Black Gold and Unphiltered: DOMA Oregato Mr. Roboto

Black Gold and Unphiltered: DOMA Oregato Mr. Roboto: ya....I don't even know what that means. Thank Defense of Marriage Act Mr. Robot? I'm pretty sure robots are sexless....but what do...

DOMA Oregato Mr. Roboto

ya....I don't even know what that means. Thank Defense of Marriage Act Mr. Robot?
I'm pretty sure robots are sexless....but what do I know....and Dennis DeYoung of STYX may have been gay.

Whatever....

I'm blogging today for two reasons.

1. I opted for this instead of a straight status message on Facebook. Those back and forths with close minded people really make my heart hurt.....literally.

2. Man am I pissed.

The ruling of DOMA as unconstitutional has brought a huge issue for me to a head and I have to get it out there once and for all, and try my best not to offend close friends.....so here it goes.

I literally read from the Bible every day, as many of my Christian friends probably do.  But I'm not talking about randomly chosen phrases and devotionals. I read and reread it as a whole and I will continue to do so for as long as I can read.  More the New Testament than the Old but I read it as a whole...as it was written throughout the centuries......with some guidance from scholars like the great N.T.Wright - maybe the best of New Testament scholars out there. It is how it was written and how it was meant to be read. A history of our faith, and if you really understand it, a history of humanity.

My point is this....not to make myself sound better......for I am truly at the bottom of the barrel as far as Christians living out their faith and witnessing to it......I know that. I suck.

But I can not stand by anymore and watch Christians miss the BIG picture.
Whyyyyyyyyyy do we focus so much time, energy, and hatred on homosexuality????

When you read and reread the Bible as one big testament to our faith and the human race and God's relationship with us it is so much bigger, so much better, so much more meaningful and beautiful.....and then so many of the issues that have caused so much pain sort of drip away into the background and merge with the rest of what makes us human.

I will not comment or make judgment on someone's personal feelings or views on homosexuality....but I will comment on their approach and reaction to it.

Stop reading the Bible as a constitution or a rule book. That is NOT what it is. We are becoming no different than the Jewish hierarchy that Jesus came back to admonish for making life and faith ONLY about the Law and pretty much making their faith like an elite club.......Jesus, and what he did, abolished the law.

I'm not saying anything goes obviously and that there are no rules or sin.....but Jesus, if I may paraphrase the Lord (is that wise?).....Jesus was saying "It's not the LAW stupid......it's your LIFE"
The law comes along for the ride when you live your life as you should. It is written on your hearts.

Look, if couples are getting married IN YOUR CHURCH and you feel it's wrong then take issue WITH YOUR CHURCH...single out and.cite a few phrases in the Bible all you want.....but my guess is most of these people aren't getting married in YOUR CHURCH because they are probably not accepted there.....so leave it alone. This (DOMA) was a civil issue today.........and thaty is different and separate whether you like it or not.

I love our  God and Jesus just like some of you........but I also love my neighbor......or try too!!!! And hey....some of those neighbors are gay......and wonderful people.....some are even Christian.....and much better Christians than some of the hateful believers I know....and the Lord loves both.

Leave it alone. Please. Tend to the logs in your own eye. Shore up the glass in your own house. Love your neighbor no matter what HIS house is made of......or what goes on inside.  If you think Jesus wouldn't do the same.......then you're just not getting the big picture.....or maybe even getting it at all.

Just love. It's really that simple.

Blindsided by DNA

So if anything is going to bring me out of my blog hibernation I guess it should be this.

While wandering the house with insomnia the other night I was hit while reading something my daughter wrote harder than if  I had been blindsided by James Harrison. (By the way James….I will miss you dearly. Thank you.)

Given an assignment in English class to write a sonnet about someone that meant something to her, Adeline chose to write about my mother, or “Nana” , which was her grandmotherly title.

I found the following sitting out by the computer and read it out of curiosity.  Needless to say, I lost it.

 

How I love to visit her house each day.

We creatively laugh, cook, dance and sing.

In times of sorrow she knows what to say,

To see my smile she’d try anything.

Decorations are hung for holidays.

She loves her family above all the rest.

Awesome cooking deserves more than just praise.

I adore being held against her chest.

But like all flowers she withered away,

Her memory slowly faded with time.

Now in heaven she hears me when I pray,

Speaking through letters she composed of rhyme.

Nana, I am so lost without you here,

First best friend, I hold our memories dear.                                                            

 

                                                                                                                        Addie Macioce

 

The crazy thing is the only other person I know who could have written anything like this was, in fact, my mother.

She would routinely write me poems like this on holidays or even just a letter left by my pillow when I was down.

I always saw alot of my mother in Adeline……turns out maybe there’s more than I thought……and I don’t think it’s just DNA.

Sort of humbling that this person I held in the middle of the night to get her to sleep is now writing things that can pull a dozen different emotions out of me with a fourteen line sonnet. I don’t think my heart was meant to take all of that in at once…..

 It hurt for a while that night, but then pride took over and I was just in awe.  Both of my kids can do things I can’t do…..or ever COULD do….That’s the kind of thing that’ll stop you right in your tracks. 

I can only hope my mom was half as proud of  me as I am of my kids….but one thing is for sure. Carol is alive and well and all over the place in my house and that is a very reassuring thought. 

If I don’t sign on here before next month, Happy Mother’s Day mom…..I miss you.

King for a Day

King for a day….you always hear that. “If I were king for one day I would…..” 

I don’t know. What good will a day do?  By the time you set up all your rules and laws the day would be over.  Then you’d be deposed, exiled, or even beheaded.  Look, if someone declared their day Justin Beiber day or something?  I’d make the guillotine myself.  First Justin….then the king.  Two heads are better than one right?

Yes…I’ll take King for a Year Alex….for $800.

Here are the decrees I would set up immediately.  Then enjoy the best, and most likely last, year of my life.

1.      Ban the Designated Hitter – Seriously. How have we let this go on for so long? Someone to hit for the pitcher because he sucks? How about a designated foul shooter in basketball? Hell….I have trouble teaching my last period….I get so tired.  Can we have designated teachers?  My wife could manage in the American League with the DH…and she’d be bored doing it. Enough.

2.      Hockey. Starting tomorrow. Period. Figure the contract out on your own time. I’m the King…..Play. Now……..oh and the Penguins will play an 82 home game schedule. What? The kingdom is being run from Pittsburgh. If you want to see the best player in the world you should come here. (Hey…put that guillotine away.) 

3.      Tea Party. Of course there is no need for a political party now since I am king…but any former member of the tea party will be put on a boat, sailed to Boston, and dumped into the harbor….Boston Tea Party – The Sequel.  Except we’re not dumping tea bags….we’re dumping douche bags. Buh bye.

4.      Lewis Black will be my court jester.

5.      Bruce Springsteen will be the court entertainer. No more touring. Again, you come here.

6.      Speaking of Bruce I will be changing the National Anthem to Born to Run. And the flag will be the Terrible Towel.

7.      All School Boards will be disbanded.  No longer will a bunch of NON educators decide ANYTHING that has to do with education. But I will make a panel of teachers to be the “Board” supervising the Treasury Departments at every level. What? They have no financial experience? What a shame.

8.      The state of Montana will heretofore be named Sidney Crosby. 

9.      There will be a test for all those desiring to have children. Passing of this test will be mandatory before you take home a baby.  The panel of judges will be made up of teachers. Ha ha…….sucks doesn’t it?

10.  Digging will begin immediately to sever Philadelphia from the East coast and make it an island.

11.  A Salary cap in baseball will be instituted the SECOND I am sworn in.

12.  Jack ass police forces will be set up in every town.  If you act like a jack ass, talk like a jack ass, dress like a jack ass…….do anything that shows jackassery in any form and you will be thrown in jail without further notice.

 

       12.a If you have to ask YES you were being a jack ass. Do not pass GO. Do not
        collect $200. Go see Bubba. He loves jack asses. Quite literally.

13.  Christmas would actually be twelve days. Every business would HAVE to give their employees at least 6 of those days off. Figure it out.  

 

14. Every man should have a dog for a pet. NO matter what their wives say. Period.

 

On that note....I think I am IN the dog house and must go.....not even king in my own house..for a minute.

 

Well......There you have it. The Reign of Phil. Enjoy…..or set up your guillotine and wait.

Steelers to Playoffs: Write it Down

I can already hear Jim Mora in my head.  “Playoffs!?!?? Playoffs!?!?!?! We’re talking about playoffs!??!”

          Yes. Yes I’m talking about playoffs.  The 2012 NFL playoffs that the Steelers WILL participate in. Write it down.  No I am not smoking my NFL schedule or drinking any version of  “the Kool-Aid”  Get down off of the railing up on Mt.Washington…no need to jump. All we be well.  Til January anyway.

          Here are the reasons you and I will be sitting in great pain in front of our televisions as the Steelers get bounced in the first round of the NFL playoffs yet again this season.  Remember last year? When Jesus beat the Steelers? Left handed? Yeah….I couldn’t forget it either.  And Lord (Tebow) knows,  I tried.

          Anyway…in no particular order, here are the reasons the Steelers WILL make the playoffs.

1.     DEFENSE.   In case you haven’t noticed, in the past month or so the Steeler defense has been incredible!!! They almost single handedly won two of the last three debacles…..No matter where the offense put them on the field they held the line and gave up the minimal amount of points…..12 quarters of pure shut down defense.

They were one Baltimore punt return and one or five turnovers and penalties in Cleveland away from taking all three.

All this WITHOUT a defensive player of the year - Troy (and yesterday without Woodley……. Worilds has been amazing filling in spots like that btw…..)

We’re not getting the turnovers but they are #1 in the NFL for a reason….and yesterday’s INT return for a TD WAS a pretty big turnover.

I think they will torture Rivers, Romo, Dalton, and Weeden to end the season. (I left out Flacco…Dealing with Rice makes it extra tough to get to him. But we did keep the Ravens in check at home last week.)

 

This defense gives you a chance to win ANY game...no matter who your QB is...

2.     SCHEDULE.   At Balt, SD, at Dallas, Cinc, Cleveland

Call me crazy but I see 4-1....3-2 at worst. (See Ben stipulation later.)

As of right now we hold the last spot in the playoff hunt…tied with Cincinnati, who we have already beaten on the road. A full game behind at least are teams like Miami…and well…….Miami.  That and  Indianapolis is holding onto #5…barely. Theyalso still have to play Houston twice.

At Balt – If you think there was panic in the ‘burgh today, imagine next week when we fall to .500 by losing again to the Ravens.  I don’t see that as a lock.  Our defense can keep us in any game, and if we can cut about 5 turnovers off of last weeks count we may have a chance….but for realism's sake I’ll call it another loss….but a message sending loss either way.  I see Cincy losing to SD next week and keeping it all even anyway.

San Diego at home.  Yes. San Diego. Here. In Pittsburgh. In December. In the words of the great Ron Burgundy, “Go fuck yourself  San Diego.”  Thanks for all the help yesterday against Baltimore. Rivers you're not even as good as Ben when he has a bum shoulder...and a vulnerable aorta....and a baby. Steelers by 14.

At Dallas.  Look, Dallas sucks this year. Did you see them on thanksgiving? Romo is a walking interception and we will pick him at least twice. He hasn't been the same since Kelly Clarkston.  They’re done and Jerry Jones will have designs on an early draft pick by then.  We are 3-0 against the NFC East this year…and Dallas isn’t much better than Philly right now. Steelers by 4 at least…..8-6 with 2 to go at home. 

Cincinnati at home. Looking at the Bengals schedule it is near identical to the Steelers except Cincinnati has to play Baltimore the last game of the season....we get Cleveland.  So either way this is THE game that will determine things most likely.  We beat them handily AT Cincy and will do so again. WITH Baltimore playing the Bengals as an insurance policy in the following week as I said, I feel pretty good.  9-6.

Cleveland at home. TimTebow willing we will have a full squad and…well….payback is a bitch Cleveland. Enjoy another end of the year beating.  Win. Easy. Steelers 10-6……9-7 at worst and IN the playoffs.

 

3.     BEN. Of course all the above is predicated on Ben returning at SOME point.  If he does…and he always does….The Steelers will always have a chance to win any game, anywhere, against any opponent with #7…..without this injury I think he walks away with League MVP and may STILL.  Whatever you think of him as a person “before baby”, he is the man. Period.  With him the last two weeks we’re not even having this conversation and are talking division and playoff home game.

4.     Injuries.  Or HEALING injuries I should say. It has to even out...right?

     As mentioned above if Ben heals all is well.  Antonio Brown? Nuf said…..What if Troy returns rested?? Gilbert? Colon? Woodley? A healthy NON fumbling Mendenhall? Adams?  (Remember the season starting off by losing our first round pick Decastro for the season?)

     Cmon folks….if this team was complete (sounds like the Penguins!) then I see no problems.

          So there are my reasons.  I still feel confident and want to shoot about 2 out of  every three callers on Sports Talk shows….idiots.  Some guy today was saying we should have gotten Shanahan instead of Tomlin 4 yrs ago and we'd have MORE rings...…..Wow….

          Now all of this said, I think these past 3 weeks, and losses to Oakland and Tennesseed earlier (really?) HAVE cost us dearly.  Specifically I think these losses have kept us out of talk of a Super Bowl.  Going on the road to Denver, New England, and Houston (a likely playoff scenario),  and coming out on the other end is a tall tall task….even for #7 and a healthy defense.  But hey….after all that has happened this month I’m looking forward to it.  I’ll threaten to jump off a bridge and fight people as usual….but I’ll climb back down and get ready for the Pirates like I do every year…..

          But until then Mr. Mora……YES I am talking about the playoffs.  Bookmark this page….(the new “Write it down” phrase)……Steelers at Denver for a rematch in round one in January…..and with no Tebow….and revenge of last year and week 1 in mind…..look out Mr. Manning. You may be rehearsing with that asshole from PaPa Johns for Super Bowl commercials earlier than you think.

