Church

My friend Dave is a Methodist pastor and a member of my writing group. He asked our group for input about why they do or don't go to church.

Thinking about it, and reading other folk's responses, i realize i don't have the huge negative response to "Church" that some people have, yet i'm not a consistent church goer either.

Since i sometimes go to church, Dave's question makes me wonder what defines "church." As a pastor, is his question, "have you joined ONE church and stayed with it?"

That's not so much my style. I'm not a big fan of the idea that "one answer fits all, forever" and i think people need different things at different times. I go to church when i want to be in a formal structure with others to share my connection to God (Ja, Flying Spaghetti Monster, etc...)

I do more informal gatherings (read: classic Pagan ideal, low-structure) when i want to be with other people, but want to just be open to what comes. I go into nature when i don't want artificial (human-made) walls between me and Spirit.

While i identify as Pagan, i tend to be somewhat "salad bar" about religion. I sometimes go to Unitarian Universalist church when i want their style of being with God. Other times i go to meditate on God with the Quakers. I've also spent Sundays in Synagogue, Catholic, Methodist, and Baptist churches. I think each has shown me a different face of God, all valid. I take what i need and leave the rest.

But really, what i like about churches is the potential for people to support each other, both spiritually and in the physical world. To the extent that any church is a structure to make each others lives happier, i'm into it.

Again, i don't feel that knee-jerk reaction to organized religion some of my friends have (at least it doesn't bother me on the small scale, but that's how i feel about nearly everything.) Like others, i've experienced my share of small minded and judgmental people. But that's been inside and outside of churches. I've also met some deeply caring folks who have reminded me of how good people can be.

Taking all those experiences, and being the relativist-anarchist that i am, i think most of us know what we need most of the time from/with God. I think where we get in trouble is when we decide we know what other people should do, rather than just paying better attention to our own relationship with Spirit and the world.

Conversations i have with my cat - Part 5

ME: Jesus! What happened to the living room?

CAT: I'm crazy!

Conversations i have with my cat - Part 4

ME: I'm a failure as a writer.

CAT: Pet me.

ME: Everything i write is trite cliché crap!

CAT: Pet me.

ME: And my God, look at all these comma splices!

CAT: Pet me.

ME: ...

ME: Maybe i should become an accountant.

CAT: Pet me.

Conversations i have with my cat - Part 3

CAT: I want to drink from the faucet.

ME: You have a water bowl right over here.

CAT: I want the faucet.

ME: Your water bowl has a pump in it, just like the faucet.

CAT: I want to drink out of the faucet!

ME: Look, i'm tapping the bowl.

CAT: I want the faucet.

ME: No! Just drink out of the damn bowl.

CAT: Faucet!

Conversations i have with my cat - Part 2

CAT: I want to come in the window over your computer, where you are working.

ME: No, honey. You have a cat door.

CAT: I want to come in your window.

ME: Look, no more window. I'm setting a boundary.

CAT: I want to come in your window!

ME: I'm not listening.

CAT: Window!

ME: Ugh! All right!

Conversations i have with my cat - Part 1

CAT: Hungry.

ME: I know, honey. I'm sorry. I forgot to go to the store yesterday.

CAT: Hungry.

ME: Sorry, we're out of wet food..

CAT: Hungry.

ME: Here, have some dry food [shakes bowl]

CAT: Hungry!

Clarion is killing my writing career...

I'm kidding. Kidding! Love me, Clarion!

It's just that i haven't really written a word since i got accepted into Clarion. I've lost my ability to rewrite or even mail out stories. Sheesh!

Part of it is this sort of false expectation (i'm putting on myself) that now i have to "step up to the plate" and "produce quality."

I have images of Kelly Link (who is, by the way, my favorite author ever, seriously, ever) reading one of my stories and being like, "how did this guy get in here?"

Then everyone will pat me on the head and say, "that's ok, you always have your music... oh, that's right, we've heard that too... awkward."

Ok, it's not as bad as all that. I'm just trying to take every opportunity to obsess, so i can get my full value from the program.

Maybe i should just go back to stressing about how i'm going to pay for this thing.

I mean, part of the big news is...

... i all like got excepted into Clarion and stuff.

This sounds calm. But i'm not. I'm jumping around and screaming and tripping over things and generally freaking out.

If you don't know, or haven't heard me talk about it incessantly for the last week, Clarion is a very esteemed six week writing workshop called Clarion ( theclarionfoundation.org/ .)

It was established in 1968 by some of the top speculative fiction writers of the time, and some of the most famous spec-fic writers since have gone through Clarion.

