my Top 15 Albums of 2007
15. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
14. Fauxliage - s/t
13. David Crowder*Band - Remedy
12. Eluvium - Copia
11. The Innocence Mission - We Walked in Song
10. Jon Foreman - Fall ep
9. Peter Bjorn & John - Writer's Block
8. Sigur Ros - Heim/Hvarf
7. Travis - The Boy with No Name
6. Great Northern - Trading Twilight for Daylight
5. Deas Vail - All the Houses Look the Same
4. Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild soundtrack
3. Unkle - War Stories
2. Explosions in the Sky - All of the Sudden I Miss Everyone
1. Radiohead - In Rainbows
Last FM most played from 2007
artist:
U2 - 365
Radiohead - 345
Explosions in the Sky - 297
song:
David Crowder*Band - Oh the Glory of it All
My Top Albums 2004 2005 2006
Top Movie
Into the Wild
TV
Lost
Friday Night Lights
Dirty Sexy Money
Nimrod Nation
Music Film
Heima (a film by Sigur Ros)
Game
Lego Star Wars: the Complete Saga (Nintendo Wii)
----------------
Now playing: Sigur Rós - Heysátan
via FoxyTunes
Monday, December 31, 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
5 Minute Walk
back in my college days - it wasn't uncommon for me to go to various alternative Christian concerts... some of the concerts featured bands from a small label called 5 Minute Walk Recordings. At one show I got a free t-shirt that Said 5 Minute Walk on the front and Take Time to Listen on the back. it was a favorite tee until i lost it.
Ironically, the name of this blog is borrowed from the album title of a 5 Minute Walk sub-label band, Dimestore Prophets.
Something I was reading from Wise Traveller: Relationships triggered memories of 5 Minute Walk this morning...
I turned to Wikipedia to find out more info on 5 Minute Walk. Frank Tate - founder of the label, explained the name this way:
If you spend five minutes a day talking to Jesus like you would a friend, He would become your friend. I know it sounds weird, but I challenge you to give it a try. The next time you're bummed, lonely, scared or frustrated, go for a five-minute walk and talk to Him like you would a friend. Tell Him exactly how you feel and what you're thinking.
How many of us need to take that walk today?
A 5 minute walk can lead to so much more.
It can lead to cooler heads prevailing.
It can bring peace of mind.
It can serve as exercise for the body, mind and soul.
It can bring about conversation with the Father.
It can produce fruit from a deepened relationship with Jesus.
the 5 Minute Walk. sounds like a good resolution for the coming new year.
Ironically, the name of this blog is borrowed from the album title of a 5 Minute Walk sub-label band, Dimestore Prophets.
Something I was reading from Wise Traveller: Relationships triggered memories of 5 Minute Walk this morning...
I turned to Wikipedia to find out more info on 5 Minute Walk. Frank Tate - founder of the label, explained the name this way:
If you spend five minutes a day talking to Jesus like you would a friend, He would become your friend. I know it sounds weird, but I challenge you to give it a try. The next time you're bummed, lonely, scared or frustrated, go for a five-minute walk and talk to Him like you would a friend. Tell Him exactly how you feel and what you're thinking.
How many of us need to take that walk today?
A 5 minute walk can lead to so much more.
It can lead to cooler heads prevailing.
It can bring peace of mind.
It can serve as exercise for the body, mind and soul.
It can bring about conversation with the Father.
It can produce fruit from a deepened relationship with Jesus.
the 5 Minute Walk. sounds like a good resolution for the coming new year.
Friday, December 14, 2007
the gift that keeps on giving
Acute viral nasopharyngitis. it's name strikes fear into the hearts of man. i've heard it's a more powerful torture technique than waterboarding. 'twas the real reason Hitler took that cyanide pill. it's why Osama hates America.
they call it the common cold. and it has tormented my family for almost 4 weeks now.
since Thanksgiving eve - someone has been sick in our family. it started with me - nothing more than a cold, followed by severe cough... then it went to micah, then jen and then Addie... well now 24 days later it is back to me... again.
great. what joy. ironically, my two colds have coincided with raking leaves. hmm. colds and leaves? is this a punishment left over from Sodom and Gomorrah?
