something to consider

Yes, i know my recent rash of blogs have been shallow and meaningless. I haven't had many deep or important thoughts worth sharing of recent, and so in some ways i have treated my blog as an in depth twitter account - puking out whatever worthless meanderings spill forth from my noggin to my fingertips to your eyes. That is assuming anyone reads this, but at this point - i hardly care. But i do apologize. I think back to when blogging was new, and it felt like everything was new and brilliant, and there was a community of other bloggers to confirm those feelings. Now, i am a lonely blogger, who doesn't find profundity as often i as i percieve i used to. Profundidty is now the word of the day.

Speaking of profundities - i was in church today. Ok, that in of itself is not the profunditity. The Pastor was speaking from the book of Nehimiah, explaining to us how Nehemiah took a good look at the broken, destroyed wall of Jerusalem, and how even though he saw it for what it was - he was also able to have a God-perspective - and was somehow able to see the hope and potential that existed in the rebuilding of the wall.
Later on, Pastor connected his message to Jesus, and told the story of when Jesus healed a blind man by rubbing mud in his eyes. The connection was about our blindness, and our inability to see the potential that God sees in our world, in ourselves, in circumstances, and in other people. As i listened to the story, it was like i was hearing it for the first time (though i promise it wasn't). It just struck me that Jesus used the very thing that we are trying to get out of our eyes to heal. The problems with our eyes usually involve something being in them that shouldn't be. Take mud for instance; it doesn't belong in your eyes. It will impair your vision. But it's that foriegn object that Jesus uses to clear out the blindness of that man in Mark 8. Jesus is so cool. I'm aware of the counter cultural lifestyle he calls his followers to - i preach it to my youth - Jesus does not equal an easy life - he does things differently - and through the message today - and as an ordained minister of the Gospel - i should say through the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit, i saw Jesus clearly today and was blown away by the irony and profundity of his work. it may not sound like a big deal to you - which i can understand. Often i can't find the words to explain the things that blow my mind (see any of my musings on music). Most times i can just barely explain that something did deeply affect me - but explaining why or how - good luck - especially at 11:27pm the night before Prayer Retreat.

Basically - the point is - Jesus is so cool.

two things to report

this morning as i walked (going green) to work, i passed a black sunfire with stereo booming. Then almost immeadiatly i recognized the muffled tune coming from the black sunfire at 8:30am, and it was The Spice Girls. Now, i'm slightly embarresed to admit that i was able to immeadiatly identify the music of the spice girls, but don't hold it against me, they were the most ubiquitous musical group for like 3 years of my adolesence. Not to mention that my sister quite enjoyed thier music. Anyway, my knowledge of the Spice Girls was not as embarressing as the embarressment of the person who was listening to the spice girls so loudly at that ungodly hour in public.

#2. I just bought tickets to U2. On June 23rd 2009, a dream is going to come true, my dream...of seeing U2 live in concert. Hallelujah. (though i doubt they will play a cover of that ubiquitisly covered song)

that is all.

Word of the Day:

Abomination:

noun
1.
anything abominable; anything greatly disliked or abhorred.
2.
intense aversion or loathing; detestation: He regarded lying with abomination.
3.
a vile, shameful, or detestable action, condition, habit, etc.: Spitting in public is an abomination.

also refers to French Toast with Icing Sugar.

when i'm down

Shortly after everyone got into www.homestarrunner.com (which suprisingly is still a website) i bucked the trend and fell in with the White Ninja (www.whiteninjacomics.com). The white ninja is always good for a laugh, well only if you have a demented sense of humor like myself. I am here at the church office reviewing my sermon that i have to preach in approximatly an hour and a half, and i felt like i needed a laugh - so i headed over to check out the latest offerings of the white ninja. I wasn't disappointed. Anyway - i thought i would share the white ninja with you. One of his more recent adventures, and then one of my all time favorites. Enjoy.

10 minutes later

I was going to post the pictures directly onto my blog - but my blog is being a tool - so here are the links, less convienant i know - but well worth the risk.

http://www.whiteninjacomics.com/comics/powerfularms.shtml

and

the classic
http://whiteninjacomics.com/comics/catwedgie.shtml

Lyrics

Today, i bought the latest release (Vancouver) from my favorite Canadian Artist, Matthew Good. His album is not the only one i have recently purchased. Despite my growing unappreciation for Scarlett Johansson (see two blogs ago - and no i haven't watched "The Island" Yet) i bought her collaborative effort with Pete Yorn. (PS. Pete Also contributes on one of the tracks on the new Matt Good album - which i didn't know ahead of time). But i digress. I also bought a B-Sides Collection from Iron and Wine. For a poor guy, i still buy a lot of CD's - i know it's an addiction.

