Sentimental mush...I love you Daddy!

Okay, I'm crazy about this day, and there's a ton of reasons that have nothing to do with boyfriends.

When I was in kindergarden, I thought "Happy Valentine's Day" was what you said, like "Have a good day." So for weeks, when my dad left the house in the morning, I'd chirp, "Happy Valentine's Day!" So 29 years later, we still keep the tradition alive--in the middle of summer, I'll just say "Happy Valentine's Day" and it's just our inside joke.

Also, one year in the late sixties (was it 68 or 69? 67?) my dad, not knowing who to send flowers to, since he had recently broken up with his girlfriend, decided to send some to my mom. That's a great story, since they've now been married 36 years, but there's more. He was living in Indiana (um, like that's romantic, not!) and she, teaching at a Presbyterian mission school, was living in Tehran, Iran, where the Shah was still in power. So you can already see that this involves FTD, that international format for sending flowers. Well, FTD had a minimum for international orders, and in 196whatever it was $7. (That's like $35 in today's money, maybe more, since I first heard this story in the eighties.) Well, um, even though Iran had a royal ruler, $7 US was a lot of cash in Tehran. And which florist did good old Dad pick? The Imperial Florist. It had a nice ring...um, yeah. It was THE Imperial florist, as in the one to the Shah. Oh, and I forgot one other detail. My mom's address was the school. So I've set the scene. Can you imagine it? A truck from the Shah's own florist shows up at my mom's fourth grade class and starts unloading flowers. And more flowers. And more flowers. "Who are they from, Miss Hill?" (They were not even dating at the time!!)

Ah, young love. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone, from the gal who makes everyday Valentine's day for her dear old dad.

Yours til Niagara Falls,

Sarah Louise

It's official...

It's been that mushy pink day for 16 minutes. Emily & I are celebrating by going to Panera and seeing Walk the Line (2nd time for me). I have mixed feelings about this day, but a lot of good memories too...so whatever you find yourself doing, give someone a hug! And if you see Marian, wish her a happy birthday--she's turning the big 3-0!

An Angry Valentine
If you won't be my Valentine

I'll scream, I'll yell, I'll bite.

I'll cry aloud, I'll start to whine

If you won't be my Valentine.

I'll frown and fret,

I'll mope and pine, and

It will serve you right--

If you won't be my Valentine

I'll scream, I'll Yell, I'll Bite

Myra Cohn Livingston

This one is close to my heart, as I am in the middle of another embroilled fun stuff with a favorite co-worker. (did you catch the sarcasm there?)

He drew a

circle that

shut me out--

Heretic, rebel,

a thing to

flout.

But Love and I

had the wit to

win:

We drew a

circle that

took him in!

"Outwitted," by Edwin Markham

Yesterday (well, a few minutes ago, 27 to be exact), WYEP (local independent public radio) had their annual Anti-Valentine show. It was fun listening to all the songs, especially a new favorite, Hackensack, by Fountains of Floyd? (Something like that. Babelbabe will correct me.)

Violet will be a good color for hair at just about the time that brunette becomes a good color for flowers.

(Fran Lebowitz)

Today I treated myself to McD's for breakfast. I listened to Good to Great on the way over. I am SO loving this audio book!! I'll blog on that later. I walk in, and in front of me, no joke, is a woman with Ronald McDonald red hair and those striped tights he wears. I truly thought I was watching a public relations moment, and got a little excited. Ronald visits East Liberty!! (S'Liberty to yins.) Um, no. And I don't think anyone else noticed. I wanted to grab one of the employees and say, "Doesn't she look the spitting image of someone you know?" but I restrained myself. I sat in a booth where I could watch her while I ate my egg and cheese biscuit (bacon and I aren't talking at the moment) and hash browns and my (yes I know it's cold out) ice tea. She got on her cell phone. She had lip piercings--she was like the Post-Modern Ronaldina McDonalds. I so wish I could have gotten a picture!!

