Ahh, March. The shortest of months is behind us, Saint Patrick's Day is just over two weeks away, and I can now say that I have successfully completed my challenge. On the first of February, I shared this post, Day 1/28: Light, which also outlined my self-imposed Photo and Blog a Day Challenge.
Here are the four most popular posts from last month:
#4 Day 5: On My Nightstand
With such little furniture in my apartment, taking the literal approach to this post was not an option. What became was a testimony to how important friends are, no matter how far you are, how little touch you may keep in, and the affect they have your life forever. Miss you all
#3 Day 27: In Love With
The cheesy road would have deemed a post about my wife. At least, I thought it would be the cop out plan, so I challenged myself by taking a photo I've never taken anything similar to. (I was going to say "a photo I've never taken before," but every photo I shoot is one I've never shot before.) What I mean is that I've never shot a composition like the one I did for this prompt. I not only took a naked photo of myself, but posted it on the internet (with little fear of reprisal or censorship).
#2 Day 8: Frozen
Growing up in California, having this long winter (first snow was in mid-November, and we're supposed to get more this first weekend in March) has presented me with plenty of new writing fuel--snow. You don't get to see individual snowflakes very often, and so I captured it for the day's composition...and turned it into a discussion about creationism and evolution with a direct connection to the Bill Nye/Ken Ham "debate" (term used loosely).
#1 Day 9: Under
When I enlisted in the Navy nearly fifteen years ago, I had zero piercings or tattoos, had never drank alcohol, hated country music, and thought pick up trucks were ridiculous. In the course of a 26 month period I volunteered for fourteen tats from seven different states. And then the ink stopped flowing. Until February 9th, 2014. A new man, married, living in a new state, with a new love for writing, the needle would meet me skin again.
So what did I learn in the last month? Plenty of things.
I love telling stories.
I love sharing positive messages.
I love my friends, who are my family.
Writing every day is easier than I thought it to be. (I didn't even write every day during NaNoWriMo last November, but I still won.)
Taking pictures is fun.
The versatility of the mobile phone camera is amazing.
The art is not in the camera, it's in the composition.
The story is up to me.
And so, with a new month upon me, I plan to continue to the wonderful writing workout plan with a photo and blog a day. There were plenty of times last month that I wanted to write more than one blog a day, but my structure-loving side did not want the list of Photo and Blog a Day Challenge posts to have a rogue post among them. But March, oh March...you're gonna get slammed like a frat boy on St. Patty's Day.
In the words of Barney Stinson...Challenge Accepted!
Showing posts with label bill nye. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bill nye. Show all posts
09 February 2014
Photo and Blog a Day Challenge-Day 8/28: Frozen
As I left work this evening, I took a second to snap the following picture of the snow blanketing the hood of my car:
Unsatisfied with the degree of detail I wanted to really share, I went for a closer look (RIP Steve Irwin). Here's take two:
This latest snow fall was different in that the larger flakes had arranged themselves rather loosely to where you could see individual flakes. Every time I brushed another stroke across the roof of my car I thought of LeBron's chalk toss.
But in going over the pictures I took today, I chose this one as my official entry for Day 8: Frozen.
It was taken before work, as I sat in my car for a few minutes before going in. Noticing the left most snowflake, I admired the fact that I had a mirrored surface presenting me with a single snowflake in all it's unique glory. As you can tell, another came to join the composition, and by the time I snapped a shot I was happy with, a smaller third one had joined in. How the three single flakes flew in, landing within the proximity for me to capture all three together, was obviously beyond my control, but I'm glad it happened like it did.
So yes--Frozen--and individual snowflakes. I thought of the animated movie Frozen (which was delightful, by the way) and how the image of a single unique snowflake was a symbol for Elsa's castle of isolation. I then heard all the scientists and mathematician's saying, "all snowflakes are unique. no two snowflakes are alike."
And that's what I'm running with today. Science.
DISCLAIMER: Tonight I head full-speed into a territory that I do not often talk except for in person/real time conversation. Why? Because written words can be taken out of context and dissected for immature reasons. And also because having rational, mature discussions is something I actually enjoy whether we agree or not. So if you're easily offended by different views, or views that are stated quite casually, I don't apologize. It's my blog. So yeah, I have home court advantage. But if you're down for Coffee Bean or a beer somewhere, then I'm down.
