"There will be peace in the Middle East when the Palestinians love their children more than they hate the Jews."

--Golda Meir

Allow me a moment, please, to thank all the people who had a hand in making me who I am. I'm sure I'll forget a few, indeed many, but this is simply an exercise in thankfulness and the ones I do forget will surely understand and know that I thank them as well. So, I would like to say thank-you to the following people, be they real or fictitious...

God. Mom and Dad. Grandma, Grandpa and the long line of lives that preceded them. Anna, Danielle, Uncle’s Bob, Steve, Jim, Clare. Aunt’s Simone, Martha, Gloria, Thao and Heidi's Mother. Cousins Heidi, Little Jimmy, Charlie. Teresa Troutman, Leo O'Brian, Frank Alter, Dennis Banka, Stephanie's Dean and Breeden, Gloria and both Paul's Dean. Mike "Where's-my-moon" Whats-is-name. The very blonde Debbie Schoensiegle who wrote on paper, "YKPGFYA," whose mother had me detained by M.P.'s for daring to like her daughter, the self-same daughter who encouraged all kinds of naughty. To Troop 88 and Mr. Peoples. Scott and Eric Mersnick, and survival campouts. Laura Bearnard and Apple perfume, Stacy, and Bruce Rhodes, broke arm and all. Nancy Rigdon and her brother John. Marc Marley and Lori Sutherland, the girl I was afraid to kiss. Rodney Shueman. Eddie, Kenneth, Kevin and Sharon Trainor. Vince Kasprowicz and his whirling dervish. Sweet Emily. To the woman who held me as I cried at my fathers funeral; she who was once my step-sister. Mr. Lovrikovic for teaching me that hard lesson called "Complacency." David and Peaches Skinner, for their faithfulness to God, and Northside Baptist Church, the only church I felt at home in. Delilah Dean. Les and Rebecca Grice. Mike Salow, Clint Menacof, and Jim Stoller who shared a jail cell with me on my twenty-ninth birthday and owns the first painting I sold in exile. Bradford Woods who last time I heard was somewhere in Texas enlightening the masses. Peter Paulie, one-time editor of Colorado Springs only daily newspaper, who was nothing but an encouragement to me. R.D. Golden for teaching me how not to treat a woman. James Henry Bell for teaching me how not to treat a friend. Iota Gamma for showing me what brotherhood is not. Carol Pizza for teaching me forgiveness, and Cristal Conley for teaching me endurance and steadfastness. James Pigneri, Sylvia Harrison. Spinnaker's Restaurant for teaching me how not to treat employees. Edward Eugene "Hoss" Lewis for showing me that no man is worthy of worship, and David Rabe who has shown me that all men are at times to be pitied. To Spain for my first lesson in prejudice, and to George Washington Carver High School for my second. To Kimberly Steele who liked me perhaps as much as I liked her. Mr. Jacksons Homeroom class who did NOT paint the mural of the Beatles... I did! 1st and 10th grade art contests. Mr. Early and any girl named Kelli. To band class and the trumpet my mother bought for me and my love for music. Belinda Kelly for teaching me the true meaning of fidelity and the phrase "sex-as-a-weapon." Everet Youngberg the ever-smiling. Taco, Hercules, Rufus and Dudley, and Pepe, loyal companions all. To Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, and J.R.R. Tolkien. Merry and Pippen and good ole' Sam Gamgee. Charlotte Norris who slapped me for kissing her, only to later kiss me goodbye. To Paula Kirker, because she liked Klaatu. Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein, and Marilyn Monroe. Diana Spencer and Norma Jean. Kansas. Both the calm and stormy seas of winter I once piloted a steady course upon. When Worlds Collide. The Beatles. Enya and Loreena McKennitt. Sinead's burning of Troy. Homers burning of Troy. Ullyses and Penelope. The sinking of Atlantis and the land that is now the Mediterranian Sea. Pangea and Hyperboria. Ming the Mercilous, Flash and Dale Arden. Ornella Muti's "Aura." The Alan Parsons Project and the Turn of a Friendly Card. Ron Ely's "Tarzan." Author Gene Wolfe. Ursula K. LeGuin's "Lathe of Heaven." Ray Bradbury and his "Martian Cronicles," especially his "The Million Year Picnic." Hermann Hesse and Sidharrtha. Immanuel Velikovsky. William Golding's "Lord of the Flies." "I Am The Cheese." "Farenheit 451." Phillip K. Dick's, "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?" "Logan's Run" (The Book). "The Stand." "The Dark Tower." Robert Jordan's, "The Wheel Of Time." Robert Roy McGregar and William Wallace. The highlands of Scotland and anything with bagpipes. To "The Sun in the Stream;" that tune that echoed across the mountain top at my fathers funeral. "Cursum Perficio." Cecil B. Demille's Ten Commandments, and to Ben Hur. Sensei Richard Lordings Shorin-Ryu. To Goju-Ryu and Sanchin. Hiroaki Samura and the Blade of the Immortal. Michael J. Linsner. Darrian Ashoka and Dawn. Gary Numan and the B-52's. The Moody Blues. Yes. A Farewell to Kings and Moving Pictures. Clannad, Mary Black, Connie Dover and especially Luka Bloom. Dan Fogelberg. Stevie Nicks and Linsey Buckingham. Tears for Fears, Queen and Dixie Chicks. For finding Shawn Colvin before everyone else did. Charleton Heston in Planet of the Apes. Jaws. Jean-Luc Picard, Worf, and Data. Bram Stoker and the scariest vampire story ever. Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo and Jules Verne. Back to the Future one, two and three. Robert Adams "Return of the Horseclans" and Milo Morai. Richard Adams "Watership Down," especially Hazel, Fiver, Strawberry, Hyzenthlay, and my very own "Hrududu" parked out front, and the concept of Tharn and all it implies. Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Steven Segal, all of whom are the real deal. U2 and Sting's "Fields of Gold" as well as his "Dream of the Blue Turtle." Mrs. Bell who treated me as though I were one of her own. Dan Robbins. Joby Roberts, and one night at the spa. Mr. "One toke over the line" Cliff Myers... And his sister. Lee Pizza. Suzie Durko for sharing long walks with me. Mike Gailfoil. Debra Lively. Robby Heisner. Steve Hagan. The Entire Kasprowicz Clan and that Hallowed place known to one and all as the "Oaks." David Everett. Bill Norris and his lovely bride. Catherine "Cat" Vaughan, Kim Dosier, Wendy Morris, Krishelle, Desa Dance, Dot Brown, Lisa Treadwell, and Sherif Dawson. Dawn Floyd. Brandi Holton. To Hannah and her Needle Corriandor, and Arwen. The Stoning Of Charity and the return of inspiration after three years. Sun and Flower. "The Gardens of Loveplay" and "Tales from the Amber Book". Rush Limbaugh and Howard Stern for a look at both sides of the fence. To Solitude, for teaching me how to think for myself and showing me the importance of doing so. To the idea that the glass is neither half full nor half empty, but "Fully Half Empty." To Mary Angel, who was my first... And best.

