tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85025641264770423692012-02-10T06:07:39.036-05:00Where you can read about everything--or almost anything--and afterwards still know virtually nothing about it.Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.comBlogger4311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-64088869633816728762012-02-09T11:55:00.001-05:002012-02-09T11:56:39.163-05:00

1.  Playing shortstop in a fastpitch game on a 70 degree Saturday in June. 2.  Eating a giant brisket and sausage sandwich and washing it down with a monstrously huge coke. 3.  Walking in the woods with Morgan--his legs restored to perfection. Instead, I'm grading.  Nothing that horrible about grading.  It's just not as much fun as the above, or about three hundred other things I could list if

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-42649262247413283902012-02-04T22:14:00.000-05:002012-02-04T22:14:17.230-05:00

A Meeting by Wendell Berry In a dream I meet my dead friend. He has, I know, gone long and far, and yet he is the same for the dead are changeless. They grow no older. It is I who have changed, grown strange to what I was. Yet I, the changed one, ask: "How you been?" He grins and looks at me. "I been eating peaches off some mighty fine trees."

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-90003610820486359402012-01-31T17:47:00.000-05:002012-01-31T17:47:38.639-05:00

One thing I appreciate about the prayer is that Merton doesn't make bold promises to God; instead, he says "I hope." I think I will continue to pray this prayer.  I hope my student's will, too.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-49166505496907304912012-01-31T17:43:00.000-05:002012-01-31T17:43:18.646-05:00

My students seemed to deeply appreciate this prayer from Thomas Merton's "Thoughts in Solitude."  It is sometimes called the "Prayer of Abandonment."  I like it, too. My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and that I think I am following your will does not mean I am actually doing

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-15979515378586451402012-01-29T09:48:00.002-05:002012-01-29T09:57:34.998-05:00

"My Lord Alcinous, what could be finer Than listening to a singer of tales Such as Demodocus, with a voice like a God's? Nothing we do is sweeter than this-- A cheerful gathering of all the people Sitting side by side throughout the halls, Feasting and listening to a singer of tales, The tables filled with food and drink, The server drawing wine from the bowl And bringing it around to fill our

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-20593295119640240512012-01-28T09:17:00.000-05:002012-01-28T09:17:38.811-05:00

In my top ten coolest reggae songs of all time. Gosh I miss Jamaica sometimes.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-16371771247818923552012-01-28T08:37:00.001-05:002012-01-28T08:38:49.663-05:00

At Bethel we have what are called "FYE" (Freshmen Year Experience) blocks--two courses blocked in a single time slot on Tuesday and Thursday of the fall semester that two professors teach teach. Cristian and I teach FYE together.  FYE is a sort of a misnomer because it only runs the first semester.  Nevertheless, since the program was begun eighteen years ago it has had a fairly dramatic impact

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-65325198263290298932012-01-28T07:19:00.000-05:002012-01-28T07:19:30.250-05:00

Free to good home:  two knees afflicted with mild patelar tendonitis from years of basketball.  As a bonus, I'm willing to throw in two achilles heels with chronic bursitis and two arthritic ankles. Left heel has noticable haglund's deformity. Sometimes it's called "pump bump" because women who wear pumps a lot develop this "bump" on their heel.  I've never worn pumps, but I've got this.  And I

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-89700447256494448072012-01-26T13:59:00.000-05:002012-01-26T13:59:15.118-05:00

Sometimes in the middle of the day I have to break the monotony of checking things off my "to do" list, take a walk over to the gym, and make 150 shots.  And then I can go back to checking things off my "to do" list and it doesn't seem so tedious anymore.  Just finished making 150 shots.  Just checked "write blog entry" off my "to do" list.  Next item on my "to do" list: "Make new 'to do' list."

