Answering Questions From Yesterday, Part 1

Many of you'll remember that when The Diner goes into what appears to be an annual spring slump, I invite the readership to just ask questions of the management. So, here are some answers to yesterday's questions...but don't be afraid to keep 'em coming!

Jilly asked when the iChat was going to be up and running: When my friend Chris can come over and do it. He has family in town this week, so when he gets some time. He thinks it'll be easy.

Ian asked what was the fastest animal in the world: the Peregrine Falcon. It can go in excess of 120 m.p.h.

Shane asked me what was my favorite concert of all time and why. Well, I'd have to say when I saw Kiss on their "Destroyer" tour when I was 12. My friend Tim's dad took a carload of us and it was my very first concert. We purchased the glow necklaces and the t-shirts and got to mess around with the festival seating (back then there weren't reserved seats, you just flooded in when the gates opened, and Tim's dad, an off-duty cop, actually waved his gun around to keep the crowd from pressing in on us). And, when you're 12, let's be honest, the make-up, stuff exploded, there was fire-breathing and blood-spitting...how does it get better than that?! Plus, we got to brag about it the next day at school, which was probably better than the concert itself. Later on, we'd realize that all the stuff they said about Birmingham being the "true Rock City" and how much they loved us was rote schtick, but it was probably the most fun I ever had at a concert.

There were a steady stream of bands I saw in college that were good shows (like The Replacements and R.E.M.) and I saw some bands past their prime that I'm glad I saw live (like Tom Petty & the Ramones), but they were pretty much just shows I wanted to see.

I late saw John Lee Hooker from the front row at City Stages (an outdoor festival of sorts held downtown in Birmingham) when I was out of college & married, and it was a fantastic 45 minutes...but the set was too short and the crowd was pretty small, but the music was greatness. Probably my third favorite.

A close second was when I took Kelsey to go see Social Distortion at the Granada a couple of years back. It was a great show for me because I was seeing it through her eyes and knowing this was her first big-time rock show. I really liked the band, too, and knew all the songs and they played my favorites, but I was having such a great time seeing it all through Kelsey's eyes.

The best shows I've never seen: Pearl Jam and Nirvana (I didn't go when they came to Birmingham because I was short on cash and figured they'd come through town serveral times. Dangit.)

Donna wanted to know what to do about a situation with her son and baseball: I'd meet with the coach after practice and tell him what you told me about how much your son likes the game and all that, and then tell him that all of a sudden he's thinking of quitting. See what the coach's insights might be. Then, with that information, I'd chat with the son. You've got to get more information before you can make a decision on whether or not he plays this season...and you have to get it in a hurry. So, for example, maybe this coach takes practice more seriously than his previous coaches...well, I wouldn't let him quit for that reason alone because he might get a lot better with a more disciplined approach. But, the coach might bark hard at players and whatever, and that might be a reason not to play for that coach. Like I said, you've got to get more information.

To Caroline & anonymous' questions about the committee and children: Absolutely. In fact, the reason that children are allowed into the service on the 1st Sunday of the month IN THE EVENING ONLY is related to the reality of parents saying that they didn't feel children were welcome in the services at CBC. In fact, there was an activity following that service especially for parents with children. There's still Sunday School in the morning services each week as well as during the evening services the other three weekends per month, too. Now, we might want to have more crayons and such for the younger ones and find other ways for them to be supported, but we've even held classes for parents to learn how to help their kids do well in "big church."

Tracy wanted to know what details I remember about my wedding: Not much. See, in the Deep South, there's a WAY to do weddings and there isn't much deviation from that pattern. There was a basic structure to how it all worked and you were always working within that structure to make a nice day and all, but you didn't color too far outside the lines. As far as the planning goes, I remember going to a department store to register for china--both every day and "fine" (which we've only used once that I recall, but moved the box 5 times to new locations)--with my only requirements being that I didn't want any type of painting or scene underneath my food while I was eating it and I wanted deep cereal bowls. And, Tracy more or less was running the planning but she asked my opinion about most of it. There were nice parties beforehand and I remember it being a generally exciting and fun time.

Our wedding was smallish, but the room held probably 10 times the number that attended and the reception was simply cheese and fruit...no dancing or drinking, but time to visit family & friends. It's funny now, but at the time we just did what was kind of expected. I think we'd both do something way more fun and way more "us" if we were to do it all over again. We've seen so many weddings (our occupational hazards) now with so many people putting their individual touches into their ceremonies that we'd probably come up with much more fun stuff. But, hey, we were both 22 at the time and were the first of our circle of friends to get married so we played it pretty close to the vest.

Jennifer asked me what song would I use to describe my life. I'll stay away from "religious" music choices because it's simply too predictable for a pastor to choose one of those. Hmmm...I'd be very tempted to go with Social Distortion's "I Was Wrong" as it's an ode to a man who looks back on his younger years from his new position as a husband and father. I might have to think that through a little more. I mean, my iPod only has some 5,000 songs on it.

So, there's day one...I'll do this for a day or two more, kids, so keep those questions coming!