on writing.

on writing.

writing is one of the most efficient, creative, artistic methods of self-expression at our disposal. language is an intricate tool that can be bent and molded to the writer’s will with far greater power and flexibility than a painter’s paint, or a musician’s music. don’t discard these mediums, for they can evoke emotion and reflection; color on a canvas can be vibrant, demanding attention – just like music from a piano can be mellow and calming. what these mediums cannot achieve, something that writing can, is the delicate balance between obvious and subtle expression, one meaning masked by another masked by another.

writing has the ability to obfuscate a subtle message with clever wordplay and diverse sentence structure, and then bring it all together with stylistic consistency and accomplished storytelling. even then, the “theme” or “motif” of a story can be unclear, just at the tip of your fingertips, but always just out of reach.

writing is the best way for us to exercise our imaginations. we are limited only by our understanding of language and syntax – beyond that, nothing can bind our creativity. consider some of the countless examples of distinct stories that have remained influential into the 21st century and will most likely be considered timeless pieces as society carries on. not only are some of the classics masterful examples of storytelling and authorship, they stand out as some of the most efficient metaphors and worldviews ever printed on paper.

dracula was written in the late 19th century and is often considered a cornerstone to victorian era writing - rampant with censorship and social conformity. writing about sex in the latter half of the 1800s in england was considered particularly taboo and sexual morality was  immeasurably strict. dracula has since been considered markedly revealing in the nature of victorian morality, a wonderfully imagined metaphor for aristocratic sexual standards imposed on women. it was a social certainty that a woman was to be either a virgin or a wife and mother – anything in between was labeled a whore. writing explicitly about such matters was not an option at the time, so it should serve as no surprise that the fantasy of a handsome, aristocratic man invading a (virgin) woman’s bedroom to penetrate (bite) her skin and steal the very essence of her life and soul (as blood) is what bram stoker came up with. the novel expounds upon this theme of sexuality and purity in many ways without directly addressing sexuality and purity. the creativity is genius.

this what i allude to when i mention that writing can explore a theme or emotion or mood in many ways that visual or auditory art never can. a painting has trouble teasing it’s viewers – there are not layers of meaning hidden beneath layers of meaning. symbolism is obviously available for an artist to use to express something else, but the symbol’s meaning can only be implied as much as the visual cues have room and context to imply them. music can rely on language to help aid expression and understanding context, but verse is only so thorough an art form.

so why do i write? i’m not particularly adept at fiction, so i much prefer to explore the factual attribute of writing as an art form. writing has the unique ability to both layer a motif behind words, lines, and chapters filled with symbols, illusions, and metaphor, and be brutally honest with thorough description and factual reporting. a novel uses this honest side of writing to link a creative fantasy world to the real world, to make characters as human as possible and immerse readers to elicit an emotional response. i use the honest side of writing to express my views on a particular issue, to analyze, however amateur, people and situations and how we all interact with what’s around us.

instead of a theme i’ll have a particular opinion, one that assesses the situation at hand and uses facts to pepper my writing as an attempt to be part persuasive, part informative, and part exploratory in my craft. this is why i love writing. despite what i know about fiction and non-fiction, what i’ve read and who i’ve read, i know that the medium can be so diverse that writing and language can be imagined, twisted and bent to will, creative, and expressive in whatever way i see fit. hopefully i can do this without confusing others, inspiring them to write whatever they please, however they please, so long as they’re sure about their craft themselves.

writing is a tricky thing, but in the right hands, the written word can be a masterful expression of the individual writing it.

an ode to my mother.

an ode to my mother.

for my return to writing (after a particularly stressful few weeks toiling in academia), and today being a particularly special occasion, i’ve decided to express a few reasons that best describe why i love my mother. the best mother’s day gifts will always be the corny yet immeasurably cute crafts you make in grade school – but a good ole’ fashioned list as an accomplished (self-proclaimed) writer should serve as quite the surprise.

here are 10 reasons why i love my mother (in no particular order):

10. she got married at graceland. perhaps because she and my stepfather had already experienced what one would consider a ‘traditional’ marriage, and because it was a great opportunity to “kill two birds with one stone” (my sister had a high-stakes gymnastics meet in memphis that weekend), they decided to get creative. so we got all dressed up in the chapel behind elvis’ house and went through a small ceremony, and then proceeded to take pictures on elvis’ front porch with a tour 100 yards away whooping and cheering. it was a truly magical and unforgettable moment.

