Published On: 12-11-2008 11:34 PM
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I just spent the afternoon at a Boys and Girls Club of America here in Hartford, and not only did I have a blast playing foosball with the kids, but I also noticed how little it takes to make them happy, at least for a little while.

This chapter had very nice facilities, with a ping-pong table, two foosball tables, a PS2, two bumper pool tables and a mini-pool table, plus a bunch of card games and board games in the game room. There was also a nice gymnasium with basketball courts. There were some classrooms for arts and a kitchen and cafeteria for the kids to eat dinner if their parents couldn't pick them up until late.

What I noticed at first were the broken corners in the foosball tables, the fact that they had only one ball for two tables, the dented ping-pong balls, the mis-matched card decks, and the semi-flat basketballs and dodgeballs. Then I noticed that the kids were still having fun.

I kept backing off, watching the foosball game and encouraging the kids who were playing unless there was an empty spot to fill for a while. Then I would play with them, and they loved that even more than playing themselves. Whenever someone would come up while I was playing, I would give up my spot, and more often than not, they would play for a while and then ask me to play again. They were more excited to have an adult interested in their game than playing it themselves, and of course they loved trying to beat an adult as well!

I would encourage anyone with a local chapter (or other similar charity) to at least see what physical needs they have for the facility. As gamers, I am sure everyone here has at least one old PS2 or XBOX game disc which is child-appropriate and also good for a group. Some of you even have some old systems you may have gathering dust. Maybe you have a basketball that isn't semi-flat, but hasn't seen a court for a year or six. Clean out that closet and your trash might make a child smile.

Better still, spend a few hours beating the hell out of some of these kids on Halo, or awing them with your masse, or with your mad art skills, or just watching them play a few hands of Uno.

/end sermon

Published On: 10-15-2008 02:28 AM
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I grew up a devout Christian, and we bounced from church to church as
we moved, finding the community that my parents best liked. We have
been members of Methodist, Church of Christ, Congregationalist, and
Presbyterian churches. My sister is a Presbyterian minister, with a
Master's in Divinity from Princeton, the center of Presbyterian
studies. I was even a youth Deacon, and during a semester off of
college I helped run the youth program, though by then my faith had
already been shaken.

My own crisis of faith came at about the age of 17. I began to question
the nature of sin. I found the hypocracy of Christian message vs.
Christian practice incompatable, and began to study other belief
systems, focusing eventually on the Eastern philosophies.

Initially, Taoism seemed a match for me, especially since the nature of
my quest involved sin. But I was also beginning to question the nature
of the Divine, and Taosim ulitmately did not satisfy me.

There is an iconic image in Hindu teaching, a great wheel of fire which
throws off sparks as it spins. The wheel is the Divine. The sparks are
life. All life is Divine, and will return to the center or be
extinguished. I love that metaphor.

Buddhism, like Christianity, has many sects. Mahayana, Hinayana,
Tantrayana, and Zen...and each sect dealt with my questions
differently. I found that Zen resonated with me, my questions, and my
life. It is not a religion so much as a path to walk.

I also harbor a bit of Animist, probably deep in my pineal gland. I am
partially decended from Hopi, and stories of Coyote and Badger have
been ingrained into my psyche since early childhood. I am convinced of
the sentience of many animals, and this fits nicely with my wheel of
fire.

So I combine elements from almost every religion I have studied. After
I developed my philosophy, I discovered I missed the community...I was
satisfied with my beliefs, but alone...and I still don't know what to
do about that. There may be a Zen house in my area, but I have never
sat Zazen with others...I could join a Quaker or Unitarian Church and
feel at home, but I still have issues with even their brand of Deism.

While defining what you believe can help you understand yourself and
how you should progress through life, the true good work of churches is
community. I have built homes in rural Maine, built a base camp for
relief work in Honduras, and helped many teenagers get through their
angst as a Christian. I have found inner peace and lonliness as a
Buddhist. Find a balance.

Reccomended Reading:

Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit by Robert Kennedy.

The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

The Dharmapadda

Illusions by Richard Bach

The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Persig

Writing Down the Bones and Long Quiet Highway by Natalie Goldberg

Published On: 09-21-2008 05:37 AM
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I want everyone to know that although I am currently a man of
modest means, soon enough I will be rich.

I recently received an email from overseas which clearly states
that a distant relative of mine has passed away in a country where
she was not a naturalized citizen. Because she was not native to
this land, there are some issues which must first be resolved
before my claim to the inheritance can be verified. According to
her barrister, although she did not have a will, I am her nearest
relative, and heir to her estate.

Oddly enough, her barrister does not spell very well, and seems to
have no grasp of English grammar. Perhaps it is because he is from
overseas. I think I may use a portion of my fortune to hire an
English tutor for him.

He states that although there is no will, I am to be named sole
heir. Of course, he stipulates that the estate will be paid "50% to
[him] and 40% to [me], 5% to charity, while 5% should be for
expenses or tax as [my] government may require." Perhaps I will
also use a portion of the inheritance to purchase lessons for him
in United States probate law and estate taxes. I may take back the
English tutor...he has demonstrated a firm grasp of irony.

For some reason, I am never mentioned by name in his email. And
strangely, he has cc'd nearly 200 other people on that same email.
Still, I trust that I am the sole beneficiary of this estate for a
relative I have never heard of in a country where my kin have never
lived. After all, according to the email he has "all the necessary
legal documents that can be used to back up the claim."
Furthermore, he guarantees "that this will be executed under a
legitimate arrangement that will protect [me] from any breach of
the law." With such assurances, I feel confident that by providing
the bank account information which he has requested, I will soon be
quite literally "rolling in it."

In the meantime, if anyone would like to take me out for drinks or
a nice lobster, I will be happy to return the favor ten-fold once
the inheritance transfer is complete.