kimchi!

In 10 days, I will be in Seoul, South Korea. Yippee! I've been a slacker in researching what I actually want to do so I finally took a few minutes tonight to find a few things of interest to me. I was thinking I would find palaces and performances and houses of worship that I might want to visit. But, what did I find? A Kimchi museum! Sweet! I'm totally checking that out! Where else could you find a kimchi museum? I promise lots of pickle-y pictures!

Falling Waters

I spent a big chunk of the weekend in a place called Falling Waters, WV. I was hoping for gorgeous countryside and great mountainous views, but it was dark going both to and fro. But, what was really a sight-to-see was the collection of beautiful people, not just attractive people (though there were one or two lookers), but people with amazing hearts and souls. I was in WV with somewhere over 100 people from my church. People that are involved in the ministries of the church on a leadership level. Anyways, it was totally encouraging for a multitude of reasons. But, something that is always so awesome for me is to watch other people have a God-experience. People are so beautifully complex and just having the chance to observe them is a privilege.

My need for loss prevention

I need a special task force on winter accessory loss prevention. So far this winter, I've lost 3 scarves, 2 hats and 2 pairs of gloves. At one point, I had a surplus of winter clothing, but now I actually am going to have to purchase some. Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.

Blank brain syndrome ?

One of my greatest frustrations in life is not expressing myself well the first time. I'm always second-guessing and clarifying and backpeddling. The limitations of language are so aggravating! I truly believe that there are not words for most thoughts and feelings. Ok, maybe thoughts because in my world, I think in sentences and often out loud. But, then there's another level of thoughts, feelings and emotions beyond that. I want so badly to be able to express those and I just can't do it... at least not the first time.

I say all of this because today I was frustrated with my inability to express myself: to others and most annoyingly, to myself. It was like having writer's block but in my brain. I wasn't sure how to sort out my own thoughts or even how I felt. It was so strange. I clumsily prayed on the way home and I'm feeling significantly better now. I cried and shook my fist at God about whatever it is that I can't figure out (I figure He already knew). I'm fairly certain he was just laughing.

Hopefully, there will be words on the blank page of my brain tomorrow.

One to go!

I don't even know what to write! The Steelers played a good game today and won in Detroit! I had so much fun watching it and celebrating! I'm excited for Bettis to finally get to the Super Bowl. And, to win it! I was too young to remember the last Pittsburgh Super Bowl victory.
Well, in last week's Steelers post, I alluded to a purchase of Terrible towels. Here's the deal: four years ago, I swore that the next time the Steelers made it to the Super Bowl, I would wear nothing but a terrible towel. Yeah, well, terrible towels aren't that big so it's going to take 3, but I'm going to do it. I promise to post pictures! (maybe even video if I can figure that out)
But for now, enjoy the picture of Bettis and please excuse my obnoxiousness for the next two weeks.

Pittsburgh's goin' to the Super Bowl!

Today's observations from the metro

1. It makes more sense to walk quickly on a moving escalator. You end up taking less steps to the top if you walk quicker. Is there a life lesson to be learned in there somewhere?
2. Special note to the guy "brushing" against me this evening in the packed rush hour train: lay off, it wasn't that crowded, nor am I that desperate or stupid.
3. Drunk people are funny. really funny.

Thank you MLK

Thank you Dr. Martin Luther King. Thank you for everything you did to foster a whole new understanding of equal rights in the USA. Thank you for your dedication, passion, and vision. Thanks, especially, though for a day off. Four day weeks are swell.

A great weekend!

What a great weekend! A good friend of mine that I've known for seemingly forever came in to visit for the weekend. We had such a great time! I swear we never shut up. It's so awesome to spend time with those people in life with whom you feel a deep and permanent connection. I know that no how long we go without talking or getting together that she will always, always understand me. She's always believed in me and even after watching me grow up, she still does! She may be a few years, well, okay, few decades older than me, but we totally get each other and there is something so comforting in spending time with a person like that. My soul truly feels better.
And, now I get to just sit and stare at the sunny sky and listen to great music in an apartment I love, but rarely get to spend time in during the day. Life is good.

The good news is that everyone's okay.

As with any native of Western Pennsylvania with even a tiny bit of black and gold in their blood, I'm just glad that no one's heart gave out during the game today. That was the craziest, wackiest game, or at least fourth quarter) I've seen in a long time. And, it wasn't even wacky because running backs were pretending to be quarterbacks (as our gadget-prone offense is wont to do). Apparently, even the refs were pulling for Indy. The pic is Ben making the game saving tackle...um, yeah... he's the quarterback... thank God someone taught him to tackle! Who'da thunk that the Steelers would take out Indy? Oh, wait... everyone in Steelers country.

Well, there's two to go. I'm ordering the extra terrible towels tomorrow.

Here we go, Steelers, here we go!!

Please comment responsibly.

Art for the art or art for the people

My co-worker pointed out an article in the Washington Post yesterday about the potential financial crisis for the Berlin opera companies. They are largely funded by the government and corporate sponsorship for the arts is virtually unheard of there. The point of the article was that the three companies may be facing cuts that affect the quality of their performances, the product, if you will. However, it was a more subtle point that caught my attention. One of the reasons they don't want to go to corporations or the public-at-large for funding is because they don't want to have to cater their programming to the public. Because so much of their money comes from the government, it is all about the advancement of the art and programming reflects the desires and abilities of the artists. They don't attempt to appease their audience. I think this is true in many European art centers (though I need to research this to be certain).

So, the question is, should art be for art's sake or for the people? I personally believe it should be both, but I also understand that a work of art often serves only one purpose or the other. I think it is the less common, but oh-so-valuable piece of art that feeds both the soul of the public and the soul of the artist.
Just some food for thought... there may be more on this to come...

Wildcard weekend

Well, we've got history to make. No sixth seed wildcard team has ever made it to the Super Bowl. Yeah, well, no baseball club ever came back from a three game deficit to win the world series, either, before last year's Red Sox. Jerome Bettis has been a Steeler since 1996 and hasn't played a Super Bowl yet... by his own admission, he's getting old. It's gotta happen this year! So, hold on to your hats (and scarves and gloves), Pittsburgh's coming through. First stop, Cincinnati.
Go Black and Gold!

And now, Pennsylvania, too...

First, a WWF star in the midwest. Then, the terminator in CA. Now, a former Steeler is running for governor in my homeland. Lynn Swann, owner of 4 super bowl rings, officially threw his hat into the ring today in PA. Man, I don't know what I think about that. I guess I have a lot of reading to do now. I mean I love the Steelers and all, but that doesn't mean that I would trust them to run the state. Oh, and he's calling his campaign team 88... he wore #88. That's a little cheesy.. .sorry, it is.

Oh wait... I'm not a resident anyways...I can't vote. Weird. Well, I guess I'll read anyways.

Validation

The Washington Post reviewer for Wicked agrees with me. Nice.

Review of Wicked at the Kennedy Center

Metro operator quote of the day

On my commute home this evening, the red-line operator seemed to think it necessary to fill all empty space with her voice. So, at every stop, she's telling the people on the platform that she has a full train load and not to overload the train. Well, when we stopped at Metro Center, she declared, "As you can see, I'm a little loaded here." I'm hoping she was actually sober and clean, but at least our train car got a good laugh out of it.

Happy New Year!

I'm home! I'm home, I'm home, I'm home! Aaah...nothing like my very own space!! It was a fun holiday, though. Always good to see the family and then I saw a bunch of friends I hadn't seen in nearly a year. But, it will be good to fall asleep in my own place tonight.

However, I wanted to wish everyone the best for this coming year! I'm a sucker for resolutions and, as usual, I made a whole list of 'em. Here's a few fit for public consumption:

• Explore 10 metro stops I've never checked out before.
• Read 5 non-fiction books about things I wonder about.
• Edit my thesis for publication.
• Learn a new sport.
  

Happy resolving! I'll keep you updated on my progress. (Don't hold your breath!)

Also, in other news, I got a digital camera for Christmas so there should be more illustrations from here on out!

A month-old post

Well, I've safely escaped Cambria county to enjoy a few days in one of my favorite cities, Philadelphia. Yay! I'm about to head down to the market and a few of my favorite shops, but first, I think I'm finally ready to spit out my year-end thoughts. Bear with me if I repeat myself a little.

Reflecting on the past year, I realize that so much has changed in my life. I live in a new city: last year Philly, this year DC. I have a new job: last year part-timing it at Trader Joe's and teaching piano lessons, this year Master Chorale of Washington. I no longer have roommates. Last year at this time, I was living with a cool, but deceitful 19-yr-old and a slightly psycho woman in her forties (we'll leave it at that, but if you ever want some good stories, ask.). This year, drumroll please.... I have my own apartment on Capitol Hill!! yay! I'm still excited about it 9 months later. Last year I had a car, this year - no car.

But even my family has changed. No new babies this year, but new life stages all around. Grant, Steph and the girls moved to Arizona in June to help Scott and Caryl start a new church. They've since decided not to start the church, but are staying in AZ, at least for now. But, it's a great new phase of life for them because for the first time ever, they have a really nice house and enough bedrooms for everyone. I'm very happy for them even though I know that it's been tough for them. But, I digress... The holidays are different now because no one comes home. Just me. We're still figuring out how exactly to do this new stage of family-ness. My dad retired so mom and dad are travel-happy now. Which is cool. They've never really done that much other than to visit us.

Anyways, so the point is that there is so much different-ness in my life now. Well, I guess not everything's changed... still single... I'm taking suggestions, folks! But seriously, life has brought all sorts of changes this year so as I look forward to 2006, I hope to bring more changes to my life, but perhaps have fewer changes thrust upon me. Through it all, though, God is the same. Love that!

LED lights: not just for Christmas

I sent some LED Christmas lights to Korea for my friends and apparently, Nathaniel thought they were a toy. Turns out, it's a pretty cool toy. They're half-off now. Go get your toys while you can. (Also, a general TY to Jonathan for introducing me to the coolness of LED holiday lights.)

the effects of a weekend in my hometown

Don't get me wrong...I LOVE my Western Pennsylvanian heritage. I like the idea of coming home and getting away from the city and, theoretically, spending time with my family. I love the snow hanging on the trees and seeing "real" winter. However, I always quickly remember all of the reasons I wanted to get the hell out of Dodge when I was a teenager. Except that now, even the things I never noticed because they were just part of my concept of normalcy (is that a word? aah! this mountain is eating my brain!) bug me now. Things like the fact that something as simple as going to a coffeeshop is completely impossible here. But, even more, people seem to be living in this bubble where the word "doesn't" don't exist. (Yes, that was intended.) I have to stop myself from launching into a grammar lesson in the store.

This is a world where the hairstyle you had when you graduated from high school is the one that you are destined to have for the rest of your life. And, it's a world where girls are expected to meet a "nice boy" in high school or, for the late bloomers, college and then settle down and have a nice little life where meals consist of a meat and a potato and a vegetable. I don't fit in here. Not one tiny iota. My parents giggle at the mention of an alcoholic beverage and are uncomfortable with the word, "bar". I love them all dearly, but I really do need out. And, to top it all off, I have no car here. (Ok, so I guess I don't have a car anywhere else, either, but you know what I mean.) Talk about freedom deprivation!

K, I'm done now. Someday, I will write about all of the wonderful-ness of growing up in Ebensburg. There really is wonderful-ness, too. I'm just having trouble seeing it through my boredom at the moment.

My Christmas vacation kickoff

I am so psyched. I don't have to go back to work for 10 days! And, I'm getting paid! Having a salary job is nice sometimes. Which brings me back to my twelve days of Christmas. This year has brought so much change in my life, most noticably my physical location and the existence of an actual full-time job for the first time. But, I digress....my Christmas kickoff... (I promise I'll spit that thought out eventually!)

Today, we closed the office at noon, which worked out perfectly for me to make the matinee of Wicked at the Kennedy Center. What's that you say? You thought it was sold out? Oh, yes, it is, actually. Having box office connections pays off from time to time!! So, Tara and I saw a musical to kick off the holidays. It was fun... a very fun musical. Big and fancy and complicated as usual, but pretty good. The second half suffered less than I expected which makes it a good musical in and of itself, I suppose. I have this theory (that has yet to be disproven) that the first half(s) of broadway shows are always better than the second half. It still holds true in Wicked in that the first half is a beautiful interweaving of character portraits and intriguing plot hooks. You really have time to, in the words of musicologists, "revel in the sights and sounds" on stage. But, then the second half comes and all of a sudden, you feel as though you're being drug through the plot as its twists and turns jet past you leaving you a bit breathless. But, I guess that's kind of what Broadway is all about... music that isn't "boring". Leave the audience breathless and always give them lots of spectacle to look at.

Wow, that sounded really negative... I didn't mean it that way... Anyways, so I kicked off the holiday break with a musical... a rare treat for me! Tomorrow I'm off to PA for football and Christmasing and general relaxation.
Happy holidays! I'll check in soon!

One more reason Christmas rocks

Because there are shortbread cookies everywhere! I love shortbread!

And, really, how often do you see shortbread? Christmas and girl scout cookie season... that's just about it.

The 8th day of Christmas brought me shortbread cookies! whoo-hoo!