What on Earth?

Seriously, what on earth are these? These are all of the banana peels I passed on my bike ride to work this morning. They are all within 1/2 a mile of each other. Notice the different states of dessication? I think they are all from the SAME DRIVER!

And I think if I am not careful, I will end up becoming a cartoonish figure.

Do You Ever Stop and Listen to Buskers?

In 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winning article, Gene Weingarten wrote about how Joshua Bell, a world-famous violinist (and Grammy/Oscar winner), played for the DC rush hour crowd for 45 minutes, and was not recognized.

That article has since been forwarded, discussed, considered.  What amazing beauty do we miss in our rush to get places?

I do not frequent big cities, but the few times I have, Weingarten's article has given me reason to slow down and listen to the musicians who populate the public spaces with music and energy.  I really like this piece from a pair of Boston Buskers.

I Want . . .

World peace.

A clean kitchen.

A houseful of people who also want a clean kitchen, so they will clean it whenever they go through the room.

My wife to do her housecleaning naked.

Better curtains for all of the windows.

A big flat panel TV.

Time to watch a TV.

Time to play computer games.

Better snow boots for me and the kids.

A really great job that I looked forward to every day that I could take the train to and from.

My kids to take school seriously, and find classes that they love.

People to just be a little nicer to each other.

My boiled eggs to peel without damaging the egg.

A new snow shovel.

More snow next year. Seriously. But only on Friday nights so its cleared by Monday morning.

George R. R. Martin to finish his Ice and Fire series before Brandon Sanderson has to do it for him.

A subscription to a Cable or Satellite provider that comes with a TiVo-branded DVR.

To lose more weight.

My children to all come home safe, every time.

To be a little more fearless.

Each of my kids to marry in the temple.

More chances to dance with my wife.

My cars to functions flawlessly.

I want everything. I know I can't have it all, so I either prioritize and focus on the things I want most, or dither, and get none of it.

I want to believe that I what I want most is world peace. But the fact is, my kitchen floor is mopped while the world has not achieved universal calm. I suppose my priorities are revealed in my deeds, not my wants.

A Day in the Life of a Single, Unemployed Dad

Not "single" as in unmarried, but singular, solo. Mrs. L has gone TDY to do some painting for her family, so I'm here, coping.

That is not a plea for sympathy. Our house runs very smoothly, we've put two decades into teaching the kids how to participate in the operation, and they are fun to take care of because they really do help a lot. But it is worth noting here a scriptural fact I have mentioned often. In the story of the creation, God creates everything, names everything, and at the end of each period of creation, reviews and comments. Everything is good. Until he makes Adam. The first aspect of creation to receive a negative response, "It is not good for Man to be alone"

So we are good, but it's busy. My Dad teased me a little the week after I lost my job, suggesting that I was now, "A man of leisure." I frowned at him, telling him I wasn't sure if I was ready to joke about it yet.

But I suppose I needed the light-heartedness. It's critical to not get bogged down.

I look for work everyday. I used to do it while Jenni taught seminary, but while she's away, I'm her substitute. It takes time, at least a couple of hours, to look over all the web-sites, and then to fill out the online applications. I learned to keep a plain text, suitable for cutting-and-pasting, resume and job history open in a word processor. It gets to be a drag to have to re-type your job history a dozen times a week.

The most productive (productive-feeling; nothing I have done has produces any actual results yet...) thing I feel like I do is networking. Calling associates I knew at work, asking if they know of any openings. I've found dozens of jobs that way. But I've found several prospects via Monster and Hot Jobs, too.

Teaching seminary is exhausting and rewarding. The kids tend to be pretty subdued so early in the morning, but most of them are attentive, eager, thoughtful. They are wonderful, and I love the lightness they bring into our home.

Jennilyn has been inspirational, helping me to avoid devolving into navel-gazing mopery. When the year began, and I thought my employment was secure, we joined a health club with a year-long membership. We have been taking full advantage of that, going 4 or 5 times a week, trying to wring as much value out of the already-paid expense before it expires. I am trying out the "couch to 5K" program of running. My kids chuckle at my sore legs.

We have no TV, no netflix subscription. You would think without work taking up 10-12 hours a day, I would have a lot of free time.

But I have inserted myself into most of the home-business of getting kids to school, making dinner, cleaning. Friends and neighbors have been mindful of us, offering small one-off jobs to me, babysitting to Jennilyn. Our families have pitched in as well, hiring us to do their Fall yard work, or painting their house.

I've loved the chance to be around the kids more. Last year, I only ever got to go to one of Stewart's wrestling matches. This year, I've already tied that; he got the fastest pin at their first meet Tuesday night, an exhibition against Elkton. 59 seconds, whoo! I think the fastest over the course of the entire year last season was 20 seconds, so I am sure that record won't last. But exciting to be there and witness it.

There is more time for church work. Jenni gently reminds me that she wishes I would spend more time writing. Which I am trying to do via blogger also, another facet of our life where she is a good example, a great inspiration.

There are house projects to keep me busy (Hey Mrs L, I fixed your slow-draining sink!), but I try to limit myself to one or two a day. It is overwhelming to think of how much needs to be done, and I can't get overwhelmed. I need to stay positive and optimistic, I need to find a job. If I go from room to room, despairing at how much I don't have to spend on projects, I become tempted to just sink into a funk of denial.

There is not much I really miss about work. Certainly the sense of accomplishment in earning a living, the security of it. I miss some of my fellow employees, their light hearts and cheerful demeanors. I miss taking the train, and watching the turtles in the creek while I crossed the pedestrian bridge. I have been deliberately looking at jobs I could commute to on the train.

Even with no TV, Jennilyn and I watch a few TV shows together, but not many, really. Having been without a cable or satellite subscription for over a year and a half now has made us very choosy, very discerning. If a show is boring, or sleazy, or unentertaining, it's easy to just not watch it (especially since we have to seek shows out online or get them from the library). One strike and you are out.

It's funny how my relationship with food has changed since I lost my job. I no longer pack away single servings in the freezer; I don't take lunch anywhere. Food prep could be a simple place for self-pity, so I really try to not self-indulge. Using the extra time I have to try and eat right makes the day more pleasant.

We have appreciated the prayers and thoughts of our friends. If you have any ideas of where else I could be looking for work, let me know!

~My (Your Affectionate Sobriquet of Choice) Takes the Morning Train...~

When we moved from Forest Hill to Aberdeen, one of the aspects of the move that I was most excited about was that I would have the chance to take the train to work. For the first several months, I couldn't, because I was still driving our middle son back to Forest Hill for Seminary every day so he could finish out the school year at North Harford. Theirs was the choral program that took him to China this last Spring, so it was worth the sacrifice. He has had angst since over his new school's program, saying there are only a handful of boys even in the chorus.

Then, a week after school ended, our oldest was commuting with me on her way to NASA. So, still had to drive.

But starting August 22, I've been taking the MARC train nearly every day to work.

The very non-intuitive trip planner at MTA's web-site doesn't know about my walk through the woods at the BWI end of my train ride. I hustle the two oldest boys out the door at 5:30am, drop them off for seminary, and hurry down to the station to catch the 5:48 southbound. It's too dark to see much until I get south of Baltimore, but I've seen some lovely sunrises.

And once I disembark at the BWI Amtrak station, I have a lovely walk through the woods. There is an 1/2-mile long iron bridge, maybe 25-30 feet off the ground, from the Station to MDOT headquarters that goes over a pleasant little creek. Originally, headquarters was supposed to be closer, but there was apparently a bog fern that needed to be protected along the creek. So it got protected with this super-awesome bridge instead! The rusty look of it is intended, a new-old modern technique I guess.

MY absolute favorite part about commuting via train is the walk home. You might wonder, since I walk over a creek/bog/swamp whether or not I have to battle mosquitoes; Nope! I think the bridge is so far off the ground (and so rarely used), that mosquitoes never find it. But other wildlife do occasionally.

And the bridge over the creek is idyllic. I stop there everyday and count turtles. Twice, I have seen an enormous snapping turtle floating in the water, like some kind of reptilian nuclear submarine. I like to count how many turtles are sunning themsleves on a tree that has fallen into the creek.

It's fun to feel like I am saving the planet, saving money, enjoying nature, all at the same time. So if I ever phone you between 4:45pm and 6pm on a weeknight, and it sounds like I'm calling from a busy restaurant, that's just me multi-tasking, taking advantage of the hands-free ride home on the train.