into place a world religion based on complete fabrications about the divinity of a mere man.

So, the question needs to be asked and answered as to what makes these 12 Apostles so different from every other follower of every other person claiming to be the Messiah in the history of man?

2) What did the Apostles have to gain by making Jesus a Christ, if he was truly just a prophet?

Humans are not that complex. We are usually driven to acquire either love, power or wealth.

In Rome, there were two accepted religions, the Roman pagan religion and the Jewish religion. That was it. The only reason the Romans put up with the Judaism is because it had been around so long. Any religion different, new and not sanctioned was considered a superstition and people were killed for following it (see Nero's persecution of the Christians).

So, under that landscape, why would 12 men, mostly uneducated, hatch a plan that would falsify the divinity of their dead leader, which thereby mandates creating a new religion, the outcome of which means ostracizing them from their current religion and making them an enemy of the state due to creating an illegal superstition?

Is this where the acquistion of love, power or wealth occurs? I think not.

It's important to remember that the Roman Catholic Church was not an institution then. It was nothing. It didn't have wealth and power and influence. It had 12 men with their families cowering in a room, hiding from sight, for fear of their lives. Besides which, there have been studies by mathematicians and statisticians that have done backward calculations on the growth of Christianity and have determined that St. Paul, for example, had followers of maybe 50 people in each city. His letters to the Corinthians was not to a large following, but a couple of families and followers.

Not in the Apostles' lifetimes, or their immediate followers' lifetimes, or their immediate followers' lifetimes would Christianity be accepted. Not until Constantine converted was Christianity an accepted faith.

So, what did the Apostles, fishermen and tax collectors and faithful Jews, have to gain from lying about Jesus?

3) Why are only the portions of the Gospel that could lead one to interpret that Christ was not divine considered valid and all of the portions that clearly state his divinity ignored and/or dismissed?

Finally, perhaps the biggest hypocrisy in most of the writings of authors undermining the divinity of Jesus is that they will often quote selected passages of the Gospels in order to prove their point.

That's like quoting selected lines from the Constitution of the United States to prove the founding fathers intended the country to be a dictatorship!

If you validate any portion of the Gospels, you validate all of the Gospels. Otherwise the argument that one line from Matthew or John is valid, but another is not, becomes ludicrous in its blatant hypocrisy.

I only hope such interviewers of those who claim Jesus was dead or married or a father or not dead, but not risen or whatever they state... I just hope the interviewers ask these three simple, yet important questions.

Because, right now, no one else seems to be.

A Mid, Mid-Life Crisis Observation

My brother Charles and I had an interesting conversation yesterday. Most people start their career lives with the goal of doing something they love. Eventually, most end up doing what they have to do, with the intent of doing what they love to do... eventually. After a certain time, when more people rely on your paycheck (wife, kids, mortgage companies, etc.), the risk of doing something different in your career is far greater and your options become much more limited.

So, to a certain extent, Charles and I are limited to doing something we don't love, spending over 1/3 of our time doing it, and now hope that we get enough hours with the family and when the job is no longer there, that we've saved enough for our retirement to be okay.

On the other side of the coin, we also know that our primary responsibility is to our family, so we don't begrudge that. And we also know that our jobs are gifts from God and we should honor that gift by doing it to the best of our ability, no matter how much passion we inherently have for it. But, on a personal, daily level, it is an odd conundrum.

In the end, it may just be life for everyone and we should just suck it up. But, Charles and I have reached that point in our life where we've slowly stopped looking for what we want to achieve and have turned our daily focus to what we have to achieve.

Gators Are National Champions

My best friend Tim, my son Gabe and I enjoyed watching the Florida Gators win their first NCAA Basketball National Championship over the historic UCLA Bruins, 73-57. I remember going to Gator games in the late 80's when they were just starting to take basketball seriously.

During the game, Tim and I made comedic references to pop culture from years passed. At one point, after a very dated comment, I said "We sound old." His response was "We're just like the Holy Family Folk Group... 20 years later and we haven't gotten any better."

Growing up going to Holy Family church, listening to the "unique" sound of their folk group in the 80's, and having heard them recently, he is exactly correct. You would have figured that after 20 years of rehearsals they would have sounded better. But, like Tim's and my humor, it's the same ol' thing over and over again.

In any event, the basketball game was exciting and fun to watch. Good to see the BBall Gators get their due.

Healing Mass

Friday evening Dea, Gabe and I (DC was at a sleep over) went to a wonderful healing mass and it was a magical experience. The church was packed and the priest, a Father Richard McLean from Ave Maria College in Naples, held the Mass. There were so many people there all with their own varying levels of illness. I felt so undeserving of healing, when I looked at the obvious struggles of the fellow church-goers around me. I was overwhelmed with a sense of humility and gratitude for my family and my faith.

As I prayed during Mass I remembered reading about how some people were healed by asking for the intercession of our late Pope, John Paul II. He had Parkinson's disease and had already reportedly healed others. So, I asked JP2 to intercede on behalf of my father, suffering from Parkinson's, my father-in-law, suffering from diabetes, for my brother, suffering from Crohns, and for myself, also suffering from Crohns. I also prayed for my wife and my friend, Kyme.

After Mass concluded they brought out the Eucharist for Adoration and Father McLean walked it slowly around each section of the church, making the sign of the cross and blessing us all. After the Adoration, each row went up to the front of the church and Father would bless us with oil. Some people were slain in the Spirit, which means they would fall back (caught by volunteers and laid gently on the floor). My son was caught off guard by this sight. He had never seen people "faint" like that in church before. The last time I had seen it in person was when I was just a few years older than my son.

