jeremy phillips

ERIKA

2009-03-19T20:11:00.001-07:00

I had a project last week that required a model. Luckily for me, I have great friends. I asked Erika the day before I needed to shoot, if she would be my model. She happily agreed and everything went great at the shoot. I came away with so many great images, as you will see.

BRADLEY

2009-03-19T17:36:00.000-07:00

Bradley needed some photos for graduation announcements. So, last week we made our way around CBU and found some good places to shoot. Here's just a few.

2.17.09

2009-02-17T15:01:00.000-08:00

A New Location, Kind Of

2009-01-28T17:25:00.000-08:00

As of today, I now have a little space on Tumblr. I hope to post more daily things on that and make this site more of a place to display my photographic/design efforts. Please continue checking both.

The End of an Adventure [Or Is It?]

2009-01-03T23:41:00.000-08:00

I have barely realized that we are now 3 days into the new year.

After awhile, each new year has become equated to that of a birthday. It must come, with the good and the bad. The time that rushes froward with the speed of a car on the Autobahn, cannot be stopped. Both become markers that one has grown older. You've lived to see another year. Once again, the images from the past flood through your head. Pictures of triumph and, also, of failure flood into one's consciousness, though not requested to be recalled. And, you press on. Press on to see what opportunities present themselves in this new year.

+

Roughly 30 minutes ago, I finished the last book of the Harry Potter series. Now, I sit here in an interesting mood. Sad the adventure is finished. Wanting to read more, to continue the adventure which I have become very attached to. The book has imparted to me the sense of hope that fills every page, no matter how dreary the situation may look.

Harry Potter is brilliant.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T14:13:00.000-08:00

Christ is born!
Glorify Him!

'Tis the Season

2008-12-22T20:30:00.000-08:00

The Hymn to the Theotokos (Mother of God) is something that has become very familiar to me over the past few months. During Vespers today, I heard it once again, but this time listened to it with different ears. I realized how applicable it is during this month. Thus, I thought I would share it.

The Hymn to the Theotokos
It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos, who art ever blessed and all-blameless, and the mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim, thou who without stain barest God the Word, and art truly Theotokos: we maginfy thee.

The Ending of a Semester; Or, a Culmination of a Semester's Worth of Thoughts Untold

2008-12-16T01:52:00.000-08:00

[I]
It has come to my attention over the past few months that time is, truly, a very curious thing. Take, for instance, the fact that a year ago today, I would be in Amman, Jordan about to journey a very misunderstood part of the world. Yet, time has moved on and I have been here and there [here and there being California, Argentina, and Texas, of course]. Now, I sit in my bedroom trying to materialize thoughts in my head. It is odd that one's past experiences can only be lived through the memory. What might possibly be even more odd is that as more time passes, it sometimes may feel as if those past experiences might have not actually happened, but, rather, that they were an invention of one's mind. This, I have found, can be a very frustrating thing. However, it is a great[!] thing to have others, which one can reminisce with. In the process, those experiences can once again "put on flesh."

[II]
Now, that I am over my bit of abstract-rig-a-ma-roll, I can set out on other matters, which have presented themselves within my mind. I have become addicted to a series of [children's] literature. The literature, named Harry Potter has quite possibly placed itself in the top three favorites of mine. Do not, by any means, be afraid that it has pulled ahead of my all-time favorite [which deals with a ring, a journey, and small, hairy creatures, among many other things]. Nonetheless, I truly am addicted. I shudder at the day when I finish the seven volume series, myself being on the fourth.

[III]
The weather has finally turned for the better in my small [pop. 300,000] city located in Southern California, So Cal, So Cali, et cetera. This is a great thing. While, I know, there are very neat places dotted all across this globe. I believe my city is one of the best, for multiple reasons. I will not get into those reasons though. I still, nonetheless, would love to be visiting the PNW [Pacific Northwest]. I have heard, from multiple sources, that it is a very awesome! region of this country.

[IV]
I long to be traveling at the present moment, but yet I sit here at home, for funds do not allow me to do so. However, I am unofficially planning a journey somewhere across the Atlantic during the summer of 2009. There are, of course, many details that will need to be worked out for everything to actually happen. Namely, deciding on a place to travel to. I will give it some thought over the, ever-so-quickly-approaching-break. Also, to be thought about over break is what I shall do after I walk across a stage and receive a diploma, if that indeed happens. I am ninety-nine percent it will happen though.

[V]
[Excuse me, but] It is odd, once again, to see how much one can change over the course of four months. I do not know how to or if it would be appropriate, for my own personal sake, to delve into said changes, but I believe them for the better.

Finally, California

2008-11-05T19:43:00.000-08:00

There was an interesting article on First Things today. Keith Pavlischek, commented on the bunk argument of opposition of gay "marriage" being morally equivalent to opposition of inter-racial marriage. Please read if you are interested at all.

Also, I've mentioned First Things a few times before. Ergo, I believe it would be wise of you to subscribe to their blog or ,if you're feeling crazy, to the actual journal.

August 18, 2008

2008-10-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

Two political posts in one day... oops. This was a entry on the First Things blog a couple days after the Civil Forum at Saddleback.

I doubt it Sen. Obama.

Really Good, Yet Really Dumb

2008-10-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

Obama '08 - Vote For Hope from MC Yogi on Vimeo.

I must say, first of all, the design and animation in this is superb. It is visually stunning. The music is decent as well. I enjoyed the whole from a design perspective.

But, to say that Barack Obama is hope, is absurd. To put so much emphasis on a human being is ridiculous. He's not going to change everything. He's not going to make everything "right." Don't get me wrong, I am not a fan of either the candidates. I'm not saying this to promote McCain. I wish we had a real leader to vote for next week, but unfortunately we have to play with the cards we dealt ourselves. And, if I here Obama quote the Declaration of Independence again, I think I might throw up. I'm not sure how he can read it with confidence and actually trick himself that he believes it. Maybe if he did believe it, he would take seriously the part about "all men" being created with "unalienable rights" and on of those rights is Life. If he believed that, he wouldn't be pro-abortion.

Now I'm worked up.

Pray for me.

So Long Flickr

2008-10-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

So, a month or so ago, I decided to delete my old Yahoo! accounts that I don't use anymore. Success! It worked and I was glad to shed some of my immature past (speaking of the names of my E-mail accounts and their silliness).

Fast forward 10 minutes.

I think to myself, "Self, let's check your Flickr." Thats when I realized I had done it. Flickr is a company connected to Yahoo!. Therefore, I use my Yahoo! log in information to gain access to my Flickr account. Therefore[x2], I inadvertently screwed myself and cannot log into my Flickr account.

All the above is mentioned to simply say, when the time comes and I easier access to camera equipment, I will be posting more photos on this here blog. Sorry to bore.

Beginnings

2008-10-19T14:54:00.000-07:00

Today was a new beginning of sorts. It feels good.

Hm?

2008-10-17T22:14:00.000-07:00

Last week, via Dr. Mooney's Blog, I came across this post on Justin Taylor's Blog. The post consisted of the quotes above. I read the title and was very intrigued because I also believe "just me and my Bible" is insufficient. Upon reading the first quote, I not only disagreed with him, but also, I believed his understanding of, as he puts it, "the infallibility of tradition" to be lacking. Interestingly enough, I do believe he is moving in the right direction, just down the wrong path.

An Interesting Article

2008-10-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

I was first introduced to the journal, First Things this summer by Bradley. Since introduced, I have gone so far as to subscribe to its daily blog, while at the same moment not gone so far as to subscribe to the actual journal. (Though I do plan on it in the future.)

Go read this article, which I found very interesting today as it is a very contested subject.

2008-09-30T14:49:00.000-07:00

This morning, the thought even crossed my mind to put creamer in my coffee.

Quickly after that thought, another thought came to mind.

