Naomi: Pure and Simple

My Dreams Have Come True

2012-01-27T13:36:00.001-08:00

I stopped by Heritage Bikes after work today, and it is awesome.

Advocacy

2012-01-27T10:42:00.000-08:00

It's been coming on awhile now, but this is truly the thing about my job that I love: bike advocacy.

At our company party a couple weeks ago my former manager asked me what I would really like to do with my position in the company, and I told her, "Bike advocacy, creating a community for cyclists and getting the word and the resources out there."

I'm getting the chance to not just write about this on my own blog, but on the Bike and Park Blog as well. On long winter days like these it is comforting to know that I can spend my time fleshing out a unique role in this city's cycle community. I feel that the least I can do toward my members, is to be as educated and as aware as they are to the city's changing infrastructure and cycling needs. It helps me to create a better community for commuter cyclists, and it helps me become a better advocate.

I'm only a little apprehensive that my professional and personal life are blending together. These are things I normally think of as separate. Yet, this is who I am, this is what I do. I bike. I bike when I'm happy or sad, having a good day or not, if the weather is beautiful or terrible. I bike when other's tell me not to. I bike when motorist are assholes. I bike with my friends and family. If this is who I am, then this is who I should be.

Amahl and the Night Visitors

2012-01-27T10:13:00.001-08:00

Amahl and the Night Visitors

Above is the link to our shows' web page. So this is the show I am currently doing at North Park Covenant Church. It may be a church play, but this is a beautiful 20th Century opera. The opera is about The Three Kings on their way to Bethlehem to visit the Christ Child. They stop at a small house where Amahl, a crippled boy, and his widowed mother live. There is wonderful music, dancing and some awesome fight choreography.
I was asked in December to come on board and play the role of the Page. I service the kings. I do all the heavy lifting, bending and parrot keeping. I only sing twice, but I did get to choreograph a fight scene with myself and two other actors. I love that this role is largely physical. Some of my favorite parts have been the ones where I have few or no lines, as it forces me to become all the more present and committed in the moment.
Our director is the lovely and talented Linden Christ, with Charles Olson, David Schlensger, and Brian Ward as the Kings. Amahl is played by twins Ian and Camile Smith.
The important details are all on the website. February 11th and 12th at North Park Covenant Church. Call the office for reservations today!

Breakfast Club

2012-01-26T07:41:00.000-08:00

I stayed at Samantha's last night because I had a quick turn around in work shifts.

We got up this morning and she asked if I wanted an apple. I said yes, and went for a plate of fruit on the dining room table, while she pulled two apples out of somewhere else.

"Oh, no could you put that back. Sorry that fruit is for the ancestors."

"Oh ok" I said putting it back

"Yeah, I'm not sure when we're allowed to eat it. Apparently the spirit of the fruit needs to reach the spirits of the ancestors..."

Happy Chinese New Year

Cycleista

2012-01-25T16:15:00.000-08:00

World English Dictionary

-ista

— *combining form*
	indicating a supporter or follower of someone or something:fashionista ; Portillista

Cycleista- A compound form of cycle and -ista. To be a supporter and follower of the bicycle lifestyle.

An avid and passionate cyclist. One who bikes year round, rain or shine. Isn't afraid to take the bus or train, but will take the bike just in case. Wears Lycra and Spandex proudly, but relishes the freedom of riding in just a skirt and blouse on a warm sunny day. One who utilizes various creative methods of cargo carrying with panniers, baskets and racks. One who craves adventure in the city or in the country as longs as she's on a bike. One who feels the call to share the good news, make more bike converts, make friends with cyclists and write about it all on her blog.

Why I love Jesus and Religion

2012-01-21T15:57:00.000-08:00

There seems to be a rather popular video floating around thestratosphere. You’ve probably seen it by now. I’m not going to do anybody the favor of re-posting this spoken word piece. It’s already been over a week this went viral, and ifyou haven’t seen in just go onto Facebook and I’m sure one of your friends hasalready re-posted and liked it by now. Truthfully I would have liked to have this post ready a week ago, and this seems like old news by now. But I had quite a bit already prepared and still think that the issue this controversial video has brought up in the blog-o-sphere is worth talking about.

First of all, I'll say straight up that I'm not going to make a big critique this video. That has already been done by people who did it much better than I could have and who have had contact with the author himself. But I am going to speak frankly about my reaction to this piece of work. I know that the author, Jefferson Bethke, has said that his theology was "not airtight" when this video was released. And I believe this person to be a Brother in Christ and fellow artist. This is in no way a personal judgement on him.

I have to wonder though, why does this video bother me somuch? Was it because I simply knew better theology because of my Biblical training anddegree studies? Or more importantly is it because I believe this piece of workis a complete misuse of scripture and orthodox theology? Yes to both. But furthermore I have to look at this with the eyes of an artist and theologian.

I love the use of spoken word. The video is good quality and well produced. It is exactly the type of video I'm supposed to like as a young person, as a Christian and as an artist. But Christianity has always had a messy relationship with art. (By this I mean performance or theater) As artists we strive for authenticity, and that's the one thing that this video has going for it. The author is raw and real about his own feelings and experiences. But his perspective about Jesus and what that Gospel says about "religion" is entirely off base, and down right un-Biblical. His jumping off point for this piece is a botched up verse straight from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-8)

I have long believed that the modern view of religion as itrelates to a relationship with Jesus has been looked at out of context. JeffBethke is speaking from an evangelical, post-modern context. He is not lookingat a picture of Jesus from the 1^st century. A Jesus who happened tobe a religious teacher, a devout Jew, and a Pharisee. This is the same Jesuswho said “I came not to abolish the law [of Moses] or the Prophets; I have notcome to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17 TNIV) The author onlypaid attention to the first part of that verse, and somehow still managed to get itwrong.

Jesus is undeniably connected to the story of Israel,through his lineage, through the events of his life (exile in Egypt,persecution) and through prophecy. I believe that Jesus’s life, as decribed inthe Book of Matthew, is a reenactment of the story of Israel. But what I findso interesting about the scripture for which Bethke bases his piece on, is thatit belongs to Matthew 5, the first chapter of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. Thisis a sermon that Jesus is preaching to a crowd as well as to his own disciples(Matt 5:1-2)

Religion is not the enemy. The enemy is death and sin. Theenemy is what separates us from God. We give ourselves to death when we chooseto act according to our own desires and wills, when the costly risk offollowing God becomes seemingly too burdensome. Yes, Jesus is the answer, butbefore he came God gave us the Law. God gave his people religion. He gave thema way to live in holiness, a way to live that always pointed to him. We trust acompass to point North, just as we trust the Word of God to point to him. (Bythis I mean whole Word: Torah, Prophets, Writings, everything not just the NewTestament) Jesus as the complete Word, God with us, Immanuel. God gave hispeople, the Israelites, the law [religion] as a way to draw closer to him. As away to begin mending the gap that death had created. God sent his only son JesusChrist to complete this work, to draw his people closer, to make themdisciples, and to defeat that which corrupted the harmony between man and God;death.

I’ve been told many times, by Christian teachers, that Ishould hate religion. I remember specifically one evening service I went towhile working at a camp in Yelm, Washington. The speaker, a local youthpastor, gave us counselors and staff a chance to vent our grievances anddiscord with the church and Christianity. We all let it out. One after the other, this collection of young Christians shared our struggles with society and the church. Then someone said "I hate religion." The pastor's response, "We should ALL hate religion." It didn’t settle right with me. Ididn’t hate religion, nor did I want to. When these people [and Jeff Bethke] used the word Religion I don't think they mean a value system, set of beliefs, creed and/or canon, as the word Religion is defined. They mean legalism, rigidity, and self righteousness. They mean every bad experience they have every had that has been tied to the church. They mean every ugly action by church officials that has resulted in shame or loss. The word religion has been turned into a nasty thing.

I need religion. I need to be remindedwhy I love Jesus, because sometimes I forget why I do. Sometimes I am so sweptup in the pressure and motion of daily life that I forget that I have a God wholoves me. I forget to pray, to give thanks, or give praise. I don’t always liketo be remorseful or repentant of the things I have done. I want to feeljustified in every action I do, as if I have every right to live my on my ownterms free of punishment. And I need to be reminded that that just isn’t so.

The reason I go to church every Sunday isn’t necessarilybecause I enjoy it all the time. It is because I am reminded when I attend mylocal church that I live as part of the body of Christ. I am a member of apeculiar group of people, and I am just as responsible for them as they are forme. The reason I keep a rosary beside my bed, isn’t because I’m Catholic orbecause I like saying Hail Mary’s, but because I need toremind myself that Christ is with me when I go to sleep and when I wake up. Sometimes need to remember the way he taught us to pray, “Our Father, who artin heaven…”

I have a mezuzah on my doorframe. It was left by one of theprevious owners of my apartment. The first time I saw this object nailed to thedoor, I knew that God had meant for me to live in this place. I keep thisreminder nailed to my door not because I’m a Jew, but because it reminds me ofExodus 12. It reminds me that the Israelites were enslaved and that when theplague of death came, those who had the blood of a lamb painted on their door frames were passed over. It reminds me that Jesus also escaped death as ayoung boy. But it would later be his body nailed to wood, and his blood spilled across that wooden frame thatconquered death. The blood shed so that I may be forgiven, so that death mightpass over me.

Why do I love Jesus and religion, because Jesus is myreligion.
It was good for my mother, it saved my father, it was good for Paul and Silas, it will take us all to Heaven, It's good enough for me- Charles Tillman

Purse or Pannier

2012-01-19T12:00:00.001-08:00

It's both.
With a little help from a u lock and a teather cord, I jerry rigged my Cold Water Creek purse on my rear rack.

Bike Blog

2012-01-19T07:30:00.001-08:00

I wear many different hats at my job: administrator, customer service, concierge, some type of assistant or junior manager. Truthfully I'm not sure what my actual job title is anymore. I don't even think my boss knows, but suffice it to say that of all the hats and duties I do in my work, the one I like most is advocate.

You see my core responsibility is to the members of the McDonald's Cycle Center, people who live their lives by bike. This is a pretty natural fit for me, a person who believes that cycling is more than a form of transportation or exercise but a way of life. So as an advocate for bikes and other varied types of human powered transportation, I keep my eyes peeled for resources. Social networking sites, online magazines, blogs, blogs and more blogs. I look for news articles on heath and the benefits of good exercise and nutrition. I keep tabs on green living, city planning, the economy and transportation. And I keep a special eye out for resources and articles that pertain to women and families. I've found a great collection of bike blogs written by women covering topics about biking with your family, living without a car, bike fashion and style tips, winter riding and women's special events (triathlons, group rides etc.)

My recent discovery of women's bike blogs has inspired something in me. More like, a light bulbs has clicked on. It's so simple why didn't I think of it before? Why am I not writing a regular bike blog? Sure I talk about my bikes and my rides occasionally on my blog along with a myriad of other topics, but I talk about it all the time in person. I'm convicted to take it one step further. Cycling has become so integrated with every aspect of my life in Chicago. It is a huge part of my identity, second only to my spiritual and church life (because in Christ I am a a new creation) and the foremost of all my hobbies and interests.

Henceforth I'm committing to posting regular articles, pictures and links to the lifestyle I love. Riding my bike has impacted almost every facet of my living. My daily commute is my regular exercise routine, and it's the best preventative medicine there is. It has saved me money not only from transportation costs, but also for health care. I've also lost 30lbs (and kept if off!) in the last 4 years. I've learned every trick in the book for riding and dressing in a Chicago winter.

Maybe my story and my blog will continue to live in obscurity, but not if I can help it. Three things have saved my life, Jesus Christ, the theater, and my bike.

Goals

2012-01-13T08:01:00.000-08:00

1. Take another stage combat class
2. Finish reading Bonhoeffer
3. Read Persuasion by Jane Austen
4. Make a new friend
5. Take one picture a day for a month
6. Try two new recipes a month
7. Log a minimum 5,000 miles on my bikes. This shouldn't be difficult. Ideally I'd like to get closer to 7 or 8,000. This would count regular commuting (20 miles round trip) errands and recreational riding.
8. Take a multi-day bike trip
9. Maybe go for a run.
10. If in fact I manage to go out for run, maybe I could make it a regular thing. And if I make it a regular thing maybe it wouldn't suck as much. And if I start running and cycling maybe I could start training for something like... oh say...a triathlon. Theoretically I mean. I'm not a strong swimmer, so I'm not even going there.

Links I Love

2012-01-13T07:59:00.000-08:00

I am loving Pinterest right now. Lydia invited me a couple weeks ago and I am really enjoying looking at everyone's little collections of dreams and pictures.

Pinterest takes the idea of craft or pin board and puts it online. Everyday when I log on, or use my Pinterest App, I see new pins that my friends have posted. The most popular things I see are recipes, decorating ideas, wedding ideas, crafts and Lydia's endless collection of Harry Potter related paraphernalia.

I'm personally trying to avoid creating boards that feature "weddings" or anything future related, like house organization or decoration ideas. I don't have a husband to marry or perfectly designed dream house to put him in. Best if I just let that lie.

But I have made collections for vintage fashion and art, travel, and cycling. All things which are relevant to my current lifestyle.

My biggest fear with Pinterest is that as people import more pins, people come along and re-pin what I have already pinned. All the unique little collections soon loose their unique-ness because everybody else likes the exact same things. So I theorize that over time Pinterest will amass some collective definition of womanhood, where all the women on it will essentially become one mind because we all possess the same taste in clothes, makeup, home decor, wedding ideas and Harry Potter.

I still love it though, it's awesome.

I just downloaded the app for The Huffington Post

I know of no other collective news source that lets me in on the latest GOP candidacy tug of war, and has a section dedicated to Women. Anyway I love exploring all the blogs on Huff Post, I could spend hours. That's all I'm gonna say.

Shopping Cart

2012-01-11T07:55:00.000-08:00

I've only made one resolution this year, and that is to plan and execute a trip to the United Kingdom. That is the only thing I am determinedly resolved to do.

But, I do have a few other more flexible goals to do throughout the year. One of my Christmas gifts this year was a package of spices and seasonings sent to me by my mentor Becky. Included as well, were several recipes. Yesterday as I was planning my pre-pay day shopping lists I made sure to include some of the extra ingredients I will need. My goal this year is two new recipes a month.This will be very exciting since my diet has become a staple regime of old recipes. Lentil soup, baked potatoes, roast broccoli, and black bean burgers.

Typically I go grocery shopping every two weeks. The first four items I have on every shopping list are: Eggs, bread, soy milk and black beans.

I still don't cook much meat at home, but I will eat it on occasion or when eating out. For the amount of cycling and activity I do my body needs enough protein and iron, I wasn't getting that on an all veggie diet unfortunately. I'm still trying to control my dairy intake. Cheese is always my downfall, I love it waaay too much. Goat cheese is a little better because it is easier for humans to digest. Another favorite product Ezekiel 4:9 Bread on the expensive side, but very healthy (keep it in the fridge.) I feel a little lame that I didn't discover Nutella until I was an adult. I suspect we never had it as kids because it contains soy which my mom is allergic to. But now that I've had it, there's no going back. I read a recent article in the Huffington Post comparing Nutella against other hazelnut spreads. In a blind taste test it was number one by a landslide.
I think basil pesto is one of the most versatile ingredients in my arsenal. I love putting it on bread/toast for a stack. It's great on pasta, but I also love it with baked potatoes, over goat cheese with crackers and wine, or mixed in with brown rice.

This next week my two recipes will be Chicken Marsala and Smokey Mac n Cheese. Post will be forthcoming.

Currently in January

2012-01-07T09:40:00.000-08:00

Happy January!

Current Food: I tried Muscle Milk for the first time this week. It's a milk free protein shake. Great for athletes, it's like rocket fuel. While it's good going down, I'm not too thrilled with the aftertaste which takes awhile to go away. As I was wishing away the aspartamey taste, I had the sudden craving for Mexican food. That night I made burritos

Current Favorite Show: How I Met Your Mother. I am caught up on all the episodes thanks to Netflix.
Current Wishlist: I no longer need wish lists because I have Pinterest! Now I can publicly share all my hopes and dreams with the world. I can plan a wedding, design my house, and even dress my kids!

Current Needs: I'm planning a trip to the UK this year. I'm in the process of e-mailing people and making connections so that I can stay there as cheaply as humanly possible. I will be posting more updates to my planning process and my long awaited English Adventure!
Current Triumphs: I cleaned my apartment this week. Got rid of all the recycling and wine bottles, reorganized my bathroom. Then I rested and said it was good.

Current Indulgence: Nutella.
Current Blessing(s): I am enjoying this recent streak of lovely weather in Chicago. Friday I took the Lakefront Trail home. So many people were out jogging and riding their bikes. It was a great inspiration.
Current Outfit: I love winter. I love layering, and I love thrift stores. I picked up a pair of leg warmers on sale at Payless. While I love wearing them around the house I really like layering them under my boots and over leggings
Current Coffee Dates: Had a happy run in with my friends Sarah and Alex at Starbucks.

Current Mindless Movie watching: watched all eight Harry Potter movies on New Years weekend.

Just because I'm me, I watched them all out of order.

Current Post-New Year's Holiday Parties: I joined my fellow church ladies in a little social gathering Friday night. This week my company has their holiday party at Seven Ten Lounge.

Current Production: This month NPCC is jumping back into rehearsals for Amahl and the Night Visitors which premiers the first weekend of February. In the meantime I'm trying to pick a song for a coffeehouse performance in a couple weekends. I'm torn between doing an old fashioned broadway standard or trying something a little off beat. One of my favorite Pandora stations is Johnny Cash. I'm thinking of trying something Blue Grass or Bluesy this year.

2012 is off to a good start!

Old Tradition, New Blog

2011-12-31T10:36:00.000-08:00

When we were little my dad would break out the video camera on Christmas and Birthdays then he would ask...
"Ok Naomi, what did you get for Christmas this year?"

Spices and Reindeer ornament from Becky. Not pictured are the awesome socks she sends me every year.

Purse from Dad and Mae

Jewelry stand from Lydia

Collage box made by Lydia

Toiletries from Sam's Mom and Lydia

I picked these up for myself on sale at Payless. Leg warmers and mittens.

Beautiful Chinese tea cups and pot from Sam and Meng

Buy one get one free Christmas blend from Starbucks.

Then my dad would always end by asking,
"Ok Naomi, did you have a good Christmas?"

Yes.

"Ok good."

This Christmas

2011-12-31T10:22:00.000-08:00

This was the first Christmas I have spent away from my family. It's a hard thing to swallow sometimes. Christmas time is such a family-centric event. For some people it seems unimaginable, but as this year turned out, it wasn't so bad.

My reason for not going home was entirely financial. 2011 has been a tough year with student loans kicking in and starting a new job. In mid-November I found myself "a year older and not an hour richer" So I called my dad and my sister and eventually decided that I would spend Christmas in Chicago. Interestingly enough, the people most vocally upset by this (aside from my sister) were my extended family, aunts and cousins.

The opportunity to have a Christmas in Chicago also gave me the change to explore new traditions. Growing up, my family didn't really embrace cultural traditions. We opened presents on Christmas morning, had a family dinner at my Dad's cousins, opened presents with Grandma and Grandpa, and admired neighborhood Christmas lights. When my step-mom joined our family we adopted the Brazilian tradition of having a big family dinner on Christmas Eve and opening presents at 12:00am Christmas Day.

Christmas has changed a lot since I was little. It's no surprise to me that it changed once again.

Old Traditions:
1. I made gingerbread and molasses cookies
2. I made crafty Christmas gifts for my family
3. Decorated the apartment with an Advent Wreath, Christmas Tree and Stockings
4. Went to church on Christmas Eve. Lit candles and sang Silent Night.
5. Sang lots of carols. My sister and I always sing together and this is something we both missed doing this year.
6. Opened presents on Christmas Eve. I had one package arrive before Christmas, and I saved it to open at mid-night. I cracked and opened it early because I needed to get some sleep for the Christmas services the next day (see below.)
7. Watched Christmas movies. I re-watched all my favorite Christmas movies leading up to and after Christmas. I had a good evening with Hanna and Alison watching It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol.

New Traditions:
1. Had my first Christmas Eve service at North Park Covenant Church. Very elaborate, very crowded (Church really fills up on Christmas Eve) and very beautiful.
2. Multiple outfits for Christmas weekend. On Thanksgiving I decided that there was no need to torture myself. I was going to stuff myself with food, so why on earth would I want to wear something with a constricting waist just to satisfy my narcissistic need to be perpetually gorgeous?
Answer: I would pull a page from Britain's sweetheart Duchess Kate. Instead of one cute outfit I picked out several different looks and had one for each event (Christmas Eve service, Christmas Eve supper, Julotta Service, Christmas Day service and Christmas Day supper) All of my outfits for suppers were comfy and loose, but still cute and holiday appropriate. I saved the more distinguished looks for church services or parties.
3. As I mentioned in the events above, my church also includes a Julotta in its Christmas services. If you don't know what that is, don't worry I don't really know either and I was there. But in a short description, Julotta is a Swedish style/language Christmas Day service that begins at 6:30am (or pre-dawn) and ends with a Swedish breakfast post-dawn. It is their way of observing the moment of Christ entering the world. This a beautiful idea, but sadly conflicts with my family's tradition of opening gifts at mid-night Christmas Eve.
4. Sang a solo on Christmas Day at church. I chose to sing The Trumpet Child, a jazz song, at my very traditional organ and choir church. They liked it though.
5. Spent Christmas Day with the Liang-Mead family. We had supper at a Chinese buffet, I stayed the night and had some good Auntie and Emma time.
6. Did some after Christmas shopping at Target. Flannel sheets 50% off!
7. Most of my gifts came after Christmas. My parents sent me a new purse, I got a collage box and jewelry stand from my sister Lydia. Spices and a reindeer ornament from Becky, as well as a tea pot, cups and tea from Samantha. I also had a wonderful dinner with my friend Ben while he was in town.

I will say this: this year was the least stressful Christmas I have had in a long time. If you take traveling out of the equation you eliminate a lot of worry and anxiety. But the best part of this holiday was calling my family on Christmas Eve and talking to them while they were all there together. It was almost like being there.

Blog on 2012!

2011-12-31T09:36:00.000-08:00

On this, the last day of 2011, I wanted to review the goals I made for this year. I believe in making resolutions and goals (as long as they don't contain the words weight loss, money or organization, you're just setting yourself up for disappointment.)

2011 was a crazy year of healing, transition and change. This was the year I left North Park (this time as a graduate) I started a new job, cut my hair, and got a tattoo. It was a financially difficult year, I'm now working on repaying all my student loans, and this was the first year I didn't spend Christmas with my family.

This dear friends is 2011!

Resolutions from last year End of the year update

1. Find a new and exciting job Now working as the Membership Director for the McDonald's Cycle Center

2. Buy a new bike, preferably a good road bike. I got two new bikes this year, a Cannondale CAAD 9 road bike and a Trek FX Fitness bike.

3. Do more state side travelling In September I visited my friends Ashleigh and Nate in St. Louis for a five day respite.

