“… We Never Lose A Party”

Photo via Parade magazine.

This is why I love Ole Miss football, this is why I’m proud to be a Rebel, and this is what it means to me to be an Ole Miss fan.

For those that don’t follow such things, this is not exactly the best year ever for Ole Miss football. In fact, it’s what those in the know might call “bad.”

We’ve lost every game we could possibly lose, including some that took work. People are calling for the firing of the athletic director, the coach, the coordinators and the mascot. And, yes, I’m serious about that last one.

And in this midst of all of that, there’s a great piece by Rick Bragg in Parade magazine this past Sunday, which says things like this:

In the hours before dawn and leading up to kickoff, this small parcel of grass will become the scene of an elaborate banquet, with silver winking in the strong sunlight and fresh flowers perfuming the air. A feast will be served on real china, with mimosas poured into real glass flutes—an enormous buffet dinner, not a quick bite grabbed from aluminum foil and plastic everything. Elegant women in sundresses and even black cocktail dresses will gather with men in honest-to-God neckties, even in the unrelenting late-summer heat, because that’s just the way it’s done in these parts. Polo shirts are about as dressed-down as it gets.

It’s called “tailgating,” but really, that’s like referring to a Mardi Gras ball as a backyard weenie roast. …

Ole Miss won a share of the national title in 1959, 1960, and 1962, but the tailgating tradition was less elaborate in its beginnings, just a card table and a cooler for most people. “But it just kind of grew,” he says.

Comer may want the Rebels to prevail, but off the field, “we love to say to people walking by, ‘Come on over and have a drink, have something to eat.’ ” …

But at Ole Miss, in the football-obsessed South, the tailgating celebration isn’t just about the game; it’s about tradition, in the grandest sense. …

For many of those kids, the words to the Ole Miss cheer are the first words they learn, after “Mommy” and “Daddy.” It is inescapable in the Grove. People walk by, tip a glass, and belt it out: …

At some schools, the whole mood of fall Saturdays swings on the game’s outcome, and it is that way to some extent in the Grove.

“Daddy keeps a bottle of champagne in the cooler for when we win the Alabama game,” says Karen. “We haven’t opened it in a while,” her father admits.

Like the other faithful, he waits for a return to the days when every Saturday was a wild celebration. But in a way, he says, every Saturday at the Grove is a celebration, if not of football, then of family.

Tailgating has become a kind of antidote for when the Rebels lose. “I guess you’ve heard it said,” says Nannette, “that at Ole Miss we might lose the game, but we never lose the party.”

Sure, we’re not the best team in the country, and we haven’t been for more than a decade before I was born.

But for the Rebel faithful, that have been through many, many lean years during their life, it doesn’t matter.

Win or lose, we’re Ole Miss.

And proud of it.

Scenes From A Wedding

I’ve had the rather cool opportunity a couple of times now to operate a photobooth at weddings as a way to make a little extra money, and did so this past Saturday. During some of my downtime, I amused myself by taking a few photos, which I’m blogging here because, hey, why not.

You can kind of see it in that picture, but the bride’s cake actually had a cube of pictures atop it, which was rather neat. The one on the other side of the front showed the couple together.

The groom was apparently an Alabama fan, I gather.

There was a table with candy in class containers that was rather pretty.

When I got there, the groom was in a back room by himself playing “It Is Well With My Soul,” which I thought was a neat moment.

The bride’s shoes, which were doffed rather quickly after the service for the duration of the reception.

My test strip from the photobooth.

Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors — “Hourglass” Lyrics

Hourglass
Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors

Oh, the miles we’ve wasted
In someone else’s shoes
Empty expectations, everything to lose

Everything that’s come to pass
Is sand inside the hourglass
Everything that’s come to pass
Is sand inside the hourglass

If yesterday is broken
Tomorrow’s far away
Where does that leave us today?

Everything that’s come to pass
Is sand inside the hourglass
Everything that’s come to pass
Is sand inside the hourglass

Everything that’s come to pass
Is sand inside the hourglass

Everything that’s come to pass
Is sand inside the hourglass

“Hourglass” is a song from Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors’ album “Chasing Someday.”

Watermelon Slim & The Workers — “Newspaper Reporter” Lyrics

Newspaper Reporter
Watermelon Slim & The Workers

Now boys I once had a job
As a newspaper reporter

They wouldn’t let me drink beer on the job
They told me I had to drink water

But I’m a blues man
And I don’t tolerate no fakes

Like the man at the newspaper says
That old boy has still got what it takes

Now I knew right for the start
I might not make it up to live

But I’d keep on playing my part
I’ll give you all I got to give

But I’m a blues man
And I don’t tolerate no fakes

Like the man behind the editor’s desk says
That old boy has still got what it takes

I don’t need no glitter on my face
Nor no six-inch platform shoes
‘Cause what we’re gonna lay down for you tonight
Is those sweet old Oklahoma blues

‘Cause I’m a blues man
And I don’t like playing my blues all alone

If you don’t like the blues the way we play them
Why don’t you get your coat and drive on home

Now I don’t do that job no more
I ain’t nobody’s writin’ hired gun

But you’re gonna see the blues on the paper
When I get my writing done

‘Cause I’m a blues man
And I don’t tolerate no fakes

Like the man at the newspaper says
That old boy has still got what it takes

Take it home, boys

I’m a blues man
Yeah, I don’t tolerate no fakes

I’m a blues man
And I don’t tolerate no fakes

Like the man at the newspaper says
That old boy has still got what it takes

Face2Face Is On Groupon!!

