Nov 28, 2007 

Raising Kids in the City

"Here's what comprises the typical American dream: Getting married, having 2.5 kids, and buying the house with the white picket fence, two-car garage, and well-manicured lawn. Here's what it usually doesn't include: hauling groceries up a fourth-floor walkup; dodging taxis, harried pedestrians and street vendors during the morning commute; and paying a premium for an apartment considered a walk-in closet anywhere else.

For many New Yorkers, however, those inconveniences are a part of daily life–and are only amplified when they decide to start rearing little urbanites. Then their biggest issues run from minor logistics such as hauling a stroller up two flights of subway stairs, to major headaches like a preschool application process that rivals those of Ivy League schools. Despite these challenges, Christian parents in New York say that raising a family here provides as many opportunities as it does obstacles: They get to participate in the unique ways in which God works in an urban environment, a setting where community ministry plays a particularly important role." ...Read the rest here.

Nov 15, 2007 

BQE Reports

Okay, I realize the number of recent posts related to Sufjan's The BQE debut--particularly in proportion to my overall output of posts--is overkill, but here goes one last post anyway. (I mean, it was a Big Deal for Brooklynites!) And it's just a link, as I'm too lazy to write up my own review. Suffice it to say that the concert was really special and we had a terrific time. I was newly impressed by Sufjan's musical capabilities in light of the fact that he hasn't had much, or any, formal training in classical composition, to my knowledge. Plus, it was great to see so many familiar Brooklyn sights observed in film; I do wonder if that aspect will be as enjoyable to outsiders if the film is released. And it's also just an amazing and strange experience to have the first words coming out of the performer's mouth all night be the lyrics to Seven Swans, at the end of which he sings "He will take you. If you run, he will chase you. 'Cause he is the Lord," while the backdrop image of swans suddenly transforms into the body of a Man and then into an image of the New York City skyline. And there was much more of substance throughout the night. At any rate...this blogger reports in a more knowledgeable manner than me and, even better, conglomerates most of the reviews out there on the web (of which I like the NYTimes one the best). So this link will get you to them all!

Sufjan's The BQE review here.

Nov 1, 2007 

My little members of the 'All Saints'