Regular readers will note that I've blogged here off and on about joy, the latest post on the topic being about the difference between joy and happiness.
After a chat with my pastor, my (soon to be ex-) therapist, and some friends, I'm as confused about it as ever. Some agree with my thesis, some don't, and those that don't are not always sure why - they are more like "joy agnostics", I guess. :)
But one perspective I hadn't yet considered challenges my definition of joy as an emotional state, and considers it more of a character quality (or at minimum a personality trait.)
I have to admit this fits better with the rest of the list of fruits of the Spirit in Gal 5:22-23. Most of the others (patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) are pretty clearly character qualities. If you think of the other two (love and peace) as *being* loving or *being* peaceful, you could view them as character qualities, too, instead of emotions you feel.
So, maybe joy is less an emotional state than it is... the character quality of being joyful?
The other fruits in the list can certainly be viewed as outward-focused, other-centered, relating to people, *including* those of love and peace (as in lover, peacemaker.) So.. couldn't joy fit there, too?
You might feel emotionally dry and down, but if something about your personality or character exudes joy to others... is that the idea here? Does it really mean: to be a joyful person, a joy-giver?
In Proverbs 17:22, it says "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones."
I can imagine that the "good medicine" part could be for the benefit of others, not just for yourself.
So maybe I should not be looking to have joy in my life, but.. to bring it to those around me.
Hm.
Can I do that?
Monday, June 30, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Vows
It was lovely. :)
Everyone there (all 6 of us...) had a part in it, and everyone was moved. Some (guess who?) were moved to tears. ;)
One of the coolest parts was a little ceremony with colored sand and a clear vase. D had tan, Pastor DM had dark red, I chose bright green. ;) We poured them into a common vase, which the sole "groomsman", MM, turned as we poured.
The colors swirled together into a pattern, with a meaning of course..
Two people are poured together into a relationship, made more rich by the presence of God (the third color), and those colors, now swirled together, can't be separated again.
Nice imagery. :) Plus, our ambience director, B, found sand colors to go with the colors of our living and dining room. Aww.. pretty.
As was the bouquet I had the florist make (to sort of look like the original one..) and the gift of sculpture from M&J, our "attendants".
And it was such a beautiful morning. The rain blew through early, and left us with nothing but sunshine and 74 degrees. The chapel was so picturesque. It was perfect. :)
Wish you could have been there. But.. you sort of were. :)
Everyone there (all 6 of us...) had a part in it, and everyone was moved. Some (guess who?) were moved to tears. ;)
One of the coolest parts was a little ceremony with colored sand and a clear vase. D had tan, Pastor DM had dark red, I chose bright green. ;) We poured them into a common vase, which the sole "groomsman", MM, turned as we poured.
The colors swirled together into a pattern, with a meaning of course..
Two people are poured together into a relationship, made more rich by the presence of God (the third color), and those colors, now swirled together, can't be separated again.
Nice imagery. :) Plus, our ambience director, B, found sand colors to go with the colors of our living and dining room. Aww.. pretty.
As was the bouquet I had the florist make (to sort of look like the original one..) and the gift of sculpture from M&J, our "attendants".
And it was such a beautiful morning. The rain blew through early, and left us with nothing but sunshine and 74 degrees. The chapel was so picturesque. It was perfect. :)
Wish you could have been there. But.. you sort of were. :)
Drawing a line
Anyone who has bowled regularly, especially in a league, knows that if you are struggling, there comes a point at which you take your pencil and draw a bold line at the right edge of your most recent frame to signify a fresh start. It means it's time to pick up your game, get back to what you know you're capable of, for yourself.. and to help the team.
Now in this day of digital scorekeeping, the simple pleasure of doodling with a pencil on your scoresheet is gone. But metaphorically speaking, today I (we) draw a line, make a bold mark on the scoresheet, start fresh.
This morning, just like 33 years ago today (and during a week nearly as hot as this one has been!), D & I will face each other again, and pledge. And we will mean it, just as we did back then.
Back in the day we had all the zeal of youth to promise with, but we were also blissfully ignorant. We did *not* have the knowledge of all that would come our way to challenge those promises, the cares of life that would try to push that zeal to dissipate.
Many, many things (and people) have crossed our path and brought us around to this day. Some have been heartbreaking, and some absolutely wonderful. There was so much of life that, as teenagers, neither of us could anticipate. We just... didn't know.
But now when we pledge - this morning, today - we *do* know this. We know all about the challenges life sends you - first hand. And even with that knowledge, in spite of it, right in the very face of it...
We vow.
We pledge.
We draw a line.
We pick up our game.
We help the team.
We promise.
We love.
And to you who have known the circumstances we have faced, and have helped one or both of us - rejoice with us! This, in some way, is your day too. :)
Now in this day of digital scorekeeping, the simple pleasure of doodling with a pencil on your scoresheet is gone. But metaphorically speaking, today I (we) draw a line, make a bold mark on the scoresheet, start fresh.
This morning, just like 33 years ago today (and during a week nearly as hot as this one has been!), D & I will face each other again, and pledge. And we will mean it, just as we did back then.
Back in the day we had all the zeal of youth to promise with, but we were also blissfully ignorant. We did *not* have the knowledge of all that would come our way to challenge those promises, the cares of life that would try to push that zeal to dissipate.
Many, many things (and people) have crossed our path and brought us around to this day. Some have been heartbreaking, and some absolutely wonderful. There was so much of life that, as teenagers, neither of us could anticipate. We just... didn't know.
But now when we pledge - this morning, today - we *do* know this. We know all about the challenges life sends you - first hand. And even with that knowledge, in spite of it, right in the very face of it...
We vow.
We pledge.
We draw a line.
We pick up our game.
We help the team.
We promise.
We love.
And to you who have known the circumstances we have faced, and have helped one or both of us - rejoice with us! This, in some way, is your day too. :)
Friday, June 27, 2008
Dinner
It's been 13 months since moving here, and it is still so nice to have people over. :) It doesn't happen enough. And since college let out for the year, we haven't had our usual crowd of students around the table.
So it was especially nice to have people over like S&D - new friends. Good conversation, and cards after dinner was really fun, too. Plus, it was nice to light the candles in the lounge again. It had been awhile.
And of my three experiments for dinner... I think all three were palatable. I'll have more broth in the soup next time.. the wild rice really soaked it up; but the flavor was really good. I actually used my mortar and pestle for the first time to grind the rosemary leaves. Wow, they smell great fresh-ground.
The salmon grilled up nicely in tinfoil, with the improvised marinade not being too strong for it, so that a little extra as sauce at the table was good to have.
And the canteloupe/strawberry sorbet with fruit fresh from the farmer's market Tuesday - ooh! Wow. Plus, fresh mint leaves as garnish - aww. So cute. (Naturally I ate all my leaves.)
And now I just have to walk outside and pick only as many as I need. :) So nice of D to think to bring along that plant when we moved. :)
Mojitos next! (N-A versions, of course. At least when fellow-seminarians are the guests.) ;)
So it was especially nice to have people over like S&D - new friends. Good conversation, and cards after dinner was really fun, too. Plus, it was nice to light the candles in the lounge again. It had been awhile.
And of my three experiments for dinner... I think all three were palatable. I'll have more broth in the soup next time.. the wild rice really soaked it up; but the flavor was really good. I actually used my mortar and pestle for the first time to grind the rosemary leaves. Wow, they smell great fresh-ground.
The salmon grilled up nicely in tinfoil, with the improvised marinade not being too strong for it, so that a little extra as sauce at the table was good to have.
And the canteloupe/strawberry sorbet with fruit fresh from the farmer's market Tuesday - ooh! Wow. Plus, fresh mint leaves as garnish - aww. So cute. (Naturally I ate all my leaves.)
And now I just have to walk outside and pick only as many as I need. :) So nice of D to think to bring along that plant when we moved. :)
Mojitos next! (N-A versions, of course. At least when fellow-seminarians are the guests.) ;)
Thursday, June 26, 2008
silence
.
fearful therapy
can it be God is still heard
when there's no answer
.
Some people claim that they can best hear God in the silence, whether of nature, or of meditation. In certain types of meditation we are encouraged to empty the mind of extraneous thought, focus on one word or phrase, and eventually yield to silence. Do all who practice meditation hear God that way?
My niece, E, is heading to the wilderness of the Sierra Nevadas for several weeks, where I'm sure she'll experience much profound silence. But will she come back having heard God speak in it? Will she have, as I call it, "disrobed her soul" there, and experienced communion with the Almighty in a way made more profound by the rawness of the environment (including the silence)?
Others, like Mother Teresa (in her "Come Be My Light", which I'm now reading), claim that God sometimes closes off communication with us, for reasons we don't understand. And for God to be silent to one like her, who served God wholeheartedly, for so long.. is inexplicable. What kind of God is this?
Is God capricious when it comes to communication? There is a debate in theology over Divine Hiddenness. And I myself have often had a bone to pick with God over giving us these five senses with which we encounter our environment, but not allow us to encounter God with them. What is up with that, anyway?
(As an aside, tonight the author of this last link [a new friend from Seminary] and his wife are coming over for dinner. I get to cook! Salmon on the grill in a marinade of sesame oil dressing and dijon mustard with some dried cranberries sprinkled on top. Mmmm.. then the wild rice & mushroom soup [broth-based], and homemade cantaloupe/strawberry sorbet for dessert.) Oooh. :)
Back to the point. :) At times, I just throw my hands in the air and say "God will be what God will be. Who am I to say what that should be?" That hearkens back to Exodus 3:14, where God essentially refuses to be defined, and to Exodus 33, where God refuses to be seen, except in passing, even by Moses.
Sometimes, though, when I'm not particularly looking for it... God shows up, unbidden, and hauls off and says something unsettling or profound. God speaks! Well.. I do use the terms "shows up" and "speaks" loosely. :) Let's just say I get the message, anyway.
So.. should I really care if God speaks or is silent? Since what I mostly mean by "speaks" is "speaks on MY timetable", anyway?
The answer is... no? God will speak when God will speak. There's, um.. no need for God to consult me on when (or if) that happens. ;)
And yet...
I do crave hearing the voice of God. Even if it's unsettling.
fearful therapy
can it be God is still heard
when there's no answer
.
Some people claim that they can best hear God in the silence, whether of nature, or of meditation. In certain types of meditation we are encouraged to empty the mind of extraneous thought, focus on one word or phrase, and eventually yield to silence. Do all who practice meditation hear God that way?
My niece, E, is heading to the wilderness of the Sierra Nevadas for several weeks, where I'm sure she'll experience much profound silence. But will she come back having heard God speak in it? Will she have, as I call it, "disrobed her soul" there, and experienced communion with the Almighty in a way made more profound by the rawness of the environment (including the silence)?
Others, like Mother Teresa (in her "Come Be My Light", which I'm now reading), claim that God sometimes closes off communication with us, for reasons we don't understand. And for God to be silent to one like her, who served God wholeheartedly, for so long.. is inexplicable. What kind of God is this?
