Omaha's Culture Club

Inspiring article. The main thing I take from it being that one should never give up hope.

(HT: Tom & Alissa)

FW Firehouse Theater

I've written about this before, but it still looks dire. Again, go see a show and talk it up!

(HT: Robert Enders)

Suburban Nation - II

Still reading Suburban Nation, and here's another quote that rings true, especially with us:

The unity of society is threatened not by the use of gates but by the uniformity and exclusivity of the people behind them. Unfortunately, the segregationist pattern is self-perpetuating. A child growing up in such a homogeneous environment is less likely to develop a sense of empathy for people from other walks of life and is ill prepared to live in a diverse society. The other becomes alien to the child's experience, witnessed only through the sensationalizing eye of the television. The more homogeneous and "safe" the environment, the less understanding there is of all that is different, and the less concern for the world bond the subdivision walls. It works both ways: the poor also have little understanding of the middle class, whom they consider to be in no way like themselves, and universally insensitive to their hardships.

This is why we have no qualms about moving our four kids into a "sketchy" neighborhood. On the contrary, we believe it would be more dangerous to raise them here.

It's Easy. She's Standing Right Next to You.

0:50:48... Bourne Supremacy... Best moment ever in a movie. Wow! Goosebumps.

The Staight Story

Sunday nights typically have become movie nights at the Greider household, and tonight we watched The Straight Story. It's by David Lynch, but it's still rated G. The kids, especially - obviously - Emmett, loved it. We paused it many times to highlight and emphasize its moral lessons, which are many. We highly recommend it, even for adults!

Hardball's Right On

HT to DFWB. I continue to be more and more impressed with Hardball. Last week I met and spoke with Jason Freier, and I'm sold on them, without a doubt!

One Reason We're Moving

In Surge in Manhattan Toddlers, Rich White Families Lead Way

Well, two out of three ain't bad - we're white and we've had a surge in toddlers. But oh, for that third one...

...Manhattan’s 35,000 or so white non-Hispanic toddlers are being raised by parents whose median income was $284,208 a year in 2005...

Clearly having kids in Manhattan is a luxury for only those that can truly afford it. Others with small toddlers avoided or left Manhattan in favor of more affordable cities or suburban communities.

Uno's and Authenticity

So we're in Fort Wayne this week, and today we had the most remarkable experience. I'd like to say it was good, but mostly it was disconcerting. Hallie and I and the kids plus cousin Jackson were looking for some pizza after hanging out at our new place downtown after church. We drove a few blocks to Toscani's, only to find it closed on Sundays. Bummer! So we headed away from downtown Fort Wayne north until we happened upon Uno's Chicago Grill.

Wow! What a great place. Great food, great prices, great atmosphere, semi-great service. Really nice. And especially so on Sundays with kids, who only have to pay for their meal by their poundage. (They actually weigh the kids upon entering [47lbs., 29lbs., 55lbs., etc.] and then give them a $4 pizza or anything else from the kids menu for that amount in cents!) So cool!

But after a few minutes, I looked at Hallie and said, "Something's not right here." And then it hit me: what made this place so cool - primarily it's atmosphere - was... well... inauthentic! Yes fake! Oh of course it was richly detailed and wonderfully arranged and meticulously cared for. But it was all... shall we sake... fake! You see, this was a brand new building out in the sprawling suburbs on a lot surrounded by parking spaces that was intentionally trying to look and feel a hundred years old. I mean everything: rusticated brick (fake 1/2" slivers on Sheetrock, of course, with no structural capacity in the slightest), exposed wiring and exposed ductwork, wood ceiling joists (metal web joists clad in dark-stained wood trim, of course), and old framed black-and-white photographs from the turn of the (20th) century, etc.! Everything in that place - which is only about five years old - was designed and built to look as if it was 100 years old. Augh!!!

