Year 2 started out with a bang! Lots of submissions! First time submitter! Welcome aboard Alicia Vermeys!

Here are the submissions for REFLECTIONS:

Christopher D. Bennett


Alicia Vermeys


Dawn Krause


Julie Johnson A


Julie Johnson B


Mike Vest


Shannon Bardole

Dawn Poetry Submission:

Reflections

She can’t be too careful anymore,
Her memories have opened up that door.
Watching the tide bury her castle,
Wasted dreams are now just a hassle.

Who she once was when she ruled the world,
That girl is gone, reality unfurled.
Demons in the people she has met,
Subdued emotion, hearts do forget

A bitter thought will eventually melt,
After all the suffering is dealt.
Time to build new castles in the sand,
Learn from the past, take time by the hand.

I’ve been to the cave that houses the new and improved Random Theme Generator. The new generator is fancy and shiny and… it doesn’t work. So I walked over to a different cave and fired up old reliable. It did not disappoint. Here is the theme for this week:

LONG EXPOSURE

This is one of the technical themes. It is hard to set a real value on what is a “long exposure”, but I would say at a minimum, the shutter speed should be longer than 1/15 of a second. I would recommend trying an exposure of at least a second, but as always, you are free to interpret the theme in whatever way you see fit.

A look back at last year’s LONG EXPOSURE submissions:

LONG EXPOSURE – 2010

1 word or short phrase answers for the rest of the questions.

Your favorite virtue?

Humanitas

Your favorite qualities in a man?

Logic

Your favorite qualities in a woman

Empathy

What you appreciate the most in your friends?

Follow through

Your main fault?

Disinterest in money

Your favorite occupation?

Mixer

Your idea of misery?

Paperweight

If not yourself, who should you be?

My better self

Where would you like to live?

In the country.

Your favorite prose authors?

http://www.jennyblovesyou.com/

Your favorite poets?

http://impassionedversifier.blogspot.com/

Your favorite heroes in fiction?

Dexter

Your favorite heroines in fiction?

1 of my own creation.

Your favorite painters and composers?

Painter: Klemmer

Composer: http://www.guggenheimgrotto.com/

Your heroes in real life?

My friends

Your heroines in real life?

Mom

Your heroines in World history?

Any woman that lives under sharia law.

Your favorite food and drink?

Oklahoma Joe’s and Pepsi

Your favorite names?

Evie

What I hate the most?

Doubt

World history characters I hate the most?

Any tyrant

The reform I admire the most?

Health Care

The natural talent I’d like to be gifted with?

I’d be satisfied with being as good at basketball as I used to be.

How I wish to die?

Fearless

Your favorite motto?

Matthew 6:21

That concludes my look back at 2010.  We may have to do this again next December.

Becky Perkovich correctly gave 1 of the 4 possible correct answers to the Christopher D. Bennett Trivia Question:

Q: What is Christopher D. Bennett’s favorite movie?

A: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Proust Quote

“Happiness serves hardly any other purpose than to make unhappiness possible.”

Confessions Question

Your idea of happiness:

2009 Answer

Proust Questionnaire Number Ten

When Becky chose her question she said that she hoped to get a “real answer”. It is the kind of disrespect that would normally cause me to cancel her email subscription to this journal.  However, since it is the Christmas season, I will allow it to slide.  All of my answers are real and real is a stupid word.

Actually, it has nothing to do with the Christmas season.  I just sat through an Advent Study where there was frequent discussion about how we become “better people” and have more “peace” during the Christmas season.  I couldn’t really relate to the conversations and hardly ever contributed because I don’t feel that I have more peace or become a better person during Christmas.

I can’t figure out if that makes me an absolutely terrible person or a person of unsurpassed greatness. These are the only two options.

As this question relates to 2010, this question will need to be thought of as “what made you happiest in 2010?”

That is an easy question to answer: Evie.

To extend the answer to this question just a little bit, let me tell you a few tales.

I’ve known for quite some time that Jen and Derrick were trying to have a baby, but the thoughts of me seeing them as parents didn’t really start to materialize until early January.

I was at Derrick and Jill’s parent’s house for Marla’s birthday party.  Sort of.  I was kind of a late addition to the invite list.

Nothing earth-shattering happened while I was there. I would find out later that before my arrival Derrick and Jen had told his parents and Jill that they were pregnant on that night, but my arrival had extinguished all the conversation about the baby. They must have hated me for showing up, but this story is about me and my happiness.  It was the first time that I noticed that Jen was not smoking. I noted it, but didn’t jump to a conclusion.

