There once was a girl who did not care
When the night sky got caught in her hair
The stars all fell down
And poked holes in the ground
She hopped in one
And still lives there
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
let's go to limerick
There once was a girl who did not care
When the night sky got caught in her hair
The stars all fell down
And poked holes in the ground
She hopped in one
And still lives there
Sunday, January 20, 2008
i will sing, sing a new song
Last night was an IMAX premiere, fundraising night for the Tennessee Aquarium sponsored by Big River and Blue Water. They opened the new show last night U23D, a U2 concert video in 3D! filmed in Buenos Aires! The show also premiered last night at Sundance. It is scheduled to open in select cities across the country on Jan. 23; so this is a fantastic opportunity for Chattanooga!!! It will be here for 3 months. MUCH OBLIGED, BIG RIVER & BLUE WATER!!!The film is fantastic. Simply amazing how 4 young men could become such a sensation. How many decades are they going on? Incredible how four men can fill a stage with just their bodies, instruments and personalities.
The stadium was huge! How could Bono not feel like a god? He could easily influence the actions of that bobbing sea of humanity present at the concert. Just as Christ could calm a sea of water with a word, Bono can create a sea of synchronized clapping from thousands of waving hands with only a simple gesture! How must that affect his self-perception? Yet, he has not been selfish with the power he wields. He uses stage theatrics so effectively, but at the same time neither music nor ideals have been sacrificed. Their music isn't "all sex and drugs".
I cannot imagine having talked to heads of state, presented at the UN, traveled the world as an ambassador, been an instigator and promoter of products whose sales will go to aid in foreign countries... They are such a phenomenon! I was drawn into the cult of personality... the sense of awe and worship captured in the humble actions of a stage hand, in slow motion and a mysterious cloud of smoke, dressing Bono in a fresh jacket. But at one point the camera pulled back, and the audience could see the set list taped to the floor at Bono's feet. The realization hit, "Wow, they really are still just a group of 4 men. They are a band!" Then there was the confirmation in the mad, hectic changing of guitars between songs to make a smooth musical transition. The Edge is simply amazing in his non-glamorous, simple stage presence. Such a great foil to Bono's over-the-top ego. Adam Clayton still annoys Michael. I think that is funny.
Bono Vox
Really rocks
Reminding us to wonder
When Johnny'll come home
And ponder how long
He must sing his song
Marchin' all alone
But the drunk man dancin' 3 seats down from me
Makes me laugh cause we all can see
He's thinkin' he's gonna get laid
All because his cash paid
For the girl rolling her eyes
As he bullets the blue skies
HELLO, HELLO (¡HOLA!) THE IMAX GIVES ME VERTIGO!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
table (for) two
Upon opening the door, I was reminded of what had impressed me the first time I visited table 2 back in August: a beautiful, well-designed interior beginning with an enchanting entryway which I have not seen anywhere else here as we do not have cold winters which chill a restaurant each time a customer enters. The draperies, though not necessary for keeping out the draft, create a sense of transition from work-a-day to something special. An exotic welcome in rich tones, the foyer sets the mood and expectations for the rest of the evening.
As we entered and soaked in the bar, kitchen and dining room, I was disappointed to note that the curtained tables along the back wall were all taken. I had hoped that on a Tuesday night we would have run of the restaurant and those magical tables would be clear for a private dinner with command of the entire hall. As it turned out though, I preferred the small square table close to the bar at which we were seated because it afforded us a perfect vantage point to enjoy the jazz trio.
Our server immediately greeted us and presented us with our menus mentioning the special menu additions listed separately as well as the wine lists: by bottle or by glass.
We started the evening with a bottle of Artazuri Grenache Navarre 2003. Throughout the evening, as conversation waxed and waned, we raised 3 toasts: to a good year 36, MLKing Jr., and Macintosh.
The meal:
Scallop cakes made for a mild, warm start. I always try to do a scallop dish or crab cakes wherever we go. This was the best of both worlds.
We followed the cakes with a mixed greens salad topped with walnuts and goat cheese. I appreciated that the salad was not drowning in balsamic vinegar dressing. A few more walnuts and perhaps the server's pouring the dressing over my salad would have made for an even more delightful presentation. The quartet of garlic, herbed drop biscuits were a tasty complement to the salad.
For my entree, I chose the stuffed roasted pork loin. The loin was stuffed with a delicious spinach and pecan filling and was served over a fantastic creamy polenta. The dish was topped with a thin drizzle of a surprisingly delicate blue cheese sauce. The herbs were just right, but there were some bites which surprised me as overly salty. Though the flavors were an interesting and pleasing blend, the meat was dry. I concentrated on the spinach stuffing and the polenta.
