Sorrowful: The Pathos Is Palpable

I find it highly appropriate when it rains on Good Friday as it did today. It feels like the Father weeping at the death of his dearly beloved Son.

When I go to the Church on this day and see the tabernacle open and empty, and the light of the Presence gone out, I feel the agony of being without Christ.

The pathos is palpable.

Here is a haunting rendition of the Sorrowful Mysteries by Point 5 Covenant, expertly interleaved with scenes from The Passion of the Christ.  Watch if you can.



Sorrowful
(J. Caderao, K. Werking)
Beat Production by Moses The Black

The 1st Sorrowful Mystery:
The Agony in the Garden


As I venture toward the blessed Lord
He’s torn, mourning,
Praying to see morning
Without the death at dawn
He’s weeping, pleading “Not Me!”
Soon Saints dreaming and sleeping
He’s asking for passing,
Of Life Everlasting,
He knew this time would come
Here comes Judas
Who’s this? It’s the scariest sight to God
Lucifer Himself leads Iscariot’s entourage
All these flaws involved revolve
Around Christ’s life, tonight
The fight, the sight,
The sound of a kiss
To dismiss, assist the Roman fist
He’s the one kissed, the Prince
Of pure innocence, my God…

Chorus:
My God, all Glory to Thee
Father, Son, and Spirit
All Glory to Thee
As it was, is now
And ever shall be
My God, All Glory to Thee

The 2nd Sorrowful Mystery:
The Scourging at the Pillar


They mocked Him and flogged him
And suffering dropped Him
To his knees, and reasoning won’t stop them
The pain starts now, and they wonder how
Any man can withstand the beatings He’s found,
And the loud rings,
The crowds scream seem silent
To the shrieks of white lamb
Caught in the violence
“Stop!” is the cry from the tear that drips down
The tear that rips down the cheek of His Mother
And she watches in fear as her son gets scourged
All the countless wounds and crowd wants more
And they get it
They beat and beat and repeat
And the bleeding won’t stop
And the bleeding won’t cease, My God…

Chorus

The 3rd Sorrowful Mystery:
The Crowning of the Thorns

Unconscious and lifeless,
His body tries to fight this
Despite this, the Romans
Take hold of Him and entice Him
And they recite Him,
Cruel curses and verse the first sin honestly
There’s no end to this mockery
They strip Him down,
Dress Him up as their puppet
They, curse and spit out the view of the public
They, fashion it, a crown fit for a king
They’re advocating racial hating
And the pain that it brings
So sing, songs of sorrow
From the sorrow heart of Mariam
It’s scary that the very God
Had thorns crushed in his cranium
It’s her son, the first One, in verse one
That was crowned for our sins till Kingdom come
My God…

Chorus

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery:
The Carrying of the Cross

Battered and broken, these cowards have chosen
To force Him to carry
The cross that will choke Him
Two wooden beams never dreamed
That they’d be
The scene for the final sacrifice of the King
And He starts up the hill,
Cursed at by the soldiers
Body getting’ colder, cross making him older
Cross breaking His shoulder
tearing right to the bone
Needing light,
Cause tonight the cross will be His home
But He’s not alone,
His mother’s right by His side
As their hearts reunite
And their sufferings collide
Suffering inside,
He presses on toward the prize
Three nails in His body and a sword in His side
My God…

Chorus

The Fifth and Final Sorrowful Mystery:
The Crucifixion

Now the time has come, the Righteous One
Cries wrung from the lungs of the rising son
Some couldn’t bear to watch
As the nails caught flesh ripped
Locked to the Cross
Cross raised up with the weight of the world
Fate of the world slate
Laid patiently still and spill
Another drop of the Blood, unlocking the Cov
Of the New, unleashing the love
Love, love of the One King, hung He
From the one tree setting us free, and we
We nailed Him to His death, took His last breath
Passionate acts for the masses
Ashes to ashes and dust to dust
Let this dust settle down as my soul erupts
But let my soul go up
Just a soul in love
And I will bow down in Mercy
As He holds the Cup

Chorus

http://www.point5covenant.com/

Painful Job #7

Hey! Just discovered another career I never want to have -- piano mover.

