Saturday morning: Bright and cold . . .

1. It's Maple Sugaring Weekend (the first of two) up here in the North Country, and we're headed out at some point for a pancake breakfast at one of the local sugaring houses.

2. I have actually gotten a chance to watch some of the NCAA tournament this year. I have not had cable television for the better part of three years, but I realize I really do enjoy watching sports on TV. It's also nice that it's all available free on the internetm but I still like the big-screen.

3. One of the people who had a real impact on me when I was in high school was our assistant principal and football coach, Sal Augeri ("Sal is your pal.").

Anyway, I was reading the hometown paper this morning, looking for something, and I discovered that Bob Mudge, who was a little older than my dad, had passed away. Mr. Mudge was one of the those hometown guys, who stayed and became a comnmunity leader. He was the principal of the high school for years, coached sports, was on the Town Council and School Board.

What I never realized, was his impact on the man who had an impact on me.

From the Westerly Sun

Former Westerly High School principal, football coach and school superintendent Salvatore Augeri, reached at his home in Florida, was “devastated” by the news about the man he called his “second father,” the man who made a profound difference in his life.

“Even though I knew this day would come,” said Augeri, “Even though I’ve thought about it and have almost been expecting it, I’m devastated. I am missing him already.”

Calling Mudge “an unusual teacher and an unusual guy,” Augeri echoed a sentiment repeated by many; Bob Mudge, was an outstanding athlete, statesman, mentor, gentleman and “a true, true friend.”

“He changed my whole life,” Augeri said, recounting the day Mudge asked him what he was planning to do following his graduation from high school in 1956.

“I’ll never forget it,” he said, “When I told him I was planning on going to work at the S & S Food Fair, he told me, ‘You’d better get yourself to college.’”

Mudge proceeded to walk Augeri through the college application process and on to acceptance at the University of Rhode Island. Later Mudge would encourage his protégé to earn a master’s degree and seek the top job for teachers in the town.

“I never would have gone to college if it hadn’t been for Bob,” said Augeri. “He knew just about everything you could know about the town of Westerly – everything.”

“His leadership and his guidance made my life,” he added.

Saturday morning: Religious stuff . . .

1. I have mentuioned already that sometimes the folks at teachers.net and I are not on the same planet. This morning is one of those times. There are a lot of outspoken Christians there. The tub-thumping kind, and this morning's post concerned inter-racial marriage and how the Bible basically says it's bad.

In the Old Testament,God told the people of Israel not to intermarry with the nations that surround them. The reason for this was not the color of the skin;it was the condition of the heart.These people were idol worshipers who engaged in all manners of filthy practices,sexual and
otherwise,that would have corrupted Israel.

This prohibition against the godly marrying the godless is still in effect today.God's children should not marry Satan's children.But this has nothing to do with the color of skin or country or origin.

It follows with, basically, it's not racism, but people in miuxed marriages oughta be aware of "God's will" on the topic.

Anyway, it set me off. ;) [And, yes, I sent them to "God Hates Shrimp.")

I think the thing that really bothers me is the belief that everyone is a Christian or Jew and therefore must adhere to what "God" says in the Bible.

One of the things the SCA (and LJ) did for me, was to expose me to various faiths and ways at looking at the world.

I guess it also convinced me just how judgmental some Christians are.

This was really more of a vent.

2. There's a sunrise service tomorrow at a cemetery near my house. I wish I could convince myself to get up for it.

3. I need help from some of my friends. I am really unsure on the similarities and differences between the word pagan and the word "Wiccan." Help, please?

Saturday morning: LJ and politeness . . .

1. Part of this was stirred by the content strike issue, which became rather personal with some of my friends. Part of it is a general feeling about the way some folks deal with LJ. [Of course, this is also an issue in the "Real World," too.]

2. I am getting tired of seeing people attacked in their own LJ for their opinions. Most of the discourse in my posts was very civil, but I saw it in other LJs. The way I look at it is that if someone posts their opinion in their LJ, you approach it as if they made the commentary in their own living room. You can disagree, certainly, but you do it politely. If you want to disagree strongly, maybe private e-mail -- or just leaving -- is the way to go.

3. On a slightly different tack. *sigh* I wish LJ used the term "reading list," rather than friends' list, but such is life.

I think it's natural that when someone "de-lsts" you as folks are saying right now, it's ntaural to wonder why. II know that may seem kinda silly, but that's the way I feel. f it's someone I really know, I will sometimes ask why. (That happened this week. I got a polite and informative answer).

Here's what I would ask: (and of course you don't have to do it). If you are dropping  me because of basic day-to-day LJ stuff such as trimming your friends' list because you are consistently getting to skip=75 or 100 when you read through it to catch up, that's cool. If you just aren't intertested, that's cool, too.

But, I would ask if you drop me because of something I did or said or because you are upset at me, could you please drop me a note? I would appreciate that.

4. That said, I will probably do some trimming, too. If I cut you because I am mad or offended, I'll tell ya. OK? Otherwise, it's just part of the whole LJ thing.

Saturday late afternoon: A nice day . . .

1. Thanks for all the neat answers to my questions. I am really enjoying that thread. I have the coolest readers.

2. There was fresh, not maple syrup for the pancakes, and at the second sugaring house, there was maple cotton candy and hot maple mustard/ We went to on Saratoga for shopping, etc. We finished with Thai food and sushi, then Ben & Jerry's

3. Thanks tofirebreathnchkn's link, we now know that some folks do not think CPAP machines are sexy -- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23731731/

4. OK, then, hundreds and hundreds of explanations of Bad English!

5. I keep reminding myself to not forget things like this are still happening:

From The New York Times

BAGHDAD — Four American soldiers were killed near the capital in the past two days, the military said Saturday, and north of Baghdad an American attack helicopter killed six people who the Iraqi police said were pro-American Sunni militia fighters.

I must remember.

Beer review: Long Trail Belgian White . . .

I don't usually geek out about beer here, but the beer blog has disappeared, and I wanted to tell folks about a really good, new beer.

Long Trail Belgian White

I find it really interesting that after so many breweries have marketed a Belgian White – including one of the early entries, Coors’ Blue Moon, and the recent Anheuser-Busch product, Shocktop – that one of the top microbreweries in the U.S. would come forward with their own at this late date and do it so well.

Long Trail Brewing, Co., of Bridgewater Corners, Vt., has just started marketing a “Belgian White,” and it’s right up there with the current standard-bearer, Allagash White.

The beers ours the requisite hazy yellow – but not too hazy or too yellow, and has a thin white head and a light nose. The taste takes longer than you’d expect to develop, but it’s extremely easy to drink, and the spice – coriander that’s ground freshly at the brewery – comes through clearly after several seconds. It also has some of the traditional fruit tastes associated with a wheat beer, including a light flavor of banana, but it clearly establishes its own place among American Belgian Whites against the three previously mentioned beers, as well as Sam Adams White Ale and Saranac Belgian White.

The taste is reminiscent of a custard topped with spices, although those not used to the style might catch it as a little sour. It’s clearly a session beer. You could knock down three or four of these on a summer afternoon, and not realize it. Yet, it’s the kind of beer you savor while you drink it.

It’s equally good on tap and from the bottle, although the coriander is even sharper on tap. It’s been introduced as a Spring seasonal, but I am willing to bet it may well make the regular rotation.