Dvd wishlist

I'm bored, so I'm going to write a DVD wish list!

• Howl's Moving Castle
• Breakfast at Tiffany's
• The Dark Knight
• Sweeney Todd
• Underworld
• Kung Fu Hustle
• The Iron Giant
• Steamboy
  

This is my turning point.

I've had it. As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool returns to sin. This person is not who I was meant to be. You'll see a new me. I'm sick of being uncommitted. This is THE final straw. I beg you, hold me accountable to being a child of God.

Hah... so!

I think it's so funny that I get so upset at the times when nothing is really going on, but I find the most joy in the times of most strife. For those of you that I haven't told in the frenzy, I was in a fairly nasty car accident in which no one was injured but the cars. Oddly enough, I posted on my twitter only a few days ago that I was singing Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" over myself. It's so true! Dear Bob may not be singing it as a call to God, but that doesn't mean I can't! All things work out for good for those in Christ Jesus--and I'm already receiving blessings due to that. Praise Be!

Psalms 22:19-24

19 But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

20 Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.

21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

22 I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.

23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

24 For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.

My Oddities, let me show you them

I am growing insane, apparently, by definition, because I keep trying the same thing in my relationships and I'm constantly expecting something different to happen. The question that poses itself is is this really insane taking into account that all people are made as individuals? A pessimist sees all people the same, whereas an optimist might find new opportunities in every meeting. Is that really so insane?

It is said among the wise that in order to find friends and/or to be a friend, be interested in them. This makes sense, but how exactly is that accomplished? I may not even need friendship, what about just some help? How does one accomplish finding that? As much as I write about myself, I don't want to be selfish. This is all just so weird.

Obligatory Thanksgiving Post

So I know it's (as of now) 20 minutes past Thanksgiving officially, but I felt motivated to write a list of what I'm thankful for. You know, the whole schpeel.

1. Obligatory first item, though I do not regard it as merely obligatory, is my salvation. No matter what crap I find myself in the midst of or what kind of things I've done to my existence, There's always the fact that I am saved by Grace, and that power comes through faith, and faith comes from the Word of God. Fantastic.
2. I actually mentioned this at the dinner table today... call me a nerd, but I'm really thankful for technology. Despite the naysayers that call it the doom of mankind, technology has made life so much easier (if not too easy) for privileged nations like the US to go on. Technology has saved probably millions of lives by now, and it *literally* paves a cultures way through the pages of history. I'm glad America is in the top tier of advancing nations. (Oh, and that we are free to do so. Obligatory freedom plug.)
3. I am probably most thankful for--in the personal sense of what has been personally bestowed upon me--the blessing that Gateway Worship has been to me. They are not even my second family; as far as I'm concerned, they are pretty much just as important to me. I thank God personally for each person and their influence on my life.
4. About a year ago, I went through a stage when I thanked God specifically for prompting the existence of music. I believe it is the closest thing to direct communication of souls that can be heard by a human ear, and God made it!
5. I just remembered.. I am unbelievably thankful for my hands, feet, eyes, ears, nose, taste and all that stuff. I love God's world.
6. I'm thankful for my pedalboard. ^_^

What are you most thankful for this season, COMMENTERS?

My soul is speaking to me--it says your fly is down.

Do you ever get the feeling that on the inside, someone is trying to talk to you? From what I can tell, it's not the Holy Spirit and it's really odd. Sometimes I feel as if an idea or a concept is screaming from inside and I'm just sitting there on my rear ignoring it. Perhaps a song is clawing at my insides attempting to escape, or perhaps a poem is only a step away from leaving my breath.

If you spend any amount of time around me on a semi-regular basis, you know I have the tendency to say the silliest things out of nowhere. I'll claim I have no disorder of attention deficiency, but I really am beginning to wonder. Let me paint a picture for you: Imagine me in a dark place, nowhere in particular, all alone, standing in a spotlight from above. With seemingly no inspiration, I say something stupid, such as "How could evolution have made such perfect genital puzzle pieces?" Another note--often times my musings are quite..edgy. I baffle myself on a daily basis when these things slip out of my mouth.

I clearly baffle others, too. Some appreciate it, such as my sister and her friends. Some don't, and in each case that this is true, they're usually right. The beloved Brad Jackson is quick to suggest the installation of an oral filter, to stop the stupid things. I am quick to retort that I like being stupid (and this sounds sillier as I type it) and putting a filter on hinders me from being me! But I really am in a pickle. Those odd things that I say really aren't helpful towards my personality. Sure, quirks are fine, but I miss the things I used to muse over when I was studying philosophy and English. Yet, I have matured since then. None of this makes sense to me at all.

So what should I really do when I encounter that person in the spotlight saying to me "Oh oh oh! Tell them that his head is in the shape of a pear when he makes that face!"? I haven't a dang clue.

Finally, a real epiphery!

So I'm a bit of a socio-addict. I hadn't realized it, but I had become addicted to Facebook like an annoying junior high student (no offense, non-annoying junior high students) addicted to Myspace. I am quite sure that this addiction bled into my social interaction and made several meetings awkward, and more importantly, weirded a lot of people out. I apologize for my behavior. In an aim to better myself and re-prioritize, I won't be using Facebook for the remainder of the semester. Not only will I be able to focus on my school work, but I will no longer have what I determined to be a "romantic menu" accessible at all times. That may not make sense to you, but believe me, it's very important that I take a break. If you need to contact me, my phone number is listed there and you can always shoot me an e-mail or IM. Also, if you're so very desperate to talk to me, get a twitter. It's great.

Ciao, FB users.

O to be a Recluse

O to be a recluse
A sharp mind in the shadows
A grace unseen by all
Tangled in thick solitude.

O to be so careless
Not a care for him
Or from others like him
But no tears or pains will come.

O to be a blind man
A mind's eye pristine
Never to be touched by evil
Never revealing the wonders.

O to be one alive
Eyes and ears open to all
Laden with worldly wonders
There's hardly a lonely moment.

O to be a loved one
On four feet, not two
The lonely legs weaken
And still walk alone.

O to be a severed limb
From the body I once belonged
That one's useless, imperfect
Cut it off from the rest.

O to be a recluse
A sharp mind, gone to waste
A grace forsaken by one
Caught in death itself.

Los Dos Amores de Mi Vida

Lover Number One, I can't say for sure
That you ever really knew who you were to me
But lo was I surely smitten by you,
Your Brown eyes in a golden sea of hair
We grew together, at least I did, living
Amongst each other's kin nearly daily
We knew not much more than the home
Where I tried to twist our souls to one.
This is the one, I told God with a fire
Burning me inside out, as you dwindled.
I was blinded by my very own wildfire
All the while you kindled elsewhere,
Safely out of sight, you grew with him.
My heart beat with anticipation when I
Opened that vocal envelope that would bring
A year of heartache and loneliness.
"God, WHY?" I shouted silently, staining
Everything my eyes drew near to, weeping
Like the child I was to believe in you then.
You taught me love, hate, pain and angst
On that car ride in the countryside, I won't
Forget that day at the beach when I thought
Just maybe God was wrong and I was right.

A poor steward of souls I became, until I found
You, my second and last love. Almost unwillingly
You accepted my heart in the bleeding basket that
Would slowly stain everything over time.
Neither of us hell-bound, we forged onward
Into A reality largely unknown to us both
Naive as you were, Perverted as I was, we trekked
Into grounds where soiled feet should never lay flat.
This is the one, I told God with a certainty unseen.
Overjoyed I kissed you daily that blissful summer
When I smiled and wished to fight for you against
Those I thought would steal you away.
"Speak my language!" you chanted and listened I did
To no avail for you simply did not understand me
No you did not understand that I am a lover,
Good for nothing else but Music.

I wander forward with a white cloth blinding
And a red cloth binding my hands to my head
Submitted I creep to a future dangerous and
Divine, crafted by the only one that knows
Just where I am supposed to go. Though He
Loves to be vague and surprise, the mistakes will
Come and I must move forward unwavering
Trusting in Love and his unfailing Grace Alone.

Don't take this too Seriously now.

I am an emotional wisp in a world full of lovers. I am the chill in your spine when romance unfold before us. I am each of your hairs, standing on end at the sight of someone special. I am the intangible burden on the hearts of a thousand unrequited admirers. I am a tap on the shoulder of a bashful young man, leaning against the wall at a Sadie Hawkins dance. I am 2, 1, 0, -1, and so on...whatever is <3. I am an earnest kiss on the cheek and a thank you, even though the dinner he made tasted terrible. I am a letter, smelling sweet on pink pastel stationery, bringing answers to a weary soul. I am the millions of dried up tears that invisibly stain the carpet of funeral homes everywhere. I am a feeling, an emotion, a chemical response. I am Love as you all see it. I am Romance, and it's ok that you like me.

But I am sacrifice, death and resurrection for your sake. I am The One. True. Original. Love. Christ.

Train Of Thought: Oh It is Love

• I think I'm going to attempt to be poetic for the remainder of my consciousness tonight.
• Hmm... I wonder what I could do in order to stay productive and stay up even longer? :) that'd be grand.
• I just remembered the "creepiness" formula for appropriate dating ages. I think I'll write a program to perform the calculations. Brb.
• Done! Let me know if you want a copy :P
• Ok, so after further testing... I had to add some additional conditions. For example. If you are 5 years old, you can't date a -4 yearold...or date at all, really. Plus, the formula was designed for legal people anyway.
• I wonder is it better to focus thought on someone to remain devoted to a cause or if it's better to ignore everyone and have the cause burn at you.
• I should really REALLY stop thinking about who she could be, and start thinking about who she is.
• Started this blog at 3:45. It's 4:27 now. I wonder how much longer I can last?
• I still have dust in my mouth from the project 114 prayer gathering. Boy was that fun.
• I should get these allergy eyes looked at. Irritation every time I come home is kinda annoying.
• I hope I can maybe get some work done before church tomorrow. I have a paper to research for and physics to do!
• With this I will depart: I will never cease to love.
  

Me and Romance

So, I need to get all of this out on the table for myself and anyone who needs to understand.

As of August 20th, 2008, I made a commitment to cease and desist for one year all romantic pursuit and active relationship; otherwise known as dating. This was inspired by Preston's message at Seven on the 19th.. the day before. He spoke of sacrifice, and how sometimes the desires of our hearts sometimes require it. Now, here, you will learn something about me that I consider to be, from my perspective, a pivotal point of why I exist in this world. I want more than anything in the entire world, more than a billion dollars, more than world peace, all of it. This desire weighs heavily on my heart--a calling, if you will. I obviously want to fulfill it, and sometimes took matters of looking into my own hands. I figure God will teach me some things if I take some time off from the scene.

Here's where it gets frustrating. Sometimes this little idea of mine comes up in conversation and when I tell them of the sacrifice and desire involved... and then the sudden, prolonged absence of it. They say to me "Well you'll be fine, just enjoy your time being single." I get a bit upset whenever people tell me this, because it defeats the entire purpose of this whole thing. First, they speak of being single a time to enjoy.. a time outside of the life-long relationship that I search for. Frankly, if you are not committed to something, you are going down a dangerous road. Temptation strikes easily on those who's path is aimless. The way I see it, is that anyone you see or hear that says "Single and loving it" either has their mind on the right things, the relationship to come, or they're fooling around with who knows who.

In addition, the time with God has brought me back to the origin of my romantic tendencies. I feel young again, in a sense, back to the days when that love was simple, straightforward and innocent. It's as if that this time is not devoted to being single at all! I feel more like I am getting in touch with my partner as she relates to me. I suppose you could say the same for me and my relationship with God. I have fallen so in love and have been filled with so much joy. However, I don't credit this to "singleness" but that I am in a Holy relationship, allowing God to shape me to fit with my missing piece.

As per my personality, enjoying single time is a bit of a stupid thing. I feel most satisfied when someone takes satisfaction in drawing from me, and when the same is true the other way around. Being single opens the door to temptation which is not something that I enjoy dealing with. The only thing that has changed for these next 11 months is I am throwing these tendencies to the wind, offering up my "lover's mind" as a sacrifice. My only aim is to abide in God's will, and arrive closer to a milestone than I was when I started.

Train Of Thought: Not That You Care.... but what the heck.

So, I had some thoughts I wanted to write down that were too numerous for a micro-blog but too small for a full blown blog-blog.

1. I've decided to never stop pursuing.. er, maybe, hop.. no... well, I'll just put it this way. I've decided that there is no such thing as impossible to me anymore.. because I serve a very possible God... right? :P

2. New Pet Peeves

• Never ever ever EVER use more than one of the same punctuation mark to end a sentence. For example: "Where did u go??????" *gag*-----oh, and please use apostrophes in contractions. First grade English, my friends.
• If someone responds to something I say with "ok?" they instantly lose all credibility for anything they say for the rest of the day.
• Stop being so picky. You only live once, you know, so let Him control everything so you don't have to.
• I don't care what it's about.. but stop whining. No more whining! (I expect this of myself as well.)

3. I'm happy now, you know? Bear with me if something seems off, mk?

The Bass

God Created The Bass: In the beginning there was a bass. It was a Fender, probably a Precision, but it could have been a Jazz--nobody knows. Anyway, it was very old ...definitely pre-C.B.S.

And God looked down upon it and saw that it was good. He saw that it was very good in fact, and couldn't be improved on at all (though men would later try.) And so He let it be and He created a man to play the bass.

And lo the man looked upon the bass, which was a beautiful "sunburst" red, and he loved it. He played upon the open E string and the note rang through the earth and reverberated throughout the firmaments (thus reverb came to be.)

And it was good. And God heard that it was good and He smiled at his handiwork. Then in the course of time, the man came to slap upon the bass. And lo it was funky. And God heard this funkiness and He said, "Go man, go." And it was good.

And more time passed, and, having little else to do, the man came to practice upon the bass. And lo, the man came to have upon him a great set of chops. And he did play faster and faster until the notes rippled like a breeze through the heavens. And God heard this sound which sounded something like the wind, which He had created earlier. It also sounded something like the movement of furniture, which He hadn't even created yet, and He was not so pleased. And He spoke to the man, saying "Don't do that!"

Now the man heard the voice of God, but he was so excited about his new ability that he slapped upon the bass a blizzard of funky notes. And the heavens shook with the sound, and the Angels ran about in confusion. (Some of the Angels started to dance, but that's another story.) And God heard this--how could He miss it? And lo He became Bugged. And He spoke to the man, and He said, "Listen man, if I wanted Jimi Hendrix I would have created the guitar. Stick to the bass parts."

And the man heard the voice of God, and he knew not to mess with it. But now he had upon him a passion for playing fast and high. The man took the frets off of the bass which God had created. And the man did slide his fingers upon the fretless fingerboard and play melodies high upon the neck. And, in his excitement, the man did forget the commandment of the Lord, and he played a frenzy of high melodies and blindingly fast licks. And the heavens rocked with the assault and the earth shook, rattled and rolled.

Now God's wrath was great. And His voice was thunder as He spoke to the man. And He said, "O.K. for you, pal. You have not heeded My word. Lo, I shall create a soprano saxophone and it shall play higher than you can even think of. And from out of the chaos I shall bring forth the drums. And they shall play so many notes thine head shall ache, and I shall make you to always stand next to the drummer. "You think you're loud? I shall create a stack of Marshall guitar amps to make thine ears bleed. And I shall send down upon the earth other instruments, and lo, they shall all be able to play higher and faster than the bass.

"And for all the days of man, your curse shall be this; that all the other musicians shall look to you, the bass player, for the low notes. And if you play too high or fast all the other musicians shall say, 'Wow,' but really they shall hate it. And they shall tell you you're ready for your solo career, and find other bass players for their bands. And for all your days if you want to play your fancy licks you shall have to sneak them in like a thief in the night. And if you finally do get to play a solo, everyone shall leave the bandstand and go to the bar for a drink." And it was so.

New Word: DBU Introductory post

FYI, I love it here on campus. You all should go to school here.

Sexcellent - Excellent, and sexy. How has no one thought of this before?

Don't read this--It's weakness!

What is it I even want out of a relationship anyway? Sure, a WIFE. But prior to that. I suppose I should call it motivation. I guess a pesky reminder is a heavy heavy crush in my childhood seems to be having a very successful relationship. It's not at all that I still like her... haha definitely not. But she is my social equal--and has what I want. It's not frustration, it's anticipation. It's not the angst of being single, it's the love that's pent up and has.. well, obviously, it should go to God at this point. I'm obviously not ready to be a husband, but I want to grow in that area you know? You gotta start sometime.

Loneliness

I'm teaching a small group at my church this weekend... so I thought this would be a good place to publish my ideas.

-----------------------------------------

First and foremost, I am not the most spiritually developed person. I'm very young, and I know I have a lot of growing ahead of me. When Jason called me and asked me to do a lesson for you guys, my instant reaction was fear. I felt under-qualified! I don't get into the Word nearly as much as I should. Then, God spoke as if he was just waiting for me to say that: "Well here's your opportunity."

I'll be talking today about Loneliness as used by the enemy and our God. I chose this topic mainly because it's something I struggle with on a day to day basis. At times, I can find myself surrounded by people and feel like I'm stuck in solitary confinement. Though it should have been obvious, I talked to my closer friends and determined I was not relying fully on God, or at all in some cases.

Loneliness plays a big part in the Bible. In Psalm 22, David cries out to God when feeling forsaken. In verses 7-8 he notes that others have cried for help and were saved, but he felt as a worm, scorned and despised by the people. In verses 12-18 he continues to cry out his troubles, but in verses 19-24 he says:

"But you, LORD, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me. Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen. I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you. You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or scored the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help."

In the midst of his hardship, David relied on his God as the only one that could rescue him, regardless of whether or not he did. We've talked about healing as something God IS, as opposed to something he does for us. Whether or not we receive healing, we know he is our God and our Healer. The same goes for loneliness and spiritual deserts: We are to be still and know that our God is a God that provides in every season. I really like the way this idea is presented in "Desert Song" off of the new Hillsong album. The bridge goes "All of my life, In every season // You are still God // I have a reason to sing // I have a reason to worship." No matter what God wills in our lives, we are to know that he is the only one in control.

Look at Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness. He was all alone without food or water. Why was he there? The Holy spirit LED him into a place in his life where he was easily tempted by the enemy. So we know, by this, that loneliness is sometimes brought upon us by God in order set us apart and prepare us for the next stage in his plan. We know that Jesus' only sustenance in this time was the written word, so in these times we MUST rely on scripture when we feel set apart and all alone, because in those times it's easiest to believe the Devil's lies.

I can't talk about loneliness without referring to Job. No one had it tougher in the Old Testament. We know the story: He had everything robbed of him and by remaining faithful, was blessed beyond his original providence. The agony only turned to blessing after Job was done ranting and raving about how bad things were. He still worshiped in the midst of the hardship, but it wasn't until he began to TRUST him and listen, that God moved on Job's behalf.

In closing, we are to follow these three examples in this fashion. First, we must believe that our God IS God, whether or not he acts visibly on our behalf. Secondly, we must rely on the Word when we feel set apart. In addition, we must listen for God to speak instead of whining about how bad things are. Our God loves us, and he hates seeing us hurt, so He'll always be there for us.

Spill Your Guts

Something just now occurred to me. Isn't it funny how our bodies, the inner workings that make it work, are beautiful when they're contained within the body? I think the same thing goes for thoughts or feelings that well up inside. When they spill out they don't look quite so pretty. Isn't that something?

Train Of Thought: Starlight Edition

-- The shooting stars tonight were really beautiful. It's a shame that kind of thing doesn't happen more often. Well, shooting stars do happen on any old night.. you just have to be more patient--to look harder. It's kinda like Easter, I guess. All of the closet fanatics come out for the one day of the year that EVERYONE is supposed to celebrate Christ, but only the truly saved seek after Him daily. I should go stargazing more often.

-- What compels someone to drive into the middle of somewhere, park his car and stare into the night sky by himself? No voices or bodies near him. It felt like swimming in solitude, reveling in loneliness. What am I going to do when someone actually comes to the rescue?

-- Tomorrow is Tuesday.. and I'm going to Seven. Heck... maybe I'll just go stargazing again. If you want me somewhere, you call me out. I want to see what happens.

-- One reason I love the Olympics is because I get to see people at the very pinnacle of their life achievements. I mean, when it comes to athletics.. nothing beats the Olympics. I wonder what my pinnacle will be like.. who I'll share those moments with.

-- I wonder if I'll ever be a Best Man. Seems unlikely.

The Wedding Blog

Man. Love is awesome.

Weddings are always the absolute favorite event of the month they're in. But they leave me in such a state of emotional disarray. That! The happiness radiating from the faces of the bride and groom. The honor towards the father and mother of both parties. The sound of a thousand scoots as all the guests rise to see the beautiful figure in white, adorned for the love of her life. All the potential new marriages that begin in receptions, even as they dance. Oh the dancing, the DANCING. Why can't the world have more of it? The food brings many smiles and the sheer spectacle of a fountain with CHOCOLATE amazes all.

WANTED: WIFE
SIGN UP NOW

^_^

Observant Solitude

So, I had a thought today, as I sat waiting for my friend at Chipotle. This is a very big "what if", so forgive me as I postulate from the less analytical part of me.

Imagine, if you will, someone locked in a dark room with food for 2 months, a chair and a large monitor. After their fit of panic, they sit down in their chair, turn on the TV and watch the show. The video is a fixated camera observing a random person of the opposite gender. A message scrolls along the bottom stating "Arrangements for your absence have been made, do not be alarmed. You will be compensated for your time and you are in utmost safety. If we deem your condition hazardous, testing will cease immediately."

When the person in the room has finally cleared their thoughts, they begin watching this person featured on the screen. It's apparent the person is not an actor, and is oblivious to any cameras or observation. There's not a moment where the first person is not right there with the second, though bathing and bathroom breaks use more modest camera angles to maintain the atmosphere of the experiment. This person hears every word, see every facial expression and gesture. We'll assume the first person is a male. He is there as she sleeps, presumably, sleeping at the same time. He might eat as she eats.

What might we postulate about this man as time goes on? How would he identify with the girl? How drastically would the man change in order to do this? Could he grow to dislike her? To hate her, or even to love her?

Putting myself in this situation, hypothetically, my guess is that the person observing the other will begin to feel very strongly about the subject, in one of two ways. I might grow to love every aspect of this person.. the way they smile, the way they eat their food, any oddity in their walk. Alternatively, I might grow to hate these very things. I believe these sorts of conditions simulate a perpetuated first impression. If the first impression lasts a whole two months solid, it would garner strong feelings. Imagine the negative repercussions if the first thing the observer hears or sees is something that differs from something he agrees with, say, politics or something similar.

So, I thought all of this in my stool at lunch, right? I turned the idea on its head; imagining myself in the position of the observed. I looked instantly up in the air as if I was being watched. I thought that this person could have been watching me for up to two months.. I wonder how she feels? Does she--love me? The thought was unbelievably heart warming. At this point, I literally sat there smiling until Matt showed up.

Train Of Thought

Here are some random thoughts I am going to spout out as they come.

- I really really really wish I could play more of the Final Fantasy soundtrack on piano.

- I miss rain. It's not rained when I could see it in quite a long time.

- I think Karma is just when God employs his sense of humor.

- I can't decide if I'd want to play bass or electric guitar if I were to join a band.

- I should go to bed earlier tomorrow night.

- I wonder if anyone will read this far into my thoughts. They must care :)

- I hope I know that they care that much... tell me!

- I've loved getting all this mail this week.

- Lately, I've been thinking of what sort of teddy I'd have if I had one. Each night as I drift away, I like to imagine some sort of creature tapping on my window, introducing itself and turning into a teddy of sorts. By the time I finish the detailed story in my head, I've fallen asleep. It's waaay better than counting sheep. This was inspired by my dream of Zeke, my lemur teddy. Ask if you like. :P

- I wonder how long it'll be before I find my best best friend at DBU. I'm very excited.. it can't come soon enough.

- To the readers that made it to this last thought.. thank you so much for taking the time. Seriously.

Pedal Board Pt. 2

No new equips.. but instead of a Blues Driver, I'm going with the Barber LTD. Very good pedal! ^_^

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3vDPnUtNu8&feature=related

For $70!

Care

How many people do you think would cry upon hearing the news of your untimely death? Now, how many people do you think would cry upon hearing the news of your suicide? More, right? Probably because they might feel responsible.

Pedal Board

Already Acquired:

DIY Frame: Free + $4 for paint
Maxon Distortion & Sustain: $95
Power Supply: $47


Need:

BOSS Blues Driver: $79
BOSS DD-7 + Tap: $179
Ernie Ball Volume Pedal Jr.: $79
Keeley Compressor: $229 (yikes)
Line6 Verbzilla: $109



What do you think, guitarists?

Are Diet Pops better for your Health?

This is for everyone that claims they like diet cokes because they feel better than after drinking a regular pop. It'll hurt in the long run--please hear me!

read more | digg story

New Words: "-gasm" Entry

Here are the three variants of "-gasm" that you may have heard me use... usually in private for fear of the audience dragging me outside by my ear ;-)

Eargasm - The feeling obtained by listening to one's favorite song, for example, "Fix You" by Coldplay almost always results in an eargasm.

Happygasm - An overflow of bliss/glee.

Hairgasm - An overflow of bliss/glee directed at one's good hair day.

New Words Pt. 3

You've probably heard me use this word before around you, but I'm officially putting it in the documentation of new words--or at least, new uses. Not sure if this is a word or not.

Scruples - Curly short beardness.

*EDIT* Apparently, as my sister has informed me, Scruples is a real word. *dictionary search* Actual definition: "a moral or ethical consideration or standard that acts as a restraining force or inhibits certain actions."

SCREW THAT. Beardness it is.

Camp Thoughts

So camp for Senior High at gateway this year.. I suppose the best way to put the way it effected me is that I feel ready to soar. There are many things my life has been afflicted with over the past month, so not only was it good to get away, but being in such close proximity with my second family, the Gateway worship team, was an unbelievable experience. I've never been so motivated to simply delve into scripture, Old & New Testaments. My pains have been realized and I can take action to move for freedom. I'm finding who I will share my life with in this epoch, and I'm finding how to relate to God for real--finding who he really is (Hosea 2:20). This is the beginning of the rest of my life.. care to take part?

Also.. Coldplay's Viva la Vida is unbelievable. When it releases June 17th, take care to buy it once or even twice. It's fantastic.

New Words Pt. 2

Penanym - Synonym of willy.

Shants - Skinny pants cut at the knee.

New Words Pt. 1

Most of you know that I take a lot of liberty in the creation of words to fit my--we'll say, active mind. To officialize them, I am going to post a list, updated in installments based on time of creation. You are to refer to this list! Thanks for understanding. THIS is what I mean when I say I am a wordsmith.

Festitious - A repleacement for Facetious, I believe that spelling is an abomination to phonetics.

Dynamicity - If you are going to measure something on a scale of how dynamic that thing is, there is no descriptive or quantitative noun for such a purpose. Ex. "How dynamic is this on a scale of 1-10? Well, when you did this, the dynamicity rose from about a 6 to an 8."

Spifferous - Most words sound better with a -rous at the end of them. Expect more listings similar to this. Replacement of spiffy.

Firgledee - (Int.) Old word. I need to revive it.

Quelled

How frustrating! I try to spread a bit of happiness in this abysmal world and it gets shoved back in my face! I would like to take this opportunity to respond rhetorically; as Chaucer (Paul Bettany) said: "I will eviscerate you in fiction (blogging, in my case). Every last pimple and every last character flaw."

Funny story--I'm sitting up at Seekers as I do on Monday night. One of my favorite frequenters of the platform, Sam, is playing a particularly delightful song, if I remember properly, in E minor. I glance around the room, spying familiar and unfamiliar faces, smiling at those I make eye-contact with. As most of us are Texan or adjusted to Texan social protocol, this does not seem odd to anyone. My smile grazes over a young lady on a sofa, who is with her Boyfriend, apparently. Next thing I know, I'm being cursed at, threatened, and in a sense, humiliated and violated. Obviously my smile was instantly quelled and I pondered who was really in the wrong. I recalled David and Paul telling me about the coldness of Northern USA social interaction. Really, the most I can say to that is just go back to New York, punk. For your information, he was about half my size, at least two years younger than me (which as mature adults is not a margin at all, but at 19, one should respect their "elders"..at least, I think.)

There we go, eviscerated.

The Best Hey Jude Cover You've Ever Seen

My goodness. This is absolutely insanely cute.

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Hooters

So, I'm on my way to work out this evening and, as I do normally, I'm pondering things as I drive and listen to (as it was THEN) U2. I have a passing thought about the eating establishment known as Hooters, for a functional however morally lacking reason. This is well known. Go to Hooters for "hooters." As I thought of this with my mental hand over my eyes (of course) I remembered that not only do owls "hoot" but that the owl is the disputed mascott of Hooters. THIS IS AN OUTRAGE. I thought over and over in my car "THAT POOR, SEVERELY MISUNDERSTOOD OWL."

Then I realized how rediculous my thought patterns were getting as I arrived at the fitness club.

U2's Famous Joshua Tree has fallen Down [PICS]

The pictures that follow are of the famous tree featured on the sleeve of U2's Joshua Tree album.

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URGENT:Last chance to stop telecom immunity, take action now

Yesterday, the Senate passed a terrible surveillance bill granting immunity to lawbreaking telecoms, putting the House and Senate at the brink of a face-off. Show your support for the House to keep telecom immunity out of the final bill!

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Strike Update: THE OFFICE WILL RETURN!!!

Scroll down the list and you will see that the Office is coming back! Yay for PB&J!

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Cast of Spongebob does old movies

Seriously one of my favorite videos so far this year.

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Obama Talks About Atheism

Obama's speech on atheist and faith may be the most important pronouncement by a Democrat on faith and politics since John F. Kennedy's Houston speech in 1960 declaring his independence from the Vatican. Obama offers the first faith testimony I have heard from any politician that speaks honestly about the uncertainties of belief.

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Scientists cure cancer, but no one takes notice

Researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada found a cheap and easy to produce drug that kills almost all cancers. The drug is dichloroacetate, and since it is already used to treat metabolic disorders, we know it should be no problem to use it for other purposes.

I'm just trying to spread the word.

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Excuse me, have you ever been Whelmed?

Well, after careful scheduling and deliberation I have determined that if not for the Grace of God--by all probability and most likelihood, I am screwed. Got a very busy week coming up. I find myself in a rather overwhelmed state, as I do at least once per school semester. I seem to be in a land of everpresent night, because "it" dawned on me, yet again.

We all have, at some point, been over/underwhelmed. What does the word mean? For my purpose, I chose this definition.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/overwhelm
To cover or bury beneath a mass of something, as floodwaters, debris, or an avalanche; submerge

Let us dig a bit deeper here. The root word, whelm:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/whelmed
To cover with water; submerge.

Well, somehow I am not surprised.

Molded

There is some contstruction work going on around my school. The school decided for some reason that the old lights in the parking lot and on the sidewalks needed to be completely uprooted and replaced. I was walking past one of the areas where a new concrete pedestal was wet and setting within its mold. It was covered in filth and excess concrete and looked so ugly and I thought That's not going to turn out at all. About 40 feet up the sidewalk, I passed by another filthy, concrete-covered mold. This one was different, it was broken and tossed aside from the creation that laid within. It was the concrete base of a light post in pristine condition! Whether this was my own deduction or God speaking to me, (I doubt it as me..) I heard/thought Look what perfect geometry and texture came out of such an ugly mold!

Basically, it dawned on me that we may hate who we are now and disagree with what God is doing with us. But really, we don't see what we're being made into. We just see the mold on the outside and whatever messes goes along with it. When that mold is removed, we can be something beautiful.

Blessings!

Good Dog

As an introductory post, the introduction will be very brief--as will this post--and most other posts. But I hope they can teach you something or make you laugh. Hopefully both.

This weekend I spent some time with the Gateway Worship team. We always have a good time between servicies, laughing together, talking about God and several other things. Praying before service once, Ps. Walker was asking if we had recieved any divine inspiration. Generaly someone to provide a good word, Mr. Ryan Boles provided some theological insight. He explained to us that he had recently been housesitting for an ugly little picanese dog with the classic ugly-dog underbite. One of his analogies escapes me, but the second one struck me as pretty important. He, under some circumstance said he was vacuuming a house with the dog around. The dog was struck with terror from the moment the motor in the vacuum cleaner whirred to its noisy start. Ryan, proceeding to vacuum despite being quite annoyed at the barking animal, thought to himself "Dog, come on, it's just a vacuum. Look at you, you're just a dog afraid of a vacuum." He said that God told him instantly "Ryan, look at you, it's just a vacuum! You are a dog afraid of a silly vacuum!" Sometimes I go through life and fear things that I don't think (and usually, I'm right) I can overcome. We are right! As it was, the dog could not take on the vicious house cleaning monster. But our God is bigger than the vacuum--our problems and can turn them off and stuff them in the closet if we trust in him.

One more thing, Ryan said something to this effect that just warmed my little undeveloped soul: "Ryan, I think it was yesterday that I was looking at you--and you were doing something weird. But at that moment God showed me how much he loves you. He loves you a lot. Like, dang... I was jealous there for a bit." God loves us all the same... so you should feel just as special as I did!

To close, Water Of Life church in Plano is some MESSED UP stuff.