at whit's end.

do you know your barista?

2011-09-07T09:51:00.000-05:00

a few moments ago, as i sought refuge from my first hebrew quiz (if i knew how to say anything in hebrew, i would say i'm mostly screwed. good thing i only know the aleph-bet... and not very well), i ventured into suzie's cafe to satiate my grumbling tummy. suzie's is the div school cafe that's attached to the refectory. vanderbilt alumni might remember it as the best eatery on campus where you could get a piping hot piece of fried chicken with pinto beans and cornbread any day of the week. it's probably a good thing that they scrapped that before i enrolled in divinity school.

anyway, i've actually never purchased anything at suzie's. i've been known to snag a splenda packet here and there and i'm confident that i'm responsible for the snarky sign next to the condiments reminding the public that those products are for paying customers only. this morning, i broke down and bought a bagel. (my pantry consists of multi-grain cheerios and mini-bags of popcorn and i have to save something for lunch. trader joe, i'm coming for you.) while i was at the toaster, the girl who runs the cafe (suzie? probably not.) comes in and starts bitching loudly to the other employee about how people expect her to know their drink order. apparently, a gentleman told her that he would have "the usual" this morning and she told him she couldn't remember what that was at the moment. he said that was fine and that her head must be full of "lots of other useless information". OK - i get it. he's clearly acknowledging that his drink order is not of supreme importance to obtain a permanent place in this girl's memory. he probably could have worded that a little better though, because all she heard was "your brain is filled with useless information so that you can't remember my latte order." in relaying this episode to her coworker, she kept saying (as to her previous customer), "how long have i been working here? and do you even know my name?!"

all of this is pretty obnoxious, honestly, and i didn't really think it was professional at all for her to be complaining so loudly about this. if we had done that at starbucks, we would have been chewed out (and not in front of customers). BUT what we learn from this is that our suzie's cafe people need a little love. i'm probably never going back there, so it's up to you, VDS. tomorrow when you creep in for your morning coffee, HAVE A CONVERSATION. as a former barista, i can assure you that (if you can avoid being incredibly creepy about it) it makes working in the service industry so much better when you feel that your customers acknowledge you as a person. it's not like any of us just felt a calling to steam milk all day and burn our hands with boiling water - it's just a job and it usually comes with a o'dark:30 wake up call.

so STEP UP, vanderbilt. suzie, we hear you. you are appreciated and if i ever decide to buy anything there again, we're gonna chat it out, but don't hold your breath because i'm a cheapskate and my bagel wasn't that awesome.

an open apology to my inner gLeek

2011-09-01T10:28:00.001-05:00

i watch a lot of TV, especially for a person who neither owns a TV nor has a cable subscription. thanks to hulu and netflix instant, i manage to follow the weekly shenanigans of (get ready for this) the office, 30 rock, cougar town, modern family, community, parks and recreation, weeds, wilfred, bored to death, it's always sunny in philadelphia, AND how i met your mother. in the past, i've made it pretty clear that my thursday night (practically a high holy day) allegiance lies with NBC and even though i haven't watched it live in years, it's always must-see-TV and never grey's anatomy. i'm pro-comedy/mockumentary, not so much with the medical dramas, trashy reality shows, or basically anything that most of america is watching.

...until now.

my conversion period began on one fated night when i retreated to the millerson home in search of hot water, only to find miss holly g in the middle of "the bachelor." after the obligatory eye roll, i was instantly sucked in, planned a finale viewing session, and carved out some prime summer hours to watch all of "the bachelorette," which was horrifically wonderful. so horrific, in fact, that i considered it my one awfully guilty television pleasure, and that was as far as i would take it.

the skies really opened up one glorious evening on a flight from salt lake city to atlanta, when i put my sudoku book down to watch the trio of in-flight shows offered: parks and rec, the middle, and.... glee. i figured i could just take a 25 minute break when glee came on, but i didn't.

so it's official. season 1? thank you netflix. i cashed in my free trial for hulu plus in order to fly through season 2 in, oh, less than a week (and i'm in graduate school). it's a totally legit show! i mean my high school chorus was awful - every year at the spring concert, they sang "imagine" and "the shoop song" (which i'm pretty sure has a real name that we've chosen to ignore). not good. sorry i'm not sorry for being honest.

but these kids? granted, there's no way a public school could feasibly contain/fund this type of talent, but HOLY CRAP they're awesome! but it'd be hard not to be awesome with an inspiring guiding light like mr. will schuester. am i right? i just want ms. pillsbury to get it together so they can finally admit to each other, themselves, and the world that they belong together. maybe in season 3.

and oh crap, quinn is the worst person ever, but i still feel sorry for her. my favorites are kurt and artie. artie's a baller and i love his dance moves. kurt does a mean gaga and stole my heart by eating breakfast at tiffany's. mercedes - we know you're a diva, so why don't you start butting in first if you want the lead solos instead of just sulking because rachel always beats you to it? oh, finn. so cute. so almost 30 YEARS OLD! how are we getting away with that? that's right. corey monteith, according to IMDB-- born in 1982.

i'm excited to add GLEE to my list of weekly internet-TV viewing this fall and i think it'll be way better when i'm not watching them all back-to-back. it gets a little "oh surprise, sue sylvester is trying to take down the glee club", "oh no, finn and quinn (gag) are back together?", "oh gosh, vocal adrenaline blah blah" but i'm hoping watching this show like a normal gLeek will alleviate the problems i faced as a completely obsessive glee-monger during the month of august.

with that, i wholeheartedly beg forgiveness for being judge judy about this show after one viewing (granted, i did hate that episode a lot when i saw it). it's true - everybody wishes they had friends who could burst into song at the drop of a hat (and a creepy pianist and plethora of talented orchestra/band students on call to accompany any musical outburst) to describe the kind of day you're having at william mckinley high. when we watch glee, we can pretend that accompanied, choreographed musical numbers are a real thing and if we convince enough of our friends to do the same, we might just have an opportunity to change the world here. GLEE!

also, hats off to reminding us how awesome this song (not like we needed the reminder, but still)!

72. preach a sermon

2011-07-27T14:29:00.001-05:00

let me begin by coming clean: i have technically preached a sermon before -- once, in high school, i "preached" for our youth sunday service, but i'm pretty sure my topic was faith. nailed it! definitely covered all my bases there.

aside from the two sermons that i gave for my 8-person preaching group in my gospel of john class, i would say that i officially preached my first sermon today (to a group of people who were not also preparing to preach a sermon on similar topics). after a year of interning at the Upper Room, i was asked to participate in the weekly chapel service. this morning, i preached on the story in Genesis when Jacob wrestles with the angel and gets a new name. if you're interested, you can read it below:

it was scary, but i'm glad i did it. thanks to john and claire (the only two people i informed of this event) for coming to support me, as well as all my UR peeps for holding me up through this entire year. i'm thankful :)

Let's Get Ready to Rumble

Jacob is a wrestler. He’s been wrestling his entire life -- since before he was even born! In the womb, he wrestled with his twin brother, Esau. At birth, he was unsuccessful in his fight with Esau to be the first born. When he was older, he teamed up with his mother Rebecca to deceive his father and wrestle away his blessing of the firstborn. After leaving home, he consistently wrestled with his uncle Laban over matters of property, flocks, and his daughters. Now, we see Jacob wrestle with God.

He’s been wrestling with God his whole life too -- Jacob has always insisted on taking matters into his own hands. Some of us know what that’s like -- we know that God is greater than we are, created the heavens and the earth, but we know about this great shortcut that might get things done a little faster and easier. We know God loves us and holds us, yet we’re not quite sure that God knows better than we do what’s best for us. So we wrestle free and chart our own paths of more and more wrestling with the world.

Jacob is a man on the move. He’s transitioning between a life of productive trickery on the land of his uncle Laban to his home of Canaan, where he has also been known to do some sleight of hand. He’s headed home, by God’s command, and he knows that he will have to reunite with his twin brother. Having sent all of his herds ahead of him, along with his family, Jacob hopes that a peace offering of many flocks will help to clear the air between himself and his brother Esau -- Esau, who he hasn’t seen since stealing his first-born blessing and skipping town. To say the least, Jacob is not exactly expecting Esau to be awaiting him with open arms, but as we read in verse 3 of the previous chapter, “The Lord told Jacob, ‘Return to the land of your ancestors and to your kindred, and I will be with you.’” So Jacob moves forward, knowing that God is with him.

So, after sending his crowd across the stream, Jacob is alone. He has no idea how things are going to play out tomorrow. He does know that his brother is headed that way with 400 others and he knows that they didn’t part ways on good terms. He knows that he’s taken what wasn’t his, lied about who he was, and wrestled his way into a life of struggle, pain, and division.

Now, because the Bible is not written like a screenplay and the transitions are not always super clear, the appearance of this man or angel is up to our interpretation. For dramatic effect, I’m going to propose that maybe this divine messenger pops out of a shrub and starts wrestling Jacob to the ground. I’m not sure it’s an important detail - but it’s how it happens in my head.

They wrestle all. night. long. We know from Jacob’s history that he knows how to wiggle his way out of sticky situations and get what he wants. Yet, he holds on and doesn’t let go of this man. When the man sees that he’s not going to escape Jacob’s grasp, he asks Jacob to release him and Jacob says, “No, I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” So the man says, “What is your name?” What is your name?

When the man or angel asks Jacob this question, what he’s really asking is far more than a initial introductory question. He’s asking “WHO ARE YOU?” He’s asking Jacob to reveal himself. He’s calling Jacob to own his past and to claim identity and ownership for all the things he has done. For Jacob, answering the question, “WHO ARE YOU” means remembering the time that he lied to his father, telling him that he was Esau to receive a blessing not meant for him. When he answers, “Jacob” - it’s almost a confession. It’s me, Jacob --the one who has been fighting and lying and deceiving since I was born. It’s me. I am Jacob.

Sometimes in the most vicious of wrestling matches with God, we fall to our knees, gasping for breath, admitting that we are the broken ones who thought we could make it on our own. I’m the one who can never get enough. I’m the one who would rather serve myself than love my neighbor. I’m the one who holds back on following God because this route is more convenient for me. A wrestling match with God will bring a person to that point. That’s why Jacob doesn’t let go -- he can’t. He’s alone and afraid. He has to face the reality of who he is and what he’s done and he clings to God because God is all that Jacob has. The angel recognizes that Jacob did not let go of God, and so he blesses him, as requested.

A blessing is not all that this angel-man gives him. He gives him a new name. Jacob certainly lived into his old name, which means “supplanter, heel-catcher, deceiver.” Jacob will now be called Israel, because he struggled with God and with men and prevailed. God gives him a new name. A new identity. He doesn’t have to be Jacob anymore-- Jacob, the deceiver, Jacob, the liar, the con-man, Jacob, the second best, Jacob, the one who sits by the water alone in anticipation of facing the many shortcomings of his past and the brother he betrayed, Jacob - no more. He is now Israel - a man of honor who has prevailed, “God-wrestler”. He is no longer Jacob, the one who wrestles without God, but Israel, the one who prevails with God.

This is a story of transformation. God’s extravagant and unconditional love has the power to transform us, to give us a new name. God gives us a new name. We don’t have to be called “lonely”, “anxious”, “lost”, “confused”, “ashamed”, “damaged”, “discouraged” because God has a new name for each of us. Now, this is no news to God because we’ve always been God’s beloved - instead, this new name is given to us, not to describe us as people loved by God, but to identify us as such. When I ask “Who are you?”, I’m not asking what you do for a living or where you’re from - those are things that you do, not who you are. Who are you? You are a Beloved Child of God.

We all know what it’s like to wrestle with God. We are all going to have nights where we wrestle with God until daybreak and times when we feel so alone and lost, but God is there with grace and unconditional, transforming love to remind us who we are and whose we are. Who are you? You are a Beloved Child of God. Amen.

6. contribute to thanksgiving dinner

2011-07-25T19:01:00.002-05:00

it's hard to remember all the way back to november. it was, in fact, 8 months ago today that i did this:

...stuck my hand inside a turkey's ass

...while i was contributing to our wonderful thanksgiving dinner!! now, we booths/allens don't mess with stuffing a turkey - we have cornbread dressing in a pan like good southerners. i was merely performing this glamorous duty in order to get the package of gizzards and other innards out of the bird. thanks, perdue, for your poultry products. it's certainly nicer to keep the guts of the turkey in a bag IN the turkey rather than just taping it to the underbelly.

i know what you're thinking. "whitney, removing the packaged gizzard is not a huge contribution." i know, i know. i also smeared butter all over the bird AND monitored its cooking process. you need someone with a good nose for a job like that and, boy, do i have one of those.

i also made these delicious (so i've heard) pecan pies. check out those concentric circles!

the publix pilgrims approve.

thanksgiving is obviously the best holiday of the year - only 4 months until we get to do it again!

stuff

2011-07-24T12:05:00.000-05:00

last night, john and i watched this movie called "the joneses", starring david duchovny and demi moore (who i'm almost positive i haven't seen in a film since "now and then"). it's on netflix instant for your viewing pleasure.

(the rest of the post contains plot-related content. no spoilers that aren't already on the movie poster.)

the joneses are not a normal family that has just moved in next door, but one that is planted in certain neighborhoods to increase sales of expensive products to their neighbors. this is their job - the "dad" spends his day at the golf course, showing off his gadgets and persuading other rich guys that they too need the coolest new thing. the mom sets off for a long day of hair, nails, facials, familiarizing herself with the women who will envy her lifestyle. the kids (who appear to be 24-year old high schoolers) take care of themselves - apparently it's more interesting to showcase the extent of the gotta-have-its in adults, who have seen enough to know that it's not worth it to buy unaffordable things just to have them.

i would venture to say that i ride the simplicity train. i'm no shane claiborne, but i really don't overdo it. the majority of my money, outside of rent and bills, is spent on food (restaurants and groceries), with the occasional trip to the movies (usually with a groupon) or a concert ticket or something. during the move, i realized how much stuff has accumulated, but it's not nearly as much as it would be if i didn't wear the same clothes that i'd had since i was a junior in high school (weight watchers, WHAT UP). if i'm going to buy something, i'd rather it be useful for the long-term (like a piece of furniture) or something that i can consume or remember (food/wine/experience). i'm definitely spending money on things i don't need, but i don't have a ton of stuff lying around that's not being used. it's a fair balance - it works for me and i don't feel guilty for having things while people are sleeping in boxes.

but when i was watching this movie, i found myself envying the joneses' lifestyle. what would it be like to move into a new house, then jet off the next day for a day of self-pampering (with all the fancy, amazing-smelling products that i never opt to buy after my discounted haircuts) because you're "just a mess". false, demi moore. i will show you a mess. here i am having a hernia over spending $80 on three things from the j.crew final sale and refusing to take care of (dye) my rapidly spreading grey patch of joe booths (thanks for the genes, dad) until i go home because i don't want to spend money that i don't have to spend (my hair girl at home is awesome and about 1/3 of the nashville price). i don't know that i'll ever grow out of that, even if i am swimming in gold coins like scrooge mcduck one day, and i'm not sure it's a bad thing.

buying things we don't need just perpetuates the principle that stuff is important. it's not. while it would be nice to be the upper echelon of glamour and expensive smells, i'm not sure that it's good for anything at all. if stuff makes us happy and it's good to be happy, then i'm not going to stand in the way of that conditional statement working itself out for some people. if stuff makes us feel worthy, however - where does that stop? when is enough enough? if your house caught on fire, it would all be gone in a flash, and i don't think anyone would be running out of the burning building with an armful of iPads, clothes, or hair products- just something to think about.

eleven percent

2011-07-21T15:09:00.000-05:00

i don't know if many of you know this, but sometimes i'm a little psychic. i mean, i can't tell you if you're gonna get a raise or if you'll meet your dream girl this year BUT sometimes i startle myself with my keen intuition. example: on more than one occasion, i've been thinking of a song and impulsively punched one of the radio pre-set buttons and SHAZAM - the song is on the radio. PSYCHIC MOMENT. or sometimes i'll be talking about a friend and WHAPAHH, they show up later that night. PSYCHIC MOMENT.

if you're thinking, "um, someone needs to tell whitney that she's acting the fool," you can give your texting fingers a rest. i know i'm not totally psychic, but that stuff does happen -- which brings me to my next example. yesterday, i was thinking about how i should probably look back through my 101 in 1001 list to see how i'm progressing. i was thinking i was probably getting close to the one-year mark. i opened the page to see that my list began on JULY 20, 2010. INSANITY!

the point of this post is no longer about my psychic abilities (although i will keep you posted with more convincing examples when they creepily arise in my life), but about the shameful progress i'm making on my 101 list. i now have 635 days left to complete 89% of the things on my list. sure, some of them are in progress. i am getting somewhere on my alphabetical movie watching and i haven't had a haircut in a while, but in order to get the blog rate up to an average of 10 per month, i'm going to have to blog every other day for the next 1.75 years, which is just not likely based upon my previous behavior.

it's time to start setting some short-term goals to get this stuff done - let me know if you want to join in for any of the fun! and by fun, of course, i mean - let me know if you want to go hold my hand while we donate blood together.

the preemptive strike(through)

2011-07-18T17:51:00.001-05:00

as you may have gathered from sitting next to me during any lecture/meeting or perusing my poorly-cared-for blog, i'm a fan of the list. if i'm going to get anything at all done, it's beyond likely to make an appearance on a list prior to its completion (and sometimes afterward, for the gratifying experience of the handwritten strike-through). the only problem with this meticulous habit is that if something fails to make the list, you can rest assured that it is completely forgotten. this becomes most apparent with packing lists. try spending a week at church camp with one pair of underwear. yikes.

in the past year (while i've been busy not blogging), i've even gone as far as to experiment with a new task management tactic -- are you ready for this? -- striking something off the list BEFORE it's finished. WHAT? take a moment to put your socks back on if you need one. it gives a little extra incentive to make hay while the sun shines because you're not gonna let your list make a liar out of you, are you soldier? hell no, you aren't!

consider this post a list item in itself. i'm committing to catching up on my blog and keeping up for all my faithful followers (yes, all four of you). i'm boldly and confidently crossing it off.

i feel happy of myself

2011-06-13T15:12:00.000-05:00

i don't typically post cute videos or funny interweb spawn on my blog, but this kid is just too awesome.

to jeg or not to jeg?

