from carla, who got it from geof, who got it from…
Bold = been to
Italics = lived in
1) Alabama, 2) Alaska, 3) Arizona, 4) Arkansas, 5) California, 6) Colorado, 7) Connecticut, 
Delaware, 9) Florida, 10) Georgia, 11) Hawaii, 12) Idaho, 13) Illinois, 14) Indiana, 15) Iowa, 16) Kansas, 17) Kentucky, 18) Louisiana, 19) Maine, 20) Maryland, 21) Massachusetts, 22) Michigan, 23) Minnesota, 24) Mississippi, 25) Missouri, 26) Montana, 27) Nebraska, 28) Nevada, 29) New Hampshire, 30) New Jersey, 31) New Mexico, 32) New York, 33) North Carolina, 34) North Dakota, 35) Ohio, 36) Oklahoma, 37) Oregon, 38) Pennsylvania, 39) Rhode Island, 40) South Carolina, 41) South Dakota, 42) Tennessee, 43) Texas, 44) Utah, 45) Vermont, 46) Virginia, 47) Washington, 48) West Virginia, 49) Wisconsin, 50) Wyoming, and 51) Washington, DC.
i am such a sinner. it’s unbelievable the number of times a day that i forget this and think to myself, “hey, man…you’re doing pretty good today/this week/whatever. good job.” “hello…mcfly! anybody home?” i need Christ so many more times than i even realize, and that’s when the goosebumps rise. and i almost cry and laugh at the same time. i’m filled with such an amazing sense of awe and wonderment that the only reaction is… i don’t even know. what can i do? what can i say? joy overwhelms me. i fall into the softest, strongest hands and there i make my nest. do i ever have to leave? no, but i do anyway. and he runs after me, taps me on the shoulder and gently brings me back inside. and i’m warm again. sweet therapy.
i’m a horrible conversationalist. on a side note, that sounds like someone that makes conversation their religion or something. but i (already) digress. so here’s what happens: i am talking to someone. the inevitable silence occurs. and so i do one of two things, 1) don’t say anything and cause massive amounts of discomfort, or 2) start talking about me. the latter of these two, i fear, can be the worse, because instead of stimulating a conversation, it turns into david-acting-goofy-and-boring-the-other-person hour. i’m not sure what to do about this, because i have had this thought before, and yet i seem unable to solve the problem. i’m not sure what it is. it’s like i expect the other person to come up with their own topics, not me engage them in conversation. but a true conversation occurs when the parties meet halfway…sometimes talking, sometimes asking and listening. anyway, if you are ever in a conversation with me and you sense that i am uninterested in you, or totally absorbed with myself, feel free to smack me. or at least tell me to shut up. or at least do something to get the conversation off its course of doom. doom? that was a little…strange. happy day.
trying out the new stuff…
well…i’m back from the weekend…and i don’t think it coulda gone much better at all. first of all, massive props to our fill-in drummer, dallas jones (yes…his real name). he did an amazing job and is a really cool guy, too. second, large props to nick and grady…they rule the school. seriously. and the “kids” provided some good times and great…oldies? there were about 100 of them (7-12th grade), but it wasn’t too big a deal to get them to pay attention and they really got into the singing, which, i’m told, they don’t always do. so that was encouraging. and finally, the speaker, brandon barnard, was amazing. (no, he isn’t shane’s brother.) just an excellent speaker with some good stuff to say and a good way to say it. and i just used so many of the same words in that sentence. anyway, it was a blessed weekend and i thoroughly enjoyed myself.
my band is playing for a church retreat this weekend. and it will be odd. we haven’t ever done anything like this before, plus we’re having to play with a fill-in drummer. tonight will be the second time we’ve practiced for it. i know that sounds like we don’t care, but it hasn’t been the easiest thing to get together since the lead singer got married on january 3rd. i’m sure we’ll make it through alright, but i don’t want to make it through alright…i want to rock their faces off. i hate being average. well…in certain things. music is one of those things.
on a completely related note, come to thrio’s on friday, february 13th and see mayor dave with covenant. it’ll be a rockin good time, so come on down for a pre-valentine date…or something.
Welcome to WordPress. This is the first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!
time transfixed, by rené magritte
i have recently developed a sense of appreciation for art that i didn’t posess a few years ago. especially for modern art. for instance, that piece you see on the right is a beethoven portrait by andy warhol. and i just think it’s the coolest thing. three years ago, i woulda said that jackson pollock was an idiot, but nowadays i have a deep appreciation for him and others that were truly revolutionaries in their thinking. these people weren’t, for the most part, seeking to be as weird as possible…they were looking for their voice. on the flip side, there are a lot of imitators who think they are doing something creative when really it is just nonsense. but wait a second…who am i to say something like that? i’ve never successfully painted anything, much less come out with something original. it’s such a fine line to walk when criticizing art, because someone poured their being into this work…something that represents a piece of them. there are, i think, cases of posers, and i think those guys are fairly easy to weed out. but it’s sad to me to see such harsh criticism for anything, because i know just how much hard work goes into preparing the product. and then to have it slammed by a bunch of people that are only critcs because they can’t do it themselves…it must be very disheartening. and so i try my best to sincerely look at a work of art and think about how it reacts with me. i find it to make a much more enjoyable experience than simply saying “i like” or “i hate.”
