Global Andy

Last night, I tweeted (and thereby updated my facebook status):  “Happy Baked Potato Day”.  This caused some confusion.  Farmers were liking it. Moms were thinking they missed this day. And a friend from college who is in the grocery industry wrote: ‘I love important holidays. Makes me proud to be a grocery man on days like today.’   He probably started asking his distributors how they were celebrating this important food holiday.

But it was an inside joke.

See a few months ago, we were reading a collection of Peanuts cartoons to our boys and there was one were Rerun, Lucy and Linus little brother, goes to Charlie Brown’s house to try to sell some homemade Valentine’s.  Looking at the hearts, Charlie Brown says “they look like baked potatoes”  and goes back inside.  Rerun yells after him, “Give them on Baked Potato Day then!”.

The first time we read it I laughed out loud.  (As much as I loved Peanuts as a kid, I was surprised to see how many are not really that funny to me as an adult.  This one was.) I had to explain it to Jack and Drew and then they laughed too.  And as any parent would understand, I had to read this cartoon like 100 times over the next few days and each time they would laugh and repeat it.  Or they just walk up and say it.   Jack would yell it like Rerun.

With Valentine’s Day happening this week, Baked Potato Day naturally had to come in the same week.  So last night we celebrated “Baked Potato Day”.  Robin made a poster and put it on the wall near the dinner table and we had spuds and broccoli.  (And we had mac and cheese for those who like saying “Bake Potato” but not eating them.)

So last night was Baked Potato Day in the McCullough household but you have to wait until August 19th for ‘National Potato Day’.

Last night I had a dream.  Okay in reality it was this morning and not long before my alarm went off. A good friend and cohort of mine had prepared a feast.  A lot of people were there and like most dreams it was a random assortment of people whose are not connected in real life.   I am not sure where we were but it seemed like a retreat house.  It was packed.  But I was frustrated.

You see each time the food came out for some reason I was gone. By the time I arrived, the food was… gone that is.  (And I could tell it was pleasing to the palate only because Rich was the cook but also because everyone was raving about it.) It was right there, but I couldn’t taste it.  People were having thirds in fact and I had none.

So I waited for the last batch to come from where ever it was being cooked.  I waited and waited.  The crowd peeled off.  Robin went back to our room.  In my dream it was late.. way late.   It wasn’t that I was hungry per se, it was that I felt left out.  I felt like deserved it.  I was stubbornly going to wait.

So then it came – huge bins and bins of food.  Ironically in impatience I had gotten up and lost my place again but this time I was determined to get my food.  I pushed my way back to get the food: huge slabs of some kind of meat BBQ’ed.  I remember even BBQ’ed fish and asparagus and other vegatables.  I had decided to grab my own bin and fill it as high as I could with food saving some for future days at this place not knowing how many days that was or if meals were always inculded.  In fact I determined that it was too late to eat but I was still getting food.  I found some aluminum foil to put over the top and starting carrying this scolding hot tray of food.

But the thing was when these bins came out other people had arrived too.  I was so busy trying to not get left out again that I had not interacted with them at all.  In fact, I was sad as I walked away.  These people were joyous and what I realized who they were.  Some were some Burmese refugee families that I know.  Others were some Africans I have met and other people of color.  One couple that had arrived was one I know whose son has been in the hospital of late.  I think some were even those who had been working to serve and prepare the food.

As I woke up it dawned on me… these were the poor, the sick, the needy, the nations, the people on the bottom.  And I was taking more food that I needed.  They didn’t seem to care though.  They were joyous that there was a feast and that thy had somethign to eat.   I was so caught up into myself that I didn’t interact with them.  I was  worse than those who had earlier taken thirds when I had none.

Yesterday I heard John Ortberg speak to a group of pastors in the Denver area.  Ortberg quoted Dallas Willard and said (I’m paraphrasing from my notes) that we can guage how our soul is by whether we are becoming more or less irritated and more or less discouraged.    That when peace dwells within we are less discouraged and less irritated.

Okay it was just a dream but it was real.  My soul seems like the man I was in the dream – irritated, discouraged.  Not sure why other than I am too preoccupied with myself, my own world, my own needs wants.

I am not enjoying the feast that’s available.  I am not willing to wait.  I am not willing to identify like Christ did with those who really are in need.  I am greedy.  I am a glutton.  I am in need of grace.

I hope to wake up.

Some say love, it is a river that drowns the tender reed.  Some say love is a razor that leaves your soul to bleed…

In honor of Halloween…

Okay back in April, I had a flight to Mexico City but it was canceled because of the swine flu outbreak.  No problem because Mexicana said they would honor the tickets and that I could use it anytime within the next year.

So I am looking to fly to Mexico next month and have tried to call Mexicana to use the ticket.  Ha!  Earlier today I was on hold for over 20 minutes and had to end the call because I needed to go to an appointment.   As I type this I am over an hour into another hold.

