Have you ever seen the Random Acts of Culture videos on You Tube? I really like them. I think everyone could use a little more culture in their lives so the concept isn’t a bad idea. It’s kind of the same thing as a “happening” in theatre. You know how in musicals people just burst into song & dance and, magically, everyone around them seems to know the words and dance steps too and they all join in? Have you ever thought “Man! I wish that would really happen in the real world!” Well, that’s a Random Act of Culture or a happening or a flash dance/opera/whatever it is. A group of people meet somewhere at a specific time, they do something completely random, and then disperse like nothing ever happened. Here’s a few examples
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_RHnQ-jgU]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHiHG_tMYL4&feature=player_embedded#!]
Awesome, right? I mean you know they are rehearsed but to the people just going about their daily lives in a train station or airport or Macy’s or on a college campus (I think UT Austin had one a few years back) and all the sudden one person or a small group of people appears and begins doing something unusual and then suddenly everyone around them joins in and knows all the steps – how cool! In a very modern, busy world I think it’s a creative way to bring culture back into society and remind people about the transformative power of the arts in a non-preachy way.
Last night’s Newlyweds Dinner at Immaculate Heart of Mary was a success. There were about 20-30 couples there (more than I expected!) and our guest speaker was Roy Petitfils, author of the book “What I Wish Someone Had Told Me About the First Five Years of Marriage.” He was a great speaker – very real and straightforward and honest with a fresh approach to the Catholic church’s role in meeting people where they are at right now in their lives and helping people understand and apply these lofty Catholic teachings to what we really deal with in everyday life and how the Catholic church needs to work harder to relate to its people. He had a lot of interesting things to say about the first five years of marriage as well. He was incredibly good-humored and really bold and very funny. Everyone received a free copy of his book. I’m looking forward to reading it as soon as I get the chance. And the food was delicious! There were appetizers, wine and beer, a delicious meal (blue cheese and candied pecan salad, herb-encrusted & stuffed pork loin, french onion bread pudding, and lemon dill broccoli) and a dessert bar. Definitely some of the most delicious church food I’ve ever had! Overall it was a really enjoyable evening and we met several other nice couples in our age range. It’s refreshing to find a church with so much involvement in so many different ministries. And the evening raised a good point, if marriage is such a sacred sacrament and so important, then why isn’t the church doing more to support it? Why are Engaged Encounter weekends vaguely lackluster and why aren’t there more active marriage support ministries to help build up couples no matter what stage of marriage they are at if married couples truly build the backbone of the church? I like that Roy and this church specifically are really trying to build this up.
Today after Ted gets done working at UC (he has worked everyday for 14 days straight so far) we will hopefully head to Ikea and Crate & Barrel and pick up some things we’ve been meaning to get for the house, get a few things done around here in terms of unpacking and organizing together, and then enjoy our first fire in our new firepit and watch a movie this evening. We’ll see where the day takes us.
