Coming Clean

Pit Falls of the New Job

New job by normal metrics is going well. Staying on or ahead of schedule. Slowly learning the business and able to help other people out with their walk. No stress.

But I find the Blues trying to tug me down. First, I’m not in the thick of things. I don’t mind avoiding the politics that entails at.all. But I miss the perspective, the freedom, and the responsibility that it brings. With time I’ll likely get pulled into the inner-circles more, but for now … I feel under utilized and a bit lost in the woods.

Second, and more importantly, I had a lot of friends at the old job. I had a regular lunch bunch of 4 co-workers with a not-uncommon crowd of 10. We were young, we were smart, we all had a lot in common. It was good. Now, there are only 2 co-workers I see with regularity, and while we get along fine, it’s not the same camaraderie. Add to that that I don’t have much of a social life outside of work due to kids, church, and giving my wife a reprieve from child care … and I find myself feeling rather lonely.

Didn’t expect that. Wonder how I’ll fix it.

Prelactarianism Gone Wrong

In the world of one who chooses to live by Prelactarianism (scan to the end), there are personal vices and pit-falls that can lead one’s life into certain compromises and lesser states of being.

Today, I was reminded of mine: hot coffee. I mean like: too friggin’ hot to drink hot coffee. This is how I like my coffee – initially anyway. I sip until I can pull a full mouthful in, and then I drink deeply, filling my belly with hot creamy coffee goodness.

So, why is hot coffee a vice in the world of a Prelactarianist?

Because cream curdles if the coffee is too hot. :’(

Christmas Shopping: SMG or OLPC?

So I’m thinking about the “cool” present for this Christmas. What will it be?

Up until a few days ago, I was thinking I wanted to get my hands on Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii. One of the cool things with SMG is that while it has a single player story mode, a second person can interact with the game at the same time – assisting or pestering as they so desire … that is until I decide to impale my wii-mote into their skull. Josh and I really enjoy playing games together, so I’m thinking this could be a real winner.

But now, I’m thinking about the OLPC laptop. The cool thing about buying an OLPC is that the commercial price is about that of a low-end laptop ($400) – but that price is actually purchasing 2 laptops: one for you, and one for some kid in the world that would otherwise have no chance of seeing a laptop. This strikes me as a very “in the Spirit” kind of gift … though really, to be really in the Spirit, I guess I’d buy two and give them both away.

But then I got to thinking that really, it would be cool to give my kids an OLPC, even though they are a bit young for it. Josh may actually be at a good starter age – that of 5. But then I think that it would be really hard for me to just let Josh play with the laptop – I’d be dying to mes with it myself. All the same, I think there is very good potential here.

Lisa just mentioned an idea (she saw my tip-tap-typing and loomed to see what I was doing). The kids REEEAAALLY like taking pictures and having their pictures taken. So Lisa was thinking about getting them some kid digital cameras. That would be a lot of fun, too. They’d never put them down, though, and we’d be eating batteries like never before.

So, anywho, that’s the ideas I have skating in my head for the Chastain Christmas. Anybody have any extra ideas, suggestions, thoughts?

Christmas Wish-List

Is it too early for this? Oh well.

Sung to “All I want for Christmas (is a hippopotamus)

I want a Nintendo Wii! for Christmas
Only a Nintendo Wii will do!
Don’t want a PS3, No XBox 360
I want a Nintendo Wii to play with and enjoy

I want a Nintendo Wii for Christmas
I don’t think Santa Claus will mind, do you?
He won’t have to mess with a bunch of cables
The power cord is the only one there to use.

I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes
to see a Nintendo Wii-mote waiting there

I want a Nintendo Wii for Christmas
Only a Nintendo Wii will do
No Sony PS3′s, no XBox 360′s
I only like the wireless Nintendo Wii
And the Nintendo Wii likes me too

Lisa says the Wii would eat my wallet, even so
Reviewer says a the Wii is the cheapest new console

There’s lots of room for it in our armoir
It takes little room, can play DVDs, and can replace the old GameCube.
I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes
to see a Nintendo Wii-mote waiting there

I want a Nintendo Wii for Christmas
Only a Nintendo Wii will do
No Sony PS3s or XBox 360s
I only like the wireless Nintendo Wii
And the Nintendo Wii likes me too!

Ghost of Galileo

So, one thing that was kind of stirring just before Lent started (and that I continued to see during Lent) was this very stressful tension between science and religion. The way I see it, you’ve got 3 groups in this mess. On the one side, you’ve got the ultra-scientific (aka The Atheists). On the other side, you’ve got the ultra-Biblical (aka The Truly Christian). And in the middle you’ve got everybody else.

Really, though, this mess isn’t a new fight or new tension. It’s hang-over from the days of Galileo. The days where Galileo was able to amass a wealth of evidence that, indeed, the Earth was not the center of the universe. However, he was not able to demonstrate or disprove a number of theorems that said if the Earth were NOT the center of the universe, then we should be able to observe a number of phenomenon.

So Galileo had it half-right during his time – he was on the right track, he had enough evidence to demonstrate some level of skepticism against the prevailing theories, but he quite admittedly didn’t have all the evidence needed to disprove the prevailing theories. So, why did Galileo get in trouble? Well, essentially, because he wanted to. He wanted to force the Church to give assent to his theory that the earth was not the center of the universe. The Church had no real reason to do so. And it became demagoguery from there on out, and, of course, the person with the bigger stick wins in demagoguery.

Now, if you’re paying attention at home lately, we see something of this kind of religion/science battle going on right now in our own backyards. Namely, Intelligent Design vs Evolution. In this case, Evolution is the prevailing theory. It’s the prevailing theory because it’s (1) to some degree observable (2) to some degree demonstratable (3) simple and unifying (i.e. explains a lot of things based on simple rules with few to no exceptions) and most importantly (4) useful – a lot has been done based on our understanding of genetic development based on an evolutionary model. Intelligent Design on the other hand (1) may be forensically observable (2) but is not demonstratable (3) is not unifying (i.e. there’s no telling what has been designed, what has evolved, and how the two interplay) and (4) so far not very useful. And until such a time that Intelligent Design becomes demonstratable, unifying, and useful, it doesn’t deserve the street credential it’s asking for from the scientific community just like Galileo didn’t deserve the kind of affirmation he was seeking during his time.

But the Ultra-Scientific and the Ultra-Biblical will not stop long enough to give this any kind of serious attention or reasonable answer. Instead, they will march on in their demagoguery, trying to swade each of us to their side.

Me, I’m just glad I’m Catholic. The Church made it’s boo-boo with Galileo. Science isn’t to be considered the enemy of the Church, whatever it may explain or expose. Nor should theology be used to explain the detailed workings of the physical world and vice versa. Rather, the Church should be influencing Science, helping to establish the moral boundaries of where mankind should venture and experiment. And, of course, the Church always marvels at the creative power of God that Science reveals.

God bless the resting soul of Galileo, king of night vision, king of insight.