4. Make more jewelry and market it. Didn't do that. I didn't pull out my beads all year until last week.

5. Try my hand at freelance costume design Developed a solid resume with the help of the incredible Maggie Fulilove-Nugent, and costumed two shows back to back in November and December.

6. Do more babysitting to fill in the gaps I've luckily kept up a good consistency with sitting since leaving professional child care. And it has definitely filled in more than a few financial gaps. This year all the money I make from babysitting and childcare is going to my travel fund.

7. Get a smart phone. Smart phone is got. Since July I've enjoyed my fancy little phone with no buttons.

8. Outfit the apartment with internet and Netflix access Not so much.

9. Buy cool kitchen stuff. I recycled some IKEA tables and made a center island and a new microwave/toaster oven table. Inherited a dutch oven, two skillets, and a load of reusable tupperware. I kept the basket from a "gift basket" we received at work and that is now in use as a bread/coffee/whatever basket. I also got two new teapots and a new french press. Last but not least, I got rid of all the wine bottles on my counter.

10. Read more books just for fun. I'm still plowing through Bonhoeffer. But I did finally finish a biography of William Wilberforce, and a book about the life and work of Mister Rogers.

11. Visit more churches. Ironically I made this goal because I was intending to leave the church I had been attending. Instead of another church I got a miracle. God gave me the church I already had. They became my family, my rock and my touchstone. He is so good. God also brought us a new pastor.

12. Find a consistent Bible study. See the above

13. Apply to at least one grad school. Nope

14. Kiss the boys and make them cry. Well, I think I cried a couple times instead. But my relationships with men have ended on a good note this year.

15. Blog on! I'm still here!

Other things of note from 2011:
1. I originated the role of Mrs. Raven in the world premier of Lilith. Lilith was a very special production to me. It was a huge factor in my post-grad recovery process and the closest thing to perfect as I've ever experienced.
2. I made the transition from "biker" to "cyclist" this year. My acquisition of Rogue 2 (my Cannondale) inspired me to find a job in the "bicycle" industry. I began cycling regularly about 20 miles a day, and in September finally made some long awaited trips. The first was to the Chicago Botanical Gardens and the second was a 100 mile ride from Evanston to Kenosha and back.
3. At the end of last year I realized a big flaw in the way I related to my friends. I resolved to be more intentional about being honest with the people I loved and also creating boundaries with those people. Sadly, this ended a couple friendships. But I don't regret that for one minute; you need to remove what's hurting you before you can heal.
4. Started seeing a therapist in October. I'm trying to be open and honest about going to therapy because I believe having such a assist can really help.
5. Finally got my tattoo.

As of right now I have only one goal for 2012
1. Save money. Go to Great Britain.

Simple enough.

Currently in December

2011-12-07T14:00:00.001-08:00

Current Book: Travel books, Costume books
Current Obsession: Saving enough money to travel
Current Excitement: My newly winterized Trek FX

Current Occupation: Costumer, I'm busy costuming two shows both going up this weekend.
Current Christmas Plans: Little Town of Bethlehem this weekend, Christmas Eve Service at Church and spending time with friend on Christmas Day.
Current Distractions: I've noticed that when I try to clean my house that I can never stay in one room at a time. I pick up something, move to another room straighten up. Usually I'm running laps around the place and cleaning as I go.
Current Dateless Solo Movie Matinee's: The Muppet Movie and Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
Current Artistic Expressions: Drawing costume designs and portraits, costume building (sewing), knitting a scarf, decoupage and acrylic painting, jewelry and beading. I've been cast as The Page in Amahl and the Night Visitors, I'm also playing a guard in Bethlehem.
Current Hair: My hair has multiple personalities. When I left the Anna George Salon two weeks ago my freshly cut and blowdried hair was a lovely tribute to "The Rachel" the next day it turned into "The Meg Ryan." Without blow drying it my natural texture makes it "The Betty Rubble"

Autumn Update

2011-11-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

Update #1 My allergies have been awful this year. My family is already predisposed to seasonal allergies, but this past month has been one of a kind. I sneeze all. the. time. I hate sneezing, but the worst is when I can't stop sneezing. One comes right after the other and I have to stop what I'm doing and go have a sneezing fit before I can be ok again. Just to make life extra fun, lets not forget that I am a germaphobe and a compulsive hand washer.

Update #2 This past month a new grocery store opened up off Randolph street called Mariano's. Mariano's is like this combination of a grocery store, a hotel and Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. The store is super fancy, all the the clerks and cashiers are dressed in clean crisp white button down shirts and black ties. This store has everything from a salad bar, bakery, and butcher to a sushi bar, juicing machine and gelato store. Plus there are free samples everywhere you turn. The best part is the prices are really low. So now everyone from work goes to Mariano's for lunch/dinner everyday.

Update #3 I'm seeing a therapist.

Update #4 Wait a minute, therapist? Actually yes, and a very good one. My life has changed a lot in the past year, and most of the change occurred early this summer with my new job. I've found it extremely beneficial to be able to have a person from outside my life give me some perspective right now.

Update #5 I just finished reading a book about William Wilberforce, one of my three favorite saints, the other two being Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Mister Rogers. But I also am thinking today about "The Cloud of Witnesses" from my own life. My Grandmother Jane Jackson, and many other friends Rick Henderson, Nicole "Lilly" Lalime, David Dwyer, Leslee Schiller, and Lora Dale. I'm now reading a book of essays about the life and work of Mister Rogers. I find it amazing that his life has not only touched so many, but that his philosophy/theology connects in so many areas of my life: working with children, relationship based psychology, theology and art. Reading this is almost like a therapy in itself.

Update #6 My wisdom teeth are coming in. My top wisdom teeth came in about 10 years ago, but last month I was brushing my teeth and found two reddish pebbly looking things in the back of my mouth. Turns out they're teeth.

Update #7 I've started doing some costume work again. This has become the most rewarding thing in my life recently. I am the head of the costume committee at church, and we are responsible for costuming 75 people for The Little Town of Bethlehem. I'll also be doing costumes for a production of Medea.

There you go everybody. The most interesting things about my life that I can think of.

23 Toes and Counting

2011-10-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

I'm here in St. Louis for a few days, relaxing with my good friend Ashleigh and her husband Nate.

I arrived around 11:30pm on Thursday night here. As I was getting ready to go to bed that night I hear Ashleigh call me and tell me to go see what is in the front room. I go in, and Nate is holding this tiny kitten.

For a few days Nate had been hearing a cat cry in the neighborhood, and that night right after I arrived they finally investigated. Lo and behold there was this kitten abondoned underneath a neighbor's porch. Aside from being cold, hungry and under weight the kitten is in exceptionally good health. The first thing Nate noticed about it though, was that it walked a little funny. We were concerned it might be hurt, but then I noticed that it's paws were unusually large and shaped like gloves or mittens. The kitten, who is a female, has 7 toes on her left forepaw and 6 toes on her right. The vet said this is a condition known as polydactyl (many digits) and has been known to occur in certain breeds. These cat's are also known as Hemingway Cats; one of Earnest Hemingway's many interests apparently. She's not been officially named yet, but for now I've nicknamed her "Polly"

Polly is eating kitten food, using the litter box, and getting used to Ash and Nate's three dogs. It's wonderful to get some animal time in. I just have to remember to take allergy medicine while I'm here. The animals have gotten a lot of attention in the past couple days, but other than that I'm enjoying my holiday. St. Louis is sunny and relaxing.

Looking Up

2011-09-28T14:45:00.000-07:00

Last week I gave a tour of the Cycle Center to a DePaul class of Biking and Politics.

This week PBS shot some footage of the center and an interview with me for their new series called Pedal America.

Today I asked my boss for a raise.

Things may be looking up!

Color My Life

2011-09-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

Today I purchased a bright blue sports bra and a raspberry colored work out tank. When I go shopping, I veer towards bright, cool colors: blue, purple, magenta and white.

Ten years ago I could have never fathomed this. Just like every artist goes through phases of creativity, every teenager goes through phases of natural insecurity, and like most teenagers I had body issues. I constantly wore black to cover myself up and to hide my weight. Black was my safety color, every time I went shopping my eyes would scan the racks and I would instinctively pull out black item after black item. This phased lasted years, approximately from age 13 to age 21. It wasn't until I was 17 or 18 that I was comfortable even adding colors like blue or green. By 21 I finally felt confident enough to try purple. Then finally at age 23 I started to wear white.

This is weird for me to express, that while I have always loved fashion, I haven't always known how to dress myself. It's also true that my sister Lydia, who is three years younger than me, has been the most influential person in my fashion transformation. Because she's my sister she sells to to me straight, and tells me when something I wear or like looks bad. Sometimes I take liberties with her suggestions, but most often I take her word for it. She has been helpful in guiding me away from my security colors and styles.

I had some other weird phases. In 7th grade there was the leotard with jeans phase (mind you this was 2000 not 1990) Then I went through the making-clothes-out-of-sheets-phase. My dad didn't care for that. This intersected with the "Peasant Girl" phase where I looked like I was going to Ren-Fest everyday, which forayed into the broomstick skirts and camisole phase. In between the two was the military/camouflage phase.

Since last year I've been in what I call my "Kaylee" phase, which is a combination of bright colors (mostly pink) and neutrals. Then this spring, Lilith brought about what I call the "Mrs. Raven" phase which incorporates soft grey, whites, and creams with silver and other cool colors.

I wish I had pictures to post, but beacause I was a moody insecure teenager, I never let anyone take pictures of me. Maybe some of it was growing pains, or artist pains.

Thoughts After Watching Fight Club

2011-09-21T15:51:00.000-07:00

I am Naomi Ruth's blog

I'm not in a completely healthy place right now. I've known this for awhile. I'm still in this post-grad recovery phase, intermixed with the determination to make-something-of-myself phase. I have all these dreams and goals to travel, write books, attend seminary, meet a man, start a family and invariably become a completely happy person who doesn't need therapy.

But that's not me right now. I feel very human. I feel much like I did in high school. High school was more or less a blurr for me. Four years of imprisonment in a penitentiary full of douche bags. My freshman year people said I walked around with an angry look on my face all the time. I wonder why? The truth is I wasn't really a person during those four years. I didn't really meet myself until I went to college, and I didn't really start to actually like myself until my twenties. During my teens I was too busy dealing with stuff to actually learn who I really was.

These days feel similar. Going to work sometimes feels like going to high school, like living in a haze. In school I could only be happy if I performed well, made a A, impressed my teacher's, wore the correct uniform etc. Now all that has been replaced with a phone and a computer. The most satisfaction I'm allowed to experience is the joy of successfully booking someone for their first of three times that they are available for the Segway tour they purchased on Groupon. Only when I make a customer truly happy am I allowed to be happy.

Groupon is proof that people can only be happy when they buy things.

Maybe this Segway tour will complete me? But only if it is a beautiful day with no threat of rain, because I bought this cheap-ass Groupon and I want to enjoy my tour because I'm driving all the way from an obscure suburb of Chicago on the border of Wisconsin/Indiana/Iowa. So it better not rain because I bought a damn Groupon! By the way, where is the best place to park?

Every American ought to work a summer in customer service just to understand the dangerous consumer mentality that we live in. Then come home, look in the mirror, and realize the sick ugly truth. I am the same as that bitch from some suburb who demanded that I make this the most magical fucking Segway tour for her and her 11 year old nephew, who will be 12 next month and weights 98.9lbs. If not, I will be met with threats of bad reviews and calls to the Better Business Bureau, and and ... not ever using this business again!

Wow.

I cannot believe that I was once a free thinking, creative, unique individual. I am now a voice who answers the phone and the name on the bottom of an e-mail.

Sometimes I wish I could use a different name at work, like having a camp name.

Hi this is Michelle, thanks for calling!

It's only when I'm off the clock that I realize that the rest of the world has gone on as usual. There was another shooting in Albany Park, Houston got some rain, somewhere across the world something has happened that will impact billions of lives. But it doesn't matter because none of them will ever take a segway tour. Most people will go their entire lives without riding a segway and still manage to live normal lives. Astonishing.

This is why I haven't been able to post for over a month now, because I knew that I would have to write all this. That, and because my laptop's battery is dead.

I am what's left of Naomi Ruth's soul

122 Miles

2011-09-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was a pretty important day for Naomi Ruth Jackson, it was the day that I killed two birds with one stone: ride 100 miles, and ride to Wisconsin. Done.

But how did this happen? and more importantly a lot of people have been asking me why, why would I do this?

It shouldn't be surprising though. I take adventure where and when I can get it, and will create it when I have to. But this time I didn't have to. This was everything from a stroke of luck to a blessing from God. The definition of success is when preparation meets opportunity and they are a beautiful couple.

About a month ago I was talking with one of my members at the Cycle Center, and I mentioned my desire to do a day trip to Wisconsin and back. He suggested that I do The North Shore Century, with the Evanston Cycling Club. This was a ride that started in Evanston went through Kenosha, WI and circled back down to Chicago. Everyone was given a map and a route. Rest stops were provided every 25 miles.

I did the ride with a few guys from work. We started around 7:45am and made it to Kenosha by noon. The rest stops provided Cliff bars, bagels and fruit. Once in Wisconsin all the cyclists were greeted with potato soup.

The way up was pretty easy, good tail wind, and minimal rain. But heading back to Chicago was a bitch. By then my arms, neck, and shoulders were really starting to feel overworked, and the rain picked up with a little headwind. On the way back I rode for a bit with a biologist who works at Lincoln Park Zoo. I also ran into 3 or 4 members from the Cycle Center. The wonderful thing about a ride like this is the aspect of community. We all routes and maps, but the best way to ride was to follow whoever was ahead of you. I got some great encouragement from other riders, more experienced riders. A few even noted that I kept a really good pace while using flat pedals as opposed to toe cages or clips. I also rode to and from the start destination, putting my total for the day at 122 miles.

Sometimes the best way to remember that you are human is to be a little super human. That day we were just a little more than human. It felt great, it always feels great to do something just a little more extraordinary than commuting. But like they say about preparation and opportunity. Success is when commuting 20 miles a day meets a 100+ mile ride to Wisconsin.

Currently in Sepetmber

2011-09-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

Current Book(s): Stardust By Neil Gaiman

Current Playlist: Glee Season 2: Volume 5

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: I ate a lot of cheese last night at a Happy Hour for our new Pastor's Wife

Current Food: besides the cheese?
Current Favorite Show: I havent watched TV in about a month or so, but I've been on a Colin Firth streek this month with The King's Speech, Pride and Prejuidce and A Single Man. Next up is The Importance of Being Earnest
Current Wishlist: My co-worker showed me a new bike, The Belleville.

Current Needs: New shoes, I have had terrible luck in finding shoes that are comforatble, affordable and last longer than 2 months. It also looks like I will need a new computer soon. Mine is 5 years old and in need of a new battery and/or power cord. Anyway it's time to upgrade
Current Triumphs: My friend Jaron came by and helped me make some improvements to my bed frame. My new friend Ben and I biked our way to Chicago Botanic Gardens, this trip plus my regular commute was a 60 mile day.

Current Bane(s) of my Existence:
Current Indulgence: Sleeping. When did this become an indulgence?
Current Blessing(s): I inherited some previously-loved furniture from Matt and Nicole Kennedy, and housewares courtesy of Su Chase-Ziolek and friends
Current Outfit: We've had a cool streak, so I broke out the jeggings! I'm now back to leggings and pants with the optional sweater.
Current Color: Blue
Current Excitement: The North Shore Century!

7 Things

2011-09-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

7 People I'd Like to Meet

1. Matt Kelly, who biked all the way from Alaska to Argentina

2. Carol Burnett, my idol

3. Rahm Emmanuel

4. Lauren Winner. Technically we've already met, but I would love to pick her brain more

5. Dear Prudence

6. Ann Coulter

7. Patrick Stewart, Oh Captain My Captain

7 Places I want to visit

1. The United Kingdom

2. New York

3. Brazil

4. Zambia

5. India

6. Japan

7. Australia/New Zealand

7 Things I'd like to Make

1. My own shoes

2. Hula-hoops

3. A bow for archery

4. I know how to knit/crochet, but I'd like to learn how to make my own sweaters and gloves

5. I'd love to build my own house one day. I have several floor plans already drawn.

6. A vegetable garden

7. A workshop for arts/crafts/sewing and costuming projects

7 Things I'd like to Own

1. A tempurpedic mattress

2. A Mac Book Pro

3. This Bike

4. Camping equipment

5. Archery equipment

6. A professional grade digital camera

7. An indestructible pair of boots

7 Things that Annoy me

1. Children in places where they shouldn't be

2. People who use 5 dryers to dry their clothes in the laundromat

3. People who don't know how to drive their cars

4. Helmets that don't fit correctly

5. Clutter

6. Doing the dishes

7. My mattress

7 Films I love

1. Amazing Grace

2. 10 Things I Hate About You

3. Inglorious Bastards

4. The Breakfast Club

5. Ever After

6. Phantom of the Opera

7. Beauty and the Beast

7 Things that Delight Me

1. Bicycles, and long rides to new places

2. Coffee, proudly addicted

3. Ink and paper

4. Sunrises on the lake

5. Children every where else but Starbucks

6. Cheese

7. Going to a new restaurant/theatre

7 Favorite Songs

1. Need You Now by Lady Antebellum

2. Defying Gravity from Wicked

3. Dream On by Aerosmith

4. Pot of Tea by Beethoven

5. It Is Well With My Soul

6. Amazing Grace

7. Anything by the Beatles

7 Funny Words

1. Pigeon Sniffles

2. Curmudgeon

3. Conundrum

4. Cummerbund

5. Non-denominational

6. Emergent

7. Pew

The Foodie Returns

2011-07-30T11:39:00.000-07:00

The garden has not been going so well this summer. At the beginning of the summer I bought a lot of plants: peppers, tomato, cucumbers, basil, parsley, chives, squash. Some I planted in pots on my patio and others went into the church garden. Of the ones grown on my patio only the basil, parley, and chives have taken. My tomato plant on the other hand has not produced any fruit yet. I've watered it regularly, pruned it back, attached it to a stake; nothing. I went into the church garden today and saw all these beautiful green tomatoes, and I felt so disappointed. I guess I'll be happy that I successfully grew basil this year, last year I planted it too shallow.

One thing I've been trying this summer is replacing jam with fresh fruit. Instead of peanut butter and jelly I've been putting straight fruit on my sandwiches, mostly mangoes and berries. My usual flair for creative cuisine has diminished since I've started my new job. I have to make everything ahead of time, and at the end of the day my energy is already zapped. I've taken a liking to Cliff and Zone bars for their deliciousness and convenience. Fresh fruit is also great for transporting.

Last month Samantha made a delicious Chinese meal for me with Japanese Odu noodles, bok choy, broccoli, swiss chard, and other veggies. But what made the meal was the sauce: soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, sesame oil, green onion and garlic. I've been trying to reproduce this in different ways, but I cannot find these noodles anywhere. The meal is great, lots of veggies, no meat or dairy, plus it's salty and delicious. I made one version with egg noodles, which work fine, but don't absorb the same way as the odu noodles. I may have to actually go to Jewel for this one.

After babysitting last week and watching Food Network, I learned that Goat cheese has less fat and is easier for humans to digest than cows cheese. I bought some and paired it with some strawberries, had a little wine and dark chocolate covered caramels from TJ's. Heavenly! That is my next picnic plan for an outdoor concert. I wonder where I can find goat ice cream?

Yesterday I had a great evening with friends at Small Bar. This place is everything a bar should be, it hit all the rights spots. When we first drove up the first impression was "Sketchy" It looked like a neighborhood watering hole. But the camouflage may actually be part of it's charm. Just like we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, don't judge a bar just cause its in Avondale. The inside is small, and charming. Lots of great craft beers, and no corporate sludge! The beer special was $4 Daisy Cutter. The food came next, I ordered the special: Mac and Cheese with Fried Green Tomatoes. The awesome part is that the tomatoes and other veggies served came straight from the owners garden that morning. We also had fried cheese curds, pulled pork sliders, and sweet potato fries. I'm not a huge fan of sweet potato fries but these were crispy, seasoned and paired with spicy ranch. The bill was reasonable, most of us paid less than $20 with tip included. All bars should be like this one, small, understated, and personal.

Today at the Wanger Farmers Market in Glenview I bought some broccoli, corn, eggs, eggplant, peaches and cherries. The cherries were the most expensive $5 per pound! But so worth it. I also picked up some material on canning and preserving, and entered a drawing to win a cookbook and guide to canning. So I'm sittin here at Starbucks, writing this post, and I get a call from an 847 number, I say a quick prayer that it's not from work, and pick up the phone. The lady on the other end says, "You just won the raffle!" Wow. So as soon as I can get back up to Glenview I'll have a guide to canning and preserving. This has been something I've wanted to try. I'll see if one way or another I get can my hands on some seasonal tomatoes and peppers and make some salsa, or else try some fruit chutneys.

After today I want to move to Wisconsin, have a farm with a goat, make goat cheese and ice cream, and grow my own stuff in the ground (not in a box). That sounds like a good life, but a longer commute to work.

24th

2011-07-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

This week I turned 24 years old. I don't really think that it was any big deal turning 24. Age is really only a number to me. Sure I'm 24, but I've been grown up for a long time now. I wanted a pretty simple birthday, dinner with friends, hanging out, nothing fancy just people.

In the past couple months my social life has taken some swift and dramatic turns. Within the events of Lilith, graduation and starting a new job I've had to make serious efforts to be with friends. I have always been a person who values quality time with others as the foundation of a good relationship. To go with out that is like running on empty. It's like eating Ramen instead of real food, or drinking too much coffee on an empty stomach just to keep going. It's self destructive almost. I highly value time, and this summer has made me realize this all the more.

If I have been running on empty, then this week was a feast. Sarah Nelson came with me to get my tattoo done. I met Anna for coffee, watched Firefly with Charis and Karolyn, caught up with my old work friends Aronita and Mical, and have even been enjoying friends I've made at my new job.

So thanks to everybody who made 24 a little more than just a number. It's kind of fitting that I got a tattoo on my birthday, not just to celebrate myself, but to put down a marker on time. A marker, a monument to all the God has done. He is a good God.

Woman of Strength

2011-07-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

In the Spring of 2008 I was taking a class called Writings of the Hebrew Bible. In the traditional Jewish Bible the books are arranged Torah (law), Nevi'im (phrophets), and Ketuvim (writings). Some of the books of the Ketuvim include Psalms, Proverbs, Job, as well as Ruth and Esther. I remember that these books illustrated Wisdom in the writings and painted the picture of wisdom as a strong woman. This is mostly emphasized at the end of the book of Proverbs.

But at the time I felt like anything but a strong woman. It was my second semester at North Park University, I had just returned from Christmas vacation in Houston in a state of depression, broken up with my boyfriend at the time, lost my job, and had not a penny to my name. The hope that I once had of easily blending into North Park had been dashed, and I was not living happily in my new home of Chicago. I was embarrassed to tell my Dad that I had no money and couldn't pay the interest on my student loan, or to take a long hard look at my financial situation overall. I was humiliated to have lost my work study job because I couldn't handle the demands, and felt the sting of lonliness permeate my life.

The turning point came with the season of Lent in late winter. After a couple months of self medicating by watching Sex and the City and Reboot on You Tube. I was forced to confront the problems that I was avoiding. I started working with the theatre as the ASM on the Spring Show, and my new friend Samantha and I were starting to become fast confidants.

All the while I went to this class every Tuesday and Thursday and listened to Boaz Johnson talk about wisdom. One day in class he touched on Proverbs 31, "Noble Wife isn't a good translation" he said, "The Hebrew word is eschet chayil meaning strong woman!" This strong woman shows her face all over the books of writings. In Proverbs she is the wise woman not the woman of folly, in the Book of Job she is represented by Job's daughters, and she is also represented by Naomi, Ruth and Esther.

I sat there listening to this and something came over me, something that I am sure was nothing less than the Holy Spirit. As Boaz enunciated the words "eschet chayil" and "strong woman" I was shocked. Suddenly the woman of Proverbs 31 became real, she wasn't some unattainable benchmark of womanhood, she was God's wisdom present in his people. She was the true face of Israel. At that moment the words that arose in my head were, "I want that to be my name."

What happened next was a miracle. We read the book of Ruth. Now I've read this book more times than I can count, but I never read like this. The woman of wisdom shows up in Ruth and Naomi, two single, destitute women, with nothing in their favor except the law. Ruth saves Naomi by gleaning in the fields of their neighbors, which is their right by law. Naomi saves Ruth by encouraging her to claim their relative Boaz, who by law is responsible not only to care for the poor widows, but to also to continue their family line. They are wedded and bedded and soon they have a son Obed; the father of Jesse, the father of David.

When my parents named me, they named me Ruth for my mother's Aunt Ruth. But Naomi formed naturally beside it, and that was my name. As a child I hated my name. Naomi was unusual. Some people pronounce it Ny-o-mee, and in 4th grade I went through a very uncomfortable phase of teasing in which kids on my bus decided to call me "Wyoming." I didn't like wearing this conspicuous uncommon name. By the spring of 2008 that phase had long been passed, but what was just as real was the identity crisis between adolescence and adulthood. I had no idea who Naomi was. Not until that day in class. Not until the very Spirit of God spoke to me. When I said, "I want that to be my name." God said, "It already is" Not just once, but twice God named me eschet chayil. My name is Naomi Ruth, strong woman.

I knew right then that I would get this tattooed on my body. I found the Hebrew spelling and kept it taped onto my computer for over three years. Then this past Monday on my 24th birthday, I took it off my computer and put it on my foot where it will be forever.

Weekend Update

2011-07-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

In the past few weeks I've had some great opportunities to rethink my social life. Ever since I started my new job my life really hasn't been my own. It's been hard to meet up with friends and to enjoy weekends when all I want to do is relax and sleep.

A couple weekends ago I decided to go against the grain and enjoy myself whether I had someone with me or not. I saw a production of Macbeth by the Roundhouse Theatre. I saw Stephanie Weber's improv group, Warm Milk, perform at Studio BE and Cornservatory's Jesus Camp: The Musical. All of which were awesome and thoroughly enjoyable. I also went to the Gay Pride Parade for the first time and had a blast.

This past weekend I enjoyed Obbityfest at New Rock Theatre with several of my friends and spent some time with Sam, Meng, and friends at their Fourth of July party. Of course I was completely exhausted afterwards and slept for 10 hours the next day, but at least life has started to settle into a pattern of normality. Work, shows, babysitting, church, friends, all seem to work together without one stressing me out about another, with a few exceptions.

Work is getting better. Honestly if I didn't have 10 miles of bike riding each way I would be riddled with stress. So far I've lost five pounds, putting my weight at 165lbs, and have gotten a freckle tan on my shoulders and arms, and reddish-blond sun streaks in my hair.

Church, of course has been my touchstone. I couldn't be happier where I am. For all of the questions and uncertainly that came with my relationship with North Park Covenant Church, I can truly say it was worth the wait and the work. I love attending my local church; leaving my apartment and going around the corner to my neighborhood church. North Park is almost opposite of the church I grew up in, Faith Community Church. The liturgy, the music, the ceremony and structure. But after almost four years of attendance something about worshipping there has actually started to feel natural. But, truly, there are some moments where I would give ANYTHING for an acoustic guitar and a Chris Tomlin song! The benefits by far outweigh my preferences. I hate not having family close to me, and my church is the closest thing I have. It is a relief knowing that I have a place in a community.

I was just telling a friend that I wish more people my age and younger would see the value in committing to a church community. Statistically, 8 out of 10 youth group attendees with drop out of the church after they graduate from high school. I've met many young adults who claim to believe and follow the Lord, but do not regularly attend any church community. I've heard every excuse in the book (time, work, worship preferences, theological doctrine, preaching, or "it's not like my old church".) We can find excuses for every situation if need be, but we will also find ourselves un-fed, immature, spiritually and morally shallow beings. There is much that my generation can learn from church going elders. And if that relationship is built, then there is much that older generations can also learn from us.

I've been dying to do something creative. Tomorrow I get to sing in church for the first time since CBC. For those of you counting, that's about four years.

My Oh My, Currently in July!

2011-07-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

July is my birthday month, so verily my favorite month of the year!

Current Book(s): Still muching my way through Bonhoeffer.
Current Playlist: Thanks to Obbityfest I'm enjoying The Lone Gun Society and Moon Furies. I also downloaded the soundtrack to Labyrith just for the David Bowie Songs: Underground, Dance Magic Dance, and As the World Falls Down. I'm also having a lot of fun picking new station to play on Pandora everyday at work.
Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Got a massage yesterday at Anna George Salon
Current Food: I've had a lot of take out this week. But I've been doing simple Mexican food, beans, rice, tortillas and guacamole.
Current Favorite Show: I've been watching TV only when I babysit. I'm finding the Style Network to be very interesting, especially How Do I Look?
Current Wishlist: A vacation! I think I could do with an escape soon.
Current Needs: Tattoo!
Current Triumphs: I found a key at work yesterday that I lost almost a month ago. I'm so relieved. I knew it was around somewhere and sure enough it turned up when I most needed it.
Current Bane(s) of my Existence: The thing we me and age is that we never really match up. Even though I keep getting older in years it never seems to catch up to my real age. I've felt 26 since I was 21. Right now I feel more like 3o rather than 24.
Current Celebrity Crush: Not that I'm crushing on Daniel Radcliffe, BUT he does hold an amazing resemblance to Mikhail Baryshnikov
Current Indulgence: Harry Potter
Current Blessing(s): Singing in church last Sunday. I've never felt more fulfilled or loved by my church.
Current Outfit: sun dresses. I've never really cared for them before, but this summer I have really enjoyed the simplicity of putting on one thing and being ok with how I feel in it.
Current Color: Pink
Current Excitement: My 24th birthday. The celebration starts on wednesday when I'm planning on going to the Art Institute and Broadway Night at Grant Park Music Festival. I have an appointment with the Anna George Salon for a massage and scalp treatment on Friday. Then of course see Harry Potter, get a tattoo, do some Mary Kay stuff. Then everyone is invited to the Celtic Crown Monday July 18th for beers and burgers.

Current Link:

The Daddy Disclaimer

2011-06-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

This is a father's day gift.

My roommate reminded me earlier this week that Father's Day was fast approaching, and suggested maybe sending my dad a card. And I agreed I should get something for him, but maybe not a card. As much as my dad would appreciate it, he's not a sentimental person. No, better than a card would be a well written essay, or framed argument or debate. Better yet, a little something that I've been working on for a few years, The Daddy Disclaimer.

To fully understand what I mean by all this we have to go back a few years to my adolescence and revisit a few things. Number one, by the time I was 14 my parents had split and I was living with my dad. Number two, my dad and I are very similar in our thinking processes. And number three (and most important) my dad is both the hero and the villain in my story.

My dad pops up a lot because his presence was such a formative part of my early adolescence (See A Life Without Training Wheels.) My dad did a lot of things right, but he also messed up a few times. So a couple years ago I began drafting a contingency document. In case I ever become a pastor, public speaker or professional writer I know I'm going to bring my dad with me, quote him, reference certain stories and object lessons. And when that happens, I'm not always going to reference him in the most flattering light and people are going to have to understand those three reasons I cited in the previous paragraph. And one more reason, I love my dad.

Debating in my family is considered Good Old-Fashioned Jackson Fun, and we practice the art of speaking and semantics at the dinner table. When I was five my dad taught me to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, the Lord's Prayer, and made a home video of me to send to Rush Limbaugh. This past Christmas my dad and I did a Lincoln-Douglas style debate on whether or not it is Biblical for a woman to be in pastoral leadership over men (yes it is.) The summer before, we got into a heated discussion about LGBTQ's and the Church. And this past week, we had it out on Facebook over "Church Shopping"(More on that later). This is par for the course for my dad and I. He has always been verbal and open about his opinions and has taught me to do the same. And just as often as he articulates something, I am one of the first that comes to challenge, question, and sometimes agree with him.

My dad is not an emotional person, and as often as I have tried I have come to the conclusion that our relationship cannot work that way. Trying to relate my feelings to him is equivalent to herding cats. That wasn't easy for me, and because of this my dad and I had a really hard time understanding each other in my early teens. I wondered how could you show someone love without being emotional. True, there wasn't a lot of warmth, and intellectual formation seems like a cold alternative. While I can't look back on my childhood and pin-point moments of love, I can see my dad systematically and selectively laying down a foundation that would serve me well later in life. He would often refer to movies, call them object lessons, and repeat the same stories over and over again about standards and semantics.

One of my dad’s favorite stories is about my Grandmother and her early morning devotions. He woke up early one day and found his mom in the living room reading her Bible and praying. He didn't realize at the time the importance of what she was doing. Only later, after he gave his life to Christ, did he understand that my grandmother's devotions from many years before had helped to save his life. She laid down a good foundation for her son in his early years, so that when he was in his twenties and tempted by the prospect of ruining his life there was a clear alternative known to him.

This past fall I sat down and read Dr. Laura's Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives, and I realized that my dad did the same for me. In my early teens I had no aspirations of a career, or an abundant and adventurous life. My only goal was to find a guy to latch onto, fall in love, and be married by 18. If I had it my way as a 15 year old girl, I would have never left Houston or ever really faced life unafraid. The truth is that I was scared of growing up and taking care of myself and I wanted to avoid it at all cost. My dad knew this, and I think it scared the shit out of him. If my dad hadn't listed to Dr. Laura every morning, and talked to me every Wednesday night on the way home from youth group, I don't know if I would be the same. Actually, I'm quite positive I would have found some way to make every mistake Dr. Laura writes about, every mistake that I wanted to make as a young teen. After I read the book, one thought kept flashing through my head, "Thank God my dad kept me from throwing my life away!"

Not much more needs to be said. My dad did a lot of other things that I disagreed with, and some of those things have taken me years to recover from, and some of those thing I have already written about and have no need to be restated. Most of the lessons he taught me came about the same way, it was some strange habit or saying that I didn't understand at the time, that now serves me well. And for every instance of my dad messing up, there is another example of him saving my life.

Now back to that Facebook debate about church shopping. I took issue with him for a couple reasons that aren't important here, but I responded publicly for another reason. It was because many of his friends had already responded or commented in some way, and I wanted them to know that my dad had trained me well. So Daddy, you're welcome.

Happy Father's Day.

Love, Naomi

I Just Need a Minute Here

2011-06-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

I felt so overwhelmed today, I felt guilty about having to leave work even though I'd been there for eight hours and stayed forty minutes after my scheduled end time. I almost wanted to cry. Then I went to H&M and discovered that they have nothing that fits me, let alone anything that I would actually want to buy. How stupid is that I'm a size 10. I'm less than the size of the average woman, and stores (well H&M mostly) still don't have clothes that fit me. That was disappointing. Next, dehydration. I stopped and got water from my husband Starbucks. Only that plus a long bike ride in the heat made me feel any better about my day. Maybe it's the Texan in me, maybe it's something else, but I love the heat and the sweat. It makes me feel alive and safe.
I'm also forgoing Iron and Wine tonight, and that makes me feel torn. On the one hand I could see a really cool concert for free, on the other hand I could stay downtown all day, be surrounded by thousands of people and not know any one of them, and be dirty, tired and grumpy. What's say you?
I say, I'm going to take a shower.

Currently in June

2011-06-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

Current Book(s): The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Neffenegger.

Current Playlist: My morning ride playlist is my favorite is my "acoustic/folk" blend. It is a mix of my favorite bands, Mumford and Sons, Over the Rhine, as well as some of my friends, Del Barber, Robert Eisenbraun, Tom Rorem, and John Wesley's Band.

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: About a month ago I was walking down Michigan Ave. and I was approached by a man from the Anna George Salon about a special deal they were offering. It was a great value, but I couldn't afford it at the time. Yesterday I got paid (it's the first time in two months I haven't felt completely broke) and I ran into him again, this time on State St. He asked if I was still interested and I said yes. So I spent $46 and I get a styling consultation, shampoo, cut and dry, clarifying treatment, deep conditioning, and much more. Plus, if a friend comes with they can get 50% off a hair cut. Sound good?

Current Food: Strawberries for Sunday's Strawberry Social after church. I also picked up some creamed honey at Trader Joe's. Fun Fact: Honey does not expire. Archaeologists have found samples of honey in tombs of Ancient Egypt, and it's still good! So I'm in love with honey and berries right now, perfect for summer.

Current Wishlist: I still could use some white shirts and khaki colored shorts and capris for summer. I just tried on my size 12 pants from last summer and they are to big. What better excuse to buy more clothes. I also tried on a swimsuit at Target today that I love, but couldn't bring myself to actually buy.

Current Needs: I need to get the Mary Kay thing off the ground. I'm in the works to get my first order in by Monday

Current Triumphs: Bought summer clothes! I got two new summery dresses that I needed.

Current Bane(s) of my Existence: I'm not a big fan of my finger nails. I've never been great at nails, I usually chop them off, but that never stops them from chipping and fraying.

Current Indulgence: Venti soy one pump vanilla chai creme frappucino

Current Blessing(s): Yesterday when I was talking to the Salon guys, I got talking with one and shared how I got my bike and how God provided for me right when I needed it. That got us talking a little more and I shared a little bit of my testimony. He loved it and I made new friend. It made my day to talk with someone about all the good things God has done.

Current Outfit: White gauchos and cami, with a vintage style blue blouse

Current Color: White and cerulean (blue) I'm trying to go with bright cool colors this summer and staying away from neutrals and replacing them with white.

Current Excitement: New clothes from Target and this beautiful 94 degree Houstony day in Chicago

Current Link: Down with the Three Tier System! Microbreweries cannot compete with The Big Three. Here is what the three tier system is doing to small business micro breweries in Wisconsin.

How We Fell in Love

2011-06-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

Starbucks and I have been together a long time. We met when I was a little young thing of 13. It started off innocent enough, frapuccinos and chai tea lattes. We used to meet every Wednesday after youth group. We didn't get serious right away, I kept my options open and for awhile admired Bad Ass Coffee until it moved back to Hawaii. We did take a break for a couple years. I thought we were moving in different directions, and I didn't know if I wanted Starbucks to be a part of my life. We both wanted different things at the time. We still saw each other off and on. When I lived in Canada I had a brief usurious relationship with Tim Horten's.

I wasn't until I moved back to the states and lived in Washington for awhile that I began to rediscover my love for Starbucks. I visited Starbuck's home town and saw where it grew up. It was very special. Things became even more serious when I moved to Chicago. Starbucks lived right across the street and we slowly started to develop a more serious relationship. It started with coffee once a week, then twice. By the summer I would spend long Sunday afternoons at Starbucks. We began to see each other more frequently, and Starbucks would come home with me on a regular basis. It became very serious towards the end of college when I desperately needed to Starbucks multiple times a week (and days too). But the best parts of our relationship were the languorous and delightful Saturday and Sunday afternoons we would spend sipping coffee out of reusable mugs and perusing the Internet on the free wifi.

Earlier this year Starbucks and I began to give serious consideration to making things more permanent. I'd gotten many lovely gift cards from Starbucks and I loved the mug collection we were building together. We decided together to register my card in March of 2011, and two months later I had a Gold Card!

Although Starbucks and I are deeply committed, our relationship is an open one. Starbucks sees a lot of other women (and men too, probably more) so this gives me the freedom to keep my options open as well. I once gave serious consideration to Beijo de Chocolat, but we have ended up being good friends over chocolate. (Besides my roommate is very serious with Beijo) I also occasionally go on dates with Intelligentsia, The Grind, and Caribou Coffee, all wonderful and fun.

Starbucks and I also have an understanding that if I were to ever live within walking distance of Ipsento, we would have to take another look at things. Ipsento is my celebrity crush of coffee houses. Even if I were to leave Starbucks for Ipsento, I'm sure we would never part ways completely, after all Starbuck's has a way of getting around.

Currently in May

2011-05-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

Current Book(s): I'm still working my way through Bonhoeffer, but I've also been re-reading sections of A Return to Modesty, one of my favorite books. I also pulled out The Book of Common Prayer last week and have been meditating on different prayers.

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: My recent trip though Macy's. When I get around clothes, something in me becomes alive and I get really excited. I also remember how poor I am and how I cannot really afford anything from Macy's that isn't on the clearance rack. But that's actually how I got my dress for Graduation.

Current Drink: This week I discovered a great chardonnay at Trader Joes, Green Fin from California. It has to be one of the best chardonnays I've EVER had, and it's only four bucks. I highly recommend you try it.

Current Food: Lots of carbs and proteins. So literally bread and eggs. I had lunch yesterday at Pizzano's on Madison and had a deep dish veggie pizza.

Current Favorite Show: Do I really need to say Glee again? Because it's true.

Current Wishlist: Tattoo, I'm ready to get it done after three years of waiting. I just don't have the money to spare yet. I'm also looking to do Bicycle Illinois in July, and get a new computer by the end of the summer.

Current Needs: New clothes for the summer (that includes work and bike clothes) and a new mattress

Current Triumphs: Work is going well, and despite my moments of doubt I've also gotten some incredible words of encouragement from the people around me. That alone is worth the hard work.

Current Bane(s) of my Existence: the whole right side of my body, pulled hip and banged up knee. Luckily I have a great chiropractor.

Current Celebrity Crush: I have been watching a lot of Christian Bale movies in the past two or three months. So far I've watched The Prestige, Newsies, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and 3:10 to Yuma. I just picked up The Fighter.

Current Indulgence: French Toast, yum.

Current Blessing(s): Today. Having a Saturday to rest unwind, clean, garden and hopefully to see friends and be in community.

Current Outfit: Beret. I received my Graduation Beret last week. It's a shame I didn't have it to wear to my actual graduation, but it's better late than never. It means so much more to me now that it would have anyway in December. For one thing Chad was here to give to me himself, and it came after Lilith.

Current Color: White. I plan on buying (and washing) a lot of white this summer.

Current Excitement: I'm babysitting tonight! You can only imagine my baby withdrawal these past few weeks. Luckily I've gotten some great time with Emma, and still visit the daycare to play with the kids.

The Squirrel and A Haircut

2011-05-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a week here in Chicago, the new job has been coming along and I'm slowly adjusting to this big change. I guess change is the right word to describe the state I'm in. Many aspects are in transition. Here are a few examples.

Haircut
After two weeks on the job I decided that enough was enough. I've always had long hair and sometimes I have literally hidden behind it. As an adolescent with a plethora of body image issues, I used to consider my hair my best asset. Luckily adolescence is over. Last Saturday I had about four or five inches cut off. It is the shortest it's been in over ten years. I'm glad for the change, even though it's not nessicarily a drastic one. It makes biking and wearing a helmet easier, and it's more suitable for my job.

Garden and Squirrel

This year in my garden I have three tomato plants, one broccoli, as well as basil, chives, parsley and peppers. I'll post pictures as it comes along.

My roommate is on vacation, but I'm not alone. Thursday I came home to find the plants I had just bought from the Cub Scout sale all knocked over and chewed on. I then had a run in with the culprit who shall hence fourth be known as "The Squirrel." I've had birds trapped in my covered patio before, but never a squirrel, and this rodent is far more troublesome. As I was leaving for work yesterday (at 5:00am) I discovered broken glass and soil on the stairs. When I returned home I found one of my tomato plants uprooted and my broccoli with fresh teeth marks. Right now the squirrel is still at large, and while I don't want it eating my plants, I also want to humanely discourage it from living on my back patio.

The Daily Grind
Slowly but surely, things are coming along. I'm very happy to be biking so much, and to working downtown. I've been visiting museums after work, taking my lunch breaks in the Laurie Garden, and going to bed around 8pm.

This week I've also made a couple visits to my trusted chiropractor. I pulled my hip out of alignment a couple weeks ago, and by the time I made it to the chiro there was a lot of tension and soreness. He worked it out and gave me a couple exercises to do, and since my follow up I haven't had any problems at all. With my hip in recovery I've also gone down a couple pounds in weight. I've been eating a lot of carbohydtates and protein for energy, avoiding dairy and meat, and drinking a lot of water before every ride (especially in the afternoon).

Work is hard, and it seems like once I get something down I'm onto learning something else. But it's good, and even though there have been moments of doubt, I've also gotten incredible encouragment and reassurance. That's something I never got working at daycare.

The most frustrating thing about this new change is that my social life has taken a backseat. This is also due to many of my friends travelling or moving back home for the summer. But I did have a lovely time with Samantha and Karolyn yesterday. I joined them for a dress hunt in Macy's, Old Navy and Nordstrom Rack. Macy's alone was an experience in itself. I have a tendancy to get really "excited" around clothes, and Macy's is the "Church of Clothes" (Complete with a high ceiling and mosaic tile. Ironic?) I had a few moments of awe in the Bridal salon, the Fur Vault, and section where they keep the Michael Kors and Armani. I won't even start on the home and kitchen dept.

Last but not least, a little advice from your friendly Mary Kay Consultant: Sunscreen! I often forget to put it on first thing, but it's important even if it's not sunny. It's also important to moisterize after being in the sun. After the day is done use a water based moisterizer to help your skin rehydrate and recover.

Adjusting

2011-05-06T11:51:00.000-07:00

On Monday I began my new job at the McDonald's Cycle Center full time.
A lot of people have asked me what my new job is, and I usually respond, "I am the membership concierge for the cycle center." that is usually returned with, "So, what does that mean?" Crap.

When I say "Membership Concierge" I naturally expect some oohs and ahh's, but when forced to explain that I always have this fear that the explanation will sound considerably less cool than the title. My job consists of two parts, The McDonald's Cycle Center and Bike and Roll. The cycle center is a commuter station for folks who work in the downtown area and bike to work. We have members coming in all the time, and it's my job to keep the place running for them. Then there's B&R which offers rentals, segway and bike tours. BT Dubbs, I rode a segway for the first time this week. Awesome. I have to say that after four days of my new job, I have no doubts at all that this was the right change for me.

The change, however, is challenging. I used to get up between 5:30 and 6:00am, now I get up no later than 4:30am. I leave my place no later 5:00am, and I get to work a little before 6:00am.
Then I start my duties, get the place going and deal with the morning rush of people, e-mails, and phone calls. Then I take lunch, work for a couple more hours and bike on home and am back around 3:30pm. By 8:00pm I am pretty useless. This week I feel like I kind of fell off the earth, but since I've been having so much fun riding my bike around and taking segway tours.

