Jon Reid :: Feeds

The Missional Sound of Music

Our new "thing" to do as a family is watch old movies together. We had our first clue about old movies a few years ago when the kids watched Danny Kaye in The Court Jester (1955). Then recently, we watched Charlie Chaplin in City Lights (1931), and the kids said something like, "They just don't make them like they used to." That was it -- I decided we should try watching an old movie together every week or two. So we did the original Cheaper by the Dozen (1950) and the sequel Belles on Their Toes (1952), having read the books together. We did Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938).

Our last movie was The Sound of Music (1965). And now I know I am getting old, because I felt myself crying -- at the overture behind the opening credits! I had forgotten that as a child, I listened to the album over and over. Although I tend to lean toward strange, ironic movies like Donnie Darko, The Sound of Music is #1 on my all-time list.

I have seen it many times, but it has been, oh, a decade or two since I last saw it, so I have changed. I was surprised to find the movie has changed as a result. First, listening with a more trained musical ear, Julie Andrews blew me away. It's not only her tone and perfect diction, but her evocative phrasing.

I warned our thoroughly postmodern kids that the movie would depict perfect children in an irony-free environment, because I wanted them to be braced for the cute songs like Do Re Mi. What I did not remember was a considerable amount of adult sparring under a veneer of required social politeness, like the subtle tricks of the Duchess or the presence of Nazi supporters at the party.

Then there's the scene where Christopher Plummer's character sings Edelweiss at the song festival. You can see the Captain suddenly grieve for his country, but besides his faltering voice, Plummer somehow makes his eyes go vacant -- you can feel the character's emotions right through his eyes. Terrific acting!

But the thing that was most changed about the movie is I was not expecting a missional movie. Maria wants so much to dedicate her life to the church, but instead is sent out into the world. There is a clear sense of calling reflected in her prayers, though her assumptions about the nature of her mission aren't quite correct. What has been impossible for others is easy for her, because she uses her gifts, and her focus is to serve others (which may mean standing up to them). Do I need to continue? Missional friends, watch again and enjoy, and be renewed in your call to pursue "a dream that will need all the love you can give, everyday of your life for as long as you live"!

Blog martyr

The last song we sang at the service for Kay's father one of his favorites: Once to Every Man and Nation. It's a pretty stark call to Do the Right Thing no matter the cost, and the third verse begins: "By the light of burning martyrs, Christ, thy bleeding feet we track."

This lyric came to mind reading about a Saudi girl who bravely blogged her new faith in Jesus. Her father cut her tongue before setting her ablaze. ++Lord, receive your faithful servant, and the many others around the world who lose their lives for your sake.++ (h/t TSK)

Religulous

This Friday is opening night for the mockumentary Religulous. Anyone want to go with me to the 7:20 showing at CineArts/Santana Row? Let me know!

Kevin will be there, and has interesting thoughts (which he has guest-posted on Dave's blog).

Update: Whoever said The Passion of the Christ is "the greatest evangelistic tool in the last two thousand years" got it wrong. I think this movie has a better shot at that title. Honestly, all your friends who weren't interested in seeing The Passion -- they will go see this with you. If anyone else wants to see it with me, I'll go again!

Economic rant

Today the Dow had its biggest single-day drop. Or did it? Yes, if you look at the 777 point drop. But it's percentage that matters, and we're talking about 7%. Now that is still bad, but I learned this stuff in 6th grade when I read How to Lie with Statistics. Didn't anyone else? In terms of percentage drop, this is in the top 20.

I don't know the details of the bill that failed today, but it seems pretty clear that it didn't pass because of the outcry from constituents complaining that that government is bailing out the fat cats. People, people. This is why we have a republic, not a direct democracy: because folks who don't understand economics should not determine economic policy. And I'm no economic expert, I'm just going off the one year of economics I took in college. But I do know this: if money stops moving, we are all in deep, deep doo-doo.

"Don't bail out Wall Street," you cry. Well, today's sharp drop is a shot across the bow: If you don't let your representatives vote yes, you will get your wish and the system will self-correct. And once you've lost your job, and entires companies have gone under, maybe you'll ask yourself if it was worth it.

Missional geek gathering

Last night I met Andrew Jones at Michael Toy's house. It turned out to be a random gathering of some 25 missional-types who want to explore how to be ambassadors of the kingdom in our still-nascent digital world. I have searched for anybody in this area who shares my missional passion, and suddenly there were 25 people! And very dissimilar, with a variety of callings. Quite a few geeks. There were even some pastors present!

