Keep Your Ticket Stub

Mimi, Jen, Geoff and the crew landed in Vernon on Sunday night for homemade soup and a movie. We hadn't hosted Sunday Night at the Movies yet this winter, so the company was welcome.

The tradition of watching a movie on the big screen started 8 years ago when I bought a compact projector. The company I worked for at the time didn't have enough cash to equip the sales staff with a portable projector making it difficult to demo the product. Having just set appointments with several Fortune 500 companies, including GM and Ford, I bought my own. I held onto the $2,000 receipt figuring I'd get reimbursed when the deals went through.

The receipt is no longer legible, and the company is long gone. But a couple of hundred movies later, the machine is bought and paid for with the currency of love. Last night's flick was The Ultimate Gift starring James Garner among others. It was the perfect movie shown in the perfect setting.

Re-stock the popcorn for next weekend!

Pigskin Withdrawals

After watching the Patriots peel off 18 straight wins, it's tough to have the week off. In the words of Irish balladeer, Christy Moore, "by God, I'm gettin' the D.T.s."

The Path to Perfection, Pursuit of Perfection, I'm not Perfect but...Wait a Minute, Yes I Am - call it what you like. Some people don't like winners. For me, life is so fraught with mistakes and errors, I'm vicariously living large through Tom Brady. Super Bowl Sunday can't come soon enough.

Noah's Billboard

As we were boarding a bus leaving Washington, D.C. on Tuesday a rainbow broke out in the sky. We had just spent 2 days in prayer and contemplation on the importance of life. I know there is a scientific explanation for rainbows, but it's pretty ironic it descended upon 225,000 pro-life marchers at the end of the trail.

As the bow appears in the clouds, I will see it and recall the everlasting covenant that I have established between God and all living beings--all mortal creatures that are on earth.

- Genesis 9:16

Conviction

I was in Washington, D.C. the last couple of days attending a number of Pro Life events including the National Prayer Vigil for Life on Monday evening, and the March for Life on Tuesday. It was an absolute blessing to be there, and I met a lot of loving people.

I also met a lot of people with deep convictions. These are folks who don't tell you how they feel, but rather what they believe. Feelings have a way of changing while beliefs are embedded in stone.

The people I met weren't militants, zealots, crackpots or nut jobs. They were your neighbors and co-workers gathered together to pay respect for the sanctity of life. Good people.

Two things I heard from people of conviction had a deep impact on my feelings. One was a statistic comparing the number of total casualties of war in the U.S., from the American Revolution through the War in Iraq, to the number of abortions since Roe v. Wade, in 1973. Would you believe a ratio of 47:1 in favor of abortion? I'll let you do the math, but the number dead from the tragedy of war is 1,311,000.

The other was a talk a woman gave in which she recounted the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4). Her dissertation was a good one, but it was the Lord's words that struck me most, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Yikes!

To paraphrase, go ahead and drink all the h2O you want, but I'm warning you now, you are going to be forever thirsty. I drank 4 bottles of water on Tuesday, and I contemplated the Water of Life with every sip. Life is good. Life is worth protecting. I believe.

Powerball

Unless the only thing you read in the daily newspaper is Alley Oop, you have heard there is a problem in the mortgage lending world. I can't say I understand exactly what the problem is, although I think it has something to do with lending out too much money, at too low a rate, to too many non-qualified people.

Called subprimes, I might be the debtor on one of these loans. Maybe I should dig out the closing papers and take a look. Nah! I'm sure they'll call me if there is a problem.

Anyhow, these bad lending practices are no laughing matter. A lot of loans were based on adjustable interest rates and, as rates rose, homeowners defaulted on loans they had no chance of repaying from the start. Oh well, it was nice to mow the lawn while it lasted.

Not only are many homeowners out of a home, but many lenders and mortgage investors are out of a job. Companies lost billions on a bad business practice, and had no option but to lay off staff. The socialist in me hopes they gutted the company from the top down to penalize those most responsible for the collective agony. The realist in me recognizes a fair amount of hourly wage, non-traditional workers (read no benefits) are now collecting unemployment.

But what would life be in America if someone didn't profit from other people's follies? On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal ran an article about a hedge-fund manager who garnered $3 billion dollars last year betting against the mortgage industry. I read the article several times and still couldn't understand how someone could make money when everyone else was losing it, but I guess it has to go somewhere. Given hedge-funds are the equivalent to a shell game for the rich and famous, that somewhere is in the pocket of a guy who doesn't need it to pay his mortgage.

Not every winner of the lotto is a janitor. Interesting world.

Postscript: I'm not sure why I'd make this connection and I'm not willing to go into my own mind to find out (too scary), but wasn't Pete Rose just a hedge-fund manager when he bet against the Reds? Put the guy in the Hall of Fame for godsakes.

