RWP

A new direction

noreply@blogger.com (RWP) — Sun, 24 May 2009 02:56:00 +0000

Some wonderful opportunities have come my way in the last week that make me want to shout from the proverbial rooftop. I have a new blog specific to one of them and I would very much like it if you gave it a visit (see link below). Thanks!

Rolling Wave Project goes to Africa

The product of boredom

noreply@blogger.com (RWP) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 01:22:00 +0000

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noreply@blogger.com (RWP) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 02:34:00 +0000

Here are some new pics.

From Oh! Snap Mar 09

Rolling

noreply@blogger.com (RWP) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 03:37:00 +0000

I know it has been awhile, but I have been busy, to say the least. I have recently started making some big strides of change in my life and I love where they are taking me. Inline with this change I have started training for long distance bike rides. I will be in Tahoe this June for the century ride (100 miles) around the lake (with a brief leg to Truckee and back). The point isn't to win the event, in fact I really just want to finish. No, I am not in it for the competition but for the training opportunity (high elevation distance riding) and the opportunity to cruise around the lake. I will slowly divulge what a 100 mile, high-altitude bike race could possibly be preparing me for, over the coming months. In the meantime and keeping with the two wheel theme, I thought it apt to share with you all another event that I hope to participate in (though am unsure of the reality of this at this time. Below is a copy of a form letter from their site, please give it a read:

"Hi. I wanted to let you all know about a fantastic organization called the Trek to Re-Energize America. Slated for summer 2009, the Trek to Re-Energize America is a bike ride from wherever you are in the U.S. to Washington D.C. to demand real action on climate change. Riders will depart for D.C. from all across the country, sweeping up media attention and grassroots support as they go. Upon arriving in D.C. riders will rally and lobby for action.

In order to be a success the ride needs a lot of help. We need riders and people to feed those riders amongst other things.

You can read all about it and find out how you can plug into the effort at www.trektoreenergize.org"

I figured I would share...

noreply@blogger.com (RWP) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 04:56:00 +0000

I have to admit - I am in love with film photography. I was recently fortunate enough to receive an older 35mm SLR camera from a friend and I love it. It is almost always with me in my messenger bag as I zip through town on my bike. I love it! Here are a few shots from our recent outing...

From Photo Scavengers

Testing the iPhone

noreply@blogger.com (RWP) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 15:12:00 +0000

What app does anyone else use for mobile blogging on the iPhone?

I really...

noreply@blogger.com (RWP) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:28:00 +0000

...need to start posting again. Unfortunately this is yet another "apology blog post". Rather than just leaving it at sorry, though, I have decided to provide a preview of my upcoming post titles (these aren't concrete right now).

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Drag-Queen
The Summit
Crossing into the Red
New Life Cinema
The Well Traveled Man

That's all I have for now. Sorry for the delay. Ooops, time to go... take care.

My Apologies

noreply@blogger.com (RWP) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:01:00 +0000

Sorry i haven't posted lately... I have been really busy! I will soon as I have a lot to talk about!

Vote!

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dutch) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:52:00 +0000

Yesterday I voted. It took nearly two hours to do so (with over an hour and a half sitting in the line outside), but I did get it done. I was a little perturbed that the GOP was there handing out "Ballot Instructions" dictating how to swing for the right field fences. I didn't even read it but I could easily see how the psychology of such an act might lead to actual votes in the sub-Presidential races. I would call this a dirty trick except that my only real gripe was the fact that the Dems weren't there doing the exact same thing - come on people! Anyhow I do feel really good knowing that I voted. In fact, towards the end of the process - when I had to review my selections - I was washed over with a sense empowerment as I looked at the ticket before me. Atop it all was Obama and Biden. In fact I just sat there for a few moments and soaked it all in. It felt good.

Early Vote

noreply@blogger.com (RWP) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:46:00 +0000

Watch the video - it's worthwhile!

I will be voting today in a matter of a few short hours. I hope you do too!

