Future Christian Homemakers are Now

Not long ago, I was reading a fun little homemaking blog that had been linked on by one of my friends. Just out of curiosity, I wanted to see if this sleek little blog was someone of importance in the blogging world, so I put the purposefully simple search "homemaking blog" (or something close to that) into Google. Sad to say, that little blog was nowhere to be found of the first couple of pages. Instead, I found a nearly solid list of Christian homemaking blogs.

It's not surprising to me that Christian homemakers should want to blog just like anyone else, but I was surprised by the prevalence. Just out of curiosity, I left my original search in the box, and added "-Christian -lord -prayer" to my search. The original search resulted in 3.4 million hits. The updates search (without the god words) resulted in 1.3 million hits. Now I'll grant you that I may not fully understand how Google search works, but I still think this shows a pretty amazing pattern.

Unfortunately for me, I looked through many of the top blogs in the original search, and they are, how can I put this, really emphatically not for me. You might think that religion would not really come up when discussing issues of meal planning and how to get stains out of laundry, but you would be wrong. This makes me want to trot off and start a blog called "The Atheist Homemaker" or perhaps "The Godless Housewife." We would use science, not Jesus, to get our whites whiter.

"Aha!" you might be thinking "but I've been to your house! It's not so clean! And you make pasta with bottled red sauce at least once a week! You can't pretend to be a REAL homemaker!" That all may be true, but, based on those Google stats, no one would read it anyway.

Why I Sometimes Hate the Arts

I have just finished reading yet another "arts" article complaining about the American tradition of putting on Nutcracker ballets every Christmas (in Europe they are more MODERN and UP-TO-DATE). It seems that no one in the ballet community actually likes Nutcracker, but they are forced! forced! by the plebian masses to perform it every year.

Real ballet people would much rather perform modern works of great social import, but they are obliged to leave off these avant-garde endeavors due to the irritating fact that nobody wants to buy the tickets! Isn't it beyond annoying when the people at large are such Philistines?! Gah!

Needless to say, this sort of attitude is not unique to dance, but also appears in virtually every other form of art. I can understand the frustration in having to do something that is no longer new and fresh for you, but all of these artists should remember who it is that ultimately pays the bills. If you truly want to do art for arts sake, then go paint/dance/compose/etc. in your closet where you can do just exactly as you please.

Buzzwords 09

He, he, he it seems the word "unfriend" is the New Oxford American Dictionary word of the year. Not to be outdone, MSNBC provided us with an entire list of buzzwords from the year 2009. Most of their list comes, not from Facebook, but from the plethora of words and terms relating to the financial crisis. Here's a random sampling:

-Great Recession

-Shovel Ready

-Staycation

-TARP

-Bailout

-Stimulus

-Credit Crunch

-Cash for Clunkers

Battlestar Galactica is Dead

Sad but true that our favorite TV show, Battlestar Galactica, breathed its last on Friday night. I realized that M and I have been enjoying this show and its predecessor for five of our nearly seven years together. It's really been a part of our little culture. We've discussed the plot and the ideas ad nausem, and we've had a lot of fun socializing around it too. I know, I know, we are huge and embarrassing geeks, and that's okay.

Adding to our pain was the undeniable fact that the ending was not good. I won't spoil it here since I know some readers are still fans who haven't finished. However, I feel that I can say that the whole series is still entirely worthwhile story-telling. It's just that the way they chose to wind up the threads of the plot left a lot to be desired. You only get satisfying answers to some things, and even those answers feel pretty pat. I really did not expect pat from BSG. It seemed like rather than go through the complicated effort of actually resolving certain themes and relationships; they took an easy way out. Unfortunately, that really shows.

Goodbye BSG. We truly loved you.

Time For Tubby Bye Bye!

Millions of mommies, daddies, aunties, grandmas, and nannies are very familiar with the imported British kids show, Tellytubbies. I got a hefty dose when my nieces were small, they and loved, loved, loved, the show. I must admit, I was not thrilled by the idea of a TV program designed to hook toddlers, but after seeing several episodes, I had to admit that it's pretty cute. The quirky sweetness of the tubbies and their little, imaginary world was enough to win kids and even a lot of adults. In short, as TV goes, this one is not so bad.

Which is why so many people were so surprised to hear a stinging condemnation of the show delivered by none other than Jerry Falwell. Who knew he even watched a show intended for little kids? Apparently, he did because his complaint was very specific to the show. Falwell was convinced that Tinkie Winkie, the eldest tellytubby, the purple one, was gay. This came as a surprise to many of us who were not used to thinking of the blobby creatures as having any kind of sexuality, but Falwell was not accepting any excuses.

This is a long and rambling lead up to a single link punch line. Salon has done a wonderful article about what Tinkie Winkie thinks of Falwell's passing. I highly recommend it, even if you don't have more than a passing familiarity with the show.

Bumper Stickers

One of the unfortunate parts about my new car is the color. I said to M just before we set out to buy it, "I don't mind which color as long as it's not silver." Of course this meant that I jinxed myself, and the car is, in fact, silver. Don't get me wrong, I think silver is a perfectly nice car color. However, it is also the most popular car color right now. This means that I can sometimes go out to parking lot and find a row of eight or ten silver cars. Picking your car from everyone else’s takes more concentration.

My first thought to make my car more unique was to paint a wide green stripe starting at the nose, going over the hood and roof, and ending at the bumper. If it weren't for the issue of resale value, I would do it, but it's just not practical. Therefore, I'm left with the more subtle (and more boring) option: bumper stickers.

I have never been a huge fan of bumper stickers since I usually prefer to pick my battles with people. I am especially annoyed by the cars that are plastered with dozens of different stickers advocating a pile of different causes. However, I think one or two carefully chosen and carefully placed stickers might be okay. Therefore, I went on a sticker hunt to see what I could find.

One of the biggest problems is parking at school. As I've mentioned before, there are some very conservative people at school, and everyone knows which car I drive. Thus, some of my favorites become problematic due to extremely liberal or extremely anti-religious sentiments. Now I know many people are thinking that I should grow a backbone, but those people have clearly never worked in this kind of setting. For example, it would become very difficult to work with some people if I put a Darwin fish on my car. Here are a few of the good ones I did NOT choose:

"Speak your truth even if your voice shakes" (ha, ha, that is just what I'm NOT doing)

"Born okay the first time" (love this one, but can't)

"Proud of my country, appalled by my government."

"I miss Pluto" (now that's just a cute idea)

"Where are we going and why are we in a hand basket?"

"Republicans for Voldemort!"

"One nation INDIVISIBLE" (this one is set on a red, white, and blue background. Most people wouldn’t even get the joke, but if you say the pledge of allegiance every day, you understand. This is the controversial one that tempted me most.)

"Dare to keep the CIA off drugs"

"Focus on your own darn family"

I'm currently trying to decide if I can get away with a Flying Spaghetti Monster as long as it's just the outline and the initials. These people tend to be none to current on internet geek humor. My other, cowards, choice is just a sticker from my university. None too controversial unless March Madness or The Rose Bowl are on.

National Poetry Month

I should have gotten on this sooner, but April was National Poetry Month. The American Academy of Poets has been sending me a poem a day for the whole month, and many different activities have taken place around the country. The academy does not limit itself to American poets only, so all sorts of poems from many different eras have been honored. In honor of the occasion and also the weather, here is the first part (the whole thing is five pages long) of one of my favorite poems by Pablo Neruda:

Ode to Spring

Fearsome
spring,
zany
rose,
you will arrive
unnoticed -
here you come now -
the merest
flit of a wing, a kiss
of flower-scented mist.
Hats
can feel it,
and horses.
The wind
delivers a green letter
for all the tress to read
and the leaves
take
a first peek,
a fresh look at things.
They're sure:
everything is ready-
the ancient, uncontestable sun,
and talking water,
everything.

Dan Savage Rocks!

Everyone but everyone in Seattle has heard of the alternative weekly newspaper, The Stranger. Politically liberal, culturally edgy, and completely uninhibited, the little paper has become a symbol of Seattle's vibrant alternative scene. The Rock/Pop band Presidents of the United States even did a song based on the "I saw U" section from the back of the paper. Many have a soft spot for this local tradition. What most people don't know is that much of the creative force behind The Stranger comes from none other than local celebrity, Dan Savage.

Dan Savage first came to the attention of most Seattle residents when he began writing the sex advice column "Savage Love." Totally unfazed by any strange question, Savage is usually encouraging of people with strange predictions (in one of his books, for example, he tells the story of the man with the cake smashing fetish) so long as they do not harm anyone else. However, he is also often brutally honest with those who engage in physically or psychologically dangerous behaviors. His message is usually "feel free to be who and what you are, but do not lie to others about it, and do not make excuses for your behavior." This is very refreshing stuff in the world of advice columns.

Since beginning with "Savage Love" (now nationally syndicated) Dan Savage has broken out into the literary world as well. Aside from his editorship of The Stranger, he has also written several books about his columns, his relationship with his long-time boyfriend, and their adoption and parenting of their son. His writing has incredible (even shocking) candor, wonderful dry humor, and a way of being incredibly sweet when you least expect it. I would highly recommend The Kid and The Commitment, and I am looking forward to reading Skipping Toward Gomorrah. These books are not for the faint of heart, but they are excellent reading if you can take the raunchier bits.

I was reminded of my fondness for Dan Savage when we saw him on stage recently as part of the "This American Life" show. I tried to include a section about his performance at the time, but it turns out that his is too big a topic to fit comfortably. One might say that he is fast becoming a major landmark on the Seattle cultural scene. Personally, I hope there is much more to come.

This American Life is on TV!

Of course I have not seen it yet because we don't have Showtime, but I'm hoping my friends will be kind enough to record them for me. Slate has a review of the new show, but, unfortunately, it is not as glowing as one would hope. I believe The New York Times also had a review piece. However, I am a loser and did not have the time to read it. Still, we did get to see several pieces when we went to the live show, and I felt like the stories translated beautifully to TV. I'm not sure why the reviewer from Slate can't see the brilliance of 5th graders with fake movie cameras.

This American Life

M, R, and I recently went to a live version of the radio show This American Life. We are big NPR fans, and this show is a quirky, entertaining, strange glimpse into the lives of ordinary and not so ordinary people. The strength of the show is partly in the odd stories they manage to find, but it's also in the way the stories themselves are told. The timing is always perfect, and the music is carefully chosen to evoke emotion. This is the kind of radio show where you sit in your car after getting to your destination because you want to hear the end.

However, the reason for the live broadcast was a new and different twist on the old idea. This American Life is going to television. I think I can safely say that NPR fans are more than a little nervous about this idea. How would it translate? Will its quirky charm be ruined? Can pictures really do justice to these stories? Do we prefer to provide our own mental pictures of these story-telling whackos? We are a deeply skeptical people.

The live show began with the great man himself, Ira Glass. As the hos, Ira is usually just the glue between the stories. However, his personality somehow permeates the show to the point where you can't imagine it working without him. He introduces, he narrates, and sometimes he interviews. He is very good at his job. However, it turns out he really does have the face for radio. To put it bluntly, he's goofy looking.

We get to see some clips from the TV episodes. The bits with Ira interviewing are, um, not so good. He is really funny-looking, and his presence takes away from the stories the people are trying to tell. However, when they switch to him introducing the stories from a desk in a weird place, you think "A ha! This is the show I know and love!" The animated sequence is very good, the interview with the teen who doesn't believe in love is an absolute howler, and even the cow story turns out well. I have great hopes for the TV version of our beloved piece of NPR.

Happy Birthday Auden

February 21st would have been the 100th birthday of the great poet W.H. Auden. He is perhaps one of the most important and prolific poets of the 20th century, and many people know his work even if they do not know his name. Auden was born in The U.K., but spent more than half his life in the U.S. and died an American citizen. His poetry often celebrates various aspects of the U.S. during the jazz age. His beautiful love poems were often written with careful neutrality to conceal his homosexuality. Auden's style is widely considered to have influenced the next generation of American poets, and he personally mentored many young students who would later become well-known in their own right.

Much of his poetry really is quite wonderful, but he often made his readers work for understanding. Critics often try so much to "get" him that they lose sight of the actual meaning. Slate actually mentioned that a poem was "... with Augustinian theologies and the raiments of Kirkagarde." Which strikes me as a very silly thing to say.

Perhaps his most famous work, "Funeral blues, is a truly heartbreaking, but also delicately beautiful piece. Many people recognize it from its use in the movies, but it is best heard in a recording done by the author. Both the original title of the poem and the person for whom it was really written are subjects of great debate:

Funeral Blues

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone.

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum

Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead

Scribbling in the sky the message He is Dead,

Put crêpe bows round the white necks of the public doves,

Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,

My working week and my Sunday rest

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;

I thought that love would last forever,

I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun.

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;

For nothing now can ever come to any good.

Oscars #79

I don't care what any reviewers say, I liked the 2007 Academy Awards. I must admit that I had not seen so many of the movies as I have in other years, but I still wanted to watch the show and root for some of my favorites. First of all, Ellen DeGeneres did a decent, if not excellent, job. She bantered nicely with the audience, and did her standard self-deprecating shtick. Not fall on the floor funny, but good enough to make you smile a few times.

I was most pleasantly surprised by the interpretive dancers. Usually anything being called interpretive dance is painful in the extreme, but this was actually quite clever and impressive. Behind a shadow screen several dancers would jump onto the strange and quickly form themselves into shapes representing the movies. A van with people inside for Little Miss Sunshine, a trio of penguins for Happy Feet, and so on.

The musical number with Will Farrel and Jack Black was really very funny. They sang (badly) about how they will never win Oscars because they are comedians. Then John C. Riley (I think it was him) jumped out of the audience to sing about how he had made the leap from comedies to serious roles. It was, I think, a statement about Eddie Murphy's nomination (and loss). I still believe they should create separate categories for comedies/musicals and dramas. You just can't compare the power of a performance in, say, Schindler's List with one in a comedy. That doesn't mean that there aren't some great comedic performances out there.

Another very interesting segment was the sound effects choir. This was a group of about 40 people who created a soundtrack for a movie montage. If they were really providing all the sounds, then they were truly awesome. Many people are doubting the authenticity of this piece, but I can't imagine it being included if it was fake. The sounds they created for airplanes, trains, water, and several other images were amazingly convincing.

Oh yeah, I guess there were movie stars winning awards too. They were okay I guess. No one was really very moving or breath-taking though. Al Gore was probably the best "actor" there with his acceptance of the Best Documentary award. People delighted by his humor, and everyone wondered all over again where this warm and charming person was during the unfortunate presidential race. If only he'd run (sigh).

On the whole, I have more complaints about the slate of movies than I do about the awards show. At least the Oscars was relatively fresh and amusing this year. If only I could say the same thing about the film industry. Better luck next year I suppose.