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January 30, 2006

Current Reading

The latest issue of Radix has two articles that caught my eye enough that I've read them several times. The first, "Why Love Will Always Be A Poor Investment" by Kurt Armstrong, is an examination of the marriage covenant, and how it stands in opposition to the individualistic, choice-driven relationships of our time.

This ring on my finger is a symbol of my decison to live against the ways of the consumer world's telling me that fidelity is no longer fashionable. Marriage is one part of my stubborn, angry, defiant "no" to those who offer the hollow promises of so-called freedom. My lifelong commitment to bind myself to my wife is a stand against the consumer culture and its dehumanizing ways.

No. I am married. For good.

Donald Heniz, in "The Material Culture of Christmas," sees that the material trappings of the Christmas holy day (nativity scenes and bells, for example) as a critical part of a day that celebrates God in the material.

Of all the Christian holy days, Christmas most conspicuously celebrates and clothes itself in the material world. Christmas is a festival of material culture. Divinity bodies forth in the world. As certain medieval mystics said, God is in all things, and all things are in God. If you want to celebrate life on Earth religiously, Christmas is the ideal occasion.

As part of an austere reformed tradition, our church does not conspiciously celebrate Christmas--each day should be a celebration of the incarnation of Christ. Many families within the denomination will not even allow the trappings of the holiday into their home. While these families are not wrong, would we do better proclaiming "Joy to the World, the Lord is come!" every Christmas day? Yes, the holiday has become mired in consumerism and materialism, but is that a reason to deny the celebration?

Such a mindset, however, overlooks material culture as a way into the understanding of faith. Across the Christian traditions, many of us are determined to see, hear, and touch God, to set the faith into the landscape of our senses.

January 16, 2006

Sports Nut

I enjoy sports. Any kind really. Football, basketball, hockey, soccer, tennis, rallying, cycling, even baseball on occasion. Some find this odd, as if I am either too geeky or too intellectual to be a sports fan. My love, however, has a serious obstacle--we don't own a functional television. Sunday afternoons in the fall or winter are often spent in our dining room, listening to the Steelers game on the radio and "watching" several other games via the scoreboards on Sports Illustrated.com. This, of course, has its limitations, and sometimes I steal a game at my dad's, or the in-laws. This, by the way, is a mark that I am not obessed with sports--I will not (ok, I generally will not) make special plans to watch a game on television. If I miss a Steelers, that's OK.

I can also watch most sporting events with a bit of detachment. I don't need to get caught up in the result, I can just enjoy the game (this is why, for example, last year's NBA finals were so great--Detroit v. San Antonio--two team-first squads that would be equally deserving champs). There are, however, two teams I absolutely cannot watch with that sort of detachment: the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the University of Pittsburgh Panthers basketball team.

We have, as a city, been spoiled by the Panthers in recent years. While they haven't achieved a national title, they do a have Big East title, and a long run of NCAA tournament births. While much wasn't expected this year, with the graduation of several key seniors, the Panthers have charged to an undefeated record, included this weekend's big win over Louisville (remember, of course, that the Panthers stock up on Cupcake U's in the early season), and ninth place in the latest national rankings. I've not seen a game yet, but I'm sure I'll catch a few as the Big East action heats up (sorry, sports cliché), and those games will no doubt cause a gray hair or two, as the Panthers aren't the dominating sort. Games go down to the wire, which means I'm a nervous wreck.

My reaction to the Panthers pales in comparison to how I deal with Steelers' game. It's probably best I don't see many on television, lest I die 15 years too early. Of course, I did see yesterday victory over the Colts, and the fourth quarter alone gave me a dozen gray hairs, an ulcer, a life five years shorter.

It started well, the Steelers jumping to a 14-0 lead. This was wholly unexpected--in fact, I had resigned myself to the thought of the Steelers losing by 10 or so. This also meant I actually had to care about the game. I was invested at this point, sweaty palms and racing heart included. I broke for lunch with the in-laws, and when I returned, I watch Jerome Bettis punch into the end zone to make it 21-3. Oh dear. Coach Cowher is roughly 100-1 when the Steelers hold an 11 point lead. Now look at them. Was a win the bag?

Never say never. First, there was the Troy Polumalu interception that was overturned. An absolute killer. The Colts scored two quick touchdowns, and suddenly it was 21-18. My life was flashing before my eyes. Then after another Steelers' punt, the Colts had the ball back. Oh dear. Finally the defense stepped up, and smothered Peyton Manning close to his own end zone. Finally! Not realizing the Colts would lose possession on downs, I looked at father-in-law and said "hopefully Randle-El won't muff the punt." I was suddenly relieved to see the offense trot on the field. One minute and twenty seconds on the clock? Take a knee. Stretch things out. No need to go for the jugular.

First down, Jerome Bettis gets the hand off and barrels toward the end-zone. Suddenly, a helmet hits the ball and *pop* there it goes. Oh my. And the Colts pick it up and run (my heart, by the way, is racing again just typing this). Oh no. They are going to return this for a touchdown. Game over. Then from out of no where, Ben Roethlisberger manages to trip up the Colt carry the ball. This is both good and bad. Good: the Steelers still can win. Bad: the Steelers still have to win. At least if the Colts would have returned the fumble for a touchdown, the game would have ended and my life could return to normal (I am not the typical Steelers fanatic, who, upon a loss, mopes for several weeks. It is just a game.). Now the defense has to stop Peyton Manning again. They do, but not until the Colts have a chance for a field goal to tie.

The pressure, at least in my world, is unbearable at this point. The snap, the kick, and it's obvious it is wide right. It's over. The Steelers win (the first time a sixth seed in the playoffs has beaten a first seed). I breath a sigh of relief, collect myself, and rejoin the land of living.

The situation will likely repeat itself next weekend, with the Steelers playing in Denver for a trip to the Super Bowl. I can't wait.

Thaw

Creak, creak, creak goes the swing. We are stealing away an hour at the playground before twilight, enjoying the rare 60 degree January day. Sebastien and I have the mile or so to the quiet playground, the one tucked in the valley between Morningside and Highland Park. And it is quiet, even on such a day--a small family is on the jungle gym, and another pre-schooler swings next to us, capturing Seb's attention, as the two share toothy grins back and forth. We are facing toward the street, and cars go by with windows down, people surveying the playground, smiles on their faces. Bicycles zip up and down the hills--it is days like this one that increase, at least temporarily, the number of bike commuters. I am a little jealous, having spent the day working from home, helping out with brood. A small part of me would have enjoyed even a brief spin in this warmth. It's not be, as the sun has already slipped past the horizon, and that's alright. The walk home is slow. We meet Jen and Oren halfway, and Sebastien climbs out of the stroller. He wants to push. He runs beside it, and I periodically grab the handle to straighten his course, which prompts a shout of "No! Daddy!" But that passes quickly, and his head is down again, pushing even harder.

We linger for a bit on the front porch. I miss warm weather. I don't mind the cold, but winter transforms our block into a bit of ghost town. We catch only passing glimpses of our neighbors, only able to share a quick hello and goodbye. The days of conversations across porches and sidewalks are gone, at least for a few months.

January 11, 2006

2006 WRC Preview

The 2006 campaign kicks off in roughly a week with the Rallye Monte Carlo. This season could be the most wide open in years due to the number of team and rule changes. The biggest news is that only two manufacturer teams will compete, Subaru and Ford. Citroen and Peugeot had previously announced their intentions to take a year's sabbatical from the championship, but in the off-season, Skoda and Mitsubishi also announced they would not field teams in 2006. The news was the greatest shock to the Mitsubishi drivers, as they had received no word of the news, and therefore could not shop their services. In reaction to this news, the FIA announced changes to the rules for the manufacturer's championship, thus allowing privateer teams to score points in the championship. The drivers market was a mad scramble, with no factory seats open in the offseason (both Ford and Subaru had set their rosters prior to close of the 2005 season), and several top drivers will not have a consistent seat throughout the season.

The factory teams will look like this:

Subaru
Petter Solberg
Chris Atkinson
Stephane Sarrazin

Ford
Marcus Gronholm
Mikko Hirvonen

Two privateer squads have announced their rosters for the season:

Kronos Total Citroen
Sebastien Loeb
Xavier Pons
Dani Sordo

Red Bull Skoda
Gilles Panizzi
Andreas Aigner
Mattias Ekstrom

The Kronos squad will have many of the factory Citroen team's support crew, so don't discount Loeb's chances to repeat as champion because he is not on a factory team.

The Mitsubishi squad, Harri Rovanpera and Gigi Galli, will be driving privateer Lancers for Monte Carlo and Sweden, and it is likely both will compete most every round of the championship. Former Citroen driver Francois Duval will drive a First Motorsport Skoda Fabia in Monte Carlo, but neither the team nor Duval have announced plans for the remainder of the season.

Former Peugeot ace Markko Martin was left without a drive for 2006 and will instead run a team in his native Estonian national series. Martin's situation was partly his own choosing, after the death of co-driver Michael Park in Great Britain last season.

While Loeb will compete for the driver's crown, it's unlikely the rest of the Kronos team can put the team in contention for the make's crown. The manufacturer's championship will come down to the two factory teams, and Ford, with its more experienced drivers, should be the favorite to win. If Atkinson can have a consistent year, Subaru can challenge, but his inexperience will likely hold him back.

Another rule change for the upcoming season is that all cars are required to use passive differentials rather than active. The FIA instituted this to lower the overall cost of running a car in the championship. This means that every team will be running a 2006 spec car at the Monte, since all 2005 factory cars would be excluded due to their active differentials.

So, now, crystal ball time. The driver's championship will come down to Loeb and Solberg. Yes, Gronholm is still quick, but he's been behind the wheel of a Peugeot for seven years, so the switch to Ford will hinder his championship chances this season. That said, I think Ford has the best chance to win the make's championship, as Gronholm and Hirvonen should be in the points nearly every rally. Solberg's chances hinge on the Impreza--it has been fast enough to beat Loeb in the past, but will the 2006 spec car be able to outpace the Xsara? Loeb will not likely dominate as he did last season, but he should be consistent enough to take the crown for the third year running.

Top 3 Drivers
1. Sebastien Loeb
2. Petter Solberg
3. Marcus Gronholm

Top 3 Teams
1. Ford
2. Subaru
3. Kronos Total Citroen

January 08, 2006

Site Update

Quickly.

I've converted the old "climbing" page to be an actual MT blog now, so we can painlessly update content.

See it here.

January 05, 2006

Meditation

It is children who lead us to the gospel... We are not worthy to educate them. Our lips are unclean; our dedication is not wholehearted. Our truthfulness is partial; our love divided. Our kindness is not without motives. We ourselves are not yet free of lovelessness, possessiveness, and selfishness... Only wise men and saints, only those who stand as children before God, are really fit to live and work with children.

Eberhard Arnold, taken from the front page of the New Pantagruel.