New Things I'm Learning

1. How to do a capital campaign. (Plan, Plan, Plan, Ask, Follow Up.)
   
2. How to make mayonnaise from scratch. (egg yolk, other stuff, start blender, drizzle oil...slowly)
   
3. How empathy evokes love and grace. (it just does. put yourself in someone else's shoes, see life through their eyes, and there's so much compassion to be had.)
   
4. How to negotiate with printing companies for good deals. (easy during recession. they ask for chances to outbid other guy.)
   
5. How to wake up before 8am. (inevitable when sun is up at 6am.)
   
6. How to gross out a teenager. (talk about their parents kissing.)
7. How to keep a plant alive. (Try, pray, fail, move plant, try again.)
8. How to make your bed everyday. (Hire a bed-maker.)
9. How to eat well. (buy only things that grow on farms, not things that were created in labs.)
   

Oh yeah! I'm going to be published

I keep forgetting to mention that in a few months, an essay I wrote is going to be published in a real book. It's an essay I wrote called the "Journey Towards Ordination," about the social pressure I experienced in my growing up to become an ordained pastor. The essay is going to be released in an anthology Jesus Girls, which was edited and compiled by my friend and bridesmaid, Hannah.

You can read one of the essays here. As I read Sara's essay, I was like, "Woah...this is way more beautiful than mine." But then I remembered, "Wait, she's been nominated for a national book award. Isn't it awesome you get to be in the same book as her?" and it is.

So stay tuned, and I'll let you know when you can go online and get your copy and be inspired.

Third Day v. Radiohead

Seriously? Are you serious? I just read some criticism that U2 ripped off it's newest album cover, but I don't see the relevance as much because it's a rather popular form of Zenlike abstract art...they attribute it to the artwork of Hiroshi Sugimoto, but it reminded me a lot of Mark Rothko. So, it's abstract, simple, Zenlike...easy to replicate...and in all instances it's good...

But Third Day ripping off a Radiohead album cover? I'm not okay with this. Check it out:

Radiohead's Hail to the Thief
Third Day's Revelation

Apparently the Third Day album is attributed to an artist named Leonard Knight who does art called "Salvation Mountain." But regardless, for music's sake, it's uncanny and irritating. Radiohead and Third Day don't exist in the same stratosphere. Geesh...