Another buddy and I just helped my brother get a "free" piano from a lovely couple who are retiring to someplace warmer.

Lifting a piano up stairs and into a pickup truck without benefit of a ramp was ... horrible to say the least. A quick trip to Home Depot to get some forearm forklifts and the wrong kind of ramps  brought it down from outrageously dangerous to merely painful.

Happy piano plinkering, Outpost 2! Never again -- the piano conveys.

Seriously, look at this picture. There is NO good way to do this, only worse ones.

What's Up With That?

I haven't exercised seriously in three years.

Today, I went on a three mile walk and the BACK of my knees hurt? I could understand my feet hurting, my quads hurting, or even my calf muscles ... but the back of my knees?

This exercise thing is overrated. Pulled muscles are overrated. You never heard of anyone "pulling a fat".

Overheard In My House

Kids say the darndest things.

Nib: Is Daddy the leader because he likes beer the most?

Ouch.

Dab: I'm frustrated because I'm 4 years old!
Me: You're not the only one!

When Your Water Heater Doesn't

So here's a blast from the past, a trip down memory lane, a blip from the Wayback Machine: remember back in 2010 when my water heater showed signs of failing?

Being the pro-active kind of guy I am, I investigated a few options and then promptly did nothing about it for 5 more years. And I got away with it, too.  Sure, I had to endure shorter and increasingly colder showers during that time, but that just makes me more efficient in the suds bucket.

But the time has finally come to get serious about it or face some kind of WaterWorld armageddon -- or Kevin Costner which might be worse.

And the Big Guy is looking out for us because I just found out that the DoE efficiency standards are changing as of April 15, 2015. After that date you will no longer be able to purchase an 80 gallon electric water heater. (The only gas in my house comes from beer or chili.)

Because regulations. Or heating efficiency. Or Kevin Costner.

After that time you can buy two 50 gallon tanks and water heater/heat pump (mandatory) combo for $4000. Eh, no thanks.

We got the name of a plumber from the church bulletin and put in our order. So far we've been rescheduled 3 times because we are in the worst cold snap since 2010 and everyone's pipes have been bursting.  The kids can't go to school because neither the school or the church have heat -- their pipes burst too!

The plumber is mortified that he keeps having to put us off. By the time he gets to us, he may have to give us a hefty discount. (I can dream.)

First thing I'm gonna do when we get that smoking 80 gallon water heater is jump in the hot shower and let it run, and run, and run ...

Happy New Beer

Or is that year? I vote for both: new year and new beer.

Somewhere between my birthday and Christmas the incredible duo, Mrs. Nod and Grandma Nod, got together and gifted my inner geek with some nifty Beer Gear.

I was searching for something other than the plain beer tap handles my kegerator came with, when I chanced upon these magnificent stained glass windows with the symbols of the Four Evangelists from St. Ignatius Parish, San Francisco: Matthew (Winged Man), Mark (Winged Lion), Luke (Winged Ox), and John (Eagle).  h/t CatholicResources.org

Right then, I knew these would combine two great things I love: beer and Catholicism. Plus, it's a winged lion and and eagle -- how cool is that!?

Through the talented hands of Jerry's Wood Works, these became two very swanky hand-made beer taps in African Mahogany and Tiger Maple with painstaking pyrography, chrome tips, and Celtic knots on the handles.  Ain't they grand?

Also in my stocking was a Blichmann Floor Burner so I can make all-grain beer. This thing puts out 72,000 BTU/hr with clean low-flame combustion (won't blacken the bottom of your kettle) which can boil 5 gallons of water in about 24 minutes -- that's some serious heat!

So we took our new burner for a spin and made an all-grain IPA beer called Kama Citra. Northern Brewer describes it as:

"Pouring a tantalizing golden-amber, the seductive hop aroma gently gives way to a sturdy, yet flexible malt backbone with a delicate touch of silky caramel that supports the highly suggestive combination of juicy tropical and citrus hop flavor that follows, leading to a satisfying finish."

