Everyone cool (or, at least, everyone cool at RMC) does a top ten albums, books, or movies list at the end of the year. Since I desperately seek acceptance by higher strata of society, I have been thinking about doing one too. Then I realized that I only bought four albums this year, only read books published before 1990, and only saw a few new movies, mostly at the dollar theatre. So, I've revised the theme of these lists to "Patrick's favorites this year, regardless of year of publication." Please contact me for ISBNs and SKUs.
Top four albums I bought this year!
1. Astral Weeks, by Van Morrison (published 1968). I mean, it's a mystical document.
There you go
Starin' with a look of avarice
Talking to Huddie Leadbetter
Showin' pictures on the walls
And whisperin' in the halls
And pointin' a finger at me
2. The Triceratops vs. the K-T Boundary, by the Triceratops (2007). I picked this one up late. The Triceratops and other bands have been really doing creative work in the Birmingham music scene.
3. The Garden EP by Handwritten Letters (2008). I really like this Birmingham folk band. They use a lot of flute, and as anyone who has seen me dance to Jethro Tull will acknowledge, I like flute. Unfortunately, the album doesn't sound nearly as good as their live show.
4. We Have Cause to Be Uneasy, by Wild Sweet Orange (2008). Not a bad album, but I was turned off by the way they screamed all of their songs at the concert.
Top 3 Old Books I read this year!
1. City Economics, by Jane Jacobs. Jane explains how cities are the source of all economic growth and how complex, diverse cities produce the most economic development work.
2. Community and the Politics of Place, by Daniel Kemmis. Kemmis encourages us to live public lives, cooperating with our fellow citizens.
3. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. I started these last year, but I finished them this year. What makes these books outstanding is the depth of the mythology Tolkein creates as background for the story. It may seem superfluous, but I think it gives us better context for understanding the characters and the plot. Reading these books encourages me to see more mythology in my own life, to see the history and context of the people and places I experience everyday.
Top 2 Movies I saw this year!
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey. I'm glad I live in a world where movies as significant as this are made. It's a cultural document.
2. WALL-E. Also cool. Also about space.
Top 1 Poems I read this year!
1. Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, by Walt Whitman.
I loved well those cities;
I loved well the stately and rapid river;
The men and women I saw were all near to me;
Others the same—others who look back on me, because I look’d forward to them;
(The time will come, though I stop here to-day and to-night.)
What is it, then, between us?
What is the count of the scores or hundreds of years between us?
Whatever it is, it avails not—distance avails not, and place avails not.
The count of years is a 153, but Whitman still manages to humanize even the most mundane aspect of city life. And certainly I can relate to this:
It is not upon you alone the dark patches fall,
The dark threw patches down upon me also;
This year has had its share of dark patches. But these dark patches have provided fodder for the mythology of our lives. In the dark patches we find a faith which orients us toward the end God has prepared for us.
We are developing a robust community only because we have collectively experienced dark patches. This doesn't justify our mistakes, but these mistakes and difficulties give us a shared experience which is the root of the mythology we need.
To 2009, to robust communities, to our mythology.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
boring bit of business...
hey friends,
merry christmas! i hope you are all enjoying the holiday season! life is good here in jackson, no news to report really. but i need to bug you all to update your info on the group contact list; i'm being a dorky wife (and loving it!) and sending out christmas cards, so i need some correct addresses! will weir, you have no address. get on the ball! love and miss you all-
merry christmas! i hope you are all enjoying the holiday season! life is good here in jackson, no news to report really. but i need to bug you all to update your info on the group contact list; i'm being a dorky wife (and loving it!) and sending out christmas cards, so i need some correct addresses! will weir, you have no address. get on the ball! love and miss you all-
Monday, December 15, 2008
Reason to serve hot cocoa and wassail at holiday gatherings!
Sorry my posts on here are never too personal. I like to post stuff that I think you guys will find interesting. But, just so you know, I think you all are wonderful and you make me feel all warm and fuzzy. Life is good, with possibly an exciting thing or two on the horizon. I'll let you know. I'm currently reading The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaffer and Perelandra. Now, on to the interesting stuff. (from the NYTimes.com, a really cool piece great ideas from this year.)
Cold-Shoulder Science
By MATTHEW HUTSON
The warm welcome and the cold shoulder, it turns out, are more than mere metaphors. This year, two sets of studies revealed that feelings of social connection and sensory experience are related on a deep psychological level: getting the cold shoulder literally gives you the chills, and actual warmth can melt a figuratively frosty heart.
Research published in the journal Psychological Science by Chen-Bo Zhong and Geoffrey Leonardelli at the University of Toronto found that subjects who were asked to recall anexperience of social exclusion and then asked to estimate the lab’s ambient temperature gave estimates that were more than four degrees colder than those given by subjects who’d been asked to recall an experience of inclusion. And subjects ignored during a ball-tossing game in the lab had a larger postgame appetite for hot coffee and hot soup than did players who’d seen more action.
In another experiment, published in the journal Science by the psychologists Lawrence Williams, now at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and John Bargh, of Yale, subjects were asked to hold a cup of either hot coffee or iced coffee for a moment on the way to the lab. Then they were asked to evaluate the personality of someone based on a written description. Those who held a hot drink found the individual more caring and generous than did the other subjects. In a companion experiment, holding a hot therapeutic pad induced subjects to act more generously.
Viewing cognition as responsive to physical cues, Williams explains, “takes into account the fact that we are physical beings” and that bodily and environmental factors “impact the ways our thoughts are structured.” The researchers studying the phenomenon argue that we probably learned to associate affection with warmth from childhood experiences of being held by a caregiver.
With the new data in hand, it’s tempting to suspect that the current economic climate is leaving investors out in the cold in more ways than one. On Sept. 29, when the Dow suffered its largest point-drop in history, only one stock among the Standard & Poor’s 500 rose: the Campbell Soup Company.
Cold-Shoulder Science
By MATTHEW HUTSON
The warm welcome and the cold shoulder, it turns out, are more than mere metaphors. This year, two sets of studies revealed that feelings of social connection and sensory experience are related on a deep psychological level: getting the cold shoulder literally gives you the chills, and actual warmth can melt a figuratively frosty heart.
Research published in the journal Psychological Science by Chen-Bo Zhong and Geoffrey Leonardelli at the University of Toronto found that subjects who were asked to recall anexperience of social exclusion and then asked to estimate the lab’s ambient temperature gave estimates that were more than four degrees colder than those given by subjects who’d been asked to recall an experience of inclusion. And subjects ignored during a ball-tossing game in the lab had a larger postgame appetite for hot coffee and hot soup than did players who’d seen more action.
In another experiment, published in the journal Science by the psychologists Lawrence Williams, now at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and John Bargh, of Yale, subjects were asked to hold a cup of either hot coffee or iced coffee for a moment on the way to the lab. Then they were asked to evaluate the personality of someone based on a written description. Those who held a hot drink found the individual more caring and generous than did the other subjects. In a companion experiment, holding a hot therapeutic pad induced subjects to act more generously.
Viewing cognition as responsive to physical cues, Williams explains, “takes into account the fact that we are physical beings” and that bodily and environmental factors “impact the ways our thoughts are structured.” The researchers studying the phenomenon argue that we probably learned to associate affection with warmth from childhood experiences of being held by a caregiver.
With the new data in hand, it’s tempting to suspect that the current economic climate is leaving investors out in the cold in more ways than one. On Sept. 29, when the Dow suffered its largest point-drop in history, only one stock among the Standard & Poor’s 500 rose: the Campbell Soup Company.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Ooooh Pretty...
This is fun. Happy Monday. Express yourself. Love, Elaine. (a website where you can create your own Jackson Pollockesque "paintings.")
Sunday, November 30, 2008
In response to Kara"s question about whether or not it would be akward to facebook friend my girlfriend
Anyone who wants to friend my girlfriend on facebook (Rachel Ogle-Mc Millan) is welcome to.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Life in the Magic City
Mayor Larry Langford, VisionLand's visionary, at his sackcloth & ashes extravanganza in April.
Langford said that Birmingham’s crime problem “pails” (sic) in comparison to the biblical City of Nineveh. In his proclamation of the day, he tells the Bible story of Jonah and the city of Nineveh: “Whereas Chapter 3, verse 5 & 6, of the Book of Jonah, Old Testament states, that the people of Nineveh believe God and proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest of them even to the least of them." He bought 2,000 sackcloth robes for the event.
For those of you out-of-towners or those some still unaware of how terrifically awful (and tragically funny) our mayor is... this one's for you. The Birmingham Weekly recently released "Leapin' Larry's Year in Review." Some of it is almost too ludicrous to be true...
A handful of highlights:
*Oct 2007- Mayor-elect Langford announces his choice for Public Works director, Rickey Kennedy, a city landscape supervisor. Langford met Kennedy when Kennedy was cutting the grass in Linn Park. The new job came with a $100,000 pay increase and put Kennedy in charge of the $54.7 million Public Works budget. The Public Works department is the second largest department in the city. Later the Jefferson County Personnel Board declared Kennedy unqualified for the job and ordered the mayor to make a new appointment. To date Langford has defied that order.
*Nov 2007- Langford is sworn in as Birmingham mayor. In his inauguration speech, he promises to build a domed stadium, lambasts parents for buying children designer clothes and once again declares that what children need most is corporal punishment.
• Langford says he is in talks with Mall of America to build a new shopping center in Birmingham. The mall would be adjacent to a new aquarium. “If Atlanta can have Beluga whales, we can too,” Langford says.
*Dec 2007- Langford also claims that Legion Field, which he also wants to demolish, was named after a demon in the Bible. In fact, it was named in honor of the American Legion.
