Pic of the Day

I Need a Vacation

It’s been a while since I’ve taken a vacation. I’ve had a few days off work here and there, but I haven’t taken enough time to go anywhere. Partly, this is because work has been incredibly busy, and partly, it’s because it’s so expensive to travel right now. I think we all need a vacation from our everyday worries and responsibilities. Maybe something will give, and I can actually get away for a bit or at least take some time for myself.

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Taking Your Olympic Measure

Taking Your Olympic Measure

By Alberto Ríos

—Poetry was an Olympic event from 1912-1948.

Think of the records you have held:

For one second, you were the world’s youngest person.

 

It was a long time ago, but still.

At this moment, you are living

 

In the farthest thousandth-of-a-second in the history of time.

You have beaten yesterday’s record, again.

 

You were perhaps the only participant,

But in the race to get from your bedroom to the bathroom,

 

You won.

You win so much, all the time in all things.

 

Your heart simply beats and beats and beats—

It does not lose, although perhaps one day.

 

Nevertheless, the lists of firsts for you is endless—

Doing what you have not done before,

 

Tasting sake and mole, smelling bergamot, hearing

Less well than you used to—

 

Not all records are for the scrapbook, of course—

Sometimes you are the best at being the worst.

 

Some records are secret—you know which ones.

Some records you’re not even aware of.

 

In general, however, at the end of a long day, you are—

Unlikely as it may seem—the record holder of note. 

 

 

About the Poem

 

I enjoy the theme of this poem because it says we are all winners, and we should celebrate our own little victories. In a historical note, just like the 100 meters, was an official Olympic competition from 1912 to 1948. Sadly, the names of the medal winners are not listed on the International Olympic Committee's rosters. Art competitions were part of the Olympic program from 1912 to 1948, but were discontinued due to concerns about amateurism and professionalism. Medals were awarded in five categories (architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture), for works inspired by sport-related themes.

 

 

About the Poet

 

Born in 1952, Alberto Ríos is the inaugural state poet laureate of Arizona and the author of many poetry collections, including A Small Story about the Sky (Copper Canyon Press, 2015). In 1981, he received the Walt Whitman Award for his collection Whispering to Fool the Wind (Sheep Meadow Press, 1982). He served as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets from 2014 to 2020.

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Paris Olympics

I watched the Olympic’s opening ceremony but haven’t watched much else of it. This morning, they were showing the men’s 10m platform synchronized diving. The divers are very hot, especially Tom Daley. Synchronized diving is an amazing sport. For these guys to move in synch with their partner. I also find it interesting that the diverging pairs, which I know allows them to look more synchronized, but also it seems that with most pairs one is tanned and the other is quite pale. For example, Tom Daley and Noah Williams 🇬🇧:

The Canadians Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Rylan Wiens 🇨🇦 were also fun to watch. Diving is really a spectacular sport to watch, and not just for the tiny speedos. I always admire divers. I love to swim and be in the water, but I have never been able to dive. I just can’t bring myself to jump in somewhere head first.

There are three sports I particularly like to watch during the Olympics: men’s diving, men’s swimming, and men’s gymnastics. I will watch women’s gymnastics and a few other sports. I enjoy rowing, the equestrian competitions, and I’m sure there are other events that I can’t think of at the moment, but I’ll admit, I enjoy the men’s sports far more than watching the women compete.

Men’s 10m Synchronized Diving Results

🥇🇨🇳 Lian Junjie / Yang Hao 

🥈🇬🇧 Tom Daley / Noah Williams 

🥉🇨🇦 Nathan Zsombor-Murray / Rylan Wiens 

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Faith and Works

Now faith is the realization of things hoped for, the confidence of things not seen.

–Hebrews 11:1

 

Dictionary.com defines faith as a strong or unshakeable belief in something, especially without proof or evidence. The Bible defines faith as in  Hebrews 11:1 where we see that the central feature of faith is confidence or trust. In the Bible, the object of faith is God and his promises. Genuine biblical faith expresses itself in everyday life. In James 2:17, James tells us “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” In James 2:24, he goes on to say “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.”

 

Faith works through love to produce tangible evidence of its existence in a person’s life. In Galatians 5:6, Paul writes, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.” Put another way, the obedience that pleases God comes from faith. Romans 1:5 says, “Through Him, we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name.” If we live selflessly and show kindness and generosity to others, we show our faith through our good works.

 

Sometimes, we put our faith in something, such as the rule of law. We have faith that the U.S. Constitution will guarantee we remain a free and democratic country. However, if we go by faith alone, that’s not going to be true. To make it happen, we have to go vote and vote for a candidate that upholds the virtues of the Constitution. The Preamble of the Constitution says, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” However, we cannot just live as though these words will protect us. We have to actively pursue these ideals, whether it is at the ballot box, by writing those who represent us in Congress, or by petitions and protests.