The 10oz. Bison loin (rare) over garlic mashed potatoes, however, was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! Perfect texture, soft and flavorful, seared just right with a nice smokiness that permeated the meat but didn't overpower it. Just as polenta complements pork flavors, potatoes make red meat sing. Asparagus and carrots made for pretty accompaniments, but it was the potatoes that carried the vegetables.
To close our meal, we asked for a tasting of the house-made rosemary ice cream drizzled with balsamic vinegar. The ice cream had a taste I can only describe as clean, but it left my mouth with an oily coating. So, my palate sufficiently cleansed and ready to be done with the strange sensation left by the ice cream, I opted for the low-flour brownie (the server described this dessert, when paired with the chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla, as "the perfect man substitute"- I chose vanilla as I had already enjoyed the Jack Daniels Chocolate Ice Cream when I visited in summer). I was gratified by the generous square of dense brownie served with a very light, soft ice cream zigzagged with chocolate sauce... not too sweet... a perfect pairing with my decaf coffee. Mi esposo had an espresso.
I look forward to visit 3 at table 2.
As we entered and soaked in the bar, kitchen and dining room, I was disappointed to note that the curtained tables along the back wall were all taken. I had hoped that on a Tuesday night we would have run of the restaurant and those magical tables would be clear for a private dinner with command of the entire hall. As it turned out though, I preferred the small square table close to the bar at which we were seated because it afforded us a perfect vantage point to enjoy the jazz trio.
Our server immediately greeted us and presented us with our menus mentioning the special menu additions listed separately as well as the wine lists: by bottle or by glass.
We started the evening with a bottle of Artazuri Grenache Navarre 2003. Throughout the evening, as conversation waxed and waned, we raised 3 toasts: to a good year 36, MLKing Jr., and Macintosh.
The meal:
Scallop cakes made for a mild, warm start. I always try to do a scallop dish or crab cakes wherever we go. This was the best of both worlds.
We followed the cakes with a mixed greens salad topped with walnuts and goat cheese. I appreciated that the salad was not drowning in balsamic vinegar dressing. A few more walnuts and perhaps the server's pouring the dressing over my salad would have made for an even more delightful presentation. The quartet of garlic, herbed drop biscuits were a tasty complement to the salad.
For my entree, I chose the stuffed roasted pork loin. The loin was stuffed with a delicious spinach and pecan filling and was served over a fantastic creamy polenta. The dish was topped with a thin drizzle of a surprisingly delicate blue cheese sauce. The herbs were just right, but there were some bites which surprised me as overly salty. Though the flavors were an interesting and pleasing blend, the meat was dry. I concentrated on the spinach stuffing and the polenta.
The 10oz. Bison loin (rare) over garlic mashed potatoes, however, was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! Perfect texture, soft and flavorful, seared just right with a nice smokiness that permeated the meat but didn't overpower it. Just as polenta complements pork flavors, potatoes make red meat sing. Asparagus and carrots made for pretty accompaniments, but it was the potatoes that carried the vegetables.
To close our meal, we asked for a tasting of the house-made rosemary ice cream drizzled with balsamic vinegar. The ice cream had a taste I can only describe as clean, but it left my mouth with an oily coating. So, my palate sufficiently cleansed and ready to be done with the strange sensation left by the ice cream, I opted for the low-flour brownie (the server described this dessert, when paired with the chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla, as "the perfect man substitute"- I chose vanilla as I had already enjoyed the Jack Daniels Chocolate Ice Cream when I visited in summer). I was gratified by the generous square of dense brownie served with a very light, soft ice cream zigzagged with chocolate sauce... not too sweet... a perfect pairing with my decaf coffee. Mi esposo had an espresso.
I look forward to visit 3 at table 2.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
forgive me
I recently found myself in a conversation regarding forgiveness. The person with whom I was speaking had reprimanded her sister for continuing to be angry with a lousy boyfriend who had called to apologize for acting like a jerk earlier that day. Let me note here, an act of contrition from him is quite remarkable, but currently she is going way beyond the extra mile for him, and I suspect that his apology is a veiled attempt at trapping her more tightly to himself through the confusion of Christian counsel. The given rebuke was, "You must forgive anyone who asks forgiveness." Now this is a tricky situation, and the imperative to forgive becomes a confusing statement as she is also being told she should leave the bad boyfriend. I simply pointed out the confusion created by these contradictory instructions, but that is not what I want to blahg about.
