Ready

At 96 years old, Ong Noi has developed a new night-time routine. In the middle of the night, he would get out of bed and roll both legs of his pajama pants up to his knees like he was about to go catch blue crabs in the rice paddies. For light, he would always unplug his desk lamp, tucking it under his arm like the lantern he used to carry on those nights back in the '50s. To prevent him from wandering into the streets of Portland's suburbs in the middle of the night, his daughter has begun dead-bolting doors and securing windows. Sometimes, she wakes up to see him standing ready in front of the locked doors with light in hand, lost deep in the roadways of his memory.

Thank God for my Grandfather. 

Every journey begins with a single step

Colors of autumn discovered at every turn

Ever since I moved to Saint Louis from Berkeley, I've been guilty of reliving the glory days of living in northern Cali. I am unable to resist speaking nostalgically about how great life was back in the Bay Area: the weather is temperate and the landscape is gorgeous; geographical diversity is unsurpassed (imagine being surrounded by ocean, desert, mountains, valleys -- all within a few hours); my loving, caring, attentive church family enveloped me and strengthened me spiritually; my work friends challenged me and supported me intellectually; my social circles gave me relief and joy and laughter and fabulous dinners; the great BART system allowed me to walk and ride everywhere without creating giant carbon footprints; the flagship Peet's Coffee and Tea shop fueled me with high octane coffee; Berkeley Bowl; Cheeseboard pizza; Napa Valley; Sausalito; Masse's bakery... Oh, oh, oh, should I go on...?

Life here in the midwest is nothing like life in California, and sometimes I feel sad that I will take far too long to discover the charm of living in Missouri. Can I see the autumnal beauty of the four seasons? Yes, but can I appreciate these wonders without comparing them to how great it was not having to deal with snow and heat and humidity while living in Berkeley? Are there lovely, kind people here in Webster Groves as in Berkeley? Yes, but I don't know anybody yet! As I'm driving to church, I think about the church family worshiping in Chinatown. As I'm driving to work on campus, I wonder about the students heading to class in another academic institution -- a seminary by the Bay. As I drive to Global Foods, I remember (with great envy) the shops along Shattuck Avenue and Gourmet Ghetto. I wish I could transplant all that here to Saint Louis. But I cannot, and they are long gone...Oh, the days long gone... Oh, the wonders that have ceased to be...

In today's reading from Haggai, we hear the questioning that comes after the time of great turmoil, after everything seems lost and forgotten, when the vague memories of "what had been" has been fictionalized beyond recognition... The prophet Haggai is instructed to ask the people "Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing?" (2:3).

Even now, while surrounded by yellow, red, and orange trees of beautiful Saint Louis, a small part of me feels like these rich colors of autumn (something I did not often see in NoCal with so much splendor) are nothing, and I still pine for the days of the not-so-distant Berkeleyan past.

But continue on with the Haggai reading, and I hear the reassurance: "[T]ake courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD; work, for I am with you, says the LORD of hosts [...] My spirit abides among you; do not fear" (2:5).

This morning's sermon by our preacher reminded me that it is not the physical building that determines where God is to be found; God is located wherever we do the work of Christ and whenever we share God's love.
Would God be restricted, defined, summoned by a building? Pish posh... You can bulldoze it to the ground  (or, you can stupidly fight and fight against the construction of a house of worship or a community building two blocks away from Ground Zero), but if we continue with God's work, then God will breathe life back into even the driest bones, the emptiest of buildings.

Wherever we are -- whether it be Berkeley or Saint Louis -- the Spirit of God abides among us. We must take courage and explore the new. We must be open to inspiration and rejuvenation. We must be receptive to community and creativity. And we know far too well, don't we, that creativity means there will be upheaval, re-envisioning, change. There must be a shaking of the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land (2:6) before "the treasure of all nations" shall come...

Come, Spirit come! Come, Spirit come! Open our eyes; open our hearts... Come, Spirit come!

Peach Pickin' @ Eckert's Orchards

From the first day I started this new job (actually, since I first interviewed for the job), at least 15 people have asked me why I was willing to leave beautiful Berkeley, CA, to move to Saint Louis. "It's so humid, and so bland," they said. Well, one reason is because I now live near a sibling who is willing to venture into a peach orchard to pick peaches under the killer midwest sun.

If you are in the area and would be interested in picking fresh fruits, visit Eckert's Orchards and you will immerse yourself in wholesome, fresh-fruity goodness. For September, it's not peaches, but Pick-Your-Own Apples!

Hide and Seek: Being Found is the Best Part!

Hide 'n Seek Print

When I was young, although I played it quite often with my young church friends, I did not enjoy the game of Hide and Seek. The trouble of searching for well-hidden friends was always too tiresome, and the risk of not being found always made me a bit scared of hiding too carefully. Even scarier was the possibility that my young friends with their short attention spans, having found some other game even more interesting than this one, would turn their attention away from seeking me out from my secure hiding spot, and I would stay so well-hidden that I would be completely forgotten -- left alone to my own devices.