And now back to irregularly scheduled program...
I'm still rolling around the Bill Nye/Ken Ham debate in my head. After two and a half hours of the evolution/creation "debate" (because it wasn't so much a debate as it was two men talking about their views without as much interaction as other debates have), none of my views have changed.
I did, however, learn in greater detail the two extreme views of Bill Nye (an agnostic who lives by science, evolution, and discovery) and Ken Ham (a Christian who bases all views on the Bible).
In short: I agree with aspects of both evolution and creation.
I do pride myself on my desire to learn and listen, and the ability to question my own views in the spirit of knowledge and forward progress.
I was raised in the Catholic church, attending a Catholic private school for kindergarten, first, and the first few months of second grade (before transferring to a public school). Continuing to attend (by parental decree) I received the sacraments of First Communion, and chose to continue with Confirmation in high school. Not that I blame the Navy (because I don't) but when I moved out and left for boot camp, I made the conscious decision to not attend mass on my own accord.
In my years since then, I had still attended Catholic mass here and there (mostly when returning to where I grew up to see friends from my childhood), but also chose to accompany friends of other religions to their respective churches. I've been to a couple of different Christian churches, a Latter Day Saints...service (the official term escapes me right now), and a few others to see how they celebrate their religions.
I am no longer a practicing Catholic, nor do I affiliate myself with any one religion, but I do believe in a higher power that I'll refer to as God, and that is the central belief in which my spiritual being resides.
That being said, back to Nye and Ham.
I agree with aspects of both evolution and creation.
I won't go into every single detail, nor do I consider myself armed enough with statistics and verses as the two debaters are, but I can say this:
In line with Mr. Ham, I believe in God. For the aspects of worldly creation that science (as Nye defines it) does not have answers for (and for which he wholly admits he does not) I can only look at them as an act of God. For the evolutionary chain, the 65 billion years, carbon-dating, and the like, I side with Nye.
HOWEVER.
I do not and will not, ever take the path of complete blind belief without the respect for others to ask questions, be questioned, or allow myself room to compromise.
That is where I veer away from Ham's creation model.
Yeah, I get it, I was raised on the same story that many Bible-reading families were. Even to the point of reading the book of Genesis as a family. (Er, well, as a mother and two boys, but that's another story.) But when Ham (and many others) get to the (what I'll call) extreme belief insofar as the Bible is THE ultimate word of God and that which is included within the covers of the text are exactly, literally, and without question, the way things are, should be, and have to be, that is where I say, "Good day, sir."
So, yes. I'm not saying either view is completely right and that the other is wrong. I'm not saying I'm right, and that you're wrong. What I'm saying is that I'll always listen respectfully and reserve the right to ask questions, and I hope you'd do me the same honor.
Anytime I'm faced with the answer of, "because the Bible says so," or "that's just the way it is," then that is where I ask more questions and choose the path of discovery, learning, questions, and predictions.
Because free will. But that's a blog for another time.
But in going over the pictures I took today, I chose this one as my official entry for Day 8: Frozen.
So yes--Frozen--and individual snowflakes. I thought of the animated movie Frozen (which was delightful, by the way) and how the image of a single unique snowflake was a symbol for Elsa's castle of isolation. I then heard all the scientists and mathematician's saying, "all snowflakes are unique. no two snowflakes are alike."
And that's what I'm running with today. Science.
DISCLAIMER: Tonight I head full-speed into a territory that I do not often talk except for in person/real time conversation. Why? Because written words can be taken out of context and dissected for immature reasons. And also because having rational, mature discussions is something I actually enjoy whether we agree or not. So if you're easily offended by different views, or views that are stated quite casually, I don't apologize. It's my blog. So yeah, I have home court advantage. But if you're down for Coffee Bean or a beer somewhere, then I'm down.
And now back to irregularly scheduled program...
I'm still rolling around the Bill Nye/Ken Ham debate in my head. After two and a half hours of the evolution/creation "debate" (because it wasn't so much a debate as it was two men talking about their views without as much interaction as other debates have), none of my views have changed.