It also turned out to be Bilbo and Frodo's birthday, September 22nd.

I am just a hobbit in the Fellowship of the King.

I miss the Vineyard

Kay & I first encountered Vineyard ideas around 1989 through books passed around a little ad-hoc group of missionaries in Japan desperately seeking God's presence. When we moved to the United States in 1991, we found a Vineyard church. I remember the excitement of learning that they actually had classes on how to pray for healing.

From 1991 to 2006, we were active in a few different Vineyard churches. And this year, the Vineyard movement celebrates 25 years, so Kay & I have been mixed up with this strange group for a good chunk of its history. Here's an 18-minute video that does a nice job of capturing the heart of this movement:

There used to be several Vineyards in San Jose. Today, that number is zero. But we're still Vineyard people at heart.

Facebook status for 1 month

One of the things I enjoy about Facebook is the status updates. Twitter started it, I suppose, but you can think of it as micro-blogging: one-line updates about your activities or mood. So for you non-Facebook people, here's a snapshot of my past month. Well, more like a sequence of snapshots. Like a flip-book.

Jon is starting the day with 10:02 prayer in the hot tub.
Jon is thinking about going to http://www.missio.us/tk-intensive.html
Jon feels a bit stuck, wondering how to be a better blessing to my neighbors.
Jon ate a slice of humble pie. Mm-mm, good!
Jon feels a bit funky. (And I don't mean in a good way.)
Jon has a copy of Photoshop Elements / Premiere Elements for Windows. Anybody want it?
Jon doesn't expect that you'll go to the Missio Intensive. But if you want to lead a missional life, do yourself a favor and read The Tangible Kingdom.
Jon just had lunch with a fellow ASIJer.
Jon is tired, restless and bored at the same time.
Jon is mostly human again.
Jon thinks I may be identifying what's got me down. Next, what to do about it…
Jon had an ah hah moment praying today. After being beat down for a week, I'm back.
Jon is having a great time at work, except when it sucks.
Jon is busy with back-to-school stuff.
Jon is pooped, having spent my workday doing relational damage control.
Jon is back from the second back-to-school night.
Jon is bummed I can't go to the Missio Intensive after all.
Jon is changing out of PJs at 1:00 p.m. on a lazy Saturday.
Jon is praying for New Orleans.
Jon and family watched the old Robin Hood movie with Errol Flynn.
Jon enjoyed lunch with Vanessa and kids.
Jon worked up the courage to keep ringing the doorbell until someone in the Recluse's house answered. I was told she was sleeping. But I did it!
Jon and fam are off rafting.
Jon never did wake up today.
Jon snorted my water the wrong way laughing.
Jon is discovering the pitfalls of Koenig lookup.
Jon splurged: I ordered myself a CD.
Jon is off to lunch with my wifey!
Jon thoroughly enjoyed the new Microsoft ad!
Jon feels more and more that while I must do what I can, my efforts will not go far without a prayerfully committed group with spiritual gifting.
Jon is up ridiculously early so that Trevor can learn sound from Jake.
Jon is anticipating an interesting morning in church. Maybe it'll be really good. Or maybe it'll piss me off. Maybe a bit of both.
Jon enjoyed yet another old movie with the family -- I think this is becoming a fun pattern.
Jon is married to a badass woman.
Jon drove to work, listening to my new Kevin Prosch album, weeping.
Jon went to back-to-school #3. We pay $$ for Trevor's school, but I continue to be super-impressed.
Jon remembers the worldwide sympathy & support for America after 9/11, and prays for this country.
Jon celebrates the 50th anniversary of the "chip".
Jon asks the Lord of the harvest to send more workers.
Jon feels, as usual, a mixture of anticipation and dread on Sunday morning.
Jon felt this morning should have been called "adventures in missing the point".
Jon is a C.S. Lewis fanboy.
Jon prays, "Help me to live the dream into reality".
Jon is being driven CRAZY by Microsoft's inane developer support.
Jon had a good prayer-walk, talking with various neighbors and meeting new ones.
Jon talked with my mother, lifting her spirits by reminiscing about Japan.
Jon learned on my prayerwalk that a neighbor got laid off. Again. ++Provide for their needs++.
boggled at breaking news: Sarah Palin takes one question from a reporter traveling with her campaign! Amazing!
Jon went to hear a coworker play at a blues bar, and met some of the patrons.
Jon must not have slept well last night.
Jon just had a neighbor exclaim, "It's a miracle! Say, were you praying for us or something?"
Jon ARRRRRRR be me name.
Jon prayerwalked later than usual, and met some different people.
Jon celebrated Talk Like a Pirate Day by beginning to read Treasure Island to the kids.

