Manchester, who are you

I'm having a frequent visitor from Manchester England England. Across the Atlantic sea. And I'm a genius genius. I believe in God...

So who are you? You must be one of the RevGals? Or are you someone else?

Well, If you want to chat in person, there's this thing. It claims to be a tunnel but we know better. It uses, well, I'll let the article explain it:

"It was possibly the most laborious and least informative interview ever conducted.
It took about five minutes, yielded a one-word answer, and gave little real flavour of the subject.
Still - it was conducted using two whiteboards, two marker pens, and it was done over a distance of 3,471 miles (5,585 km).
How? Well there are two answers to that.
If you believe artist and inventor Paul St George then his "Telectroscope" connects New York and London via a (very) long tunnel running through the earth's crust, with the images bouncing back and forth using mirrors.
The other explanation is that it is all done by optical fibres - take your pick.
One end of the "tunnel" emerges next to Tower Bridge on the banks of the Thames in London - the other is next to Brooklyn Bridge on the banks of New York's East River.
It looks like something HG Wells might have imagined.
Each end has a giant telescope-like construction which appears to punch its way out of the earth.
There are dials, and levers, and thermometer gauges on the side of the 20m long brass and wood construction.
Peer into it and you can see people on the other side of the Atlantic.
Wave at them, they wave back at you.
Write on the whiteboard, and ask a question, and they will write back."

So, want to try? It would have to be early, I mean early, est time in the morning because in NYC there are very long lines.

I am a Geek

75% Geek

Created by OnePlusYou

So Sad

What to do, what to do.

We really need a democrat woman for president, How, I don't know

There were may "you tube" films on this but I think it's too shocking and important to joke about. Although I do love the picture. What ARE we going to do if this Bush clone is elected?

"John McCain's temper is well documented. He's called opponents and colleagues "shitheads," "assholes" and in at least one case "a fucking jerk."...

Three reporters from Arizona, on the condition of anonymity, also let me in on another incident involving McCain's intemperateness. In his 1992 Senate bid, McCain was joined on the campaign trail by his wife, Cindy, as well as campaign aide Doug Cole and consultant Wes Gullett. At one point, Cindy playfully twirled McCain's hair and said, "You're getting a little thin up there." McCain's face reddened, and he responded, "At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt." McCain's excuse was that it had been a long day. If elected president of the United States, McCain would have many long days."

Friday Five-Word Association

I connect the Lovin Spoonful with this song"

The instructions are:
A Word Association Friday Five
"Sorry for being a bit late. The power was out here for a few hours.

I am feeling like playing hooky, and I'm putting off sermon prep till tomorrow. It is a beautiful, sunny day at my place. So come on outside and let's play a summer Friday Five!

This post is loosely based on previous "wordy" Friday Fives from Reverend Mother and Songbird. I liked the results, and so we are doing another word association . Theirs were based on words from a lectionary text. Mine comes from the Lovin' Spoonful song, "Summer in the City."

Think summer......are you there? Below you will find five words or phrases. Tell us the first thing you think of on reading each one. Your response might be simply another word, or it might be a sentence, a poem, a memory, a recipe, or a story. You get the idea: "

And as I’m a counselor.therapist, I do get the idea and I’m sitting at my desk free associating…

1. rooftop
Up, view, see the Hudson river, steps, see the fireworks, boats

2. gritty
Ashes, rough, brittle, sharp, grey, black, dirty, neck

3. hot town (yeah, I know, it's two words)
New York, summer, sweat, humid. subway, street, hot

4. night
Dark, scary, hide. height, bite, light

5. dance
At the Xerox machine, happy, sway, play

I'll post pictures from home because I'm blogging from work, a big no no!

In Case you haven't heard

picture of Mother Victoria Rue, a Catholic priest. I attended a mass celebrated by her last Gay Pride at Dignity NY.
One of the reason's I'm reluctant to return to the Catholic Church is their treatment of woman. I addition to the pope's recent decision to remove women from positions on the altar ( like serving communion.) This far reaching decision was announced:

"VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican is slamming the door on attempts by women to become priests in the Roman Catholic Church.
It has strongly reiterated in a decree that anyone involved in ordination ceremonies is automatically excommunicated.
A top Vatican official said in a statement Friday that the church acted following what it called "so-called ordinations" in various parts of the world.
Monsignor Angelo Amato of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith says the Vatican also wants to provide bishops with a clear response on the issue.
The church has always banned the ordination of women, stating that the priesthood is reserved for males. The new decree is explicit in its reference to women."

The Holy Roman Catholic Church seems to be taking only steps back and no steps forward these days.

Who are the McGarrigle Sisters?

