real estate

If you regularly read my blog you know that we've been on the quest to purchase property somewhere in the Santa Barbara area. We are moving along in our journey and have a contract on a condominium in Buellton in a new development called Juliette Walk. We're excited about the possibilities and more than a little nervous about the size of the mortgage plus commuting costs. Closing is scheduled for August 22 - two weeks after the wedding. We were trying to make this summer as low stress as possible.

We've been more sensitive to the market since we began looking and have been very aware of the craziness of the entire issue of housing in California since we moved here. In Santa Barbara it is not at all unusual to find 15 people living in a 2 bedroom apartment. People rent out garages as living space. Renters often pay by the bed and that fee could be a mortgage payment in much of the country. We know of at least one family of 5 that is renting an open porch... and many people live in their cars. We have an incredible shortage of housing and the affordability index is probably the worst in the nation. At the same time, our county planners recently OK'd the construction of a 13,000 square foot home on the mountainside just west of Goleta.

Today's LA Times has an article that caught my eye. Candy Spelling - the widow of Aaron Spelling - purchased a new condo for $47 million which is a record for the US at $2,848 a square foot. The new condo is only 16,500 square feet (yes, that is the correct number of zeros) which is a huge drop from the 56,500 square foot home she currently lives in which is affectionately called - The Manor. Her lawyer observed that her current home is "awfully big for one person." Well, duh. I guess 16,500 square feet is more reasonable. It is unclear what the asking price for Manor will be when it goes up for sale. After all, it does include 11 bedrooms, 16 baths, a bowling alley, a gift wrapping room, and sits on 6 acres. It is the largest house in LA county. The condo will be ready to move in next year so Candy will have time to downsize.

In the meantime, there are three other houses in the LA area in the same ballpark price wise as Candy's new condo - a 10 bedroom, 12 bath, 18,000 square foot beachfront in Newport Beach for $38.5 million. An 8 bedroom, 11 bath, on 1.2 acres in Holmby Hills (the same neighborhood as Candy's current home) for $45 million. And a 3 story on 4.2 acres in Beverly hills with 9 bedrooms, 18 bathrooms, pool, tennis court, etc... at $49 million.

They were all a little out of our price range plus the commute to work would have been too far.

I always wondered...

There seems to be an entire school of popular singers who so garble their words that nobody has any idea what they're really saying. Think of Bob Dylan. Remember that classic from the 60's "Louie, Louie."

Well, Joe Cocker was one of those singers. I could never figure out what he was saying although, I knew it was full of emotions. Someone was helpful enough to add captions to this video from Woodstock so we could understand what he was actually saying. And thanks Mike for finding it.

Isn't Youtube a wonderful thing?

hang

I was looking for some videos of an udu a Nigerian pottery drum on youtube and came across this video of a guy named Dante Bucci playing a hang... I did a little searching after that and found they are nearly impossible to find and when you find one, they are very expensive. If I come into money, I'll begin a serious search for one. There is a similar sounding but very differently designed instrument called a Hapi drum that might be an interesting substitute that is a lot easier to get and much less expensive. Anyway, here is the hang (pronounced hung)



I do have an udu - the drum that started the search - and it is a lot of fun. It is the drum I'm playing in the song on the player at the right called heartbeat.

here's a video of a guy from the Albany NY area named Brian Melick who is a wonderful percussionist who plays a lot of udu. He is playing 4 different sized udus at once. Normally, you'd only play 1.

More Hooters

I wonder how many people have googled "hooters" and found these blog entries?

Here they are again... this video is the original line-up of the Hooters from '82 before they incorporated the mandolins and were still pretty much a ska band. The tempo gets away from them a bit but what energy! You can see how much fun their shows were... everyone danced. The name "The Hooters" came from the use of the melodica, the little mouth blown keyboard that Rob Hyman is playing the solo on. Evidently that instrument was really popular in Jamaica back during the day.

The Hooters

I've been feeling nostalgic a bit these days and was going through videos of some of my old favorite bands from Philly on Youtube... The Hooters was our favorite band back from about 1980-84 or so. We were HUGE fans of the earliest incarnation of the band and still really liked them as they became more commercial. You may or may not remember them, but the main songwriters - Eric Bazilian (Cheryl had a crush on him back in the day) and Rob Hymen - wrote songs that you certainly do remember - True Colors and One of Us come immediately to mind.

Well, I ended up looking at some old Hooters videos, followed a link to Eric Bazilian's myspace page and discovered that they have toured some recently and even released a new CD in '07.

