PeaceBang

Things Making Me Laugh Today

As you may know, SisterBang has a dog named Gordon, also affectionately known as “Dordy,” “G. Gordon Liddy” and “Dr. Smoothenstein.”

When asked what breed he is, SisterBang always responds that he is a Gordon Retriever. He looks, actually, somewhat like a Viszla (sp?). He is a very smooth, handsome orange mutt guy with a greying muzzle. My sister is NEVER seen without him by her side. They sleep in the bed together, head on the same pillow.

I love Gordon excessively, even when he falls out of bed in the night as he did last weekend, sounding for all the world like a cannonball coming through the window. SisterBang slept soundly through the whole thing while I sat up in bed with my hair on end.

Anyway, you know how you have voices for your animal family members? We have a voice for Gordon that sounds somewhat like Goliath in the old “Davey and Goliath” claymation television show that you used to watch on Sundays when you were a kid (and you know you still think of it every time you hear the opening strains of “Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott.”) It’s the voice we use for all the dogs in our family. Before it was Gordon’s voice it was Pippin’s voice.

This is all a very long backstory to what’s making me laugh, which is this:
last weekend, I was talking with Gordon and he said to me (via his ventriloquist, of course) in the most gentle doggy way, “Don’t get up in my grill.”

I am laughing to tears just thinking about it all day today. Can you just picture that?? I must need more sleep.

The other thing that’s making me laugh is the word “pillock.” Which I think is British slang for “irritating doofus.”
Do you get a mental image of Tony Blair when you say it? Me, too.

I hope there are many things making you laugh today. I have BANJO at 4:30, and I’m sure my lame, plunky rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In” will bring some laughter into my teacher’s life.

A Manual Of Worship for UUs

I got a lovely little book at General Assembly called A Manual Of Worship: Insights From Over 50 Years As A Unitarian Universalist Minister by Frank Schulman. Terry Sweetser edited it and William Sinkford wrote the foreward.

Neither Boy In the Bands nor I can find it anywhere on line. I bought my copy at the Skinner House booth, I think, but noticed that they were also selling copies out at the Fund For the Living Tradition tables, or whatever they do out at those tables where they give out ribbons and apples? (Anyone? Anyone?)

Let’s not keep this light under a bushel! Let’s get a copy into the hands of every seminarian and every minister! Especially since the dear departed Frank Schulman says so many things with which I wholeheartedly and passionately agree!

Connected people, this is your mission should you choose to accept it: where can we order copies of this book?

Calling Former Jesuits

PeaceBang is on the love rampage again — but this time not for herself (although that continues), but for her dear friend.

This friend is very cute and very brilliant, and she’s calling all angels to hook her up with, in her own words, “a nice, straight former Jesuit.”

When I hear her say that, I first say to myself, “Your mouth to God’s ears!” But then I just can’t help but envision a lot of angels standing together around the Clipboard of Life saying, “Oh god, she wants a STRAIGHT former Jesuit?” and wringing their hands.

So you heard it here. We have an order out for one terrific, straight, attractive former Jesuit. He’s also supposed to be a “colorful” person. And by that we mean no “culturally clueless white boys,” and that’s a direct quote, yo.

Union Chapel In the Grove

MotherBang and I attended the most beautiful church service this past Sunday at Union Chapel in the Grove, built in 1875 on the site of a former Methodist Camp Meeting ground.

God bless the Methodists for building these chapels so that summer worshipers might have somewhere to go to church while vacationing in popular destinations like the Hamptons and Maine.

I loved their liturgy, which began with this proclamation of the Christian faith:

Minister: Let us proclaim our Christian faith.

People: We believe in one God, the creator of the universe, who gives us breath, offers us the ways of life or death, and seeks to shied us from willful error and evil. He is also our judge.

[I just love that! I love that God “offers” us the ways of life or death, indicating that we have free will to follow or not… and I LOVE that tacked on ending — almost casual, “he is also our judge.” No big, threatening deal, just an acknowledgement of the higher Moral Cause. Right ON!]

We believe in Jesus Christ, the man of Nazareth, our crucified and living Lord, sent by God to share our human lot, overcoming sin and death. He is our example.

[We believe in J.C. the man of Nazareth! How lovely is that? Note the liberal christology there. Also, I love that Jesus is our crucified and LIVING Lord — which helps avoid the squick factor for those who, when they hear the words “crucified and risen,” get a mental image of the Zombie Jesus. And I LOVE the phrase, “He is our example.” Again, tacked onto the end in the most comfortable, respectful way. He is our example. Period. Damn well told]

We believe in the Holy Spirit of God who eagerly enters all receptive hearts [I love that!!How Universalist!], inspiring us to love and serve others, to resist evil and to proclaim God’s good news throughout the world. He is our power.

[Aside from naming the Holy Spirit as “he,” I totally dig that treatment of the Ghost.]

