Bringin' Back the Train

The other day while I was watching 106 & Park on BET-yes, you heard me right-they did a modern day soul train. It looked like so much fun. We were talking about it at work, and everyone was telling me that soul train is what people of color do while midwesterners do the dance-line...or mambo. This made me truly bust a gut. And you know I'm not tryin to get down with the mambo, chicken dance, or macarena.

As the holidays quickly approach, I've been getting excited for all of my favorite Christmas movies. I think that it's really hard to make a good, quality Christmas movie these days. The classics are just too good. One that I did discover last Christmas that I enjoy, also features a soul train. Here's a clip. Enjoy.



Can you imagine doing a soul train with your family? Might be the funniest thought ever. I think that Christmas at the Wilde's might need to implement this tradition into their holiday traditions.

Late Bloomer

I admit, I have felt very apprehensive about posting anything too political on my blog. I just haven't wanted to sucumb to any cliches of posting something just to post it. Even after the results have been tallied and announced. It has been very interesting to hear the "fall out" from many people surrounding the election results. Despite my disagreements with some of Senator Obama's beliefs and morals, I do believe, in faith, that good things can come from his term. It is going to be a long, hard trek, but it would be for any man or woman stepping into office at this juncture. I hope that our response, as the American people, will not foreshadow the belief systems of Senator McCain and Senator Obama. Despite their imperatively opposite belief systems and campaigns, I hope that we, as Americans, can truly unite in prayer...in support. Let us continue to be the United States...the united people that pledge allegiance, with one voice. Although overused in the past eighteen months, let us "believe" in faith. Obama's win may perhaps really test our faith as believers, but let us step up to the challenge. No matter what our personal beliefs are of President Bush, America has seen better days; this position not laying on just the hands of the president and his administration, but on circumstance. Let's believe for better days...whatever those may be. Perhaps they'll come sooner than we think, or perhaps things will simply grow dimmer. Regardless, I take this election as a call to faith. Not simply a call for change, but one of belief. It might be foolish to believe that we can all join together as one entire country...but I have the faith to believe that we will overcome. We are a country ready to respond...ready to believe.



I am in prayer for you Senator Obama...and in doing so, I'm in prayer for our nation.

Ode to the BCC

For those of you that don't know, BCCs are better known as Banana Cake Cookies. Since I have moved, this is one of the many things that I have found myself missing. Obviously friends are the top of that list, but nonetheless the BCCs are missed, too. I knew that once I got here to Oly, if I could find a record store and a coffee shop, I could start to make this place home. Batdorf and Bronson's brings me great french press joy, and Rainy Day Records has the best low-priced vinyls anywhere. I have found myself reading books that have a little bit more intelligence than my passed fiction novels starring the Cullen family. Here I am reading Banker to the Poor in Batdorf's...(Stephanie, you must read this book! Jojo you too.)

Also, I have been working at Hollister Co. which is a very different atmosphere from my previous job, but not unfamiliar still. Here are a few of my co-workers...they are so much fun. Patrick
Sooyun
Bre
Lindsay
Mary
Gret
Tom
Brandy and Nicole
Shannon
Megan

Enclosed are a few things I've began to ponder since being back in Washington:

1. Why was Miley Cyrus wearing shovies? (Short ovies, short over-alls)
2. I miss the nights wear we all sat around in the North End cottage discussing important things like, "Sarah: 'Lay off my creamy!' Austin: 'Poke Sarah's creamy!'
3. I wonder what Moof looks like speaking Korean (on-yung, hah-say-oh)
4. How many times will I run into Pip over here.
5. Will we ever again have a family reunion? Perhaps in Tahoe, or Venice, or NNU 2016.

I will start posting again. Internet has been limited. Boise, you are missed. 2C, not so much.

Kirk Cameron's Best Friend

Growing Pains was a great, wholesome family show. Hearthrobs like Kirk Cameron and Leonardo DiCaprio found their fanbase acting side-by-side with Lifetime channel's star Tracy Gold. The father played by Alan Thicke wrote the theme song, along with many other theme songs for popular television shows of that decade. Some of his work can be listened to on re-runs of Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, or Wheel of Fortune. So much greatness came out of this show! Families across the country tuned in to watch this sitcom. As soon as you heard, "Show me that smile again..." you knew it was time to get to the couch.
But the strangest part of the entire show can be summed up with one character, "Boner". Mike's best friend's name was Boner. Looking back, Carol (Mike's mom) would always emphasize his name. Why is it that we didn't make the connection? I mean, as kids we were all okayed to watch certain shows and asked to refrain from others...all for small reasons. Was this a reason to not watch the show? Did our parents not care? Why did the king of Left Behind have a best friend named Boner on primetime television? I am stumped.

out of TOUCH and drenched in SMELL

Perhaps this is the first sign that I am at the starting line of being out of touch with teenagers. I remember five years ago when I was an assistant manager at Abercrombie and Fitch and I thought that my dad was so out of touch because he consistently called it Abercrombie and Finch. And now today, five years later, I find myself questioning a couple different things about this "clothing" company. First of all, I got summoned to testify when many different law suits were taking place regarding the physical appearance of the employees versus those who did not get hired. And in all actuality, every retail place I have worked for asks that the employees look the part. It's kind of like that old saying, "Never trust a skinny chef."

