Time to go...

Well, this is it.
Tomorrow, this M.A.Y.A. is going East. It won't be long before I'll be forced to consider myself a full-fledged adult. I'm actually a bit excited for it. I'm looking forward to going gray, but that is easily tempered by my sadness in my looming bald spot.

I'm trying to remember how I felt when I left for San Angelo. It seems like ages ago: so much has happened since that decision and that destination.
I remember events. It was New Years and I went to a party with a bunch of people from Barnes and Noble. My friend Pamela was completely hammered and she professed her love for me. I'm pretty certain that she poured out her adoration because of the booze, but no matter. This one girl that I really like wasn't there and this other girl I liked was there, but was in a heated conversation with another guy. Heated as in confrontational, not to be disturbed.

Jason was house-sitting and I spent New Years and a few other nights there. I'm still sworn to silence about one night in particular, but it still comes up in awed laughing fits.

During the last Sunday at church, I stood in front of the congregation while people prayed for me. The only recollection of the prayer was Pastor Tom saying, "Thrust him out, Lord! Thrust him out!" At my left, Pastor Glenn was laughing.

I remember going on a date with Mariam. We went to Steamers and the Rockin Taco. We listened to KCRW on the ride home. I could have stayed for her.

Before I left, I had lunch with Pastor and he told me that if it didn't work out, I could always come back home.

Even though I remember events, I don't remember feelings. I just got in a car, turned on "Take it Easy" and drove. The story was so outlandish, the circumstances so unlikely, just taking the trip was wild enough. Romantic and diffuse, the experience fulfilled its definition.


I did come back home and I have been in Los Angeles for almost 4 years. I never returned back to Steamers Cafe, even though that was my place. Falling in love with Long Beach, I swore I found my pond to swim in. Things coalesced and life codified.

Of course, that didn't last long. I'm not rehashing all of it, but I can tell you the end/beginning. It was at the Indianapolis Zoo on a bench in front of the gorillas. Kate and I were talking about God and I had presented my theological treatise to her. She can tell you it was quite something. I was quite impressed with myself. She wasn't. We ended up on this bench and we sat close for just a second, then moved on. In that moment, it ended and started.

So, a little more than two years later, I leave again. This time, I'm not leaving home because I don't consider Los Angeles my home. Really, the roots I had are now exposed in the sun. Church, career, friends, family...it's not the same. My thesis talked about identity construction and religion. I feel like I've reconstructed myself in a way: going to D.C., still being single, finding no solace in the forms of Christianity I grew up in, not going into the ministry (but this one might still have a happy ending), leaving the newsroom. More deeply, that treatise I gave Kate proved to be askewed. Not by much, but now with one new qualifier at the start: I don't know and I'm fine with that.

Well, there it it. As Karina wrote to me, it's good to obey the inner nudge. Inklings and nudges, a wink and a nod. At least it saves paper.

The wide world of whiteness....

Gregory Rodriguez of the L.A. Times wrote a column about stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com. A tongue-in-cheek blog, it really does hit on all the things white people do and don't do.
Try to read it seriously, but not too seriously. Honestly, some many of those things are true.
Rodriguez brings up the issue of "white people" becoming a minority in the U.S. I think I heard that by 2050, most citizens will be from Asia, Latin America or Africa.
It does bring up an interesting discussion on white culture. What is white culture? is it either being white trash or being Westside hipster. Often, it is an either/or scenario. More so, what is it to be white? European? Icelandish? Variations of Native American?
Something worth thinking about.

the 2nd Annual M.A.Y.A.Years Oscar picks!!!!!

I know you've been waiting for this and I'm never one to disappoint when it comes to excessive glamour and glitz.

This year was a good year for movies. Several strong movies came out at the end of the year and there was a good mix all-in-all. I'm still peeved my parents made me watch "Enchanted" and I'm happy to have continued my vows to avoid Lindsay Lohan at all costs.

So, here are the major categories and the picks:

Original Song:
Should win: "Once" was simply exceptional and it's a damn shame that more songs weren't nominated. Instead we have Cinderella in New York.
Will win: Probably "Once" as I'm hoping all the "Enchanted" songs will cancel each other out.

Foreign Language Film:
No picks, just a note: the academy really, really needs to revamp this. Because of the stupid rules, films like "Persepolis" and "The Band's Visit" aren't in this. Stupid academy.

Documentary Feature:
Should win: "No End in Sight." This movie captured the essence of everything that went wrong in Iraq. It's terrifying and incredibly sad. "Sicko" was superb as well, except when it went into dancing with Fidel Castro mode.
Will win: Probably "No End in Sight," but "War/Dance" might make an upset.

Cinematography:
Should win: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" was a complex and lush film, beautifully filmed to show the true tragedy of locked-in syndrome and the majesty of imagination. "There will be Blood" was stark and gripping in its summation of capitalism and oil. The filming was fantastic.
Will win: Probably "Atonement," by the way, did anyone see this? I tried to avoid it like the plague.

Animated Film:
Should win: I didn't see "Ratatouille," but I probably will. But "Persepolis" was amazing.
Will win: "Ratatouille."

Adapted Screenplay:
Should win: Hard category, because they're all good. I'm going on a limb and saying that Sarah Polley's adaptation of Alice Munro's short story was stunning, sad and redemptive all at once.
Will win:
Coen Brothers did hit the marks with "No Country for Old Men."

Original Screenplay:
Should win: The strongest category by far. Yay for originality and creativity. In the end, "Juno" stands out, with "Lars and the Real Girl" a very close second.
Will win: "Juno."

Supporting Actress:
Should win: I didn't see "American Gangster" and "Gone Baby Gone," but Amy Ryan is great in "The Wire." "Michael Clayton" is a great movie and Tilda Swinton is phenomenal in what her role is in the mess the movie portrays. But Cate Blanchett is the reincarnation of Bob Dylan that makes "I'm not There" plausible. If she doesn't look or sorta sound like Dylan, the other portrayals of Dylan-esque will won't make sense unless one is a major fan.
Will win: Blanchett.

Supporting Actor:
Should win: Javier Bardem is scary as hell. Didn't see "Jessie James," but I heard that was good. Tom Wilkinson was terrific as always, but he's one of those actors that is going to suffer from "terrfic as always" syndrome.
Will win: Bardem.

Best Actress:
Should win: I'm not sure. All are good in their own way. Didn't see "La Vie en Rose," but I heard the movie was uneven. Missed out on "The Savages," and I'm kicking myself for that. I heard "Elizabeth" sucked too, but Julie Christie really did a great job in "Away from Her."
Will win: Christie, but Cotillard could pull off the upset.

Best Actor:
Will win and should win: No question, Day-Lewis was freakishly terrific.

Best Director:
Should win: The second strongest category. All are really good. If I had it my way, I would give it to Schnabel. The vision of the movie, the process of storytelling and the implmentation was simply stunning. The same can be said for Anderson and the Coen Bros., but there's something just a little different about "Diving Bell." Sad not to see Tim Burton here.
Will win: Eeek, I'm really not sure, but I'll go with the Coen Bros. Well deserved for an incredible body of work for for the Academy to finally recognize duel directors.

Best Picture:
Should win: I'm going with "Juno." There was just something amazing and simple about this movie. "There will be Blood" was exquisite, as was "No Country for Old Men."
Will win: You read it here first (or maybe ninth, but who's counting?); "Michael Clayton" will win and here's why: "No Country" and "Blood" will cancel each other out and no one still wants to vote for a comedy. That leaves "Atonement" and "Clayton." "Clayton" is a drama that reflects our times better than the British flick and Clooney is more of a movie star than Kiera Knightly. So, the Academy goes to the morally ambiguous fixer.


