As I am watching SEC football and trying not to work (not as easy as it sounds when you work from home), I figured I would take some time to write about how amazing my recent trip to the City was.
Highlight #1: Seeing Dr. Wright. I hadn't seen Jaime in 15 years, and seeing her again was the best. We rode the subway, dined Italian, walked the City streets. It was a better visit than I could have hoped for and completely reinvigorating and eye opening. Totally what I needed.
#2: Web 2.0 Expo. This is the reason that I ended up in NYC, and it was totally worth the trip. Most of the sessions that I attended were very well done, full of useful and practical information, and chill on a very socially destratifying plain. Paramount to the sessions, however, was Tim O'Reilly's keynote speech. It was humbling, yet inspiring; statistics-driven, yet open-ended; honest, yet unpretentious. This was my first time hearing Tim speak, and I was very impressed. In addition, I had a great meeting with the threepress.org. I can only use the words "inspiring", "amazing", etc. so many times in one post, but she was all of these and more.
#3: Flynn. For those who know, enough said. F-Club Flynn.
#4: Mood. My only real priority when touching down in NYC was to get to Mood. And it was awesome. I bought a yard of fabric and five buttons. Random, sure, but I've been to Mood, and that means that I rock.
#5: the City. I had never been to NYC before and was quite intimidated the morning of my trip. However, I have to say that the people were friendly, the weather was amazing, and the coffee was dark. What more could you ask for? Well, I guess I could've asked for someone to whisk me off the street and beg me to record a platinum-selling album, but I guess I have a better shot at that happening here in Nashville (and that shot sits at 0% as of today).
All-in-all, a very successful trip, which has led to a pretty boring post. Sorry about that. I know that stories of almost-muggings or walking into the Amazing Race would have livened things up, but it just didn't happen. I visited, I learned, I was inspired, and I survived.
Stay tuned, however; there might be an amazing end to this story yet...
shanti,
mjh
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
comments and answers
to answer:
1) the old pictures did not scare me off, though they could have. that's some scary stuff.
2) yes, chicken is divine. thanks for pointing that out, anon.
3) my daughter thinks i'm funny, though she is only 20 months old. great age for trying out new material.
4) i'm not quitting the blog...again.
truthfully, i have been working 60+ hours a week, and trying to be a good husband, father, neighbor, friend, etc. Proximity still wins out, and something had to go. I'll likely be back on Facebook around 1/09, once my work eases up a bit, and I look forward to seeing what groups are still active, what pictures have been posted, who has popped up or disappeared.
In the meantime, I have a handful of topics to discuss (more magazine stuff, my NYC trip, more S_L_A_P_P_E_D talk, etc.) and things to virtually work out here on the blog. It is nice to only have one thing on that pesky back-of-my-mind to-do list.
shanti,
mjh
1) the old pictures did not scare me off, though they could have. that's some scary stuff.
2) yes, chicken is divine. thanks for pointing that out, anon.
3) my daughter thinks i'm funny, though she is only 20 months old. great age for trying out new material.
4) i'm not quitting the blog...again.
truthfully, i have been working 60+ hours a week, and trying to be a good husband, father, neighbor, friend, etc. Proximity still wins out, and something had to go. I'll likely be back on Facebook around 1/09, once my work eases up a bit, and I look forward to seeing what groups are still active, what pictures have been posted, who has popped up or disappeared.
In the meantime, I have a handful of topics to discuss (more magazine stuff, my NYC trip, more S_L_A_P_P_E_D talk, etc.) and things to virtually work out here on the blog. It is nice to only have one thing on that pesky back-of-my-mind to-do list.
shanti,
mjh
Friday, September 19, 2008
it's all about time
Yes, I have once again quit myspace and facebook. Disconnection feels kinda nice. I will probably be back someday, but, since I have shown my fear of commitment more than once, just know that I will probably be gone someday as well. Such is life, I guess.
shanti,
mjh
shanti,
mjh
Monday, September 15, 2008
NYC-bound
So, I am heading to "the City" tomorrow to attend the Web 2.0 expo. Just wanted to brag. Oh, and I am meeting up with Jaime. Yah, that's two brags in one post.
shanti,
mjh
shanti,
mjh
Monday, September 8, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
S_L_A_P_P_E_D
I was slapped yesterday morning on a quick road trip up to Louisville. I was just putting up the interstate, listening to a 12-part lecture series on C.S. Lewis. Now, I expected to be enlightened, entertained, and perhaps floored by this collection; after all, few people take Lewis lightly. The slap, however, was unexpected. It was either cosmic or divine, or perhaps a momentary spiritual manifestation of self-awareness, clarity, and the need to define, redefine, and center. In any case, it's still on my mind (and now will be on yours. tag.).
"Who am I" -- Zoolander
I have forever been a seeker. Anyone who knows me understands that for many years I have sought God, the Truth, and how those two interact, intertwine, and interrupt the human experience. More than a hobby, it has been a lifestyle, continually thinking, reading, asking, listening, questioning, being, understanding, non-, believing, non-, etc. I wrap it all up in a simple self-label: "I am a seeker of the Truth". (*side note* in rereading this post, that statement is not sitting with me very well; it somehow comes across as grandiose and self-important. I mean it neither way; I am no knight, destined for a quest that none else understands. It is likely that every one of you reading this post are "seekers of the Truth"; however, self-defining is necessarily self-pointing and -centered. Please take it the least self-aggrandizing way possible. Since I have rudely interrupted myself, here is the statement again for continuity's sake: "I am a seeker of the Truth" *second side note* Ugh. It still doesn't sit well with me. How about this: "I have always thought of myself as a seeker of the Truth" or "I always try to seek the Truth"? Ugh. Nevermind.) However, the geography (for lack of a better term) of that statement has been called into question...and here comes the slap...
Am I a "seeker of the Truth" or am I a "Seeker of the Truth"? The devil is always in the details, and in this case the details lie in the capitalization. Am I a "seeker" or a "Seeker"?
In other words, is the act of seeking the means to the greater Truth end, or is the act of seeking concurrently and actually the means and the end? Am I divinely viewed as a seeker after the Truth, or just a Seeker comfortable in his seeking, defined by his seeking, forever-engaged in the act of seeking?
There are hunters who hunt for food, clothing, material, etc., and there are Hunters who hunt for hunting's sake. Seeking seems no different. Is it the finish line or the journey that we seek, the take or the act? And the can't-ignore follow-up question, "Is it ok to be a capital-S Seeker?"
Jesus told his disciples, "Seek and you shall find" (Matthew 7:7, Luke 11:9), and herein lies slap #2. It is inferred that the Divine honors seeking as a means, but there is no inference here that seeking as an end is honorable. If ones seeks to seek and not to find, what progress has been made, what good comes from it? Jesus posits that God will honor and fulfill the true seeker when searching for Him; perhaps I have taken my focus off of the Truth I claim to be seeking and have instead elevated the act of seeking to its place.
"God?" -- Zoolander
which leads to slap #3. What would I do if I found? Lewis tells the story of two boys playing cops-and-robbers in their attic. Excitement fills the place, they prepare and train with their sticks, as they plan and pretend to fight off the bad guys. Then there is a footstep. They cower.
Fear sets in. Suddenly the concept they have been playing with becomes very real, and they are afraid. What would I do if I found? Is it the Truth I am interested in, or am I more interested in just some truth (yah, we're back to the capitilization thing).
The three questions:
1) Am I a seeker or a Seeker? of Truth or of truth?
2) If a Seeker, what non-self-centered benefits come from it?
3) If a seeker, am I ready to find?
As of right now, the answers are 1) S 2) none 3) maybe I'll know if I ever become one.
"What's the dealio, yo?" -- again, Zoolander
So, now you know I have been slapped. It's good to be slapped on occasion; perhaps it will alter my spiritual complexion.
shanti,
mjh
FYI: feel free to comment (just click that little comment link down there). we all need company and conversation out in this blogosphere. but no pressure. I wouldn't know what to say either.
"Who am I" -- Zoolander
I have forever been a seeker. Anyone who knows me understands that for many years I have sought God, the Truth, and how those two interact, intertwine, and interrupt the human experience. More than a hobby, it has been a lifestyle, continually thinking, reading, asking, listening, questioning, being, understanding, non-, believing, non-, etc. I wrap it all up in a simple self-label: "I am a seeker of the Truth". (*side note* in rereading this post, that statement is not sitting with me very well; it somehow comes across as grandiose and self-important. I mean it neither way; I am no knight, destined for a quest that none else understands. It is likely that every one of you reading this post are "seekers of the Truth"; however, self-defining is necessarily self-pointing and -centered. Please take it the least self-aggrandizing way possible. Since I have rudely interrupted myself, here is the statement again for continuity's sake: "I am a seeker of the Truth" *second side note* Ugh. It still doesn't sit well with me. How about this: "I have always thought of myself as a seeker of the Truth" or "I always try to seek the Truth"? Ugh. Nevermind.) However, the geography (for lack of a better term) of that statement has been called into question...and here comes the slap...
Am I a "seeker of the Truth" or am I a "Seeker of the Truth"? The devil is always in the details, and in this case the details lie in the capitalization. Am I a "seeker" or a "Seeker"?
In other words, is the act of seeking the means to the greater Truth end, or is the act of seeking concurrently and actually the means and the end? Am I divinely viewed as a seeker after the Truth, or just a Seeker comfortable in his seeking, defined by his seeking, forever-engaged in the act of seeking?
There are hunters who hunt for food, clothing, material, etc., and there are Hunters who hunt for hunting's sake. Seeking seems no different. Is it the finish line or the journey that we seek, the take or the act? And the can't-ignore follow-up question, "Is it ok to be a capital-S Seeker?"
Jesus told his disciples, "Seek and you shall find" (Matthew 7:7, Luke 11:9), and herein lies slap #2. It is inferred that the Divine honors seeking as a means, but there is no inference here that seeking as an end is honorable. If ones seeks to seek and not to find, what progress has been made, what good comes from it? Jesus posits that God will honor and fulfill the true seeker when searching for Him; perhaps I have taken my focus off of the Truth I claim to be seeking and have instead elevated the act of seeking to its place.
"God?" -- Zoolander
which leads to slap #3. What would I do if I found? Lewis tells the story of two boys playing cops-and-robbers in their attic. Excitement fills the place, they prepare and train with their sticks, as they plan and pretend to fight off the bad guys. Then there is a footstep. They cower.
Fear sets in. Suddenly the concept they have been playing with becomes very real, and they are afraid. What would I do if I found? Is it the Truth I am interested in, or am I more interested in just some truth (yah, we're back to the capitilization thing).
The three questions:
1) Am I a seeker or a Seeker? of Truth or of truth?
2) If a Seeker, what non-self-centered benefits come from it?
3) If a seeker, am I ready to find?
As of right now, the answers are 1) S 2) none 3) maybe I'll know if I ever become one.
"What's the dealio, yo?" -- again, Zoolander
So, now you know I have been slapped. It's good to be slapped on occasion; perhaps it will alter my spiritual complexion.
shanti,
mjh
FYI: feel free to comment (just click that little comment link down there). we all need company and conversation out in this blogosphere. but no pressure. I wouldn't know what to say either.
Friday, September 5, 2008
February
I can't remember if I have posted these lyrics before or not, but do yourself a slight favor and take some time to enjoy them. You might find them blue; you might find them real; you might find them open; regardless, you could be better by finding them:
"February" by Dar Williams
I threw your keys in the water, I looked back
They'd frozen halfway down in the ice
They froze up so quickly, the keys and their owners,
Even after the anger, it all turned silent, and
The everyday turned solitary,
So we came to February.
First we forgot where we'd planted those bulbs last year,
Then we forgot that we'd planted at all
Then we forgot what plants are altogether
And I blamed you for my freezing and forgetting and
The nights were long and cold and scary
Can we live through February?
You know I think Christmas was a long red glare,
Shot up like a warning, we gave presents without cards,
And then the snow,
And then the snow came, we were always out shoveling,
And we'd drop to sleep exhausted,
Then we'd wake up, and it's snowing.
And February was so long that it lasted into March
And found us walking a path alone together.
You stopped and pointed and you said, "That's a crocus,"
And I said, "What's a crocus?" and you said, "It's a flower,"
I tried to remember, but I said, "What's a flower?"
You said, "I still love you."
The leaves were turning as we drove to the hardware store,
My new lover made me keys to the house.
And when we got home, well we just started chopping wood,
Because you never know how next year will be,
And we'll gather all our arms can carry,
I have lost to February.
"February" by Dar Williams
I threw your keys in the water, I looked back
They'd frozen halfway down in the ice
They froze up so quickly, the keys and their owners,
Even after the anger, it all turned silent, and
The everyday turned solitary,
So we came to February.
First we forgot where we'd planted those bulbs last year,
Then we forgot that we'd planted at all
Then we forgot what plants are altogether
And I blamed you for my freezing and forgetting and
The nights were long and cold and scary
Can we live through February?
You know I think Christmas was a long red glare,
Shot up like a warning, we gave presents without cards,
And then the snow,
And then the snow came, we were always out shoveling,
And we'd drop to sleep exhausted,
Then we'd wake up, and it's snowing.
And February was so long that it lasted into March
And found us walking a path alone together.
You stopped and pointed and you said, "That's a crocus,"
And I said, "What's a crocus?" and you said, "It's a flower,"
I tried to remember, but I said, "What's a flower?"
You said, "I still love you."
The leaves were turning as we drove to the hardware store,
My new lover made me keys to the house.
And when we got home, well we just started chopping wood,
Because you never know how next year will be,
And we'll gather all our arms can carry,
I have lost to February.
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