A Month in the Life

Brain-Drained
Ok, so my brain is mush. This happens every Friday about 6 p.m. I've spent the week stuffing my head full of lecture info (remember, classes start next week)--do you remember Porky Pig at the end of Looney Tunes? How his stutter kind of sounds like a CD cleaned by sandpaper? I have nightmares that, one day, I start a class lecture and that's what I sound like! Some students may think that it's already happened once or twice.

So, when I'm brain-drained, my panacea is a trip to a bookstore, usually one of the three "B's": Barnes & Noble, Borders, or Books-A-Million. And, as usual, I ran across something way cool (I probably should have warned you first thing-I am a book fiend); a novel about the apostle Paul by-get this!-Johnny Cash! Isn't that a great image-Paul in the Roman jail singing "Folsom Prison Blues"? Ironically, it's titled Man in White. Do you get it? Huh? Do you? The famed "Man in Black" writes a book called Man in White. Oh, how clever.

I didn't have the fundage to buy it just yet (translation: my wife told me no, we have to save money, not spend it, because we've got a you-know-what coming you-know-when), so I sat down and read the intro. He really did some heavy duty research about the life of Paul. It all started when he inherited his father or grandfather-in-law's religious library; he said he started to read and really love Josephus of all things. (You want a brain-drain? Try reading Josephus; best cure I know for insomnia). That led to other works about 1st century Judaism and Palestine, then Jesus, then Paul, then . . . well, it's a lengthy introduction.

Anyway, I know this blog is the gathering place for all Apostolic Johnny Cash fanatics (yeah right), but it does look like a fascinating read (There, I've covered myself from all the hate-mail: "I read that Johnny Cash book and it was terrible! Your book-sense stinks!" or whatever). But, Johnny was a very spiritual man ; he is very sensitive to the spiritual aspects of his addictions and his need for salvation.

A Final Fried Thought on First-Time Fatherhood
So, my wife and I are walking out of the mall after my "Cash" discovery, and I pass this (I assume) mother and daughter walking in. I only catch this phrase: "You can't have it because it's above your economic level . . ."

I turned to my wife and quip, "My mom just used to say, 'No, we can't afford it!'" The girl was probably 9 or 10 (guesstimating); that's a pretty sophisticated explanation for a 10-year old, I thought. Kids seem to "grow up" more quickly today than when I was young; my wife might even say that I'm still not grown up. The real question is why I am worrying about explaining to my daughter that we can't afford to buy something when I've never actually changed a diaper? Oh yeah, I've already been informed that this dad will have diaper duty, or . . . this is a G-rated blog; no violence allowed.

That's been the odd thing; when I think about being a new dad, my mind gets jumpy. One minute I'm wondering, "How will I keep track of feeding and changing times if my wife goes out for an afternoon?" to thinking, "I have to quit teaching at Gateway when my daughter is sixteen because I don't want those grubby freshman guys (sorry, future freshman guys) trying to look like 'big man on campus' because they're dating the prof's daughter!" I'm mad at the Fall 2023 freshmen already!

Besides, how do I tell her that we can't afford that "on-the-beach, Michael-Buble-singing-Sinatra-big-band-favorites, steak-and-lobster-reception-dinner, bazillion-dollar-gown" dream wedding? Say, "It's above our 'economic level'?"

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!