SEARCHING FOR THE RIGHT DOG

Julie and I have been looking for a puppy for a few weeks now. I originally really wanted a pug, but a few other breeds have entered the mix, like, in order of appearance: the Goldendoodle,  the Labradoodle, and the French Bulldog. Labradoodles are a mix of Labrador Retreivers and Poodles, while Goldendoodles are a mix of Golden Retrievers and Poodles. They are both bred to make designer, non-shedding crossbreeds. I'm on the fence about the French Bulldog because they hate our freedom so. I want our puppy to bath in the slightly less oxygen rich American freedom that fills our Colorado Springs skies and not sit and silently condemn my choices. I originally wanted a pug because they make me laugh, but then I started thinking, "what if that wears off and I really want a dog that will go running with me", and our pug is like, "hey look at me, I'm still hilarious", but he actually comes off as pathetic, and then starts using catch phrases and broad physical comedy to entertain me.  

PIKES PEAK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Building Aesthetics: t t. Pikes Peak Methodist is your run of the mill small church. There is nothing particularly interesting about the building. It is actually rather boring save some pretty cut glass windows. Inside the sanctuary feels a bit claustrophobic with it's narrow design and lack of natural light. Because of the lack of windows, the church  has to be lit by florescent and tungsten lights. I think God prefers natural light. Pews are comfortable though a little close together. I kept brushing my groin into the hymnal in front of me.  

Creepy Glazed Eyes: t t t t. There were some unique eyes at church today, but I think that was mostly from glaucoma. People were friendly and seemed sincere and honest. The creepiest person award goes to the homeless guy sitting out front of the church who kept telling me that if I hung around for thirty minutes I would be able to see police arrest him. The church noted in the service that it was particularly sympathetic to the plight of the homeless.

Hassled by Members: t t t t. This church also didn't make me stand up and introduce myself, though several pleas were made for new folks to stay after the service and introduce themselves to members. A few folks came up after the service to say hello and were very friendly. One woman yelled to us as we were leaving, "see you guys next week, right?"

Religious Time Management: t t t t. The service was concise with a large chunk of time going to parishioners concerns. A lot of people had concerns. A lot of people recently had heart attacks. There is something to be said for the peace that comes in hearing others more pressing struggles. If I had to say something today it would have been, "please pray that Julie and I find a puppy soon." 

Misinformation: t t t t. I can't say I heard any misinformation today, though the minister did say that God used her as a medium for poetry. It was a nice poem that she read, but I think God would have done a little better.

Presence of God: t t. I seem to consistently find God in the music. Today it was "What a friend we have in Jesus". I have an old recording of Doc Watson singing this song, and hearing it today made me happy, so much so that I learned it on the guitar when I got home. The Lord's Prayer also sent a shiver up my spine, which I think speaks to the power of repetition and tradition. I'm pretty sure the lay minister of the church is gay, unless Margo is also a boys name. She had a good sense of humor and spoke passionately.

Overall Inspiration: t t t. This church had no real diversity to speak of, not even age diversity. Almost everyone there today was white and over 60. The sermon was really specifically aimed at that age group as evidenced by these comments: "Who here knows what a Nook is, and it's not where you ate breakfast?" and "We all know what prunes do" and "You know how it is when you forget things". The congregation was so old in fact that only half were able to stand for the songs. At one point the minister hit on what is surely their biggest collective fear: to be abandoned in a nursing home, for which she was showered with several "Amens". 

CHAPEL AT THE US AIR FORCE ACADEMY

The chapel at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs is quite beautiful. It contains 4 separate houses of worship: Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Buddhist (notice any major world religions missing?). The largest sanctuary is claimed by the Protestants and is bathed in a lovely bluish purple light. Jews and Buddhists are relegated to the basement, and the Hare Krishnas have been moved offsite to terminal 3 at Denver International airport. 

