A digital commonplace for a Regular Guy called Charlie Pharis

Category: Gear (page 1 of 2)

Date Stamps and Spanish Moss…

Date stamp of February 17 2023 at top of notebook page

It’s a rainy, windy February Friday morning, and the temperature is dropping, reminding me that even though we’ve had spring-like conditions here, winter is not done yet. Here are a couple of those random thoughts banging around in my noggin this morning.

See that image at the top of this post? (Right…there.) I love everything about a vintage date stamp. It reminds me of the libraries of my childhood and young adult years. (Really random recollection: I worked in the music library when I was a wide-eyed naïve freshman music major. It was loads of fun.) My current date stamp setup is simple and old school. I bought this stamper and this stamp pad at our local Staples. On the stamper itself, you rotate the little rubber bands of numbers and letters around an axis, press it onto the stamp pad and apply with varying pressure to your paper. Part of the quirky charm is the slightly off-line alignment of the characters. The other part that appeals to me is the color of the ink, which just about matches the color of my current Pilot G-2 and the nifty fountain pen I got for Christmas. Yeah, I’m a blue ink guy. So there.

Spanish moss in Savannah, GA.

Image via Flickr

This morning, for some reason, I found myself thinking of—and missing Spanish moss. I grew up a few miles inland from Savannah, Georgia, and that stuff was everywhere. A lot of people have the notion that Spanish moss lends a spooky air to the locale, but I never saw it that way. I always thought it was another idyllic feature of my South. The way it blew in the breeze, the way it added a “something” touch to the stately oaks. I remember the way it smelled, the way it felt. And I remember people warning us kids that the “redbugs” lived in it. (Actually, the redbugs were chiggers, and according to the great Walter Reeves, they really don’t make their home in the moss if it’s  in the trees. Good to know.)

Anyway, here’s a quick feature on Spanish moss in south Georgia.

My Friend Tina and a Couple of Other Assorted Things…

The best part about today, by far, was hanging out a bit with my pal, Tina at the Y. She’s one of the most interesting people I know, and I totally mean that in a great way! We talked about grandkids and books and art and artists and artistic bypasses at birth (mine!) and vacations and soccer matches and the Golden Mean and the patterns in the windows and typography and…well…you get the idea! We share a love of great books. I adore her family. And she’s one of the most winsome and caring people in the world. She always goes out of her way to encourage someone and to point them toward the grace of God. She’s immensely creative, talented, and skilled. And any day I get to see her is a pretty awesome day in my book.

The dark and early predawn jaunt was powered by Jonathan Rogers’s podcast The Habit. It’s a podcast about writers and writing. This week’s guest was Katelyn Beaty, who was talking about celebrity and fame. The conversation focused on how we really need to be a part of an “embodied community,” not chasers of celebrity. At one point, the host recommended an essay called “Nebraska,” and he said something like, “In this small town in Nebraska, everyone is known and necessary.” That line resonated with me today, since I’ve been pondering what it means to be a part of a community.

I gave away a book today. One of my other buddies at the Y, whom I’ll call “Lloyd,” because his name is actually Lloyd, saw my copy of The Magician’s Nephew by my computer. he picked it up and we had a conversation about C.S. Lewis. Lloyd said he’s never read Mere Christianity, and that maybe he should get a copy and read it. I reached into my bag, pulled out my tattered and dog-eared copy (circa 1979) and handed it to him. “You don’t have any excuse now,” I said. “Here’s a copy right here.”

The last several days at work have felt a lot like drawing up an empty bucket from a well. I keep putting it down and pulling it up but there’s never anything in the bucket. I know in my head and in my heart I need to refill and recharge. But knowing it and doing it are two different things entirely.

Finally, I’ve shared my love of pencils in this space on more than one occasion. I’m fond right now of the Tennessee Red Cedars from Musgrave Pencils. The aroma of Tennessee cedar, freshly sharpened, is a delight. But today, I pondered this: Without sharpening, a pencil is a stick. To use it, it has to be subjected to the sharpener. That sculpting away of wood and creation of a fine graphite point transforms the stick into a beautiful, elegant, and useful tool. Used in the right hands, that tool produces beauty and inspiration and encouragement in turn. But it has to be sharpened first. Oh, and that glorious cedar aroma? It goes away when the pencil grows dull. Resharpening it disturbs the surface and the core, and produces an essence that is unmatched. That essence infuses everything it touches. And I’m certain there is something to be learned from that in our everyday walk with God in this place He’s put us.

Here endeth the lesson.

Sunday Night Unwind, 05.02.10

In a jazz mood for tonight’s Unwind. The Bebop/Combo channel on Pandora is filling the bill quite nicely, thank you. At this moment, Stan Getz is playing a song called “Beatrice,” and it really is in that cool jazz mode.

