Basil The Wandering Fool Now On GMail

Well, when GMail started I never could get it to work. When I clicked on a message I never got to see it. The GMail people were kind enough to send me a response to my GMail box when I emailed them asking what was wrong. Well, of course, I never got to see their responses.

9 Months later I got a de-activation notice. I haven't used my GMail so they were threatening to de-activate.

Well, I checked it out again, and it turns out that it works now! Hurrah!
So, Basil the-wandering-fool (sometimes known as basil the bad) is available for all you GMail enthusiasts at:
basil.thewanderingfool@gmail.com

Cheers!
Basil

QA Angst from the QA Guru

A certain friend of mine... uh-hmmm... fancies himself a QA Guru. Actually, he only started to feel this way about himself in recent months when he started interviewing candidates to hire for several open QA positions. The fact kept slapping him in the face: here were people who had been in the QA business even longer than he had (10 to his 8 years) and were practially clueless compared with the knowledge, and, to be honest, wisdom he had gathered all these years.

Actually, the folks at work have been refering to him as a QA Wizard and QA Guru for quite some time. But he only started to realize it himself when he suddenly had the opportunity to (unintentionally) compare himself to others.

Really, it was a stroke of luck he had: stumbling upon his ultimate interview question. The second stroke of luck he had was the opportunity to re-build his own department, one process at a time.

Well, enough about that. This friend of mine has started a blog devoted to Quality Assurance: http://qaguru.blogspot.com/

Yes, can you believe it? Nobody had the blog "QAGuru"! Amazing, huh?

So many QA folks out there, and a good many of them thinking of themselves as Guru!

Well, perhaps many QA folks simply don't have time to blog. It is a rough life you know. Some of us don't have time to blog while we are at work at ALL! (A cautious wink to my friends that blog from their workplaces daily...)

Anyway, he has posted his first post as QA Guru. If you are interested in the software industry, or just quality in general, I suggest you check it out. His first post is all about the correlation between poor software quality and the end of western civilization. I think anyone who uses a Microsoft operating system can relate to the concept of poor software quality, no? :)

Regards,
Basil

Paschal Vespers Gospel

The Gospel Reading for Paschal Vespers in a language we can all understand.

Brethren, through the power of the Holy Spirit and with the aid of the online Pig-Latin to English translation tool, I have taken it upon myself to translate the Gospel of Pascal Vespers into a different language that we can all understand. Tired of listening to poorly spoken French? Sanckrit? Russian? Embarrassed about the latest translation of the Paschal Gospel into yet another ancient language that nobody has spoke for a thousand years. Well try the Gospel in Pig-Latin! Yes, now you can boldly proclaim Christ's Gospel in a language that is both completely different, and yet something we can ALL understand!

Here you go folks. Here is the reading from the Holy Apostle and Evanglelist John in Pig-Latin, or should I say "ethay eadingray omfray ethay Olyhay Apostleway andway
Evanglelistway Ohnjay":



Onway ethay eveningway ofway atthay ayday, ethay irstfay ayday
ofway ethay eekway, ethay oorsday eingbay utshay erewhay ethay
isciplesday ereway, orfay earfay ofway ethay Ewsjay, Esusjay
amecay andway oodstay amongway emthay andway aidsay otay emthay
, "Eacepay ebay ithway ouyay." Enwhay ehay adhay aidsay isthay
, ehay owedshay emthay ishay andshay andway ishay idesay. Enthay
ethay isciplesday ereway adglay enwhay eythay awsay ethay
Ordlay. Esusjay aidsay otay emthay againway, "Eacepay ebay
ithway ouyay. Asway ethay Atherfay ashay entsay emay, evenway
osay Iway endsay ouyay." Andway enwhay ehay adhay aidsay isthay
, ehay eathedbray onway emthay, andway aidsay otay emthay, "
Eceiveray ethay Olyhay Iritspay. Ifway ouyay orgivefay ethay
inssay ofway anyway, eythay areway orgivenfay; ifway ouyay
etainray ethay inssay ofway anyway eythay areway etainedray."
Ownay Omasthay, oneway ofway ethay elvetway, alledcay ethay
Intway, asway otnay ithway emthay enwhay Esusjay amecay. Osay
ethay otherway isciplesday oldtay imhay, "Eway avehay eensay
ethay Ordlay." Utbay ehay aidsay otay emthay, "Unlessway Iway
eesay inway ishay andshay ethay intpray ofway ishay ailsnay,
andway aceplay ymay ingerfay inway ethay arkmay ofway ethay
ailsnay, andway aceplay ymay andhay inway ishay idesay, Iway
illway otnay elievebay."

