grandparents

[scott & maria wedding photos]

[photo mosaic of recent work]

[si se puede]

Obama on Faith & Politics



Yes We Can - Video

[say it ain't so...an addendum to my previous post]

My jaw dropped as I sat watching the morning news before going to work today when the reporter announced this. The Crocodile Cafe, where I just saw an amazing performance by David Bazan, is closed?! What? How can this be? The Croc, as it is affectionately referred to by patrons, has been a rite of passage for so many amazing rock stars including Nirvana, Death Cab for Cutie, David Bazan, Harvey Danger, etc. This is a sad day for the Seattle music scene. Perhaps someone will step up in the Christmas spirit and a bag of money to keep this Tiny Tim alive.

[this saturday...]

...my rockstar wife, good friends and I will again bask in the prophetic sounds of David Bazan (formerly of Pedro the Lion) at the Crocodile Cafe in Belltown.















photo found on flickr: here

[revisited...faves from the archives]

I was searching through the archives of my blog and decided to post, or re-post rather, 20 of my personal favorites from the past few years...

6.15.2005 - [Incarnation Transcends Doctrine] - theological musings from my 1st semester at mhgs.

6.19.2005 - [For Gentlemen and Scholars] - from the early days of a now very beautiful friendship.

7.18.2005 - [God is Good...Right?] - a story of being impacted by encounter.

8.01.2005 - [Equus] - thoughts on idolatry & relationship.

8.17.2005 - [Relation is Reciprocity] - thoughts on how strange the online world is.

8.25.2005 - [Congrats] - a photo of my grandparents shortly after their 55th wedding anniversary.

9.14.2005 - [A Tale of Redeeming Theology] - on that day, class at MHGS was slightly different then class at Liberty.

9.29.2005 - [Is God Allowed to Cuss?] - thoughts on God & relating to others' suffering inspired by the lyrics of David Bazan.

11.09.2005 - [Other to Myself] - an odd experience for sure, but so eye opening.

11.29.2005 - [Camera-Vision] - why i love photography.

12.25.2005 - [8 Ball, Corner Pocket] - blending photography with an attempt at poetry.

01.24.2006 - [In a Pinch] - tales from a public bathroom.

03.22.2006 - [Things are Never Exactly as We Remember Them] - photography and the flexible nature of life.

04.08.2006 - [Uncommon Definition of Love Pt. II] - a post which has taken on new meaning since getting married on 08.04.07.

07.19.2006 - [Ingrown Ego] - what do ingrown toenails and Lucifer have in common?

08.27.2006 - [Curiosity & Possibility] - am i willing to un-know what i think i know about myself and others?

09.03.2006 - [They Call the Thing Rodeo] - a funny interaction with a drunk girl.

09.21.2006 - [Yes! Yes! Yes!] - ang & i got engaged!

11.21.2006 - [Velvet Elvis Has Left the Building] - most comments by readers.

05.12.2007 - [Master of Arts] - graduation.

05.20.2007 - [The Pornographer and the Preacher] - Larry Flynt's take on the death of Jerry Falwell.

[give me my fig leaf!]

Phenomena begets phenomena, or so it seems. Social networking websites have been gaining a dizzying momentum within the past few years. Initially I resisted the temptation, but lo, my resolve has collapsed. My fervent protestation to avoid the psuedo-connection that these websites tend to offer in order to connect only in a more authentic, fleshy, face-to-face (perhaps we could even begin to ascribe the appellation of "old-school") manner has given way to my exhibitionistic and voyeuristic impulses. I am a member of no fewer than 6 of these sites, "Hello, my name is Bryan...and I am a Social-Network-Website-aholic."

I find that for me, and I would assume others, these sites provide a means for me to measure a degree of my own importance while simultaneously allowing me to compare myself with my peer group. But what seems to be the most addictive element to these sites is the sheer freedom from relational responsibility and messiness that they offer so freely. I can craft an image of myself that I find preferable while simultaneously peeking in on the crafted images of others. Ironically enough, there are usually advertisements specifically catering to the various "keywords" in my profile that frame the outside boarder of the sites. Why? My hunch is that after several hours of sitting in dark isolation with only the bluish glow of the computer screen illuminating my face, anxiously hoping to having been "messaged" once or twice by a couple of my more than 250+, quote, "friends," that the feelings of isolation, lonliness and profound disconnection fuel a need to consume...something, anything to numb the ache.

Hence, I buy a new iPod or whatever and instantly feel better, but only for a moment, so I create a new post on my sites to tell all of my "friends" about my purchase. Again, hoping for enough response from them to maintain the momentum of my tightrope walk and keep me from falling off into the isolative despair that is lurking just beneath the surface. If this were to happen, I may be required to vulnerably submit to a community of real people whose faces glow of a different hue then the cold, pale blue. The risk is that live people are radically less predictable then their online ghosts and I cannot simply escape from their presence by logging off. But maybe, just maybe...something really alive and life-giving could occur in such a community. Well maybe, but I doubt it...for now I'll stick with the instant gratification and addictive highs so that I can avoid hearing the echo of an ancient invitation:

When they heard the sound of GOD strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from GOD. GOD called to the Man: "Where are you?” - Genesis 3:8-9

_______________

1st Photo from here . Good article about the big business aspect of social networking sites.

2nd Photo from here . The article is good as well.

[my new-old photography toy]

My mother & father in law bought me a Kodak Duaflex IV from eBay for my birthday. The Duaflex IV is a twin lens reflex (TLR) camera that was manufactured in 1957. It was very affordable and helped make photography more accessible to the masses in a similar way that digital photography has today. Within the past several years a creative relationship between the digital age and TLR age has emerged...and me likes! Below are a couple pics of my Duaflex (and a light blocking contraption I built from cardboard and black duct tape) and a couple pics taken "through the viewfinder (TTV)"

[30]

I turned 30 on 11/15/07. To celebrate the completion of my 3rd decade this is what I did:


...okay, no I didn't, but you can imagine what it would've been like if I had!

Here are some tidbits about "30" compliments of Wikipedia:

• The total number of major and minor keys in Western tonal music, including enharmonic equivalents.
• The duration in years of the Thirty Years' War.
• The code for international direct dial phone calls to Greece.
• The number of tracks on The Beatles' eponymous album, usually known as The White Album.
• A stage in young adulthood.
• Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Matthew 26:15.

[aesthetic delight...or something]

Click here for a fantastic collection of the most horrible album covers EVER!!!

To whet your appetite:

[careful...tears may ensue]

Oriah Mountain Dreamer

[the official wedding photos]

Our wedding photographer and friend, Meredith Dancause, has blessed us tremendously with her artistic eye, quick reflexes and ability to spot the beautiful amidst what appears to be ordinary!

Ang and I have been blown away by the quality of the photos that she gifted us with. She has made them available for viewing here. Should you desire to order prints (at very reasonable prices) please email Meredith directly and she will provide you with an order form.

meredithdancause@gmail.com

[wedding week & honeymoon slideshow]

[my version of a pre-wedding spa day!]

Saturday, July 21, 2007...exactly two weeks before my wedding!
Damien Jurado...
Crocodile Cafe with my lovely fiance, good friend Shannon and my new camera...does it get any better than that?

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