Monk of Milwaukee

The USS Kelvin comes across a strange lightning storm. A Romulan ship from the future attacks. Captain Robau is cornered into going over to the Romulan vessel and makes George Kirk acting captain. When Captain Robau cannot provide the location of Ambassador Spock, Captain Nero kills him and resumes the attack on the Kelvin.

With no possible chance of survival, Captain George Kirk evacuates the ship. Including his wife who is currently in labor. Kirk has a medical shuttle ready for his wife and her medical team to be evacuated on. When autopilot is destroyed, he must make a tough choice. Join his wife in evacuating the ship or pilot the ship to increase everyone else’s chance of survival?

He orders the pilot of the shuttle to leave without him on board.

In the face of certain death, Kirk attempts to keep his wife calm. He assures her that “this is the only way [she’ll] survive.” That “the shuttles will never make it if [he] doesn’t fight them off.”

James Tiberius Kirk is born as his father runs from console to console on the bridge of the Kelvin. In the end, setting it on course to fly straight into the Romulan vessel. Sacrificing himself. Fulfilling his vocation - first as husband, doing what he was called to do. Dying for his wife. (Eph. 5:25) Second, as father, protecting his newborn son James T. Kirk and setting an example for him. Finally, as Captain, evacuating his crew and assuring that they get back to safety. All this at the cost of his own life.

When a movie presents that illustration of vocation in just the first 10 minutes, how can it not be a great movie?

Yeah... I watched Star Trek tonight.

I love baseball. It’s really the only sport that I follow. This love of baseball can very clearly be traced back to my Grandfather. The majority of my memories of him involve him wearing some sort of Chicago Cubs paraphernalia or sitting extremely close to the TV usually getting angry with the Cubs or falling asleep with the game on.

My first baseball game was at Wrigley Field. I went with my grandpa and my sister. I really don’t remember anything about it except that we sat in the upper deck and I probably wasn’t awake for more than 3 or 4 innings. Because of all of that, at that point were I actually became a fan of baseball being a Cubs fan went hand-in-hand with it.

Now most of you know the Cubs. They ended this season with just 71 wins. That’s 91 losses. Making them the 3rd worst team in the National League. Usually they’re known as the “Lovable Losers” this season they weren’t even all that lovable thanks to Carlos Zambrano. But the fans keep watching anyway. The real fans, the ones who really believe that there is always next year, and that maybe, just maybe, next year will be different stand behind the Cubs year after year whether the blue “W” is flying above the scoreboard at the end of the game or not.

The only thing that could make this seasons NLCS better is if the Cubs were in it. But they’re not. There’s always next year.

This year my second favorite team has a real shot at going to and winning the World Series. Milwaukee is electrified with excitement. The Milwaukee Brewers have had an extremely exciting season. I’ve seen 10 games in person. Including games against their NCLS opponents both in Milwaukee and St. Louis. It will be an exciting series. The tension between the Brewers and the Cardinals has lasted all season.

But let’s take a step back for a second. You know how I came to be a Cubs fan, but where did the Brewers come from? Well first it probably has a lot to do with living in Milwaukee just a 10 minute drive from Miller Park. But I think a lot has to do with my best friend Andrew (pictured with me above, in front of Wrigley). Andrew is a true baseball fan: with the Brewers every step of the way, gets angry with them when they mess up, couldn’t contain his joy when they made the playoffs and then advanced onto the NLCS. 9 of the 10 Brewers games I went to this season were with him.

So by the grace of God, I now cheer for a halfway decent team (at least this season) at all of their games except for those against my team - the Chicago Cubs. The same excitement is there. Milwaukee is going crazy with excitement (when they aren’t distracted by the Packers). This seasons Brewers love playing baseball. You can hear it in their voices. You can see it in their smiles. Prince Fielder gets frustrated when he’s intentionally walked because he just wants to bat. The team likes each other, they make fun of each other in press conferences, most of them have adopted what is called the “beast mode” pose. Beast mode started with Prince Fielder impersonating Sully from Monsters, Inc. to his two kids watching in the stands. Not only are the Brewers a lovable team this year. They’re actually doing well!

So, now we’re just minutes from the first pitch of Game 1 of the NLCS between the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals. Let’s go Brewers!

And Cubbies - there’s always next year.

Today is the day! February 14th, 2011. One of the happiest days of the year! No, not  because it's Valentine's Day. Not even because it's Statehood Day for Arizona and Oregon.

Today is the day that Pitchers and Catchers report and Spring Training begins! The only day that beats this day is Opening Day! This year is the Cubs' year! (Of course every year is the Cubs' year at this point in the season. Realistically, I expect the Brewers to do really well in the NL Central this year.) So go eat a hot dog, buy some peanuts and Cracker Jack and rejoice in the fact that baseball season is here! 

Here's a quote from the movie "Valentine's Day" for your enjoyment:

Teacher:  "And now for a little history about Valentine's Day"

Franklin:   "Valentine's Day was a massacre in Chicago where they shot everybody and put a curse on the Chicago Cubs" 

Teacher:  "Thank you for sharing, Franklin, but this is a different Valentine's Day." 

Angelic minds, they say, by simple intelligence 
Behold the Forms of nature. They discern 
Unerringly the Archtypes, all the verities 
Which mortals lack or indirectly learn. 
Transparent in primordial truth, unvarying, 
Pure Earthness and right Stonehood from their clear, 
High eminence are seen; unveiled, the seminal 
Huge Principles appear.

The Tree-ness of the tree they know-the meaning of 
Arboreal life, how from earth's salty lap 
The solar beam uplifts it; all the holiness 
Enacted by leaves' fall and rising sap;

But never an angel knows the knife-edged severance 
Of sun from shadow where the trees begin, 
The blessed cool at every pore caressing us 
-An angel has no skin.

They see the Form of Air; but mortals breathing it 
Drink the whole summer down into the breast. 
The lavish pinks, the field new-mown, the ravishing 
Sea-smells, the wood-fire smoke that whispers Rest. 
The tremor on the rippled pool of memory 
That from each smell in widening circles goes, 
The pleasure and the pang --can angels measure it? 
An angel has no nose.

The nourishing of life, and how it flourishes 
On death, and why, they utterly know; but not 
The hill-born, earthy spring, the dark cold bilberries. 
The ripe peach from the southern wall still hot 
Full-bellied tankards foamy-topped, the delicate 
Half-lyric lamb, a new loaf's billowy curves, 
Nor porridge, nor the tingling taste of oranges.
—An angel has no nerves.

Far richer they! I know the senses' witchery 
Guards us like air, from heavens too big to see; 
Imminent death to man that barb'd sublimity 
And dazzling edge of beauty unsheathed would be. 
Yet here, within this tiny, charmed interior, 
This parlour of the brain, their Maker shares 
With living men some secrets in a privacy 
Forever ours, not theirs.

...from my last post. I'm pretty excited about the Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie that comes out tomorrow. It has been my favorite book of the series since the first time I read it. (Probably, because of the awesome Baptismal scene.) 

So far, though the first two movies have had their flaws, they have been very enjoyable. Hopefully, Voyage of the Dawn Treader is just as good.