Terrapin Station

Well, maybe it's not the movie. Maybe it's us.

We rarely go to movies.  We just don't.  Ken sleeps through most, and I usually get annoyed by something.  Big exception lately: Star Trek!

But Sunday we decided to give it a shot. 

We went to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.  Unfortunately, it is apparently a sequel.  We didn't see the first one.  Unlike most sequels, they didn't even try to fill in the uninformed. 

And, uh, it's all machines fighting each other - you can't tell which ones are which. 

We were at the Movie Tavern, so we had some lunch and a nice pitcher of beer.

Suddenly Ken said, "Are you asleep?"  Turns out I woke him up with my SNORING. 

Oh, my golly.  I've never fallen asleep in a movie before.  I also do not normally snore.  (Really!) Beer...

Paid our bill and skulked out like the elderly and bored people we apparently are. 

However, I greatly enjoyed the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince trailer! 

Stonewall 2009?

From Hope for Peace and Justice at the Cathedral of Hope

As you may have heard, in the early morning hours of Sunday, June 28, the Fort Worth Police Department raided the Rainbow Lounge, a new, primarily gay bar in the city. As you also know, Sunday, June 28 marked the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, considered to be the beginning of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights movement in the United States. For many, this coincidence is a chilling reminder of the fact that, while we have come so far, the journey to equality is not yet finished. The Cathedral of Hope and Hope for Peace & Justice issued the following statement yesterday in response to the actions of the Fort Worth Police Department:

World’s Largest Gay Church Decries Actions of Fort Worth Police:
Dallas-based Cathedral of Hope calls raid “unacceptable”

Dallas, Texas – June 28, 2009 – The Dallas, Texas-based Cathedral of Hope, known as the world’s largest lesbian and gay church, has issued the following statement regarding the raid on the Rainbow Lounge early this morning by the Fort Worth Police Department:
June 28 is celebrated throughout the United States and elsewhere as the beginning of the lesbian and gay civil rights movement in this country. Surely this did not escape the knowledge of the Fort Worth Police Department as they raided the Rainbow Lounge early this morning. In a scene eerily reminiscent of the raid on the Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Village 40 years ago, the police reportedly entered the bar unprovoked, harassing and arresting patrons without reason. The Cathedral of Hope and Hope for Peace & Justice call on Chief of Police Jeffrey Halstead to issue a full report and apology immediately. This kind of targeted humiliation and harassment was unacceptable 40 years ago, and it is unacceptable today. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and their friends, families and allies have had enough.
Reverend Michael Piazza, Dean of the Cathedral, in condemning the raid, said, “After more than a generation of progress, this action shows that there is still much work to be done to ensure that all Americans enjoy ‘equal protection under the law.’ It is tragic that lesbian and gay taxpayers are still abused by the very people who are paid by our taxes.”

may my heart always be open to little

may my heart always be open to little

e. e. cummings

 

may my heart always be open to little
birds who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old

may my mind stroll about hungry
and fearless and thirsty and supple
and even if it's sunday may i be wrong
for whenever men are right they are not young

and may myself do nothing usefully
and love yourself so more than truly
there's never been quite such a fool who could fail
pulling all the sky over him with one smile

Source: www.poemhunter.com

From Inward/Outward today.

All the sacraments for all the baptized

 

Integrity is the organization working for inclusivity in The Episcopal Church.  I'm proud to be a member.

The logo above is for their presence and work at GenCon 09 in Anaheim...coming soon.  Check out IntegriTV. 

Hey you Episcopalians!

What do you want the Episcopal Church to look like in 2019?

An eight-question survey posted online June 24 asks Episcopalians—lay and ordained—to envision the church in 10 years’ time and to prioritize the strategies toward that vision.

Go here to read the article in Episcopal Life Online and to be directed to the survey.  ETA:  Fixed the link!  Sorry!

Friday Five: Talkin' 'bout - Pop Music!

As posted by me at RevGals:

Happy Friday to you all!

The sad news of Michael Jackson's untimely death has me thinking about music and its effects on us - individually, as cultures, as generations. Let's think about the soundtracks of our lives...

1) What sort of music did you listen to as a child - this would likely have been determined or influenced by your parents? Or perhaps your family wasn't musical...was the news the background? the radio? Singing around the piano?  My mom listened to a lot of Peter, Paul, and Mary; also Christian music by the Fisherfolk (came out of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in the late 60's and early 7o's; we went there some).   I still listen to both!  