It's currently happily fermenting away in my basement giving off the most delicious tropical fruit aromas. Six more weeks to liquid bliss!

So let's start off 2015 by raising a glass: here's to you!

Merry Christmas

Isaiah 9: 

6 For a CHILD IS BORN to us, and a son is given to us, and the government is upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace.

Go Big Or Stay Home

This year I've decided to engage the culture head-on for Halloween.

I love a good party just as much as the next guy and I love costumes too, but I kind of feel about Halloween the same way I feel about Mardis Gras -- they are celebrating the wrong day. And it's just bad liturgy.

With Mardis Gras you get Fat Tuesday, but skip out on Ash Wednesday and Lent. What's really the point then, except to party to excess?  Same thing with Halloween: a night to binge on candy and dress up with a focus on "spirits", and miss out on the Father of Spirits (cf. Heb 12:9) and the triumph of the Saints in Heaven.

We have a real holiday, and it is great. The Feast of All Hallows is the Solemnity of All Saints. The Church Triumphant -- the super-heroes who made it to Heaven who are the "cloud of witnesses" that support us with their prayers and intercessions and behold Christ in Majesty.

So by all means, ring my doorbell on Oct. 31 and let's have some fun. The girls, Blynken, Nod-girl, and Nib will be dressed in their best rendition of St. Philomena, St. Lucy, and St. Agnes with her little lamb in tow, Dab.

But you'll have to come under this 6-foot banner I got from Staples.  Just so we're clear. :D

House On Strike

This is getting so ridiculous that it's kinda funny -- but my house is on strike.  Not the people in it, although I could fill up volumes in that regard, but the house itself.  Oh, and the appliances are conspiring against us too.

It just doesn't want to work anymore. Our house is starting to be that house-of-a-certain age. You know, the one where you decide that you're sick of your current state-of-the-house and could use a makeover -- and the house in protest just decides it's going to stop doing all those things that you have taken for granted up to now.

Like the roof and windows keeping out the rain. Like the water heater providing actual hot water for longer than 12 minutes at a time. The paint is peeling (or is that crayon?) and the carpet looks like the wrong end of a Chinese take-out.

The door frame is out of true and the garage door spring went sprung! Some outside critter got in and decided to chew a hole in the garage door insulation. Honestly, I didn't know my garage door was insulated to begin with, and certainly not with a million molecules of styrofoam.

The basement toilet refuses to flush completely despite the plunge-and-Draino routine and has developed a slow leak around the porcelain like an old man with an enlarged prostate. Not to be outdone, the oven heating element actually melted in place and sent up a shower of sparks to terrorize the kids.

The outside things looked in and decided to join the fray. The big Bradford pear tree in the back just up and dropped a 500 pound limb on our playset, so the swing-set got sunk.

The air conditioner flirted briefly with swallowing a toddler sized handful of gravel, but has since realized the error of its ways and crossed the picket line back to our side.

Finally today, after 5201 loads of laundry the washing machine is all washed up. The front loader drum came off its moorings and banged itself into oblivion, crying out "No more will I carry your load!" Gunga-ga-gunga-ga-gunga! Such a din!

The companion dryer wisely gave up its cubic yard of lint it had been hiding under its skirts and demanded amnesty. We have agreed to its terms and declared détente.

We could laugh or cry, but laughing's much more fun. Here's mud in your eye. Ha! Ha!

The Beer Conductor

There's a guy in Chicago, named Bill Diamond, who took a summer job at a rail yard after college and stayed there to become a Beer Conductor.

When the mercury plunges, this brew crew's job is to keep trainloads of beer from freezing.

Manuel Martinez

His job includes moving train cars around the yard to keep the beer from freezing below 13 degrees Fahrenheit.

They may get a little slushy, but the constant jostling helps prevent a hard freeze and exploding cans and bottles.

His warehouse, or "beer house" holds more than 1 million cases of beer at any given time. That's a powerful thirst, my friend.