That's the news. Time to go have a personal life now.

April

2011-04-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

This has been one of the busiest, most eventful months I've had in a very long time. Where do I even start to write about it. Many of the things that have happened in the past few weeks were things i have been working toward for a awhile. Among them, Lilith, paying off my tuition, finding a job, quitting my old job, and joining Mary Kay.

Since I've been putting myself through college and working a low paying job, I've run into my fair share of financial obstacles. For the past three semesters I've been paying off my tuition with a monthly payment plan instead of paying it upfront at the beginning of each semester (which is recommended.) This has been difficult, and really hit me hard during March and April. But I made my final tuition payment two weeks ago, and collected my diploma. That alone gives me so much satisfaction. I put five and a half long years of work into that diploma, and even though I did "put myself" through college I had so many people cheering me and helping me on during that time. My family, dad and mai, aunts, uncles, cousins as well as my church back in Houston and my current church here in Chicago. I now have my BA displayed in my apartment, and I'm so proud every time I see it.

Three years ago I needed a job desperately. I applied and searched high and low before landing at Ravenswood Manor Child Care Center, and have been employed there since, until now. I love working with children and cherish the relationships I've built with them. But after graduation I had reached my limit with this particular job. I craved something new and exciting, and to be honest, the complaints about this job had finally reached their limits for me. So I started the old job search again. It wasn't until February that I actually started to focus in on finding a job in the Bicycle field. Choosing that path helped considerably, but it was also very difficult because I didn't have any real experience working on a shop fixing bike or selling bikes. But about a month ago I answered to ads I found through The Chainlink and interviewed the very next week. About two weeks later I got a call from Bike and Roll at Millennium Park and was offered a position. Now I'll be switching from full time child care to... commuter care. I'll be working with city bike commuters and members. I have my first full week starting Monday.

Unfortunately I didn't have much say about the weather this month. With all the busyness, and the pressure of putting on a show, my health started to catch up with me just a few days before opening night. Prior to any news about a new job, I found myself tired, broke, and emotionally volatile. During this time Chicago started getting some really shitty weather. It would rain, clear up, rain again. Two Sundays in a row were beautiful and perfect followed by hellish rainy Mondays. This past Monday was my first day of training at Millennium Park and I woke up feeling like death. I managed to make it through the day, I even biked from downtown back to Albany Park. But after several solid days of gray and rain I started to understand why Seattle has the highest rate of suicide in the country. I've been sick most of this week as a result. Physical illness combined with financial strains and stress from "busyness" has made this month severely challenging.

Then there's Lilith. If there is one thing in my life that has made all the hard times worth it, it is this show. Through the hopelessness of searching for a job, the stress and anxiety of money, or the utter discouragement of being sick, Lilith has been my touchstone. Theatre has always added structure to my life, but this show in particular has given me so much more. Had I not joined this cast I think I would be utterly bored, over stressed with job and money woes. More than that though I would have missed out so much. This huge cast has bonded in a way that I've never seen before. We had a week off in between shows and it felt so empty not seeing them everyday. On top of that I couldn't ask for a better character to play. Everyday I get dolled up to play Mrs. Eve Raven, it's a little bit like a fantasy. Mrs. Raven is very motherly so I get to bring all of my own maternal instincts to this show. I also have taken to crocheting backstage during the show. I've been cranking out berets as fast as I can make them.

Oh yes, and Mary Kay. During the month of April Mary Kay starter kits are only $50. That's a steal. As excited as I am to to be getting a ton of new product, I'm a little intimidated by the business aspect of it. So far I'm taking it slow learning one thing at a time and taking one order at a time. Mary Kay and my new job will take a much bigger presence in my life once the show is over.

Speaking of which tonight is our final show. I can't believe how wonderful this whole experience has been, the best part is when we can bring an audience in to experience it with us. I wish everyone I love could come and see it.

Aslan Is on the Move

2011-04-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

I've had an... interesting week. Interesting being the code word for miserable, painful, emotional roller coaster, breakdown. I guess it all began last Friday right before Tech. As a cyclist I know there are things you should never do while riding, because when you do them you fall and look stupid. That's the short version of how I flew off my bike, landed in the mud, and cried on my way to rehearsal. Tech/Dress/Preview and Opening Night are like a marathon. Going to rehearsals is light training compared to going nine days back to back. It's demanding, and sometimes life can catch up to you when you're tired and weak. Such was my case, because by Tuesday I was a wreck. As all my faithful readers are aware my day begins early, around 5:45am, and rehearsals can sometimes stretch till after 11pm. I tried to squeeze in naps during the afternoon, but no dice. I was already coming down with something. Wednesday was even worse. I arrived to work and immediately knew that I was in over my head, and my body couldn't keep up. Luckily my co-worker relieved me a little early, and I called in sick the next day to rest. That afternoon I called my sister Lydia and cried some more. The wonderful thing about Lydia is her sheer boldness. She prayed for me right then, told me to take a nap, and the assured me that my whole family would pray for me that night at dinner. It's hard for me to admit that I truly miss my family sometimes, and that day I would have given anything to go back to Houston for a day and rest at my parent's house. I was feeling much better by Thursday afternoon. We had our first preview of Lilith and we all geared up for opening night on Friday. All I can say is that the out come was bigger than we could have hoped for. Over 200 people can and saw the world premier of Lilith. It was overwhelming, exciting, and a fantastic reward to all the hard work we've done. It's gray and wet outside, I'm pretty sure I've seen rain, hail and snow precipitate in the last hour, but inside it is warm and bright. Change is happening. Aslan is on the move. God has been doing incredible things despite my sickness and complaints.

A Life Without Training Wheels

2011-04-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

My Dad doesn't believe in training wheels. When I got my first bike at the age of six the first thing my dad did was to remove the training wheels, and he taught me to teach myself.

I can mark my life by my bicycles. I rode that first bike until my knees started knocking on the handlerbars. I remeber falling off and spraining my ankle for the first time. I remember getting a new bike at the age of 11 and riding it to school. I also remember my classmates making fun of me for it (because riding a bike to school is abnormal in Jr. High?) I wish sometimes that I could gather all my former classmates from Clifton Middle School, show them my fancy bike, and tell them to suck it. (That's what Facebook is for)

I could have never imagined as a child that biking would one day become so important to me, and that I would want it to be just more than a hobby. During my most frustrating moments in search of a new job, it was my love of cycling in Chicago that made me focus. Now I just got a new job that channels my passion for cycling and for helping people.

It's a scary thing when you realize that life is about to change, and that there may not be a safety net. But I think my Dad got it right, training wheels don't teach you anything. You teach yourself. Sure you're going to fall off a couple times or have a near miss, but that's how you learn not to be afraid. "The brave do not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all."

It was a true with training wheels as it was with swim lessons, or with cheer leading, theatre, going to college, moving to Canada, moving to Chicago, and graduating from college. No training wheels.

Currently in April

2011-04-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

Current Book(s): Heat Wave by Richard Castle, yes I'm serious.

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: I've been using the Mary Kay Miracle Set, and have been having lots of fun looking through the make up samples. My skin is already showing improvement, my pores are smaller and my acne scars have gotten less noticeable

Current Drink: There's no way for me to gracefully avoid/deny my coffee addiction this month. I'm in the theatre every day and there is a Starbucks strategically located across the street from LHA.

Current Food: I recently made a great homemade pesto pizza with my friend Asher Littlefield. Also from Mrs. Raven's kitchen came a Pepper jack Quiche (homemade salsa, covered in Monterrey Jack cheese and cooked into quiche) and Bok Choy Mushroom Soup. If you've never tried Bok Choy I urge you to do so. It's a wonderful green, high in potassium and calcium, simple to cook and super cheap.

Current Favorite Show: Well if you caught the above Castle reference you can easy infer what's on my mind. It's the new addition to the usual suspects, Glee, How I Met Your Mother etc.

Current Wishlist: I'm in a challenge to make a big sale with Mary Kay, and get some start up inventory. I'm itching to get some products for myself. I love the miracle set, but I would also love the microdermabrasion, and eye cream, along with some fancy colors for Mrs. Raven.

Current Needs: New bike shoes, and a new helmet. Soon I'll have to start switching my seasonal clothes, and that means I'll have to get new shirts and other things.

Current Triumphs: I finally joined Mary Kay and got my starter kit. I'm excited and am trying to get some preliminary sales going. Bigger triumph I got a new job downtown! I'll be working at the McDonald's Cycle Center in Millennium Park.

Current Bane(s) of my Existence: My back. Combine the fact that I lift kids everyday, wear flat shoes, a backpack, ride a bike, get up early stay up late and sleep on an ancient mattress you somehow I've ended up with back problems.

Current Celebrity Crush: All my cast mates in Lilith, especially Sabina Ryberg and the British guy.

Current Indulgence: Cheese. You heard me right, moo chew. But I reached my limit after two surprise pizza parties this week. I'm going to back to cutting cheese and milk from my diet for awhile.

Current Blessing(s): Lilith and Lent

Current Outfit: Skinny leg jeans, fake Uggs, long blue shirt, with my vest and neutral sweater (That my mom gave me) and, my hat. I have gotten so many nice compliments on my brown leather hat.

Current Color: I've been wearing mostly "bike" clothes all of which are black or neutral. My newest inspirations for color have been Mary Kay and Mrs. Raven. My costume is gray and white, and my makeup is this wonderful shimmery white/silver/pewter. Who knew neutrals could be so much fun!

Current Excitement: I got the call from Millennium Park, I begin working with them in two weeks! oh and over 200 people came to the world premier of Lilith.

My Week in Food and Photos

2011-03-20T15:32:00.000-07:00

This week has been a great time for me to relax and get back into cooking. While this past week was Spring Break for North Park it also coincided with three important holidays, St. Patricks Day, Pi Day and the Ides of March. So I took the opportunity to express my love of tradition through cooking and baking.

First, I've been perfecting my oatmeal cookies for a few weeks now. I took some artistic liberties with the classic Betty Crocker recipes, and replaced raisins with cranberries, and added some chocolate chips. Pretty awesome cookies, if I do say so.
For Pi Day I made a classic with a twist. Lemon Meringue with raspberries. I've tried blueberries before and the result wasn't bad, but raspberries work so much better. The tartness and sweetness compliments the natural sweet/sour lemon filling, plus it adds a lovely color.

In honor of St. Patricks I decided to make my own version of a classic Shepherds Pie. I've written about this recipe before. Instead of ground beef, I use a veggie alternative of black beans and rice.

For this version I decided to add one more variation, purple potatoes. For the mashed potato topping I picked out a medley of different potatoes. We have classic Russet, and Yukon Gold, which are popular for mashed potatoes, but also included are some crunchy Red and Purples. Yes, this particular potato is purple inside and out. I did loose some of the color during the cooking process, so the end product looked more gray/bluish than a distinctive purple.

Never sparing for color, this dish is a proverbial rainbow. Corn, spinach, and mushrooms paired with hearty beans and potatoes makes a satisfying but very healthy twist on a classic comfort food.

And finally to wash it all down I dropped in on my friends at Half Acre and picked up their one of their latest limited time beers. Baume is a Rye Stout, a little heavy, a little creamy, the perfect companion to potatoes.

If They went to College

2011-03-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

Snow White would be a social worker who specializes with the elderly and disabled
Aurora would work in wild life management and preservation
Cinderella would work in environmental solutions and recycling, looking for alternative forms of energy
Ariel would have double majored in music and oceanography
Belle would be a literature scholar and research librarian
Jasmine would work with the homeless
Pocahontas would be working in international relations as an ambassador
Mulan would have a career in military and political science

Just something to think about.

Currently in March

2011-03-08T17:23:00.000-08:00

Current Book(s): Just picked up Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives If I were to teach a feminism course I would make this book assigned reading.
I'm also re-reading/finishing Bonhoeffer
Current Playlist: Love Mumford and Son's, I'm also diggin Glee as usual.
Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: I wrote a blurb yesterday about the Northwestern University Sex Toy scandal. I don't know why it was this topic that my brain chose to intellectually masticate over, but it's been quite fun. It is in moments like those that I truly hear my Dad coming out of my mouth. He trained me well (see above book by Dr. Laura)
Current Drink: coffee, way too much coffee.
Current Food: I made a spinach and potato soup Sunday night. But I feel like my creativity in the kitchen has started to wane. I need some fresh ideas for Spring. The good thing is that I just picked up some strawberries today.
Current Favorite Show: How I Met Your Mother
Current Wishlist: Now that last months wishes have mostly been fulfilled, I can start back up with wishing for more unrealistic things. Right now it's mostly Mary Kay products. I've had a few friends join up, and the more I've talked to them and tried the products the more excited I get. I'm probably going to pick up the starter kit, if nothing else just for the products alone, they are amazing.
Current Needs: Right now I need to jump on laundry and housekeeping. I can only live in my mess for so long before the craziness sets in. I'm still on the job hunt, looking for both extra/part-time work in babysitting and full-time positions. I know that whatever I end up doing, it should be something I love, regardless of pay, benefits, etc. After I thoroughly realized this, the prospect of finding a new job became significantly less daunting.
Current Triumphs: New Bike! Bills Paid! and I'm getting enough sleep to function on a daily basis.
Current Celebrity Crush: James Franco, he's awesome
Current Indulgence: Sweet sweet strawberries
Current Blessing(s): Rogue II, seriously this could not have come at a better time. This is a much nicer bike than I could have ever afforded on my own and it will allow me to finally do some great things. That may be starting a career with my bike, such as tour guiding, or delivery messenger. And I can finally do some serious riding.
Current Color: Pink!
Current Link: www.marykay.com seriously good stuff!

Let's Ask Naomi

2011-03-07T14:08:00.000-08:00

Today I went to church as I do every Monday afternoon to help tutor kids at Peterson Elementary. But lo, today it was canceled. Why, you may ask? Because today in the great city of Chicago it is Pulaski Day. You know, Pulaski- General Casimir Pulaski. Ring any bells?

Well if you you're answer is no, then you're not alone. The ladies at work were wondering who he was, so they decided to ask me. To which I replied, "The only Pulaski I know is Dr. Pulaski from the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Other than that I know there's a street."

It is a sad sad day, especially to a Texan, when you realize how ignorant people are of their own cultural history. Growing up I had three years of Texas History, plus a big section added to my US History course in college.

All that to say, I decided I should start brushing up on my Chicago history and do a little investigating.

Here is what I've found. Casimir Pulaski was the son of a Polish count, born in 1745 in Warsaw, Poland. When he was fifteen he joined his father's army and became a great officer in Europe. In Paris he met Benjamin Franklin, and came on board to help the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War.

He was a great asset to General George Washington, and his military expertise did much to aid the fledgling army. He also became the leader of the Calvary, and is known as "The Father of the American Calvary" He died in 1779 in Savannah, GA after being wounded by a canon blast. His bravery was said to be so great the his enemies spared him the musket and carried him off the battlefield.

Now, why is this so important to Chicago you ask? Good question. Pulaski is symbol of Polish national pride, and of Polish culture in America. So he is often most remembered and celebrated in communities that have a significant Polish population, like Chicago.

So thank you General Casimir Pulaski, for giving us a street, a park, and the happy children of Chicago a Monday off from CPS.

Goals

2011-03-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

It's funny how new toys bring new goals. For instance, when I got an i Pod I was convinced I would finally go running all the time. Now after getting a new bike I'm tempted to think that I'll start doing all this long distance riding. I don't want to get to excited about it just yet, but part of my reason for wanting a new bike has been so I could do more long rides. So I have made a few goals to work towards.

1. Cross the Indiana border, quick and easy
2. Cross into Wisconsin, longer, but still on the easy side

Then it gets harder

3. Iowa, this trip will probably be an over nighter, it's over 100 miles. I may need something in between to build up to this point, probably a long ride to Milwaukee and back.
4. The big goal is to ride through Illinois into St. Louis
5. And finally one day I want to circle Lake Michigan, and finally visit the upper peninsula.

One step at a time.

Meet Rogue II

2011-03-02T17:46:00.001-08:00

Monday night Rogue I cycled her last. I was riding to a meeting and the gears stopped in mid-cycle.

Luckily, I already had made arrangements to pick up a new bike the next day. So I'm proud to present Rogue II.

Big thanks to my friend Jessica for letting me take it off her hands. This has been a big source of excitement for me this week (as well as my life relieving tax refund)

The danger with this bike is that because it is so nice it is at a much higher danger of being stolen. Bike theft in Chicago, and other major cities, is to say the least an epidemic. I stopped by Iron Cycles today and priced out some heavy0duty Kryptonite locks, which I'm more than happy to pay for considering what a blessing this bike is. Today I transferred over all my little gadgets, and made a few adjustments.

I also tried to fix Rogue I, only to find that fixing it would be a waste of money. I'm kind of sad to have to retire her.

RIP Rogue 2008-2011

Oscars

2011-02-22T17:03:00.000-08:00

The Oscars are less than a week away, and it's time to get ready. Personally I am pulling for Natalie Portman to win Best Actress, James Franco or Colin Firth for best actor. Of the Best Picture Category, I have seen The Kings Speech, Black Swan, 127 Hours, and The Kids Are Alright.

But as we all know, the most important award for me personally is not best actor, best picture or best director. It has been and always will be Achievement in Costume design. Here are the nominees.

The Kings Speech- This film is set in pre-WWII England during King George's (father of Elizabeth II) unexpected ascent to the throne of England. The year is 1939, the palate is neutral, but the attention to detail and accuracy are present. The main characters are the king, his family and his speech therapist, the costumes we see on screen are worn by royals and well to do people. This film is already nominated for 12 Academy Awards.

True Grit- True Grit is another front runner in the Oscar race. It is nominated for 10 awards, and is said to be a revival and tribute to the art of The Western. All that being said I think this nomination is a simple formality. There's nothing striking or original. I will note, on the point of period accuracy there is a mistake. One of the dresses in the movie has a zipper! I know shocker. This movie is set pre-2oth Century. The zipper wasn't invented until the 1930. Suck it True Grit, good luck with your other nominations.

I am Love- The special thing about this film is that it is set in Italy, so the standard of fashion is already being kept in mind. This film is a combination period/modern film. The range of styles and the range of color is all excellent, and a beautiful expression of Italian fashion.

The Tempest- Julie Taymor shows us her artistic eye in this new version of Shakespeare's The Tempest. This is a fantasy film, not a period, even though some period pieces (16th-17th century) are used. The costumes in this film are an extension of nature built onto the characters.

Alice in Wonderland- Tim Burton is another artistic genius, and the use of costumes in the mixed media film is surprisingly good. This is another example of a fantasy/period mix done in another combination of live action and CGI.

My favorites in this category are Alice In Wonderland and The Tempest. They go beyond the accuracy demanded of period films and venture into true experimentation. The true test however, is always how the costumes help the story develop. I didn't so much care for Alice in Wonderland story-wise, but visually it is captivating. The film manages some congruence in what could be a haphazard blend of crazy characters, plus Tim Burton is exquisite when it comes to details. We are used to seeing Alice in a basic light blue frock. But Burton and his team used Alice's journey though wonderland to build her a variety of looks. For example when she shrinks, the mad hatter makes her a dress from a piece of her old one. When she visits the Red Queen (and is noticeably larger) they make her a dress from many dresses. So despite a somewhat disappointing rendition of the story, I would consider this to be a good example of costumes that help tell the story.

Julie Taymor is another one of those directors that has a special artistic sense. In this case The Tempest is a great collage of color, texture, and tone. Some are stark Shakespearean, others are fanciful and whimsical. What I love about this work is that there is a meaningful combination of mediums in the costuming. As I pointed out before, there seems to be this extension of natural elements onto the actors.

Currently in February

2011-02-20T13:00:00.000-08:00

I'm late on this months edition. But then again blogging has been under the radar for me at the moment.

Current Book(s): I just finished Julia Child's My Life in France. It is a wonderful book, and it's a personal triumph for me that this is the first book I've read all the way through just for fun since this summer. I've been trying to read Julie and Julia by Julie Powell, but honestly I find the book disappointing. After seeing the movie I thought I would love the book, but the truth is Julie Powell is just not an entertaining writer. There's no story, no plot to pull the book along. Furthermore there is nothing worse than reading about a main character and feeling nothing for them. Truthfully I'm not surprised. My favorite parts of the movie Julie and Julia, are the ones that feature Julia Child.
I picked up Mrs. Child's masterpiece, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I've also got some Dr. Laura Schlesinger goin on.
Current Playlist: Mumford and Sons, Lady Antebellum, Kings of Leon and Glee!
Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: uh Glee?
Current Drink: I'm going to have to separate this category into current drink and current alcoholic drink. In the un-leaded category is coffee and soy milk. In the leaded category is Goose Island Reserve Sofie.
Current Food: I'm still rationing my dairy, and things have gotten better. I've been using olive oil and less butter, soy milk for coffee, and other alternative things. At Trader Joe's this week I picked up this cream cheese alternative made of soy, but I didn't notice till later that the other main ingredient was partially hydrogenated soy bean oil. If I can find a similar product with no hydrogenated oil that would be great, but that seems almost pointless to me. Why give up cream cheese for something less than?
Current Favorite Show: Been watching Numbers Season 6 with the roomie. The only show I regularly watch still is Glee. Last night when I was babysitting though I rediscovered Kyle XY, only to find that Season 3 kinda flopped. But Matt Dallas is still a hottie.
Current Wishlist: Money, Bike, new job, bike, money. In that order.
Current Needs: See above. I do have somethings to figure out, and sooner rather than later.
Current Triumphs: I was cast in Lilith as Mrs. Raven/Eve. This was an unexpected blessing/triumph. I had no plans to do a show, but not only has this been a touchstone of normalcy for my life, it has also connected me back to the things I really love, theology and theatre baby. I want to see God use art, and art to reflect the maker.
Current Celebrity Crush: It was good to see Matt Dallas again.
Current Indulgence: These days it is sleep. I've gotten used to waking around 5:30am, but it means I have to balance my life and sleep in other ways. So when I know I have rehearsal till 11pm I try to get a nap in the afternoon, and I try to sleep in on Saturday and Sunday.
Current Blessing(s): The weather this week has been a breath of fresh air, like a promise that spring is coming. My pupil at tutoring said it was because the groundhog didn't see his shadow (I'm not really sure how the whole groundhog thing works)
Current Outfit: I broke out the big guns this week. My genuine Durango cowboy boots, and a luscious pink scarf.
Current Color: I'm doing what I call a Kaylee, balancing a neutral color with bright accessories. Brown sweater dress and boots with pink and purple scarves.
Current Excitement: I'm gettin my taxes done tomorrow.
Current Link: Well after being vastly confused and disappointed with the cliff hanger final episode of Kyle XY I had to do some investigative reporting and found a video on You Tube of what would have happened. It's just as well, ABC Famiily has a way of digging its own grave on things like this.

Naomi and the Brie

2011-02-07T14:16:00.001-08:00

Last week Samantha gave me a wheel of Brie cheese from Whole Foods. Her fiancée has been on a cheese kick recently, going to Whole Foods and buying different types of fancy cheeses. But they didn't take to the Brie, so I happily took it off their hands.