2011-04-13T10:35:00.001-05:00

for the first time in my entire life, i have run into this strange and foreign predicament:

my jeans are too big.

yes, it's true. i can get one (maybe two) good wears out of them after a laundry rotation, but then they're all bunched up in the back and in the legs again. if any of this sounds like complaint, let it be known: i embrace those loose jeans like i wish i could embrace the daily chips and guac and the nightly entire block of cheese. alas, these two joys are incompatible.

since i'm planning on several more months of the fried cheese drought, i'm not exactly pumped to run out and spend another $70 on a solid pair of jeans... soooo it has been proposed by the wise women in my family that i invest in some jeggings. they're cheap. they always fit. they're trendy... but are they?

i mean. JEGGINGS. given my affinity for wordplay, i'm naturally wooed by this fabulous combination of leg coverings. unfortunately, my affinity for wordplay (along with my love for watching 30 rock re-runs and writing blogs about jeggings) has interfered with a life-long understanding of what is fashionable and what is really really not. i haven't bought any new clothes in months (due to the cheese drought and crippling stinginess) and i'm in desperate need of someone to guide my sense of couture. that's right. couture = something french having to do with fashion, i think.

so i reach out to you, the eight people who read my blog... jeggings: HOT OR NOT? were they cool in the winter but out for summer? i am clued in enough to know that leggings are not pants and IF worn as pants, there needs to be a long, tunic-like top to cover the butt region. my gorgeous and fashion-savvy friend MC was pulling them off (figuratively) in a big way at christmas-- and her snazzy jeggings had pockets and a zipper. are they just tight, stretchy jeans? or are they the solution to all of my problems?

i'm thanking the good lord above that i have found time in these last few weeks of the semester to consult my peers on this pressing matter. happy wednesday, y'all. :)

jesus wept

2011-04-11T09:55:00.002-05:00

i wrote this piece for the Alive Now blog last week. i pared it down from a sermon i gave last semester for my gospel of john class -- kinda made me wonder if my sermon should have been this short to begin with :)

Any clever Sunday school student knows to look to John 11 when it’s time for mandatory scripture memorization. It’s the shortest verse in the Bible, in most translations, yet it’s packed with such a huge message about who Jesus is and how God loves us. Two little words – Jesus wept.

Jesus has been roaming around healing people and performing miracles, but when he hears that his friend Lazarus has fallen ill and died, he doesn’t rush to the rescue like everyone expects. He says Lazarus is “sleeping,” even though he knows that he has died, because Jesus knows that this death is not permanent and that Lazarus will walk again. When he finally walks into town, Lazarus’ sisters greet him. Martha trusts that Jesus has a plan to revive her brother, but Mary reacts to Jesus’ delayed arrival with the expected, fearful hysteria of a grieving sister. She isn’t joyful that Jesus has finally arrived, but angry that he waited so long because now it is too late. Mary’s hope has run out.

Jesus has a plan though. He didn’t walk all the way to Bethany four days late to attend a funeral, but to raise Lazarus from the dead. He knew when he got there that Lazarus was dead (but not for long). Yet he stops and weeps with Mary and the others grieving at the tomb. He’s not crying because he’s sad about his dead friend – he knows that’s about to change. Why does he cry, then? Jesus stops to be with Mary, Martha, and their friends in their time of deepest sorrow.

When all seems dark and hopeless, instead of swooping in and fixing things, Jesus meets us in our moment of pain before fulfilling the promises that God has made to God’s people.

This aspect of Jesus’ ministry is so crucial to our understanding of God and God’s place in the world. To know a God who loves us enough to stop and cry with us, knowing full and well that the grief will be alleviated in a matter of minutes—to feel the love of God who sits with us in ICU waiting rooms, on the snowy sidewalk, or alone in our homes—this is a God we need behind us as we attempt to carry out our ministries, bringing hope to the hopeless.

We don’t have to have experienced a person’s pain to sit with them in solidarity. Jesus shows us how to join a person where they are, to love them because they are hurting; and that’s enough. Unfortunately, we can’t always heal the sick or bring back loved ones, but we can be reminders of God’s eternal presence by imitating Jesus and sitting with others in their sorrow. We are made to love, whatever the circumstances, and love we shall.

check out the post!

put me in, coach

2011-03-31T12:44:00.001-05:00

as i sit here today, in the major league baseball desert of tennessee, i find myself pining for the sweet smells of freshly cut grass and jumbo hot dogs rotating on their metal spires above the popping hot oil. my mouth is literally filled with saliva thinking about a cold coors light and a bag of peanuts. it is time. opening day.

as an eye-witness to the pre-season spring training games for braves, phillies, pirates, blue jays, mets, and cardinals, i am pleased to report that i know nothing about the potential outcomes of these teams' performances but am beyond excited that it's time for the regular season. i envy the children who have been taken out of school to step out from under the stadium to get their first sunburns of the season while watching their heroes do what they do best. i'm dying to be there when the braves will return home to turner field next weekend to be greeted by a sea of enthusiastic fans rejoicing their victory (in progress) over the nationals. also, the avett brothers are playing the post-game concert tomorrow. too much jealousy.

what more could you want in life? there are people pummeling baseballs with wooden sticks into crowds of fans. men and women carry enormous buckets of cold beer and coke around to your seats. there are HUGE dispensers of mustard for you to slather all over your hotdog (and sometimes a child will run right into you afterward and most of the mustard will get smeared into his hair, so you will have to reapply). you sit outside in the sun, sip your cold, refreshing beverage, and thank god for a game that allows for such peaceful, yet engaging, spectatorship. HOW AM I EXPECTED TO MAKE IT THROUGH FOUR MORE WEEKS OF SCHOOL?

for now, i will continue in my personal ritual of watching "fever pitch" in celebration of opening day, pretending that i was a red sox fan before 2004, and settling in peace with the fact that i love two teams. if the world series ever comes down to red sox - braves, i'm in trouble and will have a existential dilemma to solve. until then, i'm ok straddling the fence.

the real celebration is this: the darkness of winter has passed, the sun has come out, and now my parents will have something to watch at night besides "criminal minds". i raise a banana (because here in the divinity school refectory i have no beer, no hot dog, and no peanuts) to the ol' ball game. we're almost there. PLAY BALL.

shut up and listen

2011-03-30T10:35:00.000-05:00

if you've ever met me or read any earlier posts, you may have gleaned that i perpetually battle with patience. come on, spring. come on, summertime. why are you still driving the speed limit when i'm so clearly about to drive right into your backseat? i get myself into jams when i have a little bit of time to complete a task (because, as we all well know, if you wait until the last minute, it only takes a minute. am i right!?) and then any natural interference in my streamlined determination is subject to move or be moved by the superhuman attempt to accomplish things at lightning speed.

on monday morning, i was attempting to neatly cram all information regarding the apostle paul into my wee brain when a co-worker (about whom i have been known to complain quite a bit) stopped me to ask me for some personal advice. TODAY? right now? can't you see that i'm actually busy and not watching 30 rock or cougartown? i've come to expect my time at that specific job to be designated homework/staring into space time, which is healthy for everyone in small doses i think. so you can imagine my frustration when at the last minute that i have kept available for myself to study for a test on a more-than-mildly confusing subject, i'm asked for a moment of forced personal conversation.

lesson is learned for the ump-teenth time that i should learn more progressively instead of memorizing the study sheets that i spent too much time making; however, that is not the point. it never is. everything always gets done and i am still able to fall asleep at night and wake up the next morning.

as if i had a choice, i put my study guide down and listened to this person's problem. we talked about it again today. the fact that i'm stressed out because i put too much on my plate is not important. the nobility with which i begrudgingly agreed to sit back and listen is not to be congratulated. the pleasant un-surprise is that giving someone time and attention, especially when you don't have it to give, moves us to see people differently and consider our own role in this mess of humanity. it isn't that hard to shut up and listen, as much as i love to talk and/or be left alone, but it isn't easy. nothing that's ever worth it is.

breathe in, breathe out

2011-03-15T16:22:00.000-05:00

inhale, exhale. here we are: mid-march. we're past the potential late southeastern snow date (march 14. everyone knows this.) but it's still not quite warm. i'm emerging from my blog-hibernation of excessive countdown lists and pre-dated posts and i am BACK. (no offense, john cantu, but i don't want people to wander on over to "at whit's end" and assume it's just some chick blogging about how awesome her boyfriend is.) so it's time for a change.

it's time for spring! it's time for rebirth and renewal and resurrection. but first, it's time for lent.

i'm not giving anything up for lent this year. i haven't done that in several years, but many lenten seasons in my past have been overshadowed with an absence of cokes, red meat, listening to hanson (no joke), and caffeine in an attempt to focus my attention toward the cross. i'm not sure that hope was ever realized for me, but i know many people find great consolation with god by removing something from their life (or adding something) in order to attune ourselves with the nature of what is about to happen in the liturgical season of lent.

this season, i've heard a lot water-cooler talk about really pro-active lenten sacrifices. i'm not sure that it counts for double-credit as both a spiritual discipline and a 40 day self-help project to be healthier or obtain a better middle-school status by distancing yourself from a socially crippling love for three long-haired boys from tulsa (not the case - sadly, that really was a spiritually-minded sacrificial forty days). power to you for being a go-getter, but maybe think before labeling it as a lenten sacrifice.

as a spiritual discipline for myself, unrelated to the season of lent (but maybe not completely unrelated), i am committing to getting back into a routine of writing. hopefully that means some of you will find yourselves in a routine of reading and we can all have a good time together.

we don't have to commit to unreasonable goals in order to make room for god this season. we are called to make room in our lives to receive the season and prepare ourselves for the holy week of death and resurrection. in order to breathe in the holy spirit, it might help to breathe out something else that's taking up space.

#1 john cantu

2010-12-31T00:08:00.019-06:00

and finally, the moment you've all been waiting for... the best part of my 2010... which is already obvious because you can read it in the title..... the wonderful mr. john cantu.

first date = 3 day trip to vegas

nobody can make me laugh like this one.

sometimes people take candid pictures of us that look like they were posed but they weren't...

we are dancing fools and we clean up pretty nicely

the first of many epic world-wide adventures

i trust him with my life (obviously - that is the look of trust)

thank god we love the same music :)

best year ever!

john cantu, i love you and can undoubtedly say that 2010 would not have been half as righteously awesome if it weren't for you. for the sake of public mushiness, i'm gonna leave that at that. you know how much ilubya. :)

#2 my 24th bday

2010-12-30T00:07:00.024-06:00

what's better than turning 24?

turning 24 while eating delicious mexican food and drinking large cervezas with 20 of your besties and having a group of mexican gentlemen put dollops of whip cream on your face.

that's right.

cinco de mayo knows how to do a birthday.

#3 guatemala

2010-12-29T00:06:00.034-06:00

sometimes you go on a trip knowing that it's going to be unforgettable. then you're hit with a plethora of natural disasters and that inkling is affirmed.

our trip to guatemala in may was great -- we spent the first week working at the hospitalito, sifting gravel and pushing wheelbarrows up hills for 5 days and then spending the evenings swimming & hot-tubbing with mozas and gallos before our epic yet inexpensive dinners at the posada.

work hard, play hard - we're serious about that (at least while we were in santiago atitlan)

then we went to antigua -- beautiful, historic antigua. -- for one night only!

oh wait, just kidding. volcanos, mudslides, tropical storm agatha -- let's spend 2 more days here. no, 3. no, 5. no, a week.

once we recovered from the immediate jarring shock that we have no control over our global position and missing work is absolutely inevitable at this point, we resorted to a lot of awesome behavior.

mandatory vacation? yes, por favor.

i couldn't have asked for 9 better people with whom to be stranded in guatemala for a week.

#4 surprise 4th of july

2010-12-28T00:06:00.046-06:00

the 4th of july is the one family holiday gathering at which my attendance is no longer really expected. most of my early double-digit years, i spent the 4th at y-camp. when i was 16, i was at "nerd camp" at georgetown and saw some pretty unimpressive fireworks over the mall in D.C. one year, the 4th fell during the last days of my study abroad in spain. last year, britters and i spent our nation's holiday in canada. the most patriotic moment was seeing a group of guys clad with various MLB team hats and t-shirts, walking through the vancouver aquarium while singing the national anthem. go america.

this year, i had spent the weeks prior driving to and from new mexico for a week at ghost ranch. the cantu clan-tu was kind enough to drive up from san antonio to pick me up in dallas and bring me back to SA for a few days. we drove from san antonio to nashville with joban in the floorboard - 16 hours in one day. naturally, let's turn around and drive to georgia in 4 more days to surprise my family who thinks i'm not coming home for the 4th of july this year!

it was a great weekend -- we showed up with a little pup on a leash just in time for a big breakfast, a beautiful day of back-deck sitting and sipping, burgers and hotdogs, celebrating john's new job, fireworks -- the WORKS. it was definitely the best 4th of july i can remember :) moral of the story: sometimes it's worth it to drive another 10 hours in one week.

#5 joban

2010-12-27T00:05:00.045-06:00

one of the greatest things to come out of 2010 is our little flood puppy, mr. joban. we love our little buddy boy, especially now that he doesn't cry all night anymore. :)

he used to be the bittiest boy

he started to get bigger -- and so did his eye

we've had a little snip-snip and some subsequent lifestyle changes

sir lookiteeeeeeeem!

#6 arrington vineyards

2010-12-26T00:05:00.024-06:00

as much as i hate to cut short the most epic parts of 2010, i must breeze through so as not to eliminate the countdown altogether.

one of the best days of 2010 was the day that mom, dad, john, and i went out to arrington vineyards! it was a beautiful october day with good folks, a yummy picnic of trader joe's delicacies, and some incredible wine :)

so beautiful! ... and great scenery too.

to read more about this great day out, visit the "wine tasting" post from my 101 in 1001 list!

a healthy yuletide sob

2010-12-25T00:11:00.002-06:00

i blame starbucks for my initial entry into viewing christmas as a somewhat morose time of year. the year i lived in seattle, i wasn't able to come home for thanksgiving and thus, was incredible homesick by the time red cups and holiday classics rolled around. all day, every day-- christmas music. "i'll be home for christmas" literally makes me cry in public-- and if it's accompanied by a military montage, put a fork in me. i'm done.

i've decided that, while christmas is still fun and a joyful time of year, it just gets a little sadder every year. we think back on where we were in years past, sing "next year all our troubles will be miles away" (and BAWL like a baby through the family stone), and spend perhaps a little too much time thinking about how important it is to be together with people you love. for me, that part unfortunately leads my brain to all the people who are alone and then i have an internal battle with myself about whether i should feel sad for those people or admire them for living their lives outside the nuclear family norm. maybe you'll spend christmas morning at the waffle house, but so will a bunch of other people and it'll just be like christmas morning down home around the tree... uhh griddle. merry scattered, smothered, covered christmas.

tonight, i proceeded with my tradition of the last few years which involves sobbing uncontrollably through the christmas eve candlelight service at church. i was unable to muster a single syllable of "silent night" for all the convulsing my body was doing in an attempt to not gasp audibly and possible extinguish the light of the world for all those around me. christmases are not always happy -- the past few years for our family have been difficult ones in one way or another. the first cry year, we found out granna had breast cancer and i lost it because our family wasn't able to find seats together in church (because this one lady had to spread her mink coat all over the damn pew). one year, dad was big-time-scary in the hospital all through christmas. the next year, we cried because we were still emotionally recovering from the year before. it's hard to not think of loved ones who we've lost and others who are hurting.

but that's not what christmas is about. i'll admit-- a lot of my hyper-emotive action tonight results from sentimentality about family and getting older. more so, i think it's just that christmas means more to me than it used to. strangely, my understanding of the incarnation has been beautifully illuminated since beginning divinity school (perhaps the only area in which my education has directly enhanced my faith without challenging it to a good fight first). we stand and sing the same songs every single year, but now, i get choked up at "born that we no more may die" or "cast out our sin and enter in-- be born in us today". and can you blame me? i can handle luke 2, but start leaking like the grinch on christmas morning if the reading comes from john 1. what beautiful words to describe a hugely beautiful thing.

for years, i'd been hoping to experience christmas as something more spiritual than a trite reading of a familiar story and definitely more than buying presents and hanging ornaments on trees and watching christmas movies and specials (which i am absolutely not knocking)... and amidst all the wailing and gnashing and increasingly tearful christmas traditions, i believe i've found it.

for unto you is born this day a savior. and this shall be a sign unto you.
hope. peace. love. joy.

and that's what christmas is all about, charlie brown.

