Question: How many of the Ten Commandments begin with the words “Thou shalt not...”?
Answer: 7. (Exodus 20:1-17)
Comments: The Ten commandments consist of seven negative and three positive commands. The first negative ordinance is described in the second commandment:
"You shall have no other gods before Me." (Exodus 20:3, NASB)
In the broader Mosaic law, there are 613 mitzvot ("commandments"). These are comprised of 245 positive and 365 negative directives.
-Before leaving town, JTH and I met PAT and CM at Buddy’s Bar-B-Q to celebrate PAT’s birthday. No, we were not being cheap. PAT selected the restaurant as he was to eat with his family at Outback Steakhouse later in the night and did not wish to spoil his appetite.
-En route we listened to the comedy stylings of Dane Cook. We began with his CD “Vicious Cycle”. We have discovered that the secret to long road trip is listening to comedians en route. We found it ironic that we were listening to DC on the way to DC. Well, I did anyway.
-The detour through Wytheville was not for naught. JTH spotted a Goodwill. He learned first hand that I brake for Goodwills. I was very proud of the driving maneuver that landed us (literally) in the parking lot and took years off of JTH’s life. While there, we asked for suggestions of local eateries. The employees recommended Shoney’s and Applebees. Really? In fact, all three times we asked locals to eat on this trip, they suggested Applebees! Rejecting food we could eat in Knoxville, we decided to continue on our journey.
-We stopped in Blacksburg looking for food but only found a Country Cookin. We walked in, noticed that it was essentially a Shoney’s and then proceeded to walk directly out the door! We did not want to eat at a chain. I had planned to stop in Roanoke but missed my exit(s) on the interstate. We later learned it was far off I-81.
-We got what we paid for. The heat did not seem to work and JTH contemplated switching rooms. When we woke up, neither of us had any covers on. It turns out the heating unit was just extremely slow. We did get this lovely note from Housekeeping.
-JTH and I woke up Sunday morning to find it snowing outside. The parking lot of the Day Inn had already accumulated powder. I had not driven in snow in some time, which was evident as I skidded out of the parking lot. Thankfully, after we merged onto the interstate, we did not encounter snow the rest of the day.
-Our first stop of the day came after 44 miles on the road. We visited a shopping center called Harrisonburg Crossing in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It was built in 2003 on the site of what was once the Dunham-Bush factory. In said shopping center, we frequented a Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble, and a Circuit City. Circuit City announced on January 16th that all locations were closing. Liquidators have already taken over as the store was no longer accepting Circuit City credit cards. Everything in the store was 20% off with the cashiers calculating discounts with a calculator. We were among the many vultures who stopped.
–We also drove downtown as we kept seeing signs for a Visitor’s Center. We thought we could pick up a map. Not only did we pick up a map but we were asked to stay for a free two-hour musical performance from 1:00 pm-3:00pm. The local group Nonesuch was playing in the Hardesty-Higgins House to promote the release of their new CD. They were described on the website as follows: “Join us while the music of Nonesuch grafts an English Morris dance tune onto a 14th century Italian tune, works a Native American Flute into a medieval mummers song, introduces a rare Irish song with fiddle, mandolin, and cowbell and then pumps it up on bass and djembe, and even throws in a popular Macedonian folk tune for good measure.” We respectfully declined the folk offering.
-We made a similar stop at Woodstock Square in Woodstock, Virginia. As the day continued we continued stopping at Goodwills and Wal-Marts. This was the most disturbing site of the day. Who would buy briefs (aka "tighty-whities") from a Goodwill?
-Our search for local cuisine came up short again and on Sunday night we wound up dining at an Applebees in Front Royal, Virginia. It was, however, the nicest Applebees facility I have ever been to. The menu was also slightly different from Tennessee franchises. They offered Pepsi products instead of Coke and like most out of state locations did not serve potato skins. To switch things up, I ordered the house sirloin. JTH and I watched the Arizona Cardinals win the NFC Championship game on the televisions that were mounted throughout the restaurant and chatted with our waitress Brenda E. Among other tidbits, she noted that she had served time in jail for driving on a suspended license. Naturally, we liked her.
-We spent the night in room 133 of the Super 8 in Manassas, Virginia. Manassas is where the first major land battle of the American Civil War was fought in 1861. As you can see, the top amenity featured on the inn’s sign was for “interior corridors”. When interior corridors are your key selling point...
-Among the unique aspects of the Super 8 was that our interior corridor did not have a Coke machine, but rather a Red Bull Energy Drink machine. Either JTH really liked this or did not. I am not sure. We walked across the place and found a Coke machine. It was the first time I have ever drank a Mr. Pibb from a bottle.
-As is virtually always the case, I woke up significantly earlier than JTH on Monday morning. I used the time to explore Manassas. I drove and came across a magnificent site: McKay Used Books! The store is located in a strip mall on 8389 Sudley Road in Manassas. It was completely serendipitous. It was like I was drawn there. It is like a gift...
-Once JTH awoke, I picked him up at the hotel and we began driving to the DC area. When we realized what a predicament we were in the previous night in regards to lodging, we called JTH’s old girlfriend LMM, who lives in Alexandria, to see if we could crash at her place. We got no response. So we just headed to her house, located at 41 Rosemont Avenue. We parked the car, caught the nearby Metro and assumed we could either catch her at work or she would call us back later in the day. You know what they say about assumptions...
-LMM’s townhouse is located very close to the massive George Washington Masonic Memorial (which was a great landmark) and more importantly to the King Street Metro Station terminal. An employee graciously helped us properly purchase day passes.
-The Metro passes actually had Barack Obama’s face on them! This would be a trend.
-We exited the Metro near Ford’s Theatre, where Abraham Lincoln was shot on April 14th, 1865. We were immediately inundated by street vendors. If Barack Obama’s face could be emblazoned on an item, it was made. My favorites: condoms, foam fingers, a basketball cleverly marketed as the “inaugural ball” (which was not worth the $15 it was selling for), magnets, peppermints, etc. I cannot guarantee that Barack will stimulate the national economy but he certainly has done wonders for the local market. Just in money made off the Metro alone they should be sitting pretty for awhile.
-We looked for a place to eat. We originally decided to try the ESPN Zone. After being seated, we were not served for a significant period of time. Also being unimpressed with the limited menu, we walked out and eventually ate at Ollie’s Trolley, a local hamburger joint which opened in 1978. The seasoned burgers were voted best in town and were billed as having 26 herbs and spices. I would rate them as good, but not great. After our experience at the ESPN Zone, we were glad just to have a meal.
-We then decided to find the National Geographic Society Museum, where LMM works. Despite carrying my GPS, this proved ridiculously difficult. The Garmin (which JTH has affectionately named “Delores”) did not adapt to us being on foot and we spent literally hours trying to navigate the masses. We made a completely unnecessary large rectangle around the building and passed the American Red Cross headquarters so often that it felt like it was mocking us. Sadly, this photo of the Washington Monument represents about how close we got to historic landmarks on this day.
-In the midst of this debacle, we made a great purchase at Barnes & Noble. We entered in part to get a respite from the cold but JTH found an Insight Pocket Map of Washington, DC. It included a pop up map that JTH took great pleasure in unveiling throughout the trip. The map helped on two levels: First (and most obviously) we knew where we were going. Second, it made us look like the idiots we were. People gravitated to help us. It would be only the second best purchase on the day. (That, my friends is called foreshadowing.)
-Even after we had the map, we managed to walk past the White House without seeing it! I did stop to photograph this statue of Andrew Jackson. It was built by Clark Mills in 1853 and rests in Lafayette Park on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 16th. It depicts Jackson shortly after the Battle of New Orleans. Jackson was the first of three presidents from Tennessee.
