Break the Skin

DO change that radio dial....

2008-11-20T22:05:00.000-05:00

Break the Skin will now be located at http://shineisdead.wordpress.com/ for various reasons, listed there. Expect more frequent updates at the new site.

...and it was

2008-09-22T08:28:00.000-05:00

Well, the Child Bite concert mentioned below was awesome... went with my Dad.... he actually didn't mind the band but wished he could hear the vocals better!

I thought it was great, a short but energetic 30 minute set, awesome and cheap merch ($10 per t-shirt!) and on top of that the band just hung out with the audience beforehand and were very nice guys.

I did an interview with their singer Shawn and will be writing that up soon, expect it on The Tollbooth and on my other website as soon as I have some freakin' time to myself. This week is crazy busy.

Fantastic

2008-09-11T21:55:00.001-05:00

Child Bite

Sep 21, 2008 8:00 PM
431 College St, Toronto, Ontario
Cost : what you can

Man do I ever want to go to this concert.... I really hope I have the next day off work.

Bring on the Musics!!!

2008-09-02T21:58:00.000-05:00

Looks like Jerry and I are in the same boat. After my camping trip I have no less than ten albums to review for the illustrious Phantom Tollbooth. Here's the list:

1. Close Your Eyes - S/T EP
2. Child Bite - Fantastic Gusts of Blood
3. David Crowder Band - Remedy Club Tour Live
4. Generation Letter - EP
5. Javelins - Heavy Meadows
6. MissionSix - Superhero
7. NYpoleon - The Warm Up
8. Radio Radio - Alarm 1 Alarm 2
9. West Coast Revival - S/T
10. Ayiesha Woods - Love Like This

As with Jer, I'll try to get AT LEAST one in a day.

smooch

2008-08-04T20:55:00.004-05:00

I guess Jerry was right, I will still write here, though I may change servers eventually. Just some updates... Jerry's wedding was great, went off without a hitch, and just like at my wedding we just missed the rain. Everyone had fun, cleanup was fast, it all was just really nice. Congrats to Jelly Bananas, and his wife, the newly christened Stewed Bananas.

Sunday was also great, as Rach and I visited Andy, Misty and Annie in Toronto, attending the Waterfront Festival. We had a coconut (surprisingly bad), and also went to the usual shopping spots. (Sonic Boom / The Beguiling / etc.)

Picked up some killer tunes, a couple CDs for me, a couple for Rach:

Mortification - Mortification (Limited Edition Reissue) Making their classic debut easier to find, but not for long as it is limited to 1000 copies. This is raw deathrash.

Caedmon's Call- Share the Well The steal of the day at $4.95. This is a great pseudo-concept record about the Dalit in India

Roadside Monument- Eight Hours Away From Being A Man Finally snagged this classic Math Rock on CD. One of the best and most challenging records ever on Tooth & Nail.

Kiss Kiss- Reality Vs. The Optimist Rach got me hooked on this. Eccentric pop with some Avant Garde leanings. Sounds like... a less polished Mika jamming with Sixteen Horsepower and John Zorn, with obscure arty lyrics. Fun.

Gah... we need a new CD rack...

My blog has no meaning if you're not listening

2008-07-08T14:56:00.002-05:00

I have been writing this blog for just over four years... from my second year as an undergraduate university student to now. It is time to move on...

I am writing to announce the creation of my new website. This website is less of a personal journal and more of a professional page. I have entered into freelance writing, and intend to build a career with it, so please tell all your friends that I am freelancing. (No, really, tell all your friends I am freelancing).

My new website will be focused on my career. Expect to see reviews, textual criticism, poetry, and other creative and technical endeavors. You won't be seeing personal updates and "journal" entries unless they are related to freelancing. In other words, if you want to know what is going on in my life you'll actually have to talk to me (tragic, I know).

The new website is scant on content now, but as I get more time I will be updating it regularly. The best news is that it will be very hard for you to forget the url: noahsalo.com

Please update your bookmarks. If you have any ideas/comments/questions, or if you are interested in hiring me for a freelance or technical project, please e-mail me. Thank you, it's been fun.

stuff

2008-07-04T22:47:00.003-05:00

A couple weekends ago we went to Rach's family's place for her sisters' b-days. While there Rach's lappy kicked the bucket so we got a new MacBook... Apple has a deal on now so I also got a free iPod touch. Quite nice indeed.

Now I'm working at Tim Horton's (again)... it's a job and yeah. More updates later......... expect some significant changes to my online presence coming in the near future............. be prepared!

The Adventures of Jelly Bananas and Magical Todd

2008-06-23T10:18:00.002-05:00

There once was a man named Jelly Bananas, and he had a friend named Magical Todd. Jelly Bananas was very wise, and could get out of any bad situation. Magical Todd could read people's minds. One day they decided to create peace on Earth.

After years of toil and political deliberations Jelly Bananas and Magical Todd were successful... almost. All the world was at peace, except for the Isle of George. This small island was home to the evil dictator Hoan Olas and his wife Lehcar Olas. They ruled the Isle of George with an iron fist, and they wanted to take over the world...

to be continued

yeah and stuff

2008-06-05T16:23:00.004-05:00

Hello. I have been engaged in an interview process with Minacs. The next step is to actually have an in person interview, and I am awaiting their reply. Please pray that I get this interview, and God willing, this job.

In other news, I have been spending a lot of my time reading and enjoying music. Reading is fun now because whatever I read is my choice, and is read at my own pace. I love it. And music is always good. Here is a list of what I have been enjoying lately.

[READING:]

I am reading Thomas Pynchon's V. This is a fun, complicated book. Pynchon is a great author, I'm surprised that I never encountered him in University. Read this book, as well as Gravity's Rainbow, both are considered masterworks.

I am also reading lots of Manga. I blame this on Rach and on going to Anime North. I picked up a couple classics, including Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira, the first Manga translated into English. Also Masamune Shirow's cyber-punk Ghost in the Shell. I have also been reading some more recent Mangas such as Kohta Hirano's Hellsing and Hideyuki Kurata's Read or Die, both highly recommended.

[LISTENING:]

Lots of good stuff, however some recent stuff I've been enjoying:

Thrice- The Alchemy Index [all four volumes are excellent, progressive, and spiritual. Beautiful music.]

Kevin Max- The Blood [a collection of spiritual songs from Kevin, aka K-Max, aka the only member of DC Talk to do something worthwhile in his solo career (oh! snap!) This is great for personal reflection, worship, and various other activities...]

The Human Flight Committee- Oh, When the Animals Unionize [received this from the Tollbooth for review. It is quite enjoyable, been listening nonstop for a couple days. Progressive punky goodness, obvious mewithoutYou influences, but more poppy with a flair for some Anberlin or Emery styled sections.]

I have also been enjoying espresso from my awesome new Breville Espresso Machine c/o Steve Hayes. It is awesome, just like him.

And Rach just made delicious chocolate chip cookies. Cookies and milk time. Oh yes.

go

2008-06-04T06:55:00.002-05:00

the Human Flight Committee- Oh, When the Animals Unionize

Go listen. Now.

all moved in

2008-05-13T21:36:00.002-05:00

listening to: Thrice, perpetually. The Alchemy Index is awesome, all four EPs-though I wish they released it as a standard double album with four parts, because flipping between four 20-minute discs sucks. Also note the last song on each CD is a traditional Shakespearian style sonnet.

All moved in now, Apartment looks pretty. Got CD and book racks from Misty and Erin- now all cds and books on display looking very pretty, and we also have all of our copious video game systems hooked up... and also Carcassonne, Illuminati and poker in close reach... basically a hardcore entertainment set up.

