Panoramic Chairlift

Oh... hi!

2010-05-26T20:40:00.003-04:00

Well, I was editing my church's website the other day... and I took a look at its Google Analytics page. In order to get to it, I go to a menu page, and I noticed something... people still visit here. I wish I could tell you all I haven't forgotten about you here... but the truth is, I have. What I've been doing? Lots of stuff- since March? Turning 19, attending my sister's wedding, finally getting my recording equipment working, stuff like that. I suppose if I knew I was going to blog about it, I'd find a lot more interesting things in my life... that might be a decent idea, but you will have to tell me if that's something that interests you... leave a comment letting me know you still read here, something like that! (Wow, I feel like MysteryGuitarMan or something... the little tagline at the end saying "Hey, hit subscribe!!!")

2010/03/09

2010-03-09T22:45:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm checking in with you all, I have a play that opens tomorrow night, and it's going to be a lot of fun! For those who don't know, and haven't read deep enough to find out... I'm Prospero in The Tempest.

Besides that being my whole life right now... I actually picked up my guitar again tonight for an hour, and played with my interface... all I did was play with the sample rate and see how noisy it was... pretty happy with the results so far. I haven't recorded any original material... so far it's my unpracticed attempts at some riffs from Art In Me (Jars Of Clay) or Up And Up (Relient K, the acoustic version)... I'll make them sound pretty when I have the time, until then... they won't.

And that's what's up! Oh, and I've been listening to the Screwtape Letters by Focus On The Family... that has been interesting.

Late night solo party...

2010-03-06T23:52:00.002-05:00

I am having a stationary solo dance party... I can't dance, so I'm dancing in my mind.

Why?

Because I'm overly tired from dress rehearsal for The Tempest.
And because my mixer which has given me pains with Windows for ages... works now! So now I can record my music, and I don't have to pay anything more!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, hello there...

2010-03-01T13:27:00.002-05:00

You guys have done better at reading my blog than I have at updating it. I've been doing lines, and that's about it. Other than that... not much. I've been working over some ideas for sprucing up our church's website ( http://www.eastwinthropbaptist.org ) so if you have any suggestions, I'm open to hearing them!

Where's William?

2010-02-20T21:39:00.000-05:00

Good question. I'm at home, getting my hopes up that my little brother may have a computer that will let us do some recording. I have been extremely busy over the last too long since I posted. Speeches, Shakespeare, Spanish, and my music has fallen through the cracks. With a bit more self control than I have, I might be able to fit it back in. I hope... And photography. That's all the time I have to update with, my dog is barking at something. I'll catch up with you all later!

Well, hello again...

2010-01-13T21:38:00.002-05:00

Yup, I'm still here... and you guys have been doing better at checking in on me than I have at posting. Sorry, I've just been very busy, and have not been making time to blog or take pictures. I'm writing (speeches), memorizing lines (Prospero, The Tempest) and learning Spanish, so my time has been sorely stretched to the point where I didn't touch my guitar for a few weeks. That has been remedied... I touched it.
Actually, I wrote a song... or, music to a song I wrote several weeks ago. I have a few I need to put the music to, and to record just me and my guitar... just so I know what I'm getting myself in to.

Beyond that, not much has happened. Your Mind Matters has not risen on my reading list like it ought, and so I'm still not done with it, however I did finish Bobo's In Paradise (David Brooks).

And I'm running late, so I will try to rest, and make progress again tomorrow!

Ok, so that didn't happen...

2009-12-22T22:47:00.003-05:00

I didn't post every other day. However, I am posting today.

I dug out my amp, and hooked up the reverb again. I still have no clue what was causing the noise issues I was having, but they seem to be in remission for the time being, so I'm happy.

And, I got a pretty picture of the sunset.

2009-12-15T23:44:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I'm trying to blog at least every other day. I was almost tempted to do a x/31 series. (instead of a picture a day for 365 days, just for 31.) I'm getting to be ridiculously busy, I have music written to one song, which mean I need to put it in the last verse, cut the demo and get it to the friend who wrote the lyrics. (I have a second song by her to compose, and at least three of my own left.)

I found a cool gizmo- PRS makes a cord that goes from a 1/4" (instrument) jack to the headphone jack on my iPod, and because it's got a mic on the jack (like an iPhone), it will let you record on it. It's also about 1/3rd the price of the Blue Mikey (a mic you plug into the dock plug, and the Alesis recording rig. It might work fine for cutting quick demos, maybe.

Anyway, I already have what I technically need for it. So I'm gonna be practicing a bit I hope. Maybe I'll publicize the songs, maybe not.

Time is...

2009-12-10T22:26:00.002-05:00

Time is ticking away... and it seems like I could use a 25 hour day, if not a 48. It turns out I'm now the only Prospero in the play, so now I need all my lines down by early January. I can do it, it's just not going to be fun. I also have speeches I need to get done then, as well as Spanish, which is going to get tougher in January... and I still need to keep my music up. This is going to be a very interesting time. (One reason I've picked up the book I did- Your Mind Matters, is that it's only 61 pages long... if I must, I can finish it in a night and feel like I've accomplished something.) Well, I need to get ready for tomorrow. It's probably not going to let up much.