Although the point was not to be "found out" too early in this children's game (it was for some a test of how deceptively they could hide and for how long), for me, the point of the game was in the discovery -- of me! I enjoyed being sought out, and in fact, I was many times relieved to be the first or second person discovered by the seeker. I didn't care too much about hiding, and was often intentionally careless in selecting a hideout.


In this Sunday's gospel reading (Luke 15:1-10), Jesus tells two stories of Lost and Found. I think the poignancy of the story is in the endings of the stories -- the rejoicing that occurs when the lost items are found. It is a collective joy, one in which the whole community participates. I like that emphasis much more than the one that I hear in sermons that I've heard in the past, in which the emphasis is typically placed on the fact that the Seeker (whether it be the shepherd or the woman with coins) never gives up. As listeners of the story, we are reassured that the seeker will always go searching for the lost, no matter how small, no matter how insignificant it may appear in the eyes of others. As the audience of this very familiar story, we are often lulled by the reassurance that Jesus is our Seeker, the shepherd, and no matter how much we stray, we'll be found.

At dinner earlier this evening with some colleagues, we talked about the communal and catholicity of God's universal church -- in essence, we can't be Christians alone. Believing this, I'd like to shift our focus to the seeker not as one individual -- one shepherd or one woman -- but as a community of faithful disciples. Remember the stories? The shepherd "calls together his friends and neighbors" (v.6) to celebrate with him; the woman who lost the coin calls her own friends and neighbors together, inviting them to rejoice with her - not by herself. 

Following their examples, how can we who are the body of Christ be a church that works together to seek out and celebrate the discovery of the lost? And, imagine how much more fun the game would be if we had an entire community of people looking for us, letting us know that we are special, wanted, sought after, desired. The rejoicing would never end. It would be like an infinite Jubilee!

"African women find God at prayer tree"

African women find God at prayer tree - UMC.org

An Excerpt:

Edith Bwawa, 49, and Rachel Mukoyi, 48, do not break stride as they veer to the left, along a smaller path barely visible under the tall grass on both sides. Reaching the side of a large hill, they wind their way up large rocks and slippery stretches of loose stones and dirt, holding on to bushes and boulders for support.

Nearing a clearing, they begin to sing, “Mwari mubastiri wangu,” or “God is our helper.”

At the top of this steep part of the hill is a small tree surrounded on three sides by walls loosely constructed from piles of stones. Bwawa and Mukoyi take off their shoes before approaching the open side. There, in bare feet, they kneel on rocks that litter the ground and pray.

Like generations of Zimbabwean women before them, they have made the pilgrimage to this natural shrine on the hillside to encounter God. Here, in the place called Chin’ando, they know they will not be disappointed.

365 until 9/10/11

One year from today, I will be celebrating 9/10/11. Thank God for the many blessings that have been showered upon me (deserved or not). Thank God for my family and for my friends. Thank God for a roof over my head and a beautiful home to enter at the end of a long day at work. Thank God for a pitiful white Sentra that faithfully takes me to work and back home. Thank God for good books filled with words, and music. Thank God for rain today.Thank God for food on my table, for the tomato plants in my garden, and the dogwood tree in my yards. Amen.

Roaming Buffets & Guests of Honor

"The Poor Invited to Feast"

In this Sunday's Lucan lesson (Luke 14:1, 7-14), Jesus advises that when we are invited to dine, we ought to take the lowest seat possible, not the seat of honor, in case someone else comes along and bumps us down a notch. At its simplest, Jesus's story is a lesson of humility: live humbly so that no one has to serve you humble pie. The story is not about a space or a place of honor; the "place of honor" (v.8) or the "lowest place" (v.9) are merely evaluative descriptors. The important lesson is about attending to our behavior, our way of thinking and living. The lesson is about how we live life as humble servants called to be stewards, not dignitaries waiting to be served and honored.

Last Monday, the Sister and I hosted a dinner for some UMC clergy in our new house. Because we do not have a regular sized dining table and our primary dining surface is a bar-table for four, we had to think really hard about who to invite and how many to invite. Not only that, we also had to build a menu that wouldn't require seating everyone at the table, but which would accommodate a mobile, plate-on-your-lap dining style. In the end, we decided on a style between stationed hors d'oeuvres and take-out. We set up food stations in the spacious dining room, used the china hutch as a bar, and then set chairs and bar stools all around. Guests were invited to grab the food from the make-shift "buffet line" and then they carried their plates to different corners to enjoy food & conversation. We eventually congregated in the living room, and everyone found a seat -- whether it was the sofa, armchair, rocking chair, piano bench, bar stools, whatever. All in all, the evening worked out quite well. I think it fair to say that everyone felt comfortable and welcomed. We were nourished by the food and the company of our friends and acquaintances. Plus, we were all sufficiently humbled by the brilliance, generosity, intelligence, and kindness of each person we met that evening.

Thinking back on that evening, I feel happy that we did not have a seated dinner. It would have required reducing the number of people whom we could invite and whose company we wanted to share. Setting up buffet style, or a roaming buffet, was the best way for us to avoid the sticky mess of seats of honor, and we didn't have to worry about who would sit next to whom.

