Monday, September 18, 2006
Sunday, September 17, 2006
A Newhouse Wedding
It's more than a week later, but I wanted to give an update on the nuptials of a good friend from journalism grad school, Jon H. and his new wife Julie. Rather than my boring commentary, which would no doubtedly be too me-focused, here's some photos and captions from Jon, with really brief commentary from me.
JON: OK, here we are, bagpipers! (Mike: bagpipers were part of things, but Jon didn't take up his own and join in) All married up and besmooched! Maybe you could start playing that song that gets played at the culmination of a wedding, that uh, RECESSIONAL thing. The one we talked about yesterday. Or how about you just do anything I asked? Like arrive on time instead of 10 minutes late? And maybe you could stand in the choir part of the church like you said you would when we talked yesterday. Oh, forget it!
Mike: The ceremony was great, late bagpipers not witshstanding. Honestly, I don't think anyone even noticed. Very simple with an understated elegance of purpose: no bridal party (so no process of really slowly walking people), a few prayers of well wishes, two readings (one from me, more on that in a minute), a declaration and vows. Voila, two people in love become a wedded union. Pretty cool, eh?
... next ...
JON: Here's Julie trying to get her dress off the blacktop and me asking whether she wants me to hold the bouquet. We'd just been piped out of the church and were walking around the outside to re-enter the church atrium where we did the hug-and-kiss gauntlet -- Our first moment alone as marrieds.
Mike: Bride and groom as is soo obvious, looked fab. Jon bought his tux, in fact. Once again, one of my friends does something far more adult than I. Oh yeah, he got married! too.
... next ...
JON: In the receiving line, which turned out to be the worst thing we did to everyone who came.
Mike: The receiving line so wasn't a bad thing. First off, it wasn't mandatory to get out of the church, one could skip it (then granted one wouldn't get to do the official receiving line meet and greet, but you could still get a private moment with the individuals in the couple during the "everyone milling around" time at the church). That's Jon's sis on the left.
Rest of day: Reception was held downtown at the Pearl Street Grill (great local Buffalo restaurant and brewery. Weather was great for the upstairs, outdoor desk!!). It was a dancing-less reception, which in this case was great. Jon DJ'd it through a playlist on his MacBook, so heavy on the U2 with some good Candian music thrown in. Sadly no Cure, even though it has been discussed. It was a less structured reception, no assigned seating, no ceremonial moments like cake ramming, garter tossing, dollar dances, litany of toasts, first couples dance, mom and son dance, etc. While I've enjoyed those things at previous weddings, the looser feel of this one led to a very relaxed, just talk to peeps and tell stories vibe. Very cool.
Funny, Mike gracefully eating his own shoes moment: I offered to buy Jon an Irish Car Bomb, a shot we've done dozens of times over the years. He declined saying it was his wedding and he was already feeling good enough. So I made a vulgar comment about what he was drinking instead unbeknownstedly within earshot of the Bride. Well, she pretty much just laughed. I know this one won't end in anything but happiness.
Oh yeah, the reading I delivered was the Metta Sutta (a Buddhist selection). Jon is not a formalized Christian, so he wanted a reading that would encapsulate his thoughts. He, like me, has often been drawn to aspects of Buddhism because it's much more a way to live rather than a dogmatic faith. As an atheist I wouldn't have been comfortable reading something from the Bible, so this really jived with me as a less religious alternative.
Here's the Metta Sutta:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech,
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied,
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm and wise and skillful,
Not proud and demanding in nature.
Let them not do the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove.
Wishing: in gladness and in safety may all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be,
Whether they are weak or strong,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to be born, omitting none,
May all beings be at ease.
Let none deceive another or despise any being in any state.
Let none, through anger of ill-will wish harm upon another.
Like a mother protects her child, her only child with her life,
So with a boundless heart should one cherish all living beings.
Radiating kindness over the entire world:
Spreading upwards to the skies and downwards to the depths,
Outwards and unbounded, free from hatred and ill-will.
Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
Free from drowsiness, one should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding.
By not holding to fixed views,
The pure-hearted, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense desires,
Are free from worldy suffering.
--As you may note, this is a pretty damned long for a wedding reading. But if you just read it to yourselves, you'll notice that there weren't any major trip up words or phrases, right? Well, sure when you read it in your head. But I made the idiotic move of not practicing verbally ever. So my first time reading this out loud came during the wedding. DOUBLE BUBBLE YIKES. To avoid any unprofessional sounding UMs and UHHs I added about 10-15 extra commas and pauses, some times in the middle of lines. I felt like I choked, but ironically, I was praised for my delivery. People said that my pacing allowed them time to try to fathom the meaning of the words, which weren't provided in the program. And since this wasn't the reading from the Corinthians; they hadn't heard it before.
Raise a glass wherever y'alls are to penalty shots and the Sabres.
JON: OK, here we are, bagpipers! (Mike: bagpipers were part of things, but Jon didn't take up his own and join in) All married up and besmooched! Maybe you could start playing that song that gets played at the culmination of a wedding, that uh, RECESSIONAL thing. The one we talked about yesterday. Or how about you just do anything I asked? Like arrive on time instead of 10 minutes late? And maybe you could stand in the choir part of the church like you said you would when we talked yesterday. Oh, forget it!
Mike: The ceremony was great, late bagpipers not witshstanding. Honestly, I don't think anyone even noticed. Very simple with an understated elegance of purpose: no bridal party (so no process of really slowly walking people), a few prayers of well wishes, two readings (one from me, more on that in a minute), a declaration and vows. Voila, two people in love become a wedded union. Pretty cool, eh?
... next ...
JON: Here's Julie trying to get her dress off the blacktop and me asking whether she wants me to hold the bouquet. We'd just been piped out of the church and were walking around the outside to re-enter the church atrium where we did the hug-and-kiss gauntlet -- Our first moment alone as marrieds.
Mike: Bride and groom as is soo obvious, looked fab. Jon bought his tux, in fact. Once again, one of my friends does something far more adult than I. Oh yeah, he got married! too.
... next ...
JON: In the receiving line, which turned out to be the worst thing we did to everyone who came.
Mike: The receiving line so wasn't a bad thing. First off, it wasn't mandatory to get out of the church, one could skip it (then granted one wouldn't get to do the official receiving line meet and greet, but you could still get a private moment with the individuals in the couple during the "everyone milling around" time at the church). That's Jon's sis on the left.
Rest of day: Reception was held downtown at the Pearl Street Grill (great local Buffalo restaurant and brewery. Weather was great for the upstairs, outdoor desk!!). It was a dancing-less reception, which in this case was great. Jon DJ'd it through a playlist on his MacBook, so heavy on the U2 with some good Candian music thrown in. Sadly no Cure, even though it has been discussed. It was a less structured reception, no assigned seating, no ceremonial moments like cake ramming, garter tossing, dollar dances, litany of toasts, first couples dance, mom and son dance, etc. While I've enjoyed those things at previous weddings, the looser feel of this one led to a very relaxed, just talk to peeps and tell stories vibe. Very cool.
Funny, Mike gracefully eating his own shoes moment: I offered to buy Jon an Irish Car Bomb, a shot we've done dozens of times over the years. He declined saying it was his wedding and he was already feeling good enough. So I made a vulgar comment about what he was drinking instead unbeknownstedly within earshot of the Bride. Well, she pretty much just laughed. I know this one won't end in anything but happiness.
Oh yeah, the reading I delivered was the Metta Sutta (a Buddhist selection). Jon is not a formalized Christian, so he wanted a reading that would encapsulate his thoughts. He, like me, has often been drawn to aspects of Buddhism because it's much more a way to live rather than a dogmatic faith. As an atheist I wouldn't have been comfortable reading something from the Bible, so this really jived with me as a less religious alternative.
Here's the Metta Sutta:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech,
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied,
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm and wise and skillful,
Not proud and demanding in nature.
Let them not do the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove.
Wishing: in gladness and in safety may all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be,
Whether they are weak or strong,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to be born, omitting none,
May all beings be at ease.
Let none deceive another or despise any being in any state.
Let none, through anger of ill-will wish harm upon another.
Like a mother protects her child, her only child with her life,
So with a boundless heart should one cherish all living beings.
Radiating kindness over the entire world:
Spreading upwards to the skies and downwards to the depths,
Outwards and unbounded, free from hatred and ill-will.
Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
Free from drowsiness, one should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding.
By not holding to fixed views,
The pure-hearted, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense desires,
Are free from worldy suffering.
--As you may note, this is a pretty damned long for a wedding reading. But if you just read it to yourselves, you'll notice that there weren't any major trip up words or phrases, right? Well, sure when you read it in your head. But I made the idiotic move of not practicing verbally ever. So my first time reading this out loud came during the wedding. DOUBLE BUBBLE YIKES. To avoid any unprofessional sounding UMs and UHHs I added about 10-15 extra commas and pauses, some times in the middle of lines. I felt like I choked, but ironically, I was praised for my delivery. People said that my pacing allowed them time to try to fathom the meaning of the words, which weren't provided in the program. And since this wasn't the reading from the Corinthians; they hadn't heard it before.
Raise a glass wherever y'alls are to penalty shots and the Sabres.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
WATCH THIS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmUC8aHkwIM
That's Keith Olbermann brilliantly excoriating the President on his fear-mongering divisiveness and fucking lying.
then read this and figure out who will you stand with?
http://newsbusters.org/node/7626
That's Keith Olbermann brilliantly excoriating the President on his fear-mongering divisiveness and fucking lying.
then read this and figure out who will you stand with?
http://newsbusters.org/node/7626
Maybe Tipper was right about the PMRC
So I'm at Tower Records in the checkout line buying the new Kasey Chambers' CD "Carnival," which is excellent (more rockish that previous efforts), and Cat Power's "The Greatest," which is also fabulous, Thursday night when a 12-year-oldish boy slams open the doors and rushes into the store.
"There's Justin Timberlake's SexyBack."
A beleaguered looking dad trails behind, slumping his shoulders that his son is using the phrase "SexyBack."
"That just made my day," says the manager, who is total hipster (nerd, black plastic-framed glassees, short hair with bangs the longest part of her 'do, tight black t-shirt, etc.), while the checkout clerk smirks.
"Me, too," I echo. I was so bemused that I failed to notice that they overcharged me for the Cat Power CD. I bought it because it was just $9.99, but I found out later that they charged me $11.99. Fortunately, they were cool and when I brought it to their attention later they took care of everything no questions asked and with an appropriately sincere apology.
-----------------------------------------------
In other news ... yay for Republican senators John Warner, John McCain, Lindsay Graham and Susan Collins decided to vote their consciences and joined the weak-on-defense Dems on the Armed Services Committee and decided that it was honorable to vote against legalizing torture. It's really great that our President can't find it in his "Christian" heart to denounce torture. Of course he also wants to legislate discrimination against homosexuals, deny a woman the right to control her body, claim that people who question him are terrorists,
cane anyone who listens to rock music and tar and feather vegetarians.
"There's Justin Timberlake's SexyBack."
A beleaguered looking dad trails behind, slumping his shoulders that his son is using the phrase "SexyBack."
"That just made my day," says the manager, who is total hipster (nerd, black plastic-framed glassees, short hair with bangs the longest part of her 'do, tight black t-shirt, etc.), while the checkout clerk smirks.
"Me, too," I echo. I was so bemused that I failed to notice that they overcharged me for the Cat Power CD. I bought it because it was just $9.99, but I found out later that they charged me $11.99. Fortunately, they were cool and when I brought it to their attention later they took care of everything no questions asked and with an appropriately sincere apology.
-----------------------------------------------
In other news ... yay for Republican senators John Warner, John McCain, Lindsay Graham and Susan Collins decided to vote their consciences and joined the weak-on-defense Dems on the Armed Services Committee and decided that it was honorable to vote against legalizing torture. It's really great that our President can't find it in his "Christian" heart to denounce torture. Of course he also wants to legislate discrimination against homosexuals, deny a woman the right to control her body, claim that people who question him are terrorists,
cane anyone who listens to rock music and tar and feather vegetarians.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
The most despicable thing ever?
Actually, I don't even know why there's a question mark on that ...
Monday, September 11, 2006
T-ball coach to stand trial for $25 offer to bean player
PITTSBURGH -- A T-ball coach accused of offering an 8-year-old boy $25 to bean a disabled teammate is unlikely to receive a fair trial because of intense media coverage, the man's lawyer said.
Prosecutors did not return several phone calls from The Associated Press seeking comment on the start of the trial.
Mark R. Downs Jr., 29, of Dunbar, was scheduled to go on trial Tuesday in Fayette County on a string of charges, including solicitation, corruption of minors and reckless endangerment. He refused a plea agreement in December.
The charges against Downs drew the attention of media outlets around the world. Many columnists expressed disgust at what they considered adult corruption of a child's sport.
"We feel he's been persecuted by the media," defense attorney Thomas Shaffer said. "[The case] was on from the nightly news in Japan to every syndicated network broadcast across the country."
Prosecutors have argued that Downs did not want Harry Bowers Jr., then 9, to play in a June 2005 T-ball playoff game because the boy wasn't as good as his teammates. Bowers has autism and mild mental retardation.
Keith Reese, 8 at the time, testified at a preliminary hearing that he hit Bowers with baseballs first in the groin and later in the ear. Reese said he did it because Downs offered him $25 to make sure Bowers wouldn't be able to play.
League rules require each player to play at least three innings. Shaffer said Downs had joked at another game about paying players to hit an umpire with a ball. His words were later taken out of context and used against him by Reese, Shaffer said.
Bowers was hit because he misplayed balls while warming up with Reese, Shaffer said.
"[Bowers] was terrible. ... It's not like he got blinded-sided," Shaffer said. "He put his glove up, he missed it and it went off his glove and hit him."
The Falcons, the team Downs coached, are part of the R.W. Clark Youth Baseball League.