In the 1970's my parents got involved in the charismatic renewal, where people were slain in the Spirit, would fall to the ground or be given the gift of Tongues. It is a shocking sight to see first hand, but memorable. In a funny side story, when I relayed the events of the healing Mass to my mom over the phone and we spoke about those charismatic renewal days... she said she was always reluctant to be slain in the Spirit because she was afraid her false teeth would fall out! I could only imagine God in Heaven saying "Her free will is afraid of what???? I can't give her the gift of the Spirit because she's afraid of her teeth? Are you kidding me????"

As Dea, Gabe and I walked up to the front of the church, Gabe's eyes were fixed on the people laying peacefully on the floor. "Dad, people fainted, Dad!" Gabe said with caution as we neared our place in line. I comforted him as we finally reached the front.

Behind us people were ready to catch us if we fell. Father McLean hugged Gabe and made him feel comfortable, asking him a lot of questions about himself. Then, he approached me. I stood quietly, emotions welling inside me of the fear and pain and emotional distress of carrying this disease... those feelings you push to the back in order to get through the day had suddenly rushed to the forefront. I kept my eyes closed and my head bowed in reverance. Father McLean put his hand under my chin and pulled my head up, directing me to look him in the eyes. His eyes were so full of sincere compassion and love, it was as if you were looking into the eyes of Jesus himself. As he blessed me and placed the oils on my forehead, the emotional dam inside of me finally broke free. I didn't fall back or faint, but I was truly moved and immediatly comforted by one of the many volunteers.

He next moved to Dea and blessed her as well. Her body jolted and tears flowed from her face. She hugged Father tightly and we then made our way back to our pew. We prayed together quietly and humbly, unworthy of any grace of mercy bestowed upon us that day. We are so imperfect, so... human in our frailties. Any gift from a present God was something He could only give to us, not something we had ever earned.

As we left the church, Dea talked about her experience. She told me that, as she approached the front of the church she was certain she wan't going to faint. "I kept saying to myself 'I'm not going to fall down, I'm not going to faint, I'm not... but when he put the oil on my forehead it wasn't as if I was pushed backwards, but as if something was pulled out of me with such a force that I couldn't help but move. And when he hugged me, it was as if I was hugging Jesus himself... the love was so strong.'"

It was a wonderful experience. As I said before, so many others in that room are more worthy of healing than Dea or I. But, the gift of healing is not something we control, only something we can ask for.

Personally, I have complete faith in the Lord's ability to heal me. Afterall, he's God. I asked Him to heal me, but above all else I asked Him that His will be done. Perhaps I'm not supposed to be healed. Or perhaps I am. I don't really know and I don't have any control over it. I just humbly prayed and asked for His decision above all else. He knows, in the grand scheme of my life, if healing me will lead me down a path He wants me to take or not. So, if it happens, it happens and I won't be surprised. If it doesn't happen, it won't and I won't be surprised. I am content with whatever decision He has made for me and my family that day.

So, am I healed? Well, I won't really know for a few months, as it will take that time for my latest infusion of Remicade to wear off. Healing or no, I have a new found peace in my life, in my heart. And that, in and of itself, is a small gift, a small miracle. Would I love to never worry about Crohn's for the rest of my life?

Absolutely.

Will I ever have to worry about Crohns again?

I'll let you know when I know.

Hosting NET Kids

This weeekend we were asked by our church, and we agreed, to host two girls who are part of a Catholic group called NET. They are between 18 - 30 and dedicated their lives for a year to go around the country and offer seminars and retreats for Middle School and High School kids. They never know where they are going to stay... like the founding Apostles of our Church, they rely on the generosity of fellow Christians to house them.

They were in town for our Confirmation class and did a wonderful job. We met Maria and Jo (short for JoAnn) after LifeTeen Mass last night and took them out to dinner. We had a great time talking to them, about their journies and about their faith. They are both wonderful kids. They will stay tonight, then hold another retreat day, then stay over again Monday night, then head off to Fort Worth, Texas.

DC and Gabe gave up their rooms and stayed on the floor in our room. We all struggled getting a good night's sleep, but it's a small sacrifice to help support two wonderful kids living their faith.

Gators Heading To The Finals

My best friend Tim and I watched the Florida Gators defeat the media-darling George Mason Patriots to continue on to the Finals of the NCAA Tournament. It was a great game to watch and Tim, along with his family, watched it with excitement with us on the big screen.

Now he'll be back Monday night for the final against UCLA. We can't wait.

Leno Humor

Some funny jokes from Jay Leno:

- According to the latest statistics there are now eleven million illegal immigrants in the United States. Here's the part that surprised me, over half of them are on the Yankee pitching staff.

- President Bush is down in Mexico right now. I just don't think President Bush "gets it". He stepped off Air Force One, he looked around and said, "Wow, you've got a big problem with Mexican immigrants down here too!"

- In France, rioters looted stores. Actually to be politically correct you cannot call them looters anymore. You know have to call them undocumented shoppers.

- Yesterday disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff sentenced to nearing six years in prison. See that shows you the unpredictable life of a Washington lobbyist. One day you are getting a million bucks from the tobacco lobby and the next day you are being traded for a couple of cigarettes.

