Empty Pantry Blog

A Call for Christians to Turn Away from Social Conservatism

2011-07-03T08:48:00.000-04:00

All my life I have been told that God loves people. Loves them in a deep and giving way. In a way that desires to be with them. In this love God wishes to be loved in return. But the crux of love is the freedom. Had God forced us to love Him and to live a certain way, wouldn't that mean that there is no love returned to Him? I would say forced love is no love at all, but slavery. God doesn't want us to be slaves to Him. He wishes for us to see the beauty in the world around us and in the life and teachings of Jesus and come to Him of our own volition. God gives us the ability to choose right or wrong. He didn't force morality on us. But He offered us the teachings of Christ which we have the ability to accept or reject.

So what does this have to do with leaving social conservatism behind? Just this, if God gives us the ability to choose right or wrong, why shouldn't we do the same? Has God instructed us to put a government together that forces, through legislation, Biblical morality on people? No, He hasn't. It isn't in the Bible and it definitely isn't in the teachings of Jesus. So do we believe that God has somehow fallen short? Do we believe that God just didn't get it quite right? I would say that supporting a system of government that seeks to legislate Christian morality is saying just that. It's telling God that His whole "freedom to choose right or wrong" thing is a bit over the top and that we need to step in and force people to live the way we think God wants them to. It's telling God that, while you appreciate your freedom to choose Him, you can't let others have the same freedom...which might mean they choose something else. In short, I feel that supporting Social Conservatism is telling God that His way isn't good enough for us and that we have to take up his slack.

So I'm offering up two final points...one spiritual and one political. First, God loves us enough to give us the freedom to live our lives the way we see fit. Why shouldn't we do the same? Second, understand that the freedoms you extend to others ensures your own. Voltaire (or at least it's attributed to him) said it best,"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it". When we think of gay marriage, marijuana legalization, free speech issues, putting religious items into government institutions...I strongly believe we should mirror God and extend freedom...not oppression.

In the coming elections please move away from socially conservative issues. God gave us the freedom to choose, shouldn't we do the same?

What do you belong?

2011-05-12T13:45:00.000-04:00

I'm constantly torn between complete rejection of contemporary society and trying to find out where I fit into it.

Does All Knowledge of God Ultimately Come From the Bible?

2011-04-23T10:29:00.001-04:00

For Christians,

If we are suppose to test all ideas about God against the Bible, does that mean that all we know about God ultimately come from the Bible?

Let's see where we can get with this.

What my day looks like...in PHP

2011-04-22T09:18:00.000-04:00

$time = 9;

echo "This is what my Friday will look like...in military time of course.";

while($time <= 17)
{
    if($time != 12 && $time != 17)
    {
        echo "At ".$time.":00 I am writing code.";
    }

    if($time == 12)
    {
        echo "It's ".$time.":00...LUNCH TIME!!!!";
    }

    if($time == 17)
    {
        echo "It's ".$time.":00...QUITTING TIME!!1!";
    }
    $time++;
}

Faith

2011-04-11T21:09:00.000-04:00

One of the most important parts of believing in any theological or belief system is faith. Faith, by definition, requires no reasoning. It is not rational. It's believing in something for the sake of belief. So the practice of apologetics seems contradictory. It seems to cancel faith. Putting your faith in a sure thing isn't faith. Faith is believing in something because it calls to your irregardless of reason. To rationalize faith is to not have faith.

Wonder what kind of responses I'm going to get.

Some Political Thoughts

2011-03-29T10:02:00.000-04:00

I have all but abandoned this blog. I just reached a point where I had nothing left to say and not many people to say it to. However, this has changed in the past few days. I have, probably only for a one time engagement...or at least until the next time, become a blogger again.

When President Obama took office I was excited for many reasons. One was because I would not have to put up with McCain and Palin for four years. Knowing that their view of America's place in the World would most likely result in numerous foreign conflicts that I would not agree with. I would point to his "Today, we are all Georgians" statement to show that, had he been President, we may be at war with Russia right now. Which brings me to my second reason why I was excited to have Mr. Obama as my President, I thought he would be much less likely to get us involved in foreign military action. With 2 un-Constitutional wars currently in progress (and I say that based on Article 1 Section 8 Line 11) I do not understand the need/desire for a third. Now, I would argue that even though President Bush did get Congressional approval for Iraq and Afghanistan, he did not get a Congressional declaration of war. So I would say that the 2 wars we have going on over there are both un-Constitutional...and at least in my opinion...unnecessary and should have been avoided. Contrast this with the Libya situation. President Obama is a President, not a monarch. Therefore he cannot do whatever he pleases. He is restrained by the governing law that entrusts his office with the powers that it does hold. Namely, our Constitution. A President, cannot do whatever he feels best in any situation. With this Libya situation, the President has received no Congressional approval and he has not made a good case to the American people as to why it is necessary. I would like to refute the use of the "War Powers Act" in this situation because to use it we must show that the introduction of the "United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances" was necessary. Basically, we have to be in a state where there is imminent danger to us in order to use The War Powers Act as legal precedence for military action. I don't see how a case could be made for that. Libya was no threat to us. From the President's speech last night it would seem that he was making the case that we are in danger of "guilt" for allowing this genocide to happen, and this is why we must intervene. To save ourselves from our guilt. For those who support the President in this action take a moment and think about the future. Any precedence set during this administration will be passed on to future administrations and it is unlikely that you will agree with all future Presidents. This is the importance of the checks and balance system. It keeps any one person, or group of people, from having too much power.

It would seem that we have become involved in this military action because it "feels right" or there is some belief in the "morality" of this situation. When it comes to law and how we interact with sovereign foreign states, we cannot allow ourselves to become entangled every time we feel bad for a people. This was a civil war, and like many civil wars the outcome was probably not going to be pretty. And I, as much as anyone else feels horrible for the people involved and wish them the best when it comes to wrestling their country from the hands of Muammar Gaddafi. However, I cannot support our military action there. Especially, if that military action is brought about by a decision from one person. Such power is not vested in any single office for a reason.

Can I tell you a secret?

2010-12-14T23:06:00.001-05:00

I have a secret. I've never told anyone this before.

Ready?

I want an amplifier so loud it lays waste to vast amounts of land. I want one so loud that the front row doesn't step back it gets pushed back. I want to see trees blown over. Those annoying neighbors who always complained about the volume...not only are they deaf but they have no ears left. I want to create my own scour basins and hurricanes. This is what I want. Who can provide it?

Making Music as I Get Older

2010-12-12T10:04:00.000-05:00

There's a terrible bias that the young have against the old. It's assumed that playing in bands and making music is just a phase that you'll grow out of when you "grow up". If you are dedicated to your craft and it really isn't a "phase" but part of who you are, then your music should get better as your get older. You gain more life experience to pull from. You'll have heard more music. There's no reason why the music you make at 40 isn't better than the music you make at 30 which should be better than the music you make at 20. It should follow your life curve.

I'm turning 30 this year and this is something I'm having to deal with. I ask myself "you're 30...why are you still playing music?" The answer...I don't think I cannot play music. I went for 3 years without playing and I wasn't the same. I didn't know who I was. I played poker a lot. I ate a lot. I felt lost. Then I picked it up and here I am. Making some of the best music I've ever made. When I'm turning 40 and still making awesome music I hope I can look back over the past decade of music and see how it's followed my life.

Let the ringing in my ear never stop.

Some Music for Your Enjoyment

2010-12-12T07:37:00.003-05:00

I've been thuroughly uninspired to write. So here's some music.

The Importance of Underground Music

2010-11-27T08:31:00.000-05:00

Mainstream music is stagnant and exists at the will of people who have no interest in music only in the interest of their bank accounts. This isn't always true, but I feel it's true for the majority of mainstream music out there. So, having said that, I don't feel its possible for mainstream artists to "push music forward". I don't think they have the freedom needed to do that. I feel that music, or any art for that matter, that moves forward isn't going to be accessable by the masses. It's not going to be pleasant to everyone. But that's the thing, it's not suppose to be. Art that is really forward thinking should make us question our accepted standards. Which is why most people don't like music/art that is really forward thinking. To a lot of people, art doesn't serve that purpose (the purpose of making them think). Most people just want filler. They want background noise. So, when some people say that some mainstream bands are pushing the medium forward, I politely disagree in most cases (again...not all). And I know this is just my opinion. But there it is...my opinion.

Now I'd like to give you some examples:

Sunn ())))

It's unsettling and most people will not be able to enjoy it. But their imagery and sound...it's unlike anything else.

Ex-Models

Not so unsettling. But it's pretty ugly.

Music Music Music

2010-11-15T09:12:00.002-05:00

My band, Popular Vultures, has been getting ready to start playing out in January. Our first show has been booked for January 8 at the County Grill (Yorktown). We are playing with our good friends Sicman. You should come out. There will be good beer and loud music.

Popular Vultures (myspace site)

I love Isis. I've seen them twice and the first time was arguably the best show I've ever seen. It was almost a spiritual experience, it was so good. I did some searching around YouTube and found this video. Enjoy.

I Ate a Ghost Pepper

2010-10-31T11:37:00.000-04:00

The Ghost Pepper was inducted into the Guiness Book of World Records in 2007 as the hottest pepper in the world. A guy at work grows them and gave me one. Due to their extreme heat, they are very hard to come by. So this was a special event. Now, I could have put it in a pot of chili or something like that. But no...I wanted to taste it by itself. Go check this video out.

http://blogofburn.blogspot.com

New Hot Sauce Stuff

2010-10-28T07:48:00.000-04:00

http://blogofburn.blogspot.com

Hey guys we've got some new stuff up on the Blog of Burn. A new video is up and an invite to be in a special Blog of Burn episode. So if you think you want to try the hottest pepper in the world let me know. We are filming tomorrow night.

Angry Man vs. Hungry Man

2010-10-14T11:03:00.000-04:00

I heard a saying the other day that got me thinking..."Don't fear the angry man. Fear the hungry man." With the upcoming elections there are a lot of angry people speaking out, but most people remain passive. Maybe this saying explains why most people do not involve themselves. Maybe, most people won't start to speak out until they become hungry. Now, hungry doesn't necessarily mean they don't have food. It could also mean that any of their day to day comforts are disturbed. Basically, the majority of the people will not become involved until you take away their cable, internet, or vehicles. What do you think? Any truth there?

I Want to Believe

2010-10-07T20:52:00.000-04:00

Have you ever heard the theory that the human race was started by aliens from another planet? Yea…there are people out there who believe this. But I'm not going to dispute this because I have no idea how we got here. But it did get me thinking. Here is my theory. Maybe the human WAS race was started by aliens. But instead of little green aliens, it was started by human aliens. What if the human race started on another planet just like this one? We then developed technology that could achieve interplanetary and hyperspace travel. But along with this great technology we destroyed our home planet because we couldn't halt progress to save our home. Then in an attempt to start over some very wise humans found another suitable home, the earth, and went to colonize it. Upon arriving they understood that the only way to keep this from happening again would be to have a strong interdependence on the planet. So they destroyed all traces of their advanced technology knowing that it would keep them from achieving this connection. They returned to living as primitive and agrarian as possible. We can look at our planet and see the harm we can do. Maybe, this trait is somehow inherent in our species. Maybe in another few hundred years we'll have to find another new home in hopes of doing better the ~~2nd~~ 3rd time.

