Headstanding Dog

Gotye covers his own song, “Somebody That I Used To...

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 22:37:03 -0400

Gotye covers his own song, “Somebody That I Used To Know,” using covers other people did of the song. So good.

Gotye - Somebodies: A YouTube Orchestra (by gotyemusic)

Sesame Street: Share It Maybe (by SesameStreet)

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:26:53 -0400

Sesame Street: Share It Maybe (by SesameStreet)

"Church is an appointed gathering of people in particular places who practice a life of resurrection..."

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 22:45:52 -0400

“Church is an appointed gathering of people in particular places who practice a life of resurrection in a world in which death gets the biggest headlines: death of nations, death of civilization, death of marriage, death of careers, obituaries without end. Death by war, death by murder, death by accident, death by starvation. Death by electric chair, lethal injection, and hanging. The practice of resurrection is an intentional, deliberate decision to believe and participate in resurrection life, life out of death, life that trumps death, life that is the last word, Jesus life. This practice is not a vague wish upwards but comprises a number of discrete but interlocking acts that maintain a credible and faithful way of life, Real Life, in a world preoccupied with death and the devil.”

- Eugene Peterson, Practice Resurrection: A Conversation on Growing up in Christ

RIP MCA (by ColdplayTV) I find this oddly moving.

Mon, 07 May 2012 21:53:21 -0400

RIP MCA (by ColdplayTV)

I find this oddly moving.

I’ve had this song stuck in my head all day. Not a bad...

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:04:38 -0400

I’ve had this song stuck in my head all day. Not a bad soundtrack for my birthday.

Yo La Tengo - Mr. Tough (by 893TheCurrent)

Great TED talk by Roger Ebert about remaking his voice.

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 21:59:59 -0400

Great TED talk by Roger Ebert about remaking his voice.

Google reminded me that today was the 182nd birthday of Eadweard...

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 23:10:09 -0400

Google reminded me that today was the 182nd birthday of Eadweard J. Muybridge, which makes me think of this awesome song by the Indianapolis band Accordians. The song is about Muybridge’s murder of his wife’s lover.

Accordions - ‘Good Evening, Major’ - music video (by BenjaminFox)

When I See The Blood

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 23:21:35 -0400

When I See The Blood:

I’ve had this song in my head all day. I think it’s a great song for Good Friday. I especially love how it ties together the plagues in Egypt with the cross.

Just finished watching 50/50, and I can’t get this song...

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 21:42:45 -0400

Just finished watching 50/50, and I can’t get this song out of my head. (Liars - “The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack)

We're All Culture Makers

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:21:53 -0500

We're All Culture Makers:

But also, for those of us who are in school or are stay-at-home moms or are working at the local grocery store, what does culture-making look like in those situations?

I am very eager for us to recognize that culture happens just as much (and in fact, much more often) in the grocery store, at the playground, or in our own kitchen as in artists’ studios, highrise office buildings, or Hollywood production lots. All of us are responsible for some cultural domain!

I like to talk about two aspects of culture making: cultivating and creating. “Creating” is introducing something new into the world that wasn’t there before. This can happen even in the most basic job (for example, when an employee goes out of their way to build relationships with fellow employees and to go above and beyond the routine with their customers). It can happen—has to happen, in fact—in parenting, as we respond creatively to the unpredictable directions our children’s lives and interests take us.

“Cultivating” is not so much about creating something new, as keeping something that is already good, good. I think Christians have often been very quick to point out what is wrong in our cultures—and certainly there are plenty of things to criticize. But much of every human culture is actually in many ways very good, and “cultivators” are people who keep that good. When I dust the shelves in our living room, do the dishes, weed the garden; or when I take out the trash at work, tally up the cash register at the end of the day, or send out this month’s round of invoices, I may not be doing something deeply “creative,” but I am still cultivating: tending and keeping these processes that contribute, hopefully, to a flourishing human environment.

So I would ask of every occupation (paid or unpaid): “What am I cultivating—keeping good? And what am I creating—offering that is new and helpful in this cultural environment?” Those aren’t just questions for artists—they’re for all of us.

-Andy Crouch

(via @johnthebeeler)

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 09:56:39 -0500

(via @johnthebeeler)

"At least one sports columnist has made the point that Joe Paterno, the 40 year coach of Penn State,..."

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:21:54 -0500

“

At least one sports columnist has made the point that Joe Paterno, the 40 year coach of Penn State, who was fired last night (along with the university’s president) by the university’s board of trustees, should be remembered for all the good things he has stood for, and for his generosity and principles, even as this scandal, which brought his downfall, is now inevitably part of his legacy as well. And, well. I suspect that in time, even this horrible event will fade, and Paterno’s legacy, to football and to Penn State, will rise above the tarnishment, especially because it can and will be argued that Paterno did all that was legally required of him, expressed regret and horror, and was not the man who was, after all, performing the acts.

Here’s what I think about that, right now. I’m a science fiction writer, and one of the great stories of science fiction is “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas,” which was written by Ursula K. LeGuin. The story posits a fantastic utopian city, where everything is beautiful, with one catch: In order for all this comfort and beauty to exist, one child must be kept in filth and misery. Every citizen of Omelas, when they come of age, is told about that one blameless child being put through hell. And they have a choice: Accept that is the price for their perfect lives in Omelas, or walk away from that paradise, into uncertainty and possibly chaos.

At Pennsylvania State University, a grown man found a blameless child being put through hell. Other grown men learned of it. Each of them had to make their choice, and decide, fundamentally, whether the continuation of their utopia — or at very least the illusion of their utopia — was worth the pain and suffering of that one child. Through their actions, and their inactions, we know the choice they made.

”

- John Scalzi (via ayjay)

thomasfitzpatrick: perspective.

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:48:25 -0400

thomasfitzpatrick:

perspective.

The Peace of Wild Things

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:36:16 -0400

My professor read this poem in class today. I love Wendell Berry.

When despair grows in me
and I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting for their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

My friend Andrew Hoffman is riding his bike across the country...

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 23:27:12 -0400

My friend Andrew Hoffman is riding his bike across the country as part of the Race for Congo to raise awareness and money for the work of World Relief in Congo. I just supported Andrew, and you should too.

thelink:

Here is a great video put together from the launch event on Sunday night in Bend, OR. Please share this and follow along. We’re having a great time and logging some miles.

This makes me oddly...

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 22:16:54 -0400

This makes me oddly happy.

inappropriateapplause:

straightandhigh:

“Chicago” by Sufjan Stevens and “Clocks” by Coldplay played over each other.

Ha.

Can I be your friend? (by englishnationalopera) (via Being Blog)

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:29:43 -0400

Can I be your friend? (by englishnationalopera) (via Being Blog)

493. The man at the grill is the closest thing we have to a king. Fetch him beers.

Sat, 28 May 2011 20:26:55 -0400

(via 1001 Rule For My Unborn Son)

“A Letter to Young Parents,” by James K.A. Smith.

Wed, 18 May 2011 15:07:03 -0400

“A Letter to Young Parents,” by James K.A. Smith.

Not sure what this says about me, but hearing this song on...

Thu, 12 May 2011 15:27:43 -0400

Not sure what this says about me, but hearing this song on Pandora just made my day.