I grew up in a family that is rather culturally diverse, and yet I would say that we are still quite traditional in many respects. For instance, Dad was always seated at the head of the table. As the father figure in the household, that was his designated seat. (And as a pastor, he was always the head of the house, regardless of where he sat, and regardless of which house he entered. He was always accorded the respect and honor of being a Man of the Cloth, a minister, a pastor, a clergyman.)

However, thanks to my parents, I learned early on that when guests entered our home, they would be given a "seat" of honor. Dad would always be the pastor, but guests were special and deserved to be hosted with honor and graciousness -- regardless of their background and affiliation. For me and my siblings, a strong sense of radical hospitality was instilled in us by our parents from an early age. It was not so much where they were seated at the dining table, but how they were treated in our company. We understood that no matter who walked through our doors and into our kitchen, we would ask "have you eaten" and then serve them something with grace and respect, and some Maggi soy sauce.

This reminds me of my brother and sister-in-law's wedding reception. I was quite pleased with how they managed the sticky mess of seating arrangements for the guests. The bride and groom reserved 20 tables at the restaurant, and when guests showed up, they were invited to choose their own seats. Those who came first selected their own tables, and as more and more people arrived, we asked them to fill in the gaps. There was some shuffling, but everything worked out in the end. No one could complain that they were placed at a "bad" table because they had selected their own seats. (Interestingly, many guests who arrived early chose to sit in the back instead of moving up front. Surprise, surprise. I guess they didn't want the "seats of honor" next to the stage!)

Perhaps what I'm trying to say is -- If you intend to host a dinner and can escape the seated dinners in your home, I wholeheartedly recommend roaming buffets with food stations. There can only be benefits:

• No need to worry about seating arrangements or place-cards
• More mingling and thereby more interesting conversation
• Roaming allows for faster digestion of foods
• You can actually dine & talk with your guests instead of running back and forth serving food

So, invite some friends, neighbors, the cripple, the lame, the poor, the blind, and throw yourself a roaming buffet. (Imagine: roaming buffet potluck style!)

Photo source: JESUS MAFA. The poor invited to the feast, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=48397 [retrieved August 29, 2010].

The Inquisitive Brother

A few weeks ago, we moved into a different house -- a rental that is considerably larger than the one in which we had been residing. There are twice the number of rooms which need to be furnished, and there is almost twice the amount of yard work that will need to be tended to. I'm not quite certain how we finaggled this deal (using our sweet, charming personalities?), but here we are!

As we packed up glasses, dishes, chopsticks, picture frames, towels, hand soaps, etc., I noted that the lectionary for the week we were moving included the text from Colossians which encourages us (me) to kill the earthly practice of greed ("which is idolatry", v.5).  Add to that, the parable from Luke reminded me that greed is truly seductive (and easily disguised -- helloooo flat screen TV!), and that I need to strive for the simple life. (Cue music for Green Acres.)

The thing is, however, after the first reading of the Luke passage, I understand the young brother's position, and can sympathize with his seemingly reasonable request. Given that inheritance laws favored elder brothers and shafted the younger brothers leaving them to practically fend for their equal shares, this young inquirer's request to Jesus sounds not unreasonable, and at first glance, the brother actually appears to be very fiscally smart -- this is sound planning for retirement. Is it not? And, if you read Jesus' parable of the farmer with the plans for the bigger barn -- doesn't that sound familiar? Like he's got a good financial consultant who's helping him with his assets -- saving up just in case the market crashes?

I've only lived 1/3 of my life, and I'm already told to think about the future: Am I investing aggressively? What's my plan for the future? Why don't I invest in some real estate instead of renting? Etc, etc, etc. [Truth be told, I'm already researching into this great retirement community that I want to join, except that they won't let me join before 65. Alas.]

You might be thinking what is wrong with doing that, wondering why I'm problematizing the move into a bigger house, the concerns for my future. Why question what seems, for all intents and purposes, like really sound fiscal planning?

"You fool!" said Jesus (v.20). [I pity the fool!]

Now, my reading of the situation here is that this fool is as transparent as cellophane, and Jesus was able to see right through this guy's seemingly innocuous question. You might say that this fellow wasn't just asking for his equal share -- he wants stuff! -- and Jesus recognizes this immediately and therefore raises this issue in the subsequent parable about the farmer. So, now we're assuming that the young brother is like the rich farmer. Now, what makes these two worthy of being called "fools"? 

1. He doesn't mention his master financial Counselor at all. No mention of the Source of all his gifts, the One who gives and gives and gives. He acknowledges nothing, and gives no praise or thanksgiving. It's all about him and what he acquired. 

2. He only thinks about himself. No mention of how he might share the blessings which he received. 

3. He seemed focused only on material "stuff" and not what was truly important -- being richer toward God.  

In the grand scheme of things, in the larger webwork of God's kingdom (which we are to strive for each day, each moment), we are to shed all these earthly things. Our lives, as Jesus reminds us, belong to God and we are to be "rich toward God" (v. 21), not be shoring up our earthly assets by shuffling them from house to house (in my case) or from account to account in order to save up only for ourselves. Our lives as faithful Christians should not be about making us comfortable and living off the wealth while there is so much suffering in the world, so much need for us to share the gifts that God has given us -- shared to us for us to share with others!

