God in his infinite wisdom

When someone who went to the tiny Lutheran Church where I used to serve as choir director would die, the pastor would say, "This week, God in His infinite wisdom took from us (person's name)." I always thought that it was sort of a shocking phrase, as if this big mean deity was leaning down to swipe family members from his believers.
I was looking at this tree today, and the phrase kept running through my head.













There's a certain mathematical pattern going on there - a kind of incredibly complex geometry, though I could never describe it. Maybe a scientist who studies fractals could. All the strange, beautiful, and disgusting cycles of birth and death created this gnarled masterpiece. I'm not certain that God reaches down to snatch loved ones from the Earth. But God in his infinite wisdom created a world where things begin, and things end.

I guess what I'm trying to tell you is that God in his infinite wisdom took my brother, my friend, Jeff, from us yesterday. He was my late-night confidante, my partner in slacking-crime, an older brother who tried to help me navigate the world through the lens of our particular genetic gifts and flaws. I am forever changed by his wit, his perserverance, his love.

The Audacity of skipping work to go to a political rally

if you squint, you can see Hilary...






Today I chose to go to work instead of attending Barak Obama's rally in Ames. I was already there, hanging out, but I didn't even have a phone to call in with, so I decided to leave before the main event. I DID skip work, however, a few weeks ago to see Hilary Clinton when she visited. I can't compare the content of their speeches, considering I only heard one of them, but I can discuss some of the "intangibles" if you will, of politicking in Iowa. Here's a couple of pointers for would-be presidents as they come to visit.

1) Timing is everything.

Hilary's crowd was pretty hype when 12 pm hit, the time when she was supposed to arrive. Everyone stood up in their seats like they were at a concert. Some fool tried to start the wave. There was even a cheer of "Hi - la - REE" that got a modest response. By the time she actually arrived (1 pm) the place was filled with whiny children and bellyaching old people, who had by that point actually gotten bored of bellyaching, and just sat silently. The worst part of all this was that she was due to arrive in two other Iowa towns that day, which means she was probably late for all three events.

From my experience, while they're not overly uptight people, Iowans don't really understand lateness. We have no traffic. Crazy weather is no excuse - we have crazy weather every day. So when Clinton mentioned that she ate at the Drake Diner by her hotel the night before, nobody was thinking "oh, isn't that nice", they were thinking "if she was staying 10 blocks from the auditorium, she bloody well could have been here an hour ago. "

2) Hire a rockin' band. Both Obama and Clinton had great openers - a high school jazz band for Hil and a funk band made entirely of central Iowa teachers for Barak. A dude in a sweater vest performing Prince was probably more entertaining than Obama's speech itself.

3) Cool supporters boost your image. Hil attracted teachers, moms, and old people. One rather crazy middle-aged lady gave a comedy routine as she handed out Hilary posters. Obama's crowd was pretty varied, I'd say fewer die-hard supporters and more curious onlookers. But WAY more hotties. I will try not to let this affect my campaign involvement.

4)Pick a good venue. Hillman Collieseum has slightly more comfortable seats than high school bleachers. I'm just saying, Hil.

All and all, I'm pretty impressed with both of them, as candidates - looking forward to hearing some substance about their views, until then, I'll blog on style.