New Computer, Bad Habits, and To Rome with Love

I have to say, after spending so much time waiting for my old computer to do simple tasks, it is so luxurious to click on a website or application and, voila! it appears without taking a bathroom break/nap/inventory of my life as I wait for it to load (on a separate note, I've been thinking a long time about how to use "voila!" with correct grammar. I'm not sure I did it, but at least you know that I tried.) I especially notice how fast iTunes and Spotify are compared to the old one. I really do recommend letting your current computers getting really slow and crappy before you buy a new one because then the stark difference is so pleasurable! Actually, I think that could go for a lot of things: TVs, cars, furniture, etc. You don't appreciate them unless you've had to spend some time with less than ideal versions. There's some sage advice to live by.

So, today I had to rectify a bad habit I've formed over the last six months or so. In the sanctuary next to the piano, there is a large green ceramic planter that is currently empty. This is not one you would put a few flowers in; this is small tree material. One Sunday I got to the piano and noticed that a few weeks of chord charts/music had accumulated on the sides of the piano. Responsible Dave would have at least grabbed the music and thrown it in the worship closet to get filed later. I mean, let's not get crazy and think I should have filed it right then and there! But, you know, the closet was at least seven steps away, and here was this cavernous empty space of a planter right next to me just asking to be filled, so I quickly shoved the music into the planter...and have continued to shove more and more music into the planter until this week I arrived at the point where any more music would rise above the rim of the planter and expose my papered monument to disorganization for all the congregation to see. I could have tried to pass it off as some type of metaphoric statement about tree destruction around the world, but I think my thinly veiled laziness would have quickly been uncovered. So, today I emptied it out (along with all of the chord charts that did find their way to the closet but not quite to the filing cabinet), sorted the music, and filed it. 

Oh, I saw the new Woody Allen movie, To Rome with Love starring Woody himself, Penelope Cruz, Roberto Benigni, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Alec Baldwin, and Alison Pill (among many; there never seems to be a lack of stars willing to play any role for Woody Allen). It revolves around three separate stories that are held together by their common geographic proximity to Rome. In many ways, like Midnight in Paris, the city is one of the main characters in the movie. It's hard not to book a ticket on your smart phone (if you are one who owns such things) while you watch it. Many parts were funny/charming, but I think having three different stories going led to an uneven and disjointed movie, especially when all three aren't equally strong (I'm looking at you, Benigni). It's definitely worth watching, but it doesn't have the holistic storyline that other Allen movies have. 

Whenever I'm feeling down, I remember that I could be miserable, agoraphobic, and sweaty at the W(t)aste of Chicago, and it makes me feel better. I feel like I'm in a deep inhale right now before I begin the exhale of vacation, preparing to move, moving, and getting settled in. I've decided to lean into the relaxation rather than fight it. We'll see if this is a good life decision. Okay, I'm off to read. Later!