Saturday, October 31, 2009

Another one?

Yawn. Another birthday.

Nothing exciting or memorable this year. No numbers ending in 0 or 5, no milestones. Which is fine by me. :) The less public fuss the better! (although private fuss is good.)

Now, using a birthday as an excuse to go out... that works. ;) And there is actually a mystery outing of some kind queued up for tonight, preceded by a stop at Penney's for some new "dress" t-shirts. You know, the kind you wear under a sportcoat, with jeans. Like that. Which also happens to be the dress code for the evening's activities. Hm. I wonder if... naaah.

So the house will be dark during trick or treat hours tonight. Too bad for you, little urchins. Street beggars, all. I'd love to leave my black-haired dog out in the yard to come rocketing toward you out of the dark should you dare enter a yard with no house lights on. It'd serve you right to get scared witless. Little trespassers. Sinners.

:P

Okay, I'm not actually all that mean. I'm really not old enough yet to be crotchety, though I do like to occasionally practice, just to see what it'll be like to be me 20 years from now.

Regardless, going out for my birthday during trick or treat time has been a family tradition, ever since J1 was two and saw her first clown come to the front door. Freaked her right out of her frilly little white ankle socks; she turned tail and ran to her room, shrieking. oooookay, then. No more of that, ever!

Actually, birthday fun notwithstanding, I'm more really looking forward to Sunday afternoon and the Packers/Vikings game at Lambeau. Such drama! Such conflict! Such hype!

Hello, Pizza Hut? Meat Lovers! Large! Now!

Coupl'a glasses of Chill, and... bring it on, baby. It's game time.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Composting, Inside and Out

Last weekend, at that retreat center which was so eco-friendly, in every space which had the potential for food prep, I noticed little indoor plastic compost buckets on the counters.

I thought, hm. We do that! We're on the cutting edge of green, too. :)

Last month at birthday time, D got a new toy, an indoor compost pot.

Stylish, too. Looks kind of like a cookie jar...



...until you open it!




Looks bad, but it doesn't smell bad. The charcoal filters in the lid help with odor. So, all the food scraps and biodegradable stuff go in here instead of into the disposal or the trash. Then, when full, the content gets dumped into the outdoor compost pile for decomposition (with occasional stirring), and eventual use in gardens. It's righteously nutritious stuff for plants!



Speaking of plants, this last rain brought most of the leaves down in a lump. Wow. Glad the division of labor around here means I don't do the lawn work. :) I'd prefer to vacuum and scrub toilets.

Theoretically.



And speaking of toilets, there's even a composting version of those.



So even if you're living under a bridge, you can still be environmentally conscious. Think of it!

Or... don't.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Swinging Asleep

A little advance birthday celebrating last night. I had never seen Asleep At The Wheel live, though their music has been a staple in the family for years. So when they came to The Cedar, I had to seize the moment and grab a couple of tix. Based on the demographic of the audience, a lot of other fifty-somethings had that same idea. :)



The Cedar Cultural Center is an all-volunteer place, and volunteers get into shows free, so...

hey, I can work the food stand or merch table as well as anyone. :)



And I plan to. I've signed up for the next volunteer orientation, maybe in December. There's an indie radio station also affiliated with The Cedar, and they do their on-air shows all with volunteers as well. Hm.. maybe I'll get behind the studio microphone again someday. It's only been... 25 years! :)



We had good seats this time. Close, but side aisle.

The opening act was unremarkable. Local boys trying for a break.



But when the headliners came on - instant professionalism. Wow, were they crisp and hot. Like fresh tacos. :)



Ray Benson, the big guy in the middle (who signed my CD later), has led the band since 1970, back when they were decidedly counter-cultural. Western Swing was passe' then. But these guys have become keepers of the flame, and now have a Broadway musical on the life and times of Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys, which has been running for 4 years now. Wow.



They'll be on PBS's "Austin City Limits" on 11/14, with Willie Nelson, with whom they recently made an album that has "Grammy" written all over it. That, um, would make #10 for these guys. They have 9 already! (Grammys, I mean, not CDs).



Anyway, they were terrific, and it was great to see the mix of ages on stage. The piano player looked like a high schooler but played like a veteran; the girl singer, Elizabeth McQueen (nice beehive, hun..), is late 20's and has an indie pop career as well with a couple of CDs on iTunes. And - ha - I knew the steel player! Really.

