livin' it up in Oakbrook Terrace
I'm writing to you tonight from my comfy, faux-leather desk chair at the Comfort Suites in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. I'm here for three days to attend an Apple training for troubleshooting and user support - one of those geeky parts of my job that I enjoy. I'm actually quite excited about the class - it's hands-on - a big perk - and as many of you already know, I'm a Mac fan at heart. Even though - even though! Apple does not have a lock on trouble-free machines. Contrary to their marketing campaigns, I experience lock-ups and crashes almost as often as I do on PCs. Sacrilege, I know. But it's the truth. But I love Macs anyway. Probably because Apple appeals to my designer at heart. I was going to say, my propellerhead spirit, but that sounded weird. The thing about design that Apple "gets" is that it's not just about clean lines and quasi-modern forms. It's about experience, and how people use and understand and don't understand how a computer works. Also known as interface design, or experiential design, something I'm fascinated with (see Don't Make Me Think : A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug). But I digress.
One thing I love about this hotel: free wireless internet access. Not sure if it's standard at all Comfort Suites - I doubt it is. But it seems all the hotels in this area - which seem to cater to business travelers - have it. Gotta have that edge. I haven't checked out the pool or fitness room yet.
Early reports about The DaVinci Code movie aren't that promising, although I doubt that will stop anyone from seeing it. I know I will. But I'm glad I read the book first - it's a fun read, and it's hard to know how a film adaptation can top the book. Especially since Ron Howard cast Tom Hanks, who is way off the mark from what I imagined. Richard Gere, I can see. Maybe - maybe - even George Clooney. But Tom Hanks? Nah. Not to take anything away from him - I generally enjoy his performances and thought he was great in Road to Perdition. But not this role.
Found yet another interesting article on Slate (good ol' Slate!). David Plotz is "blogging the Bible," in his words. He's set out to read it - all of it - and jot down his thoughts and observations along the way (Plotz is Jewish, by the way). His first post struck me as observant and amusing. He's respectful, but keeps an irreverant edge. It reminds me of the two months or so when Nicky, myself, and another UD seminary student set out to read the Bible together, starting at the Old Testament. We didn't make it all that far, but we had some spirited discussions. It's not easy to discuss something like the Bible and maintain respect and goodwill while approaching it from such divergent views. In that regard, we had something special. I look forward to following Plotz's posts.
And while we're on the topic of God, why do some churches offer classes in marriage preparation and then limit the attendance to couples who only plan to marry in their particular church? You would think that any church worth it's salt would be interested in preparing ANY couple for success in marriage. Of course it makes a certain amount of sense for a couple to attend marriage "class" at a church they belong to. But make it a requirement? Dumb. By all means, the church should charge for their service if they see fit. But drop the requirement. Or give me a good reason why it's in place.
I almost forgot to mention that on the drive over to Chicago, I received a refresher course on just how beautiful northwestern Illinois can be. There's a stretch of Highway 20 between Dubuque and Freeport that runs along a ridgeline overlooking farmland. It's stunning - a beautiful valley that would surely earn the praise of the early American landscape masters Thomas Cole, Albert Bierstadt, or Frederic Edwin Church. But today it was especially beautiful because we (Molly, my co-worker who was driving) and I could see thunderstorms off in the distance. It was awesome to behold. The grey dipped down from the sky and rubbed out the land like a wash of watercolor or a smear of charcoal. Isn't one of the definitions of "sublime" to feel completely absorbed or consumed by an experience? It was like that. Watching from the ridgeline, seeing the clouds sweeping below us felt like I had a telescopic view of the world, in which I could see everything moving to and fro across its surface. At that moment I wished I could paint - I doubt a photograph really could have done it justice. Maybe Thomas Cole. Not me.
One thing I love about this hotel: free wireless internet access. Not sure if it's standard at all Comfort Suites - I doubt it is. But it seems all the hotels in this area - which seem to cater to business travelers - have it. Gotta have that edge. I haven't checked out the pool or fitness room yet.
Early reports about The DaVinci Code movie aren't that promising, although I doubt that will stop anyone from seeing it. I know I will. But I'm glad I read the book first - it's a fun read, and it's hard to know how a film adaptation can top the book. Especially since Ron Howard cast Tom Hanks, who is way off the mark from what I imagined. Richard Gere, I can see. Maybe - maybe - even George Clooney. But Tom Hanks? Nah. Not to take anything away from him - I generally enjoy his performances and thought he was great in Road to Perdition. But not this role.
Found yet another interesting article on Slate (good ol' Slate!). David Plotz is "blogging the Bible," in his words. He's set out to read it - all of it - and jot down his thoughts and observations along the way (Plotz is Jewish, by the way). His first post struck me as observant and amusing. He's respectful, but keeps an irreverant edge. It reminds me of the two months or so when Nicky, myself, and another UD seminary student set out to read the Bible together, starting at the Old Testament. We didn't make it all that far, but we had some spirited discussions. It's not easy to discuss something like the Bible and maintain respect and goodwill while approaching it from such divergent views. In that regard, we had something special. I look forward to following Plotz's posts.
And while we're on the topic of God, why do some churches offer classes in marriage preparation and then limit the attendance to couples who only plan to marry in their particular church? You would think that any church worth it's salt would be interested in preparing ANY couple for success in marriage. Of course it makes a certain amount of sense for a couple to attend marriage "class" at a church they belong to. But make it a requirement? Dumb. By all means, the church should charge for their service if they see fit. But drop the requirement. Or give me a good reason why it's in place.
I almost forgot to mention that on the drive over to Chicago, I received a refresher course on just how beautiful northwestern Illinois can be. There's a stretch of Highway 20 between Dubuque and Freeport that runs along a ridgeline overlooking farmland. It's stunning - a beautiful valley that would surely earn the praise of the early American landscape masters Thomas Cole, Albert Bierstadt, or Frederic Edwin Church. But today it was especially beautiful because we (Molly, my co-worker who was driving) and I could see thunderstorms off in the distance. It was awesome to behold. The grey dipped down from the sky and rubbed out the land like a wash of watercolor or a smear of charcoal. Isn't one of the definitions of "sublime" to feel completely absorbed or consumed by an experience? It was like that. Watching from the ridgeline, seeing the clouds sweeping below us felt like I had a telescopic view of the world, in which I could see everything moving to and fro across its surface. At that moment I wished I could paint - I doubt a photograph really could have done it justice. Maybe Thomas Cole. Not me.
posted by Mike Willis @ 9:38 PM
1 Comments:
At 12:04 PM,
LeAnn said…
Have you read Ecclesiastes yet?
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