Blain/Blaine is a pretty crazy guy. Apparently the story goes something like this. Blain was Nathan's youth pastor. One day Nathan calls up Blain and says that something big is up and that he needs to talk. On the other end Blain says, "Can this wait a bit, I'm just doing my wife right now". I heard this from Patty so take it for what it's worth.
All and all, that's a pretty good picture of a few day impression of Blain. He says what he wants and is fairly rediculous but the guy loves God and there're multipul ways he proves it. He was the speaker for guys week and I'm disapointed that I didn't try to talk to him one on one.
Because Blain was the speaker for guys week most of the stuff he talked about is probably not fitting for me to reitterate verbatem in here. I'll tell you the PG stuff.
One cool piece of advice was that the most important thing that you can do as a newly married guy, is to make your wife your standard of beauty. Other than that we did the classic make a list of questions you want to ask the girls and they answered them and we answered theirs. Overal it wasn't helpful at all, at least not with understanding girls but it did leave me with a very large question. The questions is this:
Is it possible to have strong platonic intergender relationships?
I had never thought about it too much until this point but it was expressed, as if it were fact by the women leaders, that it is irrisponsible for a guy to try and go deeper with a girl unless he likes her, otherwise he is leader her on. I don't have the ability to go into depth here but my first reaction was actual anger which really surprised me because most things don't affect me that strongly. I have some strong opinions about the above question but before I get into them, what are yours?
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Speaker 6 - Nathan
Nathan was my favourite speaker. He combined a good amount of personal stories with intellectual discussion and yet he was our most relevant speaker. Nathan talked about idols.
Now idols can be a lot of things but there are some basic guidelines. An idol is anything that we let judge us or set conditions for our self worth. It is a perceived center of value, pleasure or power. Anything that we use to give us power, anything we use to make a standard of value or anything we use to escape from pain, is an idol.
I'm just reading something I wrote in my journal. It's fairly personal so don't use it against me.
"My biggest problem is either the fact that I want to be a hero or that I don't have enough boldness. Can being a hero be an idol? What do I gain from it? Honor, praise, love. Is it just that they each have such a high tolerance level? I don't feel like I'm getting a diminishing return. Am I being set up for a fall? But I don't really care about those things, they are just what I gain. I want to be a hero because I feel it is right, because I would want someone to do the same for me. Is that God then?
What about boldness? I gain perceived safety from cowardice. The idol would be whispering something like 'why do it, you don't have to'. I guess the idol would be apathy.
I'm not sure about this whole exercise because I don't agree with too many of societies standards. I don't care if people think I am good looking or smart or athletic, at least not as much as I used to. The main thing I do deal with is identity. Maybe that's the only thing everyone deals with. We are all just trying to find who we are. To be known."
Nathan also gave me one of my favourite jokes during Outtatown. It would be told by an African and it goes like this. To know if you should marry a girl or not, tweak your girlfriends thighs when you leave for work and when you return and they're still jiggling, you've found a good wife.
Now idols can be a lot of things but there are some basic guidelines. An idol is anything that we let judge us or set conditions for our self worth. It is a perceived center of value, pleasure or power. Anything that we use to give us power, anything we use to make a standard of value or anything we use to escape from pain, is an idol.
I'm just reading something I wrote in my journal. It's fairly personal so don't use it against me.
"My biggest problem is either the fact that I want to be a hero or that I don't have enough boldness. Can being a hero be an idol? What do I gain from it? Honor, praise, love. Is it just that they each have such a high tolerance level? I don't feel like I'm getting a diminishing return. Am I being set up for a fall? But I don't really care about those things, they are just what I gain. I want to be a hero because I feel it is right, because I would want someone to do the same for me. Is that God then?
What about boldness? I gain perceived safety from cowardice. The idol would be whispering something like 'why do it, you don't have to'. I guess the idol would be apathy.
I'm not sure about this whole exercise because I don't agree with too many of societies standards. I don't care if people think I am good looking or smart or athletic, at least not as much as I used to. The main thing I do deal with is identity. Maybe that's the only thing everyone deals with. We are all just trying to find who we are. To be known."
Nathan also gave me one of my favourite jokes during Outtatown. It would be told by an African and it goes like this. To know if you should marry a girl or not, tweak your girlfriends thighs when you leave for work and when you return and they're still jiggling, you've found a good wife.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Speaker 5 - Tara
I don't have much on Tara. It's probably because I didn't like her very much or at least didn't really respect her as a speaker. She was living a pretty impressive life, but it depends on what impresses you.
The main thing that I gained from Tara was culture shock. Knowledge about culture shock that is. She gave us a very nice emotional time line and a quick run down of the five stages of culture shock. It was all quite informative but at the time I thought it was all well and good, for someone else. Now I've never really been in another culture (unless you want to get picky with the definition of that word and before you say it I know that every person carries their own culture) but I have proven to be quiet adaptable when the time comes and as long as they give me time, I'll eat most things. Change doesn't really bother me but then again I've never been in change that is all that threatening to me.
My point is that I didn't think it was useful but because it was such a nice visual, I wrote down the time line. I wish I could tell you that looking back on it now is causing me to have an epiphany that would make this post more exciting but I was right and wrong. I was wrong because I went through the stages of culture shock when I first starting outtatown. My expectations were unrealistic and it had been a while since I forced myself to make friends, I went in all wrong. I got shocked and it took until the canoe trip (4 or 5 days) for me to realize that. But then I adapted and things got better. I love it when I can be right too.
Another cool thing that we talked about was the difference between Passive and Active speech. The difference between "you broke a dish" and "a dish broke". Westerners usually use the active but many other people use the passive. I love stuff like this because it is crazy how much meaning is floating around 3 or 4 words and how easy it is to miss it. I really hope I can find some good examples of stuff like this in South Africa.
The main thing that I gained from Tara was culture shock. Knowledge about culture shock that is. She gave us a very nice emotional time line and a quick run down of the five stages of culture shock. It was all quite informative but at the time I thought it was all well and good, for someone else. Now I've never really been in another culture (unless you want to get picky with the definition of that word and before you say it I know that every person carries their own culture) but I have proven to be quiet adaptable when the time comes and as long as they give me time, I'll eat most things. Change doesn't really bother me but then again I've never been in change that is all that threatening to me.
My point is that I didn't think it was useful but because it was such a nice visual, I wrote down the time line. I wish I could tell you that looking back on it now is causing me to have an epiphany that would make this post more exciting but I was right and wrong. I was wrong because I went through the stages of culture shock when I first starting outtatown. My expectations were unrealistic and it had been a while since I forced myself to make friends, I went in all wrong. I got shocked and it took until the canoe trip (4 or 5 days) for me to realize that. But then I adapted and things got better. I love it when I can be right too.
Another cool thing that we talked about was the difference between Passive and Active speech. The difference between "you broke a dish" and "a dish broke". Westerners usually use the active but many other people use the passive. I love stuff like this because it is crazy how much meaning is floating around 3 or 4 words and how easy it is to miss it. I really hope I can find some good examples of stuff like this in South Africa.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Speaker 4 - Pierre Gilbert
Pierre, like Sugar Ray, is a CMU prof who visited us for one day. I'd like to say that he talked about two things, ultimate truth and then spiritual warfare, but I'm not sure what was spiritual warfare and what was a recipe for bacon. I'm going to stick to ultimate truth.
We talked about Postmodernism. About how one guy said that "I define postmodern as incredulity towards metanarratives". Which is pretty much a skepticism to all major ways of viewing the world. We got into the basic flaw of that system in that it tries to remove absolutes by stating an absolute and talked about how we really only use Postmodern thought in unimportant matters (For example, not in crime). We then hit on the hidden truths that A) No one is beyond the reach of God and B) we are free.
Now I liked Pierre because he was funny and we had a good chat after the session over some lunch but his session was pretty weak. I feel that our hidden truths were made by a Sunday school teacher and I'm not sure if I even agree with B. C S Lewis says that "I was not born to be free--I was born to adore and obey" and I agree more with him than Pierre.
In the chat that we had afterward, I was talking to Pierre about the truth of the Bible - specifically creation. He told me about this guy named John Bottero who is a world expert on Assyrians and their culture. Now this Bottero fellow apparently says that the Hebrew creation story is so advanced for it's time period relative to the neighbouring cultures that either Moses got it from Aliens or it might actually be true. I thought that was pretty cool so I wrote the name down and forgot about it until now. Well, I just spent 30 minutes researching Jean Bottero because John Bottero is an auctioneer and I've found nothing that supports Peirre's claim. I've found nothing to the affect that Bottero was even a Christian, maybe even the opposite as his book "Birth of God" seems to dictate at first glance.
I don't know if someone got the wrong information somewhere but I'm skeptical if this Bottero thing is actually what Peirre thinks it is. If you happen to know something about this or have better luck than I do researching it, let me know.
We talked about Postmodernism. About how one guy said that "I define postmodern as incredulity towards metanarratives". Which is pretty much a skepticism to all major ways of viewing the world. We got into the basic flaw of that system in that it tries to remove absolutes by stating an absolute and talked about how we really only use Postmodern thought in unimportant matters (For example, not in crime). We then hit on the hidden truths that A) No one is beyond the reach of God and B) we are free.
Now I liked Pierre because he was funny and we had a good chat after the session over some lunch but his session was pretty weak. I feel that our hidden truths were made by a Sunday school teacher and I'm not sure if I even agree with B. C S Lewis says that "I was not born to be free--I was born to adore and obey" and I agree more with him than Pierre.
In the chat that we had afterward, I was talking to Pierre about the truth of the Bible - specifically creation. He told me about this guy named John Bottero who is a world expert on Assyrians and their culture. Now this Bottero fellow apparently says that the Hebrew creation story is so advanced for it's time period relative to the neighbouring cultures that either Moses got it from Aliens or it might actually be true. I thought that was pretty cool so I wrote the name down and forgot about it until now. Well, I just spent 30 minutes researching Jean Bottero because John Bottero is an auctioneer and I've found nothing that supports Peirre's claim. I've found nothing to the affect that Bottero was even a Christian, maybe even the opposite as his book "Birth of God" seems to dictate at first glance.
I don't know if someone got the wrong information somewhere but I'm skeptical if this Bottero thing is actually what Peirre thinks it is. If you happen to know something about this or have better luck than I do researching it, let me know.
Speaker 3 - Sugar Ray
His name is not actually Sugar Ray. It's a nickname but one that I don't know the origins of. All I know is that Patty calls him Sugar Ray, that's good enough for me.
Ray spoke on poverty. Because I had taken the Introduction to International Development at CMU which should have been taught my Ray if he wasn't on his sabbatical, I knew the basic layout of his session. First, we defined what poor was. Second, we found an example of someone we knew who we thought was poor. Third, we got into wealth or capital.
For the third part, we wrote out five things that we considered valuable wealth. Later we put them into five categories. Natural, Human, Financial, Physical and Social. The five are as follows:
Natural capital: Environmental resources (e.g., land, water, biodiversity)
Human capital: Skills, knowledge, health, ability to labor and to pursue livelihood strategies
Financial capital: Savings, livestock, supplies of credit, remittances
Physical capital: Basic infrastructure (e.g., transport, energy, market access, communication, irrigation facilities)
Social capital: Membership of groups, networks, access to wider institutions of society
I had one social, one financial and three human. That doesn't surprise me because that's where my priorities are. We also talked about a wild card sixth category of Spiritual capital. All this brings up the questions of where you put your faith. As you can see, I put my faith mostly in myself and within a few of my equally financially blessed friends. If Ray had not brought up Spiritual capital it would have never crossed my mind.
Where is your faith placed?
Ray spoke on poverty. Because I had taken the Introduction to International Development at CMU which should have been taught my Ray if he wasn't on his sabbatical, I knew the basic layout of his session. First, we defined what poor was. Second, we found an example of someone we knew who we thought was poor. Third, we got into wealth or capital.
For the third part, we wrote out five things that we considered valuable wealth. Later we put them into five categories. Natural, Human, Financial, Physical and Social. The five are as follows:
Natural capital: Environmental resources (e.g., land, water, biodiversity)
Human capital: Skills, knowledge, health, ability to labor and to pursue livelihood strategies
Financial capital: Savings, livestock, supplies of credit, remittances
Physical capital: Basic infrastructure (e.g., transport, energy, market access, communication, irrigation facilities)
Social capital: Membership of groups, networks, access to wider institutions of society
I had one social, one financial and three human. That doesn't surprise me because that's where my priorities are. We also talked about a wild card sixth category of Spiritual capital. All this brings up the questions of where you put your faith. As you can see, I put my faith mostly in myself and within a few of my equally financially blessed friends. If Ray had not brought up Spiritual capital it would have never crossed my mind.
Where is your faith placed?
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Speaker 2 - Craig
I should probably stop starting these ridiculously late at night. It's not a good situation. On the other hand,
Craig was our second speaker and he was a historian. I found it interesting that he was a Christian and a historian and so I played close attention to his sessions. He gave us some interesting stuff but I'm going to focus on his reasons why the Bible was true. I remember three major points.
He talked about positive and negative sources and showed us some of the writings by roman historians during the time of the Bible, which 'prove' parts of Christianity.
He explained that all of the authors of the Bible did not know that they were writing the Bible at the time.
He showed us that the Bible is not sanitized. The good is in with the bad which is very unusual for any mythological or religious book. He proved the Bible is honest.
My first question is whether honesty is enough to be truth. If something is honest, is it therefore true? My first thought is that it is not. If I wanted to, I could tell a number of embarrassing stories which aren't true and tell them like they are for the purpose of making people think I am honest. In a way you can say I am honest but really the only good thing about me is that I'm smart enough to use short term lost for long term gain.
(Side note. I had an interesting conversation with a number of people about the difference between honesty and truth. I think the best line was that honesty is something within and truth is something outside of oneself; honesty is the act of making yourself able to receive the gift of truth.)
A counterpoint to that last issue is the idea that why would the writers of the Bible want to make something honest but not true if they didn't even know they were writing anything that would become so famous. In essence they were just scribes who wanted to get the story recorded. Unfortunately I have to get a little cynical here and wonder about the people who put the Bible together. Now I know a little about this but exactly that, a little. Could it not be possible that those who composed the Bible choose from a multitude of writings, those which worked the best? Could some truth be lost in the first Cannon? I've never read 1st and 2nd Maccabees but maybe they've got some stuff that doesn't really agree with the rest. Well, I'm starting to get into areas that I don't want to go this early in the morning so I will stop but the questions do not.
Craig was our second speaker and he was a historian. I found it interesting that he was a Christian and a historian and so I played close attention to his sessions. He gave us some interesting stuff but I'm going to focus on his reasons why the Bible was true. I remember three major points.
He talked about positive and negative sources and showed us some of the writings by roman historians during the time of the Bible, which 'prove' parts of Christianity.
He explained that all of the authors of the Bible did not know that they were writing the Bible at the time.
He showed us that the Bible is not sanitized. The good is in with the bad which is very unusual for any mythological or religious book. He proved the Bible is honest.
My first question is whether honesty is enough to be truth. If something is honest, is it therefore true? My first thought is that it is not. If I wanted to, I could tell a number of embarrassing stories which aren't true and tell them like they are for the purpose of making people think I am honest. In a way you can say I am honest but really the only good thing about me is that I'm smart enough to use short term lost for long term gain.
(Side note. I had an interesting conversation with a number of people about the difference between honesty and truth. I think the best line was that honesty is something within and truth is something outside of oneself; honesty is the act of making yourself able to receive the gift of truth.)
A counterpoint to that last issue is the idea that why would the writers of the Bible want to make something honest but not true if they didn't even know they were writing anything that would become so famous. In essence they were just scribes who wanted to get the story recorded. Unfortunately I have to get a little cynical here and wonder about the people who put the Bible together. Now I know a little about this but exactly that, a little. Could it not be possible that those who composed the Bible choose from a multitude of writings, those which worked the best? Could some truth be lost in the first Cannon? I've never read 1st and 2nd Maccabees but maybe they've got some stuff that doesn't really agree with the rest. Well, I'm starting to get into areas that I don't want to go this early in the morning so I will stop but the questions do not.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Speaker 1 - Gerry
I have three pages of notes on Gerry. As you can probably guess, that is mostly due to the fact that he was the first speaker and not much else. Before I start it is interesting to note that on the first page at the bottom someone has written:
Joshua,
thank you
Josh, you have a very nice
note book.
Now my first guess was that Albanian boy I saved from a dragon finally found me because the printing is so messy and obviously came from a disfigered hand but it might also be that the writing chooses to be anonymous so I will pursue it no more...unless you have information on who I should be saying you're welcome to.
I digress, Gerry talked about communicating the gospel in terms of people's specific cultures. He gave us a three step system:
Know unchanging word, know changing world
Know the changing people and their changing world
Take unchanging word to the changing people living a changing world
Something that I have thought about to a fair extent is this whole question of being able to relate to people. One of the most amazing things about Jesus, if you think that he was just a human being, is how amazing he is at being exactly what a specific person needs at a specific time. To the lady at the well, he saw through her and brought truth into her life. For Peter, he had to call him the devil yet my guess is that it was the best good for Peter at the time. Peter seems like the type where you needed to just set them straight every once in a while. To Zacchaeus, Jesus was friendly and inviting and my guess is that if Jesus would have had a place, they would have eaten there instead.
Jesus' ability to be anything to anyone is quite spectacular to me. I'm not sure if this is what Gerry meant by his sessions but it is the thoughts that came up for me. How am I living my life to be more like Jesus in this way? How am I trying to understand and relate to those who think and live and feel differently than I do?
Finally, there are two quotes that came up during the sessions. I don't remember who either of the authors were.
God has called us to live a daring and impossible kind of life which necessitates faith in the kind of God who does the impossible.
Don't go to church, be the church.
Joshua,
thank you
Josh, you have a very nice
note book.
Now my first guess was that Albanian boy I saved from a dragon finally found me because the printing is so messy and obviously came from a disfigered hand but it might also be that the writing chooses to be anonymous so I will pursue it no more...unless you have information on who I should be saying you're welcome to.
I digress, Gerry talked about communicating the gospel in terms of people's specific cultures. He gave us a three step system:
Know unchanging word, know changing world
Know the changing people and their changing world
Take unchanging word to the changing people living a changing world
Something that I have thought about to a fair extent is this whole question of being able to relate to people. One of the most amazing things about Jesus, if you think that he was just a human being, is how amazing he is at being exactly what a specific person needs at a specific time. To the lady at the well, he saw through her and brought truth into her life. For Peter, he had to call him the devil yet my guess is that it was the best good for Peter at the time. Peter seems like the type where you needed to just set them straight every once in a while. To Zacchaeus, Jesus was friendly and inviting and my guess is that if Jesus would have had a place, they would have eaten there instead.
Jesus' ability to be anything to anyone is quite spectacular to me. I'm not sure if this is what Gerry meant by his sessions but it is the thoughts that came up for me. How am I living my life to be more like Jesus in this way? How am I trying to understand and relate to those who think and live and feel differently than I do?
Finally, there are two quotes that came up during the sessions. I don't remember who either of the authors were.
God has called us to live a daring and impossible kind of life which necessitates faith in the kind of God who does the impossible.
Don't go to church, be the church.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
One more before it gets serious
First, things are back to normal. I'm sitting in my very nice computer chair counting away the hours. I have Xena back and my life is feeling much more ordered. I've got the homepage optimized and the bookmarks back in place. Starcraft, Warcraft, Oblivion and even Blackshift are running well and once I find my Civ 4 disks and get Age of Mythology reinstalled it will be good times. I've got Band of Brothers streaming and I'll probably get to Dexter season 3 soon.
Second, the blog has changed a bit. I've changed a few things. I've decided to put fewer posts on one page because it was taking too long to scroll through. I've added the sites of a few people that I know of who have blogs. If you don't want your one up there tell me and I might remove it. One of interest is the Site 3-South Africa blog. It is the official blog of site three and as a member of the media committee, part of it is my responsibility. I forgot to tell people about it but it is a more reliable place to get updates for next semester because internet will probalby be rarer than first semester.
Third, there is a very obvious gab in my updates about first semester. In the spirit of debrief I will try to remedy that. Because I do not what to write everything over again, I am going to cover the first semester in terms of speakers. If you want stories or pictures or songs you will have to ask me in person. This should be starting tomorrow (or really later today).
Fourth, as I said in my last post I need to address something that I said at the end of Outtatown. Unfortunately, I'm going to sit on it for a bit and think it out. I promise to write about it when I am done with the speaker summary.
Fifth, eventually I will try to put something in here that is actually entertaining. Funny for the sake of funny if you will, so if you are just happening on this please stick with me.
Sixth, I'm going to set a goal of writing everyday for the next week. So, because of point two make sure you stay tuned because the posts are going to fly off the front page. This one will only count as Saturday even though it is Sunday. Mostly because blogger gives me the power over time, plus two posts in one day makes me seem too eager. Yep, things are back to normal.
Second, the blog has changed a bit. I've changed a few things. I've decided to put fewer posts on one page because it was taking too long to scroll through. I've added the sites of a few people that I know of who have blogs. If you don't want your one up there tell me and I might remove it. One of interest is the Site 3-South Africa blog. It is the official blog of site three and as a member of the media committee, part of it is my responsibility. I forgot to tell people about it but it is a more reliable place to get updates for next semester because internet will probalby be rarer than first semester.
Third, there is a very obvious gab in my updates about first semester. In the spirit of debrief I will try to remedy that. Because I do not what to write everything over again, I am going to cover the first semester in terms of speakers. If you want stories or pictures or songs you will have to ask me in person. This should be starting tomorrow (or really later today).
Fourth, as I said in my last post I need to address something that I said at the end of Outtatown. Unfortunately, I'm going to sit on it for a bit and think it out. I promise to write about it when I am done with the speaker summary.
Fifth, eventually I will try to put something in here that is actually entertaining. Funny for the sake of funny if you will, so if you are just happening on this please stick with me.
Sixth, I'm going to set a goal of writing everyday for the next week. So, because of point two make sure you stay tuned because the posts are going to fly off the front page. This one will only count as Saturday even though it is Sunday. Mostly because blogger gives me the power over time, plus two posts in one day makes me seem too eager. Yep, things are back to normal.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Another boring update blog
You might not have noticed it but I'm home now. I've been home since the 3rd. Don't worry, I haven't been hanging out with other people or even dominating virtual worlds, I've been mostly sleeping, reading and now working.
The first night I was actually home I slept for 12 hours. When I was tired again at 9pm I went to bed at 10 and slept another 11. It was a good first two days. Next I would have gotten my video game on but Xena is still being held captive by my sister. So, I am reduced to reading and sleeping. I probably will hang out with people soon but right now I'm not sure when your exams are and I'm actually really loving a little me time after being with 37 people for the last 3 months.
Two more things.
Over the weekend I went on a mini road trip with my Dad which was really good. We went and visited some family friends up in Summerland. He is a pastor and I got a chance to ask him some questoins about pastoring and ministry. There was one part that I really remember from the conversation. We were talking about the difference between speaking and teaching and he said something I think is quite profound. He said something along the lines of that really good teachers are transpairent and honest because when it comes down to it there is going to be someone smarter or more knowledgeable just a click away on the internet. What makes openness so valuable is because it is something that cannot be transfered from one machine to another. It is the basis for good pastoring. I'll probably try and unpack this in the future.
To Outtatown people: basically the last thing I said to you was that I'm probably not going to miss you over Christmas break. To say that and then to not respond to anyone for a few days is probably not a good idea. Now this isn't a change of heart but I would like to try and explain myself better, just not tonight. Tomorrow I work again for my father at 9am and I wouldn't want to break crewfew.
The first night I was actually home I slept for 12 hours. When I was tired again at 9pm I went to bed at 10 and slept another 11. It was a good first two days. Next I would have gotten my video game on but Xena is still being held captive by my sister. So, I am reduced to reading and sleeping. I probably will hang out with people soon but right now I'm not sure when your exams are and I'm actually really loving a little me time after being with 37 people for the last 3 months.
Two more things.
Over the weekend I went on a mini road trip with my Dad which was really good. We went and visited some family friends up in Summerland. He is a pastor and I got a chance to ask him some questoins about pastoring and ministry. There was one part that I really remember from the conversation. We were talking about the difference between speaking and teaching and he said something I think is quite profound. He said something along the lines of that really good teachers are transpairent and honest because when it comes down to it there is going to be someone smarter or more knowledgeable just a click away on the internet. What makes openness so valuable is because it is something that cannot be transfered from one machine to another. It is the basis for good pastoring. I'll probably try and unpack this in the future.
To Outtatown people: basically the last thing I said to you was that I'm probably not going to miss you over Christmas break. To say that and then to not respond to anyone for a few days is probably not a good idea. Now this isn't a change of heart but I would like to try and explain myself better, just not tonight. Tomorrow I work again for my father at 9am and I wouldn't want to break crewfew.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
A Homecoming
I'm at my house right now. Well technically I am in the building in my backyard but that's just because I don't have a laptop right now. These are the things I'm planning on doing in the next 2 hours:
Shower
Put on my housecoat
Laundry
Eat some cheese and crackers
Sleep
I'm only here until 9am later today so I will not be at Chruch. For those who I didn't give enough time to make tonight work, I'm sorry. But to the rest of you, it was good to see you again.
Shower
Put on my housecoat
Laundry
Eat some cheese and crackers
Sleep
I'm only here until 9am later today so I will not be at Chruch. For those who I didn't give enough time to make tonight work, I'm sorry. But to the rest of you, it was good to see you again.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Lessons to Learn
I need to learn to log off of things...It's a good thing that the person who had an opportunity to write anything on this blog is kind.
Vancouver
So I'm in Vancouver right now. I've been here since Monday. We are in the Ivanhoe. We will be here until Sunday and then we go to Chilliwack.
Tonight I walked around the downtown east side. I met some prostitutes and one guy who was pretty convinced that "they" were going to kill us. I tried to give a rose to two different women but they both were pretty scared of me. I met another guy who told me to love George Bush and that we should nuke the Muslims. My internet has been inconsistent so I'll try to tell some stories when I can. Right now I'm about to learn a game called 3 13.
I'll let you know if there is some time when you can visit me or if I'll be back in Ladner. We have some free weekends but apparently they might now be very free, so I'm not sure what the situation is right now. Hopefully I can see some of you soon.
Monday, October 13, 2008
It takes tears to build a community
I've quite enjoyed my first 29 days of Outtatown. One of my biggest worries was that most of the people on my site would be immature. Interestingly enough, there are about 6 or 7 people who are older than myself and no one ridiculous. I was worried that it would get cliquey. There are groups of friends but nothing unreasonable; actually quite good. I was also worried that people would be just in it for the fun. This one will take a little more to explain.
During one of our first sessions, Jerry our speaker had just finished telling us about himself and wanted to know a little about each of us. My understanding of the situation was to give your name, where you were from and maybe why you did Outtatown. Well the first guy asked what we were supposted to say and Jerry said, "Just tell me a little about yourself" and so he did. By the time everyone was done, we had gone over the time for that entire session. We had shared some pretty personal stuff and there was even a tear or two. I was shocked. This was our second day together.
Just recenlty we had a guy named Nathan talk to us. His big thing was idols. Without getting too much into the details he talked for a day and a half and then in our last session he got us all together in a big circle. He said he had said too much and now it was our time to talk. It was a little uncomfortable for 2 mintues, until the girl next to me spoke. About half the site shared what seemed like the most important events of their lives. I think the tissue box pasted by me five or six times. Even in the silence, it felt good.
I watched people and saw bits of their soul pour out from their mouths and eyes. It was honest and real, with 38 people in the room. It's the type of moment that defines a group.
During one of our first sessions, Jerry our speaker had just finished telling us about himself and wanted to know a little about each of us. My understanding of the situation was to give your name, where you were from and maybe why you did Outtatown. Well the first guy asked what we were supposted to say and Jerry said, "Just tell me a little about yourself" and so he did. By the time everyone was done, we had gone over the time for that entire session. We had shared some pretty personal stuff and there was even a tear or two. I was shocked. This was our second day together.
Just recenlty we had a guy named Nathan talk to us. His big thing was idols. Without getting too much into the details he talked for a day and a half and then in our last session he got us all together in a big circle. He said he had said too much and now it was our time to talk. It was a little uncomfortable for 2 mintues, until the girl next to me spoke. About half the site shared what seemed like the most important events of their lives. I think the tissue box pasted by me five or six times. Even in the silence, it felt good.
I watched people and saw bits of their soul pour out from their mouths and eyes. It was honest and real, with 38 people in the room. It's the type of moment that defines a group.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Plunging into the Urban
From Tuesday night to Friday we stayed at the Vineyard church in Winnipeg. It is located at 782 Main Street. It's the rough part of town.
Wednesday we participated in something called The Amazing Race. It was really well organized and run. We had a little baggy full of clues and a number of different tasks to accomplish. When we started I told my team that I loved winning and well, they didn't disappoint. But that's not the point of that day. We got to talk to some people who have devoted their lives. One guy runs community housing for the scum of the street. These people have to pass a screening but we're talking a step above drug dealers. The part that I found the most amazing is that he has two little kids. He told us one story about how one of the guys came home late, drunk out of his mind and his 5 year old son answered the door. We asked him about it and he said that he just trusts the Lord to keep his kids safe. That struck me pretty hard.
We also heard about this sweet pastor. Basically this guy took his neighbourhood seriously and starting bringing the battle back to the streets. He, with the help of some other guys, ran the drug and sex trade out. Basically they recorded license plates of the Johns and addresses of the drug houses and gave them to the news and posted them online. Before long, the neighbourhood turned around because this one guy brought illumiation to the dark places. I don't know but I imagine that this pastor would be getting death threats at the very least. I loved how much risk this guy was taking but more so, how simple is was to actually do something, without any violence or evil at all.
We also met another pastor who's church is in a high traffic prostitution traffic area. The parts that I remember were these two. The average age to start prostitution is 13 or 14. Most of the girls are safer on the streets being picked up by strangers than they are at home.
My favourite part of the day was when we were walking around and we started to hang out with some native kids. These guys were smoking and drinking beer and I probably would have just walked past them without saying a word but another guy from a different group started talking to them and we all started walking together. Now, there is a long story to go with this and if you want to hear it let me know but the most important part is that I become friends with the head guy. His name was Mike. Now Mike is a reasonable dude but he doesn't like his neighbourhood. He told me that he wanted to get a gun and kill some people. He was serious. He also liked to laugh and have a good time. I think the moment we bonded was when I started to lay down some sick beats for his lyrical rhythm. That's right. The white kid beatboxed while the native told it like it is. That right there, that was very good.
The other two days were spend doing service projects and while they were good, they were nothing compared to the epicness of Wednesday. Other than two amazingly awkward conversations where I got this one guys name wrong like four times, it was good. I seriously think that Wednesday October 8th, 2008 might just be one of the greatest days of my life.
Wednesday we participated in something called The Amazing Race. It was really well organized and run. We had a little baggy full of clues and a number of different tasks to accomplish. When we started I told my team that I loved winning and well, they didn't disappoint. But that's not the point of that day. We got to talk to some people who have devoted their lives. One guy runs community housing for the scum of the street. These people have to pass a screening but we're talking a step above drug dealers. The part that I found the most amazing is that he has two little kids. He told us one story about how one of the guys came home late, drunk out of his mind and his 5 year old son answered the door. We asked him about it and he said that he just trusts the Lord to keep his kids safe. That struck me pretty hard.
We also heard about this sweet pastor. Basically this guy took his neighbourhood seriously and starting bringing the battle back to the streets. He, with the help of some other guys, ran the drug and sex trade out. Basically they recorded license plates of the Johns and addresses of the drug houses and gave them to the news and posted them online. Before long, the neighbourhood turned around because this one guy brought illumiation to the dark places. I don't know but I imagine that this pastor would be getting death threats at the very least. I loved how much risk this guy was taking but more so, how simple is was to actually do something, without any violence or evil at all.
We also met another pastor who's church is in a high traffic prostitution traffic area. The parts that I remember were these two. The average age to start prostitution is 13 or 14. Most of the girls are safer on the streets being picked up by strangers than they are at home.
My favourite part of the day was when we were walking around and we started to hang out with some native kids. These guys were smoking and drinking beer and I probably would have just walked past them without saying a word but another guy from a different group started talking to them and we all started walking together. Now, there is a long story to go with this and if you want to hear it let me know but the most important part is that I become friends with the head guy. His name was Mike. Now Mike is a reasonable dude but he doesn't like his neighbourhood. He told me that he wanted to get a gun and kill some people. He was serious. He also liked to laugh and have a good time. I think the moment we bonded was when I started to lay down some sick beats for his lyrical rhythm. That's right. The white kid beatboxed while the native told it like it is. That right there, that was very good.
The other two days were spend doing service projects and while they were good, they were nothing compared to the epicness of Wednesday. Other than two amazingly awkward conversations where I got this one guys name wrong like four times, it was good. I seriously think that Wednesday October 8th, 2008 might just be one of the greatest days of my life.
Somethings you should know
Can you describe yourself in one sentence?
"I am a unusual person who has a strange habit of either talking too much or not at all"
That one works pretty well for me. You get the important parts yet it's not super personal. It alludes to deeper parts of my personality (or lack of one) but the talking part is very practical and generally the first thing people see.
I just finished "facebooking" most of the people from my Outtatown site. I check the info page to see if there was anything interesting and to see what types of quotes they put up. I think you can learn a lot about someone if you look at their quotes. You certainly can get a better picture of me if you read mine. I also looked for blogs or other ways to learn more about them. It's not that I don't believe in conversation but I think that some things are easier to write and read then speak.
So, what if you had to make a list? Could you compile some things that people need to know. If someone you trust asked you to tell them a little about yourself, what would you say? It's a strange question and an even stranger situation but one that I find myself in. I generally trust the other people in my site but we really don't know that much about each other. I want to let other people know who I am, but I'm not the type to bring it up without someone asking the question. So lets pretend that someone thinks like me, checks out my facebook page, finds this blog, and would like to ask me about myself but is either too afraid or hasn't got the opportunity to do so yet. This would be my list:
I'm an introverted person.
Understanding is my greatest ability.
I really enjoy public speaking.
I love to tell stories, and explain things and comfortable silence.
Being delusional is one of my biggest fears.
I'm really bad with groups of people I don't know.
I have a reason for everything I do.
To get me angry, tell me things you think you know about me.
I almost always love it when people ask me questions.
I'm quite an untruthfully honest person.
I believe I was born to be 45.
I'm good at adapting.
I learn by listening.
If I don't get assassinated, I'll probably be disappointed with my life.
I love winning.
I'm quite independent but I care too much what other people think.
I think that everyone loves me.
I don't like being treated unfairly.
Generally, compliments will get you nowhere.
I work like a sponge.
I'm still trying to figure out if I have a personality.
Figure out your list. I might be asking you soon.
"I am a unusual person who has a strange habit of either talking too much or not at all"
That one works pretty well for me. You get the important parts yet it's not super personal. It alludes to deeper parts of my personality (or lack of one) but the talking part is very practical and generally the first thing people see.
I just finished "facebooking" most of the people from my Outtatown site. I check the info page to see if there was anything interesting and to see what types of quotes they put up. I think you can learn a lot about someone if you look at their quotes. You certainly can get a better picture of me if you read mine. I also looked for blogs or other ways to learn more about them. It's not that I don't believe in conversation but I think that some things are easier to write and read then speak.
So, what if you had to make a list? Could you compile some things that people need to know. If someone you trust asked you to tell them a little about yourself, what would you say? It's a strange question and an even stranger situation but one that I find myself in. I generally trust the other people in my site but we really don't know that much about each other. I want to let other people know who I am, but I'm not the type to bring it up without someone asking the question. So lets pretend that someone thinks like me, checks out my facebook page, finds this blog, and would like to ask me about myself but is either too afraid or hasn't got the opportunity to do so yet. This would be my list:
I'm an introverted person.
Understanding is my greatest ability.
I really enjoy public speaking.
I love to tell stories, and explain things and comfortable silence.
Being delusional is one of my biggest fears.
I'm really bad with groups of people I don't know.
I have a reason for everything I do.
To get me angry, tell me things you think you know about me.
I almost always love it when people ask me questions.
I'm quite an untruthfully honest person.
I believe I was born to be 45.
I'm good at adapting.
I learn by listening.
If I don't get assassinated, I'll probably be disappointed with my life.
I love winning.
I'm quite independent but I care too much what other people think.
I think that everyone loves me.
I don't like being treated unfairly.
Generally, compliments will get you nowhere.
I work like a sponge.
I'm still trying to figure out if I have a personality.
Figure out your list. I might be asking you soon.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Kill Girls, Kill Girls, Kill...SO HARD
My average day looks sort of like this:
8:30am - Wake up (shower every second day)
8:45am - Breakfast
9:30am - Session 1 (5 minute break at 10:30)
I won this one
We also played Risk 2210 and we dressed up like nerds for it. Good times.
I also made a kite with some other people. We used sticks, duck tape, and a large clear garbage bag. It didn't fly, at all.
I originally wrote this post a while ago but I didn't have a picture for the risk game. I still don't have a picture but I felt like I should post this anyways. Hopefully there will be a picture eventually.
8:30am - Wake up (shower every second day)
8:45am - Breakfast
9:30am - Session 1 (5 minute break at 10:30)
11:30am - Quiet time
12:30pm - Lunch
12:30pm - Lunch
1:30pm - Session 2 (5 minute break at 2:30)
3:30pm - Free time
5:00pm - Dinner
7:00pm - Community event
9:00pm - Snack
1:30am to 4:00am - Bedtime
The rest of my time is filled with random things. There are some things that I've been doing differently though. I'm drinking a lot more water, which is giving me a lot more energy. A friend of mine told me this last year but I didn't believe him, but now I do. Usually I want to fall asleep about 16 times during a session but then I just take a drink of water and it tides me over for those next 108 seconds. I'm also eating salad at least once a day. It hasn't gotten me a girlfriend yet but I'm pretty sure most of the girls are impressed. I'm a big fan of the raspberry vinaigrette. Other than that, I'm sort of feeling the media fast I'm on but I do get to see a movie every once in a while. The Transporter was pretty disappointing.
Free time is being filled with quite a few things. We have a copy of Settlers here and I'm 2-2 so far. It's only the original but it's still lots of fun.
I won this oneWe also played Risk 2210 and we dressed up like nerds for it. Good times.
Too bad you can't see the socks tucked into my pants
I also made a kite with some other people. We used sticks, duck tape, and a large clear garbage bag. It didn't fly, at all.
The Kite Crew
I've played a lot of cribbage and some poker and rook. The evenings go late supplied by our plethora of assorted hot drinks. The talks are good. We played a game of dodge ball. It was girls verses guys. We had a cheer; it's the title.
We find out our small groups tonight. I'm pretty pumped for that. Things are going to get deeper.
I originally wrote this post a while ago but I didn't have a picture for the risk game. I still don't have a picture but I felt like I should post this anyways. Hopefully there will be a picture eventually.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
List 3
I don't really have a great idea for this one. It seems like this week will be a lot of ruintien and monotony for myself. We are staying at the Wilderness Edge retreat center until we stop into Winnipeg for one day on Sunday only to return that night. What do you guys do when you get that feeling that everything is the same?
Generally, I play video games until I feel disgusted about myself enough to motivate me to start living again. Luckily the motivation always comes. Unless it's Starcraft. But I can't play video games right now so I will have to do something more productive. I think that I'll journal because I've fallen away from my usual evening routine of 45 minutes before bed.
Therefore, this is the week of keeping memories.
I say memories because that is what a journal is. A journal deals with events, ideas and how you delt with them. A diary is about feelings. And has a lock. If you need a lock, it's not a journal. That's just how it is, I don't make up these things, I just keep to the social code.
So, Get a scribe if you have to but journal at least 15 minutes each day this week. If you have no idea what to write about try a dream journal. It's where you write down anything you remember from your dream. It is said that it will actually help you improve your ability to remember your dreams.
Generally, I play video games until I feel disgusted about myself enough to motivate me to start living again. Luckily the motivation always comes. Unless it's Starcraft. But I can't play video games right now so I will have to do something more productive. I think that I'll journal because I've fallen away from my usual evening routine of 45 minutes before bed.
Therefore, this is the week of keeping memories.
I say memories because that is what a journal is. A journal deals with events, ideas and how you delt with them. A diary is about feelings. And has a lock. If you need a lock, it's not a journal. That's just how it is, I don't make up these things, I just keep to the social code.
So, Get a scribe if you have to but journal at least 15 minutes each day this week. If you have no idea what to write about try a dream journal. It's where you write down anything you remember from your dream. It is said that it will actually help you improve your ability to remember your dreams.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Leadership 2
Before you read this you should read Leadership and read the comments. It would also help if you knew the people leaving the comments but that is unavoidable.
If I came across a blog like that and left a comment not knowing what the theory is I would probably say:
Determination/Work Ethic
Vision
Humility
If I was to leave a comment as the author fulling the question, I would probably add understanding. Let me explain why.
Six people left a total of 17 traits. There were some duplicates but I counted 12 separate traits that a leader should have. Now I respect the opinions of my friends; they are not experts but they are all intelligent people. Why do our answers vary so much? Is it okay to just write it off as a relative truth, that leadership is different to every person and that's just how it is. I don't want to go all Postmodern on you but I almost agree.
I think that when people think about leadership they have a tendency to think about perfection. Maybe they should and maybe they shouldn't but our society teaches us that the greatest honor is to be a leader. If you are a leader, you are put onto a higher pinnacle, you are put on a different scale. So it is natural to want a leader to have the qualities that you think are best.
I'm not surprised that Iceman put wisdom, that Breaden put encouragement, that Grbreg put humility, that Rabbit put loyalty, that Laura put passion, that Erika put honesty. I'm not surprised because I think that those qualities are incredibly important to each of you personally. You want a leader to exhibit what is best in you, or at the least, something you'd like to exhibit.
I can't follow someone if they don't at least work as hard as I do. I can't believe in someone if they don't know what they're doing. I will not respect a leader if they do not put other people before themselves.
I do not think that understanding is necessary for leadership. I think that it could help but it isn't in my top three. But if I could, I would want my leader to have it. Because, I will be more willing to be lead if they embody something that is that important to me.
I think that leadership really boils down to one major thing. The ability to gain the respect of those you are trying to lead.
Well that's the first step at least.
If I came across a blog like that and left a comment not knowing what the theory is I would probably say:
Determination/Work Ethic
Vision
Humility
If I was to leave a comment as the author fulling the question, I would probably add understanding. Let me explain why.
Six people left a total of 17 traits. There were some duplicates but I counted 12 separate traits that a leader should have. Now I respect the opinions of my friends; they are not experts but they are all intelligent people. Why do our answers vary so much? Is it okay to just write it off as a relative truth, that leadership is different to every person and that's just how it is. I don't want to go all Postmodern on you but I almost agree.
I think that when people think about leadership they have a tendency to think about perfection. Maybe they should and maybe they shouldn't but our society teaches us that the greatest honor is to be a leader. If you are a leader, you are put onto a higher pinnacle, you are put on a different scale. So it is natural to want a leader to have the qualities that you think are best.
I'm not surprised that Iceman put wisdom, that Breaden put encouragement, that Grbreg put humility, that Rabbit put loyalty, that Laura put passion, that Erika put honesty. I'm not surprised because I think that those qualities are incredibly important to each of you personally. You want a leader to exhibit what is best in you, or at the least, something you'd like to exhibit.
I can't follow someone if they don't at least work as hard as I do. I can't believe in someone if they don't know what they're doing. I will not respect a leader if they do not put other people before themselves.
I do not think that understanding is necessary for leadership. I think that it could help but it isn't in my top three. But if I could, I would want my leader to have it. Because, I will be more willing to be lead if they embody something that is that important to me.
I think that leadership really boils down to one major thing. The ability to gain the respect of those you are trying to lead.
Well that's the first step at least.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
My Adventure (to find better titles)
I've been on the Outtatown program for 10 days.
When I went to CMU last year the basic simile that I used was that it's like relationships on crack; if that is true then Outtatown is like some high grade speed that even John Travolta couldn't handle. Most of this is because everyone is expecting to be friends with everyone else and it's crazy how good of a motivator that can be. Normally it is seen as strange to say hi to a stranger but you would have to be an outcast to not be able to get to know people on a program like this. I really like that. Makes things a lot easier for me.
The start has been a little different than I expected. I would explain but that would either take too long or you wouldn't know me well enough to understand. But now things are becoming more like I thought they would. I'm starting to get ridiculous and I'm really enjoying getting to know the other people.
We are at a place called Wilderness Edge Retreat center in Pinawa. It is a small town with really tame deer. I tried to get a Google map or earth image of the area but I do not know how to do that on this computer. We were here for the first few days and then we went on a 3 day canoe trip at Manitoba Pioneer Camp (which is in Ontario) and now we are back again. We will be situated here for about two more weeks until we head back to Winnipeg for an Urban Plunge.
Yesterday I got my hair cut by about 12 people. I wanted it shorter and I thought the best people for the job would be the four who had a combined two and a half hair cuts of experience between them. With another eight for moral support and comic relief, the deed was done. I figure it was a community building experience.
Other than that my day consists of meals, sessions, random sports, a game of crib and maybe a movie. O and staying up until 1:30am every night.
When I went to CMU last year the basic simile that I used was that it's like relationships on crack; if that is true then Outtatown is like some high grade speed that even John Travolta couldn't handle. Most of this is because everyone is expecting to be friends with everyone else and it's crazy how good of a motivator that can be. Normally it is seen as strange to say hi to a stranger but you would have to be an outcast to not be able to get to know people on a program like this. I really like that. Makes things a lot easier for me.
The start has been a little different than I expected. I would explain but that would either take too long or you wouldn't know me well enough to understand. But now things are becoming more like I thought they would. I'm starting to get ridiculous and I'm really enjoying getting to know the other people.
We are at a place called Wilderness Edge Retreat center in Pinawa. It is a small town with really tame deer. I tried to get a Google map or earth image of the area but I do not know how to do that on this computer. We were here for the first few days and then we went on a 3 day canoe trip at Manitoba Pioneer Camp (which is in Ontario) and now we are back again. We will be situated here for about two more weeks until we head back to Winnipeg for an Urban Plunge.
Yesterday I got my hair cut by about 12 people. I wanted it shorter and I thought the best people for the job would be the four who had a combined two and a half hair cuts of experience between them. With another eight for moral support and comic relief, the deed was done. I figure it was a community building experience.
Other than that my day consists of meals, sessions, random sports, a game of crib and maybe a movie. O and staying up until 1:30am every night.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
List 2
I'd like to hear how people did, or if people did anything different at all. I can say that I met my quota and actually learned a name or two (even one number). Does anyone have any strange or funny stories. Did you talk to that guy on the bus or get finally get enough courage to talk to that good looking girl in the cafe?
Well whatever happeded this is going to be the week of commitment. I recieved a black ring in the mail today which means something to me. It is a symbol of a commitment that I made. I plan to keep this commitment and I'd like you to stick it your commitments too. The part that I'm not sure about is how do I write a punchy line that I can bold and put in red. Each of your commitments are different and it seems weak to write, "stick to your promises". Is it too much to ask you to do that? Do you even know what your commitments are?
Well whatever, this week, stick to your promises.
Well whatever happeded this is going to be the week of commitment. I recieved a black ring in the mail today which means something to me. It is a symbol of a commitment that I made. I plan to keep this commitment and I'd like you to stick it your commitments too. The part that I'm not sure about is how do I write a punchy line that I can bold and put in red. Each of your commitments are different and it seems weak to write, "stick to your promises". Is it too much to ask you to do that? Do you even know what your commitments are?
Well whatever, this week, stick to your promises.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
The List + Leadership
This might be the last post for a while so I'm going to try something. I'm actually going to try two things.
First, I'm going to get tough. During the summer I created a list, a list that has a purpose but it was mostly just a bit of fun. Each week was a different theme; each week had a different word. I'm going to redo the list. So, each week I'm going to give a new word or phrase and if you read this blog you have to abide by it. If you don't do this, you have no right to read anything else I write in here. This is week 1.
Week one is the week of new people. I'm going to be meeting about 90 people tomorrow, of which 30 I hope I can become friends with. It's going to be an emotionally draining day. I'm usually okay with meeting about 5 people a month so this is a bit beyond my quota. Luckily, there shouldn't be too many more people to meet after tomorrow, unless they really slept in. Now, you don't have to go out and start streaking with random people to start bonding (but I might) but you have to introduce yourself to 5 people you've never talked to this week. That's about 0.7 of a person per day, very do able. Frankly, I don't care if you live in a cave, because if you have enough ingenuity to get internet you can probably create a midget each day. It might even be a bit low but I'm not a huge fan of meeting strangers so I'm keeping it low, at least for week one.
Second, I want to know your opinion on leadership. Leadership is a large goal of mine for this year. I want you to write in a comment, three traits that you think a leader should have. I don't want you to explain them and you can even leave the comment anonymous. If three is too many then make it two but please leave a comment. I know of at least 6 people who probably check this blog often and I have a strong hunch that a lot more do especially since I have and will advertise it on facebook. Please take a few seconds to think and write. I have a theory and I'd like to test it.
First, I'm going to get tough. During the summer I created a list, a list that has a purpose but it was mostly just a bit of fun. Each week was a different theme; each week had a different word. I'm going to redo the list. So, each week I'm going to give a new word or phrase and if you read this blog you have to abide by it. If you don't do this, you have no right to read anything else I write in here. This is week 1.
Week one is the week of new people. I'm going to be meeting about 90 people tomorrow, of which 30 I hope I can become friends with. It's going to be an emotionally draining day. I'm usually okay with meeting about 5 people a month so this is a bit beyond my quota. Luckily, there shouldn't be too many more people to meet after tomorrow, unless they really slept in. Now, you don't have to go out and start streaking with random people to start bonding (but I might) but you have to introduce yourself to 5 people you've never talked to this week. That's about 0.7 of a person per day, very do able. Frankly, I don't care if you live in a cave, because if you have enough ingenuity to get internet you can probably create a midget each day. It might even be a bit low but I'm not a huge fan of meeting strangers so I'm keeping it low, at least for week one.
Second, I want to know your opinion on leadership. Leadership is a large goal of mine for this year. I want you to write in a comment, three traits that you think a leader should have. I don't want you to explain them and you can even leave the comment anonymous. If three is too many then make it two but please leave a comment. I know of at least 6 people who probably check this blog often and I have a strong hunch that a lot more do especially since I have and will advertise it on facebook. Please take a few seconds to think and write. I have a theory and I'd like to test it.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The New Word
I had another great day. The sun was shinning and the air was warm. I slept in until 11 and practically got breakfast in bed. I even played nine holes of frisbee golf. The only bad part was that some Yerba got stuck in my Bombillia but after I solved that little problem it tasted all the better. I'm having a good time at CMU.
The funny this about CMU is that my vocabularly changes when I am here. I'm not just talking about the BR (bonking room) or the make out lounge either. I love to use the word "dominate" when ever I can and I pretty much describe anytime I spend with Peter as a "party". Recenlty I've been using the word "perfect" a lot, in a sarcastic sense, but that started during summer. The new word that's come of age since I've been at CMU this year is "legitamite". Right now, it's count is about once every three sentences, but that's climbing. Is it going to be the word of this year? Will Outtatown legitamitely accept it?
We'll just have to find out.
The funny this about CMU is that my vocabularly changes when I am here. I'm not just talking about the BR (bonking room) or the make out lounge either. I love to use the word "dominate" when ever I can and I pretty much describe anytime I spend with Peter as a "party". Recenlty I've been using the word "perfect" a lot, in a sarcastic sense, but that started during summer. The new word that's come of age since I've been at CMU this year is "legitamite". Right now, it's count is about once every three sentences, but that's climbing. Is it going to be the word of this year? Will Outtatown legitamitely accept it?
We'll just have to find out.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Strength
I have some time this afternoon while everyone is in classes. I'm going to take it and use it to tell you about something that is important to me. I'm going to try to describe a point of my world view, something that is fundamental to understanding me or anything that I do. I hold this view because I think that it is true and so I'd like you to think about it. If nothing else, take it and use the knowledge to help your relationship with me.
Let me give you a situation. There are two friends, A and B, hanging out together. A is a funny person. A is so funny that both are keeled over laughing within a short time. So, in a way, for those few urinated moments, the skill that was A's is shared between them, or at the very least, it doesn't matter who the funny one is. Now say the two friends are separated and with other people. A is still making jokes and there is still laughing but something is missing. B and their irresistible laugh are gone. In fact B is with C, who is a bit of a humorist but nothing as good as A, yet they are laughing too, just as much as A is with D. Why? Because B is so good at laughing and having a good time that they actually make C more funny. Their strength builds up another person.
How many times have you been nervous to do something in front of other people? When has it been harmful to have a friend there who believes in you? Maybe the best you have is a person who has all the pride in the world and they can be a real jerk sometimes and the best they can say is that "you'll do well because I'm up there too and I never screw up" but it helps. And you know it helps. Their pride, which for you in this moment is strength, becomes your strength too when you go up there with them.
To make a personal example: small talk. When I am with a person who is outgoing and likes to talk it makes it very easy for me because I can relax and through out witty comments. I love doing that. They can carry the conversation, that does not bother me at all. But the opposite is a disaster. If I am with a person I do not know and they are nervous about meeting new people and quiet and introverted I am making stupid comments and stressing about how exhausted my conversation pool is after 3 minutes. If I have to carry the conversation, with someone I don't know, I generally fail. My weakness becomes obvious. But when the other person has strength, even just enough strength for a positive vibe or two, then it can seem as if I am good at those sort of conversations.
I think that strength, if it is real strength, is like thermal energy. It has no choice but to transfer from a place where there is more to a place where there is less. And the more that there is, the warmer each person is in the end.
Let me give you a situation. There are two friends, A and B, hanging out together. A is a funny person. A is so funny that both are keeled over laughing within a short time. So, in a way, for those few urinated moments, the skill that was A's is shared between them, or at the very least, it doesn't matter who the funny one is. Now say the two friends are separated and with other people. A is still making jokes and there is still laughing but something is missing. B and their irresistible laugh are gone. In fact B is with C, who is a bit of a humorist but nothing as good as A, yet they are laughing too, just as much as A is with D. Why? Because B is so good at laughing and having a good time that they actually make C more funny. Their strength builds up another person.
How many times have you been nervous to do something in front of other people? When has it been harmful to have a friend there who believes in you? Maybe the best you have is a person who has all the pride in the world and they can be a real jerk sometimes and the best they can say is that "you'll do well because I'm up there too and I never screw up" but it helps. And you know it helps. Their pride, which for you in this moment is strength, becomes your strength too when you go up there with them.
To make a personal example: small talk. When I am with a person who is outgoing and likes to talk it makes it very easy for me because I can relax and through out witty comments. I love doing that. They can carry the conversation, that does not bother me at all. But the opposite is a disaster. If I am with a person I do not know and they are nervous about meeting new people and quiet and introverted I am making stupid comments and stressing about how exhausted my conversation pool is after 3 minutes. If I have to carry the conversation, with someone I don't know, I generally fail. My weakness becomes obvious. But when the other person has strength, even just enough strength for a positive vibe or two, then it can seem as if I am good at those sort of conversations.
I think that strength, if it is real strength, is like thermal energy. It has no choice but to transfer from a place where there is more to a place where there is less. And the more that there is, the warmer each person is in the end.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
A Prairie Fall
I'm in Winnipeg and alive. It's been a good day. I showed up at around lunch and it turns out that they served my favorite CMU meal, grilled cheese! I obviously showed up on the right day. Before that my suitcase was 0.2kg under the limit (would have been at extra $25) and for some reason they took me out of the normal baggage line to move me to the front of another one. They still checked my carry on for chemical residue but that's a lot better than the full body check I got last time. Maybe it's the longer hair. Tonight I'm going to a volleyball practice. If everything goes to plan, I'll be hitting attack line 30 minutes into it, only to let them know that I'm not actually going to school this year. The weather is warm and the sky is blue, almost to the point of making Winnipeg seem livable. Today is a good day.
I'll be holed up here until Sunday morning when I move over to north campus and the rest of the semester. For know I have internet so I'll write again soon.
I'll be holed up here until Sunday morning when I move over to north campus and the rest of the semester. For know I have internet so I'll write again soon.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
A Time to Pack
I'm getting ready to leave my province. This isn't the first time that I've done this retinue, it's the second. I did however, learn a few things. This time I will not bring needless books, unwanted tee-shirts and impersonal nick-knacks. This time I'm traveling efficient. Mostly because I have to, all my stuff needs to tavel with me, but even the laundry soap is going in an airtight zip lock bag. I don't want to bore you with the particulars but I'm going to make a list of what I'm bringing. Mostly because I need to make a list of what I'm bringing but also, in the case that I forget something, you can remind me of how important it is. Ex. I almost forgot to get the thermos, and it would have been a very sad fall with only terere.
Yerba Mate (1kg Cruise and whatever is left of the Lemon-Mint), Guampa, Bombillia, Thermos
Bohnanza, Crib, Cards (2 decks), Phase Ten, Poker Chips, Rook
Water bottle (1L), Headlamp, Sunglasses (my old transitions), Sunscreen, Bug spray
Change (1 roll $1, 2 roll $.25), Laundry Soap
Backpack (65 liters (yes, actually 65 liters)), Zip Lock Bags, Dry Sack
Watch (I found a McDonald's one and I'm still seeing if I can make it work, might just need a new battery)
Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss (even thought I probably will not use it, unless I need a very thin rope of some kind)
Towel, Soap, Shampoo
Sleeping Bag, Mattress (the small one that rolls up)
Pens, Paper (the CMU thing), Journal (different from a diary, very different)
Bible, Books (various)
Passport, wavier forms
Work gloves, Shoes (%100 Gore-Tex, %100 waterproof)
ipod
Clothes
I'm not planning on taking a camera or an alarm clock because I figure other people will have them and it doesn't matter if my soul is stolen so long as I can sleep past 9.
The rest of my stuff is up for grabs. My sister already has my computer and Eric has dibs on Game cube stuff but if you want some Archie comics to read, you probably know where the keys are.
Yerba Mate (1kg Cruise and whatever is left of the Lemon-Mint), Guampa, Bombillia, Thermos
Bohnanza, Crib, Cards (2 decks), Phase Ten, Poker Chips, Rook
Water bottle (1L), Headlamp, Sunglasses (my old transitions), Sunscreen, Bug spray
Change (1 roll $1, 2 roll $.25), Laundry Soap
Backpack (65 liters (yes, actually 65 liters)), Zip Lock Bags, Dry Sack
Watch (I found a McDonald's one and I'm still seeing if I can make it work, might just need a new battery)
Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss (even thought I probably will not use it, unless I need a very thin rope of some kind)
Towel, Soap, Shampoo
Sleeping Bag, Mattress (the small one that rolls up)
Pens, Paper (the CMU thing), Journal (different from a diary, very different)
Bible, Books (various)
Passport, wavier forms
Work gloves, Shoes (%100 Gore-Tex, %100 waterproof)
ipod
Clothes
I'm not planning on taking a camera or an alarm clock because I figure other people will have them and it doesn't matter if my soul is stolen so long as I can sleep past 9.
The rest of my stuff is up for grabs. My sister already has my computer and Eric has dibs on Game cube stuff but if you want some Archie comics to read, you probably know where the keys are.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Star Wars Serenade
You are the snowspeeder to my AT-AT
the Ewok to my AT-ST
you bring me down when I stand too tall
how many times will you let me fall?
Be I but a child may
teach you, me much say they
believe to seek, you must
but important most, trust
I wish you'd put the lightsaber in my hands
I don't need you to guide my moves and plans
to protect is no more than to defend
I need to destroy why must I mend?
I don't know why a planet must die
or who to blame for the sky
but I do not see this plan you know
these seeds you planted will not sow
You're not my father and I'm not your son
but if it was that way, it wouldn't be fun
Maybe I would kill you too
but either way, you'd do what you do
You speak of things I do not comprehend
peace, knowledge, serenity, harmony
and still you speak of a force.
I do not see it, the end!
the Ewok to my AT-ST
you bring me down when I stand too tall
how many times will you let me fall?
Be I but a child may
teach you, me much say they
believe to seek, you must
but important most, trust
I wish you'd put the lightsaber in my hands
I don't need you to guide my moves and plans
to protect is no more than to defend
I need to destroy why must I mend?
I don't know why a planet must die
or who to blame for the sky
but I do not see this plan you know
these seeds you planted will not sow
You're not my father and I'm not your son
but if it was that way, it wouldn't be fun
Maybe I would kill you too
but either way, you'd do what you do
You speak of things I do not comprehend
peace, knowledge, serenity, harmony
and still you speak of a force.
I do not see it, the end!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
The Sexiest Thing in the World
I heard that the sexiest thing in the world is a strong, independent woman who is willing to be vulnerable for the sake of another.
I'd have to agree.
I'd have to agree.
Friday, August 29, 2008
24 (Spoiler Warning)
I used to watch 24, the tv show, all the time with my parents. We would always get together for an hour of popcorn and excessive violence. In the latest season I didn't watch many episodes because the show was getting old and there were only so many ways that Jake could torture a person. That was season 7 but I'm pretty sure I've been watching it since the middle of season 2, so it has been a good run. Recently I've been watching the first season of 24. I think I now understand why it is still on tv.
Season one was amazing. It was slower to pick up than other seasons but that makes sense because you have to introduce a full cast of new characters. And still, that statement isn't totally true. Kim, Jack's daughter, gets kidnapped in the second episode and by the time they know she is gone, people are already dead. The major difference between this season and the other ones still in my memory, is that it isn't just about Jack shooting and then torturing person after person. This season started and left me with questions about morality in situations that could actually be real. I'm still trying to figure out what I would do if it was me.
I love how the motivation of the terrorists is revenge for killing loved ones, yet when Jack believes the same has been done to him, he kills 7 men and the last one in cold blood. I love the realistic evil nature of Victor Drazen as he kills his friends daughter and then tries to justify in on Jack. If anyone knows that pain that he just caused, it is him and yet he does it without hesitation. Victor Drazen has no remorse left.
The last thing I really enjoyed was the polictics. I'm not usually huge into polictics (Wednesday night I would be upstairs as my parents watched the West Wing) but I've thought about it more now that I realize I should be voting soon. I enjoyed how this season shows how cut-throat politics cnd be and how it is really a competition. A competition between two parties, even two people, more than people choosing what is best for the country. Let David Palmer sort of goes against that, maybe there is hope?
My favourite part was the character of Shery Palmer. In other episodes she is weak and I'm gald I got to see her best season before I wrote her off. I absolutly love how she gets consumed by her ambition. She starts as a loving mother but slowly gets reduced to a selfish, untrusting, hollow person who justifies every action she does as for "the greater good". She is even willing to let another women sleep with her husband so that she can have power over him. Her whole existence is reduced to one thing, the White House, and every time she thinks she is losing that, she does anything she can to get it back. But the justification was amazing. You would almost want to believe her if David Palmer wasn't a more likeable chacter.
To wrap it all up, this season still had all the classic 24 moments. Maybe Edgar didn't die in an airlocked room and there was no nuclear bomb but you could still follow the blood drops like breadcrumbs. They didn't need to have Jack kill someone with his teeth or test to see if the voltage in a lamp will not kill a person because they had better writing. The gun fights were still ridiculous and at least a dozen times you can spot some wannabe tech guy accidentally caught in the shot but that lead to the fun of the whole thing and kept you from killing your family during the night. Funny thing, it is better that I saw the first season now because if I watched it back then I wouldn't have enjoyed it nearly as much as I did over the last month. I'm gald I went back and saw the first season, it really saved the whole francise for me.
Season one was amazing. It was slower to pick up than other seasons but that makes sense because you have to introduce a full cast of new characters. And still, that statement isn't totally true. Kim, Jack's daughter, gets kidnapped in the second episode and by the time they know she is gone, people are already dead. The major difference between this season and the other ones still in my memory, is that it isn't just about Jack shooting and then torturing person after person. This season started and left me with questions about morality in situations that could actually be real. I'm still trying to figure out what I would do if it was me.
I love how the motivation of the terrorists is revenge for killing loved ones, yet when Jack believes the same has been done to him, he kills 7 men and the last one in cold blood. I love the realistic evil nature of Victor Drazen as he kills his friends daughter and then tries to justify in on Jack. If anyone knows that pain that he just caused, it is him and yet he does it without hesitation. Victor Drazen has no remorse left.
The last thing I really enjoyed was the polictics. I'm not usually huge into polictics (Wednesday night I would be upstairs as my parents watched the West Wing) but I've thought about it more now that I realize I should be voting soon. I enjoyed how this season shows how cut-throat politics cnd be and how it is really a competition. A competition between two parties, even two people, more than people choosing what is best for the country. Let David Palmer sort of goes against that, maybe there is hope?
My favourite part was the character of Shery Palmer. In other episodes she is weak and I'm gald I got to see her best season before I wrote her off. I absolutly love how she gets consumed by her ambition. She starts as a loving mother but slowly gets reduced to a selfish, untrusting, hollow person who justifies every action she does as for "the greater good". She is even willing to let another women sleep with her husband so that she can have power over him. Her whole existence is reduced to one thing, the White House, and every time she thinks she is losing that, she does anything she can to get it back. But the justification was amazing. You would almost want to believe her if David Palmer wasn't a more likeable chacter.
To wrap it all up, this season still had all the classic 24 moments. Maybe Edgar didn't die in an airlocked room and there was no nuclear bomb but you could still follow the blood drops like breadcrumbs. They didn't need to have Jack kill someone with his teeth or test to see if the voltage in a lamp will not kill a person because they had better writing. The gun fights were still ridiculous and at least a dozen times you can spot some wannabe tech guy accidentally caught in the shot but that lead to the fun of the whole thing and kept you from killing your family during the night. Funny thing, it is better that I saw the first season now because if I watched it back then I wouldn't have enjoyed it nearly as much as I did over the last month. I'm gald I went back and saw the first season, it really saved the whole francise for me.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
I Think I've Decided
I drove Stormshadow today. It was a lot of fun. I had not driven standard for almost the entire summer and it felt really good to push that clutch down again. It was only for a short while, I was going into Vancouver for some shopping, but it brought back some good feelings. It also brought some new ones as I have never had to start on a hill before (good ol' prairies) but it was only Knight Street so it was all good. So much so that I only almost hit two people (at the same time) and I only got lost once on the way home.
The sad part is that might be the last time I drive that beloved truck. I am obviously not using it this year and I probably will not bring it back to Manitoba, if I continue there. I will remember this day fondly but the process had already started the day we had to return to BC plates and were unable to get the "MNM" back.
With the end of one era starts another. I've decided to name my new transportation: Put-put. It might not be as flashy as its mentor but I think it suits the little guy and Raun-na-na-na would have been too much of a mouthful. To me, this one just isn't majestic enough to have the name of a philosopher or a greek god and though I really did like Hugo and Hubert, I for one will call it Put-put.
But maybe that's just a nickname until it names itself.
The sad part is that might be the last time I drive that beloved truck. I am obviously not using it this year and I probably will not bring it back to Manitoba, if I continue there. I will remember this day fondly but the process had already started the day we had to return to BC plates and were unable to get the "MNM" back.
With the end of one era starts another. I've decided to name my new transportation: Put-put. It might not be as flashy as its mentor but I think it suits the little guy and Raun-na-na-na would have been too much of a mouthful. To me, this one just isn't majestic enough to have the name of a philosopher or a greek god and though I really did like Hugo and Hubert, I for one will call it Put-put.
But maybe that's just a nickname until it names itself.
Monday, August 25, 2008
The Year
I'm not going to school next year and I'm not working either. I'm doing a program called Outtatown, which is done through CMU. The program looks good. Everyone I talked to who has done it before said it was "the greatest experience of my life". The only downside I've heard is that most people think that the credit hours you earn, you don't really deserve because the learning and work is fairly slack. Sounds good to me. The highlights are a first semester of traveling from Manitoba to BC and a second semester of South Africa (Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Garden Route, Kwazulu-Natal and Kruger National Park). Both of those are done with a group of 27 other students and four leaders. As I hinted before I also get 18 credit hours of University classes (15 is a full semester). The whole year will cost about $15,000.
During the year, I believe I will have limited communication. I am not taking my computer (my sister is borrowing it) and I don't know how often I will be able to update people. If you are interested in getting updates, stay tuned to this blog because I will try and post them here, but you can also send me an email that I will hopefully get to. To get a taste of what my first semester is going to be like I put the basic outline of it onto my Google calendar. If you want to view it, all you have to do is have Google calendars and let me know you want to view it. Right now I'll I have is the first semester and the flights for the second semester, but if you check it the calendar will say when I am in BC, and specifically the Vancouver Urban plunge. I would love it if some people came and visited me on the streets. But alas, I only have minimal information for now.
If you want more information on the program as a whole you can check out http://www.outtatown.com/.
During the year, I believe I will have limited communication. I am not taking my computer (my sister is borrowing it) and I don't know how often I will be able to update people. If you are interested in getting updates, stay tuned to this blog because I will try and post them here, but you can also send me an email that I will hopefully get to. To get a taste of what my first semester is going to be like I put the basic outline of it onto my Google calendar. If you want to view it, all you have to do is have Google calendars and let me know you want to view it. Right now I'll I have is the first semester and the flights for the second semester, but if you check it the calendar will say when I am in BC, and specifically the Vancouver Urban plunge. I would love it if some people came and visited me on the streets. But alas, I only have minimal information for now.
If you want more information on the program as a whole you can check out http://www.outtatown.com/.
Monday, July 21, 2008
We Need to Name This Thing
I have a scooter. No, a scooter is what makes easy targets in Grand Theft Auto. I do not drive a Faggio.
I drive a moped. But, moped seems more like what I did a work last week.
I drive a silver 2001 Tomos ST 49cc motorcycle.
On average I travel between 48 and 50km/h but if I have the wind at my back and a little help by drafting some traffic, I'm able to hit 60 on flat land. Up the Arther Drive hill I slow down to about 40 just before the top but go beyond the range of my speedometer on the way down. It take me about 20 minutes to get from my driveway to the lunchroom at BC Ferries.
I got the bike from my Uncle who bought it at an MCC Auction. I was there cheering him on when he was bidding, about 4 years ago. It started with 107km and as of now it is at 623km. I've filled it up three times, the most of which was $5.37. O and that is premium by the way. I'm pretty sure the gas tank is three liters with a 0.5 liter backup. I haven't been watching the numbers enough to know the exact gas millage but I know I filled up most recently at 537.7; I'll let you know when it runs out.
I got the bike to get to work, but it has been a lot of fun to drive. My Dad told me that all the ladies would love me as soon as I got it but that's yet to be proven. The reality: this ride is for transportation not procreation.
Saying all this, the most important part of this post is that I need a name for this bike. Right now I'm open to anything. Male, female, onomonpoeia. I've had a few thrown at me already:
Put Put
Hugo
Little Lightning
Amanecer
Raun-na-na-na-na-na-na...
Flat Tire
Coglione
I need some more. I need your help. What do you think I should name it?
I drive a moped. But, moped seems more like what I did a work last week.
I drive a silver 2001 Tomos ST 49cc motorcycle.
On average I travel between 48 and 50km/h but if I have the wind at my back and a little help by drafting some traffic, I'm able to hit 60 on flat land. Up the Arther Drive hill I slow down to about 40 just before the top but go beyond the range of my speedometer on the way down. It take me about 20 minutes to get from my driveway to the lunchroom at BC Ferries.I got the bike from my Uncle who bought it at an MCC Auction. I was there cheering him on when he was bidding, about 4 years ago. It started with 107km and as of now it is at 623km. I've filled it up three times, the most of which was $5.37. O and that is premium by the way. I'm pretty sure the gas tank is three liters with a 0.5 liter backup. I haven't been watching the numbers enough to know the exact gas millage but I know I filled up most recently at 537.7; I'll let you know when it runs out.
I got the bike to get to work, but it has been a lot of fun to drive. My Dad told me that all the ladies would love me as soon as I got it but that's yet to be proven. The reality: this ride is for transportation not procreation.
Saying all this, the most important part of this post is that I need a name for this bike. Right now I'm open to anything. Male, female, onomonpoeia. I've had a few thrown at me already:
Put Put
Hugo
Little Lightning
Amanecer
Raun-na-na-na-na-na-na...
Flat Tire
Coglione
I need some more. I need your help. What do you think I should name it?
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
The Third Course
So my friend "Rabbit" made a good point, one that I forgot. I think there is a difference between honesty and always telling the truth. The ninth commandment is "do not give false testimony" and though I am not willing to check cultural differences of the -1300ths (right now), I do not think that Jesus was saying "do not lie". I believe that it would make the most sense if it is understood that you do not deceive. If at any point you are saying something for personal gain, even if it is a half truth, that is not good.
When I tell stories I have a loose relationship with the truth. I can justify that because I believe I am a storyteller and lies make the tale more interesting. Case in point: Jeordie didn't really peel his fingers from the arm rests and I never wear underwear when I'm driving. But, it's just more entertaining that way. I'll probably never change that. Most of the things I say are ridiculous. If I am relaxed and with people who like to laugh I start to say things that don't even make sense. I'll get goofy and then there's no bringing me back. I also like sarcasm which on the literal translation isn't too truthful.
The problem is those gray zones. You lie when you make a joke but you're really protecting yourself. I hope that at the very least, you know the different for yourself.
So here's a truth question. You are in Nazi Germany and the SS knock at your door (they decided to be polite). You are harbouring a Jewish family upstairs and they are hidden, to your knowledge. There are Jewish kids, maybe this is the family of Anne Frank. They ask you if you are hiding Jews. What do you say?
When I tell stories I have a loose relationship with the truth. I can justify that because I believe I am a storyteller and lies make the tale more interesting. Case in point: Jeordie didn't really peel his fingers from the arm rests and I never wear underwear when I'm driving. But, it's just more entertaining that way. I'll probably never change that. Most of the things I say are ridiculous. If I am relaxed and with people who like to laugh I start to say things that don't even make sense. I'll get goofy and then there's no bringing me back. I also like sarcasm which on the literal translation isn't too truthful.
The problem is those gray zones. You lie when you make a joke but you're really protecting yourself. I hope that at the very least, you know the different for yourself.
So here's a truth question. You are in Nazi Germany and the SS knock at your door (they decided to be polite). You are harbouring a Jewish family upstairs and they are hidden, to your knowledge. There are Jewish kids, maybe this is the family of Anne Frank. They ask you if you are hiding Jews. What do you say?
Friday, June 27, 2008
Second Helping
Big things should not be taken on late at night with little motivation. I wrote the last post because I felt a bit forced to get it done and I didn't really feel like writing it. I think it is disappointing and bland. I plan on improving it eventually.
So last night as I got through part of it I wanted to write a different blog. The problem is that this second though required that the first be in place to have any support. This is the second one:
I believe in truth. This time I'm not talking about personal truths or was that the world can be categorized or spewed about but the direct link of truth and lying, when you know you are lying. This one does not involve metaphysics or even a lot of thought to identify. Personally, I know when I am lying. I can feel it. It is just that simple.
Generally I lie for three reasons: it is fun, it can save time and it can protect feelings.
Lying can be a lot of fun when . . . Diplomacy.
I save time by lying in little situations. When someone asks me if I remember that one guy I might say yes. I might say yes because I sense a funny story coming on that really does not care if I know about guy A. It could be women M for all I care because those stories generally don't get less funny if you do not know their particular characteristics. Your friend will tell the story and you both laugh and you never talk about guy A through L for the rest of your lives. Does it matter if you lie there? If you tell the truth of your unknowledgeableness then you break the flow like that word breaks this sentence. So it is a lie, that is true, but you or I do it more for the sake of the story than to protect our own perfect memory complex.
Lying can protect people's feelings when they are emotionally unstable. If a friend come to you crying, you try to comfort them. You could tell them sweet things about themselves or try and make it better by hating what made them sad or saying that no one really knows how to tie their own shoes. You could tell them that the kids in school do not believe in Santa Claus because their parents are demons. You could say things can are not true but that would be lying. For myself, I do not like to lie about very serious or personal things and so when I believe that I am telling the truth and other people think that I am lying, it hurts. Or if someone asks me what I really think of them and I tell the truth, it can hurt.
The problem is that you are still lying. How I see it, people do not really want to lie but they feel that lying is the best way to go considering the alternatives. The question is, is possible to tell the truth and still have friends?
I believe that it is, but it is much harder to do. I really only lie for one reason: it is easier. If I lie to make a friend feel better, I do not have to go to the effort of actually going through my memory to find a positive example of how they are better than this, even though they failed right now. If I lie, I do not have to deal with the repercussions and try to show my friend that I still love them with acts of kindness. If I stop lying, maybe my friends will stop asking me if I know that guy and just jump straight to the story, saving us both time. If I stop lying in Diplomacy, maybe I will win more. Do I have the courage to try it out?
So last night as I got through part of it I wanted to write a different blog. The problem is that this second though required that the first be in place to have any support. This is the second one:
I believe in truth. This time I'm not talking about personal truths or was that the world can be categorized or spewed about but the direct link of truth and lying, when you know you are lying. This one does not involve metaphysics or even a lot of thought to identify. Personally, I know when I am lying. I can feel it. It is just that simple.
Generally I lie for three reasons: it is fun, it can save time and it can protect feelings.
Lying can be a lot of fun when . . . Diplomacy.
I save time by lying in little situations. When someone asks me if I remember that one guy I might say yes. I might say yes because I sense a funny story coming on that really does not care if I know about guy A. It could be women M for all I care because those stories generally don't get less funny if you do not know their particular characteristics. Your friend will tell the story and you both laugh and you never talk about guy A through L for the rest of your lives. Does it matter if you lie there? If you tell the truth of your unknowledgeableness then you break the flow like that word breaks this sentence. So it is a lie, that is true, but you or I do it more for the sake of the story than to protect our own perfect memory complex.
Lying can protect people's feelings when they are emotionally unstable. If a friend come to you crying, you try to comfort them. You could tell them sweet things about themselves or try and make it better by hating what made them sad or saying that no one really knows how to tie their own shoes. You could tell them that the kids in school do not believe in Santa Claus because their parents are demons. You could say things can are not true but that would be lying. For myself, I do not like to lie about very serious or personal things and so when I believe that I am telling the truth and other people think that I am lying, it hurts. Or if someone asks me what I really think of them and I tell the truth, it can hurt.
The problem is that you are still lying. How I see it, people do not really want to lie but they feel that lying is the best way to go considering the alternatives. The question is, is possible to tell the truth and still have friends?
I believe that it is, but it is much harder to do. I really only lie for one reason: it is easier. If I lie to make a friend feel better, I do not have to go to the effort of actually going through my memory to find a positive example of how they are better than this, even though they failed right now. If I lie, I do not have to deal with the repercussions and try to show my friend that I still love them with acts of kindness. If I stop lying, maybe my friends will stop asking me if I know that guy and just jump straight to the story, saving us both time. If I stop lying in Diplomacy, maybe I will win more. Do I have the courage to try it out?
Truth is just one thing. truth is a lot of things.
I had a grade 12 English teacher that I really liked. Before that class, I didn't particularly like English. Maybe it was the first day when he told us that he was going to manipulate us all year, like it was his job. He is my favourite teacher. One of the things that came up a lot in his class was truth. He was say that there are two types of truth. The capital "T" which is an absolute and the lowercase "t" which is conditional and driven by perspective.
Okay so what does this mean. Well lets look at each of our lives. What is your absolute belief. I'm not asking if you have one here, but what it is because everyone believes something fully. Even if your Truth, is that all Truth is truth then so be it. It makes a confusing sentence but it looks in a lot of minds. I know it can work in mine. I do not want to get into all the Truths out there because I'm not ready to talk about Religion at 10:30 at night, even though I will not go to bed for five hours. What I will say is the way I see Truths. Truths require that all parts of them are true. True truth too. If that is not the case, then it is not Truth. If something contradicts the Truth then something is false. And not necessary the something you don't believe. That is what I believe Truth is. So what is yours?
The other truth is a little more difficult to nail. It is the truth of chocolate over vanilla or the truth of unequal information. This truth is the one you believe without really knowing everything about it. No, I'm still not talking about Religion. This is the my least favourite colour is pink moments before meeting mauve. But that is understandable, it is a personal favourite and people are allowed to change their opinions. What about facts. Most of what our parents were taught in school is wrong. What we knew about that person we met 3 months ago is wrong. What we thought was Truth in science three days ago is wrong. Look at quantim phsyics. Actually don't look at quantum physics, just look at your own life. How many things have you been wrong about that you knew you were right? How much of the world do you know? How much experience do you have? How much wisdom do you have? How much right do you have, calling the shots of what other people should believe?
The last one seems like it is a bit strong but it might be true. To the very least, what we believe to be true is the world of our children and generally those around us. If it isn't, well then you're a wuss and that is the truth. You need to believe something and believe it enough that it shows but I have a problem trusting human judgment, even my own. You need to believe something but you also need to have doubts about it. Otherwise, you are nothing more than it.
My simplified point is that truth is complicated. Now go and figure it our for yourself. And heed the words of George, "Just remember, it's not a lie if you believe it".
Okay so what does this mean. Well lets look at each of our lives. What is your absolute belief. I'm not asking if you have one here, but what it is because everyone believes something fully. Even if your Truth, is that all Truth is truth then so be it. It makes a confusing sentence but it looks in a lot of minds. I know it can work in mine. I do not want to get into all the Truths out there because I'm not ready to talk about Religion at 10:30 at night, even though I will not go to bed for five hours. What I will say is the way I see Truths. Truths require that all parts of them are true. True truth too. If that is not the case, then it is not Truth. If something contradicts the Truth then something is false. And not necessary the something you don't believe. That is what I believe Truth is. So what is yours?
The other truth is a little more difficult to nail. It is the truth of chocolate over vanilla or the truth of unequal information. This truth is the one you believe without really knowing everything about it. No, I'm still not talking about Religion. This is the my least favourite colour is pink moments before meeting mauve. But that is understandable, it is a personal favourite and people are allowed to change their opinions. What about facts. Most of what our parents were taught in school is wrong. What we knew about that person we met 3 months ago is wrong. What we thought was Truth in science three days ago is wrong. Look at quantim phsyics. Actually don't look at quantum physics, just look at your own life. How many things have you been wrong about that you knew you were right? How much of the world do you know? How much experience do you have? How much wisdom do you have? How much right do you have, calling the shots of what other people should believe?
The last one seems like it is a bit strong but it might be true. To the very least, what we believe to be true is the world of our children and generally those around us. If it isn't, well then you're a wuss and that is the truth. You need to believe something and believe it enough that it shows but I have a problem trusting human judgment, even my own. You need to believe something but you also need to have doubts about it. Otherwise, you are nothing more than it.
My simplified point is that truth is complicated. Now go and figure it our for yourself. And heed the words of George, "Just remember, it's not a lie if you believe it".
Saturday, June 14, 2008
The Trip Home or My Third Near Death Experience
I told you I was going to write you a story, and I shall, but this is a story that some of you might have hear before. It is a true story - at least it is based on true people and even truer events. It is the story of Jeordie and my trip home from CMU.
The starting point was Winnipeg, MB. A breezy morning sent us on our way. We had said goodbye to friends and were ready to go. Shauna was snuggled in the back like an unloved hamster forgotten in the garbage and Jeordie was manning the electronics on his lap. I had a bad behind my head that acted as support and an anti-sleeping device (if would fall on my if I moved my neck). We had about 3 square meters left of breathing room and if we were doing the trip backwards it probably wouldn't have gotten us out of Ladner (What's that smell, LAD-NER LAD-NER). That was all thanks to Jaron for helping us pack Stormshadow properly, the right before. We left on the morning of April 17th at about 6 in the morning.
We did the trip caravan style following Jen because we were planning on staying at Lindsey's house for the night. The first day went well. We passed the time with sleep and Adventures in Odyssey, much to Jeordie's delight. At one point Shauna was driving and I was sleeping in the front seat when I got woken up by some skitter bugging (Not sure if that is an official term). We were in a town. I talked Shauna through the rest of the shifts and she did not stall once. Overall, she was very good for how little experience she had with a standard, especially my standard. We dropped Shauna off in Medicine Hat at about 2 and continued on our way. We made it to Lindsey's, which is about 3 hours outside Calgary, at about 8.
The second day was the fun one. The plan was to meet my father in Calgary so he could drive home with us. To meet him at 9:17. We left just before six (after having some maté of course) and started north towards Calgary. It had snowed the night before...that's important. But because it was so windy all the snow was being blown off the road and there were no signs of ice. We got to the outside of Calgary, connecting with the number one at about 8. We were about 50km away from the airport. Jeordie and I started to talk about what we should do to kill the time waiting for my Dad. I continued down the highway, laughing at all the silly prairie people who were going 60km/h in the right lane. I passed about 10 of them. That when the car shook for the first time.
I'm not that experienced of a driver but I'm pretty good at knowing what types of shakes are good and what type are bad. After the second one, I realized this was no strawberry with whipping cream and the extra metal tin on the side. The ones you pay $4.99 for. Ya, not one of those. I hoped it was the wind but the third time proved me wrong. I started to lose control of the car and told Jeordie to hold onto something. He was sleeping lightly when this happened. Realizing that the middle of the highway would be the worst place to be I steered for the bank of snow to our right. By the time we stopped we had done a 180 and were about 20 feet from the road. As Jeordie peeled his fingers from the arm rests and I quickly changed my underwear, I tried to remain calm. I checked the car for damage and after seeing none, decided we should just get back on the road and go. Where we left the road was a slight turn and because of our trajectory we were an an unusual angel to the road. To make things worse, there was quite a steep drop. I tried to turn the car back on but the snow was too deep and the wheels started to slip again. We had to go back through the tracks we made, which would be entering Canada's major highway facing oncoming traffic. Jeordie didn't need to push and soon we were at the cusp of our way home. Letting a few semis pass, I slammed on the gas and as my baby climbed from 0 to 20 in 14.3 seconds something terrible happened.
This time it was that sort of feeling you get when you turn on the blender at the same moment as you realize the object you hand is resting on is not an extension of the counter but the lid for that said blender. This wasn't nearly as yummy to clean up either.
Stormshadow started to spin again. I guess I assumed that the ice would have slinked away to ruin someone else's day. It did not. After about three full turns I stopped overcompensating and we came to a complete stop. Perpendicular to the highway mind you, but stopped. Luckily prairie people are kinder than I am and then slowed down to allow me time to maneuver. I pulled over to the side and decided that this was a good time to put on the four wheel drive. About 15 cars passed me.
In the end we did the rest of the trip to Calgary in low 4 cruising at 50km/h. We were still early for picking up my Dad.
The moral of this story is that you should know how to use your four wheel drive and remember it. You should follow prairie people, unless you are in the mountains, and if you tell my mother about my near death experience she will probably get a detached retina, so please do not.
The starting point was Winnipeg, MB. A breezy morning sent us on our way. We had said goodbye to friends and were ready to go. Shauna was snuggled in the back like an unloved hamster forgotten in the garbage and Jeordie was manning the electronics on his lap. I had a bad behind my head that acted as support and an anti-sleeping device (if would fall on my if I moved my neck). We had about 3 square meters left of breathing room and if we were doing the trip backwards it probably wouldn't have gotten us out of Ladner (What's that smell, LAD-NER LAD-NER). That was all thanks to Jaron for helping us pack Stormshadow properly, the right before. We left on the morning of April 17th at about 6 in the morning.
We did the trip caravan style following Jen because we were planning on staying at Lindsey's house for the night. The first day went well. We passed the time with sleep and Adventures in Odyssey, much to Jeordie's delight. At one point Shauna was driving and I was sleeping in the front seat when I got woken up by some skitter bugging (Not sure if that is an official term). We were in a town. I talked Shauna through the rest of the shifts and she did not stall once. Overall, she was very good for how little experience she had with a standard, especially my standard. We dropped Shauna off in Medicine Hat at about 2 and continued on our way. We made it to Lindsey's, which is about 3 hours outside Calgary, at about 8.
The second day was the fun one. The plan was to meet my father in Calgary so he could drive home with us. To meet him at 9:17. We left just before six (after having some maté of course) and started north towards Calgary. It had snowed the night before...that's important. But because it was so windy all the snow was being blown off the road and there were no signs of ice. We got to the outside of Calgary, connecting with the number one at about 8. We were about 50km away from the airport. Jeordie and I started to talk about what we should do to kill the time waiting for my Dad. I continued down the highway, laughing at all the silly prairie people who were going 60km/h in the right lane. I passed about 10 of them. That when the car shook for the first time.
I'm not that experienced of a driver but I'm pretty good at knowing what types of shakes are good and what type are bad. After the second one, I realized this was no strawberry with whipping cream and the extra metal tin on the side. The ones you pay $4.99 for. Ya, not one of those. I hoped it was the wind but the third time proved me wrong. I started to lose control of the car and told Jeordie to hold onto something. He was sleeping lightly when this happened. Realizing that the middle of the highway would be the worst place to be I steered for the bank of snow to our right. By the time we stopped we had done a 180 and were about 20 feet from the road. As Jeordie peeled his fingers from the arm rests and I quickly changed my underwear, I tried to remain calm. I checked the car for damage and after seeing none, decided we should just get back on the road and go. Where we left the road was a slight turn and because of our trajectory we were an an unusual angel to the road. To make things worse, there was quite a steep drop. I tried to turn the car back on but the snow was too deep and the wheels started to slip again. We had to go back through the tracks we made, which would be entering Canada's major highway facing oncoming traffic. Jeordie didn't need to push and soon we were at the cusp of our way home. Letting a few semis pass, I slammed on the gas and as my baby climbed from 0 to 20 in 14.3 seconds something terrible happened.
This time it was that sort of feeling you get when you turn on the blender at the same moment as you realize the object you hand is resting on is not an extension of the counter but the lid for that said blender. This wasn't nearly as yummy to clean up either.
Stormshadow started to spin again. I guess I assumed that the ice would have slinked away to ruin someone else's day. It did not. After about three full turns I stopped overcompensating and we came to a complete stop. Perpendicular to the highway mind you, but stopped. Luckily prairie people are kinder than I am and then slowed down to allow me time to maneuver. I pulled over to the side and decided that this was a good time to put on the four wheel drive. About 15 cars passed me.
In the end we did the rest of the trip to Calgary in low 4 cruising at 50km/h. We were still early for picking up my Dad.
The moral of this story is that you should know how to use your four wheel drive and remember it. You should follow prairie people, unless you are in the mountains, and if you tell my mother about my near death experience she will probably get a detached retina, so please do not.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Weaksauce
This blog has been significantly disappointing so far. The only post with real content has been inspired by a TV show that hasn't been showing new episodes for over a decade. Though I will always love Seinfled, it's time to (if I may borrow the words) "be a man, do the right thing". Well starting tomorrow that might just happen. Today is going to still be disappointing.
I have been working everyday this week so far and though I enjoy my job and it pays me well, it takes away from my free time. In the end my priorities are set but tomorrow i should not work. So tomorrow I will write you a story because a certain someone has been asking for one for a few days now. Later I was thinking of writing about truth, or at least how I see it. It should get better folks. For now, this is still weaksauce.
Interestingly, I believe that a small amount of my paycheck is for the sole purpose of confidentiality. I believe that I am paid some money to keep the secrets. What secrets, I am not quite sure. Maybe I am just a man, and maybe I just know too little. But if I already mentioned the job I might as well mention my favourite part: we get to wear walkie-talkies and most of the time have official number code names. So cool!
If I get fired I'm blaming all of you.
I have been working everyday this week so far and though I enjoy my job and it pays me well, it takes away from my free time. In the end my priorities are set but tomorrow i should not work. So tomorrow I will write you a story because a certain someone has been asking for one for a few days now. Later I was thinking of writing about truth, or at least how I see it. It should get better folks. For now, this is still weaksauce.
Interestingly, I believe that a small amount of my paycheck is for the sole purpose of confidentiality. I believe that I am paid some money to keep the secrets. What secrets, I am not quite sure. Maybe I am just a man, and maybe I just know too little. But if I already mentioned the job I might as well mention my favourite part: we get to wear walkie-talkies and most of the time have official number code names. So cool!
If I get fired I'm blaming all of you.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
Seinfeld
One of the things that I believe is that if you are trying to understand what a person is saying, it is helpful to try to understand that person, at least in part. If you have no idea who I am and you just strolled here by accident, there are a few things you should know about me to help you digest anything you read here. One of those things is Seinfeld.
I started watching that show a while ago. I remember a few years back when I discovered that it aired for two episodes from three to four every day after school. So the ritual began. All throughout high school, if I did not have a sport or school commitment, I would watch my favourite show. My friends generally kept hang out time reserved for the weekend and since I have only done about 50 hours of homework for the last 18 years, little kept me from my daily ritual. I loved the show and I still do.
Looking back, I wanted Seinfeld's life to be my life (No wait, the other way around but it did not really matter what happened to him). I wanted to have friends walk into my apartment; we would have crazy conversations and then later pose as Nazi imposers. I wanted to have THAT table at the coffee shop and a crazy neighbour to boot. I really wanted to be the guy that people would come to with their problems and a few sarcastic jokes aside, everything would be solved in 22 minutes.
I kept watching that show and eventually the day came when I realized that it was also on at ten, again for two episodes. With two hours of a show about nothing, each day, I soon ran out of new episodes. But that did not stop me. I still watched it and today I can recall most of the plots with a few prompts. It is safe to say that it went beyond a little healthy obsession. Seinfled shaped my life.
That's no hyperbole either. If you look at the characters and myself, it can be a little scary. George, with his ridiculous theories, characteristic story-telling and an ability to talk his way out of anything; Elaine's furiously dominating personality when something goes wrong and a strong belief in the truth; Kramer's monologues filled with strange voices, even stranger gestures and unlikely situations; Jerry's sarcastic wit and the faint light of sense and reason he holds; all of these things are within my life. All these things, are in my personality. Even the systematic analysis of every social norm: from how long before you can dump someone who turns out to be a recovering drug addict to the social status of a make believe architect. An episode of Seinfled fairly accurately describes my life.
The question I leave you with is this. Is it because I intuitively or subconsciously knew, at a young age, that all these things were part of me that I love Seinfled or is it because I love Seinfled that these traits are now in my life?
Simply put, Seinfeld is a picture of my basic personality.
I started watching that show a while ago. I remember a few years back when I discovered that it aired for two episodes from three to four every day after school. So the ritual began. All throughout high school, if I did not have a sport or school commitment, I would watch my favourite show. My friends generally kept hang out time reserved for the weekend and since I have only done about 50 hours of homework for the last 18 years, little kept me from my daily ritual. I loved the show and I still do.
Looking back, I wanted Seinfeld's life to be my life (No wait, the other way around but it did not really matter what happened to him). I wanted to have friends walk into my apartment; we would have crazy conversations and then later pose as Nazi imposers. I wanted to have THAT table at the coffee shop and a crazy neighbour to boot. I really wanted to be the guy that people would come to with their problems and a few sarcastic jokes aside, everything would be solved in 22 minutes.
I kept watching that show and eventually the day came when I realized that it was also on at ten, again for two episodes. With two hours of a show about nothing, each day, I soon ran out of new episodes. But that did not stop me. I still watched it and today I can recall most of the plots with a few prompts. It is safe to say that it went beyond a little healthy obsession. Seinfled shaped my life.
That's no hyperbole either. If you look at the characters and myself, it can be a little scary. George, with his ridiculous theories, characteristic story-telling and an ability to talk his way out of anything; Elaine's furiously dominating personality when something goes wrong and a strong belief in the truth; Kramer's monologues filled with strange voices, even stranger gestures and unlikely situations; Jerry's sarcastic wit and the faint light of sense and reason he holds; all of these things are within my life. All these things, are in my personality. Even the systematic analysis of every social norm: from how long before you can dump someone who turns out to be a recovering drug addict to the social status of a make believe architect. An episode of Seinfled fairly accurately describes my life.
The question I leave you with is this. Is it because I intuitively or subconsciously knew, at a young age, that all these things were part of me that I love Seinfled or is it because I love Seinfled that these traits are now in my life?
Thursday, June 5, 2008
The First
Recently, I have not worked. This is my 8th day in a row off exactly, but that does not mean I have not been busy. I have been painting my games room for a few days with a certain employ from H Krueger and Associates and filling my other time with Scrubs and Paper Mario. Alas, the games room is now done and Paper Mario is only so fulfilling. Scrubs in now onto season 7 and that means I have to stream the episodes instead of just watching them off my computer. I need something else to do.
So, this is the deal. I have created a blog and I am going to write a post for every day that I do not work. Hopefully on that day. For those who do not know, I work at BC Ferries and more importantly I am on call. As of right now, I do not work tomorrow but have a night shift for Friday and Saturday evenings. That means one post tomorrow and probably another one on Sunday. Though technically I will still be working Sunday morning. But the deal is set and I will not stray from it for at least a week.
Expect future posts to be more interesting...
So, this is the deal. I have created a blog and I am going to write a post for every day that I do not work. Hopefully on that day. For those who do not know, I work at BC Ferries and more importantly I am on call. As of right now, I do not work tomorrow but have a night shift for Friday and Saturday evenings. That means one post tomorrow and probably another one on Sunday. Though technically I will still be working Sunday morning. But the deal is set and I will not stray from it for at least a week.
Expect future posts to be more interesting...
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