Thirty Travelers

Life Under the Vulcan Sun

2011-08-28T16:56:00.002-05:00

I just made another Vulcan Mix for the Fall! Hope you enjoy and that it enraptures your heart with wondrous visions of goldenrod-orange leaves swirling down upon the Vulcan's mount... and me, Octoberfest in hand, thinking of you all.

And boom goes the dynamite.

Job Hunting

2011-08-16T15:45:00.002-05:00

Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know that, now that I'm done with my internship with Campus Outreach, I'm looking for more writing/editing work to try to support myself through seminary at least for this semester. I'm competent at editing for spelling/grammar, style, language, argument and logic, and for formatting via Adobe InDesign or Word. I'm looking to charge rates around $15-20 per hour, but that would change depending on the nature of the project (and I could drop them down for friends, of course).

I know a few of you have had work like this in the past; I just wanted to put this out there as part of searching. If you hear of anyone who needs work like this, I'd really appreciate it if you could pass it on to me.

P.S., I love you guys (and gals). It was great to have so many people around last week for John and Jamie's wedding. Peace!

By Popular Demand...

2011-08-15T10:08:00.002-05:00

It was great to see most of y'all this weekend at the Lambuth/Simpson festivities! What a fun celebration! Thanks, Jamie and John, for letting us be a part of the beginning of your marital bliss!

Several of you expressed interest in seeing this, starring Mimi and most of my family:) It was the highlight of our reception!

Let us know when y'all are headed to New Orleans!

Music for Posterity

2011-08-04T13:06:00.002-05:00

Okay, so as I've contemplated succumbing to my deeply ingrained white-person impulse to buy a vinyl player, I've seen thinking about musical posterity. Let's face it: most of us find the vast majority of radio-play music awful. Simply awful. And the sad truth is that the "best" of that (of which there are a few okay songs, I guess) are going to be on the "oldies" station someday when our kids are starting to drive--unless everyone just has satellite radio, or mp3 jacks into their brains.

So I was thinking, what is the music from my time (90s on) that I would want to wave crotchetily at my kids and say, "THIS was around! This was the good stuff back in my day, even if it's not getting played on the radio!" And, while I would by no means consider this the final list, this is at least the product of one good thought-session on the matter. In no particular order:

Counting Crows- August and Everything After

MewithoutYou- Brother, Sister

Sufjan Stevens- Seven Swans

Josh Ritter- The Animal Years

Iron and Wine- Our Endless Numbered Days

And this list kinda hurts: I'd love to be able to squeeze more on here. But this is, in my opinion, the really good stuff, the albums I would want my kids to know existed. And so for you, dear friends:

What would your list for posterity be? What would be your top five albums (from the 90s forward; the good old stuff will still be around) that you want your kids to know about someday?

Update

2011-05-31T20:05:00.000-05:00

Hey gang,

Well, the daylight is fading in Hendersonville, TN. The closest thing to me right now is a dwindling bag of garden salsa flavored Sun Chips, I just bought a copy of Flannery O'Connor's Complete Stories and the last time I saw an ugly baby was.. NEVER! Because I just spent the day with my completely-opposite-of-ugly nephew, Emery!

In other news, I leave tomorrow for Freetown, Sierra Leone - spending the summer there doing an internship. If anyone would like me to bring them home a diamond or two just say the word and I'll drill a hole or two in my teeth. And if you all would pray for me while I'm there, that'd be great. I don't have a lot of details on what the organization I'm interning with expects me to do, so it's gonna be a fly by the seat of your pants kind of situation, which gives me the slightest of nerves going in. Anyway, just wanted to update y'all, and I'm going to do my best to sound as cool as this when I get back:

Also...

2011-04-19T21:33:00.003-05:00

Okay, so this morning at work I found this band The Head and the Heart. They have a self-titled album out. And holy freakin' crap, it is incredible. They recall Blind Pilot, Wild Sweet Orange, and a few other bands like that a bit, but also have their own awesome sound and some really profoundly good lyrics. I had to recommend it--so good!

Contentment

2011-04-18T17:39:00.002-05:00

Quick-and-dirty: Though the Bible promises that we can be content in all circumstances (Phil 4:11-13, written when Paul was in a craphole Roman jail again, uncertain of whether he would ever get out or not) contentment is a damnably tricky thing to hold and keep, especially when we have the promise of ever-more-perfect pleasures at our disposal via the internet and the shrinking of the world. Why do we, I, miss it so readily? I'm discovering the answer and the solution in The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs, and highly recommend the book to anyone who feels that they struggle with it too. May be a while before I finish it to lend it, though.

Peace!

Vulcan Mix: Spring 2011

2011-04-06T09:31:00.002-05:00

Because music makes you lose control...

Follow this link to download & enjoy!

VULCAN- Spring 2011

1. Down By The Water The Decemberists

2. Barton Hollow The Civil Wars

3. Devil Knows You're Dead Delta Spirit

4. Helplessness Blues Fleet Foxes

5. Lord Help My Poor Soul Fionn Regan

6. Glad Man Singing Iron & Wine

7. The Ghost Who Walks Karen Elson

8. Suffering Season Woods

9. Alex Kona Strand Of Oaks

10. One Day Sharon Van Etten

11. Burning Stars Mimicking Birds

12. Tree By The River Iron & Wine

13. Killemall Menomena

14. Don't Carry It All The Decemberists

15. Solid Ground Maps & Atlases

16. Foot Shooter Frightened Rabbit

17. Cloudy Shoes Damien Jurado

18. My Heart Is Yours The Holy Ghost Tent Revival

19. Come Talk To Me Bon Iver

Special Moments

2011-02-19T20:22:00.001-06:00

For those of you who may not know, I (Elaine) am living in boy land over here on 6th Ct South with Ryan inhabiting our house until his nuptials in May and Dwight, Eli, Paul (the person), and Andrew 3 houses down. It's pretty great, especially when I catch special "boy" moments on tape when they don't know their being filmed.

Exhibit A: First of all, how great it Paul the dog? Second, listen carefully to what Ryan says when he walks in to the kitchen towards the end.

Untitled from elaine on Vimeo.

Exhibit B: We were originally going to film Ryan playing the accordion, and Dwight randomly barged into our house. Notice his special way of greeting Paul (the dog). Bingo! Dinglehopper!

Untitled from elaine on Vimeo.

Saw this. Liked it. Wanted to share.

2011-02-03T09:49:00.002-06:00

The Awful Rowing toward God
by anne sexton

i'm mooring my rowboat
at the dock of the island called God.
this dock is made in the shape of a fish
and there are many different boats moored
at many different docks. . .

"on with it!" he says and thus
we squat on the rocks by the sea
and play--can it be true--
a game of poker.
he calls me.
i win because i hold a royal straight flush.
he wins because he holds five aces.
a wild card had been announced
but i had not heard it
being in such a state of awe
when he took out the cards and dealt.
as he plunks down his five aces
and i sit grinning at my royal flush,
he starts to laugh,
the laughter rolling like a hoop out of his mouth
and into mine,
and such laughter that he doubles right over me
laughing a rejoice-chorus at our two triumphs.
then i laugh, the fishy dock laughs,
the sea laughs. the island laughs.
the absurd laughs.

dearest dealer,
i with my royal straight flush,
love you so for your wild card,
that untamable, eternal, gut-driven ha ha
and lucky love

a return to a worthless world.

2010-12-14T11:09:00.001-06:00

i came back: http://mattfrancisco.wordpress.com/2010/12/14/vintage-ads-that-make-me-grin/

prayers appreciated

2010-12-13T16:42:00.002-06:00

Hey guys! Long time, no see. I hope you all are doing well. I just wanted to ask for prayer for my grandfather, Ted, Mimi's husband (the grandmother who acted out the woman at the well:)). He is not doing well: fell and broke his hip, because of poor circulation had to have one leg amputated last week with possibilities of the other leg being amputated as well. Today the doctors took him off all medications (because they were making things worse) and said he probably had about 3 days. My family, especially Mimi, would appreciate your prayers during this season.

I'm looking forward to seeing y'all around the New Year! (yay Pat and Keri!)

Miss you friends:) thanks for praying!

The Samford Crimson

2010-11-12T14:11:00.002-06:00

I think I did my family proud...

the title of the article: "Samford Redheads Face Wave of Bigotry."

Please check out pages 3-5. Nice..

Davis's House on the 18th!!

2010-10-17T19:24:00.003-05:00

Please reply to this post by three monday if you plan on coming and let us know if you're bringing anyone else. We hate to pull this but if you're a regular and haven't responded and show up you will have to wait until everyone's served to make sure the ones who RSVP'd got something to eat.

We're excited about having people to our house!

Thoughts on looking at a peace sign

2010-10-02T14:37:00.002-05:00

In the top floor of O'Henry's Brookwood, there's a big metal peace sign hanging on the wall (it's for sale, which is kind of an ironic statement I won't explore now). I've also been reading Stephen King's "Hearts in Atlantis," a novella about life in college in the initial months of the Vietnam War, which has had this whole thing on my mind to a greater extent. Also, I'm bored with this paper I'm writing.

Preface: none of these thoughts may have any ultimately valid conclusion; they're rough.

In the sixties and seventies, the peace movement was deeply provocative. It was widely cherished as an ultimate ideal by many (mainly, but not only, youth), and hated as anarchistic and unprogressive by many (mainly, but not only, then-adults). It was an ideal for those who held it, kind of a personal and social savior that, fully realized, would totally transform the world for good (as we see in "Imagine" or the unfortunate "Age of Aquarius"). Thirty years later, though, we see the aftermath of the ideology. Many people who remained fully committed to the peace-and-love ideal have burnt out on drugs or are hopelessly out of touch with the world, longing to bring back the promise of the late sixties/early seventies. Many who were only half-committed to or "grew up" from that youthful idealism now see it as distantly fondly as bell-bottom jeans, which is why someone could sell a peace sign sculpture for forty bucks in a coffee shop now.

I say all that because I've been thinking about how that was one of the last expressions of a popular social idealism we've seen (the major exception I can think of is the Obama-centered idealism, which has largely dissipated). At its heart, the peace movement thought that if there were just enough peace and love in the world, everything would be better. The concept was heavily explored in art, but did not motivate people to many practical peace-promoting innovations.

Since then, it seems that popular social philosophy has come to center more and more around pragmatism over idealism. In the eighties and nineties, we saw a lot of self-centered pragmatism: what works best for me and for my own advancement? Now, there is a growing heart for social good that is being approached with the determination to find out what works in effecting social change. An excellent example of this is the series of programs in Greensboro, AL, which has "with not for" as its motto for community development. It follows the adage, "give a man a fish...teach a man to fish." And most of us would agree that that is a better system, especially when we consider the effects of foreign aid on the receiving nations' citizens' views of their governments.

While those programs are worth praising in their own regard, I mention them to support how we are becoming a pragmatic society, in many ways. We sidestep rules and codes when it behooves us (how many of us have distributed music that we promised Itunes we wouldn't?); we seek philosophical and religious systems that work for us, and tend not to impose them on others when they have one that works for them.

Okay, a qualification: there's been an upsurge of idealism from somewhere in the nineties, currently focused on an ideal of authenticity or personality (e.g., the love of vinyl records, antiquated clothing, furniture, and houses, microbreweries--anything in Stuff White People Like, really). But it's by-and-large a pragmatic idealism; we implement ideals carefully and with a healthy infusion of irony and self-deprecation so nobody thinks we're weird.

So what? I don't know if I have a "so what," actually. I tend to think of how these philosophies apply to the practice and proclamation of Christianity, and how they either do or can find expression in the arts (another example: Sufjan Stevens now claims to no longer have faith in either the album or the song, and is producing increasingly jagged and lengthy compositions). I think people want to have something to be idealistic about (like Obama's presidency), but everything seems to fail to bear the weight of its own promises either partially or totally. I think that our generation, which is one that cares about the world and thinks more deeply about the world maybe more than any since the sixties, desperately wants to find hope even though it doesn't know where to seek it. People are exploring ideals tentatively, cautiously, keeping most of their existential faith in themselves like someone who has been burned over and over again by romantic relationships. This doesn't describe everyone, of course, especially in the South; I think it will grow here as it has in other places, just more slowly.

