might be the boring bit

Date: November 2, 2009

Time: 7:06pm MT (Mountain Time, Mennonite Time, Mingin' Trannies)

Location: Navajo Blvd, Eastern Arizona (just take a left at Flagstaff and you'll hit it in about 90 minutes)

Weather: a clear sky and an even more clear moon

Music: Laura Marling, Britain's finest female vocalist, singing sweet ditties into the collective Wiebe ear

Eastern Arizona's flat. Flat like a pancake griddle or a spatula or any other cooking utensil used for breakfast (except a whisp, used to make batter for previously mentioned pancakes.) Man, IHOP sounds good......actually, it sounds gross. Maybe a bit of both? Disagree to agree.

Jordan checking in. Where to begin? I've thoroughly enjoyed the time spent making the highways and byways my bizznle, although I had to tap out after a solid 575 miles. There's only so much one can do. In addition, I wanted to give the Hare (as she will be henceforth referred to) some time behind the wheel. She's doing exceptionally well, giving ample space for semis and signalling well in advance. What can I say, the kid's got talent.

We point our 'rich kid Volvo', as christened by one Bryan Feil, towards Gallup, Newt Mecksicko, where we will stop, eat, rest and try not to be picked up on by truckers. The road gets lonely and sometimes, folks will take what they can get. We will barricade ourselves in the hotel room, taking advantage of the free HBO and free WiFi provided by the generous Travelodge, which was ascertained by our main man William Shatner at priceline.com. Cheers, Mr. Trekky!

Sidenote: Anika just asked, 'can someone to go to jail for verbal abuse?' I'm afraid she's working herself up to an oral tirade upon me, unleashing the combined wrath, fury and wit of a British comedian and Bill O'Reilly.

Reflections on Arizona: Mountainous, desert-y, boring at times, thrilling at others. The folks in Flagstaff were pleasant enough. I greatly appreciate the state's placing of highway signs directly underneath the center of the overpass. aesthetically, it's pleasing to the eye and, in a way, more efficient than CA's insistence on stand alone signs along the right shoulder of the road. Saves money, looks better, a proverbial rejection of the culture of governmental 'pork', precious tax dollars being used efficiently. GBA!

Things to look forward to:

1. A detailed ranking of best possible locations for a utopian community on our route a la The Village

2. A daily morning vlog

3. Requests/conclusions for topics of discussion

Cheers!

and so it begins...

Date: November 2, 2009

Time: 9:02 am PST

Location: 99 South passing through Delano

Music: mewithoutYou “Bullet to Binary Part II”

Weather: Clear and Sunny - like Bono

After an hour of driving, I’ve written an introduction to the 3-5 page book response that was due 4 weeks ago. It’s a good thing I’m on top of things…

“Do you think we could listen to 6 straight “This American Life”s in a row? That’d be pretty crazy.” Jordan interrupts my writing with his game plan to pass time for the first half of today’s trip. Apparently I am the hare and he is the tortoise on this venture. Can you blame me? It’s my first legitimate road trip as a semi-adult with my older semi-adult best friend brother. I think I would rather have my newbie fervor for the open road though than his seasoned-road-trip-veteran lack of enthusiasm. It’s like our fat sausage dog Ginger and Trevor Jones’ two year old daughter, Berkeley. She is excited about life and falling on Ginger. Ginger is not. Unfortunately for Jordan, he has no beds to hide under… and I will fall on him.

So far this morning, we Starbucksed: iced coffee with 2 shots & Madeleine shortbreads / iced vanilla chai tea with soy & a banana. We bought Scanner 911 app on Jordan’s iPhone and thought about making some citizen’s arrests on our way. We read 1 John 1 and received our first phone call from Andy Ortiz – whom we had seen only an hour earlier at Starbucks (We love you Andy J) and now we make our first turn off onto the 58 East – new territory to both of us. Only good things are ahead.

Date: November 2, 2009

Time: 4:00 pm MT

Location: 40 East – somewhere between Kingman and Flagstaff (Arizoooona)

Music: Ben Harper “When She Believes”

Weather: Clear to Clear

I can’t pop my left ear. Son of a biscuit. Positives however: speed limit is 75. Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! Jordan is contemplating a career as a dance instructor – dream big brother!

From the 58 East we worked our way toward Barstow. And wasn’t THAT a bust?! Made a completely pointless trip to Vons in search for Jamba Juice [What were you thinking Google maps??] However, gas at Valero, a free envelope from a girl who thought Jordan was cute, and Carl’s Jr: big carl, natural cut fries, coke / chicken stars, crisscuts, dr. pepper, satisfied anything that Barstow itself failed to fulfill. Later, we entered into some theological discussion and would like to extend the invitation to provide us with more theological issues to discuss. Hit us with your best shot!