-We eventually found the National Geographic Society Museum. Unfortunately due to its proximity to the Inaugural festivities, it was closed until Wednesday! Our epic quest for LMM had all been for nothing.
-Undaunted, we proceeded onward. Since JTH had never seen the dinosaur exhibit, we headed to the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History. En route we made the purchase of the day. We had once again wrongly assumed we would spend much of the day indoors so we did not bring gloves. So we bought some from a vendor. These were not just any ordinary gloves. These were “Limited Edition Hands 4 Change”! You will note they have Barack Obama’s face in the middle and the doubling of the number 4 represents his status as the 44th president. Genius! Had nothing else happened on the trip, it would have been worth the effort just to purchase these bad boys.
-We made our way into the museum and JTH got to see the aforementioned dinosaur exhibit. I remembered the layout of the building as I have been there numerous times. This time was different. The place was so crowded that we could not read signs indicating what we were viewing. It was amazing and frankly, annoying.
-JTH had also never seen another of the museum’s primary attractions, the Hope Diamond, a large, 45.52-carat, blueish diamond, famous for allegedly being cursed. This was the mass of humanity that surrounded it. JTH, like many who manipulated their way to the front, was letdown.
-While at the Museum, we also watched an IMAX movie at the Johnson IMAX Theater. JTH had never seen an IMAX movie. For $8.50 we watched the 4:50 pm showing of Deep Sea 3D. The forty minute documentary features various sea creatures and was narrated by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. We were given 3D glasses to properly view the movie. JTH was not overly impressed with the film, but if nothing else, we were glad to be out of the cold for awhile. The Smithsonian was closing for the day as we exited the theater.
-After our day in downtown DC, JTH and I took the Metro back to King Street. Since we were parked in her neighborhood, we felt we had nothing to loose by knocking on LMM’s door. We took off our gloves and beanies to try to appear less intimidating in case her roommate answered the door. She did.
-LMM wished to buy her neighbors groceries as they would also be providing Ryan with lodging soon when he came to help LMM move. We thought the least we could do was pay for the groceries. So LMM directed us to a Wal-Mart across Alexandria. The Wal-Mart (not Super Wal-Mart) did not carry the skim milk the neighbors liked so we headed to a close Giant Food Supermarket. The ubiquitous Barack Obama was there as well in the form of this cake!
-In addition to the groceries, I left our hosts a box of Kellogg's Hannah Montana Cereal for good measure. Despite the fact that they appeared excessively healthy, I felt they would appreciate the gift. Who wouldn’t want a box of Hannah Montana Cereal?
-We then headed back to 110 Rosemont Avenue where we would be spending the night. Having not eaten, I had bought some wraps and deviled eggs at the Giant Food Supermarket. They were terrible! I highly don’t recommend them.
-On Tuesday, I attended the Presidential inauguration in Washington, DC.
-I wore many layers as we would be standing in seemingly subarctic temperatures throughout the day. I wore thermal underwear, a Barack Obama t-shirt, a grey hoodie, and the coat I had bought for the trip. I was also decked out in my Obama beanie and of course my Hands 4 Change. (Note: I have no idea what I was going for in this photo. It was taken just after we woke up so I was not fully cognizant.)
-We were pleased that the Metro was relatively uncrowded when we boarded. We had bought passes for the day on the previous day in case many were in line. We exited at the Metro terminal closest to the street we were assigned to go through Security. We were to be situated in the Purple Section. (See Map.)
-When we arrived, we walked outside. This is a photo of a man awaiting the festivities in a tree. Despite the layers of clothing, and utilizing both hand and foot warmers, we were cold. The best analogy I have is that of walking into a walk-in freezer with a fan blowing all of the cool air directly on you. Remember Leonardo DiCaprio’s death in Titanic? Pansy!
