Earl Babbie PhotoJournal

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
		01 Jackson House Kingdom	02	03 CPA, Civitan Dems, Iowa	04	05
06	07 Democrats	08 Seventy	09 Peter Nero	10 All I want for Christmas...	11 Kingdom	12
13	14 Star-Gazers	15 Art Museum Chamber Music	16 MacBook Air Democrats	17 Electricians, plumbers, and poetry	18	19 Civitan painting
20 Petit Jean Mountain Auto Museum	21 Democratic Action Forum	22	23	24	25	26
27 ASO	28	29	30 Obama Rally	31 Mardi Gras

January 01

Happy New Year!

We spent the morning at Jackson House, with Suze reorganizing in the wake of Christmas activities--
many presents were given to children as well as food, diapers, and sundries--and I spent much of the
time working on Three Roads to the Kingdom.

Which I finished tonight!

My target was to finish the second draft by the end of the year, and I almost made it by staying up
late on New Year's Eve. However, there were some loose ends to catch up, and I did. Now begins the
search for a publisher. Regardless of what happens from here on out, the experience of writing the
book has been one of absolute joy. And I especially appreciate Suze's partnership in that adventure.




January 03

One of my New Year's resolutions is to get back to regular exercise, so I was off to the gym at 6:00
this morning. The temperature outside was 17°. I stayed longer than normal at the gym because
I didn't want to come outside again. There was an interesting sky as I was leaving, which this picture
hints at but doesn't do justice to.



Met with a CPA today to talk about moving BEinc to Arkansas. I was very pleased with him, and I look
forward to our working together.

This being a First Thursday, the evening featured meetings of Civitan (with a visit from a lady who
works with Special Olympics) and the Democratic Club Board meeting. Since I will be officially joining
the Democratic board later in the month, I felt more at home and less like an observer.





Later in the evening, Suze and I watched the Iowa results come in, with the good news for Obama and
Huckabee. While I am definitely not supporting Huckabee, the Arkansas connection makes his race more
interesting than would be the case if he were from, say, Texas or Wyoming.

One aspect of the evening  left me sick at heart.

    Mike Huckabee thanked Janet at the outset of his speech to his supporters.

    John Edwards was introduced by Elizabeth.

    Barak Obama thanked "the rock of the Obama family, the closer on the campaign trail"
    and asked the  crowd to "give it up for Michelle Obama." While they applauded, he kept
    pointing at her across the stage, saying, "You.  You.  You"

    Hillary Clinton stood two bodies away from a former president of the United States, who is
    still enormously popular and who has been campaigning for her. If Bill Clinton could run
    for another term on his own behalf, I'm not sure anyone else would even run. Hillary never
    even mentioned his name, much less thanked him. I didn't see her make eye-contact with
    him. I'm afraid that says volumes about her, and they aren't good volumes. It looked like
    a replay of Al Gore's bad judgment in "distancing" himself from Clinton in 2000.

What are the odds on an Obama/Richardson vs McCain/Huckabee race in the Fall?

[Addendum: She was better in that regard the night of the NH primary.]



January 07

Happy Birthday to Evelyn, 7 years young today. Fast becoming a world traveler, she is
celebrating her birthday in either Argentina or Uruguay.

Is this a great state or what? Ten days ago, I got to meet one of Arkansas' US Senators,
Blanche Lincoln. Today, I met (though didn't converse with) Governor Mike Beebe,
US Senator Mark Pryor, State Democratic Party Chairman Bill Gwatney, and another
130 or so state and county Democrats. Billed as the "January Thaw," we met for a potluck
lunch and campaign kickstart for a Blue November in Arkansas.

I was not there because I'm so important, but because Arkansas politics is open to public
participation: something I loved in Hawaii but missed in California. The only thing I'll take
credit for was, with only the first 10-15 people in the room, County Chair Barbara Thexton
said we should find a way to have people sign in, so we'd have some record of who was
there. I volunteered to greet people and get them to sign in. As a result, I met virtually
everyone who attended. I was kept so busy that I hardly had time to take any pictures.
(Yeah, like that was ever going to be a risk.)

Here are just a few pictures to give you a sense of the event.


