John Carrier

This morning on the Today Show I saw a very informative segment on how to barter.  I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something about highly paid people in expensive suits under studio lights giving me tips on how to participate in a prehistoric economy gives me a whiff of the Next Great Depression, 21st-century-style.

Next: Rachel Ray cooks up some hobo chili, Martha Stewart makes origami figures to stuff in her poncho for insulation, and Jim Cramer goes long on toothpick-enhanced cigar stubs.

 Today’s Iron Chef ingredient: a dented can of expired beans.

Last night I got an email confirming my volunteering gig at a local Ronald McDonald House.  I start in a couple of weeks and I’m going to be a “Housewarmer” once a week for three hours.  I could not be more pumped about this.

The quest to become a rabbi has prompted me to make a pretty thorough inventory of my life, my values, my commitments, and my priorities.  One area where I feel I really come up short is in doing volunteer work.  I’ve been studying a lot of scripture (I mean a LOT of scripture), studying Hebrew in order to study even MORE scripture, praying regularly once to three times a day, watching the “purity” of my diet, and getting better at doing less “work” on the Sabbath.  I’ve been plumbing the depths of contemporary theology and drafting essays about the key challenges facing Judaism and the Conservative Movement today. 

What have I left out?  Helping people.

Rabbi Robert Kahn gave a brief drash during a recent weekday minyan where he explored the beginning of the Amidah, a litany of blessings, requests and prayers of thanksgiving Jews are invited to recite three times a day.  The Amidah starts by acknowledging who god is: our God and God of our ancestors.  Then it says what God is: great and holy, and some other stuff.  Finally it talks about what God does, and the first of these is “doer of acts of loving kindness.”  Rabbi Kahn’s interpretation:  In this prayer, the first thing God actually DOES is acts of loving kindness…not creating, not plagueing, not smiting, but helping those in need of help.

 It is said that studying the scripture is the chief commandment among all others because it leads to all others.  It’s about time my study prompted me to act.  Stay tuned for the further adventures of John in Ronald McDonald House.

BTW, and this busted my myth, too:  Ronald McDonald House does not serve exclusively burgers and fries.

Sunday I ran about 21 miles.  I say “about” because I took a wrong turn off the route, and I don’t use a pedometer; suffice it to say that I’ve now seen more of North Minneapolis up-close than I had to date.  It took me a little over 5 hours, not counting time that I stopped to check my map, refill my water bottles in city parks, or buy sports drink at gas stations (appropriately).

This marks two personal records: It is both the farthest distance I’ve run and the longest continuous time I’ve spent running in a single session.  My previous record was around 18 miles in 3.5 hours sometime last summer.

Upon finishing, I felt like a superhero.  Then immediately afterwards until sometime yesterday, I felt like a cripple.  But also still like a superhero.

In case you don’t have my trading card, I’m 6′2″ and weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of 240 pounds.  The word “Clydesdale” comes to mind.  Coincidentally, I’m pretty sure that what the people were recoiling from when I went into that bike shop for a water refill was the scent of horse.  Sorry, bike-shop people.

Good tunes for getting your running cadence back: HaDag Nachash

Good tunes to get up those hills on the U of M campus: Rammstein

Good tunes to cross the finish line: White Zombie

Yes, my pace was similar to that of a brisk walk; however, I was not passed by a single walker.

The Twin Cities Marathon is just under 6 weeks away, and I’m gunning to finish in just under the 6-hour time limit. Participant Ribbon, here I come.

I think most people are wrong about love.  Statistically, that means you are wrong about love, too.

This is something I’ve been ruminating on for a while, but my initial desire to make a single, complete statement on the subject has prevented me thus far from voicing the essential kernel of the idea and simply starting a conversation.

The kernel, in a nutshell, is this:

There are two broad categories of verbs: Normal and Non-Continuous.  I won’t go into complete definition here but suffice it to say that Normal Verbs include observable actions…run, jump, vote, and wiggle.  Non-Continuous Verbs include abstract notions that cannot be seen…want, cost, care, and own.

My thesis is that the majority of people (henceforth: Group A) think of the verb “to love” in its Non-Continuous sense.  Group A thinks “to love” means to sense affection or attraction for someone or something.  I know I love chocolate because I get a good feeling (unobservable) when I eat it.

I (Group B) think that the full expression of the verb “to love” requires the kind of observable action that puts it squarely in the Normal category.  I love my wife by remarking on her fine qualities and making her coffee just the way she likes it.

Which is to say, “True love is completely normal.”

Furthermore, the more people who switch from Group A to Group B, the more observable positive change we will see, both on a personal and on a global level.  We need to stop loving humanity by feeling good about the existence of others and start handing out free rice.  We need to stop loving our children by crying when they don’t call and start loving them by getting involved in their lives so they DO call.

Who’s with me?

Who’s against me?

I have a lot more to say on this, but I’d like to hear other voices first.  Please leave a comment below, or better yet, take it up on your own blog and send me a link to your thoughts.