That second thought being: "I ain't no woman."

We Live Together

2008-09-13T13:36:00.001-07:00

Reflections in Darkness

2008-09-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

As I type, I am sitting in my room. Its a dark room at the moment. The blinds are open letting in what little light is left in the day. Behind me, the light is on in the bathroom and even though the door is open, the light is not powerful enough to illumine my dark room. I can hear the noise from the fans in my computer. They are, at the moment, doing a swell job keeping my baby cool. Though. admittedly, sometimes they do fail at their job and in those times I want a new computer. On top of my computer, there are six books. There is one novel, five history, but one of those histories is the Bible. I actually heard before that the Bible is classified as a comedy rather than history. I can never remember why that is though. There are polaroids on my wall, which allow me to reminisce upon last year. I just began to hear psuedo-gun shots from the living room. Now there are the sounds of digital men fighting intensely in a hand-to-hand combat form. Sometimes I wish I could fight as well as one of those digital men. Sometimes I think about how being able to fight like them would be useless, mainly because I don't get into fights. It still might be cool though. In the stillness of my dark room, I think about the last four years of college, but more like the last three because I just started my fourth. As "they" say, "Time flies." In that thought, and mostly anytime when someone quotes "they," I wondered who this "they" is. After that thought, I think about the new friends I've met recently. I think to myself, "Entertaining folk" and "Genuinely good people to spend time with." As I sit here, I am waiting for the sun to go down a little more. The thought of a pipe smoke leaves a pleasant ringing in my ears. When I go outside to partake of the most treacherous sin, tobacco, I think of how nice the cool weather will be and how much it will enhance my smoking experience. Before I do that, however, I need to brush my teeth because I ate dinner not too long ago and from what I hear, most people don't like the smell of bad breath.

My Backyard

2008-09-03T17:09:00.001-07:00

This is becoming one of my favorite places to sit. The thing is, you can't actually see where I like to sit because I took the picture from that place. So, all you get is the view I have.

2008-08-30T16:42:00.000-07:00

In two days, the date will be September 1st.

Over the past month or so, I have been shaving almost every day. I loathe shaving. I don't like doing it because I can never get my face completely smooth, sometimes it hurts on my neck area, and my skin is a little sensitive so I frequently get razor burn. However, in two days, I will stop shaving for a while. I decided in the middle of the summer that I would not shave for fall/winter. Along with that, I will try to trim my beard as little as possible. I am excited the day is almost here. You should be too.

The Art of Manliness

2008-08-13T01:24:00.000-07:00

Artofmanliness.com
This could be one of my new favorite websites/blog. It is rich with information for a man wanting to be manly.

2008-08-05T02:42:00.000-07:00

I also created this while I was not sleeping.

_On a very related side note, I really like screen shots. Thank you Shift-Command-4.

2008-08-05T01:58:00.000-07:00

I cannot fall asleep at the moment because the coffee I drank earlier decided to work. Go figure. To combat the caffeine, I decided to make a nice little "On-The-Go" playlist. It follows as such:
Lost?_ Coldplay*
The Professor & La Fille Danse_ Damien Rice
Lonelily_ Damien Rice
Pistol_ Dustin Kensrue
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room_ John Mayer**
Red Sky (Live)_ Thrice
Under a Killing Moon (Live)_ Thrice
The Dress Looks Nice on You_ Sufjan Stevens
How Low_ Jose Gonzalez
Delicate_ Damien Rice
Green Eyes_ Coldplay
Moving Mountains_ Thrice

*Some might think it should be "Lost!". For those "some," I urge you to look up Vida La Vida on iTunes and then do yourself a favor and buy "Lost?".
**"The Village Sessions" acoustic version. Delightful.

2008-07-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong, I am a huge advocate for Apple computers. I think they make amazing products. In light of that, I still think the MacBook Air is kind of useless. I saw this video just now and had to post it.

[Credit: Adrian]

2008-07-26T00:11:00.000-07:00

Buenos Aires, Argentina
Polaroid 600

Love?

2008-07-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

Thrice
"Moving Mountains"

Note_RSS readers, there is a video embedded here.

Generosity

2008-07-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

I have neglected to type this for a couple of weeks, but I will not be completely sorry for the fact that I am now typing it.

Some may know and other may not, but during my recent time in Argentina, myself and a couple girls on my team were robbed. I will not get into the details for multiple reasons. The first of them being that for you to understand this post, all you need to know is that I was robbed.
Anyways.

Where was I?

Oh, yeah.

I was robbed.

Now we're back on track. I was robbed. I will tell you that I was robbed on the first day. It is kind of amusing. Among the things taken was my camera. Now, this sucked. Very bad. I love being able to document my time overseas photographic-ly. (I think I just made a word?) Luckily, as I already mentioned, Jenny allowed me to use her polaroid camera some to allow me to let my creative juices flow. Now I have been back for about a month and a half and I still do not have a camera. (And the way it looks, I won't have one for a little while longer either.) (Sucks.) There is some background you need for the point of my blabbering.

A couple weeks ago I received a text message from Micah, who I assisted in leading our team. It read something like, "You need to come by my office as soon as you can." I didn't really understand the urgency. I just figured she wanted to catch up since we had not seen each other since we had returned from Argentina, but I replied that I would be able the next day. The next day rolls around and she then sends me another text message reminding that I need to go by her office. I still did not understand the urgency. Hours pass and I eventually find myself in her office. Once there, she notifies me that she has recently purchased a new 40D for photography school. She also lets me know that she is going to let me borrow her old 20D until the time comes whenever I get a new camera. I was blown away. Her generosity made me very happy that day.

Though I now have a camera to use, I still haven't used it. She was not able to let me borrow any lenses, so as of right now, I am lens-less. But, the fact that I even have a camera to use still amazes me.

I want to be a person known for being generous. Generous in time. Money. Possessions. Knowledge. Wisdom.*

*Wisdom may come later in life when I actually obtain some.

Stuff White People Like

2008-06-20T23:52:00.000-07:00

I have to direct everyone to a very funny website that I think that every white person needs to read.

Stuffwhitepeoplelike.com is all about the obvious. Some people get offended by it, whether they think its racist or because they read it and see themselves. Whatever. I happen to think its hilarious. I think you should check it out.

You Big Twit

2008-06-19T01:56:00.001-07:00

I started Twitter-ing. You may follow on the right.

2008-06-16T18:36:00.000-07:00

_I cannot to forget to thank Jenny. She was on my team that I went to Argentina with. She let me use her polaroid camera whenever I wanted after I had an incident and became sans cameras. She is the reason I am able to post the couple polaroid shots I previously posted and the reason for the shots that are still coming. Thanks Jenny.

2008-06-16T18:24:00.000-07:00

I am sans camera right now. That will last for I don't know how long. Hopefully not too long though. Not having a camera has allowed me to think up some ideas that I would like to design. I want to focus on putting my creative juices in those directions while I cannot capture light. I was enlightened to a cool thing today through another blog I follow. It was this art show that had pieces based on the theme of "The Lost Art of the Film Poster." People either revamped old movies poster or completely created a new one. My favorite would be this one. I have been inspired by the idea and I will try to do one for a movie to be revealed at a later time and date. Besides that I would like to create some ideas that have swirled around in my mind for a little while. If you have any design needs, please contact me.

2008-06-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

Buenos Aires, Argentina
Polaroid 600

Starbucks?

2008-06-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

I just checked Bloglines to see if anyone had new posts on the blogs I keep up with. There were four updated blogs. Three out of the four talked about Starbucks. Kind of weird. Was this a Twilight Zone moment? I don't know. You decide.

2008-06-04T21:59:00.000-07:00

Zarate, Argentina
Polaroid 600

Buenos Aires, Argentina

2008-05-26T15:40:00.001-07:00

Over the past couple of years I have come to love big cities.

