"Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset." Saint Francis De Sales

Friday, October 31, 2014

My Slow Takes About Silence, Time and Martin Luther.

1. The Richmond Spiders are now at 6-2. They face the Villanova Wildcats this Saturday at home.


2. I found this music character at “HmusicK.” I like it.


3. Simon & Garfunkel “The Sound of Silence.”


4. Old time, new time no matter how you look at it, daylight saving time comes to an end at 2 AM, November 2.

Do you know what movie this is from?
5. Please remember to vote next week. 


 6. October 31, 1517 Martin Luther posts his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. The beginning of the Protestant Reformation.


7. Happy Halloween.





Read other "Takes" at Conversion Diary.

Friday, October 24, 2014

My Slow Takes About OS Upgrades, Cowboys and Politicians.

1. The Irish Lads were defeated by Florida State, 31-27. This ends their winning streak but don’t count them out for the rest of the season. They are now 6-1. The next game is against Navy on November 1.

Meanwhile, the Richmond Spiders beat Rhode Island on Saturday bringing them to 5-2 for the season. They travel to Elon, N.C. on October 25 for their next game.

2. The evening temperatures are starting to drop. This morning we were in the low 30’s, which is the coldest morning we have had for October. The day warmed up to the high 60’s with plenty of sunshine. It’s only October, so we’ll be in light jackets enjoying the fall season. 

3. I upgraded to OS X Yosemite over the weekend. I had one minor issue with the email but found a solution to that. My laptop is a MacBook Pro that I purchased back in 2008. So I figure this is minor. All of the other OS updates have worked fine. I am an Apple fan.


4. Elections are approaching. We have to decide who to support in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. Most of the ads on television are negative ads, one person berating the other. I would rather have positive information on each candidate. Tell me what you have done and what you want to do for your constituents.

5. October 24, 1969 the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" was released. It starred Paul Newman and Robert Redford. It won an Oscar for best song, Bert Bacharach’s “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.”


6.Msgr. Shreve aortic valve replacement was successful. He is recovering well and thanks everyone who prayed for him. More prayers are always welcomed.

7. Anthony De Cristofaro, of “Your Daily Tripod” has a unique way of  interpreting the daily readings. In Thursday’s reading, Ephesians 3:14-21 he writes;

“”In Ephesians, St. Paul tells us of what we will get when we wake up to the Jesus alarm ringing on our nightstand.  We will get “rooted and grounded in love.”  We will get “power through his Spirit in the inner self.”  We will get “strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth.”  We will get “to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.”” 



Read other "Takes" at Conversion Diary.





Friday, October 17, 2014

My Slow Takes About Alzheimer’s, Acorns, Hastings and Tony.


1. Meryl Comer has written a book about Alzheimer's entitled, "Slow Dancing With A stranger." It's her story about her husband's Alzheimer’s and the devastation of the disease for both the victim and the family. I remember my Dad and the issues we faced with his Alzheimer's. It was an overwhelming experience for my brother Tom and his wife Karen. They cared for him at their home prior to having him admitted to the VA hospital. 
You can read an excerpt from the book here.

2. Acorns are falling every day, in large quantities. Our driveway has so many, I can’t keep it clean. The crunching of our tires on these hard shells is a steady reminder for me to get out and sweep. There is suppose to be a connection between a cold winter and acorns. If that is true, we’re headed for a cold winter here in Richmond, Virginia. However, according to the Mass Audubon website, excess acorns is a normal cycle in the life of oak trees.
My driveway isn't this bad, but it's close.
I need to hire this little fellow to clean my driveway.
3. I finished painting a Church for my historical miniatures. It is a plastic kit made by Renedra Limited. It went together easy and I’m pleased with the finished product.

4. On September 28, 1066 William of Normandy landed his Army at Pevensey Bay in England. The following month, October 14, 1066 he defeated Harold of England at the Battle of Hastings.
The Bayeux Tapestry - Battle of Hastings
5. Janis Joplin - “Me And Bobby McGee”


Janis was born January 19, 1943 and died October 4, 1970. She was a talented song writer and singer.

6. The Irish Lads continue their winning streak. ESPN reported that the “50-43 victory Saturday, the highest-scoring game in the 84-year-history of Notre Dame Stadium, wasn't secure for the sixth-ranked Irish until Ben Koyack recovered the Tar Heels' onside kick with 47 seconds left.” Now at 6-0 they travel to Florida to face Florida State.

