One of the things I don't always like to admit I love about being at my parents' house is TV. I don't have cable in Richmond, and that's a very good thing. I never wish I had it. But when I'm here in Henderson, it's quite exciting to exercise the power of DVR. I often flip it on when I'm eating just to see what's up.
This morning, I came across Quantum Leap, the baller-est show of the 90s. It used to come on at noon every day, already reruns when we were kids, and my brother and I watched it with lunch. Here's the intro, which tells the premise more concisely than I would.
The episode I watched the end of today was the epic-est one because he leaps into HIS OWN SELF at age 16! Win. He knows his brother is about to go to Vietnam and die there, so he tries to keep him from going. It doesn't go well. He's all, "On April 8th, you have to hide in the deepest hole you can find. Promise me." Then he plays "Imagine" for his little sister and tells her the Beatles are going to break up and Paul's going to have a new band called Wings. She gets upset because she's never heard the song before, and probably because of Wings too. Then his awesome hologram advocate Al says, "You're not making it better. You're not changing anything in the future. You're only making them miserable now."
I'm guessing this lesson pops up in most episodes of the show. Knowing the future wouldn't make it better. It would just make us anxious. If I knew the great things in store for me, I'd just be impatient to get to them and not content with the present. If I knew the bad things, I'd be more of a worrier and a downer. This all assumes you can't change things, which we don't really know. But it certainly makes me feel better about the not-knowing.
Also, Scott Bakula= Hey there, sailor.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Wedding Report #5: Molly & Eric
This was the last of the five-month wedding run. Mom came to Richmond on Thursday night, and we left early on Friday for the land of Grey's Anatomy and Starbucks. The wedding was in Port Gamble, a small town outside Seattle. On the way, we checked out (the gift shop of) the glass museum in Tacoma, and we might have seen a building made of shipping containers. We saw Molly and her family when we got to the hotel, then we got amazing pizzas from a local joint.
Let me take a break to tell you about Molly. Of those who are not related to me, I have known her and kept in touch with her longer than almost anyone. She didn't come to Henderson until she was in eighth grade and I was in ninth. She was my brother's age but was in some of my classes for math because her former school district had had a different math track, and because she's wicked smart. Then she was in the combined French 3/4 class with me, my brother, our friend Doug, and a very few others. We saw Elf together in the theater, and the first Harry Potter. Molly lives within walking distance, so when it snowed she would go with us to the elementary school with the good hills. Molly was studying in London while I was in France, so our moms came over one weekend and we all met in Paris. After college, I lived with her and her sweet dog for a few months. Molly is an awesome cook and a great encourager. It's so nice to go across the country to celebrate someone you've known for that long and enjoyed so much.
The wedding was in this tiny chapel in a slight drizzle. All the music was from the Harry Potter movies, most of it recognizable only to fans as diehard as Molly. The main color was dark purple. I knew all the bridesmaids. At the reception, we sat with some of Molly's coworkers, who told my mom they loved Molly and would take care of her.
The whole trip, Mom didn't stop telling me that all the trees were pointy. It was neat to be in an all-evergreen environment, and occasionally we would round a bend and encounter a majestic lake with mountains beyond it. I'm proud of Molly for embracing a new place and a new family, creating a life that suits her to a T, and always being true to herself and those who love her.
Let me take a break to tell you about Molly. Of those who are not related to me, I have known her and kept in touch with her longer than almost anyone. She didn't come to Henderson until she was in eighth grade and I was in ninth. She was my brother's age but was in some of my classes for math because her former school district had had a different math track, and because she's wicked smart. Then she was in the combined French 3/4 class with me, my brother, our friend Doug, and a very few others. We saw Elf together in the theater, and the first Harry Potter. Molly lives within walking distance, so when it snowed she would go with us to the elementary school with the good hills. Molly was studying in London while I was in France, so our moms came over one weekend and we all met in Paris. After college, I lived with her and her sweet dog for a few months. Molly is an awesome cook and a great encourager. It's so nice to go across the country to celebrate someone you've known for that long and enjoyed so much.
The wedding was in this tiny chapel in a slight drizzle. All the music was from the Harry Potter movies, most of it recognizable only to fans as diehard as Molly. The main color was dark purple. I knew all the bridesmaids. At the reception, we sat with some of Molly's coworkers, who told my mom they loved Molly and would take care of her.
The whole trip, Mom didn't stop telling me that all the trees were pointy. It was neat to be in an all-evergreen environment, and occasionally we would round a bend and encounter a majestic lake with mountains beyond it. I'm proud of Molly for embracing a new place and a new family, creating a life that suits her to a T, and always being true to herself and those who love her.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Wedding Report #4: Lindsey & Jeremy
This wedding was a long time ago. September 10. I started the fall semester two days later, and blogging hasn't been a priority since then, but I've felt that absence, so here goes.
Lindsey and Jeremy got married at Landfall, the ritzy country club in Wilmington. I left Richmond early in the morning and rolled in just in time for a luncheon at Elijah's on the waterfront. It was awesome to see Stacey and Lyndsay and Lindsey and to get to know the other bridesmaids I'd heard so much about. I remembered other meals I'd had there, the one where Sims called randomly in the middle of it just to see how I was, the one where Katie walked across the restaurant to fix the blinds for me because the sun was in my eyes, the dinner we had to say goodbye to the same Katie but she didn't even make it and I was bummed.
After a happy girly lunch, Stacey and Lyndsay and I met up with Stacey's husband Bobby and got ice cream at Kilwin's and took pictures at the river in our dresses and, well, I wouldn't even say we caught up because these are people with whom you pick up where you left off, no big whoop. Lyndsay is in Colorado, and she says it finally feels like a real life. Stacey is in a tiny not-even-town in North Carolina, Bobby working in his parents' store and Stacey home with baby Jonah. Best mental image of the trip: Bobby worked at Starbucks before they moved. Every employee gets a free pound of coffee or container of tea or whatever each week, and before they moved, everyone at the store gave Bobby their freebies, so their pantry out there in nowheresville is filled with options for coffee and tea and cocoa and any such thing they could want.
The rehearsal involved mostly walking up and down the aisle, and then for the rehearsal dinner we went to the Pilot House, right next door to where we had lunch. I saw not one but two videos of babies dancing, and the mosquitos came out something fierce but someone had bug spray to share.
I got back to Jeff and Brinley's and watched The Soup and talked with Brinley for a bit before sleeping in their guest room, which has a remote-control fan. On Saturday morning, I woke to the sound of Brinley using her KitchenAid; she was working on concord-grape-and-rosemary focaccia. It was incredible. Jeff was out surfing. Brinley had made granola bars earlier (which I've been making ever since), and she broke one up and served it to me with vanilla yogurt and strawberries. Amy and Eric came over and hung out. The best thing about seeing old friends (OK, I know I'd only been away for two months, but a lot had happened in that time) is the ease of it, like you never left. It felt like I just happened to be over at Jeff and Brinley's that morning.
I got to Landfall in time to hang out for a little bit with Lindsey and the girls before we took our places. Everything was beautiful and sweet, and when they knelt for communion with their backs to us, we could see the bottom of Jeremy's shoes which said "Lucky" on the left and "Me" on the right.
At dinner, I sat with Elizabeth and Lindsay (yes, we are overrun with Lindsay/Lindsey/Lyndsay in that group, but at least they have different spellings), and again it was like old times, giggling about boys and getting excited about Elizabeth's applications to law school and feeding off each other's sweetness and care. The cake was the best wedding cake I've had, the speeches were precious and touching, the dancing was wild, and the whole thing made me see, on the fourth time, why it is that weddings are so great.
It's so not about lovey-dovey romantic mess, like I must have thought it was. Weddings celebrate love in general, and every type of love is present there. You have people who watched the bride and groom grow up, little kids who look up to them, new friends, old friends, neighbors, coworkers, every type of family, church friends, school friends, those who babysat for them and those whom they have babysat. I saw that very clearly at the Moore wedding, not that I didn't at the others. I saw how much Lindsey's coworkers love her. I saw how much her parents love her. Jeremy, great as he is, he's just icing, and that's as it should be.
I stayed with Megan, who was wearing almost exactly the dress I had thought about wearing, and slept hard and woke up and had salted caramel something at Starbucks because they were out of pumpkin spice and went to Pine Valley United Methodist for their 50th anniversary service and lunch, and I looked at what they were putting in the time capsule and hugged all the youth and ate a pot-luck lunch and listened to how all the couples at my table met.
Then I went to the Guppies' house. Baby Jack was asleep, and I had a good visit with Chris and Brian. When it was time to leave, I had to think hard of how much I loved seminary, which I really did and still do, but man, was it hard to tear myself away.
Thank you, Jeremy and Lindsey and everyone involved in the wedding, Jeff and Brinley and everyone from Pine Valley, Chris and Brian and everyone else I got to see in Wilmington, thank you, thank you, thank you Wilmington itself for drawing all these fine people, for being the place where we met and lived and shared and grew, for being the place where I finally started to get it.
Lindsey and Jeremy got married at Landfall, the ritzy country club in Wilmington. I left Richmond early in the morning and rolled in just in time for a luncheon at Elijah's on the waterfront. It was awesome to see Stacey and Lyndsay and Lindsey and to get to know the other bridesmaids I'd heard so much about. I remembered other meals I'd had there, the one where Sims called randomly in the middle of it just to see how I was, the one where Katie walked across the restaurant to fix the blinds for me because the sun was in my eyes, the dinner we had to say goodbye to the same Katie but she didn't even make it and I was bummed.
After a happy girly lunch, Stacey and Lyndsay and I met up with Stacey's husband Bobby and got ice cream at Kilwin's and took pictures at the river in our dresses and, well, I wouldn't even say we caught up because these are people with whom you pick up where you left off, no big whoop. Lyndsay is in Colorado, and she says it finally feels like a real life. Stacey is in a tiny not-even-town in North Carolina, Bobby working in his parents' store and Stacey home with baby Jonah. Best mental image of the trip: Bobby worked at Starbucks before they moved. Every employee gets a free pound of coffee or container of tea or whatever each week, and before they moved, everyone at the store gave Bobby their freebies, so their pantry out there in nowheresville is filled with options for coffee and tea and cocoa and any such thing they could want.
The rehearsal involved mostly walking up and down the aisle, and then for the rehearsal dinner we went to the Pilot House, right next door to where we had lunch. I saw not one but two videos of babies dancing, and the mosquitos came out something fierce but someone had bug spray to share.
I got back to Jeff and Brinley's and watched The Soup and talked with Brinley for a bit before sleeping in their guest room, which has a remote-control fan. On Saturday morning, I woke to the sound of Brinley using her KitchenAid; she was working on concord-grape-and-rosemary focaccia. It was incredible. Jeff was out surfing. Brinley had made granola bars earlier (which I've been making ever since), and she broke one up and served it to me with vanilla yogurt and strawberries. Amy and Eric came over and hung out. The best thing about seeing old friends (OK, I know I'd only been away for two months, but a lot had happened in that time) is the ease of it, like you never left. It felt like I just happened to be over at Jeff and Brinley's that morning.
I got to Landfall in time to hang out for a little bit with Lindsey and the girls before we took our places. Everything was beautiful and sweet, and when they knelt for communion with their backs to us, we could see the bottom of Jeremy's shoes which said "Lucky" on the left and "Me" on the right.
At dinner, I sat with Elizabeth and Lindsay (yes, we are overrun with Lindsay/Lindsey/Lyndsay in that group, but at least they have different spellings), and again it was like old times, giggling about boys and getting excited about Elizabeth's applications to law school and feeding off each other's sweetness and care. The cake was the best wedding cake I've had, the speeches were precious and touching, the dancing was wild, and the whole thing made me see, on the fourth time, why it is that weddings are so great.
It's so not about lovey-dovey romantic mess, like I must have thought it was. Weddings celebrate love in general, and every type of love is present there. You have people who watched the bride and groom grow up, little kids who look up to them, new friends, old friends, neighbors, coworkers, every type of family, church friends, school friends, those who babysat for them and those whom they have babysat. I saw that very clearly at the Moore wedding, not that I didn't at the others. I saw how much Lindsey's coworkers love her. I saw how much her parents love her. Jeremy, great as he is, he's just icing, and that's as it should be.
I stayed with Megan, who was wearing almost exactly the dress I had thought about wearing, and slept hard and woke up and had salted caramel something at Starbucks because they were out of pumpkin spice and went to Pine Valley United Methodist for their 50th anniversary service and lunch, and I looked at what they were putting in the time capsule and hugged all the youth and ate a pot-luck lunch and listened to how all the couples at my table met.
Then I went to the Guppies' house. Baby Jack was asleep, and I had a good visit with Chris and Brian. When it was time to leave, I had to think hard of how much I loved seminary, which I really did and still do, but man, was it hard to tear myself away.
Thank you, Jeremy and Lindsey and everyone involved in the wedding, Jeff and Brinley and everyone from Pine Valley, Chris and Brian and everyone else I got to see in Wilmington, thank you, thank you, thank you Wilmington itself for drawing all these fine people, for being the place where we met and lived and shared and grew, for being the place where I finally started to get it.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
New Development
I highly recommend that you check out the new online journal The Polycultural, created by some friends of mine from Wilmington. Poke around and see how you like it! One of your favorite bloggers has a post in there. Enjoy.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Moving Right Along
Presenting the last couple weeks in scenes:
1) Enjoying the hurricane in Mike's apartment, listening to him and Howard and Thomas play the best of our early adolescence, candlelight reflecting off beer bottles because we'd turned the lights out the better to see the storm. Also a girls-vs.-guys game of something like charades.
2) Eating pizza at Mom and Dad's house with old friends we usually see only at holidays, followed by peaches with granola and whipped cream.
3) The dazzling progressive-dinner parade-of-love quality of my morning in Davidson and evening in Charlotte. So many delightful people in one day! Rob Spach! Anne Wills! Daniel Ervin! Mike and Katie Foote! That's my kind of company. The best part was the effortlessness of reconnecting after various amounts of time apart, facilitated by Box Turtle Mocha at Summit Coffee, quiche and hamburger, pizza and beer, and the deep goodness of the people involved. In between, reading free New York Timeses, a Davidson institution.
4) That first breathtaking glimpse of Blue Ridge through the trees, and the instant familiarity of Blowing Rock even after years away.
5) Mast General Store full of cozy socks (and I don't even like socks!), scarves, fleece, and other layers of goodness making me so ready for fall.
1) Enjoying the hurricane in Mike's apartment, listening to him and Howard and Thomas play the best of our early adolescence, candlelight reflecting off beer bottles because we'd turned the lights out the better to see the storm. Also a girls-vs.-guys game of something like charades.
2) Eating pizza at Mom and Dad's house with old friends we usually see only at holidays, followed by peaches with granola and whipped cream.
3) The dazzling progressive-dinner parade-of-love quality of my morning in Davidson and evening in Charlotte. So many delightful people in one day! Rob Spach! Anne Wills! Daniel Ervin! Mike and Katie Foote! That's my kind of company. The best part was the effortlessness of reconnecting after various amounts of time apart, facilitated by Box Turtle Mocha at Summit Coffee, quiche and hamburger, pizza and beer, and the deep goodness of the people involved. In between, reading free New York Timeses, a Davidson institution.
4) That first breathtaking glimpse of Blue Ridge through the trees, and the instant familiarity of Blowing Rock even after years away.
