A One Act Play -- Hello World Goodbye

Act 1

Scene 1

Hello: Greetings, I'm Hello.

World: And I'm World.

Hello and World fight.

To the death.

Both die.

Goodbye: Goodbye!

Yosemite Video

So, I got a new iMac, and with Micah's inspiration I went ahead and made a video from our Yosemite trip.  Enjoy :)

Mmm....Yosemite

So I just got back from the most amazing weekend. Kala (my girlfriend) and I drove up to Fresno to visit my mom while she was in town. We stayed with Micah and Erica Foster and took the opportunity on Saturday to drive up to Yosemite since Kala had never been.



This was Kala's first view of the valley. It was a beautiful clear day and there was snow all over the ground. We took some pictures from the outlook and then drove through the tunnel to get up close and personal (and no, none of us made it through the tunnel in one breath, did that thing get longer?).



Once through the tunnel we were greeted by some local residents...



After a quick lunch of yummy sandwiches at the main lodge we went to Curry Village where Kala got up close and personal with a bear (of the stuffed variety)



We saw Half Dome...



and then went to Yosemite Falls.



Once we got to the bridge at the base of the falls we found the most surprising thing...a warm wind. Yup, there was a wind blowing through the crevice the falls created and it was super warm compared to everywhere else in the park. Kala and I climbed up the rocks to get a bit closer, which was super cool (though I didn't go for the traditional Yosemite Falls dip...brrr...too cold).



Oh, and did I mention we saw my new puppy?



All told it was a great day sharing one of my favorite places in the world with Kala and the Fosters.

Good Times

So the holidays are officially upon us. This is one of my absolute favorite times of year. The food, the family, the fun. It's a great time of year to reflect also. To remember good times with good peoples.

I remember a turkey day which I went with Micah to his grandma's house up near San Louis Obispo. We ended up spending the evenings playing card and dice games, seemingly simple distractions, but really just the table for conversation and community.

Or there was the Christmas where my entire family met in Atlanta at my sister's house. It was amazing, all of us grown up and off living our own lives the rest of the year, and yet we quickly re-melded as a family.

When I was a kid holidays meant goofing off, getting under foot, and presents. Now they mean so much more. Sure, I still goof off, and I still get under foot, and I still like presents, but now the holidays mean the chance to see old friends, to catch up and reconnect.

So, as you begin the holidays, I hope you take a moment to think how they have changed for you over the years, and how they are still amazingly awesomely fun.

Music Musings

So the past couple days I've been exploring music.  I've been listening to stations on Pandora (a really cool site that lets you create stations based off artists, albums, or styles; the stations then play similar music), exploring what Songbird has to offer, and just stumbling on different styles and artists through friends and randomness.

When I stop to think about my explorations into the realm of music I can't help but think how it is effecting my perspective, mood, and life.  I guess it shouldn't surprise me: like any journey a trip through music can't help but change us.  But still, it surprises me just how much impact music leaves on our psyche.

It seems that when we listen to music (especially real music, meaningful music, instead of just musical fluff that so often surrounds us), when we listen to music we are changed.  We think differently, and these changes last far beyond when we have stopped listening.

Music effects our mood.

At the same time, the music that we gravitate towards at any given moment is effected by our mood.  When I'm down I find I want to listen to music that empathizes with my feelings.  Similarly when I am excited or happy I want to hear music that is positive and up-beat.

Mood effects our music.

I'm wondering if the key to truly enjoying music is to control when the music sways us, and when we sway the music.

Hello World...

Test...1...2...

Is this thing on?

So I figure this space will be a place for me to share my random musings and thoughts.  You can expect anything from deep philosophical thoughts on life to bits of code that interest me to amusing fun facts to complete randomness...and everything in between.

So, I say again, hello world.

:)