Seated: Governor Mike Beebe and State Chair Bill Gwatney. Standing: County Chair, Barbara Thexton


Here's a sense of the room. Senator Pryor is seated down front with his head turned.


Here's a closeup of Senator Pryor.


And a closeup of Governor Beebe.


Ever since arriving here, I've been hearing about party wunderkind, Bruce Sinclair, a young man, widely
recognized as a genius at campaign management. We had a delightful first conversation, and I look forward
to getting to know him better. One loose end I need to follow up on: Bruce said his fiance's grandparents are
named 'Babbie.' I thought I knew all the Babbies.

You'll notice that Suze was absent from this auspicious occasion. She was hard at work at
Jackson House. However, she's already had a chance to meet the governor while helping
him become governor.







January 08

Evelyn turned seven yesterday, and I turned seventy today. A coincidence? I wonder.
But then, I seem to be wondering about more things as time goes on. I wonder why.

There were presents (well I got to open some early), champagne, and let it be known
that cashmere sweaters are not just for sissies any more.

As materialistic as I can be when it comes to computers and cameras, my favorite
present was my own personal poem from my favorite poet:







January 09

Pianist Peter Nero played in the Village tonight. I had never seen him perform before and
expected kind of a cocktail lounge performance. Actually, it was more of a jazz performance,
with heavy improvisation. I say 'heavy' because he really pounded the keyboard--more than
necessary, I thought. Interestingly, we sat behind and conversed with the piano technician
who had tuned the piano before the performance and would do it again afterward.

As I whispered to Suze that he was too loud, I reflected that I am now 70 and expected to
say things like that. And while I'm at it: too many notes (apologies to Amadeus). All this
aside, it was a very enjoyable evening with a talented performer.


Click picture for a short clip.





January 10

Not to belabor the issue of aging, but I can now report on three stages of dental distress.
As a child, you may be taunted by cavities ("You ate too many sweets!"). In middle age, cavities
take a back seat to gum disease ("You should have flossed more!"). And in maturity (yeah, like I'm
now muh-cher), you discover that the bones presumably holding your teeth in place have
been receding like Bush-era glaciers. And just as the melting ice may let go of boulders
it was holding in place, you might want to get a box to keep your teeth in.

It's not quite as bad as that, and many people are spared this lifetime scenario. But I seem
to be into experiencing life fully. So, I had a loose molar removed in mid-December and
two more teeth removed today. All this is in preparation for the creation and installation
of a partial denture. Lest this discussion have a woe-is-me quality, I'm actually kind of
excited about the whole thing. Within the next couple of months, I should have a full set
of choppers again.  Bring on the pizza.

It is essential that my new teeth be in place by March 16th. More on that later. <grin>
<Big Grin>





January 11

Sent Three Roads to the Kingdom off to a publisher for consideration. We'll see.
If I have to report later that they didn't like it, I suppose I may look bad, but the
writing of this manuscript has been such a joy that I can't possibly regret it.

If nobody ever wants to publish it, I'll just post it on the web.







January 14

Star-Gazers Club tonight. Suze has belonged to the group for about two years, and I've
begun attending with her. In warm, clear weather, the group meets outdoors with
telescopes (recall November 11-12, 2007 journal). Otherwise, we meet inside for
presentations and/or videos.

Tonight, a guest speaker presented a video-graphics display of cosmic motion. He offered it
as an alternative to the traditional view of the solar system, with the planets  moving in
neat elliptical paths around a stationary sun. His three-dimensional model showed what it
looks like with our sun moving within the gallaxy and the gallaxy moving within the universe.
His point was that the "actual" path of Earth was erratic, as displayed by the video
representation.

My problem was that I can only conceive of motion in relation to something that's the stationary
fixed point. As I watched the Earth darting around on the TV screen, I could also see a TV set
tumbling erratically through space around a stationary Earth.

I need to work on my astronomic correctness.






January 15

Tonight was a chamber music concert at the Clinton Library, but we drove to Little Rock early to
deliver a grant proposal from Jackson House to a potentional grantor. Since both Suze and I have
a tendency to allow extra time in case of unforeseen events, such as alien abductions on the
freeway, we completed the delivery earlier than necessary. We had planned to have dinner at
Cafe 42, the dining room in the Clinton Library. (Clinton was the 42nd president. Get it?)  However, we
finished our work before the dining room opened.