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-89687076434193140452012-01-25T18:27:00.000-05:002012-01-25T18:27:21.679-05:00

I'm considering the pros and cons of a standing desk or stand-up desk. Pro: No more sore rear end. Con: Potentially sore feet. Pro: Novelty. First person in my office wing to have one. Con: Weirdo.  First person in my office wing to have one. Pro: Apparantly standing is better for your back. Con:  My back is in relatively good shape compared with my ankles and achilles heels. Pro: Might be

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-74662770240534892862012-01-24T15:54:00.000-05:002012-01-24T15:54:55.112-05:00

The best thing about crossfit is that you can invent your own crossfit workout and call it a crossfit workout.  Here's the one I invented and then did today. 100 rep. jump ropes 10 wall ball shots with 25# ball 10 pull-ups 10 jump-knee tucks (a move borrowed from p90x) 10 sumo high pulls with 30 pood kettlebell As many rounds as possible (AMRAP) in 15 minutes. Exhausting.  Felt great!

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-72031934133339315592012-01-23T11:15:00.001-05:002012-01-23T11:16:46.814-05:00

I read this short story--very short story, really--by Raymond Carver yesterday, and now I can't get it out of my head.  It is quintessentially minimalist, and yet it managed to grab me at a gut level with its raw emotion.  The story is called "Little Things" (read it now!!).  It is getting dark outside, and inside, too--where a couple fights as he packs his bags. He wants to take the baby. She

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-71078975413921794632012-01-22T09:08:00.000-05:002012-01-22T09:08:46.292-05:00

At first, Sydney cackled with joy when I called it this.  Now she gives me a look of disgust and says stop.  I shouldn't call it this, but I can't help it. I mean it as a term of endearment--I love this place.  It's perfect.  Sydney loves it, too.  Which is why I should not exasperate her with gross comments about boogers and flies.  She's a big girl now, and too mature for such things. . . .

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-68374516317875675342012-01-21T09:54:00.000-05:002012-01-21T09:54:32.477-05:00

Ya, I'm the guy who listens to "Keane" radio while he tries to think of something to blog about.  At least today I'm that guy. It's not really working for me. In fact, all it's really doing right now is delaying me from what I could be doing: shoveling the drive, riding the stationary bike and watching a rerun of the X-Files (ya, I'm the guy who watches reruns of the X-Files 3 or 4 times a week

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-33146138934784695982012-01-20T19:17:00.001-05:002012-01-20T19:31:44.735-05:00

It's "Gold Rush" time.  I'm not the biggest TV buff I know, but I do kinda dig Discovery Channel's reality show, "Gold Rush." Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, but each week I watch the show hoping these guys hit the motherload somewhere deep in the bowels of Quartz Creek, Alaska.  Instead, I watch for an hour and discover that when it comes to gold mining, if it can break down, fall apart,

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-66193415791517986322012-01-19T14:13:00.001-05:002012-01-19T14:19:27.689-05:00

"Nothing," replied the artist, "will ever be attempted, if all possible objections must first be overcome." (Rasselas, by Samuel Johnson)One my strengths--at the very least according to the StrengthsQuest assessment--is "strategy." I tend to be a visionary and a strategic thinker, I like imagining possibilities, and dreaming about what could be.  But another of my strengths is "context"--meaning

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-10062925724742190992012-01-18T11:48:00.002-05:002012-01-18T11:53:29.973-05:00

Every semester I have to come up with some new idea for a literature seminar. Every semester I agonize over this decision--over choosing a topic to spend fifteen weeks with, over finding something that I'll be energized enough by to enjoy and to facilitate, and something that maybe a few students will find interesting enough to want to explore together. I'm not as successful in my choices as I'd

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-28675078728196863542012-01-17T16:32:00.001-05:002012-01-17T16:33:51.367-05:00

1 small bag of doritos 4 miniature reeses peanut butter cups 1 half glass of pink lemonade 9 baby carrots with ranch dip Two thirds of a miniature ice cream sandwich and... some baked goldfish crackers She has put in a request for for mama to pick her up a "slurpee" on her way home from her meeting. Ok. So am I a good papa for insisting that she eat some carrots--as if they would

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-73878482307271628342012-01-16T06:00:00.001-05:002012-01-16T06:00:02.650-05:00

I've seen them perform this song in concert five times, now, and every time its felt like the Kingdom was upon us.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-35573663556682803092012-01-15T04:48:00.001-05:002012-01-14T17:06:38.118-05:00

