Bruce’s Friday Five v4.6

My Friday Five is somewhat of a mishmash of stuff I have recently seen around the interwebs, some of which I actually kept track of and others, I just remembered upon the writing of this post. Enjoy.

After a truly stunning two-week excursion to China, there is just so much to catch up in life. Here are a few things that I offer for your contemplation, information and prayer.

ONE | Last night while stumbling around a bit, I found myself on the site, www.thisiswhyimbroke.com. No website has been named so true and I am proud to say that I made it out without buying a roll of Glow-in-the-Dark Toilet Paper, the Fun Runny Nose Shower Gel Dispenser or the above pictured Pet Hoodie . . . though I would not be surprised if this coffee mug found its way into our kitchen some day.

TWO | For those of you who live in a city where finding a convenient parking space is like searching for a unicorn, you know that sometimes you know you are going to get a ticket, but you park in a space anyway. I am one of those who will park in at a one-hour meter and try my darndest to make it back in time. I usually make it back in time, but too often I am greeted by a $50 ticket courtesy of San Francisco’s Department of Parking and Traffic. Well hello Pay By Phone, the newest way to pay for your meter via your smart phone. Simply awesome and well worth the 45¢ fee.

THREE | This story of Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill I having a very expensive watch photoshopped out of a photo has been making the rounds. While many were outraged and found justified ranting fodder – and yes, I would question wearing anything on my body worth $30K – my gut reaction . . . “What’s a watch?”

FOUR | Marion Barry is still in politics? What?!?!? For all of my friends in the Washington DC area, I’m praying for you all especially after Barry’s latest comments when he said, “We got to do something about these Asians coming in and opening up businesses and dirty shops,” Barry said. “They ought to go. I’m going to say that right now. But we need African-American businesspeople to be able to take their places, too.” He claims that these comments were taken out of context and offered his version of the “I am sorry that you were offended” apology, but again . . . What?!?!? [h/t: Angry Asian Man]

FIVE | With my family’s history of gun violence seeing the headlines about the Oikos College murders when we returned from our trip has been particularly wrenching. Thankfully the numbers indicate that instances of these kinds of rampages are going down, the pain inflicted on the families, communities and generations to come are too great to measure. I am so grateful for my hometown paper, the San Francisco Chronicle for their handling of this story. Yes, there has been much commentary on the social and political implications, but they have also been running stories on each of the shooting victims. Well done. Please keep in prayer the Oikos community, the families of the victims, the shooter and all who die as a result of gun violence.