78 Degrees and a Light Breeze

My Thoughts on the Rob Bell Thing

2011-03-15T16:53:00.001-07:00

For a guy that has made Christianity look pretty cool in the past, that is an ugly cover.

Back In The 417

2010-08-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

I started my training as a Mister Manager at the Student Union on Monday with a team building activity at a place called Medieval Fortress. In short, we helped by building a wall out of hay, sheep poop, mud, and water.

Good experience. Not at all what I was expecting.

Throughout the week we have been learing about the goings on of the Union and what our role is in it all. It has been good, but very long. After today I will have put in 38 hours this week! Wowzers.

Work isn't worth blogging about. Here is what has happened this week that is fun and hopefully more exciting to read about.

Rewind to Saturday. Midnight bike ride with my best friends through the beautiful Kansas City. A tradition that must be upheld. Such a good time of reuniting and reflecting on what God has been doing. Sounds like things at YouthFront were amazing (as usual). My brother got to TeenStaff quite a bit this summer, something I wish I would have done. The people that run that place are incredible.

Sunday Chase and I went to Jacob's Well to hear the Word get BROUGHT! It was awesome. 50% of the appeal of Kansas City, I would say. That community is beautiful, and it has always been something I have been on the outside of because of my location. We'll see where I am this time next year, but I hope there is opportunities to build community that is intended. Something that was said at JW was a quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer that went something along the lines of "don't let your dreams for community get in the way of the community you are in now."

That hit pretty hard because for the past year or so I have had ideas of how I want to live after I graduate and not focusing on the community I am in now that is an incredible God-fearing, loving and accepting one. I hope that this year can bring me to realize that and I do not discount where I am now.

Later Sunday afternoon we celebrated Grammy's 70th birthday! She does not seem 70. It was good to see the whole family and lay some smackdown on them in ping-pong. Yes, you are reading the blog of the current family champion (formerly held by Grammy herself). We then headed back to Springfield for the beginning of training and getting settled down.

Last night (Wednesday) we had some people over for a little dinner party. Hosting is probably my favorite thing to do. I'm not the best cook, but last night's meal wasn't anything to sneer at. We also played some Killer Uno, thanks to David. That game is insane.

Now, I'm rockin' my first Building Manager shift on my own listening to some Michael Gungor Band. Pretty good stuff. "Beautiful Things" is by far the best track I have heard thus far, but I will have to listen to the rest of it a few more times. Things are super slow around the Union tonight, but it is a good first shift. I think I am getting the hang of things around here.

Sleeping in tomorrow for the first time in a while, but not too late... Sufjan Stevens tickets go on sale at 10! This is monumental.

Portland and Such

2010-08-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

The 23 day journey ends today.

Our last night in Leadville ended at the Leadville Hostel where we slept in a real bed for the first time in a while. For about $25 a person we got a bed, an option for a shower (I'll let you decide if I took advantage of that option or not.), unlimited hot breakfast, and WIFI. Not a bad deal, I guess. It was nice to stay somewhere that wasn't the ground.

The day of the 29th we drove into Denver where Zach insisted on going to REI to pick up this baby, which I found in the woods a few days earlier. Ballersauce.

We also checked out Denver and went to the original Chipotle. Nomfactory*. Hung out with his aunt and her grandchildren, Axel and Thor. Real names. Cute kids.

Friday I flew to Portland and couldn't stop smiling the entire time. I was so anxious for this trip, I can't even explain it. I landed at 8ish and got to my hosts house at 10:15 or so.

Dennis was the best possible host I could ask for. Friday night we rode bikes around town and he showed me some of his favorite places to go that were relatively close to his house. In the end, these ended up being some of my favorite places in Portland.

Saturday, we woke up late and he let me take his bike downtown to see what all was going on there. It turns out there was a festival called PDX POP NOW! going on that was pretty cool. It was a super hipster scene, but the crowd was scattered with families and old guys as well. I somewhat regret not staying for the last couple bands, but I was getting really tired so left after a band called Hosannas. There were a couple good bands playing throughout the night, though. My favorite being Brainstorm. They were a pop duo with great vocal melodies. I probably should have bought their CD or something.

The festival told me a little about Portland's music scene, and it is basically the opposite of anything you have seen in the Midwest. If you are wondering what it is like, check Pitchfork's highest rated music. Filter through what they've got and it is the stuff that you can't really listen to more than a song or two of before switching back to the comfort zone of BSS or The National.

This being said, Monday night we went to a place called Doug Fir, for a show featuring Nathaniel Rateliff, Pearly Gates Music, and another guy but we missed him. This was a more typical show that you would see anywhere else. Fleet Foxes Bon Iver style tunes and a pretty typical crowd. The only Portland factor was the venue. It was swanky. Lit floors, microbrews in spades, and a kind of log cabin feel. It was very cool.

While we were in Portland we checked out places to live, work (haha, turns out they don't exist), and "where it's all going on".

Living- there are cool houses all over the place for similar prices, so it doesn't really matter where you live. You sleep there. That's all there is to it, in my opinion.

Working- I would love to work in Portland. So would everyone else living in Portland. We'll see how that plays out in the future.

Where it's at- I admit. Everywhere you go in Portland is not where it's at. While there are some very cool parts of the city, there are just as many parts that don't really have much going on. Where at any given time of day you may have to walk half a mile to find a coffee shop, and it's a Starbucks in a Safeway. There are however some awesome parts that are like all of the best parts of Kansas City on every street. Some of which being...