Well, I've foisted enough of my absurd thoughts on you for now. I should get back to that paper.

Brian, man, I miss you already. Hope to talk to you soon (and of course I miss those of you abroad too).

P.S., if you want an example of a modern real-but-ironic romanticism that is also totally beautiful, you should check out this video for "Elephant Gun" by Beirut:

Oh Man.

2010-09-25T21:24:00.002-05:00

So, I do appreciate the attempt to reactivate this blog over the summer. I'm specifically appreciative of Wilmore, Straw, the Francisci...and maybe the Davi, can't remember. Thanks, it strikes a deep chord within.

I've wanted to contribute as well, but I just haven't struck gold yet...until tonight. Oh, it's amazing. I sort of wish I was her, and I DEFINITELY wish I had her voice. I hope this makes you as happy as it made me.

http://vimeo.com/14190306

Love you all!

Ben's Chili Bowl.

2010-08-31T18:25:00.003-05:00

I am adding my voice to the growing number of people who are of the opinion that the Franciscos are trying to subtly tell us something... Now to get around to practicalities of the situation: will we change the blog name to 'Thirty-One Travelers?' Baby Francisco must be accounted for.

A few things you should know about my life:

-I am repentant. I previously judged Jamie for her love of Sonic chili dogs. I found them to be repulsive and referred to people who ate them as "fart-faces." Since moving to DC, I have grown as a person and in my understanding of the beauty that is a well-made chili dog. In an effort to apologize for my ignorance and judgmental nature, I invite you all up for a midnight run to Ben's Chili Bowl. (respects must be paid to Pat and Will who encouraged me to come to the other side.)

-To go along with the previous point: people in DC know me. It's becoming rather uncomfortable. I go to Ben's Chili Bowl and a girl I've never seen before starts talking to me in Amharic. I go to Whole Foods and a fellow shopper calls me by my Finote Selam nickname- how does he know this? I ride the S4 bus in the morning and a guy sits next to me and tells me that his relative told him to look for me. But how did he know that I was me? I go to Staples in suburban Maryland and the cashier knows me by name. I've never seen these people before. I've never even been to a Staples before. It's becoming increasingly disconcerting. And startling. I'm always on guard.

-I've started a new job. I am now considered adjunct faculty at the Baltimore City Community College. When I turned in my documents to the human resources person, she asked me how I went from being unemployed for 3 years to faculty at a college. I had never considered my life from that perspective. It was eye-opening. But regardless, I am now the Refugee Assistance Coordinator for Prince George's County. To clarify, I now control the English language for an entire county. It kind of sounds fun and royal (Prince George and all), but in reality I just do a lot of paperwork.

-I've started school. To do this in the same week as starting a new job turned out to be rather disastrous. So much reading. On top of all the paperwork. And figuring out a new bus route. And I had forgotten how to read... maybe I never knew how. And so many new people. They are interesting and I am happy to be among them, but it's all been a bit much. But I have hope that this week will be better than last week and soon I will even come out of survival-mode and actually be able to take it all in. This is the hope, at least.

-I have decided to attempt to return to the 'ham at least once a semester. My rational:

1. The Remingtons are there.

2. The community there is so great- why would i stay away?

3. I miss you all.

With that being said, let me know if there is something going on in Oct/early nov and i will come... camping trip? trip to see wardo? middle of the night beach run? just some suggestions...

That's all. Your turn.

Start Spreadin' the News

2010-08-25T11:12:00.002-05:00

Is it just me, or was there a very large number of baby mentions in the Franciscos' last post? Hmmm.

Well, if we must talk babies, I'll go ahead and say that my sister is expecting in February. Her last name is Hornbeak. Funny name. What goes best with a funny name like that? Caspian, according to her. Lord help the poor child.

Well, I believe you all know this, but tadaaaa - I've moved to New York City! And along with a newly acquired preference for the word "tadaaa," I've also just signed a lease on an apartment about two blocks from Central Park! Tadaaaaa. The amount of money I've already had to drop on it before even moving in makes me a bit queasy, but that's how it goes, I guess. Plus, we all know that I only chew my food up then spit it out, anyway.

I'm kidding.

Thanks to Cory (and Jamie, John, Kris and Will) for helping me move up!

Many of you have expressed quite enthusiastically your desire to come visit me up here. Much more enthusiastically than you were about visiting me in DC. I believe that this must be due to the fact that I myself have just become that much cooler and fun to hang out with. Well, in that case, thanks, guys! Come on up!

(Oh, and I love you all, miss you all, and tadaaaa - I've still never seen an ugly baby.)
(Double oh, if anyone cares to know, I think I'm reviving my blog. Click on the "Jen" link to the right and post lots of comments so it looks like I'm cool and maybe I'll get a book deal!)

flowers.

2010-08-21T12:47:00.000-05:00

braves win!

we miss you guys.

let's all hang out soon.

remember those marvelous days when we posted on this blog & knew all the intricacies & nonsenseries of each other's lives? let us recommence. immediately. otherwise, erin, patrick, and i are going to perform that long-since-promised hostile take-over of this air?-space.

in news of the awesome:

1. Ben Pittman announced to church that we're pregnant. we're not.

2. ok, so we're a little more boring than we thought...

3. portland and seattle were fantastic little spots. portland, if you are a no-good-nik. seattle, if you have a soul, character, and charm. tip o' the cap to you, brian.

4. apparently, we have a newly adopted son named david. he dreamed about me being his father and told me that he wished it were true.

5. erin & i went to the barons game last night & were showered with free Barons balls. we brought them home with glee. our internet, cable, and non-existent phone line all proceeded to fail (and incur $35 fines). upon noticing the balls were sponsored by charter, we found a local priest, had our apartment exorcized, and played wii. which then failed mid-game. damn charter.

6. i witnessed only the second pinch-hit, walk-off grand slam in major league history. true story.

7. birmingham's record show (at the cedar club) continues tomorrow. you should go.

8. adois, monsieur sharon & bienveniedos remingtons. holla back.

ps. accidental baby name of the month = z'ealous walker

your turn. 1, 2, 3 GO.

Our good friend Josh.

2010-05-29T22:56:00.002-05:00

Hey friends!

One of the delights of my day is listening to NPR on the way to work... and I thought you all might enjoy this little nugget of happiness. Seriously, I think you can hear him smiling when he talks... though his outlook on life is so bleak. Such a confused little soul.

I conclude my post with this anecdote on life in DC:

Also on Friday, I was responsible for giving a talk on hygiene to 15 Ethiopian refugees. All in Amharic. It was a disaster from the start. It was all kind of common sense stuff (brush your teeth, take showers, wash your clothes), right before lunch time, and I was talking too slowly... I was losing my audience. So when I got to the section on lice, I decided lighten things up and say something to the effect of, "lice are very fast moving. They are like Haile GebreSelassie (a famous- and very fast- Ethiopian runner)." The class was scandalized that I should talk of Haile so. There was an uproar, students protesting saying, "no! he's not bad! he's a very good person!" Apparently they didn't want him to be equated with a small bug. Hard to say why. I guess I'll be sticking to reading straight from the handouts from now on...

Miss you guys! Much love!

Cheers from the land down under!

2010-05-29T21:22:00.002-05:00

G'day mates! (they do actually say that here) I haven't gotten to talk to any of you guys yet since we arrived in Australia, so I figured I would post where most of my friends were likely to look.

We've been in the country for about a week and a half now, and in Armidale for a little over a week. Armidale is a good-sized town by their measuring: a whopping 20,000 people. It's also devastatingly cold by their standards, but as it turns out it's about the same as our seasons in Birmingham. We're at the University of New England, a school of about 5,000 with a lot of medical, education, and agricultural science students. I'm spending most of my time in Duval College (their colleges are like the schools in Harry Potter, for a point of reference). Students in Duval are into all kinds of things, but tend to be very sociable.

A few encouraging things: the church here, St. Mark's Chapel (Anglican), has been wonderful to us. It's weird to be a Christian here, so the believers are more committed to the gospel and take living as a Christian very seriously. They've served us in all kinds of ways, from feeding us to their pastor teaching us once a week, and we're truly grateful for them. The believers among college students have been great as well; they're genuinely seeking to grow in their faith, and have taken us under their wing socially to help us meet people. They love to rag on us--I think mockery is a love language here--and we have a great time laughing at and with one another.

In addition, our team (10 students) has been really faithful to pray for and seek out the non-believers here. As I'll explain in a bit, this is very difficult here, but our guys and girls have been champs about encouraging one another and building community here. I'm really thankful for all of this.

If I could ask you to pray for anything, it would be for our relationships with non-Christians. They've seen us as outsiders coming into the communities they have, and they have no real reason to try and build relationships with us: the burden is totally on our initiative, and oftentimes they don't care to respond to us well. We are having some victories--two of our guys are practicing and maybe even playing with one college's rugby team--but it has been slow progress. It's disheartening to have efforts at loving others rebuffed, so please pray 1) that God would provide us with friendships among non-believers and 2) that we would trust in Christ's sufficiency so as to not depend emotionally on their responses to us.

Another prayer request is related to this. Generally, Aussie non-believers are very apathetic towards the gospel. It takes the average Aussie female 1.5 years to come to Christ after first hearing the gospel, and the average male twice that. In light of that, we don't really expect to see anyone come to Christ through us this summer; we may have people we get really close to with whom we may not get to share the gospel at all. We're constantly reminding the team that God provides all spiritual growth, and that what we are to be faithful to do is to love these students and scatter what seed of the gospel we can. It is difficult to minister without the expectation of visible results, however (even though we know it's an idol), so please pray that God would give us the courage and the will to be faithful rather than needing success.

If I could give you a few specific names to pray for in Duval, Benny and Pete are two Christians who are intentionally laboring in the college. Pray that they would be encouraged and equipped. Amos, Aaron, Josh, and Anthony are the only other Christian guys there, and they are struggling to courageously love non-Christians: pray that God would give them boldness and satisfaction in themselves. Dale, Joshua, Cale, Pinky, and Eldin are non-believers we've begun to build relationships with: please pray that God would prepare their hearts for the gospel and allow the love we have for them to ultimately point them to Christ.

Sorry to post such a huge blog, but we've had a busy week. I'd love to hear how you guys are doing, what God is doing in your lives this summer, and any way I can be praying for you, so please let me know. I love you all, and hope to hear from you soon!

I Stole Hair Clippers

2010-05-07T09:07:00.002-05:00

I stole someone's set of hair clippers while at Will's house this past weekend. They looked like mine. I'm not sure why I took them. I think it was early in the morning. I really am sorry.

Let me know if you're yours and I'll give 'em back.

an awesome song/video

2010-05-05T20:03:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to share this video I found and haven't been able to get out of my head. It's a version of "Too Much Time" by John Vanderslice, performing with the Magik Magik Orchestra. It makes me wish there were more string sections in pop music. *sighs* ah well. Enjoy!

memphis wedding

2010-04-14T23:27:00.002-05:00

hey friends!

so, our very own andrew donald sisk is getting married may 1 in memphis, which happens to be my hometown. any and all are welcome and wanted to stay at my house that weekend, but i'd love to get a head count of sorts for my incredible mother. please comment for a sort of rsvp.

also, my ridiculously cool girlfriend will* be joining us :0)

love yall,
will in the beautiful springy mid-atlantic

*may

why should i be surprised by this point?

2010-04-01T10:28:00.004-05:00

(picture taken from article)

birmingham made rolling stone magazine. awesome.
read the article here.

2010-03-30T10:53:00.001-05:00

will you read about this guy?! unbelievable... the real life Good Will Hunting but better

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigori_Perelman

he solved one of the seven hardest problems in math ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Prize_Problems ) , The Poincare Conjecture, which was proposed in 1904, turned down the fields medal, the most prestigious medal in math, and just turned down the 1 million dollar prize money and medal for solving a Millennium Prize Problem.

he proposed his solution in 2002, it was verified in 2006! a quote, "It has taken us some time to examine Perelman's work. This is partly due to the originality of Perelman's work and partly to the technical sophistication of his arguments. All indications are that his arguments are correct."

