The rhythm is gonna get you

It was to my delight that in 8th grade our school announce a lip sync contest to be held. After seeing the film "Flashdance" I had become obsessed with the idea of becoming a fantastic dancer. Every night after dinner, I would blockade myself into the basement and dance for an hour or two. My commitment would not be challenged and the lip sync show was the perfect opportunity to show the world the benefit of the hours and hours of serious practice. I was ready.
I asked my bf to compete with me. I choose the song " The rhythm is gonna get you" by Miami Sound machine. I choreographed the whole extravagansa and practiced every waking moment. My bf only went over a few steps and was convinced she "Had it down cold".
The night of the Lip Sync arrrived. I dress in as many satiny articles as possible, teased my hair to it's largest and set out to the show with my vinyl (yes a record) album under my arm.
I paced back stage waiting for my bf to arrive. Finally she does, but says she can't dance with me ---she's too scared! (Mind you this is a girl that could drink anyone under the table due to her practice in parting - but dancin' before a group of her peers was pushing the envelope.)
There was only one thing I could do. I was most likely inspired by underdog films of the day like "Flashdance, Breakfast Club, and The Goonies". I handed the sound guy my album and marched up to center stage.
As the music began, the curtain pulled apart and I suddenly realised that the sound guy had set the player to the wrong speed. So there I was trying to dance in slow motion to the Miami Sound Machine. My peers started to laugh.
Trying to keep my cool, I ran down to the pit - corrected the speed and asked the sound guy to start over.
In the two seconds before the music started and I was dramatically turning to face my audience determined to show them my stuff. A rather rude young man shouted, "Fat A**!" from the back of the packed school auditorium. He was one of those teenage boys that would snap your bra while sitting behind you in Spanish Class.
The crowed laughed louder.
I turned red, fumbled through the routine and ran backstage afterward only to find my bf laughing at me too. I then began to cry....

So much for loyalty. Funny thing too, a few months later the nasty boy asked me out and how crazy I said yes?!!! I supposed his rude comment was his pubesent way of saying - "I think you're cute."
The romance (if you can call it that) didn't last, my old bf and I are ok with each other now and I'm still prone to dance around my kitchen if "The rhythm is gonna get you" come on the radio. But I think that the kitchen is where I''ll dance... there are no erring soundmen there.
Watch out for the rhythm - sometimes it really "get's" you.

Travel Far Enough Left or Right and You End Up in a Big Circle

I think it was comedian Lewis Black who once did a bit about the ACLU having the worst public relations of any organization. They always waited until Christmas to get press and it was always related to shutting down a manger display.

This year the Christmas -- er, Christian Right seem to be following the same kind of public relations plan with the whole "Merry Christmas" vs. "Happy Holidays" thing. I'm a Christian and I've never taken the phrase Happy Holidays to mean anything other than what it means: be excessively happy for a few weeks.

Isn't Merry Christmas really saying the same thing? Merry and happy pretty much imply the same thing to me, and Christmas is really the period from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6 if you want to be totally retentive about it.

My heartful wish this Christmas is that the left and the right would just shut up and let the rest of us (i.e. normal people) enjoy the next few weeks in peace!

Quote of the Day: Grace

"You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink."
-- G.K. Chesterton

Grad School

I've been seriously considering graduate school since 2003. My original intention was to pursue a humanities degree immediately upon my graduating with my bachelors. I'm interested in so many different things, and I found an ideal humanities program with a little bit of philosophy, literature, and history. But a snafu with my degree (I was one credit short) pushed my graduation back a few weeks so I couldn't get my application into grad school by the required date.

2004 was a year of transition for Lamont and I. We considered digging our heels in at Gen-Next. We seriously considered Salvation Army training college. In the end, we went job hunting. Although I wanted to enroll in grad school, building a new future had to take priority.

I also began to explore different programs -- creative writing, leadership, youth development, and communications. A few months ago I found a school which offers a MA in Spiritual Formation and am very much drawn to it.

I do wrestle with a lot of questions: Do I want to go into debt with my 38th birthday right around the corner? Am I taking a personal interest (spiritual formation) too far? What does a person do with a degree like this? But I've decided to call the admissions office tomorrow and start the enrollment process.

I look at it like this: everybody has a spark, something that really ignites life for them. For me that spark is spiritual formation. I can make that spark burn brighter or I let it go out because of neglect. I'm choosing the spark.

Drink

thirsty people

but I am a stagnant pool
still and cloudy
with no life

sensing a presence
which may very well be a mirage
I am stirred

a clear flow bubbles up
pushing away the muck and dirt
life springs forth from deep within

come and drink

Seven Storeys of Separation

My boss seems to know everyone and I often rib him about it. He claims that I'm exaggerating, but I'm not so sure. Today we were discussing favorite books and I brought up the title New Seeds of Contemplation. He got a big smile on his face and said, "When I was in my twenties I had the good fortune to go on a two week retreat with Thomas Merton..."

An Old Fart's Musings About Today's Culture

I noticed that it's been almost a week since I last posted. Well, that's December for you! Between church events, bellringing, office parties, Christmas parades, shopping, school, and kids with the flu, Lamont and I can barely keep up with the pace of life, let alone carve out time to blog about it.

My son's cough seems to be getting worse, so I elected to sit out church this morning so he could stay home and rest. He's under a layer of blankets in the living room watching The Kids Next Door. I'm in the dining room tapping away at the keyboard whilst listening to Morrissey. Here are a few things I've been trying to process lately:

#1. R. Kelly's Trapped in a Closet. This song is making all the entertainment media's "best of" lists for 2005 and I can't figure out why. The first time I caught the song on TV I thought it was a really authentic parody of urban pop. I honestly expected Weird Al to pop out of the closet at the end. I still can't hear the song without laughing hysterically. Why is this song such a phenomenon? Put it back in the closet I say!

#2. Hot Topic Stores. Punk -- now manufactured for the masses!!! Going to the mall to buy pre-ripped jeans is just so wrong. Sid Vicious is rolling over in his grave right now.

#3. Hot Topic Stores -- Part Two. Honey, I appreciate the fact that you don't buy into the whole Britney, Jessica, or Christina pop-princess thing. But why do you think that wearing a dog collar is a more positive statement?

#4. The Emerging Church. It's all about authenticity, being real, and living out one's faith, right? I can't help but get a chuckle about the Emerging Church's worship of media, The Chronicles of Narnia being the latest obsession. Hello people -- this isn't any different from your parents' admiration of Anita Bryant, Pat Boone, Dean Jones, or any other Christian media connection of years past. Enjoy the movie, but don't think for a minute that the media machine can legitimize your faith and share it with the masses. That's your job.

#5. Coca-Cola, Inc. First they killed Josta, the best soft drink ever. At the end of the month they're going to do the same to my much-beloved Vanilla Coke. This is one consumer not singing in perfect harmony. So there!

Television Obscurities

I can't believe I've never come across this site, which has been around since 2003. For a TV nerd like me, Television Obscurities is kind of like finding the Holy Grail. It's chock full of Real Video clips of television programs you won't find anywhere else. Bill "Batman" Doziers' unaired Dick Tracy TV pilot? It's in there! Star Trek bloopers? Check! The promotional film introducing Batgirl to the execs at ABC? Got it! If you're at all interested in pop culture or TV trivia, put down that remote and point your web browser to Television Obscurities.

Happy birthdays and babies

I love birthday parties - especially my own kids' parties. You (the parent) get to be a kid as you look for toys, bake birthday goodies (this time my little guy wanted brownies, ice cream and hot fudge for his "cake"), and watch the grand unwrapping of the wonderful stuff they receive. We usually have too much pizza, chips and soda and get that warm,drowsy over sugared feeling and catch a few ZZZ's after all the excitement. It was even better cause I held my great nephew while we both dosed. He would make a wonderful baby noise every once in a while and I would kiss his little fuzzy head. What a great birthday.. and it wasn't even mine.

Tiny tims needed - ASAP

I stood outside for about 3 hours tonight ringing a bell while collecting for the Salvation Army during our local towns Christmas parade and walk. Most people gave donations and smiled, but I was a little bothered by the gloomy number of folks that looked annoyed when wished a Merry Christmas. I even had on person tell me to "Shut up" while singing Jingle Bells. Wow. I didn't expect so many bah humbugs.

I sang louder.

I think I'll remember the little boy who toddled up to me - too young to talk and was perplexed by the gold bell I was ringing. His kind Daddy waited for him to shyly stare at the kettle of change and bills and focus in on the shiny metal bell I was ringing. I held it out to his thumbless mittened hand and he happily tapped the bell a few times and smiled as big as the whole world.

Some teenagers came up to me and started singing along. When I asked them to join us..they did and sang along for about 30 minutes in the freezing wind and snow.

A grandmother and grandaughter were taking in the event and the girl asked her grandma what we were doing ringing bells. She simply said, "That's the Salvation Army." She gently explained that the money we were collecting helped needy families and gave her a few dollars to place into our snow covered kettle.

I know that the bah humbugs are around - but thanks to all the tiny tims and tinas out there that made standing in the cold a bit warmer.

Pizza on Earth!

I was teaching a group of young children last night about being peacemakers. I went around the circle of k and first graders and asked "What is a way you can be a peacemaker?"
Some said things like, "No hitting my brother when he makes me mad." or "Share my favorite toy...". The most unusual reply came from a toe-haired 6 year-old boy. After I asked him how he could be a peacemaker he simply retorted... "Make a pizza."
I was puzzled with his answer and asked him how making pizza could help make peace.
"Well easy," he said, "pizza makers always make pizza."
Afer laughing (as politely as I could)at his reply, I suggested that maybe that making a pizza for someone and making the words "I'm sorry" with pepperoni would be a great idea. All the kids shouted "Yes!"
The lesson was saved...the kids were happy that their answers were accepted...and I smile everytime I see the the seasonal phrase "Peace on Earth! Maybe Pizza on Earth would help too...

You're the ONE

Today is aids world awareness day...go to this website and sign the petition to gain support for people most suffing from the effects of this disease.
Peace,
Lamont

onecampaign.org