"The best things in life aren't things" - Art Buchwald
This is a notion that truly resonates with me, and I have found great joy in pursuing an adventurous blend of human connection and natural beauty in my life. I have always felt compelled to share in my experiences, and until recently, words have been my exclusive chosen medium. Technology has evolved rapidly since I first started writing, and I have become enamored with the beautiful weave of digital media and networked social connection today that transcends old notions of shared vision, time, and place. Accordingly, this blog is designed to be a space of connected expression crafted by elegant and modern technological tools, while remaining grounded in a beautiful tradition of shared words.
Words
Language is the original tool that has crafted human connection. I like words because they have the ability to both intimately relate experience in the present moment, and to share these thoughts, feelings, and impressions across time. There are no photographs of Shakespeare, but still we know him deeply today through his words. And perhaps more enchanting... he seems to know us as well!
Photographs
If a picture is worth a thousand words, I want to cash in on it! I purchased my first SLR camera three years ago, a Canon 20D, and have since enjoyed the challenge of capturing experience through images. Photography, it turns out, is much more 'artistic expression' than it is 'accurate replication'. Unless the picture is taken at a 55mm focal length, with an aperture stopped down to the minimum necessary, the images created are nothing like what is experienced by the human eye. The ability to craft images across a range of photographic settings allows for the depth and dimension that good photographers can use to infuse their images with emotion and meaning. I am still very much an amateur, and hope to continue to learn this craft by experimenting with my humble setup (for my fellow geeks out there, here are my two lenses: Telephoto: Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM , 'Walk Around': Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM).
Moving Images
Since purchasing the iPhone4, a fresh and new world of HD video production has been introduced to me. The images are crisp and real, and the form-factor is so small, light, and convenient that video production has literally become a "pocket technology". I've truly enjoyed producing simple projects using this little device that I like to call "moving postcards", and have been amazed by the results. My hope is to develop these skills much more, and to increasingly employ this elegant tool in sharing experience on this blog with vivid immersion.
Why Establish an Online Journal?
The loving encouragement of my friends and family led me to establish this online journal before traveling to Africa. My girlfriend, Heidi, is a third-year resident of internal medicine at Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) in Portland. In finishing out her residency this year, she is afforded the wonderful opportunity to participate in an elective rotation, and accordingly, we decided to travel to Ethiopia.
We will be travelling for a total of six weeks. After a week of trekking in the Simien Mountains, our trip will be anchored on a three-week period working in Gondar, a city of around 200,000 people in the north of Ethiopia. Heidi will be working at Gondar's teaching hospital, while I will be volunteering in the town. Heidi's mother, Joan, will then join us for a trip to Kenya and a safari in the Masai Mara with an outfit called Basecamp Explorer before returning to our home in Portland.
An adventure of this scope seemed to deserve more than simply posting facebook updates along the way, and perhaps a slide show for friends upon our return. I am grateful for the gentle nudging I've received from friends and family to establish this online journal before departing. My hope is that in establishing this simple structure, the content will naturally flow into it as we travel... Hence, a journal with a 'Moving Title'.