For an added bonus, here are my picks of the best movies of the year:
Juno
Once
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
There will be Blood
The Lookout
I'm Not There
No End in Sight
Lars and the Real Girl
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Knocked Up

Migration is always an issue of space

This went out to the masses tonight. It's my big news of the day.

Dear Friends,

In Salem, West Virginia, it is illegal to leave home without knowing where you are going.

This, according to “Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader,” is a law that is a bit loony. Indeed, I’m not sure how the town would regulate that ordinance. Does the Sheriff check everyone’s GPS systems? Circles drawn on the map? Shopping list?
No matter. I’m sure in a small town, everyone is up on everyone’s business, so it’s quite easy to know where people are off to in the middle of the night, or for a “long weekend.”
(By the way, if you have never had the pleasure of reading any of the “Uncle John’s Bathroom Readers,” I highly recommend you do so. It is one of the sources where I have learned the most lessons about life, in addition to the Bible and the Bold and the Beautiful.)

It does bring up an interesting scenario: what if you were required by law to know where you are going? In all decisions big and small, from RiteAid to the wedding chapel, you had to have the direction set before you launched, so to say. Not only did you have to have direction, but you had to have directions: addresses, numbers, account balances, car miles, metro tickets, words of wisdom, dotted lines, signatures and goodbyes. All the little dots that we connect consciously and flippantly that move us along in the line/circle/rhombus we live on a daily basis.

Logically speaking, it makes perfect sense. You take the good and take the bad, mash them up, pick them out of a hat, weigh the pros and the cons, talk to loved ones, converse with strangers and make a decision. With enforcement looking over your shoulder, it is rest assured that the decision will be well thought out and executed.

But what about “those” decisions? You know what I’m talking about: the ones that are solely and comprehensively based on an inkling. Not even a full feeling, but an inkling. The flutter of the heart when she walks in the room or the raised eyebrow at hearing about a job opportunity. How your hands get clammy and you unconsciously take a step back, then two steps forward. Those decisions. Surely the law or any other logical system can’t truly account for those.

What about those decisions that seem almost primal, like the urge to migrate? We still do migrate; move to warmer temperatures, move for better changes or move to flee crisis. More than anything cultural or political, it is almost inherent in every human being to move if the times and life calls for it. While we are always moving, the question is often of what and where and who and why are we moving towards.

Well dear friends, I bring this up because this process has been on my brain for a long time. I saw an exhibit at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach that dealt with migration. One of the pieces included several photos of shoes, compasses, pencils, food and memories that were left behind. It was called Migration is always an issue of space. That’s so true. New space, open space, expanding space: isn’t that what people want? Well, I know that it’s what I’m looking for.

So, I’m migrating again. I’m not going to Salem, West Virginia, but rather Washington, D.C. I’m leaving Los Angeles on February 27 and setting up shop in the nation’s capitol.

I bring up directions because I don’t have a whole lot of those right now (less is more and more costs more, right?), but I do feel I have the inkling. My past travels have enlightened me on how to deal with cows, but I now look forward to the new challenge of dealing with jackasses (cue your favorite rim shot here). Wow, that was a really bad joke. I’ll blame learning life lessons while reading in the bathroom for that one.

So, the adventure continues. A new space, new place, new faces and a new administration to anticipate. The email addresses and phone number are still the same and once things get more solidified, I’ll update y’all. As always, I am deeply thankful and grateful to you for your friendship and kindness.

In the meantime, if you can’t get enough of all things Plunk, here are some extra dishes I’ve baked up:

Stuff for the Norman Lear Center:
http://blog.learcenter.org/2007/10/radioheads_tip_jar.html#more
http://blog.learcenter.org/2007/08/u2charist.html#more

Stuff for Four Story:
http://www.fourstory.org/pages/stories/091-plunkett-lakewood.htm
http://www.fourstory.org/pages/stories/079-plunkett-bellflower.htm

For the fans of Donald Miller and “Blue Like Jazz,” his cohorts created the Burnside Writers Collective and they finally ran my article:
http://www.burnsidewriterscollective.com/social/2008/02/discriminating_tastes.php

And as always, the M.A.Y.A. Years:
themayayears.blogspot.com

I’ll be blogging from M.A.Y.A., plus I’ll be doing more articles for Four Story on development in D.C., plus I’ve got a bunch more stuff in the works, so check it out.


