Author: Dennis A. Gray

Happy Feb 13th !

/ Dennis A. Gray / Leave a comment

Well boys and girls, it’s Friday, February 13th and we all know what that means don’t we?

No! Not the Triskaidekaphobia thing. By no means. No, today is the day that Epoch time hits a major milestone – let the partying commence! Geeks the world over will observe this moment in geek friendly pubs and taverns I assure you.

What is Epoch time you ask? Well it’s actually a fairly simple thing primarily of interest only to Unix geeks. Back in the day when computing was young it was decided that some kind of universal time code was required to help keep all the world’s computing systems in sync. And so the word went forth and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) was created. At midnight January 1st, 1970 the UTC clock was started and it has been ticking away ever since., one second at a time ignoring all the variances of human time (such as leap seconds) tracking the passage of universal time.

Well today, over 1.2 billion seconds later, at about 6:30pm EST, the Epoch clock will read “1234567890” and Unix geeks will solemnly observe the moment. It is, I admit, only one second among billions, but hey – any excuse for a party right?

If you’d like to observe the moment yourself you can find a countdown clock (count up?) HERE.

And if your in the neighbourhood, here’s a short list of available celebrations – Enjoy!

Image credit: Epoch Time clock available from ThinkGeek.com

Warning: Blogging can be Habit Forming!

/ Dennis A. Gray / Leave a comment

It has been just over a month since I started blogging again and I have made a discovery. Blogging (for me anyway) is like potato chips – I can’t write just one!

Here’s the deal. Back in November I purchased a new study Bible – the ESV Study Bible (English Standard Version) published by Crossway. I’ve used a number of different study Bibles over the years and this is one of the nicest I’ve seen. The translation is a literal translation but with more than the usual attention given to sentence structure and syntax making it more readable than say, the NASB (New American Standard Bible). The extras are top notch, the contributors the best in their fields, and the artwork is amazing. You can check it out at the link above.

During my recent recovery period, I started reading the book of Matthew in the ESV and it wasn’t long before I started thinking about the work I left unfinished at my blog ‘Java and Jesus‘. I found that I wanted to finish the work, and so, after some prayer and contemplation, I have decided I shall.

And so starting today I shall once again be posting to java-and-jesus.blogspot.com on a regular basis. How regular, I’m not sure, but I will pick up where I left off with little fanfare and a lot of trepidation. If you enjoyed what I posted before, or are intrigued by what you’ve read here, I invite you to join me. If you know of anyone who used to read J&J then please pass this along and let them know it has started up again.

That’s it for now… see you over there, and here as well.

http://java-and-jesus.blogspot.com

Shalom

 

Then as I End the Refrain…

/ Dennis A. Gray / Leave a comment

When I was a child my mother did her level best to instill me with a love of literature, especially drama and poetry. In my teenage years I rebelled of course, but the fact remains that as I grew older the power of her influence made itself known. Her efforts bore more fruit than she might ever have imagined.

One of my favorite performances, introduced to me by my mother, is Jose Ferrer in the title role of the 1950 movie ‘Cyrano de Bergerac.’ Based on a play is about the romantic trials of a French swordsman, poet and attendee of the Royal Court, the story line will form the basis for Steve Martin’s movie Roxanne. (Trivia note: Jose Ferrer was the father of Miguel Ferrer who, among other things, played Dr. Garret Macy in ‘Crossing Jordan’.)

In order that the rest of this post might have some context, here is a clip of my favorite scene from the movie…

The other day the poem composed by Cyrano during the duel came to my memory as I sat before my computer bemoaning my current situation (see former posts – tags ‘surgery’, ‘Achilles tendon’) I found myself inspired to attempt a small parody of my own. And so I present for your consideration Dear Reader a humble offering which I entitle…

The Musings of a Gimp after Watching Cyrano De Bergerac
By Dennis Gray

Lightly I walked ‘cross the boards that day
To fasten my work to the backstage wall
Not seeing the black hole that lay in my way
That soon would become the site of my fall.

A snap of a tendon, the slap of my heel,
A shriek of pain and a retching moan.
A shock from my head to my toes I feel,
Then comes a brand new refrain – I’m stuck home!

My foot in a cast, my heart in a sling
I hobble, I stumble, I shuffle, I crawl.
Each day becomes a laborious thing
As each second is marked by the clock on the wall.

A visitor comes! Oh Callooh! Oh Callay!
We talk for a while of the places they roam.
A movie we watch and then – on their way,
And once more the soulful refrain – I’m stuck home!

Outside of my window the traffic flows past
While inside the boredom I try to forestall;
I blog and I email, play hits from the past,
Get beaten in Scrabble by words like ‘quetzal.’

They take me physio – they bend and they stretch
On a modern day rack made of vinyl and chrome.
They say I’m a ‘picture’ – I feel more like a sketch,
Again comes the endless refrain – I’m stuck home!

Refrain:
Dear Friend, think of me, sojourning through trouble
As I ponder a name for this four-wall syndrome
And perhaps you might bring me a large double-double
For yet I still sing the refrain – I’m stuck home!

With apologies to Edmond Rostand, until next time…

Shalom

 

At last… Some freedom

/ Dennis A. Gray / Leave a comment

Good news from my physiotherapist today. I can start to put weight on my left foot!

Now of course this doesn’t mean I can go around running marathons or anything, but I can move from one room to the next with only the one crutch or my cane. Which makes me much more mobile. Struggling to keep my balance on one foot and the like while I was on the ‘no weight at all’ restriction was a real challenge some times. Now I can use the left foot (still in the storm trooper boot of course) to balance myself out, so I can stand for a while and do things. And as long as the single crutch or the cane is taking most of the weight (75%) I can walk a few steps. For long distances I need both crutches.

Of course with this also comes a new set of exercises. I’m starting on the stretching exercises now to keep the scar tissue on my tendon from hardening and restricting my range of motion. There is some discomfort after the exercises which is why I have to stay off my feet for a while after I’ve done them, but it will, as they say, be worth it. I’m beginning to feel more optimistic about being able to participate in the Ride to Conquer Cancer in June.

It also means I’ll be able to get out a bit more, though for the most part I’m still looking at taking cabs most places. Problem is… it’s winter. If it was anytime in late spring to early fall, I’d just hobble my way on crutches to the bus stop and off I’d go. But snow, ice and crutches aren’t a terrific mix. I’m concerned about making it to the bus stop safely. So until the snow clears, or they allow full weight bearing on the foot I need to pick my rides carefully.

Speaking of which, I really want to thank those of you who have been helping me through this. The rides, the visits etc. have all been just great. I have a new appreciation for the simple joy of just being able to talk with someone over coffee for a while. Thank you so much.

Well, I guess that’s it for now. I’m off to Guelph Little Theatre tonight to watch “The Curious Savage.” Apparently it’s a pretty good show. Nice sound effects.

Until next time… Shalom.

 

Samson in the 24th 1/2 Century?

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This just in…

Variety reports that Warner Bros. is planning a futuristic retelling of the story of Samson & Delilah. The full article can be read here.

I have mentioned before that I enjoy looking at the gospel and the stories of the Bible from different perspectives because it causes you to take a fresh look at things you might be taking for granted. So in some regards this project intrigues me. It has a strong director, Francis Lawrence (I am Legend), and a good writer, Scott Silver (8 Mile, X-Men:Origins), so as a movie it likely won’t be a complete disaster. The question is; how well will the original point of the story come across? Or if you like; how much will the sub-plots created to support the Sci-Fi environment get in the way?

Biblical movies, or movies inspired by Biblical stories are usually a mixed blessing. As I said, while they can provide a fresh vision of the story allowing us to rethink some of our preconceived notions, they can also, and this happens a lot, get so caught up in the subplots design to make a “better story” out of it that the real purpose of the tale is lost in translation.

Cecil B. DeMille’s ‘Ten Commandments‘ is a good example. So much time is spent on the love triangle story involving Moses (Charlton Heston) and the Egyptian princess Nefretiri (Anne Baxter) and Rameses (Yul Brynner) that the 40 years wandering in the desert is reduced to a single line of dialog in the last moments of the film. Despite this drawback however, I must give DeMille his due. He doesn’t mess with the basic Biblical story, he either had to much respect for the Scriptures to do that or he knew he’d have the combined wrath of Christian and Jewish clergy to deal with if he did. He did however, love to embellish the story with as much extra material as he could get away with; after all, nothing sells a movie like a good love triangle.

He did the same thing seven years earlier when he made ‘Samson and Delilah‘ starring Victor Mature and Hedy Lemarr. It’s done in true DeMille style, great costumes, lavish sets, lots of special effects, and excellent casting. Though to be fair Mature was not his first choice, but Burt Lancaster and Steve Reeves both turned the part down. Even so, it still stands today as the most watched cinematic treatment of the story.

Over all Demille did a great job of telling the stories of the Bible in ways that captured peoples imaginations and, more often than not, respected the integrity of the Biblical narrative. And I think that is why they succeeded as well as they did. Yes, all star casts and lots of pomp and slendor helped, but respect for the story itself I think is the most important aspect of his approach. When you look at his additions to the narrative most of them are completely in keeping with the times and do not contradict the biblical narrative. Just because the Bible doesn’t mention a romantic connect for Moses in Egypt doesn’t mean he was celebate, it just means it didn’t affect the story God wanted in the scriptures.

There is one other movie version of the story from the book of Judges that I know about but haven’t seen as of yet. Part of a late 1990s Bible Movie Collection produced in Germany (which also contains films about Moses, Abraham and Jeremiah) it starred Eric Thall and Elizabeth Hurley as Samson and Delilah (respectively – wouldn’t want any confusion. lol). From the reviews I’ve read it appears to do a more than reasonable job of presenting the Biblical story with culturally accurate additions to fill out the three hours of film. I’m told it takes a few shortcuts on the special effects, but I guess they didn’t have DeMille’s budget. It sounds like one I’d like to see and add to my collection. On a purely movie fan note, another reason I want to see this film is it also contains performances by Dennis Hopper and Diana Rigg.

A sci-fi version of the Samson story could indeed provide some insights, especially if Lawrence and Silver protect the integrity of the Biblical narrative. And this doesn’t mean that Samson has to spout dialog straight from the book of Judges, I’ll be happy if he acknowledges the source of his power is God, or at least a higher power outside of himself. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

In the meantime, if any of you know of other worthwhile examples of how to do a biblical movie right I’d love to hear about it. Drop me a line in the comments section. Likewise ,if you know of a classic example of just how bad it can get drop me a line in the comments about that as well.

Until next time… Shalom.

And pass the popcorn.