Murfreesboro Monday

Thought for Today:
"If power corrupts, being out of power corrupts absolutely." — Douglass Cater, American author and educator (1923-1995).

Sudiegirl's response:
If being out of power corrupts absolutely, being out of chocolate just adds the element of sheer, unadulterated hatred of all.


First off...for the record, I'M OK! The past few days were a little weird as far as my entries were concerned, but I just felt like I needed to write about those things. I'm glad people found comfort and interest in what I wrote, but please don't fear. I'm still here.

(If you're not cool with me being here, I guess it sucks to be you, huh?)

Anyway...

First order of business...it's GORRRRRRRRGEOUS weather so far! The weekend was glorious, and this week is rumored to be more of the same. Tip to all who are thinking about visiting this glorious area? The best time to come here is either spring or early fall. The summers can be beastly hot and humid. Yuck yuck yuck. However, if you like to sweat, summer's a good time to visit. I highly recommend the Cherry Blossom festival...the National Mall is beautiful that time of year, especially the area by the Jefferson Memorial and the reflecting pool.


Second order of business...RIP Richard Jeni. The picture on the right is kind of small, but really, it was sad to see. Why? Jeni looks so haunted.

Seriously...he's smiling and seeming to keep up the "showtime, folks!" facade, but his eyes look sad. He looks like it's all he can do just to get up in the morning.

I always thought he was one of the better comedians out there, and he wrote his own stuff. You couldn't stuff him in a box as a certain type...he could riff on relationships, politics, life in general...anything. I stopped watching "The Tonight Show" after Carson left, but if any one comedian would tempt me to come back, it would have been Jeni. He was, simply put, FUNNY.

Did you ever notice that there are not that many comedians that have a clean plate as far as mental health goes? From the legends to the up-and-comers, they all have that certain skew on life. It may come from an unhappy home, the inability to "fit in" throughout childhood, or whatever. To me (and I'm not an authority by any means), good comedians have:

• An ability to be able to play "devil's advocate" and love it.
• No fear about baring your soul, your life, your insecurities...
• Noticing the minute details
• Questioning EVERYTHING
• An ability to reminisce effectively (not necessarily accurately...).

To me, Jeni had all that. It's a shame that his peers knew this gift, but the public didn't. For a really moving reminiscence, go to this entry at the Huffington Post. It's written by Elayne Boosler, and she writes about him with a mix of admiration and sadness.

BTW, this is the best quote from him...

On religious wars, "You're basically killing each other to see who's got the better imaginary friend."

Gotta love that mindset.

In other news...here's a headline I mangled:

Headline: "Skydiving granny"
Sudiegirl's response: Yeah...I know I have a lot of relatives I'd like to push out of a plane too. The only difference is I wouldn't be inclined to supply a parachute.

And finally, pullin' out the "Huh?" award once again.


Today's recipient: Pope Benedict
Reason: His annoying use of hindsight. Click here for the whole article, or take a look at the first paragraph, reproduced here:

Pope Benedict was opposed to Bob Dylan appearing at a youth event with the late Pope John Paul in 1997 because he considered the pop star the wrong kind of "prophet," Benedict writes in a new book issued on Thursday.

Benedict, who was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger at the time of the concert in Bologna, Italy, makes the disclosure in a new book of memoirs about his predecessor, who died in 2005.

Yes, Pope Benedict didn't approve. Furthermore, the article states this:

In his new book, Pope Benedict does not explain why he does not like Bob Dylan or why he considers him a false "prophet."

I wasn't even aware of this historic meeting between Pope John Paul II and Bob Dylan. Apparently, Bob was the only American present, as the remainder were all Italian performers. He performed "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall", and "Forever Young". Apparently, Pope John Paul II knew AND liked his Dylan.

Judge's response:

1. I knew I liked Pope JPII for a reason. He was really an incredible man, and if he was open enough to appreciate Dylan, that shows me that he didn't sequester himself inside the Vatican. He had an open heart and spirit...not too easy to find these days.

2. OK - Pope Benedict needs to just...I don't know...stop writing the book? He's making me mad. To me, he just seems like a cranky old man, which is a personality type the Catholic church DOESN'T need. Then again, I'm not Catholic so what do I know? However, he doesn't say what exactly he didn't like about Dylan. I don't know if he's invoking his papal authority to say "'Cause I said so" or what, but to me it just shows a narrow-mindedness.

Let's face it..."Blowin' In The Wind" and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" are both powerful songs. I've heard "Blowin' In The Wind" recorded in a gospel tone by Stevie Wonder, which really speaks to my sense of Christianity. I don't know a lot about Dylan beyond the basics, but he has the powers of composition and imagination on his side. He captures so much in his music, and if JPII could see it AND appreciate it, then obviously there's something there.

I have no problem with the types of music Pope Benedict likes...to quote the article, Benedict is a lover of classical and sacred music, and an accomplished classical pianist.

I guess I just don't understand (in my old age) why people can be so closed off about music. I used to be, and I don't understand why I was myself. There's so much out there...so much to move you if you'd give it a chance.

Oh well...I guess that's why I'm not Pope. That, and the fact that I'm a Protestant female.

And on that note, I'm blowin' in the wind until tomorrow, folks.

Smooches!