Barefoot with me.

We drive in to work (well, Alex drives me in and drops me off) every morning past Beta bridge on Rugby Road. Beta Bridge is one of those staples at the large university that I missed going to a small, relatively self-conscious liberal arts college -- the space where for decades, college students have slipped out of their dorms in the middle of the night, and have layered painted proclamation over proclamation for passer-bys like me. Happy 21st Birthday Kelly, Proud to be Out Week, KD Corner Crawl, Do You Know Where Your Boyfriend was Last Night? Because I went to that little liberal arts college where I failed to develop a filter for such things, I still, even after being in Charlottesville for almost five years, read it every single day. I've learned that it's poor social form to respond immediately to Beta Bridge Propaganda (i.e. you NEVER say you're participating in a said event, or worse yet, wishing Kelly a happy birthday, because you passed Beta Bridge on your walk to the store) but in my interior life, Beta Bridge has a voice, albeit a rather scratchy and annoying one.

All that to say, Beta Bridge told me to go barefoot today, with Tom's shoes, and so I am. at my house, I mean. And although I got an email about it (i live in university world -- there are thousands of causes, and each cause has an email listserve), I'm not wearing shoes because Beta Bridge told me not to.

Beta Bridge becomes another topic of conversation in the sense that it lifts from the backdrop of our world whenever my folks come to visit, which they did this weekend. It's been a crazy few months, with some really exciting things happening, but we were glad for the time to just sit and be with them. Next week commences the Spring Institute on Lived Theology, which I've been managing as a side gig with Charles, and John Perkins, a hero of mine and of Alex's, will be the featured voice. It's hard to believe, after the months of work, that it's finally here -- we're really excited. This past Tuesday night, Charles came to the Center and presented a section of his upcoming book with John to the undergraduate residents and a few invited students. As a part of his manuscript, Charles reminded us that as Christians, we must, in response to Nietzche, always sing better songs. We both feel so blessed to be in a place that clears space for those songs to be sung -- literally, by my husband and the many other artists we've come to know and admire, and in so many other forms by the students and scholars and activists to whom we've been introduced. To be in the company of those folks who are bearing forth a psalter of justice and mercy is a privilege.

Alex just recently got some great news from Tom Periello that he has decided to co-sponsor the Child Protection Compact Act that we got to walk forward with on IJM advocacy day about a month ago. Again, there are people who are singing better songs.

In other, perhaps more important news, there is now a foos ball table in the office at our house. I have totally abandoned this room at home. Alex, on the other hand, has moved in.