But, in this day and age, it's not uncommon to see individuals, organizations, and institutions wanting more. We see it around us all the time. And the "more" that we strive for comes in all shapes and sizes. "More" house to live in (alas, alas), more money to spend, more time to idle away, more vacation days to take, more people in our churches, more money in the offering plates, more , more, more... I myself am guilty. In planning our move into the bigger house, we began thinking about purchasing more towels (for the guest bedrooms and the guest baths), more cable TV (guilty pleasure: Food Network!), more furniture for the dining room and the breakfast nook and the upstairs family room, more dishes (in a bigger house, we'll have bigger parties, right? Right?), more, more, more... (I'm also thinking of the UMC's recent campaign to get "more" people in the pews... Read about this here.)


So much excess!! Before I know it, I'm up to my eyeballs in desire for more, and then I hardly know what to do with all the "stuff" that I've acquired, and buried in the midst of excess, I've forgotten what Jesus said:


"Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions" (Lk 12:15).

So, the lesson that I'm being taught, and which I'm learning with great difficulty, is how to let go of the greed, the stuff, the material possessions, and focus myself on being rich toward God. This is what a faithful disciple needs to be -- and perhaps this is one reason why I'm still unemployed and looking for work. As Taylor Burton-Edwards said in his reflection, the lesson is "concrete learning (and unlearning) of specific patterns of behavior". This experience is helping me to rely less on earthly goods and on unlearning my reliance on material riches.

Lord, have mercy, and give me strength! 

stylus: a project by ann hamilton

One of the wonderful side-effects of the unbearable Saint Louis heat is more art and culture for Saint Louisans. Because, well, what do you do to hide from hot summer weather? Go to a museum or art gallery! The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts is neither a museum nor an art gallery, but its current exhibition is very worth seeing.  The current exhibition installed at the Pulitzer is Ann Hamilton's stylus. My sister and I ventured to the Pulitzer (read about it here) partly because we were interested in contemporary art, partly because we wanted to do something fun indoors to escape the Saint Louis heat, and partly because we wanted to do something for free.

Although we went to the Pulitzer not knowing anything about the artist or the exhibit, we were very intrigued after a brief look at the exhibit description:

As a visual artist whose contributions to contemporary art span three decades, Ann Hamilton's installations are notable in part for their capacity to weave a broad palette of media into engaging sensory environments. Noted for a dense accumulation of materials, her installations create immersive experiences that respond to the architectural presence and social history of their sites, while also engaging the public with broad questions of what it means to assemble in such spaces. Hamilton's installation stylus, created specifically for the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, was conceived as both a sanctuary for listening and a laboratory for experiments in collective vocal exercises.  The installation asks the following questions: How do we communicate? What external forces act upon or inhibit our collective need for social contact and response? How are relationships enacted (or not enacted) by the architectural spaces we inhabit? While the Pulitzer building is the main structural element, the project spills outside the walls, onto the broader stage of the built and social environment of Grand Center and beyond.

For those of you who will not be able to fly to Saint Louis to enjoy this exhibition (and the summer weather), I will attempt to give you my personal impression of this extraordinary project, in hopes that you will attempt to visit any and all exhibitions created by Hamilton, should she ever venture into your corner of the world. There are various multi-sensory, multi-modal elements for the actual exhibit, so I'll try to briefly describe the ones that imprinted on my mind the most.

Upon entering the building, we are immediately given a brief explanation about the concordance, with said briefing occurring in full view of a small shelf of concordances (I saw several kinds -- concordance for children's tales, concordance for Whitman's writings, concordance for the Bible, etc.) lining a blank wall. The written explanation that we are handed contains the following:

concordance:At the threshold of the exhibition is a concordance. By its definition, a concordance is an alphabetical arrangement of the principal words of a book with reference to the passage in which each word occurs. A concordance is also an agreement, harmony. [This is when I began thinking of concordances that tell me where I can locate the word "smite" written in the Bible.]

The printed concordance stacked on the first table of the exhibition draws also on an older definition of the word concordance,

A composition combining and harmonizing various accounts. [This printed concordance which we also found dispersed in various places throughout the exhibition looked and felt like a newspaper, and it was printed on newsprint in lettering like newsprint lettering, and the title consisted of multiple newspaper names -- I remember seeing "Tehran News".]

The words that comprise the two vertical spines of the composition serve as principal words describing the interior register of the space of the Pulitzer Foundation for the ARts as stylus inhabits it. Though the selection of words will shift with each printing, a base selection of words forms the spines:

Act, Address, Being, Black, Blue, Body, Call, Calling, Chorus, Finding, Hand, Hear, Hearing, Light, Listen, Listening, Mind, Mouth, Sense, Soul, Speak, Speaking, Spirit, Time, Touch, Touching, Voice, World

In the concordance, published weekly as part of the stylus project, horizontal lines of text which contain one of the spine words are lifted from international English language newspapers. [I wondered why only English, and, what would happen if/when we truly intersected our meaning-making with the multi-lingual experiences that many of us share/claim.]The selected lines are thus pulled from their original context in the newspaper and arranged according to the alphabetized list of principal words. Through this process, the composition intersects the interior structure of the stylus with the exterior of world of events.

