grace

Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin gratia favor, charm, thanks, from gratus pleasing, grateful; akin to Sanskrit grnAti he praises

1 a : unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification b : a virtue coming from God c : a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace

2 a : APPROVAL, FAVOR b archaic : MERCY, PARDON c : a special favor : PRIVILEGE d : disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency e : a temporary exemption : REPRIEVE

3 a : a charming or attractive trait or characteristic b : a pleasing appearance or effect : CHARM c : ease and suppleness of movement or bearing

4 -- used as a title of address or reference for a duke, a duchess, or an archbishop

5 : a short prayer at a meal asking a blessing or giving thanks

6 plural, capitalized : three sister goddesses in Greek mythology who are the givers of charm and beauty

7 : a musical trill, turn, or appoggiatura

8 a : sense of propriety or right b : the quality or state of being considerate or thoughtful

Synonym - Mercy

a grace note
a state of grace
saying grace
being gracious

"In life as in dance: Grace glides on blistered feet" - Alice Abrams

Golden Gardens 2007

Nathan Cute Duck
Nathan
Me

Old pictures

I just dug these pictures out of my hard drive a few days ago. This last summer, I had the very good fortune of snagging the amazing band The Senate as well as six amazing dancers for a collaborative dance/performance piece. We're submitting to Bumbershoot next week, which hopefully means we'll be coming to a Seattle stage come Labor day weekend.

Another great cartoon.

You're cinematic razor sharp
A welcome arrow through the heart
Under your skin feels like home
Electric shocks on aching bones

Snow Patrol, "You're all I Have"

Still not quite sure why these four lines get to me, but they do.

Last night at work,

I sat across the table from an impossibly smart six yr old, one whose loquacity and wit made me question the importance of my intellect.

"How old are you?" I asked with a grin.
She was terribly cute, with big, brown mouse eyes.

"I'm six!" She responded.
"And I'm in first grade, and my sister, who's just four, is in Pre-K! And my birthday is March 25th!"
The sentence was ended with a gap-toothed grin.

Earlier, I was momentarily thrown by a seven yr old asking me for the proper spelling of homophones. Finding opposites was an all right pastime, but the appeal of finding such matches as "scene" and "seen" transported young Jacklyn into a unmatchable euphoria.

It's somewhat humbling to realize that I am tutoring children with IQ's that could potentially far surpass mine, given enough room, support, and inspiration to bloom.

Belief

Belief is a beautiful armor
But makes for the heaviest sword
Like punching under water
You can never hit who you're trying for

John Mayer, "Belief"

Salinger

An artist's only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, and on his own terms, not anyone else's.
Franny and Zooey, J.D. Salinger

It's cold outside

24 degrees F in fact. The fact that I live on a very steep hill, thus making it impossible for me to go anywhere, is greatly lessening my love affair with snow and ice.

A blessing in disguise I suppose. I have a chest-high stack of books I've been making progress through. The last books I read were Camera Lucida by Barthes, Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome, and Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Mid-century semiotics to post WWII sci-fi.

I'm hoping to continue the eclecticness this weekend with The Book of Imaginary Beings by Borges and Franny and Zooey by Salinger.

engagement part 2

Here's a picture from this summer when we were at his sister's wedding.

I think perhaps God was trying to tell us something, as we ended up at three weddings within four months of meeting each other!

engagement part 1

I am now very happily engaged to a very wonderful man.

Exclamation points just don't seem very adequate to express the mix of emotions I am feeling right now.

But I am very, very, very, extremely, incredibly, superbly happy.

Pictures in next post.

cartoons

I find it sad that cartoonists, masters of mockery with a side of keen social commentary, are so spot on with their images of Darfur.