Rach is schooling and working and I've been handing out le resumes... hopefully I will be getting a job at Minacs because I can work with Macs and it pays pretty well. I have heard people complain that the customers can get rude but I'm used to Tim Horton's so I should be able to deal with it. Other prospects include Price Chopper and Brant Office Supply... basically I am interested in anything except fast food for this next year.

Close friends will soon be invited over to check out the place and have freshly brewed coffee and/or espresso. Rach and I should be more visible soon as we have now got stuff in order. Be on the lookout for the newlyweds out and about.

Jelly Bananas

2008-05-13T21:33:00.002-05:00

My best man is a wonderful guy. He made a curiously long speech at my wedding. I am looking forward to his wedding.

He has done cool things like introduce me to eternal security and Thrice. Three cheers, and Jelly Bananas

Marriage

2008-05-02T22:55:00.002-05:00

Hello all, tomorrow is my wedding day, in approximately 13 hours I will be a married man. Accordingly I will be taking some time off of the Internet, so this is a note to let you know.

Your prayers and well wishes are appreciated!

"ASS!"- James Rolfe

2008-04-17T11:27:00.002-05:00

When I was in class yesterday someone scrapped over my MagSafe Adapter cord and ripped it open. Now it barely works and overheats waaaay to fast. This means I had to order a new one for a total of $125. Sucks!!!!!

...with bells

2008-03-26T21:39:00.002-05:00

Good evening. Things are fairly busy. Almost the end of March, in the next week I need to pack up my entire room and, along with Rach, put the finishing touches on the wedding plans. Saturday is going to be "buying suits day" for Jer and me, with Rach and Steph dutifully helping out (read: picking the suits for us).

I also need to complete a resume and portfolio for my exit conference as well as find a job. I will specifically be looking into the field of technical writing & editing, but I will also apply to "lesser positions"... because basically, I need a job to pay rent and afford to eat. Food before dignity I says!!!

And by the way, for the past seven weeks I have survived on a solid diet of Miles Davis and Underworld. Accordingly, my belated birthday present from my Dad consisted of Miles Davis' classic In A Silent Way and Underworld's latest Oblivion with Bells. As a fairly obsessed and consistent fan, I tend to look more favorably on it than many of the reviews, although I agree that some of the unadorned vocals are fairly bad. Some are good though too, and there are at least 3-4 songs to add to the regular live canon. Tis good, not great, but to a fan like myself quite nice to hear.

Also there is a rumor afoot that Underworld will be the opening act on the North American leg of Radiohead's In Rainbows tour. If that is the case it promises to be amazing. They'll be in Toronto sometime in August. Rach and I are there like shareware!

2008-03-12T19:43:00.003-05:00

Huh. I never intended to become one of those once a month bloggers, but my practicum sucked all my energy and left me unable to do anything else. Finally a chance to write something-- this will be casual though, just my top five albums of 2007. A bit late yes, but a lot of thought put into this list. Those of you who would rather some discussion about my life will have to wait, some good updates there too, but until then, here we go:

Radiohead- In Rainbows (This album was exciting not only for the unique DIY style of its release, but also because it is easily Radiohead's best record since Kid A. I love this album. I listened to it well over 3o times in the first two months I owned it, and I'm still not sick of it.)
Derek Webb- The Ringing Bell (Derek never ceases to impress me, though Mockingbird suffered from a sound of sameness, this album makes up for it with some great Beatles and Larry Norman inspired old school rock. A bit on the short side, but Christianity Today summed it up fairly well when they said, "Derek Webb says more in 30 minutes than many other artists could say in 30 years.")
Voice of the Mysterons- They Have Pulled Down Deep Heaven On Their Heads... (Absolutely crazy punk, with comparisons to the Dead Kennedys and Jeff Suffering. Lots of sci-fi references, great lyrics, ridiculously spastic and unpredictable music. Throw it on at your next barbecue and see what happens!)
Mika- Life in Cartoon Motion (First time I heard "Grace Kelly" I mocked it. The second time I hummed along, and the third time I was addicted. Sure, it is bubblegum pop and not my regular style, but it is very catchy and very fun. Queen meets Prince meets the Beatles. The lyrics are often inconsequential but sometimes run deeper. Good for parties and for a pick me up.)
Panda Bear- Person Pitch (First heard Panda in Animal Collective. This album has a heavy Beach Boys influence with some prog-ish and indie tendencies. Very uplifting- "Coolness is having courage / Just to do what's right / Try to remember always / Just to have a good time." And it certainly is.)

