AfricanStealth's Xanga

slow going

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 19:29:59 GMT

literally. it seems the only times i get to really write on here are when i don't make it to work for one reason or another. this time it was again precipitation, only the frozen kind... we didn't shovel out our driveway yesterday when 10 inches fell, so it melted slightly and froze overnight. and my little front-wheel-drive tercel doesn't travel so well through 10 inches of frozen snow. ah, for 4-wheel drives in an african monsoon. that i know how to deal with - this frozen stuff, not so much.

in my quest for web-publishing my music over the past couple days, i have discovered some great sites: www.discrevolt.com and www.tunecore.com - ever wonder how musicians got their music on itunes? now you know. it just takes a couple months. but as little as a few dollars - you don't have to be signed or anything. in terms of getting the EP out though, at the moment i'm just waiting for the artwork and then i'll submit it to the manufacturer. I'm really excited about this! Have I told you that yet? =)

the most fun over the past couple days is wading through music at discrevolt, though. There are some really good musicians on there - and quite a few crappy ones as well... but you don't have to waste your time at the crappy sites. but the site in general is just a great idea and a lot of fun to check out what people are doing. i'm excited. =)

christmas and new year

Sat, 30 Dec 2006 16:39:51 GMT

wow. it's been awhile. lots has happened. i got a cellphone. the world can now officially end. I wonder how it will affect my life...

still working in construction, but i had the week of Christmas off. It's times like these that I envy teachers, who are doing pretty much what they want to do for the most part, get holidays off and the summer as well, and make enough money to live on, to boot... although i have managed to get off work during the summer... sometimes you just gotta suck it up i guess.

well, happy christmas and new year! We had some really cute neices and nephews running around our house over the holidays - it was worth having babies around, even though they woke us up rather early. =) i'll have to post some pictures up.

i'm really excited for this new year - things are moving well with the CD for the most part, i've developed some business plans for the album and possible EP, i'm really enjoying my new church (Wheatland Presbyterian), developing friendships and music relationships. Those are all prayer requests too - sometimes it seems like we hit walls with the recording, and it's hard to know if that's a spiritual thing, and if so why? it's good though, 'cause it just makes us re-examine ourselves and re-submit to God in those areas. Please do pray if you think of us.

So here's to the New Year and fond remembrance of this past year. When i think about the ways i've grown and stretched, and reflect on what has happened, it's just been a God-filled year! Hoping to continue that upward swing... =)

rain and recording

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 17:29:59 GMT

today we got rained out - of work that is. I woke up as usual around 5 am and was out the door at 6 am to discover that i was driving through a flood zone on my way to work. For those of you that don't know, i started back at my old construction job, but at a new job site. We're working on a highschool, but very little of it is completed and we don't have a roof on any of the structure yet.

So work was pretty much flooded out. All the walls were wet, all the forms were wet, and we couldn't really get anything done. so we all went home and took the day off. So that means i got 2 days off this week instead of the usual 'just friday'. And i just sent off my application to UPenn's linguistics program. we'll see how that goes.

I tell you - God is good! To give me a construction job back where i only have to work 4 days a week! what fun!

Fridays and Sundays we're working on this CD. it's shaping up pretty well, i have to say. We're working on a small Christmas production at the same time - hopefully to have available by Dec 1st. I'll let you know how that goes. =) It's tiring but good.

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Sat, 30 Sep 2006 14:31:21 GMT

I just read this great article. It's called "Return of the Tribes" by Ralph Peters. If you are interested in the topic of globalization, here's a great new take on the situation:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/012/616fcajg.asp

the first paragraph:

"Globalization is real, but its power to improve the lot of humankind has been madly oversold. Globalization enthralls and binds together a new aristocracy--the golden crust on the human loaf--but the remaining billions, who lack the culture and confidence to benefit from "one world," have begun to erect barricades against the internationalization of their affairs. And, from Peshawar to Paris, those manning the barricades increasingly turn violent over perceived threats to their accustomed patterns of life. If globalization represents a liberal worldview, renewed localism is a manifestation of reactionary fears, resurgent faiths, and the iron grip of tradition. Except in the commercial sphere, bet on the localists to prevail."

You might think this is just a lot more mumbo-jumbo on the topic of globalization, but read on, and you'll discover that his concerns are not about globalization, but about the things which concern people around the world in their everyday lives - real "mumbo-jumbo", aka - magic. This is the world that most people in the world live in on an everyday basis. If you don't believe in magic, you'd better start now.

