Doogie Howser Did It, So Why Not Me

the end

2010-03-16T22:15:00.001-07:00

This post only serves to let you know that this blog has moved to www.andrewseely.com/blog

Please update your bookmarks and reader feeds and let others know.

See you over there.

Andrew

Holding pattern

2009-10-28T05:37:00.000-07:00

As you can tell, this blog has become dormant for now.

That's not to say that I've given up on blogging...it's just twitter, and other forms of social media have become the primary way for me to disseminate thought.

As well as other projects such as Melts In Your Pocket.

The domain andrewseely.com will soon hopefully go under a redesign, with this blog more or less going into archive mode until a new use for it can be found. Sidenote: Geocities where I hosted the images for the header and such is now closed so that adds to the decay of this blog in its current form.

See ya round the internets.

~andrew
Andrew+Seely

ghetto 120

2009-08-03T23:27:00.000-07:00

MiYP 001

2009-07-07T19:34:00.000-07:00

Well here we go. The first episode of Melts In Your Pocket (formerly known as Sooper Seekrit Project) is now up and ready for your viewing. Head over to www.meltsinyourpocket.com and check it out!!

Thanks.

andrew+seely project melts+in+your+pocket chocolate chocolate+bar review review+show

sooper seekrit project

2009-06-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

Well here's the big announcement:

www.MeltsInYourPocket.com

go there see what all the fuss is about.

andrew+seely project melts+in+your+pocket chocolate chocolate+bar review review+show

ghetto 119

2009-06-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

New Ghetto Blog

andrew+seely ghetto+blog blog humor

day29

2009-06-16T02:54:00.000-07:00

I felt creative and made a little video. Inspired by my friend Natasha.

Enjoy.

day29
brought to you by viddler.com

andrew+seely blog

day28

2009-06-15T00:34:00.000-07:00

If you know me at all you know I like to cook. Though I usually never share recipes, since I don't really believe in them and only use them for inspiration. And I never really measure either. But here you go.

This weekend I made (twice) a little chicken pot pie. I have bisquick lying around my house and figured I there's got to be a recipe online for a bisquick version of chicken pot pie.

Turns out there are a few. I used them as inspiration for my own version.

Most of them called for precooked or frozen veggies or even cream of _____ soup. All of which I thought didn't sound as tasty as fresh ingredients.

Here's my version of bisquick chicken pot pie.

1-2 Breasts of chicken
1 med/large potato
1/2 white onion
3 stalks celery
1-2 large carrots
3-4 cloves garlic
a few handfuls of frozen peas (just easier than trying to find fresh)
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
1/4-1/2 cup bisquick mix
1/2 cup milk

bisquick topping
1 1/2 cup bisquick
3 tbs butter
1/4-1/2 cup water

Pre-heat oven to 350-375

Cut chicken and veggies into small cubes about 1/4" pieces. Mince garlic and rosemary.

Put chicken into a large pot with olive oil to coat, start to cook over med/hi heat. Once chicken starts to turn white (some pink ok) add in veggies and garlic and rosemary. Cook another 3-5 min, until veggies start to soften a little. Add salt and pepper to taste.

After 3-5 min, sprinkle dry bisquick mix onto everything, stir to coat, should absorb some of the moisture. Add milk to your desired consistency, note that sauce will thicken in oven, so add until slightly soupier than you want in the final product.

Remove from heat.

Either while veggies are cooking or after they have been taken off the heat. Take the 1 1/2 cup of bisquick, cut butter up into small pieces. Add butter to mix, coat with mix. With fork start to mix butter and bisquick, slowly adding water until dough starts to combine, add water in small amounts and then stir to combine. Dough should be somewhat sticky. On a clean surface, turn out dough onto a dusting of bisquick, and lightly kneed, adding more bisquick as needed (a little at a time) until dough is slightly tacky to the touch but not sticky. Either flatten or roll out dough into a square about 8"x8".

Take filling from pot and fill a 9"x9" pan with filling. (Add more milk if mixture seems overly thick). Cover filling with dough, spreading to edges. Place 9"x9" on a baking sheet (might bubble over) and place in oven for 30-45 min or until top is brown. Remove from oven and let cool 10-15 min. Enjoy. Serves 4-6.

It's turned out quite tasty. Let me know what you think or what improvements you make to it.

andrew+seely blog

day27

2009-06-14T23:54:00.000-07:00

Looking back on the progress of this project, I guess I am impressed with myself somewhat. While not totally satisfied, as can be seen by the few gaps in the days that I've posted, I have noticed that I have largely stuck to my guns about writing. This in no way has been easy or natural. In fact the last month has screamed by and I feel that in lot of ways this has been a huge challenge for me. More often than not, when I didn't post, it was more than likely that I had gotten busy and was unable to carve time out when I wanted to, though there were a few days when I just didn't feel like it.

I think it will help me get back in a regular pattern of blogging and has helped me see blogging as more a discipline than anything else. It takes time and effort. The ideas do not come easily and it is something I have to really want to do.

There has been a lot of talk about how services such as Twitter, has been killing off the blog faster than the usual abandon rate of most blogs. Which I can attest to. Often times ideas come to my head, but then it's too easy to not write them because I cannot concisely sum it up in 140 characters or less.

I have debated back and forth with batch posting, where I sit down and write 2 or more posts at once and then schedule them to go live over a period of time, which frees me up to not to have to sit down and post everyday. Tonight is an example of that, I have 2 posts in my head that I want to get down and would allow me the freedom of two days of not having to worry about coming up with something to write or forgetting what I wanted to say by the time it comes to write them.

What do you all think? What have you liked best about this experiment? What would you change? What would you have done differently?

andrew+seely blog

day25

2009-06-13T02:17:00.000-07:00

(sorry this is late, I just got home, so I'm counting it as day25)

I had a nice chat today via skype with a great friend Sloane. You see Sloane is a Kiva Fellow with the organization Kiva (if you don't know Kiva you should!!) working in the Philippines for the next 3 months.

She just got there in the last 48 hrs and quickly we got to talking about the culture there and she mentioned that seemingly no one there get divorced. And this got me thinking about marriage in general, and more specifically about marriage here in the US. No, this isn't going to turn into a post about gay marriage, but I want to think critically about why in this 3rd world country that has a large population of Christians, divorce is so low.

I really want to think hard about the fact that we might have something to learn from this country when it comes to marriages and divorce. With the US's divorce rate at more than 50% I think we have a lot to think about. I don't have any material about even the possible reasons behind why the rate is so low there. Sloane did mention that the fees to annul are really high, but she was completely surprised that the rates of divorce were pretty much non-existent.

I begin to wonder if being part of an impoverished country forces people to rely on one another more when it comes to family. Or is it because the wealth and freedom of the US gives us the mindset that if we don't like something we can always replace it? Or is it something deeper in the culture and minds of the people there versus the people here?

This is the sociological side of my brain working over time here. I tasked Sloane to dig a little deeper and I'm excited to hear more thoughts from her as her journey continues.

Sometimes it's easy to think that our little country doesn't have it all figured out compared to the rest of the world. It's too easy because we have plenty and we control so much that our thinking always falls towards thinking that our way is always the best way.

There are many times I deeply long for things to be simpler. Could it be that all our stuff, all our wealth, all our choices and all our powers have actually made things more complicated? Not just in terms of marriage but in life as well.

There's certainly a lot to think about here. And I definitely don't have all the answers. Though I am processing things, I am searching, I am digging deeper, because simply ignoring these issues won't move us any closer to understanding them.

I'm jealous of Sloane's trip and the work that she's going to be doing, helping people with micro-lending and hearing stories of people who are moving from poverty to self-sufficiency. It will be an amazing 3 months. I'm glad to know people like her who are willing to serve others for the good of mankind. If only more people were willing to sacrifice in order to do good, the world would be a much better place.