Is God capricious when it comes to communication? There is a debate in theology over Divine Hiddenness. And I myself have often had a bone to pick with God over giving us these five senses with which we encounter our environment, but not allow us to encounter God with them. What is up with that, anyway?
(As an aside, tonight the author of this last link [a new friend from Seminary] and his wife are coming over for dinner. I get to cook! Salmon on the grill in a marinade of sesame oil dressing and dijon mustard with some dried cranberries sprinkled on top. Mmmm.. then the wild rice & mushroom soup [broth-based], and homemade cantaloupe/strawberry sorbet for dessert.) Oooh. :)
Back to the point. :) At times, I just throw my hands in the air and say "God will be what God will be. Who am I to say what that should be?" That hearkens back to Exodus 3:14, where God essentially refuses to be defined, and to Exodus 33, where God refuses to be seen, except in passing, even by Moses.
Sometimes, though, when I'm not particularly looking for it... God shows up, unbidden, and hauls off and says something unsettling or profound. God speaks! Well.. I do use the terms "shows up" and "speaks" loosely. :) Let's just say I get the message, anyway.
So.. should I really care if God speaks or is silent? Since what I mostly mean by "speaks" is "speaks on MY timetable", anyway?
The answer is... no? God will speak when God will speak. There's, um.. no need for God to consult me on when (or if) that happens. ;)
And yet...
I do crave hearing the voice of God. Even if it's unsettling.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Music Reviews: Bebel Gilberto, Iron & Wine, Calexico, The Shins
Bebel Gilberto - "Momento", "Tanto Tempo", "Bebel Gilberto": Heard her on a Latin Jazz iTunes radio station and had to hear more. :) She swings to an easy bossa rhythm like her father and mother did (Joao and Astrud), but with a modern flair. The Portuguese language still sounds wonderfully smooth and dreamy, and the jazz matches well. Great, great background music.
Favorites from Momento (the best of the three CDs, although all are good): the title track, Tranquilo, Cadê Você?, Azul, Um Segundo. From Tanto Tempo, also the title track, plus Summer Samba (So Nice), Sem Contenção, Alguem, Close Your Eyes. From her eponymous debut, Aganjú, All Around, River Song, Winter. Lovely. :)
Iron & Wine - "The Sea & The Rhythm", "In The Reins" (with Calexico): both of these are EPs, and both are great! I really enjoyed Calexico's "The Black Light" CD, but never thought of them as collaborating with Iron & Wine. They bring in horns on several tracks, which gives the EP a different feel, but still really good. And Sam & Sarah's vocals sound great against a pedal steel. :) I especially like The Sea and the Rhythm & The Night Descending from the first one and Red Dust and History of Lovers from the other. Every track on both of these CDs is great, though. Well worth the money. :)
At the concert, they did several songs from "The Shepherd's Dog" CD, which I'd never listened to. There are a couple of songs on it where they keep their classic folk style ("Resurrection Fern", "Flightless Bird, American Mouth"), but the rest were of the Caribbean percussion-heavy style that I heard at their concert and didn't like as much. If you enjoy their original acoustic-folk two-part close-harmony styling, I'd download the two tracks above and skip the rest of "Shepherd's Dog."
The Shins - "Wincing The Night Away": A $3.99 special from Amazon. I've always wanted some of The Shins' music, ever since I heard their version of "We Will Become Silhouettes" on a McSweeney's Sampler CD, so I thought it was worth taking a flyer on this. "Wincing" was produced right after their success on the soundtrack to "Garden State", which has boosted more than one band's career, including Iron & Wine's and (posthumously) Nick Drake's.
Although it's a little experimental (& inconsistent stylistically), vacillating between summer-y pop and moody electronic noodling, I still liked "Wincing". It kinds of grows on you. Based on what I heard on "Wincing", I decided to pick up the four most popular tracks on iTunes from their other two CDs, Oh Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow. I can see why they're popular tracks.
My Shins favorites, then, (from all sources): We Will Become Silhouettes, Australia, Phantom Limb, Sea Legs, Red Rabbits, Black Wave, A Comet Appears, New Slang (esp. the live version with Iron & Wine, which sounds just like Simon & Garfunkel), Saint Simon (which sorta does, too - maybe that's why I like them!), Pink Bullets (ditto), The Past and Pending, Know Your Onion!
Favorites from Momento (the best of the three CDs, although all are good): the title track, Tranquilo, Cadê Você?, Azul, Um Segundo. From Tanto Tempo, also the title track, plus Summer Samba (So Nice), Sem Contenção, Alguem, Close Your Eyes. From her eponymous debut, Aganjú, All Around, River Song, Winter. Lovely. :)
Iron & Wine - "The Sea & The Rhythm", "In The Reins" (with Calexico): both of these are EPs, and both are great! I really enjoyed Calexico's "The Black Light" CD, but never thought of them as collaborating with Iron & Wine. They bring in horns on several tracks, which gives the EP a different feel, but still really good. And Sam & Sarah's vocals sound great against a pedal steel. :) I especially like The Sea and the Rhythm & The Night Descending from the first one and Red Dust and History of Lovers from the other. Every track on both of these CDs is great, though. Well worth the money. :)
At the concert, they did several songs from "The Shepherd's Dog" CD, which I'd never listened to. There are a couple of songs on it where they keep their classic folk style ("Resurrection Fern", "Flightless Bird, American Mouth"), but the rest were of the Caribbean percussion-heavy style that I heard at their concert and didn't like as much. If you enjoy their original acoustic-folk two-part close-harmony styling, I'd download the two tracks above and skip the rest of "Shepherd's Dog."
The Shins - "Wincing The Night Away": A $3.99 special from Amazon. I've always wanted some of The Shins' music, ever since I heard their version of "We Will Become Silhouettes" on a McSweeney's Sampler CD, so I thought it was worth taking a flyer on this. "Wincing" was produced right after their success on the soundtrack to "Garden State", which has boosted more than one band's career, including Iron & Wine's and (posthumously) Nick Drake's.
Although it's a little experimental (& inconsistent stylistically), vacillating between summer-y pop and moody electronic noodling, I still liked "Wincing". It kinds of grows on you. Based on what I heard on "Wincing", I decided to pick up the four most popular tracks on iTunes from their other two CDs, Oh Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow. I can see why they're popular tracks.
My Shins favorites, then, (from all sources): We Will Become Silhouettes, Australia, Phantom Limb, Sea Legs, Red Rabbits, Black Wave, A Comet Appears, New Slang (esp. the live version with Iron & Wine, which sounds just like Simon & Garfunkel), Saint Simon (which sorta does, too - maybe that's why I like them!), Pink Bullets (ditto), The Past and Pending, Know Your Onion!
Summer Samba (so nice)
Someone to hold me tight
That would be very nice
Someone to love me right
That would be very nice
Someone to understand
Each little dream in me
Someone to take my hand
And be a team with me
So nice, life would be so nice
If one day I'd find
Someone who would take my hand
And samba through life with me
Someone to cling to me
Stay with me right or wrong
Someone to sing to me
Some little samba song
Someone to take my heart
And give her heart to me
Someone who's ready to
Give love a start with me
Oh yeah, that would be so nice
I could see you and me, that would be nice
----- Astrud (& Bebel) Gilberto
That would be very nice
Someone to love me right
That would be very nice
Someone to understand
Each little dream in me
Someone to take my hand
And be a team with me
So nice, life would be so nice
If one day I'd find
Someone who would take my hand
And samba through life with me
Someone to cling to me
Stay with me right or wrong
Someone to sing to me
Some little samba song
Someone to take my heart
And give her heart to me
Someone who's ready to
Give love a start with me
Oh yeah, that would be so nice
I could see you and me, that would be nice
----- Astrud (& Bebel) Gilberto
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
renewal
.
once upon a time
we promised to each other -
vow with me again?
.
With this haiku, I asked... and... she said yes!
We're on for Saturday morning at 10. :)
Now let's see.. new black pants, black & grey striped shirt.. what tie? Hmm..
once upon a time
we promised to each other -
vow with me again?
.
With this haiku, I asked... and... she said yes!
We're on for Saturday morning at 10. :)
Now let's see.. new black pants, black & grey striped shirt.. what tie? Hmm..
Monday, June 23, 2008
Pretty Voice
A scene begins
With our next melody
Sung by a bashful bird
Humming a violet sky
There are no words
But there is understanding
It's been so long
Since I've heard that pretty voice
Raise up our lights
And enter hero girl
She makes me calm
Yeah she makes me calm
When she hears a song
And she starts singing
It's been so long
Since I've heard that pretty voice
Strike up the band
Here comes the storyline
Of the usual struggle
Between fear and love
This is the lifelong song
We're all singing
It's been so long
Since I've heard that pretty voice
Now it begins
I miss your hollering
But you're so sure
Such a bashful bird
Here's a song
But no one's singing
It's been so long
Since I've heard your pretty voice
----- Cloud Cult
With our next melody
Sung by a bashful bird
Humming a violet sky
There are no words
But there is understanding
It's been so long
Since I've heard that pretty voice
Raise up our lights
And enter hero girl
She makes me calm
Yeah she makes me calm
When she hears a song
And she starts singing
It's been so long
Since I've heard that pretty voice
Strike up the band
Here comes the storyline
Of the usual struggle
Between fear and love
This is the lifelong song
We're all singing
It's been so long
Since I've heard that pretty voice
Now it begins
I miss your hollering
But you're so sure
Such a bashful bird
Here's a song
But no one's singing
It's been so long
Since I've heard your pretty voice
----- Cloud Cult
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Rock the Garden
What a great day. :) I am going to be so sunburned...
It was about 80 and sunny (which was nice when moving around alternating sun and shade, but not so great at 4PM with the sun beating down hard on a line of people which never seemed to move as we crawwwwwled toward the entrance.)
What a lovely place - a beautiful venue (the sculpture garden at the Walker Art Center). At times it was idyllic.
Like when sitting in the shade on a park bench reading a good book, with good music being played just a little way away.
It was a nice way to celebrate the solstice, too - be out in it, get some on your face, neck, arms, legs. Sandals weather!
I sure got plenty of sun. Thankfully I could retreat to the indoors of the museum for a break from it, or sit on a bench in the shade and eat dinner or sip a cool drink.
Between bands I finished up "Founding Mothers" by Cokie Roberts, and am ready to start a couple of new books now (since I had finished up Silence by Sushaku Endo the week before.) Both these were good. Now I'm on to Come Be My Light by Mother Theresa, and The Road by Cormac McCarthy. They should last me through July. :)
Next year I don't think I'll worry about getting tickets. The sculpture garden was free admission, and there was hardly anyone there. Everybody was in by the bands, but... you didn't need to be.
In there it was shoulder-to-sweaty-shoulder or chest-to-sticky-back, and more than a little ... aromatic. And I don't mean that in a good way, like a pleasant fragance on a shock of long hair, or a charcoal grill cooking nearby. But that's summer at an outdoor concert, right? You take the bad with the good.
Still, you couldn't see much anyway for the crowd (7,500 people was the sellout limit, and they hit it.) Really, the sound was great in the walkway through the garden, and you could bring in whatever you wanted to for eats and drinks, which you couldn't do in the band area.
Essentially, they closed off the street that separates the museum and the Garden, and everyone was packed in there
or on the hillside beside the museum,
next to the goofy mini-golf course the museum has there for the summer. They think of it as outdoor art. Hm. Looks dopey to me. :)
From inside the museum you could see the crowds, but not hear the bands, except on the patios just outside.
They have patios on almost every floor. The upper ones were reserved for VIPs, whoever they were. Nobody I saw looked important. ;) Or, put more positively... everyone did. :)
The museum buildings are interesting, with striking facades and great skyline views.
In addition to the main views, the stairwells have itty-bitty trapezoidal windows (for peeking out at the crowd.)
From the outside they look like little finger holes on the walls.
Inside the lobby area, they were featuring an exhibit by some outfit called "Design for the other 90%" (of the world, that means), who were showing inexpensive things from housing to laptops, internet access packs and solar panel purses. Aww... aren't they cute?
Outside, there were lots of food and beer vendors, plus the usual merchandise table. I picked up a couple of things that were pretty reasonable - event specials.
They were also giving away green pin buttons with iconic images on them of some of the most famous items from the sculpture garden (like the elevated picture frame on three legs.
or the spoon and cherry. An example of such a button can been seen affixed to the shorts of the reader on the bench seen earlier.) ;)
In the gift shop they were a buck a pop, so... they lost some revenue there. But I think they made it up on other sales.
The whole event was a fundraiser for the museum and 89.3 FM, The Current (a local public radio affiliate that plays alternative and eclectic music, sort of like 88.9 FM in Milwaukee.)
The bike racks were packed, as people were encouraged to not drive if they lived within walking or biking distance.
And naturally, there was a section of the grounds devoted to "toilet world", as one guy yelled out when he saw it. :) Some people are easily amused.
So... the bands. Guess I should talk about them. :)
Bon Iver (pronounced bohn eevehr - French for good winter, I think), opened. He had a lot in common with the headliner, Andrew Bird, acoustically. While he didn't loop electronically like Bird loves to do, and was not nearly as layered, he used a wailing falsetto which became as ethereal-sounding as Bird's creepy whistling. Neither one were favorites, but weren't too bad, either. I don't think I'll buy any Bon Iver, but will borrow some from the library eventually. :)
Cloud Cult was a pleasant surprise. They are sooo off-the-dial "green" (not that being envionmentally conscious is off the dial - it's not, but they are a bit over the top in their... vociferocity about it), that I expected their sound to be stylistically unapproachable, too. But not at all! They were great. :) They might actually be nice people, too. ;) I'll have to rethink their advocacy stance...
They hooked me with "Pretty Voice" - what a great song, sung well, with lyrics I like. So I picked up a CD of theirs, and will review it soon. (Hm. It's "made of 100% postconsumer recycled paper, nontoxic soyink, and nontoxic shrinkwrap. Ten trees are planted for every 1,000 albums manufactured. All energy consumed in the process of manufacturing and shipping is compensated for with the purchase of an equivalent amount of wind energy from NativeEnergy.com. All energy consumed by Cloud Cult in the touring process is greened in a similar manner.")
Greened? (sigh) Yet another verb from a noun, and a co-opted noun at that. Breathe, Bob. Think centering thoughts.
Ooops. Centering? Now I'm doing it. :P
The highlight of the night for me was The New Pornographers (seen exiting the stage from the back.)
Even without Neko Case (out with a broken foot), they were still great. Love their harmonies and good song hooks. I've reviewed both their CDs and Andrew Bird's elsewhere in this blog, so I won't talk about songs here. You can search for them if you like. :)
Bird came on at about 8:30. I planned on staying for about 3 songs, since he is so quirky, and I can only take so much of him. As it was I stayed for a good 40 minutes. He behaved himself, and played nice. :) His stage equipment is sure colorful. Big orange and red megaphones!
The smaller two-headed one reminded me of what Dr. Doolittle's pushmi-pullu would have looked like if it were a musical instrument. :P Plus, the thing whirls around and produces a leslie-like effect. It fits with his other oddball sounds. He *would* use something like that.
Another odd thing. All the bands used violins at some point. It seems to be the hot new alt-rock instrument. Especially when you run it through a looping machine or a fuzz box. Sarah Beam did that - ran hers through a distortion box. Really peculiar sounding; gives these bands the ethereal sound they are all looking for. :)
So, as the sun was setting and darkness falling,
so was the rain and lightning. :( I took that as my cue to head home.
Or rather to pick up J2 (who decided not to come) and go to Coldstone Creamery to finish off the night. Orange dreamsicle ice cream blended with lemon sorbet and pineapple chunks. Yeah. :) A good day.
It was about 80 and sunny (which was nice when moving around alternating sun and shade, but not so great at 4PM with the sun beating down hard on a line of people which never seemed to move as we crawwwwwled toward the entrance.)
What a lovely place - a beautiful venue (the sculpture garden at the Walker Art Center). At times it was idyllic.
Like when sitting in the shade on a park bench reading a good book, with good music being played just a little way away.
It was a nice way to celebrate the solstice, too - be out in it, get some on your face, neck, arms, legs. Sandals weather!
I sure got plenty of sun. Thankfully I could retreat to the indoors of the museum for a break from it, or sit on a bench in the shade and eat dinner or sip a cool drink.
Between bands I finished up "Founding Mothers" by Cokie Roberts, and am ready to start a couple of new books now (since I had finished up Silence by Sushaku Endo the week before.) Both these were good. Now I'm on to Come Be My Light by Mother Theresa, and The Road by Cormac McCarthy. They should last me through July. :)
Next year I don't think I'll worry about getting tickets. The sculpture garden was free admission, and there was hardly anyone there. Everybody was in by the bands, but... you didn't need to be.
In there it was shoulder-to-sweaty-shoulder or chest-to-sticky-back, and more than a little ... aromatic. And I don't mean that in a good way, like a pleasant fragance on a shock of long hair, or a charcoal grill cooking nearby. But that's summer at an outdoor concert, right? You take the bad with the good.
Still, you couldn't see much anyway for the crowd (7,500 people was the sellout limit, and they hit it.) Really, the sound was great in the walkway through the garden, and you could bring in whatever you wanted to for eats and drinks, which you couldn't do in the band area.
Essentially, they closed off the street that separates the museum and the Garden, and everyone was packed in there
or on the hillside beside the museum,
next to the goofy mini-golf course the museum has there for the summer. They think of it as outdoor art. Hm. Looks dopey to me. :)
From inside the museum you could see the crowds, but not hear the bands, except on the patios just outside.
They have patios on almost every floor. The upper ones were reserved for VIPs, whoever they were. Nobody I saw looked important. ;) Or, put more positively... everyone did. :)
The museum buildings are interesting, with striking facades and great skyline views.
In addition to the main views, the stairwells have itty-bitty trapezoidal windows (for peeking out at the crowd.)
From the outside they look like little finger holes on the walls.
Inside the lobby area, they were featuring an exhibit by some outfit called "Design for the other 90%" (of the world, that means), who were showing inexpensive things from housing to laptops, internet access packs and solar panel purses. Aww... aren't they cute?
Outside, there were lots of food and beer vendors, plus the usual merchandise table. I picked up a couple of things that were pretty reasonable - event specials.
They were also giving away green pin buttons with iconic images on them of some of the most famous items from the sculpture garden (like the elevated picture frame on three legs.
or the spoon and cherry. An example of such a button can been seen affixed to the shorts of the reader on the bench seen earlier.) ;)
In the gift shop they were a buck a pop, so... they lost some revenue there. But I think they made it up on other sales.
The whole event was a fundraiser for the museum and 89.3 FM, The Current (a local public radio affiliate that plays alternative and eclectic music, sort of like 88.9 FM in Milwaukee.)
The bike racks were packed, as people were encouraged to not drive if they lived within walking or biking distance.
And naturally, there was a section of the grounds devoted to "toilet world", as one guy yelled out when he saw it. :) Some people are easily amused.
So... the bands. Guess I should talk about them. :)
Bon Iver (pronounced bohn eevehr - French for good winter, I think), opened. He had a lot in common with the headliner, Andrew Bird, acoustically. While he didn't loop electronically like Bird loves to do, and was not nearly as layered, he used a wailing falsetto which became as ethereal-sounding as Bird's creepy whistling. Neither one were favorites, but weren't too bad, either. I don't think I'll buy any Bon Iver, but will borrow some from the library eventually. :)
Cloud Cult was a pleasant surprise. They are sooo off-the-dial "green" (not that being envionmentally conscious is off the dial - it's not, but they are a bit over the top in their... vociferocity about it), that I expected their sound to be stylistically unapproachable, too. But not at all! They were great. :) They might actually be nice people, too. ;) I'll have to rethink their advocacy stance...
They hooked me with "Pretty Voice" - what a great song, sung well, with lyrics I like. So I picked up a CD of theirs, and will review it soon. (Hm. It's "made of 100% postconsumer recycled paper, nontoxic soyink, and nontoxic shrinkwrap. Ten trees are planted for every 1,000 albums manufactured. All energy consumed in the process of manufacturing and shipping is compensated for with the purchase of an equivalent amount of wind energy from NativeEnergy.com. All energy consumed by Cloud Cult in the touring process is greened in a similar manner.")
Greened? (sigh) Yet another verb from a noun, and a co-opted noun at that. Breathe, Bob. Think centering thoughts.
Ooops. Centering? Now I'm doing it. :P
The highlight of the night for me was The New Pornographers (seen exiting the stage from the back.)
Even without Neko Case (out with a broken foot), they were still great. Love their harmonies and good song hooks. I've reviewed both their CDs and Andrew Bird's elsewhere in this blog, so I won't talk about songs here. You can search for them if you like. :)
Bird came on at about 8:30. I planned on staying for about 3 songs, since he is so quirky, and I can only take so much of him. As it was I stayed for a good 40 minutes. He behaved himself, and played nice. :) His stage equipment is sure colorful. Big orange and red megaphones!
The smaller two-headed one reminded me of what Dr. Doolittle's pushmi-pullu would have looked like if it were a musical instrument. :P Plus, the thing whirls around and produces a leslie-like effect. It fits with his other oddball sounds. He *would* use something like that.
Another odd thing. All the bands used violins at some point. It seems to be the hot new alt-rock instrument. Especially when you run it through a looping machine or a fuzz box. Sarah Beam did that - ran hers through a distortion box. Really peculiar sounding; gives these bands the ethereal sound they are all looking for. :)
So, as the sun was setting and darkness falling,
so was the rain and lightning. :( I took that as my cue to head home.