INVASION OF THE HOT AIR BALLOONS

Yesterday around 20 hot air balloons descended on the city of Colorado Springs. It was for some sort of festival, but what made it interesting was that they landed all over town; in parks, streets, and on one occasion, almost on a house. An old lady came out of the house yelling that her house wasn't on city property and that the balloon would have to move. 

GARDEN OF THE GODS

This is a good example of poorly placed subjects inside the frame. As you can see from the bottom photo the most interesting part of the landscape is blocked by us. Whoops! This is what happens when you use a scooter as a tripod. These photos were taken in Garden of the Gods, which is located in our backyard (just about). It is a free park that was donated to the city of Colorado Springs by railroad baron Charles Elliot Perkins. The only stipulation was that the city could never charge an entrance fee. Julie's dad and I rode through on scooters, arguably the best way to see it.    

A CAMPFIRE IN MY BACKYARD

ALL SOULS UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH

This is my new plan. Every week I'm going to attend a different church in the Colorado Springs area and grade them according to a list of criteria I created ranging from building aesthetics to the amount of misinformation that was handed out. The best score for each catagory will be five crosses (t t t t t). Colorado Springs has a reputation as a breeding ground for religious zealots, and I'm very curious just how far the rabbit hole goes. This week I attended All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church. Full disclosure: I am a Unitarian Universalist (UU) at heart. That being said, I find huge disparities from one UU church to the next. The church I attended regularly in downtown Portland, OR was excellent. The one in Bozeman, MT started each service with a group hug. Here are my thoughts about All Souls in Colorado Springs. 

Building Aesthetics: t t t. All Souls has a very intimate feel. The exterior is made of wood, brick, and stone, and the interior is filled with lots of warm wood. Large stained glass windows also makes their space inviting. I found the use of powerpoint during the service distracting, and it irritated me that the church used the PC platform instead of Apple (if any denomination should embrace the "Think Different" mantra it should be them). The oversized projector screen also blocked a beautiful nook of the church. 

Creepy Glazed Eyes: t t t t t. Most members aired on the side of intensity rather than creepiness, due in large part to their proclivity toward critical thinking. Conversations ranged from the history of rock music to the virtues of Scandinavian planned communities. The creepiest person at the service was the minister's onstage sidekick who led the songs.

Hassled by Members: t t t t. The church didn't make me stand up and introduce myself or anything, but a slippery fellow named Charles did get me to divulge my home address and email under the guise of an upcoming potluck. People were quick to ask if it was my first time at a UU church, though their motivation was not conversion but rather curiosity if I'd heard of the religion.

Religious Time Management: t t t t. The service was less than an hour long, not even enough time to get butt cramps from the wooden pews. The sermon was a good length, but included a 7 minute slideshow featuring the church garden that was awkwardly not set to music, so everyone watched in silence. 

Misinformation: t t t t t. At one point the minister quoted an old Arab adage saying, "you should always carry two pennies: one to buy bread for someone in need, the other to buy yourself a flower". No Arab country that I'm aware of uses the penny. If the saying originated in Jordan, then they would recommend always carrying two qirsh or dinars, depending on the price of bread and the type of flower. 

Presence of God: t t t. If God was here today, he was probably a bit bored. Not much new spiritual ground was covered. My hokey meter did go off a few times: once when a song mentioned not only "mother earth", but also "father air" and "brother fire", and another time when the "web of existence" was mentioned. The minister did have a good sense of humor. When someone sneezed she said, "Bless you. Just doing my job". 

Overall Inspiration: t t t. I felt very comfortable sitting in the church surrounded by a motley crew of most varieties of white folks. People here seemed good natured and thoughtful. The sermon was a bit lacking, though in her defense, the minister admitted that her brother had recently committed suicide. The closest I came to God today was during a song entitled, "We'll Build a Land". I've always liked Rumi, and the closing thought of the service was this: "Everything in the universe is within you. Ask all from yourself."