Change/Follows/Learning

Emdt student Kevin Hayes created this video with the catch phrase: “If what you learn doesn’t change what you do, then why you learnin’ it?”

Kevin is a very committed believer and has shared the connection he feels between his beliefs and his actions. There’s something amazingly simple and powerful in this. And in his video he illustrates it so well with the example, if you really believe that the world is beautiful than you should be doing something about it, like picking up the trash and recycling. So simple and so powerful.

I think I know what Kevin means, if we believe in something it should effect how we act and how we live our lives. A frustration that I have, that Kevin may or may not share with me, is the obvious gap between what I consider the prime-directive left by Jesus to his followers and how his followers seem to live with one another:

“”A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13: 34-35 NIV)

Having moved from Southern California to Central Florida, where there seems to be one church for every city block, and sometime two, I’m not sure that I’ve seen much in the way that would convince me that I’m now living among His followers. Perhaps that’s not very fair. Let’s put it this way, I haven’t seen much of a difference between those who have shared their faith with me and the rest as far as quality of life, compassion, you know “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” kind of stuff.

Now there’s a possibility that this region, this place is so saturated with religion and basic Christian principles that the guy in the bar and the guy in the pew are both looking for the same things in life and going about it pretty much the same way, except for one guy sleeps in on Sunday morning and the other doesn’t (and don’t assume which one is which). I don’t know. If someone is trying to persuade me that their faith has something to offer, than I have an expectation that I’m going to see a difference in their life that I wouldn’t see in someone who doesn’t share that belief. I think Kevin was talkin’ about more than just trash when he hummed, “If what you learn doesn’t change what you do, then why you learnin’ it?”

Sources:
YouTube: Change is good by Kevin Hayes, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_Jma04y40I retrieved on October 16, 2009.
Bible Quote: John 12:34-35, http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+13%3A34-35&version=NIV retrieved on October 16, 2009

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Am I Lazy, Overly Cautious or Just Picky?

Coming back from a presentation I commented on this beautiful park and lake we were driving past. A buddy in the car said that the park was also a great place to meet girls and offered to loan me one of his dogs ’cause “girls love dogs.” I just thought that the park was a pretty.

Then Brother Matt mentioned during his recent Florida visit that my current and persistent lack of a girlfriend was causing mom to openly worry whether I’ve changed my gender preferences. Thanks mom. The truth is I’m beginning to wonder: have I become lazy, too cautious or too picky when it comes to dating?

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Let’s Be Friends… For Now

I visited my e-Harmony profile today. It’s been awhile. With Pepperdine fading into a confusing memory and things beginning to settle down on the house-front, I feel okay about re-investing some time on the social side of things. Today I also took a survey on my satisfaction with the e-Harmony service. I’ve been on the service since January 2006. I’ve been matched with 1,251 women. For a couple months in 2006 I dated one of my matches. My matches or I have clicked the “close” button 1,236 times. There are currently 15 matches in my queue and I’ve gotten responses from four of the 15. I’m in e-mail communication with one match outside of the service. Fortunately the survey didn’t ask for numbers.

In the time that I’ve had my one dating experience most relationships have gone through whole life-cycles from discovery to death. Truth be told, the vast majority of my time with e-harmony I haven’t been actively pursuing anything as much as kept the service in my emotional back-pocket as a “Plan B.” I had a lot of fun the first few months when I was convinced that my former relationship was over and loved the possibility of meeting someone who was specially selected for me. Then that former relationship came back… kind’a. Well, it didn’t quite come back as much as it just took an extended period to expire. In the meantime, some of the air was let out of my e-Harmony expectations to the point where I just kept the subscription so that I could feel like there was a possibility of something for me in the future. Then when that former relationship really expired (for real this time!), it took almost all of my ability to trust myself and relationships with it. At that point I kept the e-Harmony account because I wasn’t ready to kill it too. Lately I’ve been thinking that it’s time to change a few things.

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One Year to do a 1 1/2 Hour Walk

I woke up at 7 and couldn’t get back to sleep. I probably could have if I had worked on it harder, but I decided that it was time to do something about my lack of exercise. So, stretching the calves for over five minutes, I headed out the door and decided, after lapping my complex once to do a walking loop around the major streets around my complex. It wasn’t as picturesque as the Long Beach shoreline, but it was a good walk. It’s only taken me a whole year to get off my damn ass.

Note so self: next time leave before 7 AM and don’t wear black. Oh yeah, get a damn water bottle too. Ack.

Music: Saturday in the Park by Chicago from the The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning CD

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Launch of LCROSS/LRO

Didn’t drive out to the cape for this launch (two prior shuttle launches had been cancelled in the past two weeks). Co-worker quipped, “I’m really glad that you’re not into this NASA stuff.” Ha! Hello, this launch is one of the first steps to our return to the moon. Been a space-cadet my whole life. Ack

My images of the launch:

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The Postcard that Started it All

Got this postcard and mostly ignored it until I talked to my account. He said that it was time to buy. That got me started looking. Alas, when I went to the development advertised in the postcard there was the model building and then one small group of homes on the opposite end of the development with a giant section in the middle with paved streets and graded lots but no homes. This appeared to be a clear sign that this development began before the economy stalled and then ran out of money. There was a huge difference between what they were describing on the website and what I found at the development. I drove on without talking to anyone. Oh yeah, all the creases and folds in the postcard come for the weeks that it was in my pocket. Ack.

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Before and After

What else can you do when you get kicked out of a doctoral program? Of course, cut your hair. It was time. Life throws you a curveball, you throw one back. and it’ll make my mom happy (something one can never underestimate if one wants to be successful in life!)

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Relevant Media vs. Cool Stuff – Online Learners Pick the Former

One of my students recently wrote about his experiences as an online curriculum development person who works for an online university that has a division that partners with traditional higher-ed institutions to help them bring graduate programs online. He noted that the upper management was all crazy about stuffing as much media into every course, then joked that they were much less energetic about paying for the media or what it takes to create it. That’s kind’a typical. Then he made the following comment about student usage of this media content:

Careful analysis of click-tracking data is showing that only around 50% of the students are actually watching the media elements integrated into the courses. We are trying to understand the reasons why students aren’t watching the media. Sometimes, it is clear that they are just not seeing the value in the media pieces. And admittedly, not all the media is uniformly excellent. However, we are also finding that our online students are incredibly task-focused. They do exactly what they need to do to complete the assignments and nothing more. As an online student myself, I guess I understand that one! (d. lungren)

My words of wisdom to this student:
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1st Storm of the Season(?)

Good-bye fair weather, you were wonderful. My opened windows will miss you and your cool breezy ways, for our old musty friend, the afternoon showers seems to be making it’s noisy, moist return.

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Everyone Wears a Uniform @ Friendly Confines

Not a great photo and not even close to showing the percentage of people who come to Friendly Confines sporting their favorite team uniforms. It’s also evident in the noise level and shouting and cheering how many partisans are in attendance. Go Bears! er… I mean Dolphins! jbb

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