Where does the breeze blow?

So my summer is taking an unexpected turn. I had planned on staying in Tallahassee all summer. I was trying to start a soccer camp for kids called Killearn Kicks, but it fell through. Today I found that I will be leaving rather abruptly...tomorrow actually. While I am really excited about going up to Chattanooga and working with my cousin John all summer, I have not really had a chance to process everything.

Until today I thought that I would have some more time to spend with my family and friends. All the really sweet memories that I'd planned on making suddenly vanished! No more soccer in the backyard with Natedog, Hope, Joy and Josh. No more afternoon runs with my dad around the Maclay Gardens trails. No more hugs from my mom and grandma (arguably the best huggers in North America, if not the world). No movies or lunch with Grace. No more chillaxin' at Kenley's crib. No more tricks off the Wakulla Springs high dive with everyone. No more riding motorcycles with Bryan. Just like that, my summer plans changed completely.

And although I will terribly miss being home with everyone, it is not all sad. Bittersweet would be the word. I bitterly regret seeing all those would-be memories disappear. Yet I eagerly look forward to a really sweet time in Chatty with John. We are gonna have a really solid summer. I can't wait to be up in Chattanooga, it is going to be awesome. It is kinda funny how things work out. My plans can change just like to breeze, and like the breeze I really have no control of my circumstances. The only thing that I can do is enjoy where I am and make the most of it. I guess that is one thing I'll take away from this whole thing. Maybe next time I'll just enjoy the breeze as it brushes my checks and ruffles my hair instead of worrying myself as I try to determine where it will blow.

As I was just going through some boxes that I had not yet unpacked since getting home I found my notebook from last year. It brought back some great memories also bittersweet. This past year has been one with both the indescribable joys that make your insides ache from sheer excitement and the anguish that leave you hopeless with no words to explain or express the pain. And sometime during the last year I found a quote which grasped me so powerfully that I wrote it down. It is from canto II of Dante's Divine Comedy:

As flowerlets drooped and puckered on the night
turn up to the returning sun and spread
their petals wide on his new warmth and light --
just so my wilted spirits rose again
and such a heat of zeal surged through my veins
that I was born anew.

Memories from the Match: Arsenal v Barcelona

Thanks to my awesome cousins Elise and Shalom Cohen, I was able to watch the most important match in professional soccer, the UEFA Champions Leauge Final. I was especially excited this year because my childhood favorites, the Arsenal Gunners would be taking on Ronaldinho and Co. of Barcelona. The match was incredible as both teams rose to the occasion and put on a dazzling show of skill. The first half was truly crazy as Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann was ejected for an apparent foul on Eto'o. Yet amazingly the Gunners pulled ahead off of a free kick goal from Sol Campbell. In the end, fate frowned upon my Gunners as Barcelona came back from behind to win with two late goals. Although things didn't turn out as I'd hoped, the match did leave me with many indelible memories.


In the heat of the match there was an image that epitomized the game for me. This brief moment occured as Ronaldinho was attempting to weave his way through Arsenal's defence. After evading two tackles he was abruptly stopped by none other than Thierry Henry. The imposing Frenchman stood on the ball and looked down at Ronaldinho whose sliding effort had landed him on his knees staring upwards. The split second exchange between these incredible athletes conveyed an enourmous amount of mutual respect and admiration. Sadly, after searching through thousands of photos from the game I could not find a single image of this moment.

Summer Plans

It is 2:16 AM right now and I just put the following ideas down on paper...or on Microsoft Word to be exact. I do not know whether or not these thoughts appear lucid, but whatever the case here there are:

Since I’ll be living somewhat independently (in the Student Apartments) next semester it would be beneficial to prepare myself this summer. There are several things I need to learn. First, I need to learn how to maintain a normal lifestyle. This would include areas such as cooking, cleaning and upkeep. To be more specific, I need to teach myself to shop for food and other essentials, to keep my stuff in good condition, and to be prepared to maintain and repair my stuff. Another way I need to learn to maintain a healthy lifestyle is in the area of my daily routine. In order to become a functional adult I need be disciplined enough to follow a schedule, to establish good habits, and seek to improve myself. More specifically, I would like to wake up early, spend time with God, eat breakfast, do any chores and prepare for the days activities, eat lunch, accomplish the day’s tasks, eat dinner, spend time with the family, spend time reflecting on the day, and go to be early. While the details of the schedule will obviously change, I would like to maintain this same basic structure. Besides getting in the habit of following my schedule, I would like to establish some other habits this summer. I would like to start the habit of spending time in the Word each morning. I would like to spend time exercising during the day. I would like to spend some time each day building a relationship. Besides accomplishing these goals, I also have some more tangible goals for this summer. I need to work and raise at least five thousand dollars. I need to continue to create art (sculpt two full-size busts, draw and muse in my notebook weekly). I need to prepare for next soccer season (follow the strength and fitness programs, play soccer regularly). I would like to use the shed as a project: clean and fix it, then turn it into an art studio/personal space. Besides these tangible goals, I would also like to gain a clearer understanding of what my goals are for the next year, five years, and ten years. Then I would like to find a way to accomplish these goals. Hopefully by developing a deeper understanding of my purposes I will gain a clearer vision for my life. While all this may seem too obvious, these are things that I have yet to do. I would like to become more mature this summer rather than continue to digress. I realize that my plan is likely be changed, refined, or either altogether scrapped. And yet I have decided to approach it with firm resolve and determination.

