theo|digital

I just arrived back in Chicago from Orlando. Big switch from palm trees and 78 degrees. ELG with GCM was really good for me. More on that later. But for now, maybe I’ll just mention the five feet depth of, oh, BALLOONS in my bedroom when I returned.

Thank you Mark and Luke.

Too bad they don’t know my rather imperial history when it comes to pranks.

ps – “before:”

Spent most of the day (leave apartment at: 6:30am) chasing around running people at the Chicago Marathon. I was there to see my good friend Nick run (along with Ben, Heather, and Nick’s mom & step-dad). This being my 2nd time watching, I realized in advance that marathon-watching isn’t the best specatator sport if you’re watching for one person (white shirt, white shirt, white shirt… THERE HE IS… nope, it’s a napkin. There he is.. Nick!! Nick!! Welp, he’s gone…). But just running around the city on the L with 1.5 million spectators is sorta cool.

Well, not exactly cool. In fact, the heat was so record-breaking today that after 4 hours, the medical director canceled the rest of the race. Of about 45,000 registered runners, only 25,000 even made it. Nick did, but he was forced to walk by bullhorn-wielding policeman for much of the last seven miles of the course.

I’ve uploaded my quick collection of pictures (which include none of Nick running – sad).

My roommate Mark shot it a few days ago (click to give a closer look). Talks, doesn’t it?

ps – my seminary note: for the the first time since I started classes, I might be willing to admit I’m overwhelmed. Over 300 pages behind in reading, I’ve already started asking for extensions, and I’ve got paper due in 24 hours that I haven’t read for, much less begun writing. It’s tough, because I love the material. But I’m buried in it. Phew. To bed for now. Just had to put up Mark’s photo when he showed me.

Nathan P Brown – former I-Lifer turned genius advertising producer – just finished producing a video short for World Vision about their athletic team program running for 6000 children that are orphaned daily due to AIDS.

…is one of my new roommates here. And it’s his birthday today. Happy Birthday Mark. You can check out his blog or his flickr.

I just finished reading today’s Newsweek article “The Facebook Effect” (cover dated 27Aug07), and it feels like they got it right. Facebook’s goal is to serve a profile for every internet user (really). 23-year-old Mark Zuckerburg keeps saying “it’s not just for students anymore.”

While I love his “social graph” theory – online networks should clearly and in-detail model pre-existing relationships in real life – the article shares my lament that the older generation newcomers might be undoing it. It’s not natural to add your mom as a facebook friend. Like the social equivalent of inviting your parents over for a beer with friends, and spending the time chatting up The National, “shoes” on YouTube, and Jon Stewart.

Having turned down a one billion dollar offer from Yahoo, Facebook is betting it’s going to make it (IPO in less than two years?). We’ll see if does without watering down the safe-boundaries feel that made it win in the first place (come on – there’s a graveyard of similar sites that didn’t make it).

Meanwhile, I’d love to know if anyone is doing studies on online social networking in church/religious communities. (an explicit example: MyChurch.org)

My counter is doing six days now.

They have a big I-Life going away party planned for me tonight at the haus. My roommates have been cleaning, and I’ve been largely left out of the plans, which is really odd – usually I’m the center of it. But I’m excited – I’m gonna need some good closure this way.

And at the same time, my friend Ty’s wife Laura has gotten unexpectedly very sick – in and out of ERs all week and now has finally been admitted to the hospital. It’s painful to think about, and has me worried and in prayer. He’s also been the center of planning my party – so that’s tough – do I want him at my party or at his wife’s side?? Of course the latter, but it’s a sucky choice to make.

My friend and roommate Monte left early this morning to move back to Florida. I’ve felt sad a lot of the day.

We’ll be taking down the Christmas lights shortly, given that it’s almost the New Year. But before we did, I wanted to show you how me and the boys intellectually terrorized the neighborhood this year. Sigh: that’s genius. (And festive!)

Ran up to the Chicago Marathon this Sunday. (Not really ran, you understand, but the language is thematic.) My roommate Nick actually ran, and I toddled around with my other roomate JP trying to spot Nick along the 26.2 mile course. Running really isn’t a good spectator sport (there he is!!! NICK!! GO NICK!! GO NI.. welp, he’s gone.) But we did get some great pictures of Elvis, who was singing on a stage at mile 10.5, and saying things like “you’re looking good, baby” “keep running, doll”

yikes.

More Chicago Marathon pics here.
ps – they’re not very good – I didn’t have a good camera with me. Plus I kept yelling when I was supposed to be taking pictures.