the new yorker calls it again

Lately I've been thinking about that well-known phenomenom of the English language. Whereby we have only one word for LOVE.

We use the same word to say we love God as to say we love cheese. Or our best friend, reading in the bathtub, Meryl Streep movies, and the beach at sunset.

Then I saw this cartoon in my New Yorker.

I love it.

overheard at starbucks

guy wearing nice suit and clutching his Blackberry:
"You people are smart, you're hungry, and you're out there. You're what's happening in the corporate world. You're so it."

female version of same guy:
(moaning) "Ohhhh.... I could listen to you talk like that all day."

troubling textbook theory

The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime states that a significant reason juvenile crime has decreased in the years since 1993 is due to abortion being legalized in 1973.

"A steep rise in abortions after 1973 has meant that many persons prone to criminal activity in the 1990's were never born." --John Donohue III and Steven Levitt.

God. Help us.

Thinking of Mel so much these days.... and the loss of her grandmother.

Praying for her and her family tonight.

When one of us aches the sorrow seeps out and touches us all.

The Word of the Day for September 20th is:

insuperable• \in-SOO-puh-ruh-bul\ • adjective
: incapable of being surmounted, overcome, passed over, or solved

Example sentence:
Sometimes when she thought of the notion of writing two term papers totaling approximately 6,000 words, the idea seemed insuperable.

Quote of the Day

"You have to expend time and energy. If you don't want to do that, you can still get a lot of enlightenment and entertainment by just wandering around, but you'll never get the deep spiritual nourishment."

--Sister Wendy

adventures in melville

It was a wonderful visit with Mel. Highlights included witnessing Mel turn in her term papers an impressive 50 minutes before the deadline, meeting Mel's friends for a post-papers celebration, a hike on the Mt. Baldy trail, a bike ride around Monrovia, worship at Harvest Rock church, a trip to the Norton Simon museum, a guided tour of The Container Store, several wrong turns on one way streets, and an auto emergency that involved using a hairbrush from my glovebox as a repair tool (which actually worked).

Thanks Melody. I had a great time.

who knew?

Blogging to you live from Monrovia, California just outside of Pasadena, home of Fuller Theological Seminary and Melody Joy Wachsmuth.

Took a hike today with Nattie and Mel, and I had the supreme pleasure of seeing Mel's face light up as we took in the lovely mountainside, the creek, and the foliage, which included a Mountain Hemlock tree--one of Mel's favorites.

To our surprise we also discovered ski lifts and a charming little mountain community. Just a short drive up out of Pasadena.

Who knew?

Tomorrow, perhaps a museum visit is in store.

Tonight, I hop on my bike and tour the town while Mel is at work.

Oh yeah... and do homework. Maybe.

overheard in the campus free speech area

man shouting on platform: "Why should you listen to me? You don't listen to what the Bible says so why should I think you will listen to me?"

girl in pink hoodie: "I don't listen to you because you stand out here and yell like an ass every day."

man shouting on platform: "I'm not here every day. I come once a week. But it seems like every day to you because I'm talking about sin and you are probably living in it."

girl in pink hoodie: "Fuck you."

Hey, I can do quotes!!

"I may not be smart enough to do everything, but I sure am dumb enough to try anything!"

my Grampo

Grampo has been in the hospital for the past couple of days. Against his doctor's recommendation he was having a stint put into an artery. Because he doesn't have as much energy as he used to and he's sure it's because of this narrowed passageway.

Never mind that he's 94. Testa duro. (translation: hard-headed)

So anyway he had the operation and he's fine. Went home yesterday.

By the time he left he had all the nurses charmed and had delighted me in so many ways.... and he was looking so good I finally told him it was a good plan he had. He patted my hand and said, "I know, Piccolina.... what these doctors don't realize is I gotta be there to take care of your Grams."

I was sitting in the window seat studying while he slept and my Grams entered the room with my mom after eating their lunch. Grampo was all dressed and ready to go home. Sleeping there in his chair, red plaid shirt tucked in, clean-shaven, shoes polished, his belongings in a bag on his lap.... he opened his eyes when Grams walked in.