No problem. There happened to be an art museum on our way to the Library.





After expanding our appreciation for the visual arts, we were ready for dinner at Cafe 42
(and yes, we had the bread pudding).

Now it was time to settle down to some chamber music. The double-bass and harp were
married and performed some duets as well as accompanying the string quartet.




(Click photo for a sample.)





January 16

Yesterday, at MacWorld, Steve Jobs unveiled the new MacBook Air, the world's thinnest,
sweetest laptop computer.

 

However, that was yesterday, and I am teaching myself restraint with regard to Macs
and other toys productivity enhancers. So, I gritted my teeth and held off until today.

For the evening's activities, I attended the Garland County Democratic Central Committee.
I'm getting to know Democratic activists in the county and feeling more at home with them.







January 17

Today was a day for electricians and plumbers. Enough said. Actually, it was a good thing:
elective infrastructure improvement. We had a couple of dimmer switches installed, for
example. I had bought them with the intention of installing them myself and, in a rare
moment of good judgment, decided to let the professionals take the risk of electrocution
and/or arson. When the dust settled, we were happy with all the results.

Also, today, I received a poem from my favorite poet.






January 19

You may recall the November 16 journal (there WILL be a test) in which I reported on
the Village Civitan club painting a classroom at Jessieville Middle School. Today,
we were back in the saddle, painting a new relaxation room at the Small Group
Therapy center. I think our technique has improved. And we have fun.










January 20

As a delayed birthday present, I suggested that we visit Petit Jean Mountain, about an hour
and a half from the house. There's a romantic history to the naming of the mountain, and
it's a popular tourist destination. We learned two things.

    1. It's very pretty.
    2. It can be colder than absolutely necessary.







A big surprise was the Museum of Automobiles (sic). Actually, it was pretty neat.








January 21

One of the active programs of the Village Democratic Club is the Democratic Action Forum,
meeting once a month to discuss socio-political topics. Today was a presentation and
discussion of the myth of the United States starting as a "Christian Nation." While some
of the early colonists came to the New World to escape religious persecution, there were
many other reasons and many different kinds of colonists. Few of the major Founders
identified themselves as Christians (many were Deists) and many of them argued against
attempts to give Christianity a favored position, reflected in the First Amendment, for
example.

Steve Rittenmeyer, from Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, is an
expert on the topic, but many others in the room contributed useful details and points of
view. Two hours went by quickly.




Outside the meeting room was a reminder of the cold snap we've been having.








January 27

Today was another wonderful concert by the Arkansas Symphony. The featured soloist
was Navah Perlmann, daughter of Itzhak and a talented pianist. She performed in
Chopin's Piano Concerto #2. While Chopin was not at his best orchestrating for the rest
of the orchestra, he did pretty well on the piano part. I only say this, because it was
a topic of conversation at the pre-concert preview with David Itkin and Navah.





Prior to the concert, we did a little shopping, and I bought a wedding suit. (So much for an
Aloha shirt and zoris.)




January 30

The Democratic Action Forum in the Village sponsored a last-minute meeting on the
candidacy of Barak Obama, with Tim Frasier, his Arkansas chair, speaking and taking
questions. I was especially pleased that it was almost completely Pro-Obama instead
of Anti-Clinton. I am enheartened by an apparent shift in the Democratic race toward
civility instead of eating our young.









January 31

Enough seriousness.  Two of our Civitan friends, Amelie and Pierre Faure, grew up in New
Orleans and have not abandonned their roots. So, tonight, they hosted a Mardi Gras party,
asking us to bring something to nibble on and to wear festive clothes: ideally featuring
purple, green, and gold.









The high point of the evening was eating the Mardi Gras king cake: one for men and one
for women. The ring-shaped cakes were carefully cut and served with a warning that one
piece in eat cake contained a tiny doll, which would identify the Queen and King of the
Mardis Gras. Happily, I didn't get to be the Queen, however...




This doesn't show my King's crown, which added to the effect, but I'm basically just a
simple, unassuming guy.

Happy Mardi Gras.