Category: Culture

April Rain

Wow… this brings back memories. Though Time has created enough space that the emotions no longer overwhelm, memories of teenage years and April rains are still fresh in mind. I miss that old blue GAP button up sweater I used to wear. I never cared that it got wet. I can almost smell the smells that came with being outdoors in the rain.
I love Las Colinas. Las Colinas in the spring makes me feel that anything is possible, and that everything happens for a reason.

Hmm….. yeah…… I’m hungry…..what’s for lunch?

Added at 9:56pm:

Scratch all that warm fuzzy stuff. Some areas of Denton County have received at least 7.4 inches of rain throughout today and tonight. That’s record setting for the past 30 years. Flash flooding in Denton has made it necessary to close roads and evacuate a retirement home.

My wife and I just spent a good ten minutes in the bathroom, keeping her, the baby, and the kitty protected. The sirens are off now. No hail around here this time, though a week or two ago we had larger than golf ball sized hail dent our cars, crack a car windshield and damage our roof.

Winds of 50-60 mph have been reported. Where we live, they announced 50mph+ winds moving in two different directions.

We’re just grateful for no more property damage. Let’s hope that this is a sign that the North Texas drought is over.
Everything is Utterly Meaningless…. So What?

Why do we do what we do? That’s one of those questions my peeps hate to ask. Aaron in particular. He wants the white picket fence, three kids, and the leave it to beaver lifestyle. So he’s been saying for the past three or four years. I didn’t buy it then and I don’t buy it now.

He’ll read this a month from now and post some comment about how he pictures me in seclusion, lighting candles and writing poetry. Funny guy. I’m not quite that dramatic (shut it, Nathan – like how I mentioned your name and yet you get no link? Your mom).

Three thousand years ago, Solomon had it right when he said that everything is utterly meaningless and futile. He tried everything, and came up empty. Whether you work hard or not at all, whether you’re rich or poor, starving or overfed, ultimately it doesn’t matter.

There are a lot of underachievers who will read this and think, So what? I’ve always thought life was pointless. That’s why I don’t do anything. That’s not the same thing. Lazy ex-pot smokers aren’t exactly equal to good ol’ Sol.

I am notorious for my insistence upon meaning and purpose. I annoy the hell out of friends, family, and total strangers with my rants about pursuing purpose. I hate seeing people waste potential. I love watching people and guessing their deep purposes and callings. See, everyone has one, even the annoying people who hate hearing that and who feel the need to violently argue against the concept.

So how does a person like me believe in the simultaneously contradictory beliefs that life is utterly meaningless and that each person has a unique calling and purpose to fulfill? That’s an easy one. Logical or not, I’m simply disillusioned by how freakin’ hard life can be. I’m not very patient. I’ve been known to be a bit anxious. Picture someone spending an entire decade anxiously flittering to and fro like a speedfreak in an attempt to achieve his purpose, and you have a fairly accurate understanding of my life a few years ago.

My “meaningless” isn’t the same as Solomon’s. I think I actually know my calling – my God-given purpose for living. I believe that I have things to do before I die. I have ways to mature. It doesn’t matter if you think it’s a ridiculous notion. You’re bored and miserable sometimes as you go to sleep at night because you feel empty. You feel empty because you’ve yet to realize what that thing is that will make your life truly meaningful.

Yeah… It’s late, and I should be asleep. Consider yourself thoroughly scolded or chastised or whatever fits. I’m out.
LifeChurch Creates a Virtual Church on Second Life

I’m writing this for the benefit of my friends and the masses that are similar to my friends – i.e., those who have no clue about the latest and greatest news on the Web. I’ve briefly mentioned Second Life before, so use the site search engine on the right to find the other post.

Second Life is no joke. You may mock people who join online communities, but it is the wave of the future. When Reuters creates a website for the sole purpose of covering virtual community news, you know it’s worth a second glance.

LifeChurch, an Edmond, Oklahoma based church, is one of approximately twenty churches that have already bought Second Life real estate and formed virtual churches. The idea is to reach people wherever they may be.

My first reaction was that there’s no way a virtual church will thrive as an actual community of believers or as a successful evangelistic tool. I thought of the Christians who would jump on the Second Life bandwagon under the guise of “reaching the lost”, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for them.

Perhaps I was too hasty. I’ve joined Second Life and look forward to seeing the sites, so to speak (that is, if I ever complete the stupid training exercises!). Unlike other Christians, I’m not a member for any reason other than sheer work-related curiosity. Too many SEO and interactive marketing companies are still playing catch up by joining MySpace. Forget that. MySpace is old news. It’s so old, in fact, that I don’t waste my time on it unless I want to search for new music. That is the #1 contribution MySpace made to my life: free and convenient access to music sampling.

Second Life represents Web 3.0 technology. It’s not been said much, but it’s true. Virtual communities are the new frontier (to be followed shortly, no doubt, by 3-D holographic virtual communities). You don’t have to participate, and you won’t be “less cool” if you don’t, but you will be clueless.

And for those of you who still think Second Life is “just a game”, Second Life users spent nearly 1.5 million dollars within the past 24 hours (according to Reuters). Major brand names, including sportswear and automobile manufacturers have swept in to take advantage of the virtual advertising space.

This whole thing is huge. You’ll see. Soon enough Second Life will have its own doomsday prophets, referring to it as the path to Armageddon and the Antichrist… I know it sounds premature, but it’ll happen. I have absolute faith in the paranoia of the public.

Though I have to say, be careful if you decide to venture out into the virtual space of Second Life. There is a lot of X-rated stuff going on there that can sneak up on you. That’s actually one of the main reasons why LifeChurch has a presence there. They know that it’s a place for people to hide their sins, and they hope to be a light in the virtual darkness. Kudos to them for trying. As long as they don’t attempt to become the virtual TBN, I wish them the best.
Most Blogs Are Drivel

It’s true. Most blogs are complete wastes of time. They’re like that 30 minute segment of entertainment news before prime time television: your life isn’t any better for having watched it, but it kept you occupied until the goods were delivered. I’ve spent months reading up on blogging and how to do it successfully. That should be surprising since I employ almost none of the experts’ recommendations.

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself how these “how to” bloggers got started? I mean, think about it: Darren Rowse woke up one day and decided to start a blog about how to make money blogging. How did he know how to do it until he did it? Who knows? Maybe he was already raking in the dough from some of his other 20 blogs.

CultureFeast is just as guilty as many other blogs for being light on the content side for the sake of brief entertainment value. It’s a fine line, and I’ve slipped towards the shallow side a few times too many. All dreams of becoming a professional blogger have died away and now I’m just writing for the sake of writing.

It’s time we get back to the subjects that matter most. This could be my grassroots back to the basics movement… power to the people!… which would be me….ummm….. stick it to the man!….. which would also be, uhhh, me…
Icarus: On Ice Now Playing at The Hub Theater in Dallas

There’s a new show in town. Loosely based on the 2004 Ground Zero suicide of Andrew Veal, “Icarus: On Ice” is the story of a failed vegan who is placed under house arrest in his downtown New York City apartment. There, with his girlfriend and slacker best-friend, he must reconcile his idealism with the realities of mortality.

Now playing at The Hub Theater

2809 Canton Street, Dallas, Tx 75226. This is in the heart of Deep Ellum. For directions via phone, call 214-749-7010 ext. 3.

I was offered the chance to review this performance on opening night, but my newly impregnated wife calls for a change in available hours. Still, for those of you able to make it out to Dallas, check out the performance and shoot me an email or a blog comment with your review.
Missed My Calling: I Should Be a Papaya Clothing Marketer

I should write about women’s fashion more often. This Papaya Clothing store project is blowing up! On average, CultureFeast gets 60 visitors per day who are looking for information about Papaya clothing stores. There’s a seriously untapped market here. I should start a blog about the most popular women’s clothing stores: Papaya, Forever 21, and Charlotte Russe. Of course, I know absolutely nothing about women’s clothing, so I’d have to find some good writers to cover the details.

