Disposable Socks -- A Worldwide Movement

I received this email today:

to all the disaposable socks lovers

I am writing from downunder Australia in Melbourne. I would like to share an experience that I had today, Today MY dear mum and I visited a large department store in Melbourne by the name of Myers.We went to the sporting department in the basement lower ground level of the store. As my mother wanted to purchase a pair of walker shoes.
Anyway to cut the story short my mother wanted to try a pair of shoes in her size.She was wearing a pair of slip on shoes. so she was not wearing a pair of socks. when she asked to have a pair of socks to try with the shoes.The sales assistant pointed towards a bucket of used smelly white sports socks which were disgusting. I would have used a pair of sterial pair of gloves to touch those socks. It came to mind at that moment has anyone out there in this enviromental world invented a pair of disaposable socks that could be used for that purpose.I would be interested to know.

ciao for now

rita.

Yes, Rita, we hear you and we agree. The world over people are crying out for this product. Perhaps I will use some of my spare time to meet that demand. . .

By the way, if you type "Disposable Socks" in google, our weblog is the 4th hit. And the first 3? Other people who have had the same idea. Clearly I need to get moving on this opportunity or I will be beaten to the punch.

20 minutes of fame. . .

We'll be the first band playing tomorrow night. . . from 6 to 6:20. We had thought we had 30 minutes, and had put together a dandy 23 minute 5 song set. Now I think we'll have to cut a song so we don't overstay our welcome. I don't really mind the timeslot for two reasons. Being first might seem bad, but at least people won't be sick of hearing opening bands yet. And better to play a set that is too short than too long. . ..

It'll be a great experience whether it goes well or not, everyone come on out and have a grand time. Based on last night's practice, it should go very well.

Interesting Links

I've made no secret of my taste for all things U2, and for those who share my passion, here are the excellent, beautiful, incredible lyrics to their upcoming release How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. These are definitely some of U2's most faithful lyrics since. . . October, perhaps?

Also, for those of you who remember MyNym, he has started a content-packed weblog, replete with classic MyNymisms. As of late, he is bemoaning the lack of controversy there. . . so if you'd like to disagree with him pay him a visit and bring him some cheer.

Shooting a Film

Collin and I (and other people) have spent the last 2 days working on a short film (around 25-30 minutes, probably) that I wrote. It's going to be shown at a conference in Philadelphia called the Gathering. It's hard work, but also really fun. I hope that the film itself looks good once we're done editing it. We probably have 2 more days of shooting, and then lots of editing of course. It's good to just get experience either way though.

If anyone is interesting in being in the film itself, we're shooting a large chic hip party scene next Wednesday and still need some more extras. Let me know if you want details, email me at jason@thelookmachine.com

SIDE NOTE: Scare Tactics is on right now. . . this is just about the best hidden camera show ever.
ANOTHER SIDE NOTE: The Curse of the Bambino is being broken tonight, you know it!

Food for thought

With the election quickly approaching, here is a petition that was emailed to me.

We believe that claims of divine appointment for the President, uncritical affirmation of his policies, and assertions that all Christians must vote for his re-election constitute bad theology and dangerous religion.

We believe that sincere Christians and other people of faith can choose to vote for President Bush or Senator Kerry - for reasons deeply rooted in their faith.

We believe all candidates should be examined by measuring their policies against the complete range of Christian ethics and values.

We will measure the candidates by whether they enhance human life, human dignity, and human rights; whether they strengthen family life and protect children; whether they promote racial reconciliation and support gender equality; whether they serve peace and social justice; and whether they advance the common good rather than only individual, national, and special interests.
We are not single-issue voters.

