an idler's dream

david gray. download single. be happy.

halloween is today. my thoughts.

HALLOWEEN:

To me, all saints eve is about dressing up like a hobo in first grade for the school costume contest...only to be soundly defeated by the guy dressed up in silver boxes like the robot from Lost In Space. For some reason, my mom made me dress like a hobo again in 2nd grade...this time, i just got laughed at. And why did she insist on painting my cheeks and eyebrows? Do hobo's wear makeup?

Halloween is about going to grandmother's house and making little english muffin pizza's with pumpkin carved faces. then handing out candy to all the other kids that came to her door...although, all i really was there for was for my papaw to take ME out door to door. We would go see tall betsy, the local "scary" tall monster person. (basically a cross dressing man on stilts). fantastic.

It is the first time my best friend and i were allowed to go to the local block party in 7th grade and he got punched in the face by some bullies while i was "looking the other way". i walk up to him crying and he asked "did you see what just happened?" - NO!? What?! i replied (i had seen it all). fat little coward. fortunately, we are still best friends.

It is my friend patrick dressing up like a picnic table and scaring all of the special needs kids our senior year of high school. I was a demon warrior, my other friend was a zombie, and patrick was a table. when we walked in the special education room to help hand out candy and play with the students in there, they laughed at me and zombie...were petrified by the table man! i laughed very hard and often about that.

Halloween is haunted houses in college and wal-mart candy bags after. its milk duds, nerd box trading at school, apples (still don't get this), unicef pennies, and cheap plastic pumpkins.

i honestly have more fond memories of halloween than any holiday other than christmas.

sorry i've been away so long...i'll try not to let you down again.

END.

B

Black Eyed Peas.
they
know
how to get a song stuck in your
H
E
A
D
!!!!

England was fantastic. i'm not sure if i've ever posted about my time living in London before, but it was THE defining time of my life. that is another post altogether.

this trip was DC-Paris-NewCastle-Ediburgh-Paris-DC ... so no london...but wonderful trip.

2 impact moments.

1. Whitby - tiny English fishing village. literally best fish-n-chips ever.










(monty python reference)


2. Mary King's Close http://www.realmarykingsclose.com - buried over street from the 1600's that has been recently found and excavated
in Edinburgh, Scotland...and you can go on a guided tour of it. not joking when i say both awe inspiring and SPOOKY.


been wrestling recently with finding the balance between passion and intellect. to explain:

let's say "someone" was a aspiring 21st century bohemian- they love art, music, truth, beauty, media,
and above
all
else... .... Love.

"they" want to suck the marrow out of life, carpe diem...they want to quote movies with every breath.

now, how does this "person" reconcile their steadfast and integrity driven absolute belief in the rightness and trueness of this soulsong - WITH the world of the mundane...the jobs that do not respect NOR even recognize the existence of these bohemian attitudes.

Can such a person ever be happy NOT living as a modern gypsy. are they sacrificing a part of their soul to meet the requirements of "adulthood"-"responsibility"-"society"?

vague thoughts at 1am to be sure...
but
nuggets of truth
are in there.

it hurts my heart that so many live life and don't understand that beauty is everywhere. that hope and joy are in the masterpiece that is our everyday life.

Travel is
the education
and sustenance
of our
Souls.

on a similar note-

i am going to a Dude Ranch with my wife and inlaws for the next week.
that's right..
A 1980's nickelodeon "hey dude" ranch. :) i hope someone gets this one day.

i'm stocking up on Goldbond-chapstick-and advil for the 8 hour horse back rides every day.

yes, you read that right.

excited about what's coming up around the next bend...

just getting into Kings of Leon.
love
them.
if you want a sample...go buy "revelry" off of itunes. you will not be disappointed.

is anybody out there?

(while this is a rhetorical question at times, not now)



are you?

B

pete yorn's new single. i like that guy.

funny story-i actually got to see him open for coldplay on my birthday in 2002 in a small venue in london...front row.

ok, a story, not funny though.

so, i have to go to a funeral tonight. a friend's mom died. if you dig a little, you will see in one of my past blog posts how much i "love" funeral homes...the delicious smells, the soothing temperature, the not awkward conversations. i already know that i will ask someone who is greiving..."how are you doing?". How in the h*ll do i think they are doing.

but, in the past year, i've learned how much it means to people when you just show up. even if you don't say or do ANYTHING, and i'm great at that, it really makes others feel loved just by your presence. so, as the title says, don't wanna cry for you, but i'll sit on the pew for you and compliment the flowers to your 3rd cousin.

life is good right now. leaving for England on Friday. really busy in life right now. just put a
movie
theater
in
my house.

i will geek post on that someday soon i'm sure.

had a 30th birthday surprise party on saturday. my wife really tricked me. and my friends blew me away. i will post a pic after the post, so you can see how much they "love" me. enough to sacrifice most of their pride.

great
friends.

the best even.

Hope is on the Horizon. i hope you are challenged where you are in life right now. I hope you feel Dangerous.

life is too short, not
to
be
Dangerous.


great word.

cheers,

B

Yes, he is real. Yes, I have seen this at least 10 times and still laugh every time.

my April 20th resolution is to blog more. (April 20 is a big holiday in the ervin family)

(not really)

so, i'm listening to the new phil wickham acoustic album (free at www.philwickham.com ) he is awesome, sorta like a rufus wainright for christians. and if you hate rufus, then he is like a kenny chesney for christians. ) although, in their defense, i think rufus and kenny are just fine like they are for christians.

so, i'm going to

CatalystWestCoast on wednesday ... and i'm pretty excited. if you aren't familiar with Catalyst, you probably would be best served by googling it and/or wikapediaing it.

i might be putting too much emphasis on an event, but i'm really hoping it lives up to its name in my life...that it is a "tipping point"...a blinder remover..

that my
rudder
gets
turned in life.

i feel like i'm coasting on smooth seas right now, but that if i want to ever captain a vessel, then i need get out into some rough seas and on a larger ship. i'm hoping at CatalystWest, that maybe i'll see some things more clearly about my life, about opportunity, and about possiblilities.

it's hard to be an original anymore...not because every good idea has been taken, but because being

an original

has become a "buzzword". you almost don't want to be referred to as unique anymore...you just want to be noticed. i think my search for significance and handicapped my ability to embrace potential in my own life. wow, i'm really sounding like a goob. better stop here.

i'm reading some really funny blogs on a daily basis now. i will add them to the links on the side of the blog. it's cool, because i'm sorta "befriending" people i've never met, yet, i sorta feel like i know.

so while i still have a love/hate/love relationship with blogging and twittering (and to a lesser extent, all so-called social webnetworking) ... there is
some
good
in it.


hope to post more tomorrow and while i'm at Catalyst.

cheers,

bErvin.

If you need just a little pick me up today...a little inspiration about hope in the midst of hopelessness...a lesson on judging books by their cover...

PLEASE WATCH THIS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

its about time.