our PJ life

nerdy techy goodness

2010-09-15T17:47:00.000-07:00

last week i had a bad situation turn into an incredible, thanks to the folks at apple, inc.

i've had the same macbook for almost 4 years now. it's a great machine and has been incredibly reliable. much like my honda civic. last tuesday i'm online, putzing around on some websites when my macbook suddenly freezes. i'm unable to get it to do anything so i shut it down then reboot it. upon rebooting, all i get is a white screen with a folder in the middle that has a question mark inside it, blinking. i do some research online (thanks to julie & i getting blackberries the previous weekend) and discover it's most likely a hard drive issue. not good. as in not $500 good.

as i researched more, i found out that in february apple issued a warranty on macbooks like mine for hard drive issues. suddenly things looked brighter. when i went to the apple store at san tan village (a shopping center near where we live), the genius told me the warranty ended on august 15. 3 weeks earlier. my heart sank. he quickly followed that up with saying since it was within 1 month he could extend it to me. yay! the next day i had my macbook back. to top it off, it now has an extra 100 gigs of memory and they upgraded the operating system to OS 10.5. I previously had 10.4.

the only downside is they were unable to save anything that i had save on my computer. fortunately all my music, pics & important documents saved on an external hard drive.

apple definitely went out of their way to make a customer happy. i now have, for all intents and purposes, a new computer that will hopefully last another 4 years. and someone who will be forever loyal to apple.

Health Update

2010-08-06T11:13:00.000-07:00

After my doctor visits each day thi week, I'm happy to report that progress is being made!

My INR (blood thin/thickness) levels have evened out to a therapeutic level. While for a normal person an INR of 1.0 is normal, the goal is to keep my INR between 2.0 and 3.0. On Monday it was 1.6. On Wednesday it was 2.1 and today it was 2.3. I alternate dosages of coumadin every other day and hopefully this will keep it regulated.

I had a dr visit with the Rheumatologist on Tuesday to be able to rule out any rheumatological issues I may be having. Originally back in June, some labs came back high in the rheumatory family so as a precaution, I had a visit with the dr. Also, while in the hospital, one of the potential secondary causes of Minimal Change Disease (MCD) could be rheumatory/lupus related. They did an initial lupus test that came back abnormal so they did a second, more specific one that came back positive. At this visit, the dr explained that for something to be certainly, 100% lupus, there are 7 things/characteristics that they test for and a person must have at least 4 of them to be considered lupus positive. I only have 2 of them. So they have ruled out lupus.

They dr did however say that I have Antiphospholipid Syndrome which is a clotting disorder most likely related to the kidney issues. It can explain why I developed the clot, the MCD and why the rheumatological lab results were off the charts. Fortunately, this is treated with the coumadin. Also, with this syndrome, it can lay dormant and then within 1-2 weeks the symptoms can arise. This is in line with what has gone on with me.

On Thursday I had a dr appoint with the nephrologist (Kidney dr) and found out a lot of good stuff.

While my thyroid and cholesterol are still really high, my protein in my urine has reduced dramatically! YAY! A sign that the prednisone is working! A healthy person should have under 30 units of protein in their urine. When I had the original lab the amount of protein was 7823 units. As of this week, I have 851 units. While still high, it's getting much better! I will continue taking the prednisone for another month at 60mg/day and then start to taper off of it after that.

Now that I'm down past my original weight before all of this started, I can stop taking the diuretic.

My blood clot is still there, most likely, as it takes a while for it to dissolve. The filter will stay in place for now.

In regards to my diet, there are no restrictions except to try to keep a low sodium diet since I've stopped taking the diuretic. No limits to water intake.

I'm still curious as to the cause(s) of all of this. While they don't have a primary cause, there are many secondary causes that could have contributed to MCD and Nephrotic Syndrome. While we've ruled many of them out, there are still some that I wanted to explore. (Thanks Joely for helping me think of these!!!)

- Increased amount of metal toxin - this would be like exposure to mercury or lead
     - Only if I've been exposed would this be an issue and if I had, then my blood count would go really high. There has been nothing in my labs that have indicated an increase in metals in my system.

- Scleroderma - an auto-immune condition
     - My skin and joints would be pulled tight because of the vessels becoming fiberous. This hasn't happened. Also, the rheumatological tests have ruled this out.

- Hodgkins Lymphoma
     - I would have white blood abnormalities, which I don't. Also, the prednisone would make the condition worse, which it hasn't.

- Lyme Disease
     - While the drs are skeptical of this because its uncommon in AZ, I've asked to have the blood work run to rule this out because of my living in Kansas City and Nashville. I will have this done next Wednesday.

Ok, so that's all I know for now. I am so grateful for all of your support and prayers as I continue to head to recovery. Please feel free to talk with me about this. It's a lot easier to update on the blog and I appreciate your warm wishes. Much love!

striking a chord...

2010-08-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

even outside of "music city usa" my music passion flourishes. while i haven't purchased a ton of CD's since we moved to the phoenix area last year, i have come across a bunch that i think should be shared. keep in mind, these fall under the "new to me" category, although some are actually new-ish. some i have come across thanks to the library system, so they are now on my iPod (which is named "medpod"). here are some of my favorite recent discoveries.

silversun pickups - "swoon": i love the guitar effects this band uses. while their 1st album, "carnavas" wasn't that impressive, "swoon" is full of stand-out tracks. they have some elements of shoegazer (always a fav for me) with moodiness thrown in for good measure. "panic switch" and "the royal we" are a couple favorite tracks.

bobby womack - "the soul of": this is actually a best of collection. at some point over the past year or so, i heard "across 110th street" (a song he wrote for the 70s blaxploitation film of the same name) and the chorus seemed permanently stuck in my head. this meant only one thing. i had to get the song. i can't say i like every song on "stop on by", but bobby womack had a knack for writing great hooks. the 1st song on the album, "daylight" i am completely addicted to. simply great 70s soul.

jonsi - "go": if you don't know, this is the 1st solo album from the vocalist of sigur ros. their album "takk" is easily in my all-time top 10, so i was eager to hear what he would do on his own. i became even more excited after hearing his interview on npr's "all songs considered" back in march. he does so much with song textures and sweeping orchestral arrangements. epically beautiful. the songs "tornado" and "animal arithmetic" are great examples.

stavesacre - "against the silence EP": alas, this very well could be the swan song for one of my all time favorite bands. 5 songs of bittersweetness. i do realize that's not technically a word, but i'm going with it. it comes very much in their recognizable melodic hardcore time signature. my favorite song is "...the band played on", followed by "the dash on my headstone".

that's a small peak into my recent music addictions & i can't wait to hear what other ones i'll come across in the future.

Minimal Change Disease and Nephrotic Syndrome

2010-07-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Although there are many articles out there, here is one about Minimal Change Disease (MCD) that is pretty helpful.

And another article on Nephrotic Syndrome, which MCD causes.

Good News!

2010-07-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Well it's been a crazy week!

I went into the ER at the county hospital on Sunday July 18th with some pain in my left arm, a rapid pulse and a hard time breathing. we decided to head to the ER to be checked out since my health has not improved and, to be quite honest, we were tired of waiting for answers when i have to deal with pain and discomfort every day because of my health problems. after the staff at the hospital brought me into the ER, they gave her an EKG, a CT scan, an ultrasound and ran some other tests.

from the ultrasound, they saw that I have fluid around my spleen, liver and lungs but not my heart.

from the CT scan, they determined that i have a rather large blood clot in the aorta leading to my right kidney and I also have Nephrotic Syndrome, which can be caused by a number of things.

after a kidney biopsy they drs determined that I have Minimal Change Disease, which causes the Nephrotic Syndrome. It can be treated with a host of medications but I should hopefully start seeing some progress within 12-16 weeks and if all goes well and my body responds positively to the treatment, should be good by the end of the year. There is a good chance that I'll relapse within the following 6 months after that (Jan-June 2011) but we'll see. I'm on steroids to help calm down the kidneys.

i also had a filter inserted to keep the clot from traveling to my lungs or heart or brain. if the clot stays below my knees, then that's good. but its still in my kidney area.

once/if my kidneys start to calm down and become less inflamed, then the other issues should start to go away and I hopefully, will be able to wean myself off of the medications.

High Cholesterol - because my kidneys are inflamed, my liver is freaking out

Swelling (Edema/Anasarca) - bcz of kidneys not holding protein, i'm retaining fluid, but this should even out too - I switched diuretics and this one seems to be helping. I've lost 12-15 lbs so far!!!

Thrombosis (blood clot) - same with kidneys, if I have a predisposition to clotting, and my blood protein isn't able to even out the clotting factors because there is no/little protein in the blood, then I could keep clotting. but again, once the clotting evens out because of the blood thinner, then hopefully that will be ok. I will probably have the filter out in the next 6 mo.

I was released on Friday July 23 and will have many follow up appointments and a rigorous medication regimen. I will keep you posted as my progress continues!

Brian and I have been very impressed with the treatment I have received at the county hospital in phoenix. the staff have been courteous, compassionate, caring and thorough. we're grateful we are finally getting some answers on what's been going on!

Thank you to all of you who visited me or Brian in the hospital. It was so reassuring and uplifting to have your presence with us. We also thank you for your prayers for continued wisdom on the part of the doctors and nurses who are taking care of me. And for your friendship and love for us - we are so loved and blessed by you!

thank you for your care and love,
Julie and Brian

Health

2010-07-15T21:22:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since I've blogged but there’s been some stuff that's happened recently regarding my health. I’ll try to make this an annotated summary. :)

At the beginning of June, I started having some swelling in my feet/ankles and woke up one day with a very tight chest and was short of breath. My stomach issues flared up and was uncomfortably bloated. My dr reconfirmed IBS and also prescribed blood work.

After various reactions to medicines and steroids, I found myself in the ER having more blood work, an EKG and a chest xray. Turns out, my sedimentation rate (how fast my red blood cells fall in a tube in 1 hr) is either high or low (can't remember right now) and so they think it could be something in the rheumatory family (arthritis most likely). Urine tests show that I'm NOT pregnant.

Later that week, the dr said that the initial tests that they did came back slightly hyperthyroidism. They also said that I have elevated labs and that it's probably an autoimmune disorder. More of the tests they had run came back indicating an overactive parathyroid which could be causing the fatigue and swelling (edema).

At the beginning of July, the diuretic didn’t seem to be working so they upped the dosage and then still no results and then upped the dosage again (80mg/day). I have a Vitamin-D deficiency and am on a thyroid pill.

After even more blood work, my cholesterol levels are higher than they were 1 month ago. My albumin and calcium is low as well. I've gained almost 40 lbs since the beginning of June and my joints and muscles are very tight and stiff. It's quite uncomfortable!

A recent visit with the dr determined that my kidneys are not retaining proteins for my blood, rather I'm peeing the protein out. And, I'm retaining the fluid and it's going into my blood which is causing the anasarca (localized edema).

They will measure exactly how much protein I'm releasing. If it's more than 3 grams, then it could lead to something called Nephrotic syndrome.

They don't want to prescribe any more medicines at this point, even a cholesterol one. They want to try to address the underlying problem with my kidneys first. I'm still on the diuretic and vitamin D (for a deficiency), and levothyroxine (for thyroid). The diuretic doesn't seem to help relieve the retention, but at least it's holding it so that the weight gain has leveled out this week.

I have upcoming appointments with a rheumatologist and a Nephrologist (kidney specialist).

Since Brian is working at a hospital through a temp agency, he’s not considered a full time employee and therefore does not have health insurance. I have a part time retail job but am considered seasonal/temporary and therefore don’t have access to health insurance either. We applied for the state funded health care but because we make more than the allowed amount for a couple ($600/mo – which is ridiculous!) we are over qualified. We have a found a medical clinic through the state hospital that allows us to have treatment wit ha payment plan based on our income.

It's been a long journey and its not over yet. Brian and I thank you for all of your prayers and encouragement.

disappointed

2010-07-13T17:45:00.000-07:00

it's been 2 days, and i'm still feeling it. the netherlands lost to spain on sunday in the world cup final, 1-0, in overtime. i felt like things were going wrong for the dutch in the beginning of the 2nd half. they amassed 9 of the 13 yellow cards handed out, including a red card handed to john heitinga (who plays for f.c. everton, the english team i support).

i felt emotionally drained after the match. i was quite excited to watch it, and was glad to have my fellow soccer dork, rex, join me. by the end, after watching a great 0-0 game go to overtime, my frustration and hope had collided with each other too many times.

the atmosphere in the pub we went to was good, with about 70% supporting spain and 30% for the dutch. the netherlands definitely played a little dirty, which explains the amount of yellow cards they received. i do still feel that howard webb, the main referee during the match, did a poor job. he's the same guy who handed out 3 yellow cards to 1 player in 1 match in the european championships in 2008. the rules state it's 2 yellow cards an you're out. how he was able to ref the biggest sporting event on the planet after that display is beyond me.

in the end, i'm not sure if spain were necessarily the better side. thanks to the ref stopping the game so much to hand out yellows, neither side had a chance to develop their individual styles of play. the netherlands definitely had their scoring chances, with 2 by arjen robben that he should have capitalized on. but after heitinga was taken out it was simply a matter of time before spain scored. the netherlands should have gone into the match with a better game plan than playing as dirty as they did. i just hope this isn't going to replace the total football they are known for.

incredible

2010-07-07T17:17:00.000-07:00

i have to admit, i had hopes, but i didn't think it would actually happen. netherlands made it to the world cup final! they beat uruguay 3-2 yesterday in the semi-final. they play spain sunday (july 11) at 2:30 p.m. eastern (11:30 a.m. here in phoenix) on abc in the final. wow wow wow. this could be the netherlands 1st time to lift the world cup trophy. they've been to the final twice before, in 1974 and 1978, but lost to germany and argentina respectively.

check out this video for highlights of the netherlands v. uruguay match.

on sunday morning i will be at the tilted kilt in tempe, az proudly wearing my netherlands team jersey, rooting for the clockwork oranje.

footie frenzy

2010-06-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

in the midst of the world cup going on in south africa, i thought now would be a great time to post the various reasons why i love football so much. [note: in this post, i will refer to soccer as football, since that is what the rest of the world calls it].

1) it is a sport you can literally watch year-around. each country has it's own league (including the MLS here in the states), with some playing during different parts of the year. the european leagues play september thru may. while the MLS plays during the spring and summer. between the various leagues and all the international matches (many of which are play-offs for the world cup), it's hard to go a couple weeks without an important game or two going on. it's great to be addicted to this sport. you don't have time to suffer from withdrawal.

2) it's not called "the beautiful game" for no reason. when you watch games from the premiere league (the english league), la liga (the spanish league) or serie a (the italian league), there's an artful flow to the game that doesn't happen in most other sports. due in part because there are no time-outs. the development of "total football" in the 1970s by the dutch added to the flow because all the players on the pitch became interchangeable. teams like arsenal in the premiere league and barcelona in la liga also have a history of playing in a manner considered "beautiful". long, arching passes combined with excellent ball control add to the art form. many of the world's best players tend to play in these three leagues, making them the best ones to watch.

3) it truly is a team sport. yes, there are superstars within football. current players like ronaldo, wayne rooney, didier drogba and lionel messi definitely take their teams to the next level. but it's really rare for a team to rise and fall simply on the ability of one player. although maradona and pele are exceptions to that.

4) the sport is a reflection of the cultures in which it's played. read the book "how soccer explains the world" by franklin foer to get a good picture of what i mean. it really is an international sport, which is why the world cup deserves to be called the world cup. unlike baseball's championship, that for some reason is called the world series...where only teams from the u.s. and canada are able to compete.

those are a few reasons why i enjoy football. i hope you take advantage of the coverage of the world cup on espn and abc to watch some games, and begin to understand why the rest of the planet is so passionate about it.

We Are Nashville?

2010-06-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

Thx Jay for this great commentary: the character of a city is not found in how it responds to a disaster in the first week, but rather what it is doing in week 6 and 7. http://bit.ly/cfKJt8

if only my high school graduation were this epic

2010-06-08T21:02:00.000-07:00

yesterday (june 7, 2010) president barack obama spoke at my high school's commencement ceremony. to be honest, the only real memory i have of my high school graduation is when my friend jim and i dunked our heads in the fountain outside of the auditorium afterwards. i think the students who graduated from kalamazoo central high school this year will remember more.

göt2b® Smooth Operator Campaign

2010-06-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hi again! This time I'm here to tell you about a hair product that I'm really looking forward to trying. It's called Smooth Operator Lustre Lotion and it's by a company called göt2b®.

