Don't Kick the Habit

Posted on January 11, 2007 by Tom Long

As I prepared for work this morning, I thought about something that has brought me great comfort in life.  Every culture has their rituals.  As a free church guy I always heard a lot of grumbling about the "empty rituals" of the high church.  The implication was that we were too spiritual for rituals.  But try sitting in the pew where some elderly baptist lady has enjoyed her ritual-free worship for eighty years and see what happens.

If you are the pastor, try changing the order of service or leaving out The Lord’s Prayer (or putting it in if it is normally left out).  One quickly learns that every church has their rituals.  In our designed-to-be-informal services, the pastor begins every service by reciting the three commitments of the church and showing the same slide.  Families have their rituals, also.  Interestingly, Tony Campolo has suggested that the more ritualized family life, the closer the family unit.

Ritual and habit are close allies.  When I was young I primarily used competition to motivate myself.  I can run faster than you.  I can score higher on this test than you.  Now, I find myself leaning ever harder on ritual and habit.

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The Lake (again)

Posted on January 6, 2007 by Tom Long

We had a bit of rain this morning which had the ground soaked and the lake level almost up to the trail.  Although I waded through a flock of juncos early on, the area was strangely silent and my expectations were low.  It was interesting to me to note that on the east end of the lake the juncos were sharing their space with a tufted titmouse and a chickadee.

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Power to the (cell phone using) People

Posted on January 5, 2007 by Tom Long

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of Iraq learned the same lesson older US politicians learned in the last congressional election, the broad use of cell phone videos by the hoi polloi means that if you have your pants down you will be caught (on video).

Praise be to the internet and the people’s video!

There is, however, a dark force at work to limit the power of the cell phone and that force is the commercial service providers.  For example, the only documented means of getting a ringer for my LG VX8100 cell phone is to buy the ringer and then pay Verizon a $9.99 charge per month to use it!  Do they know that if we could load our own ringers they would not be able to charge such outrageous fees?  Do they know that this might result in non-conformist expressions of individuality from which they would not profit?

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For the birds

Posted on January 4, 2007 by Tom Long

My daughter bought me the set of cd’s "Birding by Ear." 

I took a field ornithology class about 30 years ago at the Terra Alta Biological Station of West Virginia University.  A group of students walked (or waded) behind an older, charismatic wildlife professor.  When he heard a song that he was going to teach us he would waggle his index finger like he was scolding a tree top until the bird stopped singing.  When the song began so did the wagging finger.  He would then tell us about the bird, its habits and its habitat.  I loved both the class and professor Wiley.

30 years later I get a job where my office is beside a lake with a trail around it.  I hear bird songs I once knew but have now forgotten.  My wonderful daughter fills the void with a great Christmas present.  Now, I listen to the cd as I drive to work.

Yesterday was my first walk around the lake after the holidays.  Even in the dead of winter, I was impressed by the number of bird songs and calls I could hear.  I learned from the cd that there is a Carolina Chickadee whose song is different from the Black-capped Chickadee with whom I was familiar in my youth.   On my first day out I heard the former’s song and knew the difference!

I also heard a Wood Peewee and in trying to spy him out discovered a Tufted Titmouse!  Needless to say, my walk was much enriched.  (Although my lap time was greatly reduced!)

Thanks Mary!

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Bowl-icious New Year

Posted on January 2, 2007 by Tom Long

No it wasn’t the Sugar Bowl, but West Virginia did manage to come back to beat Georgia Tech in the highest scoring Gator Bowl ever.  To top it off Penn State beat Tennessee and USC trounced Michigan.  I got a nice family picture for my office, spoke to my close friends and family by phone on New Year’s Eve and Day, and enjoyed a very nice New Year’s Eve neighborhood party.

Although, we still don’t understand what my brother’s illness is, he is able to work again.  I am living vicariously through Wayne’s garage construction project.  He is adding a four car (two bay) detached garage to his propery.  Above that will be a huge storage room.  It was an added benefit to being in Morgantown for Christmas to see progress on his garage construction.

The highlight of my holiday was seeing my son for the first time in over a year.  It will be even longer before I see him again.  He is being deployed to Korea in May.  Please keep him in your prayers.

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