Later in January Derrick, Jen, Sara, and I attended a Brandi Carlile concert. It was the time of year where we were starting to make plans for the big Iowa State-Kansas State game in Kansas City. We had attended the game the previous year.  Despite some awkwardness to the previous year’s trip (staying at the Bates Hotel, my cousin offering us drugs), I was looking forward to making the trip this year. Possibly with the addition of a couple of new people.

I was talking about how we would make this year’s trip better while we were parked in Sara’s driveway when Derrick utter the following cryptic line:

“I’m not sure if we will be able to make the trip to Kansas City this year.”

He would offer no explanation.

Before the Brandi Carlile concert we dined at the Gateway Market. I noted that Jen drank water.  Jen still was not smoking. In fact, Derrick had yet to have a cigarette.

During the Brandi Carlile concert, Jen went to the bathroom about 14 times.

I was certain now that Jen was pregnant. I waited for the rest of the night for the announcement. I was certain that this was the perfect night to make the announcement. I was certain that they wanted to tell Sara and I together.

The night ended without an announcement. I went to bed confused.

That week I met noted filmmaker H. Richard Stauffer.  He is Frank’s friend. He was working on a musical number in the area.  He invited Jesse and I to come watch him in action on his set. We agreed.

The next day, Sara announced that she would be in Ames for clinicals on the exact same day that Jesse and I were going to be watching the great H. Richard Stauffer in action.  I have had a goal of photographing him since I first met him, but that is a story for another day.

We set up a lunch meeting with Jen and Derrick. I resolved to shaft H. Richard Stauffer because I was pretty sure that at this meeting Jen and Derrick would announce a pregnancy.

I was right, as I sat down at the table, Derrick said: “Hey Chris, we won’t be able to go to the Kansas State game this year. Jen is pregnant.”

There was merriment.

We made an appointment to photograph the happy couple before they became a couple “plus one”.

The next happy moment came a few months later. I’m not sure of the exact month, but I know that it happened before Jen, Derrick, Sara, Cousin Amy and I ate at The Open Flame.

I plopped down on the chair in the Gorshe living room and for the first time I saw a blob on the television that would turn out to be Evie.

While we waited for Sara and Cousin Amy to arrive, we watched the video 3 times. Then we watched it twice with Sara in the room and Cousin Amy waiting for us in the car due to her cat allergies.

I would watch the video a few more times a few weeks later when Jill was back in town. It never really got old. Nor did the gnawing feeling that the video could use background music ever go away.

The next joyous moment came in late August. I have never been to a baby shower, but I got talked into co-hosting a shower with Sara.

My part of the shower was to make sure it was cool enough for guys to attend plus make whatever Sara wanted to happen magically happen. I believe I came through on both fronts.

We found time to cram in one last photo shoot of the Gorshes before the blessed day occurred.

Then there was nothing but waiting.

The Iowa State-Kansas State football game came. This was very close to the due date. I was worried that the baby would come while I went down to Kansas City to watch the game. Not really sure why I was worried. It is not like I had a job in this process, but I was antsy nonetheless.

Then my fears seemed to be coming true.

Derrick texted me: “Are you in Kansas City?”

I texted Jill that I was in Kansas City and never heard back.

These two incidents are seemingly innocuous, but in the mind of a…. well in my mind, they spelled “baby on the way”. Let me explain.

Derrick never texts. Derrick is the Chris Bennett of 2007. He hates texting. He can’t stand it when other people text him. It costs him money because he doesn’t have a text messaging plan.

Only once before this day had he text messaged me. That text consisted of scatological humor. In fairness, it was a parody of scatological humor. I believe Jen had to help him send this text.

It seemed very strange to me that out of the blue he would send me a text message. I responded back in the affirmative. He never wrote me back.

Why had he texted me?

I also make a habit of sending text updates about Iowa State games to Jill. She always texts back with appropriate responses: “Yay!!!” or “That’s terrible.”

Why had she not texted me back?

The answer seemed obvious to me. Somewhere in the Mary Greeley birthing center, Jen was bringing the newest Gorshe into the world. Somewhere on I-35, Jill was speeding down to Ames to see her niece or nephew for the first time.

I watched the entire game with this feeling in the back of my head that as soon as the game was over I needed to get back to Ames.

After the conclusion of the game I called Derrick. To my great surprise he answered his phone. He didn’t have any news. He was just genuinely interested in whether or not I had went to Kansas City.

The great rush back to Ames was called off. Jason and I went to Oklahoma Joe’s for supper and the best barbecue I’ve had in my entire life.

I had made plans with Jen and Derrick and Sara for the following Tuesday night. We were going to give them the baby advice book that Sara and I had put together with pictures from the Baby Shower.

