The Tea Fast

John and I are fasting from tea for the next 10 days. (Just when the whole system of rejecting Sonic's styroafoam cups and making tea at home went into full swing.)

To find out why, check his post at bigtea.blogspot.com.

The Homecoming Dance

Jeff came by tonight to pick up Bethany for the Homecoming Dance. Of course, Bethany was thrilled to have my flash going off as Jeff figured out how to fasten the wrist corsage. They were headed back to a friend's house for yet more parent photos, then to a local steakhouse for dinner, then onto the dance.

Beth had the most adorable sandals which I'm fairly certain are sitting under a chair somewhere at the moment. No way were they comfortable for dancing. Which makes me think that may be the key difference between 15 and 40...comfortable shoes.

My Dad, the Master Gardener

John, Bethany and I went to visit my parents today. A few years ago, my dad went through the horticulture program at Texas A&M for his Master Gardener certification. Since then, my parent's yard has transformed. And, it is continually changing as Dad discovers new plants and flowers to add to the collection. There is a healthy contingent of roses, but over the past year, Dad has become more interested in growing native plants. They use less water and tend to thrive more than the imports.

For my birthday, Dad took me to an Earthkind rose class. The idea is that before the days of Home Depot and Lowe's gardening centers which ship plants nationwide, neighbors simply got clippings from each other of plants that thrived resulting in plants that didn't need a lot of fertilizer, pruning, etc. The other core tenant is to invest in caring for your soil. In the Earthkind trials, all that was done is that shale was mixed into the soil before planting. After that, no fertilizer, no water and no pruning. Those plants that did well received the Earthkind designation.

The funny thing is that the man who has kept the best yard on the block for 40 years, is now digging up the lawn to replace it with native plants.

I meant to get a photo of the early stages of the renovation of the front lawn, but instead snapped this fabulous one of John and Beth standing in front of it before we went in. Maybe next time.

Lynette, the Cowgirl

Lynette and I grew up in the suburbs of Fort Worth--which for all practical purposes made us city girls despite the Cowtown legacy. We lived a few houses down from each other until Lynette moved to a different neighborhood around sixth grade. Luckily, my parents switched churches so that Lynette and I got to see each other as part of a huge youth group. Once we began driving, separate neighborhoods became a non-issue and we've been close ever since.

The thing about Lynette is that when she was a little girl, she wanted three things out of life: a truck, a horse and to marry a cowboy. While the rest of us had a stack of albums that contained the Police and Rick Springfield, Lynette's stack included Crystal Gayle and George Strait. In fact, at Lynette's sixteenth birthday party, her parents cleared out the garage and created a dance floor with seating made from hay bales around the perimeter. My dance education hadn't included the two-step. Luckily John Gray took pity on me and taught me how. (Thanks, John!)

As it is, Lynette has gotten all of the things she wanted out of life way back when. She lives in Kerrville, Texas and spent 15 years working for the Cowboy Artist of America Museum where she coordinated fund raising events and educational programs. She married Matt--a cowboy. They own TWO pickups and have a couple of horses. Daughter, Marissa, shows horses on the weekends, so Lynette still makes the trip back to Cowtown on a fairly regular basis.

I like the idea of the country girl growing up in the city, then finding the place she felt she should always be. It takes a certain amount of bravery to follow the path you know to be true.

I'd sign off with a cowboy epitaph....but quite frankly, I don't know any. Vaya con Dios?

Homecoming Texas Style

I only recently learned that Homecoming is different depending on what part of the country you are from. Being a Texas girl, I've only experienced it Texas-style.

Homecoming typically centers around football and is a two day event: the game on Friday night and the dance on Saturday. Saturday night, it is pretty common to see high school students dressed up with corsages, etc. in restaurants like Applebees and Olive Garden (because that is what a high school budget will accommodate) before going to the dance.

I believe the original idea of the Homecoming Game was for alumni return to see old friends and cheer their team on, but now, it is almost as big a deal as prom with some parents springing for limosines to take their kids to the dance. (You can probably guess that Bethany went in a car.)

One of the "big deals" about homecoming is the mum--which I only learned recently is strictly a Texas thing. This is a huge flower with a zillion ribbons attached. The price is completely out of control with florists charging between $80 and $150 each. One of Beth's friend's moms taught her how to make one, but the price was still about $50 by the time they purchased all of the stuff. (My friend, Nancy-the-Insightful who grew up in New Jersey said her boys were completely out of luck when it came to the whole homecoming event because she hadn't been taught mum-making skills.)

Some have completely lost the plot and purchase mums that are larger than the girl that will be wearing them. Seriously. When Chase was in high school I saw a girl with three mums creating the base and so many ribbons. I was worried she would tip over. A couple of the girls wear two or three.

When I was in high school, I'm embarassed to say, we actually taped the bells (did I mentioned there are bells on the ribbons?) so they wouldn't ring and wore them to church on homecoming weekend. (Alas, I'm a product of my environment...sigh.)

Beth is going to two different Homecomings this year. She went to her own with all of her basketball friends, and is going to another this weekend at her old school district with her buddy, Jeff, as his date. A lot of her friends from middle school will be there so it is a bit of a reunion for her, and luckily, I really like Jeff.

The Letter Art Calendar

My sister-in-law, Rhonda, gave me a Christmas gift that I enjoy every day.

It is a Calligraphy and Letter Art calendar that I keep on my desk at work. The cool thing is that each week is a different font. The weekend sheet lists every letter in the font--upper and lower case--with an explanation of the tools to use (calligraphy pen, brush, oblique pen holder with nib that you dip into a well of ink). Then, daily there are practice words. Today is a calligraphy pen font and the words for the week are all fashion names. Today, Armani. Tomorrow, Givenchy.

The odd thing is that I've actually had practical application for this. For example, I "scribed" during the Better Together session and one of the fonts I'd learned made great headers.

Thanks, Rhonda.

Hole in the Skyline

In my neighborhood, you can get pizza equal to what we found in Little Italy. Joe’s Pizza serves the best NY style pizza available to those who live slightly north of Dallas—probably because Joe is authentic NYC Italian. His restaurant—in addition to photos of his sons and nephews in uniform—has the NY skyline painted on the wall. The thing is that Joe’s was there long before 2001 and on his wall, the twin towers still stand. Joe has a red white and blue ribbon pinned on each to acknowledge the tragedy.

Today I saw the hole in the skyline for real. The place where the two largest buildings in Manhattan once stood is now a large pit filled with cranes and workmen. Though there is a sign enumerating the names of all who died there, it is still a construction site—not yet a memorial.

Across the street is St. Paul’s Chapel. And, aside from an ancient sycamore that was felled by a hurling piece of steel debris the church is largely undamaged. The stone building—which hosted George Washington’s inauguration—housed and fed rescue workers during those dark days in September 2001.

While I walked around Ground Zero in relative calm, the site of the pews in St. Paul’s Chapel scarred from where rescue workers had slept in full gear made me cry. For someone who believes in God, it was an odd paradox. On one side of the street in a pit filled with the activity of reconstruction was the site of one of the most hideous acts ever committed in the name of God. On the other side of the street under the shade of quiet trees and a tall steeple was the home of hundreds of volunteers who made soup, created space to sleep and delivered kind words and smiles to those who spent their daylight hours in the hell of digging through debris for survivors. These acts also done in the name of God.

It occurs to me that there is an important role for churches to play in a world where evil often delivers fatal blows. St. Paul’s Chapel is dwarfed by the skyscrapers of the financial district, yet in the first dark days, the money of all the banks in the world couldn’t make a difference. It was the hands and hearts of people committed to delivering kindness in simple and small ways that made things better.