9. she’s an avid sports fan. it is a wonderful moment when my mother shoots me a text about the tigers game when i had no clue they were playing that day. her dedication to detroit sports would make any respectable son admire her. and we currently have a $100 bet on “who comes first” – lions win the superbowl or the tigers win the world series. i have the lions, she, tigers. it makes things fun.

8. she’s embraced the 21st century. most children are embarrassed when they’re parents send them friend requests on facebook. there was a brilliant episode of modern family a few weeks ago that poked fun at that exact phenomenon. i saw it as a blessing, that her adaptation to trying “the next big thing” would lead to a long life of being somewhat tech savvy, so that way when she’s sixty she won’t be calling me to complain about the computer. she also bitched and bitched and bitched about smartphones being “too much phone for her” and then when she got one, it was the best thing since sliced bread. of course it was.

7. she loves animals. no anecdote here. my mother rescued a greyhound and deals with a “devil may care” cat on a daily basis like a champ. it’s just sweet.

6. she has a sense of humor. my mother loves a good joke and appreciates healthy sarcasm. she can rattle off lines from the best episodes of friends and laughed her ass off watching the hangover. when my mom and stepfather went to vegas for a short vacation, i got a text message on a saturday morning from my mom that read “i hate waking up and finding a tiger in the bathroom.” classic.

5. she is neat and tidy. it’s nice to come home from a college apartment and find a neat and tidy home. my mom has always been on top keeping our house presentable, even if that meant cleaning my room during those “teenage angst” years. that was the worst, but i get it now.

4. she appreciates family. my mom and her brothers are very close and for this i’m immeasurably thankful. our family has been tight-knit for as long as i can remember, through thick and thin. i’ve been able to hang with my cousins, bond with grandparents, aunts, and uncles, and when i live 600 miles from home to go to school my mom keeps me in the loop. she cares, and it benefits us all.

3. she lives to travel. my mother has been pursuing a goal to step foot in all 50 states and she’s getting close. whether it involves an extended stay or just a 30 minute drive in and out to take a picture, my mom likes to be able to say she’s been places. she even knocked out one of the hard ones, traveling to alaska a few years ago for some conference. i can’t remember off the top of my head how many states she has to go but i’m fairly sure she can count the remaining ones on her two hands. she has roughly half of her life still left to live so she should nail this goal. hawaii should be last. go out with a bang.

2. she’s intelligent and organized. my mom stays on top of her tasks. she stays on top of every one’s tasks, actually. it is a truly remarkable quality to be aware of what everyone in our immediately family is up to. she balances everything with impeccable mastery. bills, her job, my sister’s schooling, my sister’s extracurricular activities. she knows our schedules, she knows what we should be doing and when. she saves photos and knows where she left them. she keeps track of appointments. she gets the family together when i come home from school. i mentioned her job, which demands an extravagant amount of time. and yet despite it all, she loves and provides for her family. it’s incredible.

1. she’s driven. i said at the beginning of this list that these were in no particular order but with this quality, i truly believe it to be number one. my mother was unsatisfied with her job when i was in high school and decided to take the high road and do something about it. she went back to school. we struggled. i know this now because i’m more mature and educated than i was then, not because there wasn’t food on the table at the time or power or cable turned off or opportunities left untried. i never asked how she made this possible and even though she’s reading this, i never will. i just want her to know i am grateful far beyond words i can think of to publish. after long days working without pay and going to school and studying late at night and taking exams, i think it’s safe to say, by my observations, that it has all paid off. she loves her job. the long hours suck and being on call can be a pain (especially when she’s called in at 3 in the morning on the weekend), but i think she finds it all very fulfilling, the good and bad. and to top it off, it has paid off financially. when my mother graduated, i couldn’t have been more proud of her. perhaps that’s how she felt when i graduated high school or how she will feel when i graduate from college. if so, it motivates me even more to accomplish something great because i feel like i’ve been in those shoes.

and she’s driven for us. my sister takes a thousand singing and dancing and acting and piano classes during the week and my mom pushes her to be her best, scolds when she falters, and it is making my sister a better person. one day she will graduate high school and move on to bigger and better things and maybe then she will finally realize how much our mother has sacrificed for our well-being. i made a joke earlier about “teenage angst” but i wasn’t kidding. every child goes through that age where they can’t stand their parents and it must be frustrating. as i’ve aged, however, i have come to appreciate my mother more and more.

i’m thankful that she pushes me to be the best i can be. i’m thankful that when i changed my major she expressed caution but ultimately has accepted my duties and desires as a young adult. we don’t talk about school often because she’s made it clear that nothing but my best is acceptable. because of this, i don’t think i’ve been able to tell her how much interest i have in my field, how much i love to learn about how people think and why they do the things they do.

her drive to make herself better, and her drive to make everyone around her better, serves as my drive. my drive to live up to expectations, to live a comfortable life, to stay close to my family, to take risks, to have a little fun, and maybe one day live to be half as good a person as my mother has become – that is my conviction. so thank you, mom.

happy mothers day!

“if it bleeds, it leads.”

“if it bleeds, it leads.”

grab any syndicated newspaper off the shelf and i can guarantee you will find one of two things on the front page – some sort of political spin (economic, policy, election results, etc.) or a detailed account of human suffering.

for whatever reason, the general population finds macabre solace in the suffering of others. the media has no choice but to eat this up. major new networks report what the people want to hear – that’s basic reporting and journalism principle. to rub against the grain would be publication suicide.

so society has come up with a clever, american proverb: “if it bleeds, it leads.” murder, tragedy, disaster, whatever the case may be – if it exemplifies the downfall of man, for lack of better phrase, then it lands on the front page to be gobbled up by the masses. the news is reported to the point of boring redundancy. this continues ad nauseum until the next tragedy shoves its way mercilessly into the headlines.

the phenomenon is nothing less than intriguing. people have a tendency to use whatever they can get their hands on to distract themselves from the mundane routines of every day life. schoolwork, jobs, bills to pay, families to take care of – all of these things add up to stresses that we would rather brush under the rug. a friend of mine said to me today, when we came upon this topic, that “[people are drawn to the suffering of others to emphasize the fact that there are those out there who are worse off than themselves.]“

psychologically, we use any means we can to boost our self-esteem – a critical component of managing ourselves and keeping from getting swallowed up by self doubt and insecurity. if that means sympathizing with those less fortunate and ultimately reflecting on how we are better off, then so be it. it’s human nature.

some stories of tragedy are inescapable, of course. they almost have to be headlines. when terror struck america on september 11th, that was critical news that the public needed to be aware of in every capacity. impending natural disasters, and ones that have struck and passed, rely on reports that are of dire importance for the safety of the public. a serial criminal is terrorizing a neighborhood? reporting it at length is  justification for warning the public and offering safety advice until the problem is resolved.

what i’m writing about, on the other hand, are the crimes that occur as single incidents. a murder in a depressed neighborhood, or a series of burglaries in an upscale subdivision. these are the distractions from every day life that we reach for like cookies in a jar.

reports like these are grotesque versions of reality television – airing once a week for us to aimlessly keep along with, watching others struggle through every day life so that we can sit back and appreciate our own.

