myopic pilgrim

I’m breaking the silence. This list includes labor, delivery, and the first few weeks of a new baby.

1. Rocket poop. See if you don’t yell the first time the poop comes hurtling out of your newborn with the force of a cherry bomb.

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Hey, help me spend some money on iTunes.

• What are you listening to that I should listen to?
• What band haven’t I heard of that I should really get into?
• What singles have great lyrics?
• Singles that have good production and sound?

What I Expected at My First Son’s Birth

When my wife was pregnant with our first son, I would talk to fathers about what to expect, mainly during labor and delivery. Many of them, like my Uncle Brian, described seeing your child born as a mind-blowing experience. I remember him saying “dude” a lot.

Fathers told me I’d see this miracle taking place and would receive this clarity of thought. My place in the universe will be solidified when I’m asked to cut the umbilical cord—and I must cut the umbilical cord! It will all be a mystical experience and I’d better pay attention. As the due date approached (and passed), I prepared myself. I expected fireworks and angelic choirs. I was ready to receive some sort of epiphany about, dude, my life and the world. Read the rest of this entry »

I hardly ever listen to the radio in my car. It’s all podcasts from NPR, tech news, or sermons. And for awhile I listened to How to Succeed in Evil, a fictional podcast set in a world of superheroes. It’s well-produced with sound effects and background music. The author does a superb job of voicing all the characters.

The story centers around Edwin Windsor, an Evil Efficiency Consultant. “He’s like Arthur Anderson for Supervillians,” the author writes.

Just because a person can melt walls by winking at them or build a device to threaten the very fabric of our reality doesn’t mean that they know how to manage investments or squeeze money out of a scheme. Just look at M.C. Hammer. (Not that’s he’s evil or super — just that he’s exquisitely bad with money.)

Alas, new episodes are on hold while he works on a novel based on the same character, but there are about a score of episodes already done. Enough to feel reasonably satisfied. The quality of the story and writing are little uneven in the later episodes. But they’re short and fun, a nice little break between All Things Considered and N.T. Wright.

Here’s a fun visual aid to understanding the differences between Eastern and Western cultures (specifically China and Germany). These icons were designed by Liu Young, a graphic designer born in China and living in Germany. I don’t know if it’ll help with your understanding of Jesus, but I find the ones titled The Boss, Me, and Way of Life useful.

This one’s called Punctuality. No deep spiritual meaning for me. It just makes me feel a little better about my own tardiness.

You can see most of the East Meets West icons here with some commentary by a Canadian ex-pat in Taiwan. There are few more that are easily found via Google.