02/10/04’s illustrious band:

The Burning Question

Brought to you by Magic, who has been accused of having an affinity for fire.

When I first arrived at grad school in Maine, my new classmates were interested to learn that I was from South Dakota. One of them -- a college graduate, mind you -- asked me, “How did you learn to conceal your Southern accent?”

Uh . . .

A guy we call the Professor is an avid student of T’ai Chi. He practices, among other things, a form involving a sword, so he sometimes has the weapon in his truck with him on his way to and from class and on various other errands.

One day when he picked up his grandson from school, the sword lay next to him on the seat. Climbing in, the boy looked up at him with huge eyes. “Grandpa,” he asked solemnly, “are you expecting trouble?”

And my favorite burning question:

My friend Magic smelled something burning as he drove. He pulled the car off the road and opened the hood, which admitted enough oxygen to the environment to engulf the front end of the vehicle in flames. So he called 911, and the first question from the fire department seemed perfectly logical: “What’s your location?” The second question, however, did not: “What’s the make and model of the car?”

Make and model? It’s THE ONE ON FIRE!

What’s the most disconcerting question you were ever asked?

Today around the world: February 10 is the Feast of St. Paul’s Shipwreck in Malta, a Mediterranean island south of Italy. According to a Bible story, Paul was aboard a ship that was wrecked on the shores of Malta. Paul preached the Gospel and healed some sick people during his three-month stay on the island, converting many to Christianity. Today, the population of Malta is about 98% Catholic.

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