I can't get enough of his movies. I'm sure all of you reading have at least seen It's a Wondeful Life, if you haven't then you've probably been living under a rock.
I was able to visit the Jimmy Stewart Museum in Indiana, Pennsylvania (yes you read that correctly) and could have spent half a day in there. The man was awesome both as an actor and outside of acting. He voluntarily enlisted in the Air Force, something he wanted to do from an early age. And I have another reason to like Jimmy, he was a Republican and did stump speeches for Ronald Reagan in the 80's. Yes Jimmy, you are one of my heroes. If you haven't already seen the following movies, I highly recommend these: Vertigo, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, The Man Who Knew Too Much, You Can't Take It With You, The Spirit of St. Louis, but there are simply too many to name.
As a sample, here is a clip from one of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies of Jimmy Stewarts, enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC1HT3UjyDA
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Book Reviews From the Trip
"Captivating" & The Royal Wedding
I guess you could call this "Message to Men Part II" since I caught flack from the last one for not giving advise on how we are to relate to the other gender. I wanted to make this post some months back when Prince William Windsor consummated his marriage to Kate Middleton, and it would have coincided perfectly with my visit to Ransom Heart Ministries. After reading this book and after contemplating these things my self I couldn't agree more that men and women both equally reflect the qualities of God and bear his image. This is a traditional view of men and women relations but in some ways its not, but as more sophisticated and deeper reasoning for why we do the things we do, why each gender has a hard time understanding that of other. I'm not one to give advice, but the biggest thing I personally took from this book, that us guys are not doing enough of, was that women do bear the qualities of God, and the biggest one which we neglected is the desire for women to be pursued....like the Father wishes to be pursued by us. I think as men we forget this, we pursue in the beginning and lose our touch once we acquire. So men, let us always continue to pursue our women and recognize it as a given and as a constant effort worthy of giving our energies to, they are a mystery to be enjoyed not a problem to be solved.
Royal Wedding
In regards to the Royal Wedding, which while reading this book I really wanted to blog about for some reason A lot of people thought it was ridiculous the amount of media coverage the event was being given. I initially took this position as well,. but after seeing it (I accidentally woke up at 6 a.m. in Colorado and it just happened to be on tv...okay?), my attitude changed. How great is it for millions of people to witness a wedding, taking place in a church recognizing the authority of God? The couple looked natural and calm throughout and I think for a time it re-inspired societies hope in marriage and that can never be a bad thing...
The Last Lecture
A good book written by Randy Pausch. Aside from him being a Virginian, I had many reasons to like this guy. Here is wisdom coming from a man who is about to die, as if his death bed is extended and we had a lot of brilliant things to say. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to read this book, while I'm young and hopefully have many years ahead of me to put his advice into practice. We should all be so thankful for each day we are given to better ourselves.
Dale Carnegie's Way of Manipulating People
Okay that wasn't the title of the book obviously. I highly recommend and enjoyed reading this as well. However, I feel as though the advice he offers is somewhat common sense. To steal a quote from a friend of mine though, most people don't employ these tactics. I have run into "Empire Builders" over the years who are too obvious when they use these people skills and it comes off as unoriginal and disingenuous. Therefore, the people skills in and of themselves are not fully bullet proof if they are not genuine. People will read straight through you if your heart is not in the right place. The only remedy for this is to get your heart and desires in the right place, make sure your reasons are pure before charming one into your way of thinking.
The Confessions of St. Augustine
Very dense and very difficult to read at times (and boring), so I had to resort to buying the audio to this one. I had a lot of driving time so I was able to finish it in no time because of that. I believed I thought way too much about things until I dived into this work, now I feel like I have the spiritual intellect of a five year old. This guy (St. Augustine of Hippo) literally goes through his entire spiritual life and from I could understand, even asks the Lord for forgiveness of the sins he was unaware of committing as a child. He literally wrestles with almost every theological concept you can think of and doesn't fully commit to God until he feels fully assured that his own intellect is flawed and unavoidably always inconsistent. A good book for the deeper spiritually minded folks.
The Rise of Teddy Roosevelt
A good book to read period, and relatively easy despite its length. There are actually 3 volumes, Theodore Rex being the 2nd book followed by Col. Roosevelt. Although I haven't read these other two, I don't think they can top the Rise of. Everyone can relate to this man's life in some way yet at the same time he was above most people. The man didn't quit. You'll easily be inspired if you read this book to go and conquer every demand of your life. Reading this on the road, being in the Badlands and some unknown places out west perfectly fitted the feeling I got when reading this work. Highly recommended.