He had previously turned down a prestigious prize from the European Mathematical Society,^[19] allegedly saying that he felt the prize committee was unqualified to assess his work, even positively.^[15]

haha i love this guy...

currently, he has quit math, and

According to a 2006 interview, Perelman is currently jobless, living with his mother in Saint Petersburg^[5] where he plays table tennis against the wall^[25].

real life is stranger than fiction,

John

music that i want to come home to

2010-03-28T14:57:00.005-05:00

Having given up music (under most circumstances) for Lent has made me think a lot more about what I listen to. As I've thought about music that I actually get excited to be able to hear, I've found a playlist shaping itself over these weeks. I figured I'd post it, so that you can validate my interior life, and also because I'd love to hear what music excites you right now. I charge anyone who reads this to respond with at least one song that fills you with joy, be it profound, silly, or shamelessly boogie-inducing. All categories are included here.

Sufjan Stevens- "Vito's Ordination Song"
Ryan Adams- "Sylvia Plath"
Bon Iver- "Blood Bank"
Beirut- "Scenic World" (Lon Gisland EP version)
Animal Collective- "My Girls"
Paper Route- "Gutter"
Radiohead- "Reckoner"
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists- "Me and Mia"
Josh Ritter- "Good Man"
Arcade Fire- "Wake Up"
Common Market- "Tobacco Road"
Neutral Milk Hotel- "The King of Carrot Flowers, pt. 1"
Iron & Wine- "Sodom, South Georgia"
Freelance Whales- "Location"
Sufjan Stevens- "The Dress Looks Nice on You"
Josh Ritter- "Kathleen"
Freelance Whales- "Broken Horse"
Old Crow Medicine Show- "Down Home Girl"
Andrew Bird- "Anonanimal"
Common Market- "Nothin' At All"
William Cowper (performed by Matt Francisco, Alyson Snow, Judson Mallory)- "God Moves in a Mysterious Way"

when you're right, you're right

2010-03-12T10:16:00.002-06:00

and me? i'm kind of maybe rarely right.

but about this, i feel pretty good.

man, i miss you guys. blessings from the cold north.

will

xkcd (intellectually silly humor)

2010-03-01T15:52:00.004-06:00

This one struck me as particularly funny, but I'm still not sure why. My thanks to John for pointing me to the comic.

Your Newest Birmingham Celebrity

2010-02-22T15:28:00.000-06:00

boom.

short story

2010-02-20T18:40:00.003-06:00

I've talked with some of you about my recent efforts at writing stories, and it's been a lot of fun to do it. Here's a link to one I've finished and of which I'm pretty proud. I'd love for anyone to read it and let me know what they think (don't worry Matt; this one's not a fantasy story). It's called "The Show Must Go On," and is about 3500 words. Peace!

Joseph

wild things have hearts too...

2010-02-01T12:04:00.005-06:00

I'm sorry that I missed two weekends ago and that I am late for this past one. As you can tell, Elaine wears the "blogging" pants in our marriage.

So I hope everyone knows that I have a new friend that lives outside our appartment. Toby is a beagle. One of my favorite things about being friends with Toby is how encouraging he is when I come home or leave in the morning. It's so great to have this great dog who is so glad to see me. He sort of looks like this...

Most Saturday mornings I take him for a walk to Crestwood park. We are working on playing catch. He can't really look up well so if I throw it up he won't chase it. We're working on it. Anyways when I put him back up after the walk is over he goes through this routine where he howls nonstop for 15 minutes. It's really pathetic but it sort of makes me feel good inside. I feel like he's saying, "I had so much fun and I don't want it to end." I appreciate that.

So that's where Where the Wild Things Are comes in. I LOVED the part at the end when the wild things howled for Max. It communicated so much that words would have left out. There is just this deep groaning that needs to get out.

All this to say that if I start howling when you say you have to go home after an evening of hanging out, know that I'm not angry at you but it's my way of telling you I think you're awesome.

Killer Bunnies.

2010-01-31T00:09:00.002-06:00

I just played this game:

and we would all love it. It looks ridiculous... and it is. Wonderfully (and morbidly) so. All I'm saying is... it might be more enjoyable than Settlers. Big words, I know. So think about trying it out, do some research here, and pray about how you feel about inflicting unspeakable acts of violence against little bunnies. That's all.

Why soccer is better,

2010-01-20T13:18:00.002-06:00

A typical broadcast (185 min.) of a football game on TV consists of:

-65 minutes of commercials
- 75 minutes of players huddling, standing at the line of scrimmage, or just milling around.
- 34 minutes of random stuff (ref, injury, or coaching shots, other games, etc.)

and...

11 minutes of action.

I'd hate to see the stats on a baseball game.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704281204575002852055561406.html

Vulcan Family New Year's

2010-01-13T17:05:00.002-06:00

So... the quality of these tracks leaves a lot to be desired (my apologies), but, for anyone who wants the sweet music we made (pun intended) ringing in the new year, go here & download the zip.

fern gavatar?

2010-01-11T16:34:00.002-06:00

Pocavatantas?

2010-01-11T09:54:00.003-06:00

source- failblog.org

commercial

2010-01-05T06:41:00.005-06:00

Here's what happen when you give a couple of stoners $100 to do a commercial in Birmingham

Merry Christache Friends!

2009-12-26T18:54:00.002-06:00

best of 00's movie list

2009-12-20T02:25:00.000-06:00

From Ain't It Cool. com... pretty interesting.

1. Irreversible
2. Memento
3. In the Mood for Love
4. 25th Hour
5. No Country for Old Men
6. The Lord of the Rings
7. Yi Yi
8. There Will Be Blood
9. Afterschool
10. You Can Count on Me
11. State and Main
12. Anchorman
13. Shaun of the Dead
14. Primer
15. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
16. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
17. The New World
18. Dogville
19. What Time Is It There?
20. Spirited Away
21. Songs from the Second Floor
22. Femme Fatale
23. Monsters, Inc.
24. The Man Who Wasn't There
25. A History of Violence
26. When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts
27. Everyone Else
28. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
29. Bad Santa (January 2003 Pasadena Test Screening Cut)
30. Gerry
31. Fantastic Mr. Fox
32. Brick
33. Dave Chappelle's Block Party
34. Kill Bill
35. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
36. Up
37. Pan's Labyrinth
38. City of God
39. Goodby Dragon Inn
40. Ghost World
41. Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut
42. The Incredibles
43. Jackass: The Movie
44. Audition
45. Black Hawk Down
46. Memories of Murder
47. Inglourious Basterds
48. Spider-Man 2
49. Red Lights
50. Before Sunset
51. Mulholland Dr.
52. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
53. Into the Wild
54. The Pianist
55. Munich
56. Oldboy
57. Burn After Reading
58. Hero
59. Tsotsi
60. The Host
61. Grindhouse
62. Time Out
63. Kairo
64. Time of the Wolf
65. Lake of Fire
66. The Constant Gardener
67. Where the Wild Things Are
68. Superbad
69. WALL-E
70. Brokeback Mountain
71. The Holy Girl
72. United 93
73. The Fountain
74. American Splendor
75. The 40-Year-Old Virgin
76. Miami Vice
77. I Heart Huckabees
78. Nowhere to Hide
79. Ratatouille
80. Late Marriage
81. Drag Me to Hell
82. Adaptation.
83. Code Unknown
84. Chopper
85. Observe and Report
86. The Wayward Cloud
87. Friday Night Lights
88. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
89. Ali
90. Last Days
91. Y Tu Mama Tambien
92. Gone Baby Gone
93. The Squid and the Whale
94. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
95. Raising Victor Vargas
96. The Piano Teacher
97. Wet Hot American Summer
98. Kinsey
99. The Ice Harvest
100. Bring It On

i'm on a roll....

2009-11-26T00:42:00.003-06:00

oh man this is great! guaranteed to make you smile.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous communist plot we have ever had to face.

2009-11-25T17:58:00.003-06:00

I knew it....

for an interesting article on the same issue, check the relevant chapter in this book:

wedding website

2009-11-09T23:11:00.000-06:00

my fiance made us a wedding wesite

here - http://www.mywedding.com/andylovesrachel/

So here it is

2009-11-03T10:49:00.002-06:00

So as most of you have found out I am now engaged. This past weekend my parents invited Rachel and I to Destin, so we went and while i was there i preposed to her on the beach outside of our condo. She was completely suprised, because i had been telling her for the past few months that there would be now way that I could possibly propose to her before january. i had her friends also lying to her so that she was throrough ly convinced that the proposal wasnt coming soon. So after i proposed we went to dinner with my parents at a resturant that held about 40 people and served some of the best seafood that I have ever eaten. It was a great trip, we are planning to get married around may/june so keep all of your calendars open. Also im reading pride and prejudice and zombies which is incredible, and have been obsessed with girltalk i recently went to one of his shows which was just awesome but he is kinda hipsterish but his music is good. I love you all and miss you guys let me know if yall have any questions.

I promise i will elaborate on this soon

2009-11-01T13:40:00.001-06:00

i'm engaged (seriously no bullshit)

Jenny Biggers Game

2009-10-26T06:05:00.004-05:00

I recently introduced our beloved friend Jenny Biggers to a precious group of girls at our recent girls' night (which was an incredible night and probably deserves a post of its own). For those of you that haven't met Jenny Biggers, just ask Doug Clapp about her. If you ever ventured on a SOSA excursion then you know who I'm talking about: the girl that was studying one night and invented a game where you ask a multiple choice question about yourself to your friends. Then your friends try to guess the correct answer. A great get-to-know-you game. We always played around the campfire. Can we play on the blog instead?

Example:
In the past month I have attended my first ______ in Malaysia.
A. Funeral
B. Graduation
C. Wedding
D. A and B, but not C
E. B and C, but not A
F. A, B, and C

The answer is obviously E. Of course I went to my friend Debbie's wedding and Helen's graduation!

You get the drift. Now on to my real statement:

One day I was spotted jumping up and down while simultaneously running through a shopping mall. Was I jumping and running because

A. I had just received a coupon from the grocery store for a FREE pineapple frizzle (2nd only to fresh fruit strawberry slush from Sonic) that had to be used within the next 20 minutes?

B. I thought I felt a cockroach crawling underneath my shirt after having found one in my hair only 30 minutes earlier!?

C. An announcement had just been made that my car was about to be towed because it was illegally parked (oops)?

D. It was my birthday and the waiters at TGIFridays had just shoved ice cream and whipped cream all up in my face and hair. It was revenge time.

The Life & Crimes of Larry Langford

2009-10-15T09:18:00.002-05:00

So, finally, my bitter arch-rival is going to trial, but thankfully, he has not stopped providing great reading material, including rigging a bingo game worth $20,000... for himself... and casting big dreams for the Birmingham Airport, just in case we'd forgotten how visionary he was(is?) before the mouthpiece of his platform is forever silenced.

This one's brilliant.

Oh, and here's a video of 1979 Larry running for mayor.

2009-10-13T17:25:00.017-05:00

Alright. First of all, I sadly believed all those blogs were true. Once I read Abby's I began to think something was a little fishy. Anyway, in honor of the Barb ORear wanna-bes, I will be the first to give an honest account of the past year of my life... for the record... it starts with the most recent and goes down.

I would like to begin by embarrassingly admitting that this is mine and Ryan's 7th year living at Samford. We have gotten only one values violation so far...an RA found Woodchuck in our fridge. Ryan graduates in December 2010. I was kidding about the violation.

Here we are at Yosemite National Park. This summer Ryan and I spent a week in CA doing some site seeing, backpacking, and hanging out with some of our peeps who happened to be in the neighborhood.

Here is one peep I mentioned earlier. This picture was taken while me, Pat, Ryan, Jme, and her mom were biking in San Fran.

Ryan and Cliff still have yet to beat the tanks game. There are 20 levels, I think, and they got to level 18 at one point this year... cant really remember when this happened. It was a momentous occasion regardless.

Ryan had to do an internship for one of his Beeson classes so we got to live in Costa Rica for 3 weeks in June. During that time, we were able to hang out with Susan. It was awesome to see what her life has consisted of while she has been in Costa Rica. I can't tell if those kids are flipping off the camera Costa Rican style...anyway...

In the Spring, I coached the boys and girls tennis team. Here we are in all of our glory. We did alright... we won some but then got killed by teams like Mountain Brook and Vestavia. I am coaching again this Spring but it shouldn't be as stressful this year because they hired a 2nd coach. These next three pictures are from my Middle School's Career Fair this past Spring. Cory, Pat, and Jamie did awesome. Jamie kept forcing kids to give a pretend shot in this black arm which freaked some of the kiddies... but overall it was awesome.

