At the prompting of many people, I’ve finally started in on the idea of selling some of my chain creations, a little at a time.  I don’t have a stock or anything yet, but, right now, I’m doing bi-color stretch bracelets.  The colors used here are the colors of a local high school and a local elementary school.

Bicolor Bracelets

The construction is EPDM rubber and anodized aluminum.  They retail for $7 and wholesale (for fundraisers and whatnot) at $5 each.  Shown are the 6.5in. “small” version.  Medium hasn’t been measured yet, but is close to 7in., and larges are 7.75in.  (Measurements are approximate.)  The EPDM is stretchy and somewhat UV resistant.  I have many different colors I can get, all of which would approximate any colors you’d want.  My materials are from The Ring Lord (http://www.theringlord.com/), a Canadian company that buys U.S.

I have the ability to make many other things.  The items shown below are just a few examples.  At the moment, most things are custom orders and may require a small ordering fee.  If there’s something else you have in mind and have a drawing of it, I can can attempt a consultation and cost estimate for building it.  I do NOT solder, weld, or rivet my links, but I will (for now) effect most repairs for free or “cheap”.

Here are a few other things I’ve done from my DeviantArt web space (http://giricredwolf.deviantart.com/)

Byzantine Earrings

Grape Pendant Choker

Byzantine (weave) Rosary & Full Persian Cross

Again, check out the DeviantArt web space for more.

My e-mail address (spam-bot adjusted here) is blpisani (at) gmail.com.  If you have anything you’d like to discuss, please e-mail me.

Cheers,

Red Wolf

I’m sure there’s something like this out there already.  It came to mind while eating pizza for dinner just now.  Here it is.

Ingredients:

• 1 pizza dough bread bowl (see first line in directions)
• 2 beefsteak tomatoes
• 1/4 cup cream or milk
• about 1/4 cup shredded cheese (mozzarella for authenticity)
• “pizza herbs” (basil, oregano, garlic, rosemary, bay leaf, etc.)
• diced toppings to taste (pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, etc.)

Directions:

Make your favorite pizza dough recipe, form it into a spherical shape, let it rise, and bake it.  In a food processor, liquify the tomatoes.  Pour tomato puree and pizza herbs into a pot, bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat until the bread ball is done cooking.   Raise the temperature of the soup to just about boiling again and add the “toppings”.  Let simmer until bread is cool enough to cut.  Cut the bowl out of the bread, add the milk or cream to the soup and stir in most of the cheese.  When the soup is hot enough to steam but not hot enough to curdle the milk or cream, pour into the bread bowl and garnish with more cheese and serve.

I don’t know how well this would do.  If there’s anyone willing to test it for me and let me know, I’d appreciate it.  Maybe nix the milk or cream, but that would help the cheese along at the end better…  I dunno.

Cheers,

Giric

I love early morning fishing. I wish I could do it. This entry isn’t so much about catching fish as taking a trip to a lake, throwing stuff in tho the water (and getting most of it back), and my reflections on the thing in general. Oh, and a little bit of good news is at the end.

So, I woke up before the rooster. Y’know, the one that tells the moon to go to bed and the sun to wake up? I woke him up. My alarm started going off at 4:00am, and I finally crawled out of bed at 4:10 or so. Made and ate breakfast, drank coffee, and played around on the computer while I let the coffee take effect. For those that don’t know me, I’m a rather large fellow, and it takes coffee a little while to kick in. When it finally does, I realize time’s getting away from me and the sun will be up by the time I get to the lake.

On the way, I decide I’ll stop at WalMart and get some corn, and I think to look at the gas gauge. Crap. I gotta get gas, or I might not make it to WalMart, much less the lake. So I go through town, get gas, stop at WalMart, get a can of corn (Green Giant Niblets are cheaper than the store brand right now, by the way), some batteries for my new digital scale, and some gum. By the time I got out of the store, it’s official sunrise. Well, rats. I guess I’m not getting to the lake before sunrise.

That’s okay, though, because the light gives me time to reflect on my surroundings, and, even with the radio on, wax poetic in my head on my surroundings. Of course, I’m diving and I’ve neglected any paper, so I can’t write anything down. The thought is not only to write this journal entry, though, but to describe the journey through Maryville, TN, to Chilhowee Lake and the public fishing docks. So, here goes.

No matter where you come from, the place to go is up US-129 by Chilhowee Lake, from Maryville to the Calderwood Dam. A lot of people would rather ride their motorcycles on the Dragon (US-129 from Chilhowee Lake to Robbinsville, NC. (Note: There are GAZILLIONS of motorcycles on US-129 between Maryville, TN, and Robbinsville, NC, EVERY Saturday in the summer, and there’s a bike rally June 5 & 6 this year.) I really don’t blame the bikers for wanting to ride that strip. It’s challenging even in a beat up Ford pick-up truck, and the scenery is gorgeous. But, I digress.

If you’re coming from Knoxville, Townsend, or other points North of US-411 and US-129, the drive will take you through South Maryville. Not a separate city, but a district with a bit of its own culture. It’s only been in recent years that anyone’s paid a ton of attention to this part of the city and development has increased. First, there’s the “new” WalMart Supercenter, but nearby is the old Princess Motel, which looks shady, but can’t be too bad or they wouldn’t still be in business. Passing William Blount Drive (an homage to the 18th century governor and the high school to which the road leads) leads past “The Big ‘O’” shopping plaza with its biker shop, the well worn 411 Restaurant still in business, the Out of Eden Garden Center out of place on its hillside, and, finally, the last traffic light in the county. There’s a gas station on the left just before the light if you need anything.

Turning left at the light with US-129 begins a nice, curving drive through old farmland that has been slightly developed over the past sixty years and more. You pass houses old and new, and places like the Lazy M Farm. Be sure to note T.C. Grill on the left along the way for a local cheeseburger on your way back to town, unless you stop in Punkin Center, but more on that soon. The road takes you along bouncing hills and large fields. Soon, around a curve, you find a new housing development, but you don’t drive through it long. Around the corner again, and Chilhowee Mountain lies ahead.

Dipping down into a little hollow (that’s pronounced “holler”), you come across the Punkin Center Store, with a big orange pumpkin sign. It’s on the left, selling live bait, cold drinks, and probably some food, but I’ve never bothered to find out (maybe next time). By now you should have started hearing banjos, because around the next bend is the sign for Monroe County. Do not be alarmed, because you’ll only hear them in Monroe County for a little while. They will soon be forgotten when passing TN-72 and the motorcycle shop, general store, barbecue joint, and soon-to-be hotel at Punkin Center. Note Punkin Center Pit’s B-B-Q as a possible place to stop, if T.C. Grill seems too far away. The barbecue there is nice, sauce on the side, and they do it up right.

Upon turning the bend out of Punkin Center you find yourself back in Blount County, and in the presence of louder banjos. (Don’t worry too much about the banjos. You hear them in most counties in East Tennessee.) Then it’s up over a rise, and there, below you on the right, is the Little Tennessee River and Tellico Lake. It’s a beautiful sight, very wide with a few islands as you continue along upstream toward the dam. Passing Tallasee on the left, and the second boat ramp on the right (the one with the helicopter landing pad), you should soon be able to see the Chilhowee Dam, which is a very interesting thing to see when the spillways are open and the generators are running.

Just past that is Chilhowee Lake, almost serene looking. A short drive by and the Foothills Parkway and Happy Valley Rd. are on the left. The public fishing docks are just a head on the right, past the second creek mouth. The view here is absolutely beautiful.

That’s all the flowery stuff I have to say. Beyond that, since the sun was up and it was time to wet a line, I took my cane pole, my spinning rod & reel, the corn, and the tackle box and walked out to the dock. I caught the bottom, leaves, moss, and algae; not one fish. Although, I did see a big ol’ black carp, probably 20-26” long, and a couple of small turtles and a few (or probably the same 2 or 3) bluegills. I heard some plops and saw some ripples, but I couldn’t get anything. I think I need to learn to fly fish.

On that note, I’ve decided to start learning about medieval fishing techniques. Come to find out, fishing with hook and line is ancient. I’ll go more into that later, though.

For now, I’m done. It’s time to go get started on my new job: barristo* at the library.

Cheers,

Red Wolf

* barristo: being mock Italian, I chose to further Italianise and use the masculine form for the title.

I don’t have a whole lot to say about this other than it is something to note and think about.  The words that are said in the article I’ll link in a moment mask the actions and thoughts that remain hidden.  It is something to watch and think about, and it made me raise an eyebrow more than once.

New York Times Online Edition

Russian Orthodox Consecrate Parish in Rome

ROME — The Vatican described a solemn ceremony on Sunday for the consecration of the first parish of the Moscow Patriarchate in Rome as a sign of further thawing of relations with the Russian Orthodox Church.