I also took up reading Leadership Lessons of R.E. Lee on the trip as well as Robert Frost's poetry although I didn't finish these I read enough to get some out of them. It was neat reading Leadership Lessons which many of the lessons meshed well with Dale Carnegies work and I read the real personal display of the lessons in reading Teddy Roosevelts biography, all three men spanning different time periods but saying the same things which reinforced the lessons. The Lee book however, was a bit repetitive and a lot of the lessons seem to overlap with each other and the personals examples given by the author didn't always match with the lesson he was trying to describe, but nonetheless still a good book for those in business or management of any kind.
I guess you could call this "Message to Men Part II" since I caught flack from the last one for not giving advise on how we are to relate to the other gender. I wanted to make this post some months back when Prince William Windsor consummated his marriage to Kate Middleton, and it would have coincided perfectly with my visit to Ransom Heart Ministries. After reading this book and after contemplating these things my self I couldn't agree more that men and women both equally reflect the qualities of God and bear his image. This is a traditional view of men and women relations but in some ways its not, but as more sophisticated and deeper reasoning for why we do the things we do, why each gender has a hard time understanding that of other. I'm not one to give advice, but the biggest thing I personally took from this book, that us guys are not doing enough of, was that women do bear the qualities of God, and the biggest one which we neglected is the desire for women to be pursued....like the Father wishes to be pursued by us. I think as men we forget this, we pursue in the beginning and lose our touch once we acquire. So men, let us always continue to pursue our women and recognize it as a given and as a constant effort worthy of giving our energies to, they are a mystery to be enjoyed not a problem to be solved.
Royal Wedding
In regards to the Royal Wedding, which while reading this book I really wanted to blog about for some reason A lot of people thought it was ridiculous the amount of media coverage the event was being given. I initially took this position as well,. but after seeing it (I accidentally woke up at 6 a.m. in Colorado and it just happened to be on tv...okay?), my attitude changed. How great is it for millions of people to witness a wedding, taking place in a church recognizing the authority of God? The couple looked natural and calm throughout and I think for a time it re-inspired societies hope in marriage and that can never be a bad thing...
The Last Lecture
A good book written by Randy Pausch. Aside from him being a Virginian, I had many reasons to like this guy. Here is wisdom coming from a man who is about to die, as if his death bed is extended and we had a lot of brilliant things to say. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to read this book, while I'm young and hopefully have many years ahead of me to put his advice into practice. We should all be so thankful for each day we are given to better ourselves.
Dale Carnegie's Way of Manipulating People
Okay that wasn't the title of the book obviously. I highly recommend and enjoyed reading this as well. However, I feel as though the advice he offers is somewhat common sense. To steal a quote from a friend of mine though, most people don't employ these tactics. I have run into "Empire Builders" over the years who are too obvious when they use these people skills and it comes off as unoriginal and disingenuous. Therefore, the people skills in and of themselves are not fully bullet proof if they are not genuine. People will read straight through you if your heart is not in the right place. The only remedy for this is to get your heart and desires in the right place, make sure your reasons are pure before charming one into your way of thinking.
The Confessions of St. Augustine
Very dense and very difficult to read at times (and boring), so I had to resort to buying the audio to this one. I had a lot of driving time so I was able to finish it in no time because of that. I believed I thought way too much about things until I dived into this work, now I feel like I have the spiritual intellect of a five year old. This guy (St. Augustine of Hippo) literally goes through his entire spiritual life and from I could understand, even asks the Lord for forgiveness of the sins he was unaware of committing as a child. He literally wrestles with almost every theological concept you can think of and doesn't fully commit to God until he feels fully assured that his own intellect is flawed and unavoidably always inconsistent. A good book for the deeper spiritually minded folks.
The Rise of Teddy Roosevelt
A good book to read period, and relatively easy despite its length. There are actually 3 volumes, Theodore Rex being the 2nd book followed by Col. Roosevelt. Although I haven't read these other two, I don't think they can top the Rise of. Everyone can relate to this man's life in some way yet at the same time he was above most people. The man didn't quit. You'll easily be inspired if you read this book to go and conquer every demand of your life. Reading this on the road, being in the Badlands and some unknown places out west perfectly fitted the feeling I got when reading this work. Highly recommended.
I also took up reading Leadership Lessons of R.E. Lee on the trip as well as Robert Frost's poetry although I didn't finish these I read enough to get some out of them. It was neat reading Leadership Lessons which many of the lessons meshed well with Dale Carnegies work and I read the real personal display of the lessons in reading Teddy Roosevelts biography, all three men spanning different time periods but saying the same things which reinforced the lessons. The Lee book however, was a bit repetitive and a lot of the lessons seem to overlap with each other and the personals examples given by the author didn't always match with the lesson he was trying to describe, but nonetheless still a good book for those in business or management of any kind.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Finishing Off The West
Many have been surprised at how quickly I've made it back to the east coast. In actuality, I've been journeying eastward since close to the end of May, but I know, it's gone by quick. I mentioned how anxious I am to get home, it's not b/c I necessarily miss it or am tired of travelling, I'm having a blast...but I'm real excited to get back to the normal life routine and see what the Lord has for me next as I enter a new phase.
