Happy Birthday Dad!

So my dad, David S. Rogers turns 60 today. Umm...that's old. He knows it and I love him. I also sent him this ecard from Someecards.com. They are funny.



HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD.

I've just come up with a new nickname for my dad, "Twenty Questions." Anyone who's been interrogated by him, will know this works. Maybe I'll call him 20Q for short.

Nick and the White Peach

So I just may have had the best peach of my life. It was a white peach. Sweet and succulent and great texture. I had it in the refrigerator this morning, something I wouldn't normally do with fresh fruit. But it had a nice slight chill and was so close to perfect.


This is a picture of a slice of this wonderful peach. I took the photo with my phone. That's how good it was; I had to take a picture in the middle of eating it.

Why are we not there yet?

My life has been surrounded by a multitude of strong, brilliant women. I am most fortunate to learn from these women and so often in awe. The last two nights I have watched Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton address the Democratic National Convention. And while they are markedly different in their background, approach, and goals, it is clear that they are special. Am I shocked? Absolutely not.

The reason I am not at all surprised by the remarkable success and strength of Michelle and Hillary, is the remarkableness of the women in my life. My mother is such a kind soul and makes me laugh. It is really simple, making me laugh is so important to me. My mom has endured and is so courageous. I know I am super biased, but she is amazing. She's been a wonderful mother and a pillar of the feminine in my life. My friend, Ali, challenges me to think in different ways. She has opened my eyes to new perspectives and new avenues of thought. And, most importantly, she has a great smile and uses it often. Smiling is inviting and again so important to me. Emily, my friend, really understands. She knows how to listen. Em has always been really honest with me, and isn't that so important?

Then there is Jenn, my sister. I don't know if there is anyone in this world who believes in me more. She is brilliant, strong, sweet, vulnerable, affectionate, and beautiful. She has challenged me to be better and praised me for my accomplishments, however small. I am astounded by her. How am I so lucky to have a sister and a best friend, all in one? But it is not just the emotional that Jenn encompasses. She is a leader. She is accomplished. She has an abiding belief in herself and those people and things that are a part of her realm.

So this brings me to my question. Why are we not there yet? Why is it not a women taking the podium on Thursday to accept the Democratic nomination? Why is it not a women being sworn in as President in January? Why has the patriarchy prevailed? Well that will have to remain my question. But know this, when society as a whole realizes what I know, women and men will truly be equals.

I thank all the women in my life. I thank them for teaching me to think from a new perspective. I thank them for being such pillars. I thank them for them. I am so honored to have grown with the inspiration of such wonderful women.

K-Box

So Saturday night I hit up the Korean K-box (Karaoke Box, click here for the wikipedia entry for explanation). Let's just say if this current career doesn't pan out, I may have a career on the Karaoke circuit. Anyway, it is always a lot of fun, and since you're in a private room with just your friends, you can be daring. Take the below video for example.



This video is my friend Jared pumping out a mean version of Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman." (Michael Bolton also recorded a version of it. Let's just say it's rare and unusual, but mighty confident.

Eggs

The only egg that is cooked over high heat is the omelet. To achieve the properly cooked egg you desire, use low heat. Did you ever notice the water that oozes out of your scrambled egg? That is because it was cooked on high heat. Low and slow. And lots of stirring makes the perfect, non-watery scrambled egg.

My Niche of Prayer

After watching some boring Olympic events, I wandered onto a site that my future brother-in-law, Martyn, has written for, KillingtheBuddha.com (KtB). I was drawn to one of the headlining, recent post by Dr. Stephen Prothero, as he is Martyn's dissertation adviser.

Prothero discusses his visit to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem and his thoughts on Obama's visit and prayer offered to the Wall. One of the lines from the article struck me. "And the mystic in me knows if God is anywhere then God is everywhere." I read this line a few times. It is simple and powerful. And really makes me contemplate my connection to the Divine, right down to the core belief in something that powerful and omnipresent.

You see, religion has weaved an interest tale in my own history. I was raised a Roman Catholic. I was baptized and confirmed in the RC Church and attended, albeit mostly forcibly, for the better part of my youth. Yet as I learned more history and science and moved past what I was supposed to believe to how I want to believe, my connection to the Catholic traditions faded to oblivion. While I believe the intentions and underlying principles of Catholicism are good-natured, I can not look past its artificial traditions that are exclusive and damning, instead of inclusive and open-minded.

How can a woman not be as divine as a man. Why do priests in the Catholic church have to be male? Why has this patriarchal tradition held women to second class status, in both positions of power and trust in their strength to decide what is right for themselves and their bodies? The definition of catholic (lower case "c") is "universal in extent, involving all; of interest to all." At some point, perhaps at the Councils of Nicaea, the church failed to recognize this simple meaning. It failed to involve or be of interest to all. But I digress.

The reason I felt a connection to Prothero's piece is that this professor has struggled with some of the many issues I to have with religion. One reason I still struggle is my conflict with prayer. There are many times when I wish to pray and begin to even. Yet I don't know who or what to? What is it accomplishing? Thinking about it now, I don't know if there is a right answer. Perhaps just praying to myself is sufficient. Perhaps the act of silent contemplation and sharing myself with myself is okay. Perhaps the multitude of thoughts, struggles, and conflicts that I keep unshared and couped up should be openly discussed, even if its only with myself and in my "prayers."

So, like many others, I struggle to understand it all. I strive to believe in the strength and beauty of the human spirit, while recognizing the short-comings in ourselves as well.

And for now, my "church" doesn't have to be anywhere, it can be everywhere.

Vivid Dreams

This morning's alarm interrupted another vivid dream. It would seem lately that I have been having an increasing amount of vividness in my dreams. I have not tried to remember these dreams, but I have taken note of the beauty, amazement, and utter craziness of their occurrences. Recently I did a little bit of research, aka googled vivid dreams, and was not pleased with the results.

I found little other than the fact that many pregnant women experience them with the hormonal changes that occur during the pregnancy. Being that I am not pregnant, nor a woman, I am unsatisfied with that explanation. Yet, I am also somewhat reassured. I am definitely entering REM Sleep and therefore getting into the deeper stages of sleep.

Tomatoes are Back

In season, local tomatoes are back and fresh and amazing. As a kid I never appreciated the joy of a wonderful tomato. Now, it certainly is different. Summer is such a wonderful time for fresh vegetables.

Jenn had some wonderful tomatoes this weekend. Gorgeous, red, terrific. A dash of salt is all they needed, if that. But with a bit of fresh mozzarella, basil, a bit of salt and pepper, just plain amazing. Heirloom tomatoes are great and a luxury. But even the standard tomato are wonderful too, if they're local and fresh. And I'm the person in the store and market touching everyone and smelling the stem for odor and freshness.



This is the time of year to eat raw, fresh foods. When it's hot and humid, there is nothing like an al fresco meal. It's quick, easy, and so fulfilling.

Guess Who?

Check out the leisure suit in this picture. What were they thinking?

In Memory of Joanne Cwikla

It has been a week now that my dear friend Emily's mother passed away. Joanne Cwikla was an extraordinary woman who raised three remarkable daughters. I spent a few hours with Emily and I marvel at her strength, her vulnerability, and her love. I have many fond memories of the Cwikla family but most of all, I remember the Birthday Bear singing and Joanne with her wonderful smiling all through the song. May the spirit of Joanne live forever in her daughters and granddaughter.