We believe that poverty - caring for the poor and vulnerable - is a religious issue. Do the candidates' budget and tax policies reward the rich or show compassion for poor families? Do their foreign policies include fair trade and debt cancellation for the poorest countries? (Matthew 25:35-40, Isaiah 10:1-2)

We believe that the environment - caring for God's earth - is a religious issue. Do the candidates' policies protect the creation or serve corporate interests that damage it? (Genesis 2:15, Psalm 24:1)

We believe that war - and our call to be peacemakers - is a religious issue. Do the candidates' policies pursue "wars of choice" or respect international law and cooperation in responding to real global threats? (Matthew 5:9)

We believe that truth-telling is a religious issue. Do the candidates tell the truth in justifying war and in other foreign and domestic policies? (John 8:32)

We believe that human rights - respecting the image of God in every person - is a religious issue. How do the candidates propose to change the attitudes and policies that led to the abuse and torture of Iraqi prisoners? (Genesis 1:27)

We believe that our response to terrorism is a religious issue. Do the candidates adopt the dangerous language of righteous empire in the war on terrorism and confuse the roles of God, church, and nation? Do the candidates see evil only in our enemies but never in our own policies? (Matthew 6:33, Proverbs 8:12-13 )

We believe that a consistent ethic of human life is a religious issue. Do the candidates' positions on abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia, weapons of mass destruction, HIV/AIDS-and other pandemics-and genocide around the world obey the biblical injunction to choose life? (Deuteronomy 30:19)

We also admonish both parties and candidates to avoid the exploitation of religion or our congregations for partisan political purposes.

By signing this statement, we call Christians and other people of faith to a more thoughtful involvement in this election, rather than claiming God's endorsement of any candidate.

This is the meaning of responsible Christian citizenship.

Eclipse

If you are interested, there is going to be a lunar eclipse tonight starting at 9:14 pm EST. It's looking cloudy here now, but hopefully it will clear up soon!

Realization

I was driving alone in my car tonight. The moon is nearly full and the leaves are nearly at the peak of their color for the season. It was beautiful out, and I could smell the sharp and smokey smell of chilly fall air. Suddenly I was flooded with a thousand memories of being outside in the night time. I remembered camp fires, sledding by the star light, intense games of hide and seek, tag and the like, long walks with my best friend, and spending hours staring into the sky wondering about countless mysteries.

Suddenly I realized something, everything I remember is a memory from my childhood. I an eighteen, and I just started college. I'm on the edge of a new season in my life. I saw myself for a minute, walking through the snow at nine years old, riding horses beneath the moon at twelve, climbing a watertower at fourteen, sitting on the stoop of a camp cabin at 16, and driving home towards too much homework at 18. It's not like I suddenly became a man, or like I have left childhood behind altogether, I just realized that I am actively living out the the tail end of what will be my childhood memories.

I've often heard people talking about "when I was a kid..." and "I remember when I was a teenager..." well, that's all I have.

Just Starting to Change

I walked into English class today and this kid was like, "Ian, Dude, congratulations!" I was a little confused. As much as I would like it if random people congratulated me on a regular basis for nothing in particular, it's a rare occurrence. I looked at him kind of blankly and said, "Thanks... what'd I do?" and he was like, "Dude! Congratulations, that's awesome! I was really excited for you, way to go with your first air time." Now I was interested, but still unenlightened. "What are you talking about?" I asked him. He looked at me, this time he was kind of confused. "Don't you even know?" Nope. None of us knew.

This guy, Ben is his name, was listening to WSTW (that's 93.7 for anybody who lives around here) on Sunday night, when all of a sudden the announcer came on and said, "Now for the radio premier of a new band from Philadelphia, the Look Machine!" and played one of our songs. Pretty cool right?

I sent our press kit in to WSTW and Y100 on Thursday afternoon. They both have shows for local and unreleased music, but I never expected that they would start playing our stuff this fast! I'm excited about it. I figured that I would wait about two weeks and give them a call and bug them till they played it or told me no, but I never even asked. They couldn't have gotten it any earlier than Saturday and they had it playing by Sunday.

The CD I sent in had three songs on it, Fanatic, Becoming, and All Our Hands. I asked Ben which song it was and he wasn't sure because he doesn't know our music. However, he was kind enough to describe the sound. "It was very guitar full and the singer hit some high notes." OK, it was that one! That's a pretty good description for all our songs. I'm guessing it was Fanatic. All our Hands is too long for the radio without some trimming, and he said it wasn't all acoustic. So anyway, we're big radio stars now and didn't even know it. If you want to hear us, listen to 93.7 between 9 and 11 pm on Sundays. Probably they won't play us again this Sunday but we just might be on the next week.

