Name Dropping

I know name dropping's generally considered kind of hokey, but, hey, I grew to adulthood in Chicago, the most connected city in the country, and this is just too exciting.

My friend from U of I college days, Jim McManus, made it to the final table at the 2006 World Poker Tour and will be playing on the Travel Channel tomorrow evening. If you watch, he’s the bald one with sunglasses and a bad attitude.

I know it’s not Floyd Landis or Tiger Woods, but, hey, it IS kind of exciting! Go, Jim!

Who’s REALLY the Church Lady?

Yesterday Cliff and I attended a fund raiser for a 14-year-old girl who needs liver, bowel, stomach and pancreas transplants.

We found out about Brittni from Liz and Fred, two motorcycle-riding, middle-aged Floridians who painted our kitchen. Liz belongs to the Chrome Divas, a group of cycle-riding women, and told us that they were going to have a fund raiser for Brittni, whose single mother will probably lose her job when they have to move to Pittsburgh for the transplant. Well, as Benders are wont to do, I started asking questions and found out that the fund raiser’s goal was to help pay the $10,000 plus cost of Brittni’s flight to Pittsburgh when a donor becomes available. “No way should she have to pay for her transportation to Pittsburgh,” said I, knowing of organizations who fly transplant candidates for free. I made several phone calls and gave the resulting contacts and information to Liz.

A day or two later, there was an article in the paper about Brittni’s situation. A few days later, another article, on the front page no less, about a company in Fort Myers that had not only volunteered its private jet, but had also lined up several back-up jets, all of whom were willing to give Brittni a free ride to Pittsburgh when the call comes.

We went to the fundraiser, held at the “Back Streets Sports Bar” yesterday afternoon. In that tiny little room were a whole bunch of bikers and me and Cliff! They had sold Brittni bracelets at the Fort Myers’ cycle run the night before, raised money from a poker run, and were in the middle of an auction when we arrived. People were bidding like crazy and the money was flowing as freely as the beer. Liz came running over to greet us and said, “My God, Debra, it looks like we’re going to raise at least $25,000! It has been just amazing!”

It was Sunday, the day that all bench-warmers hold dear. We were in a crazy dark biker bar with a bunch of big-hearted people who were putting their money where their mouths are. Who’s REALLY the church lady?

It’s a Mennonite Thing; You Wouldn’t Versteh

Well, hush my mouth. Just as I was trying to get used to my ex-Amish friend blogging about all these movies he’s seen, and after having grown up without seeing a movie myself until I was in high school, what do I see in the June 26 issue of the Mennonite Weekly Review? This interesting little news item from the Kalona Mennonite Church, no less:

The film The Passion of the Christ was shown at KMC on April 9.

Shock and awe, okay? Like I said, it’s a Mennonite thing. I’ll never forget the first movie I ever saw. “Gone With the Wind” was showing at the Harrisonburg theater and, having read the book several times, I was dying to see the movie. I begged and pleaded. I promised to only go see that one. I pouted and threatened, and then I went. I’ll never forget my Mom’s tearful “Would you want Jesus to see you in such a place?” query as I left. I went anyway. I’ve seen lots of movies since then and I still prefer books. My husband, Catholic and urban, shakes his head in wonder at the idea of movies being sinful. Like I said, it’s a Mennonite thing.

And now they’re showing movies – whoops, sorry – “films” in Mennonite churches? My, my, my, my, my, my, my.