Blogging elsewhere

For anyone who looks here or subscribes to this feed, I’m now blogging exclusively at http://jontochina.com. Follow me there, on Twitter (@jondodd or @jontochina) and on Facebook. Thanks for reading and I hope you continue following my journey at the new JD–>ZG!

Former Buccos

The Pirates played the Atlanta Braves tonight (actually, they’re still playing…), and because they feature two former Buccos prominently (Nate McLouth and Mike Gonzalez), it got me thinking about players in the majors who used to play for Pittsburgh. Here’s the best 25-man roster I can come up with (with some injured guys thrown in to boot):

Catchers (2)
Jason Kendall (Milwaukee)
David Ross (Atlanta)

Infield (5)
Jose Bautista (Toronto)
Jeff Keppinger (Houston)
Brent Lillibridge (White Sox)
Aramis Ramirez (Cubs)
Ty Wigginton (Baltimore)

Outfield (5)
Jason Bay (Boston)
Brian Giles (San Diego)
Jose Guillen (KC)
Gary Matthews Jr. (Angels)
Nate McLouth (Atlanta)
Xavier Nady (Yankees)–DL

Utility Guys (1)
Doug Mientkiewicz (Dodgers)–DL
Matt Stairs (Philly)

Pitching Staff (5)
Bronson Arroyo (Cincy)
Ollie Perez (Mets)
Jason Schmidt (Dodgers)–DL
Jeff Suppan (Milwaukee)
Tim Wakefield (Boston)
Chris Young (San Diego)

Bullpen (7)
Ronald Belisario (Dodgers)
Mike Gonzalez (Atlanta)
Mike Lincoln (Cincy)
Damaso Marte (Yankees)
Joe Beimel, Julian Tavarez, Ron Villone and Kip Wells–DL (all with Washington!)

Coaching Staff
Jim Leyland, Andy Van Slyke, Lloyd McClendon, Gene Lamont, Rafael Belliad (Detroit)

How do you think they compare to our actual 25-man? And is there anyone I missed? I, for one, would like to get at least a few of these guys back.

Letters from China

I’m going to spend the next few days writing you a letter, and I hope to send you a lot more as I prepare to head overseas, and definitely once I’m there. A lot of you received a Christmas letter from me, and if you did, you’re already on my unofficial “list” to receive more. My dream is that you’ll be my support base back home, praying for me, encouraging me, communicating with me, and possibly supporting me in other ways, as well. If you’re interested in being a part of that, email me [ dodd.jonathan@gmail.com ] with your physical address and I’ll make sure you’re included–both in any email updates I send out and my physical newsletters. Thanks for partnering with me as I follow the Father’s call to serve again in China.

Other ways to keep in touch with me: read (and subscribe) to this blog, follow me on Twitter, and let’s be friends on Facebook.

中国!

Hey, readers/friends/whomever. Just wanted to share some awesome news… I’m heading back to China in August! I’ll be back with the program I served with in 2005-2006, but this time as a team leader (TL = less time in the classroom, more time mentoring my team, doing other team leader-y things). Not sure of too many details yet (who will be on my team, what city I’ll be serving in) but it looks like I’ll be at a university, and I’m sure wherever I am the Father is already working in hearts and preparing relationships for my team and I to cultivate in and out of the classroom. I definitely feel like I’ve been away from China for too long, but at the same time I’m thankful for each place Dad’s brought be over the past few years and what He’s taught me about working within and serving the Body. I know He has a lot more in store for these next couple of years (I’ve committed to two years, for sure, and am open to being overseas/in China a lot longer) and I’m beyond excited to be a part of how He is working across university campuses in Asia. I’ll have a lot more details to come…

Where The Wild Things Are

I LOVE this trailer for Spike Jonze’s upcoming film adaptation of one of my favorite children’s books, Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. The movie looks beautiful, but the main reason the trailer captures me so much was the decision to set it to the song Wake Up by one of my favorite bands, Arcade Fire.

Just wanted to share. If you don’t know Arcade Fire, you should, and you should also be pretty excited about what looks like could be an amazing film.

Fleet Foxes

I’ve *liked* Fleet Foxes since I heard their self-titled debut (released June 2008–and since then it’s gone on to top a ton of Best of 2008 lists), but in all honestly, they didn’t totally click with me until Sunday night when I heard/saw them on SNL. As Chris said on Twitter, they sounded awesome, and I pretty much think seeing them perform live  made me “get it.” I don’t know if that makes any sense–probably not. Check out their song “Mykonos” as performed on SNL and maybe you’ll see, too:

If you want to hear more of that beautiful music, check out their full-length self-titled LP and their Sun Giant EP, which contains the song Mykonos. Both are definitely worth the pennies.

Other music in heavy rotation for me right now: Andrew Bird, Okkervil River, The Welcome Wagon (all of which I’d love to blog about soon)

In case you haven’t heard…

Pittsburgh’s going to the Super Bowl.

Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

2008 remembered

Following are some of my year 2008 highlights–in no particular order, and certainly not exhaustive. If I took the time I’d think of more, but these are the ones that came to mind as I thought about this past year for an hour or so this afternoon:

• Meeting my niece, Ella, and seeing my sister and her husband experience the joys of adoption and parenthood for the first time. Likewise, seeing my mom and dad as grandparents and my brothers as uncles, etc. It’s been a joy to have a baby in the family and exciting to have another on the way!
• Spending the majority of the year in California and Colorado, two great states that I delighted to make my “temporary” homes. Both offered varied and exciting new experiences, places and lasting memories, including multiple trips to Disneyland, the Getty, the beach, state and national parks, and the great local breweries of Colorado.
• Listening to “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy (my first audiobook) as I drove through the dark of the heart of the Colorado Rockies as I moved from SoCal to Fort Collins. Amazing book. Amazing experience.
• Seeing The Dark Knight in theaters for the first time and every time since. What a movie.
• Voting in an election where the first African-American man was elected president of the United States of America. I may not have voted for the President-Elect, but I can’t deny I was moved and excited when the results came in. (This, likewise, is still one of my favorite graphics of the year.)
• Seeing the Pittsburgh Penguins roll through the Atlantic Conference on their way to the Stanley Cup finals in this spring’s NHL playoffs. I became a hockey fan in 2008, and I have the Pens to thank for that. (And, of course, the Pensblog.)
• Embracing Twitter and seeing my friends come to use it and love it, too. People tweet for a lot of reasons, I tweet to connect with friends–new and old. Follow me here and discover the joy of Twitter for yourself.
• Getting an iPhone. This probably shouldn’t be a year highlight, but it was a seriously great purchase.
• Pursuing God’s call in my life, specifically in relation to China. I’ve had a ton of AMAZING conversations this past year with friends and family at home and abroad about the work in China and what part I might play there in the future. I’m excited about where 2009 might take me, and that’s all because of the nudges felt and the obedience pursued in 2008.
• A visit from Brandon and Ashley Zangus back in the spring. I love my friends. I can’t say enough about the awesome, committed friends I have, but nothing brought me more joy than getting to host my best bud and his awesome wife for a few days in Southern California.
• A visit from my folks in Colorado. My dad’s been to L.A. and Beijing to visit me, but this was the first time my mom was able to see me away from home. It was a real blessing and joy to host them, eat out, hang out, cook and do a little sightseeing. They even let me take some pictures.
• Any time I got to come home to Pittsburgh. I LOVE landing at the Pittsburgh airport (even if I often don’t care for the journey to get there). There truly is no place like home.
• Working the same job for all of 2008. It’s been in two states, granted, but it’s been a great year at ELIC–I’ve done a lot of work I’m really proud of, but more than that I’ve done work for the Kingdom in Asia and made some amazing friendships doing so. I love the people I work with, and they’ve made this year fly by. (Seriously, how have I gone into an office five days a week since October 2007 and been okay with that?)
• Growing another year older (I’ve enjoyed being 25 and 26 a lot), wiser, less dependent (I hope) on anything the world says I need and more dependent on Christ alone.

Darkest Night of the Year

I don’t think I can recommend this album enough (from Cincinnati group Over the Rhine). Achingly beautiful Christmas music–If you haven’t heard it, find it (not available through Amazon or Amazonmp3, unfortunately–but it is on eMusic), and if you can’t find it, talk to me.

Here’s It Came Upon A Midnight Clear for just a taste. Oh, and merry Christmas!

P.S. If anyone (Chris?) can help me with embedding SeeqPod tracks into WordPress posts that’d be awesome–I can never get it to work.

Thanksgiving Day proclamation, 1863

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State