We'll be signing autographs at our show this Saturday for a small fee.

Eagles fly, Lenin falls

GO EAGLES!!! Man, I was nervous there for a while. I really don't remember being that stressed out ever in my college career. I thought that they were going to take a perfect season and ruin it in a game against a team from Ohio. Thank God. (I really do pray very hard for Eagles victories. I know that people pray for their opponents too, so I am not sure how that works. I am glad I'm not God).

I watched this movie last night called "Goodbye Lenin." It was a German film (with English subtitles). The idea is that this woman who lives in communist East Germany is extremely patriotic and committed to "the state." She is basically married to it and her whole life's purpose is to serve her country. Anyhow, she goes into a coma and while she is sleeping, the Berlin Wall comes down. When she awakes the doctor instructs her grown children to never let her get surprised or excited, so her son and daughter decide to keep the political change secret from their mother. The country had become virtually unrecognizable over the months she slept and her kids thought that she might suffer another heart attack if she found out that all she prized was gone.

At first the kids don't let on that anything has changed at all. They keep their mother in her old room that is decorated exactly as it was before the wall fell (she is bedridden). As time goes on, she hears bits of news or sees things that tip her off. Her son explains everything away by making in one way or another. Eventually, she discovers that the wall came down and EVERYTHING is different. Her son tells her that East Germany, in an extravagant show of hospitality, took in thousands of west Germans who admired the socialist values of their neighbors. Everything was different only because East Germany was trying to make the westerners feel at home. The mother never finds out what really happened, but she is thrilled by what she sees all around her and is filled with pride for a government that (unbeknownst to her) had fallen.

It was a pretty cool movie because it really caused to you think about reality and what that is. She lived in a very different country than everyone else because of the way that change was explained. While everyone else despised the former life, the mother was able to see beauty and harmony that she cherished in her socialist values being expressed in this new life and appreciate them both. (the movie is worth watching and I only said what is on the back of the box basically. There is a lot more to the movie that I won't give away).

More Big News

So Ian is to be commended, the tenacious man kept calling and calling and calling. . . and finally got us a date at the Grape Street Pub! This is the premier club in Philly for original music, so that is pretty exciting. It's also a tiny bit nervewracking, as apparently they have two people who watch your set and rate you on stage presence, musicianship, reaction of crowd, etc. . .and decide if they ever want to have you back. Well, you just have to do your best, you know? Anyway, it's December 8th.

I had a strange experience yesterday. Due to my younger sister's obsession with an artist I had never heard, named Howie Day. .. and the "older person" who was originally going to take her to see his concert's sudden and unexpected illness, I went to a concert for someone who I had never heard of.

It was pretty good. Actually, one of the opening acts was more the revelation for me, a modern folky bluegrassy band called Nickel Creek. They featured a fiddle, an upright bass, a mandolin, and a guitar, and they just jammed. They had excellent stage presence. Check them out, they were alot of fun. If you ever have the chance to see them live, do it.

Howie Day is kind of cool, he has pedals to loop all his guitar and vocal parts and basically creates these very lush arrangements on the fly. It was pretty impressive. Don't know if his recorded stuff is like this, but if you have the chance to see him live, it was a worthwhile experience.

It was at the Electric Factory. Oh man,seeing MUSE there is going to be incredible!

I shot a gun for the first time yesterday. Actually, I shot a shotgun, a rifle, and a 9mm handgun. The Collin Palkovitz Gun Extravaganza. And I was HORRIBLE. I couldn't hit a skeet. I couldn't hit a drawn target. I couldn't even hit a doghouse from 15 feet away. Oh well. Maybe I'll get better. Maybe I won't. Either way, scratch "assasin" off the list of careers I may pursue in the future.

Collin, incidentally, is an incredible shot. He could be a sniper. I wouldn't mess with him, he's like a solider of fortune. He hit every skeet, every single one.

