“Life’s too short to clean your own home.” The words on the brochure accompanied a sweet, domestic shot of a mother and daughter cuddled on the couch in front of a laptop and a father and son playing together. Inside the shiny brochure were package and pricing options for hiring a national company to come… Continue reading My time is more valuable than this…
Category: Culture
Dispensers of grace
I remember moving toward the counter in a daze. Surrounded by the noise and elbows and roller bags of the Southwest ticket counter at Midway, I felt out of body, suspended above the chaos. I think it was a Sunday. A warm smile greeted me as I slid my paper confirmation printout toward the woman… Continue reading Dispensers of grace
Ears to hear
We are on vacation enjoying a week of lake-life with my folks, and a neighbor’s high-speed internet lured me online briefly last night. I came across a very short video featuring a few thoughts shared by our friend, John Goldingay, on what concerns him about the church today. Listening to John in this video reminded… Continue reading Ears to hear
Haubs and Kinnons and Staubs, oh my!
We made it up to Orcas Island for the last full day of KindlingsFest 2009 and had a delightful day with new friends and old. The Staub girls courageously wrangled our children for much of the day, and Kathy was the consummate hostess as always. A chance to spend time with Imbi and Bill Kinnon… Continue reading Haubs and Kinnons and Staubs, oh my!
$900,000 goes to Pasadena agency?
I remember driving a friend down to Skid Row one night, not long before we left Los Angeles to move to Seattle. My friend was involved in a rehabilitation program on Skid Row, as was her husband of many years. They lived separately while they pursued healing from addiction, received job training, and moved toward… Continue reading $900,000 goes to Pasadena agency?
Henry Louis Gates and my night as a prostitute
I have been following with interest the media coverage of the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr., an esteemed African-American scholar on the faculty at Harvard University. Incidents like this are dipstick moments of sorts for how different opinions and perceptions really are about some facet of our society. They are O.J. moments, really, and… Continue reading Henry Louis Gates and my night as a prostitute
Post-racial?
My friend, Jelani, pointed me toward this article which asks some really good questions. Here’s an excerpt: The desire for personal post-race status is an impulse I encounter frequently. Without fail, it comes from well-intentioned white people looking to be absolved of whiteness – not through their politics, but their biographies. They listen studiously to… Continue reading Post-racial?
Funny
I saw a couple of people link to the “Nice White Lady” video today. Here’s Eugene Cho’s take. I found the sketch pretty amusing! I’m also a fan of Nicole Parker and have fond memories of our day spent filming with her in L.A. She is hilarious in this clip.
Grief on Facebook
Grief is an interesting thing. Sometimes there can be the strangest triggers for mourning. Yesterday, I received a friend invite on Facebook from a young woman I knew back in Chicago. I have to say that Facebook and Myspace have both been really great for getting back in touch with youth I have known over… Continue reading Grief on Facebook
Still Alive
Since moving back to Seattle, I am pretty sure that I have heard a Pearl Jam song every single day. I love Pearl Jam, so this is fine with me, but it still feels kind of amazing that at some point in almost every day I will hear one of their songs. Restaurants, malls, the… Continue reading Still Alive