Capsized Cruise Ship: Heroes and Zeros

The capsized ship off the Italian coast seems to contain stories of heroism and and also infamy.



The infamy of the captain driving the ship onto the rocks and then being one of the first to abandon ship--whatever happened to the captain going down with the ship in an effort to ensure the safety and rescue of the passengers.
Why would the captain of the Costa Concordia abandon ship without ensuring the safety of his passengers and crew?

Remember, by contrast, the heroism of Captain Sully Sullenberger the command pilot of the US Airways flight which crashed into the Hudson River two years ago, almost to the day, on January 15, 2009? He walked through the plane as it was settling into the river to ensure all of the passengers and crew had been evacuated.

Yet, from the sinking of the Costa Concordia comes the story of the purser who single-handedly helped hundreds to the safety of life boats until he slipped and broke his leg. Sadly, in the panic no one helped him and he remained on the ship for 36 hours until rescued.

In thinking about this tragedy, I realized there was a lot of panic--but I hope, had I been in a similar situation that I would be able to care for an injured person and not left him there to fend for himself. I wonder how many people ignored him as they rushed for safety.

Heroes and zeros--every tragedy seems to have them. I wonder which I will be when my time comes?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - January 16, 2012

1. The laws defined by Newton and Kepler were reconfirmed over the weekend as was the size of the planet and the distribution of land and water. And everything came down OK it seems.

2. I am amazed at the way the NFL playoffs are proceeding this year--so far, in eight games only one home team has lost. I hope that improves a bit next week, because I really think it would be nice to see a the teams coached by the Harbaugh brothers play in the Super Bowl (call it the Har-bowl) and that means that Baltimore must slip by New England in Foxborough. Could happen!

3. The part-time legislature has resumed meeting in Maryland and the only questions seem to be how much are taxes going to increase and on what. Too bad the question is not if taxes are going to increase. It seems the governor and the democratic legislature have already decided to make Marylanders the most taxed people in the nation.

4. Long weekends and clear skies even though cold days go together well to create stunning sunrises and sunsets.

5. Did you ever notice that it is the consumer (that would be us) who always get gouged when politicians talk?

6. Why are children's toys packaged in such a manner that sophisticated tools are required to extract them and let the kids play with them?

7. I wonder how many resources could be saved/preserved is packaging overall was simplified or reduced? Do light bulbs really need to be surrounded by impenetrable layers of plastic? What happened to simple cardboard packaging? Do the aspirin tablets need to be wrapped so tightly that an engineering degree is required to open the bottle?

8. I did watch some of the Golden Globes last evening just to see what all the fuss was about. I thought Ricky Gervais was pretty funny. I won't comment on what I thought was the best joke of the night.

9. There is something rustic and relaxing about sitting next to a roaring fire in the fireplace.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sitting by the Fire

Last evening as things began to wind own from the activity of the day, I was sitting by the fireplace watching the first of the NFL contests of the day thinking about the varied activities I had participated in through the course of the morning and into the early evening.



Lucas's birthday was a definite highlight of the afternoon. Ethan's late morning basketball event was another highlight. In between somehow there was a trip to Lowe's, Costgo, And a wine store. Towel racks were fixed in one bathroom and a new shelf unit was installed. It was a busy, but enjoyable mid-winter day.

Although a lot of time was spent on the road and in the car, a lot of time was spent with family.

And that is what it is all about.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Quandary of the Three-day Weekend

Standing, or more correctly sitting, at the threshold of a three day weekend, I am reminded of all the promise that weekends like this hold.


I am sure the next three days will fill quickly with activity. I already have commitments for important events like watching the Ravens football game on Sunday and as many of the other playoff games as I can possibly squeeze in.

Mostly small projects will be accomplished and the ever present shopping requirements for unimportant things like food.

And then there is also a basketball game and a birthday party to enjoy for diversion. It is hard to believe that Lucas is two years old already--where has the time gone? I am amazed at how quickly the terrific trio of boys are growing.

I know for sure that I will not be spending the weekend in a chair doing crossword puzzles though. It will be busy and fun.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

As the Days Turn the Holidays Subside

I have been looking forward to this weekend since the year began. Why, you might ask? Well because it is the last of the three-day weekends associated with the holiday season.

This year, unlike many, all of the three-day weekends associated with the Christmas, New Year, Martin Luther King celebrations have occurred on Mondays--which make them just a bit more fun.

It is also a bit sad, because it means that we are getting into the meat of the year and the holidays are going to become more scarce. Sure, there is President's Day in February (20th). But after that--it is a long road to Memorial Day broken up only by Spring Break, which the schools get to celebrate.

Of the ten federal holidays, five (Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, and Martin Luther King day) occur during a short, just over two month period from November 11th until January 16th-ish. It is a great time of year--but the remaining five holidays are more thinly spread out a across the remaining months (February, May, July, September, October).

I recently read an article about how Americans are some of the hardest working people in the world. Perhaps a holiday a month would be an idea to slowing people down? I know I could fully embrace the concept.

Alas, there are still places in the U.S. which ignore some of the Federal Holidays--like the Howard County School system which routinely ignores Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, President's Day and this year went back to school on New Year's Day (celebrated). Our children are not being taught how to relax and rest from the grind of the day. Likewise, they are not being taught the history of our Nation and why we have these days set aside for celebration or remembrance.

So as the winter (even though incredibly mild so far) grinds on and the holiday season really ends, can it be that the hope of February 2nd is not far off? And that hope would be Punxsutawney Phil predicting an early Spring. He has too, right? My Springtime flowers are already active in the garden.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Hockey Night

Last evening I had the opportunity to enjoy one of my Christmas gifts--tickets to a hockey game between the Penguins and the Capitals. Although the Penguins lost--0-1 to the home team, I enjoyed the game and the experience.


The rain we are currently experiencing makes travel incredibly slow in the area and walking outside similar to swimming at the beach--but traveling into D.C. via Metro was enjoyable.

I could tell that the season is at its mid-point. Both teams lacked the excitement I noted when they last met on December 1. The crowd was more subdued as well, as if still shaking off the holiday blues.

That written, both teams were missing a number of their star players--but the long periods of quiet in the arena to just watch the game unfold were unusual for a match up between these two teams. Perhaps it really was the rain soaking everyone's spirits. Some of us even remarked about the lack of excitement in the Metro on the way home.

Well, there is a lot of season left--40 or so games. My job is to make it through today after getting home about two hours past bedtime and still bounding (OK, a slight exaggeration) out of bed at the sound of the alarm (and Makayla).

Yet, the day will go on, busy or not. I also have the memory of a great evening of hockey. Bring on the NFL playoffs!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

After the Decorations are Gone

Happy Stepin a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day.

Seriously.

The decorations are gone from the house and things have returned to the blah of normal. The excitement and festivity of the holidays are behind us and the ever present grip of winter is ahead.

The deepest of the dark days have passed, but there are still too many days remaining until spring.

It is time to rekindle the fires of adventure and excitement within myself to cast off the doldrums of the winter season. The now returned to storage Christmas decorations did that for a bit with the warm glow of lighted decorations.

Now I need to carry on that same sense of expectation into the rest of the year and not fall back into the rut of the normal. I have some trips coming up--Houston, Sarasota, Orlando, and maybe a trip to the left coast which will help with that. But I long for the dog days of summer.

The decorations are gone from the house, but that does not mean that the joy has to be gone from my heart. I need to find that joy within.

It is there--I just need to let it out.

I need to get excited and enthused about new holidays, like Merry Ides of January and Happy New Moon!