#7 sir paul mccartney

2010-12-25T00:04:00.014-06:00

a show so life-changing it burst forward ahead of the mumford-horses-avett trifecta...

paul mccartney came to nashville and iiiiii was there. he was amazing and precious and, although i didn't sob through the entire show (as expected), it was an incredibly awesome experience and i'll never forget it.

also, since then, paul has won a kennedy center honor AND the gershwin prize for popular song... because he's the best.

#8 vegas

2010-12-24T00:03:00.020-06:00

vegas got its own post about a year ago, but it warrants another brief report that it is:

a) awesome. gambling is way fun, but only when you win... which i did.

b) awesome. so much good food that you can only eat if alex naser's dad pays for it.

c) awesome. best first date ever that lasted 3 days and journeyed to a shark reef inside a casino.

#9 hoop show

2010-12-23T00:02:00.011-06:00

one of my favorite things of 2010 is, by far, the monthly small songwriters' show at molly's apartment which has come to be called the "hoop show". we've heard some really talented singer/songwriter/musicians over the last 6 months and are always on the lookout for the upcoming fame of our new friends. the ambience over at molly's is so cozy and intimate -- we sit on draped milk crates, ottomans, and boards while sipping wine and eating cut up oatmeal creme pies (the best of all hors d'oeuvres). i haven't missed one yet and i don't plan to -- it's my most favorite nashville thing i've done in my six years of music city residency :)

#10 ghost ranch

2010-12-22T23:36:00.002-06:00

this summer, i took a course called "water and baptismal life" that was offered as an off-site class in ghost ranch, new mexico. there were six of us signed up to take the course and we met in dean maphis early's office at the end of the spring semester to discuss travel plans and schedules for the class, since we wouldn't see each other until we arrived in new mexico in july. when we gathered that day, i knew we would have an interesting trip, but i had no idea how quickly our group would connect and what a phenomenal trip we would have.

i guess i've grown accustomed to associating summertime with excessive driving, because i agreed to travel with two girls BY CAR all the way to new mexico. liz picked me up at my house, where we met for the second time ever, and we followed jackie's car all the way to ft. worth. we stayed in ft. worth with jackie and her family for two nights, explored the great cow-filled city, and ventured on to new mexico where we met eric, leigh, and our trusty adult figures, kim and robert.

the class was great, the scenery was beautiful -- i can't think of many places more beautiful than ghost ranch. my favorite part was our last night there, when the eight of us (the vanderbilt group + our alumna friend nancy) took a night hike atop chimney rock and took communion together under the moonlight. i knew the trip would be good but i never expected to get so much out of it. we finally got together for a reunion last month and it was amazing how, without spending any time together over the last 5 months, we were able to pick up right where we left off. it gave me a completely fresh outlook on the community of the divinity school and i made a handfull of great friends who i otherwise might never have met.

i'm so thankful for this experience and i can safely say that you've never known grace until you've been rained on in the desert. also, every saint has a past and every sinner has a future (photo to come).

#11 alive now / writing about religion

2010-12-21T23:23:00.001-06:00

this year, i've found divinity school to be far more fulfilling than the last two semesters. i think i can attribute this confidence and encouragement to the sense of consolation i've found in the meeting of my interest in writing and the space that the church provides for it. i've really enjoyed the first half of my internship with the upper room, working for alive now.

on top of that, i was fortunate enough to be enrolled in victor judge's course, "writing about religion" -- key word: about. going to this class felt like going to therapy every friday - it was wonderful. i've never taken a class that i felt was so applicable to my interests and needs to explore a craft.

we'll see where this takes me, but i'm thankful for both of these things that have graced my year.

#12 mumford & sons

2010-12-20T22:35:00.041-06:00

halloween weekend rounded out, monday rolled around, and it was time. time for nashville's second greatest british invasion of 2010.

john and i rushed to get ready after work, raced to the war memorial and grabbed the awesome seats that were kindly reserved by dear friends holly and david. without them, we would have been sitting in the nosebleeds because the place was packed halfway through the second opening act!

i feel like it's a sin to elaborate on how incredible this concert was because so many people were wishing they had tickets that sold out in a single day. but... elaborate i must.

from the first moment they came on stage, the energy in the auditorium was just unbelievable. we thought they were going to play straight through the album, but they mixed it up. one of the most exciting moments was the encore with special surprise guests old crow medicine show! i love nashville.

words can't describe how much fun this evening was. after a year of amazing concerts, i might just have to say that this one was the best. :)

#13 the avett brothers

2010-12-19T21:42:00.001-06:00

several weeks ago, i reported the glory of my second ryman auditorium halloween viewing of the brothers avett. coveted tickets to this event were my gift to my dad for father's day -- a little delayed gratification but worth it for everyone involved!

the avett brothers did not disappoint. they were incredible! claire harris -- suit up for next halloween because we are going to make this a three-year tradition. :) who needs candy & costumes?

i have no videos to share because the ryman ushers are super intense about stopping the amateur cinematographers, which i really appreciate because nothing is more annoying than trying to watch a band play but having to view it through the digital camera being held up in front of your face. it is, however, nice to be able to find clips from your show on youtube and today, i'm at a loss.

go buy "i and love and you" and listen to it. it'll be almost as good.

#14 band of horses

2010-12-18T20:55:00.023-06:00

spoiler alert: the next three entries are a pseudo three-way-tie in that they recall three equally incredible concert experiences of 2010.

starting off in some loosely particular order, is the amazingly seattle-ly bearded band of horses.

i've only seen a handfull of shows at the war memorial, but i feel confident in claiming it as a close second (only to the ryman) in favorite nashville venues.

john and i ventured downtown in july and had ourselves a ball, sometimes moving us to "almost" tears. it's hard to review an experience like this because so much of it is being there and feeling like you're inside the music -- but maybe just slap on some headphones and listen to this.

#15 cinco de mayo

2010-12-17T18:25:00.001-06:00

last year, i celebrated cinco de mayo by doing some debilitating daytime drinking of dos equis (stay thirsty, my friends) at guadelajara, the only legit mexican restaurant in the greater seattle area (paseo not included because it is cuban).

THIS year, though, will not be easily forgotten. señor john cantu brought the idea to the table and was fully responsible for the execution of this grand fiesta in the backyard. his friend and fellow san antonian frank brought fajita fixin's and even did the grilling for us. we made pitchers of delicious margs and ate really spicy salsa and guac. the highlight, for sure, was the piñata.

john spent quite a while in the backyard attempting to get this candy-stufed four-legged friend up in the very tall tree -- he eventually succeeded with the aid of a kitchen pot and some twine. worth the work, i'm sure.

our first family photo -- we had only had joban for about a week at the party, so he was quite the hit. such a bitty boy!

ferocious piñata-headed james went head to head with joban. a battle to the end, of course.

#16 a christmas date

2010-12-16T18:23:00.000-06:00

confession. the three people who check my blog on a daily basis may have noticed that i am more than a week behind on my "best of 2010" countdown. yes, i am pre-dating my posts so that there will still be one per day counting down until the new year. the last two posts, along with this one, were written on december 22 and i will continue to fraudulently chronicle my posts like so. i was sick for a week and couldn't muster the blogging energy and then i got better but was at home and had a hard time getting back in the saddle -- but we are BACK. we are BAAAACK! we are getting doug BAAAAAAACK!

since my blog has already broken laws of both space and time, i'm going to continue by making #16 an event that indeed happened after #16 should have been posted.

john and i both departed nashville for our christmas holidays at home on sunday, december 19th. since i had been sick all week, we had cancelled a christmas party and had to renege on RSVPs for parties and events for every other night of the week. bad news bears for the holiday spirit. in an attempt to invigorate our holly jollies, we made plans to go out for a dinner date, followed by light-gazing at the opryland hotel. we ate a delicious meal at tin angel then drove out to opryland and sat in traffic forever until we realized that it cost $18 dollars for self-parking. we were guessing valet was no cheaper and we made an executive decision that the lights outside the hotel would suffice to fill our claus-o-meters for the night.

sounds weird to glorify a failed attempt at christmas cheer, but this was just a great night. maybe it was just the happy people in the car, or maybe it was hanson's holiday classic "snowed in" in the cd player-- but it was definitely sufficient for a christmasy night out with my boy.

#17 ben folds surprise

2010-12-15T17:01:00.000-06:00

i left nashville to drive home on the sunday before thanksgiving. upon arriving in apple valley, i quickly unloaded joban into his crate's temporary home in the booth laundry room, then piled in the car with mom and dad to catch brunch at the last resort. blissful yum.

on the way back home, we stopped at granna and papa's house briefly and, while in the driveway, i received the following text from my dear friend miss victoria rey...

are you, via some crazy odds, back home for the holidays yet? have an extra ticket to Ben Folds tonight

BAM. best surprise ever! victoria is the program director at WRAS and got tickets through the station! it was an amazing show -- he played for about 2.5 hours -- opened with "levi johnston's blues" and ended with "underground." i think the best part, aside from spending an evening out with victoria, was not having anticipated the concert. i had listened to old ben folds songs on my drive home earlier that day, with no earthly idea i'd hear him play those songs later that night! thank you, victoria, for this awesome surprise -- and thank you, ben folds, for being in atlanta the night i got home. :)

#18 gala

2010-12-14T11:28:00.000-06:00

so, the divinity school has a prom of sorts and it's called gala. we got dressed up, took pictures, carried flip flops in our purses -- just like the real deal. we met at gracie's for cocktails, walked over to the scarritt-bennett center for couple photos, and then to jackson's for some pre-dance grub.

my hot date

gracie-face knows all the right moves

this was john's favorite part of the night. a table long feast of delicious vegetable trays for the taking... mwahahahah

#19 celebration mom

2010-12-13T13:47:00.000-06:00

after a six year hiatus, i returned to camp st. christopher for celebration #30-something - YEESH. (for those of you who don't know: celebration is a high school 3-day retreat that i was involved in all through high school. it's held at a camp on the beach near charleston and is perhaps the most majestic place on earth.) my dear ol' cousin coleman was the moderator of the weekend, so mom and i made it a point to attend as "moms" for the weekend. i flew to atlanta just in time to be scooped up by mom and swept away on the oh, so familiar drive to charleston, sc.

it was definitely great to be there without having to really do anything! just sit on the back row, observe, and remember all the great celebrations of yore. :) after a year of hearing people at divinity school try to over-theologize each other and make a deeper point about where god is in the world, i was refreshed in hearing the authenticity of high schoolers who just know the god that they experience in the day-to-day, even when those days aren't good ones.

we stayed an extra night and day to celebrate mothers' day + mom's graduation! delicious lunch at s.n.o.b. and a great day with my great family.

#20 blackstone lunch date

2010-12-12T19:05:00.000-06:00

on a bright may afternoon, i found myself halfway through the semester's finals and the light at the end of the tunnel was naturally enticing. john had the day off from towne park. once he got over the fact that he didn't have to park cars for the afternoon, we decided to take advantage of the day and have a lunch date.

we sat on the patio at blackstone, incurred a little bit of healthy sunburn, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. we ordered a beer that our waiter warned us would curdle if we didn't drink it quickly enough. to protect our health from curdled hopps, we guzzled it down before ordering another less time-sensitive cerveza and relaxing into our meals.

another one of those great days with john cantu that might not seem so great in writing -- but i wouldn't have missed it for the world.

#21 apple valley with the millersons

2010-12-11T09:25:00.000-06:00

holly & david had been talking about wanting to visit apple valley for a while, so we made plans to stick around a few days after returning to atlanta from guatemala, get some R & R in the AV, and then head back to nashville. when all manner of natural disaster struck guatemala on our departure day, those plans got pushed back a bit and instead of going to a braves game, we just decided to live in antigua for another week. when we finally made it back to U.S. soil, everyone had to go their separate ways, so the post-guat apple valley trip was slimmed down to john and i.

holly & david rescheduled for october, so that we could make it for a game at turner field before the regular season ended. the four of us (+ joban) piled into my jetta on a friday afternoon and booked it to northeast georgia for the weekend.

our weekend included a LOT of eating, hanging out, and baseball-watching. huge breakfast on the back porch (food not pictured because there was no time to document the feast before it was gobbled up). biscuits, gravy, eggs, bacon, country ham - the works. welcome home, y'all.

we went to the braves game with NO tickets in hand - a risky move on the booth family's part - but ended up scoring some good seats in the sunny outfield ....

...until the expectedly epic text from joe booth, saying that he had procured the jackpot seats (under the shade, right behind home plate.) who said there were no perks to making friends with strangers?

beers, peanuts, hot dogs, friends. life is good.

we ventured back to apple valley in time for mom's tapas feast -- bruschetta, 7 layer dip, little beef tenderloin sandwiches, fruit -- the works. a delicious dinner accompanied by a DVR'd viewing of sir paul mccartney's concert at the white house AND a special visit from my dear keri guined.

just an all around hard-to-beat great weekend :) oh, and the braves won!

#22 the morris kids

2010-12-10T15:14:00.000-06:00

the morris family has provided me a lot of writing material in the past year and a half, since i began working for them as a nanny-of-all-trades. this year, i've certainly done a lot of driving to and from the hockey rink in cool springs -- the greatest benefit of which is keeping me hip with the new fangled hip-pop tunes the kids are listening to these days. i've developed quite the affinity for ke$ha and katy perry and i feel totally and completely justified in blaming my knowledge of all top-40 lyrics on josh, margaret, russell, and becca. :)

i have so many things to show for my time with them. mostly, i have silly bands... a lot of silly bands. i have successfully mastered the cuisine of mac & cheese + chicken nuggets and i'm even picking up some latin to add to my lingual mindgrapes these days.

earlier in the year, i wrote an essay for my "writing about religion" class, the assignment for which was to relay a pentimento -- a revision, a painting over what once was. i chose the morris kids as the backdrop for my pentimento. the essay recounts the initial ridiculousness of my acceptance of this job, considering my past impatience and intolerance with children and previous announcement of retirement from the babysitting profession. after many frustrations, i had practically resigned to a life that would be complete without motherhood because i wasn't sure i was cut out for it. this has changed. thanks, morris fam.

a paragraph from my pentimento:

The children’s busy individual sports and school schedules carried on and the crisp soccer practices morphed into indoor basketball games as swiftly as the seasons changed. Homework assignments were completed, car-loads of hockey equipment were driven back and forth to ice rinks in Franklin, poodle skirts were acquired in moments of sheer panic the night before the Sock Hop at school. There have been several afternoons where my requests and commands are completely inaudible and some evenings when bedtime will simply never arrive, but in the midst of these expected frustrations, I’ve carried a sleeping eight-year-old girl from her beanbag to her bed, sung “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” with a twelve-year old tough guy on the way to the ice rink, and found myself admiring the chaos that happens before my eyes.

the truth is that i adore these kids and i don't want to know what my life would be like without them. nanny whit, signing off.

#23 i love you, man

2010-12-09T16:43:00.000-06:00

my first viewing of "i love you, man" took place at the regal in downtown seattle in early 2009. within the first month or so of meeting john cantu, i eyed the dvd on his shelf and that was the moment i knew... that we would be watching this movie a lot. :)

i love paul rudd. i love jason segel. naturally, i love "i love you, man" ... the bromance of my generation. i think john and i have actually watched it about 20 times this year and, as most of you know, our dog's name derives from this movie's script.

peter klaven's lovable awkwardness should be enough to make you run out and rent this baby:

take it easy, city slicka.

carol of the stupid bells

2010-12-09T10:20:00.002-06:00

i've always had a strange adversity to "carol of the bells" -- it has always annoyed me and, even when done really well, it's nowhere close to my favorites (ooh, an idea for another blog list! just kidding... maybe...) when it came up on pandora this morning, i was reminded of the origin of my beef with this classic -- and youtube has supplied it.

the one doofy bell in this claymation special (hosted by the california raisins, if my memory serves), keeps missing his part in the choir. i'm not sure why this video made me hate the song so much, but here we are -- 18 years later and my mind still goes to the hunchback conductor and the stupid snaggletooth bell who can't find his hammer.

okay, maybe it's not that bad. does anybody else remember this christmas special though? when i bring it up, no one seems to know what i'm talking about. if you want to see the whole thing, i'm pretty sure it's taped on the same VHS as "a garfield christmas" at my parents' house.

let's pause for a itty bit o' christmas

2010-12-08T10:20:00.001-06:00

first of all, i just realized that my last ten or fifteen blog posts are numbered entries in various lists -- with two different sets of numbers being counted down or marked off two different lists, i want to take a moment to stop the madness and take a breather for the season.

last night, ~~the roomies and~~ i put lights on our christmas tree (or what's left of it, after joban has taken a liking to chewing on the lower branches. fortunately, there's a large section of unneeded brush at the bottom, so if he takes those - he's in trouble, but not as much. "i twim the twee for you guys okay?!") while we all watched home alone 2. SO good. i'm so thankful and refreshed that at age 24, it's still hilarious to watch harry and marv get the crap beat out of them. RIGHT IN THE SCHNAZ!

this movie may not have the "and that's what christmas is all about, charlie brown" moment, but it is definitely not christmas until i've seen it. and i'll go ahead and say it - home alone 2 trumps home alone.

with chili peppers on the tree and home alone 2 in the xbox, it is officially christmas on w. linden.

what movie makes your christmas?