I think his points are very real and well-made, but being a Christian I'm also somewhat biased in favor of Christianity to address the issues he brings up. I'm inviting comments. What impact should his observations have on the nature of Christianity within those contexts, if any?

willow street woes

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 22:13:30 GMT

ah yes. the woes of living at home. with home-cooked meals, late nights and sleeping in, friends to hang out with, music to play...

it's not really all that rosy. i've got a report to finish, a job to get, a cd to record, a record company to build, a website to maintain, a gospel choir and church to find.

if you've never written an academic report on surveying a remote indo-european language, be assured that it's no walk in the park (more rocky and windswept, albeit beautiful). I was done with my journal entries months ago, but now in order to make it somewhat conclusive and show that i did my research, i'm looking up obscure references to this language that were made 30 years ago (or more), mostly by Russian and German ethnographers/linguists (neither language one that I know). and unfortunately i can't find any of it on the internet - just the references. what's more, since i'm no longer a student i can't use interlibrary loan (although i did discover that the public library has an emasculated version).

but at least i'm learning somewhat interesting things while surfing the internet. such as...

did you know that the speed of light could be slowing down exponentially?: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=39733

and a slightly different take: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starlight_problem

the sands of change...

Wed, 23 Aug 2006 01:29:30 GMT

so less than a week ago i was in central asia, trying to figure out if the stoppage at heathrow would keep me from getting home.

and now i'm at home after spending a day snowboarding in dubai (hello people?! side note - you've gotta have a freakin' load of money to build an indoor ski slope in the middle of the humid desert - humid due to the arabian gulf, desert due to the... well... desert) and then spending an extra day in the UK because my flight to philly was cancelled, on account of which i had to miss a couple brothers and their wives and kids who were at my grandparents' but had to leave the day after i would have gotten there. ah well. God knows best, i suppose. It was good to see my grandparents.

and it's a bit weird to be here. still. after a week. I keep wishing i was back there doing language survey, or just there chilling out. and now it's late and i have to go to bed. i wish i could put a finger on the sensation of culture stress/shock/confusion/transition. i don't think i'll ever feel completely at home in the US. I hope i never do.

Monday, July 24, 2006

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 08:09:03 GMT

and in other news, i finished uploading some pictures. so here's one of me on a language survey trip.

I got to ride in the back for the 12-hr trip along the rocky, single-lane mountain roads. it was awesome!!!

and here's one of me using the john.

it's what you might call a 'public' bathroom. the view behind me looks better in this picture:

and finally, i had to rest after all that traveling.

life

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 06:23:32 GMT

here's an excerpt from a letter to "the good one" that I just wrote. It pretty much sums up what I've been thinking about for the past few days/weeks:

I just finished memorizing Romans 8 - what an incredible chapter! I've never been one for memorizing, but I've realized that if I really want to fight in this war against the devil, I'm going to have to have my sword ready at all times. No, there is NOTHING that will separate us from the love of Christ! and not only that, but "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and of death.(!!!) ...if we live according to the flesh we will die, but if by the spirit we put to death the deeds of the body, we will live. (!!!) For all who are led by the spirit of God are children of God. For he has not given us a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but he has given us a spirit of adoption.(!!!)"

What an amazing truth! =) That God's power is right there for us, if we walk according to the spirit, setting our minds on the things of the spirit and submitting our bodies to that law of life in Jesus. For as we set our minds on the truth, "the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through the spirit that raised Christ from the dead." !!! God is doing this work in us as we spend time with him and in his word, allowing the truth to change our minds and actions. May the river of life flow through us!

[Now if only I could do the good that i want, rather than the evil i do not want to do.]

the final show

Tue, 02 May 2006 22:06:13 GMT

so before i leave, i'm doing one final show... at the station house. if we can even call it that anymore. Sunday, May 14, 2006. It's going to be a coffeehouse worship service, in which i share my spiritual journey (past, present, future) through the songs that i've written.

this will be the whole service. 9:30 am until 10:30 or so. if you're around and want to come, please do so.

i'll be back after the summer, so look for a chart-topping record at the beginning of next year. =)

hiram on myspace

Sat, 15 Apr 2006 14:54:15 GMT

so right now i'm trying to figure out how myspace works. it seems to be better than xanga for musicians to network, partly because you can put music on your page. so if you're on there, let me know by requesting me as a friend. the address is:

http://www.myspace.com/hiramring

in other news, i'll be quitting my construction job on may 12 in order to prepare for travel! YES! and we have a couple students from japan staying with us for a couple weeks. it's been fun so far (they just got here on friday). maybe i'll learn a few japanese words...