Hmm, that doesn't seem to be working too well.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Vote for America

The New Hampshire primary is in the news as the Republicans continue the process to challenge for the White House in November.

Although I am affiliated with a particular political party, more and more I am feeling the need to advocate to people that we should be electing people based upon their ability to do the business of America and not because they represent one or the other political party.

Partisan politics is not working.

The divide is too wide to allow one or the other party to control our government and system.

I would prefer the ability for truly unaffiliated people to run for office based solely upon their plan and qualifications to do the work of the nation. But, alas, fundraising is very difficult and the best people to run this country are not independently wealthy.

It is clear to me that we are not being well served by many of the people we have elected. Some of the most junior are too idealistic and are unable to work within their convictions and ideology to run the country. Some of those who have been in office for along time are unable to adapt to the changing situation in the country and the new mood of the electorate.

The business of running the country has almost become a secondary task.

Some people have proposed a part time Congress--I am NOT a fan. Living in Maryland where we have a part time legislature, I witness an example of why that concept will not work every year.

No--it is up to "We the People" to elect the right representatives--and in some cases reelect those representatives. I am not a fan of not reelecting any incumbent because we need some experience in Washington to be familiar with how the system works.

Elect a President and then support that person with Representatives and Senators who clearly demonstrate an America first and politics second approach! That is what I am looking to do this election season. People willing to do the work of the nation, regardless of ideology.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings -- January 9, 2012

1. I can hardly believe that the first week of 2012 is in the history books. Where did it go?

2. Football playoff weekends are longer than regular football weekends even though there are fewer games--they are more spread out.

3. The weather this past week went from really cold and winter-like to springtime. I looked in the flower beds to see the daffodils and hyacinths are already planning for an early arrival this year.

4. Is it possible that we will have a winter with no snow accumulation?

5. Through some miracle, I have been a week without a headache. Maybe the grip of NDPH has loosened and I am free!

6. While walking around the grocery store, I noticed they were selling crawfish from China. Why not Louisiana? They also were selling shrimp from Vietnam. Really? Why not Texas? Is it really cheaper to ship these items from Asia?

7. There is almost nothing worse than being awakened in the middle of the night to the sound of a cat hocking up a hairball.

8. I was at memorial service for a friend yesterday who died before his time. It was good to be in the company of so many people who, like me, loved him and were awed by everything he had accomplished.

9. Athough we did not set a record, I enjoyed the unseasonbly warm tempertures this past weekend. I'll take 60's in January while living in Maryland any day.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Grandsons and Basketball

I attended Ethan's basketball game yesterday. A typical sporting event it was not.


The gym was packed with prents and supporters and the players were charged up to play their games. Practices had been completed and the teams were ready. The introductions were accomplished in the best style of the NBA with the players running onto the courts to the sound of flashy music and an announcer calling their names.

It seemed like a normal youth basketball game, similar to many youth events I have attended or coached during my life. But this was different.

Why?

Because the games were played in a gym attached to a large church and they began with a prayer and half time was a devotion for the spectators. They even closed the concession stand during the halftime devotion.

This league is church league and the ministry of this church. It was really an experience see sports and God brought together on the same court, in public, for everyone to see.

I wonder, sometimes, what we are teaching our children about life and sports and good and bad. This church, through this seemingly thriving sports ministry, is truly making a difference and helping to reduce the confict that sometimes occurs in our lives between believing and living what we believe.

I am told there is a devotion at every practice. Wow, that is really powerful. God and sports together.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

War Horse -- Movie Review

I was lucky enough to see this movie last evening. I am a huge softie for dog and horse movies, so I definitely wanted to War Horse. 

The movie was much more than I expected.  I had expected a sappy tale about a boy (Albert) and his horse (Joey)--and when the Joey was separated from Albert the subsequent journey for them to be reunited.

What I got was a movie about the hard side of life in England and Europe during the early part of the 20th Century and focused mostly on the WWI time period of 1914-1918.

Life was hard and real. Albert is there from Joey's birth, although his family does not own the horse and they come together on a whim of Albert's father who buys the horse at auction--and really buys the wrong horse for what they need--although in the end, Joey is exactly the right horse for what is asked of him.

The characters in the movie are real--it is easy to hate the hard, business-like, buffoon-seeming landlord and his overly privileged son. Even the weather is used to create the sense of hardship and that nothing can go right for life in the period.

The movie is about relationships centered around the horse--Joey, who by the end of the movie has at least four different names. One of the most touching relationships is between Joey and a rival cavalry horse, a big black stallion, who experiences life with Joey during the war. Through the movie, Joey touches the lives of many different people, and almost all of them are a bit better for their contact.

There are some really hard scenes of war--the trench warfare of WWI France is graphic--although not as gruesome as the movie could have made it, the scenes there are truly memorable and hard. The use and abuse of horses in war during the transition from agrarian based life to our current mechanized lifestyle is evident. It is hard for an animal lover like myself to accept how horses were treated--but one scene stands in my mind as Joey is being marched off to war and Albert is allowed one last good-bye, the battle hardened sergeant cuts the good-bye short by saying something about Joey being a horse, not a dog.

This movie is not for children--and it is a hard movie for adults to enjoy, because the hardest realities of life and war are ever present in the movie. I sat through the movie hoping for a happy ending--which seemed impossible. The struggles, the ever present death and destruction, even the interludes of moderate joy were tempered with the knowledge that these too soon must end--and they did.

I am glad I saw the movie on the big screen of a theater to experience the fullness of the movie. I am sure that it will not be nearly as powerful in a TV. The movie gets long in places--it seems that the trials of the war will never end, but then war is like that.

Recommendation: See this movie, but do not expected to feel good about yourself or the world while in the theater. You may even wonder why you went to see a movie that is so hard and real and that seems to highlight the worst of all of us at every turn. But, like other great war movies that depict war at its worst and hardest--this movie deserves to be seen.

Cats and Computers

Riordin has a need for warmth and he hates it when I am working on my computer, as I was last evening.


Usually, he crawls into my lap, or face, and tries to get between me and the computer screen.

But while I was away for a moment--he decided to take extreme action and placed himself directly on the keyboard.

I was getting some help from a site I was working with and had to step away for some additional information and when I returned, my keyboard was being used--by a feline.

Some days it doesn't seem fair--but when I picked him up, he was definitely very warm.

So I smiled and enjoyed the moment with him.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Fault and Responsibility

Our society is missing the boat when it comes to the issue of personal responsibility. That is probably why 40,000 new laws went into effect on January 1st, because we place the responsibility for the actions of an individual on the wrong people.

An article in the Baltimore Sun the other day really got me going and highlighted for me how backwards we have become.

The article is about a local congressman who is facing problems associated with an incident last summer when an underage intern was allowed to have alcohol at a party.

There is a lot of finger pointing in the article about who is to blame and who was reprimanded and how such a travesty could occur--that a 20 year old might get a drink of alcohol at a party. The article goes on to say that the Representative's Chief of Staff was reprimanded and further suggests that one aide was fired for the incident. The firing part was later determined to be untrue.

Here is the problem.

What about the underage drinker? They certainly knew the law and that they should not drink alcohol at functions. Why is the responsibility for wrong doing being deftly shifted away from the responsible party? There was almost no mention of the underage drinker in the entire article and their name was not mentioned at all.

That seems to be the way our society works. Instead of holding the guilty responsible, laws are passed which shift the responsibility to others. In this case, we are dealing with a 20-year old who is able to vote and serve in the military, own property and serve on a jury. Yet, the blame rests on the person holding the party.

That is wrong!

Think about how much better life would be people were responsible for their actions.