And the list could go on and on. There are so many people and things that have contributed to who I have become, some good, some bad. Sure, I'd like to be able to go back to when I was 17, with all I know now and do it differently; who wouldn't? But then I wouldn't be who I am today... Or would I?

Well, that's a question best considered another time.

Pocket Full of Mumbles, taken from the Simon and Garfunkel tune, The Boxer-- a song with significant meaning to me --began as a way to do something with all the scraps of paper that ended up on my desk at the end of the day. You see, I'm in the habit of writing things down... Things that grab my attention: a bumper sticker, the name of a song on the radio, doodles, poetry, web addresses, and all manner of clutter ended up, at the end of the day, literally littering my dresser and desk. I thought this would be a good way to get rid of the clutter in my room. It hasn't turned out that way.

The clutter you see is in my head... Hmmm, and that reminds me of another tune... I couldn't get rid of it if I tried. Or wanted.

I blogged what I thought were the more profound moments of Hurricane Dennis-- July 10, 2005. I even swore I wouldn't get political here. Ha!

Ah... The good ole days.... When I still used the "here's more" link. Nowadays, I don't use the span class="fullpost" tag anymore, though I think I may go back to it. Check out July of last year and you'll see exactly how things have changed, look and content-wise. This can only mean one of two things... I have either Evolved, or DEvolved as a blogger-- But I'm not the one to make that determination.

I've put a lot of myself into this blog. More than I should have, and not enough to truly satisfy me... My pockets are still full. More so since my focus has shifted and the posts have grown longer-- folded paper crammed into the breast pocket of a shirt makes more of a bulge than the original slips that once hid discreetly therein.

Thanks for reading.

The Al Aqsa mosque has stood on the temple mount since before Solomons day.

Who are we to believe? Jewish writings that date back more than three thousand years? Or Muslim writings that date back only sixteen hundred? If one intellectually honest muslim caretaker can admit the truth there is hope for a Jewish Temple yet.