• With its attention span exhausted by the Boutwell debate, the council approves nearly $30,000 for renovations to City Hall. Councilor Roderick Royal questions the expenditure, but his colleagues gripe about his curiosity. Later it turns out that at least $12,000 of that money paid for a new deck outside the mayor’s office where Langford could smoke without having to walk a short distance to the existing deck down the hall.
- In his second interview with Securities and Exchange Commission lawyers in Miami, Langford refuses to answer most questions on the basis of unspecified constitutional rights. In a back-and-forth with investigators, Langford refuses to actually plead the Fifth Amendment. Later, Montgomery investment banker Bill Blount invokes the same unspecified constitutional rights (Matt's side note: He's being nailed by the SEC for accepting $156,000 in illegal cash & benefits. The same day he was indicted, our beloved Jefferson Co. Senators approved a $40,000 raise for him. Huzzah).
• In one of his few major staffing changes, Langford replaces finance director Michael Johnson with former Jefferson County finance director Steve Sayler. At the county, Sayler helped direct billions in disastrous interest rate swaps and left the county’s financial records in such shambles that to date the county has not been able to produce an audited financial statement.
All this before 2008 even hit... I didn't have time to dig into the $70,000 he spent (of loaned money) on clothes, the "top secret" plans he brought in with two officers armed with semi-automatics, his plan to bring the Olympics to the Magic City, the Kids Getting Laptops disaster (his partnership with a man who just received a 98-count indictment) the disappearance of legally-required monthly financial updates... Long-lost friends, if you make any plans to visit us in Birmingham, I suggest you do it soon... before our beloved city is a crater.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
word of the day
word of the day: monorchic
as in Hitler was monorchic
that is all because I am at work
as in Hitler was monorchic
that is all because I am at work
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The teaching style is very interesting even.
New Post from Kristen!
So as you may know, I've recently taken to teaching English. There are approx 60 students on any given day, most of them male, and it's terrifying. One of my goals is to get the students to interact and actually speak English because I feel like that might be the end goal. Just a guess. My most recent activity was to bring in photographs that I had laying around and ask them to describe what they see. Then they read them aloud to the class. I thought I'd share some of my favorites.
Some clarifications: in some cases they made up names for people. Also, "fat" is generally translated into english as "healthy". As in "you don't look like you're about to waste away". Don't be offended- it's usually a compliment. This week's photos feature, in no particular order: Cheese, Wardo, Matt, Jen, and Will. You may be next.
"From this picture he seems like singing and his hair is very interesting. It seems curl like black but is white. He is ready to say something but there is no sound, means that I can't hear at the moment. His physical appearance isn't show clearly but now I am seeing his face and it is interesting."
"He seems sad. He live a strengthful. He travels on a buggy. He is a very handsome man. He is a very fat man."
"They drink coca and other. Much amount of food in front of them. The are very drunker. Abebe gives his hand and Almaz for feeding. Almaz would like to drink coca cola. Almaz has so nice hair."
"The man is running and climbing the tree and the man is very scared. The man nearly the tree and is having animal on head. The man is focus for a thing."
"He seems like shout and feels frightened. He also swim in the river and some action and feels serious problem. He looks like red and some extent black face. He speaks some words angrily."17 points if you guess them all right.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
there's nothing un-awesome about dna replication
i gotta be real honest for just a second-- molecular biology is severely underappreciated. to substantiate my claim, i'm about to introduce you to what is quite possibly the coolest science animation i've ever seen, courtesy of our good friends at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories (not familiar with them? weird.) watch it. if you think it's cool, you may say so in whatever fashion you wish. if you think it's uncool...well, i think you're unright, and you should leave your "i hate nerds" rhetoric unsaid. censorship- w00t. no, but really, feel free to comment. but be gentle. nerds err on the frail side-- words might actually break our bones.
here's the protocol (which is jargon for "directions") for the brave, the curious, and the brave/curious:
(1) go to http://www.dnai.org/a/index.html
(2) click on "Copying the Code" at the bottom
(3) click on "putting it together" at the top
(4) watch the video, situated conveniently on the left, entitled "Replication"
(5) either marvel in awe, or struggle to stay awake for the minute or so it takes to watch the video (i recommend the first. marveling is the way to go.)
as always, glad to nerd the place up a little.
w00t.
here's the protocol (which is jargon for "directions") for the brave, the curious, and the brave/curious:
(1) go to http://www.dnai.org/a/index.html
(2) click on "Copying the Code" at the bottom
(3) click on "putting it together" at the top
(4) watch the video, situated conveniently on the left, entitled "Replication"
(5) either marvel in awe, or struggle to stay awake for the minute or so it takes to watch the video (i recommend the first. marveling is the way to go.)
as always, glad to nerd the place up a little.
w00t.
book recommendations.
y'all got any recommendations for me? I've been reading biographies for quite some time. what are some must-reads nowadays?
and, i really want yall to be able to see my turtle song. but whenever i go to download it onto the blog, it takes for-e-va. so, don't hold your breath but i'll get it to you eventually.
in other news, i just returned from a trip to singapore. things are looking good down on the southern most tip of the asia continent.
Was the tip in Key West just the southernmost tip of the United States? I'm assuming yes... (Singapore below)
And, this is my attempt to take an artsy shot like Elaine:) But the yellow/green monkey grass really was intriguing. The yellow will probably be the closest I see to fall leaves...
and, i really want yall to be able to see my turtle song. but whenever i go to download it onto the blog, it takes for-e-va. so, don't hold your breath but i'll get it to you eventually.
in other news, i just returned from a trip to singapore. things are looking good down on the southern most tip of the asia continent.
Was the tip in Key West just the southernmost tip of the United States? I'm assuming yes... (Singapore below)
And, this is my attempt to take an artsy shot like Elaine:) But the yellow/green monkey grass really was intriguing. The yellow will probably be the closest I see to fall leaves...
Monday, November 10, 2008
Redneck Thanksgiving
Redneck Thanksgiving at my house on November 24th for any of you who will be around. Come dressed in your best (or worst) redneck attire and bring your favorite Thanksgiving dish with you. For those of you who are not a fan of the kitchen, drinks and ice are always needed :) Please invite anyone that may not see this. I am sure we will have plenty of good eats. Hope all is well with everyone!
Friday, November 7, 2008
George Bush doesn't care about black people...
Did you guys know what the leading cause of death among African-Americans is?
That's right, abortion. A newly conceived black baby has about the same chances of living as Robert De Niro playing Russian roulette in Deer Hunter, with a 50% chance of making it out of the womb.
Something to think about.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Please forgive me Jamie!
Dang it, Andy beat me to it...I have to admit I forgot my password as well. I promise, I read the blog, I just don't like to post....I'm just not a blogger. I will try to be better. Ok, I have tried my hardest to keep in touch with as many of you as I can but I have failed obviously. I apologize. So, in order to make up for it I am about to post a complete update on my life. I will warn you- I could be boring, so if you don't care about all of the details of my life right now you should stop reading :)
1. I live in Charlotte, NC. (I think you all know this, but I'm just covering the bases). I live with two of my best friends that I have met here in Charlotte- Laura and Jana. We live in a really cute townhome right outside of uptown.
2. I work for one of the largest architecture firms in the U.S- Perkins+Will Architects. They have offices all over the world. I worked at Jenkins Peer Architects for one year, but it was a smaller firm and decided to look for some other options. I had a few job offers and decided to come work at P+W. It was a bit of an adjustment (I LOVED the people that I worked with at JPA) but I'm really enjoying it. I'm working on some amazing projects right now, including a new 43 story tower for the Bank of America corporate heardquarters. I'm also the lead interior designer for North Carolina Biotechnology Center. I work a lot but absolutely love what I do so its worth it.
3. I am a young life leader at a high school- Charlotte Latin. It's AMAZING! We had a some leaders drop out last year, so Mike (my co-leader) are the only leaders at the school this year. The relationships that I formed with some of these high schoolers has been such a blessing. I am so grateful that I have the opurtunity to have a part in these girls lives. I lead a Bible study with them on Monday nights which has been great. I love the ministry of YL and what it stands for. I was a leader in Birmingham but it was a bit rough (sorry, Matt :) The year and a half that I have been in Charlotte has been so different and so good. mike and I took 30 kids to Windy Gap for a weekend retreat- it was a great time of fellowship, and many of the kids made decsions in the walk with Christ
4. I went to visit Susan in Costa Rica this past summer- it was fabulous!
5. I love Charlotte...but I have lived here for 1 year and 4 months and the following has all happened to me:
-my car was broken into
-my checkbook was stolen and the person wrote over $1,500 worth of bad checks
-a crazy lady ran into me and almost totaled my car and then lied about it. Thankfully I had witnesses and after a long battle with the insurance companies I won...still, it was annoying
- AND...my car was stolen last week. Yes, that's right- thankfully the police found it a day later parked about 5 min away from my where I live at a crack house. My car still smells lovely.
6. God is awesome. One of the most amazing things I have experienced since living here in Charlotte is the community here. The families that I have met through YL and church have all been so wonderful. They continually show me Christ's love and I am so thankful for them. I have a group of ladies (including my mentor here) that get together every Monday morning to pray for me and my ministry with YL. I can't tell you what a blessing that is. I called my mentor the day my car was stolen and I seriously had about 10 emails/phone calls with different families offering to give me one of their cars or drive me anywhere I needed. Living away from all my family it was such a blessing to have people supporting me like that.
7. I love my friends that I have made here! I miss all of you guys very much, but I have some great friends here. It's seriously like being in college- but I don't have to worry about doing homework at night :) I love it.
8. And...the most exciting thing...it's true, I'm dating someone. He's GREAT! I like him a lot :) We don't really agree on how long we've actually been dating, but I say its been almost two months. (He says one month, but I'm right). He works for Wachovia- he is a CPA (accountant). He is a year older- graduated from UF in 2006. He's actually hoping to go back to school in the fall to get his masters in business- he's only applying to Harvard, Northwestern, and Duke. He's pretty smart. Because of the whole Wachovia being bought by Wells Fargo, he will prob. be without a job in May. I met him right after I moved to Charlotte and we've been really good friends for over a year now. He's probably the nicest guy I've ever met in my life- he treats me so well and loves the Lord. It's amazing because now we're dating and I like him SO much...I'm very happy. His name is Kevin- feel free to facebook stalk him, its okay. All of my high school YL girls do it and it hasn't scared him off.
Ok, Jamie, Kris, Jen...everyone else, I love you and miss you all! I am hoping to be able to get off work and come to Bham for New Years, so cross your fingers.
Sorry if this was boring, but I hope it was informative...:) If I left anything off, I apologize.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
I just wanted to use the word remiss
So I admit that I have been seriously remiss in my postings on this blog. That is partly because I couldnt remember my f'in password but also because I am extremely lazy. Anyways, life has been good i am currently reading Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy I have been on a kick about his books for a little bit he is good. The Road is awesome. I am alone in my living room right now, and the last ugly baby I saw was on the television on this crappy show like 7:14 this evening.
Enough with the formalities. So what exactly an I doing with my life. I now live in a different house in the same neighborhood that I lived in last year, but with a new roommate, a guy named kyle who has worked with me for the last two summers, he is from Pittsburg and went to the College of Wooster studied Christian Studies and Philosophy. He is a really great guy it has been a real blessing to live with him. My job now really has two major parts, the first being that I work three days a week for a ministry minded contractor who works in Binghamton named Avery Bridges, His company is called The Fountainhead Company. It has been incredible working for Avery I have learned alot from him, and he also has taken an interest in my life outside of work and we just started reading a book called Towards a Theology of Works. I've also gotten to know his family really well and they've really taken me in, I'm really happy with where I am right now.
And finally, the rumors are true I am currently dating an absolutely amazing girl named Rachel Ogle. We met this summer, she was a team leader at SOS. She is a junior at U of M and is studying art history. We've started dating like a month ago maybe, but only been like a couple for two weeks. Its going well and she is awesome and I'm bringing her to meet all of ya'll hopefully soon if not at new years. But ya that pretty much sums up my life, I am continually amazed at all of my awesome friends that God has blessed me with. Ya'll are great adnd I miss each one of you terribly. Hopefully see yaou guys soon.
All Hail Ryan, Lord of November
I made up game to make election night coverage more interesting. For a dollar you could pick the winners in each state plus D. C. and answer a few bonus questions (which network would call the election first, which third-party candidate would have the most votes), then whoever got the most points would win the giant pool of money (amounting to $9).
Here are the results:
| Rank | Name | Points |
| 1 | Ryan Warden #1 | 91 |
| 2 | John Lambuth | 86 |
| 3 | Elaine Davis | 82 |
| 4 | Eli Johnson | 77 |
| 5 | Ryan Warden #2 | 73 |
| 6 | Patrick Sewell #2 | 73 |
| 7 | Patrick Barker | 70 |
| 8 | Keith Davis | 70 |
| 9 | Patrick Sewell #1 | 54 |
Monday, November 3, 2008
Dear Community
I made a costly phone call last night to Ethiopia. Conversation went well until I began updating Kristen on the relationship statuses or stati, if you'd prefer (and I slightly do). Word on the street is that a certain Abby Thomas AND an Andy Sisk (formerly known as Cheese due to his self-inflicted disassociation) have significant others. Our little Ethiopian was not happy to hear the latter news from community member Candis Garner who found out from facebook, then called Kristen from Malaysia to convery the news. I pray that this serves as a semi-kind reminder to please remeber to use the blog to post any changes in life. It can be as small as a bowel movement. Trust me, we care. Thank you kindly.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
I got a question for ya'll
I wanna come to visit in early december, late november. Just wondered when exams were and if there was a better time for everyone.
Is it a willful sin for a Christian to vote for a pro-choice candidate?
This is a question that was brought up and discussed in my Sunday School class today. It sprang from a discussion with Dr. Russell Moore of Southern Seminary (I would link it, but I don't know if it's available online). I'm sure we all agree that abortion is a heinous sin. Since that is the case, (despite all other issues) can a Christian support a candidate who stands in such stark opposition to this with a clear conscience? I'm not posting this to start a debate, but I think it is an important question that we should all ask ourselves and pray about before voting on Tuesday.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
A Torysay.
"Geeeeeeeeeeeez! Aw man, no...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!," Gertrude exclaimed from the deerstand. Gertrude immediatly fell to her death. Except she didn't die. As she lay in the monkey grass her thoughts turned toward the pigtailed girl with the strawberry blonde hair. The blonde strawberry was four years old, never left home without pigtails and thrived on ravlioli with franks. Except on this day, she did leave home--and climbed up the deerstand to catch a butterfly. Little did she know what fate would meet her at that rickety wooden peak. (You, reader, should know that four year olds are rather coordinated and do not like to be told what to do.) The butterfly was golden yellow with purple blotches and glistening turquoise spots, the most beautiful butterfly she had ever beheld. As her hand reached out to the diaphonous creature so did her heart. Her throat filled with glee as she grazed the tip of the butterfly's left wing, accidentally sending it plummeting to the ground in pretty little spirals. As the sky above spun in dizzying circles around her desperate wings the butterfly sighed, "Not this again." She swore to herself that as long as butterflies have wings she would never cross with a frank-breath strawberry blonde pigtailed girl again. She much preferred frank-breathing boys. At that moment, the very frank-breathed strawberry blonde pigtailed girl who had knocked her into this predicament landed ontop of her with a thump. Gertrude remembered the last words her mother said to her ("Don't come back to this house without my dear sweet plumpkin girl.") Though she envied the chunky twerp's argyle stockings, she knew what she had to do. Gertrude looked toward the heavens, yodeled her goodbyes and leapt off of the stand. Her fall was broken by a plump crumb-covered child. She licked her lips, wiped her brow, straightened her collar and rose to meet the dawn of a new day. She hoped there would be strawberry cupcakes in Heaven.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Bonhoeffer says it best...
I just finished reading the transcript of an interview with Shane Claiborne that Elaine told me about. It's on a NPR site she recently discovered called Speaking of Faith. There was a really encouraging quote in the interview by Bonhoeffer. The interview talks about a much wider spectrum of issues and you should read the whole thing if you have time to get its broader context, but here's the quote:
"The person who's in love with their vision of community will destroy community. But the person who loves the people around them will create community everywhere they go."
I got really excited when I read this because God has been teaching me alot along the same lines recently. He's teaching me to be truely thankful for the community that he has given us and how it is not really ours. Everything that is good about it is the consequence of his goodness towards us, his grace. Anyway it's a somewhat difficult process of letting go of my ownership.
I guess I'm just saying that I get really happy when I see people in our "family" experiencing community wherever they go and that they are not stepping away from our community by experiencing it elsewhere. That goes for people in birmingham and outside as well.
Of course, you can always take it too far and there's a danger of stretching yourself too thin to the point that you are not really known because you're too busy being "vulnerable" to many people that you somehow escape the scary vulnerability of letting others challenge and confront you. I hope that God helps us find the balance.
PS. I can't get the link to work to find the interview but it's called "The New Monastics" and you'll find it if you search for it in the archives, I think.
"The person who's in love with their vision of community will destroy community. But the person who loves the people around them will create community everywhere they go."
I got really excited when I read this because God has been teaching me alot along the same lines recently. He's teaching me to be truely thankful for the community that he has given us and how it is not really ours. Everything that is good about it is the consequence of his goodness towards us, his grace. Anyway it's a somewhat difficult process of letting go of my ownership.
I guess I'm just saying that I get really happy when I see people in our "family" experiencing community wherever they go and that they are not stepping away from our community by experiencing it elsewhere. That goes for people in birmingham and outside as well.
Of course, you can always take it too far and there's a danger of stretching yourself too thin to the point that you are not really known because you're too busy being "vulnerable" to many people that you somehow escape the scary vulnerability of letting others challenge and confront you. I hope that God helps us find the balance.
PS. I can't get the link to work to find the interview but it's called "The New Monastics" and you'll find it if you search for it in the archives, I think.
That Deluxe Apartment in the Sky?
So... a friend of a friend offered to turn thirtytravelers.blogspot.com into thirtytravelers.com for free... This would still be up & running, all of our former posts would be duplicated on the new site, and our own domain would be a blog through WordPress, so we'd get some sweet new layout options too. Anyone opposed? The only downside I can see is that we'd have one advertisement running down the side (he just moved mine, if you want to see what it'll look like), but I figure, hey, let's move on up to the East Side.
Thoughts? Objections? Concerns?
Thoughts? Objections? Concerns?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
the proud family
yeah, jamie!
there are so many things to celebrate within our little extended family. therefore, i would like to present this photo. i think it really enhances the experience if you look at this while listening to pat become famous. maybe we should sell autographed black & white glossies?
i love you guys!
there are so many things to celebrate within our little extended family. therefore, i would like to present this photo. i think it really enhances the experience if you look at this while listening to pat become famous. maybe we should sell autographed black & white glossies?
i love you guys!
Can I just be proud?
Hey dudes and dudettes!