 

Just as James wrote that faith without works is dead, we cannot take it on faith that democracy will survive any more than Christianity will survive through only faith. The United States has more people who do not believe in religion than people who do. It is because our churches have relied on incorrect and dogmatic representations of faith that do not follow Christ’s teachings. They push out and persecute those who do not conform to their narrow interpretations of God. How many LGBTQ+ individuals do you know who still have faith in God? The number is not the majority of the LGBTQ+ community and that is because they have been consistently persecuted by churches and family and “friends” who do not follow what Christ actually taught. They are not accepting of the fact that we are how God made us. They cannot believe in their narrow minds that God created someone who they think is wrong and so they persecute what they do not understand and what causes them fear. They fear a loss of control of the mind, body, and soul. Because of this, people have lost their faith because the “faith” of others is not backed up by their works.

 

So remember, we have to work to show our faith in what we do, how we live, and how we treat others. If we do not do that, how can others have faith in our beliefs?

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Moment of Zen: Lakes (Part II)

Pic of the Day

It’s Friday Again

I usually work from home on Fridays, but I chose to work from home on Thursday this week. I’m glad I did since I went home from work early on Wednesday because of a migraine and still had a migraine yesterday, just not as bad as it was on Wednesday. Working from home at least lets me be more comfortable. I can also be more productive because no one is interrupting me. Yesterday, I spent nearly the whole my entire eight hour workday answering emails. Every time I thought I was caught up, someone else emailed. Needless to say, I was busy yesterday, but I was also very productive.

The reason I switched my work from home day this week is because of a virtual meeting I have this afternoon. Yes, usually one of the advantages of virtual meetings is the ability to be remote, but I have found that my internet connection at home isn’t always the best for virtual meetings. While this wouldn’t be a issue for most of my virtual meetings, this is a meeting with a speaker from a prestigious institution about coming to my museum, and I don’t want to risk there being any issues. Normally, I would not schedule a meeting for a Friday, but my schedule is more flexible than the people I’ll be talking to today, so I make myself available when they are available.

I suspect today might be another busy day. I still have a lot of emails to answer, but they are emails I knew would not only take more time to answer, but they also required me to use some materials from my office computer to prepare my response.

Regardless of how busy my day may be, I’m glad it’s almost the weekend. I don’t have specific plans for this weekend, but at least I can relax. It’s also supposed to be a beautiful weekend with lots of sun and mild temperatures with low humidity. 

Too bad Olympic athletes don’t still compete naked as they did in ancient times.

By the way, who will be watching the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics tonight? I always find the opening ceremony to be interesting and fun to watch, so I plan to be watching. Paris also promises a unique opening ceremony because it will be taking place on the Seine and not in a stadium.

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Quotes to Ponder

I have always been fascinated by the 19th century transcendentalists. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s (1803 - 1882) philosophy often aligns with my own. He was seen as a champion of individualism and critical thinking, as well as a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society and conformity. My favorite piece of his writing is his 1841 essay “Self-Reliance.” It contains the most thorough statement of one of his recurrent themes: the need for each person to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow his or her own instincts and ideas. It is the source of one of his most famous quotations:

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines."

However, this is not the quote that inspired me to write this post. This one was written in his journal on November 8, 1838:

"Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted."

Emerson’s words retain relevance today, particularly in the age of the 24-hour news cycle when outrageous sound bites that command the most attention and elicit the highest amount of clicks is heard over and over. It is especially relevant when we have a presidential candidate who loves to portray himself as a persecuted (and prosecuted) martyr. 

In the quote, Emerson condemns those who are so ridiculously devoted to the righteousness of their own ideas that anything which poses a contrary opinion must inherently be dangerous. Republicans, especially Trump, consistently complain that they are being persecuted when anyone disagrees with them, and they have several 24-hour news stations that back these false claims of persecution often with misleading or inaccurate information. They use these tactics because, like the Republicans they prostrate themselves to, want everyone to conform to their way of thinking. They claim they want people to be self-reliant, but they demand everyone conform to their small minded ideas. 

Over many years, I have learned that my happiness doesn’t come from conformity but depends on embracing who I am. The world would be a boring place if we all acted and thought the same way. It would be nothing more than mindless drones. I tend to believe that those people who conform to what others think they should are often the most unhappy and often angry. Our country was founded on the ideals communicated in the Declaration of Independence and the belief that all are created equal and are able to pursue “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

So those are my thoughts of the day. Now, here is your picture of Isabella for the week:

Pic of the Day

Migraine

I did not sleep well last night, and I woke with a migraine today. I wish I did not have meetings today because I would call in sick. Sorry for the short post today.

