You are currently browsing the monthly archive for August 2008.
I give up. For the last year, I’ve been using salt crystal deoderant – an all-natural alternative to aluminum-laced (and possibly cancer-linked) antiperspirants. It was great – one of the ’stones’ lasts forever, it’s fairly cheap and it does neutralize underarm odor. BUT. I still sweat. And when it’s hot outside, and i’m not a) exercising, or b) working in the yard, I don’t like sweating. I’m sick of soaking my pits just by sitting on the front porch. Or when loading the kids into the car. Quite frankly, it’s annoying. So yesterday I bought myself some good ol’ antiperspirant. Oh, Dove, how I’ve missed thee!
AHH. Dry at last, dry at last. I forgot how good that feels. So-fresh-and-so-clean-clean. My apologies to my hippier friends who can sweat it out with ease. I am not one of those – at least not this summer.
Heard of Threadless yet? If not, go check ‘em out. If so, get to shopping! They sell great t-shirts (designed by anyone) – but through September 7th they’re having a BIG sale – all t-shirts at $9 and $12! If you like whatcha see, click here to share the love by giving me some store credit (by shopping through the link). I know, I know. Shameless plug. But you’d do the same if you were me, admit it.
Now that the Olympics are over and I’ve come down from my own Memory Tower, I have to say that one of the most inspiring things about the games were those VISA commercials. I have never found myself so inspired by a credit card company. Probably fairly pathetic; but then, who can resist the voice of Morgan Freeman?
Michael’s at a wedding tonight, and I had just got the kids down for the night and needed some mindless down time. I also needed a (teeny-tiny) break from the Olympic action….flipping channels….flipping some more….ah ha! My favorite high-school comedy of all time! How could I resist? I haven’t watched this fine flick in ten years, at least.
Hey! 1995 called, they want their thigh-highs back! What-ever.
And while I’m on the subject, a virtual high-five and a snicker to whoever can guess Michael’s favorite high-school themed movie. Yes. He has one. (HINT: it’s not sports-oriented.)
A few days ago, Bob showed up at our door offering us free tickets to see My Morning Jacket over at the Stir Cove….the next day. Bob and Teri are neighbors of ours who moved out this summer, and we hadn’t seen them in a couple of months. Teri works at Harrah’s and scored some free tickets for us and thought we’d like to go with them. How can you refuse that? We couldn’t. So we went. Even though we don’t really know any My Morning Jacket songs.
As I was getting ready, I couldn’t find anything hip enough to wear. Bob’s tattooed and pierced up, down and sideways: Teri’s a tough girl who loves metal bands and works nights. I could not live a more opposite existence. What to wear? A concert’s a little different than a backyard beer in your stretchy pants and t-shirt spattered with baby barf. Hmm. Michael tried shorts and a t-shirt topped with a Nebraska cap. Um, no. I don’t want them to think we’re square. Got anything edgier? And then I realized, what am I worried about? They obviously like us enough they way we are. Back to reality, Linds.
We like them, even though we have barely anything in common. They’re really giving people, even offering to babysit for us if we ever wanted to pull an all-nighter. (Let’s be honest – at midnight I turn back into a pumpkin.) They’ve been burned by folks like us. Teri’s parents (“good church people”) don’t speak to her because she dosn’t live like they think she should. I often find myself stumbling through conversation, trying to find common ground to build on.
And I wonder – can they tell there’s something different about me? Is there an abiding joy about me? Peace, even while living paycheck to paycheck? Humility, when I really want justice? Compassion, even though I really just want to catch a break? Love, even though I’m tempted to judge?
Even though…
Even though…
Even though…
My thoughts are a little muddled: my pride just got checked.
I am reminded that Jesus was a man of no reputation. Except for Christ in me, I’m the same as them. I need to be less concerned with keeping up appearances, more concerned with love. Loving them is what I’m called to do. He doesn’t care about Teri’s “F— YOU” purse or her “Make Sex Not War” shirt. He sees that people judge Bob by the way he looks. He cares about their hearts, and living there. Who do I think I am that they should be impressed by me? I can’t hold them at arm’s length because I think I’m cooler-than or not-cool-enough. I only hope this little light of mine shines into their hearts just a bit brighter than I think it is.
God in my living / There in my breathing / God in my waking / God in my sleeping / God in my resting / There in my working / God in my thinking / God in my speaking / Be my everything, be my everything, be my everything, be my everything.
God in my hoping / There in my dreaming / God in my watching / God in my waiting / God in my laughing / There in my weeping / God in my hurting / God in my healing / Christ in me, Christ in me, Christ in me, the hope of glory – YOU are everything.
Be my everything. You are everything. Jesus, everything.
….to my brother, Cory and his fiancee, Hannah! Cory popped the question last night after a romantic Old Market dinner while on a horse-drawn carriage ride. Hannah is gonna be a fun and lively addition to the fam. Congratulations, little brotha!
Did you see it? You MISSED it? You went to bed early? Now you have reasons to stay up. The American men’s swimming relay team surged at the last split-second to beat the French (who had been badmouthing us leading up to the race!), followed by an all-out celebration by Michael Phelps & Co. afterward. We (me, Michael, Cory and Hannah) were jumping up and down, screaming too. A race for the ages! File that under Just Another Reason Why I Love The Olympics.
What? You missed the most spectacular Olympic opening ceremonies ever? How sad. Well, this blogger has a great post (with video) here. $300 million and 15,000 Chinese put on one amazing show. Even Michael, who was loathe to sit there and watch four hours of television in one evening, was riveted. I’m probably going to watch more daytime TV than I ever have for the next three weeks. What can I say, I’m a sucker. It’s like watching Rudy on repeat. I justify it by talking to Reese about sport, patriotism, geography, and Chinese culture when we watch. And the fact that it happens once every two years. Ha.
U-S-A! U-S-A!
Right now eating a bowl of Rice Krispies with chocolate soymilk. Tastes like Cocoa Krispies….but for my purposes (and despite the chocolate), I’d like to think that I’m doing a body good. And I am, because what I’d really like to have is a fried-candy-bar-on-a-stick at the Iowa State Fair. Man, I have one insatiable sweet tooth.
(this also sounds good…two of my gastronomic loves, married!)
Anybody else as excited as I am for the Olympics? I love love LOVE watching them – from the opening ceremonies to the raising of the next host country’s flag, I’m there…so you know I’ll be planted in front of the TV to watch the commencement tomorrow night. I don’t get to travel much these days, and for three weeks, the world comes to my living room. I’m also sucker for a good parade, so the Parade of Nations is fascinating to me….almost biblical in scale, there’s something particularly moving about the many peoples coming together in one place under one banner. I recently read about the flagbearer for the U.S. team, and am proud that he’ll be leading our athletes into the stadium tomorrow night. (file that under What Makes America Great)
As hyped up as I am about these Olympics (the competition! the culture! the architecture! the spectacle! the music – oh, that music!), I am disheartened that the U.S. didn’t boycott the games this year. With at least 200,000 dead in Darfur (China provides weapons to Khartoum); and Tibet and Taiwan still struggling for freedom (among China’s countless other human rights violations), it doesn’t seem right to quietly support it by going. I mean, we boycotted the 1980 Moscow games because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, didn’t we? I guess time will tell if we should have boycotted these games as we should have for the Berlin Olympics in the ’30s. Money & politics….sigh.
I sound like a maniacal sports fan – I’m really not (this, college football and the ‘Madness are my three exceptions)….but there’s something about the athlete’s stories, the human struggle, sacrifice, hope, unity and competition acted out in the arena that keep me coming back every couple of years. Light that torch!
Michael’s at a Xerox event today in Kansas City with his boss. This picture came to mind:
ain't no party like a Scranton party...
