Sojo Mail

I received this today in my in my in-box. It's from Sojourner's magazine. Jim Wallis is the author of the recent God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong, and the Left Doesn't Get It.***************"Bush's Calvin College Surprise"by Jim WallisAs I've traveled the country this spring - 82 events, 48 cities, and hundreds of media interviews since January - I've witnessed a new movement of moderate and progressive religious voices challenging the monologue of the Religious Right. An extremely narrow and aggressively partisan expression of right-wing...

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Revenge of the Sith

I just got in from seeing this with MissionBound and Scott. I really liked it. As someone noted, it was better than the first two. Personally, I'm satisfied with it as the grand finale. Admittedly, seveal scenes were hokey (and I mean really hokey), even to the point of being unredeemable. But overall it worked.Something I definitely want to point out, however, is what I uncovered when searching for a pic to post here. During the google search,...

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I Had a Dream...

...and it went something like this. Somehow, through an on-line web board, I got connected with this young lass. We started talking about seeing each other, and she was getting ready to take a short trip to New Orleans. She said she would like to meet with me on the weekends. I said "Sure, where would you like to meet?" She said, "How about Boulder, CO?" Stunned, I said, "Boulder? Where do you live?" She said "Toronto." This did not help my confusion since Boulder is not on the way from Toronto to New Orleans, but I chalked it up to being...

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My First Portrait

I'm starting to see a theme here. My blog is turning into an art show. I hope that doesn't bore everyone to death. But it's my blog and I'll post what I want to...post what I want to... (Can't you just hear the music in the background?)Anyway, this is the first portrait that I've done. It didn't turn out too bad. And, it was a lot of fun to do. When I went into Valley Photo, I asked, "How much is it to get a portrait done?" The clerk responded,...

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Elves Rock!

Ever since I saw an ancient movie entitled Hawk: The Slayer, I have loved elves. So when it comes to fantasy illustrations, they're my favorite subject. It has been a long time since I tried to draw something from the fantasy (as opposed to sci-fi or horror) genre. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, the last fantasy drawing I did was in 1998. (*Gasp* Has it really been 7 years? Surely, I'm forgetting something I did in the gap.) So, I did the above...

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Welcome to "TeamSpeak"

A friend of mine just introduced me to "TeamSpeak." So far, very cool. Basically, it allows you to talk through your computer mic and speakers. You connect with people through a server, so it's great for mass communication. (The link for the free download: the TeamSpeak site)The problem is that there is a bit of lag time. And if someone speaks while others are speaking, then nothing happens. On the bright side, whenever someone begins to speak, a light turns green so people know when to shut up. I like it. And since a particular friend...

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A New Perspective on Anger

Recently, I picked up Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. I can't recommend it enough. This book is self-billed as "a course in discovering and recovering your creative self." Of course, there are those who would argue that I don't need something like this, but I have found it quite useful.There are many wise things shared in its pages. Something of special note is Cameron's perspective on anger. She writes, Anger is meant to be listened to. Anger is a voice, a shout, a plea, a demand. Anger is...

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It's Blog-Worthy

Yesterday I received great news. My friend Won is doing a new church development in Dekalb, IL, currently called Emmaus Road. The grant that he requested to fund this has just passed through the last hoop: General Assembly. Won is doing great work up there. He is not using a "traditional" church model, but an "organic" one. Neat stuff. Look for the web page soon. When it appears, I'll put a link to it somewhere in the left sideb...

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From a Forward

Personal favorite is #36...***************Things You'd Love to Say Out Loud at Work 1. I can see your point, but I still think you're full of *&^# . 2. I don't know what your problem is, but I'll bet it's hard to pronounce. 3. How about never? Is never good for you? 4. I see you've set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public. 5. I'm really easy to get along with once you people learn to see it my way. 6. I'll try being nicer if you'll try being smarter. 7. I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message. 8. I don't work...

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Angel at the Foot of Heaven

Title: Angel at the Foot of HeavenThis is my most recent work. I just submitted it to deviantART for approval. Soon, it should be displayed properly in my on-line art gallery.This took me about 7 1/2 hours drawing time (spread out over 3 days), and 2-3 hours of digitizing. Yet again, I had to piece together scanned images, but it was a lot easier this time. As I step back from the original, I am quite pleased. But I am concerned that something...

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Response to a Question Regarding My Thoughts on "Hell" and Metaphorical Language

First thing is first: Does anybody know what code I need to add a bit of space around in-line pics? As you can see, my text hugs my graphic. I find it very annoying, but I don't know what to do about it.Now, on to business.I was going through old computer files and came across something of interest. Quite some time ago on XianGoth.Net, I mentioned that we needed to retain the concept of "hell," but we need to do so while keeping in mind that all...

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I'm Too Sexy for This Job

Title: I'm Too Sexy For This JobHow often do we want to say this?This is Invader Tim sporting his crazy backward pants (the original pic can be found in one of his first blog entries). I wanted to draw something from an interesting photo, and this one came to mind. The complex pose was a pleasant challenge.Yet again, I had to scan it in three sections. Blending them takes quite a bit of time. After scanning, I had to do some touch-ups, and I...

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Sermon Recommendation

My friend Mike Solberg is the senior paster at Second Congregational in Rockford, IL. I just came across his sermon from last Sunday entitled, "Eternal Life Here and Now." I'm recommending it for all those interested in that sort of thi...

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My Package Has Arrived!

It's about time. I've waited a week. And the verdict...They're phenomenal! I ordered some matte, glossy, and lustre prints of "Cry of the Orphan." But what I'm most impressed with is the coffee mug. All around, the products have far exceeded my expectations. Time to place an order to start selling local...

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Establishment Review

Eco Expresso Cafe in Princeton, IL.Before today, I had only been in this coffeshop once. During that visit, I had a wonderful conversation with the owner. She was incredibly personable and interacted with everyone as though they were actually interesting to her (who knows, maybe to her they were). I remember walking out of there thinking, "What a wonderful place. Next time I'm in town I need to come back here." But it is just short of a half-hour away, and I never really go to Princeton for anything, so I had not made that return visit until...

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A Lass! A Beautiful Lass!

Title: A Lass! A Beautiful Lass!When St. Sebald visited on New Year's Eve, we took a few pictures at a local cemetary. I thought this one worthy of a drawing. I started this last night and finished it today. Surprisingly, it only took me 5 hours total. Well, that's for the drawing part anyway. It took me another 3 hours to get it all ready for the on-line store. Because the original is 12x18, I had to scan it in 3 sections. Then I had to...

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The deviantART Store Is Now Open!

The place: deviantART.comThe alias: AcumenicalGoliard (Please note that there is also a permanent link to the right)The occasion: Grand Opening!Yes, I finally (after about a year and a half of talk) got my on-line art store up and running. Right now, I only have a single piece set up for prints. But it turns out that I can set it up for a variety of different products...even coffee mugs! How indespensible is that? I have already bought some prints and the giant coffee mug to see how they turned out. Can't wait till they get here.Unfortunately,...

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Updated Virtual Art Class Poster

Thanks to handy suggestions from Tim, I have revised my web poster for my art class. Apparently, it was difficult to read before on some browsers. Hopefully, the adjustments have taken care of that problem. He may have more suggestions that lead to more tweaking, but that is to be seen.I saw Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy yesterday. I enjoyed it. I think my actual erudite phrasing when asked was something like, "It was nice." It wasn't a...

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