I recently made the change over to running my own blog through wordpress at www.joshbcarter.com.
That is where I will be posting all my new content. Hope to see you there.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
On the Benefits of Work
I've had a lot of time to myself lately. Living overseas I thought I spent a lot of time by myself. Don't get me wrong, I've been spending a pretty good amount of quality time with people, but my days consist mostly of working by myself.
I'm not sure what this means but it sure has brought along some clarity. What is it about working with your hands on something that doesn't involve your entire brain?
Maybe I just appreciate this more now that I am unemployed and living with my parents.
Whatever it is I look forward to it everyday. Not just because it is something I think is pretty cool. It centers me. I find that lining up floor boards and driving nails with a hammer cathartic. Perhaps strangely so.
I'm reaching the end of the project now and not sure what I'll be moving on to next. Hopefully something equally as good. Probably won't start out that way...
I'm not sure what this means but it sure has brought along some clarity. What is it about working with your hands on something that doesn't involve your entire brain?
Maybe I just appreciate this more now that I am unemployed and living with my parents.
Whatever it is I look forward to it everyday. Not just because it is something I think is pretty cool. It centers me. I find that lining up floor boards and driving nails with a hammer cathartic. Perhaps strangely so.
I'm reaching the end of the project now and not sure what I'll be moving on to next. Hopefully something equally as good. Probably won't start out that way...
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
On Moments
It's been a while since I've posted. Like, over a month. I'm having to force myself to write. That's probably the only way I am a writer. I am forcing myself to write as opposed to reacting to inspiration, but that's a discussion for another time (I am not a writer).
Life has been a struggle since I've returned home. I lost my job, I've had to adjust to living at home again, I don't really have too many prospects ahead of me, and relationships have been somewhat strained since I've been home.
I find, however, in these moments of stress, moments of "clarity". My car hasn't been running as great recently as it could. I tried my durndest to fix it but sadly I wasn't able to remedy the malady.
Another problem I had to deal with.
I took it in and found that it was a simple procedure, that I wasn't quite capable of, to fix that problem. A day later I had my car back, running well, and sunny skies lighting the road ahead of me.
Couple with this the smooth flowing tones and melodies of Muse's new album and I had a moment of escape. A glimpse of something else. Something greater.
It's amazing how elements that are seemingly unrelated can culminate in a moment that reminds us of how small our problems are. I cherish these moments, and thank God when he sends them my way. What are your moments of "clarity"?
Life has been a struggle since I've returned home. I lost my job, I've had to adjust to living at home again, I don't really have too many prospects ahead of me, and relationships have been somewhat strained since I've been home.
I find, however, in these moments of stress, moments of "clarity". My car hasn't been running as great recently as it could. I tried my durndest to fix it but sadly I wasn't able to remedy the malady.
Another problem I had to deal with.
I took it in and found that it was a simple procedure, that I wasn't quite capable of, to fix that problem. A day later I had my car back, running well, and sunny skies lighting the road ahead of me.
Couple with this the smooth flowing tones and melodies of Muse's new album and I had a moment of escape. A glimpse of something else. Something greater.
It's amazing how elements that are seemingly unrelated can culminate in a moment that reminds us of how small our problems are. I cherish these moments, and thank God when he sends them my way. What are your moments of "clarity"?
Saturday, August 8, 2009
DIY: Paper Wallet
That's right, a paper wallet. Wallets can be made out of just about anything. I've seen wallets made of duct tape, cassette tapes, and even dollar bills themselves. For this one though you'll only need the following items:
1 sheet of Paper (color and weight according to personal preference)
1 Pair of Scissors
To start the alchemical task of turning an ordinary piece of paper into a place to store your moneys, fold the piece of paper in half length ways (folds are outlined in blue marker).
Now fold it inward again so that it's divided into fourths.
Fold the outer sections to the middle and repeat so that you have a single strip. Fold this in half (again lengthways) like so.