Idaho Poets & The Battle of Little Bull Snake in Montana
In Idaho, I stayed in the old mining town of Hailey close to Ketchum. Ketchum I also visited, which is close to Sun Valley....where Arnold Swarzenneggar is currently running from all of his babies mommas. Hailey, is the hometown of one of my favorite Poets, Ezra Pound, and I was able to swing by his boyhood home which has now been turned into a local arts center. While Hailey is the home to Pound, Ketchum is home to the grave of Ernest Hemingway which I also happened to stop by and see...for inspiration of course....inspiration for why not to drink. Montana was a heck of a drive and it took me two days to pass through the state. I stopped by the National Monument area that honors the battle of Little Big Horn, where Custer made his last stand. Pretty cool since it was a story I had read about since I was a kid. While walking along the paved path I completely missed the sign that said "watch for snakes". Those of you who know me well, know that I despise snakes with a passion...more than anything. I don't mind rats, or spiders, or bears, but snakes I hate. When walking along, I heard what sounded like a cat hissing and to my left, curled upright on itself was a massive (probably 4 feet) bull snake. After my initial dash, I went back to try and get a picture of it curled up ready to strike, but as I re-approached, the thing slithered back into the tall grass. Although this one was not venomous, I still hate the species.
Yellowstone
Literally, the Jurassic Park of America. It was amazing getting to see the variety of wildlife freely roaming through fields and forests. This place had everything. Geysers, swamps, lakes, wilderness, mountains...it was Eden, and has been marked down as a must see place to visit again. Easily, I could have spent a week there.
The Dakotas
I highly enjoyed passing through South Dakota. The Badlands were an incredible place to explore, I tried imagining what Teddy Roosevelt must have felt horseback riding by himself through this endless vastness of land. In addition to the Badlands, South Dakota is also home to Mt. Rushmore. I expected Mt. Rushmore to be a tourist trap, you go, you grab some pictures of the Presidents Heads and thats it. But surprisingly, the park offered more than that. They had a neat museum which describes the plans and what all went into the construction of the monument, an ampitheatre, and some hiking areas. The nearby town is pretty neat as well.
The Cut Off: Iowa & Nebraska, The Cultures of America
Basically, uneventful states, although the countryside farmland is pretty. I went by the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines although the fair had not yet started. Wisconsin though, had probably the most scenic farmlands I have ever seen, and you can mark Madison as another great place for single guys. From my observations, the east/west divide lies along the Minnesota-Lousiana lines. It seems has though states west of that line completely embrace the country-western lifestyle and culture, while east of that line appears to be no different than any other state on the east coast, meaning green grass, trees, and lots and lots of traffic and interconnectedness. In Colorado, I heard for the first time, that I talked "like an easterner". That was a new concept to me, but after spending some time out west I realized that the West really is a different culture, it's only natural when you have a country as vast as ours that people will be slightly different in their manner. After coming back to the east coast, I've already found that my stress has gone up a lot and I find myself yelling at other vehicles more often than I did out west. Within the East-West Cultures lies 2 split subcultures. In the west, you have two forms of individualism that has emerged. One being very conservative, somewhat anti-government and very independent and self sufficient, primarily dominate within the midland western states. On the coastal states such as Oregon, Washington and California, while you have that passionate individualism, it seems to be more in a social sense. You find more free spirits willing to try anything when it comes to religion, clothing, lifestyles,and yes sexuality. Colorado and New Mexico seem to be an odd mixture of both and seem to be battlegrounds for those sub-cultural clashes. The overall culture of the west is very content, laid back, independent with a 'keep to yourself' attitude. As I entered back to the east, it was like switching from first gear to fifth gear in a flash as I crossed into Minnesota. Traffic, tolls, people everywhere, no longer open road and vast scenery. The closeness I think makes people of the east more aware of their surroundings and more responsive to things that affect them and those around them. I believe political participation is probably far greater in the east and it seems that people on this side of the country more devoted to keep traditions. Although the subcultures which are the north and south have slightly different cultural traditions with Florida, New Hampshire and Vermont seeming to be the odd mixing bowls of these cultures.
Idaho Poets & The Battle of Little Bull Snake in Montana
In Idaho, I stayed in the old mining town of Hailey close to Ketchum. Ketchum I also visited, which is close to Sun Valley....where Arnold Swarzenneggar is currently running from all of his babies mommas. Hailey, is the hometown of one of my favorite Poets, Ezra Pound, and I was able to swing by his boyhood home which has now been turned into a local arts center. While Hailey is the home to Pound, Ketchum is home to the grave of Ernest Hemingway which I also happened to stop by and see...for inspiration of course....inspiration for why not to drink. Montana was a heck of a drive and it took me two days to pass through the state. I stopped by the National Monument area that honors the battle of Little Big Horn, where Custer made his last stand. Pretty cool since it was a story I had read about since I was a kid. While walking along the paved path I completely missed the sign that said "watch for snakes". Those of you who know me well, know that I despise snakes with a passion...more than anything. I don't mind rats, or spiders, or bears, but snakes I hate. When walking along, I heard what sounded like a cat hissing and to my left, curled upright on itself was a massive (probably 4 feet) bull snake. After my initial dash, I went back to try and get a picture of it curled up ready to strike, but as I re-approached, the thing slithered back into the tall grass. Although this one was not venomous, I still hate the species.
Yellowstone
Literally, the Jurassic Park of America. It was amazing getting to see the variety of wildlife freely roaming through fields and forests. This place had everything. Geysers, swamps, lakes, wilderness, mountains...it was Eden, and has been marked down as a must see place to visit again. Easily, I could have spent a week there.
The Dakotas
I highly enjoyed passing through South Dakota. The Badlands were an incredible place to explore, I tried imagining what Teddy Roosevelt must have felt horseback riding by himself through this endless vastness of land. In addition to the Badlands, South Dakota is also home to Mt. Rushmore. I expected Mt. Rushmore to be a tourist trap, you go, you grab some pictures of the Presidents Heads and thats it. But surprisingly, the park offered more than that. They had a neat museum which describes the plans and what all went into the construction of the monument, an ampitheatre, and some hiking areas. The nearby town is pretty neat as well.
The Cut Off: Iowa & Nebraska, The Cultures of America
Basically, uneventful states, although the countryside farmland is pretty. I went by the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines although the fair had not yet started. Wisconsin though, had probably the most scenic farmlands I have ever seen, and you can mark Madison as another great place for single guys. From my observations, the east/west divide lies along the Minnesota-Lousiana lines. It seems has though states west of that line completely embrace the country-western lifestyle and culture, while east of that line appears to be no different than any other state on the east coast, meaning green grass, trees, and lots and lots of traffic and interconnectedness. In Colorado, I heard for the first time, that I talked "like an easterner". That was a new concept to me, but after spending some time out west I realized that the West really is a different culture, it's only natural when you have a country as vast as ours that people will be slightly different in their manner. After coming back to the east coast, I've already found that my stress has gone up a lot and I find myself yelling at other vehicles more often than I did out west. Within the East-West Cultures lies 2 split subcultures. In the west, you have two forms of individualism that has emerged. One being very conservative, somewhat anti-government and very independent and self sufficient, primarily dominate within the midland western states. On the coastal states such as Oregon, Washington and California, while you have that passionate individualism, it seems to be more in a social sense. You find more free spirits willing to try anything when it comes to religion, clothing, lifestyles,and yes sexuality. Colorado and New Mexico seem to be an odd mixture of both and seem to be battlegrounds for those sub-cultural clashes. The overall culture of the west is very content, laid back, independent with a 'keep to yourself' attitude. As I entered back to the east, it was like switching from first gear to fifth gear in a flash as I crossed into Minnesota. Traffic, tolls, people everywhere, no longer open road and vast scenery. The closeness I think makes people of the east more aware of their surroundings and more responsive to things that affect them and those around them. I believe political participation is probably far greater in the east and it seems that people on this side of the country more devoted to keep traditions. Although the subcultures which are the north and south have slightly different cultural traditions with Florida, New Hampshire and Vermont seeming to be the odd mixing bowls of these cultures.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
State Capitols Challenge
Along the way, I've had the pleasure of seeing many state capitols. I saw a bunch in the south east but didn't really bother with taking pictures of them and many capitols were kind of out of the way from my driving route. That was until I arrived in Texas and stayed with my good friend Nathan. Now, Nathan has amassed a nice collection of pictures with him standing in front of many state capitols. With both of us being somewhat competitive by nature, I felt the need to have a new goal on this trip and that was to snap pictures of every capitol of each state I pass through from here on out. I believe in order to be in the lead, I would have to get a picture in front of every capitol from Texas on. I missed Springfield, Illinois....
Meet and Greets w/ State Workers
I started out trying to take the time to go into the capitols and talk with staffers, legislators and lobbyist and get a feel for the issues and what life was like during session for those workers....It's much the same as in Virginia with the fast pace environment, comb-overs, and stoic settings. Basically, I would just pick a random office, walk in, and start striking up conversation with a staffer and a legislator if they happened to be in. It was kind of neat actually. The first one I tried in Texas however, although I crossed my fingers hoping for a member of my party, turned out to be of the opposite party but that actually made things more interesting; in Colorado I talked with the Speaker's staff, I met the brother of a Representative in New Mexico, in Oregon I made one of the state senators take a picture for me(he couldn't figure out how to work my camera), and in West Virginia I bumped into a Senator while taking a picture of the chamber whom I talked with for about 10 minutes and said the West Virginia people are THE most hospitable people in the US (while I claimed it to be New Mexico and Alabama).
Aside from the picture taking goal, just being able to converse with legislators and staffers from other states has been a neat experience all in itself. Thank's Nathan for the inspiration :-)
Meet and Greets w/ State Workers
I started out trying to take the time to go into the capitols and talk with staffers, legislators and lobbyist and get a feel for the issues and what life was like during session for those workers....It's much the same as in Virginia with the fast pace environment, comb-overs, and stoic settings. Basically, I would just pick a random office, walk in, and start striking up conversation with a staffer and a legislator if they happened to be in. It was kind of neat actually. The first one I tried in Texas however, although I crossed my fingers hoping for a member of my party, turned out to be of the opposite party but that actually made things more interesting; in Colorado I talked with the Speaker's staff, I met the brother of a Representative in New Mexico, in Oregon I made one of the state senators take a picture for me(he couldn't figure out how to work my camera), and in West Virginia I bumped into a Senator while taking a picture of the chamber whom I talked with for about 10 minutes and said the West Virginia people are THE most hospitable people in the US (while I claimed it to be New Mexico and Alabama).
Aside from the picture taking goal, just being able to converse with legislators and staffers from other states has been a neat experience all in itself. Thank's Nathan for the inspiration :-)
Monday, June 6, 2011
Unsung Heroes
A little late on this post, I wanted to have it up for the Memorial Day holiday as we remember our US soldiers serving around the world and veterans, and the sacrifices they have made for their country. They deserve all the praise we can give them for what they do.
I can't tell you how many times along this trip I've run into sticky situations. Sometimes it's something major like popping my tires in Arkansas. Some situations aren't as bad, but they are a cause for worry nonetheless. As in, when I'm lost downtown somewhere or if I just need for there to be a gas station open late at night. I am so thankful to those who were there and could provide me with directions or at least let me know where I could find civilization. Even people on the street who could tell me where things were probably saved me much time and money trying to find things myself. I wonder how many times a convenient store cashier or a stranger on the street has saved a life without realizing it? It taught me a valuable lesson, if it's within reason and your ability, be willing to help a stranger, especially if it's something as simple as directions and do it with enthusiasm.
Brian Carderelli
One hero of mine who I haven't recognized as such before now is Brian Carderelli. Unfortunately, while I considered him a friend, I didn't have the opportunity to get to know him as well as I should have enough to call him a close friend. Brian was killed in Afghanistan close to a year ago when the group he was with was attacked by Afghan/Pakistan militants. Brian was not a soldier, he was a photographer trying to show the beauty of Afghanistan and that it is not a country completely defined by war. He was there voluntarily. I didn't realize how much my interactions with him impacted my life until he had died. Suddenly, I had a rushing flood of memories come back to me of all the times we had hung out, played rugby and paintball together, and when I saw him at Covenant Church. All of the things said about him in the newspaper and at his memorial service were perfectly in line with the person I knew him to be. He's a hero of mine b/c if ever I think this trip, or the things I do in life are 'radical' in faith, cool, or badass....I think about Brian, how radical in his faith, how courageous he was to live in a war torn country for a year (and planned to stay longer). He is a true hero, a light into the world which is a lesser place without him. I'd be lucky to live with a mustard seed amount of faith that he had. He lived more of a life in 26 years than most ever do. Since his death I've pondered the concept of legacy, what is it we want to leave behind? I hope to encourage you all to ponder this as well. Thank you Brian for the times we had, and thank you for shining your light.
I can't tell you how many times along this trip I've run into sticky situations. Sometimes it's something major like popping my tires in Arkansas. Some situations aren't as bad, but they are a cause for worry nonetheless. As in, when I'm lost downtown somewhere or if I just need for there to be a gas station open late at night. I am so thankful to those who were there and could provide me with directions or at least let me know where I could find civilization. Even people on the street who could tell me where things were probably saved me much time and money trying to find things myself. I wonder how many times a convenient store cashier or a stranger on the street has saved a life without realizing it? It taught me a valuable lesson, if it's within reason and your ability, be willing to help a stranger, especially if it's something as simple as directions and do it with enthusiasm.
Brian Carderelli
One hero of mine who I haven't recognized as such before now is Brian Carderelli. Unfortunately, while I considered him a friend, I didn't have the opportunity to get to know him as well as I should have enough to call him a close friend. Brian was killed in Afghanistan close to a year ago when the group he was with was attacked by Afghan/Pakistan militants. Brian was not a soldier, he was a photographer trying to show the beauty of Afghanistan and that it is not a country completely defined by war. He was there voluntarily. I didn't realize how much my interactions with him impacted my life until he had died. Suddenly, I had a rushing flood of memories come back to me of all the times we had hung out, played rugby and paintball together, and when I saw him at Covenant Church. All of the things said about him in the newspaper and at his memorial service were perfectly in line with the person I knew him to be. He's a hero of mine b/c if ever I think this trip, or the things I do in life are 'radical' in faith, cool, or badass....I think about Brian, how radical in his faith, how courageous he was to live in a war torn country for a year (and planned to stay longer). He is a true hero, a light into the world which is a lesser place without him. I'd be lucky to live with a mustard seed amount of faith that he had. He lived more of a life in 26 years than most ever do. Since his death I've pondered the concept of legacy, what is it we want to leave behind? I hope to encourage you all to ponder this as well. Thank you Brian for the times we had, and thank you for shining your light.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Teddy Roosevelt and His Quarter-Life Crisis: Part I
Conveniently, as I write this, I am currently in North Dakota , home to the Roosevelt National Park Badlands for a while. Now, a lot of my friends are going through this weird and awkward phase in life which now has a name called “the quarter-life crisis”. Maybe a bit over dramatic, since it’s not really a crisis…maybe a confusing period, or a quarter life conflict. It’s no different than what society accepts now as the mid-life crisis and I’m convinced those addressing the issues of the quarter life episode actually avoid the midlife scenario. Assuming this is correct, I would rather opt for the quarter life than the midlife or be one of the rare few who blissfully go through neither.
Since a lot of my friends are facing the same challenges, this post is for you and I hope you’ll find it encouraging. Firstly, you are not alone….a great man and president, Teddy Roosevelt himself faced the kind of questions you are facing now, that in itself should be encouraging, and I chose Teddy Roosevelt since he obviously worked through his issues and became a success….but here is what he did:
Teddy’s Quarter:
When Teddy was young, he had asthma and was a sickly child in general, most of his illness plagued him all through his life at different periods. Maybe this is what caused him to overcompensate in other areas of his life for when he was finally healthy enough he did everything from ranching to boxing to climbing mountains. He had held a nostalgia for the cowboy/soldier way of life. At the prime age of 25, despite dropping out of law school had much political success. Being elected to the New York State Assembly a couple years earlier he was making a name for himself and his wife, Alice , was pregnant with their first child who would also be named Alice Roosevelt fled for the Badlands of North Dakota where he purchased two ranches and intended to live out there for the rest of his days. He did live there for a couple of years, living as a true cowboy rancher until he found himself physically in the best shape of his life and happier than he had been in years. He of course came back to New York
Glimpses of Eternity
Whatever it was the ranch did for Teddy Roosevelt, it soothed his soul, it comforted him and healed him. For whatever reason, a man has a need and the tendency to distance himself and a desire to just get away, whether it be to the open country, the sea, the beaches, or the open road. Think about whenever you’re walking along a beach or on a hike on a never ending trail, it’s as if it doesn’t end, and the great thing is, you never want it to end. If the long stretch of beach, land or sea could just keep going and going that would be just fine. I think this is a gift God gives us here on this earth, a way of understanding heaven without yet having been there, as if he is providing us with early visions or glimpses of what it’s like to live forever. Teddy Roosevelt found a glimpse of heaven on his ranches in North Dakota
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Seeing Green Again
North California Dreamin' & The Grove
Leaving LA, I headed east for Death Valley, it was kind of an intimidating drive to be honest, absolutely nothing for miles but once you actually got to the park it wasn't bad since there were actual people around in RV's and what not. I made a stop at a big boys and a goofy little "Alien Jerky" place when I was getting some good ole 4 dollar gasoline. From Death Valley I headed up another famous park, Yosemite, but to my disappointment the main road which leads up into the park was closed off, I'm guessing this is a seasonal thing, I found a back road which I took but it just wasn't worth the trouble. So I got to see the outskirts of Yosemite at least. I headed up to Carson City, Nevada to grab a shot of the capitol and stayed there for the night. I booked it to San Francisco the next day, passing through Sacramento, stayed there a night, did the Golden Gate Bridge thing for a bit and headed northward along the Pacific Coast Highway. swinging past Muir Woods and stopped in Eureka after doing a quick excursion at the Bohemian Grove. I debated making a kayaking trip up to the owl statue, but I was due to meet with some of my family in 2 days in Portland and I didn't want to fall behind schedule (as you can probably tell by this post, I've been making quick stops and passing through things rather quickly now). I did however, finally get the guts to try and hike the wilderness to the owl but I was stumped when I ran into 3 steep hills that were impossible to walk and climb up so I turned around and asked one of the locals where I could find a trail. She warned me that they have video surveillance all around and once you get to a certain point the local sheriff's office basically swarms the entire area....I figured it'd be worth the fine and would be a good story...but once logic and time constraints came into play, I decided to forgo my invasion of the grove. Most of the locals there at some point or another have kayaked to the grove where they are merely given a stern warning by authorities to leave....a lady told me that people come up there to protest during the annual retreat but not as much any more. The protestors were mostly active during the Vietnam War and at the height of the Iraq War. She did say, that the locals have mixed feelings about the Grove. The local feel that while it's weird and creepy what goes on in the grove... and yes they do ship prostitutes in from San Francisco (a lot of male prostitutes) the rich vacationers do bring in a lot of money into the community. Bill Gates loves tennis and apparently the Grove does not have a tennis court, so he paid money to have people fix the local run-down tennis court which the whole community now enjoys. The local golf club gets a nice economic boost during those two weeks in July as well. Again, I'm not going to tell you what the Grove is, just google it, but that's what the locals told me.
The Pacific Coast Highway
What a gorgeous drive, I had to keep stopping every couple of minutes to snap photos, either of the coast or the redwood trees or one of the ridiculous tourist traps along the way. I saw everything from a tree house to a bigfoot shop (apparently I was in bigfoot country) to "mystery" trees, to you name it. When I entered north California and into Oregon what struck me was all of the green. I didn't realize it, but I hadn't really seen green grass and green landscape in weeks and I was taken back when I saw it again. It was an awesome scenic route which I followed up a ways into Oregon before heading to Diamond Lake for the night. I was so excited that I finally got to use my new fly fishing rod there, although only for an hour before it got dark, it was stocked with lots of trout.
Out w/ Asian, In w/ Moroccan
Portland, Oregon is a very large and very cultural place to be. The downtown area was pretty cool, and was a hippie paradise (I fit in quite well with my beard). I stayed with my uncle Don and his family for the night and we went to this Moroccan restaurant where you have to sit cross legged on the floor for dinner. Thank goodness they chose Moroccan because me and asian food had not been getting along lately. It was fun, even when I was shamefully pulled onto a belly dance floor with one of dancers....shaking my head as I type this, there's an embarrassing moment I'd like to forget, I'd rather be playing horribly on stage in Nashvillle. Again, I fit in great at this place partially because I speak some Arabic and also once again because of the beard. If it wasn't for all the rain and the terrible traffic, Portland would be a nice place to live.
Homeless In Seattle
By now, you may have figured out my obsession with homeless people. Not really sure why, maybe it comes from a deep fear of being homeless myself. It just fascinates me as to how people can get themselves into those situations, I don't quite understand it. I arrived in Seattle late the next day, since I just HAD to get my picture taken in Salem at the Oregon capitol building, putting me a couple hours behind....stupid. I'd been wanting to spend a night and a day as a homeless person just to see what it was like (thanks Mr. O for the idea ;-) )so I parked near, I think it was I-5, and slept under the highway in my sleeping bag...it was quite warm surprisingly, it was a bit frightening but more so out of a fear of getting picked up by police than anything else. Seattle is known for having the friendliest and safest homeless population in the country which is why I chose Seattle as a prime place to do this. I do regret that I wasn't able to interactive with the homeless people there as much as I would have liked but from what I could tell they did seem quite polite and down to earth. Standing around asking for change got kind of old after a while so I checked into a place and went to the Space Needle. I wanted to hop around the grunge music scene, since that is another thing Seattle is known for but I was just to tired due to the lack of sleep the night before. However, the place I was eyeballing was called "The Funhouse", definitely check that place out if you're ever in Seattle and want to hear some good underground music.
My head is turning east, and I am more than ready to come back home but there is still much to see, please continue to pray for a safe journey home.
Joel
Leaving LA, I headed east for Death Valley, it was kind of an intimidating drive to be honest, absolutely nothing for miles but once you actually got to the park it wasn't bad since there were actual people around in RV's and what not. I made a stop at a big boys and a goofy little "Alien Jerky" place when I was getting some good ole 4 dollar gasoline. From Death Valley I headed up another famous park, Yosemite, but to my disappointment the main road which leads up into the park was closed off, I'm guessing this is a seasonal thing, I found a back road which I took but it just wasn't worth the trouble. So I got to see the outskirts of Yosemite at least. I headed up to Carson City, Nevada to grab a shot of the capitol and stayed there for the night. I booked it to San Francisco the next day, passing through Sacramento, stayed there a night, did the Golden Gate Bridge thing for a bit and headed northward along the Pacific Coast Highway. swinging past Muir Woods and stopped in Eureka after doing a quick excursion at the Bohemian Grove. I debated making a kayaking trip up to the owl statue, but I was due to meet with some of my family in 2 days in Portland and I didn't want to fall behind schedule (as you can probably tell by this post, I've been making quick stops and passing through things rather quickly now). I did however, finally get the guts to try and hike the wilderness to the owl but I was stumped when I ran into 3 steep hills that were impossible to walk and climb up so I turned around and asked one of the locals where I could find a trail. She warned me that they have video surveillance all around and once you get to a certain point the local sheriff's office basically swarms the entire area....I figured it'd be worth the fine and would be a good story...but once logic and time constraints came into play, I decided to forgo my invasion of the grove. Most of the locals there at some point or another have kayaked to the grove where they are merely given a stern warning by authorities to leave....a lady told me that people come up there to protest during the annual retreat but not as much any more. The protestors were mostly active during the Vietnam War and at the height of the Iraq War. She did say, that the locals have mixed feelings about the Grove. The local feel that while it's weird and creepy what goes on in the grove... and yes they do ship prostitutes in from San Francisco (a lot of male prostitutes) the rich vacationers do bring in a lot of money into the community. Bill Gates loves tennis and apparently the Grove does not have a tennis court, so he paid money to have people fix the local run-down tennis court which the whole community now enjoys. The local golf club gets a nice economic boost during those two weeks in July as well. Again, I'm not going to tell you what the Grove is, just google it, but that's what the locals told me.
The Pacific Coast Highway
What a gorgeous drive, I had to keep stopping every couple of minutes to snap photos, either of the coast or the redwood trees or one of the ridiculous tourist traps along the way. I saw everything from a tree house to a bigfoot shop (apparently I was in bigfoot country) to "mystery" trees, to you name it. When I entered north California and into Oregon what struck me was all of the green. I didn't realize it, but I hadn't really seen green grass and green landscape in weeks and I was taken back when I saw it again. It was an awesome scenic route which I followed up a ways into Oregon before heading to Diamond Lake for the night. I was so excited that I finally got to use my new fly fishing rod there, although only for an hour before it got dark, it was stocked with lots of trout.
Out w/ Asian, In w/ Moroccan
Portland, Oregon is a very large and very cultural place to be. The downtown area was pretty cool, and was a hippie paradise (I fit in quite well with my beard). I stayed with my uncle Don and his family for the night and we went to this Moroccan restaurant where you have to sit cross legged on the floor for dinner. Thank goodness they chose Moroccan because me and asian food had not been getting along lately. It was fun, even when I was shamefully pulled onto a belly dance floor with one of dancers....shaking my head as I type this, there's an embarrassing moment I'd like to forget, I'd rather be playing horribly on stage in Nashvillle. Again, I fit in great at this place partially because I speak some Arabic and also once again because of the beard. If it wasn't for all the rain and the terrible traffic, Portland would be a nice place to live.
Homeless In Seattle
By now, you may have figured out my obsession with homeless people. Not really sure why, maybe it comes from a deep fear of being homeless myself. It just fascinates me as to how people can get themselves into those situations, I don't quite understand it. I arrived in Seattle late the next day, since I just HAD to get my picture taken in Salem at the Oregon capitol building, putting me a couple hours behind....stupid. I'd been wanting to spend a night and a day as a homeless person just to see what it was like (thanks Mr. O for the idea ;-) )so I parked near, I think it was I-5, and slept under the highway in my sleeping bag...it was quite warm surprisingly, it was a bit frightening but more so out of a fear of getting picked up by police than anything else. Seattle is known for having the friendliest and safest homeless population in the country which is why I chose Seattle as a prime place to do this. I do regret that I wasn't able to interactive with the homeless people there as much as I would have liked but from what I could tell they did seem quite polite and down to earth. Standing around asking for change got kind of old after a while so I checked into a place and went to the Space Needle. I wanted to hop around the grunge music scene, since that is another thing Seattle is known for but I was just to tired due to the lack of sleep the night before. However, the place I was eyeballing was called "The Funhouse", definitely check that place out if you're ever in Seattle and want to hear some good underground music.
My head is turning east, and I am more than ready to come back home but there is still much to see, please continue to pray for a safe journey home.
Joel
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