Then Tuesday came along. I spent the morning at work texting Jill about the new Maroon 5 album.

Then Derrick called.

“We aren’t going to be able to do dinner tonight.”

“Why is that?”

“We’re at the hospital. Jen’s having the baby.”

I spent the rest of the day texting Jill, all the while dancing around the only topic that could possibly be on either of our minds.

A little after 4 Derrick called with the joyous news. Evie was born healthy (like a lot babies) and adorable (like very few babies).

I just kind of stared at the clock at work for the next couple of hours waiting for Sara to arrive.

Finally 6 o’clock came. Sara showed up. I sent 1 last text to Jill that I was leaving work and going to the hospital. I figured that was safe ground.

She texted back how excited she was to be an aunt and it was a relief to finally be able to talk about it.

Sara and I got to the hospital and got to see and hold Evie. This was my happiest moment of 2010.

Of course we also got to take this picture too:

This concludes the wordy portion of the Proust Questionnaire for 2010. Congratulations to Jen. She just became the 5th person to reach the 100 journal entries about her plateau.

Dawn Krause correctly answered the Christopher D. Bennett Trivia Question:

Q: Christopher D. Bennett bowls on Monday nights. What is the name of his bowling team?

A: Patio Pros.

Proust Quote

“Time, which changes people, does not alter the image we have retained of them.”

Confessions Question

For what fault have you most toleration?

2009 Answer

Proust Questionnaire Number Sixteen

I have thought about this question for a small amount of time now and I’m pretty sure that my answer isn’t the same as in 2009. Mostly because I haven’t had to deal with that fault very much in 2010. Although I’m not sure I dealt with it much in 2009 for that matter.

The best I can do is just start writing. See what spills out of my brain. Then you will be responsible for scooping it up off the floor and we will call it an answer.

It is easy to list the faults of others that bug me to no end. I can’t stand laziness. I can’t stand ignorance. I can’t stand dishonesty. I can’t stand tardiness. I can’t stand boringness. I can’t stand cliches. I can’t stand unoriginality. I can’t stand neediness. Worst of all, I can’t stand bad taste. I would probably be willing to hang out with somebody that was lazy, as long as they listened to good music and watched good movies. Somebody that reads bad literature and watches reality television has a longs ways to go in being a proper human being in my eyes.

If I was more of a magnanimous person, I would hate my own faults. I don’t hate my faults.

There are three really good reasons for why I don’t hate my own faults.

1. My faults make me who I am. They might make me who I am as much as my good qualities make me who I am. Maybe even more so. Humans are are a cynical bunch and they usually see the bad in people before they see the good in people. I’m not sure if this is instinctual or a defense mechanism that allows humans to reject other humans before they are rejected, but I see it happen on a daily basis.

“I mean, could you really imagine me hanging out with somebody like her… she thinks Desperate Housewives is cerebral television!”

Think about it. How often do you hear gossip (another fault I hate) about other people?

“I heard that Joe was completely faithful to his wife last night. Plus, while he wasn’t canoodling with some hussy in a cheap hotel,  he helped his children with their homework. Then he shoveled his elderly neighbor lady’s sidewalk. She didn’t even ask him.”

2. I have perfectly good excuses for my faults. I eat too much. Yeah, but that is because I’m living life and I have so many people in my life that are such good cooks that it would be a crime to let their good cooking go to waste.

I don’t exercise enough. Yea, but I just don’t have the time. I’m going to shaft on a friend because I need to go spend an hour in the weight room? I know I could lose some fat, but at the same time I worry about becoming one of those guys that is too ripped. I see them at the gym (when I go) and they don’t look like happy people. It is possible. I have a real quick learning curve. I might do a set of squats one night and wake up the next morning looking like Lou Ferrigno.  Nobody wants that.

I spend too much money on movies and music. Do you seriously think that is a concept?

I buy books and never read them. Well, they should have been written better.

I’m an elitist. That is a flat out lie. Just because my standards make it look like you don’t have standards doesn’t make me an elitist. It means you need to try harder.

I don’t write enough.  Yeah, I’ve also never killed a man in Reno just to watch him die. There are only so many hours in a day and I waste about 6 of them sleeping.

You can justify anything. Yeah…. and?

3. Having faults gives me places to improve and allows me to connect with other people that possess similar faults on a base level.

I think the best way for me to answer this question (since it is the Christmas season) is to answer the question which cardinal sin is the easiest for me to understand.

Lust?

Excessive sexual thoughts.  I’m not sure what would be defined as excessive. However, I don’t really have much toleration for rapists or people who touch little children.

Sloth?