i was wondering this morning, as i was trying to extract that stuff that fills one's head, chest and throat when one has a cold "I wonder who was the first person to get a cold? What did they think? (and were they raking leaves when the symptoms came upon them?)"
i've determined that it must have been Able. He was probably out working in the fields with his brother Cain - both getting their offering ready for the Lord. Adam & Eve - mom & dad were back at camp preparing the evening meal of twice fried barley grains and a side of passion fruit (of course). As Cain and Able finished up their work, suddenly something so violent came upon Able... it came from the bellows of his abdomen. I know what your thinking... Able wasn't violent - but I'm betting that his first ever sneeze was.
After receiving the brunt of the sneeze and without a pause, Cain turned to Able and said 'God bless you.' and the rest was history. Able's symptoms were not noticed by anyone else, i'm guessing. After Able wiped away the yellow mucus - he presented his offering to the Lord... and well, so did Cain...
and so Cain was banished... and as he left - he took on those first germs and from hence forth -
Acute viral nasopharyngitis spread across the land.
Rumor has it that Moses had a cold when he first went to speak to Pharaoh - thus Aaron had to speak for him... i think that's right.
Well anyway I am battling this ugly thing. It has overtaken my body like that alien that came out of Sigourney Weaver's stomach in the movie Alien.
let's hope i get rid of it a little less violently.
they call it the common cold. and it has tormented my family for almost 4 weeks now.
since Thanksgiving eve - someone has been sick in our family. it started with me - nothing more than a cold, followed by severe cough... then it went to micah, then jen and then Addie... well now 24 days later it is back to me... again.
great. what joy. ironically, my two colds have coincided with raking leaves. hmm. colds and leaves? is this a punishment left over from Sodom and Gomorrah?
i was wondering this morning, as i was trying to extract that stuff that fills one's head, chest and throat when one has a cold "I wonder who was the first person to get a cold? What did they think? (and were they raking leaves when the symptoms came upon them?)"
i've determined that it must have been Able. He was probably out working in the fields with his brother Cain - both getting their offering ready for the Lord. Adam & Eve - mom & dad were back at camp preparing the evening meal of twice fried barley grains and a side of passion fruit (of course). As Cain and Able finished up their work, suddenly something so violent came upon Able... it came from the bellows of his abdomen. I know what your thinking... Able wasn't violent - but I'm betting that his first ever sneeze was.
After receiving the brunt of the sneeze and without a pause, Cain turned to Able and said 'God bless you.' and the rest was history. Able's symptoms were not noticed by anyone else, i'm guessing. After Able wiped away the yellow mucus - he presented his offering to the Lord... and well, so did Cain...
and so Cain was banished... and as he left - he took on those first germs and from hence forth -
Acute viral nasopharyngitis spread across the land.
Rumor has it that Moses had a cold when he first went to speak to Pharaoh - thus Aaron had to speak for him... i think that's right.
Well anyway I am battling this ugly thing. It has overtaken my body like that alien that came out of Sigourney Weaver's stomach in the movie Alien.
let's hope i get rid of it a little less violently.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Everybody Makes Mistakes
now revel in the mistakes of others... it'll make you feel better.
read this: Media Related Errors - 2007 edition
my favorite - from The Sentinel-Review (Woodstock, Ontario):
read this: Media Related Errors - 2007 edition
my favorite - from The Sentinel-Review (Woodstock, Ontario):
In an article in Monday’s newspaper, there may have been a misperception about why a Woodstock man is going to Afghanistan on a voluntary mission. Kevin DeClark is going to Afghanistan to gain life experience to become a police officer when he returns, not to shoot guns and blow things up.
The Sentinel-Review apologizes for any embarrassment this may have caused.
may have been? yeah.
This one is funny, too...
from The Intelligencer Journal:hmm... nice correction... and the much needed additional information?A photograph accompanying a story about Teen Challenge in Saturday’s Intelligencer Journal incorrectly identified the subject, who is the Rev. James Santiago.