In other news, I have started on my Exercise Physiology masters at UAB. Im just taking one night class a week so it hasn't been too bad. Ryan and I get to now be nerds together, HURRAY!

Anyway. ta-dah. There is a quick run down. You all keep the updates coming! Love you guys!

Two things....

2009-10-13T14:44:00.002-05:00

Alright, alright, alright. I guess it's time to clear up some confusion that's been buzzing around this joint for some time now. Here's the deal. (The following words are spoken on behalf of myself and a certain Kristen Straw and Jennifer Wilmore.)

We feel as if some major life events have occurred over the course of the past 5 months and this informative little hot-spot has not been properly utilized in the midst of these grand happenings. Sooo, the three of us (while visiting together in Ethiopia) took it upon ourselves to update everyone on your behalf...and what details we did not know, we made up. It was fun for us really, as we find ourselves thoroughly hilarious. A few of you failed to write of your recent engagements, some forgot to tell us whether or not they had intentions of moving to Birmingham after the two job interviews they had last spring, some have changed jobs, and some have just gone MIA altogether. Our intentions were to subtly yet firmly encourage blog activity.

So, until we get some steady posting around this place, we've got more to come...so without further adieu...Mr. Brian Sharon:

I am currently in the 2nd year of my 23-year doctorate program. So far, I haven’t switched specialties. Yesterday while eating a zebra cake in lab and simultaneously artificially inseminating a lab rat, I had an epiphany. You see, I have felt a bit Eeyore-ish lately, and couldn’t for the life of me figure out what was up. My epiphany occurred when I discovered the date of the onset of my gloom: January 27, 2009. This is the date of my last blog entry.

Since rediscovering the blog, I have vowed to blog on a more regular basis. So here we go. Bought a new house, 14 baby rats were birthed in late April and have since all produced offspring, and I just recently learned of a cranberry patch where I have been invited to pick for free come Spring 2010! And as we all know, 97.9865785% (prime number) of Caucasian, left-handed people of Jewish descent who eat 32 freshly picked cranberries an hour will live an average of 3.28575792 minutes longer than those who never even stumble upon a patch. Lucky me! w00t.

Miss You Guys.

2009-10-05T12:08:00.001-05:00

Abby, please email with the details of your Smallia cruise. Things here in Memphis are awesome and I’m growing a lot, but I’m looking forward to the next stage in life. I’ve been thinking about going back to the Horn (of Africa, duh) to a) wear my man skirt, and b) build things for the pierates. I just know that the bunny doctors really need my help. I’ll also have the πrates read the blog every day, so make sure the updates are good or they’ll make me walk the plank! YARG!

Miss you all,

Cheese

A new legacy for Birmingham?

2009-10-04T11:37:00.002-05:00

Sign me up.

Read, discuss, you know the drill.

How the Birmingham Charter Could Change The World

xkcd.com

2009-10-03T23:11:00.003-05:00

"correlation doesn't imply causation, but it does waggle its eyebrows suggestively and gesture furtively while mouthing, 'look over there'"

Bon Voyage!

2009-10-03T11:07:00.004-05:00

So I know it’s been a while, but I’ve recently gone through a lot of big life changes. After I left my job I became bitter toward Corporate America and decided to shun it and all of its technological advances. During the months of solitude and introspection, I came to realize that one of the most important things in life to me is the daily reading of this blog and all that it discloses. Each word is another reason to breathe and imparts new meaning into my life.

Since you all have nourished my soul during these past dark months, I decided that it’s time for you all to feast on the wealth of my experiences. You may have heard about my recent engagement- scratch that- MARRIAGE! Las Vegas Baby!!!! We really enjoyed having The King perform our nuptials. The chapel was styled in a lovely post modern, deco, colonial, gothic, arts and crafts combo. My sugar daddy, Kevin, was so thoughtful to surprise me by picking out this very chapel because he knows how much I love extreme architectural vomit.

Just had to update the blog before we jump on the plane for our Somali pirate cruise honeymoon getaway! Can’t wait to enjoy some seafood, target practice with our renegade friends, and dining on the full entrée of your delicious posts upon our return!

Shout- out to Wardo: I’ve recently become a foodie!!!

Love ya'll,
Abby

El Gato es muy feo.

2009-09-27T21:59:00.001-05:00

Our lives since we last blogged:

Moved to Crestwood.

Keith lost job.

Elaine hired at Cornerstone.

Elaine quit job.

Guatemala.

Elaine started at Cornerstone.

Keith bought screen door.

Keith thinks of Kanakuk often.

Elaine picked tomatoes from garden.

Keith takes CPA exam.

Keith got new job.

Elaine applies for Spanish citizenship.

Davis household decides to henceforth speak only Spanish.

Realizado we solo bloggiadoed on Elaiña’s blogio.

Muy Convictioñado.

Keith changes nombre to ChaCheé.

Will be more consistienté with life changes on Treinta Travelerjalos.

Mi amor. Bailamos.

~ChaCheé & Elaiña

A Big Hike & An Everlasting Promise

2009-09-24T03:56:00.006-05:00

I first knew that I really loved Erin when she confessed to me that her greatest joy in life comes from reading the Thirty Travelers blog. I, being the absent minded bloke that I am, knew that if I am going to be faithful to this blog for the rest of my life on earth, I would need a companion who would run fast and hard alongside of me towards the prize of Most Consistent Blog Updater. Ever.

So to get started with that goal we thought we would share the story of our engagement. I took Erin on a pilgrimage to the top of Mount Sinai. After my time at Beach Project, my red skin was like the flames of the burning bush. Hiking up that mountain was a difficult task, as I was carrying two stone tablets inscribed with the top 10 reasons why I want to spend the rest of my life with this girl. When we reached the top and Erin read these confessions of my heart, a clap of thunder (some would say “The blessing of God”) filled the air. Erin cried with a loud voice, “Alpha Omicron Chi Omega Epsilon Pi!” (Which in Greek, of course, means “With all my heart- YES!”) After descending from the mount, to commemorate the occasion, we immediately melted down all of our jewelry into a small gold slice of key lime pie.

The happy couple just after our descent

We are so excited to extend a wedding invitation to you all!! Please RSVP by posting on the blog!

- Matt

Ducks and vodka

2009-09-23T09:36:00.011-05:00

Will, you crack me up.

I'm trying really hard to think of something creative to write. To bring a snort to your nose. To bring an ache to your side.

Nada. Oh well.

But I did just return from a trip to Zhongguo (otherwise known as China) with 4 other Malaysian Chinese students to visit one of the first students I met when I came to Malaysia for the summer back in '06. She moved back to her country in 2007. Thirty Travelers meet Zoe:
The trip reminded me much of our trek through Italy; although, I'd say that many key elements were missing. There was no Rick Steves. No Sims to plan everything (Thanks again Sims for all you did!) No white wine. Oh wait, there was some white wine, or maybe vodka? Our tour guide took us to a place where they make a Chinese medicine consisting of snake venom with alcohol to 'cure whatever ales ya.' (I'm not sure exactly what it's for; I still can't really understand the Chinese language.) I'm pretty sure the snakes in the jars were dead...I guess dead snake soaked in vodka also does something for ya.

No, I didn't buy you all snake oil juice for Christmas. I know you're sad now.

Back to the trip. We rode in a train. A much nicer train than the ones we took in Italy. We took a night train to Shanghai. My bunk was on the 3rd tier. We went to the top of the Oriental Pearl in Shanghai, strolled through old villages (600 year old villages), climbed Huangshan (yellow mountain), spent the night in tents and woke up to see the sunrise at the peak. (Will, I did eat quite a few peanuts on that hike and thought of you!) Actually, the Malaysian girls I went with (who served as my translators) decided to take the cable car up the 1,864 m mtn. Me? I chose to climb with a Chinese couple who spoke no English; it was an interesting climb to say the least. But we made it to the top and i was albe to see another great sunrise!

We traveled to 5 cities in 12 days (which also reminded me of Italy): Hangzhou, Huangshan, Zhongxiagong (zoe's town), Suzhou, and Shanghai. My favorite part of the trip, however, was being with Zoe. She's not a believer but has heard truth from my co-workers and I off and on for 3 years now. She recently bought a restaurant that she's spent a lot of time investing in. Business is not good. Her marriage is not great (she's 35 years old...has been married for 2 years). She asked me countless times, "What's my purpose in life? I have no purpose in life!" I shared with her yet again about the purpose that I believe she was created for; she didn't really have any response. Please pray for her to find joy and satisfaction in the One we know paid the price for her and desires to have relationship with her!

Zoe eating in her restuarant

The last day I explored a bit of Shanghai on my own and stumbled upon a big fresh vegetable, fruit and poultry market. Here are a few pictures that I think capture some of the culture and food in China:

bao on the street.
so good. bread filled with noodles or pork or veggies or red bean. red bean was disappointing the first time i tried it: it looked like a big slab of chocolate. but it wasn't. it was red bean.

a few of the many veggies

my favorite: yes, that's a live duck being weighed on a scale getting ready to be bought. and skinned. and eaten. yum.

In other news: I'm training for a half marathon to be domintaed on 11th Oct in KK (the same city where Will, John and I conquered that beast of a mtn). I'll be moving to that city in January for a few months before I make my debut back in the states:)

Zoe and me about to go paddleboating.

Life is good. God is better.

Miss you all! Keep blogging!

Dude, man, it's been too long.

2009-09-22T09:59:00.000-05:00

Many of you may assume that I’m still in DC teaching. Well have I got a ZOINK for you (finger touch John)!! I’ve decided to give in to my guilty pleasure and dedicate my life to pop music. I am currently on tour with Beyonce, serving as her sound mixer/ bodyguard. I first auditioned to be her lead guitarist/ back-up vocalist, but since she doesn’t actually use real musical instruments, I’ve had to settle for my current position. She has taught me so much, dude. She is my musical guru.

I really enjoy my job because my voice matters. I told Beyonce of my love for climbing the World’s Highest Peaks. In honor of me, she has named the tour: Above and Beyonce. The first stop is the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Lucky for me, Beyonce just signed a 5-year contract advertising for Planter’s Peanuts. i.e. All the peanuts an avid hiker like myself could want.
But those peanuts aren’t the only thing that’s gonna keep me going. Peanuts and people. That’s what I need. This is where you come in, 30 Travs. Dude. Y’all are awesome. I freakin’ care about what’s going on in your lives. So you’re making a choice: to Will or to kill?

Sustained by posts (and peanuts), Will.

www.Above&Beyonce.com/Planterspeanuts

Thanks a Million!

2009-09-20T10:22:00.008-05:00

Jamie, Jen, and Kris here. What a whirlwind these past 2 weeks have been! We have traveled the country of Ethiopia in its ENTIRETY. Every nook and cranny has been scouted out by yours truly. Kris met Jamie and Jen in Addis (after sneaking/ walking real obviously past security approximately 2,976 times to find Jen) and we headed to Finote Selam early the next morning. The next three days were spent in the Finote, highlights include: Jamie’s (almost) birthday celebration, an emergency shunting program at 0200 for Jamie, an informational cheeseburger program, and no showering whatsoever.

On to Addis for the Ethiopian New Year Festivities. Happy 2002…again…everyone! Highlights include: dancing to Whitney Houston with Ethiopians, watching hours of Ethiopian music videos, Jen being put in the spotlight by an Amharic-singing Ethiopian entertainer (and Kristen simultaneously being chest-bumped…by the same singer…she was good folks), joining hundreds of Ethiopians at midnight in the cold to watch fireworks- psych! (too expensive this year, but no one thought to tell the entire population of Addis), and New Years day spent with a wonderful Ethiopian family.

Next we had the great pleasure of meeting the man, the myth, the legend: Mr. Million (Million is his first name). We knew he was to quickly become our 4^th partner in crime…literally. He looked the part, what with his red wind pants and sleek fashion sunglasses. Mr. Million had entered our lives to escort us on a 6-day tour of southern Ethiopia. And man, did we tour that junk.