Or rather to pick up J2 (who decided not to come) and go to Coldstone Creamery to finish off the night. Orange dreamsicle ice cream blended with lemon sorbet and pineapple chunks. Yeah. :) A good day.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Poetry Swap
My friend SQ and I had coffee yesterday and, since we both toy with words, he brought along for me to read a few old poems he'd written.
Here's a snippet from one:
Will you be my mind's reflection
My soul's biography?
Will you be my heart's protection,
Love's physicality?
Nice.
So, I guess that makes it my turn. What to share?
Maybe I'll start with my takeoff on Dr. Suess...
Here's a snippet from one:
Will you be my mind's reflection
My soul's biography?
Will you be my heart's protection,
Love's physicality?
Nice.
So, I guess that makes it my turn. What to share?
Maybe I'll start with my takeoff on Dr. Suess...
(Time of Your Life)
Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth it was worth all the while
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
----- Green Day
(I like this alternate title to the song much better than the other one.) :)
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth it was worth all the while
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
----- Green Day
(I like this alternate title to the song much better than the other one.) :)
Friday, June 20, 2008
It's hot
outside. (finally! some of you are saying...)
I'm so glad that this town has a workout facility with an indoor track that's air conditioned. :)
Another personal best yesterday, this time at the 2.5 mile distance. Of course, that's not so remarkable since I've only run that distance 3 times in my entire life. ;)
But, the per mile pace was muuuuch more like my pace at 2 and 1.5, so - it's a nice improvement.
And, I found that running to "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" by the Propellerheads was really helpful. It's over 9 minutes long and uptempo, so it really pushed me along. Two plays of that, plus one of CCR's "Travelin' Band", and ... done.
I'm thinking I'm almost ready to try a 5K run, in public even. Hm. Wonder if there's one where they air condition the entire outdoor route? :P
I'm so glad that this town has a workout facility with an indoor track that's air conditioned. :)
Another personal best yesterday, this time at the 2.5 mile distance. Of course, that's not so remarkable since I've only run that distance 3 times in my entire life. ;)
But, the per mile pace was muuuuch more like my pace at 2 and 1.5, so - it's a nice improvement.
And, I found that running to "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" by the Propellerheads was really helpful. It's over 9 minutes long and uptempo, so it really pushed me along. Two plays of that, plus one of CCR's "Travelin' Band", and ... done.
I'm thinking I'm almost ready to try a 5K run, in public even. Hm. Wonder if there's one where they air condition the entire outdoor route? :P
Thursday, June 19, 2008
A Fool and His Money
... are quickly parted. We all know this.
But what about a fool and his... therapist?
Are they.. *not* quickly parted? Hm.
The Scripture tells us that a wise man seeks counsel. Okay, but for how long? ;)
Maybe the wise man seeks counsel and then knows when he's reached the point of having gotten enough, and just needs to get on with what he's learned.
As of today, I have one more session left, in early July, after the first of the month has come... and gone.
I think.. I'll be ready after that to get on with what I've learned.
Hope so. :)
But what about a fool and his... therapist?
Are they.. *not* quickly parted? Hm.
The Scripture tells us that a wise man seeks counsel. Okay, but for how long? ;)
Maybe the wise man seeks counsel and then knows when he's reached the point of having gotten enough, and just needs to get on with what he's learned.
As of today, I have one more session left, in early July, after the first of the month has come... and gone.
I think.. I'll be ready after that to get on with what I've learned.
Hope so. :)
Seize life!
Seize life! Eat bread with gusto,
Drink wine with a robust heart.
Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure!
Dress festively every morning.
Don't skimp on colors and fragrance.
Relish life with the one you love
Each and every day of your precarious life.
Each day is God's gift. It's all you get in exchange
For the hard work of staying alive.
Make the most of each one!
Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!
This is your last and only chance at it,
For there's neither work to do nor thoughts to think
In the company of the dead, where you're most certainly headed.
----- Eccl. 9:7-10
Drink wine with a robust heart.
Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure!
Dress festively every morning.
Don't skimp on colors and fragrance.
Relish life with the one you love
Each and every day of your precarious life.
Each day is God's gift. It's all you get in exchange
For the hard work of staying alive.
Make the most of each one!
Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!
This is your last and only chance at it,
For there's neither work to do nor thoughts to think
In the company of the dead, where you're most certainly headed.
----- Eccl. 9:7-10
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Music Reviews: Coldplay, The Ugly Suit, Flight of the Conchords, Prince
Coldplay - "Viva La Vida": Finally! A long time coming on this one. I liked X&Y so well, I hoped this new one would live up to that standard. It's... um, different. I'd have to agree with the reviewer, except that I happen to like it when Chris Martin does the dreamy romantic stuff. :) So sue me.
It's much more of an experimental album, and musically sort of themeless. They are all over the map with style and influence. But it's worth a buy. I think it may grow on me with each listening, like Radiohead's "In Rainbows" did.
Favorites so far: Life In Technicolor, Cemeteries of London (6/8 time. Yeah.), Lost!, Yes, Strawberry Swing, Lovers in Japan, Death And All His Friends (the last two being two-part songs, with a slight break between "movements". The last part of "DAAHF" is a reprise of the opening instrumental track, Life In Technicolor - if you put it on continuous play, it'll just roll right around to the start again. Nice.)
The Ugly Suit (self titled CD): This was the opening act for Iron & Wine. They had the most peculiar mannerisms. One of the guys had hair about 3 feet long, and he snapped his body back and forth to the beat, so that his hair almost looked like a metronome. :)
Plus, no one faced the audience unless they had to sing. If there were no mic stands and they were using headset mics... I'm sure we would have never seen their faces. Weird. They must play this way in someone's basement or garage and haven't adjusted their act yet.
But the music is good. :) It's another one of these bands where the vocals are really unimportant as a focus; they become another one of the instruments making up a constantly moving wall of sound. Also, unlike the classic rock I grew up with, not only are there no discernible vocals, there is no lead guitar riff per se, and no noticeable bass line, either.
Each guitar blends with the others into a pulsating strum pattern that almost takes on the feel of a heartbeat. The song sounds... organic, alive. Like a ruffed grouse that thrums its wings, but has no distinctive "call." This is one modern style of music that is truly new, I think. I like it. :) Sort of.
Okay, so .. their new CD is not yet out, although the merch table at the concert was selling them. I think they said it would be like August or something for general sales. But when it comes out, and gets up on iTunes, I'd recommend downloading: Chicago, Brad's House, And We Became Sunshine, Anthem of the Arctic Birds, Let It Be Known.
Flight of the Conchords Soundtrack Album: I guess you would have had to see it to understand. :) (I haven't; no HBO.) The songs are pretty funny just as they are, but to have seen them in context would make them a whole lot better, I don't doubt.
Ladies of the World is pretty hilarious just as it is; so is Foux de Fafa. And "It's Business Time" is soooo Barry White. Ohhh, baby. You gotta let me tell you just how Barry White is it, baby, yeahhh:
You see tonight's the night we make looove, because... it's Wednesday night, yeahhh. And you know we always make looove on Wednesday night, 'cause it's.. *our* night. So you see it doesn't matter if we're doing laundry together.. or just brushing our teeth together, baby, 'cause it's all.. foreplay.. and it's all.. beautifulllll. mmmmmm.
(but only if you brush in circles...) ;)
Well, I definitely want to see it now! Maybe I'll rent the first season this weekend. :) Either that or... Arrested Development. So many cultural phenomenae to catch up on...
Oh, and... ha. Speaking of cultural phenomena, I finally broke down and bought some Prince. :)
Amazon had a "best of" CD for $4.99, so I thought.. how can I resist? I really knew nothing about his music except his appearance on stage. When asked, I could not recall the tune to one single song of his! So, as I listened to the CD, I expected it all to be unfamiliar. It wasn't!
And sure, now that I hear some.. of course I've heard this before! I just never associated it with Prince. Not sure why, just never did. Maybe it's because his voice is so unremarkable. He sounds pretty generic sometimes. I think I prefer someone who can get funky like he does, but with a more distinctive voice, like Stevie or Gnarls.
So, Prince favorites: 7, I Wanna To Be Your Lover (the long version), 1999, I Would Die 4 U, Kiss, Sign O' The Times, Thieves in the Temple.
And no more pounding! Yay! The roof is done. I can hear myself think. :D
It's much more of an experimental album, and musically sort of themeless. They are all over the map with style and influence. But it's worth a buy. I think it may grow on me with each listening, like Radiohead's "In Rainbows" did.
Favorites so far: Life In Technicolor, Cemeteries of London (6/8 time. Yeah.), Lost!, Yes, Strawberry Swing, Lovers in Japan, Death And All His Friends (the last two being two-part songs, with a slight break between "movements". The last part of "DAAHF" is a reprise of the opening instrumental track, Life In Technicolor - if you put it on continuous play, it'll just roll right around to the start again. Nice.)
The Ugly Suit (self titled CD): This was the opening act for Iron & Wine. They had the most peculiar mannerisms. One of the guys had hair about 3 feet long, and he snapped his body back and forth to the beat, so that his hair almost looked like a metronome. :)
Plus, no one faced the audience unless they had to sing. If there were no mic stands and they were using headset mics... I'm sure we would have never seen their faces. Weird. They must play this way in someone's basement or garage and haven't adjusted their act yet.
But the music is good. :) It's another one of these bands where the vocals are really unimportant as a focus; they become another one of the instruments making up a constantly moving wall of sound. Also, unlike the classic rock I grew up with, not only are there no discernible vocals, there is no lead guitar riff per se, and no noticeable bass line, either.
Each guitar blends with the others into a pulsating strum pattern that almost takes on the feel of a heartbeat. The song sounds... organic, alive. Like a ruffed grouse that thrums its wings, but has no distinctive "call." This is one modern style of music that is truly new, I think. I like it. :) Sort of.
Okay, so .. their new CD is not yet out, although the merch table at the concert was selling them. I think they said it would be like August or something for general sales. But when it comes out, and gets up on iTunes, I'd recommend downloading: Chicago, Brad's House, And We Became Sunshine, Anthem of the Arctic Birds, Let It Be Known.
Flight of the Conchords Soundtrack Album: I guess you would have had to see it to understand. :) (I haven't; no HBO.) The songs are pretty funny just as they are, but to have seen them in context would make them a whole lot better, I don't doubt.
Ladies of the World is pretty hilarious just as it is; so is Foux de Fafa. And "It's Business Time" is soooo Barry White. Ohhh, baby. You gotta let me tell you just how Barry White is it, baby, yeahhh:
You see tonight's the night we make looove, because... it's Wednesday night, yeahhh. And you know we always make looove on Wednesday night, 'cause it's.. *our* night. So you see it doesn't matter if we're doing laundry together.. or just brushing our teeth together, baby, 'cause it's all.. foreplay.. and it's all.. beautifulllll. mmmmmm.
