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Our Brexit Dinner
As Brexit went into effect, we dined on fish and chips while listening/watching the BBC on the computer. My wife had a gin and tonic (Beefeaters, of course) while I sucked down some Guinness. Yes, I know it’s Irish, but it was as close as I could get.
As we were listening, we realized the importance of this event. First, it was a revolution for freedom accomplished peacefully through the Democratic process. Second, none of the horrors predicted by the “remainers” (also called “remoaners”) have come true. Sure, there will be bumps during the process of renegotiating relations with other countries and the European Union Minus One, but that’s to be expected.
Before it was even launched, the new Amazon Prime series Star Trek: Picard had a number of strikes against it the minds of faithful fans who were also adherents of conservative political philosophy. It was being produced by the same lead producer as the universally reviled Mary Sue-centered Star Trek: Discovery. Sir Patrick Stewart was online and on cable TV saying how the series was going to attack Trump and the Brexit. There were bad advanced reviews trickling out before it hit the net on the CBS streaming service. With all this in mind, I was prepared to loathe what I would see once I moved that cursor across the “play” arrow on my screen on the 24th of January.
What would Black Gospel Music sound like if it blended with Eastern Orthodox liturgical tradition? Though liturgical traditions have a reputation for their timelessness, or at least for not changing, the Eastern Orthodox liturgy of singing and chanting antiphonally has changed over the past 2,000 years, particularly when Orthodoxy has met with other cultures whose own musical talents and understandings are different.
I went for a walk through my small neighborhood today. I usually cut through Roy’s driveway. I saw he was here. A native of a parish of New Orleans, his “beach house” is his getaway. He’s survived major hurricanes in two states and does his own yard work … with a chain saw. I saw his garage lights on and his American-made SUV in the driveway. As I cut through, eyeballing his love of fruit trees with the Calamondin orange, heavy with fruit of which I’ve plucked many, I spotted his bumper stickers: “Trump 2020. Repeal Obama Care. Liberal Media – Stop Distorting the news.”
I’ve written on this theme a couple of times before–Hebrews 13:2, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” That’s pretty much an ironclad rule for me, and although I can’t say I bat a thousand, my average when I get to the plate is high enough to make it worth my while. (Note well that in the foregoing sentence, She finally deploys a sports analogy, correctly, coherently, and consistently. Or so She believes. Perhaps there really is a first time for everything. If I messed it up somehow, please don’t burst my bubble.)