Pictures from the Gym Service 12-14-08

Getting Ready for Christmas 2008!

Here's what's going on in my life....

Working and learning at Perimeter Church. I'm learning everything from how to program lighting, work with Aviom monitors, fix consoles, hang conduit, FIND conduit, make cables, fix cables, troubleshoot projectors (this gets old after 27 projectors) and much more... Even stuff like how to interact with producers to create a worshipful environment, create systems and policies for running tech for a large church, and of course... good ol church politics. yay!

I spent a good portion of the my spare time this past summer and fall playing in an ultimate league... We lost pretty bad in both seasons, but we had a lot of fun and I learned a lot (mainly the fact that I'm not that good at ultimate) I have also got more involved in the singles/college group of Perimeter Church. I spend a lot of time helping them with tech and producing services.

I just got back from a great time with friends and family over thanksgiving... and now I'm getting ready for Christmas! I struggle at Christmas. I don't fully understand a lot of things. The biggest thing I struggle with is the fact that a lot of us (including me) buy gifts for people because we feel like we have to. Or perhaps we want to... that's great, but do they really want or need what we buy for them? I spend a lot of time trying to figure out what to buy people for Christmas. The thing is, I really do want to give stuff to people, but I don't know what to give them. Why? I don't spend enough time with them and I'm not close enough to them. I don't know their deepest wants and desires. Now... go watch this video and then come back to this email....



Ok, now... after seeing this video, how am I supposed to respond? I have to respond. Even if I choose not to do anything... I must respond. So... here is what I'm going to do.... I'm going to go to Mobile and spend time with friends and family. 2nd, I will buy some gifts, but not nearly as many. If I can think of things I want to give you and feel like you want it, I will do what I can to make that happen. At the end of it all, I will take the leftover money I have budgeted and donate to organizations that I feel like God wants me to. (probably BWAB) Now, if I don't get you something for Christmas, don't be offended. If you got this email, I would love to give something to you! But I can't. Money, time, knowledge.... I don't have it all. I tell you what I can do... hang out with you. We can do a meal together, get a coffee (no I don't drink it, but I can watch you drink yours) or whatever....

Now, here is my request for Christmas this year.... don't buy me anything. Take a portion of that money and donate it to an organization that is serving and helping other people who are in greater need. here are some links...


!http://www.adventconspiracy.org/
http://www.water.cc/
http://www.boywithaball.com/

I want to make clear that I am not suggesting that gifts at Christmas (or any other time) are bad. But I also want to make it clear that I am not at all offended if I do not receive gifts. I realize that I might turn into the black sheep of the family, but I feel like it's what God wants me to do.

Now, here are my travel plans for Christmas 2008 - I will come into Mobile on the 22nd (Monday) and leave on the 29th (Monday) I will stay in Wilmer for most of the week. (other locations TBD) I will go to Mississippi on Christmas Eve, mom's on Christmas Morning (after 8am) and to Granny's on Christmas Night. If anyone wants some hang out time, shoot me an email or call me and we'll set it up! I hope everyone is doing well and please feel free to email me and tell me what's going on in your life!

Ashley Lane
ronaldashleylanejr@gmail.com
678-325-9391

Christmas Plans

Ok... so, I'm back from Thanksgiving vacation. Yay. Next, Christmas. I plan on coming into Mobile on Dec 22nd and leave on the 29th. Those of you who want to hang out with me... send me an email and I'll put it on my calendar!

Saddly, I will not be able to go to NEXT09. Because of the location and dates, I cannot make it happen. It's too close to Christmas to make it feasable. :(

Advent Conspiracy

I'm sick of Christmas and the way we do it. I have a list a mile long of things I don't like... but... this video sums it up nicely and in a much kinder way than I would do it. It really hits home for me really hard. It has really stirred me up. Soooo.... what is going to be your response? You have to respond. Even if you chose to do nothing. I have my own response in mind.

For those who thought I would never do it...

Gym Service Pictures 10-5-08

new attire idea?

so... I'm thinking about wearing black shirts and red ties from now on. What do you think?

Photos from the Gym service

google RD

http://www.globexdesigns.com/gr/

New Gym Set

here are some photos from the Gym Service at Perimter Church... it's a set we call "In the Round" it's basically in the middle of a basket ball court.

the fastest shopping trip for clothes ever!

Ok, so... many of you know, I hate shopping. Especially for clothes. Well... tonight.. I was at target getting food. As I was walking to the registers, I had a thought... "I should walk through the mens clothes section real fast to see if they have anything that I would like and could get real quick...

So... a quick round through a few racks and found nothing. 99% of the clothes weren't even red... which as you know, is un acceptable. I had one more corner in the back to check out... and there they were! 4 perfect red shirts in a row! Just my size too! and the best part... ON SALE!!!!!! $8 each!

the elusive roach

So... I'm proud to say that I very rarely even see a roach or any other creepy crawly thing in my apartment. However... this weekend... there has been one particular creepy crawler that has made several apearances. The normal strategy for these creepy things is to get the vacuum cleaner and suck them up... problem gone. However... there has been one that keeps escaping it's inevitable doom...