(but only if you brush in circles...) ;)
Well, I definitely want to see it now! Maybe I'll rent the first season this weekend. :) Either that or... Arrested Development. So many cultural phenomenae to catch up on...
Oh, and... ha. Speaking of cultural phenomena, I finally broke down and bought some Prince. :)
Amazon had a "best of" CD for $4.99, so I thought.. how can I resist? I really knew nothing about his music except his appearance on stage. When asked, I could not recall the tune to one single song of his! So, as I listened to the CD, I expected it all to be unfamiliar. It wasn't!
And sure, now that I hear some.. of course I've heard this before! I just never associated it with Prince. Not sure why, just never did. Maybe it's because his voice is so unremarkable. He sounds pretty generic sometimes. I think I prefer someone who can get funky like he does, but with a more distinctive voice, like Stevie or Gnarls.
So, Prince favorites: 7, I Wanna To Be Your Lover (the long version), 1999, I Would Die 4 U, Kiss, Sign O' The Times, Thieves in the Temple.
And no more pounding! Yay! The roof is done. I can hear myself think. :D
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Shingles are flying!
For a while there, I was almost afraid to set foot outside for fear I'd get knocked on the head by a chunk of asphalt frisbee sailing across the yard.
Finally a stretch of nice days where the roofers can do their thing. :) But what a mess. And the pounding! This is one time where being a telecommuter is not so great. Bang, bang, bang all day long, and into the evening.
I mean, jeepers! I could hardly hear the television. ;)
Oh, don't worry, I was only watching on my lunch hour, and only then because of the 18-hole playoff in the U.S. Open between Tiger and Rocco. (sounds like a couple of names for mobsters, not golfers...)
So it goes 18 extra holes, and Tiger ties it on the 18th to force sudden death at about 3:00 and.. I have a teleconference! Arghh! Why do they schedule these things during the work day?? (playoffs, I mean, not meetings.)
But thankfully there is streaming video from the USGA, and I could see bits of it on my Mac while discussing the exhibits we were screensharing on my work PC.
Gosh, the things a guy has to do these days to stay wired in...
Finally a stretch of nice days where the roofers can do their thing. :) But what a mess. And the pounding! This is one time where being a telecommuter is not so great. Bang, bang, bang all day long, and into the evening.
I mean, jeepers! I could hardly hear the television. ;)
Oh, don't worry, I was only watching on my lunch hour, and only then because of the 18-hole playoff in the U.S. Open between Tiger and Rocco. (sounds like a couple of names for mobsters, not golfers...)
So it goes 18 extra holes, and Tiger ties it on the 18th to force sudden death at about 3:00 and.. I have a teleconference! Arghh! Why do they schedule these things during the work day?? (playoffs, I mean, not meetings.)
But thankfully there is streaming video from the USGA, and I could see bits of it on my Mac while discussing the exhibits we were screensharing on my work PC.
Gosh, the things a guy has to do these days to stay wired in...
Monday, June 16, 2008
Iron & Wine
I'm late on this, but what a nice Wednesday night out this was. :)
It was also a mixture of the expected and the unexpected.
For instance, I didn't expect to find a parking ramp that did valet parking... for 6 bucks.
I did expect a reasonably priced dinner (given that I checked out the menu on line first) at the Loon Cafe two blocks from the concert venue. But I didn't expect such great food & atmosphere, so cheap.
In an effort to keep the cost in line, I opted for whatever beer was on special. It happened to be Grain Belt Premium, which was new to me - wow. Very smooth and drinkable. I forced myself to stick to one, although it tasted like it should be 3 or 4.
And the ubiquitous Wild Rice Soup that most restaurants have around here was fantastic! I can see why it was featured in Bon Appetit Magazine. Terrific. Of course when I got home I pulled up the recipe. Maybe I'll make that next week! :)
I did expect rain, and we got a little, but carrying the umbrella served as insurance, and we were mostly dry.
I didn't expect that the Sightline Seating (reserved table) would really be worth it. But it was! For D, it made a big difference in her enjoyment level. :) And, of course... in mine, then, too.
I expected to like the opening act better than the headliner, since it's been my pattern. Not this time. :( They were getting their first big break, and it showed. They had a big sound but no stage presence. They pretty much stood in a circle and faced each other, only turning to the audience when one of them had to sing. But they were preselling a CD for cheap, so.. review to follow in a future blog post.
The headliner I expected to just love. And yes, they played familiar songs, but in a very unfamiliar style. They started out as I expected, just Sam and Sarah and Sam's acoustic. Wonderful. :)
But then after the first 5 songs, they brought on 2 percussionists, another guitar and a bass, and a keyboardist. They switched styles completely to something... Caribbean?? So the songs were the same, all right, but - not the same.
But at least on the merchandise table they kept their focus. Hand knit hats and mittens by Sarah Beam. Aww...
The audience liked them well enough to bring them back for an encore. I expected them to play my favorite song (Such Great Heights.) But they didn't. :( Which, in retrospect, was okay, I guess... I didn't really feel like crying.
It was also a mixture of the expected and the unexpected.
For instance, I didn't expect to find a parking ramp that did valet parking... for 6 bucks.
I did expect a reasonably priced dinner (given that I checked out the menu on line first) at the Loon Cafe two blocks from the concert venue. But I didn't expect such great food & atmosphere, so cheap.
In an effort to keep the cost in line, I opted for whatever beer was on special. It happened to be Grain Belt Premium, which was new to me - wow. Very smooth and drinkable. I forced myself to stick to one, although it tasted like it should be 3 or 4.
And the ubiquitous Wild Rice Soup that most restaurants have around here was fantastic! I can see why it was featured in Bon Appetit Magazine. Terrific. Of course when I got home I pulled up the recipe. Maybe I'll make that next week! :)
I did expect rain, and we got a little, but carrying the umbrella served as insurance, and we were mostly dry.
I didn't expect that the Sightline Seating (reserved table) would really be worth it. But it was! For D, it made a big difference in her enjoyment level. :) And, of course... in mine, then, too.
I expected to like the opening act better than the headliner, since it's been my pattern. Not this time. :( They were getting their first big break, and it showed. They had a big sound but no stage presence. They pretty much stood in a circle and faced each other, only turning to the audience when one of them had to sing. But they were preselling a CD for cheap, so.. review to follow in a future blog post.
The headliner I expected to just love. And yes, they played familiar songs, but in a very unfamiliar style. They started out as I expected, just Sam and Sarah and Sam's acoustic. Wonderful. :)
But then after the first 5 songs, they brought on 2 percussionists, another guitar and a bass, and a keyboardist. They switched styles completely to something... Caribbean?? So the songs were the same, all right, but - not the same.
But at least on the merchandise table they kept their focus. Hand knit hats and mittens by Sarah Beam. Aww...
The audience liked them well enough to bring them back for an encore. I expected them to play my favorite song (Such Great Heights.) But they didn't. :( Which, in retrospect, was okay, I guess... I didn't really feel like crying.
one from two
.
mirror images
puzzle pieces from the clay
corresponding shapes
.
(adapted from Such Great Heights)
mirror images
puzzle pieces from the clay
corresponding shapes
.
(adapted from Such Great Heights)
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Find Your Wings
It was only for a moment
You were mine to hold
The plans that heaven has for you
Will all too soon unfold
So many different prayers I'll pray
For all that you might do
But most of all I'll want to know
You're walking in the truth
And If I never told you
I want you to know
As I watch you grow
I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings
May passion be the wind
That leads you through your days
And may conviction keep you strong
Guide you on your way
May there be many moments
That make your life so sweet
Oh, but more than memories
I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings
It's not living if you don't reach for the sky
I'll have tears as you take off
But I'll cheer as you fly
I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings
----- Mark Harris
You were mine to hold
The plans that heaven has for you
Will all too soon unfold
So many different prayers I'll pray
For all that you might do
But most of all I'll want to know
You're walking in the truth
And If I never told you
I want you to know
As I watch you grow
I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings
May passion be the wind
That leads you through your days
And may conviction keep you strong
Guide you on your way
May there be many moments
That make your life so sweet
Oh, but more than memories
I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings
It's not living if you don't reach for the sky
I'll have tears as you take off
But I'll cheer as you fly
I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings
----- Mark Harris
Just say no to drugs
or at least ask your doctor if she'll let you. :)
My blood test numbers looked so good again that I had to ask "doc, can we consider stopping the use of some of these prescriptions?"
So, sure enough, the thought had crossed her mind, too, and - all of a sudden we went from 6 prescriptions to 3. I can completely stop taking the meds for diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Yay!
I'll then only be dealing with the endocrine stuff, and those are life-long anyway.
Of course, we'll look at blood tests again soon (in two months when I'm in Milwaukee again for State Fair), and determine if the levels are all still holding properly. But - wow. That would be great to be essentially cured of those three potential killers, and off those drugs.
So she was pretty happy with how I was doing, including weight/muscle management, and if she's happy... so am I. :)
It was kind of a relief after the unnerving drive through tornados the night before. And it helped me be able to enjoy the afternoon of shopping with D, the dinner out with old friends, and the ballgame at Miller Park later that night.
What a great night for baseball! Balmy, breezy, great seats, good company. (Yeah, lousy game, but - you can't have everything - at least not at the price we were paying.) ;)
As a little added bonus, I wound up being interviewed on Radio Milwaukee (88.9 FM) while driving around in Wauwatosa Friday on my way to the doctor. :) Okay, it was only about 3 minutes worth, but...
Anyway, I had called in about Black Artist Month and wanted to give a shout to the black artist named k-os (reviewed elsewhere on this website.) The DJ seemed intrigued by my take on k-os's music, also by the fact that I was not a local guy but still listened to their station sometimes, when I was in town, or as a streaming station in iTunes.
We had a nice conversation, just jawing about stuff, and.. after I hung up - here was the whole conversation on the air! Gee, I'm glad I was reasonably polite. :)
And on Saturday, what a difference a day made on the ride home! Wow. Much calmer, less nerve-racking, and faster. Even had time to stop at Trader Joe's on the way back to pick up some red pepper & eggplant spread (to mix with cream cheese for dip), some of their frozen "Soycoutash" veggies, a black olive/red pepper/feta cheese frozen pizza, and a bag of those great soy and flaxseed oil tortilla chips. Mmm. Nice.
To top it off, turned on the TV just in time to see Tiger hurt his knee on no. 15 in the U.S. Open, and despite a noticeable wince and limp, go birdie-eagle on the last two holes to grab the lead going into the final round. Great day. :)
My blood test numbers looked so good again that I had to ask "doc, can we consider stopping the use of some of these prescriptions?"
So, sure enough, the thought had crossed her mind, too, and - all of a sudden we went from 6 prescriptions to 3. I can completely stop taking the meds for diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Yay!
I'll then only be dealing with the endocrine stuff, and those are life-long anyway.
Of course, we'll look at blood tests again soon (in two months when I'm in Milwaukee again for State Fair), and determine if the levels are all still holding properly. But - wow. That would be great to be essentially cured of those three potential killers, and off those drugs.
So she was pretty happy with how I was doing, including weight/muscle management, and if she's happy... so am I. :)
It was kind of a relief after the unnerving drive through tornados the night before. And it helped me be able to enjoy the afternoon of shopping with D, the dinner out with old friends, and the ballgame at Miller Park later that night.
What a great night for baseball! Balmy, breezy, great seats, good company. (Yeah, lousy game, but - you can't have everything - at least not at the price we were paying.) ;)
As a little added bonus, I wound up being interviewed on Radio Milwaukee (88.9 FM) while driving around in Wauwatosa Friday on my way to the doctor. :) Okay, it was only about 3 minutes worth, but...
Anyway, I had called in about Black Artist Month and wanted to give a shout to the black artist named k-os (reviewed elsewhere on this website.) The DJ seemed intrigued by my take on k-os's music, also by the fact that I was not a local guy but still listened to their station sometimes, when I was in town, or as a streaming station in iTunes.
We had a nice conversation, just jawing about stuff, and.. after I hung up - here was the whole conversation on the air! Gee, I'm glad I was reasonably polite. :)
And on Saturday, what a difference a day made on the ride home! Wow. Much calmer, less nerve-racking, and faster. Even had time to stop at Trader Joe's on the way back to pick up some red pepper & eggplant spread (to mix with cream cheese for dip), some of their frozen "Soycoutash" veggies, a black olive/red pepper/feta cheese frozen pizza, and a bag of those great soy and flaxseed oil tortilla chips. Mmm. Nice.
To top it off, turned on the TV just in time to see Tiger hurt his knee on no. 15 in the U.S. Open, and despite a noticeable wince and limp, go birdie-eagle on the last two holes to grab the lead going into the final round. Great day. :)
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Music Reviews: R.E.M., Eagles, Marie' Digby, Ingrid Michaelson, Greg Laswell
Lots of new music this time around. (I mean.. fairly recent releases, not just new to me.)
R.E.M. - "Accelerate": Everyone says it's a welcome return to form, energetic and driving. But I *liked* the albums they did that weren't so hard-rocking! :(
I thought their best stuff was on Around The Sun, and Automatic For The People, which the critics panned. Huh. Shows how much they know. :) Well, the lead vocal hasn't changed, anyway. They still sound the same in that respect, and that helps. It's really not all *that* hard-driving; maybe 4 songs are. It's kind of moderate pop now, less focused on mood-setting.
This CD happened to be on sale on Amazon for 5 bucks, and I guess it was worth that much. Favorites: Living Well is the Best Revenge, Supernatural Superserious, Hollow Man, Houston (a nice one in 3/4 time), Until the Day is Done (another lilting one in 6/8 time.)
Eagles - "Long Road Out Of Eden": First studio album in.. a loooong time. Still sounds like them, though. Those characteristic tight, sparkling harmonies come through, from the opening track (the acapella "No More Walks in the Wood"), through the 10+ minute title track in the middle, to the final track "Hole in the World." Nice to hear that sound again.
And while the vocals may not soar anymore like they did once on Lyin' Eyes, they're still tight, and the band still has that quasi-country sound, even on mushy ballads like What Do I Do With My Heart (which could have been done better by an R&B artist.) Other favorites: Waiting in the Weeds, No More Cloudy Days, It's Your World Now, Hold On, I Don't Want to Hear Anymore, Do Something (the last three being throwbacks to their early stuff.) Not a great CD... but not bad, either.
Marie' Digby - "Unfold": Not bad for a $1.99 special on Amazon. :) I'm tempted to say "just another young girl singer doing songs well beyond her experience", but.. I'll be kinder. She *sounds* a little older, and capable of handling the material (even though it probably still *is* beyond her experience. You probably have to be at least 25 before you can say you've fully experienced the heartache and the beauty of love. Don't you think?)
This is straight pop, with a little country twang here and there, a'la Leigh Nash. Pretty nice; kinda grows on you. Favorites: Spell, Say It Again, Beauty in Walking Away, Better Off Alone.
Ingrid Michaelson - "Boys and Girls": She's funny. A real character in concert. :) While maybe best known for the Old Navy sweater commercial (featuring The Way That I Am), the whole album is nice. You could say "yeah, another girl singer", etc.. but she does things her own way. You can hear some Feist in the lightness of her voice, some Imogen Heap in the intensity of some of her songs, and a little Fiona Apple in her quirkyness (lots of ukelele...) Still, she's her own girl.
Really a good CD all around, no bad tracks. Favorites: The Way That I Am, Breakable, Die Alone, Glass. Plus, I like a couple from her Slow Rain debut album (I'll See You In My Dreams, Morning Lullabies) and a single from Grey's Anatomy, Keep Breathing.
Greg Laswell - "Through Toledo", "How the Day Sounds" (EP): He opened for Ingrid Michaelson last week. Local act, but pretty solid singer and player. He sounds like everyone you know, kind of. You can hear some Snow Patrol in this guy, and some Chris Martin (Coldplay), and some Keane. Easy to listen to, and at the same time, kind of unremarkable. Favorites: I liked all the tracks from the EP. It's definitely worth the $6. Favorites from TT: Sing Theresa Says, High and Low, Do What I Can, Amazed.
R.E.M. - "Accelerate": Everyone says it's a welcome return to form, energetic and driving. But I *liked* the albums they did that weren't so hard-rocking! :(
I thought their best stuff was on Around The Sun, and Automatic For The People, which the critics panned. Huh. Shows how much they know. :) Well, the lead vocal hasn't changed, anyway. They still sound the same in that respect, and that helps. It's really not all *that* hard-driving; maybe 4 songs are. It's kind of moderate pop now, less focused on mood-setting.
This CD happened to be on sale on Amazon for 5 bucks, and I guess it was worth that much. Favorites: Living Well is the Best Revenge, Supernatural Superserious, Hollow Man, Houston (a nice one in 3/4 time), Until the Day is Done (another lilting one in 6/8 time.)
Eagles - "Long Road Out Of Eden": First studio album in.. a loooong time. Still sounds like them, though. Those characteristic tight, sparkling harmonies come through, from the opening track (the acapella "No More Walks in the Wood"), through the 10+ minute title track in the middle, to the final track "Hole in the World." Nice to hear that sound again.
And while the vocals may not soar anymore like they did once on Lyin' Eyes, they're still tight, and the band still has that quasi-country sound, even on mushy ballads like What Do I Do With My Heart (which could have been done better by an R&B artist.) Other favorites: Waiting in the Weeds, No More Cloudy Days, It's Your World Now, Hold On, I Don't Want to Hear Anymore, Do Something (the last three being throwbacks to their early stuff.) Not a great CD... but not bad, either.
Marie' Digby - "Unfold": Not bad for a $1.99 special on Amazon. :) I'm tempted to say "just another young girl singer doing songs well beyond her experience", but.. I'll be kinder. She *sounds* a little older, and capable of handling the material (even though it probably still *is* beyond her experience. You probably have to be at least 25 before you can say you've fully experienced the heartache and the beauty of love. Don't you think?)
This is straight pop, with a little country twang here and there, a'la Leigh Nash. Pretty nice; kinda grows on you. Favorites: Spell, Say It Again, Beauty in Walking Away, Better Off Alone.
Ingrid Michaelson - "Boys and Girls": She's funny. A real character in concert. :) While maybe best known for the Old Navy sweater commercial (featuring The Way That I Am), the whole album is nice. You could say "yeah, another girl singer", etc.. but she does things her own way. You can hear some Feist in the lightness of her voice, some Imogen Heap in the intensity of some of her songs, and a little Fiona Apple in her quirkyness (lots of ukelele...) Still, she's her own girl.
Really a good CD all around, no bad tracks. Favorites: The Way That I Am, Breakable, Die Alone, Glass. Plus, I like a couple from her Slow Rain debut album (I'll See You In My Dreams, Morning Lullabies) and a single from Grey's Anatomy, Keep Breathing.
Greg Laswell - "Through Toledo", "How the Day Sounds" (EP): He opened for Ingrid Michaelson last week. Local act, but pretty solid singer and player. He sounds like everyone you know, kind of. You can hear some Snow Patrol in this guy, and some Chris Martin (Coldplay), and some Keane. Easy to listen to, and at the same time, kind of unremarkable. Favorites: I liked all the tracks from the EP. It's definitely worth the $6. Favorites from TT: Sing Theresa Says, High and Low, Do What I Can, Amazed.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Tornadic Activity
Just the phrase sounds so ominous: "conditions are right for the possibility of tornadic activity; please be prepared to take shelter."
Tornadic activity seems... sinister and unamercian.
I prefer funnel clouds. :)
They sound kind of friendly. Like those things you buy at the State Fair in the same booth where you get the elephant ears. Funnel cakes. Aww.. soft and fluffy!
Well, either way, we drove through them last night and, ai ai ai! I've driven through downpours before but *this* was pretty scary.
We wound up driving from overpass to overpass, and cowering under the bridges while the sky roared around above us. No visible funnels, but you knew conditions were right for "tornadic activity."
After we left the area where we were hiding out from the angry elements, and turned the radio to WTMJ, we heard that "a tornado has just touched down in Haven, Wisconsin, near Whistling Straits."
And we had just passed the exit to Kohler! Yikes! No wonder it was so scary. Later they said that 6 of those fluffy, freindly funnel clouds had been sighted in Sheboygan county (where we were driving from overpass to overpass.)
I don't care what you call it, tornadic activity or funnel clouds... I'm glad we got to Milwaukee, got the blood draw done and made it to the hotel safe and sound.
Now this morning I can see my doctor, poke around Wauwatosa a bit on the way back, see some old familiar sights, and read until the baseball game tonight.
Home tomorrow (by the same route we took to get here - north and around all the closed roads in the middle of the state.)
Texted J2 this morning as he was driving to Chicago for a wedding this weekend (his first as a groomsman - it's that time of his life now where they start to happen rapid fire...)
Asked him if he was underwater yet. :) He said "lol. no - but kinda lost. I just keep heading south and east hoping I'll get there." They're diverting traffic on the interstate, I guess. Gee whiz, boy. Stop and buy a map! ;)
So if you're not wet today... be grateful! And if you are wet or stranded... you're not alone. Hope you're all right, wherever you are.
Tornadic activity seems... sinister and unamercian.
I prefer funnel clouds. :)
They sound kind of friendly. Like those things you buy at the State Fair in the same booth where you get the elephant ears. Funnel cakes. Aww.. soft and fluffy!
Well, either way, we drove through them last night and, ai ai ai! I've driven through downpours before but *this* was pretty scary.
We wound up driving from overpass to overpass, and cowering under the bridges while the sky roared around above us. No visible funnels, but you knew conditions were right for "tornadic activity."
After we left the area where we were hiding out from the angry elements, and turned the radio to WTMJ, we heard that "a tornado has just touched down in Haven, Wisconsin, near Whistling Straits."
And we had just passed the exit to Kohler! Yikes! No wonder it was so scary. Later they said that 6 of those fluffy, freindly funnel clouds had been sighted in Sheboygan county (where we were driving from overpass to overpass.)
I don't care what you call it, tornadic activity or funnel clouds... I'm glad we got to Milwaukee, got the blood draw done and made it to the hotel safe and sound.
Now this morning I can see my doctor, poke around Wauwatosa a bit on the way back, see some old familiar sights, and read until the baseball game tonight.
Home tomorrow (by the same route we took to get here - north and around all the closed roads in the middle of the state.)
Texted J2 this morning as he was driving to Chicago for a wedding this weekend (his first as a groomsman - it's that time of his life now where they start to happen rapid fire...)
Asked him if he was underwater yet. :) He said "lol. no - but kinda lost. I just keep heading south and east hoping I'll get there." They're diverting traffic on the interstate, I guess. Gee whiz, boy. Stop and buy a map! ;)
So if you're not wet today... be grateful! And if you are wet or stranded... you're not alone. Hope you're all right, wherever you are.
Maybe You'll Be There
Another one of those gorgeous ballads that Sinatra did so very well (his is again the definitive version I think, though Diana Krall's is great, too. I suppose which one you identify with depends on if you're male or female.) :)
The melody is so endearing, and fits the words so well, I often find myself singing it when driving or walking alone. It's an alone song.
Usually I skip the bridge (3rd stanza), for good reason. I can't relate (for which I'm grateful.) :) But the rest is not so much of a stretch to understand, whenever I'm alone.
Each time I see a crowd of people
Just like a fool I stop and stare
It's really not the proper thing to do
But maybe you'll be there
I go out walking after midnight
Along the lonely thoroughfare
It's not the time or place to look for you
But maybe you'll be there
You said your arms would always hold me
You said you lips were mine alone to kiss
Now after all those things you told me
How can it end like this
Someday if all my prayers are answered
I'll hear a footstep on the stair
With anxious heart I'll hurry to the door
And maybe you'll be there
----- as sung by Frank Sinatra (or Diana Krall.. both are lovely.)
The melody is so endearing, and fits the words so well, I often find myself singing it when driving or walking alone. It's an alone song.
Usually I skip the bridge (3rd stanza), for good reason. I can't relate (for which I'm grateful.) :) But the rest is not so much of a stretch to understand, whenever I'm alone.
Each time I see a crowd of people
Just like a fool I stop and stare
It's really not the proper thing to do
But maybe you'll be there
I go out walking after midnight
Along the lonely thoroughfare
It's not the time or place to look for you
But maybe you'll be there
You said your arms would always hold me
You said you lips were mine alone to kiss
Now after all those things you told me
How can it end like this
Someday if all my prayers are answered
I'll hear a footstep on the stair
With anxious heart I'll hurry to the door
And maybe you'll be there
----- as sung by Frank Sinatra (or Diana Krall.. both are lovely.)
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Happiness vs Joy
Off to see the endocrine doctor in Milwaukee for my semi-annual poke, prod and analyze session. Hopefully no lecture this time, since I followed orders! :) More on that when I get back. And more on last night's show, as well. For now, on to another topic that has sat for a couple of days.
Monday was one of those days where so many nice things happened, it was hard not to be happy. :)
I mean, I was down to goal weight again (after getting sloppy with my eating habits last week.) That made me happy.
Then, I found out that I won tickets to a sold-out concert! That made me happy.
When I went for a run at noon, I set a new personal best for a mile, and felt like I could easily keep going (and might have, but also had walked down to the track for another mile round trip, so.. saved a little for the next day.) That made me happy.
Plus, on the way home, it was a perfect Spring day after loads of rainy stormy weather - 74 degrees and sunny, with a nice breeze and clouds that looked like tufts of cotton poking through an azure pillow. That made me happy.
So I started wondering..
If I had to differentiate between happiness and joy, how would I do it? (without resorting to a dictionary...)
I guess I'd say that happiness is a positive, heart-lifting emotion that is very reactive to, and dependent on, the circumstances of the moment.
Joy, on the other hand, is a positive, heart-lifting emotional *state* that persists regardless of the circumstances of the moment.
Or at least that's how they seem to me. Not so different in feel, but in.. duration? Happiness is a disposable good, but joy a durable good, maybe. Like bags of ice in a cooler, versus a refrigerator. Hm.
I was aware on Monday of the presence of happiness. But I also was aware of the fleeting, temporal nature of it. And, as I walked, I inquired within as to whether or not I was aware of joy. I was not. They really are different.
But I also got the distinct impression that if this happiness continued long enough... it might codify into joy. Maybe.
Does it work like that, I wonder? Is happiness like gelatin or like pudding that, if you stop stirring it, will "set up" after a while and turn into joy?
If you have a preponderance of happy circumstances and events in your life, for a long enough stretch of time... if life is really, really good for quite a while... can that create a joyful state? A state that will persist when the circumstances take a turn for the worse, and sustain you until they turn back again?
Maybe it's like repeated applications of fertilizer to a field or a lawn. Can treatments change the essential soil chemistry if done often enough and long enough? I don't know.
So I think back on when circumstances in my life turned for the worse several years ago. There was no enduring state of joy to sustain me, so I crumbled.
Does that mean that before the "turn", there were not enough truly happy moments strung together for me to build into joy? Perhaps so.
Or maybe.. joy comes from some place else. And I hadn't discovered where. I don't have an answer to that. I would think that I might have learned it after all this time on earth.
But then again, it's listed as a "fruit of the Spirit" in Galatians 5:22-23. Hm. I wrote about that not long ago, didn't I?
Maybe there's a clue there. ;)
And maybe something's different now than it was before. :)
It sure feels like joy is at least within the realm of possibility now. But time (and the next downturn in circumstances) will tell the tale.
Monday was one of those days where so many nice things happened, it was hard not to be happy. :)
I mean, I was down to goal weight again (after getting sloppy with my eating habits last week.) That made me happy.
Then, I found out that I won tickets to a sold-out concert! That made me happy.
When I went for a run at noon, I set a new personal best for a mile, and felt like I could easily keep going (and might have, but also had walked down to the track for another mile round trip, so.. saved a little for the next day.) That made me happy.
Plus, on the way home, it was a perfect Spring day after loads of rainy stormy weather - 74 degrees and sunny, with a nice breeze and clouds that looked like tufts of cotton poking through an azure pillow. That made me happy.
So I started wondering..
If I had to differentiate between happiness and joy, how would I do it? (without resorting to a dictionary...)
I guess I'd say that happiness is a positive, heart-lifting emotion that is very reactive to, and dependent on, the circumstances of the moment.
Joy, on the other hand, is a positive, heart-lifting emotional *state* that persists regardless of the circumstances of the moment.
Or at least that's how they seem to me. Not so different in feel, but in.. duration? Happiness is a disposable good, but joy a durable good, maybe. Like bags of ice in a cooler, versus a refrigerator. Hm.
I was aware on Monday of the presence of happiness. But I also was aware of the fleeting, temporal nature of it. And, as I walked, I inquired within as to whether or not I was aware of joy. I was not. They really are different.
But I also got the distinct impression that if this happiness continued long enough... it might codify into joy. Maybe.
Does it work like that, I wonder? Is happiness like gelatin or like pudding that, if you stop stirring it, will "set up" after a while and turn into joy?
If you have a preponderance of happy circumstances and events in your life, for a long enough stretch of time... if life is really, really good for quite a while... can that create a joyful state? A state that will persist when the circumstances take a turn for the worse, and sustain you until they turn back again?
Maybe it's like repeated applications of fertilizer to a field or a lawn. Can treatments change the essential soil chemistry if done often enough and long enough? I don't know.
So I think back on when circumstances in my life turned for the worse several years ago. There was no enduring state of joy to sustain me, so I crumbled.
Does that mean that before the "turn", there were not enough truly happy moments strung together for me to build into joy? Perhaps so.
Or maybe.. joy comes from some place else. And I hadn't discovered where. I don't have an answer to that. I would think that I might have learned it after all this time on earth.
But then again, it's listed as a "fruit of the Spirit" in Galatians 5:22-23. Hm. I wrote about that not long ago, didn't I?
Maybe there's a clue there. ;)
And maybe something's different now than it was before. :)
It sure feels like joy is at least within the realm of possibility now. But time (and the next downturn in circumstances) will tell the tale.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Mindless Drivel
J2 & I went out to see the latest Adam Sandler movie last night. It definitely falls in the above category. :)
Parts were pretty funny, other parts were tasteless, and on the whole.. it was worth the price we paid to see it. Which was nothing. (I had a couple of passes left over from a show that started really late a month or so ago. Otherwise I think I would have regretted spending $17 on it for the two of us.)
But it was fun to hang out with him for a while, and laugh some. And the Coldstone Creamery ice cream afterwards was pretty good, too. That was *almost* worth the money, given the discount coupon I had. (You can get a whole pint of Culver's frozen custard for about the same cost - and sometimes... I do!)
So not a bad father/son night out for a total expenditure of $5.33 - if you like Adam Sandler and ice cream.
Hm. And a darn sight less than I'll be spending tonight for a night out with D. Parking, dinner, concert tix, reserved table... I don't even want to add it up. But then again, it's Iron & Wine! So it'll be worth it. :)
Parts were pretty funny, other parts were tasteless, and on the whole.. it was worth the price we paid to see it. Which was nothing. (I had a couple of passes left over from a show that started really late a month or so ago. Otherwise I think I would have regretted spending $17 on it for the two of us.)
But it was fun to hang out with him for a while, and laugh some. And the Coldstone Creamery ice cream afterwards was pretty good, too. That was *almost* worth the money, given the discount coupon I had. (You can get a whole pint of Culver's frozen custard for about the same cost - and sometimes... I do!)
So not a bad father/son night out for a total expenditure of $5.33 - if you like Adam Sandler and ice cream.
Hm. And a darn sight less than I'll be spending tonight for a night out with D. Parking, dinner, concert tix, reserved table... I don't even want to add it up. But then again, it's Iron & Wine! So it'll be worth it. :)
Where Have You Gone?
My newish friend and sometime fellow concert-goer (eels and ingrid michaelson so far), S, is also a guitarist/singer. When I saw him play at a cafe' a couple of weeks ago, he did mostly covers, many of which I knew.
But there was one song I never heard before that really grabbed my attention. So I bugged him about it afterwards. Turns out he wrote it. Here's the lyrics - wish I had a way of sharing the tune, too, but it's unrecorded at present. It's one of those songs that, along with the music, paints a picture - this one of heartbreak.
These dreams I've been dreaming, they haunt my mind
I wake up and call your name
These streets I've been walking, they're cold and unkind
My footprints are etched in shame
Where have you gone, my beautiful girl
I'm calling your name out loud
Where have you run to, my mystery girl
I'm calling your name out loud
With pain as my shadow, the tears stain my face
Your memory chokes my brain
Regret and remorse keep me trapped in this place
Played over and over again
Where have you gone, my beautiful girl
I'm calling your name out loud
Where have you run to, my mystery girl
I'm calling your name out loud
A numbing denial from an eighty-proof sea
Keeps me safely away from the shore
The rocks, they stand as reminders to me
Of a past which I try to ignore
Where have you gone, my beautiful girl
I'm calling your name out loud
Where have you run to, my mystery girl
I'm calling your name out loud
I'm calling your name out loud
I'm calling your name out loud
----- by SQ.
But there was one song I never heard before that really grabbed my attention. So I bugged him about it afterwards. Turns out he wrote it. Here's the lyrics - wish I had a way of sharing the tune, too, but it's unrecorded at present. It's one of those songs that, along with the music, paints a picture - this one of heartbreak.
These dreams I've been dreaming, they haunt my mind
I wake up and call your name
These streets I've been walking, they're cold and unkind
My footprints are etched in shame
Where have you gone, my beautiful girl
I'm calling your name out loud
Where have you run to, my mystery girl
I'm calling your name out loud
With pain as my shadow, the tears stain my face
Your memory chokes my brain
Regret and remorse keep me trapped in this place
Played over and over again
Where have you gone, my beautiful girl
I'm calling your name out loud
Where have you run to, my mystery girl
I'm calling your name out loud
A numbing denial from an eighty-proof sea
Keeps me safely away from the shore
The rocks, they stand as reminders to me
Of a past which I try to ignore
Where have you gone, my beautiful girl
I'm calling your name out loud
Where have you run to, my mystery girl
I'm calling your name out loud
I'm calling your name out loud
I'm calling your name out loud
----- by SQ.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Can you take a joke?
On June 21 Bon Iver, Cloud Cult, Andrew Bird, and The New Pornographers (incl. A.C. Newman and my favorite alt-country singer, Neko Case) play at the sculpture garden at the Walker Art Center. I tried to get tickets, but... it's sold out.
And yet - I'm going! Not crashing it, not scalping tickets - walking in the gate legitimately. Any fans out there a little jealous? ;) Perhaps..)
How did I get into this sold-out show, you ask?
I, um.. wrote a joke?
Yeah, for real. I wrote a joke. Ha.
When I heard about the Rock The Garden concert, I went out on the Walker Art Center website to find out about it. Fabulous lineup, but.. they said it was sold-out. :(
Rats! Now I'll have to try to scalp tickets on the street, and probably not get in. Craigslist had dozens - dozens! - of posts of people wanting tickets, even willing to trade their Death Cab For Cutie tix for this show. Not me! So scoring one that way didn't seem likely.
Then I saw this little link that said "win two free tickets by telling us a joke." Huh?
Yup, they were running a joke contest, and it was my only way to get in. Like the old saying goes, if you don't play... you can't win. So, all right, here goes nothing.
But what do I know from jokes? Especially original ones? I'm no good at that. And the judge is an acknowledged expert, actor, and lecturer on humor? Forget about it, man. I didn't even think that what I came up with was all that funny. But I sent it anyway.
And yayayay!! Score!!
I told the joke at home and got about the same reaction as you probably got from reading it at this link. Um... okaaaay. But who am I to critique the judge? (especially when I win...)
So, no need to go the the Basilica Block Party this year. This show is way cooler, anyway. Imagine - me (and maybe J2, if he's a good boy and does all his lawn chores!) - at one of the hottest tickets in town. All from a half-baked joke, effectively a half-court desperation shot at the buzzer. Hm.
Now that.... is funny. :)
And yet - I'm going! Not crashing it, not scalping tickets - walking in the gate legitimately. Any fans out there a little jealous? ;) Perhaps..)
How did I get into this sold-out show, you ask?
I, um.. wrote a joke?
Yeah, for real. I wrote a joke. Ha.
When I heard about the Rock The Garden concert, I went out on the Walker Art Center website to find out about it. Fabulous lineup, but.. they said it was sold-out. :(
Rats! Now I'll have to try to scalp tickets on the street, and probably not get in. Craigslist had dozens - dozens! - of posts of people wanting tickets, even willing to trade their Death Cab For Cutie tix for this show. Not me! So scoring one that way didn't seem likely.
Then I saw this little link that said "win two free tickets by telling us a joke." Huh?
Yup, they were running a joke contest, and it was my only way to get in. Like the old saying goes, if you don't play... you can't win. So, all right, here goes nothing.
But what do I know from jokes? Especially original ones? I'm no good at that. And the judge is an acknowledged expert, actor, and lecturer on humor? Forget about it, man. I didn't even think that what I came up with was all that funny. But I sent it anyway.
And yayayay!! Score!!
I told the joke at home and got about the same reaction as you probably got from reading it at this link. Um... okaaaay. But who am I to critique the judge? (especially when I win...)
So, no need to go the the Basilica Block Party this year. This show is way cooler, anyway. Imagine - me (and maybe J2, if he's a good boy and does all his lawn chores!) - at one of the hottest tickets in town. All from a half-baked joke, effectively a half-court desperation shot at the buzzer. Hm.
Now that.... is funny. :)
Monday, June 09, 2008
Going Shrinkless
Almost done with Dr. Shrink-wrap. Two more visits, and... arrivederci, il doctore. Grazie.
He's been very helpful, and I told him so last time. (But of course, he's not the only person who's been helpful. He's just the one who is probably the most ... dispassionate ... about it.)
I'm finding that I am now at a place in this emotional/mental health situation sort of like where I am in golf or tennis: when I find myself messing up, I can mostly diagnose what I'm doing wrong, and make some corrections to fix it. And I play well enough that I enjoy myself - it doesn't frustrate me anymore. I still mess up, sure, but they're small mistakes, and not so bad that I just... give up.
Good analogy? ;)
He said last visit that he agrees that it's time to modify this to an "as needed" situation. If something happens in my life that is traumatic or disappointing, or I find my thought patterns are slipping back into the old ones, I can call and get an "adjustment" (sort of like at the chiropractor, I guess - except that he's messing around inside your head, not with your back.)
So with that encouragement from him, I said: it must feel good to you to see the seeds that you planted and watered take root and flourish. And he said "Absolutely. This is what you go into practice for, cases like yours."
Aww... :) I'm glad I helped make you feel better, Doc. ;)
He's been very helpful, and I told him so last time. (But of course, he's not the only person who's been helpful. He's just the one who is probably the most ... dispassionate ... about it.)
I'm finding that I am now at a place in this emotional/mental health situation sort of like where I am in golf or tennis: when I find myself messing up, I can mostly diagnose what I'm doing wrong, and make some corrections to fix it. And I play well enough that I enjoy myself - it doesn't frustrate me anymore. I still mess up, sure, but they're small mistakes, and not so bad that I just... give up.
Good analogy? ;)
He said last visit that he agrees that it's time to modify this to an "as needed" situation. If something happens in my life that is traumatic or disappointing, or I find my thought patterns are slipping back into the old ones, I can call and get an "adjustment" (sort of like at the chiropractor, I guess - except that he's messing around inside your head, not with your back.)
So with that encouragement from him, I said: it must feel good to you to see the seeds that you planted and watered take root and flourish. And he said "Absolutely. This is what you go into practice for, cases like yours."
Aww... :) I'm glad I helped make you feel better, Doc. ;)
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Grow, grow, grow!
They're in the ground!
Finally a nice (though warm and humid) day - a Saturday, no less - with no big commitments. And some other workers to lend a hand. :)
Good thing, too. I wound up renting a sod cutter (not the powered version, but the hand tool) from the hardware store for 5 bucks, and I sure needed the extra help. :(
It worked pretty good, although I felt like a horse (or an Amish farmer) tilling the soil by hand. I got an idea of what it was like when farm labor was like that. Oof. Thank God it had rained and the soil was moist. I can't imagine how tough it would have been to do if it was bone dry.
As it was, with J2 & I taking turns grunting and shoving it through the dirt while the other one rolled up the sod and loaded it into the wheelbarrow, we were both dripping wet afterward, and puffing. Yes, even the 20 year old. :)
And while I measured the distances and lined up the spots, he dug some holes for the plants.
Then D, the master-gardener-in-training ;) , had mercy on me and did the actual planting. Aww.. thanks! Don't they look nice?
Finally, I set up the protective "grow tubes", put the bamboo stakes in, and tied the stakes to the tubes. (Some assembly required!) You can see the vines neatly tucked inside where the deer can't get at them.
The tubes come off in late August, so the new trunks have a chance to harden up before the cold weather comes. They will take their permanent shape then, so I have to straighten and retie them to the stakes when I take off the tubes.
I was afraid it would be a bit of an eyesore in our side yard, but.. they don't look so bad. :)
And I have a whole year now to think about sinking the big posts next Spring that will form the trellising. Oof. That will be an ordeal. Hope J2 is still around to lend a hand. He's right helpful, he is. :)
Next year, after the posts go in, so do the rosebushes on the end of each row. D will be picking out the winter-hardy varieties to plant. Since the vines are the new Marquette varietal... can you get roses in blue and gold? ;) Oh, I suppose I'll settle for yellow...
Finally a nice (though warm and humid) day - a Saturday, no less - with no big commitments. And some other workers to lend a hand. :)
Good thing, too. I wound up renting a sod cutter (not the powered version, but the hand tool) from the hardware store for 5 bucks, and I sure needed the extra help. :(
It worked pretty good, although I felt like a horse (or an Amish farmer) tilling the soil by hand. I got an idea of what it was like when farm labor was like that. Oof. Thank God it had rained and the soil was moist. I can't imagine how tough it would have been to do if it was bone dry.
As it was, with J2 & I taking turns grunting and shoving it through the dirt while the other one rolled up the sod and loaded it into the wheelbarrow, we were both dripping wet afterward, and puffing. Yes, even the 20 year old. :)
And while I measured the distances and lined up the spots, he dug some holes for the plants.
Then D, the master-gardener-in-training ;) , had mercy on me and did the actual planting. Aww.. thanks! Don't they look nice?
Finally, I set up the protective "grow tubes", put the bamboo stakes in, and tied the stakes to the tubes. (Some assembly required!) You can see the vines neatly tucked inside where the deer can't get at them.
The tubes come off in late August, so the new trunks have a chance to harden up before the cold weather comes. They will take their permanent shape then, so I have to straighten and retie them to the stakes when I take off the tubes.
I was afraid it would be a bit of an eyesore in our side yard, but.. they don't look so bad. :)
And I have a whole year now to think about sinking the big posts next Spring that will form the trellising. Oof. That will be an ordeal. Hope J2 is still around to lend a hand. He's right helpful, he is. :)
Next year, after the posts go in, so do the rosebushes on the end of each row. D will be picking out the winter-hardy varieties to plant. Since the vines are the new Marquette varietal... can you get roses in blue and gold? ;) Oh, I suppose I'll settle for yellow...
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