A Mug Of Tea At 5 Degrees

We woke up this morning to find out the kiddies have a 2 hour delay from school. Days like this can really mess up the daily routine. Instead of Dave going to school at 7:30am he now has to go at 9:30am. Tot from 7:45am to 9:45am. The caboose (Hannah) from 8:30am to 10:30am.
Our furnace is working very efficiently since the gas company serviced it last week so we are nice and warm.
The temperature on the Weather Bug is holding steady at 5 as of this posting; but with a hot cup of tea at hand, life is good.

For The Love Of Money: Thanks For The Memory

Well, after 18 years of choir directing; this too has come to pass. Like Jesus said as he was hanging on the Cross: "It is finished." I have no regrets, no malice or hatred towards my faithful choir members or any of the "flock" at H**C. Some higher Church officials, at times, dictate the future of things in their parish without thinking the important decisions through. They tend to look at the short term picture not long term.
We, as Orthodox Christians, look at our Church as "life boats on the stormy sea of life." Higher authorities sometimes make sudden decisions that steer the life boat onto the rocks of, self-interest, greed, and love of money, thus jeopardizing the spiritually of all who are trying to grow closer to God and His Church.

Liturgical music in the Orthodox Church is an important part of liturgy. Without semi-trained choir members and a director that knows the "rubric" of each service, liturgical worship can be disrupted. Examples of distractions are: loud individual voices heard over the entire choir, bad vocal intonation, and long pauses between the choir and clergy. In fact, according to the Holy Fathers of the Church, this type of worship is considered to be heresy. According to the Abridged Typicon (a book of the order and conduct of divine services) it sums up liturgical singing this way:

"The majority of the faithful are not experts on singing. But ask this
majority what it expects from Church singing and what kind of
it wishes, and the majority will answer: give us such singing which
will touch the heart; which will move us to tears of emotion; which
will lift up our spirit and help us to pray."*

The bottom line is: without a trained choir director at the helm of the choir; spirituality and worship place second fiddle greed and love of money. Worship may well become a "spiritual cesspool."

Thanks for the memory.

Peace

*Taken from: "Abridged Typicon" St. Tikhon's Seminary Press. 1985.

Uptown With The Duke

I am currently listening to the Duke Ellington Orchestra performing Louis Bellson's arrangement of "Skin Deep." I think Mr. Bellson was one of the first to utilize the double bass drum. The recording that I have took place between 1951 and 1952 when the Swing Era was receding into the past and the "big bands" like Count Basie were breaking up. Here is what the liner notes say about this wonderful recording:

"Louis Bellson's arrangement of Skin Deep framed his own drum artistry very
effectively. His innovative use of two bass drums was a sensation, and it enabled
him to execute then unheard-of -feats of virtuosity. Yet it was always virtuosity
under control. Everything is in place here, neat and clean, never degenerating into
bombast. The orchestra is brought in- and out- for relief and pace, and the swinging
section midway gives a fulcrum to the whole performance, one that brings this pro-
gram to a rhythmic climax."

Blog Use

My wife Kathy is working on a double Major in college: English/Mass Comm. My thought was that all English majors, as a requirement and part of the final grade, should be required to publish a blog posting their daily thoughts. Yes, they should still keep a hand written journal, but why not use the internet in a positive way in the form of a blog!

CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!

It is the Orthodox Tradition to proclaim these words to one another during the time of the Nativity of Our Lord. At the end of the Divine Liturgy, or any other liturgical service, it is custom for the priest to shout out: "Christ Is Born!" with the people responding: "Glorify Him!"
With the Christmas season eding in the secular world on December 26th the Orthodox Church celebrates another 12 more festive days; ending on the eve of Holy Theophany.

International Politics' Acronyms And Body Gestures

I took an International Politics course in College which I thoroughly enjoyed. The neat thing about it is that it's chock full of wonderfully colored acronyms. Read on:

MAD= Mutual Assured Destruction. This was used throughout the Cold War period. 1950's to late 1980's.

NGO's= Non-Governmental Organizations. Example(s) Greenpeace or Amnesty International.

IGO's= Intergovernmental Organizations. Example (UN) United Nations

SALT (I, II)= Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. Limits on U.S and USSR strategic weapons.

Another very important factor that weighs heavily in the International Political arena are body gestures. A hand signal, for example, you might think is ok may be down right insulting to someone on the other side of the world. In fact the "OK" sign or "thumbs up" is perfectly postitive here in the United States but in Arab culture it is seen as a sign of hostility and aggression. Another example is the use of the peace sign. If turned the wrong way, it could spark a war between you and someone in Australia!

