Flyers

Thank Agamotto It's Friday!

"I've got my 'eye' on you! Get it? Man, I crack myself up!"

I Love a Parade

Union Station rally, November 3, 2015

So the city of Chicago
is having a parade and rally today to celebrate their World Series Champion Cubs.

I can relate to that...

"Not quite so cool when it's someone else's team celebrating, is it?"

I'm sorry my beloved Kansas City Royals weren't able to defend their title, but long- suffering Cubs fans finally having their moment of celebration isn't the worst thing that has ever happened...

Feast Day

St. Charles Borromeo, by Orazio Borgianni

Today is the feast day of St. Charles Borromeo, who rose to the rank of cardinal and was an important figure in the 16th century Church.

Aside from his importance to the Counter-Reformation, Charles was
a leading figure in the establishment of seminaries to educate those seeking to enter the priesthood.

Charles was beatified by Pope Paul V in 1602, and canonized by him eight years later.

Among Charles's patronages are catechists and catechumens, and those suffering from stomach or intestinal disorders.


He is also the namesake of the church my family attended in Kansas City.

"And how much time did you spend at Mass there mooning over your crushes?"

That's none of your business...

Year Four, Month Two, Day Four

I smoked my last cigarette on the night of September 30, 2013.

That was long enough ago that I don't always remember to celebrate the anniversary, but I had occasion to think about the experience yesterday.

I'm now in the second month of what will become my fourth year as a non- smoker. My attempt to quit might well have failed (as others had before) had it not been for electronic substitutes.

In particular, I am very grateful for blu, which offered nicotine-free cartridges for its e-cigarettes.

Because the people who run our government are stupid, blu and companies like them are not permitted to market themselves as aids to quit smoking. And of course the nitwits running things are doing everything they can to prevent the spread of such products. Because in the end, the campaign against smoking itself was never about health, it was about government control over human behavior. For some people, any excuse to exert control over how others live their lives is sufficient.

If There Is Any Justice

From the pen of Lisa Benson, whose editorial cartoons you should read often, as I do.

Until Next Time...

Composer James Horner loved flying. In fact, he died while piloting his Short Tucano 312S turboprop when it crashed in the Los Padres National Forest in June 2015. Horner's death was a loss for those of us who loved his work, but his love of flying found one final artistic expression...

This week's Music Recommendation is the soundtrack Horner composed for the 2015 National Geographic film Living in the Age of Airplanes.

I have not as yet seen the film, but Horner's music for it is exhilarating, as befits the subject matter. One can only imagine how much Horner's own flying experiences informed these compositions.

In the realm of art, labors of love are often the most satisfying works.



Today's send-off is entitled "The Golden Age is Now," from close to the film's conclusion. Enjoy...