Christmas

I realized after a less than savory conversation today and my reactions to it that I can be a jerk.
I am a jerk. Broken like a character from a Wes Anderson movie.
Then there is Christmas.
I am thankful for grace and forgiveness.

Merry Christmas!

Bill Mallonee

It took me a long time to warm up to this man's voice and style. Now he is one of my favorite artists.

Songs

Enjoy.

What better things to do during dead week...

...than make random, nerdy graphics

16 years ago today

16 years.
I walked off the plane into a new and wonderful place. Now there are sophomores in high school who were born the same year.
It is strange to know that time has passed but not feel it.

OtR 17/11/2011

One strange thing about the concert was this. Well, perhaps not strange but at the very least unexpected, was that it left me desiring to be a better person. I wanted to leave the venue and get up earlier, run, love my family and friends more wholly, and live life deeply.

Not that it should have been a surprise. Those themes are buried in many of their songs.

What a beautiful piece of heartache this has all turned out to be.
Lord knows we’ve learned the hard way all about healthy apathy.
And I use these words pretty loosely.
There’s so much more to life than words.

There is a me you would not recognize, dear. Call it the shadow of myself.
And if the music starts before I get there dance without me. You dance so gracefully.
I really think I’ll be o.k. They’ve taken their toll these latter days.

Nothin’ like sleepin’ on a bed of nails. Nothin’ much here but our broken dreams.
Ah, but baby if all else fails, nothin’ is ever quite what it seems.
And I’m dyin’ inside to leave you with more than just cliches.

There is a me you would not recognize, dear. Call it the shadow of myself.
And if the music starts before I get there dance without me. You dance so gracefully.
I really think I’ll be o.k. They’ve taken their toll these latter days.

But tell them it’s real. Tell them it’s really real.
I just don’t have much left to say.
They’ve taken their toll these latter days.
They’ve taken their toll these latter days.

Latter Days. Good Dog, Bad Dog. Over the Rhine

Notes from Tonight's Concert

Over the Rhine Setlist: 17 November 2011

• Come on Boy! (The Laugh of Recognition)
• Rave On
• Undammed
  
• The King Knows How
• Suitcase
• I'm on a Roll
• Infamous Love Song
• Only God Can Save Us Now "A head on collision between comedy and tragedy"
• Latter Days "I'm glad I was there at the piano when it came down the wire"
• Untitled New Song
• Jesus in New Orleans
• Trouble
• All My Favorite People with Leaning on the Everlasting Arms (Instrumental)

Encore

• Hallelujah
• Born
• Drunkard's Prayer

I am so glad I was able to attend this concert. They were simply beautiful, the backing band complemented and interpreted the songs so well (amazing harmonica playing) and I was left hoping that they would just keep playing all night.
The opening act, The Milk Carton Kids, were full of dry wit and songs far deeper than I expected. They sang songs that sounded like a person who has fled but knows that the place that he fled to is hollow compared with what was left behind.

A Reminder Why to Not Always Trust One's Google Results

Punk Rock's Dead

punk rock died the day the first kid said
punk ain't dead
sure it is kid and winter's cutting bait
and California dreamin' won't abate
put your baseball cap right dude
your momma didn't raise no fool

skip a few doses of the prozac
find some public pool and lie out there in the sunshine
for hours on your back
grow your hair long
free weights will get you strong
and as you turn the page you will notice
her coming of age

'cause you're both new and clean
she's the brown girl with the smell of chlorine

cut the hang nose of your internet
try and squelch control your mom and dad's
last night knock-down-drag-out argument
sure it makes you mad and it's sad
but kid you've not been had
hell we grow up too fast in this millennium
and that girl could use a friend

turn off your it's so boring out here in the suburbs
kid your dead-ends are no deader
than anyone whose gone before you
'cause summer's your time of dreaming
don't you ever give up dreaming
hey she might wear your ring
and show you secret things


I didn't used to be a Bill Mallonee fan. His voice was weird and his music was something like wanna-be country. Eventually though he won me over. His songs are honest, simple. Actually, I am not even totally sure of what he says in most of his songs (which is true for many songs that I listen to) but they convey the image of someone speaking of his life that has not gone as well as he hoped but knows that it is still a gift from God.

This song is one of my favorites of his. It speaks straight to the old boy trying to grow into a man. It is easy in that position to lean on one thing or another- to like the song says- rage against my environment and paralyze myself. Stunt my growth by saying that I am in a place that inhibits growth.

Instead, pay attention. Push and don't feel sorry for myself. He nails it with the last two lines. Maybe that girl is nearby just waiting. I can maybe have that kind of relationship. But it takes some bravery and encouragement. This song reminds me to be brave and strive for something beautiful.

That is why I love this song.

Setting life to a different rhythm.

Dear Facebook,

You are not as cool as:

• God
• My church
• My friends
• Camp
• Good meals
• The ocean
• Europe
• The USA
• Indonesia

The best you can hope to do is offer a glimmer of the memories and attempt to keep me informed and connected with the people that make the above list so much a part of me.

I have yet to hear somebody give a better reason for why there is wind.

Cyril and Methodius

I am not very well versed on these two men, but I like what I do know of them.
Everybody, honor them and go hug a linguist.

Set list

Even Better Than The Real Thing
I Will Follow
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways
Elevation
Until The End Of The World
All I Want Is You
Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
Beautiful Day
Pride (In The Name Of Love)
Miss Sarajevo
Zooropa
City Of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy / Discotheque
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Scarlet
Walk On

Encore

One
Where The Streets Have No Name

Encore 2

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
With Or Without You
Moment Of Surrender

It was beautiful.

Too bad.

The other day, upon seeing that I had a spider bite on my hand I decided to check if I had also acquired spider-like superhuman powers.

No such luck.

Maybe next time.

Leaving

This scene has been breaking my heart all weekend. Especially the last six panels. The author grabbed what it feels to leave better than anybody I can think of off of the top of my head.
(Image from The Arrival by Shaun Tan.)

"For myself, I would see the White Tree in flower again in the courts of the kings, and the Silver Crown return, and Minas Tirith in peace: Minas Anor again as of old, full of light, high and fair, beautiful as a queen among other queens; not as a mistress of many slaves, nay, not even a kind mistress of willing slaves. War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend: the city of the Men of Númenor, and I would have her loved for her memory, her ancientry, her beauty, and her present wisdom. Not feared, save as men may fear the dignity of a man, old and wise."

-Faramir, The Two Towers. J.R.R. Tolkien.

This quote is what came to mind in response to hearing this talk on Biblical manhood.
(The website from which the audio came can be found here.)
(The sound is a little choppy, for that blame the sound guy. Which was me. So I won't be offended.)

What of the seventh day?

This week I decided that I would try to have this weekend free from homework, so that way I could focus on other things, including but most certainly not limited to watching the Super Bowl and catching up on Community. It was born mostly out of being a spiritual exercise. Taking the commandment to heart and seeing what happened.

It happened, too. It was sort of amazing just to have the homework out of the way, for one thing. But then the interesting thing was how strange it was to not be hurrying around trying to finish something. Normally there is always some assignment that I have to be working on-filling my mind with a pressing goal.

It was not only strange to not have something to be working on but it was strange because I wanted to pick up something else to do. I wanted to do the schoolwork that I had committed to myself to not do. I felt sort of lost.

It gave for more time for prayer and introspection than I have had for a good while, which is good but also challenging. Is that maybe why in the Old Testament there were problems with Sabbath violations? I do not think I could give a good argument for those times but here is one question I have left for myself:

Would I rather be trying to get stuff done all the time rather than be left alone with God?

I am looking forward to this