Bowers was hurt before a game in North Union Township, about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. League officials have said they investigated the matter and could not confirm whether Downs had done anything wrong. But they said he wouldn't be allowed to coach again if he were convicted of criminal charges.
"He didn't ask to return, which was a good thing," said Eric Forsythe, president of the league. "I'm just curious to see what comes out in trial."
Monday, September 11, 2006
T-ball coach to stand trial for $25 offer to bean player
PITTSBURGH -- A T-ball coach accused of offering an 8-year-old boy $25 to bean a disabled teammate is unlikely to receive a fair trial because of intense media coverage, the man's lawyer said.
Prosecutors did not return several phone calls from The Associated Press seeking comment on the start of the trial.
Mark R. Downs Jr., 29, of Dunbar, was scheduled to go on trial Tuesday in Fayette County on a string of charges, including solicitation, corruption of minors and reckless endangerment. He refused a plea agreement in December.
The charges against Downs drew the attention of media outlets around the world. Many columnists expressed disgust at what they considered adult corruption of a child's sport.
"We feel he's been persecuted by the media," defense attorney Thomas Shaffer said. "[The case] was on from the nightly news in Japan to every syndicated network broadcast across the country."
Prosecutors have argued that Downs did not want Harry Bowers Jr., then 9, to play in a June 2005 T-ball playoff game because the boy wasn't as good as his teammates. Bowers has autism and mild mental retardation.
Keith Reese, 8 at the time, testified at a preliminary hearing that he hit Bowers with baseballs first in the groin and later in the ear. Reese said he did it because Downs offered him $25 to make sure Bowers wouldn't be able to play.
League rules require each player to play at least three innings. Shaffer said Downs had joked at another game about paying players to hit an umpire with a ball. His words were later taken out of context and used against him by Reese, Shaffer said.
Bowers was hit because he misplayed balls while warming up with Reese, Shaffer said.
"[Bowers] was terrible. ... It's not like he got blinded-sided," Shaffer said. "He put his glove up, he missed it and it went off his glove and hit him."
The Falcons, the team Downs coached, are part of the R.W. Clark Youth Baseball League.
Bowers was hurt before a game in North Union Township, about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. League officials have said they investigated the matter and could not confirm whether Downs had done anything wrong. But they said he wouldn't be allowed to coach again if he were convicted of criminal charges.
"He didn't ask to return, which was a good thing," said Eric Forsythe, president of the league. "I'm just curious to see what comes out in trial."
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Sports and hating
I'm not sure what this says about me, but it was opening Sunday of the NFL season today and I honestly didn't care that much. It was sooo way cooler to go to the Buffalo Zoo and hang with the fam and celebrate the nephew's birthday than watch the Bills game. Sure, I knew we were recording and expectations are low, but still ...
I'm old.
blech
I'm old.
blech
Friday, September 08, 2006
So long, so long, so long
Deadline ate me alive. I've been spit out, to attend a wedding. I am ready to go though. I've got a whole day to wash off the digestive juices then it's time to bomb cars Irish style, hope against hope that The Cure is played at the reception and make myself cleaned-up and stuff.
More soon on the absence of personal space.
More soon on the absence of personal space.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Listen to this
http://jenniferoconnor.net/
She's really awesome. Folky woman who plays acoustic guitar and stuff. But she's distinctive because of strong lyrics and a good voice. A little husk to it.
She's really awesome. Folky woman who plays acoustic guitar and stuff. But she's distinctive because of strong lyrics and a good voice. A little husk to it.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Stickittothemaniosis
OK, my new thang to decorporatize myself, even just the littlest bit, is to buy CDs from less well-known, indie artists directly from the small, less well-known record labels that are discovering and promoting these artists and releasing their albums. Sometimes it means goodies, like a stickers and a free 7-inch (which I have little use for sans turntable) with Jenny Lewis's Rabbit Fur Coat (I also got this a few days early), or a poster and airline wings from Camera Obscura's Let's Get Out of This Country, but mostly it means that Best Buy and Circuit City aren't making any more money from me. Incidentally, the cost is typically about a wash. The discs are often cheaper, but the shipping adds up. With the Pipettes that meant getting it much earlier, but as an import, ergo more expensively. It turns out that iTunes had We Are the Pipettes in the U.S. store the same day the CD was released in the U.K. and it was just $9.99, but then no liner notes, etc.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Much ado about nothing
I'm on blogger beta.
woo-hoo.
writely.com check it out and do your part to bring down the man.
i love jenny lewis and hopefully might get a chance to tell her in 18 hours.
with their suspect lives we look the other way ...
woo-hoo.
writely.com check it out and do your part to bring down the man.
i love jenny lewis and hopefully might get a chance to tell her in 18 hours.
with their suspect lives we look the other way ...
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