Cheers,

Red Wolf

Christ is risen!

For those who don’t know that the Orthodox churches celebrate Pascha (Easter) on a different date (usually) than the Catholic and Protestant churches, the timing of this post may seem a little strange.  The simple reason for the different date is that when the calendar was reformed from Julian to Gregorian, many Orthodox held to the Julian calendar and wouldn’t budge.  To keep the Church from splitting entirely, the bishops decided that each jurisdiction (or even each diocese) could choose to use the Julian calendar or the Gregorian calendar, but, by golly, they were going to celebrate at least ONE Feast Day together, and it would be the Feast of Feasts, the Great and Holy Pascha of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in the West known as Easter.  Thus, the Revised Julian Calendar that matches up with the rest of the world except for Lent and Easter.  So, that’s the history lesson, now on to what I have to say about it.

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’”  Mark 16:15 (NKJV)
This is part of the passage known as “The Great Commission”, Christ’s last commandment in the Gospel of Mark.  At the Paschal service, in most parishes after midnight and before the Divine Liturgy, this gospel is proclaimed in two sentences in many different languages.  In English, it is, “Christ is risen!  Indeed, He is risen!”  Last night/this morning I was looked at funny once or twice because I shouted every language I could attempt at the top of my lungs.  Well, when I managed to hear the priest say it over the choir.  Not a complaint, merely a comment.  But, my thought was, why shouldn’t I shout it at the top of my lungs?  Why shouldn’t I make the windows rattle?  Why shouldn’t the doors of the church be blown open by the shouts of the people?  This is the best news ever!  Christ is risen!

Christ is risen, and Life has returned to the world!
Christ is risen, and Paradise is restored!
Christ is risen, and Hope has been renewed!
Christ is risen, and the Heavens and the Earth quake for joy!
Christ is risen, and everything that matters has been given to us, by God, in his great mercy and lovingkindness!

Christ is risen!  Let us shout and proclaim the Good News to all the world that Christ is risen, death has been destroyed, and the gates of hell have been crushed under the weight of the holy and life-giving cross!  Christ is risen!

In Germany cry:  Christus ist auferstanden!
In Greece:  Χριστός ἀνέστη!
To the Russians:  Христос воскрес!
To the Irish:  Tá Críost éirithe!
For the Welsh:  Atgyfododd Crist!
For the Armenians:  Քրիստոս յարեաւ ի մեռելոց՜
In Filipino:  Si Cristo ay nabuhay!
In Hawai’ian:  Ua ala hou ´o kristo!
In Japan:  ハリストス復活！
In Korea: 그리스도께서 부활하셨네!
To the Navajo:  Christ daaztsáádéé’ náádiidzáá!
To the Cherokee:  ᏤᏌ ᏙᎴᎯᏌᎾᎯ
For the Chinese:  基督復活了
For the Georgians:  ქრისტე აღსდგა!
In Spanish:  ¡Cristo ha resucitado!
In Arabic:  المسيح قام!

(All are taken from the WikiPedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paschal_greeting.  Except Cherokee, from Paschal Polyglotta:  http://srbigham.com/en/)

Every year, the priest, in lieu of his own sermon, reads a translation of the Pascha Homily of St. John Chrysostom.  The following translation is from the WikiPedia article on the Homily.  When it is read, it is Greek tradition (and the tradition of the OCA parish I’m a memeber of) for the congregation to shout “Embittered!” when it is said in the Homily.  I leave you with this text to think on.  Anything I have said in this missive is as nothing compared to the power of these words.

If anyone is devout and a lover of God, let them enjoy this beautiful and radiant festival.

If anyone is a grateful servant, let them, rejoicing, enter into the joy of his Lord.

If anyone has wearied themselves in fasting, let them now receive recompense.

If anyone has labored from the first hour, let them today receive the just reward.

If anyone has come at the third hour, with thanksgiving let them feast.

If anyone has arrived at the sixth hour, let them have no misgivings; for they shall suffer no loss.

If anyone has delayed until the ninth hour, let them draw near without hesitation.

If anyone has arrived even at the eleventh hour, let them not fear on account of tardiness.

For the Master is gracious and receives the last even as the first; he gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, just as to him who has labored from the first.

He has mercy upon the last and cares for the first; to the one he gives, and to the other he is gracious.

He both honors the work and praises the intention.

Enter all of you, therefore, into the joy of our Lord, and, whether first or last, receive your reward.

O rich and poor, one with another, dance for joy!

