thoughts on my trip to the D.R.

so as I've mentioned, my trip to the D.R. was incredible. I had an awesome time with stefanie and really loved the island. the Lord really used that trip in an incredible way, I was immersed in a different culture, immersed in Christ-centered community, wrecked by God in beautiful, loving, but tough discipline, and by the end of my trip (after I got spun out 5 times by some jerk on I-40 while going 70mph in the pouring rain, driving doug's borrowed car...) I realized that I was carried through the entirety of the trip by my loving Father. The island of Hispaniola has been showing up an awful lot in my life lately, (besides my girlfriend moving there to teach art for a semester) I did a fair amount of undergraduate research on Haitian/Dominican relations and life in bateys. bateys are essentially Haitian "immigrant" worker camps (in reality most of them are ex-slave labor camps in the Dominican, where kidnapped Haitians were brought to cut sugar cane for large corporations. generations of displaced Haitians are now essentially stuck there, tied to the land and without any sort of national identity and face an incredible amount of red tape, fines, and paper work if they are to escape batey life) stef and I had the opportunity to visit one while I was there because the 5th and 12th graders did their service week projects there. for me, the experience was a extremely challenging one. Its one thing to study the depravity of batey life and it is another thing entirely to see it first hand, I even met a kid my age (freaking 20 years old) who was struggling to find a job since his old one (driving cane trucks) now required a license which he could not acquire without citizenship (very few Haitians in bateys have any sort of national citizenship.) it was so hard for stef and I to leave, we both felt God pulling on our heart strings for these people. the thought has crossed my mind multiple times, to move down there after I graduate next spring and do something. that, to me, sounds like God and if thats what he has for me, I will certainly follow him down to the Dominican.


for some pictures stef took of the batey check out her blog:
http://stefstuever.blogspot.com/

Mathematical Blogging

Read this:

http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2011/03/4601/

This made me laugh for multiple reasons. In fact, you should stop reading the blog unless you read the other blog (mind bender). Let's see how we add up.

1. +3 points (formerly +4) with the perfect number of 7 of us living in the house. We lost a point when Doug left for the wilderness, but I'm fine with the +3.

4. +7 points. I stand by the fact that we all have different spiritual gifts. Evan's is growing things. Sam has discernment. Jeremy can ride bikes well. Jackson can sleep through my snoring. I can snore really loud. Joe knows the entire old testament. John's good at rebuking.

5. +1 My friends from freshman year...

6. +2. Duh.

7. +2 Buddy makes a point every time he sees me to make sure I haven't drank any koolaid.

9. ehh not really.

10. +1 The Office. +1 I watch Dexter. -1 Jackson watches the First 48.

11. +3 This has tailed off since last year, when I faced a blistering accusation from Mom and Dad.

12. +2 I'd say we use encourage and serve more than any others. That's all we do for one another of course.

13. I wish that was true. I'd give us a 67%

14. +2 Jackson's real good about this.

15. +4. We do have a small Christian library, where people can borrow books. We wanted to take this one to the next level.

16. +1 Evan.

17. +1 Evan.

18. +3. Willard. Learn it, love it, live it.

19. eh I'll give us 1/2 a point for this. Leadership doesn't count, but we are referred to as a collective whole.

20. +2 Jackson's gonna start taking out the trash...

21. +3 The Willard apartments, 3, and The Prospect St. Place

22. +2 Our neighbor gets a smile and a wave every time he's on a smoking break.

23. +3 Jackson owns the "Mazda Man Van"

24. +3 This is a blog about a blog, that told us that we get points for blogging...

= 46.5

Wonderful.

<3's
James Crockett Harris III

Sky Blue Sky

Wilco is certainly one of my favorite bands of all time. They haven't put out anything that I can't listen to and enjoy immensely, from Alt-country to experimental. Its important to note, however, that Sky Blue Sky, although not the most recent work, takes the cake every time in my book.

Perhaps thats due to the fact that it was the first effort after the addition of lead guitarist Nels Cline. Nels has made a name for himself through his solo work which is described by The New York Times "One of the best guitarists in any Genre." Nels background includes just about every type of jazz one could possibly imagine and his addition to arguably one of the best American rock bands ever is perfect. Perhaps my taste for this album is also derived from my relating the effort to the summertime of my sophomore year and the many many times that I enjoyed it on the dock of a lake (Smith Mountain, see license plate) with best friends. And, perhaps once more, my fondness is due to the fact that I happened to see Wilco on their Sky Blue Sky tour that summer and they played beautiful summer music for 3 straight hours including 3 encores, because the first and the second just weren't enough. However, whatever the reason may be, I'd say that this record is easily one of my top 10 favorites of all time.

