Tuesday, November 12, 2024
#1
Every year, I play a game with thousands of other people on the Yahoo platform called College Pick'em. Every week, I pick the results of 25 college games against the spread, and hope to move up among the others playing across the country. I usually enter in three categories: fans of Baylor, people from Minnesota, and then the pool of everyone in the country. Right now, I am #1 in all three. [And yes, Class of '31 is my ID).
You may wonder what I did to achieve this lofty status after 11 weeks of play. Do I assiduously research injury reports and the latest news on every team?
No, I don't.
Do I have favorites that I bet on regularly?
No, I don't.
Do I furtively seek out the spirits of college football to divine the outcomes?
No, I don't.
Instead, I have a pretty simple process: I always pick the better academic institution (and I do have a system for that). It doesn't have anything to do with football, but it does have a lot to do with betting. The spread is established by how bets come down on each side, and there is a bias against good academic schools, so people tend to bet against Duke and Stanford and Northwestern (for example) for an irrational reason-- academic prowess. The strong academic schools also tend to be smaller, so there are fewer alums betting on their alma mater, skewing the odds. It usually puts me above average-- but this year I have had that and a lot of luck!
Monday, November 11, 2024
Poems, from angry to resigned....
On the election, you told your truth. This came from CraigA:
Desiree had a tough task:
I looked at a class
of sad, scared faces Wednesday.
Tried to give them hope.
of sad, scared faces Wednesday.
Tried to give them hope.
Christine sought refuge:
I left Florida
Returned to my blue enclave
in woods, cocooning
Listening to jazz
And audio books so many,
Swimming clears my head.
Returned to my blue enclave
in woods, cocooning
Listening to jazz
And audio books so many,
Swimming clears my head.
The Medievalist.... well, he's in Texas:
Texas just parties,
The just love Ted Cruz a lot,
It bewilders me.
The just love Ted Cruz a lot,
It bewilders me.
Jill Scoggins had a rough evening:
Falling asleep then
waking up. Hoping results
are diff’rent. They’re not.
waking up. Hoping results
are diff’rent. They’re not.
And Anonymous steers us to the right task:
Love your neighbor, no
exceptions - such a hard task,
but I have to try.
exceptions - such a hard task,
but I have to try.
Sunday, November 10, 2024
Sunday Reflection: A Proud God
There are things about our modern worship that don't seem to fit with what I see in the Gospels. One of them, a big one, has to do with humility.
When I read what Jesus taught, I see an emphasis on humility, over and over. We are to see the log in our own eye, not the stye in another; we must give serve others to truly lead; the first will be last and the last will be first. It is there in so many parables, and of course in the example of Jesus's life and death itself.
So we have a faith that is centered on humility. Yet, we seem to imagine a God that requires constant praise, who completely lacks humility. Jesus implores us to love God, which is not the same as to praise him. The modern trend towards praise music at the exclusion of nearly everything else is just one sign of that.
It might be that praise is easy theology. There is no sorting out social issues or fretting about what we can do for the poor or conflicts over the source of our understanding. Many church leaders are all about avoiding conflict by standing on common ground, and they do that through praise theology.
And, of course, there is an industry-- particularly, a music industry-- built up around this easy theology.
I just can't imagine a God who needs our praise. What kind of God is that? But the fact that so many do imagine such a God makes it easier to understand how they have conflated God with Donald Trump-- who inarguably does demand praise.
Of course, there is some role for the praise of God, but it is for our benefit, not God's. Praise reminds us that God is greater than us, which is a root of my own theology. It's simple, but profound. Yet, that needs to be a starting place, not the whole message.
Saturday, November 09, 2024
Oops!
Friday, November 08, 2024
Haiku Friday: Post-election reflection
You know that I gotta go there, right? Here, I will go first:
Television glows
Red, blue, red, red, red, red, red.
"Magic Wall," so red.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun!
Thursday, November 07, 2024
Political Mayhem Thursday: Now with even more mayhem!
