Soosh-D

"Sushi is the sweet nectar of life... the inescapably glorious reunion of man and the divine... truly an experience not unlike that original perfection, the garden.. God's design for all that is right"
- Jon Bartel

Alright, quoting oneself isn't the most effective.. but the essential truth stands. Come to Toronto, and we'll take you to Sushi Delight. aka Soosh-D. Kar and I went on Friday.


humorous audio question of the week for fellow engineers reading this: what, do you suppose, is the proper course of action when a producer calls about a promo you're mixing for him later in the afternoon, and says,

'Ok, so you'll find some sound-ups in there, and I really just want those to be the focus.. you know, just really push those. And then with the music, just really make sure you emphasize that, cause I really think that it's integral to the piece, and then you'll find some VO, and I think that's probably the real key to this entire spot, so just be sure that you really push that up front and centre, cause that's definitely the most important thing. And then I've also thrown in some sound fx, and I just want to make sure that you're aggressive with those, cause they're going to really need to be "in your face".. I think they're going to really move the spot along... and... other than that... i guess that's about it!...'



This week was lived largely in my head.. in a sense. I come away feeling re-positioned and once again grounded. We have really great friends. I needed to decide who I'm going to be, and what I'm going to do. Not in the 'what do I want to do for a living?' sense, but in the 'what am I going to value, and what am I going to pursue?' sense. Karen is my godsend on these weekends. She's the beacon when I'm way out in left floundering around in my own thoughts. I can get pretty far off the beaten path and sometimes it's tough to turn myself around. If there's something in the concept of marriage that I find most astounding, that's it... the fact that she knows me and recognizes me in times when I can't seem to know myself. Sometimes everything feels one-footed and out of balance, and she's always able to find me in the middle of all the clag.

Had some really good discussion this weekend surrounding some of the great un-answerable questions:

- How can a loving God who eventually 'wins the day' relinquish millions of those he lovingly created to be forever separated from him when it's fully in his power to do the opposite? Wouldn't that be classified as 'losing the day?' Why would he do that? Why would leave it up to us, in our ridiculous self-centeredness and simplicity, and our inability to think outside of the simplest constraints of time and space, to fully grasp the divine intricacies of what we call 'salvation'? We can't get along as nations, we can't stop chasing money and signs of status and wealth. We can't even be polite to each other on the subway. And yet, when it comes to the status in which we will spend an eternity after death... he's going to leave that up to us to sort out, based on a book that has been translated from its original language and cultural reference-point by humans as simple and ordinary as we are. Isn't that, realistically, completely absurd?!


One other great experience...

We were at a home church with friends on Sunday morning. It was a really cool thing to be a part of. Different from the usual in the sense that you don't have a person who's specifically ordained to lead and deliver the ideas and thoughts while the majority of the group listens and learns. Rather, different people come with a specific thought or discussion topic each week, and then the entire group discusses, adds, subtracts, and shares from their own experiences and ideas. The range of thoughts is massively diverse, because the group plays home to so many different lifestyles and places in life. What you might lose in the lack of a specifically 'gifted' speaker/pastor, you gain in the wealth of shared input.

But probably the coolest thing about the idea is the community aspect it affords and encourages. Everybody shows up around 11:00am, and great coffee, waffles, and general catching up/chatting gets everything going. You aren't going to church so much as you're just getting together with family. Then, throughout the morning, it's open to anybody to share whatever is on their mind/heart. If you have a poem you wrote that pertains to the topic at hand, read it! If you have a song on the go, play it! A chapter from a book you're reading that specifically speaks to something we're going on about... do tell! I think the coolest thing about that is that you get away from what can sometimes be such a struggle in our churches... you get away from a scenario in which a few select people are heavily involved while others simply comment and critique. Everybody gets to share their own thoughts, and their own gifts. It's built right into the framework of how church happens.

We love the meeting house. But it's really cool to see what other people are doing, too. I think there's a ton to be learned/appreciated from this approach. Really cool. I think that's sortof how I picture church to have been like when it was first happening.


Talk soon.
JB

Inauguration

I think that you have two choices when it comes to responding to a day like today:

You respond either with cynicism, or with inspiration.

I count myself truly blessed to be a part of something like today, if only by way of a crappy msnbc online stream. To be able to tell my kids about the strength of the moment is a great thing.

The shear weight, and beauty, of millions of people gathering in a single location to celebrate something is incredible. That it is a celebration of something so positive, and so humble, is inspiring.

Time, of course, will judge Obama's presidency. But for today, I'm celebrating the fact that everybody across America is talking about coming together, and working together, and learning from the past.


In a truly monstrous prayer, Rick Warren laid out everything that is truly beautiful about faith, and belief. Acceptance and humility, compassion and love... let that be a representation of what it is to live a life in pursuit of God.

Obama's speech, as well, a moment in history. Some great points I managed to scribble down (my own thoughts in brackets):

- as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself. (we are all humans, and we are all important, despite the lines that define and separate us.)

- to those leaders around the world who seek to sew violence, know that your people will judge you by what you can build, not what you can destroy (violence begets violence... this is a constant throughout history. This has never changed.)

- to those nations like ours, who enjoy relative plenty, we say that we can no longer afford indifference to the world’s needs (HUGE! this is EVERYTHING.)

- a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves (about the need for a new mentality amongst the american public.)


The fundamental idea behind today's inauguration has to be one of looking outward as opposed to inward, thinking of others as opposed to one's self, and doing this together, as a country. That is an incredible thing.

JB

Hi!

PART 1

Let me tell you about my new love: cooking.

It's turning into something guys, seriously. Lately, Kar has been working late at the lab, and so I've been the dinner preparer for a while now. Turns out I actually really enjoy it! I've been wading into new waters, as well. The other night, I made what was probably my best dish to date... what I'll call my oven grilled butter/rosemary talapia. A clean white filet glazed with melted butter, coated in a dash of oregano, a double dash of rosemary, and a snatch of BBQ chicken spice, oven baked alongside chopped and scattered white onion, and served with a side of sauteed button mushrooms. Man... read that again and tell me you didn't have to swallow a few times.

My other current best dish is grilled BBQ chicken legs (I've developed a bad-ass homemade BBQ sauce for this one) with golden mash and asparagus.

Additionally, a good salad is imperative. Romaine greens, chopped hotmix pickles and perpencino peppers, white onion, cheese, and a homemade vinaigrette (veg oil, vinaigrette, salt, pepper, spices, garlic).

It's good eating at the Bartel/Founks. Cmon by! (just let me know you're coming first!)


PART 2



If you can find it, this is a record I highly recommend. I've been spinning this daily as of late. It's instrumental, live. Bela Fleck is probably the more well known to most of you. He's probably the world's premier banjo player, and is a master of using the instrument to do things you wouldn't typically do with it. He strays far from the traditional folk/bluegrass landscape and takes the banjo into jazz grooves, and, often most impressively, classical pieces from the likes of bach.

Edgar Meyer is to the double bass (standup bass) what Bela is to banjo. A virtuoso talent, visionary, and creative genius who does things with the instrument that are atypical in the least.

The record is all over the place. Classical waltz, folk jive, atmospheric wanderings.. with some additional piano work as a compliment. I've been finding it (as, it seems, I tend to find most good music) extremely pleasant and calming as a background to my days work, but also extremely challenging and involving when listened to actively.

Check it out! (I'd suggest you start with the song 'Blue Spruce' for a first listen)



Happy Friday!
JB