What an awesome job! Far from being "a tedious and time-sucking endeavor" as reported by Meribah Knight, this guy is performing a noble public service -- saving beer. >Sniff.< 

If you don't believe me, just ask Grupo Modelo S.A.B de C.V or Chicago-based Crown Imports LLC, Modelo's U.S. importer, I'm sure they'd agree; it's their beer.

This guy's a real mensch: performing a thankless task so others might beer. He can also do what no one else can do without committing a beer foul: he can shake the beer ... and it's a good thing.

Plus, being a train conductor is kinda awesome in and of itself. Every boy loves a railroad. Even my 3-year old Dab runs around the house singing Thomas the Tank Engine and making the couch  into a mountainous track or any horizontal surface into his personal train yard.

Bill Diamond is a real life grown up whose job is Beer Conductor. Combining two great things in life: beer and trains ... Atta-boy, Bill!

All aboard! Cheers!

DIY Magnetic Stir Plate: In Progress

A work in progress: a magnetic stir plate for building up yeast starters.



First thing is to get a 12 volt adapter and hook it up to a rocker switch. This gives you on/off. Yay, power!

Next you wire up a rheostat to a used hard drive fan and your rocker switch. This allows you to adjust the speed of the fan. Wheeeee!

Now, take a hard drive rare earth magnet and affix it to the spinning side of the fan. Test mount the parts in an enclosure, put the magnetic stir bar in a flask and voila! It magnetically stirs your solution.
See the whirlpool funnel?

Needs a little refinement, but you get the idea.  I'll do a more complete post later.

Church of England: Planned Obsolescence

This past Sunday we read the Parable of the Sower. Whenever the seed fell on the path, on stony ground, or in thorns, then the seed perished. When the seed fell on fertile ground, it not only grew but flourished and multiplied a hundred fold.

It was with this background in mind that I read on Monday of the Church of England voting to allow female Bishops. For those who believe that being a priest or bishop is just like any other job, subject to so-called "equity laws" (they should be called "sameness laws"), this is a long awaited victory.

For those who believe that priesthood is something other, something set apart by God for his own purposes, made in the image of the Son, and not alterable by his creatures, then this announcement can only be seen as a grave impediment to unity.

Sadly, the CoE is tripping further down the path of irrelevance. As the Parable of the Sower goes on to say: "But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away."

When you continue to change your doctrine to suit the whims of society, you have nothing to say to the culture for you have become the culture; you are therefore irrelevant.  "What? You are still here? Go away, we have conquered you."

But it is no good to simply wag a self-righteous finger. We who are hearers should take heed lest we fall into the same trap -- for there is a promise and a doom:
^"12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them."

Fireworks and Celebration

Just concluded festivities with all of the Nodlings and our neighbors for the Fourth of July. There was barbeque, corn on the cob, peach pie, outdoor games, and of course -- fireworks.

Nothing beats watching fireworks with kids. They have the best time regardless. We had gotten a rather modest set of fireworks from Costco and set them off in the driveway. Our fountains and sparklers were punctuated by other neighbors' much bigger and louder fireworks over the treeline.

Big or small they were a huge hit. Three year old Dab covered his ears and snuggled deeper into my lap -- but he refused to leave. "You see that, Daddy?"  Meanwhile, eight little girls screamed at the top of their lungs at every bang -- not because they were scared, but because screaming is fun.

At one point, we had an intermission. So the kids jumped up with impromptu song and dance numbers and a fair amount of giggling. We were treated to a patriotic singalong and general silliness.

If that ain't a good old fashioned 4th of July celebration, then you don't know your head from a hole in the ground.

Good times!

Happy birthday, America.

Good and Cheap Eats

Although this isn't a food blog, we here at the House of Nod do love our eats.

That's why I'm excited about this link my brother shared with me called Good and Cheap: a SNAP Cookbook by Leanne Brown. She compiled this wonderful little booklet as a final project for a master's degree in food studies at New York University.

Although it is aimed at those who might be on public assistance, this humdinger of a collection will work just as well for those of us with large families who need to stretch a dollar. Or just anybody who loves great tasting food.