O you ascetics and you negligent, celebrate the day!

You that have fasted and you that have disregarded the fast, rejoice today!

The table is rich-laden; feast royally, all of you!

The calf is fatted; let no one go forth hungry!

Let all partake of the feast of faith. Let all receive the riches of goodness.

Let no one lament their poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed.

Let no one mourn their transgressions, for pardon has dawned from the grave.

Let no one fear death, for the Saviour’s death has set us free.

He that was taken by death has annihilated it!

He descended into Hades and took Hades captive!

He embittered it when it tasted his flesh! And anticipating this Isaiah exclaimed: “Hades was embittered when it encountered thee in the lower regions“.

It was embittered, for it was abolished!

It was embittered, for it was mocked!

It was embittered, for it was purged!

It was embittered, for it was despoiled!

It was embittered, for it was bound in chains!

It took a body and came upon God!

It took earth and encountered heaven!

It took what it saw but crumbled before what it had not seen!

O death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory?

Christ is risen, and you are overthrown!

Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!

Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!

Christ is risen, and life reigns!

Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in a tomb!

For Christ, being raised from the dead, has become the first-fruits of them that slept.

To him be glory and might unto ages of ages. Amen.

Christ is risen!

Red Wolf

Forget the Revolution.  It won’t be televised.  The Resurrection of Christ will.  Well, Easter will be.  Hundreds of channels will be broadcasting Easter services on April 12, 2009, from Baptist, Episcopalian, Catholic, and other churches.  April 19, 2009, though, is Pascha, Orthodox Easter.  Leading up to that, though, we bring you the following information:

GOTelecom in association with FAITH, presents “Pascha — The Resurrection of Christ” coming to your local ABC affiliate this April.  The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America is responsible for this.  I can’t wait.

About the show: http://www.goarch.org/special/paschaabc

Airing dates/times: http://www.goarch.org/special/paschaabc/network-coverage

Enjoy!

Red Wolf

In my search for work, I have looked a lot of different places.  One place I’m going to work real hard to work for is the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer.  I’ll give a nutshell of what a Foreign Service Officer (FSO) is and how one become one in a little bit.  The really important parts of this, though, are that you get to see new places, meet new people, and explore the world with a diplomatic passport.  That’s right, a diplomatic passport.  There’s a whole list of benefits that go along with being a FSO, but it’s really hard to get to.

So, what is a FSO anyway?

FSOs are the people who work in the embassies who manage the embassy; work with people on lost passports, new visas, and other consular matters; promote trade with US companies in foreign countries; inform people and governments of other countries on US values and policies; help advise the ambassador and other US dignitaries on the goings-on in a country to help dictate policy; and so much more.  With that, there are five FSO tracks: Management, Consular, Economic, Public Diplomacy, and Political.  Each FSO is considered a US Diplomat with all the rights and privileges thereof.  FSOs are, of course, US Government employees and receive all the benefits that implies, including pension, medical, cost of living adjustment (which is special for FSOs), and so on.  See the appropriate page on State’s site for more info.

Okay, so how does someone become on?

This is a basic distillation of the page “Becoming a Foreign Officer.”  Basically, you pick a career path, then register for the Foreign Service Officer Test.  The registration for the FSOT is essentially the job application.  You fill out pretty the same information you would if you were applying for any other job.  You’ll get an e-mail that tells you you’re registered and about when you’ll get an e-mail for when you can reserve a seat for the exam.  The FSOT is administered by ACT, the same guys who write the university entrance exam of the same name.  Once you take the exam, you send in a written narrative.  A few months later, you find out if you’ve passed to this point, and then you go to an oral assessment.  If you pass that, it’s on to medical and security screenings.  Past that, you’re pretty well in, and ready for orientation, training, and assignment (or so the web site leads one to believe).  Oh, and, most important, you MUST be a US citizen to be a FSO.

More about the test.

The rough guess out there is that 30% pass the FSOT, and 10% pass the Oral Assessment.  For those that are fuzzy with statistics, that’s a 3% total pass rate.  Yikes!  I’ve done some reading, and there are some really good resources for studying out there.  ACT offers a study guide for $23 on their web site.  Test Prep Review offers a practice test series for tons of different tests, including FSOT.  The best advice I’ve heard is to be well read.  There are some magazines, journals, and newspapers that could be invaluable.  Standard advice is to check out the print versions, as well as any RSS feeds or Podcasts available.  Below is a list of publications with any web stie links I can come up with.

