This is a quick, last-minute note to spread the local word about a documentary showing at the Nuart Theater. The movie is titled Collision and features local pastor Douglas Wilson and prolific atheist Christopher Hitchens as they debate the existence of God in a series of public appearances and casual discussions. This is a professionally produced film that has recently been seen on the Amazon.com bestseller list and highlighted on national television and radio broadcasts. It will be showing for free (donations accepted) at 5:00 and 7:30 tonight in downtown Moscow. Copies of the DVD will be available for $20.
Just because it was the right decision to stay in Moscow for the Winter doesn’t mean I’ll miss Norway any less. If I had decided to return to work at the resort for a third season, this is about the time I would be shopping for a ticket, packing up and moving back into my old apartment at Kvitfjell. Thanks to temperatures that have been consistently low enough for artificial snow production, the mountain opened its first slopes last weekend, and this week they received an early dose of fresh powder. (Check out the photos of Scott and Marius.) Today, Kvitfjell Hotel is opening their doors for the season, and they have just added to their website a commercial (click on “Video”) that I filmed for them last March and edited over the Summer.
In case that weren’t enough to make me heartsick, last night we invited three high school exchange students to dinner at the Big Haus: Leo from Holland, Yeliz from Turkey, and Adina from Kristiansand, Norway. Adina and Yeliz had walked by the Haus a couple of weeks ago and spotted my flag, which made them curious enough to approach the front door and introduce themselves. They returned last night, where over a bonfire I got to brush up on my Norwegian, and for the first time since moving to Moscow, Adina heard more of her own language than a stereotypical “Uff da!”
When I wrote about moving into the Big Haus a few weeks ago, Leslie Wilson promptly (and graciously) brought to my attention that I had omitted a key component of the lieutenancy program. Since lieutenants are only required to pay for board (the room is free), it is expected that we take responsibility in maintaining the Haus and other various chores as needed. So far, I have raked, mowed, and fertilized the property (which presents its size modestly). Earlier this week, I compiled a live CD and video collection with which Leslie’s band, Groovehaus, will advertise itself at this weekend’s bridal fair. Also this weekend is the Wilson’s first ever Fire and Reign marriage seminar, which I plan to record for them.
In addition, a pet project of mine – which is still in the research and planning phase – will be to broaden the scope of waste recycled by the Big Haus. Needless to say, a full house of fourteen generates quite a bit trash, much of which falls under the categories of materials accepted at the Moscow Recycling center. I was encouraged to learn that we already send them our cardboard and glass, and other good candidates will be items like milk jugs, soda cans, and light bulbs. The hard part will be arranging a centralized collection station and then getting the rest of the residents to use it. After that, it will be my distinct honor to sort and assemble the recyclables for weekly curb-side pick-up.
That said, it just so happens that November 15 is “America Recycles” Day, hence the flashy new image in the sidebar. Clicking on it will take you to the official ARD website, where you can learn more about the basics of recycling and find out if there are any related events happening in your area. For example (though not listed on the ARD website), Moscow Recycling will celebrate by offering an increased payout for aluminum cans. It seems appropriate, therefore, to impose a deadline of November 15 for launching a Big Haus recycling program. If I’m successful, I’ll get a bonus for the cans. I’m even crossing my fingers for a cape.
Moscow did not escape the cold snap that recently swept across most of the country. When my sister, Kristen, held her outdoor wedding ceremony and reception during the final weekend in September, she was blessed with the last of our Summer weather. What followed was a typical Moscow mix of sun, rain, wind, and chilly temperatures. This past week brought lows reaching into the single digits, breaking records that stretched all the way back to the 1940s. Unlike other regions, we did not see any snow, but several consecutive days of freezing temperatures meant that many of our trees went straight from green to brown – not to mention thousands of dollars in lost agriculture, such as seed potatoes in southern Idaho, the University of Idaho’s corn maze in Lewiston (located in the Snake River valley, which can usually rely on warmer temperatures) and Washington State University’s organic pumpkin crop, resulting in the cancellation of their annual harvest party. The weather went from Summer to Winter and now back to Fall, with today’s temperature maxing out at a balmy seventy-four degrees. The trees in Moscow that did survive the freeze are still green or just beginning to turn colors, like this one down the street from the Big Haus. Also taking advantage of the warmer weather is a city-wide hatch of some sort of gnat or wolly aphid, which nearly resembles snow in the sunlight and is difficult to walk through without catching a few in the facial orifices. Click on the photo to see more.
