So, in my efforts to hop aboard the caboose of the James Frey-train, I’ve taken it upon myself to write my own kinda-sorta-but-not-really autobiography, entitled A Gajillion Little Feces. It’s a possibly true story of how one man overcame explosive diarrhea to compete on and win American Idol. What put him over the top? His rendition of Wam!’s “Wake Me Up Before I Go-Go”.
So, for some unknown reason, I didn’t have my .net buddy Adam Omelianchuk’s blog in my RSS aggregator…translation? I’ve been missing out on some wonderful posts…ones much like this exploration of the ladder theory, complete with visual aid!
Man, I hate headaches. I really do. I don’t have one right now, so I’m not sure why I feel compelled to blog about them, but hey…when the urge hits, you just gotta go with the flow, am I right? I get these headaches all the time. But I absolutely HATE to take medicine for it. I hate taking medicine, period. I’m not really sure why…I’m in no way a Scientologist or a Christian Scientist…I don’t think medication is the devil…I just don’t like to take it. Not even Ibuprofen or anything like that. It’s strange. My mother would say that I get all of these headaches from being on the computer all the time. My dad would say it’s from sitting too CLOSE to the computer screen, to which I would reply, “How the heck am I supposed to sit further away, It’s a laptop, I gotta reach the keyboard.” I’m watching, or rather, listening to the Derek Webb live DVD “How To Kill and Be Killed”. It’s a live performance from his Nashville album release show for I See Things Upside Down. I just finished listening to the song “Medication,” and I think that’s what sparked this whole post…Whenever I hear that song, I think of the movie Garden State, you know, when Zach Braff’s character is at the party with all the people getting high…and he just sits in the middle of the room…completely zoned out…just wanting to feel SOMETHING. I pray to God I never get that numb. Sometimes I feel I’m getting there, though. The monotony of life makes me callused…and it’s frightening. That’s always been my problem with church. Well, not my problem WITH church….my problem when it comes TO church. I go long enough that it becomes completely routine for me…my heart grows callused and numb, and the experience totally loses its innocence and wonder. I think of the book of Malachi, where the people of God are no longer taking the worship of him seriously…they’ve grown callused, and as Eugene Peterson puts it, are offering him “hand-me-downs, broken and useless.” I pray I don’t reach this point…but it inevitably happens time to time. Forgive me, God, for not taking your worship seriously. I think of the verse in Deuteronomy 30. Verse 6, I believe. Yeah, that’s it. “GOD, your God, will cut away the thick calluses on your heart and your children’s hearts, freeing you to love GOD, your God, with your whole heart and soul and live, really live.” (MSG)
So God, do not let me grow callused. Let me feel it all…even the pain
“cause the truth is i need you just like the air i breathe
just like a freight train needs the tracks beneath
so i’d rather suffer my whole life and be this rich man’s wife
if loving you means suffering” - Derek Webb, “Medication”
You may remember Imogen Heap from that band with a cool name whose awesome song appeared in that movie with the awesome soundtrack. Well, she released a solo album this past year, and I picked it up this past week.
I gotta say…I have absolutely fallen in love with this album. I’ve never been a big electronica-esque music guy…but there’s something about Imogen, man…it’s just incredible stuff.
Highlights are “Headlock,” “Hide and Seek,” (which may be the most beautiful thing I’ve heard in a long time) and “Have You Got It In You?”
PLEEEEEASE check this album out…
The only thing is, the cd is copy-protected, so I can’t load onto my laptop’s Itunes…fortunately it works on the den computer, and I can use OurTunes to grab it over to the lappy…
Okay, I know there’s been enough talk of Don Miller around here lately…get over it.
Mr. Miller has written an article in response to the James Frey controversy…and yes, it is different from the Q&A I linked you to earlier…
so read it.
Or I’ll slap you. With a smallmouth.
A solitary, silent drive home can be a wonderful thing. That I feel this way may surprise anyone that knows me at all. My sister used to say that I was afraid of silence, which is partially true. Whenever an awkward quiet hits a room, there’s a part of me that has to break it with some quip or superfluous anecdote. I’m not sure why. But back to what I was saying…A solitary, silent drive home can be a wonderful thing. I never thought this was something I would enjoy or even do, really. I’m usually inclined to have music blazing out of my car speakers when I’m on the road, tapping the steering wheel and singing off-key. But the past few Tuesday night drives, coming home from Carson-Newman after YOKE and FCA, have been spent in silence. And it’s an amazing thing. In this somber, quiet drive, one can recover from what he’s just gone through, or prepare for what’s to come, or simply reflect on…well, anything. Tonight, I thought about people. I think about people a lot. Well, not just people in general, but specific people. There’s Rachel…I may have mentioned her once or twice here. Rachel is one of my best friends. We shared a conversation after YOKE today about work and life and being overwhelmed. Rachel works at Ruby Tuesday, too, though not the one I work at. She’s feeling very overwhelmed with work and school and relationships and everything right now. I wanted to tell her that I know how she feels…but then I realized that I don’t. I have never had that feeling. That feeling of REALLY having too much on my plate. I think maybe it’s because I’m a slacker. Or maybe I’m just lucky. But I did tell her that I think she’s doing a great job of getting through it all…which sounded really cheesy after I said it. Then I felt stupid. Then came the all-too-common awkward moment where I don’t know what to say, and she doesn’t know how to reply to what I just said…and then I finally told her that I was sorry, that that made no sense at all. What I really meant was that if I had been overwhelmed, I don’t think I could’ve handled it the way she is handling it. Never having been in that situation, however, I can’t be sure. But I’m PRETTY sure that I wouldn’t handle it as well as she. I would probably freak out and go into the fetal position and beg for my mommy. But then again, I do that sometimes just for fun to scare the people at Target. Before you ask, no I’m not on any medication right now…I’m just typing and letting whatever comes out comes out. It’s kind of fun really. You should try it. It’s freeing.
But seriously, a solitary, silent drive home can be a wonderful thing.
I also think of Matt and Ashley, my couple of friends. And by couple of friends, I don’t mean two friends of mine…I mean they are a couple…and they are my friends. Now this makes for all sorts of wonderfully awkward third-wheel situations. But that’s okay…Mashley (as the tabloids would call them) is (is or are?) usually pretty cool about it. They went on a Valentine’s date tonight…I don’t know where they went…but I bet it was fun. Of course, then comes the wonderful “why the heck am I single?” extravaganza of thought. This lasts for the rest of the drive home. And consists mostly of me telling myself in the voice of Stewie from Family Guy that I need to “Quit eating, Fatty!” Okay, so that part’s not real…that was a joke.
As I was saying…a solitary, silent drive home can be a wonderful thing.
I recently purchased Set Yourself on Fire the latest album from Canadian band Stars. GREAT album. I love the way the two vocalists voices compliment each other. I’ve never heard a male/female vocal duo (well, not since Donny and Marie…har har) compliment each other so well. And the sound is just amazing. Great use of horns and keys and…well, everything. Really cool album. “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead” is definitely the standout track. It’s a ballad about remeeting an old flame…herefore art the lyrics.
” God that was strange to see you again
Introduced by a friend of a friend
Smiled and said “yes I think we’ve met before”
In that instant it started to pour
Captured a taxi despite all the rain
We drove in silence across Pont Champlain
And all of that time you thought I was sad
I was trying to remember your name
This scar is a fleck on my porcelain skin
You tried to reach deep but you couldn’t get in
And now you’re outside me you see all the beauty
Repent all your sin
It’s nothing but time and a face that you’ll lose
I chose to feel it and you couldn’t choose
I’ll write you a postcard, I’ll send you the news
From the house down the road, from real love
Live through this and you won’t look back
Live through this and you won’t look back
Live through this and you won’t look back
There’s one thing I have to say so I’ll be brave
You were what I wanted, I gave what I gave
I’m not sorry I met you
I’m not sorry it’s over
I’m not sorry there’s nothing to save
I’m not sorry there’s nothing to save”
You can buy the album at Amazon…do it, do it.
So, say you’re listening to a Matt Wertz, Dave Barnes, Andrew Peterson, or well…any assortment of records coming out of Nashville…and you hear an AMAZING key solo…and you’re like….dang.
Well, odds are that that came from a fella by the name of Ben Shive.
Who happens to be recording an album this year.
And that’s exciting.
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