Average Intentions

Drinks With a Gentleman

2011-11-22T08:06:00.001-08:00

I am currently in Salt Lake City. I got here by way of Chicago where I had the good fortune to stay in the home of a gentleman. He welcomed me into his home with open arms. And an open wine cellar.

I drove to Chicago with my roommate and his girlfriend. Our host was her father. We all had planes to catch on Saturday, and stayed at his home Friday night. My roommate and I stopped along the way to pick up a bottle of Crown, lest we arrive at our gracious host's home empty-handed.

A few minutes after arrival the bottle was opened and shared. We drank and talked. We spoke of politics and war, heroes and tyrants, friends and family. Without pausing in his story or interrupting mine, my glass was periodically filled by our host. The whisky was soon gone.

Our host, my roommate, and I retired to the basement. A beautiful bar, designed by our architect host, greeted us. Opposite the bar a fully stocked wine cellar. Our host pondered his wines for a moment, and selected a 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon. The label on the bottle rattled off a list of tastes one should note in the wine: red currant, black cherry, and various others. Now, I enjoy wine. I love a good pairing. When the wine I am drinking goes well with my steak, it is phenomenal. However, I do not know what tannins are, and I don't really care to. I know little of the technical aspects that make a wine great. I know that some wines are too sweet for me, some to strong, but in a blind taste test it is entirely possible that I would give five stars to a delightful box of Franzia.

I tried to make conversation as the topic turned to the wine before us. I asked our host if he could taste the subtle flavors the label boasted. He waived me off quickly. The only thing he wanted to know was if we liked it. He could not care less whether or not we could talk intelligently about tannins and grape regions, although we did briefly discuss them, he did not care whether or not we knew a wine should breathe for a bit after the pour, although he did encourage me to wait a moment after my first eager sip, he only cared about whether or not his guests were enjoying themselves.

After the first bottle, he quickly produced another. As we continued to talk and drink I began to notice he poured more into our glasses than his own. He saw my glance at his own nearly empty glass and smiled. "Someone has to drive everybody to the airport in the morning" he explained.

Soon after, in the early morning hours, he retired.

In the morning I awoke to a breakfast of oatmeal and orange juice. I was driven to the airport, firmly embraced, thanked for my company, and sent on my way.

Nearing Graduation

2011-11-13T22:47:00.000-08:00

The days are coming faster now. The minutes slower. Always when you look at the clock, the second hand seems to slow down. Yet Monday becomes Sunday at such an alarmingly exponential rate that I must have stumbled into some kind of vortex. There is a disturbance in the space-time continuum.

Yes, Josh, I meant exponential. Josh is my math wizard friend. I do not mean he is good at math, although he is. I mean to say that he is good at math and a wizard. Two distinct qualities. Both enjoyable. But before I was explaining Josh, I was explaining to Josh that I was not misusing the term exponential in an effort to turn a phrase. I really mean each week seems to be moving twice as fast as the last.

As graduation draws nigh, I have entered a phase of pre-nostalgia. Pangs of times gone by hit me while I am experiencing the events. Tis a vexing state of being. I wish I had one more lunch at my favorite restaurant. Then another lunch comes, which makes me feel stupid. Here I am longing after a thing that is likely to reoccur with some regularity until I leave, and I'm not leaving for months.

Along with the vague notions of reminiscence, I am filled with excitement. I shall be married soon. To a marvelous girl/woman/person. I say girl because I've known her since grade school. I say woman because I am scared of feminists. I say person because she is a wonderful individual. Complete and whole. Balanced and perfect. And I get to share a home with her. A home complete with furniture and rooms and a dog.

And it shall be glorious.

The only thing that puts a dampen on my impending glory is finding a job in this godforsaken economy. I am in the process of searching, and it has had its ups and downs thus far. Lots of people not hiring, not looking, not interested. A few interviews. A few rejection letters. Still time to find a good fit and nail something down before graduation. Still time. For now...

Opposing the dampening forces of job-searching is the idea of coming home. Not only do I get married after graduation I get to move back to my home state. With my home streets and my home family. Homey home home. My family is at home (as they should be). I am excited to be close enough to my brothers to grab a beer after work. Close enough to my Dad's house to throw together a poker game. Close enough to be able to babysit my niece and nephews.

And it shall be glorious.

That's it for now.

Strength and Honor.

The Bush Tax Cuts

2010-07-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

The search for a rational approach to taxation continues. Klein's take on the situation is dead on. It doesn't make you angry, so much as it just makes you sad.

Ezra Klein - McConnell: 'No evidence whatsoever that the Bush tax cuts actually diminished revenue'

Web-comic Wisdom

2009-01-26T21:49:00.000-08:00

Ah, the wonderful wisdom of XKCD. During my bored-at-work internet browsings I got stuck hitting the random button on XKCD .com for about half an hour. Twas time well spent.