Every story has an element of conflict, or else it wouldn't be a good story or any story at all. The conflict in the story of "Naomi and the Brie" began later that evening when I got home and tried it with some crackers and hummus. After one bite I immediately understood why Samantha and Meng didn't care for it. It smelled like foot. The taste of the cheese was very strong, almost over powering. I soon realized I wasn't going to be able to eat this cheese the same way I eat others.

Problem number two, I'm lactose intolerant. Allow me to explain. I recently learned through second hand, unsupported information that I heard someplace at some time, that 1 in 2 adults is lactose intolerant and doesn't even know it. Now I think that there is some founding for this claim, I just haven't found it yet. However, there is one fact that is quite founded, and that is the how I feel a few hours after I have eaten dairy. I'm quite fond of cheese, especially sharp cheddar, and I've taken to buying a brick of it at Aldi every so often. As soon as I started to make this a staple, I started feeling like a Pepto-Bismol commercial with all these adjectives like gassy and bloated. No woman likes to admit that she actually farts. So there you go.

It was only a year ago that I made the decision to cut meat out of my diet. When I did it changed the way I shopped, cooked and ate. Now it seems I'm coming up on Phase Two, cutting out dairy. I've taken to buying Trader Joe's Organic Soymilk, and eating soy yogurt when I can find it. I enjoy soymilk, but giving up dairy is a lot more than just giving up milk. It's cheese, butter, sour cream, yogurt, cream cheese, mascarpone, Parmesan, and cottage cheese. Just as I have learned to ration my meat intake, I will also learn to ration my dairy intake.

So back to the story of "Naomi and the Brie." I still hadn't been able to overcome the powerful garlicky taste when, problem number three happened, Chicago went into panic mode Tuesday afternoon. You may have heard about it, but Chicago was hit this week with a severe blizzard. When I left work Tuesday afternoon I did some last minute shopping to make sure that I would have enough food. I got home, put away my groceries, made some tea, put on a movie and locked the door. The blizzard started Tuesday evening and went until about noon the next day. I am of the opinion that the only acceptable things to do during a blizzard are to make food or make love. Since the latter wasn't an option, I did what I do best. I made my spaghetti in tomato sauce, black bean and rice soup, and black bean burgers.

I've made black bean burgers a few times before and have finally gotten down to a reliable recipe. Now the great thing about black bean burgers is that it is a meat free option that you can make at home and don't have to buy in a store. But they are also fun to experiment with. Ergo, the Brie; I broiled a slice of Brie on a patty, and poured on some sautéed mushrooms. I topped another patty with grilled onion. I toasted the bread added a little mustard and called it dinner. When I pulled the whole thing out of the broiler it looked like something out of a restaurant. If I could I would open up the black bean version of Kuma's Corner and make crazy creative veggie burgers. So far I've topped my creations with guacamole, salsa, and eggs. Ketchup and mustard seem quite boring in comparison.

The final vote of confidence came Thursday when my friend Kathleen came over. I bribed her with food to help me pick out an outfit for Friday morning. I gave her my black bean burger with Brie and grilled onions, and got a satisfying ego boost in return.

The Super Siren

2011-01-29T11:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday in LHA there was a round table discussion of women and one topic, beauty.

We arrived looking gorgeous, each of us came put together the way we each felt most beautiful. Took a picture, removed the make up, and took another. This art piece will be used as a part of the Winter One Acts Festival later this month.

The key component however was the questionnaire/discussion. We talked about our impressions of using make up or not, how we felt about our own self image, how we judge others by their appearance, and where our real self confidence comes from.

The discussion of beauty and self image has been going on for years, and now more than ever women are candidly and brazenly speaking up about their body image. Our discussion went on further than make-up or no make-up, to body sizes, how we use jewelry and clothes to make in an impression, even tattoos and piercings.

Everybody had a different story to add. Some of the women felt most beautiful wearing no make-up, but used jewelry and accessories instead. Others shared stories of cutting off all their hair, or getting their first tattoo. Some came from different places and regions where the standard of beauty is different.

Most of the ladies present were in college or recently graduated (late teens to mid-twenties.) I think it was quite intriguing to bring this topic to this age group. The biggest thing that influenced my own self confidence was simply growing up, and growing through my adolescent years. After some years of actual life experience, the issue of "beauty" on some way fell by the wayside and I settled into a comfortable state of "me." I think that this was a truth for several of the women yesterday.

On my way home I began to think about the images that most influenced me as a young adolescent. I remembered that it was more than just television, movies or my peers. One of those odd little influences for me, were actually comic books.

I recently watched Watchmen, the female lead is a superhero called Silk Spectre, who is the quintessential sexy super hero. Advertisements and Media are constantly accused of holding up an unrealistic expectation of beauty, but in my mind comic books are just as if not more guilty of this.

Your average female costumed crusader makes Barbie look ordinary. She is tall, slender with small hips and waist, perfect DD breasts, and va-va-voom hair. Take a look next time you wander by the graphic novels at your library. Look at the way women are illustrated, particularly the hero/villain women.

What's more, almost all of these comic books are written and illustrated by men, and marketed to young boys (8-15) This makes me wonder, is this what men really want? Post-discussion, I suddenly became more aware of these influencing factors that contribute to insecurity of body image.

It's one thing for women to talk about this amongst ourselves, but what of the opposite sex? Are we on the same frequency, let alone speaking the same language? When it comes to beauty I think there are more questions to be asked, more discussions to be had, and more stories to be heard.

Do What Works

2011-01-29T10:53:00.000-08:00

I am going through a very narcissitic, introspective, post-grad, self discovery period. I'm trying to answer the big questions, who am I? why am I here? what is my purpose in life?

What is my purpose besides getting a new job since I've graduated?

Well sometimes you can't stop time and sit in a attic and "discover" yourself, sometimes you have to do what works. What works for me is theatre.

My first semester of college I was determined to "give up" the theatre, after having a rough last semster in high school. But I saw a poster for auditions for Macbeth, and something in me couldn't resist.

After graduating I had a similar feeling that I should go out, get a "grown up" job, do more costume design and less acting. But then auditions for Lilith went up, and I couldn't resist. That's how it always happens.

This was the week of auditions. The fun part of the post-grad experience is rediscovering what you actually like to do for fun. I like to do theatre, I like to read, I like to make jewelry, write on my blog, and I like to sing.

I started with what I already have, North Park and Odradek. A resume, a headshot, and a small collection of pictures of my work. Let's see what happens.

Amidst the transition and changes, this is what works. I will probably change jobs, locations, and careers, but before I get too carried away I can always do what I love.

Girl Scout Drop-out

2011-01-18T15:10:00.000-08:00

Girl Scouts never covered what to do when your bike lock freezes over. But if they ever had, I would have gotten a merit badge.

I had a frazzled day with the kids this morning, so I was less than pleased to come outside and find that I could not fit my key into my U-lock. I've had locks freeze up on me before, but never my bike lock. Furthermore I was afraid that if I pushed the key in and forced too hard that the key would break, and then where would I be? The emotional monster inside of me wanted to freak out. My bike was frozen to a pole, and U-locks are almost impossible to cut off.
Example: In the 80's my dad was a radical activist against abortion (he still is.) He used to go to rescue's and use these U-locks to lock himself to heavy objects. Once, they tried to use the Jaws of Life to break the lock, and it didn't work. So you can imagine how unsettling a situation this would be.

Naomi Ruth Jackson is many things, but panicky she is not!
I went back inside to find a way to warm up the lock. I boiled some water in one of our bottle warmers and put it inside the travel mug I use for coffee, and warmed up my key. Then I held the hot water underneath the lock. After a minute it was warm enough and the lock opened perfectly.

So there you go folks. One small victory won against the evils of winter. I think I'll start my own troop, "The Naomi Scouts"

Blog On 2011

2011-01-13T16:09:00.000-08:00

What is most significant to me about my recent graduation is the fact that it closely coincided with the New Year. The closer New Years comes the more we start to think about the changes and goals we should make for our lives. Graduation has a way of making you do the same thing.

Post grad puts me in a dual frame of mind. On the one hand there comes an urge, a pressure almost, to jump right into the work force and start “succeeding.” But there is also, the attractive feeling that you can do what ever you want. Whenever I talk to people about “post-grad” I find myself needing to make this connection. Freedom and responsibility.

I’ve begun the job search, and have even had a couple interviews. The need to be financially stable is very real. Loan companies know how to lay on the pressure, and suddenly one begins to realize all the amenities and privileges that came with being a “poor college student.” Now all of a sudden I'm trying to figure out how to market myself. Do I say I am a Child caregiver, a Children's minister, a costumer, a Biblical scholar, a hopeful seminarian, a counselor, a bike fixer?
I would like to spend my days reading, writing, meeting people for coffee and talking. I should be a pastor. Reading (the Bible) Writing (sermons) Meeting people for coffee and talking. That sounds about right.

The truth is I'm half joking, but part of me isn't. The big bad pastor question has been on and off the table since bible college. Right now my sights aren't set quite that high. I'm thinking more along the lines of a family/marriage counselor.

But in the mean time, what do I do? Continue applying to seminary? Find a new, fun and exciting job? Stimulate my creative hobbies?

So here are some of my goals, fresh for the New Year both personal and professional:

1. Find a new and exciting job

2. Buy a new bike, preferably a good road bike.

3. Do more state side travelling

4. Make more jewelry and market it

5. Try my hand at freelance costume design

6. Do more babysitting to fill in the gaps

7. Get a smart phone

8. Outfit the apartment with internet and Netflix access

9. Buy cool kitchen stuff

10. Read more books just for fun

11. Visit more churches

12. Find a consistent Bible study

13. Apply to at least one grad school

14. Kiss the boys and make them cry

15. Blog on!

As I try to weave my way through professional networking sites, job searches, resumes and interview, I always want to remember that the one thing I want to do for the rest of my life is write. This is the thing that I want people to know me for, my ideas, my loves, my creativity and my life.

Currently in January

2011-01-13T15:36:00.000-08:00

Current Book: A few days ago I walked into my library and felt that unmistakable itch to find a good book. It's been awhile since I've done significant reading. I read a great book for my senior paper, but it was still a school/research book not exactly fun reading. I remember the days when I used to devour books, and I miss them. Since this new year is a year of opportunity for me I started searching through the stacks trying to find something, anything, that would get me back in the habit of reading regularly. I was wandering by the cooking section when I found Julia Child's My Life in France and Julie and Julia, these two books were the inspiration for the movie Julie and Julia, one of my favorite movies, and the reason I love to blog about food.

Current Playlist: After watching The Wizard of Oz on a sofa/sick afternoon I started listening to Wicked again.

Current Shame Inducing Guilty Pleasure-

Current Color- Gray, it is very gray today in Chicago

Current Drink-Lots and lots of water. I have a really dry cough going on, and even though i want to I can't really drink tea or coffee

Current Food- I made a hearty pot of lentil soup the other night. Yesterday I bought some grapefruit for the first time in ages. There is nothing better on a winter morning than a Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit

Current Favorite Show- I'm back in my TV less apartment. But I did enjoy watching How I Met Your Mother at my parents place over Christmas

Current Wishlist- I've started looking for a new bike for spring, something a little lighter and faster than what I ave now. I'm also wishing to take more trips and do more traveling this year. No where extremely fancy yet, but I'd love to cross a few more states off my list, and maybe make it out to NYC.

Current Needs- 1, a trip to Target to stock up on shampoo, conditioner, stockings and other personal items. 2, new job opportunities and ideas. 3, a new budget, and to pay off my tuition bill

Current Triumphs- I got a new back tire for the bike. Hopefully my days of flats are finished. Got quite a bit of housework done, and have been trying to spend my extra time working on my resume, job search, and ideas for this blog.

Current Bane of my Existence- Up until today it was my glass-attracting back tire. Now that's taken care of, I guess I can vent on the snow, and my "water proof" boots. I have one pair of boots I that are water proof, but I think they were insecure. They wanted to be like all my other boots that weren't water proof, so they cracked along the sole and now leak water like all the other boots. I hope they're happy with that decision

Current Celebrity Crush- Jason Segel, very charming every-man

Current Indulgence- Chocolate covered espresso beans

Current Blessing-To have my bike really working again, babysitting jobs and extra money, even a few job interviews.

Current Outfit- Jeans, boots, and gray sweater

Current Excitement- To be living in Chicago! I love this town despite the corrupt politicians, the slushy snow, and the eye popping taxes. I got back from Houston and felt so relieved to have my life waiting for me here. I love my friends, I love the kids I work for, and I love being in a city that has so many opportunities in disguise. I don't know if I will live here forever, but what a great place it is for me right now.

Current Link- I just created an account on Linked In.

The Adventures of Naomi and Lydia

2010-12-27T19:01:00.000-08:00

There were never such devoted sisters

Never had to have a chaperon, No sir! (We would probably make fun of him like we do with our dad)

I'm here to keep my eye on her (While we wearing our low-prescription driving glasses)

Caring, sharing, every little thing that we are wearing (She borrowed my wrap top, I borrow jewelry)

When a certain gentleman arrived from Rome (or Katy, TX)

She wore the dress, and I stayed home (watching cable)

All kinds of weather we stick together (literally, it's quite humid here)

Same in the rain or sun (San Diego, Houston, Chicago)

Two different faces, but in tight places (But we both have the same haircut)

We think and we act as one! (Jinx!)

Those who've seen us, know that not a thing can come between us

Many men have tried to split us up but no one can (Because we're sitting in Starbucks playing Scrabble)

Lord help the mister, who comes between me and my sister (She's tall and can beat them up)

And Lord help the sister who comes between me and my man! (But thank goodness she always sets me straight about those kinds of men)

Sisters!

I've had a wonderful week with my sister. She played for my grad party, borrowed my shirt, and loaded me up on Vitamin C. Together we explored Chicago, flew to Houston and in between have played at least seven games of scrabble, and watched Inglorious Bastards, Devil Wears Prada, Pride and Prejudice, It's a Wonderful Life, A Knights Tale, Black Swan, A Few Good Men, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and Elf. We sang, we got our hair cut by our wonderful mae, and charmed our extended family with our wit and beauty.

Lyrics by Irving Berlin, I did however record them from memory, not from any aid.

Resolved

2010-12-27T18:26:00.001-08:00

I begin week two of my holiday here in Houston, and I'm torn. I'm torn by my attachment to my two homes. Houston feels so natural and free, but Chicago is the place that gave me an identity and a home. I feel this way somewhat because this is the longest I've been in Houston in over three years, and I can't help but think of my life back in Chicago sitting in my dark apartment just waiting for me to come back to it.

Whenever I talk to people in either Houston or Chicago about the differences and similarities between the two, they can never get past the weather. The fact that Houston is hot and Chicago is cold is all they seem to be able to comprehend. It doesn't really ever occur to them that there might be more to the big picture: cost of living, transportation, culture, diversity, not to mention government and taxes.

But my future in either city lays off somewhere in the distance. The next six months to a year contain something else, something much more concrete than just dreams of owning a car, or living in a new apartment, or having a fancy job. My future lays in a series of decisions and resolutions. My future lays in a few stones that I throw at God's feet, they have words inscribed onto them like, seminary, job, new bike, student loans, travel plans, missions, relationships. What a tremendous thing it is to stand on the precipice of life and swan dive into transition. The first time it happened, five years ago, I needed a safety net. Now, there's not much net left, at least not the kind of net that you can see right away.

Yesterday I went to Lydia's church and prayed with somebody for what lies ahead. The truth is, being a Bible major doesn't guarantee you a good relationship with God. It doesn't guarantee you anything for that matter. Whatever I happen to jump into next, I want to jump into with Christ. I know that his will will be done no matter what I may do to try and screw it up, but if possible I'd like to screw up as little as possible. I'd really like to trust him.

So New Year, new chapter in my life. Who will I be next week when I return to Chicago? I hope I won't be exactly the same. I hope that the Naomi who reunites with her beloved life in her beloved adopted home, is the Naomi who would thrive there the same as she would in Houston. I hope I will be the Naomi who doesn't settle for the life she happens to fall into. I want to be bold, extra bold, like Italian Roast or Gold Coast Blend. I have many dreams and wishes for this next year, financial stability, beginning my career, traveling to other places, biking to many of those places, art and theatre. All sorts of cool artsy, hipster things. Whatever they happen to be I want to do them boldly and without fear.

To Do List

2010-12-27T14:27:00.000-08:00

Things to do When I Return to Chicago

1.Pay Bills

2. Fix Bike

3. Apply for jobs

4. Go to Church

5. Then visit a new church

6. Then apply for more jobs

7. Hang out with friends

8. Stop worrying about not having a boyfriend and just have fun with friends

9. Maybe flirt with a few guys

10. Go home and be confused

11. Then hang out with friends some more

12. Juggle major life choices

13. Go to the chiropractor

14. Do my taxes

15. Buy a new bike

16. Pay off North Park

Struggle finacially

Struggle spiritually

Struggle socially

Picture Picture

2010-12-27T11:32:00.002-08:00

For the past three years I've given my parents a picture of myself for Christmas. This year I gave them a collage of my graduation photo's. I'm finally making picture headway. It may seem weird, especially since I'm the oldest, that I seem to have the least pictures on display. Believe it or not, it's true.

When we we're all young it was different. My mom took pictures of us ALL the time! However this stopped around the time my parents split up. Alongside this, I was stuck in the middle of puberty, and was extremely uncomfortable with my body image. In the photo album of my life there is a huge gap from 1999-to 2007 ish.

I was in a few photos though. We took pictures when my dad got remarried. My parents have my prom picture, and I was an eager amateur photographer my first year of college. Besides that, I have almost no pictures from my teenage years, school photos, or of my highschool graduation. So I thought it would be nice to give my folks a framed memory from my college years.

On of the great things about coming home, is finding your childhood memories when you least expect to. Recently my dad and step-mom have made several picture collages from our child hood pictures and have put them up around the house. I found pictures from my baby book, from our family albums, pictures of Lydia and Sean when they were babies. Each and every one preserved and polished. My favorites are of me with the cats. All of my baby pictures have me and a cat, I have a huge smile on my face.

Greetings Rush

2010-12-27T11:32:00.001-08:00

Last night my dad and I had a Lincoln-Douglas debate on the topic of women in ministry. It was a good debate and I'm glad I did it. This debate came about, not so much because either one of us have strong opinions about women in ministry (even though we do,) but because my dad just wanted to have debate; a Lincoln-Douglas debate on any topic he could get his hands on. And it just so happened to fall on women in pastoral leadership.

In typical Jackson fashion, this event was given the utmost time and preparation. My sister Lydia served as the moderator, and my brother Sean was the camera man. Yes, it was recorded.

I presented the affirmative and my dad presented the negative. I won't bore you with the gory details of our arguments since the transcript and video footage will soon be coming to a Facebook page near you. However, I will say that this is a traditional teaching moment from my dad. I think he even video recorded one of my catechism sessions, but I clearly remember the first time he put me in front of the camera and taught me to speak.

The year was 1991, and I was four. Back then Rush Limbaugh had a TV program, and occasionally he would show home videos that viewers sent in (don't ask me why, I honestly don't remember) Well my dad decided he would make one with me. So we rehearsed my lines, practiced looking into the camera, and not laughing. I remember it took me awhile to remeber my lines, learn to pronounce "conservative" and not giggle. All the while I was a cute little four year old with the attention span of a poodle.

Finally, it came together. Naomi learned to look into the camera, and say:

"Greetings Rush, from a skull full of mush. I want to learn and grow by watching your show. With all the information you give. I'm sure to be a good conservative!"

Twenty years later, here we are formally debating theology. I love my dad.

A Very Jackson Christmas

2010-12-24T17:19:00.000-08:00

My family has never been intentionally traditional. We’ve simply let tradition build up around us, like rust and corrosion adding age and character. Christmas has always revolved around family (as it should) When we were younger my grandmother, our family matriarch, kept everyone in concert. But after she died our family went through major transition. Splitting, growing, reuniting and reconnecting.

I am an Adventist, meaning the holidays begin for me on the first Sunday of Advent. This is when I decorate and start shopping. My sister and I got in the habit of performing for the families when we were younger, and we continue to do this today. Every year we carol for the family and sometimes go into the neighborhood too. Another tradition that we still keep is spending Christmas day with my dad’s cousins.

But other than that, much has changed in the past few years. My dad remarried when I was sixteen and so our family has become truly blended. We now celebrate Christmas with the emphasis on Christmas Eve. We have a late dinner, stay up, sing carols, play games, and eagerly anticipate the mid-night arrival. At mid-night we pray because Advent is complete and Christ is born, and then we open gifts.

Sometimes Christmas Day feels like an afterthought. We sleep in till noon, and then rouse ourselves up, and see more relatives.

This year was the first year that I didn’t go to church on Christmas Eve; instead I went to see Black Swan. Instead of celebrating my savior coming to earth in corporeal form, I went and saw the movie that has been called “Wicked, Psycho, Sexual Thriller!”

And just to make the holidays a little extra special, my dad and I held a Lincoln-Douglas debate. Verily, it isn’t a real Jackson Christmas without some religious/political contention, and I am my father’s daughter. He taught me to argue, so I lay all the blame on him (which he would most happily accept.)
Between the usual manner of celebration, spending time with my siblings and playing with the doggie. It’s been a merry Christmas.

Events of the Day

2010-12-19T12:51:00.000-08:00

One Thursday morning last May I woke up at 5:30 am, after sleeping for three hours. At 6:00 am I started my take home Greek final, and finished three hours later. After turning in said final, I did an oral presentation. After a study break and one more final, I felt the biggest relief of my academic career. The sweet sweet sensation that can only come when one finishes a semester.

Comparatively, this semester had no such "release." I had a busy mid-semester to early November. But the end of the semester was breezy. I turned in my final paper a week before finals, and only have to take one final.

So when people ask me, "How does it feel to be done?" I say, "Pretty good." Ending my final days as a college student feels surreal, because apart from the ceremonial aspect, my life hasn't changed at all yet. Oh just wait.

I've been sick for most of this week, I even took a day off of work to recover so that I wouldn't ruin my graduation. The biggest thing for me is that my parents and my sister flew in to see me. My dad arrived from Finland after a business trip, my step-mom from Houston, and my sister Lydia, from San Diego, CA. After two hours of trying to find one another, picking up Lydia's guitar, and getting a cab we arrived at my apartment. I originally planned to take my kin to Semirami's Restaurant on Kedzie. However, I soon realized that not all members of my party were prepared to walk what would have been .75 mile. So I engaged plan B, Tre Kronor. When I found it was closed for Julborg, I turned my family to the place we know and love as Smokey Bears. My meat eating family ate their meat. I fell in love with their baked beans, mashed potatoes and mac n cheese. (yes, I had some meat too)

Everyone got ready in a rush, I wore these sick black platform heels. I had two fears upon walking across the stage: one, that I would fall because of wearing sick heels, two is that I would sneeze on President Parkyn because of being sick.
"Congratulations"
"Achoo! "

I did neither.

