Finally.

It's been 3 years, but the house is finally gone. I wish I could celebrate, but it's difficult to be excited about losing so much money.
Relief on the other hand, is definitely in order. Now, we can finally start over and move on with our lives.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all of you who have prayed for us! And thank you also to those of you who lent a hand!
I don't know where we would be without all of you.

Our new place

Here's a picture of our new place from the outside.
As for the inside, my windows of opportunity for finding the place clean are minimal - with 4 people, it can get cluttered pretty quickly...

Because of a tight, winding stairwell, our furniture would not go to the 2nd story. So, we hoisted the couch and oversized chair up to the small overhang and moved it in through the window! We had about one inch of clearance on every side of the couch - talk about fitting perfectly!

there will be blood

Another movie must be added to the list below - "there will be blood"

Occasionally, I watch a movie and it stays with me for days. For one reason or another, I won't be able to get it out of my head.
"there will be blood" is the latest movie to consume me.

It's driving me crazy trying to figure out the movie and the main character, Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), but it's not a movie that you "get." It's complex, it's mysterious. The film touches on capitalism, religion, and the depravity of human nature, and then it leaves you - no finality, no resolution, no meaning. You're left with only a haunting disturbance...

Without doubt, the best aspect of the movie is Daniel Day-Lewis' performance - He is reason enough to watch the movie.

Of course, it can be a rough movie to watch, and knowing many of the reader's of my blog, I throw a word of caution out there. But if you have a higher tolerance for disturbing content (it's more the nature of the film rather than the content), I highly recommend carving out 158 minutes to experience this film.


Also, here's an interesting commentary about the dark nature of several recent movies that have come out. It's short, but I thought it was interesting.
http://jviz.blogspot.com/2008/04/dark-movies.html

Troy's favorite movies of the last several months

I feel like I've seen a number of really good movies over the last few months. It's difficult to remember some of them, but here's a few that I won't forget watching:

- Into the Wild - loved it. Definitely up there in my all-time favorites list.***

- Juno - best original screenplay Oscar winner. I definitely agree.

- Lars and the Real Girl - The fall favorite at Mars Hill.

- Once - small independent film. Not your typical hollywood blockbuster, but it's a beautiful film (and it won the Oscar for best song!)

- No Country for Old Men - those Coen brothers never cease to amaze***

- Darjeeling Limited - Wes Anderson - he too never ceases to amaze. I would love to know more about this guy's life. It seems painfully obvious that he's been in therapy for awhile now.

- Gone Baby Gone - Ashley and I had no idea what this was about before we saw it (from the title, I actually thought it was about baseball). I won't give it away, but it was intense.***

- King of California - maybe not the best picture out there, but I loved it. It's simple and Michael Douglas was terrific.

- Fracture - Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling - this has been out for awhile. I don't know how it flew under the radar.

***If you're concerned about content, these films could definitely be offensive.

papers, papers, papers

This afternoon, I turned in my fifth of seven papers due this month. It's been exhausting, and I'm ready for a break...but I'm now over the hump!! I'll finish up a group project tonight, and then I only have 2 papers and one test remaining (which all happen to be in the same class - 60% of the grade comes in the last two weeks!)

It's crazy that I've almost finished my second term. Man, it's gone fast.

Abraham and Isaac

What is the deal with God telling Abraham to sacrifice Isaac?

Is this story severely disturbing to anyone else?

Abraham is a freak. Yet, we say he was faithful.
How could a father ever conceive of sacrificing his son?

Yes, God himself sacrificed his son, but Jesus himself had a say in that matter. Okay, some scholars think Isaac was a grown man and went willingly (but the narrative sure doesn't read like this). Besides, if Isaac went willingly, wouldn't he be the faithful one rather than Abraham? Kind of defeats the meaning of the whole story...

I don't even care that God never intended for Abraham to kill Isaac. This is an alarming command to even toy with.

For one thing, it's Isaac's life!!! It is not up to Abraham to decide what to do!!

Seriously, for one moment, put yourself in this situation...

There is not one possible way for me to look at this story that I know of that makes any sense. It is simply becoming a disturbing story.

Oh I get it...so now God knows that Abraham fears him. Well, isn't that wonderful. What a great man Abraham must be.
What a great man?? I think he's deranged!! He would be in our day, wouldn't he?

Imagine Abraham on the courthouse steps on the evening news. "I understand the laws of the country. I must go to jail. But I only tried to sacrifice my son because God told me to do it."

Wow. This would not go over very well.

I really just don't get it.

A little stress-relief activity

(Be sure to pause the music to the right before watching the video!)



I saw a video like this of some dude that had taken one picture every day for several years. He flipped through the pictures really quickly and it looked lke he was morphing.
I thought it would be cool to watch a beard grow, but I wasn't consistent enough with the pictures - didn't pan out like I intended, but it was fun messing with the editing software.

bike commuting

I always enjoy assimilating into the culture. There's something unique and beautiful about different people and different ways of living, and it's fun to try out a new way of life. Language, music, art, style, and values are some of these cultural features, but an oft-forgotten aspect is transportation.

While in Arkansas, I purchased an '89 Ford F-150 to tool around town. I felt like a down-home ol' country boy hanging my arm out the window (well, I would have hung it outside if the window had worked), and I was proud to drive down the street with a load full of house remodeling trash piled in the bed. I'd throw on my old ballcap and smile the whole time.

But, I've now left that life and that truck in Arkansas, and I've journeyed to the west coast - a land of liberal environmentalists who snub their noses at gas-guzzling pick-up trucks.

Who am I to offend my new community?

So, in an effort to join my new culture, I have rebuffed the automobile and adopted the bicycle. Yes, I am now a bike commuter, saving energy, trees, oceans, the climate, and human life.
I've purchased a 1968 Raleigh SuperCourse that I found on craigslist.com, stripped it down, and converted it to a singlespeed (not a full blown fixie, but close - with my flip-flop hub, all I need is a fixed cog and I'm ready to go!). Ah yes, I'm already learning the language of my new culture!

Zipping in and out of downtown traffic is a much different experience than lazily rolling down wide country roads, yet some things have not changed - I still throw on my old ballcap...and I'm still riding with a smile.

Here's my 40-year old beauty:



((for anyone wondering what a singlespeed bike is (and probably no one is, but I'm going to tell you anyway b/c I think it's cool stuff), it's a bike without gears, so there's only one "single speed." Taking vintage steel bikes and stripping them of excess parts has become a huge craze in the Seattle community. The reason is that it's a purer way to ride - too much unconscious mental energy is used thinking about what gear to use, and removing this choice liberates the rider to simply enjoy the ride. Plus, it saves weight and it's easier maintenance (less moving parts), but these reasons are secondary. One day, when I get daring enough, I'll moved to the fixed gear - the gear is "fixed" to the pedal, so if the wheels are moving, so are your legs (no coasting) - it's a crazy way to ride, but bikers are obsessive about it.))

Mustache or Beard?

tough call.

I think the verdict is that they're both pretty bad (especially with parted hair)

Maybe the question is: mustache, beard, or parted hair?

aren't mustaches lovely?

snowshoeing

This winter, I discovered a new hobby - snowshoeing. Basically, it's plain ol' hiking, but much better. These pictures are taken from a few different trips to the Cascades (about 45 minutes east of Seattle). The crazy thing is that the Cascades will have over 100" of base snow while Seattle will get absolutely nothing all winter. I have no idea how it happens, but I love it. Living in the snow stinks, but driving 45 minutes to play in as much snow as I could possibly want - that's just fantastic.


I love the way it settles undisturbed on every rock or branch, no matter the size.


This is a frozen lake up in the mountains

stopping for a bite to eat

for some reason, this picture makes that ledge look narrow and perilous - it wasn't. I think we actually jumped off that ledge - the snow is so deep and soft that it's like landing on a big, fluffy bed.

Getting close to the top!

Hit and Run

About a week ago, I was driving through downtown late on Saturday night. I was in the right hand lane on a one-way street. The light was green, but the car in front of me was waiting on pedestrians before turning right. I had only stopped for a second or two before I got nailed from behind.
I immediately thought the rear was completely destroyed and that I was going to have whiplash, so I stayed in the car and called the cops. A few moments later, the other driver came up to the window and said, "you ok?"

"I think so." I responded.

"What are you doing?" he then asked.

"I'm calling the cops."

He returned to his car while I reported the accident, only to be told that they didn't need to be involved if there were no serious injuries (this was my first accident, so I didn't really know what standard procedure was).
About 10 seconds later, he pulled up to my left and said, "Hey, let's pull around the corner so we can get out of traffic and exchange information."

"Alright" I replied.

He pulled through the light, and I followed. No more than a half-block later, the guy sped off through the traffic. It doesn't take long for adrenaline to kick in, which I guess had a natural affect on the weight of my foot, because I immediately sped up to chase him.

"Get the license plate. Get the license plate. Get the license plate." repeatedly ran through my head.
Then, after I caught up to him and read it, "118-VRN. 118-VRN. 118-VRN." I did not want to forget this.
To complicate the matter, I called the police back to inform them that I was now chasing a hit and run car through downtown. So, the adrenaline is flowing, I'm driving with one hand as I talk on my cell phone, I'm answering questions, and I'm desperately trying to remember a 6 letter/number combination.

After the 6th or 7th block, the other driver cut across three lanes of traffic, pulled into a parking lot, and then turned down an alley in the rear of the lot. Of course, I followed, almost getting T-boned by a taxi in the final lane. Thankfully, he was an alert driver on the lookout for "crazy drunks" like me and braked just in time.

By the time I pulled through the alley and back into the street, the driver was nowhere in sight. I lost him.

But he didn't lose me and my trusty internal device called my memory.

The dispatcher told me to wait where I was until the police arrived to report the incident. While waiting, I decided to get out of the car and check out the damage. A few moments of grueling anticipation passed as I walked to the back of the car, but...

"What?!!! There is nothing!! No damage? anywhere? Oh wait, there's something - a tiny nick smaller than the size of a dime."

Thankfully, Mars Hill has given me the resources to recognize and acknowledge my anxiety and shame, which I felt in abundance at that moment. Yet even this was nothing compared to the moment an entire firetruck pulled up with about 4 firemen hopping off to rescue me - the dispatcher had asked if I was ok, and being overly cautious, I had said, "I think so, but my neck is a little sore." Which it was, but not sore enough to warrant 4 firemen and a firetruck! Unfortunately, they felt the same sentiment, which made me feel even more shame. There's nothin' like looking like a pansy in front of 4 tough firemen...

In the end, our car ended up with an estimated $1000 worth of damage due to a slight shifting of the unibody frame.

It's completely functional and driveable, so I'm tempted to let it go. Yet I also want to get it fixed, so they go after the guy who hit me.

So now I'm wrestling with the dilemma - grace or justice?