This process of creating a concordance of the words of stylus with lines of text from the world's major newspapers results in fields of text with juxtapositions of accounts aligned to created new possibilities and contexts for meaning. As you read the fields of text, you are invited to respond to your own register of how you read it, aloud or silently, within the interior of the piece.

One entire wall of the main exhibit hall is lined with shelves that contain replicas of hands made out of wax and paraffin (I think). In the middle of the main hall, tall ladders are erected as stations from which photographic images are projected onto blank walls. Toward one end is a large drawing table where you can sit and play games and speak into a microphone which has been connected to a piano in a back room. When you speak into the microphone, the words that you say are then translated into notes that are then projected throughout the building with amplifiers. Strange, you think? It is quite interesting, though, to see how words, ideas, and actions are translated, retranslated, and transformed from one medium to another. I quite enjoyed the experience, although I did wonder why no one talked to each other. In some sense, we were quite limited in our human interactions. Shyness? Maybe, maybe not.

Mexican jumping beans on a steel table

When you walk up to the Mezzanine, you will see a gigantic table outfitted with wired microphones that point down at the tabletop. On this giant steel tabletop-canvas are approximately 3,000 Mexican jumping beans, crackling away and you can hear the crackle vibrations amplified through speakers in the floor of the Mezzanine. You can read more about it here.

As the Sister and I were conversing with the gallery assistant, we started mulling over the primary questions raised by Hamilton's exhibit: How do we communicate? How are relationships enacted (or not) by the spaces we inhabit?

I noted out loud to the gallery assistant that I was surprised Hamilton would choose jumping beans to illustrate a point about communication and interactions, especially since her exhibit seemed to invite the participant to engage in modes of human social interaction -- I mean, we were discussing modes of human interaction, not bean-talk. But, that was not something for us to figure out right on the spot, I suppose. Another point that kept nagging at me throughout the exhibit was that the entire exhibit was in English. Even the newspaper print concordance, which claimed to pull texts from several international newspapers, contained only English text. To construct an entire exhibit of this magnitude and scale about human interaction and human communication, an artist must think about multilingual, polyphonic communications, mustn't she? As a bilingual speaker from multi-cultural backgrounds, I am disappointed to see that we are engaging only in English, thereby undercutting the depth and richness of human experiences.

Although it has been several weeks since I visited the Pulitzer, I invite you to go see the exhibition for yourself. It will run through January 2011. Admission is always free. Go here for visitor information for the Pulitzer. Or, visit the blog.

Framing for Change: Creating Memes and Stories that Matter by Doyle Canning and Patrick Reinsborough of smartMeme

Framing for Change: Creating Memes and Stories that Matter by Doyle Canning and Patrick Reinsborough of smartMeme

An excerpt from the article:

"Collective, cultural stories are embedded with powerful frames that define cultural norms and shape common perceptions of what’s possible. The mythologies and memes of Plymouth Rock, Manifest Destiny, 40 Acres and a Mule, and the American Dream are the narratives of the past—but they continue to haunt our political discourse today. When we are working to change the dominant stories about racism, immigration, war, and protecting the planet, these narratives are already in peoples’ minds, acting as filters to social change messages, and often limiting a collective sense of possibility..."

Evening, at Ottawa Beach

Evening (by Rainer Maria Rilke)

The sky puts on the darkening blue coat
held for it by a row of ancient trees;
you watch: and the lands grow distant in your sight,
one journeying to heaven, one that falls;

and leave you, not at home in either one,
not quite so still and dark as the darkened houses,
not calling to eternity with the passion
of what becomes a star each night, and rises;

and leave you (inexpressibly to unravel)
your life, with its immensity and fear,
so that, now bounded, now immeasurable,
it is alternately stone in you and star.

(tr. Stephen Mitchell)

Missed Opportunities: Closed Doors

 

I was disappointed to discover (1) despite the sign, Pi pizzeria was not available at the STL Science Center, and, (2) Miss Saigon on Barack Obama Blvd (formerly Delmar) is closed.

Saint Louis Arch at Night

We ventured out to the riverfront and the Arch at about 11pm one night. I had never seen the arch or the Mississippi River at night, and we were awarded with a brilliant, yellow full moon. The little point-and-shoot Canon that I carried failed miserably in trying to capture the rich colors of the night, yet, there is something slightly magical in the blurry images. It makes me feel like we're in the midst of fairyland and are about to turn back into pumpkins at the stroke of midnight.

Laumeier Sculpture Park and Museum

The story of the Laumeier Sculpture Park and Museum began in 1968 with the gift of 72 acres of open land. Now, there are over 60 large scale sculptures scattered throughout the 105-acre open-air sculpture museum. We visited the Laumeier one evening, and took some amazingly funny photos. However, to protect the copyrights and creative licenses of the many internationally-known and nationally-celebrated artists who own the art pieces, the Laumeier has a rather strict photo-film policy that prohibits us from posting the photos of the sculptures on the internet. Although I'm not posting those photos on nothing but HAT's, here is a pic of the late evening sky.  Imagine walking around the greens looking at art sculptures underneath this orange sky. Isn't it gorgeous?

Saint Louis History Museum: 1904 World's Fair

If you have not read any accounts of the magnificent 1904 World's Fair held in Saint Louis, then you must visit the Missouri History Museum. I went to see the exhibition and it was fascinating. I wish I had been there at that time to witness what humanity deemed to be the splendors of progress and innovation.

Saint Louis Scenes: Windows

While driving through downtown Saint Louis one day, I saw this building with the circular windows. For some reason, the three round portals called to me in a peculiar way. Perhaps it was because the scene looked like the windows has somehow captured some essence of the blue sky and the white clouds, like they had been trapped inside all that brick and mortar...

Peet's Coffee Under the Arch: Happiness Comes to Saint Louis

I am a happier woman now that the very first Peet's Coffee & Tea has opened in Missouri. Actually, it has been open for a little while now, but still it feels like it's brand new. Because Starbucks and the St. Louis Bread Co. basically have the monopoly in Missouri, it is hard for Peet's to get a toe in the door (this is what a Peet's employee told me). So, in all the state of Missouri, there is ONE Peet's Coffee & Tea located in downtown St. Louis, in Laclede Landing on North 2nd Street, near Eads Bridge over the Mississippi River. People say that St. Louis with its Arch represents the achievements of humanity, the forward movement of the human spirit, a testimony to progress and endurance, to commitment and creativity, to invention and innovation. Now that Peet's is here in Saint Louis, I believe in that progress has been made indeed. Amen.

Peet's Coffee & Tea: 999 N.2ND Street, St. Louis, MO 63102. Phone: 314-881-7562. Only 5.88 miles away

a Photo Essay: because I love the air we breathe and the languages we live by

I believe in doing everything we can for cleaner air. You can do this in several ways:

1. Breath less air (more for me!)
2. Carpool
3. Take the bus
4. Take the train or subway
5. Ride a bike
6. Walk

Saint Louis Arch

Go here to see my first view of the Arch. For more scenes of Saint Louis, click on the HATtag "St Louis" at the bottom of this post.

Slice of Pi: Green Pizzas for Your Conscience

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A few days ago, we heard from a very reliable foodie that Pi was the place to go for great pizza. We also heard that the owner of Pi was invited to bake Pi pizzas for the Obamas in 2009. (More interesting press about Pi can be found here.)

So, the Sister and I went to the Pi location on the Loop (other locations can be found here), the street which incidentally was renamed Barack Obama Boulevard, and to our delightful surprise, we discovered that Pi is an intentionally GREEN establishment that is also mindful of its communal responsibilities. Double kudos! I invite you to take a few seconds and do a happy dance with me to celebrate the fact that Pi serves up two wonderful things on God's green earth: great pizzas and a green conscience. Please note what Pi prominently proclaims on its very own website:   

Pi is committed to environmentally benign success. Doing good while doing well is fundamental to our work, and is manifested in our commitment to create an ecologically sustainable restaurant.  Pi invests in its community by sponsoring charitable events, donating cash and in-kind gifts to causes close to its guests and founders. While we may not be saving the world as a purveyor of Pi, we feel we can still affect change, influence others, and support the work of those in our community who are closest to those in need. 

Couldn't get the 3rd fella into the photo!

 Upon arrival, I was immediately taken with the wonderful summery atmosphere enhanced by the bright red umbrellas outside the main door, and the three chickens standing atop the half-wall in the middle of the pizzeria. Since we were seated at a table directly below the chickens, it seemed like they were overseeing that everything was in order -- that our pizza was hot and fresh, that our server was attentive and nice, that our neighbors were appropriately quiet -- but I also had a feeling that these gigantic overseers were going to peck me to death if I didn't eat everything on my plate. Don't worry, I cleaned my plate. In fact, I think it looks rather like I licked it (but I didn't!): 

Besides providing exceptional food (just read the menu), Pi upholds a model Mission Statement (establish pi as the premiere purveyor of the finest artisan pizza in the st. louis area while maintaining our commitment to social & environmental responsibility) alongside a Green Statement (to be a green steward, setting an example for restaurants, businesses & consumers to minimize our carbon footprint & create a healthier dining experience) to warm any green-pizza-goer's heart. What more could we ask for? Right?

What we ordered: Deep-dish deliciousness of half Bucktown and half Berkeley (b/c I needed to assuage my nostalgia for Berkeley).

bucktown – mozzarella, roasted chicken, artichoke hearts, red bell peppers, green olives, red onions, feta and sun-dried tomatoes. ($18 small / $23 large)

berkeley – mozzarella, portobella mushrooms, onions, kalamata olives, red bell peppers, garlic, and zucchini. ($16 small / $20 large)

I would encourage you to visit Pi if you are in the St. Louis area, because coming here, you will eat heartily and eat well. I guarantee that this will be a great dining experience that leaves you feeling like you did something good -- not like you didn't you something bad. A caution: The pizzas (especially the deep dish specials) are very hearty and a small size will suffice portion-wise for two people. The Sister and I ordered half of two different pizzas, and it was more than enough. We each ate two slices and even brought home some leftovers (and we didn't have any pre-pi or insalate). I would recommend ordering family style instead of one pizza per person; even the small sizes are fairly big. I say this because (1) it is MORE FUN to share pizzas -- you can try a slice or two of multiple flavors and ingredients, and (2) you waste less food.

I lift up this reminder because as the Sister and I were leaving Pi, we saw a table that had not finished their pizzas and I think if we put together all the slices that remained, we might have had one full pizza. That is sadness, folks. There is hunger out there and though I would never know that kind of hunger here, I do know it exists. This is real hunger that lasts and which gnaws at the stomach -- it's the kind of hunger which leaves you incapacitated, because you can eat 5 bowls of rice but you've only been given a spoon of water and you only get the spoon of water for an entire day -- for 10 days straight. Someone I knew described this hunger in this way, and I believe that we can combat that hunger. I wish that the folks who ate at Pi today had thought about it before they ordered. [Once, when I was at Zachary's Pizza in Albany, a friend and I had leftovers and when someone on the street asked us for money, I offered them the pizza and they took it. I'm not suggesting that everyone do this, but it is one option to consider.]

Blogging about food has not been a regular habit here at nothing but HAT's. Although I love food (it's not just for survival), I'm not a foodie and I can't pretend to write smart things about food and/or restaurants. Given yesterday's posting about the Chocolate Bar, however, plus what I've written here, I feel like a glutton -- as if I only think about food (in a gluttonous way). I am aware of the larger issues out there in the world, and I believe we strive to live each day as beings who are mindful of our neighbors near and far who are in need. We know the situation of global poverty and we have the resources to end world hunger. Therefore, let us feed ourselves, but let us also remember: eat well, eat heartily, eat mindfully.

This is the location we visited:

Pi @ the Loop
6144 Barack Obama Boulevard (Delmar)
St. Louis, MO 63112
314.727.6633 – phone
314.727.6655 – fax
Hours: 11am-Midnight Monday-Saturday | 11am-11pm on Sunday

Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts: Where Art & Architecture Meet

Earlier today, I visited for the first time the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts. Intentionally built in the developing district known as Grand Center of Saint Louis (go here to read more about the Pulitzer's urban context), this magnificent gem brings together the arts and architecture, inviting all visitors to re-imagine, no, re-invent, our preconceived ideas of creativity, art, culture, space.

The website explains: "Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando and situated in St. Louis' Grand Center district, the Pulitzer presents changing exhibitions and engages in a variety of programming initiatives involving the visual, literary, and performing arts." You can visit here to explore more about the architect who designed the Pulitzer, hear his reflections on this building, as well as read his biography.

After you've seen the current exhibition (more on the exhibition in a later post) inside the Ando building, you must not neglect to visit Richard Serra's permanent piece on site: the Joe sculpture, which is a torqued spiral comprised of five pieces of weathered steel, each weighing 25 tons. Yeah, you read that right. 125 tons of steel sitting under the Saint Louis sky. It sits permanently in the courtyard of the Pulitzer, and is a marvel to look at (but no touchy-touch since one brush of our fingers could make an impression lasting six months).

This is what Serra says about Joe:  When you walk between the walls, you become implicated in the tremendous spiraling force of the movement. The velocity projects you ahead into an open interior space which frames the sky. Joe cannot be grapsed as Gestalt or image. The sculpture is understood behaviorally as a function of time.  "Everyone thinks my medium is steel," says Serra, but he is quick to correct that misconception. "My medium is space," he says, and being inside the sculpure is like "being inside a steel womb". Once inside, you are made completely, fully, deeply aware of the space encapsulated by the steel spiral. The docent who talked us through/around the Joe said that, to her, it seemed as if the artist was intentionally trying to waste the visitor's time, forcing us to walk along the path of the spiral towering over our heads, only to be led (by what force, by what inertia?) into an empty space. There is nothing inside. Yet, instead of a sense of loss, the spiral's "center" somehow generates an awareness of potential, of possibility, as if you were waiting for creation to happen while standing in the midst of that spaciousness. 

This reminds me of the experience of a poem. Even before entering into the spiral, even before that first step into that enclosed space (where your left and right are "fenced" in and you can only go forward or backwards with very little room -- and you are warned not to touch the sides), there is great anticipation. As I walked forward, I could tell that my expectation was building, and I hurried along the gravelly, spiral path towards what I expected was something awe-inspiring which would fill me with "wonderment". Once inside, I cannot help but look up, raising my eyes above the dark rim of the spiral to the clouds in the blue sky, feeling and seeing the sunlight pouring down -- so much heavier and weightier because the steel spiral has pushed all the spaces toward me...  Like a poem, that feeling of expectation, anticipation, wonderment.

Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts

3716 Washington Boulevard
(between Grand Boulevard and Spring Avenue)
St. Louis, MO 63108
Phone   314.754.1850
Fax     314.754.1851

Decadence in Moderation: Bailey's Chocolate Bar

If you've never been to Bailey's Chocolate Bar in Lafayette, MO, then you are missing out on a delicious bit of decadence, and you must, must drag yourself there immediately. After reading this blogpost, get into your car and drive to the Chocolate Bar post haste because it closes at 1:00 a.m.

The Chocolate Bar is a full bar and restaurant that has all things chocolate and everything seems lathered in decadence, served in perfect ambiance. Chandeliers, candles, and walls painted deep-red create an intimate setting for two, but you can also bring the kids or your rowdy bunch of friends for a birthday-celeb happy hour wrapped in chocolate (we saw all three scenarios when the sister and I went today).

Although the Bar serves regular food fare, why would you want to eat the normal stuff when you can have the normal stuff served with chocolate?! This is the sort of place where you go eat here and then diet for the next week, or diet first for an entire week, starve yourself all day, then head to the Chocolate Bar during happy hour (4-7pm everyday!).

Tumble Cake ($9)

Baked Brie ($8)

Under Plated Desserts, you will find the Tumble Cake:  Rasberry & Lemon Filling, Vanilla Shortbread Cookies, Quenelles of Vanilla Ice Cream, & Rasberry Sorbet ($9). I've seen individuals lick this entire plate clean, however, I find it too rich and creamy (especially if you inhale all the raspberry sorbet within 5 seconds of the server putting down the plate), so I shared it with my sister.

There are also other options:  Layers of Chocolate Cake Accented with Chocolate Stout, Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache, and Cinnamon Ice Cream ($9). Or, if it's a romantic evening for you plus one, then go for the Lover’s Plate – Aphrodisiacs – Taste for Two: Cherry Chocolate Mousse, Spicy Truffle, Fruit Truffle, Dark Chocolate Espresso Truffle, Carmelized Banana, Strawberries, Nuts, Mead, all served with a Warm Spiced Dark Chocolate Sauce & a Warm White Chocolate Lavender Sauce for Dipping & Sharing ($20).

Or, if you've courage (and fasted for a sufficient amount of time before entering the Bar) and would like to try some ice cream desserts, then you might try Bailey's Banana Split: Caramelized Banana, Bailey’s, Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Creams, Nuts, Housemade Chocolate and Caramel Sauces and Whipped Cream ($8).

Thin Mint Chocolate Martini ($8)

Perhaps by now you already feel like your heart valves are closing shut because of the cholesterol and the fat from all these sugars and chocolate. Maybe you'd like to balance your sweet palette with some fine cheeses? Well, you are invited to mix and match from three different categories (some samples from each category are as follows): Category A: Emmenthaler, Gjetost, Danish Blue, Maple Smoked White Cheddar, Port Salut. Category B (very eclectic international selections): Tomme de Savoie (France), Stilton (England), Antique Gruyere (Switzerland), Mahon (Spain), Old Amsterdam (Holland, aged gouda style, floral), Black Diamond Cheddar (Canada). Category C: P'Tit Basque (France), Rustico (Italy, pecorino-style sheep's milk with spice), Roquefort (France).

I am a glutton for brie, so we chose the Baked Brie from the Savory list. It was wrapped in mixed nuts, served with diced bacon, tangy green apples and toasted pita wedges ($8).

Under the Martinis section, you can select your choice of liquid dessert, served from the highest quality chocolate vodkas. We tried the Thin Mint ($8) which was served with a sweet little chocolate straw. Yum.

Perhaps you'd like chocolate beers? How about Young's Double Chocolate Stout (21 oz. @ $6), brewed with melted chocolate bars for a smooth, velvety finish. The Drinks Menu, my friends, continues for 10 pages. You will swoon. The sister and I sat for a long while brainstorming about a new online journal that she is launching, so we lounged, ate, drank, and absorbed the atmosphere. Families came and went, birthday groups sang birthday songs and took photos then left after eating their fill, and several couples arrived holding hands and slinking into darker corners... We sat there talking about journal names and taglines, and the server was decidedly patient and kind with us. This is a great place to bring friends from out of town. I enthusiastically recommend it!



Baileys' Chocolate Bar
1915 Park, In Lafayette Square
St. Louis, MO 63104
Monday - Saturday: 4pm - 1am
Sunday: 4pm - Midnight

Letters to the Old Country

Hom nay nho den cac ban o ben phuong xa. Cac anh chi van khoe chu? Moi su tot dep, vui ve, an lanh? Sao khong nghe thay tin tuc cua cac anh chi em gi het... co let o xa nen minh it lien lac voi nhau. Tiec lam la khoang cach that xa lam minh phai dan dan ma mat lien lac voi nhau. Co rat nhieu dieu minh muon chia se, tim hieu va hoc hoi ve cuoc song o que me, que nguoi. Nhung, khong le luc nao minh cung phai di tim nhu la ke mo coi di kiem nguon song? 

[Photo source mreclipse.com]