This is a video from that CD... I love it and will likely use the song at some time as "special music" in church.

Big Church #2

A few weeks ago I blogged about The Big Church in town. Well, it has pushed itself into my consciousness again. It seems they're starting a satalite church about 4 blocks from my church - Cambridge Drive Community Church.

I have to say that I have really mixed feelings.

I know all of the arguments that the only significant growth takes place in new churches... I have also seen the stats that show that the vast majority of folk who attend these mega-churches are just transfers from other churches. I know that folk who would be attracted there would never come to my congregation and that folk who attend my church are very unlikely to find that place attractive. At the same time, I do see them siphoning off our teens to be a part of their youth group - it is the biggest one around - and as often as not, their parents follow them even though they say they find the church and its theology distasteful. I also know there are lots and lots of people in Goleta who are unchurched and that one more congregation brings another opportunity for them to encounter the Living God. And you know my thoughts on the kind of experience they offer so I wonder whether in the end it really impedes an experience of the Holy rather than bringing people into the Kindom of God. And there is no question that I feel turf issues.

What do you think? Should I be upset? Worried? Concerned? Rejoicing?

redefining the American Dream

interesting question isn't it?

Iran

As I listen to the bluster and watch the posturing between Iran and Israel I can't help but think about the elementary school playground. Here are two guys with too much testosterone, each trying to mark out his territory. Both are threatening the other and both are reacting from fear. Either one could become the aggressor if the threat from the other seems imminent. After all, if you're really afraid of what the other can do, a preemptive strike makes sense (just ask W about that). So if you're afraid that Bully A might have a good right hook, sucker punch him before he has a chance and make sure that he can't get up. Of course, if he does get up, there might be serious consequences.

Israel practices air strikes, Iran shoots off missiles. Plans seem to be in place and everyone everywhere is talking about a war sometime around the US election with ether Israel of the US bombing Iran. All of the parties are afraid and fear blocks out rational thinking. The problem is that we aren't talking about children in the schoolyard. We're talking about nations. We have already seen the results of an ill-planned war in the middle east and the results would be disastrous if another is added to the mix. Just as with the current war, more aggression would just add to Iran's influence and power. Leaders who sing "bomb, bomb, Iran" only make things more unstable and more dangerous.

So what are the options. Someone needs to talk. Someone needs to tone down the rhetoric. Someone needs to bring reason to the table and diffuse the testosterone. The US needs to use all of its influence to calm Israel down. The world community needs to work together to stop Iran's nuclear program while at the same time giving them something so they don't feel as if they've "lost."

update on the Gap fire

The fire fighters have done an amazing job and have saved 100's of homes. Our house was within about 4 blocks of the mandatory evacuation area and the flames came within less than a mile of our house. scary.

at this point the fire has burned just under 10,000 acres but is controlled for the most part along the populated areas in Goleta. The smoke and ash comes and goes with the winds. We can't see active flames on the mountain any more but there are numerous plumes of smoke rising from the mountains.

The mandatory evacuation areas are much smaller and most of the folk who had to leave their homes have been allowed back. Life is feeling closer to normal.

here's a video news report from an LA television station about the evacuations. Don and Judy are members of our church as is Elaine who you see shaking hands with the governator. They were all back in their homes on Saturday.

The best coverage of the fire is being provided by the local alternative newspaper
The Independent. They have done an outstanding job, so if you are interested in learning more about the fire, follow the link.

Mind the Gap

When we visited England, if you rode the subway in London, you were familiar with the little saying "Mind the gap..." That has taken on new meaning with the Gap Fire which is burning within 2 or 3 miles of our house. 1700 homes have been evacuated, some within about 4 blocks of our house. It is frightening to watch as the fires burn down the mountain near us and very anxiety producing as we wonder what might happen next. Things seem relatively normal and then the power goes off or the winds shift and we just don't know what might happen. We're afraid to go anywhere for fear the winds would shift and we wouldn't be able to get home to get important papers, our cat, my guitars, photographs, computer backups, whatever. Even the normal activities of trying to write a sermon seem almost impossible. The frustrations and fears are almost paralyzing.

Some of our church members have been evacuated from their homes. Others have left to escape the terrible air quality and the frustration of not knowing what will happen next. I have no idea what to do with worship on Sunday.

If I think about things... many people around the world live with this kind of uncertainty and insecurity every day. I don't know how they do it. And on the other hand, I think of those who fight these fires and the stamina and commitment that requires.

