February 13, 2008
A Counter
I have long resisted the temptation to have a counter on this blog. I once had one for 10 minutes, but then realized that it would not be good for me, personally, to have the ability to see which IP address a visitor was coming from, trying to figure out who it was, and seeing how often people visited. Admittedly, that all is pretty cool, but not for me, and so I took it off. More intriguing features of many counters include the ability to see from which site a person came to your blog from or which search terms he or she used to find your blog.
Today, I saw this counter, though, that shows hits by country and counts the overall numbers of visits. In the little exploring I have done of the site, I do not see where I can access the features above, so, though, I was going to try to live with them, i.e. using them moderately, I am content that they are not even there. It will be cool, though, to get raw, overall numbers and see where visitors are coming from. And, if any of this becomes problematic, well, I know how to take it off.
So, enjoy the little flags on the bottom right. Hopefully we will get some interesting ones.
Posted by jackdas at 10:49 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
September 13, 2007
Old Blogs Never Die...
...they just stay the same...and stay the same...and stay the same, and never get updated. Sometimes this seems to happen with single folk's blogs when they get a significant other or get married. Perhaps it is that some of their reasons or needs to blog have been fulfilled to a degree, which is both somewhat sad and natural. Perhaps it is also simply a matter of time. Perhaps such blogs can turn a corner and become something new which they had never before. Though, I would like to believe that a blog, like one's character, which though admittedly can be somewhat different in different contexts, would stay more or less the same in its emphases and themes no matter what one's life looked like at the time. But, perhaps that is unrealistic.
Well, my blog has been dormant for a while, too, and not, alas, because I have significanized another nor in turn been significanized by another, unless that other is a seminary. But nonetheless that is the reason why there have been fewer posts on here for a while. So, I thought I would write a brief reflection on some of the changes I am going through at the very least.
For those of you who do not know, I have begun a Master's of Divinity degree at Covenant Theological Seminary, which has nothing to do with making fluffy fudge or anything like, but which is the degree which pastors need to get in my denomination. So, do I want to be a pastor? Well, no, not in the short term, though I have my suspicions that somewhere down the road, sometime in the future.... In the meantime, though, I want to get a degree so that I might teach and write more meaningfully and knowledgeably from a Christian perspective on issues of faith and culture. Yeah, it's kind of amorphous, but that is all I know for now.
Seminary is hard. I am not sure what I was expecting, but learning Greek, in and of itself, is a monumental challenge, and then I have three other classes as well. Moreover, I am learning not to be lazy and not to procrastinate, which are habits that are so hard to unlearn. In addition to the study, I am working 21 hours here and teaching a Mythology class on Monday nights. So, I am legitimately busy.
Still, I really have nothing to complain about. There are people with far busier schedules than mine, some of whom also have families for whom to care. And also all my needs are being met so well.
And, you know what, aside from the busy-ness there is a sense that the restlessness and discontent that has characterized my life for a while has significantly diminished. I know it is early, and my cautious side says to wait before I make any bold pronouncements, but I am not going to listen to that cautious side just now and say that I am thankful that I have a sense that I am currently doing what I am meant to be doing. And that feels pretty good. I have not and will not arrive at perfection of effort or achievement, but it feels good to have a renewed zeal, no perhaps even a totally new zeal, to do my school work and career work well and with care.
And, so, what does that mean for The Dassler Effect and its Facebook mirror? Well, I may not post as often, but I am not going to let it go quietly into the night. Some day soon, I know, my camera will whisper in my ear "Hey, did you see those leaves against the sky" or a line of verse will trip across my mind, or, yes, something interesting might pop out of my studies, and, well, I will do my darndest to listen to those significant others as well and share the love.
Posted by jackdas at 11:37 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
August 28, 2007
Piece
Even if one is in a bit of a creative slump and cannot really produce good writing, it does not mean that one cannot recognize such. Enjoy.
Posted by jackdas at 7:04 PM | TrackBack
July 3, 2007
beauty and truth
Posted by jackdas at 2:20 PM | TrackBack
June 26, 2007
The Four Hundredth Post
In response to Kirk Ward's suggestion that I do something special for my four hundredth post, below are some categories I came up with and the winning blog entries for each. Thanks, Kirk, I am not sure I would have noticed that milestone, and though 500 posts might be a more logical marker for this sort of thing, who knows when that might actually occur, what with my beginning seminary in the Fall and what not. I would like to have reprinted all the blog banners I have used, but they are on my computer at work. So, perhaps that will be the first of the next hundred posts.
*The blog that inspired the Effect: Hey, I even tried to rip off its brown decor. Thanks for the inspiration and early encouragement, Jeremy, and for the intro to Catapult.
*The first post (from the Blogger Days): What I consider to be my greatest poem.
*The most controversial series of posts: The reposting of this story led to me to discover that I had deeply wounded a friend five years earlier. It is an odd thing to bleed in public, but it is alright when it leads to healing. Here and here and here. Beware of page-long comments :)
*The series I most wanted comments on but didn't get any: Ah, that would have to be the Ringbearer sonnets. The Samwise one still needs a major overhaul. Here and here and here and here.
