emanation

I'm Back, Baby!

2008-07-12T23:38:00.000-07:00

We're almost done moving back into our house on Cedar St. in Sandpoint, Id. It feels so nice to be home. Our house here is nicer than we remembered. It feels cozy, the location is perfect, and we will (hopefully) have at least a few more months with the best next-door neighbors ever.

The Overdubs at Club Fred

2008-06-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

This is gonna be a little late for anyone to come see us, but my band, the overdubs, is playing tonight at Club Fred in Fresno. Hopefully, I'll be able to record some of the show and post it online later this week.

Now, Here's a Great Music Delivery System

2008-06-21T23:01:00.000-07:00

I just got an invite to a site called amiestreet.com by my friend, Ryan. I signed up, and I like what I see. Basically, the premise is that all music on the site is free to start. Then, depending on the popularity of a track, its price increases up to $0.98. This way, music that is popular costs more and the artist makes more, and music that's not the best is proced accordingly. The excetion is new music that hasn't been priced yet. The beauty is that one can try out new music at little financial risk. If it's good, it'll catch on.

I am very excited about discovering some new music through this site. I just sent out invites to my friends who I think might be into something like this. I need some more trusted ears listening and recommending stuff or me to listen to.

When you go to the site, check out the band, The Overdubs, and look or the songs I recommended - "Orange County" and "Trying Bravery."

Here are the links from the email I sent out, in case you didn't get it.

You can visit this link to learn more about everything Amie Street: http://amiestreet.com/page/about?invite_id=99571

Or, if justinlandis has already spoken with you and sold you on the idea, visit this link to sign up: http://amiestreet.com/user/signup?invite_id=99571

Signup now and we'll put $5.00 and 3 RECs in your account to get you started.

Gay Marriage is Legal in California

2008-06-19T06:36:00.000-07:00

If Christians are really so serious about protecting the "sanctity" of marriage, maybe they (*whince* we) should try to ban divorce instead of gay marriage.

What's more important, who you love, or how you love? Is it more important who your friends are or how you treat them?

Fellow Christians, please keep your mouths shut and stop protesting gay marriage. it's not a battle that will gain any ground for God's kingdom. It will, however, make us all look like a bunch of &$%^& hypocrites, since the "sacred bond" we're protecting is routinely broken by over half of us.

This is a quote I found from Barna on religioustolerance.org:

A recent study by the Barna Research Group throws extreme doubt on these estimates. Barna released the results of their poll about divorce on 1999-DEC-21. 1 They had interviewed 3,854 adults from the 48 contiguous states. The margin of error is ±2 percentage points. The survey found:
bullet 11% of the adult population is currently divorced.
bullet 25% of adults have had at least one divorce during their lifetime.
bullet Divorce rates among conservative Christians were significantly higher than for other faith groups, and much higher than Atheists and Agnostics experience.

George Barna, president and founder of Barna Research Group, commented:

"While it may be alarming to discover that born again Christians are more likely than others to experience a divorce, that pattern has been in place for quite some time. Even more disturbing, perhaps, is that when those individuals experience a divorce many of them feel their community of faith provides rejection rather than support and healing. But the research also raises questions regarding the effectiveness of how churches minister to families. The ultimate responsibility for a marriage belongs to the husband and wife, but the high incidence of divorce within the Christian community challenges the idea that churches provide truly practical and life-changing support for marriages."

It looks like we've already got our hands full with heterosexual marriage. Let's finish chewing this bite before we take another one.

Democracy in Action: Why Bloggers Will Rule the World

2008-06-15T23:56:00.000-07:00

There is plenty of injustice in our world, more than we could know. We do know about a portion of it. We care about even less of it. We do something about even less of it. When I say "we" here, I'm mainly talking about Americans. We are comfortable and complacent, and whether fuel costs nearly $5.00 per gallon, or our civil rights are trampled by our government (by, of, and for the people?) we will likely take the path of least resistance, which means, we'll roll with it.

Recently, there has been a scandal involving ePerks and a blogger named Vlad. (Here's a great summary of the story.) Vlad is a real estate blogger who wrote some things about ePerks that ePerks didn't like. He talks about the events here. The company retaliated by attempting to damage Vlad's reputation and basically trying to bully him down. Vlad suspected as much and blogged about that. Now ePerks is suing Vlad.