And, BA is a big city.

Cairo, New York, and Delhi are just a few of the ones that I have visited in the past few years. I loved them all. I love the dynamics. Everything is quick. There are taxis and subways and people. Lots of people. There is just something about a big city that comforts me.

I have been loving my time in Argentina. (Though I do have to admit that its not my favorite country I have been to.) It has been a good time nonetheless. We have been in BA since yesterday afternoon. I have enjoyed walking around the city and taking public transportation. Its refreshing. I bought a CD from a street band today too. They were pretty good so I thought I would give a little compensation for entertaining me.

Our flight leaves tomorrow night at 11:00ish. I will be home on Wednesday afternoon. Thursday morning I leave for Texas. My time there will be completely different from my time here in BA. Like wolrds apart difference.

Day ?: Argentina

2008-05-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

I have missed being creative. Very few will understand what I mean by that statement.

Things are going really well here though. This week we're working on paint a mural on a wall. Sounds pretty cool.

Argentina

2008-05-05T17:56:00.001-07:00

I think I might have mentioned that I'm going to Argentina. I leave tomorrow and will return May 28. I am helping lead a team of students from my school. We will be teaching art... whatever that means. At least, thats what I tell people. I won't know what us teaching art will actually look like until we get there. It will be an adventure nonetheless.

This is the team.

The Double Standard of Purity

2008-05-01T23:27:00.000-07:00

This insight entered my mind a little while ago.
Here's the scenario. I'm sure many guys have been in it....

You're watching a movie or a TV show with at least one girl. A sexually provocative scene comes on. Girl puts her hand over your eyes. You try to put your hand over the girl's eyes (at least I'll try to do this). Girl responds with, "Its okay. Girls aren't like guys with stuff like this" and girl removes your hand. Scene finishes and girl lowers her hand from your eyes.

At first reading, you might think there is nothing wrong in this scenario. The girl is simply trying to help her brother in Christ out. I do appreciate that very much. I am very glad I have girl friends that are worried about my purity.

The problem I come across is when the girl removes my hand from her eyes. She may not, as she says, be affected by the scene that a guy would. She might not be tempted to think or act lustfully because of the scene but thats not the point. The problem is that the girl falsely believes she is fine watching the scene because it is not a temptation to her. However, I believe by allowing herself to watch the scene, it compromises her purity just as much as it would mine if I were to watch the scene. She is letting herself see things that she should not see or experience until marriage. Thus, a part of her purity is stripped away. She now has insights to the sexuality that have not come through being with her husband but rather another medium. I have said all that to say, girls guard your purity just as much as you would want your guy friends purity to be protected.

In other news. I started following C.J. Mahaney's blog. He has a series of posts going about modesty, which are quite insightful.

Go here for his first post.
And you can go here for his second post.
Oh, and here for the third.
And lastly, here for his most recent post.

Check it out.

Dear Roads and Cup Holders:

2008-04-21T23:13:00.000-07:00

You should look into being more courteous to those who choose to travel with coffee.

Roads: You should become more smooth. My full coffee cup (and also me) do not appreciate your bumps, dips, pot holes, and general rebelious nature. I do not enjoy holding the coffee cup the entire time I am driving to save myself a mess that could potentially happen because of your rough nature.

Cup Holders: I do not even know where to begin with you. You need to be more like a transformer. You should be able to transform to any size cup I desire to place in you. Just as with roads, I do not enjoy holding my cup of coffee because I am afraid it will tip over because you are not well suited to hold that cup.

Now, please both of you, go and make the appropriate changes I have suggested. I would appreciate that greatly.

Sincerely,
Jeremy

For Sale

2008-04-06T22:13:00.000-07:00

Canon Super Wide Zoom 17-40mm f/4L

Click Here to bid.

April 3, 2008

2008-04-03T23:32:00.001-07:00

March 25, 2008

2008-03-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

Quote Of The Day

2008-03-04T10:06:00.000-08:00

"I really think a lot about homosexuals."

-Carly Floyd

School

2008-03-03T22:59:00.000-08:00

I would say that school and I have a love/hate relationship.

I am in a rut, mentally. I can't seem to get myself out of it either. I have no motivation. Its not that my classes are all that tough this semester. I just can't break myself out of whatever I'm in. Life is great all things considered minus school, of course.

In all the mess of what I just explained, I picked up painting. I actually don't think I can literally say that I picked up painting because I just got supplies on Sunday and, though I've started painting, I haven't finished anything yet. I'm not sure how my new life as a painter will go seeing how I've never really painted before.

You may notice that I titled this post school, but I talked more about painting. Get over it. I was planning on talking more about school but the thoughts I had earlier were not transferred from my brain to the keyboard.

Lighting Sucks In My Apartment

2008-02-25T22:10:00.000-08:00

Call Me Lazy, Not Literally

2008-02-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

This year I have been very unmotivated to take photos and blog. I'm not sure what it is, but I just haven't felt like doing either. I think it all started when I was overseas. I blogged a good amount and took my camera everywhere. That gets tiring. I'm slowly getting more of a want to photograph life. Hang in there.

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Leadership?

2008-02-13T09:28:00.000-08:00

I'm going to Argentina in May. I'm not going alone though. I'm co-leading a team of eight. I've just stumbled upon one problem:

I have no idea how to lead a group of people overseas.

A friend and I were talking the other day about how we've both been overseas a few different times and we have knowledge about traveling, but how do we translate that to people who have not been out of the country at all? How do we relay our information in an effective way? How do we get those we are leading to support us and our decisions? I don't know.

I'm still trying to figure all that out. The only thing I can keep thinking of is to look in the scriptures at how Jesus led. Thats my only plan as of right now. I guess until I figure it out, I'm going to keep faking it really well.

I hope nobody from my team reads this. Don't be scared. Its okay. I promise?

Maybe this is just an eccentric examination of the heart.

++++++++++++++++++++++

Well I was deliberating whether or not to make a separate post for this, but I decided not to.

THIS IS MY 100TH POST!

Motivation

2008-02-12T23:33:00.000-08:00

Someone needs to motivate me to get some of my medium film developed. I have five rolls, four of which are from my trip. I actually have money now, but I just don't feel like driving across town.

Petra, Jordan

2008-02-11T22:03:00.001-08:00

Giza (The Pyramids), Egypt

2008-02-03T22:42:00.000-08:00

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2008-02-01T16:44:00.000-08:00

Hope

2008-01-29T00:26:00.000-08:00

In my Current World Movement class, we have to read The Los Angeles Times a few times every week. While reading it earlier tonight, I felt deeply saddened. There is so much going on in the world that pushs me to lose hope. Sitting there reading though, I forced myself to remember what I believe and how I cannot lose hope. Hope is a firm foundation which I must uphold. I have to remind myself that no matter how bad things are or will get that everything will get better. I know how the story ends.

May you, this week, dig deep inside and know that hope is not worth giving up. It is one of the only things that keeps us going.

Elementary Hits

2008-01-25T00:13:00.000-08:00

We just finished watching an hour long flashback of music we listened to in 6th-9th grade. Thank you YouTube. Our list consisted of:

Limp Bizkit- Faith
Limp Bizkit- Nookie
Papa Roach- Resort (Uncensored of course)
Papa Roach- Between Angels and Insects (Uncensored)
Alien Ant Farm- These Days
New Found Glory- My Friends Over You
Sum 41- In Too Deep
Sum 41- Fat Lip//my favorite part, by far, in this song is when the drummer sings "my mom should have had an abortion, abortion, abortion, abortion, abortion"
The Offspring- Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)
Harvey Danger- Flagpole Sitta
Rage Against the Machine- Guerilla Radio

Tonight has been one of the best I've had in a long time. You know you want to go look them up. Go ahead. Enjoy.