Sometimes I want to post. It's true. Mostly not, but every now and then my mind remembers this little virtual nook of community that we've created and I want to add a little to it. Anyhow, I haven't really wanted to post within the past 3 months.
This has been my life:
August 5th, 2008- take NCLEX
August 7th, 2008- discover that I fail NCLEX
September 2nd, 2008- begin orientation for a job I'm not jazzed about (Patient Care Technician)
September 2nd-October 26th, 2008- 12 hours shifts mixed with days of studying to retake NCLEX
Now, of course, there's been more to the past 3 months than just that (moving into a house with an amazing bunch of girls, a trip to Chicago, joining a bookclub, getting involved at a new church and community group, my birthday, the movie Wall-E, etc.), but I had a hard time being joyful through it all and admittedly let the situation get the best of me every now and then. So, it's of course easy to say now that I'm on the other side of things, (I just found out I passed! WOOHOO!) but towards the end of this whole deal, I was starting to understand more about God and how awesome He is...which is part of the whole deal right...part of every deal I suppose.
I think I learned three things (perfect for a three point sermon...if only I were a man, dang it.) My disposition and attitude is governed, I mean GOVERENED by situations. I now have more willingness to dig into what Paul means when he says that whatever situation he's in, he has learned to be content. That amazes me. What amazes me even more is reflecting on the opportunities I had while working in the hospital, just not in the position I wanted. I had countless opportunities to sit with patients. This entails calling into work at 5:45 in the morning to discover that I will be spending my entire 12 hour shift sitting with a patient in their room. This is typically required for 2 reasons: a patient is confused and trying to climb out of bed or pulling out feeding tubes or ivs, so i'm there to re-orient the patient, OR the patient is on suicide precautions and I'm there to make sure the patient doesn't try to harm themself. Most "sitting" days were spent studying while the patient slept quietly or just had no desire to converse with me, but there were a few gems in there that made the whole journey worth it. There were conversations with women my own age who wanted to end there lives. There was hearing the sorrows of a woman who's son had suffered a gun shot wound that forever altered his personality and quality of life. There was the opportunity to pray with a woman who just couldn't stand the thought of anymore pain. The kicker is that there was so so so much more...most of which I probably wont remember. I am late in the game to realize the opportunities God gave me, most of which provided healing for me, but I'm in the game nonetheless. Today, before I looked at the results of this silly exam that has been my waking thought every morning, I was able to say and really mean that whatever happens, God knows better than I ever will, just what I need. Hopefully next time I'll be able to glean the goodness a little earlier.
I dunno if that was actually three points so I'll close with three:
1. You all are awesome thanks for your prayers and encouragement.
2. Learn to listen to people, most have amazing stories to tell and I think crave vulnerability more than we often realize.
3. Go see Wall-E at the dollar theater or rent it/buy it upon it's release on DVD. So good. Kris and Candis, I'll work on getting it to you guys.
Love.
Sometimes I want to post. It's true. Mostly not, but every now and then my mind remembers this little virtual nook of community that we've created and I want to add a little to it. Anyhow, I haven't really wanted to post within the past 3 months.
This has been my life:
August 5th, 2008- take NCLEX
August 7th, 2008- discover that I fail NCLEX
September 2nd, 2008- begin orientation for a job I'm not jazzed about (Patient Care Technician)
September 2nd-October 26th, 2008- 12 hours shifts mixed with days of studying to retake NCLEX
Now, of course, there's been more to the past 3 months than just that (moving into a house with an amazing bunch of girls, a trip to Chicago, joining a bookclub, getting involved at a new church and community group, my birthday, the movie Wall-E, etc.), but I had a hard time being joyful through it all and admittedly let the situation get the best of me every now and then. So, it's of course easy to say now that I'm on the other side of things, (I just found out I passed! WOOHOO!) but towards the end of this whole deal, I was starting to understand more about God and how awesome He is...which is part of the whole deal right...part of every deal I suppose.
I think I learned three things (perfect for a three point sermon...if only I were a man, dang it.) My disposition and attitude is governed, I mean GOVERENED by situations. I now have more willingness to dig into what Paul means when he says that whatever situation he's in, he has learned to be content. That amazes me. What amazes me even more is reflecting on the opportunities I had while working in the hospital, just not in the position I wanted. I had countless opportunities to sit with patients. This entails calling into work at 5:45 in the morning to discover that I will be spending my entire 12 hour shift sitting with a patient in their room. This is typically required for 2 reasons: a patient is confused and trying to climb out of bed or pulling out feeding tubes or ivs, so i'm there to re-orient the patient, OR the patient is on suicide precautions and I'm there to make sure the patient doesn't try to harm themself. Most "sitting" days were spent studying while the patient slept quietly or just had no desire to converse with me, but there were a few gems in there that made the whole journey worth it. There were conversations with women my own age who wanted to end there lives. There was hearing the sorrows of a woman who's son had suffered a gun shot wound that forever altered his personality and quality of life. There was the opportunity to pray with a woman who just couldn't stand the thought of anymore pain. The kicker is that there was so so so much more...most of which I probably wont remember. I am late in the game to realize the opportunities God gave me, most of which provided healing for me, but I'm in the game nonetheless. Today, before I looked at the results of this silly exam that has been my waking thought every morning, I was able to say and really mean that whatever happens, God knows better than I ever will, just what I need. Hopefully next time I'll be able to glean the goodness a little earlier.
I dunno if that was actually three points so I'll close with three:
1. You all are awesome thanks for your prayers and encouragement.
2. Learn to listen to people, most have amazing stories to tell and I think crave vulnerability more than we often realize.
3. Go see Wall-E at the dollar theater or rent it/buy it upon it's release on DVD. So good. Kris and Candis, I'll work on getting it to you guys.
Love.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
like a proud father
listen to this excerpt of one of our very own strutting his stuff on the national public radio. in one insightful swoop he got more play than carole francisco in her blockbuster "firestarter". click here to associate yourself with his beauty:
Two Exodus Worldviews
Hey guys, I found this article that is relatively nonpartisan in describing the reasons that Democrats fundamentally disagree with Republicans on the role of government. Both of these views can be seen as Exodus stories. One is focused on the Exodus of America from the tyranny of monarchial England and the other focuses on the Exodus of americans experiencing the hardships of social oppression. The author does a good job of describing how these worldviews came about and the dangers of each.
Here's the link.
I want to know what you think because I connect with both worldviews. Is this too simplistic?
In other news:
Thank you jamie for not reading for book club and instead cooking an awesome meal.
Matt, I hope your continued in depth study of NSYNC songs continues to go well. I suggest learning "Yo Te Voy A Amar" known in english as "This I Promise You". It's a keeper.
Here's the link.
I want to know what you think because I connect with both worldviews. Is this too simplistic?
In other news:
Thank you jamie for not reading for book club and instead cooking an awesome meal.
Matt, I hope your continued in depth study of NSYNC songs continues to go well. I suggest learning "Yo Te Voy A Amar" known in english as "This I Promise You". It's a keeper.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Hooray for democracy!
Hooray for democracy!
Hooray for democratically-elected judges you know nothing about running for jobs you don't understand!
Hooray for voting against every incumbent Jefferson County Commissioner from now until we pay off our $3.2 Billion debt. (For more hurrahs, see here)
If you're lucky enough to live in Alabama and also vote in Alabama, AL.com has a handy Voter's Guide to help you decide how to vote in those tricky local elections. So, now you have no excuse for making fun patterns down the page. Sorry.
Hooray for democratically-elected judges you know nothing about running for jobs you don't understand!
Hooray for voting against every incumbent Jefferson County Commissioner from now until we pay off our $3.2 Billion debt. (For more hurrahs, see here)
If you're lucky enough to live in Alabama and also vote in Alabama, AL.com has a handy Voter's Guide to help you decide how to vote in those tricky local elections. So, now you have no excuse for making fun patterns down the page. Sorry.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Brian, this one's for you.
from GOOD Magazine (good.is/blog) "Marie Curie had a dance party and all these fun atoms came. Too bad she invited H2O and Potassium. They had an explosive reaction."
"P.S. Can you imagine the U.S. government producing something this awesome. Leave it to the E.U."
"P.S. Can you imagine the U.S. government producing something this awesome. Leave it to the E.U."
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Tripe: So Tasty!
Concerts...haven't been to many in my lifetime. Point of Grace was my first (way back in 2nd grade). I think Ryan Adams was my last (Oct 2008...a little disappointing). so moving on to something i've had more experience with...
For those of you that ventured to Italy back in 2007 you might remember we had a surprise dish a few nights consisting of tripe....aka stomach. When most of the gang realized what they were eating they abruptly stopped. I, on the other hand, found it somewhat tasty. A little chewy, yes, but tasty. I might have even eaten more than one bowl of tripe...
Tonight my tennis match with a friend from China was rained out so she suggested we cook. Now, my Chinese friends love their food. (actually, everyone here loves their food. they really eat about 5 meals a day and whenever you visit a city they tell you all the foods you need to try there) Back to my Chinese friends. They've already given me pig's brain, pig's ear (crunchy cartilage), and pig's tongue to eat. They're always telling me the best place to eat cat satae and dog meat in China. Maybe I'll try that one day... But tonight my friend opened up her fridge and pulled out beef and tripe. I actually got excited when I saw the tripe (not because I wanted to eat it but because it reminded me of Italy and all yall). I was secretly hoping for beef (because it's kinda a scarcity around here...people eat chicken all the time here) but she went for the tripe. She cooked it differently this time: instead of noodle-style, it was cut in small pieces and fried with chili peppers. Mmmm, still that chewy taste but not quite as slimy as I remembered. I did learn tonight that the tripe in Italy was probably lamb's stomach (?) but the tripe tonight was cow's. Personal preference: Asia tripe over European tripe
In other news, I recently bought 2 ew gways (turtles). One died shortly after moving to my house. Lexi is still kicking. I wrote a song about my turtles; be expecting to hear it soon.
For those of you that ventured to Italy back in 2007 you might remember we had a surprise dish a few nights consisting of tripe....aka stomach. When most of the gang realized what they were eating they abruptly stopped. I, on the other hand, found it somewhat tasty. A little chewy, yes, but tasty. I might have even eaten more than one bowl of tripe...
Tonight my tennis match with a friend from China was rained out so she suggested we cook. Now, my Chinese friends love their food. (actually, everyone here loves their food. they really eat about 5 meals a day and whenever you visit a city they tell you all the foods you need to try there) Back to my Chinese friends. They've already given me pig's brain, pig's ear (crunchy cartilage), and pig's tongue to eat. They're always telling me the best place to eat cat satae and dog meat in China. Maybe I'll try that one day... But tonight my friend opened up her fridge and pulled out beef and tripe. I actually got excited when I saw the tripe (not because I wanted to eat it but because it reminded me of Italy and all yall). I was secretly hoping for beef (because it's kinda a scarcity around here...people eat chicken all the time here) but she went for the tripe. She cooked it differently this time: instead of noodle-style, it was cut in small pieces and fried with chili peppers. Mmmm, still that chewy taste but not quite as slimy as I remembered. I did learn tonight that the tripe in Italy was probably lamb's stomach (?) but the tripe tonight was cow's. Personal preference: Asia tripe over European tripe
In other news, I recently bought 2 ew gways (turtles). One died shortly after moving to my house. Lexi is still kicking. I wrote a song about my turtles; be expecting to hear it soon.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Lem Lem
From Kristen:
Continuing with the concert theme… I don't go to concerts. But if the
powers that be were ever to let Teddy Afro out of prison, you can bet
your sweet bippy that I'd be there in a heartbeat. It would be the
concert of the new millennium and would automatically trump anything
Pat and Matt currently feel the need to brag about. If you have the
time, you really should check out Teddy's most popular song- I think
called Abay. It's masterful. Especially the special effects- who
doesn't like a resounding gong at the beginning of their songs? He
really knows how to stick it to the man… which may have landed him in
his current predicament.
In other news- it has been confirmed that I will be in Birmingham Dec
30th thru Jan 5th. Don't worry… that's only 83 days from now. Not that
I'm counting. I vote we eat sushi. There are three reasons for this:
1. The best way to guarantee the Remington's attendance is to bribe
them with Surin.
2. It's good to make Aaron eat food he doesn't like.
3. I need sushi.
I would try to express how excited I am… but I don't really know how.
I guess I miss you guys a little. See you soon!
Continuing with the concert theme… I don't go to concerts. But if the
powers that be were ever to let Teddy Afro out of prison, you can bet
your sweet bippy that I'd be there in a heartbeat. It would be the
concert of the new millennium and would automatically trump anything
Pat and Matt currently feel the need to brag about. If you have the
time, you really should check out Teddy's most popular song- I think
called Abay. It's masterful. Especially the special effects- who
doesn't like a resounding gong at the beginning of their songs? He
really knows how to stick it to the man… which may have landed him in
his current predicament.
In other news- it has been confirmed that I will be in Birmingham Dec
30th thru Jan 5th. Don't worry… that's only 83 days from now. Not that
I'm counting. I vote we eat sushi. There are three reasons for this:
1. The best way to guarantee the Remington's attendance is to bribe
them with Surin.
2. It's good to make Aaron eat food he doesn't like.
3. I need sushi.
I would try to express how excited I am… but I don't really know how.
I guess I miss you guys a little. See you soon!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Best Concerts, Part Two
As a continuation of Patrick's previous post (with due appreciation given to Elaine's simultaneously terrifying & hilarious post), here are my five favorite concerts & honorable mentions:
Nickel Creek, Wright Center, Samford University, Birmingham, AL, 10/25/2003. Just an indescribable display of artistic fortitude. Highlight: I, along with the rest of the entire audience, was lulled to sleep by a song they introduced, "She Can't Complain," and then they exploded into beauty. And for the encore... 3 Elliott Smith songs. Wow.
Elton John, Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville, TN, 9/30/2005. Patrick, Sarah Murray, Three Hours of Glory, and I. I was growing upset when he played 8 songs off his new album to open... then he played for two more hours.
Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Workplay Theatre, Birmingham, AL 2/24/2007. First date with Erin & the greatest guitar player I've ever seen. So much fun. I've never felt such an energy coming from the stage.
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, Alabama Theatre, Birmingham, AL, 10/28/2007. If you EVER get the chance to see Ben Harper, go. If you don't like him, I'll personally refund your money. Perfect concert to follow our Ryan Adam's debacle. Not only was he the most gracious musician I've ever seen, he played the lap-steel like a fiend, played beautiful piano, and sang a capella and filled the Alabama Theatre.
Bright Eyes/Feist/The Magic Numbers/Gillian Welch w/David Rawlings, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, 11/14/2005. Pre-Cassadega Bright Eyes (when he still drank himself stupid every show) was incredible, plus I heard Feist & Gillian Welch for the first time.
Josh Ritter & Ingrid Michaelson, BottleTree Cafe, Birmingham, AL, 5/4/2008. Ritter was, as I've said before, the smilingest man I ever did saw. So enjoyable. Plus he told me the story behind "The Temptation of Adam" after the show.
Fleet Foxes & Frank Fairfield, BottleTree Cafe, Birmingham, AL, 9/29/2008. The Fleet Foxes were near-perfect. Frank Fairfield was born 3/4 of a century too late.
Sufjan Stevens & My Brightest Diamond, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, 9/11/2006. Pat's number one... Great show. I closed my eyes & got lost in "Jacksonville." Later I closed my eyes in embarrasment as Pat put on his John Wayne Gacy mask.
Guster & Graham Colton, Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA, 3/05/04. Guster is so goofy & high energy. How can you beat ping-pong balls & strobe lights to "The Airport Song"?
John Mayer, On the Bricks, Atlanta, GA 05/24/02. Say what you will, he is one of the greatest performers on the planet. If only he hadn't gotten so popular, I could afford to go see him again.
Man Man & Yeasayer, Workplay Theatre, Birmingham, AL, 05/02/2008. I went with a ninth-grader to see two psychadelic bands. Great. Man Man was just hilarious. Totally bizarre. They wore masks; everyone played percussion; they wore facepaint & threw things at each other throughout the show; and, lastly, they randomly yelled throughout their songs...
Jump Little Children, Workplay Theatre, Birmingham, AL, 9/28/2005. As far as I can tell, this was Jump's last show. Terribly sad. And it was my 21st birthday. Thank you Josh Bradford.
The Favorites (in no particular order)
Nickel Creek, Wright Center, Samford University, Birmingham, AL, 10/25/2003. Just an indescribable display of artistic fortitude. Highlight: I, along with the rest of the entire audience, was lulled to sleep by a song they introduced, "She Can't Complain," and then they exploded into beauty. And for the encore... 3 Elliott Smith songs. Wow.
Elton John, Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville, TN, 9/30/2005. Patrick, Sarah Murray, Three Hours of Glory, and I. I was growing upset when he played 8 songs off his new album to open... then he played for two more hours.
Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Workplay Theatre, Birmingham, AL 2/24/2007. First date with Erin & the greatest guitar player I've ever seen. So much fun. I've never felt such an energy coming from the stage.
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, Alabama Theatre, Birmingham, AL, 10/28/2007. If you EVER get the chance to see Ben Harper, go. If you don't like him, I'll personally refund your money. Perfect concert to follow our Ryan Adam's debacle. Not only was he the most gracious musician I've ever seen, he played the lap-steel like a fiend, played beautiful piano, and sang a capella and filled the Alabama Theatre.
Bright Eyes/Feist/The Magic Numbers/Gillian Welch w/David Rawlings, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, 11/14/2005. Pre-Cassadega Bright Eyes (when he still drank himself stupid every show) was incredible, plus I heard Feist & Gillian Welch for the first time.
Honorable Mentions
Josh Ritter & Ingrid Michaelson, BottleTree Cafe, Birmingham, AL, 5/4/2008. Ritter was, as I've said before, the smilingest man I ever did saw. So enjoyable. Plus he told me the story behind "The Temptation of Adam" after the show.
Fleet Foxes & Frank Fairfield, BottleTree Cafe, Birmingham, AL, 9/29/2008. The Fleet Foxes were near-perfect. Frank Fairfield was born 3/4 of a century too late.
Sufjan Stevens & My Brightest Diamond, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, 9/11/2006. Pat's number one... Great show. I closed my eyes & got lost in "Jacksonville." Later I closed my eyes in embarrasment as Pat put on his John Wayne Gacy mask.
Guster & Graham Colton, Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA, 3/05/04. Guster is so goofy & high energy. How can you beat ping-pong balls & strobe lights to "The Airport Song"?
John Mayer, On the Bricks, Atlanta, GA 05/24/02. Say what you will, he is one of the greatest performers on the planet. If only he hadn't gotten so popular, I could afford to go see him again.
Man Man & Yeasayer, Workplay Theatre, Birmingham, AL, 05/02/2008. I went with a ninth-grader to see two psychadelic bands. Great. Man Man was just hilarious. Totally bizarre. They wore masks; everyone played percussion; they wore facepaint & threw things at each other throughout the show; and, lastly, they randomly yelled throughout their songs...
Jump Little Children, Workplay Theatre, Birmingham, AL, 9/28/2005. As far as I can tell, this was Jump's last show. Terribly sad. And it was my 21st birthday. Thank you Josh Bradford.
Real life is funnier than SNL
I saw this unfortunate series of video clips on a friend's blog, and I just had to share. I added in another clip of Palin explaining to Couric that she reads ALL printed media, which being a mother of 5 and a vice presidential candidate is quite a feat of time and space. It's sort of hard to believe this is real, but it is. Half of me feels bad for her (and for the women she represents, aka all of us), half of me is laughing. Amused and a little baffled or terrified that she's "a heartbeat away," as they say. what do you think?
and, just for old times sake...
and, just for old times sake...
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Best Concerts
Last night, I went with Matt and Joseph Rhea to see Fleet Foxes at Bottletree. It was a great show, and you should check them out, if you haven't already.
Then, this morning, my friend Carla Jean listed her top five concert experiences on her blog (and she went a little heavy on Nickle Creek and its derivatives, in my opinion). So I was inspired to do the same.
Five Best Concerts I've Seen
Honorably Mentioned
Perhaps you would like to list your five best concerts too? I bet Matt will. And you you other people don't post soon, then Matt and I are going to hold a hostile takeover and turn this into our own personal blog.
Then, this morning, my friend Carla Jean listed her top five concert experiences on her blog (and she went a little heavy on Nickle Creek and its derivatives, in my opinion). So I was inspired to do the same.
Five Best Concerts I've Seen
- Sufjan Stevens, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, 9/11/2006, With John, Matt, and Mark Harrison. Except for that part with the John Wayne Gacy mask, this concert was awesome. It was nearly a spiritual experience. Sufjan wore butterfly wings.
- The Decembrists, Alabama Theatre, Birmingham, AL, 4/10/2007, With Andrew Sims. They're so entertaining.
- Josh Ritter, Workplay, Birmingham, AL, 10/31/2007, With Sarah. It was Halloween. The band was in costume. After the show, we all went to Laser's Edge and they played some more. Awesome.
- Ben Folds, Birmingham Southern, Birmingham, AL, 10/2005, With Jenna Lyle. Matt informs me I took his spot at this concert. I inform him he lost his spot himself by making some girl think he liked her. Take that!
- Wilco, Snowden Grove Amphitheatre, Southaven, MS, 9/13/2007, With Sarah. It was a long drive, but Wilco just rocks. After the show we slept in Cheese's ghetto.
Honorably Mentioned
- Fleet Foxes, Bottletree, Birmingham, AL, 9/29/2008, With Joseph Rhea, Matt Francisco, Patrick McClendon. Like I just said, it was great.
- Sufjan Stevens, Marquee Theatre, Tempe, AZ, 8/1/2005. I was by myself, but it's the smallest venue I've seen Sufjan play. After the show I got his autograph on a poster.
- Sufjan Stevens, Mercy Lounge, Nashville, TN, 9/23/2005, With John Lambuth, Jenna Lyle. It was hot, and the line was long, but it was Sufjan, so who can complain?
- Elton John, Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville, TN, 9/30/2005, With Matt, John, Sarah Murray. He played for nearly three hours. We couldn't have gotten worse seats, but it was great anyway.
- Josh Ritter, Bottletree, Birmingham, AL, 5/4/2008, With Sarah, Ryan, Matt, etc. I may be the only one who preferred the other show.
- Guster (Ray LaMontagne), Chastain Park Amphitheatre, 7/21/2006, With Matt Wilson. Someone gave me these tickets the day of a the show, as a nice surprise. We snuck our way up to the stage.
- Compound Folk Festival, The Compound, Hoover, AL, 5/12/2007, With Sarah. Probably the best time I've had listening to local music. There was free beer. It was on a farm.
- Danielson, The 40 Watt, Athens, GA, 7/4/2006, with Mark Harrison, Matt Wilson, and Joel Rakes.
Perhaps you would like to list your five best concerts too? I bet Matt will. And you you other people don't post soon, then Matt and I are going to hold a hostile takeover and turn this into our own personal blog.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Erin=Awesome; Fire=David Blaine
The window from which Erin so valiantly tumbled
The illustrious Vestavia Park apartments
A Shot of the back of the apartment complex
Erin's apartment was top left
For a little more in-depth coverage...
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Health Care is not simple!!
Hey guys,
I decided today that I need to contribute to the blog. I've been sitting on the side lines too long. "Coach, put me in. I'm ready to play", I yell as I put my helmet on and run onto the proverbial field of Internet blogging. I encourage others who have not posted lately to join me in letting us in on what you've been thinking about, what big has been happening. You can even just make fun of someone. That's always fun.
So here's what I decided to share. Yesterday on NPR I discovered this thing called Intelligence Squared, a program where debates are organized on various topics and three experts are called in for each side of the argument. The audience is able to vote before the debate and after the debate. Also, there are links to Intelligence Squared programs in Britain and Australia. Those are interesting because the topics are really foreign like, Prince Charles was right: modern architecture is still all glass stumps and carbuncles or For a sporting nation we’re not very sporting. There are also ones like, Is Islam compatible with democracy or Are we better off without religion? Look into it if you're bored. It was nice to hear informed differing opinions.
So I read one called Universal health coverage should be the federal government's responsibility. It was really long, 83 pages, but I had nothing to do at work. I don't know after reading the debate if there's a clear "right" option. There seems to be more contradictions and confusion than before. For example,
-Why is it that some people LOVE Canada's health care and think it is the best thing in the world while others claim that it sucks. For instance, the Canadian director of health care when she got Cancer flew down to UCLA to get treatment.
-Is universal coverage to health care a human right that the government needs to guarantee or is quality health care for most people more important?
-Should we first try to fix the system now before going to a "single-payer system" like Canada? For instance, insurance now is not portable (you can not take it with you when you change jobs) and there are no opportunities to shop for insurance that fits you. Some people don't get sick or need medications and don't need really expensive insurance.
- Finally, if the government regulates prices and procedures it will curb the exorbitant prices charged by pharmaceutical companies but there are hard choices that have to be made like do you give the expensive procedure to the 90 yr old guy that will cost $500,000 to give him an extra 2 yrs to live or do you give him Advil and let him die? Technology is creating more and more expensive procedures that will help us live longer.
I'll end the post here. If you have any answers to these questions, comment. You can also comment if this is over your head or you don't care and you really want to talk trash about the corn hull game that Cliff and I won against Dwight and PT Keith.
Have a great day, friends!!
I decided today that I need to contribute to the blog. I've been sitting on the side lines too long. "Coach, put me in. I'm ready to play", I yell as I put my helmet on and run onto the proverbial field of Internet blogging. I encourage others who have not posted lately to join me in letting us in on what you've been thinking about, what big has been happening. You can even just make fun of someone. That's always fun.
So here's what I decided to share. Yesterday on NPR I discovered this thing called Intelligence Squared, a program where debates are organized on various topics and three experts are called in for each side of the argument. The audience is able to vote before the debate and after the debate. Also, there are links to Intelligence Squared programs in Britain and Australia. Those are interesting because the topics are really foreign like, Prince Charles was right: modern architecture is still all glass stumps and carbuncles or For a sporting nation we’re not very sporting. There are also ones like, Is Islam compatible with democracy or Are we better off without religion? Look into it if you're bored. It was nice to hear informed differing opinions.
So I read one called Universal health coverage should be the federal government's responsibility. It was really long, 83 pages, but I had nothing to do at work. I don't know after reading the debate if there's a clear "right" option. There seems to be more contradictions and confusion than before. For example,
-Why is it that some people LOVE Canada's health care and think it is the best thing in the world while others claim that it sucks. For instance, the Canadian director of health care when she got Cancer flew down to UCLA to get treatment.
-Is universal coverage to health care a human right that the government needs to guarantee or is quality health care for most people more important?
-Should we first try to fix the system now before going to a "single-payer system" like Canada? For instance, insurance now is not portable (you can not take it with you when you change jobs) and there are no opportunities to shop for insurance that fits you. Some people don't get sick or need medications and don't need really expensive insurance.
- Finally, if the government regulates prices and procedures it will curb the exorbitant prices charged by pharmaceutical companies but there are hard choices that have to be made like do you give the expensive procedure to the 90 yr old guy that will cost $500,000 to give him an extra 2 yrs to live or do you give him Advil and let him die? Technology is creating more and more expensive procedures that will help us live longer.
I'll end the post here. If you have any answers to these questions, comment. You can also comment if this is over your head or you don't care and you really want to talk trash about the corn hull game that Cliff and I won against Dwight and PT Keith.
Have a great day, friends!!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
No more caf trays at Samford
A symbol of our Samford experience has died: Samford has removed all the caf trays. Ostensibly, this is to prevent people from taking as much food and to reduce electrical and water usage. Other colleges around the country are doing this too - see articles in Time and the Samford Crimson. But I think that there are better ways to accomplish these goals than inconveniencing everyone who uses the caf.
Matt, Keith, and I have all spent long, wet hours washing dishes at Young Life camps, where we used a dishwasher probably similar to the one used at Samford. Here's how it works: At the beginning of a shift, you turn the machine on, and it fills with water and heats it. Then you put all the dishes on racks and push them through the machine. The machine tops itself off with water as it evaporates or leaves on dishes. At the end of the shift, you drain the machine.
So, each additional dish uses a minuscule amount of water and small amount of electricity. I can't imagine 2,000 caf trays adds up to much compared to all the other dishes.
Furthermore, it's stupid to make the caf significantly more inconvenient for everyone in order to save small amounts of water and electricity, when other methods could be more effective. Maybe the caf could collect clean trays when people are finished with them - most trays stay clean the whole time anyway.
As for saving food, this could be better accomplished by charging people for what they take. Of course, the shock of how much that grease-filled, barely-edible lasagna costs would probably keep people away from the caf all together. Maybe then the caf would have to actually improve food quality to keep people coming.
I never understood the caf. In Young Life kitchens we made delicious, filling meals for an average meal cost of $1.75. And the food looked good. In the caf a barely edible dinner costs $8. I don't get it.
Matt, Keith, and I have all spent long, wet hours washing dishes at Young Life camps, where we used a dishwasher probably similar to the one used at Samford. Here's how it works: At the beginning of a shift, you turn the machine on, and it fills with water and heats it. Then you put all the dishes on racks and push them through the machine. The machine tops itself off with water as it evaporates or leaves on dishes. At the end of the shift, you drain the machine.
So, each additional dish uses a minuscule amount of water and small amount of electricity. I can't imagine 2,000 caf trays adds up to much compared to all the other dishes.
Furthermore, it's stupid to make the caf significantly more inconvenient for everyone in order to save small amounts of water and electricity, when other methods could be more effective. Maybe the caf could collect clean trays when people are finished with them - most trays stay clean the whole time anyway.
As for saving food, this could be better accomplished by charging people for what they take. Of course, the shock of how much that grease-filled, barely-edible lasagna costs would probably keep people away from the caf all together. Maybe then the caf would have to actually improve food quality to keep people coming.
I never understood the caf. In Young Life kitchens we made delicious, filling meals for an average meal cost of $1.75. And the food looked good. In the caf a barely edible dinner costs $8. I don't get it.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
i am a diplomat.
the best thing about coming to addis is unblocked, high speed internet. wow. you guys are ridiculous. funny thing is... people actually wear Jen's hairdo here. true dat.
so pat was here. he abandoned me yesterday... not sure why. something about lack of toilet paper. he just couldn't handle it. once again, incredible to have some family here. amazing when you think about how many of you people have come. it's a huge blessing. Pat adapted very well even! Exactly! even though his luggage was lost for the whole trip, he sported his haile selassie shirt with pride.
hey. i miss you guys! see you in three months!!!!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Uncle Aaron "Harbringer of Death" Hutchens
Ok this is a week late, but I AM AN UNCLE! YAY! On Thursday, a week ago, my sister had Hailey Elizabeth Nichols, who is one of the greatest best babies god has ever given man on the face of the earth. (please see stephen colbert for details) She's very precious, but not in a lord of the rings smeagol sense, and a bunch of family has ceom in to see her, including my parents and my brother and sister in law.
It has been a time of great rejoicing in the Hutchens family, and I just wanted to share it with you all. I will soon post pictures on facebook...hopefully.
Other than that, life is going well still working at Fox and Starbucks, however people are back in bham, and Samford soccer has started back, so i am much excited. WE are having a bad season so far, but we're not in conference play yet. All that being said, i love and miss all of you.
It has been a time of great rejoicing in the Hutchens family, and I just wanted to share it with you all. I will soon post pictures on facebook...hopefully.
Other than that, life is going well still working at Fox and Starbucks, however people are back in bham, and Samford soccer has started back, so i am much excited. WE are having a bad season so far, but we're not in conference play yet. All that being said, i love and miss all of you.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Hello from London
For those of you who don't know, I'm in London. I got here Thursday, and spent the day in London. Friday I took a train to Newcastle and a bus to Bamburgh to visit a castle my grandparents traced our geneology to. Turns out, they sucked and let the castle fall into disrepair before going bankrupt. Luckily, people made of better stuff came along and fixed the place up. It's in really good shape now. It's called Bamburgh Castle, so you can Wikipedia it.
Northumberland was unbelievably wet. I think they had a 100 year flood to celebrate my arrival. Thankfully, today I'm back in London. Thursday I went to the National Gallery and toured Parliment. Then I ate at the English Maid on Will's recommendation. That place sucks.
Today I went to Brick Lane market and felt the unbelievable social pressure of 40,000 hipsters. I no longer like hipsters or want to be one. Problem solved. After that I watched the first stage of the Tour of Britain cycling race, which was pretty cool. Then I went to the Tate Modern, which was too crowded and contained highly disturbing violent imagery. As if the dreams from my Malaria pills weren't bad enough...
Speaking of violence, last night I saw a well built 30 year old man shove a 13 year old kid to the ground. Drunk British people suck. Why are there so many of them?
Trust me, I'm having fun. These people just intimidate me. I no longer think traveling by myself for a long time is cool. Respect for Aaron +3.
In any case, Tuesday I leave for Ethiopia, which will be great, because to get to see new things and travel around WITH someone else.
Love you guys, and miss all of you
Pat
Northumberland was unbelievably wet. I think they had a 100 year flood to celebrate my arrival. Thankfully, today I'm back in London. Thursday I went to the National Gallery and toured Parliment. Then I ate at the English Maid on Will's recommendation. That place sucks.
Today I went to Brick Lane market and felt the unbelievable social pressure of 40,000 hipsters. I no longer like hipsters or want to be one. Problem solved. After that I watched the first stage of the Tour of Britain cycling race, which was pretty cool. Then I went to the Tate Modern, which was too crowded and contained highly disturbing violent imagery. As if the dreams from my Malaria pills weren't bad enough...
Speaking of violence, last night I saw a well built 30 year old man shove a 13 year old kid to the ground. Drunk British people suck. Why are there so many of them?
Trust me, I'm having fun. These people just intimidate me. I no longer think traveling by myself for a long time is cool. Respect for Aaron +3.
In any case, Tuesday I leave for Ethiopia, which will be great, because to get to see new things and travel around WITH someone else.
Love you guys, and miss all of you
Pat
Saturday, September 6, 2008
2020: The Magic Games
For those of you somehow caught unawares... Birmingham's mayor is awesome. And it's about time that The New York Times recognized it
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
the olympics make me shout usa for all to hear
hey guys...
just wanted to say i love yall and miss yall
feel free to come visit anytime:)
just wanted to say i love yall and miss yall
feel free to come visit anytime:)
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
So how yall doin?
Yo!
I just bought a ticket to Birmingham, reminding me, of course, of all the people I bought the ticket to see. Anyway, I guess just to give a short update, I'm living in NW DC in a pretty beautiful house with six other folks including my girlfriend Ali. It's been fun, but it started off a little rough doing the all-day-job-search thing for a few weeks straight. No good. So I decided to end all that craziness and just actually get a job, which has proven, so far, to be much more rewarding. I have decided to follow in the footsteps of my roommate of great acclaim, John Lambuth, and become a teacher. Of course, we're both taking the lead from Eric Remington who's way out in front with seeing the advantages of a job that only requires work 3/4 of the year. What a great idea.
So now I'm out at Osprey Point (that place on the bay where I lived last year), and I'm enjoying the stars, the quiet, the friends, the pool, and the hammock. I'll be here for a couple days working on some stuff and then head back into town to meet the guy whose car I hit (yes!) with a fatter check than I want to give anyone who's not doing something charitable with it (his car was 10 days old).
Ok, all that to say, I'll be in Birmingham on the 3rd, give me a call if you get bored!
I just bought a ticket to Birmingham, reminding me, of course, of all the people I bought the ticket to see. Anyway, I guess just to give a short update, I'm living in NW DC in a pretty beautiful house with six other folks including my girlfriend Ali. It's been fun, but it started off a little rough doing the all-day-job-search thing for a few weeks straight. No good. So I decided to end all that craziness and just actually get a job, which has proven, so far, to be much more rewarding. I have decided to follow in the footsteps of my roommate of great acclaim, John Lambuth, and become a teacher. Of course, we're both taking the lead from Eric Remington who's way out in front with seeing the advantages of a job that only requires work 3/4 of the year. What a great idea.
So now I'm out at Osprey Point (that place on the bay where I lived last year), and I'm enjoying the stars, the quiet, the friends, the pool, and the hammock. I'll be here for a couple days working on some stuff and then head back into town to meet the guy whose car I hit (yes!) with a fatter check than I want to give anyone who's not doing something charitable with it (his car was 10 days old).
Ok, all that to say, I'll be in Birmingham on the 3rd, give me a call if you get bored!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
It'sa nice...
Some might say it's summer update time. I don't really have much to say except... JEN CAME TO ETHIOPIA. That's about all. It was incredible, not going to lie. We dug wells, learned about fistulas, and made some new friends. Now, the guys gave Jen a new nickname which I feel could be carried back home- isaáti. It means fire. How appropriate. Miss you all! Much love!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Summer Update
Like the title says this is a summer update and my first update, ever.
I'm in Denver, CO right now on my week long vacation. Tomorrow my mom and brother are flying in and we are driving to Aspen until Saturday and then they are coming to the ranch with me until Tuesday.
For those of you who don't know I'm working at Young Life's Wilderness Ranch this summer in nowhere Colorado. Wilderness is a backpacking camp that is associated with Young Life but from what I've gathered is not much like other Young Life camps. I'm interning this summer, working at base camp, running the camp store, being the cabin hostess and cleaning toilets. I've picked up various skills such as working a cash register, folding t-shirts with perfection, being nice to people i don't like, plunging toilets, getting poop out of toilets that are too stopped up to plunge, reading, not reading books like The Shack and Irresistible Revolution, learning French, and working with old people, and playing with babies.