How many people know that Jerusalem sits upon a major fault line? How strong of an earthquake would it take to collapse the Al Aqsa mosque? How soon after such a collapse would it take Israel to seal off the temple mount and refuse any rebuilding by Muslims?

Imagine the escalation in strife between Israel and Islam.

"Into The Fire"
--Thirteen Senses

As heard on the season premiere of "The 4400"

Okay, I admit it, I'm a big Sci Fi freak... if it's GOOD Sci Fi, mind you. And tonight marked the return of the USA series, The 4400-- season 3. A lot of stuff going on in tonights 2 hour premiere, but don't worry, I won't bore you all with it. Besides which, I'd have to explain eveything that's been happening since season 1, and I'm not inclined to do that. If you haven't been watching this one, you're missing out. But then if you haven't been watching this one, it's unlikely you realize you're missing out.

There was one really cool song at the end.

So Zarqawi is dead. Yeah, I heard about it. Sitting in a doctors waiting room I was. Can't say he didn't have it coming, can't say he didn't deserve it, but neither can I say I'm overcome with joy at his passing. I wouldn't have said that a year ago, but today, I can't help but think of the verse ER mentioned in another post... "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." There's no hope for him now. There's no paradise. No virgins. Nothing but pain, and torment. I am glad his reign of terror is ended. But I am not happy that he is now lost forever. It is unlikely-- in human terms --that he ever would have come to Christ. But then, anything is possible with God... until death claims the unsaved soul.

There is something most people find offensive: the idea that someone such as Zarqawi could commit as many atrocities as he did, and still find forgiveness in Christ, and STILL be spared the punishments of hell.

Mohammed Atef, Yasser Arafat, Dahmer, Bundy, Mussolini, Hitler.... all these men could have avoided their just punishments, and found a place in heaven as one of God's children... had they only accepted Christ. And who knows for certain if they did not? Time will tell. All I can say is their fruit, their works, do not bear out that possibility... to my mind, at least. Which is why I said, 'Time will tell.'

What of the man who raped and buried Jessica Lunsford alive? All he need do is hear the call of the Gospel to repent, and though he suffer his just fate in this life, he gains forgiveness and eternal life with God.

Does that sound unfair? Especially if Jessica herself was not saved? Was she old enough to have heard the Gospel and rejected it? I don't know the anser to that. Time will tell. But the fact is, God's ways are not our ways. He is unwilling that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Even John Couey, Jessica's killer.

And yes, even Abu Mus'ab al Zarqawi. A man to be pitied, but feared no more.

"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible"

--President George Washington
   September 17th, 1796

"If a nation won't be ruled by God, it will be ruled by anarchy."

--Sir Winston Churchill

I think it is evident that America is no Theocracy, and will, as long as she calls herself America, never be a Theocracy. But one day the entire world will be a Theocracy. Like it or not.

What a wonderful day that will be.

Eric looks at almost everything as being either a Black or White issue. God most certainly sees everything in terms of Black and White, so why should this be a problem for Eric? Eric is not God. Eric is not holy-- not in the flesh, anyway. And if Eric were ever to be holy, at any moment in time, it would only be by the grace of God, by the power of the Holy spirit, through the blood of Jesus Christ.

I can be very judgmental.

This monitor has been attached to my chest and sides for almost 24 hours. The razor wielding tech sheared a one inch path down the center of my chest, stuck 3 electrode thingies, hung a tape recording device around my neck like some ungodly albatross, and admonished me not to shower, bathe, stand in front of a microwave, or pass between a metal detector.

47 minutes & counting

I was sick to my stomach most of yesterday, and the weight of the monitor, though negligible, only added to the weight of pain I endured all day. I longingly awaited the end of my tour of duty at the station so I could just go to bed, where once asleep, the itching and discomfort would be lost in all those dreams I never remember anyway.

43 minutes & counting

I spent much of yesterday buttoned up to the neck. I felt embarrassed that I had to wear it at work. Perhaps I shouldn't have, but I felt very self-conscious of the box making my shirt push out in a decidedly boxy shape. That, and the tape clear up to my neck insuring the contacts did not come loose.

35 minutes & counting

But the time is winding down. At Eleven Oh-Five the albatross will be taken away, it's battery removed, and the tape and contacts tenderly removed. My clothes are already laid out. The shower awaits.