This comic was the last one I read for the day. It is simple and pure and hilarious and fits well with what I had in mind when I started Average Intentions. The idea of mustering the courage to kiss someone is not a unique concept. There is nothing groundbreaking about it. In fact, its overwhelming commonness is what makes it a powerful idea. And yet, so many seconds that could contain first kisses are let go. Moments go unseized. Many intend to take the leap of leaning forward, eyes closed, lips puckered; but few actually do.

There are always a million reasons not to do something. Exciting things happen when you ignore the pesky “what-ifs” of this quickly fading existence, close your eyes, and jump.

7 Things...

2009-01-24T08:34:00.001-08:00

Yes. It is cheesy and overdone. Thank you for pointing that out. I really had no idea. Now that you've brought it my attention...I'm writing it anyway. (I was tagged people! Tagged! You don't just go around messing with "the tag")

#1. I might have superpowers.

They haven't appeared yet, but I am still fairly convinced that they will emerge soon, and emerge with vigor. I have been harboring this vague sensation that I am destined to fly and wear a cape for some time now.

#2. I thoroughly enjoy "girl-rock"

I like it when women vocal artists sing angrily. Angry-girl-rock. Pink, Avril, Kelly Clarkson when she's pissed, you get the idea. Recently became a fan of Paramore for this very reason. I could pretend to be slightly embarrassed, but if you can't enjoy a decent, estrogen-laced, volatile rock out session, then you're the one that needs to make some adjustments in your life.

#3. I really enjoy grocery shopping.

This is not hurried, I need to pick up some milk shopping trips we're talking about there. I hate those as much as the next person. However, late night meanderings up and down the aisles searching for various ingredients for my favorite meals or discovering ridiculous new promotional foods, mocking them, and then tossing them into the cart is soothing to me. I have yet to find an explanation for this.

#4. I like board games.

My affinity for board games includes, but is not limited to: Monopoly, Clue, Risk, Cranium, Scene-It, and Scattergories (is that a board game?). Anyone who says they don't like Monopoly because it takes forever is simply not playing it right. My brother, sister-in-law, which ever fourth player we have conned into joining us, and myself can knock a solid game of Monopoly out in roughly one hour. It just takes focus.

#5. I take multi-tasking to a weird place.

I despise inefficency. I really enjoy the idea of accomplishing more than one thing at once. The prime example of this is laundry. Obviously we all do other things while the washer is going, but I get a weird sense of accomplishment knowing that my clothes are washing and drying at the same time while I complete a host of other menial domestic tasks. Once the dryer buzzer goes off I like to take account of what I've accomplished in the last hour and experience a bizzare sense of ultimate satisfaction.

#6. I enjoy movies, regardless of actual "quality"

I know The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was amazing. I understand that it is a beautifully acted, wonderfully written, and masterfully directed. I appreciate it, in all its greatness. But sometimes you just need to watch Bring it On ya know? Or Wanted. Wanted will rock your face off. People have told me these movies were a "let-down". Which begs the question: What exactly were you expecting from a movie about cheer competitions or fraternal assassin organizations? I expected to see Kirsten Dunst accomplish her goals with a cheesy romantic sub-plot, and I expected McAvoy and Jolie to shoot people. A lot of people. Cinematic snobbery gets in the way of having actual fun while watching a movie.

#7. I feed the monkeys at the zoo.

I know I'm not supposed to, but its fun! I only feed them grapes, so I'm fairly certain I am not poisoning them. There's this one big monkey who clearly dominates the cage. So, in order to get grapes to the other monkeys you have to distract the alpha monkey by holding a grape just out of reach. As he reaches through the bars to get the grape, you can throw a handful of grapes past him to the other monkeys. If I was ever trapped in the monkey cage I would stage a coup and bring an era of peace and prosperity to the primate cage as their benovelent, grape-bearing leader.

Mac Journal!

2009-01-21T16:01:00.000-08:00

Test Run:

I just got Mac Journal software and it is pretty rad thus far. Right now I’m just testing it and making sure everything is linked to my blogspot account.

It lets me add pictures, videos, sound bites, etc with ease.

Hopefully this will make for a more interesting blog...

Real Progress

2009-01-20T15:59:00.000-08:00

"What Barack Obama failed to address in his remarks, however, is that some political disagreements are real — grounded in principle, or differences in judgment, or varying emphasis on different priorities, or the inescapable fact that human beings have different preferences. This is why it can never be the case, unless there is a war so terrible that our very existence is immediately threatened, that the country is going to join together in unanimity to address what ails us." - Conor Friedersdorf

To think that the only force that can unite Americans is a massive war or an impending attack may be one of the most cynical ideas ever put into words by people. This is the problem at hand. People who, mere hours into the Obama Presidency, begin to cut down not a policy, not a position, but the very idea of national unity as unreachable, naive, and misguided.