           Enjoy the ride Pittsburgh.  Those of you who haven't jumped.

 

      

Black Gold and Unphiltered: Giving Thanks for Bubbles

Black Gold and Unphiltered: Giving Thanks for Bubbles: I guess this could have been “Thanks V” or the fifth annual list of stupid (and some serious) stuff that I’m thankful for…..but as I rea...

Giving Thanks for Bubbles

I guess this could have been “Thanks V” or the fifth annual list of stupid (and some serious) stuff that I’m thankful for…..but as I read back on the last four, I see they’re pretty much repeats.

“Ya Phil, we get it. You’re thankful for Bruce, Sidney Crosby, Jameson’s, Andrew McCutchen, Ben, sex….blah blah blah………”

So I guess I’ll spare anyone reading this year and I’ll go with this:

I am thankful for the bubble.

I am thankful that my wonderful parents, especially my mom, who stayed home to raise us, kept us in our little Macioce – Penn Hills – Jesus and your parents love you – bubble, as long as possible. It was like living on the INSIDE of a snow globe, with all of the crap and reality on the outside.

Sooner or later I learned there was life outside my house and outside Penn Hills.  I learned that Protestants were NOT weird, there were normal kids that went to Gateway and Plum schools, and that The Beatles and Barry Manilow weren’t the only music out there, and that this Bruce Springsteen in the jeans and red baseball cap in his back pocket was pretty damn good too.

Of course along with popping that bubble came reality.  There were kids that (gasp) smoked and talked back to adults, and people that weren’t that nice.  Some didn’t even believe in God, or even worse – like the Pittsburgh Steelers!!!! And pretty girls could cause a shit load of pain.

I enjoyed thanksgivings during the years I was in the bubble. The food, smells, and warmth of my house were just a given.  I made construction paper turkeys and pilgrims and my mom put them up and thought they were the greatest pieces of art she’d ever seen. Mine were better than my brothers’ but my mom would lie to make them feel better J

Thanksgiving was about Pilgrims and Indians having a great meal together on some Plymouth rock,  and later about some kids somehow having a dinner of toast, popcorn, and jelly beans without their parents, and their dog duking it out with a lawn chair while setting up the feast.

The Detroit Lions lost to someone at 12:30 and the Dallas Cowboys beat someone at 4:00.  We ate too much and fell asleep. Thirty days til Christmas. Game over.

******

Today, in 2012, I miss my mom.  I miss her food.  I miss her decorations.  I miss her love. I miss her bubble.  I see one of my two brothers maybe once a year because of a stupid family misunderstanding.  No Macioce lives at 2708 Ford Avenue, or even in Penn Hills anymore. 

Today, I know that shortly after our feast with the Indians we wiped their race off the continent and took it for our own…..and that ironically I’m also thankful for the American bubble that resulted when we formed this country as a result. I feel strange being thankful when such awful things on the other sides of the oceans that surround that country happen on a daily basis. 

I feel strange being thankful when some people who are dear to me are having such a hard year of losing loved ones, and some going through such hard times, and never seeming to get a break. 

But I’m thankful for the strength and courage they show, their example, and that they have the time to show me love despite what they are going through.  I’m also thankful for the bubble they must have lived in at some point, and that maybe the memories of their bubbles help them through….

 Sorry for the depressing nature of my “thankful” post this year.  It’s sort of where I am today.  But as I write this, I look across the room at the coolest eleven year old kid I’ve ever met playing video games, and upstairs sleeps a girl that is more wonderful than I ever thought a daughter could be. 

I hope I kept their bubble in existence as long as possible.  I know teen and pre-teen realities are in their face now and they learn more of the world every day, but I hope there comes a day on a thanksgiving in their future that they can remember our bubble we created, and they can smile as they try to build their own.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still thankful for Elf, Candy Corn, beer, sex in green jello (and whoever actually does that), and all kinds of things that are far from serious.

I just wanted to acknowledge all the bubbles out there that we create, not only for our families, but for each other.  So many of you are a bubble for me.  When I’m in your houses I feel at home.  When I laugh with you – in person or on line – I forget reality and that is a brief bubble too.  Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I’m thankful for my work bubble, my facebook bubble, my music bubble (especially the Bruce bubble…..the concert last month was sexual.), and so thankful for my friend bubble………well except my REALLY conservative friends….(kidding!).

Anything that counts as taking my mind off of the pain of others is a bubble and that is what I celebrate today.  It would be a little more fun if Big Ben were playing and there was #%#@$R%#$ ng hockey to watch but maybe that’s nit picking.

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.  I hope you’re warm and safe with loved ones and in a bubble of some sort…..and far from any sharp objects!!!!

I’m going to go eat an entire pumpkin pie in one sitting while watching Elf.