Collaboration

Last Saturday we had about 20 friends over to our shanty for a barbeque and collaborative painting.  We laid out 3 blank canvases, brushes, and paints and only had one rule; the "yes and rule".  This ground rule comes from improv, where characters take what they are given at face value, and then add something else.  For example, if someone walks out on the stage, and says, "Hi Dad!"  I cannot say "I'm not your Dad!"  I must take it as truth and add to it.  You get the point.  I wanted the three canvases to be one piece and have some continuity to them, so I took a piece of painters tape and taped down the middle.  When the painting was finished, we took the tape up to reveal a clean white spot on all three parts.  In the beginning people are very timid about "ruining the painting", but it is fun to watch people come out of their shell and begin to have fun with it.  In the end I was very happy with the result.  We now have a piece of a lot of our closest friends hanging on our wall.  Collaboration is a beautiful thing.

makarios,

d

Already today has been an eye opening day.  It actually began around 3:45 am when the power to most of Mill Valley went out.  With a loud boom and a great flash in the sky, we were without electricity.  About that time, Carsyn woke up from her slumber and needed to be changed.  Needless to say, we had no light.  Luckily I have an old oil lamp that I was able to light.  As it lit our house, I imagined what it was like to live before electricity became a common amenity.  Immediately after that I thought about how there are still places in the world that function without electricity, shelter, and even shoes.  As I knew I would be spending the day shoeless to bring awareness about TOMS shoes and what they are doing around the world, it seemed fitting that I would be without electricity as well.  If you're reading this, please check out the TOMS website and consider buying a pair of shoes.  They are actually quite comfortable, and when you purchase a pair, another pair is delivered to a child who lives day in and day out without them.  I have now gone almost half of a day without shoes and already I am mind blown at how much of a difference they make in our daily lives.  Even walking from the house to the car was a painful chore.  You would imagine that living in California means warm ground temperature.  You would be wrong.  My feet were freezing cold and in pain from the sharp rocks and I only walked about a hundred yards.  

On another note, I have been experimenting lately with concrete reminders to pray.  This might sound weird, but stick with me.  For example, I own a starbucks coffee mug that has a short story on the side of it telling of a boy named Manolloe who rakes coffee beans in a foreign land. When I drink coffee from this mug, I am reminded concretely to pray for migrant workers and coffee farmers; that they might be treated justly and have Christ revealed to them.  I also drink out of a mug hand-made by my brother Ross.  When I drink from this mug, I am reminded to pray for his healing (see roscoecunningham.blogspot.com)   All of this is to say that from this day forward, shoes will be a concrete reminder to pray for children and adults in 3rd world countries and in America who don't have shoes and basic amenities.  Again, if you are reading this, I invite you to join me in prayer for these people when you put on your shoes in the morning, and when you take them off at night.  

makarios,

drew

April 19, 1995

The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist attack on April 19, 1995 aimed at the U.S. government in which the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, an office complex in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was bombed.  The attack claimed 168 lives and left over 800 people injured.  Until the September 11, 2001 attacks, it was the deadliest act of terrorism on U.S. soil.

As I walked around the memorial this December, over Christmas break, I couldn't help but feel an extreme closeness to the events of April 19, 1995.  I had not been to the site since April 20, 1995, the day after the attack.  That day, the building was still partially standing, a shred of what it was just two days prior.  Now there is a memorial where the building once stood.  I strolled around the reflection pool snapping still shots and... reflecting.  While I did not loose anyone close to me in the blast, I almost felt as if I had.  I empathize with the victims and families involved in the September 11 attacks, but I am somewhat removed from NYC.  This was different.  This was Oklahoma City.  This was home to me.  This cold, overcast, December afternoon was surreal.  I felt a sense of mourning and honor for those who died on that day. Between 9:01 and 9:03 am on April 19, 1995 the city was changed forever.  On the other hand, I reflected on Oklahoma City's ability to persevere and be a place of redemption.  Since April 19, 1995 Oklahoma City has thrived and continued to be an amazing place to live.  The memorial is a great example of the city's ability to reflect on and honor the past, yet press on to newer and greater heights.  While I have since moved away from Oklahoma City, I am proud to say that I grew up there, and stand in solidarity with those in the city who were victimized on that day, and those who continue to make the world a better place.

 

Some photos I took about a month ago from above Tiburon early in the morning.  Enjoy:

Some more photos from Saturday morning.  First Big Swell of the winter and Ft. Cronkite/Rodeo Beach was firing!  Let me know what you think of the images.

-d

Sorry for the long pause.  I will try to keep more photos up on this page, but it has been a busy semester.  Let me know what you think.  

-d

Various Photos from around campus:

A Napa Valley Excursion