MobTxt: We can learn so much from fiftysomethings. Our generations have so much in common. Iowa is great, more later.

a new haiku for you-know-who

time passes so turn
turn to the sun and enjoy
me, this day, and love.

newsflash: language repetitive!

Apparently, 80% of English makes use of only the most frequent 3000 words, and 50% makes use of only 100 words. Plus, the most frequently-used words are the function words like prepositions and conjunctions-- the ones with the least information in them. The least frequent words are the most important for the content-- think about newspaper headlines...

Alan Johnston

a surfer on life:

"Dude, first you have to be. Then you can go."

fog jazz river night
My kind of town, chicago.
waiting, and waiting...

dc: a few snapshots

I can't figure out how to rearrange the order, but here are a few snappies from DC:

abe.

a white house.

conservatory. constantly summer.

secret underground tram. thanks, raleigh!

supreme court.

national gallery of art. renoir, anyone?

national archives-- declaration of independence, bill of rights, constitution, magna carta, etc. live here

museum of the american indian-- best caf out of every smithsonian

room service

this lady lives in a tent across the street from the whitehouse

metro

chinatown. yummy capital Q bar-b-que.

washington at night.

"it's all happening..."

sassy in the elevator.

windowzoo

http://windowzoo.com

At least they spelled it right. There are pirates around! I look like a giant... Meow meow?

"how do stupid people figure things like that out?"

DC snippets...

Overheard on the plane: "it's a beautiful day tomorrow!"

Best texas barbeque I have ever had: in Chinatown, Washington DC.

What does it say about my personality if I think that I would be happy spending the entire day underground in the Metro system, switching trains, watching people, taking notes?

Washington/Lincoln memorials at night = two of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my entire life.

On-tap for tomorrow: Native American History Museum? Arlington Cemetary? Not sure about much, but sure about several things... much more Pentagon city, much more food, and much more fun.

Stay tuned.

philosophical pearl

"A finite clam can better understand a finite human being
than a finite human being can understand an infinite god."

Overheard:

"In like a lion, out like a fuckin light."

eyes turned skywards

"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been, and there you will long to return."
-Leonardo DaVinci

sapere aude

There are lots of things that I used to know to be true that now-- now I do not know. I do not, for instance, know that there is God. And, even if there is a God, I do not know that He can hear my prayers. And, even if there is a God and even if He can hear my prayers, I do not know that He cares. I do not know how a God could be omnibenevolent and dream up the notion of damnation. I do not know how a heaven free from sin and independent thought would not turn us into love puppets. Like I said, there are lots of things that I do not know.

What is really bothering me, I think, is that I haven't been asking these questions all along. The Church has raised me as a Christian who knows all kinds of nifty phrases like "resurrection of the body and the life everlasting," "saved by grace through faith," and "Light of the world." But this is such a hollow way to do things, and I can't stand it anymore. I need some meat on these bones-- some substance for all their flowery language. The protocol on which we stand means absolutely nothing other than the fact that we are a part of a community. But what does that community stand for?

Do we stand for justice? What is just about putting new stained-glass windows across the street from the poorest housing development in the city? Do we stand for mercy? How can we allow the political party which has hijacked us support corporate punishment? Perhaps we stand for love-- only let's not love those who love differently than we do...

This has no real point, other than the fact that I have never been more un-certain of religion. Not religion, maybe-- the church. And I am delighted with it, simply because it hasn't damaged my faith. If anything, I think I own my faith more now than ever before. You can't tell me what to do.