Grandmas Goulash

New to Convictions? Full story:   Index . Quick Story:  In a Nutshell   Beth looked around the kitchen with pride. The storeroom was clean, organized and fully stocked. The kitchen sparkled and sported a new freezer. A work table, converted to a desk, contained grocery specials, menu plans and expense reports. Hard to believe that only three weeks had passed since she had become the Redemption House Cook. A trip to the food warehouse had helped expand her limited budget. Many baking and canned goods were regularly available. Cheese and other surplus items were not as reliable, but all could be used to ease the tight budget. Staff were courteous, but surprised. It had been almost two years since Redemption House had used their services for more than a few items. But they were encouraging when they learned her intentions. She was delighted to learn that delivery was available for non-profit groups. The canned meats available through the warehouse were useful ...

New to Convictions? Full story:   Index . Quick Story:  In a Nutshell   Two young lovers sat under a blossoming apple tree, oblivious to approaching doom. Suddenly the space aliens descended in a cloud of purple smoke. When the cloud lifted, only a small withered tree remained. Skyla and Beth giggled nervously from their front row seats as the aliens moved on towards an unsuspecting city. Rick and his buddy, Jeff, assumed brave faces, although they had been as startled as the girls. “Let's go get some more candy, Jeff.” “Just trying to get away from the aliens”, Skyla whispered to Beth as the boys headed off. “We're lots braver than they are.” Beth nodded, but kept her eyes on the screen. “Beth. Look. Harry's over there. I think he's looking at me. Do you think he is?” “Probably, Skyla.” “Beth, what is wrong with you? He is so good looking. You'd rather watch the movie than look at Harry?” Beth grinned. “Yup. But I can tell that you wouldn...

Anyone who has hung around the goulash pot for very long, knows that Grandma is an American Idol fan. But the show has raised a question for me. What do people hear? Not the judges. Sometimes their critiques make me wonder if we've listened to the same performance, but I'm not talking about that.. Nor about the public vote, which sent Lacey Brown home, while providing Tim Urban another opportunity to impersonate Tiny Tim. It's the auditions that puzzle me. Some of the participants can really sing. Some shouldn't give up their day jobs, but they're not all that hard on the ears. Some are outrageously bad and know it, happy with their few minutes of fame. And then there are those who are just as bad, but remain oblivious. They are genuinely surprised and frequently devastated, when they are turned away. That's puzzling. Why do they perceive their sound as great, rather than grating? Surely they must hear something different. Is it the auditor...