I've always had pretty manageable hair except for the flyaways! Maybe call them wispies or baby hair, but I've often had them stick straight up which doesn't help for my personal or professional image!

I also like to have my hair lay smooth since its on the thick side and the ends can sometimes have a mind of their own.

The makers of Smooth Operator smoothing lustre lotion have this to say:

"göt2b® smooth operator smoothing lustre lotion shapes, smoothes, controls fly-aways and gives your hair an amazing weightless lustre that's touchably soft. Plus it protects against damage from heat styling and contains a UV protectant, too."

Here are the facts:

Recently reformulated with an indulgent cashmere infusion
Protects against heat damage from our favorite heat styling tools and contains a UV protectant
Comes in a sleek and modern 6.8 oz dispenser with a newly improved pump and unique charm
Perfected for use on all hair types, wet or dry
Features a luxurious fragrance fit for a goddess
Available at grocery and drug stores (including Walgreens, CVS and Rite-Aid)
Suggested retail price of $5.99
Part of a full line of göt2b® smooth operator products
To apply, pump the lotion into your hand and distribute it evenly through towel-dried or dry hair and style away

I look forward to taming my hair with the göt2b® Smooth Operator Lustre Lotion! If you would like to try it, let me know. I have some free samples and coupons!

Amish Friendship Bread

2010-06-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

So in my attempt to be like my foodie friends who take amazing photos of their culinary creations, here is my latest. We were given a starter of an Amish Friendship bread mix. I remember hearing about it many times but didn't have the patience or the ingredients or enough pans to actually make it. The entire process takes 10 days and this was our second round of making it. We ate the first loaf and gave away the other two. This time we kept the entire (larger) loaf for ourselves. Yum!

More about the Blast Collection!

2010-06-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

All together now
Want to get the full Blast effect? Use the entire Blast Collection to get amazing vibrant and dramatic looks:
    1.    Apply base color with Smoky ShadowBlast
    2.    Highlight crease and lashlines with Smoky ShadowBlast
    3.    Lengthen lash look with LashBlast Length Mascara
    4.    Define and shine lips with ShineBlast Lip Gloss

Check out this great video courtesy of our friends at BzzAgent:

I'm still trying this product out. I need to tweek the application instructions just a tad for my asian eyes. But here's what it looks like so far:

BzzAgent - Covergirl Blast

2010-05-10T15:32:00.000-07:00

BzzAgent sent me another product, actually two products, to try out and give my reviews. They want me to share with you my thoughts about them and encourage you to try the products as well!

Introducing Covergirl's new Smoky ShadowBlast and ShineBlast lip gloss. These are some new products to help amplify your eyes and play up your lips. The Smoky ShadowBlast allows you to achieve that smoky look with two easy steps! The ShineBlast lip gloss has a high gloss finish with light reflecting shimmer.

Here are the facts:

Smoky ShadowBlast
- Easy Two step eye shadow stick with specially designed applicator tips to easily deliver a colorful smoky eye.
   - Step 1 - Rounded end for shading the lid
     - Step 2 - Tapered end for lining the crease and the upper and lower lids
- 6 Sophisticated color combinations
     - Silver Sky
     - Bronze Fire
     - Citrus Flair
     - Onyx Smoke
     - Purple Plume
     - Tempest Blue
- Found Everywhere Covergirl products are sold - the suggested retail price for this item is $7.99
- Hypo-allergenic and suitable for sensitive eyes; dermatologically tested.

ShineBlast lip gloss
- Breakthrough ShineSculpt applicator hugs your lips' contours for optimum, smooth application and 4x more noticeable shine (than bare lips).
- Available in 16 vibrant, shimmer behind the shine shades:
     - Dazzle, Flare, Ignite, Heat, Aglow, Radiate, Smolder, Beam, Ablaze, Glimmer, Sparkler, Firecracker, Glow, Fire, Ember and Gleam.
- Also, found Everywhere Covergirl products are sold - the suggested retail price for this item is $7.99
I received one of each product and I had to choose the color. But, they already had the pair (one eye one lip) together so I had to choose a certain color combination. I was a bit disappointed in this because the color combination that I wanted was not offered. I received the Silver Sky (805) eye combo and the Fire (880) lip color. I must say the lip color is a lot brighter than on the website.

I am excited to try this product as I've mentioned in previous BzzAgent posts, its hard for me to know how to apply make up on asian eyelids/lashes, etc. So here's to trying a new product! Stay tuned to how it works!

Check out the Covergirl website for more information!

Privacy

2010-05-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

So, I set my privacy settings on FB and Twitter for a variety of reasons mostly because while I may blog about things, I don't necessarily need to have everything public. But I was reading a friend's blog and she had a post from Susan Isaac's blog about Spokeo.com. I went to my profile page and they had lots of information listed that I was uncomfortable having as public record. So I'm passing on how you can delete your profiles as well.

1. Go to spokeo.com: http://www.spokeo.com
2. Type your first and last name in the search bar at the top of the page
3. Locate your profile and click on it (the names are separated by state)
4. When your profile appears, copy the URL from your browser address bar
5. Scroll down to the very bottom of the screen and locate “PRIVACY” in the bottom right corner
6. Click on the “PRIVACY” link
7. Paste the copied URL in the text box
8. Enter your email (you’ll receive a notification email with further instructions)
9. Enter the captcha code displayed to the right of the text box
10. Click the “REMOVE LISTING” command button
11. Go to your email and follow the instructions to confirm deletion

going, going...

2010-05-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

the other night, i had a red-letter moment. as i've mentioned previously, i've taken advantage of the park a block behind julie's parent's house for the past several months by running around it repeatedly in an effort to get healthier.

when julie and i moved to arizona, i was weighing in at around 230 pounds. for someone who is only 5'9", that's not good. when i weighed myself a couple nights ago, i discovered i am down to 199!! that's the 1st time in years i've been below 200 pounds in years. it's a great feeling, realizing success like that. while i'm not to my ideal body weight yet, i know i'm well on my way and can't wait to be there later this year.

i've noticed that i have 3 basic pieces that have made this weight loss process successful so far. the 1st is regular cardio exercise. by running for about an hour 3 times a week (at least), it's really helped me burn through calories and keep my metabolism up. the 2nd is portions. i've paid a lot more attention to how much i eat, realizing i don't need 2nd helpings all the time. the 3rd is watching what i eat. i still eat sweets and drink sodas. i just have less of them. this process may not work for you, but it has for me.

what i've learned (so far) in this process is that real weight loss is about a lifestyle change. i don't use any special diets, aside from making sure i eat vegetables and fruits everyday. and i cut down on carbohydrates. but it's really deciding each day that the goal of losing the weight is more important than the short-term satisfaction of that candy bar...or bag of potato chips...or eating fast food.

i also want to thank julie for pushing me along in this process and encouraging me to get out and run regularly. especially in the beginning.

pat's run

2010-04-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

this morning, julie and i woke up bright and early (5:30 a.m.) to participate in the 6th annual pat tillman run. julie's best friend kristyn joined us in the early morning "fun" and was kind enough to actually drive us to the event.

pat tillman is a former ASU football player who went on to play for the arizona cardinals. a couple years after joining the cardinals he decided to join the military and fight in iraq. during his 3rd tour he was killed in the line of battle. his family then decided to form a foundation in his honor to reward community leadership among young adults. pat's run is their big annual fundraiser.

this year julie and i were among 25,000 other people who participated. i decided to run the 4.2 miles (tillman's number for ASU was 42...hence the distance) while julie and kristyn walked it. i was actually a little excited. this was my 1st running event since i did one called the borgess run in kalamazoo with my friend jim back in the early 90s.

the run started about 20 minutes late due to the sheer volume of people coming in for it, so at about 7:20 a.m. the fastest runners started...and finished by the time the folks in my corral and i got started. we were instructed to place ourselves in "corrals" organized by the time each person thought they would be able to run a mile in. i chose the 12 minute corral. julie & kristyn were a few further back in the walking corral.

for all of us the distance went a lot faster than we anticipated. i know i really enjoyed the run. i wound up finishing with a time of 41.26 minutes (better than i thought). julie and kristyn clocked in at 90 minutes. the coolest thing about the race is it ended on the 42 yard line in sun devil stadium, where ASU plays football. julie was excited because it was her 1st time actually being on the field.

there were a couple downsides to the run, aside from the early hour it started. :) one was we could have arrived a little later since we didn't realize we could just walk to the starting line just before the race. the 2nd was they ran out of post-race snacks by the time julie and kristyn finished. no bananas, oranges, water or gatorade were left when they finished. this was definitely due to a lack of organization on the part of the organizational committee.

i would definitely like to do another run like pat's run again. it was a great feeling when i finished, and it felt good to run past so many other people.

Babies!

2010-04-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

No, Brian and I aren't having one nor adopting one right now. I wanted to tell you about a great new film that's coming soon!

As a BzzAgent, I got a recent opportunity to share about a new film that follows 4 babies in different countries, on their journey from their first breath to their first steps. The film premiers on Mother's Day weekend (May 7th) this year and it has amazing cinematography.

Here is the link to watch the trailer:

And if you happen to have your own baby, here's a great sweepstakes you can enter to win some great stuff!

We hope you enjoy this great film!

TX Board of Education

2010-03-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

I usually don't go into rants on this blog but this issue touched a nerve within me and I just can't let it go. I'm going to try to censor myself but be prepared, I'm going to rant. I can feel my blood boiling while I type this.

First, the facts.

For those of you who don't know, recent actions by the TX Board of Education voted to remove Thomas Jefferson, Cesar Chavez, Oscar Romero, the topic of sex vs. gender, and any specific mention of Tejanos from their the social studies curriculum. They also have changed referring to the USA as a democracy to a "constitutional republic." They also omitted the concept of separation of church and state. Here are some recent articles and editorials about the changes (note: some of these have been proposed since mid-2009).

Now, my rant.

I am INFURIATED by the fact that a bunch of right-wing conservative republicans have decided who and what constitutes significant contributions to history. I am OUTRAGED by the fact that racism and sexism (and plain 'ol F***ing stupidity) can be blatently justified with such intentionality toward children's education.

I would be more sympathetic toward this board if they instead proposed to present a more wholistic view of these issues. I hope that all of your children and grandchildren rebel against your actions and condemn your behavior! HOW DARE YOU!

It makes TX take a million steps backward in terms of social progress to the pre-1950's Mississippi-esque era. WTF people!!?!???! I mean do you really think that you can erase history? Do you really think your children will be better off by NOT learning these things? Do you see how your dangerous and damaging right-wing religious moral conservative bullshit is TOTALLY crossing the bounds of separation of church/state? (I know you do bcz that's why you want Mr. Jefferson removed.)

I try hard NOT to be one of those "liberal democrats" who thinks I'm right all the time and I at least try to understand another person's differing point of view to the point where I could defend it as my own. I may not succeed but at least I try. And even if I don't understand, I at least try to withhold slandering that point as not to make myself be insensitive nor ignorant.

I understand your point. I COMPLETELY DISAGREE WITH IT!!!!!

Here is an excerpt from a recent article:

Barton, a former vice chairman of the Texas Republican Party, said that because the U.S. is a republic rather than a democracy, the proper adjective for identifying U.S. values and processes should be "republican" rather than "democratic." That means social studies books should discuss "republican" values in the U.S., his report said.

And, it makes me vomit in my mouth and wants me to completely stereotype and bash my conservative republican friends. You give a TERRIBLE name to the republican party.

AND FURTHERMORE, this has NOTHING to do with being a Christian. I am a Christian and I think you have overstepped your bounds. Who the HELL gave you the right to decide what can and SHOULD be taught???? You have disgraced our nation. You and the people who voted for you should keep your ideologies to yourself and out of the schools. I don't even think you should pass these "values" on to your children. You should be prepared for an outcry from people who are APPALLED and ASHAMED of your actions. SHAME ON YOU!

You and Glenn Beck. Awful. Awful. AWFUL! You abuse your power and it should be taken away from you. I HATE it when you proof-text.

I applaud Ms Mary Helen Berlanga and Ms Mavis B. Knight and others who voted AGAINST your racist, sexist, narrow minded decisions.

One thing for sure, I am GLAD as F***ing HELL that I don't live in TX and I CERTAINLY NEVER will.

Perhaps I'll write my own social studies curriculum and leave the entire state of TX out of it.

Wordless Wednesday - Catapolooza

2010-03-24T11:43:00.000-07:00

A Trip to the Zoo

2010-03-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

The first full weekend every month is Bank of America day at many museums and other public places nationwide. It's a great opportunity to explore new places plus admission is absolutely FREE! Perhaps there is a location near you: check here.

So, the first weekend of March, Brian and I visited the Phoenix Zoo and had a great time! Here are some of the highlights.

Good Eats!

2010-03-20T21:20:00.000-07:00

Brian and I have visited many restaurants after being in Arizona in an attempt not only to try new places but also to (re)familiarize ourselves with the area. In addition, we have had some good times taking photos and reviewing wonderful food through our involvement with the Phoenix Tastecasting group.

So, in response, we'd like to begin posting our own reviews about restaurants we visit. It is to share our own personal, unsolicited opinions about food, restaurants and our experience in general.

These posts will be titled after the great Food Network show by Alton Brown, Good Eats.

We hope you enjoy our reviews and some good food as well!

Bon Appetit!

The Bean is Coming! The Bean is Coming!

2010-03-20T21:12:00.000-07:00

He will be here on April 2nd (along with his wonderful parents!)

beep! beep!

2010-03-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

the luck of the irish was with me this afternoon. i say that because, as i write this, it is st. patrick's day.

today was my lucky day for 1 reason: i saw my 1st roadrunner! well, actually my 1st and 2nd roadrunners. 1 was plump like our cat squiggs and the other was skinny like our other cat panini. if you don't know, pretty much ever since i came to arizona for the 1st time, i decided that a goal would be to see a roadrunner in the wild. it finally happened this afternoon as i was stretching outside just before my run. they walked over to julie's car after casually hopping down from the roof of the house across the street. they would stop every few feet or so and put their tails almost straight up in the air. i'm not sure if it was for balance, or as a sign of being alert for predators or perhaps both. either way, i experienced a few incredible minutes while watching these 2 creatures walk and run in our little cul-de-sac.

unfortunately i didn't have a camera on hand when it happened. the only piece of electronic gadgetry i had was my ipod (which was playing "canadian girl" by the walkmen during this event). it would have been great to take a picture, especially since 1 of the birds came within 30 feet of where i was standing.

although real roadrunners look nothing like the character from the classic looney tunes cartoons (as the above picture shows), i thought i would post an episode in honor of this monumental day.

my eardrums are happy, or why music is great

2010-02-27T18:40:00.000-08:00

i love those moments in life that remind you why you are passionate about something. they can make you smile for days. one of those moments happened last night as julie and i were on one of our date nights. we've decided to take 1 night a week and go on a date. we usually don't do anything big, but it's time for us to spend time together as a couple.

so like i said, we were on 1 of our dates last night. we went to black angus restaurant for dinner. we then decided to walk off part of our dinner by heading to the mall. we wandered into the lego store and eventually found ourselves in the apple store. i found myself playing with an iphone while julie headed over to the ipod section. in my normal a.d.d. fashion, i grew bored with the iphone after a bit & played on some of the macbooks. i discovered a fun program called djay that allows you to be a turntablist using songs on your itunes. awesome.

i then wandered over to where julie was listening to an ipod, somewhat curious as to what was keeping her attention for so long, especially since she has her own ipod. this is when that aforementioned moment happened. she was listening to some songs via the bose quiet comfort headphones that apple attaches to their ipods. holy crap the sound is amazing. she 1st had me listen to billy joel's "we didn't start the fire" and then to a couple other songs. we loved what these headphones did for the effects and texture of the songs. i listened to starflyer 59's "concentrate" and immediately noticed drum effects that i didn't notice on my own ipod.

all of this made us excited about listening to music, getting lost in it when that perfect song hits you and julie being able to really understand why all of that happens to me so often. it was a great moment, and i thank apple for making it possible.

