Squished in the Big Apple

For better or worse, I'm here in New York and ready for the big adventure.

Why exactly do they call them New York drivers? It's really more like a roller derby. Less about driving skill and more about ability to play chicken. Yikes! But I'm here and the car is parked.

Tomorrow I'm off for my first time on the New York subway. If you see someone wandering aimlessly around the city - that's probably me. Off to get some culture and exploring the big city. Is it possible for the country mouse to survive in the great metropolis?

Really for Rest and Relaxation?

What is the point of vacations? Really?

I'm supposed to go on vacation this week. In order to prepare for this I've been working extra hours for the past week and there are good indications that work will pile up while I'm gone to create more work when I get back. In fact, my boss said, "Definitely get lots of rest on your vacation to prepare for what's coming when you get back." Hmmm. Doesn't that sound a little wrong? Relax hard on your vacation to prepare for catching up when you get back.

Seems a little messed up to me, not to mention taking some of the fun out of vacation.

Dancing With Two Left Feet

It always amazes me what becomes a hit on television. C-list celebrities pretending to be ballroom dancers? Don't they usually have look alikes to fill in for the hard stuff?

Could John be enjoying the cheese any more? Could Kelly wear less clothing? Could Rachel be more arrogant? Could Joey .... well, be more Joey? Could the singers actually be worse than the American Idol backup singers (or are they the same people??)?

I guess this is what summer television is for. Crappy sensational stuff.

And I'm lovin' it.

A Smile on My Face

Twice recently I've been doing something that should be dragging me down and I had a smile on my face.

Why?

The magical iPod, of course. The other day I was running - which is downright painful - and I'm smiling because a fun song's playing on my iPod.

Today I was walking a file to another office (which required about a 1/2 mile walk in the heat) and ran into a friend. He commented that I was now one of the "cool people" walking around with a smile on their face in the midst of the heat. He asked why I wasn't dancing while I walked. I explained that would totally kill the cool factor.

Have I mentioned that my iPod now has a cool black leather jacket (case). My friend Jessica says it's just trying to be like Bono....

Ah, life is good sippin on the koolaid..

School's Out!

I work right beside a school and it just let out for summer. There are screaming kids everywhere, climbing in cars, onto buses, hugging each other...

Reminds me of being a kid. And life before working year round. Ah summertime...

Sometimes, being a grownup sucks.

Big Day for Pops

I've noticed something interesting this year. Father's Day receives substantially less attention than Mother's Day. In the press, at your local Hallmark store and pretty much everywhere else. The other day I saw a poll that said people thought you should spend more on a Mother's Day present.

Now, I understand that mothers are the ones that actually give birth. And I understand that not everyone has a dad and there's an effort not to make non-traditional families feel left out.

What really surprised me is when Father's Day nearly went by without mention at church. While the 50s version of family may have put more emphasis on the mother's role, in a modern world, it seems important (at least to me) to emphasize and reward the role of fathers in their childrens' lives.

So, on this Father's Day, I raise my root beer to all the fathers out there. Especially mine.

The Power of Music

As part of a speech on the occasion of a lifetime achievement award yesterday, Bono used the following words:

"The head can’t rule the heart… a feeling is so much stronger than a thought…

‘A feeling is so much stronger than a thought.’

That’s really been the modus operandi of this band, and that’s something you wouldn’t have to explain to Dr Nordoff and Mr Robbins.

They’ve always known it.

Using music as a tool for education, not really lyrics, music - because music communicates at the deepest level."

I've been thinking a lot lately about the power of music. Some of my most powerful emotional and spiritual experiences recently have been at concerts. My iPod has allowed me to bring my musical therapy everywhere with me.

My brother loves to raz me because I like Clay Aiken. I do. I like the guy. He's doing great things with the fame he's got. He's shown a strength of faith most of us can only hope for. He's got a great voice. His concerts are a lot of fun and I've met many great friends through the fandom (though I've also met some true whack jobs).

Then I went to two concerts this spring.

The first was Mercy Me. Yeah, there were others who played before them, but for me all that was forgotten when they started. While their CDs are great, live they take things to a whole other level. Bart lays out the rough and raw emotion of life and the power of God in the lives of the band members. The technical aspect of the music took a back seat to the power of the passion of the music.

The second was U2. This was my first U2 concert. I had been warned that it would be incredible, but I was not prepared for the real thing. The power of the music itself. The power of Bono's charisma ambush. The feeling of being one with 20,000 other people as you all sing the same lyrics that have been important in each of your lives. Again, for all the technical musical abilities, it was the passion of performance that made that night what it was.

Ever since, I've been struggling to both of these concerts into some sort of a rational context. I guess I should leave them to stand on the emotion they created and how they helped me understand the pure power of music. The power of raw honest emotion communicated in such a pure, yet complex way.

A Thing of Beauty

It finally arrived on Monday. My beautiful modern sculpture. A blend of form and function. A necessity for any techno-gal on the go.

I speak, of course, of my iPod. A gadget to end all gadgets. The answer to my disorganized piles of CDs in my car and living room. The remedy for my long drives for work. I've already discovered many interesting songs I don't remember hearing before. This helpful little friend even helped me through a long session with budgets today at work.

It's nice to find a consumer good that is really designed for what the customer needs (rather than creating a need and then filling it). Apple seems to have anticipated what I will want and has already taken care of it.

No, it won't end world hunger, but does seem to be the kind of thing you wonder how you lived without.

And no, I didn't get the U2 iPod. Sorry.

Joy

Getting started

It seems everyone has a blog. I strongly suspect that I don't have enough time to blog properly, but I'm going to give it a shot.

I like blogs. I like being able to find out quirky things about my friends that I wouldn't normally get a chance to know. I like having a spot to post some interesting ideas that come into my head (and hear other people's thoughts).

So, some of my posts will probably be a little light and fluffy. Some may be one of my latest photos (my latest hobby of choice). Some may be a rant on the latest thing (what's with the latest trend of "left on red"??). Some may be a little more philosophical (my latest topic is U2).

You need to know I have a wide variety of interests and activities. Quilting, concert photography, cooking, and recently even running.

I'll also be talking about working out my faith in everyday life.

So, stick around! It's sure to be interesting.

Joy