Some Saturday Stuff- June 1st.

Can you believe it’s June already? Where does the time go?

Tony who? Meet the new Iron Man.

First, I’ve got to let you all know about my buddy Christian Meneses. We worked together at Kean U, and he’s gone on to such great feats as being Iron Man. Okay, not true. But he is a real life hero, working as a speech therapist at a special needs school for students ranging in age from 5-21 years old. He donned the Iron Man suit this week after taking an extra day off for the Memorial Day Weekend. I’m sure it really brought some spirit. Also, Christian does have another alter ego: DJ Menes for the event planning company Blanc Noir, where he’s a partner. You can check out some of his mixes here at SoundCloud.

Next, congratulations to Aja and Paul on the Thursday birth of their little boy Theo, who weighed in at 9 pounds, 12 ounces. It was a tough delivery, and little Theo had to be moved to neo-natal intensive care unit. The parents are requesting prayer. Guys, I have been praying hard for all of you, and I love you! Also, congratulations to David and Melissa, who welcomed Ryan to the world yesterday. Little man is 6 pounds, 4 ounces, and both Mommy and Baby are doing great. Of course, David is beyond elated. God bless!

Yesterday, I pulled out my paintbrushes and went back to work on the painting. I’ve decided to call it “On the back of my dreams”. I’ll explain why when it’s done. After I scrubbed the rainbow off, K, Z and I headed out for some yummy Thai food. I think I might be addicted to that Thai iced tea.

I love how art is everywhere. Even forks. Or trash. Really. I was listening to NPR (okay, I am a nerd! Moving on…), and caught this story on how Millennials are quite enamored of mid-century modern furniture, the stuff that is commonly set out on the curb by their grandparents when they downsize from the big ol’ family house to a neat little condo in Florida:

Open a design magazine or turn on a home decorating show these days, and it’s clear: Midcentury modern is hot. It first showed up in the 1950s and ’60s — think low-slung sofas, egg-shaped chairs and the set of Mad Men. My first midcentury modern find was a dining set I bought on Craigslist for $75. There was something about the clean lines and gentle curves of the wooden chairs that got me. I saw the name stamped under the table, Googled it and found a world of people in love with 60-year-old furniture.

 

I quickly realized $75 was a steal.

 

“It’s blazing hot. It really is,” says Eddy Whitely, a midcentury modern furniture dealer in Baltimore. “People that are into it are into it.”

 

So who are those people? Let’s start with who they aren’t: baby boomers. According to Stacey Greer, Whitely’s business partner, “They just don’t want to look at it anymore, they want something different. They grew up with it and their parents had bought it, so they want anything but that. It’s definitely more of a younger, urban look.”

‘People Tend To Like What Their Grandparents Liked’

 

Martina Alhbrandt loves finding and fixing up vintage pieces, things her parents would call dated or tacky. She’s drawn to the simplicity of midcentury design. (She even keeps a blog called .) She describes the style as “clean and functional” and says it reminds her of the values of her grandparents’ generation.

“My grandparents were very frugal,” Alhbrandt says. “They worked hard and they bought things with cash. And if something were to break, like the drawer of a dresser were to break, they would fix it. They wouldn’t just throw it away and go to Wal-Mart and buy a new one.”

According to Bobbye Tigerman, a curator of design at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, nostalgia is a big part of what’s driving the trend. “People tend to like what their grandparents liked and reject the taste of their parents,” she says.

My friend Naomi was able to score a super cool vintage sideboard from Craigslist a couple of weeks ago, and with some haggling, got the price down to ridiculous. If this is your style (quite frankly, I’m a big fan; I’m so over the shellacked pressed cardboard that passes for furniture today), then there is great steals to be had.

Via Stuff Christian Culture Likes, some more ridiculousness, but not of the fun kind. From The Raw Story:

A Georgia man is threatening to sue the city of Ringgold after he claims his constitutional rights were violated by police last Friday night, when officials asked him to stop bothering strangers’ children about his beliefs in the Christian deity figure Jesus Christ.

Cleveland, GA resident Daryl Banther and his 8-year-old son were reportedly handing out religious pamphlets and questionnaires at an annual celebration in Ringgold when he was confronted by the city manager and chief of police, who interrupted his proselytizing because a parent filed a police report about a strange man in the parking lot approaching children.

 

He left after repeated requests and was not arrested, but Banther vowed to return the next day. He then contacted the media and informed a reporter for WTVC-TV that he did just as promised, returning on Saturday night to find that he was not hassled at all.

 

Appearing on camera, he claimed that Christians no longer have any rights in America, then seemed aghast that an atheist could possibly file a lawsuit to force government officials to stop showing a preference for a religion.

 

“They were all harassing me because I have a constitutional right to do what I was doing,” Banther insisted. “If I’m anything else, I have rights,” he said. “…But as a Christian, we have rights no more. They’re taking all the Christian rights away and I’m going to stand for what’s right this time.”

The city told the station in a prepared statement that the event, the 1890s Day Jamboree, has “established procedures” for participation, like getting approval to put on any kind of exhibit. “Those exhibiting must have prior approval, and have a booth to operate the activity they are conducting,” the statement explained.

So dude is whining because he didn’t follow the rules and wants to sue why? Quite frankly, as a mom, I’d be leery of some man I don’t know trying to talk to my kid, even if he claims it’s about Jesus. I don’t know you! And having your kid with you does not reassure me. Sorry, Bud.

And lastly, this story from The Old Black Church about a new Christisn children’s book:

There’s a new children’s book that’s ruffling some feathers. The book has been designed to “educate” the “next generation” about “God’s plan” for families.

 

According to the publisher, this picture book for young children presents the traditional, Judeo-Christian view of the family in picture-book format.

In school, young Michael learns that God made men to be fathers and women to be mothers. After school, his father takes him to the zoo, where he learns that animal families consist of a male, a female, and their offspring.

I have to say, I’m pretty surprised… that Michael is biracial.

How about we take a nice long walk around Philly with Jill this Saturday morning? Have a great day.