Malawi

noreply@blogger.com (RWP) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:36:00 +0000

I want to thank Steve for making this great video and spreading the word about this worthwhile cause. For more information visit the Equitas site.

Watershed: Rove

noreply@blogger.com (RWP) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:21:00 +0000

Mesquite B.O. - A Weekend In Review

Where do I start?

Friday was fairly damp. When I arrived to the campsite (read: bog) things were fairly miserable, but the fire was going, smiles were worn and everyone was equally cold. Miserable may not seem like the most optimistic adjective but it is the most appropriate. It was raining, cold, muddy, soggy, gray, windy and just plain uncomfortable, but don't misinterpret that description - it was still fantastic. Miserable may have been an apt descriptor of that days weather but not the sentiment of those of us who made up the "early party". Like I said, we were smiling, laughing, joking and having a great time just hanging out in this miserable environment together. I have actually found that to be a unifying theme within the Watershed community: no matter how bad the circumstances, or how hard the work, we are all genuinely happy to be spending time with one another - how rare is that?

Saturday morning, while still a bit "damp" from the prior evening, started off pretty great... okay, first we had to put all the muddy junk in the truck, but then it turned great! Breakfast at Louise's Rock House Restaurant was just what we needed - hot, cheap and tasty! The bathroom was a welcomed treat too. The real fun, however, started once the rest of the gang showed up. We drove out to our new, less muddy, campsite and set everything up. Then a little schmoozing, ball throwing and a significant amount of confusion on how to play card games (any card games). Once the remaining few campers arrived we took off for some sightseeing and nature time. With seven dogs in tow we stormed the local park grounds and trails. The canine accompaniment did inhibit our options a bit but to be honest I didn't mind at all... I might have been alone there, but I doubt it. It was great to have them along and watch them enjoy and appreciate their time in nature as much as we did.

Later that afternoon, back at camp, we lit the fire and started grubb'n. There was food everywhere! Some of it ended up in the fire and some in the belly of a dog or three, but for the most part we feasted like royalty... you know, if royalty had a thing for processed meats, hot chocolate and canned french onion dip! Despite the creep of the cold weather there never seemed to be a lack of laughter and (odd) stories. We were told the myth of the Brown Mountain Lions and quickly became excited to catch us one for ourselves. When we figured out it was actually the myth of the Brown Mountain Lights our fervor for the hunt subsided significantly but were still intrigued and confused by the tale... so they are just lights in the mountain??? We decided to try and crack this mystery for ourselves and all headed out to the "perfect spot"... which was actually three different perfect spots, but who's counting? The night was pretty great. The stars were shining really bright (dare I say they were "hardcore"?), the air felt crisp and clean and we were miles from the distractions of high rises and street lights. It was great just to sit and listen to the silence... that would generally last for about 15 seconds, then someone (who shall remain nameless) would break into song... and not "good" songs either ("dumps like a truck..."). Once you learned to block out the choir, though, it became great again... or I assume it did... I never mastered the blocking technique. In the end we never did spot to Brown Lights but we did see some headlights... so that rocked...

When we had all lost feeling in a minimum of three toes we decided to return to camp. Gathered around the fire again we all broke into a spirited tribal dance as we circled the flame wearing nothing more than... wait... wrong trip. Gathered around the fire we started telling stories. Okay, Greg was the only one who told a story because the rest of us lacked campfire experience (BTW, was anyone else impressed by his technique to get the fire roaring again?). After we all learned about Wicked John (no relation), Kayla started us off in a circle story (I don't know what else to call it?). I am going to refrain from commenting about much of this story but I can't help but wonder: what was task number 2? And no Greg, taking a magic ladder and a magic lava lamp out of a magic pocket does not qualify as a description of the task! I also learned a new use for frozen strawberries - a really exciting new use!

Slowly the group started to dwindle as people retreated to the illusion of heat within their sleeping bags. A few of us continued to talk, share stories, debate and just genuinely engage one another around the fire until well past the twilight hour. I eventually decided to retreat to the musty, damp interior of the van for the night. I left the doors unlocked, optimistically, hoping that someone would want to drop a dog off to sleep in there with me. I also left an open offer for free spooning - strictly for blood flow reasons - but it went unclaimed. In the morning I found out that what I really needed to do, to ensure my blood wouldn't freeze, was to take a page from Matt's playbook and affix heat packs over my nipples - I can't believe I didn't think of that! The morning zoomed by in a hurry and before I knew it we were on the road. Jessica and I were on the road a bit longer than everyone else - but we did eventually make it.

I want to thank everyone who was able to make it this weekend - I had a blast! I feel truly fortunate to have the opportunity to hang out with all of you!

By the way, if any of this stuff belongs to you drop me a line so I can get it to you... but you better act fast, I don't think those Jelly Bellies are going to make it!

Red Cross, NC

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dutch) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 03:11:00 +0000

Today was the day I drove to Red Cross, NC, to interview the Mayor. Since this trip was an exploratory trip for an article I am writing I won't be giving away much info right now but I did enjoy my first real foray into quasi-journalism. I learned a few things about my interviewing techniques and I think I have identified a few areas that I could improve upon. Overall the whole thing went rather smooth, though, even with the lack of actual information. I do feel I got what I needed and now comes the time for me to craft that into a piece that people will actually enjoy reading. Can I do it? We'll see! I did take a few pictures (though I think most anyone else could have done a far better job!), but won't be posting those here since they are for the article. Cheers.

BTW, if you are trying to find Red Cross, NC, on Google maps, try searching for Oakboro, NC, instead and then just look north until you get to the NC-24/27 and NC-205 intersection - that's Red Cross.

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I am crying inside

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dutch) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:58:00 +0000

This is the saddest bit of audio I have ever heard. Come on America, wake up and listen before you speak! Grab some tissues and give this track a listen while you check ticket prices to some far away country...

Holy Wow!

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dutch) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 03:10:00 +0000

What an evening! Tonight I had the distinct honor of attending the Cystic Fibrosis "A Breath Of Fresh Art" charity auction in the NoDa area. It was absolutely amazing! First off it had the ambiance of a major artists gallery debut. This is the third year for the event and they apparently outgrew the prior location due to such high attendance numbers. Well this evenings number were crazy and everyone seemed to be gorgeous - like they were stripped from the Banana Republic website! To really set this event apart from other charities the organizers had some quite spectacular and fun surprises in store. Most noticeable were the hair and makeup models that wandered the event. Most of them were living artwork - though i did feel for the woman with all the peacock feathers in her hair... her neck had to be killing her! There was this one model who was easily an inch or two taller than me (with heels on aynways) that was absolutely stunning - she knows who she is! Other surprises include the ballroom dancing couple who were gorgeous and majestic on their feet. These two people simply exuded passion from their very stride and it was difficult not to fall in love with the rhythm of their steps. To bring some comedy and illusions to everyone's eyes there was a magician (I can't remember his name except that he said if we did not like his show his name was Criss Angel. Sadly I did like his show and I haven't the slightest clue what his name was?).
So the point of this art auction (both silent and live portions) was to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis. There were so many fantastic items donated for the evenings auctions and I was truly impressed. The thing that really caught my eye was some of the handmade jewelry that was put up for auction by some people. I really liked this for a few reasons:

1. These were artistic pieces that were crafted by the artists and happened to be pieces you can actually wear (let's see you do that with a canvas!)
2. This was a great opportunity for them to get their name out there while also supporting a great cause.
3. The people who attended this evenings event are fairly "connected" and influential people (besides me, of course), so their is a chance that something amazing could happen!

