Under Reconstruction

Please pardon the dust and such. I am trying out a new logo and reworking the layout here. So the ride is bound to be a bit bumpy and confusing for a short while.

Blogroll Update: Pharyngula

Please welcome Pharyngula to the ol' Prophet or Madman blogroll. Pharyngula is the brainchild of Professor Myers. As an associate professor of biology at the University of Minnesota, Morris, the good professor is well-positioned to report on matters pertaining to evolutionary developmental biology and any other odd bits of biological interest. What exactly falls under that latter category? Oh, how about Intelligent Design, the dumbing down of science, and the dangers of religious belief, to name but a few. Yes, Professor Myers is a self-professed "godless liberal" and a public critic of intelligent design (as well as the creationist movement in general). Myers is an activist in promoting atheism -- or at least nontheism -- in America. So why, given that my blog does indeed focus on matters of the spirit, would I add Pharyngula to my blogroll? Well, Pharyngula is quirky and fun to read. Plus it is chock full of good science information. Some of the best science writing on the web can be found on Pharyngula. Besides, I'm quite comfortable with science (I earned my Physics degree from Penn State), and I happen to support his stance against creation theory. So, you'll find Pharyngula under the Sci & Tech label in the right sidebar. What else can I say about Pharyngula to get you to try it out? I really cannot summarize Myers' blog and do it complete justice. It really is that damn good. So I'll just tease you a bit. I'll tell you that he has posted such interesting thoughts as God as an abortionist, argued against compatibility between religion and science, and bemoaned the state of academics. For more information, check out his about page which explains what exactly pharyngula is, summarizes the good professor's background, and provides a quick summary of the three main aspects of the blog (random quote file, list of science articles, and his own blogroll).

2008 in (My) Review

Salutations, Gentle Reader! Here is my capsule view of 2008. This is not a review of major news and events; rather, it is a summary of my own activity last year and it is based on the annual "Holiday Greetings" letter that accompanies the cards Mrs. Brainwise and I send out. I should also point out that this post is not an exact duplicate of that letter -- I have removed (or severely edited down) my wife's individual entries from the letter because, well, it's not really for me to broadcast her business on here.

With that little bit of an intro, I invite you to read on (if you dare!).

WORK

Another year as a technical writer for a major ecommerce firm, and I find myself with another award. This time it was a team award for all the folks that support our suite of software tools, but I did receive my own statue (and a cash bonus). I was also promoted this year, so I am once again a Senior Technical Writer. And, yes, that is just as exciting as it sounds. In other work news, Mrs. Brainwise celebrated her 15th year at her company -- can you believe that? 15 years in one place! Kudos to her. I swear she is the heart of that place.

HOME

The basement renovation is nearly complete. After the installation of new windows and a coat of paint on the walls and floor, it looks brand new down there. The wait for a new steel door to be installed, however, continues. Until then, stuff from the basement is strewn around the rest of the house and Mom Sibley's basement (many thanks for her continued patience). Update: We shifted alot of stuff from the living room, dining room, office, and guest room back down to the basement just in time for the holidays. It's amazing how much room that reclaimed!

CATS

Milo and Otis started a new canned food diet and Mrs. Brainwise thinks they have never been happier. I think they have never been more annoying (at dinner and breakfast). But there is no denying the boys love their new food and it does seem to be helping their health. The newest cat news concerns Milo: For no discernible reason, he has taken to sitting on the couch with us. Oh, and it's not just sitting near us -- he is actually right up against us, especially when the heater is on. Otis has always been cuddly, so Milo's transformation as cuddler #2 has Mrs. Brainwise overjoyed.

