It has been a very long time since I’ve updated the blog! I’d like to apologize, but don’t really know that it is required or even necessary. 
There are some changes that are taking place, both in my personal life and in the direction I want to take the blog! Keep checking back in! It won’t be long before we’re back with a new direction and new focus!
Cheers!
JB
Yesterday was one of those perfect days as far as Sundays go. Woke up late. Went out for breakfast. Hit up Costco. Washed the car. Took a nap. Thumbed through some cookbooks. Tried a new recipe, which, if I’m being honest, wasn’t all that great (new recipes often have a way of sounding great on paper but the reality at times, is a let down). And by 9:30p, I had toddled off to bed and even turned off the TV. Sleep began to invade my day dreams and I welcomed it.
At some point in my quickly fading consciousness, I began to hear ...this love has taken it’s hold on me… repeating over and over and louder, with more urgency. I jolted out of bed as it dawned on me that I was hearing the ringer on my mobile phone. As I ran down the hall to the kitchen, I tripped over Shiba sitting in front of, and glaring intently at, the back door as if to will it open. The phone number was not recognized and I sent them directly to voicemail…heck, it was 10:30p after all. As I came back down the hall, I noted that Shiba was still very intent on using her special powers of telepathy to open the door. Of course, not wanting to crush the self-confidence she possesses in her “special powers”, I eased open the door and out she went, proud of her specials gifts I’m sure.
Shiba, for those unfamiliar with this most amazing of dogs, is part Chow Chow, part Shiba Inu, and is ALL spoiled rotten Diva. She doesn’t bark as there is no need. She doesn’t make messes in the house, she simply sleeps all day. She likes her breakfast at 6:30a and will announce her displeasure when it isn’t placed in front of her…right on time. And speaking of food, she doesn’t like food that normal dogs eat. She prefers ckicken and rice or steak and potatoes, warmed of course and hold the peas. She doesn’t like other dogs, especially those who make the mistake of trying to sniff her Britney parts. She will somtimes tolerate dogs that equal her in size (appx 40 lbs), as long as they stay away from her Britney parts. Any other creature is not wanted or welcomed and is apparently fair game…owners be damned. This was evidenced the first week we got her as she chased the neighbor’s cat into their house causing one naked (no lie…bare ass naked) neighbor to run screaming through the house while dishes and glassware came crashing down all over the place. Truth be told, she is a loving, wonderful dog who thinks that we rule. She follows us around the house, lays at our feet, gives us kisses and in general is the perfect dog! To top it off, she’s this beautiful red color that is often mistaken for an over-grown fox!
As I stood half asleep, barefoot and in my boxers, I heard what sounded like Shiba chasing something up one of the trees in the backyard. She’s done this on several occasions with the neighbor’s cat and, in my half-asleep state, I thought perhaps they were up to their games again. I stumbled out of the courtyard into the backyard and looked to my left where all the noise was coming from. Shiba was not at the tree. It seemed odd since the noises continued all down the side of the fence.
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness of the backyard, I saw her standing in perfect pose against the lights of the fountain. Was that something dangling from her mouth? Immediately, I thought of the neighbors cat and my heart started pounding frantically. I yelled at her, but she trotted away to the middle of the lawn. I ran closer, continuing to yell. She continued to ignore me! As I yelled, I got a better glimpse of whatever it was that was dangling out of her mouth. Shiba, jaws wrapped around the neck, was violently shaking this bundle of fur, eventually dropping it in the middle of the lawn. As she stood over her prey, looking every bit like a wild animal who had just killed dinner, I suddenly saw my princess in a whole different light. I got as close as I could to the bundle of fur hoping against hopes it wasn’t Tigger the cat. As I did, Shiba grabbed the fur ball by the back and shook it, giving me the distinct impression she was attempting to break it’s back.
