Out Walking: Changes are Coming

A Blog Sabattical

Jerry Read Smith

Changes are Coming

Sunday, January 28, 2007

I've been busy on sabattical. New design and new content will come on line February 1st! Please visit the site then.

Posted at 03:08 PM in Purpose | Permalink | Comments (0)

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About OutWalking

Welcome to OutWalking, a likely over-ambitious source of reflection on the true, the good, and the beautiful in the world. (more). . .

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Current Reading

Brown, Craig: 150 Glimpses of the Beatles
I love this whimsical collection of reflections, historical narrative, and personal anecdote about the Fab 4. A lot of it I know, but I enjoyed revisiting it. Dip in anywhere and you'll come up with gold.
Mars, Roman: The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design
Take nothing for granted. See the ordinary with new eyes. This book forces us to look at our ordinary urban landscape with wonder at its hidden design. You'll never see a city in the same way. (The book is also masterfully designed, a pleasure to hold and read.)
Vodolazkin, Eugene: The Aviator
A man wakes up in the hospital, with no idea who he is or how he came to be there. Yet remember he does, but how he remembers the Russian Revolution in 1999 is unclear. Vodolazkin writes well, as his nomination for the Russian Booker prize suggests, and is a believer who infuses spiritual themes in his work.
Trueman, Carl R.: The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution
I'm just settling into this book, which promises to get to the roots of many of our sexual identity problems--which is, as the author points out, a symptom of our larger quest for identity outside of Christ.
Waldie, D.J.: Becoming Los Angeles: Myth, Memory, and a Sense of Place
LA historian D.J. Waldie is one of the best interpreters of LA--rendering LA a place loved if conflicted. It's impossible to top his Holyland, yet touches of that poetic prose surface throughout this collection.

Current Listening

Paul McCartney: McCartney III
I never have gotten used to a poppy McCartney without the bite of John Lennon, but, even allowing for that, the former Beatle can still write, play, and sing. Enjoyable, if underwhelming.
Michael Roe: Safe As Milk
At least one song justifies listening to this 1995 solo release by the 77s frontman and Lost Dogs member: "Ache Beautiful." I just "spin" it over and over and over just to hear its haunting melody.
Bruce Springsteen: Letter To You
If you like Springsteen, you'd like this. It hearkens back to his earlier work.
Denison Witmer: Are You a Dreamer by Denison Witmer
Love this gentle album. Witmer is reminiscent of The Innocence Mission in his easy melodies and spare instrumentation.
The Jayhawks: xoxo
A solid effort, the Jayhawks always capture that blend of Americana and pop. This one doesn’t disappoint.
Mindy Smith: Long Island Shores
Great voice and great folk-tinged songs. Her holiday album, "My Holiday," is one of my favorite Christmas albums, but this is one of my favorite for all-year play.
Jill Phillips: Kingdom Come
During this time of physical distancing and more, I've not wanted my usual melancholy (singer-songwriter) or happy (Beach Boys) songs. Rather, I gravitate to earthy hymns and praise songs that speak the truth but encourage me to look to God. This is one of my favorites, though you can put the needle down anywhere in Phillips' catalog and do just fine. "Ponder anew what the Almighty can do, if with His love he befriend thee." What a great hymn.

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