February 4, 2008 — 9:11 PM
I am an unabashed Barack Obama supporter.
My interest was sparked by his speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention at which many of my friends were volunteering and got to hear him live. They spoke of him and that speech in glowing terms - telling how the whole convention center seemed to come to a standstill when he began to speak.
My interest grew when news stories began to come out about Barack as he prepared to declare his intentions to run for president.
And my decision was sealed when I stood in the light rain in Austin, Texas, just under one year ago and witnessed for myself the power of this man to speak to the hearts and minds of the American people and to inspire them to reach for a brighter future.
I really want Barack to gain the the Democratic nomination for president precisely because of this ability to inspire people. After seven long years of leadership that motivates by use of fear, I am ready for a leader who will help us visualize a different way of moving forward - a way that trusts that we the people actually have valid opinions that need to be heard and respected.
Today I saw a video that captures the very essence of Barack's inspiration that I find so inviting. I first saw it on Salon's War Room blog. I watched it again when the Obama campaign emailed a link to me.
Watch the video. Then get out and vote tomorrow. Whether you vote for Obama (which I sincerely hope you do) or not, please vote because you believe in the candidate you select. Don't continue being motivated by fear. Have the courage to vote with your heart. Let's learn once again to be a country that is inspired and in so doing inspires others the world over.
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February 7, 2008 — 9:32 AM
This morning I received my daily email from Thrillist.com pointing me to things I would never otherwise find in my city as well as on the web. The top entry on today's list of things that I must check out is art work labeled as "Gum Blondes".
The artist Jason Kronenwald makes these portraits of famous blondes completely from ABC gum (already been chewed!) - hence the use of the word "gum" in the label of the art work.
The art shown on his page is amazing - to which I say, "Hmmm." But then I remember that it's made from chewed gum and I say, "ICK!" I am definitely torn on this one.
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February 15, 2008 — 9:01 AM
I don't often get into memes that float around the electronic world. But I was invited this morning to participate in one by a fellow pastor, Jim Bonewald. The instructions are simple enough:
1) Grab the nearest book of 123 pages or more.
2) Open it to page 123.
3) Find the first 5 sentences and write them down.
4) Invite five friends to do the same.
So here's my contribution to this meme.
From Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert:
Most reasonably sized libraries have a shelf of futurist tomes from the 1950s with titles such as Into the Atomic Age and The World of Tomorrow. If you leaf through a few of them, you quickly notice that each of these books says more about the times in which it was written than about the times it was meant to foretell. Flip a few pages and you'll find a drawing of a housewife with a Donna Reed hairdo and a poodle skirt flitting about her atomic kitchen, waiting for the sound of her husband's rocket car before getting the tuna casserole on the table. Flip a few more and you'll see a sketch of a modern city under a glass dome, complete with nuclear trains, antigravity cars, and well-dressed citizens gliding smoothly to work on conveyor-belted sidewalks. You will also notice that some things are missing.
Now I tag Bruce, Tiffany, Heather, Karl, and Monte.
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February 19, 2008 — 9:09 PM
For the past three years the Presidents' Day weekend has had a new meaning for me. Not only has it given me a long weekend to enjoy but it has brought professional cycling to the Bay Area for me to experience live and in person. This year I was able to engage in this fascinating pastime once again as the Amgen Tour of California began it's eight-day run in the Bay Area.
When this race began in 2006 I was truly spoiled. I was unemployed at the time and was able to follow the first four days of the tour - all of which were in or within an easy drive of San Francisco. But, as the Tour has grown in popularity, so has it's reach into other parts of the state. This year's race didn't spend any time in my fair city. Complete bummer.
But I didn't let that stop me. On Sunday, I made my way down the peninsula and met up with some friends in Palo Alto to watch the Prologue stage. I was blown away by the large number of European cyclists who made the trek over to be a part of this race. Of course, I was there to yell for my favorite, George Hincapie. He didn't do as well as I had hoped, but no matter, he stayed in striking distance of the leader.
Then on Monday I made two stops. The first was on Highway 1 along the Marin coast where I was afforded a lovely view of the cyclists making their way through the twists and turns of the cliffs above the Pacific Ocean.
After the cyclists passed by I drove up to the finishing town of Santa Rosa and watched the progress on the big screen positioned at the finish line. Then I had three chances to see the riders up close as they completed the final circuits around Santa Rosa before the final sprint.
Today the race headed inland to Sacramento and I headed back to work in the rain. I'm consigned to watching the rest of the race on the TV. But you can bet I'll be out there again next year cheering and ringing my cow bell like the fanatic that I am.
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