Why my daughter fears butterflies...

Exploring NZ

Bird's Eye Video

Slo-Mo Owl!

Semester Wind Up

I'm going through a bit of an interesting place thinking-wise as this semester winds up. It is the first time in 7 years that I won't be teaching come January due to my upcoming sabbatical. First off, I find it really difficult to let go. I know that my students will do fine without me, as there are many other capable professors available to mentor & encourage them but I really do care about my students. I experienced some pride a couple weekends ago as I hosted a youth event on campus and saw youth leaders that I trained over the past 7 years look after their youth groups. Interestingly, almost every year was represented and it definitely encouraged me that I have an amazing job!

We're heading off in mid-January for our grand adventure, our family sabbatical and we are anticipating many new memories & opportunities to be an encouragement to others on our journey. This past year has been an amazing one, I'm absolutely loving who my kids are becoming, where Wendy & I are at as a couple, and really looking forward to spending more time with them all in a brand new context. We're not quite ready to leave but can see that it is just around the corner!

Carpe Diem! Seize the day and live life to the fullest! My quest to bring life to others continues and I look forward to what I will learn in the process!

U2 360 in Chicago! Opening Night of the North American Tour

Words are hard to come by when describing the incredible concert that we had the pleasure of witnessing on Sept. 12 in the heart of the USA - Chicago, IL on Soldier Field. It was a thrill to finally see the band U2 and be honored by their love of music, love of their fans, and love for the world. I'll post some pics shortly but here's the set list which was simply perfect. There are few songs that I would have added but a perfect mix of albums & an amazing re-creation of their latest album!

U2 has been a band that I've always enjoyed but fell in love with during the Joshua Tree era, and this love was reignited for Achtung Baby (still my favorite U2 album). It took me awhile to get into Zooropa & Pop and so didn't end up seeing them when they played Winnipeg (a huge regret) but I actually really enjoy both of those albums now. I enjoyed All That You Can't Leave Behind & Vertigo but I really like where they are exploring musically now and I'm hoping their next album will continue to push the envelope.

1 Breathe
2 No Line on the Horizon
3 Get On Your Boots
4 Magnificent
5 Beautiful Day/Blackbird (Beatles snippet)
6 Elevation
7 I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For/Stand By Me (Ben E. King snippet)
8 Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of
9 Unknown Caller
10 The Unforgettable Fire
11 City Of Blinding Lights
12 Vertigo
13 I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
14 Sunday Bloody Sunday/Oliver's Army (Elvis Costello snippet)
15 Pride (In The Name Of Love)
16 MLK
17 Walk On/You'll Never Walk Alone (snippet)
18 Where The Streets Have No Name

Encore
19 One
20 Bad/40 (snippet)

Second encore
21 Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
22 With Or Without You
23 Moment of Surrender

50 Things Being Destroyed by the Internet

Matthew Moore of The Daily Telegraph has a list of fifty technological or cultural features being destroyed by the Internet. Here's the link to the article and here are a few samples. What would you add to the list?

3) Listening to an album all the way through
The single is one of the unlikely beneficiaries of the internet – a development which can be looked at in two ways. There's no longer any need to endure eight tracks of filler for a couple of decent tunes, but will "album albums" like Radiohead's Amnesiac get the widespread hearing they deserve?

13) Memory
When almost any fact, no matter how obscure, can be dug up within seconds through Google and Wikipedia, there is less value attached to the "mere" storage and retrieval of knowledge. What becomes important is how you use it – the internet age rewards creativity.

22) Enforceable copyright
The record companies, film studios and news agencies are fighting back, but can the floodgates ever be closed?…

Social Media

I used to teach a course called Communications at the college I work at - if I still were - this would be my opening video. Welcome to a world of social media! It has its own interpersonal issues, strengths, weaknesses and it literally is changing the way we communicate, the way we relate, the way we even life our lives.

Onward

I'm not much of a runner - at least not long-distance. My claim to fame in junior high was sprinting - especially the 200M and I did okay in the 100m. I witnessed the incredible 200m sprint record broken by the Jamaican "Insane" Bolt just this afternoon - 19:19 - WOW. My sprinting & running now is more about keeping up with my kids on the playground or at the park. But I still love pushing it on my mountain or road bike - there is nothing quite like sprinting up a hill or coasting down into a valley - the rush, the speed, the endorphins and torrent of blood flowing through your veins giving you a buzz. I like the mental aspect of adventure sports as well - it's almost like a moving chess board at times - and sometimes you take a calculated risk and hope it works out.

I came across this Nike-sponsored video on you-tube and I love the push of the song - Onward! Onward & upward I run. This semester is almost upon me and I'm ready to put my feet into the blocks and sprint those 12 or so weeks away but I want to enjoy the race - not just the finish. In fact, I want to see beyond the blur - I want to see detail, I want to see the beauty of it all! Enjoy! Live life to the fullest!