Monday, March 22, 2010

Rockstar

Well this past week was spring break and instead of doing the normal go home and sleep for 7 days, I decided to put a little spin on it and follow up on some intern leads. So Monday was Washington DC. I went down to NPR (National Public Radio) and got a tour of the whole place; though a new addition has been added it is still relatively small for such a large organization with so many employees. I look forward to seeing their new building in a few years. It's a fantastic place with quite friendly people who are very willing to offer any information or help they can give you. Overall, I was really impressed with the experience. Being able to hang out in the nation's capital wasn't all that bad either. From there, Tuesday brought on New York City. The Big Apple, the home of the American Dream. I actually spent most of the day walking the streets, but in between these marathons, I had a some pretty important chats with a literary agency. If all things go well, I'll "hear back from them by the end of the month"--worst part of applying. Finally, I ended up in Baltimore on Wednesday just to take a little break from it all and spend the afternoon with my dad--great day.

After seeing three cities in such short succession, it's amazing to see how individual a "vibe" you can get from a certain city. DC give me a feeling of business, but it still clings to its older roots. As far as major cities go, it also has more of a southern aristocratic tinge than most. It seems to be presenting America, as a neatly wrapped (though confusingly planned) city that welcomes the average street walker. New York is more in your face. It's an explosion of culture, music, art, business, fashion, food--all at once. It's fast paced and fun. And Baltimore, well that will always feel a little like home to me; the one and only Charm City. The Inner Harbor is the place to be on a spring-warmed day with a little ocean breeze in the air. You have fun just wandering on the brick walkways without really even knowing why.

Aside from my personal musings of city "auras," the week was pretty great. Traveling to major cities, investigating new job opportunities, and have a good time along the way. All I need now is to be wildly successful (hopefully by the end of this month*) and I'll be a true rockstar.


Thursday, March 4, 2010

Eureka

It's an interesting word, eureka. The story I've always associated with the word is the ancient scientist who was asked by the king to find out if the goldsmiths who had made his crown did so with pure gold or if it was mixed with another metal. The scientist wracks his brain for days trying to solve the problem for the king, until one day he solves the problem sitting in his bath tub. As the story goes, the man runs through the streets nude yelling "Eureka!" He used water displacement to prove what the crown was made of.

It's a fun story to hear, and one that tells of the moments that unexpectedness often shares with brilliance. It tells of the ability for man to overcome and problem solve. Although, it is also a story of science. It is interesting that eureka has become a word of problem solving, science, and math. It's really to express the joy of a moment of inspiration, but I think the story gets it right. There's no way the local poet is running next to the scientist yelling "Eureka!" right there with him.

I'm feeling inspired, I don't know why or really how it all came about, but it's a joyful and serious feeling; I don't want to waste it. So when I feel inspired I try to write, but let me forewarn you (it might already be to late), there is nothing great ahead. I don't think inspiration comes to writers like it does to the scientist. It could be that writers are not trying to solve a problem, but the problem. As exciting as water displacement is, it's not so exceptionally moving. It is a problem worthy of a moment of inspiration, just a moment. But writers, we deal with the problem of life, of human nature. This problem is worth well more than a moment. So in this, my moment of inspiration, I turn over another piece to the puzzle so it's facing right side up. It might just be a piece of the sky, not the most exciting piece, but still vital to finishing the picture. The problem is I'm putting together the puzzle without the box; I can't see what its supposed to make. I'm doing this blind and I only have a part of the border and a couple of sky pieces put together. I have no idea what I'm making yet; I hope one day I do. What I most hope is that all the pieces came with the box so I can fit in the last piece of my solution to the problem like those before me have. Those great 1000 puzzle piece works of Steinbeck or Melville. One more hope and then I'm done. I hope I get enough little moments of eureka to be worthy of answering the great question set before me--because, well, you never see a reproduction of a Van Gogh in a 24 piece puzzle.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Following the Leader...

the leader, the leader. We're following the leader wherever he may go. Problem is I seem to have found myself to be the leader.

A few months ago, I was speaking with a friend of mine and was voicing my need for a spiritual community among people my own age. After talking over what should be done, we came to the conclusion that the group would need to be created instead of found. And so, the long process of creating a group went into effect. After much planning we finally decided that it was time to see if there was anybody else who felt the same way (maybe we should've checked that sooner). Anyway, there was a lunch we promoted to anyone out of high school and under 30 to come and talk about the spiritual needs they were feeling. The problem now was, what if no one shows. Just me and the pastor sitting in a room surrounded by boxes of pizza. All this planning and praying, and no one else felt inspired to be a part of it. In reality, the expectation was that maybe five or six would show up and we could talk and get to know each other. It's nearing the fateful hour when we will find out how many people will actually bother to show up, I walk into the room and lo and behold 20 people are sitting in the room. I'm thinking to myself, I just walked in on a meeting, but oddly they were all quite young looking. I was in the right place, and I was sitting among a group of my peers--college students, young couples, young families, and people beginning careers.

Great surprise, but I didn't really plan anything for this. Now I'm stumbling my way through trying to understand what people want to get out of a group like this. Even more amazing than people showing up, they wanted to talk about their lives and share their need for support and help in their spirituality. Shock and awe. So now, I'm at the front of 20 people all from different walks of life, and I'm trying to figure out a way to make them all grow spiritually. Then it occurred to me, I'm not really doing anything. God himself has controlled the entire process, I'm simply carrying out God's plan. I am in just the same position as the people I was in front of; we are going to travel together in pursuit, searching for what God has laid before us. So the problem is not that I have found myself in the leadership position, but that I thought I was ever there to begin with. So carry on, my leader, for we will follow you wherever you may go.