Identity: I am not...

Early this afternoon I had stepped outside to take a picture of the Party Tree in its faded not summer (one of the two seasons in central Texas, the other being summer) glory. As I turned, I saw a stark contrast on the porch between sunlight and shadow. I snapped a quick photo (color, landscape). A few minutes later, on my way to meet a friend at Chuys, it struck me that I had missed an opportunity, how I ought to have framed the shot (black and white, zoomed in, portrait).

This happens to me quite a bit. A real photographer would have seen this immediately and captured it, probably shooting at least a half dozen frames-- even with a phone camera.

After visiting Justin's family after Chuys (and incidentally capturing a couple of pics of gorgeous clouds near sunset from his yard), I noticed several scenes on the way home-- including a stunning swath of bare trees silhouetted against a beautiful, vestigial sunset). In each case, I briefly toyed with hitting the brakes on the empty, country road and backing up for the shot. In each case, I didn't so much reject the idea as simply note its passing, and continue on my way.

This happens to me a lot, too. A real photographer would have stopped, backed up, hoped nobody came over the hill, popped up through the moon roof, and captured the moment. Many would have made plans to return the next day (and the next, as many as needed) with a Real Camera[tm] to capture it properly.

My identity is not defined by who or what I am not, but by who and what I am. But it can be helpful to know who and what you are not, if only so you don't waste time, money or energy on trying to be that person.

I like taking pictures. Or, technically, most of the time I should say I like capturing visual imagery on digital media; I seldom use film any more. I sometimes plan to have a camera (at least my phone) handy. I sometimes recognize the moments or images to capture in time to do so.

I don't think and see the world like a photographer. I have photographer friends. They frequently (perhaps always) see the world through a lens, even if they don't have a camera in their hands. In fact, if you locked them up in Gitmo the rest of their lives, where they saw a camera only from the business end on the other side of the razor wire, they would still view life through a lens. A real photographer is, in my experience, wired that way.

I usually take one photo and either use it or don't. I sometimes post poor photos, noting either the crappy camera quality in the phone, or my lack of technique. A real photographer would have several pictures to choose from, and either toss the junk, or if they saw value in it, give it a name and make no apologies.

I've always intended to get a decent camera. I bought a pretty good one years ago for my wife and myself, but she got much better at using it than I did. I bought her a nice, if basic, Sony camera when the film camera died. But somehow there's always something I want more (music gear, for instance) than that camera. No photographer would ever think that way.

I still don't know everything the phone in my camera does after six months.

I mostly take pictures to share a moment or image with others; with my visual memory I don't need photos for me (although I like them). I strive to improve at photography-- but I'll never be a real photographer. I'm fine with that. I know who and what I am. Nobody (not even Chuck Norris!) can be the best at everything. I'm best at being me, so that's who I'll be.

And I'll continue taking pictures, posting and commenting on them, and occasionally blaming the camera or my technique. It's all good.

Christmas vs Winter Holiday: Grudge Match!

Is it Christmas? Or is it just a winter holiday? Let's delve into this.

First off, what's a holiday? Let's see what Messrs. Merriam & Webster have to say.

1 : holy day
2 : a day on which one is exempt from work; specifically : a day marked by a general suspension of work in commemoration of an event
3 chiefly British : vacation —often used in the phrase on holiday —often used in plural
4 : a period of exemption or relief

To begin with, it's somewhat ironic that those objecting to the name "Christmas" as offensive because it "imposes religion" turn around and use a word that means (per M&W again) "a day set aside for special religious observance". Oops.

Clearly Christmas fits the first definition. Then there's the second definition (which Christmas fits into for most of us in North America and large parts of Europe, at least), which applies but has no religious connotation, per se.

It turns out that Christmas is a winter holiday; you can call it either one.

But Christmas is a specific winter holiday, meant to celebrate a specific event (Christ's birth). It has, of course, other meanings as well; the giving of gifts can mean all sorts of things, depending on what you believe and feel. The rampant consumerism, the insanity of shopping, the demand for more and more from Santa, the competitiveness of out-giving to the point of going into massive debt... these have nothing to do with Christ at all. They are simply what humans in an unfettered, western, capitalistic society have made of this day. Most of these (along with parties, decorating and the food) are fine if they are not taken to excess. They can be Christian or not, depending on who you are and why you do them. They can work for everyone.


I have something to say to both sides of this debate. The short answer is that it's (at best) very foolish to be having such arguments, especially to the point of acrimony, never mind going to court over it.


Christians: It is utterly irrelevant what anyone else calls it. The Jews don't celebrate Christmas; they celebrate Hanukkah. Are they or their faith or their relationship with God in any way lessened by the fact that you and I (and the Muslims and atheists and Buddhists and...) don't celebrate Hanukkah, that most non-Jews can't even pronounce it correctly? No! So why should we and our faith get our panties in a wad if someone else (gasp!) doesn't want to call it Christmas and celebrate the way we do? (Which celebrations, I note, are found nowhere in the Bible.)

Next, and this applies to far more than Christmas, why on earth should we expect non-Christians to get excited about Christian holidays? Unless and until they have a relationship with God, why would they care? That's like expecting a cat lover to get excited about a pit pull in their yard. (If you like both, great. Work with me.)

It's not offensive to me if someone calls it a winter holiday, Hanukkah, X-mas, or anything else. That's between them and God. I don't need to get offended for him.

Finally, dear Christians, let us remember the two great commandments. Everything we do needs to flow out of those. Love God. Love your neighbor as yourself. Our celebration of Christmas should bless everyone around us, not alienate them. We can not (and must not try to) make them enjoy it.


For those who get offended by the word, "Christmas"... you need to ask yourself, "Why?" If you get offended because of someone else's belief, that's not their problem, it's yours. And so long as they aren't trying to force you into anything with it, if it bothers you that much, then it is a problem, and you need to find out why and work on it.

It's Christmas. It's a Christmas tree. They are what they are. Now, frankly, I don't care what you call them. If it's really a statement of faith for you to not call them by that name, that's fine. It honestly doesn't bother me in the least (though I find it a bit odd in those who claim no religion). But it shouldn't bother you if I call it Christmas and wish you a merry Christmas. Take it in the spirit it's given. I will. When you wish me a happy holiday, I don't go into a funk because you didn't call it Christmas. I go, "Thanks! You, too!" and I mean it.


I'm not going to shop or not shop somewhere based on whether they have signs that say "Christmas", "X-mas" or "holiday" in the window. I'm not going to live somewhere or not live somewhere because the courthouse does or doesn't have a nativity scene.

Celebrate what you want to. Or don't celebrate. But don't demand anyone else do the same. In either direction.