If this were happening in regular America, we would see it in the news and think, "That isn't right, the way they're treating that poor man." Then we'd pick up the phone and order a pizza, and forget all about it.

However, in the blogosphere, people are willing to stand up for what's right. Maybe it's because they're already writing and might as well use their powers for good. Maybe they're looking for easy traffic. Regardless of the reasons, which are likely as unique as the participants, Vlad's fellow bloggers are standing up for justice.

I don't know Vlad. I'd never heard of him before this. But I respect open dialogue, and it seems that ePerks may not. Honesty is a hallmark of good journalism. Even if it's opinion, it's more important to be honest than to just be nice.

So good job bloggers. Keep up the good work. Hopefully the rest of us will take a cue from you, and band together when we're stepped on, rather than simply changing the channel to find a better life.

Better Late Than Never

2008-06-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

Miles David Landis was born at home on June, 9, 2008. He was 8lbs, 4oz, and 20" long.

Jen started labor at Ani's gymnastics class at 11am. On the way home they stopped at the park because Jen had already said they would. Justin came home from work at about noon. Ani watched the Wizard of Oz while Jen and Justin got the house tidied up and lunch prepared. Occasionally Jen would pause for a contraction, then keep on about her business. Justin started putting Ani down for a nap around 1:20, but she didn't actually go to sleep until 3:00.

While Justin was in with Ani trying to help her sleep, Jen was in the living room
From miles's birthlaboring by herself. Bekah Townsend came by with some food, and a few minutes later, the maintenance guy for the apartment complex came by to check the air conditioner's output temperature. He seemed a bit perplexed by the shower curtains duct taped together and covering the carpet. Being unsure of how the landlords might feel about a home birth in one of their units, Justin kept the purpose for the curtains on the "d-l." Luckily, he didn't ask too many questions, and left without incident. Jen had retreated to the bathroom to shower while he was there, so she resumed her posture, kneeling next to the couch and resting her head on it's pillows.

Detrah, the midwife, came, with her daughter, around 2:oo. They began getting everything set up. Contrary to what some may think, Detrah was very well-prepared for a variety of issues. She had needles filled with various emergency medications, an oxygen tank, and other supplies that, thankfully, never saw the light of day during this delivery.

When Ani fell asleep, Justin came out to help Jen in any way he could, mostly by shutting the hell up and getting her a drink. Less than 15 minutes later, Jen felt like she was going to start pushing. Two contractions later, Miles's head was completely visible. It took one more push to get him all the way out. This description makes the whole process sound quick and relatively easy. It was quick, but far from easy. Jen labored courageously, gracefully and pretty quietly.

Ani slept through the whole ordeal. When she awoke from her nap about 4:30, the majority of the mess was cleaned up. Jen was in the bathroom washing herself and Justin was holding Miles on the couch. At first, Ani didn't realize what had happened. She saw the inflated birthing pool and the shower curtains on the ground. She was excited but she wasn't sure why. She wanted to go for a swim in the pool, but Justin finally got her attention for long enough to explain that he was holding her new brother in his arms. She climbed up on the couch next to him, covered her eyes with her hands, and then removed them quickly saying, "peek-a-boo!" The moment was not captured on video, but those present swear that he cracked a smile.

ps. the official birth album (and source of the song in the video) is Meme by Milosh

I'm in the Presence of Greatness

2008-06-07T17:01:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to talk with Debbie Landa of Dealmaker Media yesterday. I got an introduction with Debbie from Melissa Burns of MoPR. The conversation with Debbie was very informative and fun. It was obvious that she is very well connected in the tech industry. She also spoke very highly of Melissa, which confirmed my perception that Melissa is very good at what she does.

The conversation was awesome. Debbie gave me about 10 blogs to help get me in the door. She also introduced me to netvibes which is an rss reader. She swears by it, but I haven't used it enough yet to know if I prefer it to the simplicity of my Google homepage. However, her recommendation reminded me that if I'm gonna be a player in the tech industry, I'd better renew my love for the underground. I mean, there was a time when I wouldn't be caught dead using the most popular software or listening to the most popular musical artist, simply because everyone already knew about them. In the meantime, underground became mainstream, and I've gotten lazy about staying hip to what's new. Plus, in the eyes of most of my friends, I am hip to what's new, which only fools me into thinking I'm more savvy than I actually am.

So, I'm on a tear to get myself into the tech community. It's gonna take time, but it's also gonna be a blast. I'm gonna share what I learn along the way.

In that spirit, here's a post from Penelope Trunk, whom I recently received a personal email from,(yes, I'm starstruck) that is challenging my previous conception of what social networking should be.

Coldplay Has a New Record

2008-06-06T05:55:00.000-07:00

Las night at the church group that Jen and I babysit for, I had the unexpected pleasure of hearing part of the new Coldplay album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. It was all in the background, so I can't really give any good feedback in terms of the record. However, This morning in my daily music news, I read that the record isn't slated for release until June 17. So now I need to go try to track it down too so I can hear it before I buy it.

Thank you internet.

Job Hunt

2008-06-05T06:26:00.000-07:00

As both of my regular readers are aware, Jen, Ani, Miles? and I are moving back to Sandpoint on July 1. My current order of business is to find temporary work. I've got some more permanent options in the pipeline, but this particular pipeline is proving challenging to navigate from 1000 miles away.

Most likely I'm gonna get a serving job. It'll leave my days mostly free to pursue my other endeavors, and yet still provide a decent, if still modest, financial return for time invested.

Also, I just landed, hopefully, a web design job that will offer some nice extra cash in the meantime. I'd love to do that, so if either of you know of someone, particularly small businesses, needing web work done, I would be excited to bid the job. I just need something to get us through the first month or so. By that time, there should be some light coming out of my pipeline.

Brazen Careerist Spoke to Me

2008-06-04T06:17:00.000-07:00

I regularly follow a blog by Penelope Trunk called Brazen Careerist. She writes about business and its intersection with life. I've learned a lot from her blog including how to be successful in an interview, and how to survive office politics.

I read a post the other day about a trip she took to a farm in the country. She talked about her experience with the farmer. She talked about the cultural differences, the similarities they share, and the tranquility that came from being removed, if only by an hour's drive, from the hustle of city life.

I found this post very enjoyable and refreshing. It was fun to experience the trip from her perspective. I left a comment on her blog and thanked her for the her blog.

This morning, I opened my gmail, and I had an email from Penelope Trunk.

hey, justin. thanks so much for your nice comment today. it's like an extra little post-farm gift.

penelope

I'm very impressed. I don't know what her readership is, but her Technorati authority is 1,331. Mine is 2.

Finally, lala.com

2008-05-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

In my never-ending quest (though it's slowed nearly to a halt in recent months) for cool new sites and ideas, I came across one a while ago that offered me the chance to upload my music catalog to a website, and then stream my music from my mobile device. Awesome! Except, I didn't (and still don't or I'd be all over qik) have an unlimited data plan on my phone. And that site, whose name is readily available in my caffeine-starved mind and is not worth tracking down because I have to be at work in 10 minutes, did not allow streaming through my browser. Thanks a lot, website-whose-name-I-can't-remember.

Now, I just read about a beta offering by lala.com, and thus discovered, lala.com. This is what I want. I can upload all my mp3's, or at least I didn't come across any limitations in the sign up process, and then stream them from any web-enabled machine. I'm very excited about this. I was gonna start uplaoding right now, but it turns out Jen (my wife, who's Macbook Pro has now become the family machine since my Acer finally gave me the finger and died) has all her music encoded as AAC files, so I've got some converting to do.

Anyway, if that sounds good to you, go to lala.com. If it doesn't, why the hell not?

Oh, and as for their beta offering, nextlala.com offers users the chance to buy the rights to stream a song for life, for a dime. This means that from any web-enabled machine, you can log into lala and stream your catalog. There is no download included in this scheme, which seems a bit weird, but once internet access and connected mobile devices become ubiquitous, there'll be no reason to burn a cd or even load a song to your portable music device. Sounds like it'll be awesome in 5 years.

Adventures in $0 Marketing

2008-05-25T13:56:00.000-07:00

I've been working for Valet Closet and Garage Organizers since January. Recently, I've been talking to Myron, the owner, about their web presence as well as their marketing strategy. So far, I've revamped their website, but it really needs a redesign and a new hosting setup. The current hosting is through their service provider and includes a stock site with a weak cms and a max of 6 pages. Hopefully, before I leave there in July we will have nearly launched a new site.