Most anything on Belmont, Burnside, Hawthorne, and Stark between 39th and 23rd.
Thai Food! The best meal we had all week, for a pretty reasonable price. (14 bones.)
The Pied Cow. While we didn't go here, it looked to be a pretty awesome Hookah bar in an old Victorian style house.
Breakfast places. They are everywhere. 95% of them are really good and usually under 10 dolla.
Foodcarts. Again, nomfactory.
Bike friendly streets. EVERYWHERE! I was never yelled at or called names (sometimes very original) for promoting the one less car movement.
Public transit. Usually great. Not having known the city, there were times where we missed our stop or got on the wrong bus. Oops.
Imago Dei. The church I checked out Sunday. It was essentially Jacob's Well in Portland. It probably would have been more like it had I gone to the later service.
My personal favorite. Parks! Specifically Laurelhurst park. Located right in the thick of all the "cool streets" aforementioned, this place has got it going on. Redwoods, pond, leash-free area, music, and enough trails for a greedy walker.
Generally speaking the green-ness of the city. Not so much the recycling friendly atmosphere, but the color green was everywhere. People's front and backyards were covered in gardens and trees. Truly beautiful.

Overall, it was a great trip. I would absolutely love living in Portland! There are a ton of things about it I could definitely get used to.

The trip did help me realize that there are more places to live than just Portland, though. I really think that where ever I end up has the same potential as anywhere else for a great life. A good city is made up of good community. Good community is created by surrounding yourself with those that you love being around. People you know you can live with for a long time. Right now, I am in good community. I plan on being in good community as long as I possibly can. Portland would definitely be a great place for good community to take place. So would a thousand other places. I don't care where I live, as long as the community continues to grow. More on this later.

Also, be looking out for Club is a Place.

*Nomfactory is a food cart I plan on opening sometime in the near future.

Road Trip 2010

2010-07-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday July 15th Zach and I started our drive on what has been the best 2 weeks of my life thus far, and are sure to be just as good in the coming week and a half.

The plan was to drive to Yellowstone National Park (the nations first national park! who knew?!) backpack for a while then go from there to Colorado and see what there is to see.

A little background on the trip. Around December we said, "hey, lets go backpacking this summer with us and Austin!" "Okay, where? ...Yellowstone!"

Months passed, with little to no planning, until May came along and we decided to "plan" the trip. This basically meant verifying that everyone was still on board for the trip and we made sure it is possible to backpack and do backcountry camping in Yellowstone.

It was. So we assumed there wouldn't be a problem if we arrive in July and tell a park ranger what we want to do. Things worked out well.

I really could talk a lot about all the events that took place from May until now, but I'll save everyones time (everyone is used very loosely in this context. Being that I haven't blogged since November 29th 2009, I imagine no one will be reading this. I lost all of my blog cred.)

Most importantly, LOST ended. This changed nothing for our trip plans (that I know of), but man... I loved that show.
Zach and I, along with a slew of other 20somethings began working at Camp War Eagle.
4 days into Orientation, I broke the ol' collarbone (now coined as the cambone) playing sports and being an athlete and stuff. Surgery, sling for 6 weeks, not as much pain as you'd think.
Upon receiving the news of the broken cambone, our good friend Matt assumed the trip was off. So he made other plans. :(
Doctor Cooper said I was still good to go. Wootsauce.
Austin got a job. A real job. Jorb. So he couldn't go anymore.
Zach and I drove to Texas to pick up Kate. This Kate.
Stay for a day, drive the longest drive of our lives (2 cars TX to MO).
Leave for Yellowstone!

Blerg. That's a lot of words.

Day 1

Drive to Rapid City. Do the Wall Drug thing. See Mt. Rushmore. Camp at a campsite called "The Wolf People". They sure have gotten a lot of business since the whole Twilight thing. Props to my girl Stephanie Meyer. Ugh, gross.

Day 2

Drive to Yellowstone. Well, just outside of Yellowstone. We got to the gate at 6ish and every campsite was filled. All 2000. This place is crawling with Asians and other variations of tourists. But mainly Asians.

Day 3

Moment of truth. Meet with the park ranger to discuss backcountry camping and hiking. Thank goodness, no problems. We secured 6 nights worth of camping over 40ish miles. Easy enough. Northern Y-rock. Out of the Park, into the National Forest. Gallatin National Forest specifically. Out of Wyoming, into Montana. Begin the trek today. Hike 2 miles or so to the beautiful 2H6.

Day 4

Hike 4 or 5 miles into Montana and arrive at the even more beautiful 2H9. Only complaint thus far: mosquitos. Barf. Much hammocking. This trip is a little easier than I was expecting. I have no problem with that.

Day 5

Hike 6 or 7 miles into Gallatin National Forest (Absaroka wilderness is the cooler name). Not too bad. More mosquitos though. The National Forest runs on a "find your own campsite" basis, which could potentially rule, but in this case water is getting scarce and the conditions are getting a little less comfortable.

Day 6

Preface. We are supposed to hike about 7 miles today and camp once we hit the river. We get to where we are supposed to camp around noon only to find it is the marshiest place on earth. At this point we decided to hike the heck out of our lives and get to the car and figure something out from there. Best bad idea ever or worst good idea ever? Hmm... We make it back to the car at 5:30 and do around 20 miles by the end of the day. We treated ourselves to some noms at the Roosevelt Lodge and decided to sleep in the car. Worst bad idea ever. I slept until 2:30 AM then laid there until 5:30. (today didn't even deserve a picture.)

Day 7

Drive up to Mammoth Springs at 5:30 and see what there is to see. Meet some British blokes planning to swim in the springs. They ask "Is it a myth that you can't swim in these?" We reply "Well, we touched the water and it was warm, but the sign at the bottom says it can melt through boots." ..."Well I guess we just won't wear our boots then!" Banter.

We then drove to "Old Facefull" as the Asians say. Twas pretty cool. I wish it were louder, though. Our plan for the evening is to drive to South Grand Tetons and camp. We took a quick look at the atlas and decided it was out of our way to go there, and it was rainy anyway. So we drove to Estes Park to stay with some guys from Mizzou Zach knows. Along the way we pass through a prospective town for the commune. Fort Collins. That's a topic for another post though. We arrive in Estes at 9ish.

