Between What Kingdoms?

 

Finished listening to the very long “Between Two Kingdoms”, a memoir by a young college graduate’s cancer journey, read by the author so slowly that I listened at 1.5 speed. The author learns and grows as a person in the journey, but not quickly enough to realize what a gem she had in the boyfriend she dumped after he nursed her 99% of the way through her cancer. In her darkest hour she prays “I want to live”, but later in remission blanches at having to listen to a blessing in a home where she is a guest. Unless I missed it, the book didn’t detail what “two kingdoms” she was between. Thumbs down.

Saw some stats comparing Caitlin to Diana T and the other guards that made the Olympic team. Clark had outperformed them. Sounds like another girl also got snubbed. Many are saying Caitlin deserves a spot on the Olympic team just like Christian Leattner did, for her stellar college career. The WNBA is in the spotlight, but they’re not taking advantage of the opportunity like they should. But the Washington Mystics moved their game against the Fever to the NBA arena and still sold it out. Similarly, the Dream have moved their 2 games against the Fever to State Farm Arena. Tonight’s game is a sellout. Smart move.

One more thing about the Braves: they won the World Series the year Acuna was hurt.

Saturday: pizza night. We babysat Goose. A&C went to a concert in Alpharetta.

35 in Sunday School. For some reason this AM I was transfixed on counting the class. And did so over and over. No sermon today in our 1115 am service – it was the return concert for the youth group, whose mission trip took them to NYC – Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan where they worked with JFBC church plants. Saw Scott & Robin Condra. Their son just graduated from GT. Later C drove down to keep the kids at W&MC’s. I stayed behind as A&C picked up Goose, and loaded their pickup with two pieces of furniture. Getting closer to getting our garage back where we can park two cars again.

Monday: worked past 630. Caught all the lights on the way home, so I got good gas mileage. Hot dogs for supper, with cole slaw, homemade baked beans, and corn on the cob. Took a walk with C and Winnie after supper. Was 9 pm before I was finally able to plop down. Played on my laptop for an hour.

Tuesday: up early to run at the gym. Got a family dinner on Wednesday night, so I won’t be able to work late that night. Had thought about leaving early to go to tonight’s Stripers game, but the hassle of traffic, parking, tickets, standing in line out in the sun when I need to be working just doesn’t seem worth it. But I hate it that work is keeping me from doing the things I want to do.

GROVER CLEVELAND ALEXANDER [SABR Bio] is the only major leaguer both named for and portrayed by U.S. presidents. In 1952, Warner Bros. released a biopic of Alexander called “The Winning Team”, starring Ronald Reagan & Doris Day. At the height of his pitching career, in 1916 he led the majors in games started, complete games, shutouts, ERA, innings pitched and ERA+. His number of shutouts that year has never been topped. Playing for the Phillies, Alexander had 45 GS, 38 CG, 16 SHO, a 1.55 ERA, 389.0 IP & a 172 ERA+. His career shutout total is the best by a National Leaguer since 1876. His 90 career SHOs trail only Walter Johnson’s 110. Alexander’s father was a Democrat. Grover was born during the first term of Grover Cleveland, a Democrat, so his parents named him for Cleveland. His nickname evolved into “Pete” Alexander, from the names of characters in a series of early silent film westerns that he was said to resemble.

DENISON: in his latest New York Times column, David Brooks explains one reason so many graduates of elite universities have become so monolithically “woke”: they come from privilege, but they are taught by Critical Theory that privilege in our system is accrued by oppressors who exploit the oppressed. As a result, they must take up progressive culture war mantles to feel “engaged, purposeful, and good about themselves. Seems to me that these battles are often more about performative self-validation than they are about practical policies that might serve the common good.”