My advent conspiracy

As some saw a few posts ago, I support this cause called Advent Conspiracy. Its a campaign to remove our values and priorities surrounding Christmas from the consumerism it has become and to restore the meaning of Christmas through giving back to others in time, service, and compassion. I long for this to be a value of mine all year long & not just at Christmastime. And this year I didn't have much choice when it came to giving gifts - my empty pockets made it very easy to choose the giving of 'presence' instead of 'presents'.

Did I say easy? In reality it wasn't. Even though in my heart I value quality time with my family and friends, though I know that a gift given just because its 'that time of year' isn't worth the giving, I found it difficult. When I knew each member of my family would be handing me a gift they bought or put money towards, I struggled with not reciprocating. What would they think? How would they feel? Am I being selfish? Those were the conflicts happening in my mind as I pondered this conspiracy in the midst of our culture and society.

Its not that I gave up giving all gifts this year, but that I decided to spend time & energy on something that would be for my whole family rather than buying individual gifts. See we've had these 8mm home videos that have been gathering dust for years - always there to be watched, yet ignored and overlooked due to the tiresome duty of having to search through hours to find what you're looking for. That's where the glory of the DVD comes in - yes, it was time to copy them & make them accessible to all! So, that's what I spent the last month working on - copying all our old home videos to DVD.

And last night it was all worth it. We sat down as a family, watching our lives pass by as we grew...laughing heartily at our hair styles, clothing, comments...pondering the people in our lives that have passed on...being thankful for where we are now in life. It was a really fantastic time, sharing memories together as a family again - my mom, dad, 2 brothers & I.



I love you all - mom, dad, Greg & Dave. Here's to lots of old memories and many more to come!

A summary of my life in Ohio...

It's been a lot of fun!!!!

The Places We Live

The Places We Live (Aperture, 2008)
Photographs © Jonas Bendiksen/Magnum Photos

My friend Scott sent this link to me, www.theplaceswelive.com It's an amazing interactive website, kind of like a choose your own destination online documentary. Here's some info I took from the Aperture Foundation website:

The Places We Live
Photographs by Jonas Bendiksen

Exhibition

Exhibition on View:
Friday, June 6, 2008—Saturday, January 31, 2009

Nobel Peace Center
Radhusplassen
Oslo, Norway

In 2008 more people live in cities than in rural areas. One third of city dwellers, more than a billion people, live in slums. In The Places We Live, Magnum photographer Jonas Bendiksen presents sixteen homes in four different slum areas: Caracas, Venezuela; Mumbai, India; Nairobi, Kenya; and Jakarta, Indonesia.

The exhibition, a unique multimedia installation, challenges viewers to reflect on what it means to live in a city in the 21st century. Bendiksen has visited four slums selected according to geographical spread and variation. He depicts various aspects of slum life, from worst-offs to slum chiefs.

The accompanying book, published by Aperture, includes twenty double-gatefold images, each representing an individual home and its denizen’s story. Through its innovative design and experiential approach, The Places We Live brings the modern-day Dickensian reality of these individuals into sharp focus.

A member of Magnum Photos, Jonas Beniksen (born in Tønsberg, Norway, 1977) has received numerous awards, including the 2003 Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography, and first prize in the Pictures of the Year International Awards. His photographs have appeared in National Geographic, GEO, Newsweek, and the Sunday Times Magazine, among other publications. His bestselling first book, Satellites: Photographs from the Fringes of the Former Soviet Union, was published in 2006 by Aperture. In 2007, the Paris Review received a National Magazine Award for Bendiksen’s project The Places We Live. He is the most recent winner of the National Geographic Photography Grant, and is the first Norwegian photographer to become a member of MAGNUM Photos.

Introduction text © Philip Gourevitch

The photographs are amazing & the information is worth engaging. Let me know what you think!

Unique gifts...

I have to give a plug for 2 friends & their innovative designs.

First, is Lisa Larson - friend of mine since 2002 when I moved out to Denver. Lisa & her husband now live in St. Paul, Minnesota. Lisa is very creative & is busy making these fun & beautiful pendants. She takes old buttons and button covers & creates some unique designs! The website for her shop is: Etsy - green squirrel Here are some of my favs from her inventory:




















The next is a friend, Shauna Lott, who lived in my hall at college. She is now living in Boulder, Colorado and has created this lovely coffee sleeve, or as she & her co-creator call it: coffeecover. This is a great option for those who take daily trips to the local coffee shop and don't take their own insulated cup with them. Less waste, folks, plus some beauty to boot. Her store is here: Etsy - coffeecover A glimpse of my favorite:

The world of entitlement

We do take a lot for granted here, don't we? A friend posted the following clip on his blog & I couldn't help but put it here as well. Above any other season, let's stop & remember how blessed we are - how much we have and how far we've come. Is there wonder left in the world? What do you think?