Day 8

We hung out in Estes Park with Chuck and John and others. Played some disc golf. Most importantly we saw Inception. Again, worth an entire other blog post. In short: best movie of the year. Todays picture is just cool. Not from Day 8, though.

Day 9

Wake up at 2 to hike Meeker and Longs. A 13,900' and a 14,200' mountain. 15 or so hours of hiking, but so worth it. Go to sleep at 6:30 and sleep until 9:30. My kind of night.

Day 10

Late wake up. Laundry. Boulder REI and oil change. Drive to Leadville aka Best Small town ever. Free camping for everyone! The way things should be. There aren't any pictures from here on because we don't have the little cord thing. Bummer Ted.

Day 11

Wake up and go to the local Episcopal Church. 28 person congregation. Pretty weird... But they do have a community meal 4 nights a week. Once again, the way things should be. Today we discover Provin' Grounds. Wi-Fi, coffee, and Zach has found a little lady he likes to call leggy. Or Katie. The name we think she has introduced herself as to other customers. Not us though. Neither have the guts to say anything, but "one refill please."

Day 12

Provin' Grounds and the newly discovered bar called "The Scarlet". Check it... 2 for $1 PBR from 3-7 every day. The thing about Pabst here is old men drink it because they like it. Hipsters don't drink it because they act like they like it. Mondays: $1 micro-brews. Plus a free concert. That's all that really needs to be said on The Scarlet.

Day 13

See day 12. Minus half the time being spent at The Scarlet. Plus scoping out our hike for day 14. Also, we decided to hammock through the night tonight due to our 2:00 wake up. It decided to rain but luckily we had the rain fly over us. Things didn't work out as much in our favor as they could have.

Day 14

2:00 AM wake up 3:00 AM hike start. We hiked the 2nd highest peak in the lower 48 and the tallest in Colorado. Pretty cool, but not nearly as cool as Meeker or Longs. We were up and down in 6 hours. And we went slow up. I am a grumpy hiker before the sun comes up. We made it back in time to catch a breakfast deal at this place called Tennessee Pass. Noms. Now we are at PG relaxing, reading, blogging, and planning out the next couple days.

Side-note. There is an 8 year old kid here who is probably the coolest person in the coffee shop. Reading Calvin and Hobbes, drinking an all-natural soda, and sitting in a wicker rocking chair.

He is going to grow up to be a ton cooler than anyone I will ever know.

Next stop Denver. Then Portland! Hopefully, more posts to come!

The Sunday Rundown

2009-11-29T16:59:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2009 just happened. 'Twas a very relaxing break, but I didn't do anything anywhere closely related to school. Blerg. Now the next two weeks of school are going to be filled with projects and finals preparation. I emailed my teachers to see if I can take finals early so I can go home a little early and see Lisa as soon as she arrives. I have been semi-successful thus far. 2 yeses and a no. Unfortunately the no means I will have to stick around most of Wednesday (the day Lisa returns). But I am still going to do my best to pull some charm out of my pockets and see about leaving earlier still.

Thanksgiving break, as I said earlier, was pretty bodacious. Hung out with old friends, new friends, family, friends families, etc. I think my favorite part was seeing my grandparents and playing ping-pong with them. They are late 60s and early 70s, but they can still whoop me in ping-pong. That may be that I am bad at the game, but I think I can usually hold my own but Grammy always finds a way to beat me. It's become a tradition since they got the table to have everyone play each other. It is tons of fun.

The food situation this year was ballin' as well. I believe we brined the turkey this year? I'm not entirely sure of what that entails, but it was scrumptious. Then of course we had rolls, casserole, stuffing and all that other good stuff. My Aunt from Oklahoma came in town too. Always good to see her!

We saw The Blind Side with Sandra Bullock and that one country singer. It was pretty good. Definitely a Thanksgiving hit for the ol' box office. I have yet to see Fantastic Mr. Fox or The Road, but I am anxiously awaiting a day where I get to see them both. They look wonderful.

In other news, my great grandpa turned 92 today. Crazy. I can't imagine being alive for 72 more years.

I listened to Death Cab For Cutie's "The Photo Album" probably 7 times through on the drive back today. I freaking love that band. I will see them in the next year. That is a goal that will be met.

Okay, I can't write anymore of this because all I can think about is school and how I have so much to do. Next blog will be better. Promise.

Back2TheBlogosphere

2009-11-17T13:46:00.000-08:00

After a long almost semester of hibernation from the blogging world I have decided to crawl out of my underground hideout/beaver dam/nest thing. (I have been in no such hideout, literally that is. Figuratively, I may have been in hiding. That is beside the point.)

I'm not* going to update you on what has happened since I have been gone, but I will however give a normal update just like I have in the past. Hopefully Sunday I will give a "Sunday Rundown".

This past weekend I went hiking/camping with my good friend Aaron Robinson. I hadn't done either activity in quite some time. This time it was on public property and we had no run-ins with local law enforcement. If you remember my blog about my last camping experience, you know it didn't go so well.

Aaron and I embarked on this journey Friday afternoon/evening and arrived in Compton Arkansas around 8P.M. We set up camp at the trailhead to Hemmed-In Hollow trail. Not too adventurous, but it was dark so we didn't have much of a choice. We slept alright, but did wake up around 2 and talked 'til probably 4. This is mainly attributed to the truck that pulled into the parking lot around 1:30 and shined their headlights in our tent. That's what we get for camping at the trailhead though.

Anyway, the next morning we woke up and made some breakfast and got on the trail. The hike was pretty relaxing and very downhill the whole way. About 3/4 of the way down I realized we would have to hike back up, which was less than exciting for me. But, we got to the bottom and saw the largest waterfall between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. So that was a pretty incredible sight. Except there hadn't been much rain in a while, so it was a little more of a "watertrickle" than it was a waterfall, but very cool nonetheless.

Hiking back up provoked both Aaron and I to start eating healthy and perhaps start a "getting in shape" regimen.** So far I have stuck to it and even went grocery shopping at Mama Jean's natural market. And it has been 3 days since I drank soda. So far so good... We will see how long this lasts though.

Day 2 got off to a bit of a slow start. Everywhere we went either looked like Disney World in that there were tons of people there or the road to the trailhead was a little too extreme for Aaron's '98 Civic to navigate. We ended up just doing a short hike that went along some bluffs for most of the way.

Since it was so short, we decided climbing around on the bluffs would be fun. After an hour or so of climbing and joking around, the inevitable happened... I, Cameron Wiley, a very accident prone person fell. Smacked my head, but not until after most of the rest of my body hit the rock below me. So we headed back early and once we got home and I had taken a shower around 5:30 or 6, the wound on the back of my skull was still bleeding. So, reluctantly, I went to the ER and got some staples in my head. 2 to be exact. Surprisingly, the process of getting chunks of metal in my head was not nearly as traumatic as one would expect. The anesthesia however was pretty painful. Needles do not belong in my head.

So, I am alive still and sick of typing now. 29 days until Lisa comes home. Thanksgiving break is going to be so relaxing. Finals are not going to be nearly as relaxing.

*The crisp air and looming possibility of snow made me type "nog" instead of "not" when I first typed this. I could definitely go for some egg nog sometime soon.

**I really hope I used this word correctly. If I am wrong, please let me know.

The Sunday Rundown

2009-08-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

Today's post is going to sum up most of my summer.

Let's see if I even remember how to do this...

Alright folks, this summer was primarily spent at Camp War Eagle in Rogers Arkansas. It was truly incredible. I spent 100% of my days with kids and outside. Everything at camp revolves around the kids, and I love it for that reason. Also, everything is very open and in creation. I found this summer that is where I see God the most. In creation. God shows who He really is through other people. I spent all of my time with other people, so I saw a whole dang lot of who God is in them. And to top it all of I was in some of the most beautiful creation in America. Unfortunately, about 4 months ago my camera went missing, so I don't have a whole lot to show you "webbers". I did get a little disposable camera 6th session and I will have to upload some pictures at some point.

Music I'm digging on. Jordin Sparks- Battlefield. Jonas Brothers- Burnin' Up. Hannah Montana- Hoedown Throwdown. Matisyahu- One Day.

Books I enjoy. Hosea. It is great. I like it a lot, but I am going to have to do some reading and re-reading. Also I really want to start reading some classic literature. If you have any suggestions let me know.

Movies. I haven't watched any good movies lately. I just know I did not like Transformers 2. Talk about suckfest. I am however going to see 500 Days of Summer tonight. I'll report back later.

Nothing is on T.V. although I am going to commit to watching seasons 1 and 2 of Weeds this week with Zach.

I don't want to write anymore favorites and similar type things.

Lisa is in India. I have yet to actually talk to her. She did however leave me a message the other day on my home phone. Things are going well, but I am very anxious to actually talk to her, even if it is for only 3 minutes. But it sounds like things are going great and she is really enjoying herself. I miss her more than I could have imagined though.

Part of me wants to flash forward to December. But I am also really anxious to see how the separation goes and how God changes us.

But when it comes down to it I miss her like nobody's business.

In other news, I got an unlocked iPhone. Woot.

It's Been Some Time

2009-06-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. But here is what has been happening since I last spilled.

I finished the semester with a 3.46. Nothing to write home about, but my scholarship is still going to be coming in.
Buck night at the K with the family and Lisa. Rainy, but we waited it out and it was well worth it.
I played Jesus for a painting. Completely against what I believe, but who can say no to being Jesus?
Nelson Atkins with Lisa and Carolyn. Followed by River Market. That place is awesome.
Camp! Explaining the greatness of Camp War Eagle is impossible. But Throughout the summer I will refer to it and maybe you'll get the idea.

This is getting to be more bullets than I anticipated. Since I have been home I've gone on bike rides, bon fired, smoked Dunhill 965, bought the entire series of Arrested Development on DVD, shot a potato gun into the lake, and attempted to camp.

On the camping attempt...

Matt, Austin, Zach, and I decided to camp last night. Matt knew a place close by, but we still decided to drive. Mistake #1.

We park our cars and walk into the woods, pass a couple no trespassing signs and cross a barbed wire fence, but think nothing of it, since it is a Wednesday night and we aren't doing anything too bad. Just sleeping in a tent and making a campfire. Mistake #2.

We set up camp and get the fire going when Zach decides to go back to his car to make sure it is locked. Halfway back he turns around and says "Flashlights! There are 2 guys with flashlights coming back here. We gotta go!" So we pour 2 Nalgenes on the fire and stomp it out, pack up the tent and run away from where the lights are coming from. I was carrying a backpack and a grocery bag with steak, eggs, bacon and bread in it. Matt was carrying a pack and a folded up tent, and everyone else just had a small backpack.

So we trekked through the woody pasture only to find Lee's Summit's finest waiting behind our 3 cars. We then decided to hide in a dried up creek for our "steak-out stage" of the night. 10 minutes in we get a call from my mom saying the police called the house reporting an abandoned vehicle licensed under my dad's name. So we then decided to go out to the cars with the police waiting for us.

We ended up camping on my back deck. 3rd grade style.

Camping Fail.

Dead Day Eve

2009-05-08T00:33:00.000-07:00

Dead Day Eve: The last Thursday of the semester where everyone parties until they pass out from some form of activity.

As soon as I finish this post I will pass out from the activities of biking, star gazing, and playing in parks. Maybe I'm not the typical college student in that I didn't attend Thirsty Thursday (which I was actually invited to) but man, was it a good night.

