Snow

I am watching snow fall silently upon the streets of Istanbul. The Silence of Snow… Thanks for giving that meaning, Pamuk. My typing is the only thing that can be heard apart from the occasional Turkish murmuring. You see, the snow and heavy rain has cut the power in this little café. The refrigerator, the kahve grinder, the oven – it’s all off. Powerless. Silent. These snowflakes are the biggest I’ve ever seen. They fall hard and fast, but their impact is totally unseen among the much more present rain.

The dance of this storm is quite like listening to a symphony. It will increase in speed and size; snowing hard and quick. Then, suddenly, it will slow to almost a strolling pace. Just a slight reminder of the bitter cold above.

The Bosporus is totally indistinguishable from the clouds and fog. And Asia is completely invisible. It is over there. On the other side of that bridge in the distance, that now looks like it ends midway over the water. Only a few miles from the other continent, and yet it feels as far away as if I were back in North America.

Without making a sound, the snow has separated continents, tamed the busyness of the city, and muzzled the bustling noises of 18 million as they stand and watch.

How can one not love the snow?

Pour the Concrete, and Bend the Rebar...

We pick up the story a year later...

The personal, processing online journal version of a blog seems to have gone out of fashion. So naturally, I'm starting mine back up. Walking through the events of the past few days or hours or minutes through typing is meticulously therapeutic. It's a brutal way to view your life. Even if you don't publish the harshness, the misunderstood moments, the places where you see the dark side of yourself reflected in your memory, you have to relive them when you type. It isn't "fun", but it is so virtuous. Especially in times and places where you are far from those conversations during which you would usually stare yourself in the face.

And that's why this is back online. 

It's a form of self therapy, it's a sketch pad, a drawing board, it's a way to keep people informed,  and it's a shameless attempt at maintaining some form of creativity in my everyday life. 

I'm excited to start writing again. To post a picture or two. To hear from someone an ocean away, reminding me that I use too many commas, try to reenact conversation too literally, or read too much into the little things. What can I say? It's a work in progress.

Time to start constructing...

Friends Should Never Discuss Politics or Religion...

So this is me discussing both:

http://rationalrevolution.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/mosque-at-ground-zero-getting-the-full-story/

I was honored to be asked by one of my best friends to write for his new blog. The project is meant to inform and open-the-eyes of the reader to push people to live smarter and fuller lives by understanding the world around them.

It took me a long time to figure out just what I wanted to put up, and then to write the actual article. That being said, I am really excited about the way it turned out, and I hope that it sends out the message that I was trying to portray.

A Beginning, A List, And A Vow...

I've realized lately how much healing comes from writing. I've also realized lately how much I enjoy my friends' blogs. So THIS, is the natural next step. I had a blog once...a long time ago. But this will be different. This is meant for me to post upon, not for others to read. This is something to enjoy. And so, I will begin it with a list I just wrote.

These are things I greatly enjoy. These are the things that bring some alien sense of warmth that you just have to release in the form of a small sigh and a knowing smile. These are the beautiful things in life. These are reasons to get excited for times to come, and reasons to cherish the past. These are things I greatly enjoy:

-God's beauty stopping me in my tracks.

-Landing in a new city.

-Female vocalists. Especially British female vocalists.

-Deep questions.

-Lyrics by Matthew Theissen, Ben Gibbard, Greta Salpeter, Brendon Urie, John Mayer, Justin Pierre, Gary Lightbody, Sloan Anderson, and John Foreman.

-Sipping a coffee while listening.

-Making puns.

-Not understanding music.

-Heated discussions with calming resolutions.

-The night.

-Seeing God in a situation.

-Memorizing a good quote, and then telling it to a friend.

-Sitting in an arena and yelling at something. Or someone.

-Rhythmic techno beats.

-Hashing out politics.

-Driving.

-History. Especially Russian history.

-Seeing God in a person.

-Knowing enough of a foreign language to understand someone else.

-Conversations that go much longer into the night than they should.

-Discovering foreign culture. -People who frequent coffeeshops.

-Reading.

-Knowing what is happening on the other side of an ocean.

-The movie theater.

-Live music.

-Watching hockey.

-Mulling over philosophy.

-Talking to God while walking by myself. Usually out loud.

-Cities.

-Driving fast on mountain roads.

-Rain.

-Swimming in the ocean.

-Being in the Colorado mountains during a snowfall.

-Turbulence on an airplane.

This beginning is a vow to record my thoughts, musings, revelations, and inspirations for the next, undefined piece of my life...