Now comes the only tricky part. In the picture below you will see sections marked out in blue marker. You will need to cut these out with the scissors. The cuts are as follows: a diamond shape from the second section from the bottom, for your driver's license or credit cards (got to have that plastic), and corner cuts on the second and last sections. I like to make the corner cuts 1cm into the page and .5cm along the edge.
Almost done. Take the sections that you didn't cut the corners and fold the edges in. Nothing too complicated.
Two more steps. Fold the sections back into the single strip same as you did earlier.
Finally take the tabs where you cut the corners and fold into the opposing side's slot. 1 into A and 2 into B according to the picture below. Rinse and repeat on the other side.
Believe it or not you are done. I made my first one about a week ago and I've been pretty impressed by how well it's held together. One thing you can do to customize it is to cut out a section so your drivers license is visible when open. Also I've attached a PDF to make the instructions a little more clear.
1 sheet of Paper (color and weight according to personal preference)
1 Pair of Scissors
To start the alchemical task of turning an ordinary piece of paper into a place to store your moneys, fold the piece of paper in half length ways (folds are outlined in blue marker).
Now fold it inward again so that it's divided into fourths.
Fold the outer sections to the middle and repeat so that you have a single strip. Fold this in half (again lengthways) like so.
Now comes the only tricky part. In the picture below you will see sections marked out in blue marker. You will need to cut these out with the scissors. The cuts are as follows: a diamond shape from the second section from the bottom, for your driver's license or credit cards (got to have that plastic), and corner cuts on the second and last sections. I like to make the corner cuts 1cm into the page and .5cm along the edge.
Almost done. Take the sections that you didn't cut the corners and fold the edges in. Nothing too complicated.
Two more steps. Fold the sections back into the single strip same as you did earlier.
Finally take the tabs where you cut the corners and fold into the opposing side's slot. 1 into A and 2 into B according to the picture below. Rinse and repeat on the other side.
Believe it or not you are done. I made my first one about a week ago and I've been pretty impressed by how well it's held together. One thing you can do to customize it is to cut out a section so your drivers license is visible when open. Also I've attached a PDF to make the instructions a little more clear.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
On Manners vs. Zombies
The 80's must have been an amazing decade. Neon Clothes were ok to wear, Disco was finally dead, and there were Mullets. Lots of Mullets. Then there was a new art form (some might say) emerging in the form of the mix-tape.
No longer were people relegated to telling there friends about there favorite songs, why not give them the songs? People suddenly had a say in not only what they listened to, but also were able to orchestrate a pleasing blend of music to make others listen.
As with a lot of things (especially in the States) if something is good, more is better.
Not necessarily. The Mix-tape in its various forms that extend beyond music has become so prevalent in our society that originality as a result is suffering. Reboots and High-Concept films dominate the box office. Music artists like Girl Talk have put a new spin on the mix-tape by actually combining the songs themselves. Sandals with Bottle openers on the bottom. It's everywhere. Everything is something mixed with something else.
Take for instance a book I am currently reading. This past weekend I had a discussion with a good friend about the merits Jane Austin. I usually can't stand Jane Austin. She's a great writer (no argument there), I just can't read it. But, A title caught my eye in the Washington DC Airport Borders. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Catchy little number isn't it.
The book follows much the same plot as the original novel (checked through my girlfriend, I haven't read the original) except that there are Zombies thrown in just for fun. Elizabeth Bennett is not quite as proficient in the oral arts as the martial ones. Manners is replaced with Kung Fu.
You get the idea. It's a really fun read, but does that make it original? It certainly is a combination out of left field. Roger Ebert once said of Quentin Tarantino's blending of old movies, that it's not that he is not creative, it's that he is too creative. I disagree. Sadly I think the old days of originality are gone. At least for a time.
No longer were people relegated to telling there friends about there favorite songs, why not give them the songs? People suddenly had a say in not only what they listened to, but also were able to orchestrate a pleasing blend of music to make others listen.
As with a lot of things (especially in the States) if something is good, more is better.
