Um...yes, please!

Oh I love this beautiful Italian man. The hair, the blazer, the scarf, the pants, the face, the colors: divine.

Original found here: Sartorialist

beck

Can it be Friday already?

This week is going to be a bear. Très dificile. I don't want to do it. It's going to kick my butt. It's probably time I get my butt into gear. I might not make it through. Well, I'll probably make it, but I might not be the happiest person at the end...and I might end up with a sore bum. In an ideal world I'll be happy with myself for getting through a difficult week and all that blah blah blah tough stuff that makes me better and stronger. Thank goodness I'm babysitting G & W on Friday night. That'll make everything better for sure!

Wish me luck!

beck

Lift Every Voice and Sing

Lift every voice and sing til earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of liberty.
Let our rejoicing rise high as the listening skies.
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us.

Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.

In junior high, there were only a handful of black girls in my choir class. For one of our assemblies (maybe it was for Black History Month? though I doubt it) our choir sang the Black National Anthem or "Lift Every Voice and Sing." I remember being amazed at those few black girls who already knew the song when I never even knew it existed. As a young and patriotic American I remember wondering why they needed an additional national anthem. Though I was happy to sing along with them, I'm sure it didn't mean as much to me as it did to them.

While I was in high school, Black History Month merely meant someone shared a sort of inspirational quote as part of the daily announcements over the PA system during the short month of February. And I can't remember hearing anything about it at BYU--not that there was nothing, but I didn't hear about it.

Black History Month is certainly celebrated in Washington, DC. It's been neat to see some of the things that go on here over the last two years. Just a few weeks ago the boy I tutor, David, talked about his class visit to the Lincoln Theater in Washington, DC. His class sang songs--mostly folk-type--and one of them happened to be "Lift Every Voice and Sing," which was probably in preparation for Black History Month. David started singing the song to me. I was amazed when he started clumsily singing the words (he's not from here so he didn't know the song) and I was able to jump in with no trouble remembering the melody and with little trouble remembering the words. After 10 years the song reappeared in my mind as if it was ever present there.

The point of this is story is not about me; this is about the song itself and the message it delivers. I think there's a reason why this song has lingered in my memory while I've forgotten so many others. The music and lyrics are simple, which make it easy to commit the song to memory. Most importantly though, the lyrics carry a powerful meaning. I'm certainly not Black and I can never really empathize with their struggle for equality. However, I can follow the urging of the lyrics to "lift every voice and sing." The dark past that is referenced was not my own, but the present and future are full of hope* for everyone, including me.

beck

*not meant to imply any kind of Obama hope. It's a little sad to me how that concept is a bit tainted now by his campaign.

Love Life

For fear of sounding nonchalant and ungrateful for my life in some recent posts and conversations, I am writing this to set the record straight. While there are some aspects of my life that make me feel terribly anxious and unsatisfied, I still find myself in fortunate circumstances. As an example of how truly blessed I am, here's a short rundown of my weekend's events.

I saw the Mariinsky Ballet perform Sleeping Beauty at the Kennedy Center on Friday night. This was the third of five shows I'm attending there this month. I live in the second greatest city in America for the live arts and I am able to take advantage of it. The Kennedy Center is without a doubt my favorite place in DC. I love getting to the theater early, standing in the enormous halls in awe at everything I see. Of course the shows are usually fantastic too. I'm seeing Spartacus tomorrow.

Saturday was full of...surprises. I went downtown with a few incredible people whom I'm happy to call my friends. My friends were participating in the Cupid Undies Run for the Children's Tumor Foundation. About a hundred or so people ran around the Capitol Building in their skivvies or less...all for the children. Now that's freedom at its coldest and finest. I happened to run into a dear former coworker there too. After the run we had burgers at Chef Spike's Good Stuff Eatery. Surprisingly delicious. Next time I'm getting a shake.

Later that night I was surprised with flowers and chocolate by a sweet and wonderful man. We went to dinner and a movie. That was my first Valentine's Day date ever. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

On Sunday I visited the beloved Washington DC 3rd Ward in the morning. It's probably been close to a year since I've visited that ward--far too long. I was so happy that I cried a few tears of joy during the first meeting. I really wish I was married so I wouldn't feel guilty if I attended that family ward instead of my own singles ward. Following those church meetings, I attended the baptism of a new member of my own ward. Conversions are miraculous. The blessings of the gospel are for everyone.

Last night I babysat my two favorite little people so their parents could have a romantic night out. I've been babysitting for that family for a year now. Don't tell the man mentioned above that G was my preferred Valentine. I've loved him and his sister since I started sitting for them. Babysitting has also been beneficial for me to earn steady extra money.

All I can say about what I did today is I have incredible friends.

So basically I love my life. "And there you go..."

beck

Snowed In

(blog.freepeople.com)

Today is the third day in a row that our offices have been closed due to snow. Yesterday I made the trek to DC to take care of a couple things in the office, bought a new wool coat and my first fedora, exchanged a show ticket for a show that has since been cancelled and headed home just before it started snowing again.

I'm hoping that the power will stay on during today's storm. It went out Friday night in our neighborhood and didn't come back on until Monday afternoon. Our apartment was an ice box when we came back to it on Monday night.

I'm also hoping that all the branches above my truck will stay on their trees today so as not to cause more damage to the Flying Dakota.

On an unrelated topic...Jess y James' Baby Janen Marie was born at 7:59 this morning in Utah! She weighed in at 9 lbs 8.4 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. That's 9 1/2 lbs! They're both doing well. So wonderful!

beck

Tell Me a Story

In the mood to hear a good story? For a short and sweet treat, I recommend visiting Story Corps. I was introduced to Story Corps during an anthropology course on American culture while at BYU. I thought it was neat at the time, because it fit what we were trying to do for the class. Now I appreciate the site for its use of technology to mirror the past to orally pass on stories and traditions.


How about reading a story? This is a fun version of a love story from my friend's blog. I absolutely love it. Oh and it's actually her own love story.

double-take. pirate and flapper. dancing. san francisco. paris. roses. postcards. provo. love. san diego. neighbors. photo booths. school. love. school. families. balloons. ring. planning. dress. tux. temple. wedding. new york. provo. nephews. new york. advertising. hair. ... love

Then compare those versions of concentrated writing and speech to the kind of story you can get from telling a story to someone in an everyday conversation. Before I met my sister's fiance, I asked her to tell me about them and their love story. And like a good sister, I transcribed her response. It's not in typical story form, but you can see their story in it.

"He takes me out dancing so he can hold me tight. He gets this lovestruck look and then rubs my nose with his nose. He knows himself really well. So when he says something he means it. He's better at expressing himself honestly so he helps me to better express myself. He has a crazy cocky swagger when he walks. He says it has to do with his posture, but i don't believe him. He kind of rough houses me. He'll occasionally try to tickle me and accidentally break a rib. It's the Lenny Syndrome (Of Mice and Men). He reads the scriptures and prays everyday. He wants to be a worthy priesthood-holding father and have a loving family. We just fit. We schedule well. Marriage is more than a solely romantic relationship. It's a business relationship too, you know. I just feel content about it. There's no confusion about him. I feel happy when I'm with him."

Today I learned about a new kind of storytelling--one where you can watch the story without hearing it. DC houses a physical theater company called Synetic Theater. A physical theater company "fuses the classical elements of drama, movement, dance, mime, and music into a distinct form of non-realistic theater." They are currently performing Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra without speech. The whole romantic drama is performed without speaking. I like the idea, but I wonder how this is different from something like a story ballet. So I'll go see the show and then report back. Yeah, sounds like a good idea to me.

beck