30 minutes & counting

I spent some time at ER's place yesterday, and the day before. I was sickened by the lack of respect toward the Marines-- and the Marine Corps in general --involved in the Haditha incident. The post, and the site itself, is a viper's pit. The commenters were all unwilling to afford the same basic rights of due process, and the presumption of innocence to these Marines. The very same vipers who would howl about the likes of William Jefferson's presumption of innocence. The very same vipers who would howl the moment a rapist or murderer were denied their due process rights. And they called me a hypocrite. I'm fine with that. I don't like it, but my only other choice is to allow these men to rent space in my head, and cause me to sin in my heart against them... Something I'm unwilling to do.

23 minutes & counting

So I pet my dog, who loves me no matter what, and I try to take my mind off the 21 minutes remaining.

Part of the deal with this monitor was a small patient diary. I was to write as much info within, as it happened, when it happened, and what symptoms I experienced at the time it happened. It's a thoroughly boring diary.

19 minutes & counting

By the way, anyone who went to see X-Men 3 and didn't stay until the last credit rolled by, missed a very COOL scene. Definite fodder for a 4th film, though I highly doubt there will be one. That final scene, all of ten seconds long, coupled with Magneto's final scene before credits, was, I believe, only to give continuity between the movies and the comics... We can't kill off or ruin all the characters, now can we?

13 minutes and counting

The numbness in my toes remains to this day. It's no longer my ankles and feet... Just the two middle toes on each foot. But my right hand and lower arm were worse yesterday. I don't know what's up with that, which is why I think this whole monitor business has been a huge waste of time. The numbness, Doctor! The NUMBNESS!!!

10 minutes and counting

Did I mention that today in Alabama we have Primary's? Judge Roy Moore, the Ten Commandments judge is on the governor's ticket, and he'll get my vote. He won't win the Republican primary, but I'm not voting for who I think will win... I'm voting for who I WANT to win. Governor Bob Riley will win the primary and, in all likelihood the General election in November.

5 minutes and counting

Performing spell check and doing adjustments...

3 minutes & counting

Watching the seconds tick by...

2 minutes & counting

Waiting... waiting...

1 minute & counting

Ding! Ding! Ding! See ya!

According to the road map the next stop on this detour should be "Historical and Archeological Proofs" but per the notes at the bottom of said map, "All Detours are subject to change." And it looks like this will be borne out in Part 8 of this theological detour. And I thought I'd take this time to explain why.

After a lot of thought the whole idea of presenting a list of historical and archeological proofs suddenly seemed overly daunting. The whole purpose of this particular topic was to document as many such proofs that the events and places of the Bible are in fact accurate... That they did in fact exist, or happen. I soon realized however that this would be a long undertaking and so I've chosen to not hold everything else up unnecessarily.

The "proofs" themselves are but footnotes of history anyway, and as such, I see no reason why they can't wait for the end, where they can be more aptly presented. As footnotes.


UPDATE: Wednesday, June 7 -- As far as 'Historical and Archeological Proof' goes, there's a 2-hour documentary due for release in the spring of '07 [Next year for those of you who haven't realized we're halfway through '06], titled "Exodus" Hopefully it will arrive at a local theater. If not, I'll have to wait till next summer or early fall to rent or purchase it. The write-up on this film is intriguing, and as such, worth the read. As to the validity of any evidence offered therein, I'll wait to see it before I comment on it. But it IS fodder for my footnotes.


----

Next:
Detour, Part 7 - Why God Felt the Need to Take on Mortal Flesh


Previously:
Detour, Part 6 - Types and Antitypes
Detour, Part 5 - Jesus of Nazareth and Statistical Improbabilities
In Preparation for Detour, Part 5 - Exhibit B
In Preparation for Detour, Part 5 - Exhibit A
Detour, Part 4 - Comparing Translations to Established Christian Doctrines
Interlude No.1
Detour, Part 3 - Manuscripts, Translations, and "Why the KJV?"
Detour, Part 2 - The Nature and Limits of God... and why this is important
Detour, Parenthetical - "What Will Shortly Follow"
Detour, Part 1 - "Preamble"
Warning: Detour Ahead

Something is not right. My blood sugar has been more than excellent the last couple of days, but something still is not right. I had planned to blow off my Dr's appt. this morning because of my morning job and my apparent lust for money, but after the night I jsut had... I don't believe it would be prudent.

At about 9:30 last night, my right arm began experiencing numbness again. By the time I got home after the Ten o'clock news it was my toes as well. Just leaning my wrist against the edge of the desk in front of my PC was enough to cause my lower arm to go numb.

Around 2:30 am I was awakened by numbness in both sets of toes, and a fluctuating numbness first in one arm then the next. My heart rate was around 90, and my blood pressure was a little low.