Eddie used to play pedal steel with The Western Box Turtles, who now and then came to the Milwaukee Ale House. Chatting with him afterwards, he was stunned that anyone would remember him from that gig. Made him feel like he had a real fan base, I think. :)

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Retreat Weekend 2009



Hiawatha, Iowa. Lovely place for a retreat. I mean, what else is there to do? Oh, sure, it's right next to Cedar Rapids, and not all that far from Des Moines, but even so... it's well-suited as a site to facilitate getting away from the world's busy-ness.



Simple living at its best. Off the grid, where possible.



Here are my earth-friendly accomodations:






Just kidding. That's the root cellar where they keep potatoes. ;)

THIS is what I stayed in. A secluded solar-powered straw-bale hut.



And lest I felt too isolated, it was a short walk to a lodge building,



which was, itself, right by the main conference center building,



which was gorgeous inside, really. Even dramatic in spots.



and designed in such a way so as to bring as much nature into the facility as possible. This is a prayer room - beautiful.



And really, the hermitage I stayed in was meant to do the same - bring nature in. It was simple, but comfortable.





The only thing missing was a decent coffee maker. I mean.. a percolator? Hey, it's a retreat center, not an antique shop. So, I made do with a tea kettle and some powdered instant from Hy-Vee. Nasty.



One of the highlights, though, was their outdoor labyrinth. "Walking the pattern", as Roger Zelazny describes it in "Chronicles of Amber", wasn't the electrifying struggle that it is on that fantasy world, nor was I transported anywhere when I got to the center, either, but...



I did have a few insights as I walked, about the haphazard and winding paths our lives take en route to our ultimate destination. My own life is no less unfathomable than the design of this labyrinth. The constant throughout, though, has been God at the center - always there, no matter how circuitous my path, toward or away.



As a whole, the entire weekend was great. I relaxed enough to get bored, read enough to get sleepy and take naps, got outside enough to feel friendly with nature, and had comforting & cozy warm accommodations in a very nurturing environment. :) Aww..

What's more, I came away refreshed & happy, and with a really good perspective on things. It's been a while since I've been this optimistic.

Monday, October 26, 2009

joy redux

.


surprising delight
fleeting taste of perfection
left longing for more


.


This explains it. This is what I've experienced. :)

Friday, October 23, 2009

Ebb and Flow


Rest so as to Work
Sleep so as to Wake
Receive so as to Serve
Conserve so as to Give
Retreat so as to Advance

There is a rhythm to life, a right time for everything. (Eccl. 3)










Right now, it's time for a retreat (to a straw bale hut in the woods, no less!) Going off the grid for a while, literally, to contemplate, to inquire, to assess, to envision, and... to feel.

Back on Tuesday.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

In or Out?

In GC505DE this term, we are looking at how people today come to faith, and whether the church helps or hurts that process. The prof introduced an idea that, in the past, the church has followed this sequence in bringing people into fellowship:

behave
believe
belong

In other words, first clean up your act. Be decent - act like us. Then profess your faith in this particular little ceremony we use. After that, perhaps we'll let you join us at a potluck supper. That is, if you bring a dish to pass, and dress like the rest of us.

There is a shift underway, though, to recognize that this is not how people come into the church, normally. The sequence is more like:

belong
believe
become

If you are welcomed, regardless of appearance or behavior, and a sense of belonging grows on you, maybe you'll listen to what's being discussed, and come to belief. Once a transition to faith has happened, so does a desire to become like the One in whom you place your faith. And you have a network of people right there, with whom you already belong, to help you with that.

On our class discussion board, we put our reflections on the readings and lectures from each week. We read some other people's reflections and comment back. One guy responded to mine like this:

"I would agree with your thoughts on being careful of labeling people "in or out", "on or off", "sinner or saint." This really ties in well with what Geoff discussed in his lecture on moving from the idea of behave-believe-belong, to belong-believe-become. In this new era of the church, I feel more and more people running away from churches that have this "us and them" mentality. The churches I see growing around me are those who realize coming to faith and the process of discipleship afterwords is much more of a journey than belonging to a club or not. You're right, doing evangelism void of relationship simply just doesn't cut it in the culture we live in. I would say a majority of the people in my church are there because they feel like they belong through relationships. It's becoming less and less about the name or denomination on the door." -----JA

Right on.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Wild Wintergreen



Actually got to chew some on Sunday. :)



Now I can see what the artificial flavor is based on; the natural stuff is better (of course). Where did I find it, you ask? My sister & husband have this little cabin in the northwoods of NE Wisconsin, and I hadn't seen it before, so it was time for a visit.