Libro d'Amore: Bill Bryson "Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe"

2010-09-30T09:27:00.000-04:00

In my continual attempts to make myself a "reader" I'm starting a new series on Empty Pantry called "Libro d'Amore" (Book Love in Italian...because everything sounds better when said in Italian). In this new section I'm going to review books as I finish them. So welcome to Libro d'Amore's maiden voyage.

After discussing traveling to Vienna with my, compassionate and insightful, friend Katie; she understood that my soul longed to take me places my wallet could not afford. So instead of just feeling sorry for me she took action. She purchased me a travel book by Bill Bryson about his travels through Europe.

I started this book in early August while on vacation. Which, being as it is almost October, shows you how inconsistent my reading is. The book starts out with Bryson going North to Hammerfest. Hammerfest is the Northernmost town in Europe and he went in the middle of winter because he wanted to see the Northern Lights. And thus starts our journey with Mr. Bryson through Europe which takes us through Paris, Amsterdam, Gothenburg, Rome, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, among many others, and finally ending in Istanbul.

This book scratched a dangerous itch, as I have a dangerous internal desperation to travel. Bryson took me to many places I had never considered going before. Some of which I am still not likely to consider and others that have been added to the bucket-list.

The book was enjoyable enough. While I never felt bored with it, I rarely felt drawn to pick it up. But when I did it was rewarding. So I guess I give it 3 stars out of 5.

Next up:

If current trends continue see you late December.

Quieting the Static

2010-09-27T23:29:00.000-04:00

I heard someone on the radio talking about how it takes 3 days of being away from society and out in the wilderness for the static of our lives to quiet down. When I say static I mean the "did I pay my bills?", "I should go check facebook", "I need to write a blog", etc etc etc...basically the noise of our lives. He then said by day 10 you are completely aware of who you really are. You've pushed your body to it's limit. You've had nothing but time to think. You've returned to the most basic version of you.

Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis and Clark fame) killed himself a few years after returning from the famed expedition. No one knows why he did this. But the person on the radio hypothesized that Lewis changed in the wilderness. He had changed by no longer being able to discern himself from the native Americans he was making contact with. His skin was tan from spending so much time outside. He was wearing animal skin clothing. When he looked at himself and when he looked at the Native Americans, he stopped seeing a difference. The noise of his life had been snuffed out and that was all that was left. The effect was that when he came back to "society" he could no longer cope. He had changed too much, and he no longer belonged.

Now, I don't know if the radio host's hypothesis is true or not. But it seems like a possibility. At some point I want to take a trip where I can quiet the static. Where I can see myself without the noise of my life. I don't want to have to wait until retirement to do it. The noise gets louder the older I get. If I have to wait 20 more years to quiet it I'm afraid I'll go deaf.

-scott

(RED): helping fight AIDS

2010-09-23T08:36:00.000-04:00

My friend Amber has a blog called "My Aim is True". She has made a post where she will donate $1 (up to $50) for every comment left for her (RED) entry. (RED) is an organization that partners with other organizations to help raise money to fight AIDS. All you have to do is go to the link below, click her entry for this then comment. So what are you waiting for...get to commenting.

http://www.myaimistrue.com

Blair's Ultra Death Sauce and Music News

2010-09-21T10:40:00.000-04:00

So I bought the hottest sauce I've ever tried the other day. It's a little something called Blair's Ultra Death sauce. It's crazy hot. I wrote a review of it on the Blog of Burn the other day. Go check it out.

Blog of Burn

In other news I just picked up a copy of Johnny Cash's "American III: Solitary Man" for $8 at the bookstore. This album in the American series is special because Cash has Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers as his backing band...and he covers "I See a Darkness" by Will Oldham. He also has Oldham singing backing vocals on that song.

Also, my new band finally picked a name. When I say finally I mean we've been going back and forth for weeks trying to come up with something. So we decided on...are you ready for it?

Popular Vultures

...you may now breath.

New Episode on the Blog of Bun is Up

2010-09-12T20:34:00.000-04:00

We just posted a new episode for the Blog of Burn today. That's my other blog where my friend Dave and I sample and review hot sauces in funny yet thoughtful videos. It generally takes me and Dave about 4-5 hours from start to finish to get these up. You should check it out.

http://blogofburn.blogspot.com

School and Beer

2010-09-07T11:30:00.000-04:00

I'm currently enrolled in CS312 at ODU. For those of you not in the CS department, the class is an "Internet Concepts" class. My first project for the class is to make a blog. Well...I have 2. So this one gets to be my project for the semester. Which means I have to update it regularly...which I've been pretty good about. So expect my continued dedication to bring you a blog of all things Scott.

Now that that is out of the way, lets move on to a more interesting topic...BEER. I like beer. Almost all beer. The watered down cheap stuff to the great microbrews I've tried, almost all of it has been wonderful. When I say almost there is one category that has eluded me. This type of beer has always sent me away asking for something different. What is the bitter biting beverage? IPA's. IPA stands for Indian Pale Ale and it comes from a style of beer that has a lot of hops so that the beer would keep while being shipped from India. Thus the name. IPA's are characterized by a sharp, crisp taste up front and a bitter bite on the way down. It's the bitterness that has always kept me away.

However, I feel I need to conquer this bitter beast because there are so many great ones being made. It seems like every time I talk to someone about beer I am being told that I need to try some IPA or another. I feel like I'm missing out.

So a few weeks ago I decided to give the IPA world a good try. I started out with Pyramid's "Thunderhead IPA". The taste was pleasant but due to the bitterness afterwards, it was a sipper. Now, when looking into the world of IPA's the name that keeps coming up is Dogfish Head "90 Minute IPA". So the other night at the bar I frequent they had 90 Minute on tap, so I decided to order a pint. It was more enjoyable than the Thunderhead. I would definitely order it again...and probably will next time I'm there. I still wouldn't say I love IPA's, but I've made steps towards appreciating them and can now at least enjoy one.

Cheers and I don't necessarily recommend mixing the two things this post is about.

Higher Education: what does it mean?

2010-09-03T08:12:00.000-04:00

In recent months I've noticed that University life is often visually represented by sports. Namely football games. This has started to bother me because it makes me ask the question, "is this how America is starting to look at getting a higher education? As a mere excuse to go to a sporting event?"

Universities started out in ancient Greece. The students at many of these Universities would study philosophy. Namely certain writings of Plato that we call the Socratic Dialogues. In these writings Plato wrote down "conversations" Socrates would have with people where he would question things they thought they knew to the point of them realizing that they really don't know as much as they thought they did. This is a Readers Digest explanation but seriously, the thought process in many of these dialogues is amazing to read through. So, you take something that started out with people analyzing texts that were designed to make us question the world around us and think very hard about what we are presented with as "fact" and "reality". Then you fast forward to today and we are told that University life is nothing more than parties and sporting events. Or, if nothing else, just a way to get paid more. It seems very sad to me. It seems that a deeper meaning has been lost.

In my experience I've found that the University experience is still a life examining, thought provoking, and mentally challenging experience. But society seems to want to change that. The process I just described is a difficult one. It's a sleep deprived, hard working, self "checking" life that is often uncomfortable. So maybe the reason society depicts higher education the way it does is to make it seem easy. Going to a football game is much easier than studying for hours, not to pass a test, but to gain knowledge about something you are interested in. Passing the test is a reward for your thirst for knowledge. The world says "Go to college. The foot ball games are awesome parties. And if you aren't into that whole partying thing well at least you can get paid more when you are done." Sure College will be this for many people. But if that's all it is to you, you will graduate having short changed yourself so drastically that the experience will have hardly been worth it. And the worse part is you won't even have learned enough to realize that.

Party on Wayne.
Party on Garth.

New Music Announcement

2010-08-26T09:35:00.000-04:00

I love music. I love all kinds of music. The band that I've been working on since last December, Moving Giants, filled a certain need that I had. However, I still have so many other types of music I want to play and Moving Giants isn't meant to fill all those needs. So the three guys from Moving Giants have hooked up with our friend John Dixon and started writing new music. We practiced twice and written four songs. The music is going to be a mix of indie blues and alt country. If you mixed up The Black Keys, Springsteen, and the Replacements then you'll be somewhere in the ball park. We are all excited about how quickly the writing is coming. Our goal is to get an hour and a half long set written and start playing out. The only problem is we have no name yet and are having trouble coming up with a name. Oh yea...and we are going to need to find a singer. But that process will begin shortly.

Moving Giants is still a band and if you want a loud noisy band to play somewhere we'd be happy to fill the need.

New Hot Sauce Review

2010-08-22T07:47:00.000-04:00

Go check out my Hot Sauce review video blog. We just put up this months posting. I hope you enjoy it. I'd really appreciate it if you'd subscribe to that one as well as the Empty Pantry.

Blog of Burn

Free Will vs. Divine Foreknowledge

2010-08-14T09:27:00.000-04:00

I've had this discussion so many times in the last few months that I've ~~hesitated~~ refused to post it here. But here goes.

The word choice means "an act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities" (oxford). The important part is "2 or more possibilities". If God knows what we are going to choose then is that really a choice? Many people say that just because God knows what you are going to choose doesn't mean that you don't have a choice. I would disagree. If God knows what we are going to choose then wouldn't we only have 1 option? And for something to be a choice you have to have 2 or more possibilities. I know that the immediate reaction is that this steps all over the definition of "omniscient". But maybe it doesn't. Maybe God really does know all our choices in perfect detail and we really don't have any. Now this doesn't mean that God necessarily had a hand in deciding our paths. Maybe things just are a certain way. That would keep the "omniscient" title in tact.

Another possibility for God "omniscient" label to remain true would be to look at the definition of "omniscient"..."knowing everything." (oxford) I'd like to put a little tag on this. Let's be more specific and re-define it as "knowing everything that is knowable". What if God sees the future as a realm of possibility that is greatly limited by our past decisions and is also limited by everyone else's realm of possibilities? God knows the past in perfect detail. God also knows the present in perfect detail. God also perfectly knows all of us. All these factors combine to limit each person's "realm of possibilities" as God may see it.

Let me refute some common arguments about this.

1. I know this goes completely against traditional Christian teaching so quoting scripture to me won't help. I didn't come up with this question through some deep study of scripture. I'm simply asking questions.

2. "What about prophesy? That stuff came out to be true. If God doesn't know the future then how could that work?" It works because God is also omnipotent, meaning He is all-powerful and He also has free-will. Even I can say that next week on Wednesday at 12:10pm I am going to 7-11 to buy a slurpee. That doesn't infringe on anyone else's freewill...and I am definitely not God.

3. "Just because God knows what you are going to choose doesn't mean you don't have a choice." I would disagree. If God knows what I am going to choose then I have no ability to choose something different. Which, I would say, means I have no choice.

Ok...here it is. My "big" theological problem that I have been turning around in my head for months. I always said I'd never post this, but here goes. I'd like to conclude with a few thoughts...I do not know the answer to this question. I am asking these questions because I feel they are valid questions. But in reality they may not even be the right questions. "I know nothing except that I know nothing." When I die, if I find the answer, I may not even be in the ball park with the actual truth. But that doesn't mean that I shouldn't ask. If you don't ask then you don't get an answer. So I look forward to your responses.

If your responses are rude I will delete them. I am not posting this to get some ridiculous argument started. Nor am I posting this to attack anyone. I am posting this because I am searching for insight that I don't have, which I am hoping you may have.

