Fun was had by all at the video arcade, well except for Batman.
I had an absolute blast in Omaha this weekend. We ate dinner at the Upstream Brewing Company in old market. I love their grilled vegetarian burger dish. Instead of a single veggie patty they double it, and their 'smashed potatoes' and mushroom gravy sauce is heavy with the taste of yummy roasted garlic. Plus they make their own root beer.
That night we headed over to most kick ass place in the midwest for those interested in the art of living: the Omaha Center For The Living Arts (OM). Seriously, if all churches were like this, nobody would leave and we'd all realize that we're aspects of the divine within five minutes of getting there. Stu writes more about it in his blog.
Stuart and Chad gave an outstanding performance to a crowd of about 75 people, most of which had never seen him perform. I got quite a kick watching the audience respond to his punchy lyrics and witty remarks. Makes me remember how funny some of his songs are.
Most of his set-list for the evening came from the Bright Apocalypse album. And much to my surprise he played Alms [lyrics], my favorite Stuart Davis tune. I've only heard him play it a couple of times before (1 1/2 to be exact. The 1/2 refers to a broken string incident).
After the show, Stu wanted to interview me about my spiritual practice. He's also interviewing audience members after sets. For that matter he even interviewed the waitress at the restaurant!
I've been avoiding this interview because i've felt that my practice really isn't a spiritual one. It's more something that i do to help me make sense of life, period. Nothing mystical. nothing spiritual, just matt trying to live and be present in living. After discussing this point with my wife, she said the only reason i feel this way is because i don't go through any rites or rituals like we did in our christian upbringing. When somebody talks about being spiritual, the first thing i think about is going to church even though i'm aware of the distinction between religion (rites and rituals) and spirituality. She concluded that everything is spiritual (containing spirit).
I shared my recent Vipassana background and current formal meditation practice. This interview was a great opportunity for me to seek validation from Stu regarding the end result of my practice. We both tend to be eclectic thieves in the realm of religious affairs, relying on direct internal experience as our compass. 'There are many paths to the same summit', and it was great to hear that we're climbing different paths, but breathing the same air while experiencing the same reality. He's zen, i'm vipassana.
Thanks to everyone for a wonderful weekend. Your compassion and love overwhelms me. Special thanks to Sandy, the owner of OM, for giving us a place to stay and her devotion for creating such a wonderful mecca in the midwest!