Pax Plena

  • Thoughts on My Wedding Day

    In roughly 1.25hrs, I will stand at the alter of Avoca Baptist church and pledge my love, and life to Gwyn Hamrick (soon to be Fodder).

    My vantage from the small window in the alcove of the church shows an absolutely perfect day with only wisps of clouds in the sky. A crane of the neck looks out at a field of green behind the church. The warmth of the sun feels a lot like the Father smiling down, and feeling pleased. It’s the kind of day made for beginning life anew.

    It might seem strange to some, adding my thoughts on marriage, and life here in this space normally devoted to political wranglings, and snarky remarks.Yet in other ways writing here could not be more appropriate. This peculiar hobby of mine has been one of the few things that I have continued throughout my formative years- from college, through my time in Boston, to my days of law school down in Tucson, until now. Why not share some thoughts with an old friend?

    The single thought that occupies my mind in these waning hours of my single, adult life is the notion of loyalty, and its implications. I remain convinced, now as much as ever, that love is fundamentally a commitment. We choose whom to love. And love is something borne out in life’s great struggles as the commitment to another is tested, time and time again.

    I am under no delusions that love, and marriage will be an easy commitment to keep. Any commitment given proper consideration requires some quid pro quo from both parties. But in marriage, the agreement should never terminate. Given this depth and breadth of commitment, deciding whether to marry or not is among the most profound decisions one can make.

    And so marriage, in many ways, is not unlike any other major decision that life brings our way. We simply make the best decision we can with the information available to us, and proceed accordingly. I am confident in my decision. I am appreciative of my betrothed for her agreement. And I am joyed at our mutual decision to love each other.

    And on this we can build a life.

    In sum, I love my bride to be with all of the commitment a life time can afford. My feelings on this auspicious occasion are quite serene. The wedding itself, the reception, the entire production is ancillary to the actual commitment between the two of us that this day is set to commemorate.

    But, ‘to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3.1). Today is our day to love, and to laugh.

    And this is good.

  • Weight and Marriage

    With the big day looming on Saturday, it was unsettling to read today’s Daily Beast article on marriage and weight gain.

    According to a recent study conducted by the University of North Carolina’s School of Public Health, adults entering a long-term cohabiting relationship, particularly those who get married, are prone to higher rates of weight gain and obesity than those who remain single.

    The author’s solution endorses a heavy-handed government intervention in America’s obesity problem:

    So where does this leave us? Ultimately, the Obama administration should fully embrace weight control as a societal issue, and realize it is not something that can be left to individual responsibility. There are so many useful things the government could do that would make it easier, from subsidizing the right types of farming to reining in the food industry and funding health-maintenance programs at worksites.

    [Link]

    The prescription does not square with the ailment. Later in the article, the author notes several tips for keeping the pounds under control even after tying the knot – chief among them eating less, and exercising more. One might be tempted to call such suggestions commonsense, and personal responsibility. Although, in the age of Obama, such notions are quaint.

    Even so, the warning is a good wake up call for all Americans as health care reform dominates the Nation’s political landscape. In many ways, the health problems we face are ones of our own creation. The choices we make in life, and in marriage have real, long-term consequences.

    Here’s hoping the future missus and I can learn to adopt healthy habits – lest Big Brother ‘make sure’ that we do. Ja?

  • Song of the Week: Beat It

    In honor of the King of Pop, the resurrected Pax Plena Song of the week goes out to the newly late Michael Jackson.

    From a child of the 80s, to the man who defined the decade, RIP.

    Beat It
    by Michael Jackson

    They told him don’t you ever come around here
    Don’t wanna see your face, you better disappear
    The fire’s in their eyes and their words are really clear
    So beat it, just beat it

    You better run, you better do what you can
    Don’t wanna see no blood, don’t be a macho man
    You wanna be tough, better do what you can
    So beat it, but you wanna be bad

    Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right
    Just beat it, beat it
    Just beat it, beat it
    Just beat it, beat it
    Just beat it, beat it

    They’re out to get you, better leave while you can
    Don’t wanna be a boy, you wanna be a man
    You wanna stay alive, better do what you can
    So beat it, just beat it

    You have to show them that you’re really not scared
    You’re playin’ with your life, this ain’t no truth or dare
    They’ll kick you, then they beat you,
    Then they’ll tell you it’s fair
    So beat it, but you wanna be bad

    Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right

    Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right

    Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right
    Just beat it, beat it
    Beat it, beat it, beat it

    Beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or who’s right

    Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right

    Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right
    Just beat it, beat it
    Beat it, beat it, beat it

    Beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or who’s right

    Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right

    Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right

    Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Just beat it, beat it
    Beat it, beat it, beat it

  • A Cynic’s View of Susan Boyle

    Britain’s Got Talent (does it?) star, and internet sensation Susan Boyle took the masses by storm last week with her performance of Les Misérables‘s “I Dreamed a Dream.”

