bierkergaard

I have been in the process of rediscovering my joy in sports for sports sake--and all of the sports are individualistic. No crowds, clapping, cheerleaders, coaches, and criticism. Yesterday, I hit the bike and did a rail-trail for about ten miles total. Today, I lifted weights, went to Church, then went to another rail-trail and ran 5 miles. I compete against myself and no one else really cares. And that is the way I want it. I find joy in the activity itself, be it riding the bike, lifting weights, going for a run, paddling the kayak, or my Back-to-the-Future Retro return to skateboarding. All of the related equipment has been obtained in the last couple of years. Most of it is stacking up in my kitchen which is beginning to look like a Dick's Sporting Goods Store (though my stuff is typically quite a bit higher in quality). A friend asked me if I was going through a mid-life crisis. I don't think so. I am statistically closer to have a 2/3 of a life crisis if my longev...

This Easter morning I went out for my Resurrection Run, where the road is hard but it ends in joy. Nothing quite beats the sensation of stopping. I always just try to focus on the next step yet it helps occasionally envisioning the end and the rest to come. This obviously has spiritual parallels. I wanted to get the run done early because my Dad is due at 11:00 AM and feasting will soon commence after He arrives. He is making a Leg of Lamb! That was an Easter Dish his Mom used to make, so it is a meaningful tradition and one I remember fondly. I was fortunate to know at least my Dad's parents pretty well being that they lived in New York City and we lived in the Philly 'burbs which is a relatively short drive. It takes three hours to cook the Lamb in the oven. The Beer Fridge is stocked like a pond with fish to help us occupy the time until Dinner.     I did a Good Friday run also. These two jogs were the first two in quite some time. With the weather getting warmer a...

Matthew 20:22 But Jesus answered by saying to them, "You don't know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?" "Oh yes," they replied, "we are able!" There is always that freak kid who likes vegetables. Like the kid who digs homework.  I recall being stuck with all the other children after school during a snowstorm where the elementary school's cafeteria staff broke out the mushroom soup for an afternoon emergency meal that they must have not been able to be unloaded previously and only one child liked it. The bowls were lined up as he sloppily and happily slurped away. As a kid, broccoli was my nemesis. I got the gag reflex just looking at it. One day I thought that if I buried the sulfuric and stalky greenery in Gulden's Mustard, I wouldn't taste the broccoli. The strategy worked, childhood was saved. The Gulden's also worked with brussel sprouts, cabbage, and an...

My Dad bought my older brother and I weights when we were Teens. There was never a good place to lift in our house. We had no basement. The attic was too hot or cold. The garage was the best location and was far from ideal. I learned a good lesson... If you are looking for an excuse to not do something, you will always find one. Very rarely will opportunities be ideal. There are typically compromises, trade-offs, and less than perfect realities to deal with in order to accomplish goals. I could have lifted in the garage, I just didn't want to lift bad enough. Through college and afterwards, I did get in a routine with lifting for spells and then drift away from it. I like to run but lifting has never been a natural for me. Within the last decade, I decided to be more consistent lifting-wise. Unfortunately, my lifting was after school and I used coffee to light a fire under my butt. Although I typically slept the same amount of hours that I did before consuming coffee ...

One sport I wasn't very good in growing up was baseball, specifically hitting the ball--which is a significant part of baseball. Since I had and have little depth perception in my vision, I swung late or early. Once in a while, by accident, the bat would hit the ball. I was as shocked as anyone. During try-outs in 6th grade, I must have had a uncharacteristically great day hitting as well as in the outfield (I had a good arm). Thus, I was one of two 6th graders drafted to play for the "Major" League Cubs. What I gained in status among my peers for this elevated position, was soon offset by a terribly depressing season. With the pitching better, I hardly got any bat on the ball. Then, I was relegated to the bench. One of my last official at-bats in Pee-Wee baseball was batting against one of the best pitchers in the league Tony Brady when it was almost dark outside. Which made the prospects of my bat finding the ball even more improbable. I have rarely felt so muc...

What happened at the beginning of Days is repeated in every generation - Soren Kierkergaard Since completing the Ph.D. and writing the book, I have returned to recreational reading. For fun. While at university, reading was work, processing information and research, pondering its applicability, putting ideas into my own words, and attempting to add new knowledge to my field. Compared to some of my fellow doctoral students (and probably some of my professors) I actually worked with teenagers for two decades and had a good idea of what was/is valid from the ground up. This is not to discount the value of academia. However, theories must work in the real world to solve real issues and problems. Otherwise, it is just whistling in the wind. It might surprise you that I think the primary needs in our society are not material. They are spiritual. Faith, Hope, and Love. Anyone who thinks Trump or any other jack-ass know-it-all can deliver the goods is a Cretin. My vote is for Soren....

Acts 9:4 "And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" I had an interesting dream the other night about giving a talk based on a 1980's Christian Alternative Rock lyric in the song "10,000 Wishes"  by the band Vector. It is from the album Temptation. The lyric is "Whatever They Do to You They Do To Me."  The song seems written to a lover or a deep friend. Its message: A radical solidarity to share suffering with another. Hold that thought while I digress down a rabbit trail for a spell.  The album has been in the car CD player since September or so. I tend to play a CDs over and over before moving on. I just kill it and drive it into the ground big time. Scorched Listening Policy.  Before Temptation, this summer,   it was Dog Man from King's X.   The album longest in duration was Pray Naked by the 77's that was in my Acura's tape deck for over a year back in the day. P...