The Satelliters - Lost In Time (Suddenly, it's 1965!)

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when you are old, he will send you links to stuff infinitely cooler than you ever could have imagined ...



That came to me by way of my 15-year-old son.

Watch for the Vox Phantom guitar in this video. And the Farfisa organ! And the Jim McGuinn haircut. Some of these poses seem to be taken straight from early Byrds publicity stills.

Fab!

Diocese of Michigan - Lost and Adrift

I received my regular e-mailing of the Diocese of Michigan's "The Record Weekly" in my Inbox this morning. And, even though I spent 6.5 years inside the belly of the beast, what I read from Herb Gunn in that email still managed to stun me.

A comprehensive visioning project is underway in the Diocese of Michigan. The project grew--actually shrank--from the Extended Ministries Fund (EMF) Task Force that began two years ago to study the appropriate use of the ministry fund. Funds in the EMF are unrestricted, but the EMF policy states that the corpus is not to be used without specific authorization from Diocesan Convention. Approximately five million dollars in market-driven appreciated value has been used for operating expenses over the past eight years, but as the financial markets have declined, the appreciated value has disappeared.

It was somewhat refreshing to see Herb admit that things are shrinking in the Diocese of Michigan. (As the joke goes: How do you make a small fortune in the Episcopal Church? Answer: Start with a large fortune.) And it was not news to me that EDOMI is using a "Ministries" fund to cover operating expenses.

Nor did it surprise me overly much that an outside consultant was being funded from this same "Ministries" fund (all failing organization hire outside consultants when the answers given by insiders to "Why are we failing? do not satisfy them):

In October 2008, Diocesan Convention voted to allocate $325,000 for a comprehensive survey and visioning exercise for the diocese. Diocesan Council created the Extended Ministries Fund Phase One Steering Committee (POSC) and empowered it to find the project manager and launch the study that would help clarify ministry priorities to which EMF resources might support. That steering committee worked through the winter and spring to discern and define a strategy for the project. A proposal seeking an outside consultant was created and candidates were interviewed for the project.

Good taste (what little I have of it) prevents me from commenting at length on the decision to name something the POS Committee. The surprise was this next bit:

The new Diocese of Michigan project is called RSVP--Revitalization and Strategic Visioning Project--and formally kicks off this month. The project will identify core values of the Diocese of Michigan, a fresh mission statement for the diocese, and a set of specific vision areas. The aggregate of this work will form the foundation of short and long-term planning; will affect program, ministry and budget decisions, as well as provide clarity of purpose and identity for the diocese.

Core Values of the diocese help articulate, "This is who we are, this is what we are all about, and this is why we do the things we do." A Mission Statement answers the questions: "What is our purpose and why do we exist?" The Vision Areas are statements that paint a picture of a desired future that can be realized in the next five to 10 years.

Now, is it just me, or should any member church within the body of Christ already know its Core Values?? This is astounding. And as far as a Mission Statement, what say we begin with ... I dunno, just thinking out loud here ... the Great Commission?

I already knew that the Diocese of Michigan (nay, the entire Episcopal Church) was lost and adrift. What floored me was their extreme candor in admitting the same.

designing an icon

I am approximately 8 months late with this entry. I've been busy, I suppose. The designing an icon exhibition at the Elaine L. Jacob Gallery of Wayne State University was held from November 21, 2008 through January 16, 2009. I had meant to get there between Christmas and New Year's Day, but kept procrastinating until January 15 to finally see it. Because of this, I think, Eliot and I had the entire gallery to ourselves.

As I've blogged here before, Eliot is my (award winning!) son, a future car designer, and so this exhibition, subtitled Creativity and the American Automobile, was doubly pleasant because he was with me to discuss the art.

Many of the designs brought an instant nod of recognition, since the concepts were later incarnated into sheet metal.

For instance, this one by Bob Hubbach, is even labeled "CHARGER".



This one by Don Wood, though looking like a Camaro, was a Chevelle concept if I'm not mistaken.


Here, we clearly have a Ford Thunderbird (also by Don Wood):



The quality of the drawings and paintings at this exhibit was spectacular, including some photorealistic paintings.

Here are some more General Motors concept drawings:

First, a Buick (by Graham Bell):



Here is a Pontiac (by Roger Hughet):



And this one (by David McIntosh) is entitled, Buick Riviera proposal with separate fender forms.



If you've followed this blog for a while, you can imagine that while this approached being a religious experience for me and Eliot, it was not without sadness. For today, function has essentially obliterated form, and almost all cars are ugly.

There were some more whimsical creations as well. This one (by Dennis Wright) was one of our favourites ...



... in part because it so closely resembles a Thingie Slot Car named the Lancer Hornet:



Wherever you see an intersection between fine art and muscular automobiles, it is a good bet that you will see the Hot Rod Anglican there!

Laura Bailey

I've known about Figure competitor Laura Bailey for some time now.

Her (excellent) blog is one of the ones listed on my sidebar here.

I don't know how many of you are members of bodybuilding.com, but for those who are, Laura makes a good case for why she should get your vote in the IronMan Magazine BodySpace SpokesModel Search.




You can vote daily. Her name there is jumper11.

Laura not only keeps up a busy competitive schedule, but is pursuing her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology!

Anglican Poetry Contest!

Let me know if you have any questions about the contest!

This Is How To Do It!

I absolutely love this. A U.S. Congressman gets schooled by one of his bosses (i.e., a voter in his district)! This is classic, and we will be seeing more and more of this. Obama and the left have, indeed, awaken a sleeping giant.