This is an example of someone taking a thing they love and sharing it with those who most need it. I don't know Leanne, her politics, her religion, or her motivation. But it is certainly a praiseworthy thing and one that deserves to be shared.

Leanne writes:

Cooking skill, not budget is the key to unlocking great

food. Everyone has the right to good cooking, regardless

of income. 

The recipes in this collection are lovingly

designed and paired with tantalizing photos that show

the plethora of exciting and inspiring food that can be

prepared for little.

For too long discussions surrounding people of lower

socioeconomic status have centered around nutrition

and making do. This isn’t a typical budget cookbook,

nor is it a nutritional guide, it’s a collection of recipes

that happen to be inexpensive.

If you want a better life, filled with daily pleasures;

learn to cook. If you want to get control over a small

food budget; learn to cook. If you want a healthy body

and mind for yourself and your family; learn to cook.

The recipes are made with simple and inexpensive ingredients (pennies per serving), but the variety is a thing of beauty and substitutions are encouraged. There are ideas in here that I've just dying to try -- and I think you should too!

It's 126 pages of cheap but nutritious eats for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, dessert, soup, salad, handhelds, drinks, big batch, and sauces and flavors.

Sampling the breakfast: Banana pancakes, cheddar jalapeno scones, Oatmeal (coconut and lime, berry, pumpkin, apple cinnamon, savory, baklava!).

A bit of small bites includes: polenta fries, spicy green beans, poutine, and mexican street corn.

Perhaps for dinner you might try the Creamy Zucchini Fettuccine, Shrimp and Grits, perogies, or Chana Masala?

Wash it down with some Agua Fresca and a refreshing homemade melon sorbet for dessert.

Mmm, that's the stuff. Whatcha waiting for?

Christos anesti! Alithos anesti!

Christos anesti! Alithos anesti!

Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
(Traditional Greek Easter greeting) Picture of the Holy Sepulchre.

Happy Easter, all. Read more Paschal greetings worldwide.

7QT: Heartbleed, Beer, and Other Drivel

~1~ 

Heartbleed

If you use the Internet -- and I'm guessing a lot of you do -- then you will want to know that someone could have been stealing your password for the last two years.

Facebook? Pinterest? GMail? Yahoo Mail? Dropbox? USAA?  -- Yup. You've been had.

Computer security experts have "just" discovered a flaw in the popular OpenSSL encryption software that is safeguarding just about every online password and shopping site on the Internet. They call it the Heartbleed bug because it leaks your secrets. Cute, eh?

The best thing you can do if you use one of these services, is to change your password right away IF your service has applied the fix.  Here's a chart to find out.

~2~ 

Hops

My hobby is home brewing beer. Every year I learn a little more about it and try something new. This year my neighbor offered me some hops vines to plant between our two yards. Naturally, I accepted. Hops is the magic cone-flower that makes beer bitter (instead of sweet barley water) and gives beer it's distinctive taste, aroma, and even a touch of preservative.

Hops vines can grow up to 30 feet tall!

I know next to nothing about growing them, but not gonna let that stop me. Plus, what if I succeed? Fresh hops will be fresh, exciting, and tasty!

~3~ 

Kegerator

 Speaking of beer, it comes in pints. And what better way to serve a pint than freshly drawn out of my brand-y new kegerator?  Dual taps even.

All I can say is that my wife is the best! Crazy to allow it -- but the best!

Kegco K309B-2 Dual Faucet Digital Kegerator - Black Matte Cabinet, double gauge regulator, and Stainless Steel 2 Faucet Tower with Perlick 630SS forward sealing taps! Integrated drip tray, locking casters, fan-forced air, CO2 canister shelf and clip, and stainless steel guard rail.

If this means nothing to you, then just know that this means two kinds of awesome beer served from a handsome dispenser at-your-service.

~ 4 ~ 

Fr. Longenecker's Book

I picked up Fr. Longenecker's latest book The Romance of Religion: Fighting for Goodness, Truth, and Beauty.

Fighting for goodness, truth, and beauty? What red-blooded man doesn't want to do that?

