We beseech Thee, O Lord, that Thou wouldest keep our tongues from evil, and our lips from speaking guile; that, as Thy holy angels ever sing Thy praises in heaven, so with our tongues we may at all times glorify Thee on earth — Amen.

— Roman Breviary

It looked like there were only a couple of hundred fans at RFK tonight. Most of them were Phillies fans. That guy with the goatee got a lot of face time. So did the man with the shirt pulled over his head who could not bear to watch the Phils blow yet another lead. But that did not happen (though it was close).

The Phils have one more game with Washington. Then they finish up the season with a three game series at Florida. Atlanta seems hot right now, so hopefully they will take care of Houston (right, St. Louis fans?). As for the Dodgers, I will be rooting for Barry “the Juice” Bonds for a few days.

Due to a hectic Tuesday schedule full of doctor’s appointments, pre-school, carnivals and after-work meetings; we had a quiet pre-birthday dinner at the house this evening. In spite of having ample excuses not to cook (for one she is eight months pregnant), my wonderful wife made my favorites—lasagna for dinner and carrot cake for dessert. Her brother and sister-in-law came, too. After dinner we all watched U2 and Green Day kick off Monday Night Football, while I opened a few presents. The game was good, too. Go Saints!

The first gift was the recently released Zoo TV: Live From Sydney. I was at the Zoo TV outdoor rehersal concert on Aug 7, 1992 in Hershey, PA, but this show from Down Under, over a year later, contains a much different playlist (including several songs from Zooropa). I played a few and really enjoyed them, including Satellite of Love, Dirty Day and Lemon. However, the production quality of the DVD is not as good as the U2 concert videos from recent years (i.e., the Elevation and Vertigo tours). Get this one for the historical value.

I also received a slew of Cash—the kind that you can spend over an over in your CD player. The first is a 2006 re-release of Johnny Cash’s At Folsom Prison. The album has been digitally remasterd by the folks at Sony BMG and includes three previously unreleased tracks (i.e., it is uncensored). The other two Cash albums are American IV: The Man Comes Around and American V: A Hundred Highways. No one covered a song like Johnny Cash. Most covers I have heard are actually “tribute” songs, but Cash took each and made it his own. A prime example is what he did with Trent Reznor’s Hurt. The song is completely turned upside down—almost into a gospel tune.

I wear this crown of thorns
upon my liar’s chair
full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
beneath the stains of time
the feelings disappear
you are someone else
I am still right here

what have I become?
my sweetest friend
everyone I know
goes away in the end
and you could have it all
my empire of dirt

I will let you down
I will make you hurt

The last item I opened was Old Money, New South: The Spirit of Chattanooga, written by my friend, former housemate and landlord Dean W. Arnold. The book has been flying off of the shelves at our local book stores. I will leave you with an excerpt from the inside of the jacket cover.

A Northern elite joined Southern families to create a modern aristocracy of sorts that lingers to this day. Chattanooga arguably gave more philanthropic dollars than any other city in the South during the 20th century. Thanks to a number of fortunes, including several amassed by bottling Coca-Cola (a concept started by Chattanoogans), the city now boasts three of the nation’s most prestigious preps schools, one of the largest Christian foundations in the world, and, in the past century, perhaps the most concentrated wealth in a few hands in any town, anywhere.

Those families, who today live primarily on Lookout Mountain, were forged into a benevolent force by the unusually strong presence of the Presbyterian church. Worldly wealth is important not only for saving souls, but also for improving the community on this side of heaven, they were told. Meanwhile, those in “the valley” struggle to interpret the actions of their prominent neighbors as positive rather than paternalistic or even self-dealing. As the influence of Presbyterianism declines, the community looks for other solutions to bridge the gap between the Mountain and Valley.

This is a follow up to last week’s mediation (The Way Things Ought to Be).

Man, the world ain’t supposed to work like this. I mean, maybe you don’t know that yet. I’m supposed to be able to do my job without having to ask you if I can. That dude is supposed to be able to wait with his car without you ripping him off. Everything is supposed to be different than it is.

– Simon in Grand Canyon

Central in the classic Christian understanding of the world is a concept of the way things are supposed to be. They ought to be designed and intended by God, both in creation and in graceful restoration of creation. They are supposed to include peace that adorns and completes justice, mutual respect, and deliberate and widespread attention to the public good.

Of course, things are not that way at all.

– Cornelius Plantiga, Jr., Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be : A Breviary of Sin

I have developed a reputation over the years as being the resident gadget geek. Combine this with the fact that I love photography and I end up getting lots of questions on what camera someone should buy. While I do have that natural technological bent to my brain, I also spend a lot of time surfing the web and doing research on products before making my purchases (at which point I sometimes end up knowing as much or more than the sales staff).

The short answer on what camera to buy is get a Canon, a Canon or a Canon. Just about anything Canon will do you right. However, there are other camera brands that are good values and I should not let my preferences cloud my judgement too much. Just the other day, under extreme mental duress, I recommended a Nikon to someone.

Actually, what I usually do is give people a general recommendation depending on what type of camera they need. Then I suggest that they do their own research on a site like Imaging-Resource or Steve’s Digicams. I also just learned of a new site that does digital camera reviews. It pulls news and reviews from multiple sources, including the previous two that I mentioned—possibly cutting down on your research time. For example, you get links to eight reviews on the Canon 30D.

These camera review sites typically offer in depth reviews using standard testing criteria. Pricing information, coupons and lowest price searches are also included. All of this makes comparison shopping that much easier. Save your techie co-worker or acquaintance some time and bookmark these sites for future use (Hint: There are sites like this for other products, too).