No more excuses, man

My long-time friend, mentor and fellow Bottle Rocket enthusiast, Brent, has taken on the task of writing 19 essays in 19 days about his experiences over two decades of youth ministry. They’re all well worth reading and he’s officially proven that he has no more excuses for putting off the book he’s been talking about for years.

Good stuff, brutha!

iPod Poseur

Phaser set to shuffle…let’s listen and chat.

REM – So fast, so numb

A few nights ago, Katie and I had dinner with Chris and Karli at our old abode. Good times centered on good conversation and good Italian (thanks Karli)…and as usual, good music. If new tunes were drugs, Chris would most certainly be my well-stocked dealer. He’s always up to speed on the newest, most obscurely good stuff and definitely shares the wealth. So, of course, this occasion was no exception and he loaded me down with about nine or ten new albums to check out.

Brian Webb - Shame

When I got home I started loading my bounty into my library on the computer to be transferred to the pod, only to be faced with two harsh realities: First, I had reached the outer limits of my iPod and would need to remove some older albums in order to load the new ones. This first annoying realization led to the second which was a little more revealing: I’m an iPod Poseur.

Andrew Bird – Skin is, My

You see, as I was combing back through my library looking for songs I could part with, I realized how much I had loaded on as a resume of sorts for a true music connesieur, but never spent any time listening to. For example, what self-respecting music lover wouldn’t have Rubber Soul or Sgt. Pepper’s on their music player. The only problem is, I only have those records because, if I’m really honest with myself, they’ll increase my music street-cred. I haven’t listened to either one in quite some time and probably won’t anytime soon.

Modest Mouse – Exit Does Not Exist

So, by way of confession, here are just a sampling of some of the truly great albums that I have, but haven’t sampled in years and will be getting cut from the roster:

· David Bowie – Ziggy Stardust
· Neil Young – After the Gold Rush
· Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu (36 Chambers)
· The Prayer Chain – Mercury – (I know there are so many who were into the Christian Indie scene ten years ago that loved this album. I’ve tried, I just can’t stand it)

Now, I know these albums might be like gold claims that need to be mined a bit to find the real nuggets, I just don’t see myself devoting more time to them in the near future. Just being honest…

The Flaming Lips – Waiting for Superman

Since I’m letting things off my chest, I guess I might as well betray some of my guilty pleasures that I hate to admit are in the repertoire:

· Blink 182 – Self-titled (I don’t care what anybody says, this is a good disc, especially as the soundtrack for a good workout).
· Silverchair – Neon Ballroom (Nostalgic, teenage melodrama at its best).
· Gin Blossoms – New Miserable Experience (Best $2 Goodwill purchase ever).
· The Fugees – The Score (Okay, don’t have an excuse for this one).

Is it really only Wednesday?

Wishing I was at the coast today...

Hearing Voices

I heard my voice on tape the other day and, like most people, wished it sounded a little...I don't know...beefier? There are those that have voices like James Earl Jones that can make reading the back of a cereal box out loud sound groundbreakingly proverbial. So it got me thinking, "Who's voice would I adopt if I could?" My top five:

1. Alec Baldwin
2. Johnny Cash
3. Will Arnett
4. Terry Gross -Best voice in broadcasting...hands down. I'd take her vocals any day.
5. Michael Stipe

Who's in your top five?

Decisions and a Shuffled Soundtrack

Trying to get back into the saddle of blogging again regularly. I'll probably
start out my next blog six months from now the same way. Since nothing goes better with blogger guilt than some tunes, thought I'd steal an idea from my broseph Chris and throw the ipod on shuffle while I write...and I promise I won't pull any punches. I'll let you know if it hits Destiny's Child or The Bee Gees. I got no shame in my collection. Let's roll...

"Don't Hate Me" - The Get Up Kids (Ouch..that's a blast from the emo past)

As things grow busier and busier at work, I'm starting to realize the need to conserve and maximize my mental energy. At the end of the day, my batteries are so fried that I come home and just want to veg and watch Scrubs or something. It's good to have good people to unwind with. Since we moved out of the married community house, I've been missing my rummy games and bocce with Chris, but I'm also enjoying the couple nights a week that Katie and I get together to just chat or cook. Our new home group met for the third installment at our place last night and I was reminded of how abundant an evening feels when you get the killer combo of relaxing at your pad while enjoying some laughs with friends new and old. But --

"A War is Coming" - The Paper Chase

--I'm still coming to the realization that I need to brush up on my time management skills. It's not that I don't have enough free-time, it's that I don't use it that well. The weeks go by in a blur and, come Sunday night, there's a half dozen fun things that I really wanted to get done and I find that I've checked off notta one. I figure if I can schedule time to go to work and run errands, I can surely earmark a few to finally read War and Peace or see what all the fuss is about Lost. Time sure isn't
freeing up any easier these days and the thought of going to grad school while working makes those small personal goals seem darn near unattainable.

"Filler" - Minor Threat

I had my interview with George Fox last week and just found out that I was accepted into their MBA program for the fall. I'm still waiting to hear back from Portland State (hopefully soon...it's a lot cheaper) and will have to make the final decision on which school and whether or not to actually go. With work picking up a decent chunk of the bill, it seems almost win-win, but I can't imagine two and a half years of full-time work and classes at night and weekends. What about Lost!?

"Liquid" - Jars of Clay (Okay...you gotta know I'm not lying now)

On a completely unrelated note, Evergreen is moving once again. Our third Lab pub in as many years and all in different quadrants of the city. The Lab in SW will always hold a special little place in my heart, being so close to home. The SE experience was cool, but you can only see so many rats run behind Bob in the middle of a service before it just becomes a little creepy. This Sunday will inaugarate our venture into the NW. It's a totally rad spot and I think it'll be good for us.

"Phantom Limb" - The Shins (Finally, a good Portland band...I leave you in their capable hands)