- Some sad news, after a three year run, hooters airlines has announced it is calling it quits and closing it's doors. Today President Clinton said, "This means the terrorist have won."

Beaten To The Punch

For years I've been saying that the greatest void in entertainment is quality youth Christian entertainment. I was hoping to start Sonlight TV to fill that void, but it appears that I've been beaten to the punch.

There is new channel called JCTV which is geared toward the youthful Christian market. Good for them. I hope they kick spiritual butt, because our youth need it. You can read more at their website located HERE.

Moral Crossroads

Tom DeLay spoke at a conference of Christian pastors called Vision America who's mission, according to the Houston Chronicle, is to "mobilize 'patriot pastors' of all denominations to promote Christian involvement in government."

DeLay, the one-time majority house leader and a speaker at the conference, said, "we have been chosen to live as Christians at a time when our culture is being poisoned. ... God made us specifically for it. ... Jesus Christ himself made us just so that we could live in this nation at this time."

Interesting words. Encouraging. If Christians are offended by the changes occurring in our society, they can chose to feel victimized or empowered to do something about it. DeLay is encouraging all Christians to believe that part of their purpose may be to fight this moral fight.

Never quite thought of it that way. Granted, I sure do a lot of complaining about things on this blog, but the idea of being here "at this time" to deal with these moral challenges... well, it puts a little more meat behind the feeling that we should stand up for what we believe in.

I remember my Dad and I having a discussion about morals and government when I was a teenager. He said something to the effect that this country is going to reflect someone's moral beliefs. If you care enough, you should make sure it reflects your's.

So, like in the 60's, our country is facing a moral crossroads and we're, collectively, going to have to decide which path we're going to take and live with the consequences of that choice for generations to come.

Snub Scrubs

I have one standard rule for which their is no deviating... if a show promotes abortion, I will never watch it again. This has happened before on shows that I've enjoyed and it happened again last night.

The odd and very funny sitcom Scrubs had a show about an announcement of a pregnancy. In their usual irreverant and humorous way, they used a play on words to abort the annoucement of the baby. At the end of the mayhem, the main character J.D. standing next to a priest. J.D. says "sorry about the abortion comment." The priest responds "that's okay, I'm actually pro-choice."

My wife let out a frustrated scream. And that will be the last time we watch Scrubs. Too bad, I love the show. But, the producers couldn't help but throw another undermining jab at the Catholic Church and its stance on abortion.

Some people may find my reaction to "just a joke" excessive, but for those of us that are pro-life, chopping up your baby in the womb and throwing it in the garbage is no less offensive than chopping up a one-year old baby and throwing it in the garbage. Its a subject not to be taken lightly.

So, another one bites the dust. Pretty soon there won't be any shows I'll be able to watch on TV... and maybe that's not a bad thing.

Sonlight Pictures Store

As you all know, I've been working to create quality Catholic Christian entertainment. I've opened up an on-line store at Cafe Shops for our little film group we call Sonlight Pictures. I've only marked up the merchandise $1, in order to keep the products as inexpensive as possible. Some of the self-designed t-shirts, hats, mugs, etc., have the images below:
So, stop by the Sonlight Pictures store at www.cafeshops.com/sonlightpics and do some virtual window shopping.

Apologies To My Godchildren

I started a tradition a few years ago to use the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19th) as a "birthday" of sorts for my Godchildren. I would send each of them a religious gift (rosary, medal) and then say a novena for them.

This year, because of the serious flu that was ravaging me at the time, Godchild Day passed without a notice.

I apologize to my Godchildren, Matthew, Jonathan, Aislinn, Laura, Sarah and Chaz, for not sending you something this year. I will, however, complete a novena for you by the end of Lent and continue Godchild Day next year.

May all you do praise His name.

Miracle Noah

Well, as most of you know, Noah went into have surgery last week and was expected to be in recovery for a week. However, as the impossible continues to become possible with Noah, he was doing so well he was sent home two days after surgery.

We stopped by the house to visit him. He was doing very well, but in pain from time to time from the surgery. However, he's apparently gotten used to getting his picture taken because he smiles every time someone says "cheese!"

Here is a picture below:



Please continue your prayers for him and his continued recovery.

Tarpon Springs

We've lived in Florida almost our entire lives and never made it up the road to the historic Tarpon Springs. We had a wonderful time just spending the day together as a family. We went to the Sponge Factory and watched a film about how they gather and make sponges. We later walked the old streets, now fashionably touristy in nature, and soaked in the Greek culture.

It was also great how their faith is engrained into their daily lives, with pictures of Jesus, Mary and the saints all over the place.

Below are some pics from the day.

Dea and I in Tarpon Springs

DC and Gabe in front of one of the murals.

There was one store in downtown Tarpon Springs
called DC's Downtown. We had to take a picture of it.

Run For The Hills! It's Global Cooling

I was listening to the Glen Beck radio show on my way to lunch and he read a long article from Newsweek in 1973... about the impending doom of... Global Cooling.

That's right.

See, it appears that there was almost a one degree Celsius increase from the 1800s to 1940. Then, something very ominous happened... there was almost a one degree Celsius decrease from 1940s to 1970s. Shoot up the flares! Sound the alarms! All of the scientists of the time warned of the crop damage and mass starvation that was to occur in the next 30 years due to this cooling trend.

So, if we were to believe the scientists then, we'd all be dead by now.

If we are to believe the scientists now... we'll all be dead soon.

