sast presents: the return of sast (short attention span theater)

it's pride season again. last weekend was the first of a series of gay pride events that my company participates in throughout the summer. last year this phoenix event was one of my favorites, but this year felt much different. even the hotel was quieter and felt less raucous, and while in other circumstances this would be much appreciated, pride comes with a different set of expectations, which were less than fully realized.

highlights included:

being able to celebrate the birthday of a colleague (and friend) with ginormous chocolate cake.


getting to work with my friend vicki (who doesn't usually work this beat)


getting some seriously quality pool time, and appreciating it soooo much in the 95 degree heat

(NOT inserting a photo of me in a swimsuit here)

and finding myself a new gay boyfriend. the advantage of this year's gay boyfriend over last year's group of them, is that this one actually lives in california, and has a disneyland pass, so i might actually get to hang out with him. how cute it is he? i'm glad he's gay or i'm certain he would break my heart.

*****

while watching this week's episode of 'bones', i immediately recognized the 'murder scene' as long beach aquarium, a gorgeous aquarium (rivals baltimore-which is saying something) about twenty minutes from my house. while i was excited at seeing the familiar setting, i was mildly heartbroken when i realized david boreanaz was twenty minutes from my house, and i had no idea. of all the celebrity encounters i may or may not have dreamed about since moving to california, david boreanaz would rank in the top 3. drat!

*****

it is common knowledge that new york city cab drivers are aggressive. i've even participated in my fair share of mr. toad's wild new york city cab rides, but my arrival to the city this evening took the cake. while leaving the airport and beginning to exit onto the freeway, my cabbie was cut off by another cabbie who proceeded to slam on the brakes. as a result, my driver did the same. the stop was so sudden and jolting that my head literally flew into the plastic divider.

while no permanent damage was done, the cab driver in front proceeded to get out of his car (and we're still on the freeway on-ramp, here) and began screaming at my driver. there was much bru-ha-haing about the legalities of what had just happened (which i found quite comical given the general abandonment of 'legal' driving procedures by nyc cabbies), an accusation of a 'bump' (which, though the stop had been rough, i was quite certain had not happened), and much puffing of chests before the front driver returned to his vehicle and went on his way.

i might have complained, but even with the unexpected stop, the ride was about twenty minutes shorter and twenty dollars cheaper than the last time i was here, so in te end, i was a happy, and amused, pasenger.

*****

deb made it back from germany. really looking forward to seeing her tomorrow, and really looking forward to this!

opening weekend

on friday the orioles played their season opener against toronto. while i ate breakfast at the hotel restaurant, across from camden yards, i watched as one and two and three people turned into five and ten and twenty, all gearing up to celebrate the return of summer - the return of baseball.

as the day progressed, and my booth responsibilities took me back and forth between the convention center and the hotel, i had the opportunity to watch (and take photos of) the continued swell that ultimately engulfed eutaw street and much of pratt street in a swarm of black and orange.

the crowd at camden yards THREE hours BEFORE game time!

since the nationals are fairly new to the dc metro, growing up here meant that the orioles were our hometown team. i saw a more than a few games at camden despite the trek it required, and being here this weekend definitely gave me the feeling of being home again.

there has been a wonderful energy in the city this weekend, which was enhanced this morning by my own excitement at getting to see a good friend. as luck would have it, julie returned from a vacation to spain yesterday, and since her in-laws, in virginia, were looking after the kids while the parents played, she decided to make a quick trip up to baltimore to see me.

though we were originally scheduled to meet last night, i suspected that the international flight might have her a bit exhausted, so she decided, instead, to meet me for breakfast before i headed back to booth work. i was so appreciative of her efforts in doing so (which required a 1 1/2 hour drive, each way, to spend roughly an hour together, before making the drive home to north carolina) that a special breakfast was in order.

i did my research and found a place not too far from the hotel that had gotten great yelp reviews. looking at the menu sealed the deal, and when we arrived at miss shirley's cafe, i couldn't wait to order my coconut-cream stuffed french toast.

heaven on a plate

the meal was divine. cream cheese, mascarpone, buckets of coconut, and some other delicious ingredients combined to start a party in my mouth that i never wanted to end! i also wanted to prolong the experience for the sake of getting more face time with julie. since stay in frequent phone contact, there wasn't too much to get caught up on (other than the spain trip!) but it was soooo nice to just be able to hang out.

julie and i, reunited, after seven whole months!

now, i'll tell you a little secret. the older i get, the more i think that if i ever get married i'm going to have (happily) a much smaller wedding than i once dreamed of. i still sometimes muse about the details of this fictional wedding, one of which is the choice of bridesmaids. and this is one detail that has been resolved for some time. so, the cool thing? i'll be seeing every one of them this month, even though they live in three different cities. pretty cool, huh? ;)

april showers

they say when it rains, it pours, right? well, that seems to be evidenced in many ways at the moment. april will be the busiest travel month i've had since, well, since ever. that in and of itself is saying something. i don't get to be home very much this month, but for once, it's kind of okay. all of the trips i'm taking this month, are what i would consider 'fun' trips. even though they are all work trips, each one has it's own little perks.

melissa and i, literally getting poured on, as we finally finish our dinner at midnight after a very long travel day. no umbrella and flip flops made for a very wet tara!

i'm currently in baltimore, which i'm sure you can imagine has LOTS of perks! aside from getting to reconnect with my friend melissa at the conference itself, i will also have the chance to spend time with my folks, my sister and my niece, and my friend lara. the unexpected bonus is that my friend julie, who lives in north carolina, happens to be returning home from a family trip to spain, by flying into dulles. i'm not sure she's going to think this was such a good idea after her international flight, but since she's soooo close, she's going to drive up to baltimore to see me.

the event itself is fairly laid back, and if i can get through the quarterly budget reforecast i've got to do simultaneously, it should be a really great trip!

friday

At about 8:30 this morning, having been beaten, and nearly scourged to death, Jesus and the crossbeam he has carried on his bloodied back are laid down on the ground at Golgotha and affixed to the upright. A nail goes through the right hand, through the left hand, through the right wrist, through the left wrist and through both feet. The cross is lifted up at 9 a.m.

It has been a terrible night for the Savior, and need not have been so except for his transcendent love for us. Having more power than any man who had ever lived, Jesus at any time not only had the power to end the torment and toss his tormenters aside, but he had perfect faith to heal himself in every moment. Imagine that. How would you resist freezing a staff or a whip in the air before it strikes you if you could do so? How could you not, given the enormous pain of each blow, immediately heal yourself as if it was never there? I believe this was a greater trial than any of the physical injuries -- to show such perfect restraint in acceptance of the injuries and pain in order to fulfill the plan of the Atonement. Given our own inbred compelling instincts for self-protection and survival, which he had as well, it is impossible to imagine what power it took not to easily use the power he had to remove himself from all of it.

In his last sleepless night, Jesus first went through the agony of Gethsemane, which Bruce McConkie says was three or four hours of prayer and torment. "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." But he was obedient to the plan of the Father that he had championed in pre-mortality: "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."

Judas the betrayer came with "a great multitude" and kissed Jesus, who was bound and taken to the palace of Caiaphas. During the "trial," they spit on his face as he spoke, "buffeted him" and hit him with the palms of their hands. At one point, they blindfolded him, mocking, and then hit him in the face challenging him to prophesy who had hit him. After judging him guilty of blasphemy, the Jewish penalty for which was death, the Jewish authorities needed permission to kill him -- so they maintained he had committed treason against the Roman state, for which the Roman authorities could put him to death.

About 6 this morning, he as taken to the Hall of Judgment in Antonia Fortress to appear before Pontius Pilate. After a short, courteous conversation and interrogatory, Pilate found no fault in him -- but could not release him because of the animus of the Jewish leaders.

Pilate sent him to a higher Roman authority who happened to be visiting Jerusalem at the time -- Herod. Jesus refused to speak to the wicked Herod, who sent him back to Pilate for further judgment.

Pilate again told the people he could find no fault with Jesus. Hoping a "lesser" punishment would appease the mob, he said: "I will therefore chastise him, and release him." To chastise was to scourge or whip.

Either in a public place, or in a dungeon-like scourging room, Jesus was tied to a post and whipped with a scourge called a flagrum whose cords ended in shards of glass, pottery or dumbbell-shaped balls of metal. This was a punishment of 39 whippings which was so brutal that prisoners often died from it. Not only was the Savior's strength so extraordinary that he survived, but he was able to stand upright soon after to be subjected to the Roman soldiers' favorite Game of Kings.

The "play" was to treat the prisoner like a king by putting a robe on him, giving him a staff and then, the painful part, affixing a crown of thorns to his head. Unlike the wreath or tiara of thorns depicted in most art, it was more like a cap or a basket of thorns which had been "invented" by Syrian mercenaries serving in the Roman legions -- who platted the crowns and then beat them upon the skull of the prisoner with rods.

Having stated he would release Jesus, Pilate relents because of the crowd and tries one last chance to free Jesus, pleading for his life with the crowd. They have a choice to free the murderer Barabbas or the innocent Jesus. They choose Barabbas, and Pilate washes his hands, sending the Savior to his death.

Despite all the terrible injuries, Jesus for a time was able to carry the 80- to 90-pound crossbeam of the cross for a ways after it was lashed to him. On the way to Golgotha, the place of the skull, he finally succumbed to his injuries and could go no further with the beam so a man named Simon was plucked from the crowd to carry it the rest of the way.

"And it was the third hour, and they crucified him." Jewish days began at 6 a.m., making the time the Savior was "lifted up" for us on the cross at 9 a.m. By the way, none of the accounts mention that he was nailed to the cross -- that is only revealed later when Thomas asks to see the prints of the nails in the hands and feet of the resurrected Savior.

Over his head on the cross is placed an "accusation" reading: "Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews."