7. A message from Matthew Kelly about the future of the Roman Catholic religion. It is worth watching.



Read other "Takes" at Conversion Diary.


Friday, October 10, 2014

My Slow Takes About Trains, Football Games, Prayers and Tony.

1. Oct 6, 1866, the the “Reno Gang” were the first to rob a train.

“On the night of October 6, 1866, John and Simeon Reno, along with a man named Frank Sparks, boarded the east-bound Ohio & Mississippi train at the Seymour depot. Once on board, the three masked men made their way to the express car, held a gun on the messenger and stole some $12,000. Afterwards, they pulled the bell rope to signal the engineer to stop the train and jumped off into the darkness when the train slowed. The first recorded peace time train robbery had occurred in just a matter of minutes.”


2. The Richmond Spiders faced double overtime to beat Liberty 46-39. This win places them at 3-2.

“What happens when teams come in here they are not ready for the environment and I made sure my players were ready for that environment here today. The student body was great and the energy was great. So I think that gave us an opportunity to really get off to a really good start. Offensively, we had a lot of rhythm in the first half and a lot of balance. Thing changed a little in the second half, I really felt kind of holistically that Liberty change up its offense coming into this game. It caught us off guard no doubt about it. I knew that Josh [Woodrum] could run the ball. I was telling my coaches all week long that we can't let Woodrum run the ball and they kept saying 'But coach he hasn't been running it' and I just knew that they were going to run him tonight. And boy did he run well. Then it comes down to a couple plays at the end. I think my kids bailed me out there a little bit. We probably should have kicked the ball deep middle. And then for them to bang a 60-yard field goal is something that you don't really see every day. Both teams competed really hard, it was a really big win for me personally, but it is time for us to move on and have some momentum as we get back into conference play.”
-- Richmond head coach Danny Rocco opening statement

3. The Irish Lads played an exciting game against Stanford winning in the last minute of the game. With 1:01 left to play, fourth and eleven, receiver Ben Koyack caught his first pass of the season. It happened to be the winning pass. They are now undefeated at 5-0.

4. “Over the Rainbow” was written for the movie “Wizard of Oz.” Judy Garland sang the song. It was 1939 and it is still being recorded and sung on television and in movies. 


The Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’ole version.


5. My sister-in-law Karen is going in for a biopsy of her lung next week. Please pray for her and her family.

Msgr. Shreve is having an aortic valve replacement this month. Please pray for him as well.

6. The Central Virginia Women’s Cursillo is the weekend, October 9-12, 2014. Please pray for the team members and candidates.

7. This is Michael Weatherly, aka Anthony DiNozzo, playing the guitar and singing. He would not make it on “The Voice.” He is great portraying an NCIS “Senior Agent: on NCIS.




Read other "Takes" at Conversion Diary.

Friday, October 3, 2014

My Slow Takes About Pendulum Waves, Johnny Carson, The Tokens and Smile.

1. The Spiders triumphed over the Hampton Pirates 42-17. They are now 3-2.

"Today was a complete team victory, a good team win. It was important for me and the staff to be calm, show some poise this week and show some confidence in our players.  Our depth shows that we can play a number of different ways and I think in the long run that will benefit us. I think we are in a good spot heading into week four."
-- Richmond head coach Danny Rocco

2. This is from the Harvard Natural Sciences Lecture Demonstrations. It is really unique and worth watching.


3. October 1, 1962, Johnny Carson takes over as host for the Tonight Show. He was on the air for thirty years. I watched many of his shows and enjoyed “Carnac the Magnificent  and “The Mighty Carson Art Players.” On his final show he ended with these words.

“And so it has come to this: I, uh... am one of the lucky people in the world; I found something I always wanted to do and I have enjoyed every single minute of it. I want to thank the people who've shared this stage with me for thirty years. Mr. Ed McMahon, Mr. Doc Severinsen, and you people watching. I can only tell you that it has been an honor and a privilege to come into your homes all these years and entertain you. And I hope when I find something that I want to do and I think you would like and come back, that you'll be as gracious in inviting me into your home as you have been. I bid you a very heartfelt good night.”

4. The Tokens sing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”


5. The Happy Hippo version.


6. Hug someone today.


7. Happy “World Smile Day.”     




Read other "Takes" at Conversion Diary.