The church is filled with little bits of memorabilia sent from people across the country. Fire and police insignias, teddy bears, origami cranes… At the back of the church is a huge sign from people in Oklahoma. A t-shirt from an elementary school in Alaska is pinned to a cork board. Bits of paper and cloth from every state and many other countries let NY know they weren’t mourning alone.

As I walked through St. Paul’s Chapel with tears streaming down my face, there were people of all races and many accents also viewing the place with blurred vision.

NY still doesn’t mourn alone.

An Evening in Little Italy

Heidi Bilodeau of Ratcliff, Susie Younie of DEA, Dianna and I went down to Little Italy for the Feast of San Gennaro. Originally a one-day religious festival, the 11-day street fair is an annual celebration of Italian culture and the Italian-American community.

What this meant for us was live music, tons of Italian food sold by street vendors and an incredibly overpriced pitcher of sangria.

We had a blast!

Of course, we did the obligatory tourist shopping, and though I didn't follow the woman who came up to me and whispered she could take me to the Prada and Gucci bags, I did cruise the "I Heart NY" store and resisted picking up yet another $5 pashmia.

It was fun to wander around Little Italy. There were tons of people who were probably tourists like me, but I actually heard "fuhgeddaboutit" used in real language by a man who could pull it off. One of my favorite things was the singer at Ferrara's. He did a great job of interacting with the crowd and making us all feel Italian for the night.

The moral to this story is that if you are planning a trip to NY and you like Italian food and music, you should definitely plan to go around the second Tuesday in September. The Feast of San Gennaro was the best!

Ciao!

Dianna and Cathy Navigate Manhattan

Just a quick update. Dianna and I successfully navigated the subway system to get from FXFOWLE's offices to St. Patricks Cathedral.

Of course there was a stop at Union Square, DSW Shoe Warehouse, the drugstore, the ATM, and some random artist selling really cool t-shirts at $40 a pop. (Don't worry, John, I didn't get one. Though I did talk Dianna into two pairs of shoes that won't fit into her suitcase.)

We lucked out at the POD Hotel when we checked back in for the stay that will be on our dime and got a room with twin beds and a bathroom. (This caused no small amount of joy from me and Dianna. We weren't excited about bunks and common bathing facilities.)

Tonight we venture out for the Festival of San Genero (sp?). Should be fun. Okay, now to catch up on e-mail before we take off!

The Global Design Alliance

I'm in NYC for meetings with the Global Design Alliance. Originally, my firm joined the alliance as a marketing exercise; however, the real value has been in the "iron-sharpening-iron" interaction with the other firms.

All of the firms in the alliance have a role in the design and construction industry. There are architects with different specialties, MEP firms, Civil Engineers, a law firm that specializes in construction practice, and of course--we are the acoustics and performance technology engineers. It is a small group...about 15 firms; and it isn't something that just anyone can join. You have to be selected, invited and agreed upon. The cool thing is that there is some intangible that seems to be common among all the firms. A high level of integrity and excellence in your field is a given, but there is also something else. A spark that I haven't yet been able to define.

Tonight, we had dinner near Grand Central Station (my favorite New York landmark). Patti--who lives in Manhattan--showed us the whisper room. It was hilarious to see business people standing in corners whispering absurd phrases to each other to see if they could be understood by the person standing on the other side. Cali Yang of Beck and I were whispering to Susie Younie of DEA--something about Swanky Pete or something. I have no idea what it means. Heidi Bilodeaux of Ratcliff Architects suggested it. My guess is there is an inside joke there for Susie.

Afterward, we went for drinks at The Campbell Apartment. The huge gorgeous space was first leased by railroad tycoon John Campbell in 1923. It is a single room 60 feet long by 30 feet wide with a 25-foot ceiling and an enormous fireplace in which there is still a steel safe. The room looks and feels as it did back then with the decor based on a 13th-century Florentine palace with a hand-painted timbered ceiling and leaded windows.

In this photo is Jack Patton of RDG, Dianna Millar of Jacobs (the same Dianna who went with me to see Spam-A-Lot), Barri Garrison of KPS, and of course, me.

One of the cool things about having spent a few years in the alliance is that you wind up becoming friends with the people you are collaborating with. It is a great thing to be able to pick up the phone to ask Dianna about dealing with overseas financial transactions or getting advice from Barri about chasing civic projects.

And of course, the personal blends in with the professional like finding out which shows Jack and his wife went to see when they were in NY this summer, how Dianna's daughter did her first week of kindergarden and how Barri is enjoying life as a newlywed.

Tomorrow morning, Craig Janssen--of my firm--is going to be leading an interactive exercise called Better Together. Craig is a futurist and possible revolutionary. In fact, one time someone asked me if something was successful and I responded, "I don't know. What was the goal?" Their response was, "Oh no, you're channeling Craig Janssen."

In any case, Craig will be in brain-stretching mode tomorrow, and I am scribing for the session, so I'd better wrap this up and get some sleep. I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes, and what radical world-changing ideas emerge.

Honestly, I can't wait!

It's Talk Like a Pirate Day

It's finally here! The day I wait for each and every year....International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Of course, this would be WAY more fun if I were actually in the office today, but all of you will have to carry on in my absence.

In case this is your first experience with Talk Like a Pirate Day, I thought I would include this helpful tutorial to coach you landlubbers along.

1) The most imporant thing to master to be successful at this is a good hearty YAR! You have to drop your voice as low as you can get it and really put some gusto into it. It also helps to drag the R out a bit with a rumbly growl, so it sounds something like YARRRRRRRRR!.

2) You must sprinkle your conversation with colorful pirate phrases such as "Ahoy!" and "Avast, me hearties." Then there is my personal favorite, "Shiver me timbers."

3) Next is the official Pirate Theme Song. "Fifteen men on a dead man's chest. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. Drink and the devil had done for the rest--...Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!" Sadly, Robert Lewis Stevenson only penned the chorus, so feel free to make up the rest.

For those who want more info, Wikipedia is the place to go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk_like_a_pirate_day

I'm in NYC!!!

This is my room at the POD hotel. Based on the Japanese concept of chic hotels with very tiny rooms, the Pickwick Arms hotel reinvented itself as a trendy, affordable place to stay in Manhattan. The design is clever. The bed functions as a couch until you remove the cover. There is a flat screen TV, drawers under the bed, a desk which will only fit a laptop and a very compact bathroom.

The funny thing is that this is actually one of the larger rooms. Dianna and I are sharing a bunk room on Friday evening (when we switch from our expense accounts to our own funds). Dianna counted the square feet of the space. It has 50. As I understand it, the bunk rooms have shared bathrooms, and there are lights that tell when they are occupied. Hmmm.... I haven't needed shower shoes since summer camp.

I'm in NY for meetings. We usually meet on Wednesday afternoon; however, I've learned if I fly in the Tuesday evening I have a whole morning to catch up on whatever deadline I'm dragging on (in this case my "green" article for TFWM) and can hit the meeting without that "I caught a 6am flight" shading under the eyes.

This time I flew in a bit early so that Dianna and I could catch a Broadway show. We were able to get last minute tickets to Spam-A-Lot--which was hilarious! Written by Eric Idle, the play does that wonderful Monty Python thing of acknowledging the audience in unexpected moments. I highly recommend it.

Well, it is 1AM here, so I should sign off. If I get an early start on my article, maybe Dianna and I can go to St. Patricks Cathedral before the meeting. It is my second favorite place in New York. (Grand Central is the first. Luckily the GDA saw fit to make dinner reservations there tomorrow night.)

The Tea Solution !!!

Don't laugh! We figured out the tea solution. I have this mondo Italian infusion jar that my parents gave me one year for Christmas. Typically, I use it for entertaining.

John and I decided to commission it to solve the Sonic tea problem. We purchased a plant stand to lift it off the bar so that a glass can fit under the spigot. (Previously, it had to sit at the edge of a counter--which is why I rarely used it.)

Flake ice still has to be purchased at Sonic (by the bag), and we're still looking for the perfect insulated cups, but here we are, taking baby steps to a more sustainable lifestyle.

Cool, huh?

Unexpected gifts...

This morning while driving to work, it popped in my head to stop at a panaderia and pick up empanadas for the office. While a good idea, I second guessed myself on the wisdom of it through a couple of stop lights because I was running late. As it was, I did stop, and got tons of "these are great" and "thank you's" because after all, no one really has time to get breakfast.

The thing is that it doesn't take much to do that sort of thing. (In this case $7.35 and 8.5 minutes.) But, I often let myself talk myself out of whatever idea occurs to me because something inside is quick to say it is impractical.

About 30 minutes after I came in bearing baked goods, Dan Schoedel entered with an armful of roses. They are from his backyard. He brought one for each of the women in the office. All day, their scent has been quietly drifting over me as I sit here at my computer. The delicate petals are a peaceful contrast to the list of deadlines and pressures sitting next to them.

I'm not sure why Dan thought to do it...or how much time it took him....but I am very, very glad he did. And the next time I have a random thought about stopping by the panaderia, I'll do it and not think twice about it.

The Logistics of Dolphin-Safe Tea

I've been putting some serious brain time to the Sonic drink problem. The challenge is to quit buying tea in large styrofoam cups while still enjoying the cool, icy goodness that is my joy each day. Is it possible to recreate the "Sonic tea" experience at home?

I did some research. The type of ice that makes Sonic's drinks so amazing is called "flake ice" (as opposed to "crunchy ice", the term I've used for years). Sadly, there is no "home version" of the flake ice machine. Commercial units are readily available, but have a $3.5 - 5k price tag. If price weren't a barrier, we would need to make space in our garage and route water and power to the unit. (This is actually possible. I drive a Scion and the garage shares a wall with the kitchen.)

Then there is the actual making of the tea. A commercial tea maker is about $500 new--less if purchased used on Ebay. The challenge is that not only are they big and ugly, but they have to be cleaned each evening--which is a chore if you don't have a restaurant-size sink. Another option is a restaurant-style tea dispenser, but I'm not sure it actually keeps the tea cold, and there is still an aesthetic factor.

The cups are actually the easiest thing. Large plastic insultated cups that can be washed and reused daily are available at megaretailers everywhere. In fact, my brother-in-law Troy has several really, REALLY, large ones that border on the obnoxious.

I'm still thinking on this. There has to be a solution. Am still open to ideas and suggestions....

Grappling with Social Responsibility

Okay, so everyone knows that John is rarely seen without his Sonic Route 44 iced tea. John has stopped at Sonic twice a day for years--something that used to drive me crazy until I discovered the joy of Route 44 iced tea with lime and joined him in his addiction. (We actually have a line item in our budget for Sonic tea.)

Here's the thing. One of the great things about Sonic is the styrofoam cup. It keeps the crunchy ice crunchy and it doesn't sweat in the Texas summer heat. However, John's and my contribution of four giant cups a day to the local landfill is completely socially irresponsible.

Today, we invited Betsy del Monte of Beck Architecture to speak with our team about sustainability. As I walked with her back to the conference room, my large styrofoam cup winked at me from my office.

In the whole green conversation, giving up tea would be such a drop in the bucket. After all, Sonic will continue to sell tea in large unrecyclable cups whether I stop each day or not. Then again, how can I write the green article for TFWM, talk with clients about sustainability or help write Craig and Betsy's green seminar for WFX if it isn't something I'm actually living?

