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Loud Music and My Childhood

May 18th, 2010
by Brian.
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Some days you just have to listen to loud music in the car. I don't do it that much while driving with the wife but when I'm alone I crank it.

Today as I was blasting Arcade Fire's Funeral on my drive home I got to wondering why I enjoy it so much. I think it can be traced back to my childhood. 

I have fond memories of my father cranking the stereo so loud that the windows shook in our home.  He would usually do it while mom was out shopping. That was our time to rock.

That's also where I learned my appreciation for music.  I loved it when he'd pull out his old records.  I remember listening to Led Zeppelin's Presence, Queen's A Night at the Opera, The Who's Who's Next, and Black Sabbath's self titled album. Those were the stereo blasting     albums of my childhood.

It's no wonder that a dark, moody, orchestral, rock album still calls out to me to be played so loud you can't hear yourself sing along. I hope someday I'll get to share the same experiences with my children.

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Posted in: Life.
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May is National Hamburger Month?

May 13th, 2010
by Brian.
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How was I unaware of this?
 
May is National Hamburger Month?
 
I only have half a month left… time's wasting.
 
For my burger loving friends out there, here's an article from LAist mentioning some of your Los Angeles-centric burger options.
 
Personally, I've become quite fond of The Counter in Pasadena.  It's a restaurant where you custom build your own burger.  The possibilities are endless.  I've had something different each time.
 
For fast food burgers, I'm a huge fan of The Habit.  They just opened a location in Burbank, but I've been a fan ever since they opened a location in Woodland Hills 8 years ago. The food is fresh and really high quality for fast food.  I might have to go there tonight in fact.
 
What's your favorite burger? And how are you going to celebrate National Hamburger Month?
 

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Posted in: Pop-Culture.
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Random Rant: Read More

May 13th, 2010
by Brian.
1 comment
In the world of blogging is there anything worse than the words Read More?
 
Read More usually follows an abbreviated version of a blog post. You, the reader, are expected to click those words, and wait for the page to reload so you can actually read the entire article.  Never mind that you were already actually trying to read the article.
 
Now, I understand that there can be a few different reasons to use the Read More method of blogging, but really?  Really, is it necessary to make it more time consuming and difficult for someone to read the content you've put out there?  You should be happy I'm attempting to read what you wrote to begin with.  Why would you want to make it more work for me? Think about it?

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Posted in: Technology.
Tagged: · · ·

Amazing Tools for Communication

May 12th, 2010
by Brian.
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The past few weeks have been pretty rough for me with the hospitalization and passing of my grandfather.  

 

He was an incredible man of God and a loving family man, both of which can be evidenced by his 6 children and 25 grandchildren.

 

When he was in the hospital I spent a few days traveling back and forth between my home in Burbank and the hospital, which was down in La Jolla. Many from my family made the trek, some coming from as far away as Colorado, Texas and New Jersey, but there were still those who were unable to get away. I am lucky to live relatively close and have an understanding boss who allowed me to take a few days off work.

 

It was during that time that I made an interesting, but not very profound, observation. My observation was that social media and mobile technology are amazing tools for communication.  I told you it wasn’t very profound. 

 

This was one of the first times in my life that communicating with other family members on a large scale was necessary and useful. It wasn't just about sharing what I ate for lunch.

 

I have always been a huge fan of social media and am usually one of the early adopters of new social media fads, but this was the first time it had REALLY been useful.  One of the tools which I found most useful was, believe it or not, Facebook.

 

Contrary to popular belief, I am not the biggest Facebook fan. I much prefer to blog or tweet. However, Facebook allowed me, and others, to post updates that the entire family could see and comment on. And, since I have it available on my phone it was super easy to send out updates while in the hospital.

 

Now, I feel as though it is important to say that Facebook cannot replace the personal nature of a phone call or an in-person conversation; but, it can be a very powerful and useful tool in all types of situations.  I am grateful to have had it as a communication tool over the past few weeks. It’s made things a little easier.

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Posted in: Technology.
Tagged: · · · ·

Keeping Millennials Engaged

May 11th, 2010
by Brian.
3 comments
There’s a thought provoking post over on Katya’s Non-Profit Marketing Blog titled Why Millennials Are Going to Keep You on Your Toes.
 
In the post Katya Andresen talks about Millennials* and how they are different from past generations.  She makes many interesting observations but the one that stands out to me comes from a study by Achieve. She quotes a study which talks about millennials and their higher expectations for non-profits. The study says
 
Millennial donors want more than a transactional relationship. They want to be engaged,” said Derrick Feldmann, CEO of Achieve. “They need to feel a connection with an organization, and they want opportunities for deeper involvement, such as opportunities to work with leadership and to help craft direction for the organization. Plus, they want to know specifically how their gifts will benefit the organization’s constituents.
 
Interesting stuff.  I think it directly applies to fundraising, volunteerism and possibly even roles in the church.  As someone involved in all three of those areas I’m extremely interested in this. 
 
In our churches I would think that we need to create opportunities for millennials to take on leadership roles too keep them engaged.  Perhaps they can help plan events for the youth ministry, run their own small group, teach a class, or help facilitate the benevolence program.
 
In our non-profits perhaps we can include them on our volunteer committees and create opportunities for them to fundraise for specific projects.  There are a lot of possibilities but it’s important that we do something. 
 
We need to make sure we are open to allowing the kind of interaction this generation needs.  I’m afraid we’ll loose them and their support if we don’t.  So, be proactive, look at your programs and see where this type of interaction is possible and appropriate.  I’m sure you’ll appreciate the help and they’ll appreciate having a voice.
 
*Everyone seems to have a different definition of where the millennial generation begins and ends. In some studies I would be considered a millennial and in others I would be considered a part of generation x.   

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Posted in: Life, Religion.
Tagged: · · · ·

Digital (Fill-in-the-Blank) Recorder

May 7th, 2010
by Brian.
1 comment
Your home entertainment system likely has a Digital Video Recorder (DVR). It's pretty much standard equipment these days if you have cable, fiber, or satellite television.  It's a wonderful invention that lets you record your favorite shows for later viewing.  It also allows you to pause live television and rewind to catch that pivotal moment in your favorite show that was missed because the phone rang, or in my case an airplane flew over your house. After having had this in my home for a couple years I can't imagine living without it.
 
So, I've been wondering when this technology is going to catch on in other areas of life. When can I look forward to having a DAR (Digital Audio Recorder) in my car?  Maybe I want to program my car to record my favorite morning talk show.  Or, maybe I just missed an important concert announcement because some jerk cut me off.  It would be really helpful to be able to play that moment back. Right?
 
What about a DAR for the phone?  Maybe you want to play back a conversation you had with your boss so you can make sure you've followed through on every instruction they gave you.
 
The possibilities are endless, but what I would most like to see is a DLR (Digital Life Recorder). Wouldn't it be cool to pause and rewind your life so you could relive the great moments, go back and change your failings and skip through the boring parts? That's the technology I'm most looking forward too. 
 
What kind of Digital (fill-in-the-blank) Recorder would you like to see?

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Posted in: Technology.
Tagged: · · · ·

Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive

May 7th, 2010
by Brian.
No comments yet
I thought this was cool.
 
Saturday, May 8th is the National Association of Letter Carriers National Food Drive. I received a blue plastic shopping bag in my mailbox yesterday specifically for the Food Drive.
 
Here's what you do to help (according to www.helpstampouthunger.com).
  1. Place non-perishable food items in a bag
  2. Leave the bag at your mailbox on Saturday, May 8th
  3. Your letter carrier will pick up the bag and deliver it to local food banks and pantries

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Posted in: Life.
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Remember Last Week? Things Have Changed

May 6th, 2010
by Brian.
2 comments
Remember that post I wrote last week?
 
The one about having too much going on?
 
Oh my, how things have changed.
 
And, the thing that scares me most is that, in a way, I may have asked for this. 
 
I ended that post saying I was going to try to work through everything and avoid the desire to retreat when faced with tough times. Well, times have only become tougher. And, I want to retreat more than ever now. 
 
However, with that said, I’m still trying.
 
I’m exhausted physically and emotionally. And, I’m still fighting the urge to retreat.
 
It’s not easy, but through all of this I’m reminded of the passage in the Bible that says God will not give you more than you can handle. I know that’s a loose translation of 1st Corinthians 10:13, but I really think it’s true. The trick is that with God we are able to handle a lot more than we think.
 
It’s kind of funny how that works.
 
God’s going to let us go through tough times. He never promises that he wont. He simply tells us that if we lean on him we will get through it, because he’s never going to give us more than we can handle. 
 
It’s a pretty amazing relationship we have, if you really think about it. 
 
So, here I go again.  I’m going recommit myself to facing these trials.  And as I said last week, hopefully I’ll be better for having lived through it.

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Posted in: Life, Religion.
Tagged: · · ·

Exciting News

Apr 28th, 2010
by Brian.
4 comments

I have some exciting news to share.

I just accepted an offer to be the Assistant Director of Volunteers at Union Station Homeless Services starting June 1st.

This has been in the works for quite a while and I'm excited to finally share the news.

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Posted in: Life.
Tagged: ·

Too Much Going On

Apr 27th, 2010
by Brian.
2 comments
There's just too much going on right now. 
 
It's hard to focus and think clearly about anything while being pulled in so many different directions. 
 
I think my cousin Sara shared the best course of action for this on her blog, Stories and Songs, yesterday.
 
Ok, so maybe hiding isn't the most productive way to deal with life, but sometimes I just wish I could pull the covers over my head and disappear for a few days.
 
And that's where I am today, wishing I were in bed with the covers pulled up all the way.
 
What is it that makes us want to retreat when faced with difficult situations? Why don't we just look at the difficult times and think, well it'll at least build character?
 
I think it boils down to the fact that we are always looking for the easy way out. And, when you are looking for the easy way out you don't experience the things in life that'll build character or, as author Donald Miller would put it, write a good story.
 
So, I'm going to try to not retreat.  I'm going to work through everything that's going on.
 
Hopefully I'll be better for having lived through it.

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Posted in: Life.
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