I’m in Nashville for a minute, working with Steve and Ben. We’re writing voiceover and some additional dialogue for the movie. The whole thing should be locked in a couple weeks, and we are hoping to release it into theaters in the spring. God willing. I stayed with Ben last year when we shot the film here in town and fell in love with his dog, Molly. Molly is a sheep dog, about sixteen years old now. I got in well after midnight so I didn’t see her but this morning I heard her sniffing around outside my door, and her claws shuffling gingerly against the hardwoods. When I went outside, she was laying across the hallway on the cold kitchen floor, her eyes pointed at me and her tail wagging, but her head against the floor for all it’s weight and how much energy it would take to lift it. I got down with her and said good morning, and scratched her belly. Her tail flopped against the floor and I believe she smiled. Ben thinks she’s only got a few months left. I told her what a great dog she was and I told her she was still [...]
Had a long talk tonight with a friend about our flaws, how as we were growing up we were fat or freckled or wore glasses, and about no matter how much we change, we still feel like that rejected kid. She wasn’t quite as chubby as I was (or still am!) but she still got made fun of in school. For both of us, the healing really came when we learned to accept ourselves as we were. It’s a slow process, for sure, and for me it included forgiving myself without feeling sorry for myself, and deciding to enjoy life now, not “when I lose weight.” For me, that was the beginning of a long journey of losing more than 150 pounds. I don’t always love my body, but I rarely if ever hate it anymore. I’ve come a long way from those times that, in high school, I’d stress about not fitting into my band uniform. It’s been an incredible journey. I never diet anymore, and I keep a closer check on the crap I tell myself than I do on the scale (though I confess I weigh every day as, for me, it’s healthy to see that number [...]
You’ll never see me roll my eyes more than when I’m reading an old-school Christian book. I say “old school” because these books are changing for the better, and by that I mean they are becoming less “biblical” and more “like the Bible” and by this I mean more honest, truthful and written with less pretense or worldly idealism. Even hearing the word “biblical” in a conversation will make me want to run for the door. The word itself denotes a desire to “proof text” and I associate it with a controlling motive. That’s not always the case, of course, but it often feels this way to me. As a writer who does not like the word “biblical” though, I love the Bible. In my opinion, it is a rich tapestry of egoless narratives, poems and letters. Most of the writers were not chosen for their skill, I don’t believe, but each of them has an uncanny ability to remove pretense from their work. Even Christ’s biographers depict Him without sparing us His humanity. He gets angry, He gets annoyed, He is hard to understand (and indeed hard to follow) and while He seems to love the world, He’s as [...]
So now the same question for the guys (thanks for letting me separate them so I can better compare answers). Why do you hook up? Most people would say guys are just hooking up for sex while a woman’s reasons for hooking up are more complicated. I’m not sure that’s true, though. What are the reasons you have brief sexual encounters that don’t involve an ongoing relationship? Once again, I may use some of your answers in an article, though it’s unlikely. Mostly this will give me a better perspective on this aspect of modern American relationships.
A question for the girls: So I caused a bit of a stir a while back by writing an article about relationships. It’s a topic I don’t give much time to, to be honest. And yet, as I’m preparing an article, I’m curious about why some girls give up sex easily and whether or not they view their sexuality as a commodity. In other words, do you use sex for some kind of social power or to make yourself feel good? This consideration may sound naive (and indeed may be naive) coming from a guy, but I’m interested in your response. So, you meet a guy, you have sex after a couple interactions, and you walk away. What did you gain from the experience and what, if anything, did you you lose? Did it make you feel powerful? Did it make you feel beautiful? Some of these responses may end up in an article without your name or any form of identity, so if you respond, just know I might use a quote but won’t be using your name. Thanks!