*The most obviously vulnerable post: No contest.
*The posts most meant not to be obviously vulnerable, but not succeeding: Ah, you are just going to have to play along at home and find these ones on your own. And I don't want to hear about them. You shouldn't have to look too hard :) This is a blog after all.
*The wisest post: It's perhaps a bit arrogant to come up with that category, but when you learn through pain and God gives you the ability to comfort others with the comfort you have received, well, I have no problem in championing that wisdom, even if I did write it down.
*This post changed everything: And I'm thankful for it.
*My favorite comment: Can you which one it is? It's my favorite because of the comment, but more even for who the commenter was.
Well, that will do! But before I bring this in for a landing, let me just say thank you to all you readers. And a special thank you to all you readers who have also commented. I have really appreciated the conversations we have had, silly and serious. If you have been only in the former category and wish to join the latter, this post would be a lovely time to say "Hey!"
Blessings on you all.
Posted by jackdas at 1:29 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
June 25, 2007
A New Voice
Well, his voice is not new to some of you who may have gone to church or house church with him or to some of you who may have been able read some of his writing. Nonetheless, his voice is new to the blogosphere, and he has made a stong entry with a steady stream of quality entries. I commend to you the cleverly named blog of George Faithful, Faithfool. You have to love a blog which has a pun in its very title.
Be sure to check out several introductory posts here and here. And there is poetry, subtly perceptive and wistfully imaginative.
And, from today, there is this....
"How am I to live out that love? In blatant defiance of what makes me happy and in earnest pursuit of what makes me whole. Love is not about me doing what I want, but about me sacrificing myself in order to do what I know is right. True love has everything to do with justice, social and otherwise. May it be done, though the heavens fall!"
Posted by jackdas at 1:43 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
April 20, 2007
Friends, Met and Unmet
Guinea-Pig Voices in the Night
The Moon is the Spoon of the Sea!
Posted by jackdas at 1:16 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 6, 2007
Enough of the Banality...
...of blog entries on buying cameras or naming cameras. If you want something really worthy of your grey matter, that will soften your heart and grow your soul, check out some recent blog entries of some friends, here and especially here.
Posted by jackdas at 10:38 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 10, 2007
Psst...Peter's Got a Blog and Good Tunes
I recently discovered that a friend from my church and our Sunday lunch group, The Flying P.L.A.T.E.S(S), is an active blogger. Peter's blog is Flakjammit! You will have to have him explain the title. But I can tell you it involves cursing.
Also, he is an avid musician, and, to my untrained ears, his songs sound pretty good. To listen to all the songs at once, select the "all songs in one go" option at the top. Favorites: "Make Your Move" (though, Peter is somewhat ashamed of what he calls its "cheesiness"), "Push Comes to Shove," "Here We Go Again," "Smile When You Say Goodbye."
Enjoy.
Posted by jackdas at 4:34 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
October 3, 2006
The Fat Cyclist Has Left the Building
Due to inactivity, both of the blog and the blogger, I decided to flatten the tires on this ride. The stated goal of the blog, well, it was laudable, perhaps still doable, but will be attempted rather more infomally. As the "blogfather" of sorts of our little group of blogs, though, perhaps a better metaphor is in order. Let's just say that that blog is cycling with the fishes.
Hey, if I am, indeed, the blogfather, Kirk and Sarah Ward, are clearly the King and Queen of St. Louis Blogs, the royal family if you will, with Princess Joanna. Just check out those comment totals. My correlation of women bloggers having more comments per post is holding up quite nicely, by the way.
Posted by jackdas at 12:16 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
September 21, 2006
New to the Blogroll, Long Overdue
For your reading pleasure, two additional ladies from my church who are thoughtful bloggers. Both Claire and Meg are in grad school so blog postings are not necessarily their top priority, but as luck would have it, both have recently posted. And with more readers and commenters, who knows, we may be able to coax more regular entries out of them after all.
STOP THE PRESSES OR WHATEVER IT IS YOU STOP WITH BLOGS!!!!
Sweet Chicken is in the house with a lovely reflection on the meaning of true friendship. Yes, I get to live with some awesome dudes, or as a group of us labelled them the other night, MOGs, you know, as opposed to their counterparts, WOGs.
Posted by jackdas at 8:28 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
August 23, 2006
New to the Blogroll. Drumroll please....
.....TSCHHHH!
Ok, that was meant to be the sound of a cymbal being hit.
This is all to celebrate the addition of two new blogs to my blogroll. The first is the final flatmate holdout to the blog world finally surrendering. Sweet Chicken! This is sure to be a delightful, punnerific blog. Stop in and say hello to Nathan.
Next is Transpacificism the blog of Travis Scott, who you may have seen emceeing Friday Nights at the Institute for the Francis Schaeffer Institute a few years ago. Make sure to check out Travis' articles on music, movies, and culture under the heading "Articles and Talks."
Enjoy.
Incidentlly the Francis Schaeffer Institute, as always, has a good line-up for this Fall.
Posted by jackdas at 4:13 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack