This is for those who dream whose every waking moment throbs with anticipation is wrapped in creation Those who believe in magic hope chivalry and grace. Those who believe a next thought will create culture change things be love. Ordinary people with extraordinary faith. This is for those who dream… If this made your morning…

The oddest person to influence my life was Elizabeth Sorrells. She was my seventh grade teacher at East Lake Jr. High in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her classroom was the last door on the right of the first floor from the main entrance. A portly woman in sack-like dresses with wavy thinning hair slicked down with oil…

SXSW (South by Southwest) is composed of three major conferences. Interactive (Technology), Film and Music. This past year the conference was bigger than ever, the official paid attendance count was 24,569, up from 19,364 in 2011, a change of about 27 percent (via Omar of Austin 360, hat tip to Bryan Person) The interactive conference (SXSWi)…

5. 1984 – 1.5 oz Gin, .75 oz Cointreau, .25 oz fresh squeezed lemon and lime, .25 simple syrup, 3 dashes Angostura bitters. Shake w ice and serve on the rocks. A great summer cocktail. 4. Razercrac – Swift’s Attic in downtown Austin’s take on a Sazerac. Fun! 1.5 oz Vodka, .5 oz Sweet Vermouth,…

Move over Facebook with your clunky interface, Linked In with your business suit, blogging with your five steps to anything and everything, and Twitter with your 140 character limit—there’s a social networking debutante in town and her name is Instagram. She’s only two years old and can already hold her own with the E*Trade baby….

At the risk of sounding cynical: 1.  Most friends are only as good as the next thing you can do for them. 2. There is a reason the Christian ghetto is called the Christian ghetto. 3. When you finally end up in the real world, it looks a lot different than said ghetto. 4. That…

Seven of today’s best bloggers are partnering with Food for the Hungry for a trip to Ethiopia this July 9th-16th. Among them are wives, moms, and singles. There is a business leader, a wellness advocate, writers, and a therapist. (And yes, that sounds like the opening line of a joke.) Despite their differences, what they…

10. See the Bats — Sure, it’s the touristy thing to do, but believe me, if you want to witness one of the most unique events in nature, make your way to the Congress Bridge downtown just before sunset. I felt as though I had been mysteriously transported to Gotham City and summoned to don my…

I am considering submitting a talk to the 2013 South by Southwest Conference Panel Picker and calling it The Seven Last Words of Spock  (Empathic Confessions for an Illogical World). Here are my ideas for the seven last words of the iconic Star Trek hero who often wrestled with his Vulcan/Human heritage. 1.  Anamnesis (Empathic Memories) 2. Dialogue…

Sometimes you have to die in order to live again. There are all sorts of analogies for this; perhaps best known is the lowly caterpillar’s transformation into a cocoon, and then miraculously into a soaring butterfly. A “resurrection, of sorts.” You’ve probably heard all the cliches. But after the utter devastation and chaos of the past…

I hurt myself last year To see if I still feel I focus on the pain The only thing that’s real The sadness once again The opiate of choice Try to kill it all away But I remember everything What have I become My sweetest friend Everyone I know goes away In the end And…