Archive for the ‘curiosities’ Category
Listen. Just steer clear of Albert.
Which was the fun brother?
Minnesota Historical Society Exhibit
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Image Credit: Kirk Livingston
First Boule
A conversation between flour, water, yeast and salt. At 450 degrees F.
I think I’m going to like Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (Hertzberg & Francois)
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Image Credit: Kirk Livingston
Here’s the Drone Ride in Cambodia You Asked About
Stunning mini-vacation courtesy Roberto Serrini
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Image Credit: Roberto Serrini via The Minneapolis Egotist
Inception Horn. Signal Today’s Significant Moments.
How Many Times Will You Press It?
[The button works using Flash. It doesn’t work on my mobile. http://inception.davepedu.com/ ]
I’ve used it three times already–and it’s not even 7am.
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Creator: @dpedu via Kottke.org
28 Years Ago Today My Wife Got Married
I was there too. It was cool.
Cold, actually. And snowy and sunny and windswept–just like today.
Did I mention the cold?
A lot happens in 28 years: life (three, to be exact, off seeking their fortune in the wide world) and death, sickness (some) and in health (mostly). For richer (considering the entire globe—yes!) or poorer (not much of this).
Besides being gorgeous and lively and devoted and way smarter than me, one of the many things I appreciate about Kris (Mrs. Kirkistan’s name outside this bit of the blogosphere) is this long, long conversation we’ve had—28+ years’ worth. About everything under the sun: from travel to faith to work to philosophy to money to house repair (and lack thereof) to all manner of family issues to, well, you name it. The concept of Conversation is an Engine likely started 28 years ago today. I just didn’t start writing until 2009. The skinny guy with the (now) hipster glasses had only the barest inkling of the possibilities.
Hey—here’s to marriage (raises coffee cup jauntily)! I’ll just step away from this keyboard now and tell Kris how much I appreciate her. In real time.
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Image credit: Kirk Livingston
The 99 and the One
Merry Christmas! 
Over the course of 2013 I’ve voiced criticisms and critiques of religion and Christianity, trying to sort culture from subculture and truth from fiction. Eisegesis vs. exegesis. Questioning which texts I privilege and why. Such unwinding and rewinding seems like waking up to the world around me. I’m mostly happy with the process. But it is also unsettling.
One enduring piece of this—one mystery that pulls me in again and again—is the birthday we celebrate today.
It is always dangerous to reduce this to that, so without reducing, I’ll simply point to this small story and say I like how it sets the mystery front and center:
What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Some will ask “What is astray?” Others: “What is perish?” Some will say, “Why ‘Father?’” All reasonable questions and of a piece with how we process the world today. But this notion that God wants relationship with people is mysterious and, for me, quite compelling.
I suspect 2014 will be even more full of mystery.
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Image credit: Dumb Sketch by Kirkistan
What paths opened for you in 2013?
Turn and look to see where you are going
It takes a look back to begin to see where a new path has been broken.
The space between Christmas and the New Year is a natural time to look back, especially before leaping into 2014. Angie Ward over at Intentional Influence reproduced a list of eight questions from Brad Lomenick. Those questions put a bit of definition around such a review.
The first question on Mr. Lomenick’s list: “What themes personally defined 2013 for me?” seems particularly useful. For me, 2013 was a sometimes careful, sometimes headlong exploration of foundational structures and beliefs I’d taken for granted for years. The year’s writing has taken up questions and provided answers and far more questions, most of which I had no clue perplexed me. While many of those foundations are just as solid, in many cases the scaffolding and superstructure has been stripped away.
What themes presented for you in 2013?
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Image credit: gifmovie via 2headedsnake
conversation is an engine 