Non-stop activity from 3:30 PM until 2:30 AM.

My legs are sore, I have chiggers to no end, and I smell like a trash can.

This is what I live for.

Good friends.

Summer nights.

Making memories.

Three Things

2009-04-30T15:51:00.000-07:00

Firstly- I am ready for the swine flu scare to be over. It is everywhere and nowhere.

1 person? in America has died from it.
36,000 people die a year from the real flu.
I had a bacon burger for lunch and I am fine.

Secondly- I started doing this whole twittering thing. It is fun, but I am still trying to find the real point. Follow me. Or don't. I could care less.

Thirdly- I have become obsessed with following the Invisible Children peaceful protest this week. I participated in their "The Rescue" event this weekend, and 1 city has yet to be rescued.

Chicago. It seems pretty convenient that

Obama and Oprah have 312 connections.
Chicago is a fun place to be in the spring.
It is relatively centrally located.

But I support their cause, planned or not. They did a big march in front of HARPO studios today, but have still yet to be rescued. So I will keep watching.

SPECIAL FOURTHLY!

This song is hilarious/ridiculous but I like it. Listen here.

The Sunday Rundown

2009-04-26T15:47:00.001-07:00

Week two of The Sunday Rundown. If anything said in this is un-understandabe, I apologize. This can be directly blamed on last nights experience at The Rescue. It was well worth it, but I am exponentially exhausted.

What I'm listening to:

I have definitely still been listening to Bon Iver (recently found it is pronounced bone evair) but as for other new music... Grizzly Bear- Veckatimest. Tracks: Two Weeks, Cheerleader, and Foreground.

What I'm watching:

Earth was a very entertaining movie. James Earl Jones rules and says some pretty hilarious things. Along with some great shots of sweet aspects of nature. It may be taken directly from Planet Earth, but the way it was arranged was awesome.

The Office this week was hysterical and hopeful, which never really happens. Michael always seems to get screwed, but I was glad with the way this week turned out.

LOST was a recap, so I didn't waste my time.

30 Rock: I fell asleep watching, but it was probably funny.

I decided I didn't want to watch Parks and Recreation this week. Maybe I will later. I just wasn't in the mood this week, I guess.

YouTube- This video is funny. "What is oozing out of our ground?!"

What I'm reading:

illbred.wordpress.com- Jeff has been keeping a blog for a few years now, and I really enjoy reading what he's got to say. It's also great to go back and read past entries.

I started The Irresistible Revolution and it is in fact as good as everyone says. Read it.

Laura showed me this verse today at church. It really is wonderful.

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

Revelation 22:17

What I'm looking forward to: Breaking in my newly acquired Chacos! I have had them for a day now, and love them. The 1 continuous strap is genius.

Something God showed me this week: He shows me everything for a reason. Last week I said "He makes all things new." This week at church that was exactly what Tim talked about. It will be up on the Jacob's Well website soon. Go to "Sermon Audio" sometime this week and click the most recent sermon.

Something I realized: I have a pretty terrible case of spring fever. This past week I played catch 3 times, played disc golf twice, went to the park 4 times, and ate 1 30 ounce sandwich with David. I ate all 15 oz. while David failed. But failed with class.

Also, I suck at driving. I rear-ended someone and my car got rocked. My dad, being the best dad that he is, fixed it yesterday. The hood was pretty well bent up and now it is just bent up. The bumper on the other hand is never going to look pretty. But, my car does have some character now.

Highlight of the week: Tie.

Thursday night in general was great. Samson spoke at club. Lisa and I split a pint of Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream from Andy's. We also ventured out on the roof of my house and watched some Arrested Development and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Saturday night was The Rescue for Invisible Children, and 700+ people gathered at Penn Valley Park in KC and protested against the Ugandan Genocide led by Joseph Kony. It was great to be a part of something that will hopefully grow to become national news and our leaders will hopefully do something about Africa's longest war, primarily being fought by children.

Also, this is my last post as a teenager. Finally, I can legitimately join the 20 Something Blogging community!

Happy Earth Day

2009-04-22T15:52:00.001-07:00

Celebrate. It's a beautiful day!

Refresh

2009-04-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

What if after I graduate, I were to just leave Missouri move somewhere?

I would save up enough money to live for 6 months or so until I find a steady job, and just go.

I have lived in Missouri my entire life and I have always wanted to explore what the world has to offer, and what better way to do so than by going to uncharted territory and living. Enjoy life, meet new people, and work in a bike shop, restaurant, or recording studio.

I want to be adventurous and live.

I would be okay with Portland, Oregon.

The Sunday Rundown

2009-04-19T11:13:00.000-07:00

Hopefully this will become a weekly tradition. I still would like to have blogs outside of this "weekly update" thing, but this will be a staple. Something I will look forward to at the end of every week.

What I'm listening to:

Bon Iver- For Emma, Forever Ago. Tracks: Skinny Love, Lump Sum, Re:Stacks.

This is good stuff. Way sweet sounds from good voices, great harmonies and cool instrumentation.

What I'm watching:

Well, I watched Fargo earlier this week. Kinda weird, but good nonetheless. I may have a Cohen brothers bias, though.

This was a good week in television. The 4 shows I watched were all up to par.

LOST- Some Like it Hoth was great. Before I thought Miles was a joke. I now have much more respect for him. Also, Hurley and his relationship is one of my favorite parts of the show right now.

The Office- Heavy Competition. Very funny episode. Andy was hilarious as always, and Dwight vs. Michael was hilarious. I still see the show ending after next season though.

30 Rock- Jackie Jormp-Jomp. Pretty good episode. I don't really remember hilarious parts per-se, but the Janis Joplin aka. Jackie Jormp-Jomp story doesn't get old.

