Iraq War Vigil 2008 

More cuteness

To-Do

School starts soon again and I wonder at how busy I find myself at work now - and the students are not even back. Amazing how much life seems to meld into one large to-do list. I love lists. The satisfaction of checking off tangible accomplishments. But the reality is that the list is never done. There are always additions. And to be constantly task-driven is not good for my soul.

So I take solace in beautiful weather porch moments, meaningful conversations, and minor but fun deviations in routine. Like going barefoot at work. Trying a new ice cream flavor. Going into work late. Watching my cats sleep. When swimming pretending I am Michael Phelpsian. Sitting on my stoop.

Love Preaching

My friends Michael and Cathy married this weekend. We trekked down to DC for a pre wedding BBQ. Great to catch up with friends over burgers and dogs. The liturgy was beautiful. The most striking aspect (for me) was that the bride and groom co-preached the homily. I love it - they say that the sacramental aspect of marriage is the love of bride and groom as witness for God's love for all. And why not have that both visually and verbally - by the couple themselves? They did such a wonderful job - talking about everyone's universal vocation to love as God loves - just as we were created in love. And about their own particular love story and what they mean to each other. Beautiful!

succulent spirituality

This was J's masterpiece today (pics not ours - they're from the NY Times - the end results looked just like these). There is nothing better than local garden grown eggplant and tomato in the summer.

Things found in the basement

In the midst of campus ministry dust-shaking today was found:

• one disco ball
• 500 rusty metal button parts (front, backs with rust pins, circular disks)
• one reversible red-black insulated vest that I snagged
• three purple and one pink life size plastic light up candles trimmed with painted on holly once used as life-sized advent wreath candles
• aquarium
  
• cockroach (alive)
• mosquitos (alive and biting)
• hula hoops
• suitcases and sleeping bags
• vintage vinyl
  
• black like-new Rockport dress shoes size 12 with bright yellow price tag $8.99 on the bottom
• service award from community organization from 1972
• student health and liability waivers from 1995
• complete set of plates and cups used by TWA
• flatware
  
• Tshirts from currently defunct student organizations
  

Basement cleaning is good. Funny how that was my analogy on retreat. So necessary from time to time.

My day Sunday was an awkward climb onto my roof to see rain and sun. Colored bows. Promises. Hope. Tears. Joy. Hope.

Notice not one but two rainbows. The gratuitousness of beauty.

My day Friday was a free at noon musical freedom. Just go here to hear Joseph Arthur live. His voice is amazing. Textured, varied, strong, deep, high. Quality of the XPN show isn't anything near what it was to be there live.

Mad...

Mad Men is J's latest Netflix find, an AMC series starting its second season. I'm surprised by how emotionally engaged I become with this show. I'm just grateful for the feminist movement is all I can say. I wonder how I might have been had I lived during this time. Would I have had the vision to see beyond the paternalism, the rigid roles? It's one thing to know objectively that women's roles were once this way; it's another thing to see it played out in a drama. Can anyone weigh in? Are things exaggerated on the show for dramatic effect?

The other interesting theme is that of the birthing of consumer culture in its excess. The ad men the ad men creating the want and then pointing to the product. Don Draper the go-to man for the magic words. Love the episode with the mussels, martinis, stair-climbing and visceral (read: gross) results of excess ending the episode.

And the enduring question - most of these characters; they have made it, have arrived at the so-called American Dream. But are they happy? As the character Salvatore said in one episode, as soon as you have to ask that question you are not happy. The irony coming from the ad-art man. Creating the unhappiness to create the product that people buy to buy happiness that does not bring happiness.