Safe Arrival
Friday, December 21, 2007

I made it back to Yakima, WA and am enjoying lots of fresh snow and mountain views. I picked up the piano music to the "Charlie Brown Christmas Special" on my way up from town, so that's keeping me occupied with lots of exciting Eb9#11 and D7#9/F# chords.

It's crazy seeing the whole family together again - 8 Washams and one little one on the way. (My sister is due January 14th.) This morning we had apricot scones and the traditional Orange Julius for breakfast. Right now Nathanael and Jacob are locked in their annual Stratego board game duel, while Heidi and Mom are working on more Christmas cookies. I've been working on "quality assurance" for the kitchen.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 1:25 PM 2 comments  



Confusing E-mails

Dear Blogarithm subscribers,

I apologize for the technical e-mail that was sent out to you from my "blog post reminder" service. Don't worry - the service should continue uninterrupted and you shouldn't have to do anything.

For those of you who don't know what this is, if you'd like to read my newest posts without having to constantly check the page, you can enter your e-mail address in the box to the right and it will send you a basic e-mail every time I post anything new. Thanks for reading!

Posted by Benjamin Washam 1:16 PM 0 comments  



I'll Be Home For Christmas - You Can Count On Me
Monday, December 10, 2007

Barring a catastrophe on Sun Country Airlines Flight #283, I'll be arriving home in Washington State for Christmas on the 19th and staying through January 4th. I have little doubt that God and the aerodynamics of a Boeing 737 will safely reunite me with my family, who together hasn't shared a Christmas in 2 years!

If you're looking for me, I will probably be holed up at Camp Ghormley most of the time enjoying family and the mountains, but you just might catch me on a foray into Yakima.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 9:34 AM 0 comments  



Touring DC, and Thanksgiving in South Carolina
Saturday, December 01, 2007

Washington, DC - our nations capital! What this really means for the average visitor is that all of the museums and major attractions are free. (For those of you using the W-2 EZ tax form because you are below that beautiful standard deduction, it's truly free.)

With friends for tour guides I hit all the major attractions, as well as an added stop to get a library card at the largest library in the world - the Library of Congress. Did you know that they hold a hard copy of every book, CD, magazine, map, photo or movie published in the United States? (Many other countries also send them copies of their yearly publishings.) They receive over 22,000 articles every day! It blew me away that so much of the worlds knowledge existed in one place, and that it fairly accessible to the public (with a library card).

For the actual holiday feast I journeyed south to Tega Cay, South Carolina to spend the day with some Wheaton College friends. I was overjoyed to find that warmth and fall leaves were still in office! (I had left Minneapolis with cold air, gray skies, and naked trees.)



A note about the DC subway - the stations look like something straight out of a 1970's Star Wars movie, or even better, from Disneyland's old school Star Tours ride.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:53 AM 2 comments  



Breaking News(papers)
Tuesday, November 06, 2007

*phone rings*

"StarTribune news room, how can I help you?"

That's right friends, my newest temp job has taken me straight to the top! I'm answering phones at the news desk of the biggest paper in Minnesota!

It sounds more glorious than it really is. The truth is, the paper has been seriously restructuring itself and slowly alienating readers over the past few months. The last straw (the kind of straw that brings in a temp reinforcement just to help answer complaint calls) was the sudden cancellation of the weekly TV guide. This handy insert was the staple for thousands of Minnesotans' home entertainment. With winter rushing upon us, home entertainment is becoming primary entertainment, and readers must now find some other way to navigate the long hours stuck inside the house until May.

This shrewd business move is especially disappointing for my long lived, less mobile neighbors. Without this handy paper-and-ink TV Guide, and without the internet savvy of younger generations, they are being marooned on a nasty, snow covered desert island, doomed to eternal channel surfing (or should I say, cross-country skiing?).

The universally accepted Journalist's Creed is framed and hanging on a wall in the StarTribune news room. One line reads:

"...the supreme test of good journalism is the measure of its public service."
-Walter Williams
StarTribune, I hope you're listening.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 5:21 PM 3 comments  

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Naval Gazin', Guitar Pickin', and Unemployment, Or, When Adventure Comes Knockin'
Wednesday, October 24, 2007

For the past month I have been living in a cloister at the Olson Institute for Advanced Studies (a.k.a., my bedroom at the Olson's home in Minneapolis); thinking deeply, reading good books, pondering the soul, playing guitar, and reflecting on my life, all while trying not to be a complete bum while I am unemployed. I have been looking for jobs, but these have eluded me in the strangest way. I'm still unsure what kind of job I'm looking for, but I'm anything but picky about temp work. I was planning on a debut tomorrow as a customer service rep in an incoming-only phone call center; a solid month of full-time, great paying work. But, as it would happen, the contract was suddenly canceled today at the last minute! Back to the drawing board.

These are the moments in life when adventures come knocking at the mind's door with the most convincing stories: never has that trip down the Mississippi in a canoe seemed so safe and dry; never has the bike trip across the country seemed so short and affordable; never has the month in a wilderness shack seemed so cozy and worry-free. I get the feeling I'm walking in the hallowed shoes of my great-grandparents who lived through the unemployment of the great depression and the dust bowl. Only the demands of duty and family kept their door shut against the insistent knocking of adventure. In other families, either from lack of family or simply disregard, they took flight on the wings of adventure and traveled the rails or moved out West. It would do us well to remember that every one of us of European descent live here in North America because somewhere in our family line, an ancestral adventurer risked everything to cross the great expanse of ocean to the "new world."

I feel the faint pounding of that pulse of adventure even stronger now that I am unattached, unaffiliated, and unemployed. Where will it take me?

Posted by Benjamin Washam 11:17 PM 9 comments  



It's Been 1 Month and 2 Days Since I Last Wrote You

Excuse #1: My computer died, then was resurrected, but now the information super-highway portal will not work on it.

Excuse #2 : In the last month and two days, nothing has happened.

Excuse #3: I am lazy.

All three of the above excuses are true, but they move from objective to subjective, the way conversations with myself often do. I have discovered that, for me, writing generally moves from the subjective to the objective, while thinking moves in the opposite direction. Writing moves toward concrete axioms or lucid questions, while my mind, freed from the structure of lines and planes, moves toward the abstract and theoretical. I attribute this to my successful training in essay writing and my failed attempt at subjective thought patterns. As I am "writing" this, I inevitably come to a rational conclusion - I should start journaling more to clear my mind and find direction.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 10:29 PM 0 comments  



My Room Is Painted!
Saturday, September 22, 2007

I finally got the painting done! Check out the Bedroom Makeover page to see some pictures.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:48 PM 1 comments  

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Political Satire, Facts, and Numbers
Thursday, September 13, 2007

I figure I'm allowed one polarizing political post every once in a while; besides, what good is freedom of speech if we don't use it?

"War is the means by which Americans learn geography."
-Ambrose Bierce


I checked the Washington Post for a "lefter" side take on Bush's speech tonight. They did a fact check with some interesting results. Also learned about the *above noted* civilian casualty rate. Good to know, right?

God help us!

Posted by Benjamin Washam 11:50 PM 0 comments  

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New Bedroom Makeover Site
Thursday, September 06, 2007










I've decided that all of the work I'm going to be putting into my room is too much fun to keep to myself. Now you can see photos and follow along with my progress! (Design and decorating advice is always welcome.)

Click on the link, or use the new link at the top of the page.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 1:01 AM 3 comments  



A Celestial/Terrestrial Nuptial
Saturday, September 01, 2007



















Two weeks ago my older brother and I took a backpacking trip up Burnt Mountain in Washington State. We planned the climb intending to see the sunset over Mt. Ranier, but instead found ourselves witnessing a divine union of titans. This is what I saw:

The Sun flew, unhesitating,
Towards his rendezvous with the horizon.
The Mountain, demure,
Blushed a deep violet as the sun approached her.
She had veiled the fiery old man every night since her birth,
Yet still she cowered, fearing tonight be the night he reach her sides
With a kiss that would melt away her covering of snow and ice.

The Sun bent towards her
And the Mountain reached up in response.
Upon contact, sunbeams dispatched across the sky
Leaving a wake of gold behind them.
The clouds, ordinarily blank pawns against an azure background,
Were pierced by the beams and leapt to vivid life
In response to this courtship dance.

The dance continued for a few minutes
Until the Sun's grip on the Mountain began to weaken.
He slid lower and lower over her shoulders
As one sunbeam at a time would snap and fall lifeless to the earth.
Finally, it appeared as if she had consumed him.
In a parting act of chivalry, the Sun settled a glowing tiara of flaming clouds upon her head.

The Mountain's face grew dark at the departure of the Sun,
But an orange smile glowed around her
That stretched from horizon to horizon in gratitude.










Posted by Benjamin Washam 8:47 PM 3 comments  

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Huge Bridge Collapses in Minneapolis
Thursday, August 02, 2007


I was at a neighborhood softball game last night just over a mile away when we first heard news about the bridge collapse. Thus far, no one we know personally was hurt, but the school bus of 60 kids that dropped with the bridge was headed back to Waite House Community Center, a mere 100 meters from my house! This means that there are a lot of families on the blocks surrounding me that are pretty shook up, and some of their kids are in bad shape. Please keep them in your prayers.

If you want to hear the local story, check out the Star Tribune page.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 11:49 AM 0 comments  

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