So...thoughts?

First Attempt: French Bread

2010-08-13T07:17:00.000-04:00

After watching a few episodes of Andrew Zimmerman and Anthony Bourdain, I decided to make French bread last night. It was my first venture into "from scratch" baking. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com and followed the instructions as closely as possible. I was mostly happy with the outcome. I'd probably give it a 3 out of 5 stars. Next time I'm going to add a little more salt and cook it for about 5 minutes less. I'll probably give it another go sometime soon. I was really enjoyable releasing my inner baker. I'd also like to try Italian bread sometime soon as well.

My Review: The Catcher in the Rye

2010-08-10T07:39:00.000-04:00

I finished Catcher about a week ago and have been sitting on it letting my mind wander over it again...and again...and again. I loved it. But I didn't know that I loved it until i had finished it. I know this book was published a long time ago but I'll say it anyways...SPOILER ALERT!

Here are my thoughts.

Holden was one of the most divisive characters I have ever experienced. Through the first 3/5 of the book I was going back and forth between feeling sorry for him and wishing someone would put him in his place.

But I loved how nonchalantly Salinger fills you in on some of the horrible things that happened to Holden. Things such as, seeing the kid kill himself at school. Also, how a lot of men have tried to get "friendly" with him. Not to mention the death of his younger brother. These things would have been very damaging, but they are brought up in much the same way a 17 year old kid would deal with them. By burying their feelings and not dealing with them. I think these moments are the biggest insight into why Holden is the way he is (cynical and disenfranchised are understatements).

There is plenty of cursing throughout the book. However, I noticed that there was no "f-bomb" being dropped. Then towards the end Holden started seeing "F#@k You" written everywhere as a way to raising the tension and to show his deepening depression. When this started happening I just wanted to save Holden...I wanted to run in, grab him and take him somewhere safe and happy. It was amazingly effective.

Finally...the (almost) ending scene where he is watching his sister on the Merry Go Round...was one of the most beautiful scenes. I don't think it could be captured on film. It was like this beautiful Sun shining through the darkness of the rest of the book.

So yes, I highly recommend it. I'm not sure how I would have felt about this book in High School, but as a quasi-adult it was awesome.

Currently I'm reading Bill Bryson's "Neither Here Nor There: travels in europe". I'll let you know what I think.

Books

2010-07-26T07:38:00.001-04:00

About 5 months ago I started a journey that would last much longer than I ever thought or hoped it would. I started reading Karen Armstrong's "The Case for God". It's an abbreviated history of man's belief in God and how it has changed over time. Overall the book was interesting but it did seem that Karen (I feel that I can call her that after reading this) can sometimes write a bit long...thus why it took me 5 months to finish it. I wanted to read this book after hearing Karen on an NPR show. She was very well spoken and what she had to say sucked me in. She is an ex-nun who left the nunnery after she "didn't find God there". After leaving she went on a search to find God. Whether she found Him/Her/It (depending on your persuasion) we'll never know...well...maybe never know. Anyways, if you have an interest in this kind of thing you may enjoy it.

I always feel a sense of accomplishment when I finish a book because, obviously, I'm no speed reader. However, I do love books. I love that they aren't quick and they aren't easy. It's something you have to take time for.

So what's next on my reading list? J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye". It seems that I'm the only person who didn't have to read this in High School so it's time to get on board and see why this book it so loved.

Hot Sauce Blog

2010-07-11T08:34:00.003-04:00

My friend Dave and I have started a monthly Hot Sauce blog. You should check it out.

http://blogofburn.blogspot.com

See you soon.

-scott

Let There Be Noise

2010-06-22T07:10:00.001-04:00

We all react to the aspects of every day life in different ways. I react by playing loud noise music. My band Moving Giants just posted four new songs last night. Go check it out and let us know what you think

Let There Be Noise

God Either Is or Isn't

2010-06-17T07:16:00.001-04:00

When discussing God the conversation normally and quickly turns to theology. I would like to avoid theology and have an discussion that is outside the confines of theology. Here is my theorem I would like to discuss (and it's really someone else's theorem that just made sense to me): Either God necessarily exists and exists regardless of the belief of people. Or God does not exist and cannot exist in any circumstance regardless of what people believe. Now…I'm not going to arrive on one side or the other of this idea. I'm just trying to clear this up because I've had conversations with people who thought that God could only exist if people believed in Him/Her (remember...I'm not addressing specific theology).

In addressing that particular idea, if God only exists when people believe in Him/Her then is that really something worthy of being called God? Are you going to admire/worship/ponder (whatever you do) something that, if you simply stop believing in It, then It ceases to exist? Doesn't that put the existence of God on less stable plain than that of humans? The problems that this view causes are immense. So it seems pretty obvious that if God exists then He/She exists regardless of our beliefs. Much the same as you or I still exist even if no one believes we do. If I kidnap you (which I'm not going to do) and drop you off in the middle of the Jungle and everyone on the planet thinks you are dead…are you dead? If you were born in the middle of nowhere and everyone in your family dies except for you…no one knows you exist…do you exist? Yes. So, if God exists He/She also exists regardless of what people believe.

Now…the same argument can be made for God not existing. If God does not exist then no amount of belief or faith can bring about existence. I can believe, all I want, that a rock is going to sprout legs and walk across my room. I can even convince others that this is going to happen. But is that rock going to sprout legs and walk across the room…No. It seems absurd to think just because we believe in something…that something is automatically true.

Whether God exists or not is something that you are going to have to decide for yourself in so much as your relationship and interaction. But know that you could possibly be wrong and if you are wrong no amount of faith will cause your belief to manifest into reality. Also, if you think that God only exists if people believe that He/She does…then is that something worthy of being called God? Is a state of existence based on the belief of people really existence? I would say no on both parts.

The Discontent of a Lazy Mind

2010-05-15T08:52:00.001-04:00

So this may seem crazy, but I'm going crazy not being in class. There is something about being challenged and stressed that, in spite of my complaining while it's currently happening, really keeps me going. My finals were over about 2 weeks ago and I thought Summer semester was starting last Monday. So I got down to Norfolk and was sitting in front of the classroom but no one else was around. I finally started thinking that something was wrong. I rechecked the schedule and saw that they start this Monday. This week I've felt antsy and edgy because I wasn't in that environment that pushes me to learn. I know it may seem crazy. If I had read this when I was 19 I would have thought I was crazy. So, I'm really glad to have new classes start on Monday.

In High School I took one year of Spanish...twice. Meaning that I never got my foreign language credit. So Monday I start learning French. As I've gotten older knowing other languages and cultures has become very important to me and I chose French...well...basically because I have a built in Teacher. Jess took 5 years of French in High School and I thought it would be fun to have someone around the ~~house~~ apartment to discourse with. I'm hoping it's something I enjoy. If it is I'll probably end up buying the Rosetta Stone series to continue learning after my two semesters of French at ODU are done. I've heard good things about those.

In other school related news, I went and observed a High School History class. And after much thought and consideration I've decided that it was not something I wanted to pursue. So what now do I major in? Answer...I've kept my major in Computer Science. I thought teaching was something that seemed ok and that I might have an ok time with it. But I'm not sure that is a good approach to have when trying to "enlighten" young minds. I think it should be more of an immediate connection with the job...and I just didn't have that..for History anyways. But the whole reason I was looking into to teaching History was because I love the Humanities (english, history, political science, philosophy). I still think its important that I don't just approach my time at ODU as something to get me a better job. So I went looking for a minor that would suit me. I really enjoy my Philosophy class, so I concidered minoring in that. Then I stumbled on an interdisciplinary study called "American Studies". It combines History, English, and Political Science to try and answer the questions "What is America?", "Is ther still an American Dream?" and "How do American history and culture interact?" So there you have it...tough decisions made. And for what it's worth I had a wonderful Professor, Professor Olariu, for my Discrete Structures class and he was able to re-frame the way that I look at the study of Computer Science in a way that clicked with who I am. So in staying with Comp Sci and I feel better in that 1. I made a decision on what to major in and 2. I'm majoring in something that, now, has interest for me.

Now...The Replacements...

2010-04-26T13:09:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, in order to keep the peace, decisions are made.

Something I am Involved In: Dear Tea Party People

2010-04-16T01:01:00.002-04:00

Dear Tea Party People,

I have to write you a letter of concern at this point. You see, I have heard many of you talk a lot about fiscal responsibility, limited government and original-intent constitutionalism. But I have a few questions:

1. (and most importantly) Where were you guys for the 8 years that George Bush and the Republicans were in office? Those dudes spent a ton of money on big government stuff (see No Child Left behind), passed big government legislation (see The Patriot Act), encroached on our personal rights (see The Patriot Act again), expanded the reach of government and government run programs (see Medicare and once again The Patriot Act), and did things that were completely outside the confines of original-intent Constitutional interpretation (see...dare I say it...both Wars. Since Article 1 Section 8 Line 11ish says Congress not the President has the power to declare war and Congress does not have the power to give The President the power to declare it. Go read up on some Jefferson to see what he thought about the power of one man to send a nation to war.). Why was there no Tea Party for this?

2. Why did most of you mock and scorn us for voting for Ron Paul only to start preaching his message a few months later?

3. (ok...it's just me re-stating #1) Why is it only now that a Democrat is in office that these things became important to you?

I bring these up out of concern that you may have not thoroughly vetted your cause. Sometimes you seem a little disingenuous. And until these critical points are addressed, with some seriousness, it is going to be hard for me to take you seriously. Also, a little civility would go a long way. If you believe so much in the ideas of the founding fathers, it may do you a little good to study their style of debating and discourse. It might actually get you some new followers. Well, that's all for now. Good night and good luck.

-scott

What Happened?

2010-04-16T00:31:00.004-04:00

I removed my original "What Happened?" post because I realized that I'm not really involved enough to make such grandiose statements. I may or may not be right...but since not actively in it...I'm not going to start point fingers. Because even if it is true...who am I?

Rites of Spring

2010-04-10T14:33:00.004-04:00

Good morning all. As the chill of winter is blowing away we are left with the hopes of the spring weather that is come. In celebration of this I present Rites of Spring...

5 Coolest Looking Rockers: the Scott list

2010-03-26T08:42:00.000-04:00

For a break from my normally heavier topics, I wanted to make a list of rockers that I think looking friggin' awesome. My criteria for looking awesome is...well...whatever I look at and go "man that looks awesome." So in order, here they are:
5. Buzz Osborne from The Melvins

4. Mark Arm from Mudhoney

3. Kim Thayil from Soundgarden

(yes a pic of kim and buzz...double score)

2. J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr.

1. Who else...Hendrix

Who Owns it?

2010-02-28T07:23:00.003-05:00

It was asked to me by a professor "is beauty in the eye of the beholder or is it in the object being beheld?" My answer, after taking a moment to think it through, was "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Because it is right? Just because one person sees no value in something doesn't mean that no one else find value in it?

I think that most people in our society will answer this question the same way. It's a saying that we are brought up with. We also have some take off's of it like "one man's trash is another man's treasure". We use it in all kinds of situations. If you have a friend who is dating someone you do not think is attractive, you may use a saying like this. If you see an unattractive person on television, you may use a saying like this. This idea that things can have value to one and not another is something that I had never questioned before. But there's a problem with this thought process. The problem is that by ascribing to this ideal you take away any intrinsic value the person/object has irregardless of what others think. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" means that if no one finds the person/object valuable then it has no value. See how that gets you into all kinds of conflicts of conscious.

This idea that our society holds on to leads to a lot of issues. It leads to people feeling isolated and alone. It leads people to have eating disorders so that they can fit a certain irrational body image. It leads to suicide and homicide. All this because people look at themselves and, since no one else sees value in them, they see no value in themselves.

So in summation, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" = bad stuff. "Beauty is in the object being beheld" = the object having a sense of self worth no matter how the culture around it sees it.

Annoucement: kind of

2010-02-24T09:29:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago I made an entry about the importance of the journey and how, sometimes, it's better to take the road that leads you through your passions, even if you don't know the outcome. That entry was my mindset when I made the decision to change majors. I was previously enrolled as a Computer Science major. However, as I've gone through those classes I've quickly come to realize that I don't really have much interest in that area. When I would talk to people who are in other areas of study, the classes that I always wished I were taking were the Humanities classes. So I've changed my major to...*drum roll*...a BA of History/Social Science.

As a Comp Sci major I was pretty sure where I would end up. You know there are jobs waiting for you and that those jobs will pay you well. I finally was at the point a few weeks ago where I was really honest with myself and admitted the only reason I was doing Comp Sci was for the money. I knew that it would pay well and that was the only reason I was doing it. I decided a long time ago, that making major life decisions based on financial gain will not lead you, or at least it won't me, to happiness.

So the big question that I am going to be asked about a million times is "what are you going to do after school?" And the answer is...be a drifter. Yup...Jess and I will sell all our worldly possessions to buy a used, environmentally friendly, RV and hit the road for a life time of adventure.

Not really. What I really plan on doing is keeping my GPA up above a 3.33 and getting accepted into ODU's accelerated Graduate program and get my MA in History a year after I get my BA. Oh...I forgot to mention...my new BA in Hist/Soc Sci gets me licensed to teach on a secondary level. So once I finish with my BA and my MA I'll probably go teach High School History for a few years. Before trying to move on to a Museum or to teaching at a Community College. Eventually, I'd like to get hired on by a University somewhere that will put me through my PhD program while I teach there. But that's a while away. Right now I'm happy that starting next semester I'll be entrenched in something that I am already entrenched in. I'm also nervous because while I have a plan, the light at the end of this tunnel is much less defined than it was for my Comp Sci track. But I'm going to trust that this decision is the right one and in the end it will work out. If not...there's always selling all our worldly possessions, buying a used, environmentally friendly, RV and hitting the road for a life time of adventures.

Is there a point?

2010-02-21T15:23:00.001-05:00

God, according to the definition I’ve heard throughout most of my life, is omnipotent (all powerful), omnipresent (all present), and omniscient (all knowing). If this is the case then God knows the outcome of all situations at all times. So why do we pray?

Many people pray in a way that treats God like a sort of cosmic Santa Clause. They only do it when they want or need something. But they rarely, if ever, approach God in a truth seeking, communing way. For instance someone may see that their neighbor gets a new car and they start to notice their 5 year old automobile isn’t looking as pretty as it did five years, so they start to pray that they will get a new car. In this case they are attempting to use God for personal gain. So is this why we pray, simply to gain material possessions? I have a hard time seeing a God that fits our original definition as being someone’s cosmic sugar daddy (or sugar momma if you prefer).

What about people who pray for the sick to be healed? This seems like a more noble cause than the previously mentioned one. But if God already knows the outcome of all situations is there a point? God, by definition, knows when and where we will all die and death is something that is common to all of us. So even if the prayers are answered isn’t it really just delaying the inevitable? And if this is the case did things really change?

So why should we pray? Is possible that prayer doesn’t change God nor does it change the future. It also does not get us more objects so that we can keep up with the Jones’s. Maybe it’s possible that what prayer is changing, is us. Through honest prayer we feel a connection with the eternal. Then through that connection we can find comfort, enlightenment, wisdom, love, and so many of the other by-products that are discovered through a connection with the divine. And then, just maybe, these things will fill that need for new stuff so that we no longer want to pray to God for more material possessions. But instead we will pray because we are aware that the change that occurs is good.

The Emoting of Music

2010-02-16T23:28:00.002-05:00

Sometimes when I listen to music I become an emotional "it". I feel a million things at once. I feel part of something bigger. Like suddenly I become complete. Whole. I am able to feel all the things I normally cannot. I am simultaneously lustful and repenting, cursing and praying, elevated and weighted down. A giant unfocused "it" that senses things in all directions at once. A kind of emotional anarchy. It's a nice place.

The Sterility of Modern Day Faith

2010-02-14T21:44:00.003-05:00

When did faith become so pragmatic? Faith deals with God. And God in turns deals with our spirits. Therefore, faith is a spiritual pursuit. Why then do so many faithful approach their faith in such a non-spiritual way? They accept their faith as truth without ever searching and questioning and really trying to find their own spirituality. They pray little. They meditate little. They search little. And they ask little. All of these are spiritual paths that people ignore or even worse, mechanize. Well, you may ask, how can you mechanize prayer? The answer is simple. Praying in a way that reassures you that you are right and that you have the divine figured out and by not praying in a way where you are open for change.

But the problem goes beyond that. I think the problem comes down to our society's view on...well...just about everything. Our society is based on a fast paced, goal oriented life. Where 40 hours a week at work is no longer enough if you want to get ahead. This environment does not easily breed people who are interested in pursuing a spiritual life; which takes time, patience, and dedication to cultivate. One of the major culprits is that many of us are told what to believe growing up and that that belief system is the only truth out there. So there is no need to even search. The path of a spiritual faith, based in spiritual pursuits is cut out at the beginning. Another problem is that we are so comfortable in our society. Many of us have no real needs that we can't provide for ourselves. Therefore, we have no need to have faith in anything other than our paychecks. Which means, we have no need for any kind of day to day spirituality.

We approach our faith like we approach our science. People treat God, like God is gravity. Here's what it looks like: oh yea God, He's there. Yea I know what he does and what he looks like. Yup...time to go to work. Science is for our heads, God is for our hearts. And approaching God from such a sterile, non-spiritual point of view will only yield the same.

As I said earlier pursuing an honest spiritual faith takes time, patience, and dedication to cultivate, so maybe a good first step is to simply be still.

The Destination or The Journey

2010-02-10T07:17:00.002-05:00

Do you look at life as a journey or a destination? I feel we are pushed to look at life as a destination starting in elementary school. We are suppose to know what we want to do when we grow up then we are suppose to go to college to get there. Already the experience of college is just a means to an end and not an end. Lately, I've been looking at life as journey. The process is as important if not more important than the outcome. What do you think?

Nihilism...is it really possible?

2010-02-03T07:28:00.003-05:00

Ok. So I've decided to try this blog thing again. But it's going to be a little different. I'm going to be posting thoughts, once a week. This week's thoughts were inspired by my watching of the Cohen's "The Big Lebowski".

Nihilism is defined by my computers dictionary as:

nihilism |ˈnīəˌlizəm; ˈnē-|
noun
the rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless.

or as defined by most people...the belief in nothing.

So the question is that if you tell people you are a nihilist is it possible to even be one? Here's the thought process...since Nihilism is the belief in nothing, wouldn't the act of telling people you are a Nihilist mean that you believe that by telling them you may have them think about nihilism or refuting their own beliefs and embracing the belief in nothing? Therefore you don't really believe in nothing. You actually believe in telling people you believe in nothing. Which in an of itself is something. What are your thoughts?

pics

2009-12-27T08:45:00.001-05:00

The Music Lives On

2009-12-22T07:29:00.004-05:00

Passage does not equate to good. We need good. We need smart.

VIDEO TIME:

(because it's worth revisiting)

I'm Back on the Wagon Again

2009-09-28T07:13:00.002-04:00

For a guy who has been big most of his life, 28 years to be exact, bad habits become ingrained. They seep into your essence and take refuge in your moments of weaknesses. Essentially, eating bad becomes an addiction. You see a Mc D's and you want it. Even if you aren't hungry. Then all it takes is to rationalize why eating it this one time won't hurt. Then you are trapped. Your stoked about getting your favorite yummy goodness. Then it's followed by the euphoria then the guilt. I'm being very honest because it's time that I have to be. I'm almost 30. I've been on the health food wagon, then off, then on, then off. I even lost a bunch of weight about 3 years ago...before gaining about half of it back. So a few weeks ago I started the process of trying to correct my life. Only to fail again when Baydays came around...because...well...fried seafood is good seafood. Right? Right. Well progress made, then train derailed, is no reason to not get back on the track. So today I'm going to start again. The general plan is 1800 cals/day plus about a gallon of water a day plus regular exersise.. That's what I did last time. So I know it works. I know that this is not the answer alone. I have to work had to instill healthy eating into my life. The 1800 cals/day is to loose the weight initially. But then it takes the installation of good habits during the process to keep it off later. So today...healthy Scott cometh (hopefully).

Now here's the vid of the day from a band called Cymbals Eat Guitar.

A Post Craft Show Mentality / The Walkmen / Lord Bowler / M83

2009-09-27T09:59:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I was involved with my first craft show. I was playing the proverbial "Goose" to Jessie's "Maverick". Only without a sad ending. We participated in a craft show in the parking lot of Chili's on Jefferson and everyone was very pleasant. I enjoyed myself thoroughly, the only thing I'd like to do differently is have some kind of planned out playlist to enjoy next time. But since that was really a Jessie thing and I was just lucky enough to be involved the playlist would be put together by her. Lots of people were enthused about her headbands. I wish more people, like Loraine and Matt, saw the genius in her fabric boxes. So the morning after, having gone to bed at 9:30 last night, I would definitely do it again and look forward to doing it again in the near future. Now time for the vids.

This is The Walkmen. I blogged about their album "Me & You" a few months ago.

This is a local band ,Lord Bowler, that my friend Matt is in. They are local, and they are good. Which means you/I have no reason to not check them out on Oct 24 at the Boot in Norfolk when they play with Seasons Collide and Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie.

This is M83. I know nothing about them other than the singer seems to be French and I like them.

Beard-toberfest 09..and vids

2009-09-23T12:46:00.005-04:00

With the never gone soon enough passing of summer and the never here soon enough entrance of Fall we usher in the start of "BEARD-TOBERFEST 2009". Where young men (and a few women) rush to protect their baby soft skin from the encroaching cold. Yes my friends in a month people all across the nation will be less recognizable. So I wish you good luck in your growth, and may be the Head & Shoulders (insert trademark thingy here) be with you.

So below I have some wonderful new clips for you today. The first one is a new band that I've recently gotten into called Yeasayer. It's a wonderful mixture of world music and the alt country sound that is sweeping the underground currently. I greatly enjoy them and recommend their album.

I follow their wonderfully enjoyable song with something that is more challenging. A band called Ex Models. I've been into them for a while and have gotten to see them live once. You should listen to the whole song and try and stretch yourself to see what they are doing.
*STRIKE THAT. I COULDN'T FIND A VIDEO THAT REALLY CAPTURED THEM*

So instead I'll leave you with Medications. Great band from DC that I got to see at a time when I couldn't really appreciate them.

Woah...Here's a Life Update

2009-08-29T10:51:00.005-04:00

The looming giant of my furthering education is encroaching quickly on my previously laid back life. My tenure at ODU starts on Monday and I am ready. Last week I recieved all my books and my new...*drum roll*...13" MacBook Pro (thank you student loans). Which I am typing this blog on. I highly recommend them. After high school I was no where near motivated enough to do well in college. I floundered around TNCC for a few years before dropping out because I got a full time job. Well 8 years later, full time jobs aren't fun and I prefer being a student. So now I have a part time job, and I am a full time student.

Last night ended my summer of playing music. For the past two months I've spent a lot of time practicing and playing gigs with Mark Smilor & The Long Way Down. We played somewhere every week this month and we've had a good time. But, barring one more accoustic event with Mark and myself in 2 weeks, I'll be moving on. It's been a good time and there are different reasons for the move but we've had fun while it lasted and there are no hard feelings.

While on the subject of music I bought these. I went jammed with some people last week and I think my next musical endeavor will see me on a new instrument. I've played drums since I was 15 or 16. But I've never owned a kit and, other than a church setting, I've never been the "drummer" for a band. So I'm hoping that the next few months will find me playing a bit louder, and returning to the music that I love...indie rock. I'm excited about what's going to happen next in my musical life. I'll keep you updated.

Finally, (before the obligatory music video) I have some really long stretches in between some classes. Which I'm hoping that leads me to post here more. So, without further ado I give you Burning Airlines...

What's been going on?

2009-07-24T07:53:00.002-04:00

So I've been gone for a while. I hope that Jess' updates have been sufficient as I have been slacker boy when it comes to my blog. So here's an update. Aren't you excited?

1. I am no longer a full time employee. When we got back from MN I finished almost 7 years of working full time so that I can enjoy some summer time before I head back to school at the end of August. It's been great so far. Lots of time at the pool. I actually have some sort of a tan.

2. Class starts next month. ODU classes start August 28th (I think) and I'm getting ~~excited~~ nervous about it. Here's what I'm taking:
1) Computers In Society
2) Introduction to Visual Arts
3) Problem Solving & Programming I
4) Introduction to Probability and Statistics

3. Tonight is my first gig with Mark Smilor & The Long Way Down. If you aren't busy come check us out tonight at Aromas in Williamsburg. Show starts at 8pm. I will give this disclaimer...we have no drummer tonight. So it's going to be an acoustic show. But all the other shows after this one will have a full band.

4. I was on FM radio. I have to put the FM disclaimer because in High School I was on a local AM station a few times. It was fun and we were invited back. Unfortunately it aired last Sunday. But if you are interested you can go to here.

5. My awesome wife...who seems to become more awesome by the day, has started her own business. You can check it out here. It's been awesome to see her really get into this.

6. Music News: When I was in High School, before I could drive, I'd be stuck at church on Wednesday night after youth group waiting for my dad to finish choir practice. Well at some point a drum set ended up in the youth room. And thusly I started messing around on the drums. I've continued to mess around on them whenever I've had the chance. So now I'm tired of only being able to play when I can get someone else's kit so I'm buying my first drum set in the next few months. Other reasons: 1) There's too many guitar players in the area an not enough drummers. The ratio has to be like 100:2.5. 2) It's really just another way for me to play music. The approach is completely different from guitar. So I'm looking forward to it. But the neighbors aren't.

7. Enjoy this video:

Your Thoughts On My Thoughts?

2009-07-04T01:33:00.002-04:00

I was thinking the other day about life and that we are all in going through the process. The process of becoming. Because of today you are not exactly the same as yesterday. Today you experienced something that you have never experienced before. It may have been very minuscule in the grand scheme of your life, but still you experienced it. If nothing else you experienced 07/03/09 and you will never experience it again. I believe that every new experience and idea helps you in the process of becoming. So in summation...

We are all in the process of becoming the person we are going to be the moment we die.

Thoughts?

Songs That Are Too Good For Radio

2009-06-19T17:41:00.004-04:00

Since I talked about songs that I would pay money to never hear on the radio again last time. I figure it's time for some songs that are too good for radio. (I don't know why I feel the need to make this disclaimer as we are all adults who live in the real world. But there is a very small amount of cursing in the Man Man video and if you are offended by such things then don't watch it. )

1. Bonnie Prince Billy- Gulf Shores
Sorry for lack of video. This is the better of the 2 on youtube.

2. Calexico- Two Silver Trees

3. Man Man- Engwish Bwudd

4. ...and You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead- Another Morning Stoner

5. Slint- Nosferatu Man

Well...what did you think?

Stop The Madness!!!

2009-06-11T21:53:00.002-04:00

The person who sits next to me at work listens to a certain radio station all day long. I don't know which one it is, but if you email Satan tomorrow and and ask which local station he owns, it's probably that one. The problem with this radio station is that there are a few songs that get played over and over and over and over and over...etc...etc...etc. I am at the point where I would pay money to never hear the following songs again. Here are the songs...

1. The Fray- You Found Me
When I first heard the song at WEC, I thought this isn't so bad. But 1159 listenings later my opinion has changed.
2. Lady Gaga- Just Dance
I like the Lady of Ga. But this song now makes me want to run.
3. All American Reject- Gives You Hell
See Below.
4. Kelly Clarkson- My Life Would Suck Without You
Kelly...you were so cool before. Now...song titles like this...make me not like you.
5. Pink- Sober
Nothing funny to say...just don't play it again.

I would like to bring your attention to the All American Rejects song "Gives You Hell". This song is terrible. The singer somehow managed to find a vocal frequency that cuts right through the wall of my cubicle and then through my own enjoyable radio programing, forcing my attention onto this obnoxious anthem. This the worst song of 2009. It's so bad that I've tried to not write about it so as to not bring the song anymore attention in hopes that it will go away sooner. But alas, my last nerve has been plucked.

Honorable mention- While this song is not played on the aforementioned radio station it is bad. And it makes me cringe whenever I hear it. Eminem's "We Made You" is a song about relationships that he wants to end/slash picking on famous people. Either way the most of the relationships are over or the famous people are no long in the public spot light. This is probably the second worse song of 2009.

What songs do you wish would go away?

Music News Vol. 2

2009-05-25T00:05:00.003-04:00

1. Found out today that Mark Smilor has been booked for 2 dates at the Aroma's in Newport News and 2 dates at the Aroma's in Williamsburg. This is important because Mark is one of the few original Americana singer/song writers in the area and I'll be playing guitar with him. Good stuff right there. I'm excited and have two different sets to learn.

2. This is pretty awesome and I would like one.

3. These videos is awesome.

(I didn't set out to post 2 videos by the same band...but I can't not post this 2nd one after seeing it. Note: I don't necessarily promote violence and setting fires in high occupancy buildings.)

(these guys were not around long enough)

4. I saw Bonnie "Prince" Billy last night at the Birchmere in Alexandria. In my life I've probably (realistically) seen at least 200 bands live. Before last night there were two shows that I have seen that left me awestruck. Isis on their Panopticon tour and Sonic Youth on their Sonic Nurse tour. Last night added a new show to that list. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if he had played "Gulf Shores". It was so good even Jess really liked it.

Ooops...Did I Just Threaten You?

2009-05-21T22:34:00.002-04:00

Tonight I was sitting around being frustrated over numerous attempts at getting some songs into the correct format when...what is this...a knock at my door? I was confused. I was a little scared. So I get up and look through the peep hole. There is a strange woman outside. Not an old lady. But one about my age. I'm nervous. Do I open? Do I not? What if she's hurt? She doesn't look hurt. But I open. She asks if we are a military couple? (At this time, for reason of full disclosure I have to admit that I have had some beer this evening. But not enough that I would have to apologize to anyone about it.) I say no...no we aren't a military couple. She then says she is doing marketing assessments for couples age 19-30. Which we are. But I say we aren't interested. Thinking that, it's almost 10:30...gimme a break. I want to finish with this music stuff then go to bed. So she asks..."is it that this is just a bad time?" And "can she come back tomorrow evening?" WHAT?!?! WHAT?!?! This is where I'm not certain if I threatened her or not. I said..."I wouldn't do that if I were you." She then replied..."a 'I'm not interested' would be a proper response." and that was it. I was really just trying to say..."please don't come back. I don't want to talk to you." But when I was telling Jess about it she said that she probably thought I was being threatening. I wasn't. I would never ever threaten anyone, much less a strange woman, who was not being overtly hostile. So...did I threaten her? I hope not.

New Demo

2009-05-17T21:27:00.003-04:00

I just spent the past 5 hours demo-ing a new song. If you would like to hear it leave a comment with your email address and I'll email you the mp3. If you do this, then you have to immediately send me feed back once you've listened to it.

---->Scott

Music News

2009-05-17T09:39:00.003-04:00

1. This summer I'll be playing some music with a guy named Mark Smilor. He's an americana singer/songwriter from VA Beach. Go check his stuff out on itunes or lala.com. Hopefully there will be some shows coming up in the next few months. I want to see you all come out to at least one.

2. I've started following this gentleman's youtube channel. He goes by the alias of "gearman dude". He does awesome demo's. You should check his stuff out here. If you google his name you will that there is a lot of talk about him being Jack Black. But he's not.

3. Thanks to gearman dude I've been turned on to what might be the best overdrive pedal I've ever heard? The Klon Centaur. The cost...about $345 and around a 12 week wait for them. The majority of the reviews on them are astounding. The haters...are probably just that or had completely unrealistic expectations of what a pedal can do.

4. This summer there are some new albums of note coming out. The new mewithoutYou drops next week (I believe). I'm a pretty big fanboy so I'm pretty stoked about this. Also the new Wilco album comes out soon. You can stream it here. I've listened to the first half two times. It's good stuff. Nels Cline continues to inspire. He's made me consider putting a bigsby on my telecaster.

Or Should I Go?

2009-05-14T21:44:00.003-04:00

I go. I arrive. No one is there. I is angry. Please don't waste two weeks talking to someone, then schedule an audition, then fall off the planet the week of.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

2009-05-14T18:25:00.002-04:00

In my search to play music I have been talking to these people in Norfolk for the last two weeks. Ideally I would like to be playing in a regularly gigging praise band and in another band that's stylistically my taste. These Norfolk-ians (husband and wife) play for a praise band, and I had been in regular contact with them and scheduled an audition tonight at 8:45. Well on Monday I emailed and received no response. On Tuesday the same thing. On Wednesday I called...and...both of their phones are no longer accepting incoming calls?!?! So I go back and look at the emails and realize that all the emails came from Blackberry's. So it's possible that maybe they canceled their service or they both got stolen or something like that. But the question is...do I go to the scheduled audition? Or do I not? What do you think?

Best Veggie Sandwich Yet

2009-05-08T12:41:00.004-04:00

I'm about to leave to go to my last study session of the semester. After 9pm tonight no longer will I be in Calc 2. Tomorrow I find out if it gets to stay that way. Anyways, on to the food. I got home from the gym and wanted lunch. I started thinking about grilled cheese. Then I thought that tomato on grilled cheese is better. Then I thought that I sure would love some mushrooms on that. I grabbed a skillet, put some olive oil in, some minced garlic, then added mushrooms, onion, green peppers, and jalapeños. I then sautéed with some Texas Pete. After I was done sautéeing I put it on top of sourdough bread with fresh tomato slices finishing it off with some cheddar on top. I then cooked the whole thing like you would a regular grilled cheese. It was wonderful. The sourdough cooked up so well. I highly recommend it.

Shake It Off

2009-05-02T15:01:00.003-04:00

Here are two awesome Wilco videos that I wanted to share. The guy playing the solo during "Impossible Germany" is Nels Cline (the guitar player all the way to the left). Possibly one of the most inspiring guitar players I've come across. Check out his website here.

Am I Becoming A Hippie? Pt.2

2009-05-01T06:30:00.002-04:00

I'm tired of having a buzzed head. I'm think I'm going to let it grow. Now I said this same thing about 3 months ago and we see how well it turned out. But I'm going to try it again. When I see pics of me I feel like I'm looking at some old man. It depresses me. Also, in High School I had long hair past my shoulders. Not that I think its going to get that long again. But hey, while I'm changing lets do some changing. Right?

The Surprise...25 Years In The Making

2009-04-30T07:10:00.013-04:00

Yesterday my lovely wife turned 25. So we have to make a big deal out of it because a quarter century is big deal worthy. So in February I contacted her Principal (thanks Mr. Saunders) about kidnapping her. So around noon I showed up with flowers and had her called down to the office in a very serious voice. But when she arrived in the office I was there with flowers and a camera. WOOT WOOT...

We left her place of employ and went to Chik Fil A for lunch. After that on to her present. Me being someone who has a lot of tattoos was surprised when my wife, a person of previous no tattoos, started asking for one for her birthday. So again in February I made an appointment with my tattoo artist Mike H.(owner/artist of Rocksteady Tattoo in Hampton).

I wish I had recorded her face. She definitely picked one of the more painful places to get her first one.

All Done!!! Mike did a great job. Now it's my turn...

Here's what mine looks like. I have a lot of color and flair with my other tattoos I wanted this one to be simple. I really like it and so does Jess.

....All Done!!!

The Times They Are a Changin'

2009-04-29T06:57:00.004-04:00

"Time goes by so slowly" sung the Righteous Brothers. "The Times They Are a Changin" sang Dylan. Well...they most certainly are. In two months what I have known for the past six years of my life goes away and I step into a new chapter in my life. Despite my feelings of unease with my job, I have to admit that I'm comfortable there. It's a miserable comfort, but comfort none the less. But as the song goes "I'm just not comfortable with comfort", that's how life works, the old goes away and the new comes in to fill the void. The old for me being my job at the Credit Union. The new, being a full time student. So I embrace this change, even though I am a little nervous about it. I'm nervous because there are so many questions..."what if I can't pass?"..."what if I choose the wrong major and end up with debt and another job I don't like?"..."what if I spontaneously combust my first day of class and the professor knows me as that guy who spontaneously combusted on the first day of class?" I know a lot of people who are miserable, however since they are comfortable they don't mind. They are content to complain but do nothing to change their misery. I've long since made up my mind that that won't be me. I only have one life...I'm going to try and live it without regret. So with all this said I've scheduled my classes, I've gotten my financial aid, and I've met with my adviser. Behold, here is the schedule of my change...

CS300 Computers in Society Monday/Wednesday 4:20-5:35
ARTH121A Intro to Visual Arts Monday 7:10-9:50
STAT330 Intro to Probability and Statistics Tuesday/Thursday 9:30-10:45
CS150 Problem Solving and Programming I Lecture Tuesday/Thursday 5:45-7:00
CS150 Problem Solving and Programming I Lab Wednesday 9:00-11:30
CS150 Problem Solving and Programming I Recitation Friday 9:00-9:50

Thursday

Wife doesn't Ryhme With Awesome But It Should

2009-04-28T16:14:00.005-04:00

This is my wife =========>>>
...and I think she's awesome. I think she's better than all the guitars in the world. I think she's better than the most enlightened intellectual book in the world. I think she's even better than Anna's pizza and beer. That's right...better than Anna's pizza and beer. I blog about music, and politics because I care about those things. Those things mean something to me. But without ===>>> ...then it wouldn't mean much. So with her birthday coming tomorrow, here is her first present (of many to come). Her very own blog entry. Not because I have to, but because without her all the other stuff that I blog about wouldn't be as cool.

The Good The Bad and The Sick

2009-04-28T06:44:00.003-04:00

Suddenly I awoke...with that sharp pain in my throat.

That was yesterday. Then throughout the day I continued to feel worse. By last night I felt terrible. I even neti-potted like 3 times. But all was in vein. I didn't get much sleep last night. I feel like my sinus cavities are stuff full of snot and are about to explode. There is no work for Scott today. The bad part is that even though I'm not going to work I still have work to do. I have a test tomorrow night. So I'll be studying today instead of sleeping. Help!?!?

New Toys

2009-04-24T00:29:00.005-04:00

It's time to expand the arsenal...as some have so eloquently put it. This summer I am hoping to, occasionally, fill in on guitar at my church and in some other settings. Since WEC and a few other venuse don't use live amps and go straight into the sound board I had to find a solution. A solution in the form of some modeling equipment. For those non-guitar people when you run your guitar through a pedal board straight into the sound board it sounds like butt. Normally you would have Guitar, then pedal board, then amp, then mic, and then finally sound board. The answer (that you see to your right) is a Line 6 POD XT Live. What it does is model a pedalboard, amp, and mic allowing you to go bypass the amp/mic part of the chain. When I started looking around I knew my budget and I knew that I could get a new Digitech RP500 or I could get a used Line 6 XTL. Well on Tuesday of this week I happened to go to a music store near my work on lunch and behold...they had a L6 XTL there with a flight case (a flight case is just a hard metal case...it doesn't really fly). But when they told me the price I couldn't believe it. New the L6 XTL is about $400 and a cheap flight case is going to be $40. They were selling them both for $250. So I did what any self respecting gear head would do...I offered him less. Which he declined. So then I tried it out...nothing seemed wrong with it. So I talked to Jess and she agreed that this was a good deal and I made the purchase. So far I've enjoyed it. It's not as nice as my Tophat, but I didn't expect it to be. But it's good for what it does. You can save 128 different presets on this and there really is a ton of effects and models on here so I might be able to eventually use them all. The presents are saved under 1,2,3...32 up and down. Then on each numbered row you have A, B, C, and D pedals in front of you. So right now I'm going through and picking out amp models that I like and making a "Clean" channel. A "Clean Solo" channel. A "Dirt" channel. And a "Dirt Solo" channel. I just takes time. So far I've made one complete set using the Marshall Jumped Channel Plexi Model. Surprisingly it sounds close to my Tophat, which is modeled after a Fender Bassman. Anyways, I'm really excited to have so many options at my finger tips right now. I feel like I can go sit in on almost any setting and play...which I'm hoping to do this summer. Thanks for reading about my geek-i-ness.

Oh and yes...that is a clock I installed on the right side of the board. It's important to keep time at gigs. Underneath that I am going to install an empty Altoids can to keep picks and other misc items in it.

Two More Weeks...Breath!!!

2009-04-23T19:56:00.002-04:00

Have you ever experienced the longest 4 months of your life? I think I just have. In two weeks they will be over. I cannot explain to you how nice that feels. Calculus 2 has given me more gray hair on my chin, and less hair on my head. I feel like in 2 weeks I will be able to breath again. Here is where it gets exciting...are you ready? Good. Come July I will be working limited hours at work to get ready for my transition to ODU. So here is a list of my plans for this summer...

1. Hang out with my wife and enjoy marriage.
2. Be involved in at least 2 musical projects.
3. Go to the beach with my wife.
4. Remember what life is like when it's not revolving around a job.
5. Hang out with friends (new and old [this means you Rob and Monica]).

Does This Mean That I'm A Hippie Now?

2009-04-20T22:39:00.002-04:00

Via lala.com, I've been listening to a ton of reggae that past few days. Black Uhuru, Burning Spear, The Abyssinians, and Gladiators. I don't quite know what to make of it. I love the social awareness of it, I love the soul of it, and it's good to study to. Unfortunately my receding hairline prohibits the possibility of dreads. Or that might be a good thing. Does this mean I'm becoming a hippie?

Also, in very un-hippie fashion, I want to get tattooed below my elbows. I need something permanent to prohibit me from ever going back to the corporate world once I'm done. The whole PC, dress code thing isn't me. I've been unhappy since day 1 in this environment. That was 6 years ago. I never want to go back when I'm done. It's not even that it's so terrible, it just doesn't fit with who I am and my ideals. So what do I get? I love traditional Japanese coy. But that's done a lot. So maybe something small on the back of my wrist? A symbol perhaps. But what? I have no clue. Please send suggestions.

What Do You Think?

2009-04-20T06:33:00.002-04:00

I am a Christian (albeit a somewhat unconventional one) and I support Gay Marriage, Legalization of Marijuana, and all kinds of other things that most other Christians seem to get all bent out of shape about. Mainly because I don't remember Jesus saying "Go Ye forth and pass laws that make people act the way you think they should." Furthermore, does it not put a barrier up between people that immediately shuts down dialogue because they feel "oppressed"? Just seems like it's a loose/loose situation. What do you think?

Clothes

2009-04-19T16:09:00.004-04:00

So Jess and I went to Old Navy after lunch today. I haven't bought new clothes in a while and went to see what they had. I ended up getting 2 tshirts, 1 pair of jeans, and 1 plaid short sleeve shirt. As I am shopping I can't help but realize that my newly embraced "life philosophy" doesn't include a plan for buying clothes. But I don't know where else to go. I don't want to go to Walmart. I would rather not buy from the stores in the mall. But I can't afford high end boutique stuff. Plus, what boutique is going to make "fashion for the squatty overweight" guy? (That would be me.) So help? Are there places in the internet that I can buy clothes where it deals with smaller manufacturers?

***UPDATE***

I just did a quick google search. Didn't find anything. Sad.

The Corner Of Zen

2009-04-19T10:12:00.006-04:00

To your right you will notice what we refer to as our musi-offi-ercise room. Specifically you are looking at the musi part. This is my little place to come and enjoy doing what I love to do...play music. I think people need a place to be around that which inspires them.

The Empty Pantry Compilation Vol. 1

2009-04-16T19:55:00.003-04:00

As I'm going through this "becoming" process I've had a lot of ideas. Ideas about the type of company I want to work for. Ideas about the type of life I want to live. I ideas about some tattoos that I want to get and some songs I want to write. But today one of the better ones came to me. I want to do something to help people. I also want to do something to help local music. So let's marry the two. What if I were to make The Empty Pantry Compilation Vol. 1? Here's the idea:

1. Get local bands that, I'm into, to donate one song.
2. Put all the songs onto a compilation.
3. Get 500 copies made.
4. Distribute it wherever I can charing $5 per.
5. Give proceeds to local charities that I'm into.

Seems like a win-win. Bands get free exposure. People get helped. You in a band? Wanna give me a song?

Life Philosophy

2009-04-14T22:07:00.003-04:00

I'm going mental. That is for the past few weeks I've been plowing through some tough questions. Questions about possessions, materialism, and consumerism. Questions about changing my life and living out some ideals that I think are good. I've just finished reading Donald Miller's "Through Painted Deserts: Light, God, and Beauty on the Open Road" and it dealt with the idea of leaving behind materialism for the sake of living life. Selling everything you own to head out on the road and experience life. I've long felt that our consumption society is distracting us from each other. This book really helped me focus my attention on my own life and see what can be done. I don't meet people everyday that are talking about philosophical ideas on how to spend their money. Then a few weeks ago I was watching a documentary on the Discovery channel on the historical Jesus. It put a lot of focus on his teachings of social change and how much emphasis he put on the poor. Then today I was listening to the Thomas Jefferson Hour on NPR and they were discussing the ideas of Henry David Thoreau. The host, Clay Jenkinson, was reading excerpts from "Walden" and "Civil Disobedience" and had Thoreau leaving behind normal life in search of the essentials. So after work I went and picked up a copy of "Walden and Civil Disobedience" and am going to start it tonight. The point is that I've started questioning how I want to change my life to be intentional and purposeful. How do I want the way I live my life to look? I've come up with a few "Life Ideas", and here they are...

Try to live simply when possible and consume locally when possible.
It's not a hard lined approach.
It looks like vaguely veg but for your life...try to live with balance and consume with purpose.
Try not to be cluttered
Lets get rid of some stuff.
Let's try to consume locally and support locally with our finances.
Let's live so we can give back to people who can't do for themselves.
Live within your means.
Stuff isn't bad.
Excess stuff is unnecessary and distracting.
Sell it...give it to the poor. Really try and live out the social teachings of Christ with our finances and consumption.
Let's work towards supporting children in impoverished nations. Not just one. As many as we can through humanitarian organizations..."whatever we do for the least of these we have done for you..."

So there it is. My ideas on some ways I'm hoping to change the way I live. What do you think?

Bum

2009-04-10T19:46:00.003-04:00

The word bum has so many connotations in the current diction. You can bum a cigarette, and I have many times. You can bum around the house, and again, I have many times. You can be a bum at life, I try to not but again...yup...sure have. Now there's "to be bummed". I am currently this. If you are not into good music then perhaps you didn't hear that Pearl Jam's "Ten" was re-released...having been REMASTERED. It's the remastered part that has me in the current state of bum-ed-ness.

You need some personal history to understand...

I grew up in a neighborhood where everyone played sports. Namely basketball. I played basketball everyday from 4th grade until 9th grade with neighborhood friends. I played in the local rec league. It was my favorite thing in the world. So with that came a love of hip hop. Which my parents hated. I snuck in Dr. Dre, House of Pain, Snoop Dog...and the list goes on. Well in 8th grade something changed. I was befriended some the weird kids in school. The kids with long hair, who listened to that "grunge" crap that no one in my neighborhood listened to. These kids were outcasts and they lavished in it. They didn't care. And they didn't care what I was like either. They just wanted to hang out. Which I was stoked on. So with these new friends came new music, new clothes, and new hair. That's right...I grew my hair out. Then came the day I bought my first "grunge" tape. It was Pearl Jam's "Ten". I knew the singer used the "F-word". So I still couldn't let my parents hear it. But there was no parental advisory sticker. When I got it home I grabbed my next door neighbor and a battery powered tape player and went out back and head banged my way through side-A. I was hooked.

You have to understand that in many ways this album defined my view of music. I listened to it on countless Saturday's while cutting grass. I listened to it on countless drives to and from...any number of places. I ~~know~~ feel every note and every word.

Fast forward back to today. The remastered version...yea...sure it sounds better. It's cleaner. The drums are snappier. The guitars cleaner. Eddie's vocals are mixed better. But perhaps one of the reasons it was so good was because it was so raw. It perfectly captured that moment in time. Things were raw. Nirvana had dismantled the hair metal thing. The glitz and pomp of the 80's were out. People were starting to ask questions again. The mood of the country was raw.

I listened to the remastered version of the first song. It was pretty much what I expected...clean and sanitary. Everything that the band, who wrote the song Jeremy and made a political statement about being "Pro Choice" during a, of all things, unplugged performance, wasn't.

But if this re-release turns some other kid on who might not have been, then perhaps it's forgivable.

1 year down...the rest of my life to go

2009-04-04T19:12:00.008-04:00

Tomorrow is our 1 year anniversary. To which I say...hell yea. If you'll pardon my French. Unfortunately I have a test on Monday so this weekend is dedicated to studying. So we went out last night. We had dinner at PF Chang's in VA Beach. After dinner was a surprise. She let me go to the music store. ::shock:: I know that she hates going with me. I start in with the "A's" and work my way all the back to the "Z's". Then when I'm done I have like 12 cd's in my hands and a limit much less than that. So then I make my way over to a listening station and plod through the pile until I end up with the 3 that I'm going to get. Then, inevitably, just as we are about to walk up to the counter I remember some obscure band that I have forgotten about and scurry back to the racks to search again. Well...last night was no exception. But she never sighed, guffawed, or eye rolled. She let me do my thing. I was stoked. So here is what I got...

Les Savy Fav's "Let's Stay Friends"
so far my favorite out of the 3

Minus The Bear's "They Make Beer Commercials Like This"

a very close second

The Appleseed Cast's "Sagarmatha"
this was a little little disappointing...but maybe it'll grow on me

*UPDATE*
I would like to clarify, that while my praise for my wife was masked by my excitement over new music. In real life, my love for my wife far out weighs any purchase I could make. I made this post in praise of her because she love's me enough to put up with me in a record store.

that's dag nasty scott

2009-04-02T22:59:00.002-04:00

I have a friend. We will call him "Rob". "Rob" uses the term "gag nasty". But I've also heard him say "dag nasty". Now, I have no clue what gag nasty is. But I know what Dag Nasty is. So without further delay...DAG NASTY...

Stop Making A Living and Start Living

2009-04-01T22:17:00.005-04:00

I was listening to Tony Campolo the other day and he said something to the effect of "You don't have to make a living, you have to start living." Oh...such music to my ears. I'm so fed up with everyone else's ideals of how my life must go. I spend so much of my time doing things I don't enjoy and not enough doing the things I do enjoy. But if you bring that up you get responses like "that's life kid" or "suck it up...it only gets worse from here". But I don't accept those realities. It won't be that way unless you allow it to be. So right now I spend a ton of time at work and at school. What would I rather be doing you might ask? Well, I'd rather be playing music two nights a week and the other 5 spent with my wife, friends and family. I feel very distant from everything. I think it's time I start living again. Well...Dr. Campolo said to walk out of your job if that's what you feel you have to do. But I'm not going to be that drastic. But starting next week I'm going back to the Call Center at the Credit Union where I'll be working full time until July. But come July...oh sweet month of mid summer-dom...I will be cutting my hours at work to 20/wk. Then come August I'm going to ODU full time. I can't wait for change in my life. Do you ever just want something to change? I do. I start feeling restless. I start getting bored. I start feeling like where I'm at is only holding me back. Well I've felt like that for six years. SIX YEARS!!! I can't believe that I have been so complacent and unmotivated that I have let that much time go by. But just because the past six haven't really been what I would have hoped that is no reason to piss away the next six. Change has come...says President Obama...For you and me both buddy...says I. And for me it's time to start living again.

I Think I'm Going To Write A Book

2009-03-30T22:49:00.002-04:00

I have just (within the past 3 minutes) decided that I am going to write a book. I don't know what it's going to be about. Here's how the process is going to work. When I feel inspired I'll go write a few lines. I'll let it become what it wants to become. Kind of like a sculptor allowing the piece of rock to make itself into what it wants to become. So check back in about 10 years and maybe it'll be done.

New Song

2009-03-28T18:16:00.000-04:00

New Song...no vocals.

Oh Geez...Muse...Where Did You Go?

2009-03-28T10:26:00.002-04:00

I'm so uninspired. I got nothing for you. I could post new music videos...which I might by the time I'm done writing this. I could wax political...which I won't because I'm just not pissed off right now about anything that I haven't already covered...more articulately than I could do right now. So if you came here looking for political rants feel free to look back. They are there. I could post some awesome album art which I don't think...wait...

...Dinosaur Jr. released the first
 pics of their new album art. 
It's awesome. Even if I wasn't super fan-boy then I'd probably buy this just for the cover.  But since I am...I'm going to buy it because Dinosaur Jr. is awesome.

In other news I've been "vaguely veg" for a week now.  I've eaten some good things.  I've eaten some not so good things. I think my favorite thing for lunch so far has been the apple, cheddar, honey mustard sandwich.  Which by the way I'm going to have again today. 
I found You (muse that is)
I'm going to write on something controversial.  I was flipping channels this morning and I came across a documentary on the "Pregnant Guy" that's airing on Discovery Health.  You know...born, kind of, female...decided to undergo gender treatment to live as a guy...but never had the sex organs changed.  So then got pregnant because his wife couldn't.  Yea...him.  Well, I'm not going to discuss what I think about him.  But what I am going to discuss is the guy who called him and left a message on his cell phone saying that if he doesn't ask God to forgive him then he is going to burn in the fires of hell.  Then went on to say that what he is doing is absolutely disgusting.  I would like to remind this guy that Jesus treated the woman caught in adultery the same way.  Jesus...being the judgemental, condemning figure that he was stood back and cheer the pharisee's on as they stoned her to death. 

What?

Come again?

Oh yea...Jesus didn't do either of those.  Didn't Jesus save her life?  Didn't Jesus stop them, then remind them that no one is perfect? 

(sorry no videos.  only cool cover art and reminder that if you are going to call yourself Christian you should probably try acting like Christ. Oh snap...all of sudden I'm reminded of my own faults. *sigh*  Such is the way. )

Music To Go To Sleep By

2009-03-24T23:39:00.003-04:00

Dear Friends at the end of a long day I need something to help me relax. What better than music to help. So as I fade away into sleep, I offer some music to sleep by. Video number 1 is something old. A little band from DC called Frodus. Video number 2 is something new (at least to me). A little band called Young Widows. Good night and sweet dreams friends.

Vaguely Vegetarian?

2009-03-23T21:42:00.002-04:00

I love my wife. I even got my own term to describe my new found attempt at eating vegetarian during the week. Tonight we ate cheddar, apple, sauerkraut quesadillas. For a review go here.

Wow...I did it

2009-03-22T23:04:00.003-04:00

I'm going to talk about internet networking for a moment. Years ago, before Myspace, and way before Facebook, there was a site called Friendster. I think it's still around. But last time I tried to go log into my old account I couldn't even remember which email address I used. Well friendster was almost exactly like Myspace...but without the terrible profile "pimping". But it got so popular so quickly that it quit working. Every time you would you log in, it would freeze up and kick you out. So then Myspace came along and everyone on Friendster went to Myspace. Then came Facebook, then came...whatever else is out there...twitter, maybe? Well, having had Myspace since Friendster went down the crapper means that that account was about 6 years old...actually...older than that. Wow. I say "was" because I deleted tonight. I was so tired of the ads and crappy html that everyone has on their pages that I never checked my account. So good bye Myspace. It was a fun run for a while. However, Facebook is doing a really good job at staying ahead of the curve. Maybe they learned some lessons from Myspace, as there are not almost naked girls wanting to know if I need a date in little ad windows. Also, when I go to a friends page I do not get bombarded with their music and their tastes in background decor.

Veg Lunch #1

2009-03-22T14:12:00.002-04:00

Humus Sandwich

Humus sandwich (vegan) humus, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, sprouts, avocado, and graded carrots

After church Jess and I scooted over to our local super market to pick up a few things for the week. Today I tried a Humus sandwich. It was OK. The tomatoes and avocados made it a little soggy. Next time I make it I think I'm going to leave off the av's and the mater's. Overall taste...I give it a 6 out of 10. I just found myself eating the last few bites with crackers to give it a little crunch.

Tomorrow's lunch...

Cucumber and Tomato Sandwich

Ingredients:

2 Slices Whole Grain Bread
2 Tablespoons Cream Cheese
1 Tomato - Sliced
1 Leaf Lettuce
1/2 Cucumber - Sliced

No More Meat...well...Kind Of?

2009-03-21T11:21:00.003-04:00

In my quest to not have a heart attack I've joined a gym. I go a lot. This is good. But I'm not really seeing the external results that I was hoping. So I've tried counting calories but get bored. So I think I'm going to try vegetarianism. Sort of. I don't want to completely give up meat...as there are somethings that I want to still eat. But I would like to change over for breakfast, lunch, and a few dinners. Yesterday I went a searching on Ye-Ole-Internet and found some awesome lunch ideas. The search criteria was "quick vegetarian lunches". Maybe if I end up enjoying it I might go all the way. But for now I just really want to eat healthier and this seems like a good way to start that process. Any vegetarians read my blog? Wanna give me some cool sites to go for more lunch and dinner ideas.

Also, I went to see A Newborn Thriller last night. I've seen them a few times years ago. But they have really stepped their game up. They were really good last night. Ultimately I really enjoyed myself and their new CD is pretty boss as well. Some of the SIX _{(just for the record that's way too many)} were not quite as enjoyable. But 3 out of 6 aint bad. Right? Right!

I'm Going To Get Rich Blogging

2009-03-19T23:26:00.003-04:00

Sometimes a random conversation happens that changes your life. Well one of those happened for me today. The gentlemen who you see to your left...who will remain nameless until the great unveiling...and I were emailing back and forth. Out of that email came a great idea that is going to allow us to retire early. Here is the conversation...

me:

Is there a job that will pay us to sit around and wax philosophical all day? I want that job.
him:
physics professor at small town university. pay sucks, but they don't really expect much either. teach a few classes and write a paper or two per year. we could be the whole department. i'll start looking into schools that need fresh new minds in their physics department.

on another note, i'm listening the "lost songs" album by appleseed case...
me:

Yea...but what if we want to discuss the importance or lack thereof of the Beatles in 21st century pop culture. See...we need to be professors of some kind of umbrella course. We talk about whatever we want. The students sit there and take notes and ask no questions. That's a class I want to take.

him:
maybe would could start a blog and publish our conversations and then when we build up some readership we get some sponsors get a lot of advertising revenue, then we can do it from out couch sitting in robes all day.
me:
that's so awesome. blogging is fun. i do it a lot. building a readership is hard though.
him:
and don't worry about our readership. it'll take some time, but if we're agressive in sending out the link, we'll get it. we're crafty. we have ways.
me:
nice...and every friday can be playlist friday. we can compile a playlist to top off the week. it'll be a wierd mix of pop culture and science.
him:
done and done. i'll turn in my two weeks tomorrow.
me:
pssshhhh...i knew this was going to happen. i launched the site 2 weeks ago.
him:
you're always on top of things, that's how i know this will work.
me:
i also knew you were going to say that. so i closed the site the next day just so you couldn't get cocky about how well you think you know me
him:
fine then, i'm not saying anything else as to not screw this up any more, i'll just let you get all cocky about how well you know me.
me:
ahahahaha...i'm going to blog about this. you've been warned.

It's Been a Long Time

2009-03-19T17:59:00.002-04:00

So a few weeks ago I decided that I'm miss going to local shows. I use to go to so many that I got sick of them and quit going. I think I'm going to try and go to two a month. Jess is going to be going to classes at the gym twice a month so it should work out. This month I'm going to see Newborn Thriller's CD release show tomorrow night at Buddha's. Then the next Friday I'm going to Chesapeake to see another friend's band Over The Ocean. Anyone wanna join in?

Stoked

2009-03-18T23:03:00.001-04:00

I got a 70 on my test. That's a C. I need a C to pass the class. I'm stoked.

Finding God In The Unexpected

2009-03-17T23:58:00.002-04:00

Sometimes we find God in the most unexpected places. I think I've not found him because I've been looking in the wrong places. Or I've been expecting him to look a certain way. But the second I dropped those preconceptions...bam...he's right there. This is really vague. But it's still really vague for me too. This is the best that I can do right now.

In other news...I've gotta give a big shout out to lala. Here's how it works.

1. Sign up for a free account.
2. Listen to full albums or one song or mulitple songs at a time all the way through for free, but only one time.
3. Put 50 free songs into your personal queue to listen to as much as you...for FREE.
4. After the 50 you pay $0.10 per song to listen to them as much as you want. Or just listen to them once for free.

Since it's like an email account you can go to any computer and log in and listen to your stuff. There's also a lot of networking you can do on there. But I've got facebook for that.

That's awesome. Thank you internet. You are too cool.

Proof That Misery Loves Company

2009-03-16T13:10:00.008-04:00

Tonight I have my second Calculus 2 test for the
semester, and if you've been reading this for any
period of time then you've heard me ~~b$#@h~~ talk about it. So I've decided to show you what I've been working on. Woot Woot..

Right here we have the problem>>>
y=x^3 from 0 to 2
What we are looking for is the surface area of this curve if you were to rotate it around the X axis on an interval from 0 to 2.

Isn't this fun already?

<(bad) sketch of just what I'm looking for.

Still _with me?

This is the formula we use to work it out>>>

<<I'm making the letters mean something.

Look...all done.>>>

approximately 203.0436

Follow Up on the Smiling All the Time Question

2009-03-15T09:22:00.004-04:00

When I wrote my question about trusting people who smile all the time I has just finished looking at some facebook profiles. The certain ones who inspired that post always seem to have multiple pictures of them in "da club" getting "tipsy". The smile that seemed to be on these people's faces inspires a sort of "why don't you wake up?" response from me. I don't know. I'm as guilty as anyone of sometimes having a few too many drinks. So I guess what I'm really saying is that I'm a judgmental, hypocritical jerk. Thanks for reading.

New Music for a New Year

2009-03-15T08:13:00.003-04:00

The Appleseed Cast. Saw about 4 years ago at Macrock. Hated them, because they ragged on Republicans a lot. But at the time I was a Republican. So you can see the conflict. However...I no longer partake in such titles. Also their politics have not much to do with their music. So I present you with a video. This is pretty much what they sound like. Enjoy...

I Come Bearing Answers

2009-03-14T23:50:00.003-04:00

I now know what was being planned for my birthday. Tonight me and some of my wonderful friends had our own theater. It turns out that one of our friend Laura's apartment complex has a small theater that can be used by the residents. It was awesome. We got to watch my favorite Star Wars movie "Return of the Jedi". But that' s not what I am going to remember. What I am going to remember is the sense of community that was there. Some of my friends brought their kids and everyone hung out with them and kept them entertained. No one was there out of appearances. Everyone was there because they wanted to be. I don't really feel worthy that I was the reason for bringing these people together. I can't help but feel that this is what heaven will be like. Maybe I'm wrong. But whatever...I'm almost to the point of emotions over it. It was great. So thank you Corbin, Terin, Kevin, Dave R, Dave F, Kim, Alicia, Rick, Josh, Katie F, Katie W, Laura, Jake, my wonderful wife Jess and Megan and Dru who couldn't be there, but had planned on it. Thank you. Tonight meant more to me than I can find the words to describe.

But what is a blog about birthday's without a picture of my present...
Time to find singer.

Jumpin' Jehosaphat...What is Going On Here?

2009-03-14T17:49:00.003-04:00

Great googley moogley...there is something a foot. Apparently there is some mystery birthday surprise going on for me tonight. I do not know what it is. I've been trying to figure it out without prying. Here are the facts as I know them:

Other people will be there.
We can bring soda but not beer.
It requires us to drive, but it's not that far away.
We will be having finger foods.

What the Husker Du? I'm bedazzled. No clue over here.

These Questions of Life

2009-03-13T06:59:00.004-04:00

Lately I've been asking these questions:
1. Who is God?
2. Where is God?
3. Is God?
4. ...and how do I read the Bible because I don't know if I can be so literal with it as so many people I know?

Growing up in Southern Baptist...somewhat fundamentalist...churches I know what that version of Christianity is. Having been in it for 26 years, I also know that it's something that doesn't attract me. It doesn't stir me. It holds no wonder for me. I simply can't continue to see God on those terms. So having now officially said that's not me, it leaves me as this kind of blank slate. Now I have to find what I do believe. So the questions I listed above are the ones that I keep asking myself. They are the answers that I need to find.

Well...it's the answers that are so elusive to me. I hear about a God that wants a relationship with me, but how do you have a relationship with a being that isn't "here"? I hear that God loves me but sometimes when I read the bible all I see are a lot of rules. But then I have friends who simply overflow with love. They have relationships with a being that isn't really "here". I've been reading books by a guy named Donald Miller. That's the God that I'm looking for. A God that turns the world into the beautiful example of magnificence. A God that isn't a set of rules, that really is about a relationship.

I've seen a snippet of a talk given by Donald Miller where he was talking about spirituality being like a tree planted by a river and how that tree didn't happen overnight. So developing your spiritual self is not a fast food solution. It's not something you can swing by the nearest spiritual store and just purchase. The conditions have to be right and then it takes time. So I've hopefully put myself into a condition to allow this growth. I'm going to start being honest about the questions that I'm asking. I'm also going to start being ok with saying I don't know. Maybe it's not a matter of being able to prove there is a God or that Jesus was who he claimed to be. But simply having faith that it is. Maybe being very fundamentalist about scripture isn't the point. Maybe the point is bigger than that.

So here is where I am. You can read about Jesus standing up against the religious leaders of his time. Jesus publicly denounced the people who used their religion as a way of oppressing people. So now fast forward to today. I look around and I see people who refer to homosexuals as "fags". But just as a way of letting them know that God really doesn't like them. As a way of witnessing to them. This makes no sense. The Jesus that I read about wouldn't have done that. The Jesus that I really want to find stopped the religious leaders from condemning someone like that. It's funny how Christians in our society focus on certain sins like this. How we look at certain ones and say "Yup...God hates you but he really loves you." This is the "god" that I'm moving away from. The one who is a set of rules. The one who cares more about what I do than me. I'm looking for the Jesus who healed a woman when she touched his robe. But that wasn't enough that she was healed. He so needed to connect with her that he stopped in the middle of a crowd just so he could make a personal connection with her. That's who I'm looking for. To be honest...sometimes it's really hard to find him.

Does This Mean I'm Old Now

2009-03-12T22:38:00.002-04:00

I'm officially 28 now. Phew...made it through another year. When do I get my cane?

I Don't Trust People Who Smile All The Time

2009-03-11T23:06:00.003-04:00

I want your opinion on something. Now, before I tell you what it is, I don't necessarily hold this opinion. It is very much within my being to say something just to be inflammatory. However, I could very much hold this opinion. You'll never know. Here is the statement:

"Never trust people who smile all the time. They are either hiding something or never question the important things in life. Either way it will eventually lead to something bad."

Thoughts?

Word Of The Day:

Pedantic
What does it mean and can you use it in a sentence?

How Could I Forget This

2009-03-10T17:57:00.002-04:00

Sunday was the first day Jess and I wore flip flops. If you'll notice I'm in shorts _{(you can tell because I have the hair legs)}. It's a small monument to the coming season. Quick...time to loose some weight.

PS...no one seemed to notice my hidden message in one of my previous posts.