James Kirk

Many moons has it been since my site has been online. The reason? I was hosting it off of my own computer that I left with a friend at IIT. The school changed their IP address assignment policy, and down went my connection. Rather than try to deal with IIT’s Office of Technology Services, I decided to call it quits on my trusty ol’ web box. When I visited Chicago in September, I yanked its hard drive and brought it back with me. Now I’m paying for hosting like everyone else (using GoDaddy). The control freak in me is chafing at only having FTP access, but I’ll manage. The gallery should be coming back online shortly, and I’ll be updating regularly now, so check back often!

Wow, this was an impressive little film. Enid and Rebecca are two best friends who have just graduated high school. They seemingly spend their days cynically viewing and mocking the status quo around them. When they decide to play a prank on a lonely middle-aged man, though, it begins an unlikely friendship for Enid, forcing her to reexamine her ideals. The relationship between Enid and the man, Seymour (played by Steve Buscemi), is awkward and dynamic and kind of uncertain - not unlike actual relationships outside the movies. I think this film is ripe for some heavy analysis, but it’s been too long since I watched it, so I don’t feel up to the task. Maybe after the second viewing.

Rating: 8/10

Cool! A smackdown between the “emergent church” movement and the traditional church, represented by two huge evangelical authorities. Very respectful, very thoughtful, and very long. I haven’t read it all yet - I have to wait ’til I’m off work.

Chuck Colson’s original article
Brian McLaren’s response
Colson responds to McLaren

I haven’t written a personal blog entry in quite some time - a real, down-&-dirty rundown of what’s in my head - so I figured I’m about due. It’s not that I haven’t had anything to write about; rather, I didn’t want to be a downer to anyone reading. I feel like I’m moving out of a funk in my life, a funk probably due to factors both external and internal. I’ve been in Los Angeles for eight months now, and it has changed from the paradise of wide-open possibilities that I arrived at last September. I felt so excited then, so strong and capable, ready to give of myself to those around me and to experience all I could out of this new life. Little by little, though, I’ve become worn down. I started hearing discouraging things from people I cared about, people telling me that I argue too much, I’m boring and my interests aren’t important, I’m not respected, I’m controlling, I’m not adventurous enough, and on annd on. A few people close to me became positively enraged when I tried to be friendly to them. I was chewed out for mistakes I made at work. So what did I do? I withdrew. I didn’t want to pursue friendships, talk about my interests (or even pursue interests, for that matter). My words were useless, my passions were meaningless. I did what I could to avoid subjecting myself to the cruelty of others.

Of course, by the grace of God and the encouragement of other peoiple, I couldn’t stay in that place of isolation. I think it started to break when I went to Texas and saw my family. I felt acceptance around them. What’s more, I saw people enjoying each other and living their lives freely. My cousins involved in pro wrestling, my aunts gladly sacrificing their time for my grandmother, my brother starting schooling and buying a house - moving forward despite his past troubles. Life’s too valuable to live with defensiveness, self-centeredness, and self-imposed limits.

Then there was the time my friend Ken spent with me in LA. That was just plain refreshing for me. He was laid-back and happy hanging around me, even though my skewed attitude could have easily become a wet blanket. He’d tell me to stop being cynical about girls and to stop doubting myself. We had good times, and for that week I didn’t work as hard, which was nice.

I’ve also been hanging out with a new friend, a girl named Jeanelle, who’s been a pleasant presence in my life right now. We seem to get along well, and I’ve enjoyed learning about healthy living and animal rights advocacy. In return, I’ve introduced her to Over the Rhine.

Now I’m on a plane to Chicago (actually, I’m typing up what I wrote on the plane, a day later). I’m spending the weekend celebrating Sarah Fenlon’s wedding and to catch up with old friends. This, too, will be an affirming experience, I’m sure. I think what I need to concentrate on, at least for ahwile, is putting myself in situations where I can be validated, be encouraged , and feel safe. I’ve got the rest of my life to endure hardship and tackle interpersonal challenges - now I’d just like to gather some strength.

Explosions! Acrobatics! Crazy missions! It’s pure summertime fun. I liked M:I 3 - it was definitely better than the last installment, most certainly because John Woo wasn’t involved. The plot worked fairly well, although it wasn’t as satisfying as the first Mission: Impossible. Love him or hate him, Cruise did what he does best, play a relentless, unstoppable force. Whatever he lacks in characterization, he makes up for in energy. We never doubt that Ethan Hunt will find a way. While he may be invulnerable, the introduction of a girlfriend into the equation gave a sense of vulnerability to Hunt’s situation, made the film work emotionally.

The way Philip Seymour Hoffman’s villain dies is underwhelming, and some of the plot turns were fairly obvious, but the movie met my expectations. It’s not going to win any Oscars, but it was never meant to, right?

