Mashup

I'm just going to keep this here, for a rainy day.

Kleptones - Come Again (Beatles vs Rare Earth vs Beaties vs Daft Punk vs Cypress Hill vs Boston) Video by Crumbs Chief from The Videotones on Vimeo.

Remix

I've posted this song before because it makes me happy.
Today, it made me happier.
See for yourself.

Buds

I love this more than you already think I do.

Get Out!

Perspective

Every time I get that "I can do anything" feeling, I go and watch something like this and think not so much.

Snails Pace

Next time the clock is slowly ticking away on a long hard day at work, I'm going to watch this video.
Life is just better with a cool soundtrack, no?

Scuttle Snails from Chase Rees on Vimeo.

Worth Repeating

I've been reading through a compilation book of NPR's "This I Believe" essays. I like it because I rarely agree with the authors and I've always been better at figuring things out about myself by first identifying what they aren't.
I have 2 dog ears in the entire book - identifying the essays I wish I had written. The rest are food for thought and not much more.

Last night, I read "Always Go to the Funeral." You can read the entire essay here.

But here's the part I wish I had written:

"Always go to the funeral" means that I have to do the right thing when I really, really don't feel like it. I have to remind myself of it when I could make some small gesture, but I don't really have to and I definitely don't want to. I'm talking about those things that represent only inconvenience to me, but the world to the other guy. You know, the painfully under-attended birthday party. The hospital visit during happy hour. The Shiva call for one of my ex's uncles. In my humdrum life, the daily battle hasn't been good versus evil. It's hardly so epic. Most days, my real battle is doing good versus doing nothing.

In going to funerals, I've come to believe that while I wait to make a grand heroic gesture, I should just stick to the small inconveniences that let me share in life's inevitable, occasional calamity.

This made me happy

The PEN Story from PENStory on Vimeo.

Seems like I just can't get enough of this stuff.
It'll get old, I'm sure.
But for now, I like it, and I like it a lot.
Kind of makes me want to quit my job and go on vacation forever and take lots of pictures. Care to join me?

This makes me want to get married again

Just when you think it's all been done before

Diego Stocco - Music From A Tree from Diego Stocco on Vimeo.

Roller Babies

Just a cool thing

Bathtub IV from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

©2009 COPYRIGHT - All Rights reserved
Project info @ vimeo.com/channels/keithloutitssydney

This film is 100% 'real', but there are some new techniques for me here, such as using time lapse to create the illusion of forward movement for the helicopter ocean scenes. These flight sequences would not be possible without the skill and patience of Chief Pilot Peter Yates. Thanks also to Trevor Cracknell (for getting wet!) and Family.

Music:
“CLEMENTINE” (Megan Washington)
Performed by Washington
© 2008 J Albert & Son Pty Limited
Used with permission

Artist Info @ keithloutit.com
Project info @ vimeo.com/channels/keithloutitssydney

Eye Candy

I don't really like the idea of this blog becoming a catch-all for random links and videos. I have lots of thoughts about work, economy, parenthood, wifedom and life in general. If I could just get around to sorting them out well enough to share them with you all...

Disclaimer aside, look at what this guy can do with the alphabet.
I'm inspired.

admit it - you could, too

I could seriously spend all day looking at this site..

Too bad my head gear shot is a candid...

Lost Generation

Quincy asked for more posting.
Alon gave me an "out" by posting this video.
Watch this.
Hopefully I'll have something for you to actually read again some day soon.

Glimpse of heaven?

I like this. And since I haven't had anything clever or witty to share and still haven't downloaded any pictures from our weekend with Abbie, here it is. Enjoy. Thanks, Katie.

If you liked it too, you can read more about it here.

I'm not sure if it's the hormones or the recent news that we may be able to see Troy and Faith and Yazzie home from Bangladesh this Christmas, but it actually chokes me up a little bit.

hormones make me cheesy

I've been humming this song for weeks - pretty much ever since Keith started his new job. It's been an adjustment for us - a new schedule, a new level of exhaustion, a shake up of household responsibilities, a new budget - the works. But it's been awesome. And to have a husband who comes home every day covered with dirt, but happy to his core to have done something productive makes my heart happy. And the truth is I love him to pieces.

And it's no surprise to anyone who knows me that mornings are not exactly my "best" time. I believe it was Wassa who said it best. "Watching Johnson wake up is painful. It's as if she's never had to face a morning before in her life. Each day, it's a new and traumatizing experience." (or something like that, right Wass?) BUT... even with 5 months with no caffeine (besides one moment of weakness and a can of mountain dew), I'm PRODUCTIVE in the morning! Getting to bed at 10pm is good for my soul. I still sleep in more than Keith and have to live with the daily guilt of my hour-long love/hate relationship with the snooze button. But I even TALK before getting to work. To the animals, of course. But this is like breaking new ground. And I'm not tired in the afternoon. And I'm happier. And I just feel like a good person, almost like I'm better than everyone else dragging in exhausted, almost like I jog in East Grand Rapids.

All of that to say, my morning-Susie-homemaker-self has been humming good ol' Kenny for quite some time because of the chorus, really. I remember Meghan declaring this would be her wedding song. For me, I feel as though it's my theme song this month. So I decided I better look up the lyrics. I read them today. And they made me cry.

I don't have any idea who won American Idol last night, but I'll bet you that person is no Kenny Loggins. And I'm here to say I wish there were more of him because Light Rock is where it's at!

new blog

Most of you are my friends because I like how you're sarcastic and witty. So I think you'll appreciate the new blog over there on the right called "stuff christians like."

So far, my favorite post is this one. I can't believe he didn't mention "the juice."

Speaking of Music

Kara just made my day with this little gem. You can thank her.

Worth Repeating

I recently started reading Compassion by Nouwen, McNeill and Morrison. I sort of felt like I had no choice. It's one of those things where this book was put in front of me from a number of different directions (Katie's deserted island library was one of them). It demanded a place on my reading list. I don't have any regrets yet. Only one chapter in, I already have something worth sharing.

"When we take a critical look at ourselves, we have to recognize that competition, not compassion, is our main motivation in life. We find ourselves deeply immersed in all sorts of competition. Our whole sense of self is dependent upon the way we compare ourselves with others and upon the differences we can identify. When the question “Who am I?” is put to the powers of this world – school officials, church representatives, placement officers, athletic directors, factory managers, television and radio announcers – the answer is simply, “You are the difference you make.” It is by our differences, distinctions, that we are recognized, honored, rejected, or despised. Whether we are more or less intelligent, practical, strong, fast, handy, or handsome depends upon those with whom we are compared or those with whom we compete. It is upon these positive or negative distinctions that much of our self esteem depends. It does not take much reflection to realize that in all family problems, race conflicts, class confrontations, and national or international disputes, these real or imaginary distinctions play a central role. Indeed, we invest much of our energy in defending the differences between people and groups of people. Thus, we define ourselves in ways that requires us to maintain distance from one another. We are very protective of our “trophies.” After all, who are we if we cannot proudly point to something special that sets us apart from others?

This all-pervasive competition, which reaches into the smallest corners of our relationships, prevents us from entering into full solidarity with each other, and stands in the way of our being compassionate. We prefer to keep compassion on the periphery of our competitive lives. Being compassionate would require giving up dividing lines and relinquishing differences and distinctions. And that would mean losing our identities! This makes it clear why the call to be compassionate is so frightening and evokes such deep resistance.

This fear, which is very real and influences much of our behavior, betrays our deepest illusions: that we can forge our own identities; that we are the trophies and distinctions we have won. This, indeed, is our greatest illusion. It makes us into competitive people who compulsively cling to our differences and defend them at all cost, even to the point of violence."

This really made me stop and think. "You are the difference that you make" always sounded like a good thing to me. To think that attitude has stood in my way of being more like Jesus startles me. There are a number of other thoughts in this book that could keep me chained to my journal for hours. I wish it was a book someone made me read in college. I crave discussion. And I definitely need to have more compassion. That said, I'm only on page 28. So order it today and let's talk amongst ourselves.