[as an aside, have any of you seen the new microsoft windows retail stores? why is it that they look exactly like the apple retail stores? microsoft should have tried being different instead of copying their competition.]

Avalon TasteCasting Event

2010-02-21T15:41:00.000-08:00

Our most recent TasteCasting event took place at Avalon Restaurant in Scottsdale on Feb. 10th. this is a chef-driven restaurant that frequently changes its' menu according to the season. we were there shortly before valentine's day, so we sampled some of the menu they were serving for that day. the atmosphere here was trendy, but this one focused more on clean, simple lines with a circular motif with lots of brown and white. When designing the restaurant, they brought in a feng shui expert in order to help harmonize the layout. The live band brought additional energy to the atmosphere.

shortly after we sat down, the head chef personally came out to greet us and to introduce us to the menu for the evening. he stressed that they only purchase top-of-the-line ingredients for their foods and all of their seafood is purchased fresh and served within 24 hours of it being purchased from the auction house. Chef Charles prepared and served us each dish which made the excellent service more memorable.

we were served chilled hawaiian ahi tuna for our first appetizer. it was served on flat, plain rectangular plates. the tuna itself was nestled in an asian spoon with a tartare/carpaccio/ponzu/sesame dish on the side. the texture reminded me (brian) of sushi, but the taste was not too impressive for me. the side dish added some fresh, complimentary flavors to the tuna.

To me (Julie), the ahi tuna was a brave step for my tastebuds. I am not a particular fan of raw fish or sashimi or sushi. I gathered my courage and took Chef Charles' advice when choosing fish, to lead with my nose and then my eyes. The tuna had a smoky flavor and the hint of sesame was nice. The fish was moist and tender although it had a strong aftertaste. It was good even though I'm not a big fish person.

Our 2nd appetizer was quite fun. their soup blt offering. in this case, "blt" stands for bacon, lobster and tomato. 3 different soups served in espresso-like coffee cups. the creamy tomato bisque was awesome for me (brian). it had a wonderful slight spicy afterbite to it as it went down my throat and the taste made me think of cold winter nights. perfect. my 2nd favorite was the bacon potato chowder. it had a creamy, cheesey wonderful bacon flavor that made me feel warm and comfortable all over. great comfort food. the 3rd was the lobster bisque soup. while i enjoyed it, it was not as enjoyable as the other 2.

I (Julie) REALLY enjoyed the BLT soups. My favorite was the Bacon potato chowder. The cream was heavenly and calorie laden, I'm sure. The bacon flavor was quite delish! The lobster bisque was not as creamy as the chowder but it was still tasty. It had a nice rich and buttery flavor. And, the creamy tomato bisque was also an adventure for me. I normally don't like tomato soup but I dove in and am glad I did. As brian said before, the tomato had a nice spice to it and was like eating a VERY NICE marinara sauce. It was definately not your normal Campbell's Tomato soup. After this, I might just become a tomato soup convert!

We were then served samples of 3 of their entrees. Bacon-wrapped kurobuto pork tenderloin, Butter Poached Maine Lobster and Aged Prime New York Strip Steak. The last was specifically for their valentine's day menu.

(Brian) the pork tenderloin tasted wonderful. the bacon had a nice crispness to it and it was served with a caramel apple/parmesan polenta/currant side dish that added a perfect complimentary sweetness. the lobster was chewy and was a bit plain-tasting to me. it tasted fresh, but could have used a bit more flavoring. the last entree was the NY strip steak. crispy, juicy and wonderful. the way NY Strip steak should be.

(Julie) I was highly looking forward to the lobster but was a bit disappointed when I didn't get the plate of it served at my spot. When I tried a bite off of another person's plate, I was greatly disappointed. The lobster was served with ricotta gnocchi and asparagus in lobster butter. I didn't get any of this, only a small bite of lobster, which ended up being very chewy and not very flavorful.

What I did receive, was a nicely plated piece of aged prime NY steak. The piece was very tender and juicy and had excellent flavor. It had a nice crispy crust as well. The steak was served cooked medium rare and I must say that I have slowly begun to change my opinion about how I want my steaks cooked. I have always been a well done kind of girl, however, due to being more brave with my fellow foodie friends, I have actually tried, on several occasions, steaks that were in the medium rare/medium well range. The flavor is deeper and the steaks are juicer. I do appreciate having tried this and I think next time I order a steak, I will try medium well and see how it goes! :) The steak was served with bone marrow bread pudding, spinach and a bordalaise sauce. I don't like bread pudding and I have never tried bone marrow anything but it added a nice complimentary flavor to the steak and while I probably won't order it again, it wasn't bad.

I also tried the pork tenderloin and would agree that it was my favorite. The pork was very tender and juicy and I loved the parmesean polenta with which it was served. The caramel apples and currants were a nice addition.

At long last came dessert. Red Velvet Cheesecake and Cream Cheese Anglaise were our offerings. (brian) the cheesecake was incredible. the creamy cheesecake was served as a wonderful Ice-cream looking scoop on top of the red velvet cake. creative plating that added to the taste. the cream cheese anglaise was yummy, rich and fluffy. it almost sweetly floated in my mouth.(julie) ditto!

as an additional treat, we ordered the Chocolate Decadence with Dark Chocolate mousse and Chocolate Sponge cake to go. It was just as it sounds and would have been just as scrumptious if we would have eaten it while at the restaurant.

The Avalon Restaurant experience is a great one. they know how to treat their customers. we also appreciated the locally-owned/non chain aspect to the restaurant. it allows them to independently create menus and an ambience that works for their clientele. Perhaps we will return to Avalon to sample brunch or lunch!

p.s. we both forgot the camera for this tasting so that is why there are no photos of this glorious food. Perhaps you can check the Tastecasting.com site and click on blogs to find a post with photos from this tasting!

Radio Milano Tastecasting Event

2010-02-21T15:14:00.000-08:00

On January 27th, Brian and I participated in another Tastecasting event - this time at Radio Milano - a trendy italian restaurant in the Arcadia area. I recognized the area because it was my paternal grandparents' and dad's old stomping grounds. Funny thing is that it is a few doors down from a former seamstress's business that my maternal grandma used to use. The area has seen some urban renewal and there are some other trendy restaurants/stores in that area.

The tasting went well and I enjoyed the great atmosphere - low lighting, couches and high tables/chairs, and industrial-esque setting (exposed cement walls, wood beams, metal accents - similar to Chipotle but higher class).

The place was very busy with a steady stream of various clientele. Even the valet parking in the small lot didn't discourage eager patrons.

i (brian) also enjoyed the trendy atmosphere. the windows in the restaurant reminded me of windows you would see on a ship. a couple reminded me of port windows. i noticed they did little things to hold to the "radio" theme. they had the classic "on the air" indicator hanging on one of the walls as well as an abstract painting which included the words "stay tuned". the staff of radio milano was very attentive and made sure everything was to our liking.
Among the seven of us, we sampled a variety of appetizers, entrees and wonderful desserts. One of the fellow Tastecasters has a wonderful review about the yumminess.

as for the food, i (brian) was impressed with most of it. they served 4 appetizers to us. deviled eggs, crispy calamari, shattered potato chips & caprese salad. the shattered potato chips were definitely my favorite, mainly because of the ketchup/chipotle mayo dip sauce that came with it. i normally do not enjoy mayo, so that should tell you something. the calamari was my 2nd favorite. nice & crispy. no rubberiness to it, which is my biggest concern with that dish.

The appetizers were a nice variety of items. I enjoyed the tomatoes and burrata cheese. The toms were slightly charred and the cheese was very soft and fresh.

The deviled eggs were like my thanksgiving deviled eggs only 10 times better! The red pepper, onion and bacon were a nice blend of flavors and an accurate acidity.

I (Julie) also liked the smashed potatoes, as crispy as they were with the compliments of the mayo.

the main dish i (brian) had was the roasted organic chicken with potatoes and beans. it was a large portion and the smell of garlic that came wafting to my nostrils when it was set before me immediately told me it was a winner. the chicken skin had a nice carmelized, juicy texture and the meat inside was just as juicy.

I (Julie) ended up having the papardelle which was described as having butternut squash, asparagus, brocolini and was disappointed when the dish arrived and only had sugar snap peas, tomatoes and goat cheese among the soft homemade noodles. The dish had a nice light flavor and was a great vegetarian dish even though it was missing the first few ingredients named above. One person next to me, who is a regular at Radio Milano, says that each dish is often unique because of the availability of ingredients for each dish. Perhaps they were out of butternut squash, asparagus and brocolini that night.
naturally the entrees were followed with dessert. radio milano had us sample 3 of the desserts they offer. gelato (pistachio, orange and hazelnut), olive oil cake and chocolate pudding.

i (brian) surprisingly discovered the olive oil cake to be my favorite. it had a nice sweet moistness to it that had my tastebuds asking for more. i know. olive oil cake? i honestly did not think i would like it before i tried it. i was happily surprised.

Radio Milano is closed on Sunday and only open for dinner. They use a mesquite grill to cook with and it brings a nice flavor to the dishes. Others that night sampled the small chopped salad, scallops, cowboy ribeye steak, linguine and clams and a sunny meatball crostini. We would recommend Radio Milano for a nice meal!

Tastecasting Update

2010-02-13T19:20:00.001-08:00

Hello friends!

We will post soon about our two latest Tastecasting adventures - Radio Milano and Avalon! Yummy goodness!

Yodipity Grand Opening!

2010-02-13T19:19:00.001-08:00

Get your BUY 1 GET 1 FREE coupon.
Free yogurt for bloggers, click here for details.

BzzAgent L'Oreal Lash Boosting Campaign Follow-Up

2010-01-22T15:07:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Back in December, I posted this about a new campaign through BzzAgent. The task was to try the Lash Boosting Serum and Mascara for 4 weeks. The serum claims to help give lashes a conditioning boost and the mascara claims to prime and extend lashes up to 80%.

I applied the serum almost every night and every other day. I wore the mascara 5 days a week.

Some things I noticed:

- Wearing the serum alone, my lashes didn't seem to have any noticeable change.
- When I would apply the serum, primer and mascara, my lashes looked clumpier and heavier, and not necessarily longer. With all three products applied, my lashes bothered me by their weight, strangely enough. There was just a lot of product build-up rather than light product with lengthening properties.
- When I applied all three products, it was essential to let the serum dry for about 10 minutes before applying the primer and wait about 10 minutes before applying the mascara. Being a novice at lash boosting products, it would have been nice to know this beforehand. Otherwise, the product simply slides off my lashes and doesn't coat like it should.
- I noticed that the mascara would flake off occasionally after rubbing my eyes. But for the most part, it seemed to hold up well through tearing up even though it's not marketed as "waterproof."

I tool before and after photos before and after the trial period. You can judge for yourself if there was noticeable difference.

Before
& After

Each of these photos were taken WITHOUT serum, primer and mascara to test the real effects of the products on my lashes.

Here is a photo of my lashes WITH the serum, primer and mascara on, just so you can see what it looked like.

In my opinion, when wearing the mascara, my lashes seemed longer with the products on but returned to pre-campaign length and consistency when the products came off. My mom and sister were skeptical of trying the product. They are both contact lens wearers and were worried about potential damage it might do to their eyes, even though I told them it was ophthalmologist tested. I also received several posts in response to my original post about this product from some who thought it was a vain attempt and potentially cancer causing.

In the end, this product got me into the habit of wearing mascara regularly, however, I can't say that I noticed very much difference in my natural lashes. Perhaps that was not the point, that when wearing the product, I would actually see the results. And when I did wear it, I did see a difference. But in the end, I'm not all that excited about putting a lot of unnatural product on my lashes on a regular basis, so close to my eyes to make them appear longer. I don't think I would pay $24.95 retail for this product if I didn't know about it.

2 more states added

2010-01-14T21:20:00.000-08:00

last weekend julie and i drove 4 hours northwest of phoenix to lake havasu city, az. what a great time it was. we went up to visit kristyn, julie's friend since the beginning of time. of course we made a stop at the london bridge. what? you say. the london bridge in some podunk town in arizona? yes. apparently the town founder decided to purchase a bridge in london that spanned the thames river and move it to his city. so, he did. it was shipped from london to lake havasu city and rebuilt exactly the way it was in london. here's a view of it as we were walking by it, along with a pic of us in front of the fountain near the entrance to the bridge.

after the bridge, kristyn, julie and i headed to in and out burger for lunch. we needed to decide what to do with the rest of our day. since the london bridge is about all that lake havasu city has to offer. then, kristyn had a stroke of genius. let's drive to laughlin, nv! why was that genius? because 1) it turned out to be a spur-of-the-moment road trip and 2) it would involve us driving through california and nevada. two states i had never been in. so we went. 90 minutes later, we're walking in an outlet mall across the street from a bunch of casinos and the colorado river. here's a pic i took as we were crossing into california. thanks to my "quick and accurate picture taking" you can almost read the sign saying "welcome to california" :)

we didn't spend a whole lot of time in laughlin. we walked the riverwalk along the colorado river, which had an amazing view. we made some purchases in the outlet mall, including my purchase of a live otis redding CD from when he toured europe with a bunch of the other folks on stax records in 1967. we drove back to lake havasu city and had at tasty dinner at the javelina cantina restaurant. mmm...mexican. a good time was had by all, and we thank kristyn for being a great tour guide in the fair town of lake havasu city.

Baskin Robbins ROCKS!

2010-01-04T21:15:00.000-08:00

Not only is this the original version of the commercial BUT they have a Halloween AND Thanksgiving AND Christmas versions! Watch the characters on the cakes to see the difference!

Here's the Halloween one:

And the Thanksgiving one! YAY! I love the turkey!

And Christmas!

My Favorite Shaq Commercials!

2010-01-04T21:09:00.000-08:00

Genius! Thx ESPN and YouTube!

This one was from an earlier post and a new one:

Almost as Good as "Ice Cream and Cake and Cake"

2009-12-31T21:54:00.000-08:00

I like this video almost as good as the BR commercial.

prioritizing

2009-12-23T20:38:00.000-08:00

i came across this wonderful quote from maya angelou today. i thought it needed to be shared.

"I find it interesting that the meanest life, the poorest existence, is attributed to God's will, but as human beings become more affluent, as their living standard and style begin to ascend the material scale, God descends the scale of responsibility at commensurate speed."

from her book I know why the caged bird sings

L'Oreal Lash Boosting Technology

2009-12-23T10:53:00.000-08:00

As a BzzAgent, I often get samples of new products to try (see previous post). This time, I received a sample of L'Oreal's new mascara with built in lash boosting technology along with the concentrated Lash Boosting Serum.

Here are the facts: (taken from the BzzAgent Brochure)

L'Oreal Paris Concentrated Lash Boosting Serum
- Apply to bare lashes before bedtime for an intensive overnight conditioning boost. Also apply underneath your mascara for all-day benefits.
- For best results, use daily with Double Extend Lash Boosting Mascara
- Suggested retail price $14.95

L'Oreal Paris Double Extend Lash Boosting Mascara
- Step 1: The Lash Boosting primer, an exclusive serum-infused basecoat, perfectly primes and extends lashes.
- Step 2: The Ultra-Lengthening Mascara Topcoat instantly lengthens lashes up to 80%.
- Available in Black and Blackest Black
- Suggested retail price $12.95

They are also available in a 24-hour Lash Boosting Power System:
- This starter kit contains both Concentrated Lash Boosting Serum and Double Extend Lash Boosting Mascara at a special value price
- Mascara is available in Black
- Suggested retail price $24.95

In addition:
- Ophthalmologist- and allergy-tested, and safe for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers
- Available in the L'Oreal Paris cosmetics section in major retailers such as Walmart, Target, CVS and Walgreens beginning January 2010
- Visit the website to learn more

My Personal Thoughts thus far:

- I've always had short, straight lashes and am looking forward to seeing if this product will actually enhance them or simply fall flat.
- I've heard a lot about mascaras lately that have a basecoat which you apply underneath and then the mascara on top of that, in order to help boost the appearance of your lashes.
- I've also heard about the lash product that Brook Shields promotes called Latisse, which is the first eyelash growth treatment. I'm skeptical of this product but what to make sure that this product is NOT like Latisse.