5) Mast General Store full of cozy socks (and I don't even like socks!), scarves, fleece, and other layers of goodness making me so ready for fall.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Wedding Report #3: Chrissy & Ryan
I was only out of town for about 24 hours this time, and my trip included a few minutes in West Virginia and going through mountain tunnels. The mother of the bride works with my mom, so I grew up knowing Chrissy and her twin sister, Kala, who are a year younger than me. The wedding was on their family farm at the house that Button (Chrissy & Kala's mom) built. My mom and her friends had gone a few months (years?) ago to help build the stone wall behind where they said their vows.
Mom's friends and I drank beers on the back row while the wedding went on. Kala gave Chrissy away. There was Everclear-spiked lemonade, and s'mores instead of wedding cake, and the baked potatos and the zucchini in the zucchini bread/bars came from just a few feet from where it was served in the field. The music was good, the groomsmen and groomswomen were really well coordinated with the bridesmaids, and the entire wedding party recited quotes from movies about love. The weather was very comfortable, even chilly toward the end. The whole thing was great, and everyone was happy, and love is grand. Thanks, Chrissy and Ryan, for the invitation; Button and Wendy for the hospitality; and everyone for the fun.
Mom's friends and I drank beers on the back row while the wedding went on. Kala gave Chrissy away. There was Everclear-spiked lemonade, and s'mores instead of wedding cake, and the baked potatos and the zucchini in the zucchini bread/bars came from just a few feet from where it was served in the field. The music was good, the groomsmen and groomswomen were really well coordinated with the bridesmaids, and the entire wedding party recited quotes from movies about love. The weather was very comfortable, even chilly toward the end. The whole thing was great, and everyone was happy, and love is grand. Thanks, Chrissy and Ryan, for the invitation; Button and Wendy for the hospitality; and everyone for the fun.
Friday, August 19, 2011
And the Circle Goes Round and Round
I took my Hebrew final this morning. That means summer language school is over. That means almost everyone is going away for at least a week, and when we're all back for the fall, things will be different. There will be a lot more people that we don't know. We'll have more to do and less time to hang out. I don't feel great about this. Things are almost perfect now--better than ever--and change is not so hot when I like the way things are.
But I remember feeling basically this way when I realized I had to leave Wilmington. I had to stop and catch my breath when I thought about leaving my friends there and starting over. But look how it turned out! So I keep this in mind: change doesn't mean breaking a spell of awesomeness. It means a chance for life to get even better. Summer language, glorious though it is, is not an end in itself. It's just the beginning. As the Snakes on a Plane theme song says, "oh, I'm ready for it. C'mon, bring it."
Our class wrote a song for our professor to the tune of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." We weren't ready when he came in, so we asked him to go away and come back. As I'd predicted, the song made him cry. A fitting end to a beautiful time together.
But I remember feeling basically this way when I realized I had to leave Wilmington. I had to stop and catch my breath when I thought about leaving my friends there and starting over. But look how it turned out! So I keep this in mind: change doesn't mean breaking a spell of awesomeness. It means a chance for life to get even better. Summer language, glorious though it is, is not an end in itself. It's just the beginning. As the Snakes on a Plane theme song says, "oh, I'm ready for it. C'mon, bring it."
Our class wrote a song for our professor to the tune of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." We weren't ready when he came in, so we asked him to go away and come back. As I'd predicted, the song made him cry. A fitting end to a beautiful time together.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
A Surprise
I was just looking back through old blog posts because I'm narcissistic and don't want to study, and when I read references to Beulaville and Richlands, I actually felt nostalgic for them! Those are the towns I covered for work. This is a surprise because a) it feels SOOOOOOO much longer ago than it is. It's only been 2 months since my last day of work. And b) I kind of suspected I might love those towns but never thought it would manifest so clearly as affection so soon. Working there was grueling in certain ways, and I thought the preciousness of the people would take at least a year to overcome that in my memory. I did kinda have my eye on churches around there once I started thinkin' seminary. If I had me a hubby or some kind of friend posse, living in one of those places could be possibly maybe one day in some sense pretty sweet. This is coming from the person who foams at the mouth when New York is mentioned. Sometimes I think I should get excited about fewer things, for instance, come on, woman! Small towns or big cities, which is it? You can't love both! But then I'm like, watch me.
Speaking of friend posses, just so you know, I know exactly what I would do if I won the lottery: first, invest in a safe but relatively high-interest something while I plan. (Thanks, Mom and Dad, for teaching me right!) Then, buy a bunch of land and build sweet buildings on it, and then invite everyone I love to come and live there indefinitely. I just now thought it could also involve traveling together, hence the term "posse." Also we would go see The Book of Mormon, like, right now, because I'd suddenly be able to make that happen.
One time we were talking in Sunday School about paradise, and I think some people had it confused with "island paradise," because they kept referencing beaches and fruity drinks. But I said paradise is having everyone together. Being an adult these days means having different sets of friends; at the very least, people from childhood and people from now. At the most, those plus college friends plus work friends plus church friends plus grad school friends plus neighbors plus your kids' friends' parents plus your parents' friends' kids plus God knows who else. Hello. This usually comes in handy and keeps things stimulating, but sometimes it hurts when I realize that set A won't get much chance to meet set B even though they would loooove each other. Hence my master plan for lotto time. Everyone together. Good food, music, bonfires and s'mores every night in the summer, hot chocolate when it's cold, bike rides, art time, books, and pets. Just enjoying each other's company, breathing it in, and laughing and crying until we can't remember which we were doing first.
Speaking of friend posses, just so you know, I know exactly what I would do if I won the lottery: first, invest in a safe but relatively high-interest something while I plan. (Thanks, Mom and Dad, for teaching me right!) Then, buy a bunch of land and build sweet buildings on it, and then invite everyone I love to come and live there indefinitely. I just now thought it could also involve traveling together, hence the term "posse." Also we would go see The Book of Mormon, like, right now, because I'd suddenly be able to make that happen.
One time we were talking in Sunday School about paradise, and I think some people had it confused with "island paradise," because they kept referencing beaches and fruity drinks. But I said paradise is having everyone together. Being an adult these days means having different sets of friends; at the very least, people from childhood and people from now. At the most, those plus college friends plus work friends plus church friends plus grad school friends plus neighbors plus your kids' friends' parents plus your parents' friends' kids plus God knows who else. Hello. This usually comes in handy and keeps things stimulating, but sometimes it hurts when I realize that set A won't get much chance to meet set B even though they would loooove each other. Hence my master plan for lotto time. Everyone together. Good food, music, bonfires and s'mores every night in the summer, hot chocolate when it's cold, bike rides, art time, books, and pets. Just enjoying each other's company, breathing it in, and laughing and crying until we can't remember which we were doing first.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Movies & Me
During summer language school, the absence of one or two people can make a big difference. We had two people go out of town and several others occupied with out-of-town guests, so this weekend has been pretty laid back. Add the fact that we have no Hebrew class Monday or Tuesday, and you have a recipe for one of those aimless Saturdays in which the to-do list goes out the window. I went to a matinee of Friends with Benefits at lunchtime with friends, then I was going to Wal-Mart and one of them wanted to go with me. Listening to Disney songs in the car made her want to watch Enchanted, which I'd never seen, so I joined her. Then we went to a housewarming party and then watched the Sex and the City movie.
The evening before, we had watched Keeping the Faith. I don't know if I've watched that many movies in that short of a time span since John and Dad and I hunkered down for a Planet of the Apes marathon many years ago. (They cycled around and showed the first one again at the end. Pretty clever, considering the way they go.) These were all good movies, some surprisingly so, but my head and heart were spinning--in opposite directions--because they all had to do with love, and they all had very different messages about it.
*SPOILER ALERT!* Read no further if you're not interested in learning some key plot points of these movies.
In Keeping the Faith, Rabbi Ben Stiller and Catholic priest Edward Norton both get the hots for their childhood friend, Jenna Elfman from Dharma & Greg, who comes back to town after years away. She gets with Stiller, and Norton takes it hard but ends up happy. Aww! A story in which a main character is okay without a love interest! But that character has to be a priest. Grumble. Also, Stiller is supposed to be accountable to his congregation, and religious leaders should have very high standards for all behavior. This is addressed, but briefly and after the fact. I hadn't watched it since long before this round of seminary-thinking, and it was extremely different from this new perspective. When I said, "This is really funny from a seminarian's point of view," meaning funny-odd, my friend Aaron laughed and said, "News flash: A lot of things are funny from a seminarian's point of view."
In Friends with Benefits, Justin Timberlake (surprisingly good actor!) and Mila Kunis decide to have a lot of sex with no strings attached. It goes really well, and once they get tired of each other, they happily go their separate ways. HA! No, actually they hurt each other really badly and never want to be in communication again. What? Wrong again? You mean their plan works for a while, then their feelings get in the way and they fight, then they realize they're meant for each other? But romantic comedies never go that way! This is the point where I started to feel that head-heart counterspin, rolling my eyes at the cliches but also feeling comforted by the predictability, and hurting over the wrongness of the worldly lessons but feeling the pull of their indulgent non-logic. I really enjoyed the script and characters and actors, and the credit sequence was sweet, but how many times can you be told the same lies and like it? Especially when the lies are mixed with truth. Scary stuff. Also, Jenna Elfman was in it as J-Tim's sister, and he called her Annie Banannie. In Keeping the Faith, she was Anna Banana.
Enchanted had way fewer layers than any of the others, and less material that I rejected, and more singing and animals, and more cliches. A smooth, easy ride. He's a divorce lawyer? Obviously, that means he's jaded about love and the girl is going to un-jade him. They both have other love interests? 8 times out of 10, those two end up together too. A perfect square. After the other two movies, I was happy to watch something so simple, but because I had just watched them, it was anything but. It just presented another not-entirely-true, not-entirely-false point of view.
Sex and the City was by far the most confusing of the four for me, possibly because it was the last of the weekend. They did a great job not giving away too much in the previews, which made the plot twist an actual twist: Big doesn't show up to the wedding. Then he does, but by that time Carrie is so mad it's off. Both of them, and potentially a few others, are to blame, which is realistic and nice. Also, Steve cheats on Miranda, and Miranda leaves, but they end up back together. That's the part that really blew my mind. I always thought cheating is the end, but Steve said something that made me use all my mildest monosyllables of surprise: "Geez. Whoa. Man," and the like. He said he knew he broke a vow, but what about all those other vows? The ones they both made? For better or for worse? That surely qualifies as "worse." Again, responsibility is spread among multiple parties, and nothing is clean cut. Samantha leaves Smith because she's been with him for 5 years but she's been with herself for 49, "and that's the relationship I need to work on," she said. Mostly because she wanted to get with other guys. Especially in light of the Steve-and-Miranda storyline, that was a doozy. I heart Smith and hate that she left him, but isn't it better to leave someone than to cheat if the temptation is really strong and you don't trust yourself? If those are the only two options, though, I'd say you need to find some other options, such as STAY WITH THE PERSON YOU'RE COMMITTED TO AND DON'T CHEAT. In Samantha's case, to be clear, they're not married. Oh, and Carrie goes back to Big at the end, which I had mixed feelings about but it's a movie. In Friends with Benefits and this one, there was a point near the end when I wanted it to end, when they were apart and heartbroken, post-mistakes. I know people don't go to the movies to get a dose of reality, but sometimes I crave one. "And they were both miserable for a while and never saw each other again. The end." But I suppose we get enough of that outside the theater.
The whole shebang threw me off, not that my thoughts on love-n-such were super-well-developed to start with. I appreciate the opportunity to think in different ways about it, and all of the movies were good as entertainment, just not as lessons, I guess. Some parts were good lessons but hard ones, such as forgiveness. I'm very blessed to have people to watch with, and a place to watch, and the leisure time necessary to watch 4 movies in about 26 hours. The best part is that I know where to look to (re-)learn the truth about love. So the movies, when it comes down to it, for all my verbosity and anxiety and analysis and attention, they're just for fun. A place for everything, and everything in its place.
The evening before, we had watched Keeping the Faith. I don't know if I've watched that many movies in that short of a time span since John and Dad and I hunkered down for a Planet of the Apes marathon many years ago. (They cycled around and showed the first one again at the end. Pretty clever, considering the way they go.) These were all good movies, some surprisingly so, but my head and heart were spinning--in opposite directions--because they all had to do with love, and they all had very different messages about it.
*SPOILER ALERT!* Read no further if you're not interested in learning some key plot points of these movies.
In Keeping the Faith, Rabbi Ben Stiller and Catholic priest Edward Norton both get the hots for their childhood friend, Jenna Elfman from Dharma & Greg, who comes back to town after years away. She gets with Stiller, and Norton takes it hard but ends up happy. Aww! A story in which a main character is okay without a love interest! But that character has to be a priest. Grumble. Also, Stiller is supposed to be accountable to his congregation, and religious leaders should have very high standards for all behavior. This is addressed, but briefly and after the fact. I hadn't watched it since long before this round of seminary-thinking, and it was extremely different from this new perspective. When I said, "This is really funny from a seminarian's point of view," meaning funny-odd, my friend Aaron laughed and said, "News flash: A lot of things are funny from a seminarian's point of view."
In Friends with Benefits, Justin Timberlake (surprisingly good actor!) and Mila Kunis decide to have a lot of sex with no strings attached. It goes really well, and once they get tired of each other, they happily go their separate ways. HA! No, actually they hurt each other really badly and never want to be in communication again. What? Wrong again? You mean their plan works for a while, then their feelings get in the way and they fight, then they realize they're meant for each other? But romantic comedies never go that way! This is the point where I started to feel that head-heart counterspin, rolling my eyes at the cliches but also feeling comforted by the predictability, and hurting over the wrongness of the worldly lessons but feeling the pull of their indulgent non-logic. I really enjoyed the script and characters and actors, and the credit sequence was sweet, but how many times can you be told the same lies and like it? Especially when the lies are mixed with truth. Scary stuff. Also, Jenna Elfman was in it as J-Tim's sister, and he called her Annie Banannie. In Keeping the Faith, she was Anna Banana.
Enchanted had way fewer layers than any of the others, and less material that I rejected, and more singing and animals, and more cliches. A smooth, easy ride. He's a divorce lawyer? Obviously, that means he's jaded about love and the girl is going to un-jade him. They both have other love interests? 8 times out of 10, those two end up together too. A perfect square. After the other two movies, I was happy to watch something so simple, but because I had just watched them, it was anything but. It just presented another not-entirely-true, not-entirely-false point of view.
Sex and the City was by far the most confusing of the four for me, possibly because it was the last of the weekend. They did a great job not giving away too much in the previews, which made the plot twist an actual twist: Big doesn't show up to the wedding. Then he does, but by that time Carrie is so mad it's off. Both of them, and potentially a few others, are to blame, which is realistic and nice. Also, Steve cheats on Miranda, and Miranda leaves, but they end up back together. That's the part that really blew my mind. I always thought cheating is the end, but Steve said something that made me use all my mildest monosyllables of surprise: "Geez. Whoa. Man," and the like. He said he knew he broke a vow, but what about all those other vows? The ones they both made? For better or for worse? That surely qualifies as "worse." Again, responsibility is spread among multiple parties, and nothing is clean cut. Samantha leaves Smith because she's been with him for 5 years but she's been with herself for 49, "and that's the relationship I need to work on," she said. Mostly because she wanted to get with other guys. Especially in light of the Steve-and-Miranda storyline, that was a doozy. I heart Smith and hate that she left him, but isn't it better to leave someone than to cheat if the temptation is really strong and you don't trust yourself? If those are the only two options, though, I'd say you need to find some other options, such as STAY WITH THE PERSON YOU'RE COMMITTED TO AND DON'T CHEAT. In Samantha's case, to be clear, they're not married. Oh, and Carrie goes back to Big at the end, which I had mixed feelings about but it's a movie. In Friends with Benefits and this one, there was a point near the end when I wanted it to end, when they were apart and heartbroken, post-mistakes. I know people don't go to the movies to get a dose of reality, but sometimes I crave one. "And they were both miserable for a while and never saw each other again. The end." But I suppose we get enough of that outside the theater.