MLK Day

2008-01-21T23:46:00.000-08:00

I just finished listening to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Inspiring. It reminds you that no matter how crappy your day was today, that it will probably never be as bad as the days he had. And mine was pretty crappy. And no matter what the mouse says, its not the happiest place on earth. Liar.

And yes, I think its funny that I called a large headed, talking mouse a liar.

Hello 2008

2008-01-17T00:16:00.000-08:00

I wasn't able to usher her in properly, due to traveling and such, but I welcome her now.

I'm about 10 days tardy also. Sorry. You will need to wait a little longer though. I will soon be back in action.

Middle Eastern Winter: Day, I Don't Care

2008-01-05T13:08:00.000-08:00

It is interesting going overseas for a short period of time. Three weeks first looks as it will last forever, but at the end of those three weeks, the time spent felt so short. The same goes for my time last May in India. Time is an interesting thing. No matter how it felt or how it was first perceived to be, I'm at that point where I'm looking back and wondering where the time went. I feel sometimes that I did not allow myself to experience the culture has much as I should have. I know, however, that I have gained much more insight and understanding than what I think sometimes and that there is no better way, which I could see, that I could have spent my winter break. It was the first Christmas that I've celebrated without my family and I'm sure it won't be my last to do so either. I thank them they allowed me the chance to come and experience this place. It must have been hard to do.

Though Sam's parent's apartment, is far from resembling anything that is my home, I have realized how much of a home it has become. After returning from Egypt and Israel, it was one of the most relieving feelings to be back in their aparment. His parents have given so much for us to be here, and for that I'm very thankful and grateful. It is something that I believe I will never be able to repay, though I hope I would someday.

Through all this, I've also realized how comforting my true home is. Though I have been fully enjoying my time here, it will be a huge relief to be back home. To be able to spend time with friends and family. I can't quite seem to remember what "normal life" looks like though, but I'll soon find remember.

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I can assure you that I did not get a gift for you. However, if you would like to treat me to dinner/bake me cookies/buy me coffee during the week of my return, I would be pleased to accept. I also will accept Chipotle gift cards. Speaking of Chipotle, I haven't had it in over a month, which is awful and probably a crime. For the past few days, when food has been brought up, I've been faithful to mention Chipotle as an option. Rest assured, I will be having Chipotle on Tuesday sometime. I'm wondering what it will do to my stomach, but I'm not worried enough to not have it.

I'm not sure what else to talk about. We went to Jerusalem. There are beautiful girls there. By far the highest concentration of beautiful girls I've ever seen in one city. And that will definitely be one of the reasons I miss it. Jerusalem is a pretty cool city though. We went to the Holocaust Museum. I hope to write out a few thoughts on that sometime relatively soon. Wish we had more time, but that is not always possible. Not much else to say about that.

Tomorrow we're going to church, eating lunch, hanging out, and packing. We fly out at 4 am on Monday. We should be returning to the States around 3 pm on Monday. No the flight is not that short. We have three flights actually. Once again, time is an interesting thing.

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[The following conversation was overheard while sitting in Jerusalem, shortly after eating dinner.]

Mom: (Talking to five kids) Okay, who wants what? Your choices are shwarma, falaffel, or schnitzel.

Kid 1: I want a falaffel sandwhich.

Kid 2 & 3: I want schwarma.

Kid 4: I want a falaffel sandwhich too.

Kid 5: I want chicken stars!

[What followed was Ryan and I laughing because apparently Kid 5 didn't hear the options clearly. As it turned out, Kid 5 needed an attitude check also.]

Middle Eastern Winter: Day 18?

2007-12-30T05:47:00.001-08:00

I'm guessing at the day now. I don't even really care, but for the sake of continuity I decided to keep the day going.

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Things I've forgotten to mention:
-I have become the master at sleeping while traveling. Whether in a plane, crowded Egyptian bus, ferry, taxi, or car. Just count on me. Time goes by so fast when you're sleeping.
-Multiple people have thought I'm Jordanian or Muslim or both. I guess the beard is doing its job. The pastor of the Arabic church asked me in Arabic if I was Jordanian. When I gave him the "I don't have a clue what you're talking about look," he asked in English where I was from. I think in the bathroom at the cafe a guy was talking to me. He kept looking at me, but I didn't understand so I smiled like I knew what he was talking about. I probably fooled him. I'm that good.

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Today we went to an Arabic speaking church. It was our second time going there. The first time was pretty good. Today was alright. I think its better than the international church we went to. From my experience, I'm not a huge fan of international churches. There are just weird dynamics.

After church, we came home and Sue (Sam's mom) made some spaghetti for lunch. That was good. While she was preparing it, I got some good reading done. I also set some time aside to listen to music. I've needed just to relax and listen to some tunes. It was nice to do so.

Also, it was Bruce's (Sam's dad) birthday today. The funny thing is Sue never remembers his birthday. So, it only took her until 4 pm to remember today was the day. The Cannons have some funny stories about her forgetting. I'm just glad I had the opportunity to witness it myself. Once she finally remembered, we could talk about it out loud. To celebrate, we went to Fudruckers. Yep, Fudruckers. I got a delicious buffalo crispy chicken sandwhich. Yum. After we went and got some sweets, but we were saddened to find that there was no more baklava in the store. So we settled with some other stuff.

I've failed to mention that we've been playing a lot of Scrabble and Boggle. Bruce loves playing. And he's glad that we actually give him competition. Sue doesn't apparently. In honor of the birthday boy, we played a good deal tonight. Too bad I had to beat him in Scrabble.

We've only got a week left and then back to the States and back to school. I'm kind of excited for this upcoming semester. I think I'm going to learn a lot. What I'm not looking forward to, though, are the flights home. If they ask for people to stay behind in Istanbul we already said we're doing that. Maybe I'll be home when school starts. Maybe not. Probably will though, if we're being honest. And I heard thats the best policy.

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Middle Eastern Winter: Day 16?

2007-12-28T08:57:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting in the living room. We just had a delicious dinner made from left overs. Like I said, MoLO. Ryan Adams is playing in the room. I don't particulary like what I've heard from him but the song that just played is pleasant. Good news, its warmer right now than last night. My plans for tonight are as follows: watch Dan in Real Life (don't ask how) and drink some coffee. Sam is complaining about Ryan's gas problem. Ryan has awful gas and he has no problem letting you know. Maybe I shouldn't share that over the internet. Too late.

I haven't listened to much music lately but what I have been listening to has been superb. Jose Gonzalez and the Across the Universe soundtrack have been what I've been playing when I put my earphones in. Sweet music.

This morning I broke the 10 am streak. I woke up at 6:45 am instead. That wasn't the greatest but such is life. We went north today to check some ruins and similar stuff out. We had a great breakfast this morning consisting of walnut wheat pancakes and eggs. Yummy. Eggs are great no matter what country you're in. The first stop this morning was this area that overlooked this valley and the Sea of Galilee. It was awesome, but that probably didn't need to be said. I could see Palestine too. The other places were cool too, but I don't really want to talk about it all that much.

Its been interesting learning about the history of this part of the world. Both modern and Biblical. It hasn't really hit me yet how historical this land is. I saw the sea that Jesus walked on today. I walked where Jesus walked today. I'm seen things that are dated in some of the earliest parts of history. I'm 40 miles from Jesus' birthplace. I'm 3 hours from Damascus, the world's oldest populated city. Hm.

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(Taken from my hostel in Cairo.)

Middle Eastern Winter: Day 15?

2007-12-27T11:10:00.000-08:00

Needless to say, my feet are pretty cold. And I have socks on too.

++++++++++++++++

I haven't got out of bed before 10 am yet this week. Its bittersweet. If you think thats bad though, I've deemed Sam, Sleepy McSleepersen. Personally, he is the one I'd worry about. Always sleeping in around 12ish and lying around and such.