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

Happy St. Nicholas Day to all! Last night we had a Vesper Service in honor of St. Nicholas of Myra. Our kiddies received small gifts from him when we were at Church. Sorry, no gold.

Can You Find the Arrow?

FYI

Connecticut: Waterbury- A surgical patient at Waterbury Hospital was burned in a flash fire in an operating room from equipment that malfunctioned. A hospital spokeswoman said the 60-year old man sustained minor burns to his face. The hospital staff had extinguished the fire by the time city firefighters arrived. An investigation was begun.

Do I smell (pardon the pun) a lawsuit awaiting?

Christmas Carol Lyrics

My wife and I were coming home from grocery shopping and we had our car radio tuned to a station that plays Christmas music 24/7. I remarked to her: "Humm... I wonder how many of the listing audience can correctly interpret the lyrics to some of our holiday classics?" Anyway, I did a little research and came up with some interpretations:

"Take a look in the five-and-ten, glistening once again..."

Five-and-Ten= nickel and dime Pop shop.

"A pair of hopalong boots and a gun that shoots."

Translation= A pair of cowboy boots and a gun (toy) that shoots

Lyrics taken from "It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas"

"Make the Yule tide gay..."

Translation= Make the festival of the Winter solstice a happy one.

"Here we are as in olden days, golden days of yore."

Translation= Here we are as always, remembering wonderful days long ago.

From: "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"

Thermometer Calibration

It is of utmost importance in the food service industry to have an accurate food thermometer. Certain bacteria can make people sick within minutes of ingestion; especially dangerous is the bacteria found in most poultry products. The industry standard temperature for cooking poultry range from 170-180 degrees F.
How do you know your thermometer is accurate? The answer to this is to check it in ice water. We know (or should know) that water freezes at 32 F; therefore, a glass of ice water will be very close to 32 F. By setting the thermometer in the ice water for a few minutes, you can find out if the thermometer is accurate if it correctly reads plus or minus 1 degree short of 32 F.
If the thermometer is not accurate you can calibrate it in two simple steps:

1.) At the back portion of the dial, there should be a hex or square shaped nut.

2.) While your thermometer is still in the ice water, use a small wrench to hold the nut secure and twist the dial portion until the indicator is directly on 32 F.

This blogger wonders how many food establishments require a weekly calibration test. Hmm... food for thought.

Onion Domes and Casinos

I read an article in yesterday's edition of the New York Times which addressed the issue of casinos and gambling in and around Moscow, Russia. Apparently they're having a real problem with it. Amongst the many onion domed Orthodox Churches that surround the city, a growing number of its population is becoming addicted, more than ever, to gambling.

I did some further digging on this growing problem by logging on to ITAR-TASS information site. According to TASS "The Moscow Duma ( lower chamber of Russian parliament) has adopted a legal act banning all gambling outlets from apartment buildings, bus and railway stations, airports, and from 100-meter exclusion areas around educational establishments." 1*

This blogger did not know that Russian's gambled, or even had slots and casinos in Russia!

According to Moscow's Serbisky PsychiatryInstitute:

2 million Russian's gamble each year.

330,000 Russian's are considered "compulsive" gamblers.

compulsive gambling leads to alcoholism.2*

*1 source: http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/prnt.html?NEWSID=1094667

*2 source: http://www.postcronicle.com/news/original/article_21246291.shtml

And Top 3 excuses Are...

Most Orthodox choral singers are simply not passionate about singing. We claim to have the "fullness of the Faith" ,which includes a rich tradition of liturgical music and chants, but we don't seem to care about it at all. I have been choir directing for the past 18 years and have become witness to this. So here we go with the top 3 Orthodox choral singers excuses for not singing prayerfully:

1) "We're not professional singers so deal with it."

My response to this is that I would necessarily not want a classically trained operatic soprano, for example, blaring out shrieks of a Cherubic Hymn soprano line only to draw attention to herself. Don't get me wrong, as they're probably many professional musicians who are of the Orthodox Faith who do prayerfully sing in their home choir. Ya don't have to be trained to sing sweet melodies to our Lord! It's an EXCUSE! According to the Abridged Typicon (proper order in Church book) it says: "Executing liturgical music in a shouted tone of the secular songs, or the passionate operatic tones, does not give those who are praying a chance to concentrate nor grasp the content and meaning of the hymns."

2) tardiness. I don't think that I have ever had all my choir members at the start of the Divine Liturgy! Having said that, it does not look favorably on me or them as well. They don't take their ministry with any seriousness. Also, it shows the lack of respect for God, those who came early and are trying to pray, and the choir director. Which leads to...

3) Lack of Self Discipline: If one can get ready and be on time for work, why not apply this to Church. Plan accordingly, set the alarm clock at least a half-hour back. I bet half, if not all Orthodox "slackers" do this for their secular job.