Not necessarily. The Mix-tape in its various forms that extend beyond music has become so prevalent in our society that originality as a result is suffering. Reboots and High-Concept films dominate the box office. Music artists like Girl Talk have put a new spin on the mix-tape by actually combining the songs themselves. Sandals with Bottle openers on the bottom. It's everywhere. Everything is something mixed with something else.
Take for instance a book I am currently reading. This past weekend I had a discussion with a good friend about the merits Jane Austin. I usually can't stand Jane Austin. She's a great writer (no argument there), I just can't read it. But, A title caught my eye in the Washington DC Airport Borders. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Catchy little number isn't it.
The book follows much the same plot as the original novel (checked through my girlfriend, I haven't read the original) except that there are Zombies thrown in just for fun. Elizabeth Bennett is not quite as proficient in the oral arts as the martial ones. Manners is replaced with Kung Fu.
You get the idea. It's a really fun read, but does that make it original? It certainly is a combination out of left field. Roger Ebert once said of Quentin Tarantino's blending of old movies, that it's not that he is not creative, it's that he is too creative. I disagree. Sadly I think the old days of originality are gone. At least for a time.
Monday, July 6, 2009
On Love and Art (intense right?)
I had the immense pleasure of watching a movie two nights ago that has stuck with even through the last two days. I struggle with delving into the story and dissecting from it the subtext without giving away the story. My family used to hate me for ruining the ends of movies. But I'll try and be good.
Do I Love? How do I know if I Love? I've based my ideas of Love upon Books, Movies, and relationships I have had throughout my life. But is my idea of Love really Love? How can people have such vastly different definitions of Love? The questions are endless so I'll stop.
The movie, as most movies at their core, dealt with a few of these questions. Mainly it toys with the idea that we cannot, in and of ourselves, Love. Love comes from something outside of us. Specifically the movie centered around Art and creation (small c). As someone who enjoys making things, this hit me pretty hard. It's in my nature to build and make things. If something exists I feel the need to dismantle it and discover its how's and why's. You might say I love to do this.
Where did this come from? Goodness knows I wasn't conditioned to view the world this way (fond memories of my father asking his eight year old son to fix the TV spring to mind). No this comes from somewhere else. Somewhere that gifts writers with words, musicians with tunes, and carpenters with hammers.
God blesses us all in various ways, different ways. But most importantly He blesses us with the ability to Love and be Loved. He Loved Mankind enough to make Mankind.
To Love to is to experience. Whether it be a weekend project or a life long relationship, Love allows us to Experience (yes, big E) the Essence of things. To see the invisible.
Perfume: The Story of a Murder is a great, weird, beautiful movie. But I could be wrong about what it's about.
Do I Love? How do I know if I Love? I've based my ideas of Love upon Books, Movies, and relationships I have had throughout my life. But is my idea of Love really Love? How can people have such vastly different definitions of Love? The questions are endless so I'll stop.
The movie, as most movies at their core, dealt with a few of these questions. Mainly it toys with the idea that we cannot, in and of ourselves, Love. Love comes from something outside of us. Specifically the movie centered around Art and creation (small c). As someone who enjoys making things, this hit me pretty hard. It's in my nature to build and make things. If something exists I feel the need to dismantle it and discover its how's and why's. You might say I love to do this.
Where did this come from? Goodness knows I wasn't conditioned to view the world this way (fond memories of my father asking his eight year old son to fix the TV spring to mind). No this comes from somewhere else. Somewhere that gifts writers with words, musicians with tunes, and carpenters with hammers.
God blesses us all in various ways, different ways. But most importantly He blesses us with the ability to Love and be Loved. He Loved Mankind enough to make Mankind.
To Love to is to experience. Whether it be a weekend project or a life long relationship, Love allows us to Experience (yes, big E) the Essence of things. To see the invisible.
Perfume: The Story of a Murder is a great, weird, beautiful movie. But I could be wrong about what it's about.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Website Update
I revamped my website and added a few things like a photo gallery and a video gallery. Take a look and let me know what you think...
thisisthacarter.com
More to come.
thisisthacarter.com
More to come.
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