there is nothing wrong with trying to boost our self-esteem, as i made note of earlier, for it is essential to manage day-to-day activities. but why do we have to marvel at the struggle of others to make use of ourselves?

perhaps a better use of our time, both as reporters and audience, should be devoted to admiring what’s good in people. it seems like an overused cliche. “why can’t we just get along?” “why can’t we be friends?” “don’t worry, be happy.” but there is a distinct reality that comes along with a good attitude – it can be contagious. it can be uplifting and motivating.

from time to time in the headlines – if the locality is privileged enough – will be about a winning team, capturing a championship or reaching a milestone. loyal fans read these headlines and swell with pride. the joy of ultimate victory and the sacrifice that fine men and women go through is a testament to what people can achieve with hard work and perseverance. this is a wonderful motivator. think about the last time you watched an inspirational sports movie - remember the titans, miracle, etc. when the “good” guys win in the end, you feel an astonishing amount of motivation and adrenaline is pumping through your blood.

think about the pride you feel when someone goes above and beyond the call of duty to help someone – when people donate what little they have to a worthy cause, when a doctor pulls 20 hours of overtime to care for patients, or when a police officer dedicates his life to service and protection. hearing stories about heroes like these can be just as heart-gripping and attention-grabbing as any tragic headline.

society likes to see ordinary people accomplish extraordinary things. americans worship the idea of the american dream. we need to begin to strive to see the positive things and until we do so, the media will only give us what we want. if we continue to put violence and tragedy on a pedestal, then we will only have constant reminders of what a dog-eat-dog world we live in. we don’t need any more of that. we live it every day and experience those stresses in our own routines.

maybe a hero can save us.

 

music.

i’m really into this band right now. check out fitz and the tantrums:

 

news.

“what happens when a 35-year-old man retakes the sat.” - http://deadspin.com/5893189/what-happens-when-a-35+year+old-man-retakes-the-sat

this blog essay is absolute gold – a man approaching middle age retakes the sat and explains his thoughts on the exam in hilarious detail. definitely a must-read.

 

“gas prices and the great gop lie.” - http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2109474,00.html

here’s a viewpoint from the left about what’s really going on with gas prices and why the gop is doing whatever they can to blame the president about those gas prices.

 

final notes.

follow me on twitter @ericjVT (find a link at the top of the right sidebar), shoot me a message or connect with me on linkedin, and direct any questions about the blog to drivewayspotted@gmail.com or leave it in the comments section.  thanks for reading!

got an idea? think bike.

got an idea? think bike.

in what has got to be the most extreme examples of motivation ever seen, two men are tackling an adventure quite unlike any other.

meet morgan hartley and chris walker, 20-something post-grads from diverse backgrounds looking to find something new and exciting in life. morgan just graduated from the university of chicago and according to his bio is “trying to figure out what’s next.” chris recently wrapped up studying at ucla, and he is devoted to “striking a balance between my interests in international entrepreneurism while encouraging personal growth through the inevitable challenges that lie ahead.”

so what are they doing? what’s next? what are the challenges? meet postulate one, a project devoted to self-discovery, travel, and international entrepreneurship. the tagline is appropriately worded “a journey to find the world’s young visionaries,” and this project might perhaps be the most ambitious method ever conceived to do just that.

the gist of the project is a 10,000 mile trip across 19 eurasian countries, almost entirely by bike. yes, you read that correctly. by bike. hartley and walker are biking roughly 8000 miles (and flying the rest, to avoid sticky international hotspots like iran and water like the arabian sea) from paris to hong kong. along the way, they are seeking the most unique, gifted visionaries trying to improve the world in any of three ways – through microfinance, environmental issues, and education.

this wonderful infographic from the project website sums up the specs quite nicely:

 

the duo describe their journey as a new kind of citizen journalism (somewhat like what i am doing here) by finding a young thinker and expanding on the struggle that this thinker has encountered trying to solve a unique problem. their initial task is aptly described as “dropping in on universities, microfinance institutions, incubators, chambers of commerce, anything we can think of that’s remotely connected to entrepreneurship and has a door we can knock on.” from there, they will ask for nominations from sources of people who fit a specific set of criteria.

