To yell or to speak softly?

I love hiking with Russ on the Greenbelt.  It is the best maybe 24 hours after a heavy rain fall.  Just enough time for the ground to (mostly) firm up again, but not too long after so that the smell of wet woods and greenery remains.  And, the creek is full enough that you can hear it running as you walk along.  We explored a new part of the trail today and chatted along the way.  I've had on my mind lately how I address sins of racism and gendering in my life.  Working at a school, I have a front row to ticket to the burgeoning racism and sexism in these young adults.  I address this in various ways in my classroom, mostly going along the the gentle but strong "calling out" tactic.  Still, I realized that I cannot make profound change in all the students I "call out."  I've also talked about this issue with adults and those conversations are less gentle and more strongly geared to highlighting the underlying prejudices in their statements.  Basically, I'm not scared to talk about race with folks; it is important to continue to bring that sin out of darkness into the light, so that we can expose it.

Here's my issue though: I've met to know some people recently who I believe are intelligent folk and aware of their privilege as white, protestant, straight folk.  I think they are aware at least.  Maybe I give too much credit, but I have to, otherwise, I'll lose hope in all of this.  In any case, that social awareness doesn't seem to extend to issues of gender.  They have made offensive remarks about gay men and said some other things that are just problematic gender assumptions.   It irritates the crud out of me but I'm not quite sure how to deal with it.  If they were even off-handed racist comments, I wouldn't have thought twice about my response.
"Hey, that's offensive.  What you are saying implies this-and-that about people of color and it is a gross generalization, and by gross I mean both large and icky."
Why aren't I as quick to respond in defense of my gay brothers and sisters?  I mean, I should have been.  I so strongly believe in acting toward righting the injustices of racism and sexism.  These things should be made to see truth, and have to be willing to be exposed to the social structure that formed us.  I don't know what I'm going to say next time I hear someone say something I believe is racist or sexist or homophobic.  I really don't have a clue, but I pray I'll respond firmly and with the hope that God wants them to see others as He sees them.  Just like with my kids at school, I just hope whatever I say makes room in their young brains for God to demonstrate his love for all people.

Loving the outdoors and paying the allergies price,
Mals

Texas Brews

This past weekend we drank to our hearts' content at Texas Craft Brewers Festival and while we were there the sky completely opened up and dumped all of its precious water bounty on us.  Luckily, we were sitting in the pavilion watching the blues band, eating chicken and waffles, and drinking delicious brews when the rainfall started.  We each had three beer coupons left at that point and we weren't about to leave the festival and all that beer behind, so we were grateful our shoe selections that day were more than up to the task of treading about soggy festival grounds.

Our sweet sweet reward.   As a good friend once told me, if they had had hops in Middle East, Jesus would have made a brew.  I've no idea about beer culture in ancient or modern Israel, but I agree.

Here's to you bloggies!

Mals

Iberian Daydreams

Ugh, I miss Europe.  I want to drink coffee and eat little sandwiches from here again, and tomorrow would not be soon enough.  Well, I'm behind on getting the real pictures from my camera onto my computer, plus the whole "I don't have Photoshop anymore because someone stole my old computer," so, this little photo from my telefono will have to hold you over.

Well, I have been wanting to switch blog servers, or something, or just do a big ole re-vamp of the blog, but I'm struggling for creative ideas as to theme.  Other than my utter lack of earth-shattering blog ideas, summer is progressing-ish.  Lawry is now in his second internship and also in the midst of applying for his second year internships.  Those normally end up as the permanent job offer so he's nothing short of busy at all of the hours.  But his adorable red-headed self still makes time to let me know he'd rather be in watching endless hours of Mad Men with me in Austin.  Great man, that Lawrence. 

I'm dragging on a bit here, so I'll leave you until tomorrow, when a magical idea will occur to me and this blog shall be a new space of wonder and merriment, right?

Adios!

-Mals

Keep Austin Weird

My Ode to Texas
Texas, Our Texas,
Why were you freezing?
Snow was the weather I was leaving!
Canceling a day of the conference with a thin layer of ice
That was not very nice.
But, still you have lots of good beer
So, we passed the free day with cheer.
Besides the temperature
The Mexican food was excellent for sure.
Breakfast tacos with chorizo and cheese,
Give me more, please.
Sister and Lawry,
I could not stay longer and for this I am sorry.
Texas, you are full of things and people I love.

Hoping the groundhog was right and Spring is near,
MJ

That's What I Like About Texas

Went to the heart of Texas this past weekend to hang with my sister and meet Lawry.  I went to visit the Latin American library, which I did do... but I spent about 13.73% of my time in Austin at the library.  What did I do instead??? Ate really good Mexican food, and that inspired a thought.  Sometimes, when the folks up north ask me what is so great about Texas, I give the standard answers: food is better, the people are nice, sunsets are great, and something about that wildwest mentality is awesome (more on that to come).  And, I'm not just saying this stuff, I've been places, I can compare.  However, I feel that my answers are still so abstract, so I concocted a new mission for this summer:

Photo-document all the reasons Texas is the GREAT STATE!!!

...Well, at least in the eastern/central/southern/northern parts.  My apologies to the panhandle and El Paso, you are also part of the awesome, but it would almost take me as long to get pictures of you as it would to just go back up north.  Anyway, a visual journey o' the great state is in the works...

For now, some pictures of Mexican food and Austin-y things:

 Lawry with a brisket and a shrimp taco and my fried avocado and seared ahi tuna taco from "Torchy's Tacos" in Austin.  Their tagline is "Torchy's Tacos: Damn Good Tacos."  And I'll add because it is appropriately funny... hellzzz yes they are! Mmmm, tacos...

My sister drove us all there for dinner (thank you my Austin sensei and yogi) and she got the fried avocado (best) and the shrimp taco.  Apparently this place began as a taco truck and then expanded into a small place on what they call "the drag" just off of UT-Austin's campus.  As I've always said, you know it is good when it comes from a taco truck or taco stand.  Especially, if they made so much money on their stand that they also bought a little place in a hot spot of town.

Then we went to Amy's Ice Cream... Lawry was so giddy about the ice cream; he felt like a child :)

We got a pint of Mexican vanilla ice cream with pecan praline and crushed waffle cone and split it between the three of us while we sat at the children's table.  Ah, so good!

Now to work on that research I put off,

MJ