Book Recommendation

If you're looking for a very thought-provoking book, especially relevant for these turbulent times, may I humbly recommend The Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claiborne. Like many great suggestions I've received, I heard about this book from the Zimels when Adam came to Oregon for our guys weekend on Mt. Adams. It would take a long time for me to completely summarize all of my reactions to this book (some good, some bad), but it has definitely made me think about my priorities and has been especially good for me to read as I jump into a new profession. Here are a few blurbs from the book to whet your appetite. I heartily recommend this book!

(From the back of the book)
In The Irresistable Revolution, Shane Claiborne invites you into a movement of the Spirit that begins in the heart and extends through our hands into a broken world. Using examples from his own unconventional life, Shane Claiborne stirs up questions about the church and the world, challenging you to live out an authentic Christian faith. This book will comfort the disturbed, disturb the comfortable, and invite believers to change the world with Christ's radical love.

...[M}any of us find ourselves estranged from the narrow issues that define conservatives and from the shallow spirituality that marks liberals. We are thirsty for social justice and peace but have a hard time finding a faith community that is consistently pro-life or that recognizes that there are "moral issues" other than homosexuality and abortion, moral issues like war and poverty. So some folks just end up trying to save individual souls from their sins, and others end up trying to save the world from "the system." But rarely do we see that the sickness of the world has infected each of us, and that the healing of our world not only begins within us but does not end with us.

There are many, many more portions of this book that I'd like to post here on the blog, but I simply will encourage others to check out the book from your local library (like I did) or purchase a copy (all profits are going to charity). You can read more about Shane at The Simple Way.

First Week of Work

I've nearly completed my first week here in the Seattle office and things are going really well so far. I'm enjoying the people here and I feel like the firm has done a great job with "easing me" in to the office - i.e., not just throwing me into an office and dumping work on me. This week has primarily been training - computers, phones, benefits, pro bono, etc...

My actual office - on the 26th floor - is fairly spartan right now, but I've got a great view of Elliot Bay and the Olympic Mountains. I can also just barely see Qwest Field and Safeco Field.

In the coming weeks and months, I'm sure I'll have more contemplations on working as a practicing lawyer who bills time in 6 minute increments, but for now things are going OK.

Back to conformity...err...reality

As some of you know (and have commented on...ahem, Mr. Evans and Mr. Lavassaur), I started growing my hair out earlier this summer. It wasn't so much that I had the goal of getting a head of long, flowing locks, but it was more of "last fling" - my final jab at conventionalism before I had to enter the straight-laced world of practicing the law. The funny thing is, Missi started out as my biggest opponent, and after about 6 weeks of growth she was actually sort of enjoying it. As you can tell from these before/after pics, however, I was definitely needing to get a trim because it was just starting to look nasty.

A couple of random photos taken by Sam



Self-portrait with the new 'do taken in Washington D.C.

Photos from Washington D.C.

I was in Washington D.C. last week for some training for work and I managed to snap a few photos. As I walked around the various memorials, I thought that it was fitting for me to return to our nation's capital to begin my legal career, as the initial seed for a career practicing the law was planted in me during my trips to Washington D.C. for Boys Nation. It all comes full circle...

Photos from the Elliot Bay Water Taxi

Last weekend, we did some "exploring" around Seattle. This included a stop at a favorite shop of Maggie and Missi's, lunch at Ivar's on the waterfront, a ride across Elliott Bay on the water taxi, and a stop at Pike Place Market. It was a lot of fun!

Phew!!!

I passed the Washington Bar Exam!!!

A Bonus Post on Running the Marathon

Here are a few photos from last Sunday:




A friend sent us this photo that was taken by someone from The Oregonian and posted on one of their blogs. You can see it here. Notice how Missi is totally smiling and it looks like it's all I can do just to keep moving.



A few FAQs:

Did you have fun?
Yes! It was a great experience, albeit a very tough, very challenging one. I'm someone who really enjoys pushing my body and mind to the limits (i.e., mountain climbing), and this marathon certainly pushed me to the limit.

Did you hit the wall?
AB-SO-LUTELY. It's tough to pinpoint exactly where "the wall" was for me, but when I look at my split times from throughout the race, I slowed waaaaaay down from Miles 21-26.

Would you run another marathon?
At this point I'm not sure. It was fun and a great challenge, but it takes a lot of time to properly train for a marathon (see below) and I'll have to see how my work schedule is once I start working in a few weeks. I'd like to try another marathon at some point, but the goal was just to complete one, not become a full-fledged marathoner.

