Gone to the Dogs

It was another beautiful Sunday in Chicago! First-time dog-beachers Carrie, her friend Tom (in from New York), Lisa, and Izzy (Lisa's yorkie) joined me, Scout, and Chloe for a delightful afternoon of sun and sand. If only there could be more days like this....

A Beautiful Day

This morning we had our second-annual U2 Eucharist at church. It was amazing! People were out of their seats, dancing and singing, and some very talented performers got to act like rock stars for a day. Plus we helped to raise money for Dignity Diner, the church's weekly meal for the homeless and hungry in the neighborhood. It was a truly inspiring service, highlighted by the words and lyrics of U2.

Girls' Night Out, Italian-Style

Saturday night, Carrie, Lisa, Jen H., Jen L., Cindy, and Stephanie (in from out of town), and I had a fun night out on the town. We started with drinks at Tavish, then moved on to a fabulous dinner at Rose Angelis. One cool thing about our church girls' nights is that we always have a slightly different group. It's a great way to get to know people better, try some new places (though we have been to Rose Angelis before--in fact, our waiter, Frank, remembered us from last time), and have a fun and relaxing night out.

IL2IA for Obama!

Saturday afternoon, Lisa, Sara, Matt, and I (and others) gathered at Mike's and officially signed on to help the Obama '08 campaign. We'll be making three trips to Iowa in the next nine months to try to persuade Iowans to caucus for Obama. I'll admit that I'm not thrilled about the thought of going door-to-door and making phone calls. However, I feel so strongly about Obama and really believe that he can be a healing force for our nation and the world that I'm happy to work to get him into office in whatever way I can.

Art as Prayer

Saturday morning, Lisa, Ronna, and I went to the Art as Prayer group at church, led by Lesley, and worked on a stole for Katie, who's leaving Holy Covenant in a couple weeks after serving there for the past two years. It was wonderful to hang out with these cool women, share stories, and be creative.

Shades of Grey

Congratulations to Nicole! Her son, Grey Thomas Gandia, was born on March 31. And he's already got his mom's irreverent attitude.

Come Hell and High Water

It was ten years ago this month that my hometown, Grand Forks, ND, was hit with a massive flood and then a fire that destroyed many businesses and homes. My friend Brenda's basement was completely submerged; she managed to get safely out of town after seeing the water flowing down her street. The Security Building, where we used to rehearse with the North Dakota Ballet Company, was decimated in the downtown fire. A decade on, much of the city has been rebuilt and new flood-fighting strategies are in place. In some ways, the town may actually be better. But it'll never be quite the same.

Noticable Mispellings

Here are the 100 most often misspelled words in English.

Firefox vs. Internet Explorer: Blog Photos

Thanks to Kurt, I switched over to Firefox this week, and I have now realized that some of the photos in this blog look funky (i.e. shifted around) when not viewed in Internet Explorer. I'm not sure how to fix this, since when I've tried to edit the odd-looking pages, they look fine...until they're published. Any advice?

12 Questions for Michael Penn

A quick way to get to know Michael Penn a little better: www.iamspencer.com/?p=565.

Tiffin-tastic!

Tonight I had dinner at Tiffin with my friend Mark (Carleton class of '92, just like me) and his wife, Rachel. We talked about our not-always-well-behaved dogs; shared news of friends, travels, and work; and gorged on chicken tikka masala (love that stuff!). As always, it was great to see them again.

Nick Burns, Your Company's Computer Guy, He's Not

Last night my computer-wiz friend Kurt came over (after an 11-hour workday!) to help fix the kinks in my laptop. Most computer stuff is like a foreign language to me, so I definitely appreciated his help in getting things to run more smoothly. Plus it was cool to get to hang out and catch up with him. And I will pass along his public-service message to all: back up your files with two or three copies!

We Are the Global Imperialist Pigs Our Mothers Warned Us About

Why doesn't Bush want a timetable for troop withdrawal from Iraq? Because he and his cronies have no intention of leaving.
www.commondreams.org/views07/0319-26.htm
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11072377/
www.alternet.org/waroniraq/23755/

Want to learn more about U.S. facilities in Iraq or reported U.S. casualties? Globalsecurity.org is pretty fascinating. Elsewhere on the site, find out about nuclear facilities in Iran and potential strategies for bombing them. Read about U.S. weapon systems. Or learn about the fine work being done by Halliburton.

