12/02/2005 07:00:53 PM|||DaveShack|||

Scenes from a wedding we went to in early November. Site: Salvation Mountain, near the Salton Sea. Posted by Picasa
|||113357885357387094|||7/08/2005 08:08:00 PM|||DaveShack|||
Well, against the odds, and probably due in part to the prayers of others, we managed to get a lot of the stolen stuff back. Wednesday at noon the Pico Rivera police called and said that they had raided some house and found a lot of stuff in a small basement that didn't seem to belong there. Among the things were our credit cards and passports, H's iBook, our videocamera and about 1/3 of her jewelry. Any more obviously valuable jewelry is still missing, as is all the jewelry she'd made by hand, so we take some pleasure in the idea that they liked the jewelry she'd made.

                   

Wednesday afternoon I was playing with the kids in the front yard and an unmarked police car drove by slowly. There were two officers in the front seat, and a guy in the back. The officer in the passenger side waved at me, and I think I recognized him as the detective we'd talked to earlier that day. The driver was pointing at our house and talking to the guy in the back seat. They were probably taking the culprit on a tour of his jobs.

Late Wednesday night the detective called and said that they'd found my laptop at another location. Turns out it was a boyfriend/girlfriend catburglar team and the first recovery had been at his house, and that they'd found my laptop at her home. She'd already reformatted it and installed XP Home edition, according to the detective. I tried to pick up the laptop Thursday night, but the detective was out on "an operation." I'm hoping that the girl also took all the better jewelry home with her too, and that we'll find some more of that.
|||112092181893156156|||what's found?7/05/2005 11:14:00 PM|||DaveShack|||
There's a game that gets played at some baby showers in which an object-filled tray is placed in the center of the room. On the tray is an array of parenting-related objects and the viewers are given thirty seconds to try and memorize all the items on the tray. The tray is removed, some sort of diversion is perpetrated, and then the participants are asked to recall all the items and write a list of them on paper. The winner is the one who recalls the most.

We've had to play a variation on that game today, as I will tell if you are patient. First, we had a great 4th. We started with a matinee of Star Wars for the boys, proceeded to a swim-BBQ at a friend's, and ended in Pico Rivera watching dozens of big rocket-style fireworks being launched from several block parties nearby. It was only a five-minute drive from Whittier, but a great distance culturally. In Whittier we got in trouble a few years back for lighting sparklers in our front yard. In Pico we were watching Disneyland-style fireworks being launched from people's driveways. That's the difference between uptight white and a bit of Mexico-style holiday vida loca.

Coming home from that fun around 10pm we found that our house had been ransacked in our absence, and quite a few things were missing. Our laptops, all H's jewelry, all our credit, id cards and passports. Other random things: geodes, a videocamera, a cell phone adapter, and a box of H's little-girl toys that she'd been saving for Mairead. We'd left a window over our kitchen sink unsecured, and they found it and climbed in that way. A policeman came out that night to dust for fingerprints, and by the time we were done cleaning up all that fingerprinting powder mess, it was past 1am.

I spent today cancelling cards, getting a new checking account number, and trying to narrow down the time that the break-in had happened. I've been able to calculate, from the times that a couple of my stolen cards had been used, that it had to have happened between noon and 5pm. We also had to make a list, for the police, of what was missing. I think this would have been a lot harder for me than for H, but luckily we were working together. She wrote a description of 25 different items of jewelry, amazingly enough. She's great at those sort of feats.

The loss we took the hardest was The Box of Little Things, which contained H's childhood memorabilia. When we realized that the thieves had gone through our cedar chest of photos, old yearbooks, and old stuffed animals and had taken TBOLT, I knew it had been a pillowcase job. They'd had a pillowcase and had just been throwing anything that might be remotely valuable into it. I looked over at our bed, and sure enough, one of H's hand-made pillowcases was missing. Why they chose that one over the rest of the store-bought ones, we're not sure.

On the most recent Sunday I had been leading a class on false views of God, and the one we'd looked at was that of God as a butler or cosmic genie. We talked about an idea that Ignatius of Loyola wrote about in the sixteenth century, that of detachment. Ignatius' idea was that it is natural to prefer wealth over poverty and health over sickness, but we also know from Scripture that suffering is a necessary component of our lives since, as described in Romans 5, it leads to perseverence, character and hope--and is usually a necessary ingredient in the process of sanctification. Given this situation, we can't know what is ultimately in our best interests, only that God does. Well, this has been a great opportunity to sit and consider our attachments, deciding whether what was lost was somehow among them.
|||112080337459422734|||what's missing?7/01/2005 11:10:00 PM|||DaveShack|||
H heard the boys cracking up in their room a couple of days ago while they were supposed to be cleaning up. The laughter was so sustained and boisterous she decided to see what was going on.

          

I think you might get this if you crossed Star Wars with Dune: a Bene Gesseret Sith. Anyway, I thought it was a hoot when H took a picture and sent it to me at work.
|||112080325456215582|||Darth Vine6/20/2005 02:35:00 PM|||DaveShack|||
Ooh, I feel icky... I just finished ripping five Bon Jovi cd's to mp3. I have this sense, which I'm sure is merely classist outrage, that I've sullied my music library at work by adding music which includes three different recordings of Living on a Prayer and You Give Love a Bad Name. One of each versions is from a downright scary "alternative folk-style" album (This Left Feels Right) on which all BJ's major hits are stripped down to the studs and rebuilt as alt-emo acoustic bedtime songs, hardly recognizable as the original leather-knickered arena anthems. What's Bon Jovi without something to sing along to, lighter aloft? When my ripping app connected to CDDB to download all the track names, it categorized the album as "folk-pop."

                        

So why would I do this? Well, for the sake of corporate community. I maintain an mp3 share at work that around five of us contribute our personal music to. We've got around 320 albums and 4000 tracks so far; our only rule is that no music is to be copied off the share. In any case, the Bon Jovi contributor has provided a lot of great music in the past, primarily latin alternative like Ozomotli, Cafe Tacuba, El Gran Silencio, and Jarabe de Palo. So when he hands me five new cd's to put on the share, his biggest single donation, I look at them, and gack!

I would love to be the sort of person who wouldn't blink at another's taste...but I'm not sure what principle I would tack that desire on to. Wanting everyone to feel included? I think that must be it. The countering desire is a cocktail of superiority, aesthetic concern, and a desire to be hip. If this share, even though communal, is somehow also an extension of my taste and personality, its content matters. But I'm also suspecting that some of my criteria for what passes for hipness or taste are wanting. It's about image: I wouldn't care that much if a contributor asked me to put a bunch of obscure and annoying artists into the mix, yet the dangers of those bands inflicting themselves on the curious digital wanderer is much greater than the possibility of someone who wouldn't like Bon Jovi deciding to listen to it.

The difference is that people know who Bon Jovi is. And the worst is (if we're really honest) that Bon Jovi isn't really that bad a band, they're just out of vogue. And why out of vogue? Because they fail to successfully reinvent themselves. Obviously they've tried, but what may have worked for Rush (basically turning to easy-listening) isn't working for them. I can't really imagine them going the Metallica route and appealing to the alt-grunge crowd either. They were always too pretty. Think, how many of the other blush and mascara/denim hunk rock anthem bands have made a successful transition into this millenium? None that I can think of.

                    

But back to the topic of snobbishness. Everyone's got their sentimental guilty pleasure. An album or book or film that you pull out every long while and treasure for its ability to take you back to a differently complicated time. Maybe it's a Chicago or Gene Loves Jezebel album, or that William Shatner novel you return to. To truly qualify as a guilty pleasure, it can't be something mediocre with camp qualities, something that's widely accepted as a cult classic, like The Monkees or Red Dawn or something like that. It has to be something that the general public decided was lame within two to five years of its first appearance in the public spotlight. Geographically, Bon Jovi doesn't really qualify, since there are large zones of the US in which they are still quite acceptable fare. I should probably come to terms with the fact that they are just passe in my own small frou-frou demographic.

Truth is, there was a time when I kind of emulated the Jon look myself. Picture to come.
|||111930509141524508|||misk tisc6/13/2005 02:19:00 PM|||DaveShack|||
I don't usually do this meme thing, although I enjoy reading those of my friends. And I actually rarely get sent them, but since I got two in the last couple of weeks, I thought I'd sit down and fill mine out. Maybe I'll leave the process slightly more collected. First the book meme from Kaitlynn and Kateri, since it was the first to arrive in my box:

1. You're stuck inside Farenheit 451. Which book do you want to be?

The fire department incident log book.

2. Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

I think anyone I've ever had a crush on has ultimately been fictional.

3. The last book you bought was?

Flight: Volume 2. It's an anthology of comic strips by a collective of young illustrators. It's great art and fun stories, and 98% is ok for kids.



4. The last book you read was?

Freddy and Fredericka, by Mark Helprin. I liked it for its heart, but its actual style was sometimes grating. Helprin switched back and forth pretty manically between his normal glowing alabaster prose and a crazy who's-on-first verbal slapstick of puns and misunderstandings. It was disjointed that way...but I will say I loved it when Freddy was quoted/misheard as saying "I want to be your tarpon."

5. What are you currently reading?

I've got a few things on the fire:

- Terminal Services for Windows 2003: Advanced Technical Design Guide, by Brian Madden
- the latest issue of 32 Poems journal
- the latest, Star-Wars heavy, issues of WIRED magazine
- Einstein Didn't Use Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn--and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less, by Roberta Golinkoff
- Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy, by Matthew Scully

6. Five books you would take to a desert island?

I can't help but be practical.

- The SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the WIld, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea
- Secrets of the Night Sky: The Most Amazing Things in the Universe You Can See With the Naked Eye, by Bob Berman
- The Complete Works of Shakespeare
- A Parallel Bible that contained both the KJV and Message translations (if such a thing ever existed)
- A Soldier of the Great War, by Mark Helprin
|||111869845662368914|||book meme6/08/2005 04:35:00 PM|||DaveShack|||
One of my favorite essayists lately is Paul Graham. Dave was the first to introduce me to him, and I found that even though Graham is generally writing about programming and business, his specialty is really a product of focused lateral thinking, and he's a great teacher of basic principles, easily crossing disciplines to show how his ideas have broad application.

He recently published a book of essays titled Hackers and Painters. Here's the first couple paragraphs of the title essay:
When I finished grad school in computer science I went to art school to study painting. A lot of people seemed surprised that someone interested in computers would also be interested in painting. They seemed to think that hacking and painting were very different kinds of work-- that hacking was cold, precise, and methodical, and that painting was the frenzied expression of some primal urge.

Both of these images are wrong. Hacking and painting have a lot in common. In fact, of all the different types of people I've known, hackers and painters are among the most alike.
In the essay I read today, titled Taste for Makers, he discussed taste and beauty as it pertains to the designer:
Mathematicians call good work "beautiful," and so, either now or in the past, have scientists, engineers, musicians, architects, designers, writers, and painters. Is it just a coincidence that they used the same word, or is there some overlap in what they meant? If there is an overlap, can we use one field's discoveries about beauty to help us in another?
He goes on, listing 14 different principles of good design. He chooses well: good design, among other things, solves the right problem, looks easy, and is often slightly funny...
I think it's because humor is related to strength. To have a sense of humor is to be strong: to keep one's sense of humor is to shrug off misfortunes, and to lose one's sense of humor is to be wounded by them. And so the mark-- or at least the prerogative-- of strength is not to take oneself too seriously. The confident will often, like swallows, seem to be making fun of the whole process slightly, as Hitchcock does in his films or Bruegel in his paintings-- or Shakespeare, for that matter.
Stream an interview with Paul Graham at ITConversations.com. Speaking of which, ITconversations is a great resource for those who want to know what bright people in the tech industry are talking about. Less boring than you'd think, and a lot of fodder for thought about potential future career paths. For example, right now the site has a conversation about the future of technology in education and how wiki-type technologies could be the answer for school districts that need something simple and don't want to worry about maintaining local data servers.
|||111827654285015897|||Paul Graham on taste and design across disciplines5/26/2005 10:41:00 AM|||DaveShack|||
Michael Chabon has a sweet plum of an essay on his site, one of many, I'm sure. It's called Women of Valor and tells of his discovery of a comic book superheroine named Big Barda (created by Jack Kirby) that he came to love.