Honorable Mentions:

Cool Hand Luke- The Balancing Act (A compilation of the best tracks from their proper releases as well as from their rare indie stuff, many hardcore fans will not be familiar with at least half of it. Great selection, and the three new songs are also awesome. Looking forward to a new full-length.)

As Cities Burn- Come Now Sleep (After losing their screaming vocalist ACB mellows slightly, includes a lot more singing and develops some prog/experimental tendencies. Great spiritual lyrics and engrossing soundscapes keep this album interesting and worth repeated spins.)

Hey look it's a video blog!

2008-01-22T19:50:00.000-05:00

in (an abundance of) rainbows -or- how nerdy I can be

2008-01-03T22:17:00.000-05:00

Well, how many copies of Radiohead's new album In Rainbows does a fan need to own? Most people will answer 1, but I am crazy. I now own 3 copies, all of which were officially purchased. Why? Let me tell you:

1. Original download: the original release of the album was a pay-what-you-wanna download, for which I paid around $8 because I love the band... of course this release was 160 kbps, requiring that I get the CD for high quality audio tracks later on. I still have these MP3s for nostalgic reasons.

2. Discbox: The coveted, ridiculously priced discbox containing, the CD; a bonus CD of b-sides, photos and art; two vinyl records; and two massive booklets, all in a thick record book enclosed in a hard slipcase. Almost 7 pounds of awesome. I guess this is the holy grail for me as a Radiohead fan, sure they've done special editions in the past, but this one takes the cake. So excessive that only Radiohead could pull it off. This came to me via my amazing and loving fiancee Rachel, who, for better or worse, actually supports me in my crazy record collecting hobby. Love ya hon!

3. Regular CD edition: Why on earth would I buy the regular CD edition after receiving the discbox for Christmas? For a few reasons, actually. First, it is on a small label, and I like supporting indie labels (crazy to call Radiohead an "indie" band, but technically they are now). Second, the packaging is awesome. It comes in a box with the booklet, and stickers so you can create do-it-yourself art on a jewel case. Very cool indeed. I'm a sucker for well designed CD art, and frankly, quality graphic design is one of the main reasons I still collect CDs as opposed to getting all digital music. (That and the superior sound quality). And finally, it was only $7.99 at Future Shop, and my mom just gave me some Birthday money, so yeah, how can I pass it up being that cheap.

This concludes my rant about obsessively buying Radiohead merchandise. They're my favorite band, I'm a collector, and they package everything so well... this only translates into me doing ridiculous things, like buying their new album 3 times. I wonder how many other obsessive fans have done the same thing? Any takers? Leave a comment!

Christmas, Christmas time is here

2007-12-25T11:00:00.000-05:00

Hello.

Christmas at the Rose's was quite nice... it was a very CD Christmas, it seems that everyone wanted a special CD and got exactly the one they wanted.... Rach liked her necklace too, but she's afraid to wear it because the chain is so fine. Rach's parents got me two poetry books including one by Charles Bukowski, a collection spanning his career, quite nice indeed.

Also, back to the CDs... Rach got me the discbox edition of Radiohead's In Rainbows!!!!!!! AHH!!

It is quite pretty. It's also massive, it weighs about 7 pounds. There is a heavy slipcase with black & white art, the case is also heavy, with one record in each side, as well as two oversized booklets, one with art and one with lyrics. The bonus disc also includes a bunch of pictures and art. The b-sides are all rather cool. The coolest part is that the vinyl records are handmade, and each one has a message scratched into the non-playing section of the vinyl. Nice touch.

However, the best part of being here is hanging with Rach's family and friends, having fun, and sharing in the season.

God bless everyone, hope your Christmas time is awesome.

This is the voice of the Mysterons

2007-12-16T16:16:00.000-05:00

Oh. It has been a while since I posted anything. I've been busy, teaching, plotting, writing, and rocking. Right now I am nickin' someone's wireless at my dad's friend's apartment. We're hanging out because I can't see him before Christmas because I'll be at Rach's... it is nice to spend some time with him and have dinner and stuff, and following this I'll be heading to Rach's for some chats and study time.

He got me quite a nice Christmas gift... the remastered 2-disc version of Pulp's "This is Hardcore" imported from the UK. Quite nice, includes liner notes from Jarvis Cocker and a bunch of b-sides and rarities including 8 previously unreleased songs.

Also, this is the exciting part, I just received an e-mail from Daniel Peterson, aka Otto Nobot, aka the former lead singer of Blaster the Rocketman, and current singer of Voice of the Mysterons. I just finished a review of VotM's first record, which is amazing. I am gonna do an e-mail interview with him which will be published on the Tollbooth sometime in February. So Excite!

The weather here is insane, we've had at least a foot of snow already and it's still falling, I have a feeling it may result in the field trip / school being cancelled tomorrow, but hopefully not. Have a merry Christmas if I don't see you.

Seriously, what the crap?!

2007-11-22T15:20:00.001-05:00

Here are some screen captures from Amazon Canada & US, taken Thursday November 22, 2007 at approximately 3:20 pm. At this time, the Canadian dollar is worth approximately 2 cents more than the US dollar.

As you can see, the exact same item cost $10.00 less in the States, even though our currency is worth more. Here are the final prices:

As you can see, even though the shipping cost from the US to Canada is literally double the price of shipping within Canada, ordering the item from the States still saves you $10!!!!! What the crap! This is seriously complete B. S. Someone really needs to fix these ridiculous price differences. This wouldn't have bothered me when our dollar was worth 65 cents to the US dollar, but it is absolutely pathetic that I can save this much money ordering from the States.

I am not gonna complain that I save $10, but this is going to be terrible for Canadian business. As much as I want to support local retailers, 10 bucks is 10 bucks, so obviously I'll be placing my order at Amazon US. What makes this even worse is that this is the SAME company!!! Did they not realize that people would do this?! Seriously, Canadian retailers need to wake up if they expect to make it.

Safari 3.0.4

2007-11-19T13:11:00.000-05:00

Finally... finally Apple has updated Safari in a way that makes it unnecessary for me to use Firefox for anything anymore. Now I can do rich text editing on Safari. So this is the first blog entry from Safari since forever. And I can easily make it bold or italics or even insert a link with relative ease. Wonderful.

Also the new Safari finder owns with its animations and highlighting etc...

And the new Scott Pilgrim is wonderful, and also, wonderfully the longest one yet!

That is all.

In brief

2007-11-15T19:28:00.000-05:00

Just finished my reviews for Radiohead's In Rainbows and Animal Collective's Strawberry Jam, expect them up on The Tollbooth within the next week or two.

Rach and Stevie are coming to K-Town tomorrow, and there promises to be a wonderful fun filled weekend for all. Rach and I have officially moved our wedding date up, it is about 99% certain that it will be on May 3rd. This is quite nice indeed.

I have fallen in love with Power Points. This is utterly ridiculous I know, but they make presentations so much more fun. And that will be all for now.

Top Albums of 2007 (so far...)

