Coffee Shop Crawl (#springbreak2013)

Since my spring break plans to visit alma mater Taylor U. didn't pan out as planned, I tried to make the most of the week doing what I do best: relaxing, reading, listening to music. What better place to so than a local coffee shop? So I thought I'd tack on a tour of the local coffee shops, most of which I had yet to visit.

What follows are one sentence reviews of the six places I visited in the last week.

LITTLE AMPS || harrisburg, uptown || website || best overall
This being the one shop that I had been to before, I knew I was going to experience an expertly made drink (a pour-over) in a minimalistic, friendly environment with vinyl playing in the background.

YELLOW BIRD || harrisburg, midtown || website || best food, cutest

This newly opened shop is really a bakery and soup/sandwich place (that serves Little Amps coffee) but it made this list due to its charming interior, crazy good fresh bread, and laid back coffee shop vibe.

THE CRIMSON FROG || camp hill || website || biggest, most hippies
I enjoyed my iced coffee while sitting on a comfortable duct-taped couch, next to a large plant, with the faint smell of smoke wafting through the air.

JUICE & JAVA || mechanicsburg || website || best use of space

While the Steve Harvey talk show inexplicably blasted on their overly large TV, I enjoyed the ambiance otherwise, my French roast coffee was mediocre, and I'm excited to return for one of their many smoothies.

SQUARE BEAN || dillsburg || website || friendliest, most small-town
I wondered into this coffee shop (originally mistaking it for a residential house) and was pleasantly greeted with warm service (not too overbearing), a good iced coffee and a simple sitting area inhabited by groups of elderly folks and well-meaning high school students.

OLDE TOWNE BOOKS & BREW || mechanicsburg || website || saddest

Located in downtown Mechanicsburg, this place had potential for having the most character yet I walked into the shop to find some not so pretty book shelves, a weird tasting vanilla latte, and an announcement of their closing in a week.

Faith and Jazz

"... I live with the tension - that I am called to tell others that they are called, yet I don't know precisely what my calling is. A jazz-shaped faith needs to be content with tension and paradox, even when it is close to home."

Robert Gelinas visited Taylor University a little while ago. After seeing a number of Taylor Tweets and hearing a recommendation from StAustin on his credibility, I thought I'd check out his book, Finding the Groove. I really loved Gelinas' analogy for our faith, helping to frame the way we can approach our faith akin to jazz. Perhaps my favorite aspect of the analogy is the commitment to being highly skilled (read: practiced, experienced, dedicated) Christians who also have the freedom to improvise.

The book read quickly, covered a variety of jazz and faith aspects, and used jazz and civil rights heroes effectively in communicating its message. Check Robert Gelinas out on his blog or give his book a read.

A Quote from Bully

"If it was up to me. If I was the king of the United States, I'd make it to where there was no popularity. Everyone was equal. Cause that's how it should be." -Trey Wallace

It's Spring Break and I'm reading and watching movies. The latest being the appropriately titled documentary, Bully. A fantastic collection of stories of youths who have experienced bullying. Trey, quoted above, lost his 11-year old best friend to suicide after being bullied. It wasn't exactly an uplifting movie, but it was honest. And touching. Check out the website or you should be able to find it at a Redbox.

Break-up Movies

Yesterday's post referred to the New Sincerity, a description of culture's current typology, focusing more on authenticity than the cynicism of yesteryear. I think this is, at the very least, a partially accurate depiction. And I think this has also opened the door for a number of break-up movies made in the last 5 or so years. These movies showcase a love that doesn't work and, sometimes, people survive. I don't think this idea would have made it into the movies 10 years ago. I watched two such movies this weekend and was compelled to make a quick list.

Celeste & Jesse Forever
Rashida Jones' Celeste & Jesse Forever has been in my sights ever since I saw the super-slick trailer a few months ago. Ethereal soundtrack, great script well executed, beautiful visuals, great chemistry between Jones and Samberg, great cast. My only qualm was how obvious it is that you can't be besties with your ex (luckily, the movie progressed past that).

Take this Waltz (trailer)
Jorje and I watched this little indie guy last night and were pretty underwhelmed. It wallowed in indie world, pandering to following one's desires. Michelle Williams and Seth Rogan were solid but I just wasn't buying the self-discovery involved.

Blue Valentine (trailer)
Again, Michelle Williams. And Ryan Gosling. Beautifully acted. Perfect use of the Grizzly Bear's album, Veckatimist for its soundtrack. It's a slow one, and devastating.

(500) Days of Summer (trailer)
Sometimes I forget that this quirky, little indie-gem is a breakup movie. Zooey is Zooey and Levitt is Levitt. If you buy into them two... and everything else that the indie world brings, how can you not love this movie? It moves along quickly, it made me give The Smiths a listen, and the soundtrack is perfect.

