Amazing Grace

I went to see this movie this past weekend. Wow! What an amazing film. I had seen some advertisements, but hadn't really known what the story was about. After seeing it, I think it's a movie everyone should see. I know there are some historical inaccuracies, but trust me, those do not take away from the mission of the movie. The passion and dedication of one man, one group to right a wrong, it's certainly a wake up call. What a pioneer this man was and what a message he sends to us today.

As for the song...

"John Newton (played by Albert Finney in Amazing Grace) wrote the words to one of the most beloved hymns of all time between 1760 and 1770, while working as an evangelical pastor. Son of the commander of a merchant ship, Newton was captain of a slave ship for many years, until he underwent a dramatic religious conversion while steering his vessel through a storm.

Repenting and regretting the misery he had inflicted on the thousands of human cargo he had transported across the Middle Passage for many years, he devoted his life to the Church, and wrote the lyrics to many hymns which are still popular today.

In 1780 Newton left Olney to become rector of St. Mary Woolnoth, St. Mary Woolchurch, in London. There he drew large congregations and influenced many, among them William Wilberforce. Newton continued to preach until the last year of life, although he was blind by that time. He died in London December 21, 1807."

I never knew the story behind the song, but again, WOW! This song means more to me now than I can ever even express. I'll never hear it and just sing it like any other song, it will carry with it much more meaning.

If you have any doubts about this movie, put them away and just go. Trust me, it's so needed and worth it.

RENT!

My friend Tobi was in town this week and we planned to meet last night for dinner. When I got there, she got me a ticket to go see Rent with her and her daughter and her daughter's friend. We went to grab some dinner at Chevy's and then went back to the theater. I had seen the show once before, but oh my did not like it. Sporty Spice was the lead and she was horrible in it. I was a bit leary about seeing it again, but was game for trying. I'm so glad I did. It was way better than the first time I saw it. The lead role of Mimi was awesome! She looked a bit older than 19, but still she was great in the role. The whole cast was great and seemed to have a very good connection with each other.
Tobi did have a small issue, she had a rat run across her feet, during the play!

It was great to see Tobi, meet Carly and Abby, see the play and just be together. So glad Tobi suprised me with that ticket, so sweet of her and a great night had by all!

My first RR Meal

Last night I cooked my first Rachel Ray Meal. It was so good. Of course it didn't come out of the cook book I just purchased, no, that would make sense! LOL, this one came off the internet. I was watching her make it the other day and it just looked so good and oh my was it ever! It was pork chops and cheesy rice and green beans. The green beans were supposed to be fresh, but if you know me, no way, don't like them, but canned ones, so much my favorite. So, yes, we had canned green beans, cheesy rice and pork chops with a pepper sauce over them. YUM-O indeed! It was a big hit. I had to make a few changes since my store didn't have all she called for, but it was still a fabu meal. Oh and yes, I used some EVOO, but alas, no garbage bowl, I just used the sink! =)

M&M World!

M&M World has made it to Manhattan!

OMG, it's the coolest store. It's 3 stories and has all these different sections and any color of M&M, plain or peanut, that you want. I went there the other night and just had the best time looking around and all that jazz. This, of course, is located directly across the street from the Hershey Store, one story and very small, but still great. I am very impressed with the whole M&M World concept, they definatley know how to market stuff. I bought this T-Shirt that has the Red M&M guy with a half mask and cape and it says, "The Candy of the Opera"! LOL, hilarious right?

They say there is a huge chocolate war between Hershey and Mars and well, I would have to say, Mars' latest move, totally puts them as winners of this round. If you are in Times Square, you must go, it's on I think 49th and Broadway, totally worth the trip.

To Cook or not to cook?

One thing I LOVE to do is cook. I love to bake as well, but cooking is more my thing. I really love to cook for people. I guess it's just the southern-ness in me, but I so love to cook for others. It's such a way of showing you care about people, imo. I got this new cookbook and can't wait to try out some receipes on my friends. It's gonna be awesome!

I also have this thing about portions. I know I'm a bit different, but when people come to my house, or I cook for them, I so try to make sure there is enough for everyone to have ALL they want to eat. I don't want anyone to ever feel that they can't eat what they want until they are finished, you know? I would feel horrible if I ever thought one of my guests was left hungry or just wanted more and I didn't have it. Oh my, perish the thought!

Religious Superiority!

Since I moved to New York I've been exposed to more religions than I ever have in my life. And to hear all of them tell it they are THE WAY. Let me say here at the beginning, I am a Christian. I was raised Independent Baptist and am a preacher's child. I do not question my own beliefs in this post, that's not what this is about. When I was a child and was growing up, I was exposed to Southern and Independent Baptist, Methodist, Church of God and that was pretty much it. I didn't know many from the Church of God realm, but my Aunt Grace and Aunt Louise, if I remember correctly, were both members of that religion. Either way, I was raised in a very protestant world. I knew there were other religions, but had no exposure to them at all. I saw the Catholic Church down the street, but never went, of course. I went to a Christian School, that daddy started, and so my world consisted of church and school, all at the same place. I never knew I was sheltered, honestly, I assumed everyone was living the life I was. In high school I became friends with this girl, Monique. I had heard that she was Catholic, but had never talked to her about it. Well, in my sophomore year we became very good friends, Tammy, Monique and me, 3 Musketeers. I started going to Monique's house and slowly became aware of the Catholic church, but still not very educated about it. When I was 19 I met Monique, who had moved to Vermont, in NYC for a long weekend. The Sunday we were there, we went to St. Patrick's Cathedral for church. I have never in my life felt so out of place. I had no idea what to do, when do kneel, when to stand and oh my did I freak out when it came time to go get the wafer thingy, was I supposed to do that? Monique said, you don't have to do that, so I sat down and waited for her. Needless to say, it was quite the experience.

Since that time, I've been exposed to so much more, man 19 was such a long time ago! =) I am even more baffled at religion now than I ever have been. When I moved to Nashville I started going to a Southern Baptist Church and even that was so much more different for me. But ah, legalism still abounds! LOL Eventually I started going to a Church of the Nazarene, not too far from the Baptist world, and I really enjoyed it. I loved the people and really enjoyed the preacher. But again, all in that Protestant bubble. Well, then came my move to NYC and can I just say, bubble burst! LOL, talk about a culture/religion shock. I have met so many people that have so many different religions, honestly, just thought that was all made up, everyone at heart is Baptist, I just know it! LOL

In my job alone, my boss is Jewish, one of the attorney's that worked here was Hindu, I have co-worker's who are Jehovah's Witness, Catholic, Methodist, Agnostic, Atheist, and that's just the ones of which I know. In my NYC friends world, I have friends who are Atheist, Jewish, Wicca, Mormon, Catholic, Baptist, some that aren't associated with any religion, Inter-denominational, non-denominational, Buddhist, and a bit of everything else.

It's all so confusing, really it is. Since moving here, I've done a lot of soul searching and "religion" searching as well and I've discovered one thing, religion is so faulty. Yes, I understand, in case you are wondering, the difference in religion and spirituality. I don't know that a lot of people do, jmo. But that’s some knowledge I've gained since moving here! Thank God for that!

So, I say all of the above to say that it baffles my mind how many versions of "The Right Way" there are. I fully believe that, yes, my beliefs are the right and only way to eternal security in Christ, but I do recognize that with the same passion that I believe and will not be swayed, most people that belong to a religion believe that they have the "Right Way" and they believe it with the same passion I do.

I notice that when talking to others about their religion, or lack thereof, there is a major sense of superiority. When you believe with such passion, how can their not be, right? So, we all go around believing with all that is in us, that we are correct and all the other "lost souls" will flounder around when the end comes.

So, this begs the question, who really is right? What religion is the way to go and the one to follow? I, of course, believe that it is salvation through Christ and belief in Him. But ask a few others, they will tell you I'm wrong! LOL =)

I guess the main thought is how hard it is to accept others views when in reality you feel they are so wrong. People want to show you the truth, yet you feel what you have is the truth.

