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| Portrait of the Artist as a Dead Man 20 most recent entries |
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 The ever-helpful Annie suggested I created an LJ-feed for my blog, so with the assistance of the ever-wonderful Vivian I have done just that. Now you can check my blog from the comfort of your own Friends Page! http://syndicated.livejournal.com/little
 I know this is a tad bit overdue, but for those of you who weren't already aware, I've closed up shop here on livejournal. I'll keep the account open so I can keep track of a few things but I won't be updating it. Instead, for your viewing pleasure, I have set-up another newer, shinier blog so feel free to stop by. South of the Border, West of the Sun
How strange is that I can more easily see Bright Eyes in Monterrey than in Gainesville? Because, well, I can and will on April 25th.
For a while I was convinced that I would never need to read a work of fiction again - "the truth" (that is, non-fiction) would be enough to entertain me for the rest of my life. I don't regret this decision (nor have I wholly kept to it) but lately I have become increasingly aware that this dichotomy I've constructed in my mind is incomplete: I forgot about poetry. On that note, here is a poem that has made my life a little richer of late; perhaps it will do the same for you? We have not come here to take prisoners, But to surrender ever more deeply To freedom and joy. We have not come into this exquisite world To hold ourselves hostage from love. Run my dear, From anything That may not strengthen Your precious budding wings. Run like hell my dear, From anyone likely To put a sharp knife Into the sacred, tender vision Of your beautiful heart. We have a duty to befriend Those aspects of obedience That stand outside of our house And shout to our reason "O please, O please, Come out and play." For we have not come here to take prisoners Or to confine our wondrous spirits, But to experience ever and ever more deeply Our divine courage, freedom and Light! ~ Hafez [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hafez] PS Operation Spring Break: Smokey Mountains was a complete, if somewhat cold, success. When I can find my car keys/ camera pictures and stories will be provided. :) post a comment
I can’t for the life of me remember the last time I made a substantive post – something I seem to remember saying before each and every substantive post I now make – but here, in a quasi-bulleted list, are my recent comings and goings as well as some plans for the future: The Past ~.~ + After much planning and to great acclaim, my brother married Fanny Hunter Howard, his long time fiancé, in early December. It was, I have to say, among the nicest weddings I’ve ever attended, although in truth as Best Man I may be a little biased. ^^ + The following week I completed my last semester full of graduate-level coursework at the University of Florida – with straight A’s no less – whose final projects I had presented the week before. + Although this happened much later it does follow thematically: as of last week I was accepted as an independent transfer student at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), where I will begin to finish my degree in April. - Thus, as I type this I’m still a UF student (I’m even taking one course online this semester), but even that too is fleeting. + The end of December (and indeed most of January) found me in Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Territories by way of Orlando and New York. Thanks to an immense amount of good fortune I was able to secure a spot with a Taglit-Birthright program of an unusual design –focusing on Peace, Pluralism, and Social Justice – and although I have been back now for almost as long as I was gone in the first place, I am still grappling with everything I saw there. I have a great many stories to tell but even more thanks to offer; were it not for the kindness of dozens of people spread across three continents my trip would have been a far emptier and lesser thing. + Since my return to Gainesville I’ve been volunteering at a few local non-profits – as you may know I can’t handle too much free time – and it has been wonderful. Honest. I’ve been so preoccupied with work and school over the last few years that I forgot how good it feels to give back, even if only a little bit. The Present ~.~ That, more or less, brings us to the present. I’ve been back in Gainesville for a little less than a month now but because of ITESM I’m already planning to leave: my lease expires on March 10th and so too does my time in Gainesville. Part of me is sorry to see it go, this my first true home, but with Mexico on the horizon at times I can’t wait to leave. The future is so tempting, so promising, that I just can’t wait. The Future? ~.~ March 8th-13th: Spring Break will find me and a few friends camping in Great Smokey Mountains National Park by way of Gatlinburg and Asheville as the first of two roadtrips. Early April: The second roadtrip is one with an open-ended return, if at all – some friends will accompany me on my way to Monterrey by way of New Orleans and Austin (where they will fly back and I will go on to the US-Mexican border). April 14th: My first day of classes at ITESM! Important After that things are pretty much an open book. My schedule stands to be fast and loose for the first few months and I want desperately to see as much of the country as possible, so I’ll go just about anywhere. Proof of concept: trips to Mexico City D.F. (May) and Chitzen Itza (July) are already in the works! If you, dear reader, would like to meet up with me somewhere, anywhere let me know. Truth is, although I’m fortunately enough to already have a few, I’m looking for more traveling companions starting… now! 9 comments | post a comment
NPR got me thinking this morning about old, unheard-of songs. Unwittingly, it also got Soltero's "Communist Love Song" - which I hadn't heard in years - stuck in my heard. Here is the only copy of the song I could find on short notice, so enjoy.
I realized today that I missed 2007's Doctor Who Christmas Special while I was in Israel so today I, er, obtained a copy [thanks isohunt] and, as I sit down now to watch it, I just have to say - it feels of so right to see David Tennant on my laptop again. That is all. :) 1 comment | post a comment
Enjoy the "John McCain version" of Obama's "Yes We Can" video.
It's so strange after so many weeks away from academia to have to suddenly "flip the switch" and be forced back into that manner of thinking, of speaking. By strange I mean hard, actually, and it makes me respect returning students all that much more.
Back! [in the US{o}A!]
I believe I live a somewhat providential existence and as a result I don't regret much, but I have to admit that every time I hear The Apples in Stereo I wish I'd gone to their show. post a comment
 This just in! As some of you may (dimly) recall, I applied to go on an all-expenses-paid Taglit-Birthright Israel trip a few year ago but was – in a rather roundabout way – ultimately declined. I mentioned this story in passing to my friend Jenny (who herself went that same year, actually) over the summer and she suggested that I reapply. So I did… and this time I was accepted! In sum, I am the luckiest man in the world. […There must be some crazy karma debt I’m building up these days…] The specifics are still somewhat up in the air, but as it stands now I’ll be gone from December 31st to January 10th on a Peace, Pluralism, and Social Justice tour of Israel and The Holy Land. More details are they develop – for now I’m still somewhat in shock.  Click the above image for a hypothetical itinerary! 4 comments | post a comment
I already know what I want for my birthday... ^^
For the first time in my life I can remember more good days than bad. 2 comments | post a comment
This is, at the title suggests, my long overdue return from abroad post. I hadn't intended to make one at all - it still seems to me, despite everything I've seen, that I was barely gone at all - but several of you implied that the choice wasn't mine to make. ^^ Here goes:
So I know I don’t post here enough, and I know that many – most? – of you have no idea what it that I’m actually up to these days, but I wanted to take a quick moment (as I am wont to do) and let you all know something rather important: I feel, for perhaps the first time ever, that I am finally leading a life of purpose, a life worth living, and I couldn’t be happier. 4 comments | post a comment
Through some strange accident of fate I’ve recently become much more involved with Gainesville’s local music scene than ever before. As a result I’m going to more local shows. The upside to this for all of us is that as I go to more and more shows I’ll be dragging many of you along, too. Below are some very good friends of mine (and some very good music):
Later this month, in the span of a single week, post-rockers Do Make Say Think, pop scenesters The Apples in Stereo [of the all but defunct Elephant 6 Collective], and indie-rockers Pinback will be playing in Gainesville. It is, to say the least, an embarrassment of riches. Here’s what you have to look forward to (all images link to videos and other goodies): |
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