Intentional, not accidental

(Posted on the Journey's website:)

Dr. Kent,

Thank you for your encouraging comments. I will reply over here just to keep things grouped by topic.

First, you are right to point out that the “big C” Church is making some impact. God’s kingdom continues to move forward — with or without us.

But I believe that, flowing from worship (and as an act of worship) an outward missional focus is essential. I want it to be prayerfully intentional, not accidental. I’m sure there are inspiring stories within our church of, as you say, individuals making an impact; I want these to be our central defining stories, not stay behind the scenes. I want us to go to those outside the church, not try to get them to come to us. (That is, after all, what Jesus did for us.) And to reach our post-Christian society, in which the church is starting from a position of distrust and resentment, it will take more than lone disciples to soften their hearts toward Jesus — it will take groups praying and creatively reaching out, giving visible witness to the gospel as a communal reality, not just a personal preference.

I do not expect the Journey to suddenly say, “This is our new defining center.” But I do hope for some receptivity, especially in light of the strong declarations that Jeff made at the time about the now-forgotten “church, why bother” series and in light of the strategic initiative that the Journey’s denomination is attempting, the effort to turn its churches outward. I feel a bit of a pest, but I cannot avoid this call of God and the need to be an advocate for my non-church friends, who are representative of a larger world. God is inviting us!

Thank you again for responding to me. I hope that some in leadership in the Journey would do the same. As I said, I would welcome the chance to do so face-to-face.

Sincerely His,
Jon

Sprinkler Rainbow Conspiracy

Church Basement Roadshow video

For those of you who wanted to see the Church Basement Roadshow but couldn't make it to any of the shows: here's a video of the whole show at Disciples' Fellowship Birmingham!

(Looks like a couple of people took up their invitation to dress up, and one boldly joined in.)

The Republican Hater's Ball

Gas prices are changing our lifestyle

The recluse

Neighbor M's father died recently, so I bought a condolence card, and took it around for each of the neighbors to sign. I'm sneaky, you see: I want to bless M. I want to bless the neighborhood by rallying them to a neighbor's cause. But I also saw an opportunity to visit each neighbor, and if invited, enter their homes.

"Looks like except for W, you have everybody," R said.
"Yeah, I'll get W. But I also want to get S," I replied.
"S? Oh man. If you don't come out, I'll come look for you," he joked.

The neighbors don't know what to make of S, who lives with her grown children but is never seen. Some of them are scared of her. R tells me that once S came into the court with a handgun, which W removed from her.

So I headed over and rang her doorbell. Little dogs inside responded, trying to sound vicious. A voice: "Get away from there!"
"S? Is that you?" I asked.
No reply.
"S? It's your neighbor, Jon. May I come in?"

S came out instead. She hadn't heard the doorbell, she explained, and was yelling at the dogs. We sat and visited. I already knew some history: She was a pastor's wife, until he divorced her. She's experienced chronic back pain since an injury years ago. Her life is dark. "I think if I died, nobody would notice. The neighbors might notice my children wearing black -- except that they wear black anyway," she said with a sad grin. "Nobody comes to see me. I don't want to think that God has forgotten me."

"That's why I'm here," I said, apologizing for not coming sooner.

Knitting for a Cause

From my friends at Haven. I should have posted this earlier, but there are still 3 Saturdays left.

Folks,

Just wanting to let you know of a series of events from our knitting friend Mayra Barajas. Her father works for an organization called FREE AT LAST that works with men and women who are struggling with drug addiction to find hope and recovery. What they need are knitted hats/caps/beanies that will be given out by Free At Last volunteers to homeless persons primarily in East Palo Alto. They will be distributed prior to the winter season so that they will be ready for the cold.

Mayra's goal and vision is at least 50 hats - 50!! And she's going to host a "knitting hour" at a local yarn retailer if you don't want to knit alone - and need a community to knit with. She'll do this for the next 4 consecutive Saturdays - yes 4!!