Parks and Recreation- Canvassing. After 2 episodes I like it. Not as much as any of my other shows, but I'm gonna give it a chance.

YouTube- Going along with Bon Iver, the YouTube channel La Blogotheque has a ton of great performances from very cool groups. All shot by Vincent Moon. He is great.

What I'm reading:

My friend Erik's blog always has something interesting to say, watch, or listen to.

Another Bullshit Night In Suck City. I have been reading this most of the semester and I haven't had a ton of time to read, but it is a great read. It is a memoir by Nick Flynn who's got a deadbeat dad that abandons him at a young age and comes through the homeless shelter Nick is working at 30 years later.

I'm also planning on starting The Irresistible Revolution this week. Why I haven't read it yet, I don't know. But Hopefully it will be done by the start of summer.

Matthew 6:25-34 One of my favorite passages, that was brought up this morning in a sermon I listened to. It provides a ton of much needed hope.

What I'm looking forward to:

CAMP! 27 days. I found out recently that I will be working on the ropes course. I am beyond pumped for that.

Something God showed me this week:

He created all that is good. He made all things new. We were created to worship Him.

Blowing my mind.

Something I realized:

I need to buy light bulbs. My primary light fixture in my room is made to host 4 bulbs. (300 watts total). Right now I'm employing 75 watts.

Also, Lisa has been in Portland for the past few days. At the beginning of August she is leaving for India for 4 and a half months. I am going to miss her. A whole lot.

Highlight of the week:

Last night was pretty great. We had about 15 or 20 people over and smoked some hookah, played games, and had some great hang out time. A nearly perfect Saturday night.

Kansas City Missouri Photo Enforcement Program

2009-04-10T08:39:00.001-07:00

Can eat my shorts!

On March 29th, 2009 at 5:18 PM at the intersection of West 39th Street and Southwest Trafficway, White Lightning was caught red handed.

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Driving to Jacobs Well one Sunday night with Lisa, I obviously ran a red light. I now owe Uncle Sam a Benjamin by the end of May.

What happened to being able to break the law and get away with it? Now everywhere I drive I am going to be scared Big Brother is going to catch me breaking the rules.

It reminds me of this episode of Arrested Development.

Gob kidnaps his dad and holds up a picture of Michael as he runs the red light. Michael then gets accused of both running the red light and kidnapping his father, a convict.

Image 4

Image 5

Bike Wreck

2009-04-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

After 10 months of riding my bike pretty aggressively through traffic and such, today on the way to Philosophy I was hit by a car.

Because I am the one who was hit, I'm saying it is the dude in the Buick's fault. But it is probably just as much mine as his.

Here's the story folks.

I am riding West on Grand getting ready to turn right onto John Q. Hammons Parkway. The cars are stopped at the light, so like every other day, I pass them on the right and make sure none of them are turning by checking for turn signals.

The light turns green as I am passing the last 2 cars in line.

Today, no one was planning on turning right. That is to say, legally. (No turn signals were used). The second car in line decides to turn as I am passing him. He proceeds to side-swipe me and drive off.

This incident leaves me with a nice bent pair of handlebars, an out-of-true front wheel and a couple nice scrapes to show for it. My bike is still in working order, but this does give me another reason to look into new parts. :)

Here is a picture of my rigorous route.

Vinyl Love

2009-04-02T15:06:00.000-07:00

Monday, I bought a Pioneer PL-15D II on Ebay.

Holy smokes. I can see why my dad spent all of his money on vinyl in high school. Yesterday the player came, so I decided to check out the local record shop, Stick it in Your Ear. There I got 3 albums. The Shins'-Oh, Inverted World. Michael Jackson's-Thriller (original) and my personal favorite The Beatles' Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (original).

I am in love.

Spring Break

2009-03-20T09:05:00.001-07:00

Aspen!

Spring, Sprang, Sprung

2009-03-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

With the coming of spring, many great things occur. Flowers begin to bloom, everyone seems to be in a better mood, girls start wearing their sundresses and guys their cutoff shorts.

Everyone is relatively happy.

Until you encounter the dreaded Bradford Pear Tree.

You have all seen these trees. They look very pretty. In fact, I enjoy seeing one of these. The look of the tree is not what I have a problem with.

No, my problem is with the smell. These trees smell like dog poop mixed with fish that has been sitting in a hot garage for days. They make me want to vomit.

Moving on.

Yesterday I had to work the "Safer Spring Break" fair. Basically Taylor Health and Wellness Center decided to hand out more condoms, tampons, sunscreen, and maroon t-shirts that read "Most Bears decide not to drink" than usual. I pushed play on an iPod and read my book for 5 hours.

In turn I got this gem.

Finally, last night I went to my friend Blaise's apartment to watch a movie and smoke hookah.

If this movie were put in a blow-your-mind competition with Donnie Darko (or any other cult classic un-understandable movie ever released) Syecdoche, New York would win without a doubt. Phillip Symour-Hoffman is one of my favorite actors, and he does his absolute best in this. Not to mention I paid attention to the max and still have surface ideas of how to interpret it.

In other news, my pandacam (set on polar bear mode) showed me this yesterday.

That bear killed something, and I caught it on tape.

Double Double, Extra Toast, Animal Style, Please.

2009-03-08T16:03:00.000-07:00

I would drive a thousand miles for one of these and some fries. Well done.

I Usually Hate Female Singers...

2009-03-06T14:00:00.000-08:00

But the chorus to this song is dang good.

Center My Heart

2009-03-06T08:34:00.000-08:00

For I would love this life and to see good days.
So let me refrain my tongue from evil, my lips from speaking deceit.
Let me turn my heart towards You.

Let me seek peace and pursue it as I follow You.

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and Your ears are open to their prayers.

You are open to their prayers.

You are open to our prayers.

Open to our prayers.

