Swim Meet Entry Card - 1975.

Here it is, nice and efficient. Each swimmer picked one of these up at the Clerk of Course when checking in for your event. You handed it to the timer before the event and swam.

DC101 (1976). I'm going through some of the really old stuff I have squirreled away in my basement and have found some interesting things from the 1970s. I'll post some scans here over the next few days/weeks/months.

First up, an easy one. Here's a bumper sticker for the FM Radio Station, DC101. It broadcast the cutting edge rock stuff. I guess back in the mid-1970's this classic rock format was cutting edge:


The VW Bug I drove back then was exactly the same color of orange:



That's my girlfriend Debbie in the beetle.

Here's the link to today's 101.

Galactic Cowboys.

In looking up stuff on Larry Norman, I came across this video by another favorite band, The Galactic Cowboys; it's called "If I Were A Killer:"

(Warning -- this is very hard rock)

Lyrics:

This is just a hypothetical story
Of someone, let's just say it's me
I'd gain acceptance for my murderous ways
By stalking a defenseless prey

If I were a killer, I'd smile just like the boy next door
If I were a killer, I'd say I do it for the poor
If I were a killer, You'd bring me victims more and more
If I were a killer!

Supreme Court would agree to hear my case
And find me innocent of crime
Holding public rallies to incite sympathy
Creative actuality

If I were a killer, I'd hide behind a doctor's door
If I were a killer, I'd scrape you off my office floor

Other songs of a similar vein(no pun intended):

• Kill Floor
• I'm Not Amused
  

I always like this from the band's FAQ:

6. Are you a christian band?

NO!

7. Are you Christians?

YES!

Here's a great fan page.

I'm Blue.

I'm feeling melancholy. I learned this morning that an attorney I worked with years ago just died. Apparently she had four young kids. She died of a virus. She didn't feel well a week ago and went to the doctor and they hospitalized her, but couldn't do anything for her.

Gone -- just like that.

Update.

Here is her obituary:

Kelly Martin Calahan, Age 45, of Manassas, Virginia passed away on March 8, 2008. A life-long Virginian, Kelly was born in Atkins and graduated from both Virginia Tech and the George Mason School of Law. Kelly is survived by her husband, Louis Calahan; one daughter Carleigh, age 7; two sons, Quinn, age 9 and Luke, age 4; her parents, + and Robert Martin of Atkins, Virginia; her sister and brother-in-law, Karen and Mike Haga of Coppell, Texas and one brother and sister in-law, Dennis and Jenny Martin, St. Petersburg, Florida and a host of friends. Kelly was a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church, in Manassas, Virginia and had a passionate commitment to helping the less fortunate throughout her life. Kelly became a committed wife and mother after marrying Lou, the love of her lifetime in 1998. Kelly was actively involved in all aspects of her children's educational and recreational activities. Professionally, Kelly spent her career as an attorney in a variety of government positions and was serving as Associate Counsel at the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C. at the time of her death. Kelly was an avid home decorator. Her other interests included reading, shopping and cooking. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11 at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 5460 Hoadly Road, Manassas, Va. Arrangements are being handled by Miller Funeral Home of Woodbridge In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Kelly's favorite charity, the St. Jude Children's Hospital Memorial Program, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105.

More.

The memorial service today was very beautiful. As I expected, the Church was packed and there was no place to park. Kelly touched many lives -- indeed she was a person full of life. Her brother and sister both spoke eloquently of her and you could see in them and in J. Kelly Martin Callahan that this was (and is) a sterling family.

Laetare Sunday.

This is Laetare Sunday, one of the two Sundays of the Liturgical year in which rose-colored vestments are authorized. The other is Gaudete Sunday in Advent (hence the rose-colored candle in the Advent wreath).

These traditions hearken back to pre-literate times when instruction was given through stained glass windows, vestments and the like of the liturgical year. Both Advent and Lent are times of fasting, with Lent focusing on Jesus fasting in the wilderness. During these times of fasting the vestments and altar cloths are purple (or blue) to reflect the sober times. The "pink" vestments remind us that even in these times of fasting, God gives us grace. Even as He sent angels to His Son during His time in the wilderness, Laetare Sunday reminds us that in tough times He is always there with grace and mercy.

I love these traditions and I believe they speak to a need in all of us for something more than the written word, the spoken word. We see it in the pink and yellow ribbons being worn by so many, the message bracelets and so on.

This is a Sunday to remember there is Joy in the journey. Laetare is latin for rejoice (the opening words of the introit were "laetare Jerusalem" or "rejoice Jerusalem). So this is a day to celebrate and rejoice!

