Oh, but look at those eyes!

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My story, “A Healing Place,” is out in the April 2010 edition of The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature.

You didn’t know I was Southern? Well, I guess my Southern Legitimacy Statement proves it.

By the way, the April edition of The Dead Mule has one of their biggest fiction issues ever, along with their poetry, essays, and a book review.

So pull up a chair, sit a spell, and start reading!

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The recent health care “debate” had both the blue team AND the red team stooping to lows of hysteria and vitriol, getting Americans riled up rather than taking advantage of an opportunity for understanding and education. So it is refreshing to see someone take the latter path, rather than the former, for a change.

Gina Welch, raised in a secular household in California, moved to Virginia to attend graduate school. Once here, she found herself in a rather different culture than what she was used to in California. She got interested in investigating the core of the differences in these belief/cultural/spiritual systems, and committed years of her life to this effort.

In her new book, In the Land of Believers: An Outsider’s Extraordinary Journey into the Heart of the Evangelical Church, Gina Welch details how she joined the Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia (some say this is ground-zero of Evangelicalism) to learn more about the types of folks around her in her new Virginia home.

Why Thomas Road Baptist Church?

Regionally, church membership was in the thousands and growing and Liberty University was fast becoming what the founder had hoped it would be: a Brigham Young University for Evangelicals.

The founder, of course, being Jerry Falwell.

Note, however, that the matter of Gina joining Thomas Road Baptist Church was not a trivial step. Says Gina:

I am a secular Jew raised by a single mother in Berkeley…. I cuss, I drink, and I am not a virgin.

She realizes that the people she wants to learn about would not be forthcoming if they knew she was writing a book about them, so she invents a story about herself. This deception allows her to join the church and make friends there, but comes back to haunt her in the end.

The book is mostly about her experiences in joining the church and developing relationships with people. But while in the church she witnesses several key events in the history of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, including the transition from the original church site to the new site (formerly the Ericsson cell phone plant) as well as the death of Jerry Falwell.

Also, in her journey she herself becomes changed, and discovers flaws in the caricatures the media paints of “Christian America”. There are actually real people behind those images:

And yet…against logic, as a liberal secular Jew, born to a Communist father, raised in Berkeley, educated in the Ivy League—I had been charmed by Jerry Falwell.

Gina takes a fair look at the church and its members, and, I think, all sides—the pro, the con, and the indifferent—can learn something from her experiences.

In the end, Gina has to deal with the deceptions she has committed, as well as the friendships she has created.

The result, I think, is a valuable insight into a segment of society where, currently, at the interface with the rest of the world, there is some distrust and misunderstanding.

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Here’s a short video of what I saw on the porch:

Ya, that’s a hungry possum. What I think is funny is the audio of him eating — crunching away.

I guess now I shouldn’t make the cats feel so guilty for eating so much food…

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1. Amazon Kindle

   

   This is the number one electronic gift for this season. If you want a smaller size, go for the Kindle 2 (my review). If you want a larger size, choose the Kindle DX (my review).

       

2. tie or scarf from Mountain and Sackett

   
     
   Established in 1957, Mountain and Sackett offers some of the best values in handmade ties and scarves. They choose the best fabrics from the best mills around the world, such as the finest English and Italian silks and wools, and then hand-make them for you. They even offer a line of ties and scarves where 60% of the sales are donated directly to Autism Speaks, a charity dedicated to aiding Autism.

3. iPod Touch

   

   So unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know the Apple iPhone and Apple iPod Touch have been the hottest devices around for a while now.

   I chose the Apple iPod Touch because the AT&T phone service in most of the state where I live is horrible, and so there was no point in being locked into a poor phone/data service plan for 2 years when it provides little value.

   But I love the iPod Touch, and I even learned how to program an application to run on this platform.

   Though I’ve been using it for a while, here’s my initial review of the iPod Touch

4. Fujitsu ScanSnap Scanner

     

   

   I can only say that this scanner has been a real help in eliminating paper waste and aiding my productivity. For example, I often have a lot of paperwork that needs signing and then sending to another third party. With the ScanSnap Sheet-Fed Scanner, I can simply sign the document, scan it in with the scanner, then email it to the intended recipient.

   Moreover, after using this product for quite a while now, I’ve found that its small footprint allows it to be easily carried from one place to another and setup in a new location — i.e., it is small enough to be plopped into my book-bag, carried to another location, then setup and used without any delays or hassles.

   Here is a link to my initial review of the Fujitsu ScanSnap scanner.

   So resolve to eliminate paper clutter — simplify your life and your workflow.