Instead of someone suing because the coffee burned their tongue, they would realize that coffee by definition is hot and can burn.

I have tried to read the warnings and labels on many products--the type is too small and all they are really trying to tell me is: Don't be stupid. But still it seems that if I am stupid and hurt myself for some reason, others are responsible.

We need a society where people stand up and say, "I did that and it wasn't very smart." That same society can also allow people to say "I'm sorry and it won't happen again" without threatening dire consequences, unless of course they do it again.

So my response to the article simple is--the writer missed the real culprit and the rose is being pinned on all the wrong people.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

January Freeze

Winter's grip is firmly on us at this point. The mild temperatures of December have been lost with the changing of the calendar into January.

Ugh!

Really cold. Twelve degrees of cold this morning on the thermometer outside of the house.

I am really glad I got the Christmas lights down off the outide of the house on Monday when it was warmer. Chris and I spent last evening beginning to pack up the indoor seasonal decorations. My back really feels the weight of each box which I forced up the ladder into the attic. And it was cold in the garage last evening as the temperatures were beginning to fall.

But, I am looking forward to the dawn, because on cold mornings like this the dawn is usually pretty spectacular.

A new day and new promise.

The news last evening was reporting how we had not seen a cold snap like this since January last year. It seems weird to say last year already when referring to 2011, since we are just four days into 2012.

I knew that winter was coming--I guess it had to arrive sometime. I had been enjoying the low bills from the local electric company--I guess those are over as well.

I continue to be amazed at how much of my life is tied to the weather, even though I am not a farmer. I use the weather to predict the mess I'll face driving to work and what I should wear. I use the weather to help me decide what kind of afternoon activity I will choose to participate in.

Yesterday, when some snow flakes began to fall, it was amazing to hear everyone that I work with suddenly interested in the weather--specifically the snow. I guess there is something exciting about the first snowfall of the year--although it turned out to be just a few wayward flakes dancing in the morning air.

From my standpoint, I know that to get to spring there must be a winter. So let's get on with it. Football is finally winding down and Oriole Spring Training is not far off. In about 75 days, it will be pretty much over and the grip of winter will bbe gone and we will be well into the springtime growing season.

So even with frigid outdoor temperatures, there is a silver lining: Springtime is not far off!!

Oh yeah--115 days until pool opening Saturday. See? I knew Springtime was coming.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Most Popular Posts of 2011

I reviewed my blog's statistics for 2011and it was interesting to find that an area that I have been ignoring was responsible for some of the most popular posts of 2011, that would be wine reviews and reviews of wineries. I have been limiting my wine reviews to a program called CellarTracker, which I use to monitor my wine cellar.The other popular area pertains to reviews of concerts. I wrote four concert reviews during the year and two of them wound up in the top five.

The most popular posts written during 2011, in terms of hits, were

1. Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 -- Review

2. An Evening with Josh Groban

3. Sheldrake Point Vineyard

4. Surfboard Poppop

5. Dynamic Duo Create Memorable House Concert Evening

From my perspective though, I find it much harder to decide the best post of 2011 from the 430 posts that I wrote during the year.  I find that parts of the year are a bit fuzzy and others stand out clearly in my memory. The posts from St Lucia and St Vincent were certainly the most interesting in terms of travel, but I was amused by my out the hotel window series.

But, in reviewing the entries, I really enjoyed reliving the experiences described in The Turtles of Tobago Cays.

I wrote seven poems this year--mostly, I notice late in the year as I lose touch with summer. Of the seven, October Night was my favorite.

I tried to find my favorite image of 2011--but there just too many for me to narrow down. Sunsets of St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines contain not a few of my favorites. But the image of the fence in the sand in On the Beach, Again really appeals to me. Although the best was probably taken by Chris and published in Image of the Weekend from Assateague.

The post which I reused was When One Plus One is One and I think it worked really well as the message for the wedding that I did during the year.

So all in all--I am glad that I don't have to pick just one favorite or best. It's my blog after all and I get to set the rules.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - January 2, 2012

1. Happy New Year--don't forget to write 201"2" on everything you do for the next year.

2. I read a scary item in the news about 40,000 new laws taking effect yesterday across the nation. Really--can anyone keep track of all of the laws we have on the books? Some of them can be found at the article titled 40,000 State Laws to Become Reality in 2012. A more complete list is at New Laws Ring in the New Year.

               a. One of the new laws is that anyone 11 or under in Colorado who appears to have sustained a head injury during an sporting event will be forced to sit out the rest of a game until they can be examined. OK--here is my take--just forced to sit out? Why don't they require immediate medical attention or something more drastic? And who is making the decision on whether the the child has sustained a head injury?

                b. A law in California will require gay and lesbian history to not be overlooked in public schools. Really? And what is the purpose of this law--to rewrite history yet again?

3. 2011 ended with some really enjoyable and mild weather. I believe we will soon be paying for all of that nice weather when the worst that winter can throw at us arrives.

4. Resolutions? Do we really need resolutions to help start the year? We discussed a few in church yesterday that resonated with me and that I will be attempting for the year ahead. If you want to hear more about them, go to the website and click on More.
             
               a. More desire, less duty
               b. More trust, less panic
               c. More aprons, less bibs
               d. More friends, less acquaintances
               e. More compassion, less apathy

5. The county that I live in has wasted over $250,000 trying to buy a piece of land for a new school. They began planning to build before settlement--really, why can't our government officials use the same common sense that the rest of us use when buying land. It is not ours until after settlement. I am happy about the school not coming to my neighborhood, by the way.

6. When should the Christmas decorations come down? I'm planning on starting today--although we have already put the Christmas dishes back into storage.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Happy New Year 2012

And so it begins--2012.

Who knows where we will be this time next year? And for most of us it really does not matter. The year ahead will do its thing and we will wind our way through its twists and turns and emerge at New Year's Day 2013 different than we are today and hopefully better for the experience. Sadly, that will not be the case for all of us.

I know that to start the year, I have to put away the decorations from last year. It seems every year begins that way--having to clean up the mess from the Christmas season and the holidays.

Chris and I got a start on that yesterday and received a bit of help from Riordan--the cat who came back. He crawled up into the empty cupboard as we were swapping Christmas dishes for the everyday dishes. I thought it was cute in that he at least wanted to give us a bit of assistance. Or was he trying stop us from putting away Christmas.

Well the dawn is breaking and 2012 is itching to begin.

As the old TV show used to state:"And away we go!"

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sliding into 2012 and Recreating Self

I love the end of the year because it is a natural time to review whats been going on in life and to plan for the year ahead. Some people call them resolutions--I prefer to think of them a goals.

Da Boys

I had a goal of being of being lighter at the end of 2011 than I was at the beginning--and amazingly enough, I am. Not as light as I was in the middle of the year--but overall lighter. Success.

Some of the goals for 2012 include travel--Houston, Sarasota, Orlando and somewhere else yet to be determined.

And other as yet to be determined goals, will undoubtedly arise over the next few days.

Each year could be considered a new beginning. A chance--or a natural opportunity to recreate myself.

Lucas in His Helmets

I was reviewing the images of 2011, and ran across one from Christmas Eve--Jeremy and the boys. I reminded me that we have a really cool family and that for 2012, I want to continue to make he family closer together so I can enjoy things like major Nerf gun wars in the yard and everything else that goes with getting together.

 And so, for the last blog entry of 2011, I want to leave with this image of Lucas in his makeshift helmets. I think he looks a lot like a Star Wars rebel fighter.

