Brent P. Newhall's Blog
Misc – Nov 2007

30 Nov 07 – 30 Nov 07

"Spirituality is not about solving your problems."

-- scribbled on a note card during church last Sunday

Posted in Misc - Permalink - comments

27 Nov 07 – 27 Nov 07

Observe: Charles. An atheist. A realist. If he doesn't understand it, he doesn't believe it. He'll give confusing, complicated concepts the benefit of the doubt—dark matter, quarks—but if something doesn't make sense to him, he rejects it.

If he hears about samurai sacrificing themselves for their lord, believing this will improve their karma in their next lives, he shakes his head and says, "How stupid."

If he hears of a young man attaining enlightenment while fasting and meditating under a tree in India, then quickly gaining thousands of followers, he snorts and calls it "A mystic preying on weak minds."

Charles, the world is much bigger and more complex than you can possibly comprehend. And you are poor for your so-called reality.

You are a prisoner in a dungeon, insisting that nothing exists outside of your cell.

May the rest of us avoid this trap.

(And, no, I'm not talking about Darwin.)

Posted in Misc - Permalink - comments

20 Nov 07 – 20 Nov 07

A late night, and I stumble upon a blog of hundred-year-old photos, all in startling detail. More candid than I'm used to seeing. These look like real people. People chuckle at private jokes; kids crack grins.

And they all worked sixteen hours a day.

Posted in Misc - Permalink - comments

14 Nov 07 – 14 Nov 07

I don't like posts like this, but: my main job is sucking up all my time and energy, and I'm spending the rest of it creatively. Which means I have little creative energy for this blog, I must admit.

So, in the past week I've plotted out the first novel in the Giant Armors series (the novel I titled Giant Armors, which I since retitled to Armor [or possibly Armors], is book zero), baked cookies, baked crackers, made orange candies, raked my backyard garden, topped up the oil in my truck, finished reading The World is Flat, and watched Samurai Fiction and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (both quite good).

Posted in Misc - Permalink - comments

3 Nov 07 – 3 Nov 07

A haze on the far horizon,

  The infinite, tender sky,

The ripe, rich tint of the cornfields,

  And the wild geese sailing high;

And all over upland and lowland

  The charm of the golden-rod, —

Some of us call it Autumn,

  And others call it God.

              — W.H. Carruth

Posted in Misc - Permalink - comments

2 Nov 07 – 2 Nov 07

Work and my Halloween party have kept me incredibly busy the past two weeks. Thus the lack of journal updates.

The party was a great success. Those of you who came: Thanks for coming, you made it a great success. Those of you who didn't: I hope you can come next year.

And now, I'm going to fall into bed.

Posted in Misc - Permalink - comments