Chapman Kids Blog

"In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." –John 16:33

Category: culture Page 6 of 11

Grandpa Milo, Alzheimer’s and Sports

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On Monday, February 29, 2016

In culture, Health, Milo and Sarah

When we drive Grandpa Milo to church, we have time to talk with him. It is a lot of fun and we always learn something. We have to talk about things that happened a long time ago because his short term memory is not so good. Our talk yesterday, as usual was a gift to us. We talked about when he played sports in elementary school and high school in Cottage Grove, Oregon back in the 1940’s. One of my favorite stories that I have heard often was when his high school basketball was doing well, but not as well as the coach desired.

The coach gathered the team around and asked the question in what, I suppose was a rhetorical way, “Are you here to have fun or are you here to win!?”

That was probably the wrong thing to ask a bunch of extremely hard working farmer and logger boys whose brothers had just come back from fighting World War II. Sports were definitively not anything to be taken seriously. No one believed then that the “courage” and “sacrifice” required to participate in sports were a good way to build character. Nor did they believe the exercise they got playing them was anywhere close to the physical duress they experienced when working on the farm or in the woods. So, the idea that it was a builder of character was transparently wrong. That left sports as something to do for fun and, to a much smaller extent, exercise.

Grandpa answered for all of them, “We play for fun. As soon as this quits being fun, we will quit playing basketball.”

Maybe we ought to get back to thinking that way about sports again in our day.

Betty Blonde #489 – 06/21/2010
Betty Blonde #489
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Davy Crockett went to Texas under similar circumstances

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On Friday, February 26, 2016

In culture, House and home

We really are going to Texas to try to balance family responsibilities. We have wonderful friends here in Oregon, I am a native son, we love the unparalleled beauty and we even love the weather (most of the time). That being said, Davy Crockett’s famous quote when he resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives resonates with us. He said, “…you may all go to hell and I will go to Texas.” The reason it resonates with us has to do with the draconian land use laws, the horrible Portland freeways, the outrageous new minimum wage that will drive small business into the ground, the abysmal public education system and a coarsening libertine culture that is abortion friendly, anti-traditional marriage and, frequently anti-Christian.

Oregon, we love you and our roots are here, but unless law, culture and our personal responsibilities change, to paraphrase Oregon governor Tom McCall, “We will come visit again and again… But for heaven’s sake, we don’t plan to come here to live.”

Betty Blonde #488 – 06/18/2010
Betty Blonde #488
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Turned down a chance to move to Dallas

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On Friday, February 19, 2016

In culture, Family, Work

I got a job offer for a job I would love to do in the Dallas, Texas. I say Dallas because we have a Dallas here, too, and I do not want to confuse my Oregon friends. When the kids were younger and we homeschooled them, I would have jumped at a thing like this. Lorena and I did it several times. We moved from Florida to Oregon between when Kelly was born and when Christian was born. We moved from the Portland area to Albany after Kelly’s third grade year and Christian’s first grade year. That move might not seem like too big of a change, but was bigger than I expected both culturally and educationally (for the kids). We moved to Dallas for six months, then to North Carolina for seven years leading up to where we find ourselves now–back in the Portland, Oregon area.

All of that moving was very, very good for the family. The kids understand that no one place stands above other places as the ultimate, end-all places to live. There are exceptions, but people confined to a single place seem to have a tendency to think the place to which they have been confined is the only place that exists. No, though, I find myself, for the first time in my life, turning down a great job that will provide me advancement and very, very interesting work so I can be close enough to help out with aging parents and stay within a short plane ride from one kid and a short train trip to the other. It feels kind of confining, but it also feels good to have done what I believe is the right thing. This, too, will end and we can move again… if we want to.

Betty Blonde #484 – 06/14/2010
Betty Blonde #484
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More narcissism

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On Tuesday, February 16, 2016

In Christianity, culture

After all the talk amongst family and friends about M. Scott Peck’s book on narcissism titled The People of the Lie, an article titled Narcissism is Increasing. So You’re Not So Special. appeared. It address the same topic and I think it is a huge problem that began with my generation and has gotten worse ever since. Awareness helps to combat it, but it takes work and no one is immune. It is a fundamentally unchristian behavior. If the New York Times is noticing it, it has to be bad. They seem to be a hotbed of that kind of behavior and attitude.

Betty Blonde #483 – 06/11/2010
Betty Blonde #483
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Evil exists: The People of the Lie

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On Monday, February 15, 2016

In Christianity, culture

People of the LieThe People of the Lie is a book that has had a pretty big impact on my life. It is a book the mother of a friend recommended I read when I was in college. I think she recommended it to me to help me understand why some people act the way they do and to understand the nature of evil. Well, to understand at least one kind of evil. It is a book that is easy to understand, but hard to read because the truths in it are hard and some of the evil that is described there resides in all of us. I just bought two copies of the book to send to our kids.

I plan to read it again myself. I am certainly not immune to the evil described in this book. I recommend it very highly (the book, not the evil).

Betty Blonde #482 – 06/10/2010
Betty Blonde #482
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Ancient coins

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On Wednesday, February 10, 2016

In culture, Education

My buddy John from Texas bought a handful of ancient coins. I think he mostly bought them out of curiosity and for fun. At any rate he sent me some pictures of them last night. He has been enjoying trying to figure out what they are, where they are from and how to clean them up with out wrecking them. I have to admit, it looks fun and educational. I also have to admit, I am a little envious. I might buy a handful myself. He thinks he has identified the coin with the box around it on the left as from the reign of Ptolemy III in Egypt which means it is way old. It seems like there is some Greek and Roman stuff in there, too. He will know a lot more about it after he has cleaned them up and figured out what is on them. Here they are:

Ancient coins from the top

Ancient coins from the side

Betty Blonde #481 – 06/09/2010
Betty Blonde #481
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Holocaust Remembrance Day

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On Wednesday, January 27, 2016

In Christianity, culture, Politics

This article titled Eichmann begged for mercy before hanging was very, very interesting, but very, very sad, too. It speaks for itself. May we never forget.

Betty Blonde #473 – 05/24/2010
Betty Blonde #473
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Brave – Brendan Eich’s impressive response to his unconscionable treatment by Firefox

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On Friday, January 22, 2016

In culture, Software

Brendan Eich got thrown out as CEO of Firefox because he gave $1000 to the Proposition 8 campaign to protect marriage in California. Rather than complain about it and under the radar (at least under my radar), he started his own browser company. Brave is the name of the browser and the company. The underlying goals of the browser are impressive. I just finished reading their About page which is titled How to Fix the Web and their FAQ.  Their concept, if implemented in a compelling way, could change the way ad money changes hands on the internet. User data is protected and the user has more control over what gets displayed. It apparently runs much more rapidly than any of the current popular browser. It could absolutely make ad block software obsolete. The browser is available for testing right now, but I plan to wait until it is closer to full release to give it a spin. The browser is based on Chromium.

The thing that is most impressive about this whole project is that I heard almost nothing from Brendan Eich when he was treated so shabbily by Firefox. I quit using Firefox when he was fired and they have been headed down hill ever since Eich left. This is the very best kind of response he could have given. I wish him well in this new enterprise and am looking forward to giving Brave a try.

Betty Blonde #468 – 04/27/2010
Betty Blonde #468
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A video for Trisha

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On Tuesday, January 19, 2016

In culture

This is one of the best television interviews I have ever seen. I am putting it up here for the benefit of Trisha and her extended family and friends as they will have greater context than others to understand its brilliance. Please note the interviewees are typical university students from West Texas. Take special note of the class the second student vacated to go aid the community in their time of need.

Betty Blonde #465 – 04/22/2010
Betty Blonde #465
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Mani-pedi 2015

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On Monday, December 28, 2015

In culture

Mani-Pedi Christmas 2015
I had my first mani-pedi ever today along with the rest of the family. Christian had them do his nails for classical guitar playing. It is an experience I think I might be able to endure once per year or so. There was a cute little junior high school age girl there for the first time along with us.

When I found out it was her first time, I said, “Good for you!”

She said, “Good for you, too!” and smiled with great joy.

It was worth the price of admission.

Betty Blonde #453 – 04/08/2010
Betty Blonde #453
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The world is upside down

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On Thursday, December 3, 2015

In culture

I honestly had never heard the term “social justice warrior” until a few months ago when my kids talked about it. It is the perfect sarcastic description for people who exhibit the type of appalling behavior captured so well in this political cartoon. Now that it is on my radar, I am seeing it everywhere. Articles titled The Modern College Experience and Radical Feminists and White Racists, both at TownHall, are examples of some of the push back that is starting to occur. The push back is probably too little, too late, but at least enough of it is happening in places where even old fogies like me can read them. Those two example are really bad, but an article that is even more scary whose title I will not include here describes the entire phenomena as it applies to terrorism and the Jewish community. It surely does seem like something bad is coming.

Betty Blonde #437 – 03/21/2010
Betty Blonde #437
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Wrong about the crusades, but the word is getting out

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On Wednesday, November 25, 2015

In culture

It is sad so many people have so many wrong ideas about the crusades. I found another article, wonderfully written, from 2005 that sets the record straight. Again. This paragraph from the article describes the problem:

Misconceptions about the Crusades are all too common. The Crusades are generally portrayed as a series of holy wars against Islam led by power-mad popes and fought by religious fanatics. They are supposed to have been the epitome of self-righteousness and intolerance, a black stain on the history of the Catholic Church in particular and Western civilization in general. A breed of proto-imperialists, the Crusaders introduced Western aggression to the peaceful Middle East and then deformed the enlightened Muslim culture, leaving it in ruins. For variations on this theme, one need not look far. See, for example, Steven Runciman’s famous three-volume epic, History of the Crusades, or the BBC/A&E documentary, The Crusades, hosted by Terry Jones. Both are terrible history yet wonderfully entertaining.

That is so wrong in so many ways as explained next:

So what is the truth about the Crusades? Scholars are still working some of that out. But much can already be said with certainty. For starters, the Crusades to the East were in every way defensive wars. They were a direct response to Muslim aggression—an attempt to turn back or defend against Muslim conquests of Christian lands.

Christians in the eleventh century were not paranoid fanatics. Muslims really were gunning for them. While Muslims can be peaceful, Islam was born in war and grew the same way. From the time of Mohammed, the means of Muslim expansion was always the sword. Muslim thought divides the world into two spheres, the Abode of Islam and the Abode of War. Christianity—and for that matter any other non-Muslim religion—has no abode. Christians and Jews can be tolerated within a Muslim state under Muslim rule. But, in traditional Islam, Christian and Jewish states must be destroyed and their lands conquered.

The author goes on to explain in more detail to explain what we actually know about all this. It is a great read that makes a compelling case. I highly recommend it.

Betty Blonde #432 – 03/12/2010
Betty Blonde #432
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Are there no more American Cyrus’s

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On Tuesday, November 24, 2015

In culture

I just read a great article on why Truman characterized himself as Cyrus when he was talking to Israel at the time they were about to become a sovereign country again. It made me wonder whether we have seen our last American President Cyrus as the most recent administration has certainly moved away from that position. It also made me wonder how many people might understand the reference. I think that is most probably a diminished set of our population and even more diminished in Europe.

Betty Blonde #431 – 03/11/2010
Betty Blonde #431
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Talking about God at graduate school

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On Thursday, November 12, 2015

In culture, Education

Commie ProfessorA couple of talks with Kelly and Christian the last couple of days reminded me of the old Commie Professor posts from their undergrad days. Christian has a brilliant cohort in his PhD program who is a little older than most of the other graduate students, probably in his mid-thirties.  He presented at the same conference as Christian earlier this week and was able to hang out with the Arizona State group in the evening, something he normally does not get to do because he also has a full time job and a family, so he does not have time. He is a very serious guy and brought up that he started to understand better why free will is not incompatible with an omnipotent God. It is nice to find fellow travelers in the bastions of “rationality” common to secular universities.

The same day, Kelly messaged me from her graduate level Sociology class. Suffice it to say the conversation was barely coherent. The condescension is the hardest thing to take, especially from people handicapped by the morally relativistic indoctrination that is preeminent in colleges of all stripes, but especially within the liberal arts departments of secular universities. You can see our conversation below the comic strip.

Betty Blonde #421 – 02/25/2010
Betty Blonde #421
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Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
durkheim is fascinating because he sees the same thing that we see
 
he sees the world
 
and comes to the opposite conclusion from the exact same facts
 
Kelly J • Mon, 12:21 PM
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
I don’t know how Kant can argue for moral behavior without divinity
 
that argument is flawed
 
he says you can adhere to morality without divinity, but morality doesn’t exist without divinity
 
i’m having a great time with my response to Durkheim
 
i’m so excited
 
everyone in that class is silly
 
seriously they are
 
i’m beyond hyped
 
they essentially told me that religion was a nice panacea for people
 
and you can live “at peace” with subjectivism and religion
 
slash spirituality
 
so i said “how can you do that”
 
Kelly J • Mon, 12:38 PM
 
 
 
Hahaha!!! Don’t go to high, but that is what I felt when I realized all the atheist, skeptics and scoffers were truly fools.
 
Mon, 12:38 PM
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
“that is diluted that completely cancels the point of religion”
 
Kelly J • Mon, 12:38 PM
 
 
 
YES!!!!
 
Cools
 
What did they say?
 
Mon, 12:38 PM
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
Durkheim makes two points
 
Kelly J • Mon, 12:38 PM
 
 
 
What are they?
 
Mon, 12:38 PM
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
well he asks two things
 
Kelly J • Mon, 12:39 PM
 
 
 
You nailed it exactly.
 
Mon, 12:39 PM
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
how can ‘divine reason’ which i am interpreting to be ‘objective truth’
 
give rise to so many varying human worldviews, if it truly exists and is truly immutable
 
and
 
Kelly J • Mon, 12:39 PM
 
 
 
There is no point, even to life and existence, if there is no God and religion.
 
Mon, 12:39 PM
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
how can we believe in divine reason if it can’t be scientifically tested
 
the last one is a softball
 
scientific reason/logic is in itself an immaterial idea
 
you can’t use it to prove your argument if your argument says it doesn’t really exist
 
but that’s hard too because you have to use reason to say that
 
when can you not use reason
 
Kelly J • Mon, 12:40 PM
 
 
 
Yes. The funny deal is that it CAN be tested, but science is not the only domain for the discovery of truth. They ALWAYS talk like only science can reveal truth when in reality the only way you can make a case for the ability of science to say ANYTHING is through philosopy.
 
Mon, 12:41 PM
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
he also says that ideas are purely immaterial and then admits that they may originate in reality, but he can’t have it both ways
 
Kelly J • Mon, 12:41 PM
 
 
 
Hahaha! That is great.
Mon, 12:42 PM
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
Reasoning itself is dependent on the reality of the immaterial so you can’t say that the immaterial is not real because reason itself is immaterial
 
Kelly J • Mon, 12:42 PM
 
 
 
Cool.
 
Mon, 12:42 PM
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
i read that article i found online which helped a lot
 
Kelly J • Mon, 12:42 PM
 
 
 Send it to me.
 
Mon, 12:42 PM
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
saying that he mischaracterizes Judaism and Christianity
 
which both explicitly reject totenism and idolatry
 
(Islam kind of does too, and Buddhism is pretty ascetic which also doesn’t fit into his argument)
 
In Judaism and Christianity God reveals himself in solitude for the most part
 
it is highly personal
 
this rejects the social nature of religion where people find God through “collective feeling”
 
which is what Durkheim says the true nature of every religion is
 
how do i respond to the ‘religion gives comfort so its ok’ argument – i find that extremely condescending
 
Kelly J • Mon, 12:49 PM
 
 
 
Yes it is. Religion gives NO comfort to those who do acknowledge God as God.
 
Tell them Christianity is not a comforting religion to those who don’t bow their knee. Neither is Islam and Judasim.
 
Mon, 12:52 PM
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
does this make sense
 
Why adhere to anything if it is not true? If it is just a myth society has created to comfort itself? By this reason, the religious are willfully ignorant of reality and the point of religion is completely moot. Religion gives no true comfort to those who cannot acknowledge religious truth as objective truth. It is condescending to hold true to the idea that the immaterial is false while allowing that religion gives comfort to people and must be tolerated.  The basis of this argument is founded on some subjective morality, and imposes that morality on others.
 
Kelly J • Mon, 12:52 PM
 
 
 
The objective truth described in Christianity is extremely harsh to people who work against it.
 
Very nicely said.
 
Are you writing a response to something?
 
Mon, 12:53 PM
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
yes
 
Kelly J • Mon, 12:53 PM
 
 
 
Will you flunk if you say the wrong thing?
 
Mon, 12:53 PM
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
nah it’s a grad course
 
she may go on my committee
 
Kelly J • Mon, 12:54 PM
 
 
 
Does she hate you?
 
Mon, 12:54 PM
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
i don’t mind pushing back a little
 
no
 
Kelly J • Mon, 12:54 PM
 
 
Hahaha. That is a good reason. She will pass you.
 
Well that is good. It also might make your quals easier.
 
Mon, 12:55 PM
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
she won’t sit in on my quals until my dissertation
 
several years down the road
 
Kelly J • Mon, 12:55 PM
 

Kelly observing the human condition

By

On Wednesday, November 4, 2015

In culture

Kelly often sits in a coffee shop to study during the day. She heard a conversation bewteen two late middle age ladies that gave her great joy. I thought it was fun. Here is our Instant Message conversation that described it all:


Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
oh my word
 
these two ladies are sitting next to me
 
they are like your age
 
Kelly J • 11:16 AM
 
 
 
And?
 
11:16 AM
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
they remind me of that youtube video i sent you once
 
they’re literally talking about pastries and baking shows
 
“do you watch that on the computers”
 
“on the ipad”
 
Kelly J • 11:16 AM
 
 
 
Cool! Hahaha!
 
11:17 AM
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
“elizabeth knows about this pastry i don’t think she can even pronounce the name but she says it is the best pastry she has ever tried”
 
literally a 10 minute conversation about this
 
Kelly J • 11:17 AM
 
 
 
Hahaha!
 
11:17 AM
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
“you know who will like this?”
 
“elizabeth”
 
“she’s so healthy!”
 
“i know i’m not healthy i don’t like healthy stuff like she does”
 
Kelly J • 56 mins
 
 
 
Hahaha?
 
56 mins
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
elizabeth is their mutual friend
 
i love these women
 
Kelly J • 56 mins
 
 
 
Yes
 
They are awesome.
 
56 mins
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
“it’s hair wash day”
 
“and then we gotta go pretend that we’re interested”
 
oh my word
 
these women are fantastic
 
Kelly J • 48 mins
 
 
 
Hahaha
 
48 mins
 
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
“I’M GOING TO HAVE COFFEE WITH MY OLD BOYFRIEND, STEVE WEST”
 
aaaahahaha i LOVE these women
 
he called her
 
she said “oh steve!! are you a grandpa yet?”
 
and then they chit chat
 
and she turns the phone off and tells her friend she’s going to have coffee with him
 
her friend says
 
“I can see that that was someone you really liked” “then tomorrow i’m going to have coffee with my old boyfriend TODD”
 
“well you like your old boyfriend bill”
 
“well he’s a criminal”
 
“he IS?”
 
Kelly J • 41 mins
 
 
 
With mom. Will text after lunch
 
41 mins
 
Kelly J Chapman (kjchapma@uw.edu)
 
 
“well everyone knows it!”
 
“he got away with everything – which is his STYLE”
 
Kelly J • 40 mins
 
 
 
Hahaha’ man I wish I was there!
 
28 mins

Betty Blonde #417 – 02/19/2010
Betty Blonde #417
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Being part of the club

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On Monday, October 26, 2015

In Business, culture

An article titled How Big Government and Big Business Stick It to U.S. Small Businesses along with a conversation I had with my sister, Julia about our high school years. The article stands on its on. I believe what it says is true, but this article is about a peripheral phenomenon that has to do with society at large and being on the inside or on the outside. Julia and I agreed that just about everyone in our high school felt like they were outsiders. Everyone felt like the sports kids, the band kids, the academic kids and even the church kids were part of some ill-defined, but cohesive group some set of common knowledge and connection that made them part of “the club.” The reality was that no one really felt very much connected to anything at all. Everyone was desperate to figure out how to gain membership to the club were inadequate to the task. The other reality is that there was no club.