But he has it down and this is my resolution for 2012--take each day as it comes, smile a lot and try to brighten the day of those around me. Don't worry too much about the small stuff and when the big stuff comes--duck or put make sure I have a good hard hat, so it rolls off.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Endings and Beginnings

2011 is almost gone to assume its place in the history of the world. I tend to think of it now in terms of endings--the things that happened and that are done, gone, and hopefully not forgotten.

Today, for instance, I know people who are ending their careers--they are retiring after decades (yes decades, like four or five) of service to this country. On one hand, it seems like an ending.

But it is a beginning, too--a chance to start over and begin the next chapter of their lives. I am sorry to see them go, but I am excited for them and the opportunities that they face for the future.

I look back on the year and I recall some of the great events and moments that we will remember years into the future--like ending our involvement in Iraq, the end of Usama bin Laden, the Arab Spring which saw millions free themselves from tyranny, Libya and Gaddafi, the end of the US space shuttle program, the Japanese earthquake, the Maryland earthquake, and the world population exceeding 7 billion--just to recall a few.

There were deaths of many great people--famous with notoriety as well as not so famous and close and personal.

But there were also births--those clean slates of humanity ready, whether they want to or not, to lead us into the future in a few decades.

Endings followed by beginnings.

There was sadness--but there was also joy.

For my family, 2011 was a great year. We grew closer together, we celebrated, we traveled together, and we at times walked with each other in the face of some really serious and deadly diseases to provide each other support.

I found heroes in our family--those who stepped up to the challenge of cancer, or other disease on a daily basis and said to themselves--I am better than that and this is not going to beat me. I know--I take that approach every day with my NDPH.

Will 2012 be better? God alone knows.

But I know this--it will be full of endings and each ending will be accompanied by a beginning.

So good-bye 2011, your time has run its course. Hello 2012--what promise do you hold?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Do you believe in angels or God?

What an interesting question posed by and 18 year old Austin, Texas teen on December 19th--who subsequently died on Christmas of a heart attack. The question was posed at the end of a You Tube video (in two parts) that described his life and how he had cheated death three times. I believe the video was his attempt provide comfort to those who love him as he knew his time was short and also to be a means to provide hope to those who are afraid of death and do not know God.

The teen's name is Ben Breedlove and he answered the question simply, "I do." He should know, had died already twice--possibly three times during his short life.

I watched the videos this remarkable teen produced. They are on You Tube and are titled simply: This is my story (part 1), and This is my Story (part 2).

I was impressed with this young man who I believe had a pretty good idea that his days were numbered and wanted to leave us a message of hope.

I am also heartened by the media coverage associated with his life and passing.

I have talked to not a few people lately who say they are spiritual--but in my mind don't have a good grasp of the full implication of what they are saying when they use the word. I am glad they are spiritual, that is a start. My hope and prayer is that they move from an impersonal spiritualism into a deeper relationship with God.

Maybe Ben will help some of them to come to that place.

The Christmas season is a good time to find a closer relationship with God. What a great way to start the New Year--knowing the creator of the universe.

Happy New Year and God bless you!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The In Between Week

This week is the in between week, the week sandwiched between Christmas and New Years. It is a week full of recovery from Christmas and planning for the New Year celebrations. It is amazing what kind of things happen during the week which continue to keep us busy.

I did have the chance to check out some of the gifts I received. The Photoshop program for the images I collect seems really cool. I also enjoyed test flying my radio controlled hawk--but it was raining too hard outside to actually try to fly it for real.

The excitement for the day was to see the Tin Tin movie and enjoy the big screen bringing to life the boy reporter that Patrick enjoyed so much as a child. It was nice to go to a movie during a weekday afternoon. And since it was raining it both got me out of the house and encouraged a walk around the mall--which I fully circumnavigated.

I will be reading through my 2011 blogs this week and coming up with the best images and stories of the year mostly as a way of recapping my activities and thoughts.

I will continue to enjoy the in between week--but I am working two days, unlike other years. I did a better job of scheduling my use or lose leave this year. I remain amazed at the mild nature of  December 2011's weather for Maryland.  Despite the rain yesterday--temperatures continue to be mild and overall pleasant. I am sure that the storms of winter will soon be upon us--but I have to continually remind myself that we are really experiencing a pleasant time weather-wise.  It makes the promise of spring--now less than 90 days away, very real.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Nerf Guns and World War

Christmas provided a wide variety of activities for the family to participate in and to enjoy each other.

One of the coolest gifts of Christmas was the remote controlled tarantula--no doubt, but getting nearly everyone in the family Nerf guns has also provided a lot of fun as well. It is amazing the killer instinct that some members of the family have when holding one of these things.

And then there was the Holiday game of Axis and Allies--the new version which went for another seven or so hours before the Allies were able to assure victory by capturing Tokyo after the Axis player made a grave strategic mistake. The fortunes of war, so they say.

If the holiday is about relationships, then we have truly cemented ours as a family. Fortunately, Nerf bullets are soft and generally make us laugh when we are hit.

I was amazed how quickly the Christmas music disappeared from the radio stations. Over a month of playing the songs and carols and then gone--in a flash, even though it is really the third day of Christmas, as the old song goes.

For now though, I'm going to hunker down and watch the torrents of rain expected in the forecast and enjoy some of my new toys. and get my truck repaired.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - December 26, 2011

1. For Christmas and family and the time spent in preparation--give thanks!

2. It was fun being on the roads yesterday driving at the early break of dawn--the roads were empty and the first rays of the sun were just beginning to grace the eastern sky with a red hue that brought joy to my heart and I was celebrating the birth of Jesus so many years ago.

3. Christmas is really for the young at heart--because it is about new life and new hope.

4. I woke up this morning and I cannot believe that Christmas was yesterday. What a great holiday and family day.

5. It was nice to take a day off from the crush of life, I did not even check out the news yesterday. So I am behind today.

6. Christmas in not over though--it is just continuing every day.

7. We have been blessed with a great December in terms of weather and temperatures. Who would have believed that the entire family would be outside yesterday afternoon having a Nerf gun war. Yes--the best gifts of Christmas were Nerf guns for everyone. We payed until the sun went down and it got really cold.

8. I think I have handled my truck dying pretty well. I am pretty sure it is the fuel filter and I'll get on it tomorrow.

9. Christmas returns and gift cards--yeah, the shopping continues. Ugh!

10. I have a problem with packaging. Have you noticed how much is wasted by excessive packaging? And children's toys are the worst. I struggled with many toys yesterday including using some sophisticated tools to get into the toys. Ugh. The pile of packaging in the garage is overwhelming. We need to reduce packaging to save resources.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Coolest gift so far

The remote controlled tarantula. Makes people get out of the way.

Merry Christmas 2011

God bless you all.

May you find peace and joy that surpasses anything you could have imagined.

Christmas Eve 2011

Consider, for a moment the traditions and the things we do which get us through the Christmas holiday.

Today, for instance, my family gathered for a Christmas Eve breakfast--a chance to get together and celebrate at the beginning of the two day celebration, rather than later when we are all tired.

We are blessed by a glorious day--fair temperatures in the 50's and sunny, blue skies.

We are doing activities directly related to the holiday--be that cooking, or wrapping, or in my case brining the turkey. I have already delt with a broken down truck and got that into a place where it won't affect thee rest of the holiday--meaning I'll deal with it later. I did, however, enjoy the ride in the tow truck.

Soon, we will get together again for worship and then go separate ways for the evening. Even those who are out of town have called to be part of the festivities.

Tomorrow--the real fun begins with gift exchanges private and larger family events. A massive dinner, and time together are also part of the day.