I will use the products for 4 weeks and let you know how it turns out. I've taken some before photos of my lashes and will take some at the end of 4 weeks. Stay tuned!

must be santa

2009-12-22T16:39:00.000-08:00

via the wonders of the interwebz, i found out about this video, starring none other than bob dylan. yes. that bob dylan. from what i know of the man, i never would have pictured him doing something like this, but i'm glad he decided to show his humorous side.

2009-12-19T14:28:00.000-08:00

Reason #797 why I love living in AZ: 6 days before Christmas, its 72 degrees, and I'm in a t-shirt, jeans and flip flops!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-16T18:21:00.000-08:00

What a difference a year (plus a few days) makes! Last year it snowed. Today it was 70 degrees.

Food Should Taste Good Chip Tasting

2009-12-16T18:17:00.000-08:00

Today I participated in another tasting by Tastecasting; however, this time it was a tasting of a product instead of a restaurant.

The company, Food Should Taste Good, provided a wide sampling of their all natural chips. The chips come in a variety of flavors listed below: (nutritional facts are per serving = 12-15 chips)

- Cinnamon - 10g fat, 210 cal, 120 mg sodium, 5g fiber, 6g sugar, 2g protein
- Multigrain - 9g fat, 210 cal, 120 mg sodium, 5g fiber, 2g sugar, 4g protein
- Sweet Potato - 9g fat, 210 cal, 120 mg sodium, 5g fiber, 3g sugar, 3g protein
- Olive - 9g fat, 210 cal, 210 mg sodium, 5g fiber, 0g sugar, 3g protein- Lime - 6g fat, 140 cal, 80 mg sodium, 4g fiber, 0g sugar, 2g protein
- Potato and Chive - 10g fat, 210 cal, 180mg sodium, 6g fiber, 0g sugar, 3g protein
- Buffalo - 6g fat, 140 cal, 280mg sodium, 3g fiber, 1g sugar, 2g protein
- Jalepeno - 9g fat, 210 cal, 210 mg sodium, 5g fiber, 0g sugar, 3g protein
- Yellow Corn - 7g fat, 140 cal, 85 mg sodium, 3g fiber, 0g sugar, 2g protein
- The Works! - 6g fat, 140 cal, 120 mg sodium, 3g fiber, 2g sugar, 2g protein

The chips come in snack size (1.5 oz) and regular (5.5 oz).

The company prides itself on "taking wholesome, all natural ingredients and capturing their great flavors by baking them." The chips are gluten free, all natural, a good source of dietary fiber, trans fat and cholesterol free, lactose free, MSG free and Kosher. All of the chips are not genetically modified, no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

The chips have a strong corn presence as they are made with Stone Ground Corn and many of them have corn bran in them.

The chips are sturdy, ones that I wouldn't hesitate plunging into a hearty dip.

My favorites are the multigrain and the jalapeno. The multigrain has flax, sunflower and sesame seeds, oat fiber, brown rice, quinoa and soy. They are a nice natural tasting snack. The jalepeno is a nice red color with a slight kick in the chip. They have diced jalepeno peppers and crushed red peppers.

I also appreciate that the website, includes suggestions of what to pair with the chips. Some of the things that I have thought of are:

- crush up the lime chips and serve them as the base in a taco salad;
- spread sweet cream cheese or cool whip on the chocolate or cinnamon chips;
- spread a savory cream cheese on any of the savory flavored chips;
- dip chicken breast tenderloins in egg and then in crushed chips and bake.

I'm sure there are many more possibilities!

I've found the chips (5.5 oz size) at Albertsons and I've heard that they are also available at Bashas.

Enjoy!

Silent Sunday - The Beautiful Bean

2009-12-13T19:55:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-09T09:55:00.000-08:00

I (heart) Creme Brulee.

football -palooza

2009-12-08T20:36:00.000-08:00

lest some of you think that i'm swinging to the dark side, i wanted to make a quick post about the various football-related events julie & i went to over this past weekend.

i'm sure you've seen julie's recent post about our trip to watch the AZ Cardinals place the smack-down on the MN Vikings on sunday. i will say it was a great introduction to live NFL matches. the crowd was crazy-loud from the moment we walked in the stadium, and watching the Cards upset the Vikes was frosting on the cake. mmm....cake.

but, that wasn't the only football event we took part in. friday night we joined my fellow CMU alums at buffalo wild wings to watch the CMU Chippewas defeat the Univ. of OH Bobcats. thanks to that win, CMU now owns their 3rd MAC championship in 4 years. not bad. i just wish they had been that good when i was a student there.

saturday was more my style. as you may be aware, i've become involved with a grassroots group here in PHX called MLS Phoenix Rising. it's a group that is working to bring a pro soccer team to phoenix. oh, you know i'm geeked about that potential. we met with chris from phoenix pro soccer, which is working with some investors to accomplish the same goal. after that little meet & greet with him, i joined the group to head to Reach 11 Sports Complex to watch the US Under-17 national team play Brazil. it was fun hanging out with them & getting to know some of them a little better. the final score was 1-1. the US made a good showing against Brazil.

since you already know what happened sunday, i'll skip to last night (monday). i drove back to Reach 11 to watch another soccer match. for this one, i had an early christmas present. the US U17s played the Netherlands! i couldn't pass it up, even in 40-degree rainy weather. i was pulling for the Netherlands the entire way. i even wore my Netherlands jersey. the Netherlands won, 3-0. I met a family from the Netherlands. their son/grandson (i met the grandpa & mom) is a midfielder for the Dutch side, and plays in the youth division for AZ Alkmaar. that was awesome.

needless to say, it was a lot of both types of football for 1 weekend, but it was great all the way around.

Cardinals vs. Vikings

2009-12-07T16:18:00.000-08:00

We went to our first NFL game last night and it was great! We had fabulous seats (thanks Dad!) in the north end zone and enjoyed the University of Phoenix stadium. It was extra nice that they beat Brett Favre and the Vikings and are one step closer to securing a wildcard!!! Go Cards!

Fogo de Chao Tasting

2009-12-01T14:36:00.000-08:00

Last Monday night we had a tasting at Fogo de Chao, located in Scottsdale, AZ. The restaurant is an authentic "churrascaria" is relatively new to the United States, originating in Brazil. This brazilian steakhouse features a 30 item salad bar, signature items such as pao de queijo (warm cheese bread), caipirinha (brazilian cocktail), and papaya cream.

I (Julie) have seen this restaurant in many of my travels but have not eaten at the restaurant. I was excited that we were going to try this place.

I (Brian) wasn't sure what to expect going into this. was i excited? yes. simply because we were told there would be an endless supply of meat. the carnivore in me was looking forward to this. and I wasn't disappointed.

the service at fogo de chao was nothing shy of amazing. the management and servers have a big focus on making sure every patron gets exactly what they want, and will go out of their way to make it happen. we were seated in their private dining area which had beautiful decor and ambiance. and while this restaurant also had wood walls and low lighting, it didn't have the same feel as the previous tastecasting restaurant, Morton's. Fogo had a romantic and classy ambiance which paired well with the upscale menu items and superb service!

All but 3 of the menu items are safe for people with celiac disease (allergy to wheat) and those include chicken leg (braised with beer), tabouli salad (made with wheat grain) and salad dressings. There isn't even any wheat in the bread that is served on the salad bar.

The meat is acquired from the U.S. but the spices come directly from Brazil.

we were 1st served a glass of caipirinha. it was wonderfully sweet and had a margarita taste to it. thanks to the sweetness, i enjoyed the caipirinha more than i usually enjoy a margarita.

we then made our trip to the salad bar. the veggies were very fresh. with crisp lettuce, wonderfully dark broccoli and a vast array of other veggies to choose from. there were also several types of cheeses and dressings to make your salad complete. these photos of our salad bar choices don't do the bar justice.

While we were eating our salads, the servers brought several magnificent side dishes to the table: garlic mashed potatoes, fried bananas, crispy warm polenta, white rice and black beans.

Julie: many of the side dishes were great! I especially enjoyed the polenta.

brian: the polenta was a surprise for me. i enjoyed it. i liked the garlic mashed potatoes, but i think they could have put a smidgen more garlic in them.

as we finished our salads and side dishes, the "gauchos" (Southern Brazilian cowboys who train for over 3 years to perfect not only the practice of roasting the meats but also of the serving of the meats) arrived with the pièce de résistance, the meat. They arrived one-by-one with the art they created using nothing but skewers, flavorings, fire and meat. They have 15 different types of meat to choose from, which means it's very likely you won't have all of them in one sitting. Julie and I were able to sample several of them,

this is an example of the type of skewer the gauchos would serve the meat on.

(this is not us in the photo, but another tastecasting couple)

Julie: I really enjoyed the Lombo (pork loin crusted in parmesean cheese). The cheese brought out the delicate tenderness of the pork loin. the piece I received was just a smidge dry but overall very tender and great flavor!

Next I had the filet minon and Frango (chicken), both wrapped in bacon. They had a great tender quality nicely complimented by the saltiness of the bacon. However, they were also just a tad bit dry. Whenever I see or want to order meat wrapped in bacon, I usually decline because the bacon is soggy, fatty and not cooked to my standards. The bacon was nice and cooked and just a tad bit crispy.

Lastly, I had the Picanha (top sirloin) with a robust garlic seasoning. It was very, very tasty and the amount of garlic blew the garlic mashed potatoes out of the water. I love garlic and it was a very tasty feast with a very tasty, juicy piece of top sirloin.

brian: i sampled a few more than julie did. partially because i forgot to follow one of the procedures fogo de chao has in the serving process of the meats. each customer gets a coaster that is red on one side and green on the other. when you want more meat, flip the green side up. as the gauchos come around with their meats, they know they can offer it to you. the first time around, i forgot about the coaster and left the green side up. oops. :)

i first tried the cordeiro (Lamb). delicious. as i came to experience with most of their other offerings, it was nice and juicy and full of flavor. the meat slid off the bone and it had a nice crispness on the outside and left me wanting more.

i next sampled the linguica (sausage). it had a nice hint of garlic to it and again was flavorful. it wasn't one of my favorites, since i normally only like the sausage links that come with breakfast, but i noticed a couple other tastecasters really enjoying them.

lombo (pork loin) was next. it was not as juicy as the other meats i had. it was dry. on the other hand, the parmesan crust was great and made up for it.

frango (chicken) was offered next. wow. it even came wrapped in bacon! i've said it before and i'll say it again. bacon makes everything better. julie's right. they pay attention to the details, and the bacon was perfectly crispy.

filet mignon was my final sampling. fogo de chao added a nice garlic flavoring to this meat, and i enjoyed every bite.

Following the feast of meat, we were delightfully surprised with being served the entire range of desserts, which we were told were not included in the tasting. Among the options were: Fogo de Chao's signature papayan cream dessert (ripe red papayas mixed with vanilla bean ice cream and topped with creme de cacao), key lime pie, flan, creme brulee, molton chocolate cake and chocolate mousse cake.

Julie: As much as the meat experience was truly a culinary delight, this was THE BEST DESSERT SAMPLING I HAVE HAD IN MY LIFE! IT WAS TRULY AMAZING!

J: The papayan cream was something I could have piped intravenously into my veins. The rich papaya was so fresh and delicious!

b: amen and amen. the papayan cream was amazing. i couldn't stop eating it. i could become addicted. sweet and cold, it was a great desert to end the parade of meat.

J: The key lime pie had a perfect blend of tartness and lime to compliment the sweetness of the cream. I think I could have eaten the entire pie.

b: this is the way key lime pie is supposed to taste. normally i don't go for key lime, but this is the exception. fluffy with the perfect blend of sweet and tart.

J: The creme brulee was a great balance of cream and sugary crunchy glaze. And if you know me, you know that I am on the fence about egg dishes. I don't particularly like eggs (over easy, sunny side up, soft boiled, etc.) I only like scrambled eggs, when they are mixed with milk and scrambled well. I don't like the smell of them when Brian makes them bcz he doesn't use milk and the egg smell is too overpowering. I don't like souffles. Egg drop soup isn't my favorite. So it's sort of a surprise that creme brulee is so close to my heart. Perhaps its because the French have done it justice. Perhaps it's bcz it's the nice dressed up cousin of flan. But this creme brulee was delicious. (Although as a side note, when Brian and I went on our mini-honeymoon after our wedding, we stayed at a resort called Sedona Rouge, where we had vanilla bean creme brulee, and it was the best creme brulee I've ever had. The vanilla bean helped beat the egg taste in the creme which was great for me. Surprising because even the creme brulee in Paris wasn't as good - too eggy for me.)

b: i thought there could have been a bit more of the "crust" to the top of the creme brulee. it was still yummy, but like julie said, not as good as the creme brulee we had at sedona rouge.

J: Molton Chocolate Cake - it was good and tasty and while I'll never turn down chocolate, I think the first three desserts named above were "took the cake." :)

b: how can you go wrong with molten chocolate cake? i don't know, and neither does fogo de chao. wonderfully warm with that great chocolate oozing from the middle.

J: Flan - see above. Didn't even try it. Although I'm sure it was good.

b: i didn't try this one either. it didn't look too appetizing to me.

J: Chocolate Mousse Cake - Very good, better than the molton chocolate cake. This would make a nice treat anytime.

b: this is better than mom used to make (no offense to any mothers reading this). perhaps this is a new addition to their menu since i don't see it listed on their website. this cake only added to the feeling that i had died and gone to heaven.

We also were served our choice of white or red wine, water (sparkling or still) and an after dinner drink (coffee, espresso or tea).

Dinner runs $46.50 pp and Lunch $28.50 pp. Lunch is only served M-F. If you want the salad buffet only it runs $19.50 pp. Drinks and dessert are not included.

J: Overall, this was my favorite restaurant in the tastecasting reviews. The prices are really extravagant and hard to justify, despite the culinary feast. It is sort of a justice issue for me. I was impressed with the excellent quality of the food. I love the history of the restaurant and how they are empowering men of Brazil to learn a trade and then return home to be able to support their families.

b: i agree with julie. this was my favorite so far as well. they create a great dining experience and invite you in to the brazilian way of cooking. i was actually a little sad when i noticed i was full, because i was enjoying the tastes and the experience so much. i thought it is great that in the 3 years of training to become a gaucho, they also focus on the culture surrounding the profession. i would unhesitatingly go to fogo de chao again.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-12-01T14:32:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from the fun day!

many, many things...

2009-11-29T20:55:00.000-08:00

i'm sure you've noticed the past couple blog updates, but you may be wondering what else julie and i have been up to over the past couple weeks. i'll try to do this chronologically. :)

julie and i celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary on november 3. one of the things we did was go to the tempe improv a few weekends ago and saw comedian ralphie may put on a show. he was quite funny, even heckling some of the audience members. that following weekend, julie & i had a fun time in payson, az and flagstaff, az celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary and my new job. this was my first time to flagstaff. it was nice and cold there, since it's high up in the mountains. when we arrived in flagstaff, our 1st stop was at the beaver street brewery for lunch. we had some great, yummy, sweet chili that hit the spot. we then went to the museum of northern arizona, where we learned about the history of native americans in the area, as well as a bit of cowboy life. we also ate at a couple places that have been featured on diners, drive-ins & dives.

we spent thanksgiving weekend here in phoenix. julie's aunt kathy flew from washington d.c. for the holiday. it was the 1st time since spring 2006 that we had seen her, when we went to d.c. to see her. naturally we had lots of turkey in the midst of a very full house. we also watched the detroit lions do the 1 thing they are very good at...lose. saturday afternoon we went to the final arizona state football game of the season, when they played their rivals the university of arizona. what did they do? they lost, too. walking into the game was fairly entertaining, as julie's dad trash-talked some U of A fans on our way to the stadium. and yes, her family is VERY passionate about ASU. i find it quite entertaining.

julie and i have decided on a church home. we've decided on dayspring umc. we've gone there for several sundays, and we like what it has to offer. julie has known the senior pastor, jane, for quite a while. i've found that i really like her sermons. she doesn't do the normal sermon of starting with a story or joke related to the sermon, then transitioning into the meat of her sermon. she seems to pick a topic or theme, and weave her sermon around that. today's sermon was based on hope. which was very topical, considering it was the 1st sunday of advent. we thank you if you've been praying for us in our search for a church home.