Rating: 7/10

Ain’t It Cool News
LA Times
Hollywood Reporter

Here’s a quick rundown of my bike saga. Tim Tucker sold me a trusty Schwinn Le Tour in 2002, and I loved that bike, having taken it on 2 century rides and putting at least 2000 miles (I’m just guessing, but if you know how I use my bike, you know that’s not a high number) in Chicago and LA. The beginning of this year, it started to show some signs of wear, and by March, it needed two new wheels and a new bottom bracket. Wheels, by the way, are extremely expen$ive. I test-drove some new cycles, and was dismayed by the price tag on everything I liked. That night, I saw some dude on craigslist who was selling a roadbike for $60. Turns out he lived only a few blocks away, and knew a friend of mine at church (The friend later verified this, adding that the dude was a meth addict). Anyway, I got a 20-year-old Giant that was *okay*, but it just didn’t feel right, for some reason. I decided I could live with it. Last Monday, after having left the bike in the Digital Domain parking lot for the weekend, I noticed that the bike now rode with a “bump bump bump…”. The rear wheel was dented-in. I suspect that a car hit the back wheel when parking. Now I’m really frustrated - the wheels were the problem in the first place, and now I’ve got another wheel problem. Today, I stepped into Bike Attack, a nice little shop in Venice, and the guy working there, Frank, suggested the idea that I buy a road bike that he was selling personally to get money for his downhill addiction. Buy it I did. I got a custom-built Ed Litton aluminum-frame cycle, and it rides like a dream. Here’s some of the highlights:

• Mavic Cosmos wheelset
• Dura Ace Rear Derailleur
• Campy Record Front Derailleur
• Shimano 105 Crankset
• New Ultegra 9-speed Cassette
• Italmanubri stem Campy Bars
• All new cables and housing
• Original wheel with Campy Record hub

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I am now a member of Gold’s Gym. Not just any Gold’s Gym, but the Gold’s Gym, the “Mecca of Bodybuilding” in Venice, CA. I just finished my first workout there, and I love it. I can just smell the testosterone in the air. Even when the women walk by. This is my kind of gym - hulking monsters that I can barely call human, more machines than I can shake my bicep at, and not a juice bar in sight. When I asked about the spinning classes, the guy showing me around said that this was where they invented spinning classes. When I walked out the door, there was a sign posted that read, “Ex-Con? Ripped? Casting call: (310)xxx-xxxx”. Hey, so if I ever get thrown in the slammer, at least I know I can have a career in film if I hit the dumbbells hard enough.

I’ve had a few other cool experiences lately. Sunday, I went with a few coworkers to the USA/Japan World Baseball Classic game at Angels Stadium. It was a blast, and I got to familiarize myself with some of the premier Major Leaguers who were playing there. I’m gonna try and follow baseball this season, so I can follow the conversations which will be at work every day. Also, on Tuesday, I attended an IIT alumni event in Pasadena. It warms the cockles of my heart that IIT hasn’t forgotten those of us way out here in Southern Cal. Of course, it was quite evident that the event wasn’t for young, debt-laden, poor recent grads like me, but for the old moneybags codgers who look back on their IIT days through decades of rose-colored glass. They got t-shirts and stuff, I was asked to set up the projector. To be honest, it was a great experience. I spent my dinner talking to an 89-year-old mechanical engineer who played baseball with Lefty Grove and Jimmy Fox and was involved in moving the London Bridge to Lake Havasu, Arizona. Man, I wish I have stories like that when I’m 89.

For those in the UNIX world, there is no debate so bitter, so fiery, so polarizing, as the debate over which text editor reigns supreme: Vi or Emacs. Now, I’ve been a loyal Vi (actually Vim - Vi iMproved) user for many years now, and due to the browbeating and shame I experience at the hands of DD Emacs users, I’ve decided to start using Emacs. I have betrayed my beloved editor and switched sides. You can call me Benedict Arnold.

My first impression is, Emacs sucks. Everything that was quick and efficient in Vim requires, in Emacs, inhuman contortions of the fingers. Plus, it’s like driving a manual transmission car - you need both hands to drive. How am I supposed to sip my coffee or pick my nose in the middle of editing a file now? I am currently of the opinion that Emacs was invented to give its users hubris over their mastery of an occult and arbitrary skill.

Emacs sucks.

My cheapness, and my optimistic tendency to bite off more than I can chew, made me do something pretty stupid yesterday. A few weeks ago, I ordered a pair of sunglasses online from REI. They’re actually really nice - Native Eyewear, came with 4 pairs of interchangeable lenses, one of which is polarized, and they were only $35, down from a retail price of $125. Anyway, REI gives free shipping to one of their stores, so I decided that it’d be worth the five bucks to pick it up at their Manhattan Beach location. I used to bike down to Manhattan Beach everyday, when I lived in Westchester, so I’m thinking “it’s not that far at all”. I take off in the middle of the afternoon yesterday, on my bike, to pick them up. I quickly notice that the wind is really strong. Allegedly 35mph gusts, I later read. It’s cold, too. I’m biking and biking, thinking “wow, this is longer than I thought.” Plus, something starts to go wrong with my wheel, and it’s clicking and grinding and giving more resistance than it should. What I thought was going to be an hour-and-a-half chore ends up taking me three and a half hours, and I discover that I rode 35 miles. In brutal winds. I felt positively sick when I arrived back to work. All for $5.