after the nominations go through, hartley and walker will tally up the count and begin making selections. this is where the fun begins. the duo will spend at least one week living with each selection (one week is the bare minimum) and documenting (for the world to follow along at the website, and on facebook and twitter) how each young visionary has spent at least 18 months devoted to solving a problem, innovating in a new way, and making a change in the world.

their route is unique as well. one glance will tell you that they plan to hit every type of major culture along their journey, from western individualism in france  to eastern collectivism in china, and everything in between. the stark contrast will undoubtedly encourage the most unique collection of thought and creativity available in one independent project.

but why bike it? the journey is going to take roughly two years (morgan and chris approximate 24 months in the infographic above, but a separate source said they’d be done by september 2013, and then their youtube video says december of 2013, so who knows?) and could obviously by conquered far more quickly by car or plane. but the duo insist that biking is the best way to interact with all kinds of people on the ground. and “it’s fun,” of course.

here is the “trailer:”

 

so there you have it. 10,000 miles. 24 months. 19 countries and a wide array of cultures. 7 visionaries. 2 men. 2 bikes. 1 goal.

citizen journalism.

despite what traditional news sources may have to say about citizen journalism, projects like postulate one show how such an undertaking can be beneficial in a social world. a traditional journalist, i.e. a professional writer working with a major publication, will say that citizen journalists dilute the media market with opinionated viewpoints and unfounded information. but projects like postulate one are wonderful examples of how citizen journalism can go above and beyond anything a traditional news source could ever accomplish.

postulate one not only intends to be very thorough in its endeavor, the project offers its audience an extremely unique point of reference for the work being done. in no way can a political or economics writer embark on a 10,000 mile bike trip to accumulate sources and information. and in no way can a cultural commentator provide such a comprehensive review of different cultures by interacting with regular people over 2 continents and 19 countries.

there is a clear advantage in collecting information resources with the postulate one project. the scope and scale of the project approaches a threshold very rarely seen in journalism, precisely because people like morgan and chris have embraced the progressive nature of social media and social journalism.

also present in this progressive style of journalism is a sense of community and a motivator for similar endeavors. as hartley and walker share their progress and their experiences, their audience gets an intimate sense of the goals that the duo have set out to accomplish. if two guys persevering through a 10,000 mile bike trip looking for people who try to change the world isn’t inspiration enough to get off your butt and do something productive, nothing else is.

we like citizen journalism because it is easy for us to get involved ourselves. a corner office with some interns doing boring web research is not a requirement in journalism. we like the progressive style because it challenges the status quo at a time when journalism is in need for a change more than ever. we like to read about absurd projects because they catch our attention in an otherwise attention-deprived, mobile, web-based world. and of course, we will never get enough of ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary things.

 

postulate one tracker.

i am so inspired by this project that i will periodically update hartley and walker’s journey with a small summary of where they are, how long they have been on the road, who they have met, and how far they have traveled. from the looks of the site they will have youtube videos and blogs documenting their progress so i will post some of those as well for a first hand account.

they left paris on march 7, 2012 and two days ago they made it to dijon, france – roughly 200 miles so far. check the website for a bit of writing and a series of videos about who they have met already.

interested in helping out? you can donate (they estimate needing about $40,000 dollars, $20,000 each way, to handle food, equipment, visas, lodging, translators, etc. – they have about $31,500 so far) or spread the word with some good ole’ fashioned press and social media at their join/help page. please check it out – word of mouth/facebook/twitter can go a long way.

 

music.

here is something that fits the theme. sort of.

 

and here is a great tune by young the giant, “my body,” remixed by two door cinema club. you read that correctly. epic. check out the original song on youtube, of course.

 

news.