              

Near the end of the essay he transforms his discussion of Big Barda into an inked kiss to his own wife, who he says embodies so many of Barda's qualities. Here's the conclusion:
It's traditional in Jewish homes, on the Sabbath, for a husband to chant the poem called Eshes Chayil, "A Woman of Valor." In ancient Biblical language he praises her, articulating a litany of true womanly virtues: strength of body and mind, compassion, resourcefulness, reliability, artfulness. He praises her costume, and her readiness for righteous battle. "She girds her loins in strength," is what he says, "and makes her arms strong." Every week, in every home-traditionally-every husband affirms this central truth to every wife: that she is, as that great Jewish mythographer Jack Kirby understood, his Big Barda. Alas, the chanting of this poem is not, I'm sorry to report, a tradition that my wife and I observe. So I guess these words will have to serve instead.
The Eshes Chayil is less enduringly known as "Proverbs 31". My own Barda, Bathsheba, and Boudicca is celebrating her 31st birthday today, and I'm happy to quote from a contemporary translation of the Eshes Chayil to honor her:
A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds. Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it.

She shops around for the best yarns and cottons, and enjoys knitting and sewing. She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places and brings back exotic surprises.

She senses the worth of her work, is in no hurry to call it quits for the day. She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth, diligent in homemaking.

She's quick to assist anyone in need, reaches out to help the poor.

She doesn't worry about her family when it snows; their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear. She makes her own clothing, and dresses in colorful linens and silks. Her clothes are well-made and elegant, and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.

When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say, and she always says it kindly.

She keeps an eye on everyone in her household, and keeps them all busy and productive. Her children respect and bless her; her husband joins in with words of praise: "Many women have done wonderful things, but you've outclassed them all!"

Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God. Give her everything she deserves! Festoon her life with praises!
                             

She deserves it all.
|||111713281393960570|||Eshes Chayil5/06/2005 01:36:00 PM|||DaveShack|||
Born at 4:38am on May 3rd, she delayed aquiring legal personhood for more than a week after she was expected, and as a consequence entered the world sharper-eyed and with more gravity than she might have had, had she been punctual. She was more than a bag of chocolate chips heavier than her brothers, coming in two ounces shy of nine pounds.

She fits the mold of her brothers as far as newborn behavior: fairly placid, possibly gassy smiles without any gassy cries. What is generally known as "an easy baby."

I posted some additional pictures here.


Hello. Posted by Hello

Where the actual delivery is concerned, we can say that it was swift, too swift for the doctor to orchestrate its ending. As a result, David, the friend Sarah, and the duty nurse buttressed Heather's already strong mental game, and Sarah caught the newly crowned around five hours after arrival at the hospital. The doctor arrived around ten minutes later and quietly did a bit of sewing. Of the three births, this was by far the best experience.


Espen and Abel love their new sister Isaleen...in their own little ways. Posted by Hello
|||111541181621204609|||mairead isaleen vine blessing is here4/28/2005 08:33:00 PM|||DaveShack|||
Some of you know that this is Holy Week for the Orthodox church. More true to the Jewish calendar, their Easter, or Pascha, takes place at the end of Passover like it did 2000 years ago. Passover Week runs from April 24th through May 1st, and today is the "real" Maundy Thursday. Regardless of your tradition, there's something about tying our celebration of the Resurrection to its original historic context that feels right.

If it weren't for Heather delivering any minute now (her due date was last Sunday), we'd go down to south Orange County to attend some Holy Week services with some Orthodox friends. We kind of like the fact that if we happen to diminish the Protestant/Catholic Easter by being unreflective and uncollected, we often have another chance to approach that mystery within a few weeks later.

Not that we don't have the opportunity to approach it weekly, even daily, though. As some are good at reminding themselves, "It's Friday, but Sunday's a-coming!"


He is risen, indeed! Posted by Hello
|||111474562019468189|||resurredux