3.24.2009
Theory
I have been studying a little about theory these day's. I don't know why, but it has been of some interest; theological theory, political theory, government theory. I have been mulling over this thought...capitalism is an imperfect system for imperfect people, socialism is a perfect system for perfect people. I haven't been able to fully develop all my logical conclusions if this statement is in fact true. I do know that it's premise is a little off, based on the understanding of perfection in light of theological theory. Any further thoughts would be helpful...
3.18.2009
Friendship
It’s an amazing process the makings of friends. Most come from hallows of life found in unexpected places in unexpected times, with rarity in friendship, more often than not, is demonstrated in the den of common sharing, common feelings and common values; whereas, greatness of friendship is refined by fire in tragedy and comedy and sorrow and joy; maintaining longevity, friendship is put on trial the way thieves cast lots together consequenced by justices of those who cast lots together, not as trials but rather ceremonies. The devilish breeding of friendship conceived in misrepresentation of soul begets ill on authenticity and honesty as those who love and live, to love and live alone, fall victim of preying vices, trapped by vicious cycles of selfishness. Finding and foundering friendship as art is appreciated, not by artisans, nor aristocrats, but by bourgeois bumbling into benevolence of belief based on mutual musing and master maturity, lifting the veils, peering on inwardness of soul.
What’s friendship, when all’s done, but the giving and taking of wounds?
What’s friendship, when all’s done, but the giving and taking of wounds?
3.17.2009
Quotes I like
Here are some quotes by Mr. Sedaris. A true story teller.
"For the first twenty years of my life, I rocked myself to sleep. It was a harmless enough hobby, but eventually, I had to give it up. Throughout the next twenty-two years I lay still and discovered that after a few minutes I could drop off with no problem. Follow seven beers with a couple of scotches and a thimble of good marijuana, and it’s funny how sleep just sort of comes on its own. Often I never even made it to the bed. I’d squat down to pet the cat and wake up on the floor eight hours later, having lost a perfectly good excuse to change my clothes. I’m now told that this is not called “going to sleep” but rather “passing out,” a phrase that carries a distinct hint of judgment."
— David Sedaris [Me Talk Pretty One Day]
"May I bring you a drink to go with those warm nuts, Mr. Sedaris?" this woman looking after me asked - this as the people in coach were still boarding. The looks they gave me as they passed were the looks I give when the door of a limousine opens. You always expect to see a movie star, or, at the very least, some better dressed than you, but time and time again it's just a sloppy nobody. Thus the look, which translates to, Fuck you, Sloppy Nobody, for making me turn my head."
— David Sedaris [When You Are Engulfed in Flames]
"When forced to leave my house for an extended period of time, I take my typewriter with me, and together we endure the wretchedness of passing through the X-ray scanner. The laptops roll merrily down the belt, while I’m instructed to stand aside and open my bag. To me it seems like a normal enough thing to be carrying, but the typewriter’s declining popularity arouses suspicion and I wind up eliciting the sort of reaction one might expect when traveling with a cannon
-David Sedaris [Me Talk Pretty One Day]
"It was the look you get when facing a sudden and insurmountable danger: the errant truck, the shaky ladder, the crazy person who pins you to the linoleum and insists, with increasing urgency, that everything you know and love can be undone by a grape."
— David Sedaris [When You Are Engulfed in Flames]
"For the first twenty years of my life, I rocked myself to sleep. It was a harmless enough hobby, but eventually, I had to give it up. Throughout the next twenty-two years I lay still and discovered that after a few minutes I could drop off with no problem. Follow seven beers with a couple of scotches and a thimble of good marijuana, and it’s funny how sleep just sort of comes on its own. Often I never even made it to the bed. I’d squat down to pet the cat and wake up on the floor eight hours later, having lost a perfectly good excuse to change my clothes. I’m now told that this is not called “going to sleep” but rather “passing out,” a phrase that carries a distinct hint of judgment."
— David Sedaris [Me Talk Pretty One Day]
"May I bring you a drink to go with those warm nuts, Mr. Sedaris?" this woman looking after me asked - this as the people in coach were still boarding. The looks they gave me as they passed were the looks I give when the door of a limousine opens. You always expect to see a movie star, or, at the very least, some better dressed than you, but time and time again it's just a sloppy nobody. Thus the look, which translates to, Fuck you, Sloppy Nobody, for making me turn my head."
— David Sedaris [When You Are Engulfed in Flames]
"When forced to leave my house for an extended period of time, I take my typewriter with me, and together we endure the wretchedness of passing through the X-ray scanner. The laptops roll merrily down the belt, while I’m instructed to stand aside and open my bag. To me it seems like a normal enough thing to be carrying, but the typewriter’s declining popularity arouses suspicion and I wind up eliciting the sort of reaction one might expect when traveling with a cannon
-David Sedaris [Me Talk Pretty One Day]
"It was the look you get when facing a sudden and insurmountable danger: the errant truck, the shaky ladder, the crazy person who pins you to the linoleum and insists, with increasing urgency, that everything you know and love can be undone by a grape."
— David Sedaris [When You Are Engulfed in Flames]
3.16.2009
Love the simplicity of past
Escaping to places of intention, solitude, and refreshment are more times then I should think, meet with the reality of brokenness and sorrow. Believing that in order to change the world, first a change had to take place within me and realizing as of late, that a change in me doesn’t mean the world automatically changes. Joy and sorrow are all too common words. Memories of the past hold musing attributes to them. Whether it was spending your last dollar on flowers for a girl you had hoped to impress only to realize she was out with another guy, or moving across the country for someone you know all to well. Memories hold the simplicity of the time, place and love on a high and lofty throne, where all complexity is stripped of its grasp, releasing the memory to occupy the seat of beauty. Yet, if you believe that to be true, you will also understand that as quickly as memories come from the depths of our souls they disappear in the midst of our sorrow, surrounded by hope of growing into full maturity. Maturity is achieved by way of life experience. Sure there are those select few who learn by observing and applying, but those of us who learn best from our mistakes take heart. If we are lucky enough to escape to the place of intention, solitude and refreshment, we realize that in deconstruction resides life; where commonplace exist, love and despair of thought offer hope through our brokenness; believing that if the world should change one day, it will be because God begun to change us this very moment.
3.13.2009
I can't ever feel my legs right now
A name not synonymous with basketball became a deciding factor in one of the most historic games! 244 points, 226 minutes, 209 total shots, 125 rebounds, 43 turnovers, 93 free throw attempts and 8 guy's fouling out. As a coach the numbers don't lie. As a coach I could never imagine a 6 overtime game. As a coach I bet the play book ran a little short. BUT. As a fan I became apart of history. As a fan a battle royal took place. As a fan I realized why I cheer when my team takes the floor.
Justin Thomas registered a total of 7 minutes of play and more importantly his first rebound for the season, on Thursday March 12, around 1am. As Thomas first entered the game his fellow teammates were standing straight up, hands on the hips, gasping for an ounce of energy as night turned into morning. Thomas entry to the game could be characterized as "Jumping Jacks". Standing atop of the famous 2-3 Zone, Thomas did "jumping jacks" in an attempt to "warm up", after what would be sitting for well over 2 hours. The only guy on the floor with energy to spare I could only hope that his thoughts turned to the title "walk on." A guy who has played a total of 21 minutes over the season, most being junk minutes, entered the game with just over a minute left in the 5th overtime. As the 5th turned into the 6th, most of his seven minutes Thomas stood in the corner on offense not doing too much; crashing the boards and hustling back on defense. Defensively he did everything right; signaling a traveling call the refs missed, playing straight up on D and boxing out on every shot. As the Cuse held a three point lead, I could only hope that the title "walk on" was sitting in the back of his mind. "walk on" is not normally used in conference play referring to a player on the court; the title "walk on" is normally referred to those who are good enough to make the team but not good enough to play in the game. A title which was given to Justin Thomas at onset of the season.
I don't know what all is involved in becoming a "walk on" but I do know what is involved in being a "walk on. " I imagine that Thomas understands what being a "walk on" truly requires; every day you practice harder than the rest of your team because what you lack in talent they lack in hard work; every day you study longer than the rest of your team because the term scholarship doesn't' apply to you; every day you arrive early to practice and stay late in hopes of gaining an edge on the guy who occupies the 11th seat on the bench; but most importantly, every day, you fully realize that your dreams become reality not through talent, scholarships or a seat on the bench, but 28 minutes of game time, 7 of which are in one of the most historic games ever!
I applaud all the guys' who played an insane amount of minutes in the sextuple overtime game.
I stand and applaud Justin Thomas for all the insane amount of minutes he has dedicated to being a "walk on".
Justin Thomas registered a total of 7 minutes of play and more importantly his first rebound for the season, on Thursday March 12, around 1am. As Thomas first entered the game his fellow teammates were standing straight up, hands on the hips, gasping for an ounce of energy as night turned into morning. Thomas entry to the game could be characterized as "Jumping Jacks". Standing atop of the famous 2-3 Zone, Thomas did "jumping jacks" in an attempt to "warm up", after what would be sitting for well over 2 hours. The only guy on the floor with energy to spare I could only hope that his thoughts turned to the title "walk on." A guy who has played a total of 21 minutes over the season, most being junk minutes, entered the game with just over a minute left in the 5th overtime. As the 5th turned into the 6th, most of his seven minutes Thomas stood in the corner on offense not doing too much; crashing the boards and hustling back on defense. Defensively he did everything right; signaling a traveling call the refs missed, playing straight up on D and boxing out on every shot. As the Cuse held a three point lead, I could only hope that the title "walk on" was sitting in the back of his mind. "walk on" is not normally used in conference play referring to a player on the court; the title "walk on" is normally referred to those who are good enough to make the team but not good enough to play in the game. A title which was given to Justin Thomas at onset of the season.
I don't know what all is involved in becoming a "walk on" but I do know what is involved in being a "walk on. " I imagine that Thomas understands what being a "walk on" truly requires; every day you practice harder than the rest of your team because what you lack in talent they lack in hard work; every day you study longer than the rest of your team because the term scholarship doesn't' apply to you; every day you arrive early to practice and stay late in hopes of gaining an edge on the guy who occupies the 11th seat on the bench; but most importantly, every day, you fully realize that your dreams become reality not through talent, scholarships or a seat on the bench, but 28 minutes of game time, 7 of which are in one of the most historic games ever!
I applaud all the guys' who played an insane amount of minutes in the sextuple overtime game.
I stand and applaud Justin Thomas for all the insane amount of minutes he has dedicated to being a "walk on".
3.10.2009
A foot deep
Reading has always been an enjoyable time for me. However, there are moments when reading is not as enjoyable. Last night, I sat on my couch, finishing a mediocre book about Thomas Jefferson's life. One aspect about Jefferson' s life I enjoyed was his writings of letters. Over the course of his lifetime, he wrote over 18,000 letters...more are still being discovered today. If you do the math 18,000 letters over the span of 80 years equals 225 letters a year. Here are some interesting facts about letters [communication] these days.
Hand-Written Letters
In 2006, the Radicati Group estimated that, worldwide, 183 billion
e-mails were sent each day. Two million each second. By November of
2007, an estimated 3.3 billion Earthlings owned cell phones, and 80%
of the world's population had access to cell phone coverage. In 2004,
half-a-trillion text messages were sent, and the number has no doubt
increased exponentially since then. So where amongst this gorge of
gabble is there room for the elegant, polite hand-written letter?
I often wondered, throughout the book, what would Jefferson use today as a form of communication? Text. Email. myface. My sneaky suspicion is he would still write letters, or just call you on his land line if necessary. Here is my reason: his eloquence and love for words would be lost in a "fast paced" world that stretches across the earth but only goes a foot deep. Jefferson occupied a small piece of real estate in Virgina the stretched 80 acres but ran miles deep. If you concede that Jefferson would use text, email or other "fast paced" communication tools, you could nullify the constitution being written by him. I'm no scholar, but my theory is that the greatest writers today don't use the latest and greatest communication tools, because nothing communicates like a hand-written letter signed, sealed and delivered. The letters I keep near and dear are those from people who have taken the time and thought to create and design and mail and sing with their own hand a letter speaking words of love.
Speaking of letters, Clive Staples Lewis has a new book out...what? Someone has put together a collection of letters in a book called "yours, Jack". It a good read filled with Lewis's thoughts about life, love and everything under the sun. Here is a quote that I enjoyed, “The trouble about God is that he is like a person who never acknowledge’s one’s letters and so, in time, one comes to the conclusion either that he does not exist or that you have got the address wrong.” (Lewis, 1921)
It seems a painful paradox writing about writing letters, especially on a blog. But I hope to write more letters, more often to those I love and cherish. The only problem I foresee, is how do I track down addresses? Most likely email.
Hand-Written Letters
In 2006, the Radicati Group estimated that, worldwide, 183 billion
e-mails were sent each day. Two million each second. By November of
2007, an estimated 3.3 billion Earthlings owned cell phones, and 80%
of the world's population had access to cell phone coverage. In 2004,
half-a-trillion text messages were sent, and the number has no doubt
increased exponentially since then. So where amongst this gorge of
gabble is there room for the elegant, polite hand-written letter?
I often wondered, throughout the book, what would Jefferson use today as a form of communication? Text. Email. myface. My sneaky suspicion is he would still write letters, or just call you on his land line if necessary. Here is my reason: his eloquence and love for words would be lost in a "fast paced" world that stretches across the earth but only goes a foot deep. Jefferson occupied a small piece of real estate in Virgina the stretched 80 acres but ran miles deep. If you concede that Jefferson would use text, email or other "fast paced" communication tools, you could nullify the constitution being written by him. I'm no scholar, but my theory is that the greatest writers today don't use the latest and greatest communication tools, because nothing communicates like a hand-written letter signed, sealed and delivered. The letters I keep near and dear are those from people who have taken the time and thought to create and design and mail and sing with their own hand a letter speaking words of love.
Speaking of letters, Clive Staples Lewis has a new book out...what? Someone has put together a collection of letters in a book called "yours, Jack". It a good read filled with Lewis's thoughts about life, love and everything under the sun. Here is a quote that I enjoyed, “The trouble about God is that he is like a person who never acknowledge’s one’s letters and so, in time, one comes to the conclusion either that he does not exist or that you have got the address wrong.” (Lewis, 1921)
It seems a painful paradox writing about writing letters, especially on a blog. But I hope to write more letters, more often to those I love and cherish. The only problem I foresee, is how do I track down addresses? Most likely email.
3.09.2009
Weakness illuminates needs
Total independence. I can do everything alone. I don’t need anyone or anything. When we are moved against our will, we kick and scream and fight with every fiber of our being. Functioning independently causes God to propel us to dependency. Dependency is not a natural function, we need to learn and grow and develop dependency on others and on God.
Everyone is happy in their solitary world. We tend to shy from dependency, bothering someone for something or to do something shows weakness in who we are as people. Weakness is what we fear, not dependency, for dependency cast away fear. Dependency gathers all those untruths we believe about ourselves together, casting them into the care, love, hope and joy of a community committed to learning, growing, and developing dependency on others and on God.
The greatest truth and mystery and nightmare about dependency-God will not let us learn it independently. When we buy into the untruths of self-sufficiency and autonomy, the lesson of dependency becomes a nightmare. When we are characterized not by “I can do everything on my own” rather “we need everyone to do some things”. God will use the mystery of truth, no matter how big or small, strong or weak, to propel us into dependency on others and on Him alone.
Our pilgrimage from independent to dependent is through weakness. “My strength is made perfect in weakness”. Jesus is constantly tempted to forsake His dependency on the Father to a life lived independently. Weakness is not illuminated by needs, rather weakness illuminates needs. “Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Needs create dependency on others and on God.
Everyone is happy in their solitary world. We tend to shy from dependency, bothering someone for something or to do something shows weakness in who we are as people. Weakness is what we fear, not dependency, for dependency cast away fear. Dependency gathers all those untruths we believe about ourselves together, casting them into the care, love, hope and joy of a community committed to learning, growing, and developing dependency on others and on God.
The greatest truth and mystery and nightmare about dependency-God will not let us learn it independently. When we buy into the untruths of self-sufficiency and autonomy, the lesson of dependency becomes a nightmare. When we are characterized not by “I can do everything on my own” rather “we need everyone to do some things”. God will use the mystery of truth, no matter how big or small, strong or weak, to propel us into dependency on others and on Him alone.
Our pilgrimage from independent to dependent is through weakness. “My strength is made perfect in weakness”. Jesus is constantly tempted to forsake His dependency on the Father to a life lived independently. Weakness is not illuminated by needs, rather weakness illuminates needs. “Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Needs create dependency on others and on God.
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