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). ...
Happy Christmas Eve! At this time of year, the blog is usually full of ruminations on the birth of Christ (like this entry) or self-pity wallowings (like this rather plaintive entry or this poem from last year). But right now I have neither the time nor energy to be deeply profound nor (believe it or not) deeply self-centered. So I thought I’d share, as rather paltry gifts, a few links to things I’ve loved recently; you may find them interesting! ...
Now that we are in December, and are therefore allowed to start thinking about Christmas (whereas consumer hegemony would have us believe that time was three weeks ago), I am very pleased to present Splendour Hyaline’s 2006 Christmas EP, Holy Night: We Three Kings of Orient Are Hark! The Herald Angels Sing O Holy Night (To download the album, right-click the above links and choose the option to download the files to your computer.) ...
I am at home in Orlando right now, to be with family and relax during the Thanksgiving holidays. Another stated goal of this time is to avoid using the computer as much as possible so I can begin healing from my RSI’s. As you can tell from the mere fact of my blogging, such is more difficult for me than it sounds. In fact, I’ve begun to see computer avoidance as a discipline I should practice for spiritual as well as physical reasons. At any rate, it is good to be home. One of the tasks my mother has set me for my time here is to go through all my old boxes of saved school projects, mementos, love letters, etc., and to vaguely scrapbook them. (For me, “scrapbooking” involves putting things into a binder).