OK, so I’ve talked a fair bit on here about Face2Face Improv, the incredible Huntsville improv comedy group I’m lucky enough to be  a part of.

For those that haven’t seen Face2Face before, we make up short, funny scenes on the spot based on suggestions from the audience. (And for the more timid in the crowd, we don’t bring anyone on stage or force anyone to do anything; you’re more than welcome to just sit back and enjoy the show.) We do a family friendly show of live entertainment. If you’ve ever seen the old ABC show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” we’re kinda like that. Only better.

And now is your best opportunity ever to check us out — we’re on Groupon!!

Today and tomorrow, you can get tickets at half-price or less to any of our shows that are good until next June. Buy now for cheap, and use it at your leisure anytime in the next eight months!

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Case for Klingon Christ

Image from A Great Work, via io9

I’m glad that serious thought is being put into the subject of Klingon Jesus.

I read an article on io9 recently about a panel titled “Did Jesus die for Klingons too?” that addressed issues related to Christianity and alien intelligences.

Basically, the issue is this — if there are intelligence species on other planets in the universe, then, from a Christian perspective, there seem to be two possibilities: God becomes incarnate as messiah on each one, or Christ came once to Earth, and it’s the responsibility of humans to tell the galaxy about Him.

I’ve had this conversation several times over the years, beginning with a conversation with some friends in a Mexican restaurant in Jackson, Miss., during which one of my friends argued that this was why he believed there was no extraterrestrial intelligence — the theological implications were too daunting.

Interestingly, we ended up with the same nickname for the question that this researcher, and apparently some others have, all independently — “Klingon Jesus.” If there were Klingons, would God send them a Klingon Jesus, or would we have to tell the Klingons about Jesus? Why it’s not Vulcan Jesus or Wookiee Jesus I don’t know, but Klingon Jesus seems to be the inevitable name for the quandary.

The researcher tends to disagree with the “one Jesus for all the universe” hypothesis, arguing it would make humanity too special, but I personally don’t know that, in a universe in which interplanetary cultural interactions are common place, it would necessarily be any more of a big deal than it was sharing a Jewish messiah with the rest of the world over the last 2,000 years.

There’s a related issue that this article doesn’t get into — Christ had to become a man in order to die for men; can he become a human to die for Wookiees? Or does a Wookiee have to die for Wookiees for it to be equivalent? I suppose the same argument applies — how much different is it from a Jew dying for an aborigine? Answer: I have no idea.

The other issue that this article barely touches on that has been central to some of the discussions I’ve had is the issue of original sin and Jesus as the second Adam. One could argue that, for a human Jesus to die for the sins of other intelligences, they must have been without sin prior to the Garden of Eden on Earth; that no species anywhere was fallen prior to the Terran Fall. And that just seems unlikely, and thus a seeming argument for multiple planetary messiahs. (Which in turn begs for speculative Christian science fiction — what would have happened if a planet which was in its post-messianic era had made first contact with Earth between the fall and the coming of Christ — could humans have been saved by another species’ incarnation of Christ during that period?)

My favorite implication of this is that, really, until humans know that either there is no extraterrestrial intelligence in the galaxy or that the multiple planetary messiah theory is correct, it is arguably a Christian theological imperative to support space travel, lest aliens who need to hear not receive the word of Jesus.

“Go ye therefore for into all nations (on all planets) …”

So, what do you think? Are their aliens out there? And, if so, is there a Klingon Jesus?

Labor of Love

For those that don’t know, I am currently looking for a new job, and would greatly appreciate any leads or help anyone might be able to offer. Most recently, I spent nine years working as a government contractor supporting NASA, writing articles for the education sections of the NASA.gov homepage. Before that, I was an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor. That said, while a writing job is likely best suited to my background, I enjoy new challenges, and would be open to other possibilities. If you have any ideas, feel free to e-mail me. Thanks!

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David,
On Monday morning you gave me, my wife, and our grandson an amazing tour of the Space Museum. It was a privilege to make that tour with you. I appreciate so much the time you took to do that for us. It was by far the highlight of our trip. Thank you.

I’ve been taking a little bit of the free time that I have these days, and donating it to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

I started volunteering there five years ago, I guess, during the Skylab Restoration Project effort, and continued working with the curator for quite a while after that. Eventually, though, opportunities to be involved became more infrequent, and it probably reached a point where I wasn’t really a volunteer anymore.

So not long after I was out of work, I went by to sign up again, believing — and rightly so, it’s turned out — that it would be a great outlet for my passion for spaceflight while I’m not working. The lecture I gave there back in August was part of my volunteer efforts, and I’ve helped with some social media outreach and other projects.