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Masculinity Ode

 

Masculinity Ode

By Ally Ang

 

I used to think my body craved  

annihilation. An inevitability,  

like the slow asphyxiation 

of the earth. Yoked to this body  

by beauty, its shallow promises  

I was desperate to believe, 

too fearful to renounce my allegiance  

even with its hand closing 

around my throat. When I chose  

myself, I chose surrender. God  

is the river that remakes me 

in its image. I didn’t know what  

was waiting on the other side.  

I swam through it anyway.

 

 

About This Poem

 

“I contemplated transitioning for many years before I took the leap, but I let fear—of violence and rejection, of how I would be perceived, of my own masculinity and masculinity in general—hold me back. This poem is a celebration of the divine and liberating act of choosing one’s happiness despite that fear.” —Ally Ang

 

I found the interview Ang did with Heretic Hereafter, “The Intimate, Erotic Love of God” to be very interesting.

 

 

About The Poet

Ally Ang is a gaysian poet and editor based in Seattle. They are the author of Let the Moon Wobble, forthcoming from Alice James Books in Fall 2025. 

 

Ang’s work has been published in Queer Nature: A Poetry Anthology (Autumn House Press 2022), Nepantla: An Anthology Dedicated to Queer Poets of Color (Nightboat Books 2018), The Margins, The Journal, and elsewhere. They are a 2023 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellow, a 2023 MacDowell fellow, a 2022 Jack Straw Writers Program Fellow and a 2022 Tin House Summer Workshop participant. 

 

Ang is an editor with Game Over Books, the author of the chapbook Monstrosity (Damaged Goods Press 2016), and the co-editor of an anthology of Southeast Asian art and writing titled All the Oils: On Friendship, Sex, and Other Warmths (Ginger Bug Press 2021).

 

Ang has received grant support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Artist Trust, and Arts Connect International. Their work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy, and Bettering American Poetry. They have been featured at events including Arts Connect International’s Arts Equity Summit, the University of Washington Recognition Gala, Wellesley College’s Trans Day of Visibility Celebration, and more. 

 

Ang holds a BA in Sociology from Wellesley College and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Washington. They currently work at Forward Together, a reproductive justice non-profit grounded in queer and trans liberation.

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Monday Thoughts

I’m not looking forward to this week. Work has been emailing me all weekend, and I have largely ignored it. This morning, I have to deal with it. The emails have been about something that I do not find to have so high of a priority that any of this couldn’t wait until today. It’s all for a committee I’m on, and some of the recent decisions made and how the committee chair has acted recently has me angry and apathetic.

Furthermore, on a grander scale, I’m sure you all know that Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid. I find this sad and worrisome news. Yes, Biden had a bad debate night, but I don't agree with so many Democrats pulling their support from him and calling for him to drop out of the race just months away from the election. They should have either thrown their tantrums before we went through the primary season and allow people to actually choose a candidate, or they should have rallied behind him after the debate. I’m afraid it’s too late. 

Biden has endorsed Harris who has shown a very different personality since she started her presidential election campaign in 2019. She did not and has not since then projected a likable personality. I hope she shows the warm personality that has occasionally come out and also the fight and fervor she showed as a Senator. She can certainly run rings around Trump not only in debates but also in the campaign process. I just hope she chooses a great vice presidential running mate.

The fact is, I’m feeling kind of hopeless at the moment. I’m aggravated at work, and I’m scared for my country’s future. The problem at work will soon be out of my hands, and while I’m sure I’ll still be angry, I can at least move on. As for the United States, I can only pray that we can preserve democracy. Whoever the Democratic nominee is, I will vote for them. At this point it’s all we can do. 

I just hope the Democrats can put aside internal dispute and rally as one united front against whoever is Trump’s opponent. If Democrats get out and vote for the nominee, whoever it is, Trump does not stand a chance of winning. Trump is a candidate for a party that has become an increasingly desperate party hoping to hold onto power through unfair, undemocratic, and often illegal means. They are a minority party, but that’s true only if the Democrats unite and get out and vote!

Time will tell with all of this. I hope everyone has a great week!

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Our Thoughts

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

—James 1:14-15

 

I’m going to be honest, I have had some “sinful thoughts” over the past week, especially after an assassination attempt on the former president and the Republican National Convention being held. I admit, I often have unkind thoughts when I think of Republicans. I think we are on the precipice of either retaining democracy or slipping into fascism. It is happening around the world, and so far, countries have chosen democracy. I think you can imagine the kinds of thoughts I had after the events of the last week or so, and I’m talking more than just yelling “Lying son of a bitch” at the TV when a Republican is spouting either insincere compassion or outright lies.