Oirchay:
Oryglay otay Eethay, Ohway Ordlay, Oryglay otay Eethay!

And you could add to that a resounding Christ is Risen:

Priest (Iestpray):
Istchray isway Isenray!

The People (Ethay Eoplepay):
Indeedway Ehay isway Isenray!

The Risks of Excessive Fasting

You see what excessive fasting can bring people to!

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/04/25/smuggled.bologna/index.html


Regards,

Basil

The Lenten Journey

This morning's sermon (it is Palm Sunday, to those outside the Orthodox world) was a good reminder to me of the purpose of Lent. Namely, it is a journey. That's something I can live with. Rather than trying to "get something out of it" I am striving toward a goal as if by passage, by traversing space and time, toward an end. The end is, of course, spiritual perfection, but not spiritual perfection for it's own sake: spiritual perfection as a natural consequence of an encounter with God. Namely, coming to find yourself in the image and likeness of Him: as you were created to be.

Lent is a journey, a passage through the soul. You come to grips quite quickly with your weaknesses and frustrations. You come face to face with them. And so, perhaps for many (at least for myself) it is a journey though the valley of the shadow of death.

What is the shadow of death? It is the darkness on the other side of the sun from DEATH, is it not? And what is death? Death is separation from God, from Life, from everything that is good. From everything that is salvific and beautiful.

I am sure I have made this journey before. I am sure that I make it often, that I pass this way again and again, seeing in myself my own imperfections, seeing in myself my own foolishness, selfishness, hatred and lust.

The point isn't to avoid self-gratification. Because even to take a single drop of water on your tongue or to eat a cracker is to some degree gratifying to yourself. God doesn't ask anyone to commit suicide. The point isn't avoidance of self-gratification, but rather sacrifice. The point is making some sort of sacrifice that you can feel. We make these sacrifice together, as a big family. Some of us sacrifice more than others, but we all aim at the same sacrifice, a simple thing: to go without meat or dairy. Well in an ancient, apostolic, historic sense, it is a simple thing. Unfortunately in modern times it has become exceedingly complex. Maybe in the rest of the world, folks live a more simple life. If they want something to eat, they make a trip out to the garden and dig it up and throw it in a bowl. But, unfortunately, in America we have become accustomed to eating things in packages, and cans, and pre-prepared foods in every form imaginable. It is difficult to go without dairy, because you can't find things to eat that don't have trace amounts of diary in them. Then on the other hand if you work real hard at refining your foodstuffs, to weed out all the dairy, you end up on the verge of starvation because all of our pre-processed food has had all of the nutritional content processed right out of it.

Well, anyway, keeping the fast with rigidity becomes complex, which is quite the opposite of the purpose of the fast (simplicity.) The point of the fast is to think less about food so you can turn your mind to God. But unfortunately we end up thinking more about food, because you are constantly thinking about how to devise the next meal so that it will be half-way nourishing, taste like something other than cardboard or chalk, and still be within the regulations of the fast.

So some of us become discouraged.

But Lent as a journey goes beyond the fast (and whatever degree you have been able to follow it.) Lent as a journey encompasses the liturgical material of the services, and the constant awareness of your sins, and how you can turn things around otherwise. Lent as a journey is an important time to consider the plight of the poor, and learn how to give: lovingly and helpfully. Lent as a journey is when you stop yelling at your wife and children, and let yourself get watery eyed over your faults and indiscretions.

I, for one, have become exceedingly aware of my sins this Lent. I have made an attempt to do a thing or two to help those in need. I have tried (and failed) to keep the dietary fast, but what is more important is that I have tried (and failed) to love my brother. But the important thing is the trying. That's what we all do during Lent. And trying is not the path, nor is it the journey, but it is a tiny slice of the destination. If we can reform ourselves to aways "try" we are well on our way in this great journey of life: from Earth to Heaven.

