Tuesday, December 01, 2009
The Experiment
For the past few months, I've been blogging over on my website. For reasons I won't bore you with, I'm planning to move those posts over here and pick up where I left off with Little Nuances. You'll see that I've done a slight re-design, adding buttons at the top that link to much of the stuff that cluttered the sidebar of this blog previously. Let me know what you think.
Monday, November 30, 2009
The Blind Side
The Blind Side is the story of Michael Oher, an African-American homeless boy who was eventually chosen in the first round of the NFL draft after a white family took him in, loved him, and launched him into the world to become the person he was intended to be.
The movie will challenge you to see past barriers you might not normally see past; to help someone in bigger ways than you might initially want to; and to sacrifice beyond your comfort zone. Ultimately, it might even challenge the way you live out your faith.
Looking around the movie theater, I saw one of the more racially diverse crowds I've ever seen in a movie. And I saw more men than I usually see at a feel good movie. There was also applause after the movie and even a few tears.
As my friends and I were walking out, two guys behind us had a short, guy-like conversation:
Guy #1: "Great movie."
Guy #2: "Yeah."
Guy #1: "It's the closest I've come to crying."
I presume Guy #1 meant it was the closest he's come to crying at a movie rather than the closest he's ever come to crying, period.
Either way, it's that kind of movie.
The movie will challenge you to see past barriers you might not normally see past; to help someone in bigger ways than you might initially want to; and to sacrifice beyond your comfort zone. Ultimately, it might even challenge the way you live out your faith.
Looking around the movie theater, I saw one of the more racially diverse crowds I've ever seen in a movie. And I saw more men than I usually see at a feel good movie. There was also applause after the movie and even a few tears.
As my friends and I were walking out, two guys behind us had a short, guy-like conversation:
Guy #1: "Great movie."
Guy #2: "Yeah."
Guy #1: "It's the closest I've come to crying."
I presume Guy #1 meant it was the closest he's come to crying at a movie rather than the closest he's ever come to crying, period.
Either way, it's that kind of movie.
Friday, November 27, 2009
This Day in Family History
My family usually likes to watch a movie while eating a big Thanksgiving dinner. Last year, we watch the Rocky marathon on cable television. We had a blast because those movies were popular when we were much younger and all living under the same roof. My mom took my sister and I to see the first Rocky when it came out in 1976. Some 32 years later, there we were, watching the same movie together, even though so much has changed since then.
Yesterday, the movie of choice was Cinderella Man. I was the only one who had seen it, but my memory isn't the greatest so I felt like I was watching it for the first time. I'm not sure what the deal is with us watching boxing flicks. The funny thing is, my sister mentioned the possibility of seeing Ali since she's never seen it. The rest of us haven't either, so it'll probably go to the top of my Netflix queue for the next time.
As I was watching Cinderella Man yesterday, a thought ran through my mind. On the last page of my local newspaper, they usually publish "This Day in History" complied by the the Associated Press. I like to read through the list whenever I have the time. It helps me to feel grounded somehow. Wouldn't it be cool if someone in each family took the time to record such a list regarding family activities during get togethers?
You could bring it out each year, maybe at Thanksgiving or Christmas, and go through it as a family. It would generate all sorts of laughs and sentimentality and maybe tears. I'm thinking it might be my new project. It doesn't have to be long. Just a sentence or two that captures the essence of what happened that particular year during that particular event. I have a running start on Thanksgiving:
Thanksgiving History:
2008: While enjoying a moist turkey with all the trimmings, we watched Rocky I, II, and part of III. We cheered. We might have cried. But most importantly, we laughed.
2009: While enjoying a smoked turkey that tasted a lot like ham, we watched Cinderella Man. Mom reminisced about how her dad, who was from Ireland, used to talk about James Braddock -- the main character the movie is based on.
Yesterday, the movie of choice was Cinderella Man. I was the only one who had seen it, but my memory isn't the greatest so I felt like I was watching it for the first time. I'm not sure what the deal is with us watching boxing flicks. The funny thing is, my sister mentioned the possibility of seeing Ali since she's never seen it. The rest of us haven't either, so it'll probably go to the top of my Netflix queue for the next time.
As I was watching Cinderella Man yesterday, a thought ran through my mind. On the last page of my local newspaper, they usually publish "This Day in History" complied by the the Associated Press. I like to read through the list whenever I have the time. It helps me to feel grounded somehow. Wouldn't it be cool if someone in each family took the time to record such a list regarding family activities during get togethers?
You could bring it out each year, maybe at Thanksgiving or Christmas, and go through it as a family. It would generate all sorts of laughs and sentimentality and maybe tears. I'm thinking it might be my new project. It doesn't have to be long. Just a sentence or two that captures the essence of what happened that particular year during that particular event. I have a running start on Thanksgiving:
Thanksgiving History:
2008: While enjoying a moist turkey with all the trimmings, we watched Rocky I, II, and part of III. We cheered. We might have cried. But most importantly, we laughed.