The kids make the holiday--but connecting with family, including extended family strewn across the country, will also be an important part of the day.

This year, Monday the 26th is the second day of Christmas in that the Axis and Allies will again recreate WWII and ttempt to chang hostiry once again while feasting on leftovers and not a few beers.

The reason for the season? It is there in the love that we all share.

I had a great discussion a week ago about God and religion and I reminded the people I was chatting with that what really matters is the relationship. If we foster a strong relationship between our family members, we are reflecting the kind of relatiionship God wants with us. And that friends, is the season's reason.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Christmas Prayer 2011

Father in Heaven, thank you for the year almost completed. You have blessed me in ways that I cannot comprehend.

My family has prospered and I see your hand in everything that has happened in my life and with my family. Thank you for the things you have provided to me.

I come before you this Christmas to celebrate again the gift of your Son which provides the path to eternal life. I know the world is an evil and dangerous place; but I also know that I too am hard and unforgiving. I fail to show your love to those around me so that they can see your reflection in my life. Forgive me.

Father, as the celebration begins I realize that there is much work to do in my heart, my town, my county, this state and country, and throughout the world.

I ask that the eyes of those who do not understand the reason that I celebrate the birth of the Savior of the World be opened.

Remind me daily of Your love--which I may see reflected in the lives of those around me.

Help me to be an instrument to show someone in need that love is not just words or feelings, but that Your love is action.

I have learned about sickness and disease this year in my own life and in the lives of others. Comfort those who are afflicted. Give them hope in the middle of the night when all seems dark and and they feel alone. Provide them the assurance of your love. Heal us, Lord.

For the heroes who are returning from war, help them to find peace and healing.

For those still overseas in harm's way, protect them from the forces of chaos and evil.

For the families of those who have fallen in service to this country, give them comfort.

For our nation, restore our government and make us, as a people, an instrument that you use in the world for good and peace.

For our leaders, protect them and give them wisdom to govern this nation according to your will.

As I am here in Your presence, Lord, I see in my mind parents praising, angels singing, shepherds coming, magi arriving, and the baby upon whose shoulders the hope of the world was laid laying there to repair the relationship between mankind and You. Make me part of the story and not just an observer.

Your story of love is active, not passive. I want to be an active part of Your plan and to carry the joy of this season into my life all the year long.

I ask this all in the name of Your Son, Jesus, whose birth I celebrate.

The Path to Destruction

The beginning of the end is upon us here in America, I am afraid.

We are heading down the slippery slope of becoming like the great socialist societies of Europe with incredibly high taxes, universal health care, ineffective militaries, and unbalanced and hopelessly out of balanced budgets.

By the time we are done--there will be no middle class left in America. There will be the very rich and those dependent upon the government for everything.

And the sad thing is--we are getting exactly what we elected--which by extension means we are getting what we wanted.

Here is some of what I have read in the news the past couple of days:

A city, Central Falls, Rhode Island, wants to slash the retirement plans of already retired police and firemen because they are facing bankrupcy and failed to put enough funds into the retirement fund in the past. Note, this is not a change to still on duty retirement plans--but to those already retired.

Those who have served and put their lives on the line are being forced to serve again in their retirement. Really? And this trend is not new--it has been looked at in California in cities like Hollywood and San Jose. And if you read the article--the police and firefighters in Central Falls did not contribute to Social Security--and therefore are not eligible to collect benefits under that program either.

Then I read an item from right here in Maryland--which is on track to become the highest taxed state in America. It seems that lawmakers are not happy with the Homestead Exemption which caps the amount of tax increases that can be passed along to homeowners living in their houses. The state and local governments are not getting enough revenue it seems. So one of our bright delegates is going to propose tying property taxes to ability to pay--or income. Really? My home is going to be taxed at a higher rate because I have some success in life? Delaware and Florida are looking better every day.

My pay is already frozen for the third year in a row, but my taxes, medical costs, and costs of living continue to climb.

I am expected to pay more taxes just because I live in the third most prosperous county in the United States.

And Congress is trying to nickle and dime me even more as I read about new taxes, increasing payroll taxes, and reduced services. When will the fire sale happen?

Maybe I should just give up and head south to the beach. If I have no earned income, at least the government will give me money to stimulate the economy. I mean after all, my needs are pretty few--warm sun, sandy beach, and a drink in my hand. Although I do like to have someone come by every so often to refresh the drink--but I might be able to sacrifice that.

Face it--at our request, government has become too big. And now the gravy train ride is over and the bills are due. Similar to opening the credit card statements in January after Christmas--except we can't just print more money to pay the bill.

We are rapidly sliding down that slippery slope into irrelevance and destruction.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Surviving Christmas Shopping

This year I didn't wait until Christmas Eve to start or complete my shopping. I headed off to the mall last evening to risk my life and wallet at the retail outlets.

Amazingly, I survived.

It was touch and go for a bit, but after a rocky start, I managed to pull it together and remember everything on my list. Did I say list? Well, I didn't really have a list, more like a collection of unrefined gift ideas.

It was an experience, and I was even able to assist Chris with a purchase via the magic of cell phone technology--so I knocked a gift off her list while I was out.

I admit that it was fun to be out with the crowd--lots of families rushing to complete their shopping. People are different at Christmas. I think it is because they are thinking outside of themselves by looking for gifts for others--it changes perspective from inward focused to outward focused.

That is not to say every experience was good. In one store, I stood in line for 10 minutes to check out and then they forgot to offer me gift boxes so I had to go back later to get those. Admittedly, it was my first stop and I wasn't fully in the shopping "zone" yet.

My shopping experience spanned about three hours, and by then I was ready to call it a night. Except that I needed to make three stops on the way home--ugh! That is what I hate about shopping--there is always one more stop to make.

I do love shopping on Christmas Eve though. The rush knowing that the end is in sight coupled with the panic of trying to find the right items from the picked over shelves mingled with the time crunch. It helps to get me in the Christmas mood.

For now though--the shopping is done and I can begin to find the real Christmas mood.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge. MD

'Tis the Season for Lists

Just a note--five days until zero hour.

Lists, lists, and more lists.

Seriously, I do not think there is anyone in the world who makes more lists than Santa--except my wife.

I know she is going to think I am picking on her--but the lists work for her. She has a full accounting of who is naughty and nice! Down to the minute detail. And I am in awe of her lists--even to the point of digging through the recycling last evening to find a list that was feared to have been accidentally discarded.

Her lists keep Christmas straight, even and most of all--equitable! Everything is catalogued in terms of number and price. Gifts are deconflicted, swapped among recipients, and even returned before the main event should a need arise. And the need arises quite a lot as gift ideas are changed or better sales appear in the ads..

Me? I'm lucky to have what I will call "gift" clarity five minutes before I need to make a purchase. I think about gifts--but I do not make lists. I have enjoyed shopping on Christmas Eve as the panic of being down to the wire comes up against the crush of the crowds. But, I have found that this is not a good recipe for success. Although, I have obtained some pretty nifty third options by shopping that way.

And I even rely on dumb luck--like this year, already. I recently learned that a major gift that I was going to purchase for someone had already been taken by others. Just through casual conversation.

So given everything happening in my life, it has been determined that tonight is my night--the night I finalize Christmas for those for which I am responsible. It, fortunately, is a short list. I have been given tonight for this activity due to playing some absolutely uninspiring racquetball last evening in the league tournament. I didn't make it out of the first round, and based upon how I was playing, I didn't deserve to make it to the semifinals.

So as a reward for failure on the racquetball court--I will sojourn into the crowds with my list to complete my Christmas shopping.