The ranch is in San Luis Valley where the highest form of technology is the Hobart. So besides the day trips I get to take once a week to town this is my first time in the real world. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying your summer. I'm gonna try to post some ranch pictures on my flickr page soon. Miss you guys, if you want to get in touch give me a call this week --850-341-0427 and if you want to send me mail its:
2000 Forest Service Rd. #521
Creede, CO 81130
Monday, June 23, 2008
SUMMER PROJECT*Calling all Birminghamians
Hey guys,
Keith and I went on a sweet trip to Philadelphia this weekend. More about that later. But on the way back we had a 4 hour layover in Nashville. (yes i am aware that it takes less time than that to drive from Nashville to Birmingham, which was slightly frustrating, but in a way we were captive to just relaxing, and that wasn't all bad.) To pass the time we picked up and issue of GOOD magazine, which, i recommend. In it, is a project that i think would be quite fun for us, calling readers to basically make a video promoting their hometown. the prize is a couple of roundtrip plane tickets, but really it would just be something fun to do together and celebrate our great city. anyone interested???
Keith and I went on a sweet trip to Philadelphia this weekend. More about that later. But on the way back we had a 4 hour layover in Nashville. (yes i am aware that it takes less time than that to drive from Nashville to Birmingham, which was slightly frustrating, but in a way we were captive to just relaxing, and that wasn't all bad.) To pass the time we picked up and issue of GOOD magazine, which, i recommend. In it, is a project that i think would be quite fun for us, calling readers to basically make a video promoting their hometown. the prize is a couple of roundtrip plane tickets, but really it would just be something fun to do together and celebrate our great city. anyone interested???
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
New Addition
Seeing as Kimberly/KP and I are now one flesh, I've decided to invite her to the blog. Not like she hasn't been reading it since it's creation anyway.
It was great to see everyone that came to the wedding. We almost had a whole house picture which was pretty sweet. Sadly, Mike and Andrew missed out on it. For those that weren't there, we missed you, but we're happy to report that everything was great. The honeymoon in San Diego was also pretty sweet. Definitely a nice break from the 90 degree weather with 90% humidity here.
KP is now an official Louisvillian and is trying to get our apartment settled while I'm working for the summer. My job has been pretty crazy the past few days. I'm doing research at a children's hospital and everything was going smoothly until I let it slip that I minored in Spanish. Yesterday I was going about my usual work day when one of the nurses I work with called me into her office to inform me that she had a lady on the phone who only spoke Spanish and that it was my job to tell her about our study and to set up an appointment for her to come to the office. Despite my protests, I found myself holding the phone and listening to a seeminlgy endless trail of words that I didn't understand coming from the other end. Miraculously, I was able to remember a few words and managed to set up an appointment for her. Since then I have become the official Spanish speaker in the office and have had several more Spanish phone conversations. I'm beginning to remember more of it though, and the past few phone conversations have actually been pretty smooth. So yeah, can't say I was planning on a refresher course in Spanish through my job this summer, but that's what I'm getting.
Anyway, so far marriage is great. I recommend it.
Here's the picture of the house from the wedding...we'll post more pictures on facebook soon.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Address Update Time
It's summer in the Northern Hemisphere, which is a convenient time to update our address spreadsheet. Many of you probably forgot we even had an address spreadsheet, which only proves that you aren't writing enough letters. You can find the spreadsheet on Google Docs. Anyone can edit it, even without a Google account. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Edit the Page." If that's too much trouble, write your updated address, cell phone, email, etc. in a comment on this post.
The following people definitely need to update their addresses:
So, help a brother out and tell me where you are. Keep it real. Keep it local.
Pat
The following people definitely need to update their addresses:
- Dwight Castle
- Emily Bourke
- Josh Bradford
- Erin Eades
- Parks Gettys
- John Lambuth
- Nick Pritchard
- Brian Sharon
- Lee Wright
So, help a brother out and tell me where you are. Keep it real. Keep it local.
Pat
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Straw Sighting!!
Look what I found! I stumbled upon the blog of a friend of mine, who is also in Ethiopia with Kristen. As i looked through her pictures I uncovered this beautiful face, and I knew you guys would want a glimpse. Kristen, I hope you dont mind :)
there are more, you should check it out. It made me happy. (I don't know why this is still a link.)
there are more, you should check it out. It made me happy. (I don't know why this is still a link.)Monday, June 2, 2008
bush, dobson, and seacrest
Sometimes I wonder where I live. I know my address says KL. Last time I looked at the map KL was about as far as you can get from my sweet home Alabama. If you go any further, you're going home. However, there are little things that remind me of home; things that I never expected to find half-way around the world.
G Dub. Now I realize that Bush is recognized outside of the U.S. and his decisions can effect people globally. But I never realized how much people around the world cared. Until I saw the billboard. I wish I had a picture to show you. It has more to do with the upcoming election than with GW. It had a big picture of Hilary and Obama and a small pic of McCain. It read, "Who will sweep up the mess Bush has left for us?" People here know more about U.S. politics than I even care to know (I realize that I need to know more and car more; I'm working on this...mainly so I can keep up with the q's I get asked by people here). This makes me feel that I am back in my high school AP History class where we had to compare the presidential candidates for the upcoming elections.
James Dobson. A well recognized radio host and founder of Focus on the Family. In Colorado. I thought the continental US was as far as his reach went. Or maybe just the Bible belt. Then I heard the clip. In the Giant Supermarket (that's the name of the supermarket. it's medium sized.). As I was browsing for my favorite type of cereal, I heard, "And now a message from James Dobson, your family man." James proceeded to give practical advice about how to raise children in a healthy environment...something about giving them boundaries. I frequent this store almost once a week (I really like my cereal) and I hear a different clip from Dobson every time I'm in the store. Who knew CO could broadcast so far?
Ryan Seacrest. I have a TV. I don't have cable. I get 5 channels: 2 are usually in some chinese dialect (with bahasa subtitles); 1 in bahasa (with chinese subtitles; 1 in tamil (with bahasa subtitles); 1 is sometimes in English (with bahasa subtitles). For the first time in my life, I faithfully watched the final month of American Idol. I was a David Cook fan. But this isn't the kicker. On the radio every weekend I hear America's Top 40 with host Ryan Seacrest. This is the popular music here. I haven't found any stations that broadcast Mal. Top 40.
But they do have So You Think You Can Dance?, Mal. style. I guess I'm not in America after all.
side note: thanks for the bday cards and gifts! it was hard to beat the memory lane bday but it was a great bday!
G Dub. Now I realize that Bush is recognized outside of the U.S. and his decisions can effect people globally. But I never realized how much people around the world cared. Until I saw the billboard. I wish I had a picture to show you. It has more to do with the upcoming election than with GW. It had a big picture of Hilary and Obama and a small pic of McCain. It read, "Who will sweep up the mess Bush has left for us?" People here know more about U.S. politics than I even care to know (I realize that I need to know more and car more; I'm working on this...mainly so I can keep up with the q's I get asked by people here). This makes me feel that I am back in my high school AP History class where we had to compare the presidential candidates for the upcoming elections.
James Dobson. A well recognized radio host and founder of Focus on the Family. In Colorado. I thought the continental US was as far as his reach went. Or maybe just the Bible belt. Then I heard the clip. In the Giant Supermarket (that's the name of the supermarket. it's medium sized.). As I was browsing for my favorite type of cereal, I heard, "And now a message from James Dobson, your family man." James proceeded to give practical advice about how to raise children in a healthy environment...something about giving them boundaries. I frequent this store almost once a week (I really like my cereal) and I hear a different clip from Dobson every time I'm in the store. Who knew CO could broadcast so far?
Ryan Seacrest. I have a TV. I don't have cable. I get 5 channels: 2 are usually in some chinese dialect (with bahasa subtitles); 1 in bahasa (with chinese subtitles; 1 in tamil (with bahasa subtitles); 1 is sometimes in English (with bahasa subtitles). For the first time in my life, I faithfully watched the final month of American Idol. I was a David Cook fan. But this isn't the kicker. On the radio every weekend I hear America's Top 40 with host Ryan Seacrest. This is the popular music here. I haven't found any stations that broadcast Mal. Top 40.
But they do have So You Think You Can Dance?, Mal. style. I guess I'm not in America after all.
side note: thanks for the bday cards and gifts! it was hard to beat the memory lane bday but it was a great bday!
The Sandman Motel
First, I must send my apologies out to any & everyone who is used to me being a good friend and keeping in great contact during the summer time. I do believe that this summer is certain to be the busiest, hardest, most stretching, perhaps most rewarding summer of my life.
I'm down in Ft. Walton on Beach Project with Campus Outreach, where I've been for the past two weeks and will be for about nine more. My job, as "team leader," is essentially to oversee my "team," consisting of three room leaders and their nine "disciples." Needless to say that being made to pray for, think for, and plan for all of these people has been quite draining, but God has been faithful thus far to continue to fill me up.
I miss you guys pretty terribly. I'm glad that I'm being made to be so much more intentional down here, because I think it'll help me be that way when I get home. Community needs intentionality or it denigrates to something wholly less beneficial for all. I wish I could be there with you guys, too, or- better yet- bring you here (at least for a time), so we could all be made to grow closer together and closer to the cross. I wish I had been there when Erin got home...
Two guys on my team that you can pray for: Brian Dunn, a self-declared agnostic who has tried to kill himself twice and is beginning to see how God is grabbing a hold of him, and Jared Salmon, a sophomore Sigma Nu who realized, I think yesterday, that he doesn't really have a relationship with God.
Less sad note about being here: Yesterday, I missed TWO ex-girlfriend weddings. Hurrah.
Write me! Matt Francisco, SBP 1
480 Santa Rosa Blvd.
Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32548
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