Do something

I've been keeping up with another blog too--http://www.baldguyonabike.blogspot.com/. This is one of Twickenham's (the church I am a part of) minister's blog. He is taking a 3-month sabbatical after serving 18 years in ministry, and he is riding his bike across the southern part of the country--starting in California, all the way east to Florida...well, he is in Louisiana now. BUT, the point I am making is, he very commonly ends his blog posts with, "get out there and do something!" So, today I thought to myself, "why not? what is something I've always wanted to do, but never have because I convinced myself that it 'just wasn't for me.' "

SO, I signed up to run in a 5k today! It's the Liz Hurley run here in Huntsville on Oct. 16 to raise money for breast cancer. A whole team of folks from church are running in it together--young and old. I figure I can do it to. AND the cool part is, we are all running in support of a lady at church--Cristina. She was diagnosed with stage 5 breast cancer a month ago and started chemo immediately. She is a wife and mother of 5 young kids, one who is still in diapers. Over 80 people so far have signed up from church to run in this race to support her. I'm super excited to be a part of something like this, even if I have to walk the majority of the race. It's great to be a part of something bigger than just yourself.

So, I'll leave it at that. Get out there and do something you have always wanted to do, because you can do it! And when you do get out there and challenge yourself, you not only inspire yourself, but inspire others to do the same. In the words of Lincoln (the bald guy on a bike), "did I mention, to get out there and do something?"

carl sandburg

Carl Sandburg is the poet responsible for calling Chicago "The city of broad shoulders"

Above is the house where rented a room while he wrote the poem Chicago. (which was actually 4 houses north on my street this summer!) Did anyone else read The Jungle in Highschool? This poem reminds me of that, a little less graphically though...

CHICAGO

HOG Butcher for the World, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler; Stormy, husky, brawling, City of the Big Shoulders: They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I have seen your painted women under the gas lamps luring the farm boys. And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to kill again. And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the faces of women and children I have seen the marks of wanton hunger. And having answered so I turn once more to those who sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer and say to them: Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning. Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the little soft cities; Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning as a savage pitted against the wilderness, Bareheaded, Shoveling, Wrecking, Planning, Building, breaking, rebuilding, Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with white teeth, Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young man laughs, Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has never lost a battle, Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse. and under his ribs the heart of the people, Laughing! Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.

Last sunday, there was a fog swirling around Church of the Highlands and I remembered this poem he wrote about fog:

FOG THE fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on.

This one is a bit masculine, but it's an interesting industrial (steam punk? if you can call it that...) prayer...

PRAYERS OF STEEL

Lay me on an anvil, O God.
Beat me and hammer me into a crowbar.
Let me pry loose old walls.
Let me lift and loosen old foundations.

Lay me on an anvil, O God.
Beat me and hammer me into a steel spike.
Drive me into the girders that hold a skyscraper together.
Take red-hot rivets and fasten me into the central girders.
Let me be the great nail holding a skyscraper through blue nights into white stars.

And this last one is really beautiful and perfect for this season:

UNDER THE HARVEST MOON UNDER the harvest moon, When the soft silver Drips shimmering Over the garden nights, Death, the gray mocker, Comes and whispers to you As a beautiful friend Who remembers. Under the summer roses When the flagrant crimson Lurks in the dusk Of the wild red leaves, Love, with little hands, Comes and touches you With a thousand memories, And asks you Beautiful, unanswerable questions.

My Summer Wraps Up Here.

I knew that September would be a month of patiently waiting...with Katie leaving for Spain on the 26th, Casey's wedding on the 2nd, and me moving on the 9th, it was inevitable that September would practically drag by. And so, here we are. Katie left yesterday and it's literally a countdown of single digit days before Casey becomes a wedded woman. Even the air felt different today. Fall is knocking at the door and we are wrapping up some huge life events. So here is Katie's final goodbye (and Mark's appropriate going away tee):

But my pic for the week is of one of the most exciting things in Birmingham, the grand opening of the Railroad Park! 3 city blocks of foliage, walking trails, and water right in the heart of downtown Birmingham. It's something that city planners and Bham visionaries have been waiting for for a very, very long time. And it's finally here...to stay...and it will prove to be one of the biggest catalysts in the redevelopment of downtown perhaps ever. I can't wait to see this story unfold...

Woohoo! Brighter times lay ahead...

My Favorite Building

north hermitage summer reading list

Can I just say how sad I was leaving my sublease? It was this slightly suburban, urban oasis. I have a hard time calling it urban because clearly it isn’t like most neighborhoods in Chicago or other urban areas. Lush and green, lots of houses, tree lined streets and the occasional apartment building. Everything I needed was walking distance, biking distance, easy to catch a bus or train anywhere. I felt it was like living in a place where nothing was too terribly far away, but far enough that nights were quiet, cicadas chirped in the trees, and I could see the stars at night. I was grateful the place I leased was fully furnished and came with affordable internet and no tv.

So while I lived farther north in Chicago, the guy I was subleasing from had a pretty awesome wall of books. Most of which I had heard of but never was determined to buy and read on my own. What luck huh? I didn’t have to spend a fortune or fight my way through a library to read some of Michael Chabon's books, books on Chicago and several books on lifestyles…everything from vegetarianisms to how-to-live like an Orthodox Judaism strictly following the torah and unwritten Hebrew laws.

Before I moved at the end of August I finished reading Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon. I was instantly drawn to the cover of this book, but I had no idea what the premise or content was. So in a few lines, this book is about a guy fooling around all summer after he graduates from college, unsure how to proceed (relevant I guess?). So he works at a bookstore to stay busy, but clearly not busy enough because he is constantly internally conflicted with wanting to keep his past and present separate. His families humble beginnings and the world of prep schools and trust funds are all around him. Maybe this book should be called “The Great Gatsby” of Pittsburgh young adults.

Earlier in the summer I read Michael Chabon's Pulitzer prize winner, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay which was-- in fact--awesome! If you like amazing escapes, illusionist, killing Nazi/WWII heroes, New York City wonders of the 1930s-40s, Cinderella stories, and comic books… you will LOVE this book. I couldn’t put it down during my train commute every day. I don’t want to ruin the plot, so read it and find out why it’s called the Amazing Adventures.

So I decided mid summer it would be fun to read an embellished account of Chicago’s World’s Fair. The Devil in the White City sounds a little intimidating for conservative readers, but is basically the story of the world’s fair with the famous architects like Olmstead, Burnham and their contemporaries planning the spectacular event and the second story of the notorious serial killer H.H. Holmes who for several years ran a hotel near the fair where he could gleam from his guest to seduce/ kill/ dissect and then sell to medical colleges. It was not terribly graphic which was good, just eerie that these stories are all really from the past, and happened not terribly far from the sites I worked at down in South Chicago!

Ok, so the next interesting book I read was Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs. Interestingly enough, this man who grew up Jewish writes this sort of as a joke, but I think he missed the mark. I read the entire book, laughing at his clever banter as he felt in costume wearing the prescribed Hebrew garb dictated in Leviticus, eating only what is prescribed, following rules about pigeon sacrifice, clean and unclean, and general ten commandment laws. It was discipline for disciplines sake. What did AJ Jacobs learn after a year? That it was good idea not to lie so much, take care of his neighbors, he got used to being the curious looking middle easterner with the large beard on the train. He made a effort to pray every day. There was no true “seeking God.” It’s just a lot of religious rules he decides to follow. Clever and witty, but slightly irreverent.

And on of the last books I read from the shelf at Apt 3W on North Hermitage was Eating Animals by Jonathon Safron Foer (aka how to convince everyone that being a omnivore means you are heartless & uneducated.) Whatever helps you sleep at night j.s.foer...i will still eat my pork chicken and beef and feel no shame. It was part documentation of current meat farming practices in the US and part vegetarian propaganda. Let me just say I’m pretty familiar with the farming practices of our world. I eat far less meat as a 24 year old, it would be easy for me to be a vegetarian. But I can’t begin to understand the idea that fish and animals should be considered creatures of value on the same level as humans. That idea is a cultural crisis in the making. A natural hierarchy disrupted makes for disaster….for example the grizzly man… remember him???? A clear case of disrupted natural hierarchy. His disillusion the natural order and making himself prey to bears by thinking they have they same sense of morality, cognition, and culture is beyond me. I agree we have the responsibility to the world as the “caretakers” but beyond that, I will never be convinced a pig, chicken, or cow is on my level of value.

So that was my summer reading list. Books of culture and fiction. Try them out!

Lessons...

Some lessons I have recently learned (and thought I'd pass along a bit of wisdom to you all, hoping that you can relate, or that you won't learn the hard way like I have in some cases, or maybe if you have some input or something to add). Enjoy!

1. Whenever you try to convince yourself that something is a good idea, that means it's not (because if it was, then you wouldn't have to sit there trying to convince yourself.)

2. Honesty is ALWAYS best, even if it hurts someone's feelings.

3. Sin can be forgiven and erased, but remember that there is also a lesson to be learned to go along with it (and the lesson isn't always pain-free).

4. Best friends should never be taken for granted. Always remember to be thankful for them.

5. God is not meant to be understood or defined. The moment you think you have Him figured out, is the moment you realize how big and great He is and how little you really know. That is why He asks us to have Faith (sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see).

6. My mom is very wise, much wiser about things than I am.

7. Proverbs 2: "My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding...For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you." We must be active about our Faith in order to grow, change, and learn.

On another note, thought I'd share a random photo of the cat I live with. This is Sophie; she's my roommate's cat. She is very spastic and energetic! Always is getting into something she shouldn't be getting into (like my plants). She loves to chew on hair-bands, so I have to keep all mine hidden. But she is also very cute and lovable! :)

Hope Floats

A Little Update

This weekend John and I went camping with our good friends Stacey and Dan in the Poconos. We had a really pleasant time. Good friends that you can just chill and talk with are so replenishing for the soul. (thanks dan and stace!)

Another thing to update you all on is my new job. I have been there for three weeks now and I am still enjoying it. My work load has definitely picked up since our office is swamped with little projects, but I am thankful for it. The pace makes the days go by quickly and often eventfully. I like the people I work with and the office we inhabit. But despite how happy I am with my situation right now, I am still pondering where exactly I want to be in twenty years. I am realizing that my decisions (or lack of decisions) are really going to sway where the rest of my life is headed. I think this is a common concern of people my age (or at least I tell myself that), but none the less it is still swimming in my head often.

Well, I think you all have had enough of text, so on to photos!

We have a lot of farm stands around our house and I think they are just so cute, so I took some pictures of them...

I hope you have a good week!

Dear Designers,

I have found the most incredible piece of kitchen equipment that fits so well with a villa renovations and works nicely with your warehouse-turned-condo.

Fact. Ok, so maybe it's an exaggeration, but yesterday I spent an evening at a cooking demo (thanks terran for the invite!) and experienced the wonders of modern german cabinets and kitchen furniture.

Above is B3 from bulthaup. I know some of y'all are specing kitchen cabinets these days and I want you to consider this beautiful cabinet!

Also, have y'all ever seen the "unhappy hipsters" website? The duo leading the cooking demo at the showroom was this couple, first featured in dwell, and then snatched up by these snarky bloggers for a little tongue in cheek humor.... oh how I love it when interwebs and reality collide.... :)

Happy Friday Y'all!

Over the River and Through the Woods

I am sooooo sorry I have been absent from the blog for soooo long! Life has been crazy (in a good way.) Since it has been so long I have some catching up to do.....

In mid-August, I flew out to Arkansas to clean out my grandmother's house with my cousin Marissa. We thankfully had some great help from my mom, my other grandmother, my cousin, and my aunt. Cleaning out a 2800 sq. ft. house that has been lived in for thirty years sounds like a really grueling task, and at times it was, but all in all we had more bright and wonderful moments than tough ones....and this is why...

(btw. for all you retro buffs...yes...that is a matching pink 1950's oven and stove, with enameled metal cabinets.)

So, one of the best parts about going through someone's stuff, is going through someone's stuff.

We found gobs of old pictures and documents and books that the family hadn't seen in ages or maybe ever (i.e. my uncle's original German birth certificate from 1949, or my grandmother's British passport with her maiden name.)

And these lovely photographic gems of my grandparents!

I love the double exposure in the one above!

This was one of our favorite pictures of my uncle take right after he became a pilot.

And don't these two look strikingly familiar!! (but wait...this is my Aunt and Uncle!)

We also had some VERY hardy laughs.

We found this golden specimen of 60's culture in the back of the cabinet in the bathroom, thankfully seemingly unused...

no, no, he's not naked (we don't do that here on the Collective), he's just wearing a red speedo.

And here is the Wonder Body in all it's glory...

Yes, it is a rope and some plastic pulleys with stirrups.

A little kinky. A little gross. A little of both.

(I apologize now to which ever family member of mine purchased this and is now embarrassed that it is on the internet.

Just don't tell, and we won't know who you are.)

A side form some interesting items we found we also had some comical experiences. While we were working at the house, we heard a critter at night walking on the rafters. (And no, it was NOT a squirrel because it creaked the rafters when it walked.) So, my mother decided a week after we had been in the house to prevent the animal from entering our room through the crack in the ceiling (that didn't deflect) by taping it in this way....

Motherly protection never fails, at least in ambition.

(sorry mom, but this was truely the apex of our week.)

So after a long week we managed to finally create this...

Everything. except furniture, in boxes, in one room.

Whew.

I really do appreciate everyone that helped out with this project.

(Especially Marissa. I'm glad that I finally, after so many years, have gotten to know you.)

I love you all and it was really, really good to spend some time with y'all.

I am very glad and I feel even fortunate that I was able to clean up my grandparent's house. I don't stand to inherit any of it, I probably won't even see 99% of what's packed away in the room above ever again, I may never even see her house again, and, speaking very honestly, I may never see my grandmother alive again, but in an odd way this provided a since of closure for me. And I'm very thankful for that. I feel like I know my grandparents better now than ever before.

Chattanooga Bound!

I'm Chattanooga bound at 4pm today! The office I work at is going on a firm retreat to the historic and lively city of Chattanooga. We are going white water rafting on the Ocoee River, watching an a movie on the IMAX theater at the aquarium, taking a water-taxi tour around the riverfront, and eating at some delicious restaurants. This should be exciting! We will be there 2 days and coming back Friday evening.

The best part is--Monday is Labor Day! So a very long weekend is in store for me. Hope you guys have a fun and safe Labor Day weekend as well!

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it...

I can't hold in the excitement! I just have to share!
Check out the weather forecast for our honeymoon.

And this is the street that our B&B is on. The entry is to to the right of the photo. Oh my goodness, I can't wait!