I have changed my blog address again. It has been about a year here,
it has been good while it lasted but alas the magic is gone
come find me here
its the same blog with a fesh new look!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
change
Dear friends and neighbors,
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Prophets
I am reading Richard Coggins, "Introducing the Old Testament" for a
class right now. He does a general overview of the Hebrew Bible and
looks at the text from angles of relevant "hard" sciences and then
spends a couple chapters in talking about more subjective concerns
like what religious forms have contributed to and resulted from it
and different ways in which it has been read.
class right now. He does a general overview of the Hebrew Bible and
looks at the text from angles of relevant "hard" sciences and then
spends a couple chapters in talking about more subjective concerns
like what religious forms have contributed to and resulted from it
and different ways in which it has been read.
One thing that has stood out to me about his review is how often the
Hebrew Bible and the culture that it represents is described as not
being different than the culture of its neighbors in almost every
respect. I would have to cut and paste most of his book in order to
give a good idea of what that means. Suffice it so say that it is
the one way that Israel seems to stand out that is really interesting
to me. Prophets. There does not seem to be a comparable role in
other ANE religions. He says that the role of the person called a
prophet may be different than what we commonly consider a prophet to
be. What he believes that is meant by the word translated prophet is
never really spelled out. I think it is safe to say that this role
was someone who spoke for God.
I was surprised that Israel was the only people that seemed to have
had these people. I wonder if it is somewhat comparable to what we
might consider a mystic to be. Upon further consideration I think
that it is striking that all three Abrahamic religions recognize the
prophet as someone that God specifically speaks through.
What does that say then about the responsibility of the Christian
church? If one of our distinctive aspects is that we have people
through whom God speaks, or considered broadly, we are a people
through whom God speaks should that not be ... important? It doesn't
seem like it. Where is the prophetic message? The Church as a whole
has failed to make a single statement, or maybe that is the problem,
there have been thousands and thousands of single statements, all of
them adding up to white noise.
what is should the church be saying then? you're gonna have to read
my archives....
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
What is a photoblog?
I think I am giving up on making a photoblog. I had hoped that I would be able to do all posts from my flickr account and make comments about my pictures and what I was intending to do when I took the picture and what it means to me and so on and so forth ... but I dont think that deeply about my photography.
Maybe that is part of the problem with going deeper in it and getting better. I have felt the desire to become a "better" photographer for a while now. Taking pictures for school has helped that in some regard. Here I have the opportunity to use equipment much more expensive than I will ever be able to afford on my own. That has been great. I was used to doing what I could with what I had and that was not much.
I feel like I need focus to really push myself, a project or idea that I can puruse. I will keep my eyes open.
But in the meantime I want to make more posts...so so much for the photoblog
Maybe that is part of the problem with going deeper in it and getting better. I have felt the desire to become a "better" photographer for a while now. Taking pictures for school has helped that in some regard. Here I have the opportunity to use equipment much more expensive than I will ever be able to afford on my own. That has been great. I was used to doing what I could with what I had and that was not much.
I feel like I need focus to really push myself, a project or idea that I can puruse. I will keep my eyes open.
But in the meantime I want to make more posts...so so much for the photoblog
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Borrowed Hardware
In other news I have migrated all of my photo processing to the computer that I use at work/school. Translation: I am the photographer for McCormick as well as going to school there. They have a very nice PC workstation with very large calibrated monitor, endless (relatively) disk space, dual processors and much nicer software than I have. by the way, I love Adobe Lightoom. The only downfall is that it is not multi-user capable, which is a problem that we are starting to run into. On that front it really needs a free client reader program that can access the catalog, view adjustments and do basic exports. as it is I have to do all the accessing of things because others who need to get at those images cant be bothered (rightfully) to learn the program and get the images the right way. I dont really mind that but it is very dependent upon me being there, which will change when I graduate.
Anyway, I am using this machine to do all my processing now. I now shoot everything in RAW which my laptop did not have the capability to really work with. I have been feeling that I have this great opportunity before me with all this great equipment (that I do not think I will ever be able to afford) at my disposal. when I leave McCormick I feel like I will have to buy a new computer with at least the power to rock out RAW files more effectively.
This was taken at KAM Isaiah Synagogue down the street from me. This was a side chapel, check the flickr stream for pics of the main sanctuary. It was really a beautiful building. This room in particular, the lighting was very...striking. The yellow light is a skylight through yellow glass, the white lights are halogen or incandescnets. The curious thing is that when you are there you think the white lights are daylight and the yellow light is some kind of strange powered variety. Had to be shot in RAW, my D70 had absolutly no idea what to do with it. It gives an impression of the conflicting light colors.
Its hard to get at what the overall impression is. I guess it really felt that I was in a very special place. I really like when natural light is included in worship spaces, especially in a skylight. Windows, with light coming in from the sides, lets you see what is on the other side and for me is a connection with the other world. It makes the context of the worship service/study/whatever in the "real world" with trees and cars and bulidings and such. This chapel at KAM didnt have any windows directly visible but brought soft diffuse (yellow, dont know how I feel about the color) light down from the sky. very nice.
Anyway, I am using this machine to do all my processing now. I now shoot everything in RAW which my laptop did not have the capability to really work with. I have been feeling that I have this great opportunity before me with all this great equipment (that I do not think I will ever be able to afford) at my disposal. when I leave McCormick I feel like I will have to buy a new computer with at least the power to rock out RAW files more effectively.
This was taken at KAM Isaiah Synagogue down the street from me. This was a side chapel, check the flickr stream for pics of the main sanctuary. It was really a beautiful building. This room in particular, the lighting was very...striking. The yellow light is a skylight through yellow glass, the white lights are halogen or incandescnets. The curious thing is that when you are there you think the white lights are daylight and the yellow light is some kind of strange powered variety. Had to be shot in RAW, my D70 had absolutly no idea what to do with it. It gives an impression of the conflicting light colors.
Its hard to get at what the overall impression is. I guess it really felt that I was in a very special place. I really like when natural light is included in worship spaces, especially in a skylight. Windows, with light coming in from the sides, lets you see what is on the other side and for me is a connection with the other world. It makes the context of the worship service/study/whatever in the "real world" with trees and cars and bulidings and such. This chapel at KAM didnt have any windows directly visible but brought soft diffuse (yellow, dont know how I feel about the color) light down from the sky. very nice.
Blogs
I have had several new friends blogs appear in the past few weeks.
My sister is traveling in Argentina right now. She and her boyfriend are doing a 2.5(?) month travel study program. She knows a lot of Spanish and he seems to be going in pretty fresh to it. I am sure they will both be rocked by it at one point or another. I have wanted to do something like this for a while now. I really feel that Spanish proficiency will be a big help to me know and in the future. And I will be able to talk to Spanish speakers, in Spanish, thats cool. maybe someday. maybe in the time between when Julie and shake our Chicago bonds and and when we reenter bondage. anyway, check out the adventures of Amy and Nick here:
http://www.nickcb.com/arg/
My friend Emily also is doing the travelblog thing. She is in Lebanon right now and for the semester. I can't recall the school that she is at but is the same program that my friend Katie was going to do last year before the country was ravaged by Israel. She is right here:
http://emilythepemily.blogspot.com/
Tanya has also started a blog, though I dont have that link right now. She is taking a public theology class this semester that requires her to be a public theologian and put some theology where the public can see it. As soon as I get that link I plan on harrasing her with all manner of irreverent comments and questions. mwahaha! I suggest that anyone who reads here do the same, once I get the link.
My sister is traveling in Argentina right now. She and her boyfriend are doing a 2.5(?) month travel study program. She knows a lot of Spanish and he seems to be going in pretty fresh to it. I am sure they will both be rocked by it at one point or another. I have wanted to do something like this for a while now. I really feel that Spanish proficiency will be a big help to me know and in the future. And I will be able to talk to Spanish speakers, in Spanish, thats cool. maybe someday. maybe in the time between when Julie and shake our Chicago bonds and and when we reenter bondage. anyway, check out the adventures of Amy and Nick here:
http://www.nickcb.com/arg/
My friend Emily also is doing the travelblog thing. She is in Lebanon right now and for the semester. I can't recall the school that she is at but is the same program that my friend Katie was going to do last year before the country was ravaged by Israel. She is right here:
http://emilythepemily.blogspot.com/
Tanya has also started a blog, though I dont have that link right now. She is taking a public theology class this semester that requires her to be a public theologian and put some theology where the public can see it. As soon as I get that link I plan on harrasing her with all manner of irreverent comments and questions. mwahaha! I suggest that anyone who reads here do the same, once I get the link.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Back to school
It has been a while since my last post. I am going to guess about a month. The last month has been a little bit of a whirlwind. It is the second week of school right now. Classes are going pretty well, I am satisfied with everything I am taking. I always feel like those kind of decisions (what classes to take) are the biggest most important decisions ever that will forever change the direction of my life, forever. It is what I will be doing with myself for the next couple months and a I dont want to choose that in a flash but really not all that big a deal.
The big stressor has been getting everything set up. Our apartment, jobs, mostly health insurance. I hate the insurance industry. We were denied coverage by one company and they refused to tell me the reason. I could have killed every one. I think we are good now but I wont be covered until the end of the month which is not very good but was the best we could work out.
In other news, Dave/Tanya have some big news that I dont want to blog about because it is the kind of thing you should tell people personally. so if you know, yay! If you dont drop either of us a line.
The big stressor has been getting everything set up. Our apartment, jobs, mostly health insurance. I hate the insurance industry. We were denied coverage by one company and they refused to tell me the reason. I could have killed every one. I think we are good now but I wont be covered until the end of the month which is not very good but was the best we could work out.
In other news, Dave/Tanya have some big news that I dont want to blog about because it is the kind of thing you should tell people personally. so if you know, yay! If you dont drop either of us a line.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Two Thirds!
Two thirds of the Greece pictures are now up and online!
Dave and Tanya are coming today, I hope, gotta go!
Dave and Tanya are coming today, I hope, gotta go!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Ready, aim, fire!
I am up at Westminster again for a week. Coming for the wedding was not really enough and was not the full camp feeling. Its really not the same without kids here. So we are up again, just for the week. This is the week where churches from Northville and Ann Arbor come and take over the whole camp. This has been an annual thing for as many seasons as I have been coming here. I have not worked the rest of the season and come up just to work this camp twice now. That has not been on purpose either, it just worked out that way.
I figured that this would be a good thing to do as I am considering really trying to pursue the education and camp thing. The term for that that sounds more like an area of study or career is "experiential education." I really love it. All of the things I have really enjoyed doing in the past couple years have been surrounding camp. I think I wrote this pursuit off in the past for a couple reasons. I think I thought, "who doesnt love camp?" and so my really wanting to run trips at camp forever was just silly. I dont think this assumption was correct. This kind of life is not for everyone.
I am sleeping in a tent this week and loving it.
I figured that this would be a good thing to do as I am considering really trying to pursue the education and camp thing. The term for that that sounds more like an area of study or career is "experiential education." I really love it. All of the things I have really enjoyed doing in the past couple years have been surrounding camp. I think I wrote this pursuit off in the past for a couple reasons. I think I thought, "who doesnt love camp?" and so my really wanting to run trips at camp forever was just silly. I dont think this assumption was correct. This kind of life is not for everyone.
I am sleeping in a tent this week and loving it.
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