Failure to use one’s gifts. I’m sure there are people that would accuse me of this sin, but truthfully I’m not as talented as you think. (Also why Pride isn’t a big problem for me.) I really hate laziness. I enjoy having a good time. In fact, I enjoy having a great time. However, there is also a time for work and I can’t stand the lazy guy on the crew.  I think you will note that many of my friends are hard workers. Yeah, there is Willy. The truth is he only cultivates an image of laziness. Nobody is lazy that runs 100 miles a week. Sorry Salmon.

Pride?

I just had a brief email conversation this week on Pride and why it is considered the Great Sin. There was a small amount of debate on whether Pride was really all that bad.  My answer is “YES”! Pride is the desire to be more important or attractive than others, failing to acknowledge the good work of others, and excessive love of self. I absolutely cannot stand the “one-upper”.  “Yeah, that is good pizza, but back in MaComb…” I don’t mind confident people, but people that are so arrogant that they can’t acknowledge the greatness of the other people lucky enough to share their air, can bugger off this mortal coil.

Envy?

To resent that another person has something that your are lacking. This is a more understandable sin for me. I don’t struggle with it personally, but I can understand how somebody can look at me and feel that somehow they were shorted. They didn’t get my deep reservoirs of talent or incredible good looks. In fact, (due to my incredible humility) I try not to shove my greatness in the face of other people. We are all lesser creatures in some regard.

Anger?

Inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger. I know quite a few people that have anger management issues. While I understand that there are proper times to be seething with rage: the ref blew a call and cost Iowa State a game, Congress won’t pass a bill to provide health care for 9/11 First Responders, somebody touched your Godzilla without asking (begging for) permission… But there are other times in life where you find yourself surrounded by cops because a friend called a ticket nazi a “soulless mother fudger” and you are given two choices “let it go or go to jail”.  These are situations created by Anger that I don’t find it so easy to tolerate.

Greed?

Excessive or rapacious desire and pursuit of wealth, status, and power. I’m not too keen on this one either. I have a long standing hatred of rich people. Probably why I know so few of them. I guess that leaves…

Gluttony

The over-indulgence and over-consumption of anything to the point of waste. I have no choice to be most forgiving and tolerant of this one. I’m American.

Christopher D. Bennett Trivia Question

Since most people are probably already neck deep into Christmas activities, I’ll make this one extremely easy and I’ll accept up to 4 different answers. I’ll give extra credit for anybody that can come up with all 4 acceptable answers.

What is Christopher D. Bennett’s favorite movie?

Jason Baier correctly answered the Christopher D. Bennett Trivia Question:

Q: What brand of camera does Christopher D. Bennett

A: Sony. I also would have accepted Minolta with a lengthy explanation of how Sony bought out Minolta. If anybody would have listed Sony, Minolta and Holga, well there wouldn’t be words for how I would feel about such a person.

Proust Quote

“Only through art can we emerge from ourselves and know what another person sees.”

Confessions Question

The military event I admire the most:

My 2009 Answer

Proust Questionnaire Number Sixteen

This answer won’t make me popular.

I’m actually quite surprised by this question being selected. I’m not really big into the military. I don’t even have much of a family history of military service. My Grandpa Bennett was too young to serve in WWI. He was too old to serve in WWII. My Grandpa Paris served in WWII. Stateside. As a cook. Even though he was entitled to a full military funeral:  The folding of the flag and the Three Volley Salute and the playing of Taps. None of these things were done at my Grandpa’s funeral. This still burns some members of my family. I bring it up not to tear old wounds, but to show how military isn’t a big part of my family’s existence.

The one member of my family that had extensive combat and military experience was my Uncle Dean. He served in Vietnam and he was exposed to toxic chemicals that slowly ravaged his health and finally extinguished his life.

I don’t even have many friends that have military experience. Even one of those few friends had a terrible experience in the military. Ending with his bunkmate committing suicide.

Even when it comes to war movies, my favorites are decidedly anti-war: Paths of Glory, Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now, Hotel Rwanda, Three Kings, Schindler’s List.

I’m not anti-military, but I also don’t get all jonesed up about the military.  I understand that its existence is a necessary evil, but at the same time our military is way too large. Do you realize that if you take the actual numbers, over 50 cents of every tax dollar spent goes to support the military? You’ll see figures that put it at 20 cents, but those numbers misrepresent how Social Security (among other things) is funded.

All things considered, I would rather 50 cents out of my tax dollar be spent on helping sick children. Helping sick old people. Helping sick middle-aged people.

Maybe a dime or so could go to keeping the military industrial complex welfare machine alive. Many of our technological advances have come through military research after all.

