After over two years, Braidwood picks up and moves

Hi all,

I'm not sure I've settled on the perfect solution, but I've decided to move my little online home over to wordpress. Thanks blogger for being an easy to use little starter home.

Update your bookmarks everyone!

I'm now at http://authenticthreads.wordpress.com/

I hope to see you there!

B.

Brandi Carlile

I discovered Brandi Carlile through Pandora and fortunately shared my discovery with A.M. who then bought tickets for us to see her in a live show. She and her band were awesome. The performance was powerful and was so moving I got chills, and tears were drawn from my eyes. The post below is from their website. I'm impressed that her soulfullness comes out in her prose as well as her music.

You can check out her music on Pandora. I've bought 4 of the same CDs so far. Three for other people, one for me. If you get a chance to see her in person, she is even better, and stuns with a couple covers, one by Leanord Cohen and one by Johnny Cash.

In The Studio
Posted by on 09.13.06

As I sit in a dark control room and listen to the music we've been recording, I look at T Bone Burnett sitting at an old Neve console holding an 80 year old guitar and wearing sunglasses and it strikes me that if the twins and I weren't wearing Chuck Taylors we could be anywhere in the world and at any point in time over the last 100 years...

We've been in the studio for over a week and things are going amazing -- the twins and I have been on the road for so long that we have become a live band so it's been intimidating and exciting to be put under a microscope... it's a scary thing to know how you really sound.

It's such a thrill to get these songs off my chest after a couple of years of playing them on the road...we recorded "The Story" and my voice cracked before the big loud scream and we kept it because it sounded raw and real. Sometimes it's hard for me to accept imperfection but I'm learning everyday. T Bone has taken us to church.

Love,
Brandi

Making me miss home

"Are there any Indian people in the audience? Good, lets talk about them"

This guy is hilarious. The turnstyle bit is my favorite. If you can't understand him at first, give it a minute.

Laughing Jesus

I was looking up "laughing" on google images so I could send my co-worker an image of someone laughing as hard as his email made me laugh. Naturally, I got completely distracted and found:

• These laughing babies (guarenteed to make you laugh or at least smile!)
• and these laughing buddhas.

I think it highly reccomends a religion when the icon is often pictured laughing. It made me think of the contrast with the Christian religion which often glorifies suffering. I pictured the sad and serious face of Jesus that I've always seen.

"You never see Jesus laughing," I thought. Then, at the top of the next page, who should I find but Laughing Jesus!


It almost seems sacreligious....
Or maybe it's a sign... :)

Found at Christian Centered Mall.

SILLY THINGS by Dan Kennedy

ME: Did you like having our silly time today? Did you like our walk?

HIM: I saw ... walky ... and ... (Starts giggling.)

ME: You saw a walky?

HIM: I will crush you.

Ohh... very good. Go read the rest of it!

Found via Dooce.

A Good movie to watch when you are feeling like a loser

I think movies reviews should be based on mood rather than plot. I don't want to know what is going to happen- that's why I go see the movie! What I want to know is: "Is this the movie I am in the mood to see right now?"

If you are feeling like a loser, I reccomend: Sideways. People taste wine in this movie, which sounds about as exciting as playing golf to me. That, and lukewarm reviews from friends is why I never watched it. But, I was feeling sick, asked for a comedy, and took what the library guy gave me. It was good. I cried at one point when the main character described wine. You'll see. I only laughed once, but it was a good laugh. Mostly, I cried.

For other Movies To Watch When You Feel Like A Loser, you only need to watch the movie ads at the begining of Sideways! They include:
Garden State: For when you are feeling like a young loser.
Napolean Dynamite: For when you want to feel jovial about being a loser and look back on your younger days of being a loser and decide that being a loser might actually have been cool.
(The ultimate feel good loser movie, of course, is Little Miss Sunshine.)

However, if you are not feeling jovial about being a loser and are feeling like an old, rather than young loser, I still reccomend Sideways. It's middle aged loser with a hint of redwood, maybe some asparagus, with a slight taste of sunshine, a note of desperation, ...

Good Boss, Bad Boss: The List

Good Boss

• Is focused on being effective.
• Knows what I do, what I like to do, what my goals are.
• Lets me own my job.
  
• Praises me when I take initiative.
• Encourages me to take on projects that advance our goals at work and that also advance my career goals and are in my areas of interest.
• Knows what's going on overall at work and has a vision.
  
• Is very smart. I learn a lot from him.
• Is willing and eager to learn from me.
• Keeps our group informed about what is going in our wider organization and gives us the big picture about how we fit in.
• Treats us like we are strategic partners and listens to our ideas, and lets us run with the ones that we have made a good case for.
• Believes that people are capable, and interested in achieving their own goals.
• Knows how to help people achieve their goals while achieving organizational goals.
• The way he treats us is motivating.
• If I had my own company, I would hire him.

Bad Boss

• Is focused on feeling important.
• Doesn't know what I do, or care what I want.
• Tries to own the people beneath him and their job.
• Micro-manges to the point of absurdity.
• Gets angry if people do something without asking him first.
• Yet is not helpful and does not know what is going on.
• Is not willing to learn from employees, sometimes not allowing them to talk.
• If I had my own company, I would fire him.
• Believes that people are bad and that if you don't keep a tight reign on them, they will try to get away with stuff.
• When he talks to me, I want to quit.
• If owned the company, I would fire him.

This post references this post about bosses.
(Note: I went with all male pronouns for convenience.)

Good Boss, Bad Boss (Or: I know that pointy haired guy!)

Let's hear if for good bosses! My boss knows what I do and what I like to do. He lets me own my job and praises me when I take initiative. He encourages me to take on projects that advance our goals at work and that also advance my career and are in my areas of interest. He knows what's going on overall, is very smart, and never micro-manages my work. At our meetings, he keeps our group informed about the what is going in our wider organization and gives us the big picture about how we fit in. He talks to us like we are strategic partners and listens to our ideas and lets us run with the ones that we have made a good case for. He is a motivating. I feel like I can actually contribute and grow in this job.

There is another person who works here who is not my boss but is about at my boss's level. She was the boss of the person, who quit abruptly, who used to be in my position. I learned this slowly over time and it made sense of the previously puzzling decision to place me in the department I am in. She micro-manages the people under her to the hilt. In fact, they are required to cc her on every work email they send out. Interestingly though, she seems to have no idea about what is actually going on or about what her people do.

I'm mostly in a different area than her, thank goodness, but I've been given a talking to twice by her. Today I was prepared, but last time she literally didn't let me speak and I had to close the door after she left and cry (just a little) in frustration. It made me want to quit. Today I was given a talking to for handling a confusing situation well. She told me that in the future, I should ask her or someone else in authority what to do. This highlighted the contrast between her and my boss so well. If I took the whole story to him right now, he would be impressed at my initiative and problem solving skills and tell me to keep up the good work. She is just mad that she wasn't kept in the loop, I suppose.

I could make this whole post a bullet point list about good and bad bosses. In this case I think it comes down to:

Good boss

• Wants to give his team power.

Bad boss

• Wants to take power away.

pss: If anyone from my work ever sees this, I'm talking about a different job.
pss: I think I will make a list.

Red Headed Step Children Unite! (And go see Little Miss Sunshine)

I haven't been able to write for awhile because my computer at home won't pick up the neighbor's wireless that we are "sharing." And I can't write from work because I don't want anyone from work ever reading this. or this. or even this. But I borrowed a lap top from work, so here is my shout out and my one minute, or so, review.

So, I work with a cool girl who is a temp and thus gets all the crappy jobs. We started calling her the red-headed step child, but of course, we are all red-headed step children in one way or another, so now we are all the red-headed step children. Red Headed Step Children Unite! Is our lunch club motto, and "Where's my stapler." is one of our many inside jokes.

Today I didn't have lunch, and get my once a day belly laugh, with my girls; my stupid friend who I can never count on so I don't know why I thought he would come through today didn't come through which reminded me that I am really all alone in this cold, cold world; and everyone flaked out on 80's night tonight. My new roommate and I went to see Little Miss Sunshine instead, and all I can say about it, because I don't like to tell people anything about movies because I am almost fanaticle about not hearing anything about movies before I go, is:
If you are or were ever actually or metaphorically a red headed step child, I think you will like this movie.

Oh my gosh I want to tell you all about it! Hurry and go see it so we can talk about it!!!

Ps: I actually was a red-headed step child.

Alaska trip, day two: BC in the house!

British Columbia rocks. On the first day of our trip, we landed in adless Vancouver, as previously noted and then, following some crazy plan of my mother's, we spent the next 6 plus hours in transit. We took three bus rides and a ferry to our hotel on Vancouver Island where we immediately fell asleep. The ferry ride was beautiful though, and I tried to keep a pleasant attitude towards her as this was the beginning of our TWO WEEKS together. ("Family vacation," "two weeks" I wonder that the two phrases together did not give me a single moments pause before the trip started.)

Vancouver Island reminded me of Denmark because of all the people riding the bus, riding their bikes, and wearing rain gear. I miss bike paths.

Here are some of the pictures I took on our ferry ride back to Vancouver to board the cruise:


Finally a vista: what I had been longing for in my little urban life.



I was sick as a dog on the second day of our trip, but hey, look at the view!


Pulling into the dock.

The Alaska report begins: An American in Vancouver

Why are Americans so frazzled? I'm taking a reductionist view in this post and blaming it all on advertisements. I noticed something different about Canada the moment I stepped into the airport. By the time I reached the bus stop I realized what it was: There were no ads anywhere! I was so stunned with the breathtakingly simple lines the lack of ads exposed that I took pictures of the road and the bus stop.

"Hey, how's Braidwood's trip going?"

"I don't know, Alaska!"

Hey, don't blame me, I've been with my Granddad for days now. :) He has Alzheimers, but he is still jovial and likes to joke around. We've been having a lot of fun. The other day we were going out to site see. We were going down to deck 7 on the elevator and and he asked where we were going. "We're going out to the front of the ship, GrandDad."
"Any ship in particular?" He asked.
"The ship we're on."
"We're not on a ship, we're on an elevator!"
Then he led everyone on the elevator in singing, "By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea..." :)

It's been a lot of fun. When I get a chance, I'll post some photos of the trip.

From Bitter to Sweet in 5 hours flat (Part 3)

You can read part 1 here, and part 2 here.

I told my co-chair that it was time to get things going. We still had an official vote to cast, an exit survey to fill out, and a flower activity to do. When people turned their exit survey back in to us, we gave them a flower. Then asked them to exchange flowers with people who they wanted to express appreciation to. They could keep exchanging flowers and were to always only have one flower. (This worked really well by the way- it was the brainchild of my awesome co-chair.)

Oh yeah, give a person a flower and a compliment and they will start to soften. I had no expectations, and was surprised to hear people say that I bring a loving energy into the room, and am kind, friendly, (and praise worthy and of good report. ;) (It's like they saw through my gruff beer swilling exterior to the big teddy bear inside.) Then we announced that our unapposed candidate for co-chair was unanimously voted in and she gave a speech. My co-chair and I promptly sat down. "We're done!" she whispered to me. I felt a little like we had perpetrated a scam on the incoming leaders. "We get to sit down now!"

Then the new co-chair gave my co-chair and I big bouquets of flowers, count on her to do something thoughtful like that. She also handed us cards that everyone signed! That surprised me. "We should thank our steering committee" I said starting to feel slightly generous. My co-chair thanked our committee, thanked everyone for coming, and invited everyone to return to socializing.

"Wait," an older woman said, "I have something to say." "Oh hear it comes." I thought. This woman had complained by email before and was to me the most irksome type of complainer: the non participating complainer. I held the air in my chest. "I just want to say," she said "as someone who isn't involved in the nitty gritty of the group and just occasionally comes for the showy stuff, that you people make it really easy to come here. No matter how long I have been away, you always make me feel loved and welcomed. Thank you." A space opened up. Some unknown tightness melted and my beer swilling, gruff doppleganger faded away. I took a deep breath.

A couple more people thanked us publicly and then people went back to talking. I was relaxed and talking to people with out the tension of defense.

The last person I gave a flower to while we were doing the flower activity was my co-chair. I looked in her eyes and we both started to cry. "You taught me about serving rather than taking." I told her. "I'm so glad you asked me to be your co-chair. I wouldn't have said yes to anyone but you. I've learned so much from you." "I've learned so much from you!" she said. She told me that I was so kind and was really a good person in a deep way. I was surprised she could see my kindness. I'd been feeling so gruff. "You are so kind and yet you are so opinionated!" She said. I laughed, "I am so opinionated!" I think we both had open suprise in our eyes, amazed that maybe the other person admired us as much as we had been admiring the other.

I drove home from the party with deep breaths of air circulating through my lungs, feeling like a weight had been lifted off of me, feeling deeply relieved, lightly bewildered, and happy.

A UU Sales Pitch, a response to an Atlanta Unitarian

An Atlanta Unitarian wrote about the UU sales pitch:

I was recently talking with another new Unitarian on how we "sell" our religion to others. My original sales pitch was: “You don’t have to believe in anything in particular to join our group.” Her sales pitch was: “We take the best of every religion, with out taking the bad stuff.”

Well I don’t think it takes a genius to see which sales pitch is better. Hers is both better and more accurate than mine. In fact, my sales pitch is so weak I’m shocked I would even say it aloud – that the best we have to offer is a lack of constraints, total personal freedom? Is this what we offer? Why join a group whose main offering is to leave you just the way you were before you joined?