My adrenaline was pumping as this wildly primitive scene played out in front of me. Shiba, while obviously proud of her kill and wanting to show it off, had no desire to be the obedient house pet we’ve come to know and love. She was a killer and no amount of yelling or screaming was driving her from her prey. She had caught it dammit and it was hers. By this time, I realized my own near nakedness and ran into the house to put some clothes on. Clothed and with some shoes on, out back I ran, only to find the scene unchanged. Shiba was busy playing with, and killing her prey. I yelled some more. She ignored me some more.
I spotted a water bucket and grabbed it, intent on making this somewhat grotesque and grisly scene come to an end. I glanced around, knowing the neighbors might be peering from over their fences and out of their windows and would be loving what they saw. Shiba dropped the prey from her mouth and stood, quite proudly, looking at me…a bit of fur hanging from her mouth. I banged and waved the bucket in her direction and she slowly started slinking away. I quickly looked at the bundle of fur and, after inspection, breathed a sigh of relief. Tigger was safe, at least this time. Leaving the dead animal where Shiba had dropped it, I ran in to alert the rest of the house to the goings on of the past 5 or so minutes.
To be honest, I was a little bit freaked out when I looked at my perfect little angel. Tracking blood into the house, with bits of fur hanging from her mouth was not exactly the look I expect from her. With voice shaky from the adrenaline pumping through me, I woke T up from off the couch and we trooped out back to look at the dead thing she had killed. I could already feel myself getting nauseous. Now, I should note here that I witnessed Shiba kill that animal. I saw the snapping of the neck and breaking of the back. It was DEAD!
It was also GONE! The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. In fact, every bit of hair on my body was on end. Some dead animal had apparently had a religious experience on my back lawn, been raised from the dead ala Lazurus, and was now walking around my backyard. T kept laughing at me, but I didn’t care, something wasn’t right. I had a bad case of the hibi jibi’s.
It was decided that if in fact the animal was still in the backyard that Shiba might as well be allowed to finish off the job she had started. I wanted no part of it, but I did open the back door and let her out. She followed the path of her recent kill, peeing over places where she had stood with her prey. It was bizarre to watch her perfect stance with tail raised. She was king of the land and it showed. She trotted over to where we had left this dead beast. After some quick sniffing, she put her head on the ground and rolled herself all over the area. I didn’t want to let her in the house.
Still freaking out about the disappearance of the dead prey, I mentioned that the animal must have been playing dead. At which point T laughed and said, “that’s why they call it playing possum.” Dead!?! Turns out, just playing dead! I didn’t let Shiba know she hadn’t really killed the possum, her self confidence just might not be able to take the hit.
Addendum – This article was written several years ago and is being re-released today in memory of our beloved dog Shiba who passed away this afternoon from a brain tumor! She was an amazing dog that will be missed. RIP Shiba!
I don’t watch beauty pageants! Maybe that has to do with my home room teacher my sophomore year in high school. I don’t remember her name, but her face I’ll never forget. Well past her prime, she none-the-less, kept trying to relive her pageant days. It freaked me out! It still freaks me out! I’m also not a fan because typically, the ladies involved are often portrayed as intellectual midgets who are reduced to spouting off nice sounding “sound bites” coupled with a smile that’s not quite fake, not quite real, that lends credence to the accusation that these ladies aren’t much more than looks. That makes me very uncomfortable! And, if I’m being really honest, pageant ladies remind me of Barbi and I was never a Barbi fan. Perhaps that’s my bad, but, it’s the way it is.
Given the above, I think I can be excused for not knowing who the reigning Miss California is. The name Carrie Prejean meant nothing to me just as surely as the name Jonathan Bullock meant nothing to her.
I won’t bore you with the history of how Ms. Prejean’s name came into the spotlight, except to say that she deserves to be defended for speaking her opinion. We can truly be thankful that Ms. Prejean lives in a country where speaking one’s opinion, no matter how unpalatable, is allowed and in fact is encouraged!
Since her speech, Ms. Prejean has been lauded by christians and those who share her beliefs on marriage. She has also been defended by the likes of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Unfortunately, and somewhat bizarrely, she, and some around her, have made claims of being viciously attacked for her stand – in essence playing the victim card. She is, according to her, being persecuted for her beliefs.
Perhaps! Certainly Perez Hilton’s little rant immediately following the Miss USA show was low-class and vulgar although something to be expected from a guy who has worked tirelessly to craft an image of tacky, crude and rude. There have been some minor players who have made some rather vile comments that certainly could be labeled mean. Mostly though, those who disagree have said just that –
“you are entitled to your belief no matter how misguided.”
Of course, now has come the news that shortly before the Miss USA pageant, Ms. Prejean received breast augmentation funded by the Miss California organization. And even as I write these, another story is brewing and breaking regarding Ms. Prejean having posed nude with some suggesting the photo’s were taken after her recent breast augmentation. Ms. Prejean has acknowledged the photos, while claiming they were taken several years ago.
The most interesting thing is this claim that those who are bringing this information out are somehow “persecuting” Ms. Prejean for her beliefs that “opposite marriage” is the best way. Maggie Gallagher, head of an organization whose goal and aim is to fight same-sex marriage, has issued a press release today where she has stated that Ms. Prejean is undergoing “character assassination.” Ms. Gallagher further states that “the level of hatred leveled at her is astonishing.”
My comment, made over at The American Spectator is this -
I fail to see how pointing out Ms. Prejean’s extra-curricular activities equals persecution. Ms. Prejean is the one who posed for the nude pictures. She’s the one who requested to have breast augmentation. Having those things pointed out doesn’t constitute persecution.
She certainly has the right and the freedom to speak her opinion regarding same-sex marriage and should be commended for saying how she feels. At the same time, she can’t go around acting like a victim when her own, less that prudent, actions are exposed.
It appears to me that Ms. Gallagher is doing her best to profit and benefit off of Ms. Prejean. In fact, I would go as far as to say that Ms. Gallagher and her organization are using Ms. Prejean and will discard her when they feel she isn’t worth anything to them any more. That’s pretty evil…much more evil than having the fact that Ms. Prejean has posed for nude pictures brought into the light.
Ms. Prejean has the right to speak her mind! As a Christian, perhaps she feels compelled to speak her mind. That’s fine too! But, as a Christian, she certainly shouldn’t be surprised when people call her out for her own decidedly suspect behavior, i.e. posing for nude photographs which opens her up to accusations of hypocrisy.
I know this must be tough on Ms. Prejean. She’s young and I know from personal experience that being caught between very powerful interests is not easy. It’s easy to lash out at those you feel are destroying the small amount of “credibility” you’ve managed to built up in your few short years. But, I’d say to Ms. Prejean, if you truly want to project an image of Christianity to your world, then you need to get quit twitting those you disagree with and calling them names.
Perhaps all this “scandal” puts things a little into perspective for me. Christians, at least those who hold to “traditional” marriage, are losing the battle when it comes to same-sex marriage and one of the reasons is because they quit trying to fight the battle with faith and stooped instead to using dirty tactics. No matter who we are, when we fail to take the high road in a fight, when we stoop to the level of our opponents, or worse, even lower, or when we fight using dirty tactics, then we should always be expected to loose.
I truly wish Ms. Prejean the best! I trust that she has a good group of friends who are supportive of her and who won’t drop her once her usefulness has faded. I am hopeful that perhaps she’ll be able to sit down with people from both sides of this debate and have a rational conversation.
This faux “scandal” is truly unfortunate and really, besides Perez Hilton, the only people who look bad are the Maggie Gallaghers of this world.
JB
So many gods, so many creeds
So many paths that wind and wind,
While just the art of being kind
Is all this sad world needs.
–Ella Wheeler Wilcox
We are the leaves of one branch
The drops of one sea
The flowers of one garden.
–Jean Baptiste Henry Lacordaire
World AIDS Day seems destined to be a time when we call attention to our failures in the face of the greatest public health crisis ever.
