Requiem

Mentor, counselor, friend

 Fr. Aloysius János Kimecz, O. Cist. Fr. Aloyius János Kimecz was born in Hejo bába, Hungary on Dec. 26, 1926, and passed away on December 17, 2010. After graduating from high school, he began studies in the Teacher's College of Eger, Hungary, but was soon drafted by the Hungarian Army to serve in the Second World War. He was sent for training to Germany and then to German-occupied France. At the end of the war, he was a POW under French and later American troops. After the war he entered the Cistercian Abbey of Zirc in Hungary and finished the novitiate in 1948. When the Communist government announced the suppression of the monastery in 1950, Aloysius joined a group of young Cistercians who escaped from Hungary by crossing the Iron Curtain to the West. After a brief stay and studies in Rome, he immigrated to the United States. He continued his studies at Marquette University in Milwaukee, then in Puerto Rico and finally at Southern Methodist University, where he obtained his Master's Degree in Spanish. Aloysius was ordained a priest on June 23, 1953 at the Cistercian Abbey of Spring Bank Abbey in Wisconsin. Father Aloysius worked in various capacities in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and taught at Our Lady of Victory High School in Ft. Worth and St. Edward High School in Dallas. He served on the first faculty of Cistercian Preparatory School when it opened in 1962. He served as novice master for the Cistercian Abbey 1965-68. In the Prep School he was Form Master for classes '79 and '87. An excellent teacher, form master and friend, in his last years he became particularly close to the new generation of Cistercian monks in the Abbey, promoting their love of learning and loyalty to the Monastery. He died after many years of illness. Several nephews and nieces survive him in Hungary. The Rosary will be prayed for him on Monday, December 20 at 7:30 in the Cistercian Abbey Church. The Mass of Christian Burial will be con-celebrated on Tuesday, December 21 at 10 AM, Abbot Denis Farkasfalvy officiating. Memorials may be made to the Young Monks Educational Fund of the Cistercian Abbey Our Lady of Dallas, 3550 Cistercian Road, Irving, TX 75039.

Blue Plate Specials!

• Somewhere today, near lunchtime, my colleague spotted a magnetic sign "Ask About Our $5 Lunch Specials!"
• The sign adorned a small dumpster in front of a restaurant.
• Pass.
• We instead chose the Railhead BBQ in Willow Park.  Best brisket I've had in a long time - melts in your mouth.
• An employee had on a shirt that, on the back, said "Life is too short to live in Southlake".
• I liked that.
• However, in fairness, and as one not often given to complimenting the Dragon city, I have to give them props for their Teen Court program.  One-of-the-family-members-who-is-a-teenager [ahem!] was, uh, recently introduced to the program, and so far I'm quite impressed by the way that it's run.
• I used to office in Southlake Town Square.
• Their new DPS/Courts building is super impressive also, though that's not surprising, being on the periphery of SLTS.
• The weather today could not have been any better.
• I'm not Baptist, but, if I didn't already have some plans, would attend Runaway Bay Baptist Church this Sunday.  I hear they have a really good interim interim Pastor. 
• Yeah, I used the word 'interim' twice.
• On purpose.
• I've heard him preach before at Lake Worth BC.  I guess he specializes in Lake towns...

Welcome to the 'hood

I suppose one could devote a whole picture book to the subject of signs that give slightly altered messages when they're missing words or letters.