TRAVEL

Mrs. Brainwise traveled extensively this year: overnighting in Atlantic City with her mother a few times, and flying out to California to visit her sister. Aside from attending a few weekend retreats for the School of Sacred Ministries, my only travel occurred in late June/early July when we joined my family for a trip to Atlanta. My sister was scheduled to attend a school counselor conference so everyone tagged along for a vacation. The hotel was gorgeous if a tad crowded and noisy (a slew of high school kids were also attending a conference). I recommend the Botanical Gardens if you are ever in Atlanta – they are simply beautiful. But the real highlight of the trip came the day we left Atlanta and drove to the Smokey Mountain Ruby and Gold Mine in Cherokee, NC, where we panned for gemstones! It was so much fun finding all sorts of great gems. Next, Mrs. Brainwise and I struck out on our own to follow the Blue Ridge Parkway -- starting out by going the wrong direction (maybe we didn’t want to go home so soon). This was the most amazing drive ever, and we ended up in the most amazing town ever: Boone, NC. This little mountain community is perfect. It has that Penn State feel -- provided by Appalachian State University -- and it is a beautiful town. It could even become our annual vacation spot.

ANNIVERSARIES

Mrs. Brainwise and I celebrated eight years of marriage and my 40th birthday this year. We observed these milestones by attending a football game in Philadelphia: the Philadelphia Eagles (her team) versus the Pittsburgh Steelers (my team). We sat in season ticket territory -- about 10 rows behind the Steelers bench -- and saw a great game (according to Mrs. Brainwise, that is). Lincoln Financial Field is a great place – from the workers, to the layout, to the food (not that there is much we can actually eat on a gluten free diet), to the game day feeling. It was Mrs. Brainwise’s day as her Eagles defeated the Steelers 15-6.

THEATER

I've completed another season as Project Supervisor for the Montgomery Theater, a small professional theater in Souderton, PA. This year, I focused on upgrading and expanding music and sound effect control for Main Stage productions. For my efforts in this and other projects, I was honored with the 2008 Award of Excellence. Mrs. Brainwise schemed with the theater's staff to ensure that my parents and a few close friends were in the audience for the presentation. And, believe me, I was completely surprised. I just never saw it coming; never expected such an award.

MINISTRY

I continue to serve on the School of Sacred Ministries' Advisory Circle, and have taken a leadership role as the Interim Co-Administrator. Earlier this year, I conducted my first class, Introduction to Indigenous European Spiritualities. This class replaces the previous topic of Celtic Spirituality and Earth Studies that had been part of the curriculum for years. One of my fellow graduates was a co-presenter with me, and our class was a great success. We not only expanded on the original topic -- as evidenced by the title change -- but (in the words of our previous Administrator, who is also the School's co-founder) our presentation was "probably the best class on Celtic spirituality the School has ever had." I am looking forward to teaching my next class, Introduction to Rituals and Ceremonies, at a retreat this coming March. Earlier this year, I was certified to offer premarital counseling and I conducted two more interfaith weddings over the summer -- both of which were outside. I am also honored to say that I am recognized as a gothi, performing spiritual observances for a growing community of Germanic Reconstructionists in the tri-state area.

And now here we are in 2009. I hope you enjoyed the recent holiday season, and I wish you a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Blogroll Update

Please welcome Siglind of Tallahassee, Florida, to the Blogroll. You will find her Heathen Scientist musings under THINK in the right column.

Recent "Theater Lackey" Updates

Just a quick note (or a cross post) to let folks know that there are some new posts over at my theater blog, Confessions of a Serial Theater Lackey. Recent posts include:

• Ohio Student Production Causes Commotion with Local Residents--An Ohio high school's student theater production of an Agatha Christie novel was put on hold over concerns of racial slur.
• The Seven Year Review--Montgomery Theater's production of THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH has been reviewed.

Blogroll Updates

I have updated the Sports category of my blogroll with several blogs for Penn State football.

• Black Shoe Diaries
• The Nittany Notebook
• No Name on My Jersey
• 2 the Lion
• The Nittany Line

Let's Go Lions! (Oh, and here's one for Lehigh University -- Mrs. Brainwise's alma mater).