I understand that we need a military. We need it to press our (read Corporate America) economic interests in the world. It is also used on some level to protect us from the evil forces of today. Although if you told me after the Cold War ended that a few years later we would be engaged in a seemingly neverending War on Terror, I would have said, “Shut your mouth George Orwell!”

While I am very pleased with the recent retraction of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” and I admire the heck out of Iowan and Medal of Honor winner Sal Guinta, the military event that occurred in 2010 that I most admire was the ending of military operations in Iraq.

The war began in March of 2003. During its peak, there were 165,000 American soldiers in Iraq. About 4,400 American soldiers died in Iraq. We will never know for sure, but it is estimated that 100,000 Iraqis were killed. Don’t just skim past that number. Where I come from (a little place I like to call Christianity), a human life isn’t less valuable because it isn’t American. Or Muslim for that matter.

I make this a separate sentence because I want to make it clear that I don’t consider the waste of life to be anywhere near on par with the waste of money, but as I write this the war on Iraq has cost this nation $747,323,475,195 and made us not even the slightest bit safer.With lack of Wall Street regulation and mind-blowing levels of corporate greed as contributing factors; our economy has been a casualty of this war.

With the ending of military operations in Iraq, there are less than 50,000 American troops left.

I know that is still a huge number and I know that we aren’t going anywhere. Just like how we are still in Germany, Japan and Korea. However it is a movement in the right direction. A movement to hopefully returning the United States back to being a nation of peace. A move back to being the “city upon a hill.” Yep, that is Jesus talk.

Christopher D. Bennett Trivia Question

Christopher D. Bennett bowls on Monday nights. What is the name of his bowling team?

Leave your answer in the “Comments” section of this journal entry.

Jesse Howard correctly answered the Christopher D. Bennett Trivia Question:

Q: Currently, what is Christopher D. Bennett’s favorite band?

A: The Swell Season.

Proust Quote

“If a little dreaming is dangerous, the cure for it is not to dream less but to dream more, to dream all the time.”

Confessions Question

What is your present state of mind?

Proust Questionnaire Number Sixteen

I’m going to take this question to mean what am I thinking about right now.  So this will be an incredibly short answer.

I’m thinking that I need to talk about boobs less on Twitter.

I’m thinking that I had an awesome weekend. Great food. Great company. Then great company, but I missed out on the great food. Then more great food.  More great company. Then more great food. More great company.

But mostly, I’m thinking about my yearly viewing of It’s A Wonderful Life.  This is causing me to wonder if the world would be a better place if I had never been born.

Don’t take this as me being depressed or sad.  Definitely don’t post any comments or send me any messages reassuring me that the world is a better place because I’m in it. Definitely nothing with examples of how I somehow improved your life and prevented you from being a crack whore, petty thief or NASCAR fan.  I’m not fishing. Keep that stuff to yourself. Admire me from a distance, if you will.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I will never post anything in this forum or in a social networking environment of the “woe-is-me” variety. I don’t play the game where I beg for other people’s pity. I keep my own counsel. I don’t pity farm.

It is simply an honest intellectual question that I am thinking about right now.  Do the positives I have brought to this world outweigh the negatives that I have brought to this world?  More importantly, what can I do to increase the balance in favor of this being a better world for my being in it?

Christopher D. Bennett Trivia Question

What brand of camera does Christopher D. Bennett use?

Angie DeWaard correctly answered the Christopher D. Bennett Trivia Question:

Q: What is the 1 thing Christopher D. Bennett always buys when he goes to an Iowa State game?

A: A program.

Proust Quote

“Our intonations contain our philosophy of life, what each of us is constantly telling himself about things.”

Confessions Question

What characters in history do you most dislike?

My 2009 Answer

Proust Questionnaire Number Sixteen

There are quite a few historical figures in the last year that have raised my ire. Some have dropped off my radar and some have popped back on.  Some I’m sure will always be there.

One guy who I have a love/hate relationship with is Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard. Sometimes I hate him.  Like when he ran out Dan McCarney. Like when he ran off Wayne Morgan.

Sometimes I love him. Like when he refuses to sell single game tickets to the Iowa-Iowa State game to Iowa fans. Or when he hires Paul Rhoads.

But when he got the gift of Creighton hiring away the failed Greg McDermott and he hired Fred Hoiberg to take his place, it screamed publicity stunt and I was irate.  However, Hoiberg has turned out to be a very good hire thus far. Plus I can never really hate Jamie Pollard.  Iowa fans are terrified of him and that does tickle me so.