Grams looked at him and asked, "Daddy, why are you wearing that belt? Where are your suspenders? "

To which Grampo replied, "Oh, Mama, I'm trying to give you some variety." Then he winked.

When the nurse came to give him his discharge instructions, Grampo looked on the paper and said, quite seriously, "Wait a while, wait a while... where's it say I need my glass of red wine?"

The nurse, who had become accustomed to Grampo's teasing, said, "Mr. Sordi, whatever you've been doing, you keep doing it. I talked to my husband about you for an hour last night. He's 58 years younger than you and you look better than he does."

Grampo squeezed her hand, told her thanks for taking such good care of him, and then recommended she stop at the store on her way home. To pick up a bottle of red wine.

Grampo. I love him.

Lovin' on Jamie

Since Jamie designed this to be a "team member" accessible blog, but only a handful besides St Jamie ever take advantage of posting, I though I'd make Jamie's day...hopefully..

All you team members, and anyone reading this, choose one of the following options for blessing the Jamie:

1)post a limmerick, or haiku on the theme of what you appreciate about her.

2)post the above...but use it to tell an embarrassing story/inhouse joke about her (you reading, Sara, Craig et al?)

3)Tell us something cool about her that the rest of us may not know

4)Roast her in a Spanish language post


Now get to it quick, before she deletes this and revokes my privileges.

I will post mine tomorrow night..hope to see others post by then

this week's movie recommendation

see trailer and clips here

my amazing bicycle baskets

So I know I have told you about my cool new bike baskets. And I'm going to talk about them some more.

I LOVE them.

Nowadays I am doing what I call The Bike-Bus Routine. Brad got a bus pass for me, which has opened up some new options. I can ride my bike all over town without concern that I will tire and be stuck many miles from home with no recourse.

There's always the bus, baby. Every half hour. Steady as a heartbeat pulsing through town.

I keep my bus schedule on me at all times, and wherever I am I can just find the nearest bus stop, fold up my baskets, and wait. Then I load my bike onto the rack, and enter the nice, cool, air-conditioned bus, where I meet lots of different people to converse with and learn from. Or I sit and zone with my iPod on. My choice. I am thoroughly enjoying myself.

The thing that's great about my bike baskets--in addition to allowing me to carry books, bags, groceries, etc-- is that they have been the catalyst to many a lovely encounter.

People think my bike baskets are quite extraordinary. Because they are.

I mean to say that people are positively compelled to stare at them in wonder, to circle around them to get a better look, and to exclaim to me how spectacular they are, and question where I got them and if I love having them.

This has given me many great opportunites to meet people I would never have met. A couple of times Jesus found his way into the conversation, which of course sweetens the deal immeasurably.

Some encounters include:

--a young gentleman attired completely in red, including wrist bands, socks, shoes, sunglasses, and bandana. All red.

--an old old (or just street-worn) man with bike baskets of his own.

--a sweet little Polish woman who had never heard of ebay and was delighted to learn of it.

--a handicapped couple riding motorized chairs.

--a drunken and boisterously friendly man (with only one eye) sitting outside the Salvation Army Thrift store.

And this is just a few. And in only two weeks.

And I'm (hopefully) going to be doing this for a very long time. Imagine the potential. I have so much to look forward to.

going backpacking

Headed off to Joe Crane Lake and
the Ansel Adams wilderness.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Who wouldn't want to go here?

article link of the day (bono worshipers beware)

Another great read from Burnside Writer's Collective.

A couple of (carefully chosen) excerpts:

"Bono is no longer a person. He has become a brand, like Disney or Nike or the Olson twins, he is no longer really human."

"Of course it doesn’t help that there is an ever expanding army of daft Christians out there ready to pounce on Bono’s every word and interpret it with eschatological zeal." (I liked this one because I just learned what eschatological means)

"It must be a scary thing to be so powerful, so godlike that no one worth listening to will ever disagree with you."

Go here. Read and enjoy. And please ignore the shot the writer takes at Dave Matthews. Father forgive her. She knows not what.

And does anyone else think Bono looks a little too much like Robin Willams? What if...? Nah. It couldn't be.