Back then, the solution to this alarming decrease in temperature could be solved by, get this... melting the ice caps! That's what the top minds in the world came up with at the time. Cover the ice caps in black soot and let the heat from the sun melt them.

Melting ice caps saves the world!

Now, melting ice caps destroys the world!

Intelligencia, make up your mind! We simpletons are easily confused. To quote Mr. Beck, "this is why people think scientists are all quacks... it's the "eat butter is good for you, eat butter is bad for you" mentality."

We live in a dynamic world that changes every minute of every day. To expect the temperature to remain constant is ludicrous. Maybe the 1970s scientists should have a sit down with the 2000s scientists to see just which dooms day scenario is the one we should be avoiding.

All of us ignorant masses are anxiously awaiting your expert advice. We'll never survive without it.

I'm An Old Fart

It's official, I'm an old fart. My wife and I popped in the DVD from Netflix for The 40 Year Old Virgin the other night and after about ten minutes, we turned it off. The bathroom humor laced with F-words and descriptive sex acts just wasn't funny for us anymore.

There was a time where movies like Porkys and American Pie were funny. Now, I don't know... something clicked and it ends up being more offensive than funny.

And that makes me an old fart. Officially. And I'm okay with that.

Academy Opening

I didn't watch the Academy Awards this year, but I did stumble across the video of the opening. The Oscars was hosted this year by Jon Stewart of The Daily Show fame. He's a very funny man who is critical of both sides of the political aisle.

The opening was very funny this year, playing up the Brokeback Mountain punchlines and the political nature of the nominated films. And Stewart's rant on Hollywood, calling it, among other things, an "atheistic pleasuredome" is hilarious. The opening is PG, but worth a look if you dare.

Click on the arrow below to watch it.

Prayers For Noah

For those who remember Noah, my nephew who was born with some kidney problems and was not expected to survive... well, its almost been a year and he's due for surgery to resolve some of this kidney issues.

Today, around noon, please pray for Noah as he endures a five hour operation to have his bladder put back into his body (it was a stoma on the outside since birth), his urethra unblocked and his left kidney removed. He'll be in the hospital a week and may end up spending his first birthday there, poor kid.

So, continue your prayers for this brave young man and for the family as well.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

I Can't Explain It

I'm not a UFO nut or anything... I think the odds of an alien race stumbing across our little planet is pretty slim. However, I do remember seeing this video below. When I lived in Orlando we used to watch the Shuttle launches from the second story balcony at Nickelodeon Studios. In the evening, local cable would broadcast live camera feeds from the Shuttle on the NASA channel. It was very cool and oddly relaxing because you could see the Earth below and the sun rising and setting every 90 minutes or something like that.

One night, during one of the Shuttle missions, the NASA channel showed the following live footage. I don't know if it is aliens or not, but it is certainly not identified. After this was broadcast, NASA stopped showing live feeds from the Shuttle. Maybe they were tired of having to cover for covert military operations or explaining how space dust can be construed as space ships, but the footage below is pretty amazing. You can see a circular vessel approach from the bottom right, approaching a smaller object coming from the upper left. You can also see flashes of lightning from a thunderstorm below. As the vessels near each other, the circular vessel begins to glow and slows to a stop as it meets the other, smaller vessel. What you don't see on this video is, after this clip ends, the circular vessel continued flying around the sky for a while, then disappeared.

I remember watching this and thinking "did I just see that???"

Click on the link below and judge for yourself.

Habitshack

Did you know that Bill Murray's sister is a sister, as in a Domenican nun?

Me neither.

Did you know that Murray, fondly remembered for his work in the film Caddyshack, has shared peformance genes with his sister, because she's performing a one-nun show as St. Catherine of Siena?

Me neither.

Read more about it at the Catholic Online website.

Scottish Catholic Schools to Require Teachers be Practicing Catholics

From LifesiteNews.net the Scottish Catholic Education Service lost a court battle for not promoting a teacher that was an athiest. Instead of cowering to future threats of litigation, the SCES decided to go the other direction... now, all teachers must not only call themselves Catholics, but actually be practicing Catholics.

"You can't teach religious education in a Catholic school without being of the Catholic faith and having a complete knowledge and commitment to that practice" said SCES director Michael McGrath.

It's about time a Catholic organization has stood up for its faith.

Read the entire article HERE.

Liberal Spin - Abortion and Ave Maria

The following was made known to me by a friend...

In a story in the St. Pete Times about the two recent deaths by women taking the abortion RU-486 pill, it was determined that Planned Parenthood had told these two women to take the pill in a way that was in conflict with the FDA approved instructions and therefore caused their deaths.

What is so interesting and biased in this reporting is that Planned Parenthood is mentioned only as "the organization" in the beginning of the story and only identified by name later. Why? Because this was a front page story and the editors obviously didn't want Planned Parenthood to get a bad name to the casual reader, so they called PP "the organization" on the front page and didn't mention it by name until the story continued on deep into the section of the newspaper.

You can read the entire article online HERE, but you won't get the full effect unless you're holding a newspaper in your hand.

Secondly, where's the public outrage against Planned Parenthood? They are responsible not only for the deaths of the innocent babies that were aborted, but of those two mis-guided mothers as well. Where's the call to justice now?