Not too long after, I decided to take control of the music selection. Needless to say, Jordan was less than thrilled with my choice of “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus. (However, he was “nodding his head, like yeah” – it must be love) He proceeded to exile me to the land of large headphones and I suppose it’s a good thing because now - in 8 hours, I have a whole page of my paper! Somewhere in there Jordan slowed down to about 50 miles on the 40 to make sure we both got pictures of the Arizona sign, but then it didn’t come and then it still didn’t come… yet we precariously held up our cameras pointed toward where we thought the sign should/would be for a good 10 minutes. It finally came – I got a picture, so did Jordan… except without the word Arizona on it. Such is life.

pre-roadie writing

hello, dear friends.

anika, my sister, and i are set to embark on a nice little roadtrip tomorrow morn, culminating in a weekend in the windy city. it promises to bring us closer together in so many ways; literally (travelling in a confined space with a bike, piles of clothes, suitcases and ceramic statues of jesus) metaphysically (in that whole brother-sister sort of way) proverbially (like a zwiebach two parts coming together to fuse in the oven) and midwestern-ly (as per most of our travel is in the midwest, i expect anika to start pronouncing her o's looooooooonger and to forsake her chill, california vibe for some downhome 'aww-shucks' heartland demeanor.) without further ado, a route for your perusing...or routing....or routusing. love. x

View Movin' on to Memphis in a larger map

hanging out with rob eans

these days, i have a spot of time on my hands. i've moved back from memphis and am working on finding gainful employment. this means lots of hangout time. naturally, one must find places that are conducive to spending hours and hours occupied by oneself so as not to become a drone and sit in front of the TV. my spot? coffee shops.

sidenote: neighborhood thrift will be opening their own corner cafe in the next few months. (complete promo: please head over to the corner of olive and wilson in the coming winter months for some solid french press coffee. there won't be a better cafe in fresno.)

now, as i have done a bit of traveling in the past 3 months, i am always looking for good coffee shops along the way. i've got a thing for the ones with character and/or a good aesthetic paired with superb coffee; the small, hole-in-the-wall, warm, inviting meeting houses where eccentric people work, old men sit around for hours and hours, talking about everything under the sun, and espresso is served fresh. here are a few favorite places where i've sipped on an americano or eight:

1. the revue fresno, ca

my version of a local watering hole. while i will say the coffee isn't on par with some of the other spots, the design is phenomenal with lots of darker themes, old wooden benches and chairs in black and red and a touch of vintage french art. it also has a section for books and local independent media if you need something to wrap your head around. beyond that, there's a big community vibe; a steady stream of regulars, down-to-earth staff and the feeling that you'll more than likely run into someone you know.

2. republic coffee memphis, tn

located just east of midtown, republic coffee was the best spot i could find in memphis. i'd rate the americano a 7 out of 10, it actually kind of has this weird taste at the beginning of the cup that somehow works itself out in the end. design-wise, republic has more of a modern feel to it with a two-sided bar flanking the espresso machines, booths lining one side and couches on the other side for studying. it's often filled late at night with rhodes college and university of memphis students studying or playing games, so usually there's a chill vibe. if your rolling through memphis, definitely stop by.

3. late for the train flagstaff, az

smaller in size but packs a major punch coffee-wise. i was able to hit up the espresso bar located downtown, which has its' own really cool aesthetic going. i picked up the "dirty dave", or something to that effect, and it was easily the best latte i'd had in months, smooth from start to finish with just the right amount of espresso and milk. late for the train doubles as a coffee roasting company with online ordering available; if you're interested in great coffee, i'd recommend throwing a couple of bucks their way and picking up a bag or two of the whole bean blends.

4. coffee slingers oklahoma city, ok

the most urban design of the bunch, which is kind of ironic considering it's nestled in the midwest. when i visited in the late afternoon, there were hardly any folks in the cafe, so it may be one of those downtown worker/early morning places, with all sorts of business and yuppie-types crowding the space in the AM. it shares its' space with what looked to be a pretty successful bike shop, so if you don't mind the smell of rubber while you sip, go right on ahead. the espresso seemed to have an extra bit of kick to it and the cinnamon roll was phenomenal. from what i saw, they had a wide selection of pastries and tea, so if yerba mate, red velvet cupcakes or loose leaf tea is your thing, you'd feel right at home with coffee slingers.

