Beisbol

As the summer season of baseball approaches its end in the US, Liga Mexicana de beisbol (Mexican baseball league) is just beginning its preseason winter league games. Aaron and I took in a game yesterday and will (hopefully) get to see the remaining games of the three game series today and tomorrow.

 
The navy's drum and bugle corps was on the field for the pregame presentation of the colors and there was a first pitch ceremony, as well. Puerto Vallarta doesn't have a team in the league and the two teams that are playing here are from nearby Guadalajara and from Mazatlan. Although the game was rained out after 4 and a half innings, it was a fun game to watch.
Ballpark concessions were a little bit cheaper than in the US. A legit quarter pound cheeseburger with all the trim, and order of fries, and a can of beer was $140 pesos, about $7 US dollars.

When the rain started, Aaron and I met up with the girls and some friends for drinks, switched bars so some could play pool, and then ended at a karaoke place.
We got some food at a couple of late night street vendors.

Beach and baseball are the plan for today.

John

Voter Registration

If you plan to vote in Missouri's November election you only have a couple of weeks left to get registered. The deadline for eligible voter registration is October 12. It is the same for in person registration or online registration.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot is October 26, and it must be received by November 8.

In most cases, college students can register to vote where they attend college. This gets around needing an absentee ballot. If you attend college in a different state than your normal residence, you just can't be registered in both states. Missouri college students need to be registered where they attend or request an absentee ballot before October 26 and return it to be received by election day, November 8.
Here's a link to register online for Missouri.

State laws vary greatly. Check yours. Share this info with a friend.
And then exercise your right to vote.

John

Equinox and Random Stuff

It's weird that while today is the first day of fall (Northern hemisphere), it also includes the last sunrise and sunset of summer for about 3/4ths of the US. Fall doesn't actually begin until just after 8 o'clock this evening (CDT).
I know there are plenty of you that will begin your fall celebrations early and break out the pumpkin spiced coffee, beer, whatever, but since the sun rises and sets during summer today, I am going to enjoy this final day of summer.

Random thoughts--

>While I do enjoy our home, the flower beds, and taking care of the lawn, there is something to be said for apartment/condo living and not needing to do any of that.
I'm currently on the front porch of the kids' place, here in Puerto Vallarta, overlooking a busy highway. Last night we were at a local brewery's trivia night, followed by a few hours at a karaoke bar. 
There was a lot of sound. I think the thing I miss the most about home is the quiet.
Not all of the noise is bad. The sound of the ocean when you're on or near the beach, the loud chatter of the parakeets in the trees, even the rooster across the street crowing throughout the day--those are good natural sounds that can soothe or energize the spirit. It's just that it is sometimes difficult to separate them from the cacaphony of unnatural sounds--cars, trucks, motorcycles, crowds of people, sounds from outdoor restaurants, etc.
Yeah, I miss the quiet. 

>I am a little curious about the faith practices in the area. I don't think I'm going to find much about it without actually making the effort to engage people in conversation about it. And I don't think that's a conversation you have with total strangers.
There seems to be a large community of US expats here. I suspect many of them enjoy the much less polarizing aspect of religion that I somewhat expect in the region. I'm not sure why I expect that. It just seems that people are more willing to allow others to believe what they want to believe and live as they choose to live.
We could use a little more of that attitude in the US.

Celebrate or mourn, it's the final day of summer!

John

Pool Blogging and Going Green

Yep, I'm in the pool and typing on my chromebook.
In Puerto Vallarta.
It is a brutal life I live. 

If you follow me on Facebook, you already know that I ordered a 2023 Ford Maverick hybrid yesterday. Today I read that the plug-in hybrid and the full EV models will be coming very soon. It's too bad Ford didn't have those ready for the '23 models. 
I'm excited about moving towards being more green. I'm still hoping to add solar panels to our home system and maybe looking at a Zero motorcycle, as well. With solar energy, our liquid propane (now used for heat, cooking, and our fireplace) would only be used for cooking and the fireplace and should last for quite a while. I'm not sure if I'm willing to give up my gas stove/oven just yet. I really prefer a gas stove vs. electric for cooking. 
We would probably continue with our gas furnace at a lower base setting and electric space heaters to warm the occupied living areas rather than replacing the nearly new gas forced air furnace we have now. Solar is looking like a project for next year, maybe to coincide with covered pergola for a pool of our own!

Pool. solar, outdoor living area...
Yeah, pretty much sounds like Highlandville, MO will be where we are living out our golden years.
In my head I just dropped an F-bomb. 

All-in-all, I've got a good life, a very privileged life. I mean--do you know anyone else sipping tequila and blogging from a pool in an oceanside community right now? Just getting to this slice of paradise is a greater carbon footprint than most of the locals here expend in a lifetime. 

I hope you are having a good week. This retired guy is doing well. I'm going to post this, put on my sunglasses, and drift into the sunny side of the pool for a bit. 

John

Earthquake!

Apparently September 19th is the date for earthquakes in Mexico. Yesterday was the third time since the mid 80s that an earthquake hit on the 19th. The epiccenter was about 200 miles (around 350 km) from Puerto Vallarta and was widely felt throughout the area. 
The kids were just arriving home from the States and were going through immigration on the lower level of the airport when the overhead signs started swinging and the power went out. Security herded everyone out onto the tarmac and held them there for a while. Being in a large, open area on a lower level was pretty scary (especially for the structural engineer).
Chris was sitting on the couch and felt it. I was in the pool and didn't notice it. 

Any earth shaking news in your world?

In other news...
It's Tuesday in Mexico again, so I'll probably eat tacos again--not because it's Tuesday, but because it's Mexico. There are several American expats with restaurants here in PV, so it is easy to find a good burger or even Southern fried chicken. We had a good pizza for lunch yesterday and I may throw a fried egg on a leftover slice and call it breakfast this morning! (Why haven't I thought of this before?)

It'll be another hot, humid day in the tropics. It's actually been a few degrees cooler here than in the Midwest US over the past week or so. The Midwest may not have this crazy humidity, but neither does it have the ocean breeze nor an ocean beach.
There is certainly something to be said for this life of privilege.

John

Sunday Morning

Our first week in Puerto Vallarta has been pretty uneventful--and that's not a bad thing.
We've managed well to stay cool in the tropical summer heat and humidity, and ventured out for some good local food and drinks. It's really just life in a different place with a different variety of food.
Because it is the rainy season, we've been getting pretty heavy rain showers every night. That, of course adds to the humidity every day.

Many of the local shops and restaurants are open, shaded, and with fans, but not air-conditioned. The bedrooms at the kids' place are air-conditioned, but not the living areas. I guess you just get used to sweating. It's not too bad and I believe I'd easily adapt to living here, but summer is pretty much my season. Besides, the current temperatures at home are actually higher than they are here.

I do miss the familiarity and comforts of our home and I know there are tasks that need to be accomplished there. In spite of it being Highlandville MO, it is home and I am getting used to the idea that Highlandville will be our home for the long haul.

I'm sitting here with my locally sourced coffee (nearby Nayarit) and, like most Sunday mornings, thinking about my relationship with God, nature, and my fellow human beings. I doubt that I'll have any more or any fewer opportunities to interact with people than if I were home. I'm pretty sure I'll be staying cool in the pool, enjoying some cerveza Mexicano, and a locally rolled cigar while reading a book. I suppose we'll venture out for dinner at some point and there will probably be people wherever we go, but that's the way of things.

Whether at home in Highlandville or here in Puerto Vallarta life is pretty simple and pretty good.

Btw, I need a good non-fiction book. I'm thinking something sort of spiritual, contemplative, humanity and God kind of stuff. I'm not really interested in somebody's ideas of heaven and hell or traditional religious bullshit. 
Any recommendations?

John

Books

I just finished reading the Ancestor Saga series by Lori Holmes.
I saw it advertised as "if you enjoyed The Clan of the Cave Bear..." 
It's been quite a number of years since reading Jean Auel's series, but I did enjoy it, so I figured to give this a whirl.

While there are certainly similarities between the two and there really isn't another series that you could compare it to, the two sagas are very different. 
Holmes plays more towards the creators/gods than I remember in Auel's Cave Bear series. I also think that the Ancestor Saga does more to emphasize both the good and evil characteristics of humanity and shares some philosophy of how we are better when we work together, learning from each other and utilizing our strengths while exposing our weaknesses.

Although this is an ancient tribal story, it very much reflects the tribal culture we find ourselves in today and the author gives her warnings as to the future of humanity that fails to overcome our destructive nature.
It's definitely not for everyone and may not even appeal to some Cave Bear fans.
It's a strange romance series.
It's a likely kind of tribal struggle.
It's a complicated and primitive religion/philosophy story.
And it very much captures the humanity that both blesses and curses us all.
Yes! There is hope for humanity.

Fantasy, romance, primitive battles, primitive religion, blind faith, intolerance and exclusion, inclusion and acceptance of new ideas and philosophy--it's all here in this series.
I'll give it **** on the Amazon Kindle rating.

Now on to something else.

John

Just another day

 It's weird that we are away from home, but it doesn't really feel like we're on vacation. Our days aren't a great deal different than usual--just in a different place. Maybe it has something to do with being pretty adaptable to life as it happens, or maybe I'm just a boring, content kind of guy.

Living in the city is much more noisy than our typical rural setting and we don't usually eat out for every meal so I am having much more people interaction than I usually do, but I am still getting plenty of good pool time with a book. I've managed to enjoy a couple of cigars, sampled some product from the local craft breweries, and am enjoying the food and flavors of Mexico.

I'm getting some exercise from walking. The uphill walk back to the kids' place is work and I'm usually a sweaty mess from the exertion and humidity. At least the pool is here to cool off in when I make it back.

We met up with some of Aaron and Jenny's friends when we were out last night. One guy says, "Oh! You're the magician!"
Thanks, Aaron.
It's been a couple of years since I've worked on any magic, much less performed any. Maybe it would be fun to renew the old hobby/side hustle--even if it's just for fun. Hmmm...
While magic is fun to do, it is a lot of work and practice to do just for fun. Without the occasional gig, there just isn't the motivation to practice and keep up the skill level to perform well. Maybe I can keep up on a few coin tricks, card tricks, or something that can appear to be impromptu. 

Time to enjoy the day.

John

Swimming pools

It is pretty humid during the rainy season of tropical Mexico. Even when the temperature is around 80f (27c) I am a sweaty mess from any activity. It's been pretty nice to cool off in the kids' private pool.

I've been spending a lot of time in the pool. Much of it has been standing at the side of the pool with a drink, cigar, and book (on my phone) on the tiled area surrounding it. I'm thinking I need to look into getting one for our house.
Certainly, an in-ground pool has a much nicer look than an above ground pool, but I don't think I want to invest in the cost of one. I've seen a couple of pool/spas that look interesting--part hot tub, part swimming treadmill, part surrounding bar. 
The kids' pool has a good mix of sun and shade throughout the day. I'd definitely need to have some type of shade cover if I expect to spend much time in  something at home.
It sounds like a good fall/winter research project.
I'll let you know how it goes.

John

It's a Good Friday!

This bow in the fog above the bay is what I am looking at from the kids' front porch in Puerto Vallarta this morning. It has gotten a bit brighter as the sun makes its way over the mountains behind me. 

Because it is summer in the tropics (that means the rainy season), it is hot and humid here. It took me just over an hour to go from touchdown at the airport to in the pool at the kids' condo when we arrived yesterday. I imagine it is where I'll spend most of today. 
I took a short walk into the city and picked up a few Mexican cigars, plus we all went into the downtown area for dinner later. I'm guessing that I was well above 10,000 steps, but decided that I don't need to wear my watch most of the time I'm here. In fact, I don't even know why I wear it at all anymore.
Sure it is a little more convenient than digging out my phone to check the time, but I really don't use it to count steps much anymore. Maybe I should.
Or maybe I should dig out one of my more traditional watches, drop a new battery in it, and wear that as a watch. Although I do believe that wristwatches are a good looking, functional accessory for men, I've rarely worn one since I started carrying a cell phone. 

Enough about accessorizing!
I'm looking at the ocean this morning!
Tell me what's good in your world--something you've done, something someone has done for you.

It's been said that it isn't the things you say or do that people will remember about you, but the way you made them feel. Will you give somebody a good memory today?

