I love bacon

I love bacon and because my husband and co-worker both have talked lately about bacon, I thought this Jim Gaffigan video was right on. Enjoy!

Cats

Our cats, especially Nini acts just like the cat in these cartoons, save injuring us with bats and such. It's hilarious!

I love Scrabble and I love Shaq

So here's a great commercial:

sign of the times

i have an obsession with facebook. if you don't know what that is, it's one of the bigger social networking sites. i was looking over different people's status updates yesterday, and i read this one from tim wise:

"a bunch of rich white men basically destroy the world economy with hedge fund schemes, derivatives, credit default swaps and other assorted speculative investments, costing folks literally trillions in lost wealth, and yet most white people will no doubt still be more afraid of black men in hoodies than white men in suits and ties...wake the f%$k up!!! "

tim wise is an expert on white privilege and racism. julie & i saw him speak last year here in nashville on his book "white like me". i like this quote from tim, simply because it makes a great point. as a society, we are more concerned with the person in dark skin wearing baggy pants than the white guy in a suit stealing our stuff. the white guy can get away with his crimes because white privilege. i don't like this. it's an indicator that we take more value in someone's skin color than their actions.

the next time you are in a mall, or just out in public, i challenge you to check the thoughts and stereotypes that run through your head & heart when you see an african-american, asian-american, a latino or hispanic. do you automatically assume things about them only because of their skin color? that's an element of racism. work on eliminating those thoughts, and work to truely see them as christ does...for who they are inside.

domestic vs international adoption

Here's a great article on the case for adopting domestically.

ga oranje!

if you're not aware of this, then you're probably not a world football fan, but world cup qualifiers continued this past weekend. the 2 countries i am pulling for are, of course, the u.s. and netherlands. mainly the netherlands. i was disappointed with the way the u.s. played. by all accounts, they should have defeated el salvador, but they tied instead. the netherlands, on the other hand, soundly defeated scotland 3-0. catch highlights from both matches below. and yes, the highlights from the netherlands match are in dutch.

Netherlands vs. Scotland in Amsterdam




U.S. vs. El Salvador in San Salvador

i really should...

...wake up and smell the coffee. i am a blog-slacker. julie has posted, like, 500 posts in the past hour and i haven't posted any in a couple weeks. so what have i been up to? well, right now i'm eating popcorn...mainly carmel popcorn. yum. and i'm watching grey's anatomy with julie, thanks to tivo. we watched this great movie called Milk that our friend bill let us borrow. i've done another couple episodes of my radio show, the movement regression...playing bands like late of the pier, starflyer 59 (a long-time favorite), mogwai, and the raveonettes. all fantastic, i promise you. on april 8, my friend eric is helping me put together a show featuring funk/soul music, with a theme of loss & redemption. you can listen online here from 8pm to 10pm central time. and i came across this kenyan prayer that i think is quite profound.

"from the cowardice that dares not face new truth, from the laziness that is contented with half-truth, from the arrogance that thinks it has all truth, dear god, deliver us. amen"

Composting

Can I just tell you how excited I am that Nashville Metro Public Works now has composting machines! Check it out!

I've been wanting to start a compost but haven't for several reasons:

1- I (and then we) lived in an apartment complex for many years and simply didn't have the yard to do it in
2- we currently rent the house we live in and I didn't think our landlord would approve of me digging a hole in the yard

But now! We have the opportunity to do some in a less evasive way! Plus, they also have a nice little gadget for taking food scraps that the composter won't take!

This is awesome! We're going to buy one this weekend!

NCAA and Pac-10 Referees

I just need to say how much I hate Pac-10 referees and the NCAA referees. I think they are biased for California Teams, especially Stanford and USC and I think they are also biased for the entire SEC.

Jerks!

Julie-ology

Thanks for this steal from a Facebook quiz---

***FOODOLOGY***

What is your salad dressing of choice?
italian ceasar

What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
Toyama or Carrabbas

What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of?
Rice!

What are your pizza toppings of choice?
Ham and Pineapple

What do you like to put on your toast?
Jam

***BIOLOGY***
Are you right-handed or left-handed?
right

Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
Boogers, hair (as in cut), cavities

What is the last heavy item you lifted?
our cat nini

Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
no

***BULLCRAPOLOGY***
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
maybe

If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
Small but mighty

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000
no

***DUMBOLOGY***
How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
4

Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
in 2005

Last person you talked to?
brian - and my dad

Last person you hugged?
brian

***FAVORITEOLOGY***
Season?
SUMMER!

Holiday?
Earth Day! And then Spring Equinox! And then Christmas!

Day of the week?
saturday

Month?
May - bcz it's the beginning of summer

***RANDOMOLOGY***

First place you went to this morning?
work

What's the last movie you saw?
Milk

Do you smile often?
well, lately... not quite as much

***QUESTIONS***

Do you always answer your phone?
no

What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic?
cherry

Do you own a digital camera?
yes

Have you ever had a pet fish?
yes - Alpha Beta - that my younger sibs dug up later after it had died....

