Nothing Short of Thankful

It's the little things in life I like to be thankful for, mostly because being thankful for the big things opens up a whole world of guilt and questioning of grace and a perpetual crisis of faith triggered by the undeserved and under-utilized goodness inherent in my life. A smile or a Facebook message when I was feeling low? Acceptable blessings. A solid home life and a position in a society bent in my favor providing for my every whim? An unfathomable blessing that brings up troubling questions.

So today, I'm thankful for my french press. Cheaper than a coffee maker, unobtrusive, and makes me feel extraordinarily European when I'm getting my caffeine fix for the hour. 

I'm thankful for my fairy lights, making my room feel magical and whimsical and homey.

I'm thankful for chili and cornbread and friends and wine and a surprisingly efficient public transportation system.

I'm thankful for my boots, bought after a marathon brunch in New York City, broken in while climbing Scottish hills, and now as comfortable on my feet as flip-flops at the end of the summer.

I'm thankful for Night Vale, for its weird and wonderful stories, for its comforting voice and its challenging subtexts. 

I'm beyond thankful for my ukulele and for singing. I think music is actually one of those huge boons from a benevolent deity, an undeserved gift that gives me hope that maybe the world is actually good, after all. 

I'm thankful for sunny skies, farmer's markets, and friends to enjoy them with.

I'm thankful for overcast skies and orange tree leaves and the quietness of fall. 

I'm thankful for books. And albums. And DVDs. And rings. And mead.

I'm thankful for happiness, for an uncomplicated, unencumbered, expectation-less simple contentment, humming to myself while the world whirrs around me. 

I'm thankful for today. And tomorrow, when it comes. 

Change Your Stars: A Knight's Tale

One good thing about cable (and one of the things that would make me pay for it if cable companies weren't the literal devil) is that you can flip through the channels and find magical things. Why, just yesterday, my mom was flipping through the channels and found A Knight's Tale, which I immediately made her turn to.

A Knight's Tale is probably one of three movies that you remember Heath Ledger being in off the top of your head, when you're feeling sad about how unfair the universe is, the other two being The Dark Knight and Ten Things I Hate About You. A Knight's Tale is the first one of those movies that I saw and in my brain, it's filed away with movies like The Princess Bride and Robin Hood: Men in Tights, where someone really wanted to have some chivalry in addition to their modern-day jokes, but it also earns its place beside The Princess Bride with its heart. There are some really nice moments in this movie.

If you haven't seen it (and it's like $3 on Google Play, so take this opportunity to make your life a little bit better by watching it right now, or just risk the spoilers for a 14 year old movie ahead), A Knight's Tale is about a peasant (Heath Ledger) who becomes a knight. There's a bunch of jousting, there's this whole thing with Geoffrey Chaucer (Paul Bettany, who you might know as Vision from the new Avengers movie), there's a lady blacksmith (Kate, played by Laura Fraser), there's Alan Tudyk, and there's this wonderful moment from the strong sassy actual-lady lady (Jocelyn, played by Shannyn Sossamon):

gif source: http://karenandthababes.tumblr.com/

And a dance scene set to this song:

What I love best, though, are the speeches.

gif source: http://lockelamoras.tumblr.com/

When I worry about getting stuck, I remember that a man can change his stars.

When I worry that I'm abandoning my roots, I remember that all you have to do is follow your feet.

When I take that split second to worry if something I'm doing is too bold, I remember that it is knightly too to tilt when you should withdraw.

When I worry that when I find somebody, I won't want love after all, I remember the way they write a love letter.

That's the thing about stories that I like- they all have some kind of heart in them. I'll forgive all manner of sins if you can make me feel something. (Though, to be clear, I think the modern-day soundtrack really works with the way this story is told and I like the Chaucer conceit as a way of explaining the movie's narrative.) It hits all my buttons. Plus, it's an underdog story and it has two solid female characters when it really could have exclusively been a boy's club. And I can never say no to a little bashing of the societal elites.

So, A Knight's Tale. Come for Heath Ledger's imperfectly curled hair, stay for the hope underwriting the inevitability of changing social structures.

I think if you clicked all the links, you've seen plenty of the internet today, but just in case, here's my internet find of the week- Running Through Rivers by Carrie Hope Fletcher, which is a magic little song about stories and adventures.

Happy Monday!

West Wishes Recommends

We have made so many good choices on this trip. I didn’t want to plug every place we went in a post because (1) it would be lost in the text of the post and (2) it would disturb the flow of the post. So here’s a (constantly being updated) list of places I’d recommend visiting if you’re ever in the Southwest US: 

Place: Slater’s 50/50 in Huntington Beach, CA

Website: https://slaters5050.com/

Reason for visiting: substantial draft beer list, burgers that are half beef/half bacon, fried mac and cheese balls, and general restaurant atmosphere. 

Place: Mi Patio in Phoenix, AZ

Website: http://www.mipatioaz.com/

Reason for visiting: the best Mexican food I’ve ever had, plus delicious $2 margaritas

Place: The Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ

Website: http://heard.org/

Reason for visiting: a well-curated collection of Native American artifacts and art along with really quality guided tours. If you’re like me and you missed the section on Native Americans of the southwest other than the Navajo, there’s so much good information presented so clearly here. Plus, and I can’t stress this enough, the Superheroes exhibit is fantastic (through August 23rd, 2015). It’s not free, for sure, but it’s awesome. Also, we met some really knowledgeable staff members who were more than happy to share tips and recommendations for visiting the Grand Canyon. 

Place: Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, AZ

Website: http://mim.org/

Reason for Visiting: Have you ever wanted to see musical instruments from the entire world and then hear what they sound like? Have you ever wanted to spend an entire day surrounded by music? Do you want to see a brass band made out of bamboo or an orchestra made out of recycled materials? Boy, do I have a place for you. It’s a little pricey, but worth it. 

Place: Cheba Hut sandwiches

Website: http://chebahut.com/

Reason for Visiting: Their beers are good, their atmosphere is stoner-chic, and I have never enjoyed sprouts on a sub so much. I don’t think there’s a poor choice on that menu. Also this Star Wars picture. 

Place: Navajo Point

Reason for visiting: There are plenty of viewpoints around the Grand Canyon, but this and the Watchtower were my favorite. Not very crowded but still beautiful views. If you want somewhere to just be near the Canyon, this is where I’d go. 

Place: Bryce Canyon Pines

Website: http://www.brycecanyonmotel.com/bryce-restaurant/

Reason for visiting: Homemade soup and homemade pie. I don’t recommend pie lightly, so know that this is quality, quality pie.

Place: The Hoover Dam

Website: http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/

Reason for visiting: If you can appreciate good engineering, the Hoover Dam is the place for you. If not, you can stand in two states at once. There’s also a bunch of stars on the floor of the monument near the top of the dam. 

Place: Devilicious Food Truck (seen in Anaheim, CA)

Website: http://deviliciousfoodtruck.com/

Reason: Best BLT I’ve ever had in my entire life. 

Place: Tanor Fresh Mediterranean Grill in Anaheim, CA

Website: https://www.sites.google.com/site/tanorfreshmediterraneangrill/

Reason: Looking for a shawarma place within walking distance of the convention center? This is it. 

Place: California Science Center in Los Angeles, CA
Website: http://californiasciencecenter.org/
Reason: This is where the space shuttle Endeavor is housed and the exhibit staff is superbly knowledgeable and happy to answer endless questions about the shuttle. There's also a fantastic mini-aquarium and tons of well-done interactive exhibits. You can easily spend a day in here.

Place: The La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, CA
Website: http://www.tarpits.org/la-brea-tar-pits
Reason: First off, this is a lovely park area right beside an art museum, so if you're looking for a picnic in this part of LA, I'd recommend it. It's right off Wilshire Boulevard, so it's easy to find. Plus, you have the added benefits of being right near paleontology happening right now. Also, these guys:

Do it for the Unconcerned Baby Elephant