I was killing some time in Farragut Square today around noon. It's just a square park in the heart of downtown DC. Saw a lot of funny things. One was a red-headed guy taking a digital photo of all these (mostly) black bike couriers sitting on park benches taking a rest. They started yelling at him Hey man! What are you doing? Don't be taking a picture of me! And he's like, there are about 200 people within this picture. I'm not taking a picture of you. Then they're like, you better give me a dollar. You're probably gonna make a billion offa that photo. Come over here and give me my dollar. lol
But then some things not so funny. There was an older black woman whose head was totally covered in white soap - shampoo I guess, but who really knows. She had an old water bottle and her head was bent over the water fountain. She washed her hair in the water fountain for about 10 minutes. And I mean it wasn't a big water fountain either, so she was really all up in it. The interesting thing is she was having a full and heated conversation with someone who wasn't standing there. I'm not here to diagnose that, but man, it was just like... so vivid. And I guess I've seen so many movies because it was like straight out of a movie. It was like Fight Club and you see Ed Norton talking to Brad Pitt, and then it cuts to another view and you see Ed Norton is just talking to himself, throwing himself down stairs, punching himself. My only point is that it was that vivid. She was responding to someone.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Oh yeah - Father Berrigan
Oh yeah! I wanted to say this is a really cool Wiki article: Father Berrigan. A piece of history we all should know.
Protesting Vietnam, they issued this statement:
"We confront the Catholic Church, other Christian bodies, and the synagogues of America with their silence and cowardice in the face of our country's crimes. We are convinced that the religious bureaucracy in this country is racist, is an accomplice in this war, and is hostile to the poor."
What an indictment! Even if you disagree you have to respect their passion and directness. And the fact that they were so much more than words, but their words in and of themselves are like fire. They burned war draft documents. They also broke into a place that built nuclear warheads and poured blood all over them.
Protesting Vietnam, they issued this statement:
"We confront the Catholic Church, other Christian bodies, and the synagogues of America with their silence and cowardice in the face of our country's crimes. We are convinced that the religious bureaucracy in this country is racist, is an accomplice in this war, and is hostile to the poor."
What an indictment! Even if you disagree you have to respect their passion and directness. And the fact that they were so much more than words, but their words in and of themselves are like fire. They burned war draft documents. They also broke into a place that built nuclear warheads and poured blood all over them.
In the company of cool
I walked into Murky Coffee and felt like I walked straight into a wall of coolness. Ouch. lol Everyone here is just emanating this aura of espresso and wi-fi and get-with-it-ness. Quite scary.
In any case, I in all my uncoolness am going to stay here anyway. It is shockingly hot outside! This morning something about the sunshine and the warmth made me instantly think of when I was in Chihuahua, Mejico. Kinda weird that it took me back like that.
What was I gonna say? I felt like I had a point in mind when I started and I definitely lost it. Anyway I am going to spend the next couple hours working on a MASTER LIST, if you will, of every detail for our Board Meeting that I'm coordinating including travel itineraries, restaurants, reservations, field trips, menus, meeting agendas, on and on. I can't believe it's in only like, hmm, well less than a month! WHOA. Gotta get to work now. But if you see me online, please distract. :) Tyvm.
In any case, I in all my uncoolness am going to stay here anyway. It is shockingly hot outside! This morning something about the sunshine and the warmth made me instantly think of when I was in Chihuahua, Mejico. Kinda weird that it took me back like that.
What was I gonna say? I felt like I had a point in mind when I started and I definitely lost it. Anyway I am going to spend the next couple hours working on a MASTER LIST, if you will, of every detail for our Board Meeting that I'm coordinating including travel itineraries, restaurants, reservations, field trips, menus, meeting agendas, on and on. I can't believe it's in only like, hmm, well less than a month! WHOA. Gotta get to work now. But if you see me online, please distract. :) Tyvm.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Grrrrrrrrr
One of my pet peeves: People who talk on their cell phones while they are checking out at a store. Get off your freakin phone! There is a person there, a human being, and you need to quit blah-blahing and start interacting with them! Maybe they are having a horrible day and you are just one more implicit message screaming "you are not important to me. In fact I hardly even notice you standing there. You're almost invisible." I just stood behind a psycho woman like this at Target and I wanted to strangle her. (Not to go overboard or anything..)
Another thing that bothers me is people who have to have their latte in their hand during a worship service. What a yuppie. What a consumeristic little.. grrrrr!!!!! In my mind I see that picture on the one side, and on the other side I see a believer in China or in the Sudan who is so oppressed that they fear for their life, and their meetings are in secret, "underground." The contrast is so great that the one doesn't even seem worthy of the other.
However, I will admit on this point, that yesterday I did have a coffee in my hand while I was waiting to meet my friend and I would have taken in if it didn't say no drinks in the auditorium. lol So there are exceptions to these rules. But still !!!!!
Another thing that bothers me is people who have to have their latte in their hand during a worship service. What a yuppie. What a consumeristic little.. grrrrr!!!!! In my mind I see that picture on the one side, and on the other side I see a believer in China or in the Sudan who is so oppressed that they fear for their life, and their meetings are in secret, "underground." The contrast is so great that the one doesn't even seem worthy of the other.