Quick thought

2009-12-10T00:09:00.001-05:00

I might as well add this, from my reading tonight:
"The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not chide, nor will He keep His anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgression from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust."

Just that last line is amazing. Sure, it's amazing that our sins are forgiven and gone without a trace, but... God also remembers what we are made of! God has compassion on us- because we are human! How many times do we forget that? I have seen it a sad many tines that an authority, say, a father, will leave no leeway for the fact that his son or daughter is human. And, worse, they would often do the same exact thing in the other person's shoes. Thank God, I have awesome parents, who 99% of the time remember stuff like that!

Snippets of Thanksgiving, Part 1

2009-12-09T23:08:00.003-05:00

I had a great Thanksgiving, and even though it's over a week past, I decided I should put some pictures up from it. I'm actually running this series backwards, but... my sister borrowed my camera, and so I can't claim some of the other shots. But these I can!
Finley, who was quite an attention-getter.

Lily, who probably matches my sister for being a "Pretty Princess" type.

And the two "Pretty Princesses"

Busyness and other odds and ends.

2009-12-08T21:26:00.002-05:00

Well, basically... I've been busy. I have speeches I'm writing, speeches written by William Shakespeare that I'm memorizing, and I've picked up a book... I also have a few songs I'm trying to get music written to, so I can record a demo of them. And, of course, I have more ideas in my head.

Sorry I've ignored Panoramic Chairlift... I'll try to keep you all updated here for a while, at least.

This is the book... Your Mind Matters, by John Stott.

Short update

2009-11-27T23:51:00.000-05:00

Sorry guys, I slipped up. I went back on Facebook, and as I predicted, I started neglecting my blog.

What have I been doing? Writing music, trying to memorize the epilogue from The Tempest, struggling with expanding my Spanish vocabulary, writing lyrics, slowly getting a recording studio built. Very slowly. And... Tonight I watched The Blindside, and maybe I'll have thoughts to share on it later. After that, I got to hang out with my best friend, Michelle, and a mutual friend, Danielle. I'm so thankful for my friends, God has blessed me with some that are amazing. He's also blessed me with amazing parents, and I've been realizing it more and more recently. Yes, as you can tell, I forgot to post yesterday. (Ok, so I was trying to do less online yesterday.)

Anyway, I am in need of sleep. Goodnight, y'all!

Whoops

2009-11-15T23:39:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone. Sorry for disappearing, but I've been very busy, a little confused about some stuff, and this just hasn't risen to the top of my list of things to do.

Like I said, I've been really busy. I really should be sleeping now, especially because sicknesses are going around. I'll just say my friends in Paraguay are lucky, it's cooling off up here. (it's nowhere near cold, just cool now.)

Psalm 34

2009-11-02T23:33:00.000-05:00

I was reading through the 30s Psalms, and ce across this passage that I thought was interesting:
"Many are the afflictions of the righteous, bit the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps his bones; not one of them is broken. Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems the life of His servants; none who take refuge in Him will be condemned." (34:19-22)
I think it's interesting how David notes that the righteous are afflicted, but are delivered. Then he says that the wicked are slated by affliction... In other words, the righteous pass, the wicked fail. Then he says again that God redeems those who take refuge in Him. Just a cool parallel that was just far enough apart that I almost missed it.

Oh, hello there

2009-10-29T13:07:00.002-04:00

Well, I just realized that I've gone about a week without posting.

Life has been somewhat free-form, so I have had no time that I've marked aside for blogging, and not too much has been happening. Thought I'd let you know that. Mom and dad get back tomorrow, which will probably add a little order back to my life.

Quick thought for today...

2009-10-23T23:46:00.003-04:00

"We will not renounce the sun until we find a better light, nor leave our Lord until a brighter lover shall appear; and since this can never be, we will hold Him with an immortal grasp and bind His name as a seal upon our arm."

Thought I should put something up for the sake of having something new for you to read. It's from the Truth For Life daily devotional, adapted from C.H. Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening." You can check it out on their site: www.truthforlife.org

Home again...

2009-10-21T21:29:00.002-04:00

Well, I'm home now. I got in at about 8pm (EST), and have since basically had a family meeting, played my guitar, and now I'm headed to bed, perhaps after a little more guitar. Just thought I'd let you all know I made it back.

Spinning heads, round 1.

2009-10-17T21:28:00.002-04:00

Well, the last week has been pretty crazy. I've been from Maine to NYC to DC to Atlanta to Houston... and I don't have a guitar with me. That... is going to slowly drive me crazy. My brother Taylor has an organ concert tomorrow, and since we're sharing a room in Houston... I need to get to bed quickly, because he needs to rest.

Ok, so all I've got to say is... I've been crazy busy, haven't had time to blog, and am off my groove. Therefore, heed this warning: don't watch JONAS in a situation like mine. As cheesy as it is, and as bad as some of the actors are (as actors)... it's funny.

Besides that... I have played with the grand piano here... maybe I can write something... maybe not. I'm not good at calling my songs good enough... which is an indicator of a fault... either I'm too picky, or I'm not a good songwriter.