The KKK or...

Planned Parenthood? "...this is the first time I've had a donor call and make this kind of request, so I'm excited, and want to make sure I don't leave anything out."

What was it the caller wanted?

"the less black kids out there the better." (via Kathy Shaidle)

You can hear it here. (you should listen to it quickly -- the abortion zealots will shut it down quickly.) The conversation begins at about the 2 minute mark.

LN: My Story.

It was October 1978 -- I was devouring the Bible and meeting with a diverse group of young believers. My girlfriend was away at James Madison University and I was going to school at George Mason.

I was really into music -- Neil Young, Bob Dylan, the Who, Springsteen, the Rolling Stones. Dylan was just about to break into his "Gospel Phase" and I had never heard of "Christian Music."

I mean, I really dug the Bible and Jesus and even Moses and all the books of the Old Testament. But Christian Music. Forget it. It was musty sounding hymns.

(Yeah, when I was younger we had folk mass -- the songs of Ray Repp -- but I hadn't connected that with "Christian Music.")

My girlfriend's brother, Ken (a fellow believer) and I drove down to JMU to visit her and some friends. While there, she brought me to see this gnarlly old 5th or 6th year student, Robbie Pitts. (at that time he seemed old -- I was 19.) Anyway, we were all hanging around and my girlfriend begged him to play "that guy." He asked me if I'd ever heard of Larry Norman. Larry Norman, I thought -- it sounds like an accountant. That's not the name of a rocker...

And then he put on a record - "So Long Ago...the Garden" and b.l.e.w..m.e..a.w.a.y....

I remember it was "Garden" because of the painting on the back of the snake skin boots and the apple. (to this day I've wanted snake skin boots) I asked Robbie where he found this album -- it was great. Then he put on "In another Land." Awesome...

It was Neil Young, the Rolling Stones and Leon Russell all rolled into one. And singing a true song about God and life and Christ. I had to get me a copy.

The next week, I looked up "Bible bookstore" in the yellow pages and found "Words of Wisdom" in Annandale. They had about 100 to 150 albums and none of them looked promising. But there in the bin was one album with that guy with the blond hair on the cover (the picture on the left) wearing something that looked like Capt. America, so I snatched it up.

This one was much rougher -- it was Street Level -- intentionally produced to sound like a demo or bootleg album. And that gave it even more cache. But LN albums were hard to find and so we swapped cassettes until we could find one here or there. And in time, from reading the liner notes of the albums, I learned about G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy Sayers, C.S. Lewis, Flannery O'Connor, Malcolm Muggeridge, Francis Schaeffer and others.

In short, Larry Norman helped keep me sane in a world of tvpreachers and intellectual-hating pentecostals and Bible-hating mainliners and the Religious Right and the Religious Left.

* * *

He had a great background in roots music. There was a great used record store in Georgetown a long time ago and the owner said Larry would come in and clean out all kinds of great blues records that no one was listening to anymore.

He was incredibly paranoid and delusional -- even a devoted fan such as I could recognize that. I later heard that he was bi-polar, that he had suffered a brain injury. Even so, there was something about this that gave me the courage to stand up in church and say, the bishop has no clothes.

He was a goofball -- funny and witty. Very self-deprecating. But on the other hand, he was an incredible self-promoter. You always knew he was "the Father of Jesus Rock."

He was creative and inspired and had a great knack for finding and promoting talent. Look at the "stable" of Solid Rock musicians: Randy Stonehill, Mark Heard, Steve Camp, the group Daniel Amos. Then Malcolm and Allwyn, Sheila Walsh, the Barrett Band. There were others I'm sure I'm leaving out (Lyrix?)

And the few times I saw him in concert, he was incredible. Not necessarily the performances, although these were good. What really set him apart is that he would spend hours after a show meeting with people and talking to them about Christ and their problems and praying for them. Hours -- until the early hours of the morning. If you could wait to see him, he would stop and take time with you.

* * *

In time, Larry Norman even led me back to the Hymns.

But knowing Robbie, I'm sure these were the first lines of Larry Norman I heard:

last night i had that same old dream
it rocked me in my sleep
and left me the impression
that the sandman plays for keeps...

Be Careful What You Sign by Larry Norman.

Here's a video I put together tonight to one of my favorite LN songs, "Be Careful What You Sign" from the "So Long Ago the Garden" album; 1973.

Note - video had a mistake and was slightly revised.

Why Don't You Look Into Jesus by Larry Norman.