The true stars of the evening, however, were some works painted by local area children who have been diagnosed with CF. Their ages ranged from 1-17 years old and all of their artwork was amazing. We didn't stay for the whole evening and had to leave just after the live auction had started, but I can say it started out great!!! The first painting on the block was from the youngest artists (she turns 2 yo next week) and it was up to $1,000 when we were leaving (it may have been $800, but I think I heard $1,000). Their were about a dozen works by the kinds and they were all fantastic!
Some other notable parts about this evening was the fact that Fresh Market catered the food and their was an awesome open bar (I can't remember who I am supposed to thank for that, but I really need to thank them - I had a lot of martini's and a lot of merlot!).
On the way home we had all decided that the snacks at the auction hadn't quite filled us so we stopped at Donato's to pick up some (yummy) pizza. This Donato's was weird though... it was huge and shared the dinning room with Bojangle's - which was odd on it's own. I was curious so I went and had a great conversation with the Sheriff's deputy who was working the security detail there. I think it is important to note that I learned a WHOLE LOT about the NC Law Enforcement System that I had no clue to before. It helped that this guy was really cool, super easy to talk to and didn't mind explaining things to me. I was really glad that my tendency to talk to strangers kicked in there because he was a lot of fun to talk to!
All in all tonight was one of the best nights I have had in a long time. Actually today on a whole was pretty amazing! If UNC had actually beat UVA it would have been slightly better, but I was secretly rooting for UVA anyways so no big whoop! I got a killer haircut today too, oh and I had the most amazing avocado egg rolls at the Cheesecake Factory - not to mention the awesome tiramisu cheesecake! Oh, and last night we ate at Cantina 1511, which is a mind blowing restaurant - best tacos I have ever had in my entire life - that is saying a lot! That place was so good that we are headed back tomorrow for brunch (because it is the only time they have chorizo!), which means this will be the first time I am skipping church since starting. I don't know how I feel about that yet - but they have chorizo con huevos, honestly, how many times is my unemployed ass going to have this opportunity??? Well, I have to say I am feeling really good and really optimistic about my future (the music on Cantina 1511's website is helping a bit too!). I hope everyone is doing AMAZING!!!!

I know this is dumb...

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dutch) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 02:18:00 +0000

1 minute, 19 seconds

Created by Bunk Beds Pedia

Sweet and Sour

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dutch) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 03:13:00 +0000

Sweet: I got a call from my lil'sis (aka Spike) today!

Sour: I missed the call because I am out of cell minutes (yay for my awesome call forwarding service though... and Skype!)... sadly she is out of minutes too and was using her Mom's phone so I didn't catch her today. I did catch-up with her mom though, which was cool.

Oh, and in case anybody was about to question Yahoo! for any bias, I did officially enter the contest for the bike. The bike is part of their "Wear Purple Campaign"- the only purple I wear is in support of the Alzheimer's Association - but I will totally ride purple though! I may even put those super cool ribbon things on the end of the handlebars! I even have this annoying bell (that came with my Mountain Bike - seriously, who needs a bell on a mountain bike? If you can't hear my deep wheezing than you sure as heck aren't going to hear my bell!) to put on the handlebars!

Ok, sweepy time now...

Whim Shot!

noreply@blogger.com (RWP) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:05:00 +0000

Today has been a productive day, but not without it's discouraging points.

To start things off I scheduled an interview with Mayor Quick of Red Cross, NC. I am hoping to meet up with him next week and get the low-down on the Red Cross township, life in the community and what sets Red Cross apart from everyone else. I was spurred on to this challenge by Wendy Harman, moderator and host of the RedCrossChats.org blog, and am eager to see what I am made of with regards to writing style. Mayor Quick has already responded rather enthusiastically to the interview so I think that will be a lot of fun!

