Saturday, June 7, 2008

Aging and Merlot

 If it wasn’t for my menage a trois, tonight probably would have been a pretty boring night.

The California white wine gets its name from its blend of moscato, chardonnay, and chenin blanc. Its not too dry, not too acidic, only buttery sweet; a good combination for this kid who sticks to whites. I’m not saying reds are bad, I’m just saying I’m not old enough to appreciate them yet.

Its a rite of passage. One day you wake up and discover you’re wrinkly, aging to a so called perfection like the rich flavors in your bottles of reds. Old people drink red wine, young people drink white, and even younger drink arbor mist. It’s not really a wine so much as a teenager version of Hi-C juice boxes. My mom doesn’t drink red wines, because she said they would stain her teeth. I think in reality she too has yet to cross the merlot threshold. It gives me hope for keeping a perpetual youth.

It would give me hope, that is, if I didn’t spend the immediate preceding part of my night shopping for a vacuum cleaner. My old Friday night habits of beer towers and poop shoots have been traded for a Bissell “Powerforce.” I can’t say I’m disappointed—at 45 dollars for a 12 amp bagless 4 star rated vacuum, I got a pretty sweet deal.

With the other 100 dollars I spent tonight, I purchased some things I know I’ll need for my move next week. A broom, a bucket, a package of 8 AA batteries when I only really needed one. A painting I found on clearance for two dollars. Oh, and Young’s book The Shack, which I have been itching to read for months now. Just necessities, really.

So thank you, economic stimulus package. I realize that I promised myself I would put you into my savings account, but in all fairness I didn’t blow you on a Wii as I realistically anticipated.

Or this little beauty, which I am still seriously considering.

I also did not blow it on GE energy efficient light bulbs. I advocate for their marvelous glow, but I also (through the guidance of Becky) am going to forgo purchasing them in the hopes that some of the tree hugger events/conferences I’ll be attending will be giving them out for free. For example, tomorrow is the People’s Fair and La Piazza dell’ Arte.  Although the latter excites me more, I think my hippie light bulb friends will more likely be at the first.

Never before has the expression “follow the light” meant so much.

 

 

Posted by Rumbels at 06:02:03 | Permalink | Comments (4)

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Sole Searching

Sole Searching? We can help.

The flyers distributed to over a hundred children boasted my creative title. I was pleased already, and didn’t even know the miracle that was to come.

Warren Village’s 2nd Annual Qwest Women’s Shoe Delivery Day.

Today was like a glorious Christmas morning. But with shoes. With nothing but shoes.

Qwest Women came to Warren Village two years ago, and noticed that many of our children’s shoes were ratty, improperly fitted, or in a few cases nonexistent. With a population of low income, single parents being served at our facility, Air Jordan’s tend to be a rarity.

So today, QW, with the help of our volunteer department, completed the 2008 shoe drive. A few weeks ago, the Sole Searching? flyers were distributed to every child at Warren Village. There was a space for the child’s name, age, apartment number/learning center classroom, and most importantly shoe preferences!

“I like shoe’s that light up! _X_yes ___no”

With a little help, every child got to describe their perfect shoe. Their current shoe was traced on the back of the flyer, with their size written aside it. This made shopping easier for QW, as they could visually compare sizes.

I have never seen so many Dora the Explorer shoes in my life. Or Disney Cars shoes. There was even a pair of shoes that looked like the red Disney Car.

It was unbelievable.

Every child received a NEW pair of shoes, that not only fit properly but were also amazingly cool. Shoes ranged from infant sizes to a size 14 in Men’s. There were Nike cleats, there were Vans slip-ons. There was laughter. There were rooms full of children, all smiling.

There were plenty of photo opportunities.

It’s days like this, when things can be at their absolute worst, that I can honestly stop and say:

I love my job.

PS. You know that expression- walk a mile in someone else’s shoes? I think it’s only worth saying if it’s implied that your listener will reflect on their journey.

Granted, most will. But today I was reminded of how little I’ve reflected upon my journey, or at least the “road map” that I wrote two and a half years ago:

  • Pay back my debt

  • Get a killer tan (not in a literal skin cancer sense)

  • Paint more

  • Run a mile in 8 min or less

  • Get a sexy, sculpted back

  • Develop a system of organization

  • Eat fruit, and eat breakfast

  • Go to the thrift store. Buy girly clothing

  • End nonsense bickering with family

  • Snorkel in Australia

  • Go to Hawaii, and meet Jack Johnson after a show

  • Visit every baseball stadium in the US

  • Enter a video in a film festival

  • Learn to knit

  • Actually win one of those carnival games down the shore

  • Complete a triathlon

  • Compete in fight club (or at least take boxing lessons)

  • Join the mile high club

  • See a meteor shower

  • Float in the Dead Sea

  • Give a motivational speech

  • Celebrate New Years in all US time zones

  • Own a pair of hemp sandals

  • Watch my sisters get married

A few of these were short term, some ridiculous, and yet all were important to me at the time. I wrote this list, and then I forgot about it. It made me wonder what’s the point of walking our own miles, if we don’t remember why we’re doing it?

Looking over the list, I’ve only fully completed six of those goals. I say fully because some are works in progress—I’ve half completed the last, and am undisciplined but trying really hard on the physical ones.

But something makes me think that not knowing how to ride a bike will make the triathlon goal especially challenging. Even if I was to get into Olympic shape.

Posted by Rumbels at 06:09:24 | Permalink | Comments (5)

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Little Balls of Sunshine

A dispute arose between the North Wind and the Sun, each claiming that he was stronger than the other.  At last they agreed to try their powers upon a traveler to see which could soonest strip him of his cloak.  The North Wind had the first try.

Gathering up all his force for the attack, he came whirling furiously down upon the man, and caught up his cloak as though he would wrest it from him by one single effort: but the harder he blew, the more closely the man wrapped it round himself.

Then came the turn of the Sun.  At first he beamed gently upon the traveler, who soon unclasped his cloak and walked on with it hanging loosely about his shoulders, then he shone forth in his full strength, and the man, before he had gone many steps, was glad to throw his cloak right off and complete his journey more lightly clad.

And the moral to this Aesop Fable (appropriately called The North Wind and the Sun):


Gentleness is better than force.

Posted by Rumbels at 02:18:07 | Permalink | Comments (2)