Wish me luck in my task--Christmas depends upon it. Too bad I can't just depend upon Santa to do the job.

BTW--I'm a terrible shopper.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings -- December 19, 2011

1. Six days to go. I hope all of the shopping is done and everything is ready for the main event.

2. The fortunes of football continue to be fickle. The Ravens decided to give up being in the driver's seat for the season and the playoffs and give it over to the Patriots. Along with their loss and the Packer's loss went my hopes of a Fantasy Football championship.

3. And in the category of wierd things happen when we least expect them, Kim Jong Il, the leader of North Korea is reported to have died overnight. Just what we need--instability in another part of the world.

4. The final family birthday before Christmas has been celebrated and now it is time to slide feet first into the all encompassing Holiday Season.

5. We had an interesting talk in church yesterday about the Magi who sought the baby Jesus. Aside from all of the great teaching, that trite phrase kept creeping into my mind-- "Wise men seek him still!" And it is true. We need to question and understand the depth of the relationship that God wants to have with us.

6. Cold. The weekend was cold. I did almost nothing outside; but I did go to the grocery store three times!

7. Chris is working on the words of a song using the Twelve Days of Christmas tune. The opening verse is, "On the first of December my true love said to me, 'Yay it's the holidays.'" I can only guess where it is heading--but it is sure to be funny.

8. What do you get when you put together five small children, two dogss, two cats, and 10 adults? Nope, a birthday party!

9. My hope is that you find peace and joy during this season of holidays. Enoy the lights. Enjoy the parties. Most of all, enjoy being alive to be able to be part of life and able to enjoy the season.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Brinkmanship and Government Shutdowns

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Amazingly enough--Congress got their act together again at the last minute to avert a government shutdown that had the potential for completely destroying our economy.

I continue to be amazed that the Congress is so dysfunctional that every couple of months it brings our country to the brink of disaster but failing to pass a budget. Here is the rub--the budget was due to be in place by October 1. It is late-December with Christmas upon us and last-minute deals are required to preserve the economy and the functioning of our government.

What is wrong with this image?

Yet, we Americans are beginning to accept this approach to budgeting as the norm. It happens every year. But, this approach is incredibly wasteful. I believe that if the Congress could get a budget passed before the start of the fiscal year that governmental agencies could better manage their resources and provide increased levels of efficiency. As it is now, countless peeople are engaged in multiple levels of contingency planning to prepare for and mitigate the effects which would occur as the result of a total government shutdown.

That, folks, is waste--effort which could and should be applied elsewhere.

I am reminded of the potential impact on the budget by something so ubiquitious as a computer log in.

Go with me on this hypothetical example.

There are about 4.43 million (including military) government workers making an average pay of $67,600 per year. These figures are according to some quick research I did on the net and you should be able to easily replicate these numbers. That means that the average pay is about $32.50 per hour.

Now, if the login time for these workers to access the computer network necessary to do their work is increased by 15 seconds every day, that means that the effective cost in term of lost producticity is about $599,000 per day. Over the course of the year that equates to over $1.2 Billion (yes billion). For a 15 second change.

Think about how much time is being wasted every year because Congress can't get their jobs done on time.

And then add to that the increasingly oppressive oversight and reporting requirements that Congress levies on the Executive Branch. The overhead costs of doing business are becoming so great that productivity is eroding.

Brinkmanship costs us, the taxpayers, money. Real money.

We need to impress upon our representatives that they are expected to get a budget passed before the start of the fiscal year. It is one of the required items on their report cards--and then we can begin to streamline the overhead associated with operating the US Government.

"We the People" need to help our leaders channel their energy more wisely.

--Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Christmas Songs Sound All Alike

Radios blare the tarnished tunes
like silver set out for the feast
once a year, the songs are played
then stored away again.

The tunes have played too many times
sentiment lost, still the words I sing
frozen tunes, the melodies strive
to stir the season in my soul.

Snowmen and Santas and coming home
the words repeat too many times
meant to help spread peace and joy
yet now are just more air.

I heard Longfellow's famous words
of old familiar carols play
too familiar it seems today
their notes ring all too hollow

Songs frozen in times long gone past
drape the season in familiar clothes
I come back again each year
to seek anew the season's reason.

The joy of birth, new life and hope
Of angel's songs and God come down
of gifts, and love, and seeking men
of peace on earth; good will to all

Shake off the tired striving songs
cast out the ghosts of Christmas past
for God came down on that great night
to live with us--and hasn't left.

The War is Over--Military Leaves Iraq

Iraq is done. Nine years later we can claim success and come home.

Why aren't the church bells pealing?

Why aren't we sponsoring parades and clamoring in streets? Today marked the handover of the last US base in Iraq to the Iraqi people.

At the conclusion of a war we should be celebrating peace and a new beginning. But, in this case, we are still at war in other places--this is but one success in a chain of wars and operations.

It has been a good year though--Usama Bin Laden has found his way off the planet to his eternal reward and the war in Iraq has concluded.

It is Christmas and although many of our military are deployed around the world continuing the fight against terrorism and the forces of darkness, the good news this holiday season is that we have left Iraq--just as was promised so long ago. Whether Iraq is viable as a country is now in the hands of the Iraqis.

Next up? Afghanistan! Let's win and come home.

I like to think--that for all of the families of service men and women returning home for the holidays, that this is a great Christmas gift.

So let the church bells chime and let us celebrate a new beginning--at least for today.

Christmas Pets--Caution

I see them everywhere, pets being offered a Christmas gifts.

Giving a pet for Christmas is dangerous because unlike other gifts, pets require constant work. Yes, they provide companionship--and I admit, having been the recipient of a Christmas puppy three years ago, they can be among the best gifts given and received during the holidays.

But the downside is that they reqquire constant work and attention. In the case of puppies, there is requisite training and multiple times per day walks to allow the pupppy to take care of business.

I remember when Makayla was still being trained, I drove home at lunch every day to let her out and give her some mid-day companionship. I was lucky to live close enough to where I work to be able to do that.

Even now that she is a wonderfully trained dog, Chris and I still consider Makayla's needs at the end of the day before heading off to shop or play racquetball. I stop by the house most evenings to let her out and spend a few minutes with her before rushing off to play racquetball. And when we are out on successive evenings, I feel very guilty about leaving her alone for so many hours.

And so, my caution is this--consider the entire situation when considering a pet as a Christmas gift. Pets are a longterm investment, and while the return can be worth much more than the effort, for some people there just is not enough time in life for a pet.

Cuddly and small on Christmas morning grows quickly into a demanding task--and if not done properly, the pet will be the ultimate loser.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Not Everyone Watches Football on Sunday Afternoon

On Sunday afternoon, when the guys are watching the NFL on TV and sipping on soft drinks and munching on popcorn, not everyone in the house is doing the same thing.

This past weekend, as Mike and I were watching the Redskins almost defeat the Patriots, and the women were out shopping, one guy in the house was marching to the beat of his own drummer.

Jax was in bed faking sleeping upstairs, but I found Ethan curled up on the sofa with an iPad amusing himself, despite the activity occurring elsewhere in the house.

It was kind of nice to see Ethan just hanging out doing his own thing in the quiet of the house.

He was oblivious to the struggle we were watching on the TV in the next room. And that was good because the outcome was not good for the home team.

Everyone needs some alone time.

Even E. Way to go. We all need to take note!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Christmas Songs

You have heard them, I am sure.

The Christmas songs on the radio, ugh!

I am so burned out on Christmas songs already I think that if I hear "I'll be home for Christmas" one more time I will gnaw through my steering wheel.