Afterwards, pictures and party. Joe Fernicola worked his magic and held a lovely party. We ate, we drank, and sang. The sour part of this, is that because I was sick I could barely speak, let alone sing. Lydia, Kathleen and Kyle had a great time though. I felt so sad when I could hear my part, but couldn't actually sing it.

Then my dad did what he does best, talking. He gave a little toast for me, and we sang some more.

I did quite a bit of cab hailing that day. After the party my dad was very tired, but a cab still hadn't arrived, so we went out to hail one. I was walking down Kimball and Dad was trailing behind. We got a cab, then I got a text from a friend telling me there was a creepy looking guy following me and did I need help? I said no, that's just my father.

Lydia entertained my friends with tales from the Navy, I drank apple cider and took vitamins. The next day I slept in till noon. I took Lydia to brunch at Tre Kronor (it was open the next day) and that night we went with a few of my friends to The Atlantic Bar.

So begins my life of leisure.

Cooking = Creativity

2010-12-14T16:47:00.000-08:00

Sunday December 12, 2010

There are glorious things that can happen on a Sunday afternoon, things that could never happen or be accomplished during the weekday.

Today after church, my friend Su asked me if I’d like to come over and do some baking. I happily agreed. Before this week I really hadn’t cooked since Thanksgiving (I made my squash soup, and brown rice) and I hadn’t come up with any new recipes to try either.

Today I came back with a vengeance. Su and I made chocolate chip cookies, two pumpkin pies, and two gingerbreads, all with a few creative twists. The pies were both made with a gluten-free cinnamon crust; one was dairy free, made with coconut milk, and the other with evaporated milk. The gingerbread was also gluten and dairy free. For a change, I added two handfuls of fresh cranberries and raisins to the batter. The gingerbread tasted both fruity and spicy. Even though I’m not allergic to either gluten or dairy, I was glad to try out new recipes. I told Su that I loved learing new ways to cook. Having dietary needs may seem like a limitation to some, but I think that knowing your perimeters allows you to have more fun and to be creative with the food you eat. Cooking gluten free only means I get to try smething new.

By the way, for those of you who do eat gluten-free here is a great website Gluten-Free Girl. I first saw her on the Food Network many years ago. We used (and modified) her gingerbread recipe. Several of the kids I work with have specific allergy or diet needs that we need to be continually aware of. It’s very reassuring to find resources that help you do just that.

Cooking = Creativity

Back at the Bat Cave, I decided to try one last recipe before I called it a night. Our daycare uses a catering company called Gourmet Gorilla. It’s an all-organic meal program for kids. They include some great vegetarian and vegan options. The day before Thanksgiving they brought us a Shepherds Pie. There were hardly any kids at the day care of course, so the staff ate it. I wondered if I could make a vegetarian version of this dish.

Now, shepherds pie has usually been a “peasant dish” meaning, you use only what you have on hand at the time to make it. The original pie had ground beef, peas, gravy and mashed potatoes. Instead of beef I used a mixture of brown rice, black beans, breadcrumbs and an egg. The mixture then went into a casserole dish, and then into the over at 350F. In a skillet I put EVOO, chopped onion, sliced mushroom, turnip greens, spinach, garlic, and salt and pepper. Then I prepped some mashed potatoes (from a box) and a can of corn. Once everything was ready, I layered the greens over the beans and rice, then corn and potatoes on top. The whole thing went back into the oven at 375F for 20 minutes.

Pure and Simple

I have to add, I love the coconut pumkin pie. It's so good, it will personally insult your Grandmother's pumkin pie to its face.

The gingerbread is also amazing. I think I will adapt the recipe we used Sunday, to include gluten and dairy, keep the cranberries and I will be set for a new recipe.

Currently in December

2010-12-02T19:02:00.001-08:00

Current Book: I've been reading a book called Jane's Fame about the work and popularity of Jane Austen. I also reread The Voyage of the Dawn Treader last week. I saw a trailer for the upcoming film. I was sorely disappointed by their adaptation of Prince Caspian. I am holding my breath and hoping to all goodness that this movie will be better

Current Playlist: Good old classic rock! Blondie has been on, as well as Queen and U2

Current Shame Inducing Guilty Pleasure: I did a little shame inducing Black Friday shopping last week.

Current Drink: water… water is cheap

Current Food: rice and lentil are also cheap

Current favorite Show: Glee is the only thing I will take time to watch. But I have to say after reading the Grammy noms today I might want to tune into that.

Current Wishlist: I've gotten to an age where all I really want for Christmas is house/kitchen stuff. Wishes would be high speed internet/cable, a Netflix account, maybe more chairs or pillows to cozy up the apartment.

Current Needs: New flannel sheets. I'll need to start collecting more kitchen, cooking and dining items within the next year. I would love a knife set, a new dining set, and flatware.

Current Blessing: God's grace; Sometimes knowing that you have only a few dollars to your name can be the biggest relief in the world.

Current Outfit: Jeans and long sleeves. I wake up before 6am during the week, and normally get dressed in the dark. I never know what I'm really wearing until I get to work, just as long as I'm warm getting there.

Current Excitement: Hell yes, graduation.

Current Triumphs: The aforementioned "Hell yes, graduation"

I am... insert alter-ego here

2010-11-27T15:36:00.000-08:00

Break time is over!

I have three weeks to hurry up, turn in all my work and graduate. But before I do that, I shall blissfully reflect on what a relief the past week and a half has been for me. This has been the semester of My-schedule-is-not-my own. I have had quad classes, field trips, performances, auditions, rehearsals, more performances, all on top of classes, papers, presentations. 31 Flavors of busy is the Baskin-Robbins of my life.

For a week and a half though, I've put my life on hold to take a break and celebrate Thanksgiving. After a week of plays, getting doored, and giving my senior presentation I crashed on my couch watched Sex and the City, didn't cook or clean (ok that's not true, I did clean) and all in all have tried to relax as much as I can. I drank coffee, I drank beer, went shopping, saw Harry Potter, and for a few short days forgot myself. Instead I met this lovely solitary woman, who doesn't mind an evening alone, likes to checkout resale shops in Lincoln Square, sits at Starbucks on Thanksgiving morning just to enjoy the music and atmosphere, and jumps on the L just to have an adventure downtown. I found the person I am when I am alone, and she is not a lonely person.

Three Weeks, Two Classes, One BA

2010-11-27T14:36:00.001-08:00

I graduate in three weeks. After that I will no longer be in college. I stop and wonder sometimes if this is really all that life shattering. Or if in a month or two it will all of a sudden hit me like an emotional wrecking ball.

I've been trying to prepare for this introspectively. Thinking about the things I've done and still want to do, talking to my friends and family about the choices I've made. I hope three weeks from now I can push all manner of humble aside and just be proud of what I have accomplished; being the first person in my family to graduate from college.

I think many people, specifically women, go to college after high school because they don't know what else to do. We are handed everything from a young age and told that we should want to go after an education, at least that is how I remember it. I remember being told I could do whatever I wanted, be whatever I wanted and that the best way to do that was to go and get a degree. To be perfectly honest though, when I was 18 I had no idea what I wanted to do. I knew that I was smart, but I was also a hormonal teenager who wanted a boyfriend, and secretly thought that the only point of going to college was to find a husband. It took me three years and three schools later to figure out why I was doing this, and why it meant so much to me to earn my degree.

After my first, disastrous, year at North Park I took time off to work and grow up. Going to school and working was harder than I ever thought it could be. It was hard to leave school, but it was even harder to go back. There were several moments along the way when I wondered why I was doing this, and who I was doing it for. I kind of fell into my major by accident. I went to a bible college and all my credits transferred in. In retrospect though this degree in Biblical Studies isn't just the result of CBC and North Park, this degree has been about 10 years in the making. I started my Biblical studies as a 13 year old girl going to youth group, going because it was the only real outlet offered to me, and I kept going because I found in my church, my youth group, and my friends a place to grow up in. When I think of it in this way, it shows me that I'm not the only one who has worked for this. Far from it; God is the one who has orchestrated this, the one who has brought people beside me to hold on to.

I couldn't have returned to college, and have worked another year and a half if I hadn't known that this degree was worth getting. My dream of going to seminary has kept me going through my entire time at North Park, and my goal of obtaining a BA has become a bigger dream at that. College is a privilege that we often take for granted, because it is pushed onto young adults we think that it's standard fare, but it's not. The opportunity to go is an investment, it requires sacrifice from someone.

My brother Sean is 17 years old, and I asked him this week if he was thinking about college yet. So far we have all done different things, my siblings and I. I did school the hard way, by working at the same time. Lydia chose to join the military and has gone through the same growing process, but in another environment, and has found her motivation in her own time. I think Sean might have it the easiest, he's the youngest of course, and has more support now than I did at his age. The funny thing about my family as that we are all so individualistic, yet we are stuck with one another. My earning a degree means much more than me. It tells the story of how God has worked in my life, the degree 10 years in the making, and it means that my brother and my sister, our cousins, and the next generation of our family all have a reason to pursue their education. I did it the hard way, so hopefully they won't have to.

North Park Gave Me Unrealistic Expectations About Life

2010-11-15T14:16:00.001-08:00

When people ask me what I want to do after I graduate, this is what I want to say:

I want to move to Logan Square and be a Hipster/Christian. The type of hipster who rides a fixed gear bike, and has an art studio in their apartment. But also the kind of hipster that looks good whenever they are in public.

I will live off green energy and offset my carbon foot print completely, buy local and fair trade, and eat organic. I'll grow my own food on my roof, save rainwater, compost and recycle.

Also I'll be really into "justice" and "urban ministry" and be the kind of Christian that everybody likes, because I love Jesus, but am also unquestioningly accepting of everyone.

I'll be really savvy when it comes to "Chicago" living, go to see local bands and be really well known in the theatre community, drink only local beer, and know all the hidden hot spots in the area.

Finally I will have some kick-ass job that supports my artsy hipster Green Christian lifestyle, a non-profit where we all work on Mac's and carry Black Berry's.

Shatterday

2010-11-13T14:09:00.000-08:00

This has been a roller coaster of a week in my life. I had forgotten how much time and energy a play takes up in ones life, but I was determined to do a full production again before I graduated college.

So the big news this week is that I got doored Tuesday night. Now for those of you who are unfamiliar with this term "doored" it means I was riding my bike, and a parked car opened their door and hit me. This is a bikers worst fear. People have died from this, and laws have been passed to prosecute offenders who do not look before opening their doors. Needless to say I was lucky. I saw the door opening and knew I didn't have time to brake and tried to swerve. I got hit on my right hip right where my cell phone was. And miraculously the cell phone was the only thing seriously injured, me and my bike were fine. Physically fine that is, I was emotionally shaken up for a few hours afterwards, and noticeably sore and cranky the next day. Still I'm grateful for God's protection, my awareness and my cell phone, may it rest in peace.

On that note, having a non-functional phone was frustrating, but a friend of mine loaned me an old black berry. The only trouble is that I lost many of my contacts that were not saved to my phone. So if you are reading this and have my number you may want to text me now with your name so I can resave you onto my SIM card.

Life has a way, though, of not stopping when you think it should. I did go to work the day after, and 24 hours after the accident I was useless. This put a road block into some of the school work I need to get done, and my energy all together.

Thursday we picked up once again with The Saint Plays. We ran Thursday, Friday and closed on Saturday. Now three months of hard work is all over, and I can have pieces of my life back. One of those pieces is my Sunday afternoon/evening times, and of course my week nights.

Life is slowly starting to shift into what I'm calling graduation/post-grad mode. How does one prepare to tear one's self away from the institution that has "sheltered and protected" them for 3 years? Honestly I don't know what January will be like, but I'm trying to prepare myself to take some steps away from North Park again, and to live independent of some of it's comforts (i.e. internet and health insurance)

However, this is not going to be some morose melodramatic transition. I intend to go out on a bang! This means what you all think it means, Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm throwing a bonafide Graduation Party. The wonderful and talented Mr. Joe Fernicola the Third is planning and hosting this shin dig. We met this week and talked details, I'm hoping for a classy little party, and a knockout dress. Dream big Naomi, dream big.

Dear Life

2010-11-10T14:20:00.000-08:00

Dear Lady Who doored me yesterday on my bike,
Well, I hope you learned your lesson.

Dear Guy at Iron Cycles who bought me a beer post-dooring,
You're the man.

Dear Cell Phone,
I will miss you, thanks for saving my life, or just my hip.

Love, Naomi

Currently in November

2010-11-07T19:22:00.000-08:00

Current Book: at this point I have no excuse not to be reading anything other than Dietrich Bonhoeffer, or something about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It's getting down to the wire and this paper needs to come soon.

Current Playlist: I made a shameless impulse buy last week and proudly bough Taylor Swifts new album, Speak Now. I know people have mixed opinions on Miss Swift, but for the record I'm a fan.

Current Shame Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Other than the aforementioned impulse buy, I think it is my Glee intake.

Current Drink: Goose Island Green Line Pale Ale

Current Food: Had a great lunch yesterday with my Dine with Nine, Taco salad. And a potluck after service today. Also stopped in at Starbucks and bought a cheese and nut lunch.

Current favorite Show: Yes, Glee. BUT I got to babysit last night which means I get to spend sometime with Food Network and Iron Chef. I also watched The Nanny Marathon on Nick at Nite.

Current Wishlist: I really want to buy a dress for graduation, and probably will later this month. I'm also in green envy over seeing all the cool cookware and kitchen gadgets on Iron Chef. One day when I have money I really want to buy some professional cookware.

Current Needs: I actually need to buy a new journal. I write constantly, and my journal is a necessary outlet for me. Unfortunately I'm persnickety, and I insist on buying Moleskine notebooks like I'm important or something.

Current Blessing: Seeing Sam and baby Emma on Monday and Sarah Robinson on Thursday. Had some amazing moments of truth Thursday afternoon.

Current Outfit: I found an old black dress today, that I paired with a scarf, sweater, leggings and boots. Fall Fabulous!

Current Excitement: No more rehearsals!

Current Triumps: Sometimes not going broke is a triumph all it's own. Got up at 5:45am all week, did laundry, dishes, and managed to open a show, and squeeze in a last minute babysitting job. Not bad.

Where Have I Been?

2010-11-07T19:05:00.000-08:00

These days life has been a rush. Work starts at 6:30 am for me, so I'm up by 5:45. I work, come home, nap. This week was spent in big preparations for The Saint Plays, so rehearsals ran until 11:30 pm or so. Not a lot of sleep and not a lot of class either, but some of them were cancelled so I don't feel too guilty.

This Thursday we had a preview for the show, and we opened on Friday. After three years of doing costumes it feels very satisfying to get to act again. I'm cast in two plays. In the first one, Incide, I play the wife of Judas Iscariot. This role is somewhat dramatic and intense, so I love playing with that. In The Imp of Simplicity, I have a singing role as a bell. Karolyn Ake, my other bell, and I composed and made up tunes to most of our lines. And I love my costumes, it's very fun being on the other side of the sewing machine for once.

In other news, now that the show is on it's feet, I need to get my senior paper in working order. In less than two weeks I present on Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Gospel. I still have quite a bit to do before I graduate. But in the mean time I've been vegging over Glee.

Today is one of those days when art, learning and life connect for me. Today is All Saints Sunday, and I happen to be in a play about saints. Today we remember our brothers and sisters who have passed on, and we also recognize those in our lives who are still with us and continue to show us the face of God. I'm digging through Dietrich Bonhoeffer for my project and at the same time finding connections with Martin Luther King Jr. Archbishop Oscar Romero, my grandmother Jane Jackson, Mister Rogers (my patron saint) and also thinking of the men and women in my churches who have died: Donald Frisk, Leslee Schiller, Rick Henderson, Nicole Lalime. They are a symbol of truth to me, a symbol of what the body of Christ looks like. We are part of a great family.

Original Recipe

2010-10-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

Naomi's Winter Squash Soup
1 can of light coconut milk
Cinnamon*
Allspice
Cloves
Cumin
1 chili pepper
salt and pepper
2 winter squash, seeded, baked, scooped and pureed

In a saucepan simmer the coconut milk and whisk in spices, chili, salt and pepper. Do this till it's hot. Then slowly add in the pureed squash and stir. Let the mixture cook for a few minutes until bubbly and hot. Remove chili pepper if desired, if not have fun playing a little game I call "Hide the Pepper" for extra laughs give that bowl to someone from Minnesota.

*I havent included measurements for the spices, simply because I do not use them when I cook for myself, I mostly eye it. I would use about a 1/2 teaspoon for each spice.

I'm Fall-ing

2010-10-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

This past week I watched Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Great costumes, great art direction and visual effects. Great Scott it's Fall!

So tonight I'm having people over and am planning on making some Autumn inspired meals, pumpkin pie, potato soup, ginger bread; all in celebration of Fall Break. One whole day of celebration.

This marks the middle of the semester, in less than eight weeks I get to trot across a stage and receive an empty diploma holder, then escape to Houston for two weeks. It seems surreal, people ask me if I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, if I'm looking forward to it? Yes, yes I am. But what happens when it happens?

I come back from Houston in January, and I don't have to go to school. I live next to my school, but I won't have to go there. That will be odd. So what will I do with my free semester? I plan on starting grad school in the Fall, I plan on coming back to the safety of the academic world, and not stray too far from the play ground. I plan on still living 100 yards away from my adopted home, and staying in my church. But in the mean time...

meet new people
visit new churches
apply for new jobs
buy a new bike
travel to new places

in the mean time... ?

Costumes: Things I Learned

2010-10-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

Before Dog Sees God I'd costumed a few small shows at North Park, mostly one-acts. Getting a chance to help out friends and design costumes for a whole show has been an exciting opportunity. But I've learned a few important tid bits

1. Make sure your costume rack is portable- getting the rack outside and then finding out it can't even fit in the car, at 11pm the night before is enough to make you cry

2. Become good friends with rubbermaid bins- In store front theatre everything is stored in plastic tubs, even though I hate the idea of storing clothes in them. They are practical and portable

3. Have access to a laundry mat- When you use stage blood every night this creates a need for having to wash things constantly, unfortunately in my building I have to pay $1.25 a load. The free-er, the better.

4. Use baby wipes. They're cheap and they get stuff clean. Also having Shout wipes on hand also helps

My Favorite Reds

2010-10-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about summer is the sun bringing out my red highlights. It's made me consider becoming a red head full time. My brown hair has natural red in it, it's dark underneath, and lighter on top next to my temples. But I was inspired to write a tribute after reading about Carol Burnett's up coming appearance on Glee. So here is a tribute to all my favorite red heads both real and fictional.

Little Orphan Annie- My very first musical I was introduced to by my naturally red haired Grandma Jane Jackson

Christina Hendricks- Christina Hendricks is a natural blonde, but became a red after reading Anne of Green Gables. She's best known for playing Joan Holloway Harris on Mad Men, but is beloved by me for her role as Saffron/Bridget/Yolonda on Firefly. She gets two props from me for being a bombshell red and a naturally curvy figure.

Carol Burnett- If I had to pick one artist who has affected me, it would be this lady. She's made a career out of being naturally funny, and always pushing the envelope. Plus she keeps good company, she was a close friend to fellow red Lucille Ball, and discovered Vicky Lawrence who co-starred on The Carol Burnett Show and created her masterpiece character of Mama.

Bernadette Peters- You know someone has earned props when you plan on naming a cat after them.

Kathleen- My lovely friend Kathleen is an original!

Lydia- My all time favorite will always be my wonderful, brave and talented sister Lydia. She emerged from the womb with a coif of red hair, and it has been turning heads ever since.

Dearest Chicago

2010-10-12T14:10:00.001-07:00

Dear Chicago,

Please give me a new job. It's not that I'm not thankful for the old one, but I'm graduating in a few months and I'll have a perfectly good degree at my disposal. I worked really hard for five and a half years to get that degree so I think the least you could do in return is give me $9.00 an hour.

Love, Naomi

Currently In October

2010-10-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

October is here, but the weather is still pretty warm.

Current Book(s): Just started a biography by Eric Metaxas about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. i plan on doing a paper at the end of the semester about Bonhoeffers view/definition of the gospel. I'll also be re-reading The Cost of Discipleship.

Current Playlist: Del Barber, Men of Easy Company, Over the Rhine, nice and easy for me

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: I've been to Starbucks an embarassing number of times this week. I also had my graduation photos taken by the talented Anne Heaps. They came out so great it's not even funny.

Current Color: My raspberry pink scarf, blue dress against a green, orange, magenta medley of leaves. And white. I love wearing white.

Current Drink: water, wine, and coffee

Current Food: Made some more polenta fries today, and some jalapeno poppers. I'm also making some pumpkin bread and pie

Current Favorite Show: Today I watched an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Office as well as the Britney Episode of Glee. Nothing compares.

Current Wish list: Free groceries, more tomatos, some All-Clad cookware, and more cute clothes

Current Needs: To manage my finaces and school/theatre priorities for the next two months. And yes.. to find a new job after graduation

Current Triumphs: Got up at 6am all week, made it through my schedule with out running out of energy.

Current Bane(s) of my Existence: Going most of this week without breakfast food in the house and having to go to Starbucks/Beijo/Viking

Current Indulgence: last week I dropped some money to buy a new peacoat for the fall/winter season

Current Blessing(s): A working resume, a set schedule, clothes to wear, and friends to talk to.

Current Outfit: This week I wore my blue dress to take pictures in with a white sweater and my raspberry colored scarf. After that I had to force myself to dress down.

Current Excitement: It's 10-10-10, what could be more exciting than factors of 10?

The Friday Report

2010-10-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

After a rough start to the semester things have started to smooth out. I work three mornings a week so I'm usually up around 6:00am and have two mornings off. Most of my classes are in the middle of the day so I've gotten used to planning and prioritizing ahead of time. I've really come to value the time I have in between the spaces. Sometimes I work in the costume room, but when I get the chance I usually like to be at home cooking meals for the week or cleaning. One of the biggest stress factors for me is organization and cleanliness. The combination of having a messy day, then coming home to a sink full of dishes and a bed full of laundry makes me want to curl up and die. So my time at home has become very important to me.

But all that to say, I'm having a lot of fun with the new things I'm doing, namely acting in two (wait.. three) plays, working and doing class work. The Saint Plays has opened up an opportunity for me to think more about faith and art, something I am very passionate about. At many points along the way the world of the theatre and the world of the church have seemed diametrically opposed to one another. But when I can be, do, see, art and hear the voice of God speaking through, I'm awestruck and silent.

Recently I've had to think about this much more seriously, why do I need to go to seminary? How will theatre/theology help the other? The answer is stuck in my throat, it's a synapse in my brain that I can't form into words, doesn't know if it is a feeling or a thought or both. How do I say to you what I know to be true?

In other news my stage combat class will be doing our final project as a play, a story told through violence. More details to come, but it will be awesome, astounding, amazing... tell your friends.

Later this month we will be having our Second Annual North Park Halloween Costume Sale! I have several ideas for this. Last year we brought out extra pieces to sell for Halloween, this year we will be featuring more shoes, and accessories BUT the biggest change is that we will be doing a "Share Box" style trade, where people can donate items and then look for other items to use. Afterwards everything left will be donated to the North Park Friendship Center. If anyone is interested in helping out please respond in the adjoining comment box.