Alec on Age

They're young...kids these days are young!

Yes, I did utter this idiotic statement during the long drive back to Covenant after a relaxing weekend with the Ghetto boys. We'd been stuck behind this car full of what appeared to be middle schoolers, the oldest of which was driving (he could not have been a day over 13). One of them decides to break the ice by giving her seatmate a lapdance while the rest of them looked back at us and waited for a response. Not to be outdone I decided to give them something to think about. As we passed them I shared my immense rear with them...yes it was unclothed and in all its glory. After we stopped laughing our faces off I continued to make a fool of myself by uttering the above statement. In retrospect my statement could just as easily have been used to describe my level of maturity. I may be getting old but I still pride myself in my ability to appear young.

PETA Propoganda

Today my buddy Elliot gave me some sweet stickers. This is the one that I liked. Although I do not support PETA, I found the sticker to be pretty funny.

My bright new sticker was proudly affixed to my left breast pocket and stayed there until a few minutes ago. An astonishing revlation caused me to yank the afrementioned sticker off of my body with an authoritative flourish! The revelation is as follows:

PETA KILLS ANIMALS!!! I learned of PETA's overwhelming hypocrisy from a website by the Center for Consumer Freedom. You can read about this incredibly ironic situation more at their website. They cite an official report from the State of Virgina which show that PETA kills 90% of the animals they recieve! Maybe it is just me, but I find this to be pretty sad. This institution which speaks so loudly their words of condemnation, commits the very act they supposedly are fighting against. I surely do not want my tax dollars going to such a hypocritical organization. What do you think?

Role of a Christian Artist

I just finished reading, Christianity and the Arts, from theOoze.com. The writer, Brian Thomas, in describing the current state of confusion within the arts uses the following quote from Gene Veith:

Just as the current intellectual establishment has lost its conceptual basis for truth, the artistic establishment has lost its conceptual basis for beauty. A Christian view of the arts can supply both.

Being an artist in our postmodern-minded generation can be tough. As Thomas points out in his article, our culture no longer has any concept of beauty. While I will admit that the term is rather ambiguous, I also hold that some art is inherently beautiful. Even a young child can recognize beauty when it is before them.


My professor, Kayb Carpenter, explained one of her first aesthetic experiences; seeing Winged Victory (Nike of Samothrace). She was exploring the Lourve in Paris and upon rounding a corner she was literally left breathless as the sight before her. The sculpture stands at the top of a long staircase and Kayb stood motionless for several minutes just in awe of the beautiful work of art.


If beauty can be so obvious even to a young child, why do some artist and critics try to make it so difficult?

Grandpa's Shoes

Grandpa's Shoes by Jessica Everett

100 Years???

So, I was just talking with Ryan Chico about life and love and happiness. He is a senior on the Ghetto and is about to embark on another leg of his journey. I've always been encouraged by his friendship and enlightened by his perspective. While I am sure he will miss the college life, Ryan is really looking forward to the future.
This got me thinking about life and how we only live for a short time. One day you blink and you find yourself sitting on the porch with your wife, watching the grandchildren play in the yard. As I write this, my heart cannot help but ache. I wonder what it is like to be there, looking back over your life and knowing that you only have a few more years to share with those you love. I ache to be back at my grandpa's house, riding on his tractor trails, exploring the woods with my cousins. We would play all afternoon and then have a huge family dinner with all the aunts and uncles, cousins and siblings. And there sitting at the table would be my grandpa just taking it all in, and loving every minute of it.
My grandpa has gone away to heaven, and I do miss him dearly. While I know he tresured his time with us, I know that he is even happier there. Sometimes it is hard for me to think of him because I miss him so bad. But he is still with me, deep inside my soul his memory lives. And what a beautiful memory that is. Of all that my grandpa left behind, the most important thing was his legacy. He will always be remembered as the loving, compassionate grandpa who would light up when we came for a visit. His family was the joy of his life and as one of his grandchildren I will never forget how much he absolutely treasured every moment we were there.
The fond memories carry me through the heartache and make me wonder what kind of grandpa I will be. But I still have a life to live. My childhood is over, and my youth is coming to a close, but I can only live today. So I live, with every breath. With every moment I live. The words of Five for Fighting's song 100 years ring in my ears as I finish writing this post.

The sun is getting high
We're moving on...
I'm 99 for a moment
Dying for just another moment
And I'm just dreaming
Counting the ways to where you are
15 there's still time for you
22 I feel her too
33 you’re on your way
Every day's a new day...
15 there's still time for you
Time to buy and time to choose
Hey 15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live

Morton's Muse on Message

I was reading an article about my professor and fellow artist, Jeffrey Morton. He is one of the wisest people I've been around. While he is hesitant to put his ideas out in the open, I am always intrigued when he does. It was in this article that I discovered another of the simple yet profound ideas that motivate him in his calling as an artist.

As an artist, I don't want to be dogmatic; I just want to point and say, "Hey, look at that."

Clearly, the message any work of art conveys is a vital element of that piece. But as a young artist, I have never given much thought to the message of my work. Professor Morton points out how important the tone of voice in the message.
Does my art speak with a dogmatic tone, or do I simply point things out and leave the thinking the viewer? My art speaks...what does it say?