50 Random Things

50 Random Things
12September at 2306 hrs

1. What time did you get up this morning?
7:30am

2. How do you like your steak?
Medium

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
I can't remember

4.What is your favorite TV show?
currently on - NCIS
ever - West Wing, Newsroom, ER, NCIS, Grey's Anatomy

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Even though I don't speak French, living in Paris or Normandy would be nice...

6. What did you have for breakfast?
Honey Bunches of Oats

7. What is your favorite cuisine?
I think it would be Italian

8. What foods do you dislike?
Anchovies, Brussels Sprouts. There are others.

9. Favorite Place to Eat?
Totally depends on what I want to eat. Lately, it's been Saigon and Tokyo here in Dover because they have Chinese, Japanese, Sushi and Vietnamese cuisines. If you're bold, try the Pho Dac Biet.

10. Favorite dressing?
Greek from Cafe Nostimo or Parmesan Peppercorn

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive?


12. What are your favorite clothes?
I don't know. Polo shirt and jeans

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
I'd go around the world...Europe, the Holy Land, the Far East

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
I'd like to think that it's half-full.

15. Where would you want to retire?
The coast of Maine up near Bar Harbor

16. Favorite time of day?
I'm not sure.

17. Where were you born?
Charlestown, MA

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
Baseball or football..

19. Who do you think will not tag you back?
I don't know

20. Person you expect to tag you back first?
I don't know

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?
Anyone who wants to...

22. Bird watcher?
No

23. Are you a morning person or a night person?
i can be both

24. Do you have any pets?
No

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
Not really

26. What did you want to be when you were little?
a priest

27. What is your best childhood memory?
Summers on Cape Cod

28. Are you a cat or dog person?
Dogs rule.

29. Are you married?
No

30. Always wear your seat belt?
yes.

31. Been in a car accident?
no

32. Any pet peeves?
PLENTY.

33. Favorite Pizza Toppings?
buffalo chicken tenders

34. Favorite Flower?
 lilacs

35. Favorite ice cream?
Mudslide from Dover Delight

36. Favorite fast food restaurant?
Chipotle

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test?


38. How many piercings?
Zero. Thought about getting my ears pierced though


40. Do anything spontaneous lately?


41. Like your job?
Most of the time.

42. Broccoli?
Yes. cooked or raw

43. What was your favorite vacation?
Normandy or Washington DC

44. Last person you went out to dinner with?
Mike and Kate

45. What are you listening to right now?
Mysteries at the Museum  on Travel Channel and a thunderstorm rolling in

46. What is your favorite color?
Blue, specifically royal blue

47. How many tattoos do you have?
None...right now

48. How many are you tagging for this quiz?
none

49. Favorite adult beverage
IPA

50. Coffee Drinker?
Just a little.

Buen Camino

"Buen Camino"

It's a greeting, and a fare-thee-well 

To wish someone a good journey.

In two short words, it conveys so much.

At the journey's start, with the dawns first golden glow-

Or, at the days end, when the walking is done.

One fellow pilgrim to another, across the miles and ages-

Two short words, said with warmth and sincerity-

"Buen Camino".

Both a "hello", and a "see you soon".

To all of my fellow travelers, where you are, where you will be-

I wish a "Buen Camino" in all your life's journeys

-WanderingChristian

A Camino Packlist...Verion 1.0

Ok,

I have become OBSESSED with the Camino lately, and I'm totally not sure when I'm going. I've already started making a gear list. Here's a Beta version for you...

IMPORTANT

1. U.S. Passport
2. Pilgrim’s Passports (Credential) in little ziploc baggie
3. Money ($500-$700 in Euros to start)
4. ATM/Debit card
5. Credit card (Visa)
6. Prescriptions for medications/glasses translated into Spanish and French
7. Important phone numbers (us consulates, bank, home , etc.)
8. Travelers insurance card
9. MedicAlert tag (either a watch, bracelet, sports band, etc)
10. Copies of all important documents (place in journal)

CLOTHES

1. Boots.
   
   
2. Sandals (Teva would be preferred)
3. 4 pairs underwear...NOT COTTON
4. 4 pairs socks (SmartWool)
5. 4 pairs of liner socks
6. 4 shirts...NOT COTTON (2 long sleeve, 2 short)
7. 2 pair “convertible” pants
8. 

   1 pair lightweight cargo pants...NOT COTTON
9. 1 pair cargo shorts, NOT COTTON
10. Rain gear (poncho or rain suit)
11. Gaiters
12. Fleece jumper
13. Boonie hat, not a baseball cap (marks you as an American)
14. Warm hat (navy watch hat)
15. Gloves (higher altitudes like at Cruz de Ferro)
16. Glasses and sunglasses
17. Spare glasses and sunglasses
18. "keepers" for glasses/sunglasses

PERSONAL CARE

1. 4 oz bottle of 2-in-1 shampoo (replace as needed)
2. Bar of soap in mesh bag
3. Microfiber  washcloth (REI)
4. Microfiber towel (REI)
5. Razor
6. Travel tin of shaving soap
7. Shaving brush(preferably not a fancy badger brush)
8. Toothbrush
9. Toothpaste
10. Dental Floss
11. Sunblock
12. Bug juice (small bottle)
13. Lip balm
14. Meds
15. Deodorant (Arm & Hammer unscented)
16. Allergy pills (Zyrtec and Benadryl)
17. Ear plugs (for snorers in albergues)
18. Eyeglass repair kit
19. Sewing kit
20. Toilet paper (tubes removed)
21. Foot powder or Vaseline
22. Anti-chafe balm (BodyGlide)
23. no-rinse soap (washing hands on the trail)

EQUIPMENT

1. Pack (treated for bed bugs). I was thinking of one from LL Bean
2. Rain cover (not needed if we wear Altus ponchos)
3. Sleeping bag...find something long enough and lightweight (treated against bugs)
4. Twin fitted sheet w/ pillowcase sewn on.(treated against bugs)
5. Camping pillow (treated against bugs)
6. Waterproof bags for clothes and sleeping bag
7. Ziplock bags for other gear
8. Camelbak
9. First aid kit--> See separate document
10. Transport bag for pack
11. Whistle
12. Trek poles or walking stick
13. Lighter
14. Universal sink plug
15. Woolite laundry packets
16. “Kitchen sink” (collapsible washbasin) for laundry or soaking tired feet
17. Small trowel (for making “cat holes”)
18. Swiss army knife with good corkscrew
19. 32 oz wide-mouth Nalgene bottle
20. Splash guard for Nalgene bottle
21. Headlamp and battery charger
22. Reflective tape strips for pack/ankles/wrists (walking in the dark)
23. Blinker from a bike (attach to pack for walking in the dark)
24. Money belt or some kind of hidden wallet
25. #36 Nylon twine, OD Green, cut into 20 pieces of 25’ (making rosaries for other peregrinos)
26. 20 crucifixes, black plastic.
27. Mobile phone
28. Backpacking clothesline (for hotels)
29. Irish Breakfast (or Earl Grey) tea bags/ Starbucks Vita coffee packets
30. Knee braces (extra support on mountains)
31. SwissCard

MISCELLANEOUS

1. Missal/Hymnal...useful for Mass attendance and personal reflection time
2. Digital camera (get one that uses “AA” batteries or can charge via USB)
3. SD cards
4. Travel plug adapter
5. iPod touch with cable and earphones (load a Bible and Divine Office app on)
6. Spanish phrasebook
7. Journal and pens
8. Airmail stationery (get stamps from Tobacconist shops)
9. Rosary (NOT Cursillo one)
10. Pilgrim guide for Camino Frances
11. MAYBE the Pilgrim Guide for the Camino Finisterre.
12. Packets of Gatorade powder
13. GU Gel (energy)
14. Clif bars
15. Scallop shell painted with Santiago cross

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    I've also created a "board" on Pinterest where you can see more of my ideas...http://bit.ly/13uk5DD
    

    

    
    

Not feeling it lately

 Sometimes, faith is like a roaring bonfire. Other times, it's more like a candle. Lately, I feel like my faith life had become like the candle. At one point, the Holy Spirit had set me on fire with His love. My prayer life is almost non-existent, and I'm backsliding into my old vices. I'm not sure when this dry spell hit or why, I just feel like I'm going through the motions at church on Sundays. It feels like I'm talking the talk, but not walking the walk. Frankly, it makes me feel like a huge hypocrite, a Pharisee, a charlatan, a phony, a fraud. I need to get back into a better prayer life and letting the Holy Spirit be my guide. The thing is, would I recognize what He's telling me? If anyone has any ideas on how to get that fire back, please let me know.

All-Time Favorite Movie Themes

n no particular order
1.) Star Wars Main Credits
2.) Russian Navy Hymn from The Hunt for Red October
3.) Gabriel's Oboe from The Mission
4.) Gettysburg Main Credits
5.) Adagio for Strings from Platoon
6.) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
7.) Casablanca
8.) Roll Tide from Crimson Tide
9.) The Ecstasy of Gold from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
10.) The Godfather
11.) Braveheart Main Theme
12.) Main Titles from Band of Brothers
13.) Hymne des Fraternises: "I'm Dreaming of Home" from Joyeaux Noel
14.) James Bond  theme
15.) Resurrection from The Passion of the Christ
16.) Easter Rebellion from Michael Collins
17.) An American Symphony from Mister Holland's Opus
18.) Suite from The Polar Express
19.) Theme from Armageddon (the orchestral theme)
20.) Theme from Forrest Gump
21.) Shine Your Light from Ladder 49
22.)  Daniel (Main Title Theme) from The Way
23.) Nessun Dorma from The Sum of All Fears
24.) Suo Gan from Empire of the Sun
25.) Ashoken Farewell from Ken Burns: The Civil War
26.) Main Theme to the mini-series John Adams

"The Way"

If you haven't seen the movie that I'm writing about, don't read this as there be spoilers ahead.



"You don't choose a life, Dad. You live one." Words to live by. That's one of the central themes of the Emilio Estevez film, The Way. The film stars Martin Sheen  as Tom Avery, an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) living an insulated life of his choosing in southern California. I recently watched the film at the suggestion of a good friend of mine, and it was fantastic. Daniel (Estevez, also wrote the screenplay, produced and directed the film) embarks on a journey around the world, to get a better sense of his place in it. While hiking through the Pyrenees mountains, he gets lost in a bad storm and ends up in a fatal accident. Tom gets the call from the Captain of the Gendarmerie (national police force) in St. Jean Pied de Port, informing him of the tragic events that claimed Daniel's life. In shock, Tom packs his bags and flies to France to bring Daniel's remains home for burial. It turns out; Daniel was on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, a trek of over 800 kilometers {500 miles}.

I have written about this pilgrimage in another blog posting (Feeling a Little Weary). Tom decides to walk the road to Santiago in memory of Daniel. Some have made the assertion that the film could be a new twist on the classic Wizard of Oz, and I partially agree. I'd add the argument that the film follows the classic hero tale as expounded upon by Joseph Campbell (no relation) in his classic work The Hero With A Thousand Faces. That's the framework that I'm going to base this essay on. I'll include a link to a more detailed explanation of the Hero's Journey (http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero's_journey.htm). I suppose I should also add that the Hero's Journey that Tom goes through is not in the order originally mapped out by Campbell.

An illustration of the theory of the Hero's Journey.

For the Ordinary World , we start the film in Ventura, California where Tom lives and has his practice. After seeing a patient and going over the schedule for the following day with his secretary (played by Renee Estevez), Tom learns that Daniel called the previous night from France and things were going well. He neglected to leave a number so Tom could return the call, which could point to their estranged relationship. Tom makes the remark of "the world on Daniel's terms".This would be the Ordinary World phase as described by Campbell. Tom goes about his business as he always has, not knowing what a Higher Power (God, Adonai, Allah, The Almighty, etc) has in store for him.

While playing golf with some friends, Tom gets a call on his mobile. Here's the comparison to what Campbell called the Call to Adventure. However; Tom says the call can wait when he sees the other guys checking their cellphones. This would technically be a Refusal of the Call, as he waits until he finishes his swing before answering.

Tom answers the phone call and it's not a call he was expecting. The caller is Captain Henri Sebastian of the French Gendarmerie (like a national police force) with some bad news about Daniel. While on the call, Tom gets into his golf cart and drives away, leaving his friends wondering what he's thinking. This would not be typical of the Hero's Journey because our Hero usually doesn't journey off without a word. In shock, Tom goes to visit his parish priest, seeking counsel and consolation. Tom tells the good priest that he's going overseas to bring Daniel home. His pastor asks if Tom would like to pray with him. It might be the overbearing grief he's dealing with, but Tom is also a lapsed Catholic (attends Mass at Christmas and Easter, but that's about it). The next stop Tom makes is at his office to grab plane tickets and his passport from his secretary. You could consider everything that happens to Tom part of the Ordeal as described by Campbell.

Capt. Sebastian and Tom in the Gendarmerie Precinct.

 For the Crossing of the Threshold; Tom flies to Paris, then makes the journey to Saint Jean Pied-de-Port by train. Tom has some time to think about what has happened to Daniel and has a flashback to when he drove Daniel to the airport at the start of his journey around the world. Tom arrives at St Jean and is met by the captain of the Gendarmerie, Henry Sebastian. The two head to the police precinct, and Tom is faced with identifying the body of his son. Henry (or Henri, in French) talks with Tom about what had happened and about the Camino (Chemin in French). Henri would be the Mentor in the Hero's Journey. Tom also receives a backpack that Daniel had with him. After looking at the possessions and gear Daniel had with him at the time of his death, Tom decides to walk the road to Santiago in memory of Daniel.Keep in mind; Tom is over well sixty and has not trained for this journey at all, you could say it would not be easy. Tom encounters two phases of the Hero's Journey at this point: Answering the Call to Adventure and Meeting with the Mentor.

With a pack on his back and Daniel's ashes in a box lashed on to the side, Tom begins his trek on the long and ancient Camino de Santiago de Compostela. He has no idea what lies ahead, but he goes anyway. Near the spot, Tom thinks he sees Daniel in the distance. He has visions of his son at various times along the route, mostly at key times when Tom needs a little guidance.

At the cross planted for Daniel at Roncesvalles Pass.

Tom isn't alone in his journey to Santiago, not by a long shot. He meets his first unlikely companion in St Jean, a Dutchman named Joost. Joost is doing the Camino not for religious reasons, but to lose a few pounds  to make his doctor and his wife happier (sounds kinda like me, aside from the wife bit). Tom also meets Sarah, a Canadian trying to quit smoking and gain a sense of self-worth. The fourth member of the group is Jack, a writer from Ireland doing the Camino so he can write a book. Like Tom, Jack is also a lapsed Catholic, but he is angry with the Church for many reasons. The three companions that Tom has along The Way are sometimes a blessing, sometimes a curse. I think that they bring out the best in each other most of the time, occasionally they grate on each other. Tom is a father figure to Sarah, Joost and Jack, but his mourning and isolated lifestyle prior to the Camino make him hard to get along with. Joost, as Jack describes "for whom kindness is an instinct" is friendly, engaging, if somewhat of a pothead. Sarah is trying to quit smoking, but I think she's looking for people to accept her after being in a bad marriage (and having an abortion). Because of this inner pain and lack of being able to trust make her hard to approach. Jack comes off as someone looking to make a few bucks off of writing about his journey, and something of an arrogant know-it-all. He also gives the audience more of the story of the Camino ( he even cites the Codex Calixtinus, thought to be the first travel guide). Jack also helps Tom in a couple of ways: by bailing him out of jail for public intoxication and by getting him to open up and talk about Daniel. I think when Jack gets Tom to talk about Daniel, it helps him with the grieving process and makes him vulnerable (in a good way). Although we don't get to hear what they talked about, Joost can be seen smiling because he knows Tom is coming around.

Our four fellows on the Camino. L to R: Tom, Sarah, Joost, Jack.

Tom, Joost, Sarah and Jack walk the Camino together, for better or worse. They laugh together, cry together, tell stories and have a family experience.Tom has the goal of completing the journey for Daniel, but gains the added gift of living outside himself and his insular world. When Tom is arrested for public intoxication, Jack bails him out (a Test if there ever was one). It was when Tom was drunk that he let his companions know what was on his mind, becoming an Enemy as opposed to an Ally. When a Gypsy boy steals his pack, all four run after the boy to get it back. The major turning point for the group is at Cruz de Ferro, where many pilgrims leave stones with prayer intentions as a symbol of letting go of their former selves. Tom had been leaving little piles of ash along the route, and his friends are there to help him remember and let go.


