Pirate songs, Dubya's bathroom portraits + Grammy winners

I wish this could open like the unexpected sighting of a Telegraph Hill parrot -- a bright flash of green across your morning -- but, alas, I'm still getting over a cold, so you'll have to encounter birds on your own. Here's wishing you a week that brings at least a few moments of gratitude, wonder and rest.

:: events ::

• Lenten Prayer Retreat: Feb. 16-17 in Berkeley ($35). My uncle, a retired pastor, was recently asked to describe his prayer life. "Inadequate," he said, which surprised me, but probably rings true for almost all who follow God. If you, too, resonate with that, and you're not traveling over the holiday weekend next weekend, why not come to the Lenten healing prayer retreat Christ Church is hosting? Rusty Rustenbach, an author and director of pastoral care with the Navigators will be leading the two-day retreat (9-5 on Saturday, 9-1 on Sunday). The schedule will include a mix of teaching, prayer and discussion on listening and healing prayer. In my own life, a two-day prayer conference that Redeemer hosted a while back proved a very significant turning point in my prayer life and relationship with God.
• Oakland Museum White Elephant Sale: March 2-3. If you're any kind of thrift store/garage sale/antique shopper, this just might be the event of the year. Admission is free, but parking can be hard to find (they do provide shuttle from BART). A couple things they don't advertise:
• Everything is half off on Sunday.
• You can do two one-day passes before the sale if you make a donation. They add a 10% surcharge, but it's still worth it to beat the crowd. Drop-off/shop hours: 10-2, Tuesday to Saturday through Feb. 23.
  
• Dark Star Orchestra does a mini residency at Great American Music Hall in April, Thursday through Saturday, April 11-13.

:: visual art ::

• I wondered why I'd seen something about George W. in the LA Times trending topics, and now I know: a hacker recently got into W's sister's email, discovering photos of some paintings in process, two of which are self-portraits in the bathroom. The New York Times has an image-free but fairly fair assessment of the works-in-progress, which includes an odd closing jab at Bob Dylan. New York magazine's art critic actually likes the bathing portraits, which he considers alongside a landscape of a church. Yes, he shows all three images. Fascinating, whatever you thought of him.
• Dr. Seuss didn't just write about hats, it turns out, he loved them -- and often had guests wear pieces from his large hat collection during meals. Now that collection forms the basis of a new exhibit debuting -- where else -- in the New York Public Library (it's slated to visit a few other sites, I believe).
• I still need to watch these, but Paste reports that Jimmy Fallon's been doing a Downton Abbey spoof, called Downton Sixbey, which includes quite a cast.
• Episode 1
• Episode 2
• Episode 3

:: tunes ::

• First listen: Pirate songs with Tom Waits, Keith Richards, Iggy Pop, Macy Gray, Patti Smith, Dr. John and many others.
• Last night's Grammy winners included Bonnie Raitt, Mumford and Sons, Gotye and the Black Keys.
  
• Apparently the new My Bloody Valentine album's a big deal? I, um, need to figure out if I've actually heard their music before. For those of you shaking your head in horror at my ignorance, here are a few initial assessments.
• The Guardian reviewer really liked it. Bonus: stream it here.
• Three of NPR's writers shared their takes.
• NPR Music et al recently polled jazz fans on their favorite vocal jazz tracks. This playlist compiles the top 50. Quite a feast for the ears.
• I don't usually read the emails that introduced me to a gospel act called The Relatives, but their first video, "We Need Love" was exactly what I needed last week -- and they're coming to San Francisco next month! (They play Bimbo's in North Beach on March 9.) Aren't you a little curious why someone called them "Jesus on LSD"? More songs:
• Things are Changing (despite the slow start, it picks up half way through, even evoking Hot Chocolate, briefly)
• Bad Trip (which features a pretty great take on Warner Sallman's "Jesus" portrait)

:: reading/food for thought ::

• As I've shared before, poetry may be the art form I most want to "get" and yet remain the most mystified by. Thus, I was immediately intrigued by this NYT Magazine piece on Afghan women who've risked their lives to write poetry. It's a longer read, but a fascinating portrait of a literary society connected largely by phone and secrecy. In some ways it's also a rebuke to the ease with which one can neglect art making in this country.
• I have to confess, I never knew exactly where Timbuktu was until read this fascinating article (it's in Mali, home of that blues-y band Tenariwen). As the author notes, "In modern times Timbuktu has become a synonym for a remote place." It's also been the site recent conflict, however, which yet again threatened thousands of ancient manuscripts. Residents are no strangers to hiding their treasures, however, as this article recounts. Worth checking out, even if just for the slideshow. Some really beautiful images.
• Brainpickings highlights the new, posthumously released Maurice Sendak book, My Brother's Book.
  

:: food ::

• Here's a no-cook breakfast tip for a change: looking for something healthy and portable to start your mornings off? My breakfast staple is a jar of plain yogurt topped with a few spoons of homemade jam (I buy the Straus yogurt quarts at Costco), plus a container of homemade granola I stir in right before eating. You could make your own version with store-bought jam and granola, of course, but I find it a pretty balanced meal with decent staying power -- especially if your yogurt and granola are rich in protein.

Johnny Cash stamp, prison portraits, new Ritter, Bird @ Calvin

I don't know about all of you, but it's been a bit of a wild week -- though I halfway expected that after Monday began with a large runaway dog's appearance in our front yard. Pray for the Johns Day promotion kept me pretty busy until last night, when I decided I could kick back a little. Since the 30 Rock finale was on, I made the rare decision to watch TV ... for all of two hours.

The best thing I did last night was make this soup
(recipe below). Watching TV? Not so much.

By the time I was heading to bed, however, I found myself wishing I'd done something more restful and rejuvenating. Of course, sometimes my endless list of people to knit for turns into a chore, but by and large, I find more sabbath in planning craft projects, cooking or reading something that doesn't require a power plug. Maybe that's because I didn't grow up with much TV.

How might you truly rest a bit this weekend? What would that look like?

New articles:

• From Going Big to Giving Up: Preparing for Lent at, yes, your Super Bowl Party (Her.meneutics)
• Sex Trafficking at the Super Bowl (First Things blog)

In the next few weeks, I get to read and review a few different books on dating in the digital age. What reads have you enjoyed lately? I just finished John Dunning's Two O'Clock Eastern Wartime, which painted an entertaining portrait of radio in its WWII-era glory. I'm happy to loan it out, if any of you want to borrow my copy.

:: events ::

• Festival of Faith and Music: I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but forget to include a link. Whoops! In any case, Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., hosts the event April 11-13. Andrew Bird is one of the headliners, which just might persuade me to go. You can go as more than an attendee, too: through March 1, the festival's accepting paper proposals. 
• Glen Workshop: If you're interested in attending one of Image journal's annual summer workshops, you'll want to start making plans soon. Classes fill up quickly -- especially those with popular instructors -- and often require you to submit a work sample in advance.
• Glen West, July 28-Aug. 4 in Santa Fe. Highlights: Larry Woiwode on fiction, Wayne Forte on painting, Scott Derrickson on film, Ashley Cleveland on songwriting and more. Cost: Starts at $825, but scholarships are available, as is a commuter option.
• Glen East, June 9-16 in South Hadley, Mass. Highlights: Lauren Winner on sermon writing, Over the Rhine on songwriting, Michael Wilson on photography, Barry Moser on life drawing and more. Cost: Starts at $925, but scholarships are available, as is a commuter option.
  

:: tunes ::

• New Josh Ritter: Paste has the new single "In Your Arms Again," off his forthcoming album The Beast in Its Tracks (due out in March).
  
• I haven't read this story of a subway busker yet, but I sometimes wonder who they are and what else they do with their music. I've heard some remarkable music outside my home BART station -- a tall guys with dreds and a voice for opera that nearly reduced me to tears and, more recently, a talented young violinist I keep meaning to talk to.
• Andrew Bird performs songs from his latest EP, Hands of Glory, live at Sunrise.
  
• The youngest and last living Andrews sister has died. Even if their names don't mean anything to you, odds are decent you'd recognize one or two of the trio's hits (mostly recorded during 1940s). One of the covers on rockabilly singer Wanda Jackson's recent Jack White-produced album was first popularized by the Andrews sisters. The Times reports that Bette Midler also covered one of their big hits, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," in the 70s. Their sound may seem a bit dated now, but I sure do love me a good, tight trio like that. Sometimes I think I'd join a community vocal group if I could sings songs like that...
  

:: visual art ::

• If you click through on just one thing in this email, it should probably be this article on a prison photography project. Really incredible. The interview with the photographer whose new book looks at prison landscapes as the photos from the project. Seriously, this is one of the art stories I'll probably be talking about for a few weeks.
• On a lighter note, the French photographer Sacha Goldberger has created a substantial body of whimsical work featuring his 90-something grandmother, "Mamika." This New York Times interview gives a brief introduction to the work and their relationship or you can dust off that high school French and explore his website. Bonus: instead of arrows, you'll click on large underpants to navigate between pictures. I'm not kidding.
  
• Here's a reason to think about writing a letter next time you're tempted to type a note: Paste reports (via TODAY) that the Post Office will issue a Johnny Cash "Forever" stamp later this year. I may have to stockpile those.
• In related epistolary news, some schools are eliminating cursive instruction. I am an inveterate letter-writer, so you can imagine how I feel about that. Admittedly I don't precisely write in cursive, but I still struggle with the idea that we've passed its usefulness. Interestingly, though, this article raises the question of whether we'll even need to sign our names in the future, given the rise in electronic signatures.
• If you fly through SFO much, you've probably noticed some of the exhibits from their museum. I've actually really enjoyed some of the shows, such as one on sewing and another with art that repurposed other materials (e.g., bottle caps and tires). Well, apparently the museum boasts an unusually valuable collection.

:: your stuff ::

• Last fall, Steve got to do a photo shoot for Southern Oregon University. He recently posted some photos to his blog -- nice work, even if you have no particular interest in the school.

:: reading/food for thought ::

• You could argue that this piece on a book's re-release is a little self-serving -- it focuses on the work of an erstwhile NYT editor -- but the author raises interesting questions about republication of books. In particular: what do you do when a book's claims have subsequently been discredited or significantly reframed due to subsequent research? Must you somehow bracket the new edition?
  

:: food ::

• You can now get your food-truck fix every Friday night in Oakland: Off the Grid comes to the Oakland Museum of California from 5-9 weekly. And you can get half-price Museum admission if you're not already a member. 
• I printed this Caldo Verde recipe out a while ago, but finally made it last night -- with very tasty results. It's relatively economical, too. The main expense is the chorizo (you need 10 oz.) and kale; the other major ingredients are onion, garlic, potatoes and chicken stock. Makes a little over 2 qts.