The whole shebang threw me off, not that my thoughts on love-n-such were super-well-developed to start with. I appreciate the opportunity to think in different ways about it, and all of the movies were good as entertainment, just not as lessons, I guess. Some parts were good lessons but hard ones, such as forgiveness. I'm very blessed to have people to watch with, and a place to watch, and the leisure time necessary to watch 4 movies in about 26 hours. The best part is that I know where to look to (re-)learn the truth about love. So the movies, when it comes down to it, for all my verbosity and anxiety and analysis and attention, they're just for fun. A place for everything, and everything in its place.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Wedding Report #2: Laura & Javier
I left Richmond just after class on Friday afternoon and caught a ride to the airport with some generous friends who were on their way out of town. Got some quality flash-card time in the airport before leaving. A connection too short to speak of in Atlanta, and before I knew it I was in Houston. It turned out the two people I was meeting, other friends of the bride, both had long delays, so I hung out with The Member of the Wedding, my journal, and the flash cards from about 6:30 til almost ten. The two delayed ones were very apologetic, but it was quite nice to sit undisturbed, with plenty of people to watch, none who had any demands on me and none I wanted to impress. The book was good--I guess I'm a fan of Southern gothic without knowing it until now.
I came up with a new career idea: airport chaplain. I found out later in the trip that this does exist. As Mom said when I told her, it's perfect because I wouldn't have to form any lasting relationships. "Yeah, you get to help people without anyone critiquing your sermon or the seating arrangement or anything," I said. Half-jokes aside, it would be a very neat opportunity. I've been noticing a lot of changes in myself lately, which I suppose is a by-product of a geographic and life-stage move. One of them became evident when I was people-watching in Houston: I've always liked to watch people, but it used to be because I was interested in them or curious about them. I still am, but now I also love them. A lot. All of them.
New Friend #1 got in just before ten, then #2 came from Houston's other airport after midnight, and we got to the house we were staying at after 2 a.m. On Saturday, we left just after lunchtime to find our hotel and change clothes before the 3:00 wedding. Everything happened in both Spanish and English because the groom is from Mexico, and the church was really pretty and the couple was really pretty and there was great rejoicing.
At the reception, I got to catch up with a few old Davidson friends and meet a few new ones, learn a new dance that involves a napkin, and enjoy great food and drink and the precious people at our table. Toasts and other announcements were bilingual there too. A few people went out afterward since it was only 8:00, and Laura in her wedding dress got congratulations from strangers, as all brides should.
On Sunday morning, from our patio table at brunch, we watched some unfamiliar birds swarm a recently-vacated table and scavenge the food. We went back to Laura and Javier's apartment, where we looked at pictures and they opened a few gifts. We went to the Art Car Museum, which was scary like many museums are for me and fun and funny like more museums should be. I went to the market and the bakery with Laura, and we looked at her Enneagram book and Amy Sedaris's I Like You and geography games online inspired by their world-map shower curtain. I started reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and we had French food for dinner and then bubble tea and an outdoor showing of Othello, which I had taught but still didn't follow. The grass was clipped very short, and there was a well-behaved corgi in front of us, and I couldn't tell the characters apart, and it didn't matter. We talked about patriotism and national holidays and how on Mexican independence day the mayor of each town goes out at midnight shouting "Viva Mexico!" and everyone shouts back.
Monday, I ate a really good cream-cheese empanada and we were off. During my long layover in Atlanta, a French family sat down next to me and stayed long enough that I worked up the courage to talk to them in French. The aunt/sister is a CPA in Richmond, has been for ten years. I had forgotten how quietly French people can talk. Sitting across from them, I heard their conversation as little but a soothing murmur. When I got home, I signed up for the Richmond French Meetup Group, yet another joy of being in a big city.
The rest of the trip was uneventful and delightful. Yet another kind and generous friend picked me up, and I had Facebook messages saying people had missed me, and hugs in real life, and a lot to catch up on even though it had only been three days. What a great blessing, to go see something beautiful and new and then come home to warmth and love.
I came up with a new career idea: airport chaplain. I found out later in the trip that this does exist. As Mom said when I told her, it's perfect because I wouldn't have to form any lasting relationships. "Yeah, you get to help people without anyone critiquing your sermon or the seating arrangement or anything," I said. Half-jokes aside, it would be a very neat opportunity. I've been noticing a lot of changes in myself lately, which I suppose is a by-product of a geographic and life-stage move. One of them became evident when I was people-watching in Houston: I've always liked to watch people, but it used to be because I was interested in them or curious about them. I still am, but now I also love them. A lot. All of them.
New Friend #1 got in just before ten, then #2 came from Houston's other airport after midnight, and we got to the house we were staying at after 2 a.m. On Saturday, we left just after lunchtime to find our hotel and change clothes before the 3:00 wedding. Everything happened in both Spanish and English because the groom is from Mexico, and the church was really pretty and the couple was really pretty and there was great rejoicing.
At the reception, I got to catch up with a few old Davidson friends and meet a few new ones, learn a new dance that involves a napkin, and enjoy great food and drink and the precious people at our table. Toasts and other announcements were bilingual there too. A few people went out afterward since it was only 8:00, and Laura in her wedding dress got congratulations from strangers, as all brides should.
On Sunday morning, from our patio table at brunch, we watched some unfamiliar birds swarm a recently-vacated table and scavenge the food. We went back to Laura and Javier's apartment, where we looked at pictures and they opened a few gifts. We went to the Art Car Museum, which was scary like many museums are for me and fun and funny like more museums should be. I went to the market and the bakery with Laura, and we looked at her Enneagram book and Amy Sedaris's I Like You and geography games online inspired by their world-map shower curtain. I started reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and we had French food for dinner and then bubble tea and an outdoor showing of Othello, which I had taught but still didn't follow. The grass was clipped very short, and there was a well-behaved corgi in front of us, and I couldn't tell the characters apart, and it didn't matter. We talked about patriotism and national holidays and how on Mexican independence day the mayor of each town goes out at midnight shouting "Viva Mexico!" and everyone shouts back.
Monday, I ate a really good cream-cheese empanada and we were off. During my long layover in Atlanta, a French family sat down next to me and stayed long enough that I worked up the courage to talk to them in French. The aunt/sister is a CPA in Richmond, has been for ten years. I had forgotten how quietly French people can talk. Sitting across from them, I heard their conversation as little but a soothing murmur. When I got home, I signed up for the Richmond French Meetup Group, yet another joy of being in a big city.
The rest of the trip was uneventful and delightful. Yet another kind and generous friend picked me up, and I had Facebook messages saying people had missed me, and hugs in real life, and a lot to catch up on even though it had only been three days. What a great blessing, to go see something beautiful and new and then come home to warmth and love.
Monday, July 25, 2011
The New Reality
Summer language school is accelerated. A lot. It's not one but two semesters of Greek or Hebrew squeezed into about six weeks. This has been, so far, a good way for me to learn. I like it very much. There's a side effect to that acceleration: it works the same way in our social lives. I think I anticipated this in some vague form, but I had no clue what a blast it would be. I use the word "blast" both in its slangy form to mean "a really fun time" and in its closer-to-literal form to mean "an explosion, a sudden movement, a momentary unleashing." "Whirlwind" would be appropriate as well.
We do this because some of us are scared (not me, not really), all of us are starting anew, for a few days we were a little bored and unmoored, and since class started we've embodied the "work hard, play hard" mentality. Friday afternoons we are as restless and frightening as caged animals, and when we load up the cars to go wherever we go, or pour into someone's apartment, the energy is frenetic and loose and fast and wild until Sunday evening when the Greek students buckle down to study. (Hebrew doesn't meet on Mondays, but we also begin to wind down about then.) We talk over movies and over each other. We make ourselves known in church. We are unignorable. We travel in packs. We are well matched in darts. We learn from everything, and we are always thirsty and we are always full. We have so much steam it takes three days to let it off, and then we have none for four.
During the week, the pace is smooth and almost lethargic in the best way. There is yoga and swimming and groceries and a series of foods I aim to eat each day and each week. The classroom is cold and the breaks are long. My stack of flashcards will soon be as tall as my hand, the long way. The rhythm in which we gather and disperse is like a slow and reliable breathing. Everything shines, but it does not hurt my eyes. When I felt sad for the first time since moving here, I said to myself, "Oh no, reality is setting in," but then I said, "That is not reality. The new reality is this." My cup overflows with joy and peace and freedom from fear and friends and health and love.
There's a Hebrew word you say when you drink coffee with someone. It means not only "thank you," but "forever and ever," as in, "May this state of affairs last forever and ever. We are not being chased, we are not at war, we are not starving, we are enjoying this together and we would like it to last." Unfortunately, I do not actually know the word. But that is precisely how I feel. May this last forever and ever. Amen.
We do this because some of us are scared (not me, not really), all of us are starting anew, for a few days we were a little bored and unmoored, and since class started we've embodied the "work hard, play hard" mentality. Friday afternoons we are as restless and frightening as caged animals, and when we load up the cars to go wherever we go, or pour into someone's apartment, the energy is frenetic and loose and fast and wild until Sunday evening when the Greek students buckle down to study. (Hebrew doesn't meet on Mondays, but we also begin to wind down about then.) We talk over movies and over each other. We make ourselves known in church. We are unignorable. We travel in packs. We are well matched in darts. We learn from everything, and we are always thirsty and we are always full. We have so much steam it takes three days to let it off, and then we have none for four.
During the week, the pace is smooth and almost lethargic in the best way. There is yoga and swimming and groceries and a series of foods I aim to eat each day and each week. The classroom is cold and the breaks are long. My stack of flashcards will soon be as tall as my hand, the long way. The rhythm in which we gather and disperse is like a slow and reliable breathing. Everything shines, but it does not hurt my eyes. When I felt sad for the first time since moving here, I said to myself, "Oh no, reality is setting in," but then I said, "That is not reality. The new reality is this." My cup overflows with joy and peace and freedom from fear and friends and health and love.
There's a Hebrew word you say when you drink coffee with someone. It means not only "thank you," but "forever and ever," as in, "May this state of affairs last forever and ever. We are not being chased, we are not at war, we are not starving, we are enjoying this together and we would like it to last." Unfortunately, I do not actually know the word. But that is precisely how I feel. May this last forever and ever. Amen.
Friday, July 15, 2011
A Word about HP
And you can probably guess I'm not talking about Hewlett Packard.
I started reading the Harry Potter books on a trip to the beach with my family. I must have been in 7th or 8th grade (maybe 6th?), but Mom read chapters to me and John before bed. No one else knew about the book, really. It still had British spellings, and I loved the starry display font, which I copied over and over like a monk. Those first few books were sweet. Just adventurous enough, endearing, heartwarming. Once they caught on, we congratulated ourselves on having been among the first to know. The books started getting more scary and grown-up, and then came the movies. When the first movie came out, it was almost exactly as I pictured it: the colors, the visual style, the characters.
Last night, I watched the last movie in the series. My new friends from seminary went as a group. It was very good, perhaps in part because I'd forgotten many of the details and even major plot points. The acting and/or directing had clearly improved since #4, which I watched last weekend. But more than the movie itself, I'll remember the experience of watching it, the collective "oohs" and "ahhs," the swells of laughter, the sniffles in the dark. These moments have their origins in the earliest fireside storytelling, which was probably about what happened on the hunt that day and, like HP, may have involved fangs and fire. Ever since then, there's nothing like a good story heard in good company to make a person feel just right.
I have my issues with the series. The resemblances to Lord of the Rings are almost embarrassing at times. It's frustrating that made-up magic has limitations (as in, "Why can't you just do a spell and end the suspense?"). The intricacy, while stimulating, is also sometimes exhausting. I have a lot of muggle blood that makes me scoff and say the whole thing is stupid and childish. But my heart softens when I think of the collective enjoyment of this series. I've long thought that TV and books and movies were part of the collective consciousness Jung talked about, because we can meet someone for the first time and find quite a bit in common based on such things. I'm happy that I'm the right age to have Harry in my world. I'm happy that the series is so successful. And I'm thrilled that young children will continue to read, there and elsewhere, about risk and reward, loyalty, sacrifice, bravery, and the deeply moving truth that, in the end, the good guys always win.
I started reading the Harry Potter books on a trip to the beach with my family. I must have been in 7th or 8th grade (maybe 6th?), but Mom read chapters to me and John before bed. No one else knew about the book, really. It still had British spellings, and I loved the starry display font, which I copied over and over like a monk. Those first few books were sweet. Just adventurous enough, endearing, heartwarming. Once they caught on, we congratulated ourselves on having been among the first to know. The books started getting more scary and grown-up, and then came the movies. When the first movie came out, it was almost exactly as I pictured it: the colors, the visual style, the characters.
Last night, I watched the last movie in the series. My new friends from seminary went as a group. It was very good, perhaps in part because I'd forgotten many of the details and even major plot points. The acting and/or directing had clearly improved since #4, which I watched last weekend. But more than the movie itself, I'll remember the experience of watching it, the collective "oohs" and "ahhs," the swells of laughter, the sniffles in the dark. These moments have their origins in the earliest fireside storytelling, which was probably about what happened on the hunt that day and, like HP, may have involved fangs and fire. Ever since then, there's nothing like a good story heard in good company to make a person feel just right.
I have my issues with the series. The resemblances to Lord of the Rings are almost embarrassing at times. It's frustrating that made-up magic has limitations (as in, "Why can't you just do a spell and end the suspense?"). The intricacy, while stimulating, is also sometimes exhausting. I have a lot of muggle blood that makes me scoff and say the whole thing is stupid and childish. But my heart softens when I think of the collective enjoyment of this series. I've long thought that TV and books and movies were part of the collective consciousness Jung talked about, because we can meet someone for the first time and find quite a bit in common based on such things. I'm happy that I'm the right age to have Harry in my world. I'm happy that the series is so successful. And I'm thrilled that young children will continue to read, there and elsewhere, about risk and reward, loyalty, sacrifice, bravery, and the deeply moving truth that, in the end, the good guys always win.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Lundi Links: Sweet Charity, the Animal Edition
Lundi Links is back after a long hiatus! I'm sure you've been wringing your hands over its unpredictability.
Today's theme is animal-related causes you can donate to or just learn about. First, we have HeroRATS, who use their super-smelling to seek out landmines, tuberculosis, and more.
Then there's the Carolina Raptor Center, which I never visited even though it was just steps from my door at Davidson! Not literally, but it was pretty close. They take care of injured birds and do education work. Similarly, Carolina Tiger Rescue is taking care of the big cats right near Pittsboro. Pretty cool, huh?