Actually on this call I spoke to a live person earlier and he told me I would have to pay the difference on the flight he found.  The difference would be like $500.   I am looking on-line on their website and seeing the same flight for the exact price I paid in April.  He keeps telling me I can’t get that.  I tried to explain the situation but it was like talking to a wall.  So I asked to speak with his supervisor and he put me on hold.  He comes back and tries to keep telling me the same thing.  When I said, “I asked to speak with your supervisor”.    He keeps saying well my supervisor will say the same thing.  For over ten times we danced between me asking once again to speak with his supervisor and he continuing to try to tell me I just needed to pay the money.  Finally he budged and put me on hold.  So here I am.

Funny thing is I liked Mexcana.  They have direct flight from Denver and its a pretty good airlines.  At least I thought it  was.

I think this ticket issue is gonna be a lost cause.  I am wondering which is gonna come first: me using this ticket, Mexicana going into bankruptcy or me not being on hold.

Earlier this year, Luke did a science project on worms so we had a huge bucket full of worms.  (Were going to save them for a compost but most didn’t last the winter.)

Recently Robin found this  list that we made at that time.  It was little exercise we did at the dinner table one night  in coming up with 100 pet names for the worms.  Everyone participated….  feel free to steal any if your son/daughter/dog gets a worm for a pet.  Or vote for your favorite in the comments.

1. Lowly
2. Fish-bait
3. Wally
4. Willie
5. Lenny
6. Squiggy
7. Speed Bullet
8. Speed Bump
9. Tail
10. Snake speed
11. Bat
12. Slowly
13. Wigglie
14. Race-car
15. Blind boy
16. Red
17. Icy
18. Hook
19. Water
20. Tape (as in Tape Worm)
21. Shark
22. Butter
23. Crocodile
24. Laser-gun
25. Fire
26. Dirt digger
27. Spoon-cup
28. Camophlague
29. Night Rider
30. One billion
31. Cut-ridge
32. Ground horse
33. Bad guy
34. Pladirugadge
35. Double-worm
36. Dirtbug
37. Earth (as in Earth Worm)
38. Earthboy
39. Pencil
40. Hermie
41. Pat
42. Two tables
43. Warren
44. Tunnel Digger
45. Drill
46. Book (as in Book Worm)
47. Wigger
48. Wiggler
49. Vacuum Cleaner
50. Space shuttle
51. Dust Buster
52. Speedboat
53. Bump
54. Brown string
55. Shoelace
56. Hergum
57. Sword fight
58. Curly
59. Window
60. Twiggy
61. Space
62. Allan
63. Latte
64. Spittle
65. Driger
66. Speed-fire
67. Eggshell Eater
68. Garbageman
69. Composter
70. Oscar
71. My Dog Has
72. Drew
73. Trash
74. Maggot
75. Jack
76. Luke
77. Wilson
78. Fish-food
79. Dump-eater
80. Gut-dweller
81. Finger
82. Dog
83. Earth-vein
84. Bulldozer
85. Tiller
86. Earth-cutter
87. Stick
88. Brownie
89. Squirmy
90. Slimy
91. Spot
92. Squished
93. Bot
94. Char
95. 100 Barrelled Gun
96. Double
97. Hugger
98. Segment
99. Bubber
100. W

I put on my twitter this afternoon ‘tired from Sharefest’ and put a link to Sharefest website which is our summer of service among 30+ churches in Boulder CO.  So immediately the mayor of Lafayette sends me a direct message thanking me for service and says she read this blog.  She asked “Any success on the soccer issue? (This was concerning a  post I did a few weeks ago about helping enable underprivileged kids to play soccer) and said she liked my ideas. .  She also updated her twitter  thanking people for service today and directed people to my twitter post with the website for Sharefest.

For those twitter you know that I get a text that she direct messaged me so I immediately direct message her back.  I thank you  and ask who would be good to contact to make the soccer idea happen.  She repsonds and  gives me a key name.  Of course I am gonna call them and say, “the mayor said I should call you…”   Crazy thing is this very morning I was thinking that I should driect message her and send her a link to that very post about the soccer.

Now think about it…   How else could I have an audience that quick and easy with the mayor even of a small town?  The fact that even when I choose to follow her on twitter, she also chooses to follow me is one thing.  That makes sense because I am a citzen ad potential voter.  But the fact that she then read my blog and found a 3-week old post is another.  Then the fact she sends me a personal message first to say ‘thanks and that she likes my idea’ is a complete thing altogether.

I have heard people scoff twitter but I am sold.  And Chris Cameron as my mayor has my vote / support.

David Carradine was found dead in Bangkok. Carradine was made famous by his 1970’s role as Kwai Chang Caine, in the TV Series Kung Fu. 

In other shocking news it was found that Carradine was not Asian after all.

This morning a small bomb went off outside a Starbucks store in New York City