if you need a laugh...

...then this opening sequence from a Season 6 episode of The Office should do the trick perfectly. Parkour!

Mr. November

Well, we're starting to hit the dreariest months of the year here in rainy Victoria and I must admit that I'm feeling it a bit--it must be because we spent a chunk of time in Maui! November has been a process of readjusting to real life, catching up at work, encouraging Caitlin as she looks for part-time work/starts up her ESL tutoring business, trying to write more (and generally succeeding), and working to sort out some of the stuff in my head.

One of my better qualities is that I am a pretty optimistic guy, but when I am disappointed or hurt by something, it really stings me and I struggle to 'shrug it off.' I am not really someone who does the important things in life halfway; I either invest my energy completely or I don't really at all, whether it is in ideas, projects, or people. When something goes pear-shaped on me it is not always that fact which bothers me most (though it sure can bother me!), but rather why it happened--I can drive myself meshugganah trying to reason through those failures and disappointments, even those over which I have no control nor played no part. A colleague of mine says that she carries a Q-Tip in her pocket to remind her about failures for which she cannot be held responsible: "quit taking it personally." Good call.

I am hoping my quasi-insomnia disappears and that as I head into December work will slow down a bit, as my boss has predicted. I am also going to do my best to block out all Christmas music until December 1st at the very earliest. Fingers crossed...

what I learned tonight...

I was at a pottery studio opening tonight for Caitlin's cousin and it was good to be there to support her, especially because she's actually a fantastic potter. Despite this, I did have a few things reaffirmed for me throughout the course of the evening:

1. I hate small talk. With a passion. However, I must admit that it was refreshing to not have one single person ask what I do for a living so that I didn't have to explain that as a librarian I don't get to just sit and read books all day.
   
2. Really fancy cheeses smell like stinky feet.
   
3. Caitlin is more of an introvert, but a far better 'mingler' than am I. She looked downright comfortable shooting the breeze with strangers. I was ready to leave after about a half an hour, after having a beer and way too much Almond Roca.
4. Speaking of which, I love Almond Roca and I'd forgotten just how tasty a treat is this little delicacy--English toffee wrapped in chocolate and almond bits. Delightful.
5. Gazing pensively (in this case at the art on the wall/shelves) is a good way to keep people from talking to me when I'm not feeling particularly social. I employed that at least 12 times during the evening...

Like I've told people, sometimes it's not our initial discovery of something that is most enlightening to us, but rather its rediscovery. Such was the case tonight.

loyalty for sale

I normally post hockey/Leafs-related stuff on my Leafs blog, but this was too good to pass up. Click on the link and read on; I am considering following suit based on the crap I've had to put with so far this season...

equation

Here is an equation, courtesy of Bob Opperman, that I have been pondering for the last week:

GRACE + TRUTH / TIME = LOVE

I try my best (and often fail) to fully practice this, yet I can name people who have practiced this math on me and continue to do so. I think that this should be the glue that holds community and authentic relationships together.

If I wasn't a fan of the Olympics before...

...I'm certainly not one now after reading this. Seriously, BC government? Are you kidding me? Since when did we join the United States of Amerikkka?

Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving!

We just finished putting on a highly successful brunch for my family, including my year-old nephew dressed like a jack o' lantern, here at Casa del Bingham and now are relaxing on the couch, looking forward to a restful remainder of the day.

Much like my pastor Randy, one of the reasons I most love Thanksgiving is that it does not involve "getting" (other than perhaps a bit of overindulgence in foods of the turkey and pumpkin pie variety), but rather taking stock of all the blessings we already have: food, shelter, family, friendship, and a host of other things. It is perhaps my favourite of all holidays because it forces us, whether or not we consider ourselves to be people of faith, to look at all of the good in our lives.

So I want to wish you, all my readers, a happy Thanksgiving. All of God's blessings to you this Fall season and as we head toward Christmas!

Donald, Eddie, and the rest

Hi all, Matt here. Since I've been pretty sick and unable to do much that requires any semblance of energy, I thought I would take the time to peck out a blog post about what I have been reading, listening to lately, and some other stuff. I will not have much time to do so in the next couple weeks, so I better do it now!


As I mentioned previously, I got to go and hear Donald Miller promote his new book A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, which was a fantastic evening--what an amazing speaker he is! Well, I finished the book as well and I must say it was a brilliant read (minus all the first edition typos and spelling mistakes!). The whole idea of taking the elements that make up Story and applying them to one's life really spoke to me and made a lot of sense. It made me think about the story I'm living and I am still evaluating what I think of that story and whether or not it is a really good one.

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Both Pearl Jam and The Black Crowes dropped new albums recently, much to my delight, and both groups have outdone themselves in their efforts. Pearl Jam's Backspacer is a taut, 37-minute unrelenting adrenaline rush, while the Crowes' Before the Frost...Until the Freeze is a studio album cut live in front of a handful of diehard fans at Levon Helm's studio; in truth it's a double album as buying Before the Frost... gives you a download code for ...Until the Freeze. The Crowes' double album is their finest ever: Chris Robinson sounds incredible, the playing is tight, but loose, and the songs are perfectly executed . These guys play fiery, powerful, gorgeous rock and roll that pays homage to great roots rock history without completely aping it. And they're only getting better with age! Pearl Jam's album is the sound of them having the most fun in their history, a huge shock to the critics. It's a lighthearted album; gone is the political railing against the Bush administration and in its place are highly personal songs about love, marriage, and blues legends (Johnny "Guitar" Watson). And these songs rocked live when I saw in in Vancouver a week and a half ago!

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I am growing really sick of watching some smokers treat the world as their personal ashtray. Hey folks, how about you put your cigarettes in designated receptacles rather than just throwing them out of your car window or throwing on the ground wherever you want. What a concept!

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I am fully stoked for my church's annual retreat, which is happening in a couple of weeks. This is easily one of the highlights of my year since it involves going to a beautiful, rustic camp on Thetis Island, enjoying the beauty of Creation, and spending time with some amazing people. It's a place of profound conversations, epiphanies, and calming/stilling of the soul. No TVs, computers, or anything. We sit around the fire, talk, play cards, play music, and just generally get to know members of our community in a deeper way. I can't wait!

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We received our five-DVD set of The Office: Season Five within the last few weeks and have finally been able to watch a few episodes and thus far I've had to pause proceedings a number of times because I've been laughing too hard. This line, where Dwight is confiding in Phyllis about his love for Angela (who is now engaged to Andy Bernard), is a prime example:

"She introduced me to so many things: pasteurized milk, sheets, monotheism..."

Brilliant.

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One of my favourite moments in the Gospels is when Jesus tells his disciples that he's "sending them out as sheep among wolves" and that they are to be "as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves." There is no possibility of counting the number of ways that the Church has gotten THAT little missive wrong, is there? I could make a lot of jokes starting with "more like as dumb as...", but I'll refrain. However, despite all of that , I still have hope for the Church...

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My friend Michelle talked about 'meeting me halfway' on this Battle of the Blades thing (though I don't have cable), since she loves figure skating and I love hockey, but I don't even know how this is halfway--where's the hockey? Unless Claude Lemieux can rub out Shae-Lynn Bourne with a bone-crushing bodycheck against the boards post-triple lutz, this is not meeting halfway. When Shae-Lynn can beat any NHL backup goalie short-side with a wrist shot, then we'll talk.

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Do I like Swiss Chalet gravy or do I not? I can't decide whether it's tasty or totally gross.