In cooking developments, I've cooked down my first pumpkin. I saved the mash, and toasted the seeds. I'm going to try and make a pie or some pumpkin bread this weekend. The only parts left over from the pumpkin were the skin and stem which I composted. Also I had fun with polenta, and pesto this week. I made polenta fries, cut them them coated in pesto and dredged in breadcrumbs. I went ahead and baked them at 350, but I would actually recommend freezing them before cooking.
One thing I love about eating seasonally is the ability to be creative with it. I look at what i have on hand and when I go shopping I try to buy only what I would need to make these into full fledged meals. I still have leftover jalapeno peppers which I'm going to make into "poppers" lots of pumpkin to work with, winter squash, eggplant, several pounds of Irish potatoes and one portabella mushroom.

I think I have just made an excuse to throw a party.

Getting on My Feet

2010-09-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

Traditionally, the fall semester is the most difficult time for me in the school year. The transition between summer and fall is a major adjustment for me; physically, emotionally, and practically.

During the summer I'm remarkably more flighty, carefree, and irresponsible. I leave things unfinished, I never follow through with things, and change my mind much more often than any time of the year. And then fall comes, and that all ends. Once school starts I pull up an excel document and write up my schedule, pull out folders, organize papers, school work. I come across things that I meant to get done over the summer which have remained untouched.

I found my resume, and have spent the better part of my free time last week organizing it. I've also been working on finishing my seminary application. The resume however has been a good exercise. Working through it has given me something to proverbally get my hands dirty with. Now it's almost done, I'm not far off from finishing my application as well.

This past weekend I went out of town for a mandatory field trip to Wisconsin. Mandatory or not, it was not in Chicago, and I was more than happy to drive a 12 passenger van there and back to be a part of it. One of the hardest things about living in Chicago, is... living in Chicago. Crowded noisy blocks, apartments stacked one on top of the other. Some times the task of leaving the city, is daunting. I could have cared less about the academic element of this trip (luckily I did) but being able to escape for 30 hours does wonders for a soul.

Now I'm back. I'm devoting a lot of time to the theatre this term, in order to do that, and not go insane I've had to drop one of my classes. It was an extra Greek course I was taking through the seminary. Also to remain sane I've had to be more realistic about my finances, work schedule, and grad school plans. More on that later.

Since this is my last semester as an undergrad at North Park, I expect this Fall to be a significant one. Graduation, job search, grad school, theatre, and cooking.

Yes cooking!
As my vast readership has come to expect I plan to bring you more and more vegetarian recipes.
While at Dr. Bjorkman's house this weekend I was given the charge of making the vegetarian option. I ended up making an eggplant sauce with pasta. But the weird part for me is that I didn't even know if I would like what I was making. See, I've only eaten eggplant once as a kid, and I hated it. I've stayed away since. But it's a sturdy vegetable, hard but porous. So I skinned these two egg plants, and seasoned them with EVOO, salt and pepper. I already had some onion and tomato cooking down in a skillet. I added some green onion and rosemary as well. I then beat two eggs, and made a bread crumb crust with Parmesan, coated the egg plant with egg and bread and them cooked them in the sauce. Covered the skillet and left it alone for about ten minutes.
Not that I need to toot my own horn, but it turned out great! The eggplant was nice and soft, and just a little bit golden on the crust, the parm was a nice touch because it melted to the egg plant. And because the pieces were nice and thick it could be used as a meat substitute in the burger, or as a sauce over pasta.
So go out and find a vegetable that you hated as a kid, and give it a try. Cook it the way you would cook your favorite meal and see what happens.

I got a ton of veggies from an organic farm over the weekend and am very exciting about cooking some fall meals. Homeade pumpkin pie is on the menu.
And, I'm looking for a good potato leek soup recipe. If any body in my vast readership has any suggestions just leave me a comment.

Theatre is not a Hobby, It is a Chronic Ailment

2010-09-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

In effort to keep the world updated on the exciting events of my life I am once more updating my blog. Ah, it's a good feeling.

I've written recently about Odradek Theatre Company's Dog Sees God. This is a show that I co-stage managed, and designed costumes for. This has been an incredible learning experience. Working in a real store front forces you to be on your toes a lot more and to be flexible. Whatever challenges or obstacles come up (loosing costumes, mice eating prop food, loud obnoxious people in the basement) the show must go on!

I am also doing more costume work at North Park. This semester I am trying to build a team of people to take over the costumes after I graduate in December. Until then I have to constantly keep the shop organized, label all the sections, help directors pull costumes, and plan, set up and run a costume sale around Halloween time. Believe it or not, this really is a lot of fun for me. I think I should do it more often. In fact I think I should keep costuming shows. I still think I should go to seminary. Confusion.

This week we had auditions for The Saint Plays. This is a huge production for North Park. We've been building are program for years and this will be a challenge, but I believe it is one that North Park can easily surmount.

Finally next weekend, September 24th, is Project 24. This is a play festival, and from start to finish plays will be written, casted, rehearsed and played in one day. I've done this for three years. It is an incredible time to have. This year will be the first that I cannot participate. I will in fact be driving a van to and from Wisconsin, but will return in time to see the final product. That's all the more reason for new people to come and try it out. This is the perfect opportunity for people who love theatre but think they may not be able to participate any other time of the year, all you give is one day, and it will change your life.

Wait a minute. Why am I driving a van to and from Wisconsin?

Stay Tuned.

Currently in September

2010-09-11T13:22:00.001-07:00

Current Book(s): I've gotten a lot of school books lately, but have fallen behind on some fun reading. Lydia recommends Captivating. I will take any suggestions of good reads in the comment section.
Current Playlist: I love my Girl Power playlist on iTunes. My favorite go to song is Better Things by Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: I totally ate some cookie dough a couple days ago.
Current Color: I still love white. I went out with a bang on Labor Day, even though the no white after Labor Day rule is only there to be broken. The colors are still nice and green here in Chicago, but I am looking forward to fall moving in.
Current Drink: Water
Current Food: Made some great lentil soup this week. I'll post the recipe later. Lentils have been a challenge for me, but I found a cooking method that works great.
Current Favorite Show: Not much TV recently, but my roommate and I did watch a great version of Hamlet this week starring David Tennant (Dr. Who) and Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: TNG)
Current Wish list: I would love a new bike, not that I don't like my own, but I'm ready to start fixing up another, and I would like to have an alternate road bike to use anyway.
Current Needs: Financing for this semester, extra work, extra money, and extra time; Spiritual direction, ecclesiastical direction, academic direction. I'm barely three weeks in to my last semester and this rabbit hole is already a bit more trippy than I expected.
Current Triumphs: Well the triumph isn't mine alone, but Odradek Theatre had a great opening night of Dog Sees God. Tonight is our third performance. We've all been so blessed by this experience. I've learned quite a bit through the whole process, and have been convicted of just how important theatre is.
Current Bane(s) of my Existence: Well I wasn't too happy with the group who trampled through our back stage area right in the middle of our show last night. Rude much.
Current Indulgence:
Current Blessing(s): My sister Lydia. We had a great talk Thursday night. No matter what happens to me she is always my champion and advocate.
Current Outfit: Love this. I've got my brown work capris, Clark's Springers, and a gray cami with a red tank over it, and a bandana. Great outfit for working in a theatre on a Saturday morning.
Current Excitement: Continuing our extremely successful much anticipated run of Dog Sees God, eating lunch, auditioning for Saint Plays, going on a field trip to Wisconsin in two weeks, and seeing how much theology and theatre I can drive into this semester without going crazy or inhibiting my ability to graduate.
Current Link: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/dog-sees-god-confessions-of-a-teenage-blockhead/Event?oid=2316542

As Professional as 20 Somethings Can Be

2010-09-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

I'm elated beyond words to say that last nights opening of Dog Sees God was a success. After two months of rehearsals and preparation we opened at Gorilla Tango.

Since I'm very intimately acquainted with the project, I have a natural bias about how good the show is, but it was a true blessing to receive the accolades and hugs from our friends, family and teachers who told us they couldn't have been prouder of the work.

I truly believe that this show is a direct result of the training and support that we have received from the North Park Theatre Company. The program is designed to train students to work professionally in store front theatre. Almost everyone in the cast and crew had at least two jobs; actor/producer, stage manger/property mistress, costume designer/co-stage manager, PR/sound board, web designer/actor, and everyone involved rallied to gather props, costumes and to help spread PR in their own circles. Not bad for a bunch of 20 somethings with the help of a few unmentionable substances and a dream.

I cannot wait to see who will come out for the next four performances, we run Friday and Saturday at 9:30 for the next two weekends. Check out our website for more info, and reserve tickets at Gorilla Tango.

Elitist Entendre

2010-08-22T11:50:00.000-07:00

During the school year I tend to keep myself very busy, but this summer has been very laid back for me. I haven't been very stringent to get things done on time or at all.
But now things are starting to speed up for me. School starts very soon and I will be spending much of this week getting back in to full swing.

So on that note I bought myself a new planner. I use my planner every single day. It's stuffed with post it notes, a mini legal pad, and pencil. Since starting college I've been using a Day Minder which are available in most school book stores. It's a good planner, but this year I decided I wanted something different. I wanted something that was a little more durable, and that also had room for me to make notes and lists for each week. Finally, the biggest challenge was finding a planner that I could use for the school year that started in July or August (not January)
So yesterday I went to Borders armed with a 33% off coupon, and a dream. But God answers prayers, even very small ones, and I found in the calendar section one last Moleskine 18 month weekly planner/diary. The best part; I only paid $11.

I already own a Moleskine journal. So on the one hand I feel a little bit elitist for having a matching planner, BUT I do not feel guilty or silly one bit for it. I use my planner and my journals daily, and the importance of it surpasses the need for something that is merely functional. The design, the aesthetic of it, is just as worthwhile. I think it is important to invest in the things that you value, and use. This whole train of thought sends me back to the final episode (and my favorite) of Firefly, Objects in Space, What's the word? Imbue.
So I buy the expensive, fancy journals that are marketed to artsy intellectual types like myself, cause if your gonna be artsy and intellectual, you might as well be committed. (Catch the double entendre?)

P.S. Don't ever feel guilty or regret for getting rid of things that you don't really need.

Weekend Update

2010-08-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

Odradek Theatre
The popular question you always ask when you see old friends is, "What have you been up to this summer?" Apart from working spontaneous hours and sleeping, I've been spending three to four evenings a week co-stage managing/costuming a show directed by the lovely and talented Ashley-Marie, called Dog Sees God. Ash-Mar along with Jon Wikholm and Kristina Carr, have started a fledgling theatre company called Odradek. We've been preparing this show for nearly two months, but last night we have our first ever event, a music fest/fundraiser. This was a great way for us to raise money and get our name out in the open, as well as to support the bands that played and other local artists.
The Earth Program, The Clams, Percolator, and We Horns ((http://mysp.ac/cMACwx) all came out and played.

Limes, Avocados, and Cucumbers
I'm a foodie, so here's what's new. This week I was inspired to make burritos and quesadillas as my broke-ass meal for the week. My new favorite addition to these two dishes is sliced or mashed avocado and a little bit of lime. I'll then save the lime quarter and use it in a glass of cold water. What's great about lime is not only its sweet/tarty flavor, but also its smell; citrusy, summery and refreshing. Cucumbers are also great in water and refreshing. Recipe ideas, I'm going to try a half lemon half lime combo for my next batch of lemonade. I'm also going to get some grapes, freeze them and keep them as a snack. Also in the idea mill is iced coffee. Starbucks has a great new Ethiopian coffee. Sweeten it with a little honey and it's perfect iced or hot.

Houston
I took a two-day escape last weekend to the land of my fathers, Houston. My oh my, it was perfect. My sister picked me up in her huge red truck, we sang along to her iPod, ate Brazilian food, had some good conversation with my parents and played with the doggie. I didn't venture out very much that weekend except to go into the Heights for White Linen Night and Chai at Onion Creek, and to Starbucks at Meyerland Plaza to see Sarah, my sister's long time best friend.
Ever since my return it has been very sunny and hot here in Chicago. Thankfully despite my inconsistent use of sunscreen I've avoided getting burned

While in Houston I had a couple interesting conversation with my family about personality types and temperaments. After reading Kevin Leman's, The Birth Order Book I'm convinced that your birth order and gender have a huge impact on the way we process life. I'm a first born female and I follow suit pretty well, I like order and control, I err on the side of caution, and naturally feel responsible for others. Now this is all pretty general, but I encourage you to read the book for yourself and see all the combinations and possibilities your birth order has on your life.

I also redid a myers-briggs type personality test. I think a couple years ago I came up as an ISFJ. This time I came up as an INFJ, the idealist counselor. Oddly enough I had a great conversation with my step-mom about the possibility of me going into counseling after I get my masters degree.

We revisited the old "four temperaments" Apparently while my Grandma was still alive she was big into this. My dad has told me for years that he thinks I'm a choleric, of course my grandma told him for years that he was a choleric to. I think it's a first born thing. It would be more accurate to say I'm a Melancholy/Choleric (melancholeric?) Choleric are self motivated, doers and achievers, leaders, and very practical. The melancholy temperament is more deep thinking, introspective, artistic, analytical, and sensitive.

To top it off, I found an old copy of The Four Love Languages (I never knew it was a marriage book) I've always identified with quality time as the primary way I give and receive love in a relationship. Nothing suits me better than long deep conversation with friends.

One more step on the road to self discovery.

Currently in August

2010-08-07T22:21:00.000-07:00

Current Book(s): I brought a copy of Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott with me to Houston. Whilst rummaging through the attic I dug out a few books to bring back to Chicago Walden, The Four Love Languages, Revivals of Religions, Vines Complete Expository Dictionary, Bulfinch's Mythology, Startled By His Furry Shorts. I'm still working my way through Emma very slowly. I got a little disappointed the other day that I've gone all summer and read less than 10 chapters. But then I thought back to how it took me a couple of years to get started on Pride and Prejudice. Same story with Sense and Sensibility. I can't just jump right into Austen, I have to warm up to it first.

Current Playlist: I've been listening to a lot of Beatles lately. Besides that I've had fun singing along with Lydia to musical numbers.

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Pulling out the Barbie dolls from the attic, that's all I'll admit to doing so far.

Current Color: White

Current Drink: Chai Tea Latte from Onion Creek

Current Food: Staple family Brazilian food, lots of meat though, that's been tough.

Current Favorite Show: Caught a few old re-runs of America's Next Top Model.

Current Wishlist: I'm jealous of all the music on my sisters iPod

Current Needs: Just a few more days in Houston

Current Triumphs: I suppose our attic rummaging in itself was a triumph. It was a sauna, but I found books and sheets to bring back to Chicago

Current Bane(s) of my Existence: Gosh Darn that back tire of mine!

Current Celebrity Crush: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Current Indulgence: This glorious Houston air! Chicagoans are so fussy, they think it's humid there, They have NO idea! I arrived last night, washed my face, and when I woke up my skin was glowing, it was magical.

Current Blessing(s): Being in Houston, remembering how much I truly love Texas. My family ate together twice today. After dinner we played Apples to Apples. I never thought my family would ever resemble this idyllic normalcy, Then Lydia, Sean and I ventured to the Heights and caught a few bits of White Linen Night. I ran into an old church friend I knew as a child.

Current Outfit: White tank and skirt. I brought lots of white clothes to Houston

Current Excitement: Got some veggies today, that's exciting

Current Link: www.odradektheatre.com

Weekend Update

2010-08-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

Abandoning Chicago
On Friday night I'm planning a covert escape from Chicago. I will mysteriously disappear Friday night after work and reappear Monday morning. If anyone would like to aide and abet my escape, I'll be needing a ride to Midway airport around 7pm Friday night.

I'm looking forward to this brief disappearance. My roommate and several of my other friends have also mysteriously abandoned Chicago as well, strange time August. I've reacted to this change in my normal fashion. My yoga mat and art supplies are sprawled out on my living room floor, and I've rewatched 12/14 episodes of Firefly.

Wickerpark Fest
This weekend is Wickerpark Fest in the famous Wickerpark neighborhood of Chicago. Yesterday I helped out Missio Dei with their button making booth. Folks can come by and cutout pictures and make a button for free. Last year Michael Jackson was our popular face, this year it was Taylor Lautner. I love this booth, I would go to Missio Dei just so I could volunteer at this booth every year, it's so much fun to make buttons. I also saw a lot of kids at the booth this year, it was great making buttons for them.

Getting some perspective

I've talked to some of my friends and coworkers this week, and I've been repeating this phrase to them, "Tell me what you think, I need some perspective on the matter" This has been the case when discussing, my job, school/seminary, and relationships. The results are interesting, and in many ways humbling. I realized that while I've arrived at a comfortable place at my job, I still struggle with taking criticism. I'm a typical first born female, I'm a natural perfectionist, and I crave consistency and control. Being told I'm not doing something correctly can sometimes come off to me as a vicious personal attack. In fact I often struggle with taking things too personally, even in very small things. Part of it is personality, and part of it is pride.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-07-27T09:26:00.001-07:00

Thank you Roots and Rings

1. How do you take your coffee on an average day? How do you like your coffee if you're splurging?
I take my coffee with a teaspoon of sugar and and a little bit of milk, soy milk, or half and half if I can get it. If I'm splurging I'll probably get something with chocolate or caramel added. Lately my drink has been sweetened iced coffee with milk.

2. What is your genre of books to read?
I've got my library sorted into two big sections, "theology and Christianity", and "everything else". The "Everything Else" category is composed of mostly novels (young adult or classic lit.) with some biographies thrown in. Random as it is, I love reading biographies. I also save a copy of all the plays I've worked on.

3. Where do you want to retire, if you could go anywhere?
It would be nice to retire to a place like Wyoming or Montana, but truthfully I would actually like to retire back in Texas. I would like to take my life's savings, buy some land and build a ranch or something.

4. The 17-year-old you is told to write a 10-minute speech. What topic would you have picked?
Lord, spare us all from the 17 year old me. I was waaay more serious than any other 17 year old I knew. I would have probably picked something in the politics/religion category. I was also big into poetry and literature at the time, so I could have probably broken down Beowulf or Macbeth pretty well.

5. What word describes you best?
Hungry

6. What is the next "event" that you are looking forward to? (ex.: vacation, moving, date, job change, etc)
My weekend to Houston is coming up, though two days is hardly a vacation. But after that school starts again. Once this semester is complete I will graduate!

7. Do you like to discuss controversial topics or do you prefer to avoid those types of conversations?
You know, it really depends. Sometimes it's just bad tact to bring those sort of things up. BUT, frankly who am I to talk? My dad raised me to talk about controversial topics and how to present and defend my position. I wouldn't be who I am, if I didn't jump into debates. At the same time, I'd rather be quiet and say nothing at all, than to open my mouth and spew out stupidity.

8. Would you rather add 4 free hours to each day, or add 1 extra day to the week?
I've always wondered what it would be like to have a few extra hours, that way I could get extra work done, but also spend more time with people when I'm not at work or in rehearsal.

9. If you created a sports team; what would your colors and mascot be?
If I created a sports team it would be a team of archers. Our colors would be brown and blue, and our mascot would be "Will" and he would stand in the middle of the field and during each round someone would shout, "Fire at Will!"

10. If you had to be a teacher, what subject would you teach?
History. If I had to teach any subject I would teach history at the Jr. or Sr. High levels.

Things I've Done

2010-07-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

1. Bought a Dresser

For my birthday Becky helped me out with buying a proper dresser. For two years I have had a sterilite set of plastic drawers. I finally had enough and went on craigslist. I found a beautiful antique dresser for $100. Jon Wikhom helped me out yesterday with picking it up from Edgewater and carrying it down 3 flights and up 3 flights of stairs.

I can only describe this moment of time as one where I finally feel as though I've reached the next circle of adult hood. The circle where you no longer have plastic, Ikea, or cardboard furniture, but actual wooden, mismatched, eclectic 20 something furniture. It's a great feeling.

2. Went to the Mall with Mical

My friend Mical and I work together at daycare. Friday morning we took the bus to Lincolnwood Mall to find things for her to wear to a wedding this weekend. Who'd of thunk, Wet Seal turned out to be the place for us. She found a cardigan and shoes, I found a cute pair of gauchos in the clearance rack. And though the pants are cute, they are white, stark white. Which means I can never wear them! Work? no. Exercising? no. Biking? no! Cooking? no! It is the white pants curse.

3. Wore this dress to Church

4. Went to the doctors office

Got my two year physical for work. This means I should get my raise soon. I think?

5. Booked a plane ticket to Houston.

My parents put aside some money for me to come home as a birthday present. As it turns out my sister will be on leave soon and will be back in Houston for the first half of August. So I am taking a plane late on a Friday night to be with my family while she's in town. The only thing I'm not looking forward to, it being August... in Houston, TX.

On this my 23rd Birthday

2010-07-18T12:24:00.000-07:00

Today I am 23. Each year I get older and each year I hope people will take me more seriously. So in honor of this my 23rd birthday I'm going to write 23 things. I do not yet know which 23 things I will say. They may be things about me, my life, or things I plan to do. But really it's an excuse to bank on the whole "it's my birthday" thing.

1. I was born in Houston, Texas in the same hospital my father was born in.
2. I learned to ride a bike at age 6
3. I was also home schooled while being taught to ride said bike at age 6
4. I've though about homeschooling my own [imaginary] children one day
5. Every year I get birthday cards sent from my mom's relatives Aunt Marby and Cousin Barb
6. I had my first cappuccino in a Corner Bakery in Washington, DC ten years ago at age 13, while visit my mom's cousin Lucia.
7. I spent my 13th birthday at a church camp with the youth group of my Aunt Sarah's church.
8. My newly married parents (Dad and Mae) threw me a surprise birthday at church for my 17th.
9. I also had a surprise graduation party the next year
10. I was getting ready to move to Canada on my 19th birthday, and I was afraid that my parents had forgotten
11. I spent my 20th birthday at Cascades camp, but that year I got a pair of Chacos from Becky, which I still wear often.
12. I didn't have my first beer until almost a year after my 21st birthday
13. When I was a kid I thought I'd be married by now
14. I'm kind of glad I'm not, but only "kind of"
15. My friend James just got married yesterday
16. My best friend Holly's birthday is the day before mine, July 17th. We've been friends for 23 years.
17. When Holly was here she helped me pick out a birthday dress, it was very cute and saucy.
18. I hope 23 is a cute and saucy year for me
19. This morning I did something I rarely do, and I skipped church. Instead I made cinnamon buns and watched The Unsinkable Molly Brown.
20. The Unsinkable Molly Brown is actually very historically inaccurate (surprise!)
21. I finally got a hula-hoop, my life is complete
22. I think I should go hula-hoop on the greenspace in my cute saucy dress.
23. 23 is prime number

Ten on Tuesday

2010-07-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks Roots and Rings

1. What is the worst movie you have ever seen?

The Body Guard with Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. It was painful.

2. Do you have a favorite Disney/Pixar film?

I just saw Toy Story 3, twice.

3. Do you have a favorite movie from the 80′s?

I have way too many favorite 80's movies, I love most John Hughes films, but my favorite is Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
4. Are there any movies you saw more than once in the theater?

