2/2/2022

Hello Blog Readers!

I am technically in Birmingham, Alabama right now, but enjoying some of the sites on the outskirts of the city. Coming into Birmingham I was actually kind of nervous. It looked really flat and boring in internet pictures, and of course Birmingham was ground zero for horrifying examples of segregation and racial injustice in America in the 1960s. If you recall seeing videos or pictures from that era of snarling police dogs and high-pressure hoses being unleashed on non-violent protesters, then you are recalling images from Birmingham. But an old UCSB college friend of mine (Ashley) told me to visit the area and see what Birmingham had to offer in 2022. I took her up on the offer and I’m glad that I visited! Birmingham today is a really cool place.

As I have learned, the stock photos of Birmingham are kind of deceiving and do a poor job of showcasing the area’s natural beauty. Yes, that is the view of downtown Birmingham looking north. But odds are that the shot was taken from a neighborhood located in the bluffs and small mountains to the south. It turns out that Birmingham’s suburbs and boroughs are actually quite beautifully integrated into the areas’ bluffs and mountains, in an almost seamless blend of nature and development. It is weird to say, but driving around here has a feel very similar to being in Portland, Oregon or Nashville, Tennessee, which are other cities that do a great job of blending nature and development. In fact, my approach into Birmingham from the south was almost identical in scenery and landscape to my approach into Nashville from the south. Both featured agricultural land (mostly ranches) that quickly turned to mountains, forests, and development. Anyways, here’s the Alabama countryside followed by typical shots driving around the Birmingham suburbs:

My first adventure on the docket here in Birmingham happened at the crack of dawn. Literally. I had to be on the road at 6:20 am to make certain that I made it in time. But it was quite the experience! It turns out that the Irondale suburb of Birmingham is home to the Eternal World Television Network (EWTN), which is an American-based cable tv network that presents around-the-clock Catholic-themed programming to over 145 countries and territories worldwide. Odds are if you are Catholic, then either you or a Catholic family member has tuned into this station at some point in time. I know that my parents tune into it pretty regularly to watch the Daily Mass, and that’s exactly what I attended this morning. Boy were my parents back in Omaha surprised to see me sitting there in the pews on TV! If you turn on the Daily Mass today or this evening, you too can see me praying, sitting, standing, taking the Eucharist, and doing typical Catholic church things!

It was actually kind of nerve-wracking! The chapel itself is way smaller than it looks on TV, literally six rows of pews and a small place where the priests conduct the Mass. Before the Mass, priests, deacons, and choir members are rushing about, studying lines, music, and cues. Before the programming, I could see the priests and deacons continually eyeing the shirt that I was wearing (a Mercy High School t-shirt from the school I used to work at back in Red Bluff) to make certain it was appropriate for the Mass. During the Mass, a lot of the prayers and songs were in the formal Latin and kind of tough to keep up with. But man was it cool being there in a place I had seen so many times on television, and hearing their choir which is a really, really great choir and quite the live experience. So yeah, if you turn on EWTN tonight, you will see me there! I know because my family took a million embarrassing pictures of me showing up on their tv screen.

After Mass, I met up with Ashley who showed me around Birmingham, grabbed brunch with me, and showed me where to spend my afternoon hiking. I think I will do a second blog entry for that part of the day. I’ll publish that one in about 20 minutes.

Cheers,

-Rob