Juiced

George Mitchell is a former Senator from the great potato state of Maine. A life long Red Sox fan, he currently is a Director in their front office....whatever that means.

At age 75 he also decided to write a book report on the use of steroids in baseball. Ironically, no Red Sox players are mentioned in his report, but a focal point of the report is a hated ex-Red Sox, Roger Clemens. Two World Series rings later, Red Sox losers are still writing plays about those damn Yankees.

Roger Clemens is my favorite baseball player of all time. I like him because when he was with the Red Sox he was phenomenal - 20 win seasons, 20 strikeout games, and Cy Young awards. I was stunned when the Red Sox let him go. I went with him to Toronto, New York, Houston and back to New York.

Here is what I know about Roger Clemens after following him as a fan for 24 years:

• He never took a day off whether the game was played in April or October.
• He bore down on every pitch. The Rocket wasn't just working on a pitch count.
• He was a conditioning nut.
• He talked about and thanked his mom at every momentous event in his career.
• He and his wife, Debbie, said "until death do us part" in 1984 and they're holding up the vow.
• He has 4 sons, knows their names, and they all come from the same mother.
• No record of womanizing, drunk driving or spousal abuse.
• Did throw 100 mph fastballs up and in.
• Earned every nickel paid to him.
  

I believe The Rocket when he says he didn't take any steroids. It's hard to imagine the guy departing from the character he has displayed throughout his career. Besides, I've been reading press quotes from Roger and believing them for 2 decades. Until last month, I never even heard of Brian McNamee, but I am supposed to believe him because if he didn't tell the truth he was going to go to jail. Jail? He must be a real upstanding guy.

Disclaimer: I believed Bill Clinton when he said he didn't swallow pot. Do we know if the intern inhaled? I also thought O.J. Simpson was innocent - technically I was right.

If we're really going to get serious about banning steroids and protecting our children from the false allure of performance enhancing drugs, Hulk Hogan should be required to relinquish all 12 WWF titles. Please don't tell me Sgt Slaughter used the roids!

Lou Ferrigno should fore go any royalties he's collecting from re-runs of The Incredible Hulk. What, there aren't any?

Okay then, Sylvester Stallone should give back the Oscar Best Actor Award for Rocky. He didn't win the best actor award? You've got to be kidding! Hey, Georgie Boy, how about another book report on the voting for the Oscar? Something is terribly wrong here.

Disclaimer 2: The author has no knowledge of steroid useage by anyone mentioned in this article, and any inference is for the purpose of humor only.

Kids See the Darndest Things

Nathaniel stayed with us for a couple of days. He got a hold of my point and shoot digital camera and captured the moment. Pretty good eye for a 3 year old; you've got to love the picture of the dog food!

She's Listening

I heard Ayva singing to herself today. She has wonderful pitch and she's only two years old. Her annunciation is quite clear as well, although she still needs a little work on the lyrics.

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle always. And bless us oh Lord all the way. Amen."

They're going to love her in Catechism class!

Balanced Life

• God


• Family


• Friends


• Work


• Charity


• Fun

Flying into the Sun

Julie, Truffle and I took a late day stroll on Thursday, and as we stood on a platform overlooking the marshlands and a setting sun, thousands of black birds took flight. The whooshing sound as they swirled in the skies was ethereal.

A moment in time that one of us will recall in the absence of the other some day.

Lost in Space

I was at my mother's house on Sunday and I picked up a family photo album with the thought of scanning a few shots from the past. Pictures of the Old Man (R.I.P.), Ma, Uncle Bob and da kidz, biggie Joe, sista Jeanne and the rest of the Mu-Tang Clan - dig it! Bling! Blong! Dingie, Dingie Ding! Dong! What the hell am I sayin' G?

I'm not sure what just happened there, but back to the subject at hand - the family photo album. While perusing the Mullen archives, I noticed there were very few shots chronicling the history of, well frankly, me. Don't get me started on what I found of Joe!

Oh, there was the obligatory 1st grade photo, an airbrushed high school graduation head shot, a darkened image of me in my Air Force blues, and a blurred shot of me walking across the stage to get my diploma at UVM. Let's see, 1963, 1975, 1980, 1984 - yup, that's me!

Hey, no big deal. If I want to reminisce about the past all I have to do is look deep into the chasms of my mind and...and...and come on now dammit...images of the past come flying by in living color. Actually the beauty of not having official photographs is I get to decide what really happened. What me, imagining things? Nah, never.

In my house there are 30 photo albums on the shelf, another 20 boxes of photos in the closet and, as of today, 13,598 photos online at http://www.moonmullenphotography.com/. If any of my kids want to reminisce about what they did last weekend, I probably have a shot of it somewhere. Oh, what a sterile world.