-Our ticket said our gate would not open until 9 am so after standing aimlessly in the cold for some time, we went back into the unheated Metro to at least avoid the wind for awhile. Buses continually arrived, all full, carting a seemingly endless stream of people into the city.
-One celebrity got out as camera light bulbs flashed frantically. It was on the opposite side of the Metro so we could not identify the person. We also saw a man wearing a jacket labeled “secret agent” and brandishing a machine gun in plain sight. We suspected his presence was intended to send a message. (This photo was taken as JTH made me laugh in the Metro station.)
-We began to get alarmed by the delay so JTH texted ALK who was watching on television to see if the place was full or if anything bad had happened. ALK’s mother felt we were asking foolish questions. I would like to note that ALK asked us if it was cold!
-We were on First Street throughout most of the Inauguration. We saw very little. We learned the following day that UT President John Petersen was one of the many who had tickets but was not admitted. I guess we were in good company.
-No one was arrested all day and the people we were around were disappointed but happy to be there. In truth, we experienced the bulk of the Inauguration about as much as we otherwise would have. The crowd was the site to see. Many around us had campaigned for Obama. All I could say was that I voted for him. JTH could not even say that. (He abstained.)
-We stopped in Crozet, Virginia, when we saw a sign for King Family Vineyards. There, we purchased a King Family Vineyards blanket for ALK, whose last name is King. She is not interested in politics in the least so this proved to be a good souvenir for her. Plus, she is always cold.
-The Patisserie is a local bakery located at 107 N. Main Street in downtown Lexington. There is no menu per se. Meals are prepared throughout the day and heated when ordered. It was a very froufrou place. To make matters worse, I ordered quiche! I could not have appeared more effeminate. At least, JTH ordered the manly beef stroganoff. The food was good and would have been better had we come earlier. It honestly felt like we were eating leftovers.
-We drove back towards I-81 and stayed in room 118 of the Super 8 in Lexington. We watched Hardy Candy, a disturbing independent movie starring Ellen Page. The movie tells the story of a confrontation between a sexual predator (Patrick Wilson) and the 14-year-old girl (Page) he attempts to ensnare. The film held my attention but I was exhausted. It took every ounce of my will to stay awake until the end of the movie, but I was asleep almost the moment the film was over.
-Before leaving Lexington, Virginia, we decided to eat at the nearby Country Cookin restaurant. Though we had avoided the franchise throughout the trip, we assumed it would have good breakfast as it closely resembled a Shoney’s. We were correct. The potatoes did not match Shoney’s but the eggs were superior. They also had mixed fruit jelly which was excellent.
-As we had done on the way to DC, we listened to comedy CDs on the ride home which we bought en route. We began with Pauly Shore’s first Comedy album, “The Future of America”, from 1991. I had bought the CD for 99¢ at McKay Used Books in Manassas. I overpaid. How was this guy ever popular? I am not sure I smiled during his routine, much less laughed.
-After enduring Pauly Shore, we listened to a Comedy Sampler produced by Comedy Central called “Double Chunk”. The two CD set was released in 2006 and was very entertaining.
-We arrived in Knoxville in time to meet ALK at Applebees as has become a tradition when we return from a road trip. We hope to soon take her with us soon.Ramus
A ramus is a branch, as of a plant, vein, bone, etc.
Isaiah prophecied that hope would come to Israel from a ramus of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David and an ancestor of Jesus (Matthew 1:5-6, Luke 3:32). Some refer to this passage as the "Tree of Jesse".
"Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit." (Isaiah 11:1, NASB)
Note: This "Jesse Tree", attributed to Girolamo Genga (1476-1551), rests in the National Gallery in London.
-I spent Thursday recovering from the trip to DC. At 1 pm, I was exhausted and laid down for a nap. When I woke up, it was past 5 pm. I guess I was more tired than I thought.
-On Thursday night, I took my mother, DLNV, to Aubrey’s for her birthday that I had missed on Monday. My father was out of town on a job interview.
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