Thursday, January 06, 2005

The Bar is Open

Welcome to my blog. I suppose an introduction is in order.

My name is Andy Whitman. I am 49 years old. I've been married to Kate for 22 years, and have two wonderful teenaged daughters, Emily, 18, a social butterfly, and Rachel, 15, a shy, retiring bookworm.

I'm a liberal arts guy living in a technogeek world, and I'm currently designing a new web site for a State government agency. But that gig tends to change every year or two. I'm a member of Central Vineyard Church in Columbus, Ohio, which I dearly love. I love Jesus, although many days not all that well. I love music of all kinds, from classical to punk, with everything in between. I love to read, and I'm particularly drawn to history, the standard English major great books, theology, and music. In my spare time, I write for two magazines -- Paste Magazine (http://pastemagazine.com), a bi-monthly music/arts publication, and Mars Hill Review (http://marshillreview.com), a Christian literary journal.

I am also an addict. If it offers instant gratification and/or escape, then I'm probably drawn to it. In that sense, then, the title of my blog -- Razing the Bar -- is a very intentional play on words. It expresses my desire to become a better human being -- less self-absorbed, more giving, more attuned to God, closer to Jesus, less attuned to my sometimes all-consuming wants and needs -- to raise the bar in terms of my own personhood. But the bar is also metaphorical. I don't hang out in bars, and my addictions have centered on more dangerous and more illegal substances. But it represents that place in my life where addictions still hold sway, and my heartfelt desire, with God's help, to bulldoze that sucker to the ground.

Stick around, love me, kick me in the butt when I need it, and watch what happens.

7 comments:

John McCollum said...

Oh, great. Another blog to compulsively check every two hours. Just what I need.

Anyway, great to see you online! You've just been added to my ever-growing 'must read list.'

Oh, and we love you too.

maureen said...

yo andy!
finally!

you're a good egg.
maureen

John McCollum said...

Actually, Andy Taylor also has a hairy face. And Andy Fruitconnect has some a partially hairy face.

But, Andy Whitman is the most hirsute of all our Andys.

John McCollum said...

Wow. My grammar today has been awful. That'll teach you to blog while medicated...

Jeff Cannell said...

one reccomendations: I would change your place of employment to a vague reference so your employers and co-workers can't google your place of work.

But I am enthused to see you joining the fray!

Jeff

Andy Whitman said...

Yes, Fred, I am the hairiest of Andys in CV, although less hairy (both on top and on the face) than I was a week ago. But give it time. Within a few years the hair on top should be gone entirely.

As for being a good egg, keep in mind that I've spent a good part of my life fried and/or scrambled. Maybe I should try my hand at poaching or as a hard-boiled detective, just to complete the Great Ovarian Cycle.

Jeff Cannell said...

Andy, this is Adrienne. I look forward to reading what you have to say on your blog. I don't have my own, but love to hang around and hear what everybody else is saying. I have loved the honesty with you write for a while now and I'm sure this will be no exception. See you Sunday!! A