eestep

At just about that moment, I got to Resolution 3, which had a title, a single paragraph of text, and a block of different type saying "Vote Both Sides." That was it: an incomplete description and that text with no place to vote on Resolution 3. That's why, in a flash of brilliance,  I thought of turning the page over. There I found the remainder of the Resolution 3 description, a place to vote for, and, a couple of resolutions down, a list of names to vote for to sit on a committee to explore alternative county governments organizations.  These were the only names on the back of the page.

I'm very glad I'd decided to vote against Resolution 5 before I heard all this. Because after it, I would have had to vote against it, and that's not the best way to make a decision. Or maybe it would have been--do we really want someone that clueless making decisions about our form of government?

Some days, the principle of 'one man, one vote' seems a bit....idealistic.

bittibuddha

• understand how your food and lifestyle affect your physical and mental health
• make some progress every single day

Recently, there was an article in my diocesan newsletter that spoke to the issue of the dying churches in our diocese; the churches closing or likely to close because they lack population and funds. She said some hard things about why these churches are closing. The gist of it came down this: We’re not giving people a reason to come. If you try to sell a church as a social club—well, there are better ones out there. What else does a church offer?

Eddie Izzard is an English comedian who frequently references the Church of England. In one performance, he talks about the music of the church. “We are the only people who make Hallelujah sound like a dirge,” he says. He contrasts the black churches of America, heirs to a history kidnapping, slavery, and oppression, where parishioners express their faith in joyous gospel music, and the Church of England, heirs to wealth and freedom and generations of wonderful composers, in which we sing beautiful hymns of praise and gratitude as if were are in mourning.

Every Sunday morning, we join together in the Prayers of the People. Every Sunday, we pray for the suffering of some fifteen or twenty people by name, and then, when invited to speak our own petitions, add another four or six. But when we are asked to speak our thanksgivings for the gifts of God, the distant sound of crickets chirping can be heard in the silence.

If we have nothing to thank God for, then why are we even at church? Why would anyone want to join us? We seem to present ourselves, in prayer and music and conversation, as a church of the sick and dying, focused on a God who comforts us in sickness and pain. Is that all God is, a security blanket for when things go wrong? Christ may have healed the sick, but that wasn’t all he did.

There’s a long-standing joke out there “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” For forty years, my church has preached comfort to the sick, and so only the sick come to us. We need to do add something to the equation.

Churches grow when they preach the coming of the Kingdom of God, as Christ directed the apostles in the Great Commissioning. Churches that grow share how God brings joy into life, as well as the comfort. We are not joyous. How can we become joyous?

• Gambeson!
• Registered for retirement savings plan.
• Called half the June English Country Dance.
• Helped with church luncheon.
• Had guys over for dinner.
• Got Foundation books about 80% organized.
• Got to NOWM.

• People who share the gift of music with those of us who dance. 
• People who dance.
• Fr. Greer's comment that I should be in the choir. (not happening, but sweet)
• A bishop willing to lead our congregation in new directions.
• The chance to watch many friends given recognition they've earned.
• The visit of Alda and Robert.
• Royalty you can HEAR in court, and who make it worth hearing.

• Made pea soup, froze some for grandmother and saved rest for lunches.
• Finished basting edging on gambeson: need to actually sew down and then do eyelets and ties.
• Got the oil changed.
• Got caught up on laundry and dishes. (Mind you, that'll last all of 20 minutes, but we haven't been even with those for a while) 
• De-grassed about 8 feet of flower bed. (3 hours and ouch!).
• Hosted coffee hour at church.
• Ordered and received floor tile for bathroom, checked colors against sample wall tile. Not an exact match, but close enough you have to squint to tell, so it's a go.
• Do fnish-up fitting on Sunny's GFD lining.
• Got to visit with with friends and learn about Castle Tingagel (medieval history in Tokyo - http://www.castletintagel.com/index.php/en) 

• the really interesting people I've gotten to meet and call friends.
• a beautiful weekend: cool enough at night to be good for sleeping, pleasant during the day.
• having the chance to get out and enjoy said weekend outdoors.
• the farmer's market in Shaker--they have the most interesting foods and people.
• a very necessary reminder that the best way to reboot myself isn't to shut down, it's to do more. 
• the wait-staff at the Outback in Lyndhurst. We've consistently had a really good experience there.
• and, as always, the gift of my husband! We'll be married 14 years this Wednesday - how amazing is that?

• Selected dances to call for June dance picked out and to the band.
• Re-signed foundation signature, mailed out donations with cover letters, delivered UTO matching check to Jeanne.
• Taught my brother to do queries in Access.
• Got the chili and eggplants planted.
• Gamed in Dorthada.
• Hosted Floor Wars, including running tavern.
• Was lector at church.
• Attended informational meeting and spoke up about where to hold services.

• My brother, a really nice guy, in serious denial of the fact.
• Having the chance to catch up with friends I don't see often.
• A husband who understands irrational fears and helps you through them.
• A church congregation that really does care for each other.
• A band, donating their time just for the fun of it, so we can dance!
• The irrational lift in mood when the entire world seems to be waking up.

Finally activiated my sister's Xmas present from last year-6 month gift subscriptions to NetFlix.

Have now watched: 

National Treasure 2 (one Jeff got). Total unrealistic, implausible, plot-hole-ridden candy. Mildly amusing in places mostly for the depiction of difficult relationships. Based on this movie, Nicholas Cage has not aged well the last couple of years.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Wanted to see this for a while. Jeff says that it should be on at the Sci-Fi marathon sometime really early in the morning. I believe it is this year. He left about 1/2-way through. Definitely Solaris-type pacing. On the other hand, I rather liked. I thought the story of Kirsten Dunst's character was actually the more compelling and moving, even though it was a side-plot Joel and Clemetine had nigh-unto-negative chemistry--the arguments were more believable than the good times.

Strange Days: I saw this at the Sci-Fi marathon several years back (before 2K, I think) and liked it. Still do. It gets the award I give too few sci-fi movies these days--this is really science-fiction. You know, like Matrix was and it's two sequels weren't? Not sure I know how to define that, but I know this was it (does that make me a supreme court justice?). There are still some parts that really give me the sick feeling (a man rapes a woman, while projecting his experience of the rape, through the SQUID to her in realtime, so it's like she's raping herself. Massively ick--I'd forgotten that scene. I turned it off and left the room for a bit.) Not, I think, a film everyone would like: it's violent, a bit dark but a good story. I LOVE Angela Basset's character (Yes, I had to look up the actress--the character's name is Mace) and the running, low-key, discussion of 'what is love?'