And the best brand of sneakers to wear if you have to run…

This “unwelcome” mat cracked me up, too:

That’s based, of course, on the popular Journey song from 1981. I’d love to re-write certain parts of the verses, but the delayed chorus is well worth the wait.

What are you still waiting for and believing in?

Yes, it’s been too long since I’ve posted anything. My apologies. I’ve been under the weather lately and just plain zonked from trying to tie together so many loose strands of life. 

Moreover, political “silly season” is upon us, and I find it demoralizing. My son and I especially find the lunacy to be intolerable, and it sometimes it weighs heavily on us. Most of the time we can brush it off, but this round feels different. We just don’t recognize this country anymore. I’d love to say more, but that probably wouldn’t be helpful or encouraging to anyone.

And then there’s the pain of waiting for the realization of long-held dreams. Life is sometimes mental torment when you’re an INTJ/Beaver-Lion/1w9 type of personality. But, hey, so as not to be too much of a Debbie Downer today, here are a couple more chuckles. Enjoy!

In addition to which…

I just received a picture from a high school friend who came back to Reading with her family so she could scatter her mom’s ashes. I wasn’t able to join them for the ceremony because of my residency schedule, so she sent me a snap of her sitting outside our alma mater (the “Castle on the Hill”) before heading back to Houston. The outside of the building hasn’t changed a bit after all these years.

A Brief Update

It’s nice to be back in the saddle after another Th.D. residency this past week. The schedule was awfully thick, but it was a delight to be with the students on campus again. Several of us went to Sight & Sound to see David after the last class, and we were blown away by the production. Do yourself a favor and go see it if you possibly can. No spoilers here, but I guarantee you will feel “hugged by heaven” during the finale. Most of us in the audience just sat there in silence for a while after the curtain came down. Good art will do that for you!

On top of all that, I had a funeral and graveside service to do this week. The dearly departed was a believer, and it was honor to highlight his Christian faith during the service. Additionally, I celebrated my daughter’s last day as one of her grandmother’s caregivers. Stage 7 Alzheimer’s is right around the corner, and Lorena is needing a new kind of specialized care, so Bethany is pursuing a new opportunity that matches her skill set, passion, and experience. We had a lovely lunch date together and a mini-shopping spree as a thank you for all her hard work this past year. Andrew has also been helping out as needed, and he is much appreciated, too.

Our Friday night movie binge resumed. Having completed Stranger Things season 4, which is a masterclass in storytelling, we went back in time to watch The Fugitive (1993), starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. Dr. Richard Kimble, unjustly accused of murdering his wife, pursues the real killer while being the target of a nationwide manhunt led by a seasoned U.S. marshal. It’s quite good, and we’ll probably watch the follow-on production, U.S. Marshals (1999), next week before settling on a longer binge-worthy series.

Finally, adorable pics and clips of our little “Bubby” (Samuel) are stacking up, so I may need to pull some of those together soon and post an update. After all, that’s why most people really come to TNL once in a while, right? 🙂

Relatedly…

It didn’t seem right to post a chuckle yesterday as the UK began its period of official mourning for the late queen. So, here’s an avalanche of caffeinated laughs to make up for it.

In addition to which, there’s a most wonderful time of the year right before “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”:

They forgot to include the fifth stage, which is to throw up in the gutter after you’ve finished the race.

Fish have a much easier time of it…

In honor of Samuel’s 9-month-iversary…

Hauser’s “Air on the G String” by J. S. Bach

Sky’s Modernized “Toccata”

And with fall approaching, we can service our cars with…