If you're just learning or don't know how - Mayra is a pro and she'll teach you too. You can buy the stuff at the store and she'll have you knitting these in no time. Or whatever it is that you're wanting to knit. So no matter the skill level or lack there of - come on out and help Mayra and her gang reach the goal of 50 knitting hats!! Donations for yarn to be knitted into hats are also welcome.

Info below:

Bobbin's Nest
1171 Homestead Rd. #130
Santa Clara, CA 9505
408/246-1121
August 9, 16, 23, 30 [SAT] - 12pm to 2pm
Snack Likely; Discount From Store Owner Probably [TBD]

Mayra's contact info - barajasml [at] gmail.com.

Thanks all - look forward to reaching the goal of 50!!

Saturday with God

Watch Olympics in the morning with Kay.

Go get some food to take to the party tonight. Huh, there's a homeless guy soliciting outside the grocery store. …No, not today. I've got a lot to do. Finished with my shopping, I start to drive away. There's the homeless guy again. Should I stop? No, I think I'll keep going. Made it on to the road back. Darn. I should not develop a habit of ignoring the poor just because "I don't have time." Turn around, head back. Find him, park. Walk to him.

I say, "Hey, how's it going?" Introduce myself. His name is Dan. He says he's a vet but can't get any benefits because he doesn't have an address, which seems odd to me. He lives in his van, but his van is full of junk he's gathered hoping to sell it. His arms are covered with strange wounds. He has gloves on even though it is not cold out, to cover the unsightly wounds there. He says he'll work, but I don't think anybody will hire him for a small job the way he looks.

But I do have to get going. I apologize for being rushed, and give him some cash. As I drive away, I am praying for him, and asking God to show me how I might help him later on.

Next, get a haircut. Wait, there's a little farmer's market I've never seen before. I don't have much time, but I park by the hairdresser's and walk back to check it out. I feel called to be aware of and present in what's going on in my neighborhood.

OK, now for my haircut. I haven't been to the one closest to home in years. It's all different, clearly under new management. They seem Vietnamese. My guy doesn't talk much, but he approaches my shaggy head like an artist, taking his time.

Back home, there's no time for a post-haircut shower, because it's time to take Trevor to a movie he's wanted to see for some time: Hancock. A good time shared with my son.

Finally I shower, then it's off to a coworker's housewarming party. It's a 20-25 minute drive -- not far by local standards, but how can I use the time? I spend most it listening to the Allelon podcast by Alan Roxburgh, which is some of the best missional training I have found yet. But then I turn it off and pray, asking God to bless my coworker, bless this party, and use me as a blessing.

At the party, I meet the most important people in my coworker's life: her parents, sister, fellow members of the Pacific Mozart Ensemble, close friends from university days and now. I am honored to be included! I visit with many of them, treating them as my own friends. A microphone that is a self-contained karaoke machine comes out. I sing "Turn It On Again" and botch the second verse, but everyone is laughing with me and cheering me on.

Then it's time to head home. I'm tired and need a break from heavy-duty thinking and prayer, so I drive back rocking to the new Evanescence album. Now I am back to spend the rest of the evening with my family.

Wow. I can't quite believe that I have spent an entire day in dialog with God, doing everything with and for him, aware of his presence. It's been a good day.

Friday evening with God

Nobody's seen our neighbor R in days. On Thursday I asked our neighbor G if he knew where R was, and he didn't know, but suggested I ask R's sister M, who lives outside of our cul-de-sac. G also said he had heard M might have been diagnosed with a tumor.

So on Friday after work, I went out for my neighborhood prayer-walk, which I have made a new daily practice. Walked over to M's house. Opened the gate and entered a beautiful courtyard I have never set foot in. Rang the doorbell, which still takes courage because it is crossing a suburban boundary. I hear a little voice inside saying, "It's a white man."

The door opens and M invites me inside. I have never been in her house before. We visit for a bit, then I ask where R is. Turns out he's vacationing in Hawaii -- nice! Visit a bit more. M shares that she has in fact developed some kind of tumor between her stomach and a kidney, and will be going in for surgery next week to have it removed. I know that M is a Christian so I have no hesitation in offering to pray for her. I pray for healing, that the tumor would not affect neighboring organs, that it would be completely removed, and that M would be free of fear.