Blogroll Updates

In broadcasting the format updates, I neglected to mention the updates to the blogroll. Please give a great Prophet or Madman welcome to Siegfried Goodfellow of Heathen Ranter and Mark Seydel's eponymous blog (Reverend Mark J. Seydel). Siegfried has something of a lyrical quality to his musings on Heathen practice. Mark is something of a universalist who is recovering from a Roman Catholic background. Yes, they are both listed under the FAITH category, but they are truly from different ends of the spectrum. Just the way I like it.

More Mods: Three Columns!

On August 25, I unveiled an updated look for the blog. That was Stage I in the makeover. I have finally completed Stage II, which was my goal all along: Three Columns! Prophet or Madman is now organized just the way I want it. The left column contains the elements about me and mine, the central column contains the posts, and the right column contains off-site elements (the blogs I read, causes I support, and other resources). There may be other tweaks in the days or weeks to come, but this is pretty much the basic look and feel you can expect from here on out. Let me know if you have any comments or suggestions.

Modifications

Let me know what you think of the updated look.

Additions to the Blogroll

I added two links to the Blogroll today. Under FAITH, please welcome The Northern Path by Astrid, "a Heathen humanist living in the United States." The Northern Path features news and personal views of the indigenous European spiritual path invariably known as Asatru, Heathenry, the Northern Path, the Folkway, etc. Under THINK, you will see a link to Wotan's Musings by Andrew Higgins. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Hey Brainwise, why didn't you place Wotan's Musings under FAITH?" Well, I'm glad you asked because I have a very good reason for stamping this new addition with THINK. You see, Mr. Higgins' blog is all about linguistics and language and he blogs about [I'm sort of paraphrasing Higgins' own description here] his current studies into Tolkien's linguistic efforts and his explorations into the ancient and medieval languages of Europe. So, his blog fits very will with Blogroll neighbors such as The Cranky Professor and Dialogic. Welcome aboard, Astrid and Andrew! I doubt this new linkage will generate much traffic for you, but at least I'll be able to keep up with your musings more easily.

Absent

Due to a slight change at my day gig--I had to take on more tasks after a colleague left--I've been remiss in posting. If you're a regular visitor here, you probably miss the pics of Milo and Otis more than my rants or news gleanings. For whatever reason you take time out of your day to stop here, I apologize for not having new content for you. I plan to correct the dearth of posts this very week. And maybe even have some cat photos.

Serial Theater Lackey | Updates

Hey, I've updated the look of my theater blog, Confessions of a Serial Theater Lackey. Here are some of the recent posts over there:

• A Pat on My Back
• Students Suspended Over Vagina Monologues
• John Inman: You Will Be Missed
• Creating the Audience

And there's a new link to the Theater Lackey Swag Shop.

Blogroll Updates | Categories

You may have noticed that I've updated the blogroll. No longer are the "other blogs" listed simply in alphabetical order. I have attempted to categorize them! The current categories are:

1. Faith -- Blogs about particular spiritual paths, or blogs that specialize in how religion/faith is covered in the press or academics.
2. Think -- Blogs covering a range of topics (history, meta-gnostic-physics, film, commentary, etc.), but all designed to make you think ... or at least ponder a new idea or two.
3. Politic -- These are blogs that cover politics, politicians, and news about politics and politicians.
4. Tech -- Blogs where the primary focus is on science, technology, computers, etc.
5. Personal -- These blogs might venture out with posts that fit the first 3 or 4 categories I've already defined, but they seem to be more focused on documenting personal experience.
6. Mixed -- Blogs that don't necessarily have a primary focus. They cover topics that fall under categories 1 through 5, but I really cannot bring myself to label them as specifically "personal."
7. Sports -- This category obviously covers blogs that focus on sports and recreation.

If I have a link to your blog, and you feel I have not correctly labeled it, feel free to contact me. Or just leave a comment to this post.

