Part of the Story

Gethsemane

Mary Oliver


The grass never sleeps.
Or the roses.
Nor does the lily have a secret eye that shuts until morning.

Jesus said, wait with me. But the disciples slept.

The cricket has such splendid fringe on its feet,
and it sings, have you noticed, with its whole body,
and heaven knows if it ever sleeps.

Jesus said, wait with me. And maybe the stars did, maybe the
wind wound itself into a silver tree, and didn't move, maybe
the lake far away, where once he walked as on a
blue pavement,
lay still and waited, wild awake.

Oh the dear bodies, slumped and eye-shut, that could not
keep that vigil, how they must have wept,
so utterly human, knowing this too
must be a part of the story.

Bill Murray in "Fact Checkers Unit"

So for those of you that have been reading this blog, you may have noticed my recent semi-obsession with Film Festivals. Short Film Festivals to be exact. Now, I know a few of you did in fact join me for some of these events and had a ridiculously good time.

For the rest of you I thought it might be an easy way to keep my blog going....err I mean a great chance for me to bring some Goodness into your world with little effort to you. So went looking online for a few of the films I really liked. Sadly, most of them want you by the DVD or actually go and watch the film in the theater. Can you believe the nerve of these people?

However, I did manage to find one of the funnier ones online. A lot of the films (as you might expect) erred toward the melancholy, reflective, and/or slightly disturbing. This film doesn't have much of that, but it will make you chuckle and IT HAS BILL MURRAY IN IT! What more do you need? I love Bill Murray.

Lastly, for those of you are reluctant to click the link and spend 9 minutes of your life on little piece of art, I offer you a final note:

Remember dear reader, I am not the Good, I merely point you towards the Good. So get out there! Watch the short, eat some Thai food, sip some espresso ... and take someone you care about and get out there! Otherwise I am useless to you. Go ahead, it's Thursday night. You shouldn't be on your computer anyway. You should be out there living your life, not reading my blog. Wait, it's Thursday night and I'm on the computer too! Shoot. Well, anyway, watch this short (and don't judge it by the first 43 seconds either, keep watching):

Bill Murray in FCU: Fact Checkers Unit from Bill Murray

Wedding Poem for the Wedding Season

Well, I guess the wedding season is off and running. Friends and foes of mine all over the country are tying the knot. I went to a wedding last night here in Tucson and I have 2 more in the next 3 weeks to hit; one in Portland and the other in Carmel. Then another wedding in Tucson before my little brother gets married in North Carolina in June! Whew. I better get my dance moves tuned up!

Luckily, I like weddings.

Food, folks and fun- just like McDonald's used to say! ha. But besides seeing old friends, the music, the food and (hopefully) free alcohol, it's of course the bride and groom that really matter. I like hearing the stories involved. The really good ones have a healthy mixture of humor, heartache, cheesy love and redemption. I like seeing the families and all their beautifully awkward attempts at trying to bring two people together. And of course bearing witness to those classic moments: seeing the groom's face when the bride walks in, the exchanging of vows, the triumphant walk out...

So whether you're a cynic or a romantic,
single or married,
or wishing your were on the other side of the fence,
here's a poem that'll give you some food for thought this wedding season:

Wedding Poem
For Schele and Phil
by Bill Holm

A marriage is risky business these days
Says some old and prudent voice inside.
We don't need twenty children anymore
To keep the family line alive,
Or gather up the hay before the rain.
No law demands respectability.
Love can arrive without certificate or cash.
History and experience both make clear
That men and women do not hear
The music of the world in the same key,
Rather rolling dissonances doomed to clash.

So what is left to justify a marriage?
Maybe only the hunch that half the world
Will ever be present in any room
With just a single pair of eyes to see it.
Whatever is invisible to one
Is to the other an enormous golden lion
Calm and sleeping in the easy chair.
After many years, if things go right
Both lion and emptiness are always there;
The one never true without the other.

But the dark secret of the ones long married,
A pleasure never mentioned to the young,
Is the sweet heat made from two bodies in a bed
Curled together on a winter night,
The smell of the other always in the quilt,
The hand set quietly on the other's flank
That carries news from another world
Light-years away from the one inside
That you always thought you inhabited alone.
The heat in that hand could melt a stone.


(thanks to Crystal at Poetry Mix Tape for the tip on this poem)

April Fools from Gmail

Get it while it lasts here.

Herkimer means Awesome

Snow falls outside the window in front of me. I sit on my little stool facing the sky and its calming beauty. Between me and the snow sits one of the best shots of espresso the world has ever seen. It’s warm and carmelly and has a hint of sweetness that balances the otherwise earthy richness of the coffee flavor. There’s no hint of bitterness. And unlike espressos of lesser quality that are usually flat in their flavor profiles, this shot has a complexity of flavor that hits all the good places on your tongue and leaves wanting more and if that’s not enough, Herkimer gives you a small, delicious glass of sparkling water to accompany your espresso. I’ve never seen any other place do this.

Herkimer Coffee is my favorite coffee shop in Seattle.

This should mean a lot since I consider myself an afficionado of not just coffee but coffee shops. Herkimer has the whole package.

Atmosphere/Vibe- 9.5
Espresso quality- 10
Cleanliness- 10
Niceness of Baristas- 8.75
Music they play- 8.23
Good location- 8 (pub across the street, Red Mill Burger down the road)
Roasts own beans- YES
Free WiFi- You bet


This place is everything a coffee shop should be. A few other things that make it great:
-The Barista sings to every word of the Flaming Lips playing on the stereo
-A variety of places to sit for a variety of needs. Stools, boothes, tables. Alone, talking, groups you can do it all
-Clean bathrooms
-If you sit at the right place on a clear day you can see snow capped mountains
-Big windows with nice lighting in the afternoon
-I order and espresso and the barista takes time to ask how it was.
-Rotating art

Sure a lot of coffee shops have at least a few of the above. But this place really is more than the sum of its individual parts. You’ll just have to come and see.


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Back to the Future

Sadly, this weekend I will be in Seattle.

For those of you who know me, right now you are probably wondering if someone has hijacked my Blogger account and taken me hostage. This is because everyone knows I LOVE Seattle. In fact, I don't think I've ever uttered a single sentence in my fleeting little life which has contained both the words "sadly" and "Seattle."

Until now.

Why? Because one of my fondest childhood movies is playing at the Loft this weekend. Back to the Future graces the silverscreen here in Tucson for 2 nights only. This Friday and Sat nights, 10p, $5. What a steal of a deal!

Back to the Future Highlights (feel free to add your own)
-The Delorean. I still want a car whose doors open upward.
-Flux Capacitor.

-Family slowly fading from photograph.

-Marti playing "Johnny Be Good." I like that song because of him.
-Skate Boarding. Prob responsible for countless broken arms across the world.
-George McFly:" Yes. Yes. I'm George, George McFly. I'm your density. I mean... your destiny."
-At the end of the movie when Marti drives off in the Delorean, then comes BACK. This time with Mr. Garbage on the back on the car, into which he throws a banana peal, AND THEN FLYS OFF! This was ridiculously exciting to me as a kid.
- Add your own

Little Cafe Poco Cosa gets Big Love

"So where do you wanna go for your Birthday?" my sister asks me. "Anywhere you want."

"Anywhere?" I reply. "How about Switzerland?!"
"No, Silly. For lunch."

Oh.

In a close second to Switzerland is a gem of a place in Tucson called "Little Cafe Poca Cosa."

This is one of those truly unique places that you couldn't make up even if you tried to.
It's a place that's as much about the people as it is about the food.
It's a place where you get a hug (and sometimes a kiss) on your way out the door.
Everything's fresh.
It's all delicious.
It's even pretty healthy. (Great Vegetarian options too!)
If you don't eat all your fruit and veggies that come with your meal, you'll chastised.
And if you don't want to come back after you try this place, I'll call you crazy.



Listen to me now:
*Don't miss the tamales!! I didn't even like tamales until I had them here.
*The daily soup never disappoints
*If you've never had mole (a sauce made with chocolate and chillies) this is a great place to try it!
*The "Half and Half" is a great way to go; you get two pick to of anything on the menu.
*cash only
*M-F for breakfast and lunch only
*GO!

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