...I think there is a core stance to Unitarianism, or if there isn’t one I think there is something I would like to place at its center, to give it a core stance in my mind...

I think it is a profound difference that we can believe what we want to believe, and think what we want to think, and still be in community with others. That is huge and that is why I go to a UU church. I don't understand why I read so many UU bloggers who seem to have a longing to have some kind of belief besides good moral code in common.

Also, I don't think that UU's are just changed by the communities they join, they also change the community. That is what part of my sales pitch could be:

~*~The UU church is a dynamic community. ~*~
~*~Imagine a spiritual home where you can actually add your voice, energy and vibrancy to the mix rather than supressing it!!~*~
~*~Pretty radical, huh. ~*~
~*~It's exciting and alive and you can be a part of it. ~*~

From Bitter to Sweet in 5 hours flat (Part 2)

Yesterday, with the harried feeling of someone trudging through unwanted duties, I got ready for our service. I was using the strategy my very helpful women friends advised and was ignoring the man who had been harassing me. I was glad he was leaving me alone, but also struggled with feelings of not being inclusive. (!) (I shake my head at myself, sometimes I can take my desire to include people too far.)

After both services, hot, sticky and ready to be done, I dutifully arrived at our after-service, pass-the-torch-to-new-leadership party. Activity swirled around me. I found myself reflexively greeting a new comer while thinking, "You are doing it again. Let someone else make him feel welcome. .. But I don't want him to feel sad... Wait until someone else greets him and walk away."

I didn't help get the food ready, I was the first one to fill my plate, and I took the best spot in the kitchen. I let other people greet the new people and carry on interesting conversation and when I was done eating, I took the best spot in the livingroom. There I sprawled with the breeze from outside blowing on me and made minimal efforts at conversation. I had officially turned into Red from the 70's show! (Picture a dad coming home, always taking the best spot and drinking a beer while watching TV.) (Wow, now that I think about it, I went from traditional mom to traditional dad.) One of our needier members came over and asked if the seat next to me was taken. (Damn kids.)I said it was. She sat on my lap. I said she was light enough but too warm. She said she could take a hint. "Good" I thought as she walked over to the other side of the room.

From Bitter to Sweet in 5 hours flat (Part 1)

This year as co-chair of our "young adult" group was challenging. Members of our steering committee who committed to serve flaked out leaving us with a larger than expected work load. We made several dramatic decisions (with due process) that people who founded the group were upset about. I felt a lot of pressure about keeping up the technical side of our group, some of which I wrote about earlier. My co-chair and I were the people everyone complained to and who people in our group and in the larger church wanted things from.

Even though I was dealing with adults, I could relate to the harassed look mothers of young children sometimes have. Like a young mother, sometimes the only thing to do to get relief from being pulled at and demanded from is to institute some discipline. We set rules and boundaries, and I went from feeling harassed and unappreciated to feeling gruff and curmudgeonly.

It wasn't all bad, I enjoyed leading the meetings, especially as the new format for our steering committee meetings cut them down from a couple meandering hours to one very productive hour a month. Our goal was to empower people in our group, and soon people realized that if they complained they better also be ready to step up and do something about it. This brought out leadership in some unexpected people, and they started to take ownership of the group, which is what we wanted. I loved working with my co-chair who has natural leadership ability and who I continually learned so much from.

Still, with my new job, the downsides of being a leader, and the suprisingly upsetting behavior of a guy at our church who I have been feeling harassed by, I was ready not only to be done with leadership in our group, but maybe with our group altogether.

Hey ya'll

Just a little post to say I'm still alive. Work is busy and is going well. I don't want to get fired for my blog so I don't post from work and I don't feel like looking at a computer when I get home- thus the scant posts.

In less than a week I am going to Alaska! I'll post some pictures when I get back.

I continue to be facinated with social software, especially social software which has applications for education. I recently found Elgg which I think may have the potential to rock my world. Check it out ya'll. ;)

Tomorrow we officially hand off the baton of co-chair to a new group at church. Yeha! I feel kind of bad as I do like the woman who is taking our place. Ah well. Good learning opportunity, or er um character building experience and all that.

Did I mention that I am in an art group. Yeha! I love doing art.

And there you go, my 5 minute update.

Al Gore stars as a streetwise pimp, or something like that

One of my new favorite sites

It might be better if you just happen across it yourself, but I just had to share the site I just found by randomly typing these letters as a search:

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