Blessings to you Sloane, like I said before, love others, serve them, listen and learn. The trip has just started, but your life will be changed forever.

andrew+seely blog

day24/vlog34

2009-06-11T23:53:00.000-07:00

day24/vlog34
brought to you by viddler.com

note: I did shoot this on the correct day, but had uploading issues, hence the delay.

andrew+seely blog

day23

2009-06-10T22:01:00.000-07:00

I've been noticing a trend in movies lately and I think I've figured out the formula.

Since no one can come up with original ideas anymore, even good directors, I'll take a shot at trying to figure out movies that will probably be made in the next year or two.

We already know that Robocop and The Karate Kid are being re-made/re-imagined/re-booted so let's try and figure out good places for some people to start.

All you have to do is take a fairly successful movie or tv show from 25-30 years ago or a movie or tv show that people have just plain forgotten about and then somehow turn it into a movie.

My suggestions of things to come.

Dallas the movie.
Gremlins (re-boot)
MASH the new movie.
Family Ties the movie
The Lunch Club (sequel to the breakfast club)
Ferris Bueller goes to work
Goonies 2 (which has long been reported to be in the works)
CHiPs the movie
Somewhat less happy days (The Happy Days movie)
Harry and the Hendersons 2
Nan Nou Nan Nou (the Mork and Mindy movie)
A New Howard the Duck Movie
Time Bandits 2
Wall Street 2009

If any of you readers are producers or directors, please send royalty checks made out to Andrew Seely.

andrew+seely blog

day22

2009-06-09T06:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a big day in Mac-land. The annual WWDC conference kicked off and Apple made a few announcements, none of huge surprise since the Apple Rumor Mill is always hard at work, and even Apple's tight lips can't usually keep what's about to come under wraps.

Technology moves at such a fast rate these days, that often is the case by the time you bring home something from the store and get it out of its package the product is out of date.

While Apple made some good announcements today, nothing to me felt earth shattering and made me truly desire to run out and go on an upgrade fest (not that I have the money to anyways).

Currently my Apple line up consists of:
A 2nd gen iPod Shuffle (1gig)
A iPhone 3G (previously had an original iPhone as well)
A MacBook Pro 15" 2.5GHz (early 2008)

At this point even with updates to all three of these products out there, I feel very satisfied with my lineup. I'll break down why for each one.

The iPod Shuffle, I use pretty much solely for the gym, and 1 gig is more than enough for me. I don't fee the need to own a 2 gig one, or to have the controls that are part of the new headset that comes with the 3rd gen iPod shuffle. I use shuffle and don't really rely on playlists for my workouts, which usually don't last more than 45min to an hour. The 1 gig gives me 13+ hours of music, so there is never really a need to worry about things getting stale.

As for an iPod on it's own, I find no need since my iPhone doubles as an iPod and I don't have 100's of gigs of music, so I never feel the need to carry 50+ gigs of music around with me, which I don't think I even have. I love the service Pandora, for streaming music on the iPhone and on the computer. And most days I have my macbookpro with me so I have access to the other maybe 20% of what I have loaded on my phone.

For the macbookpro, at this point the only real need to upgrade would be for a better battery life, hard drive space, and for ram. All which don't necessitate the need for a new computer. The price of this macbookpro was enough of an investment as it was, and I obviously don't have the disposable income to rush out and drop another $2500 on a new machine every year. While since having this machine for almost a year to the date (June 21st is the anniversary) two new 15" models have come out, there are not enough significant reasons to be envious of what is currently available. Or things that I mentioned are easily remedied for a low cost. As for the Ram, I am pretty sure I can go from my 2gig of Ram up to 4gig for less than $100, while the newest machine can support up to 8gig, I really don't see the necessity to have that much at this point, while I'm sure it would make things nicer, 4gig (if/when I upgrade will do fine, even for the light video editing I will be doing). As for the battery life, that's not too much of an issue. I did make the decision when buying my macbookpro to get an extra battery as I knew there would be a number of situations where I would be traveling and might need an extra battery when not in reach of an outlet. At this point the extra battery serves as a security blanket, and I have only had to rely on it a handful of times. This hard drive clocks in at 250 gigs, which was a serious upgrade from my 40 gigs of the last laptop I had, currently I'm using up around 185 gigs, with a portion of about 15 gigs set aside for dual boot to Windows XP. That leaves me around 50 gigs of unused space on the mac partition, which seems to be enough. And with external drive prices the way they are I can easily get around 1TB of space for around $100 which is extremely cheap. As for my OS, I love Leopard and can't wait for Snow Leopard this fall, and for an upgrade fee of $29, that can't be beat (and I get 6 gigs of space back when I upgrade). Basically for around $200 I can upgrade my macbookpro to levels that suit my needs.