First, this is probably all I'll be writing about for awhile -- Larry Norman had a profound impact on my life. This song sort of epitomizes what he was about. He wrote this back in the 60's when you couldn't say some of this stuff on the radio. Much less in a song about Jesus.

Sipping whiskey from a paper cup,
You drown your sorrows till you can't get up,
Take a look at what you've done to yourself,
Why don't you put the bottle back on she shelf,

Yellow fingers from your cigarettes,
Your hands are shaking while your body sweats,
Why don't you look into Jesus, He's got the answer.

Gonorrhea on Valentines Day,
And you're still looking for the perfect lay,
You think rock and roll will set you free,
You'll be deaf before your thirty three,

Shooting junk till your half insane,
Broken needle in your purple vein,
Why don't you look into Jesus, he's got the answer.

You work all night, sleep all day,
You take your money, throw it all away,
You say you're going to be a superstar,
But you've never hung around enough to find out who you really are.

Think back to when you were a child,
Your soul was free, your heart ran wild,
Each day was different, and life was a thrill,
You knew tomorrow would be better still,

Things have changed you're much older now,
If you're unhappy and you don't know how,
Why don't you look into Jesus, He's got the answer

The Outlaw by Larry Norman.

Probably the best song he ever did.

More - I modified this -- the oringinal video I posted was a little hard to hear, but may be found here.

The Tune by Larry Norman.

Larry Norman, Home at Last.


I just received an email from an old friend, my college roommate - Larry Norman has passed away.

I will have more to say - for now, a song from Larry:

When you first begin your journey, you're not sure just who you are
And the lessons that you're learning, they don't take you very far.
And you just can't keep from stumbling, though you try so hard to stand,
And the truth can be so humbling when it's just beyond your hand.

As though youth were my invention, as though love lay undefined,
To stay free was my intention, to stay young and unconfined.
And so I held my pride above you, oh, yes, what a fool was I,
Holding back those words "I love you," and letting out that word goodbye.

I was wrong to let you go
I was a child and I did not know
About the love that we both could have given
And now you've gone so far away,
I hope I'll see you again someday
But if I don't, I hope I'll see you in heaven.

I was foolish in my younger days to think they'd never end
Life confused me with its changing ways, and I could not comprehend
All the meaning in those moments now lost like footprints in the sand
And I'm standing here remembering, but it's so hard to understand.

I was wrong to let you go
I was a child and I did not know
About the love that we both could have given
And now you've gone so far away,
I hope I'll see you again someday
But if I don't, I hope I'll see you in heaven.

Now I'm sitting in this garden in the middle of my days
And my memories drift and harden as the years they slip away,
And I've been looking in this mirror at the age around my eyes
Time is such an earnest laborer, precision is his neighbor.
Lay my body in the ground, but let my spirit touch the sky.

I was wrong to let you go
I was a child and I did not know
About the love that we both could have given
And now you've gone so far away,
I hope I'll see you again someday
But if I don't, I hope I'll see you in heaven.

Great Race.

Back in the Summer of 2006, my sister and I had a little race -- she's a former Gold Medal State Champion in Butterfly (Hawai'i). I'm just a pretender. Anyway, we had a short race and she whipped me. Unfortunately, the battery ran out, so the clip is very short.

Build it and they will come.

The Obama campaign has come up with a great idea - throwback baseball shirts bearing the candidate's name. Naturally, here's my favorite:

I like the looks of the Dodgers version:



And they've even got the old Padres style:

Field of Dreams?

History of The Marines' Hymn: (exerpt from Warrior Culture of the U.S. Marines, Copyright 2001 Marion F. Sturkey) The U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Air Force all have their own songs.

For the U.S. Navy, Anchors Aweigh was written in 1906 by Lt. Charles Zimmerman and midshipman Alfred Miles. Initially the song was a tribute to the Naval Academy Class of 1907. Various people revised it later, trying to weed out the nonsense. Another midshipman, Royal Lovell, penned the final stanza in 1926. Anchors Aweigh has a snappy little tune, but no one knows what the words imply. The original first stanza in 1906 had dealt solely with the game of football. Even today, the song offers a bittersweet "farewell to college joys." The lyrics end by "wishing you a happy voyage home." Many musical experts think that Anchors Aweigh is a ballad for football players who like sailboats. But, no one really knows for sure.

The U.S. Army adopted a snazzy tune for The Caisson Song. Unlike the words in the Navy's song, the words of the Army's song make sense. According to the words of each stanza, The Caisson Song clearly is a melody for rural motorists. Edmund Gruber wrote the original lyrics in the Philippines during World War I. Naturally, since most of the fighting was 8000 miles away in Europe, Gruber made only a passing reference to warfare. Yet, he was careful to be "politically correct." He apparently sought the help of first grade students in composing the lyrics. The banal "Hi, hi, hee" is a dead giveaway. No one has a clue as to what it might mean. Still, at least it rhymes.