 

In 1976, Jimmy Carter was running for president, He shocked voters when he admitted during a Playboy magazine interview that he had “looked on a lot of women with lust” and “committed adultery in my heart many times.” Carter narrowly won his White House bid, but he would later say that public outrage over his confession “nearly cost me the election.” Carter probably had in mind Matthew 5:27-28 in which Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” I think all of us can probably say that every time we look at someone with lust or have unkind thoughts about someone, then we are all in a handbasket on our way to hell. I have never believed that just thinking of committing a sin was an actual sin. I think we know enough about psychology to know that we cannot always control our thoughts.

 

So, when is it considered a sin if we only think about committing a sin but do not commit the actual sin? Sins can indeed be committed both in our minds and by our actions. Jesus said in Matthew 5:21-22, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’[Empty head] shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.” We can sin in our minds: for example by being angry with someone, but the simple thoughts are not enough to be a sin. I believe that the anger Jesus spoke of is the anger that causes us to treat someone unfairly and to show them our anger, not just having angry thoughts about them. Over the weekend, I certainly had some angry thoughts when I kept getting emails from work demanding that I answer them ASAP, especially when I did not consider the matter something that could not wait until Monday, but I never responded in an email what I was actually thinking because it would have been hurtful to a person that I know is under a great deal of stress. Still, I am not going to work on a weekend if I am not getting paid to do so. In Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus said a person can commit the sin of murder both by action and by becoming angry. For the anger motivates the action. 

 

God restates this principle in a different way in Matthew 5:27-28 quoted above that Carter used as his reasoning for committing adultery in his heart. It is an illustration most people understand. We see someone and start thinking about that person because we are sexually attracted to them. The Greek word for “looks” in verse 28 is a present participle in the Greek language. That means the person continues thinking sexually or lusting about the person. The message of Jesus is that sin does not occur if we look, are sexually attracted, and continue thinking about the person. That is not a sin. But if we look and obsessively think lustful thoughts about the person to the point of neglecting other things, then we sin in our minds or hearts. That is, a thought or an emotion occurs and if we do not control our thoughts, it results in adultery. That is the message of Jesus. Both passages from Matthew are great illustrations of how sin occurs.

 

It is not a sin to be quickly angry. It is not a sin to be sexually attracted to someone. It is not a sin to think that a man is handsome or has great character and that he might be a very romantic husband. It is not a sin to be physically attracted to a woman. But if a married man or woman goes further and starts dreaming about having sex, being kissed, or having sex with someone other than his or her spouse to the point when they neglect their spouse, then he or she has sinned. James reveals that sin does not occur when the emotion, thought, or passion first comes. But if those thoughts lead to passive or active responses, then sin occurs when we give in to the emotion, thought, or passion by dwelling on it and allowing it to affect how we handle things in life outside of our thoughts. That is Jesus’ message in Matthew 15:18-19 when He says, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.”

 

So, how should we respond to temptations to sin? God gave Cain the answer in Genesis 4:7. He said, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” That is, sin wants to force us to do what it wants. Sin is a desire that wants us to yield to it. So, what will you do? A person sins by dwelling on something to the point of leading to some action on the thoughts that God has told us to avoid. When we sin on the outside or outwardly, we demonstrate to God, to others, and to ourselves that we have already sinned on the inside. God has asked us to resist the temptation to sin by fleeing from it. We are not supposed to see how close we can come without sinning. Fleeing starts with avoiding thoughts about sin. Second Timothy 2:22 says, “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

 

So, while I may have thought about a certain bullet being two inches to the right, I would never actually do anything to encourage someone else or do anything myself to make that happen. That is the difference between thinking a sin and committing a sin. It is the action we take. The only actions I will take are to speak out against the fascist rhetoric in politics, point out the hypocrisy when someone insincerely calls for unity and peace while in the next breath spewing hateful speech, and vote against those people on election day. These are the actions that are just. These are the actions that Jesus calls on us to take. We are to do lawful things and in line with His teachings, no matter what our brains cause us to think. When sinful thoughts reflect back on us because of the way we act, then we have committed that sin, but if we take action to not fall prey to the temptation of our thoughts, then we are not sinning in the eyes of God.

Pic of the Day

Moment of Zen: Lakes (Part I)

Pic of the Day

Taking It Easy

I’m taking a vacation day, ostensibly to recover from my colonoscopy, but I’m feeling fine. I slept much of the day after I got home yesterday. If you’re wondering, the colonoscopy went great. Nothing was found, and I don’t have to have another one for ten years.

I do have a few things to do today besides taking it easy. I plan to do some laundry this morning, and go to the grocery store this afternoon. I also have an appointment at a local art gallery about possibly teaching a class for them. A little extra money never hurt anyone, and it’s a subject I look forward to teaching.

One last thing, since I haven’t posted an Isabella pic this week (and I think I forgot to last week), here you go:

Pic of the Day