Why am I burned out on Christmas already? I am not sure, but the songs seem the same. Even Nat King Cole's "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" is making my gag reflex go off.  And I used to love that song.  Really!

Maybe it is where we are headed.

The songs sound tired to me. I've heard them and they have not grown. I have grown! Christmas is different to me now than when I was a child, but the songs are still the same.  And, they are tired.

I think it is because the songs keep Christmas fixed in time, and the spirit of Christmas is alive and vibrant. Every year is new and every Christmas is a new beginning. The old tired songs just do not do it justice. The secular songs just cannot change either--I mean, how many times can we sing about "In the meadow we can build a snowman?" Truly, how many people even can envision what that scene looks like today? What is a meadow?

Christmas is alive. It changes every year as we grow deeper into the meaning of the season.

This year, I have a friend who has helped me see that the sappy songs of Christmas do it a disservice because the baby born in the back roads of the Roman Empire has changed everything.

We do Him and the season a disservice by not growing deeper into the true meaning of the season, the meaning that God came down on Christmas to save the world--and was rejected by many of the people He came to save.

Sadly. I have grown tired of the "O Holy Night" sentiment that traps Christmas. I want a more upbeat sound to revive my soul and remind me of the grace, the peace, and the hope that the season is all about.

I went to a performance of "The Messiah" by Handel the other night and was reminded of the mission that that baby was on--the baby who grew into a boy and then into a man, and then was killed because the people of the time were blind to His perfection.

He has called me friend and He has called me brother.

God came down on Christmas day.  No religion in the world believes that their God ever came to walk with them. And to understand the crush of everyday life.

That is why Christianity is not a religion, but rather a life style.

Today, why not thank God for the gift of Christmas, His son?







 

Monday Musings - December 12, 2011

1. I think I am getting burned out on Christmas music already. If I hear "I'll be Home for Christmas" one more time, I may run away.

2. It is getting colder out every morning, I guess winter is getting closer. It is 20 degrees outside this morning.

3. Less than two weeks to go until the big day.

4. The Presidential primaries are beginning to get interesting. I wonder who will be elected.

5. Traveling during the holiday season can get very interesting. TSA wants to keep us guessing about what nonsense item they will focus on next before allowing us to get to our gates. Important safety tip: don't wear backbrace, it may be confused with a money belt, which we all know are illegal. Interesting article about two senior citizens who had a very bad experience.

6. I can tell the NFL season is almost over, my Fantasy Football league playoffs begin next week and my team is stumbing in after losing 3 of the past four weeks, ugh! And I am still going to be the number 3 seed.

7. Looks as if there is a problem in space. The Russians have given up on their sick Matrian probe and it looks as if it is going to come crashing back to Earth.

8. For those of you who were wondering, spring training for baseball is just over two months away. Some teams have pitchers and catchers reporting as early as February 18th.

Cold Sunday Morning

I was watching the weather person on the news this morning trying to describe how cold it was outside. I had to laugh when she said it hadn't been this cold since December 2nd.

Really? Just over a week? I was expecting something more profound, like February.

I had noticed the cold while walking Makayla. It really was cold and I probably should have worn a coat--but I hadn't. Really cold, of course, is anything below freezing. Today, my thermometer registered 21 degrees.

I did notice the white, cold, full-moon shining through the branches of the trees. I was mesmerized by the naked branches of the trees and remembered how just a few short months ago the leaves would have hidden the moon from my view.

The light the moon cast though, was sufficient for me to clean up behiind Makayla as she took care if some business. I prefer thaat to using the small flashlight on the end of her leash.

We are closing in on winter.

Cold will be prevalent everywhere--and even some snow and ice by the time spring rescues us from the grasp of the dark days.

Two weeks from today, Christmas Day, the rush of the season will culminate with a day of intense celebration. And then on to the New Year.

Despite the cold, I pray you will be warm and surrounded by love.

The dawn has broken and it is time to start the day. Make it a good day.

Weekend Respite and a Happy Ending

The pace of life has truly picked up during the past week.

I'm not sure if it is due to the Christmas season or whether things are just cruising along more quicky and it is becoming harder and harder to keep up.

I relish weekends when I can catch my breath.

I'm sitting here with the cat who came back, Riordan, in my lap after just watching the end of a sappy Hallmark movie whith a yellow dog in it. I am a sucker for dog and horse movies--so I was immediately captured when I saw the movie and even more when it was a yellow dog (Lab).

I took a few minutes out of a shaping up to be an incredibly busy Saturday two weeks before Christmas to enjoy a story and look for the happy ending. The stories always seems to have a happy ending and the movie maker's twist is to make me wonder if my desired happy ending will be the one they choose.

I know life sometimes doesn't seem to have happy endings in everything. But that doesn't keep me from trying to find the happiness and joy in things.

On the other hand, I haven't even bought Cristmas cards yet.

So I am hoping to catch my breath this weekend and prepare for another fast paced week.

And help Chris get some things done to ensure a restful Christmas. Is that possible?

Happy Holidays. Truly. Take a time out to enjoy the season and the decorations.

I hope you can find the happy ending in the season which is really devoted to happy beginnings.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Phineas & Ferb

If you know who they are. Then you are definitely young enough for admittance.

Winter's First Causality

And so it has happened already. The first causality of winter. A couple of year old plant in the garden has not made it, already. Three months ago it was green and vibrant, yet today is it brown and dead.

I can hardly believe the carnage that the rainy weather is having on my gardens.

I certainly hope that springtime comes soon--despite knowing that we still have not officially entered the winter season. The last two days have been very cold, though.

Too cold.

Yet, there is more cold and foul weather ahead of us before we break into the warmth and earthy smells of the springtime.

I know of at least one pant that I will be replacing.

I guess it gives me something to look forward to--a trip to the nursery. I wonder if I should leave the dead plant there as a testament to how much I dislike winter?

Nah, I'l dig it up. It is too depressing to look at the once green plant and wonder way it died before its time.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Christmas Stories

What a season!

There are stories everywhere about the season. Stories of hope and peace and love and joy abound.

Some of the stories though are hard, and the happy miracle ending that I want to see happen, isn't happening.

Even in those situations where the endings aren't what I would want to see occur, the rest of the story is written in how I respond to the endings and the new beginnings.

The spirit of Christmas is in how I respond to others in the good times and the hard times. And at Christmas, I am more forgiving, more loving, more tolerant, and I realize that life is a team sport, I do not and cannot walk this life alone.

I know people for whom this season is a season of sorrow and pain. I grieve for them. Real life is not all bows and ribbons. I dearly wish it could be. But life is like that.

The TV programs and the commercials would have me believe that spending a bit more money can overcome anything.

It isn't true.

There is real sadness and no matter how hard I can hope that there is a way to turn sadness into joy, it is not that simple. If only the worst thing that happens during the season was that I ran out of egg nog.

But life is how we respond to each other and how we affect each other. Friends support friends--no matter what.

And the joy of the season is in assuring others who are experiencing hard time and difficult situations theat they are loved and not alone, no matter what.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Intolerance--the Initial Reports are In

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I read an interesting article in the New York Times the other day titled The Price of Intolerance.

The article raises some interesting points about how the developing mood in our country against immigration and cracking down on illegal immigrants is having some very clear negative impacts to our way of life.

The scene for this article is in Alabama, and the impact of the loss of the lower working class of the population is significant--not just on the farmers who have crops rotting in the fields--which by the way will not make it to market and therefore drives up the price of food for everyone, but on the businesses which cater to the immigrant population. And here was the punchline for me--"there is no evidence that Alamabaians in any significant numbers are rushing to fill the gap left by missing farm workers or low wage laborers."