#24 natchez trace

2010-12-08T09:11:00.000-06:00

the day before i left for new orleans, john and i dedicated an entire day to doing absolutely nothing. this turned into an impromptu trip down the natchez trace, through the park, and little light hiking.

i don't have a ton of detail to report on this, other than that it was just a really good day - good enough to make the countdown. :)

#25 n'awlins

2010-12-07T20:33:00.003-06:00

one of my spring semester courses entitled "race, religion, and poverty" was chosen for two primary reasons: 1) it met the race & ethnicity requirement for my M.Div and 2) it included a $200 week-long spring break trip to New Orleans. a no-brainer.

the goal of our trip was to learn about the city of new orleans and its distinguishing attributes as relating to racial relations and poverty (pre- and post-katrina). we toured housing projects, listened to a LOT of lectures from professors at tulane and loyola, had conversations with local religious leaders and residents of the 9th ward. so, i guess you could say that we reached our goals of learning about these things. we also ate in a lot of nice restaurants (put it on my cal turner's tab) and (some of us) hit up the blackjack tables at harrah's downtown. nothing like studying poverty while eating oysters on the half shell and doubling down.

as a side note: i found bourbon street to be an enormous nightmare and if i never return, it'll be too soon.

highlights of the trip:

heisman!

hot stuff: gracie currie

tourists.

growing quickly overwhelmed by the historic museum
we took a breather outside.

the most important thing we learned, by far...

it is RUDE to decline a chili dog from your host, even if it's 10am.
also, chocolate milk is the best thing to wash it down your gullet.

#26 amos lee & ikea day

2010-12-06T16:22:00.001-06:00

for easter weekend, john joined me for his maiden voyage to apple valley. a lovely weekend, as usual.

instead of coming back on sunday afternoon, we stayed home an extra night so that we could pass through chattanooga just in time to use our tickets to see amos lee at rhythm & brews (a bar which is, coincidentally, owned by someone my mother dated way back when-- fun fact.)

before 8:00 in chattanooga, though, we had plenty of time to kill and speculated many options for the day. six flags was definitely a viable choice -- it would leave us tired and sweaty for the concert and the remainder of the drive back to nashville. the georgia aquarium was a close second, but lost out to spending the day in IKEA.

HOLY COW. it was love at first sight. if you haven't been to an IKEA, you should probably just move to a city that has one in a 100 mile radius. funky and affordable furniture -- tons of weirdly useful things for the house, like a container to stuff all your plastic grocery bags and pull them out one by one. brilliant. thanks, sweden! i can't remember all the other stuff we did, but i'm pretty sure it was just like this:

500 days of Summer - Ikea from tasha nasir on Vimeo.

we made our way to chattanooga in time to grab a cream soda and some locally famous moon pies :) if i recall, this was the first of many terrible things we put into our bodies on this beautiful day. at the concert, i'm pretty sure we ordered nachos and buffalo wings. worth it!

#27 modern family

2010-12-05T13:10:00.002-06:00

thank you, ABC, for renewing the contract for a second season of modern family (wednesdays 9/8c). this hilarious mock-umentary style sitcom chronicles the lives of jay pritchett's children and their families, not to mention jay's young, gorgeous, and voluptuous colombian wife, gloria, and her hopelessly romantic eleven-year-old son manny. jay's daughter claire is married to phil dunphy, the cool dad to their three children.

mitchell, claire's brother, lives with his boyfriend cameron and their newly adopted vietnamese daughter, lily. everyone is adjusting to their new lives, all while living in the same city and seeing each other on a regular basis. this show has the best characters i've seen on tv in several years -- everyone brings something essential to the table (except maybe the snarky middle dunphy sister, but i identify with her too much to want to see her go).

if you haven't seen modern family yet, i would be in your best interest to tune in on wednesday nights (or on hulu) and spend 30 minutes enjoying some great comedic writing. here's a clip from one of my favorite episodes from the first season, entitled "fizbo."

#28 dancing with dad

2010-12-04T11:57:00.001-06:00

in january, the booths (and a ton of other people) gathered in athens to celebrate the wedding of annie booth & eric worrell -- congrats worrells! the caravan led from the church to the classic center for the reception. i don't have any photographic evidence of this, but my dad and i cut quite the rug out on the dance floor. at one point, a relative approached my mom to ask if she could see her family -- maybe a shameful observation, but i'm sure she was proud. maybe just felt bad that we were showing everybody else up. who could blame her? we looked good.

#29. way late play date

2010-12-03T15:04:00.000-06:00

back in the summertime, we met david and holly out at the adventure science center for a 21+ after hours event. they staffed the center from 6-9 so that grown-ups can walk around and play with all the stuff that the kids usually enjoy at ASC -- oh yeah, and admission included two adult beverages per person.

we learned about the human body and our circulatory systems. this was a little continuing education for nurse holly -- she was taking notes the whole night.

we played a little wheelchair basketball - and learned how hard it is to push up inclines and reach public things that are placed too high off the ground - like the obsolete pay phone or, more importantly, ketchup and mustard dispensers.

this is what john would look like if he didn't have any bones
... and if he wet his pants.

this was the best part though-- even if it was a little painful to the groin area in those harnesses. it's the closest i'm ever going to get to playing peter pan on broadway :) although john might beat me out for the part -- look at that form!

#30 THE SITUATION: 2010

2010-12-02T15:38:00.000-06:00

at the end of january, nashville stood in line at grocery stores with arms full of milk and bread in dreaded anticipation of snow. this custom usually leaves the shelves bare for little reason, as the city continues to press on despite the 1/2 inch of white dust that has accumulated overnight. some schools will close for the safety of bus-riding children and others commuting with their families, but are unable to fill their day with sledding, because the trash can lids just won't slide on wet grass.

this year, though, things changed. THE SITUATION: 2010. "hide ya kids, hide ya wife. a snow's a comin' to town and we're all going to be trapped and stranded for an indefinite amount of time." thank god things weren't as dramatic as the twitter hashtags depicted -- i found myself with a day off from school and work, staying warm inside and occasionally making the precarious journey out on the roads. after a treacherous slide into 12th avenue with no hope of stopping, i left the driving to my new friend john cantu and viewed snowy nashville from the passenger window.

despite the drastic nature of "the situation", we managed to get out a lot and see our friends. after busting it on the divinity school library ramp, i was a little hesitant on my feet (and the car - snow and clumsiness do not go hand in hand), but we braved the roads and sidewalks to have daytime mimosa's at alex's, bundle up in our unintentionally matching sweaters (see below), and head out to poker night at the kenner house. this was too soon after vegas for me, so i was a little preoccupied by my enthusiasm to be holding clay chips again and forgot that i don't know how to play texas hold 'em. john claims to have held back on his game because he didn't want to be the new guy who took everybody's five dollars.

photo courtesy of (stolen from) ms. meghan backes

i'm not sure how much snow actually accumulated in nashville, but i heard life-time residents say it was the most snow they'd ever seen in this city. it was a lot of fun while it lasted!

the best of 2010 -- #31: tunica

2010-12-01T11:08:00.003-06:00

as 2010 winds down and we sneak into december, i'm going to continue my second-annual tradition of counting down the highlights of the year. that's right -- one post per day, each day of december, noting the best 31 things of 2010!

i'm kicking off my list with #31 -- tunica! yes, yes. after an epic trip to las vegas in january, john and i were officially suffering from the gambling itch. while i was slightly more successful in vegas than john, neither of us have found ourselves with enough pocket money to plan another trip to sin city. naturally, we turn to the next closest option, drive toward memphis, head south, and enter the grand land of tunica, mississippi. :)

in tunica, there are no non-smoking blackjack tables. "love" was great in vegas -- but "the asian show" at gold strike gave cirque du soleil a run for its money. a 13 course dinner at l'atalier has nothing on paula deen's buffet.

needless to say, tunica is a really classy place and we've had a couple of really fun weekends there, despite its uncannily lackluster attempt to mimic las vegas, both in style and in my personal profitability.

our maiden voyage took place in may. we planned a little one-night trip and the itch was so itchy, we decided to extend our stay. our hotel for night 2 wasn't quite as fun as the quaint expedia find from night 1. with decor like those carpets (<---yowza), you know you're in the right place.

after a few months to recover, we made another trip. thanks, comps! we got a nice room in a hotel whose doors weren't covered in small bugs and that didn't remind us of the previews for the movie "vacancy". we were in the audience for a neely's cooking show special -- until we reached our limit of starvation while watching them sassily add cayenne pepper to everything and treating the kitchen like the bedroom. blackjack tables weren't so kind to us on this trip, but we stayed within our budget and will stick with the party line, "we broke even."

since our last trip, we made a decision to save that money to visit other places -- as in, outside of the deep south's string of casinos. we'll see some other cities, travel to some more cultured parts of the world, and save our occasional blackjack urges for las vegas. raise a tiny complementary glass of cheap gin and mostly tonic to the majestic land of tunica. to tunica!

91. alaskan amber

2010-11-30T12:57:00.000-06:00

occasionally, i am seized with an insatiable craving for this, the scallop sandwich from paseo on fremont ave in the emerald city of seattle, washington. doesn't it look positively scrumptious? this, along with some other items on a short list, causes my mouth to salivate upon simply thinking of it. crispy bread sandwich the carmelized onions, creamy aoili seasoned mayo, pickled jalapenos diced and cooked with cilantro, garlic, and other succulent spices, and (of course) the seared caribbean scallops. oh sweet lord.

every time i have a friend traveling to the great northwest, i encourage them to take the number 5 bus to fremont and partake of this -- unfortunately, it's not something that i can order and have shipped to enjoy in the comfort of my own warm, sunny, tennessee home.

but my second favorite seattle delicacy?

oh sweet nectar of the northwestern gods -- alaskan amber. despite the laws prohibiting the import of alcohol into this great state of tennessee, john cantu found a loophole here we are!

thanks, boyfriend, for being such a renegade and bending the law to bring me these four bottles of delicious lager. they were deeply enjoyed and, while i'm sad to see them slowly depart the fridge, i'm excited to cross #91 off my 101 list. cheers!

89. wine tasting

2010-11-12T17:06:00.003-06:00

as far as i'm concerned, halloween is synonymous with the avett brothers. on oct 30, i attended my second (hopefully) annual halloween avett show at the ryman and this year, claire and i were joined by john, meaghan, and the guests of honor: joe and susan booth. tickets to this sold-out concert were my dad's fathers' day gift from about 4 months ago and from his raving reviews, it was worth the wait.

mom and dad got into town on thursday night in time for TOT (theology on tap at mafiaoza's). on friday, we broke the fast at fido, strolled around hillsboro village for a while, ate lunch at firefly, picked up joban and went to centennial park, then got the group together for pre-avett dinner at urban flats. EPIC day of delicious nashville food and glorious avetts. on sunday morning, mom, dad, john, and i went to brunch at marche artisan foods (in east nash) before packing a small trader joe's bounty of yummy brie, pears, almonds, avocados, and apples and heading to arrington vineyards for the afternoon. GLORIOUS.

a beautiful day in arrington, tn

nashvillians, if you haven't been out to arrington vineyards yet, you should definitely make the trip. you get to taste four of their wines -- that's right. taste. the idea is that you'll love one enough to buy a bottle or three, take one outside with your pic-a-nic basket, and enjoy the experience. if you're lucky, you'll get a gorgeous day like we did.

this is how you do it.

four good-looking winos

this entire weekend was great -- thanks, mom and dad, for trekking up to nashville and doing all this fun stuff. i raise a glass of red fox red (or that white wine that starts with a "v") in honor of this splendid day :)

12. get a bike!

2010-11-10T10:29:00.003-06:00

last year, my birthday presented a dilemma for the ages: do i buy another replacement digital camera or spring for the environmentally responsible, healthy option? camera prevailed over bike in 2009, but THIS year (even though i was in need of yet another replacement camera - you're welcome, guatemalan black market), i am the proud owner of a new bicycle!

don't worry, i'm wearing shorts underneath the skirt :)

yep, i'm a biker now. my driving trips to harris teeter are OVER (unless it's raining) and i'm still working toward a once-a-week commute. the first week that i biked to work, it was rough for the first third of the ride and then downhill through campus to 21st avenue, which was great!...until it dawned on me that the trip back would be miserable for the first two thirds of my return trip. needless to say, i survived and am enjoying my leisurely, yet purposeful, adventures. john got a bike too, so that's been great to work off our beers and sweet cece's en route.

best biking adventure so far: on halloween night, we rode to hillsboro village to get some cece's, zooming past trick-or-treaters and spookily decorated porches through the crisp leaves. let's give it up for the fall, enjoying halloween for once, and environmentally friendly mobile adventures with john cantu :)

64. camping

2010-11-10T09:51:00.001-06:00

remember back on the first weekend in august when i went camping, mostly for sweaty fun but partially to cross item #64 off my 101 in 1001 list? i'm finally here to report the highlights. david and holly are more experienced campers than john and i -- they have bins of appropriately labeled equipment, a stove, one of those awkward water containers with malleable walls -- they are pretty much grizzly man and woman. also, soon to be mrs. grizzly man and woman -- belated congrats from the blog :) may your long and happy marriage be filled with delicious bacon and french toast.

we had a lovely, warm weekend at a campground surrounding percy priest lake and naturally, the first weekend in august demands the proper use of floats and fun-noodles (pronounced: fuh-nOOdles). even joban joined in on the fun for his first swim which was perfectly salmon-esque.

boys catching some rays in the lake

gotta keep those buggies away

it has indeed been a long time since i've brought out the ol' tent. in fact, i'm not sure it's ever been pitched outside of an apple valley backyard when caroline and i would sleep outside with an obscene amount of pillows and an egg crate. it was a little different without the 50 foot extension cord gracing us with the TV/VCR combo and the first fifteen minutes of "jumanji" -- you know, before it gets too scary to watch outside in a tent.

joban loves the great outdoors

this was a great get-away with friends and pup. camping is fun AND a fairly inexpensive way to vacate the busy life and surround yourself with peace and quiet (minus crickets, birds, and the twilight bark). thanks, holly and david, for having all the stuff to get us going -- can't wait to go again when it gets warm (and drink camp coffee!)

oh, to be a 14 year old genius

2010-10-27T13:33:00.001-05:00

i'm sure i was an obnoxious kid. it's at least a phase for everyone, in some capacity. i've found myself attributing many of my behaviors to being an only child in the last year-- too many courses on family systems theory (damn it, murray bowen!). i spent a lot of time with adults, leaving me confident in my conversational skills and with at least minimal knowledge on enough subjects to make it through post-church chit-chat or dinner with my parents and their friends. i preface my rant with this only to admit that this may be a product of puberty from which i was not (and may still not be) exempt.

i spend a good deal of time in the car driving kids back and forth to a sports complex in franklin for hockey practice. both of the morris boys (ages 10, 13) play hockey on really competitive traveling teams and, since it's a lengthy drive to make so frequently, i'm often transporting other boys from their neighborhood to save their mothers/babysitters a trip. i'll also say, first, that i love spending time with "my" kids -- all four of them are awesome and fun to drive around, switching back and forth between the three pop/hip-hop radio stations that nashville has to offer. there are two teammates that typically tag along. one is quiet and sweet -- the other one has never made up for saying, upon climbing in my car for the first time, that the beatles are the worst band ever. shun the nonbeliever.

fourteen years old and thinks he's smarter than everyone. he told me that most people can't tell the difference between a guitar solo between eddie van halen and that angus guy from ac/dc (who he thought i didn't know. putz.) but he can tell because he plays guitar. i told him i knew the difference because, uh, the two bands have completely different sounds? also, i snidely remarked, i do play the guitar... so.... yeah. "electric?" i can! long story short - i am never wont for complaints about this child. it's like, quit kicking your giant hockey bag to cram it into the trunk of my volkswagen. how about i come kick your car? oh wait, you're mid-puberty and backseat-bound for at least another year.

i'd be lying if i said i don't recognize my more obnoxious self in this know-it-all punk. the beatles slam is not likely recoverable, but every time he gets in my car with a new reason to make fun of a collection of unpopular people at school (nice kid, right?), i'm trying to start over and take each trip to franklin at a time. it's hard to see yourself in someone that you want to punch in the face, so i think that means it's time to sit back, take a deep breath, and just keep driving. too bad it's dangerous to wear headphones behind the wheel.

headphones on.