Truly yours,
Mike

Give it to the pregnant teenager!!!!

The official M.A.Y.A. Years Oscar picks will be coming shortly (please exhale. It's for your good.), but clearly, the viewing audience knows that Juno should win. (It really should, it was quite good.)

In other news, things are rapidly coming together in terms of this M.A.Y.A. going East. More to come shortly as well.

the GLUE that holds cities together...

I heard about the Great Lakes Urban Exchange a little while back and it's really cool. Started by two M.A.Y.A.s, GLUE hopes to help shape the debate about the development in post-industrial Great Lakes region. Fantastic stuff.

I've been into development issues since I've started writing over at Four Story. Issues of urbanism and community are so important, especially in the light of rapid change in cities, trying to shift to the new economic winds.

the journey on newsprint...

Today was a bit of a milestone for me: I recycled most of my own newspaper clippings.
I still have my portfolio, but all the papers that I have saved for close to four years are now in the recycle bin near the Iacaboni Library.
Just like that. It was a trip going through them once more, remembering what I had done and what I should have done better. That subhead is too big. That front didn't turn out right. Eh, maybe Toni was right about this one page. Just that one.
Included in the pile were all my notes from the Texas Theater project. Lint will know about this, but while in San Angelo, I ended up writing an expansive article on the Texas Theater, the main movie palace in downtown. It was my attempt to try and understand this place I called home for 14 months and maybe my way to try and get Angeloans to know about me.
It was sad to throw the notes away: part of me wanted to keep them, just to always have them. Nevertheless, I have the memories and the experience, plus the final product, so my work was done, as were those notes.
I did promise Glen that I would return to San Angelo once the theater was renovated, if it ever would be. Last time I heard, it's aiming for fall of this year.
I can't wait.

Raise a Valley girl in the way she should go....

Clearly, this poor child won't depart from it. Thanks to Karina for passing this along.

No, Se no puede....

Well, I think we know what the spin against McCain is going to be in the general election.

couple of thoughts about super tuesday...

1. All politics is local and once again, that is proven true. Here in Los Angeles County, where Clinton carried it strong, the mayor was a campaign co-chair, as well as influential congresswoman Maxine Waters and County supervisor Gloria Molina. That is a large constituency, particularly Latino. I read over at Talking Points Memo that the endorsement of city mayors was the most influential in key cities. I don't doubt it.
2. This election is going to truly ride on this idea: will a movement translate into votes? Meaning, young voters are coming out in droves for Obama and while it appears that no Republican candidates are attempting to acknowledgment their existence, it comes down to the fundamental adage that old votes, young protests. Hence, Clinton can gain more than Obama, especially if yoting drives at colleges haven't yielded positive results.
3. What I think it is going to happen with the Democrats will be a near-mirror of the 2000 election. Remember, America isn't a direct democracy. It isn't majority rules, but rather representative and proportional. If it comes to a brokered convention, the key will be what they call superdelegates; party elites that can vote however the hell they want. So, who will stay with Bill Clinton (because that is what it comes down to) or go to the new guy.
4. I feel like I should apologize on behalf of the national media. They really don't know what they're doing.

Tuesday is super duper!

Go vote if it's your turn to vote!!!

Rev. Jim Wallis spoke at All Saints last night in support of his new book, The Great Awakening.

It was quite good. I like Sojourners and what he has to say, but I do have to say that some people make really stupid comments in the name of Biblical interpretation or whatnot. Oh well. I commented to Joy that I wonder where people learn theology. Of course, I think of my own background and I know that answer all too well.

No matter...back to planning a move.