Finally, the group gets to Santiago de Compostela. They walk into the Pilgrims Office to receive their Compostelas, proving that they completed the journey. While talking to the staff in the office, Tom and Sarah have difficulty explaining their motives for making the journey. Whereas Jack and Joost have no problem in describing their motivations. It's here that they each become keenly aware that their journey is at an end. While in the Cathedral, each has an encounter with the divine. For Joost, he drops to his knees in thanksgiving at having made it. Sarah is found staring at a Crucifixion scene. Jack breaks down and weeps like a baby in a pew (maybe finding something he didn't know he was missing, like God?). Tom kneels at the tomb of Saint James and prays for his son. During the Mass for Pilgrims, Tom sees Daniel one last time, helping to hoist and then swing the botafumerio (a massive incense burner used in the Cathedral at Santiago).

The group feels a strong desire to go with Tom to Muxia, another few days walking from Santiago. Tom had been advised to put the remains of Daniel's ashes in the water there near a church named for Our Lady of the Boat (La Virgen de Barca). This is where our four friends go their separate ways. After scattering the ashes of his son, Tom walks back towards his pack. You would think that after his Ordeal that he'd want to go back to Ventura and pick up where he left off, but things aren't so. Tom has come through his Ordeal and has had a Resurrection. We next find him walking the streets of Marrakech in Morocco. We can make the assumption that Tom has resolved to be a changed man and get out to see the world. His experience on the Camino de Santiago have had a profound effect on his life, as it usually does for pilgrims. What does this new life hold for him? We don't know, but I hope it's full of adventure. 

Buen Camino (Good Journey)

Divine Assistance

Have I ever told you about the man that lived by the river?

Frank Cartwright lived in a modest home not far from the Androscoggin River. One day, there was a radio broadcast saying that a dam upstream had failed and the surrounding areas would be flooded. Local authorities were issuing mandatory evacuations. Frank grew up as a devout Christian, and he reasoned that if he prayed, God would come down Himself and save him.

As the waters rose, a neighbor came by in a rowboat and offered to take Frank to safety. Frank smiled and declined saying that he loved the Lord all his life and if God loved him, He would come to personally save Frank in his plight. A little while later, the flood waters had risen higher and Frank was in his bedroom on the second floor. A bright light came through the window and he heard a loud voice. It was the National Guard in a helicopter offering to lower a basket for Frank to climb into and they'd take him to safety. Frank grabbed his bullhorn and told the pilot that if God loved him as much as Frank loved Him, then He would save him.

Well, Frank drowned. Standing at the Pearly Gates, he looks at Saint Peter and DEMANDS an audience with the Lord. He goes before the Almighty and states his case plainly. "Lord," he said; "I loved and served You my entire life. I thought that when I really needed You, You would save me." The Lord thinks about this statement for a moment, looks at Frank and says "My son; I do love you, more than you can possibly could imagine. I tried to save you, three times. I sent you a radio broadcast, a neighbor in a rowboat and a National Guard helicopter pilot. I have one question for you. What in the Hell are you doing here?!"

I tell this story because sometimes when we're in need of help from God, we expect Him to personally intervene. Frank was counting on that so much that he ignored the three times that God tried to save him. My point is this, sometimes God sends help in ways we don't expect.
Please share this with your families and friends. I don't take credit for coming up with the story. I actually don't know who told it originally, I only added some details.

Back where I belong

"In my Father's house, there are many dwelling places." John 14:2

 I felt like it was about time to start going to church again. I had been away for almost a year, and things were weighing down on me. I stopped going last year after I started having doubts as to whether I should stay involved in a ministry. It was not my will that prompted me to attend church services, however. It was the Spirit calling me back into the house of my God, my Strength, my Redeemer and my Lord. The Lord was softly knocking on the door to my heart, and I answered. Anyone that knows me can tell you that I grew up as a Catholic and I still am, mostly. When I was living in the UK a few years ago (a decade, now that I remember <shock>), I attended Evensong services at the local Anglican church (Saint John's; Bridge St, Derby) as a way of centering myself after a long day. I would attend Mass on Sunday at the local Catholic church, but the Anglican parish was more welcoming and warmer (in more than one sense). Anyhow, I went to the 10 o'clock service at Saint Thomas on Sunday and felt at home almost right away. There was a banner in the vestibule that said "welcome home", and this was echoed by the congregation members that I met and Reverend Garrity. It had been awhile since I used the Book of Common Prayer and a separate Hymnal, so that took a wee bit of getting the hang of, but I think that will get easier with practice (and some Post-it notes). I think that I might have found a new community, but we'll see I guess.