New Bond film update

I grew up watching all of the James Bond films, because my dad is a big fan. For the longest time, Sean Connery was my favorite Bond, but now, I'm really liking Daniel Craig. He's in the middle of shooting the new Bond flick, Quantum of Solace. Here is the update from the set.

MLK - Letter from Birmingham Jail

I've been catching up on my DVR shows and I just finished the tribute, King, to Martin Luther King, Jr. on The History Channel. They featured a letter that Reverend King wrote from the Birmingham, Alabama jail. Much of what he writes still applies to the present day, especially this quote: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Forty years after Dr. King's assassination, I feel like that we haven't fulfilled his dream of equality. The examples are around us everyday -- new opposition to affirmative action, the reluctant to use qualified minority businesses as vendors, and the whispers of the invasion of foreigners in the workplace. I see these things everyday and it makes me very sad. I do my best to educate and try not to preach. It's very hard to go up against the establishment, when I'm the only one among my co-workers who really understands and has experienced prejudice.

Well, I'll continue to fight the good fight. Wish me luck.

Additions to the blog roll

I've added a couple links to my blog roll -- The Consequence of Sound and Cafe Con Soja. The Consequence of Sound has an seemingly endless amount of music news and festival information. Check out the Festival Outlook link at the top of the site. Cafe Con Soya is written by my friend Dawn from high school. We really haven't seen each other since college, but we reconnected via Facebook. She's living in Madrid now and is writing about her experiences there.

Young People Who Rock

I'm not sure why CNN doesn't publicize this more, but this is a really cool blog about people under 30 doing incredible things. Check it out.

Runway update

Our friends at Project Rungay are reporting that Lifetime has picked up Project Runway. WHAT!? That was my reaction too.

Go Cards!

This afternoon was the home opener for our beloved St. Louis Cardinals. The game was going really well. Albert Pujols gave us a line drive home run and the Cards led 5-1, going into the bottom of the third. Then, the rain started pouring down. Oh well. At least I'm able to attend the makeup game tomorrow evening.

Paper or Plastic? Neither!

I'm posting this photo in conjunction with the latest post from my friend Karen, over at Daysleeper, on "Pitching Plastic". In clockwise order, the bags are from Schnucks Supermarket, Target, Dierbergs Supermarket, and Trader Joes. I still have an endless supply of plastic bags that I'm reusing around the house, or recycling. But, I didn't want to collect any more, so I started using the reusable totes about two months ago. I find that at the grocery store and at Target, they hold more than the plastic bags. Plus, I can put the handle over my shoulder, which is much easier.

Do we cultivate a culture of ignorance?

I recently read a commentary on STL Today, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's website, on Barack Obama's recent speech on race. The article discusses our country's descent into ignorance and rejection of intellect. The writer praises Barack Obama for believing in the American people and not dumbing down his speech on race.

I encourage you to read the short article from STL Today and to listen or read Barack Obama's full 37-minute speech on the state of race in America. Please do not only listen to the short 30-second soundbites on CNN or Fox News, as I did. If you do, you will miss out on this profound emotionally and intellectually stirring speech. I truly believe that Barack Obama writes from his heart. The words are not empty, but so full of meaning that I admit to tearing up at the end of the speech. He really makes me believe in the promise of America.

Wedding Photo Booth Pics

To tide you over, here are a couple pictures from the wedding photo booth at Melissa (AKA Pam) and Jeff's wedding. The above picture is of the bride and groom. They are disgustingly cute together and I love them for it!

This is me and my sister. In the second photo, she "accidentally" flung water down my dress.

a tidbit

Sorry gang! I know it's been awhile and now I'm only posting a link to a fun Top Chef interview. I promise to write more soon, especially about the fantastically fun wedding I was in two weeks ago.

In tonight's episode, Chef Rick Bayless was the guest judge and the folks at Bravo interviewed him after the show.