SPIN

Every once in a while, I still think about this short film we saw earlier this month at the Muskegon Film Festival.

I love the concept.

BTW- Does any one else see a slight resemblance to James Bean?


....wait, I just watched it again....make that "a STRIKING resemblance to James Bean?"

Today, while wandering through blogland...

I found myself in New England, enjoying the thoughtful words of one of my brother's friends.

I get so tired of political cynicism and meanness (though I've gone on a few rants and bitter tirades myself...and probably will again.) In fact, only today I started getting angry...just thinking about Walmart...

...how they get away with spending as little as possible on health care for their employees,....the many lawsuits (that they have yet to win one of) against them for forcing employees to work *after* they punch out,...their bullying of manufacturers and farmers to lower their prices or lose their business....forcing those manufacturers to move their factories to other countries...(at least that's what they said on NPR, so it must be true)

I like to think that my anger is aimed at injustice...at the perpetuation of poverty....at the Rich and Powerful taking advantage of the poor and defenseless.

But even as my emotions rise and my accusatory words start to spew....

I can't ignore the fact that I am not really working very hard to actually defend. I AM the Rich and Powerful in the world. My abiltity to type this post on my iBook only makes me ridiculous in my attempt to point a finger....if I am not doing anything to feed the poor.

All of that to say that this post gave a refreshing (at least to me) and thoughtful perspective about positive....effective political dialogue. You'll find no bashing.

One Last Escape

Saturday morning, we loaded up our station wagon and headed to Chicago for one more quick weekend trip before our family changes forever. As we drove, we wondered what our next road trip would be like with a car seat in the back seat...with Maya.

It was a really short trip, but full of beautiful memories. Saturday night, after a peaceful afternoon nap at the hotel, we met my friend
Allison's fiance Marc, an amazing jazz trumpeter who frequently plays at the...








Currently, he's playing in a twelve piece band in the show "Come Fly With Me" at the Mercury Theater, and got us tickets.

After the show, we enjoyed dinner at a great Italian restaurant next door.


Sunday, we woke up slowly in our beautiful hotel room... walked a couple blocks to find breakfast, wandered around the staircases and ball rooms of the Hilton, then lounged in the hotel lobby, sipping Chai and coffee in a window seat, waiting for the city to open at 10:00.


The Art Institute of Chicago.

Seeing the actual brushstrokes of Renoir, Monet, Hopper, Sargent, Picasso...whose lives and work left profound marks on their world...renewed my love of art, and my Creator-given desire to create. There are few places that hold such power to inspire. The beauty of the architecture, the white marble staircases, the intricate details. The quiet rooms filled with paintings, sculptures, drawings, pottery that are more than just beautiful pieces of art. They are vast records of history and thought...centuries of people, relationships, tragedies, struggles.

One of our favorite paintings of the day..."The Picture of Dorian Gray."

After the Art Institute, we walked a little ways down Michigan Avenue, to watch the ice skaters in the park...on our way to the 'Miracle Mile' of materialism and excess. We didn't do any real Chicago shopping this trip...besides the free little rubber pad replacements they gave us for the bottom of our notebook at the Mac store, and the free massages we always enjoy at The Sharper Image.

Mostly we just enjoyed being together...a car ride for long conversations, an exciting city filled with people and music and art, distant friends, an elegant hotel with amazingly fluffy pillows, no alarm clock, no obligations or work, no real responsibility for two days...decadent.

guilty pleasures...

1. Whoppers with cheese. I always used to think these were gross. Why ruin a perfectly good cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, and worst of all...mayonaise??
How terribly misguided I was.
On my occasional, unavoidable fast food visit I used to order things like 'grilled chicken sandwiches, no mayo' or salad. I now know better.
Trips to Burger King and sometimes even McDonalds are no longer accidental or unavoidable. They're not even occasional. I love whoppers. And double cheese-burgers.

2. Long, hot baths. Hours wasted...doing nothing but soaking. Sometimes I try to read, but mostly...I just soak.

3. An occasional Killian's Irish Red. I've never even completed half of a bottle, but...yum.
Beer is usually one of those things I associate with...Homer Simpson...and big, lazy men, wearing 'wife-beater' shirts, watching football. yuck.
If anything, I'd normally rather be a wine snob.
My "occasional" means about once a year.
(though of course, for the past seven or eight months, I've completely abstained)

(I bet you didn't think I was "edgy" enough to post that on my blog, Andy.)

4. Blogging.

5. Desperate Housewives. I've never missed an episode.

I never thought I'd play blogging tag...this feels a little too much like Xanga.
But...Andrea Rudd, you're it. And..."cheesy Lindsey" too.