I was sitting in the next room, having time to reflect on the new offering from Matt Good, and upon first listen - it didn't grab me. I mean it has all the classic Matt Goodism's musically that i like. In fact, to me, it sounded a lot like his last two albums - both of which i enjoyed. The thing that was missing for me though was an automatic favorite song. In my past experiances with Matt, it never takes me long to figure out the songs that i love best from his records. Usually a song jumps out and grabs me - and so far, after one full earphoned listen, nothing has. Obviously i am going to give it more of a chance. Matt has never failed me before, so he has earned some time to grow on me.

I think the concept is lost on me. The whole album is a reflection on Vancouver and it's apperant disintigration into a slum. I was thinking on Matt's last album it was written after a nervous breakdown, a divorce, and a suicide attempt, and the deep personal connection of his lyrics was unavoidable. So far, perhaps in putting together something more of a concept album (yet still a personal one) the immediate connection i have often found with the lyrics and music of Matt Good will take a little longer to develop.

All of this got me to thinking about a blanket generality statement from myself which i will now quote. "The best songs are those whose lyrics you don't have to read". In my experiance with Matthew Good and his former band - i've never had to read the lyrics in the album jacket to understand the meaning behind the songs. ANd i was preparing to do so with this album. I don't get it. I like how it sounds, but his lyrics haven't caught me - there hasn't been a statement made that i have gone - yeah - or there hasn't been a line that has gotten caught in my head - nothing catchy - it's sad.

So i say - the best songs are those whose lyrics you don't have to read - but instantly connect with you. Any disagreements on this shallow topic of discussion. If i had more energy - i would give myself some examples of songs excellent that had lyrics that i didn't automatically understand or percieve properly (see Barbera-Ann) - just most times with Matt I do.

Who love's pointless blogs - i do.

T-Minus 8 days. (vomits)

Things I'm Thinking About

1. I wonder if Jude will sleep through the night tonight
2. Matthew Good is awesome
3. Should I finish watching "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou"?
4. Am I going to pass Ordination?
5. I'm thirsty
6. My knee is itchy
7. I'm running out of thoughts

sleepy, hockey, neck pain

Hello friends. It's been a long time. I've been busy.

I've been meaning to blog for a while. Every once in a while i've had a thought enter my head and then i thought - hey this would be interesting to blog about. But then - time confines me.

For instance recently i thought of blogging about something shallow - like the acting talent of Scarlett Johansson. I've seen a lot of her movies. She first entered my world after seeing her performance in "Lost in Translation". I believed everything about that film was excellent - including Scarlett's acting. I also thought she was hot. I mean my brain is blazing hot! Anyway, since that time - i have gone out of my way to see films that she is in. Here is a comprehensive list of Scarlett films i have seen after "Lost in Translation". Get ready - this next part will be boring.

"Ghost World", "A Love SOng for Bobby Long", "In Good Company", "The Black Dahlia", "The Other Bolyn Girl", :Vicki, Cristina, Barcelona", "He's Just Not that In To You". Thats close to half of all the movies she has been in since "Lost in Translation".

All of these other movies suck. There is not one of these movies that i have really enjoyed. In face some of them, i really hated. And not only that - i find Scarlett's acting to be average to below average. In addition i find her characters very similar. She's very typecast as the sultry temptress - which i guess is ok - cause she looks like a sultry temptress.

I recently had this thought - that maybe Scarlett wasn't as great as i thought she was - and i shared it with a few peeps - and they recommended before i make my final decision that i need to watch one of her films that i haven't seen - "The Island". So i will watch this film - i may even enjoy it - but i have a weird feeling that if i do like it - it will have more to do with the writing - Steve Buscumi, and Ewan McGregor then Scarlett.

Then i thought back to "Lost in Translation" - the only movie with which i have credited her with skill and talent - and i realized - maybe she wasn't so great after all - maybe the glow of Bill Murray's brilliance shone so brightly that it blinded me to Scarlett's acting skills - and maybe her hotness had something to do with it to - as i was a single - college student at the time.

To sum it up - "Lost in Translation" good (possibly only because of Bill Murray), Scarlett Johansson - probably overrated by myself - and the world - though i am willing to give her another chance. Stay tuned for blogs that aren't being written while i am sleepy, listening to hockey, and suffering neck pain.

Good Night - and God Bless.