Many have described the album as one that was meant to be played live, and given my presumptuous feelings about the work, I must agree. This is summer music at its finest ladies and gentlemen. Perhaps the best part of the music, is that its universal. Sure, it has a summery chill-out sound, but lets not forget the many rampant Nels solos that separate the sound from anything else. The band also has more current members than a ska band, so the sound isn't quite like anything else out there. Also, let us not forget the magnificent words and presence that is Jeff Tweedy front man and former Uncle Tupelo. Say whatever you want about his stale attitude towards his fans and life in general, the man can write music, and good music at that.

So, give it a try. The birds are out once more. The grass is greening. The weather is incredible. Soon enough, summer will be here just begging for a summer mix. Sky Blue Sky is the perfect choice every time. Wilco wins big this time.

Evan

And so it was 7; reactions to Doug's absence

Since Doug's been gone at Willard, it has been sheer turmoil. Just kidding, it's been like a day and a half. But, I would like to share with you a few reactions about Doug's absence from residents and friends of Willard, as we embark on this tough time together:

"Who's taking out the trash now, I vote Jackson."- Evan Underwood

"I found one of Doug's beard hairs on Jackson's face after he left, I taped it to the white board because I miss him."-John Carr

"I was creeping on Doug's facebook and didn't recognize him without a beard."- Lauren Anderson

"It hasn't really set in that he's gone yet, but the thing I'll miss most is him going out of his way to see how I'm doing and spend a little time with me everyday."- Alex Norton

"Ummm, there's a void of wisdom in my soul."- Sam Bowman

"a quote about doug eh? who's gonna say no. and am I gonna start taking out trash? hmm. I don't understand, I'm in charge of the house account. Paying rent."- Jackson Strawn

"I <3 Doug"- Allie Golden

"lemme tell you, the basement feels really weird without him and his stuff. I would say also there's no official welcomer"- Claire Waldrop

"Somebody's gotta have a beard, and since half of us can't grow one, I think I may just be the man for the job."- James Harris

"Wait I need more time to think of a quote."- Jeremy Mateyk

"umm, that's a tough question (holds up a finger for silence)(smiles coyly) I know you're typing more about me right now. (laughs softly) I have no one to laugh at my dumb Bible jokes anymore. Doug loved my Bible jokes."-Joe Danehower

"I'm excited to step into Giles where he spent the last 4 years of his life."- Derek Jones

"I don't see him that often, but it makes me a little bit sad."- Chris Howell

"I miss the physical presence of his love but I'm stoked for what the Lord has for him on this walk through the woods."- Sam Vaughn

"Doug is the person who always brings a smile to my face and I know when he asks me how I am doing, that no matter what he is always genuine and truly cares. And that is what I will miss most, his gentle spirit."-Rachel Carlson

"a quote? I just got in bed, sorry brother. I'll be on campus or starbuck's studying tomorrow from 8-12 if you wanna meet up then."- Mark Richardson

"I will miss how Doug could see into my soul."- KT Surratt

I hope you enjoyed these varied responses to how Doug's absence will be taken. As you can see we're all in different stages of mourning. Maybe this will help with the healing process. Maybe not. Who knows. So good luck, and we're all in this together.

<3's
James Crockett Harris III

this is it

This is my last post as an official Willard House member. When I return, it will be as a visiting brother.
This house this year has been a joy and honor to be a part of; a satisfying fruit of my labors.
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!"
Thank you.
Farewell.

Stillness

It’s been too long since I last composed, so here it goes. I am as busy as every right now, but I have come to find comfort in the face of the density. I read a quote today, “In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness within you,” Beautiful. I have nightmares sometimes that I wake up and my college days are gone and all I have to show is a work ethic that I despise and a sheet of paper with decent grades on it. This is my worst fear. Often I am so preoccupied with school and life that I forget that I am alive. I miss being real with my friends, I miss the birds outside and I miss time glorifying my creator. What a shame. Instead of trying to be intentional with my quiet times and with taking breaks from studying, I desire these because they are all I know. My life is not my work and my work is not my life. My toil is simply something I do from time to time to keep sane, not something that I take a break from time to time to stay sane. I have every intention of laboring intently, because that is what you require, but more importantly you require me and not me when I’m not occupied. Creation begs a lovely response from each of us and I daresay dedication, no matter how steadfast, falls short every time. I will not be shaken inside, for I have a stillness that is me, for I am not what I do, for I am alive without action. I am alive, today, now. Have heart, for heart is all I am.

Making Money/ Dougie

I want to start this off by saying we're not "sell-outs" and we haven't "given in to the man". Yeah, the rumors are true. We pulled a Sloop and are making money off of our internet masterpiece. Those ads that come up on the side of your screen every time you read a blog are slowly pouring money into our house. This money we have not yet decided what to do with, but we'll keep you informed. Additionally, and more importantly, this is Doug's last week in the house. He leaves Saturday to go into the wild blue yonder, and hike the Appalachian Trail. This has led me to want to write a little about the first time I met Doug....

Leader Weekend 2010 was a jubilant time in my life. All my buds and I headed down to Richmond to hang out and be refreshed. Every room in the hotel was split, two freshmen and two real people. So Mikey Lewis and myself were in a room with Alex "The Hop" Hopkins, and the wise man known as Doug Clelland.

Along with meeting Doug for the first time, this was my first encounter with Doug's sleeping habits (early to bed, early to rise). You see, we didn't know Hopkins and Doug were in the room with us. So when Mike and I got to the room (say around 12:30) there was a sleeping bag on the floor, completely covering a shape that looked like a man. However it was zipped up all the way, to the point we couldn't see any skin. After some quick investigating (I went into the pants laying on the ground and pulled out Doug's wallet) we realized who our sleeping com padre was. After this strange start to our relationship, Doug and I have been bffs ever since. Well not really, we still didn't know each other too well until we moved in together. THEN we became bffs.

Doug is the wisest man Ive ever met. He stares into the depths of your soul when you talk to him, and he is a great listener. We have shared great times together, long walks late at night, and I have learned a lot from living with Doug. He discipled me this past year, which has been great for my walk, and I hope good for his too. I'm gonna miss a lot of things about Doug. His responsibility. His Wisdom. His laugh. His beard. But most of all, I'm gonna miss his non-judgmental nature. You can literally tell Doug anything, and he won't judge you. He'll listen. Ask questions to further understanding (yours and his) and comment if appropriate. But never judging. So here's to you Doug, my house mate, friend, and brother. I love you Doug.

<3's
James Harris III

michigan?

long time no talk. i havent written a blog in forever. however, the fellow willardians have been holding up strong so that makes me happy.

with the semester pretty much halfway through everyone has been trying to figure out what they are going to be doing for the summer. some of us will be staying in blacksburg, others will be going home to work, some will be going to various places to work, and i will be going to michigan. yes this is true. with a lot of my other summer plans falling through until about a month ago i had planned on staying in blacksburg, working at some chain establishment (the man as evan would call it), and just bro-ing out and living life. i had come fairly content with this decision but was still a little uneasy on whether this was actually what i was supposed to be doing for the summer. within less than week from making this decision i received a phone call from timber wolf lake, a young life camp in michigan, offering me the job of sound intern. now ill be the first to admit im not the most highly qualified for this job, but i spent a month last summer doing the same exact thing so i felt comfortable with the job aspect. the next thought was, is this what im supposed to be doing. i took some thought and just had a really confident feeling about it. it was almost as if God placed this job in my hands and said trust me. i never once had the thought that i would be spending my summer in michigan. i literally know one person in the entire state of michigan. but i accepted the job. so i will be spending from may-august in this state; serving the Lord. i envision myself as a kid going in for his first day of kindergarten. nervous and apprehensive but knows that he has to go. i envision God tapping me on the butt as i hop on the bus and saying no worries, were doing this together. it just happened to work out that hypes justin and i had already planned to go visit miles, my friend who works at timber wolf, over spring break. and thats what we did. we headed up sunday and stayed at hypes' friend's house in akron, oh. we then finished the trip monday and spent monday at camp checking everything out. everyone was really friendly and excited to meet the guy from virginia. the next day we went up to traverse city, which is actually the cherry capital of the US, to walk around and see lake michigan. we all had a blast hanging out and just spending quality time together. then on wednesday we said see ya soon to miles and came all the way back to virginia. it was a haul but we did it. 16 hours of driving in all, it was insane. hypes drove for 13 of those hours. he decided at the end of the day that he enjoys driving. seriously. im now home from my spring break in the snow and will most likely head back to willard on saturday. one love.

