out this week

Somtimes life is just delayed a little bit...and like life so is this blog this week. The editor is out this week.

at the zoo

Here is a compilation of our recent Lincoln Park Zoo visit.

pondering chicago 2: what i will miss

Yesterday was the bad. The things that I dislike, cringe, and fear about Chicago. Today, are the things that suck me in to such a great city. These are the things that I like and will miss when I leave.

Diversity. The diversity of the city is amazing. So many different ethnicities, races, and cultures all huddled into one place as community. Life as it should be, or at least close.

There is something about urban life that is so great. The culture, thoughts, activities, and life in the city is just different and it is ‘good’!

Urban design. I love narrow streets, back allies, and diverse housing. The city equips neighborhoods to have mixed housing. This creates diversity among the rich and the poor, black and white, and different cultures. Among that, there are sidewalks everywhere. Creating the opportunity to walk or bike where you need to get to. I will also miss street parking.

I love getting on a bus or the el. Mass transit is underrated. I feel like we are missing something when we forgo community in transportation. The el brings a viable and fun way to see the city. It allows people to get around the city fast and views of it that are otherwise not possible.
Really tall buildings. There is something ingenious about seeing the engineering and design that goes into a skyscraper.

I’ll miss my church.

I’ll miss my friends.

It’s been something of a privilege to live next to Lake Michigan for the past four years. The beach is a wonderful place to be in the summer time. Picnics and walks are also fun.

The endless opportunities for food. You can find just about anything in Chicago and best bets are that it is close. From Thai to steak to anything in between it is all here.

I’ll miss the North Park Nature Center. It houses nature trails, nature programs, and birding. Also on the grounds is the recycling center.

Sometimes the parking lot is a little small and the aisles a little narrow, but Traders Joe’s serves up some of the best groceries in the city for your money. I’ve come to love Joe Joe’s and mango vanilla soy ice cream.

Kind of an odd thing – but the $5 pizzas at Dominick’s on Friday nights. It’s not as good as a quality pizza place in Chicago, but it is way better than Pizza Hut or Dominoes.

Chicago hot dogs. Yummy!

Wrigley field. It isn’t the cheapest place to see a ball game, but there are very few places left today that have so much history and baseball in one place.

Good radio stations. If you’ve ever been in a region with a bad assortment of radio stations you will appreciate this one.

Someone is always standing up for justice. It seems as though there is always a rally, march, or activist fighting for someone here.

It’s always easy to pick some one up, drop someone off, or take my own trip with O’Hare being so close. I will miss the easy access to a big airport.

It’s impossible to be bored in Chicago. The countless museums, parks, festivals, and programs make the city a tourist attraction and a fun place to be.

Grant Park Music Festival. World class music for free.

I love being so close to Michigan and Wisconsin. I will miss the days when I am only a quick drive to the border.

I love Chicago and Great Lakes history. It will be sad not to be a part of that.

pondering chicago: the bad

At the possibility of moving from Chicago I ponder the things that I love about Chicago and the things that I do not like so much. Back in December I wrote about my love-hate relationship with the city. Over the next two days I’ll be describing some of the likes and dislikes.

Especially over the past few months I have felt an even bigger urge to just “get out” of Chicago. Here are some of the reasons why:

• 
  Although Chicago is full of alternative ways of travel: buses, trains, and bikes the city and surrounding suburbs are still controlled by car travel. Many people are able to walk or bike to most of the activities in Chicago, however many more still have to depend on a car (or bus) to do shopping and other community activities. Wherever you go cars are everywhere in huge amounts. Working outside of the city has created quite a commute for me. And I will never miss it. Traffic is by far the greatest thing I will love leaving.
• 
  Along with traffic is the amount of time it takes to get somewhere. Even though the closest grocery store is only a mile away, it can sometimes take up to twenty minutes to get from point A to B. A “quick” trip to the grocery store can take thirty plus minutes.
• 
  The home prices in Chicago are outrageous. Many people are taking advantage of cheap houses right now. As I stare at the $700K house for sale at the end of my block, I think I could never be a home owner here.
• 
  No yard, no garden, no fun. Without any seeable future of owning a home in Chicago the only prospect left is a condo or rented apartment. Like most in the city they have no yard, no opportunity for a garden, or to use the yard for activities.
• 
  Chicago has its own culture like any place. As I wrote a couple weeks ago, some of it is not so good. People don’t say ‘hello’ to each other here. Driving etiquette is out the window. And it always feels like I am wearing an invisibility cloak around when I am here.
• 
  Much of this bad culture is expressed in mass aggression and dangerous driving. Everyone feels like they can do whatever they want to other drivers. Much like what we all did in the first-grade lunch line to get the food first.
• 
  It always feels odd to walk or drive in the dark. Why? Because in Chicago the street lights are always on and they are everywhere.
• 
  With thousands of lights always on that means I can’t see the stars. Well, unless they are moving stars.
• 
  I live in a fairly busy neighborhood. There are always cars driving by. (You could never play a pick-up hockey game in the street.) But, that’s not the problem. The problem is there is always noise. Whether it is a car, blaring, ambulance, and sometimes simply just noise.
• 
  Chicago has a lot of people. So many in fact that everywhere I go it always feels like it is crowded.
• 
  High food costs. Jewel is out of their mind! I don’t know how people can afford it.
• 
  My job is thirty miles away. Enough said.
• 
  It is hard to run (and I won’t bike) because of all the unsafe drivers in the city. I don’t know how the bikers bike around without a helmet.
• 
  President Parkyn. Grrrr.
• 
  Police that disregard red lights just because they are police. Just the other day a police car got stopped by the red light. No one was coming so the car just went through the intersection. It didn’t do it because they had to get somewhere. No flashing lights were involved. They gladly stopped at the next light that was 100 yards ahead without going through that one. No wonder regular drivers decide to do the same thing.
• 
  Jewel. It deserves its own bullet point.
• 
  Fear of little children. I always feel like when walking around all the punk kids are going to pull out a club and beat me. Why does everyone have to have an attitude problem around here? Would it hurt so much to smile every once in a while?
• 
  Flooded apartments. Never again!
• 
  Weird and crazy neighbors. Never again!
• 
  The sight of sleazy, pay-by-the-hour hotels.
• 
  High sales tax. Chicago has a 10%. What do you have?
• 
  Everything is so fast paced. I don’t mean slow paced, as in when I say I’ll build you a shed in two weeks time I it actually end up doing it in 4 months time. I mean everyone is going 80 in a 30, cutting me off, running red lights. Just take a chill pill - we are going to all get there at the same time anyway. At least you could drive safe!

If it looks like I am ready to move you are right. That doesn’t mean there isn’t anything good about Chicago. Tomorrow I write the even harder list: the reasons why I love Chicago.

serenity now!

For the past week in a half I've needed a little "serenity now."

it really is an audacity of hope

There is something audacious about being hopeful in politics isn’t there? When it comes to politics the glass always seems to be half-empty. When we look to Washington or to our own state capital for leadership we end up with a lot of let-downs and are left unfulfilled. Politics always seem to be influenced by money not rights, power not needs, and that guy looming behind the scenes.

So, when I read Barack Obama’s book The Audacity of Hope I was pleasantly surprised by what else – hope. Unfortunately, I’m not certain it is a hope that everyone sees. Obama talks of health care for everyone, quality of education that is available for everyone and not just to those who can afford it. It seems strange to say that everyone doesn’t want such things as health care and education for everyone, but it is true. To make those things available to everyone it may take sacrifices from the haves to the have-nots. And what Americans hate the most is giving their hard-earned change to people who are poor (aka work less hard). How do you bring hope to the hopeless and appease the rich?

In the first half of Obama’s book he talks mostly of his platform and ideas that he stood by (and stands by) before he became president. The second half of the book is not about his platform directly, it is more about him. The chapters are based on faith, race, and his family. The faith chapter is probably the most intriguing in the book. Obama describes his faith story as a kid who grew up surrounded by a family of pluralistic ideas and faith. Eventually, during Obama’s time in Chicago as a community organizer he sees a different kind of Christianity. It is a Christianity that helps the poor, one that seeks justice, and one that fights for those rights. He finally embraces the religion on the streets of Chicago.