I received an email about a nonprofit job opening from Mr. Jeffries, one of the moderators at my Monday morning meetings and pastor at the United Methodist Church on Providence, this morning. While I didn't qualify for the position itself (they were looking for an experienced HR person with an extensive nonprofit background), I did still find some use for the email. By stripping the URL from the contact persons email address I came upon the core site. A few clicks later I had the name of the Executive Director and her email address. I drafted an email introducing myself and proposing a networking meeting and... she agreed - enthusiastically no less!!! That is my third major networking meeting I have set up, within the nonprofit sector, this week alone!!! Really cool!

After that it was time to hit the streets. I decided to walk today because my new base of operations is only an 8 minute walk from South Park Mall. I did some research and canvassing - which meant I didn't actually talk "job ops" with anyone, just poked my nose around and got a feel for places - or window shopped if you will. I did compile a list of 19 establishments to look into about a position. There is one problem though and it is a problem with me more than anything else. I would meet/observe people working at some of these locations and start to wonder "How is this person still employed, and why am I not yet employed?" It's actually a rather rude reality when you stop and think about it. I don't know this person or what they bring to the table for their company but I still find myself saying "I could do that WAY better than you!". So, I have a question: "How does one reduce or eliminate the cynicism of their own nature?"

Now that I am back at the casa I have filtered through the list of 19 companies and narrowed the results down to 11 companies for which I will now apply. This also means that tomorrow is probably going to be a dressy day. I do really need a haircut though... I am tempted to shave it all off since I can afford that...? I need a job.

**UPDATE**
I forgot to mention that I also applied for positions with the American Red Cross and Mecklenburg County. I really want the ARC position as I feel it is something that really suits my personality and work style. The county position is interesting, too, as it is a Recreation Specialist's position, which basically means someone who arranges events and activities for the Rec Department. I know I would really enjoy this position too.
Oh, and Sean said he would look into hooking me up with one of those sweet Yahoo! bikes with the built in camera so I can ride it around Charlotte and take pictures! I know I am not a big fan of purple but it is a sweet bike!!!

Stand Up

noreply@blogger.com (RWP) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:12:00 +0000

Take Action! October 17-19 is your time to stand up and take action against poverty and support the Millennium Development Goals. So, in keeping with the thought I proposed to you yesterday - what can you do to make a difference?

To learn more please visit: http://standagainstpoverty.org/

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Malawi or Bust!

noreply@blogger.com (RWP) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 22:36:00 +0000

As many of you are well aware I have found a new home, of sorts, in the Watershed community. We are a diverse bunch of Christians which is really what makes this such a comfortable fellowship for me to grow within. Another major aspect of Watershed that has captured my heart is their dedication to social justice and making a positive impact in the lives of those who need it. This can be as simple as helping out with a Habitat project to something as internationally reaching as a mission trip to Africa. I love that aspect as it is a near and dear subject to my own heart.

Speaking of Africa I thought I would share a little something with you all. Two separate couples from our church, the McCollum's and the George's, will be moving to Malawi, Africa, next summer for a year. This represents a huge commitment on their parts and, as you can likely imagine, a major financial challenge. I am not going to say much more about their mission beyond that, as I feel it would be best for them to tell you themselves. They have each set-up a webpage (the McCollum's and the George's) and I encourage you to give them a once over. Thanks to all of you for your continued support.

For those of you who don't know, Malawi is ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world (tied with Somalia, Comoros and the Solomon Islands). Global poverty is a major concern for all of us, whether we realize it or not. Major nonprofit groups, like One.org, have made the eradication of poverty a primary initiative, but they can't be alone. Missions like the one my fellow Watershed alum are about to embark on will go a long way towards directly impacting the local communities in Malawi. So please take a few moments this week to ponder a life with so much less than you currently have, then switch mindsets and try to visualize how you can help. Together we can end poverty!

Pompeii - 79 A.D.

noreply@blogger.com (Jon Dutch) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 01:11:00 +0000

The Discover Place is currently featuring an exhibit on Pompeii and I really want to go... preferably with someone... even better with a group of people! I have a few "$2 off" coupons, courtesy of the Red Cross, and can get more if anyone is interested. I realize this may be showing my inner geek, but I love stuff like this and like most things in life I prefer to enjoy life in the company of others. If you want to go drop me a line the usual way!

