Kindle-ing

Amazon’s Kindle device offers a whole new reading experience. It offers millions of titles for less than conventional paper books, plus portability and book interface options that were previously inconceivable. Those who love it hail that it will replace the paper book and is all the better for it. I say, let’s set it on fire.

I'm no Luddite, but this device is just one more example of a culture characterized by a selfish desire to gain on our own terms. We've become obsessed by the rapid processing of information and failed to realize that analysis and knowledge aren't things that can be rushed. Personal discovery and knowledge integration comes slowly and delicately, fragile to the crushing blow of a mind moving too quickly to pause and ponder.

A book is not just about words on a page, a book is an experience culminating in the cooperation of multiple senses mixed with time and leading to an understanding of greater significance and meaning. The Kindle lets you read on the go, but reading isn't mean for such a context. The feel of the pages between your fingers, the smell of ink in your nostrils and the turning of wheels in your mind are all parts of what it means to read. To thumb through a classic like Steinbeck's East of Eden is like a long, slow drink of whiskey, enjoyed as it was meant to be. You can gulp that whiskey and reach the same result: the glass will be empty. But the value isn't in the completion, it's in the journey.

Some people say this device will have a positive effect on the readership of books. I think that all depends on what the positive effect is. Will more "books" be read than ever before? Most likely this will be the case. But as we accelerate the reading process to its limit, we lose the comprehension and understanding that comes from turning over themes of redemption in books like Silas Marner, depravity in The Heart of the Matter, not to mention the complex tapestry of meaning and rich depth of character in epic poems such as Homer's Odyssey. When you read Shakespeare at the artificially accelerated pace that devices like the Kindle reinforce, you miss the full hilarity of those quick asides in Twelfth Night and the nuanced tragedy of Hamlet's madness. The Kindle encourages sound-byte thinking in a world that is already riddled with loss of meaning, while a paper book, though more expensive and laborious, brings the fruit of knowledge to any patient enough to wait.

California or Bust (& Welcome to the Blog!)

I've decided I need my own blog. While I am part of a collaboration here, there are certain things I would like to muse about or simply announce and Soren's Search isn't the right forum for such things. So this is my blog, a hodgepodge of the theological, hilarious, political, relational and anything else I choose to put here. My plan is to post at least once a week. We'll see how that goes.

It may sound crazy, but you can get from Louisville (pronounced "Loo-ah-vul"), Kentucky to Los Angeles, California in three days. I should know, I did it last week with my Father as we drove to the Pacific boundary of our fair country to deliver to my brother his new car. Really, the credit goes to my Dad; from KY to CA, we shared the driving about equally, but from Ft. Lauderdale to Louisville, he was all on his own. My Dad could be an over-the-road trucker (and sort of was, once upon a time).

Our first day was mostly Missouri (pronounced "miz-ur-ah") and Oklahoma, the state of my birth. There's really not a whole lot to see there, except the Arch in St. Louis (not to be confused with East St. Louis...a dangerous mistake to make) and the prayer tower at Oral Roberts University. I think we drove through Illinois too, but I don't remember that. Before stopping for the night at a longtime friend's house in Tulsa, we stopped by the house where I lived as a 3 year old (pictured at left). I didn't really remember it, but it was fun nonetheless. Additionally, here's a place where Mom and Dad used to get pizza when they were first married. Before I move from Tulsa, let me just say that when my parents lived there, my Dad worked in Oral Roberts' TV Ministry, and towards that end he supervised students from the university that were working toward television degrees. One of these undergraduates is now a famous television evangelist who loves everybody...I'll leave it at that.

The second day of our drive was a combination of the Texas panhandle, which is flat, agricultural, empty and flat, and followed by New Mexico. This was possibly my favorite state of the trip. I love the mountains and I personally think that the desert landscape is beautiful. Growing up in South Florida, the horizon is either a) where the darker blue of the ocean meets the lighter blue of the sky or b) Where the grey of the stucco building meets the blue of the sky. It was great to see land as far as the eye could see, with hills and valleys and all that stuff. It was also on this day that my Father convinced me to listen to Bob Newhart's memoir, I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This! If you're like me, you know that this guy once had a show named after him, and that he's Buddy the elf's Dad in the movie Elf. You probably don't know that he is hilarious, and I would heartily recommend his memoir. I would guess that it's funny if you read it, but hearing him read it I think is the optimum way to experience such hilarity.

In New Mexico we stayed at the Econolodge in the city of Gallup...yes, it is called Gallup. I'm not sure if they meant to name it Gallop, (as in what a horse does) and simply misspelled it, or if they thought maybe it was a clever play on words, which it isn't. Nevertheless, their Econolodge is just that, an econo-lodge. It was clean, so that was good, but there wasn't much in the way of decor, and apparently the previous occupant had a need for some AAA batteries, because they were missing from the TV remote. They did have the wafflemaker of my mother's dreams in the lobby, so that pretty much made up for it. Oh yeah, and they had Indians (excuse me, "native americans") on the side of the building. I thought it was a nice celebration of native american heritage. Also there were prairie dogs in the parking lot.

The last day was shorter than the second, but it felt longer because we were getting close to our destination. A warning to anyone driving through this area of the country: plan your gas stops well, because there are long stretches of nothing. I'm not exaggerating. Arizona is another beautiful state, though at this point I wasn't quite in the mood to enjoy it, as the third day was starting to seem very long. Crossing into California isn't as amazing as you think...really it just means that you will be seeing this for a while as you roll through the Mojave (pronounced "moe-jav-eh") desert. It was also at this point that I realized that in Dad's sleeping position his foot was pressed up against the A/C button, making the car very warm. I rectified this situation immediately. There are some nice mountainy parts of California, which we came to next, before arriving in LA.

Our arrival into LA reminded me why I don't really ever want to live there. Many people (including my brother) love it and that's fine, but I'm not super keen on horrendous traffic and huge urban sprawl. Nevertheless, it was great to see my brother, and he was very excited to see both us and his new car. His apartment was a work in progress: he admitted to me that he was washing his dishes "old school" (using a bar of Irish Spring with Aloe) and the contents of his freezer were a monument to poor single guys everywhere- two frozen pizzas. However. his complex is super nice and he gets a covered parking spot, to which my responses are a) it's California, what do you need a covered parking spot for?!?!? and b) I want one...

We crashed at the apartment that night, then went to see Biola University (where my brother is currently attending) the next morning. I was very impressed by the campus and even more so by the media department. They're top notch out there to be sure! After that we went shopping for some furniture for Matthew's bare apartment. I left for Louisville at 2:30pm PST and arrived home to my wife at 11:40pm EST, only to hurry to work for the night. It was great to be home. Don't get me wrong, Dad and I had some great time together, speaking of manly things like life insurance, the energy crisis, cars and other such things, and it was great to see Matthew. I wish I could have stayed with them longer. However, coming home to my wife was such a blessing...it was only a few days, but we really did miss each other very much.

One last note before I conclude: I have pretty much the best Dad ever. Seriously, if you think yours is better, we'll get in a punchfight over it, and I'll win. I owe much of who I am today (pretty much all the good parts) to him, and his example of someone who works hard, deals honestly with people and sacrifices a lot for his boys (he literally drove across the country for Matthew!) is one that I would do very well to emulate. What I didn't tell you was that he was having painful back problems during this trip, but he didn't complain or give up, he kept on going. Plus, he's one of the funniest people I know. So, as a late Father's Day tribute, I just wanted to say that I love you Dad.

So that's the trip. Here are a few more pictures for you to enjoy. Welcome to the new blog!