Goodbye

It has truly been ages since I've blogged anything of substance. Life has been full with the amazing, the good, the bad & the ugly and I've just not been quite ready to write much about it! If you have known me from the days when I listened to Jewel on repeat and wore Doc Marten's, you may remember my dear friends Stacey & Ethan--the adorable, fun-loving high school sweethearts who eventually married and became parents to the currently 1 year old Chloe. I have so many lovely memories with these two and had the privilege of meeting Chloe last summer. Ethan passed away very unexpectedly a few weeks ago and I made a quick trip back to Seattle to participate in his memorial, seeing a wealth of 'old friends' (a great group they are!).

Ethan, you will be missed. I remain touched by your love and devotion to Stacey and tenderness with Chloe. You always won Moffia and every card game known to man (which made me so frustrated!) and had a wealth of patience with Corina and me during OHS lunch hours, when we made you repeatedly remind us of the 'tender heart in a blender' lyrics we kept forgetting and only mildly made fun of us for the Pipsticks ridiculosity.

More than anything I was amazed to see so much of Ethan in Chloe. Ethan, your daughter is beautiful--and Stacey, you will raise her well. Much love.

Gluten free, way to be.

After months of relentlessly stalking the specialty sections at different groceries stores, I've finally found an edible Gluten-Free meat substitute! 'Soyrizo'... I know, sounds gross (I hate veggie meat names... i.e. smartdogs...) but let me tell you, I made Mexi eggs tonight for dinner and deLISH! Just when I was beginning to mourn the lack of GF substitutes... sure I like tofu but come on... throw a girl a slice of vegBACON!

Ok. Still no bacon (yet another reason why I must call myself quasi-veg). But Chorizo.

In other news? I finally bought new fabric for our bedroom curtains! Yay. Thanks to Jenna for letting me use her sewing machine this weekend... and to Maggie for tips on curtain-making. I can't wait!

Buenos Amigos

We've been lusting after the Dominican Republic lately... just dying to get back! Sure, we miss the beaches, the tostones, the blaring merengue music, the lively atmosphere & bright colors--but even more we miss the children we worked with, their families and our dear Dominican & Haitian friends. Our 2 years in Barahona were rich with learning and challenges--and even more rich with new friendships. We're saving up our pennies for a post-graduation trip... if we can pull it off!

Meanwhile we've developed a great relationship with a Cuban refugee family here in Chicago. They have that same beautiful vibrancy in their personalities that we grew to love in Dominicans and are incredibly faithful friends, always expressing their care and wanting to share lives as much as possible. That is difficult for us with our insane schedules but they are understanding &--knowing we don't have time to cook much--try to feed us mounds of Caribbean food as often as possible! Platanos, habichuelas, frijoles, pollo di tu, carne gisado... wow can they cook!

A few weeks ago we were able to host them for a Sunday dinner--and it was about time, considering all the evenings they had hosted for us at their place! The first time they were over we didn't have much time to cook so this time I wanted to prepare something that seems very 'traditionally american.' I chose lasagna & was pleased that they loved it! They even ate the asparagus, which was a new veggie for them. The whole meal was gone by the end of the night--not a leftover in sight. We had fabulous conversation, ranging from politics to feminism... and were so pleased our friend Hope could join us.We're still fighting to find them work... life in Chicago for blue collar workers is very tough right now. If you know of ANYTHING--from child care to cleaning... Carol used to be a pilot, can drive & is a fine carpenter... let us know!!

St. Paddy's wake up: panties barf

We had Alex & Nick over for dinner last night for our annual St. Patrick's Day/Alex's birthday festivities. Each year, they just get better and better! Year 1: downtown Chicago to see if they really dye the river green (the answer is yes), watch the parade & join in the Irish after hours excitement. Year 2: Amy & Friend's Vegetarian Cafe (wearing a feather boa... um... are those bird feathers at a veggie restaurant?...) followed by green beverages & good times. Year 3: Slumber party at the Strait pad! Dinner & a rowdy game of Apples to Apples lasted until after midnight, when we all crashed in our respective sleeping spots, followed by breakfast & conversation the next morning.


Bubbles in a wig (Nick & Alex also have a pup-child--yet another reason we get along so well! She is always invited to our place when we get together). As you can see in the photo above, the wig was a hot commodity!

The next morning started a bit earlier than we had anticipated. I woke up in the middle of the night to find Mollie sleeping on our pile of clean laundry (now not so clean & sufficiently wrinkled to make me consider ironing... which will still never happen...). I didn't think much about it... until I awoke again to her retching & throwing up around the room. I got up to clean the stinky mess & couldn't for the life of me figure out what she had eaten to make her upchuck something so solid! It took me a few minutes of poking at it to realize: SHE THREW UP MY PANTIES!!! Two pairs, to be exact, taken from the clean laundry pile. SHE ATE 2 PAIRS OF MY UNDERWEAR & THEY HAD BEEN IN HER STOMACH for long enough to no longer appear much like underwear. !!!! Sick. Sick sick sick sick.

Our houseguests were pretty impressed, to say the least. And Mollie?

How would you feel if you just threw up 2 pairs of panties?
'Nuff said.

Dana's Article

This is Drew guest blogging. I just hacked in here to post some exciting press that Dana's article has received. Last week Northwestern forwarded a story about Dana's research to different press agencies. Since then it has gotten over 20,000 hits in newspapers around the world. We have even seen it in 6 languages including the Iran Daily and the India Times. What? For those of you who were not able to find the links here you go:

U.S. News & World Report

ABCnews.com

Also, here is a brief interview that aired on NPR last week here in Chicago:

Chicago NPR

I am one proud husband :)

Lovely Weekend Full Weekend... I'm pooped...

Our house guest headed home Saturday, after treating us to a lovely meal out (@ the Celtic Knot in Lincoln Park... which was not as great as it had been made to sound by a number of my friends... only recommended if you have an itch for decent fries, beer &... watching 4 basketball games simultaneously?). Saturday was incredibly full--from ballet (as in, my class...) to the lab, then from the lab to doing our taxes (I did it! I did it!) and from taxes straight to the JOFFREY with friend Jade to soak up their winter program. Kettentanz, Cotillon, Le Sacre du Printemps & Mobile.

Although the program was designed to feature le Sacre, I must say that Mobile stole the show. I was left without breath--the choreography was just so smooth. Unbelievable strength!! Image below (not from the Joffrey... couldn't pull one up... mind you, the Joffrey stage was a blue hue & the dancers absolutely phenomenal...).
Le Sacre also was phenomenal--I adore the music so really they couldn't go too wrong. Although I typically miss pointe shoes, the jumping & swirling made up for their absence.

Thanks to Jade for a lovely evening! One day I do hope to strap on a pair of those pointy shoes myself...!

Returned home to plan Sunday school... it all came together just in time but boy am I sleepy today...

researchers are asking: are our brains hard-wired to believe in God?

M.A. Persinger (2009). Are our brains structured to avoid refutations of belief in God? An experimental study Religion, 39 (1), 34-42 DOI: 10.1016/j.religion.2008.05.005

I ran across an interesting article via ResearchBlogging.net this morning: a project (albeit, one needing some serious follow up & certainly open to alternate interpretations) indicating that the human brain is structured (inherently 'hard-wired') to believe in God. Basically, that statements refuting God's existence confound parts of our brain.

From 'http://ResearchBlogging.net':

"Michael Persinger is a behavioural scientist at Laurentian University in Canada who is most famous for studies where he uses transcranial magnetic stimulation to induces feelings of God in ordinary people (even, on one occasion, Richard Dawkins!).

Persinger thinks that we're hardwired to believe in God, and his latest research on this has just been published. His experiment was rooted in the theory that parts of your right-brain are involved in detecting potential upsets in a logical chain of thought, before passing this information over to decision-making parts of your left hemisphere."

From exploring Persinger's work, I'm left wondering: is it harder for some to experience a transcendent God than others? It certainly wouldn't be surprising--even within Christians we see a striking continuum of 'belief & experience of God' styles--from pentecostal to quite liturgical. In the end, I do believe it is possible to experience God without that 'fluffy feeling': is He not embedded within human love & compassion? Within our very struggle against selfishness & pride? Within higher degrees of consciousness? Surely Science cannot answer these questions, but I find the attempts intriguing.

If you watch the video, do be sure to make it to the end.

does it get any cuter?

see? they're secretly friends.

(tink will be sooo embarrassed to find I blogged her cuddling with mollie... she likes to play 'tough kitty'...)

American Airlines Miles?

Okay, I know--it's a desperate plea BUT... we each need 18,000 more miles to visit our friends in Tajikistan & be a part of a friend's wedding next summer (for the wedding we have to travel during peak season... we had saved up enough to travel in off-peak season but guess that won't work now!)... anyone have American Airlines miles sitting around they won't be using? Every little bit helps.

I know, desperate plea. Until then... we'll be putting everything on our American Airlines credit card. ;)

what could be more romantic?

You tell me. What could be more romantic for Valentine's Day than attending an opera in which a clown learns his girlfriend plans to run away with her lover & stabs her and her lover to death in front of a crowd expecting to see a circus show? Well, when you have 2nd row seats at the Lyric, I can tell you: not much.

That's right folks, we were once again privileged to put my advisor's fabulous Lyric Opera tickets to good use. It was a back-to-back performance of Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci and I have to say, I can't remember when I enjoyed an opera so much. The performances were exquisite & the orchestra just spot on. I could tell the conductor was 'feeling the magic', as we heard him gasping with satisfaction from the pit.

Our seats? Right down front, just right of center. Keep in mind that there are four balconies. It's a big place. And I've sat in that fourth balcony... which made me appreciate the seats even more!