This year, the workshop has some really amazing people teaching, including: Kelly Link (probably tied for my favorite author, ever - www.kellylink.net/ ), Nalo Hopkinson ( nalohopkinson.com/ ), and Neil Gaiman (did you see "Star Dust"? Sandman? American Gods or
Good Omens? All him. www.neilgaiman.com/ )

So this year twice as many people applied... and Clarion still only accepted seventeen students.

I'm one of them.

I don't think a blog can convey how much i'm freaking out, jumping around or just walking around in a daze, occasionally mumbling, "i'm going to Clarion." Clichés be damned. It's one of those "once in a lifetime" opportunities.

Whew.

I also applied for a scholarship. I'll find out around the 15th if i get it.

Wish me luck.

So, looks like i'm going to disappear for six weeks in the end of June. Maybe i'll try to figure out how the hell to make that work with Heart of Now and the rest of my life.

Did i mention whew?

Brushing the dust off this thing...

yes, yes... i'm back.

Oh no, stop. Yes yes, i missed you too...

Sorry. Wanted to make some sort of big deal about starting to blog again. I should have a lot to say. So, um, keep tuned.

bi

The 30 Songs In 30 Days Contest!

Alright, here's the deal:
From Jan 30th till Feb 28th i am going to write, preform, and record a song a day, every day, for 30 days.

seriously





Join me.





Did i mention it's a contest?

Here's the rules:

There are two levels of difficulty, with two levels of prizes.
LEVEL 1 (for those who wish to push their edge):

Write the lyrics and music for a complete song each day (or write 3 songs a day for 10 days... or write 30 songs in 1 day. Whatever. Just as long as you have 30 songs recorded by 11:59:59 pm Feb 28th.)

What is a song?
You decide. Maybe it's a 30 second jingle. Maybe it's a 10 minute epic. Maybe it's you and an acoustic guitar. Perhaps you'll throw down acapella style or a friend will beatbox behind you. Set your own goals, set your own definition.

What is not a song?
No Scatting. At least 70% of your lyrics must be lyrics (yes, "baby, baby, baby" is okay, if it's followed by what you think of "baby")
No free-form poetry set to random noodling. A song has structure. A song has something that resembles singing (at least as much as Lou Reed or Cake.) Sorry. We need some criteria, and the line is drawn just short of William Shatner.

It's a contest? What do i win?
If you slink past the finish line with ye olde sack of 30 songs, you will gain the oh's and ah's of all your friends and family. You will get bragging rights for years to come. You will have a great icebreaker for wooing potential romantic partners...

... AND you will receive (from me) a rare, gold encrusted, PDF certificate naming YOU as the coolest person in the entire multiverse.
LEVEL 2 (for those who wish drive themselves insane):

Same as above.

* But: Each song must be at least 2 minutes long.
* Each song must have a melody and harmony
* Each song must have at least 1 vocal, singing comprehensible lyrics, and at least 3 other elements (like drums / bass / guitar, or deep rezzy bloops / high screechy bloops / sitar, or hand claps / piano / chainsaw... you decide)

...psst, i'm doing level 2.

Is there a better prize for LEVEL 2?
You bet there is! BETTER bragging rights. BETTER wooing potential... and an even BETTER PDF certificate (diamond encrusted, worthy of framing.)
FAQ

Why am i doing this?
'Cause i'm crazy.

It's kinda like NaNoWriMo for music.

It's about the magical power of deadlines. It's about bragging to everyone you know that you are going to do something scary, something impossible.

Why should you do this?
Because life is about doing crazy, scary things that we don't think we can do.

Just to risk looking bad, to risk doing something you thought you couldn't do. Give someone a goal and a goal-minded community and miracles are bound to happen.

It's about pure creativity. It's about abandoning our inner critic, leaving our inner editor at a day-care center for a month. It's about seeing what comes out when we don't have time to worry our dreams into nothingness.

Chris Baty, creator of NaNoWriMo, once said:
The quickest, easiest way to produce something beautiful and lasting is to risk making something horribly crappy.

Great works of art can be created in a month.

One more quote from Chris:
The glow from making big, messy art, and watching others make big, messy art, lasts for a long, long time. The act of sustained creation does bizarre, wonderful things to you. It changes the way you look at art. And changes, a little bit,your sense of self.



Do it because it's stupid.



Do it because it's impossible.







Drop me an email at 30s30d@systemcrasher.com

* Tell me:Your name
* Your email address
* Level 1 or Level 2

...see ya in february