Odds and Ends

Go Red Sox, it's incredible what they are about to accomplish. . . forcing a game seven (it's 4-2 in the 9th right now). I'll be happy for Dan Hasiltine of Jars of Clay if they win it all. And, if the Sox can win the Series, then there is hope that SOME Philly team can win some chapionship (and no, the Kixx don't count).

I saw the movie Saved! tonight starring Mandy Moore. It's a pretty uneven film, some good performances and some interesting images but overall I'd only give it 2 stars. Christians make pretty easy targets and this film takes all the easy shots. It just wasn't as clever as I had hoped. Anyone else see that one?

We continue to practice to get ready for our set at the Show of the Century. . . we're going to have a high energy, tight 30ish minutes, it should be fun. Have you purchased your tickets yet? Ian and Collin wrote a new song that I apparently will love.

In the next 2 weeks, I'm filming a short movie, probably about 20 minutes long. Taking crash courses in cinematagraphy is quite illuminating, it's quite an art how the position of the camera(s) help tell the story. I love it.

Still working on the TV pilot. Have some excellently humorous scenarios set up. .. and 5 pages of a script written so far.

Man, where have I been for the last 10 years? For the first time, I started watching Law and Order this last month. I LOVE that show! And it's on every night . .. I'm going to need to pace myself.

My car died yesterday, Darn. Now I'm going to have to spend money or something.

Hmmm.. . and they say Philly crowds are bad? There are cops in riot gear at the Yankees-Sox game right now to quell the angry crowd. Why are they so angry you ask? Apparently they think that A-Rod should be allowed KNOCK the ball out of the fielders hands.

I can't stand insurance companies. All they do is reject claims! On a related note, the claim I made due to my flooded basement was rejected. I'm going to have to spend money or something now.

I think people that get super into Halloween are strange.

I also think that guys who don't like football are strange. (Unless they aren't American, then it's understandable).

Am I Dreaming?

I have a lot of dreams which range from being really disturbing to downright hilarious. The other night I had one that was really funny.

I dreamt that I was an inmate in a mental hospital. There was nothing particularly wrong with me, aside from the fact that I was crazy. In the ward where I was residing was a rather large common room. It was full of several large couches Occupied by my fellow crazy people. I walked into the room and looked around. Everybody was just sitting there, talking quietly or staring blankly at the walls. In one corner a tiny little guitar was leaning up against a couch. I saw myself too. I looked similar to how I do now, but I was wearing a knit hat very low over my eyes and a pretty cool rock star look going on.

I crossed the room, picked up the little guitar and strummed a G chord. Ever so softly and smoothly I sung out, "Would you dance if I asked you to dance? Would you run and never look back?" Suddenly I had the attention of all my fellow residents. Empty heads started nodding to the rhythm, absent minded voices chimed in, and all of the empty eyes were turned onto me. Suddenly I burst passionately into the chorus, "I can be your hero baby!" I was jumping all ofer the room, striking my rock star stance, and playing with so much feeling that it would make Enrique look reserved and half dead. Everyone in the room was swaying with the music, singing the lyrics as if they were the last words they would ever say.

Things that I love which the average person does not appreciate

I was just thinking, there are a whole lot of things that I love that aren't appreciated near enough, so I thought I'd list some and share the bliss. In no particular order.