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

The soldiers cast lots for his garments.

One of the two thieves on crosses beside Jesus challenges his to save himself and them if he is Christ. The other, a penitent, rebukes his fellow thief and says that their reward is just, but Jesus has "done nothing amiss." Being a convert on the cross, and having faith in Jesus, the Savior promises him: "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."

Looking down from the cross, Jesus connects John and his mother Mary for the rest of their lives. She is to be his mother and he is to be her son.

Beginning at noon, darkness falls upon the face of the land. From the "sixth hour ... unto the ninth hour," or from noon to 3 p.m., the darkness remains.

At 3 p.m., or "the ninth hour," the Savior's mortal life comes to an end. Before it does, he lets us know that his final torment was the withdrawal of Heavenly Father's spirit from His Only Begotten Son. "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

Thinking he is thirsty, one tormenter fills a sponge with vinegar as if it is water, "and gave him to drink, which fulfilled prophesy, as did so many things on this day.

At 3 p.m. or so, Jesus "cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost." The key words are "gave up," because Jesus had to allow himself to die -- to give his mortality up, which no man had the power to take from him. As he died, an earthquake struck Jerusalem, and the veil in the Temple, which was a heavy curtain weighing many hundreds of pounds, inexplicably tore in half.

A centurion on the scene is converted and bears testimony: "Truly this man was the Son of God."

Because the Jews had pleaded with Pilate that the legs of all three being crucified -- Jesus and the two thieves -- be broken so that they would die before Sabbath evening came, when they should not hang on crosses, the soldiers went to do so. Death by crucifixion was from asphyxiation, and could sometimes take days if the victims could push themselves up to catch a breath. Breaking their legs insured they could no longer do so, and would soon die. But Jesus was to be the pure Lamb of sacrifice, in whom no bones would be broken. The soldiers broke the legs of the thieves but, seeing that Jesus might have expired, they pierced him with a lance and both blood and water issued out. This confirmed that he was dead.

Joseph of Arimethea (sp?) asked Pilate for the Savior's body and received consent. He and others took Jesus from the cross, laid him in "a clean linen cloth," and place him "in his own new tomb, which he (Joseph) had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door and departed."

Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" grieved against the stone for a time. Jesus, the beloved Master, Teacher and Friend, was gone. Though they did not know it, he was already gone from the tomb on a mission to the spirit world and other parts of the earth.

thursday

So memorable and truly transcendent were the events of Thursday evening that none of the Gospel writers tell us what happened during the day -- what the Savior did, or what he taught at the Temple. Instead, they moveright to the Passover Feast.

Following the instruction of the Master, Peter and John located a furnished, large upper room in which they could celebrate the Passover when the hour was come. When there, he took bread "and brake it ... This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."

While non-Christians may think it is at least strange to have a Sacrament which symbolizes body and blood, it illustrates what is the true Gospel's greatest attribute: as the Gospel of Transformation. In pre-mortal life, the critical decision was whether the children of God would be divided forever or not. Satan said no. We said yes because it was Heavenly Father's plan, with the Savior as our champion and Michael as our general. If the Father could accept the loss of a third of his children in that war, in order that we would all have a chance for the most magnificent transformation of all, eternal life, then we would not spurn that gift and would take that chance ourselves to employ free agency and progress. Our spirits were transformed into a body, which will die, only to be resurrected purely as a spirit body for eternity. Our souls are transformed from dross to gold if we are obedient to the commandments. I believe that was the lesson of Jesus's first miracle of water-into-wine at the wedding, and his last major miracle raising Lazarus from the dead. Through the Savior and his Atonement, and depending on our obedience, we have the possibility for unimaginable transformation. Obedience to what? It's simple and is told in the last week. First in the two great commandments on which hung all the law, and finally in the synthesized, shortened version he gave at the Last Supper -- the new commandment, As I have loved you, love one another. If you love him, keep his commandments. If you keep his commandments, you will know joyful love, and you will know him. If you know him, you are with him. Forever.

It is for you students to continue to ponder for yourselves the first part of the Atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane, which was so great and terrible that an Angel was sent to help the Savior through it -- when his Apostles could not stay awake. The second part of the Atonement came with the crucifixion and mortal death, and subsequent resurrection. The greater suffering was in the Garden, and was as much a torment of the spirit as of his physical body, which sweated drops of blood. All sin passed through him; all disease and pain. He did this for you, and for me -- for everyone.

True and full conversion in the Gospel of Jesus Christ only comes with a testimony of the Atonement. The Savior instructed Peter, When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. Peter could not be fully converted at the point of the instruction, because the Atonement had not yet occurred. You and I are fortunate and blessed to live after that event, instead of having it foretold to us at some far-off date. But it means our responsibility is greater then those living in B.C., because we have his example, the newer greater commandments he elucidated, and the responsibility that the fact of the Atonement puts upon us. I believe we chose or fully accepted the "calling" to be in this important time together. I pray that we do not waste it.