5. Gymboss Interval Timer

   
   
   

   For such an inexpensive timer, I’ve been really impressed. I use this timer in just about every workout. It is really handy when doing interval workouts, timed sprints, or any activity where you need to count off the time with an audible increment.

   For example, I may set the timer to chime once per minute for twelve minutes. Then I can do my workout pace of 20 kettlebell swings per minute, without having to watch the clock or count the time — I do my 20 swings, then rest until the alarm sounds. Rinse, repeat. This is one of the best cardio and strength workouts around (see below for my kettlebell recommendation).

   But back to timers — it’s simple to use, and is small, functional, and robust — what more could you want from a timer? You can pick them up as stocking stuffers from the Gymboss website (and my review)     

6. AccuSharp Knife Sharpener

   

   Unless you have specific knife sharpening needs, you can likely just forget about those expensive, complicated knife sharpeners and oilstones. The simple, and cheap, AccuSharp Knife Sharpener will be the only knife sharpener you will need. Trivial to use, lightweight, easy to store — this is the best knife sharpener worth many more times its price.

7. Kettlebell

   One of the best ways I’ve found to get in shape, get strong, and ramp up the cardio capacity is to use kettlebells. Ya, take a look at the pic — it’s basically a cannonball with a handle. But this one piece of iron will replace a gym’s worth of fancy expensive equipment.

   

   There are a lot of poor-quality kettlebells out there, so I would suggest you buy your kettlebell from the Dragondoor site — their kettlebells may be a little more expensive than other brand kettlebells, but the Dragondoor kettlebells are the gold standard, and the quality in the product will be worth more in the long term than any of the other inferior and more inexpensive kettlebell offerings by third parties. For example, I’ve used other brands of kettlebells that just shred your hands because of their poor-quality finish.

   

   Which kettlebell to get? If you are a guy and in reasonable shape I might suggest starting with a 16KG kettlebell. Females who are in reasonable shape should probably start with a 12KG kettlebell. Note: meet with an RKC (see discussion below) to be sure though, since people often try to start with a heavier weight than they are capable of handling safely.

   Along with your kettlebell, I would suggest you get the book Enter the Kettlebell! Strength Secrets of the Soviet Supermen. This book will show you some basic exercises with the kettlebell and gives you exercise programs you can follow, along with lots of helpful advice.

   

   If you don’t learn well from books, and especially if you plan on moving up in weight, I would really recommend meeting with a certified instructor (RKC) to help you with your form. Here’s an article I wrote about my experience meeting with an RKC, and how it really helped me.

   But if you can learn to use the kettlebell appropriately, then you have a lifetime of fitness gains and health ahead of you.

8. Flip UltraHD Camcorder

   
   

   So I’ve been using this Flip UltraHD Camcorder for about six months now, and I’ve been really happy with it. This camcorder is easy to carry and easy to use — taking video and editing it on the computer (Apple — see below recommendation) is almost trivial, and uploading the resulting videos to YouTube or a website is very easy.

   I am no video expert, but just by pointing and clicking I’ve been able to create high definition videos of those events I would like to remember. As an example, here is a sample video I recently shot with the Flip UltraHD:

   High Definition is where it’s at these days, and the Flip UltraHD makes capturing precious or memorable moments easy and practical.

9. Vibram Five Fingers

   If you want to really strengthen your lower legs and feet, want a solid shoe for weight lifting, running, and cross-training, want to learn to run with a natural stride, or simply like to walk barefoot without having to worry about stepping on ouchy things, then you might want to consider getting a pair of Vibram FiveFingers shoes.

   You may already have shoes or boots with Vibram soles, but Vibram also makes a line of shoes designed to allow the benefits and freedom of barefoot training without having to worry about the hazards of being barefoot (I’ve commented before on the benefits of barefoot running and the use of Vibrams).

   I have really enjoyed the Fivefingers KSO model. This version tends to Keep Stuff Out of your shoe when running outside, and the Velcro strap helps keep the shoe snug during a variety of activities.

   

   Note that you *will* get asked about your shoes if your significant other allows you to wear these in public.

   Oh, and if you want to wear your Vibrams during the winter, you may want to get these toe socks .

   

10. Shop Class as Soulcraft

    

    For those who are searching for what it is they really want to do with their lives, their life’s ambition is likely something other than working for someone else out of a cubicle. Sometimes we end up in jobs not because it’s what we *want* to do, but because we *can* do it, and so continue on, though perhaps we are never quite happy because our true calling is never satisfied.