BzzAgent - Softsoap

2009-11-23T19:02:00.000-08:00

I've been part of a website called BzzAgent which is a website promoting products via word of mouth. Here's how being a BzzAgent works:

1- sign up for agent status at the BzzAgent Website
2- then fill out different surveys based on you and your interests/needs
3- you will then get invites from BzzAgent to sample products and share with friends, family and co-workers
4- the more you share, the more invitations and earlier invites you will get

I've participated in several campaigns and this one is for Softsoap NutriSystems body 's wash. The product was for their newest form of body wash - one with Omega 3s and one with moisturizing complexes in them.

I shared the product with friends and family and had mixed reviews. I recently tried the product myself and chose to blog about it here.

I tried the Omega-3 NutriSerum body wash and I like the scent - it was very light and smelled good. While I'm intrigued by the beads in the body wash which are supposed to dissolve/break apart when scrubbing up, they didn't really break up or dissolve for me just floated away with the shower water.

I'm not sure I could tell any difference when using this and other body washes I wish it would have swept me off my feet.

I look forward to sharing more reviews about the products I receive through BzzAgent.

Morton's Steakhouse

2009-11-22T19:11:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday we attended our second Tastecasting event. This time it was at Morton's Steakhouse in Phoenix, Arizona. They have locations nationwide, including their first one in Chicago. John, the Sales and Marketing Manager, was our host that evening. He told us that when Morton's first opened their doors over 30 years ago in Chicago, they were struggling for the first couple of weeks. That is, until Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack unexpectedly walked through their doors. The press heard about this, the word spread, and suddenly they no longer had a problem with not enough customers.

As Julie and I walked into the restaurant, I couldn't help but feel we were walking into a "good ol' boys" club, with the deep mahogany walls and dimly lit atmosphere. I half-expected us to be ushered in by a server wearing an ascot and a silk bathrobe, smoking a pipe. This didn't happen and we were brought to a private room in the back for our meal. John had prepared a long table that included a broccoli flower centerpiece that he had made for this occasion.

Julie: my first impressions were similar to Brian's and I was disappointed in the treatment (intentional or otherwise) from John. I felt that he didn't seem to care about our experience and that seemed to play out in different ways throughout the evening. I was really disappointed because I have always heard great things about Morton's and expected a high quality of customer service as I would expect of the meal/food itself.

Like our previous post about our other TasteCasting experience, Julie and I will each write about our individual experiences with the various courses that we sampled. The focus for this was the Morton's Power Hour, when they focus on smaller, quick-serve portions that are individually priced to reach a more varied clientele than they typically serve. The options vary by location. We were served a total of 11 different items at this one. It challenged us a bit, since we wanted to give each item a fair chance.

APPETIZERS
Prime Mini Cheeseburger
Brian: I immediately liked these. They are very tall, juicy and warm mini-cheeseburgers served with all the fixings. The steak was a bit pink in the middle, so it wasn't quite well-done. I did enjoy the taste and I had to stop myself and eat just one. Two of these would easily fill me up.
Julie: I like the idea of these upscale sliders and would have liked this appetizer if it had been cooked to my liking (well-done) and didn't have blood in the middle of the burger. It was also a bit greasy. Aside from the undercooking, I think it would have been good since it had a small slice of tomato, lettuce and a red onion. The cheeseburger was shaped more like a meatball and looked a little dwarfed on the bun.

Miniature Crab Cake
Brian: The first thing I noticed about these is the size. They were a good size for what I was expecting. As I bit into one, it tasted more "fishy" than I like my crab cakes to taste. I had a hard time getting past this.
Julie: I like the bite size portion and the cake included very large chunks of crab. It was a bit mayonaise-ey and had a hint of nutmeg but it was a nice option on the menu.

(no photo)

Petit Filet Mignon Steak Sandwich
Brian: The filet mignon between the bread was, again, a bit pink in the middle. It was quite juicy, though, and I felt this more than made up for the slight rareness. They make these with a hint of nutmeg. I wholeheartedly believe this is a great idea. In my opinion, they could have used smaller bits of bread for it. The bread overpowers the sandwich.
Julie: The size of the sesame seed bread/roll compared with the slice of steak was enormous. The steak tasted good but was, again, not cooked to my own personal preference. (This is not meant to be a slight against Morton's, simply a difference in how I like my steaks cooked and how probably real foodies enjoy and appreciate the taste of meat.)

Mini Wedge Bites
Brian: These are little lettuce slices garnished with tomato cubes and dressing. The lettuce was a bit dry and wilty, and to me they were a little tasteless.
Julie: I like the concept of iceberg wedges and I think that this would be a fun appetizer. The portion that I received had a wilted piece of lettuce, but the taste of the blue cheese dressing was good.

Spinach Crab Artichoke Dip
Brian: I didn't taste this, so I can't give an opinion on it.
Julie: This dip was quite tasty despite the large chunks of artichokes within the dip. The small crispy breads that were served with it were scrumptous and could well have been eaten on their own.

Blue Cheese French Fries
Brian: I'll admit, I'm a fan of french fries. As long as their a bit crunchy on the outside and soft & warm on the inside, I'm sold. I was on these fries. In place of ketchup, these are served with blue cheese dressing on top. It adds to the moistness and makes for a great comfort food.
Julie: I thought these were delicious and would make for a great comfort food as Brian said. The fries were slightly greasy and the blue cheese wasn't overpowering. The melted cheese went well with the bacon, chives and peppers.

MAIN COURSE
New York Strip Steak
Brian: Morton's seems to have a theme with their steaks, serve them so their slightly pink in the middle. I really didn't mind this. the NY strip steak was delicious. Nice and juicy, but it was a bit chewy. My taste buds enjoyed this steak rolling around on them.
Julie: I really enjoyed this entree as the taste was very good and had a slight cripsy edge on the top of the steak. Again, flavor was delicious.

Macaroni and Cheese
Brian: Yes, you read that right. Macaroni & cheese in an upscale steak restaurant. This was, undoubtedly, my favorite part of the meal. Not only was it wonderfully creamy and rich, like macaroni and cheese should be, but they make it with a hint of chili. Magnifique! I could go for some right now. If only they delivered...
Julie: YUMMY! This was the most magnificent comfort food ever! So totally outweighs Kraft in the box. Even the fancy Kraft in the box. I loved the cavatapi pasta, and the nice blend of cheeses (parmesean, cream cheese, swiss and sharp cheddar). It was topped with panko and had a nice crust on the top. I also enjoyed the hint of chili taste.

THE DESERTS
Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake
Brian: This was, as expected, yummy. And true to it's name, it was hot. This is a chocolate lava cake served with raspberrys and ice cream. A nice chocolatey ending to any meal.
Julie: I was excited about this cake and my expectations were pleasantly met. The cake itself has a texture reminescent of a flourless cake, which I'm not sure if it is or not. The chocolate inside was good and a bit gelatenous texture. The creamy vanilla ice cream and raspberries and mint were nice accoutrements.

(no photo)

Lemon Souffle (Grand Marnier Souffle)

Brian: I don't have a lot of experience with souffles, so it's hard for me to really compare it. It did have a nice lemony taste, and was soft and sumptuous on my tongue. However, I felt the lemon was a little weak and didn't really stand out.
Julie: I also don't have much experience with souffles although I do know what they are supposed to taste and look like. I think I was mostly disappointed because John had substituted the original option with these two souffles. One of the original options was creme brulee which I was completely looking forward to! Oh well. Back to the souffle - the flavor was good (grand marnier not lemon!) and had a nice presentation. It was served with a scoop of rich cream. The texture of souffles kind of turns me off, however.

(no photo)

Raspberry Souffle
Brian: In a blind taste test, I think I would have minor bit of difficulty telling the difference between the lemon and raspberry souffles. The flavoring is a bit weak to me. The actual souffles were great in their wonderful fluffy-ness, I think the flavors could use some boosting.
Julie: The raspberry souffle was very light in taste but not bad. Again, texture issues, but the presentation was nice. Too bad souffles weren't my fave!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Brian: One thing I noticed as John was handing out the plates, specifically for the desserts, was that I was turned off in the way he handed them out. He held them against his suit and had his hands all over them. I know servers are trained to not do this in an effort toward cleanliness. I'm sure the regular servers don't do this, so I won't count this against Morton's on the whole. On the whole, our Morton's experience was good. They have great tasting food that obviously has a lot of care and skill put into it's preparation.
Julie: I am probably not the type of clientele in which Morton's would hit the spot for me. I don't enjoy sparkling water, nor do I jive with the atmosphere of Morton's. I think they do some things well (appetizers and steaks) and I hope that others are willing to check them out. They do have wifi available and do a great verbal menu presentation. They also do great charity work with Make-a-Wish and other local charities. Thank you to Morton's for the hospitality and opportunity to check you out!

yay! employment!

2009-11-11T13:02:00.000-08:00

the past couple of months have been a bit tough for julie and i, as we have traversed the landscape of unemployment, searching for that oasis that is a full-time job.

as of today, that journey is done for me. i accepted a position at a hospital outside of phoenix in their business office doing medical billing. for the 1st 3 months it is actually a "temp to hire" position. i will be working there via the placement agency that connected me to the hospital. this hospital opened about a 18 months ago and is the flagship hospital for a healthcare corporation that has a string of hospitals across the country. by some coincidence, the corporate headquarters is literally just a block up the road from star physical therapy, where i worked in nashville. another fun coincidence is this hospital is where our nephew jalen was born a year ago to the day of my interview there.

i start work on monday, november 16, when training begins. julie, in the meantime, is still looking. we are still hoping she lands a job at ASU. it's just taking a bit of time due to 3 things: 1) the bad economy, 2) ASU is a large organization, so it takes them a while to confirm decisions and 3) it's difficult breaking into the higher-eduction industry. like the music industry in nashville, it really helps if you know someone.

i'm looking forward to this new challenge, especially because it's normally a bit tough to get employed by a hospital when (like me) you don't have any hospital-employment experience.

note: edits

2 Years and Counting...

2009-11-04T18:49:00.000-08:00

As we are sure you know, we celebrated our 2 year anniversary on November 3rd. We decided to take some time to remember the good and bad things that we have experienced as a couple that have brought us to where we are today, and we thought we would share some of them with you.

High Points

Our trip to Paris and Amsterdam in October 2008. See our posts here and here.

Our trip to Hawaii in July 2008. See our post here.

The house we rented in Nashville this past year that was a great home for us.

Driving home in a snowstorm in Nashville after hearing Tim Wise speak in March 2008.

Seeing "Romeo & Juliet" in Atlanta.

Our trip to Memphis, where we discovered the incredible story of Stax Records. See our post here.

Seeing U2 on their 360 Tour last month here in Phoenix. See our post here.

Low Points

Brian's Grandpa passing away in February 2009. See our post here.

Leaving many good friends behind in Nashville after our recent move to Phoenix. See our post here.

Julie losing her job with the United Methodist Church due to the economy in June 2009.

not really an american?

2009-11-03T14:31:00.000-08:00

i came across this article that shows another element of the racism that is still (sadly) running strong in this country. mebrahtom keflezighi won the legendary new york city marathon this year, and is the first american to accomplish this feat since 1982. the problem is, some people are claiming that mr. keflezighi is not an american. if he were white, this debate wouldn't be happening.

All Saints Day

2009-11-01T20:37:00.000-08:00

as julie & i settle in to our life here in phoenix, one of our goals is to find a church home. For the past few weeks, we've attended Dayspring United Methodist Church as part of that search.

we attended there this morning, and witnessed an interesting tradition that the methodist church carries on. all saints day. all saints day is the day after halloween, when churches celebrate the lives of those we have lost in the past year. dayspring commemorated this by reading off the names of those from their congregation who have passed on, one by one, while one of their loved ones stepped up to the front of the sanctuary and lit a candle in their honor.

i found that this moved me. it was a solemn reminder of how important our past is, and how important those who have gone before us are. it's those memories and traditions that shape individuals and cultures, and remind us of who we are deep inside. it also reminded me of my grandpa, who passed away this past february. i'm thankful for the role he played in my life, and the man he was. the way he would tell stories of his childhood growing up on a farm in mid-michigan with his 10 (yes, ten) siblings. the memories of him making oliebollen when my 3 siblings & i were kids and the 4 of us running around his yard playing tag. i remember he used to scare me when i was young when he would take out his dentures. i hadn't realized there was such a thing a fake teeth.

i'm grateful for the reminder that the tradition all saints day gives.

grandpa, this candle is for you.

pumpkins!

2009-10-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

we've had a few adventures lately, including last week's trip to southern arizona. see julie's post from earlier today. so tonight, since it was halloween eve, we decided it was time to carve pumpkins. julie's sister sarah and her boyfriend dustin joined us in the fun.

we thought it would only be fair for you to see what our pumpkins look like, as well as some pics from the work in progress.

digging the pumpkins out

our pumpkin

sarah's pumpkin

dustin's pumpkin (and julie's spaghetti squash with mr. potato head halloween decor, courtesy the creativity of sarah)

Southern Arizona

2009-10-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took a trip to the southern part of Arizona to see Kartchner Caverns, Willcox, AZ, Chiricahua National Monument, Tombstone, AZ and Auntie Annie's Apple Orchard.

It was a great trip with wonderful weather. Here are some highlights from our trip:

Kartchner Caverns - which had wonderful rock formations such as stalagmites, stalactites, turnip shields, and helictites. The story of how the cave was discovered is pretty cool as well! Unfortunately, we couldn't take any photos of the cave, however, the website has come cool video and photos.

Willcox, AZ - this was my hometown when I was in the 1st-3rd grade. In that time, my dad was appointed to Willcox UMC and we "acquired" my two younger sibs, Matt and Sarah. When you're younger, the city seems large and cool. Upon our recent trip back, the reality of it being a small, run-down town set in. But at least they have recycling and Rex Allen Days.

Chiricahua National Monument - is a great mountain range with awesome rock formations to the south of Willcox.

Tombstone, AZ - the famous city that's "too tough to die" which has the OK Corral and many gunfights.

and finally, we paid a visit to Apple Annie's Orchard and picked some great granny smiths and red delicious. We also visited their produce orchard and picked yummy green beans and spaghetti squash. The apple crisp that we've made was DELISH!

Here are some pics from our trip!

Tombstone

one of my childhood homes

Willcox UMC

Willcox Hospital - where my sister Sarah was born

Chiricahua Nat'l Monument

the end result

2009-10-29T15:52:00.000-07:00

i randomly came across this article about what it really means to "go green" and what's really going on in the big picture of all the waste we create. while i don't expect too many people out there to do all this guy has, he really makes some good points.

Wildflower Bread Co. - The Food

2009-10-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

The best part of our experience at Wildflower Bread Co. (WBC) last night was without a doubt the food. The atmosphere was good and with the hospitality that was shown to us, it did give that feeling of being at home, but the food will make you come back again.

WBC served a 5 course meal to us, in smaller portions to what they normally serve, to give us a sampling of their fall menu. Both Julie and I will review each course to give you a couple different perspectives.

Apple Streusel Pancakes

Brian: The caramel-praline syrup sold me on these. It was good enough to drink on it's own. It came delightfully warm with the buttermilk pancakes. It was the 1st example of the way WBC pays attention to the minor details. The currants and pecans in the soft pancakes added a nice crunchy texture. They could almost serve the pancakes and syrup as a desert, it's that decadent.

Julie: This was such a scrumptious "meal". The short stack of these pancakes include 3 - 2oz pancakes and the entree includes 3 - 3oz pancakes. We had 2 of the 2oz buttermilk based pancakes. The smell was heavenly! The pancakes had large chunks of apples, walnuts, topped with brown sugar and powdered sugar. The pancakes were light and flavorful on their own without the syrup and transformed into a fluffy caramel apple when dipped in the caramel praline syrup. The syrup was a bit sugar-y and I would be a little more cautious with it if I was actually eating this as my first meal of the day. I used a little bit of the butter on the pancakes but it didn't need it at all.

Fiery Butternut Squash Salad

Brian: This was my least favorite part of the meal, partially because I am normally not a big fan of squash. The squash itself was soft & moist, and the spice they added to the squash is a nice touch. It added that extra kick that can make food a bit more enjoyable. I thought there was a bit much of the cranberry-balsamic vinaigrette, so perhaps having it on the side might be better.

Julie: I like butternut squash and was looking forward to trying this salad. The salad had butternut squash that was roasted in maple syrup, sundried spicy corn and a great variety of greens. The salad comes with a great hunk of perfect sourdough bread. The squash had a nice "kick" to it becuase of the red pepper in the squash and it had a nice light texture. The gorgonzola added a nice tart balance to the bit of sweetness from the cranberry-basalmic vinaigrette dressing. I think though, if I ordered the salad again, I would get the dressing on the side.

Turkey & Cranberry Walnut Stuffing Sandwich

Brian: One of my favorite parts of the meal. A wonderfully thick sandwich that has every taste you could want out of one of these mini-meals. When the owner, Louis, was describing it my immediate comment was "You had me at bacon.". Yes, this Turkey Day inspired sandwich has bacon! Perfect. They also include a spiced mayo. Normally, I don't like mayo. On this sandwich...awesome. I already want another one.

Julie: The original size of this sandwich was enormous. One thing that Louis mentioned was the desire to reduce portion size and this, to me, would be one of the areas in which that could be applied. That said, the concept of this sandwich was really cool. The two thick slices of bread were really delicious and I love the concept of the Stuffing Loaf (made with carrots, celery, sage, and pecans - ready for the thanksgiving day turkey!). Then there were also small chunks of cranberry-walnut stuffing as the first layer on top of the herb mayo, which was not heavy nor overbearing. Then a few thin slices of turkey, then great quality medium sliced bacon slices, cranberry sauce and finally, another slice of stuffing loaf to top it off. I actually had to take the sandwich apart and slice off pieces of the sandwich and then eat it with a fork. The taste was a great blend of all of the tastes of a thanksgiving meal!

Butternut Squash Ravioli

Brian: I was surprised by how much I liked this dish. It's topped with a walnut cream sauce that is great for dipping the grilled garlic bread that comes with it. There's a wonderful warmth to the ravioli as well. I was impressed by how well the butternut squash worked with the cream sauce.

Julie: Again, as a fan of butternut squash, I was really looking forward to this dish as well. IT WAS HEAVENLY! The sweetness of the squash was enhanced by the nutmeg. The creamy texture of the ravioli went perfectly with the walnut cream sauce. I also appreciated the slight hint of red pepper to compliment the sweetness of the squash. I could definately eat the large portion of this dish! In addition, as a huge fan of garlic, the smell of the thick slice of garlic bread that accompanied this dish was enough to want to make me hang it from my rear view mirror. YUM!

Pumpkin Pie, Roasted Nut Pie and Pumpkin Cheesecake served with Mayan Chai Latte (Yes, they served us 3 deserts.)

Brian: It's hard for me to pick a favorite out of the deserts. Without a doubt, I loved the latte. It was another favorite out of the meal. It had cayenne pepper in it, and I felt it as the latte went down my throat. The pumpkin pie is super creamy and melts in your mouth. The roasted nut pie is great. Think pecan pie, just add 5 more nuts. Crunchy and melty at the same time. The pumpkin cheesecake is wonderful, too.

Julie: I was pleasantly surprised with the selection of desserts. I love pumpkin during this time of year and it's great when it's incorporated into any sort of dessert! The pumpkin pie could barely keep its shape because it was so creamy and fluffy. The texture was so good that it almost didn't need a crust. The Pumpkin Cheesecake was also a delight! The cheesecake was fluffy and light which I appreciated because I could have eaten the entire piece. As for the Roasted Nut Pie, I was a bit skeptical because I usually don't like pecan pie or other similar desserts. The blend of 6 nuts was nice and wasn't "sticky" like other pecan pies. I don't usually like Chai Lattes but they offered to make mine with soy milk. Besides the abundance of foam (I'm not really a coffee drinker either) the taste was good. It was a nice blend of spicy chocolate and warm goodness.

As we left, the staff of WBC gave each of us who participated in this Tastecasting event a bag with 3 loaves of freshly-baked bread: Pumpkin cinnamon, cranberry walnut and stuffing loaf as well as 3 potato rolls. From the smell, they promise to be just as good as what we've already eaten. I can't wait to go back to Wildflower Bread for another meal.

Wildflower Bread Co.

2009-10-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

Recently, Brian and I joined a group called Tastecasting, which is a movement to help local restaurants gain publicity by word of mouth/blog/tweet/linked in. It is a great way spread the word about the great food that restaurants serve and also about a great experience with fun people! I found out about it from a friend's sister's blog and then discovered that there was one here in Phoenix. Both Brian and I joined and had a great time tonight at our first tasting. Check out the link to see if there is one in your city!

While I will post about my experience tomorrow, Brian will also post about his experience soon as well.

But first, I'd like to introduce you to the place we visited. It's Wildflower Bread Company (WBC) and they have several locations, mostly in the Phoenix area. Louis Basile, Jr. is the head honcho and is obviously quite proud of this company. It certainly shows in the big and little details.

These are just a few things that stuck out to me about his commitment and passion about creating this restaurant:

- WBC lives by the Golden Rule of serving others as you would want to be served;
- his goal was to provide a place where Phoencians could get some excellent bread and also to provide a unique, tasty, affordable meal;
- each WBC has an environment with it's own character;
- WBC is active in the community and donates all its baked goods at the end of the day to churches and charities (definately a plus for me!);
- WBC takes its perspective of abundance and uses it to help others;
- all items are baked on-site and each loaf of bread takes 3 days to fully leaven (I LOVE bread and this is really cool!)

This was our first visit to WBC and we were certainly impressed by the decor, ambiance and again, the little details that convey that they really care about their customers.

One little thing that I noticed before we dove into the gastronomic festivities, was the really nice bathroom. Now I realize that I am blogging about the food of the restaurant, but for me, an indicator of a restaurant's cleanliness and care is the condition of its restrooms.

The restroom at WBC was surprisingly nice. I expected a little, but felt as if I was walking into a restroom at a fancy place. The frosted glass doors and ceramic tile complimented the bright lighting and FREE Bath and Body Works lotion samples on the counter.

I was so impressed (or perhaps dorky enough) to take some photos of the restroom!

Each stall is behind a frosted glass door

View from the loo

FREE lotion samples (Bath and Body Works Coconut Lime Verbena)

They even have a courtesy phone in the hallway

I must say that this first impression was certainly a reflection of the standard of service from WBC.

I expected WBC to be similar to a Panera, Paradise Bakery or Atlanta Bread Co. I was pleasantly surprised to have my expectations exceeded!

Tomorrow: the feast!

intimacy on a grand scale

2009-10-21T14:05:00.000-07:00

those were some of the words uttered by bono last night as U2 performed at the university of phoenix stadium here in phoenix as part of their 360 tour. intimacy on a grand scale in the midst of a spaceship-like stage as they performed some of their classics like "sunday, bloody sunday", "where the streets have no name", as well as songs off their new album "no line on the horizon".

bono, as part of his continued efforts to help the underprivileged, also brought to light the plights of people in africa, tehran and other countries. while they played "walk on", he dedicated the song to aung san suu kyi, a burmese woman who has been unjustly placed under house arrest because she was elected as prime minister of her country. not to mention the video they had of desmond tutu giving a speech in thanks of the help given to africa to combat the AIDS epidemic.

we took some pictures and videos of the show, and here are a few of them to help you enjoy the amazingness that is U2.

Wordless Wednesday - The Little Man

2009-10-21T13:42:00.001-07:00

new template

2009-10-18T21:26:00.000-07:00

in honor of us moving to arizona, we decided to change the look of our blog. that, and brian was getting tired of the black template that we were using.

Joshua Bell

2009-10-18T16:34:00.000-07:00

This is a very interesting experiment in sociology and context. Warning: it's a long but great story!

Interracial Marriage

2009-10-15T19:33:00.000-07:00

It makes me speechless that this dumbf*** has such a narrow viewpoint. Has he never been to the west coast? BTW, it is SO TOTALLY racism.

a page from dutch history

2009-10-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

last week julie & i made a trip to the phoenix library. mainly to get library cards, but also to browse their selection. my original intent was to look over the CDs & maybe borrow a few to expand my musical horizons. i've discovered that library collections are great for that.

as it turned out, i borrowed exactly zero CDs and borrowed some books instead. one of them is becoming quite fascinating to me. as you know, dutch history is an interest of mine, as well as social justice issues. the phoenix library had a book that covered both. it's called "Blacks in the Dutch World: The Evolution of Racial Imagery in a Modern Society" by Allison Blakely. it talks about how, even in the historically tolerant society of the dutch, racism still exists. the inside of the front cover has an interesting quote: ""Blacks in the Dutch World" confirms that the existence of color prejudice in a predominately "white" society does not depend on the presence of racial conflict or even a significant "colored" population."

i find this quote interesting, in some ways because it states the obvious. on a personal level, i have never intentionally done anything for or against someone because of the color of their skin, but i know those thoughts of prejudice are in my head. it's a question of what i do with those thoughts when they are there. but, what that quote comes down to is that racism is not something you necessarily see on the surface, but it usually exists underneath. and you don't need to see someone of another color or culture to have prejudiced thoughts/feelings against them. that's something that can be ingrained by the culture around you.

i just started reading this book a couple days ago. it starts out with some of the older dutch history and how they would treat blacks and asians differently than people of european descent, and specifically dutch-based companies & their involvement with the slave trade.

i just finished reading the 1st chapter, which talks about the dutch east indies. the east india company, which did a lot of the slave trade at that time, had some interesting policies regarding the behavior of their workers. the workers were often sent to live in the colonies created as a result of some of this "trade".

"East India Company policy for much of the period was to restrict immigration by Dutch women and to recruit bachelors from the Netherlands and have them marry or take Asian women concubines, who, if slave, were first freed, baptised, and given a Christian Dutch or Portuguese name. This pragmatic strategy, aimed at ensuring the most stable type of service force, is indicative of the pragmatic approach taken concerning racial mixing. A related further measure was restriction of admission into the Netherlands of Asian wives and children of Dutchmen. Meanwhile, within the Dutch East Indies the Eurasian offspring of the mixed marriages became the preferred marriage partners in the society which developed. One result of the combination of practices was that nearly all members of society were raised by Asian women. Moreover, the racially mixed society as a whole was matrilineal, with Asian-born Dutch sons usually sent to the Netherlands for careers and new bachelor recruits brought in for company manpower." page 15 of "Blacks in the Dutch World"

i found this quite fascinating, simply because i didn't know the asian culture played a strong role in dutch culture. i can't wait to get more into this book and find out more.

Social Networking and Social Status

2009-10-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

It's kind of like "white flight" of social networking.

Interesting Take

2009-10-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

Why Conservatives are Really Afraid of a Black President

Your thoughts?

the saturday adventure

2009-10-11T21:51:00.000-07:00

as it turned out, saturday turned out to be another one of those days that prove you never know what's going to happen. oh, please click on this --> pic. it's brilliant.

julie & i woke up early saturday morning to drive to buffalo wild wings (bww) to catch the cmu vs. emu game. we were hoping the cmu alumni group that would be there would be a decent amount of people. as it turned out, it wasn't. thanks to bww being a bit of a distance from anywhere and it being 9 a.m., the total that showed up were 4...including julie & i. doug and his son davis were there. doug graduated from cmu in '67. he was there before the malt shoppe. if you know cmu, you know the malt shoppe. i thought it had been there since the beginning of time. it's one of those places. the game turned out to be great. at half-time, the chippewas were up 35-0. we decided to leave, since cmu had the game decided by that point. i later found out they won 56-8. that's not a typo. it's nice to see the football program at cmu finally having some success. it's just sad that it's happening after i graduated. they were horrible then. i think they won a total of 4 games in the 4 years i was there.

as for the u.s. vs. honduras match...that was a different story. i rode the light rail into downtown phoenix to the george & dragon. met a few fellow soccer supporters there, along with the folks involved with phoenix rising. the surprising thing was the george & dragon never showed the game. what? you say. here's why. most bars that were showing it were asking a $20.00 cover to pay for the cost of piping the game in from honduras, because it cost them $1500 to do it. it's a copyright thing. the george & dragon asked for no cover and was going to show it via an underground internet stream. but, as it happened, the stream gave their computer a virus...which prevented us from viewing the game and killed the computer at the george & dragon. yes. sad and tragic. but, the u.s. won 3-2, which means they've qualified for the world cup next year! go yanks!

even though the plans called for seeing 2 football games, and i only saw half of one, it still was a good day. both my teams won. the u.s. has another match on wednesday, this one against costa rica. i plan on actually watching that one with the phoenix rising group, who seem to be a good batch of folks.

football (both kinds)

2009-10-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

i heart the interwebs. thanks to the wonderful connectivity it creates, this saturday looks to be pretty sweet.

i did a bit of cybersphere research and found out about the phoenix chapter of the central michigan university alumni group. occasionally, they have events. as alumni groups like to do. turns out, they organize places to watch cmu football games. that is, of course, the american meaning of "football". so, saturday morning julie & i are heading to buffalo wild wings to watch cmu take on eastern michigan university...and to hang out with fellow cmu alums. sweet. :)

then, that night, we're headed to a wonderful british pub downtown phoenix called the george & dragon to watch my favorite kind of football. the united states takes on honduras in a world cup qualifying match! woohoo! the game starts at 10pm eastern, so grab your mates & join the rest of us in watching this one. this shin-dig is being organized by phoenix rising, a group that is trying to bring a usl division 1 team to phoenix. usl (united soccer leagues) is a cool league that is set up much like the soccer leagues in other countries, with relegation and promotion models. if you don't know what i mean by that, ask me. i'm a fan of that way of doing professional sports. this, of course, will be a great way to meet fellow soccer fans here in the valley (a nickname for phoenix). since the game won't be shown on network tv or cable (a sarcastic "thanks" to the u.s. soccer federation for that one), here's a website that lists bars across the country that will be showing it

fire up chips! go usa!

Cats

2009-10-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

One of the joys in Brian and I's life is our two cats, Panini and Squiggs. Here are some reasons why:

Penske

2009-10-06T13:15:00.000-07:00

Over the last two months, Brian and I have had the opportunity to drive very large, very yellow Penske moving trucks across the country. The first time was for our move from Nashville to Arizona and the second was for my brother and sister-in-law's move to Oklahoma from Arizona. The first truck was a 22' which towed a car on a trailer and the second was a 26' truck which also towed a car on a trailer.

Unfortunately, we didn't get photos of me driving the first truck but we did get photos of Brian and I driving the second (longer) truck.

It was quite an adventure and we were very proud of ourselves!

Enjoy!

Yes... again...

2009-10-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

I really do bring up this issue in a social and cultural context, not a political one. Regardless of whether or not I approve of Obama's policies, I think we need to deal with it!

adjusting

2009-10-05T00:33:00.000-07:00

I was up late last night doing some reminiscing. This reminiscing was the result of some sadness I was feeling…and still feel. This move to Phoenix has been tough on me. I’m in a city that has a complete lack of familiarity to me. It seems foreign. The tall, lush green trees and green grass that I’m used to are gone. Replaced by cacti, rocky soil and palm trees. I feel out of place. Julie is completely at home, because this is her home. Where she grew up, where her family is. While she is enjoying the desert sun and seeing sights that she grew up with, it’s all completely new to me. And I have problems feeling connected to it.

Anyone who knows me, knows how monumentally important music has always been to me. It’s that one thing that has always been with me. There are certain songs, albums and artists that I turn to when I need that extra boost and help me through troubling times. I really started noticing it after my friend Jim introduced me to a band called Mortal. He played their 2^nd album, “Fathom”, and I was hooked.

It was in the midst of this sadness and reminiscing that I turned to an old friend, Starflyer 59’s “Gold” album, to help me process my emotions. I picked it because Jason Martin, the vocalist/main songwriter/guitarist/brainchild of Starflyer 59, essentially recorded the album alone for a 1 month period after some friends didn’t show up to help him record it. So it has those elements of loneliness and sadness that I’ve been feeling.

“Gold” is playing, and the songs remind me of high school and college. Going to shows in Chicago, Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit. The countless hours I’ve spent with friends debating the various nuances of different bands, as well as their artistic merit. Arguing over if a band is actually worth listening to, in our music-snobby manner. The excitement I would feel before going to certain shows. Seeing The Prayer Chain perform in Chicago during one of their final shows before they broke up (that still makes me sad) and seeing Jimmy Eat World play a one-off at Exit/In in Nashville are 2 particular bright memories.