Really Raw Honey. You can get it at natural food stores. It's hard to describe how good it is. It's totally free of processing or heating, so it still has bits of honey comb in it. It's almost a solid, you spread it on bread and stuff like that. It's delicious.
Apple computer's iSight It's this perfectly designed camera and microphone which allows you to videoconference anyone around the world. For free. It's really amazing. I also adore the iPod, but there are many others who like it too, so it can't join this list.
Judge Mathis I've already said enough about this, but he does deserve another mention.
The smell of a skunk I don't know, there is just something that I really like about it.
Staying up till the wee hours of the night This is a world for early risers, and I'm not a member of that club (at least willingly. I love the hours between 11 pm and 3 am for creativity. No disturbances, you can just get completely absorbed in projects. I know people say that about, say, the hours between 6 am and 9 am, but I'm just so darn tired then!
Having a fire pit in your backyard and a fireplace in your house I had no idea how much of a fire lover I was, but now I basically view everything in terms of how well it would burn and sustain a cozy fire. I love junk mail now, it's kindling for the fire of the day.
Learning something new For a very young person, learning is an hourly occurence. As you get older, the rate starts to slow down. Unless you work at it. When you reach a certain age (post college), you can literally go months without learning anything. So I seek out things to learn. And I love learning something new.
Spinning around until you get dizzy Actually it's more fun to do with another person. You both spin around about 30-60 times and then attempt to run towards each other. Good times.
Having a good magazine or an unread newspaper, getting a muffin, and just reading a little.
The feeling you have before you get into bed when you're reading an excellent book

There are more but that's enough for now. You have any?

Another shady email

Look what I got, and email with the subject : RECORD CONTRACT from "wr@statuerecords.com"

Regarding the materials on your web site.
I am interested in the materials on your site. Statue is a major
independent record company and would like to discuss the possibility of
releasing this material and doing some radio promotion on it.
If your record is available for licensing and distribution please contact
me at your earliest opportunity by sending me an email to
wr@statuerecords.com

Best Regards,

Warren Ryan
Manager A&R
Statue Records Group Los Angeles
wr@statuerecords.com
Statuerecords.com



Emailed From http://www.mp3unsigned.com

I'm thinking it's a scam, but I wrote back for more info. The email doesn't even mention our band by name so I'm guessing it's a generic one they send to a bunch of bands.

Attack of the Stink Bug

Tonight I was working on a paper for an English class. This huge bug was flying around the room and eventually landed right in front of the computer monitor. He crawled around the keyboard for a little while, and I tolerated him. Then he started climbing all over the monitor, walking up and down my English paper. Well enough is enough. It was time go get rid of him.

In one smooth and lightening quick motion I grabbed him and threw him across the room into the wall. As I was doing this the thought crossed my mind, “wow, that looks suspiciously like a stink bug.” The thought crossed my mind too late, and it was all too correct. It was indeed the skunk of the insect world.

He was a fast little stinker! He was probably in my hand for less than half a second total, but that was more than enough for his speedy stink glands. He got me. The humorous thing is that his stench is not half as vile as you would imagine based on his name. Surprisingly enough it smelled rather pleasant, incredibly similar to an apple Jolly Rancher! I am considering starting a new line of colognes, called “Fantastic Pheromones.” My first product being named “Stink Bug- For Lady Killers”

A Ghost Caught on Video?

This was emailed to me and it's pretty. .. interesting. Some advertisers seemed to have caught a strange apparition while they were filming a commercial. Probably just special effects. . . Anyway, take a look and make up your mind for yourself, it looks realistic to me. Also, there is some kind of sound too, so turn your speakers up.

Click Here

October 30th at the Grange

The show with Boy Sets Fire will be sold out, it only seats 400 people. So if you want to be sure you get admittance, buy them now online. We would love it if as many Look Machine fans as possible could attend, so we have some of our trusty old supporters there as we are roasted on the skewer of hard core fans expecting hard core music!

Jars of Clay

I went to see Jars of Clay tonight, a band that has been very inspirational to me in the past, but that I basically lost touch with musically after Much Afraid. I'll have to pick up some of their newer stuff, as they were excellent. They are just phenomenal musicians with very trustworthy spirits.

One thing that I find particularly admirable about them is a non-profit organization they have founded, Bloodwater Mission, with the goal of helping stem the AIDS epidemic in Africa. If you are inspired, contribute to the cause, I will be doing so. I think it's just outstanding when Christians follow the example of Christ and help bring healing to this world.

Last note: So I'm watching the show, having a good time, when all of sudden from the other side of the stage, a CD is thrown on stage. The bassist picks it up and hands it the lead guitarist. Hmm, I think, that looks vaguely familiar. Sure enough, it's a genuine bona-fide Look Machine CD, someone has given it to the Jars. . . The guitarist takes it off stage and puts it somewhere. Wonder if he listens to it? Kind of embarassing, but also kind of cool.