Was I surprised by the outcome of the election? Yes, I was. Do I have some predictions about what comes next? Also yes:
-- First, the world isn't ending. And we have about two and a half months left of the Biden Presidency (remember him?) that could be very consequential-- if Biden is active and engaged. That could be a very big "if."
-- Second, some of the things Trump described doing "on day one" are just impossible to implement. For example, mass deportations would require huge amounts of personnel to carry out, and they just aren't available "on day one." Day 560, maybe... but even then it would be a hugely expensive and disruptive project and it could be we stop hearing about that for a while.
-- Third, the Elon Musk/Donald Trump relationship is inherently unstable. They both love the limelight, and Trump will be loath to share it. If they turn on one another, it will be a battle royal.
-- Fourth, the one thing Trump seems most likely to do is to cut taxes. He did that last time, after all, rather than build the wall and get Mexico to pay for it (among other things he talked about a lot in the campaign). Certainly, those tax cuts could juice the economy for a while, but it will also spike the national debt. But.... I seem to be the only person in America who pays attention to the national debt.
Wednesday, November 06, 2024
An important mission
I don't know about you, but I found yesterday to be kind of exhausting.
Yeah, I loved voting in the morning-- I always do. For the first time ever, I saw people waiting in a long line at my polling place. But wait they did, as they did all over the country. That was the best part of the day.
In Minnesota, we will have Tim Walz back here as full-time governor. And, in this new era, that will be a very important job. Here's why:
It's common to say we are becoming "two nations," referring to blue and red states, and there is some truth to that. But the deeper truth is that each state is becoming, in a way, its own nation. Red states are different than one another, and the same is true of blue states: Oklahoma is not the same as Indiana; Minnesota is not California. Texas is putting up its own border controls. My own state is an island surrounded by red-- we might as well be our own country, one that people flee to if they need an abortion.
To get through the coming years, a governor like Walz will be more like a president-- he will be leading a government that is largely cut off from the federal government both in culture and practice.
Are we ready for that?
Tuesday, November 05, 2024
Things to do today
1) Vote
2). Text a friend and see how they are doing
3) Have a good lunch
4). Don't check in on the news until after 7 pm
5) Read about sports
6) Check on when Christmas events will be happening where you live
7) Finish up those travel plans for the holidays
8) Watch a few old SNL clips
9) About 3:30, have a snack
10) Wear comfy socks
Monday, November 04, 2024
Poems of cuteness!
There were some great reflections on all that came to the door on Halloween. We had this from Jill Scoggins:
Student’s toddler as
a cow. So stinkin’ cute! Her
giggles made my day.
a cow. So stinkin’ cute! Her
giggles made my day.
IPLawGuy, I admire this kid (see picture of me above)!:
Last minute, half ass
Kid wearing a cardboard box
Brazen, made me laugh.
Kid wearing a cardboard box
Brazen, made me laugh.
And Anonymous saw some real cuteness:
Cutest ladybug
Red with black spots, tiny hat
Smile that melts my heart.
Red with black spots, tiny hat
Smile that melts my heart.
Sunday, November 03, 2024
Sunday Reflection: After Tuesday
On Tuesday, one candidate will win and one will lose. There will be spiritual crises for some on the losing side. The race has been so tied up with identity that it will be hard not to feel that identity challenged-- and, if we are honest, because our principles and identity are tied up with our faith, it could challenge that as well. After all, if principle so clearly shows one candidate should win, who are we when they don''t?
And that is when religion will have to be more than politics.
Hopefully, as with any moment of crisis, faith can help us transcend hardship and understand those things that are hard to understand. After all, the entire faith grew up under a hostile regime, something that the Bible describes often. (And yes, I realize that many Christians don't see Trump as hostile to faith, but that will have to be another post).
Saturday, November 02, 2024
A comedian's take on "that comedian"
Friday, November 01, 2024
Haiku Friday: At the Door
It's the day after Halloween, and at least some of us got to see some kids come to the door. What good costumes did you see? (I know we did a personal favorite costume of our own last week, but this is about them, not you). It can be from another year if you didn't get the experience this year. Here, I will go first:
A green witch appeared
With terrifying visage
Genuine deep fear.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun!