Being a life-long fan of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, I have to say that I enjoy this way of exploring the Catholic faith most of all: by myth.

C. S. Lewis said that Christianity works on us like every other myth, except it is a myth that really happened. Dwight Longenecker grabs this idea and runs with it, showing that the Christian story is the greatest story ever told because it gathers up what is true in all the fantasy stories of the world and makes them as solid, true, and real as a tribe of dusty nomads in the desert or the death of a carpenter-king.

Myth has the advantage of being able to present reality in another guise so that we can actually perceive it more clearly by removing the patina of familiarity.

Do yourself a favor and read it too!

~ 5 ~

Since I love myth and the chivalry of romance, it will come as no surprise that I'm excited about the release of Black Knight 2000 from The Pinball Arcade.

Black Knight 2000™ (1989): The Black Knight rides again in this brilliant sequel to the Steve Ritchie hit from 1980. Players take on the role of good versus evil as they battle the Black Knight in high velocity gameplay.

I am a pinball nut. Note this is different than actually being good at it. But I love the lights, sounds, and the feel of pinball. I sunk many never-to-be-retrieved quarters into pinball as a starving college student. Black Knight 2000 was my object d'amore.

I may never own the real thing, but I can play on my iPhone, iPad, Android Phones and tablets, the Amazon Kindle Fire, as well as the PlayStation3, PS Vita, Xbox 360, and Macintosh.

And now Black Knight 2000 is available in all its glory for a pittance. Or as close as you can get without full haptic (touch) feedback -- but it does have Tilt sensors on the iPad and you can "bump" the table.

I'm in heaven.

~ 6 ~ 

Catholic Study Bible App

 Speaking of cool things for your iPhone, iPad, or Android if you haven't downloaded your FREE version of the Lighthouse Media / Ignatius Press Bible App, you are really missing out.

I've used a lot of Bible software and most of it leaves something (a lot) to be desired.

Happily, this app is well put together, good UI, solid RSV-2CE Catholic translation, excellent footnotes and commentary, search, navigation, maps, bookmarking, social media integration, plus extras like recorded talks from Scott Hahn and others.

Once of my favorites is that you can also get the entire New Testament in audio dramatization! Even my kids, the Nodlings were fascinated by this and wanted to get out their bibles to "read along". Success!

~ 7 ~

If you love a short and entertaining story, read Three Hundred Words. Good, tight, and vivid writing that captures the action in medias res, yet gives you a flavor for the larger context. Excellent stuff.

This collection of short fictionalized histories, each exactly 300 words long, is an attempt to show that the uncertain times in which we now reside are no different than any other time - ever. Tragedies, triumphs, good times and bad are presented here as a calendar chronicling one year in the life of our world.

Some of the characters and events you may already be familiar with, others not at all. But don’t be too sure of yourself when reading these stories; they’ll sometimes take you where you least expect!

Subscribe to Wynken, Blynken, and Nod via RSS here!  

Submit your 7 Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

It Comes In Pints

I have to say that Mrs. Nod is the Best. Wife. Ever.

She actually let me get it. So cool. She said after these several years of homebrewing she figured it wasn't a "fad" with me. If you are wondering what "it" is, then feast your eyes:

Kegco K309B-2 Dual Faucet Digital Kegerator - Black Matte Cabinet, double gauge regulator, and Stainless Steel 2 Faucet Tower with Perlick 630SS forward sealing taps! Integrated drip tray, locking casters, fan-forced air, CO2 canister shelf and clip, and stainless steel guard rail.

If this means nothing to you, then just know that this means two kinds of awesome beer served from a handsome dispenser at-your-service.

It's like I'm an excited teenager swooning over the latest sports car or something. Well, this is my hot-rod. 

And it's digital! You set the temperature you want and you get it. None of this temperature trial and error. Temperature makes a big difference when you are trying to dispense beer from a tap. Too cold and you get ice crystals, too hot and all you get is a glass of foam.

The CO2 also dissolves differently in the liquid at different temperatures. Don't need a mouth full of bubble prickles because the temperature and pressure are all out of whack.