Obama also talks much about his struggles as a Christian and as a democratic politician. What over the years now has become the standard for Christians is to be republican and to uphold prolife rights no matter what other issues they may stand for. In reading this book, Obama describes wrestling with himself in debates and with voters wondering how they can be anti-life. You can tell that Barack is struggling with being pro-choice. Yet, probably on the same streets of Chicago where he found his faith, he probably saw the injustices of back-alley abortions, the history of racism of the inner-city that set the cornerstone for those abortions, and systemic racism that sets the laws in place today that keeps women from continuing to go to those allies. It is probably ironic for many people to see that Obama wants the same education for young people (including abstinence) to help stop abortions, but he holds the same value of life as pro-lifers.

In the book you can see the joys and adversities of a politician; the money that it takes to be a senator, the miles of driving and flying and being away from family. With adversity comes joy like when a law is put into place, or when a factory is re-opened. Hope is in the midst of a failing economy, a failing health-care program for all, and the possibility of quality education for all.

ghosts of communications failed

[Some exciting news for the day. For the first time I have a guest blogger. Without further ado here is Jess.]

I’ve recently seen several films dealing with relationships. More specifically, relationships in trouble. This past weekend, we went to see the new Matthew McConaughey film, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. The primary reason for seeing this film was because the chapel where we were married (the Martha Mary Chapel in Sudbury, MA) is featured during the wedding scene. While it was really a kick to see our wedding location on the big screen, the plot was somewhat disturbing.

The main character, Connor Mead, uses women to escape himself. By going through relationship after relationship (most not lasting more than a day or two), he finds a way to avoid having to invest in another human being. So he drowns in himself. Drowns himself in his lust, desire to be wanted, and seeming inability to connect with a woman. The root of this problem stems from a middle school dance, where he couldn’t get up the nerve to ask his best friend, Jenny, to dance. Instead, another boy beats him to it. This disappointment, coupled with a seemingly unending stream of bad advice from his beloved uncle, set Connor on his path to self-destruction. Connor’s uncle teaches him how to coerce women, how to convince them they are worthy of attention (albeit physical) only to leave them moments later, and basically how to “get out” before getting hurt.

The second movie we watched was The Break-Up with Vince Vaughan and Jennifer Aniston. It pretty much about what you would expect – a horrific break-up between two people who used to be so much in love. As the movie plays out, you find out that Vince’s character – Gary – is so used to getting his own way, and doing what he wants to do that he’s never bothered to make room for the needs of the people that he interacts with (which includes his best friend, brother and ex-girlfriend). Almost the entire movie passes (filled with some serious fighting, cheap attempts at getting attention, and jealous antics) before Jennifer’s character – Brooke- and Gary finally have the conversation they should have had after their first month of dating. She finally tells him that she feels like she carries the whole relationship, makes all the plans, does all of the arranging of details, and makes her life bend to what he wants. She’s empty – she has no energy left to put into the relationship because she hasn’t been cared for.

In both of these movies I shook my head and wondered what was wrong with the characters. In Ghosts… I couldn’t figure out what drove so many women to convince themselves that they weren’t worth more than a one-night-stand with Connor Mead. In The Break-Up it was just beyond me how people could be together, in a seemingly close relationship, without having honest conversations with each other. And how they could be surprised when it fell apart. It all points to brokenness and human frailty.

We are all broken. There’s no getting around that. And knowing that brings incredible freedom and significant responsibility. We are free to accept the fact that we are broken, get over ourselves, and do the best we can with what we have. You could also take advantage of this brokenness by reveling in being broken, deciding that attempts to summon yourself from the depths are in vain, and taking people down with you. Those are your two choices. Various characters in these movies exhibited the weaker option in obvious ways.

So, I suggest that you see these movies. And then think about your relationships. Don’t wait until you are a few years into a relationship to talk about the difficult stuff – start right now. When you learn to talk honestly with each other, you learn how to better support and nourish the other person. You learn how to listen. We all have room for improvement in this department. Be inspired by these movies to do a better job at loving your family, friends, and spouse.