Day One: The Dorze tribe (elephant huts, extremely resourceful with the false banana tree)

Day Two: 8-hour car ride to Jinka (numb butts, reading, and sleeping)

Day Three: Mursi tribe (VEEEERY aggressive people, lip cutting to insert disc, goat blood and milk drinking)

Day Four: Hamer tribe (watched women being whipped and naked man run across the backs of bulls approximately 6 times as part of the traditional wedding ceremony…wow.)

Day Five: Abore and Konso tribes (sensory overload, get us out of the car… and out of the south)

Day Six: Ganja and 9-hour car ride back to Addis (numb butts, reading, sleeping, brief illegal action encouraged and arranged by Million, arrive at destination in Addis: Mr. Martin’s Cozy Place)

Hanging out with a tribal woman, of course

So, overall a good time was had by all…even Papa Mills. I, Jamie, look forward to welcoming home our little African travelers in a mere 2 months!! Woohoo!

One topic of our daily discussion has been the Thirty Travelers Blog. As the founders, we feel it necessary to encourage the more consistent use of this tool for communication. Jen was awestruck when she overheard Kristen and Jamie’s discussions of Matt and Erin’s recent engagement. Kristen was likewise shocked to hear that Pat got new pants from Urban Outfitters 2 weeks ago. I mean, how are we supposed to know these things unless you post about them? This is a crime and those found guilty of withholding such valuable information must be prepared to face the consequences. So. Be forewarned. And light the fire…in my weary soul. Fan the flame. Just do it people. On the blog.

Man who dances with bulls. Bare butt. Bleh. Shun.

There he is - bare butt in the flesh...well, not quite yet in the flesh, but we thought that may be a bit inappropriate for our family-friendly blog

Brook Hills

2009-08-14T09:21:00.000-05:00

Oh, look at our ol' boy Platt in Christianity Today.

This is so Americanized.

2009-07-30T13:14:00.007-05:00

Yo, Jen and Kris here.

So Will and John came to visit us, too! And we are happy to say that they have adapted.

Exhibit #1: They assume the appropriate position in the presence of extremely powerful forces of nature.

Exhibit #2: They respond appropriately when tickled in the jugular by various Rwandans, as demonstrated below.

But seriously, our mini family reunion was ridiculously awesome and served as a great reminder of how wonderful our friends are. Jen and I are coming away from the past few weeks so refreshed and encouraged and just feeling really blessed to have such great people in our lives. Neither of us have laughed so much or so hard (see above) in a long time... well, you know, since New Year's.

Watching the guys meet my Ethiopian family and friends was my favorite part of having them in the land that boasts of 13 months of sunshine. They literally met all of Finote Selam and were champs about it. John and Will were able to have great conversations with two of my closest friends, Mame and Teshager. I'm excited to go back and see what comes of that! Also, the family I lived with loved them and commented on their "good behavior." I'm pretty sure that just means they were good at eating injera and drinking coffee, but this is quite the compliment.

All three of us were quite ready to head for Uganda when the time came, however! Jen put us right to work, taking us east towards the Kenyan border to pass out mosquito nets and check out a community center her organization is funding. It was such a neat opportunity to see the great projects Jen is working on and to see how appreciative the rural communities are to receive supplies that will protect the health of their families. We also took a short hike to a great waterfall (again, see above photo). On our last night in Uganda we went to a birthday party for Lino, a Sudanese teenager that is being adopted by the people Jen is working with. Jen, John, and Will were schooled in volleyball, we got to meet Jen's people, and there was birthday cake... Uganda is awesome.

But Rwanda is even better! When you flush the toilets, water swirls in the opposite direction. Clearly good things are happening there... we spent a few days visiting with the sister church of Will's church in DC and their awesome pastor, Deo, who coined the phrase that is the subject of this post when we introduced him to the concept of group hugs. We had good conversation with him, met others in the church and just had a really great time there. Then we went down to Kigali, toured some of the genocide memorials there and soaked up our last bit of time with the guys before they headed out on Tuesday night.

So here we are, back in Kampala, trying to regroup for the months ahead. We find ourselves excited about what the next four months have in store, feeling supported and encouraged, and yet ready to come home at the same time. Having that taste of community leaves us ready to be with you all! Jen and I will both be heading home the last week of November and will be showing up on doorsteps looking for somewhere to live, so get ready!

John and Will came to visit!!

2009-07-15T10:34:00.004-05:00

I felt like I was back at the 626.

I think John was winning at this point. Until I pounced on them both and took them out with the cushions...

They had a little too much fun with a plastic bag. Yes, they're the same plastic bags we have in the States (At least I think. I'm finding that the longer I'm here the more I forget about small details like that in America)

And they caught me doing what I do best: illegally driving while smsing...whoops

So good to see these guys again! We had a great time on the mountain, looking for monkeys, fireflys, and watching beautiful double rainbows expand before our eyes!

You never know what's waiting for you when you come to Malaysia!

In other news: I will probably, big probably, be staying in this wonderfully hot-all-year-round country (unless you're on the top of their tallest mountain) until March 2010. I'll keep you posted;)

Greetings from San Fran!

2009-06-28T12:01:00.001-05:00

Hi everybody! Will and John here. If you are interested in following along on our travels, we've started another blog, willandjohn.blogspot.com . Cute right?! I mean it is pride week...

Miss you all, cya soon!

From Parkhurst: "How It Ends"

2009-06-20T17:30:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to let you all know that I'm going to the How It Ends conference in Washington DC next week to learn about ending the war in Uganda (it's sponsored by Invisible Children, Resolve Uganda, and the Enough Project). If anyone is interested, they are actually broadcasting it online at www.howitends.tv . They are going to have some pretty awesome speakers on Monday morning, we are meeting with congressmen Tuesday, and then there is a concert Tuesday afternoon; check it out if you can. Also, if you are feeling particularly politically active, call your congressmen and ask them to consponsor the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act (Senate Resolution 1067 and House Resolution 2478). You can read the bill online, but the main focus is to require the Obama administration to come up with a plan to work with other nations to end the war and rebuild the communities. Good stuff. Let's make sure it passes.

If any of you are ever in Chattanooga, give me a call. 423-605-5165. I feel like a jerk for not keeping in touch with most of you, but I do care about you and hope you're doing well.

John

so im an idiot

2009-06-20T01:12:00.001-05:00

i cant get the contact list open, and i lost all my contacts when i accidently washed my phone in the laundry could ya'll please text me you number or facebook message it to me or get it to me however i love ya'll thanks

FYI

2009-06-03T08:47:00.002-05:00

At the moment I am in Baltimore, Md for a conference and have a presentation tomorrow. Next Thursday I will be in Birmingham for a few days for vacation time.

happy late mother's day

2009-06-02T08:48:00.005-05:00

Pre Script: this doc is about a week behind because the internet was literally out in the whole town of Port St. Johns and my computer just start working again after a week of being dead. however during this last week we spent six days hiking the coast of the Transkei and staying in Xhosa villages, many good stories from that time. these will have to wait. pictures are finally up on the picassa web album: http://picasaweb.google.com/billy211b@gmail.com and the group email we sent to family and school friends can be found here: http://docs.google.com/View?id=dd6mctth_4grm72vgb

Hey friends, right now I am sitting in a little dutch breakfast place on the coast at a place called Jeffrey’s Bay (known as the best surfing spot in the world). I love the breakfasts here, they give you hot milk with your coffee, and a cookie/biscuit, and their French toast comes with bacon and cheese smothered all over it.

So the plan today is to surf, we hung out on the beach yesterday read for hours and figured out which spot we were going to surf. Lucky for us the ocean swell is super low, so there is a perfect little six foot wave for us to surf. However, this place is a haven for great whites, so cross your fingers that I come back with all four limbs.

So, I’ll try to throw out some good personal notes of the trip so far… Thanks to Patrick’s insistence we made it happen to go into London for our twelve hour layover. Keith, I saw your man Van Gogh, I lingered at the painting Sunflowers for a long time and thought of you and Bop. Patrick, Hunter, in the spirit/precursor of Free the Hops passing, we went to a brilliant pub by Hyde Park. They had half a dozen cask ales and a handful of Belgian abbeys. I have been introducing Catherine to the world of actually enjoying beer, that it could actually be something you want to put in your mouth.

Ok, so Cape Town seriously was one of the most beautiful cities I will ever see. The most diverse place in landscape and people groups I will ever see. As far as the health care system there goes, I am jealous. I guess it takes a post apartheid state to create a system that actually cares about the health of its people. As physical therapy goes, they are not bound by the insurance reimbursements, even to the point where therapists can spend half their time educating patients on preventative measures. For example, in the states, over half of all the health problems could be eliminated by preventative measures, the numbers for diabetes and heart disease alone are ridiculous, but we treat the disease once it has occurred. Here there is a huge emphasis placed on educating and keeping these problems from happening through lifestyle changes. Anyways, I am tempted by the freedom that therapists have here and how intensely the government seeks to provide care to everyone even requiring students to spend at least a year in a rural setting after graduation. The PT student Sarah that we hung out with had to be one of the nicest people in the world. True story. She said there is such a need for medical professionals right now and especially teachers in the educational system (lets go).

Well its been a great trip so far, Catherine and I are getting along great, we have only punched each other in the throat three times (twice from her, once from me). The thing about a punch to the throat is that it really degrades your enemy and renders them useless for at least ten minutes.

But really, we’ve had a great time, a lot of good conversation about life, Christianity, PT, table manners etc.

I’ll let you flip through the pictures I’m about to put up to follow the different places we’ve been so far.

Yesterday’s theme (each day seems to develop a theme/spirit) was “be the individual”. So Matt, I spent the morning rolling through The Sickness Unto Death and started the Moviegoer. I see a major point of these so far is to see the state of despair you are in and actually let yourself think about the implications of being aware of yourself. Completely unrelated, Cat and I talked about how important it is to follow/develop your own desires, personality, beliefs, without just mindlessly attaching to or following the group. This was in context of different personalities in college. So then, to seal the deal, we had a very cool conversation with a hippie lady at the place we were staying. She had been traveling for fourteen years after selling off all her big cars and house and getting discontented with how selfish her life had become. The conversation started when I complemented her on how beautiful her dreadlocks were… funny thing, they actually were (don’t worry mom, I am in no way tempted). In the kitchen we talked about how important it is to be aware and realize there is something beyond the routine we get caught up into. For her, yoga was a major part of this development in being mindful and caring for herself and others. We definitely did not agree on everything, but it was interesting how much we did have in common. I brought some Kierkegaardian ideas to the table as I saw such thick parallels. Her name was Marie Claire.

Ok, this is long enough, much love to everyone!

There is another email we sent out yesterday to friends and family that I will post as a google doc if you want some more juice. Cheers,

ryan

Did you know...

2009-05-16T09:19:00.006-05:00

1a) that Kristen now goes by Kristy? Please, no matter what she tells you, she would appreciate it if you use this name from now on.

1b) that I went to hang out with her in Ethiopia last week? I ate sheep, narrowly escaped death by hippopotamus attack, and had an incredible time with her!

1c) that I also enjoy Picasa albums and have uploaded some photos of the trip for you to see here?

2a) that, based on recent evidence, in addition to following me to Africa and joining the Picasa family, Ryan Warden actually aspires to be like me in everything he does?

2b) that, despite what this photo may suggest, I did not actually attempt to knock Kristy out and feed her to the hungry hippos?

3) that I've decided to extend my time in Uganda by a couple months, until mid-November? I've prayed and thought about it a lot, and I feel like this is what the Lord wants me to do.

4) that I am still so ridiculously thankful for all of you and miss you more than I can say? Seriously, I recently set my screen saver to scroll through about 400 photos of the family, and I fear I may never leave my computer again because it makes me so happy to look at your faces! I really believe that what we have is special - an evidence of Grace, really - and I want you to know that I am beyond grateful for it, that I think of you often and it gives me joy, that I love hearing from you, and that I love you.

love. jen

Stomach Parasites make Awesome Pets

2009-05-07T10:54:00.001-05:00

So I know I dont post that much but here is what has been going on lately, I just got back from taking a mission trip to India for two weeks with the other interns and our intern director. We were in Calcutta working with a family we knew who moved there from memphis. They help women escape the sex industry by gving them an alternative means of income, we also worked in one of the Mother theresa homes for the destitute. After the original trip m and two other friends took an extended trip to visit another family we knew. Sadly we had to leave early, because one of the guys I was traveling with had his passport stolen. But no fears we al made it back, upon returning I was promptly attacked by the stomach parasite i had hidden in my body which sucked I am getting better now and will hopefully be back to normal tomorrow. anyways news on the homefront Rachel and I are still going strong, i think I might have found a house t rent next year which is great. Also, still not sure what my job will be but i have an interview on Monday with an incredible Charter School in the neighborhood about a possibe maintenance position, which would be an awesome job. So ya that pretty much sums up my recent life. Hope all of you are doing well, i love and cherish all of you.

turns out

2009-05-05T00:27:00.002-05:00

google does it again. i have quickly decided to use picasa.google for posting pictures, it is delightful. it has a link through my i-google, a good format, large sizes to download, and yes... face recognition. i threw a couple pics from the amazing wilco concert from last week while i was at it.
check it every now and then if you want to keep up, as i fly out to cape town this thursday. this thursday, so crazy how all the momentum can shift so fast. i spent the last week studying almost every waking hour and now i prepare for travelling an amazing unknown continent for seven weeks. i'm going to miss ya'll, birmingham family. africa friends, i'll be a little closer, maybe we'll share some kindred emotions

http://picasaweb.google.com/billy211b@gmail.com

pictures...

2009-05-04T18:54:00.001-05:00

I am testing out this picasa picture posting thing for this summer. These couple of pics are from the first time me and john went to the locust fork to kayak. It was for real. I am now hooked on the yak

Crazy Awesome Buy

2009-05-02T17:15:00.002-05:00

Amazon.com sometimes is absolutely amazing. This week, the re-mastered version of one of my all-time favorite albums (and Rolling Stone's 2nd best album ever) is on sale for digital download for $1.99. Even if you don't like the Beach Boys or think you don't like the Beach Boys, I strongly encourage this buy. If you don't like it, I'll refund your money... and call you a damnable liar...

Pet Sounds

update on many things

2009-04-28T06:58:00.002-05:00

thanks to everyone who has been praying for my family over these last few weeks.. many apologies that i have not updated very well. I plan to do that now. My sister went to trial last week, and they now have partial custody restored. This is good because they will continue to fight for full custody, and they still stand some sort of chance. Also they got permission to take ashton this summer to see my parents in Egypt, for about a week. They had already bought the tickets when all this came up, so luckily they were able to work it out to get that. Please continue to pray for them as the real trial will start again in June or July (which likely means the first delay of trial will be in june or july) My sister was also excited to find out that she is pregnant again. Their daughter Hailey is only 7 months old, so this was quite a suprise, but very exciting. My sister-in-law unfortunately lost the pregnancy she had, but they have decided to go on a consolation trip to Europe. So they still have something exciting to look forward to. Wow what a plethora of family information i just filled everyone in on. I love and miss you all, and i will go to sleep now. goodbye

oh my...

2009-04-25T17:51:00.002-05:00

awesome. (click here)

can we all go next year?

The Rescue

2009-04-22T15:09:00.001-05:00

From John Parkhurst

Friends,

I would like to make you aware of an event happening this Saturday, April 25, to raise awareness and encourage the rescue of the abducted child soldiers in Central East Africa, particularly in Uganda, the Congo, and Sudan. The event is called “The Rescue” and is being held in 100 cities in 10 countries. There are already 65,000 signed up worldwide, nearly 200 in Birmingham, and over 400 in Chattanooga. For more information about the current situation as well as the event, please visit therescue.invisiblechildren.com; there is a 35 minute documentary online that is well worth watching, even if you are familiar with what is happening; also see the entry “Arrow Boys” on Jen’s blog [http://jenwilmore.blogspot.com]. The basic concept behind the event is “abducting yourself for the abducted child soldiers”. Participants will travel by foot to a pre-determined location in their city that will serve as their “LRA Camp”. There, they will remain ‘abducted’ until a person of great influence or cultural significance arrives and ‘RESCUES’ them by making a public statement on behalf of the child soldiers. Basically, we don’t go home until these designated leaders arrive. If you want to participate in the event, make sure to sign up on the website. Even if you can’t attend, consider contacting these leaders, as well as the media, and encourage them to come; there is a document on each city’s page that tells what to do.

If you are cynical about whether on not this will make a difference, watch this short 3 ½ minute video: http://behindthescenes.invisiblechildren.com/post/96932852/it-will-work-it-must

If are still cynical after watching that, watch this 5 minute video: http://behindthescenes.invisiblechildren.com/post/98392647/the-rescue-riders-are-real-together-were-free?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=willitworkemail

My favorite line is “don’t sleep through a revolution”. Seriously, don’t.

(even if you already know this will make a difference, watch the videos anyway…they’re good)

And if doing it for the child soldiers isn’t motivation enough, do it for Jen. It’ll make her life a little bit safer.

I trust all of you are doing well and I hope to see you soon.

John

Arthur Alligood CD

2009-04-14T17:20:00.002-05:00

Hey, I hate to promote shamelessly, but I am about to promote shamelessly. One of my favorite artists has come out with a CD and I want to let you guys know in case you want to give him a chance.

Well, he's really cool. One time I bought his CD and he wrote me an email thanking me and when he sent the CD put a handwritten note with it. His lyrics rock. So deep and thoughtful. They keep on getting better the more you listen to them. He talks alot about the journey of discovering how little we know of Christ and what it looks like to walk through suffering, ect.

Ask me one day and I'll play a song for you on guittar.

Anyway, this is his third CD and they're awesome but I don't thing people are buying many and he's going to seminary so this may be his last. For the past year he has been letting people download five of the songs for free and only now has he made an actual CD to buy. The five songs are great.

If you have an extra $8 and want to give it a try go here.

That's all. I think you all are great. Super great. TTFN.

(James the giraffe lives in my apartment. He's our new pet.)

Matters of Prayer

2009-03-28T03:57:00.002-05:00

So over the last few months i've felt very boring, nothing has changed in my job. still at atarbucks, still at fox, still in birmingham. And i was really lamenting the fact that there was nothing particularly interesting going on in my life. Well Friday was one of the most interesting days i've had in a long time, and i'm coming before you guys now, because one matter is particular could really use your prayer. I received a call from my sister Friday morning, to inform me that her son had been taken away from her by DHR (child protective services... i don;t really know what it stands for that's just what they do)
To explain more clearly, my sister married Eric over 2 years ago. Eric had previously had a relationship with another girl, with which he had a child. Both of them were pretty messes up at the time (on drugs, things of that sort) and the mother actually still is kinda messed up... but that is a whole different story. Anyways Eric had partial custody of Ashton (his son) until he was 3. Then the mother's parents filed something through court to get full custody. Eric decided to fight rather than settle, and get to see his son only every other weekend. Basically because the grandparents have lots of money, the trial took 3 years to complete, (during which time Eric had no custody rights at all, so he basically missed 3 years of his son's life) and finally ended with Eric, and my sister (whom he had married now) getting full custody, and the mother getting partial custody.
A lot of allegations were raised by the grandparents during the trial, and one of them was that Ashton's cousin Austin (who was 6 at the time) had sexually abused Ashton. So while my sister and eric had full custody they had to monitor Ashton at all times he might be with Austin.
DHR is now claiming that they didn't monitor Ashton enough, and thus took him away giving custody right back to the mother, and they're beginning a new trial.
On Monday they're goign to have a pretrial to determine what custody will be like until the trial starts again... I would really appreciate your prayers for this matter. The mother and grandparents are not Christians, don't go to church, and don't encourage Ashton spiritually either. If they don;t get any custody again, Eric and Rachael will very likely settle, because Eric has said he can't spend another year (at least) without seeing his son.
It's an awful situation, and if you could be praying for the judges decision on Monday, and that God's will would be revealed through this trial, and that this second trial would not be as long or cost as much.
My second matter of prayer is much happier. My brother Matthew, and his wife Becca are going to have their first child. I was informed by my brother on Friday night. They're very excited, as am i. Now i will be an uncle twice over, and thrice if you count Ashton.
I love you all, and look forward to our next meeting. Thank you for your prayers, and to everyone who writes on this blog, thanks for updating me on your life. I really love hearing about what is going on in each of your lives.
This post has been rather long for me.... THE END

Update of the Life variety:

2009-03-25T10:36:00.003-05:00

Well . . . I had THE meeting with my boss today, to tell him I was leaving, and it went GREAT. Thanks so much to all of you who were praying for me. I was actually a little shocked at how well it went. He was totally happy and supportive, even optimistic. Not a negative word or vibe in the bunch. Excellent, it feels great to be able to talk openly about it.

Speaking of talking openly, those of you who are not in the immediate Birmingham-o-sphere may be a little lost. I've had to keep it hush hush, because, believe it or not phantom blog readers/coworkers have been known to wonder on over here from time to time, but in May I'll be leaving my current job to teach Español at Cornerstone school in Woodlawn. I'm super excited, and a little terrified/totally overwhelmed. It will be wonderful.

SO, I just wanted to let you guys know.

Because you are awesome.

Peace!

Quotes

2009-03-25T08:58:00.001-05:00

I like quotes. Here are some!

"The wisdom of the years is confusing. Only the wisdom of eternity is edifying." Soren Kierkegaard.

"Every time a man knocks on the door of a brothel he is looking for God." G. K. Chesterson

"Men are idol factories." John Calvin

"Are all who call themselves Christian, Christian?" Soren Kierkegaard

"The Fall is an offense to human reason, but once accepted, it makes perfect sense of the human condition."Blaise Pascal

"Study with your Bible in one hand and your newspaper in the other." Karl Barth

"Love God, and do what you want." St. Augustine

"He whom God loveth, He beateth the hell out of." Jamie Buckingham

One day St. Francis was hoeing his garden. Someone asked, "Francis, if you knew Christ was coming tomorrow what would you do?" He said, "I would finish hoeing my garden."

After an amazing violin performance a man said to the violinist, "That gave me goose bumps. It must give you a lot of joy to play like that." She said innocently, "Yes, sometimes I get goose bumps myself."

"Where is the joy?" Jack Miller

"Our problem is not that we desire too much but too little." C. S. Lewis

"Either these are not the gospels or we are not Christians." (I think) Henry VIII's biographer was given the gospels, and said this upon returning them to their owner.

"I believe the sole cause of man's unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room." Blaise Pascal

"All men seek happiness. There are no exceptions.... This is the motive of every act of every man, including those who go and hang themselves." Blaise Pascal

"Man's search for meaning is the chief motivation of his life." Victor Frankl

"A responsible round does not go too short or too far." An artillery axiom

"Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors." African proverb

"In 40 years I have not spent 15 minutes without thinking of Jesus." Charles Spurgeon

"Sticking to one woman is a small price to pay for so much as having seen one woman." G. K. Chesterson

"If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters." Former Senator Alan Simpson

"Every now and then go away -- even briefly, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer; since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power." Leonardo da Vinci

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." Aldous Huxley

"It takes a lot of truth to float an error." Charles MacKenzie

"I heard in American there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I found the gold but I lost the rainbow." wealthy American immigrant

"On the plains of hesitation bleach the bones of countless millions who, at the dawn of victory, sat down to wait…and waiting, died." George W. Cecil, 1923

"As a Jew, I have had nothing but the greatest and most profound respect for Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He was, after all, Jewish -- born Jewish, died Jewish. I think Jesus Christ was the greatest single individual of both millenniums and He had more profound effect on mankind than any individual ever born. If there's one person in history I would like to interview, it would be Jesus." Larry King

T. S. Elliot, "Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."

J.C. Ryle, "He must dig down very low if he would build high."