And in the category of how do I feel about my life today: I Love it!! Be very jealous--Babelbabe and I are going to make Snickerdoodles this afternoon, when I get back from my therapy appointment. (Because she has a regular size oven.) (And a decent recipe, this was my first question to her: "Do you make snickerdoodles?")

I had a date with a friend who is also a children's librarian (to talk shop) this afternoon, but she cancelled on me, so the timing is Perfect!! And I'm done with my homework for my writing class. I may post that later. (It's an Angry Letter.)

As for the snow, Pittsburgh got passed over. I couldn't even make a snow angel on my front lawn--I can see grass through the powder as it is. I heard Manhattan got 27 inches--well, that's why they call it the BIG Apple--everything is big there. (Susan got 15, Sue's mom got 15, Bep got 15) (That's Boston, Harrisburg, and Falls Church, respectively.) Even Tuvalu got snow--go visit Blackbird at Say la Vee for pictures!! (It's third down on my blogroll, I'm not linking, b/c I'm lazy and I gotta go buy sugar and flour!)

I knew it!

You Are Speed Skating

You're motivated, aggressive, and willing to work hard to win. You have what it takes to be hell on skates!

What Winter Sport Are You?

Here we come, Steelers! (a photo essay, 1 week after the win)

So I thought I'd take a shot at expressing what this city feels, a week later: Steeler Fever is still alive and well...in case you were wondering.

I drive by at least 4 churches that have "boards" on the way to work. My current favorite (besides this Steeler's one) is "Is your picture on God's refridgerator or on his milk carton?"
My camera thought it was supposed to be in "motion" mode. These are the signs Babelbabe and company had in their window.
This is at a bar on the way to work. It refers to the "Bus" Jerome Bettis, who retired after the game. He is originally from Detroit, so it was especially sweet to win there.
This is a sign at an Insurance Agency.
This is in a window. Okay, my descriptive language isn't top shelf today. So sue me! Later, some black and gold that is always around. Time at the moment to figure out the VCR...

Michelle Kwan pulls out of the Olympics!!!!!

And guess who is the alternate? Emily Hughes, the sister of the winner of the Gold in ladies singles figure skating last Olympics. How sweet is that?

Insomnia, thy name is Olympic

I can't help it. For the next two weeks, I will be experiencing the following:

• strange sleep patterns, such as falling asleep in front of the TV and waking up only to find that Michelle Kwan is being interviewed at 3 am (oh I do not like her).
• the Olympic anthem playing in my ears non-stop, da da da, DA, da da da. I hate that SUV commercial, but it's got the theme down....
• attempting to learn how to use my VCR, for which I have no owner's manual. Bep figured it out when she was here for U2, but we didn't have time to really play around with it...
• buying newspapers when key folks win. Last time my favorite was that girl from Hackensack, wait, it will come...Sarah Hughes.

Yes, it's been diagnosed, and it is incurable--I have Olympic fever. It happens about this time of year, every four years. No, I hear you saying "but the Olympics are every two, now that they stagger the Summer and Winter Games..." and that's where I cut you off: I do not watch the Summer Olympics. If I want to go to a swim meet, I want to be there, smelling all that chlorine and getting a little splashed, maybe. Watching it on TV does nothing...well, almost nothing. And gymnastics...maybe I'll watch for a little while, but it has not the iron grip hold that ice skating does. Any type of skating--speed, figure, pairs, singles....the ice dancing, not so much. Oh, and of course, hockey. That is a given. Hockey and more hockey. Yes, I would pay dollars to have all the NBC networks right now, so that I could take two weeks off work and sit on the couch as a potato, watching the games, non-stop. Skeleton? Love it. Bobsled? Ditto. Skiing...not so much. But I'll watch it, if it's on.

Last night Bep and I did one of those things only sisters and close female friends do--we watched TV on the phone. That is to say, we watched all the crap choreography of the Opening Ceremonies that culminates in that one moment of glory--the lighting of the Olympic flame. When did I turn on the TV? When she yelled "Poland!" We hung up before the opera guy sang, but I watched it, and then at some point fell asleep, clutching my cell phone. It is nestled in its charger in the other room, by the bed, and I am back in the TV room, writing this. I may just have to resort to the only sleeping pill that I know will work to at least get me to lie down and attempt to dream of gold, silver, and bronze medals, dancing in my head like sugar plums...yes, play The Cutting Edge on the VCR.

Bep wants to be an Olympian. I just want to go someday, be there in the stands, watch the events in real time and sleep in the same time zone as the TV people! (It comes down to one thing: sleep patterns, baby!)

Wow...for a moment there, it was like "Houston, we have a problem." I could not find the flick! But as I told you, the Bermuda Triangle effect is reversing and I am finding things at a faster rate than I am losing them, so I did not lose heart. And heart did not get lost, and I found the movie. It now resides inside the womb of the VCR, where it is creating pictures on my TV screen. It's the previews right now. Soon, it will be showing the best movie about the Olympics that I know. Why, Sarah Louise, is The Cutting Edge the best movie about the Olympics? Oh, I'm glad you asked. The reasons are three-fold:

1. It is about the Winter Olympics; it features a former hockey player and a prima donna figure skater.
2. That's three reasons all wrapped in the first reason if you can't count.
3. It has the best opening scene, which features brilliant dialogue that features the confusion between the English and German language and the word nein, which in German means no and in English, the homophone (the word that sounds exactly alike while meaning something different) is the number nine.

"You said nein, das ist nicht richtig?"

"Nine, that's right, nine o'clock!"

(They're fighting about the alarm. He said nine and she heard nein, so she didn't set one. He overslept and is almost late for the first hockey game of the Olympics.) Then there's this wonderful scene where he's trying to get all his stuff together and remember her name, getting it wrong at least three times. I know, the movie has just started with a one night stand and that doesn't sound like a movie for Sarah Louise, but the German/English humor just has got to be experienced. My dad has a great story/shaggy dog joke involving his German secretary, and while sharing a story about that joke is how I heard about this movie in the first place, from who else? Marian the Librarian. I took her copy home, watched it gazillion times, ordered my own copy from Amazon, and the rest is cinematic history.

It has some of the best lines in film. Unfortunately, imdb.com does not have them listed. Fortunately, I became a member when I wanted to read all the fuss in the discussion boards about The End of the Spear. So for the next two weeks, I may be adding quotes...

Skating Coach: "I am not hockey coach."

Doug Dorsey: "What is this?"

Skating Coach: "Maybe nothing." (hands Doug Dorsey black ice skates)

Doug Dorsey: "Those are figure skates, pal."

*****

Kate: "What is this, final stages of Ukranian alcohol psychosis?"

*****

Kate: "Get him out of my building."

Doug Dorsey: "Tempermental? I could think of a few other words..."

Kate: "Is that what you told him?"

Doug Dorsey: "Man, I'm outta here. I wouldn't wish this on a snake."

*****

Doug Dorsey: "What's the deal with the claws up front?"

Skating Coach: "It's toe pick."

Doug Dorsey: "Let me guess, it has something to do with personal hygiene."

Kate: "I wouldn't let that get in your way."

Doug Dorsey: "I don't let anything get in my way, sweetheart."

*****

He falls.

She taunts, "Toe pick."

*****

My favorite scene is when they play hockey before practice. Oh, I could go on forever. But you know what? It really is 4:15 am and I have to work tomorrow. At nine in the morning. Not nein alarm, NINE ANTE MERIDIAN.

The world is fairly studded and strewn with unwrapped gifts and free surprises...cast broadside from a generous hand.

(Annie Dillard)

This is not, I repeat, not, Pollyanna here: Yesterday was WONDERFUL! Not only did I pay $2.75 for lunch (which consisted of a slice of pizza, a piece of bread, a piece of pie, AND a Coke) and then have Thai food provided by the Pittsburgh something something (thank you John Stahl-Wert) for dinner, but I got to see John & Alyssa & Nate (and those other guys) on stage at Club Cafe, I got my brain twisted around by a really smart theologian, and I got to hear about the birth of the Open Door. Wow! Way too much to blog about unless I got that job where I get paid to read and write blogs. So a few shining moments:

• Sitting with Marlaena at Club Cafe (who is going to Mississippi for a week to help rebuild from Katrina) and just chatting. M is one of my favorite folks and she lives in the South Hills so I don't see her a lot and I totally wasn't thinking that she'd be at the TSE concert. What a bonus!
• Sitting with Erica at the Union Project--another one of my favorite folks. She is a quiet, unassuming, wonderful woman. She is also the keeper of the OD's tea lights. She and her hubby went to the South Side for the "Big Game" aka the Super Bowl. You can read about the mayhem from Pat's blog, here.
• Chatting with Cara at the lecture and realizing that some people, though they will be friendly, don't really want to take the time to be your friends. And then having someone come from behind and intentionally say, "Hi, I'm X, I go to the OD too, surprised I haven't seen you there."
• BJ winking at me as I left the UP to go to the TSE concert (oh how I hated to leave such a juicy talk on the EC, but I told two people I'd be there, and as you read above, it was worth it.) It is weird for me to realize that BJ and I only have one year difference, but it's also cool. (I only realized we were so close in age this year, and I've known the man at least ten years.) Katrina, his wife, is older, so that's probly the vibe I was picking up.
• John Franke (pronounced Frank-ey) did not say a single thing that made me sad to be in this Emergent/Missional journey that the OD is on. The main thesis statement: CONTEXT! Be the church where you are, to the people you got. Focus on Christ, of course, but a church in the burbs is going to be doing things differently from a church on the South Side. I'll blog on this later in more depth. Terry Mann was there, another one of my favorite folks. His comment was this: "We had to figure out where people's third place was. And in Cranberry, it's kid's sports. So I coached 9 year old girls soccer. My children are grown. I do not have a 9 year old girl. But I did it to be out there in the community, where people were." (Not an exact quote, left my reporter's recorder at home...but that was the gist.)

And wonder of wonders, miracles of miracles, what did I find this morning, while sitting here blogging? The NEW TSE CD (wow that's a lot of caps) "can't make out the stars." I know soon I will be finding my regular watch. (But the one I got for Christmas *is* very nice.)

In which Sarah Louise watches Ellen...

Okay, so today, later, I'm going to be rubbing shoulders with theologians and seminarians. You'd think I'd be meditating, or taking a walk, or something...but no! I had to turn on Ellen and she's doing a Grammy show. WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME IT WAS THE GRAMMYS YESTERDAY? (Um, yes, I am a librarian. Um, yes, I occasionally read the newspaper...but to find out that U2 won while I was checking my Google mail...it's just wrong. Bep, we clearly need to find another way to communicate...)

And I went to bed early last night....

Whatever.....

But I did get to see Bono and the Edge (what kind of name is that?) talk to Ellen.

And I have determined that the Opening Ceremonies (the Olympics, what else?) are tomorrow night. So, I have to either convince the children I'm babysitting that that's what we're watching or I have to figure out my VCR (or get Babelbabe to tape it for me...)

Bep will be glad to know I have finally removed my non-working VCR from the TV area. But my working one doesn't have a visible clock!! (Yes, I'm one of those people that NEEDS to know what time it is) (and yet I'm perennially late, go figure...)

Ellen's big news: Madonna is going on tour. Yeah, that was pretty underwhelming for me, the whole Madonna interview thing. Like what is that hair?

Now, if only I could find a blank tape...but the good news is this: The Bermuda Triangle effect is reversing, if slowly. I am finding things at a quicker rate than I am losing them. Found this week: stamps, a watch (missing since Christmas), and, um, other stuff!

A big plug for This Side of Eve, which has two shows this week: tonight at Club Cafe and tomorrow somewhere else. Check out the link. Their first album, "Aching from Wanting More" has been spinning on my CD player the past 24 hours. Maybe one of the things I'll find this week will be their latest album. (It's here...somewhere.)

Time to move on--Sarah Louise does not (I repeat does not) watch Montel.

This little light of mine...(show and tell)

I keep hoping to somehow fix that stain on Hello Kitty's forehead, but if I procrastinated on my blog like I procrastinate in my life, you'd never have new stuff to read or look at!
I really like the base, which has pink hearts on it, or more closely in the picture below.
I bought this lamp at a Red White and Blue (an independent thrift store that has at least two stores in Pittsburgh.)

In which Sarah Louise looks at theology...

Well, dear Internet, tomorrow I'm going to a day conference at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary on the Emergent Church. The key note speaker is John Franke, and I've spent the earlier part of the evening reading a six-part synopsis of Franke's latest book, The Character of Theology, as blogged by Scot McKnight.

It's fascinating stuff. A few highlights:

• Theology, which is often the conversation about God and his/her attributes, can be as flawed as the person spouting it.
• Dictionary definition of theology: the study of the nature of God and religious truth; a system or school of opinions concerning God and religious questions.
• Franke writes great goop: "God unveils (reveals) himself in and through creaturely veils and that these veils, although they may be used by God for the purposes of unveiling himself, remain veils" (76).
• Scot so endorses this book that he says if he was the Prez of an Emergent Church Seminary (what would that look like?) he'd make everyone buy a copy and have Franke come and teach a whole semester on the book.
• Franke talks about context, how there is no "pure gospel" (my brother would dig this) because the gospel is historical and therefore has cultural biases. Side note: here's something I learned while studying Luke this week: did you know that in Jesus' time a man could divorce his wife (and it was acceptable practice) for cooking a bad meal or talking too loud? Women were refusing to get married, causing a breakdown of family structure, and so that's where Jesus' polemic on adultery and divorce comes from in the Sermon on the Mount.
• Scot talks about his own issues concerning the school of thought that the Bible has "authority." His take is that "Scripture is divine communication with humans, the covenanted people." He goes on to say that "Authority comes in when the genuine relationship is under threat. Instead, I'd prefer to see Word as divine communication to which I listen and which I follow, not because it is authoritative but because I'm in love with the God who is speaking in that Word." Wow. I love the poetry there. That's the way I see the Bible--I was drawn to it by the poetry. While some came to Christ through a study on Romans, I came to Christ through Psalm 139:9-10 ("If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there thy hand shall lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.") and a study on the Old Testament names of God (Jehovah Jireah, Jehovah Rophe, Adonai, Elohim...) Rules and authority do not speak to who I am. I go where the poetry feeds my soul. (Which is where I can get into trouble, big time!) I am, and ever will be, the square peg that does not fit into the round hole.

There's a lot more there, but that's the gist. And this gist is only based on blog entries on the book, not on the book itself. So hopefully tomorrow I will have more clarity--I so hope that Franke speaks in layman's terms, although most folks at the conference will be seminarians or practicing clergy.

What I'm hoping to come out of tomorrow with is a sense that the Emergent Church believes strongly in the truth of the Bible and the poetry of tradition.

Stay tuned...

Scrabble happy!!

Pholph's Scrabble Generator My Scrabble© Score is: 25. What is your score? Get it here.

Deep down, I'm pretty superficial

(Ava Gardner)

Somedays you just want to phone it in. I don't have my regular program room for Mother Goose. It's 24 and holding outside (no Florida comments, Joke!). I had to clear the snow off my car.

Apparently, February is the #1 month for diagnoses of depression (oh, and one of my therapists is getting cut due to funding).

So if you're having a bad day, go find a book of Knock Knock jokes. I'll try to remember to post my favorites later.

Good things: I filled my tank at $2.36. Oh, when did that become a GOOD thing? I still remember when I could buy gas for $.99!! (In 1993!!)

Oh well--in 5 minutes I get to rattle off my repetoire of Mother Goose rhymes, sing to children, and pretend I'm having a good day.

Here we go...Steeler madness continues

Dear Internet,

So I drove to work, avoiding Dahntahn as is my normal MO, listening to the likes of Palamalu (it's Polamalu), Footloose, Redneck Girl, and thinking about an upcoming post that will showcase how crazy this town is for the Black and Gold (btw, we are the only town that has the same color for all three sports: the Pirates, the Pens, and the Steelers all are Black and Gold, which traces back to the family crest of William Pitt). I arrive ON TIME (yes, thank you) and Lana is sitting at my desk, watching the Stillers Parade. Well, my computer is the only one that has speakers. It was on the Internet, of course. I love this town. Our boss called at 10 to tell us to use Tech Serv time to watch the parade. She taped it. And, there are pink slippers on my desk, a gift from Sally up in the Computer Center.

Life is good, here in Sarah Louise Land. Over and out.

Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven't time, and to see takes time--like to have a friend takes time.

(Georgia O'Keefe)

It's been a good coupla days in Sarah Louise Land. Sunday I visited a friend's church, Sunday the Steelers WON THE SUPERBOWL, yesterday I visited with Babelbabe a bit, emailed with Blackbird a bit, emailed with Erin a bit, and then babysat for Frank and Zach. I was too braindead to actually play with them, so I was the bump on the sofa that kept saying "25 minutes" "10 minutes" "2 minutes." I actually told them they had brushed their teeth enough already, and prayed with them, then shut the door to their endless conversation with each other. It is so lovely to see siblings that like each other. Then Sally came home, we chatted a bit. She, btw, looks FABULOUS as she has joined a group that deals with eating issues and has lost a lot of weight. Plus, she is like a changed woman. Before, sometimes being friends was like walking on eggshells (all friendships have *those* moments) but now she is so laidback and PLEASANT. Now I have spent 15 minutes that I could have been taking a walk in the Winter Wonderland that is Blitzburgh...but I'm gonna go walk anyways.

Oh, and on Sunday, I had a great talk with Bep, Dad, and a great friend who lives in Charleston, SC and reads every day! Hey there, Charleston! (Um, when I left the SB at half time, I left the crock pot at the Union Project, so I'll have to retrieve it on the way to Bible Study...)

Here we go Stillers, Here we go!

In my defense, I have to admit that it was not the first time I fell asleep during the Super Bowl. But when I dozed off, at about nine-ish, I was not watching the Super Bowl. I was tired at half-time, decided to go home and throw a load of wash and watch "Mad Hot Ballroom" for the 45 minutes it would take Mick Jagger to sing "I can't get no..." and all the rest. I fully intended to then rejoin the loyal Steeler's fans that were assembled at the Union Project. (When I say loyal, I mean crazy. At least one guy had his face painted black on one side, gold on the other. He painted several children's faces, writing "Steelers" on their foreheads, and "7" and "36" on their cheeks.)

So here's a story from the Post-Gazette that tells you about all the plays I missed as I sawed logs on my sofa. Note to self: do not attempt to watch documentary about New York youngsters learning ballroom dancing if you want to see the second half of the Big Game.

I did see the first touchdown happen, though, and baby, that was a sweet move. If you didn't see it, tough. Google it. I'm sure you can find video.

(The first time I fell asleep during the Super Bowl? When Janet Jackson had her, um, wardrobe malfunction. I missed the whole thing!)

I'm not proud of my actions, but the Steelers pulled through without me, so the end of the story is WE WON ONE FOR THE THUMB!

(And I have to be awake at 9 a.m. for a four hour meeting on Summer Reading Club, etc. I think having the mid-game nap will help my wake-up time in the morning.)

Right now I'm drying my laundry...I'll stay up a little longer to "take out of the dryer promptly" my Old Navy khaki's.

GO STEELERS!

(Oh, and my favorite commercial? The Bud light commercial with the "amazing hideaway wall")

It's not black, it's not gold, it's a meme!

Four jobs I've had:

1. Mail clerk at Washington College, Chestertown, MD. Loved that job!
2. Assistant to the Editor at a small press that published translations of Latin American (but mostly Chilean) literature
3. Waitress
4. Bookseller (seven years in retail, baby, count 'em!)

Four movies I watch over and over: (but 4 movies is really is not enough--and I've seen each of the ones listed over four times)

1. You've Got Mail (um, but you knew that already)
2. Picture Perfect (yes, I am obsessed with Jen A., I admit it.)
3. The Man with the Iron Mask (um, obsessed with Leonardo too.)
4. The Three Musketeers (the one with Charlie Sheen, no obsession.)

Four places I've lived: (I define living as "your clothes lived in drawers three weeks or more")

1. Vienna, Austria
2. Warsaw, Poland
3. Tegucigalpa, Honduras
4. Belem du Para, Brazil

(pretty much the only) Four TV shows I watch:

1. Friends (yes, the re-runs)
2. Sex and the City (yes, the re-runs)
3. The Today Show
4. Ellen (the talk show)

Four places I've vacationed:

1. Zakopane, Poland
2. Roatan, the Cay Islands, Honduras
3. Niagara Falls, Canada
4. Disney World, Florida, US

Four websites I visit daily:

1. Google
2. bn.com
3. clpgh.org (the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh's site)
4. Yahoo

Four of my favorite foods: (but this is not exhaustive a list either)

1. Papaya
2. Maracuja juice (but you have to really add the sugar--yins know it as Passion Fruit)
3. Quiche
4. Chocolate

Four places I'd like to be right now:

1. Tela, a beach town on the east of Honduras. (read: someplace warm!!)
2. Warsaw, Poland (It's grayer than Pittsburgh, but it has great museums and a wonderful little French restaurant in the Old City called Le Petit Trianon.)
3. Hawaii (never been there) (and it's warm, I'm thinking.) (and they have beaches!!)
4. Italy, um, like, oh! Lake Maggiore (outside Milan)

I don't know too many folks that haven't already done this particular meme, so if you haven't and you wanna, consider yourself tagged! Just put a note in the comments.

And what the heck, I'll just say it: Go Black and Gold! Win one for the Gipper!

It's another Friday night in Black and Gold Country...

Go home. Cut your losses.
Stay. Go for it.
You are a republic of voices tonight. Unfortunately, that republic is Italy. All these voices waving their arms and screaming at one another. There’s an ex cathedra riff coming from the Vatican: Repent. Your body is the temple of the Lord and you have defiled it. It is, after all, Sunday morning, and as long as you hdave any brain cells left there will be a resonant patriarchal basso echoieng down the marble vaults of your churchgoing childhood childhood to remind you that this is the Lord’s day. What you need is another overpriced drink to drown it out. But a search of pockets yields only a dollar bill and change. You paid twenty to get in here. Panic gains.

This is one of my favorite passages from one of my favorite books, Bright Lights, Big City. Jay McInerney wrote the entire blessed book in second person, as in “You are walking down the street, you slip on a banana peel.” I have just finished Meggin Cabot’s first adult contemporary book (which in publisher speak means a romance that doesn’t have smut on every other page.) Which is now called “chick lit” by everyone else. It is a book written entirely in emails, The Boy Next Door. I got it at the library store for a song. I’ve read it before but had forgotten how it ended so it was a delightful diversion for the evening. The only wrong wrong wrong thing about the book is that the cover is a “Reading with Ripa” release. I think that’s a curse worse than Oprah. I may have to do something to the cover, like decoupage. Meggin Cabot, as in Meg Cabot, who writes all the Princess books that Disney made into two movies, The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2. The first one is wonderful, the second one is disastrous.

Have I done any dishes? No. But I have laundry spinning in the dryer—don’t you love that right out of the dryer smell? Babelb, my mom’s version of “get that hair out of your eyes” is “how’s your sink?”

I had dinner at my favorite Italian seafood restaurant. I sat in the smoking section, as the entire city of Pittsburgh had decided to eat out tonight and I just wanted a quiet place to sit and read my book. I had ravioli with tomatoes and mushrooms. My waiter was wonderful.