    The performance is notable for its exercise in contrast. Ms. Boyle is the 47-year-old virgin singer who had never been kissed; who lived alone with her cat; who though homely in appearance sings with the voice of an angel.  In the youtube clip of the performance, one can nigh feel the Lord Himself urging us on toward our better persons through song.

    Naturally, such viral interest heightens my skepticism. For once, I am not alone. Saturday’s New York Post easily published the most cynical response to the Susan Boyle phenomenon of any major publication in the world. The Post op-ed appears in relevant part below:

    Most disturbing of all, perhaps, is that not since Saturday has Susan Boyle been Susan Boyle. It’s a permutation of the Heisenberg principle: That 30 million people have heard her, seen her, embraced her has already changed who she is. The shy churchgoer who said that her recently deceased mother encouraged her to “take the risk,” who admitted in her audition that she has never been kissed, who has forever lived as something of an accidental outcast – she now seems too much of this world. “I’ve been for a meeting with Sony BMG, but I can’t say much about it,” she said this week. “It’s early days.” Susan Boyle is now one of us. And that is really a shame.

    [Link]

    Aside from being a bit self-flagellating, writer Maureen Callahan utterly nails the cynic’s response. Aside from the substantive change in Ms. Boyle’s life, Ms. Callahan’s larger point is that the performance would be eminently forgettable were it not for the contradictions. In other words, if Ms. Boyle were more attractive, might not we be less entranced? And, by extension, isn’t Ms. Boyle a bit overrated?

    Perhaps.

    Regardless, I leave you to decide. The video clip of Ms. Boyle’s performance is below. Enjoy! (Or not).

  • Song of the Week: Sleepy Tigers

    The Pax Plena song of the week took a bit of a hiatus due to the onset of our law school’s Moot Court Competition. With round one in the books, and one more round to go, I’m proud that it is back with a vengance.

    The Pax Plena song of the week comes to you courtesy of the Cox Cable commercial below. While watching TV this past Monday, the Cox commercial came on and it had the catchiest little background song that I had ever heard on a Cox commercial. This really doesn’t say much for Cox, but, even so, I couldn’t get the jingle out of my head.

    For those of you who clicked the video above, you have to admit that the little robots dancing to the music are quite fetching. Not long after seeing the spot, I found myself errantly half-whistling the tune. Finally, the haunting became too much. This afternoon, I scoured the internet using the only lyrics I could recall (“I love you so very much” & “Wake you up”) looking for the title of the song, and a music video. The song is called Sleepy Tigers from the band/recording moniker Her Space Holiday.

    The band is really no band at all. As best I can gather, all recordings are done by artist Marc Bianchi who imports a ‘folk and jam’ sound to his songs while placing an emphasis on lyrics and song writing. The focus pays off. The lyrics of Sleepy Tigers are easily the best part of the song. The track provides a clear instance where lyrics dictate music, and some how the perfect balance is struck.

    The tenor of the song is largely up beat. Cox’s dancing robots would have it no other way. Neither would yours truly. Anyone in need of a new ‘happy’ song for your play list will be well served. I will not expand on lyrics that can easily say much more for themselves. But the biography discussing the musician’s underlying philosophy is a good read in narrative form. The suppressed existentialist in me is actually quite sympathetic.

    Per usual, a video of the song appears below. (It’s actually a surprisingly interesting fan piece). Lyrics follow after the jump. Enjoy!

    Sleepy Tigers
    By Her Space Holiday

    Oh I like you so very much so much in fact I gotta wake you up
    It’s not that I have words to speak
    I just wanna see you looking at me
    In a way, that states

    In an hour when the sun comes up
    We’re gonna put on our shoes we’re gonna shake the dust
    Open the door with your brand new key
    We won’t be afraid of being sweet
    to ourselves
    Or anybody! anybody else!

    Oh I miss you so very much so much in fact i gotta call you up
    It’s not that I have news to bring
    I just wanna make your telephone ring
    So it shows and you know

    In a week when I fly back home
    We’re gonna jump in bed and be all alone
    you’ll make biscuits and I’ll make tea
    We’ll curl up close and then fall asleep
    To the sound… of no one else, no else around

    And if Ive learned anything at all
    In this short life of mine,
    If you hear that joy has come to town
    Track it down, take a picture and tape it to your eyes

    Oh I love you so very much so much in fact I’m gonna switch it up
    I’m gonna take this room that I built for fun
    And burn down the walls in front of everyone
    So they see, you and me

    Dancing in our sleepy clothes
    With two big smiles and a bowl of hope
    That we’ll drink down like ginger tea
    The heat will help us forget everything
    That you and I, that you and I have seen

    And if Ive learned anything at all
    In this short life of mine (it’s this)…
    If you hear that joy has come to town
    Track it down, take a picture and tape it to your eyes…