I'm not sure of the answer for this one. Tea is such a joy each day, and I'm pretty sure Sonic has no plans to change their cups (and if they did would the ice stay crunchy all day?) So, what should we do? I'm open to suggestions...

Carl, Sunny and the Deterritorialization of Christianity in Vienna

We got to see Carl and Sunny for dinner tonight. They just got back from Vienna, and it was cool to hear about some of the things going on in the churches there. I think I've mentioned before that Carl is a famous theologian and Sunny is a talented artist, but if you missed that post, now you have the backstory.

One of the themes of Carl's new book, Globochrist, (coming out this fall) is the deterritorialization of Christianity. He was in Vienna to teach a course, but also spent a lot of time meeting people involved in ministry there. What he found is that Vienna is an incredible illustration of this dissolution of traditional barriers.
Baptists, Catholics and many others are working cooperatively to tackle social justice issues. Carl also described that there aren't profit and not-for-profit silos for the work. For example, many Christians are working to provide economic opportunity for prostitutes. Women who want out can train as artists transforming art posters into handbags and other fashion items. Older prostitutes are trained as companions for the elderly. (Can't you just imagine the interesting stories they would have to tell?) There is also extensive work going on to help Afgan refugees with language and job training to help them integrate into a new society.

This collaborative approach goes beyond social justice issues. Christians in Vienna are working to create community within the city. Carl illustrated this with the German words being used in worship songs. It isn't "sie"--the formal word for "you" which would be used with people which whom you have no relationship. It is "du" the familiar.

Sunny introduced us to an interactive computer program developed by a woman that allows children to explore the stories of the Bible in engaging ways. The program is currently in German and they are looking for a company to partner with in the US to create an English version. She also told us about the art museums and the piece she painted for Justin and Jennifer Murff.

As always with Carl and Sunny it was an evening of interesting conversation and fabulous food--a definite trend for us. And as always, John and I continued the conversation between ourselves on the drive home. The eight different church buildings of various denominations that we passed on the way stood in stark contrast to the cooperative community Carl was describing. But as you know, I'm optimistic. Maybe they are all connected by tunnels.

Thursday Knight Lights

If you think the title to this post is hokey, well, John thought it up. If you find it brilliant, well, John still thought it up but I figured a disclaimer was in order

It always strikes me how John's softball team actually shouldn't even know each other. There isn't a single common denominator. But over the years, through softball, they've developed a powerful friendship. Since I blog about them from time to time, I thought an introduction was in order.

Meet Gary. He's the coach. He USED to write an engaging play-by-play each week called the Knights Day, but then work got crazy--he's a manager for a property management firm--and he ran out of time

Gary is the eternal optimist. The one who keeps the team going and can make you feel good just by talking with him. If you ask Gary his most memorable Knights moment, he will tell you winning their first championship ever. Of course, that is because he scored the winning run. He also broke his shoulder and tore a rotator cuff on the dive and his team mates had to carry him off, but even without all that it still would have been memorable.

Steve is a video guru turned webdesigner. (As it turns out, if you have talent for onscreen visuals, you can transition from one to the other with the added bonus of not having to have a full AVID system in your office.

Steve is the one who tells the stories after the game. And really, you want him to, because whatever happened is way more fun when Steve tells it than when you were actually living it.

Steve had to break down and get glasses this year which causes no small amount of teasing from the rest of the team.

Jeff is some sort of math whiz and works for Carter Blood Care. (Don't EVEN get him talking about algorythms and icky platelet thing.) A major sports buff, Jeff plays on one or two other softball teams and has a football gig on the weekends. (He can do this because he is still a bachelor.)

Jeff is also king of the corny joke. There are others in our lives that feel they deserve this title, but really Jeff is very, very good. I'm not sure you would want to take him on in some sort of bad joke gang war. His puns can be lethal.

Eric gets carded every time the team goes out for beer after the game.

Eric is also getting married this weekend, which could potentially gray his hair enough to solve this problem.





Will used to play with the team until he ran off to Hollywood to become some big animation mogul. (And if you read that as exaggeration, think again. With credits for Sin City, Transformers, and other things you've actually heard of, the Texas boy is taking the west coast by storm.)

Kasey--who used to be the Knight's biggest fan--married Will about three months ago and joined him in California. Luckily, they are in town for Eric's wedding and we got to see them after the game last night.


You've already met Big Tea (aka John). John is the intense one. The one who gets bummed when he only has one run for the night. The one who gets there three hours early so he can get his head in the game. The one who figures out where people are hitting so he can get there when he hears the crack of the bat.

John is also the one who blogs about the games, often philosophically, because he finds a lot of similarities between the game and with life.

As for me, I'm working to take Kasey's spot, since she refuses to commute each week. It's fun to sit on the bleachers and be part of the victories and defeats. Even more fun to hang out with people I've known for years and years--both in person and through John's stories.

Adventures in Making Sushi

So, John has been on a kick for us to learn to make sushi. And we did. And shockingly, it was really, REALLY good.

John found a very instructional easy-to-follow website at imakesushi.com We started with the basic sushi link and explored from there. The best part of the site is that they assume you know NOTHING about making sushi. Which was great, because as it turned out, we were in that demographic.

To purchase supplies, we went to the huge Chinese market near our house. (Yes, I know sushi is Japanese. This was a total gamble.) Add in the language barrier--this is a TRUE Chinese market--and you can capture a bit of our sense of adventure.

We scoped out the rice aisle and found a package labeled in English that said it was good for sushi. We couldn't find anything labeled nori, but figured it out from the shape and picture on the package. (For the record, it was WAY cheaper than Whole Foods.) Wasabi came in a tin as powder (you mix it with water).

One key piece of equipment we already had was a sushi mat. After a failed attempt at making sushi about a year ago, I picked one up during a random trip to a Japanese market. (Well, actually, the trip was to a WhirlyBall party....the Japanese market next door simply looked interesting.)

We made three types of sushi rolls: avocado, cucumber and spicy salmon. The spicy salmon was EASY. We mixed a package of Chicken of the Sea salmon (the kind that comes in a foil envelope) with Miso Mayo (could probably use real mayonaise) and some generous splashes of Lousiana Hot Sauce.

Basically, you make the rice, mix it with sushi vinegar (rice vinegar, sugar and salt) and allow it to cool. Spread it on the nori, lay out your fillings and roll it up. The website has a lot more detail so that it all tastes great, but those are the basics!

The Discovery of iGoogle

Okay, I'm going to sound like a raving fan...I know...so I was tempted not to even blog about this, BUT IT IS SO COOL!!!

I'm talking about iGoogle. Hands down, the best internet dashboard ever.

You can select from a wide variety of features. I have the standard ones....calendar, weather, and a news feed, but it also shows me the inbox for my gmail account and--my favorite--a feature called Google Reader which posts links to the blogs I track every time there is a new post. (This saves me from the bitter disappointment that comes from daily checking the blogs of my very talented friends--AHEM, Floyd--only to find that there is nothing new.)

And--as if it could get any better--the cityscape theme I've chosen for the top changes depending on what time of the day it is. (The starry sky at night is really cute.)

Okay, I'm done gushing.... No really... I promise.

Serendipity: It's Not Easy Being Green

Today, I went to the library to do some research for my book proposal and ran across a book written for Jim Henson by his friends called, It's Not Easy Being Green and Other Things to Consider. There is very little narrative. It is mostly a collection of quotes. Many of them from the Muppets.

Since I'm on vacation, I had time to simply sit in the floor between the shelves and read it on the spot. It turned out to be incredible inspiration.

One of the big surprises was that so many people who worked with him compared Jim Henson to Kermit. They told how endless optimism, beautiful innocence and calm in the face of chaos were very much Jim. Most of the quotes by Jim reflected that simple beauty of heart.

Another surprise was Jim's view on business and art. I know a lot of artists who feel that art and business are incompatible. This from Jim Henson..."We are primarily a company of creative people whose art we are helping to bring to the world. At the same time, we recognize that business enables art 'to happen,' and that business plays an essential role in communicating art to a broad audience."

At the risk of revealing a deep level of uncoolness, I have to confess that one of my favorite songs of all time is Rainbow Connection. Today I experienced it differently seeing the words as print in a book.

"Who said that every wish, would be heard and answered,
when wished on the morning star.
Somebody thought of that, and someone believed it.
Look what it's done so far.
What's so amazing that keeps us stargzing,
And what do we think we might see?
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
the lovers, the dreamers and me."

So today, I'm celebrating the serendipity of finding a little green book on the bottom shelf and feeling a great deal of gratitude for the man who created the characters who taught me over weekday morning cereal in the years before I went to kindergarten.

Backyard Makeover

John and I spent the weekend pulling monster weeds, removing wooden beams (well mostly, John did that) and adding an arbor and a bench to the yard.

The backyard makeover was way overdue. The people who owned the house before we did farmed it, so the collection of random plants was impressive. Unfortunately, with three dogs it wasn't safe to eat the lettuce nor was it particularly pretty out the window of our living room.

Our original plan was to simply create a blank slate, then save the planting for another time; however, there were a ton of end of season sales, so we went ahead and bought some things like a magnolia tree and a bench.

This is Phase 1. We'll complete Phase 2--which includes putting in an herb garden (elevated above dog leg height) in the spring. I wish I had taken a before picture, but here is the after.

Sabbath

I love the Jewish concept of Sabbath. The Baptist one I grew up with was activity-filled with Sunday School, Sunday morning worship, a big meal with kitchen cleanup afterward, then back to church for a Sunday night service.

I think the Jews are closer to viewing it as a gift for rest and enrichment. Not only are we commanded to recharge....we have to do it every seven days.

This week I am on vacation. Each year, I take the week of Labor Day as a personal holiday to live my life as a writer. Most years, I've worked on whatever novel I was crafting at the time. This year, I'm engaging in the serious work of developing a book proposal.

I know that doesn't sound like rest, but for me, spending large blocks of time in a creative project I've wanted to get to forever, is the most beautiful kind of rest there is.

Thinking on the Beautiful Things

My friend, Nancy-the-Insightful, leads a women's Bible study for Crosspointe called Copper. The other day, she had a stack of laminated cards on her desk that said, "THREW PAL."

Which elicited from me a large, "Huh?"

She looked up from her computer and said, "True, holy, right, excellent, worthy, pure, admirable, lovely....the things we are supposed to think about."

Of course, I teased her and asked if she was taking a flannel board to Copper that night, but the phrase stuck with me enough to look up the verse.

The Message translation relays Phillipians 4:8 this way, "Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse."

It's a beautiful verse. It also captures the character of God.

The thing is that we don't live in a world that celebrates the character of God. His authorship is there. There are inklings in the darkness and chaos we find ourselves in, but like gold in sand, we have to find it.

It occurs to me that pain and fear are the enemies of the beautiful things. It is one thing to feel put out, annoyed, or frustrated and make a conscious decison to shift to gratitude. It is quite another when circumstances are screaming at you that the world is ugly...or even darker, that you are ugly (unworthy, broken).

Maybe in fighting fear and pain, thinking on the beautiful things takes baby steps. Not in the great, glorious celebration of God, but in the simple, frequent noticing of His hand. Like in waking up and noticing light coming in through stained glass or the sound of the birds chirping outside my window. Or enjoying the warmth of my husband's arm as he gives me a sleepy hug and a tender half-awake stroke of my hair. Maybe the brightest and best part of true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, and gracious is simply living in the moment...not allowing the pain of the past or the fear of the future to pull you out of it.