Katimavik

I was just reading Katimavik's myspace and have a discussion with people's katimavik photo's.

I found it inspiring somehow... I think... except not inspiring to do anything in particular... but inspirational non-the-less.
thoughts...
katimavik life is different than normal life...
So, why does life have to be normal?
Society revolves around routine...
Routine is comfortable...
Adventure is much more exciting...
both seem good in different ways

here are the links to the 2 photo albums that people posted on the forum. They are awesome and remind me of my own katimavik life.
http://bitterascandy.spaces.live.com/
http://photos.yahoo.com/youre_still_my_sunshine

Pedro the lion

I was just listening to my itunes on shuffle and this great Pedro the Lion track came on. I was surprised that he covered a song by Mazzy Star!!! (aka hope sandoval and the warm inventions)!
He covered her song 'Fade in to you' and it completely rocks!
So, I searched for it to find out what album it might be from and found a great website for finding music. The title here is linking to their page with Pedro songs but they're searchable... says they are listing music from music blogs all over the internet.

- unfortunately 'fade in to you' is not available there anymore, but they have a bunch of other songs.....

The speech from the president of Venezuela

President Chavez made some very bold points in his speech, "Rise Up Against the Empire"....
but, as a person who's not that informed on the actual political world, all that I can think about is Star Wars.
Maybe bush has formed an imperialist empire out of response to perceived threats... but Chavez, however bold or eye openning his statements may be, is asking for reform in the U.N. due to his own set of perceived threats (aka bush).
Now, I don't know anything, but when they decided to reform the senate in star wars, it wasn't a good thing and then the force was really out of balance....
They reformed the senate because people complained about it's inefficiency to deal with problems. The senate and the U.N. seem a little similar in some ways....
Bush might be a perceived ruler of the world, but I think that they should be very careful what they do to the U.N. or else we'll end up with someone who really does have world power. And then a loose alliance of Jedi rebels will have to blow up the death star and luke will get his hand cut off.

my top 25 played songs on itunes

Unicorn' Alternative Music Internet Radio	Continuous			Alternative	12	20/07/06 09:32
Black Wings	04:37:00	Waits, Tom	Bone Machine	Blues	11	18/09/06 20:53
Juliette	04:38:00	Crooked Fingers	.	Blues	10	12/08/06 14:56
Sacred Heart – New Visions	05:52:00	Patrick O'Hearn	Celestial Voyagers	Blues	10	04/09/06 16:28
Baby Take A Look	03:05:00	Songs: Ohia	.	Blues	10	20/06/06 11:16
Methodist	05:38:00	90 Day Men	90 Day Men and Gogogoairheart		9	13/09/06 22:33
What I Could Stand For	03:25:00	Mates of State	.	Blues	9	02/09/06 08:39
Race Car Grin You Ain't No Landmark	01:13:00	Modest Mouse	Sad Sappy Sucker	Alternative & Punk	9	10/07/06 11:12
Souvenir	04:43:00	Morphine	.	Blues	9	19/09/06 16:00
someone is waiting	02:34:00	Neutral Milk Hotel	.	Blues	9	16/07/06 09:03
In Bloom	04:30:00	Nirvana	I Can't Live-The Unfinished Al	Grunge	9	09/08/06 21:16
There Are No Claims On You	02:31:00	Songs: Ohia	.	Blues	9	22/07/06 23:19
I Don't Wanna Grow Up	02:31:00	Waits, Tom	Bone Machine	Blues	9	21/01/06 11:14
Monolith	02:20:00	Beta Band		Blues	8	11/09/06 20:48
Round The Bend	04:56:00	Beta Band		Blues	8	11/09/06 20:32
Velvet Waltz	08:34:00	Built to Spill	.	Blues	8	12/09/06 20:08
Who Are Parents?	03:00:00	The Danielson Famile		Indie Pop	8	18/09/06 18:50
Henry Fool	03:01:00	Tuesday Weld	.	Blues	8	31/08/06 11:00
Around My Smile	04:40:00	Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions			8	19/09/06 11:39
Magnificent Seventies	03:58:00	American Analog Set	.	Blues	8	05/09/06 10:19
Suzanne	03:50:00	Leonard Cohen	The Best of Leonard Cohen	Folk	8	17/06/06 20:05
WoodGrain	00:30:00	Modest Mouse	1	Blues	8	07/07/06 15:23
Down Love's Tributaries	08:08:00	Morphine	.	Blues	8	07/07/06 17:42
French Fries With Pepper	02:53:00	Morphine	.	Blues	8	11/06/06 09:54
Swing It Low	03:15:00	Morphine	.	Blues	8	07/09/06 09:36

turntable

I had been having weird problems with my record player over the last year since I moved here.
Having to mess around with the wires going in to the needle box to get both speakers sounding right, and an amplifier that isn't always 100% either.
But tonight, it sounds absolutely perfect. I have changed nothing but it sounds like a different turntable. everything sounds great. The only thing that I've changed lately is adding a video card (geforce 6200) to my computer (which also runs through one of the inputs on the amp).... maybe it all had some effect for some reason... but everything sounds awesome for once!!!
this makes me really happy..
I'll listen to one more side of a record before I go to bed....

I got featured in the work news letter!!!

Make Affluence History

http://www.globalaware.net/affluence/

Omni Television contest

I just signed up for this contest on omni televisions website where you earn points to buy prizes. you can earn points through entering the word of the day that they show on the station at various times, and also you get 200 points for each person that you refer who joins. Omni is one of the few stations that I get, so I might be able to get something cool.

I already refered 3 people who I thought might sign up for the contest, and then I thought that I should probably try to make my last two a sure thing. Reply to me if you would enter. I need to give them your first name and e-mail address and they promise not to send any spam.

Thank you,
Craig

The Church and the business where some of the church meet to worship

"Business art is the step that comes after art. I started as a commercial artist, and I want to finish as a business artist. After I did the thing called "art" or whatever it's called, I went into business art. I want to be an art business man or business artist." - Andy Warhol

I recently learned that Andy Warhol pretty much equated art and business. It got me thinking about the church and business. Some people would find it highly offensive to call a church a business, some would not, and there are a diversity of oppinions on how it is like or not like a business.
Some churches would go to one extreme believing that they should act in faith and do God's work and He will supply the financial means for what He calls them to do. Other churches would go to the other extreme and save enormous amounts of money for a rainy day so that the church can run for eternity off the interest.
There are many different ways of looking at the church and it's "business".
Today, as an experiment in thought, I am going to try to propose a different way of looking at it, or a way that just dawned on me anyway.
In Bible College, we were told about the visible and invisible church. Two circles that partially overlap. The visible church being those who make up the church establishment and the invisible church being those who have faith.


I would like to put a spin on this concept.
What if the invisible church is a great big circle, and church as business is a multitude of small circles inside.


characteristics of the church business
The church business comes in many different flavours and denominations. The church business accepts cash donations from those who make use of it and in return is able to provide church'ish services such as a pastor to talk to, a place for worship, weddings, funerals, benevolence, everything that churches are known to provide. The point that I'm trying to make is seperating the idea of church from church business. Maybe all of the different denominations and congregations that meet everywhere could be looked at as small church businesses within the greater body of christiandom. And, I am not suggesting that this is a bad thing, because the services that churches provide are neccissary services. But, is the facility that provides spiritual services to the community the church? or is the community itself the church? Is the invisible church strong enough to handle a diversity of denominations and "church businesses" within the world?

In conclusion, the establishment church can provide a great number of services that are neccissary or helpful to living the christian life, but the church can not force you to have faith and whether you really live a life of faith beyond the church walls is between you and God and for the most part not within the power of the church business itself.

The Depressed Church - A reflection on a visit to seaton house and the state of some churches

Recently, a group from the hostel that I work at visited an infamous Toronto shelter known at Seaton House (aka Satan House). It is known as the shelter that people go to when they have been kicked out of Toronto's other 65 shelters. Our smoothly political tour guide showed us the wet area where chronic alcoholics who may otherwise be drinking lysol are allowed to stay and perscribed a glass of wine every hour and a half, he showed us infirmory where they are able to recieve medical help, he showed us the reading room and told us about another highly staffed building for people who's behaviours would normally cause them to be unwelcome at shelters.

Then, he took us to the area which he said that he is least proud of. A large room packed full of smallish bunk beds. There must have been 60 beds crammed into a room that was way too small. Each sleeping space may have been 5 feet long and 2 or 3 feet wide from my estimation with another bunk right on top or below and very little space in between.

Our tour guide told us how the fan on the wall does little to keep the room cool and that the smell is overwealming. He told us his fear, "With my luck, the day before I retire, I will probably be arrested for criminal neglegance leading to death". The room apparently gets extremely hot. He told us that part of the governments thinking behind the insuficiency of the living space is that it serves as a disincentive for people who may consider living there. It seems that the thinking is still quite prevelant that if shelters are too comfortable, people will make use of them.

It was after all of this, that he hit us with quite the thought. He told us that he has spoke to residents about the smell and the heat and that most people are so depressed that they don't notice the smell or the heat. He clarified that he they may or may not be medically assessed as depressed, but that there is a depression of the senses. People are just used to horible environments.

Now how can we reflect on this with regards to the church?

"Most people are so depressed that they don't notice the smell or the heat."
Do churches get this way? Is there a sort of depression that is common in churches whereby we no longer notice?

Is it possible for a person to attend a church for many years and maybe they enjoy seeing the same people every week, or they enjoy the kind of music that they sing, or they like some other aspect of the church.

The church provides for a basic need in the same way that a shelter provides a place to sleep. Is it possible for a person to come and sleep in such a place every week for years and never notice how insuficient it is?

Is there a form of depression within some churches that keeps them from moving forward? that keeps them from being what they should be? That keeps people from being passionate about the churches mission? That keeps people from leaving the 99 to find the one lost sheep?

Maybe people complain, but they do it in the wrong way and no one is ever built up enough to make any real change. Maybe it's an endless cycle of depression that no one ever notices? In social work, we call that recitivism.

Do you worship at the house of the lord or is it more like a room full of small depressing bunk beds?

(I was just thinking this morning, and the metaphore seems to work, wanted to write it up so that I didn't lose the thought)