So what's the problem, you ask? It's simply what people want, right? We want to feel connected to our past, part of our history, more than just the sum total of developers' temporary, capitalistic schemes to separate us from our money. No! We long for richness, history, substance! Even authenticity! But wait... Uno's Chicago Grill on North Clinton is anything but authentic. The chicken and fries may have tasted great, and the amber ale quenched my thirst quite well. But the experience was not authentic.

Now why did this bother me so much? Because I had just come from downtown FW, where there still exists a decent (though, sadly, not great!) amount of older, authentic buildings which could easily house an Uno's Chicago Grill, or any number of period-style restaurants. In these, by God, customers could actually sit in booths abutting real brick walls, and real exposed ductwork and electrical conduit. Customers could actually look at and touch the heavily-varnished wood tables that bear the scratched-in names of patrons from generations past, rather than ones simulated by a factory-worker somewhere in China! And then, miracles of miracles, they could walk out the door and stroll a little, and enjoy - on foot, no less! - the sights and sounds of real, raw life! An experience, to be sure, the original Uno's (see below) didn't have to fake.

So the point? The point is let's not just have great simulated experiences. Let's have great authentic experiences. Let's be done with fakes, phonies, and frauds (for all you Dittoheads out there!). Let's get real!

For reference:

Inside of a typical Uno's Chigago Grill (chain restaurant). Obviously meant to look "old".


Outside of typical suburban UNG


Original UCG. Couldn't this still happen downtown FW?!?!


Founder of UCG. How much you wanna' bet that's original brick behind him?

Two Dates to Save

I guess I could do an Evite, but this is a little easier. For those interested, Emmett will be welcomed to the table on April 15th (yes, Easter!), and Alden will be baptized May 13th (yes, Mother's Day!) We'd love to have you join us at TVC either or both of those Sundays.

Piper Journals About His Father's Death

Amazing!

Robert Reich on Vimeo

This is pretty funny, and a little cute, I must admit. Though I never really found myself smiling much at Mr. Reich's comments when he was in office, I genuinely couldn't stop doing so here. He seems to be refreshingly normal and straight forward. Wonder if he's lightened up, I've lightened up, or Vimeo is contributing to a less politically polarized world? Hmmm...

Mohler on Coulter

link

Perfectly said! I hope this incident finally removes her from the political and social scene. For years I've cringed every time she mingled with others I semi-respect. And hopefully, conservatives will do some real soul-searching, especially those in the audience who laughed. Shameful, to say the least.

Drugs, Knives, and Midwives

Now, a new breed of agitators are starting to take matters into their own hands. In a December 2006 Boston magazine article, Cassidy details the efforts of Boston-area women who are fed up with unwanted C-sections, false positive prenatal screening tests, scant breastfeeding support, and incorrect predictions from doctors about dangerously large babies. The members of this "mommy uprising" are hiring hands-on midwives instead of obstetricians and are insisting that they be allowed to have a doula -- a supportive labor coach -- present at the birth. Some are passing on the hospitals altogether in order to give birth in the familiar comfort of their own homes.

Hmmm... never thought of ourselves as agitators, but we do seem to fit the mold. Anyway, must read article! Our experiences - especially Hallie's - confirm everything in it.

but...

In some states, attending a home birth is illegal, and home birth midwives and their clients (not "patients") have been driven underground.

Hmmm... this is definitely not one of the things we're excited about as we head back to Indiana.

Piper on Jesus Tomb

As always, Piper's very relevant.

Dwell in... Fort Wayne?

This video shows a couple who had finally outgrown their small Manhattan apartment and ended up going somewhere they never thought they'd go (Harlem), and doing something they never thought they'd do (renovate an entire brownstone). This pretty much sums up our experience. With now six people living in a one-bedroom, we've finally met our match. And we're heading someplace we never thought we would (though I always thought I'd renovate buildings). Equal parts reticence and excitement, to be sure. We'll see. Oh, and btw, Dwell is my favorite 'zine.