Lewis Hamilton Wins!!!!

The first Grand Prix on U.S. soil since Hamilton won in 2007 at Indianapolis, and Lewis Hamilton wins again, in the first U.S. return race to the Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit in Austin, Texas.

The Circuit of the Americas road race track is totally brilliant. It and the drivers gave the fans a show not to be forgotten. The place was packed with spectators. And the job Texas did on this track is something to be proud of as a United Statesonian. Well done, y'all.

Xena's Day at Work with her Dad - Meeting Mako

Mako's dad was surprised to find that Mako is not the dominant one of this new duo! Mako: blue collar. Xena, red collar.

 Who are you?

 Separate corners

 Lunch

 Nap time in Xena's dad's cubicle

Qualifying

Well, qualifying for the first United States Grand Prix in ten years is over. Vettel on pole, folowed by Hamilton, Webber and Grosjean in the next three slots of 24 starting cars. Grosjean will take a five space penalty for having had to change the gear box after practice, so he'll actually start 9th. Raikenon will move up to fourth.

 The new track in Austin, Texas is brilliant. The Formula 1 drivers agree it's the best of the new tracks. Bernie Ecclestone was asked, "What about a track in Mexico again?" to which he answered, "Build another track like this down there and it's a done deal!"

It's a very exciting track. Vettel is slow as dirt on the straights but he's very fast, fearlessly fast on the turns, and this is a good track for him.

Tomorrow, the race. Mi esposo will have to record it for me because I'll be presiding over the Spanish language mass at Grace for Iglesia Betania. I can't wait to see the start!

What do Formula 1 and Texas have in common?

FORMULA 1 RACING RETURNS TO THE UNITED STATES TODAY!
 CORRECTION
Austin Texas, a brand new 21-turn Circuit of the Americas makes its debut appearance on the SPEED Channel beginning today with practice on a track only just completed in time for the return of Formula 1 to the U.S.

Formula 1 racing made its debut in the U.S. in 1959 at Sebring, and called it a day in the U.S. with a final race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1999 in 2007, when Lewis Hamilton won the last U.S. Grand Prix - until this weekend.

Qualifying tomorrow on SPEED at 1:00 p.m. EST.
And then, Sunday, at 1:30 p.m. EST - Turn up the sound! for the start of the Grand Prix of Texas!

And it will be some race - this new surface is a bit slippy with colder temperatures than the teams expected. So, fingers crossed!

It's "Take your daughter to work" Day today for Miss Xena

Today Xena, Lab-mix Warrior Princess of Norwalk, goes to work with her dad to meet Labrador retriever Mako. Mako lives at Xena's dad's work in Ramsey, NJ. Mako needs a place to stay over the Thanksgiving weekend so today the two doggies get to meet one another to see if they will get along for three or four days.

The mind boggles.

Actually, though, Xena likes boy dogs, and both she and Xena are neutered, so this might work. I do so hope so. Xena's first play date - it's like sending your kid off to school for the first time. What will I do all day in an empty house?!

Why blogging?

I have been silent much lately, I know, because I don't really know anymore about what I might blog in the first place. Especially since my "portfolio" on the Episcopal Church's Office of Transitional Ministries website has a link through to this blog. I am torn between writing the mundane - "Today I had a cup of tea. Assam." - to great, deep essays on things theological. In the middle of those two, I do nothing. And sometimes, many times, I have nothing to say that I think is of any moment.

And there's the daily work of ministry. Sometimes there is just too much I'd like to write about and I'm stopped by not having time while the mostly-but-not-always loving demands of ministry in and with a congregation keeps unfolding through the day.

On Facebook I've discovered how to share things I find on my news feed to the church's Facebook page, so all I have to do is write a small preface, or nothing at all. I spend time twice a day, morning and evening doing that. Blogging, however, seems to me to be another matter.

I am torn. Do I need to be timely, up-to-date, pithy, and constant in blogging in case some church's search committee finds their way to my blog to find out what I write and get some insight into who I am? Or do I continue my take-it-or-leave-it approach - this is my blog and I'll use it for whatever purpose I want to use it whether or not anyone else clicks through to it and finds it immaterial - who besides me and Deanb cares how much I love Formula 1 racing?

And yet, here on this blog, if people search through the entire body of the work here, 418 posts, they will indeed get to know me - from the reason for the name of this blog, to Formula 1 racing, to my theology on marriage equality - I'm for it and for good reason.

And, I suppose, theologically speaking, all I write points to a person who sees God's love in and through everything, even the crap of life - not a God who gives us crap as part of God's big plan, but God who lives in the crap with us.

And, dear reader, make no mistake about it, God loves the thrill of the ground-pounding sound of the Formula 1 cars and the massive skill of the people who drive them! How could God not?!

Opening up

Only a week ago, at our annual convention of Episcopal churches in Connecticut (called a Diocesan Convention), I heard, yet again, the refrain that says so much about why at least the Episcopal churches, and maybe even others, is experiencing some death.

The refrain goes like this: "Well, there are three Episcopal churches in Norwalk and there are just not enough Episcopalians to go around for three churches." I first heard that refrain at my first meeting of the vestry of the church I currently serve in Norwalk. Can you spot what is the problem with that refrain?

If you said, "It assumes we are only here in order to serve people who are already Episcopalians," then you are right.