Slowest moving part of the wheel

Just back from the 806. Hub City. (See title.)

We had a great time, the most we’ve really spent in LBB for a while, and I have to mention this place: Manna Bread and Wine, down in the old Cactus Alley mall, soon to be nestled in the shadow of another Marsha Sharp overpass. Check out the “Texas Versus the World” wine flight. I had the Bandito Chicken, which was kind of a fantastic “take that!” to chicken fried chicken.* The wife had the best Tilapia ever.

We had a good visit with our waitress (we liked Autry), who said they’ve built a customer base almost entirely through word-of-mouth, and that there’s a great little community of clientele forming around this spot.

Two interesting heardsaids:

– The Hub described as “more cosmopolitan” than it was 10 years ago
– Conversation between a cashier and a customer at a used bookstore:

“Lubbock is about the same size as Austin now, isn’t it?”
“No, not nearly.”
“Well, it feels like it to me.”

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Opportunity for Blathery On-and-on

I’d like to see the results of this thorough study:

How often are people’s positions on religious and political commitments changed by reading or contributing to the comments on another person’s blog?*

How often are people’s positions affirmed or strengthened by contributing comments?

Is it more, or less likely change would occur than if someone were to reflect on that position in a community actively exploring a practice related to that position?

Is it more, or less likely change would occur than if you were kicked in the shin by someone who agreed or disagreed with your position, wearing a Nixon mask, who then disappeared into the woods forever? Or, what if that never happened to you? How would your position be affected? More or less than blog commenting? Etc.?

*I’m not questioning whether these conversations should happen. I kind of enjoy them. As a rare contributor. Plus I can’t figure out how to log-in to your comments page. Secondly, I’m not talking about any of your blogs. In conclusion, I’m not being facetious about people’s blogs, just about some of their commenters. Those people make me so facetious. In addition, JK. BFF.

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Not Even the Internets Know What I’m Talking About

Get a Cash Advance

Note: That’s not my ad. I don’t recommend getting cash. I’m just not savvy enough to remove it. Smarts, for sure.

Another way of looking at this: All that education, and I still can’t write like a grad student (“no duh,” says Graduate School Community).

Actually, my understanding is that each of these online tests are individually scored by a committee at the Hoover Institution. Imagine what I could have accomplished if I had any capacity for grammar and syntax.

[Editor’s note: I failed to mention that if you want to see what we all should be shooting for, check out the genius over at Esoterically Speaking.]

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Why Fenelon didn’t blog

I am not at all surpirsed that your feelings of lukewarmness and your lack of attraction to the spiritual life should cast you down. Nothing can be more disheartening. You have only two things to do, it seems to me: One is to avoid all that distracts or absorbs you. By doing this you will cut off the source of everything that can be a dangerous distraction and can dry up your prayer.

Francois Fenelon, Talking with God

I’ll let you know when I get to the second thing.

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Things I’d Like to Write More About: The Revenge

1) Hey, Grinches, check this out: “Advent Conspiracy is an international movement restoring the scandal of Christmas by worshipping Jesus through compassion, not consumption.” You can join this movement as an individual or as a congregation. Wouldn’t that be somethin’?

2) Current consumption: new Sara Groves. It’s not the immediate soul flood the last one was for me, but, dang, she’s good. I’ll try to write more about her some time. I tried once before. I have difficulty committing.

3) When our major grocery store chains had an extended strike a few years ago, a lot of people discovered Trader Joe’s and similar options for shopping, and many never came back. Two thoughts today about the WGA strike: on one hand, the numbers of people who might go online for entertainment could support the writers’ claim to more residual pay. On the other hand, what if people get in the habit of consuming more material not dependent on WGA talent?

4) On the third hand, we know a woman whose husband works “in the industry” who gave me a closer picture of the effect this will have. Her husband is neither a studio exec nor a writer, but they will lose their income and family insurance in a matter of days or weeks. Even if you don’t like TV, this is why it matters. And even if you don’t like TV, once reality television takes over everything, and our cities are burning and society crumbles, then we’ll really be sorry. Or maybe we’ll finally be real Christians.

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30 Days of Write

No, I’m not committing to anything, but this month is the start of NaBloPoMo, the national blog-everyday-for-a-month month, and NaWriNoMo, the national write-a-novel-in-a-month month (50,000 words or more). You have to refer to these events by their smashy abbreviations, because you don’t have time for extra words during this demanding 30 days. I am really mentioning this to tuck a reference in to Sweetpea’s Patch, because she is the only successful NaBloPoMo participant I actually know. Anybody else going to bite? I’ll read, you write.

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Two ways to save

1) Paste, a la Radiohead, is offering a “pay what you want” one year subscription. A lot of the new artists I listen to came to me through the monthly Paste CD and magazine. I am amazed if this will work for them financially (you can even renew at your own price), but it’s great news for the next year of hearing new music. They cover film, books, etc. as well, but I’m in a phase of life that requires more multitasking than those media allow.

2) How to dry your hands using one paper towel (I’d HT Stephanie, if she had a site to tip). From Cool People Care (noticed their banner ad for Greener Nashville, for my massive TN audience).

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