and now, courtesy of andy warhol…
i have a thing with “curse words.” first of all, what makes them a curse word? society. the only true curse word, i think, is taking the Lord’s name in vain. but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t some validity in other offensive words. i think they can still be deemed inappropriate and applicable to the passages of the bible that call us to refrain from filthy language, but only because they happen to offend certain people. there is no difference in saying shit or crap. in fact, i never say crap. just typing it right there was kinda weird for me. not that i go around saying shit, but it seems to me there is no difference, semantically. they’re just two words, and for some reason one developed a more debatable disposition. and so i watch what i say depending on what company i’m in; with those i don’t know, especially. either way, i will never make it a habit to use alternative words all the time, basically because they lose their meaning. while i don’t think that it is a sin to use these words properly, i do think that they have developed, for whatever reason, stronger personalities, and therefore communicate much more directly the intensity of a given situation; if they’re over-used, then that intensity disappears. i’m not trying to offend people. i’m not trying to defend people that use such words superfluously. i’m advocating the usage of them as another tool in the language. it’s still possible to sin with them…but it is also possible to not sin. in my opinion.
i love this song…
It’s sitting by the overcoat,
The second shelf, the note she wrote
That I can’t bring myself to throw away
And also
Reach she said for no one else but you,
Cuz you won’t turn away
When someone else is gone
I’m sorry ’bout the attitude
I need to give when I’m with you
But no one else would take this shit from me
And I’m so
Terrified of no one else but me
I’m here all the time
I won’t go away
It’s me, yeah I can’t get myself to go away
It’s me, and I can’t get myself to go away
Oh God I shouldn’t feel this way
Reach down your hand in your pocket
Pull out some hope for me
It’s been a long day, always ain’t that right
And no Lord your hand won’t stop it
Just keep you trembling
It’s been a long day, always ain’t that right
Well I’m surprised that you’d believe
In any thing that comes from me
I didn’t hear from you or from someone else
And you’re so
Set in life man, a pisser they’re waiting
Too damn bad you get so far so fast
So what, so long
It’s me, yeah and I can’t get myself to go away
It’s me, yeah and I can’t get myself to go away
Oh God I shouldn’t feel this way
i love sitting and listening to rain pitter-patter on the window. it has to be one of the most relaxing things in the universe. which is why i went and bought a cd with sounds from a tropical rainforest and a thunderstorm, among other things. i know of few things that can settle me quite that well. it’s smooth.
so, after having a brilliant revelation (or…epiphany…haha) for a post yesterday while i was sitting in my truck…i forgot it. i just didn’t have a napkin to write it down on. i did write some lyrics on a napkin the other day at breakfast. that’s a first for me. i feel it has significance, though…or maybe that just makes me a dork. either way, i did it. and so i am on my way to becoming a true, starving artist. what is the lure to being an artist? what is the draw to pursuing something that you know there is a very small chance of “making it?” it’s a very curious thing to me, the sacrifices some people make for their dreams. it’s amazing that some keep at it, and sad when some give it up. it’s great that i have no point, because this is usually where that statement would go: _______________. right? yeah, i thought so, too.
well, it’s only been 4 and a half hours, but i’m feeling 153% better than i was during the last post. i certainly tend to just let my emotions fly and wear them on my sleeve, which is often not the best thing to do. but this is my journal, and this is where i am opening myself to whoever wants to know. it’s my release. sometimes i feel better almost immediately after i post something depressing or whatnot. that wasn’t the case tonight, though. the main source of my comfort was God via sarahjane. i have never ceased to be amazed at how much wisdom, warmth, beauty and support God allows sarah to impart. i, for one, am greatful for such a friend; one whose immediate thought is how to turn the situation over to God Almighty. and i literally feel her prayers. sorry, sayjay, i’m not meaning to embarass you or send you a bunch of lunatics searching for a friendly face. but it is truly incredible. within 10 minutes of being at my wits end, i felt peace. nothing can account for that apart from the Spirit of God blanketing my weary and battered heart. as of right now, i’m feeling very content with where i am. but maybe content is not the right word here. i am resting in the arms of One who knows where my path lies, and that makes me satisfied enough to continue. there is much work to be done, but i am not afraid. i just read romans 8…and cried. i mean…wow. there it is. “but in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us” (rom. 8:37). i don’t have anything to do but trust and follow Him. and i’ll be lead home. praise God.
i suck. i really do. i’m not worth anything substantial to anyone. i’m not loved by anyone. not truly. ok, my mom and dad, etc. but i think you know what i mean. i feel abandoned. intellectually i know this not to be the case, but i am having the hardest time convincing my heart. and it’s true what they say; the heart is the strongest muscle in the body. and it is certainly flexing itself right now.
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