The story included an incorrect identification of Santiago’s wife, Pam. Also, Santiago was addicted to crack cocaine for 12 years.
on that note: enjoy Everybody Makes Mistakes by Starflyer 59...
one of their finest albums.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
make like a tree and get out of here
as is traditional here in ohio, the weather can mess with every aspect of one's life. and thus, the old men in the locker room at the Y talk of nothing but it (along with the occasional reference to 'The War').
Fall and Winter were meshed together, here, like a shredded wheat biscuit. Freezing cold mixed with sunny days with rain and rain and then last week's blast of snow. Summer seemed to extend well into fall which was nice - but that left leaves on the trees a whole lot longer than usual.
Thus after an extended period (as in maybe 7-10 days) of rain and wind in late November the leaves were all down on the ground. There was one sunny day after the rain... it was cold - but not bitter - and I knew that that day was my only shot at raking up the leaves in the back yard. i should mention that my rake is old school. i don't even know where i got it. i mean, who really wants to spend his hard earned money on a rake? While raking, i realized we didn't have any outdoor trash bags - so I raked all of the leaves into a giant pile against the fence - figuring that i could bag them up the next day. The next day it snowed... followed by what they call a 'wintery mix.' Then, last Thursday we had a huge bit of snow (o.k. - maybe not huge - but 4 or 5 inches... some schools were even called off).
So - i was not able to ever bag up the giant leaf pile in the backyard. Well the last two days have been warm enough to melt away the snow... the sun came out and i figured i might as well bag these leaves up.
there is nothing worse than bagging up wet leaves. Even though i was wearing thick, winter gloves, my hands were stained with a dark orange color - somehow the colors of the leaves seeped through the gloves. it took 8 bags to get rid of that pile. now, my back is really sore and my clothes and jacket are stained as well.
after bagging, i had to haul them in our van to the recycling center. it took two trips.
i don't like leaves. at all.
this caused me to wonder - who came up with the idea that leaves needed raked anyway? did the pilgrims get off the Mayflower and create some sort of makeshift rake out of sticks and branches - in order to rake up the leaves around their huts?
i'm guessing mankind survived thousands of years without rakes... and could have cared less if leaves were raked up. maybe this wasn't God's intent. i have to believe it wasn't... because i think this is my last year to rake 'em up.
i am boycotting leaf raking, i think.
----------------
Now playing: DJ Shadow - Changeling / Transmission 1
via FoxyTunes
Fall and Winter were meshed together, here, like a shredded wheat biscuit. Freezing cold mixed with sunny days with rain and rain and then last week's blast of snow. Summer seemed to extend well into fall which was nice - but that left leaves on the trees a whole lot longer than usual.
Thus after an extended period (as in maybe 7-10 days) of rain and wind in late November the leaves were all down on the ground. There was one sunny day after the rain... it was cold - but not bitter - and I knew that that day was my only shot at raking up the leaves in the back yard. i should mention that my rake is old school. i don't even know where i got it. i mean, who really wants to spend his hard earned money on a rake? While raking, i realized we didn't have any outdoor trash bags - so I raked all of the leaves into a giant pile against the fence - figuring that i could bag them up the next day. The next day it snowed... followed by what they call a 'wintery mix.' Then, last Thursday we had a huge bit of snow (o.k. - maybe not huge - but 4 or 5 inches... some schools were even called off).
So - i was not able to ever bag up the giant leaf pile in the backyard. Well the last two days have been warm enough to melt away the snow... the sun came out and i figured i might as well bag these leaves up.
there is nothing worse than bagging up wet leaves. Even though i was wearing thick, winter gloves, my hands were stained with a dark orange color - somehow the colors of the leaves seeped through the gloves. it took 8 bags to get rid of that pile. now, my back is really sore and my clothes and jacket are stained as well.
after bagging, i had to haul them in our van to the recycling center. it took two trips.
i don't like leaves. at all.
this caused me to wonder - who came up with the idea that leaves needed raked anyway? did the pilgrims get off the Mayflower and create some sort of makeshift rake out of sticks and branches - in order to rake up the leaves around their huts?
i'm guessing mankind survived thousands of years without rakes... and could have cared less if leaves were raked up. maybe this wasn't God's intent. i have to believe it wasn't... because i think this is my last year to rake 'em up.
i am boycotting leaf raking, i think.
----------------
Now playing: DJ Shadow - Changeling / Transmission 1
via FoxyTunes
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Friday, December 07, 2007
first snow
a thin separation between cold and warmth.
a pure, white blanket of silence; a gentle reminder to what peace feels like.
sensation forms as quickly as the icicle.
how will we proclaim the peace and purity that seeks to cover us all?
a beacon of hope for all to see. that is what this should be.
taking in the moment... so as to not soon forget.
----------------
Now playing: Hallgrimskirkja Motet Choir - Gloria
via FoxyTunes
Thursday, December 06, 2007
We Are None of Us Alone
a few weeks back i was watching an episode of the new NBC series Life. at the end - there was this powerful montage in which the following was narrated. [WATCH THIS CLIP FROM Life ON YouTube]
[best if read while listening to the opening 32 seconds of All I Need by Radiohead] [YouTube video of All I Need]
We are none of us alone
even as we exhale it is inhaled by others
the light that shines upon me shines upon my neighbor as well
in this way everything is connected
everything is connected to everything else
In this way I am connected to my friend even as I am connected to my enemy
In this way there is no difference between me and my friend
In this way there is no difference between me and my enemy
We are none of us alone
i'm pretty sure it's a Zen-like quote... forgive me for that... but it is/was cool. i've found more discussion on it HERE. and google searches for said quote spiked immediately after it's original Nov. 14th air date.
Radiohead
ALL I NEED LYRICS:
I’m the next act
Waiting in the wings
I’m an animal
Trapped in your hot car
I am all the days that you choose to ignore
You are all I need
You’re all I need
I’m in the middle of your picture
Lying in the reeds
I am a moth
Who justs wants to share your light
I’m just an insect
Trying to get out of the dark
I wanna stick with you, because there are no others
You are all I need
You’re all I need
I’m in the middle of your picture
Lying in the reeds
It’s all wrong
It’s all right
It’s all wrong
It’s all right
It’s all wrong
It’s all right
It’s all wrong
It’s all right
It’s all wrong
It’s all right
[best if read while listening to the opening 32 seconds of All I Need by Radiohead] [YouTube video of All I Need]
We are none of us alone
even as we exhale it is inhaled by others
the light that shines upon me shines upon my neighbor as well
in this way everything is connected
everything is connected to everything else
In this way I am connected to my friend even as I am connected to my enemy
In this way there is no difference between me and my friend
In this way there is no difference between me and my enemy
We are none of us alone
i'm pretty sure it's a Zen-like quote... forgive me for that... but it is/was cool. i've found more discussion on it HERE. and google searches for said quote spiked immediately after it's original Nov. 14th air date.
Radiohead
ALL I NEED LYRICS:
I’m the next act
Waiting in the wings
I’m an animal
Trapped in your hot car
I am all the days that you choose to ignore
You are all I need
You’re all I need
I’m in the middle of your picture
Lying in the reeds
I am a moth
Who justs wants to share your light
I’m just an insect
Trying to get out of the dark
I wanna stick with you, because there are no others
You are all I need
You’re all I need
I’m in the middle of your picture
Lying in the reeds
It’s all wrong
It’s all right
It’s all wrong
It’s all right
It’s all wrong
It’s all right
It’s all wrong
It’s all right
It’s all wrong
It’s all right
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Log Off
Jonny Baker blogged about this new program called Animoto... you can make your very own 30 second video with pictures and music. it does these funky transitions. it's fun... addicting... and free... you can make longer videos - but i think you may have to pay for them.
Below is one i threw together from some jpegs i found over at Howies.
Below is one i threw together from some jpegs i found over at Howies.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
seize.life
Seize life! Eat bread with gusto,
Drink wine with a robust heart.
Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure!
Dress festively every morning.
Don't skimp on colors and scarves.
Relish life with the spouse you love
Each and every day of your precarious life.
Each day is God's gift. It's all you get in exchange
For the hard work of staying alive.
Make the most of each one!
Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!
This is your last and only chance at it,
For there's neither work to do nor thoughts to think
In the company of the dead, where you're most certainly headed.
(THE MESSAGE)
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