On my way out, I wave at M's husband D eating in the kitchen, but notice that there are other people there as well. "Would you like to meet my parents?" Yes! I doubt they can speak a word of English, but they greet me warmly nonetheless. M offers to feed me, but I need to get back to my own family for dinner and the the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.

I'm a dancing fool

I wasn't going to tell this story, because drawing attention to myself was not the point.

Two weeks ago, I played bass for Sunday worship. We did Matt Redman's song "Undignified" which draws its words from the time one of King David's wives rebuked him for dancing in worship, and he retorted, "I'll become even more undignified than this!"

In my book, if you're going to do a song, you'd better mean it. So as I hammered out the bass line, I starting prancing (I can't call it dancing) along the length of the back of the stage. Finally, I dropped to my knees, then got on my back, and started spinning in circles. The spinning caused me to become unplugged, but I never noticed -- I was busy. One shoe unexpectedly went flying through the air, so I deliberately followed it with the other one. As I followed its path I thought, "Oh no, it's going to hit one of the singers!" Thankfully, the shoes made a good arc just over their heads, dropping in front of the stage.

And that is the end of my story.

Technorati Tags: worship

Wordle

This is my blog, as a worldle (click to enlarge). I like the interesting juxtapositions of words, like "Sunday heresies".

It doesn't have to be a web site; you can paste any text you like. (Hat tip: tallskinnykiwi)

Water found on Mars!

Well I'm excited, at least.

Mission: Silicon Valley

Andrew Hamilton, or "Hamo", has begun to blog a series focusing on suburbia -- though in fact he has been blogging for years about the challenges of mission in the suburbs. In What Is Suburbia? he initially puts forth a geographical understanding of suburbia -- that is, the region between the outer limits of the city and the beginnings of rural areas. But then he goes on,

I say 'geographically' because I'm not sure if that is the only way to frame an understanding of suburban life. I have a sense that suburbia might be equally described by the values and patterns of life that give form to it. Things like stability, security, conformity and consumerism are some of the more common aspects.

This got me thinking about the peculiarities of mission here in San Jose: How do the geography, the patterns of life, and the values of Silicon Valley interact? What are the channels for the gospel, and what are the barriers which must be overcome or actively opposed?

Technorati Tags: missional

Silicon Valley is, as the name says, a valley. Nestled between two sets of mountains on the south and the east, bordered along the north by the San Francisco Bay, this highly populated center of technological creativity is surprisingly unimpressive. In this photo, you can see the mountains, with the valley filled by suburban housing. It feels like one giant suburb. In fact, when locals talk about "the City," they are referring to San Francisco!

The Santa Clara Valley is actually comprised of a dozen cities and towns all mashed together, with no discernible boundaries (other than posted signs). To get from one place to another, you generally take a highway. You take a highway to work, you take a highway to go see a movie, you take a highway to visit your friends. So friends, coworkers, church members, even home fellowship members, have little to no locality. There is little sense of belonging to a shared space.

This has profound implications for evangelism, particularly in our postmodern age where the path to discipleship is not information transfer but shared life. Because fellow disciples do not share friends, coworkers or neighbors, evangelism remains trapped in 1-to-1 relationships. My normal, undiscipled friends have little to no opportunity to interact with Newbigin's "hermeneutic of the gospel," that is, a community of faith. With no way to safely observe and participate in a group of people seeking to live into the Way of Jesus, how can they be expected to ever encounter the Person of Jesus?

I have many more thoughts to pursue from here. But as I read what I just wrote, I realize there is an even deeper problem: I am not part of such a group in the first place. But I sure wish I were.

Conversation with JWs

One benefit of being home today: a couple of young Jehovah's Witnesses came by. In years past, I would have dialed up my "catalog of cults" to recall just what their heresies were (trying not to get them confused), and Bible verses that refute their teachings. It's almost like the goal was to out-Bible them; if you could do that, you won!

But I am done with the "battle of Bible verses" game.

Today they came by, explaining that they had come before but found no one home. As usual, they offered me a copy of the Watchtower magazine, helpfully opened to an article that would explain something: "We'd like to give to you. Do you think you would read it?"

I replied, "Honestly? No. I would be more interested to hear your own story."

Technorati Tags: jehovah's witness

They smiled nervously and exchanged quick glances. "What do you mean?"
I said, "Tell me about yourself. I want to hear about you."
The leader (only one ever speaks) said, "We're not supposed to talk about ourselves. Our job is to share this message."
"Oh. Well you see, I don't have any friends who are JWs. When did you become a JW, or were your born into the church?"
"I was born into the church. My mother used to be Catholic, then she became Baptist, then she became Jehovah's Witness."
"All right, that's cool." Breaking protocol, I turned to the silent partner. "What about you?"
The silent one replied, "Me too, I was born into the Truth."

The leader tried to get back to the script: "What about you, do you have any religion?" she asked.
"I follow Jesus. Or I try to. I've been doing it a long time now, but I still find that each step is fresh and takes me forward to a place where it's new all over again. It's exciting."

Then the leader shared something honest: "When I was a kid, I didn't care about the important things. I mean, obviously, God is not here, right? All I did was go to the mall and hang out with my friends. But now I care about the Bible."
"Wait a minute. What do you mean when you say, God is not here?"
"I mean, you can't see him, so he didn't seem real to me."
"Oh, OK. Fair enough. Now, I assume you still go to the mall."
"Of course!"
"And do you see God there?"
She looked puzzled. "No."
"Really! When I go to the mall, I see God there."
"Oh, you mean that God is everywhere." (As I type this, I recall that JWs do not think God is omnipresent.)
"Yes, but not just that. When you go to the mall, God is there. He's doing stuff."
"You mean, you carry God inside of you?"
"Sort of. But one of the things Jesus said was, 'I do nothing except what I see the Father doing.' So we're supposed to do the same thing. I look out and I try to see what the Father is doing -- like here in our cul-de-sac. God is up to something, and I want to be part of it."
They smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's why were doing this. But don't you agree that if everyone believed, the world would be a better place?"
"Of course! Things are broken. But everything will be made new," I said, trying to state a belief that is important to JWs which they probably don't hear from others. I continued, "Now, are you two friends? Do you hang out with each other?"
"Oh yes, we've been friends for a long time."
"That's great. I think that when friends hang out together, God is there."

That was the end. "Well, thank you. It's been nice talking with you. Have a nice day." And they left to try out other homes in our cul-de-sac.

When I shared this with the kids, Shelly said, "That's it, Dad -- they're never coming back."
I agreed, "Oh, they probably put a big X next to our address on their chart."
"Dad, you're so mean when you're so nice!"

The Hobbit

One of our family rituals is my reading to the kids at night. I have waited for years to read (until the youngest was old enough to follow and appreciate it) The Hobbit. We finished it tonight. I got through the death of Thorin without crying.

LOTR will have to wait some years yet. (I have some experience, having read it all aloud to Kay when we were newlyweds with no television.)

At-home dad

Kay will be flying to Ohio later this week to bury her father's ashes, leaving me with the kids. I was planning to work from home, until Kay reminded me that I could use my remaining bereavement leave. So I'll be working Monday and Tuesday, then Kay leaves early Wednesday morning, returning Sunday morning.

This is a pretty unique opportunity: Dad time, with no work, for days. What am I going to do?? This is where I need your help: What would kids between the ages of 10 and 15 enjoy doing with their dad, in and around the South Bay? Your suggestions, please.

(The suggestions don't have to be grand, because I know that the activity itself is less important than the fact that we get to do it together.)

Poll results

And the numbers are in! In response to the question of where I should post random "stuff",

44% said "On your blog"
19% said "In your Facebook status"
15% said "Please Twitter it"
15% said "Doesn't matter, I don't follow your daily life"
7% said "Doesn't matter, I don't even read your blog"

I like that last one in particular.

Anyway, I'll try to get back in the habit of putting more "stuff" here. That said, I spent this evening reconnecting with old friends from high school. I'll leave you to guess where.

Poll: Where should I post daily personal "stuff"?

So the other day I was showing Noelle our nifty Roomba, which we like very much. She sort of sniffed and said, "It couldn't have been that great -- you didn't blog about it." Ah, but I did put it in my Facebook status, so Noelle, you're missing out because a fair bit of random stuff goes there.

But that helped me realize that I used to post the random "stuff" of daily life right here -- so those of you who either a) refuse to try Facebook because it's trendy which makes it uncool, or b) are on Facebook but are not one of my "friends", may be missing out. Or not.

So, dear reader, I would appreciate it if you would take this poll. Both of you.