Jarabacoa, DR

so james is correct, I am in the dominican republic right now visiting stefanie (who is napping right next to me… I know, doesn’t sound like her at all…) stef lives in a mountain town called jarabacoa and works at a private christian school here named doulos discovery school helping to teach art to screaming domincan children. its gorgeous here. ive had a blast so far, we went to the beach on Saturday and I got to body surf for several hours. yesterday we went to church and hiked to a waterfall and today im helping out with art classes at doulos. being here has been great, there is a wonderful christ-centered community in jarabacoa who really have a heart for the dominican people. and I love people. and traveling. and I have fun speaking in spainsh (or trying to) with dominicanos since somehow I actually learned a lot in my spainish classes in high school. oh, and as im sure evan would want to know, i was handed rum in a cup with ice as soon as i got through customs... haha thats all, cant wait to see my willard brothers in a week, paz adentro

peace, love, and platanos

jc

Spring Break 2011

A brief update on the supposed happenings in the lives of the Willard men, and what they are up to this warm holiday season.

Doug Clelland-
Maryland? Blacksburg? I am not really sure honestly. The one thing I am sure about is that Doug is definitely getting ready to hike the Appalachian trail in about a week and a half. Scared? Never. Doug doesn't know what fear even means.

Jeremy Mateyk-
Pennsylvania. Ew.

Sam Bowman & Evan Underwood-
A trip down to Florida is just what the Doctor ordered for these two outdoors men. A week filled with fishing, hunting, and camping is good for their collective soul.

John Carr-
Dominican Republic. Or Costa Rica. I can never remember...
But really he's in the Dominican, visiting his girlfriend Stef Stuever. Sure he's having a great time surfing and hanging out. She's bound to be painting, or teaching young children art.

Jackson Strawn- Apparently he is taking a trip to Akron, Ohio. Or at least that is what his Twitter told me.

Joe Danehower- Who really knows what this mystery man gets up to? Playin ball on the courts of DC? probs. Visiting his girlfriend Claire? Maybs. I'm about to text him, I'll give an synapsis in my next post.

Me? nothing really. Allie's in Nicaragua, so no one texts me anymore. I've been at the Orphanage.

I hope this satisfied your need for updates on our lives. Keep on keepin on.

<3's
James C. Harris III

The Infinite Right Hand Rule Theorem..

Hello all,


I thought that I'd share a few thoughts/ideas/theorems that have been blowing my mind lately. The Right Hand Rule, as applied to mathematics and physics, indeed may contain all (or at least most) of the answers to life's most complex and difficult questions. Lately, I have come to realize that this simple mnemonic (originally created for understanding notation conventions for vectors in 3 dimensions, particularly for its application in understanding electromagnetism) is universally applicable to any activity that one may choose to apply it to. You aren't sure what the sex of your soon to be child will be, apply the rule. You are unsure whether or not a lottery ticket will be worthwhile investment, apply the rule. What color shirt should I wear today, apply the rule. You get the idea. Now, the understanding of the right hand rule may come easily for those of us that have previously engaged in its many functions and applications, the complete and thorough mastering of its brilliance is quite a noble accomplishment. Men and women constantly misuse this pseudo curl and to great catastrophe at that. Buildings collapse, people lose jobs, and various assortments of college students are greatly grieved at its improper use. Perhaps the most common of misuses foolishly involves the use of the left hand in place of the right hand. Never, and I repeat myself, never is there a scenario that allows for the use of the infamous left hand rule. As far as the right hand rule goes, the left hand is much more than useless. Millions of people are daily fooled into the use of the left hand, and as mentioned the results are catastrophic. Please read about this phenomenon and allow your imagination free rein. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-hand_rule

While I am on the subject, I also feel compelled to mention the infinite punnet square theorem and the infinite Japanese red maple theorem. These concepts (although perhaps more easily comprehended than that of the IRHRT) can lead to success in the office, at home, and in social circles where one intends to "strut ones stuff" figuratively speaking. The infinite punnet square theorem states that all questions pertaining to each and every sect of the biological realms can be solved and explained in great and overwhelming detail with the simple application of a punnet square. I know what your thinking, "this doesn't seem possible, it can't be done." But please, give it a try if you do not believe me. The power of the punnet square scoffs at any explanation that I could possibly give to convince you. You simply must try it an see.


Also, about the Japanese Maple. A marvelously beautiful and magnificent example of what a tree should look like, this tree is universally applicable to any floral design or landscaping design that the mind can fathom. Have a space in your yard that looks bland? A Japanese Red Maple will surpass any expectations one could have ever held about the beauty of his or her yard. The tree, to the astonishment of foresters and botanists alike, somehow magically changes colors (from green to Red) during the fall season of the year. This simple concept is enough to keep any human being at or above average intellect every interested and never bored with the status of the tree.


Consider them treatises if you will, but consider nonetheless,


Thoughts are encouraged.


Evan