A Deo et Rege

Today we actually had a snow day (as opposed to a "cold" day). And boy, did we get clobbered! It was an incredible burst of blizzard activity. In fact, the word "blizzard" even appeared on The Weather Channel’s report for my area. I’ve mainly had cabin fever though. The road were too bad to use and most places were closed anyway. I did manage to get a few photos:

This is my pile of snow from constant plowings. Keep in mind that metal thing on the far right is a flagpole.

A view from my freshly plowed driveway.

Icicles from my garage

I don’t normally do these posts, but since it’s yet another "cold" day off from work, I figured I’d give it a shot. And since Carmel got me an mp3 player, I am now out of the stone age! Here’s what I’ve been listening to:

Sam’s Town- The Killers
Midnight Show- The Killers
Mr. Brightside (Thin White Duke Mix)- The Killers
Bling (Confessions of a King)- The Killers

Yes, lately it’s been all The Killers. I really like them. They take me back to the 70s/80s with a lot of U2 mixed in. For me, that’s good.

Here are two photos I took from of my backyard. The first is literally from the door. I used filters to catch different perspectives on the cold day with snow (click for bigger images).

It used to be for adults, but now more and more young people are getting stomach surgery.  Ok, the title says "children" but these seem to mainly be teens, which isn’t quite as shocking as, say, a 6 year old getting the surgery.

I don’t really know what to think about this. As someone who has struggled in the past with issues of weight (although I don’t think I’ve ever really been "obese") I can definitely see the side of the teens. For example, there’s this part:

Crystal Kasprowicz, of St. James, N.Y., said
she lost 100 pounds from her 250-pound frame after having the band
installed at age 17. Before
the procedure, Kasprowicz said she took medication for a rapid
heartbeat and was showing signs of developing diabetes. Every effort
she made to stop getting bigger failed. Dieting didn’t work, she said.
Her heart problems made it hard to exercise. Even walking up stairs was
a challenge.Now, she’s off the heart drugs. Her blood-sugar levels are in check. She also feels better about herself. "I’m a totally different person," she said.

This young lady was clearly an adult medical disaster waiting to happen. Now, she is much healthier and can actually feel good about herself. Yeah, I know I’m not usually into "self esteem" too much, but having been around teens a lot I can tell you that self esteem matters (just so it doesn’t turn into pride or self-centeredness).

Then there’s the other side of the coin, which I also find persuasive:

"I don’t think altering the human digestive
tract is a solution to the problem of excess weight," said Joanne
Ikeda, a nutritionist emeritus at the University of California,
Berkeley. "It’s one of these quick-fixes that isn’t a fix at all." Doctors, she said, still know relatively little about the long-term effects of such operations on the very young.

 Stomach surgery does seem really extreme to me,
especially for kids. I’ve always personally been able to lose weight
through diet and exercise. Admittedly, these are extreme cases, but I
can see the risk factor.I’m not really sure where
I would come down on this issue. Maybe, I’d see it as a case by case
issue. Anyone (if anyone still reads this blog) care to chime in?

…And if could be you too (if you blog or participate in internet media).

One rabbi decides he doesn’t like Christmas trees in the airport, so they go. My (charitable) response: If they want menorahs in the Israeli airports, good for them. Now, let us represent our heritage without the complaining of a few, thank you very much. It’s not like Christmas trees have much religious significance anyway (as any good fundamentalist will tell you).

Update: Trees Are Back Up (It seems the rabbi is willing to talk to the people about getting a menorah up next year rather than suing; he says he didn’t really want to bring the trees down, just get a menorah up)

I’ve taken some snow photos (We’ve had, I estimate, about 20 inches in the last week):

#1 (yard photo taken at night)

#2 (my road at night with a car driving down it)

Carmel got her visa!! Now that is awesome news! We can finally start planning our wedding and life together. Praise God!

Also, Warren Zevon does a great version of the song "Back in the High Life Again." Who’d have guessed?

Finally, Happy Solemnity of All Saints to my readers!

Yep, Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster is Loose. The first single "Blind as a Bat" is good. I’ve always had a soft spot for Meat Loaf and his overly sentimental teenage rock ballads that he somehow always sings with a straight face.

Let’s see…We get a new album and it’s "Bat" Part III (released on Halloween no less).

Anyone else stoked?

Today we had one of those rare moments with heavy snowfall in the middle of the peak colors of autumn. Sadly, the property I live on doesn’t have the most colorful trees, but you can get the point. I think the contrast between the colors of fall and the white snow is beautiful. But…4 inches of snow in October?? Goodness! (Note: the photo looks odd because the snow blends in with the white background of my blog. Click photo to enlarge and see it properly.)

Yes, it snowed on October 14th. It wasn’t much, but I was there to get the picture. It looks kind of Christmasy with the berries and all.

Click to see fullsize

A very good friend got married this weekend and I went to the wedding. I’m not usually much of a "wedding person," but this was a huge exception! Perhaps it was because she’s such a good friend, but also the wedding itself was so classy from the setting to the service to the dinner afterwards. It is hard to think of her with her new last name, though. But, I’ll have to get used to it, I guess.

I also took this opportunity to go home and see the family, which was really nice. I live about 3 or so hours away from them so only visit about once a month. This is the first time since Labor Day and the next time will be Thanksgiving. I didn’t have time to do much except play trivia, eat at one of my favorite local restaurants, and get a Dairy Queen pumpkin pie blizzard. I consider that a good weekend!

…And David has a great article at Per Christum called Let the Halloween Wars Commence. It has some good links in it too. Check it out! Below is a photo I took of some Halloween lights at my house (yes Halloween lights). Spooky!

Yes, there is a site on the internet dedicated to autumn leaves, called the Foliage Network. The coolest feature is their foliage reports which tell you the extent of color change and fallen leaves in various regions of the country. Check it out!

It seems Cat Stevens…err…Yusef Islam should stick to making music or whatever it is he does now. In recent comments he notes how the Pope’s recent words prove the Pope is not infallible. Of course, Catholics believe that the Pope quoting a Byzantine emperor in the midst of an academic discussion is infallible. Not. "Cat" was either sleeping during the lesson on Vatican I or his teacher did a really poor job.