Oh...By the way, I tell my choir members to listen to African American Gospel music. Gospel music is "alive" "fresh" and soulful; not slow, lifeless, and dull sounding as are some of our choirs sound.

To be fair, though, there are many outstanding Orthodox Choir's around the country.

Kitchen Lingo

I have had the pleasure to work in the Food Service industry for about ten years of my life. As with all other professions in the world, we had our own second language; "kitchen lingo" if you will. Here are some real gems that I have remembered over the years:

guerilla= grilled chichen breast

for the squabs= child's menu

behind you, coming through, or watch your back--all mean the same thing...DON'T MOVE!

your mama= the dumpster

radar love= microwave it!

"kill it"= to cook the hell out of it

deep six= throw it away

make it happen!!!= do whatever it takes to give the chef what he needs

pay the bills= pick up the food

pre-meal= deadline to meet

"go get another case of 69's"= 3 compartmented aluminum foil homebound feeding trays. The ref. to #69 is just the code on the box. AFHFT #69

Canada Geese Facts

Walking home from Hanni's Halloween parade I noticed a flock of Canadian geese flying in a perfect V formation. When I got home I did a google search on Canadian geese. The following information is from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Region 3 Midwest Internet Service).

Q: How big is a Canada Goose?

A: A full grown Canada Goose will have a wing span of 6 feet and weigh from 7-10 lbs

Q: How high do they fly?

A: On daily feeding flights they usually fly from 100 to 1,000 feet depending on wind and disturbance from people. When migrating they fly much higher, finding an altitude with a wind that is going their direction. Geese have been seen as high as 9,000 feet.

Q: Why do geese fly in a V formation?

A: The air to the side of a flying goose is smoother to fly in than the more turbulent air right behind. A goose flying back of another goose would be like a person trying to swim behind a motor boat.

Halloween Facts

Since 1995, trick or treating in the town of Sandusky Ohio, has been against the law for anyone older then 14.

It is very rare for a full moon to occur at the same time as Halloween. It has only occurred in- 1925, 1944, 1955, and 1974. The next time it is said to occur is October 3, 2020.

The word Halloween appeared in the Dictionary in the 1700's.

According to ancient superstitions, if you stare into a mirror at midnight on Halloween, you'll see your future spouse.

Finally... The pumpkin is one of the best sources of Vitamin A.

Salem Witch Burnings?

Q: Did you realize that no witches were burned in Salem?

Yes. Everyone knows about the burning times, the period of history when witchcraft hype gripped parts of Europe and North America. Popular media has created the image of witches being burned at the stake, which still persists today. In fact, though many of the accused, men and women, were actually hanged (or executed by other means).

Salem Witch Trial Victims:

June 10, 1692
Bridget Bishop

July 19
Rebecca Nurse
Susanne Martin
Elizabeth Howe
Sarah Good
Sarah Wildes

August 19
George Jacobs Sr.
Martha Carrier
George Burroughs
John Proctor
John Willard

September 19
Giles Corey (pressed to death)

September 22
Martha Corey
Margaret Scott
Mary Eastly
Alice Parker
Ann Pudeator
Wilmont Reed
Samuel Wardwell
Mary Parker

And of course, the final irony of the Witch Burnings is that just because these people were accused of witchcraft, did not make them all witches. It's believed that most of those who died were actually upstanding Christians, just like their accusers.

So when talking about history, make sure to use "Salem Witch Trials" rather than the "Witch Burnings at Salem."

Check the Twisty!

Someone sent me an email concerning the freshness of store bread. If you really want to know how old or how long the bread has been sitting on the store shelf; just look at the color of the twisty. According to the claim: Monday=Blue, Tuesday=Green, Thursday=Red, Friday=White, and Saturday=Yellow. Note, the colors go alphabetically:Blue, Green, Red, White, and Yellow. I did some investigation and to my surprise Monday's bread twisty was Blue and Tuesday's color was Green. I also checked this claim out on Snopes; yeah it's no urban legend, it's true.

Peaceful Coexistence

It was nice to read an article in the New York Times concerning the nation of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan you say? Yup. I was not aware that this country is home to over 40 religions. Yes, 40 religions that coexist peacefully. With all the violence in the Middle East, Kazakhstan is proof that people can establish an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding of all faiths around the globe.
President Nursultan Nazarbayev was quoted saying: "In the past 15 years, there has not been a single case of a newspaper or television station harassing the followers of any particular faith." Kazakhstan should be the rubric that the rest of the world should follow.

Moon Shot

I captured this picture tonight of our wonderful moon. The cosmos, this early evening, is breath taking!