Other suggestions?

The New Sincerity

I'm not going to say too much about this one but I recently read Jonathan D. Fitzgerald's book, Not Your Mother's Morals. Fitzgerald is the editor of Patrolmag.com, writes for a bunch of other well known publications, and commonly spurs my thought process along.

His book highlights the New Sincerity found in today's pop culture; a progression from a few decades marked more by cynicism. He charts the progression of culture a little bit, gives a brief rundown of his personal engagement with culture while growing up within conservative Christianity, and finishes with a call to embrace this form of authenticity.

A quote in the second half of the book sums things up nicely:

Today, at this unique moment, writers, actors, musicians, and artists elevate authentic expression over manufactured image. This means that they reach back through the decades and choose from a wide array of values, selecting those that most often align with who we are and what we believe at our core. They understand that some situations are inherently better than others, and they're not embarrassed to suggest that we pursue those. This process puts morality front and center; the New Sincerity compels us to consider not just what we want, but also what is right.

Perhaps my favorite example that Fitzgerald uses is Conan O'Brien's charge to his (young) watchers to not be cynical.


It's certainly not perfect, but this little EP of a book is worth the read. Former church-mate and avid blogger, Amy Peterson, gives a much better analysis of the book on her blog or you can just read the book in an hour or two on your Kindle (currently $3.99 on Amazon).

First Year Students and their Questions

The First Year students on Messiah's campus were recently given an assignment to ask other students, administrators, or faculty the following questions: 

‘What is an idea or tradition or body of thought or book that has especially shaped your thinking and that helps you engage the world?’ 

The assignment was in response to a New York Times piece encouraging students to back their passionate feelings up with bodies of thought, not just a passing feeling. 

One of my residents asked me via email and I thought I'd share my response publicly as well in hopes that the three readers of this blog might also ask themselves this question.

1. The Book of Common Prayer. My wife and I started going to an Episcopal Church a few years back (before moving to PA) and were greatly influenced by the liturgical and communal style of worship. The BCP was used as the framework of much of the service and it helped me recognize the connectedness of the wider church body, tying us to something larger than our temporary experience. There’s some type of reassurance knowing that not only is there a stable God, but a group of people that are also seeking that God alongside you.
2. East of Eden – by John Steinbeck. This epic gem of a book has pretty easily maintained its spot as favorite of mine. It tells a “modern” (late nineteenth century – early twentieth) tale of Cain and Abel, driving home the point that we are all given different traits, life circumstances, etc. but we are responsible for our actions. So much wisdom.
3. Garden State – The Zach Braff movie from a few years back. I view this movie as defining of my generation. As Braff (the protagonist) is faced with tragedy, romance, and awkward interactions with old friends, he’s forced to decide between distancing himself from others or choosing the hard road to deep relationships. This more or less typifies my hope in this generation; we may be sloppy and inappropriate at times, but we’re trying to be authentic.

I didn't include the Bible (although the BCP is a direct tie). The assignment was given on a Christian college campus, I'm assuming the Bible is a given. I also probably forgot some other major work that's been highly influential in my life but I did like the mix of ancient-ish, classic lit, and a modern work that all touch on major themes in my life.

Anything come to your mind for your life?

A Belated New Year Post

Working on a school calendar doesn't add to the excitement of January 1. It also makes the setting of resolutions seem like it's coming too late in the game. I've never been a huge new year's resolutions guy anyhow. Yet, contrary to the last three sentences, I continue to take the opportunity of a "new start" and try to refocus my path, sometimes in large ways, but most often in small ones. Perhaps my two favorite resolutions of yesteryears are flossing and stretching. Both attainable, healthy-ish, and quirky.

For some reason, I'm feeling the need to post this year's resolutions. An embarrassing move when they're abandoned in March. But maybe a posting will add a few months to their life.

• Join a small group. Jorjette and I were a part of separate groups last year and that went well. But this year, in a new place, we're looking to join a group from our church. Hopeful outcomes: deeper church relationships, understanding of the Bible/theology, awareness of ourselves.
• Change my morning routine. I'm not a workaholic but most mornings I would check email in bed, a compromise between productivity and laziness. What an awful way to start? Replacing it is an attempt to read through the Book of Common Prayer (with the accompanying scripture).
• In reading articles, limit the quantity and finish the ones I start. Nicholas Carr's The Shallows really got to me (my review here and a better synopsis/thoughts on the subject here). I'm heavily guilty of clicking on five different links from Twitter/Google Reader/Pitchfork/etc. and then only reading half of the first paragraph. I'm  training my brain to wade in shallow thinking. So this year, I'm going to limit the links I click on and then read all the way through the ones I do.
• Listen to music well. I want to sit down and listen through whole albums using my (good) headphones.  I don't do this often but did with a few albums near the end of 2012. Already solid, meaningful albums become much more so when doing so singularly.

