Dome Pondering

3 Up  1. Memorial Day Weekend - Often treated as the "unofficial start to summer", with the weather here in the Northeast promptly supporting that, it is indeed a solemn weekend. Let us not forget those who gave their lives for the point in history we currently hold and enjoy. Strength, power, and patience to those families whose weekend felt a little less BBQ-focused or vacation-like.  2. Sky News Reporters - Kudos to those two reporters from Sky News who cut right to it in their interview with Senator Ted Cruz. We need more journalism like that here, stateside.  Also, watching Cruz unable to come up with an answer (his annoyance was in his eyes) said so much about the hold the gun lobby has on our politics.  3. Police Reform Executive Order - On the two-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd, President Biden signed an executive order which would create a national registry for police officers and their history of misconduct. Ultimately a great thing, after ...

Look, I'm just going to jump right into this review of the Colorado Rockies City connect jerseys - I'm not a fan. The initial aesthetic at first can be jarring - in a good way - but after it settles in on your eyes (or at least mine), it quickly turns into, what the heck am I looking at. I'm trying to be fair, but overall, the look just carries supreme Sunday-softball-league vibes. Join our squad, we got awesome unis bro!  OK, I'm being over the top, but still... There is so much to get into for my feelings, but the biggest is the overall theme for the jerseys which are derived from the Colorado state license plate - yes, you read that right. There is no question that Colorado has some dope license plates - after all, we've all done road trips and have somewhat ranked the aesthetics of state vehicle tags. However, carrying that over into jerseys? Is it that representative of the state?!

I sit here quite unsure how to celebrate a birthday this year - though, it's not something I've always done. I leave that to my wife and now, my son, to create that spectacle that I'm unable to drum up. However, I've always had some reflection on each year, and each new "age" or trip around the sun completed. Thirty-seven successful trips, and on this day, today, my birthday, I just can't seem to find the words that resonate with how I feel, or simply, to feel.  For starters, there is the idea that forever, my birthday, May 25th, will always be linked with the death of George Floyd. That's heavy enough. And then there is this year, just yesterday, the horrific events of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. That is the only thing really at the center of my thoughts, emotions, and concerns. It's challenging to pull myself out to be a focus under the current climate.  But if I tried to mesh the feelings of the current times as well as look inward, ...

3 Up 1. NY Times Investigative Series on Haiti - The history of Haiti is such a complex (and unfortunate) one. Really, it's a story that goes untold, specifically for the context of how the country is viewed. From being forced to pay operations to enslavers (yeah, you read that right), to so many other historical setbacks - including American interventions - the nation's history is so well laid out in this latest NY Times piece. I urge you to give it a read.  2. Equal Pay for US Women's Soccer Team - Kudos to US Soccer on coming around to giving the USWNT their due - equal pay for prize money from the World Cup. It's a start, and more importantly, it's a push forward for women's sports that do in fact push the needle in comparison, or more so, to their male counterparts.  3. Kate McKinnon - Random "UP" here, but I'm doing it anyway...A few SNL usuals are rumored to be walking away, including Kate McKinnon. The show obviously doesn't carry the ...

What is it about?  Two troubled teenagers meet and change each other's lives for the better - working through their past, and their demons, the two find meaning in the smallest and simplest of places.  Who is in it?  Elle Fanning - Violet Markey Justice Smith - Theodore Finch

3 Up 1. California Church Heroes - It's soooooooo weird that the top spot is a result of something so horrific as our ongoing domestic terrorism problem of mass shootings. Still, the courage shown by the five members who stopped the shooter deserves it. Those individuals tackled the shooter and tied him up with an electric cord, while wounded.  It's so tough to fathom that those possibilities are within the realm of your Sunday worship, within the sanctity of your church.  But such is America... 2. Olivia Rodrigo & Drake - Rodrigo continues to reap rewards on an excellent album in 2021 as she topped the Billboard Music Awards with seven awards. There was also Drake who I'm beginning to sense we won't really appreciate his body of work until he's near the end of his career. But yeah, Drake poured in a few more for the legacy debates and discussions.

Last week, I found myself in the back of a church service. For the first time in years, I was seated in God’s house. It was redeeming. It was joyous. It was uplifting. It was long overdue. It was also conflicting. Very conflicting. This moment was a culmination of the see-saw contention that has been the road traveled by my heart and soul since my last time present with a congregation. A lot has happened since that last time, and as I’m sure you’ve experienced, the world has endured and changed quite a bit since then too.  I’ve maintained my faith through that entire time. Though, it did wane and weigh throughout moments, periods, happenings, and various reflections. We all have our struggles. There were moments I failed. And others where I've held on steadfastly. Regardless, it continued as a vital source of my existence - my faith, my substance for being, and my purpose for existing.

3 Up 1. Mother's Day - It's a day for mothers everywhere, and really, since becoming a dad, I've advocated that it should be an entire weekend. But ah well - Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there - past, present, and subbing in. And of course, Thank You!  2. NHL Playoffs - I've really gotten into hockey over the past two weeks, especially, the Rangers/Penguins series. Honestly, in my opinion, the Turner deal might just be the best thing the NHL has ever done. From the production to the in-studio crew, the product is immensely better - and easier to locate.  3. Pusha T - After over 20 years in the industry, rapper Pusha T finally landed a number 1 album with It's Almost Dry . Following a well-publicized battle with Drake, one in which he outed the mega-star for hiding his son (or you know, it was Drake just hiding the world from his son, yada yada), Pusha follows it up with a solid album, one that is a favorite of mine thus far in 2022. Kudos to Pusha. ...

The Kansas City Royals' City Connect uniforms were a design that I wholeheartedly looked forward to. The Royals' current uniforms and aesthetics are some of the best in baseball, and for a city like Kansas City, it just feels like there was enough room creatively to do something historically enlightening (more so something many do not already know about the city), or a simple approach that builds off of the current design.  To be honest, it may sound simple, but the use of "blue" by the Royals is fantastic.  What we got is a concept that continued the awesome blue approach, with a design concept that is just as cool as their everyday threads. However, where I feel disappointed is the safe approach to this. I would have loved to see them lean into the rich history of the Negro Leagues that is Kansas City - a team (and city) able to do so more than others. That could have been really cool, enriching, meaningful, and somewhat different from the norm - maybe even an ode t...

3 Up 1. Harvard Statement on Enslavement Past - We're currently in a world where dealing with slavery and oppression and all that it was in the past has created further division of the present, as well as ideals to move forward. We're all still trying to figure that out, but as we do, props are given to those who do it without the trendiness of the gesture.  Harvard can be slammed for a whole lot in this arena, but they get the top spot this week for taking steps in a major way - just admitting its connection - is a great start.  2. "Out of Pandemic" Phase - The world surely feels as "normal" as it's felt in a long time. While Dr. Facui's comments were well...confusing and required some cleaning up, the gesture is very much understood - we ain't that bad anymore! Things are definitely not going to snap back to pre-2020, but it definitely feels as close to non-pandemic-ish as it ever has.