whole brevity thing
the dude abides (bryan jones)Archive for in my heart
polaroids from the edge
It’s an unwritten rule that when you take a family vacation to the beach, at some point you must get the family dressed up and head to the shore for the group pics. I used to dread this event. With. A. Passion. When the kids were younger I had to resort to scary big daddy voice in order to get them to line up and smile. I mean, smile at the same time. In the same millisecond. Instead of handing them a story to remember, I handed them a nightmare to run away from. It didn’t work out the way I wanted.
being malcolm gladwell
I am very thankful for Malcolm Gladwell. Thankful for his mind (the things that he finds fascinating) and his heart (the way he shares about those fascinating things).
Gladwell’s latest publication, What The Dog Saw, is a collection of essays that he has written for the New Yorker. The content may not be new, but it carries a sense of timelessness about it. I think that is due to how much interest he has in the subject about which he is writing. He is highly passionate without being intrusive, a truly amazing feat, and he is careful without being reserved; equally impressive.
I’d like to show you what I mean. Take this article written in 1999 for example, True Colors. Do you see it, too?
I’m out of words now…
zombieland
I blame @ghidotti
#LRTweetup killed my blog.
Before I gave myself fully over to the microblog, I was cranking out three posts a week to wholebrevitything.com, but then the 140-character miracle took over my social life, and I found a truer whole brevity thing. Okay, maybe it didn’t kill this blog, but I need someone/something to blame. I love to blog, but as far as time investment goes, Twitter is just way too easy.
I joined Twitter in the fall of ’07, but I did not really become an active user until the following summer when I got hooked on @Loopt. Loopt was the bridge that moved me from Facebook to Twitter. I went from tweeting once or twice a month to tweeting like ten whole times a week.
The Little Rock Twitter scene raised it’s head above water in the fall of ’08, and then really took off in the Spring of 2009 – I blame Lance Turner and his LR Twitter directory. Yes, back then, there were so few Little Rock folks using Twitter that Lance could house all of our names in a single blog post.
Soon, the idea of this crew getting together in person started churning and then this happened:
I jumped in with a two word commitment
I’ll save you the chronology of the next twelve months of this community’s growth, but that first night was an awesome experience of having drinks with a competitor, meeting amazing young talent, discovering how hilarious @robertblake truly is, and learning that there really was a person behind the pseudonym, @tsudo.
If it doesn't have a hashtag, it didn't happen
It has been very difficult for me to put into words how LRTweetup has crossed Twitter over from an online chat into real world relationships, so let me get all PowerPointy on you:
- This has turned my colleagues into my friends.
- This has nurtured kindred spirits out of profile pics.
- This has shot the hell out of Dunbar’s number.
- I have hired two people because I first got to know and trust them through this local Twitter community.
- This community have shown me real, tangible love and concern.
- My heart goes out to these folks when their lives get sideways, and I really do smile with them when they stumble into happiness. (however, I will never LOL)
It is surreal how real these LRTweetup connections have become. I feel very lucky to have found a place with these friends. Maybe I can get these folks to help me kick start this blog back to life.
I’m out of words now…
(ps. If you haven’t been following #LRTweetup Stories, I think that it would really be worth your time to do so.)
a simple twist of fa(ith)
This entire day has felt sideways. It’s as if my reality has shifted a bit. Strangely, it feels eerily similar to when we first brought our newborn daughter home from the hospital a dozen years ago. I clearly remember how impossible it was to sleep that first night. I was so worried that at some point in the night that she might stop breathing. Burned into my memory from that night was the realization that my strength has some very definite limits. That night I learned the meaning of faith. “Please, dear God, let my daughter live through the night. Please keep my little angel safe from harm.”
There was no reason to fear that something bad would happen, her body was very strong and healthy. The problem was with me – I had no power to control the situation. I could make sure that she was in safe surroundings. But that night, that was all that I could control, and I was not prepared for such a realization. Read the rest of this entry »
(two thousand) seven pounds
Whole Brevity Thing - Summer '07
While loading up the magic phone with music for this unexpectedly awesome weekend, I discovered a mixtape that never made it to the blog. It was a sad realization. (I held the tears at bay with a promise to post it over the weekend) I’ve been listening to this playlist all day, and it still serves. I hope you enjoy this two-year step back in time. … Read the rest of this entry »
road(trip) to wellville
Whole Brevity Thing - Summer 2009 Mixtape
School supplies have invaded my house, and so has the sadness that comes with the realization that summer is not immortal, and that soon my tan will fade. But I’m not ready to give in to the darkness of reality – not as long as there is a windows-down road trip to be had.
So, if there is going to be a road trip, we must have a soundtrack, right? … Read the rest of this entry »