However, I will admit on this point, that yesterday I did have a coffee in my hand while I was waiting to meet my friend and I would have taken in if it didn't say no drinks in the auditorium. lol So there are exceptions to these rules. But still !!!!!
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Common musical thread
So I'm sitting here watching Meet Joe Black, well the second half and I haven't seen this before, and I'm like MAN this score sounds so familiar. Where have heard this music before? And I'm thiiiinking so hard, and Kyle you have to give me credit for this, I'm like I think it might be from Angels in America??
So, a little IMDB research later, I found out I was right! It is also in American Beauty. This composer, Thomas Newman, has writen scores for a lot of recent movies. The music is really pretty. Just had to share.
I have never heard of two movies having the same score. That is a little odd, for the very reason that it is evoking in me the emotional response I had to the other movie, and that is very confusing.
I also think the girl in this movie looks exactly like Liesl from The Sound of Music. But apparently that girl is now a 63 year old woman so it's not her. :)
So, a little IMDB research later, I found out I was right! It is also in American Beauty. This composer, Thomas Newman, has writen scores for a lot of recent movies. The music is really pretty. Just had to share.
I have never heard of two movies having the same score. That is a little odd, for the very reason that it is evoking in me the emotional response I had to the other movie, and that is very confusing.
I also think the girl in this movie looks exactly like Liesl from The Sound of Music. But apparently that girl is now a 63 year old woman so it's not her. :)
Monday, October 10, 2005
Mark 8 - Losing and Gaining
34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."
1 thing I realized...
my soul, this small fairly nameless thing inside of me, or this thing that actually IS me, that nobody knows truly, not even me... this mysterious, deep thing that never changes in essence whether i'm 10 lbs and lying in a crib, or 23 years old floundering wondering about purpose, love, career, and friendship... or elderly and dying in my bed... this soul... this eternal thing... is actually worth more THAN THE ENTIRE WORLD. wow.
1 thing i'm still wondering...
If gaining the whole world can be a sign that i've ost my whole soul, is this a progressive thing? If I bite off bigger and bigger pieces of the world, do I lose my soul more and more? What exactly am I forfeiting, what parts? And, can I get them back? Can you reclaim the parts of your soul that you prostituted to the world, or murdered for the equivalent of cold, hard cash?
1 thing I realized...
my soul, this small fairly nameless thing inside of me, or this thing that actually IS me, that nobody knows truly, not even me... this mysterious, deep thing that never changes in essence whether i'm 10 lbs and lying in a crib, or 23 years old floundering wondering about purpose, love, career, and friendship... or elderly and dying in my bed... this soul... this eternal thing... is actually worth more THAN THE ENTIRE WORLD. wow.
1 thing i'm still wondering...
If gaining the whole world can be a sign that i've ost my whole soul, is this a progressive thing? If I bite off bigger and bigger pieces of the world, do I lose my soul more and more? What exactly am I forfeiting, what parts? And, can I get them back? Can you reclaim the parts of your soul that you prostituted to the world, or murdered for the equivalent of cold, hard cash?
I got glasses
So yeah, I'm officially a nerd now! HAHA just kidding. It is just to give my eyes a break from 16 hours of contacts a day. I'm still getting used to these..
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Words to sing
No guilt in life
No fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry
To final breath
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell
No scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from his hand
Till he returns
Or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand.
This 4th verse has been my favorite part of a song for several weeks now. I can't totally explain why but singing the song is giving me words to say something I couldn't figure out how to say on my own. Nothing, not even hell's evil scheming within me, is going to change God's love. I've been feeling defeated so much lately. It's too easy to feel defeated when really defeat is a totally different thing for us. We're never defeated. And the defeat we do feel is more like surrender (hopefully!). Which is something I keep seeing in movies lately. Everyone seems to understand the power of reaching your end point and crying out in total helplessness. Something is essentially human about that.
I went to a party tonight at Lisa's apartment. It was fun, we mostly just played cards and braved the cold wind on the balcony. What was different was the age of the group... average in their 30s! Kinda weird for this 23 year old but they were fun. One guy was totally like Kramer and even kept a straight face when he said hilarious things. That was entertaining. Why is going to a party always so intimidating? I'm even a pretty outgoing person, but something about knowing you're gonna have to walk through a door and intelligibly interact with lots of strangers is pretty frightening. But it wasn't that bad, actually. PHew! That's what i was figuring so i went. Plus I had to give her back her keys. So there ya go.
I spent the day with my cousin, aunt and uncle. Leaving them is going to be the very hardest part of moving, I think. They are my family and will be hard (ok, impossible) to replace. Kinda makes me sad just thinking about it. But everything else in my life says MOVE so move I shall. I'm really excited. Freaked out from time to time, extremely so... but excited too.
Pretty much just uncontrollably switching between panic and sadness about leaving, to extreme joy and anticipation, to uncertainty, to hope, to...
No fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry
To final breath
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell
No scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from his hand
Till he returns
Or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand.
This 4th verse has been my favorite part of a song for several weeks now. I can't totally explain why but singing the song is giving me words to say something I couldn't figure out how to say on my own. Nothing, not even hell's evil scheming within me, is going to change God's love. I've been feeling defeated so much lately. It's too easy to feel defeated when really defeat is a totally different thing for us. We're never defeated. And the defeat we do feel is more like surrender (hopefully!). Which is something I keep seeing in movies lately. Everyone seems to understand the power of reaching your end point and crying out in total helplessness. Something is essentially human about that.
I went to a party tonight at Lisa's apartment. It was fun, we mostly just played cards and braved the cold wind on the balcony. What was different was the age of the group... average in their 30s! Kinda weird for this 23 year old but they were fun. One guy was totally like Kramer and even kept a straight face when he said hilarious things. That was entertaining. Why is going to a party always so intimidating? I'm even a pretty outgoing person, but something about knowing you're gonna have to walk through a door and intelligibly interact with lots of strangers is pretty frightening. But it wasn't that bad, actually. PHew! That's what i was figuring so i went. Plus I had to give her back her keys. So there ya go.
I spent the day with my cousin, aunt and uncle. Leaving them is going to be the very hardest part of moving, I think. They are my family and will be hard (ok, impossible) to replace. Kinda makes me sad just thinking about it. But everything else in my life says MOVE so move I shall. I'm really excited. Freaked out from time to time, extremely so... but excited too.
Pretty much just uncontrollably switching between panic and sadness about leaving, to extreme joy and anticipation, to uncertainty, to hope, to...
Thursday, October 06, 2005
So proud today
YEahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so, so, so proud of Congress today. Thank God they did the right thing.
Senate Moves to Protect Military Prisoners Despite Veto Threat (NY Times)
WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 - Defying the White House, the Senate overwhelmingly agreed Wednesday to regulate the detention, interrogation and treatment of prisoners held by the American military...
Senate, Bucking White House, backs detainee protections (Intl Herald Tribune)
In a sharp rebuke to the White House, the U.S. Senate agreed Wednesday to regulate the detention, interrogation and treatment of prisoners held by the U.S. militar
It still has to become official policy, but I hope that it will. It is attached to a huge "must pass" Defense spending bill. For once I'm glad for those slimy DC tactics. hah.
Bush and Cheney are sick men, in my humble opinion, for not only opposing regulation of prisoner treatment, but furthermore threatening their peers in Congress if they didn't go along with them. Cheney literally went on a fear-inducing trip over to the Congressional buildings to warn them. What a crazy. Congress did the right thing, and actually represented the American people. phew!
I am so, so, so proud of Congress today. Thank God they did the right thing.
Senate Moves to Protect Military Prisoners Despite Veto Threat (NY Times)
WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 - Defying the White House, the Senate overwhelmingly agreed Wednesday to regulate the detention, interrogation and treatment of prisoners held by the American military...
Senate, Bucking White House, backs detainee protections (Intl Herald Tribune)
In a sharp rebuke to the White House, the U.S. Senate agreed Wednesday to regulate the detention, interrogation and treatment of prisoners held by the U.S. militar
It still has to become official policy, but I hope that it will. It is attached to a huge "must pass" Defense spending bill. For once I'm glad for those slimy DC tactics. hah.
Bush and Cheney are sick men, in my humble opinion, for not only opposing regulation of prisoner treatment, but furthermore threatening their peers in Congress if they didn't go along with them. Cheney literally went on a fear-inducing trip over to the Congressional buildings to warn them. What a crazy. Congress did the right thing, and actually represented the American people. phew!
Sunday, October 02, 2005
US policy on torture
What are we, Nazis? Stalinists? Reading this stuff makes me almost physically sick.
Satchmo follows the movie marathon
Most beautiful Sunday afternoon ever (ok actually it's a little too hot if you stay in the sun), but anyway... wow, I got off track right away. lol I'm listening to a Louis Armstrong CD that I found here. It is putting my soul at eaaaaase. I love it.
I'm in the apartment of this friend, Lisa, that I'm house-sitting for. Her cats names' are Macaroni and Noodle. Noodle is beyond timid and spends 98% of this life under the bed. However, he has the most human eyes I have ever seen. In his heart he must be an old, wise man. Macaroni wants to approach me but just isn't totally sure. He did brush up against my foot a minute ago. I am trying to beckon him over, calling him Mac-daddy and Macaroni Grill. lol It's hard to find a nickname for him that isn't longer than the name itself. Hmmm. He would get some affection if he would just come over here!!
I've had a really good weekend. We saw A History of Violence, Love Actually, and Crash. I really, really liked them all. I love the premise/theme of crash... that we're all so distant that we crash into each other just to feel something. That kind of crashing seems to be happening everywhere, all the time. Not that we intentionally do it, but... it's like grace, in a way. The scene with the little girl running to shield her Dad has to go down as one of the best scenes in a movie ever. Wow. Movies are so good these days.
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