At Home On Piety Hill

I think this Washington Post story puts its finger on the problem of declining network viewership, plummeting newspaper circulation and ad revenue.

Lured by an offer of interviews with the Democratic presidential candidate, Brian Williams, Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric will make the overseas trek, meaning that the NBC, ABC and CBS evening newscasts will originate from stops along the route and undoubtedly give it big play.

John McCain has taken three foreign trips in the past four months, all unaccompanied by a single network anchor.

The US has devolved from a representative democratic republic to a two party system with a press that has a cult-like fascination with only one party and philosophy. From the many to the one. Yes, we get one perspective. That’s all. That’s it. One right way to think. One portrayal of how normal people ought to view current events, culture and public policy. 

It’s not as if I don’t understand their strategy. It’s all about being relevant and close to the power people. It’s not about profit and objectivity is definitely out of fashion. When you’re aiming your product to the lowest common denominator and the other guy is indistinguishable from the hip candidate, except for age and ethnicity, follow the buzz and go with the winner! 

One word from a serious news consumer — boring! 

This is Denise about one year after we were married on this day, July 10, 1976. Yes, that’s 32 years of marital bliss (not 31, Sam). This photo was actually taken the day before Sam was born on September 5, 1977. I remember this day - It was hot, I took time off work for the birth and we went to walk around the Mission San Juan Capistrano and I caught Denise in front of this big, beautiful Bouganville.

Happy Anniversary Denise!

Resembles Sean, don’t you think? Parents are pretty excited.

Did I ever tell you that Denise can make excellent tamales and carnitas? ¿No? Well, then… About the time Denise and I started getting serious, she worked at a deli and meat market, owned by Jess (Mexican) and Julianne (Polish). So, while I was off surfing every single day during the summer of 1974 (I couldn’t get a job, because I wouldn’t cut my hair — Idiot), Denise (Anglo) learned how to make carnitas, tamales, tortillas, menudo, peirogi, golumki and fresh/smoked kielbasa. Yes, she was always good in the kitchen, but this experience turned her into a serious culinarian. 

Denise is not threatened by others, with more sophisticated or advanced skills. A few months ago, we dined at Las Pupusas, a Mexican/Salvadoran/Costa Rican restaurant on El Camino in Sacramento (please read the reviews). I’ve only had Mexican tamales, so theirs were a new treat for me. As one reviewer noted:

Their tamales remind me of my grandma’s cooking, had she known how to make tamales. What’s a bit strange (but it’s a good strange,) is that they put potatoes in their tamales and they wrap the whole tamale up in a banana leaf instead of a corn husk. You can definitely taste the difference and the essense of the banana leaf is in the maize.

However, it was their carnitas that really grabbed our attention. When I was paying, I asked the young woman at the register if they marinated their carnitas and told her it was the best we’ve ever had. She said “no, but my grandmother cooks it in Coca Cola before she roasts it.” Denise looked at me (like Joe Friday), nodded and knowingly remarked, “I’ve heard that before. I’ll have to try it.”

So, this weekend we looked on line and settled upon this recipe. Oh, blessed carnitas!!! It was wonderful. I would have to compare side-by-side with Las Pupusas, to determine the champion. But, really, who cares? It’s all good. Denise whipped up the salsa fresca, we rolled the pork up in corn tortillas and ate it with some rice on the side (Denise makes great rice, too).

Oh, yes. You were probably wondering what happened to Denise and the deadbeat surfer. Well, actually I had worked and saved a bunch of money up to that point. When I got home from the waves and she got off work, we went to a rock show or Dodger game or a movie almost every night of the week. I finally cut my hair and got a job in September (actually 3 part time jobs) and we got married and have been eating Mexican and Polish/Slovak food ever since.

I just got my copy of the new 77s CD Holy Ghost Building and it’s as good as advertised. It’s raw, gospelbluesrockabillyroots. When we saw Mark Harmon and Mike Roe perform some songs from HGB a month or so ago, I got to speak with Mr. Harmon afterwards. He assured me that they had chosen songs, which would be appropriate for me to play along with on my harmonica. Oh, yeah… 

Favorites, so far? Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burnin’, City of Refuge and… well, they’re all wonderful! My advice? Buy it now.

I found this video of Mike performing City of Refuge from the CD in someone’s dining room, playing on what looks to be a vintage Kay guitar. He’s accompanied by Matt Slocum (Sixpence None the Richer and Love Coma), Jimmy Abegg (Charlie Peacock, Sixpence None the Richer, Fleming and John, Rich Mullins), Phil Madeira (everyone, everywhere) and Steve Hindalong. Oh, and be sure to check out Mike playing Ache Beautiful with Matt Slocum on a cello or something like that.

Emma just completed her first semester at Sacramento State University with a Big Four Point Oh! She’s pursuing a degree in design — leaning toward architecture. This was confirmed to Emma on her latest visit to Chicago, the birthplace of the modern skyscraper, as well as home to the Prairie School and Frank Lloyd Wright. 

Emma’s strength, I think, is in photography. She has always had a good eye for an interesting composition and Photoshop is the logical extension for the skills she learned in the dark room years ago. Here we see two Photoshop projects and the final example is a graphic design assignment using Adobe InDesign. I really like that application for page layout, but I think Emma found it a bit overwhelming. However, she never used Quark, so she probably cannot appreciate the advantages InDesign brings to print.

I really think she’s on her way and will probably find a career in a design related field. And, that makes me happy.

Why is Phil Keaggy one of my favorite guitarists? Here are four reasons, spanning nearly forty years from his days with Glass Harp (and a really cool macramé vest), through his “Alan Holdsworth period,” into the “Windham Hill era” and on to the present. Now, the second video is fairly long, but please be patient… Phil will turn himself and one guitar into an entire band by the time he’s finished with an incredible run. I hope you enjoy….

J.I. Packer is a true gentleman. He read my biography of Richard Baxter and sent a copy of his book, A Grief Sanctified, along with a note. This is the second time I’ve received a personal communication from the world-class theologian and author of the classic, Knowing God.

I’ve learned something through all my research adventures over the years. The great ones are always generous with their time, their writings and their knowledge. I’ve received personal correspondence from F.F. Bruce, Leon Morris, Geoffrey Bromiley, Alex Strauch, James Boice, John MacArthur and more. Some have sent me long detailed discussions of topics I’ve raised, while others have sent me books!

By the way, Dr. Packer said that I profiled Baxter “very, very well.” How kind he is. 

Well, I’ve been busy lately but I should have some time to get some posts out there. Let’s start out with this complaint. We haven’t had a good speaker in the Whitehouse since Bill Clinton left office and, unlike the masses, I didn’t find him that compelling. But, he had an easy style, made me feel comfortable and did a good job of articulating his plans or policies, even when he was lying.

George Bush sounds like a high school public speaking student, which is strange because he’s really a good speaker in small, informal situations. I liked him a lot more in press conferences than in his formal speeches. 

John McCain can say less with far more words than anyone I know of. He is interminably boring. When you add his peevish, smart-aleky inflections we have the recipe for a demogogic train wreck. Please, no…

Then, we have Barak Obama, the star of the 2004 Democrat Convention. Well, he certainly can give a good stump speech or address. But, catch him without a manuscript or teleprompter and Barak is absolutely dreadful… worse that any of the aforementioned. If, um, he’s elected, ummmm… uh, I , uh, think I will, ummm, uh… well, uh, I’ll just have to…. have to, well, I think I will, um, just have to, avoid… um, avoid any of his, okay, well I’ll have to, um, not watch his press, uh, those press conferences he…. um, he will be giving from the, uh, well, from the rose garden. 

For an excellent write up and more, check out FIAIS!

Well, it’s official! Camille is pregnant, Sean is glowing and the Bailey and Salisbury families, here and across The Pond, are very excited. 

I just upgraded to WordPress 2.5 and it was deceptively simple. Now, I can use the Visual Rich Editor, which was not supported in earlier versions of Safari and WordPress! I actually liked coding the posts manually, but truth be told… I’m kinda sloppy and I’d have to go back and edit my posts about a million times.

Second, I can try out the latest plugins, including Akismet. That should save me even more time, not having to deal with SPAM.

Finally, I like the new look and feel… it’s almost like beginning all over again. So far, I highly recommend WordPress 2.5. Now, I just need to determine if my old WordPress spell check is finally working or if this is the Safari spell checker… yup, it’s Safari. What a great time to be alive!

Now, here’s a blog I get. Jonah travels the length and breadth of America, sampling the fare from taquerias of all sizes, posting his reviews on the Burrito Blog. As of this writing, he hasn’t sampled the best yet, which can only be found at El Tepeyac. ¿Es verdad, mi familia?

Now, if you’re ever in the Los Angeles area, you want to head over to East LA and find 812 N Evergreen Ave., between Brooklyn and Wabash. El Tepayac is across the street from a large Catholic church, in a neutral zone, and there’s usually a real long line outside. But, don’t get discouraged and leave or you’ll miss the experience of a lifetime.

That’s right. I’m talking about the Hollenbeck burrito, which is half the size of a Manuel’s Special and pictured here. I stuck a fork in it for scale. It’s about a foot long and filled with rice, beans, guacamole and a very unique version of chile verde — Manuel’s own homestyle recipe. That’s really about all that’s in it, but it defies description and has been bringing Denise and I back for almost 40 years.

Sam’s show in Switzerland is drawing to a close. Of course, you can always catch some of his latest work at Marc Jancou Contemporary or on Artnet.

Yes, that’s Promaster and not Postmaster. Although many of you know me as a Postmaster, I am also a harp player since about this time last year. I took up the harmonica, because I realized that the nerve pain in my right arm would probably prevent me from playing the guitar seriously.

I’ve really come to enjoy the harmonica, thanks in large part to my friend, Tom B., an excellent harp player. He dropped by one afternoon with Amy and a large suitcase full of harmonicas. Being a generous mentor, he gave me a handful of Big River harmonicas, Pucks, a tremolo harmonica and a nice Hohner Chromatic 260. That got me up and running, but I eventually had to buy a good selection of harmonicas in different keys. I’ll talk more about each later, but for now I’ll declare that my favorite is the Suzuki Promaster.

I like the tone of the Promaster and the heavy, resonant feel of it when I play. I would say that the sound is very similar to the Hohner Special 20, but with a richer, fuller tone. I have come to enjoy the Huang Silvertone Deluxe, too. But, unless you’re playing amplified, the Huangs take a bit more work. So, for now my first choice is the Promaster, followed by the Special 20 with the Silvertone Deluxe running a close third.

From the Suzuki site:

We are proud to offer the best professional harmonica you have ever played! Consider the machined Phosphor Bronze reed plates (replaceable) or the computer-aided laser cut, tuned and bendable reed system and the satin anodized, milled, billet aluminum alloy comb that holds it all together. All these cutting edge components combine to produce an instrument unparalleled in the industry. The ergonomically designed, polished stainless steel reed covers provide maximum playing comfort while the inner components produce the rich tones and clarity so sought after by professional players. Once you play a Promaster, you won’t want to put it down. Even the soft lined, hard shell carrying case is specially designed for comfort and protection.

It took nearly twenty years, but my short biography of Richard Baxter is in publication and you can get your hands on a copy of it on at Lewis and Roth, using PayPal, VISA© or MasterCard. It’s only $9.95 and a nominal charge for shipping and handling, so how can you go wrong? Most of my sales have been by money order or personal check and you can find that order form right here.

“Who’s Richard Baxter?” you ask.

The well-known Christian author and authority on the Puritans, J.I. Packer, called him “incomparable” in his zeal and abilities, as well as “…the most outstanding pastor, evangelist and writer on practical and devotional themes that Puritanism produced.”

His detractors called him Scribbling Dick, because he published over 140 works during his lifetime, all the while thinking he would be killed or die by the next Spring.

As a preacher, writes his biographer, Frederick J. Powicke, he “could sway any audience as the wind can sway a field of corn.”

I just think of him as my old friend, Dick Baxter. He taught me a lot — especially about the value of suffering in the life of the Christian. I’ll write more about Baxter later… perhaps installments of the book.

We are approaching the ten year anniversary of my brush with death from necrotizing fasciitis. Our local newspaper ran an article with this staged photo by the author. The article was amazingly factual, so hat’s off to Dave Moller, the reporter. Check it out and don’t forget to comment. If you haven’t visited my site, the full story is here.

By the way, you can tell it’s a staged photo. If you notice, I am depicted doing yard work.

About a year ago, I wrote a post vowing that I wouldn’t return to blogging until:

1. I’ve learned PHP and MySQL
2. My Revelation Commentary is live
3. I’m spending more than a measley 8 hours in preparation for Bible study
4. I’ve read Break, Blow and Burn by Camille Paglia
5. Cacading Style Sheets are second nature to me
6. My book about Richard Baxter is published or in the can
7. Sean and Camille produce an heir

That was a rash vow and I should have never made it. God’s Word says:

Ecclesiastes 5:5 It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.

James 5:12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear — not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, or you will be condemned.

Okay, so let’s go through the seven deadly vows and see how deeply I need to repent, before I move back into my blog.

I’ve learned PHP and MySQL
What was I thinking? That was a heavy commitment… no progress there. I totally repent of making that vow!

My Revelation Commentary is live
Well, I should have known that wouldn’t happen for a while. I have quite a bit of material ready, so I don’t know as repentance is in order, but it certainly merits deep sorrow.

I’m spending more than a measly 8 hours in preparation for Bible study
Okay, I’m doing real good on this one. I meant 8 hours a week and I think I’m there. So, no repentance is necessary on this one.

I’ve read Break, Blow and Burn by Camille Paglia
Check! I got that one taken care of and let me tell you, that was a fun read. I think I gained about 3 IQ points and a little bit of insight into poetry.

Cascading Style Sheets are second nature to me
I think I’m a little further along on this one, but still need some more work. I repent.

My book about Richard Baxter is published or in the can
The book is finished and I’ve actually sold some copies. Does that make me a published author? No self-loathing on this one…

Sean and Camille produce an heir
I must have been in a really bad state of mind to tie whether I will blog or not to someone else’s parental status. Sean and Camille have not produced an heir to the Salisbury family fortune, so before I return to blogging I must admit that I was really wrong to put this condition on my return…

So, there. I did it. I repent of setting these ridiculously high standards and now I will bask in God’s forgiveness and start blogging again.