In another subtle liberal spin, I recently read an article about the creation of the Ave Maria city and campus down near Naples, Florida. I don't have an online link handy, but in it the author of the article tells about the upcoming battle over the ACLU against the plans for this Catholic city (no birth control, no abortions available in city limits, etc.). In this article, the writer mentions that the city is being built near Naples in a location where migrant farm workers used to work. Why is that sentence in there? Does it have anything to do with the subject of the article? No. It's there to make it seem like this city creation was at the expense of the poor migrant farm workers.

I have two reactions to this. First, the migrant farm workers are probably not U.S. citizens, so I don't care. Second, I'd bet those migrant workers, and more, are currently being hired by the construction companies building the city itself.

So, when you read the paper, look for these subtle ways the liberal media spins the story toward their social or political opinion. They're tricky, but we're smarter.

Sunday's Sundae

When I was growing up playing little league, one of the standing rewards in our family was a hot fudge sundae if you hit a home run.

This was a very big deal.

Our family never ate out to eat. Whenever we'd pass by McDonalds we'd plead to our father to let us get a meal there, but he'd respond "wave to it as we go by." We rarely went out for ice cream and we hardly ever had dessert at dinner. As a matter of fact, the sure fire way to know whether we were going to have dessert at dinner was whether or not my mother had put down a spoon with our silverware. If we had a spoon, we had dessert. No spoon, no dessert.

So getting a hot fudge sundae for hitting a home run was a really big reward. In a family of eight kids, getting one on one time with my Dad was tough, but if you earned a sundae, it was a special moment that we shared with each other, just the two of us.

I was lucky to have earned one, solitary single sundae in my little league career. I was not a very talented hitter, but I was a very good pitcher. One game when I wasn't pitching, one of the only games my parents were unable to attend, I hit a high 3-1 fastball over the Corkers sign in left center (Corkers was the name of our team)... a solo home run. Later on I knocked in the only other run we got that game. We lost 14-2 that game, but it was a personal memorable game for me on the offensive side of the ball.

I have passed on the sundae for a home run tradition with my son. He earned one last year in fall ball and earned another one today. He hit a line drive high over the left fielder's head, earned a triple standing, but a bad throw allowed him to run home. He immediately ran over and jumped into my arms. He was so excited.

After the game we headed over to the Whistle Stop, a local family run ice cream shop by the train tracks in downtown Safety Harbor and enjoyed some father/son time while he savored every moment of his hot fudge sundae.

Its a great tradition started by my father and I love passing it on to my children.

Death and Taxes, Minus Death

I heard a stastic today I found very interesting.

The IRS is showing that 20% of the American population is paying 80% of all taxes.

Think about that:

• The top 1% income brackets are paying almost 50% of all taxes.
• The top 10% are paying almost 65% of all taxes.
• The top 20% are paying almost 80% of all taxes.

Remember that the next time you hear about how tax cuts are going to the rich. Almost all tax cuts HAVE to go to the rich... they're the only ones paying for almost ALL of the taxes.

Does One Raised Voice Silence Another?

You know, I keep reading about how people feel the Bush administration does not put up with opposing views. Movies like V for Vendetta and A Scanner Darkly are coming out that show an overbearing fascist government where those voicing dissenting opinion disappear.

So, what Hollywood is saying is that under Bush's conservative reign, those people who oppose his view of the world feel under attack.

Where does this persecution complex come from? My guess is high standards. Under Bush, the FCC is holding communication companies to higher moral standards of decency, fining companies such as CBS, etc. Such fines have caused Howard Stern to move to the unregulated Sirius satellite service. Also, Bush's White House has certainly been more closed off to the media than previous administrations, but with the bashing they get, can you blame them?

In the end, are dissenters really being suppressed or are they ticked off that conservative Americans are finally pulling their weight and voicing their opinion? For a long time, conservative Americans played the fat, dumb and happy role to a T. They sat quietly by and tried to be open to political correctness and social upheaval, but now they are concerned that some proposed changes are starting to erode away at their core beliefs in our society. Some changes were necessary and positive... the Civil Rights movement for example. However, it is difficult for me to find a social positive to the sexual revolution... divorce is up, sexual transmitted diseases are up, abortions are up, children born out of wedlock are up, single parenthood is up... none of those strengthen our society.

Now, finally, conservative Americans are voicing their opinion, standing up for what they believe, and it appears to me that the liberals are having a hard time dealing with it. They have stirred the sleeping giant of majority moral opinion from their four decade slumber and are now whining because conservatives are following the liberals lead... demanding that society reflect their morals.

I've always found it interesting that liberal opinions are considered open and conservative opinions are considered closed? Have you noticed that?

• If I support gay marriage, I'm open minded.
• If I support traditional marriage, I'm closed minded.
• If I support pre-marital sex, I'm open minded.
• If I support abstinence until marriage, I'm close minded.
• If I support abortion, I'm open minded.
• If I support that life begins at conception, I'm close minded.

The prevailing attitude is that liberals are progressive, conservatives are restrictive. Who the hell made up those frickin' rules?

• Liberals want the government to stay out of their personal lives, conservatives want the government to stay out of their wallets.
• Liberals think the rich should support the poor, conservatives think individuals should support themselves.
• Liberals think personal actions are none of the governments business and anything goes, unless, of course, those personal actions end up making you a lot of money, then the government needs half of it so they can give your money to those who's personal actions have led them to have less than you.
• Liberals want individual standards of behavior. Conservatives want societal standards of behavior.

Conservatives have lived in a progressively liberal world and they've just grown plain sick and tired of it. They're forging policy buy using their votes, their voices and their buying power, just the way liberals have done for years. So, if liberals feel they're being attacked, welcome to the club. Conservatives feel like they've been under attack since the 1960s. Get in line and stop your whining.

