God do I wish Glenn Beck would ACTUALLY say this

“What happens if there’s a rash of deaths in Mexico… and if you’re a family in Mexico and people are dying and Americans are not, why wouldn’t you flood this border blame the USA’s unjust trade and economic policies that have crippled Mexico’s ability to respond to a health crisis?” — Glenn Beck

Read this blog post NOW. effing hilarious.

Thanks to Liz for the redirect :)

I ♥ Faces week 13: Friends

(I know I said I would start posting all my photography on the other site, but these are going to have to be an exception: I can't get wordpress to recognize the HTML of the I ♥ Faces button.)

This week's theme is "My Best Friend and I".

My kids shot comes from a series of pictures I took at my last church.



I love Kalia's easy smile... and Kai's goofy-ness :)


It was more difficult for me to pick an adult entry. I finally settled on this image from a staff retreat to the beach last year:



There was a closer-cropped one of them, but this seemed to capture Marvlyn and Leigh Ann's personalities much better.

Be sure to check out www.iheartfaces.com for all the other entries!

California dreaming

I napped
today - a fitful sleep
and thought about
you and your uncanny ability
to sleep through the light

I woke up
groggy and missing you
jarred awake by
credits - the movie I'd needed
to lull me in the first place

and you can just slip
in and out
of dreams - stay awake all night
and you don't need patterns

and I
I need habit
structure and something solid something
dependable rhythmic something
I must've dreamed you could give

you used to wake me when you came to bed
I'd pretend I didn't notice
but you woke me then and when
your feet and hands twitched in the night

the other
night I thought you were awake so I
whispered from across the room
you didn't hear and then I
noticed the distinct heavy breathing

of your sleep.

A February feeling, even now in April

I threw your keys in the water, I looked back
They'd frozen halfway down in the ice.
They froze up so quickly, the keys and their owners
Even after the anger, it all turned silent and
Then everyday turned solitary
So we came to February

First we forgot where we'd planted those bulbs last year,
Then we forgot that we'd planted at all
Then we forgot what plants are altogether,
and I blamed you for my freezing and forgetting and
The nights were long and cold and scary,
Can we live through February?

You know I think Christmas was a long red glare
Shot up like a warning - we gave presents without cards
And then the snow
And then the snow came, we were always out shoveling
And we'd drop to sleep exhausted
Then we'd wake up, and it's snowing

And February was so long that it lasted into March
And found us walking a path alone together.
You stopped and pointed and you said, "That's a crocus,"
And I said, "What's a crocus?" and you said, "It's a flower,"
I tried to remember, but I said, "What's a flower?"
You said, "I still love you"

The leaves were turning as we drove to the hardware store
My new lover made me keys to the house
And when we got home, well we just started chopping wood,
Because you never know how next year will be
And we'll gather all our arms can carry
I have lost to February.

"I ♥ Faces!" Contest Entry - Week 11 (kids!)

I decided to do a kids entry for I ♥ Faces, too. The challenge this week was to enter a photo without a flash - which is perfect, since I hardly ever use flash to begin with. This photo is of my former co-worker Wendy's ADORABLE baby boy Oscar. We snapped the session in about 20 minutes in the lobby of the Methodist building in DC, just a few days before I moved to Salt Lake City. I added a bunch of grain to the photo and cropped it down - but I just LOVE Oscar's expression here, and the little tear in his eye! Enjoy! And be sure to check out www.iheartfaces.com for the rest of this week's entries.

"I ♥ Faces!" Contest Entry - Week 11

This is my first contest for I ♥ Faces! Be sure to check out www.iheartfaces.com to see the rest of the entries. What a cool community.



I went square dancing on Friday night! Sarah drove me and I met a bunch of people from the violin-making school. I took this photo of Jen by firelight (without flash), and it's one of my favorites from the night. More to come soon!

Notes on SLC, part II

Today's installment, in honor of the general session of the legislature being finished, is a tribute to a series of "Only in Utah" laws.

1. Economic Justice.

There are NO usury laws on the books in Utah. None. Which means that it's not uncommon for payday loan or cash advance companies (of which there are more per capita than just about anywhere else in the US) to charge 400, 500, even 1,200% APR interest on one-week loans that can roll over for up to 3 months. I sat in on a committee hearing where one of our allies was trying to pass legislation that would limit APR to 100% - still an enormous profit. Even with our testimony from an expert economist and from a payday loan victim who lost everything (collectors came to her door and literally carted away her things), the bill was voted down and was dead in committee. Here's our payday loan victim telling her story to a reporter from the local Public Radio station.

What's the best way to raise revenue? Taxes, right? Well in Utah, Republican lawmakers wanted to double the sales tax on food, a measure that would disproportionately impact people living on the economic margins (me included!). The religious community banded together in a serious way on this - and we won!
The photo on the left is Rev. Steve Klemz from the Lutheran church delivering our letter of support to Lisa Roschelli (center) from Governor Huntsman's office. The Governor urged Congress not to raise the tax.
The photo on the right is Rev. Erin Gilmore of Holladay UCC (where I've been attending) and Linda Hilton, Advocate for Crossroads Urban Center, with whom I worked during my week there.


The final victory was 11th hour - literally! According to the State Constitution, the legislature has to be finished by midnight, this year on this past Thursday. At 11:51, a substitute bill was signed which allowed the Committee on Consumer Services to remain a policy-making committee rather than relegate it to an advisory committee, which the original bill suggested. The committee, commonly referred to as the "utilities watchdog" is made up of community members who keep an eye on utility companies who are looking to increase rates.

2. Alcohol and the LDS.

Here's what's been illegal in Utah: homebrew. It is illegal in Utah to make your own beer in your home. But not anymore! Good news for local company "The Beer Nut," which sells beer and wine-making kits :)

In bars here they have what's commonly referred to as the "Zion Curtain". It's a wall, made out of wood, plastic, metal, sometimes even clear glass, that's about 17'' high and stands between the bartender and the customer, behind which bartenders are required to mix drinks. Many places, bartenders aren't allowed to hand you your drink over the wall - they have to walk around the bar to hand it to you!

3. Paved History

One piece of legislation that went poorly regards a Native American archaeological site - a whole village discovered found underground just outside Salt Lake City. The Utah Transit Authority wants to dig it up to build a new Trax (metro... sort of) station. And... the Congress just gave them permission. This, in the State House where lies a display of Native American and other artifacts with a quote that reads "In Utah, everyone is from someplace else." Only in Utah.

PS - one more thing I'm not used to? Avalanche forecasting!