The problem is not divergent political ideologies. The problem is that people in every party believe that our differences are so great that compromise is not even feasible let alone attainable. They forget that most simple of American precepts: that which unites us is greater than that which divides us.

Our differences are real. We disagree on issues both important and immediate, which is why intelligent, patient, and reasoned debate is needed. National consensus is impossible, but compromise is always within our grasp.

Instruction Manual

2009-01-19T12:22:00.000-08:00

I found this video on localfruitandveg's blog, updates of which can be seen via the RSS feed on the left side of this page. I felt it was definitely worthy of re-posting.

This video is so simple, but it has a wonderful message about acceptance of differing views. You can have religious or moral views that are dear to you without becoming angry and closed off. We can discuss our various stances and opinions without malice. We can instill values in our children without teaching them to harbor prejudices against those who have alternate points of view.

We can be who we are without demanding conformity from others.

NewsMap

2009-01-17T12:05:00.000-08:00

This thing is pretty cool. It maps various news stories and color codes them based on category. It also sizes them by what I think is importance. Larger stories are clearly headlines, etc.

Anyway, you guys should check NewsMap out. It is flippin' sweet.

Braces

2009-01-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

So...

I have braces. Tis definitely a weird feeling. My mouth is slowly and inexorably being reshaped by dental technology. Madness I tell you! I have the Invisalign braces, which is nice. There is no metal in my mouth, and I they are completely transparent so I can covertly wear my braces and no one will be the wiser. (I think I have successfully voided this particular attribute of said braces after letting the world know about their existence via the interwebs)

I'll try and give braces updates from time to time as I progress through my treatment plan.

Wait, no I won't. If updates on my orthodontry is all I have to write about I'll just watch 30 Rock or Office reruns on my laptop and leave my handful of readers alone.

Anyway. Today is braces day. Let it be known throughout the world.

Read

2009-01-12T22:59:00.000-08:00

It may be a public service announcement, but we all need to read more. The classics of literature are classics for a reason. You won't like them all, but there is a classic author out there that fits your literary wants.

Check out ReadPrint for some free books, poems, and short stories.

I am currently reading Love in the Time of Cholera by Marquez. It is phenomenal. Marquez has this amazing ability to weave stories and themes together in a way that makes even the most minute details interesting. With all due respect to Tolkien, the non-essential details that permeate the Lord of the Rings are what make them difficult for me to struggle through. The Proudfeet Clan is a shining example of one of these ridiculously long digressions that bogs the reader down.

Cholera is amazing thus far, simultaneously heartbreaking and hilarious. More on Marquez later.

Statement of Fact?

2009-01-11T22:47:00.000-08:00

"There's Probably No God. Now Stop Worrying And Enjoy Your Life."

So say new bus-side advertisements in the UK. The ads have stirred up quite a controversy. I first heard about them from my brother, and first read about them at politics.co.uk.

The root of the controversy lies in the idea that this ad contends that there is no God, and since it is advertising the notion, the makers of the ad must have proof that God does not exist. The makers of the ad make no such claim, they jokingly propose the idea that there may or may not be a supreme being, and since there might not be we can eat, drink, and be merry. I have met many men and women of faith, and this advertisement is not going to sway them, or make them question their religious beliefs.

The ad makes no absolute statements about God's existence, and yet Stephen Green of the Christian Voice has deemed it offensive and controversial. So many Christians I know legitimately want to use the church as an instrument to better people's lives, as a force of good in the world. And yet these petty quarrels, with those that practice free speech or advocate the separation of church and state make the Christian church today seem small and irrelevant.

Dan: Man. Hero. Legend.

2009-01-06T22:13:00.001-08:00

I really like the idea of guest writers. Hopefully we shall have another very soon.

My younger brother Dan is in Iraq now. Not really sure how to feel about it. He has been down at Fort Hood in Texas since he graduated from AIT, and had always been available. He could txt message, email, talk on the phone, etc. Now he's just gone. It really sucks. A lot. Like an immeasurable amount of suck.

At various times in my life Dan has beaten me, inspired me, infuriated me, thanked me, hugged me, embarrassed me, impressed me, made me laugh so hard my face hurts, and thrown me through a door (not a doorway mind you, through a door; plexi-glass and wood flew in all directions).

When he first joined the Army I remember people telling me that basic would change him. I tried to explain the ridiculous phenomenon that is The Dan. But words, for once in my existence, failed me. The idea that this truck surfing, Ta-Da-shouting, bear-hugging hooligan of a human being could have his essence in any way altered by a few weeks of hellish training was ridiculous.

I'll admit, I was skeptical of Dan's decision to join the Army, but his uncrushable core (which is equal parts puppies, badass, and RedBull) has helped him begin a military career that his entire family is proud of.