There is this video shop right up the street from the apartment. One of the co-owners, Adham, is really cool. He is 24, I think. We go there once a day and just talk to him. We've bought a couple movies from him too. He likes to desrcibe movies he likes as 'magnificent.' That makes the way he talks very sophisticated. He says we are always welcome there and the second time we went there he proposed that we stay in touch once we leave. Obviously, he's a great guy.

My feet are only getting colder, by the way. Dang.

We're going a little north tomorrow to check out some stuff farther up. I think in two days, we'll be going to the Dead Sea. Maybe I'll get in so I can float around a little.

I also believe the Cannons are some of the best users of left-overs. For Christmas, we had turkey. Yesterday for lunch, we had turkey salad. Today for lunch, we had barbeque turkey pizza. All the meals tasted great. We had some chicken and vegetables tonight. After dinner, there was talk of a chicken noodle soup another time. They are masters of left-overs. Or for short, MoLO.

++++++++++++++++

(These were taken on the bus ride from the port in Nuweiba to Cairo. That sucked.)

MIddle Eastern Winter: Day 13? (Merry Christmas, Again)

2007-12-25T13:53:00.000-08:00

Today was a great day. I slept in until 10, which is something I've never done on Christmas. After that, I sat around for a couple of hours, in which I did various things. Around 12 we sat down to read the Christmas story and pray. Then we opened presents. Sam's parents got Ryan and I five little things each. They got us the same stuff. So when were opening our presents, half the time we knew what it was because one of us had already opened it. It was fun though and I was thankful for it nonetheless. We ate after that. Dot dot dot. We didn't do much after that. Ryan and I went on a walk around 6. We saw a Teletubby at KFC. Weird, funny, and scary all at the same time. Skip a little more time and then we get to the fun part. I wanted to take family Christmas pictures, so when we finally got around to doing them the power went out. Figures. However, it turned out better than I probably ever could have planned it though. Once the power went out, we got candles out to supply light and the rest is history. Or at least thats what they say.

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*Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

*When I say 'our' I don't actually mean this is my family. However, at the current moment they are my family. Don't worry real family, I have not forgotten about you.

Middle Eastern Winter: Day 12? (Merry Christmas)

2007-12-24T14:36:00.000-08:00

Here is the post most have been waiting for. Yesterday on our way back from Aqaba, we visited Petra. If you don't know what Petra is, shame on you. Google it. It was amazing. Probably the coolest thing I've seen so far.

++++++++++++++++++++

(In chronological order of course, from LA to Aqaba, Jordan)

(LAX to Downtown Amsterdam to Dowtown Amman to Being Forced To Try Stuff On to A Taxi Ride to Aqaba Waiting for a Ferry)

I hope to post pictures, in chronological order, from the rest of the trip until now. That will be a lot though. We'll see.

Middle Eastern Winter: Day 11? (Jordan)

2007-12-21T11:09:00.000-08:00

I typed this out a few days ago, but it screwed up and didn't post. It saved though. I decided to post it anyways. I'll post a more recent update soon.

Middle Eastern Winter: Day 8? (Jordan)

I apologize beforehand. There will be no pictures again. Possibly one day.

++++++++++++++++

We came back to Jordan today. We began to realize that we were running low on money and decided to journey back a day early. All the museum and other sight seeing tickets begin to add up. I do believe I liked Cairo. However, the travel experience to and from has tainted Egypt for me. Maybe I will give her a try in the future. I'm glad to be back in Jordan though. Its nice. After Egypt, I feel at home here, even though I had only been here for two days before we left. We will be in Aqaba, a coastal city, for the next couple of days. We'll also be traveling to Petra soon. I've got to go though. You know how it is with internet cafes and such. Have a merry Christmas if we don't talk before then. It doesn't even feel like Christmas is in 4 days, if you were wondering. Its probably the area of the world I'm in. Figures.

Middle Eastern Winter: Day 5? (Egypt)

2007-12-18T08:23:00.000-08:00

Well we're in Cairo, Egypt right now. All our flights we're good and everything went smooth. We had a six hour layover in Amsterdam and even left the airport and went into the city. Amsterdam is, probably, one of the easiest countries to get into. We spent about 3 hours in the city before heading back to the airport. [Speed forward some amount of hours] We landed in Amman Friday night. Sam's parents were there to meet us at the airport. Its been fun being with his parents. Its neat to see where he gets some of the stuff he does. We spent Saturday and Sunday in Amman. We left for Cairo at 4am Monday morning. I'm going to skip all the details... but... our hour ferry ride across the Red Sea took an hour and a half, the ferry was supposed to leave at 12, but didn't leave until 1:30, we waited on the ferry in the port in Egypt for an hour too long, and our bus ride to Cairo was 7 hours. All in all, the trip to Cairo took about 20 hours. Today we went to the Egyptian Museum. It was really neat seeing stuff from so long ago. Some cool things we saw were mummies and two of King Tut's coffins.We just took the rest of the day and explored Cairo a little bit. Saw the Nile. Now I'm sitting in an internet cafe talking (kind of) to you. I have a lot of pictures, but I don't have means of getting them online at this moment. I'll try to continue this conversation soon, but until then, salaam alaikum.

MIddle Eastern Winter: Pre-trip (-4 hours)

2007-12-13T02:29:00.000-08:00

Well this is my last pre-trip post.

I had coffee after dinner and at 11:45 pm. I went running at 1:30 am. I am ridiculously tired nonetheless. We're trying to get our bodies accustomed to Jordanian time and it sucks. I shouldn't go to sleep for another [at least] 7-8 hours, but I can't say that I'm gonna make it. I've got to take a shower now. My dad is gonna be on his way to take us to LAX.

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That looks like a lot of stuff. To my defense, most of the stuff in the suitcase is not mine. My backpack, which has most of my clothes, is packed in the duffle bag. The other two bags are carry-ons. Take that.

Rainy Day

2007-12-07T00:41:00.001-08:00

Lately, I haven't been in too much of a mood to talk to online-rs. I've just felt like showing some pictures. This is what last week's rainy day produced.

Others posted on Flickr.

Digital Paintings

2007-12-04T01:40:00.000-08:00

So, coffee doesn't normally do all that much to me. Tonight, however, it has kept my mind running. Lucky for you.

I like to call these digital paintings because they are shot without a lens and end up turning out like a painting. I don't suggest doing this, as I do not know how good it is for your camera, but I like it. I saw Tyler do this and had to try it out.

Christmas Time

2007-12-03T21:39:00.003-08:00

Middle Eastern Winter: Pre-Trip (Day -13)

2007-11-29T15:09:00.000-08:00

I got my passport back with an Egyptian Visa in it. I think thats the last of our worries. Now we are just waiting to leave. Maybe...

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I'm in class right now. This classroom is in the basement. I spend too much time in this classroom:

Monday: 5 hours
Tuesday: 0 hours
Wednesday: 2 hours
Thursday: 6 hours
Friday: 0 hours

Tuesdays and Fridays are good days.

Thanks Lori

2007-11-28T00:27:00.000-08:00

Today I got an e-mail from my friend Lori. She told me this is what she did in class with Lauren...

I think my favorite part is that I only have hair on the top of my head. It doesn't connect to the beard. Tim suggested I should actually shave my head so I will look like that for Yule. Umm.

MIddle Eastern Winter: Pre-trip (Day -15)

2007-11-27T22:52:00.000-08:00

I admit I haven't updated about the trip since my first update. Sorry.

Tonight we have made huge progress in our plans. Meaning, we actually planned where we are going to be on what days. Also, we booked a hotel in Egypt and a hostel in another country. We are also awaiting the return of our passports with an Egyptian visa in it and we already got our Jordanian visas.

I am really excited about everything. December 13th is coming quick. I have kind of been thinking that I might miss a traditional Christmas holiday, but in light of where I will be, I also don't think I will miss it all that much. I'm quite curious how it will be in a culture that does not celebrate Christmas. I'm actually excited about experiencing that. I am constantly trying to get an idea of what it will be like in a Muslim country/culture. Islam and the Middle East have interested me for a few months now, even before this trip came together. Overall, I'm just excited to be traveling again. Getting on a plane and flying somewhere new. Its a beautiful thing.

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Books I've started and have yet to complete:

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Sense and Nonsense About Heaven and Hell by Kenneth Boa and Robert M. Bowman Jr.
The Radical Reformission by Mark Driscoll
God's Passion for His Glory by John Piper
The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order by Samuel P. Huntington
Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley
The Bible orchestrated by God

Clarification To My Previous Post

2007-11-26T18:52:00.000-08:00

I received this comment from "Anonymous," as a response to my previous post, Black Friday/Consumerism/Church/Black X-mas:

'Quit complaining about the Church. You are the Church.
Love her painfully well. Stop pointing fingers and take a deep look at yourself.'

Maybe I should have made some precautionary statements so that didn't happen.

I understand "Anonymous'" concern. However, I did not mean to sound as if I was complaining in any way, shape, or form. I believe the Church is a beautiful thing. Established by God to be his change agent in the world. He has given all responsibility to the Church. It seems God believes a whole lot more in the Church than anyone ever could. That fact is very comforting to me.

The goal of my previous post was to simply express some thoughts that have been on my mind. I in no way meant to demean the Church. I in no way was meaning to point fingers because as you stated I am the Church. So the finger would have been pointing at me in the end. I was simply trying to bring to light something I perceive to be true. I was looking deep within myself while posting. I realize I have a lot of change that needs to take place within me. I am in a stage of my life where I am constantly trying to find ways I believe are the best to live the teachings of Jesus. I apologize for any misunderstandings.

The end.

Yum

2007-11-23T16:09:00.000-08:00

The Silver Chair

2007-11-23T00:32:00.001-08:00

"That is a very good answer, Human Child. Do so no more. And now" (here for the first time the Lion's face became a little less stern) "the Boy is safe. I have blown him to Narnia. But your task will be harder because of what you have done."
"Please, what task, Sir?" said Jill.
"The task for which I called you and him here out of your own world."
This puzzled Jill very much. "It's mistaking me for someone else," she thought. She didn't dare to tell the Lion this, though she felt things would get into a dreadful muddle unless she did.
"Speak you though, Human Child," said the Lion.
"I was wondering-I mean-could there be some mistake? Because nobody called me and Scrubb, you know. It was we who asked to come here. Scrubb said we were to call to-to Somebody-it was a name I wouldn't know-and perhaps the Somebody would let us in. And we did, and then we found the door open."
"You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you," said the Lion.

Well done Mr. Lewis.

Black Friday/Consumerism/Church/Black X-mas

2007-11-22T21:22:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a lot about the two subjects that are in my title. I think this year more than ever have I become more sickened with how much useless crap we buy. Sometime recently, maybe in the middle of summer, I began to try to find ways to live more simply. Its been an interesting trial. Although it feels like I've been able to lessen the amount of stuff I have. It still feels like I have too much.

In chapel last week, Francis Chan spoke about how with the Holy Spirit in our lives, we should look completely different. I would say the same thing. Its been something I tossed around in my mind for awhile now. He shared about a person at his church who now lives out of there car so they have more to give away. Some might here that and say it is extreme. I hear it and it inspires me to do the same thing. Maybe it is extreme, but maybe extreme is something we need. I guess I think the church is supposed to be a radical change agent.... maybe thats extreme?

Back to the subject at hand, this past week I heard multiple people talk as if like they've bought into black friday which, I would say, means they have bought into consumerism at some level or another. My own mom said some things that made me cringe. I just feel more and more that the church keeps allowing more and more of culture to seep into its thinking. I think trying to stay relevant with the world has become into something which makes us look more like the world. The way of the world has a set way of thinking. The world says we should buy as much as we can, have as much fun as we can, own as much stuff as we can, only love those who we are close to, think the homeless guy is up to no good with the $5 we gave him, have to make it on our own, and other absurd ideas. Jesus Christ, and the Church should as well, says the complete opposite of what the world says (which could be a completely different post). The Kingdom of God is completely upside down compared to the worlds standards. I think thats one of the things that makes it so beautiful.

In light of this way of thinking, how can those in the church think it alright to cooperate with the world in spending precious money which could be used to change so much? Its not just Black Friday. Its the whole season of Christmas. The world's idea of Christmas is to spend money on presents for those they feel need presents. Whatever. They're not held to the same standards as the Church nor do they feel the need to celebrate the true "reason for the season." By the way, thats a dumb/cliche saying/rhyme. For the Church, it should be a time of celebration because of the birth of Jesus Christ. What it feels like it is most of the time, however, is a lot of the world thinks Christmas is with a little bit of Jesus. Maybe thats a huge assumption. Thats just the way I see it. The way I think it should be (this should not be confused with the way it actually should be, which I'm not sure what that is) is the Church celebrating a lot, possibly spending little money on those around them, but giving a ton, with money and time. But not buying useless stuff. But meeting people's needs, true needs.

I think for too long the Church has allowed the culture around it to influence too much of the way it does things. For too long much of the Church has been fooled into thinking their consumerism is okay. But maybe I'm "off my rocker." Maybe my assumptions are too big. Maybe my theology on this topic is way off. I do not try to appear like I understand like I know how its done or should be done. I would hate it if that was the way it sounded. I only speak about it to further a conversation to make things better. To find a way become the Church God believes we can become.

Happy Thanksgiving All

2007-11-22T00:48:00.000-08:00

Crappin' Out On Me

2007-11-14T17:39:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what happened, but after I installed Leopard, which is sweet besides what I'm about to share, a few programs have screwed up. The first program that I found out about was Word. When I tried to open it, it said that it was a 30-day trial. That was a dirty lie. I've had it for around two years now. But it started working again, so I don't care too much. The next program the I found out wasn't working was Excel. Makes sense since its part of the Office Suite. However, Excel never started working again like Word did. Thats frustrating, but I don't use it that much so I'm not too worried about it. I am still frustrated though, don't get me wrong. The last thing that has failed me is Photoshop. Sucks. Granted I'm using Photoshop 7, which is quite old. Still though, I don't care how old it is, it still allows me to edit. So, I'm still trying to get a copy of CS2 from someone. Whenever I get it I'll post some pictures that I took today.

Inconsistency

2007-11-12T15:31:00.000-08:00

I feel as if I need to apologize for my inconsistency of blogging. This space is as much for whoever reads it as it is for me. Lately I just haven't pushed myself to write though. I think its a mixture of not having any new pictures to show you and not having anything really to talk about. Whatever the case may be, I will try to be more consistent. I need to get out and shoot but I don't have much time. Its especially difficult when you live at your school. However, I found a place that develops medium format film so I should soon have some film to show you guys.

The beard is going strong. The beginning of September was the last time my face was touched by something that cuts. I've got less than two months until I've accomplished what I've told people I'm doing. We'll see if I feel like leaving it when I get to that point. I've totally got a date for Yule (our school's Christmas banquet) too. Lets just say I'm a sweet talker. But I'm not really at all, unless I'm pretending to be one and then I'm amazing. My date is my good friend Lauren. She doesn't like the beard, but I told her its not coming off for Yule. So, I won that battle. I'm paying for tickets anyways so I can do what I want. If it was a dating relationship, I wouldn't have said that, but since its not, I can say stuff like that... because I can do what I want.

We leave for the Middle East in: 1 month, 1 day.

Blue Skies Are On Their Way

2007-10-30T00:58:00.000-07:00

Hopefully that is.

As most people know, I hope, there have many fires blazing in California. The area where I live wasn't on fire anywhere but fires were all around me. This made the air awful for about a week. Things were cancelled and such. But today, yes today, there was hope. The sky was very cloudy, but I love clouds. In between the clouds though, I saw blue. Seeing how I had my camera with me [which is very handy, by the way], I snapped a couple pictures of the glory. I think it might rain soon. That would be amazing also.

I uploaded this one and another one to flickr also.

It Was The Best Of Times,

2007-10-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

It was the worst of times.

I picked up "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens today.

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Lately I've thought blinds are pretty cool. But not actually blinds. Mainly the way light comes through the blinds.

Psalm 63

2007-10-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

I read this yesterday:

O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my
hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the
richest foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise
you.

On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of
the night.
Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

They who seek my life will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the
earth.
They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.

But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God's name will praise him,
while the mouths of liars will be
silenced.

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This verse stuck with me yesterday. I thought I would share it. I long to get to a place in my life where food won't satisfy me like God will. I pray you will journey to that place also.

More Reasons To Hate Driving

2007-10-16T22:47:00.000-07:00

You may, or may not, know that I dislike driving A LOT. However, I am a huge fan of all other things transportation. Buses. Planes. Trains. Bikes. Vespas. Auto rickshaws. As you can tell from my list, I am a fan of transportation... just not cars. I find it no fun to drive. It is a little better to drive at night, but I would also rather not be driving. Road trips are a little different however. I can't totally hate cars on road trips.

On to revealing why I hate driving more. I wouldn't say I love my truck, but it is enjoyable. Its a good truck. But after it got broken into last January, I got an alarm on it to try to prevent it happening again. When the alarm was installed, I also got an automatic lock installed on my door. It was gonna be awesome because my truck is manual. I mean everything is. I could press the disarm button on the controller and my door unlocked. Awesome, right? Wrong.

Every once in awhile the lock wouldn't fire when I would unlocked it. It wasn't a huge deal because I could normally just unlock it with my key. But it has now evolved into a monster. It very rarely unlocks now and it won't even let me open the door from the inside or unlock it with the key from the outside. I have now resorted to crawling into my truck through the passenger door. It has quickly become very frustrating. Its not that hard to do, but its not that convenient either.

Needless to say, hopefully I will be taking off the automatic lock soon and returning my truck into the machine it was created to be... manual.

Urban Plunge[r]

2007-10-15T00:04:00.000-07:00

I put an 'r' on the end of that because I accidently typed it the first time, but I thought it was funny so I typed it again.

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Saturday, I participated in Urban Plunge. Its a way to get involved with work going on in L.A. I'm not sure what I thought about it yet, and when I do figure it out... I'm not gonna tell you on here. I did take my camera though. I didn't shoot much, but I think I got some good stuff. Maybe. Eh, probably not.

[there are other pictures on my flickr site that I didn't post here]

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Also, if anybody knows any sites where I can sell photos online [besides istockphoto.com], that would be awesome.

Polaroid Wall

2007-10-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

This is the polaroid wall.

Hopefully, by the end of the year, it will be very full. I just decided that I'm going to take the polaroids when I leave and put them up wherever I end up next. I'll occasionally keep you updated on how the wall is progressing.

Fresh

2007-10-11T18:21:00.000-07:00

I've been looking at a lot of photography lately. Its been making me want to shoot more. Try new things and the like. I took my camera in my backyard today to see what I could find that was interesting. This fence has been there the whole time but I've never seen its uniqueness. Each plank has a different texture. Its amazing how something that wasn't alive to me before jumped out at me today.

Exciting Times For This Place

2007-10-10T14:18:00.000-07:00

Maybe some of you noticed a while ago I added a "Cluster Map" to my blog. What it does is count how many people view my page a day and where they are located in the world. I recently looked and noticed I was approaching 1,000 views since when I first added it. I got really excited about that. I didn't know people spend time here. At least someone does. I was actually hoping to have 1,000 views by my birthday. Today I want to show you something.

My goal will be accomplished.

Authenticity/Honesty

2007-10-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

The tough thing about writing 'Life Rules" down is that I'm supposed to follow them. If I don't, I'm a fake. A fraud.

Today, I was authentic and honest. It wasn't easy. In fact, it sucked. I've never really been that authentic or really that honest about stuff in my life. As I continue this journey trying to glorify God, I am beginning to understand more and more that life is meant to be lived transparently, in community with other believers. You have to get dirty with other people's junk and let them get dirty with yours. For a long time, I only lived out certain parts of community, but other parts I kept for myself. I thought it would be okay if I didn't open up. I'm learning I was only hurting myself.

It was really hard, being authentic and honest. I'm glad I did it. I'm glad I'm not a fake.

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Note: This isn't a picture of the perfect world we've created for ourselves in Southern California.

Life

2007-10-04T23:05:00.000-07:00

Some may remember when I was sitting outside, in the same spot, last Friday for two hours (maybe longer). I know you thought I was doing nothing, but I beg to differ. I was listening to my newly bought copy of Sufjan Stevens album 'Illinoise' and doing a little writing. I began to compile a list of rules for my life. I thought I might share my first round of rules.

-Live simply
-Go outside, whenever possible
-Love people, genuinely
-Its not about you
-Be friendly
-Be honest
-Live a life of authenticity
-Live today
-Don't take life too seriously, but take it serious
-Live a life worthy
-Read
-Write, even if you don't feel like it
-Pray, and pray again
-Get messy with people
-Get your feet dirty
-This isn't your home
-Remember, you're blessed beyond belief
-Travel! Travel! Travel!
-Look for what God sees in someone
-Don't drive that much
-Thank God in the morning

Thats the first compilation. I will add more as I journey.

Look What I Found

2007-10-04T17:42:00.001-07:00

I was working on a project for a class late last night. I went to IC's website to check some stuff out. I saw a link. Entered the appropriate information. And Ta Da.

Class?

2007-10-04T15:22:00.001-07:00

This is class for me.

I figured I'd post this because the majority of you don't think I do anything anyways. This proves it. As you can see, I'm checking blogs, on iChat talking to Carson, sending him a couple files, and doing a little bit of designing. I guess I don't do much after all. And yes, I'm in class right now blogging.

Oh well. I'm still getting a degree next year.

Repetition Is A Beautiful Thing

2007-10-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

This past week we had the ISP Review. I don't want to talk about that though.

I've realized that of late, I haven't posted pictures of much aesthetic value. I apologize for that. I come before you to make up for that. I captured a few images at the review that I've really come to like a lot. Please just simply enjoy these.

I've Missed You

2007-09-30T23:52:00.000-07:00

I hope you've missed me too.

I can't believe it has taken me this long to get back to you. I've been meaning to talk all about my life because some things have happened. Sweet things. I might put a couple of them in different blogs however.

So last Friday, Colby and I went to Sona. Its one of the top restaurants in the world apparently. We went with his current bosses from the catering company and my former bosses from the catering company. They're the same people. Anyways, we went to photograph various things. First, we started in the bar. Then we sat down for dinner. A nine course meal. One course I had antelope. Another course I had Kobe. Not the basketball player. Click the link. I'm not a cannibal. Promise. Anyways, it was a pretty fun night. In between courses, we would go back to the kitchen and photograph whatever we saw. I was actually really excited with how the kitchen shots turned out. Not so much with the bar. Bad lighting=suck-iness. I'll put a couple of my favorites on my flickr page. I'm gonna try to start using that more. So be checking that periodically. You can find a link to the page to the right, to the right.

I like to take pictures of myself, while "working." Sue me. Once again, don't actually sue me.

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I plan to blog more this week, but its gonna be busy.

Not to mention a Webelo game too.

Can You Spell Baller?

2007-09-24T18:35:00.000-07:00

Mondays have now become awesome. Typically Mondays are just alright. They are super busy. Three classes, two meetings, lunch, and dinner. Not techincally in that order. Whatever. Today was amazing though. Mainly for these two reasons...