So why do it?

The intolerance is resulting in a situation where they are cutting off their nose to spite their face.

I worry about the current intolerance I am seeing across America. I see threads to another time in other countries where classes or groups of people were blamed for economic or national failure. The ressulting scene was not pretty and had some horrific outcomes. We experienced it in our own country with the McCarthy era communist hunts which caught many innocent people up in situations which our Constitution should have protected them from.

I worry about the intolerance of some of the laws being proposed by our leaders in knee jerk reactions to the economy. So far, in my opinion, many of their attempts to fix the economy have only made it worse. I know I am no better off now than I was two years ago.

Our current problems are causing us to look in the wrong places for remedy.

We are not an intolerant people--but we are becoming a scared population which will fling itself against anyone or any idea which offers a glimmer of hope.

We have entered election season--I am afraid that the rising intolerance factor will drive us to elect not the best person for the job, but perhaps the most radical and narrow-minded person who merely has a good-sounding proposal.

And if we are not careful--our whole economy will be rotting in fields right alongside the unharvested crops in Alabama.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

December Rain

It rained overnight.
At least it wasn't snow.

The temperatures are still above freezing and
although the days are short,
I enjoy the prospect of being outside,
even if only briefly.

I know the snows will come,
too soon.

And with the snow,
the cold and ice.

But for now,
I'll enjoy the mild weather
as December slides into January.

The dark is oppressive,
I noticed it last evening
as I was leaving work.

I experience the dark now
on both ends of my daily journey.

But this morning, I am thankful
for the rain is not snow.

And the leaves which still remain on my lawn,
are mixing with the Christmas decorations.

Monday Musings - December 5, 2011

1. My how quickly the year is passing, it is already December and 20 days until Christmas.

2. Writing of Christmas, the next time you are afraid to say "Merry Christmas" to someone and defer to "Happy Holidays" go check the name of the Federal Holiday we celebrate on December 25th.

3. I read this on the net--there is a new law being considered for the internet called the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and under that law, reportedly, you could get 5 years in prison for uploading a Michael Jackson song--which is one more year the the doctor who killed him got.

4. So far this December the weather has been fabulous. I spent a lot of time outside this weekend doing yard work--something I couldn't do during October and November. Chris reminded me that I am actually getting springtime chores accomplisheed. I wonder if I should open the pool? Or would that be pushing it a it too far?

5. Is having two Christmas trees at home excessive?

6. Spending a day alone with a three-year old really provides a new perspective on life.

7. You know you are losing your eyesight when you read a sign and are convinced that a store is open until 11 pm only to find that the sign really said 10 pm -- and you are pulling up in the lot at 10:15 pm. Thank goodness for 7-11.

8. The hardest question I have to answer this itme of year is: "What do you want for Christmas?" I sincerely, don't have a clue.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Decorations for the Darkness

The neighborhood is bursting with Christmas decorations to provide light during the night.

The decorations are nice to look at--although the one house that always over does the decorating has not yet joined the fray. They tend to make it seem a bit gaudy and detract from the season.

Although we tend toward the simpler approach, many of the houses are now sporting the inflatable trees or snowmen--I'm not sure I appreciate those decorations as much as the people who install them do.

And the LED lights--wow, they still seem to be from an alien planet to me with their other world illumination. I much prefer the softer glow of the incandescent bulbs--which soon will be sold no longer, I am told.

Christmas Decorations
to Drive Away the Darkness

What seems to be missing more and more from the decorations. though, is a reference to the real meaning of Christmas. More and more the decorations seem to be advancing the idea of snow men and Santa Claus at the expense of the one who was the first gift.

I love the scene from The Polar Express when Santa holds his hand high above his head and announces the first gift of Christmas--which was a simple reindeer bell. That bell turns out to hold the magic of Christmas in its ring, which adults and many children cannot hear because they do not believe.

It is similar to when the angels announced the birth of the savior of the world two thousand years ago--a newborn baby boy in a garage in a backwater part of the world called Bethlehem. Didn't seem like much of at the time. But,  much like the bell, the people who cannot or will not believe that our God came to earth for them miss the point of the event--and likewise the season. Those of us who recognize the importance of the event continue to marvel at the simplicity and majesty of the plan to save the world from itself.

The first gift of Christmas, given in a barn so long ago, is the reason we celebrate the season. He is the reason to decorate and drive away the forces of the darkness which grow stronger--just for this season. We are children of the light--and we need to proclaim the light to those who are in darkness.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Penguins vs Messiah

What an interesting 24 hours I had that ended at 11pm yesterday.

Thursday night I, accompanied by Jeremy and Patrick, headed off to see the Penguins play (and defeat) the Capitals in D.C. NHL at its best.

Last evening, Chris and I headed off into Baltimore to hear Handel's Messiah performed by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In a word--inspiring.

In a span of 24 hours then, I went from screaming "Let's Go Pens" to singing (under my breath) "and He shall reign for ever and ever. King of Kings, and Lord of Lords."

That friends, is a huge contrast.

The title of the blog today almost makes it sound like a campy movie (kinda like Cowboys vs Aliens).

But it is all good.


It highlights the complex person that I am--and, for that matter, how complex most people are. I have many interests and need to be careful to cultivate all of them. Yes, I love classical choral music. I admit it.

And with it being the Christmas season, there can be no better way than to review the entire story of Jesus than through the music of Handel's Messiah. Where else can I be reminded of the prophecy of his birth "the glory of the Lord will be revealed" (Isaiah 40:5) and then sing with the angels announcing the birth of Christ in the words "Glory to God in the highest." (Luke 2:14) And then to the joy of the resurrection in the words of the Hallelujah Chorus from Revelations 19:6 and 11:15. Finally, being reminded of his eternal reign in the words "Blessing and honor, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever." (Rev 5:12-13)

In reflecting upon the two evenings, I found that Penguins vs Messiah really isn't a big stretch. It is all just part of a complex and interesting life. A life that is filled with family and friends who keep me from being alone and boring--because left to my own devices, I am really a boring person.  Just ask my dog, Makayla.

Not to be forgotten though--the Penguins played their part, too. They delivered an early Christmas gift by defeating the Capitals. Kinda goes with the spirit of the season, doesn't it?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Hockey Night in DC

It was a great evening, last night, traveling into the heart of DC to watch NHL hockey between the Capitals and the Penguins.

I witnessed a close game which was well played ending with the Pens defeating the Caps 2-1.

What was different was that I was cheering for the visitors. In most of my experiences at sporting events, I am usually cheering for the home team. But, as I am a Penguins fan, last night I was one of those guys. The fans from out of town. I am reminded of the Yankee or the Red Sox fans who invade Oriole Park every year.

Fortunately, there were a lot of fans wearing the colors of the Penguins, so I was not alone. The impromptu celebration on the steps of the museum across the street after the game may have been a bit over the top, but it was really neat to hear the gathered throng of fans yelling in unison "Let's Go Pens." we'll, it was all good fun until the DC police arrived to "protect" everyone.

I do want to note that the Caps fans were generally gracious. As always there are some who haven't matured yet above the street fight level, but on the whole, and given the cost of the tickets, everyone remained civil. This was especially nice to experience since the Capitals are currently in the midst of a streak where they are truly under performing.

It was fun to attend the game and sojourn into the heart of DC. Someone suggested that we go to Philadelphia for a game--but I'm thinking that's not a good idea. Even though Pittsburgh fans travel well--going into Philly is not such a good idea.

Best to leave well enough alone.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD