February 2012
2 posts
1 tag
The Horn
One thing that I’m passionate in my life is horns. Just ask any passenger that’s ridden in a car with me… And here’s the interesting (or not so much) part about it all: I feel the same draw to all horns. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise when I say that I was pretty much constantly interested in blowing the huge-freak horn that the yacht I worked on was equipped...
1 tag
The Fender
This fine piece of equipment is used to guard the sides of the boat from what ever might scratch them, in the case of this photograph, the lock walls. During my month working on the Columbia and Snake Rivers, our frequent use of the locks enabled us to master certain skills that we had a keen appreciation for, namely tossing ropes and tying up fenders with finesse, style, and above all, a...
January 2012
3 posts
1 tag
1 tag
Watermark
Lever the Landing
Living with light
Up with the family
Laughing all night
How do you sleep now
With Curtain drawn tight?
How is the Winter
Both cloudy and Wet?
And how is your dreading
Of when you’ll be set
Stick with the faithful
It’s always best bet
Under the stars
Acting the show
I lose all I want
And forget all I know
I’ll prooceed lonely
Before I’ll not go.
1 tag
Baranof Warm Springs, Alaska
My second summer in Alaska, and quite a surprise welcome. The previous summer, these homey little cottages had been perched nicely on their wooden rail foundations. However, the winter of 06/07 had dumped a record amount of snow (in excess of 30 feet) upon the lovely little warm-springs equipped bay in Baranof Island. This was the result.
What can be fair in farewell, dear?
December 2011
3 posts
“Originality consists in thinking for yourself, not in thinking differently from...”
– James Fitzjames Stephen
3 tags
Oklahome
I don’t normally think of Oklahoma in this way anymore (as home), but the other day I had this idea and put it together on my flight from Chicago to Oklahoma City. How quaint!
1 tag
Stern Warning
London, England. This is a stern warning, and it presented a situation to me that I never would have even considered, until the City of London’s finest had suggested it to me. The sign had the same effect upon me as the sound of running water.
Anyway, I’m proud to admit that I am a law abiding citizen, and had no desire to be dealt with by the Police or watched on video...
November 2011
5 posts
“History can’t give attention to what’s been lost, hidden, or...”
– Scott Berkun, in The Myths of Innovation, p. 23
3 tags
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Rocke Day
Rockefeller Plaza, Fall 2007. It always surprises me how the City of New York has received such a bad rep for having unfriendly people. I’ve experienced generous, door-holding, direction-giving, locals more often than not (except working in the coffee shops).
To illustrate my point, I’m reminded of an interaction that I had during this trip to NYC. I was sitting on a bench with...
October 2011
5 posts
1 tag
Lock Set
When my job was to float up and down the Columbia and Snake River, we would pass through a series of 8 locks and dams, which were created to “harness the river’s power”. And that they did. The effect of approaching one was frequently what I imagine it would be like to be eaten by a gigantic monster and the engineering marvel that the lock and dam pair are is second to none in...
1 tag
Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American...
Radical, but David Platt. I found this book from Amazon, where I took a chance on their creepy accurate recommendation. I’m enjoying it immensely, and though I had low/no expectations, I’m thankful that he’s following a theological path that I can get behind.
There’s a quote that just tickled me, and though it’s not the essence of the book, I feel it’s a...
1 tag
Rocke Night + The Jewish Tree Thief
Rockefeller Plaza, Fall 2006. This was one of my first times to NYC, and it soon won over my heart a found it’s place in my top favorite cities. The opportunities for picture taking were unlike anything that I’d experienced up to that point and I found myself very inspired.
And if I’m not completely mistaken, this was also the trip that I stumbled across the guy on the subway...
“A man with no enemies is a man with no character”
– Paul Newman
September 2011
9 posts
1 tag
The Creative Habit
I’m almost finished reading Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit. I’ve enjoyed the format of the book very much- it’s almost a square when closed, and fits nicely in the hands. It has nicely sized text with key points highlighted in larger type and/or accented with red. There’s tons of contrast in the chapter title pages, and lots of space for the eyes to dance throughout the book. It’s...
“We are free to be preoccupied with God’s world and His work, becuse we...”
– Dan Stone and David Gregory, in The Rest of the Gospel, p. 181
“I know it’s important to be prepared, but at the start of the process this...”
– Twyla Tharp, in The Creative Habit, p. 124
2 tags
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The Rest of the Gospel
A great read, recommended and given to me by my father-in-law. Anyone who knows me has probably heard me refer to Francis Schaeffer’s “True Spirituality” as one of the most influentially practical books that I’ve read. “The Rest of the Gospel” by Dan Stone and David Gregory is quickly matching these sentiments.
In discussing our emotional state, I...
The abuse of a thing does not negate its proper...
Humboldt Park, Chicago. I’m enjoying creating super “contrasty” images, and ensuring that my abuse of the technique will, in fact, negate the proper use. Stay tuned.
A song I wrote and recorded back in ‘07. At...
“Be ruthless with yourself if you are given to talking about the experiences you...”
– Oswald Chambers
August 2011
2 posts
“You will not be a big hit right away. You will not get rich quick. You are not...”
– from ReWork by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
2 tags
ReWork
Fun, fun, fun. Authors Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson really wrote a compelling book here. It is cheeky, quick, easily digestible, and completely relevant to the current way business is being conducted. I highly recommend it.
They write about Takedowns, Progress, Productivity, Competitors, Evolution, Promotion, Hiring, Damage Control, and Culture in easy to read but hard hitting 1...
July 2011
7 posts
3 tags
Ready, Fire, Aim.
I’m reading Michael Masterson’s book, Ready, Fire, Aim and learning about his four stages of business growth. Of course, having never started a business, I’m having trouble even fathoming the $1million up to $100million in sales that companies are capable of producing.
Having worked for a few small entrepreneurial ventures, a start-up comedy theater in particular, I see the...
3 tags
"The Gift of the Jews," A Closing Point.
I’ve finished Thomas Cahill’s “The Gift of the Jews” and really feel the better for having read it. His contextual supplements to the stories that I’ve been raised with in the Bible is extremely beneficial, and gives me such a greater appreciation for the life and times of the Israelites, the Jews, and their struggles.
Though I do think he has great...
“(In referring to the name YHWH) We take comfort in the certain knowledge that...”
– Thomas Cahill in “The Gift of the Jews” (p. 109)
3 tags
"The Gift of the Jews" by Thomas Cahill
I’m taking Hugh Hewett’s suggested reading list in “In, But not Of” and seeing what it amounts to. He encourages the learning of where we (in the West) came from to be an essential component in obtaining influence, and lays out a list of 12 books to form an outline of this history. It begins with the Jews, so here I am.
So far, it’s been great to read with more...
4 tags
“10,000 people shouting the same thing makes it false, even if it happens to be...”
– Kirkegaard
June 2011
24 posts
Arik Johnson - Musings on Life →
“The trick is learning from [other people] rather than stubbornly believing that...”
– Alan Deutschman (in Change or Die)
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W.L. Gore & Associates. Boss Free??
It’s true. I have to admit, this is a hard scenario for me to imagine. I learned about this fact through Change or Die by Alan Deutschman, an excellent volume outlining the human nature to change (or rather what actually makes/convinces us to change).
“Your team is your boss, because you don’t want to let them down. Every one’s your boss and no one’s your boss...
“ac·qui·esce/ˌakwēˈes/
Verb: Accept something reluctantly but without protest.”
2 tags
Personality vs. Character Ethics
Stephen Covey’s legendary book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, is a book that I’ve had in my hands several times, but never actually read. I’m trying to change that, and am a whipping 21 pages into it as we speak.
The interesting point that has been made in the first chapter is the difference in success philosophies in the last 50 (or 60) years versus the previous 150...
“I’ve had thousands of problems in my life, most of which never actually...”
– Mark Twain
3 tags
There is a lot of hoopla in Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, that’s for sure, but I greatly appreciate the challenge Eker makes to reevaluate the conditioning that we have regarding money. I have to say, I learned a tremendous amount about my views through this book, and saw the clear correlation that he draws between our parents’ money practices and our personal money practices. I...
“Do one thing every day that scares you.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
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Prohibition - Another new Chicago bar?
I just caught wind of another new bar opening in Chicago, supposedly slated to open up in the recently re-named SoRiNoLo neighborhood (South of the River North of the Loop) at some indefinite date in the near/distant future. Sounds intriguing…
Announcing the new concept bar “Prohibition”, an exclusive 2 seat only, no-holds-barred “coupe” bar. This space has been...
“Better to lead the change than for it to lead you.”
– KJC