This book is worth reading for anyone who has to write a book length manuscript.  A lot of books get started and never finished.  Not that I have all that much experience with this, but having written one, I can tell you that it is as easy to procrastinate as it is to utterly exhaust yourself with marathon writing sessions.  It takes discipline to write every day.  It also takes discipline to

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-3806920579113951682012-01-14T10:35:00.000-05:002012-01-14T10:35:54.084-05:00

"My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." (Mt. 26:38) "Through the prism of my tears I have seen a suffering God.  It is said of God that no one can behold his face and live.  I have always thought this meant that no one can see his splendor and live.  A friend said perhaps this meant that no one could see his sorrow and live.  Or perhaps his sorrow is his splendor."  (Nicholas

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-26213771361035120742012-01-13T11:10:00.001-05:002012-01-13T11:13:18.991-05:00

In blog entry #11, I commented on "Visigoths" and the visigothian idea of grades. See that entry here. http://robbyprenkert.blogspot.com/2012/01/11-on-visigoths.html We asked the class whether they thought--considering their graduating class--the Athenians would outnumber the Visigoths. I suppose the value of a question like that isn't so much in the answer we get to the specific question, but

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-72973308106714852942012-01-12T08:56:00.002-05:002012-01-12T14:52:46.339-05:00

The first reading assignment in every class I teach is the syllabus. The first thing I do the second day of class is take questions students have about the course after they've (supposedly) read the syllabus. Sometimes, I feel like the guy in the video. Not all the time. Not even most of the time. But every once in a while. Not necessarily this semester. :-)

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-27708448481831754772012-01-11T08:19:00.001-05:002012-01-11T08:20:15.655-05:00

Here is, by far, the best insight from class on Tuesday. We read Neil Postman's "My Graduation Speech" for class, a speach where he contrasts two groups that come to be metaphors for important ideas--the "Athenians" and  the "Visigoths."  It's a fantastic little piece and will only take you five minutes or so to read.  You should read it now if you never have. http://www.ditext.com/postman/

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-80128858896368807782012-01-10T14:07:00.001-05:002012-01-10T14:10:43.308-05:00

My Monday's are tough.  It's all relative, of course.  A high school teacher would look at my schedule and go, "big woop--I do that every day."  So I'm not complaining.  I thought if I scheduled my Monday heavier, the rest of the week would be smooth sailing.  But there could be a downside to having four classes spread out over 12 hours, with a back-to-back-to-back from 3pm till 8pm.  Let me

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-36094462589289241162012-01-09T08:15:00.000-05:002012-01-09T08:15:01.186-05:00

She knocks at my office door, enters.  She is the student who shows up far too infrequently to class, and in what little writing she has submitted, she gives just a glimpse of a life teetering on the brink of chaos.  "I wanted to recite psalm," she says.  It is an assignment--memorize and recite ten psalms over the course of the semester.  This is her first--somewhere at the midpoint of the

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-24593834031470962862012-01-08T12:33:00.001-05:002012-01-08T12:35:25.573-05:00

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-8404407319177272532012-01-08T08:30:00.002-05:002012-01-08T12:38:33.927-05:00

He slips out the backdoor of his office and into the movable stacks.  Most employees have but one way in and one way out of their offices.  His office, in the bowels of Bowen, has a second doorway out and directly into the literature section of the library--into a large room with the highest concentration of books of anywhere on campus. Were he a poet there might be a metaphor to work here. 

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-85193972768124610032012-01-07T09:09:00.000-05:002012-01-07T09:09:45.154-05:00

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;        5    Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,        10    And

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-21043511183489383842012-01-06T09:00:00.002-05:002012-01-06T11:39:24.208-05:00

Or not so much on cars in general, "On My Car."  Or, "On My 1999 Blue Ford Escort."  The one that is just about ready for the graveyard, I think.  It's served me well. I don't drive it all that much--back and forth to work, in the summer to softball tournaments and games, occasionally to the store. It hasn't even made it to a  hundred thousand miles yet, but it runs like it's a lot older. The

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-90341295279843653222012-01-06T08:17:00.002-05:002012-01-06T08:17:50.944-05:00