Now on to the New iPhone 3G-S. I can say I'm not going to rush out for this phone. Does that mean I'm not going to get it at all? Well, yes and no. Finances first and foremost direct that decision. Even at the $199 price point for the 16 gig, it's still a bit of money. The main feature that draws me to this phone is the video/camera capabilities of this phone. I have long waited for video capabilities. More specifically I'm guessing that finally I'll be able to use the video service Qik. Nothing formal has been announced but, there has been long questions about why a version of the service, which is available for jail-broken iPhones and other mobile devices has not shown up in the app store. There is also large questions about whether or not existing iPhone customers will be able to upgrade their iPhones to 3G-S without incurring large fees from ATT. Rumors suggest that current 3G customers may need to wait 18months after the purchase date of their 3G phone to upgrade to the new 3G-S phone. Which would be a shame if ATT was that dumb. But after hearing that key features would not be supported upon launch of the phone, it is no surprise that ATT has dropped the ball on this as well. I'm sure more information will become available in the coming weeks. Though it is hard to offer any slack to ATT since they have long known about the plans of Apple and have done little to be ready for the launch of a new phone and new functionality. We'll see what happens to ATT's network in a mere week and a half when the new phones go live.

What I am most excited for are the iPhone 3.0 software update that comes in a week as well as Snow Leopard in the fall. These two upgrades to software seem to be well thought out additions to two existing platforms.

That's my mac wrap up and time will tell what else Apple has shoved up their sleeves and how it will impact the world on a technological and cool level.

andrew+seely blog

day20

2009-06-07T00:37:00.000-07:00

Well E3 kicked my butt more than I thought it would. It wiped all but basic function out of me. Hence the no blogging.

Though this weekend has/will be fun as we celebrate Paul Ellis and his bachelor weekend. I've known Paul for many years and he was and continues to be a great friend to me. I'm happy for him as his wedding day approaches and glad to know that he's found an amazing woman to share his life with.

So here's to Paul and to Traci as well. May their life together be one that is filled with support, love and each other.

andrew+seely blog

day16/vlog33

2009-06-03T23:14:00.000-07:00

day16/vlog33
brought to you by viddler.com

andrew+seely blog

day15

2009-06-02T23:44:00.000-07:00

At an amazing restaurant in little tokyo called daikokuya. Amazing noodle/ramen house. You should make a point to get down here.

andrew+seely blog

day14

2009-06-01T05:10:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that days 12&13 are missing. I'll retroactively post them when I get some time.

Today marks the start to E3 the yearly video game convention if you are unaware. I'll be headed down to the LA convention center to see what all the video game companies have to show off. This is one of the biggest conventions in the industry all year and is one of the most anticipated weeks as studios and companies usually use it to show off their big guns and make lots of surprise announcements concerning games and systems.

This year we will probably not see any breakthrough announcements when it comes to game systems (with the exception of the revamped PSP), though many are speculating that some of the big companies will be dropping some news about big franchises this week.

It's always kinda fun to think of myself as media and get exclusive access to these companies ahead of the what the general public knows. The ability to get hands on time with games that won't be released for months or even a year is something special that sometimes I forget is an honor and not necessarily a right.

Last's years highlight for me was being able get my hands on the WiiMotionPlus add on to the WiiMote controller for the Wii. Which basically translates 1:1 movement of the controller. It will be interesting to see what developers have had time to come up with utilizing that technology.

I don't know that I'll post much here about what goes on, unless something really sticks out to me. But I just wanted to share a little of what I get access to through my work in case anyone was curious as to the life of someone in the videogame journalism biz.

andrew+seely blog

day11

2009-05-29T22:55:00.000-07:00

Some of you know about the Sooper Seekrit project and some of you don't. If you know keep your mouth shut.

