Rest in Peace, Shirley Collier

Early Tuesday morning, my dear mother-in-law, Shirely Collier, passed away in her sleep.  It's hard to convey personal thoughts and reflections in words right now, so I've turned mostly to photos instead.  (With only one or two possible exceptions, either my wife or I took all the photos used in my collage.)  You can also find a public Flickr Album dedicated to Shirley's memory.

Shirley will be greatly missed by her family, but we all know with the certainty of faith that she is in a much better place today.  I will particularly miss her laughter and the joyous way she played that piano of hers.  She also had a profoundly giving and hospitable personality--even towards this college kid who was dating her daughter more than twenty-five years ago.  Shirley loved life and savored every moment with her family.  Her life was anchored in Christ, and we all look forward to that heavenly reunion.   

Services will be held on Tuesday at Saint Rita's Catholic Church.  The obituary is available here.

Time to Boycott Goupon?

It's not my standard procedure to suggest company boycotts.  It often seems like a pointless venture.  In this case, though...  I was thoroughly disgusted the other day with a product I happened upon on Groupon's website.  I read the description twice--just to make sure--and my jaw dropped.  Gross doesn't even do it justice.  Now, I'm no prude, but this particular item for sale on their site was degrading--to both men and women.  I've shopped Groupon many times over the years, and I've only been happy with the product purchased once or twice.  Let's face it, most of the time it's junk--or a scam. 

More importantly, though, I've never noticed any warning that users must be at least eighteen.  When I raised concerns with Groupon, here's the little response I received.  

@PacNWCathWriter sorry for any trouble! Our website is for customers aged 18+
— Groupon (@Groupon) February 22, 2015

 Of course, the reason for Groupon's move to carry adult products is clear.  Just look at the number of sales next many of the items.  It's clearly a big moneymaker.  If you don't believe me as to the depth Groupon has sunk, do a search for "sex," then try not to lose your lunch.  There's enough depravity in society at large to work its way into every facet of our lives, if we're not vigilant.  Why take a stand against this particular player?  Maybe they've been selling this junk for years, and I never noticed.  In fact, maybe almost no one cares anymore.  We're all so inured to the daily spiritual gauntlet we run, does it matter that one more company is lowering the bar a little more?  

Well, I tend to think Groupon might be salvageable, if people of faith stand up and make their voices heard.  Let's let Groupon know what we think of their descent, and maybe they will return to being a more family-friendly online retailer.

What can I do?

Good question!  Groupon doesn't let you close your account per se, but they do let you unsubscribe from all e-mails as well as remove your saved credit card information.  I suggest you log-in, head to your account page, and make these changes.  Next, I suggest you write one, or more, of the people identified below.  Let them know how important this issue is to you and how upset it makes you feel.  Promise to not buy anything else through Groupon until these items are no longer sold on their site.  After all, if some pervert wants to buy this kind of garbage, there are plenty of places to go.  This kind of merchandise devalues human life, disrespects relationships, and turns people into objects.  It contributes to the societal decay we see all around us.  I say that it's time to put our collective foot down and boycott this company.  What say you?

Groupon Contacts

Eric Lefkofsky, Co-Founder and CEO, elefkofsky@groupon.com .
Kal Raman, COO, kraman@groupon.com .
Jason Child, CFO, jchild@groupon.com .
Dane Drobny, Executive, ddrobny@groupon.com .
Rich Williams, SVP, richw@groupon.com .
Hugh Hysel, Executive, hysel@groupon.com .
Sri Viswanath, VP Engineering, sri@groupon.com .
David Schellhase, Executive, dschellhase@groupon.com .
Mihir Shaw, Public Relations, mihir@groupon.com .

Those Forgotten Edits

Once I've decided upon a particular course of action, I'm known to move swiftly  towards my goal.  Decisiveness, after all, is a good thing...right?  I also tend to not be the best editor of my own writing.  I've found that these two traits sometimes work against me in the self-publishing market.  You see, hitting the publish button is pretty simple these days, and the prospect of offering something new and fresh is as tantalizing as a British Literature course.  (Pretty darn tantalizing to me anyway.)  In a day and age of instant gratification, it's easy to ignore your inner editor.

