Huh?!?…Wha?!?…Oh! Hey there!

Don’t sneak up on me like that!

Yeah, so, it’s been a while. I guess my Twitter account is seeing more action than this place. I need to work on that.

Here is something that has been on my mind lately (among lots of other things). They’ve just added a new channel to DirecTV called Planet Green. Which is pretty cool and they have some good shows which appeal to my moderately handy, mostly granola self. But it mostly just pisses me off.

Seeing these architect/developer/real estate agent/independently wealthy couples either building green or fixing up old houses green kinda makes me a little mad. I’ve always felt that being environmental (and I do mean mental) is only possible if you have the money to do it. We do what we can here in east Nashville. We recycle pretty much everything, we compost (even though we don’t have a garden)(this compost heap looks like Marjory, the trash heap from Fraggle Rock but not as matronly), compact fluorescent bulbs throughout the house, buying produce from our friends’ farm in Springfield (if anyone wants info on buying from Natural Fields Farm let me know!), etcetera, etcetera, yadda, yadda, yadda. I agree that every little bit helps but I also believe that it’s the big stuff that will make big differences.

Big differences like solar panels, wind turbines, a brand new house…the list goes on of what we can’t afford as normal human beings. It just seems like these people on Planet Green are doing it because it’s cool and they get to be on TV. I think it’s cool but I also think it’s very important. Why aren’t these planet saving things more affordable? If they were more people would probably be able to obtain them which means more people doing the green thing. Wouldn’t that make the planet green?

Alright, I’ve ranted long enough. At the moment I’m helping do my part by not driving to work…which I have to do…right now…sigh.

New Video from Dads & Daughter.org

As a father of two beautiful daughters I find this organization very important. It seems more geared for dads and step-dads of girls that are a little older than the Young Extroverted One, but, at least I’m getting as prepared as I can. I know that we’re all in for a very bumpy ride as she gets older I’m just gonna strap in, enjoy the ride and love both my girls no matter what happens. Wheeeeeee…

Job Nonfulfillment

You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.

—Commencement address by Steve Jobs, delivered on June 12, 2005 at Stanford University.

The only time I have felt like I have been doing “great work” or at least meaningful work, to me, was working for the Montreat Conference Center. And that was in any capacity. I’ve been a wilderness ranger taking care of their 2,500 acres of wilderness, a bellman in the Assembly Inn, a night auditor in the Inn (3rd shift one winter and read The Shining. Awesome.), AV Technician on up to Director of Production. I, also, felt like I was doing good work as a sound guy and sometimes bartender at the original Grey Eagle in Black Mountain working for beers instead of money. In each of those positions I have felt like I was doing something I loved. Maybe it was being surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. Maybe it was the folks I was working with or the people I was serving. Maybe, in Montreat, it was working for the “Dear Lord baby Jesus, lyin’ there in [his] ghost manger, just lookin’ at [his] Baby Einstein developmental videos, learnin’ ’bout shapes and colors.” It just might be a combination of all of those things. While I’m in an industry that I enjoy I just can’t get behind what I’m doing here. Sure, it’s putting food on the table and insurance for the family, but, ugh. I just can’t stand being here wearing a tie and pushing for the almighty dollar instead of the Almighty.

I suppose I’m having some employment angst. It’s come up more so since I have been the new director of event technology at my current location. Also, with the Elder Extroverted Holy One’s graduation from Vanderbilt Divinity School and her current church search (that’s sounds kinda cool, “Church Search ’08” should be a t-shirt). There is a possibility that depending on the call she gets I might be able to be a stay-at-home dad. With the Young Extroverted One going to public school I could stay with the Bobblehead to save on childcare costs. We’ve even had a short discussion of possibly just owning one car.

With all of the possibilities of being able to be more of the domestic goddess that I could be I am certainly finding it difficult to get motivated to get up in the morning and put on that tie and coat. Thankfully, my work ethic kicks in and I continue to do the best I can no matter what I’m doing. . . . Stupid ethic . . .

Updated the ‘About’ Page

Yeah . . . so . . . um . . . a lot has happened since I first wrote my about page in January of 2007. Yikes. So, I had some time this morning to make an update. Check it out. If I had a mac at work I would update my family’s newsletter page. Wow, December 2007. No excuse other than I blog more than update the newsletter page and Twitter more than blog. I have some sort of hierarchy going on here. Considering that I don’t call my parents and brother very often at least they can follow me virtually like everyone else. So there!

Another Worthy Article from the Wittenburg Door

The 10 Worst Movies About Jesus

05/27/2008

(Not Counting The Passion of the Christ Because That Would Be Too Easy)

By Danny Gallagher

The Robe

Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter

Jesus Christ, the Mini-Series

Zombie Jesus!

In Search of Historic Jesus

The Prince of Peace, a/k/a The Lawton Story

The Gospel According to Matthew

Ultrachrist

The Miracle Maker

The DaVinci Code

So, another fine article featured in the Wittenburg Door. There are some here that I haven’t seen. I might have to present a Jesus movie film festival at the church. Or maybe not. I don’t want to jeopardize the Elder Extroverted Holy One’s future job prospects. I’ll wait until she gets a job and offer the film festival at that church.

Wanna help [the] planet? ‘Let’s all just die!’


Wanna help [the] planet? ‘Let’s all just die!’
Group pushes to improve Earth’s ecosystem by ensuring human species does not survive.

By Chelsea Schilling
© 2008 WorldNetDaily

“May we live long and die out” is the unofficial motto of a movement that seeks to improve the Earth’s ecosystem by ensuring that the human species does not survive.

The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement, or VHEMT, consists of volunteers who have made active life decisions to remain childless for the benefit of the Earth, thereby preventing the extinction of millions of species of plants and animals.

Well, that’s one way to solve the problem of global warming, overpopulation, litter and general stupidity. Which after looking at the articles of this particular site might be a good solution for them, too.

If any of my faithful reader(s) click the links to go to this or any other strange, conservative ‘news’ or ‘informational’ sites just know that I do not frequent them. This article was forwarded on to me by a good friend.


Blogged with the Flock Browser

Introverted Musings on the Elevator

Some time last week I read, “Up and Then Down” on the New Yorker online. Elevators have been in my life a lot more lately with this new job and the need to park in a parking garage. When I was working at the other location and using a parking garage I used the stairs all of the time. Not because I was freaked out by the elevator just that working in a smaller property you don’t tend to walk very far compared to the Gaylord Opryland. And I need all the exercise I can get. But in this new place the stairs seem to be for fire escape only and have an alarm on the doors. So, I ride the elevators everyday (and get fatter and fatter).

I had the thought today as my elevator car stopped at every floor on the way down and more people got on, “Would I rather be stuck in an elevator alone or with people I don’t know?”

Hmmm, that’s a tough one. Being an introvert I probably be just fine by myself. Especially, in the mornings. But, would I quickly descend into madness if I were stuck in an elevator with two or three other people who I don’t know. I might be alright if I knew them and liked them, but unknown people? This makes me think about the time I went on a twenty-one day wilderness trip with the school I was attending at the time; the program was much like Outward Bound with bibles. Considering my major was Outdoor Education/Recreation (the program was going through a transition from recreation to education while I was there), I had some confidence about going on this trip. The thing I wasn’t so sure about was spending 21 solid days with other people of which I didn’t know too well. Needless to say, I survived hanging out those folks but I really cherished my three-day solo!

Getting back to the elevator bit I must say that I could probably deal with one person. Over that I would go absolutely mad. Even more so if it had Muzak playing “Girl from Ipanema!”

Reflections on the Predators

I must say that I’m feeling the post-playoffs-hockey’s-over blues right now. I had hope (more than Barack Obama hope) that the Predators would pull off a win and force a game seven. Alas, no such luck.

As a fan of the game and of the Predators I must say, in my humble opinion, that they did not ‘bring it’ against the Red Wings. They can’t play a period or two of mediocre hockey and turn it on for the third period to play spectacular hockey against a team like Detroit. It’s gotta be all on all the time and the Preds didn’t have it. Which is kind of depressing because I know they are a team that is capable of great things. For now, I must fall back on one of my love-to-hate phrases, “There always next year.” It was a great season of overcoming many obstacles and Barry Trotz and his staff did a great job of keeping it together.

Now, I have the dilemma of deciding on season tickets or not. Not because they didn’t win the cup. Remember, I love the sport of hockey and I dig the Predators a lot. But with the Elder Extroverted Holy One graduating in a couple of weeks with her masters of divinity (I still don’t know how someone as divine as she is with a schmuck like me) and can possibly get a job at a church anywhere. Do I go ahead and get season tickets and then try to sell them if we move? Or should I wait to figure out where we’re going to be. There are some cities that are appealing to her (and me) but I’m not so sure I can obtain season tickets for the Sabres, in one possible scenario. I don’t even think I’m ready  to add a new favorite team to my list. I only have room for a certain number. This is so hard.

On a final note, Dan Ellis has become my new hockey gawd (vague TV reference. any guesses?)! Hats off to him. He worked magic out there but he couldn’t defeat the wings by himself.