Becoming something...

iPhone

Justin Fenwick — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 01:33:16 +0000

I just got the iPhone, is this going to change my life?

Tip: Read your mail without touching your mouse

Justin Fenwick — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:41:33 +0000

“First, if you don’t have Gmail keyboard shortcuts enabled, turn them on in Settings. You’ll be glad you did. If you spend a lot of time in Gmail, you’ll start shaving milliseconds of every action, which adds up. Get through a hundred or so messages every day and you’ll end up with extra minutes each week to read your favorite blogs in Reader — using Reader’s keyboard shortcuts of course.”

http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/tip-read-your-mail-without-touching.html

Keeping busy

Justin Fenwick — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 03:43:58 +0000

I have found that keeping myself busy for the entire day, with things I find productive and useful, makes me a happier person. For some, it’s TV, for me it’s reading, writing, studying, working on projects as a board member, finding time for Gregg, and getting occasionally frustrated over not being entirely organized.

When it hurts to say no

Justin Fenwick — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 02:28:44 +0000

Often we are caught in moments where an opinion being shared makes sense but doesn’t really ring true in our own heart. This moment can build in tension. How can you know when to give in and when to stand your ground?

Ask yourself, was it for someone else, needed for yourself, or not like yourself? Maybe you have something more to think about.

Always listen, as there is always something to learn when presented with something different. If it came naturally, not impulsively, and you hadn’t hesitated then this isn’t your next fish to fry. Right livelihood.

China-fun

Justin Fenwick — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 03:12:11 +0000

China-fun = fun + lies + manipulation + great culture

Building your own glass ceiling

Justin Fenwick — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:54:19 +0000

To overwhelm yourself, is to be human. I don’t think any of us are free of that. I think it is most often self-created, which is why it’s probably the most intimidating foe. Built with words of false perception, sometimes it feels like reality. Viewing it this way makes it seems much more like a concrete ceiling. That is the secret.

Today, watching the Olympics, Raj Bhavsar of the US gymnastics team had a few things to say about harmonizing your expectations and controlling your outcomes. To paraphrase one statement, would be to realize that we all have things to excel at and often it may not be a gold medal. We build our own ceilings sometimes even looking up in the wrong room.

Do more than look, notice the glass above you and see through it. Do more than reach, break the glass above you. Listen to what is going to help you to break free, not to what is solidifying the ceiling above you.

Today was a rough day for me mentally. I needed a friend. Instead of wallowing, which took a day to get out of, I reached out to one to talk. It can be much harder and I bring this success into the fight.

My dreams are far beyond me. I have to remember that I can always see them.

Bound

Justin Fenwick — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:25:34 +0000

One hill, one loose bike lock chain, I flew, and landed.

I wonder sometimes if the most normal of trouble is the most awesome. Ever relish the most normal of fights? of days? Things can get so out of control sometimes that maybe a simple mistake or basic rough spot can bring a sense of calm. Time can catch up with us, filled with expectations. Isn’t it nice for something to just be wrong or you forget about it all in the heat of the moment.

As I sit tending to my wounds, I am pleasantly humbled by it. I was humbled when I sat on the curb and grasped my chest and noticed my arms. I was humbled when people escorted me to the campus health center.

Let your next fight with your boss humble you. Let your next trip and fall humble you. Let sometime normal, boring, and not overwhelming humble you. Let it all bring you a bit of peace.

Then tell us about it.

Unpublished hearts

Justin Fenwick — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 03:25:14 +0000

Finding a balance between your own reality and what is actual reality is probably the hardest thing that we face. We spend the entirety of time with ourselves. A world centered on individual thoughts, reactions, and feelings (to simplify). This universe is under our control more than we think. The problem is that by time we realize it we have developed far into the desert without having traced our steps. It wouldn’t matter anyways, the landscape behind us is vacant of appropriate footprints. Their creation was entirely based on an out of control perception of reality. So what now?

We must continue to trod forward. I think I can relate to anyone on the efforts to try and stop the process, even share techniques. In the end, it’s just making oneself blind to the constant motion. Turning back on and inside out can feel infantile. What I mean is regressing back in thought and feeling back to a time before your own universe stumbled into the desert sand. Religions and other pursuits often focus on this goal, with varying perspectives. The goal might be more about recognizing the necessity of the journey.

Our society is filled more and more with niche interests and exploits and the opportunity to explore them. It is a standing question of how much its fetish or interest vs. psychological dependency. Do we continue to box off and specialize in social sects that reinforce theses tendencies or try our hardest to recognize the vast diversity that should be our experiences?

What results of this journey you ask? A ton of conflict. Two realities clashing can be catastrophic. Especially since knowledge and experience of true reality is scarce and barely recognizable to the inexperienced mind. So as I walk backwards tripping over everything, I encourage you to do the same. Recognizing your power to do so almost forces action. Truth is found in the experiences and challenges that stick with you as you are blindsided by your past and misconceptions of the world around you. We have published ourselves and continue to add chapters without an editors eye.

Begin un-publishing your heart, leaving chapters in the sand. Pick up only what still lies in your path as you journey back all over again. Avoid the temptation to set your compass early and purposely towards repeating or avoiding a chapter. Lather. Rinse. Repeat as necessary.

To live by

Justin Fenwick — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:03:24 +0000

My Symphony
To live content with small means;
to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion;
to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich;
to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly;
to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart;
to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never.
In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.

William Henry Channing

Finding reason to be angry with nothing: gay kiss and mayo

Justin Fenwick — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:25:38 +0000

I know it sounds a bit messy to put mayo into kissing, but recently Heinz discovered that in fact might be true. They pulled an ad in Britain (see below) after over 200 complaints to the government about its content. The ad contained two guys kissing after the stereotypical mum-dad morning “send the kids to school” routine. Their reasoning was that the humor was a miss for “all sides of the debate.” The ad having not shown in the U.S. still caused some local reaction. O’ Reilly, our bestest friend, decided to make further comment on the situation by bringing it across the pond to talk about the “gay thing.” Apparently he thinks mayo commercials should be devoid of homo-kisses. Something tells me O’ Reilly, save the fact that it wasn’t even an American ad, wasn’t Heinz’s target consumer.

I, personally, love it. It was caring and a bit masculine at the same time. Last night I watched a 30 Days episode on gay parenting, specific focus on adoptive families. The hosting couple was part EMU professor (Dennis), so I felt extra inclined to watch (Go Ypsi!). In both these situations the argument seems to be that we should be protected from people stepping on each other’s toes. There is a significant difference between belief and action. Preventing a family from adopting or preventing a gay family from being represented in a television ad prevents action and expression on an equal platform. This is wrong. The argument that putting it out there, via television ad or legalizing same-sex adoption, steps on the opposition’s moral toes is a bit off. The former is an extension in to my own personal space and rights, the latter does nothing to prevent free thought or action. Is personal and moral discomfort reason enough to pull an ad or prevent gay adoption? To the point, we actually do sue in civil court for these types of things but I feel like that even carries of level of absurdity with it too.

The ad:

O’ Reilly (they show the ad again, he commentary is :51 sec in):

Link to 30 Days episode - The show is installment #4

Becoming something...

iPhone

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China-fun

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