John


 

Mi Familia

I suppose it's a pretty normal thing for siblings to have an ongoing group chat through messenger, text, or some other social forum. Although today's conversation isn't any big deal, it was interrupting my reading and is nearly impossible to ignore when my phone vibrates next to me.
I really love these people!

The other day I was asked if I have a favorite sibling.
Because each one of them is so different and I love each one where they are and as they are, it's impossible to rank them in any particular order as a favorite. But I've been thinking about that--not about ranking them, but about why I love them.

One might think that I love them because they are family, but I know too many people that don't get along with others in their families to say that family is a defining quality when it comes to loving people. While we don't get to choose our family members, we do get to choose our friends and these five people are among my closest of friends--because I choose them to be.

I don't know how my siblings see each other or how they see themselves. I thought I'd give a brief thought of how I see them. Each one is much more complex than I could ever put into a few words, so these ideas are far from a complete look into their beings or our relationships. And I hope that none of them takes any offense to how I see them if they see themselves differently. I love them all so much.

Theresa, the oldest.
While our household structure was pretty typical for the 60s, I don't think that traditional patriarchy plays a role among us siblings. I definitely see her as the leader. She set a pretty high bar for the rest of us to follow, both in her personal character and in her rebellious independence. She seems to have Mom's joyful spirit and Dad's more stoic one in pretty equal measure. I think she is respected and admired by everyone she encounters, but none more than me.

Steve
Even though I have said that I don't have a favorite sibling (and I don't), I often describe Steve as the very best of us. The weird part is that I don't know how to put into words why I feel that way. There is just this spirit and energy about him that says, "This is a good man, a good person."
His way is easy, wholesome, and independent. He loves nature. He loves life and is a fierce advocate for the oppressed and underprivileged. 
We are very different. I am fat, overweight, and out of shape. He's gearing up for a 50K run (and yes, that is 31 miles). He's vegan and I'm thinking about those leftover BBQd ribs for breakfast.
I wish you could spend some time with him. You'd come away as a better person, yourself.

Mike
Kind of an intellectual warrior. I always think of him as the most intellectual of the group. I also see him as steadfast and courageous. Although he has faced some serious health issues (both for himself and his family) you never hear him complain. He deals with life's adversities with an incredible spirit and attitude. He has an inner strength that is beyond my understanding.
And he has a great laugh! Anyone that knows him well knows that laugh and often recognizes his presence when they hear it.

Mary
I never use the word sweet when describing people, but it might be the best word I can think of to describe my younger sister. She may be the kindest person I know. If Steve's energy/spirit say "good person," Mary's says kindness and compassion.
I don't know how she feels about this, but I think that more than anything she identifies herself as mom. I've always thought that this woman just loves being a mom. Maybe part of being an incredible mom is being a pretty incredible daughter, as well. The compassion she has for others is magnified when it comes to our parents--both before Dad's death, and especially now in watching over Mom.
Her focus always seems to be on caring for others.

Pat, the baby of the family
In a word--overachiever.
Overachiever isn't really a good word since it has a negative connotation. Perhaps "driven" would be a better choice. His natural musical talents and leadership qualities have been enhanced by his education and service.
I often say that before Pat was born God had a moment of realization that he'd forgotten to give our family any musical talent and so he dumped it all on the last kid.
My quiet life and truly empty nest is a stark contrast that exists in Pat's world. In some ways I admire his ability to embrace the chaos (my word, not his), but that really isn't something I aspire for in my own quiet world. I feel like sneaking him away for a cigar and bourbon would be good for both of us.
If Mary identifies as "Mom," Pat identifies as Lolo (filipino for grandpa).

That's us in a nutshell.
Besides being an exceptional group of siblings, we have raised some pretty spectacular kids, as well. And there are already grandkids to populate the next generation.

I'm not sure why I felt like writing this today, but there it is.
To my siblings: You are the very best! I am so proud to identify as a member of this family. I love you all, so much more than can be expressed in a few words.

John

Who Are Your Friends?

I've been considering whether or not it's time for another social media friend evaluation. It would seem that I've gained a number of Facebook friends that I have relatively little in common with, along with IG and Twitter followers that I have even less commonality. In truth, I don't mind the IG and Twitter followers as much since I don't have to follow them back, but I try to keep from having a bunch of bots and fake accounts following my feeds. 

There are a number of Facebook friends that I no longer "follow" but have remained my friends because I generally don't like their posts (which is different than not agreeing with them), but still consider them friends and secretly hope that they still follow me though I expect they don't for the same reasons. 
I also have a growing number of "friends" that know me from church but I don't really know (also true for old school mates and other groups).
And then there are the people that I really don't have (or expect to have) contact with any more. It's not that I don't like them or wouldn't be friendly towards them if we did meet; it's just unlikely to happen.

Anyway, I've long ago ceased using social media as a marketing tool for preaching or magic and have already dropped most of those contacts from my feeds. I realise that my social accounts probably shape other people's thinking about the same way their posts shape mine--little to none at all. 
As I work on cutting back on my social media time, I'll probably also cut back on the contact list. I don't mean to offend anyone and this isn't that I don't want to be friends or friendly. It's just a little self care. It will probably be a poolside project in the coming weeks.

How do you determine your social media friends/followers?
Everybody that asks or super selective?
Are your social media accounts primarily for you to share your posts or to see what others are sharing?
I'm curious.

John

Conversations on Church, Faith, Religion, etc.

I've pretty much hung up my ministerial collar, so to speak.
But in the past two weeks I have preached a couple of times, served as a volunteer chaplain at a rural hospital, and was honored to share a few words at the interment of a friend at The Missouri Veteran's Cemetery.

I've also had several conversations with different people on the subjects of religion in general, changes in church life, and living out our faith as Christians in 2022 in the USA.
One pastor/chaplain, one pastor, and one lay person in personal conversations, plus a few social media exchanges. All-in-all, I have talked more about faith in the past week than I have in the past year. 
I've also been doing some reading along those lines.

The weird thing is that other than preaching those two Sundays, I really haven't been to an in person church service/gathering much for quite some time. I really haven't felt distanced from God. If anything, I feel very good about my faith and connection to God. I know all the standard church arguments for going to church, assembling with other believers, blah, blah, blah. Today I'd probably say it's just bullshit they tell you so that you'll show up and give them some money.

I'm not sure what's brought on this current aversion to church or church organizations, but it is something that I should probably consider.
I have enjoyed talking about the Bible and Bible stories. I've enjoyed Facebook responses to favorite stories or hard questions. And I would like to engage in more of that, but most of that didn't happen at church.
I imagine I'll get it figured out.

In the mean time...
Who is your favorite obscure Bible character?
Someone that doesn't get much mention, but holds some attraction to you.
One of mine is an unnamed Hebrew slave girl that speaks up to tell her captor how he might be healed of his leprosy. I think that she was a brave and bold young girl to speak up about her God to her captors.
You can read the story here.

Now it's your turn.

John

Unusual Week

Tomorrow will be the third morning this week that I am out of my normal routine.
Typically I sleep until I'm finished and then have my coffee and quiet time on the deck before doing anything else, even if that something else is doing nothing.

Tuesday was a morning call to visit the hospital (it's my week of Chaplain duties). Today was time with my sister who overnighted here on her way to see Mom. And tomorrow will be a morning coffee meet with a friend to catch up on what is going on in each other's lives, followed by the noon interment of a friend's ashes at MO Veterans' Cemetery.

Those are all fine and good things to come out of routine for. It's just a little weird for it to happen in the same week and I feel a little discombobulated. Nothing bad, just a little out of rhythm. 
Between preaching the past two Sundays, chaplaining this week, and serving as minister at the interment tomorrow, I'd say it's time to re-evaluate and get back to the full time retirement gig!
I've about exceeded my annual quota of people-ing and it's only September 1st!

It won't be too long before cold weather shelter time is upon us, so I may have to expand my people-ing time in the coming months.

     *****     *****     *****

New subject
In an earlier post I asked about favorite Bible stories, but only received a handful of responses. I'm kind of hoping for a similar response to today's question.

What are your hard questions when considering the Bible?
God of judgment and destruction vs. God of love and mercy?
Is Genesis for real and how old is the earth?
Are miracles real?
What about angels?

What are your "shake your head" or "I just don't get it" parts of the Bible?

John