2) Going ahead to teenage years, is there a song that says "high school" (or whatever it might've been called where you lived") to you?   Almost anything by The Cars..."Let the Good Times Roll" always gets the radio turned up loud!  "Candy-O" - "You're All I've Got Tonight" - "Just What I Needed" - I could go on! 

3) What is your favorite music for a lift on a down day? (hint: go to www.pandora.com and type in a performer/composer...see what you come up with!)  Something from high school...usually the Go-Go's, the Cars, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Devo; or the Grateful Dead.  Right now I'm listening to the Cat Stevens channel on Pandora. 

4) Who is your favorite performer of all time?  Wow, this is a hard question to answer!  What made me ask it?  I guess The Beatles and The Indigo Girls and.....okay, that's enough.

5) What is your favorite style of music for worship?  I like a mixture of hymns and what I think of as "praise music" - what we used to play in Folk Mass when I was a kid. 

Bonus if you include a video of any of the above!

Thanks - I needed that LOL!

Angels Among Us

My parents are staying with me this week as they attend the Anglican Church of North America Inaugural Assembly in nearby Bedford.   

They left this morning with the lunch I had packed them.  Then I got a call from my husband that they were having car trouble and stuck on the side of Hwy. 114.  He was deploying our favorite mechanic and also our accountant - the one to try to fix the car or have it towed; the other to bring them back here. 

They had apparently hit "something big - like a log" in the road and blown a tire, but worse, the car wouldn't even turn over. 

Many, many garbled phone calls later (made more difficult by the fact that for some reason Mom can't get incoming calls on her phone), I talked to her and learned that some wonderful, kind men had stopped, installed her in the air conditioned cab of their truck, provided her with cold bottled water, and were changing the tire. 

Then Jack the Mechanic showed up, and in short order realized that the inertia switch in the trunk had been tripped, probably by the impact, and that it had shut off the fuel pump.  Who knew such a thing existed!?  Now you do, and so do I! 

The wrecker was turned back; Billy was sent back to our home office to work; my parents continued on their way to ACNA. 

I'm so grateful for all the help afforded them!  To the tire changers - it's headed to 100 degrees F here today and hot already!  My husband, who has a small army of people he can deploy on their behalf (or mine) as needed.  To Billy, to whom I owe a big steak.  To Jack the Mechanic for his good humor and patience.  And to God, for keeping them safe. 

Blogging the unbloggables

Came in yesterday to a student "emergency" which turned out to not be a big one...but don't worry, there was a new and real emergency.  It, also, has been solved.  We hope.

Other issues surround this.  Much more will emerge from it.

Went home and made dinner for spouse and visiting parents.  Parents are here for nearby  conference of ACNA - creating an Anglican province in North America.  Their West Texas church split 2 years ago and they went with the Anglicans. 

Dinner conversation: spouse and parents begin to discuss the split.  They lean the one direction, I lean the other. 

I leave table. 

It makes me so very tired. 

Also I am Jazzercising every morning.  Have hit a wall of sorts: instead of feeling invigorated etc., by this, I am spending the days following feeling sore and exhausted.  Hey!  That's not how it USED to work! 

As a young friend of 10-year-old Brandon used to joke, "I want my money back!  And I'll see YOU in court!"

All shall be well. 

An excellent day

Ken and I slept in a bit, played with the dogs, and went to IHOP for breakfast.   We split the low-fat omelet, which was a perfect portion for us both.  Splitting a restaurant meal usually works really well for us. 

Came home and sister Sarah came over. We worked on some legal papers, then went to the bank for a notarization and to the Denton County Master Gardeners 2009 Fruit, Vegetable, Herb and Flower Show - gorgeous things!  Afterward walked to the Farmer's Market and bought tomatoes, cukes, little potatoes, leeks.  (Any suggestions on things to do with the leeks?) 

When we got home we looked thru recipe books for things I can cook while my parents are here this week.  My dad is newly on a diabetic diet so it is a bit different but I think we can manage it!

For lunch we made some delicious salmon that Sarah had brought with her, and added salad and the potatoes to it. 

Grocery shopping, prepping more of that great salmon, and our visit was done. 

I'm thinking about my new favorite scripture:  2 Cor 6:3-10.  This is so not me.; nothing really bad has ever happened to me for my faith.  Yet I have a friend who is embodying it, to my daily awe.  And I also think about the people of Iran - so inspiring.  So heartbreaking.

Hope you all have had excellent days, too.