4th of July Weekend

Heading to Clinton, Iowa (that well-known vacation mecca) for the holiday. Will be visiting relatives and enjoying Clinton's Riverboat Days.

Happy Independence Day y'all!

God Bless America!

Batman Begins

Went to see Batman Begins with my son yesterday. He is getting old enough that we can enjoy this kind of stuff together. And it’s a lot of fun. This is a great movie! It explains how Bruce Wayne became Batman. It brought back a lot of memories. I was a big Batman fan as a kid. C'mon, everybody sing -- "Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na: Batman." I was probably too emotionally caught up in the exploits of the crime-fighting duo of Batman and Robin (Adam West and Burt Ward). But this one was much better without the cheesiness of the late 60's (no "Biffs" or"Zowies"). And the Batmobile was one incredible car. An indestructible Hummer/Tank on steroids. It’s very intense.

Two big thumbs up for this one.

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Arlington

So I'm scanning the radio dial on the way back to the office after lunch and I stopped on the country station in time to hear Trace Adkins' new song "Arlington" for the first time. Gulp. If that one doesn't put a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye, then you ain't an American.



Arlington

I never thought that this is where I’d settle down,
I thought I’d die an old man back in my hometown,
they gave me this plot of land, me and some other men, for a job well done,
there's a big white house sits on a hill just up the road, the man inside he cried the day they brought me home,
they folded up a flag and told my mom and dad, we're proud of your son

Chorus:
and I'm proud to be on this peaceful piece of property,
I'm on sacred ground and I’m in the best of company,
I'm thankful for those thankful for the things I’ve done,
I can rest in peace, I'm one of the chosen ones, I made it to Arlington

I remember daddy brought me here when I was eight, we searched all day to find out where my granddad lay,
and when we finally found that cross,
he said, "son this is what it cost to keep us free" Now here I am,
a thousand stones away from him,
he recognized me on the first day I came in,
and it gave me a chill when he clicked his heels, and saluted me.

(Repeat Chorus)

and every time I hear twenty-one guns, I know they brought another hero home to us
we're thankful for those thankful for the things we've done,
we can rest in peace, 'cause we are the chosen ones,
we made it to Arlington, yea dust to dust, don't cry for us we made it to Arlington

American Justice

I had to report for Jury Duty yesterday. There were about 20 of us who were in “the pool” from which six jurors would ultimately be chosen. The case was a misdemeanor and would last no longer than a day. We watched a video about the importance of Jury Duty and how we were being good citizens, etc. Then we went to the courtroom. Six were chosen at random to sit in the actual jury box. The lawyers then questioned them. This process took place several times as three of the six were eliminated, then two of the replacements were also eliminated. I learned that being a Judge includes long periods of boredom as you listen to the lawyers repeat themselves.

The defendant was a woman who violated a “No Contact” order (kind of like a restraining order). It was obvious that her defense was going to be that she had a good reason for violating it. Talk about lame! I wonder if her lawyer knew that his case was over before it even began.

I’m glad that I never made it to the “hot seat” (although it would have been interesting). One of the questions asked of each potential juror was, “If you were the defendant, would you want you on the jury?” I would have had to say, “No, I would want some bleeding heart liberal who thinks that the law can be ‘interpreted’ in any way one wishes. I would want someone who thinks that “No Contact” only means “No Contact” until you find a good reason to disregard it. If I were the defendant, I wouldn’t want me on the jury, because it’s already obvious that you are grasping at straws dude.”

“Okay, thank you for your time juror # CM5-4, you are dismissed.”

God bless America!

Da Cubs!

Just when I was prepared to resign myself to another disappointing and mediocre season, my Cubs have pulled off a seven-game winning streak. This is what they do to me. They get my hopes up, only to dash them later in the season. After 30 years of following them, one would think that I would be accustomed to this. But like Charlie Brown thinking, "This time Lucy won't yank the football away at the last second", hope springs eternal in my mind. Only to eventually succumb to a gut-wrenching "Arrrggghhhhh!" I still want to throw up when I think about Game Six in 2003.

But this article by George Will about Greg Maddux did bring a smile to my face and an obligatory, "You da man, Maddux".

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What's With the Name?

The name “Soren’s Blog” comes from a nickname given to me several years ago.

Soren Kierkegaard was a 19th century Danish philosopher/theologian. Our last names and our heritage are similar (my paternal great-grandparents immigrated from Denmark). Incidentally, Dr. Jack Cottrell says that Kjergaard means “churchyard.” How cool is that? And since Cottrell said it, it must be true, right?

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While I was working on my Master’s Degree at Kentucky Christian College (now Kentucky Christian University) in the mid 90’s some of my preacher buddies noted the similarity and started calling me Soren. The name stuck. Soren is my alter-ego, my pen name, and pseudonym for blogs, discussion groups, etc.

Now you know.

First Time

Okay, so we're almost halfway through 2005 and everybody and his brother has a blog. Except me. Well, I'm breaking free from the shackles of Luddism and embracing the technology of the 20th century (I know, I know -- but let's take this one century at a time).

I don't know how this blog will develop. I will probably post some funny stories along with everyday life type of stuff. Maybe an occasional serious discussion.

Life is like calling in a reliever from the Cubs bullpen. Ya never know what you're gonna get.