The same thing at 4:30 am.

It's not the diabetes... but I'm concerned there may be something wrong with my liver or kidney functions, and who knows what else. I've asked God for His help, but the rest falls to me to take care of myself... so it's off to the doctor in about ten minutes.

Thanks for reading. Prayers would be welcome.


UPDATE: 7:00 pm
After 3 hours in various rooms; waiting, examination, lab, and appointment, little was established as to cause, but a whole lot was discussed as to "where to now?"

What we DO know...

1) It is all but impossible for a man whose arteries-- surrounding and feeding the heart --were completely 100% free of blockage 14 months ago to now have a blocked arteries. In the Doctor's words, "you'd be the first."

2) Physical stress is most likely the root cause of tingling extremities. It's possible the diabetes is the culprit, but the doctor thinks not, since I've only been diabetic two years. Apparently it takes years of living with diabetes and uncontrolled blood sugar-- which I have not --to get to the point of nerve damage.

Where To Now?

Remedy: Cut back on the number of days in the week I go immediately from one job to the next; instead of Monday thru Friday, 8:00am to 10:45pm, on the go, Go, GO! I need to cut back to, say, Wednesday to Friday on both jobs and just the morning job on Saturday.... Which is exactly what my schedule was before last week. Most likely, the reason for all the tingling is my inability to get good quality rest; my heart is beating faster to pump blood to the farthest reaches of fingertips and toes because of stress.

After the doctors visit I drove 20 miles up the road to a delightful place called "Ozark" and visited with a nutritionist. The diet isn't rigid, though it is strict. It isn't restrictive, though it is loaded with options to assauge my rather large sweet-tooth. 1st two weeks: No white carbs... bread, crackers, pasta, sugar, etc. This is to give the pancreas a rest, and allow it an opportunity to "jump start", as it were, and begin to work more properly.

If anyone's heard of the "Dead Doctors Don't Lie" guy, Dr. Joel Wallach, I'll be taking his minerals and supplements for 90 days, after which, under my doctors supervision I will try to wean myself off of the diabetes medication. If my blood sugar begins to rise I'll just take the medication and wait another month before trying again. When the goal of getting off the diabetes med is achieved the diet becomes a maintenance plan, with restrictions still, but not as many. I will still have to be careful with my diet and supplement with vitamins, minerals, and EFA's.

A big part of my problem is my weight. The reason why it's uncomfortable to sleep on my side, is because my gut pushes against my diaphram, and so, against the lungs and heart. Hence. The. Diet. Lose 50+ pounds and this problem is eased, as will my blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

I also seem to be suffering from a stomach flu. Lot's of diarrhea (I'm sure everyone wanted to know that part), and nausea. I know of two people who could have passed a bug on to me... BJ my morning boss, and Jonathan the evening director at Job #2.

Doctor Johnson has scheduled me for a device called a Holter Monitor. It's a lot like a computers' hard drive that records twenty-four hours of heart rhythms. I'm going along with this only because it's prudent. I'll have to wear it under my clothes for 24 hours; at work, and at sleep. Perhaps I have an abnormal heart rhythm, who knows? I certainly don't, but I rather think the problem lies in my weight, which is aproximately 100 lbs over the line. Correct the weight, and I just may correct both heart and blood sugar issues. At which point I'll be able to drop both meds, and the exorbitant cost of testing strips-- $100 a month.

Oh, I'm also going to be trying an HGH precursor that stimulates the pituitary gland; 3 capsules before sleep on an empty stomach. The only side effect of this are dreams... guaranteed. The HGH somehow stimulates that part of the brain responsible for REM sleep, which in turn is responsible for deeper more therapeutic sleep sessions, which in turn should reduce my stress levels and hopefully ease the tingling, which is most likely a circulation problem... not nerve damage.

But time will tell. I do feel a lot better already. The tingles are still there, but faintly, and I still have the runs. And my blood sugar is still at fantastic all-time consistently good levels.

Tomorrow is another day. Which means two jobs. But I'm off Saturday AND Sunday, which will give me plenty of time to rest and relax, and maybe even get to finally see "X-Men 3: The final battle" all the way through.... No popcorn this time.

Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes. They are greatly appreciated.

Finally, some may question why I would post so much personal information online like this. But as I've stated in previous posts, this blog is all about me; my diary, my thought processes, my likes, loves, desires, disputes, and down-right rejections of all things I consider beneath me, and beneath the Nobler Man. That people read and respond to my posts is icing on an already generously iced cake. Opps! No sugar!!!

Again, thanks for all your prayers.