5. intelligentsia chicago/LA

the granddaddy of top quality espresso/coffee; also, probably the most pretentious. intelligentsia has had some pretty major success in the US barista championships in the past, so maybe they have good reason to be pretentious. the broadway store in chicago had quite the line when i visited and it's no wonder why: the americano i had was absolutely smashing. while there were similar design motifs with the silverlake store, it has a more comfortable feel than its' southern california counterpart. bottom line: if your within 45 miles of an intelligentsia location and are in need of coffee, the trek there is worth it.

other locations that i hope to visit soon...

alterra coffee milwaukee, wi

kaldi's coffee st. louis, mo

stumptown coffee portland, or

every starbucks in fresno........just kidding

fixing my fixie

ok, i'll be honest: i'm kind of a wimp when it comes to alternative sports/physical activities.

traditional sports (read: basketball, baseball, tennis, hell, even golf) i'm fine at. i picked up footie (read: soccer) while i was in the uk. usually in the fall, i like to enjoy a game or two of american football with a few friends. i played and won a few games of ultimate frisbee duringintramurals in my college years. in that way, i'm just like a majority of young american males.

shift the conversation to skateboarding, wakeboarding, BMX bikes, motocross, paintball and i will gladly bow out. i had an ill-advised love affair with skateboards for several months during the 7th grade. the height of my accomplishments: ollie-ing once and maneuvering my deck on to a rail that was approximately 6 inches off the ground for a quasi-boardslide. my loving fatherwas gracious enough to cobble together my rail out of extra wood and some PVC. hardly the stuff of legit skating. rewinding earlier, i became enamored with BMX during 6th grade. i'd ogle the really expensive frames, devising plans to mow enough lawns to buy one. i ended up getting a steel DYNO that i mainly rode before school. my ideas of a trick? standing on the pegs. i've never gotten up on a wake-board. i played paintball once and my friends shot me while i wasn't playing. motocross? come on.

needless to say, i usually like to stick safely to the side when it comes to these sorts of things.

until now.

i'm making a foray back into the alternative activity universe by setting myself up with a fixie. at the encouragment of a few friends, i've converted my old schwinn collegiate into a fixed gear bike. i know its the hipster, 'in' thing to do but whatever. i like it. without any more pomp and circumstance, meet my new friend DUBYA. he and i will be great friends.

social business, moustached men and arbitrary rankings

boom.

first of all, lets get this out of the way: you need to be listening to these boys.

i just finished creating a world without poverty: social business and the future of capitalism by muhammad yunus. excellent read, a visionary response to some of the economic and subsequently social/political problems on a global scale. the most compelling idea for me was the shift in the way we think about people. currently, most profit-maximizing businesses under the bottom-line eye of capitalism essentially view people as one-dimensional tools of production; their primary purpose is to be a link in the chain of making as much money as possible. as a result, we've got people obsessed with consumption and excess personally and being reduced to machines in their jobs, not to mention growing income inequality that reaches around the globe. not a good path or environment. enter mohammad yunus. seeing that the global economic system wasn't helping those in his native bangladesh, he decided to think of a better way, a more holistic approach in giving the poor access to the global economy. starting with microcredit in the 1970s, yunus has helped to create an environment in which the poor can lift themselves out of poverty and, most importantly, recognized that humans are multi-dimensional beings that deserve respect, value and access, creating economic infrastructure accommodating this. this distinction, that people are more valuable than their production capacity, resonated deeply within me. its an idea that needs to take root if we're to start addressing some of the gross injustices currently afflicting people around the globe.

moving on, started where i lived and what i lived for by thoreau. BOOM. love me some transcendentalist literature.

also, another item that sparked some solid discussion was the daily beast's study of america's smartest cities. where did my lovely hometown of fresno rank? dead last. in the study, there were only 5 cities that scored below 50; fresno was the only to come in with a single digit score. brilliant. after a couple of interesting conversations with friends who have bachelor's degrees and/or master's and are from/currently living in fresno, several things were pinpointed:

1. lack of a city hub/(sub)urban sprawl

downtowns been in arrested development for decades now. multiple efforts have been made to revitalize it from housing development to bringing in large businesses to putting a stadium downtown. all have seen mediocre results. to be honest, there hasn't been smart, sustainable thinking going into city planning. building csu fresno far, far away from downtown could also have something to do with it. universities should be at/near the city center and taking that away from downtown was to the detriment of the city as a whole. issues like public transport, housing, economic development would follow if we solved this problem first.

2. a leadership vacuum at the top

as my friend @justajust said, 'the people that have been running this town, their parents ran it and their kids will run it'. it might be time for some fresh ideas and to slow down the brain-drain fresno currently experiences, keeping young creative types here. (full disclosure: i say this fully realizing i'm part of the problem by moving to other places.) there has been some momentum, thanks to a few developers.

3. very little engagement from the people with the majority of resources

in many ways, fresno's a tale of two cities: the rich, comfortable, suburban north and everyone else south of shaw. while there are beacons of hope, the majority of folks in the north part of town aren't engaging with the problems simply because they don't have to. at the moment, fresno could be used as a prime example of what might be happening in the rest of the US: while the large majority of the population eeks out a living, those with the wealth and comfortable lifestyle turn a blind eye to the real problems at hand.

until we become aware of and take action to care about our neighbors literally, fresno will stay stuck in the cycle of poverty, stratification and no one caring. we can be the change the city needs.

the mad farmer liberation front

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.
And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.