In reality, there is enough room in our society for opinions from both sides of the aisle. One raised voice does not silence another. To the contrary, it usually starts a discussion... or an argument.

Either way, embracing the discussion makes us stronger. Silencing either opinion, liberal or conservative, makes us weaker. As the first Republican once said... "a house divided against itself cannot stand."

We should remember that.

A Super Model Virgin

In what must be considered a rarity of rarities, it appears that Victoria Secret Supermodel Adriana Lima is proud of her virginity. She states:

"Sex is for after marriage. [Men] have to respect that this is my choice. If there's no respect, that means they don't want me."

There was a time, long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away, when such a notion was the standard. I'm extremely proud of Lima for so publically standing her moral ground on such an issue. Often, models are shown as something most girls cannot live up to, ultra thin, airbrushed, etc.... unfortunately in today's society, adding virginity until marriage to the model equation probably doesn't make them any more attainable.

Lima should be lauded for living her faith. It'll be interesting to see how the media reports on this... that is, if the even invest the time.

On The Mend

I think I've finally turned the corner on this terrible flu. My wife, however, seems to be feeling the brunt of it now.

I can't wait to get back into life again. I've missed church last week, I've missed two classes on Catholicism, I've had three Netflix flix waiting to be watched... it has sucked.

Titanic (1997)

As much as I’d like to say that Titanic is sappy and overly romantic and a chick-flick, the reality is that it is a truly wonderful film. The film features Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater, the rich, restless woman engaged to the snobbish Caledon 'Cal' Hockley, played by Billy Zane, but instead falls for the penniless artist hunk Jack Dawson, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio. This was DiCarprio’s breakout performance and made him a heartthrob and an A-List actor.

The classic love triangle pulls in the female viewers and the action of the impending fate of Titanic and its passengers keeps the men enthralled. Director James Cameron does a great job of interweaving the various plot elements and minor characters to provide a colorful tapestry of the people on the ship and the struggles that await them.

When approaching the way to relay an epic “catastrophe” story, you can usually take one of two paths, both of which try to connect the audience emotionally to the major events that are about to unfold. The first path is to keep the characters in the film small, as Steven Spielberg chose to do in his take of War of the Worlds. In Worlds, the main character, and virtually the only character by which the audience can attempt to identify with emotionally, is Ray Ferrier, played by Tom Cruise. All of the other people impacted by the events of the alien invasion are primarily periphery characters that Cruise happens to interact with during his journey. This path can be very effective, but relies solely on the audience becoming emotionally connected to that main character. If the audience does not make that connection, they become passive observers and not active participants in the journey of the film.

The second path, and usually more successful, is to take an epic event and pepper in multiple characters that offer the audience many ways to emotionally connect. The risk here is that the secondary characters will not be fleshed out sufficiently and can become cardboard caricatures, which undermines the overall effectiveness of the film. However, if you have enough primary and secondary characters that are well written and well acted, then the emotional impact of the catastrophe is greatly enhanced, as the audience will be emotionally invested in these characters. This has worked on films such as Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, Airport and Titanic.

The soundtrack for Titanic, by my personal favorite composer James Horner, is wonderful. Simply listening to the soundtrack without the film in front of you generates an emotional response. Adding that soundtrack to augment the action on the screen ramps up the impact even more.

A special nod goes to Winslet, who is one of the most fearless and talented actresses I’ve seen. Her career is full of such a diverse number of characters and her complete self confidence in her own body and its imperfections is so rare in Hollywood today. God gave her curves and she’s absolutely okay with that. She doesn’t try to look like everyone else, she simply takes what God has given her and uses it to the best of her ability, which makes her and her look unique. Layer on that confidence with boatloads of acting talent and you find one of the great actresses working today in such films as Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, Finding Neverland and Sense and Sensibility.

Despite the impact on my inherent manliness, I must confess that I love the film Titanic. It achieves the impossible… taking an historic event in which the entire audience knows how it ends, and makes it somehow new and enjoyable and emotionally worthwhile. Its one of those films where all of the creative stars aligned and made something special.

A Little Better

I'm getting better, slowly but surely. I actually slept a few hours for the first time in a week. This flu is going around the office, so I am not the only person dealing with its wrath.

I haven't done much of anything for the last week but lay around the house and cough. Missed some work days, missed church, missed just about everything.

I did find out that one of the resources I was going to use on the pro-life commercial has hung up his videographical boots, so to speak, so I'm going to have to look elsewhere. The Lord will provide, I'm sure.

Can't wait to feel better. Have too much to do.

And for those of you who prayed for a friend of the families, the prayers were answered and everything worked out okay, thank God.

I Long For A Good Night's Sleep

This flu has been kicking my buttocks. I haven't slept more than a few hours since Thursday. Ugh.

Still Under The Weather

Woke up this morning feeling worse than the day before. Went to a walk-in clinic and they didn't think it was bacterial, probably a virus since I have not had intense fever, but prescribed a ZPack of antibiotics just in case.

Sick As A Dog

Today I did nothing but try and get over this nasty flu. Coughing non-stop, up all night, popping cough drops like candy, burning my mouth with gallons of hot tea... fun.

The only good thing was struggling through my son's little league game to see him pull a line drive over the left fielder's head.

Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)

Sorry, Wrong Number stars Barbara Stanwyck, in an Oscar nominated performance, as Leona Stevenson, a rich, invalid woman who accidentally overhears a phone call about a murder of a woman later in the evening. As the story unfolds, Stanwyck begins to believe that she is the target of the murder and is unable to escape the house.

The film is based on a very popular radio program of the same name that was originally performed by Agnes Moorehead, who is better known to my generation as Tabitha's witch mother of Bewitched fame.

As Stanwyck desperately tries, at first, to report the potential crime and then unravel the true mystery behind it, begins to suspect her husband, played by the handsome and young Burt Lancaster, may be behind her future death. Stanwyck does an admirable job playing Stevenson, who is actually a bratty rich girl who manipulates and demands her way through life. But, at the heart of her agressive behavior are deep-seeded fears of loneliness. And here she is, alone in the house, unable to leave her bed, the potential target of a killer. Her Oscar nomination is worthy of her performance as she carries the film.

The end is extremely suspenseful and satisfying as you find yourself peering into the large, empty house, looking at shadows for movement of a killer who may or may not be out there. Stanwyck lost the Oscar to her friend, Jane Wyman. Every time she visited Wyman's house and spotted the Oscar statue, she would jokingly state "that is really mine, you know."

A good flick with excellent writing and nice acting. Sorry, Wrong Number is worth a peek.

Sick and Prayers

Feeling a bit under the weather today. Been fighting a sore throat and a cough.

Also, special prayers for friends of the family who are dealing with a family crisis.

Wish I could write more...

The Anti-Christ

The fundamental view of Revelations is that the Anti-Christ has yet to appear on this planet. This presumption sure has made for a lot of great books and movies. However, many scholars believe the Anti-Christ has already come and gone… it being Nero. I watched a wonderful show about the Bible the other night and it spoke about the belief that Nero was the Anti-Christ.

First, who was Nero? He was the step-son of the Emperor. His mother convinced the Emperor to name Nero successor instead of the Emperor’s own biological son. When this was done, they killed the Emperor, leaving Nero in power. Nero’s mother believed that his new power was equally her’s. He disagreed and had her killed.

Later, Nero wanted to build a grand, massive palace in downtown Rome. The problem? A lot of rich Romans had homes there. The answer? Start a fire and blame the Christians. So, a fire broke out in the middle of Rome and Nero blamed the young Christian movement. This act began an era of Christian persecution rarely matched in history.

Nero then built a massive, indulgent palace with gold encrusted into the stone, and precious stones used throughout the architecture. He built a man-made lake that was gigantic and his self indulgence was so massive that everyone in Rome hated him. Eventually, Nero took his own life and the Romans immediately tore down his palace. They drained the lake and built the Coliseum on it’s location, using the aqua ducts that once fed the man-made lake to feed the Coliseum so that mock naval battles could be displayed.

As mentioned everyone hated and feared Nero. In order to speak cryptically, there was a process, the name of which escapes me, where you would take the original Greek, convert it to Hebrew and convert that to numbers. Using this process Nero converts to 666. The defining moment for scholars in Nero’s assignment as the Anti-Christ is that in an ancient parchment of Revelations, they found the number of the Anti-Christ to be 616, not 666. Why does this solidify Nero as the Anti-Christ? Because one of the ways to spell Nero’s name was Neron (like Pete and Peter), and if you take Neron, convert the Greek to Hebrew and convert the Hebrew to numbers, you get 616.

That’s a pretty compelling argument. So, if Nero is the Anti-Christ then what about the second coming of Jesus? Well, as far as I can tell, scholars haven't found any evidence of that :)

St. Perpetua, Martyr

On the Catholic News Agency website, today they showcase the Saints St. Perpetua and St. Felicity. They were martyred around 202 for being Christians. Perpetua was from a Roman family, who's father was a pagan and who's mother was a Christian. Perpetua was thrown into prison and, despite her father's best efforts, would not give up her faith. She kept a journal of her ordeal.

In this journal, she documents her father's pleas for her to deny her Christianity. I found her statements interesting, in that, I remember my wife telling me "Catholicism isn't my denomination, it is who I am." Perpetua's conversation with her father shows a similar understanding:

"While we were still under arrest my father out of love for me was trying to persuade me and shake my resolution. 'Father,' said I, 'do you see this vase here, for example, or waterpot or whatever?'

'Yes, I do', said he.

And I told him: 'Could it be called by any other name than what it is?'

And he said: 'No.'

'Well, so too I cannot be called anything other than what I am, a Christian.'"

And later, in her diary, she has a vision of her eventual journey to Heaven. At the urging of her brother, she prays for a vision of whether she will be freed or condemned for her faith. She gets her wish and speaks of a path to heaven not unlike Jesus description... Jesus spoke of a path narrow to salvation and Perpetua's vision is similar:

"I saw a ladder of tremendous height made of bronze, reaching all the way to the heavens, but it was so narrow that only one person could climb up at a time. To the sides of the ladder were attached all sorts of metal weapons: there were swords, spears, hooks, daggers, and spikes; so that if anyone tried to climb up carelessly or without paying attention, he would be mangled and his flesh would adhere to the weapons."

At the foot of this ladder is a dragon, Satan, that would try to stop anyone before they were able to climb onto the ladder leading to salvation...