I did, however, learn in greater detail the two extreme views of Bill Nye (an agnostic who lives by science, evolution, and discovery) and Ken Ham (a Christian who bases all views on the Bible).
In short: I agree with aspects of both evolution and creation.
I do pride myself on my desire to learn and listen, and the ability to question my own views in the spirit of knowledge and forward progress.
I was raised in the Catholic church, attending a Catholic private school for kindergarten, first, and the first few months of second grade (before transferring to a public school). Continuing to attend (by parental decree) I received the sacraments of First Communion, and chose to continue with Confirmation in high school. Not that I blame the Navy (because I don't) but when I moved out and left for boot camp, I made the conscious decision to not attend mass on my own accord.
In my years since then, I had still attended Catholic mass here and there (mostly when returning to where I grew up to see friends from my childhood), but also chose to accompany friends of other religions to their respective churches. I've been to a couple of different Christian churches, a Latter Day Saints...service (the official term escapes me right now), and a few others to see how they celebrate their religions.
I am no longer a practicing Catholic, nor do I affiliate myself with any one religion, but I do believe in a higher power that I'll refer to as God, and that is the central belief in which my spiritual being resides.
That being said, back to Nye and Ham.
I agree with aspects of both evolution and creation.
I won't go into every single detail, nor do I consider myself armed enough with statistics and verses as the two debaters are, but I can say this:
In line with Mr. Ham, I believe in God. For the aspects of worldly creation that science (as Nye defines it) does not have answers for (and for which he wholly admits he does not) I can only look at them as an act of God. For the evolutionary chain, the 65 billion years, carbon-dating, and the like, I side with Nye.
HOWEVER.
I do not and will not, ever take the path of complete blind belief without the respect for others to ask questions, be questioned, or allow myself room to compromise.
That is where I veer away from Ham's creation model.
Yeah, I get it, I was raised on the same story that many Bible-reading families were. Even to the point of reading the book of Genesis as a family. (Er, well, as a mother and two boys, but that's another story.) But when Ham (and many others) get to the (what I'll call) extreme belief insofar as the Bible is THE ultimate word of God and that which is included within the covers of the text are exactly, literally, and without question, the way things are, should be, and have to be, that is where I say, "Good day, sir."
So, yes. I'm not saying either view is completely right and that the other is wrong. I'm not saying I'm right, and that you're wrong. What I'm saying is that I'll always listen respectfully and reserve the right to ask questions, and I hope you'd do me the same honor.
Anytime I'm faced with the answer of, "because the Bible says so," or "that's just the way it is," then that is where I ask more questions and choose the path of discovery, learning, questions, and predictions.
Because free will. But that's a blog for another time.
06 February 2014
Photo and Blog A Day Challenge-Day 6/28: Pattern
Being so cold on a day off is a good reason to not go outside. However, this leaves me with a smaller vicinity to find my picture of the day. In an effort to be a good husband, I wanted to get some cleaning done and cap it off by taking out the trash. (See: Dumpster on Day 4 here)
Despite the fact my face was immediately making me regret my decision to go outside and leave my comfortably warm apartment for a few minutes, I did get to enjoy the snow-covered canvasses atop the garage units being splashed with a spectrum from the sunset's palette. As much as I admired the natural art adorning the man-made structure, I did not find a pattern I wanted to capture. But when I came back inside, I saw this:
I enjoyed the way the blinds lined up in contrast to the framework on the window. And even though you can't see the detail in the picture, the screen of the window provided an additional layer of grid work to the composition. But just before I took the picture, as I admired the orangey purple of the building across the snow, the techie-geek part of me squeed.
The blinds and window frame lined up just as the guiding grid does in many cameras. I don't utilize this feature on my camera phone, but it does have the setting available if I so desire. But still, in an attempt to capture something so...for lack of a better word...simple, I've managed to drench it in 21st century tech.
Now, I'm not trying to claim to be some kind of old-fashioned hermit who shakes his head at every new device that comes out, that would be completely hypocritical. Obviously, I'm taking pictures with a smartphone and uploading them to social media sites, so I can then type an accompanying blog on a laptop using a wifi connection to upload to another social media site. So yeah, I'm pretty connected, but that still doesn't mean I can't enjoy things that aren't powered with a Lithium-Ion battery or require wall chargers.