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-91617056191376816862012-01-05T08:51:00.000-05:002012-01-05T08:51:22.948-05:00

I turn 42 today. Jackie Robinson wore #42. One time in a summer league basketball game in Bourbon, I scored 42 points. 42 days into 2012, I will have written 42 new blog entries. My world literature class will meet 42 times this semester--41 classes and a final exam period. Volume 42 of the Great Books of the Western World includes the major works of Immanuel Kant. I've never read it.  I don't

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-91791290698189044072012-01-04T08:26:00.003-05:002012-01-04T08:26:01.249-05:00

She makes things.  She makes things all day long. I consume things.  I consume things all day long. I read books. We read books together, too, but then she surrounds herself for an hour or two with a million markers and crayons and paper and glue and staples and scissors, and she makes her own book, which she gives away to someone as a gift. She delights in making the cheesy scrambled eggs and

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-13094633371273299542012-01-03T07:58:00.008-05:002012-01-03T09:25:46.830-05:00

Life is a journey. All journeys quests. Every quest has the same purpose--that purpose is to deepen the self-knowledge of the quester. Self-knowledge is never merely additive; it is always transformative. Maybe? The Spirit intends to investigate our whole life history, layer by layer, throwing out the junk and preserving the values that wer appropriate to each stage of our human development . .

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-47180641422861052232012-01-02T10:02:00.000-05:002012-01-02T10:02:45.316-05:00

Two dogs—both medium sized mutts of indistinct breed—live in a cage behind the house a couple backyards over.  They are too far away for me to read the expressions on their faces when Morgan and I play ball in our spacious fenced backyard, but they sit on the roofs of their homes inside their kennel and stare our direction.  Sometimes they bark. I’ve never seen anyone take them on a walk. I’ve

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-38990250784849557462012-01-01T09:50:00.002-05:002012-01-01T10:00:29.028-05:00

Considering how many words have been written--especially in recent years--on leadership, it is striking to me how precious few truly wise words have been written on the subject. Apparently there's a market out there for books on leadership, when most of what you need to know could be learned by reading very old books that don't have "Leadership" in the title (i.e. The Bible, The Iliad and The

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-30319279761187277472011-12-30T21:14:00.001-05:002012-01-01T22:03:36.702-05:00

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-50031139810573387792011-12-29T13:00:00.002-05:002011-12-29T13:00:57.795-05:00

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-73039578567037046172011-11-23T10:07:00.000-05:002011-11-23T10:07:55.813-05:00

I have always found sunny days in November ominous in their loveliness. Something about long shadows all day connotes a mood of perpetually dying day. And if November's trend were to continue, might not the sun sink behind the horizon forever and the world slip to eternal darkness? I love them and and loathe them. I'd like to say they are better than the nostalgic gray cold we had Sunday,

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-83611789780135428272011-11-12T12:15:00.000-05:002011-11-12T12:15:59.818-05:00

"In the morning I walked to the bank. I went to the automatic teller machine to check my balance. I inserted my card, entered my secret code, tapped out my request. The figure on the screen roughly corresponded to my independent estimate, feebly arrived at after long searches through documents, tormented arithmetic. Waves of relief and gratitude flowed over me. The system had blessed my life. I

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-73899382922008428992011-11-06T12:24:00.000-05:002011-11-06T12:24:03.060-05:00

Today I read the best student paper on the Odyssey I've ever read in ten years of teaching the poem. The best thing: it's a student who took my Written Communication course and who continues to show improvement as a writer. Persistence and practice pays off.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-68362487537924023592011-10-13T11:24:00.001-04:002011-10-13T11:25:11.051-04:00

How awesome is this song; how awesome is this band?

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-82435661315532210212011-10-11T19:41:00.000-04:002011-10-11T19:41:11.943-04:00

5 pullups 10 pushups 15 squats As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes. My score = 24

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-56845743561903108782011-09-24T12:55:00.000-04:002011-09-24T12:55:45.128-04:00

"Yes, it is the dawn that has come.  The titihoya wakes from sleep, and goes about its work of forlorn crying.  The sun tips with light the mountains of Ingeli and East Griqualand.  The great valley of the Umzimkulu is still in darkness, but the light will come there.  Ndotsheni is still in darkness, but the light will come there also. For it is the dawn that has come, as it has come for a

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-28576718072522496312011-09-21T08:54:00.000-04:002011-09-21T08:54:46.856-04:00

She approaches with stealth, quietly as he reads an ancient epic on the recliner.  The sun has made its way to the horizon, and he would like nothing more than to rest, reliving glorious feats of gods and men.  She whispers.  "Papa, we should go outside and play baseball." How can he resist. "Guess what, Sydney.  I ordered you a present.  It's going to come in the mail in a few days.  What do

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-68687875772059064812011-09-19T14:09:00.002-04:002011-09-19T14:10:33.977-04:00

    When Christianity came into the world, it did not need to call attention (even though it did so) to the fact that it was contrary to human nature and human understanding, for the world discovered that easily enough. But now that we are on intimate terms with Christianity, we must awaken the collision. The possibility of offense must again be preached to life. Only the possibility of offense (

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-27282491513795906252011-09-18T19:41:00.000-04:002011-09-18T19:41:20.920-04:00

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-83490108389460146442011-09-18T12:05:00.001-04:002011-09-18T12:06:15.464-04:00

Christ is the truth in the sense that to be the truth is the only true explanation of it; the only true way of acquiring it. Truth is not a sum of statements, not a definition, not a system of concepts, but a life. Truth is not a property of thought that guarantees validity to thinking. No, truth in its most essential character is the reduplication of truth within yourself, within me, within him.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-28681607999972186732011-09-16T18:55:00.002-04:002011-09-16T18:55:42.077-04:00

Couldn't win a stinking game last week. 10-0 this week.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-45106305921485465722011-09-15T20:16:00.002-04:002011-09-15T20:16:16.292-04:00

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-32747990377034289202011-09-15T14:53:00.002-04:002011-09-15T14:53:17.939-04:00

Three rounds for time of: 25 Push ups 25 Pull ups 25 Dips 75 Squats 16:36 as rx'd.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-32152196330593781912011-09-14T18:40:00.002-04:002011-09-14T18:40:27.459-04:00

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-47704026042901561792011-09-14T18:14:00.003-04:002011-09-14T18:14:29.525-04:00

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-45628128653207334132011-09-12T21:33:00.000-04:002011-09-12T21:33:18.781-04:00

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-4327925500027370012011-08-27T16:13:00.000-04:002011-08-27T16:13:56.568-04:00

Crossfit, "Murph" Run one mile. 100 pullups 200 pushups 300 squats Run one mile. For time. 33 min, 12 seconds. Ouch.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-38180365595138667262011-08-15T09:08:00.000-04:002011-08-15T09:08:52.773-04:00

Tomorrow, Sydney has her first day of kindergarten. That makes today the last day of summer vacation. She said she wants to play in the park, walk in the woods, play baseball, and ride her bike. But then some cartoon on tv demonstrated how you make juice pops in the freezer, and that got added to the list of things to do. We'll giver her a shot, Syd, cuz there are only so many days of summer

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-86499393612117216242011-08-14T15:45:00.002-04:002011-08-14T15:45:42.286-04:00

Gotta love Harry Belafonte.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-80561659345259883562011-08-13T10:24:00.000-04:002011-08-13T10:24:42.537-04:00

I'm not very good with a chainsaw to begin with. But after I figured out that I had installed the chain backwards--so that the teeth were facing the wrong direction--cutting up wood became much more enjoyable. Still, I wouldn't want to do it for a living.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-4096791568785833142011-08-11T11:46:00.001-04:002011-08-11T11:46:19.065-04:00

In August. Perfection.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-85725285626413215932011-08-03T10:08:00.000-04:002011-08-03T10:08:24.636-04:00

Last night we played two innings before the storm hit. I went 2-2 with a three run homer. We were ahead 6-1. Season totals: .428, 12 HR We play tonight in Bremen. Then I play with the Outlaws Thursday at 4:00 p.m. at Belleville complex in South Bend in the ASA Men's Major.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-86568742159639847952011-08-02T10:29:00.000-04:002011-08-02T10:29:28.210-04:00

