Here's an old picture that i'm proud of. i was trying to be somewhat artistic here.
This is the Stata Center in Boston. It's the MIT computer science building so i figured i simply had to visit it. Fortunately after the Boston Winter Conference i was able to walk around Boston for a day.
This was one of the highlights of my trip (sad i know, but i loved it)
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
hippies?
(they're not real hippies, just my generic term for people who seem to embody the hippie lifestyle in the modern era)
So today i was supposed to share these new image surveys that i stole from Panama City Beach, but i didnt because i couldnt find anyone, and was putzing around, and felt awful about not getting that done well.
And then i saw an old friend with a huge group of people and started to chat with him instead, ditching the whole survey thing.
The group was an environmentalist group on campus doing a fundraiser. So i pulled out the $2 i won in Katrina for drinking a small bottle of real maple syrup and joined in.
They were making hemp bracelets and necklaces, so i learned how to do a simple weave in hemp today. It was awesome. i got to have a few short conversations about spiritual things with the president of the club and got to talk in general with the hippies. Unfortunately, the smell of hemp is strong and distinct and i have bad memories tied to that smell (ask me about my junior year living situation sometime if you want an explanation)
Man, they're awesome. So fun to talk to... i could go on for a while, but suffice to say. i love that group of people. They're in love with life in a way that few people i know are. And they are so genuinely interested in people and it's ok to be intellectual around them! i love it.
Rant following: i feel some sort of pressure from my immediate Christian community to eschew philosophy because... well, i dont know why because, but it feels like because philosophy is "extra-biblical." So in my circle of Christian friends, we didnt have philosophical conversations. And i love having that back in my life when i talk with the "hippies"
So today i was supposed to share these new image surveys that i stole from Panama City Beach, but i didnt because i couldnt find anyone, and was putzing around, and felt awful about not getting that done well.
And then i saw an old friend with a huge group of people and started to chat with him instead, ditching the whole survey thing.
The group was an environmentalist group on campus doing a fundraiser. So i pulled out the $2 i won in Katrina for drinking a small bottle of real maple syrup and joined in.
They were making hemp bracelets and necklaces, so i learned how to do a simple weave in hemp today. It was awesome. i got to have a few short conversations about spiritual things with the president of the club and got to talk in general with the hippies. Unfortunately, the smell of hemp is strong and distinct and i have bad memories tied to that smell (ask me about my junior year living situation sometime if you want an explanation)
Man, they're awesome. So fun to talk to... i could go on for a while, but suffice to say. i love that group of people. They're in love with life in a way that few people i know are. And they are so genuinely interested in people and it's ok to be intellectual around them! i love it.
Rant following: i feel some sort of pressure from my immediate Christian community to eschew philosophy because... well, i dont know why because, but it feels like because philosophy is "extra-biblical." So in my circle of Christian friends, we didnt have philosophical conversations. And i love having that back in my life when i talk with the "hippies"
Katrina
i have a fun story posted on my other blog from New Orleans!
Check it out: Jamie's personal blog
i also have pictures on my picasa and flickr accounts (they're all the same pictures):
Katrina Part III - Picasa
Katrina Part III - Flickr
Check it out: Jamie's personal blog
i also have pictures on my picasa and flickr accounts (they're all the same pictures):
Katrina Part III - Picasa
Katrina Part III - Flickr
Friday, March 9, 2007
Katrina
If you can imagine your neighborhood turning into a wasteland... charred vandalized cars, black, rusted, with melted glass across the front seat; garbage piles in the streets 15 feet long and 6 feet high; mold covering every wall in your house. If you can imagine that for a bit, you'll get a very small limited glance into the damage in New Orleans.
It's absolutely incredible. Beyond description.
Tomorrow morning i leave on a bus from Buffalo down to New Orleans, with a stop in Panama City Beach. That means i'll be spending nearly 30 hours on a bus. i'm planning on bringing lots of books and my iPod. Heaven knows i dont want to have a conversation!
Then as soon as we get there and get settled, i'll be going to a leaders meeting (i'm the point person for our campus for this trip) then running a meeting for our students and then running away on the whirlygig that this conference will be!
And i cannot wait!
Helping out in this way is such a great experience. This is one of those times in life where you can know, without a doubt, that you're following in the footsteps of Jesus. He talked about reaching out with cold cups of water and clothing and visits. And down in NOLA we'll get to be the "incarnation" of God in the world. That's a weighty matter, and it's going to be fun too!
i'll have plenty to say afterwards, with lots of pictures! So please check back soon! (a week from Tuesday)
i'm sorry for the confusing flow of this post. i've been going nuts trying to straighten out details and remember everything i'm supposed to for the trip! So unfortunately, organizing thoughts is an all-time low priority these days!
It's absolutely incredible. Beyond description.
Tomorrow morning i leave on a bus from Buffalo down to New Orleans, with a stop in Panama City Beach. That means i'll be spending nearly 30 hours on a bus. i'm planning on bringing lots of books and my iPod. Heaven knows i dont want to have a conversation!
Then as soon as we get there and get settled, i'll be going to a leaders meeting (i'm the point person for our campus for this trip) then running a meeting for our students and then running away on the whirlygig that this conference will be!
And i cannot wait!
Helping out in this way is such a great experience. This is one of those times in life where you can know, without a doubt, that you're following in the footsteps of Jesus. He talked about reaching out with cold cups of water and clothing and visits. And down in NOLA we'll get to be the "incarnation" of God in the world. That's a weighty matter, and it's going to be fun too!
i'll have plenty to say afterwards, with lots of pictures! So please check back soon! (a week from Tuesday)
i'm sorry for the confusing flow of this post. i've been going nuts trying to straighten out details and remember everything i'm supposed to for the trip! So unfortunately, organizing thoughts is an all-time low priority these days!
Ellicott Excitement
It's true. i love alliteration.
Ellicott has had some excitement lately. About 3 or 4 weeks ago, after our tuesday night small group in the Ellicott coffeehouse, my friend matt and i met a few students. It's fun how we met too. i mentioned how i liked the music in the coffeehouse and asked some people if it was the Flaming Lips (which is an awesome band btw) and they said yes of course it is.
From there we just chatted. i ended up spending the rest of the night hanging out with them. i met four people in particular, whose names will go unanounced for now. And i really enjoyed talking to them. They are super involved in the anti-war movement here at UB. Our conversations went through everything, from war to God to hell to Elliott Smith to drugs to God to church to religion to everything else you can imagine. Well, not quite everything. But we covered a lot and it was fun.
i'm convinced that the alternative culture, i dont know how to describe it. The modern-day hippies, if you will, are the best people to talk to. They're so interested in life. They want to soak it all in, respect other people, they have ideals that havent been crushed by the world and they're not afraid to stand up for things. This perfectly described these new friends i met.
Fast forward a week. i bought a biography about Elliott Smith and was able to lend it out to one of the friends i made that night. i hope he enjoys it. The first few chapters were rough if i remember correctly.
So we'll see where this goes! Either way, it's fun to watch God put people in my life and bring me into their lives!
Ellicott has had some excitement lately. About 3 or 4 weeks ago, after our tuesday night small group in the Ellicott coffeehouse, my friend matt and i met a few students. It's fun how we met too. i mentioned how i liked the music in the coffeehouse and asked some people if it was the Flaming Lips (which is an awesome band btw) and they said yes of course it is.
From there we just chatted. i ended up spending the rest of the night hanging out with them. i met four people in particular, whose names will go unanounced for now. And i really enjoyed talking to them. They are super involved in the anti-war movement here at UB. Our conversations went through everything, from war to God to hell to Elliott Smith to drugs to God to church to religion to everything else you can imagine. Well, not quite everything. But we covered a lot and it was fun.
i'm convinced that the alternative culture, i dont know how to describe it. The modern-day hippies, if you will, are the best people to talk to. They're so interested in life. They want to soak it all in, respect other people, they have ideals that havent been crushed by the world and they're not afraid to stand up for things. This perfectly described these new friends i met.
Fast forward a week. i bought a biography about Elliott Smith and was able to lend it out to one of the friends i made that night. i hope he enjoys it. The first few chapters were rough if i remember correctly.
So we'll see where this goes! Either way, it's fun to watch God put people in my life and bring me into their lives!
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