Su wondered what I thought of this movie, so I thought I’d attempt a brief review. Perhaps more of a rant. I really liked this movie, it had great energy, and I’m a sucker for a good newspaper flick. But it acted on me like a drug – really great high, but lasting only a flash, and then I was a bit hung over. I had dinner with friends after I saw it, and I was restless, anxious; I did dishes, I couldn’t sit down. Maybe that was the popcorn – I wish I did dishes at home when I was hung over! Okay, too caught up in metaphors now.

I’m so over the grizzled, sloppy, married-to-his-job guy who can’t bother to tuck in his shirt and listens to loud Irish music on his 20-year-old car radio. This movie was pretty, a wonderful cast, great setting. But it was all froth, tropes I’ve seen a million times before and mostly no longer believe in (note the bitterness about the Irish music in the old car). I’m even over the death of the newspaper industry, having cancelled my Muskegon Chronicle subscription last month. Being a survivor of the newspaper strike in Detroit in the 90s, it’s surprising it took me so long to stop caring – I mean, I care about the writers and press workers who are losing their jobs, but I’m tired of romanticizing professions that were really all about the money, all along.

The only saving grace is that the protagonist played by Russell Crowe didn’t sleep with the younger, better-dressed colleague played by Rachel McAdams; but then, he had already had an off-screen affair with the old college friend, played by Robin Wright Penn.

I love Helen Mirren; she was worth the price of admission, not to mention my if-I-had-a-celebrity-boyfriend, Ben Affleck (it was a facebook quiz, sorry if that made no sense to those of you not on facebook yet). I suppose she represented those difficult choices we make because we have mortgages, and I do have sympathy for that. I disliked the boyfriend character in The Devil Wears Prada because I thought he was unsympathetic to Ann Hathaway’s character’s desire to please her boss, to succeed in her job, even if she wasn’t in love with the job in the first place. Many good people are caught in the middle of the huge changes in the newspaper industry. I wish this movie had dealt more clearly and originally with those changes, instead of creating a fantasy about an era that was gone before I was out of college.

1. I traveled to Detroit for the Nelson Trout Preaching Lectures last Thursday-Friday, held at my other seminary, Ecumenical Theological Seminary (pictured above, the historic First Presbyterian Church), on Woodward Ave. just below Wayne State. I love this event for so many reasons: it honors Nelson Trout; I love African American preaching; it’s become a reunion and time spent with beloved colleagues. This year I noted how much more comfortable I am in my own skin, and how people reacted differently to me. We make our own heaven or hell, as we project confidence or insecurity.
2. Rev. Dr. Freddy Haynes of Friendship West Baptist Church, in Dallas, Texas, was the lecturer/preacher, and he was fantastic. My well was filled; we had church. I felt challenged by his preaching, and also how loved I am, a child of God.
3. Traveling is often about food for me, so now I’ll rhapsodize about restaurants. We had dinner at Union Street - I love it chiefly because of happy memories of dinners with Linda before Detroit Symphony Orchestra concerts. Those were the Neeme Jarvi years. Enjoyed the classic balsamic steak salad. Yum.
4. The late-night snack, following worship, was an adventure of driving and resignation. One of the sad facts about Detroit is that on a weeknight, it shuts down around 10, and finding food after that can be tricky. The Big Boy on Jefferson sums up the east side choices. I had a malt, which did not come with the promised cup of extra – I decided what I had was plenty, and got the stomach-ache to prove it. Big Boys have a special place in my heart; it was my first job with a paycheck; I love the garlic and oil dressing; I have so many memories that took place around a Big Boy table, mostly in Brighton, but also on Highland Road, in Ypsilanti, in Detroit. First dates, post-movie discussions, flirtations with cooks, Friday-night dinner with the family.
5. On the way out of town, we stopped in Livonia for Thai food. I had really good curried vegetables with coconut milk, and then got pad thai to go, as a treat for Kathy.
6. Came home quickly on Friday, because I had tickets for Thoroughly Modern Millie at Muskegon Civic Theatre. Really good show. This is the first year I’ve had season tickets to Civic Theater, and I was very pleased with the production quality and choices.
7. I’ll end with a quotation: “Let life happen to you. Believe me: life is in the right, always.” – Rainer Maria Rilke

Another entry I wrote today was a bucket list, and this entry represents an item removed from the bucket list, a wish fulfilled.

A while ago, Su said to me, Julie, do you still want a diamond?

When I turned 40, I went through this thing of really wanting a diamond ring. It had something to do with thinking about never getting married, and privilege. I even got some money together to buy myself one, but then I bought my iBook instead. We Winkleplecks are practical people. Diamonds are so outside of my normal value system. The chunk of money it takes to get a nice one, I would rather spend on a house, or a trip to Europe. Or a computer. So I said to Su, yes, kind of; Christmas and Valentine’s day, I flip away from all the jewelry ads on TV. But it’s okay. Actually, I don’t remember exactly what I said at that point, or what she said back. The next thing I remember is a chat on facebook IM, when we set up a tentative visit to Muskegon, and she said, I think I’ll bring the diamonds.

Apparently her partner D, as an only child, has his mother’s and grandmother’s diamond rings sitting in a safe deposit box. When she said to him, I’d like to give Julie one of the diamonds, he replied, how many do I have? We’re not flashy people, I think she said; we don’t wear them, and they should be out in the light.

When she said that, it reminded me of my health counselor saying to me at the farmer’s market, buy your eggs from the man who also sells books. He really loves his chickens. The link may be oblique, but it’s there – the notion of spreading love and beauty, letting things fulfill their purpose. I suppose a vegan would disagree with me about an egg’s purpose, but you get the idea. I hope.

We had a fantastic girly day of pedicures and a fabulous lunch with Cosmopolitans, and went to a jeweler’s to see about getting one of the diamonds reset. At one of the settings I liked, in the catalog we were perusing, the jeweler said, you can’t have that one. Why? Your stone is too large. hA! There were several stones, really; one ring had the original engagement diamond with two smaller diamonds; another ring was the midlife-we-have-money-now large solitaire. Su really encouraged me to to take the larger stone; she said, you’re going to wear it more, and enjoy it more. The jeweler figured out that it was set in platinum, and said, I wouldn’t change this. It’s classic. I would just resize it. But I don’t want it to look like an engagement ring, I said. Size it for your right hand, and it won’t, he said. And he was right.

Living with this bling has been quite an experience. The overwhelming part, is what it does to me to be the recipient of such generosity. Su was happier, almost, than I; though I have had moments of feeling quite giddy. It’s such a great story, such a testimony to the kind of people they are, and the friendship we’ve shared over twenty-five years or so. It’s a marker of openness. I’ll admit that I love watching the diamond flash in the light; it’s a brilliant white stone, simple and elegant. I haven’t yet gotten to where I forget about it, or not for long.

It makes me realize that I do like some girly things, and that’s okay. While it may be true that diamonds are a symbol of ownership and oppression, it is also true that men buy diamonds for women because they are beautiful, because it’s fun and wonderful to enjoy jewelry, and we seek to please those whom we love. I wrote on my ELCA paperwork, God did not give me the gift of marriage, but I do have a gift for friendship that is deep and wide. So it’s fitting that the diamond in my life comes not from a man, a lover, but from an old, dear friend.

Grace is experienced in many ways. A diamond may be an object, but the meaning we imbue into that object is real, the history of the love between D’s grandparents, and the love between us as friends. Once again I learn, it’s not about what we deserve. It’s about responding with generosity to the abundance that is ours.

From E - The Ungame Question: Melody got mad at Jacob and said, “I’m never going to share again!”

Say something about Sharing –

I am a youngest, but by a few years, so I have many characteristics of an only child. Neither of these things leads to good manners about sharing. It’s easy when you don’t really care about something; more difficult when facing, say, the last piece of blueberry pie. I have learned much about sharing from living with Kathy, who is a generous person and seeks first to please those whom she loves (the things she’s done for her brother! wow!). I’m also really working on my trust issues, and changing the scarcity thinking, so that I have confidence there will be more blueberry pie, if not today, then sometime, and it’s easier not to take the last piece.

Many experiences don’t feel real until you’ve shared them. I wonder if that’s part of the addiction so many of us have to our cell phones – we don’t like to be alone, we need to share what we’re going through with a friend.

That’s all I’ve got, for now. What were you looking for, E?

I missed last Friday’s Five, as I was in Detroit for a lecture. But how can I pass up this topic? I haven’t written a bucket list, so here’s a start of one.

1.  Jerusalem. I’ve heard so many times, you’ll never preach the same after you go to the holy land. Much as I want to see more sites in Europe, I want my next overseas trip to be to the middle east.
2. Take a trip on a motorcycle. (Maybe to the Badlands; I haven’t quite gotten over Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.)
3. Clean out the basement.
4. Get a handle on the paper problem.
5. Study a language – Latin, and/or German – enough to read poetry untranslated. Or at least, to read my German/English Rilke books without having to look as much at the English. But Latin would be cool. Maybe the next call will be in a bigger city, with a Catholic seminary. Well, bucket lists are about dreams, right?

I’m in love with the CBC Radio 3 Podcast and its host,  Grant Lawrence (above). Here’s a bunch of questions he asks band members – I’ll adapt, since I’m not in a band.

Introduce yourself – Joolie!

Hometown – Brighton, Michigan, USA.

Town in which you formed your band – Detroit.

Longest you’ve ever dated one person – Dating? What is that? I used to have the seasonal dating idea – four a year, I’m doing okay.

Band you loved at 14 – the Who.

All time favorite movie - The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

Political party your beliefs are most closely aligned to – Democrat. With caveats.

Who has the worst hair in Canadian music – Here I’ll say what I want to say to rich movie stars, like Brad Pitt: comb your hair already!

Japan or England? England.

Celebrity you most resemble – Shelly Long. Okay, when I was in college, but still.

Favorite brand of beer – Newcastle.

SxSW or NxNE? – I haven’t been to either. Not much for live rock music, anymore, I don’t like the crowds. Still enjoy the symphony.

Most memorable encounter with a wild animal – the last two summers I had a groundhog living under my garage. One of my parishioners, who happens to be 80, “took care of it” for me. Harry did me a solid. I don’t want to know the details.

Most exotic place your band has ever played – I’ve been to England and Germany. Maybe the most exotic place I ever went, was the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, back in my 20s. It rained.

Twitter or Facebook? Both, in an I’m-old kind of way.

Favorite drug? caffeine.

Veggie or meat? yes.

Favorite sports figure - Sandra Schmirler, RIP.

Name a product you would never endorse – not that I’d be asked! Razors.

All-time favorite TV show - Veronica Mars.

Toronto or Vancouver? Toronto. And yes, I’ve been to both.

First band poster on your bedroom wall? – the Beatles, those four pictures from the White Album.

last day job – editor at a publishing company. Or waitress.

if you could go on vacation anywhere, where would you go? Jerusalem.

last celebrity encounter – a long time ago, I sat across the aisle from John Salley and Rick Mahorn in a restaurant in Bloomfield Twp.

best thing to do on a Saturday night? hang out with friends.

All time favorite song – how can you choose one? “Wishing Heart,” Lisa Loeb.

Happiness is….hanging out with friends.