I read recently that around the world three million people die from AIDS every year. That’s an average of 5.7 every minute of every day of the year. That statistic is mind-boggling! Many in the church world don’t want to have much, if anything, to do with this disease or those who suffer from it. In fact, there are some in the religious world who give thanks and glory to God for this disease which is claiming lives in every part of the world. As a believer, how am I to react to those I come in contact who have this disease? Am I to blame them for their condition and refuse to offer a hand until they acknowledge their reprobate life style as being the cause of their current condition? I can hear some of you saying right now how ignorant that sounds, and yet, there are people out there who, in the name of God, really wrestle with this type of question.
I think first it is important to recognize that God isn’t punishing people with a disease. That part is easily provable. In the Gospel of John, chapter 9, we are given an illustration that should remove any doubt about God doling out disease as punishment for perceived sin. As Jesus walked along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples asked him,
“Rabbi, was it his sin or that of his parents that caused him to be blind?” “Neither,” answered Jesus, “it was no sin, either of this man or of his parents. Rather it was to let God’s work show forth in him.”
When Eve ate of the “forbidden fruit” and convinced Adam to do so as well, the world entered into a “fallen” state, meaning that bad things now happen. We don’t live in a perfect world and as such, we will deal with destruction, disease and death raining down on the good and the bad alike. That’s the world we live in!
So, how do believers, people of faith, respond then to the greatest public health crisis our world faces? I believe we are to be healers, just like the illustration of Jesus in John. We don’t need to be quibbling about the why, when, what, and where of this disease, rather, we need to be showing love, compassion and healing. It saddens me a great deal when I hear stories of men and women who have been diagnosed with this disease and have lost the love and support of their family. They’ve run out of money and are basically left to die…alone! I want to scream…“where is the body of believers who are to be the healing hands of Christ?” Of course, I don’t need to ask where they are, I know! They are too busy trying to condemning gay people for their sex acts to realize that their God given ministry to help and heal is being forgotten. I read today a line written by the Rev. A. Stephen Pieters, who in 1994 said,
“When Christians reach out and touch those with HIV or AIDS, they can transform suffering into a living example of God’s love.”
Well duh!! Isn’t that what we are supposed to be doing as believers?
My grandfather was a old-time itinerant evangelist in the South. He and my grandmother traveled all over singing and preaching in country churches. As a kid, I would sometimes get to travel with them, and I well remember hearing that deep voice as he would share the love of God to people hungry to hear it. Often, he and my grandmother would sing,
“let me touch him, let me touch Jesus, so that others may know and be blessed.”
That’s what we are supposed to be doing, touching God for our fellow man. Christ said that what we’ve done to the least, we’ve in effect done to him. People who have been diagnosed with this disease have been handed a death sentence in many cases. Shouldn’t we be wrapping them up in love and compassion without playing the “blame-game” that traditionally goes on in the church world?
Several years ago, I read of a mega-church here in Southern California that sponsored a work-shop for 1,500 ministers on how to deal with HIV/AIDS here in America. Kay Warren, whose husband Rick is Senior Pastor of Saddleback Community Church in Lake Forest, California, said when recently interviewed,
“the evangelical church has pretty much had fingers in our ears, hands over our eyes and mouths shut completely, we’re not comfortable talking about sex in general and certainly not comfortable about talking about homosexuality — and you can’t talk about HIV without talking about both of those things.”
In the year prior to sponsoring this conference, Kay had been diagnosed with cancer and, during all the stuff she went through, had opportunity to become closely acquainted with several people dealing with HIV/AIDS. It changed her perspective and this conference on what the church’s response should be grew out of those relationships.
Today, as we focus on this disease that still has no cure, I thought of the words of Rick Warren who said
“the gospels repeatedly showed that Jesus loved, touched and cared for lepers – the diseased outcasts of his day. Today’s ‘lepers’ are those with HIV/AIDS.”
As believers, we are to be God’s hands and feet on earth! It’s time for the church to quit trying to blame God and gays for this disease and start following the example of Christ! Loving, touching and caring for those who need it most! And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.’ “Then those ’sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me – you did it to me.’ – Matthew 25:35-40 (The Message)
j.
