battling tops

Yesterday morning we awoke to a cooling rain. I love a mid-August rain, relieving us from 100+ degree days. Wednesday we had a 109 degree day, which is very hot for us in north Texas. The rains made everything settle into a delicious, quiet day.

After doing some work, I went on the Spring Creek Trail, which I saw a huge tiger swallowtail perch for a long time on a small tree. He was so gorgeous, all yellows and blacks. I stopped by the remaindered bookstore, and bought for 3 dollars a collection of New Testament apocrypha. Sadly, no gnostic here among the works, but some of it is still quite interesting.

We got together for dinner with my brother, his wife and boys, and my cousin, his wife, two boys and a girl. We had such a good time! After dinner, I played battling tops with the younger boys, with plastic tops in a little plastic top fighting coliseum. I find, to my dismay, that I am one of those "trash talking" game players. I jokingly encourage them not to cry when I defeat them. I tell them that this is the "Tournament of Doom". I boast of prowess I do not possess, to get a rise out of them. The five year old cousin gets in the spirit, but gets his metaphor wrong. He says "I'm going to eat your dust!". his father points out that he should be saying "You're going to eat my dust!". Our tops all battle. My 11 year old nephew wins most of the tourneys, but what fun to watch plastic tops spin and battle! I have a lot of kid left in me.

Science and Imagination

"Truth necessarily is taught in paradox"--Elizabeth Delvine King

This week I've been pondering my many inconsistencies and minor hypocrises. One in particular is my feeling that I am by nature a much more shy and assurance-seeking person than my LiveJournal might otherwise suggest. I've also been reading a lot of early 20th C. literature which appropriates the language of science in pursuit of metaphor for the spiritual life. By coincidence, the radio program "This American Life" played the episode today about using science theorems as metaphor for everyday life dilemmae.

Before I begin this poll/post properly, let me hasten to declaim to the world that in a world of flawed souls, I certainly have feet as clay as anyone's. I hope my journal always shows that, and if it does not, I hope to write it more clearly to do so in the future.
But this Sunday afternoon, I want to share with my LJ friends in a little poll exercise I have drafted.

Today's poll uses images of science and images of myth and faith to try to arrive at an inquiry as to individual truths on many minor points. ( Will you join me in a poll about what you believe on things important and irrelevant? )