At the foot of the ladder lay a dragon of enormous size, and it would attack those who tried to climb up and try to terrify them from doing so. And Saturus (another martyr) was the first to go up, he who was later to give himself up of his own accord. He had been the builder of our strength, although he was not present when we were arrested. And he arrived at the top of the staircase and he looked back and said to me: 'Perpetua, I am waiting for you. But take care; do not let the dragon bite you.'

'He will not harm me,' I said, 'in the name of Christ Jesus.'

Slowly, as though he were afraid of me, the dragon stuck his head out from underneath the ladder. Then, using it as my first step, I trod on his head and went up."

Satan cowered at the power of Jesus and she used his head to step onto the ladder. What a perfect vision of subservience. When she reached to top of the ladder, she saw a vision of Heaven.

"Then I saw an immense garden, and in it a gray-haired man sat in shepherd's garb; tall he was, and milking sheep. And standing around him were many thousands of people clad in white garments. He raised his head, looked at me, and said: 'I am glad you have come, my child.'

He called me over to him and gave me, as it were, a mouthful Of the milk he was drawing; and I took it into my cupped hands and consumed it. And all those who stood around said: 'Amen!' "

She awakened from her vision, still feeling the lingering effects of her journey.

"At the sound of this word I came to, with the taste of something sweet still in my mouth. I at once told this to my brother, and we realized that we would have to suffer, and that from now on we would no longer have any hope in this life."

You can read her entire journal here.

I love her description of the path to Heaven... it is a narrow path, so narrow that only one person can journey it at time. It is a path guarded by Satan in an attempt to keep us from taking the journey. And, if during this journey, we are careless, the metal weapons surrounding the path will keep us from surviving it.

Powerful images and food for thought for all of us. Do we take our journey too carelessly? Is being a good person good enough? Will our faith be strong enough to push Satan aside on our path to salvation? Will we get distracted on our path and fall prey to the dangers on every side?

A tough journey, no doubt, but with a reward worth any discomfort we may feel, including at the cost of our own lives. Perpetua believed as such. And so should we.

And The Winners Are...

Despite my entry below called Oscars the Grouch, here are the list of winners at last night's Academy Awards:

Best Film (Live Action Feature): Crash
Best Film (Live Action Short): Six Shooter
Best Film (Animated Feature): Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Best Film (Animated Short): The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation
Best Documentary (Feature): March of the Penguins
Best Documentary (Short): A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin
Best Foreign Language Film: Tsotsi

Best Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
Best Supporting Actor: George Clooney, Syriana
Best Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener

Best Directing: Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee

Best Screenplay (Original): Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco, Crash
Best Screenplay (Adapted): Brokeback Mountain

Best Music (Original Song): "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp," Hustle & Flow
Best Music (Original Score): Brokeback Mountain

Best Cinematography: Memoirs of a Geisha
Best Editing: Crash
Best Visual Effects: King Kong
Best Sound Mixing: King Kong
Best Sound Editing: King Kong
Best Costume Design: Memoirs of a Geisha
Best Art Direction: Memoirs of a Geisha
Best Makeup: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Oscars the Grouch

You know, being the certifiable movie-nut that I am, I should have been glued to the television last night watching the Academy Awards but, the entire thing has lost its luster for me. I used to dream of winning an Oscar, but those days have passed. I used to want to make a living in the Hollywood system, but those days are passed as well.

Now I want to make my own projects, my own way, without the great sacrifice to my family that being a Hollywood-ite would entail. The older I get the more I am aware of the moral consequences to entertainment. Granted, there is nothing wrong with pure entertainment. As I like to say, rollercoaster designers aren't going to hell because they make really good rides, and neither should filmmakers if they make a film that offers a really good ride.

However, I do see the consequences of inundating our society and our children with morally questionable subject matters. I do understand that I am held morally responsible for my stories and the effects on the souls who watch them.

Plus, the Academy Awards has been so politically charged, against my core sensibilities, that I would find myself seeing who won, then muting the television when the acceptance speeches commenced. So, why watch at all? I can just read who won later.

And I have become increasingly adverse to the culture of celebrity. A friend once asked me if I had heard a rumor about Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston and I responded that the day Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston are curious about my life, I'll be curious about there’s. Until then, they are not on my radar screen.

So, watching the celebrities with surgically repaired faces, bosoms and stomachs, strutting their stuff down the red carpet, wearing dresses by Overpriced Designers R Us, flaunting rented jewelry that is so expensive they could feed the homeless for a year... well, I've just kinda lost the point of it all.

As my children has grown and my faith has grown, I've been able to peel away from my life the layers of the world that used to be important to the core subjects that actually make me tick, that truly inspire and touch me. And watching which dress Hilary Swank is wearing or whether the foreign film sympathetic to suicide bombers in Palestine wins anything... they just doesn't mean as much as it used to.

However, I do remember that the Oscars still represent the culmination of some peoples dreams... hec, they used to be the culmination of my own dreams, and that is the one thing that harkens me back. So, I'll watch the highlights and revisit the award ceremony next year.

Maybe things will be different.

Wonderful Weather

One of the perks of living in Florida is the weather during this time of year. This weekend has been beautiful... mid-70s, sunny, cool.

Today we took advantage of the weather. First, we all went out for a nice two mile walk. Afterwards, we rode our bike a few miles to my son's baseball practice. While my son and I worked with the rest of his team on fundamentals, my wife and daughter relaxed in the bleachers, soaking in the sun and breeze.

Its days like this that make all of the brutally hot weather, humidity and hurricane threats worth it.

Okay, maybe not the hurricane threats.