Ok, time to go. Goodnight y'all!

Justification, Sanctification, and the Interstate

2009-10-09T20:10:00.001-04:00

Well... I'm writing this in a RV on the road... I think we are in CT, but who knows. Last I heard was an estimate of NYC around 2am.
Even as tech-savvy as I am... I'm perpetually in awe of what a blessing this day and age is to me- how much I can actually do that when I was born was nonexistent! I'm able to post this because of a little box called a "Personal hotspot"... It is basically a cell phone-modem-wireless hotspot... And it's the size of an iPod nano G3 (You know, the little squat ones... If not... Um... A small box of matches?) Amazing! And the best part is that normally it's pretty fast, especially if you're stopped. As a photographer, the idea of having such a small gizmo to give me Internet access almost anywhere I go is stunning! And as an aspiring videographer, being able to upload video on the fly too is awesome!

Well, that was the interstate part. Now... I was listening to Alistair Begg (my favorite radio preacher) and he was talking about grace, but what struck me as interesting is something I've heard my dad talk about often- that it is a big mistake to assume our justification is internal to us, so when we feel distant from God, it is easy to feel that we have lost our justification, but because it is external to us, it is completely irrelevant to our justification how I feel, or how you feel. Sanctification is only slightly different- it is internal, but is affected externally. So no matter how I might feel, I am still justified, and am still being sanctified. I guess I don't really talk about it outright, but I often get down on myself... And it's because I forget about this. Hope that's encouraging to someone!

Last thing I can think of in this post... Is that I found a pretty cool electric-pop artist who is a Christian. Her stage name is Lights (her website: www.iamlights.com ) I would have to say she sounds like Daft Punk and BarlowGirl thrown in a musical blender. I was pleasantly surprised, and had forgotten my like for synthesized music. Check it out!

A portrait of the artist as a young man.

2009-10-06T19:19:00.002-04:00

Ok, so it's just a picture of me. I was happy that I finally figured out a way to shoot a picture of myself with a manual focus lens. You focus on a wall, pull the focus back just a tad, hit the 12-second timer, and book it. Here's another.

Random short update

2009-10-03T00:14:00.002-04:00

I just realized that I miss my dad's Spotmatic... It has been out of commision since the light meter went again. Oh well. I'll have to figure out how to replace the battery. (What to replace it with- it was a mercury battery, and so is no longer available.)

In other news, the Winthrop Ramblers boys soccer team just won their first game this season... perhaps their first in a few years. (My Paraguayan friends should appreciate that...)

Ok, I need to go to bed now. Later, everyone!

Day 954

2009-10-01T23:22:00.004-04:00

Well, the news of the day is that I got my driver's permit. It's not the only news, but it's the news I'm at liberty to release at the moment. Now, what that has to do with 954 days isn't obvious to most of my friends... in fact, Michelle is the only one who will probably have any idea what happened 954 days ago who wasn't immediately impacted by it.
954 days ago, a very close friend of mine all but disappeared from my life:
954 days ago, Lee Carter died in a car accident... and I still run into moments when I forget she's gone for the moment. In fact, I'd probably have thought of telling her I finally got my permit... except that I had already been telling people about my test, and I went past her name in my contact list. Ah well, there's bound to be time to catch up in Heaven.

I guess the point of that was... I avoided getting my permit because I had a sudden respect for vehicles that had never really struck home with me. It also made me a little distrustful of small cars, but that's a story for another day... and perhaps another location.

Well, that's enough for tonight. It's nearly midnight, and my bed needs clearing before I can try to get some sleep. If there's an application to be made... it'll have to be made later.

De-rusting the camera:

2009-09-28T17:39:00.002-04:00

Well, like I said, my camera has been residing in its bag for a long time, and I've started pulling it out. I've also started processing pictures... so here are some recent ones:Some leaves by our church
Just playing with Depth Of Field... it's water on a car. but it looks cool.
A lovely sunrise... I'll have to get up earlier more often.
The smoke-stack of the Carlton Mill building.

A quick update

2009-09-24T22:51:00.002-04:00

For those who are wondering what I've done with the past two days since my last post: notice the redesign. (Actually, the day after, I helped my friend Michelle redo hers, then I decided to do my own. I must say, I didn't know we shared a like for "light grunge" styling.)
Other than that, I've been slightly envious of the Canon 7D, which is an SLR that shoots 1080p HD video... Roughly the same as the 5D Mark ii. I'll be sticking with our Sony camcorder for the meanwhile, but if my videography takes off, that might be my new digital best friend. (The short in the link hasn't got much of a plotline, and no dialogue, but it shows what the 5D can do. Click here to see the video.)
And... I got new strings on both the guitars I use. Vast improvement.

I just remembered, my camera has been back in action... Updates and shots soon, ok?

Sorry for the lack of spiritual content or thought provoking material, but I posted this before my evening devotions. When I get this new schedule down, I'll try posting early morning after morning devotions... But first I need to be getting up early enough to do them!

Hey

2009-09-21T21:08:00.001-04:00

Well, hopefully I have some new visitors from Facebook, since I deactivated my account there. If so... thanks for stopping by! Leave a comment, will ya? I hardly get those.

Here's basically the reason I am doing this, in part. I spend too much time on the computer talking to friends. It might be texting my best friend, or chatting with my friends in Paraguay, New Zealand, Singapore and Pennsylvania... who are an amazing support for me often. A lot of stuff has been making me think twice about the way I've been living my life- so this isn't a big block of text, here's a list:

My physical health- I work on the computer now, and my major recreational activities are photography and guitar... both of which take a lot of work from my wrists... and I work with my fingers. All in all, I spend time on the computer at work, then I spend time on the computer at play, then I spend time on the computer flexing my creative muscles... in all, that means I'm spending well over 40 hours a week on the computer, and I need to get more done in less time. I'm also going to be making sure I exercise with some of the time I'm no longer on my computer.
My personal life:
1. My friends from far away- I have a friend in Paraguay whose parents put her on a "digital detox"... I remember my parents threatening those, and I always seemed to stay just on this side of that line. I need to spend more time in the real world with my friends.
2. My parents- Like I said, my parents have threatened to put me on a digital detox, and now that I work on the computer, that's not happening. But... God has been convicting me- I have been very slyly rude and disrespectful of their wishes. I'm going to be apologizing to them for that shortly... part of that is in my gradual adoption of Facebook and Instant Messaging in the first place- neither of which do they fully approve.
3. My really close friends- I've noticed that after 6 years of really helping me stay on track (she would rat on my for using Facebook or IM), a very dear friend of mine has started being more permissive of my deviance. Shannon, I've got to apologize for that straight out... thank you for calling my bluff so many times, I owe you big time.
My music- no, this isn't the same thing as my health... I've been spending a ton of time on the computer, and so while I could theoretically find stuff to write about there, I don't... it's just the way I happen to work. I really need to be back in the real world, manning a pen and paper to get my feelings out.
My best friend- she's so important and influential in this that she deserves her own spot. Michelle informed me today of something that struck me with enough conviction that I probably was basically useless to the conversation afterward. She had been praying, and has decided to set her heart aside as God's for a year, and consequently to not pursue a relationship with a guy for a year. Yes, I was suddenly dismayed, but it wasn't because my best friend (an amazing and beautiful young lady) was suddenly "unavailable"... it was how available she was to God... and how unavailable I have been. That was what it took for me to finally start calling stuff off- and if it takes more, I'll give more up.
My siblings- my little brother came into my room one day, and wouldn't leave... which was rather aggravating, and although he employed a lot of false logic and rhetoric... there was one point on which he was right, and it wasn't exclusive to him. I don't spend that much time with my family... and, thinking about it... that is a strong sign that I won't be spending enough time with my future wife, and I won't spend the time I ought to with our future kids. It doesn't really matter which sibling you refer to- chances are I have brushed them off, and ignored them when I oughtn't have.
My God- He's the ultimate reason for all this. All the other things aside, the biggest reason for me to decide this time is clutter, and to eliminate it... is that my relationship with God has been sliding from burner to burner on its way towards the back, and it's time for me to start pulling it back to the front and center. The biggest change with all this time that I'm freeing up: it will allow me to get to bed earlier and get up earlier... giving me margin on both sides of the day for prayer and study and immersing myself in God's Word.

So, all told, I suspect you'll be hearing less from me, but the less you hear will be a better overall deal. I also have to free up more time to take care of my dog, but... that's peanuts compared to the other stuff.

It's 10pm, I should be wrapping up by now, but today is the first day... I'll run late today, and start working towards time tomorrow.

Funny, never thought about that...

2009-09-16T12:23:00.002-04:00

For those reading the note on Facebook, remember, I have a blog over here... notes are just because most people don't read my blog. Big whoop. And... that is what I never thought about. I set up notes on Facebook to copy my posts, and then I utterly forgot about it until I started titling this post.

For those that wonder what I'm up to, it's still summed up in three words: work and music. Oh, and at present, drinking a cappuccino and about to eat lunch. Then work. And, of course, after work, music. Lather, rinse, repeat... ok, so I probably won't have the cappuccino tomorrow. Photography has taken a back burner... I haven't processed any pictures of consequence since my trip to Vermont. (Except for one I sent to a few friends for a laugh... of me with spiked hair. If that one leaks, somebody's good as dead. I'm not sure who yet, but they will be.)

Cool toy

2009-08-29T14:31:00.000-04:00

What I'm up to now...

2009-08-27T22:59:00.000-04:00

So... I haven't been around here much, have I? Anybody miss me? (I'm doubting it...)
I've been busy... working... playing guitar... waiting for my friend Michelle to get back from Japan... three months is a long time to have a good friend gone.
And... one week after that, another friend of mine, Kyle, and I are starting to form a band... which we've been talking about doing for a few months now. That will be fun... and keep me busy.
You'll probably get updates on both of those later.

A short update:

2009-08-15T23:03:00.000-04:00

I was listening to Rachmaninoff, and found him to be very interesting- perhaps because I listen to classical music very rarely for pleasure. Anyhow, I was listening to him because I remembered a reference to his music in a book which my father has a distinct interest in making into a movie (which is what my treatment is for). Very interesting, indeed. I half wish to begin to play piano again... though, frankly, I doubt I would go very far in the classical circles due to my affinity for blues and jazz.

In other news, I've nearly run out of space on my computer's hard drive, so I'll have to acquire an external one. Ah well, such is life producing media.

Because stuff happens...

2009-08-04T21:04:00.000-04:00

I'm feeling weird- I've been having trouble sleeping and getting up on time, and my body isn't telling me I need to eat like it ought to be... and I've got a few canker sores, and my throat feels a little funky. All in all, probably not the best thing for my mood.

I haven't posted in a while... because I have a hard time finding interesting stuff to say that's not egoistic.
I was reading a book of excerpts from C.S. Lewis, and the particular section I was reading was out of A Grief Observed, where he's talking about the times he wished his wife were alive again... and how it was selfish to wish so, because it just meant she'd have to die again... after which he comments that Lazarus probably got a pretty raw deal.

I'm tired, so I'll be heading off to bed now.

Oh lovely.

2009-07-23T17:18:00.000-04:00

I broke my computer last night... and didn't figure it out until this morning when I turned it on, and it wouldn't boot up. So, I've spent most of the day working on it. Not too fun. But I think it's fixed.

In other news, one of the ladies on our church's worship team has lent me her guitar, since she doesn't play anymore. It's a very classy looking Gibson acoustic, which because of its retro-coolness, I will probably post pictures of. She had previously lent it to my older sister Christina when she was first learning guitar, and didn't have one of her own... which explains why there are pictures of her playing it kicking around. It's definitely different from my Telecaster... a much thicker neck, much tighter tuning (though, I must say, I left my Tele for two weeks, and it was still in tune when I got back.), and it's very much lighter. I'll probably be using it on the worship team, though I haven't quite decided how to amplify it yet. Needless to say, I've played until my fingers hurt.

I've started a rough sketch of a movie storyline, I'm not quite sure if it's going to remain that story (which is based off of a book that has long been out of print), or if it's going to morph into its own story. We'll have to see.

You're a small man, Otis.

2009-07-20T21:11:00.000-04:00

Or, so my sister said... in reality, it was a Latin sentence that means "You are a man of little leisure." however in that case, the word for leisure is "otis". You can kinda see where the rest falls in.

Anyhow, I realized that I hadn't posted since before we went to Vermont... and apparently there are actually people who read this... so I am sorry for you. (And thankful.)

I learned something interesting today- the name Chernobyl is Russian for Wormwood... the name of a fallen angel in the book of Revelation. (It also happens to be the name of the recipient of The Screwtape Letters)

I was wondering today just how long it would take me to read the Bible through... Perhaps if I were to set aside an hour on each end of the day, and read it... I might be done in two months, considering that I'm not terriby great about keeping with something like that. On the other hand, I may hit a book like Isaiah or Romans, and fly through them. We'll have to see.

In other news, I redesigned our church's website- www.eastwinthropbaptist.org

So check it out, leave comments, comments would make me happy... and if I get comments, I'll probably post more.

Oddities and such

2009-06-20T23:48:00.000-04:00

Well, first off, I got an iPod touch, and that's only relevant to anything because I drafted this post on it. (It became long and I finished it on my computer.)

Anyhow... I was thinking about stuff, and I noticed something rather perturbing to me... Perhaps it's a pet peeve of sorts, but after reading a friend's post about crushes,and how silly they are (It was interesting to read a mother's perspective on it.)

I was perturbed again by our culture's obsession with relationships, dating, and to a degree, sex as well. (Who's dating who, who's with who, who was with who... and "how far they've gone"... with interest if you fall on the more liberal side of the spectrum, with chagrin if you fall to the conservative side.)

I found this section especially... interesting. (Any mistakes in the quote are original.)

Why should we encourage a teenager to think of their friends and acquaintances in these undefinable terms? Aren't we confusing them? Heck, I'm confused and I'm way beyond my teen years. Do they need these kind of unanswerable questions asked of them? They need to study. Why don't older gentleman discuss algebra with my daughters? Why do they always bring up "boyfriends"? And then, when the girls deny having any, they say..."c'mon, now" and don't believe them anyhow. I would think my girls would begin to think..."well, is something wrong with me for not being obscessed with boys?"

I, personally, am rather piqued when I show up somewhere with a gal friend of mine and "the question" comes: "Is she...?" (... Your girlfriend?) or "Are you two...?" (... 'Together'?) This irritation is probably in part a result of the fact that I am what most guys would call "lucky" (That is, that I have many female friends, most of whom are various degrees of stunningly beautiful... Probably only half of you know who you are.) But, "if I had a penny for every time someone asked that..." (I'd be filthy rich.) But it makes me want a bag of retorts... "Is she...?" "No, but I'm sure she'd sign her autograph anyway..." or "Are you two...?" "From Maine? Yeah."

I had more to say, but perhaps I'll do it at some other time... as is, for a few years you can be 99.999999999999% sure that any girl you see me kicking around with is not my girlfriend... and if you value your consciousness, don't ask if I "like" her, ok?

What now?

2009-06-17T20:56:00.000-04:00

Well, I figured I should make a habit of posting more frequently...

So... a random cool picture that you'll have already seen if you are my friend on Facebook, but wouldn't have seen if you watch my Flickr, since I hit my upload limit... but nobody seems to watch that, so it's not really worth my money to upgrade to Flickr Pro.

One of my best friends is on a missions trip to Japan for the summer, another just got married, and a third is headed off to Ireland on the 21st... so do keep all three in your prayers.

I guess my life's been pretty eventful, but I can't really say that I remember all of it off the top of my head. I've got a few things I can probably blog about in the near future, but I guess that'll have to wait. In the meantime, God bless!

Love's Labour's Lost so far...

2009-06-05T09:51:00.000-04:00

Well, the first night went pretty well. No serious glitches, except for a small problem with the camera, which wasn't really needed for the show, it was more a fun side-project.
Second show, which was my night off (where my understudy played), Meg, the girl I am acting opposite, fell sick... and unfortunately, didn't have an understudy. But, she's supposed to be back tonight, and so hopefully things will go even better today and tomorrow than they have the first two nights. (So, if you happen to read this today or tomorrow, do pray for her.)

A random update...

2009-06-03T12:43:00.000-04:00

First, to the random: I'm now running the Windows 7 Release Candidate... I'm sure that went over most of your heads, but it's mostly a note to those who know what it means. (It's a rather geeky statement.) It seems pretty cool... so far anyway.

Other than that, Love's Labour's Lost is premiering today. It'll be fun, I think... provided we don't seriously abridge any of the lines.

And... it's lunchtime and I can't think of more to say.

The Tractor

2009-05-24T22:48:00.000-04:00

I felt the need to post... so here's a picture:

If you say too much...

2009-05-21T11:33:00.000-04:00

...when the time comes to blog, you'll have nothing to say!

It appears that I'm in such constant communication with my friends that, when I sit down to blog, I have nothing left to say... or, I could always re-hash the things I just said, but that doesn't do much good.
I really should at least post photo highlights from my week, or something- my pictures don't do much good on my hard drive.

If anyone has any suggestions, comment away!

Time fritters, anyone?

2009-04-17T21:17:00.000-04:00

"I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. [...] For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. [...]
So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 7:15-8:1)

Wow. If I were to write a theme song for my life, that would probably be the gist of it. Or, to borrow DC Talk's wording:

"What's going on inside me?
I despise my own behavior.
This only serves to confirm my suspicion
that I'm still a man in need of a Savior."

I must confess, my personal battle between the "inner man" and "flesh" is very much a "cold war" at a standing aggression. My inner man has not yet declared full-out war on my flesh, but rather has been very diplomatic. It is as if the inner "City of God" has not been convinced that the "City of Man" is deserving its destruction, and the City of Man is running its errands just enough to prick the City of God's Conscience- to warn the town watch that they are still there, if you will, but not enough to spark conflict. The City of Man knows it has no defense once the City of God is awakened to war, and I suspect that fact also does not help motivate the God-ward. As Screwtape repeatedly notes to Wormwood, the lies have no defense except other lies, and the most basic lies are only covered by the convenience of their implications. He instructs Wormwood to distract the Christian from analyzing the lies at all costs, because they fall apart quickly under examination.
What are some of these distractions? If I'm to be honest about it in regards to my life, they are things I know have a tendency to seize my time and waste it. My computer has this propensity:

Twitter (Eh, not so much, I use it fairly moderately... update it every couple days.)
Email (I should ignore it for a day and see how many emails I get- I suspect about 50.)
Facebook (What does one actually do there? Nice as a tool, Applications are rather silly.)
IM (Where you must message back instantly. Little wonder my parents aren't fond of it.)

All told, I've had a rough estimate that I spend about 4-6 hours a day on the computer... frittering time. All that while I have worthy things to do- work on our church website, blog, write, compose music, tend to the health and appearance of my dog (who is at present a grunge collie), the state of our house, theater, actually get homework done... noble intents, a poor success rate. (My room could use cleaning too...)

I am pretty sure I'm not the only one who's like this... from "business" to "ADHD", it definitely seems like it's just it's an excuse for being distracted. (Granted, there are people busy with good things, and some people probably have naturally shorter attention spans- but it just makes it easier for them to be distracted by what dosen't matter.) Americans tend to be wrapped up in things that are distractions- it's not bad to like new stuff, but when we get new stuff and then waste time by playing with toys the old stuff didn't have... we start wasting our lives chasing and playing with fluff. Lovely, technological fluff... and the tiniest thing that disrupts our fluffy joy is a huge disaster... (How do you react when your internet goes down?) momentary glee may be found in technology, TV, movies, listening to music, but it's not going to bring lasting happiness. There comes a time when we just need to put down the netbook and iPhone (And yes, the velociraptor.) and engage real people in real conversations... beyond small talk.

Easter, etc.

2009-04-12T07:37:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone, have a blessed Easter! It struck me as odd how much greener all the organic stuff is looking... (I know there are people who would razz me about saying "everything"... so... everything that is supposed to be green- grass, trees, etc.) and the skies are looking impressively blue, with the puffy white clouds seeming to add balance to the sky.

And my dog is still really pretty.
I never did get around to blogging about my birthday, so I'll just throw on a quick note: It was good. Busy, yeah, but good.

Now it's time for me to finish getting ready for our "normal" Easter service... so I'll bid you all adieu!

Letters, etc.

2009-03-25T16:24:00.000-04:00

So... I was rummaging in my desk, and came across a letter. I got it in June of '08, and never replied... I'm sure I had an excuse- but really, it could not have been a good enough one. It was from a rather dear friend, and she had written it before I went on a trip to Texas- and she wanted a letter back about the trip... I never wrote it- honestly, I should have written a half-page on each day I was down there... it would have been the same length.
I don't know why- but there's just something about non-digital life that's so neat. I suppose, in part, it's being able to sense the emotion so much easier... if they're crying while writing... it probably will show up, stuff like that. (And I hear with love-letters, it has an amplified effect- however I think the lovers' senses are aided.)

Anyhow- it also reminded me of Spencerian Handwriting (something I totally flubbed- I now print... messily.) And... how much better writing letters would be for the brain than emails... really.

I also decided that I should be writing my ideas down more, so that I can write up a blog post, and post it when I have time. Yeah.

Clean house...

2009-03-02T20:26:00.000-05:00

I was just rummaging around my computer, and realized just how much "stuff" there is there... I suppose I'm a virtual pack-rat of sorts... scratch that- I just realized how much I pack anyway... it would seem it's time for some cleaning.
I've got clutter... plenty of it... and I've been bugged by it a long time- whether it's the cornucopia of files that swamp me from being able to find stuff I actually want; habits I formed because of certain circumstances that no longer apply; or the "real" clutter- the stuff that I have no use for, but still never get rid of... some of it's got sentimental value, but half the stuff I should just... get rid of.
Here's a short list:

My computer collection in our basement- of parts probably 11 years old on average.
The radio-controlled truck I never managed to get running.
My TaeKwonDo uniform... the belts, sure, the uniform won't fit me again until I'm 80.
The remains of the balsa plane that the cat lay in and crushed... yeah.
The clothes that I've never put in the rag bin when I was done with them.

That's just 5 "real" clutter examples... and... then my room will probably be cleaner than the mess of files that I need to go through, and the habits I'll need to be disposing of.

And... then I have the "constructive" cleaning... or, making more presentable... things I should be doing that I haven't been. (Again, a short list of 5)

Practicing guitar. (I play about 2 times a week at present... it should be at least 5)
Exercising. (Not talking just building muscle- coordination is a must too.)
Taking better care of my dog. (Yup... it's lacking.)
Spending more time with my family and friends... in person.
Put way more effort into my relationship with God... it lacks.

Give you any ideas? (And by that I don't mean for inviting me over.) More like... how clean is your house? I was amazed when I went to Texas last year, leaving my "clutter" in Maine. I was pretty stunned at the results... if I had that lack of clutter all the time... let's just say I'm gonna try to recreate that bit.

Random Update

2009-02-21T21:42:00.000-05:00

So... because I think I need to put something up here... and can't think of anything too drastically important:

Today is my mother's birthday. I think her present from our friend Mr. Stuart was to relieve her of her three youngest children for the day... which leads to the second thing I thought of to say.

I went tubing today with a bunch of my friends... that was awesome! One was a friend who I haven't really spent much time with in a long time, so it was pretty great to have her come... I was really happy about that... and another friend whose little siblings were coming decided to come at the last minute, and it was pretty awesome to have her along too!
And... of course... Mr. Stuart is always awesome to hang out with. He rocks.

The Ultimate Rocker

2009-02-17T14:58:00.000-05:00

Duane (the man) Edwards... yup.

Knudson...

2009-02-09T13:59:00.000-05:00

Ok, so these things are good: http://www.knudsenjuices.com/products/spritzers
I suspect I have some pictures of them on some film I shot around Christmas, however that roll hasn't been developed yet, so... I guess I'll have to call up Rite Aid and see what they're charging for development nowadays... I tried signing up for Snapfish, but haven't gotten any of the stuff they said they were gonna mail to me several weeks ago.

Hmmm...

2009-02-08T20:33:00.000-05:00

I am really bad at thinking of stuff to post about, so... if you have any ideas for me, besides the weather and my health... (I'm not running a smalltalk blog... although that might be an interesting experiment.) let me know.

Hm...

2009-02-04T13:32:00.000-05:00

I can't decide on anything to blog about... which is saying either that I'm having a hard time deciding between a flurry of ideas, or I'm bombing around inside my head like Pooh trying to catch a butterfly (which is the idea).

Now, micro-blogging on the other hand, I can handle moderately well... such as Twittering/Tweeting/Twirping/saying-what-you're-doing-in-140-characters-or-less... I change activities or have interesting thoughts often enough to update that at least once a day (William woke up; William went to bed; William woke up; William went to bed; William woke up in the middle of the night because he had an interesting thought... while sleeping... and went back to bed; William just played his guitar so loud that even his drummer of a little brother complained... uh... yeah.)