~Jess

cubs in april

Baseball seems a bit cold in April doesn’t it? I can contest that it does. Jess was able to score some cheap tickets to a Cubs/Reds game. So we walked to the El and got to see a great game at Wrigley. We were two out of 38,000+ people at the cold rainy ball park on a random Tuesday night game. The Reds who are usually a powder-puff team are actually doing well this season. Although the rain did seem to hold off for most of the game it did get considerably chilly. The Cubbies ended up winning the game 7-2 with some great pitching by Rich Harden (8 strikeouts) and some great hitting by Micah Hoffpauir and Aramis Ramirez. The funniest part of the evening was when a cat got loose on the field and ran about the outfield.

now, but not yet

I had a friend say the other week that “it is hard to live life in the present when you are thinking about the future.” As a population in general we seem to have a hard time with this. When we have a vacation coming up all we can think about is the vacation in two months. When someone is graduating soon all they think about is the day they graduate and not about the exam the next day. When a transition is happening good or bad it is hard to keep track of the here and now.

Living in the Kingdom of God is much the same idea. In Christianity this can be seen just about everywhere in every situation. “Who cares about the stewardship of the earth when someday I will be in heaven?” There is so much thought about the future that the present is forgotten about. And as N.T. Wright points out to us, as Christians we plain and simply don’t live out the theology of heaven and resurrection correctly.

But when graduation, a new job, or a new baby is coming how do we live in the now and not the future? The answer doesn’t seem to be black and white. It is as grey as living in the Kingdom of God - now, but not yet. It is much more than just heaven or just earth. Life is much more than perusing a new job and mucking the present. Life is more. Life is living out the kingdom of God now, but not yet.

culture gone bad

As much as I love Chicago sometimes; its diversity, endless activities and sights – sometimes the city makes me go crazy. At the core of Chicago culture is good ole fashioned Midwest culture. The culture that was founded on farming, thrived in industries like steel, cars, and logging, and was populated by trains and canals. Here in Chicago though, it’s where ‘friendly’ goes to die. Common courtesy dwindled away like the train in the 20th century. Mores treated as if they never existed.

It all started about four years ago when I moved here. I was at a red light patiently waiting for it to turn green. Next to me was a turn lane. Across the intersection was my lane and to the right many parked cars. The light turned green. I let off the brake and on to the gas. The car to the right of me instead of making a right turn slammed on the gas, sped in front of me, cut me off before it slammed into the cars parked in front of it, and preceded to pass me for absolutely no reason. That day I didn’t know it, but it would only be the first of hundreds of times that this exact scenario would happen or something similar.

I’ve seen cars in the left lane of a two lane road cut off the rest of traffic to make a right turn. I’ve seen cars pass me illegally down a highly populated street going 80, skipping stop signs, only to catch up to them because they were stopped at the light. I’ve seen cars drive backwards down one ways. I’ve been honked at to go at a light even before the light turns green. I know if I leave room for a car to fit itself in while driving on the highway, that a car will manage to fit itself there. I’ve seen cars swerve to the break down or on ramp just to be in front of another car while in a traffic jam. I know at any time a car from a side street or side parking lot may dangerously pull out in front of me.

I know when I go running I have to make sure cars actually stop at stop signs before running across the cross walk so I don’t get hit. I know when I run I will have to get out of every single person’s way because not one of them will get to their side of the side walk or move over for a runner. I know while taking a walk I have to do the same thing.

Living in Chicago sometimes is like always having an invisibility cloak on. These are the new mores of Chicago. It’s a society of neighbors that don’t even look at each other or say “hi” when walking by. A society that sees more birds flying than friendly waves.

Not everyone is like this. Every time I go running I give the guy that sells the watermelons on Peterson a smile and he reciprocates. Sometimes I get a friendly greeting at a store or restaurant. And just last week while going for a run two little girls actually stopped their game on the side walk to move over and let us run by.

I don’t think I ask for much: just that people obey basic traffic laws, respect each other, and give up half the side walk when passing each other.