The song “Duel Overhead Cam” plays off “Gold”, and it gets to that part toward the end, where there’s that drum breakdown/solo. A smile comes to my face. I’ve always loved that part. A few songs later it’s the last 90 seconds of “Messed Up Over You” that make me hit the rewind button, just to hear it again. Even though I’ve heard it a million times before. And I thank God, for the infinity-eth time, for the gift of music. I truly in my heart of hearts, do not know where I would be if it weren’t for the many ways music has helped me connect with people, help me think, and inspired me. I thank God also that I have a wife who understands that and encourages it.

Six weeks into our move to the Valley of the Sun, I’m finding this transition to be tougher than I thought. Six weeks ago, I thought I could roll with the punches and adjust quite nicely. I thought that since I have the relationships with Julie’s family and her friends, I would find this to be an easier transition than when I moved to Mt. Pleasant to go to CMU and when I moved to Nashville. In both of those situations, I knew absolutely no one in the places I was moving to. This move hasn’t been easier. It takes time to build up those memories that make a place feel like home, and to develop those friendships that aid in making those memories.

Congrats Rio!

2009-10-02T19:15:00.000-07:00

2016 here we come!

Reverse Trick-o-Treating

2009-10-02T18:53:00.001-07:00

Check out this great way to spread the word on Fair Trade Chocolate during the "candiest" day of the year!

Women Clergy

2009-09-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

I found this article to be interesting, although I still feel that there is discrimination based on pay and size of churches that women get. Baby steps...

Environmentally Friendly

2009-09-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

If you've known me for any amount of time, you would know that I've been a strickler about recycling for over 20 years. So in honor of saving the planet, here are some sites I'd recommend:

- To recycle DVD cases

- To find out where you can properly dispose items such as hazardous materials (paint, paint thinner, other chemicals, etc.) and electronics and much more

- Staples will dispose of electronics for $10 per item

- To dispose of old medications/prescriptions.

- Or another option instead of tossing your items, post them here where you can give and get items for free.

Do you know of other earth-friendly options?

Arizona... why do you shame me again?

2009-09-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

Check out these stories...

Man Church

Gov. Brewer

Sheriff Joe

Love Me Some Ice Cream and Cake

2009-09-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

Conversations about Race

2009-09-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

I read this article from Newsweek and found it quite interesting. When was the last time you talked about race to a child? When was the last time you talked about race to anyone? When was the last time you talked about specifics rather than generalities when referring to equality?

Grain of Salt

2009-09-07T18:01:00.001-07:00

It's been really annoying that the drama over Obama's speech to students that will happen tomorrow night is really unnecessary. I speculate that it's most likely not about the speech itself, and not even that a Democratic, African American president is speaking to students. It could be that the opposing political party just is making a fuss. For the record, George HW Bush and Ronald Reagan spoke to students as well and there was a bit of fuss over HW's speech as well. Even famed educator Laura Bush and NASCAR support the speech.

I think that it's also probably waving candy at the general American public to get their minds off of the health care debate.

The speech is fine. Why don't we get back to the real issues, such as healthcare.

stewie

2009-09-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

this commercial for "family guy" is one of julie's favorites. i'm sure you've seen it. but if you haven't, enjoy.

We're in Arizona!

2009-08-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

it is finally complete. well, actually it has been for almost a week now. julie & i have made our big move to the valley of the sun, phoenix!

we loaded up the penske moving truck at our old house in the nashville area, put my civic on the trailer, and made the 4 day journey via I-40 west to phoenix. our 1st stop was little rock, arkansas. we visited our friends jay & karen and their son quin right after a deluge of rain and had a great (but too short) time visiting them. after catching some shut-eye in little rock, we began our new day's journey that would end with a stop in elk city, oklahoma. never heard of it? that's ok, we hadn't either. after 8 hours of driving, as long as it had a hotel that allowed pets (since we weren't going to leave nashville without our cats panini and squigs), we were ok with the humble town of elk city. the downtown reminded us of the 1950s, with it's small storefronts and marquee theatre.

the next day we drove another 8 hours, which included my 1st time experiencing the state of texas. to me, it was a little exciting. since i had never seen it before. for julie and her parents (who were kind enough to fly to nashville & help us with the drive to phoenix), it was a little dull. we slept that night in albuquerque, new mexico. we were tired of driving by this point, but we were glad that we only had 1 more day left before arriving in phoenix.

we drove through more desert (which was pretty much the scenery we experienced since oklahoma), but after we entered arizona (yay!) we made a slight detour to the painted desert in northern arizona. one word: wow. the desert can be beautiful, and it is there. we drove through much of this national park, and at the end walked amongst the petrified wood. the painted desert marked the end of our 3.5 day relationship with I-40 west, since after that we used a few different county roads to head south to phoenix. it was a bit tricky for julie's dad to drive the penske truck (22 feet plus the trailer with my car in tow) through these 2-lane roads, but in the end he got it through and this exhausted crew of 4 was happy to see julie's parent's home at the end of the day. phoenix, here we are!

we spent the next couple days unloading the truck and generally arranging things. needless to day, it's a relief to have the big move done and to be (for the most part) settled in. it will take me a while to adjust to the heat. as of this week-end, the past 25 days were all over 100. julie & i also now have our official arizona driver's licenses and license plates. she happily purchased an arizona state univeristy plate, and i purchased a personalized plate celebrating my favorite football club, ajax amsterdam.

the debate is getting violent

2009-08-09T18:38:00.000-07:00

unless you've been hanging out in a cave lately, i'm sure you've noticed the debates that have been going on across the country about the healthcare reform president obama is proposing.

i don't know where you stand, but i am completely for healthcare reform. what that means to me comes down to several things:

quality healthcare available to everyone, all the time. no exceptions.
insurance providers that are care-based instead of profit-based
no one gets denied coverage because the insurance considers the treatment "not medically necessary" or it's considered a pre-existing condition
you have healthcare simply because you are alive, not because you have a job

i see it too often where i work where people are denied treatment for these reasons, and some others that are made up by health insurance providers as a method to deny coverage (that the patient is paying for) so they can increase their profits. i think healthcare is a human right, not a privilege only for those who can afford to pay for it out-of-pocket or for those who have jobs. you shouldn't have to be concerned about going bankrupt because of a complication during pregnancy or because you or your spouse gets cancer.

a lot of the talk about healthcare reform has been based on some people thinking the single payer option is "socialist". for that argument, i encourage you to look at this link. we're already close to it. i don't say that as a warning, but it's not as bad as people think. especially when i read a thread like this one on reddit that has people from iceland, france & canada chiming in about how incredible their healthcare systems really are. the US has the one of the worst healthcare systems out of all the developed nations. and we claim to be the best country to live in? if you're healthy, white and male...that's very true.

it's become really obvious to me that most (if not all) of the people who are protesting at these town halls and healthcare debates across the country fall into this category: white, middle class, and republican. most of them, from the points they bring up, have not even read the actual proposed bill and are only listening to people like rush limbaugh (and others who are only trying to push their own agenda) and are not listening to both sides. check out this interview with frank schaeffer (a christian activist) as he talks about this issue.

since a lot of this has become politicized, i encourage you to read the bill for yourself. i'm tired of hearing things like it has a "death panel" or other such nonsense. that was made up by a certain vice-presidential wannabe to get some press. be informed.

Text of Proposed Healthcare Reform Bill

this post is my small effort to dispel some of the myths, etc that are being spread about this issue. i encourage you to honestly research this and what it could really mean for you. not based on fears or what someone else has told you. unless that someone else is an expert in this area.

EDIT: i just came across this post from Tim Wise on facebook about the whole healthcare as an equality issue.

Things to Ponder

2009-08-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

A friend's facebook status had this quote on it:

Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of 'crackpot' than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost. I am an unapologetic individual.

The philosophic side of me completely agrees!

Ode to Phoenix

2009-08-06T15:06:00.001-07:00

In less than two weeks, Brian and I will be moving to Arizona. We are thrilled to be moving and starting a new chapter in our lives. We are also excited to be closer to my family and their love, encouragement and support, although we aren't excited about Jay and Joely and Jalen moving to OK rather soon after we arrive. We do know this is a good and exciting chapter for them in their lives as well. We will DEARLY miss them.

As Brian and I have been physically and mentally been preparing for the move, we have been making a mental list of all of the things we are excited to see, do, experience, etc. upon our arrival in Phx.

Here is a short list of those things in no particular order:

being close to my family, especially my grandparents
reuniting with old friends and making new ones
being in the desert climate
being in the "west" where we can find solidarity with those who have more progressive views of life than the south
attending ASU football, Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Coyotes, Arizona Cardinals, and maybe MLS games
showing Brian all of the houses I lived in while growing up
showing Brian the different schools I attended
attending performances by the AZ Ballet and Phx Symphony
having a strong support system
spending time with my best friends
spending time with my siblings
swimming in my parents' pool
exploring various parts of AZ
exploring other parts of the west such as San Diego, San Fran, Anaheim, Portland, Seattle, Vegas
taking Brian to Disneyland- the happiest place on earth and IMHO, much better than Epcot
spending time in Sedona again
hot air ballooning in Sedona
helicopter rides over the Grand Canyon
escaping the humidity of TN
riding the light-rail
going to SupperThyme/Dinner-a-Fare

That's all for now. We're counting down the days!!!

Picking Cotton

2009-08-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

I recently read this book and was captivated by the story of ultimate forgiveness and justice. It's an amazing story about how one own's perception can be self-deceiving and how grace and persistence can be redeeming.

One very small part in the book talks about when the prisoner befriends a small cat for a while. While it breaks my heart to hear of the fate of this kitten, it also makes me think of a story I heard about on Oprah. Glenn Close helps support a program where puppies are trained by inmates to become assist dogs to wounded soldiers. The dogs not only learn crucial skills but the hope and encouragement and love to those who are often told that they are unworthy and lost causes. Amazing.

Aug. 6, 1946

2009-08-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

Reflecting on this day...

Congrats

2009-08-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

... to Supreme Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor. I am pleased that the senate confirmed her nomination although it was to be expected that all but 9 of the republicans voted against her. It sounds like the republican party is losing many of the hispanic voters as well. Esp. Sen. John McCain (Rep. AZ). I'm not excited about him being my senator again. Read more here.

...and on a related note

2009-08-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

this, my friends, is why i love the interwebs. i love learning about new things, especially when it comes to music. and especially, especially when it's about some long-forgotten part of music.

i came across this post this afternoon. it's about the blues before it became, well, the blues. it talks about how white america stepped in, with the influence of rock & roll, and changed the course of the blues forever. it talks about the original intention of the blues not being something you can dance to, or even sing along to. it was something to listen to. to take in and ponder. to absorb, and make part of the very fabric of your being.

i think this is why i am drawn to the blues. that even today it still maintains that essence of pondering life's deeper meanings. that's something most of today's music isn't able to do.

on a somewhat related note (but not entirely), i also came across this video of ray charles doing a cover of johnny cash's "ring of fire". it has ray's touches to it, and is a nice little display of his many talents.

blues legends

2009-08-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

sirius/xm sent me an email today announcing the launch of their youtube channel. i've been a subscriber of satellite radio for a few years, and i enjoy the music, news and comedy it provides. in my opinion, it's a lot better than local radio. not to mention that it provides the american public the only soccer radio shows the U.S. has to offer in world soccer daily and the football show.

as i looked over some of the videos, i came across a couple that immediately caught my attention, 2 videos involving blues legends buddy guy and b.b. king. as a music geek, i love interviews like this. i love hearing the behind the scenes stories about the life of musicians, especially coming from icons like b.b. king and buddy guy.

the last one

2009-07-29T19:11:00.000-07:00

perhaps you saw my status update if you follow me on facebook and/or twitter. i had my last ever episode of my radio show "the movement regression" on WRFN last wednesday. i've had this show since April 2005, when WRFN 1st opened itself to the airwaves.

i played a lot of songs that mean a lot to me, that have some sort of connection for me. the show started off with "alive & awake" by mortal. this is the song that i point to that started the whole musical addiction for me way back in high school. also on the playlist that night were the prayer chain's "sky high", mew's "snow brigade", "graveyard girl" by m83 and songs by explosions in the sky, stavesacre, mogwai, and a bunch of others. it was fun putting together a string of songs that connect to my heart like that.

the people at WRFN were kind enough to let me do an extra hour for my last show, which was nice because it allowed me to fit in more songs that mean a lot to me. i found myself feeling nostalgic & melancholy during those 3 hours, remembering all the memories that i've had in that studio over the past 4.5 years. memories like having my friends in the band ide (now the antennas) play a few songs during one of my 1st shows there. another was when my friends jeff d. and josh s. from philadelphia came to visit, resulting in them hanging out in the studio with me one night.

i also remember doing some shows when julie & i started dating. she would often listen online, and listen to my "sexy voice" (her words, not mine) while we would IM back & forth to each other. she, of course, went to the studio a few times too.

part of the point of this post is to thank those of you who have listened over the years. it was incredible when i would get feedback & song requests from people as the show rolled on.

i was able to record my show, thanks to a wonderful program called radiolover that records online streams to your computer as they play. i have the past few months of shows on my macbook thanks to that program.

so for now i'm saying "good-bye" to radio. i may have another opportunity to do it after julie & i move to phoenix in a few weeks. until that happens, i can definitely say i appreciated the hours i spent playing music i love over the air.

Tim Wise and Black in America

2009-07-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

Commentary below was from Tim Wise's facebook post about Henry Louis Gates Jr. It was written on July 21, 2009. I continue to be amazed at how people can act like racism and white privilege don't exist.

What concerns me most is that this happened to an educated, probably affluent African-American man. How are lower-class, uneducated young black men able to prove themselves in this sort of system? The odds seem automatically stacked against them.

A while ago Brian and I were able to watch a series by CNN called Black in America. Tonight and tomorrow night, there will be another 2 part series called Black in America 2. The first show was extremely thought provoking and touched a special place in my heart bcz of my younger brother. I anticipate that tonight and tomorrow's show will do the same.

Walter Cronkite

2009-07-20T14:03:00.001-07:00

I am sad at the passing of this legend of journalism. Although I was not a arduous fan, I did admire the quality of reporting that he brought to the American public. I found this blog post to be a great tribute. I also am proud to be a Sun Devil as Arizona State University has the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at its Downtown campus. It's great to see the way they are honoring his legacy. Below is a clip of Cronkite announcing JFK's death. There is some footage included that I had not seen before.

Sotomayor and the Fundamentals of Diversity and Affirmative Action

2009-07-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

This is a recent blog post by Jim Wallis. You can view the blogpost online or I've copied the text below. I like that he quotes Toobin's book "The Nine". A good read! I also like Brian McLaren's comments (which are linked) as well.

"The confirmation hearing for Judge Sonia Sotomayor this week again brings up the fundamental issues of diversity and affirmative action. Regardless of what we think of the good judge – I like her, and was honored to be at the White House for the announcement of the first Latina for the Supreme Court by the first African-American president, something that I actually did find very moving – it is worth reflecting theologically and politically on the issues involved.

The story of creation in Genesis provides a great depth of insight into the being and nature of God. In those first chapters of scripture we see that the image of God is best reflected not through sameness but through the breadth that exists within the grand diversity of creation. Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the U.K., argues in his book, The Dignity of Difference, that the Tower of Babel stands as a warning against the hubris of humans who try to impose uniformity where God has created diversity. The doctrine of the Trinity holds that God, while perfect in unity, is at the same time diverse as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Our country is always at its best when diversity is not viewed as a problem to be overcome but as a strength to be celebrated. The challenge diversity presents is not for the country to become colorblind but for us all to be able to recognize and celebrate our differences while maintaining the proposition our country was founded upon, that all are created equal. While all are equal, we are not all the same — and that is a very good thing.

This principle was affirmed in the 1978 case of Regents of the University of California vs. Bakke, when the Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional a strict quota system for admissions into medical school. But it was in the opinion of Justice Lewis Powell that another precedent was established. Justice Powell affirmed the role of well-designed affirmative action policies because of the benefits for society as a whole. Jeffery Toobin describes and quotes from the opinion as follows in his book The Nine:

…Powell justified affirmative action because of what it did for everyone, not just for its immediate beneficiaries. In his view, diversity — a buzzword that came into wide use only after Bakke -- helped all students of all races. “The nation’s future depends upon leaders trained through wide exposure to the ideas and mores of students as diverse as this Nation of many peoples,” Powell wrote, so “race or ethnic background may be deemed a ‘plus’ in a particular applicant’s file.” … In the subsequent 25 years, Powell’s rationale had become the dominant intellectual justification for affirmative action — not as a handout to the downtrodden but as a net benefit to the society as a whole.