But secondly, is the younger generation all of sudden unable to smell? If you walk by the Abercrombie or Hollister stores in the mall, you smell like them just walking by their entrances. Its not really luring, but I suppose it does help directionally. It's not just the stores themselves, but the frequent shoppers as well. There are times when you walk by that guy with his popped collar hand-in-hand with his girlfriend and destroyed denim mini-skirt...and the smell radiating from their pores pollutes the air for an entire block. Do you put one squirt of the overly-expensive, generally not long lasting fragrance and decide that's enough? Then the next day you don't smell it anymore so you put on three squirts...then four...then five. In a couple months you'll be puttin' on full bottles of the dang stuff. And when this happens, we get that couple walking around, oblivious to all of the flowers they're killing with their odor as they pass them.

Let's be honest...forget worrying about the sexually suggestive advertising they're causing American teens to accustom to--what about the physical downfall of smell they're marketing to young people. There are many other things to disagree with when it comes to this company (i.e. the "models" baring close to everything welcoming you at the front of the store). All I have to say is protest all you want...but I'm pretty sure my sense of smell is on top of my priority list of protecting.

The Dreaded "D" Word

This might be a bit more serious than most of my previous posts, but I've lately been thinking a lot about what many people label, "The plague to American families...divorce." Sometimes, I wonder what this does to influence the youth of today. I come from a divorced home, but have not thought about it much on the grand scheme of things. Last night thanks to the miracle of DVR, I watched the teen drama, One Tree Hill. One thing that the character Brooke Davis says as she's applying to be an adoptive parent is, "I don't come from a two parent household, I come from a no parent household." Her reasoning for this was to point out the neglect that she had growing up by her parents. Obviously, this is fictional and a little extreme, but I started to wonder how divorce and "broken homes" are viewed by the younger generation. With the frequency of divorce or even kids brought into the world to a single parent home, one has to wonder what the perspective is. Brooke was obviously upset about the lack of direction and support she was given, but at the same time, blame was strictly put on her parents. But then we see movies like Juno, where Juno McGuff flippently talks about sex and having a baby, but when it comes to divorce she seems to break down and still find so much value in a "traditional" home. Overall, yes, "broken" homes are everywhere, and you have to entertain the idea that there are probably many "broken" homes where there has been no sign of divorce as of yet. But I haven't lost faith in the All-American family...but I don't know exactly what that family unit looks like. Regardless of the specific events, I tend to think that no matter what, most kids are going to take a divorce or separation pretty hard, but how that affects the majority of young people, since so many come from a home that has experienced this, might begin to think of divorce as benign. Hopefully, morals are not inextricably attached to this ideal of family.

The Evolution of Language

The return of leggings, flannels, and aviator sunglasses have proved to be a fairly smooth transition into the re-birth of what some might consider "fashion". But isn't it strange how things come in and out of style? If you ponder about it too much, it kinda makes you feel like the most un-original person ever. In fact, it makes me feel like there is no hope in finding something totally new. Music, clothing, movies...it's all recycled.

Language is one thing that I think might be the exception. The other night I was sitting with my roommates watching the fantastic HBO show, "The Tudors". I started thinking...can you imagine if we still talked in that sort of manner? In that style? It was so formal and proper. And as far as I can tell, very few aspects of language are recycled...many sustain their spot in language, but few leave and come back. The term "peace" might be one word we see that resurfaces from time to time as a "cool" slang. But what about our grandparents..."whipper-snappers" or "golly"...or our parents, "geesh" or "in a jiffy" or "put 'er there"? In ten years from now, will it be weird to hear people say things like "take it easy" or "what up"? I think that language is fascinating...and I wonder what other phrases can seep through the tyranical ever-judging abyss of time.

Eat Like a Horse

Today, I went to lunch with a couple co-workers. We were sitting inside enjoying the sun and simultaneously enjoying the break from the wind. Then I turned and looked out the window. Directly to my right was a family of four sitting in a Chevy Malibu eating lunch. Number one, I don't know why they were sitting in their car when they had just ordered and got their food to go. Number two, the exchange of self-imposed, awkward looks had to have been more than a little discomforting for both parties. I did notice that there was a young boy, probably nine or ten sitting in the passenger seat. He was enjoying his sandwich so much. And it suddenly hit me as piece of lettuce and chicken were being frantically gobbled up into his mouth...I think that kids chewing with their mouths open is kind of endearing. I know that all of our parents told us things like, "Chew with your mouth closed", but seriously...how great is it to see someone truly enjoying their meal? This kid loved his sandwich so much, he wanted everyone to see what they were missing out on. A kid and his sandwich...this is love.