I think the article about big business and big government is really just about adults playing that same high school game. The difference is that there actually is a club at this level. Many people have the connections, knowledge, mentorship and motivation to get into the club. It is not formal, but it exists. You can see it particularly clearly in politics. The small business man or community member goes to congress and becomes a monster. It transcends party lines. It is true in business, too. That is not to say all people in big business and/or big government sell out in that way, just a lot of them do. The funny deal is that it is no different from high school in that it is all about people who are in the club versus those who are not and who gets to chose which is which.

The sad part is this phenomena exists not only in business and education, but in the church, the military, sports (which is, arguably, just big business and big government) and just about everywhere else in society where people organize themselves to do good things.

Betty Blonde #414 – 02/6/2010
Betty Blonde #414
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Leadership

By

On Wednesday, August 19, 2015

In culture

I am not a big fan of “leadership” books. The people who write them and like to read them seem to know how to talk about leadership more than actually lead. It amazes me that Jesus admonished us to be followers. How did the whole leadership thing become such a diluted, universal mantra.

Betty Blonde #397 – 01/22/2010
Betty Blonde #397
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Kelly goes to Chicago

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On Saturday, August 15, 2015

In Cooking, culture

Kelly at the Chicago Art Institute
Kelly is at her second annual American Marketing Association meeting, this year in Chicago! Chicago has a special place in my heart. I have flown through there a LOT over the years and have known a lot of people and good times in that great city. She met some great friends there, so some great sites and, above all, ate some truly great pizza. In the great Chicago versus New your pizza wars, I am definitely a Chicago partisan. I have to admit that I will NOT admit it when I am in New York–liking the pizza where you are is liking the barbecue where you are. It maximizes the food opportunities to like the food of the home team, wherever you are.

Chicago is where Grandpa Milo took me to my very first trade show in the Conrad Hilton Hotel Downtown. That is where we stayed, too. And, better than anything else, we went to Gino’s East for pizza. Some people say Giordanos is better, but I reject that out of hand. Tradition is not nothing and Gino’s has an ambiance of its own! To my Chicago friends, I salute you!

Betty Blonde #396 – 01/21/2010
Betty Blonde #396
Click here or on the image to see full size strip.

Intelligent design in real life

By

On Wednesday, August 12, 2015

In culture, Science

$5 of coffee for free!An amazing thing happened yesterday. One of the managers at my work won a $5 Starbucks gift certificate for getting a correct answer on a safety question. In a classy move, he did a “guess the number” raffle with his team. About seven people participated. The number was 43. Two of the guessers got it right. We were pretty sure no one cheated. I was one of the guessers how picked 43. I picked it because 42 is the answer in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and I hate that pretentious, badly written tome so I one upped it to 43. What are the odds? My immediate thought is that my picking 43 was definitely not random. Actually, whether the reason for picking 43 was overt or subliminal, I am pretty confident the other two who picked it (the raffle organizer and the other guesser) did not pick it randomly either. But then what could be the cause?

Betty Blonde #393 – 01/18/2010
Betty Blonde #393
Click here or on the image to see full size strip.

Uncle Warren

By

On Sunday, August 9, 2015

In culture

Warren Bone -- Throwback weekendMy old friend and college roommate, Warren Bone stayed with us this weekend. The kids call him Miss Turbone (think about it), an allusion to Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes. He has been after me to take him to visit Grandpa Milo and Grandma Sarah at their assisted living facility ever since we got back to Oregon. It was a gift to have him here. He stood up for me along with Bryan Joyce at my wedding–Mexico is better because you need TWO best men and I had the VERY best. He has been a consistent fixture in the life of the Chapman family since we met the fall of his freshman year (my sophomore year) at Oregon State University in 1974. We all consider him family.

More than almost anyone other than maybe Grandpas Lauro and Milo and Grandmas Conchita and Sarah, Warren is the one who showed up at our house for Christmas and Thanksgiving as well as the odd other times. Christianity and Christ are always at the very top of the list of things we discuss. It does not really matter if we last talked days ago or months ago, we are lifelong friends and took up where we left off. We have not always agreed on everything, although on the vast bulk of topics we rarely differ more than a picayune point or two. He is almost as redneck as Lorena and I. He would claim his more than in I, but, in that, he would be wrong.

He is our kids uncle in the best sense of that word. Looking forward to the next get-together.

Betty Blonde #391 – 01/14/2010
Betty Blonde #391
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