Outbound Blue Line

Found this cool fountain on campus at Oklahoma University. I...

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:30:19 -0600

Found this cool fountain on campus at Oklahoma University. I really like “creative” examples of modern/international style design.

Automobile Alley in Midtown OKC is already starting to dress up...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:12:42 -0600

Automobile Alley in Midtown OKC is already starting to dress up for the holidays. I love the placement of the LED lights. This picture does not do it justice.

Esquire Magazine: Letter to Non-Believers

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:41:00 -0600

Esquire Magazine: Letter to Non-Believers:

Shane Claibourne wrote this very interesting article in Esquire. I love how he retells the story of the good Samaritan.

It’s time for a man craft!

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:01:52 -0600

It’s time for a man craft!

The Modern Time Machine

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:28:35 -0600

I have a lot of laundry to do, not enough coins for the basement washer, and not enough patience to push it all through one washer and one dryer in my building. Therefore, it’s laundry night and I’m happy about it. Many people dread the laundromat, with it’s flickering florescent lights and weird people. But not me.

In my opinion, there’s something special about laundry night at the laundromat. In fact, I think the laundromat itself is something of a magical place with it’s whirring machines, randomly diverse people and furniture from the 70s. It’s a modern marvel by all accounts but in my experience it’s not the machines that automatically and quickly do what humans have done by hand for thousands of years that intrigues me. You see, I think of the laundromat as a kind of time machine. I know what you’re thinking, but let me explain.

My life, for the most part, is ruled by schedules, appointments, and deadlines. I am non-stop looking at my iPhone to check the time. My life is ruled by the clock and I’ve become a slave to it. But the laundromat doesn’t care about the clock. Once the quarters are put in the machine, the buttons are pressed and the cycle begins, it’s all cruising from there on. You see, I don’t have to look at the clock when I’m at the laundromat. The washers and dryers are all set to stop automatically after a set amount of time and I can’t leave until the cycle is done. They have no respect for time. They do what they do with a complete disregard for schedules, appointments and clocks. So once the machines are set in motion I have nothing to worry about and no clock to watch. I just sit back and enjoy the whirring and slushing sounds of my clothes swimming in the soapy ocean of the Speed Queen front load washer. The powerlessness is nice. I’m not in control. The washers and dryers are and they’re not going to budge. They’ll let me know when they’re done. I get to sit back and enjoy the ride. Then about two hours later when it’s all said and done, I’ll step out the laundromat doors and back into the real world where little has changed but time has flown by.

So the next time you need to do an unimaginable amount of laundry, charge up your iPod, stuff your dirty laundry into some garbage bags and head to your local time machine. You’re over-stressed, time keeping brain will thank you for the down time.

Awesome salt and pepper shaker at Thai Delight in Edmond, OK

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:54:36 -0600

Awesome salt and pepper shaker at Thai Delight in Edmond, OK

Stuff Oklahomans Like: Sonic Ice

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:51:00 -0600

Stuff Oklahomans Like: Sonic Ice:

Oklahoma is mainly known for petroleum, but the biggest cash cow in this state is frozen water…

OKC Underground

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:01:00 -0600

I went on an adventure recently… underneath Oklahoma City. What I found was a sweet series of tunnels and an area that most people don’t even know about. It’s called, the OKC Underground.

The OKC Underground, formerly known as the Metro Conncourse, is a series of tunnels underneath downtown Oklahoma City. The first tunnel was dug in 1931 with many more tunnels having been added in the 1970s. The OKC Underground is about a mile long and connects various downtown buildings. Here’s a map of the tunnels. The Underground has some small businesses, including a few restaurants, a hair salon, and a couple other places. It’s open weekdays from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and can be accessed in many different places. Each entrance is marked by a small post that reads “Underground.”

The tunnels are carpeted, well-lit (for the most part), and are patrolled by a security officer riding a Segway scooter. They also have kiosk that display maps, directions and an occasional flat-screen television displaying CNN.

The odd and somewhat eerie thing about the Underground is the level of activity… or lack thereof. There are times when the tunnels seem almost entirely deserted. Combine the lack of people with the odd lighting in parts and the elevator style music piped throughout and you get a sort of post-apocalyptic zombie movie feel. The attention and effort that’s been put into it lately has largely been to make it more welcoming and to make the area feel more lived in. The resulting effect is that the Underground gives the impression that it’s many occupants vanished into thin air only moments before you entered.

It’s rather intriguing to be down there and know that many of the people walking above on the street level have no idea that you are right below them. I very much enjoy hidden places in the midst of urban centers and the Underground seems to fit the bill.

All in all, the Underground is a really cool idea and a well-kept place that is out of the public eye and largely unknown. Hopefully more people will find out about it and take advantage of it, but in the meantime, it’s fun to roam the tunnels pretending to elude zombies.

I’ve been all over the city today. Oklahoma City is...

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:26:05 -0500

I’ve been all over the city today. Oklahoma City is gigantic.

I’m in a vacant warehouse listening to amazing music. Can...

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:00:09 -0500

I’m in a vacant warehouse listening to amazing music. Can it get any better?#ResoundOKC

I’m really enjoying the sounds of The Non at #ResoundOKC.

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:28:51 -0500

I’m really enjoying the sounds of The Non at #ResoundOKC.

The Non playing at #ResoundOKC in a vacant warehouse. So...

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:16:36 -0500

The Non playing at #ResoundOKC in a vacant warehouse. So awesome.

This is just a sample of the awesome music from #ResoundOKC. The...

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:13:00 -0500

This is just a sample of the awesome music from #ResoundOKC. The artist is The Non.

A short little diddy about the changing seasons of the Earth and...

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:58:55 -0500

A short little diddy about the changing seasons of the Earth and of life

Is Singleness Better?

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:22:24 -0500

Is Singleness Better?:

I’m a single, 25-year-old man. I, like many non-married folks, feel the societal pressure to “find that someone” sooner rather than later. I love this article because it debunks the myth that “good christians” get married. Marriage is not for all Christians, and it’s about time that we recognized it and start appreciating non-married people in the church as more than just people who are “yet to get married.”

"It was odd. Everywhere we went in the Rust Belt, people told us, ‘Be careful. Detroit is very..."

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:03:01 -0500

“It was odd. Everywhere we went in the Rust Belt, people told us, ‘Be careful. Detroit is very dangerous.’ But all of the people we met when we were working were really, really kind.”

- Sean Hemmerle

URBEX: U.S. Marshals Memorial Park in Oklahoma City

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:23:00 -0500

The U.S. Marshals Memorial Park has intrigued me ever since I saw a mention of it on an Oklahoma City discussion forum. I have done some digging and found very little on this curious abandonment… which only adds to the intrigue.

Among the things that I do know are the year that it was built, 1989, and the fact that it featured a 10-foot tall bronze sculpture which was donated by a man named John Bianchi. Interestingly, the U.S. Marshals website has an entire page devoted to the “Frontier Marshall” but it contains no mention of the park in which the sculpture was originally planned to be displayed in.

I also found during my research that the land that the memorial park sits on was deeded over to the U.S. Marshals Foundation by the Oklahoma City Economic Development Foundation. According to an article from the Journal Record it was originally announced as a 6.5 million dollar project that would be funded by the U.S. Marshals Foundation. The sculpture and the memorial park were to be created in 1989 in celebration of the bicentennial of the U.S. Marshals.

The current state of the memorial park is a sad one. A circle drive is right off of the main road across from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage museum. It has a center landscape feature that looks like it had a flagpole at one time. The main structure of the road sign is there but all of the sign parts have been removed. From the circle drive it’s hard to tell where the memorial itself is but when you peer into the trees and overgrowth on the north side of the drive you see two large concrete structures with a gate between. This is the path to the memorial. From there an overgrown path leads to a clearing with the large concrete oval that you see in the pictures. For some reason the oval now has a bunch of tree limbs that have been dragged onto it. From there another overgrown path leads to the memorial.

The memorial is shaped like a star as you can see from an arial image. The five points of the star each have two concrete walls in the center that, I’m guessing, at one point featured the names of the Marshals who had died in the line of duty. As you can see from the pictures, this is the most interesting area. There are remnants of what looks to be granite slabs that covered the star area. Most of the pieces seem to be missing.

It seems very odd that a memorial to fallen public servants would fall into such bad disrepair and become abandoned after only two decades. I’d really like to know what happened to this memorial and so I think I’ll do some searching next time I’m at the library. Am I missing something here? Did the foundation abandon the memorial? Did vandals rob the thing of all of its valuables? What happened to what once was such a great memorial?

A Grand Vision

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:28:00 -0500

“It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into a hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word
And then that word grew louder and louder
‘Til it was a battle cry”

- The Call by Regina Specktor

It was a hot August day in 2008 when Matt Kerchaert and I started lugging things up the narrow staircase at our new apartment at 160 N. Washington Street in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

But this wasn’t just any apartment. It was an idea… no, a vision. Several months prior to this hot Summer day, I began apartment searching. My roommates and I were faced with either renewing our lease at our typical off-campus 80’s style apartment building or find a better one. I found 160 N. Washington during my search and it was intriguing to me. I wanted to live closer to downtown Ypsilanti and the apartment was just about as close as you could get without living in an expensive loft above a storefront. I wanted to live in a place where people walked. I wanted to live in a place where I could wander down to the cafe or to the park. A place where neighbors actually talked to each other and where there was always something going on. I wanted to live in a place where I would see the same people day in and day out. Where I could make an impact and be a positive force in the community. Somehow this mansion from the 1800’s fit the bill and I began dreaming that someday it would be a center for positive change in the Arts and Entertainment district of Ypsi.

After some pictures, a tour, and some more information, the guys bought into the vision. It helped that the building featured free heat as well and we signed the lease. That was the beginning of what would be an amazing year with Matt, Ian and I living in the third floor of that old mansion. We would have movie nights, rooftop discussions, neighbor hangouts and a Halloween party that totally rocked the place.

Eventually more people at our church caught the vision for this place. It wasn’t just about the location, or the rent, or the amenities. I think it was about the dream that this place could be a center for community to take place.

Fast forward to today. There are now eight people living in two floors of the building that all believe in having a positive impact on the people around them… and they’re looking for more people to join them.

I could not be more proud of the men that live at 160 N. Washington Street. When I left them to seek out my own calling in Oklahoma they were excited about being more than just housemates but being Christ to the neighborhood. I love those guys and I’m so thankful that God has allowed me to be their friend.

I think it all comes down to the vision, the dream, the idea. We wanted to do something good in the midst of a rough neighborhood and be a force for change. I think back on those times and something wells up inside of me. Each day I have to ask myself what my vision is. I must constantly allow Christ to rekindle the fire that burns within me. When I do he unleashes me as a force for change and he uses me in a way that I can never duplicate on my own.

What is it that burns inside of you? What is the vision that God has given you to live out?

"I like it in the city, when two worlds collide."

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:54:12 -0500

“I like it in the city, when two worlds collide.”

- Hometown Glory by Adele

An amazing soy latte at Coffee Slingers in downtown OKC.

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:21:39 -0500

An amazing soy latte at Coffee Slingers in downtown OKC.