Every time I see it, I grab the vacuum and by the time I get close enough to remove the problem... it gets away.

Now, you're probably wondering why I am taking the time to take pictures... well.. answer - the camera is closer than the vacuum cleaner.

Anyways... I will keep you all posted on this rather crazy, twist filled adventure as I continue my hunt for - the roach.

new phone... new service

my Cingular 8525 almost died today. It has been sick for several weeks now and is on it's last mili-amp. So, I knew the time had come to get a new phone. Again. However, for many reasons, I decided that I hated AT&T and wanted to go to Verizon. The biggest reason for leaving AT&T was the fact that they use a technology that interferes with audio equipment in a very bad way. Being that I'm in production techinical, that means it effects my job in a negitive way. can't have that. so... bye bye AT&T. Burn. ooo.... yea... I like fire. :) (I really need to go to bed)

So... off to the Verizon store to buy the Samsung i760. Despite my desire to hold off for a few more months because of hope for newer and better phones yet to be released, I had no time. My current phone/service was hindering me from doing my job and I can't have that.

http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/detail/spec.do?group=mobilephones&type=mobilephones&subtype=verizonwireless&model_cd=SCH-I760ZKAVZW&fullspec=F

Further reviews to come....

Med Kit

So... The Pelican case I ordered came in today... I moved all my medical supplies into this case to make a super nice med kit! It's not fully stocked yet, but this is a good start....

Long time, no post....

So... it's been a long time since I have posted anything. Sorry... a combination of being busy and forgetting about it is my excuse.

quick update, not much has changed in my everyday life... I came down to Mobile to help with Camp of Champions as tech director... I brought gear from 5 churches and several person friends and put together a sound and video system for both camps. It was hard, long, but a lot of fun!

Now that I'm back, I'm back working at Perimeter Church doing what I do... work and learn. :) We're about to move a large portion of the staff to another building a couple thousand feet away (the tech dept is going to be outfitting several conference rooms) and we are drawing up plans to build a 500 seat chapel for weddings and simple worship services. (obviously, tech is involved there too) For now, my job is restricted to repairing gear and upgrading current systems. Which is fine with me... all that other stuff requires a lot more desk work! (which Matt gets to do instead.)

That's about it... I'll try to post something more often... have fun!

Ultimate 6-14-08

http://picasaweb.google.com/ronaldashleylanejr/UltimateFrisbee61408

It won't be up forever... so enjoy for now!

Pictures of the Gym Service 6-8-08

Here are some pictures of the Gym service at Perimeter Church 6-8-08.

FYI, I will not keep this link active forever...

http://picasaweb.google.com/ronaldashleylanejr/GymService6808

I wish I could be somewhere in between!

Friend wheel

So... this is my friend wheel... These are all my friends on facebook. It basically can be divided into 4 sections. 1 - Covenant Church of Mobile. 2 - Cottage Hill Baptist Church. 3 - Perimeter Church. 4 - Random people I know in TX.

Cool notes: Steve Simmons (my boss) knows Jamie Johnson and James Williams. (cool story here, but I'll save it for another time) Zoe Huff (Perimeter) Knows Melissa McCarty (CCM/TX) Because of Camp of Champions(Jamie Johnson), most of the TX people I know also know the CCM people. (and some of the CHBC people)

I think it's really cool to see how everyone can mostly be grouped up by network areas...

Rehearsal 4-24-08

These are my favorite pictures that I took that night. I actually took 154 pictures, but these 2 are the ones I'm most proud of...

Top Photo: I used a Canon Rebel XTi with Apture at 1/160s, ISO at 800, and f stop at 5.6. The lens was at a 35mm equivalent of 89mm.

Bottom Photo: I used a Canon Rebel XTi with Apture at 1/50s, ISO at 800, and f stop at 5.6. The lens was at a 35mm equivalent of 219mm.

Gathering Photos 4-20-08

http://picasaweb.google.com/ronaldashleylanejr/Gathering42008

Here are pictures of The Gathering - the young people's group at Perimeter Church. The LD was Hermon Jones...

Weekend Rehearsal... fun stuff

here are some of the pictures I took during a rehearsal at Perimeter Church...

http://picasaweb.google.com/ronaldashleylanejr/41708WeekendRehearsal

the LD for this weekend was Chris Landreth...

One year...

April 3rd, 2007, I left my home town, Mobile, AL. I left family, friends, church, youth group, fire dept, work.... everything I
It was by far the hardest day of my life. Halfway to Atlanta, GA I almost took the next exit to turn around and go back home. To this day, I honestly don't know what kept me from doing that. I had spent that morning saying goodbye to all my closest family and friends. So I couldn't help but think about them. The further away I got, the harder it became. As I got into Atlanta and started navigating the roads and crazy traffic, I got distracted long enough to get into Gwenette County. (where I live) As I got there, I saw 2 tall water towers with the slogan "Success Lives Here" It wasn't much help at that point, but as time went by, I began to see how true that is. The short of it is, if I had not let go of everything in Mobile, I would not be anywhere where I wanted to be.

I want to be in production technical. It is what God has called me to do. (actually, many do not know this, but at one point, I really wanted to be in a band... mainly a praise and worship band) I want to learn everything I can about audio, lighting, video, camera ops, rigging, recording, set design, the politics, business, electricity, computer stuff, system design and installation, and anything else I can stuff into my brain. Why? I don't know the exact, long-term plan. I just know that's what God wants me to do right now.

April 4th, 2007 - I started out knowing almost nothing. I was lost, confused, didn't know people, hardly knew where I was, (I still have a hard time sometimes) and I was overwhelmed. Now, I know some things... I'm not as confused, I know people, and I .. well... I'm still lost. Ok, so the point of all that was... I'm learning. I don't know what the average speed for learning is, but I feel like I'm learning at the fastest pace I have ever learned before. (if that makes any sense)

I started out being more of a burden than a help. I had to be taught a lot of things. I have had lots of white board time with Steve and Matt... 

Eventually, I learned enough to actually be a part of the solution rather than a hindrance. I still don't know much. I still have a LONG way to go. But I am now at a point where I can make a difference. 

What's next? Pretty much most of the same stuff. Learn and apply. I am getting involved in the young adult ministry here (aka - The Gathering) as volunteer tech director. My job there is recruiting volunteers (yay for awesome people skills) setting up tech, and running tech for each of the Sunday night services that they have. We have just moved into a larger auditorium and the size and scope for this event has really expanded... Basically, this is a way for me to apply what I learn during the week in real world environments. (I have posted pictures of this event on my facebook for those who are interested)

In other news, I will be coming into Mobile for a few days for each of the Camp of Champions in June and July. (yet another way I will applying my new knowledge)

That's about it... keep in touch, feel free to email me whenever... I love you all!

Ashley Lane
ronaldashleylanejr@gmail.com - Personal address
ashleyl@perimeter.org - Perimeter address
678-325-9391 - Cell
678-405-2135 - Desk
http://ashley-red.blogspot.com/

upgrading my computer setup...

I have added a third 22" LCD monitor and moved a bunch of things around. Mainly dressing cables and simplifying things. I also added another power strip dedicated to the LCD's so that I can turn all three off at the same time. (along with anyhting else I want to plug into the strip)

Tipping Pot

Hail storms and tornados

So... we just went through some serious storms today and last night....

Last night, a major tornado went through downtown Atlanta and did some real damage. Plenty of people hurt, but nobody killed. They had to cancel of move several major events that were happening in that area today... :(

Closer to me, in Duluth, we went through a moderate hail storm... high winds, rain... more wind, more rain...

Ski Trip Pictures link

Here's a link to some pictures of the ski trip my dad, sister, and Marshall went on last week....

http://picasaweb.google.com/Ashley.Lane.test/SkiTripToVailCO2008

GCal

btw... I got Google Calendar back up and working... it's now synced with my primary calendar. You can use google calendar to send events, meeting requests, etc to me. You can also use it to get an idea what's going on in my day to day life. My calendar is on this page at the very bottom.

Meal Time!

My first major meal cooked by me away from home! I have upgraded from hot pockets and poparts!

Snowed in....

So.... we got snowed in this weekend! Atlanta just doesn't know what to do with snow.... 2" and they just shut down!

They canceled all four services at Perimeter this weekend (and then added an evening service at the last minute)

So... um... snow is nice... when you don't have to live in it. I only had to "interact" with it for about 10 mins today... i.e., getting it off my windshield. I can easily see that living in places where snow is a normal thing IS NOT FUN!
It's really cold (duh) and everyone who knows me, knows how much I hate cold. Then, when it warms up to 33°, it turns into wet. Which.... when combined with the still very cold air... makes things feel even more cold.

The 7|22 Set

heartofEsther's CD Album Art

For those of you who are particular about their music libraries and the album art.... here's the album art for hoE's CD! I scanned it in, straighted, cropped and did some other edits to make it look a little better. Enjoy!

Our New Set!

New Years

I saw something I have never seen before...  New Years in Atlanta, GA.  I didn't really expect it to be different, but in a way it was.  There are a LOT more people in Atlanta than in Mobile!  So... the time came where everone shoots fireworks in celebration of the new year...  As I was walking in my apartment, this is the picture I got...  on the horizon, I could see a fairly long way...  with fireworks all over the city going up in the air and exploding, the sounds in the distance, the smell... it was everywhere... all around me!  it was really cool!

Well... I stood there watching (and freezing my butt off) and had this thought process...  This is a hint of what war nowdays must sound like... explosions, the sounds (all around) the smell, the cold.  (I was also kinda hungry too) I could see in the distance... at various distances, "the rockets burting in air" and at various times and volumes, the sounds of explosions...  I could imagine, being a soldier in WWI or II or any other war, how scary it was.  Never knowing which explosion would be right next to you...  never knowing exactly where it was coming from or going to... and being around friends fighting for their very lives.  What it must be like to see friends die right next to you or even from a distance (knowing where they should be and seeing a large explosion and not knowing if they made it)

I have made comments over the years stating that I would love to do special ops stuff or air force stuff...  but... all the "fun" would be taken away by the things I mentioned above.