    In Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work, Matthew Crawford takes us on an introspective journey into not only what it means to quit one career in order to do what it is you really want to do with your life, but the book also re-examines the benefits and satisfactions from manual labor.

    This is sometimes a philosophical journey, ala the classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values

11. Apple Macbook Pro

    

    Starting in 1986 I was a dedicated PC user, and put up with Windows because that was all I knew. But in 2004 I noticed that all my computer science security professors had Macs. Hmmm. So when my PC laptop died, I took that opportunity to switch to an Apple laptop, and I’ve never been happier with my computing choice.

    Most recently I’ve been using the new Apple MacBook Pro with Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard Operating System. The laptop itself is very rugged, built from a single block of aluminum. It also has a 7 hour battery, a beautiful, crisp screen, a multi-touch trackpad, a 500GB hard drive (I upgraded the drive), and the solid Snow Leopard Operating System.

    You may pay a little more upfront than a similarly-configured PC, but you will more than make up for the difference in cost through increased productivity, decreased maintenance, hassle, and time-wasted costs, and increased satisfaction with your computing environment.

12. Amazon Gift Card

    Finally, if you can’t find anything from the above list of items, then you could always just get an Amazon Gift Card, and let the recipient buy whatever it is they want. Who would be disappointed to receive an Amazon Gift Card?

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The short video below captures a few of the sights and sounds there, in case you missed it or are curious.

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From the Richmond Times Dispatch:

BLACKSBURG — Haiyang Zhu and Xin Yang, two Chinese graduate students at Virginia Tech, were seemingly doing nothing more than enjoying a quiet conversation and a cup of coffee together at a campus cafe when, abruptly, Zhu pulled a knife.

In the following seconds, the school’s police chief said today, Zhu savagely attacked the 22-year-old woman, cutting off her head.

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There are four crops of them more famous than all the rest. These are Chateau-Margau, Tour de Segur, Haut-brion, and de la Fite. They cost 3 livres bottle, old: But are so engaged before hand that it is impossible to get them.

Jefferson brought back his knowledge and love of wine to America to try to “elevate the tastes” of America by instilling in them a love of fine wine.

Some of these efforts can be seen by visiting Jefferson’s main estate, Monticello, near Charlottesville, Virginia:

Larger but very similar to his summer retreat, Poplar Forest, Monticello is where, among other pursuits, Jefferson cultivated and promoted his love of wine—trying to establish the Virginia region as a center of wine-making in the Americas.

Here is a portion of the vineyard at Monticello:

Though the Europeans have had many hundreds if not thousands of years to develop hardy and tasty grape varieties suitable for wine-making, Jefferson had to start mostly from scratch in Virginia. But while initial efforts were frustrated by a harsh climate and ruthless insects, today Virginia boasts some 108 wineries, producing great wines.

If you are in the Virginia area, you may be interested in taking a wine tour through Monticello. The “Jefferson and Wine Tour” gives information on Jefferson and his wine-making efforts, even allowing for some unique access to Monticello not available on the standard Monticello tour package. The tour ends with a wine-tasting, hosted by Barboursville Vineyards—an award-winning Virginia winery located on the grounds of the former estate house designed by Jefferson for Governor James Barbour.

Cheers.

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It is clear to most that the politicians of today are no where near the caliber of our Founding Fathers, and we have been reminded of this fact quite frequently during this campaign season. For example, even John F. Kennedy knew where to tip his hat: in 1962 the former President was entertaining forty-nine Nobel Prize winners at the White House, where he said,

“I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent and of human knowledge that has ever been gathered together at the White House—with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”

If you find yourself needing a reminder of those who helped forge our nation, or want to gain some small insight into their lives, one suggestion is to visit their former homes—even the homes of Jefferson himself, perhaps.

While many know of Jefferson’s main retreat in Charlottesville, Virginia, called Monticello, fewer know of his summer home about 90 miles South in Forest, Virginia, called Poplar Forest.

Jefferson, also an architect especially excelling in the Palladian style, designed Poplar Forest to be his private retreat to get away from the constant interruptions and visitors at Monticello, and work began on the home in 1805. Jefferson wrote of his home in 1812:

“When finished, it will be the best dwelling house in the state, except that of Monticello; perhaps preferable to that, as more proportioned to the faculties of a private citizen.”

Visitors to the home today can see the progress being made in restoring the house and grounds to what they would have been like in Jefferson’s time.

So if all the hot air in Washington gets you down, you may want to consider retreating to Poplar Forest, as Jefferson did, for some contemplation and rejuvenation.

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