Professor Strait & Other News

I've received a number of emails this week calling me "Dr. Strait" & I have to say, that sounds okay! As undergraduates prepare for Spring registration, my class, the Biology of Music, has been receiving some attention. I've spent this weekend finalizing the syllabus (including my late policy, grading scheme and the like)... and most of yesterday sifting through potential readings. Today I'm focusing on birdsong & ape drumming... oh joy.

It's difficult putting myself in the shoes of an undergrad once again... how much is too much reading? Which readings are most appropriate for this academic level? For the final paper, do I ask for 10 pages? 15? 20?? And putting together the lectures... here again my attention to detail returns to bite me in the hinny. Most of yesterday I spent searching the internet for cute images but today find myself wishing I had a few of those hours back to spend on lecture content... If I can get through 'part one' today I think I'll be satisfied with my progress.

In other news? Our Cuban friends are joining us for a big dinner tonight, as well as another friend of ours, Hope, who's working with me to coordinate refugee ministry at our church. There are just so many refugees attending now, I wish Drew & I had the time to get to know each of them in more depth! We celebrated two Congolese teenage girls' birthdays this morning after the service & their father (an extremely well educated, well spoken man) shared with the church his deep appreciation for the community they've found at Living Water. He said that he always believed that after death he would join in with people from all countries & of all skin colors to worshiping God without boundaries... to his surprise, however, he's been given the opportunity to do that even now. Never, he says, has he been part of such an undivided community, representative of people not only of different races/cultures but also of different economic & educational levels. This message made my heart sing. :)

i told you

Listen, I told you Mollie sleeps in strange positions. If the 'Fluffy Face' post didn't convince you, this will.
Please forgive the poor photography. Our camera's not been friendly with us lately. But you get the picture.

Skates the Wolf & Birthday Fun

We had what we agreed might be our favorite Chicago birthday for Drew this past week. He usually puts pressure on me months in advance to NOT plan anything... I suppose that should make my life easier but being the social animal I am, I feel much less stress with a birthday coming up knowing I've organized a nice gathering, complete with party hats, blowers, gift bags and... of course... plenty of cake.

This year I went ahead & invited a few friends to join us for Happy Hour at the Straits' & a Wolves hockey game. Nicky (top left--and yes, she's quite pregnant) has her birthday the day before Drew's so we celebrated both of their beautiful lives (they even shared candles to blow out). We enjoyed all sorts of hors d'oeuvres here at home followed by a raucous game.Eric took the time to educate me on the rules of the game, as the one & only time I'd been to a hockey game was forever ago, with the Lutheran church's junior high youth group. Can't say I remembered much. BUT boy do I know now! From high sticking to icing, I'm getting this game down.

Skates the Wolf entertained us between each period... and there was a blimp (??still confused by that??). Very small children wearing very large pads playing with very large sticks also came out onto the ice between periods... we enjoyed watching the smallest children trying to keep up. Okay, that's not true. I mostly enjoyed watching them try & break in with the larger kids crowding the puck & spinning in circles because they weren't strong enough to push themselves along wearing all that gear & then falling over & then falling over again. I know. I'm a bad person. But it was cute.

Happy birthday, my dear Drew, and happy birthday, our dear Nicky! And thanks to Jenna, Nick & Eric for celebrating with us.

Scholar Drew

I've resigned myself to the fact that Drew would rather be sitting in this precise location reading--cup of coffee on hand & candles lit--than pretty much anything else. Period.

It's true. And cute.

I can only hope that our children take after his study habits and not mine... Should they take after me, they'll spend most of their study time on the couch with gchat & facebook open, a tv show streaming in the background and checking their email every 10 seconds. I know. Pathetic.

Fluffy Face

We've had quite the pet-filled week. Tink, in an effort to escape Mollie the Wild, leaped into our open dish shelf, where all the pretty breakables are housed (you know, dishes, wine glasses, serving bowls...)... only to 'happen' to knock to the floor the only items that are not replaceable: the lovely shiny antique bowls with the cutest handles that my mother gave me. All of them.

She also puked in the windowsill. Awesome.

Mollie received an 8+ hour haircut, completed over 3 sessions. Poor baby. And poor Drew, the barber. Her hair is quite short but grooming a goldendoodle's tough work! They get matted very quickly. We've had to institute a nightly brushing sesh. I don't even brush my own hair that often. Hopefully we won't have to cut her hair this short again until summer...

The weather's been amazing the past few days (literally, it's gone from -30 to +66 oF!!), so Drew & Moll have spent a significant amount of time at the park, be it on a run or playing with doggie friends. When she comes back she's zonked... Mollie sleeping is hilarious, let me tell you. She's either on her back, legs spread eagle, or next to the wall with her back feet propped up on something.

See?

In other news, Drew's birthday was Saturday & we had such a fun evening! Post coming soon...

And I started a design blog. We'll see if I can keep it up. http://www.lucilovely.com