Favorite Christmas song?
tie - o holy night and o come all ye faithful

What is the last song to make you cry?
Kyrie Elision

Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?
no comment

The Good 'ol South

So a friend was telling me that in his neighborhood, there was a woman looking for a house to purchase. He happened to be outside walking his dog and found out that the woman was interested in living there, and since he was the housing association president, he offered to answer any questions she may have. So she asked several questions, dialogue ensued, and then he asked if she had any remaining questions. She said "well yes, but you're not supposed to ask it." She apparently proceeded to ask "So what's the black white ratio here?" Um... yeah... you're NOT SUPPOSED TO ASK IT. And then she said, I'm sorry, I'm from the South. Well yes, you are. But please don't make your being from the South an excuse for your blatent racism and ignorance. Bless her heart, in the most southern way possible.

Quiverfull Movement

Although Brian and I want to have kids someday, I completely disagree with the beliefs of the Quiverfull Movement.

Just kinda think it's whack... but it doesn't surprise me... for many reasons.

AIDS and Condoms and Pope Benedict XVI

Ok, my first reaction to this article was WTF! I am a strong believer that condom use can help stop the spread of HIV. (Thanks Nashville Cares!)

So WTF Pope, as the spiritual leader whose faith tradition carries a long history of caring for those with HIV/AIDS, how can you condone such irresponsible care of one's health?! Is this paternalism I smell?

While I know that the Catholic Church strongly opposes the use of birth control, I am appalled that with all of the medical know how and advocacy for self-responsibility for our health, how can he make such a stance about preventing the spread of HIV.

ASU Commencement 2009

Ok so how cool is it that Obama will be the commencement speaker at this year's ceremonies at ASU! Dang, I'll even be back in AZ but will miss his visit by 3 days.

Check it out!

Kyrie Eleison

I have always loved this song and thought I would post it here:

The wind blows hard against this mountain side
Across the sea into my soul
It reaches into where I cannot hide
Setting my feet upon the road

My heart is old it holds my memories
My baby burns agem like flame
Somewhere between the soul and soft machine
Is where I find myself again

*CHORUS*
Kyrie Eleison
Down the road that I must travel
Kyrie Eleison
Through the darkness of the night
Kyrie Eleison
Where I'm going will you follow
Kyrie Eleison
On a highway in the light

When I was young I thought of growing old
Of what my life would mean to me
Would I have followed down my chosen road
Or only wished what I could be

Oh...Oh...Oh
Oh...Oh...Oh
Oh...Oh...Oh
Oh...Oh...Oh

(repeat to end)

Lyrics courtesy of Lyrics-Top

ASU Sports!

Hats off to Arizona State for it's Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball and Women's Gymnastics! Good luck to the basketball teams as they make their way to the big dance. And good luck to the gymnastics team as they aim for the Pac-10 championship title.

Proverbs of Ashes

I often pick up this book around the same time every year - Lent. I love it because it encourages a moral imagination or creativity that we too often don't explore or are afraid to explore. It also examines the liturgical themes that come about at this time of year and moves through them to a search of what truly can save us.

I appreciate many parts of this book because of the willingness to consider a new framework, a new way of looking at potentially damaging and harmful theologies, casting them in a new life-giving way. It's a text that has feminist leanings and to some, it would probably be considered heretical. The reason I keep picking it up and re-examining it every year is because it reminds me of the fact that I don't have to accept or be bound by the status quo (in terms of theology and belief system) and that it inspires me to look for ways to continue to be in relationship with God in refreshing, life-giving ways. I have my critiques of it, as I do with parts of the feminist theological thought... but overall, it's an intriguing book.

Although I don't relate to the stories of violence and sexual abuse, there are stories of race and racism which conjure up my own stories of pain and hurt as a result of damaging, racist, manipulative behaviors toward me and/or people close to me.

[Tangent] I am not closed-minded enough nor naive enough to believe that people don't have varying opinions about many things, including theology, but what really gets me is when people are not able nor willing to allow, consider or permit other theologies and belief systems to exist that are not their own. That's when conversation ceases to exist and relationships are strained. Perhaps some of the unwillingness can be attributed to generational differences and upbringings. Perhaps I'm giving too much credit for one's personal responsibility to understand and articulate what they believe in and why. Perhaps its narrow, close-mindedness after all. And in that case, I've probably fallen into your limiting stereotype of a liberal, feminist, business-woman which is scary to you. And you probably wouldn't give me a chance anyway, even though you say you would. That's sad and it's your loss.

There are many quotes from the book with which I resonate. There are also some with which I wrestle. Here's one about the bible that I have always felt was true for me and how I approach the bible not as THE inerrant, Word of God, but rather as a document to be studied as it gave witness to those who wrote it and compiled it.

"The Bible is a multi-voiced witness to the endeavor to know God and reverence life. As a human document, it is flawed in its grasp of ultimate things, but within it - as in our own flawed lives - we glimpse a mystery that holds us, always."

the periodic table...

...the way it should be.

which combination of "elements" do you think would be most dangerous? me? i thought you would never ask. mountain dew+ninja+jetpack