If you haven't yet seen the movie Why We Fight, I can't recommend it enough. It discusses the plan for U.S. imperialism in the Middle East and the "military industrial complex" that President Eisenhower warned us about. I saw this film months ago, and I still think about it almost every day. It makes you realize just how little real news actually gets reported and how frighteningly much Bush and his henchmen are getting away with.

U2 Eucharist This Sunday!

From today's Holy Covenant E-Newsletter:

This coming Sunday is Holy Covenant's celebration of the U2 Eucharist, and you won't want to miss it. I hope that you'll email friends, blog about it, tell your colleagues about it, so that the whole city will feel invited.

The U2 Eucharist is very cool. If you don't believe me, you can see pictures here. But our reason for doing it goes beyond being moved by the intersection of "secular" and "sacred." The U2 Eucharist is about ending poverty--joining our hearts and voices and resources to erase the economic injustices that keep a huge percentage of our world's population living in below-human conditions.

At Holy Covenant, we've begun thinking about poverty. Dignity Diner and our work through the Night Ministry have taken us a few steps. But what if? What if this was just the beginning of a revolution of love? What if we walked further, giving ourselves to a restoration of the world? What if our very being were about bringing hope and justice to our neighbors?

What if we dreamed that Holy Covenant Church could be a leader in making a measurable difference in the ending of poverty in the city of Chicago? What if we helped to figure out a way for the poorest of Chicago to find shelter and a way to earn a living? Not sure how it would happen. But what if?

When the Holy Spirit came upon the Christians in the first century, people said "those folks are turning the world upside down." Could that happen again? Join us this Sunday to think about it. You never know what a little rock music could do.

In hope for peace with justice,
Pastor Trey Hall

U2 Eucharist
Sunday, April 29, 10:30 am
In response to the movement to Make Poverty History, Holy Covenant will celebrate a special U2 Eucharist at 10:30 am on Sunday, April 29. Featuring the Celebration Choir and special guest rock band, this worship service will feature music from U2's catalog, including such favorites as "One" and "Beautiful Day."

The U2 Eucharist has recently received international media attention, from newspapers to BBC World Service presentations, for its innovative use of the band's biblically rich lyrics and social justice message, for its ability to bring together people of many different generations in a context of worship, and as a tool for raising awareness and empowering communities to respond to the Millennium Development Goals.

Every nation in the world has endorsed the Millennium Development Goals to eradicate extreme poverty and global AIDS, and many churches, including The United Methodist Church, have endorsed them as well. Accordingly, an offering will benefit Dignity Diner, which through its local work is also engaged helping to make poverty history.

A Small Group with Big Plans

Tonight I attended the first of the small group informational sessions for Holy Covenant's capital campaign. Lisa, Lesley, Eric & Mira, Dave, and I met at Kristin's fabulous apartment, and David gave an excellent presentation. We each talked about how we had found Holy Covenant, and we agreed that it's sometimes hard to believe a place like this actually exists. We all feel very blessed to be a part of it.

Fire in My 'Hood

There was a huge fire in my neighborhood today. It burned through three businesses on Clark Street (about four blocks from my apartment) and restarted early this evening after originally being struck this afternoon. I don't believe that anyone was seriously hurt. However, I'm sure it will be a devastating loss for the families who owned those businesses.

"Hey Ya" Acoustic-Style

A nice song for a summerlike Sunday evening....

Yes, Actually, It Is a Day at the Beach

My friend Heidi recently said that it feels like people are coming out of hibernation. And that's especially true on a day like this. Chicagoans LOVE when the weather gets warm--and we've had what seems like a really long, cold winter. So hallelujah for the sunshine! This afternoon I took Scout and Chloe to the dog beach. We hadn't been since last summer, but they settled right back in. They headed straight for the water (which was leg-numblingly cold, as I learned when I followed them into the lake). Scout can be a little curmudgeonly with other dogs, but he was pretty good today. And Chloe was able to play with other dogs without being too overhwhelming. (They each have their own set of social issues.) They play best with each other, and today they played hard, running and slamming into each other over a large stretch of sand. Just as we were leaving, we ran into Heidi, who was on the people side of the fenced-in beach. So we sat a little longer to visit and enjoy the beautiful day.

Game Night Internacional

Last night Kerri, Kelly, and Jill came over for Game Night. (Mary Beth had to go out of town. We judge her harshly for this...although we'll probably forgive her by the time she hosts Game Night next month.) We were able to Skype with Joanna, who's in Guatemala with her adopted son, Alejandro. (She's living down there with him until all the adoption paperwork is final and they're out of the courts. Right now it looks like they'll be home in August.) After seeing a lot of photos of Alejandro, it was a treat to see him in motion and to hear him giggle. After he went to bed, Jo called us back. She played Guesstures and Taboo with us and, despite the time delay, beat some of us to the punch in answering! It was so great to see Jo again and to hear her laugh. It really did make me miss her even more.

Carrie's House Has Officially Been Warmed

Carrie threw a fabulous belated housewarming party last night (for the apartment she moved into a few months ago in the Edgewater neighborhood). It was a great crowd (including lots of church folks and my friend Heidi), and Carrie served an impressive assortment of food and drinks. (I especially loved the mojitos and the chocolate-drizzled fruit.) Even Charisma (her rabbit) seemed to have a good time.

On Top of the World--or at Least the City

For Christmas, Carrie got Lisa and me gift cards to the Signature Lounge, which is on the 96th floor of the John Hancock Center. So Thursday night we went to enjoy the view, the cocktails, and--of course--the company. Lisa was just back from Mexico (thus the envy-inspiring tan), and we had a great time relaxing, sipping yummy drinks, noshing, and looking out at the stunning city lights.

Where Else Can You Find a Bucket of Big-League Chew for $6.99?

In preparation for Carrie's housewarming party on Friday, she and I went shopping at Costco tonight. This seemed like a good opportunity to plug a good business.

Lunch with Current & Future Game Day Girls

Today for lunch I met up with Jill, Mary Beth, Kelly, and Sophia & Evelyn. The girls were in an especially giggly mood and enjoyed demonstrating their coloring skills. (Mom was just happy they weren't coloring on the wall for a change.) It's hard now that all of us Game Day Girls don't work together anymore, but I'm glad we're still able to meet up for the occasional lunch (and Game Night!). Of course getting all six of us together at one time has become quite a challenge--even without Joanna being in Guatemala!

Bringer Inn!

Yesterday after work, Jessica, Carrie, Mollie, Angela and I made our way from PIL to the nearby Bringer Inn in lovely Morton Grove, IL. The Bringer has pretty much everything you want in a bar--cheap beer (and ginger ale), tasty nachos, colorful clientele, friendly bartenders, and a jukebox. Who needs appletinis when they've got MGD on tap?

Henry & Sisu: Fighting to Be Friends

An update on the feline contingent of the household: I think Henry has settled in remarkably well. For the most part, he seems to feel right at home, after only having been in this new home for two weeks now. Sisu tries to reach out and be affectionate, even licking Henry on the head, but Henry seems more interested in jumping on top of Sisu and pinning him down in a vampire-like hold. Regardless, I trust that they're just figuring out their respective places in the pack and will be the best of pals...at some point. Granted, everything changes when the dogs are around (which they haven't been this week, since they're with Bill & Laura). Henry seems to be focused on the whole "those dogs are 100-pound lion hunters," not realizing they are actually chickens in the guise of dogs. But whatever. I'll leave them to work out their power struggles. I will say, the most exciting new addition to my home this week has been a Dyson vacuum cleaner (one specifically made to conquer pet hair). I was inspired by Kelly, who lent me hers. WOW is that thing amazing. I won't say I love IT (even though I really kind of do)--I'll say I love what it accomplishes. And with four pets in a one-bedroom apartment, that is no small feat.

Sustaining Our Holy Ground

Today was the official kickoff of Holy Covenant's capital campaign. I've been working with the Leadership Team for a few months now, and it's exciting to finally be spreading the word and getting people excited about this challenging, but necessary, endeavor. This campaign itself will last for four weeks, but over the next three years, we'll be raising money for projects such as replacing the roof, repairing the balcony (so people can actually go up there again), getting new chairs, and perhaps renovating the basement. This church is a vital presence in the community, and we all believe that in order to minister most effectively, our House of Worship needs to be nurtured and repaired. It's never fun to talk about money or to ask people for it, but I believe so strongly in this church and its mission, I really feel blessed to be a part of this process. Holy Covenant has done a lot of great things since it opened its doors in 1894, and, God willing, we'll continue to be a strong, ministering, inspiring, accepting presence in the community (and beyond) for generations to come.

At the Kopi...

After finally making it back to the gym today (it's just not the same with my favorite instructor, Nicole, being away on maternity leave...), I met up with Dereck at the Kopi Cafe. We hadn't hung out in ages, and it was great to catch up. Plus, Kopi makes a damn good chai tea latte.