week-at-a-glance

I've had a great week.

Wednesday I sailed in the Beer Can Regatta out of the Burhnam Park Yacht Club. The boat, as it turns out is about 22 ft., has but one mast, and is named "Hot Flash," not "Ship Rector" (although the captain did take a shine to that name). It was soupy-foggy the whole time. Visibility was no more than 30-35 meters. I think we completed the race, but the buoys were hard to find. Since we were all under sail, and tacking at all different times, and shore was nowhere in sight, it was hard for me to reckon our heading. Also it was so crowded at times that there were many near-misses. Then there were times that we were all alone on the water. I wasn't bothered by that, but the captain later admitted she was. She bought a new GPS computer that we used for the first time Wednesday. It must have worked because we met up with the boat we set out with immediately. In the end, we sailed one race but finished twice! We finished 8th in the Jam 2 Class and 10th in the Spinnaker 3 Class. That second finish was surprising because we didn't even have a spinnaker. Sadly,I won't be able to go sailing any more this month due to travel plans, but I hope I can go again in August.

Today I was given tickets to a Cubs game! Rock on! I had a great time. The seats were perfect: third base line between home and third. The Cubs played the Mets. Pedro didn't pitch today for New York, but I got to see Todd Walker (now a Cub). The Cubs lost 6-3, but I had a great time. I went with my New Testament professor and friend, and we worked out a baseball team comprised of early church personalities. Augustine pitched, the Cappadocians were in the outfield, I think Gregory of Nissa played first, Justin Martyr was the catcher, and so forth. Then we thought about how we could transpose baseball into the chapel. Northland Al could play something organ-y. An echoed voice announces, "Now preaching (preaching)... for the faculty (faculty)... A.K.M. Adam (Adam)." Then the pitcher hit the batter and was booed, and we thought better of the chapel-baseball idea. I wouldn't want the presider standing nose-to-nose with a sacristan arguing a play.

Tomorrow is the garden party that another Seabury friend and I have put together. The lawn I worked on so long and hard looks great. We finished a rock garden on a section of yard that would otherwise probably have gone unused. Now it's time to enjoy it.

Sunday I preach at the beach. I was supposed to have been working on my sermon all afternoon, but instead I went to a baseball game. I did talk about it though -- does that count? This could be a bad habit forming, I realize, but baseball season doesn't last all year -- not while there's hockey.