The aforementioned Toy Story 3, but I also saw Pirates of the Caribbean 3 twice.
5. What is one city/area of the US (or country you live if you do not live in the US) that you have not seen but would like to see?

I've lived in the Northwest, but I've never visited Portland, Oregon. I have a goal to visit all 50 states. I've visited most on the eastern half of the country, but none on the western half.
6. What are your favorite toppings on an Ice Cream Sundae?

Carmel or Oreos
7. How many proms did you go to? What color was your prom dress? If you went to multiple proms, what color was your favorite prom dress?

I only went to my own prom, my friend Ben went with me. And I wore the dress that my parents bought me for their wedding. It was a strapless blue gown.
8. Is there a sport or extra-curricular activity that you didn't get to try as a child that you wish you would have? (e.g. gymnastics, piano lessons, ballet, etc.)

I would have loved to do ice skating or gymnastics. We watched those sports on TV all the time, but we could never afford lessons.

9. How many siblings do you have? Are you the oldest, middle, or youngest?

I'm the oldest of three, I have a younger sister (19) and a brother (16) But I also have some close friends who I consider my big brothers and sisters.
10. Do you feel like you fit in with your age group? Or do you feel younger/older than your age group? I've always had a hard time fitting in with people my own age. Most of my friends are either younger or older than me. My roommate is 9 years older, and most of my school friends are my sister's age. But I've always felt much older than I am, and that's mostly because I had to grow up very fast when my family split up. My 23'rd birthday is this Sunday, but truthfully I feel more like 25 or 26, unfortunately I sometimes have a hard time convincing older adults how independent I am.

Hoop- La

2010-07-11T11:53:00.003-07:00

How could I have ever forgotten how much I love hula-hoops. One year at camp I led hula-hooping as an activity. At CBC I entered the talent night doing hula-hoop tricks. However since coming to Chicago that pastime (as well as many others) has taken a back seat. But last summer I found at booth at a festival that sold adult sized hula hoops. Regular hula hoops sold at toy stores for kids are too light and too small for adults to use. However for VBS this summer our director bought a ton of hula hoops for the kids and it reignited my desire to hula. I started looking around, but so far hula-hoops seem scarce in the Chicago area. Target is sold out, and dollar stores do not carry them.

A couple nights ago I had a dream that I was in a store buying a variety of hula hoops, so the next day I made it my mission to track one down. I investigated at a few toy stores, but the hoops were till too small. I happened to be at Folk Fest yesterday thinking I had exhausted all options when I saw a girl with a hula hoop sitting on the grass. I stopped and asked where she got it, and she told me that she just made it herself from PVC pipe. She gave me a quick tutorial on how to make my own. So today I went to Home Depot to try this experiment for myself.

My $15 dollar experiment turned out to be quite a challenge. The PVC pipe was cheap, but the connectors were $3 each, I also bought an assortment of electrical tape to decorate it with. Unfortunately Home Depot didn't have the correct type of irrigation style pipe. In fact when I entered the store and started talking to a sales associate he looked at me like I was crazy when I said I was going to make a hula hoop. They looked at me as if I were crazier when i started to describe the materials I needed, the exact style of tubing with correct size and weight specifications. (I later called Lowes, they have it, but there are no stores in the city limits) I did however buy what I could find, and for three hours this afternoon set to work, bending, melding, blow drying, pushing, and soaking the PVC pipe and connectors. I finally hit a stopping point and gave up. I'll try again later and see if I can finish it off. But I decided to e-mail the girl back and just buy one from her.

Still several days and haven't heard from hula-hoop girl. So I planned on eventually going to Lowes and buying the right kind of materials. But then a magical thing happened, I turned 23. And on this my 23rd birthday my roommate presented me with a hula-hoop which she found at none other than Jewel! So last night we stayed up and watched Mr. Deed's Goes to Town, while I stood in the middle of the living room hula-hooping. And repeated this action this morning while watching The Unsinkable Molly Brown.

Bang for my Buck

2010-07-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

Best $15 Concert: Over the Rhine at North Park Oct 2008

Best $10 Concert: Midsummer Fest in Andersonville

Best $8 Concert: Buckman Page last night at Goose Island in Wrigleyville

Best $5 Concert: Del Barber house show last February, with a keg of Half-Acre Gossamer

Best $1 Concert: John Wesley's Band, Julia and the Sweet Ect. and others. The concert was free, but I donated a dollar and got a free CD

Best Free Concert: This is a tie between my friend Tom Rorem's last show at North Park, and She and Him in Millenium Park.

Currently in July

2010-07-11T11:02:00.001-07:00

June was an exciting month, and it feels like I've done so much in the past month.

VBS at church, seeing Toy Story 3 and Eclipse in theaters, biking through Boystown, Lakeview, and Downtown, Holly's visit, and going to lots of concerts and festivals around Chicago.

Current Book: I just finished The Lost Girls, it was a wonderful long 538 pages of therapeutic reading. This is three friends account of their journey around the world. From New York to South America, Africa, India, Southeast Asia, New Zealand, Australia and back, they gave up their lives and roughed it for a whole year. Needless to say this book has got me thinking about my future and the places I would like to travel to. For years I've had a list of countries and places I'd like to visit, Europe, Brazil, Africa, India, Japan, Russia. Now I definitely want to add New Zealand and Australia to that list. I have no idea how on earth I will eventually do this, but I'm going to start planning, looking for opportunities, and saving money to make it off this continent one day.

Current Playlist: I'm having a lot of fun with my new ipod. So far my favorite play list is a mixture of Taylor Swift, Blondie, The Spice Girls, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.

Current Shame Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Ghirdeli brand brownies from Aldi. I bought three boxes last time and keep them ready just in case.

Current Drink: Iced coffee with milk from Starbucks, and Goose Island 312

Current Food: Made a wicked rhubarb and blueberry pie with graham cracker and caramel topping last week.

Current Favorite Show: I've taken to watching The Bachelorette with my friends on Monday nights. That should be listed under the guilty pleasure, as should be my viewing of Twilight: Eclipse.

Current Wishlist: Since my Birthday is a week from today my wishlist includes: a map of the world, an external hard drive, new luggage, more dresses, and a hula-hoop

Current Need: Well I need to start thinking about getting a new bike. This is the one that I would like to eventually buy. I also need to start saving money if I'm going to magically buy a new bike, computer, and travel to Europe all in the span of a year.

Current Triumphs: Finding a girl at folk fest yesterday who told me how to make a hula-hoop, and seeing my friend Liz in the paper with Blago, that was nothing short of jaw dropping.

Current Celebrity Crush: Well Liz definitely takes home that prize.

Current Indulgence: Root Beer float from Beijo, and this free Internet at Starbucks.

Current Blessing: Having Holly, and other friends in my life, and knowing that I have a home.

Current Outfit: My favorite, over-worn brown Capri pants, ribbed tanks, and chacos

Current Excitement: My birthday is on the 18th, but the party will be at my place on the evening of the 17th. The "theme" is dressing up with a twist. Everyone should wear their normal street clothes, but add one item that is "dressy" such as: a tie, top-hat, pearls, brooch, heels, gloves, veil, etc. If you're in the Chicago area feel free to stop by, bring a bottle of wine and eat some fab dessert. My original notion for my birthday was to have a low-key get together, I guess my imagination thought that was a little lame.

Current Link: After the sad discovery yesterday that Target "discontinued" hula-hoops, I began a quest. This quest led me to Folk Fest in Lincoln Square where I met a girl who had a hula-hoop with her. I asked her where she got it, and she told me that she just made it herself. She gave me a quick tutorial on the process and where to buy supplies. So as soon as I sign off from my post I'll be off to home depot to reduplicate this process to the best of my ability.

Good Eats

2010-07-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

Since Holly was in town this weekend I took a break from cooking and we ate at a variety of restaurants.

Garcias- This is one of my favorite standby restaurants. I can always expect good food and reasonable prices. I ordered quesadillas with spinach and a cosmo. The cosmo was surprisingly good, and of course the quesadillas were stuffed with cheese and served with beans and rice. Despite the fact that Garcia's is constantly busy the service is pretty fast

Maggiano's Little Italy- This was a nicer sit down restaurant. The food was great, and they serve huge portions. There were lots of families there and we were surprised that we were seated so quickly. Unfortunately our waiter was very slow with us, and we were there a lot longer than we had to be. Despite the waiting it's a great restaurant, and it so happened I had a gift card that covered most of the check, so the bill was a lot smaller than it normally would have been.

Los Migotes- This is another well known North Park restaurant, great burritos, at cheap prices, good service too.

The Cubby Bear- I only had a beer here, but we had a trooper of a waitress who had been working all day. Great venue for shows, we saw John Wesley's Band and The Giving Tree Band for free.

Julius Meinl- I've only been here a couple of times, but it's a great brunch spot. Holly and I both had the quiche.

Opart Thai House- This was my first Thai experience, and according to some trusted sources this is one of the best, most authentic, Thai places in Chicago. I was a little flexitarian with my meat intake here. We had Pad Thai with tofu, lots of sticky rice, and a few other dishes to give us the "Thai Experience" Since there were four of us we ordered a sampler appetizer, two entrees, three bowls of rice, and soup, and ate family style.

Weekend With Holly

2010-07-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

My best friend Holly arrived in town last Thursday night and spent the weekend with me here in Chicago. When I can't always go home to Texas, the next best thing is to have Texas come to me.

So Holly and I dined Thursday at Garcia's, spent Friday morning at the beach, Friday night downtown, Saturday at North Park and Wrigleyville, and Sunday wandering through Southport, Lakeview, and Lincoln Park. Holly has been here before, but this weekend we both wanted to see Chicago neighborhoods up close and personal.

Tales from the Red Line-
I have a new found appreciation for the Kimball Brown Line, after trying to escape downtown on a Friday night. We left our restaurant and tried to catch a red line train, but we (I) had two things working against us (me) 1, I had my bike with me 2, the red line is ALWAYS jam packed. The first time we let the train go by, the second time we tried to be aggressive and force the bike onto the train. Bad idea.

I ended up riding my bike up Clark and met Holly at Belmont.

Saturday was very chill, and Holly got to meet several of my friends here at North Park. That evening we saw John Wesley's Band and The Giving Tree Band at the Cubby Bear for free with a few of my seminary friends. We took the red line again that night, and I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to get my bike on again. The attendant told me that I couldn't take my bike on after mid-night or all day the next day. Luckily it was 11:51pm. As I shouldered my bike and carried it up the stairs I heard a guy (drunk frat-boy cubs fan in khaki shorts complete with tiny blonde girlfriend) on the escalator say, "Why don't you just ride it up the stairs?" to which I replied, "Why don't you ride it up sir?"
The red line was significantly less crowded that night and we got back to North Park with no trouble at all.

Missio Dei Wrigleyville did not have their regularly scheduled services the next day. So we brunched at Julius Meinl. Then we took a walking/shopping tour of Southport, Roscoe, Lincoln Ave, Belmont, and Clark. I bought a dress for my birthday at Marshalls, and a shirt on clearance at Express.

After church we joined my friends Amber and Sarah on a dinner excursion to Opart Thai House, and then to see Toy Story 3. Then at 5am this morning Sarah and I drove Holly to the airport and bid her goodbye.

What in the World?

2010-06-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

When I arrived in Chicago I think I was still running on the assumption that I would continue travelling across the country at the same rate I did when I lived in Canada. But in the last three years my travels have slowed down considerably. And while I've gotten to know Chicago very well with the help of my bike, I haven't visited many more states, and have yet to make it off the continent in my world travels.

This saddens me. Ok maybe saddens gives the wrong impression, as though my life is something worth feeling sorry for. It's not. It's more right to say, this scares me. I've gotten nice and comfortable living my cute single life here in the city, on my cute little bike, wearing my cute outdoorsy Chacos and capris. It scares me, because any minute now, any day, I'm going to feel some primal urge, some undeniable force calling me away from the city and into the wilderness. I've been avoiding that urge all summer, I've avoided speaking truth into it. It ruled me last summer, all I wanted was to escape, and when I finally did, it was too late. I felt horribly sick and depressed. So I sit outside on the grass, or got to the gardens and pretend that it fills me just enough to keep the wanderlust at bay.

I'm about to graduate from college, and unlike sane people I've decided to go straight into my graduate studies. Normal people would take time off, go to Europe, New York, Cleveland, someplace, any place to make them forget that they have just spent four years (or more) and 40,000 dollars (or more) on a BA.

North Park does this thing, this thing where they send the students on mission trips all over the world. I've thought about going, but never followed through. But some part of me hangs on the promise that seminary will present its own options for trips and travel. and in the mean time, can I even make time and spare change to fly home and see my family, or to San Diego to see my sister?

I worked at camp for a summer awile back. One night we were told to pick up a rock and throw it into the lake, and this would represent us giving our burdens to God. I shared some of my worries later with a few girls, and one of them talked about prayer, and said she used a "prayer box" to be honest I thought the idea of a prayer box was a little to "Christian-y" and wasn't the proper outlet for some of my angry prayers. So I told her, "I'd prefer throwing rocks."

Every once and awile I'll go to the North Branch Bridge on campus, pick up a few rocks and hurl them into the river. Nobody has ever asked me what I'm doing, but one day when they do I'll just say, "I was praying."

Impulse Shopping

2010-06-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I find myself in stores and think something along the following lines:
"When I get married someday [to my imaginary husband] I wonder if I could set up a wedding registry at Borders?or Starbucks or Teavana?"

Well my wishfulness didn't stop me from a nice after work visit to Borders to pick up a new book. But the problem is I went in, coupon in hand, with the intention of buying one book and came out with two.

The first book is a copy of The Lost Girls. I was unreasonably forced to return the library's copy to them to avoid fines. But I thought that since I liked the book so much, I might as well buy my own copy and read it nice and slow like I planned. This is a great book, nice and long but such an easy read. It's written by three women, an account of their trip around the world. Even though it's three different voices, the stories don't over lap or slow down. The book flows so easily. More importantly the three voices in this book are each trying to find meaning in their lives, by living out this mutual dream of traveling. They go from Peru to Brazil, Kenya and India. I've read just as far as India. This book is such a great follow up to reading Donald Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. His book is about living a good story, and making your life meaningful. And here are three women doing just that. Giving up their lives, jobs and relationships, and going to mostly third world countries.

The second book, was the real impulse buy. Stephanie Meyer recently published a short novella that takes place during the Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. I read half of it in the store and decided for kicks to go ahead and carry it around the store, and then carry it to the check out, and ok fine I'll just buy the darn thing. It's a quick read, but nothing quite as enthralling, or addictive as the Twilight books.

My other impulse buy happened outside the movie theatre in Lincoln Square after my roomie and I had just seen Toy Story 3. And, I amuse myself because this is a typical Naomi thing to do. But we happened to arrive at the Lincoln Square farmers market, and like any good consumer I thought "whats the harm in buying a pound of [locally grown] rhubarb? and if I'm buying rhubarb I'll have to make rhubarb pie, and to go into the pie I should also buy some blueberries. Oh and I have three dollars left over I should buy 3 zucchini for a dollar and some onions for two dollars. Wow what a great day!" My roommate Heather zipped right through the hub-bub, to wait for me. Ten minutes later I emerged with a handful of bags saying, "I know what I'm making for dinner tonight."

Recently I've been spending a lot of time outside, the after effect is this brownish stain on my skin and clusters of freckles that normally aren't there during the winter. Maybe it's because I was born in the summer, or grew up in south Texas, but summer is the season I feel most relaxed. That's all I have to say about that.

Go outside.

Lord Help Me, I have an iPod

2010-06-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

After almost two weeks after I ordered it, the ever illusive iPod, that I swore I would never buy on my own, has indeed arrived. It is currently plugged into my ancient laptop and syncing 801 songs.

I thought I was nervous waiting for the darn thing to arrive, now that it's here and plugged into "Old Henry" nervous in an understatement. My laptop is nearly four years old and beginning to show it's age, I keep it updated, but that doesn't take away my fear that it will crash out of the blue (pun) one day. But the (so far unnamed) iPod and Henry seem to be getting along thus far. It's already loaded about 500 songs on.

I've never really been up to date with technology, and until about a year ago I would never have imagined even downloading iTunes, let alone pay money for an iPod. I made the change because I wanted to keep my computer and my files updated as best I could.

Further more, since my weight loss I've been trying to do more things to stay in shape. Not just biking, but running. It's illegal to have headphones while biking, but I've had good luck with running and listening to music at the same time to keep me motivated. Now that it's here I have no excuse to not run. So here's to wishful thinking and consumerism, lets hope they both pay off.

After the Fact

2010-06-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Garden: My summer hobby is starting to pay off, I clipped my first tomato off a few days ago, and harvested the lettuce from the university garden. Now I've got several more tomatoes on their way.

Recipes: This week I made two things that you could only appreciate as a college student, rice with butter and parmesan, and pizza topped with a can of spinach, extra cheese and mushrooms. A little weird? yes, but oh so tasty.
Saturday night I did it right with a nice broccoli, mushroom, cheddar quiche, with green onions and chives. The sad part was that it was for a potluck and I didn't get to eat any of it. ok maybe one peice, but that was it!

iPod: I'm on day 7 of "iPod Watch 2010" I've been awaiting the impending delivery with every bit of patience that a four year old has the night before Christmas. I have been arriving home from work, bright eyed and eagar for the suprise. But lo, nothing. So I called UPS and the USPS today. At any rate, I lived almost 23 years without an ipod, I'm sure I'll make it a few more days.

Books: Finished Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies, and Rob Bell's Sex God. Started The Lost Girls, and I may have to speed read through 550 pages in order to avoid fines. Shame. I really wanted to take this book nice and slow.

Another Day another Weekend Update

2010-06-05T08:37:00.001-07:00

Garden: My plants are still growing very nicely, I have two small green tomatoes on my plant right now. I'm trying to be patient with them, but so far those are the only things growing. My pepper plant keeps blooming pretty white flowers, but they dry off and die, and no pepper pods have popped up yet. I'm trying to be patient....

Books: Finished Donald Miller's new book last week, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. It's great. His writing is vocative and easy, I highly recommend it to anyone. I also finished Anne Lamott's Operating Instructions, about the first year of her son's life. This felt so familiar given that I'm around babies A LOT, but her sense of self and God is so different from my own, she stretches me, and I love it. This summer I'm trudging my way through Emma by Jane Austen, and have also started Traveling Mercies also by Anne Lamott. On deck are Sex God by Rob Bell, Urinetown the book, The Lost Girls, and many more to come.

Vacation: I'm trying to carve out time to go to Houston and/or San Diego, and possibly Michigan, Nashville, St. Louis, Washington D.C... the moon etc. But trying to get days off at my job isn't easy. But it looks as though my best friend Holly might make a stop here in Chicago next month.

School: Glimmers of hope, I'm getting ready to finish my last semester, graduate in December and hopefully start seminary in the spring. No way the big bad economy is gonna catch me now.

Church: Tomorrow I'm taking membership at North Park Covenant Church. I'm actually rather excited about this. Whenever I say, "I'm taking membership" it almost feels like I'm saying, I'm getting married. Someone in my Inquirer's class compared taking membership to marriage, saying it was like we would stop just dating on and off and finally tie the knot. But this also means I'm saying goodbye to my home church, Faith Community. I visit Faith whenever I go home, but otherwise we stay out of each other's way. We'll talk, exchange pleasantries, but it's obvious that my home is now Chicago and Faith and I accept that. Now Faith is replanting itself, and leaving the building that I grew up in. That's a sad thing to me, sad that I have to say goodbye to the place that brought me up and nursed me. I no longer need it. And despite all of the imperfections at North Park, it is the place I have been called into, and it's the place I need. It's my home, and apparently now also my husband.

iPod: I finally caved. After searching some sales, and sitting on the money I took the plunge and bought myself the ever illusive iPod, I can now graduate college, get that tattoo, and finally reach some satisfaction of being normal... or something. That's all BS. But I am happy about this. I love music, and it will be great to have something to listen to when I work out.

The Bicycle Diaries

2010-06-05T08:36:00.001-07:00

The bicycle is quite possibly the single greatest invention ever produced; it has changed the world, or if nothing else certainly changed my life.
It’s not much more than a composition of simple machines, pulleys, wedges, and wheels. There’s a certain science to the whole thing, you put energy in and energy comes out; I move my legs and I go places. Not just down the block or around the corner, but I really go places, uptown, downtown, across town. Some folks think having a bicycle is ineffective because you can only go so far; they are sadly mistaken.

My dad taught me to ride. We got a bike second hand from a family at church, and I rode it all around the apartment complex, up and down the sidewalk, and learning from the older kids how to pop-a-wheelie, how to go up and down steps. Now I use these skills on a daily basis.

I rode that bike until my knees started hitting the handlebars. I was 11 or so when my parents bought me a red mountain bike, one that is probably only a little smaller than the bike I now own. I rode it to school everyday for 6th grade. Now I’m not sure if in general riding one's bike is interpreted as license to be made fun of, but if your name was Naomi Jackson and you had the unfortunate privilege to attend Clifton Middle School in Houston, Tx, it apparently was. Kids would ask me why I rode my bike to school, as if I had to give a reason. They also thought it necessary to ask why I wore a helmet, which is rather confounding question for an 11year old who just does what she is told. Middle school was an evil unto itself, and whether you ride a bicycle or not can do very little to change that. But I eventually stopped riding as much as I did. My best friend Holly and I would walk together, and sooner or later most of our bikes were stolen.

During high school I used to fantasize about wandering around the country. I thought about getting a bike and just riding around the western half of the continent. This was long before I realized that people actually did long distance tours across the U.S. In my head this was an unrealistic fantasy. This was something only committed, athletic people did, not overweight, fantastical, high school girls. I somehow had it in my mind that a bike represented some kind of freedom that echoed Captain Jack Sparrow’s sentiment about what a ship really is. That fantasy represented me wanting to escape some teenage angst and an unhappy, and very dull life.

I remember the first time in Chicago when I saw a person biking in the dead of winter. He wooshed past me on Foster, wearing a heavy jacket and a mask on his face; I thought he was the dumbest person alive for biking against the wind in February.

I remember the summer I got a bike here and how I discovered little by little that I was not limited in how far I could ride. I remember weighing myself at the end of that summer and wondering how in the world I could have lost ten pounds.

It makes no sense how some things end up changing your life. Most people buy cars, but that doesn’t change their life, that doesn’t give them some direction or purpose, it doesn’t help define who they are. Now certainly it would be pretentious of me to say that getting a bike and riding around on it for two years was the sole defining moment of my early 20’s. No it wasn’t just the bike, I know that much. It was what happened when I rode the bike. I went places, I moved my legs and I went places, and did things. I put lights on the bike and I went places at night, I did things on and with that bike that I never want my mother(s) to know about. I somehow became that person that I fantasized being when I was 16, no more weight problem, no more acne, and very little drama to fuel my emotional fire. Somehow I rode that bike into adulthood, and it’s been a great ride so far.

When I think of my life as Donald Miller writes, as in a story, I see a few key characters, and yes the bike is one of them, but it maintains a great supporting role. The bike turned out to be as much as vehicle for me, as it was for God to work in me. It’s great to be thinner and to not live at home with my parents, but real adulthood comes from how you live your life.