Natural Bodybuilder Amanda McDonald

I had the pleasure of seeing Amanda McDonald compete in the 2009 NPC Natural Michigan (drug-tested) bodybuilding contest, and was very impressed with her physique and conditioning. She agreed to be interviewed for this blog.

(All photographs © 2009 by CSI-PHOTO, and used by permission.)

Hot Rod Anglican: Hi Amanda. I saw you compete at the NPC Natural Michigan bodybuilding contest back in July. I thought you looked great! What year did you enter your first contest, and how many bodybuilding contests have you entered in all?

Amanda McDonald: I usually try to do 3 shows a year and I’ve been doing bodybuilding for 4 years. My first competition was in Grand Rapids as a Figure competitor. I came in last place - they told me I was too muscular. So, I switched to bodybuilding, did a show that following April in Kalamazoo and took 1st place.

HRA: What made you want to get onto a competitive bodybuilding stage? Also, what is your favorite aspect of bodybuilding? Do you like the training, or getting up on stage, or some other aspect?

AM: My husband passed away when our son was just 1 year old. After a few months of re-adjustment I needed to do something for myself. So, at age 45, I decided to really start working out and hired a trainer and lost a lot of weight and gained a lot of muscle, apparently too much muscle (for figure anyways), and I like how the diet and workouts made me feel, and having a goal to shoot for gave me a certain feeling of power and control. I became very focused and when I started winning it was even more of an incentive.

HRA: What is your training like? Do you follow any of the popular philosophies as to numbers of sets and reps?

AM: I train every day of the week either just cardio or weights and cardio - when I get closer to my show I do two workouts a day. I pretty much do my own thing - always changing up between machines, free weights, cables. The reps and sets usually stay the same, depending on my time, energy, or increases in weight.

I usually superset everything e.g. - Chest Flies 10 reps, chest press 10 reps, then I do 15 push ups - no rest. Then I’ll go do a Tricep routine. I do this sequence 3-4 times, then move on to my next chest exercise.

My workouts usually run 2 hours - includes 30-40 minutes of cardio. The evening workout usually consists of either more cardio machines or a Billy Blanks CD for 1 hour.

HRA: What has been the reaction of your family and colleagues to the changes in your physique?

AM: My family has been very supportive and encourage me in all my efforts.

My co-workers, at the Fire Dept., are supportive as well and admire the dedication that it takes - especially when they cook up such good meals everyday - including deserts.

HRA: As a female bodybuilder, do you find that comments from those outside of bodybuilding circles are largely positive, or not-so-positive?

AM: I personally have had only encouragement from my friends. I feel that my physique - even at contest times - is not overdone. I get a lot of people asking me what I eat, how long have you been working out or “I need to start working out with you” comments.

HRA: Do you allow yourself to gain much weight between contests (i.e., off-season), or do you stay somewhat close to contest weight all the time?

AM: I try not to gain to much weight between contests, 10-12 lbs. I’m learning with each show and off season that each of them are equally important.

HRA: Do you prefer to train alone or with a partner?

AM: I have trained alone for a long time - although it gets tough at times focusing. I do have a partner for the most part now, when we can coordinate our work schedules. She knows that I’m focused when I’m at the gym and I’m there to workout only. It sure makes cardio a little easier to have someone to talk to or know that they are working hard as well.

HRA: Do you have a hard time trying to squeeze in training between work and life's other demands?

AM: Sometimes my life seems to conflict more than work with my workouts. But, I plan close to everything around my workouts. If I have to go early to get it in I’m there 4:30/5:00 am.

HRA: I know that you are a natural bodybuilder. But because you have a great physique, John Q. Public is not necessarily going to believe that. Have you had people accuse you of taking anabolics and, if so, what is your response?

AM: I am a natural bodybuilder and anyone that knows me, or I care to know, knows that I do not use anabolics and that’s all I care about. However, I would just tell them that it isn’t necessary if you know how to perfect your diet and workouts and be consistent. I also feel that someone who uses is fairly easy to spot. I’m pretty feminine/curvy - not bulky, square jaw, or deep voice. I think my body fits me all around and someone who uses, usually does not.

HRA: If you had to give one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?

AM: Make sure you are committed to see it through; no one truly knows what it takes until you actually decide to give it a go. I also think it scares a lot of people and they never try.

Keeping track of your diet, planning everyday for the next day - up to the next week never leaving anything to chance - too easy to cheat. Never miss a workout, even if you cut your reps or weights, STILL GO! Because you will make it through and you will be proud of yourself. Just keep telling yourself, as I have many times, “You can’t finish if you don’t get started”.

HRA: Do you have any other notable interests or hobbies outside of bodybuilding?

AM: My family is my hobby/interest. Most of my kids are older (3 daughters - 21,22,25). But I supported them at every one of their basketball games, track meets, softball games, band concerts, etc. My son (7) keeps me busy with football, basketball, softball, karate, boy scouts, destination imagination - oh yeah - all the other playtimes he comes up with. He is a lot of fun.

But I also love to rent movies, eat, go on walks, read, dance, sew.

HRA: What are your plans for the future? Do you have a "next contest" picked out?

AM: My next show that I’m working towards is in Buffalo New York: "2009 WNBF Pro Natural Ms. Supernatural Women’s Master Cup Bodybuilding & Figure Championship” on October 3rd (Wow, what a mouthful). I’m already starting to train and diet for it.

My last show was in VanCouver, Canada: the “Police and Fire World Games”. There were 8 women competing for the gold. Luckily I brought home both golds - one in my weight class and one for overall.

Thank you for asking me to respond and I hope someone gets inspired and enjoys my conversation. Anyone interested in seeing my pictures they can go to:

www.rxmuscle.com or www.wpfgphotos.com