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April 19, 2006
The Parade of Projects
I am buried in unfinished and unrequited projects. Will they ever end? Not until I stop breathing (and perhaps even beyond). Whether it's my neurotic obsession with knowing everything, my self-identification as a Renaissance man, or my elitist derision for American Idol, I truly live only as I am learning and creating.
But work has really started cramping my project timelines. Somehow, projects I do for money don't feel like my projects, though there sure are a lot of 'em these days. I don't directly comment about work on the blog, but if you want to contact me off the record, I can tell some stories, boy. (Short version: I may be managing eight people by September, and our new laboratory is ready(?) for move-in tomorrow.)
I fondly recall the unbounded, halcyon days of my youth when I could spend hours each day programming on my Commodore 64. Sadly, those days are long gone, and my Commie's not looking so hot either. Yet I'm sure the good old days weren't as great as I remember them. I had to go to school, didn't I? How is that any more freeing than having to go to work? Yes, my pysche is riddled with contradictions. I suppose the most important factor is my age. At this point in my life, I have accumulated enough plans for projects to completely swamp my available free time. In order to take control again, I have to finish some of 'em.
This is where you come in, dear reader. The following are projects I have been pondering for a while -- some, a long while. Critique them, laugh at them, add to them if you must, whatever. But let me know what you think is worth doing on this list:
- Read the books on my shelf I haven't read yet. (The Sweetness and I are incorrigible bookworms -- we bought seven in one day at a book fair this month -- but we can't find the time to read through our wordy wares before we've brought some more home.) I count 17 to read before I should buy another... but I probably will anyway.
- Read, in general, more books on faith/science issues. I'm keenly interested in such things. In fact, I recently joined the American Scientific Affiliation so I could get their journal and more fully participate in their forum. While many Christian bookstores showcase a "science section", the material there is often woefully one-sided. One would think that the YEC (young-earth creationist) position was the only one ever held in Christendom, even though it only really became dominant in the nineteenth century. If you want anything else, you gotta sniff it out.
- This is related to the previous: write a book on faith/science issues. In particular, an accessible book that helps non-science-minded Christians understand evolution and modern geology, and why they're not so bad. Books on theistic evolution and its theological ramifications live on Amazon and at the divinity school, but not at the Bible shop. (One notable exception is Coming to Peace with Science; I recommend it highly.) I'd probably also riff on some of the more plausible efforts to harmonize the evidence of science with scripture.
- Flesh out and actually write the screenplay. You know, the one about the guy who can teleport worldwide between identical-looking chain restaurants while sitting on their identical-looking toilets. If you didn't know, well, you do now. It's my idea, so don't steal it!
- Record an album with my band, Longfallen. We've been playing for almost two years and have got about 10 songs now, so this is fairly attainable. We should probably play in public first.
- Write a novel. Not a Great American novel, per se, but a smart, vaguely sci-fi look at the human condition and what we believe. I have a bit of a plot outline but nothing written down yet.
- Learn koine Greek so I can read the New Testament in its original language. I'm thinking about taking some online theology courses for credit towards an M.Th. or M.A., and learning NT Greek would be an excellent foundation for coursework that I could do in my spare time for free.
- Make an animated Lego short about the naval battles of the War of 1812. Am I being serious? I honestly don't know.
- Finish composing the chamber work I started about the number pi and the number e, and their climactic musical battle. Originally arranged for percussion ensemble, but I don't know where I'm going to find one of those now that I'm not a music minor in university.
- Learn to read Japanese. I have the books, but I know that would be a serious undertaking.
And... that's all. For now.
Posted by The Greatness at April 19, 2006 02:04 PM
Comments
I would like to see the teleportation screenplay finished. And possible the War of 1812 thing. You should, at the very least, pick up a Lego Pirate Ship and build it.
Posted by: Ethridge at April 21, 2006 05:17 PM
Man, you stole all my ideas. Now I'll have to come up with a new list.
Gosh.
Posted by: karen-the-great at April 24, 2006 09:48 AM
Wow, 2 years later and still on the toilet-transporter plot. Guess it's a good one. :) Will make for an interesting film, no doubt. I'm envisioning a "Dr. Who"-like cinematography. I do the multiple book thing myself, an old habit from my days at The Book Rack. And I'm definitely looking forward to more faith/science writing!
Posted by: juls at April 26, 2006 05:07 PM