Mira here. The best indicator of the weather for us here on Eastlake Terrace is often not the sky, but the lake. Over the past two weeks, the lake has changed dramatically. With the mild temperatures we had for so long, the lake water was deep blue and clear for much of January. When the snows and winds arrived about two weeks ago (see pics from a couple of posts back), the lake roared for a bit, then slowed as it became lumpy and then solid--ice!. Then suddenly, this past week, it was almost 40 degrees and the water reappeared, but the strong wind sent the waves crashing onto the shore with so much force that we could hear them from inside our apartment. And today, there was another shift. Drizzly snow this morning gave way to freezing rain, which caused the still lake's color to be covered over again with a layer of slushy ice. After church, the lake had become downright chunky, and now, the rain drops have become huge fake-theater-snow and the shoreline is not quite decipherable from our apartment window. The blue-white of the shore fades into a muted teal color where the water begins.
It feels like Lent. A bit dreary...moods and circumstances changing, sometimes by the hour...the desire to curl up in a blanket with a cup of tea (maybe a bowl of cereal in my case) on the couch and light a candle or read or hide. I so appreciated the sermon that Michelle, a member of our church and guest preacher today, gave this morning. It was a "pro-Lent" message. She shared about Lent, this 40-day preparation period before Easter (of which today is the first Sunday), being a time of grief--of examining our lives, of taking note of where we have wandered off-course in relationships and in our spiritual lives, of acknowledging all that is broken in the world, of seeking to know where we are being led. But the "pro" part of the message is that we need these seasons of grief so that we can fully experience the joy of renewal...it is not healthy to push away the grief, but we must walk through it. And even though we often feel very alone when we are grieving or confused or completely lost, we are not alone. Walking together in community is our constant reminder of this.
This Lent, Eric and I will be co-leading one of four small groups that will meet on Wednesday nights to share in some good Lenten reflection. There will be a community meal, then groups will meet for a bit of conversation, and we will end with a short candlelight service. We are both really excited to get to know some new people in a deeper way and share a bit of the small-group experience that impacted us so much in the fall. This will be another chance to walk with one another.
Michelle said that Lent is a season that she "gets." It seems more real. I can relate to that. I can relate more to the reality of wandering, of desiring simplicity and closeness in relationships, of grieving, than I can to a season of, say, expecting a baby (like in Advent). How great that this is a time that it's not only OK, but encouraging to admit when we feel lost and afraid (heck, I'm sure Jesus felt that way after wandering in the desert for forty days!). And to admit that we need guidance and comfort. And to occasionally find glimpses and moments of that guidance and comfort.
So...even though at the moment I feel a bit like curling up and watching the flakes safely from our toasty apartment, I think I will head back out into the snow and make my way to the coffee shop where the church's women's group is meeting this evening. And maybe I will make a stop at the beach to see up close how the water is changing.
P.S. In case you are interested in reading more about Lent or finding some reflection materials, this is a good page to visit. It's from the United Methodist Church website. I especially like the Upper Room devotions and the article "Lent 101."
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Friday, February 16, 2007
a truly foul mouth
Last night we had a great time with our friends Josh and Deborah and Josh's Mom who is visiting from Reno, where we enjoyed some of the best lasagna ever (eggplant) and some good laughs.
However, all was not well on the way home. Mira and I were riding home from their place and had a terrible train experience. When we got on, we noticed a pretty strong odor, probably coming from the man who had no place to call home. This in itself is not the part of the ride that made the trip terrible; sometimes people smell bad--sometimes I smell bad. When it happens, you just have to tough it out and be mindful of our incredibly privileged position to shower, which is something that most people in the world are unable to do on a regular basis. This is a concept that was quite obviously lost on the three gentlemen who sat behind us. I am not sure if they had been drinking, but even if they were, it gives them no right to say some of the hateful things they were saying about "the smell," which probably came from "some rotting homeless guy." The most frustrating thing for us was being frozen in our inability to respond to their terrible and loud comments. Is it worth getting into a (perhaps physical) fight over? Is it right to humiliate them for their own rotten behavior? I just cannot understand how anyone could possibly treat another human being this way. Truly they represented white American privilege in the worst way.