Projections

I've been wanting for some time now to put together video projections to use during our concerts. I think we're going to try to get it together for our 10/30 show. Anyone have any ideas of what we could do? I have some, but more ideas never hurt. . . unless they are terrible ideas. Then I just ignore them.

HoSco and I are getting together today to write a TV pilot! Just for the experience really, but wouldn't it be great if something became of it.

More pictures of the Machine. . .

Rocking Middletown DE like it's never been rocked before.

A Thought About Favorites

A little while back I was sitting in one of my classes at school. It was a discussion section for a class on wildlife conservation and ecology. We had to go around and talk about our favorite animals, and why we liked them so much. The discussion started at the other end of the room and I listened as it worked it's way around to me. Over and over I heard people say, "I like chimps, because they are so similar to mankind in every way. One can observe them in their social groups and learn so much about how people relate to each other. Their warfare, tool making, and family structure is a perfect reflection of humans at an earlier evolutionary state." Or, "I am fascinate by wolves. How they hunt in packs and have an organized social structure is exactly like what prehistoric man must have been like. In wolves I hear the call of ancient ancestors and humanity before the rise of civilization." Wow, pretty deep stuff.

Finally it was my turn, and everybody was staring at me, waiting for my insight into the unknown mysteries of the animal kingdom. "I like squirrels." It just kinda popped out. People were still staring at me, trying to figure out if I was joking or not. "I like them because they are fun to watch. They crack me up." the discussion moved right on.

I didn't really mean it when I said it. I was just trying to throw out a different perspective. I was sick of prehistoric man, all of the national geographic special animals, and honors students trying to sound brilliant. However, after I said that I started to pay more attention to squirrels, and they really are awesome. They are always around, and always funny. This lead me to come up with a new policy for picking my favorite things.

What's the point of having a favorite animal that you will never see? What's he point of having a favorite food that you almost never eat? Why should your favorite place be a thousand miles from home? All too often, the exotic blinds people to the incredible things that surround them in their every day lives. It's ironic that somebody living in Australia will pick a wild pony as their favorite animal while a person on Assatigue island will think that there has never been any creature cooler than the koala.

I think that favorites should be things that are possible to experience in life as you know it. You should be able to eat lunch with your favorite person in the world, see your favorite band in concert, and notice your favorite color all around you. I guess what I'm driving at is this: open your eyes and see the world that is right around you! Everything beautiful is not far away. Everything remarkable is not out of reach.

Updates on our Web Site

We made some changes to our web site today. The News and Schedule page was still advertising our show at the Everett, so we figured it was high time to update. Check out what we will be up to in this coming month.

We also posted something from Shane Palkovitz on our downloads page. He and a couple of friends made a music video to "Fanatic" that we think is 100% hilarious. Take a look.

The look Machine is the media.

Shane gave me this picture last night. He found it online when searching for the look machine on Google images. I don't know if there is some sort of hidden message here... I hope not.

Lawlessness in the Machine!!!

Yes it is true. There is rebellion in the hearts of the cogs. Here is photographic evidence of Jason Seth Latshaw showing complete disregard for the law. I saw this in his house and thought that it is only fair for the "herd" to know what the big guy is up to. Shame shame shame...

BIGGEST SHOW OF THE CENTURY

All the rumors are true, we'll be playing a "Get off your butt and vote" show with BOYSETSFIRE at the Harmony Grange. . . Whew-hoo, this will be exciting!!

For information about Project Unity, the production company that is putting the show on, take a look here

It'll be October 30th, and I think we'll have a half hour to play.

We're going to have to promote this thing, so start telling your friends! Should be fun. . .

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

I just saw this movie for the first time last night, and it was excellent. Just a great movie. Thought-provoking, well acted, well written. It's exactly why I hope to make films someday. And the message of the movie was inspiring. Bravo to all involved in this production.

Warning: it does have some strange scenes. . .but the overall film is just wonderful.

Good Job

Well, as you all know by now, my summer stint of leisure studies is over. I think that I am a professioal now (in leisure studies that is). I have moved on to other things. Now I am working (I am trying to pretend that I am a normal person). I took a full time job in Graphic Design. The funny thing is that I had 2 majors in college and never once took a class that had anything to do with computers. I have done freelance design for the past several years on the side, but this is a first for me to hold a job like this.

The funny thing is, it is a dream come true for me to do what I do. The summer I was 15, somebody asked me what I was going to study in college and I replied "graphic design." I surprised myself, because at that time, I knew nothing about the field. I only knew that I really liked all forms of art and I was fascinated by computers, so it sounded like a good answer, even if it was made up on the spot. The next summer, I was in Switzerland and I was playing in a band. We did a show in a city square with a huge stone cathedral as a backdrop. There was a guy with a projector and a computer and he projected video and all kinds of abstract stuff behind us while we played. It was the best show we played, and I was sure that our success was a direct result of the aesthetic surroundings. I talked to the guy who had been doing the video after the concert. I asked him what he did for a living and he said "Graphic design." When he asked me what I was going to do, the answer just popped out again.

So, years later, here I am, working in graphic design. I love it. It is all and more than I hoped. Cool right?

Gretel the Great White Shark

I just wanted to let everyone know that there is a 14 ft 2 ton Great White Shark which has entered shallow inlets in Massachusetts and will not leave. It's in a body of water that at it's deepest point is 12 ft. And it swims feet from shore. Needless to say, I'm sorely tempted to drop everything and go see her. I really want to see a Great White Shark at some point in my life. And now one is slowly gliding through the water just 6 hours from home. . .

I missed you all so much

Hello all. It's Isaiah, the lost member of the Look Machine. I just thought I would log on and say I'm back. "Back from where?" you might ask. I'll tell you where... A horrible place, a place where accessing a website can take hours where checking one's email could become a week long ordeal. I was plagued by a curse called dial-up internet.

"you are now connected @ 26.4bps"

I am still in recovery, I'm still using dial-up but my connection is much faster. Every day I'm looking for new ways to access high speed internet. I know in my heart of hearts that someday I will be reconnected at lighting fast speeds up to 5x as fast as dial up!!! Until then I'm going to dial in and give my two cents much more frequently. Thank you for reading this. I know it's been hard since it was boring and you don't know me.

A Little Bit of Faith in the Human Race

I was at school today and I reached into my pocket to pull out a dollar. I dug around in there and grabbed everything I could find. I came up with eleven bucks and thought, "man, I just went to the bank, where did all my money go? I haven't bought anything but gas and guitar strings... and well, maybe one doughnut. I guess that gas prices are going up faster than I realized." and I put the money back in my pocket and went to leave. Just then this guy I had never met said, "Uh, Man? I think you just dropped some money on the ground." Lo and Behold, there on the ground was thirty dollars that I had unknowingly dropped.

It was a pretty simple gesture really, but the guy didn't have to do it. I would have walked away and never known and he would have been thirty dollars richer. However, he chose to do the honorable and honest thing and tell me. It really made an impact on me. Sometimes I feel lost in the thousands of other students on campus who try to not make eye contact with anybody they don't know. If they are feeling extra courageous one day they mumble a half audible "thanks" when somebody holds a door for them. Today somebody stepped out of that crowd and helped me out when I didn't even know that I was in need.

I know a lot of Christians who think that people are "totally depraved," but I don't buy that. Sure, we're a fallen race and we can't save ourselves, but we are created in the image of God. This is a powerful truth!!! As humans made in God's image we come pre-packaged with some of God's qualities. For instance, people are naturally creative and they have an inherent desire to be loved and to love in return. It's easy to focus on what's bad about people, especially strangers, but I would argue that your average person has more good qualities than evil flaws. Look for it, I'm sure that you will see it.

Pictures from Community Day

Thanks to Sha 'uri for these pictures. She also let us know that we were in her prayers, which is appreciated.









This last picture is actually courtesy Joe Kempista. Ian and I look very silly.