Faith in Politics

If a political candidate is able to exclude his or her faith from their policy decisions, that faith is worthless. At the same time, it is a tightrope walk to keep one's faith at the forefront without imposing it upon others, especially when you are making policy. I hope Obama is able to do that. Time will tell.



FWIW, I don't know anything about The Matthew 25 Network beyond this.

Kenny Hill New World

Well... the Kenny Hill New World guitar is here. I love it. It has not been played a lot so it will open up considerably as it gets played but already the bass notes are rich and full and the trebles are sweet and warm.



It has a nice spruce top and Indian rosewood sides and back. The fingerboard is wider than a typical steel string but still more narrow than a classical plus it feels as if it has a slight radius - typical of steel strings and not found on classicals.

The next steps are to get a pickup for it so I can amplify it and use it to play out and to get the finish fixed. The previous owner had an unfortunate accident with the finish and a bit of it pulled off by the endgraft. I think the finish is French polish, an old method of applying shellac that is only used these days on high end classical guitars and in restoring antiques. The finish is extremely labor intensive and fragile but it sounds great on a guitar. The other upside is that it is relatively easy to repair. I'm waiting to hear back from the company before I move ahead with getting anything worked on.

In the meantime, I've started through a book on Brazilian guitar called Guitar Atlas: Brazil from Alfred Publishing. I'm learning all of these wonderful chord voicings that were previously completely outside of my guitar vocabulary. They sound great but boy is my hand getting tired. And the rhythms are a little different from anything I've done before too. Once I have a sense that I've got much of this under my belt, I'll try their book on African guitar and they even have a book of Japanese style guitar... I'm hoping it is reflective of koto playing. That would be fun too.

baseball

I'm not a big baseball fan but I do enjoy going to a few games a year and I certainly appreciate the athletics that you sometimes see at a good game. check this catch out.

Insurance

I find the discussions regarding health care fascinating. I don't know anyone who is happy with their insurance. Everyone I know thinks it costs too much, covers too little, and places too many constraints on their medical care. Add to that an associated press article shows that HMO's in California made over $4 billion in profits last year with many of the CEO's making more than $1 million in salaries.

Still, as soon as the discussion moves to universal health care, many of those same folk who were complaining about their own insurance begin a litany - "we have the best health care in the world," "can you imagine if the government ran health care?" "do you want a bureaucrat making decisions about your medical care?" "we need choice in our health care," "the free market will take care of any problems we have if we just allow it to work."

Of course the answers are simple - No we don't. They run the highway system would you rather that be privatized? how bout the military? (oops it is being privatized) Bureaucrats already make the decisions except instead of being public employees with the good of society as their aim, they are private employees whose only goal is profit Choice? I don't have any choice. My insurance company tells me what care I can have and who will provide it. Some things should not and cannot be governed by the free market and health care is one of them.

I have no illusions that either a single payer system or a government run system would be perfect. I also don't doubt that wealthy people leave Canada to have procedures done in the US and avoid waits. But I also have no doubts that either a single payer or government run health care system would be better and cheaper than what we have now.

FWIW, I'm feeling a little unhappy with my insurance these days. Three years ago,Alexis had major surgery on her jaw that was medically necessary. Our very expensive insurance didn't pay a penny. We were lucky to be in a position where we could pay for it with loans against my retirement account. Some 25 years ago, when I didn't have any insurance, I needed a root canal. We paid for that but couldn't swing a crown for the tooth. The dentists said it would be more fragile and would break someday. It broke last week - below the gum line. I went to the dentist who said they could do "crown lengthening" which my insurance covers, but there would be less than a 40% chance that the tooth would not fall out. The periodontist said the same thing. Plus it would involve cutting back my gums and removing some bone around that tooth and the two adjoining teeth...making them less stable as well. The dentist highly recommended a dental implant. Guess what. My insurance doesn't cover it. And it doesn't matter that two dentists agreed it was the best and cheapest effective care for my mouth.

At least I'm not like the woman in the video. Nobody dies from lack of a dental implant. Still, it doesn't need to be like it is - supporting obscene salaries and a profit motive where people's lives are in the balance.

Gig this weekend

This Sunday, June 22, 2:30-4:30 I have a gig at the Stearns Wharf Vintners Tasting Room on the wharf in Santa Barbara... and it's free!