“these guys are traveling 10,000 miles by bike to discover europe and asia’s young visionaries” - http://tnw.co/wyHymI

the above article is how i found out about postulate one. thank flipboard for this. probably the best news app on the iphone, hands down.

 

“the titanic: live-tweeted to mark 100 year anniversary” - http://tnw.co/ydyNpy

an interesting build-up to april 15, using tweets that would be considered “real-time” for people to follow. it is hard to believe that this happened 100 years ago…

 

final notes.

in the works at driveway spotted: some possible theme/design changes to open doors to logo/branding opportunities; a facebook page (please do not use just yet, it is blank in every way possible); and a twitter page (also pretty blank). obviously readers will be notified when these things go online.

in the meantime, as usual follow me on twitter @ericjVT and hit the subscribe button in the right sidebar to stay up to date via email.

my staff page at the collegiate times is now included under the links section, as well as the postulate one website. check those out!

and finally, download flipboard (linked above in news) if you have an iphone or ipad. especially the new ipad. which i am sure some suckers are already waiting in line to get.

getting involved.

getting involved.

from time to time, we all know what it’s like to be overwhelmed by the desire to tighten our laces, get up, and do something important.

this happens most often when we are faced with detriments to the human condition – we see images of natural disasters and casualties of war all of the time and sometimes the images are so moving they motivate our resolve.

when hurricane katrina struck the gulf coast, we came together to provide service, supplies, and support. people volunteered in every way imaginable. many people traveled to new orleans to be physically present, to actually get their hands dirty and do some heavy lifting. countless others donated money, food, and water.

when the tsunamis struck haiti and japan, we responded in similar fashion. millions of dollars were donated to charities directly involved with rebuilding broken cities and reinforcing the humanitarian effort.

when we are moved by the plight of others, we tend to stand up for one another. this is consistent and applicable to countless situations, not just hurricanes and tsunamis. think about the last time you saw the sarah mclachlan commercial for aspca with the song “angel” playing over images of sheltered animals. bursting with emotion and concern, aren’t you?

despite these examples, and the millions of dollars the american red cross, among others, receive yearly from concerned humanitarians, it’s hard to pinpoint the last time you’ve personally contributed to a cause, not just stood for it in principle. i’m speaking towards a general audience of course – some people are far more active than the average joe.

i am in the majority myself. i’ve voiced my opinion on many an issue, expressing my support for some cause x, but aside from donating a dollar at the register to “whatever for whomever,” i’ve never been specifically involved with a significant cause. i think i volunteered with habitat for humanity once. i’m very proud of it. i wish i had done more over my few years.

this self-scrutinization has increased hundredfold over the past 24 hours or so, and i’m sure most of you know why. an interesting short film “kony 2012″ went viral last night, in every sense of the term. in a matter of hours, the video was all you could see on facebook and twitter. in an impressive evolution, the kony 2012 movement went from insignificant and unappreciated to one of the most talked about campaigns for humanitarian growth to date.

i’d explain “kony 2012″ myself, but i would be doing the filmmakers a disservice. i highly recommend you set aside a half hour of your time to watch this video. if you’ve seen it already then by all means, skip ahead.

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this video is marketing genius. it is very contemporary. the message is clear and modern, and the method of activism it promotes is perfect in the social world we live in. the facebook generation is the clear target demographic and the filmmakers nailed their goal – the video is “famous.”

over the past year or so, the facebook generation has been busy making a difference in a very specific way, and this video is perhaps subject to being in the right place at the right time. we saw the arab spring come about with facebook playing a central role. social awareness freed people, politically and expressively.

it shouldn’t be a surprise to realize that what we wanted most in our hemisphere was a taste of the same kind of social power. when sopa/pipa finally hit mainstream media, young americans took to the web like their arab counterparts to try to make a difference. not quite on the same pedestal, but we got what we wanted.

what began as a social experiment was validated by results. now, any time we can use social networks to get involved, we will be right there, headfirst and steadfast.

enter “kony 2012.” the organization responsible, invisible children, hit us right where we wanted it – with social networking. never mind the criticisms (and there are many, but pay particular attention to the blog “visible children” which does an extraordinary job looking in between the lines), there is a clear objective with the kony 2012 movement and a checklist for accomplishing that goal aimed directly at our generation.

take the action kit, for example, that you receive for donating (or buying, whichever you wish to say) $30 up front just once or $15 a month to the “tri” campaign until kony is captured or 2012 comes to a close, whichever comes first. in it, you receive a bracelet that has the potential to serve as just a powerful symbol as the livestrong band people still wear today. also included is a t-shirt, which is a must have for any high school/college student, as well as materials supplementing a sort of “street art for dummies” movement – the poster is modeled after the shepard fairey “hope” poster, a global icon.

the bottom line is, the filmmakers want us to get involved, and make it easy for us to do so. but why stop there?

why do we need the opportunity handed to us on a silver platter with a flashy video and some cool stuff to donate?

what does that say about us?

what we should be doing is looking further, looking elsewhere.

i’ve never been an avid humanitarian. i see things happening over seas and i like to form an opinion and perhaps write about it but never once have i been particularly keen to donate or volunteer. watching “kony 2012″ has made me almost resent that. so i’ve looked elsewhere.

some of the hotbeds in the humanitarian effort have been around for years and are still significant today. you’ve probably been exposed to the genocide that has taken place in the african region darfur. even without knowing details you’ve at least heard of it. it is estimated that approximately 5,000,000 people have been affected in some way by the war in darfur. and even as a cease-fire remains intact today, the issue of the nearly 3,000,000 refugees dispersed among nearby regions still remains very much a humanitarian concern.

i was in high school when a wonderful young classmate of mine arranged for a school-wide presentation on darfur. i was young and immature then, and perhaps i didn’t take it seriously enough. but the “kony 2012″ video sparked my interest once again, and i’ve taken measures to find out how to involve myself.

involve yourself too. don’t know where to start? go with the first search result: http://www.savedarfur.org/, which you can also find in the “featured sites” list in the right sidebar.

there are hundreds and hundreds of worthy causes out there for each and every single one of us to take part in. speak out and demand for a free tibet. sign up and participate in the nearest relay for life. participate in a greek philanthropy, which all support a different cause. take some non-perishable goods to a food bank, or even volunteer – there’s always a food bank in your community. watch “waiting for superman” and donate to an elementary school for supplies or whatever it is they need to help a child thrive (which i’ve personally done and it’s the greatest feeling in the world receiving texts updating you on the class’s progress towards their goal).

the focus is this: it doesn’t matter how much or how little. it doesn’t matter how difficult the challenge, the likelihood of success or the likelihood of failure. all that matters is a little bit of effort, which can go a long way. one word of support speaks volumes. one dollar benefits a fortune.

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music.

a friend of mine recommended this to me and i’m sold. the band, walk the moon, has a four track ep available on spotify if you’re curious for more.

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news.

here are a few more important links dealing with invisible children and kony 2012:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/kony2012/kony_5.html

http://invisible.tumblr.com/

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“the big reveal: why does the bible end that way?” – http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/great-american-novel_630022.html?nopager=1

this is a great longread for the (semi/skeptical/ultra/non)religious about the book of revelation, which makes no sense.

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“the book of jobs” – http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/02/22/the-book-of-steve-jobs-apple/

this is one of the better articles i’ve read in a long time. an extremely fascinating look at the life of steve jobs behind the innovative mask we all knew and loved.

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final notes.

don’t forget to follow me on twitter @ericjVT (shameless self-promotion at it’s finest), and subscribe to driveway spotted for email updates on new stuff.

and seriously, follow @longreads and take a few minutes out of the day to read one of the articles those guys recommend. the long ones are super detailed and super interesting.

“look sharp, be sharp.”