Boom Shak-A-Lak-A.
I just went there (the 90s).

Exhaustion

2007-09-20T00:57:00.000-07:00

I am thoroughly...
exhausted
worn out
burnt out

I am desperately in need of...
more sleep
rest
rejuvenation
renewal

I'm pretty sure I haven't recovered from leadership training and new student orientation. I'm also pretty sure people weren't created to feel the way I feel. Do you ever wonder why we do the things to ourselves that we do? I do. There's [typically] no good reasons. I should probably be sleeping, but I'm not. I needed to write on here. Because when the last thing you want to do is write, write. I think the fact that I'm listening to Kanye right now is helping keep me awake. Yes, I'm listening to Kanye. Sue me.

I'm enjoying school, kind of. I'm enjoying hanging out with people. I've kind of mixed things up a little bit. Everything is hectic though.

I need a day at a spa or something. [I know Create-A-Date was tonight, but you could creatively take me on a date to a spa, anytime.] Football started also. The Webelos have hit the ground running. We're 2-0. I played today also. Taped the ankle up and went out. I even got a sack. Suckers got pushed back by a gimp.

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How are you guys doing? What's going on in your life?

I know not a lot of people read this, but if you check this little space out on a somewhat regular basis and have a blog, let me know. I want to know who you are, if by chance I don't know you. Or if I do know you, let me know if you check this/enjoy this area.

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They jumped.

Always Look Behind You

2007-09-14T22:44:00.000-07:00

I was at the New Student Orientation Retreat and I was tired. The sun and freshmen can really wear you out. There was this sweet creek that ran through the camp.

I think to myself, "Self, how nice would it be to take off your shoes and take a nice relaxing walk down the creek?"
I answered myself, "Self, that would be amazing."

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After walking a little ways down the creek, I turn around....

And see this.....

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And that is why I try to keep a camera within arm's length at all times.

A Prayer Answered

2007-09-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

Well not that I was praying to sprain my ankle, but it is a prayer answered. Lately I've been thinking about patience. I've been praying for it in multiple areas of my life. I really think that my ankle being injured is one of the first steps to being able to be patient in my life. Its a small step to something bigger. Pun definitely intended.

I first thought of my ankle as a blessing when I realized that it takes forever to get anywhere. It sucks. But as I attempted to make it to places on time, I realized I would need patience to do so. It wasn't gonna work if I just frustrated anytime I was going anywhere. As it slowed my travel time down, it has also slowed my thoughts down. I am able to think more clearly than when I am speed walking to the other side of the campus. I also have to leave places with enough time to get to the next place on time.

This has been an eye opening experience. Its an answered prayer in an unlikely way. Not necessarily a way I would have thought up. So HP, I give you a hard time but its good it happened. Do not be confused, however. I will still give you a hard time.

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May you, this week, view your circumstances as blessings. May you see them as prayers answered. And may you slow down and have patience.

Across the Atlantic: Middle East

2007-09-10T21:25:00.000-07:00

Within this envelope are my winter break plans.

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I'm not really sure how I can accurately express how excited I am to travel to the Middle East this winter. It is a region with so much culture and history. I honestly can't wait to board the plane, but I'm gonna have to. Obviously, this will be a life changing trip, but I'm think it will be so much more. I think I'm gonna have a greater appreciation, appreciation I already should have, for God.

Please stay with me on this journey as I prepare, go, and return.

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Can you believe that kid is now this guy?

New Season

2007-09-07T00:31:00.000-07:00

I used to be a child...

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I started school this week....

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I'm figuring out that classes are going to be challenging, but I'm going to learn. I also signed up for Biblical Hebrew. Its probably going to tear me apart, but I'm really excited for it. I'm tired from student leadership training. Worn out even, but I'll get through. I'm really excited for this year and everything it has in store.

I'm just really excited about what God is going to do.

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In other news, this is gross. I had to show it though. Thank you HP for such a kind gift. Not Harry Potter. I hope you see how wrong that is.

Where You Been?

2007-08-31T23:56:00.000-07:00

I pose that question to myself.

I don't even really know where I've been. These last couple weeks have been a huge blur.

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I was in training for my internship this past week. We started by going to Palm Desert to lay the foundation for the year. That was pretty fun. Everybody laughed hard our second night there. I can't believe how incredibly blessed I am to be working with such an awesome staff. We all truly believe this is going to be an amazing year for CBU. We feel it deep down that God is going to do something on the campus we could never imagine. I can't wait to see what it is and how I fit in to the plan.

Also, before meetings, I like to spin in chairs and take pictures of myself doing the afore mentioned activity.

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Before my last class on Tuesday, I was distracted and Ryan and I went out to the front lawn and I decided to snap some pictures of the moon because it was pretty much BALLIN'. Luckily, I finished everything I needed to do for class and got it turned in.

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All the new students came Tuesday as well. It has been utter chaos since then. We went up to the mountains for the New Student Orientation Retreat. I haven't taken a shower in 2 days. I smell terrible. Gross. I know. But such is life when you are sleeping in a tent and the showers are down the hill and walking down and up would be too much work. I put deodorant on? Don't worry for my hygiene though. I'm gonna take a shower in a few minutes.

I'm hoping to get some pictures from the retreat up here soon. Oh, and some polaroids and old pictures of Jeremy too.

Names

2007-08-14T16:04:00.000-07:00

No pictures.

I do this because I was challenged this morning. I was listening to RockHarbor's podcasts on their latest series talking about The Lord's Prayer. The first in the series was good. Hebrew was thrown into it, which always makes for a good listening. It was the second sermon that got me though.

Mike Erre was talking about the "hallowed be your name" part of the prayer. It is really good listening to it. But he shared an example in his life of when truth was spoken into him through a fellow pastor. He talked about how the pastor asked him what his greatest temptation was and Mike answered with the usual temptations people will throw out. But the pastor told him none of those answers were true. He told him that his greatest temptation was to make his own name great.

And thats when it hit.

I do the same thing. The first example that came to my head was this blog. I enjoy blogging for many reasons. One of the main reasons is I enjoy sharing my photography with the few people who read. But one of my main motivations for doing so is because I want a pat on the back. To be told I'm really good. To seem important. Blah. Blah. Blah.

I realize that this isn't the best attitude to have. Especially for someone who claims to be a follower of Jesus. I need to recognize by having that label, I am volunteering to become nothing for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Thus, by wanting people to look at me as a great whatever, I am taking glory away from the only being in the universe who deserves it. I'm putting false hope in this fading feeling.

So after having these thoughts, I posted about it. I posted without pictures on purpose. I love photography, but if it is going to take my alliegance away from the Kingdom than I need to stop. I do believe God is a creative God and he has instilled whatevers in me to take pictures and also be creative. Because of that, I am not going to quit photography.

I am now on a journey, however, to find ways to make my name less while making his name greater through it.

Find your "photography" and journey with me.

Blog/Blogged/Blogger/Blogspot/Blogging

2007-08-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

I was thinking lately that though sometimes I don't feel like it, I truly enjoy blogging. I'm not sure what it is I like about it, but I do nonetheless. I wish more people I don't know checked my blog on a regular basis. Probably because I want to feel important. You know, just a fleeting feeling. Well, maybe they do check it though. This isn't my website. I don't get those kind of stats. Its more like Blogger is loaning the space out to me. Kind of like how life is. None of this is really ours. Just on loan.
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In other news, here is a look at my current desk/'workstation,' and I use the term workstation very lightly.

Soon enough however (less than a week), I will have a new desk/'workstation.' Which will be in The Study of my new apartment. Be excited.

Lastly, don't forget you're a new creation... if you are. Live like it. Oh and you're not a sinner. You were a sinner. Now, you're a saint. Royal priesthood. Chosen people. Called.

shalom