We've also been talking about their marketing strategy. Thus far, it includes the yellow pages and home shows. We're working on identifying some potential strategic partners and then increasing the network marketing focus of the company. Valet manufactures everything to custom specs, so they c an pretty much build anything a customer can think of. Now we just need to partner with some networks that already exist, to get the word out about what Valet can do. Some of those ideas include home theater companies (entertainment centers) and clothing companies (custom closets).

A Real Vacation

2008-05-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

Despite Jen being ready to pop anytime, I decided to take the family on a much needed weekend getaway. Thanks to some very generous friends in Sandpoint, we were able to stay in a lovely house, less than a block from the beach. It was wonderful. Unfortunately, we have lost our sun-savvy. We spent a couple hours at the beach, in the beautiful sun, on Saturday. We spent the rest of the weekend trying to avoid the sun. Jen and I both got burned, but she got it really bad. The poor woman had her whole right side toasted to a bright, shimmering red.

Other activities or the weekend included several walks that Ani and I took as Jen's recuperated inside. We cooked some great food. We watched some family movies. We went to the Avila Valley Barn, and had a meal in Pismo. It was a lovely weekend.

Now back to work. Only six weeks to go before we're headed back for the great (wonderful, less-hot-than-hell) northwest. And only about 7 1/2 weeks until we're back in our house. Wow. I'm excited to settle in a bit. Now If I can just find a job...

The Overdubs, on Stage and in Print

2008-05-15T06:28:00.000-07:00

Friday evening, last, I played my first show with The Overdubs. Ryan and I have collaborated, as The Overdubs on several songs, and even an album that we never really saw fit to release called "Old Mission of the Sacred Heart."

So Friday, we played a benefit show at Kuppajoe to help raise momeny for a remodel, and it was incredibly fun. We played much better than I expected we would, though it took me three songs or so to start getting comfortable. But by the end, we were pretty tight, all playing the right chords most of the time, and the songs are really developing as we learn to play them, as a band.

We were also in the paper on Friday. The 7 section of the Fresno Bee featured an interview with Ryan. You can find that interview here. I'm not sure how many people saw it, but it feels like a momentum builder. Unfortunately, I'm leaving in 6 weeks, so I won't be around for the momentum built. However, we are playing at the Starline in Fresno on June 10. And I'm plaing in Sandpoint at the Pend d'Oreille Winery on August 1.

Who's Buying This Gas Tax Holiday Bull$&*!?

2008-05-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

Here is the information I've found thus far.

Clinton and McCain are proposing a one-month moratorium on gas tax. This would lower the price of gas temporarily to offer some reprieve to working-class families. However, the gas holiday would, over the month, result in an average of $.30 per day. (That's 30 cents) Multiply that by 31 and you end up with somewhere in the vicinity of $9. The quote I heard from Obama suggested that the average family would end up saving about $28 in a month. Either way I'm not impressed.

Would $28 really make a difference? Would I have no problem making rent, utilities, fuel and food costs (not to mention any sort of recreation) if I could only make an extra $28 dollars next month? And what about after the tax is reapplied? Now I've simply gotten used to seeing gas prices lower, and they're just gonna shoot back up again. I'm not an idiot. I'm not gonna forget about the future and past just because gas prices drop suddenly. They're coming back up.

Oh, and bear in mind, that the government does not regulate the price of fuel. So it's completely possible, and maybe plausible, that oil companies would raise prices during the hike to take advantage of the low cost to consumers.

Don't go in for the gas tax holiday. It could be the most deceptive one-month stand of your life.

A Couple Dynamite Links

2008-05-04T07:37:00.001-07:00

Here's a great article on a parent teaching independence to her thirteen-year-old. I found it pretty inspiring.

Here's another blog I'm becoming a huge fan of. It's called Rage Against the Man-chine. Here's one of the posts I read recently there. And don't forget to read the comments.

Hope these at least spawn some good conversations.

So Much to Share, So Little Time

2008-04-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

Our short time spent in California has been nothing, if not eventful. I have learned a ton about myself, (mostly disappointing revelations that have become opportunities for growth) nearly finished an associate's degree in liberal arts, (this semester will do it) and seen first hand why some say you can never really go home. So, as a result of more factors than I have time to go into right now (I've got to be at work at valet in 18 minutes) we have decided to move back to Sandpoint. Jen's folks are flying down at the end of June to help us pack and whatnot. Then Jen, her dad, and the kids are flying up on the first of July. Maryanne and I will be leaving around the same time and driving up. We are both so stoked. It's bittersweet because my folks are here, along with some very dear friends of mine. However, life being what it is, I see my folks maybe once a week, and the same with my friend, Ryan. We rarely get to just hang out because I'm always so exhausted, physically and emotionally, from working so hard at a joe job and still coming up short on rent money. Plus, there's usually homework to do. And I see Jen and Ani so little that I've become very protective of that time. So it doesn't leave much for just playing, creating music, or even hanging out. We get our families together from time to time, but they're as busy in their lives as we are, and the aligning windows of margin are few and far between.

So, we'll be back in July. We are so excited. The hotter it gets here, he more anxious we are.

I had a bunch of links from stuff I've come across recently. Academia is a world that suits me well, what with its debatable questions, new concepts, and unequal power relationships. I've been exposed to a lot of stuff that I want to share, but it'll have to wait for another time, because I now have 10 minutes to get to work.

Long Overdue (This Post, I Mean)

2008-04-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

We had an ultrasound last week and found out that we're having a little boy. Whew...the pressure's off. Now we've got one of each (assuming the picture's accurate) so we can have whatever we want, next time, if there is a next time.

Official due date: May 30. Hopefully he'll be here sooner than later, but I have finals the week of the May 15, so he either needs to be here the week before or the week after. If he shows up that week, well, we'll just see what happens.

Enough Playing the Field, It's Time to Commit

2008-03-28T23:18:00.000-07:00

I just read a great archived post by Penelope Trunk, who is one of my favorite bloggers, about the potential benefits of blogging. I got excited when I saw the title because I love blogging. Unfortunately, my biggest weakness is imperative in the successful blogosphere. I don't have a "topic." I've been thinking about this issue for some time, actually. Even as the author of the blog mine feels a bit scattered sometimes.

So I'm looking for a topic. Some of the top contenders thus far are...okay, the two I've thought of.
-Christian spirituality: This seems like a natural fit after 6 years as a pastor. More than ever before, I have a ton of questions about spirituality and I'm increasingly dissatisfied with the answers I've accepted in the past.
-Living debt-free: I like this idea because it's something our family values. Plus, we're living pretty lean to maintain this ideal. It seems like blogging about it might make it feel like it's paying off now, rather than in the future when I'm not paying off today's debt.

That's what I've got so far. Any ideas?

Damn I Wish I Had an Unlimited Data Plan

2008-03-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

I just found Qik.com from Robert Scoble's blog. Holy crap, this is awesome! You can stream video live from your phone. I don't know why I'm so enamored with technology like this, but I would do nearly anything to possess it (outside starving my wife and child, which would be the current cost of an unlimited data plan for us.)

Qik allows a person to be anywhere they have phone service and stream video from their phone's camera live to the (now infamous) world wide web. Thanks to this technology, I got to see the Daytrotter studios at SXSW as we as a few other worthless clips of people eating. I'm sure if I were more of the geek I'd love to be I'd know who the people were, but I'm not so i didn't.

If you have an unlimited data plan, you should check this out. If you don't, get one and then check this out. There could be some awesome applications, from a digital journal to cheap, simple broadcasting. Give relatives a glimpse of the grandchildren without the tedious steps of filming on a camera, then capturing it to a hard drive...blah, blah, blah. Who can be bothered with that now that Qik is here? Well, me for now. Though, it really just means that distant grandparents won't see nearly as much of their cherished granddaughter (tear).

Chuck Norris Party

2008-03-13T06:35:00.001-07:00

Thanks, Ryan, for this tidbit. Apparently I'm even later to the game than you are.

go to google.com
type in "chuck norris"
hit "i feel lucky."
enjoy.

By the Way, I Passed the 200 Mark

2008-03-13T06:28:00.000-07:00

just a tiny celebration for the fact that I've written over 200 blog posts. When I started blogging over a year and a half ago, I hoped I'd make it this far. Now I have. Hooray! I had to take the photo on the sly because I'm in speech class and I don't want to be asked to share what I'm "so happy about."

I Wish I Were Here

2008-03-10T22:04:00.000-07:00

This would make for quite a week. I had big plans to follow the action online as there are several notable ways to do so, from blogs to tech cab confessions. Unfortunately, there's a virtual pile of school work to keep me busy all week as well as some side work I need to find time for.

On the bright side, I have a job interview with Geil Enterprises to possibly work in sales. While this prospect is daunting, I think I will be really good at sales, as long as I believe in the product I'm peddling. And so far, I've been very impressed with Geil, notably their A-Maz line of natural, biodegradable cleaning products.

I'm also playing at Sequoia Brewing Company on Saturday at 8pm. I'll be doing the usual mix of originals and covers. Should be fun. Come on out for dinner.

How to Work Through Family Problems

2008-03-04T22:02:00.001-08:00

First of all, family problems can only be "worked through." They cannot be "solved." The issue probably more about learning to recognize and appreciate what the other person thinks and feels about the contentious issue.

This post is focused on adult family situations. Using the following tactics with a 2-year-old are less effective, though quite comical as my wife and I have learned.

Listen more than you talk. You may have heard the adage, "you have two ears and one mouth for a reason." This is crucial in interpersonal communication, and especially true in conflict resolution. It will both allow you to genuinely hear what the other person is saying, (provided you're actually listening instead of formulating a really biting comeback) and it will also help the other person to feel that they've been heard.
Affirm the other's thought and feelings. Remember that you don't have to agree with them, and probably don't, about why they're upset. The fact is, they are upset for some reason, they attribute that, at least in part, to you, and whether you agree or not, they do feel that way. Even if you're completely innocent (which none of us ever are) you can at least apologize for the person having gotten that impression from you, or for the fact that they feel bad at all. An apology goes a long way to making amends. It also gives power to the other party, and this is key. This is a conflict RESOLUTION, not a who-is-wronger competition. In a healthy relationship, both people give relational power to the other. This is called vulnerability and it is important. Apologies cool tempers and act as a verbal olive branch to the other person.
Look at yourself from their perspective. Imagine if you had done to them what they did to you. (But you would never do such a thing because you're not that...) Just imagine if the tables were turned. Now imagine how you would want that person to respond to you, NOT how you think they'd be justified in responding to you. My brother used to joke that the "golden rule" was "do unto others as they do unto you," instead of the more agonizingly painful and frustrating, "treat others as you wish they'd treat you." I have some very close friends who I didn't invite to my wedding. It was not an intentional slight, but the wedding was far away and we had to cut down the guest list and I just somehow thought they wouldn't really care anyway. When I spoke to them next and told them I got married, they were obviously, and rightfully, hurt that they were not invited. However, because my friends are people of high character, they didn't spend time making me feel more guilty. Instead, they treated me with grace.

These three steps are far from exhaustive, but they'll make a great starting point. Remember that working through issues is a long and arduous process. Depending on the issue, it may take months or even years to fully move beyond it. But by practicing these three simple (but really hard sometimes) behaviors, you'll find that over time conflict resolution will become easier and more productive.

You'll also find that when you do these things, others will likely follow suit. Don't expect it right away, but commonly an apology elicits an apology, and when a problem is heard, it gets a little smaller. Coming from a guy who's screwed up a lot and forgiven a lot, it definitely gets easier over time.

Morgan Spurlock is a Genius

2008-02-27T19:40:00.000-08:00

I've been spending some time at hulu.com while working on my homework. I stumbled across 30 Days, which I'd heard of before, on the site. I watched all the episodes posted there and am fiending for more. The show is poignant, edgy and provocative. I'm also impressed at how the producers seem to want to enlarge a person's perspective, rather than simply shift it to fit theirs. This episode is a great example.

A conservative Christian guy from Michigan lives in San Francisco with a gay guy for a month. There doesn't seem to be a lot of agenda-setting as much as watching a person with limited experience recognize that there may be more to life than good and bad. If you'll pardon the pun, it turns black and white into a rainbow. (oh snap)

Anyway, here's the episode. It's worth a watch. Also, I don't know if hulu's still invite only or not, but if it is and you want an invite, email me and I'll see if I have any more to give away.