Freeing My Mind

I’m baaaaaack! Hopefully.

Hey everyone, I have received your concerns, criticisms, and pleas for help. Have no fear, we at the Freeing My Mind headquarters have no intention of ending the blog. Life has been crazy, thus the recent hiatus. For instance:

I moved across the country two weeks ago. Lori, Cash, Whole-Grain and I sold our cars, packed everything we own into a moving truck and drove from North Carolina to San Francisco. We were homeless for a few days, but we got an amazing place right on the beach. The day after we moved in, we headed up to Alberta for a few days. I really love the people up there. I think it was my 7 or 8 time at that particular church. I think they keep inviting me back for their own entertainment, just to see what zany idea I’ll come up with next.

So, yeah, we actually did feel homeless for a few days. I think the first day we were here I called about 40 different apartment ads. We sat in the moving truck in front of a coffee shop and leeched off their internet. Of course, the place we ended up getting, was a simple God-ordained instance of driving by and calling a number. Going from a two-bedroom house to a two-room apartment is turning out to be more of an adjustment than I originally thought. Lori’s coming up with some creative ways to save space, but it hasn’t been easy.

We got an iPad, or rather we received an iPad. Our friends Shane and Jess gave us one before we left. Yes, you do need friends like that. I’m having a hard time going back to my laptop at all. It’s just so pretty.

I watched dolphins from my living room the other day.

Lori is still pregnant.

Cash is trying to get used to living in the city. He has only pooped on the sidewalk once. Good thing we were carrying groceries. The bags do a great job at picking up the poop so the nice Chinese man didn’t have to step in it.

I didn’t realize until I got out here and settled in, just how lifeless I had been feeling in North Carolina. Sometimes you don’t realize your having trouble breathing until you inhale fresh air. That’s what it feels like.

So, I’ve got two focuses for the immediate future. For one, the main edit is done on my book. I still have to go through it myself, but that shouldn’t take long. I’m still being wishy-washy on deciding the title. It’ll come to me though. I’m also focusing on getting our team out here. I think sometimes I take for granted how spontaneous Lori and I are. For most people it’s not easy to drop everything and move to California. Some would say it’s our incredible faith, I would say it’s our lack of thinking mixed with God’s grace.

I saw Christopher Nolan’s new movie yesterday. Inception. It really is a must see. I had heard some comparisons to The Matrix. I understand where the comparisons are coming from, but I would go into it without any preconceived ideas. Oh and set aside some time. It’s pretty long.

Ok, so my return to blogging is a little jagged and jumbled, but hopefully your’re up to speed. I’ll be back soon. Let me leave you with one question, what does it mean?

I’m still pounding away on my book while roughing it in the mountains. I just finished up for the day. I’m pretty satisfied. I’m having to hold back from posting some excerpts for you guys, but really the whole thing needs to be consumed in context. I’m about to go to the general store, (yes there is a general store), and acquire some ginger beer. Then I’m going to cook the last of my bison burgers.

Tonight is also Lost night. (WARNING: If you haven’t been keeping up and you want to, stop reading this paragraph.) It’s a Ben focused episode. I’ve been waiting for this. Ever since Black-Smoke-Monster-Lock showed up, Ben’s realized that he’s just been a pawn. The writers must realize that his character can’t just be a pansy for the rest of the season. I’m hoping he finds a way to be the guy everyone loves to hate again.

I posted the following comic series through Facebook as it was published, but I wanted to share it with my blog community. I actually got permission from Scott Johnson, the author and creator of MyExtraLife.com, to include them in my book. They are absolutely incredible. It’s really cool to see people step outside the norm of their creative process. Scott’s web-comic is usually focused on video games and gaming culture, but he took a couple of weeks to put this together. Great stuff, Scott.

Some find time their time on an airplane to be a perfect time for working, reflecting, meditating and even praying. You can usually find several handfuls of business men talking loudly on their Blackberries prior to take off and immediately upon landing. These are the same guys who spend the flight working on spreadsheets and PowerPoint proposals.

Then you have the writer. This guy is in the zone from the moment he takes his seat next to the window. The writers always choose window seats. The sky at 30k feet seems more inspiring to them than the passing beverage cart in the isle. Considering their speed of typing and the intensity spread across their face, I can only assume the great American novel has been written during our 4 hour trek to the Caribbean.

I’ve often heard other itinerate speakers talk about their times of revelation and meditation while aboard these flying vessels. While, most of the time, I have a nack for finding God in odd places, I must say that airplanes are the last on my list of preferred sanctuaries for prayer and contemplation.

First, you have the often forgotten co tinuous hum of the plane’s engine. This is one of the worst aspects of the actual flight. A sound that in any other circumstances might be somewhat lulling, when mixed with the closest quarters you will get to another person prior to marriage, the ability of flight attendants to find your elbow with the corner of the beverage cart despite it being pulled closely to your chest, the slowly forming bruises across your knees due to the seats being designed for pigmis and the unshakeable feeling that although you’ve flown dozens of times, that strange clanking sound could be bad, that same sound morphs into nails scraping across a chalkboard.

I found people’s ability to work and be inspired in the midst of flying to be nothing short of remarkable.

On a side note, I believe that the items contained within the SkyMall catalogue should no longer be novelty, but standard for society. If a watch can have a hidden camera, then why wouldn’t it? If patent pending gravity defying sneakers are possible, then shouldn’t all sneakers defy gravity? If a RoboCup ball return robot exists, then these puppies should be installed at every country club in America. I say, no more regulay roses. Only roses dipped in 24k gold. If a blue tooth earpiece can “improve your hearing and enhance your image” then all blue tooth devices should. All apartment porches should come standard with the Porch Potty Premium. This grassy outdoor litterbox for dogs, comeplete with a scented fire hydrant and working sprinkler system, should not be limited to the ultra wealthy, but available for all. I say, if one tomato garden is upside down, they all should be. Then it would no longer be upside down.

Anyway, since I just wrote this blog on a plane, half of my thoughts are void. Enjoy your week, see you around the 25. I love you all.