I did manage to dig up one beauty of a shot - me playing Will Robinson from Lost in Space. Actually, it's a photo of the family with a German exchange student named, Dagmar that appeared in the Burlington Free Press. They asked Joe to be in the picture too, but he wouldn't take his shirt off!

Joey, you still reading the blog?

Stepping into the Twilight Zone

Necessity is the Mother of invention. - Plato

Invention is the mother of necessities. - Marshall McLuhan

Just before Christmas I wrote a tongue-in-cheek blog about the MP3 player being the nouveau add-on to any electronic product on the shelf - iPod, XBox,cellphone, camera, computer, memory stick and more. Silly little piece, really.

Really? Yesterday, Taser International announced a new line of designer stun-guns and one comes with a holster housing...drum roll, please....a 1GB MP3 player!

So next time you are shopping for an MP3 player you might want to consider the Taser C2. Smart design with a range of up to 15 feet, the C2 stores enough juice to zap 50 would be villains on a single charge - all while listening to your favorite tunes. Now available in Fashion Pink, Red Hot or the new Leopard skin design.

Suggested play list while out for an evening walk:

Don't Take Your Gun to Town - Johnny Cash

Stagger Lee - Lloyd Price

Lawyers, Guns & Money - Warren Zevon

Happiness is a Warm Gun - The Beatles

Blue Yodel No. 1 - Jimmie Rogers

Hey Joe - Jimmie Hendrix

Big Iron - Marty Robbins

I Don't Like Mondays - Boomtown Rats

Blaze of Glory - Bon Jovi

Shotgun - Jr Walker & the All Stars

I Feel Like a Bullet - Elton John

Coalition to Ban Coalitions - Hank Williams Jr.

If I Had a Rocket Launcher - Bruce Cockburn

I Shot the Sheriff - Eric Clapton

Janie Got a Gun - Aerosmith

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence - Gene Pitney (Rockville Rocket!)

Ideating

Baked ham, string beans and roasted potatoes dipped in milk - scrumptious!

And why not? It's a much more efficient way to consume your food and drink. Besides, you don't have to do as many dishes.

Saturday Evening Reflection

I knew the walk was a good idea. Truffle flushed out a blue heron and half a dozen mallards. Heaven.

Thoughts on a Saturday Morning

Okay, I'm awake, now what?

Seriously, I think I need something to get me started. I have an idea - Confession and an enema. Too much like dinner and a movie? Still, a good house cleaning might be just the thing. Hey, if it works, I could franchise the concept...hold retreats and all.

You can bet I won't be using alcohol for the enema. Did you hear about this crazy story? A woman emptied 2 bottles of sherry up her husband's ass because he had problems swallowing alcohol. The guy died! Take that one off the life list of things to try.

The other thought I had was to go ask Alice what she takes when she's 10 feet tall. Life from that vantage point would be very interesting. But, I don't know where Alice lives, so scratch that idea.

You know, I think I'll just take the dog for a walk. It'll put us both back on track.

I Got You the Perfect Gift

The local Cabela's was packed on Sunday. We went to see the fish tank and taxidermied wildlife. Julie, aka Bugsy, was also tempted to buy a Gamo P-23 air pistol - the squirrels are back in the attic. Having just come from Mass, she left the gun on the shelf.

But most folks were in the store to return a present they received for Christmas. Wrong color, wrong size, wrong person. How did so many people get it wrong?

Timeless Advice

• Sunday was the Feast of the Holy Family. Established in 1893 by Pope Leo XIII, the day is a reminder of the sacredness of the family structure as modeled on the life Jesus, Mary and Joseph spent together.
  
  The readings from the Old and New Testament gave sage advice on how we are to interact with our family in honor of God. Sunday’s sampler from Sirach and Colossians included:
  
  
• My son take care of your father when he is old; grieve him not as long as he lives. Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him; revile him not in the fullness of your strength. For kindness to a father will not be forgotten; it will serve as a sin offering – it will take lasting root.
• Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.
• Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
  
  The Book of Sirach was written around 200 B.C. - more than 2200 years ago. Paul, the original blogger, wrote his letters to the Colossians around 60 A.D. while imprisoned in Rome. The words, as I read them on Sunday, were as fresh as the morning print. The words, as I heard them in 2007, were just as relevant as when they were inked.
  
  Parents in the shadow of their prime, sometimes forgetful, deserve our respect and compassion. Husbands and wives need to be devoted to one another and filled with a lifelong yearning for love. Fathers and mothers need to choose their words carefully, and instill in their children a sense of hope in the goodness of life.
  
  I’m thankful God has blessed me with a beautiful family. I pray for God’s help in faithfully carrying out the responsibilities of a son, husband and father.