Snow in Atlanta! Hooray!

I knew it! The moment that I wrote that post the weather aligned and the white stuff started falling a few days later. Of course, it came on the day that I already had off so no "snow day" for me. It still was beautiful and so peaceful. It made my day.

I love water in all forms.

No snow in Atlanta

We have had temperatures similar to many of my family members and friends around the country in Atlanta this winter. Even a 16 degree day, but no snow. What gives? I mean the horribly cold days are more manageable because of the beautiful snow (and the days off work). I don't get it.

They do ship snow in to Atlanta so that Stone Mountain can become Snow Mountain for Jan and Feb. Aren't we in a drought?

Oh well, Spring in Atlanta is amazing, so the end is near. March will bring flowers, perfect running weather and then soon baseball season begins. I can smell the hotdogs and peanuts already. I love the sun, however, I think I must have gills or webbed feet because I really do miss the water. Hopefully we will get some time away this summer at the beach.

Happy Lent to those who celebrate this season.

"Stay"cations rock!

Mrs. Fishy and I are living in the economic crisis, like the rest of world, and we needed a break from work, so we did the new hip and trendy thing to do - we vacationed at home.

Who needs the flashy hotel with uncomfortable pillows when you can have a perfect night's sleep at home? We don't have to pay for the movies either. Sure we missed the beach side view, but we did get to enjoy the view of our new flowers (that we planted) in our yard.

It has renewed our sense of wonderlust - we watch Mamma Mia, so Greece is definitely on our list. Who knows where we will go? We are waiting to see how big the tax refund actually is with all of Obama's new tax incentives. Yay Democrats!

Obama

Well, it happened. Obama made it to office and it was a great day. I am looking forward to more inspiring days, because lord knows we need them.

Wish it was snowing in Atlanta. I could really use the day off. It is just as cold, but not nearly as pretty as it could be.

Looking forward to vacation time over President's Day.

Hope

As I said a couple of entries ago, I was angry and tired. This letter from Thomas Merton. It is a letter to a young activist. It is not easy to read, but man it is good news. Stop worrying about making the world a better place and trusting that it will become a better place and focus on relationships and living life.

So my question is do I strike at work along with other GLBT folks across America to make a difference? How is that making a difference?


LETTER TO A YOUNG ACTIVIST, by Thomas Merton

Do not depend on the hope of results. When you are doing the sort of work you have taken on, essentially an apostolic work, you may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and achieve no result at all, if not perhaps results opposite to what you expect. As you get used to this idea, you start more and more to concentrate not on the results but on the value, the truth of the work itself. And there, too, a great deal has to be gone through, as gradually as you struggle less and less for an idea, and more and more for specific people. The range tends to narrow down, but it gets much more real. In the end, it is the reality of personal relationships that saves everything.

You are fed up with words, and I don’t blame you. I am nauseated by them sometimes. I am also, to tell you the truth, nauseated by ideals and with causes. This sounds like heresy, but I think you will understand what I mean. It is so easy to get engrossed with ideas and slogans and myths that in the end one is left holding the bag, empty, with no trace of meaning left in it. And then the temptation is to yell louder than ever in order to make the meaning be there again by magic. Going through this kind of reaction helps you to guard against this. Your system is complaining of too much verbalizing, and it is right.

…The big results are not in your hands or mine, but they suddenly happen, and we can share in them, but there is no point in building our lives on this personal satisfaction, which may be denied us and which after all is not that important.

The next step in the process is for you to see that your even thinking about what you are doing is crucially important. You are probably striving to build yourself an identity in your work, out of your work and witness. You are using it, so to speak, to protect yourself against nothingness, annihilation. That is not the right use of your work. All the good that you will do will come, not from you but from the fact that you have allowed yourself, in the obedience of faith, to be used by God’s love. Think of this more and gradually you will be free from the need to prove yourself, and you can be more open to the power that will work through you without your knowing it.

The great thing after all is to live, not to pour out your life in the service of a myth; and we turn the best things into myths. If you can get free from the domination of causes and just serve Christ’s truth, you will be able to do more and will be less crushed by the inevitable disappointments. Because I see nothing whatever in sight but much disappointment, frustration, and confusion.

The real hope, then, is not in something we think we can do, but in God who is making something good out of it in some way we cannot see. If we can do His will, we will be helping in this process. But we will not necessarily know all about it beforehand . . .

What are you having for thanksgiving dinner?

Okay, so for the first time ever...we are making a thanksgiving dinner. Probably about the right time, just bought a house might as well use it for dinner.

We are having lots of fun food (all handmade), but it seems to be a bit starch heavy. any body have any veggie recipes for the holiday?

Time to start catching up...

I am tired and angry.

When will things ever change?

Just went to Catie Curtis concert last night and heard lots of hope and still the message of when will things change.

Check out these lyrics:

http://www.lyricstime.com/catie-curtis-what-s-the-matter-lyrics.html

oh and look at Catie Curtis' radical - you can listen to it on her website.