However, all was not well on the way home. Mira and I were riding home from their place and had a terrible train experience. When we got on, we noticed a pretty strong odor, probably coming from the man who had no place to call home. This in itself is not the part of the ride that made the trip terrible; sometimes people smell bad--sometimes I smell bad. When it happens, you just have to tough it out and be mindful of our incredibly privileged position to shower, which is something that most people in the world are unable to do on a regular basis. This is a concept that was quite obviously lost on the three gentlemen who sat behind us. I am not sure if they had been drinking, but even if they were, it gives them no right to say some of the hateful things they were saying about "the smell," which probably came from "some rotting homeless guy." The most frustrating thing for us was being frozen in our inability to respond to their terrible and loud comments. Is it worth getting into a (perhaps physical) fight over? Is it right to humiliate them for their own rotten behavior? I just cannot understand how anyone could possibly treat another human being this way. Truly they represented white American privilege in the worst way.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
"Snow with gusts of wind and blowing snow"
Monday, February 12, 2007
3 Cheers for Surprises!
Eric here. So, Mira mentioned something about surprise activities on Valentine's Day (we celebrated on Sunday instead of Wednesday since Mira usually has to work until 8 or so and doesn't get home until close to ten). I was excited, thinking about a possible vegetarian restaurant visit or a trip to see a movie or something to that order. Little did I know the lengths her sneakiness could go! Mira led me through the city deftly and without so much as a clue as to what our next activity would be--whenever I would ask how we would be arriving, what the nature of the activity would be, or something specific, she would respond only with general answers like "I don't know" or "Maybe." I really had no idea. So, for the first activity, I was right about the veggie restaurant, but I didn't know we would be going to Karyn's Cooked, downtown! For those of you who aren't familiar, here is a website linked to Karyn's establishments. While her other place is a raw food restaurant (nothing cooked over 100 degrees), this restaurant is "only" vegan, meaning it serves no animal products whatsoever (milk, eggs, honey, etc), but cooked. I had the French Toast with bananas and a raspberry sauce, cooked with tofu and soymilk. It was amazing! Mira had the taco-style seitan and the scrambled tofu with homemade tortillas. Since she wasn't able to finish, I begrudgingly batted cleanup, polishing off the rest in 3.6 seconds! For those of you who are at least curious about a vegan lifestyle, or just a completely cruelty-free meal every once in a while, Karyn's Cooked is a good place to see that it really is possible to have flavor and sensibility in one setting.
After our wonderful meal and a short el-ride and walk, we arrived at step two: The Chicago History Museum. Mira mentioned her visit in a earlier blog ("Life in the office, the Y, the museum, and the Gallery"), but I was not able to go with Mira, Joey, and Maiko for that visit. A great display of Chicago history, this visit was particularly meaningful since we have both read two books are set in Chicago, Erik Larson's Devil in the White City and Alex Kotlowitz's Never a City so Real, which, along with one of my favorite books, Upton Sinclair's The Jungle paint vivid pictures of the awesomeness and the horror of this city's past. Many of the names and neighborhoods figure prominently in the museum, so it was cool to have an association. I am fascinated by the ever-changing history of the most American of American cities, so Mira's second surprise was a great match.
The third surprise would be little while after the museum closed, so we shared a smoothie and a sandwich at a local place, and Mira was her usual unhelpful self when pressed to give clues for our final destination. A visit to a bar I had never been to? A street performer who could tie himself into a half-hitch knot? A zip-line trip from the top of the Sear's Tower to Navy Pier? All suggestions came with the same response: "Maybe!" As we got off the bus in front of the Lincoln Park Zoo, I thought, "Huh. Maybe we're going to a special presentation on the mating habits of Siberian Tigers" which is not something I am totally intrigued by, but hey, whatever! But the zoo was't open, so that couldn't have been it. No, we crossed the street, approaching a theater--the Park West theater. The sign with the list of billings said this: Feb 11 Josh Ritter. "Wait," I thought, "that's tonight!" And then we walked inside. Mira had bought tickets for both of us to see Josh Ritter, who is one of our favorite singer/songwriters (and Moscow, ID native!!!), introduced to us by my brother Mike. Mira purchased the tickets with stealth and cunning, never so much as mentioning anything or leaving anything around. I had completely forgotten that he was going to be in town, so it wasn't even on my radar! Anyway, the show was amazing and the Park West was a great place to see it. Another singer/songwriter named Stephen Kellogg opened for him and proved to be very enthusiastic, funny and tight performer in his own right. He ended his performance with a song that included many lines from hit songs over the past 50 years (he called it an "introduction to musicology"), and got a standing ovation from a crowd that, for the most part, didn't even come to see him! Josh's performance was totally amazing. His songs are hypnotic with their imagery and feeling. Mira and I were both impressed with the passion that accompanies his obvious talent. Although we only have one album of his ("Hello Starling"), we were just as excited to hear the music we weren't familiar with as our old favorites. From the sounds of it, we need to buy his latest album as soon as we possibly can! Two songs he sang unplugged (for which I was glad for our fifth row seats!)--just him and his guitar and no microphone or amplification. After he was "encored" by the crowd, he called up Stephen to the stage and they harmonized together and Josh ended the night with an a capella, traditional Irish blessing. It was truly the best Valentine's Celebration ever!
Here are some pictures:
Mira and I on the platform between surprise numbers one and two.
Here I am looking at some Chicago innovations. A lot of items, like the color and style of the Schwinn looked very familiar, but the thing I was pleasantly surprised to see was one of my favorite childhood toys,"Mr. Machine," which can be seen beneath the front tire of the Schwinn. Mr Machine didn't do much--except play music, dance, scoot around, and spread joy and happiness to millions of people around the world. That's all.
Here I am trying to figure out when this stupid el train will get moving again! When will the CTA ever figure it out?! Don't give that "It's from the 1890's and doesn't operate anymore and you're scaring the children" excuse that I must have heard a hundred times!
Photo of Josh Ritter on Feb. 11 and he and his band on Letterman, Jan. 12
And just in case you were wondering if I had any plans up my sleeve for a Valentine's surprise, I think this sign pretty much sums it up (Don't tell Mira!):
After our wonderful meal and a short el-ride and walk, we arrived at step two: The Chicago History Museum. Mira mentioned her visit in a earlier blog ("Life in the office, the Y, the museum, and the Gallery"), but I was not able to go with Mira, Joey, and Maiko for that visit. A great display of Chicago history, this visit was particularly meaningful since we have both read two books are set in Chicago, Erik Larson's Devil in the White City and Alex Kotlowitz's Never a City so Real, which, along with one of my favorite books, Upton Sinclair's The Jungle paint vivid pictures of the awesomeness and the horror of this city's past. Many of the names and neighborhoods figure prominently in the museum, so it was cool to have an association. I am fascinated by the ever-changing history of the most American of American cities, so Mira's second surprise was a great match.
The third surprise would be little while after the museum closed, so we shared a smoothie and a sandwich at a local place, and Mira was her usual unhelpful self when pressed to give clues for our final destination. A visit to a bar I had never been to? A street performer who could tie himself into a half-hitch knot? A zip-line trip from the top of the Sear's Tower to Navy Pier? All suggestions came with the same response: "Maybe!" As we got off the bus in front of the Lincoln Park Zoo, I thought, "Huh. Maybe we're going to a special presentation on the mating habits of Siberian Tigers" which is not something I am totally intrigued by, but hey, whatever! But the zoo was't open, so that couldn't have been it. No, we crossed the street, approaching a theater--the Park West theater. The sign with the list of billings said this: Feb 11 Josh Ritter. "Wait," I thought, "that's tonight!" And then we walked inside. Mira had bought tickets for both of us to see Josh Ritter, who is one of our favorite singer/songwriters (and Moscow, ID native!!!), introduced to us by my brother Mike. Mira purchased the tickets with stealth and cunning, never so much as mentioning anything or leaving anything around. I had completely forgotten that he was going to be in town, so it wasn't even on my radar! Anyway, the show was amazing and the Park West was a great place to see it. Another singer/songwriter named Stephen Kellogg opened for him and proved to be very enthusiastic, funny and tight performer in his own right. He ended his performance with a song that included many lines from hit songs over the past 50 years (he called it an "introduction to musicology"), and got a standing ovation from a crowd that, for the most part, didn't even come to see him! Josh's performance was totally amazing. His songs are hypnotic with their imagery and feeling. Mira and I were both impressed with the passion that accompanies his obvious talent. Although we only have one album of his ("Hello Starling"), we were just as excited to hear the music we weren't familiar with as our old favorites. From the sounds of it, we need to buy his latest album as soon as we possibly can! Two songs he sang unplugged (for which I was glad for our fifth row seats!)--just him and his guitar and no microphone or amplification. After he was "encored" by the crowd, he called up Stephen to the stage and they harmonized together and Josh ended the night with an a capella, traditional Irish blessing. It was truly the best Valentine's Celebration ever!
Here are some pictures:
Mira and I on the platform between surprise numbers one and two.
Here I am looking at some Chicago innovations. A lot of items, like the color and style of the Schwinn looked very familiar, but the thing I was pleasantly surprised to see was one of my favorite childhood toys,"Mr. Machine," which can be seen beneath the front tire of the Schwinn. Mr Machine didn't do much--except play music, dance, scoot around, and spread joy and happiness to millions of people around the world. That's all.
Here I am trying to figure out when this stupid el train will get moving again! When will the CTA ever figure it out?! Don't give that "It's from the 1890's and doesn't operate anymore and you're scaring the children" excuse that I must have heard a hundred times!
Photo of Josh Ritter on Feb. 11 and he and his band on Letterman, Jan. 12
And just in case you were wondering if I had any plans up my sleeve for a Valentine's surprise, I think this sign pretty much sums it up (Don't tell Mira!):
Monday, February 05, 2007
Bear Down-er
From Eric: Having been a Bears fan all my life, I have to say that last night's game was quite an emotional roller coaster...although this ride only had a short uphill and a long and painful downhill.
For all of you Rex-haters, which includes pretty much all Chicago media, there really is no quarterback controversy in Chicago. I will echo Lovie's words exactly: Rex is our quarterback. There is some reason to my rhyme. First of all, this was his first complete season--and taken as a whole, it was a pretty darn good first season at that: 13-3 record, 3193 yards, 23 TD's vs. 20 int's, and a 74.8 passer rating. If we compare that with Brett Favre's first complete season as a starter, we do not see a huge difference: 9-7 record, 3303 yards, 19 TD's vs 24 int's and a 72.2 passer rating. Secondly, Grossman led the Bears to a Superbowl appearance, although I will admit that was shaky--but that was something Favre, although successfully, didn't do until his fourth complete season. And finally, players are allowed to have bad games--and many of the greatest have indeed come back from the worst of games to have great careers. John Elway lost his first two Superbowls, the second of which his stat line looked like this: 14-38, 258 yards, 1 TD, 3 int's in a 46-10 loss (his third Superbowl appearance was even worse: 10-26, 108 yards, 2 int's in a 55-10 loss). Three lost Superbowls with a combined score of 40-136. We would all agree that Mr. Elway went on to have a pretty good career after that first Superbowl loss, right (4 more Superbowl appearances and 2 Superbowl wins)? Now, there is no way for me to say that Rex will turn into anything compared to the guys I just brought up--he certainly has a lot of growing up to do--but the things they had going for them was fans who believed in them, supportive and disciplining coaches, and they didn't live in Chicago where the collective media will fall madly in love with you one week and rip you to shreds the next week--unless the columnist is Jay Mariotti, and then you will be ripped to shreds every week. I hope that Chicago and its media will soon take a lesson from the "hated" Green Bay Packers fan base and just love your team no matter what--with a media that supports and merely reports on its team rather than put their fans and players through this constant editorial barrage. By the way, Elway's first complete season looked like this (15 games): 13-3 record, 2598 yards, 18 TD's 15 int's, loss in the first round of the playoffs.
Okay, the good news about the Superbowl (aside from the first 10 minutes) was that we got to go to our friend Jen's house for a party. There was an assortment of snacks and drinks, including football shaped cookies and a biscuit and yoghurt combination that Rich called the Wacker, in honor of Chicago's Wacker Drive. At halftime, two of the guests decided to go outside and play some football themselves, only to come in 2 minutes later complaining that their lungs had frozen solid. Here are some more pictures of our night:
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