Were you prepared for the marathon?
No! I initially set out to run this marathon to answer the question of whether someone can train for a marathon in two months. I started running around August 1, shortly after I completed the bar exam. I trained sporadically for August and September (late August/early September were my best training weeks). I ran a few hundred miles during the stretch, but I definitely don't think it was enough. If I would've trained for a longer period I have no doubt that I could have avoided hitting "the wall" so hard. So, while I guess the answer to my question is that someone technically can get ready for a marathon in two months, I wouldn't really advise it and I think it would've been nice to have trained for a longer period. The funny thing is, I totally overestimated my "readiness" level and thought I would be just fine, and this marathon totally humbled me.

What was the toughest stretch?
Some say the long, steep, uphill stretch to the St. John's Bridge is the most difficult stretch, and it was tough, but for me I'd say the last 3-4 miles were really tough. My body was just SPENT and my legs were cramping up and it was all I could do just to keep one foot moving in front of another. You'd think that I would've been able to "pick up the pace" a bit as I was coming home, but when my mind was telling my legs to do that, they just wouldn't respond.

What was the best part of the marathon?
Crossing the finish line! But besides that, it was awesome to run the last 5 miles with Missi. She was really encouraging to me at a point when I was really struggling.

What was the best quote of the day?
From my grandfather, after the race was over: "John, I can't wait until you get a haircut. I just can't recognize you with that long hair."

Well, I made it...

I ran the Portland Marathon today and it was quite the experience. I went in just wanting to finish it, and I certainly accomplished that, but my time was quite a bit slower than I thought it might be. From the outset, the whole race experience just seemed a bit "snakebit": the belt that I was planning on wearing to carry water, gatorade, and energy gel somehow stretched out so it was bouncing around like crazy against my back, whereas it should have been really tight against my back (it ended up actually falling off me and I had to stop, retrace my steps, and pick it up and try to put it back on). I ended up giving the belt to Missi around Mile 13 because it was bugging me so much. My trusty Nike sunglasses kept fogging up, almost from the very first mile, and I could never really get them de-fogged despite everything I tried. I think this was primarily because it was raining and my face and hair was soaked. And finally, I inexplicably went through 2 iPod shuffles! After my iPod died somewhere around Mile 14, I switched to MIssi's iPod but it ended up dying around Mile 19 or so. I still haven't figured out what caused the iPods to stop working considering I charged mine up just yesterday. I'm wondering if all the moisture from the rain caused me it to stop. So it was a bit discouraging, to say the least, that my "equipment" didn't work very well for me.

I had come up with a rough race plan that had me basically running 8:00 miles for the first 5 miles, 8:15 miles for the next 5 miles, and 8:30 for the next 7 or 8. I met my first "pacer" - my buddy PQ - at mile 13.5, and I was only one minute off my target pace at that time, so I was feeling alright about my time, but I could feel my legs starting to get a bit tired. When PQ tried to push me a bit during the 2 or 3 miles we ran together, I had to tell him that I just didn't have any "push" in my legs. From about Mile 18 to the finish, my pace slowed waaay down and it was all I could do to just keep running (not to mention the cramps that set in around Mile 23 and continued all the way to the end). I met my dad at Mile 18 and ran with him to Mile 21, where I met Missi, the kids, my mom, and grandpa. It was great that I met Missi at Mile 21 and she was able to run all the way in to the finish line with me. I ended up finishing somewhere around 4:15 or 4:20 (I'm not sure of the exact time because the results website is currently down), which was slower than I would've liked but it feels great just to have accomplished a goal I've had for a long time.

Pics to follow...

What A Wonderful Weekend

This past weekend was the second annual girl's weekend with Amber-Rose, Annie, and Mauria. My only complaint from the weekend is that it wasn't long enough! (And maybe some of the service at the beach, but that's a whole other story!) We started out the weekend with dinner on Friday at Lucy's Table, one of my very favorites. On Saturday we headed to George Fox for the Selah conference. It was a wonderful way to start the weekend. I had a chance to see some of my MSCC church family there as well, which was an added gift. Then it was off to Lincoln City for some shopping at their outlet mall. Girls and shopping. Not sure what it's all about, but a bonding time never the less. We had beautiful weather at Pacific City where we stayed Saturday and Sunday night. Annie has just started a photography business, and she had a session for Amber-Rose and sweet sweet Matea. Both Amber-Rose and Maur brought their newest additions, and that added such a precious touch to the weekend. We had good talks, great laughs, and for me, a great reminder of God's beauty in His creation. These women are clearly chosen by the Lord's hand for me. And though I don't get to see any of them all that often, I know that there is a special bond in Him that is stronger that any distance. I cherish you beautiful ladies! Looking forward to next time!!

Here are some pics from the weekend: