Saturday, November 27, 2021

The Muppet Christmas Carol


With Thanksgiving behind us, it's time for Christmas!!

The Muppet Christmas Carol is the 1992 musical film adapting the famous Charles Dickens book to the big screen. Starring, of course, the Muppets. Gonzo stars as the narrator, breaking the fourth wall with Rizzo the Rat as they describe what's happening to Ebenezer Scrooge, the gruff old man who loves only money and treats others unjustly (and ungenerously). But one night, Scrooge will be visited by three spirits, each with a message on what really matters in life. Will Scrooge repent, or is it too late?

This is a good telling of an outstanding book, done in the signature muppets style of humor and wit appropriate for all ages. The songs are decent- some catchy, some just so-so- but the main message is there, and that's what matters.

Rating: A

Friday, November 26, 2021

Home Maintenance

image from here

I try to post 10 times per month- an arbitrary number for an unbidden task, but one I feel oddly beholden to keeping. My numbers have been down since August for one simple reason: we're homeowners again.

Home ownership is a blessing, but I didn't miss it during our latest stint overseas. Though renting is not a successful financial strategy in the long term, there's something satisfying about saying 'not my problem' when [x] breaks (assuming you and yours weren't responsible for the breaking, and you have good landlords willing to address the problem). Well, we're homeowners again, so now it is indeed my problem. And it seems never-ending.

We closed on our home in September, and have been doing projects ever since. We've accomplished a lot, either ourselves or with the help of friends and contractors, and we're nearing the 'end of the beginning' (those initial tasks we identified as important to accomplish up-front). Here are just some of the things we've done:
  • Cleaned HVAC/dryer ducts (and put a cage over the exhaust vents to keep out critters)
  • Replaced all power outlets and switches; fixed wiring problems 
  • Installed three new fans and three new lights
  • Replaced carpet in the bedrooms
  • Painted everything but the basement inside, and the shutters outside
  • Restored the garage (it had been converted into a room)
  • Sealed cracks in the foundation
  • Fixed broken dishwasher, cabinets, freezer shelves, and front door window
  • Installed bathroom vanity
  • Replaced most door knobs & all locks
  • Fixed loose tub spout
  • Hung two new exterior doors and one closet door
  • Hung curtains & pictures
You can see where I've been spending my time. And the home we bought was in good shape!

On the one hand, I find home improvement projects annoying. They take time away from my preferred activities- reading, exercise, games, blogging, and so on. But as I reflect on this, it also aligns with our original mandate: to rule, subdue, and cultivate.

In Genesis (the first book of the Bible), the Lord creates man in chapter 1:

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Verse 28 is called the 'cultural mandate'- the charge to subdue and have dominion over the earth, which requires humans developing common institutions and working together- in other words, culture.

In chapter 2, the Lord gives man a more specific charge:

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

So having dominion means, in part, to work & keep things. 

In chapter 3, man sins, severing the relationship with God. Man's charge doesn't change, but there's an element added in verses 17b-19:
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,

So now man's efforts will be marked with curses and pain. Ugh.

The Genesis account goes beyond Adam and the garden of Eden. God's charge (and curse) applies to each of us in our daily lives and tasks. We are stewards of what He gives us (see Matthew 21:33-46); our possessions are not ours to do with as we please. As Keith Martel says in Storied Leadership, we are to be 'loving lords':

The loving lord is the one who protects the limits and draws out the possibilities. She is able to consider the potential of her subject and nurture it toward maturity. The loving lord leads the created order into the way it is meant to be . . . loving lordship seeks to bring out the fullness of something for the common good and for the benefit of the thing itself.

This includes caring for our homes.

Our homes are given to us not just for personal satisfaction, but also as a means to serve each other. To be a haven (a safe refuge) for our neighbors, friends, and family. A place to nourish and encourage each other. The physical structure itself doesn't make a home- relationships do that- but we are charged to keep the physical structure in a condition that lends itself to relationships. Some things- like personal safety (addressing structural concerns, sanitary conditions or safety hazards)- are obvious, but other things matter, too. We replaced our bathroom vanity, for example, because the bowl was too high for children to use, and the vanity itself was too large and encroaching on the toilet. We put down hypo-allergenic carpets for the benefit of ourselves and others. We fixed broken items so we can actually use the things we have, for ourselves and others. And so on.

Of course, home maintenance is plagued with the curse, like everything else. Seemingly little jobs can cascade into huge efforts (a home is a system, after all). Supposedly easy jobs can be much harder than expected. And it sometimes feels like 'whack-a-mole,' where you fix one problem and two more pop up. It never ends. 

A caution: because we're fallen people, we can make the home into an idol, and pour unnecessary amounts of time and money into it for selfish reasons. Our homes will never be perfect, and we have to balance what we need to do with what we want to do- and know the difference. Part of serving others is inviting them into your 'mess'- your spiritual reality (both your gifts and weaknesses), and your physical reality, which can mean hosting in a messy home. I'm not suggesting in this post that you can only serve others once your home/heart is in a good place (because that will never happen); instead, I believe we are called to serve others in the midst of our mess, and strive to bring out the potential around you (in homes & humans) together.

This post is now longer than I intended. My overall point: home maintenance is part of God's charge to us, to be good stewards of what we've been given, so we can bring out its potential to glorify Him and serve others. 

UPDATE: the very day I posted this, I discovered a brown spot on the ceiling in the bathroom. The list goes ever on and on.

Sunday, November 21, 2021

The Pale Horse (Agatha Christie)


A woman dies after a mysterious deathbed confession- and the hearing priest soon after . . . a list of names is found on the body . . . three women who claim to know dark arts and how to kill with the power of the mind . . . and an eccentric invalid with wealth of unknown origin. Something is amiss . . . can the police figure it out before more die?

Another Agatha Christie mystery book, with the quality and twists typical of her. Recommended.

Rating: A

Saturday, November 20, 2021

Mysterium


Today's review is of the 2015 release, Mysterium. For 2-7 players, it takes 42 minutes (that's impressively precise and from the game box- it took us over an hour).

Overview
Murder most foul! A spirit [one player] is communicating beyond the grave to a team of friends looking to solve whodunnit. Each other player has a set of person, location, and weapon known only to the ghost. The ghost can't speak- he gives images [cards] to each player to help them determine their specific set of who, where, and with what. Play is done over 'hours,' and players have only six hours to determine their specific set. On the seventh hour, the ghost selects one of those sets as the culprit, and lets players see one, two, or three cards [based on that player's clairvoyance points, earned through guessing if other players are right or wrong throughout the game] and use those clues to guess the murderer. If the majority of players have selected the correct set, everyone wins! If not, everyone loses.
game components and setup; image from here

Review
This game is good, not great. It is fast to learn, easy to play, and accommodates up to seven- all pros. The main challenge is the art cards that the ghost gives out are so abstract, it is very difficult for the players to understand why a card was chosen. Every now and then, an obvious one popped up, but by and large, it was hard to discern if a card was chosen for color, shapes, objects, and so on. It led to some fun conversations, but seemed a touch too hard. But some, I imagine, would love the challenge.

Rating: B

Friday, November 12, 2021

Hallowe'en Party (Agatha Christie)

 

A young girl boasts of seeing a murder some years prior; hours later, she's found dead at a Halloween party. When Hercule Poirot is called in to investigate, he finds there is more than meets the eye in the sleepy town of Woodleigh Common . . . and more murders may come. Can he solve the case in time?

Agatha Christie is the master of mystery. The book is good- full of suspense and twists, as you'd suspect. This is my fifth Christie book, and while any offering is solid, it's not quite as good as her more famous ones. Still worth your while, though, if you're a mystery fan.

Rating: A-

Sunday, November 7, 2021

The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel (Gareth Hinds)


The Odyssey, Homer's ancient epic, is adapted here as a graphic novel by Gareth Hinds. Odysseus, fresh off victory in the Trojan war, longs for home and his beloved wife. But his journey there is hampered by many trials- monsters, mutinous men, dangerous natives, and the gods themselves. Meanwhile, his wife at home is besieged by suitors presuming that Odysseus is dead. Will he ever make it home?

This was a great adaptation- the watercolors are superb and summarization sound. Recommended.

Rating: A

Friday, November 5, 2021

Batman: Damned (Various)


The Joker is dead . . . and Batman can't figure out how. Or if he's sane. Or if he's alive. His only help is John Constantine, an outspoken unreliable narrator. What is going on?

Meh. I love Lee Bermejo's art (see Joker or Noel), and that buoys an otherwise unimpressive tale. This is from DC's Black Label, which is a darker take on the DC universe. And it is dark, but I didn't understand the story or the point, other than Batman is tormented. I guess I'm not into the whole 'unreliable narrator combined with insane ravings' approach.

Rating: B-