Anyway, here’s what’s rolling around in my head and my heart, and dropping out on the keyboard…

  • Speaking of jazz, I would’ve enjoyed these guys at the Jazz Mass this morning!
  • And who knew Cartersville, Georgia has a live jazz place? Cartersville?!?! Get outta here!
  • Oh, and that bassist? yeah…he’s pretty much my musical hero!
  • Cartersville?!?!?
  • It was good to be back at The ‘Crest today, after a week away at Fusion Church.
  • I finished a series called “Running on Empty,” and talked about how we need to take the time to refuel and recharge in our walk with Jesus. I thought it was pretty good stuff!
  • Got to spend the afternoon with the lovely and gracious Mrs. Just Charlie and The Boy…a little lunch, a little clothes shopping, and little hanging out…a good time!
  • The Boy is hopefully winding down this this part of his academic journey soon.I really feel for newly-minted college graduates trying to find a real job in this economy.
  • Heard some disturbing new about one of our elderly members today that makes my blood boil! I’m not sure there’s anything we can do, but I sure am hacked off about it!
  • Getting back on track with my health and fitness again. It’s impossible to live today on what you did yesterday. Or four years ago.
  • I’m on the lookout for a new bag in which to carry my laptop and other assorted junk. I’m leaning toward the Timbuk2, although I haven’t really scoped out the specific model. If it’s good enough for Tony McCollum and Randy Bohlender, it’s good enough for me!
  • Yeah, yeah! I know…who’s got time to go to blogs anymore? That would be tonymccollum and rbohlender, respectively, thank you very much! Sheesh!
  • Dang! John Coltrane could play!
  • I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember. This Kindle for the PC app has re-ignited a passion for reading though! I’ve just finished Peter Scazzero’s Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, and Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson’s Rework, and I’m about to dive into Ben Arment’s Church in the Making, along with some classic Bonhoeffer and St. John of the Cross. How’s that for eclectic?

Well, this post that started out rather promisingly has now started to drag, so I’m going to quit, and read some, drink a cup of coffee, and get ready for the storm that’s on the way later tonight.

Hello, Blog!

It’s me, the guy who used to hang out here. Remember?

I know, I know…you’ve felt neglected over the last little while. The new kids? Yeah, you’ve met them, right?

Well, let’s see…there’s Twitter. Yeah, kind of accomplishes the same thing you used to accomplish, only in 140 characters or less. Not nearly as time-consuming. I know, it’s not the same. Don’t have to think as much, there’s not as large a blank space staring at you, daring you, challenging you. But it is quick and hip and happening. And it goes with me all the time.

Yeah, speaking of going with me all the time, I guess you’ve also met the newest kid on the block, the Curve. I know, I’ve always been a pencil-and-paper planner kind of guy. Never thought I’d be interested in gadget calendars and to-do lists. It’s taking some getting used to, and I’m still not sure it’s any better. Just different. Maybe you know some people who can help me get better at using it more effectively.

What’s that? You miss me? Yeah, truth be told, I miss you, too, old pal. When I was hanging out with the Twitter kid the other day, I realized that a lot of the folks you turned me on to over the last five years or so are hanging out there, too. And I got kind of nostalgic for the good old days. Remember, when you were the new kid on the block? When you were fresh and hip and happening? Before the corporate types took you over? Yeah, those were the days.

Well, just wanted to pop in and say howdy. The Curve kid’s got a blinking red light that calls for me, beckons for my attention. I’ll be back. Soon. Yes, I promise.

New Toys…

Unwinding tonight from the new machine! Pretty good, I guess. I wasn’t planning to buy a new desktop computer for a while, but somehow the lightning took care of that notion on Friday evening! My old Dell Dimension 4600 had been rocking along just fine, thank you.

We finished up our Vacation Bible School Friday evening, adn I came home to put together some thank-you notes, etc. I debated whether or not I should turn the computer on with the thunder and lightning we had in our area.

Anyway, the lightning struck something close by. It sounded really cool, but took out a couple of smoke detectors, our cable modem, and the motherboard on the old computer.

Of course, we are totally dependent on these things to run our lives these days, so I had to run out and get something to make up for the fried one.

Nobody local could make the repairs on such short notice, adn one guy told me he didn’t think it would be worth it to replace the motherboard without replacing virtually everything else. I didn’t have time to place an order, and wait. So the best I could do under the circumstances was the Dell Inspiron 530. I’m not real crazy about Vista Home Premium, but the 640gig hard drive and the 22″ monitor are pretty sweet! As soon as I get my data back from the old one, I’ll be good to go!