Gary Hesse Personal Web Site

It all started out so promising… like the Mariners in April. Then reality throws a cold blanket of spring snow over the whole mess.

Not talking about the Leavenworth weather (although that fits as well). My March Madness bracket started out somewhere around the 85% percentile but has slowly slid toward mediocrity. Going into the Final Four weekend, I sit around 60%, in 12th place of 24 teams in my group.

However, it doesn’t take anything away from the tourney itself, which as usual has had some fantastic moments. The Davidson-Kansas game today was one of those — exciting from start to the last-gasp missed shot at the buzzer.

The Sweet Sixteen have been selected in another fantastic series of contests. No wonder we love this tournament! For the most part, with the most notable exception of North Carolina’s demolition of its two opponents, even when top seeds are winning they are within a few seconds of being upset.

My bracket has slipped a bit now that the weekend is over. My top bracket is now in sixth, my second bracket in eighth (of 24 total). I did call Davidson over Georgetown, and West Kentucky to make the Sweet Sixteen,  so I’ll lobby the commish for bonus points.

I still have ten teams in the hunt in one bracket and eleven in the other, so there’s still hope for a big finish.

If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we’re a pretty sorry lot. But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries. (1 Corinthians 5:19-20, The Message)

Easter is waning. Today’s church service was full, as is the case pretty much every year. I put the best possible spin on that by assuming it’s evidence that, although many folks have given up on the church, they still recognize that there is Something about Jesus that resonates within them, even when they can’t always put their finger on it.

I hope that, at some point during today, you’ve reflected on Easter’s incredible story in a fresh way, that takes you beyond “a little inspiration for a few short years” toward what it means, for you, to join in Jesus’ resurrection.

“He lives” is the briefest of phrases, into which is compacted the greatest of life purposes for us…

The first round of the NCAA Tournament is over; time to check in with my group on ESPN. Let’s see: tied for fourth, out of 24. That will do for a start…

We’re a week past auditions for the Leavenworth Summer Theater 2008 summer season. Letters should be received by those of us who auditioned at some point within the next week or so.

I’m waiting to hear if I’ll be returning as Max Detweiler in The Sound of Music, and if I’ll be playing eccentric millionaire Osgood Fielding in Sugar.  

I’ll post as many casting results here as I can once the letters are out. Feel free to share whatever you’ve learned as well, so we can create as comprehensive a picture of the casting choices as possible.

Well, here we go… ready to jump into the blog pool.

I expect to be writing about a wide variety of things that interest me in the weeks to come. One day, it might be about the Seattle Mariners’ 2008 season; the next day, it could be about some new trend in technology. You may find some thoughts about my attempts to live as a Christ-follower with some semblance of personal integrity. Then, there’s the 2008 presidential election to weigh in on from time to time over the next eight months.

I would suppose you’re reading this because you already know me on some level. If not, you’ve stumbled upon the blog of a man in his mid-50s living in a faux-Bavarian small town in Washington State.

I live with my wife of 33 years, and have two grown (twin) sons. I’m an ordained minister, having served two churches as a pastor for nearly 20 years total. The last ten years, though, I’ve had a vocation in technology, especially in software and Web development. Currently, I work as a Web designer for The Wenatchee World, a central Washington newspaper with a print circulation of roughly 25,000. And, in my off-moments, I spend most of my summers as an actor with Leavenworth Summer Theater — a regional theater company which specializes in family-friendly musicals.

So, hang on and let’s see where this ride takes us, together…