The Last Minute Adventuress

It has happened again- an email, a phone call, a plane ticket for tomorrow to Cleveland. A week there, then a tour bus to Minneapolis. A week there, then a plane back to Chicago.

Details later.

As a side note, I think the universe has convinced me it does not want me to cut my hair.

Link Madness, God, and Starbuck, Oh My!

We have much to talk about. But first- some new links to the right, check them out.

Have I told you about Worship Club? It is the brainchild of my friend Brian and I- we visit different places of worship and religious locations/situations, not because we are shopping for a new faith but because religion is a dominant force in our culture and we believe experiencing other religions firsthand is the best way to learn about them.

Last weekend we visited a mega-church in downtown Chicago called Willow Creek. The sermon was given via a giant projection screen suspended above the stage because the pastor/minister wasn't there- he is based at the main Willow Creek church out in the suburbs. His talk was all about amending relationships as a way to become closer to God. There was a lot of quoting from the New Testament. Before and after the sermon there was singing with a live band, as well as announcements about their current charity project of filling donated backpacks with school supplies for local underprivileged kids.

It was an interesting experience but not as intense or theatrical as what I imagined. There was also a lot less mention of Jesus than I predicted, though his name was certainly mentioned many times- more often the focus was on God however. Which to some people is the same thing I suppose.

Next we hope to attend a Jews for Jesus service.

In other religious news, I have signed up for a Jewish education class this fall through the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School. The class meets for two hours each Thursday evening September-May to study various aspects of Jewish living. I am actually very excited about it and looking forward to doing some religious study with a group.

In other non-religious news, there have been several young women attacked in my neighborhood lately, including one on my block. Obviously this is unsettling. I don't like it one bit. Today there was a news crew filming outside, and I stopped to chat with my building's maintenance guy who was standing nearby. He is young-ish, maybe around 28 or so. He said that he couldn't wait for the day the attacking bastard was caught, and that every guy in the neighborhood would love to beat him to a pulp. Awwww, it is cute when guys get protective.

This weekend is the Chicago Breast Cancer 3 Day. While I am not "officially" working the event (though I am traveling for a month this fall to staff three others in Dallas, Arizona and San Diego) I will definitely be visiting the camp site, hanging out with walkers and helping staff wherever I'm needed. This is the event I work on year-round so it's very exciting to see it all happening.

One of my dreams is to one day attend Comic-Con. This year there was a "Ladies of Battlestar Galactica" panel with Tricia Helfer, Lucy Lawless, Mary McDonnell and KATEE SACKHOFF. In other BSG news, I have been re-watching season 2 with Courtney and I totally forgot how good it is.

Life is kind of busy just now. There are many people coming to visit, or I am going to visit them; fundraising events, classes, worship club, dog sitting; bridesmaid dresses to buy, trips home for the Lobster-Q and up north for fall colors; gearing up for my stint with the 3 Day tour in October; the Jewish holidays coming up, and continuing to masquerade as an artist by getting bold with color and paint all over my apartment. I also plan to do some volunteer work soon with Chicago Cares. Want to join me?

Something As True

Sometimes there is nothing so scary as a blank page. Are you a writer? Then you know what I'm talking about. A blank page represents everything you should be writing but aren't, because you are too busy doing whatever it is people do when they're not doing what they should be doing. A blank page is every story you didn't submit, every idea you never fleshed out, every note of inspiration you scribbled on restaurant napkins or gum wrappers or your hand until you could spill it out onto a page and give it a little more time and attention.

It can be brutal and guilt-inducing to look at a blank page and feel at such a loss, because while all the other ants were gathering inspiration for winter you were whiling away your time seeing movies and hanging out at your favorite bars with outdoor patios and mindlessly going about the motions of work and living without really paying enough attention. So that now, when you want to write, when you deign to sit down with just your own head and a fresh page, you come up empty. Empty! And how can a writer without things to say be any kind of writer at all?

What does it mean when you ignore the gifts God gave you- is he insulted, does he understand and wait patiently until you realize what an idiot you are, or do you think at some point he intervenes? And how? Maybe talent has an expiration date, and if you don't use and appreciate your gifts, one day they up and leave (probably while you're too busy having a martini outside on some nice summer night to notice).

Ew ew ew ew ew

Times I love living alone: practically always

Times I wish I didn't live alone: when I find a bug

I Heart Sunset Colors

I painted this on the wall above my couch. I am not an artist but it was fun.

NO Spoilers, just wide open spaces

Last weekend I went Up North (that's northern Michigan in case you didn't know) with Courtney and Meryl and had a fabulous time. We went to Mackinac Island and rented bikes and rode the perimeter of the island, about seven miles. Also we ate fudge, Guiness-battered fish and then some more fudge. Many pictures were taken, which you can find on my Flickr page (still haven't decided whether to post that link here, but most of you probably have it anyway).

Casa Reed is beautiful and worthy of its own spread in Martha Stewart Living. One night we all sat around playing with brain teaser puzzles. There are at least five showers but no bathtubs because Dr Reed says they dry out your skin, however there was a hot tub which was lovely.

On Saturday evening I dragged my friends to the Wal-Mart in Petoskey so we could await Harry Potter. There were about 150 other nerds there waiting, nearly all adults, and there was a big group countdown- "TEN! NINE! EIGHT!...." You get the idea. After "ONE!" everybody cheered and the Wal-Mart lackeys slashed the plastic wrap off the pallet of books and there was a surge of energy as we all rushed to get our hands on a copy. I stayed awake til 4 a.m. reading- if we hadn't gotten up early and been traipsing around Mackinac Island I think I would have been awake all night, but I was sleepy. On Saturday I looked like this:


I shall refrain from commenting on the book itself since I have multiple friends who haven't finished. Right now I will just say that I really love the yellow orangey color of the sky on the cover.

I am thinking again about moving. I know, I know, when I got back from tour I was all "Oh how I missed you, Chicago! I am so in love with you again, Chicago!" But. But but but. It's possible I spoke too soon, for the wanderlust is setting in again and Montana (and Portland, and SoCal, and Boulder) is calling my name. You should know this about me; I am almost always thinking of being somewhere else.

I ordered a new rug and it's arriving tomorrow and it makes me want to paint more color onto my walls. Which isn't really what one should do when one is considering moving. I should get my head on straight.

I Heart Harry

Thirty-one and a half hours until Harry Potter! Do you understand how exciting this is?

For the record, 65% of me thinks Trevor is the animagus of R.A.B.

(I am currently in the Eastern time zone, this way I get to read it one hour sooner than if I were in Chicago)