This baby can hold up to 3 home brew corny kegs (5 gallon) or a full-sized commercial keg. Or a small child (heaven forbid!). Note to self -- Next on the buy list: door latch and tap locks.

All right-y then: who wants a pint?

Mission: Accomplished

Had the pleasure of attending the Lenten mission at St. Leo the Great in Fairfax this week given by the fabulous Fr. Dwight Longenecker. (May I call you fabulous?)

A Parish Mission has the purpose of refreshing and invigorating your faith, especially during the Lenten season as we prepare ourselves for the "newness" of Easter. Often, guest preachers are brought in so that you can hear the familiar with a "new voice" and a new understanding.

If that's the case then Mission: Accomplished.

Father Longenecker is a fun and compelling speaker and yet very down to earth. While I was there I picked up his latest book The Romance of Religion: Fighting for Goodness, Truth, and Beauty.

Fighting for goodness, truth, and beauty? What red-blooded man doesn't want to do that?

Being a life-long fan of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, I have to say that I enjoy this way of exploring the Catholic faith most of all: by myth.

C. S. Lewis said that Christianity works on us like every other myth, except it is a myth that really happened. Dwight Longenecker grabs this idea and runs with it, showing that the Christian story is the greatest story ever told because it gathers up what is true in all the fantasy stories of the world and makes them as solid, true, and real as a tribe of dusty nomads in the desert or the death of a carpenter-king.

Myth has the advantage of being able to present reality in another guise so that we can actually perceive it more clearly by removing the patina of familiarity.

Do yourself a favor and read it too!

Subscribe to Wynken, Blynken, and Nod via RSS here!  

Last Windows XP Patches

Yesterday (April 8, 2014) was the last day of Microsoft's public support for Windows XP.

Windows XP was launched on October 25 2001 and still accounts for more than 25% of the installed operating systems in 2014 according to NetMarketshare. (You can tell by the screenshot; these are my last Windows XP patches.)

13 years ... not bad.

So long, Windows XP, we knew ye well.

Pinball Wizard: Black Knight 2000

This is possibly the most exciting non-family event in a looooong time: The Pinball Arcade released their port of Black Knight 2000 on Valentine's Day this year. I know I'm in love!

I am a pinball nut. Note this is different than actually being good at it. But I love the lights, sounds, and the feel of pinball. I sunk many never-to-be-retrieved quarters into pinball as a starving college student. Black Knight 2000 was my object d'amore.

I have seriously considered buying a full-size no-kidding Black Knight 2000 pinball game for my house. Sadly, with 6 Nodlings to feed, I don't have $3000 extra dollars lying around.  But that's how much I love this game: I considered doing it.

Purists will argue that it's not the greatest table, that it's too reliant on the right flipper, and so on. To them I say: you have no soul. It is the essence of what a pinball table should be: fun, engaging, with just enough challenge so that you want to do it again and again. "Every flipper, bumper, sound effect, and display pixel has been painstakingly emulated in astonishing detail!"

It's got a great theme, very catchy sound track, clever phrases, two playing fields, etc. It's even got a freaking drawbridge for crying out loud!

And now Black Knight 2000 is available in all its glory for a pittance. Or as close as you can get without full haptic (touch) feedback -- but it does have Tilt sensors on the iPad and you can "bump" the table.

I'm in heaven.

http://www.pinballarcade.com/TablePacks/

Black Knight 2000™ (1989): The Black Knight rides again in this brilliant sequel to the Steve Ritchie hit from 1980. Players take on the role of good versus evil as they battle the Black Knight in high velocity gameplay. The game is all about speed and quick reactions, highlighted by features such as an upper and lower level, repeating U-Turn and Skyway Loop shots rewarding accurate shooters and a Drawbridge that lowers to reveal a ramp.

The patented Magna-Save™ feature from the original game is back. This allows players to activate a ball saving magnet preventing balls from draining. Great scores are achieved by collecting Lightning Wheel Awards, scoring Hurry-Up bonuses and playing the three awesome Multi-Ball rounds, including The Kings Ransom Wizard mode. 5,703 units of this table were produced.