Ramble On

Entire weeks between posts is getting to me. I don't know why I've gone so long without it, but it seems the further along I get in this Married Years quest, I sometimes feel pressured to write something. Now, this isn't pressure initiated by anyone else, it's all me. Some sort of weird feeling that I'm letting people down, I guess. After mom told me she reads all the time and offered high praise (not really warranted) for my writing, I sort of neglected my baby.

Being busy at work hasn't helped much, nor has being busy at home. I used to spend two to three hours a day on my computer at home. Now, I'm a homeowner, and it seems there is always something to do. I came home this evening to mow the back yard and move some things around in the shop. The lawn was ridiculously thick because of all the rain we've received this August. It took only five days for it to seem like I didn't mow at all last Thursday.

I haven't even spent much time on my computer at work, either. We're losing a critical manager at the shop and I'll no doubt be needed for extra help, guidance, and consultation for whomever takes that position, whenever that may be. Until then, smoke and mirrors abound. I've also felt a sort of rebirth at work since I've recently brought on yet another young prospect. He's smart, witty, and has good character, but his immaturity rears up in the form of horseplay with my other help that is sometimes hamstrung by his ADHD. Keeping these two characters pointed in the right direction is almost a full time job in itself. I'm learning a lot from teaching, though, and that's rewarding, so I can't complain.

I got another book in the mail today, and yes, I'm a dork. I've been back on a reading kick lately, and stupid Amazon keeps coming up with these cheap reads. I got The Western Canon by Harold Bloom. Shakespeare, Dante, Cervantes. The Canon is a review of twenty six of the world's most respected writers and a few of their gifts to mankind. I've read a lot of what is in the Canon, but I know there is still more out there, and I'm sure this will only be one of many trips on my never-ending quest for more juicy knowledge. For five bucks, how could I turn it down?

I watched a pretty good show on the History channel with Karen last night. It was a show about a guy in pursuit of scientific proof of the existence of Noah, his Ark, and the Great Flood as depicted in the Old Testament. I really felt like a geek when one of the guys whom the host was interviewing said something like "the flood is the oldest story known to man" and I retorted, "Actually, Gilgamesh is the oldest known work". Of course, right after I said it, the host of the show said to the unknown guy that The Epic of Gilgamesh was the oldest known work and it is widely believed that a similar flood in that story is the source for the more famous one in The Bible. Gilgamesh wasn't generally accepted by readers because of what many say was an overtly homosexual relationship between the hero and his friend Enkidu.

I'm a sucker for anything historical, really, especially those involving religion or philosophy. The fact that people have built their lives around beliefs for centuries absolutely fascinates me. How could there be so many different religions and beliefs and everyone still think theirs is "the one"? Who knows if Jesus of Nazareth is the true Messiah? The Jewish people sure don't think so, and there have been countless 'messiahs' just like him throughout history. Judaism was well established long before Jesus' birth, yet so many millions think he is the one true savior. Fascinating.

On a completely unrelated note, I dug out my pride and joy hunting rifle tonight to get her ready for what is to come. October and November are just the beginning of cool weather enjoyment of the outdoors. I finished this rifle last winter, and have only a few small details to work on before she's ready for her inaugural hunt. I would have posted a picture, but the camera fought me mercilously with nasty, out of focus pictures until it succumbed to a dying battery. I poured every skill I have as a gunsmith into this gem. If I had commissioned another maker to complete such a work, the cost would have been in the ten thousand dollar range. Warm, rich, dazzlingly figured walnut with an ebony tip under hours of rubbed-in tung oil. Three hundred hours is what I've spent on her, and she'll reward me with a lifetime of pride in ownership. CZ Nash, Gunmaker. It will stand the test of time, just like good literature, and that can never be taken away.