There ya go. Here's to growing and maturing. Comment with your own if you feel so inclined.

My Tumultuous, Tortured Relationship (with the Academy)

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning.

This is a pretty exciting time of the year for me. I love filling out March Madness ballots. I joined and participated in a Fantasy Football league this past fall. The interactive thing is fun. But if I had a choice, I could geek out on Academy Award buzz for much longer. If only Academy Fantasy leagues were a thing (wait, are they?).

I like that the Academy has a strong reputation that goes back a long time. I like that, although there are plenty of awards for every detail of movies, there are 24 that are the main focus and an average Joe like myself can have educated opinions on most of them. I like that I can throw parties requiring people to dress up. I like getting caught up in the ridiculousness of it all.

Here's what kills me. The Academy's incessant love of biopic movies.The Academy's refusal to give a nod to anything superhero related. Its pick of The King's Speech over The Social Network. Its overflow of love poured onto The Hurt Locker. Alas, it's not a perfect relationship.

This year, I don't have any strong favorites. I probably enjoyed Moonrise Kingdom the most. The Cabin in the Woods was one of the smartest. The Hobbit and The Dark Knight Rises took me on a pretty great adventure. Bernie was the most twistedly endearing. And I hear Looper takes your brain for a ride.

While I haven't seen all the movies (Amour, Zero Dark Thirty, and Life of Pi remain in my queue) nominated for best picture, none blew me away. I'm hopeful for Zero but am trying not to set myself up for disappointment. I'm grateful the Academy is willing to include movies like Beasts of the Southern Wild in a number of categories but disappointed when The Dark Knight Rises or Moonrise are absent.

Alas.

As in all art forms, movies have elements of subjectivity. That's why they're great. That's why we all have a favorite genre. That's why I keep coming back to the Oscars even when they don't treat me right.

The Oscars will be aired February 24 on ABC.

Book Review - The Shallows by Nicholas Carr

Although the book is a couple years old, Nicholas Carr's The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains came at a good time for me. As I prepare for a few social media usage programs/presentations and as we enter a new year with the accompanying resolution season, the book provides some helpful content related to the way I think about and use the Internet.

Carr's general thought is that our non-stop Internet usage that emphasizes quick, brief attention to a wide spectrum of information pushes us to use the shallower parts of our brain while crowding out the deep thinking portions that longer and slower forms of media require (such as book reading). While he keeps it interesting with some anecdotal support, the majority of the book sifts through various studies done on the human brain. The scope of the book is rather large as it covers everything from a brief history of the the passage of information (oral to written to printed to hyperlinked digital text) to the level of depth the Google masterminds have gone to in order do our thinking for us. Although Carr doesn't stay completely objective, his level of immersion in his own technological usage certainly keeps him from any sort of judgmental tone.

My primary take away from the book is to slow down. When overwhelmed with the number of items on my to-do list, my natural inclination is to try and accomplish everything at once (even though following a to-do list usually slows me down eventually). Yet the book re-affirms the suspicion that scattering my brain over four items simultaneously really isn't helping me get anything done well. It is a reminder (and shows some statistical backing) that eliminating the distractions I expose myself to not only keep me focused in the here and now but that it actually will benefit the way I think.

Not a bad thought to start in 2013.

Best Songs of 2012

While there's some heavy cross over from the Best Albums list, the Best Songs list allows for a few top 40 hits and/or stray song that I heard on a commercial to sneak in because, really, those individual songs often times defined the year in music just as much, if not more, than the full albums.

Check the Spotify playlist here.

And here are my favorite tracks from the year 2012. Happy listening.

25. Of Monsters and Men - Mountain Sound
24. Mumford & Sons - Not With Haste
23. Damien Jurado - Working Titles
22. The Shins - Simple Song
21. Dirty Projectors - Impregnable Question
20. Grimes - Oblivion
19. Lana Del Ray - National Anthem
18. Mumford & Sons - I Will Wait
17. Frank Ocean - Super Rich Kids
16. Sufjan Stevens - Silver and Gold (watch the video on YouTube here)
15. The xx - Angels
14. Passion Pit - Constant Conversations
13. Oberhofer - Haus
12. The Avett Brothers - Live and Die
11. Beach House - Lazuli
10. Kishi Bashi - Bright Whites
09. Gotye, Kimbra - Somebody That I Used to Know
08. fun. - Some Nights
07. Chromatics - Kill for Love
06. Passion Pit - Take a Walk
05. Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe
04. Nicki Minaj - Starships
03. Sufjan Stevens - Christmas Unicorn
02. Frank Ocean - Thinkin Bout You
01. fun. - We Are Young