For your information, I'm "working" right now... I just don't really have any work to do. I'm manning an office, and getting paid awfully well for it, too... for a 17 year old who is still in high-school. Maybe I should start doing web coding in my free time... then I could make a complete killing... get paid for sitting here waiting for the phone to ring, and code away while waiting. Frankly, I think that'd be a bad idea- I already spend too much time on the computer... no sense actually getting paid for it, then I might just spend more time on it, and become a complete nerd. Well, since nothing else is happening or coming to me, I'll just post this now... Maybe another one will come later today, who knows.

I'm not saying what it's about... because then it wouldn't be so funny.

2009-01-23T20:20:00.000-05:00

http://deltackett.com/2008/12/31/removing-obstacles-in-your-life/

... read it and laugh... or... read it and wonder, if you happen to live in Paraguay or some place like that... because, yes, that really happens.

You paid what???

2009-01-19T18:09:00.000-05:00

I went to Circuit City today- they are having a closing sale... and everything I wanted to get was a whopping 10% off!!! But- the kicker is: it looked like half the stuff was gone! People actually bought the stuff at only 10% off!!!

Maybe it's just me, but it seems kinda stupid.

I then went to EMS... 70% off there... seems like a better deal to me.

Other funny thing: the Canon Rebel XSi kit I was looking at- Circuit City: $800 ($720 after sale); B&H Photo & Video: $650, free shipping (no sale) ...hard choice.

The tree

2008-12-16T15:57:00.000-05:00

So... I have several pictures of this tree. It is conveniently located for taking pictures to test aperture settings and shutter speeds... this happened to be the nicest of them... and I felt like making another post. So here it is- the tree.

12th Night

2008-12-11T15:29:00.000-05:00

So... on the 4th, 5th and 6th, the Southern Maine Association of Shakespearean Homeschoolers (a.k.a. SMASH) put on 12th Night, and for the first time since I can remember... I wasn't in the play as an actor. I got to do the lights, in a sense... it came to pass that I ended up as lighting assistant, because I wasn't able to make the dress rehearsal, and the other guy who was doing the lights managed to make all the performances on time!

In the spare time that resulted, I took pictures of the first night... did something the second night (I don't remember what- probably just read off the changes to Nick... the other guy...) and the third night, I filmed the production. (Next time around, I'm going to get a better recording... I don't know how, but I will. Even if I'm acting.) I missed a few lines because of operator error (i.e. the camera wanted to make me wait, and didn't get done before the scene change was done...) Anyhow, I shall see what I can do with the video, and perhaps post a few sections of it. (We had an excellent fool.)

So, a few of the pictures:

The "madly used" Malvolio... in a minute of deep contemplation.

Fabian... every mischief-making villain needs a good mustache, eh?

Sebastian- the hero with the mustache... (I think I have a better one that I will replace it with.)

Maria- this girl was amazing... excellent first time acting!

Maria again... I do believe this was her explaining how alike her writing was to Olivia's.

Malvolio takes on Sir Toby Belch's late night revelry.

I still have another roll of shots, and a few that might look a lot better in Black and White... I'll try and put them up later...

I have a camera, and (I think) I know how to use it!

2008-12-07T17:23:00.000-05:00

That would kinda describe it... my dad is letting me use his Pentax Spotmatic IIa, which is a rather cool (if old) SLR camera, and I recently got a roll developed... it didn't come out quite as I hoped (the film I found was probably long past its expiration date... and frozen), but the pictures it didn't ruin come out with an interesting texture to them... like so:
My dog, Duchess...

Who do you say that you are?

2008-10-01T20:18:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I picked up a book by Peter Haile, entitled "The Difference God Makes" (great book, small, packed, and just pretty awesome- you can get it off Amazon for $0.01, plus shipping... why there's not much demand, I have no idea)
Anyhow, I was reading the book, and Peter was talking about hypocrisy... and made what I think is a very important point:

"What is hypocrisy? It is pretending to be other than you are. [...] We usually think of hypocrisy in terms of a person pretending to be better than he or she is. But that is not the only kind of hypocrisy. The person who pretends to be worse than he or she is is just as much a hypocrite as the person who pretends to be better. The person who says he is dumb or ugly when he is not, is just as much a hypocrite as the person who exaggerates accomplishments. Likewise, the Christian who doesn't act like one is as much a hypocrite as the non-Christian who acts piously." (pp. 31-32)

In watching my dad's work as a pastor, and even looking at my own life, I find that hypocrisy is indeed a big problem in my life, and the life of many Christians... and that's what gave rise to my title- who do we say that we are? Too often we claim to be accepted by Christ, and yet live like we've been rejected by Him... or we mope about like we've committed the unforgivable sin- while as John Piper (I think) puts it "If you're worried about committing the unforgivable sin, you haven't yet!"

So, who do you say that you are? If you claim to have been adopted by God, remember: Soli Dei Gloria- to God alone be the glory... beware that you do not give His glory to another, and especially that you do not take from Him what is His... He doesn't take kindly to that.