Housekeeping

During my hiatus, I noticed a number of things I don't like about Prophet or Madman. One is the appearance -- I need to update the look around here. This post, however, is not about unveiling a new look. This is about the other thing that bothered me: bad links. Several of the blogs I try to follow have gone through a change or two that must be reflected in ye ol' blogroll. So, I've updated the URLs for A Heathen Blog, Dependable Renegade, in my own words (formerly thoughts from an empty room), poohead, and Tête-a-Tête-Tête. If any of my visitors had relied on my humble site to access those fine (and more frequently updated) pages, I do apologize. Of course, not every change is simply a change in address. The Bull Moose, which seems to have closed shop back in November of '06, has been removed. There are a few other blogs on this list that have not been updated in a while. But their addresses are still correct and I am holding out hope that they -- as I recently have -- will come out of their respective dormancies and begin bloggin' anew. Oh, and please bid a raring Prophet or Madman welcome to Freyrs Domain, the latest addition to the blogroll. That's all for now. Have a great weekend!

Update | Blog Roll

If you will kindly turn your attention to the right sidebar, you will see a new addition under my "Fave Bloggage." Please welcome Bjorn Grimnir and his fine project, which is titled A Heathen Blog. Go ahead and check it out. I am humbled by the breadth of his subject pool, and the depth of his analysis.

Sidebar Updates

In case you didn't notice, there have been a few additions to ye ol' sidebar at the right:

• Støt Danmark! -- Added the flag banner because I couldn't find a small banner that says "God hates cartoons." And if you think Yahweh, Allah, or Mohammed have a problem with the funny pages, go talk to Thor about Stan Lee's work.
• Blogroll Updates:
• The Cranky Professor
Who has no problem using 4,500 years of written history to show you that you're wrong
• impetus java house by Ricia, an "Artist for Social Change" who resides in Calgary, Alberta Canada

Visit them often, but don't forget your first love, Prophet or Madman. And with that, we now return to your regularly scheduled surreality.

Recuperating

Hello Prophets and Mad(wo)men. I returned from my "guest" stay at the local hospital on Friday afternoon. I have quite a bit of catch-up to play now -- and, of course, I need to recuperate from the surgery -- but I wanted to make a quick post to let folks know that I am at home. I will work on posting a summary of my appendiventure, but for now I want to thank the following folks:

1. First and formost, I thank my wife for her tireless help and support during the whole ordeal. And for all she continues to do now that I am at home.
2. I thank my family and friends for their concern, prayers, and support.
3. I thank my blogosphere friends for all the well wishes.
4. And last, but certainly not least, I thank the folks at Sky View Medical as well as the staff at Grandview Hospital for their fine work.

Appendix B

From Mrs. Brainwise: A blogger I will never be ... but I must tell you all that Mr. Brainwise had his appendics removed in emergency surgery on Tuesday night (12-13-05). He is recovering just fine now but computer work will be put off for a bit. Thank you

I.A.D. -- There's Help for the 'Net Addict!

Do you know what Internet Addiction Disorder is? Well, neither do I (though Mrs. Brainwise might argue that I am a tad too familiar with it). But I came across this story about it yesterday:

Hooked on the Web: Help is on the Way By SARAH KERSHAW Published: December 1, 2005 www.nytimes.com THE waiting room for Hilarie Cash's practice has the look and feel of many a therapist's office, with soothing classical music, paintings of gentle swans and colorful flowers and on the bookshelves stacks of brochures on how to get help. But along with her patients, Dr. Cash, who runs Internet/Computer Addiction Services here in the city that is home to Microsoft, is a pioneer in a growing niche in mental health care and addiction recovery. The patients, including Mike, 34, are what Dr. Cash and other mental health professionals call onlineaholics. They even have a diagnosis: Internet addiction disorder... [Read More]

Linkage | Dialogic

I just found out that Prophet or Madman is linked with a whole passel of other blogs under this heady little moniker:

Additional links that open the mind to new modes of thought

Where is this collection of heady, mind-expanding links, you ask? Why, it's right here, Dialogically. Thivai Abhor's efforts, one of Kentucky's finest exports, will soon be seen on the blogroll here.