I'll be playing with Jamie Green and Zak the Red on bass, plus Michele Moreno and Ali Handal (two wonderful singer/songwriters from LA) will be adding additional vocals. Stop by, watch the boats go by, enjoy a cool breeze off the ocean, drink some great wine, nibble on some cheese, and most of all, listen to some great music.

church

I have been a pastor since 1978 in three very different churches in radically different settings. I have a Master of Divinity from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from Drew University Theological School. I have done a reasonable job of keeping up with my continuing education and with reading. I know much of the latest church research and I know what the theorists say about churches and the people in churches. All that said... I don't understand why some churches grow and others do not.

This past Sunday, I took the Sunday off and we visited "The Big Church" in town. They have three services on Sunday for a total of 2 or 3 thousand people a week. When I ask the folk I meet whether they are part of a faith community, of those who say "yes," probably 50% say "The Big Church." So I thought there must be something great going on there. I went hoping to learn something about doing effective and engaging ministry in this community.

As I said, I don't understand. We arrived about 15 minutes early and easily found a parking space. We walked to the entrance... and didn't know where to go. There was no signage and nobody spoke a word to us. We followed some people and found the door to the worship space - a big old warehouse. It was dark with lots of pillars and the seating was benches like might be used as outdoor furniture with pads. Very uncomfortable. There was a loop of information, projected onto two places on the wall. From any place in the room, the image was partially blocked either by pillars or beams. On the platform, there was a piano, a drum set, a few microphones, a number of large potted plants, and a pulpit. The backdrop reflected the craftsman style architecture that is found in this area. There were no obviously Christian symbols anywhere.

An acoustic guitarist, pianist, bass player, and drummer came out. The guitarist talked for a while... kind of rambling... and they began a set of music. The first three songs were very difficult to sing (and I didn't know them). It seemed that a few people in the congregation (which was slowly growing) were singing along but most were not. Those who were seemed to be in their own little worlds. The sound was OK but nothing special. The musicians were adequate but only the bass player impressed me (he was GOOD). They then led a few songs that I knew and I sang along. Still, the majority of the congregation seemed to be unengaged. Even the musicians seemed to be doing their own thing...

One of the pastors came up and explained their new online giving opportunities, made announcements including two fundraisers being held to support church programs, and called for the offering. Two of the musicians did a song to canned background. By this time the space was pretty full.

Then the senior pastor came to the pulpit. His text was James 3:13-18. His sermon wasn't offensive, but it also didn't excite me, inspire me, or challenge me. It was merely there... and it seemed long. He was personable enough but there wasn't anything there. Then it ended, he called the prayer team forward, the band did another song and people began to leave.

As we drove home, Cheryl and I talked and neither of us could understand why anyone would go back. I never experienced a sense of corporateness about their worship. When people were worshiping, they seemed to be withdrawn into themselves. There was nothing outstanding and nothing that made the experience easily accessible. I have heard better music in many other churches in the area. I have heard better preaching just about everywhere. I have heard that they have great youth programs but there was nothing that indicated that from where we sat. There were very few children present - presumably they were someplace else, and very few teens - maybe they were someplace else too.

Again, I don't understand why anyone would go back a second Sunday. Some may appreciate the anonymity that it offered but that could easily be found elsewhere. The pieces are all done better elsewhere. The only piece that it seems to have that others don't is sheer size and the Walmart like "something for everyone" programing. Still, like Walmart, it struck me that nothing was quite what it could have been.

updates

it feels like I've been neglecting my blog recently... life has been crazy.

the deal on the condo in Buellton fell through so we're looking around to see what we might be able to find. We've looked at some places in Santa Barbara and Goleta and were very discouraged. Our price range really didn't purchase very much. Today we saw some units in Carpinteria (a little coastal town about 15 miles east of Santa Barbara) and saw some places that we really liked. They cost considerably more than in Buellton but the distance is much less and you're right on the ocean. The real down side is that the highway to Santa Barbara is often very congested in that direction and they are going to be working on it for about the next 5 years... making it worse.


Alexis received her masters degree from UCSB in Global and International Studies. Her interest has been the role of interfaith relationships in forming a civil society. Congratulations Alexis!

My GAS seems to have found a cure... I have agreed to purchase a Kenny Hill Crossover. Kenny Hill is a builder of high end classical guitars who also contracts with some small shops in Paracho, Mexico and in China to build guitars according to his designs. The crossover I'll be getting is from one of these small shops (I'm not sure where at this point). Most of the hybrid designs come from companies who specialize in steel strings and try their hand at a hybrid design so they can sell a nylon string to their loyal fans. For example, Taylor currently has a number of hybrid guitars and Martin has discontinued their design. The Hill company is coming from the other direction. They know how to build nylon string guitars and have designed one that is easier for steel string players to play. Theoretically, they do a better job of getting the guitar to sound like a real classical is supposed to sound. The word on the web is that the Hills do just that and sound amazing. It should arrive late next week. I'll write more about it then.