To sum up: Anyone who knows how to operate a rocket launcher and make a damn good cheesecake is doing something right. He's a good brother, a good man, and I can't wait till he's home again.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Guest Writer: Joshua P. Smith (Tim is asleep)

2009-01-05T22:30:00.000-08:00

Just so we're all clear, this is Josh. I stole Tim's blog while he was asleep.

Actually, he's perfectly alright with this, but I thought that sounded much more dramatic.

To preface a bit, I don't know what I'm going to write here. Probably just a record of thoughts as they fall out of my head, and bear in mind, I have been drinking. A lot of my friends have been blogging recently, some of them are hilarious, some of them are poignant, and some of them are pretentious bullshit. That the problem I've always had with blogging: the fact that one might think,"I am so great and awesome, I'm going to record all my thoughts on the internet so all of my friends and future generations can read them and learn from my wisdom." I just see the whole process as rather self indulgent. I think I'm smarter than everyone else and I have difficulty dissuading myself from the idea that my problems are unique. Ergo, I'm pretty sure if I wrote down all the thoughts I had late at night in front of my computer in between World of Warcraft sessions, I'd either come off as pathetic and whiny or an arrogant prick. Also, I like some of my thoughts to be private. There are a lot of things that I don't like about myself, a lot of thoughts I have had that I am not proud of. I often have undesirable impulses, and not necessarily terrible shit like murdering someone, just feeling shit that pisses me off. I have no desire to put the deepest darkest part of myself up on the internet for everyone (or no one) to read. That's why that is the deepest and darkest part of me.

I guess sometimes it just helps to vent. To expunge the negative from ones consciousness. To see our thoughts and feelings written out, given a physical form as it were, helps. That the process is really about indulging the self: that you don't do this so others can read, but so you can. But it seems to me that self discovery is tarnished in some way if you do it in front of a thousand of your closest friends. But such are the times I guess. The world is our village now and it's easier than ever to grab that 15 minutes of fame. Everybody's putting their souls on display so we think that's where they go.

I'm not really sure where I'm going with this. It's late and my glass is almost empty, and I'm trying way to hard to work through my problems without dealing with them. So goodnight bloggites and bloggettes. Maybe next time, I'll know where I'm going before I get there.

Comrades and Their Artistic Endeavors

2009-01-04T23:06:00.000-08:00

Recently, my world has exploded a bit with various new art forms and modes of self-expression as they erupt from my little group of people.

Three of my closest friends have started blogs:

Dr. Awesome's: randomhotdog.blogspot.com & The Rishel Missile's: estimatedtolerances.blogspot.com, both of which had a hand in inspiring me to start one as well.

Another new blog/webcomic can be seen at www.selfreflexive.com. Authored by Jonny Irons, it is a great spin on the traditional blog and made me laugh pineapple bits onto my keyboard.

Dr. Awesome has also been through a few drafts of his new short film script which I helped edit, and filming will be starting soon. Keep tabs on that at projectsnowangel.blogspot.com.

The Rishel Missle's photography never ceases to amaze me. Although crass, disgusting, and often inebriated himself, his photos are beautiful and thought-provoking. If he begins posting his portfolio anywhere online I will post a link. The sad clown collection is my personal favorite.

Another dear friend has been blogging for a bit. Originally, I believe Dre started his blog as an online diary for his California trip with his fiancee, but has been keeping it up regularly. Feel free to check up on my roommate at: localfruitandveg.wordpress.com.

Josh, Kasey, Erin, and I have recently started rehearsal for a play entitled The Perfect Wedding which will begin showing at Mahoney State Park this month (show schedule will be posted soon).

Everything has gotten started ridiculously quickly, and keeping pace with everything as the year begins should keep me busy and stressed, in the best possible way.

I'll try to keep updates posted.

Make art, make art...always make art.

Intend

2009-01-02T16:35:00.000-08:00

Intend: to have as one's purpose or objective.

The intentions of any given person are often the most interesting thing about them. What we accomplish in life is all too often mediocre or slightly above average. The day to day is boring and unremarkable. But our intentions, our aspirations, our hopes for what we might be and do, these are the things that show others who we are. These immeasurable notions of "maybe" form our character and shape our souls.

This is not to say that action is not needed, that wishful thinking is enough to attain any sort of satisfaction. Those that sit on the bench and declare that they would have done something with their life, if only the opportunity had presented itself are doomed to wait idly for the universe to present them with an open door, an easy road, a catalyst to scoop them out of their pit of inaction.

Soaring intentions can be painful. The intentions of the average person can far outdistance their capabilities. This is not always a shortcoming. It may set us up for failure to a certain extent, but the idea should always remain that we ought to reach, and stretch, and dream for more than is thought to be possible. To be limited by what is possible, what has already been done, is to be forever confined by the past. We are not meant to see what has been done as a limit, but as a starting point for our own endeavors.