It was about a two hour drive from the big city to their "fire lane" (what passes for a street in the backwoods),



and I finally could see some tall white birch in gold leaf.



No sugar maples on their 8 acres, but a beautiful little brook at the south end. Lovely setting.



So even if next weekend is rainy and I'm stuck inside, at least for one day I got to tramp around in the woods, rustle through the leaves,



and watch the chipmunks scurrying around getting their cache of nuts ready for winter. Nice day. :)

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Finally! A decent Fall day.



I was about to call 2009 "the year that October forgot".


But yesterday was gorgeous, just the way you want October to be: sunny, 50-55, no breeze, leaf color showing up. Lovely.


I prowled about a bit, and took a drive down Summit Avenue all the way to its Western end at the Mississippi River. On the way, I passed St. Thomas University. Lovely old neo-gothic main building, and beautiful homes lining the street. Kind of reminiscent of the Highland Park neighborhood in Milwaukee.

Then at the end of the street, there is an overlook above the river,








with a WWI memorial.



Pretty little spot, where finally some leaf color was beginning to show itself.



Turning around and heading back, St. Paul (Catholic) Seminary looked nice in the afternoon light.



I'll be back there Friday morning to chat with the guy who's in charge of Diaconate Formation for the Archdiocese. Just discussion at this point, nothing definite. I need to finish Seminary first!



Anyway, a lovely afternoon to finish one of my books for GC505DE, this one on how postmodern people come to faith. Interesting ideas, but.. a discussion for another time. :)



Hopefully today is just as beautiful as we head over to Spooner to see my sister & husband as they close up the cabin for the season. And just as hopefully, this kind of weather will persist into next weekend, so that my "retreat experience" is all I want it to be. mmhmm.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

The Three Hour Tour

Relient K. With a set decorated like Gilligan's Island. You can tell when a band is not pretentious - they don't take themselves too seriously. And when a band throws in to their regular set, songs like the Subway theme ("$5 foot longs") and "Under The Sea" from The Little Mermaid... they do know how to be silly. I like these guys.



And so did all the 14 year old girls, their 34 year old moms, and their 54 year old grandparents, apparently. Reinforces my thesis that this is a period in pop music that multiple generations can appreciate and share. It was my own kid who introduced me to this band (and one of the openers, Copeland), some 8 years ago when he was probably 14, and so I thought I would return the favor and introduce him to the first of two opening bands, Barcelona.



They were really good.. better than Copeland. And their freshman CD effort was only $10 at the merch table, so... yeah. Copy for J2 coming up.



The show was at Cabooze, with the same old biker bar again next door, and since this was an all ages show on a school night, the doors opened at 5:00, with the last encore over at 9:05. So, cheap eats - burgers and brats in The Joint next door.



And seats in the balcony this time, with no one to block sight line, and only 15 middle school girls (and two moms) on the couches behind us for distraction, all giggling and taking pictures of each other (instead of the band - I guess when you're 14 and female you are more interested in posing for your girlfriends for later use in Facebook, than in the music).



Me, I like the music. And cheap tap beer. And breaks between sets to catch up on reading for Seminary. It's called multitasking.



Copeland wasn't so great. I was underwhelmed. Too bad; I really liked some of their early ballads, like "Brightest", "No One Really Wins", "She Changes Your Mind", "Pin Your Wings", and "Coffee". Barcelona really blew them out of the water. They should have switched the band order.



But the headliners were terrific. Relient K is upbeat and at the top of their game. Their latest CD is a winner. And thanks to Amazon.mp3, it was only $3.99 to download. :) It was a very good show, all around, with a solid band front and center, supported by decent opening acts, and an audience who sang along to nearly every song. Even got home early on a work night! Yay.



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