Spring and Autumn. Waxing and waning. Why does it seem so hard to level things out. One moment I have so many thoughts running about I just can’t write fast enough to catch them all. Another I sit and am at a loss for words. It does seem like the normal course for things, change. This is no surprise as history is full of change’s story.
Presently I am content to use this to my advantage. When I run out of things to say, I spend more time thinking, and reading. When I get restless and can no longer follow those trails laid out for me by author preceding me, I get out my pen and set forth on my own trails.
And so I approach all of life. When I can no longer stand being constantly surrounded by people, I sneak off for a bit of quiet. As the quiet becomes overwhelming, the closeness of friends becomes all the more welcoming. This principal appears to pop up everywhere I look. Whatever is at work here seems to be the heart of genuine solitude and fellowship. For now I guess I will simply say that I am definitely in the waxing phase. I’m finding it hard to put things in words. So for now I’m going to spend more time thinking and reading…
"...And I've got nothin to say..." Andrew Peterson
MikeyC>
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Friday, February 18, 2005
Mags
If price were not a factor and I could have whatever magazines I wanted at my disposal, whenever I wanted, which ones would I choose? That is the question I was pondering this morning. I think that the list below, while not comprehensive, does pretty good justice by me.
World Affairs/Culture:
Adbusters
National Geographic
Blackbook
Religion:
Christianity Today
Sojourners
Relevant
Special Intrest:
Popular Science/Popular Mechanics
Dwell
Metropolis
I think that sums it up fairly well. If there's a magazine that you just love to check out, in print or on-line, you should add it in the comments section.
MikeyC>
World Affairs/Culture:
Adbusters
National Geographic
Blackbook
Religion:
Christianity Today
Sojourners
Relevant
Special Intrest:
Popular Science/Popular Mechanics
Dwell
Metropolis
I think that sums it up fairly well. If there's a magazine that you just love to check out, in print or on-line, you should add it in the comments section.
MikeyC>
Thursday, February 17, 2005
And yet...
`Rat!' he found breath to whisper, shaking. `Are you afraid?'
`Afraid?' murmured the Rat, his eyes shining with unutterable love. `Afraid! Of Him? O, never, never! And yet -- and yet -- O, Mole, I am afraid!'
Then the two animals, crouching to the earth, bowed their heads and did worship.
This quote from The Wind in the Willows (chapter - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn), is a great analogy of how I wish to approach God. I think that hidden here is the secret to the whole Old Testament/New Testament dichotomy of God. I love the way it is expressed here as, indeed, I love this entire chapter. There is so much in this chapter that speaks of that moment of glimpsing some glimmer of something greater.
It is that transcendent beauty that Lewis speaks of in Weight of Glory. It is - I think what Augustine is trying to say in his Confessions when he says, "...whatever you feel through the senses of the flesh you only feel in part. It delights you, but it is only a part and you have no knowledge of the whole...But if this were not so and they could comprehend the whole, you would wish that whatever exists in the present should pass on, so that you might gain greater pleasure from the whole."
This is why I think we need to embrace literature and mythology in theology. What Augustine tries to convey by using obtuse philosophical reasonings, is so beautifully and simply captured by Graham in text that is understood by children. I do not worry that by mingling elements of mythology with elements of faith that we should water the one down or give to much creedence to the other. The Bible, Old Testament and the Apostolic Tradition that is the New Testament stands as foundational truth. Surely that should stand as a foundation not to be corrupted. However, let the story tellers, artists and musicians do their part to help people understand it in ways that speak not just to the brain, but to the heart of the person.
MikeyC>
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/GraWind.html - Wind in the Willows online
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/006/1.32.html - Article titled Myth Matters in Chrisitianity Today. Great article about using the arts to communicate with our culture.
`Afraid?' murmured the Rat, his eyes shining with unutterable love. `Afraid! Of Him? O, never, never! And yet -- and yet -- O, Mole, I am afraid!'
Then the two animals, crouching to the earth, bowed their heads and did worship.
This quote from The Wind in the Willows (chapter - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn), is a great analogy of how I wish to approach God. I think that hidden here is the secret to the whole Old Testament/New Testament dichotomy of God. I love the way it is expressed here as, indeed, I love this entire chapter. There is so much in this chapter that speaks of that moment of glimpsing some glimmer of something greater.
It is that transcendent beauty that Lewis speaks of in Weight of Glory. It is - I think what Augustine is trying to say in his Confessions when he says, "...whatever you feel through the senses of the flesh you only feel in part. It delights you, but it is only a part and you have no knowledge of the whole...But if this were not so and they could comprehend the whole, you would wish that whatever exists in the present should pass on, so that you might gain greater pleasure from the whole."
This is why I think we need to embrace literature and mythology in theology. What Augustine tries to convey by using obtuse philosophical reasonings, is so beautifully and simply captured by Graham in text that is understood by children. I do not worry that by mingling elements of mythology with elements of faith that we should water the one down or give to much creedence to the other. The Bible, Old Testament and the Apostolic Tradition that is the New Testament stands as foundational truth. Surely that should stand as a foundation not to be corrupted. However, let the story tellers, artists and musicians do their part to help people understand it in ways that speak not just to the brain, but to the heart of the person.
MikeyC>
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/GraWind.html - Wind in the Willows online
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/006/1.32.html - Article titled Myth Matters in Chrisitianity Today. Great article about using the arts to communicate with our culture.
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Day is Done
When you can't come up with anything good to say, try letting someone else speak. Say, Longfellow?
THE DAY is done, and the darkness
Falls from the wings of Night,
As a feather is wafted downward
From an eagle in his flight.
I see the lights of the village
Gleam through the rain and the mist,
And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me
That my soul cannot resist:
A feeling of sadness and longing,
That is not akin to pain,
And resembles sorrow only
As the mist resembles the rain.
Come, read to me some poem,
Some simple and heartfelt lay,
That shall soothe this restless feeling,
And banish the thoughts of day.
Not from the grand old masters,
Not from the bards sublime,
Whose distant footsteps echo
Through the corridors of Time.
For, like strains of martial music,
Their mighty thoughts suggest
Life's endless toil and endeavor;
And to-night I long for rest.
Read from some humbler poet,
Whose songs gushed from his heart,
As showers from the clouds of summer,
Or tears from the eyelids start;
Who, through long days of labor,
And nights devoid of ease,
Still heard in his soul the music
Of wonderful melodies.
Such songs have power to quiet
The restless pulse of care,
And come like the benediction
That follows after prayer.
Then read from the treasured volume
The poem of thy choice,
And lend to the rhyme of the poet
The beauty of thy voice.
And the night shall be filled with music,
And the cares, that infest the day,
Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
THE DAY is done, and the darkness
Falls from the wings of Night,
As a feather is wafted downward
From an eagle in his flight.
I see the lights of the village
Gleam through the rain and the mist,
And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me
That my soul cannot resist:
A feeling of sadness and longing,
That is not akin to pain,
And resembles sorrow only
As the mist resembles the rain.
Come, read to me some poem,
Some simple and heartfelt lay,
That shall soothe this restless feeling,
And banish the thoughts of day.
Not from the grand old masters,
Not from the bards sublime,
Whose distant footsteps echo
Through the corridors of Time.
For, like strains of martial music,
Their mighty thoughts suggest
Life's endless toil and endeavor;
And to-night I long for rest.
Read from some humbler poet,
Whose songs gushed from his heart,
As showers from the clouds of summer,
Or tears from the eyelids start;
Who, through long days of labor,
And nights devoid of ease,
Still heard in his soul the music
Of wonderful melodies.
Such songs have power to quiet
The restless pulse of care,
And come like the benediction
That follows after prayer.
Then read from the treasured volume
The poem of thy choice,
And lend to the rhyme of the poet
The beauty of thy voice.
And the night shall be filled with music,
And the cares, that infest the day,
Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Friday, February 11, 2005
2:30am
That is what time you have to get up if you live in LaPlata, MD and want to catch the DeltaShuttle to New York's, Laguardia airport. I should clarify that 2:30am is the time you have to get up if you want to get the 6:30am shuttle. Unfortunately, the 6:30am shuttle is the one that you would HAVE to take if you were trying to be at the "Union League Club 38 East 37th Street Please make sure you dress appropriately; men must wear jackets and ties" promptly at 8:15am. I know this because that is what I had to do today.
2:30am. Yes, the time of the morning (evening!) that many a college student is just going to bed at if they don't have classes the following day (fri.). So I was needless to say not happy about having to get up that time, but in the end it was worth it. This time. I think.
So yes, I worked from the NY office today (which is in fact where I'm typing this from). It was quite enjoyable and the breakfast I spoke of earlier was nice as well. The occassion was to announce the newest employees (yours truly included...plus 2 marketing people that have been hired since me) as well as announcing the new 3 people to make partner. It was great getting to put faces to many a name I had until recently only seen on obscure company phone lists.
The NY offices are very nice and I certainly enjoyed my time here. I take the Acela train back at 9:00pm, which should give me time to get dinner and see a little of NY, too. Woohoo.
MikeyC>
2:30am. Yes, the time of the morning (evening!) that many a college student is just going to bed at if they don't have classes the following day (fri.). So I was needless to say not happy about having to get up that time, but in the end it was worth it. This time. I think.
So yes, I worked from the NY office today (which is in fact where I'm typing this from). It was quite enjoyable and the breakfast I spoke of earlier was nice as well. The occassion was to announce the newest employees (yours truly included...plus 2 marketing people that have been hired since me) as well as announcing the new 3 people to make partner. It was great getting to put faces to many a name I had until recently only seen on obscure company phone lists.
The NY offices are very nice and I certainly enjoyed my time here. I take the Acela train back at 9:00pm, which should give me time to get dinner and see a little of NY, too. Woohoo.
MikeyC>
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Change of Plans
Ok, I was going to re-read Celebration of Discipline, but I think that before I do that I am going to get started on the new books I bought at Borders last night. I got the Lord of the Rings books, plus the Hobbit. I'm starting with the Hobbit (nothing like starting at the beginning). I'm pretty excited. I've read the first couple chapters and I'm already thinking this book is going to be dangerous.
Here's the deal. While I am definitely enjoying the acoustics thing (you know, the LESS than a year I've been at it...), I still sometimes, pine(?) for something more. To be more accurate, for something less. My dream would be to live a life that much more closely approximated that exhibited by the hobbits in Tolkiens books. Spending the day reading, eating, drinking, being with good friends. Living in a house under a hill, uhm...having hairy feet. Ok, so some of it would be better than other. The point though is that I'm drawn towards that kind of simple life while at the same time being drawn towards that which is more accurately portrayed by the people in the city. It isn't the desire to not have to work, it is more the environment and the nature of the work.
I think that if nothing else, the next years will hopefully teach me what kind of a person I am; am I made for smaller towns and more simplicity, or the crowds and faces of the city. So off I go on my quest to read the over 1000 pages that are the LOR and the Hobbit, and also on my quest in the city. Wish me luck on my journies ;)
MikeyC>
Here's the deal. While I am definitely enjoying the acoustics thing (you know, the LESS than a year I've been at it...), I still sometimes, pine(?) for something more. To be more accurate, for something less. My dream would be to live a life that much more closely approximated that exhibited by the hobbits in Tolkiens books. Spending the day reading, eating, drinking, being with good friends. Living in a house under a hill, uhm...having hairy feet. Ok, so some of it would be better than other. The point though is that I'm drawn towards that kind of simple life while at the same time being drawn towards that which is more accurately portrayed by the people in the city. It isn't the desire to not have to work, it is more the environment and the nature of the work.
I think that if nothing else, the next years will hopefully teach me what kind of a person I am; am I made for smaller towns and more simplicity, or the crowds and faces of the city. So off I go on my quest to read the over 1000 pages that are the LOR and the Hobbit, and also on my quest in the city. Wish me luck on my journies ;)
MikeyC>
Monday, February 07, 2005
Dupont for Lunch
Hmmm.
I think that I'm going to go read at Dupont Circle today in lieu of eating at Cosi. I thought maybe I would get a sandwich and eat it on a bench there. I would post this after the fact and tell you what I actually did, instead of what I intend to do, but that would put me typing this after lunch, and likely that would mean at home instead of at the office, and then I probably wouldn't do it. So there. That is the plan. Eat lunch at Dupont Circle. I'm reading Celebration of Discipline again. It will be at least my 3rd time to read it through, and it will be the 5th or 6th time that I have read some of the sections.
That is really all the update I have for now, other than the fact that Cerami's DC branch office is probably going to be moving to other office space. That could be interesting. I'll keep you posted on that as new developments occur.
Also, the screen on my laptop went bye-bye, so I had to improvise this morning. No one was in the office, and I needed to check my work email, and...well...do some work. I noticed that we had a projector laying around, so today my screen is a 24.5"(diagonal) area of the wall in front of me. Wow, I could get use to this. It's pretty sharp and I have plenty of area to slide windows around in.
MikeyC>
I think that I'm going to go read at Dupont Circle today in lieu of eating at Cosi. I thought maybe I would get a sandwich and eat it on a bench there. I would post this after the fact and tell you what I actually did, instead of what I intend to do, but that would put me typing this after lunch, and likely that would mean at home instead of at the office, and then I probably wouldn't do it. So there. That is the plan. Eat lunch at Dupont Circle. I'm reading Celebration of Discipline again. It will be at least my 3rd time to read it through, and it will be the 5th or 6th time that I have read some of the sections.
That is really all the update I have for now, other than the fact that Cerami's DC branch office is probably going to be moving to other office space. That could be interesting. I'll keep you posted on that as new developments occur.
Also, the screen on my laptop went bye-bye, so I had to improvise this morning. No one was in the office, and I needed to check my work email, and...well...do some work. I noticed that we had a projector laying around, so today my screen is a 24.5"(diagonal) area of the wall in front of me. Wow, I could get use to this. It's pretty sharp and I have plenty of area to slide windows around in.
MikeyC>
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
In Memoriam
In Memoriam of
Bobbie Wohlgemuth, Grandma
March 17, 1926 - February 1, 2005 - Eternity
Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (taken from Pauls second letter to the Church in Corinth)
Bobbie Wohlgemuth, Grandma
March 17, 1926 - February 1, 2005 - Eternity
Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (taken from Pauls second letter to the Church in Corinth)
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