Another fun guitar thing

Four Hands Guitar

Jolt...

It's been a while people, and I am still alive, still chaplaining, still father, husband, and struggling artist. Hope you are well (all three of you). Let's see if we can get this thing back on it's wheels.

Test

And for all you musicians (especially guitar players), do yourself a favour and watch this.

Richard Simmons on "Whose Line..."

Many of you will find this somewhat inappropriate, which it is. Many of those same people will laugh hard, cuz it is FUNNY!!

Thomas Merton on the Inner life

I do not know if I have found answers. When I first became a monk, yes,I was more sure of answers. But as I grow old in the monastic life and advance further into solitude, I become aware that I have only begun to seek the questions. And what are the questions? Can man make sense out of his existence? Can man honestly give his life meaning merely by adopting a certain set of explanations which pretend to tell him why the world began and where it will end, why there is evil and what is necessary for a good life? My brother, perhaps in my solitude I have become as it were an explorer for you, a searcher in realms which you are not able to visit . . . I have been summoned to explore a desert area of man?s heart in which explanations no longer suffice, and in which one learns that only experience counts. An arid, rocky, dark land of the soul, sometimes illuminated by strange fires which men fear and peopled by specters which men studiously avoid except in their nightmares. And in this area I have learned that one cannot truly know hope unless he has found out how like despair hope is.

- Thomas Merton
The Hidden Ground of Love
(Via Randall)

Little Rock Nine mark 50th anniversary - Yahoo! News

This is a wonderful story of some brave students who did what I don't think I would have the guts to do. It is something to celebrate.

Advocating Artist

Blah Blah Blah

I just thought I'd ramble a little here. I don't do much these days, as I am recovering from open-heart surgery on June 18th. For those who haven't been following, I had my mitral valve replaced. Most of my day focuses on doing my exercises and walking, eating well, and resting. Because of the extent of the anesthetic's work in my body, it takes days or weeks for different parts of my body (i.e. - lungs) to fully awaken. My stamina is down, and my patience doesn't like that too much. I've been watching a lot of TV, not much reading or writing. I had hoped to be able to "use the time wisely", but energy levels are not allowing for that. So I still seem to be waiting, albeit something different than I was waiting for before

The Latest on the Heart Saga

So I had a little glitch in recovery yesterday. I had an appointment scheduled with my GP yesterday, and that got stretched into a 24 hour stay in emerg. The blood thinner has not been kicking in as expected, and that puts me at risk for clots, which can lead to a stroke. My GP, being the thorough guy he is, did a bunch of tests and the sent me to the hospital for more tests. My warfarin was too low, so they hooked me up with some IV to get the ball rolling. I was also experiencing afribulation (sp?), which means that my upper heart chambers were quivering instead of pumping. This is often a problem with valve replacement, but one that can be fixed relatively easily with medication. Needless to say, it is always a little scary when these things come up, but they are not out-of-the-ordinary. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers. I am back home and getting back into my slow routine.

Political SLAM!!

This may be one of the most calculated, scathing commentaries on anything political that I have ever seen. Whether you agree or not, it is an amazing piece of writing, and it is refreshing to hear someone say what they think.