Mom and I got teary-eyed over the beautiful hymns like “Be Still, My Soul” and “God of Grace and God of Glory” — and exchanged several dewy-eyed looks of astonishment at the talent of the string quartet — all teenagers from the nearby Perlman Music Camp who graced us with an exquisite rendition of Quartet #2 in D major by Borodin for the Anthem. When I say these kids were good, I don’t mean they were good for kids. I mean they were amazingly good, period. You just can’t imagine the joy of sitting in church next to my cherished Mama on a beautiful summer day in this gem of a chapel hearing this soaring music. My soul was made whole. I don’t think I could have worked up an anxiety attack that hour if you paid me.

Pastor Bill Grimbol, guest preaching for the day as a visitor from his own Presbyterian congregation, gave us one of those meandering, unscripted, lovely sermons filled with stories from his own life, earnest musings, passionate exhortations, and plenty of love. He dealt out his own life passed through the fire of thought, and I greatly appreciated that. He is my mother’s pastor, and I wanted to hear him. She’s right: if I lived in the area I would be glad to have him as my minister. Thanks, Pastor Bill.

What a beautiful church-going experience it was. Remember the name Linnea Brophy, a young violinst who is going places.

I hope they’ll let me preach there sometime. What a pleasure that would be.

Going To Get Officially Hugged

Now I’m all nervous that I’ll forget and wear something that Amma thinks is too tight, too short, or that I’ll wear a sleeveless shirt by accident:

http://www.amma.org/tours/amma-tours/devi-bhava-public-program.html

Somehow I don’t think this is what should be on your mind when going to meet the Hugging Saint.

I Heart Malan

Are you watching “Project Runway?”

Can you STAND that they ousted Malan last night?

I can’t.

This is how deep my thoughts run these days.

To reality shows and barbecuing. Join me in the Land of Shallow!

Barbecue Challenged

Just curious: is it really true that you can add briquettes and other good-smelling, smoke-creating agents to the bottom of a gas grill?

I have a very girlie gas grill that I back away from, squealing in terror, whenever the flames shoot too high. I am a Grill Whimp.

BrotherBang, who stands manfully before 4′ high flames without flinching, claims that I can put, oh I don’t know, chipotle-flavored cedar chips in there under my steak or whatever. I am very surprised to hear this.

Aside from the fact that some loyal readers of this blog strenuously object to my consuming of steaks and other friendly members of the animal kingdom, what are you favorite grilling and barbecuing tricks?

I know this isn’t deep. It’s JULY. It’s A HUNDRIT DEGREES. That’s the POINT. Go get some watermelon and let me know what you think.

Chlorine Brain

It’s very very hot in the Hamptons, but you would never know it at here at La Casa de MotherBang. We go from the shady backyard and pool to the air-conditioned house. We eat. We blab. We read. We eat some more. We take naps. BrotherBang updates us on the status of what’s happening in Lebanon, which is scary and deeply upsetting. We have differences of opinion, but no fights. Hallelujah.

It is very good. Sister and BrotherBang were here, and Sister-In-Law and the two babies. MotherBang and I cracked up today when she suggested they call me “Rantie PeaceBang” instead of Auntie PeaceBang.

I did read _The Alchemist_ by Paulo Coehlo and I thought it was so terrible I was tempted to throw it into the pool. I truly WANTED to rant and rave about it for a long time but really, I was too relaxed to manage much more than fairly mild exclamations of disgust and dismay.

_The Alchemist_ is Joseph Campbell by way of Oprah by way of Charo. That is the LAST TIME PeaceBang will ever trust the general bookbuying public to choose her Deep Spiritual Tomes for her.

MotherBang’s computer is old and has a dial-up connection, so that’s all I can say now. I can’t even figure out how to italicize THE ALCHEMIST.

One more thing: we attended a beautiful church service at a Methodist Camp Church. More on that later.

Stay cool. Don’t kill anyone. Even when you’re stuck in traffic around Boston.

Peace.
Bang.

Personal to SisterBang: I got you the second Ditty-Bops album! Psych!

Thursday Cat Blogging (Because I’ll Be Gone On Friday)

Flea Motel
Originally uploaded by Peacebang.

Someone who doesn’t even ever go outside and who hasn’t caught a mouse in two years has managed to get fleas anyway.

We think maybe the housesitter, who has a horse and spends a lot of time in the barn, might have contributed them.

We are all doing well after a visit to the vet, thank you.

And we’ll thank you not to mention it to an elegant little Someone in Particular, who is a little mortified, but who as at least come out of hiding for snuggling and love for the first time in days.

The Lively Tradition and PeaceBang on Hiatus

While I’m away for the next however-many days, I hope you’ll all head on over to my darling Tom Schade’s new blog, The Lively Tradition, and read every post:

http://thelivelytradition.blogspot.com/2006/07/lively-tradition.html

Glad to have you back in the blogosphere, baby.