Costumes

I like to dress up for Halloween and the holiday is actually on a Friday this year. I have been hearing about the all parties and fun. I am torn this year as my neighbor said that only a few kids will come by to trick or treat. Do I miss the fun of waiting for kids at the door or go and have fun with friends?

What happened to the good ol' days like when I grew up. My dad would scare kids in a costume at the door, we would have 2 bowls full of candy that would be emptied by the end of the night. All the kids in the neighborhood would hangout together and trade candy. I thought when we bought the house that this was part of the deal.

Well, I'd love to hear if anyone is dressing up or see pictures of the little people in our lives in costume.

Only 12 more days until we will have elected a new president. Can you believe it is finally here, it is time for CHANGE.

Red Sox are out...so sad

Well, they gave it a try. I mean 7 games is doing the best you can. There is next year. On a more positive note - a Portland woman won the big prize last week. Leanne from Project Runway, who got her inspiration for her clothes from the waterfront (that I miss), won $100,000 and cover of Elle magazine and oh a new Saturn car. I found it funny that when asked the "what are you going to do now" question by the Oregonian newspaper she said, "move to NY." Man, all that inspiration lost to NY. I hope she doesn't move, but hey you gotta do what you gotta do.

Fall is finally here in GA and things are moving along for Ms. Fl and I. We have plenty of leaves to rake, miles to run and parties to attend in the next couple months. We have got to have one of our own soon. Maybe after the elections we can have a party to celebrate our new president.

Don't forget to VOTE on Nov. 4th!!!

Could the Red Sox do it again?

Yes, I stayed up to watch the end of the game last night while Mrs. FL went to sleep. It was a great game and I am glad we won. Mrs. FL did not give me confidence that we could make it, so now I will be up into the wee hours of the night watching baseball.

It seems like just yesterday we were watching the 2004 series in our crappy, mold infested apartment in the Bay area and look at us now. Living in a spacious house, yet still with its own rough edges. Mrs. FL and I are still learning the joys of home repair. I spent a good hour or two under our house trying to fix our pipe for the ice maker that no longer exists (in an attempt to be more green). Yep, we got an energy star fridge and over the next couple of years it will pay for itself in utility savings...too bad that it cost us this year's energy savings to get the pipe fixed by a plumber. I am beginning to wonder why go to college when you can get paid $100's of dollars an hour to fix houses.

Needless to say, I still enjoy my TA job. It is very interesting and challenging in a way that designing a "creation relay" today was not. I enjoy working with people who are going to come to class and if not I get to say "hey, that affects your grade," not "oh we really missed you this week." Soon enough I will get the papers and I will have a new perspective on the job and yet it is great being back in the world of thoughts and ideas. I do feel good there.

Back to reading for class and wondering what if anything will change undecided voters tonight in the debates.

YAY! It is almost October.

October brings fall, new shows and the playoffs of the MLB. It is a great time of year. Will write more soon. Teaching is going well and we are getting more into our running again.

Emory

Tomorrow is my first day leading my colloquy, so I am looking forward to a stimulating morning of academic discussion and preaching. I still need someone to pinch me that I get this opportunity. At first it seemed like "how I am going to do this and my other job?" and now I am feeling good. It is different though being on the other side of the desk. I have to come up with a grading scale for assignments and decide what relates to the objectives of the class. It is more pressure than I thought. These people are looking to my comments to grow as a person. Or in my friend's situation (they are grading tests that determine whether you get the job or not) someone's ability to make a living. Maybe I am overestimating my comments in class, but still it feels like a responsibility.

I will let you know how it goes.

Palin's daughter

At first glance, I thought - Wow! Palin is a serious threat to Obama, because of her similarities to Hillary. She is confident and strong, but that image crumbled. She has only been a mayor and just became governor. Both she and McCain have only talked twice and now her 17 year old daughter is pregnant. I am glad to hear that she is supporting her daughter as she faces the issues of motherhood and being a wife (she is marrying the father). It is tough whether you have resources or not. It also reinforces her pro-life viewpoint, but almost makes it her only issue. I guess you can't lose the image of her carrying a gun, so she loves to carry a gun and protects children. It's like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the body of a woman.

I pray for the next woman who gets a chance to run for office. I mean if hillary didn't win and as much as I want a woman to win I hope that McCain loses, what kind of woman will it take to become president?

What's your favorite show?

In the days of "Wipeout" and "I survived a Japanese Game Show" I long for good television. I am looking forward to Chuck and Pushing Daisies, but I have found new shows.

Burn Notice is a new favorite and Mrs. FL has gotten me into Eureka. They are both on USA.

I am, of course, excited about Project Runway. The contests have been very interesting this year. Dressing drag queens, using green fabrics and I am sure there are more ahead.

Speaking of which I gotta get out and run so I can catch Heidi Klum.

What's your favorite tv show?

Can someone explain this to me?

Tonight on the olympics for the first time BMX bike racing will be an olympic sport. Needless to say, I am not going to watch it. I am shocked that softball is getting kicked off the long list of sports and BMX is on. I mean why can't we get rid of handball and keep softball?

I really want the US Beach Volleyball ladies to win tonight. I know they are favored, but it would nice for them to keep their streak going. GO USA!

Well, the fun continues after the olympics. We just flew through Denver over the weekend and read all about the upcoming DNC there. It sounds like quite a green event - hey, they are shipping in 1,000 bicycles for the delegates to use during the week. I wonder how many will actually get used.

Enjoy the end of the olympics and get ready for the MLB playoff soon. How are the Red Sox doing by the way?

Michael Phelps

Okay, so I didn't really know much about this 20 something before Saturday, but now I want to watch every race he is in. The little 1 minute overview of his experience at the prior olympics and his relationship with his mom drew me in on NBC last night. He is 23 and just beat his own world record in the 400 IM by 2 seconds. How is that possible?

I am usually a fan of the gymnastics but this year I am more impressed with the swimmers.

Those opening ceremonies were also amazing! I am trying to find them on youtube because we missed some.

GO TEAM USA!

Who will be the next VP?

Does anyone else think it is strange that Obama and McCain have not picked VP candidates yet? It is almost August and we will decide on a VP in a little over 3 months. I would like to know who is going to be on Obama's ticket. I get that Hillary's probably not going to be on it, but we have no idea about the person who will be the President if something happens. I think most people have decided already who they will vote for, but still it seems irresponsible.

In other news, please keep the people of TN in prayer who experience violence in their church and community this Sunday. I am amazed at how often this seems to happen today. There are also kids in MA who are not going to be able to go to college this year on loans due to banks not making loans after the catastrophe of the prime rate mortgages. I can't imagine getting to your first day and find out that you are needing $10,000. There is much to pray for in this world, especially for these future presidents and the people they choose to have around them. I hope Obama makes a good decision about his running mate. It is time for "good" change, not just change.

There is still one woman on the short list of candidates Kathleen of Kansas. Does anyone know about her? Maybe people in Germany or Israel know?

Running...

Yes, Mrs. FL and I are still running. We are trying to up our routine to 2x a day of one run and then something else(biking, aerobics, etc). We have begun reading running magazines and getting into the whole culture of the sport. Who knew that an industry could be created around people running in their own neighborhoods? Hey, if Starbucks can put two shops in the same strip mall anything is possible to market.

As I read more and more it is clear that running is a mindset. I grew up running everyday in high school. I played sports and had practice daily. It was a task in my schedule. I don't have that mindset anymore. It is hard to get out there everyday, so the suggestion that I read was look at running as a reward. Okay, you might think that is crazy as you think about running in 90 degree heat outside. I agree. However, I have learned that the running is not really the reward. It's how I feel after I run. As I get more and more healthy, I feel better. The better I eat, the better I run. It is not about feeling good about running, it is about feeling good all the time. The reward is getting myself into a routine to keep myself healthy for the long run. I have got to work on getting myself out on the road today and when I am 75.

I am trying to look at running as a gift that I want and lose the idea that ice cream is a treat that I deserve. It is tough to break old habits, especially when I think there is a built in GPS in all the women in my family for ice cream shops. One thing I have learned though is things take time and this is just not about accomplishing it now, I gotta do it everyday.

So if you time to say a little prayer each morning for us as we try and get up early and hit the pavement, we'd appreciate it. Thanks.

what a great house!

Walking into the house it was like walking into a new house. It was really nice to get a fresh perspective on our fabulous house. We have been working hard to make the house our own and it was great to see how beautiful our "new" house looks. For those wanting pictures, we are working on getting our camera fixed. We have to send it back for repairs, so I am finally to the point of just buying a disposable one for now. It is really nice to own a house I must say. As much as it can be anxiety ridden, it feels great to know that you have a place that is yours.

I do miss the ready excuse though of making it "margarita time" whenever on the island, but I am not worried. I will find a way to live the island life here in this land locked town we call Atlanta. Thank goodness for more vacation. Oh and spending time at the spa. On our last day we got manicures and pedicures. I love having pink toenails =)

Routine

I love being at the beach because I don't have a routine. There is no getting up at 7:30 or 8 to go to work, to come home and work on the house, to eat dinner, to watch Ugly Betty and then go to sleep. I get to decide moment to moment what I want to do...it is strange. I am almost over this though and it has only been a few days. We go back to life in atl soon and I think tomorrow is a transitional day. We have a full day of living the privledged life - a tee time at 7:30, spa at 3 and an evening out with a special dinner. I thought at the beginning of the week that creating a routine on the island would be annoying. I am not sure though. If I had resources to live like that I don't know if it would be so bad.

Vacation has been great. Just to relax and really let go. It is a dance. Having a routine and plans, then letting it all go.

So now I am beginning to think how can Mrs. FL and I live like this when we are 50-60? How can we take our children on vacation? It seems to be the life question of your 30's - what do I need to now for later. What kind of job do I need? How much money to do I need to make? what about kids?

Okay...killing the vacation buzz. We watched The Weatherman (the movie) last night and it was a major downer. Need to go watch Wall*e or something tonight. love that cute little robot. Oh and want to watch Mama Mia.

Speaking of weathermen - little known island fact - Willard Scott lives on Captiva Island.