The concept I will address is what I see as a much larger problem with the admonition as a statement, a fundamental misunderstanding of forgiveness (though I left it unstated as this is a tricky situation filled with years of emotional and dogmatic baggage - a "God helps those who help themselves" sort of pioneer concept). It is my understanding that forgiveness is not dependent upon a change of heart by the offender. It is the act of the offended's releasing the transgressor from the perceived debt owed as a result of the affront. Forgiveness has everything to do with the offended's attitude but not the offender's. On the flip side, if we find ourselves in the position of the offender we must not ask forgiveness; we should only express our guilt and sorrow over the offense, deal with/ remark on/ claim only our own actions. To ask forgiveness is to place the responsibility and guilt of our offense on the shoulders of the one whom we have already hurt. It is an attempt to release ourselves from the responsibility of dealing with our crimes. How many times have we said or heard, "I said I was sorry!" or, "It is not my fault if (s)he can't get over it!" As the offender, we then pick up a righteous banner and wage a new war, turning the offended into an offender. By this reversal how much do we add to our offensiveness. We increase our victim's burden by placing our guilt on them to deal with. We cannot insist on forgiveness. It is not ours to claim. It is not our right. Yes, we can expect it in prayer, it has already been promised. We can rest comfortably in the promise given through the blood of Christ, but we mustn't expect the ones we wound here to respond as Christ. They did not volunteer to carry our burden of sin, we forced it on them.
(Let me clarify to anyone who thinks I am creating an argument for holding grudges, I believe that we are to forgive even if no apology is made, but I also believe it is far harder to forgive than it is to sin against another person. My position is that forgiveness has almost nothing to do with its recipient. It is a matter between the one offended and God. We are told to forgive because we have been forgiven. We pray that God will forgive us as we forgive others. Also, once forgiven, the transgressor's job then becomes refraining from wallowing in personal guilt and condemnation and beyond that, forgiving others- a sort of pay it forward, hehe. I will also make note here that the difficulty of forgiveness lies in the fact that though God forgives once and for all, we do not forget. The pain of inflicted wounds always smarts. Forgiveness has to happen over and over again. Just like we are "being saved"- we are not saved at any given point in time until we are released from time; so too forgiveness is a process.)
So anyway, all that to say, "When you cause an affront, just say, 'I am sorry!' "
The concept I will address is what I see as a much larger problem with the admonition as a statement, a fundamental misunderstanding of forgiveness (though I left it unstated as this is a tricky situation filled with years of emotional and dogmatic baggage - a "God helps those who help themselves" sort of pioneer concept). It is my understanding that forgiveness is not dependent upon a change of heart by the offender. It is the act of the offended's releasing the transgressor from the perceived debt owed as a result of the affront. Forgiveness has everything to do with the offended's attitude but not the offender's. On the flip side, if we find ourselves in the position of the offender we must not ask forgiveness; we should only express our guilt and sorrow over the offense, deal with/ remark on/ claim only our own actions. To ask forgiveness is to place the responsibility and guilt of our offense on the shoulders of the one whom we have already hurt. It is an attempt to release ourselves from the responsibility of dealing with our crimes. How many times have we said or heard, "I said I was sorry!" or, "It is not my fault if (s)he can't get over it!" As the offender, we then pick up a righteous banner and wage a new war, turning the offended into an offender. By this reversal how much do we add to our offensiveness. We increase our victim's burden by placing our guilt on them to deal with. We cannot insist on forgiveness. It is not ours to claim. It is not our right. Yes, we can expect it in prayer, it has already been promised. We can rest comfortably in the promise given through the blood of Christ, but we mustn't expect the ones we wound here to respond as Christ. They did not volunteer to carry our burden of sin, we forced it on them.
(Let me clarify to anyone who thinks I am creating an argument for holding grudges, I believe that we are to forgive even if no apology is made, but I also believe it is far harder to forgive than it is to sin against another person. My position is that forgiveness has almost nothing to do with its recipient. It is a matter between the one offended and God. We are told to forgive because we have been forgiven. We pray that God will forgive us as we forgive others. Also, once forgiven, the transgressor's job then becomes refraining from wallowing in personal guilt and condemnation and beyond that, forgiving others- a sort of pay it forward, hehe. I will also make note here that the difficulty of forgiveness lies in the fact that though God forgives once and for all, we do not forget. The pain of inflicted wounds always smarts. Forgiveness has to happen over and over again. Just like we are "being saved"- we are not saved at any given point in time until we are released from time; so too forgiveness is a process.)
So anyway, all that to say, "When you cause an affront, just say, 'I am sorry!' "
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