In Your Atmosphere

2009-03-05T07:15:00.000-08:00

7 Days Down...

2009-03-04T06:15:00.000-08:00

40 to go.

I haven't been on Facebook for a week. This has proven to be a much more difficult task than I had thought.

I know what you are thinking.

Cameron, you are always on the Facebooks! What are you doing on the internet if you aren't on Facebook?

Well cynical reader, I have been

looking into vintage turntables.
checkin' out sweet bikes.
watching Arrested Development.
learning about Google. (Check it out... http://www.google.com keyword search, keyword America Online)

I am at work now, and there is a 'Google certified teacher' giving a presentation about teaching in the 21st century. She is bringing up some really cool points, but I am glad that I wasn't taught in the 21st century. I remember watching the Magic School Bus, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and of course Reading Rainbow. I even remember watching some science videos on laser disc.

If I were in 3rd grade right now, and my teacher wanted me to turn in all my assignments via gmail, or collaborate with my classmates via Facebook I would think the was the worst teacher ever.

This lady is talking about teaching through Google outside of school. That would be the absolute worst thing that could ever happen to an elementary school kid. Once I am done with school, I am done. If I were expected to check some google group discussing my class project on caves, I would hate school more than I would have previously.

I think that everything should come with age, and kids don't need email addresses or the responsibility of keeping up with technology until they feel like they are ready.

Unless they feel like they need a cell phone at the ripe old age of 9. Kids don't need a cell phone until high school.

Maybe I am 'old fashioned', but let kids be kids! Play in the dirt, build a tree house, loathe the opposite gender, make fart jokes, build forts, play video games, watch cartoons, eat chips, rebel, build legos, cry, watch fighting shows you aren't allowed to watch, read comic books.

Once I am a parent, I will want my kids to experience the childhood fun, but I want them to be able to discern what is right and wrong. I want them to experience rebellion, but only to the extent that they will get a rush from it, but know that I want what is best for them and rebelling is not best.

Who knows though, by the time I have kids there will probably be completely new temptations for kids that I will have no idea about. I guess I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

:end rant:

That baby is a gem. Match that with a little Ryan Adams vinyl and I will be one happy kid.

How He Loves Us

2009-02-01T01:10:00.000-08:00

Lord, if it would shake the youth of the nation, I would give my life.

A man named Stephen prayed this prayer 4 years ago and died later that night. The next morning his best friend wrote a song.

The song was not the writers song. The song is a fulfillment to Stephen's prophecy. The prophecy to shake the youth of the nation.

The song tells a story that needs to be heard.

Not that Steven died.

Not to make an emotional impact on people.

No, this song needs to be heard because it tells of a Greater Love; a grace; a mercy; a jealousy that the Creator of the all things has for us. The Creator of those who love us. The Creator of those we love. The Creator of Love.

How He Loves Us

He is jealous for me.
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, and I realize just how beautiful You are and how great Your affections are for me.

Oh! How He loves us so.
Oh! How He loves us.
How He loves us so.

We are his portion and He is our prize, drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes.
If grace is an ocean we're all sinking.

So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss, and my heart turns violently inside of my chest.
I don't have time to maintain these regrets, when I think about the way...

That he loves us.
Woah! How He loves us.
Whoa! How He loves us.
Woah! How He loves.

I remember the first time I heard this song.

I was meeting with a friend, who had just recently become a Christian, at a church called The Boiler Room. I had been friends with him since Junior High, but had never witnessed to him. He grew up in the Catholic faith with his family, but had never been exposed to "Christianity" in the sense that The Boiler Room lives by.

He was shown a love that he had never seen before that winter. He now lives with a joy that can only be credited to Jesus.

Praise God.

The concept of loving like Jesus loved is one that was lost a long time ago. Christianity has become something that I am convinced Jesus would loathe. It has become a judgmental, selfish, corporate machine.

A Brother Who Sins Against You
15"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

This is an interesting passage where Jesus tells us how we are supposed to treat those who sin against us. I love it.

Verse 17 is probably my favorite. "tell it to the church". This does not mean get in front of the church as we think of it today. Do not prepare a powerpoint showing all the sins your brother has committed against you. Do not stand at a pulpit or on a stage. Bring it to the church of those who love your brother. Not those who judge your brother.

If your brother chooses not to listen to those that love him, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Remember, this is Jesus talking. How did He treat pagans or tax collectors?

He loved them more than we can imagine. He hung out with them all the time. Through the love He showed them, they saw what life was all about.

If I can show the smallest fraction of the way Jesus loved through my life, I can somehow make an impact.

2009-01-28T20:52:00.000-08:00

Midlife Confidence

2009-01-28T11:20:00.000-08:00

The day has come.

My dad got a motorcy...cle.

I haven't seen it yet, but it looks sweet.

Jack Wiley is "the cool dad". Not the lame cool (lets you do whatever you want and has no authority over you.) But the actual cool. The "I want to be friends with this guy" cool.

Example. He emailed me yesterday a link to a recording workshop in Nashville and wants me to go with a couple buddies. He wants me to skip school for something I care about and want to do for the rest of my life.

I bet your dad didn't do that.

Superior Materialism

2009-01-07T11:20:00.000-08:00

I drive a 1992 Lexus ES300. Also known as a 1992 Toyota Camry. It is nothing to write home about.

It was recently scuffed up by my main man David Matthew Fiser.
It dies when it is in reverse.
The drivers side door doesn't lock. (Go ahead, steal it.)
The back right speaker produces no sound.

Big deal. It still runs so I could really care less.

Today I had to go to Superior Lexus to get a spare key made. 40 bones. Why so expensive? So this guy can get paid.

Your team.

(Sorry about the glare and camera phone quality.)

This "Superior Auto Mall" is filled with Johnson County Soccer Moms, North Face'd out, proudly sporting their '09 Lexus RX350. Probably enjoying a cliff bar and going home to organic sushi.

It makes me physically sick.

If I ever become one of them, run me over with a Hummer.

untitled Christmas blog

2008-12-24T22:16:00.000-08:00

I am down to my last 5 m&m's. Green, yellow, yellow, blue, blue.

These will last.

I didn't realize I would be in the sweetest Best Western ever on Christmas eve, so I didn't even think to bring my swimming suit to Oklahoma. If I had that everything would be different right about now. I would be soakin' it up in a hot tub with my soul mate. Or maybe with my 5 m&m's.

I spent most of the day in a car today, and I am okay with that.

I don't get car sick.
I had a great playlist going.
My great-grandpa kept me company.
I worked on a second ankle warmer.

We arrived in Chickasha, Oklahoma at 6 at night, only to find my brother leaning over a toilet, puking some kind of nasty. He is okay, just not feeling too great. So we ate some pork roast while he slept in the bathroom. He sleeps with his eyes half-open too. That is creepy.

I am down to 4. Green, yellow, yellow, blue.

I spent some time with the family after dinner then head out to Best Western room 114. Christmas Eve at its finest.

But hey, at least we have a place to stay. My aunt has a house full of her kids and granddaughters. So I am glad to be in an "Inn" (for christmas wit purposes).

This past Sunday at Jacob's Well the pastor talked about Joseph's role in Jesus' birth. He really brought up some great points I hadn't thought much about. I suggest taking a listen once they put it on their website.

Green, yellow, blue.

The hotel is essentially empty. I think I could get away with some Christmas Morning skinny dipping. :)

I can't tell a lie

2008-12-22T23:47:00.000-08:00

I was supposed to write a blog about how much fun I didn't have tonight.

It is too bad that I had a great night and can't muster up the courage to tell a lie.

Total BFF

2008-12-19T22:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got to spend some quality time with my good friend, Colin. It was so good to reconnect with him after a few months apart.

There are friendships that get weird over time because some people change so much that it is nearly impossible to find a commonplace with them. A place where you can really connect.

Colin has changed what he does, but not who he is. I respect that. More than I can really say.

1996- I meet Colin in our third grade class. We hang out and blow stuff up and jump out of swings with moon shoes on. We would also freeze his sister's Barbies.

2001- Colin gets into the art scene. Mainly drawing if I remember correctly. He also discovers chainmail. This takes up most of his life. He also begins to ride one of these bad boys.

2003- Still into skateboards. Not as much chainmail. A whole lot more art. For some reason a memory of this game sticks out in my mind.

2005- We go to different schools now. He begins to get awesome at Pole Vaulting. He gets even better at art. Specifically graffiti stuff.

2007- Both Colin and I graduate high school. We hang out a ton. He goes to APU on an art and pole vaulting scholarship.

2008- After knowing the kid for 12 years (maybe more) I can honestly say that he is a true friend. I couldn't say enough about him to do him justice.

I visited him over spring break this year out in LA and had the best week of my life. We beached. We camped. We biked. We Hollywooded.

He is currently really into fixed gear bikes. He got me into them too, and I love it.

And to think, I didn't even begin to talk about him hitting me in the face with a shovel...

Knitta Please

2008-12-17T18:53:00.000-08:00

I learned to knit. Kinda. I made an ankle warmer.

Ballin to the max.

Finals are done. I just have to present something tomorrow that I made in my media class. It is basically a glorified photo album.

My cousin Courtney is having another baby girl. I will now have 5 total cousins. Family reunions are pretty uneventful.

Christmas break is gonna be fun. I love Kansas City.

my next post will not have anything to do with a movie

2008-12-13T02:07:00.000-08:00

Well, the day has come. I have been 100% opposed to this since I first heard about it last year. It took a lot of convincing, but I saw it.

9:12 PM Lisa Dennis "Please go to twilight so we can make fun of it together."

9:13 PM Cameron Wiley ":) okay.. What time?"

Okay, so it didn't take a lot of convincing. The idea had been brought up the day before though, so I had a day to mull it over. Though eights of fourteens of reasons why I shouldn't see it came up, and only ones of twos as to why I should.

I saw it none the less.

I am not going to go as far to say that I liked the movie as a whole, I did enjoy parts though.

Fight scenes were pretty ballin'. Fashion was great, aside from a few of Bella's shirts and boots. Let's just say I would not date her. Very book-wormy, weird, "I eat tofu cause I think it is cool" kind of girl. Forks Washington was pretty sweet. And best of all, the Cullen's house. Bankmoneyballersauce.

I feel like I have been way too positive so far. All of the things I listed above were only good on the technical side of the movie. Acting: suckfest. Every time Edward made that stupid face I couldn't help but think of the recent SNL Digital Short. Bella should not have "cool friends". That's all that needs to be said.

Who's team am I on? Jaspers team. Hands down. Definitely the most awkward character slash in a perfect world he is totally going to tear in to Bella. He will eat her up.

I know what you are thinking, "Cameron, you thought the movie was cool, are you going to read the books? They are sooo much better." My answer to that? "HECKS NAH!"

I will however see the other movies.

On a side note: if someone can find me a grey coat similar to that of Edward's, I would be very appreciative.

indie movies suck

2008-12-10T17:33:00.000-08:00

I am at work from 4:30 until 11 today. Today's event is an "indie film festival". I hate that it is called that. I know there are people here because it is called "indie film festival". They could care less what movies are playing. The movies are supposed to be good, too. They are called: In Bruges, Brick, and I'm Not There. I am not in a movie watching mood. Especially not an indie movie.

I watched Eagle vs. Shark over the past few days through Netflix on my computer. (Which it rules now that it is Mac compatible.) But it sucked. 2 and a half stars. Tops.

I'm gonna go get paid to poop now.