Who I Am...And How I Got Here...Part I

Back in my fundamentalist days, there was a very clean cut line between my Christian faith and everything else. If it didn't verbally, visually, or aurally support God outright, then it was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Self rightousness is a wonderful thing, until you recognize it for what it is. As I write this, I'm sucking down a Mike's Hard Lemonade, rocking out to the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack...on vinyl for you audiophiles. So how did I get here? I don't know....somewhere on this blog as it goes, that may become apparent....I think that's my purpose of it. It's called 'More Than 42' and I guess I could explain that....you see I'm a big fan of 'The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy' in all its formats....radio show, BBC TV show, film, books and any reference to 42. In the books, which I now read twice a year,

Let's Do The Time Warp Again!

sorry, musical interlude

about halfway through the first book, they've built a super computer called Deep Thought

Let's Do The Time Warp Again!
Let's Do The Time Warp Again!


sorry....kinda a fitting song here though :)

which is given the task to find out the ultimate answer to life, the universe and everything. It takes 7.5 million years, but eventually comes up with the answer....42. So the rest of the series (5 books) they try to find the answer. I find that a great spin on traditional story-telling....here's the answer, get the question...kinda like existential Jeopardy. But my thoughts were that there must be 'More Than 42'. They conclude that the answer and the question may not exist in the same spacial universe, since that would create a time paradox that would make Dr. Brown gladly try to handle the thought of generating 1.21 jiggawatts. They'd simply cancel each other out. I thought how is that like, or unlike my faith? As a Christian, I think I have both the question and the answer, but I'm not sure how to convey that, but it occurs to me that whatever it is, it's not as simple as 42. Sorry Mr. Adams.

Humbled By The Gas Lord

Going out to get gas the other night (it was cheap) I found myself humbled by the gas-lord's. Gas has been wavering at the 93-98 cent mark for the last six months or so....that's Canadian folks, so that's per litre. During a freak period of about a week the price shot up to $1.35 / litre....do the math folks...for men it's easy. Ever wonder how to convert? Check a Urinal next time your...well you know. 1 Gal = 3.8 L ...that's about $4.30 U.S.....but it came back down. Then the other day, the heaven's parted. A sign from above....there is grace and reprive....the price dropped....steadilly into the 80's...usually not a place you want to find yourself what with the scrunchies and all....though the movies were fab....and then when we thought we'd reach the glass bottom....remember, we're going down folks....it dropped to 77 cents! I swear I heard Handel...but then I realised I was hearing Handel, and it was on the Steve Brown Etc. archive I was listening to. This called for celebration! This called for wine, cigars, confetti, hugs and kisses all around! This also called for a trip to the gas station. My wife, no word of a lie (at least not mine...she's the one who told me, I'm just repeating) saw a guy filling jerry-can after jerry-can, putting them in his car, passing the $500 dollar mark (redundant to write both '$' and 'dollar' dontcha think?). It was anarchy! Well, not really...though there was a wait for the pump. Which brings me full circle to my original point. As I was pulling in to position, I remarked to my sister-in-law, who was with me, that the car in front was pulling in, seemingly unaware that their tank was on the opposite side. I enjoyed an out-loucd chuckle. Not a full on laugh mind you, but a full-chested chuckle. The kind you get when you've seen a great movie many many times, and you know it's coming, so the laughter has built up much before the joke, so that when you release it, it takes several good hearty laughs to release. That kind. As I parked my car, the fool in front realised her mistake (yes, it was a woman driver, but I make no joke because I thought it was a guy) and turned around. My sister-in-law Heather, blunt she can be, told me that wasn't nice. Deep down I knew she was right, but it was funny. I dont' know why I found it so, but it was. So I get out, approach the pump, and with pleasure press the button for 77.3 cents a litre ($2.93.74 hosers...or $2.52.93 yanks) and begin to pump. At least that's what I imagined. Selecting my fuel grade came no problem....where the problem came was when I tried to perform the petroleum exchange. I had parked 3 inches too far away! What shame! What horror! What...karma? I don't believe in it, but I do believe that God can humble us and put us in our places sometimes. Was this a moral lesson? No....I think it's just God's sense of humour. And I'm sure as I approached that pump, he felt the laughter building up. Like a movie he'd seen many many times, and knew it was coming, he saw me approach the pump, laugh at the girl, park the car, get warned by Heather, only to get out, and in slow motion, make a fool of myself. And then he burst out laughing, gave Gabriel and Michael an elbow to the gut while they watch and eat Lay's and Dr Pepper. I figure he got out about four or five good chest laughs before the laugh-track faded, and we went to commercial for a word from our sponsor