Surprise, Surprise

So I've been trying to come up with something to say about this past weekend:

Talking to a coworker today, someone with whom I've worked with for a year and a half now, I learned that in the late '60's he played football for the Dallas Cowboys. It's crazy how much I just don't know about people. Everyone's always surprising me.

After three and a half years, my girlfriend still surprises me. Who knew she loves Aggravation, the mindlessly, frustratingly fun marble game, and that she kicks ass at Scrabble, a new part of our daily schedule that has an increasingly lopsided record... I'd say I'm batting around .300.

Sometimes I even surprise myself. This past weekend, for instance, I went with Tiff to church. I've gone with her a few times in the past, but admittedly, I was always trying to win points with her family and was promised a home-cooked feast of a meal. This weekend my motives were no different, and instead of a Sunday morning passing by, there were two days of 'Praise Jesus'ing. It was the annual ketochtin, a big celebration of sorts... I'm not sure what they are celebrating... with preachers coming from across the country converging in a middle-school auditorium in Warrenton, VA.

By the end of it, I heard my share of crazy stuff from the preacher's pulpit. The Sistine Chapel is apparently blasphemous. I think this preacher believes yelling to be more effective, perhaps more divine. Let's see, Sally Jesse Raphael struggles to understand that Jews for Jesus simply have Jesus in their hearts. There was a lot about predestination, which growing up Catholic, was interesting at first, but by the time the fourth preacher started to tackle the subject, I had told myself that I'm not too sure I agree. Maybe, by the end of it, I just started to wonder whether or not I was part of the specially chosen 'elect.' Dammit if I'm not.

But then the food. There's so much good food. And there's all these old ladies, all dressed up with shoulderpads and bright colors cooing over each other's dishes, particularly the desserts, while their husbands shake hands and talk... there is a definite lack of young people. And everybody eats. Everybody gets seconds, most get thirds, a few... well, I got fourths. I was so surprised, in a way, by all the old people and how they were all so happy. And they all seemed so happy to see Tiff and me... young people. They were all just really nice... well, I stayed clear of the preachers though.

Anyways, in the end, I'm not a convert, but I do respect it. Plus, I wouldn't mind seeing some of those old guys more often. This one guy Louis... he was awesome, like a different breed of person.

Let me end though with this, after a lengthy, and enthralling, story from my coworker about getting hurt and quitting football, I had to ask what Dallas's legendary coach Tom Landry was like. "A great man," he said walking towards the exit, his shift being over. "He used to say, 'It's important to believe, it's important to worship. It doesn't matter who or what your god is, as long as you believe in something.'" I don't know much about the guy, but it's surprising that that's the line said from a guy of his coach, one of the greatest football coaches of all time.

That's all I got... hopefully you can see what I was trying to do there. Maybe.