Beginnings

[captainsblog]

Monday, not so manic today in the usual ways. Work was quiet and catchy-uppity, and I appreciated it staying down to a dull roar, because Eleanor was home all day. She has a friends-only post about the reasons for that, which I'll just commend to you (or email the content of if you don't have access to it), but suffice it, the day for her worked out pretty well in the end and seems to be going better for the other souls involved.

Little ended today, then, but I put down some pretty important beginnings in the groundwork department.  A few hours ago, I sent off a first draft of Mystery Science Novella 3000^*. It was two days late and several thousand words short, but its Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts are all in place. I remain under something of an embargo about the specific subject (I don't think of it as a gag order- more like a fuzzy woolly muffler, tightly wrapped to keep all my hot air in;), but it's basically the equivalent of a cover-CD tributing a specific artist. My contribution to it- the Really Big Idea that I'm told is unique to the whole collection- is done. Long as the editrix believes that, too, it will be a much easier bit to work back in more of the original lyrics, or create further riffs, solos or cadenzas^** for the artists who are already performing.

I had the joy- and it IS joy- of sitting down, shutting down, and doing nothing but this work for several whole hours this afternoon, and finding, as I so often do, that my characters have amazing abilities to surprise me as I go, even when I've fully outlined their moves and, in this case, have a fully-formed story by Someone Else to start from.

In time, this will need beta reading. One of you (and you know who you are) has already helped with one of the "turns" in this wild ride, and will be asked to review the final product to be sure I got them right. Anyone else wanting a crack may have one as soon as the Fuzzy Muffler^*** comes off.

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The other beginning of the day night was my taking on a church commitment, which could end very very well or very very badly. This, too, has a pretty significant gag about it ^****, but in general terms I think I can say this much:

In United Methodism, congregations do not hire or fire their own clergy. The bishop and other poobahs from the "conference"- our rough equivalent of a Catholic diocese- appoint to each "charge" (a church or, in some cases including sort-of ours, a group of them) whoever they care to, with the input of the local church's people reported to them through a beast long known as the Pastor Parish Relations Committee.^***** Either church or clergy can request out of an appointment, but as a brake on such desires, neither gets to pick the replacement (although they do get to meet the new person/parish and can more-or-less veto an appointment before it's made). This is my third year of a three-year PPRC term, and last week, our senior minister asked if I would chair the group for this coming year.

Anyone's who has met me knows I have QUESTION AUTHORITY practically tattooed on my ass^******, so I go into such nominations with skepticism and a little bit of worry. I told Rich I would do it if some things were made clear. I did so, to him at least, and he was in agreement with my thought processes, so my name will be put forth next Sunday.  Meanwhile, a skeleton crew of the existing committee met tonight, to pass out some stuff needing to be done by month end, and we set my first meeting as chair for three weeks from now. As I put "PPRC" into my iPhone calendar, it autocorrected it.

To "OPEC."

I've got a baddddd feeling about this.

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^* To be referred to throughout the remainder of the process as "MSN3k." Bill Gates can sue my ass if he doesn't like it. Tom Servo, likewise.

^**Cadenza:generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist or soloists, usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing for virtuosic display. Not to be confused with "placenta," which is, apparently, also a musical term;)**½

^**½If you're a friend of nentikobe, you can get the explanation of that here. Otherwise, I'll stick the Q here as soon as I get the WP to go with it.

^***"Fuzzy Muffler" would be a good name for a band.

^****It's kind of like a thick, multicoloured stole- only with symbols of balls and chains on it instead of loaves and fishes.

^*****Officially, it's been renamed in the Discipline as the Staff Parish Relations Committee, but I still refer to things as Sixth Avenue and Sibleys and other obsolete names, and besides, SPRC sounds too much like a raspberry.

^******Not that anyone in this audience other than Eleanor has SEEN such ass, mind.

Comments

[bill_sheehan.livejournal.com]

One of the things I like about Episcopal polity is that the congregation DOES choose the clergy. The prospective has to have diocesan approval, of course - the candidate has to be qualified. The bish makes recommendations, may send an interim to help in the search process, but in the end, it is the Vestry (the elected representatives of the congregation) who choose.

Bishops are elected by clergy and laity in convention. (I was involved with selecting two of 'em.) ECUSA is quite democratic when you come down to it.