• A friend got me a USB turntable for my birthday, one of those that you can convert your vinyl LPs to MP3/CDs.  The first records I've converted are Michael [Martin]¹ Murphey's Lone Wolf and Peaks, Valleys, Honky-Tonks & Alleys, from 1978 & 1979, neither of which had been reissued digitally.  PVHTA features a live, sing-along version of Geronimo's Cadillac, in which Murphey admonishes the audience : "...come on and sing now, y'all sound like a bunch of Methodists!"
• True.
• McCartney's performances on SNL last night were very good.  Maybe not great, but still very good.
• Attended the office Christmas party Friday night.  A good time was had.  Especially the Chinese gift exchange.  I always feel better if the gift I give gets 'stolen', and it did.  The one I received did not, which was OK, too.  Many of the guest brought their kids, but I didn't have mine this weekend.  :-(
• Louis Charles "B. W." Stevenson attended the same high school in Oak Cliff as Michael Murphey, though I can't tell that they ever recorded together.
• On RPM's blog today, he recounts a youthful episode of train-hopping as a prelude/tie-in to a news story about a hapless stowaway who tried to catch a ride from Charlotte to Boston in the wheel well of a 737. 
• Bad decision.
• The story did remind me, however, of a line from Canadian Gordon Lightfoot's Early Mornin' Rain.  I became familiar with versions of the song by Peter, Paul & Mary and The Kingston Trio before Lightfoot's version.  The PP&M YouTube has better [B&W] video and audio, but I liked the KT version better, from a 1967 Andy Williams special.  Lead vocalist here is John Stewart, who later penned Daydream Believer for the Monkees (also covered by Anne Murray), and had a minor hit, Gold, in the '70s, assisted by Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham, who claimed to have learned to play guitar from listening to KT records.
• I have sometimes thought it would be fun to ride a freight, but it probably wouldn't be a bright idea [for me].

¹ Murphey later began using his middle name in 1981 when the movie Hard Country which he co-wrote came out, to distinguish himself from another actor with a similar name.

DUI

Some folks may object to being lectured, but as long as people keep getting killed needlessly, it's a good reminder:

Well, isn't that just ducky?

• This morning on the way to work, Jody Dean played John Lennon's #9 Dream.  I've always liked that song - kind of an ethereal (like Honey Bunches of Oats?  No.) feel to it - but suspect that its popularity owes at least in part to the racy-sounding refrain.
• He noted, as has been done many times today, that it's the 30th anniversary of Lennon's passing.  Passing?  Can I help you?  He didn't pass - he was murdered.
• I have written previously that I wasn't a huge fan, but certainly I like quite a bit of his music.  And it would be silly not to recognize the immense influence he had individually, as well as with the lads, on music and popular culture.
• The Pied Piper blogger of the county northwest of here (but who resides about five minutes away) doesn't care for Mike Huckabee, but I'm disappointed that WBAP has moved him from 7:30a to 5:30a.
• When receiving criticism, I'm getting better about shutting up and listening more.  Kind of.
• Guess I'm gonna have to remove the '[approaching] middle age' notation from my profile.  I'm here.
• Mr. Corner, please give W-spouse a big ol' kiss from me. 40?  Why, thank you!
• Another sign of the times:

• One of the recent new hires used to work for the auto auction, shown above, which has been repurposed as a recreation vehicle auction.  Nice boats!  Lots of motorhomes, too.
• Back in the day, I used to finance auto floorplan (inventory) lines, and my dealer customers would sometimes loan me their access cards so I could go to the auction and shop for cars.  Used car floorplan lending fell out of fashion in the late '80s-early '90s.  Not 'sexy' enough, mortgage lending became the rage.  I guess we know how that worked out.  I could write a heckuva floorplan financing policy for a bank, though, and I think there's much to be said for that kind of nuts-and-bolts lending.
• Visited briefly with a man this morning - an immigrant from the other side of the globe.  My age or a bit older, he's been here 25 years, a citizen for 15.  It's an interesting perspective you get from talking with people not born here.  A business owner, he loves the opportunities available here, bemoans the state of the economy and the myopia of some of the people in his industry sector.  The one thing he expressed strong concern for was that Americans seem to be throwing out the values system that made this country great. 
• I agree.
• Last night while searching for videos of Alice Cooper, I was disappointed that Vincent isn't quite the meticulous performer I'd imagined.  A lot of the performances were fairly lackluster.  I watched a KISS video a couple of weeks ago, from Thunder Tales - wasn't too impressed, but not surprised, either.  I've heard Mr. Furnier didn't do drugs back in the day, but did spend most of those years sauced. It shows.
• A piano prodigy in the making:

• I've said it before: I love the Stockyards.
• There was a Wild Bill Hickok-looking dude near the Rodeo Arena today.  I could dig riding a horse up and down Exchange Avenue, but I doubt that it pays very well.
• But I don't understand this:

A little closer...