2010-10-05T11:45:00.002-05:00

this is not the time for a blog post. i should "save now" and close the window, but i'm not going to. at the moment, i'm writing a sermon about judgment and grace, a la jesus and the adulterous woman in john 8. i have to preach for eight of my div school colleagues tomorrow afternoon. i also have a paper due tomorrow in which i must state my position on who god is and what god does. no big deal. still, this window is open.

first of all, get your headphones out and prepare to be shaken while i set up this experience that struck me as urgent enough to put my theologizing on hold.

last week, john gave me the new ben folds/nick hornby collaborative CD, lonely avenue, for my birthday (also, a fully functioning iphone that will no longer leave chards of glass in my fingers. BAM.) it's great. go buy it. amidst all my school work that's due in the next 24 hours, i decided to really hone in on the thought process (i.e. plug in headphones and listen to my new CD so that I could focus instead of listening to the deafening silence of the language lab. what?). i opened itunes and went to my most recently imported CD to click on the opening track, "a working day" -- some unintentionally thematic motivation for such a busy day. i bopped along, wrote a few sentences about the Pharisees and Levitical law, then was struck by the unexpected familiarity in my headphones. i inadvertently left itunes on shuffle, so folds/hornby morphed into this, another masterpiece by another ben. headphones required.

i didn't expect to be blown away by this, but it was great and i thought i'd share. let's go back to 2004, before the garden state iron and wine cover and the UPS commercials. if you can turn off the lights, do that. headphones on, y'all. enjoy.

now, back to ben folds-- err, the gospel of john.

an A+ for crowd participation

2010-09-28T12:45:00.000-05:00

as a glorious start to BIRTHDAY WEEK 2010, the wonderful john cantu bought me tickets to see jenny and johnny at mercy lounge. that's right, jenny lewis (of rilo kiley indie fame, an exquisite collaborate effort with the watson twins, and her amazing solo album, "acid tongue"). jenny and her new boyfriend, jonathan rice are now recording and touring together as jenny and johnny - cute, huh? YES they are so cute and they completely killed at mercy lounge on saturday night.

because i characteristically failed to purchase the album prior to attending the concert, i was in the dark on most of the j&j work (and loved it nonetheless-- that says something) but was so thankful that jenny decided to play some solo stuff. i saw her once at bonnaroo in 2009 and she was so great-- the kind of performer whose recordings will forever take me back to seeing her on stage and remembering the whole experience instead of just hearing the tune itself. one song stands out among the host and her performance of it, complete with a small chorus of band members and friends backing her up with the appropriately timed and harmonized "fire"/"liar"/"tired". when i saw the chorus gathering behind her on saturday night, i knew we were in for a big treat. the strained sweetness of her voice croons the words

"to be lonely is a habit,

like smoking or taking drugs,

and i've quit them both but

[enter the booming commiseration of the entire audience]

man, was it rough."

i think there's such truth and honesty in the parts of a song that a crowd will choose to accentuate. this one gets me every single time. you don't have to have given up cigarettes or drugs to understand how unbelievably hard it is to put an end to something. this probably means something different to every hipster in the audience and that is a beautiful thing, even in describing a personal defeat or victory. we are all here, we are all struggling, and we can look around and know that we are not alone in the fight.

slow down, you move too fast.

2010-09-14T13:55:00.001-05:00

the other day, i was sitting at my new internship with Alive Now, a magazine published by the Upper Room (this is my field education placement for div school and i'll be working there for ten hours a week until may). i was looking over the 2nd proofs for the january/february issue, titled "living in the present". the magazine has undergone a facelift with its new editor and the selections for each issue are shorter and easier to read in a hurry. the new editor realizes that people may not have time to sit down and read an entire essay in the morning during a moment of reflection, but a short prayer or meditation may do the trick. so, as i was sitting in my cubicle, pouring over these beautiful, colorful pages and reveling in the notion that i have something to do with them (i found one missing period at the end of a sentence. i have therefore contributed to the publication of this magazine), i was thinking about how great it would be to live in the present if only i had time to do that.

12 hours of grad school. 3 jobs. let's do this.

this is what my week looks like this, and almost every, week. now you all know where to find me and when. mostly, i'm excited to be this busy -- i like the things i'm doing and i'm happy with just enough time to get everything done and still have weekends (mostly) free to relax and enjoy myself.

but back to that whole "living in the present", appreciating every moment, noticing every breath thing? i guess i could do that in the car, or running up and down grand avenue throughout the day. and let's face it - i'm probably not going to be getting up any earlier than the required 6:30 or 6:45... or 7:15. i'd like to go to yoga a couple of times a week but I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOGA. something's got to happen so that i don't lose my mind though, and this morning -- i took a moment at the red light (that i almost made it through) and realized that i couldn't get to Constructive Theology any faster than i was going to get there. in spite of my creeping idea that i could maybe skip out on that class this morning (first time all year-- err, all 4 weeks of it...), i plugged along with my morning cheese toast and got out the door. if i'm a few minutes late (i was), that's okay. the time at the red light was pretty refreshing for me-- i looked up from the road, past the wire of wretched red dots, and could see the feathered patches of clouds above the trees. before i begin to sound like a hallmark card, i'll summarize that it was helpful to stop and appreciate time without feeling so rushed from one place to the next.

there's nothing from my routine that i even would want to drop, but i have seen the beauty of stopping and breathing. i just have to create those little opportunities amidst the chaos that i masochistically love.

the necessity of grace

2010-08-17T13:46:00.000-05:00

last night, john and i ventured over to franklin road to attend the 5:30 at first pres. trey wrapped up the book of judges, which was interesting but mildly resembled the feeling i have about the Lord of the Rings trilogy. if i'm going to get the most out of it, i have to invest a lot more time with backstories about elves battling hobbits or something and i'd rather just wait until it's on TV again and i have nothing to do for about 13 hours-- i'll catch up eventually. so, i struggled through the historical part (aka the bible part) until this question was posed: do we need grace in order to have a relationship with god?

i'm interested to hear what others think on this subject. my initial reaction stems from my defenses regarding the pop-Jesus culture concept of faith and capitalism. i heard: "do we have to have grace in order to get the relationship with god?", as in "if i swipe my card as an acknowledgment of god's grace in my life, can i call myself a spiritual person?" then i got my hyper-defensive tendencies under control and realized no one is trying to turn spirituality into an overly monitored online bank account (because, seriously. who does that?)

i think the big distinguishing point here is asking if grace is necessary for us to be in relationship with god OR if god has to give us grace in order that god can be in relationship with us? do we need that unwarranted forgiveness for how much we mess up in order to feel rightly close to something bigger? or does god need to give us undeserved love in order to welcome us back into relationship?

it's a testament to our humanity to think that we have to clear our consciences before we can be close to our creator who made us fallible and imperfect. i personally don't think that god needs us to be aware of grace in order to be waiting at the end of the road if we want to be close to the divine. we're so accustomed to this economic setup that we have to feel deserving of what we have and who we are. my hope is that we can all find a place to be okay with needing grace. it's okay that we mess up and god doles out grace like free popcorn. no transaction necessary.

31. PAUL MCCARTNEY

2010-07-30T22:37:00.002-05:00

ever since my musical/spiritual awakening that occurred around age 19 when i discovered "abbey road" for myself (or so i thought-- my mother had been slowly exposing me to such glory for years leading up to this point), one of my life goals has been to see paul mccartney before one of us dies. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

IT WAS EPIC. i've held off blogging about this for a few days because i didn't even have words. he was so talented and precious -- i was so enthralled in the music that i had to keep reminding myself that i was actually looking at paul. PAUL MCCARTNEY. THE CUTE BEATLE. insane. absolutely unbelievable.

he played everything you could imagine! i cried through "blackbird", of course. it was just too good.

it's paul!

it's whitney and john!

79. loveless cafe

2010-07-26T13:25:00.001-05:00

one down -- one hundred to go!

this saturday, i had an absolutely splendid day that began with an early morning trip to the nashville biscuit beacon known as the loveless cafe! david and holly picked us up and we all beat the line of hungry local tourists (a label i'm proud to wear as i continue to explore my great city) and got a table just in time for an onslaught of bacon, biscuits, and a lot of other really delicious things.

family style, y'all! unlimited bacon... HEY-O!

nobody loves bacon and OJ as much as this boy.

nothing like a full belly and good times with great friends who also enjoy being local tourists :)

best saturday i've had in so long!

the rest of the day consisted

of going on a cleaning rampage with my boy. it is so, so good to spend a day of otherwise mundane and dreaded tasks with someone who makes all those things enjoyable :)

but the BEST part of the day was seeing the mail truck near the dog park and saying aloud, "wait-- what!? why is the mail running?" and then realizing that it was saturday instead of sunday. life is so good.

park bark

2010-07-23T14:00:00.001-05:00

now that our pup is a hefty 25 pounds...

see?

...john, joban, and i have started making semi-weekly trips to centennial dog park. it's not the most beautiful plot of land in davidson county, but it sure does provide a good environment for pups and their peeps to come together, exert some energy, and cultivate some conversation.

in our 4 trips to the dog park thus far, we've met lots of folks and i am here to report: there are a lot of cool people in nashville. the topics of conversation aren't always groundbreaking or morally challenging, but every time we've gone, we've found ourselves quickly wrapped up in sincere small talk. i don't know if it's the bond of canine ownership or the solidarity of poop-picker-uppers that draws us to each other, but something about the dog park gives people a place to feel comfortable and share with strangers who also love their dogs. whatever it takes, right?

we also ran into our guat buddy david and his dog jack last week, a reunion that was long overdue since our extended stay in central america. so, if you have a dog (or if you just want to look at other dogs... which is odd in the same venue as going to a playground without a child, but not quite as creepy) and are looking for some good old fashioned, genuine small talk with people who want to do the same, head over to the dog park. you and your tuckered out dog will be glad you did.

101 in 1001

2010-07-20T14:32:00.000-05:00

so, after months of meticulous list-making, i've finished my 101 in 1001 list! that's right, folks-- 101 things in 1001 days. i got the idea from meghan and have been pondering potential achievements since the first day of mandatory vacation in guatemala. today, i'm finally ready to start!

1001 days from today is april 16, 2013... hopefully by then, i'll have completed my 101 things. given my affinity for lists, i'm looking forward to doing all these things i've wanted to do anyway, but with a little more incentive than just "wanting to do that someday...eventually."

as i work my way through the list, i'll post updates on this blog. i'm hoping it opens up some doors that i'm not expecting. if any of you have 101 lists, please let me know so i can follow your progress too! my list and progress can be found on its own "page," which is listed on the right panel of this main blog page under the link "101 in 1001"... or you can just click here!

same song, second verse

2010-07-07T13:21:00.001-05:00

given my affinity for repitition ("friends" episodes, jim and pam's wedding video, --i'm having a hard time coming up with something that hasn't filled an NBC thursday prime time slot at some point or another), it shouldn't be surprising that i jumped at the opportunity to return to the land of enchantment and take a course (for VDS credit!) at Ghost Ranch. my first visit to the ranch was back in 2008 for YAV orientation, where i made new friends, experienced the first (of many) massive social explosion among my seattle housemates, and star-gazed atop a mesa while someone played the flute. last week, i drove from nashville with two girls i didn't know, reading course materials in the car to prepare for our week-long class on "water and baptismal life" (more to come on that topic). i arrived road-weary and hesitant about the week away from home, john, and the pup, only to feel a beautiful familiarity with the dwarfing, dusty rocks that surround the ranch. strangely, i was assigned to the same room in the corral block that i stayed in last time. it was nice to be reminded of the growth i've experienced since then. the corral block toilets still face each other (as to facilitate special moments of human communication) and are hidden behind curtains instead of doors, but i am no longer the person who occupied the bottom bunk in the room to the right in 2008. i'm hardly the same person now that i was when i arrived at ghost ranch last sunday. while my life-plan is still mostly nebulous, i have more direction than i did back then.

when it was time to make a decision for post-seattle living last spring, i wrestled with the dilemma of tackling a new city while wanting to return to nashville. i had enjoyed the adventure of seattle and living in a place where i didn't know anyone or have any history; however, i couldn't help but feel nashville tugging at my heart/guitar strings to come home. in anne lamott's book grace (eventually), she recounts an experience of helping lead worship at a convalescent home, a ministry for which she cares deeply.

the people here are shipwrecks, and sometimes there is not much left, but there is a thread in them that can be pulled and that still vibrates... so we show up, talk, and sing. it seems to fill the residents, breathe more life into them... when we sang "jesus loves me", a song [they] may have learned as children, some sang along, muttering and murmuring like brooks:

there's much pleasure in knowing the words to a song.

i found great peace in anne lamott's words and pardon the musical pun, but nashville is a song i'm happy to be singing again. my return to music city consistently reminds me of how much has changed since i showed up wide-eyed and nauseous to my campus tour in 2003. in the same way that i get something different out of each viewing of every friends episode (just kidding, not a lot of depth there), revisiting familiar places and experiences serves as a pretty interesting meter for how we grow as people. now i'm thinking i need to make return trips to spain, scotland, and new york to see how much i've grown since those trips too... maybe i can call that continuing ed?

the pre-motivation slug

2010-06-16T15:57:00.002-05:00

for those of you who love to work out, have never felt less than extremely fit and trim, and are not persistently plagued by the tantalizing aroma of french fries--- you can stop reading now. this blog post is not for you.

the rest of you will likely relate to the body's periodic fluctuations from personal fitness to its fat, lazy twin sister, then hopefully back again. in my experience, a glance through photos from the thinner days of yore, an stubborn pair of shrunken jeans, or a chair with outrageously narrow arms could pull the trigger. once these overnight changes have been discovered, the obvious response is to begin the all too familiar regimen of whipping oneself back into shape.

but we undeserving victims of low metabolic genes know ourselves well enough to know that this shape-whipping process cannot be rushed. just like in exercising, it's important to stretch. (right? i think i heard that somewhere once.) you can't move too quickly. a complete 180 of diet and exercise is far too much to expect of ourselves on such short notice. it requires mental preparation and, naturally, anywhere from 7 days to 7 weeks of sloth-like behavior and massive french fry consumption.

because we've been there before, we know that even on the most lenient of diets, there are certain delicacies that will be verboten for the next couple of months. i'm always tempted to go atkins, so i can eat my weight in bacon, but then i remember that i enjoy a ticking heart and there's no way that's good in the long run. until we set into a new eating regimen, though, we have to savor the yummiest of fried gourmet foods. it's just like training for a marathon, -ish... in order to fully appreciate our difficultly attainted fitness goal, we have to make the battle worth it! so, we eat our weight in buttery popcorn, pred-taters (a cantu-booth collaborative success consisting of breakfast potatoes smothered in season-all), and buffalo wings (and lots of other two-word foods beginning with a b) before hunkering down to burn off those calories.

after this variable period of self-destructive procrastination, we head out on the really rewarding road to personal fitness and health. i might be there. i ordered a salad at dinner last night! and i thought about doing some sit-ups while playing with joban this morning! to any others of you out there in this position, talk to me and we'll keep each other posted. i'm here to tell you that, while this pre-motivation slug phase inevitably preludes pro-active behavior, don't beat yourself up! we overeat and act intentionally lazy IN PREPARATION for our future health. power on through, fellow homo sapiens with dusty tae-bo VHS tapes and a fridge full of nothing because we opt to dine in locations with deep fryers-- we can do this. eventually!

not enough niceness, too many means.

2010-06-13T12:51:00.000-05:00

i work in the language lab at vanderbilt university. it's a really exhilarating way to spend my day. it's just such a refreshing feeling to be doing something that genuinely makes a difference, you know? quite the contrary, actually. i sit at a desk and watch .75 persons come in each day and make sure no one steals all these DVDs.

note: this picture was originally taken to send to my mom, who particularly enjoys my impressions of the emphatic facial expressions of the characters on 'shining time station'. i believe this one is "percy has lost his load"[spoken in a soft british accent, followed by this face].

it's a tough job, but someone's got to sit at this desk and maintain a screenshot of consistently diligent hard work. i, the poster child for said diligence, choose to multi-task.

everyday, i come in, ponder thankfully for a few moments in realization of how insanely unfair it is that i get paid (too much) to sit here and occupy such empty time while others break a sweat for less money, then get back to what i was doing to pass the vacant hours. around 2 or 3 o'clock every day, thomas comes in to change the trash cans. thomas wears a lot of cologne. he and i have the same conversation every single day.

thomas: "heeeyy, how you doin'?"

me: "hey, i'm doing well. how are you?"

thomas: "i'm good. it's hot outside today. you stayin' cool?"

me: "yeah. i haven't been out much."

thomas: "alright, well. you have a good one, ok?"

me: "ok, sounds good. you have a good one too."

every. single. day. i feel like a huge jerk for even being slightly annoyed by thomas' repetitive and reliable attempt at friendship. i imagine he does that with everyone as he makes his daily rounds. just because. it's not like he's interrupting me from my busy workload to say hello and try to share a sunny disposition, but i suppose the predictability of conversation, combined with the overwhelming pungency, is just -- well -- i suppose it's simply too much for me to tolerate. ugh.

my lack of patience and tolerance for genuinely kind people snuck up on me earlier this week when i ran into thomas in the hallway before he made it to my office. i was walking down the hall to get a diet coke (in a can, because they're more delicious in the can) when i realized the vanderbilt card swipe was out of commission. thomas was on that end of the hallway, so i told him the card swipe wasn't working on the machine, to voice my frustration and attempt to strike up conversation. his immediate reaction was "you want a cold drink? what kind do you want?" and reached into his pocket.

i quickly declined the offer, thanking him and walking briskly back to my desk to collect myself and some dimes from my wallet. i went back, got my diet coke, thanked him again for offering to help me out, and spent the rest of the afternoon feeling like crap for being frustrated with thomas' reliable kindness.

it's similar to the way i get frustrated with joban when he runs right under my feet for the first ten minutes of being home. i walk out to the trash can, almost trip a few times because he is walking, literally, right underneath me. he just wants to lick my toes and play... because he loves me.

i think what irks me the most about this intolerance is that it reminds me that i'm not often the person who is just trying to be nice for the hell of it. i get set on this no-nonsense track of living and anything unnecessary that interferes gets shoved aside. to joban and thomas, i apologize for not embracing the playful and loving lifestyle that you've attempted to share with me. my life is certainly not too busy to stop and enjoy the people and pups around me -- nothing like a little warm fuzzy feeling to get you back in focus on all the good stuff that life brings.

GUATEVER.

2010-06-01T16:13:00.000-05:00

considering the drastic deviation from the norm that has comprised the last week, it´s shocking that i haven´t found the time to accurately relay this message.

on may 22, i left atlanta with 9 good friends from nashville to fly to guatemala to work on a hospital construction site in santiago atitlan. we missed our connecting flight in miami by about 13 minutes, due to our initial departing flight being delayed -- after haggling with american airlines, which will never happen again because this is my final venture with on one of those patriotic planes, we stayed an unexpected night in coral gables outside of miami.

we arrived in santiago atitlan, guatemala in a fairly timely manner, considering our brief delay, and were even reimbursed for our hotel that we were unable to reach in guatemala city on the 22nd. great! we´re already saving money and we won´t be that late to guat! also, jennifer reports confidently that she´s never been to guatemala that she wasn´t delayed several hours in miami on the way back home. ´´oh great! since we´ve had all these delays on the front end, we´ve gotten it all out of the way. no troubles after this!´´

great week in santiago. beautiful weather. amazing hotel. WONDERFUL food at the posada. drinking mozas and margaritas in the pool and hot tub overlooking lake atitlan. don´t worry - we shoveled dirt and pushed wheelbarrows full of gravel for 4 days that validated our luxurious afternoon activities.

for our last scheduled night in guatemala, we arrived in antigua. we were rushing to get here in time to go to the market before it closed. we even skipped our time in panajachel in order to have more time in antigua. the irony continues to build. we went to this big gringo restaurant for our last night, ordered drinks, had a big ol´ time. some folks even went out dancing. i abstained because i was tired. meghan joined me and some others on our walk back to our hotel, named ´hotel entre volcanes´ (´hotel between the volcanoes´), saying ´´if we were going to be in antigua more than one night, i´d probably go out. i just don´t feel like it tonight.´´

friday morning, may 28. GO TIME. i hopped in the shower to prepare for our brief drive to guatemala city to fly to miami, and then to atlanta. by the time i got out, word was being passed around that the Picaya Volcano had erupted and covered Guatemala City in ash, rendering the airport practically useless for international flights. excellent. might be closed for the rest of the day. maybe we´ll get out tonight. nope. maybe tomorrow. nope. MONDAY. okay, so now we have more time in antigua. let´s go get massages. let´s go to the market again. let´s see where the movie theater is. let´s hang out and wait out tropical storm Agatha as it roars through guatemala and causes mudslides and flooding all over the country. let´s move the flight to wednesday. let´s watch the volcano erupt AGAIN.

word on the street NOW is that we have a flight out of guatemala city on sunday, june 6. NINE days later.

it´s hard to complain too much about our unexpected vacation here in antigua. we´ve definitely enjoyed the mandatory hiatus in a beautiful city, especially now that the torrential downpours have moved on to grace another country´s unstable infrastucture with its presence. we´ve begun establishing residential practices. if the rule about having been to a state (per brittany harvey a la cross-country drive 2009) is that urination must take place and subsequently, in order to claim visitation to a different country, a longer trip to the bathroom must occur, then i´m initiating the following: in order to claim at least temporary residence in a foreign country, you have to do your laundry here. CHECK.

all jokes aside, it´s been difficult to sit here stranded and think about our lives and jobs carrying on in our absence while knowing that so many lives have been affected by these mudslides and the volcanic eruptions. the people of guatemala are definitely in need of assistance and prayers as they rebuild, reconvene with missing family members, and reorganize their daily lives here. our biggest trouble at the moment is going back to our cushy lives. more than any of the work we did last week, this strikes me in a powerful way. we don´t have to compare what we have to what they have or how they work or anything of that nature. we can´t assume that they aren´t happy with a lifestyle that doesn´t add up to what we would prefer. we don´t have to feel sorry for them for making a living the way they do. we CAN pray for those who have been far more affected by these natural disasters than we have. we are all alive. we can count 10 heads in 10 beds every night before turning off our hotel TVs and going to sleep. be still and know.

meet joban

2010-05-19T14:49:00.003-05:00

a few weeks ago, nashville underwent a devastating weekend of rain. the cumberland river rose from 19 feet to 51 feet. homes were destroyed. mobile homes floated down I-24. lives were lost. businesses came to a screeching halt and people's livelihoods are now at stake.

i'm proud of my city. nashville has really stepped up with water conservation and relief efforts all around town. as of today, Hands on Nashville reports that 13,947 volunteers have donated their time to flood-related projects, logging 59,446 hours between May 2nd and May 18th. of course, as with any other tragedy, it's a bittersweet surprise when this philanthropic care for a neighbor appears with such enthusiasm. why can't we always take care of each other like this? what would be so hard about taking short showers to conserve water ALL the time instead of when it's mandated by the state? we saw the results -- when we all pay attention and give our city what it needs, things get better. but then the dust settles (or, in the case of nashville's deluge, when the dust returns from mire), and we'll forget about it and go back to the way things were. here's to remembering how good it feels to care about each other and help our neighbors when they need it most.

in somewhat related news, the flood also caused a sizable problem for animal shelters, as they were overrun with abandoned pets that people rescued from the flood waters. other pet rescuers turned to craigslist with found animals. john and i stumbled upon such a post on sunday, may 2 (via @nashvillest -- who really deserves an award for wonderfully informative and helpful tweets to alert people of immediate needs around town) and decided it might be fun to go look at the litter of 5 puppies that had been rescued... you know, just to look. no harm in looking, right?

meet joban.

he and his 4 brothers and sisters were found on a ledge surrounded by water when a family was driving down bell road in their boat. he's a little flood victim and we know he's a fighter. that's about all we know about him, actually. not sure what breed or how big he'll get or how old he is. we THINK he was about 5 weeks when we got him and is a black lab mix, so he'll be a big boy. we love him a lot and he's a very popular pup. i never thought i'd be so excited for something to poop or pee. even though his puppy breath smells like a skunk, he is pretty darn cute. see for yourself!

the name, you ask? well, some of you folks are fortunate enough to have come across the timeless 2009 (you just wait- it'll be timeless) bromantic comedy, "i love you, man" (starring paul rudd and jason segel). check it out --- and go see the whole movie.

until next time, i'll be biding my free summer time with the jobster and hanging out at the language lab. hopefully writing more frequently, reading books for fun, and taking advantage of the annual 3 month vacation that makes being a graduate student worth it :)

happy holiday.

2010-03-20T19:35:00.000-05:00

when i was about 7 years old, we got a kitten on valentine's day and named it (are you ready for this?) "valentine". she was cute but probably hated me. i am not and never have been the type of human into which cats can seem to avoid digging their claws and teeth. at this early stage, valentine and i were getting along.

one fated 20th or 21st day of march that year, as i had learned from my berenstain bears environmental wall calendar, my mom was washing towels and had walked away from the laundry room to do something else when, minutes later, she heard a rhythmic thump coming from the dryer. poor kitty was a hot fluffy mess and was taken to the vet in my father's acura legend where she vomited all the way to town. valentine made it out alive that day -- dr. vet said it was good that the dryer was filled with so many towels to cushion the tiny feline.

immediately, upon recuperation from this traumatic incident, i was relieved yet very affected by the near-death of my little cat. i sat in my dad's lap, thankful that valentine was going to be okay, but sobbed over is shoulder to all the people around us who had been fortunate enough to experience this hay day at the booth home: "how could such a horrible thing happen on a holiday!?" all the adults around the room looked around at each other, perplexed about what holiday i could possible be describing. "what holiday is today, whitney?" "IT'S THE VERNAL EQUINOX!"

thanks, berenstain bears calendar, for providing my family with the awareness of this crucial holiday for years and years. today, i wish you and yours a very happy vernal equinox.

seasonal goodies

2010-03-19T14:42:00.001-05:00

everybody knows that when you're talking with someone you don't know well enough to be having this so-called "conversation", the weather conveniently donates itself as a boring, yet accessible topic upon which to base the rest of your meaningful encounter. thanks, weather, for always being there for us.

naturally, the mundane "nice day out"/"sick of this cold"/"if it rains one more day, i'm moving" chit-chat has to be upgraded when you're talking to your actual friends. about four times a year, my friends and i rise to the occasion to assess and evaluate the concept of the seasons. some people love the change; some say they'd rather have summer all year long (strangely, this specific friend also grew up in georgia. insane.). personally, i'm a fan of the temporal nature of seasonal weather change and i think i wouldn't like spring at all if it weren't for the relief from the cold of winter. yes, i live in tennessee so "cold" is relative, but i still don't like it. i think i could do without winter at all, except that you need it to get to spring, then to summer, then to my favorite - fall. and SAM ADAMS OCTOBERFEST. god, i can't wait.

seasonal goodies are fun - i'm obviously excited about my favorite beer (sorry, alaskan amber. you are tragically unavailable. the minute this changes, i will place a standing order.) coming back to mafiaoza's (and my refrigerator. and the new fridge i will have to buy to store all the cases i'm going to stockpile). girl scout cookies, peppermint mochas (which, yes, are available all year but i only let myself order one if it's in a red cup), and the return of thursday night primetime TV also serve as well-timed little joys in my life.

i can't decide whether to start quoting the byrds/ecclesiastes or "time of the season" (for looooviiiiiiiiiing) by the zombies, but my point is this: things come and go and, without the change that is forced upon us by the earth's rotations and revolutions, we might not be able to fully appreciate the beauty of what is here and now. i'm not sure thin mints would sell well if they were on the shelves all year (okay, who am i kidding? they're life-changing). i'll also admit my caveat that i am much less enthusiastic about seasonal weather between the months of dec-feb. here's what my friday afternoon looks like:

but for now, i'll gladly revel in the refreshing sunshine. in about 40 minutes, it's gonna involve drinking some beers with my frustrated fellow classmates and my cute boyfriend. i hope i don't get jaded with spring too quickly -- but if i do, summer will be waiting around the corner and, with all that blessed heat and humidity comes the greatest seasonal goody of all: NO SCHOOL.

there is hope today.

oooh child, things are gonna get easier.

2010-03-17T09:39:00.000-05:00

being a 20-something is a lot of fun, but amidst the shenanigans and thrill of the newfound independence reminiscent of "adulthood" is a lot of crap. yesterday i found myself wishing that i could just skip past all this "what the hell am i going to do with my life?" phase and move on to the good stuff. but if the good stuff is shaped by the decisions i make now, i certainly don't want to miss it.

here's the thing: school is a huge drag. i don't know why i'm doing it. i want to do something that fulfills me and builds me up but unfortunately, i'm not sure what that is. this sudden sense of panic that i don't have a plan really shouldn't shake me as much as it is, seeing as (thanks to the reminder from susan booth) i've never really had a plan. since high school, i've operated in glow of a lantern that illuminates only the step ahead of me. i suppose you could say this shapes my entire faith narrative -- i don't know what i'm doing here but i trust that i'm on the right road.

it would be super to have some affirmation that what i'm doing is not a huge waste of my time and money... but i have to trust that i'm where i'm supposed to be, even if it's not so clear. in the meantime, i'll be coasting through, waiting for a break to "get things together" (possible? we'll see.), and listening to this song for encouragement. it usually does the job.

cabinet fast

2010-02-21T12:10:00.000-06:00

last week at theology on tap, my good buddy trey was talking about a little project he was doing (a challenge he had also extended to the crowd at the 5:30) called a cabinet fast, in which he had committed to not spending any money on food until all the items in the pantry and fridge had been consumed. trey's diet over the past weeks consisted of a lot of rice and/or oatmeal-based entrees (being, large bowls of oatmeal). since oatmeal constitutes a large percentage of my slothfully culinary fare as is, i started contemplating doing a cabinet fast myself.

i technically have already failed, due to pre-existing dinner reservations...and lunch/dinner plans i've made since then. i changed my cabinet fast to mean that i'm not going grocery shopping until all my food is gone. at this point, i can't see myself avoiding food centered social encounters-- so i figure i can enjoy popcorn, frozen burritos from trader jose's, edamame beans, a LOT of cereal, peanut butter, and couscous for the next couple of weeks before starting all over. i technically haven't bought any groceries since february 7... so we'll see how long it lasts.

great expectations

2010-02-14T17:07:00.000-06:00

i remember reading this story in a "chicken soup for the soul" book about a village that was suffering through a pretty brutal drought. dependent on the land, they were bound together in their plight and decided to commune ceremonially, bringing relics and symbols of good luck, in hopes that the rains might come. most of the people brought lucky charms (not the cereal, although- let's face it- it's never let me down before) or rosary (rosemary?) beads, but one kid showed up with an umbrella.

the "mmm"/[head nod] factor of the story is that this kid's faith bypasses the typical religious response to need--praying, ritualizing, etc... he goes right for it and puts it into action. there's no superstition (not even a little stition) and he's ready to respond to the gift.

alongside this young bumbershoot-wielding chap, i've found myself taking the weather into my own hands these days. nashville has received more than its fair share of snow this winter -- and more to come tonight! (let it be known: this exclamation is one of frustration/disbelief and not one of exuberance in hopes of a non-existent "snow day" tomorrow) I AM DONE. i'm taking a stand. 4 days last week, i wore boots and a dress/skirt without tights/leggings. i'm sick of this cold weather and i'm content to continue wearing inappropriately seasonal clothing until the weather decides to cooperate. my lifestyle affords me the luxury of sitting at desks and making afternoon snacks, so the brisk walk from building to parking garage (and the occasional game of "gotcha" in the driveway) is just enough to remind me of my beef with the winter months before reclaiming my post in a heated room.

also,

i'm hoping this defiant act of faith/stubbornness works with schoolwork as well as weather. naturally, by schlepping all these books to work with me, they're going to get read, right?! YES. OSMOSIS.

even if my mind powers don't bring me spring sunshine, i must admit that this type of hyperbolic determination isn't a terrible perspective to have. it's taking optimism and shoving it forward a few paces. i think, ultimately, living is really great and eventually the warm weather will be here and i won't have to read all these books that i don't want to (referring more to the left stack of books). freedom is coming, oh yes i know.

rudeness with foodness

2010-02-08T12:35:00.000-06:00

this semester, i've been pretty good about bringing my lunch from home rather than spending 8 bucks on mediocre tacos at SATCO (i've concluded that the only draw to this establishment is the patio - bucket of dos equis and table full of friends implied - the warm weather, and the classic rock playlist that has yet to disappoint). come on, spring.

i haven't really been a lunch-packer since i was in high/middle school... and even then, my mom got up and made my lunch for me. yep, even in high school. thanks mom :) we all know adding one more responsibility to morning whitney's agenda would have caused some type of daily explosion in apple valley... as if the norm wasn't volatile enough.

my usual lunch consisted of a sandwich (turkey, pb & grape j, or tuna fish), maybe some chips or crackers, and something eaten with a spoon (yogurt, pudding). i must also add that if we found ourselves dining out at a restaurant with good re-heatable cuisine, i'd order extra and bring that the next day. often this entailed a to-go box of "the golden bowl" (brown rice, veggies, and tofu) from the grit; other times it was the more normal chick-fil-a fare (not as good the next day, sadly).

my lunchtime companions in the JHS cafeteria were not very receptive to my odd choice of mid-day nourishment. "your sandwich smells gross." "that looks nasty". YOU look nasty! there's so much mayo coming out of the sides of your ham sandwich i could prime the walls of my bedroom with it!

(sorry. apparently there's some latent rage i'd forgotten about.)

one time, in 6th grade, i was eating chocolate pudding and the girls around me thought it was funny to try to bump me during the very brief period between "spoon in pudding cup" and "spoon in mouth" -- this went on for a week or and i survived their friendly (psh) games until once i let my guard down and ended up with an entire cup of chocolate pudding all over my really cool shirt with a picture of my dog on it (that's right, a photograph of my dog fritter when he was a puppy). "hey, mom? yeah, i need you to bring me another shirt. fritter is covered in pudding." i can't imagine why those little bitches messed with me. jealous, obviously.

moral of this story?

i know tuna doesn't smell that good and, honestly, the half-eaten sandwich next to me doesn't look too tasty either. but i don't need anyone to point out creative examples of its sensory resemblances - it's just uncalled for. sorry, people of the language lab. i like my tuna fish (redundant but somehow necessary) and i'm going to eat it because tuna is cheap and i currently have $26 in my checking account. BOO-YAH.

sorry i'm a bad person

2010-02-03T09:29:00.000-06:00

for the past three weeks, i've been reading a lot of really depressing statistics about poverty in america. it's a blast. i've had to write weekly responses on blackboard and get half-assed responses like, "good thoughts. me too. mmm." from my professor who has not only given us several incorrect dates for our spring break trip to new orleans but also can't seem to distribute an updated syllabus. he's pretty attractive, so i'm letting it slide. point of this: it doesn't feel good to read books on how messed up our systems are, perpetuating cycles of hopelessness and despair for those who are born into lives far more difficult than mine, and then go spend my money on beer and apple products. my awareness is definitely raised and i'm completely bothered by the increasing gap in socioeconomic class in this country, separating us further from each other and our necessary understanding of humanity's multifaceted condition-- but am i going to sell my iphone and give the money to the poor? HELL no.

does this make me a bad person? probably.

sorry, jesus. i ain't no rich young ruler.

i think i can step up to the responsibility that we all have to love and take care of each other... but i don't want to get rid of my stuff. becoming impoverished wouldn't really help anything, would it? if i burned all my money like alexander supertramp (or a nun - just call me sister mary vegas), i would certainly have a better perspective on the injustice of which i'm already fairly cognizant, but would that really help the situation? i'd just be one more person standing in line at hospitals and churches waiting for help that other people probably need more than me.

i guess the bottom line here (aka how i sleep at night) is that enjoying having money and things doesn't make me a terrible person. it all starts with honesty and i can't ignore that the world is not as awesome for me as it is for... 47,000,000 americans currently living below the poverty line. hats off to shane claiborne for living a life of utter simplicity and inspiring others with his mellow selflessness. my calling is elsewhere (no questions on specifics here, please), but in the meantime i'm going to keep reading my depressing books and participating in slapdick* poverty simulations to try and understand the world around me and hopefully, find some way to help.

i know that i'm not the only one who feels this way -- partially my reasoning for posting this instead of crumpling it up into a proverbial paper ball and throwing it over my shoulder. join me in saying "it's okay that i like my stuff" and let's start asking ourselves the tough questions about why things are the way they are. does it have to be like this? no. has it been like this for a really long time? yes. maybe if we're all really honest about what's right and what's not right, as far as treating people fairly and standing up for those who are consistently crapped on for being the way that they are-- maybe then, we might find the first step that we simply can't NOT take. maybe that'll be getting rid of some stuff. maybe.

*this week's blog is brought to you by the word/mindset "slapdick", a la mrs. dessa sutherland.

teeth

2010-01-14T12:08:00.000-06:00

remember when we were young and our teeth fell out? i had forgotten all about this strange human life process but it's been recently brought to my attention like 6 times, so i figured it warranted a post.

i suppose it all started on the way to vegas when i began obsessing over my newly discovered ability to mildly wiggle one of my bottom teeth. i started seeing "hangover" style flashes of me being all dressed up throwing my chips in the air with a gaping hole in my smile. it was bad. turns out all is well in the dental department - dodged a bullet there.

also, margaret (my 7 year old friend) is on the verge of losing one of her top front teeth and incessantly pushes it forward to gross me out. she's really excited and is planning where she'll be and what she'll be wearing when it actually comes out. in a span of about 7 minutes at moe's with the entire morris clan (and several friends of theirs who also happened to be at moe's), i heard 3 different individuals tell her that she should tie a string around it, tie the other end to a doorknob and have someone slam the door. WHY do adults say things like this? (and why do we humor the notion that tying a string around a loose tooth would be at all successful?) at some point, we grow up and have all our adult teeth (maybe even had some extraneous ones pulled - yow) and decide we're warranted to give terrible torturous dental advice. i even found myself jumping in! "or you could switch it up and tie one end to the bumper of the tahoe" - what is wrong with me? luckily, margaret thinks it's funny and continues to revel in my squeamishness.

then there's the tooth fairy... old man mcgee over here- i know- but come on... i used to get like $2 from the tooth fairy. my parents got dimes or walnuts or something, i'm sure. the tooth fairy has to account for inflation. margaret gets a wad of two-dollar bills. weird. i hear the tooth fairy syndicate in san antonio is giving out $20's these days. meh, guess everything is bigger in texas.

i guess margaret has tooth-losing on the creative brain too because she told me a 15 minute long story yesterday about how i am a cowgirl (who rides a -- can you guess? a cow.) and i live in a cabin with my cowboy boyfriend (co-habitation!? she also mentioned rose petals on the bed. this kid doesn't even watch tv. it's innate.) and we kiss and my teeth fall out in his mouth. i get paid to hang out with this kid. my life is awesome.

it might be characteristic at this point for me to turn this into some musing of spiritual insight or exude proclamations about how good life is-- but i honestly have no segue to either of those things. happy thursday?

and remember, boys & girls, you don't have to floss ALL your teeth...

just the ones you want to keep. :)

what up, 2010

2010-01-09T12:29:00.001-06:00

after some intense reflection on 2009, i must conclude that it was a kick-ass year! i hope all involved parties would agree.

my most joyous conclusion, though, continues on into the new year. while i was making that list, there were several occasions in which i decided to delete sub-legendary pre-determined highlights of 2009 and replace them with awesome things that were happening mid-blog. you know what i see wrong with that?

NOTHING.

that's right. you know things are good when you do something so fun it has to immediately bump something from the best of 2009 list. long story short: i'm having a good time!

also, i just got back from a righteous 3 days in las vegas which was an excellent start to 2010! i mean, come on...

good* boys

good* food

good* beatles-gasm

good* $300 in my pocket

good* budding gambling addiction

good* vegas

(hey, beer is the only alcohol that works in vegas)

who could ask for more? to think that i almost flaked out 6 times is completely absurd in retrospect and i'm indescribably glad i went. VEGASSS!!!!

*substitute for a word that has yet to be invented to convey such gargantuan goodness

#1. booths do whidbey island

2009-12-31T10:45:00.000-06:00

and finally.... the moment that all three of my readers have been waiting for... the #1 moment of 2009.

when mom and dad came to visit seattle, we rented a car one day with the hopes of taking a ferry somewhere and checking out a new place. on pat's recommendation, we headed north toward whidbey island.

we stopped at a tiny grocery store and bought enough delicious deli items for lunch, along with a bottle of oregonian wine. this feast (because god forbid we forget what we ate) included chicken salad, some type of fennel-y salad, something on skewers, a grainy baguette (ok, maybe my food memory isn't as impeccable as one would hope).

we rode around the town, saw a park bench on the side of the road, and parked and headed that way. the overlook was lovely and the company was unbeatable.

this day's excellence is just hard to describe. i think more than the awesome drive, ferry ride, and exploration of an unknown northwestern town, it was wonderful to be together.

i love my parents and i think we'd all agree that this was the best day ever-- which, yes, runs the risk of hyperbole every time it's spoken; however, something about that day just brought us all back to a place of normalcy-- really good normalcy. thanks, 2009, for the booths and our exquisitely ordinary picnic in whidbey island :)

#2. missoula

2009-12-30T11:14:00.000-06:00

if you've ever seen the movie, "a river runs through it", you've probably experienced an urge to travel westward and allow yourself to be enveloped in the beauty of missoula, montana. we conveniently arranged leg 1 of our road trip to pass through this grand town. if you haven't seen this movie: close your laptop, drive to target, buy it (it's only $5--ridiculously low for such a work of art), and watch it now.

upon arriving, we were road-weary and fearful of rain. we searched for hotels, preferably cool or cinematically referenced enough, to compensate for the fact that we might not be camping in the most beautiful of beautiful places we had been thus far. we were planning to head over to a hotel in LOLO (you know, go gamble it up with brad pitt), but stopped to have some delicious pizza and local beer (big sky brewing co.'s "moose drool", i believe). i don't know if it was the moose drool, the appealin' waiter (who wasn't that appealing, really. i think we were just glad to lay eyes on someone who wasn't each other), or the crisp montana air-- but we decided to chance the rain and set up the tent. we found the missoula KOA and booked ourselves a nice little camping nook. i've never set up a tent so exuberantly - i think we were just really excited that we didn't wimp out and get a hotel room. it was absolutely worth it to sleep outside.

the next day, we went into town and found the First Presbyterian Church, featured in "A River Runs Through It"-- a presbyterian pilgrimage, if you will. apparently, we're trailblazers of this type of excursion because the church secretary couldn't figure out why we liked the church so much or what we were doing there. "we are.... loving this church?" was my response to her and my backwards-way of requesting to see the sanctuary. she showed us around and it was really cool. we took pictures with the sign.... because we are really, really, really cool people.

we finished off our pilgrimage with some delicious breakfast at a tiny diner downtown and hit the road to seattle. i could have (and was prepared to) stay in missoula for much longer than one night. i think if brittany hadn't had a summer job awaiting her in white center, we maybe could have talked ourselves into that.

this was my favorite part of the road trips this summer. oh, missoula-- someday we'll meet again. thanks for being a part of 2009.

#3. 2908

2009-12-30T01:08:00.000-06:00

i was glad for summer to roll around for multiple reasons (sun in seattle, the upcoming adventures, move-out day), but among my greatest excitements was the preparation for moving to nashville. i started looking for housing, roommates, jobs far earlier than i needed to and everything fell into place just in time.

i had talked it up with dan and we were tentatively planning on rooming together, looking for little 2-bedrooms on craigslist. then one day, on my day off, i was strolling around on alki beach (reading the last pages of "into the wild" - coincidence?) when JT called me up asking about looking for places to live together in nashville. the three of us joined forces in the battle of scouring the nashville rental property scene from 3 very remote locations: seattle, austin, & carbondale, co. it all came together with the cooperation of a very reasonable landlady, willing to let us all sign the lease via fax without anyone ever seeing the place in person.

i love our crooked little house with its crooked little landing and baby room and huge backyard and (previously) hideous orange lightbulbs in the dining room chandelier. more than all these quirky decorative/foundational attributes, i love the home that happens there. (aaand the cheese factor of this entire blog just skyrocketed.)

i love these boys and i miss you both -- see you in 2010!

#4. the regulars

2009-12-28T19:11:00.001-06:00

one fated coffee hour in early september, i was lucky enough to find myself seated at a table with 3 new buds and some kids i hadn't met before (but a few whom i had definitely judged due to some overheard insensitive comments during orientation. chrissie can vouch). i can't remember how all this came to be, as i had scarfed down my coffee and bagel and/or donut to get home and take victoria, my labor day visitor, to pancake pantry.... for more coffee and sweet, starchy breakfast food. geeez.

anyway, plans were made to get together and watch a season of 24... so that miraculously came together and, all of a sudden, we had a posse. some call us "the regulars" -- of course, those "some" are all "regulars". (i'm not particularly fond of the show 24. actually, i kinda hate it. sorry regs.) this was actually a weekly thing for a while until everyone got too swamped up with papers and classes that are harder than mine -- we do pretty good to make it to breugger's together twice a week, as well as the traditional friday coffee hour bonding time.

i love these kids and i'm glad this randomly came together -- we're an odd bunch with a lot of different ideas and backgrounds, but we work. let's raise a glass (guinness, white wine with ice cubes, or milk) with one hand and gesture the appropriate hand motion for each good soul in the bunch with the other-- to the regulars!

[hot mamas in the front: dessa, chrissie, breanna, doro, lauren, whit.

snazzy nazzies in the middle: andrew, jacob, matt

studs in the back: chad, ben]

#5. bonnaroo

2009-12-27T18:32:00.000-06:00

i spent the previous 3 summers of my life in middle tennessee, just 45 quick minutes down the road from manchester, tennessee. so, naturally, the year that i reside in seattle, washington is the obviously sensible time to make the trip to bonnaroo. two words: WORTH IT.

we had been conniving to arrange a reasonable road trip from seattle back to the promised land (hm?), but rental cars are insanely expensive if you don't turn them in where you rent them. miraculously, it was cheaper in the long run for us to 1) buy one-way tickets to nashville, 2) buy tickets to bonnaroo, 3) drive my car back from nashville to seattle, AND 4) drive my car back from seattle 5 weeks later, taking a different route. sooo, who could pass this up when we found out that bruce springsteen would be headlining?

we set up camp, the first of many many uses for this good little tent, tried to drink as many coors lights as we could while they were still cold, and were ready to rock for the next 3.5 days. we hunkered down the first night and survived some high speed winds and lots of rain, which made for a deliciously muddy weekend ahead of us.

jenny lewis, AL GREEN, david byrne, phoenix, wilco, gomez, raphael saadiq, citizen cope, andrew bird, the boss (of course), and ... the climax of our entire trip, thus far... BAND OF HORSES. i never thought i'd be so excited to see a man with a sweaty towel on his head pick up a tambourine.

also, we ran into old friends which was remarkable as i played with my iphone too much in the

car when we were waiting to get in and my battery was dead-dead-dead by the end of day 1. it simply must be fate that we continued to touch base with mike and clayton, adam, and some others along the way.

a little sun-kissed skin, a diet of pop-tarts and pb&j, and 4 days of sweat, dirt, and no shower does a whitney good. this was a blast and i'm hoping for a good line up (*cough*PAULMCCARTNEY*cough*) this summer.

thank you, bonnaroo, for facilitating the rest of the awesomeness that took place this summer, what with driving from hither to yon and back again. also, thank you for being 45 minutes down the road from my current residence.

i look forward to returning to your dusty grounds in coffee county to commune with girls dressed as peacocks, dance and play air-instruments, and smell lots of really earthy smells. EARTH.

[concerts at bonnaroo must be seen barefoot, to be closer to EARTH. drop a pin-cushion]

#6. magic lanes

2009-12-26T22:38:00.000-06:00

the first few months spent in white center were a little dismal. sure - church was good, work was good, but there wasn't a ton of stuff going on there until that one fated saturday night when brittany and i decided to go bowling down the street at magic lanes: bowling, restaurant, lounge, casino. i passed this place every day on the way to the bus stop and had noted the classiness of this establishment. we decided we'd go bowling since it was right down the street, but upon entering, we saw two doors: one to the right, to the bowling alley, the other to the left, up some stairs to the bar, adorned with a sign that read "KARAOKE SATURDAY NIGHT". exxxxxcellent.

this was a huge godsend and was the source of many joyous saturday nights to come. highlights included the night that almost the entire mt. view congregation showed up for karaoke - amazing. (also something a church should be-- folks who show up at a karaoke bar to support each other and have a good time. amen?) sometimes we even got a song out of them. joel-a-doodle stole the stage one night with a very serious performance of "livin' la vida loca".

[mark wagner, pat-a-doodle, david, and fa'ana-- just a few of the mt. view folks. miss y'all!!]

magic lanes was a huge lifesaver for us and became a routine stop on the seattle tour for all our visitors- including my parents, which was also (can you guess?) epic. watch out, sting. joe booth can rock that descant on "don't stand so close to me" and holds back nothing on "back in the ussr". mom and i sang "your mother should know" - appropriate and awesome.

saturday nights in white center became something to look forward to-- we made friends (PHILIP), drank red hook, sometimes ordered nachos that were different every time, and had a blast. every now and then we got a little overzealous and attempted something out of our range of ability-- like the time we decided to do "black or white" and then realized half way through that there's a rap part in the middle of the song. that was superb. then there was that time that some guy started singing 'georgia on my mind' and we both started crying. yikes. other highlights/classics: "only the good die young", "africa", "come on eileen", "UNDER THE SEA" (yes, from the little mermaid), "sunday morning" (which literally ended up with us screaming into the microphones every time), "and she was", "the bucket", "suspicious minds" .. the list goes on.

[this is philip, the karaoke master. we love him.]

brittany and whitney (we know. rhymes are cute.) had a large stack of songs in our repertoire by the time july rolled around, but there wasn't a time we went in that we didn't finish off the night with our closer, "ain't too proud to beg".

now i've got a LOOOOVE so deep in the pit of my heart

and each day it grows more and more.

i'm not ashAAAAAAmed to call and plead to you, baby

if pleadin' keeps you from WALKIN' OUT THAT DOOR

#7. iphone

2009-12-25T19:48:00.000-06:00

yes, yes. i'm a big glutton or something for having this in my top 10, but i love my iphone and i'm really glad i finally broke down and bought one this year.

not much to write about except how much i love it, so i'll keep this brief. it's made this year a little more convenient and tech savvy. and we got my dad one for christmas, so now i'm reliving the iphone conversion joy through him. woohoo!

also - merry christmas, everyone! hope your days are merry and bright, full of the hope and joy that this season brings.

#8. thanksgiving

2009-12-24T22:52:00.000-06:00

not coming home for thanksgiving last year was a bummer, so i was by-god going to come home this year and it was by-god going to be awesome. thanksgiving 2009, you do not disappoint!

we usually do thanksgiving dinner at my grandparents' house in athens but this year the party moved to our house in apple valley. at first i was bothered by this change in tradition, but the change of scenery ended up being really nice. plus everyone could stay in one place, which was cool-- the cousins piled over in the house next door and caught up on some long over-due bonding. JT made the trip down for the big feast and its surrounding festivities-- props for braving the entire family and being a hit!

no offense to previous thanksgivings, but this was the best thanksgiving ever. i may have said that once or twice already.... but, come on: family-ing, friend-ing, feasting, skeet shooting, celebratory birthday cigar smoking, 4-wheeling, football-throwing (into george's little face. sorry george.), honey-i-shrunk-the-kids watching...BEST THANKSGIVING EVER.

#9. the morris fam

2009-12-23T20:21:00.000-06:00

in the midst of getting settled and loving the independent graduate student life, it dawned on me that i might need to find a job so that i could, you know, eat and pay rent and stuff. my 5 hours a week at the language lab wasn't going to cut it, so i had started considering additional options (with starbucks as a last resort) when i got an email asking if i was interested in nannying part-time for a family in nashville. i'm not usually one for babysitting, so i was skeptical but interested in a job. considering my typical lack of enthusiasm was coupled with continued interest upon hearing that there were not one, not two, not three, but FOUR children involved, i felt sure that this was some strange calling of sorts.

4 months later, and i'm still very assured of that. it took some getting used to, but i really love this family and am extremely thankful that they like me enough to keep me around :). being "nanny whit" or "whitney poppins" (disclaimer: the kids have never and probably will never call me these names. they are on reserve for myself and my buds) has been a definite highlight and HEY- turns out i actually do like kids... well, i like these kids. and seriously, BEST JOB EVER. i get paid to play hockey and basketball in the driveway, help with algebra homework, and paint and color butterflies with some really cool and funny little folks. no complaints.

i'm very thankful for the morris family. top 9 of 2009 - not too shabby.

#10. TOT

2009-12-23T00:45:00.000-06:00

among my greatest overall joys of the year is my return to music city (as if that needed to be verbalized). after a year of being away, i was pumped to rejoin my favorite resident nashvillians for all that i'd been missing out on. in 2008, the crowd of PSF (presbyterian student fellowship) alums from vandy started meeting weekly for "theology on tap" to hang out, have a discussion, and drink beer.

my weekly trip to mafiaoza's to cram into the mob booth--if we're lucky-- for 2-for-1 sam adams octoberfests and theological (at least for a little while) conversation with dear friends (new and old) has been wonderful this year. i love it and look forward to it every week -- after all, thursday is the new friday and my weekend starts at 6pm on thursdays over on 12th south.

#11. tahoe

2009-12-21T23:02:00.000-06:00

another stop on leg 2 of the cross-country adventure, we owe great thanks to lake tahoe and specifically, its neighboring national forest. we were running a little late, due to our delayed visit to the redwoods and the subsequent fortuitous trot through lassen volcanic. so we ended up getting to the tahoe area a little after dark, which was not so awesome because we were camping and, while able and skilled in the field of blind tent-setting-up, it wasn't the preferred option. the rest of our stops were planned out, but even if we didn't make it to the planned area, we could look up the closest KOA on the trusty ol' iphone... but for some reason there's not a ton of 3G network coverage in the wilderness of the tahoe national forest.

we saw this lovely sign in the darkness and started hoping for a little brown tent in the corner of an upcoming sign. our wish came true and we veered off the road into an unpaved path leading to virtually nothing, marked by a sign and a drop box for the $13 camping fee. we drove around, saw a few seemingly abandoned SUVs, shrugged our shoulders, and started to set up camp. this had terrible idea written all over it, but we buckled down, pitched the tent on a slant, and used the outhouse- that's right. toilet seat over a large hole in the ground--and went to bed without dinner for fear that if we left in search of food, we'd be unlucky with the restaurant search and never find our "campground" again. we woke up, disoriented and piled on the same side of the tent at 5 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING, packed up, used the outhouse again, and hit the road to truckee (TRUCKEEEEE!) for a delicious breakfast.

we decided it would be better to share this little tale with our mothers after we were home, safe and sound. oh, and we didn't pay the $13 to sleep on the side of the road. sorry, tahoe.

also, there's this awesome picture that we took when we actually got to the lake. (lake tahoe: not pictured) sorry again, tahoe.

#12. canadian 4th of july

2009-12-20T09:27:00.000-06:00

for the 4.5 weeks in seattle that we had my car, we tried to take advantage of the freedom from public transportation as much as possible. we had wanted to make a trip to vancouver since we got there (and had actually planned on a weekend that had to be cancelled), so we made our excursion to the great white north at the last minute possible. when better to travel to canada but on our nation's birthday?

this turned out to be a great little trip. vancouver is very cool (we decided we might be more blown away by it having come from somewhere other than SEA, as they were kinda similar). we took advantage of our time by visiting the aquarium (saw some beluga whales. also, this was the site of our most patriotic independence day moment when several guys in phillies and yankies garb walked through the aquarium singing the national anthem. thank you, america.), eating a lot of garden salsa sun chips (2 bags), driving the city from end to end a few times, seeing "a comedy of errors" at bard on the beach, swimming in our clothes at our campsite, and of course... we had to pay homage to our favorite canadian, robin scherbatsky.

that's right. we went to the mall.

(wait for it...)

TODAY.

#13. sbuxxx gang

2009-12-19T23:23:00.000-06:00

my seattle life was greatly enriched by the folks and time spent over in pioneer square at the washington shoe starb-a-doodle. sure, the early mornings were no fun... but the company was good and the customer base was comical. all of our favorite rudles will forever stay with me, namely the snickernoodle lady, the overly perfumed salted caramel extra salt lady, and tom the parking guy who wants his tall drip allllllthewaytothetopofthecup, oh and grandedecafdrip and an EEEIIIGHT GRAIIIIN ROOOOOLLL. and who can forget the man in bicycle shorts who loves to put $2.18 in spare change on his card and use the card to pay.

the job was decent too- nice perks. i've benefited greatly from the free pound of coffee each week (2 pounds left in my stockpile that i collected AFTER i quit working there).

these are good kids and we had a fun time working together. "you havin' your 12-pump?"

#14. merry christmas, ya filthy animal.

2009-12-19T01:08:00.000-06:00

this year is definitely my first grown-up (sorta) christmas, and that has brought a lot of goodness to this holiday season. it's really the first time ever that i've felt like i was celebrating the season before finishing up with exams and heading home for apple valley christmas.

dan, jt, and i decided our house needed a christmas tree since we were going to be here for so long - GOOD CALL. our tree is awesome and is now decked with lots of white lights and some chili pepper lights that i was sure would come in handy again someday (another good call for pack-rat whitney).

so the night we went to get the tree was pretty wonderful. we drove over to the boy scout troop #77 lot on west end and picked out a great little tree, crammed it into jt's jeep, and brought it home. from there, we shared some traditional holiday wisdom and settled in with our tree to watch "home alone"... which we're convinced now is the best movie ever (except this one).

GO, GO NEW CHRISTMAS TRADITION.

(yes, i realize that in home alone, the line is "keep the change, ya filthy animal" but we're watching home alone 2 tomorrow and it has the more seasonally appropriate 1930s-gangster-with-a-tommy-gun tag line.)

#15. the dyer wedding

2009-12-17T22:10:00.000-06:00

yes, one of the weddings on this list is, in fact, real. alan and erin dyer got married in nashville in october and it was just lovely. what a great couple and a really fun and relaxed wedding. note: morning wedding is the way. to. go. serve brunchy food and mimosas, get your friends out of bed and on with their saturday. you guys are the bomb and you invited a good crowd. thanks!

what good lookin' folks. sorry i don't have any pictures of the beautiful bride... but check out groomy over here! come back to nashville!

#16. lassen volcanic park

2009-12-16T21:56:00.000-06:00

our best impromptu stop/pass-thru on the trip from seattle ("going back to the south") was by far lassen volcanic park. the handy park ranger at the redwoods recommended that we take this route, as it was the quickest way to get from the redwoods to lake tahoe.

we paid $10 for our "pass" -- a very small receipt which is still prominently displayed with tape on my windshield and it was wellllll worth it. we wound up this large mountain and then back down-- the details are fuzzy as we saw a ton of stuff on that trip... but it was awesome and included snow and bare feet (or chaco feet. i'm not brave.)

#17. tonight.

2009-12-16T01:54:00.000-06:00

yep.

#18. the office wedding

2009-12-14T08:55:00.001-06:00

i lose major cool points for listing a fictional wedding as one of my top 29 moments of the year- especially since it earned a spot on the october list as well... but sorry, folks. i love it.

jim and pam halpert are finally married and with a bun in the oven. i'm 70% happy and only 30% jealous.

i loved the original wedding dance video, so naturally, combining it with my favorite fictional love story made for the best tv wedding ever.

my favorite part is at 2:13. thank you dwight schrute for being a baller with a fierce high kick.

okay, okay. maybe 60%/40%.

#19. the landing

2009-12-13T23:56:00.001-06:00

some of the year's high points just can't be put into words.

but when you get to that point, you win.

double points for being in a body of water.

#20. the portland hostel

2009-12-12T11:22:00.000-06:00

when bryan came to visit brittany in march, we rented a car and drove to portland for the night. we took the 101 so that we could see the pacific ocean (first time!)--which was freezing and surrounded by a lot of unstable sand--, not to mention experience the quaintness of the 300 mile stretch of small northwestern towns, crowning the route with punny establishments like "the pour house". we now all bow down to aberdeen, wa in its greatness and hope to, one day, return to paradise for a stop over at "the relief pitcher".

after successfully arriving in portland, we continued to drive around the city multiple times seeking lodging, listening to hootie and the blowfish's "cracked rear view', and being cursed at by angry pedestrians (portlandians take their crosswalks very very seriously), before eventually landing in the hawthorne district at the H.I. Portland Hawthorne Hostel. if you're ever in portland, driving around hoping to run into donald miller or pissing off pedestrians, considering midnight bathroom options were you to just chance it and sleep in the car, check them out. they have a bucket of free stale bagels and lots of special characters.

while our brief stay was chock-full of interesting encounters, bryan takes the cake with the hostile hostel experience. he's the lucky one who spent his night trying to drown out noises from an encounter across the room between a girl and her silent lover concerning "the seeds of life" and such. oh, portland.

#21. mt. view

2009-12-11T16:02:00.000-06:00

when i'm old and look back on that year i lived in seattle, i'm not sure what pieces will stick with me. more than getting propositioned for prostitution, i hope i recall the folks at mt. view presbyterian church. these people truly care about each other and about the community of white center. i loved being a part of this congregation and experiencing what church should be: simple. real. loving. doing.

the majority of my involvement turned out to be playing guitar on sunday mornings with mr. john fanene -- a highlight in and of itself. even if we sang the same songs every single sunday, this was home for a year and it was good.

#22. the redwoods

2009-12-10T20:09:00.000-06:00

a significant percentage of my summer was spent on the road, driving from nashville to seattle and then from seattle to apple valley (via montreat, nc). on leg 2 of this great adventure, brittany and i climbed into the jetta, which was packed to the brim and riding low, said goodbye to 10828 12th ave south, and started heading south on I-5. our first day of travel proved successful, even if that included being pulled over twice (same driver- not brittany). we stopped to touch the pacific ocean again,

ate a lot of mexican food, and continued along the 101 to northern california. we made it to crescent city, befriended some folks in exchange for use of their rubber mallet, set up camp, ate some more mexican food, bundled up to ward off unexpectedly low temperatures in july, and called it a night.

the original itinerary had us camping AT redwood national forest the first night; since we didn't make it that far (speeding ticket, mexican restaurants, road work), we decided to jet out and hit it first thing the next morning. somehow, we passed the park entrance, turned around, then passed it again. this was frustrating and britters was ready to pass up her life-long dream to see the trees, but i insisted that we were too close to give up and we turned around once more to visit the park ranger, who imparted helpful wisdom about where to go and how to keep traveling toward our next destination. we eventually made it to the redwoods and they were completely majestic, as promised.

we even made some friends along the way.

#23. the night we owned lonnie's

2009-12-09T15:18:00.000-06:00

for my dear friend holly's birthday, a bunch of folks went downtown for dinner at big river, then headed up 2nd avenue to - where else, but the most delightfully trashy dive in nashville-- lonnie's western room. seeing as this was a monday night at around 8:30, we feared that it was closed as we approached printer's alley. no, no, no. this blessed sanctuary of smoky karaoke was just patiently awaiting our arrival.

being the only group there was, at first, a little strange... but there was no wait and we got to sing everything we wanted. eventually, some business men straggled in and joined the fun. spectacular song choices, wonderful company, buckets of suds. wouldn't trade it!

thanks, holly, for being born! and thanks for having a birthday party on a monday night. most of all, though, we must give thanks for this:

i was all ready to make a presbyterian joke about the back-pew boys, but then i remembered that *nsync did this song. oh well. still got the joke in there. :)

#24. hanson

2009-12-08T09:52:00.000-06:00

in october, i caught word that hanson was going to be performing a brief acoustic concert in the vanderbilt bookstore, followed by a meet-and-greet. naturally, i had to follow my instincts and plan my entire tuesday around being present at this blessed event. i owed it to 10 year old whitney to be there, screaming and crying, since my love for hanson was a strong contributor to the awkward individuality that stood between me and a social life back in 6th grade (you may be pondering to yourself - 6th grade? let's see, that was about 1997. yes. the year that "mmmbop" was popular. you are correct. i just jumped on the mmmbandwagon too late and thus, the ostracizing for my delayed obsession).

needless to say, this was an epic event and i was happy to mark something off a former list of life goals: to meet isaac, taylor, and zac. (also, surprise appearances by my loves lauren turner and nina myers made it all the better.) the meet-and-greet was NOT smooth. instead of saying something charming and witty, like "i've seen your home video tulsa, tokyo, and the middle of nowhere about 18 times and i think we should get married", i said "thanks for being here" like i was standing in the receiving line at a funeral.

actually, it went more like this:

me: hi!

taylor hanson: hey! (starts signing my cd)

me: .....

taylor hanson: thanks for coming out!

me: thank... YOU for... being.... thanks. (slumps away shamefully)

i guess we'll never know if our love could have blossomed. plus, i'm pretty sure he's married. meh. next time i meet a celebrity crush i'll try to bring my A-game. look out matthew theissen.

#25. the homeless count

2009-12-07T09:10:00.000-06:00

back in february, i got the bright idea to sign up to help with a census on homelessness in king county, so i roped brittany into doing it with me. we got up at 2am, drove kelli's car to some church to pick up maps of our designated area, and made a game plan for to count homeless people in white center. we were told to look out for people sleeping in cars or doorways, mostly. we ended up driving around almost the whole time, because our area was really spread out and residential. so, for 2.5 hours, we drove around in the middle of the night listening to a mix cd that brittany gave kelli for christmas (that i'm positive was only played when we happened to borrow the car) over and over and over, which made for a pretty surreal experience.

at one point, we got out of the car to walk around some apartments until we saw someone's shadow standing in their apartment window, to which brittany referenced, "tap tap tap" and sent us running back to the car in fear that The Wire was unfolding before our eyes and someone was about to get shot.

our findings? zero.

(well, at least we know.)

#26. into the wild

2009-12-06T09:33:00.000-06:00

i'm usually quite skeptical about movies based on books. i always tell myself i won't see it until i've read it, which usually leads me to doing neither of those things (LOTR). this was an exception.

"into the wild" presents a trifecta of spectacular work: book (jon krakauer), film (directed by sean penn, starring emile hirsch), soundtrack (eddie vedder). each individual piece is beautifully stirring and invigorating. i won't go into detail, but i strongly encourage you to read, listen, or at the very least watch the movie. it's a beautifully told story that explores the life of chris mccandless, a 22 year old emory graduate who abandons material life and heads toward alaska.

"Two years he walks the earth. No phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom. An extremist. An aesthetic voyager whose home is the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return, 'cause "the West is the best." And now after two rambling years comes the final and greatest adventure. The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual pilgrimage. Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking bring him to the Great White North. No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild."

--Alexander Supertramp, May 1992