No End of Writing - 02 January 2021 - Plague Journal Day 296

Micah 6:8
Ecclesiastes 12:12
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

It's shameless self-promotion time here at the Grand Teuton blog, folks. I know I do that every now and then, but this is now and that was then. At any rate, since today is National Science Fiction Day (!), it's only appropriate to plug my spectacular science fiction novel, Bytes Akimbo - Cybersleuth. (I told you it was shameless. In case you were wondering, the full title is actually "Bytes Akimbo - Cybersleuth: Being a Zany, Madcap Romp from Here to There, and Beyond!")

You can find the full range of my published writings on my author page on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/cvb

There you'll find another novel, A Rune With A View, that's not really science fiction, but has some of the same feel. It's more of a Christian fantasy novel somewhat in the direction of the novels of Charles Williams.

Further, if you're interested in writing your own science fiction, why not check out my book of writing prompts and exercises, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday? That might be just the thing to get you going - or get you to done. (The full title is "Wednesday, Thursday, Friday …: 13 Weeks of Writing Exercises So You’ll Finish What You Start") This book and my Bible study are only available in paperback at this point, but all the others are in Kindle versions as well, so take your choice.

Because Reading is Fun(damental)!

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

Precedented Times - 01 January 2021 - Plague Journal Day 295

Micah 6:8
Ecclesiastes 1:1-10
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Well, it's not 2020 anymore - it's finally 2021 and it feels great to be here, right?

The best part is that we're no longer living in unprecedented times. If 2021 is just like 2020, then there's the precedent. If 2021 goes back to normal, there's your precedent.
I've really not been a fan of unprecedented times, so I hope you join me in the journey through precedents.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

Watch Night - 31 December 2020 - Plague Journal Day 294

Micah 6:8
Isaiah 21:11-12
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Yes, today is New Year's Eve, but if you look on many calendars you'll see that today also lists Watch Night. "What is that?" I hear you ask. Well, let me tell you about it.

Back when the railroads were the main mode of long distance transportation, the need to keep schedules became clear and paramount. That was a large part of the move to standardized time zones rather than purely local time (based on noon as the actual local time of the sun's zenith) so folks in different cities could figure out when trains would really arrive and depart. That's the source of "Railroad Grade" pocket watches, and the origin of today's celebration - Watch Night. This is the night when all the train conductors would synchronize their watches based on telegraph signals sent down the rails to all the trains across the North American continent.

Remember, you read it here first. Happy New Year Anyway.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

East Is East - 30 December 2020 - Plague Journal Day 293

Micah 6:8
Psalm 103:6-12
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Today would have been Rudyard Kipling's 155th birthday (he was born in 1865 if you want to check my subtraction). If your only encounters with Kipling have been the various animated versions of "The Jungle Book," I would like to recommend that you read his original, or - probably better yet - find some of his other stuff and read it. Novels, short stories, poems, Kipling did it all, and he did it with style. (Some of our more over-modernized readers may need a warning that this stuff wasn't written in the current politically correct environment, but rather in a different time altogether. Please, use your brains and empathy when reading - unless you really do like being intolerant.)

  

We're all still in celebratory, holiday mode, so I'm very happy to inform you that today is Bacon Day! I'm fairly certain that the creators of this day meant us to remember neither Roger nor Sir Francis, but rather that tasty pork product. You have my permission to celebrate any of the three.

Making me even more convinced that it's the tasty meat version that's being feted today is the fact that today is also National Bicarbonate of Soda Day. It seems a likely consequence of the first celebration, no?


Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

What a Year! 1916 - 29 December 2020 - Plague Journal Day 292

Micah 6:8
Proverbs 3:7-8
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

What a year 1916 was! On this date - 29 December - of that year we saw the publication of "A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man," by James Joyce. It's actually a readable book by the author of "Ulysses" and "Finnegan's Wake," and I recommend it to you all.
On that self-same day, just as the world was receiving the gift of that tome, we were "losing" the presence of one Grigori Rasputin. As the story goes, he was no easy man to kill, but eventually he did die, and it was apparently on this date in 1916.

A commemorative song is linked here for your enjoyment.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

RIP Tony Rice - 28 December 2020 - Plague Journal Day 291

Micah 6:8
2 Kings 3:15-16
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Well, sad news reached us this weekend. Tony Rice, probably the most influential lead guitarist in the history of the Bluegrass Music, died on Christmas Day. That's obviously a loss to bluegrass, but frankly it's a loss to all music. Tony was an amazing stylist with a flatpick, and a great singer too. Clarence White's Martin couldn't have found a better home than it had all these years. Rest in peace, Tony.
Man, what a band they're building up there in Heaven!

Today was Regis Philbin's favorite holiday, Phone A Friend Day! (OK, it's actually "Call" A Friend Day, but that's close enough.) Why not call someone you haven't seen in a long time? Why not call that friend whose name just popped into your head as you read this? Go do it now - don't wait until you remember that you forgot to do it.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

Worship - 27 December 2020 - Plague Journal Day 290

Micah 6:8
Galatians 4:4-7
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

  

It's the first Sunday after Christmas!

With the current spike in COVID cases in Grosse Pointe, we've paused our in-person worship, probably for the rest of the year. We will only be streaming our services on YouTube until further notice, so please join us online.

Speaking of joining us online, the church building remains closed for the time being, so we have made another video virtual service from clips recorded at various times in the church. Our virtual choir makes another appearance this morning, and that's not all the singing you can expect. In addition there's a sing-along hymn included for the "congregation" at home, so please stand and join in singing!

Today's stream should just appear as the latest entry on our YouTube channel, here.
You'll find all our previous worship videos right there at that same place, and today's stream will stay there as a recording as well.

Speaking of worship videos, a doctored / repaired version of the Christmas Eve service is posted at YouTube now as well. This time the sound is included, and it pretty much goes along with the video. Whatever the cause of the problem was, we're glad we were able to grab bits and pieces and paste the service back together, so please go check it out. (Interestingly, that bad version of the service is our most viewed video to date. No doubt it's down to people trying over and over to get it to work, but it sure makes our channel look better!)

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.