PeaceBang

Who Are Unitarian Universalists??

I am sending out some serious love to Melanie Fatham of St. Louis. Here’s why:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/religion/story/B9F3C7B1C297E0B786257197001431AB?OpenDocument

Isn’t this a great article? We sound like a real religious faith tradition or something!!

I almost don’t know what to do with myself! I had a Great Snark coming on and now I have nowhere to put it!

It Could Just Be Me

St. Louis 2006 was my favorite GA ever.

We’ve changed. It could just be me, but the spirit of the Unitarian Universalist family is changing.
We’re acting more like family to one another.
There’s less bitchy factionalism.
It could just be me, gratified and relieved that at every event I attended, people spoke from the heart and in religious terms. They are trying out the Language of Reverence and I think they like it.

I remember at the Boston GA four years ago when the Language of Reverence debate made the first page of the Boston Globe with a big slapdown quote from Yours Truly in it, and — again, this could just be me — but I felt like I got a good number of hostile glares when people read my nametag. What I said in the Globe was that I was tired of drowning in euphemism. I believe I said something about “liberal fundamentalism” in the same article, but I could be wrong.

What I said 1,000 times to folks at this GA was that I think we’re finally realizing that it’s simply impossible to radically re-define religion in such a way that goes against the general working definition accepted by the rest of the planet.
The day when we can sit at the table of interreligious dialogue and huffily state that concepts like “God” and “church” and “faith” are OFFENSIVE to us are over. Praise the Lord, and I mean that. Of course there will be those who persist in this jejeune inanity, but I think they’ve lost the power to control the minds and hearts of the UU faithful who would like to have healthy spiritual communities and a legitimate voice in the public square.

Atheists, Humanist, Christians, Buddhists, Pagans, Garden-Variety Mystics — all of us are coming together and saying, “You know, it’s not about me. It’s about the greater quest that fills all our hearts and guides us toward the Kingdom.”
This year, I felt that a devoted Humanist hearing me say that would say, “Well, I wouldn’t say ‘Kingdom,’ but yes, that’s exactly right.”

Here’s what it is: for the first time in my life, I loved being with my people. As I shuddered at the parade of frumpiness, I was still filled with love and joy. And really, I’m not on any new medication. It’s real.

It might have helped that I got to present a workshop on something I care deeply about and that it was full and people were lovely with their questions, and it might be that all of our UU Christian Fellowship Events were well-attended and people were lovely with their comments and questions, and it might be that I’ve gotten to the point where I have roughly 300 wonderful UU friends I really adore that I got to sit up with every night in the hotel bar and laugh with until my eyeballs hurt, and it might be that the food was really good and that I brought the right shoes and that I met a really cute guy or that the weather was nice or that our blogger’s dinner was totally fantastic in every way or that I went to the zoo and saw the cutest sea lions show and very precious monkeys in the primate house, but I really think it was us.

Whatever it is, I’m grateful for it, and until I have evidence to the contrary, I’m going to go on believing that we have reached a New Day in our movement.

Overheard at GA

“We’re fine talking about sex, but we don’t like to talk about our souls.”

– Woman to Man on Bench Outside Workshop Roooms

I don’t know if this will be a rat-infested roach …

I don’t know if this will be a rat-infested roach motel or what, but I finally found an affordable hotel room for Revival in November:

http://www.woogo.com/accommodation/results/ve5aqo55r7rcepdlolfk10ler6/98/info.html

I share bathrooms all the time when I travel in Europe so it’s fine with me. I’m just glad to have someplace to lay my weary head that weekend.

And for less than $300 for two nights in NYC, a roach or two isn’t so bad.

GA Blogger Dinner Is Now Closed For Reservations

Final confirmed list for the GA Bloggers Dinner:

PeaceBang
Philocrites
Chalice Chick and Linguist Friend
Ron Robinson (3)
Hafidha Sofia
CK and Liz
Dame O
Ogre
Jess and John
Bret (2)
Bubble
Thom
Chutney (2)
The UU Enforcer

For a grand total of 21, one more than we’re officially reserved for. I will call Mirasol to give them the final total tomorrow.

Remember: It’s at 6:00! Come early to meet in the bar if you want to get in a drink (mojitos! mojitos!) and some mingling before plenary, which I assume most of us plan to attend late or not at all.

The Pageant is across the street if their concert that night interests you:

http://www.thepageant.com/calendar.html

Springsteen’s Got Soul

Have you heard the Bruce Springsteen “We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions” recording with songs like “O Mary Don’t You Weep” and “Jacob’s Ladder” and “Erie Canal?”

