Sunday, August 30, 2009

Once Upon A Time

Yesterday was a day of stories.

During the Laundry Project {a visit to a Costa Mesa laundromat--with quarters, water bottles and about 15 college-age students}, I had the opportunity to hear some life stories during laundry cycles.

Then after church and dinner, Kayla and I shared about how we've become who we are...and our hopes for where we're headed...

I am always amazed when I hear life stories. The classic cliche "don't judge a book by its cover" is, remarkably true with people, too. The hurts, the heartbreak, the healing...the outside hardly ever shows what's happened on the inside.

Throughout the day, I was repeatedly reminded of God's grace and mercy.
How much we need them.
How much I need them.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Read All About It

I've seen these books on two blogs this week. Each linked to penguin.com, but neither linked to the actual page on which these are for sale. Though, tonight, I finally found them on amazon.com. I can't explain how much I enjoy beautiful cover designs...though I have posted about it several times before, so I think you get my point.

So, if you are looking to purchase a gift for me...here are a few ideas.

I don't even love Jane Austen, but this cover...my goodness. I'd wallpaper with this, if possible.
I hope Coralie Bickford-Smith is in-process of designing covers for these, too:
The Importance of Being Earnest
To Kill A Mockingbird
Great Gatsby
A Tale of Two Cities

And if I were extremely lucky:
Harry Potter {series}
Special Topics in Calamity Physics
A History of Love

Note: This is the picture on her website. Maybe she and I should be friends.

Oh What A Night

My initial plan for the evening was to attend an HSM event...but I gave in to the heat and temptation of spending the night alone...

So, I began with Annie Hall.
Followed closely by Casablanca. {I love how many classically-quoted lines come from this movie}...
At the end of each of these movies, I thought to myself, "Wow. That's a really good movie..."
And then remembered: that is precisely the reason I watched them in the first place.
Worth your time.

I Wish I Could...

write
dance
dream
sew
paint
pointe
design
create
cook
bake
play

I think I need to take some lessons...

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Chocolate AND Math?! Count Me In!

A Chocolate Bar Graph...And a Chocolate Pie Chart?
This is a combination of three things I love:
1. Math
2. Chocolate
3. The Before-and-After category on Wheel of Fortune.

Seriously. I should work for this company.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

All She Wants To Do Is...

I can't get enough of dancing...
I don't mean actual club dancing...or choreographed dancing...
I'm talking dance-by-myself-just-because-I-feel-like-it dancing.

Grocery stores, movie theatres, restroom stalls, bookstores, mid-conversation.
I don't want to stand still...I just want to dance.

Monday, August 24, 2009

I Wish I Could Time Travel

I love Rachel McAdams. I've read a few articles about interviews with her and she seems very intelligent and kind...and she's so pretty...
But Time Traveler's Wife...not so good.
In theory, I'm an easy sell on this movie. I love time-travel stories (Back to the Future, Heroes, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). I also love love stories...

So I should have been crazy about this movie.
Nope.

Save your $11 for something better.
Sorry Rachel.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

I'd Like To Eat Here

Moustache!
A restaurant in the West Village of Greenwich, NYC.
Matt, have you been here? Is it delicious?

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Un, Dos, Tres, CATORCE!

Tonight, after seeing UP in the theater {with my friend Jesse...I'm fairly certain we were two of the very last people to see this movie in theaters}, and eating Chipotle, we went to Target and purchased another movie from the AFI list: Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo.
The storyline is a bit long, but has such suspense and a you-don't-see-it-coming twist that it's no wonder the movie ranks so high on the list. Jimmy Stewart is, obviously, great.

The cinematography, the beautiful Technicolor...

There is an unexpected, seemingly drug-induced dream sequence about 3/4 of the way through, which is a cross between sweet cartoons singing to Mary Poppins and creepy Willy Wonka's "is it raining, is it snowing" song...
All-in-all, incredible.

A fun side-note: the woman who plays the manager of the McKittrick Hotel, is also the "Can I have $22.50?" woman in "It's a Wonderful Life"...though she's much older in this movie.

The Birds is not on the list, but I'd like to watch it simply out of belief in Mr. Hitchcock's skills.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Number One! Number One!

Tonight, I watched the "Number One Film of All-Time" {according to the American Film Institute}: Citizen Kane.
I had some trouble staying awake through the first 15 minutes {though, I think it was my fault, not Mr. Kane's}...once I found a less comfortable position, I really enjoyed the rest.

I love to think about the originality of the camera angles and storyline. I loved the dialogue, especially these two lines {which are from two separate scenes}:
Charles Foster Kane: "You know, Mr. Bernstein, if I hadn't been very rich, I might have been a really great man."

Bernstein: "Old age. It's the only disease, Mr. Thompson, that you don't look forward to being cured of."

Check out handsome young Orson Welles:
And another great surprise: during the closing credits, they introduced a few of the actors who were "new to motion pictures"...including Agnes Moorehead. {If you grew-up in my family, you are now singing "And Agnes Moorehead as Endora!" to the tune of the last line of "Bewitched"}
I have to imagine that Agnes was so sad to be in forced in to lime green Technicolor when she remembers looking like this:
Agnes is also in an incredible episode of The Twilight Zone, but the photos were so creepy that I couldn't post one.

It seems funny to recommend Citizen Kane.
Duh, people love it...it raised the motion picture bar.
Rent it, or borrow it from your friend's parents; chances are, they own it. You don't need to.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Circle Up

This weekend in church, Kyle told the story of Jesus Reinstating Peter {John 21:15-25} and said something that has since been echoing in my head.

He said, When Jesus appears again to his disciples {after the crucifixion and Peter's denial of Christ} and they sit down to breakfast, Peter must have sat close enough to participate in the conversation, but far enough away to avoid being asked the tough questions.

I keep hearing this sentence...on repeat in my memory.

I've been wondering how often my own selfish nature takes over and causes me to sit near Jesus, happy to be in His presence, so long as I am not made to think too deeply or care too much or work too hard...

In the last year or so, I've been trying to move closer and closer to the center the conversation with Jesus. I'm working at intentionally seeking the tough questions from God...hoping for discomfort because I know that's where I am forced to stop relying on myself and, instead, watch God's brilliant orchestration.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

I Kissed You In A Style Clark Gable Would Have Admired...

One more from the list...
Brian lent me Gone With the Wind months ago, but I haven't been able to bring myself to commit to it. I was so put-off by the 3 hours and 53 minutes run time.

In hindsight, I can't believe I'd never seen it before.
It is so full of story and great dialogue. I was impressed by how fast-paced it was and really only began to watch the chapters climb toward the end of disk 2.
I imagine this movie will become one of my "traditions" with my future family.

Citizen Kane came in the mail while I was at camp...should be a great week.

Friday, August 14, 2009

And What A Week It's Been

I love students. Well, I love the next generation. {I guess that doesn't, necessarily, have age attached to it: maybe I love the newest generation of Christ followers? Or those earnestly trying to figure out what that means...}

I love the idea of participating in their growth and encouraging them to find their way to God, to an excitement for God's plan, to an authentic passion for loving and serving others...and, ideally, finding all of this faster {easier? earlier?} than I did.

The seven girls in my cabin this week {I began the week with six and had a seventh show up mid-week!} were so receptive to God's moving...it was beautiful to see their minds at work: asking questions about the verses they had read in solo time, asking questions about how to better impact their schools this year, asking questions of one another about what God is doing in their life or how they can begin to climb out of old routines.

I found myself posing questions, this week, that were equally as challenging to my own life as I had hoped they would be for the girls...

I have been working toward a defined list of "what I learned at camp", but these days I feel like God is teaching me so much, in such high-speed, that I'm having trouble keeping up.

Maybe that's something else I need to learn...to write things down.

Monday, August 10, 2009

O-jai There!

We arrived at high school camp last night...we're at a Forest Home site in Ojai Valley.

I'm in a tent with seven going-to-be-seniors.

So far, in our almost 24-hours of camp, it's been really interesting to hear what God is teaching the girls, to feel what God is reminding me...
Josh's message last night was "just for me"...and, funnily enough, each of the girls said the same.

I'm anxious to see what God will continue to do and say this week...and so honored to be part of it.

Friday, August 07, 2009

Love Story/Viva La Vida

Granted, I can't get enough of classical piano these days...but I love this {still}

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Put Your Two Cents In

This morning I was thinking: I hardly comment on blog posts anymore.
Then I was thinking: I hardly receive comments on my blog posts anymore.

I wonder why?

Here are my conjectures:
  • Most people read a surplus of blogs through a subscription manager and are too lazy to click multiple times simply to write something witty {this is my primary excuse}
  • There are too many posts to be read in one day...barely enough time to read/skim each of them, and definitely not enough time to comment
  • Many blogs are read out of courtesy or expectation to the writer as opposed to desire or enjoyment of the reader, so a comment is too much to ask
  • Posts are surface-level {possibly out of the writer's felt need to post something everyday}, so no comment is evoked
Though, this seems backward in thinking, I'm going to ask anyway.
What keeps you from commenting?

Sunday, August 02, 2009

Love God. Love Others.

I have this friend.
He's a newer friend...so new, in fact, that I could easily count-up the number of hours we've spent together.

But there's something about this friend: he totally, totally loves Jesus.

In a really obvious--not intrusive--but more intriguing and inspiring way.

He loves Jesus and he loves other people.

Every time I see him I think, "I hope I get to see him more often..." simply because I would love to see more of how he loves God. I'd love to sit and hear more about what he's learned...what he's learning.

It's challenging, watching someone love like that.
I hope to love like that.

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Blanket A Child

My friends who are in Kitale for the summer were a part of something so incredible last night.

Please watch the video and read about it HERE...it will be worth your 3 minutes. Promise.