• I mean, sure, I've heard of shotgun weddings.  But I'm getting this odd mental image, what with the stock pens and all, of a rancher dad following behind the groom with a cattle prod and zapping the boy on the 'nads...

Sign of the times...

Seen recently next to a curb, newspapers piled up on the front walk - foreclosure, perhaps?

I want to start by thanking the readers of this blog for the kind words, encouragement, and well wishes.  I haven't been ailing, or taking a well-deserved rest.  Just a little busy, and too lazy to blog lately.

• I've had in mind to write a post about the blind men who TSA the elephant, each arriving at a different conclusion as to the nature of the beast.  The cacophany of voices these days, proclaiming what ails the world/nation/workplace/family, has been vexing me.  Many of the diagnoses may be right, but my sense is that most are like those blind men.
• While I'm not ailing, I am older.  Half a century?  Gimme a break!  To paraphrase Alice Cooper, I was eighteen, not that long ago.
• Daughter had a piano recital last night.  Of about 18 performers, she was the only one to perform from memory.  Yeah, I'm a proud dad.  She also had an accompanist on violin - her mom.  Not too shabby.
• Have been invited to a Christmas party this or next weekend.  I have to get an inexpensive gift for the Chinese exchange.  Those are usually pretty fun.  Interesting to see what some people will go nuts for.
• Oldest son's pickup is in sick bay, awaiting a fuel pump transplant.  He's been working extra hours at his after school/weekend job, but will have to squeeze in the time to drop the tank to replace the pump.  He can get it pretty reasonably from an online supplier, but can't order it until he removes the old one because the manufacturer used two different types - with different electrical terminals.  And he won't know which one he has until it's dismantled.  Aggravation!
• Middle son is manager/scorer for his HS basketball team - enjoying what he's doing, but ready to drop the scoring pencil at a moment's notice to get on the court.
• The priest who was my 'homeroom' teacher for eight years is nearing the end of his earthly journey.  Wracked by the physical and emotional scars of capture and confinement in war-torn Europe, then additionally persecuted when Soviet tanks rolled into his country in 1956, he somehow maintained his Spirit and gave encouragement and wise counsel to generations of students.  There's no doubt a greeting of  "Well done, my good and faithful servant" awaiting him.
• I attended Catholic school, but am not of that denomination.
• Dinner tonight was experimental mac-n-cheese.  A cup of shells and a cup of penne rigata, a 2:1 blend of Velveeta:Neufchâtel, a tablespoon of [real] bacon bits, and a sliced up spicy Italian parmesan sausage (leftover from Saturday night spaghetti) from Sprouts.  Not too bad, but I could have spent more time seasoning it.

The M-60 prop is pretty cool.  Wonder if I could get away wearing Alice's outfit to work?

Rest in Peace, Lagniappe

One of my Saturday morning indulgences is to read Lagniappe's Lair, written by a West Virginian on a variety of topics, often including the shooting sports, and classic Western movie clips on Saturdays, but mostly about the exploits of Lagniappe, a beautiful retired German Shepherd police dog with a colorful personality. 

Of late, the posts have told how Lagniappe had begun losing neuro-motor control in his back legs to canine degenerative myelopathy, a progressive disease.  Still, his character showed through, even as his mobility impairment advanced.

This morning, I read, through tears, that the disease had advanced to an untenable state, and that yesterday his owner/friend, after sharing a long evening of conversation and treats, and a delicious last breakfast, took his beloved friend for an extended car ride and a final trip to the vet.

Four years ago this week, my wife and I took turns staying up with our Chow/Spitz mix, Sara.  As I had to work the next day, my wife probably shouldered more of the overnight duty than I.  On a crisp November morning, Monday before Thanksgiving, I drove through drops the windshield wipers could not clear away, to the veterinarian's office, to give rest to a dear family friend who in her fifteen years had greeted the births of all three of our children, and had stood watch to alert of any uninvited guests when I was away on business.

Rest in peace, Lagniappe.  With gratitude to all of our canine friends who have enriched and blessed our lives.