Being the domain name junkie that I am, I’ve already searched for good domain names should I seriously consider undertaking such an enterprise. unfortunately, there’s no time in the day. I’m gonna be a daddy, I have a full-time job, three blogs which don’t see enough action already, and a company blog which also needs more of my attention.

So here’s a free tip: if you’re reading this and you love women’s fashion (hopefully you’re a woman, but whatever), find yourself a domain and do some serious research. Find all the Papaya Clothing store locations you can find and post a list of them on your website. Become a resource for desperate shoppers all across the country.

Or you can just visit my website and keep your fingers crossed that my efforts will make a difference in getting their website finished.
My Crazy Week

I wish it were over, but even at 7pm on a Friday evening, it isn’t even close. Heather is in our home office as I type, working on our taxes.

A couple crazy things happened this week. First, I was pulled over by a police officer on Wednesday evening. He informed me that not only are my license plates expired, but they belong to a Mazda. The problem with that is that my car isn’t a Mazda. He was kind enough to explain to me what I needed to do to get my plates changed, and then proceeded to write me a ticket. Thanks a lot, buddy.

So I drive to the county subcourthouse the following morning and get my new license plates – no biggie. Then I stop by the city municipal complex to pay my ticket, only to find out that I didn’t wait long enough. Apparently, I have to wait three business days before attempting to pay for a ticket. Huh! That’s what I get for being prompt.

Now it’s Friday, and a severe thunderstorm just passed through our area. We had golfball to baseball sized hail outside the house. I didn’t expect it to actually hail that badly, so I didn’t have either car in the garage. Now we have a cracked windshield and holes in our hot tub cover and our outdoor umbrella. I’ll have to check the roof tomorrow. At least one tornado touched down in Fort Worth and the storm is now east of Dallas.

Here’s hoping the weekend goes better.
CBS Solves My Dilemma with InnerTube

I just read on Search Engine Land that CBS has announced that they will be posting full episodes of shows on web portals like MSN and AOL. This is great news for me, since I have despised InnerTube since I first attempted to use it. InnerTube is the name of the player CBS currently uses on their website to play full episodes of NUMB3RS, NCIS, How I Met Your Mother, etc.

Let me be as blunt as possible: CBS’ InnerTube is by far the WORST media player among the top 4 major network websites. ABC’s is probably the best. FOX uses MySpace, but since they refuse to provide episodes of House MD online, I give them the cold shoulder. NBC’s media player is middle of the road.

And then there’s CBS. I tell you, I have gotten so frustrated with CBS for their stupid media player. Unlike every other network, it’s shows drop off and require restart over and over and over until you just want to throw your laptop against the wall and curse CBS until you’re blue in the face. Well, you get the picture.

So now that they’ll be distributing their shows on other web portals, I can only hope that they don’t infest those portals with the scummy InnerTube. Here’s hoping each portal utilizes some sort of media player that actually works. Yeah… that would be nice.
Joost 0.9.1 is Gone Forever

Without consulting me, Joost just threw up a new version – 0.9.2. My apologies to those who just recently received invitations. Your invites may still work on the newer version. I just don’t know. Please post a comment here if your invitation is not working and I will see what I can do about getting updated invites.

Thanks.
Sunita Williams Runs Boston Marathon in Space

The Independent reports that Sunita Williams, the woman who will soon hold the record for NASA astronaut for the longest time spent in space, is slated to run the Boston Marathon next week as she orbits the planet Earth. She qualified by running in last year’s Houston Marathon, and she will attempt to make the 26K mile run tethered to a treadmill.

You know that the only reason the picky Boston Marathon approved Commander Williams is because of the unbelievable publicity it would generate. It’s not like she can win when facing completely different terrain than the 24,000 other runners.

We all love a good space story. Whether it’s the woman running in space or water discovered on another planet, we just seem to eat up anything extraterrestrial.

Some people might say that’s pathetic. I consider it a sign of our continued childhood sense of awe and wonder at the universe.