I completely understand when people say resources should go toward people before we worry about animals, but I want to highlight these organizations because, well, it's just cool. The next one, the big one, is not part of that argument because it uses animals to help people. Presenting The Heifer Project, my all-time favorite charitable organization! I wanted to work for them abroad after college, but it turned out they only employed locals. Let down as I was, I couldn't complain. Of course they should! That way, the people who are running the operation know the area, the land, the people, and the customs, and there's less of that icky white-man-coming-in-to-fix-things feeling. Plus, that job means much more to a poor local than it does to some post-college ne'er-do-well who wants an adventure. Seriously smart move, Heifer.
The organization, also called Heifer International, provides animals to communities who make proposals to them. That way, Heifer doesn't dictate what the community needs; they decide what will work and how they want to go about it. All the animals are used for something sustainable, like milk or wool or honey or eggs. They range in size from bees to elephants. The first animal donated was a heifer (a cow that hasn't had babies yet), and the recipients ate it. Understandable! They were hungry! But it's sort of a give-a-man-a-fish situation, and Heifer is all about teaching them to fish, so to speak. Since then, they make sure to train all recipients in how to take advantage of the animals' gifts over the long term.
I worked at Heifer's educational farm in California for a few weeks (my consolation prize for not being able to go somewhere more exotic), during which my admiration for the organization grew and grew. I really want to write a book about Heifer someday, possibly combined with other humanitarian projects that work really well and make sense.
You can be a volunteer at one of Heifer's farms in Arkansas or Massachusetts (I believe the Cali one has closed or transitioned to some other use, but I could be wrong), either on a live-in basis or as a local who comes in during the day. If your Christmases or your friends' birthdays have been a little "eh" on the gift side, think about giving donations in honor of someone, to Heifer or to any organization. I personally love picking out animals that someone will like. Baby chicks never fail to delight.
When I lived at the Heifer farm, our dining-room table and chairs had been won on The Price Is Right and donated to the center. We had a piano in the house, so I had my parents send me a bunch of sheet music and almost got the hang of "Hey Jude." We had chickens, ducks, geese, a water buffalo, goats, an ostrich, turkeys, a heifer, sheep, alpacas, and a few cats that were unaffiliated with the project. The ostrich, Sweet Pea, was like something George Lucas and Jim Henson would make together. The turkeys sounded like old church ladies at the end of the barn. The goats were my favorite, and I'd love to have one someday. Sheep are really stupid, alpacas extremely aloof, and when all of the animals were together, I got to feeling just a little jealous of Noah.
Today's theme is animal-related causes you can donate to or just learn about. First, we have HeroRATS, who use their super-smelling to seek out landmines, tuberculosis, and more.
Then there's the Carolina Raptor Center, which I never visited even though it was just steps from my door at Davidson! Not literally, but it was pretty close. They take care of injured birds and do education work. Similarly, Carolina Tiger Rescue is taking care of the big cats right near Pittsboro. Pretty cool, huh?
I completely understand when people say resources should go toward people before we worry about animals, but I want to highlight these organizations because, well, it's just cool. The next one, the big one, is not part of that argument because it uses animals to help people. Presenting The Heifer Project, my all-time favorite charitable organization! I wanted to work for them abroad after college, but it turned out they only employed locals. Let down as I was, I couldn't complain. Of course they should! That way, the people who are running the operation know the area, the land, the people, and the customs, and there's less of that icky white-man-coming-in-to-fix-things feeling. Plus, that job means much more to a poor local than it does to some post-college ne'er-do-well who wants an adventure. Seriously smart move, Heifer.
The organization, also called Heifer International, provides animals to communities who make proposals to them. That way, Heifer doesn't dictate what the community needs; they decide what will work and how they want to go about it. All the animals are used for something sustainable, like milk or wool or honey or eggs. They range in size from bees to elephants. The first animal donated was a heifer (a cow that hasn't had babies yet), and the recipients ate it. Understandable! They were hungry! But it's sort of a give-a-man-a-fish situation, and Heifer is all about teaching them to fish, so to speak. Since then, they make sure to train all recipients in how to take advantage of the animals' gifts over the long term.
I worked at Heifer's educational farm in California for a few weeks (my consolation prize for not being able to go somewhere more exotic), during which my admiration for the organization grew and grew. I really want to write a book about Heifer someday, possibly combined with other humanitarian projects that work really well and make sense.
You can be a volunteer at one of Heifer's farms in Arkansas or Massachusetts (I believe the Cali one has closed or transitioned to some other use, but I could be wrong), either on a live-in basis or as a local who comes in during the day. If your Christmases or your friends' birthdays have been a little "eh" on the gift side, think about giving donations in honor of someone, to Heifer or to any organization. I personally love picking out animals that someone will like. Baby chicks never fail to delight.
When I lived at the Heifer farm, our dining-room table and chairs had been won on The Price Is Right and donated to the center. We had a piano in the house, so I had my parents send me a bunch of sheet music and almost got the hang of "Hey Jude." We had chickens, ducks, geese, a water buffalo, goats, an ostrich, turkeys, a heifer, sheep, alpacas, and a few cats that were unaffiliated with the project. The ostrich, Sweet Pea, was like something George Lucas and Jim Henson would make together. The turkeys sounded like old church ladies at the end of the barn. The goats were my favorite, and I'd love to have one someday. Sheep are really stupid, alpacas extremely aloof, and when all of the animals were together, I got to feeling just a little jealous of Noah.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Bluegrass Mass
This evening, I biked to an Episcopal church for Bluegrass Mass. This week it was all Carter family songs, including "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" and "This Train Is Bound for Glory." I felt like I was listening to Dusty and Ace, at an intimate Avett Brothers concert, and a little bit Taize and Seagrove all at once. Tov, tov, tov. Tov m'od. (That means "very good" in Hebrew.) They handed out tambourines for the last song! And I ran into a classmate from The Personal Essay, AKA The Class That Changed Everything. I took it in my last year at Davidson, and without it I never would have thought about grad school for creative writing. So it was tov m'od to see her. And on the way to the church, I saw what appeared to be a family's pool that was open to the community, with an entry booth and everything. There's something really delightful about seeing people walking along the sidewalk with towels slung over their shoulders. Kind of like seeing cars full of adults--I always guess they're going somewhere fun.
Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me comes on at 3 p.m. on Sunday, and This American Life and Car Talk are nowhere in sight. Don't they know the three are supposed to go together, preferably on Saturday mornings? I broke my French press and had to buy another one. Something stung me, and I didn't get a good look at it. I couldn't find any shorts in my size when Old Navy was having a big sale, even looking at two different locations. It feels like I will never know my way around the city. I miss Wilmington and the people there like crazy. I found out I was supposed to sign up for classes, like, a month ago. But a bad day in seminary...pretty much better than any other day.
Ha ha! I knew I got that last sentence, minus the "seminary," from something else, so I just looked it up. Joey said it to Ross on Friends about a threesome. "Your worst day with two women...pretty much better than any other day." So I guess I'm as happy about seminary as some people are about (the idea of) being with two women. But as I was saying, I feel unfaseable. Boundlessly joyful. These things do make me grumpy, but it's like, "Eh. Not that big a deal." Because I'm still riding the wave of novelty and excitement from being in a new place with new people and new routines.
Most of all, I feel satisfied in a way that only living in a big city can make me feel satisfied. Solitary and social, mellow and frenetic, I feel like all my moods are allowed and taken care of when I have so many choices, even if I'm not yet taking advantage of them and don't even know what they are. At the Bluegrass Mass, the overwhelming feeling was of a deep hunger I didn't know I had, finally being satisfied. It's more than just feeling sophisticated and cosmopolitan or watching my calendar fill up with cool things; it feels, actually, like swaddling. There's something comforting about having businesses near my home, people always about but not always interacting with me, being able to walk and actually get somewhere worth going. I'll wish for a change soon enough, but for today, the Dixie Chicks can have their wide open spaces. As excited as I was to come here, I never expected to be this happy. Thank you, God, for this place and this day.
Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me comes on at 3 p.m. on Sunday, and This American Life and Car Talk are nowhere in sight. Don't they know the three are supposed to go together, preferably on Saturday mornings? I broke my French press and had to buy another one. Something stung me, and I didn't get a good look at it. I couldn't find any shorts in my size when Old Navy was having a big sale, even looking at two different locations. It feels like I will never know my way around the city. I miss Wilmington and the people there like crazy. I found out I was supposed to sign up for classes, like, a month ago. But a bad day in seminary...pretty much better than any other day.
Ha ha! I knew I got that last sentence, minus the "seminary," from something else, so I just looked it up. Joey said it to Ross on Friends about a threesome. "Your worst day with two women...pretty much better than any other day." So I guess I'm as happy about seminary as some people are about (the idea of) being with two women. But as I was saying, I feel unfaseable. Boundlessly joyful. These things do make me grumpy, but it's like, "Eh. Not that big a deal." Because I'm still riding the wave of novelty and excitement from being in a new place with new people and new routines.
Most of all, I feel satisfied in a way that only living in a big city can make me feel satisfied. Solitary and social, mellow and frenetic, I feel like all my moods are allowed and taken care of when I have so many choices, even if I'm not yet taking advantage of them and don't even know what they are. At the Bluegrass Mass, the overwhelming feeling was of a deep hunger I didn't know I had, finally being satisfied. It's more than just feeling sophisticated and cosmopolitan or watching my calendar fill up with cool things; it feels, actually, like swaddling. There's something comforting about having businesses near my home, people always about but not always interacting with me, being able to walk and actually get somewhere worth going. I'll wish for a change soon enough, but for today, the Dixie Chicks can have their wide open spaces. As excited as I was to come here, I never expected to be this happy. Thank you, God, for this place and this day.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Ta-Da!
Here I am in scenic, humid, friendly, unfamiliar, bustling Richmond, in my very own apartment, with three Hebrew books stacked in front of me, tummy full of strawberry shortcake (party at the dean's house) and chai tea (that's all me), knowing I ought to go to bed because orientation is tomorrow morning but unable to stop bopping from excitement.
We got here on Friday afternoon with generous help from Luke, Michele, and Tom on the Wilmington end. I overshot the exit from 95, but the exit I did take had signs that led me straight to the seminary. What up! Beautiful strangers helped unpack the truck, and as we returned it to the rental place, we saw fireworks. Mom and Dad spent the night and were very helpful and fun on Saturday. I'm just now feeling settled and able to take a deep breath, with internet connected (that's the "ta-da!"), books bought, pictures hung, and everything in its place for the moment. I have more space than one person really needs, and it's glorious. Five closets, a study, and an extra room that's intended for storage but is the art and reading room.
The neighborhood is stunning. Impressive houses with eclectic lawns, a purple flower I'm not familiar with that smells great, a walking trail just behind us, and I just found out, a gym across the street! I saw the most enticing garden party on my walk the other night. White tablecloths down to the ground, including on the bar. Every direction I go has new nice sights, and I plan to go farther and farther each way until it's not so nice. In a more immediate sense, my place is a prime location for harmless spying. Not exactly Rear Window because all I see of the next building is a brick wall, but I'm all about monitoring the sidewalk.
In eating news, the "New town, new habits" philosophy is going swimmingly. I've been crazy good for all 3 and a half days since Mom and Dad left! Seriously, I think I can keep it up. There are clothes I brought with me that I can't wear at present, in which I will soon look snazzy, because I didn't lug 'em here for nothin'.
I like everyone I've met, I can't wait to meet the rest, and I've even had a visitor already! Heather, my roommate from Wilmington, came by on her way back from her parents' in Maryland. I got to say hi to her pet frog, grab a coffee at Starbucks, and hear about her summer tutoring.
And it was very, very good.
We got here on Friday afternoon with generous help from Luke, Michele, and Tom on the Wilmington end. I overshot the exit from 95, but the exit I did take had signs that led me straight to the seminary. What up! Beautiful strangers helped unpack the truck, and as we returned it to the rental place, we saw fireworks. Mom and Dad spent the night and were very helpful and fun on Saturday. I'm just now feeling settled and able to take a deep breath, with internet connected (that's the "ta-da!"), books bought, pictures hung, and everything in its place for the moment. I have more space than one person really needs, and it's glorious. Five closets, a study, and an extra room that's intended for storage but is the art and reading room.
The neighborhood is stunning. Impressive houses with eclectic lawns, a purple flower I'm not familiar with that smells great, a walking trail just behind us, and I just found out, a gym across the street! I saw the most enticing garden party on my walk the other night. White tablecloths down to the ground, including on the bar. Every direction I go has new nice sights, and I plan to go farther and farther each way until it's not so nice. In a more immediate sense, my place is a prime location for harmless spying. Not exactly Rear Window because all I see of the next building is a brick wall, but I'm all about monitoring the sidewalk.
In eating news, the "New town, new habits" philosophy is going swimmingly. I've been crazy good for all 3 and a half days since Mom and Dad left! Seriously, I think I can keep it up. There are clothes I brought with me that I can't wear at present, in which I will soon look snazzy, because I didn't lug 'em here for nothin'.
I like everyone I've met, I can't wait to meet the rest, and I've even had a visitor already! Heather, my roommate from Wilmington, came by on her way back from her parents' in Maryland. I got to say hi to her pet frog, grab a coffee at Starbucks, and hear about her summer tutoring.
And it was very, very good.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Gratitude
I got back from church camp on Friday around lunchtime. The week was full of bugbites, humidity, delicious food, swimming in a lake that turns everything brown, very little time alone, the danger of stinging nettles, and SO MUCH FUN! I can't think of a better way to say (a temporary) goodbye to Pine Valley and to coastal North Carolina. My cabin was full of wonderful, fun girls, the other counselors were a great help, and I never stop marveling at how smart, faithful, fun, and self-sufficient our youth are. Thank you, everyone at Pine Valley, for making the week and the past three years such a delightful and challenging experience.
One of the highlights of the week was serving communion on the dock. I'd served once before at church and loved it. You get to look each person in the eyes and say, "This is the body of Christ, broken for you." (Or, if you're serving the juice, "This is the blood of Christ, shed for you.") One kid had the kid behind him take a picture, with a flash, which threw me off and made me laugh. Alex was playing the guitar behind us for ambience. Randy was serving the grape juice to my left. A perfect evening. Does anyone know whether a Presbyterian pastor would be allowed to serve communion in that style (people come up to the front instead of staying in their seats)? I think so. I hope so.
It didn't hit me until the next day that I can look forward to doing that kind of thing in my regular life. This also happened the day I got my first acceptance to a seminary, when I went to an MFA event and a professor told me all about how he grew up in the church and what made him leave it. "I'm going to get to have conversations like this all the time!" I thought. What an honor.
As I prepare to move on Friday, my calendar is filling up with lunches and dinners and other last hurrahs. Another cause for great rejoicing; I have so many great friends and so many great places to go and enjoy unique food. As hard as it is to leave, I try to keep in mind that you don't cry because a chapter ends (unless, as Ashley pointed out, it's the chapter in Harry Potter where Dumbledore dies, even though in that case you're not crying just because the chapter's over). You process it and get excited about the next chapter. So instead of moping about leaving (mostly), I look at Richmond churches' websites and the YMCA yoga schedule and my school email account and everything else that helps me focus on the possibilities and the growth to come. And I thank God for everything.