"One of the hardest things in the world is to stop being the prodigal son without turning into the elder brother." John Ortberg

"Have you ever noticed how many men in the Bible failed in the second half of life? Our enemy is so cunning that he will wait forty or even fifty years to set a trap." Joe Aldrich

"Christianity has not so much been tried and found wanting, as it has been found difficult and left untried." G. K. Chesterton

"We ought to be so on fire for Jesus that if a mosquito bit us on the hand, it would fly away singing, 'There's power in the blood!'" Alvin Reid

"If we knew we were to die at twelve o'clock tomorrow night, would we have to step up our evangelistic program, or could we in all good conscience carry on just as we are?" Ray Comfort

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I have treated many hundreds of patients. Among those over 35, there has not been one whose problem in the last resort was not that of finding a religious outlook on life." Carl Jung

"Your system is perfectly designed to produce the result you are getting." Fredrick Taylor, the father of Scientific Management

"Jesus brought forth men's greatest efforts by the promise of obstacles not rewards." Bruce Barton

"I can find ten more who will die for the Bible for every one who will actually read it." Charles Spurgeon

"It will be gone before you know it. The fingerprints on the wall appear higher and higher. Then, suddenly, they disappear." Dorothy Euslin

"As I grow older I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do." Andrew Carnegie

"It is rightly called the deceitfulness of sin because it deceives under the appearance of good. This phrase 'deceitfulness of sin' ought to be understood in a much wider sense, so that the term includes even one's own righteousness and wisdom. For more than anything else one's own righteousness and wisdom deceive one and work against faith in Christ, since we love the flesh and the sensations of the flesh and also riches and possessions, but we love nothing more ardently than our own feelings, judgment, purpose, and will, especially when they seem to be good." Martin Luther, commenting on Hebrews 3:13

"Each generation of the church in each setting has the responsibility of communicating the gospel in understandable terms, considering the language and thought forms of that setting." Francis Schaeffer

"One of the greatest reasons people cannot mobilize themselves is that they try to accomplish great things. Most worthwhile achievements are the result of many little things done in a single direction." Nido Quebin

"You cannot discover new lands unless you leave shore for a very long time." Andre Gide

"Many Christians estimate difficulties in light of their own resources, and thus attempt little and often fail in the little they attempt. All God's giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on his power and presence being with them." Hudson Taylor

"God's work done God's way will not lack God's supply."

"God prepares great men for great tasks by great trials." J. K. Gressett

"Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God." William Carey, cobbler, 1792, founder of mission movement

Reflectito

2009-03-23T16:03:00.004-05:00

Hey friends, you awesome group of people. Seriously everywhere I go where a photo of us pops up on my computer or something, people just wonder aloud about how cool this group seems. I must agree.

So I'm in DC, and I've been entertaining (aka freaking out over) the temptations of reuniting with those of you guys still in the Ham. Sometime last fall at a faculty workday we were reflecting, in writing, a bit from My Utmost for His Highest (1/26), and I just found it today under stacks of stacks of paper. What struck me about it is the remarkable extent to which it still reflects the way that I'm thinking through this situation. It's not particularly wise, thought out, or informed. I just had a feeling that I ought to share it with you guys, if for no other reason than to say something on here every now and then, a little reminding northern whisper. So:

"Many of us refuse to grow where we are put; consequently we take root nowhere."

This can't have been written in a day before options and from a man unacquainted with transition. And am I to feel "put" here, in NoVA/DC, to take root and grow? Or is this a nursery on the way to some better, more suitable spot, a planter in a living room, a forest in the South, a park in the city, a meadow near a brook.

But what right does a tree have to question where the seed that grew it was scattered? Well I don't know but that this "planting" here is a product of options, of consumerism applied to circumstance, of plotting my own course. So then where is Birmingham? Where is that communal root of such beauty, joy, and service (though not devoid of the plain, the dull, the selfish, and the complacent)?

Maybe at the end of it all, simplicity looks like working without worrying. It isn't the opposite of options, maybe; but it could be opposed to letting the worry over options take control, that tightness in the countenance, the burden of freedom.

So I love yall, and hope you're doing well. I'm sure we'll find some other random excuse to get together for awesomeness before too long. Until then, I miss you.

2009-03-21T01:23:00.002-05:00

In following with previous conversations of previous conversations that have led to thoughts of music and songs and albums and concerts and stand up comedy, here are a few things close to my heart. I made two lists, one is of my favorite albums from the college days and best concerts, ever. Hopefully this link works: https://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dd6mctth_1dd55n3cv&hl=en

The next is the list of my favorite songs from the last year. A weird list because most of these songs are usually enjoyed in the context of the full album. This list is titled (intothecave) and put together in a way that represents the fact that most of my music listening this last year has been while logging serious hours studying. A lot of slow easy stuff and for some reason old school hip hop works best.

You can sample the list here (but some songs are not included):

SeeqPod - Playable Search

or download the files here:
http://drop.io/intothecave

i hope this music reaches down and gives a gentle touch to some of you...

Ethiopian Happenings...

2009-03-19T23:01:00.001-05:00

Hey family! A short anecdote about on the happenings in my life: this past week I was invited to teach a 9^th grade civics class their unit on HIV/AIDS. Sounded like a good idea. Turns out that it was more like a co-ed 9^th grade health class, which is awkward enough when you’re a student. Much worse as the teacher. Anyway, the teacher and I get through the lesson, which is fine, and then I open it up for questions. Most questions are fairly typical: can I get HIV from sweat, what if someone bleeds all over my food and then I eat it (why the heck you would continue eating…?), etc. Then one kid stands up and claims that a nurse once told him that, because he is young and strong (no way he clears 5 feet and weighs maybe 70lbs), his bodily fluids can fight off the HIV virus. He would like to know if this is true. I was tempted to tell him, “yes, in fact. There are little men inside of you with laser guns, poised and ready to fight at a moments notice. If only everyone knew this, HIV wouldn’t be the problem it is today.”

Really the point of this post is to make a request… I’ve been working for awhile on setting up a resource center for students in Finote Selam. We finally got computers donated, set up, and I’m starting to give the teachers training this week. We’re hoping by the next school year that the students will be able to get training too. Now I’m looking for books. Since many of you are at educational institutions, I was wondering if you could keep an eye out? You know how sometimes schools get rid of old books when they update their curriculum? Maybe if that was happening at your school and the old books didn’t have anywhere to go? Or if there were just piles of books laying around with no one using them… we aren’t picky. Any grade, any subject. All their classes are taught in English, which is convenient. If not, no big deal… just thought I’d ask!

Posts lately have been great- you guys are hilarious. Miss you all! Love!

2009-03-19T20:26:00.001-05:00

Shmeat

2009-03-18T19:44:00.003-05:00

It has come to attention as of late that some members of our illustrious group of sojourners, have decided to participate in a great heresy known as vegetarianism. although we have all been tempted by the large veggie monster at one time or another (i for one once firmly devoted myself to vegetarianism between lunch and dinner) Thankfully Stephen Colbert has the perfect solution to this problem...

http://www.hulu.com/watch/63233/the-colbert-report-world-of-nahlej---shmeat

Hey guys . . .

2009-03-13T10:45:00.000-05:00

THIS is what I want to do for my birthday.

BLT! BLT!

2009-03-13T09:40:00.000-05:00

BMT! BMT!

2009-03-13T09:07:00.002-05:00

Hi friends! Just a quick post about my life. I'm in this internship thing at UAB which has been pretty freakin' awesome actually. It comes to and end in May so I thought I should get on the ball and start interviewing at a few places to secure a job in this crazy 'conomy. Sooo, I interviewed last week on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit (this means I will mostly have patients with leukemias and lymphomas...i.e. cancer) and found out today that I got the job! Wahoo! I start WAY sooner than I thought....ehem, Monday?!? Anyhow, thanks to those of you here in the Ham who knew about my prospects and encouraged me to go to the job fair when I really didn't need to because I was already a UAB employee. Thanks for the encouragement and prayers. I'm pumped! It's a wonderful feeling to love your job!

Also, I think one day I will write a short story about the different types of blood cells with each one of our friends representing a different type of cell based on personality and daily function. This story will be heavily influenced by Rudyard Kipling's writing style (Jungle Book, people) and complete with illustrations. Just and idea that I have been throwing around in my head that edges closer to reality when I'm around Brian Sharon...he brings out my inner nerd. That's all.

Love!

Hipster Handbook: Glossary

2009-03-09T13:07:00.003-05:00

Just in case there was any confusion about whether ANY of us could be classified as "hipsters," here's an excerpt of the glossary of hipsterese (a language which neither you, nor I, speak) found on NPR.

bronson - beer
sentence: "I drank a sixer of bronsons last night while watching the game."
Origin: Watching Charles Bronson movies while drinking beer is deck. The term spawned from this ritual.

bust a moby - to dance
sentence: "Let's go to the Tunnel and bust a moby."
"Did you see her moves at the party last night? She really knows how to bust a moby."

chipper - a woman who's easy
sentence: "She's a real chipper and will sleep with anyone after one bronson."

clothesline - the gossip that is on the scene
sentence: "Yo, I heard on the clothesline that she is sleeping with Billy. She is such a chipper."

cronkite - boy
sentence: "Have you seen Anne's new cronkite? She met him at the cafe and he is such a frado."

deck - a key word for most Hipsters, similar in meaning to the antiquated fresh. To be deck is to be up on the latest trends, cutting edge, and/or hip.
sentence: "That tassel we met at the gallery opening sure looked deck in her cowboy boots."
" Have you checked out the new Jonathan Lethem book? It's deck."

fin - the opposite of deck, similar to outdated terms like "wack" and "lame." Something that is fin is bad or undesirable.
sentence: "How can you like that Vin Diesel movie? Every film he's ever starred in has been fin."
"My date with Larry was so fin. He took me to Applebee's and ordered cheese fries as an appetizer."

frado - an ugly guy who thinks he's good-looking
sentence: "Bill thinks all the girls love him, but they all know he's a frado."

the frigidaire - the cold shoulder
sentence: "I don't know what her problem is, but she gives me the frigidaire every time I see her."
jerry - a stoner or hippie
sentence: My pits smell ishtar. I feel like a total jerry.

juicer - a ladies' man. An individual who has undeniable sex appeal.
sentence: "I wish he would ask me out, he's such a juicer."

jug - a 40 ounce bottle of domestic beer.
sentence: "Tassels respect me. I can drink a whole jug and still bust a mean moby."

kale - money
sentence: "Yo Kim, can you slide me some kale? I'm still waiting for my mom to send rent."

kidsman - one who rounds up children to educate them in thievery. (Oops-this is Victorian slang, not Hipster slang)

midtown - uncultured or unhip
sentence: "He's never heard of Spike Jonze. He's so midtown."

piece - cell phone
sentence: "John is such a nerd. He doesn't even have a piece."
"I must have been on the subway, my piece didn't ring."

shitter - someone who constantly looks like he/she is taking a shit.
sentence: "Dude, Jake is such a shitter."

tassel - girl
sentence: "Jim is definitely a frado, but somehow he gets a new tassel every night."

I like the idea of it more than I actually like it.

2009-03-03T21:26:00.002-06:00

Hey guys I know that I am always posting on these blogs and whining about what's going on in my life but here I go again. I have been struggling lately, because i feel like I am being called to really commit to this neighborhood, and have been given the oppurtunity to buy a house here that would be great for me, and a perfect beginner house. However, i am going to be jobless and need to get a job before I can pay for the house. i have interviewed for a job but its looking iffy and its just a hard job market to be out looking for a job in. I feel like God is teaching me to be patient, and that he has a plan i just need to be faithful and trust in him, but its just hard and frustrating at times. So anyways just wanted to catch ya'll up on my life. I love all of you guys and misses ya'll i am blessed to know you and count you as my friends. Points if you know what movie the title of my post comes from.

Little Bundles of Joy Aren't the Only Things Storks Deliver

2009-03-03T09:13:00.003-06:00

Dear friends,

Take a close look at this photo. This guy (or one of his friends; it's hard to be sure) pooped on me today. On my head ... all over me, actually. It was very public. I had no tissues.

It's hard to describe the sensation, but I would say it was reminiscent of the slimings on the Nickelodeon hit show You Can't Do That on Television. Except the Nickelodeon slime was supposedly edible and delicious, and I seriously doubt that my warm, white and sticky brand of slime was anything but.

Words of sympathy, condolence and gifts of intense clarifying shampoo would be appreciated.

Manglish Answers

2009-03-03T08:30:00.003-06:00

1. Have you ever seen someone's bonnet (hood) fly up while they were driving down the road?

2. My boots (cleats) are in the boot (trunk). (double whammy)

3. Nobody wants to be the lamppost (third wheel...this one might be my favorite phrase).

4. Does anybody have a plaster? (band-aid...have I told you about the time my housemate and I got into a fight about this one? She cut her finger and wanted a plaster; I had no clue what a plaster was but offered a band-aid. She insisted she didn't want a band-aid until she saw it and exclaimed, "That's a plaster!" Oh what fun it is to live with a national!)

