Friday, September 15, 2017

Subs

It is Friday close to the end of the work day and I am full of Jimmy Johns. Freaky fast is appropriate. It's almost as if I just hung up and I hear the nice young lady climbing the stairs to bring me my protein/produce/carbohydrate treat. I can devour them pretty fast, too. Very tasty, with the unknown white sauce and white cheese.
I am reminded right now of The Galley sub sandwiches, who provided us many lunches as undergrads right off campus in Kalamazoo MI. Their subs were big, and included pickles. I remember they had a menu on the wall with all the different choices that you could ponder while you waited your turn to order. I am sure I rarely (if ever) visited The Galley my first two years at WMU, as I had the unlimited pleasure of all-you-can-eat cafeteria plans those two years. From 6 in the am to 7 in the pm, I could sit in that large room and make myself fat with entrees, eggs or burgers cooked to order, a sandwich buffet open every day during lunch hours, soft-serve ice cream, fountain soda, coffee (went so well with my Marlboros), fruit and salad bar, and a desert table. We would often make a big sandwich, wrap it in a napkin, and slyly pack it in a backpack, to be taken up to the room for that late night snack. Evey night right before bedtime the halls were typically filled with the aroma of cannabis and toaster oven.
We would go to the cafeteria and play euchre while smoking and indulging in our favorite beverages. And the only thing that would keep us out of there was the free rental pool table in the 'game room'.
Near the front desk where we would trade our student ID for a rack of balls, it was also located off the stairwell that led to the cafeteria. So we got to see the entire dorm population coming and going to the cafeteria while we were earning the 'poolsharks' label so often yelled at us at parties.

'Hi, I'm David'
'You live in Eicher Hall?'
'Yeah, how'd you...'
'You guys are the poolsharks'
'Oh yeah **sheepish smile**'

We rarely played for money (few of us had much at all) but we sure got pretty good at bank shots.


Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Now Thank We All Our God

1. Now thank we all our God
With heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things hath done,
In whom His world rejoices;
Who from our mother's arms
Hath blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love,
And still is ours today.

2. Oh, may this bounteous God
Through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts
And blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace
And guide us when perplexed
And free us from all ills
In this world and the next.

3. All praise and thanks to God
The Father now be given,
The Son, and Him who reigns
With them in highest heaven:
The one eternal God,
Whom earth and heaven adore!
For thus it was, is now,
And shall be evermore.



The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #36

by Martin Rinckart, 1586-1649
Text: Ecclus.50:22-24
Author: Martin Rinckart, 1636
Translated by: Catherine Winkworth, 1858
Titled: "Nun danket alle Gott"
Composer: Johann Crueger, 1648
Tune: "Nun danket alle Gott"