It just plain rocks.

I got it today and my great sorrow is that I can’t seem to save the tracks into i-Tunes. Any suggestions? It’s one of those fancy double-track CD’s.

Thank Gods It’s Friday Before GA!

Don’t forget to visit http://www.beautytipsforministers.blogspot.com!

Meanwhile, I’ll be at the spa.

Kiss, kiss,
peace,
bang.

Simchat Torah

Simchat Torah falls on a Sunday this year (October 8). I get an image of Jews dancing joyously around with the sacred scrolls.

Have any of you UUs ever used Simchat Torah as the central message of a sermon or service on Law or tradition?
There seems to be wonderful potential there.

GA Dinner Final Notice

First, let me say thanks to Linguist Friend for some great comments in the past few days.
Sorry I haven’t had time to respond.
CK, you said you posted something on Arb Marks, but I don’t seem to find it among your wonderful entries. Am I on the wrong blog? Which one is your UU-themed blog?

Here is the list for the GA dinner on Friday night at Mirasol in St. Louis, at 6:00 on Friday, June 23rd. The staff at Mirasol has not required a deposit from me, but asks that we ALL GET THERE NO LATER THAN 6:15. Since the last workshops end at 5:15, you should all be able to hustle your buns to 6144 Delmar Avenue (across from The Pageant) in plenty of time.

If you don’t come on time, the restaurant people are going to yell at me and make me cry, and then I’m going to have an anxiety attack. So by the time you stroll in at 6:45 I’ll have big puffy eyes and be breathing into a paper bag.
Get it? Got it? Good.

So here you are, confirmed:

Philocrites (1)
Chalice Chick and Linguist Friend (2)
Hafidha Sofia And Her Traveling Self (1)
CK (1)
Clyde G (maybe)
Dame Olympia (1)
Ogre (1)
Jess and John (Obijuan) (2)
Bret, the Errant Frog (2)
Bubble &I (1)
Rev. Thom (1)
Ron Robinson (number, Ron?)

That’s 20 at the most (if Ron brings all five of his Robinsons). We might have room for a few more. Ron, my friend, I need your final numbers ASAP.

A final note: Since PeaceBang would love very much to buy you all drinks and tapas but really doesn’t intend to, please bring loads of cash and don’t be all like, “I have to put $20 on my credit card.” Nothing will stomp PeaceBang’s margarita buzz than to be left to smooth things out with a very disgruntled wait staff and a very disgruntled self, smoothing out wrinkled Hamiltons and murmuring “Damn those bloggers for leaving me with the bill.”

It Feels Good

Please don’t yell at me for being stupid enough to upgrade from a little Honda Civic to a Honda CR-V with gas prices like this and also with the global warming and all.

It was just my dream car and I after a year of checking various dealerships online I finally found one I could afford with excellent mileage. My old car was getting all old and creaky and needing lots of work and so I just went out and bought this for myself today:

Except mine is green like my old one. I am quite fond of green cars.
(Cripes, the car in the photo looks yards longer and bigger than the one in my driveway right now! Mine is older and smaller)

I’m not kidding about my old car. My muffler literally FELL OFF when I was on my way to the dealership. It fell off, people. I drove the last thirty miles blowing down the highway like a road hog. I probably lost some of my hearing.

Man, there is NOTHING like buying yourself a car with your own damn money.
Or rather, paying some cash down and financing a car with your own damn credit and money.

Ten years ago I had a stinky lying cheating and did I mention lying? dirty rotten bastid of a boyfriend who bought himself a red CR-V. I loved it and he said, “When we get married I’ll buy you your own.”

So of course I, like a fool, thought that was possible. And for years afterward when I saw a CR-V I would say to myself, “I’ll never have one.”

So I would like to say to that lying stinkin’ no good lying cheating old boyfriend, “I GOT ONE FOR MYSELF, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.”

P.S. Love and kisses to the guys at Herb Chambers Honda Dealership for not being horrible, over-bearing smarmy car salesmen and for just being charming and honest and not trying to tell me I don’t know my old car’s blue book value and all that sort of thing like they always did to me at other car dealerships. I know it helped that I was very cute when I walked in and started calling all of you “Herb,” but you were terrific anyway. I actually enjoyed buying this car, and under usual circumstances I would rather gouge out my eyes with a sharp stick than go into a car dealership. Plus I know my old car was pretty broken with a muffler hanging off it and all, so you were cool to give me a really awesome buyback price for it. Thanks, Herb.