Basil

Bacall

A friend of mine wrote this tonight. He asked me to share it with you.

Bacall
by Gustav BenJava

Bacall
A languid look
passage of the eyes over the shoulder
smooth and slick
A limpid careening of the glance
furrowing of the brow
Sleek and fluid she walks
"Slim" he calls her
She resists with a sly smile
a furtive gesture of the body
(To Have and Have Not)
a furtive gesture of the soul



* * * * * * * * * *

Technology at my fingertips

I have all this technology at my fingertips, and I'm thinking: why don't I use it?

I have all these ideas in my head, swarming around like bees, or like files on a carcas, and I'm thinking: why don't I do something about them?

Well, I'll tell you what. I'm going to blog. Perhaps I have something good to say. Perhaps I have nothing at all. But if I don't say something, I'll go crazy.

My Lenten Journey:
I don't know how my lenten journey is going. Am I supposed to be getting something out of it? Is that the goal? If I don't get something out of it, then it has all been in vain, right? Sounds rather pathetically selfish to me.

I think that's one of the many things wrong with society. All we think about is: "what am I getting out of it?" You see, it has to benefit you in some way, or you shouldn't do it. It just wouldn't be right to do it if there's no benefit, right?

Are you saying you derive pleasure from it? If it benefits you in some way, that is pleasing is it not? Or we have to be reminded constantly of the benefit, so that we are pleased with ourselves.

It all comes back to the same thing. We live for pleasure. Some of us take pleasure in hurting ourselves (in suffering) and some of us take pleasure in self gratification.

Well, I can't think of any benefit I'm deriving from going without meat. I won't say I've gone without dairy. Oh, I've tried to a little bit, but I won't say I've succeeded in going without dairy. In fact, I haven't even succeeded in going without meat.

One fellow greeted me at Church and told me he was trying hard to keep the fast. I confessed to him almost immediately I had eaten meat once or twice in Lent but that I was trying not to. I am afraid I may have scandalized him. I do hope not!

But the point is: I had no desire to eat meat whatsoever. But they brought me the wrong order at work, and I got chicken. Well, I said a prayer thanking God for his tender mercy at this unexpected gift of some chicken. And I enjoyed every morsel of it.

Now I suppose you are all scandalized. Well, please, let me not hold back. If you are going to be scandalized, the by all means, let me dig deeper. (If you are going to sin, they say, sin boldly.)

I personally believe it is a sin to waste food. I think people who take away perfectly good food and throw it in the trash can, in order to uphold in their mind some religious ordinance, are going to Hell. Sorry, that's just how I feel. Meanwhile, I do not believe that it is a sin to break the fast. The fast is of less benefit to you (oh, there we go again... selfish! selfish! selfish!) yes, the fast is of less benefit to you if you break it, but it is by no means a sin. It is a sin, however, to waste food.

So, if push comes to shove, and there is nothing else to eat in the cupboard, or if someone has given you something to eat, and it is meat. Then by all means you should eat it, and be ashamed of yourself for your self-righteous thoughts of throwing that in the trash can. God has given you that meat: did He give it to you to waste it?

But I digress. I was speaking of pleasure. Perhaps I shall leave that for another time. No... the thought is with me now.

Okay, so about pleasure. I have this little problem. Everything is pleasureable to me. I see the sunshine and I smile. I see the rain and I smile. I smell the flowers and I smile. I sneeze because of my allergies and I smile, because at least I can still breathe.

So, if everything is pleasureable to me: how can I abstain from pleasure? I admit, I cannot. Is the goal of the fast to abstain from pleasure? I think the goal of the fast is to make some effort. (Even effort can be pleasurable.) If you eat less, hopefully you are giving more. If you fast from something, perhaps you can give it to a stranger. I do not know the way I can only speculate. But I know what the way is NOT and it is not hypocracy and self-righteousness. Why do you think the Gospel reading as we begin the fast is all about hypocracy and self-righteousness?

Well, that's enough for tonight.

Regards,
The Sinner Basil
(in a cloud of flies...)