Glenn Beck might be on my list of most disliked historical figures as well. His Rally to Restore Honor was a pathetic joke. Learning about honor from somebody like Glenn Beck is like getting financial advice from a homeless person.

To single out one professional liar over the rest of the talking heads on Fox News or MSNBC overstates his importance.  After all, a comedian was able to get triple the number of people at his rally and he didn’t have to go on the air the next day and lie about how many people showed up for it either. Glenn Beck is merely a sad race baiter that will most likely be completely forgotten by historians.

Congress would definitely be on my list as well.  Let me explain to you how our Congress worked these last two years through a story.

16 kids are on a playground. They are playing a game of dodgeball. Since the rules for dodgeball are not universal, there is some debate on what happens when somebody throws a ball at you and you catch it. 10 of the people think that when you catch a ball, not only are you safe, one of your previously eliminated teammates gets to come back into the game. The other six think that you are safe when you catch a ball, but one of your teammates doesn’t get to come back in. They have both agreed to vote on this rule. Whomever wins the vote, the game will be played by their rules.

However, the 10 feel bad for the 6 and refuse to just have the vote because they don’t want to impose their will on the 6. So they try to compromise with them.

“We have the votes to just play by our rules, but we are willing to compromise with you.”

“No. Your way is socialism.”

“So what? The military is a socialist institution and you love it.”

“No.”

“Well do you have any ideas?”

“No.”

“No. Isn’t an idea.”

“No.”

“We could just vote and leave you out of the process all together.”

“No. We’ll take our ball and go home.”

“It is actually our ball.”

“No.”

“No isn’t an idea.”

“No.”

The 10 have a huddle.

“They won’t agree with us.  I don’t know what to do!”

“We have the votes, if they don’t want to play, let’s just pass the rule and play the game.”

“I’d feel bad about it.  Instead, let’s just do nothing.”

“But we have the numbers to do something.”

“Yeah, but if we do something they are going to say that our way of playing the game involves Death Panels.”

“Only the extremely ignorant listen to that type of uninformed drivel.”

“Have you seen the standardized test scores of the rest of the 3rd Grade?”

“Right. We should do nothing.”

Then nothing gets done.

And the people suffer.

Understand, that is a simplification, but not by much.

I didn’t mind the Republicans dominated the midterm elections. I sincerely hate both political parties and I have for quite some time. I hate the way that Democrats feel that they have a monopoly on compassion. I hate the way Republicans think they have a monopoly on patriotism. I hate how both parties think they have a monopoly on good ideas.

I was disappointed however that 2 Democrats that were most responsible for a failed Congress, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid kept their jobs. I hate to see cowardice rewarded.

John McCain’s fight to become this generation’s George Wallace is pretty disheartening.  His crusade to keep the plague known as “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” is sad. I remember when McCain used to be one of my favorite politicians, but now he is a horrible shell of what he used to be.  It is sad that he flip flops on his positions more often than the Salmon and even more frustrating is that when he gets the very evidence that DADT is bad for our country that he has been asking for, he changes his mind and asks for different evidence.

I understand that he needs to sharpen his conservative credentials to keep his job in a socially backward state like Arizona, but it was the old “Straight Talk McCain” that made him a maverick. He is certainly a maverick no longer. Tea Party lapdog seems about right.

But when I think about it, it is really a no-brainer. The historical figure I dislike the most is Bob Vander Plaats.

I don’t really know how influential Bob Vander Plaats was in getting three Supreme Court judges removed from their positions for following the law and doing their jobs by ruling that gay marriage was legal in the state of Iowa. I doubt that he actually had that much influence in putting a black eye on the state of Iowa. However the fact that he was out in front on this issue and mobilizing like-minded bigots to get to the polls and vote out the judges makes him an embarrassment to our state.

There was a brief period of time where Iowa was a state of enlightenment. Personal rights and freedoms were actually protected here.  I could walk proudly in any state in the union, knowing that I was from Iowa. I’m probably better than you.  A state that actually protected equal rights. Not a backwards hick state like Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, or (God forbid) Nebraska.

Then election night came in Iowa. All three judges were thrown out. Iowa was an embarrassment.

I know this wasn’t completely Vander Plaats doing.  I know that the enthusiasm gap that the Republicans had in the midterm election was a big contributing factor. I’m not ripping on Republicans, but it is a fact that they are decidedly more socially conservative than Democrats.  That means that Republicans often have the following range of thoughts on gay people: they are gross to burn them at the stake.

Now I personally don’t know any “burn them at the stake” Republicans because I don’t hang out at too many Klan meetings like our boy Vander Plaats and his friends most likely do. (That is clearly an overstatement and parody, but Glenn Beck would try to pass that off as fact and that is just one of the things that separates us.) However, they are certainly out there. Also I try not to be friends with bigots, but that  makes me bigoted against bigots. Ironic, huh?

The surge of Republican voters certainly aided Vander Plaats. Something else that aided him was that most people that supported gay marriage didn’t know what was going on.  More than a few people approached me in the days following the election and told me that they were shocked about the judge “thing”.  If they had known, they would have went out and voted.

As unscientific as my polling data would seem to be, I am very certain that if pro-gay marriage factions had ran a better campaign, doofuses like Vander Plaats wouldn’t be running around our great state thinking that they had just received a mandate.

It makes me sick to my stomach.

It also makes me glad that Brown v. Board of Education was not decided by the Iowa Sate Supreme Court.

Christopher D. Bennett Trivia Question

Currently, what is Christopher D. Bennett’s favorite band?

Remember to be the lucky winner, you have to answer in the “Comments” section of this journal entry.

Jesse Howard correctly answered the Christopher D. Bennett Trivia Question:

Q: Whenever Christopher D. Bennett goes to a buffet, what does he get to eat with his ice cream?

A: Green Olives

As a reward for Jesse’s knowledge of my culinary tendencies, he got to choose the next question I answered on the Proust Questionnaire.

Proust Quote

“If only for the sake of elegance, I try to remain morally pure.”

Confessions Question

Your Chief Characteristic

My 2009 Answer

Proust Questionnaire Number Sixteen

I’m surprised by how difficult it has been for me to work on this project this year.  I don’t know if that mean I’ve had uneventful year or unsuccessful year or if perhaps just perhaps, the subject of “Me” is incredibly boring to me.  That can’t be. Most people find me fascinating. At least that is what they tell me.

When I think about this question, I can’t help but think about a photo project that I worked on over 5 years ago.  I had several friends write on piece of “poster board” 1 word.  Just 1 word that they would like to be the 1st word that crossed the minds of other people when they thought about them.

“I saw Chuck down at the store.”

“Oh Chuck, he so fastidious.”

“Agreed. no other word encompasses Chuck’s existence more than fastidious.”

I think about the word I scrolled onto paper in the Lagomarcino courtyard all those years ago and I know that word probably isn’t correct. But I do think I should try that project again.  It might make a good replacement for the Friend Wall, since it will be coming down sometime soon. Although when I think about it, that would almost certainly be just a different form of Friend Wall.  Maybe this way a couple of family members could sneak onto the wall.

I’m getting off topic.

If I look at the undisputed nickname I carry around with me (Lone Wolf) I would think that the best way to describe me might be loner.  I’m not surrounded by many friends. I spend most nights home alone. All of my work time is spent with my nose to the grindstone. I’m not even sure I know the names of many of my co-workers.  There’s the Candy Drawer Lady and The Grand Grammarian and The Trapper and The Hunter and The Dandy and The Potential Future Serial Killer and The Filmmaker.  But I don’t know the names of any of these people. I’m pretty sure they don’t my name either.

I don’t have weekly engagements. I’m not in a bowling or basketball league. I don’t see the same group of friends every Friday for a meal. I don’t going to the movies once a week. I don’t correspond with many people via email. I don’t send lots of texts. I don’t get lots of texts. My phone is a 200 dollar paper weight.

Another characteristic is my openness.  You can ask me virtually any question and you will get a version of a completely truthful answer. I am so open that since the beginning of the year I have had the goal of sending in a secret to PostSecret. Since I don’t have any secrets that are mine (I have a wealth of other people’s secrets) I haven’t been able to fulfill that goal.

However, as well documented and undisputed as my loner credentials are, and despite the fact that I closely resemble an open book, I don’t think I’ve changed much in this regard from last year.

My chief characteristic is my veracity.

I have a 100% commitment to the truth and have never understood people that don’t.

True it took me some time to realize how honest of a person I am. It took me so long because I’m not a dillhole or a jerk.

I’ve known quite a few jerks in my day. They usually say something horrible to another human being and then back it up with, “I’m just being honest.”  I’ve known at least two of these people that have spoken glowingly of their honesty based on the nearly constant flow of negative energy that was coming out of their piehole.  For this reason it took me a small amount of time to figure out saying mean and terrible things to people is not the same thing as being honest.

More importantly, being nice and saying positive and complimentary things to people does not make you dishonest.

Negative people think they are more honest than positive people because they see the world in a negative light. When they hear positive people saying positive things to people they assume that person is lying and doesn’t have the guts or testicular fortitude to tell people “how it is”.

The truth is that the positive person is “telling it how it is” from their perspective.  Their perspective is more positive and it is still the truth.

