POST-ATHEIST

mop. take out the trash. wash hair. study for exam. take care of children. miss aunt and uncle's visit to dallas. do not call mom on her birthday. do not drop the new phone in the toilet by accident. make banana bread from the six bananas browning on the counter. remain patient when a young one calls you "idiot" and demands that you shut up.

turn on the heat as a welcome to autumn. water the plants. feed the fish. think about making pesto. take a long bath. reread the paper that you wrote on tillich, the one that you are so proud of. end sentences with prepositions.

keep taking these damn chances, trust when appropriate, and for g-d's sake, get yourself to angelika for wes anderson's newest film.

wow.

i caught the tail end of a house concert by tom conlon last night.

we sat in the warmth of a beloved friend's front room, all col. mustard yellow flickering in candlelight and i had to lean over and whisper "it's like having jeff buckley in your living room!"

i am very serious about that comment. this guy is a wordsmith and a genius when it comes to musical phrasing (guitar, voice...)

note to self: more live music. this is the kind of shit that makes you want to pick up the guitar again.

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do something extraordinary today -- even if that simply means beginning something extraordinary.

... ch looks over at the book in my lap, turned to matthew.

CH: i like reading the letters of paul...

SHAN: ... wait, matthew isn't one of paul's letters-

CH: hold on shan; just listen. i like reading the letters of paul, but i always feel guilty... i feel like i'm reading someone else's mail.

(pause for comic effect)

i read that in a peanuts cartoon. linus said it.


SHAN: (laughter) get back to work on your paper, silly.
CH: my name's not silly. it's linus.

i'm taking a moment to read the news from my gold chair before getting busy in the kitchen. today i make french toast, breakfast tacos, omelet wedges and a handful of pancakes. i'm also providing holly's famous sangria.

not sure what the turnout will be; it seems that as the years progress we find that scheduling conflicts make it more and more difficult to sit and enjoy a meal together. what a shame! i'm on day five of a cold from hell, i have two papers and a midterm to study for -- but that's not going to stop me from whipping up some delights. it's time for my little villa apartment, which has been such a quiet space of study and introspection, to be filled with voices, laughter and food.


this message is brought to you courtesy of dayquil.