Bluegrass

I'm doing an independent photo study with my favorite professor Bill, and I'm working on doing photo essays all semester. One of my classmates, Austin, had read about this bluegrass group who meets on Thursday nights to play, so Kendra and I decided to check it out. We didn't really know what to expect, but it definitely wasn't 15 people ages 60+ to be sitting in a circle playing mandolin, bass, banjo, and lots of guitars...which is what we walked into. We sat down and listened, and were congenial when I asked to bust out my camera, and even made us play a little bit. Good thing we know all of 3 chords. It was one of the most pleasant random experiences ever. I love getting out of my box.

Aviator hats

I went for my weekly bowling excusion with all the cool kids, and I was bowling alright when from across the room I spot the coolest canvas aviator hat in the whole world. It was kind of like this leather one I wore all the time when I was little and wanted to be a jet pilot, or shirley temple.


I decided that wearing the hat would most definitely improve my game, so I went and tapped the guy on the shoulder who was wearing the hat (and a sweet Harry Potter shirt) and politely explained my situation. He was wierded out at first, but soon allowed me to rock the sweet hat if I promised to be careful and return it safely. I went and bowled and got a strike on the next frame. The hat worked the crowd cheered and I brought the hat back to it's owner thinking I would never see this guy ever again. Then today while walking back from the studio I hear this guy yelling "HEEEEEYYY you wore my hat!" and he was sporting the same stellar hat I was like "bowling boy!" and now I have a new friend named Rodney who is a painting grad student and shares my love of sweet headwear.

The Simple Way

I got a letter today from one of my favorite new authors Shane Claiborne.

I want to design stuff for his organization, and he's interested. I just want an opportunity to use these gifts and education to serve and educate people. I think this is the perfect opportunity.

Here's a little on Shane:

Many of us find ourselves caught somewhere between unbelieving activists and inactive believers. We can write a check to feed starving children or hold signs in the streets and feel like we’ve made a difference without ever encountering the faces of the suffering masses. In this book, Shane Claiborne describes an authentic faith rooted in belief, action, and love, inviting us into a movement of the Spirit that begins inside each of us and extends into a broken world. Shane’s faith led him to dress the wounds of lepers with Mother Teresa, visit families in Iraq amidst bombings, and dump $10,000 in coins and bills on Wall Street to redistribute wealth. Shane lives out this revolution each day in his local neighborhood, an impoverished community in North Philadelphia, by living among the homeless, helping local kids with homework, and “practicing resurrection” in the forgotten places of our world.

Free Derek Webb

Derek Webb formerly of Caedmon's call has been giving away his album online. It's pretty great, very political and honest.
Get the album

A bunch of kids walked out of his concert when he sang this line:

there are two great lies that i’ve heard:
“the day you eat of the fruit of that tree, you will not surely die”
and that Jesus Christ was a white, middle-class republican

Apparently the truth is polarizing

My favorite is the rich young ruler song:

poverty is so hard to see
when it’s only on your tv and twenty miles across town
where we’re all living so good
that we moved out of Jesus’ neighborhood
where he’s hungry and not feeling so good
from going through our trash
he says, more than just your cash and coin
i want your time, i want your voice
i want the things you just can’t give me

frank gehry

I have never ever wanted a piece of tiffany's jewelry until today. My favorite architect Frank Gehry just designed a line for them.
check it out

Anyone want to buy me these?

Drop Dead Fred

"I am a loner, a crazy wide eyed loner on a doomed mission to Venus to battle with the 3 headed mega beast but on the way I caught cornflakes disease. "
-Drop Dead Fred

I watched this with Kenj and Ben tonight and was the highlight of my day. Followed closely by Mr. Geshay's Bible study.

I think I'm in desperate need of some alone time even just 2 weeks into the semester. Sometimes I feel like my life is one of those VW commercials where everythings going great and then you get into a head on collision. Confronting things is hard, and a skill I'm lacking. I think an imaginary friend like Drop Dead Fred would be the coolest though...to keep things interesting and in perspective, and help you face your fears.

Psycho

Here are some psycho christian fundementalists if you feel like being ridiculously creeped out.
Check out Jesus Camp