I haven’t come out of blog hiding in a very long time, it seems. I have many, many things to share. And many things that are just past sharing. But this deserves special notice: Today, we at HopeRuns (the non-profit the friends of mine started in Kenya while I was there) released a brand new website, which I designed! I think it turned out pretty well, but take a look yourself, and check things out: ...
It’s 3am in Orlando, and my brother David and I are getting in the car to drive it cross-country. We’re blasting a trail across in order to transport my parents’ vehicle and things to the new place in San Francisco. Before I go, I wanted to post some links to pictures from the last 5 months! They’re unedited, but enjoyable nonetheless, I hope. In each case, simply click on the picture to access the photo set! ...
Four and a half months after I stopped work and planned to engage in a sabbatical of sorts, I’m back. I flew in from Kenya a day ago, and am now in Orlando as I prepare to help my parents move cross-country to San Francisco. In many ways, I’m still recovering from Kenya, and cannot yet distill that complex and amazing experience into a weblog entry. In the coming days, I hope to write a thematic series of articles on the various aspects of my time there, which might be a better way of doing justice to it. For now, it’s just hard to adjust to life in the US, and life away from my friends old and new at Tumaini. ...
A few weeks ago, Claire and Lara (and therefore me by some kind of implication, I hope) started a weblog with the kids here at Tumaini (the orphanage where I’m “volunteering” in Kenya). I haven’t personally had time to give a decent entry on Kenya or Tumaini itself, which is an amazing place, and full of amazing kids. So I’m happy to be able to point you to their weblog, to get some idea of the craziness that goes on here! ...
Unfortunately, this is not a real entry. It is just a small note to say that I have finally joined the Twitter bandwagon. There is only one way to join a bandwagon, and that is with gusto! So while I have not had time to write a good report on Kenya yet, I have been doing some small Twitter updates. You can see my updates and sign up to follow them at http://twitter.com/jlipps! ...
It is the Quiet Saturday before Easter Sunday, when thousands of years ago the universe held its breath, awaiting the vindication of God for the as-yet-unveiled Messiah, Jesus. That vindication came in the most unexpected form–the resurrection of the dead! Long looked-for, but almost overlooked when it did come, Jesus became the firstfruits of that most remarkable of events, the completion of which we still eagerly desire. I am writing at the Tumaini orphanage, near Nyeri, Kenya (where I have extended my stay an additional 5 weeks). From where I am sitting, I can see no end of reasons why we should continue to eagerly await that desire. It is the one fundamental hope that undergirds every other, because it is the hope which defeats the oldest and hardest of all despairs, which is Death itself. I have a lot of reasons (or so I think) to despair at the moment, and when I look at the children who surround me, I know that they have many more and legitimate ones–some have reason to despair even of life, which I know nothing about. ...
I have some great Splendour Hyaline news to share! First of all, Paste magazine (my favorite music magazine) has run a short “review” of our new EP, Hope (A Sliver, Like the Moon), in their March edition (with the Norah Jones cover). This is a first for David and me, and we’re super excited about it–as it turns out, the review is (in my opinion) overwhelmingly positive! Please go and support Paste by picking up a copy (they should be at places like Barnes & Noble, etc…). Our review is, I’m told, on page 69, right underneath Bright Eyes! ...
When I last wrote about the sabbatical which is underway (read part 1 here), I was in the middle of my time at Schloss Mitersill, in Austria. That time has now ended! I’m currently writing at a hostel in Oxford, and tomorrow I’ll be catching a flight to Nairobi, before heading to Nyeri, Kenya. I’m very happy to report that my time at the Schloss finished well. This, of course, means that I’m certainly sad to see it end. But before I talk more about that, here are some pictures of the Schloss and the gorgeous surrounding area:
It has been a while since I last wrote. Much has happened (not least the tour I mentioned in the last entry), indeed too much to adequately share. Many of my friends will have received an ominous e-mail a few months ago entitled “Life Update”. In that e-mail, I detailed a few of my current struggles, and elaborated a plan to take a bit of a sabbatical from work and life in California.
No time for a huge entry, but I wanted to post some tour dates. I am hanging out with my friends The New Frontiers on their southeast tour with Manchester Orchestra. At some venues I may be able to play some Splendour Hyaline music. Either way, if you’re anywhere near these towns on these dates, come and say hello! Dec 27 2006 - 8:00P - Juanita’s - Little Rock, Arkansas Dec 28 2006 - 8:00P - The Hi-Tone - Memphis, Tennessee Dec 29 2006 - 8:00P - 3rd & Lindsley - Nashville, Tennessee Dec 30 2006 - 8:00P - The Brothers Pizza - Owensboro, Kentucky Jan 1 2007 - 8:00P - The Village Tavern - Charleston, SouthCarolina Jan 2 2007 - 8:00P - New Brookland Tavern - West Columbia, SouthCarolina Jan 3 2007 - 8:00P - Tasty World - Athens, Georgia Jan 4 2007 - 7:00P - The Sound - Ft. WaltonBeach, Florida Jan 5 2007 - 8:00P - The Venue - Pensacola, Florida Jan 6 2007 - 8:00P - The 585 Club - Atlanta, Georgia Jan 7 2007 - 8:00P - The Rave Arcade - Florence, Alabama Jan 8 2007 - 8:00P - Hal & Mal’s - Jackson, Mississippi Jan 9 2007 - 8:00P - Flannagan’s - Shreveport, Louisiana Jan 10 2007 - 8:00P - Rikenjack’s Brew - PubLakeCharles, Louisiana Jan 11 2007 - 8:00P - Red Seven - Austin, Texas Jan 12 2007 - 8:00P - Sons of Hermann Hall - Dallas, Texas Also, Splendour Hyaline’s new album, Hope (A Sliver, Like the Moon) (cover pictured above) has been released and it will be for sale on tour. It will be for sale later via the internet (including iTunes). ...