Alcatraz Burning is probably a good example of what happens when the writer's excitement interferes with the editorial process.  I enthusiastically gathered a very diverse collection of stories together (short stories and story sketches), and I wasted no time in making the leap to Amazon.  I was particularly excited about my first work in the science fiction horror genre.  Unfortunately, the collection was probably not quite ready for prime time.  Some good writer friends pointed out some stylistic and editorial problems, and I sheepishly pulled the collection from Amazon.  I could blame my beta readers, or claim that readers just don't get it, but that would likely just be making excuses for rushing a project that really required a slow and meticulous approach; impatience is never good.  Since I don't have time for meticulous at present, I may just opt for putting my fiction on hold for a little while.  It's time for a breather, as they say.  If the readers don't get it, there's usually a reason, and that reason is that I'm getting a little sloppy in some of my short fiction.

I've been preaching the importance of editing and working tirelessly at revisions for years.  I even regularly decline to review poorly edited books...  Well, sometimes it's hard to practice what you preach.  I'll endeavor to do a more careful job of that in the future, and, in the meantime, don't be too concerned if I fade away just a little bit into the social media background for a while.  I think there's a sense in which social media has damaged the quality of my writing, and I need to give that some careful consideration in the months ahead.

Walking around my old alma mater, Seattle Pacific University, with my father this last Monday, I was struck with how things have changed around my old stomping grounds by the ship canal.  In twenty-five years, or so, impressive new buildings have gone up, and some old ones have disappeared--e.g. Tiffany Hall.  Even with all the changes, though, it still feels like a special place, a place of learning, as well as a home away from home of sorts.  It reminds me how excited I am to be returning to school this month; I've recently enrolled in Marylhurst University.  Lifelong learning is something in which I believe strongly, and, as a related commitment to this end, I'll strive to not let down my good 
audience again.     


Special thanks to the authors who took the time to share honest feedback concerning this ill-fated collection!

Alcatraz Burning (Science Fiction Horror Short Story)

I'm pretty excited about my new release, Alcatraz Burning, A Short Story Collection.  I began writing the tale many years ago, but the original manuscript was lost.  Over last Christmas holiday, I decided the time had come to re-write and re-imagine the entire work.  

Here's a short excerpt.  I hope you can read and review it soon!

With a terrific forward rush, the pod was catapulted out of the Alcatraz’ launch bay and into space.  The engines came online; rear burners glowing a deep red.  Derek eyed the visual display, which showed their travel progress.  The burners stayed on for just a few moments, then automatic maneuvering thrusters fine-tuned the pod’s course.  The background of stars ahead began to vanish, obscured by the black hulk.

Derek could feel all eyes on the display.  He inched back slightly, so more could catch a glimpse of their mysterious destination.  An uneasy quiet filled the pod. 

“Anne, will you hit the spotlights?  Let’s see what we can make out.”

“Forward lights are coming on,” she replied, activating the pod’s high intensity exterior lighting via the control panel to her right.  The powerful beams should have lit up the object with great clarity, but something altogether different was happening.

“What the…  Are lights on full?”

“Yes sir,” Anne replied.  “There’s something moving there, I think.  It’s like ripples in a lake—not that I’ve ever seen much of a natural lake in real life.”

“I see it, but I don’t understand what I’m looking at.  It’s like some kind of an automated or natural response to the light.”

Its surface rippled and undulated with a movement like dark water.  Blackness retreated from the light.  Anne swept the beams a different direction, and the surface could be seen flowing away from the light again.  The proximity alert sounded, and the braking rockets fired several times.

1Password Review

If you're anything like me, passwords are a real pain in the  you know what.  I had so many poorly-secured logins, I knew it was only a matter of time before one of my accounts was hacked.  Over Christmas vacation, I took advantage of the extra time to explore  the problem.   There are lots of options, but I finally selected to use 1Password.

As Dave Teare, 1Password's founder, describes it in an automated welcome message, 1Password utilizes "256-bit AES Authenticated Encryption."  How does one make this work?  It's a little time consuming on an iPhone, but not a particularly difficult process.  Your first step is to create a master password to use with your account.  You will want to select a strong password and retain it in a safe place.  If you lose it, you will not be able to reset your account.  Next, you will need to create a login for each online account you wish to include.  1Password will let you choose the length of each password, and, when necessary, you can customize to a password of your own choice.  This is needed for passwords which aren't yours to modify, and this allows you to include all of your important passwords within this secure online vault.  For a small fee, you can add multiple vaults in order to keep different categories of logins separate--e.g. business and personal.

Once your online accounts are updated to the 1Password-created password, it's necessary to add the login URL for each entry.  This allows you to access each account with a single click.  At times, it may prove difficult to find a workable login URL to use, and I've had to write at least one company for the best link.  Even if you ultimately don't find one for a particular account, however, you still have a great and secure way in which to save and retain your passwords within the encrypted vault.

I've been worrying about the security of my logins for years, and this is the best solution I  have found for improving security and organization with one simple and intuitive utility.  In fact, if I can do it...you certainly can do it, too! 

For this review, an iPhone App was used, but I will also be setting it up on  my home iMac when I return to Oregon.  The software is also available for Windows.  1Password can also be used to fill out name/address/credit card account information online, but I haven't utilized this feature yet.

It's Not Stealing...if You Need it?

There is no rationalization of "petty theft."  If there is any theft, it's on the part of the employer by not paying their employee enough where they can't afford basic necessities. There's a world of  difference between taking one roll of toilet paper in order to make it until the next paycheck comes in and taking a box of pens/paper just for the sake of taking them.  (Catholic social media user)

Sometimes, you get into a conversation with so-called Christians that really catches you off guard.  Yesterday was one of those days.  The writer of the above paragraph on social media apparently believes that the seventh commandment offers an exception--if you really want or need something.  It’s particularly interesting to me, because of the echoes of Catholic social justice thinking within her response.  The discussion began with a woman’s admission that she regularly stole toilet paper from her employer.  She believed it was perfectly appropriate because, after all, she needed the item due to insufficient income; the employer didn't pay her enough, so she'd take something a little extra.  I assumed I wouldn’t be the only Catholic to take her to task, but I was.  

In the guise of social justice, then, people like this are rationalizing petty theft from their employers.  This attitude needs to be confronted head-on because it’s a perversion of social justice, as explained in The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Section 1928-1948.  We all need to root out and expose this deceptive line of thinking for what it truly is: rationalization for theft.   (Some might unconvincingly argue that Section 2408 of the CCC gives an out for this behavior, but my argument is that this clearly fails to apply to a country such as the United States.  Too many redundant safety nets exist for those in need.)

In fact, I suggest that the attitude of those who rationalize along these lines betrays the sin of pride in addition to the sin of stealing.  That is, they are ashamed to ask others for help, so they take it upon themselves to steal to satisfy their own needs/desires.  It’s a lie clothed in shreds of truth, and this is why it's an attitude that must be confronted.  It's also worth noting that moral law is not based upon dollar and cent values--as civil and criminal laws are.  I would argue that the moral sin of taking a small item is tantamount to taking a much larger item; God doesn't care whether your toilet paper was on sale, or not.

Before coming to work for the State of Oregon in 1997, I worked for retailers like Nordstrom and Sears in the field of loss prevention.  This primarily involved arresting shoplifters as well as investigating internal thefts revealed through overs/shorts register analysis and other means—hidden cameras, for example.  After I would chase down the suspects and place them in custody, I routinely heard every excuse one can imagine.  There was always a reason why I should let them go, but, of course, I never released them before the police (and once or twice US Border Patrol) arrived to finish the reports in my cramped office.  

Rationalization is a way for life for these people.    As one is removing bundles of stolen jeans or electronic devices from concealed compartments within the shoplifter's baby stroller, though, there is little inclination to feel sorry for them; they made their choices.  We live in the richest and most generous society on the planet, I will never excuse those who steal—by force or deception.  I will always gladly assist in holding these individuals accountable.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!