In the 2003 cases against the University of Michigan (Gratz vs. Bollinger) and the university’s law school (Grutter vs. Bolinger), the principle of taking race into consideration as one factor of admission to achieve the goal of diversity was again affirmed. In those cases, the law school’s affirmative action policy was considered to be set up in a way that promoted this principle while it was determined that the undergraduate system was not. Of special concern in the case was a brief signed by top retired military officers who argued that affirmative action programs in place for officer training was vital to the quality, effectiveness, and cohesiveness of our armed forces.

One of the great benefits of diversity is that whether in regards to life in general or the particulars of a court case, our background, life stories, and identities all afford us different perspectives and unique insights. A diverse class, officer training program, community, or Supreme Court is going to have a broader and deeper wealth of knowledge and experience to interpret the world around them or a plaintiff’s grievance. This is the value of empathy that the president laid out as one of his requirements for a judge. Empathy allows us to rightly consider our emotions in the process of making a decision and to view the facts within more than just one framework. David Brooks, conservative columnist for the New York Times, said it like this:

It is incoherent to say that a judge should base an opinion on reason and not emotion because emotions are an inherent part of decision-making. Emotions are the processes we use to assign value to different possibilities. Emotions move us toward things and ideas that produce pleasure and away from things and ideas that produce pain. People without emotions cannot make sensible decisions because they don’t know how much anything is worth. People without social emotions like empathy are not objective decision-makers. They are sociopaths who sometimes end up on death row.

The belief that diversity is a goal worth pursuing because it is a benefit to all of us is not a conservative belief or a progressive belief, but a deeply held moral value and American proposition. As Brian McLaren wrote, this is not racism. It is from this foundation that our country has overcome the sins of slavery and legalized segregation — and it is from this foundation that our country will continue to make strides in overcoming racial inequality through the courts, legislation, and the transformation of society."

Sotomayor Part 2

2009-07-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

I continue to watch the Sotomayor hearings and I am intrigued by the questioning of Senator Lindsay Graham (R. South Carolina). I think that the demeanor and approach to his questioning was much more diplomatic and graceful than Senator Kyl's. Or perhaps, they were just sugar coated with southern charm. I'm not sure and I know I'm not qualified to make character judgments on someone I don't know.

But, here are some things that I noticed which seemed to hold a different tone:

- His admiration of Sotomayor and his questioning of her temperment on the second circuit. I think he raised some good points about her character and challenged her to examine it.
- His pointing out of her record of judgement
- His challenging of Sotomayor's "wise Latina" comment and how if the tables were turned he would be in the hot seat and how he recognized and affirmed the fact that we all should have a second chance for the things in which we say
- His ability to help see the human side of Sotomayor when asking questions about her reaction to the attacks of 9/11/01.
- His encouragement for Sotomayor to think about and entertain certain concepts and thoughts

However, I do think that he raised hot button issues (abortion, war, death penalty) in a subtle manner and I thought there was a very slight tone of condescension at some points - but very slight. I wonder if some would see his southern charm holding the ability to seem nice and yet pull out the big issues...

I'm not saying that he's my new hero but I do see a different tone to his questioning than I have yet seen thus far. I think his delivery method was an intelligent approach.

Supreme Ct Nominee Sotomayor

2009-07-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

I've been watching the nomination hearings for the past two days and I've been struck by the matter of how race, ethnicity and gender has been a point of attack on her perspective.

And frankly, I am embarassed and ashamed by the attack on Sotomayor from Sen. Jon Kyle (R. Arizona). I think he's one of the white males that is threatened by a strong, powerful woman who is very much in touch with and proud of her ethnicity and her support of the importance of women and people of color. I understand that his concern is that he's afraid that race and gender will become determining factors in the judgements that she may rule upon. I think that she is a strong advocate for more women and people of color to be in leadership positions, perhaps on the Court itself. I think she's fallen under attack for supporting diversity in a Court and judicial system that has for a majority of the time held mainly white males. In a society that has dominant white privilege, Kyle should recognize that yes, the speeches that she gave at various commencements were empowering but that in action and in judgements, she will be as impartial as possible, as any other white supreme court judge could be as well.

I think as a woman of color, she is coming under attack for the fact that her decision making skills as a supreme ct judge should be questioned because of her biases. I think it's ridiculous to assume that simply because she is not a white male that she will be easily swayed by her racial and gender biases.

Perhaps some think that at this level of judging, there should not be mistakes or errors in judgement. But when I think over the course of the judges, many of them seem to have made mistakes of which the American people have not agreed with decisions. I also think that other recent supreme ct nominees, now judges, have received much more lienancy in their judging. For that matter, I think that presidents past and even the current president has made mistakes and will make mistakes.

Sotomayor has said and will continue to say, "I do not believe that any ethnic, gender or race group has an advantage in sound judging." And I think CNN's commentator Maria Echaveste captured the heart of my issue with these lines of questioning when she said, "If you are a minority and you're a conservative, you're independent minded. If you're a minority and sort of to the left, somehow you're going to be biased and in favor of minorities. There's a double standard here and that's ultimately what's problematic about this. The fact is, would we be asking about her bias in the Richie case if she were anything BUT a minority."

Michael Jackson's Funeral

2009-07-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, so yes, I'm one of the millions of persons who watched the funeral. Here are the things I appreciated about the funeral.

- Al Sharpton's bold claims about MJ's breaking of the color barrier

- MLK III's quoting his father when he quoted this poem:

BE THE BEST OF WHATEVER YOU ARE

If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill,
Be a shrub in the valley---but be
The best little shrub at the side of the hill;
Be a bush if you can't be a tree.
We can't all be captains,
We've got to be crew.
There's something for all of us here;
There is big work to do, and there's lesser to do
And the task we must do is the near.
If you can't be a highway, then just be a trail,
If you can't be the sun, be a star;
It isn't the size that you win or you fail---
Be the best of whatever you are.
Anonymous

- Brooke Shields' tearful memorial

But my favorite was Jennifer Hudson's performance of "Will You Be There". Simply Beautiful.

MJ was a great icon and an incredible entertainer.

Incident at a Philly Pool

2009-07-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

In recent days, this story has unfolded. Here is one person's take on it all. I'd love to hear your responses. p.s. I'm keeping mine to myself at this point...

Off the Deep End:
Reflections on Private Clubs, Public Prejudice and Racism 2.0
By Tim Wise
July 9, 2009

On the one hand, racism is so deeply embedded in the history and structure of the United States, that it shouldn't be particularly surprising when a story emerges, indicating that indeed, that racism has bubbled to the surface yet again.

But on the other hand, sometimes a story finds its way into the public realm, which is of such a profoundly disturbing nature, that you can't help but do a double-take: the kind of story that makes you go, huh? What the hell did I just read? Like for sure you must have seen that headline wrong. Like you must have been teleported back in time fifty years or more, to a period when folks didn't even feel the need to pretend they were racially enlightened. Like you must be hallucinating, or perhaps this is a satire you're reading, maybe something from The Onion? And then you realize, nope, it's for real.

And so it was yesterday, when a swim club on the outskirts of Philadelphia made the news after expelling from their pool a summer camp group of approximately sixty kids of color from the city. Not because they had done anything wrong--no bad behavior, no inappropriate conduct, nothing like that, as they had just arrived and most of the children hadn't even had a chance to enter the pool yet--and not because they had crashed the private environs uninvited (the camp had paid over $1900 for the right to swim there once a week), but because, as club president, John Duesler explained in a letter: the kids would "change the complexion and atmosphere" of the club. Got that? The complexion.

Of course, Duesler, about whom I'll have more to say in a minute, insists that the decision wasn't racial. Yet several of the youth denied access to the pool overheard a white club member openly complaining about the arrival of the "black kids," and all but a few of the white children swimming when they arrived were yanked from the pool by their parents, in a move reminiscent of the 1950s, suggesting that the club's racism is not some inanimate institutional force, but a lived reality for many of its white members as well. One woman at the club, for instance, fretted openly that the black kids might "do something" to her child. Of course, because that's what fifth graders from the 'hood do: they roll out to the 'burbs, pretending to be interested in swimming, when really, the plan is to find some white kids and cut 'em the hell up, in some kinda pee-wee gang initiation ritual. Of course.

That the expulsion was racial is beyond dispute, or at least should be. The club knew how many kids were going to be there when they accepted the membership fee, so they can't claim they were overwhelmed by the size of the group, although they seem to be offering that as their excuse now that the story has gone public. Yet to read the comments left underneath the story at the Philly area NBC affiliate's webpage, which was first to break the news, leaves one with the distinct impression that for a lot of white folks, there is no need for the club to devise a cover story. Rather, a disturbing number of white posters seem positively exultant that these children--who had done nothing wrong except, apparently, to be born and to live in North Philadelphia--were booted from the club.

To wit, among these postings, one finds regular and repeated reference to the "animals" from the city, others who claim that blacks don't care for their own neighborhoods, and so, presumably, a group of black children shouldn't be let into a white one, and comments to the effect that if blacks want to be respected (and not discriminated against) they must first "clean up their act." In other words, whites are entitled to view all black people, even 8 year olds, through the lens of presumed group pathology, all because some in the black community engage in undesirable behavior. By which logic, of course, we should also presume that all whites are corporate criminals, because of the actions of Ken Lay, or Bernie Madoff, or the Savings and Loan bandits from the 80s.

Or perhaps that all white men should be presumed serial killers because of Manson, Bundy, Gacy, or dozens of others, or pederasts, like the sick-ass high ranking staffer at Duke University who was advertising for people to come and rape his 5-year old adopted black child, as he had already done repeatedly.

Perhaps it would be fair to think all whites to be semi-illiterate, because of, say, George W. Bush, or Sarah Palin, or to insinuate that white boys are all sociopathic animal mutilators because, as with a recent case in South Florida, most of the whack jobs who butcher kittens end up being, well, ya know, white boys. Or perhaps that whites are inherently predisposed to cannibalism or that white females should be banned from teaching because of the threat they pose to their students: after all, well over a hundred white female teachers have been busted for preying upon underage kids in recent years, and indeed the perps have been white in over 93 percent of all known cases.

But of course, none of those who would defend their racism in the swim club case--and who would assure us it is "rational" to fear black kids--would find any of the above examples nearly as logical. This, despite the statistical and anecdotal evidence that could be brought to bear in each case to make sense of crass generalizations in those instances too. No, they reserve their "rational discrimination" for the dark-skinned. Indeed, to read their messages is to see racism in the raw. The kind of thing so many pundits have assured us is no longer a problem in America, now that we've entered the "post-racial" era of Barack Obama.

Oh, and speaking of which, here's the kicker: remember the above-mentioned club President? The one concerned about how the black kids might change the complexion of the place? John Duesler? Yeah, well, turns out, Duesler is no knuckle-dragging right winger. He's no Klansman. Actually, he was a supporter of President Obama, and helped coordinate a blood drive in town to celebrate the Presidential inauguration. Even worse, he's the chairman of Peace-Action Philadelphia: a collection of presumably progressive and even leftist types. This is what I speak of as Racism 2.0 in my book, Between Barack and a Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of Obama: the kind of racism that allows some whites to vote for Obama, and to carve out exceptions for those black and brown folks who make us comfortable, but to maintain fundamentally hostile views towards the larger communities of color from which these exceptions come. In other words, the kind of racism that says, black folks are fine, so long as they went to Harvard Law, speak a certain way, dress a certain way, and pander to our tastes. But for the rest of y'all, oh hell no.

In light of this latest incident, let me make the following points, and let me make them in the clearest terms possible:

1. I bet'not hear one more Northerner lecture me, ever about the South again. We know perfectly well our history down here. 'Bout time you get clear on yours. This wasn't Philadelphia, Mississippi partner, it was the city of brotherly-frickin'-love, so you and Rocky had best go figure it out, while the rest of us watch for a while. And for y'all in Boston, and Bensonhurst, and Greenwich-damn-Village, feel free to join in. Let us know what you learn about yourself. We got phones down here now, and even, occasionally, internet access, so give us a holler when you come up with something noteworthy.

2. I bet'not hear one more white liberal act like racism is the province of the right. Yes, racism itself is a decidedly reactionary philosophy, but it's one that has long been embedded in the white psyche, and white folks' worldview. As Joe Feagin explains in his newest book, the white racial frame has long influenced how white Americans, irrespective of broader political views, view black and brown folks, and this latest incident only demonstrates that with a vengeance. It is the white racial frame that frames, pun very much intended, blacks--even children--as pathological, socially dysfunctional, likely to misbehave, and unworthy of the opportunities enjoyed by whites. It is the white racial frame that serves to rationalize every injustice done to persons of color, no matter how blatant.

And is that white racial frame which must be thoroughly challenged, exploded, destroyed, eradicated, before this nation can ever hope to achieve racial equity, or even the most rudimentary levels of social justice. So for those nice white liberals who thought voting for Barack Obama was gonna be their get-out-of-jail-free card the next time somebody brought up the subject of racism--sorta like a modern day version of "some of my best friends are black"--think again.

Oh, and finally, for those who insist on changing the subject with regard to this pool story, and insisting that "well, ya know, it is a private club and so they can do whatever they want," you miss the point, and miss it quite badly. First, if a private club advertises memberships to the public, as the Valley Club did, there is an open question as to just how private it actually is. It may indeed be far less so than many claim, and may be bound by civil rights laws just as surely as a municipally owned facility would be. But more to the point, it doesn't matter. This is not an issue about the right of the club to be racist. It is a question about whether it is right for them to be such. One may have the right to do lots of things. I have the right to stand on a corner and shout racial slurs at passersby of color, I suppose. I have a right to publish hate literature. I have a right to join the Klan. In short, I have a "right" to be as racist as I wanna be. But if I decide to do any of those things, you have the right, and more--the obligation--to call me an asshole. And a racist asshole at that. And to make my life miserable.

So let us exercise our rights, and do just that to the folks at The Valley Club. You can reach them via e-mail at: info@thevalleyclub.com. Or you can call them at: 215-947-0700. Their voice mail was full last time I checked (for reasons I think I can imagine), but at some point they'll clear it out, at which point we should fill it up again. Or, if you're white and feeling really creative, perhaps you can pay for a temporary membership and then go swimming. Just make sure to drink a lot of water before you go, and all go together. And then get in the pool, and then, well, I think you know the rest. It would be the world's first piss-in,* and it would serve them right.

* I cannot take credit for the piss-in idea. This concept is borrowed, lovingly, from long-time social justice and antiracist activist/educator, Sharon Martinas, to whom all praise is due for her creativity and sense of humor in the face of injustice: a critical virtue in difficult times.

Tim Wise is the author of four books on race and racism. His website is timwise.org. He blogs at redroom.com and can be reached via e-mail at timjwise@mac.com.

do this...but not that (again)

2009-06-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

i felt the need to write a "part 2" to my recent post about rituals. it wasn't quite complete, my thoughts not completely hashed out. i've received responses from my friends josh and jim , and i thank them for their thoughts.

in my other post, i came across as if i am totally against rituals, and that i think they are useless. i actually feel the opposite. i have quite often witnessed people using ritual to enhance their life, be it spiritually or otherwise. and i think that's the difference, if it's used meaningfully or not. when a ritual is used with a sense of sacredness, there is an inherent beauty to it. it can give that reminder, that it's not just about us, it's about the people & things that have gone before us...and will come after us. it gives that sense of place and purpose. along with that comes humility. i think of meditation, buddhist mantras and the 5 pillars of islam as some of these that can be used in this way.

on the other side of the coin is what i typically think of when i hear "ritual". i think of people of faith doing something only out of a sense of obligation, habit and practically without thought. the way i've experienced going to church on sundays, reading the bible, praying, etc within the christian context. it has often felt like if these (and others) are not done, then god's gonna get getcha and god won't love you anymore. as if you have to earn god's love. this is contradictory to what is commonly taught that "god is love" and god's love is unconditional. when ritual is done this way, it loses the sense of connectedness and purpose that the ritual exists to create in the 1st place.