5. Can I follow (ride in your car) you to church? This one can initially be confusing as you wait in your car for someone to pull up behind you; at the same time they're waiting on you to pick them up somewhere...

6. I'm gonna make a move (leave) first. I like your definition better, Ryan! I'm not sure why they say this, but they feel the urge to announce when they're leaving by "making a move".

7. I had to use my torchlight (flashlight) today. I had to control my laughter the first time I heard my housemate say that one. Then again, I'm sure she laughs at me: I wear my headlamp every chance I get!)

8. Ugh, my computer hanged (froze) again!
9. I need to go to the toilet. (a freebie) They never say bathroom or restroom here. It's always toilet. It took me a while to get used to saying toilet. It just sounds impolite to me. One day at a Frisbee match I wanted to use the public toilet, which usually costs money at parks and fields. The sign said 0.20 cents-toilet, 0.50 cents-bathroom. When I asked the lady what the difference was she looked at me like I was an idiot. Toilet is obvious; bathroom is literally where you take a bath...except there are no baths here. I guess it should really say showerroom.

10. My computer's spoiled already. (already broken- I don't know if I can adequately describe the way they use already. Maybe they just over use it already until the word appears in almost every other sentence.)

11. I banged (hit) the car! (I think this is my housemate's favorite word!)

Good job, David! You got most of them right! I'm trying to think if there are any other exciting things to report from over here. Oh, I found 2 different cockroaches on me yesterday within an hour of each other! One was in my hair and quickly scurried away. A little while later I felt something in my shirt and after a quick jump, shook my shirt. When nothing scurried out I thought I was just being paranoid. And then 4 seconds later I felt it again. I shook the shirt again. Nothing. I'm in a shopping mall. I frantically RUN to the bathroom, slam the stall door closed, throw my shirt off and give it one hard shake. The little clinger scurries to a corner of the stall. I officially don't like cockroaches.

That's all for now! Hope you're all well! If you don't get my monthly updates but want to (or if you've changed your email since I started sending updates) please let me know! Love and miss you all!

ON ART, DEATH, TRUTH, HUBRIS AND THE UNSEXY CALL FOR MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY

2009-02-27T11:19:00.002-06:00

This article, from Paste, reminds me of some, ahem, "discussions" we've had about films such as No Country for Old Men.

Read. Think. Talk.

Manglish Quiz

2009-02-24T05:21:00.002-06:00

So this isn't really Manglish (the native language here is called Bahasa Malaysia but everyone speaks English) but I'm not sure what else to call it. There's also a bit of British English in the mix too: they say things like queue instead of line, etc.

I'm getting ahead of myself. After living here for over a year I find myself using more and more phrases that I don't think I would've used a year ago and definitely wouldn't have known what some of them meant. So, I want to give y'all a chance to try your hand, er, interpretation at Manglish. Maybe this will help prepare you to understand me when I come home (which I'm still not sure when I'll be home...i will be back for SB'10!). Maybe you'll get some fun new vocab words and phrases. maybe it'll prepare you for your trip to visit me:) i donno. Here goes:

1. Have you ever seen someone's bonnet fly up while they were driving down the road?
2. My boots are in the boot. (double whammy)
3. Nobody wants to be the lamppost.
4. Does anybody have a plaster?
5. Can I follow you to church?
6. I'm gonna make a move first.
7. I had to use my torchlight today.
8. Ugh, my computer hanged again!
9. I need to go to the toilet. (a freebie)
10. My computer's spoiled already.
11. I banged the car!

ok, so some are easy; some a little tricky. i tried to use the phrases in the context that i first heard them. i'll post the answers later this week!

Was it worth it?

2009-02-16T15:55:00.004-06:00

I thought this was funny.

Phelanphonic, Winter 2009

2009-02-13T11:05:00.006-06:00

I've heard a lot of good, new music lately, and I've decided to share it with you guys. You can download the mix here. Many of the songs came from a music blog called Daytrotter that has a band into their studio to record four or five live tracks five days a week. The variety and quality of the music is good, although the writing is pretty abysmal and the quantity is overwhelming. It's worth checking out.

Here's the playlist:

Weekend Wars, MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
Just Like Christmas, Low, Christmas
Eyes Peeled, Half-Handed Cloud, Daytrotter Session
Foot on the Brake, Half-Handed Cloud, Daytrotter Session
Sway, The Heartless Bastards, Daytrotter Session
So So, Brooke Waggoner, The Front Row Series: Brooke Waggoner with Mandy Mapes
Hush If You Must, Brooke Waggoner, The Front Row Series: Brooke Waggoner with Mandy Mapes
Beaut, Brooke Waggoner, The Front Row Series: Brooke Waggoner with Mandy Mapes
Day Lover, Brooke Waggoner, The Front Row Series: Brooke Waggoner with Mandy Mapes
Ben Taylor poem, Ben Taylor, Daytrotter Session

Wagon Wheel, Old Crow Medicine Show, O.C.M.S.
In A Strange Dream My Darling Mona Lisa, The Great Book Of John, Yves' Blues
The Ghost Inside Our House, Cloud Cult, Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)
Cotton and Velvet, Cotton Jones Basket Ride, Daytrotter Session
Gypsy Rose, Ben Kweller, Daytrotter Session
Furr, Blitzen Trapper, Daytrotter Session
Lille, Lisa Hannigan
Gone The Bells, Cotton Jones Basket Ride, Daytrotter Session
James, The Great Book Of John, Yves' Blues
Dracula's Lament, Jason Segel, Forgetting Sarah Marshall Soundtrack

What???

2009-02-10T16:51:00.001-06:00

The Catholic Church is bringing back indulgences. I'm surprised and confused. Thoughts?

Darwin's View of Unfolding Creation

2009-02-10T11:00:00.002-06:00

I think many of you guys would enjoy this podcast about Darwin's view of creation. I really can't stress how quality this program, Speaking of Faith, consistently is. Listen to it and tell me what you think!

Big Update Friends

2009-02-09T20:14:00.002-06:00

i have some news for all of you, this coming Thursday, the 12Th at 3:3o I have an interview with the Binghamton Development Corporation. If i get this job it would be huge. because they are working in Binghamton, and are doing great things with community development. There are two big things that could keep me from getting this job. One is that the guy whose job i would be taking is moving to Montana to do community development there. On February 25Th the zoning board in Billings, Montana is going to vote on a change in some zoning that would give this guy a job, if the zoning board votes it down then there will be no job opening, but if the vote goes through, then there will be a job opening. Two, there are other guys applying for this job, and obviously they could choose him. Anyways if i get this job it would be incredible. so I am just asking for ya'lls prayers on Thursday and on the 25Th. Anyway I love y'all and am blessed to have friends like you. Also, go and see Slumdog Millionaire if you haven't already it is incredible.

And one more reason to see Elaine Sing . . .

2009-02-02T09:19:00.002-06:00

Some explanation in order: This weekend I am singing with the Birmingham Concert Chorale, along with 3 other college choirs, making a choir of about 300 plus a children's choir, in Carmina Burana. We will be accompanying the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. It should be pretty cool.

The performances are on Friday and Saturday nights at the Alys Stephens center, and you are welcome to come. But . . . the tickets are pretty steep, ranging from $25-$85.

Have no fear. You can come to an "open rehearsal" on Thursday for FREE. It won't be quite as seamless or aesthetically pleasing as the actual performance, but you'll get the idea, along with a "behind the scenes" sort of feel. The rehearsal will be from 7:00 to 9:30 at the Alys Stephen's center.

One More Reason to Go See Elaine Sing

2009-01-30T18:19:00.007-06:00

These are the words to "O Fortuna," you know, that song that makes you feel like the Vikings are but a few kilometers away hell-bent on raping & pillaging?

O Fortuna
velut luna
statu variabilis,
semper crescis
aut decrescis;
vita detestabilis
nunc obdurate
et tunc curat
ludo mentis aciem,
egestatem,
potestatem
dissolvit ut glaciem.

Sors immanis
et inanis,
rota tu volubilis,
status malus,
vana salus
semper dissolubilis,
obumbrata
et velata
michi quoque niteris;
nunc per ludum
dorsum nudum
fero tui sceleris.

Sors salutis
et virtutis
michi nunc contraria,
est affectus
et defectus
semper in angaria.
Hac in hora
sine mora
corde pulsum tangite;
quod per sortem
sternit fortem,
mecum omnes plangite!

O Fortune,
like the moon
you are changeable,
ever waxing
and waning;
hateful life
first oppresses
and then soothes
as fancy takes it;
poverty
and power
it melts them like ice.

Fate - monstrous
and empty,
you whirling wheel,
you are malevolent,
well-being is vain
and always fades to nothing,
shadowed
and veiled
you plague me too;
now through the game
I bring my bare back
to your villainy.

Fate is against me
in health
and virtue,
driven on
and weighted down,
always enslaved.
So at this hour
without delay
pluck the vibrating strings;
since Fate
strikes down the string man,
everyone weep with me.

lab protocols vs. military protocol: round 1

2009-01-27T09:55:00.006-06:00

today, the dean and dr. macdougall brought a potential dmd/phd student by the office to meet some of the current students. what follows is as close to a word-for-word recap as i can manage of the first few minutes. i'm not sure when i last made such a fool of myself with a stranger. for those of you who've seen my jokes get me into awkward situations before... add this one to the list.

---

dr. macdougall: "everyone, this is andrew. if you could take some time to tell him a little about what you're doing in the program, answer any questions, you know the routine-- that would be great. dean thomas and i will be in my office. andrew, you can come get us when you're ready to head back downstairs."

everyone: "hey andrew."

me: (trying to impress) "i'm brian. nice to meet you. you from around here? where'd you go to school?"

andrew: "sort of. i was. but i've been on tour for a few years since finishing at the academy."

me: "oh, cool-- like, the military academy? are you in the service?"

andrew: "yeah, anapolis. just finished my service obligation with the marines. probably going back once i finish dental school."

me: "awesome. so you're thinking about doing a dual degree?"

andrew: "yeah. it's getting popular for medical officers to have research training."

me: "great. well, um... welcome to the suck."

entire universe except for crickets and nate: (silence)

crickets: "chirp chirp. chirp chirp chirp."

nate: "holy crap! ha ha ha!" (leaves room when he can't stop laughing and realizes andrew isn't)

andrew: "huh? dude, did you just compare grad school to the corps?"

me: (resisting all attempts to ask if he really just called it the corps) "yeah. crap. sorry. you're right." (pause) "i do kind of feel like i'm in brain bootcamp sometimes, though."

andrew: (says nothing, just looks befuddled)

me: "nope. not bootcamp." (awkwardly long pause) "you should know that the other students are all much more well-spoken than i am. and they dress better. honestly, i'm kind of a clerical error."

andrew: (finally laughs a little...phew) "don't sweat it, man. you're funny- remind me some of my brother. (to the others) "is he always like this?"

mary beth: (in true engineer fashion) "we're trying to fix the bugs."

andrew: "ha ha. i like you guys. so where are we going for lunch? dr. macdougall said she'll treat us to wherever you wanna take me."

me: "if you want somewhere close, we all really like newks." (trying so hard to resist, but failing) "that's spelled with an e-w. more of a food place than a bomb place."

angie: "brian, oh my god..."

andrew: (laughing) "just show me the labs already."

me: "oo-rah!" (laughing now, because sometimes i embarassingly crack myself up) "i'm so sorry. i have a problem."

andrew: "you really do, don't you?"

me: "pretty sure, yeah. um... labs-- wanna see them?"

andrew: "yeah, definitely. i have a few minutes before my next interview, and then later we can go to that place for lunch. any more duds you wanna get out of your system?"

me: "you mean jokes? my jokes aren't duds. but nope, i'm done." (pause) "was that a bomb joke?"

andrew: "yeah. not a very good one, but yeah."

me: "touche." (wait for it... wait for it...) "that's french. their army sucks, you know?"

---

after that, i eased up on the "duds" (i can't believe the jerk called my jokes duds). we talked some during the lab tour. turns out he's a pretty cool guy. if lunch is exciting, i'll let you know. but i think we're through the thick of it.

over.