Monday, May 24, 2010

Rabid Fandom

I am finding that in the aftermath of the Lost finale last night there are many on the social network sights that are inconsolable or are not taking well to being teased for their attachment to a show that I never quite got in its six year run.  Fans of Lost show it a reverence that is a bit bizarre in my book and are bereft that it is gone. 

Don't get me wrong, I love television. I especially love good writing, and was very upset when some of my favorite shows were cancelled, (I actually wrote to the network to try to get them to reconsider the cancellation of Joan of Arcadia), but I have never been one to analyze an end of show episode the way these folks have.  It is almost spooky.  I made what I thought was a harmless joke as a comment on one person's sight and he lashed back at me and called me intolerant for mocking his love of the show.

I wonder if these same fans are upset with Jimmy Kimmel for his series of  Lost the"alternate endings" one of which I hear includes a surprise appearance by Bob Newhart.  I didn't see those either, but I bet they were funny even if you hadn't ever seen the show. 

Maybe I have a different perspective on the whole thing because I am a writer myself and I realize that all of the things these people are hotly debating are just stuff that somebody made up (as my husband says).   In the grand scheme of things it just doesn't matter.   Tomorrow, or next week, or next season a new show will come around and people will like it or they will find it oddly familiar in style.  Then they will notice that the  people who wrote for the show they were crying over the demise of last season are now writing for this new show.  Life will go on.

Pax

Friday, May 14, 2010

A Good Read

I have it on good authority that this book is really good.  I am not just saying this because the author happens to be one of my absolute favorite Grad School professors. 

Ryan was our Pastoral Ministry professor at St. Meinrad.  He is a Psychologist who graduated from West Point. He is the most soft spoken yet intimidating man (I am only half joking here) I have ever met.  He taught me so much about myself and how to be a good minister to others in the time I was in his class that I can never thank him enough.  He also made me want to be a better writer by making me cry, but that is another story for another day.  He continually encourages me to write and share my gift of writing .

His writing is very engaging and the subject matter is very interesting.  I would encourage you to read it if you have any interest in emotional maturity. 

Pax

What I Learned From Walking 13.1 Miles

So, most of you know that I trained to walk in the Festival 500 Mini Marathon last weekend.  I finished!!! in just over 4 hours.  It was the most excruciating, amazing thing I have ever done.  I know that I would have been so much faster if I hadn't gotten sick in February and March, but I kept at it, and even though I never quite got back the speed I had built up in early February I never gave up.

I met a woman in the corral before the race and we walked the entire way together. Without her support and companionship I don't know that I would have been able to finish.  When I was out of steam she gave me what she had left, and I did the same for her. 

We had one bad patch, just after we entered the Speedway.  We made the mistake of stopping for a pit stop at what we thought was the designated place, and we waited for almost 15 minutes to use the "facilities".  It turned out that there were plenty of "potties" just past the bathrooms where we stopped.  What a waste of our time. 

Mrangelmeg ran the race and finished in an amazing time of 1:41.  I am so proud of him.  He is ready to start training for a marathon.  I will be right there to cheer him on if he does run in a marathon, but I think 13.1 is the longest distance I ever want to go.

I will admit that this was probably the best run event I have ever seen, and except for the very cold weather, was a lot of fun.  You should give it a try.

I also want to give a big shout out to all of my classmates from Terre Haute South Vigo High School class of '78  we might be 50, but we are fabulous, and still BRAVE!  Saturday proved that.

Pax