I'm very excited about this project. It's been a cool creative outlet for me, over the past months, thinking, developing, refining, and finally executing.

I wish I could say more. I want to wait til we're up and running before I start to give the whole thing away. Things have really started coming together over the last 2 weeks. The logo for the project came in, which allowed the website to be set up and then that allowed me to send letters out. And I've already been receiving responses from the letters, which is very encouraging for the project.

I really hope to fully launch the project in the next few weeks. A few more things have to fall into place before that happens. I have high hopes for where this is going to go and for the people who will be able enjoy it. Don't worry I will announce everything here when it is time.

I hope you are as excited as I am about this.

Be ready to win stuff too. (OK that was a freebie)

andrew+seely blog

day10

2009-05-28T23:29:00.000-07:00

Today's post is two movie reviews.

I love being associated with KCRW, whom I've blogged about in the past if you recall.

Being able to go to movie screenings is a great perk.

In the past two week's they have treated me to 2 movies. So I'll review them for your pleasure.

The first movie I saw was called Away We Go, starring John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, and co-starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeff Daniels and Catherine O'Hara. Directed by Sam Mendes. Considering how much I didn't like Sam Mendes last film, Revolutionary Road, I was really hoping that this one would redeem my opinion of him as a director.

Luckily for me, I really enjoyed this film. After the first 15 min of the film and me telling myself "this is not Jim, this is not Jim" (from the Office) I was ok. It's a fun tale of a 30 something couple who finds themselves with child and now are forced to take stock of their lives and make sense of where they are headed. They embark on a cross country journey, seeking a new home and a new life, along the way they encounter old friends and gain glimpses into the personal and diverse family lives of those they encounter.

This movie was adapted from a book, and that clearly shows throughout the film. Yet Mendes makes it work, while you can pick out the chapters and segmentation of the story, you are still drawn to the characters and the over arching path that they are on. the performances are spot on. Maya Rudolph gives a refreshing performance that is both reflective and funny, she carries her character well. John Krasinski is a bit more one dimensional, yet he brings his trademark funny man humor to the party. He adds a necessary timing and lightness to the film in portions where it is appropriately needed.

Many of the supporting characters are a delight to watch, most of them uproariously funny. And ultimately these characters help our forlonged couple sort through a range of emotions, fears, hopes, and dreams as they search to find the right balance, self confidence, and understanding of themselves as they prepare to be parents.

Overall a great little film. I don't see it winning any awards, or even being all that popular. There's not real reason to see it in a theatre other than being able to see it now, instead of when it comes out on DVD. The soundtrack I think many will enjoy. For me personally it was a little monotonous, mainly due to my musical preferences. Alexi Murdoch, who is a great musician contributes his own music for the good majority of the film. It sets the perfect tone, only I am very familiar with his work, yet have become tired of it. So that, for me personally, detracted from the film, but I could see it adding a layer especially for those who aren't as familiar or unfamiliar with his work.

I say if you have time and are looking for a solid film to go see this one while you can. You might have to track it down, but if you like movies that are character driven and fully of laughable moments then this one is for you.
--------

The movie that I got to screen tonight was called Moon. 1st time director Duncan Jones (who happens to be Davie Bowie's son, soo cool) turns his eye on the sci-fi genre, but not in the way you expect. In a desolate space station on the moon, we find a man, Sam, who is ending his 3 year contract, Sam must struggle to understand himself, his life and his family as the sole inhabitant of the station. Sam's only companion is a computer named Gerty. Sam is played by Sam Rockwell ang Gerty is voiced by Kevin Spacey. Duncan pays homage to many of the classic sci-fi films of the late 70's and the 80's. On a shoestring budget of 5mil, Duncan is able to create an immersive story and breathtaking visuals. With inventive uses of both miniatures and CG overlays, Duncan captures the desolation of space. Without giving too much away, this movie is a great example of a classic sci-fi movie without the need for "monsters" or over the top suspension of reality. It's very rooted in the mind and the understanding of human nature, set across a space backdrop. The soundtrack was phenomenal, scored by Clint Mansell who is responsible for many of the scores to Darren Aronofsky's (a director who I love) films such as Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler. It sets a perfect tone for the film. We were lucky enough to have Duncan in the theatre with us and he was gracious to stick around for a Q&A after the film. He's a gracious guy was super eager to answer questions and relate to the crowd. For a first film it's quite a piece of work. This film I could easily see making waves over this year. Possibly even come award season, Sam Rockwell's performance is spectacular, especially considering what he had to do for the film, you'll have to see it to know what I'm talking about. And I have even more respect for it, knowing what their shooting was like. This is a for sure go out of your way to see. It doesn't come out until July, but mark it on your calendar. I appreciate this movie very much, for the scope, for the themes, for the acting, for the honesty, for the cinematography, and for it being a piece of art. Find it, see it, tell others.
--------

That's the movie wrap. Hope you enjoy these suggestions. Let me know what you think of these films if you see them.

andrew+seely blog

day9

2009-05-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

Saw this meme over on Ryan Kemp Pappan's facebook page so I thought I'd do it for everyone's enjoyment.

The instructions were as follows: 15 books you will have with you the rest of your life that knocked your socks off.
Try not to think about it too much.
This list should take less than 15 minutes to do.

(in no particular order)
1 1984 by George Orwell
2 Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell
3 The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
4 In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen
5 The Lord of the Rings series (including the Hobbit) by J.R.R. Tolkien
6 Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
7 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (short story) by F. Scott Fitzgerald
8 Can You Drink the Cup by Henri Nouwen
9 Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
10 Liquid Church by Pete Ward
11 William Shakespeare (various plays)

my mind ran blank, so here's 4 books I've always wanted to read but haven't
1 The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
2 Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
3 The Divine Comedy by Dante
4 Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (the unabridged version)

Feel free to either blog your own answers or leave one or two in the comments.

andrew+seely blog

ghetto 118

2009-05-27T00:53:00.000-07:00

New Ghetto Blog

andrew+seely ghetto+blog blog humor

day8

2009-05-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sad to relay the message from Mark Oestreicher that he is ending his blog.

Marko, who I've talked about many times here, has been an inspiration/hero/friend to me for many years. It is sad to see the blog go, but as he says:

"i’ve been having a value stand-off, between what i say my values are and how i’m living my life. and it’s eroding (and threatening) my long-term happiness, and the life i really want.

let me get to the point:

1. i’m going to stop nurturing the whole “ysmarko” thing. which means, starting today, i’m going to stop using facebook (i’m planning on deleting my facebook account tomorrow), and stop twittering (i’m going to delete my twitter account tomorrow), and this is my last blog post on ysmarko (at least for the foreseeable future, though i’ll leave the blog sitting here for now).

2. i’m also reframing what “essential travel” is for me, which is allowing me to cut back 50 - 75% on my travel. i won’t be traveling internationally in the next year or two (or ever?), other than our canadian convention. and i’m cutting back on all other travel, other than a few truly essential things as well as family-related and personal stuff.

i know this is going to be hard in many ways, and i’ll likely go through some form of withdrawal. but i’m also excited about the new focus, extra time, and relational presence i expect to experience in the coming months.

Your online presence will be missed. Though I'm sure we will see each other soon.

andrew+seely blog

day7

2009-05-25T22:49:00.000-07:00

Feeling like I don't have much to say today so here's a link to check out.

vendrTV a cool internet show about vendr carts around the country.

andrew+seely blog

day6

2009-05-24T03:59:00.000-07:00

Here I am at 3a in the morning and it's the point where I decide if I want to get up in time to make it to church. Here in lies, my dilemma. I'm really having a problem deciding if I believe in the "institution" of church any more. In no way am I saying that I have lost faith or am giving up on everything. It is more of a crisis of understanding and connection.

More and more I feel discontented with the current state of church. I do not connect. I do not feel like I fit in. While many may say that if I don't like what's going on around me, I should change it. Well, all good said, but much more difficult done. I feel that I'm not in a place where people are wiling to listen to the ideas that I have when it comes to change. Maybe because the place where I am isn't ready to change.

