Tell Good Stories…..

On the CBS Early Show, it was announced that this coming season of Survivor will initially be divided into four teams:  Team African American, Team Asian American, Team Hispanic, and Team White.

They think this is a good idea?

I’m having a difficult time not examining the various advantages and disadvantages of being on the different teams.  I assure you that Team Hispanic will have the best groomed, landscaped camp, and that any math and photography challenges will be swept by Team Asian American. Team African American will obviously be at a disadvantage for all the swimming challenges, and Burnett & Co. need to be very careful with the food rewards to this team.  Team white will be unwilling to participate in any challenges they deem beneath them, particularly if it involves any sort of hard work.

Seriously though, this is a horrible idea for so many reasons.  Sure, it’s going to generate all sorts of buzz in advance (you know the Blogosphere is going to have a field day with this), but they’ll have to merge the tribes faster than Richard Hatch in the prison shower.  But what happens when one of the teams comes down to the final five?  How does that have any positive spin?

In other Reality TV news, a promo is running for The Amazing Race in which Bilal and Sa’eed are promoting their Islamic roots and how “they’re just Americans, just like everyone else”.  Will they be given a head start because of the airport disadvantage they’ll face?

Well, I lost.  My family has been putting maor heat on me for months about getting a pet.  The fish we’ve had since the school silent auction a couple of years ago weren’t satisfying the pet need, and the rabbits eating the weeds in the backyard weren’t getting it done either - “look boys! your pet rabbits are back!”   “Awwww dad - when can we get a dog????”

My wife has had the SPCA website saved on her computer, and I’d get emails periodically from her - “isn’t he cute” kind of things.  The pressure was subtle in ways much like a jackhammer.

I finally decided that we could go check out the amazing facility that the SPCA operates off of Tryon Road.  The first trip was more of an exploration, the second trip was the done deal and Kasey, a dalmation/lab mix had a new home.

I would whole-heartedly recommend the SPCA experience.  The animals in the adoption center stay there until they go home with someone adopts them, so the pressure to take a pet home is non existent.  The adoption process is surprisingly thorough -  we had a 30 minute interview, and had Kasey been more of an outdoor dog, a site inspection may have been necessary.

This past weekend there was a funeral at our church that I would not have ordinarily attended as I did not know the deceased other than by her name on a prayer concern list, and a nodding acquaintance with her children. I was part of the team that set up the video feed for the overflow crowd.
She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer 9 years ago, and fought a courageous fight, living life a fully as she was able - there were times when her chemo limited that ability, but, as I understand it, she served as an example to those in a similar situation. She spent her last days setting up the caterer for the reception after the funeral.  All this I learned at her funeral - so much more a celebration of a great life than a time of mourning and sorrow.

Our pastor told an amazing story during the funeral: He and his wife enjoy observing people and were doing so 18 years ago in an airport in Israel while on vacation. They noticed an older couple while waiting for a plane, and were amazed at the joy and humor emanating from them, so much so that he commented “I want some of that” in his life. They went so far as to take the couple’s picture, and it was filed away with other vacation photos.

Fast forward 16 years, and the pastor is assigned to a new church, as Methodist pastors are prone to do. Upon meeting Mr. and Mrs. Leach, the pastor swore that he had met them before - only after a review of old photos did he realize that this was the couple from the airport so many years ago.

She will be missed by many, and I’m sorry that I didn’t know her.

I found this old videotape when our house flooded.  I had a really great group of friends back in High School and college, but we were an odd group - ranging from the Student Body President to the girl who was the last one to figure out her lesbianism.  We used to take an annual beach trip that would inevitable turn into a drunken orgy, just without the sex (or not much of it), which to my mind is the worst sort of drunken orgy.

We’ve gone our separate ways now (except for the wife and I - she’s in there somewhere), and without editing the video is pretty lame, but since it’s on the internets, here goes: