Thank you Dallas Library ... and Andrew!

Hannah's movie-loving pal, Andrew, exhorted Rose to check out the library's movie offerings. Exhorted is exactly the right word and he was so adamant that she actually did what he told her. She told me that they had a huge number of movies.

Now, I had seen people checking out movies but they were usually older ones and, therefore, I wrongly thought that the selection was not very good. Picking up Rocky and Jaws dvds for Rose, I suddenly thought of television series that we never had enough time to finish before our two days' rental was up.

Calloo, callay! My requests for Arrested Development (season 1) and Battlestar Galactica (season 2.5) are "active" and will soon be winging their way to my nearest library.

Excitement abounds!

(Yes, I realize I am easily pleased ... which I consider to be a good thing!)

A Prime Example of Why the Chinese are Renaming Items on Menus Before the Olympics

Although usually they are eliminating euphemisms. They might want to add some to this ... found at Engrish.com.

Chicago Tales: Getting There

We drove to Chicago.

It was 16 hours (ugh!) but infinitely cheaper than flying four people there and back. All four of us took turns driving so that helped out on the load.

Also, our family does well on car trips together. Because, you know, we like each other's company.

We all prepared mightily for the trip. Tom had a Gilbert & Sullivan track ready for us as we pulled out of the driveway (that will only make sense to people who love The Simpson's episode where they move to Terror Lake as much as we do). We completely cracked up over that surprise.

I had various podcasts ready ... to see which were hits, you can check out Forgotten Classics where they all get a mention in the latest episode.

Rose had various song mixes which she had prepared for her camping trip in west Texas. We chose ones with names like "Happy" or "Summer" or "Jazz & Blues" and very carefully avoided the "Alternative" mix CD.

Also I bought Barguments. It provided us with three solid hours of laughter and good-natured arguments. We got through about half of the book and probably will embark upon the rest when we return in August to move Rose to college.

Sample questions that provided a good deal of conversational fodder:

You're stuck in an elevator for two hours. Would you rather be alone or with a stranger? (Can you believe I was the only person who would rather have been alone?)

Name the five best bands of all time. (This sparked much conversation but none of us were so dedicated to only five bands that we could produce a definitive list.)

If you could collect royalties from any single invention, which would you choose? (I picked Post-It notes)

We discovered that none of us cares enough for alcohol to make any questions like "Choose whether to give up wine or chocolate for life" interesting at all. We easily surrendered alcohol.

Every book like this has a few tasteless questions but this did not have many and whoever was reading simply skipped them. Highly recommended.

One of the Best Descriptions I've Read of How Parenthood Pushes You

It turns out that life is nothing like I thought that it would be. Parenting is completely different as a matter of fact. Babies can be cute and fun for 1-3 minutes at a time, but for the most part they are land mines just waiting to be triggered. Sometimes I understand why a minor exorcism is involved in alot of the early sacraments that you get as a child. Parenting and being a husband has pushed me far past what I though that my boundaries once were. In fact, I've pretty much given up wondering where that line is and just go with it.

Tim echoes quite well how Tom and I felt when Hannah was a newborn. Go read it all. Throw in major colic and Hannah's tendency to never sleep more than 4 hours at a time ... and you've got our lives as new parents.

Being pushed like that is part of what made us the people we are today. Marriage started the pushing (and continues it on the way) and children turned it up a notch.

Do we love our kids and our family?

Undeniably yes.

We wouldn't have it any other way and feel genuine pity for people who don't have what we do. However, there is no denying that a lot of the time, "It don't come easy."

That is partly why I firmly believe that families are ordained by God as society's foundations. There is nowhere else that people can truly see honestly sacrificial, genuine love being lived day in and day out by ordinary people ... their parents, brothers, sisters, and hopefully ... themselves.

Worth a Thousand Words

Corner Bakery

Another from a great favorite of everyone's, Karin Jurick. Check out her site for the original as well as many other great paintings.

Proud Aunt Moment ...

My sister tells me that my niece, Alex, who will be a senior in high school:

Alex got a perfect 800 on the math of the SAT and 5’s on her AP Calculus and AP Physics tests.

Our not-too-mathy family was equally impressed by the fact that Alex took Calculus as a junior. Especially AP Calculus!

She's interested in being a chemical engineer and looking at The Colorado School of Mines or Texas A&M for college. You know which one I'm pulling for, right? I want that girl at my house for Thanksgiving!

Chicago Tales: Riding a Segway Can Be a Religious Experience

You can see that Mike, the tour guide, is pretty comfortable on his Segway ... he could ride it backwards while pointing out Chicago sights ... and while keeping an eye on his uncertain flock of tourists.

Most of the Happy Catholic family on tour, in front of Buckingham Fountain.

Me? Of course, I was there too ...

Voila!

As for the "religious experience" part of this all. Taking this tour was my idea. I was so excited about riding a Segway.

Until I got to the tour office. And saw one.

And then saw the training video. Each mistake in which seemed to end in a broken arm. (On a computer model, but that was enough for me.)

Now logically I knew that the point of this video was to scare some sense into the 16-year-old boy who was part of our group. However, when did logic trump emotion of someone who is in mortal terror of falling over ... or running down a tourist ... or crashing under the wheels of a car?

Right. Never!

Once we were in the park for training, I was timidly on my Segway, practicing rolling forward (pressure on toes) and backward (pressure on heels). Internally (and perhaps externally as well) I was experiencing a bit of a freak-out. How was I going to do this for two hours?

A two hour tour,
A two hour tour ...

Luckily, right before we left, I had read this post by Jane about her guardian angel. More importantly, I then also read this post also by Jane and also about her guardian angel.

Go ahead ... or you can read them later. But do read them.

Those posts made me suddenly aware that I'd been taking my guardian angel for granted. G. and I have had some joking, friendly times but for some time I'd kind of forgotten that whole part of the angel-person relationship.

I used those posts to send me back into more awareness and building of a friendly give-and-take.

Which made it perfect for my Segway freak-out. Because suddenly I was getting a soothing stream of reminders just when I needed it. Things like, "Don't forget to bend your knees slightly." (Hey, that did make it so much easier).

Or, to share a bit more, a passing along of how proud God was of me for going out on a limb and trying something so risky, but so potentially fun ... that it was a "stretching" moment that I shouldn't turn away from.

Could I have been generating these things myself? Well, naturally, I could.

But somehow these snippets of conversation were of a nature that I'd come to recognize as being my constant companion, G. It made the trip twice as fun ... and infinitely more peaceful!

How did it end up?

I loved it!

Missed my Segway when we were back on foot, "Like chumps!" as Tom joked.

And was so happy to have stepped out and gotten all the new experiences I had from this situation ... on many levels.

Hildegarde von Bingen at Naxos

Hildegard von Bingen was a 12th century nun, composer, poet, mystic, scientist, linguist and naturalist.

This podcast is a brief introduction to her life and music.

You can read a bit about Hildegard here as well as listen to the streaming podcast about her life and with samples of her music.

Naxos has a great podcast which serves as an introduction to all sorts of classical music ... I have bought several CDs as a result.

Worth a Thousand Words

Past Meets Present, Mexico City

See the original photo at Zocalo de Mexican Folk Art and look around for more great art and interesting posts.

Chicago Tales: Honey, I'm Hoooooome!

Ah, Chicago. How I loved it!

From the moment we alighted at the Shedd Aquarium I was drunk on architecture and still haven't quenched that thirst (what ... doesn't everyone go to the aquarium of a new city first thing? Well, they've never been on Harry Dresden's trail is all I can tell you ...).

This fellow was showboating for the crowd like the otters do ... he didn't mind his "captivity" a bit from what we could see.

The whole building was chock full of charming architectural details like this clock ...

... and this doorway.

Although Tom did have a nasty run-in with a vicious fish in the jungle section!

As for a few other basics ...

• Air conditioning: Chicago doesn't understand it, although if you mention that fact they will wave a hand around at the dead, heavy, hot air in the room and say, "that is so true, although we have air conditioning." Pffft! The exception to this was mass transit. Ironic that to get cooled down in that town one has to get on a bus or the El.
  
  
• Reading: I took four books and actually read three of them!
  
  
  • Graveyard for Lunatics : Another Tale of Two Cities by Ray Bradbury
    A mystery that shows Bradbury's complete love for both words and Hollywood culture of the golden era. Figured much of it out halfway through but loved it anyway because I just love Ray Bradbury's writing!
    
    
  • Precious Dragon by Liz Williams
    Another wonderful installment in William's series about Inspector Chen, his demon counterpart from Hell and the constant struggles between Heaven and Hell in this Asian-flavored universe.
    
    
  • The Accidental Pilgrim by David Moore
    The book I didn't finish but got about halfway through ... and I am afraid that I may have lost it somewhere along the way. A completely charming combination of bicycling travelogue and tracking of St. Columbanus's travels.
    
    
  • The No S Diet
    I first heard of this at Et Tu, Jen? I was intrigued by the idea of a diet book that used the actual word "gluttony" and liked the concept of taking things waaaay back to basics. "There are just three rules and one exception: No Snacks, No Sweets, No Seconds. Except (sometimes) on days that start with 'S'" I mean to say, when's the last time that you read a diet book that used the term Manichean ... yeah, that's what I thought. Never. Also very good is the accompanying podcast that addresses not only diet but exercise and breaking bad habits in general.

More to come about our venture northwards ...

Worth a Thousand Words

Juggling by Belinda Del Pesco

She's another favorite of readers round here ... click through on the link to see more of her beautiful work.

Patches

For those asking for a picture of our fosterling. Even more adorable in person where you get the full effect of her bouncing, big personality as you watch her valiantly imitate the "big dogs" in whatever they do.

A Hometown 4th of July Parade

I am not sure if I will cook or if we will pick up barbecue. Either way, we'll have a celebratory summer-time meal for the 4th of July. However, that is the only normal thing we will be doing this year.

Of course, in the midst of the pandemic, there will be no parade. There will be no congenial gathering of people on the lawns around the Dallas Country Club to enjoy their fireworks. 

I love these things - the parade, the fireworks, the gathering of all sorts of Americans to enjoy them together - and so I am sad. However, I am also hopeful that next year all will be back to normal life, which we will appreciate with all our hearts!

In the meantime, enjoy this reminder of how much fun the Lakewood Parade has been in the past! This was originally published in 2008.

=================

Yes, from the heart of Dallas ...

I pause in making Potato Salad, Barbecued Shrimp marinade (some olive oil, some Worcestershire, some Heinz chili sauce, garlic, salt, pepper, basil, etc) for shrimp which we will put on the barbie tonight ...

... to share some shots of the annual parade which had the theme of "Cartoons."

Cookie Monster ... this might have been our favorite float.

Mickie Mouse ... possibly the most creative use ever of a Volkswagon.

The Archies ... they were mugging their hearts out!

A heck of a clown car ... it had a driver in the front and the "back" so the wheels could go in different directions and it could go backward and forward in a most "organic" manner ... hilarious!

Superheroes ... of course!

Betsy Ross ... not a cartoon but very patriotic!

God Bless America, Land That I Love

Happy birthday, USA!

To those who are not Americans, I like the way that podcaster B.J. Harrison says it (as with so many other things he says):

I know that many of my listeners are not American, and to them I wish joy and freedom of the glorious land which they call home. How wonderful to have a day to celebrate independence. To me, independence proclaims our ability to choose right from wrong, and denotes a celebration for the right choices we make. These are the things that give us freedom. May we all rejoice in the freedoms we enjoy, and in the freedoms we create.

Here are 10 good ways to celebrate American freedom.

3) Walk around your house enjoying the lack of soldiers

Does Anyone Else Have That Song from Wall-E Stuck in Their Head?

Ok, I know it is from Hello Dolly but it will forever more be Wall-E's song to me.

I have found myself humming it at odd moments ever since last Sunday ...

More Good Reading ...

Ahhh, Used Books ... 10 More Reasons to Love Them

Lifted from The View from the Old Lighthouse

Top Ten Reasons Why a Used Book Beats an eBook

10. You won’t short out your book if you spill something on it.

9. Pixels don’t have that same well-read feel.

8. If your kids step on your book, it won't cost hundreds to replace (usually).

7. Have you tried reading your laptop on the beach?

6. How about on public transportation?

5. The batteries won’t die in the middle of a chapter.

4. Trading eBooks isn’t as much fun.

3. You don't have to take it out of your carry-on for inspection.

2. Reading in the tub isn't life-threatening.

1. Who collects eBooks?

For all my Facebook Friends ...

... I have made my monthly visit and updated tons of stuff.

I just forget it's there, which is why Hannah laughs at me. She says that I am as connected as anyone she knows without Facebook. She's right. But the peer pressure of all those "friend" invitations got to me ...

So apologies for the late stuff and I still do wander in there every month or so.

This I Believe: "Napalm is very powerful but faith, forgiveness and love are much more powerful."

From "the girl in the picture" comes a moving and inspirational testimony at NPR's This I Believe. I listened yesterday and agree that they chose perfectly for a piece upon which we should meditate for the 4th of July.

Although the transcript is there, I encourage you to take 5 minutes to listen to Kim Phuc's soft voice telling her story. Also click through to see her smiling, happy face if nothing else.

Worth a Thousand Words

Door Ironwork at Casa Mila
From Barcelona Photoblog (y'all know how I love his photos, click through on the link to see more).