In the meantime, I've sold an amplifier and have an electric guitar for sale on e-bay and a violin on craigslist.

Saturday, my friend Jamie had a significant birthday and she had a great party... except I bit into a piece of a baguette smothered in a wonderful tapenade... and broke a tooth on a piece of olive pit. So, I'm off to see the dentist on Weds. It was still a great party with wonderful friends, great food, and fantastic music. Happy b'day Jamie!

some more wonderful guitar playing

I was looking on youtube for some more African music and some examples of different nylon string guitars and came across this

It isn't really African (he's from Canada), it isn't a nylon string guitar (but isn't the tone amazing?) but I found myself listening to it again and again. Boy, I love Lowden Guitars

The artist is Andy Sheppard

GAS again

Well... I've got Guitar Acquisition Syndrome again.

I love the sound of a nylon string guitar. I've always wanted to learn to play bossa nova and some of the African acoustic styles that work well with nylon strings... but I don't bond with traditional classical guitars. I've owned three or four through the years. I get one, play it for a while and it just doesn't work for me... I don't like the neck shape or nut width. And the guitars I've owned didn't have as much sustain as I prefer (perhaps a more expensive classical would have but these didn't). There is something about the sound though... some styles really require it and there is just something there...

These days, there are a number of companies that build a hybrid style guitar with nylon strings, bracing similar to a classical guitar, and a neck similar to a steel string guitar's neck. I think that should make the difference for me. So, I'm selling a few pieces of gear and beginning the search. Godin and Guild build guitars of this style that are in my price range.

In the meantime, here's a video of Sara Tavares playing a nylon string guitar. She does a wonderful mix of Brazilian, African, and Portuguese music. If you search my blog, there is another video of her doing a tune called Balance that I love.

Hillary?

Well, I read her speech from last night and it seems anything but a concession. I went to her website to leave a note telling her what I think she should do, only to discover that she already began the note for me - "I'm with you Hillary and I'm proud of everything we're fighting for."

I'm not so I didn't leave a note. She'll have to read it here. Hillary needs to concede immediately and spend every waking minute of every day telling her supporters that she lost the race fairly and squarely and that they ought to throw all of their support behind Obama. She should campaign for him in Appalachia. She should campaign among Latinos. She should visit every gathering of feminists and shout from the rooftop that this is not the time when we will have the opportunity to vote for a woman for president. That day is yet to come (and it will come). In the meantime, vote for Barack Obama.

There are those who argue that she should become VP. They argue that she deserves it and that if she is not on the ticket that a large percentage of her supporters will vote for McCain. They present Hillary and Obama as a dream ticket. I think this is a mistake for a lot of reasons.

1. Hillary has HUGE negative ratings. Yes, there are folk who love her but there are huge numbers who just plain hate her. It doesn't matter what she says or does, they just hate her. Having her on the ticket will energize those folk to get out to vote for McCain, a candidate that they're not excited about and who, without some other issue going on, may inspire them to stay home on election day.

2. She has alienated a lot of democrats during this campaign, especially in the African America community.

3. If Hillary concedes with grace and honesty, and then campaigns furiously for Obama, she can deliver many or most of her supporters to him.

4. Bill Clinton. Do we really think having him back at the white house is a good thing?

5. Don't we remember what the Republicans did while Bill was president? Don't we remember all of the ugliness and attacks. Don't we anticipate they'll pull out the same issues all over again?

6. There are positions where Hillary can make more of a difference than as VP. Put her on the cabinet, working on the health care mess. Let her run for governor of New York and let Obama help heal the wounds that she has inflicted in the black community by campaigning for her. Let her continue in the Senate where she could exercise significant leadership.

7. Having her on the ticket just feeds the frustration of her supporters and impede the healing that is needed in the party.

8. Most importantly, Obama has promised a different kind of politics. As far as I can see, he has exemplified this in his campaign. Hillary's campaign has been politics as usual. How can she possibly fit into his ticket?

So Hillary, do what you should have done as soon as the numbers became clear weeks ago - pull out and throw your support behind Obama. Stop the veiled threats. Stop calling into question the integrity of the process and its results. Stop playing games and move on. If you need to attack someone, go after McCain.