I would love to hear people's thoughts on this, so chat my people, chat!

Jan-Feb 2007 Happy New Year!

Time for a real post, it's been so long. I swear I have the best of intentions, but it just never seems to motivate me enough to actually post. But alas, I am here.

Since December and that horrible mess I dealt with at Christmas, it's been quiet around here. I've been battling some sickness with the usual cold crud mess and yes, my back, it hasn't left me! UGH! But, it is a bit more manageable. I have joined the gym, that's in my building, yes, I know, I should have joined before now, but let's not judge, OK?!

I joined January 4th and for the most part have been going pretty consistently. I go with Paul, Teresa, Sara and Anne, my Gateway peeps! I've gotten Paul and Teresa into Yoga and they love it. They've gotten me into the Elliptical Machine, which I do not love, but it does burn the calories! And you know what they say, Calories, Calories!

I went to the New Year's Eve party at Neil and Brian's, which is always so much fun. We had a great time and brought the new year in in style!

It's been hard adjusting to Erika not living in our building anymore. I don't get to see her much, but she does like her new place, she has two floors, it's HUGE! She lives in a brownstone with her sister. It's two separate apartments, her sister is on the bottom two floors and Erika has the top two. We went over the other night for dinner and had a great time. I just miss her being there every day.

In mid January I went to Mississippi for two days and then my friends and I went to Vegas. We had a great time and just enjoyed the time together. We saw some shows and hung out a lot. It was a wonderful time together.

I still spend most of my time hanging out with P&T and now the gym. I have spent some good times with P&B and Tosca. We did our Christmas a bit late, but had a wonderful day. Peter cooked and it was just fabu!

Michelle and Lisa came to town. I so love it when they come to see me. It's just always a fun time. Teresa sang at Carnegie Hall on Feb 8th and they were here to go to that. We spent a lot of time, during their visit, eating and just visiting. We went to Cowgirl, which is one of our favorite places and while we were there this big birthday party was going on and it had to be a famous person. There were all these celebrities coming and going, it was kind of cool. Oh and to top it off, we stopped at Out of the Kitchen and got those yummy cupcakes.

We also went to a new resutrant Bona Fides, what a great space. Peter has been going there since it opened. He and Bryon met us there and we just had a wonderful night, chatting and all that jazz.

Teresa's mom and dad were in town too and I just love them. They stayed 3 weeks and so we did a lot of games and cooking and eating and just hanging out together. Her dad, Daddy Wayne, is my Funny Valentine!

Oh, can't believe I forgot to say that I went and had the taxes done! Woo hoo! Wow, what great fun that was! LOL

Went to see Pan's Labyrinth and what a cool movie. I'll post a separate blog about that. If you don't mind subtitles, go see it, great movie.

Also been hanging out with my friend John. We are going to a play tonight. We had planned to do that two weeks ago and the day of the play they cancelled it on us. We are going to see The Vertical Hour. Not sure what it's about, but I love plays so how bad could it be, you know?

Paul had surgery, so we, Erika, Teresa and I, went to see him. NYC hospitals are such small things! It was just a one night stay and he's doing so much better, so yea!

On Dale and Wayne's last night here, I got empanadas and we had those for dinner. They were so good and I think everyone loved them.

Rachel and Mint (Alicia) and I hung out some and of course, did our Jeva stuff. =)

Another night Rachel came over, after we went to Olive Garden. Yep, she will let me go to a chain restaurant and not make fun of me. She loves them too!

Oh, this week, I had a toe incident, yep a toe incident. Not sure how, but I got an infection under the nail bed, back part of the nail, on my big toe. Had to go have it lanced, ummmm, hello, pain! Dang doctor hurt me, I wanted to kick him, but I do feel so much better and can actually walk on my foot now.

I guess that about wraps up my "Sundi Catch-up". I do have a few other things to blog about, but I shall do those separately.