2009: While enjoying a smoked turkey that tasted a lot like ham, we watched Cinderella Man. Mom reminisced about how her dad, who was from Ireland, used to talk about James Braddock -- the main character the movie is based on.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thanksgiving Thoughts
This morning, as I was showering and getting ready for the day, a random thought crossed my mind. This will be my 44th Thanksgiving. That's a lot of turkey, football, and family time. It's also a lot of laughter and good memories. None of it should be taken for granted.
The Bible talks about the brevity of life. You never know when this could be the last Thanksgiving you, or someone you love, is here to celebrate it.
I heard from a friend this morning. Her husband of 51 years passed away yesterday and it was completely unexpected. He had just returned home from the store, and just like that, he left this earth and found himself standing in the presence of God. It was a glorious day for him, but a difficult day for those he left behind.
My heart aches for my friend and her family. Today will be a difficult day for them. I suspect Thanksgiving will always be difficult for them from here on out. I'm praying they sense God's presence in a powerful way as they mourn and then try to figure out how to pick up the pieces.
Whether you are with family, friends or acquaintances today, be thankful. And cherish every minute of your experience.
The Bible talks about the brevity of life. You never know when this could be the last Thanksgiving you, or someone you love, is here to celebrate it.
I heard from a friend this morning. Her husband of 51 years passed away yesterday and it was completely unexpected. He had just returned home from the store, and just like that, he left this earth and found himself standing in the presence of God. It was a glorious day for him, but a difficult day for those he left behind.
My heart aches for my friend and her family. Today will be a difficult day for them. I suspect Thanksgiving will always be difficult for them from here on out. I'm praying they sense God's presence in a powerful way as they mourn and then try to figure out how to pick up the pieces.
Whether you are with family, friends or acquaintances today, be thankful. And cherish every minute of your experience.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Rethinking Free
A couple of weeks ago, I had a conversation with an editor of a magazine at a writer's conference about the changes currently taking place in the publishing industry. As you probably know, traditional newspapers are dying and the race is on as publishers try to to figure out how to survive financially while at the same time providing free online content.
The dilemma they face is real. Sending people to cover events, do interviews, conduct research and then do the actual writing of the content costs money. I'm one of the people they pay for such content. But if they give my content away, how do they pay me?
We've grown less tolerant of advertisements on websites. With a few exceptions, people are unwilling to pay for content online. So, what's a publisher to do?
As the editor and I talked about this, she asked me if I'd heard about "Free: The Future of a Radical Price" by Chris Anderson. I told her I'd just heard about it that week, but didn't know much about it.
Interestingly, Anderson has arranged for the book to be distributed in different fashions for different prices. For example, a person can purchase the hardback on Amazon.com for $21.59 right now. It's available on the Kindle for $9.99 (the standard price). The abridged audio version is available on audio.com for $7.49 and the unabridged audio version is available for free (yes free) at audbile.com and iTunes. The abridged audio version isn't free because the listener gets the point in half the time and time is money.
I downloaded the unabridged (free) version on iTunes and have been listening as I run errands. One the distinctions Anderson makes early on is between the 20th and 21st century mindset--especially as it relates to the Internet.
Those with a 20th century mindset are suspicious about free items because they believe "there is no such thing as a free lunch." Those with a 21st century mindset have grown up with free being the standard--they have free Yahoo or Gmail accounts; they use Google Docs; they use free Wi-Fi in coffee shops; etc.
The editor and I continued our conversation via email after the conference. She said she has the 21st century mindset described in the book. I told her I have a foot in both worlds and it can be confusing sometimes. She responded by saying, "a foot in both worlds might not be a bad place to be. I think old school values reapplied to new school ideas can provide a good balance."
As I've thought about all of this and the way it applies to my writing business, I've started to re-evaluate the tools I use.
I've always hated webmail for a number of reasons, but the fact is computers crash and we change IPs (thus losing email addresses) and backing up email is a major pain, so I've gravitated away from MS Outlook and other email clients in favor of webmail because it's portable, I'm in control of it, and I never have to back it up. Oh, and it's free. But I choose to give the webmail provider I use $20.00 a year for the extra bells and whistles. That's one way free leads to income and I'm fine with that.
I've never been a big fan of Google Docs. But here I am typing this post using the product. Why? I don't think the writing industry is moving away from MS Word as the standard any time soon, but practically speaking, when you have two or three computers, it's a pain to set up a network or to use a thumb drive, and it's an even bigger pain to continually back up your documents. With Google Docs, you don't have to do any of those things. You simply open a browser on any computer you are using, sign in, and begin working. When you're finished, you can download the file as a Word document with the push of a button and send it to your editor.
I don't know how long I'll stick with any of this, but when I think about using free web-based tools it just makes sense for the portable times in which we live. So, I'm adapting, both personally and professionally, as I watch the industry I'm in go through the same changes. Ultimately, I'm looking to ride the crest of the wave of change so I don't get left behind.
The dilemma they face is real. Sending people to cover events, do interviews, conduct research and then do the actual writing of the content costs money. I'm one of the people they pay for such content. But if they give my content away, how do they pay me?
We've grown less tolerant of advertisements on websites. With a few exceptions, people are unwilling to pay for content online. So, what's a publisher to do?
As the editor and I talked about this, she asked me if I'd heard about "Free: The Future of a Radical Price" by Chris Anderson. I told her I'd just heard about it that week, but didn't know much about it.
Interestingly, Anderson has arranged for the book to be distributed in different fashions for different prices. For example, a person can purchase the hardback on Amazon.com for $21.59 right now. It's available on the Kindle for $9.99 (the standard price). The abridged audio version is available on audio.com for $7.49 and the unabridged audio version is available for free (yes free) at audbile.com and iTunes. The abridged audio version isn't free because the listener gets the point in half the time and time is money.
I downloaded the unabridged (free) version on iTunes and have been listening as I run errands. One the distinctions Anderson makes early on is between the 20th and 21st century mindset--especially as it relates to the Internet.
Those with a 20th century mindset are suspicious about free items because they believe "there is no such thing as a free lunch." Those with a 21st century mindset have grown up with free being the standard--they have free Yahoo or Gmail accounts; they use Google Docs; they use free Wi-Fi in coffee shops; etc.
The editor and I continued our conversation via email after the conference. She said she has the 21st century mindset described in the book. I told her I have a foot in both worlds and it can be confusing sometimes. She responded by saying, "a foot in both worlds might not be a bad place to be. I think old school values reapplied to new school ideas can provide a good balance."
As I've thought about all of this and the way it applies to my writing business, I've started to re-evaluate the tools I use.
I've always hated webmail for a number of reasons, but the fact is computers crash and we change IPs (thus losing email addresses) and backing up email is a major pain, so I've gravitated away from MS Outlook and other email clients in favor of webmail because it's portable, I'm in control of it, and I never have to back it up. Oh, and it's free. But I choose to give the webmail provider I use $20.00 a year for the extra bells and whistles. That's one way free leads to income and I'm fine with that.
I've never been a big fan of Google Docs. But here I am typing this post using the product. Why? I don't think the writing industry is moving away from MS Word as the standard any time soon, but practically speaking, when you have two or three computers, it's a pain to set up a network or to use a thumb drive, and it's an even bigger pain to continually back up your documents. With Google Docs, you don't have to do any of those things. You simply open a browser on any computer you are using, sign in, and begin working. When you're finished, you can download the file as a Word document with the push of a button and send it to your editor.
I don't know how long I'll stick with any of this, but when I think about using free web-based tools it just makes sense for the portable times in which we live. So, I'm adapting, both personally and professionally, as I watch the industry I'm in go through the same changes. Ultimately, I'm looking to ride the crest of the wave of change so I don't get left behind.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Reading Season
I love this time of year.
Most of the sports I follow are in their off season and television shows are often in re-runs. So, for me, it becomes reading season. I probably read more books between November 1 and February 1 than the other nine months combined.
I just finished reading Twitter Power by Joel Comm. I'm always looking for ways to interact with and to serve potential clientele. This book provided some great insight about how to do that.
Last week, I started reading The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks and I can already tell it's going to be one of his classic feel good stories with a twist in the end. If you've read it, don't tell me what happens. I want to experience it.
I put a feeler out on Twitter a couple of days ago, looking for suggestions for a feel good Christmas novel or novella.
Somebody suggested The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck. Somebody else recommended The Red Gloves Collection by Karen Kingsbury. I may take both suggestions, but the Kingsbury series looks a little girly. This coming from a guy who loves The Mitford Series by Jan Karon.
My good friend Ron Benson recently started a book reading discussion on Facebook about The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-up, and Burnt Out by Brennan Manning. I joined that group and look forward to working my way through the book with added insight from the group.
And I still really want to get to A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. I bought it a few weeks ago and it's just staring at me from the corner of my desk.
Oh, and my copy of Open by Andre Agassi should arrive today!
Yes, I love this time of year.
What do you plan to read during the holidays?
Most of the sports I follow are in their off season and television shows are often in re-runs. So, for me, it becomes reading season. I probably read more books between November 1 and February 1 than the other nine months combined.
I just finished reading Twitter Power by Joel Comm. I'm always looking for ways to interact with and to serve potential clientele. This book provided some great insight about how to do that.
Last week, I started reading The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks and I can already tell it's going to be one of his classic feel good stories with a twist in the end. If you've read it, don't tell me what happens. I want to experience it.
I put a feeler out on Twitter a couple of days ago, looking for suggestions for a feel good Christmas novel or novella.
Somebody suggested The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck. Somebody else recommended The Red Gloves Collection by Karen Kingsbury. I may take both suggestions, but the Kingsbury series looks a little girly. This coming from a guy who loves The Mitford Series by Jan Karon.
My good friend Ron Benson recently started a book reading discussion on Facebook about The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-up, and Burnt Out by Brennan Manning. I joined that group and look forward to working my way through the book with added insight from the group.
And I still really want to get to A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. I bought it a few weeks ago and it's just staring at me from the corner of my desk.
Oh, and my copy of Open by Andre Agassi should arrive today!
Yes, I love this time of year.
What do you plan to read during the holidays?
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