"Montreal's Irish/French-Canadian rooted Kate and Anna McGarrigle grew up in Quebec's Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts village, where they took piano lessons courtesy of the village nuns. By their teens their musical upbringing influenced their sound - from Victorian ballads to blues to Appalachian and French-Canadian folk songs. Through the 1960s, Kate went to McGill University to study engineering while Anna studied painting at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Montreal. As the '60's progressed into the '70's the sisters honed their songs and a demo tape eventually made it to Los Angeles where Maria Muldaur used two of the duo's songs on her album. Staff producer Greg Prestopino persuaded Warner Bros. to bring Kate and Anne out to Los Angeles to record a demo of their own. Warner Bros. vanity label, Hannibal Records' label chief Joe Boyd, signed the act and he and Prestopino would soon co-produce their auspicious debut in 1975 with 'Kate And Anna McGarrigle' featuring special guests Lowell George, David Grisman, and Tony Rice. The eponymous LP was named #1 Album Of The Year by Melody Maker and #2 by the New York Times, and Top Ten on countless critics' polls. It also contained the hit and frequently covered "Heart Like A Wheel." A year later they followed that up with 'Dancer With Bruised Knees'. Their third album was 'Pronto Monto' The 'French Record' was released in 1981 and finally gave the sisters critical acclaim (Rolling Stone magazine gave the record a 4 star rating) with its blend of English language originals plus reworkings of several McGarrigle classics remade in French. The album featured special guest appearances by Jay Ungar, Alun Davies, and Fotheringay's Pat Donaldson and Gerry Conway. Their next album would find its way onto Polydor Records as Hannibal changed distributors - it too received a 4 star rating from Rolling Stone - as did their commercial breakthrough, 'Heartbeats Accelerating' in 1990. The McGarrigle sisters have also made guest appearances on albums by many other musical luminaries such as Richard And Linda Thompson's 'Sunnyvista' and the Albion Band's 'Rise Up Like The Sun'. In 1991, they recorded three Stephen Foster songs for the Columbia/Sony release 'Songs Of The Civil War' and also contributed to the lullaby album and video 'Child Of Mine' in 1992. In 1995, the McGarrigles recorded 'Goin' Back To Harlan' with Emmylou Harris for her album 'Wrecking Ball'. Their most recent foray was as part of the live Joan Baez CD 'Ring Them Bells', as well as backing Quebec artist Gilles Vigneault. The McGarrigles have appeared in concerts and festivals throughout Canada and the US, as well as Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. They headlined the Newport Folk Festival in 1992, toured in the UK and Europe in 1993, and returned to sold-out shows in the UK in 1994. Kate McGarrigle is mother of musician Rufus Wainright (also son of eccentric folk guitarist Louden Wainright III), and occasionally accompanies her son at his live shows. With notes from Hans-Dieter Neuser"

Tomato sorrow

I'm worried. One of my favorite summer foods may be off the list for this summer. Friday, when we went out of lunch, I found myself saying "hold the Tomato!" Yikes. And this time of the year when Tomatoes are so edible. I thought for sure that the ones from the farmers market would be fine. Alas.

"(WIVB) - The nationwide salmonella scare involving tainted tomatoes has now spread to the empire state.

New York is one of a half dozen states the Food and Drug Administration added to the list Thursday.

In all, 228 people across 23 states have now become sick.

The FDA is still trying to track down the source of the outbreak."

I really didn't care about the spinach problem as I'm allergic, but Tomatoes!

Friday Five Beach Trip

In honor of summer, please share your own beachy memories, plans, and dreams with a "Beach Trip" Friday Five.

The Swimming Song by The McGarrigle Sisters

1. Ocean rocks, lake limps? Vice versa? Or "it's all beautiful in its own way"?

I love the Ocean. Sandy Beaches, waves, beautiful sunsets. Lakes?I grew up swimming in Lake Erie, so that's Ok, but small lakes... Muddy bottoms and who knows what's crawling around down there. (anyone heard of the snake head fish that can walk on it's fins from pond to pond?_

2. Year round beach living: Heaven...or the Other Place?

Yes, heaven. I had a year round house at the tip of Long Island, Orient Point, between the 

Bay and the Sound. It was pretty nice. Gone now.

3. Any beach plans for this summer?

Not yet. So far, family plans, taking the niece to Hershey Park, and throwing a 90th birthday party for my aunt-all inland. Maybe we can get a trip to the beach in a long weekend. We do live on a coast. Otherwise it's the pool on 42nd St. (Hey, stop that honking!)

4. Best beach memory ever?

Too many to mention, but it could be the summer we rented in the Hamptons, or one of the many summers we were in Orient Point, NY.

5. Fantasy beach trip?

California, traveling down the coast from San Francisco to Monterrey and hitting the beach!  

Bonus: Share a piece of music/poetry/film/book that expresses something about what the beach means to you.

The Swimming Song by the McGarrigle Sisters

Where's Waldo-uh Joanna

I'm in Albany, NY.
I spent the past weekend at home entertaining my 89, soon to be 90 y/o aunt and my cousin the CSI from Columbus, OH. It was a lot of fun, visiting and sharing memories. Unfortunately we didn't spend much time touring the city due to the high heat, but did manage to see one off broadway play-Add1ng Mach1ne, which was billed as the best new musical of 2008. I guess 2008 is still young.
I'm in Albany for computer training. It's really a chance to catch up with friends that I've worked with who have moved to other offices. New York is a big state. The training is, well some of it is interesting, but some of it is stuff I already know. I'm not sure what I was expecting.
Update on my church search: Because my family was here, I attended St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in NYC. I go to their Lesbian Women's Group and march in the Gay Pride Parade with them. It was a shockingly pleasant experience for me. The priest spoke from the pulpit against the two page advertisement condemning gay marriage. It was in the the NY Times (by Catholic organizations)
Gotta go get my stuff together to train at the state ed. building, a very beautiful (inside) building!