I'm at a loss as what to do. I don't want to go. Yet I want to do something. I miss the days of being employed by a church, where I could spend my days in deep theological thought, and being in charge of a group where I could cast my vision for ministry. Yet I cannot find a church that feels like a good fit for me to be employed by. I am ever so grateful for being a part of the middle school ministry. Though I'm starting to remember that it becomes hard for me to be the role of support and not the position of being able to direct. I have nothing negative to say about the way the middle school ministry is being run. It's just that I know I have the training and desire to run my own ministry. It's a longing that I've had for a very long time. And something that I miss dearly. I'm at a point where I'm not sure I've ever going to get back to that place.

I'm running out of hope for the idea of church. I have plenty of hope for faith and what God's doing in the world. I just don't know how much of that includes "church" these days. Maybe I'm out of line for saying so. Maybe I'm just ahead of the curve when it comes to realizing this.

I'm tired of the old ways, I'm tired of hearing stories of the marginalized and outcast, both from inside and outside of the church. I want to experience passion, I want to live out what I've been reading about all these years. I want to see people excited about their faith. I want to live in activity instead of passivity. Pews are good for sitting, which usually isn't good for doing. Sunday is just a day, just like the other 6. Why do we treat it so special. Why don't we go out and "do things" if we're conditioned to "set it aside". Why only show up. Sit there. Pretend to listen. And then go back home. Why not organize, collaborate, activate, and spend our Sundays out in the world. Engaging those who we work with. Those who are in need. Those who just need someone to listen. Don't "preach", don't "convert", don't "evangelize". Be. Hear. Listen. Act. Seek. Find. Do. Give. Serve.

I do not claim to have it figured out. I offer ideas. I offer vision. I offer passion. I need people to surround me who desire the same things. I cannot do this alone. I hope to find community amongst people who share these values. I hope that might be here in LA. Though it is proving hard to find like minded people.

I still have not come to a conclusion about what I am to do on Sundays. I guess I will continue to follow my heart. I find it hard to show up if my heart is not in it. I will do so when I feel that I am capable. Do not hold it against me. Do not tell me "I should" or push me to do something I am not ready for. Ask me about me. Ask me about what's going on in my life. Do not say "it's good to see you" when I show up, yet do not call when I am gone. This journey I am on is not straying from who God is and what God is doing. The mere act of showing up to church is not going to solve the issues that I have. Do no insist that, showing up every Sunday is the solution. Join with me in envisioning. Join with me in creating. Join with me in dreaming.

These are my thoughts of now. These are my feelings. Please accept them for what they are. Please pray with me. Please journey with me. As I journey with God.

andrew+seely blog

day5

2009-05-23T22:56:00.000-07:00

Lazy Saturday. Weather was pretty much perfect today, really enjoyed that. Tonight I'm off to play in this little tetris tournament that happens once or twice a year. I'll update later on how I do.

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update 2:55a 5/24/09
The bar was hopping with some bands and a party, alongside the tetris fun. People were playing casually, and it didn't seem that many of them knew that there was a "tournament" later in the night. All said and done, it turned out to be the 3 people I came with who ended up in the tournament. It was a bit disappointing since we had been playing with each other all night and were hoping for some outside competition. Though at the same time it made it fun. Mark the organizer, set us up and we began. Time was running short so the tournament ran very quickly. Bobby vs Jenny, with Bobby taking that round. And myself vs Katie, who beat me out, when I made a few dumb errors. Part of that was switching formats. We moved from a "arcade-ish" self contained Tetris, the kind where you just plug a controller with the game straight into a tv. To an official Tengen (look it up if you don't know your tetris varients) version on an NES, with NES controllers, and we moved to a projector, which didn't help the eyes. All said and done Katie took 1st for the night, right as the bar was getting ready to close. They actually kicked us off, which meant that Jenny and I didn't get to settle who would finish 3rd and 4th. All and all it was fun. Hopefully we will have more events in the near future.

andrew+seely blog