Contest results and a broken jar of thanks
If your name is Ian and it is your birthday today, I hope you had a good birthday. I want to thank you for the concert last night. It was a wicked trip down south, and I really enjoyed the show.
For anyone who didn’t see The New Pornographers, you missed out.
This has been too long in coming. I am going to admit that this is not an objective method of judging, but honestly, I have been blessed by these pieces of advice. Thanx chums.
As I said, each entry will be judged by its practicality (can I understand how to put the advice into action? Is it more a platitude than a piece of advice?), specificity (is it advice for me and not advice that could be for anyone? why this advice? and why me?), urgency (how important is it? And how urgent it is for the benefit of my being, not being about something trivial?), originality (does this piece of advice bring to my attention something that I have not thought of? Something which I would be unlikely to have implemented in my life if not for the help of your words?); and finally, each entry will be judged on style (this is primarily the sensitivity and persuasiveness with which the advice is presented, but does not exclude humor or poetic qualities).
Here are the winners and the runners up.
RUNNER UP: JEFF KING
“Here's my advice:
On Tuesdays, drink a steamed latté from Starbucks. While you are drinking it, read something by Ezra Pound and try to reconcile the following truths:
1. Ezra Pound was an anti-semite.
2. Starbucks is the epitome of capitalism.
3. Ezra Pound's poetry is beautiful.
4. Starbucks' steamed lattés are delightful.
Love,
Jeff K.”
Practicality: 8
Specificity: 7
Urgency: 4
Originality: 7
Style: 9
Total: 35
I perhaps should give Jeff some money. At the time I received the advice it was not as significant as it is to me now. I have actually been thinking more about art and the role that beauty plays in our lives. Additionally, I have not finished with the questions of worldly comforts vs. God given gifts. I will admit, I have not found any Ezra Pound, so I haven’t actually tried this one, but I have done many theoretical run-throughs, and I have pondered the works of Shakespear and the thoughts of Heidegger.
This advice was easy to put into practice, and good for me specifically being a philosophy, interested both in aesthetics and ethics. The elements were all original and I love Jeff’s writing but I was so bold as to fail him on urgency. I’m not sure if I can come to any conclusions, and I’m not sure where time spent here will take me. Thank you very much Jeff, and feel free to make an appeal if you want a share of the money.
RUNNER UP: AMY BASSILLI
“Jonathan, after reading your proposition, a scripture verse immediately came to mind: 2 Kings 10:16, where Jehu says: “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.” Now, I know the background of this verse is weighty but I don’t want to get into all of that here. Commentary gives Jehu a lot of slack for making that statement, but, I don’t want to get into all of that either. Jonathan, my advice to you is this: BE ZEALOUS for the Lord. Be tireless in your pursuit for wisdom and understanding, especially when you’re beginning to feel the pangs of apathy. Be boundless in your expressions of love to God and others and in further understanding how to be loved by God. Be urgent in your hunt for righteousness. Seems like a lot, but really what I'm trying to say is, never be lacking in zeal for the Lord, Jon. Hope to hear from you soon.”
Practicality: 6
Specificity: 5/10
Urgency: 9
Originality: 5
Style: 6
Total: 34
This one is hard to rank I admit, and I don’t think Amy will mind that it doesn’t fit into the contest very well. My biggest point against this is practicality, as I want to follow God, but my will seems delayed. If I really wanted to, I would just do it, so I must want to want to do it… and so it goes. Specificity is also an interesting point. The advice is advice for everyone, and yet here, I know, it is advice for me. So I gave it a split mark and figured I’ll go with the average or something.
It is, however, appreciated as an encouragement. I will come back and read this again and again. I will read all of these again, but there are a couple, specifically those of scripture, that may not always feel specifically relevant all the time, but that’s probably just because we don’t realize that they actually are. I am once again encouraged, emboldened. Thanks.
THIRD PLACE: JONAS
“I like contests, but I am not great at giving advice. But I think I have a pretty good chance of winning, because I am lucky when it comes to winning cash prizes.
My advice for you is, like so much of the best advice, stolen from someone else. In this case, it is a little bit ironic, because my advice is... well, I'll just tell you, and then you'll know.
"It only ever comes back to you making a rational decision based on what you want to do. (BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WANT) If that's your response then my reply is simply; who else but you can make that decision?"
That's my advice.
~Jonas”
Practicality: 5
Specificity: 8
Urgency: 8
Originality: 9
Style: 7
Total: 37
This advice mattered to me. It has made me work through things. It’s biggest trouble is that it speaks specifically to a subject that is difficult to speak to. In the end, it says to the person who doesn’t know what they want, “I can’t help you.” But that is important. It is important to know what you want sometimes, and when you do something, to do it with a whole hearted commitment.
This advice helped me realize that that is what I want, even if it doesn’t get me there. Thank you David, you will be receiving a cash prize of a currently undetermined amount.
SECOND PLACE: MICHIGAN LITTLE
“this is the best advice I have. It may not be original, as I stole it, and it may seem lame or cheesy if one looks at it with a sceptic's heart, but it has been the most valuable advice I have ever stumbled across. Hard to impliment, difficult to stick to, but there is great truth and reward if you make it.
See Psalm 27:13-14
"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."
… …
shalom.
peace.
that's what I get from this...
not surfacy peace, but real deep down peace. There may never be peace on earth, but here in me I have a little piece of peace while I am on the earth.”
Practicality: 7
Specificity: 7
Urgency: 10
Originality: 7
Style: 8
Total: 39
Thank you Michelle. This advice continues to be important to me as I wait on the lord. I am living, and I am not sure that I am following him, but I am living in his grace and waiting for him, and one day I’ll be swept away by his power and love as I run after him. Don’t be surprised when it happens…
Jillian said...
,nahtanoj
advice of jill (it comes with sadness because it thinks of your departure from vancouverland. but alas)...
go to the shell or the 711 and buy a disposable camera. take a walk up commercial and find a store that has a neat thinish notebook of your liking and buy it, and also a special pen (not too expensive). you should take pictures of random or significant things, places, or people from vancouver. maybe just places and things or moments to pause? then in your book, write all the things you've learned while being here, and maybe put things that you wrote and bits of things you created, recipies, words, really anything. and then develope your pictures and put them in too (maybe get doubles and you can put some on your wall at your to-be new home... *tear*)
the key is to have a treasure book of your short but filled-with-memories time here.
and also you could go to a nice coffee place nearby to spend some time with it and the reflective parts of your mind.
you are sitting at the kitchen table.
jillian.
(writing your name backwards was my attempt at original style. i was going to write the whole thing backwards until i decided that i didn't want to do that anymore)
Practicality: 8
Specificity: 9
Urgency: 8
Originality: 8
Style: 8
Total: 41
So Jillian had the advantage of seeing me right where I was. I was at the end of a very short but significant point in my life. I was leaving Vancouver and I had many lessons that I had learned, and many things in my life that were teaching me and which were all about to be swept away in the rush of a life is familiar enough to overwhelm these things I only faintly grasped.
I wrote many things down, and I will reread them tomorrow. Thanks again Jill.
Alright, so that’s it, the contest is done. Prizes will be sent out shortly. Thanks everyone who participated.
And for anyone who read through all this, here is what I most want to say today. How do you pay someone back for something that they have done for you? I was recently blessed by a wonderful gift. It was something I never would have got for myself because I am bad at spending money on anything that would leave me with something to show for it. It is tiny and black and is a wonder of the modern age and actually changes the way the world feels around you.
So I have this thing that I will now use all the time, but even more then I like this thing, I am blessed that it was a gift. I am taken aback and I can’t think of almost any gift I have ever received that displays so much affection and commitment to me. I treasure this gift as a reminder of a friendship that is so much more important then any thing on its own could be.
For anyone who didn’t see The New Pornographers, you missed out.
This has been too long in coming. I am going to admit that this is not an objective method of judging, but honestly, I have been blessed by these pieces of advice. Thanx chums.
As I said, each entry will be judged by its practicality (can I understand how to put the advice into action? Is it more a platitude than a piece of advice?), specificity (is it advice for me and not advice that could be for anyone? why this advice? and why me?), urgency (how important is it? And how urgent it is for the benefit of my being, not being about something trivial?), originality (does this piece of advice bring to my attention something that I have not thought of? Something which I would be unlikely to have implemented in my life if not for the help of your words?); and finally, each entry will be judged on style (this is primarily the sensitivity and persuasiveness with which the advice is presented, but does not exclude humor or poetic qualities).
Here are the winners and the runners up.
RUNNER UP: JEFF KING
“Here's my advice:
On Tuesdays, drink a steamed latté from Starbucks. While you are drinking it, read something by Ezra Pound and try to reconcile the following truths:
1. Ezra Pound was an anti-semite.
2. Starbucks is the epitome of capitalism.
3. Ezra Pound's poetry is beautiful.
4. Starbucks' steamed lattés are delightful.
Love,
Jeff K.”
Practicality: 8
Specificity: 7
Urgency: 4
Originality: 7
Style: 9
Total: 35
I perhaps should give Jeff some money. At the time I received the advice it was not as significant as it is to me now. I have actually been thinking more about art and the role that beauty plays in our lives. Additionally, I have not finished with the questions of worldly comforts vs. God given gifts. I will admit, I have not found any Ezra Pound, so I haven’t actually tried this one, but I have done many theoretical run-throughs, and I have pondered the works of Shakespear and the thoughts of Heidegger.
This advice was easy to put into practice, and good for me specifically being a philosophy, interested both in aesthetics and ethics. The elements were all original and I love Jeff’s writing but I was so bold as to fail him on urgency. I’m not sure if I can come to any conclusions, and I’m not sure where time spent here will take me. Thank you very much Jeff, and feel free to make an appeal if you want a share of the money.
RUNNER UP: AMY BASSILLI
“Jonathan, after reading your proposition, a scripture verse immediately came to mind: 2 Kings 10:16, where Jehu says: “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.” Now, I know the background of this verse is weighty but I don’t want to get into all of that here. Commentary gives Jehu a lot of slack for making that statement, but, I don’t want to get into all of that either. Jonathan, my advice to you is this: BE ZEALOUS for the Lord. Be tireless in your pursuit for wisdom and understanding, especially when you’re beginning to feel the pangs of apathy. Be boundless in your expressions of love to God and others and in further understanding how to be loved by God. Be urgent in your hunt for righteousness. Seems like a lot, but really what I'm trying to say is, never be lacking in zeal for the Lord, Jon. Hope to hear from you soon.”
Practicality: 6
Specificity: 5/10
Urgency: 9
Originality: 5
Style: 6
Total: 34
This one is hard to rank I admit, and I don’t think Amy will mind that it doesn’t fit into the contest very well. My biggest point against this is practicality, as I want to follow God, but my will seems delayed. If I really wanted to, I would just do it, so I must want to want to do it… and so it goes. Specificity is also an interesting point. The advice is advice for everyone, and yet here, I know, it is advice for me. So I gave it a split mark and figured I’ll go with the average or something.
It is, however, appreciated as an encouragement. I will come back and read this again and again. I will read all of these again, but there are a couple, specifically those of scripture, that may not always feel specifically relevant all the time, but that’s probably just because we don’t realize that they actually are. I am once again encouraged, emboldened. Thanks.
THIRD PLACE: JONAS
“I like contests, but I am not great at giving advice. But I think I have a pretty good chance of winning, because I am lucky when it comes to winning cash prizes.
My advice for you is, like so much of the best advice, stolen from someone else. In this case, it is a little bit ironic, because my advice is... well, I'll just tell you, and then you'll know.
"It only ever comes back to you making a rational decision based on what you want to do. (BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WANT) If that's your response then my reply is simply; who else but you can make that decision?"
That's my advice.
~Jonas”
Practicality: 5
Specificity: 8
Urgency: 8
Originality: 9
Style: 7
Total: 37
This advice mattered to me. It has made me work through things. It’s biggest trouble is that it speaks specifically to a subject that is difficult to speak to. In the end, it says to the person who doesn’t know what they want, “I can’t help you.” But that is important. It is important to know what you want sometimes, and when you do something, to do it with a whole hearted commitment.
This advice helped me realize that that is what I want, even if it doesn’t get me there. Thank you David, you will be receiving a cash prize of a currently undetermined amount.
SECOND PLACE: MICHIGAN LITTLE
“this is the best advice I have. It may not be original, as I stole it, and it may seem lame or cheesy if one looks at it with a sceptic's heart, but it has been the most valuable advice I have ever stumbled across. Hard to impliment, difficult to stick to, but there is great truth and reward if you make it.
See Psalm 27:13-14
"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."
… …
shalom.
peace.
that's what I get from this...
not surfacy peace, but real deep down peace. There may never be peace on earth, but here in me I have a little piece of peace while I am on the earth.”
Practicality: 7
Specificity: 7
Urgency: 10
Originality: 7
Style: 8
Total: 39
Thank you Michelle. This advice continues to be important to me as I wait on the lord. I am living, and I am not sure that I am following him, but I am living in his grace and waiting for him, and one day I’ll be swept away by his power and love as I run after him. Don’t be surprised when it happens…
Jillian said...
,nahtanoj
advice of jill (it comes with sadness because it thinks of your departure from vancouverland. but alas)...
go to the shell or the 711 and buy a disposable camera. take a walk up commercial and find a store that has a neat thinish notebook of your liking and buy it, and also a special pen (not too expensive). you should take pictures of random or significant things, places, or people from vancouver. maybe just places and things or moments to pause? then in your book, write all the things you've learned while being here, and maybe put things that you wrote and bits of things you created, recipies, words, really anything. and then develope your pictures and put them in too (maybe get doubles and you can put some on your wall at your to-be new home... *tear*)
the key is to have a treasure book of your short but filled-with-memories time here.
and also you could go to a nice coffee place nearby to spend some time with it and the reflective parts of your mind.
you are sitting at the kitchen table.
jillian.
(writing your name backwards was my attempt at original style. i was going to write the whole thing backwards until i decided that i didn't want to do that anymore)
Practicality: 8
Specificity: 9
Urgency: 8
Originality: 8
Style: 8
Total: 41
So Jillian had the advantage of seeing me right where I was. I was at the end of a very short but significant point in my life. I was leaving Vancouver and I had many lessons that I had learned, and many things in my life that were teaching me and which were all about to be swept away in the rush of a life is familiar enough to overwhelm these things I only faintly grasped.
I wrote many things down, and I will reread them tomorrow. Thanks again Jill.
Alright, so that’s it, the contest is done. Prizes will be sent out shortly. Thanks everyone who participated.
And for anyone who read through all this, here is what I most want to say today. How do you pay someone back for something that they have done for you? I was recently blessed by a wonderful gift. It was something I never would have got for myself because I am bad at spending money on anything that would leave me with something to show for it. It is tiny and black and is a wonder of the modern age and actually changes the way the world feels around you.
So I have this thing that I will now use all the time, but even more then I like this thing, I am blessed that it was a gift. I am taken aback and I can’t think of almost any gift I have ever received that displays so much affection and commitment to me. I treasure this gift as a reminder of a friendship that is so much more important then any thing on its own could be.
posted by The Begger at 9:50 p.m.
6 Comments:
That was a pretty post. I feel happy when I hear of friendships. I saw Jerry Maguire the other day, and there's a part where Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr.'s characters hug, and I found that magical and I almost cried. My eyes at tear fluid in them. Friendsies are awesome.
wicked post
dear beggar, if you write a paper of the history of 'The birds and the bess story' - you are THE man.
jonathan!
i am happy the advice was good to you. Vancouver misses you, but alas, you are remaining here in legend. just the other day danny was raving about your crazy pool skills. i hope you are still dancing many a jolly jig, and eating lots of olives and rice crackers, and learning lots of exciting things!
Miss you lots Jonathan... thanks for the socks. I'm wearing them right now, and they are so sweet.
Jonny.
weird thing. I didn't read this post till today (march 22) and I had no idea that I got 2nd place. I am very excited. It made my heart feel glad that you felt my advice was good. I think it's some advice that I need to continue to take to heart.
You are very special
thanks
Michelle
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