One of the highlights of the week was serving communion on the dock. I'd served once before at church and loved it. You get to look each person in the eyes and say, "This is the body of Christ, broken for you." (Or, if you're serving the juice, "This is the blood of Christ, shed for you.") One kid had the kid behind him take a picture, with a flash, which threw me off and made me laugh. Alex was playing the guitar behind us for ambience. Randy was serving the grape juice to my left. A perfect evening. Does anyone know whether a Presbyterian pastor would be allowed to serve communion in that style (people come up to the front instead of staying in their seats)? I think so. I hope so.
It didn't hit me until the next day that I can look forward to doing that kind of thing in my regular life. This also happened the day I got my first acceptance to a seminary, when I went to an MFA event and a professor told me all about how he grew up in the church and what made him leave it. "I'm going to get to have conversations like this all the time!" I thought. What an honor.
As I prepare to move on Friday, my calendar is filling up with lunches and dinners and other last hurrahs. Another cause for great rejoicing; I have so many great friends and so many great places to go and enjoy unique food. As hard as it is to leave, I try to keep in mind that you don't cry because a chapter ends (unless, as Ashley pointed out, it's the chapter in Harry Potter where Dumbledore dies, even though in that case you're not crying just because the chapter's over). You process it and get excited about the next chapter. So instead of moping about leaving (mostly), I look at Richmond churches' websites and the YMCA yoga schedule and my school email account and everything else that helps me focus on the possibilities and the growth to come. And I thank God for everything.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Photos from Wedding #1, Lauren and Paul
If you want to see some more photos, the public link to my FB album is http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150652364300243.688552.890485242&=16a19bed75. Here are a few others.
The church.
The carriage ride. 
The cake cutting. As I took many pictures of this, I was standing next to some teenagers who worked at the winery. I asked if they had a lot of weddings, and they said they were booked for 68 weeks. I said, "But this is the best one, right?" They said, "She is really pretty."
Some of the views we're talkin' about. Who knew this was in Missouri? I would seriously go back just for the heck of it.
Lauren's grandfather playing the clarinet at the brewery. He also played at the rehearsal dinner a little bit.
The sweet puppy at the brewery.Wedding Report #1: Paul and Lauren
I left on Thursday morning for Raleigh, parked at my aunt's house, and rode with her and her cousin and my granddaddy to the airport, where we met Mom, Dad, John (my brother), and Allison (his girlfriend). It was my first experience with the full-body scanner, even though I flew in March. They had to pat me down because of the underwire in my bra. Hooray! We had a direct flight to St. Louis, where our hotel was really awesome and I forgot to take pictures like I meant to, especially of the sign "Limousine parking only."
We had dinner in the hotel, which was actually quite good. Several others joined us, including the bride and groom. The young people planned to go out, but we ended up sending a party to the store for beer and drinking in the hotel atrium instead, which was great fun. Between deciding to go out and deciding to stay in, we called a cab, which arrived the minute we found out we were staying. The driver was not nice.
The next morning, after a delicious hotel buffet breakfast, we left around noon for St. Genevieve, about an hour and a half from St. Louis. On the way, we got to see a little bit of the city, and I liked it. The vineyard where we had the wedding is in really nice rolling-hills country, one of five or six vineyards there actually. I didn't know anything about Missouri and was kind of blown away by how pretty it was. Our car (Dad, me, Allison, and John) got there first, so we went to a brewery down the street and up a very curvy one-lane gravel driveway. At the brewery, there were an uncanny number of dead moths or moth wings in the yard, which was pretty but kind of creepy. Then we saw a nice kitty. I figure the cat was getting the moths. They had a beer called barleywine that was like a beer-wine hybrid. A larger group ended up going back later that evening, and John pointed out that they had homemade root beer. I figured I'd have just a try to see how it was--why would I need a whole glass?--but it was SO GOOD that I had to get it. Really. If you ever go to Charleville Brewery and Vineyard near St. Genevieve, Missouri, get the root beer. And the barleywine. And the winerita. And the strawberry beer if it's summer. And, well, pretty much everything. On the second trip, some of the bride's family was there too, and her granddad played the clarinet in the background. There was also a nice dog and pretty stained glass.
That night, those who were in the wedding went to the rehearsal, and then the rest of us met them at the rehearsal dinner in the winery's cellar, lined with barrels and nice and cool after a hot day. Allison and I were standing near a table with only one couple at it, deciding whether to sit there. I thought, "Surely these people can hear us talking about whether we're going to sit with them," so I said, "These people look nice. Let's sit here." So my nuclear family joined Elizabeth and Brian. Once we determined that we were all on Paul's side (although we're just as much on Lauren's side, too!), Mom said, "Oh, you're Elizabeth from summer P.E.!" Apparently, Paul and Elizabeth did not go to the same high school but both had to take P.E. in the summer, and they would walk around the track together, and they became friends. So my mom says, "Which high school did you go to?" and Elizabeth says, "Enloe." And I think, "I know only one girl who went to Enloe. And her name was Elizabeth. And she looks not at all unlike this one." So I say, "What's your last name?" because I am creepy like that and remember the last names and high schools of people I knew for a week twelve or more years ago. And she said it and yep, it was my roommate from summer writing camp at Queens College the summer after eighth grade. She lives in Chicago now, and she's marrying Brian in October. We had fun.
The next morning, Mom and I were hostesses of the bridesmaids' brunch in Lauren's villa. Oh, I didn't tell you, everyone stayed in villas, which are nice houses with good views decorated in the French Country manner, and so much more fun than a hotel. So we went to the girls' villa, and the winery staff delivered chicken salad sandwiches and chicken cordon bleu sandwiches and strawberry turnovers and homemade potato chips and dip and coffee the makings for mimosas. The hairdresser was working on Lauren when we got there, and everyone else took turns getting hair did or stepping out to the spa for makeup. Meanwhile, we enjoyed the good food and decorated handkerchiefs with Sharpies, because some ideas sound a little weird but turn out to be really good. The rationale: people will probably need to wipe their eyes at a wedding. Some probably don't have hankies. It's nice to have a party favor. It's fun to draw together. Voila! A good thing. I've still got mine in my purse.
After changing clothes, taking pics of Lauren in her dress, and semi-helping get the couple's villa ready for that night, I took up my post in the chapel vestibule. I got to see the string quartet pass a cello up into the balcony. As I handed out programs, one guy was making a funny noise as he came in, and we realized he had a cicada on him! We shooed him outside, and when he came back he said it had been inside his jacket.
A note on the chapel: It was about to be demolished, and the vineyard said, "We want it." So they dismantled it and brought it onto the grounds and rebuilt it, or something to that effect. It was teeeeeeny tiny and very cute.
The service was lovely but probably the least memorable part of the weekend for me. Funny how that works. Afterward, Paul and Lauren rode away in a horse-drawn carriage under a barrage of bubbles. Then we took a few family pictures and went to the reception. I was seated with Elizabeth and Brian again, plus some friends of Lauren's from her study abroad in France who were also Christian and might want to be missionaries and were excited about my going to seminary. After dinner and the best-tasting wedding cake I've ever had, I danced a lot and took blurry pictures and laughed and danced and laughed.
The next morning, we went straight to the airport even though our flight wasn't til 8 p.m. We were too tired to figure out what to do in St. Louis. It was actually quite nice to read and chill in the airport. I watched the first two episodes of Modern Family on Mom's iPad. The flight was uneventful except that we had a really funny flight attendant, and at the end when the seatbelt light went off, he said, "All rise." I slept at Aunt Kim's house for about 11 hours, then drove home and started my last week of work.
To sum up the weekend, I was felt up by a TSA agent, angered a Russian cab driver, slept on a couch with two towels and a tuxedo jacket for covers, ruined my watchband by sweating, lost a shoe for twelve hours, had no time to relax, did not have a date, broke a wineglass and cut my finger trying to clean it up, semi-flirted with a guy and then realized he was with someone, disagreed with part of the pastor's meditation, and worst of all, had to listen to "Beverly Hills" by Weezer. Really, is that what you play when someone requests Weezer? Including all of this, it was the best weekend I've had in a long, long time. Thank you, Lauren and Paul, for getting married. Thank you, Mom and Dad and Kim, for taking us there. Thank you, John and John and Allison and David and Caroline and everyone else, for making it so fun. Someone should get married at least once a month. Oh, wait! That is the case! Now I'm gearing up for Laura and Javier in July.
I'm going to put photos in a separate post. Stay tuned!
We had dinner in the hotel, which was actually quite good. Several others joined us, including the bride and groom. The young people planned to go out, but we ended up sending a party to the store for beer and drinking in the hotel atrium instead, which was great fun. Between deciding to go out and deciding to stay in, we called a cab, which arrived the minute we found out we were staying. The driver was not nice.
The next morning, after a delicious hotel buffet breakfast, we left around noon for St. Genevieve, about an hour and a half from St. Louis. On the way, we got to see a little bit of the city, and I liked it. The vineyard where we had the wedding is in really nice rolling-hills country, one of five or six vineyards there actually. I didn't know anything about Missouri and was kind of blown away by how pretty it was. Our car (Dad, me, Allison, and John) got there first, so we went to a brewery down the street and up a very curvy one-lane gravel driveway. At the brewery, there were an uncanny number of dead moths or moth wings in the yard, which was pretty but kind of creepy. Then we saw a nice kitty. I figure the cat was getting the moths. They had a beer called barleywine that was like a beer-wine hybrid. A larger group ended up going back later that evening, and John pointed out that they had homemade root beer. I figured I'd have just a try to see how it was--why would I need a whole glass?--but it was SO GOOD that I had to get it. Really. If you ever go to Charleville Brewery and Vineyard near St. Genevieve, Missouri, get the root beer. And the barleywine. And the winerita. And the strawberry beer if it's summer. And, well, pretty much everything. On the second trip, some of the bride's family was there too, and her granddad played the clarinet in the background. There was also a nice dog and pretty stained glass.
That night, those who were in the wedding went to the rehearsal, and then the rest of us met them at the rehearsal dinner in the winery's cellar, lined with barrels and nice and cool after a hot day. Allison and I were standing near a table with only one couple at it, deciding whether to sit there. I thought, "Surely these people can hear us talking about whether we're going to sit with them," so I said, "These people look nice. Let's sit here." So my nuclear family joined Elizabeth and Brian. Once we determined that we were all on Paul's side (although we're just as much on Lauren's side, too!), Mom said, "Oh, you're Elizabeth from summer P.E.!" Apparently, Paul and Elizabeth did not go to the same high school but both had to take P.E. in the summer, and they would walk around the track together, and they became friends. So my mom says, "Which high school did you go to?" and Elizabeth says, "Enloe." And I think, "I know only one girl who went to Enloe. And her name was Elizabeth. And she looks not at all unlike this one." So I say, "What's your last name?" because I am creepy like that and remember the last names and high schools of people I knew for a week twelve or more years ago. And she said it and yep, it was my roommate from summer writing camp at Queens College the summer after eighth grade. She lives in Chicago now, and she's marrying Brian in October. We had fun.
The next morning, Mom and I were hostesses of the bridesmaids' brunch in Lauren's villa. Oh, I didn't tell you, everyone stayed in villas, which are nice houses with good views decorated in the French Country manner, and so much more fun than a hotel. So we went to the girls' villa, and the winery staff delivered chicken salad sandwiches and chicken cordon bleu sandwiches and strawberry turnovers and homemade potato chips and dip and coffee the makings for mimosas. The hairdresser was working on Lauren when we got there, and everyone else took turns getting hair did or stepping out to the spa for makeup. Meanwhile, we enjoyed the good food and decorated handkerchiefs with Sharpies, because some ideas sound a little weird but turn out to be really good. The rationale: people will probably need to wipe their eyes at a wedding. Some probably don't have hankies. It's nice to have a party favor. It's fun to draw together. Voila! A good thing. I've still got mine in my purse.
After changing clothes, taking pics of Lauren in her dress, and semi-helping get the couple's villa ready for that night, I took up my post in the chapel vestibule. I got to see the string quartet pass a cello up into the balcony. As I handed out programs, one guy was making a funny noise as he came in, and we realized he had a cicada on him! We shooed him outside, and when he came back he said it had been inside his jacket.
A note on the chapel: It was about to be demolished, and the vineyard said, "We want it." So they dismantled it and brought it onto the grounds and rebuilt it, or something to that effect. It was teeeeeeny tiny and very cute.
The service was lovely but probably the least memorable part of the weekend for me. Funny how that works. Afterward, Paul and Lauren rode away in a horse-drawn carriage under a barrage of bubbles. Then we took a few family pictures and went to the reception. I was seated with Elizabeth and Brian again, plus some friends of Lauren's from her study abroad in France who were also Christian and might want to be missionaries and were excited about my going to seminary. After dinner and the best-tasting wedding cake I've ever had, I danced a lot and took blurry pictures and laughed and danced and laughed.
The next morning, we went straight to the airport even though our flight wasn't til 8 p.m. We were too tired to figure out what to do in St. Louis. It was actually quite nice to read and chill in the airport. I watched the first two episodes of Modern Family on Mom's iPad. The flight was uneventful except that we had a really funny flight attendant, and at the end when the seatbelt light went off, he said, "All rise." I slept at Aunt Kim's house for about 11 hours, then drove home and started my last week of work.
To sum up the weekend, I was felt up by a TSA agent, angered a Russian cab driver, slept on a couch with two towels and a tuxedo jacket for covers, ruined my watchband by sweating, lost a shoe for twelve hours, had no time to relax, did not have a date, broke a wineglass and cut my finger trying to clean it up, semi-flirted with a guy and then realized he was with someone, disagreed with part of the pastor's meditation, and worst of all, had to listen to "Beverly Hills" by Weezer. Really, is that what you play when someone requests Weezer? Including all of this, it was the best weekend I've had in a long, long time. Thank you, Lauren and Paul, for getting married. Thank you, Mom and Dad and Kim, for taking us there. Thank you, John and John and Allison and David and Caroline and everyone else, for making it so fun. Someone should get married at least once a month. Oh, wait! That is the case! Now I'm gearing up for Laura and Javier in July.
I'm going to put photos in a separate post. Stay tuned!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Lundi Links: Sweet Charity
This week's Lundi Links features some of the sites that show the internet's power for good. These sites connect those with money to donate with those who need it. I have a long list of sites of specific organizations I'd like to help, but the ones I'm posting today are the ones that serve as directories or connections between many individuals or groups. To be clear, I haven't used these sites yet myself, but I have heard good things about most of them.
http://www.donorschoose.org is a very popular site where teachers can ask for funding for micro-projects: one set of books, supplies for one chemistry experiment, etc. I'm sure some of them are a bit bigger, but I love the simplicity and specificity of it, almost a poetry.
http://www.kickstarter.com is a little like donorschoose but helps fund small businesses, inventions, and creative projects. I've read up on a documentary about Matthew Shepard, a stylus tip that attaches to a regular Sharpie to make it easy to draw on an iPad, and funky drink koozies called Freakers (ILM-born!). Most of the requests have videos, and many have rewards that increase with the amount you donate.
http://www.razoo.com is a little like kickstarter but for nonprofits.
http://www.kiva.org is your path to being a microfinancer. The site partners with existing microfinance organizations (which are an inspiring and brilliant concept in themselves, although I seem to recall hearing something bad about one recently, like it went under or something?) to get small amounts of money into the hands of folks all over the world who can turn it into more resources for themselves, their families, and their communities. You can loan in $25 increments, and I believe you have a choice of receiving the money back or keeping it circulating in the Kiva system. It's incredible what these "small" amounts can do in most parts of the world.
http://www.modestneeds.org lets individuals post a specific need at a specific amount. A new muffler, travel expenses for a conference, a fan for a sick child in the coming summer, things that cost money but not astronomical amounts and that will make big improvements to the people's lives. There's some kind of point system involved.
There are several sites that keep track of charities and their activities so you know they're on the up and up (love that brand identity at Target, by the way, pipes up the designer in me). I haven't used these at all, but a couple of them for your perusal are http://www2.guidestar.org, http://www.charitynavigator.org, and http://www.charitywatch.org.
The internet, like pretty much everything, has the capacity for the most wretched evil and the most elevating good. I am so impressed with humanity when I see sites like these, how they bring strangers together for just a few minutes and a few dollars to help each other and the world. What a beautiful thing! I'm going to make a $1 donation right now. I hope you'll consider trying one of these sites.
http://www.donorschoose.org is a very popular site where teachers can ask for funding for micro-projects: one set of books, supplies for one chemistry experiment, etc. I'm sure some of them are a bit bigger, but I love the simplicity and specificity of it, almost a poetry.
http://www.kickstarter.com is a little like donorschoose but helps fund small businesses, inventions, and creative projects. I've read up on a documentary about Matthew Shepard, a stylus tip that attaches to a regular Sharpie to make it easy to draw on an iPad, and funky drink koozies called Freakers (ILM-born!). Most of the requests have videos, and many have rewards that increase with the amount you donate.
http://www.razoo.com is a little like kickstarter but for nonprofits.
http://www.kiva.org is your path to being a microfinancer. The site partners with existing microfinance organizations (which are an inspiring and brilliant concept in themselves, although I seem to recall hearing something bad about one recently, like it went under or something?) to get small amounts of money into the hands of folks all over the world who can turn it into more resources for themselves, their families, and their communities. You can loan in $25 increments, and I believe you have a choice of receiving the money back or keeping it circulating in the Kiva system. It's incredible what these "small" amounts can do in most parts of the world.
http://www.modestneeds.org lets individuals post a specific need at a specific amount. A new muffler, travel expenses for a conference, a fan for a sick child in the coming summer, things that cost money but not astronomical amounts and that will make big improvements to the people's lives. There's some kind of point system involved.
There are several sites that keep track of charities and their activities so you know they're on the up and up (love that brand identity at Target, by the way, pipes up the designer in me). I haven't used these at all, but a couple of them for your perusal are http://www2.guidestar.org, http://www.charitynavigator.org, and http://www.charitywatch.org.
The internet, like pretty much everything, has the capacity for the most wretched evil and the most elevating good. I am so impressed with humanity when I see sites like these, how they bring strangers together for just a few minutes and a few dollars to help each other and the world. What a beautiful thing! I'm going to make a $1 donation right now. I hope you'll consider trying one of these sites.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Nearly Perfect Weekend (so far!)
We had an early deadline on Thursday (it's usually Friday at 5), so I treated this as a 4-day weekend. The first three have been a perfect balance of social time and downtime, and all of it has felt like a real live weekend, not one of those fake ones where it's not relaxing.
On Friday, I slept in, made iced coffee instead of regular and it was good even though I was quite winging it, went to the beach and read and wrote and swam, and hit the Mayfaire concert with the Martins. There are two free concerts every Friday in the summer in Wilmington. Downtown Sundown is crowded, loud, and kind of a meat-market situation (i.e., singles looking for things singles look for). I like some of the music, and if you're in the mood it's nice. This was the first time I'd gone to the Mayfaire one (Mayfaire is like Birkdale, for Davidson folk: a Truman Show-like community where people live but there are also stores, restaurants, a movie theater, etc.). It was much more chill, and people had picnics, lawn chairs, dogs, kids, and fun. Andrew, who's two years old and change, was incredibly cute as always. The band played "Wagon Wheel" and "What I Got," two of my top songs to hear in such a sitch. It wasn't even too hot! A lovely evening. I had been considering going to the movies and decided I would, but I had over an hour to kill, so I went to the Fox and Hound to have a beer and an appetizer. I sat down and before I could even open my book, what to my wondering eyes should appear but Karen and Bob Scheboth at the next table! So I moved to sit with them, and we had fun while waiting for their son, Travis, to finish up at the movies.
I saw Bridesmaids, which was very funny and a very realistic portrayal of a friendship between two women. As my friend pointed out the next morning, it is, in her words, "raunchy." It's true there's a lotta sex in it, which did make me kind of roll my eyes (like when Jaded Lady says to Naive Lady, "Every woman needs those slutty college years!"). Unfortunately, I think I've come to view that as the price of watching a silly comedy. The movie actually made me not like Jon Hamm's character! And the other guy, Chris O'Dowd, is now my main leading man. He's from Ireland. On Facebook, he is set up as a regular person you friend and not a star that you "like," and you know how many friends he has? 33!
Saturday morning, I had breakfast at The Sawmill with Lindsey, then I came back here and cleaned up my inbox and favorites (bookmarks), which took a lot of time and felt great. I went for a leisurely walk instead of a run.
Today, I turned on the TV while making lunch and landed on Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde. After that on the same channel, it was The Whole Nine Yards. After that, Fun with Dick and Jane. So, I more or less watched three movies in a row in my recliner. I definitely don't want to do that every day or even every week, but it was exactly the right thing for today. Tomorrow is a day off, but I do intend to do a few light work things since I'm leaving Thursday for cousin Paul's wedding! Yaaaay!
On Friday, I slept in, made iced coffee instead of regular and it was good even though I was quite winging it, went to the beach and read and wrote and swam, and hit the Mayfaire concert with the Martins. There are two free concerts every Friday in the summer in Wilmington. Downtown Sundown is crowded, loud, and kind of a meat-market situation (i.e., singles looking for things singles look for). I like some of the music, and if you're in the mood it's nice. This was the first time I'd gone to the Mayfaire one (Mayfaire is like Birkdale, for Davidson folk: a Truman Show-like community where people live but there are also stores, restaurants, a movie theater, etc.). It was much more chill, and people had picnics, lawn chairs, dogs, kids, and fun. Andrew, who's two years old and change, was incredibly cute as always. The band played "Wagon Wheel" and "What I Got," two of my top songs to hear in such a sitch. It wasn't even too hot! A lovely evening. I had been considering going to the movies and decided I would, but I had over an hour to kill, so I went to the Fox and Hound to have a beer and an appetizer. I sat down and before I could even open my book, what to my wondering eyes should appear but Karen and Bob Scheboth at the next table! So I moved to sit with them, and we had fun while waiting for their son, Travis, to finish up at the movies.
I saw Bridesmaids, which was very funny and a very realistic portrayal of a friendship between two women. As my friend pointed out the next morning, it is, in her words, "raunchy." It's true there's a lotta sex in it, which did make me kind of roll my eyes (like when Jaded Lady says to Naive Lady, "Every woman needs those slutty college years!"). Unfortunately, I think I've come to view that as the price of watching a silly comedy. The movie actually made me not like Jon Hamm's character! And the other guy, Chris O'Dowd, is now my main leading man. He's from Ireland. On Facebook, he is set up as a regular person you friend and not a star that you "like," and you know how many friends he has? 33!
Saturday morning, I had breakfast at The Sawmill with Lindsey, then I came back here and cleaned up my inbox and favorites (bookmarks), which took a lot of time and felt great. I went for a leisurely walk instead of a run.
Today, I turned on the TV while making lunch and landed on Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde. After that on the same channel, it was The Whole Nine Yards. After that, Fun with Dick and Jane. So, I more or less watched three movies in a row in my recliner. I definitely don't want to do that every day or even every week, but it was exactly the right thing for today. Tomorrow is a day off, but I do intend to do a few light work things since I'm leaving Thursday for cousin Paul's wedding! Yaaaay!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
The kind of thing that makes my day
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Dejeuner du Jour
This is what I had for lunch today. Under the lettuce and homemade dressing (!) are raisins, glazed walnuts, and feta, to be tossed within moments. The yellow circle on the plate is a tiny cheese sealed in wax. I am posting it because I'm quite pleased with myself, especially because yesterday was an eat-everything-in-sight kind of day.
Thank you for your attention. That is all.
Spam-a-Lot
Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time, I have been majorly spammed. Did I click on anything suspicious? Not that I remember. However it happened, it did. So, please, please, please do not click on any links you receive in emails from me in the next couple of days. Ugh, I just feel icky, like I need another shower. Gross. Also, I do not know much about spam, so I did only what Google prompted me to do, which was just change my password. It's crazy awesome and un-guessable now. Is there anything else I need to do? Please let me know if you get any other sketch-o emails from me, and I apologize a lot if the episode has affected your account or computer at all.
I checked my work email before my personal one this morning, like a good little drone, and when I saw an email from myself, my stomach really dropped. Then when I checked my gmail, nearly every message was from someone who'd gotten a slice of spam from me. It was actually kind of nice to see the names of so many people who are in my contacts but whom I hadn't talked to in a while.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Various Musings
I missed the first half of The Soup tonight, which was okay, but then after it, this awful show about hoaxes (or something) came on! It was one of those bandage-face people! Where was Fashion Police?! We didn't know. So I went to 27 because it's first on my channel-flipping rotation (27, 35, 39, 40, 45, 55, 58, 65, 66, 76. Wanna guess what they are?), and it was Mamma Mia! at about halfway through. I like it. Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Meryl Streep together? Yes, please? And did I mention Colin Firth? So that's what I'm doing as I type this.
News flash: the world is not ending tomorrow. The guy who says that, and organizes the people to put up the billboards, etc., he said it was happening in 1994. Somehow, he retained his followers or got new ones even after that fail. His explanation was that he hadn't read parts of the Bible closely enough.
A five-year study published by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice has revealed the cause of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy members. Homosexuality and celibacy are not the causes, they said very emphatically. The reason many, many Catholic leaders have molested children is THE UPHEAVAL OF THE SIXTIES AND SEVENTIES. No joke. That's what the study said. Its detractors call it "The Woodstock Defense." I appreciate that they don't want to demonize homosexuality or celibacy, but really? Everyone went through those decades, and very few people reacted by sexually abusing children. My theory on why the study took five years is that they came up with an answer after one or two, and someone didn't like the answer (I don't recall whether the study was commissioned by the Church), and they took the remaining years to come up with something, and because the funding was running out, they panicked and said what they said. I think it offends my intelligence. To be clear, I haven't read the study and don't know many details. I suppose there could be some more-convinving evidence. But just from what I know now, I'm very disappointed in everyone involved.
I woke up the other morning with a book in my bed. It was Understanding Comics. I hadn't read it in months. It's second-closest on the bookshelf right next to the bed, which makes it not completely bizarre, but I had no recollection of taking it from the shelf or wanting to. I figure I was grabbing for something in a dream and grabbed the book in real life.
This afternoon, I was thinking of what to wear tomorrow and remembered a shirt I hadn't worn in a few weeks. Then this evening, as I shook out my clean sheets while making the bed, I found that shirt wrinkled up in one of the corners of the fitted sheet! It had been folded up in the closet with the sheets for weeks. I laughed out loud.
I've been seeing things a little differently as seminary draws near. For instance, the management section at Barnes & Noble suddenly means at least a little something to me. Not that I'm all "I'm a manager of the church," but surely some of those books have valuable lessons for leaders of all stripes, and I guess a leader is what I'm gonna be. This may stem partly from the fact that I've seen the management book Good to Great on many pastors' shelves, specifically in the summer of 2005, which made me think the conference or district I was in at the time had all the pastors read it. I remember being surprised but interested in how it was used.
I got a tiny Hebrew lesson from my roommate today, which gave me an idea of how much I'm going to be learning this summer. I'm slowly shedding books, papers, clothes, and other items to prepare for the move. Three more weeks of work! Then a big party, camp, logistics galore, packing, and we're off. Thank and praise God.
News flash: the world is not ending tomorrow. The guy who says that, and organizes the people to put up the billboards, etc., he said it was happening in 1994. Somehow, he retained his followers or got new ones even after that fail. His explanation was that he hadn't read parts of the Bible closely enough.
A five-year study published by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice has revealed the cause of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy members. Homosexuality and celibacy are not the causes, they said very emphatically. The reason many, many Catholic leaders have molested children is THE UPHEAVAL OF THE SIXTIES AND SEVENTIES. No joke. That's what the study said. Its detractors call it "The Woodstock Defense." I appreciate that they don't want to demonize homosexuality or celibacy, but really? Everyone went through those decades, and very few people reacted by sexually abusing children. My theory on why the study took five years is that they came up with an answer after one or two, and someone didn't like the answer (I don't recall whether the study was commissioned by the Church), and they took the remaining years to come up with something, and because the funding was running out, they panicked and said what they said. I think it offends my intelligence. To be clear, I haven't read the study and don't know many details. I suppose there could be some more-convinving evidence. But just from what I know now, I'm very disappointed in everyone involved.
I woke up the other morning with a book in my bed. It was Understanding Comics. I hadn't read it in months. It's second-closest on the bookshelf right next to the bed, which makes it not completely bizarre, but I had no recollection of taking it from the shelf or wanting to. I figure I was grabbing for something in a dream and grabbed the book in real life.
This afternoon, I was thinking of what to wear tomorrow and remembered a shirt I hadn't worn in a few weeks. Then this evening, as I shook out my clean sheets while making the bed, I found that shirt wrinkled up in one of the corners of the fitted sheet! It had been folded up in the closet with the sheets for weeks. I laughed out loud.
I've been seeing things a little differently as seminary draws near. For instance, the management section at Barnes & Noble suddenly means at least a little something to me. Not that I'm all "I'm a manager of the church," but surely some of those books have valuable lessons for leaders of all stripes, and I guess a leader is what I'm gonna be. This may stem partly from the fact that I've seen the management book Good to Great on many pastors' shelves, specifically in the summer of 2005, which made me think the conference or district I was in at the time had all the pastors read it. I remember being surprised but interested in how it was used.
I got a tiny Hebrew lesson from my roommate today, which gave me an idea of how much I'm going to be learning this summer. I'm slowly shedding books, papers, clothes, and other items to prepare for the move. Three more weeks of work! Then a big party, camp, logistics galore, packing, and we're off. Thank and praise God.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Janus Jesus
I had a really, really good time at my parents' house last weekend, as I almost always do there. If any young people are reading this, please take note that this is what happens when you grow up, probably. There's a good chance your parents will become exponentially more fun once you're out of the house, etc.
As I mentioned in my post from there, we watched both Godspell and Jesus Christ, Superstar because they were kind enough to hold onto them on DVR for a couple weeks. I had seen Godspell as a live show numerous times, including the time I was in it (what?! That's right), but never the movie. I had never seen JCS but knew some of the music because we have the songbook for piano and there was a time when I'd play almost anything for fun. Sidebar: I really look forward to working in churches because I'll pretty much always have access to a piano. Look out, Broadway! Or Rum Runners!