• Foreign Affairs — http://www.foreignaffairs.org/
• Foreign Policy — http://www.foreignpolicy.com/
• U.S. News & World Report — http://www.usnews.com/
• Newsweek — http://www.newsweek.com/
• Council on Foreign Relations — http://www.cfr.org/
• The Economist — http://www.economist.com/
• BBC World News — http://www.bbc.co.uk/
• The New York Times — http://www.nytimes.com/
• Washington Post — http://www.washingtonpost.com/
• Reuters News Service — http://www.reuters.com/
• St. Petersburg Times (Russia) — http://www.sptimes.ru/
• The Guardian — http://www.guardian.co.uk/
• Al Jazeera (English) — http://english.aljazeera.net/
• Deutsche Welle — http://www.dw-world.de/
• USA Today — http://www.usatoday.com/
• The Associated Press — http://www.ap.org/
• Local newspapers — Check the papers for URLs.

And there are many more news sources to explore.  While the others cover the world, the local papers will help keep you informed on local news and events.  It’s important to get your news from more than one source so that you can get a full view of the situation.  Above lists independent, US, UK, Germany, Russia, and Arab news sources as well as international opinion sources.

So, that’s what I’ve got, and that’s what I know.  Hopefully, I can pass the exam, narratives, and assessment.  And, now, for a late warning.  If you’re looking for something by someone who knows what they’re doing, you came to the wrong place.  On the other hand, why not see if we can work this through together?

Cheers,

Red Wolf.

The Grand Masquerade

We’re having a big party, and you’re all invited
The doctor, the dentist, the teacher, the preacher,
Even the old Wal-Mart greeter;
Your roommate from college, your sweetheart from high school,
That guy you smoked hash with out by the public pool;
Everyone’s coming, the presidents, too.
Come dressed to the nines, mask over your true face,
And join us in the dance, the Grand Masquerade.

CHORUS:
We’ll dance and we’ll sing,
Pretend everything’s fine.
See no war, no strife,
No sin, no lying.
No telling who’s who,
True memories will fade,
When you come to dance
In the Grand Masquerade

The preacher, he smiles, drinking under his mask.
His despair is great in the loss of his faith.
The doctor’s kind face hides his darkest sin:
The poor man he didn’t cure, ’cause there’s no money in them.
We all have something to hide behind our faces
But this crowd could put you through your paces.
Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe said it right
Come join the paper-faced parade tonight!

CHORUS

This big ball is not some one-night-only,
But it’ll leave you bereft and lonely.
You’ll see a face for everyone you know
And that will be the face they want to show.
No knowing your friends have daggers on their lips
And loose them behind you after a few sips.
You know you already follow us in the dance,
So why do you try to catch a second glance?

CHORUS

I need a job, just like about 10% of the population of the United States.  What a time to be looking for work!  It doesn’t matter what kind of work you’re looking for, there are jobs out there to be had, you just have to look.  Even among massive layoffs we can find jobs.  I’ve got just a few suggestions below, and some links.

Temp Work

Most of us hear the words “temp agency” and we think it’s the bottom of the barrel.  In reality, there are jobs you can only get into if you go through a temp agency.  Some executive class jobs are that way.  Here’s a short list of temp agencies and their specialties.  You might want to check the phone directory for others in your area.  The ones I’m listing are in Knox and Blount Counties in Tennessee.  Information is taken from YellowPages.com.   One of the nice things about YellowPages.com is that they link to web sites.

Kelly Services
http://www.kellyservices.us/
25 Categories in the professional, service, and labor.
Locations across the US

Manpower
http://us.manpower.com/
8 Categories:  Administrative, IT, Scientific, Industrial, Engineering, Business Professional, Contact Center, and Finance
Locations across the US.  Web site has an office locator.

Employbridge
http://www.employbridge.net/
Parent company of several other employment agencies.

Others to look into:  AppleOne, Snelling (Knoxville Office), AeroTek, and Randstad.

Federal Government

If you’re looking for a career with benefits to kill for, look no further than the United States Government.  Most US Government agencies require US citizenship, but not all jobs require it.  The following web sites are US Government web sites where jobs can be found.  Some agencies and bureaus post on internet job sites.  More on those later.  While USAJOBS (see below) is the main place to go, it’s a little like Monster or HotJobs in that you upload information, but may have to repeat it on the employer’s own application web site.

USA.GOV — http://www.usa.gov/
This web site is more of a generalized site, but there is a lot of good information on the site concerning the government.  It’s not a bad place to look before deciding if you want to look further into what the government has to offer.

USAJOBS.com — http://www.usajobs.com/
This is the Office of Personnel Management’s main web site.  Sounds like it’s just for one office, but the Office of Personnel Management is THE centralized source for government employment.  If there’s a job opening in almost any agency, bureau, or office, it’s on this web site.  The exceptions are many of the Intelligence Community members (National Security Agency, CIA, and so on).  If you want to work for the National Park Service, the US Army as a civilian, or any of more than 100 others, then this is the web site you want to visit.  The government hires for, almost literally, everything.

Intelligence Community — http://www.intelligence.gov/3place.shtml
The IC web site doesn’t have job postings, but it does have links to IC members’ web sites and their employment pages.  The IC includes the CIA, NSA, FBI, and several others.

Job Search Web Sites

Job search web sites are hot stuff, and semi-old news.  Typically, the way it works is that you upload a resume that prospective employers can search.  In addition, you can search job listings to see what’s available.  I only know of two.  If anyone who manages to read this knows of other, please post them in the comments.

HotJobs — http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/
That’s right, Yahoo! bought out HotJobs some time ago.  Still great.

Monster — http://www.monster.com/
The other biggie.  Worth the time.

Classifieds & Want Ads

These might seem old and outdated, but they really can’t be beat for local work.  Check the printed newspaper as well as their web sites.  Don’t miss out on the classifieds many local TV stations list.  Each of the Big-4’s (FOX, ABC, CBS, and NBC) local affiliates’ web sites tend to have local(-ish) job listings.  (I say local-ish because the broadcast range of Knoxville’s affiliates span into Southeastern Kentucky and the panhandle counties of Virginia, but they don’t have any listings for those areas.)  Also, check out Craigslist.  Craigslist has more than just job listings, but the key here is work.

Other Options

Do you have a favorite place to shop or eat or go out for drinks?  Is there some place you’ve looked at and thought, “I think it’d be fun to work there”?  There are all kinds of places that may be hiring.  Sure, things are tough all over, but you can’t know unless you try.  Try asking for a manager or the owner (depending on the size of the place) and see if they’re looking for anyone.  Put a resume and application on file anyway.  It really can’t hurt.  And, you never know, you may get a call!

That’s just my tuppence worth.  Anything anyone else has, please send them in the comments.

I ask for your prayers.  Not for myself, but for a man I met today; Clarence Fox.  Pray for shelter, food, long life, health, peace, salvation, visitation, and furtherance in all good things to come.  The following is not a brag.  Not in the least.  Merely my story for the day.

I had a rough night, and slept maybe 2 hours.  I tried to take a nap this morning between classes, but couldn’t get to sleep then, either.  So, I walked from the International House at UT to the Cumberland Ave. Strip to hunt up some food.  This is normally not a problem, but I’m tired, cranky, and hungry.  Not a combination to provide easy answers.  I wanted one thing, decided it was too far, and went for something else.  Anyway, as I pass McDonald’s, a guy in a knit stocking cap and dirty clothes and jacket came up to me.  He said something like, “Excuse me.  Hey, I’ve got this watch here.  It’s a nice watch.  Can I sell it ot you to get some food?”  I stumbled through something about not having any cash, but I’d be willing to buy him lunch.  We went over to McAlister’s.  I told him to get what he wanted, and finally got him to own up to wanting coffee and the meatloaf.  We sat and talked, and he told me he was hitchhiking from Richmond, VA, to somewhere in Florida.  He talked about travelling by hitching, how he was trying to get to the truck stops at Watt Rd., though he didn’t know that, just that they were about 30 miles away.  I told him to get some cash and get the bus to Farragut.  I have some blank (lined) note cards in my backpack.  (I was using them to write down the list of people’s names to include in my prayers.  That’s a project that will take forever.)  I drew a cross on one and wrote the words “Orthodox Church” on it and told him that, if he really wanted to pay me back, to look for that kind of church and that kind of cross.  One that looks kinda like this:

He asked if he went there that he’d find help.  I said that he would, hoping that he really would.  I finished, whished him well, and went off to class (which I am sitting outside of, waiting to go in).
I pray he gets where he’s going.  Please, pray for him, too.

Peace,

Red Wolf

“I’ve been looking for
That heart I’ve never known
Searching for someone to sing me
Sweetly home
Sweetly home”
– “Nathaniel Miles” by Justin Mathews