Comments on Comments

I love commenting on other people's blogs. If I see a post that doesn't have comments, I feel like it must be lonely, like not having gotten a valentine in the decorated shoebox in 4th grade. I want that post to be loved, to feel included.

Because to me, the whole idea of having a blog is comments. I mean, if I wanted a website where I just put up content, that would be one thing. But blogs become a conversation when people comment. You learn all sorts of things from people's comments.

In Blogger, people's comments can have an icon to show who they are. I love this! I have seen actual photos of Joke but I love to imagine him as the dapper Esquire man. Blackbird's is (shocking, isn't it) a blackbird! Babelbabe's is that girl from Scooby Doo. Not the one with the long hair, the other one. Gina's is a Lego person. Some people use their dogs (Lazy Cow) or childhood photos (Andrea, PJ). Mine is the pink shoes--which is a picture I took with a disposable camera on Memorial Day, 200? I have always liked taking pictures of my feet and I have to say, this is one of my favorite pictures, ever. I love the yellow lines on the parking lot... (It's the Wendy's in Harmar, on the way to the Penna Turnpike. I just had to share that because I'm obsessed with geography.)

People have different comment styles. Some people write a mini-novel (that would be me) on how that post reminded them of "that time, in band camp"... some people just say, "Wow, that's so cool." Some people (who shall remain nameless) shriek "Gah! I forgot to vote!" if your post is about how you're going off to vote, now. Some people don't comment, but tell you at a party that they've been reading your blog and they like it.

Comments are also a way to get to other people's blogs. In Blogger, most people's comments link back to their profiles and then back to their blogs. So if Blackbird is hosting a show and tell, she posts hers and then everyone comments, saying "I'm up!" and then you dutifully (well I do) go and visit them, and comment. To me, it's the modern day equivalent of having calling cards. If you comment on someone's blog and then they visit your blog and comment, well, you might have the potential for a blog friend! If they email you and it's not the email equivelant of hate mail, you're in! I have a bunch of regular and not so regular correspondents and some true kindred spirit friends that I've gained this way.

Then, of course, there are spam comments. They suck, which is why most people have word verification on their comment pages. And then there are ranting lunatics, who use the comment box as their soap box. John had a very interesting comment recently. He actually moderates his comments, which means that you see who commented and then you publish them at your discretion. I like the immediacy of people publishing their own comments. They or I can later delete comments. So, yes, if you commented at 4 am when you were feeling cranky, you can usually go back and delete your comment on your friend's blog. But most folks have their comments emailed to them (although this seems to be working sluggishly this week) so if your intent was to not offend the blogger whose blog you posted on at 4 am, you might want to send them an email too. (I speak from experience, of having regretted later the comment I left.) (And I was absolved.) (Thank you!)

Commenting has given me a new voice, as has blogging in general. Before, I was always careful to agree or not say anything. But Babelbabe and I disagree on some things and she has empowered me to disagree, in the comments. Joke is amazing at commenting on a controversial subject and deflecting it by making it humorous. (He's not called Joke for nothin') Back in December Babs and Gina posted about a big controversy about Target and their policy on dispensing contraception, emergency and otherwise. The posts are interesting enough, but if you didn't read the comments, you missed the iceberg under the water (and only got the tip).

I adore it when people comment and hate it when they don't. It's like that Sally Fields moment at the Oscars "You like me, you really like me!" I realize blogging is not a popularity contest but I never won those either. Whenever I discuss blogs with BJ, his blog-envy is that I get comments. And my blog-envy is that Babs gets them in the double digits. (The grass is always greener, my friends...)

Back in March, I had a hissy fit and begged for comments. I got 24! Which is where I'd like to be, because any more than that and it would be out of control. But when you have 24, you usually have a couple of folks that have come back to see what other people commented on *their* comment and then they comment again.

So, for the record, my stance on comments: they are a way of saying, hi, I was here, I read what you wrote. I hated/loved/feel indifferent about it. Monosyllabic comments are cool, as are novelettes. E.M. Forster has a quote (and no, I don't know which book it's from--but if you do, please comment!) that goes like this: "Only connect." And that is how I feel about comments.

Now, I know that many of my readers have children on their laps or are on their way to somewhere else, but hey, come up for air every once in a while. (And they do. For which I love them dearly!) One time Babs dear left four comments on one day. One of them was "I may not always comment but I'm commenting now!" (I love you, Babs!)

My favorite comment of all time is one that Blackbird left on one of Gina's posts. It was highly emotional, and Blackbird commented thusly, "I think I'm just going to stand over here and not say much of anything. Okay?" It was the kindest comment I'd ever read, because it said it all there: I'm here, but I don't know what to say, but I'm here!

My most drop my jaw comment was one (that same week) by Brenda Coulter, a true blue author, who found my post on Christian Romance novels via Technorati. I was BLOWN away.

Some fun facts about comments on my blog
(stats start on Dec 11, when I switched my comments email to hit my yahoo account.)



My first, second, (and third and fourth...) comments were from Babelbabe, who in all (since December has commented on my blog 32 times. (Her numbers are higher, I promise, but this is since December.)

My first comment that wasn't from Babelbabe: from Katy, who found me on Behind the Stove and was curious b/c her mom's name is Sarah Louise and she wanted to make sure it wasn't her mom.

Number of comments, in ascending order:

Erin, 30 times.

--erica, 39 times.

Blackbird has commented 73 times.

Joke, 151!! (are we surprised? No, I didn't think so.)

A short history of comments on my blog:

My first post that had 2 comments from two unique people was also my first spam, back on August 15, 2005.

My second third post that had 2 unique commenters was September 18. BJ posted two comments, John posted a comment, and I responded: so it was my highest commented post to date, 4!

My third second post that had 2 unique comments was on September 2--oh, I see, blogs are upside down in the archives too. Anyways, my good friend (we met through our blogs) Marlaena was noting that we were listening to the same album at the same time. (Cutless, Strong Tower.)

October 10: 5 unique comments!

October 23 marked my first comment total of 9! (a blogversattion)

Sunday November 13: I fall on my a$$ and get 11 comments: a blogversation between moi, Joke, and Babs!

Dec 9: my first REAL show and tell with my digi camera (happy birthday!) and 7 unique comments, some from folks I'd never heard of before!!

Dec 11: Babs shows me how to be confrontational in a blogversation.

Now, if you're new, you're like, who are all these people. I may or may not link up later. But now I am going to bed, because it is after midnight. It is so easy to lose track of time while composing and messing around in your archives...

(oh, and help! I want the archives to say Month Year, not the bizarre numbers like it is now.) (Advice?) (Appreciated, thank you.)

And my favorite song just came on (one of my favorites) "King of the Road."

List Friday graduates from college!

Well, Mrs. Pom asked for "advice for the graduate." Being my own creative self, I'm giving more than one list.

Advice/Things to avoid/Things to Do once you graduate:

1. Hug your parents. Whether you got loans or paid for it yourself or they paid, you are a product of their hard work and encouragement. Go ahead, I'll wait.
2. Back so soon? Hug them again.
3. Stay in touch with your parents. A story? So, when I graduated high school, my parents moved to Poland (yes, that country that used to be communist.) When I graduated from college, they moved to Brazil (yes, not the movie, but the place on the other side of the equator.) I didn't take it personally, but it was a little hard to keep in touch. (Time differences, costly phone bills--which they paid for or #3 would have been toast.) My dad reads at least three newspapers a day, easier now in the e-era. He would mail me articles. I would read them on the bus and think of him. I never ever thought I would be the kind of daugther that called her parents every day. And that doesn't happen overnight and not everyone is like that. But I thought at some point my parents would be irrelevant, I'd start going to Vail or the Bahamas when I got some time off, and we'd see each other at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
4. If your parents aren't around (geographically or otherwise) find some wise adults. I have so many mothers it's not even funny. The church secretary and I did Mary Kay together, ages ago and she is dear dear dear to me. We've been in Bible Studies together....anyways, a lot of stuff. I know if I need a hug before work, I can drive through Oakland and get one or two.
5. Which I guess brings me to the one that truly has saved my life: join a church. I know, you're on your own now, you want to sleep in on Sundays... Well, for me, there's a number one reason (Jesus) but even if that's not one of yours, here are the benefits: you will find those wise adults that can stand in for your parents. And if you're lucky, you'll find a priest or preacher who makes you laugh, and everyone knows that laughter is healthy, so there you go. Plus, singing. It's good for you.

Advice for the parents (SL, that list maker...)

1. If you say you'll pay for something (i.e. phone bills home or car insurance) warn them once you think they're ready to pay their way. My first job barely paid the bills and my father was in Brazil so he couldn't really understand that the only way I *was* paying my bills was that he was paying my car insurance. So after six months, he stopped. We didn't have a conversation--he just stopped. I did a major financial tailspin. TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT MONEY!!!

2. Hug your kids (this is a corrollary of 1, 2, and 3, above). I mean, I didn't exactly take it personally that they moved far far away when I graduated, but graduation and re-entrance into the non-academic world (Sorry, graduates, don't read this part.) JEST AIN'T A PIECE OF PIE. It took me 2 years to find a job I liked enough to stay at longer than a year and it took a Master's Degree and a diagnosis of bipolar and three years back in the nest (yes, I know, you thought they flew the coop permanently, but life happens) for me to find a job I loved at a living wage.

3. TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT CREDIT CARDS! Oh, this is crucial. They may have to learn the lesson on their own, but they will remember the conversation. It's like those commercials where they show kids and parents fishing and they say, "Talk to your kids about smoking." JUST DO IT.

4. Did I mention hug your kids? Even if you are not geographically close, send them a letter. Or an email. KEEP IN TOUCH. And connect them with extended family, if those happen to be geographically closer than you are. Heck, connect them with extended family, period. Family can save a life.

Graduates, you can open your eyes again.

A few closing thoughts:

It took me a long time to get a job I liked at a wage that didn't have me dependent on my credit cards. It took me a long time to figure out if I was still dating guys that looked like my first loser boyfriend, I might want to look into why he had such a grip hold on my heart. It took me a long time to realize that my parents sacrificed a lot for me. Be patient.

When I think back, I know that friends and family saved me. I owe a huge debt to my friends that I'll probably never be able to repay.

I hope that helps.

Oh, and one last thing: figure out early how to get to work on time. If you have to eat your breakfast in the breakroom, do it. This will pay dividends later. I gotta go wash my hair or I will be late for the staff in-service day.

Coming tomorrow: SL celebrates her blogiversary: one full year on the web, woo hoo!

Show and tell goes Organic: It's a graduation party!

Roses! We love roses!

Organic, as in naturally occurring, not planned out. (And after blogging for almost a full year--this weekend is my first anniversary--I just discovered the spell check!) (And, don'tcha think that blogging might be a word in the spell check for a blogging software? No--it recommended "flogging." Egad!)

Today I lay out photos from the party we had over the weekend. It was, I thought, a party to celebrate my sister's graduation from college. But, as my sister and I pulled up to my parent's house and I said, "Well, the party can start now, the honored guest is here," she replied, "Two of the honored guests." What?!?

Well, I love a surprise party, so I was thrilled and surprised that this party was not just for Beps but for moi, (I got my Master's in Library Science in 2002) and for Terzo (who got his B.A. in 2004). The invitation reads:

"We invite you to share our pride and joy...

(names and dates of us, the grads)

We never celebrated any of these accomplishments with family or friends.

So we invite you to come on Saturday, May 13 at 5 pm."

It was so much fun to see people I hadn't seen in decades. There were two couples my parents served with in Bonn, Germany (It used to be the capital of that great country...), a couple we knew from Warsaw, Poland, one of my dad's friends from college and his wife, neighbors...33 guests crossed the threshold at Walnut Street.

I felt like I was back overseas, at one of my parent's cocktail parties. It's my favorite kind--you talk to someone until you realize the food is ready and then you go get food and talk to someone else. People were the living room, the den, the porch...there was even a badmitten game going on in the yard. I didn't get to talk to everyone as much as I'd like, but all in all, it was lovely!

The cake, which was for all three--I didn't get a picture of the cake when it was whole, but I thought, perfect for the blog!


There was a rolled up "diploma" for each graduate.

Hysterical moments on the mini-road trip between Beps and moi from Winchester to NOVA:

Me: This was the first Madonna album I bought.
Bep: The Immaculate Collection?
Me: Like a Virgin.

(yes, we were listening to my sister's ipod which was playing through the van's stereo system through the magic of stereophonics) Do you see the generation gap, already?

(My sister is 24. I'm 34.)

That is all. Because I need to get some food and finish enjoying ELLEN'S 500TH SHOW!

More new stuff on the right!

My template and I are fair weather friends. Like right now, all the stuff (my profile, my links, etc.) are at the bottom of the blog for no explainable reason. I think it has something to do with amount of posts per page and length of post, etc. Someday I'll get the book Babs keeps recommending me and I'll go under the hood with my template. Right around the year 2010, when Babs gets a full night of sleep. (Maybe sooner, for both of us--we can only hope!)

So anyways, all that to say, I don't mess with my template daily. So I have a file on my desktop of links I want to add and when I get a list or I find a blog I absolutely have to add to my blogroll right this instant, I add them all.

What blogs are you adding today, SL?

Funny you should ask, dear reader! The blog I discovered today brings my geek meter up, waaayy up! If you use the DDC (Dewey Decimal Classification) you may squeal with glee. But it's my blog, so I'm adding it. This is the coolest thing I've seen in a long time (I live a quiet life.) If 398.2 doesn't look like a very exact cooking temperature, or seeing 974.71 makes you want to "start spreading the news..." this might be the blog for you. So, I present for your enjoyment, 025.431 The Dewey Blog.

I'm also adding Vickee's World. Vickee blogs from the Rockies and is very sweet. She's like me in that we have the same comment style (a little story of our own about the post that's up), so I feel I've found a kindred spirit. She won my heart when she praised my post on dream jobs, which I linked up. She loved my links...bless her! I recommend her blog. She's a fun one.

Jeanne is another new add-ee. She's a knitter and a librarian. She posts pictures of knitting (yes, really!) and art (very cool) and has a regular feature that I still don't understand called "Swing Jacket Monday." Her blog is called A Bluestocking Knits and I think it is very cool.

Another newcomer to Pink Sneakers N'at is I heart Pittsburgh, which is, you guessed it, all about our fair city. It was the first link that came up on Google when I searched for Hope College coffee Beleza. (A new coffee shop on the No. Side run by some kids my bro Terzo went to school with!) (More on that, later on!)

That's all for today...now I must go under the hood with my template. Wish me luck!

*398.2 is the number for folk and fairy tales. 974.71 is the number for history of New York City.

Home is the sailor, home from sea, and the hunter home from the hill. (Updated)

(Robert Louis Stevenson)

Back in the garret!! I had 5 phone messages, and every single one was a politician telling me who to vote for in the primaries tomorrow. Ugh.
*****
(Tuesday noon) On the way home yesterday, stopped in one of my favorite historical towns, Fort Ligonier. They have the best shops! I picked up a k.d. lang cassette for a buck fifty at a resale shop (a God-send as my car radio is dying and less able to pick up the barely pickupable stations across Pennsylvania.)

These tulips were begging for their picture to be taken--aren't they lovely? I'll write more about my trek northwest to Southwestern PA in the days to come.

Lunch, and then vote. Then off to ze job.

Happy Mother's Day!

My mother:

• looks 10 years younger than other women her age.
• went to Antartica this year with my dad.
• when asked by my sister what she wanted for Mother's day, said, ''help me with the rain garden" (translated: help me pile dirt into this hole in the backyard.) My sister was thrilled...not!
• Nicknames: Aunt Chirp; Ever Crabby Aunt Chirp (by my cousins on my mom's side.)
• Was a camp counselor, so taught us all the songs, including this one about a cannibal king with a big nose ring who fell in love with the dusting maid, and every night by the pale moonlight, it sounded like this to me-eee...
• Loves the outdoors. Loves her garden. Loves tomatoes. Is very environmentally conscious.
• Does not like (but secretly loves) my sister's rabbit. Love in this context is in the sense of taking care of something's welfare even when it pees on your carpet.
• Does not like adultery or sex on TV or in movies.
• Forbade me to watch soap operas as a girl.
• Would give me a toothbrush with dish soap if she heard me using "the Lord's name" in vain with my girlfriends on the phone
• People always say we look alike. We had the same haircut for awhile. People always mistake us for each other on the phone.
• Hospitality is in her blood. The party we had yesterday was not just for my sister, but for *my* master's degree 4 years ago and for my brother's B.A. last year. We had people we knew from Warsaw (Poland), Bonn (Germany), Hope College (my parent's friends and my brother's friend), neighbors from the street, people we knew from Brazil...
• Forever finds me a shirt or something at yard sales.
• Hates clutter. She used to pay me 50 cents a trash can when I was younger. "Get rid of it, get rid of it!"
• Always asks me if my dishes are clean when we talk on the phone.
• Is not one of those moms who most greeting cards are written for.
• Can be exceedingly silly.
• Is one of my favorite people in the world.

I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.

(Song of Solomon 2:1)

Flowers...how I love thee, let me count the ways. A memorable scene from the movie Enchanted April (it's a crime the quote isn't on their memorable quotes page on imdb.com!) (a crime, I tell you!) is where Mr. Wilkins says to his wife, Lottie, (not a direct quote):

"Flowers are the worst extravagance--they just die! Lottie, I am not a rich man. I own no bonds. What would happen if I was hit by a streetcar and you were still buying flowers?"

My favorite flowers (List Friday, courtesy of Mrs. Pom):

• Tulips. Red, then pink, then the ones that are all swirly colored.
• Roses. Red, but I'll take chocolate ones any day...
• All other flowers.

Yes, I'm that discriminating!! I have silk flowers of all types all over my apartment and when tulips are 6.99 at Whole Foods or Giant Eagle, I generally splurge. I'm partial to brown eyed Susans, which are the state flower of Maryland. So "scenic overlooks" and such are all marked by brown eyed Susans... (I refuse to call them black eyed Susans, it sounds so violent!)

Someday I hope to go to Tulip Time, which takes place in Holland, Michigan, where my parents, grandparents, and baby brother all went for college, at Hope College. (Actually, I think both my aunts started there and then transferred out.) I almost went there (who couldn't love a school whose motto is "Hope in God" from Psalm 42:5, which is a pretty depressing Psalm until you get to the end) but ended up here in da Burgh.

Gotta go (um, I'm sposed to be packing, for my weekend away, but I'll take any excuse to go shopping with Babs!) to Fox Books.

****

'mback--I got Babs to buy my favorite book (at the moment) Eat Cake. You should read it too!

I promise next week to take time with you--I've been writing on the quick this past week...

We three Kings of Orient are (Bearing Gifts, we traverse afar)

Today's show and tell is tee shirts. I have many favorites, but after all the picture posting I did yesterday--go, now, admire, comment! (I'll wait.) I decided to just take pics of one tee shirt. (Which is correct, tee shirt or t-shirt?)

But I also had to fulfill an earlier obligation, of showing you what Blackbird and Babelbabe picked out for me in Bethlehem. And last night, I had visitors from Thailand.

From the left: (from Thailand) Masman Curry Paste (which you make with potatoes, chicken, and peanuts) and has directions in English AND Thai. I'll be using the English directions. The cutest salt and pepper shaker set I've ever seen! They're two people hugging! The holes for the salt and pepper to come out are their eyes and noses! (Well, only the pepper has a nose--is that for sneezing?) (from Bethlehem, PA) Pink feet!! (they're bath oil!) They didn't have pink sneakers, but I love them!!! Thank you, dolls!!

So it's a catchall show and tell. I had to travel all the way to Boston to get my tee (t-) shirt.

It's from the folks at Unshelved, a hilarious comic strip about a library.


Blogger takes its own darn time posting those pictures...

Show and tell, courtesy of Blackbird.

If you like pictures, just keep scrolling.

Just read the post that seemed BRILLIANT at 7:53 when I started, but hey, the pictures are great.

Sarah Louise writes about Kathleen Norris, Pt. 2

I own every book of Kathleen Norris' that I've read in hardcover. I have not read Dakota, or Little Girls in Church, so I own them in paperback.

I have given Dakota as a gift, which is rare for me (that I would give a gift of a book I've not read.) I have given Cloister Walk as a gift, I'm pretty sure.

The Cloister Walk, which was Kathleen's second memoir (Dakota being the first) was recommended to me by a co-worker at Fox Books, Gene. I think in an earlier life Gene was a pilot. He was a very thoughtful man, when I knew him, and I imagine he still is. He read a lot of great books, and he was good at recommending the right books to the right person. (Pretty important in retail books, as in librarianship.)

In my copy of CW, I just discovered a letter I started to Kathleen. It is in pencil, on the back side of drafts of my mother's kindergarten worksheets. "Thank you for sharing your words with the rest of us. A Catholic co-worker admonished me for months to read CW. I started and soon went out and got my own copy of the hardcover. When Amazing Grace was released, I bought it in the first week." (Aside: now, remember that I am a book slave--um, when I worked in retail I really couldn't afford those hardcovers.) (So this is a high compliment of KN's writing.)

I remember that week that I bought AG--I was depressed after an exhausting relationship. My copy of AG is water marked and missing its dust jacket because I read it in the bath. In it, I have a bookmark that I made of a quote by Father William McNamara. "We must be overwhelmed by the leonine surprise of his personal passionate prescence." I also have a folded up copy of the brochure that advertised that KN was coming to the Seminary, where I saw her recently.

I am exhausted like that now. The retreat was a battle of prayer. It was heart surgery. It was letting go of crap that, personally, was very hard to give up. At one point, on Saturday, I had a fight with Emily and I ran to the comfort of my car, where I found my headphones and listened to some praise music, and read Lamentations 3:22-24, "great is thy faithfulness." At another point, later that afternoon, I so wanted to just grab my car keys and run. Instead, I fell asleep. But I stuck it out, and at the end, Emily and I were dancing with glee for the work that had been done.

I am going in to work late today and Friday, as my life has expanded beyond the time I had. Ever grateful am I that I have that kind of flexibility. Tonight I'm hosting friends who are missionaries in Thailand. The group will be small. (But it will include their two sons!) I invited many people that I knew would not be able to come, as I knew they had Wednesday obligations. But this is an important event for me and I would rather invite them and have them RSVP "non" than have them hear from someone else I had the event and didn't invite them--and I wanted them to know they were important to me--because sharing food is one of the most intimate things we can do. Asking someone into your house, to share food with you, is intimate. So, I know that when these folks RSPD'd "non" it is not personal, but it still hurts. Ach, any rejection does, if our hearts are tender.

I have some pictures, wanna see?

It takes awhile (a while?) for them to download. These are pics from Sunday, when I went for the second week in a row to the Southside Works. I went again to the Cheesecake Factory. I had their baked potato soup. Last week, my movie started at 1:51. This week, it started at 1:15, so as soon as my food came, I asked for the check.

(Um, I just deleted all my pictures. Note to my fellow bloggers: "Recover post" LIES! Like a big dog.) Scuse me while I SCREAM! (Save, save, save. Whenever you add something, save!)

Okay, I'm back. Did I mention that I took this morning off so that I could continue cleaning house, not so that I could blog? But I made a lot of progress while the photos downloaded last time, so let's TRY. THIS. AGAIN. (As you were, smiling...)

Hey, it's not called Pink Sneakers for nothin'--and I am wearing jeans on both legs. D'ya see the mark on the right ankle strap? That's from when I kissed the pavement (yes, flat on my face) at Auto Advantage (that'll teach me to recycle my oil!) and tore my favorite brown pants. Tar-get fixed all, though.
This is my "view," the picture I must take again and again, just like Suse. I still think she wins, though. But notice the pink pavement...
Flowers by where I park my car in the summer at work (in the shade!). Mama would be proud.
More Southside Works. The captions were funny, before, but oh well.
More of my favorite fountain...
...makes the world go round (which is a song from my favorite musical, Carnival, which few folks have heard of. I wonder if Babs and Andrea know it?) (Sorry, couldn't find a link for Andrea. But all her post titles are songs from musicals. I think it's a brilliant technique and am quite jealous.)
Why did Arnold S. have to marry Maria Shriver?
So there would be a bullet-proof Kennedy. I wonder if Babs' cell phone still rings to the theme of the Godfather?

The date stamp tells me I've been working (on and off, you understand, and I can see large pieces of carpet now) on this post since 7:53 am. Ay, caramba!

Sarah Louise writes (ack) about a book she's never read!

Okay, so I haven't decided yet if I'm gonna read the Da Vinci Code. I mean, all my friends have, so I figure, they've read for my quota. (Which is basically what I said about Harry Potter 3 years ago.) (Which, if you haven't met me, I adore.)

But the Da Vinci Code, well, I don't know. But, I've been wanting to introduce you to my friend (actuallly we've never met, but he emails me every day) John Fisher.

An intro: John Fisher is a coffee drinking Christian who shoots straight. If you read no other essay on the Da Vinci code, read his. What does he say? "The last time I mentioned The Da Vinci Code, I was on page 234. Well I have finished the book now, and as an author of three novels, I think I understand what is happening here. Let me explain." IT'S FICTION! But, friends, he goes on to say, it's fiction about some pretty important stuff, so don't take this lightly. (Hey, and unlike Salon, you don't have to watch a commercial before you get to the article) (Sorry, Babs!)

The link is also a link to The Purpose Driven Cafe

(Joke, what is the alt-### for the accent?)
(Bite me!)

which is new, due to Starbucks putting a Rick Warren quote on Starbucks cups. If you are rolling your eyes now, (I saw that! You know who you are!) know this: Rick Warren backwards tithes.

Um, what does that mean, SL?

That means that all the cash he made and is still making off his runaway bestsellers, The Purpose Driven Life, and so on, instead of giving a regular tithe (10%) he gives 90%.

Yes, you read that right.

Whatever else you might think or know about Rick Warren (link to a Christianity Today article), he and his wife give away 90% of what they make to God's work. And they are serious about AIDS in Africa. (Stopping it, that is, and helping those that have it or are orphaned as a result.)

And yes, I will blog more about Patricia M, Kathleen N, and, yes, my weekend at Cleansing Stream. Patience is a virtue, folks. And I gotta go. Ciao!

Oh, and other coming attractions:

• the cunningly wrapped item that Babs and blackbird picked out from me in Bethlehem.
• more pictures of the Southside Works and a short review of Hoot: see it!

And this just heard: the Dormont pool WILL open! Google it yourself, I really must run.

Sarah Louise writes about Kathleen Norris, Pt. 1

Kathleen Norris has short hair. Short short. In all her publicity photos, her hair is at least shoulder-length, framing her face, so you are surprised when this ordinary woman (who has been sitting in a chair on the stage) gets up and introduces herself as Kathleen. You thought she might look less...well, she's wearing drab colors, but she has these silver shoes. They don't match her hose, which is dark. When you hear she lives half the year in one of the Dakotas (North? South?) and the other half in Hawaii, you somehow think of Kansas and Dorothy--are Kathleen's shoes magic too? If she clicks her heels three times and says "There's no place like home" would she land in Hawaii or in the Dakotas? Kathleen surely has some sort of magic, because she has the audience in the palm of her hand. When she reads her poetry or the poetry of other great poets in the American oevre, the audience humms in approval as she finishes. It reminds you of the crickets in Mouse Soup. She talked twice: at 2, she talked about words and how they matter. At 4, she reads her poetry and the poetry of other Americans.

....stay tuned for "Sarah Louise writes about Patricia Maclachlan" (author of Sarah Plain and Tall.)

A few scraps:

• The retreat was AMAZING! Not really sure how I'd begin to write about it...
• The conference was too: for you Pghers, Dave Crawley sat at my lunch table! "Hi, can I sit here?" he asked. "My name is Dave." (We know who you are...)
• Am exhausted and bed must be gotten into. Tomorrow is a full day, including a Mary Kay facial at 4!

The other night I came home late, and tried to unlock my house with my car keys. I started the house up.

(Steven Wright)

Whenever I walk from the car to the house, in my hand, I single out the car key, as if that is going to open my door, and I think of this Steven Wright quote, which I must have heard when I was in college.

I've locked myself out once. It's how I met Minnie, the Italian lady that lives across the street. I pulled the door shut and something in that sound said goodbye. (Actually, that's a Garrison Keillor line.) My neighbor downstairs used to lock himself out a lot.

But the best locked out of the house story is one where I was the locker outer, not the locked out. Rather, my friend was locked in...just read. It makes sense. I had just moved to the house where I currently live, and was on my way out the door to work. But first I went down to get something in the laundry room. Sally was down there, in her house coat, and we chatted. I came up the stairs, instinctively shut out the light, and put the little hook in the eye. Yes, with Sally down there still. I went off to work. I read a story to the children about sea turtles. After I was done with the story, my manager Doug said I had a phone call, and that it was okay for me to go home. I took the phone call, which was Sally, whom I'd locked in the basement. Fortunately for both of us, there was a side door to the basement that opened to the outside. So, in her house coat, she left the basement, went to the neighbor's, and called me at the store. (This is when I worked for Fox Books.) I immediately drove home and let Sally into the house. Thankfully, we laugh about this story to this day. And we are still friends! Suffice to say, the hook and eye got taken off the basement door, which means that it is always ajar. Sally has since moved into her own home with her lovely husband and two boys. We each have keys to each other's house, in case we're ever locked out, but actually, we use them more to get into each other's houses when we're out of town. (I'll feed their frogs, for instance.)

My keys. I have a lot. I have my own house keys, house keys to Sally's house, office keys for work, my car keys, a flashlight that emits a blue light, and yes, what's that? A Hello Kitty Sticker Holder? Well, it did hold stickers, yes, once upon a time, but I use it for pills. It is perfect as it has 5 different slots, which is as many times a day as I take pills. I own three and rotate them. This is especially helpful when I travel, because I can fill them up to three days in advance!

Oh, and my father wishes all of you a happy Star Wars Day (May the fourth be with you...) I didn't say *I* wished you that--I have a feeling my dad and Joke would get on real well.

Show and tell, courtesy of Blackbird.

For Erin, because I said I would.

There are some stories we tell again and again, because we like them, and they feed us. The story of my sister's arriving day is one. The story of how Hosea 10:12 came to be *my* verse is another.

Some background: the weekend that hosts the Golden Globes is an emotional one for me. On that weekend, I broke up with a boyfriend, and the Fox Books I worked at flooded two years in a row (yes, on the same weekend...I thought it quite odd...) So last year, in January, on the weekend of the Golden Globes, I was having dinner with some friends (Emily being one). And I was really struggling, because the painful memories were clinging to me. So after everyone had left and it was just Emily, Diana, and myself, I asked if they would pray for me. Now Diana is one of those people that when she prays, she sees pictures. And she gets verses. And I just wanted so much to be like her. She got a picture of me ice skating gleefully.

The next morning, I woke up and I said to God, I want a verse. Give me a verse. Now, I don't often hear God speaking to me, and this was more of a silent thought, but it came through, Hosea 10:12. "There's no Hosea 10:12," I said. But I got up, out of my bed, and went found a Bible, and sure enough, there was a Hosea 10:12, and it was a verse that really fit where I was, where I still am.

The NLT translates it this way:
"I said, `Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of my love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you."

I cling to this verse, because I know I have hard ground in my heart that needs to be rototilled. I know that I need righteousness showered upon me. And I want to seek the Lord.

This weekend, I'm going to a Cleansing Stream retreat. I went last year, and at one point, Emily and I were talking and she said, "You know, SL, you need to work the soil in your life, get the weeds out." "THAT'S LIKE MY VERSE!" (Which I hadn't told her about yet.) So at dinner, I regaled them all with the story of how Hosea 10:12 became my verse. Unfortunately for them, I talk with my hands and I was the one scooping ice cream, so every time I came to a point in the story... (well, the ice cream was melting...)

I think this year I'll bring the ice cream and let some one else do the scooping while I talk with my hands...

I don't wanna work, I just want to bang on the drums all day...

It's a dangerous thing when I'm the only one at work on a Tuesday night. But I have my work cut out for me, and I've just put my music on, so here goes. Let's see how many things we can get through in the next hour.

Sarah Louise spends Sunday on the South Side (can you say that 5 times fast?)

The South Side Works is the newest "mall" in Pittsburgh. It's a shopping area, there's not any inside stores like a mall, but it's not a shopping center. They have a Cheesecake Factory. I had a lovely lunch there. They had other signs like this one, that said "work" or "create."
Proof that just about anywhere in Pittsburgh you can see the Cathedral of Learning. And how apropos, it was graduation day! (The Cathedral is a classroom for the University of Pittsburgh.)
Cool fountains! (At a moment when there weren't any children playing in it--temps here are in the 70s.) (that's Fahrenheit.)
Why thank you! There were signs like this one all over too, with quotes from movies, like "I want some more, please" (actually did they make Oliver! into a movie? It's from the play, anyways.) and other cool stuff. (and things) (Because I'm feeling so articulate...)

Anyways, I forgot to take pics of my new shoes. Next time!

Snippets on a Monday morning...

sign at Labriola's Italian market: children who are left unattended will be SOLD.

our bagger at Giant Eagle uses a cane. 'Nuff said.

when Babelbabe wins the lottery, she owes part to the fish man. You read it here first, folks!

songs I've been hearing, that have been triggering memories of my thesis in college:

"Somewhere over the rainbow", sung at the senior luncheon by a friend who I had a bad fight with earlier that year.

"When there's no getting over the rainbow," sung by the Carpenters--in my mind, the only friend (steel yourself, my dear pagan friends) I couldn't live without is Jesus. I'm sure I have a ton of eye-rollers at the moment, but this is snippets, not the Bible hour, so moving right along...

My retirement locale was featured in the New York Times (great--push real estate prices up up up--and you're crazy if you think I'm going to broadcast the locale over the 'net)

My thesis in college is a piece I have been re-working since (um, I graduated in 1993, you do the math). It was written about a girl whose love wants to propose but first he asks the question, "Have you ever loved someone?" a question she is afraid to answer. She tells him a story about a friendship she had that was ruined when the other girl got a beau. At the end, there's a dream scene and darned if I don't have it saved on Word somewhere (nor can I find the hard copy!). The dream scene involves two dancers, one tap dancing, one ballet dancing. The storyteller comes on stage and says, "I have no words for you, for I have wasted them all. But I'll read these to you, upside down and backwards:
'Here in the frontier, there are falling leaves
Although my neighbors are all barbarians
And you, you are
a thousand miles away,
there are always
two
cups
on my table'"

(i didn't write that last bit: it's from the T'ang Dynasty)

I have pictures. I'll post them later. Now I must off to work to finish moving some records--ah the glam job of a catalog librarian!!

Lunch: rolled eggplant from Labriola's. Yes, I ate it all. It was very good.

Oh, and run, do not walk, to your local movie theatre: and yes, you can take your kids: Akeelah and the Bee. Amazing does not begin to describe it.

Sorry no links, I really need to drive off to work. (On my day off, no less.)

Can you see the procrastination?

It's called one more line.

Just one more.

One more.

One

more....okay, I'm going.

Bye!

It's Alphabet time!

Swiped from Poppy, stolen from Everybody Knows, the Alphabet Meme: (and Joke's doing it too, if you're keeping a tally...)

Accent: I can do a Pittsburgh accent if I want to, but pretty much "plain American English."
Booze: Rum and coke, beer.
Chore I Hate: Taking the garbage cans to the curb Sunday nights.
Dog or Cat: I have no pets. (Interesting: Poppy and Joke both have sons with turtles...)
Essential Electronics: Computer, VCR, cell phone.
Favorite Perfume: Not really.
Gold or Silver: Silver.
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Insomnia: When I'm stressed out. Cure: stick "You've Got Mail" in the VCR. It soothes me to sleep.
Job Title: Librarian, Children's (I do storytimes and buy CD-ROMS) and Cataloguing (I catalogue AV material and check Dewey numbers for books.)
Kids: one teddy bear, Marvin.
Living arrangements: 1 third floor walk-up garret. Stairwell, bathroom, two large rooms, one walk in closet, one non walk in closet. Me, myself and I, (and Marvin, the teddy bear.)
Most admirable traits: Really? I'm not feeling up for that one at the moment.
Number of sexual partners: A lady doesn't kiss and tell...
Overnight hospital stays: None in my memory. (I don't remember if I stayed over when I was born, but I probably did...)
Phobias: I don't think so...
Quote: "If you keep a green tree in your heart, perhaps the singing bird will come." (Chinese Proverb)
Religion: Christian. Denomination: Presbyterian, Movement: Emergent, Missional. I was Catholic for about 2 years. I'm a much better Presbyterian, so I returned to my roots.
Siblings: One sister, 24. One brother, 23. They are my joys. I'm ten years older. The "joys" part was not always true. But they are now two of my favorite people.
Time I wake up: 7:00 or so. Depending on my mood, I'll get up then or lollygag until 8 or almost 9 if its a particularly wretched morning.
Unusual talent or skill: Cunningly wrapped gifts.
Vegetables I love: Asparagus, sweet potatoes, potatoes, chocolate.
Worst habit: Procrastination.
X-rays: Well, I fell on my rear earlier this year. That warranted a trip to the radiologist.
Yummy foods I make: Quiche, potato salad (I use secret ingredients), Kielbasi and apples.
Zodiac sign: Sagittarius. We enjoy travel, are optimistic, cheer for the underdog, and I love this one: "are prepared to be rebellious." I don't read my horoscope, but I am often surprised at how often the traits described do indeed match my personality. However, there is a woman I know that shares my exact birthday and we are like night and day, so...with a grain of salt.

10 Simple pleasures

I think I got this one from Kim and Bec...

1. Singing along to Green Day on the radio, with the windows rolled down on a sunny day
2. Having people compliment me on my dress (pink with flowers, thank you!)
3. Eating dinner and reading Eat Cake on the porch of my favorite bistro.
4. Browsing in a bookstore for a graduation gift, getting home and realizing I'd rather just make a cute card and making it. (So the gift is one book instead of two.)
5. Work that takes my mind off everything but my musical selection (Billy Joel's Glass Houses, Indigo Girls' Become You.)
6. My employee discount at the Book Nook upstairs: a can of Coke for 43 cents, baby!
7. Knowing an alternate route to work and avoiding MILES AND MILES of backed up traffic.
8. Prayer. Anne Lamott says her two main prayers are Help me, help me and Thank you, Thank you. I'm there, baby!!
9. Knowing (yes, this is a crazy one) that I can come back to work tomorrow and finish this damn project if it comes to that, and the satisfaction when I'm DONE!
10. Imagining the Mediterranean Nachos at the Sharp Edge for the graduation party after work at the Sharp Edge.

Okay, back to the project...which involves moving catalog records onto other catalog records...

Oh, and here's a thought, Deb style: Hug your friends. It is so easy to forget to do that. And so hard when you only communicate by phone or email. We need to remember that each one of us is flesh and blood.

Signed,

the one with clay feet

List Friday: 10 alternate career choices for Sarah Louise

Ten Jobs I’d love to have (in no particular order...) (the links are for the locales I'd apply to...)

1. Video store clerk (you get to be with all the cool movies) I'd love to work at a cool video store that had all the old classics, the ones I've had to order off Amazon 'coz no video store stocks them, like Metropolitan...
   
2. Movie theatre person (I hear you get to see movies for free). I pay good money to see movies on the big screen, multiple times. It's a thing I do...so why not get paid while doing it?
   
3. Own a children’s or used bookstore (Just like in You’ve Got Mail, without the Fox Books shuffle) As a child, I visited Cricket Books outside Olney, MD almost every Saturday.
   
4. Have a talk show (I’d model it on Ellen!) I mean, I'd get to interview Robin Williams, hug that guy that sings "You've Had a Bad Day" (I did, ::sob::)
   
5. Craftsperson/Artist (I’d have a studio…and exhibit things in galleries...) I love making things out of paper, cloth, using scissors, glue, buttons, ink...
   
6. Radio DJ on WYEP, "where the music matters." This radio station is one of the best parts of living in da Burgh. When I was in college they played acoustic/folk music for four hour stretches (less now, but they've stayed solvent, so I forgive them.)
   
7. Advertising Executive (They seem to have fun in the movies: Picture Perfect, What Women Want) In high school, one of my favorite things was making posters for our literary magazine's quarterly croissant sales. I also wrote the announcements read over the PA system.
   
8. Magazine Staffer/Editor (I have always wanted my own magazine—one of the reasons I like blogging, I’m sure) Sassy was the magazine du jour when we were in high school, and *I* was the one to first discover and then subscribe to it. It had a few good years and then went bad and then died. Alas...
   
9. Folk singer (Christine Lavin, eat your heart out!) I would love to be one of the Chenille Sisters, actually. They seem to have so much fun!
   
10. Interior Designer (I’d be the next Alexandra Stoddard!) I may have a messy apartment, but it has a quirky flair all my own. Floral things abound. Silk flowers, tastefully placed.
    

List Friday, courtesy of Pomegranates and Paper.