Three Beautiful Things 02/02/14: Living Profoundly Concludes, The Super Bowl Quiet of 16 Tons, The Super Bowl Quiet of the High Street Pub

1.  The "Living Profoundly" course that LeeAnn and I gave at St. Mary's ended today, bringing an end to our examination of different theologians' responses to the understanding of human life found in existentialism.  Our emphasis today was on the existentialists' insistence that we are born into the burden of freedom and bear heavy responsibility for making meaning in our lives, for living authentically.  We read a short piece by Richard Niebuhr who sees this responsibility as social, especially in the church. Then, much of our class time was devoted to listening to Rev. Tom English, a deacon at St. Mary's.  Today was Criminal Justice Sunday in the Diocese of Oregon and Tom's ministry is focused on the jails.  He talked about what the Church's response to the criminal justice system ought to be and urged us to take our responsibility seriously.  He was joined by Tucker Mollers, a veteran of two tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and an ex-convict who spent four years in prison and is now a graduate of LCC and the University of Oregon.  Tucker was representing Sponsors, Inc., a non-profit here in Eugene providing transitional housing and employment opportunities to people who are released from Oregon prisons and jail in Lane County. 

2.   After the 11:00 service at St. Mary's, I dropped into 16 Tons for a few minutes to make sure the Super Bowl would not be shown there.  Sometimes, for sporting events, they bring a television into the 16 Tons Taproom, but, I found out, not today.  Perfect.  I knew the Deke and I wanted to go out when I was done with "Living Profoundly" and have a beer and be somewhere quiet.  For most of the time we were at 16 Tons this afternoon, we were the only customers.  We thanked them for keeping the joint open for us!  We had a great time, talking over stuff, enjoying some beer, and being where things were quiet.  As we paid our tab, a guy who'd been sitting alone in a corner by the window told us the Super Bowl had ended and told us the score.  That's just the way I wanted it.  I got to spend a quiet late afternoon and early evening out with the Deke and I got to find out the score of the Super Bowl without having to endure the dizzying onslaught of noise, TV voices, the National Anthem, commentary on the National Anthem, endless commercials, commentary on the commercials,  half-time entertainment, commentary on the half-time entertainment and all the other Super Bowl stuff that distracts from the actual contest itself. 

3.  Turns out, things were quiet at the High Street Pub as well.  I went over to order the Deke and me a cheeseburger and to enjoy a glass of Hammerhead and I was about the only person in there.  It gave me some time to read stuff in the Sunday paper while our food cooked and the burgers and tots made the Deke and me very happy as we ate our dinner in the stillness of the 16 Tons Taproom.  It was a Super Day indeed!

By the way, the Deke posted a picture of me in an otherwise empty 16 Tons during the Super Bowl  and then Don Macnaughtan posted to us that he was across the road at Falling Sky and that it was empty, too.  It's the perfect day to tip a quiet pint or two, if you pick the right spots!