The U.S. Air Force did not exist in 1938. But, that year Liberty Magazine sponsored a contest for an official song for the Army Air Corps. The magazine received 757 entries. A group of Army Air Corps wives (yes, believe it or not, wives) selected the entry from Robert Crawford, Off We Go into the Wild Blue Yonder.

After World War II the Army Air Corps evolved into the U.S. Air Force. This fledgling flying club adopted Off We Go' as their official song. It suited the illusionary nature of the new Wild-Blue-Yonder-Wonders with references to "those who love the vastness of the sky" and the fictitious "rainbow's pot of gold." The final stanza speaks of the "gray haired wonder," an admirable gesture of non-discrimination for the new civilianized Air Force.

These three songs, Anchors Aweigh, The Caisson Song, and Off We Go into the Wild Blue Yonder, are often played at public events. They obviously delight the members and advocates of the affected service: Navy, Army, or Air Force. When their song is played, sailors, soldiers, and zoomies leap to their feet and shout, cheer, clap their hands, and jive with the music. They have a jolly time, almost like a high school pep rally.

The U.S. Marine Corps is the United States' military band of brothers dedicated to warfighting. The proud Brotherhood of Marines is guided by principles, values, virtues, love of country, and its Warrior Culture. This brotherhood of American Patriots has no song. Instead, Marine Warriors have a hymn. When The Marines' Hymn is played, United States Marines stand at attention. They silently show their pride in their fellow Marines, their Corps, their Country, their heritage, and their hymn.

The Marines' Hymn is a tribute to Warriors. Marine Warriors stormed fortress Derna, raised the American flag, and gave us "the shores of Tripoli." Marines fought their way into the castle at Chapultepec and gave us the "halls of Montezuma." Marines exist for the purpose of warfighting. Fighting is their role in life. They "fight for right and freedom" and "to keep our honor clean." They fight "in the air, on land, and sea." The Marine Corps is Valhalla for Warriors. U.S. Marines need no song. They have a hymn.

Ironically, no one knows who wrote the hymn, which was in widespread use by the mid-1800s. Col. A.S. McLemore, USMC, spent several years trying to identify the origin of the tune. In 1878 he told the leader of the Marine Band that the tune had been adopted from the comic opera Genevieve de Barbant, by Jaques Offenback. Yet, others believe the tune originated from a Spanish folk song. Whatever! Regardless of its origin, The Marines' Hymn has remained a revered icon of the United States Marine Corps for almost 200 years.

In 1929 The Marines' Hymn became the official hymn of the Corps. Thirteen years later in November 1942 the Commandant approved a change in the words of the first verse, fourth line. Because of the increasing use of aircraft in the Corps, the words were changed to "In the air, on land, and sea." No other changes have been made since that time. When you have attained absolute perfection, there is no need for further modification:

From the Halls of Montezuma,
To the Shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of UNITED STATES MARINES.

Our flag's unfurled to every breeze,
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in every clime and place
Where we could take a gun;
In the snow of far off northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes;
You will find us always on the job --
The UNITED STATES MARINES.

Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve;
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve;
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven's scenes;
They will find the streets are guarded
By UNITED STATES MARINES.

Sir Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister, became an ardent admirer of the U.S. Marine Corps. In the company of guests of state, he often demonstrated his respect for U.S. Marines by reciting, from memory, all three verses of The Marines' Hymn.

(hat tip to my sister, the daughter of a Marine.)

Finally! Art Monk makes it to the Hall of Fame. The other inductees: Darrell Green, Gary Zimmerman, Emmitt Thomas, Fred Dean, and Andre Tippett.

More.

Into the Hall. NFL Hall of Fame voter Len Pasquarelli has a column up which gives a little background on today's voting for the Hall of Fame.

Here, in order, is who I'd be voting for if I had a vote:

1. Art Monk
2. Darrell Green
   
3. Cris Carter
   
4. Randall McDaniel
   
5. Derrick Thomas
   
6. Richard Dent
   
7. Ray Guy
   
8. Emmitt Thomas
   
9. Russ Grimm

In my opinion, every one of these belongs, it's just a question of when.

The Debate Continues. Here is a great website to view the latest on the global warming debates: Climate Debate Daily. It's done by the same folks who put on Arts and Letters Daily.

Proud to be the Son of a Marine.

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