February is an odd month. It is the shortest month. For the past couple of years, it has been the month of the Super Bowl. As if the month that carries Groundhog Day, Black History Month, Valentine’s Day, my grandmother’s birthdays (yes on both sides, yes on the same day), my mom’s birthday, my aunt’s birthday (I think…) needs more fanfare. I don’t want to talk about it. I will be glad for Tuesday, when life will be back to normal, win or lose.

I have a new favorite radio station. It’s called BOB-FM. “We play anything” is their tagline. And they do. What radio station plays “F/X” (from Beverly Hills Cop), “I’m walking on Sunshine” (Katrina and the Waves), and Santana? In between songs, one of the announcers gives little factoids about Bob. “Bob remembers Super Bowl Ten.” “Bob will be spending Valentine’s Day with a pizza and ‘When Harry Met Sally.’” I’d really like to find out the back story on Bob—I mean, it’s a very creative way to run a radio station. But I do draw the line at “Unchained Melody.” When that came on, I switched to one of my other pre-programmed buttons, which are: both country stations, Y108 and Froggy; 3WS, the Oldies station; WYEP “where the music matters”—independent public radio; Word-FM, Christian talk but also a place holder for the next station down, 100.7 Variety something something. I only have one programmed button on the AM frequency, 1320 WJAS, “all the original hits” which is mostly Standards sung by Old Blue Eyes or Dean Martin with a few new arrangements with Diana Krall and Steve Tyrell. I consider myself lucky to hear “Pocket full of Miracles” at least twice a week.

It is past Wee Willie Winkie's hour, so I'll turn in. I will be cataloguing my heart out tomorrow in my black turtleneck and "Road to Detroit" t-shirt.

*****

Fatigue is the best pillow. --Benjamin Franklin

purse: A woman's bag for carrying personal items; a handbag.

One of my favorite pink things right now, this pink purse. I like it because it is small. (And pink.)
This is my dressy purse. I took it to see Miss Saigon. It is just the right size for a wallet, a mirror, and a tube of lipstick.
My dad brought this back from Colombia. Nice, huh?
Got this at Payless, back when I thought I was going to launch a website called pinkpumps.com that was going to be all about chick lit.
I think this was a Mary Kay hostess gift, back in my former life. It has been to see such operas as the Magic Flute and Carmen.
This is a purse from Poland. My friend Valerie had one, so I had to get one too. It's the purse I'm currently using. I've had it since 1989 or 1990.
This is from Walmart but it looks like the ones that you pay beaucoup d'argent for...I paid 5.95!!

Does this happen to you?

Okay, it gets light earlier, so the sun wakes me up. I've been making a habit of reading a Psalm out loud (because I learned from Beth Moore that the spoken word has more power) as my first thing, so I keep my NIV by the bed.

This morning's Psalm was #33. I sat there, read it out loud. I was moved to read it in the RSV, which is the Bible I've owned since my confirmation back in 7th grade, which has notes, underlinings, dates, etc, and of course, the required multiple pieces of paper, old church bullitens, etc. Oh, and it's got clear tape down the side where it was falling apart five years ago. I've heard some people send their Bibles to get re-bound.

Anyways, I looked at it in the RSV and thought, "Did I just read that?" The RSV has more poetry, and of course I had circled a few verses. (Apparently it is also called the English Standard Version.)

Psalm 33 in the RSV (note circled text: vs 19, vs 20-22). Props to the good folks at Biblegateway.com who know how to lay out the text the way I want it and give me the option of a commentary!

The stuff that lives in my Bible: top, my transcription of Joel 2:25 on the envelope of a letter from my friend Kelly. (I think I collect them: I have at least 3 Kelly's in my life, all Godly women.)
Beauty shot of Isaiah 54-Isaiah 56. Highlighted are 54:17, 55:11, and 55:8 (I am God and you are not!) Most dated verse (8 references) is 54:11: "O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires."
A little humor: "Mr T.: I pity the plant..." (notes on verse Jonah 4:10: "And the LORD said, "You pity the plant; for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night, and perished in a night.") I never ever saw even one episode of the A-Team but all my Mr. T. "I pity the fool" references come from Chandler Bing, most notably where Joey gave him a bracelet as a gift.