Wanna race?

noreply@blogger.com (RWP) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:38:00 +0000

So it is probably to late in the year to throw a team together for this, but I would love to get some people together to tackle this next season. Give it a look and let me know what you think. Here is the link. I also don't have a spare $80 lying around anywhere. I love this type of stuff though!

Bike ride in Ft. Mill, SC

noreply@blogger.com (RWP) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:47:00 +0000

This morning I drove down to Fort Mill, SC, to help a friend out. Her washing machine quit spinning so I offered to take a look. Once I dove in I quickly realized a few things:

1. I hate it when a company tries to make sure their products can only be worked on by their people
2. Washing machines are strangely simple yet overly complicated devices
3. You never really get all the water out of a washing machine

Since I knew I was heading to SC this morning I was sure to bring my bike along as I had heard about a good trail to ride. After calling a couple people I eventually got directions to the trail head. The place is called the Anne Springs Close Greenway. To ride the trail it's $3 and well worth it. This isn't just some trails haphazardly cut through the woods, no, this is so much more. A lot of care and attention has gone into this place and it shows. The trails range from placid to highly complex and the whole course is full of fun parts that you might not expect like tunnels or one stretch that had about five different narrow bridges nearly back-to-back. It was all good fun.

I had to prep myself for this outing by equipping both of my heels with moleskin prior to departure. As you can see below, my feet weren't in the best of shape...

During the ride I stopped for some water and decided to post an Utter too... mainly because I can!

Mobile post sent by JonDutch using Utterli. Replies. mp3

I was going to take some pictures while I was out there but the batteries in the camera were toast. I did, however, take a few quick shots before i jumped in the shower!

mmmmmm... fresh blood... damn pedal...

ARC Chats!

noreply@blogger.com (RWP) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:43:00 +0000

I just got a brief shout-out on the Red Cross Chats blog - I be famous! http://tinyurl.com/3w5t3t

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Another year older.

noreply@blogger.com (RWP) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:29:00 +0000

Around birthday time is when a few cliche phrases start to pop up. "You're only as old as you feel" or "Age is what you make of it". I understand, for the most part anyways, why we feel the need to utter these little gems. I don't, however, subscribe to them necessarily. Here is the thing: age is a constant. It is a direct byproduct of the great equalizer: time. While I wholeheartedly believe that everyone should live life to the fullest and try to take advantage of every moment they have on this earth, I don't subscribe to the delusion that by simply changing your mindset you will defy time.

We all die. Aging is the slow process of dying (not to be to cheery and optimistic about it or anything). The older you are the higher the odds are stacked against you that you will leave this worldly earth one day and journey on towards your afterlife (whichever theology you subscribe to). I would love to think that if I keep 'acting' young that I will stay young, but that simply isn't true. Sure my mind may stay young and fresh and I might be a load of fun to be around, but my body isn't going to simply stop aging. Bones will hurt, muscles will ache, systems will be attacked and the body will start to decay it is a part of the human experience and shouldn't be masked my catchy euphemisms.

Everything we go through on this rock and in this life of flesh should be experienced fully. We should all try to draw wisdom from our joys and our pains. There are diseases out there that can completely ravage your body and I don't think it is a punishment, or even caused, by God - it is a portion of our human experience. I am no doctor but I wholeheartedly believe that a great number of the diseases we face this day in age could be prevented by a healthy life. A truly healthy life. Eat wholesome natural foods grown in wholesome natural ways. Eliminate the processed and artificial foods from your diet. Walk more often. Breath more often. Laugh as often as you can. Challenge your mind every chance you get. Most importantly, love. Love your God, yourself, your family, your friends and your fellow man. If you truly want to extend your life and live it to the fullest than start by living healthy. Just remember that immortality on this earth is a myth and age will always age.