Strategic Learner Ideation Intellection Context www.strengthsquest.com

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-83828574844577763492011-08-01T15:45:00.000-04:002011-08-01T15:45:55.811-04:00

I had a rough day hitting-wise on Saturday. I went 3-13 with an inside the park homerun as we went 2-2 with my pick-up squad. Virtually every time I hit the ball hard it went right at someone. I have a theory about this: it evens out over the course of the whole season. I have stretches where almost everything I hit finds a hole, too. Maybe I'll have one of those stretches during the last

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-24304167925940137942011-08-01T10:55:00.000-04:002011-08-01T10:55:05.425-04:00

My first ever crossfit workout. "Angie" is ... 100 pullups 100 pushups 100 situps 100 air squats For time. You do them in order (have to complete the pullups before you start pushups, etc.). You can take breaks, but the clock is running. Time: 19:09 Gotta learn to do kipping pullups. 41/m/185#

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-61463292709206125582011-07-29T13:00:00.000-04:002011-07-29T13:00:28.934-04:00

Last weekend we finished second in the Michigan ASA state tournament in Moline. We went 5-2, and lost to the Fat Boyz from Marquette in the winners bracket championship and then again in the final "if" game. We played well and won several close and two extra inning games in the tourney. We have to move up to a new classification--A/B for next year--because of our performance in the

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-76723418169402805112011-07-27T19:23:00.000-04:002011-07-27T19:23:34.105-04:00

AddThis Social Bookmarking Sharing Button Widget: "AddThis is a free way to boost traffic back to your site by making it easier for visitors to share your content"

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-70551781744734838922011-07-22T12:00:00.002-04:002011-07-22T12:12:08.411-04:00

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-69858878306194204912011-07-21T22:10:00.000-04:002011-07-21T22:10:51.507-04:00

We swept a double header on Tuesday night, and I had one of the wierdest nights at the plate ever. I was 1/3 on the night with 7 walks. So that's a really good on base percentage, but it was a bit of a frustrating night, because I would have liked to swing a bit more. We play in the state tournament tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. in Moline, MI.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-4961333498895797002011-07-20T14:13:00.002-04:002011-07-20T14:13:54.498-04:00

Saw her bring the house down with this song one late night at Cornerstone in 1999 (I think). With Dave. Ten years, it's been, my friend. Miss ya.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-24817256592121638192011-07-19T12:54:00.001-04:002011-07-19T12:57:16.053-04:00

A lot of fastball (that's the Canadian term for fast-pitch softball) has been played since I last wrote. Seven games actually. We won five of them and lost two. I was 9/23 (.433) with one very long home-run (7), which I'm going to tell you about, because it occurred to me after I hit it that I will very likely never hit a softball that far again the rest of my life. I'm 41, remember. The

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-79757421267585180442011-07-13T21:40:00.002-04:002011-07-13T21:40:53.789-04:00

Won 12-7 on Tuesday night. 3-4 with a walk and a double. Scored 3 runs. We play in Elkhart tomorrow night and in Frankenmuth Saturday and Sunday.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-51612642320701148132011-07-13T21:27:00.000-04:002011-07-13T21:27:51.881-04:00

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-59493486155067411772011-07-12T11:55:00.002-04:002011-07-12T12:03:40.477-04:00

"The pleasure of eating should be an extensive pleasure, not that of the mere gourmet. People who know the garden in which their vegetables have grown and know that the garden is healthy and remember the beauty of the growing plants, perhaps in the dewy first light of morning when gardens are at their best. Such a memory involves itself with the food and is one of the pleasures of eating. The

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-63351016076267733832011-07-11T13:25:00.001-04:002011-07-11T13:26:02.855-04:00

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-61173111936479984482011-07-09T18:42:00.000-04:002011-07-09T18:42:58.145-04:00

..."Dr." in front of the name of anybody but a medical doctor, veterinarian, or dentist. The rest of us just don't deserve to be called "doctor" and it's laughably pompous for academics to insist the we be called such. That is all.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-31064177957475645462011-07-09T10:28:00.002-04:002011-07-09T10:28:27.598-04:00

Won 10-0 on Thursday night in Benton Harbor. 1-4 with my 6th homer of the season. Next game Tuesday night. Tournament in Frankenmuth--home of the most ridiculously overpriced hotels in the state of Michigan--next weekend. Luckily, I'll be driving in from Port Huron and not staying in a hotel.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-35255230651659958302011-07-08T13:39:00.000-04:002011-07-08T13:39:54.305-04:00

My approach to education would be like my approach to everything else. I’d change the standard. I would make the standard that of community health rather than the career of the student. You see, if you make the standard the health of the community, that would change everything. Once you begin to ask what would be the best thing for our community, what’s the best thing that we can do here for our

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-70175795129636900532011-07-07T13:58:00.001-04:002011-07-07T13:58:34.658-04:00

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-90230578526970429242011-07-06T10:53:00.001-04:002011-07-06T10:55:52.867-04:00

Monday, July 25 @ 7:00 p.m. Prenkert's house We will be discussing Mark Richard's fantastic memoir, House of Prayer No. 2: A Writer's Journey Home. Don't miss this one!! NOTE: I started reading this, and it was so good I just had to pass it on. I know this strays from the earlier plan (Maxwell and Nabokov) and takes us into "non-fiction", but it'll be worth it.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-67373828515093837942011-07-06T09:55:00.002-04:002011-07-06T09:55:43.567-04:00

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-62213530548385096972011-07-05T10:53:00.000-04:002011-07-05T10:53:26.942-04:00

My "pick-up" team and I went 3-0 in pool play on Saturday, in what was most likely the hottest day on which I've played three games of softball. The heat index was 101 when we started our game at 11:00 a.m. I didn't check it after that. Suffice it to say, it was brutally hot. We lost a heartbreaker in the bottom of the 7th 4-3 in the first game on Sunday, ending our tournament. I played

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-92109314700795545522011-07-01T20:36:00.000-04:002011-07-01T20:36:22.356-04:00

Tomorrow I play softball in Wabash, IN. I would like to explain why. My regular team (Smalltown Fastpitch) is not playing in Wabash. Instead, I have been "picked up" by another team (Goshen Gators), who happen to be short some of their regular players for the weekend. This happens fairly regularly throughout the course of a season. As a matter of fact, this season my own team has picked up

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-23330729963388294832011-07-01T20:24:00.000-04:002011-07-01T20:24:51.897-04:00

Such is the way of the world You can never know Just where to put all your faith And how will it grow Gonna rise up Burning back holes in dark memories Gonna rise up Turning mistakes into gold Such is the passage of time Too fast to fold And suddenly swallowed by signs Low and behold Gonna rise up Find my direction magnetically Gonna rise up Throw down my ace in the hole

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-2728042740938351472011-07-01T09:35:00.000-04:002011-07-01T09:35:38.283-04:00

Turned on my computer today for the first time in a week. Here's what you've missed. 1. Went to Port Huron. Watched a lot of fastpitch softball. Went to the beach. 2. Went to see U2 in Lansing. The acoustic version of "Stay (faraway so close)" was a highlight, but as always, "Where the Streets Have no Name" brings the house down. 3. Went 1-3 with two walks in a win on Tuesday night. The

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-35973527047605477942011-06-23T10:01:00.002-04:002011-06-23T10:01:30.041-04:00

I bet my ticket we'll hear this one.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-38133178973604254642011-06-22T11:44:00.000-04:002011-06-22T11:44:16.237-04:00

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-21309223057828941972011-06-22T08:56:00.000-04:002011-06-22T08:56:09.643-04:00

Moved to 12-9 on the season with our 8-5 win last night. I played centerfield and went 2-3 (.426) with a double. Now let me mention one of the best ways to determine how well a fastpitch game is played: time. On Saturday night we lost a game 11-8 that lasted easily two and half hours. That is bad. Last night, our game took an hour and twenty minutes. That's much more like it. It's not

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-15459599546672770862011-06-21T21:16:00.002-04:002011-06-21T21:16:44.377-04:00

Notre Dame, October 2001

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-42844124510097767032011-06-20T21:39:00.000-04:002011-06-20T21:39:30.316-04:00

So, next Sunday night I'll be going to my 5th U2 concert. It will be Jeanie's 4th. But I'm envious that she actually saw one of the Joshua Tree tour concerts. Anyhow, leading up to this, songs I'd love to see performed (again) in concert.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-4425808286821209622011-06-20T13:07:00.001-04:002011-06-20T13:13:39.472-04:00

Long story short: We finished second in the Rich Plangger Invitational this year. After winning our game Friday night [see Diamond notes (4)], we won 5-2 on Saturday morning. I went 2-4 and scored a couple runs. That guaranteed us a spot in the elimination round on Sunday, but we still had one more game of pool play late Saturday night. We lost a marathon game in the sultry, mosquito infested

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-71629941126560444152011-06-18T11:24:00.002-04:002011-06-18T11:24:39.462-04:00

Buddy Holly lives!

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-18162205085593491432011-06-18T11:19:00.000-04:002011-06-18T11:19:13.921-04:00

We won our first game of pool play last night 11-3 in five innings. We played one of our better games of the season. We're 8-7 now, with pool play games today at 2 and 8, and single elimination tomorrow if we qualify. I went 3-4 (.456) with two homers (4). Made an error at shortstop that cost us a run. I'll try to do better today.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-63019142319514299402011-06-16T10:27:00.000-04:002011-06-16T10:27:25.749-04:00

Just because cigar box guitar has to be one of the coolest instruments ever.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-26551493377593532992011-06-16T09:56:00.000-04:002011-06-16T09:56:38.075-04:00

We played (sort of) a nine inning game last night. The other team only had 9 players, so we provided them with the three extra fielders each inning while we batted. We lost a 14-7. I played shortstop (for both teams) and for one inning rightfield (for the other team). Went 4-6 (.424) with a homerun (2) and three RBI. We play our first game of the Plangger Invitational tourney at 9:00 p.m. on

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-38598345444805175302011-06-15T12:37:00.000-04:002011-06-15T12:37:50.985-04:00

In honor of Sydney, who figured out how to play this song on the piano app on mama's phone ALL BY HERSELF this morning.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-13141138158434373442011-06-15T12:34:00.000-04:002011-06-15T12:34:41.629-04:00

Last night we won 4-3 in extra innings. We scored 3 in the first and didn't score again until the bottom of the 8th. With no outs in the bottom of the 8th we got a bunt single followed by bunt that was mishandled and then thrown away at first base leaviing us with runners at second and third. Our number nine hitter hit a cue shot in to no man's land between the pitcher and the first baseman that

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-27479214113152927562011-06-11T13:05:00.000-04:002011-06-11T13:05:36.512-04:00

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-13556593119203542722011-06-10T17:38:00.001-04:002011-06-10T17:38:36.990-04:00

Due to the overwhelming interest (expressed by the thousands of readers of this blog) in my fastpitch softball playing exploits, I have decided to add a regular feature here called "diamond notes." Let's see.  I play shortstop and lead off most of the time, though on occasion this season I have played some centerfield.  I'm hitting .385 with a pitiful 1 homerun after twelve games.  My team, "

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-63571194232056511192011-06-10T16:47:00.001-04:002011-06-10T16:51:01.749-04:00

"...depression demands that we reject simplistic answers, both "religious" and "scientific," and learn to embrace mystery, something our culture resists. Mystery surrounds every deep experience of the human heart: the deeper we go into the heart's darkness or its light, the closer we get to the ultimate mystery of God. But our culture wants to turn mysteries into puzzles to be explained or

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-82367676830100930892011-06-10T09:53:00.001-04:002011-06-10T09:53:11.372-04:00

"I'm strangled by your haunted social scene Just a pawn out-played by a dominating Queen"

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8502564126477042369.post-6441892787407093122011-06-09T10:43:00.001-04:002011-06-09T10:48:09.943-04:00

From "High Fidelity"--opening monologue.

Robby Prenkerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467536496937727875noreply@blogger.com1