When finding myself in casual discourse lately, I have had a tough time explaining to people “what I do.” Whether I am meeting old friends who are curious what I am up to or being introduced to someone new, the question is a difficult one to dodge. Over the Summer, I could fall back on answering about my job at SEL, even though I knew that was likely to be temporary employment. Between the time it ended in August and my sister Kristen’s wedding a month later, I was busy with preparations for her event, which both sufficed as a satisfactory response and provided a distraction at which I could divert the conversation away from its original point of inquiry. But the question has become increasingly problematic since then.
I have no argument with the question itself. Just this week, I was reminded by my framed copy of Evan Wilson’s “The Word of a Gentleman” that “A gentleman is employed: He is advancing when not in company.” At the moment, I do not have a paying job, which is often the expectation when a question like “What do you do?” is posed. An equally appropriate question encountered when living in two neighboring college towns is what I am studying. Allow me to clarify that I am neither enrolled at the university, nor putting my degree to good use. To make things easy, I have begun condensing this set of circumstances using the word “bum.”
What I appreciate about the aforementioned “Code” (as it was previously named) is that the implied question does not assume a paycheck. As much as there is to be said for steady income, to be “advancing” leaves plenty of room for the situation I find myself in, and which I have arrived at by choice. Over the past year, I have given fair consideration to a variety of attractive options that has included more traveling, returning to school, and resuming a career. In contemplating the alternatives – a fortunate position in itself – I have realized that simply finding something “to do” ignores the greater question of “Why?”
Granted, I will eventually need to rejoin the work force. Money pays for food and rent, which sustain us so that we can work, get paid, eat, and sleep. In between, we raise a family, hang out with friends, read our books, and worship on Sundays. It is our lot. I have just embarked on a study of Ecclesiastes, and I have no naïve intention of escaping the vanity of it all. But whatever I do, I want to do it intentionally. I spent five years at an office desk developing software because it was the logical step upon graduating from college with a computer science degree. I entered college studying computers because it was a promising field with the reward of a hefty payoff, and that much proved to be true.
But as a single soon-to-be twenty-nine year old, a hefty payoff is not what I need or want. I do look forward to raising a family, and to be honest, I thought I might already be there. The desk job could have provided ample munition for pursuing that objective, and I like to imagine that I would have been happy. However, instead of following the traditional progression to its end, I am currently faced with a unique opportunity to evaluate my life without pressing distractions. Many are able to read the lay of the land in stride, select the fastest route, and arrive successfully at their goals. I, on the other hand, am finding it necessary to pull out the map and compass before taking another step. Only now am I confronting a few sentences I once wrote years ago:
“There is a principle in physics called the Heisenberg Uncertainty, explained by the fact that the more precisely the position of a moving object is known, the harder it is to determine its momentum or direction. It is portrayed by a two and a half hour, three-actor play by Michael Frayn called Copenhagen, which not only addresses the brilliance and moral conflict behind the development of the atomic bomb, but also the way the world we live in reflects the subtle characteristics of what it means to be human. We can spend a lot of time thinking about who we are and where we are in life. But ponder the thought too long, and the more important perspective of which direction we are going and how quickly becomes difficult to see. Without purpose or destination, the question of who we are is irrelevant.”
In retrospect, I would argue against myself in proposing that one must first possess identity before any meaningful progress becomes possible. In other words, determining who we are is a vital precondition to a good life. To do so involves a recipe that combines ultimate philosophy and human history with my own particular desires, interests, and abilities. I have a vague notion of all of these, but never have I attempted to assimilate them into a coherent whole – something that could give me confidence, not only of who I am, but how best to use the short time I am given.
Which is why it came as a welcome surprise in early September to be offered a Lieutenancy at the Big Haus, a name which may sound familiar to readers of this blog. In fact, it was two years ago that the Haus played host to my birthday/going-away party before I set off on that first adventure to Kvitfjell. As I have mentioned before, the Big Haus is an open-door boarding house owned by Evan and Leslie Wilson, whom I have known for years through my initial high school friendship with their oldest son and later by attending numerous gatherings, celebrations, and banquets (Leslie is an amazing chef) in their beautiful home. I have even had the special privilege of spending Christmas morning with their family, all dressed in our pajamas.
In recent years, they have begun to shift the orientation of their operations from housing college students to a broader form of ministry, formally known as the Big Haus Society. Part of this ministry is something they call Lieutenancy, in which an interested individual such as myself is invited (or applies) to live at the Haus at little cost in order to conduct what can be succinctly described as an informal literature course, arranged by Evan, with the purpose of discovering how to attain a peaceful and orderly existence. My friendship with the Wilsons, familiarity with their ministry, and present personal circumstances made their offer the most appealing of any I had yet entertained.
Before accepting, certain provisions had to be made – namely, getting my sister married off and gaining the blessing of my parents, whom I had been living with since returning from Europe in May. Both feats were accomplished, and last weekend, I made the move into the Big Haus as a Lieutenant. With the Wilson home already being one of my favorite Moscow hang-outs, the move could not have been more natural: I have come into the company of old and new friends with whom I look forward to passing the Winter months until the end of my Lieutenancy sometime next Spring.
“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1. The word “season” has long been one of my favorites. I thought that I would return from Europe and get all of my questions answered over the course of the Summer. To the contrary, my questions only multiplied. What has become clear to me, however, is the nature of the season I am passing through. I did not realize it immediately. Indeed, with the benefit of hindsight, I may be closer to the end of this season than the beginning. I now look forward to explaining my Big Haus Lieutenancy to those who ask me what I do, and I expect by Christmas I will have added to that some sort of part-time job in order to pay the bills. Though I may have successfully escaped “bum” status, I sense that the challenging finale of this season lies ahead of me. The Lieutenancy will offer the opportunity to spread out my map and compass and serve as the stepping stone that will propel me into action – the sort that will make it easier to answer the question of what I do.
A perspective on the North side of the Big Haus. Betcha' can't find my room!
I have uploaded pictures of my room to Flickr. Additional photographs from around the Haus can be found on the website Evan and I put together some years ago.
It has been over a week since my sister, Kristen, got married. I knew it was naïve to think that things would settle down once the wedding was over. Even without a paying job, there are still not enough hours in the day. But I am accomplishing what I can, and I figure it is about time to at least acknowledge here the success of what I heard more than one person call the best wedding they had ever been to. I am no expert and perhaps a little biased, but it was certainly a day to remember. Josh and Kristen took a gamble on having an outdoor wedding in late September, and that bet paid off. Aside from the couple getting hitched, two of the day’s biggest blessings were the beautiful weather (which turned cold and wet by Tuesday) and everyone staying healthy on low sleep despite an early flu season.
Amidst all the preparation and celebration, I did not take a single picture of the wedding on my own camera, but there have been plenty of photos popping up on Facebook, which I have shared on my wall for any friends who are interested. With the help of Graeme Wilson, I did record the ceremony, which will eventually be made available; but first I need to catch up on video from the last wedding I recorded – that of my cousin Kari to Brent Andrews back in July. Incidentally, Kari was able to attend Kristen’s wedding, so I will refer you to her blog for a more thorough account of last weekend, including a few pictures. The only photos I can offer are of the aftermath. Early Monday, Josh’s parents rented an Idaho U-Haul to drive Kristen’s belongings to Santa Cruz, where the new couple will be moving in together. (In fact, their honeymoon was the same, albeit more leisurely, road trip to California in time for Josh to return to his classroom this week.) Including help from one of Josh’s groomsmen, Dan Ross, we had the over sized truck on the road by mid-morning.
When I moved back home at the beginning of the Summer, I jumped into several projects around my parents’ house. Between work and travel, those projects eventually got put on the back burner. Now, with my Summer job over and Kristen’s wedding quickly approaching, we have been digging in once again. I recently had the chance to hang out with my old high school classmate, Miranda, and her family. I realized that I have much to learn from her when it comes to getting things done and documenting it simultaneously (all while producing and managing offspring), but here are a few shots taken over the past week.
The first thing I tackled in May was an ailing garden with a dead rose bush on the west side of the house. The thorny remains were uprooted and replaced by a host of gladiolus bulbs that have finally decided to bloom more than three months later.
Another job that I had been wanting to do for years but significantly underestimated was the paint job around our front patio. I had initially gotten the go-ahead to repaint the trim, but when we discovered rotten wood underneath the railing, suddenly half the wall need to be reinforced or replaced; and if we were going to go that far, why not just repaint the whole thing? I’ll tell you why: because painting lattice work is a painstakingly meticulous, back-breaking, knee-crunching chore that I would never wish on anyone.
During her daily watering routine, mom has been keeping tabs on our pet mantis. When I was a kid, I used to be awestruck by these insects because of their rarity and beauty. However, after reading about their reproductive habits in Pilgrim At Tinker Creek, my regard for this species moved from awe to grotesque fascination.
Meanwhile, Kristen is convinced that even the sunflowers know there is a wedding on the way. Love is in the air.
Josh, Jon, Rob, Ryan, and Ben – a.k.a. Ashes Remain – came to Moscow this Sunday for the Nuart Block Party as part of the “Back To the Five” tour. They were first in a lineup of four Christian rock bands, which meant that they played through ninety degree heat in the middle of the afternoon to a meager Main Street audience.
I was blown away. Not only did the band deliver an incredible set minus the synergy of an energetic crowd, their music drew me steadily closer to the stage in a way that a band has not done in a long time. My sister, Heather, and I – being two of the few spectators on their feet – made ourselves easily recognizable and ended up making friends with Jon, the bassist, and later Josh, the vocalist.
My attempted apology for the embarrassingly small crowd was met with gratitude for simply being there. After listening to the band’s exceptional live performance, I was surprised to learn that not only are they unsigned (though currently in a “first right of refusal” agreement with a major label), this is also their first national tour. By the end of the night, after listening to all of the (very decent) bands, I still thought that the best band had played first. On top of that, they came across as really personable and down-to-earth dudes.
So, when I learned that their next stop was in a north Idaho town even smaller than Moscow, I decided they could use the extra support. The following day, I made the beautiful, two-hour drive to Kamiah to see them play again – this time in a church to an even smaller crowd, which was essentially a youth group with parents in tow. Their performance, however, was equally amazing, dealing this time with both a small audience and technical sound issues. Once their set was through, they invited me backstage to join them for dinner, and we spent most of the rest of the evening hanging out and cheering on the other bands.
After two lackluster turnouts, I am sure Ashes Remain is happy to have left Idaho behind. From here, they are on to California, Las Vegas, and Arizona. But they have gained at least one new fan for their efforts, and I dare say even a new friend. It was a pleasure and a privilege to hang out with the guys when they weren’t rocking the stage, and when they return to the Northwest, you can bet that I’ll be making the trip to see them.
Anyone who is prepared for mind-blowing guitar solos can listen to the music of Ashes Remain on the band’s MySpace page. Those who would like to see what my beard will one day look like can watch the couple of music videos I found below (a slow tune, followed by a heavy one – unless you are reading this as an imported note on Facebook, in which case you will need to click on the “View Original Post” link below, since embedded videos never seem to show up). And if, by chance, someone reading this loves their work as much as I do, you can support the band by purchasing their newly released EP, Red Devotion, on iTunes.
