Monthly Archives: November 2008

Two Octaves and a Tone

Posted by on 21 Nov 2008 Comments Off on Two Octaves and a Tone

Parts for basses have included notes as low as the B-flat two octaves and a tone below middle C…

Wow. Two octaves and a tone. That is to singing what “four score and seven years” is to mathematics. Damn you, wikipedia

XM Radio Beat Me

Posted by on 18 Nov 2008 Comments Off on XM Radio Beat Me

I called today to cancel my XM Radio subscription. I’m fond of several XM channels but I’ve been spending too little time listening to XM to justify the recurring monthly fee of $13.

When I called to cancel the associate ascertained that I was happy with the service, just not the price point, so he offered to give me a year’s worth of service for $7/month. Nice touch: haggle over the merchandise.

I took the deal.

Granting us Forgiveness

Posted by on 14 Nov 2008 Comments Off on Granting us Forgiveness

God, of course, is not injured or insulted or threatened by our sin. … All the insult and injury we do in sinning is to ourselves alone, not to God. … God’s forgiveness does not mean any change whatever in God. It just means the change in the sinner that God’s unwavering and eternal love brings about. … It would make no sense to speak of God as refusing to accept our repentence. Our repentence is God’s forgiveness of us. … We do not express our contrition in order to persuade God to grant us his forgiveness. Our contrition is God granting us forgiveness.

All that God asks of us is that we put aside the barriers, the illusions and the timidity that stand in the way of accepting his love. All that he asks is that we relax and let ourselves be filled with his love, which eliminates our sins and makes us channels and bearers of his love and forgiveness to everyone.

Herbert McCabe

Whether we are loved

Posted by on 14 Nov 2008 Comments Off on Whether we are loved

Everything in human existence comes back to love — whom we love, how we love, whether we are loved.

Donna Britt, Washington Post

Spending Money

Posted by on 4 Nov 2008 Comments Off on Spending Money

Two thoughts on where I can find some fun money during these belt-tightening times:

  1. Cancel XM radio subscription, then argue that the $13/mo we’re saving should be given to me to spend as I please. (If wife tries the same argument with the fiber optic internet connection, throw tantrum.)
  2. Potty train the baby early, then claim for myself the $60/mo we save on diapers until his 3rd birthday when, ideally, I’d have had him potty trained anyway. (If wife tries the same argument substituting me for baby, beer for diapers, and liver cirrhosis for potty training, throw tantrum.)