Being negative doesn’t make you honest. It makes you painful to be around.

That isn’t to say that I can’t be harsh and abrasive with the sandpaper of truth. If my perspective is negative, you will know about it.  After all, I am the fountain of truth. As I see it.

Christopher D. Bennett Trivia Question

What is the 1 thing I always buy when I go to an Iowa State game?

Remember, the first person to answer this question in the “Comments” section of this post gets to pick the next Proust Questionnaire question that I answer. I won’t take me two weeks to answer the next one, I swear.

In case you don’t remember, the answers to these questions only reflect my experiences in the year 2010.

Proust Quote:

“Love is a reciprocal torture.”

Confessions Question:

Your favourite colour and flower:

Confidences Question:

My favourite colour.

and

The flower that I like.

Proust’s Answers:

The beauty is not in the colours, but in their harmony.

and

Hers/His -and after, all of them.

My 2009 Answer:

Proust Questionnaire Number Three

On this day I don’t have a favorite color. As a child my first favorite color was green.  Then it was blue.  Then it was red.  Then it might have been black. Then I realized having a favorite color was such a silly concept.  All colors have their purpose and favoring one color over another is just madness. As Proust answered, the beauty is not in the colours, but in their harmony. I can’t beat that answer.

I also don’t really have a favorite flower.  I’m partial to the flowers that I grow in my yard.  Marigolds are easy to grow. I take great pride in my patch of moonflowers. I was extremely pleased with my dahlias. My lilies were striking and I hope to create a lily patch behind the garage next year. I was very pleased with my moss rose. I enjoyed by gerber daisies to no end.  I was saddened that my patch of daisies didn’t take off this year, but I have great faith that they will come back with a vengeance in 2011. But I can’t pick a favorite flower.

Like last year, I can pick my favorite flower pictures from 2010:

RWPE #24 Colorful


Inferiority Complex Alternate


Soul Oxygen


RWPE #4 – Plants


The Girl in the Blue Skirt Redux Alternate


The Girl in the Blue Skirt Alternate


The Girl in the Blue Skirt












The Girl in the Blue Skirt Alternate


RWPE #4 Alternate






Well-Shaped Girl




Inferiority Complex




Even Though We Love It

The first person to correctly answer this trivia question (in the comments section of this website) gets to pick the next question of the Proust Questionnaire that I answer.

Trivia Question:

Whenever Christopher D. Bennett goes to a buffet, what does he get to eat with his ice cream?

Here are a few broad announcements.

1. Love my photography?  Ever wonder what it would like if you were in it?  Here is your chance! I’m doing portrait photography as a fundraiser for the youth group at my church tomorrow night.  So come down to the First United Methodist Church of Boone, Iowa from 5-8 pm and get your picture taken.  The rate?  $25 – cheap.  What do you get?  A couple of digital pictures of you and/or your loved ones next to the First United Methodist Church of Boone’s Christmas Tree.  It is a pretty sweet tree. On top of that every last penny of your 25 smackers goes to the Youth Group to help finance their mission trip to Kansas City next Summer.  A mission trip that I may or may not be chaperoning.  I’d guess “may not” at this point, but we’ll see.  No appointment is necessary.  Any questions, you most likely have my number or email address.

2. The 2011 Calendar. Every year I post something about not being sure if there will be a calendar next year.  Every year it is usually a lie.  Not this year.  After steady growth for the last few years, there is a chance that the calendar will not be published this year.  The guy that printed the calendars the last couple of years is refusing to print the calendars this year because I didn’t pay him for the calendars last year.  The fact that I asked for a bill at least 5 times and never received one is apparently irrelevant to the gent, so I have to come up with a new plan.  It is possible that I won’t come up with that plan. But one thing that is a certainty is that the run of calendars this year will be significantly less than the last couple of years.  So if you don’t get a calendar for next year, it is because of market fluctuations and what-have-you, the calendar just isn’t economically viable to be printed in as large of numbers as the last few years. If nothing else, my crew will be happier for the cut in workload.

3. Tomorrow marks the beginning of December.  The beginning of December marks the beginning of my descent into self-absorption.  The time when I look back at the year and answer the Proust Questionnaire.  The difference between this year and last year is that I’m giving my loyal droogs (you people that are reading these words) a chance to pick what questions I answer.  I will start the questionnaire tomorrow.  At the bottom of the questionnaire answer will be a trivia question about Yours Truly.  The first person to correctly answer the question in the comments section of this website will get to pick the next questionnaire question I answer. The trivia questions will be difficult and very specific, but I have faith that somebody out there knows me at least a little bit.