destination: hamburg | be the composer

Across the sea lies the city of Hamburg, Germany, home to 1.8 million people - the second largest city in Germany.  A mecca of breathtaking architecture and cultural sophistication, Hamburg is also home to 2,302 bridges - more than than the city of Venice.

Though I've never ventured within its limits, my recent travels on the world wide web have pulled back the drapes on the window to this fair city.  Sounds of Hamburg, an interactive site that uses Flash animation and an impressive system of live webcams, challenges YOU to be the composer.  You can assign different instruments (strings, woodwinds, horns, etc.) to spaces, vehicles and people on Hamburg's bustling squares and roadways.  

Altogether, it's a beautiful and creative way to experience one of Europe's real treasures from afar.  (And certainly a more constructive use of time than Farmville.)  Go forth, young Beethovens, and let Germany become your orchestra.

life in "colour"

Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart;
   a wise person draws from the well within. 

-the MESSAGE-

the long ride home

Thirty miles of smooth black interstate lie between New Braunfels and Kyle, Texas (home of the outdoor superstore Cabela's, among other things.)  I luckily had the trusted companion of my Patsy Cline Definitive Collection to fill the silent spaces of my Camry.  Two tracks in, a feeling began to sink into my bones until I could feel the weight of it.  My sleepy eyes filled with tears, and I recognized it at once as loneliness.  A bit strange, because there aren't many moments of my day when I'm not with someone else.  I'm no hermit.

I wondered if maybe this was coming not out of a lack of company, but out of a growing hunger for True intimacy.  

We saw a glimpse of this last night - the long anticipated LOST finale contained some of the most beautiful scenes of television I've ever witnessed.  I watched in awe as each character, stuck in a mediocre existence, was awakened by the touch of real love.  When face-to-face with the person who knew and loved them to the core, they were forced to realize the life they were made for and the people they were destined to become.

Priest and writer Henri Nouwen  wrote "the wound of loneliness is like the Grand Canyon – a deep incision in the surface of our existence which has become an inexhaustible source of beauty and self-understanding."  Perhaps if we let ourselves, every once in a while, explore the depth of that canyon, if we do not chase away the moments in the car when heaviness lays upon us, then we will really discover the heart in us created for relationship.  There is a spirit in each of us that yearns to be known and be loved to the fullest measure.  Yes, I think that it is only from the depth of the canyon that we can truly see the height of the mountains ahead.

you will know a tree by its fruit

Some days are like big, bright oranges.  I tasted one yesterday, which from start to finish was sweet and wonderful, perfectly ripe, and a signal that a terrific summer is about to unfold.  And if yesterday were an orange, then we didn't leave a single ounce to waste!

The recipe for such a lovely day was nothing out of the ordinary.  It started with a slow morning, drinking coffee and reading the news from under my comforter.  It's the best way to wake up.  By the time you leave to face the world, you're ready for it. I decided I was ready for action, and went for a quick run through the canyon which has never stopped being beautiful no matter how many times I pass through it.  

A visit with Meghan and Susan to the outlet mall (and my favorite store) yielded three great finds, including a dress for the summer wedding season.  We braved the unknown and tried a restaurant we had never been to- the Root Cellar Cafe - downtown.  After somehow choosing from the impressive menu (that had me wanting breakfast, lunch, AND dinner) we enjoyed our black bean burger, our homemade quiche, and our spinach alfredo.  And as you do with great friends, we sat around the table long after the last bite was eaten, talking about everything and lingering in the richness of the afternoon.  (Or were we too full to move? I'm not sure which...)

The evening brought me to Fiesta Lanes for RCA's first bowling night.  Despite the fact that I'm a lousy bowler and look clownish in those rented shoes, I had a ball (and not just the hot pink, swirly 8-pound variety.)  A great turnout of RCA family and friends plus some good old-fashioned guy-girl competition made for a huge success.  Hats off to Meghan with an impressive 134 and Bryan with a whopping 210.  We filled the bowling alley with the real, unadulterated laughter that comes from genuine joy.  

The day subsided with an evening outside.  The boys fired up the grill for a late dinner of ribs, roasted corn, and such.  And though we questioned how ribs could take nearly 2 hours to cook, I didn't mind one bit.  I looked around me and saw beautiful people I love dearly, who bring out the best in me, who have allowed me to look at the life I've built here and say, like a big, bright orange, that I want to savor every bite.  

adventures in verse, part 1

Night is Over, an original poem

Before I saw the sun, I listened to its stories

And painted best I could imagined rays

That illuminated dreaming.

I read of how the Great Light sank slowly into evening

And wept as Mary for a sleeping Lazarus

For days that would never be.

In sorrow, I did not go on

But put down the page and forgot

As the earth was swallowed up by night.

The darkness turned my hope to horror

And where I trusted grew choking thorns.

At last my eyes succumbed to fitful sleep.

I woke in seasons, not at once, to touch-

A warmth that started in my cheeks and spread

Did not leave but stayed to dwell beneath my skin.

Finally opened eyes turned up to find the spring

And soft light fell on the story's end.

The sun that I feared dead had climbed the stars;

My life lived underground now lost in golden seas.