And that's where I'm going with this. I can enjoy my non-battery-powered creature comforts, but still take advantage of modern technology in perfect harmony.
Harmony.
That's an interesting word. And it reminds me of The House Bunny. (Growls: Har-monyyy)
Earlier today I was watching the Bill Nye/Ken Ham debate and I was trying to be objective, but I couldn't help but snicker at the pure distaste of a desire to collaborate and teach in...wait for it...harmony.
I wanted to wait until I had watched the whole thing before I commented on it, but in short, here's what I'm taking away from it. Ham is saying, "stop picking on us, we're right." And Nye is saying, "prove me wrong and prove your side with real empirical evidence and I'll modify my view."
Even in that alone there is conflict. Nye is in a place of openness and listening; welcoming any attempt to show him something new. But Ham is staunchly disagreeing and focusing on minute details. I'm not saying Either extreme is wholly correct (in short, I believe aspects of both sides), but at least The Science Guy is leaving room to listen and learn.
So I guess that's what I'm trying to say today. I'll listen to anyone who wants to teach me something new, but as soon as you start telling me that everything I know is wrong and that you're the ultimate authority, know every truth, and justify it with verses taken out of context, then I'm tapping out, because it's no longer a conversation--it's a lecture.
And I don't do well with lectures. I like to respond too much. And ask questions.
Any questions?
Despite the fact my face was immediately making me regret my decision to go outside and leave my comfortably warm apartment for a few minutes, I did get to enjoy the snow-covered canvasses atop the garage units being splashed with a spectrum from the sunset's palette. As much as I admired the natural art adorning the man-made structure, I did not find a pattern I wanted to capture. But when I came back inside, I saw this:
I enjoyed the way the blinds lined up in contrast to the framework on the window. And even though you can't see the detail in the picture, the screen of the window provided an additional layer of grid work to the composition. But just before I took the picture, as I admired the orangey purple of the building across the snow, the techie-geek part of me squeed.
The blinds and window frame lined up just as the guiding grid does in many cameras. I don't utilize this feature on my camera phone, but it does have the setting available if I so desire. But still, in an attempt to capture something so...for lack of a better word...simple, I've managed to drench it in 21st century tech.
Now, I'm not trying to claim to be some kind of old-fashioned hermit who shakes his head at every new device that comes out, that would be completely hypocritical. Obviously, I'm taking pictures with a smartphone and uploading them to social media sites, so I can then type an accompanying blog on a laptop using a wifi connection to upload to another social media site. So yeah, I'm pretty connected, but that still doesn't mean I can't enjoy things that aren't powered with a Lithium-Ion battery or require wall chargers.
And that's where I'm going with this. I can enjoy my non-battery-powered creature comforts, but still take advantage of modern technology in perfect harmony.
Harmony.
That's an interesting word. And it reminds me of The House Bunny. (Growls: Har-monyyy)
Earlier today I was watching the Bill Nye/Ken Ham debate and I was trying to be objective, but I couldn't help but snicker at the pure distaste of a desire to collaborate and teach in...wait for it...harmony.
I wanted to wait until I had watched the whole thing before I commented on it, but in short, here's what I'm taking away from it. Ham is saying, "stop picking on us, we're right." And Nye is saying, "prove me wrong and prove your side with real empirical evidence and I'll modify my view."
Even in that alone there is conflict. Nye is in a place of openness and listening; welcoming any attempt to show him something new. But Ham is staunchly disagreeing and focusing on minute details. I'm not saying Either extreme is wholly correct (in short, I believe aspects of both sides), but at least The Science Guy is leaving room to listen and learn.
So I guess that's what I'm trying to say today. I'll listen to anyone who wants to teach me something new, but as soon as you start telling me that everything I know is wrong and that you're the ultimate authority, know every truth, and justify it with verses taken out of context, then I'm tapping out, because it's no longer a conversation--it's a lecture.
And I don't do well with lectures. I like to respond too much. And ask questions.
Any questions?
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