Lately, though, I’ve been contributing in two ways in particular.

The more fun one — giving tours. I’d taken the tour training and had signed up to give tours one day before, but there weren’t enough people wanting them that day. I went again about a week ago, however, for Scout Day, and got to lead two large tour groups around the center, which was awesome. I went back again on a week day after that, and did a tour for a family that came through.

And I love it! Being at the Space & Rocket Center, it’s interested audiences, and it’s just incredible fun getting to share stories I love to tell with people who want to hear them!

The other one — the Education Office had some surveys from Space Camp participants in years past they needed entered into a new system, and I gave several hours doing data entry for them. Not sexy by any means, but it was an interesting experience nonetheless. I spent hours sitting in a cube working at a PC, and it made me realize how much I miss it. I want a cube of my own again. Please?

Both experiences have driven home what a great feeling it is to be engaged in something bigger than yourself, particularly something you believe in. I’m trying to make the most I can of the time that I have right now, but, honestly, I’ll be glad to be able to make those sorts of contributions again.

If you know of any leads out there, please let me know! Thanks!

Free Fallin’

I had the incredible opportunity to go skydiving again yesterday, and it was, once again, awesome. After my first experience, I received the very generous and much appreciated gift of a second Groupon, and so I wanted to go again as soon as possible.

I had two goals the second time around: I wanted, now that I knew the logistics of how it worked, to go again while all of that was still fresh in my mind to be able to focus more on the actual experience, and I wanted pictures under the parachute.

I had a photographer the first time during the dive, but since he was jumping with us he only got pictures of the free fall portion and the landing; none of the parachute portion of the descent. This time, my dad was kind enough to come with me and get pictures from the ground, and, as you’ll see, did an incredible job.

The picture at the top isn’t me, by the way, I went on Saturday and took some pictures of my friends the Thomsons and some other people just so that I could talk my dad through the best places to stand, etc., for my jump yesterday. The picture above is my favorite of the ones I took that day.

The ones below are what my dad took, starting with one right after we came out of the plane with the drogue chute deployed, and going through landing.

It was a somewhat different experience this time; at least as awesome but in a different way. I jumped with the same trainer, so I knew how he did things, but he also changed things up a bit since it was my second jump.

One goal we both had in common this time was that he also wanted me to relax more and focus on the experience. On the “downside,” it meant that my second jump didn’t have quite the same adrenaline rush that the first one did. I remember shaking a little while standing right after landing the first time; that wasn’t the case this time.

After we jumped this time Jamie turned us over so that we watched the airplane for a little bit before turning face-down again. At times I would close my eyes and just focus on feeling it, looking for an awareness of g-forces, but really the wind is all you’re aware of. Not as peaceful as other free-fall experiences I’ve had, but awesome in its own right.

Another diver stayed near us for a while, but then fell another half-mile after we opened our chute before deploying his. It was freaky watching from above as he plummeted to the ground; it gave me a perspective of the speeds involved that I didn’t have before.

The instructor did a bit more while we were under canopy this time, including some corkscrew turns, which were a lot of fun.

I’m hugely blessed that I got to go again and grateful for the opportunity, thankful to my dad for the pictures, the Thomsons for sharing their passion with me, Skydive Alabama for an incredibly professional operation and Jamie for being an awesome instructor

In case I haven’t mentioned it lately, it’s an incredible experience, and I highly recommend it.

Regular Richie Feature

Image by Ѕolo via Flickr

Once again, search strings that have brought people to “Stories In My Pocket” over the course of the last month.

• church buys town
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• …to intensify the nostalgia a bit …look what i have found …imagine the score of big ones…. tradução
• priscilla shirer predestination
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• a ten year old boy scout returned from a hiking trip 8 days ago and is now feeling weak with a low grade fever. he has a circular rash on his right leg, and complains that his knees and ankles hurt. what would be one possible causative organism that produces these symptoms?
• william hitt tijuana powerpoint
• did jesus die for klingons too
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Review — “The Grace of God” by Andy Stanley

“The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” For some, this can be a difficult truth to understand. At times, God is spoken of almost as if He’s two different beings — a harsh and angry God in the Old Testament, a merciful and loving God in the New. Pastor Andy Stanley explores the Bible as one continuous narrative, telling the story of just one God: a god of Grace.

Stanley tackles a very large subject in this book, and handles it in a way that focuses on making it accessible. “The Grace of God” selects a handful of Biblical high-points from both the Old and New Testaments, and delves into them in a way that shows how, even when it’s not obvious, these stories are ultimately stories of God’s grace, and how they are all part of one ongoing story.

If the book has a shortcoming, it’s that, in making “The Grace of God” easily accessible and understood, it avoids some of the more challenging events of the Old Testament. This doesn’t mean that the book is superficial, however, only selective — even for mature Christians, the book will challenge readers to view what they think they know from a new perspective. (Note: I received a review copy of this book through Booksneeze.)

• “The Grace of God” on Booksneeze