A Scottish-Irish-Canadian Elf

Je Desire une Constant

2007-09-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

A-Frayed Not

2007-08-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

One brief respite from the cacophonous maelstrom of impunitious happenitutes…a single moment to catch half a breath…and back into the fray.

2007-08-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

It will be mine...oh, yes, it will be mine.

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid

2007-07-26T09:25:00.000-07:00

Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid...

Deafening Silence

2007-07-04T12:12:00.000-07:00

WARNING: Some readers may find the following to be very obscure and/or obfuscated. Those with little or no creativity in their souls may wish to pass over this post and read something about how to make more money.

When was the last time you got out of the city and found some wilderness (whatever that may look like for you...RV with full satellite, campground with showers and toilets, or naked in a lean-to with some minty dental floss and a plastic spoon (that's right, not a spork, but a spoon!))? I was in Willmore (just north of Jasper) this past weekend and spent some much needed time laying by a river, doing nothing. I was struck by the sound of the silence. Even with the sounds of the river rushing beside me, birds singing, and the wind there was an undercurrent of pure silence. This is something you just can't find in the city or even in small towns. If you haven't taken time to get out and listen to the silence I suggest you drop what you're doing right now and go!

Excuses, Excuses

2007-06-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick post to say why I haven't posted much lately, a trend which will most likely continue for a while. Life's been very busy lately with a church garage sale and 2 bbqs, still unpacking, training at work, etc.

Looking forward to getting out to the mountains this weekend and will try to post more next week.

Out.

Sweet Jet-lag Is Mine

2007-06-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

I have been informed that jet-lag is supposed to be easier on the way home. This is a cruel lie and all who uphold it should die slow and painful deaths! I thought I had overcome the beast with one good night's sleep, but alas I awoke this morning ready to face the day only to realize that it was 4am and no amount of counting the non-existant dots on the ceiling could remedy the situation.

In some ways it's good to be back, and not so in others. It's good to have a familiar bed (one that has no direct ties to the concrete family) and seeing friends again is nice. But I am finding it difficult to adjust to the NA lifestyle again (and I was only gone a month). After traipsing about China with naught but a single backpack it's hard to ease back into a life filled with cars that need to be fueled, houses that need to be filled with junk, and lattes that need to be expertly slung. Some days a random house fire looks pretty good...

Pingyao to Beijing to Hong Kong

2007-05-28T20:03:00.000-07:00

After the overly touristed small town of Pingyao we caught a 2 hour bus to Taiyuan to catch the 6 hour bus to Beijing. Another shock of a contrast moving from small town to a city of 13 million. We stayed in a true hostel in dorm beds and noisy revellers to all hours of the night. Hurrah for ear plugs.

We went to Tiananmen Square to the first day and walked around the gardens. After a short nap at the hostel we went to check our the famous Silk Market. Wow! I never knew that 'Hello' actually meant 'come in and buy some plastic crap.' With shouts of 'special price', 'cheaper for you', and 'looky, looky' and people actually grabbing us and pulling us into the stalls it was quite fun. It's so hard for us westerners to get used to the haggling scene. We're used to paying the price we see on the tag. Here everything starts at about 10 times what it's actually worth and you work it down to the almost-not-getting-ripped-off price. I bought a shirt that started out at 800 kwai and ended up at 80. We also checked out the Pearl market, which is bigger and a little less pushy.

The second day we went to the Secret Great Wall, a tour through the hostel which visits an untouristed part of the Wall where the is almost no restoration. It was pretty cool to see how some parts have lasted so long and others have gone almost entirely back to nature.

No trip to Beijing would be complete without some Peking Duck so of course we had it 3 nights in a row. One of those nights was with my cousin Sarah who is teaching English in Beijing. We went to a very posh restaurant (at least compared to the fare we ate as backpackers) complete with the drunk French table who sang the entire night through.

The last day was reserved for the Forbidden City, whcih was definitely a highlight. Sadly, they're doing a lot of renos on some of the major buildings for the Olympics so they were all covered over. It was still an amazing sight. One more meal of duck and we caught our train back to Hong Kong (making it by only 3 minutes).

Now we're back to 30+ and 80% humidity for the next 3 days to recoop before we head back for home. More pictures are to come, but this will be the last post before we get home.

Xi'an to Pingyao

2007-05-22T02:37:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of postage. There was lots to see and do in Xi'an and lack of time to blog. We saw the Terracotta warriors the first day to avoid the crowds of the weekend and spent the rest of the time exploring the city. Erika and I had our anniversary and spent the day by ourselves exploring the bell tower and drum tower and shopping in the Muslim Quarter. The weather was somewhat hot you might say. The forcast was for 38, but it only got to 36 then 35 the next day and 33 and 35 the next two! I remind you that this is still May and not the middle of summer. At least Xi'an is inland so it's a dry heat and bottles of water are mercifully cheap (1 kwai if you look, 2 or 3 otherwise).

From Xi'an we boarded a train to Datong, which we thought was 6 hours (noon to 6pm), but was actually noon to 6am the next morning. Since we bought the hard seat tickets and not the sleepers we decided to get off early at Pingyao, a place we thought about checking out anyway. We got here at about 10pm and jumped on a rickshaw after much haggling to wind through narrow alleys and the ancient Ming wall which surrounds the town of 40000. Our fears of possibly being robbed on this tour through the dark were alleviated when we ended up at a lovely guesthouse with hosts who speak fluent English and had a suite for 6 available.

The weather finally broke with rain last night and sprinkling through the day. A little bit of shopping and some engagement photos of the newly betrothed couple have lead to a nice relaxing day in the now insanely overtouristed town. Pingyao used to be a very rich financial center 200 years ago and then fell upon hard times, which has left it almost unchanged over the intervening decades. Supposedly the last complete Ming wall, cobbled streets, and quaint shops along the main drag all lead to a feeling of stepping back in time.

From here its an adventure of trying to secure passage to Beijing, the last stop on our trip before returning to Hong Kong for a pre-return-trip rest.

What A Contrast

2007-05-15T02:28:00.000-07:00

After visiting the most poluted city in the world (which wasn't all that bad because it rained a bit while we were there) we tool a 3 hour bus to Linxia where we were most definitely among the minority. Apparently there are 150 mosques 120 temples and 1 church and almost no reason for westerners to go there (other than to see a place that is so lopsided in the religious department). It's amazing having people stop on the street to turn and stare at you as you walk.

Another 3 hour bus to Xiahe placed us in a whole other world. This is a Tibetan monastery town (one of the biggest outside Tibet) and filled with tourists, Chinese, and monks alike. Seeing monks in full robes talking on cell phones and listening to the latest Chinese hip hop through ear buds is quite something. We also went outside the town to the Sangke grasslands, where we rode some very small Chinese horses and had milk tea and yoghurt. We ended up paying way more than we should have, but once we converted it to cnd$ we realized that it still only cost us about $8 for the taxi, horses, and food...not so bad. We did a little bartering, which was quite fun. I think I managed to work the prices down to the almost-not-getting-ripped-off stage.

Next it's back to Lanzhou for a little shopping with someone who knows how not to get scammed and an overnight train to Xian.

I've posted all my pics up to today on the old flickr account so nimen kan kan (have a look).

Hello From Lanzhou

2007-05-09T22:12:00.000-07:00

I'll try to write this quickly on my defunct keyboard (made in Canada no doubt!). We made it to Hong Kong after our sweet 14 hour flight (just getting over the jet lag now). We made it through customs without a problem and met up with good old Mack, who was holding up a cardboard sign with our name on it, just in case we couldn't pick his pasty white, 6'4" self out of the crowd of 5' asians.

I've never felt so much like a sheep in my life after following blindly as Keith led us from one bus to another, down streets, through shops, etc. He knows HK pretty well so we just let him work his magic and will try to make up by leading some of the rest of China. We stayed at the WYAM base, which at least had AC as it was around 30C and 199% humidity (give or take) and was cheaper than anywhere else in HK at $70 a night (that's HK dollars - equivalent to $10). We got to partake in their morning worship service, which was a great way to start the trip.

Had some sweet BBQ pork and mango juice the next day and did some shopping for odds and ends. HK is pretty managable since englich is everywhere and most people speak it too. We will be spending more time here on our way back so picture taking was minimal.

We barely caught our bus to cross the border into China and took a flight to Lanzhou, which is very central China and about 2.5 mil. The Lonely Planet guide says about Lanzhou not to spend more than a day here if not absolutely necessary. Good thing we plan to visit the surrounding towns as Lanzhou is pretty plain. We met our 'host' who showed us our hotel ($14 a night, which Mack still sees as expensive compared to the rest of SE Asia) and took us for dinner. We plan to go with he and his wife to visit a Muslim town and a Bhuddist one later.

Today we bought some mangoes (they'll nevwer taste the same back home) and dragonfruit. I think I managed to pull off the transaction without getting too ripped off. For luch we had noodles for 3 kwai (about $0.40!).

It's quite fun being the center of attention everywhere you go. It's also interesting when someone tries speaking English with you. Where we had noodles today I talked with a lady who knew a little English and I tried responding with my little bit of Chinese. It was great!

The atmosphere of Lanzhou is much more laid back than that of HK and I can't wait to experience small town life in Linxia, where we plan to go tomorrow.

I think that's all I can think of for now and I don't want to waste time as it costs a whole 3 kwai for an hour of time here (again about $0.40 for an hour!!!). I forgot to bring my camera with me to the internet place, but I will bring it next time and have pictures of Linxia and the rest of the trip thus far.

I'll probably post again over the weekend so until then...

Zaijian!

2007-05-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

I can't honestly say I've ever had a busier week. What with moving over 2 days, throwing my back out, cleaning up my roommates' mess, driving to Calgary to pick up visas, cleaning more roommates' mess, packing for trip, last-minute shopping for trip, getting sick, attempting to unpack from the move and set up some semblance of life in the new place, and meeting everyone who wants to see us before we go I think I ate once or twice...maybe, but I can't remember. And it's only Friday...but Sunday's a comin!

Just like all other well-intentioned people I will attempt to blog and post pictures throughout my trip, but no promises. I will promise to get all pictures up on Flickr...eventually.

Zaijian!!!

Shameless Plug

2007-04-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

I'm looking for anyone interested in trying out a career in the illustrious Domicile Transposition field of engineering this Saturday. If you are interested in said opportunity please contact me and I will give you the address and time. Or at the very least there will be a hotdog roast afterwards so you can come and see the results of the days mov...uh, engineering efforts.

Spring Forward, Fall Back

2007-04-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

I'm either amazingly far ahead or desperately behind. It's hard to tell which and that's just fine with me. 2 weeks until we leave for China and we still have to get visas, plane tickets from Hong Kong to Lanzhou, pack our house to move, refinish the flooring in the new house, solve world hunger, move, unpack, pack for China. So not that much really. I think I just answered my question.

Count Your Blessings

2007-04-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

All right, we all get it! The weather in Alberta is crazy, do we have to keep being reminded of this? Poor Gregorious is itching to get out on the roads and I hate disappointing him.

In less bitter news I'm constantly amazed at how God blesses us. Sometimes it's hard to find those blessings, but I find that it's more my own attitude that makes it difficult rather then an exact lack of blessing. I can easily look at a bill that turns out to be smaller than I expected and not see it as a blessing or I can just as easily see the Hand of He who loves me in the smallest of things. After all, without it I can't take a single breath.

Finally...

2007-03-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

I finally got stabbed! After 3 unsuccessful attempts last week I have my first of 4 total shots for Twinrix. Let me explain...no there is too much. Let me sum up:

When I was 1 I had a reaction to a measles vaccine and they thought I was allergic to nyomicen, one of its components. So for the past 25 years I have told doctors that I have this allergy. Fortunately, they don't use it in anything anymore so I've been fine. Or so I thought. Of course, the Twinrix vaccine has traces of the stuff in it. Thus, I spent many hours waiting for appointments to test for an allergy to the vaccine only to find out that I'm not allergic at all. All my life I've lived in abject fear for nothing?! Okay, not quite. At any rate I am well on my way to hepatitis pretectivity and one step closer to China.

And it's almost time for motorcycles again!!!

Muttart

2007-03-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

What could be more fun than doing your taxes on your birthday? But they needed to be done and the time was there so... Luckily they were quick and the return will help nicely with the upcoming trip to China.

Yes, the actual birthday was mostly running around, what with my actual celebration being on Thursday. My family came up on Sunday and we went to the Muttart Conservatory. It's weird how when you live in a city you don't go to the attractions for which that city is noted. Anyway, the pics are freshly loaded to my flickr (I know they've been few and far between, but I hope to change that).

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

2007-03-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

Spoken in 12 year old school who has just won entry into the Little Miss Sunshine Pageant. I can't believe it! The most amazing thing in the world has occurred and I have lived to tell of its glory. I mean this is so life-alteringly bodacious (tangent: did you know that bodacious isn't a word that Blogger recognizes and suggests 'bodices' as the only possible alternative...who knew?!), so Earth-shakingly triumphant, so back-stabbingly malignant that I can hardly contain my malfeasance!...

...That's right! They have come out with CURRY POTATO CHIPS!!!

I reiterate - Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

One Year Older And Closer To Death

2007-03-13T12:58:00.001-07:00

Soon to be upon us is the one time of year when everyone pretends to be Irish just for the perks - namely the green beer and the pinching. For me, of course, it is also a reminder that I am dying. Yes, the doctors give me only another 50-60 years, barring any unforeseen occurrences. I know it's tragic, but I have comes to terms with it.

Thinking about birthdays is a funny thing. When you're young it's all about the presents or the party. Kids lose sleep over what they're going to get or whose going to be at their bash. When you're older you just hope that you have some really good friends and loved ones to spend some time with. When you're even older you just hope that people remember your birthday at all (or remember to forget depending on your surliness quotient). When you're older than that you just hope that you remember your own birthday. And when you're really, really old you just hope that All Bran doesn't ever go out of style or that they would at least make it into a liquid version (mmmmmmm.....).

Note To Self...

2007-03-02T09:05:00.000-08:00

...here 'self' refers not only to myself, but in fact to every other self out there (even as you read this in you own head you can apply the 'my' to yourself, which introduces the complication of figuring out who this 'yourself' person is - if 'my' is now you then does 'you' become me?)

At any rate you can, in confidence, add pre-fermented beer to the list of things that are not pleasant when burned on a stove (and I suspect you could also add the post-fermented variety as well, but you may want to do some studies of your own first).

Whose Line Is It Anyway?

2007-02-22T13:06:00.000-08:00

So I stood in line for 5 hours today to receive a piece of paper. Of course that piece of paper says that my passport is being processed and sent in a month, but I still feel a little ripped off. Both Erika and I left feeling like we had forgotten something after bringing in our paperwork, photos, id, etc. and coming away with almost nothing.

Standing in a line for multiple hours is a weird experience. I don't think it's something that comes naturally to us at all. You are forced to stand still (interrupted by glorious seconds of movement) and do...nothing. Staring at your surroundings is great fun, but can only keep you enraptured for so long. So what do you do? Well, if you were smart you brought a book, or music, or UltraMegaSupraDeathalonic Sudoku. If you weren't you count the number of bricks in the wall and attempt to figure out how to make them fall on everyone in front of you.

You also form somewhat of a bond with you linemates. You share the common bonds of annoyance and frustration. Frustration at the fact that you got up early to get here and still have 5 hours of waiting. Annoyance at the baby that is inevitably right behind you and sounds like a sheep when it cries. But you help each other out - patiently holding their place in line if they have to duck out, making snide comments about others in line (and sheep baby of course), kicking them lovingly in the face when they've fallen asleep and the line is starting to move.

Then there's the tension just before you get to the front. Did I fill in everything correctly? Do I look like a terrorist in my photo? And then...MORE WAITING!!! Yay! Now we get to sit for 1.5 hours listening to people complain about the slow process, trying to figure out just whose fault it is and why they don't get preferential treatment like everyone else (note the inherent irony...sweet, sweet irony).

And now back to the real world.

Rant Alert

2007-02-21T15:11:00.000-08:00

No post for a bit and here comes a rant...deal with it.

After 2.5 years of working in a cafe I still am unable to decode the mysteries of tipping in the average human psyche. I've tried to figure out why some people come in for a few minutes, don't ask anything of me and are completely pleasant, and then leave a large tip at the end while others spend come in, spend hours on a computer, ask a hundred questions, order 17 drinks, are rude about everything and leave nothing! One guy today came to pay and spent 2 minutes counting out change for his tab (okay, doesn't sound like much, but think about standing still for 2 minutes watching someone laboriously count metal disks while you need to be doing 10 other things). Then, out of his TWO handfuls of change he takes the one remaining penny and drops it into my tip jar! What does that say?

I'm not spending anymore time trying to figure this out

I'll Give You A Topic

2007-02-12T19:52:00.000-08:00

"Doctrine is a wonderful servant and a horrible master"...discuss.

Oh, Fork Goodness Sake!

2007-02-07T15:07:00.000-08:00

Ah yes, another of the great crossroads of life. Once again I find myself faced with two distinct paths. One involves living and ministering in a completely foreign culture and all the excitements and trials that go with it. The other, staying here in a familiar (although still somehow foreign...) culture, which some say is the most difficult mission field there is. I honestly feel that this is a time where God has placed these two options before me and assured me that both are equally valuable (although in entirely different ways). In some ways it's comforting to know that I can't screw up too badly either way, but it's also difficult to choose.

On one hand I long to go to a place where people are crying out for spiritual fulfillment and to show them how Jesus is that. On the other, I am coming to realize more and more the nature of the mission field right here - a world where Christianity is known all too well and is not on good terms with most people. Maybe I'll just stay here long enough to fix all the problems here first and then I'll move on to other countries...

Cain't Git No Betta!

2007-02-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

Here I sit getting paid to blog while the new lackey does all the work...and it's completely legit because I'm 'training' him. How sweet it is!

Here's an interesting and completely new thought - did you know that our purpose as Christians is not to simply get to heaven, but rather to love God on earth and build His kingdom by loving our neighbours! It seems that so many Christians are just passing through, waiting for this life to end so they can go home. The preceding was said with just a hint of sarcasm, but sometimes I do wonder if this is a new idea to some of us, or at the least something that we don't really take to heart on an ongoing basis.

How Could You Not?

2007-01-31T14:12:00.000-08:00

Working at the cafe I hear so many complaints about the cold and the bad roads. "How can people stand living in this city when it's so cold!?"

Well, just look outside today and relish the beauty of the large, crystalized flakes as they fill the sky and cover the sins of the land in the purest white?

I Feel So Dirty

2007-01-22T20:24:00.000-08:00

I really hate cell phones. I hate people who talk too loudly on them. I hate people who try to talk to the person on their cell phone while trying to order a drink or ask a question and then get upset with me because I can't decipher between the two conversations. I hate people thinking that they have the right to talk to you at anytime, anywhere because you have a cell. Okay, so maybe I just hate people, not cell phones!

Anyway, I've had a cell for a few months now due to lack of landline-age and it's been...livable. Now we needed to get one for Erika and so, of course, I sold out and we each got spankin' new phones. Now I feel dirty. And I have a new burning anger for the ridiculousness that is cell phone companies. When you get a landline you pay one fee (unless you go apey on the calls to Lithuanikistanialand) and you're done. But with cell phones you get extra fees up the blingy and I can't figure out who spends $3.50 a piece for ringtones or images even if they do contain women of ill repute!

And now I'm supporting the whole system. I can barely look at myself in the 0.3 megapixel capture of...myself.

Down With Film

2007-01-16T13:03:00.000-08:00

I've been saving up tips for a few months in order to purchase a new digital SLR. This, combined with Christmas generosity, allowed me to buy a my new Nikon. Now I must unleash the flood of picturey goodness to justify said purchase. To that end I have established a Flickr account (now linked from this very blog). View and enjoy...and be gentle.

I Had No Idea

2007-01-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

Apparently I need to be reading my KJV more carefully, and you might want to do the same. I've just been informed by one of Cafe Dabar's more illustrious patrons that it is the only place in which to find the real truth (this of course being the truth about how the geniuses are responsible for the decimation of the world's children and computers are the tool of the evil one).

I think I need to start slipping these people decaf on the sly...

Ahahahaha Spelled Backwards

2007-01-04T09:20:00.000-08:00

Wow, I haven't blogged since last year! And since I have no current inspiration I might as well respond to Jeremy's tag (as much as I love such silliness) to see if that gets me over the hump. So, 5 things people may not know about me:

1. I guess some would call it philology, but I'm sure none of the card-carrying members would admit knowing me. I love words and language. I love learning languages and pondering over odd spellings, pronunciations, grammar, and etymologies, at which no other language comes close to English. For instance, did you know that the construction 'ough' is pronounced 8 different ways? What's not to love?!

2. I have a dot of darker hair on the back of my head (hey, they can't all be deep and introspective!).

3. I've played almost every sport for school teams or club teams except hockey...and I still consider myself Canadian...sacrilege!!!

4. I took 7 years of piano lessons, but could barely hold together a performance of 'chopsticks' today.

5. I thoroughly enjoy thwarting chain letters and blog tags.

And with that I tag...NO ONE! Ahahahaha!!

Yes...But...

2006-12-14T16:27:00.000-08:00

You know the old saying "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"? Well here's the unfortunate downside to that; and I quote...pardon the French:

"birds in the hand [have] such an irritating way of pecking your fingers, shitting in your palm, and then flying away."

Stephen King, The Dark Tower

When The Saints...

2006-12-05T14:15:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had one of those moments where everything comes together and the secrets of life are revealed to you? Where all the flotsam and jetsam of life fades away and only that which matters remains?

Today I went with my pastor to visit a member of the church who is not long for this world. Rather than being filled with sorrow or pity or remorse I found myself almost bursting from joy! Sounds terrible I know, but here was a man who has walked closely with God for so many years and is now accepting his death not with fear or regret, but rather with the deepest sense of relief and freedom and pure joy imaginable. After a long life filled with all the sorrows, trials and a thousand natural shocks another of the saints is going home. And he couldn't be more ready!

Calling All Saints

2006-12-01T09:05:00.000-08:00

Paul says that if I lack wisdom I should ask for it. Well, I find myself with a great lack for wisdom just now and I have asked, but just to be sure, if you think of it, please ask for me as well. It can't hurt to have more saints entreating before the throne right?

The Weight of Wait

2006-11-28T13:30:00.000-08:00

With the Inferno of Wheeeeee complete I find myself finally able to get back to moving forward with life. It's hard to feel any sense of accomplishment when your goals seem so far away and you simply have to wait. Even though they may be grand goals and worth their wait in gold (oh yeah, I went there!) it's still hard to find value in the mundane things of the everyday. Things like having the car serviced and cleaning just seem like time fillers. I've never been good at living in the moment. I've heard of those who find it easy (I assume they are all myths of course), but I always find myself looking ahead. "Things will be better when X happens," "Once we move to Y we will have more opportunity to Z," and my personal favorite, "A squared plus B squared equals personal contentment." Luckily I do find things to do with myself that are meaningful, but it's just so hard to wait. Does anyone else find this?...anyone?...no?...didn't think so.

Sellout That Funky Music

2006-11-21T15:55:00.000-08:00

Don't get me wrong, everyone knows that I'm the world's biggest rap fan, but there's something I don't understand. As I'm sitting here listening to rap blaring (used loosely) from the laptop of the whitest kid I've ever seen (other than myself of course...represent!) I wonder what has happened to this form of music that now makes it appeal to whitebred homeslices everywhere. Weren't it's roots developed as a response to oppression and life in the ghetto? How can some yuppy white kid from Twin Brooks have any idea what it's like to be enslaved as a people? Has rap just sold out to the almighty dollar of the same mucky-mucks which it was so opposed to it in the first place? Hmmm...let me think...

Stuff You Don't Care About

2006-11-17T09:21:00.000-08:00

9 losses down, 1 to go. Most definitely the least favorite volleyball season of my illustrious career is finally, mercifully coming to an end tonight. In my 9 years as a player and 4 years coaching I have never enjoyed a season less. In fact, for the first time in a long while I am thinking about not coaching next year. Every year I've coached I have bemoaned the fact that I am not playing, but I've always been able to justify the sacrifice because I love the game and I love teaching it. However, that did not hold true this year. We will see about next fall.

It's not so much that we will most likely end the season without a single win (we actually had one, but defaulted thanks to our athletic director...but I'm not bitter), but rather the manner in which those losses were acquired. I've never been part of a team (volleyball or not) with so little passion and drive to win. I can't even count how many balls landed on our side with 6 people standing stone still, watching it. One of the biggest problems every year at Taylor is trying to build team dynamics with all new players...every single year. We have 9 girls who have never played with each other compared to teams like Augustana with 4 5th year players. Throw into the mix a couple of girls who are maybe a little too competitive and show it by yelling (correct me if I'm wrong, but I find that yelling doesn't go over well with women) and we have a wonderful season of fun and happy happy pieces.

But tonight the flaming, twisted mass of enjoyment comes to a screeching final inferno of wheeeeee...!

God Takes A Timeout

2006-11-15T12:40:00.000-08:00

I should have been born a rally car driver!

In perhaps more important matters I am struck by further readings in Exodus. When God sends Moses and the Israelites on their way after the calf debacle, he says to Moses:

Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way. (Exodus 33:3)

I find this both humorous and depressing at the same time. It's like God is saying, "Alright we'll keep going, but I need a time out...or I might WIPE YOU FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH!!!" How many times has God had to do this with me? "Okay, glad that little episode is over now let's get going again...but you'll have to go alone for a bit because I really want to throttle your neck right now and I'm afraid of what I might do." Maybe that's why we sometimes feel a little alienated from God...who knows?!

2 For 1

2006-11-14T15:55:00.000-08:00

A rare double dip for me today, but I had to comment on something. I'm reading through Exodus right now and, although I've read it many times, I am struck anew with the strangeness of it all. I've been contemplating my connection with my Jewish roots (in regards to Christianity, not heritage) and how it's a shame that our freedom in Christ has lead us to completely free ourselves from our past. For instance, Christ says in Matthew that if our righteousness does not exceed that of the Pharisees then it is worthless. How can we exceed them if we don't study the past which informs their thinking. I feel that we miss out on a huge part of our religion when we see the Old Testament as no longer applicable...but that's another rant altogether.

What struck me this time is how far removed I am from the world of the Sons of Israel. Yes, part of it is the ocean of time between us, but a lot of it is the change brought about by Christ. No longer do I have to sacrifice animals or make atonement for objects or myself to commune with God. I am also struck by the realness and ferocity with which God acted amongst the people of Israel. So many of the laws in the Torah were punishable by death (didn't keep the Sabbath - put to death, mixed the same formula of incense used in the temple - dead). And when God saw the people worshipping the calf, Moses went and gathered the Levites and slaughtered a bunch of them. Only when reading these accounts do I truly start to understand the burden which has been lifted from my shoulders...and the juxtaposed responsibility!

Play That Funky Music...And Other Jewish Laws

2006-11-14T13:28:00.000-08:00

I had no idea that musical muscles existed and, more importantly, that they can get out of shape (or maybe not in shape in the first place. After this weekend I am all music-ed out. Music has been a passing hobby for me for the past few years, but I am attempting to delve further into its recesses (especially before The Great Paul moves east). But this weekend was a little much for right now. We had worship practice (for Sol Cafe) on Saturday morning at Rob and Deb's, then a worship gathering for Claireview in the evening. Sunday morning was sound check and worship at Claireview, followed by worship at Sol Cafe. And to top it all off i started lessons with the aforementioned Paul of Greatness on Monday afternoon. Hopefully this will get me into shape sooner rather than killing me.

On a more intellectual note, I did some research about the 7 Noahide Laws of the Jewish faith. I was inspired to embark upon such a quest by Simone, a Jewish friend. Most of my info was gleaned from Wikipedia, but I plan to do some more poking around the internet. Basically, they are the 7 laws given to Noah after the flood as a new covenant, 5 of which are found later in the commandments given to Moses, and 2 of which are different (not eating meat that still has the lifeblood in it, and setting up just courts and laws. Essentially these are the laws which non-Jews who wish to become the "righteous among the gentiles" must follow. What I found especially interesting was the debate over whether or not Christians could be seen as sons of Noah because of the conflict between belief in the Trinity and the command to worship one God. It seems that Muslims have little difficulty being seen as "righteous" if they follow the other laws, but there is a split over Christianity's adherents being seen in the same light.

Much food for thought and further study...

Who Needs It?

2006-11-08T13:15:00.000-08:00

I can barely lift my arm this morning. I guess hitting volleyballs at girls for 2 hour straight will do that to you. You'd think that after a few months of this I would be used to it by know, but I haven't quite gotten over the out-of-shape-ity. I really need to keep up with some exercise...nah!

The Devil Made Me Do It

2006-11-07T09:11:00.000-08:00

I now know why breweries no longer use the stubby beer bottles. They tend to detonate with the slightest impact and shatter into a thousand tiny shards which then stick to everything, including the inside of my finger!

I guess that serves me right for brewing the Devil's drink.

Old Age and Waterslides

2006-11-03T11:22:00.000-08:00

It's sad that at the age of 25 I'm starting to feel old in some regards. Okay, before the onslaught of comments from smart...old people (and Amanda...kind of a backhanded comment how I singled you out and yet kept you separate from the old people, man I'm good) begins I'd like to say that I'm not complaining about how old I am and I realize you are all so much older than I. Mostly I've noticed it with volleyball where I can barely keep up to my players even though I'm the one making them run from the comfort of my lawn chair and megephone. I can no longer run around like a ninny for hours at a time (maybe that's a good thing) and the next day the muscles don't quite bounce back the way they used to.

One good thing that I have noticed is that I have become a much wiser player, placing balls where people aren't and anticipating opponents moves before they happen. These are things that can only come with years of practice and repetition. I always used to marvel (when I wasn't ninny-running) at how my 40+ year old coaches could still make us work so hard when their age had denied them the stamina and speed we possessed. And now I get to understand that firsthand as I dig up the best they can offer and deftly place hits just out of the reach of their pathetically outstretched fingers.

If I was any more of a contemplative I might be able to find some greater metaphor for life here. Meh!

2006-11-01T14:17:00.000-08:00

I have decided that my lack of blogging is quite sad (insert sardonic remark...now). I work at an INTERNET CAFE and can't find the time to blog! I mean come on, how pathetic is that?! (insert mordant critique...wait for it....wait...NOW).

Actually it's been lack of inspiration that has led to this state of bloglessnessidity. My life is currently consumed with coaching volleyball, most of which transpires during the farthest reaches of the post meridiem. Not that 11:00 is that late, but I am finding that exercising late at night leaves me wired into the wee hours of the morning. Add to this the usually smattering of board meetings, ministry meetings, work, worship practice and planning, lesson prep, oh yeah, and eating, and I feel a little...tired, like butter spread over too much toast...and then beaten with a stick.

Needless to say, more regular blogage will follow.

Finally

2006-10-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

At last I got my trip to the backcountry, albeit a little late in the season. It wasn't quite the extensive trip I was hoping for, but it was good and gives me a little more insight into where I want to go next year. We went to Willmore again, which I'm loving more and more because of its true wilderness feel and lack of other hikers. The park is huge and just as scenic as Jasper or Banff with only a small fraction of the people using it. Since it was a fall trip we saw a lot of pack trips, mostly hunters, and only one other 'hiker' (actually a biker). Also since it was fall the first night dropped to -5, making for a chilly night for everyone except yours truly. I think I was the only one who enjoyed two warm nights of sleep as my -1 rated bag was pushed to its limit, but held up nicely.

This was the first backpacking trip for Murphy, who, other than the fact that I think he's now sick, is hooked. When I asked him on Saturday if he wanted to go for a 'walk' I don't think he ever thought in his wildest dreams that I meant 4+ hours of hiking for 3 days with a million new smells and horses to bark at. I do however get the feeling that he has less respect for me now as an outdoorsman. As we daintily picked our way across streams, finding the easiest spots to cross without taking of our boots, he attempted to demonstrate how easy it was by sloshing through the glacially-fed streams back and forth numerous times to our one, each time looking back at us with disdain as we just didn't get it. He was only slightly more impressed with our attempt to remove our silly paw-coverings and walk the way God intended on the half frozen half muddy horse trail that is hiking Willmore in the fall.

Next year I am determined to go out for at least 5 days to get further into the ridges and basins of this amazing willderness...come hell or high water...most likely both!

When You Fast

2006-10-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

Let's call the last month or so a sabbatical shall we? I'm feeling a little less pulled in a ll directions and have founf time to slow down (correction: made time!). What wonders a little fasting and soul-searching will do for you. I still feel the need to get out into nature for a bit, but hopefully that will happen this weekend.

It's amazing how much better everything seems so far this week after a weekend of goign without. Not only food, but everything seems to have a truer quality to it. We live is such a culture of instant gratification that everything is special and desirable and so nothing is. I mean we have access to everything from apples to ecuadorian magic fire fruit and from fire pits to thermal injection fooderacacycles. But if you take the time to withdraw from instant gratification everything becomes brighter, even the otherwise mundane things of life like cracks in a sidewalk or old beat-up tercels or even, for instance, third-rate lattes at an unnamed post secondary institution's student activity center.

I think I'm definitely going to incorporate fasting as a regular part of each week. It's too valuable to avoid.

"When you fast..."

Naughta

2006-09-29T15:26:00.000-07:00

Nothing to say...and counting!

A Few Of My Favorite Things

2006-08-31T08:06:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite times of year (I think I even blogged about it last year). Yes, the acrid stench of fear is thick in the air around educational institution as freshmen (freshpeople? freshpersons?) scramble to find the shortest routes between bed/coffee/class and amble aimlessly amid atrocious administrative alacritouslessness. And 4th years wonder if they will actually be able to graduate and if the piece of paper they receive is worth even as much as the piece of paper I used this morning.

Oh yes, it's a good time to be alive!

Brewing Beer And Changing Lives

2006-08-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

Three weeks without a post, eh? Obviously nothing much hahs happened in the last three weeks...right! This is probably the fourth or fifth time I have sat down to post about something...we will see if this one makes it through.

A year ago all I wanted to do was help people. Financially, emotionally, physically, spiritually, equatorially. Now all I crave is space - the space to recapture my life and who I am as opposed to what's going on around me. I think this is the crux of the matter. Anyone who is trying to make a difference in a situation (life in this case) is going against the norm while trying to live within the norm. I f you don't keep your goal in mind and keep pushing forward you remain stuck in the very thing you are attempting to avoid. I guess this ties in nicely with the whole Christian struggle of trying to live in the world when our citizenship is elsewhere. So here we go forward again!

I other news the MC brewing company is currently expanding its production procedures, moving towards all grain brewing. This is a much more intensive method where the goal is to produce something resembling beer (as opposed to gasoline) straight from grains. Any requests for beer styles? My first choice would be an oatmeal stout or proter, but that might be asking too much.

Keeping Up With The Walkers

2006-08-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

Just so that I don't fall too far behind Joe in the Cool-Ministry-Leaders-Doing-Cool-Stuff department I've decided to try planning a trek up one of the mountains by Canmore. I know it's not a life-changing trip to the Holy Land or anything, but it's a start. The mountain is called Yamnuska and is one of the most climbed in all of North America. The southern face is perfectly built for rock climbing (not on this trip though) and there's a perfect trail around the eastern edge for summiting. What we will be doing is called a scramble - some pretty steep slopes with loose rock. The route take about 2-3 hours up to the 2240m summit (less to get down...especially if you jump off the face!).

The plan is to leave Edmonton early Saturday Aug 12, drive to Yam, climb and descend, and then camp Saturday night at one of the campground in Bow Valley Provincial Park. Sunday we will leave open to hang or head home early if need be. If you are interested let me know soon so that I can plan for campsites and vehicles.

Maybe I'll even come up with a neat little message relating to our ascent up the mountain...take that Joe!

Here An Angst, There An Angst

2006-08-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

So what's the deal with angst? Why is it now acceptable and even expected that we all be so angsty? I can understand teenagers being nervous about their place in life and feeling apprehension over the enormity of the world, but why are so many people my age still wallowing in this stage of limbo? And furthermore, why has angst become the catch-all excuse for people? Life's too hard? - Just be angsty and everyone will leave you alone.

Where did all this come from? I think a large amount of it comes from living in large cities. It's sometimes hard to find a meaningful existance in a city. For instance, I work at a cafe making $4 coffees for people - kind of a superfluous job. Then I take my earnings for doing this service and buy any number of things with it, from food to Uber-Maxi-Super-Magna-Dingo-Infused-Toe-Knuckle-Hair-Removers. We lack attachment to real and tangible things like working to produce food or building our own homes to live in or clothes to wear. Thus, our jobs, which constitute 1/3 of our days, are unsatisfying and often the rest of the day hold about the same. I think of all the farm kids I grew up with and I see no angst there at all. Yes, they are perhaps dissatisfied with a simple way of life at times and some long for the shiny things of the city. When they get there, some (not all), will also lose touch with the value of life.

Even less do I understand why young Christians fall prey to the same angstedness. I don't understand how you can accept the message of the gospel, where God Himself came down to atone for our sin so that He could be with us, and feel valueless and purposeless.

The solution is obvious - head for the hills, live off home-grown granola, grow lots of hemp...for clothes!

Play That Funky Music, White Boy

2006-07-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

We went to K-Days (yes, I refuse to bow to the name-changing ways of the man) with Daxid, Craig, and Ruthie last night. Growing up in Red Deer and having grandparents in Calgary I went to the Stampede almost every year of my life up until I moved to Edmonton so these things don't have a lot new to offer. Thus, most of the time was spent looking for the best carnies and marvelling the amazing Magic Brooms, Ultra Mops, Miracle Knives, and Uber-Maxi-Super-Magna-Dingo-Infused-Toe-Knuckle-Hair-Removers. Our favorite was the Lint-B-Gone!

Then we heard the sweet rhythms of an Afrian culture group. Moving in closer we found that half of them were...very white. I'm not talking Eminem or Vanilla Ice white, but sandals-with-sportsocks-and-glaring-farmer-tan white. The African guys were signing and dancing and playing the crowd. The white guys were just trying not to be too white. It was quite humorous, but it did make me think about how serious we are in the West and how concerned we are about how we look to others. It also made me think about our philosophy compared to African cultures. We generally see time as something fleeting, something to be grasped and something to preserve at all costs. I think a lot of other cultures have a better view of things seeing each day, each breath as a gift. Under this view everything you have (food, clothing, shelter, family, friends, possessions) is a gift, something undeserved. I think this idea brings so much freedom and joy into the equation where all I see now is people grappling to garner as much as they can for themselves and still wanting more.

Last night I watched an episode of Pilot Guides with Mack and saw the same philosophy at work in Malaysia. Some hunters had just killed 2 ground squirrels and the guide asked if they were dissapointed with such a small catch. They replied that this was what the jungle was willing to offer today and this was what they were greatful to receive. What a way to live life! Almost sounds biblical don't it.

I Have

2006-07-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I tried to write a new post and, because the cafe was so busy, got as far as "I have..." I'm sure you can think of thousands of ways to continue that thought, but I can't even remember what I was going to say. All I can think of today is what I don't have - sanity, money, peace, sleep, a place to live, pinot grigio...

Mechanics 201

2006-07-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

Loose bolts on motorcycles are not good! They have a tendency to come off, leaving you without ability to shift out of 5th gear, thus stranding you somewhere near Balzac next to a farm with a confederate flag and "Guard dog on duty" signs. So tighten your bolts now and avoid the fun!

Yes, our bike trip down to the deep south (Lethbridge) was quite adventurous. Fortunately, the guard dog turned out to be a small, black cat and the flag didn't came up in conversation. So the only real tragedies were the sore butts and good ol' southern wind. There were times when I had the bike leaned to the left going through a right-hand turn and then there were the semis. Lot of fun.

We had a great time with Erika's parents. After six hours of riding on the bike we enjoyed simply bumming around the Bridge and playing cards at night. They have their latest Japanese exchange student (which they've done for a number of years) for the month of August. Her name is Yoshie and she absolutely loved the motorcycle, so I took her for a ride. I found it interesting that she had to come all the way to Lethbridge Alberta to have her first ride on a bike, seeing that it's a 20 year old Japanese motorcycle.

All said, I'm really looking forward to the next couple of weeks, which promise to be slower than the last few...maybe.

Mechanics 102

2006-06-29T08:53:00.000-07:00

We've moved up from tapping and blowing. Now it's all out smashing and stomping.

The most amazing thing about motorcycles is how much machinery and engineering there is in such a confined space.

The most annoying thing about motorcycles is how much machinery and engineering there is in such a confined space.

"Hmm, where should we put the oil filter? Let's put it right between the two exhaust pipes with just enough room for a 12 year old girl's wrist to get in (luckily MacKenzie was there!) and remind people that the engine has to be HOT before they change the oil!" Bloody Japanese engineers! I swear they're still trying to get us back for WWII, just like the Germans with their Volkswagens, "Let's put reverse on the other side of the transmission unlike every other vehicle on the road!"

Totally unrelated question - does anyone know of a good way to clean gasoline from clothing?

Fred's Last Chance

2006-06-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

Okay. Some madness over. Lots more to come. Why are my summers so much crazier than the winters?

Fred's bachelor was...interesting. 2 days in Jasper with 10 guys (2 bachelors who don't want to be, 7 married guys pretending to be, and Fred stuck in quasi-bachelor limbo) and a whole lot of testosterone flying (you know, axe-throwing, chest-beating, fire). Highlights included Fred throwing up (bad sausage eh Fred...sure), Fred swallowing half the Fraser River on a raft and on land, Noel spending way too much time thinking about where and what he wanted to paint on Fred's body with a Sharpie, and Lief macking everything that moved (possibly even Fred).

The food was awesome as Drew and Brian took care of everything, and I mean everything (we're talking not one but two kitchen sinks!). Bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns each morning with steak, mushrooms cooked in white wine, and pasta Saturday night. Now, I don't know if I consider stuffing 3 huge trucks/SUVs with every conceivable piece of camping equipment and sleeping in said trucks each night camping, but I sure did enjoy the food that came with it.

Then it was back home and off to the Sol's combined wedding shower for Fred and Danielle and Alby and Tyler, where more steak was had thanks to Jorgen's dad who "doesn't cut his steaks smaller than 24 oz.!" It was really good to hang out with those folks again and I quite enjoyed showing off Gregorious (almost as much as riding there on the Whitemud).

Still need to get to the mountains for some "real" camping, but for now I am good.

Holy Crap, It's Tuesday!?

2006-06-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

I have no idea where the last week went. I think I might have slept some and there's a vague impression of having possibly eaten. Other than that I couldn't tell you. All I know is that it's Tuesday, my brother still doesn't have a place to live, I can legally ride Gregorious now, almost everyone surrounding The House seems to be suffering from extreme malais, the Oilers did something that rhymes with ploke (just like that other team, which rhymes with nincomplames), Murphy now knows that puppies are friends not food, and I desperately need to get to the mountains.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

2006-06-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

Golf Etiquette 101

2006-06-13T16:18:00.000-07:00

Less than 4 hours of sleep, more than 12 hours of chasing a small white ball with 3 other sweaty men, all for the children. Yes, the Ironman of Golf was a lot of fun, especially the Polo Round. I don't know if hitting the ball whilst driving from the passenger seat of a golf cart is considered proper golf etiquette, but then neither is relieving onesself from the tee box so I guess the point is moot!

Young Life certainly knows how to show kids a good time and this ability is not lost on the adult events either. Everything was taken care of from the food (burgers for lunch, grilled salmo for supper) to the balls, tees, and backrubs. The only drawback to having golfed more holes in one day than I usually do in a year? Let's just say that we're now out of muscle relaxants and advil!

Tough Life

2006-06-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to a week of golf and motorcycles. MacKenzie and I are joining forces to golf 100 holes on Monday for the Ironman of Golf - a Young Life fundraiser. We have people sponsering us to brave the fray of hitting small, white balls around a field for 12+ hours (for the children, of course). BenGay and Robaxacet all around!

Then 2.5 days of a motorcycle training course so that I can get my licence and allow Erika to feel a little more confident about not getting us both killed. But right now I have to decide if I'm feeling well enough to drive to the metropolis of Athabasca to see Paul's gig and perhaps partake of some jammage with the didge.

Sick Of Being Stressed About Being Sick Of Stress Sickness

2006-06-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

Why does my body react to stress by making me sick, thereby preventing me from doing the things about which I am stressed, and thus propogating the entire cycle?

This is not a rhetorical question.

We All Must Eat A Peck Of Dirt Before We Die

2006-06-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

The SIC Elf is currently sick. I can't remember the last time I was sick. It's been at least 3 or 4 years, which is amazing because I used to get sick all the time. I chalk my supreme immune system up to those early years of being sick brought on by eating dirt, licking keyboards and telephones, and eating the occasional pear (post dog-munged of course). I've been thinking the last week or so about how sterile and clean our society is and how this makes us think we are healthier, when in fact the opposite is probably true. We've all heard about the decline in the effectiveness of antibiotics from overuse and how superbugs are starting to form.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not quite ready to go back to pouring my sewage into the streets, but I think our obsession with being clean has led to a decrease in the strength of our immune systems. One such example came to me from the pursuit of the outdoors (which I love so much). Giardia, the organism responsible for causing beaver fever, is a fairly common thing to find in natural water sources. Animals poop, giardia gets into the water table, and until recently we were quite able to fight off giardiasis. But now that our drinking water is so wonderfully chlorinated we don't have to fight off the little bugs and we become vulnerable to even slightly tainted water.

BEHOLD, THE TIME IS NIGH WHEN A PLAGUE SHALL WIPE OUT THINE CATTLE AND THINE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AND THE ORANGUTANGS....sorry, got carried away!

MurphDog The Water Weenie

2006-06-05T16:12:00.000-07:00

So my dog is now officially a water maniac. Erika and I took him to the river on Saturday and then he went agian with a few of us on Sunday. It took him a while to get used to the idea of being submerged, the first attempt at fetching a stick stopping short of actual submergion and ending with an uncertainty as to the sanity of such a stick-throwing owner. With a little gentle persuasion (read: pick up dog, throw dog in deep water) he was doggie-paddling (i.e. paddling like a dog not disciplining other canines), stick-fetching (as in fetching sticks not...not fetching sticks) machine. Now if only I could find a slightly less contaminated body of water than the North Sask. I'm afraid that one time Murphy will go out for a stick and come back with a stiff.

Oh The Ruddiness of Xavier

2006-05-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

Yet another busy weekend in May. Between Mother's Day, our anniversary, Clairview' family camp, and the Xavier Rudd concert last night I'm really looking forward to next weekend "off". Don't get me wrong. All those things were great, but I could use some down time.

The family camp this past weekend was fantastic. More physical activity than I've seen in months, combined with late nights of poker and stock ticker, and sleep on a dorm mattress. Oh, the weariness. They say neccessity is the mother of invention, well in this case it led to a new sport called hit Kenny with a ball as hard as you can. The neccessity? 3 guys, 3 hockey sticks, 3 balls. Enough said.

Erika and I led worship at the camp, which was great aside from the first night when we arrived at 8:00 to lead at 8:00 - no practice, no overhead machine, no problem! Dave joined us on Saturday and we had tons of fun working on some oldies like the disco version of Lord I Lift Your Name on High and King of Kings, complete with blistering guitar and drum work and a call and response section with the group.

After camp it was home for a much needed nap and then off to the Xavier Rudd concert, which was amazing! Such a great one-man show. It was really amazing to see what kind of guy he is. A little into the new age/hippy thing, but hey, so am I (minus most of the new age stuff). But it did get me thinking about a lot of the new age and even native religious beliefs. While I don't lean as far towards the spirit force being present in all things equally I do think that there is more to our connection with nature than we might presently believe in our culture. The fact is that the same Creator who crafted us also made the rest of creation. We are the jewel in the crown of creation, charged with ruling over it. I'm sure as soon as you read the word "rule" there was an objection raised because it conjures up ideas of dominance and the raping and pillaging of earth's resources that is so commonplace and even condoned in our societies (whether by outright acceptance of such practices or by abject apathy towards it we condone these actions...tangent complete). But our roles as rulers of creation is supposed to be one of care, nurishment, sustainability. We're supposed to tend and foster growth becuase the same designer who made us made creation for us to live in. Also, by caring for creation we have the distinct priviledge of taking part in God's creative aspects, which are inherent in us as made in His image.

So, while I may not completely resonate with Xavier sentiments of "being stroked by the trees of Edmonton," I am beginning to understand more and more my connection with my fellow created.

Gregorius The Annoying Little...

2006-05-26T08:58:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love it when small problems become more trouble than they're worth?

Seemingly Incompetent Boob #1: "Hey, the taillight on this motorcycle doesn't seem to be working."

Seemingly Incompetent Boob #2: "Hmm, did you try blowing on it?"

Seemingly Incompetent Boob #1: "No, but I did tap it."

Seemingly Incompetent Boob #2: "Yeah, that should have worked."

...meanwhile, back at the ranch (aka 1 hour later)...

Most Likely Incompetent Boob #2: "Wait, did you try tapping it yet?"

Most Likely Incompetent Boob #1: "Yeah, but I didn't blow on it."

Most Likely Incompetent Boob #2: "Hmm..."

...2 hours...

Definitely Incompetent Boob #1: "You know what? If we tapped and blew at the same time that might just work!"

Definitely Incompetent Boob #2: "Or we could use my handy volt-meter to test the connections, only to find out that the brown wire, which is responsible for powering the taillight, changes color/disappears somewhere between the back and front of the bike, forcing us to disassemble most of the front end because (of course) the wiring diagram doesn't match up with real life due to alterations/diabolical suzukian engineers. Then we could search in vain for a disconnect between the front and back, finding instead that poor wiring has blown a fuse, at which point we will think that all is fixed, soon realizing that the fuse box seems to be malfunctioning, leading to much tinkering and wiggling, which in turn dispels a small black gremlin, who runs off giggling and leaving the bike in unexplainably working order.”

Definitely Incompetent Boob #1: “That does sound reasonable, but shouldn’t we try tapping it or something first?”

Art And Spandex

2006-05-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

5 years. Doesn't seem that long...I guess that's a good thing. Erika and I took off to Canmore for our 5th anniversary. Nothing too exciting, we just needed to get away from Edmonton, back to nature. Other than a short hike up to Bow Falls (pictures to follow) we spent most of the time bumming around Banff and Canmore. It was surprisingly not that busy considering it was the long weekend, the unofficial start of the summer outdoor season. The hike was great, perfect weather including a sprinkle of rain. Bow lake was still frozen, but the falls were starting to...fall and the scenery makes me want to go back later in the summer.

Whenever I get out into nature it reminds me how much better God's art is than ours. Don't get me wrong, I love some of things people can do when they use their potential, but if I'm getting all my inspiration from non-perfect sources it bogs me down after awhile. God's designs are always so perfect, working together in harmony.

Realizing these things I need to get out way more this summer than I have in the past. Luckily, MacKenzie and I have found a new prophet in the world of backpacking and outdoor pursuits...Jardine...Ray Jardine. His book Beyond Backpacking is the new gospel on ultralight backpacking and we are slowly working at adopting his tenets for reducing weight and changing the way we think about the outdoors. Plus, there's a nifty chapter on head-shaving and really great recipes for Jello consumption. Soon we will be calculating the number of journal pages we need down to the line and discovering for ourselves how many bristles are absolutely necessary to leave on a toothbrush all with the goal of doing the West Coast Trail at the end of the summer with packs weighing 20 lbs at the most...and don't forget the Spandex shorts.

Gregorius The Conqueror

2006-05-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

So much for the scooter. Welcome the new member of the Elves clan. This is Gregorius...actually this is his cousin, but he looks the same.

Blog's Dogs

2006-05-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

What a great day to be outside (not right now as I am working at Dabar, but earlier and later, hopefully).

A...friend of Jeremy's dropped of a small bundle of fur known as a poodle. Unfortunately, (more for the dog's sake than anything else) his name is splash. Even worse is the fact that his first name is "Makes A". Yeah. Nonetheless he and Murphy had great fun getting to know each other (read: bum-sniffing and Murphy hip-checking Splash into the fridge. Then Jeremy and I took them outside where much running and chasing was to be had by all. Even though Splash can run faster than the average human he was still no match for the Murphinator, who ran circles around Splash and Jeremy and me, effectively running 20km for Splash's 1km. We then walked through the ravine, returning home to much water and removal of forest from paws. Amazingly enough, the entire experience was almost enough to make Murphy tired (for any of you who know my dog, you know he is never tired). He even tried lying down a couple of times, but that was short-lived as he tried to convince Splash that it was time to play again. Meanwhile, Splash collapsed, moving only when Jeremy and I left the room. All in all it was great to get outside and have a friend for Murphy to play with...maybe we should get another dog...right!

And tonight much garden will be planted!

Sweet, Glorious, Refreshing...Paul

2006-05-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

Let's just say that things have been a touch difficult lately. After all these months of feeling awash in the struggles of others I might finally be feeling some of my own.

In such times as these I often forget what I have learned from previous experiences (silly humanses). One such nugget of Chuckisdom is that only I can prevent forest fires...no...well, maybe. I have found that when I am pressed from all sides I look to God for help. "What a good idea!" you say, "Of course it's a good idea!" But I find that I am waiting for God to swoop in and rescue me or fix things, blow mine enemies to tiny bits in His mercy and all that. But I forget that I have a role to play in my deliverance. It is mine to ask, to knock, and to seek. It is mine to ask forgiveness and to accept grace. This is not a works-oriented mindset where I have to earn my way back to God. The fact is that when I feel far from God, it is I who have moved and it is then mine to move back, to search again, to seek the presence.

Luckily over the past couple of days God has been especially gracious to me and provided numerous glimpses, which I have not been able to ignore. Even a few minutes ago the brother of a friend came to the cafe and encouraged me to persevere. And last night Paul came over and somehow the mood of The House changed. If I were more new age in thought I would say Paul has the most incredible aura of anyone I know. Everything seems more profound and heavy when he's around and yet easy-going and light at the same time. It really blessed my soul to spend even an hour with him.

In an even more direct way God allowed my soul to be refreshed and all I had to do was be. Saturday night, after the hooliganism of Poker night had subsided, I went outside to cool off and to think. I was met by the most refreshing, most perfect rain. Standing there, sprikled with literal blessings from above I felt utterly refreshed. And then today I took Murphy for a walk through the ravine by The House and, though it was a small retreat, I felt the weight of the city (along with other things) lift for a small moment.

And so I continue to seek, knock, and ask.

2006-04-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

Thank you for any and all prayers over the last couple of days. The funeral was quite tough, especially since the prayer service the night before was almost exactly the same as the funeral on Wednesday, essentially creating two funeral services with the same amount of emotional impact back to back. My cousin Shannon was quite strong through most of it, but it was just too much for too long. I have never felt so much loss as I did standing there watching her with 1.5 year old Megan as the casket was lowered into the earth...

Prayer Request

2006-04-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

Please pray for my cousin Shannon if you remember. Her husband, Russ, died in a car accident last week and she is left with a small baby and possibly another on the way as they were trying to get pregnant again. I'm heading to the funeral in Two Hills tonight and tomorrow so please pray for Shannon and the rest of my family as well. Russ and Shannon were planning on moving to Edmonton in a couple of weeks and if she is still coming nothing would please me more than to see my friends and family here support her.

R & D

2006-04-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

Woohoo, 100th post!!!

And what better way to fill that post than to rip off someone else's material instead of writing my own? I found this while looking for an owner's manual online. You may want to be seated whilst reading this, preferably out of public as you may received strange looks.

1962 Safety Rules from Honda

Taken from a 1962 Honda Motor Cycle Owner's Manual.
Translated by Honda for the American Motorcycle Rider

1. At the rise of the hand by Policeman, stop rapidly.
Do not pass him by or otherwise disrespect him.

2. When a passenger of the foot, hooves in sight,
tootel the horn trumpet melodiously at first. If he
still obstacles your passage, tootel him with vigor and
express by word of mouth, warning Hi, Hi.

3. Beware of the wandering horse that he shall not take
fright as you pass him. Do not explode the exhaust box
at him. Go soothingly by.

4. Give big space to the festive dog that makes sport
in roadway. Avoid entanglement of dog with wheel
spokes.

5. Go soothingly on the grease mud, as there lurks the
skid demon. ! Press the brake foot as you roll around
the corners, and save the collapse and tie up.


I always forget to avoid entanglement of dog with my wheel spokes!

Blargen!!!

2006-04-13T08:08:00.000-07:00

Hmm...Communist-run country, which doesn't allow free practice of religion (despite what they say), where we would be under constant threat of arrest (or worse?), where spirituality has been quelled to the point of non-existance, culture shock, new language, poor living conditions, moving away from family, bad coffee, even worse music, 1.5-2 billion people, dog (enough said), an entire generation taught not to think for themselves...for some reason this sounds pretty good to me right now!!!

Pesky Thoughts

2006-04-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

Ever notice how certain ideas or thoughts seem to come from nowhere and then manifest themselves in completely unrelated areas of your life. For instance, over the last week I have been part of various discussions on language as pertaining to religion, both in the philosophical and practical realms. One of Ali's latest papers touched on the subject of the impossibility of using language to describe the indescribable, the divine. The idea being that once we apply a term to an aspect of God we create a symbol out of that term (i.e. omnipotent or "God is love"), something to capture a glint of God. But the term falls short of God and if we hold to closely to these terms we miss the mark and end up worshipping mere idols instead of the true God.

Then I had a conversation with an old friend who was having difficulty discussing God with his youth group. He was bemoaning the fact that it was so difficult to know where a person is in relation to God. Do they KNOW the same things about God that I do? Do they have the same understandings of the faith in the absurd? Then there's the difficulty of trying to relate your own faith and knowledge of God to others. How can we even talk to each other if we can't fully express our own understandings and we can't fully understand others' expressions?

Then I had another philosophical conversation later with a friend along the same lines. Funny how certain things just seem to stick around when you're thinking about them.

Hmmm...

2006-04-05T13:17:00.000-07:00

"Just passing through" - Dabar Customer #1

Sissy And CSIS

2006-03-31T09:43:00.000-08:00

Do you want to hear a secret? Come closer...no, closer...TIM HORTON"S COFFEE-FLAVOURED BEVERAGE IS AWFUL!!!

Okay, now that I've risked being put on the black list of CSIS (the US has bomb and assassination alerts, but we know who runs this country...uh oh, now I'm on both lists) I will explain. Why do people drink this crap?! And further more why can't I stop craving it? It's horrible. Is a 1 in 9 chance to win another free cup of crap worth it? (not to mention the infuriation of the oh-so-easy rolling...the contest should be called bite-and-chew-and-try-to-roll-only-to-
find-that-you-can-barely-see-the-stupid-print-that-you-know-only-says-
"please-lose-again"-and-you-have-to-jump-on-it-and-carry-a-pair-of-pliers-
with-you-everywhere-so-that-you-can-finally-uncover-the-dissapointment-
of-yet-another-thing-in-your-life-at-which-you-suck to win...but I digress). And don't even get me started on Starbucks or Second Cup.

Does anyone remember when Tim Horton's was a doughnut shop? When espresso was Italian, not Seattlean? Are our lives better now that we have mass-produced and marketed goods which sacrifice quality and tradition for bottom lines? When did Tim Horton's "coffee" become the drink of the masses and Starbuck's and Second Cup became the high end of coffee? Maybe I could use more sleep after all.

There appear to be some rather large men dressed in black approaching me with intentional expressions. Hey, what the...let go of...no...they're taking me...Castle Auuuuuuugh...

Nature, Naturally

2006-03-30T08:30:00.000-08:00

Why do I live in the city again? Oh right, so I can live the high life.

I really need to get out of this mind-numbing, soul-stealing jungle. I know this is another repeat post from last year, but every winter I feel the crunch, especially when I don't get out to the mountains enough.

Every single thing in a city is man-made. Even the "nature" is artificially established by us. Everything in a city is designed to keep out or control nature to the point where we are completely cut off and "safe" from it. Rain is a nuisence. Snow is definitely a nuisence. Cold and hot and animals and wind and dirt are conveniently replaced with a perfect 22 degress (except at Dabar), crowded streets, and smog. Yay!

I think I need to take a couple of trips this summer to the mountains with nothing but a tarp, sleeping bag, and food.

Meatless In Seattle

2006-03-23T12:16:00.000-08:00

Three weeks into Lent and the only meat which has passed my lips was my birthday supper from mom and dad (crab and lobster to be exact, not a bad way to cheat on a fast!). It's been really eye-opening to avoid meat especially at restaurants, where only two or three things on the menu are sans meat. It gives me an appreciation for vegetarians who must deal with this all the time and also for the fact that we eat SO MUCH MEAT in our society. I know that I will not be able to go without eating meat for the rest of my life (I loves me some steak!!!), but I will definitely be cutting back on the quantity. If I can go 40 days without meat and do just fine that says something about our diets.

To avoid too much feather-ruffling:
Ali, don't worry, we can still go for steak.
Amanda, don't get too excited, I'm not a Vegan quite yet.

Centric

2006-03-22T10:53:00.000-08:00

Cafe Dabar has a new shiny Mac (translated: useless flashy bells and whistles to cover up the inferiority and cost of the machine...but I digress). Anywho, it does have a very nice webcam, which takes lovely pictures, providing hours of entertainment...for some. For instance some of us take one interesting picture and go, "Hmm, that's neat..."

While others...

Hey, I need to have some way of keeping up with Ali's Siva pictures!

I Am So Right, R-I-H-T

2006-03-20T19:33:00.000-08:00

I love God's sense of humor. The most mild winter ever and then, just when spring is officially around the corner and I get a new longboard for my Bday, it snows! But I must say that I missed the stuff. What's the point of living in Edmonton if you don't get those few days a year where everything shuts down and it forces people to realize that life is not about commutes and errands, but rather the interruptions. Ah, don't you love it when your previous points are proven by the Almighty Himself!?

Kiss Me I'm Irish...ish

2006-03-17T14:37:00.000-08:00

So I guess it would be a tragedy if the Scottish-Irish-Canadian Elf didn't make a post on St. Patrick's Day, being my birthday and all. And since I hate to dissappoint my fans...

I ran into one of my buddies from back in the day. We've known each other since kindergarten, but lost touch about 4 years ago. I found out he quit school and started a silk-screening business on Whyte Ave so I was going to drop in, but I ended up seeing him at the Oodle Noodle Box. It's amazing that someone who was such a big part of your life at one point can be gone for 4 years and you don't really notice that much. But it was good to see him and I think wee'll hook up again.

I am debating whether or not to go in search of green beer tonight. It is my birthday and green beer only comes once a year, but it is also Friday and the bars will be stupidly packed with the distinct change of hooliganism. Maybe just some ping pong at Craig's...at least the table is green!

2006-03-16T14:51:00.000-08:00

...I sure hope Amanda isn't reading this.

2006-03-16T14:49:00.000-08:00

...cancel everything, I'm going to invent a new sport called sky knitting. I think sky knitting will be the coolest thing ever!

2006-03-16T14:48:00.000-08:00

...no, I'll by and ultralight plane and travel the world. I think travelling the world in an ultralight is the coolest thing ever!

2006-03-16T14:47:00.000-08:00

...or perhaps I'll join a lawn bowling league. I think lawn bowling is the coolest thing ever!

2006-03-16T14:45:00.000-08:00

I have decided to take up bird-watching. I think bird-watching might be the coolest thing ever!

Sweet Glorious Nothing

2006-03-13T18:41:00.000-08:00

Today I did nothing...and it was fabulous. It's been so long since I've had a day where I had nothing planned, nowhere to be, nothing to get done. I just hung out with my puppy, watched T3, and played on the computer. I've felt very busy of late, even in my off time. There are just so many people and so many things happening to be a part of at The House that I needed to just do nothing by myself. I think days like this one keep me from burning out. As long as I can find a day once in a while where I can do only what I want to do I am able to keep moving.

Life is Elsewhere

2006-03-09T10:14:00.000-08:00

I'm going to take a page out of my wife's book, stealing someone else's idea and making it my own.

Darryl Friesen, a friend of The House, was in Edmonton for Missions Fest and needed a place to crash, so naturally we let him stay at The House. We took him to Clairview EFree on Sunday and Erika and I had a great chat with him on the way there and back. He is one of the most amazing people to talk to, so full of stories and wisdom from traveling the world and seeing all kinds of people. But one thing he said stuck out more than anything else...Life is in the interupptions. Darryl told the story of a friend of his who was dying from the abuse he had put his body through. Darryl went to visit him and found his friend convulsing on the floor. Ready to call the ambulance, he asked if there was anything he could do. The friend said simply, "Give me a hug." Darryl was baffled at such a simple request in a time of such need, but obliged. After 6 hours of holding the wrecked man he watched the sun rise and new his life was changed.

Life is not in the mundane activities of our work. It's not found in a day or month where everything is planned down to the second. Life is in the interruptions where we are ripped out of our self-absorbed selves and face the bigger picture.

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

2006-03-06T17:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, so maybe it wasn't quite that bad. We had our joint service with Clairview E-Free yesterday, and by joint I mean we planned and executed the whole thing and they provided the space. I t was a really great experience, but very taxing. I think what impressed my the most was Don's (the pastor), and by extention the whole church's, level of trust in us to take over their service and bring a bit of Houseness to their gathering. I have never seen a more truly open group of people. As Don put it to me later they, as a group, have the abilibty to discern the hearts of people and if the hearts are in the right place everything else is just details. Powerful!

The service went off quite well considering the short amount of time to set up and the few people we had to do so. Everything was great, but what really got me was the worship time. We enlisted the help of our unofficial music guru, the Great Paul. Our first set consisted of only 2 songs: Oh Lead Me and Great is They Faithfulness. Paul tuned his guitar to my new didgeridoo and we rocked it out. About halfway though Oh Lead Me I became completely lost. I don't know how long we played and, to be honest, I have no idea how it sounded. All I know is that God was there and at the end my throat was dry and my eyes weren't. I can't explain it, I can't describe it.

Our second set was more lively and designed as a continued celebration from the communion table. We handed out various shakers and drums to people and asked everyone to join in however they felt lead. I was nervous about handing out noisemakers to a congregation I have heard described as "not a musical bunch", but it was great. Everyone was standing, singing, clapping, just plain old worshipping.

Then the rest of Sunday was a maeltsrom of stillness as The House crashed from exhaustion.

Are You Alive Today?

2006-03-03T15:39:00.000-08:00

What is the purpose of this current day in the scheme of your life? Was today productive, a waste, non-existant? Is looking for tomorrow the purpose of getting through today?

I realize I am no the first to go down this line of questioning (not even the first in my blog circle), but I can't help thinking that the way we look at our time is so backwards. we scratch and claw to get through each day towards...what?...a car?...a house?...retiremtent?...the weekend?...then what? That's not a purpose. Living your life to reach a certain point in time/status is not a reason to live. We tend to look at our time like a resource and, while I agree that we should make the most of the time we are given, it's not something to be horded. Each and every day is a complete gift with an equal possibility for joy, sadness, love, regret, hope...

I know there are times in life when I must do things I don't want to and days which never seem to end, but I want to stop living each day as though I'm merely surviving it and live like I was meant to...like God meant for me to. Perhaps you could think of it as Life to the Fullest! I like the sound of that!

Missions Festivus

2006-02-27T19:53:00.000-08:00

Against my more sleep-induced judgement I went to the closing ceremonies...of Missions Fest, not the Olympics, with Matt, Erika, and Miranda. I was quite tired, but am so glad that I went. The night consisted of various ethnis groups worshipping in their own style - Punjabi, Sudanese, Korean, Chinese. It was quite a thing to feel a connection with these people as we had almost nothing in common other than a love for Christ. Couldn't understand the words, couldn't always appreciate the vibe, but, as one of the Sudanese guy pointed out, we were all there for one reason and that reason was the same - Giving God His due.

The other thing I came away from that night with was a re-conviction that God has set me aside for ministry. What that ministry looks like I am not completely sure yet, but I have had this overwhelming sense that God has great things for me to do in furthuring His Kingdom. This is a sense that has stayed with me since I was 12. I realize it could be a self-fulfilled deal, "Hey I like China. I think God is calling me there. Wow, people at Missions Fest think it's a good idea to go do missions. It must be a sign!", but I can feel God's purpose driving my life (just for you Matt...if you still read blogs).

And speaking of dogs getting neutered...Murphy is doing well after his surgery yesterday. He's somewhat dissapointed with me for some reason, but he understands that it is for the good of the many.

Neo-Quasi-Pseudo-Hippy-Ish

2006-02-23T08:44:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine recently said that I am becoming a neo-hippy. I think I like that idea. Granted, I don't agree with all of the pillars of hippydom, but I do resonate with most of the ideas. So, following in that strain, I am thinking about selling the Golf and buying a scooter.

Now I don't know if hippies would ride scooters, but I am a modern Neo-Quasi-Pseudo-Hippy so I can break the rules. I do know that it saves a huge amount of strain on the environment (not to mention my wallet) and the scooter culture (insert sarcastic jab here) is fairly parallel to the Neo-Quasi-Pseudo-Hippy culture. Yes, I will have to ride the bus for a number of months in the winter (unless we have more winters like this current one), but that's a small price to pay.

And of course I don't want just any old boring modern scooter, but rather one from the good old days of yore. Yes, a '60s Vespa! Such as this:

Oh Yeah!!!

Notent Notables

2006-02-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

A couple of things have stricken me as quite funny in the last couple of days and, since I know that you all hang on every word I say, I thought I would share them for edification. The first humorous sighting was pointed out by my wife so the porps go to her. Whilst filling up with gas at the local Mohawk (the choice of a new generation..."ting") we noticed that the guy in front of us at the pump was regailed in ETS attire. There he was, ETS sweater, pants, and even the clipped on badge, filling his sedan with gas. It almost made me want to jump in the front seat, put $2 in his ashtray, and asked to be dropped off on 71st.

The second event was at Erika's new workplace (King's) where I saw a large number of green slips of paper which read "Want to save trees?" in large letters. The point was to apply for classes online, thus avoiding paper applications, but I found it funny that these cards were so big and made of heavy construction paper.

Yup, that's the speed of my week so far.

Le Wok du Samuel

2006-02-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

Sweet, glorious, flaming monkey!!! Sam Wok is so good!

I wonder, if and when I go to China, if I will be able to come back and enjoy Chinese food from these western restaurants. It might be like going to Smitty's or Denny's for breakfast where the only saving grace is that you don't have to slaughter the pig (vegetarians read: artificially flavored and colored rabbit food made to look as though it were some sort of actual meat byproduct, which is ridiculous because the whole point of being a vegetarian is to avoid eating meat and if you've finally escaped the mysterious world of hotdogs and lunch meat why would you possibly want to be reminded of such atrocities? Seems like a fruitless endeavor to me…oh, the pun!) yourself or do the dishes because the food is nowhere near as good as ma makes.

How Do You Spell 'Aughalughlagh'?

2006-02-01T13:01:00.000-08:00

I came this close ( || ) to purchasing a dream on Monday (translation: I almost made the biggest mistake of my life by purchasing said dream without appropriate authorization from higher powers (read: wife), thus forfeiting my life, but man, it would have been a sweet way to go). Matt and I went test-driving…enough said. But I'll say more anyway. Matt wanted to drive the new Mini. I know what you're thinking - Matt and I and the car guy in a Mini; that's a caper in itself. But we were somewhat disappointed with the car so we went for an old standby…Volkswagen.

I've been looking at trading in the old Golf (9 years old already!) for a new Jetta so we went to check it out. I've been eyeing the diesels, but decided to test the 2.0L turbo model…SWEET MONKEY!!! I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I schooled almost every car on the road. I realize that 200 hp is not the most powerful car ever produced, but I think it was more the change from the dearly loved golf to a four-banger with no shortage of WOOHOO! Think uncle Bob pushing you uphill on a magic sandpaper carpet compared to a greased monkey entering the atmosphere! I mean, you can see what I'm talking about right?!

Then Matt made the fatal mistake of "checking out the Audi show room." Then it was all like, "Oh, you have a demo model A3 at an insanely reduced price for 0 down and payments which are actually within the scope of reason?" "No, I don't even like Audis. They make me want to puke!" "Aughalughlagh!"

I suppose it's for the best though. I don't know if I could get used to looking down on everyone like that. I hear it's lonely at the top.

More Butter Please

2006-01-25T13:07:00.000-08:00

I feel spread thin these days, or at least that I am on the verge of being spread over too much toast. This feeling comes in relation to people, not work or time. It may come as a revelation to some (hopefully not a huge shock) that God has given me a huge heart for people. The reason this may come as a surprise is that my love for people is coupled with an inherent need to appear cool, in control, and stable. I think it all comes down to a fear of vulnerability and whatnot, but we will ignore that for now. Thus humor and sarcasm are my oft used allies and I come off as an insensitive jerk (back me up here Rach). But when it comes down to it I empathize strongly with people and hate to see people I care about suffering, including those I don't know well yet.

I don't know if it's the increased intimacy afforded by The House or just a swing in the cycle of life, but it seems as if there is an inordinate amount of hurting people around me right now. I feel for them more strongly than I would for my own self in similar circumstances. I feel like it is my obligation to help everyone, but I can't and so I worry that people will miss out on care.

I know I can't help everyone and I'm not saying I take the blame, but this is my heart and it hurts that I can't be there for everyone.

Houseness Confirmed

2006-01-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

Everything is now in place. Beer. The House is now an unstoppable rebel force, poised to take over the emergent world. Beer. For lo! Mack of the Craw and Charles of Hopefully-His-Name-Is-Not-Repeated-Too-Often-In-This-Story have departed on the grandest of all journeys. Beer. Yes, it has been fortold from days of yore that two intrepid heroes would bring balance to The House through their great acts of heroicallness. Beer. And verily they have reached the land where beer flows like wine. Beer. And the flowing thereof is great. Beer.

I can't remember what I was posting about. Beer. But I'm sure it's somewhere in there. Beer.

I Apologize For This Apology...And Have Been Sacked

2006-01-18T15:25:00.000-08:00

A thousand apologies for the lack of bloggage in the past month, but I have not been particularly inspired to post lately. I think it is because I have actually been interacting with real people in real life and have been able to share my vast yananowinky smacktohmah directly. For those of you who have not been in my direct sphere of influence this past month this is as good a reason as any to take me out for coffee (hey, it works for Matt). This includes you Rach; 1000 kms is no excuse!

Anywho, enough with the ill-conceived attempt at humor and on with the news of the dramatically altered life experience that is Chuck. And that would be nothing at all. I seem to be in somewhat of a lull of late, not that that's a bad thing, quite the opposite. I have been in a consistent place of relatively smooth sailing as I have watched others' lives crash down around them (to varying degrees of course). It reminds me of my aunt and uncle's retirement house on Denman Island (bear with me). My uncle purposely desinged an outdoor alcove into the house which protects you from the onslaught of ensuing storms (which are quite impressive by all acounts). You can stand in the alcove and watch mother nature's fury unleashed whilst sipping your hippy tea.

So here I sit watching proverbial cows flying by, drinking my grande doppio harmless skinny dry cappuccino with wings, going do da do do do do do da do do.

Narnia

2005-12-15T08:22:00.000-08:00

Erika, Amanda, and I went to see Narnia on Tuesday night. Overall I was quite impressed with it, but that doesn't make for a very good ranting blog so I will pick on every fault I can think of.

As far as a book-turned-movie goes it was very well done. The movie stayed very true to the feel of the book and followed the details remarkably well. While this was an impressive feat it also served to make the few discrepancies stick out quite badly. I don't understand why moviemakers have to add things to "jazz up" an already fantastical story. I could understand if C. S. Lewis himself had worked on the movie and wanted to tweak a few details or add scenes that would be more successful in a movie format than in the book, but why does Disney feel the need to take a much-beloved masterpiece and "improve" it. There were three scenes that really stuck out to me (if you haven't seen it don't read on): the waterfall/ice flow scene, the interaction between Edmund and Tumnus, and the attack of the deranged mutant killer monster snow Santa.

The scene where Tumnus and Edmund have a chat in the Jadis' jail cell is a complete addition. The White Witch reveals that Edmund sold out Tumnus and a soap opera-esque stare-down occurs. Supposedly this scene is to enhance the White Witch's evil character. Funny, I thought the cold, dark ice castle, the evil little dwarf, the spiky motif, the ghastly statues, and the random yelling and threats did a fine job of that already. Add to this the fact that there was no resolution between the two characters and I just don't get the point of having it in there.

Now the scenes on the frozen waterfall and the killer Santa I can understand to a point. In the book the journey to the stone table is fairly drawn out and somewhat uneventful as they actually have a day's jump on the witch. This would not be action-packed enough for today's...intellectually advanced audience (What? Five whole minutes without stuff blowing up or people getting impaled! You mean I have to decipher a plotline?!). So let's invent a scene where the children ride a large piece of ice down a river and almost drown and one where everyone thinks that the White Witch is breathing down the necks of her quarry with her killer reindeer about to gorge themselves on man-flesh only to realize that it was just Santa trying to get their attention so he could give them presents (but no tea!). He was just in a real hurry, that's all. While the first scene is a total fabrication, the second is only a bizarre interpretation of a scene where the children and the beavers stop for the night in a burrow and wake to the sound of sleighbells (which the book explains in that Jadis specifically tells the dwarf to use the harness without bells so the reader knows it's not the White Witch who the children hear). Then they all realize that winter is slipping and Christmas is here at last and they all have tea (I think Lewis would have been aghast at the severe lack of tea in this movie…not at all proper what, what?)

And can someone tell me what the hell Harry Potter's phoenix is doing in Narnia?!

I was also kind of disappointed with the look of the stone table. It looked fine, but not what I expected from the book's description (small point).

Other than that it was a great movie. Visually it was amazing and the feel of the book was intact. Also, as Matt pointed out, the Christian themes were there without any real attempt by Disney to dumb them down or new age-ify them. Except (okay, one more beef) that the best line of the entire series was butchered. The "He's not safe, but he is good" line was said by Mr. Beaver not Lucy and it was said before they met Aslan not at the end of the movie. The point was that the children found out Alsan was a lion and wanted to know if he was tame. It was to build the image of this terrible, amazing, awesome figure. The whole thing seemed too matter-of-fact in the movie. "Who's Aslan?" "Oh, he's a lion," "Okay, let's go see him," "Hey, there he is coming out of his tent" "Alright, let's get this over with." Meeting Aslan is supposed to be akin to meeting God!

Like I said the above begrudgements were only made because everything else was so well done.

The Great Fridge In The Sky

2005-12-07T14:02:00.000-08:00

My soul craves music these days, and I don't mean the Black Eyed Peas (wait...that's not actually music anyway). We had our season-ending shindig last night for volleyball, which mostly consisted of hanging out in The House living room, eating pizza, and laughing at...with Danielle. Throughout the night various people picked up a guitar, didge, djembe, conga, and played something, good and bad. It didn't matter who had skill and who didn't; it was all about (Matt, earmuffs) exploring the divine creative.

One of the tragedies in our society is that we have relegated the beautiful things of life to the paid professionals, for the most part. I think I ranted about this in a previous post, but I am too lazy to go back and look. And since I know the rest of you are just as lazy I can blather on with impunity. The point is that we all have creative potential, it's part of the image of God...sorry Matt, the Imago Dei. Yeah, some of us sound terrible on the lute and couldn't paint a fresco to save our lives (that would a great sight, a person working away furiously on a wall with a gun pointed at their head..."not enough blue swirls"...BAM!). I think of our efforts like a little kid's, bringing home some horribly misshapen drawing of what appears to be a giraffe puking on a turtle, but is in fact a lovely family portrait. And God looks down with tears in His eyes (genuine ones at that) and says, "Did you do this yourself? It's an amazing likeness of a giraffe-puke covered turtle." And He means it.

Sure some of us can stay in the lines and a select few can actually make us feel the turtle's torment with wild brushstrokes and swaths of umber highlights, but it's all the same to God because actually does care more about the thought and the effort than the end result.

Where was I? Oh yes, as I sat surrounded by people expressing whatever talent they had I realized how much value there is in simply joining together in creative efforts, letting go of inhibitions and uncertainties. Just picture the smile on God's face as He proudly posts each picture on His fridge, the melodious sounds of giraffes and turtles wafting through the air.

Despair And Pizza

2005-12-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

Tonight the ranks of our cult grow two-fold as I have invited both of my volleyball teams over for pizza and social night. I think some of them are actually a little apprehensive about coming as (jokingly) described The House as a cult. Most of them, being first-year Bible college students, probably see thinking outside the box as using agean blue for the powerpoint slides instead of slate grey; maybe some of them have upgraded to a celtic prayer and a candle.

Thinking about this has forced me to remember how I perceived Christianity coming out of HS and how I view it now that I am so mature and wise. It's so, so, so, so hard not to be bitter and jaded towards the ways of the church and how far removed it is from the way it could be. When I think of this I totally understand Mack's speak of his manic-depressive nature. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed with the way God moves in communities and bodies of believers, while the stiffling of others leaves me in total despair for God's Kingdom. Fortunately, as I have just finished writing the word "Kingdom" I am reminded that it is God who is in control of how this turns out and not us, so it cannot fail to become what He has set out for it to be! Whew!