So, friends, every day do something
that won't compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.

Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.
Listen to carrion - put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn't go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

a guest blogeee? blogger? blogoid?

i had the privilege of sitting down with tommy adlard, fresno pacific graduate, boy scout danny drummer, easterby reading program associate and all-around studmuffin at the revue this week. the following is a snippet of our conversation

tommy, good to see you. what are you wrangling up these days?
how awkward is this. i was wrangling up some lifegroup and reading program today. also, picking up on my friend jordan. (full disclosure: i am that friend jordan)

lifegroup and reading program? sounds like your a busy guy. tell me about those projects.
lifegroup is a bible study run through the well community church here in fresno. we meet once a week for several hours and lately we've been discussing different worldviews and how they relate theologically with society. today, we chatted about different takes on liberation from evil. easterby reading program is a project based in southeast fresno that helps improve reading skills of elementary school children in the area and giving them access to positive role models. its a project jointly funded through the well and the fresno institute for urban leadership (FIFUL). today, we had an all-time high of 18 kids over, played a few games, read some books, got in a water fight and learned about not being stubborn. all in all, a solid day.

tommy, you spent some time studying in egypt. can you tell me one or two stories that really stood out that signified the importance of your time there?
hospitality stood out in egypt. they definitely have a much broader and greater understanding of the word than i've ever seen before. one night, i was walking back to my apartment in my galabaya (a muslim robe) and an old man invited me to sit and have a cup of tea with him. i wanted to head home but he insisting so i sat down. he only spoke arabic but luckily, i was able to have a half-hour conversation with him through the little arabic i had picked up. after our conversation, he asked me to walk him home. arm in arm, we walked home and i talked with him about the 5 pillars of islam. he kissed me on both cheeks twice and invited me to head to the mosque with him the next day. the next day, i met him at the mosque and this sweet, sweet elderly gentleman was ecstatic. we went to the service, prayed together and afterward, i overheard mentioning to a friend that i was an american and that i was muslim. he invited me back to his house, we had tea and i let him know that i was a christian, not muslim. i didn't really know the word for christian so it was a hoot trying to communicate what that meant to him. after that, he spent 3 hours trying to convince me to become a muslim. he explained that christians believe in 3 gods and muslims believe in 1. after a long discussion with plenty of hyperbolic hand gestures, i returned home. i never saw the man again but i saw a deep commitment to his religion and that his conversation with me was based out of a love for me. it shifted how i thought about evangelism and stressed the importance of action over words.

thats a great story......shifting topics, what bands are you currently listening to?
my current bands are breathe owl breathe, arcade fire, the dodos, bon iver and phoenix.

those are all pretty folksy bands. what draws you to that type of music?
its good.

your so ambiguous, tom. thanks for chatting.
your the best interviewer i've ever had. and the best lover.

a different gray

lets talk about some things.

first, jaydiohead be the freshest.

second, had a small roadie with my friend, who blogs over at guardian of the abyss. topics discussed included politics, shared anecdotes, and the unending abstract discussion on what it means to live in the valley we do, both literally and theologically, a place that can be unwelcoming and comfortable simultaneously. read unwelcoming=we both think differently on matters of faith, politics, community, belief, doubt than the infrastructures and subsequently the people we grew up with. the tension can be nagging; like an unwelcome thorn that gets stuck in your organic pair of Toms. it was refreshing to have an honest, open chat about the liminal space we both find ourselves in. read comfortable: places, rhythms, activities that give a sense of nostalgia, things and relationships that we don't want to let go of. those bits nearly make it worthwhile to live in this valley. nearly.

third, been rethinking, deconstructing, hashing out, ruminating on the vast proverbial horizon in front of me. to be completely honest and open, there seems to be little in the way of positive growth that can happen in this place at this time. i have applied to 35 jobs since moving back to fresno nearly a month ago and have had exactly 1 interview. 1. the situation lends itself to busting down the conventional methods and routines of plugging away at a monotonous occupation, living at home, eating parents' food and regurgitating the same awkward, slightly dishonest conversations with people who are pseudo-familiar. the rejection in the hometown has caused my sight to be shifted outwards, to places that are enchanting, romantic, adventurous, places on the margins, unconventional, ambiguous. this gives me hope; this is beautiful.

you can try to swim the sea but say goodbye to you and me.-avett brothers.x

commitments and commandments

today, i decided that i would listen to only pre-1970s music for the next week. i must ween (wean? weed?) myself off of modern music and dive into the past. thus i am committing to only listen to johnny cash, bob dylan, the beatles, rolling stones. i'll take it.

also, read haggai tonight. cheers. +

j.x