Though mourning still his evening absence,

Each morning Love comes forth to sing.

jamie oliver hits the nail on the TED...i mean, the head

the world, it's a little one

This month, Real Simple came out with an entire issue dedicated to organization.  Thats 276 (beautifully) printed pages instructing us how to tidy up our lives.  Get rid of the clutter.  10 Steps To A More Efficient Life.  The kitchen I worked one summer had a saying, "Everything has a place, and everything in its place."  It seems the world is forever telling us that we should find a special drawer for everything, lest a pesky red sock turn all our towels a terrible pink.

I can't help but wonder if this translates to the world outside our kitchens and bathrooms.  Have we learned to compartmentalize our entire lives?  In the mornings we leave our homes to go to work or school...that's business time.  When we return we make dinner and talk about our day...that's family time.  On the weekends we might make special plans to go into the city with a group (fun time) and some of us spend Sunday mornings in a church (that's God time).  See what I mean?  Most of our lives could be graphed on a pie chart with no interaction from slice to slice.  Every once in a while we get really worried that maybe the slices aren't even the right size.  It's a problem.

My life doesn't look so neat and tidy.  The people I work with in both of my jobs are also my friends, and half of them are related to one another.  One guy who shares office space with us I've known since I was fourteen and lived with his family for a time.  If my life was a desk drawer, you'd always be looking for the scotch tape.  But its always interesting.  That's what happens when you let people out of their manila folders, when you mix the white laundry in with the dark  - you find that your life is surprisingly more colorful than you thought possible.

Today, my friend Angelina was telling me about going into what she thought was a random new coffeeshop to discuss putting up her paintings.  She quickly discovered that she had met the girl working behind the counter at a Poetry Night we had a few months ago, and that another guy there was the brother-in-law of my boss (and the son of my pastor, yes, confusing!) She laughed at the connection and said, in her beautiful way of speaking, "you know the world, it's a little one!"  It seems the smaller my world gets, the more strangers seem like neighbors and my friends seem like family.

get out your permission slips!

Field trips were always my favorite part of elementary school.  Nothin like a yellow school bus combined with the smell of sunscreen and lunchables.  Growing up in Houston we always went to NASA and thought it was cool to buy the freeze-dried ice cream.  It tasted horrible, but the astronauts ate it, and that was enough.

Today we had the bus. No sunscreen, no lunchable (I know, bummer...)  We took the art group to the McNay in San Antonio....it was nothing short of remarkable.  A fabulous museum docent gave us a tour of the establishment (and gave me hope that there is always a lot of life to live, no matter how old you are!)

One of the most beautiful parts of the whole thing is the building itself.  I've included a few highlights from the ole iPhone, but you'll be missing more than good paintings if you don't see the magnificent McNay for yourself.

As always after a trip like this I ask myself, why don't I go to museums more often?  Living so close to SA and Austin, it seems that I should take more advantage of the wealth of culture around me.  Ah well, for tonight I'll just lather up a little 70 SPF and call it a night.

a little sweet with your coffee

While I am not so much of a law-and-order kinda girl, I do think that some routines should never die.  For me, clicking on Google Reader is akin to finding some hidden treasure every morning.  Today's gem: www.thxthxthx.com.  Author Leah Dietrich writes thank you notes to everything and everyone.  Some are pissed off (and hilarious) while others are sweet and insightful.  Just a few of my favorites:

beating down the summer blockbuster

Have I ever told you how important my job is?  Just the other day I was ordered to come up with four movies to add to a summer movie list for Victor, Carrie, and myself.  There's a lot of pressure to deliver...it's a real wonder I don't have ulcers.  I decided to leave Meryl (perfection or not) out of this lineup as she has a list I've made just for her (see my earlier post "meryl-y meryl-y meryl-y').

These are in no particular order of goodness or quality, but if you haven't seen one of these films, please make it a priority!  It's guaranteed to be a better decision than spending $20 at the theater on Ironman 2.

the good life

People talk about "the good life" and mean a lot of different things, but for me, it almost always includes sharing a meal with people I love.  Even if the dog spills my drink all over me.

Poppyseed Chicken

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Avocado & Tomato Salad (butter lettuce, avocados, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, tortilla strips)

There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other's cooking & say it was good.

la glace

Though I really wasn't hungry after a huge Mother's Day lunch at Boudro's, how do you say no thanks to a fresh ice cream sundae bar?  Many thanks to my friend Meghan for preparing the ingredients and the killer presentation.  We took the photo on my iPhone and spruced it up a little (using camerabag)

all it takes?

• Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla
• Bananas
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Blueberry flaxseed granola
• Pecans
• Homemade whipped cream
• Melted milk chocolate
• A general disregard for self-control

meryl-y meryl-y meryl-y, life is but a dream

Some people have summer reading lists.  I've tried that before, and usually don't make much progress.  The problem with reading is that I almost compulsively need to be around other people at most times of the day.  You never see people crowded around a restaurant table snacking on salsa and reading the latest Sedaris.  It's a solitary endeavor, the reading list.

So I have something else in mind.  Ever since a certain Modern Family episode I've had Meryl Streep on the brain.  Take her or leave her, but you can't deny that she's absolutely fabulous.  "Whether she's divorcing Kramer, whether she's wearing Prada...she's perfection."  My goal? To run up a serious tab at Blockbuster renting all things Meryl.  I'm seriously considering a Netflix account.

First up: Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
On deck: The River Wild (1994)