There were many cool things about watching these back to back. First, the movies came out in the same year! 1973. It's like Antz and A Bug's Life, or Armageddon and Deep Impact, or 30Rock and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, or ER and Chicago Hope, which are all eerily similar for things that came out at the same time. These two movies are similar on that level, of course, but very different. JCS focuses a lot on the persecution Jesus faced, Judas is a major character, and you get quite a lot of the minor key. Godspell is like the rainbow-sunshine version of the story. It has serious moments and is thought-provoking at points, but it's mostly just an enjoyable and fun experience.
This is where Janus comes in. Janus is the Roman god of transitions and beginnings, and hence of doorways, gates, doors, endings, and time, according to Wikipedia. He is usually depicted with two faces, facing in opposite directions. I'm reminded of him when I think of Godspell and JCS together, because Jesus does have two sides, and then some. But the cool thing is, as far as I can tell, it's the same face repeated. Janus is not like Jekkyl and Hyde or Twoface, with one good and one bad side. So, the past and the future are both good. Jesus persecuted and Jesus rejoicing are both good. That's what makes him different from all other gods, who usually have one salient characteristic. He's a round character, like the people you know, a collection of traits that form a real man.
Another cool thing: Playing Jesus in Godspell was Victor Garber, whom you'll recognize as one of those actors with a solid body of work and few starring roles. What makes it cool, besides just knowing it and how young he is, is that he played the devil in Damn Yankees.
In other trivia, the guy who played Caiaphas in JCS was in a 1993 film called The Nostril Picker. The actor who played Peter also has a career in pornography. There was a 2000 version, and something is in the works for 2014. Exciting!
Also, I read in the archives for work about a musical called Cotton Patch Gospel, which is Jesus' life set in the south. Joe and Mary are headed to Atlanta for a tax audit and, when there's no room at the motel, they have to give birth in a mobile home in Gainesville, Georgia. "Men don't live by grits alone," he will grow up to say. The music is by Harry Chapin. This sounds promising. Has anyone seen it?
As I mentioned in my post from there, we watched both Godspell and Jesus Christ, Superstar because they were kind enough to hold onto them on DVR for a couple weeks. I had seen Godspell as a live show numerous times, including the time I was in it (what?! That's right), but never the movie. I had never seen JCS but knew some of the music because we have the songbook for piano and there was a time when I'd play almost anything for fun. Sidebar: I really look forward to working in churches because I'll pretty much always have access to a piano. Look out, Broadway! Or Rum Runners!
There were many cool things about watching these back to back. First, the movies came out in the same year! 1973. It's like Antz and A Bug's Life, or Armageddon and Deep Impact, or 30Rock and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, or ER and Chicago Hope, which are all eerily similar for things that came out at the same time. These two movies are similar on that level, of course, but very different. JCS focuses a lot on the persecution Jesus faced, Judas is a major character, and you get quite a lot of the minor key. Godspell is like the rainbow-sunshine version of the story. It has serious moments and is thought-provoking at points, but it's mostly just an enjoyable and fun experience.
This is where Janus comes in. Janus is the Roman god of transitions and beginnings, and hence of doorways, gates, doors, endings, and time, according to Wikipedia. He is usually depicted with two faces, facing in opposite directions. I'm reminded of him when I think of Godspell and JCS together, because Jesus does have two sides, and then some. But the cool thing is, as far as I can tell, it's the same face repeated. Janus is not like Jekkyl and Hyde or Twoface, with one good and one bad side. So, the past and the future are both good. Jesus persecuted and Jesus rejoicing are both good. That's what makes him different from all other gods, who usually have one salient characteristic. He's a round character, like the people you know, a collection of traits that form a real man.
Another cool thing: Playing Jesus in Godspell was Victor Garber, whom you'll recognize as one of those actors with a solid body of work and few starring roles. What makes it cool, besides just knowing it and how young he is, is that he played the devil in Damn Yankees.
In other trivia, the guy who played Caiaphas in JCS was in a 1993 film called The Nostril Picker. The actor who played Peter also has a career in pornography. There was a 2000 version, and something is in the works for 2014. Exciting!
Also, I read in the archives for work about a musical called Cotton Patch Gospel, which is Jesus' life set in the south. Joe and Mary are headed to Atlanta for a tax audit and, when there's no room at the motel, they have to give birth in a mobile home in Gainesville, Georgia. "Men don't live by grits alone," he will grow up to say. The music is by Harry Chapin. This sounds promising. Has anyone seen it?
Monday, May 9, 2011
Lundi Links: Useful
Under this category in my Favorites are mostly boring things like my bank and Mapquest and the Weather Channel; you can figure out what you need in that department. But there are a few that you may not know about, things that have come in quite handy.
At http://www.icantfindmyphone.com, you can type in your phone number, and it'll ring for you as you poke around the house playing the hotter-colder game with yourself.
http://downforeveryoneorjustme.com is a pretty ingenious concept. If you have trouble getting to a site, you type in the URL and it tells you whether it's your problem. If only there were a site like that for personal problems.
At http://www.oneacross.com, you can type in the clue that's stumping you in a crossword puzzle, plus the pattern (like, "refined" and "cl***y"). You'll get a list of possible answers rated by likelihood. Whether this is useful, because it aids a relatively non-useful pastime, is debatable, but I like it.
Another site of debatable usefulness, and one I've never actually used but is a cool concept: http://www.filleritem.com helps you find something to get you just over the $25 mark on Amazon so you can get free shipping. Or you could join Amazon Prime and always have it. Or, shop at used book sales instead.
That's it for today. Check back for more Lundi Links next Monday, and maybe a regular post or two in the meantime.
At http://www.icantfindmyphone.com, you can type in your phone number, and it'll ring for you as you poke around the house playing the hotter-colder game with yourself.
http://downforeveryoneorjustme.com is a pretty ingenious concept. If you have trouble getting to a site, you type in the URL and it tells you whether it's your problem. If only there were a site like that for personal problems.
At http://www.oneacross.com, you can type in the clue that's stumping you in a crossword puzzle, plus the pattern (like, "refined" and "cl***y"). You'll get a list of possible answers rated by likelihood. Whether this is useful, because it aids a relatively non-useful pastime, is debatable, but I like it.
Another site of debatable usefulness, and one I've never actually used but is a cool concept: http://www.filleritem.com helps you find something to get you just over the $25 mark on Amazon so you can get free shipping. Or you could join Amazon Prime and always have it. Or, shop at used book sales instead.
That's it for today. Check back for more Lundi Links next Monday, and maybe a regular post or two in the meantime.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Parents' for the Weekend
I cleared my calendar for today and came to Henderson last night so I didn't have to drive all day on Sunday for the brunch extravaganza. My grandmother's turning 80, my brother's 26, and both Munno (that's the grandmother) and Mom are being celebrated for Mothers' Day. So I get to spend the weekend here, watching recorded episodes of The Office and 30Rock (and Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar! God bless DVR), running the shorter but hillier route I've walked or run my whole life, addressing invitations for my cousin's rehearsal dinner, filling the birdfeeders, and playing with Mom's iPad. What a great time we have.
I checked my Union (seminary) email to see if they'd told me about housing. Not yet, but there were multiple emails with prayer requests and praises: this person is getting married, that person's mom has cancer. Also, in the two classes that I visited, the professors asked for prayer requests and prayed before starting class. Manhattan and Austin and Princeton and Frisco are great places to visit; I am going to the perfect place for me. I haven't counted the days yet, but I know it's less than two months until Hebrew class starts. Life is good.
I checked my Union (seminary) email to see if they'd told me about housing. Not yet, but there were multiple emails with prayer requests and praises: this person is getting married, that person's mom has cancer. Also, in the two classes that I visited, the professors asked for prayer requests and prayed before starting class. Manhattan and Austin and Princeton and Frisco are great places to visit; I am going to the perfect place for me. I haven't counted the days yet, but I know it's less than two months until Hebrew class starts. Life is good.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Lundi Links: Art and Visuals
Today's focus for Lundi Links is the sites that make me go "ooh" and "ah" in a purely visual sense.
http://www.guidodaniele.com is the site of an artist who paints mostly on other people's hands. It's awesome stuff.
http://azuregrackle.com/periodictable/table/ is a project that recruited different artists to design prints for each element of the periodic table. Extra points for blending art and science.
http://www.brickartist.com has some very impressive Lego sculptures, including Conan O'Brian.
http://www.abelardomorell.net is the site of a really neat photographer. One of the first things you find is camera obscura work.
At http://irinawerning.com/back-to-the-fut/back-to-the-future/, you can find grown folks reenacting pictures from their childhoods. Cross-reference: Funny.
Five at a time is enough, so that's all for today's Lundi Links. Check back next week for more, and possibly some regular posts in the meantime.
http://www.guidodaniele.com is the site of an artist who paints mostly on other people's hands. It's awesome stuff.
http://azuregrackle.com/periodictable/table/ is a project that recruited different artists to design prints for each element of the periodic table. Extra points for blending art and science.
http://www.brickartist.com has some very impressive Lego sculptures, including Conan O'Brian.
http://www.abelardomorell.net is the site of a really neat photographer. One of the first things you find is camera obscura work.
At http://irinawerning.com/back-to-the-fut/back-to-the-future/, you can find grown folks reenacting pictures from their childhoods. Cross-reference: Funny.
Five at a time is enough, so that's all for today's Lundi Links. Check back next week for more, and possibly some regular posts in the meantime.
A Pilgrim's Progress
I got my first seminary-related book today. I'll be reading What They Don't Tell You: A Survivor's Guide to Biblical Studies over the summer and hashing it out with an online discussion group of other incoming students. I can't go to the face-to-face weekend, but I figure it'll be good to get acquainted with people in cyberspace.
I also sent out an email to some of my Wilmington friends asking for company as I make the rounds of the city's best restaurants, collaboration on a yard sale, and help moving. It took me a long time to get around to it and a long time to compose it, mostly because I didn't want to ask for help moving and because it made the move more real. It seems to get more tangible and ambiguous every day.
I'm extremely excited about going to Richmond. The support and encouragement I've gotten have gone far beyond what people expressed when I went to grad school, which was plenty, so I'm certain that this is the right move, a rare feeling. But going there means leaving Wilmington! Dang it! Who invented that mess? I've never been so sad to leave a place and its people. So my heart is on the heavy side even as it soars.
I also sent out an email to some of my Wilmington friends asking for company as I make the rounds of the city's best restaurants, collaboration on a yard sale, and help moving. It took me a long time to get around to it and a long time to compose it, mostly because I didn't want to ask for help moving and because it made the move more real. It seems to get more tangible and ambiguous every day.
I'm extremely excited about going to Richmond. The support and encouragement I've gotten have gone far beyond what people expressed when I went to grad school, which was plenty, so I'm certain that this is the right move, a rare feeling. But going there means leaving Wilmington! Dang it! Who invented that mess? I've never been so sad to leave a place and its people. So my heart is on the heavy side even as it soars.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Lundi Links: Funny
Here are a few things on the 'net that consistently make me laugh.
http://catalogliving.net has a perfect eye for the absurd. The creator is the lady from this and several other funny commercials: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjHoxSKqE0M&feature=related.
http://slushpilehell.tumblr.com is a real agent's mental responses to real queries.
http://tinyartdirector.blogspot.com is a chronicle of a young girl's responses to her professional-artist dad's drawings. It is rarely updated, but maybe it is new to you.
http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com shows pictures of signs all over the place that misuse quotation marks, and a brief response about what they really mean.
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com is just a really good, funny blog.
On http://www.overheardinnewyork.com, people send in things they really overheard. From there, using the colored rectangles, you can find Overheard at the Beach, Overheard at the Office, Overheard Everywhere, and Celebrity Wit.
Enjoy! Next Monday will bring links in a new category.
http://catalogliving.net has a perfect eye for the absurd. The creator is the lady from this and several other funny commercials: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjHoxSKqE0M&feature=related.
http://slushpilehell.tumblr.com is a real agent's mental responses to real queries.
http://tinyartdirector.blogspot.com is a chronicle of a young girl's responses to her professional-artist dad's drawings. It is rarely updated, but maybe it is new to you.
http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com shows pictures of signs all over the place that misuse quotation marks, and a brief response about what they really mean.
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com is just a really good, funny blog.
On http://www.overheardinnewyork.com, people send in things they really overheard. From there, using the colored rectangles, you can find Overheard at the Beach, Overheard at the Office, Overheard Everywhere, and Celebrity Wit.
Enjoy! Next Monday will bring links in a new category.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
The True Meaning of Easter
...is sweets plus arts and crafts. Or so it would seem if one observed my behavior today, the day before the day.
Here is one of the latest additions to our family here at the Jenkins house.
Not all of his brothers and sisters were ready to greet the world.
Another new resident of my parents' house.
The arts-and-crafts portion features eggs made from a tie-dye egg kit. Among some sweet rocks.
And perhaps my favorite part of the day, thanks to Real Simple magazine. Check it: gumdrops, smashed thin with a spatch, cut in half and rolled into roses or cut into leaves. Tip: use lots of sugar as you'd use flour in kneading bread, because when you roll them out, you expose a much stickier side of the 'drop.
In short, I feel very accomplished today! How fun.
I'm glad I decided to blog for Lent, and exceedingly glad it's about over. While many of the posts have not been as theological and Lent-y as I'd envisioned, it's been a helpful and thought-provoking exercise. Thank you so much, everyone, for reading and supporting this and so many other projects. I'll be posting regularly, just not holding myself to doing it every day. Expect lots of links, which I've been looking forward to sharing after Lent.
Have a great Easter tomorrow, everyone. What a joyful occasion! Celebrate renewal, redemption, love, and faith.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Outliers
I'm listening to Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers in the car. It's about how extremely successful people get that way. The gist is that nurture is just as important as nature, if not more so. He says it's all about opportunity. Part of that means being born at the right time and place, much of it has to do with cultural legacies and social systems, and some of it is under our (or our parents') control. That's a pretty small amount, but because it's all we can do anything about, it's worth a lot of attention.
As a non-parent, I'm thinking of how I can put this knowledge into action, short of lobbying for different education practices or something. While I can't directly create opportunities for children to get practice and mentorship in particular fields, I can create opportunities for people to feel welcome, safe, and loved, and to have fun, and to share what they have to share. Still not sure what form this takes in concrete, visible terms, but it will be with me for quite a while.
There's a lot more to Outliers than that. Quite a good read, if a little redundant. I recommend it for anyone, especially parents and educators.
As a non-parent, I'm thinking of how I can put this knowledge into action, short of lobbying for different education practices or something. While I can't directly create opportunities for children to get practice and mentorship in particular fields, I can create opportunities for people to feel welcome, safe, and loved, and to have fun, and to share what they have to share. Still not sure what form this takes in concrete, visible terms, but it will be with me for quite a while.
There's a lot more to Outliers than that. Quite a good read, if a little redundant. I recommend it for anyone, especially parents and educators.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
The Thing That Makes Me Have to Take Deep Breaths
This morning, I left around 8:30 for my 10:00 appointment for work. Then, I swung by the office of the guy I'd interviewed yesterday because I forgot to take his picture. By 12:30, I was back home and ready for a long afternoon and evening of good work.
I checked my email and saw, in a subject line, that the governor was going to be in Jacksonville. I prayed that it would be today so I'd already missed it. It was today, but at 5 p.m., which meant I could make it in plenty of time. Not a good thing because I had lots of work to fit into the rest of the day.
I cursed the sky and made the hour-long drive, which I'm used to, but not having to go there and back twice in one day. That's what really got me.
The reason for this post's title is the anxiety these situations cause me. This unpredictability is my least favorite part of my job. Most of my days have a pretty long and detailed to-do list, and when my plans are thwarted, I get very grumpy.
Since I only have a few more weeks at work here, this should be only an annoyance. But it's not the current trouble that gets me worked up, it's the future implications. Ministry, as I imagine it, is nothing but days like this. If I work in a church, or in a nonprofit agency, I will very frequently sit down in my office with a full docket of important and rewarding work for the day, only to check my email or voicemail or receive a call that...fill in the blank. Someone has died. Someone's in the hospital. A child is missing. Dramatic things like this may not happen super-often, but surely my flock will mix things up with smaller issues, like needing a confidante, not showing up for a volunteer job so I have to handle it, inviting me to something at the last minute, or some other harebrained scheme.
It's hard for me to think of this, mostly because of how badly I handle it at present. After a minute or two of overexcitement, I remember that church life will be considerably less disruptive for me. For one thing, a big one, these last-minute calls won't involve an hour-plus drive each time. I'll live in the same town as my employer. Going to something at 5 won't mean I'm sitting down to work at 9. Also, I will be helping people I care about, not inwardly rolling my eyes about an event that has no importance to me. And I knew when I took this job that it wasn't a perfect fit. If I go into my next job or career with more peace about it, that will create a much better and more harmonious, fulfilling situation.
So I lean heavily on these ideas on days like this. I'm not looking at a future of this level of frustration. There will be plenty of frustration, I know, but not much of this breed. A comforting thought.
I checked my email and saw, in a subject line, that the governor was going to be in Jacksonville. I prayed that it would be today so I'd already missed it. It was today, but at 5 p.m., which meant I could make it in plenty of time. Not a good thing because I had lots of work to fit into the rest of the day.
I cursed the sky and made the hour-long drive, which I'm used to, but not having to go there and back twice in one day. That's what really got me.
The reason for this post's title is the anxiety these situations cause me. This unpredictability is my least favorite part of my job. Most of my days have a pretty long and detailed to-do list, and when my plans are thwarted, I get very grumpy.
Since I only have a few more weeks at work here, this should be only an annoyance. But it's not the current trouble that gets me worked up, it's the future implications. Ministry, as I imagine it, is nothing but days like this. If I work in a church, or in a nonprofit agency, I will very frequently sit down in my office with a full docket of important and rewarding work for the day, only to check my email or voicemail or receive a call that...fill in the blank. Someone has died. Someone's in the hospital. A child is missing. Dramatic things like this may not happen super-often, but surely my flock will mix things up with smaller issues, like needing a confidante, not showing up for a volunteer job so I have to handle it, inviting me to something at the last minute, or some other harebrained scheme.
It's hard for me to think of this, mostly because of how badly I handle it at present. After a minute or two of overexcitement, I remember that church life will be considerably less disruptive for me. For one thing, a big one, these last-minute calls won't involve an hour-plus drive each time. I'll live in the same town as my employer. Going to something at 5 won't mean I'm sitting down to work at 9. Also, I will be helping people I care about, not inwardly rolling my eyes about an event that has no importance to me. And I knew when I took this job that it wasn't a perfect fit. If I go into my next job or career with more peace about it, that will create a much better and more harmonious, fulfilling situation.
So I lean heavily on these ideas on days like this. I'm not looking at a future of this level of frustration. There will be plenty of frustration, I know, but not much of this breed. A comforting thought.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Being a Good Grown-up
I set my alarm for 7:30 this morning even though I had nowhere to be until 1:30. That's right, I have become an actual adult. I did it so I could run and shower without having breakfast at lunchtime. And you know what? It worked out great. I sat down to work at about 9:45 and had finished an article a little after ten. I wrote two more short pieces this morning before sitting down to lunch at a reasonable, grown-up lunchtime. Then I did the webcast, had a good talk with Dad, and did an interview all before the regular workday was over.
This is slightly unlike me. Because I often work in the evenings and am not much of a schedule person, I have weeks where things are pretty willy-nilly, and Friday can be an ugly affair around here because that's the deadline for the articles I should have been writing all week. But days like this give me faith in structure, or at least in getting up early. I'm thinking a lot about how I use my time because things will change drastically come July 6 when summer school starts. I'm trying to start good habits while simultaneously getting my ya-yas out, enjoying the relative lack of structure while I can. Right now, it's mostly just a topic of thought, but based on the success of today, I'm thinking I'll soon start changing my behavior. I've gone through periods where I got up early and adhered to a schedule, and one of those periods is coming up.
I say this after an evening of watching cartoons and reading graphic novels that were apparently attended for adolescents. Adulthood is highly relative.
This is slightly unlike me. Because I often work in the evenings and am not much of a schedule person, I have weeks where things are pretty willy-nilly, and Friday can be an ugly affair around here because that's the deadline for the articles I should have been writing all week. But days like this give me faith in structure, or at least in getting up early. I'm thinking a lot about how I use my time because things will change drastically come July 6 when summer school starts. I'm trying to start good habits while simultaneously getting my ya-yas out, enjoying the relative lack of structure while I can. Right now, it's mostly just a topic of thought, but based on the success of today, I'm thinking I'll soon start changing my behavior. I've gone through periods where I got up early and adhered to a schedule, and one of those periods is coming up.
I say this after an evening of watching cartoons and reading graphic novels that were apparently attended for adolescents. Adulthood is highly relative.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Missing Out
So I signed on with Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond today, unofficially, by confirming that I am interested in a program called Communities of Learning. I will read a book with other incoming students and take part in online discussions over the summer, shepherded by a faculty member or alum. Cool. There's also a weekend get-together before school starts so we can all meet face to face outside the realm of regular school-time.
But the get-together is the same weekend that my friend Laura is getting married. In Houston. Since I haven't quite mastered being in two places at once, I have to miss the get-together. The same thing happened with my cousin's wedding and our Davidson five-year reunion. This vexes me. The good news is that neither of these is a dilemma, exactly; I'm not thinking in circles about which I should do, because the priority in both cases is pretty clear cut. The other good news is that a surplus of activities is better than boredom. But that doesn't make it fun to miss something fun.
I have a lot of trouble with the concept that fun can happen without me. I'm looking forward to both of these weddings in a big way, though, and I'm certain that when I'm there, the last thing on my mind will be the reunion or the get-together. I'll be there to celebrate, and celebrate I will. I am very blessed to know all of the marrieds-to-be and to share in their happiness on the big day.
But the get-together is the same weekend that my friend Laura is getting married. In Houston. Since I haven't quite mastered being in two places at once, I have to miss the get-together. The same thing happened with my cousin's wedding and our Davidson five-year reunion. This vexes me. The good news is that neither of these is a dilemma, exactly; I'm not thinking in circles about which I should do, because the priority in both cases is pretty clear cut. The other good news is that a surplus of activities is better than boredom. But that doesn't make it fun to miss something fun.
I have a lot of trouble with the concept that fun can happen without me. I'm looking forward to both of these weddings in a big way, though, and I'm certain that when I'm there, the last thing on my mind will be the reunion or the get-together. I'll be there to celebrate, and celebrate I will. I am very blessed to know all of the marrieds-to-be and to share in their happiness on the big day.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Rollin' It Out
My roommate has a foam roller for her muscles, which I occasionally use with permission. It's hard to get used to but does tenderize stiff and sore muscles. It's just a plain cylinder, and you roll around on top of it.
The trick is to focus on the areas that it hurts to roll. It's counterintuitive to continue causing oneself pain, but pain is actually really beneficial and important physically. Stretching, yoga, and I'm sure plenty of other things, when done right, involve a certain amount of pain. When a stretch hurts, I've learned to stay there and take a few breaths. If I hurry away from it, the pain will just get worse and be there with a vengeance next time.
I think this has to do something with the hurtful aspects of faith and life that I've mentioned in other posts. Avoiding pain pretty much gets you nowhere.
The trick is to focus on the areas that it hurts to roll. It's counterintuitive to continue causing oneself pain, but pain is actually really beneficial and important physically. Stretching, yoga, and I'm sure plenty of other things, when done right, involve a certain amount of pain. When a stretch hurts, I've learned to stay there and take a few breaths. If I hurry away from it, the pain will just get worse and be there with a vengeance next time.
I think this has to do something with the hurtful aspects of faith and life that I've mentioned in other posts. Avoiding pain pretty much gets you nowhere.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Palm Sunday
There was a lot of bloody, sad talk at church this morning, as well there should be in the lead-up to Easter. In Sunday School, we had to leaven it with jokes. In the service, not so much. It's hard to think about what happened on the cross, especially for people who strive to live in joy and those who want to make Christianity appealing to all. When I think of all the other ways it could have gone, I can feel a scowl forming on my face. If God can do anything, why did he have to make redemption so painful?
I'm not making any attempt to answer that question, but I at least understand that he did choose that, and because he did, we can't ignore the pain and violence of "Good" Friday. Facing it comes in different forms for everyone, and another thing I'm not doing here is prescribing a method of contemplating the cross. You'll find yours when it's time.
There's a Taize song that goes "Crucem tuam adoramus, Domine. Resurrectionem tuam laudamus, Domine." It means something like, "We adore your cross, Lord. We praise your resurrection, Lord." The song is in a minor key and has some hauntingly beautiful harmonies. It's one of my favorites from Taize, actually. Considering the lyrics reminds me that we don't just adore Christ's teachings or pacifism or care for the lowly. We don't just adore him for creating the Church and giving us Holy Communion or for any other reason. We adore His cross and His resurrection, first and foremost, and we can't praise one without the other. Focus only on the cross, and you're a Friday person who sees a lackluster and doomed world. Focus only on the resurrection, and you might become blind to all the perils and evils of the world. But if you can hold the two complementary truths in your mind and heart, you have a balanced and (to the extent that I am qualified to declare this) accurate idea of what the Christian faith is about. Without Christ's death, the resurrection is not a resurrection at all. Without the resurrection, Christ would be just another dead guy. As unpleasant as it usually is, we have to honor the brutality of the cross at the same time as we rejoice in its life-giving power.
I'm not making any attempt to answer that question, but I at least understand that he did choose that, and because he did, we can't ignore the pain and violence of "Good" Friday. Facing it comes in different forms for everyone, and another thing I'm not doing here is prescribing a method of contemplating the cross. You'll find yours when it's time.
There's a Taize song that goes "Crucem tuam adoramus, Domine. Resurrectionem tuam laudamus, Domine." It means something like, "We adore your cross, Lord. We praise your resurrection, Lord." The song is in a minor key and has some hauntingly beautiful harmonies. It's one of my favorites from Taize, actually. Considering the lyrics reminds me that we don't just adore Christ's teachings or pacifism or care for the lowly. We don't just adore him for creating the Church and giving us Holy Communion or for any other reason. We adore His cross and His resurrection, first and foremost, and we can't praise one without the other. Focus only on the cross, and you're a Friday person who sees a lackluster and doomed world. Focus only on the resurrection, and you might become blind to all the perils and evils of the world. But if you can hold the two complementary truths in your mind and heart, you have a balanced and (to the extent that I am qualified to declare this) accurate idea of what the Christian faith is about. Without Christ's death, the resurrection is not a resurrection at all. Without the resurrection, Christ would be just another dead guy. As unpleasant as it usually is, we have to honor the brutality of the cross at the same time as we rejoice in its life-giving power.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Home Again, Home Again
I got back this evening from a great time in Austin. Everyone there was extremely fun and nice. If I had to name a favorite part, it would be the Shabbat service we went to because one of the APTS students came in as a Unitarian but has now become part of a Jewish congregation. The rabbi was like a more down-to-earth version of Ben Stiller's character in Keeping the Faith. He was also an extremely good cantor. Hauntingly so.
Austin is basically equal to Richmond in the level of fun and the way I feel when there. Since Richmond has more logistical elements going for it, it's still ahead. I'm not turning in the papers for a few days because it took a while for things to sink in and clarify after the last trip, but I feel pretty confident about the decision.
This whole journey of exploring seminaries has been amazing for many, many reasons. One that just hit me today is that when I go to these schools and meet students, I'm meeting the future leaders of the church, my future colleagues, the people I will run into at conferences and collaborate with and pray for as we continue to learn and teach and lead. What a great privilege, even so early in the process.
Austin is basically equal to Richmond in the level of fun and the way I feel when there. Since Richmond has more logistical elements going for it, it's still ahead. I'm not turning in the papers for a few days because it took a while for things to sink in and clarify after the last trip, but I feel pretty confident about the decision.
This whole journey of exploring seminaries has been amazing for many, many reasons. One that just hit me today is that when I go to these schools and meet students, I'm meeting the future leaders of the church, my future colleagues, the people I will run into at conferences and collaborate with and pray for as we continue to learn and teach and lead. What a great privilege, even so early in the process.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Little Things
Sometimes, I really don't like my job. You may have picked up on this from the blog, and you almost certainly have if you spend time with me in person (or on the phone like my patient and understanding mother). For instance, today, I left home at 7:45 a.m. to make it to a primary school music program at 9. This was not something I was asked directly to do by my supervisor, but the news is so slow that I need to do such things in order to have items in the paper each week (I accidentally typed, "I need to do suck things...." Like many typos, pretty apt). I realize it could be monumentally worse. I have a job, it pays a living wage, and it's not physical labor, to start with. Also, it is in the field I'm trained for. There are many advantages. Trying to make a news story out of five songs sung by first-graders is not one of them. So I get pretty crabby about it on occasion. But then something like this happens. I get to look at the old papers every few weeks to write the "This Week in History" column, which is one of the perks. Not so much writing it as spending time with bound copies of papers from 1981, 1991, and 2001, seeing pictures of the police chiefs and mayors when they were younger, studying the ads. Last time I did this, I got an extra special treat. Here it is. 
Now doesn't everything feel just a little bit better? It's amazing what a tiny thing can do for one's mood. Lent mode engage! Think of how you can be that tiny thing for someone. A smile, a compliment, picking up a dropped item, can work wonders, especially from a stranger. What a beautiful opportunity. Or you could cut your hair like this guy and seriously be a public servant.
I'm headed to Austin in a few hours until Saturday. After that, I will probably be able to make a quick decision about where I'm going. Hint: probably Union in Richmond, unless something unexpected happens in Austin. I've realized that as independent and world-traveling as I am and want to be, I don't want to have to take a plane or drive for days to see my family or many of my friends. Or eat at Flaming Amy's. Many other factors are also making Richmond edge ahead. Anyway, expect some sort of official announcement soonish. I may even break out the big fonts if I can figure out how.
Now doesn't everything feel just a little bit better? It's amazing what a tiny thing can do for one's mood. Lent mode engage! Think of how you can be that tiny thing for someone. A smile, a compliment, picking up a dropped item, can work wonders, especially from a stranger. What a beautiful opportunity. Or you could cut your hair like this guy and seriously be a public servant.I'm headed to Austin in a few hours until Saturday. After that, I will probably be able to make a quick decision about where I'm going. Hint: probably Union in Richmond, unless something unexpected happens in Austin. I've realized that as independent and world-traveling as I am and want to be, I don't want to have to take a plane or drive for days to see my family or many of my friends. Or eat at Flaming Amy's. Many other factors are also making Richmond edge ahead. Anyway, expect some sort of official announcement soonish. I may even break out the big fonts if I can figure out how.
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