Last night I had the chance to see Juno at the Champaign Art Theater – the pretentiousness of this theater felt right for this film. Since seeing the film I’ve had the above song in my head and thought I’d share it with you. Time is rather hard to come buy right now so this post isn’t to in depth, I invite you to interact with me about the film via comments or emails or in person. I really enjoyed it.
Breaking the Blog Silence
Posted 06 Jan 2008 — by nick
Category Uncategorized
Category Uncategorized
It sure has been quiet around here lately. The past couple weeks have found me returning to Champaign only to head to Indianapolis for GCM‘s Ignite Conference, then back to Champaign for New Year’s only to head to Steamboat, CO for a week long snowboarding trip.
This last stop is where you currently can find me. Internet connectivity isn’t the greatest and I’m spending my days on the mountainside followed by long nights of sleep to recover. It’s been quite the adventure: getting out here, riding this mountain and sharing an amazing condo with some friends. Maybe it’s all the travel in recent weeks or maybe it’s being an introvert with not a lot of personal space on this trip, but I’m beginning to miss home. I miss the Dawg Haus, my roommates, my room, even my office at work and of course, The Girl.
The trip is nearing the end – we have one day of lift tickets left and then the long drive home which we plan to do as a straight shot, Steamboat, CO to Champaign, IL. I’m sure when life returns to normal I’ll begin posting more regularly, but until then I leave you with one of the many pictures I’ve taken thus far.
(We spent yesterday riding through trees in waist deep powder, it was amazing!)
A Silent House
Posted 26 Dec 2007 — by nick
Category Blogs, Family, Technology
Category Blogs, Family, Technology
Each time I visit home it weirds me out how early things shutdown in the suburbs, coffee shops close at 10, streets are eerily quiet at 9, house lights extinguished around 10. This activity isn’t weird to my parents, it’s normal even to age 22 sister who has joined the suburbia middle class working force. On campus, life meanders on until 1am or 2am on nights I don’t have to work the next day, on nights I do, usually until 11:30.
I came across this xkcd comic tonight and it fit this feeling like a glove.
Happy Christmas All!
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Now playing: Clemson Impulse – Insomniac Mix 1
via FoxyTunes
Playing in the Snow
Posted 16 Dec 2007 — by nick
Category Fun, Light, Photos, Volkswagen, Winter
Category Fun, Light, Photos, Volkswagen, Winter
It snowed pretty good here the past day or so. The weatherman called for 10 inches – seems about right. Playing in the snow so far included shoveling out my car, making a snow angel and taking pictures. Sledding and building a snowman were on my list but I figured I’d wait on those until friends wanted to play too.
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Now playing: Switchfoot – Awakening
via FoxyTunes
How GEEK are you?
Posted 16 Dec 2007 — by nick
Category Fun, Technology
Category Fun, Technology
The old Electrical Engineer joke comes to mind, you can’t spell geek without EE.
My Day Is Ruined
Posted 12 Dec 2007 — by nick
Category Fun
Category Fun
I just woke and began my morning routine – checking my reader for new feeds. I scanned a few posts and then saw the new xkcd comic for today.
I’ve been sniped! My brain will be useless all day until I get a handle on that infinite grid of resisters.
Photo Prayer Walk: Ice Storm
Early this morning, while installing Ash‘s new CD player in her car, we began discussing photography. I mentioned how I hoped my parents would be getting me a digital camera for Christmas. A camera would serve utility purposes, enabling me to better capture and share places I’ve seen God’s beauty in creation – living out of my backpack, snowboarding, or sitting in a park. True to what I’ve come to know of Ash she was very encouraging, suggesting I give photography a try and saying she thought I might be decent. This afternoon I grabbed Ben‘s camera and headed out to the streets around the Dawg Haus, talking to God and admiring his ice encrusted creation.
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| Ice Storm |
(click for my picasaweb album to view more)
"We’re Awakening"
Posted 08 Dec 2007 — by nick
Category Jesus, Light, Movies, Spirituality
Category Jesus, Light, Movies, Spirituality
Last night I watched Awakenings, an older film from 1990 long been residing on my list of “I’d like to watch that someday, but its not to pressing right now.”
The movie tells an emotive story of a shut-in doctor, scared to engage with those around him. Taking a job caring for patients whom have been comatose for decades after surviving an encephalitis epidemic, proves first to challenge these tendencies. His gentleness and care with the patients tells of a deeply sensitive and caring man isolated by social insecurity. Upon trying an experimental drug his patients begin to awake from their coma-like-state hardly aware they had been gone. The gift of life, the simple things – taking a walk, dancing, singing are celebrated as they stir to life. The greatest awakening though happens in the doctor, who begins to live. To risk and engage with those around him.
Watching the movie provided an almost out-of-body experience, almost like watching the past years of my life. The doctor and I share some of the same story, a heart isolated but rescued to begin beating once again.
I was attempting to clean my room this morning when I came across a letter I wrote myself about 3 years ago at Ignite:
“God, you rescued my heart this conference. The process you began months ago by showing me the hardness of my heart and how closed off it has become has peaked here and now. Thank you for drawing me out and revealing wounds in my life and reasons for the state of my heart. You’ve brought me to the point where I am so completely frustrated with being emotionally cold to those around me and alone that I have no choice but to change. Hurting is at least feeling so at this point I’m ready to start the painful journey of healing. I want to live from a heart fully alive.”
Ignite closing reflections 2004
Three years have passed since my pen bled those words, life has taken me many places since then, but God’s leading has never been so apparent. This road is one of heart rescue.
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Now playing: Eisley – Brightly Wound
via FoxyTunes
First Snow
Posted 07 Dec 2007 — by nick
Category Creation, Jesus, Spirituality, Winter
Category Creation, Jesus, Spirituality, Winter
(John street in front of the Dawg Haus)
As I sat on the couch tonight gazing out the window at the falling snow a smile came to my face. Snow always makes me smile. Snow brings with it a reminder of God’s grace – to see such beauty painted on the canvas of death the fall leaves reminds me of being born anew, reminds me of how God is putting the world back together, reminds me of going from death to life.
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Now playing: Norah Jones – Don’t Miss You At All
via FoxyTunes