2007-11-13T12:43:00.000-05:00

[This is a list of my favourite albums released in 2007, later I will post my favourite albums that I listened to the most in 2007, regardless of release date]

1. Radiohead- In Rainbows

2. Animal Collective- Strawberry Jam

3. As Cities Burn- Come Now Sleep

4. Project 86- Rival Factions

5. Derek Webb- The Ringing Bell

I prefer triple berry

2007-11-12T15:42:00.000-05:00

Listenings to: The Rapture- Pieces of the People We Love This is really fun, kinda sleazy and silly, but fun...

Well, I am again at the illustrious Coffee & Company (aka the only place in Kingston that offers free wireless) and I am waiting for Rachel to make her appearance on the internets, as we are supposed to have a coffee and msn date, but perhaps she forgot. That is okay though, but I do want to talk to her, as always.

Rachel and I are almost done our wedding plans!!! And I'm only missing two of my four limbs!!! (Just kidding, love ya hon.) We should be able to get invitations out sometime in January. It's going to be a small wedding, family and close friends, however we also plan on having a post-wedding party later in the summer and a Jack 'n' Jill party sometime before the wedding, so there will be plenty of opportunity for everyone to celebrate our union with us. (Wow... "celebrate our union." For some reason that just sounds funny... am I crazy or is it actually funny?)

I now have two reviews up on The Phantom Tollbooth and that makes me happy. Though I may not get paid, I do get free cds and dvds shipped to me, and I get to say that I am a published author on my resume. That and I love writing record reviews. HM needs to hire me or something! lol, I wish.

Check out the new Animal Collective record Strawberry Jam. It is kinda weird spazzy folk pop with some psychedelic noise thrown in for fun. The video for "Peacebone" is seriously messed up, check it out. Reminds me of prime Neutral Milk Hotel...on drugs...jamming with a less ridiculous Wolf Eyes. Um... that does make sense, I promise.

always room for one more

2007-11-12T15:10:00.000-05:00

fyi: Cool Hand Luke- The Balancing Act

More album review action

a million engines in neutral

2007-11-09T18:17:00.001-05:00

hello from the pit of Kingston!

I like Coffee & Company... it is a fun place... My review of "OK Compy" will be coming but since it is Radiohead's seminal album I am taking my time and reading up... there are lots of books about this puppy. I also intend to write a review of Thom Yorke's "The Eraser," easily my favourite album of last year. Perhaps for the Tollbooth? And speaking of that my first published review is up, David Crowder Band- Remedy. (Mine is second down, there are two reviews.) I am really happy that this particular review is published, as I seem to be one of the few people who actually questions the merits of the new Crowder record. It's not bad, but it ain't great either.

I am having fun in Kingston so far again, but I do miss Rach. However I have a lot more free time with class than with prac, a blessing and a curse.

Rach and I are getting our wedding plans into high gear now, finalizing our guest list so that we can send out the invites. We also need to do other things such as finalize our venue, make a registry, and do our pre-marital counseling, all this within the next couple months! Crazy. It is all rather difficult to plan, and it is really causing us to examine things in a good way, to get down to some of those deep issues that you only get into when family is involved. It is all rather strange and crazy. One thing is for sure. I really love Rach, and I'm really looking forward to being married and not having to leave for months at a time for school.

I also now have everybody's Christmas presents except for my dad's. He is always the hardest to shop for. While shopping for Jer's present on the wonderful Ebay I also scored a reasonably priced copy of Thom Yorke's Japanese only EP Spitting Feathers which collects all the b-sides for The Eraser. Usually it goes for around $30, which is unreasonable for only 5 songs, especially since I already own (poor quality) iTunes versions. Anyway, I got it new and sealed for $16, which is still a lot to pay for five songs that I already have, but I really want to have them on hard copy and be able to make cd quality rips.... ah, the life of an audiophile...

Anyway, I guess that is a good enough update for now

Radiohead Reviews Part 2

2007-11-05T12:41:00.000-05:00

The Bends (1995)

The first hint we got of where the band would go following the respectable but still disappointing Pablo Honey was “My Iron Lung.” Technically this was The Bends’ first single despite being released an entire year before the album. “My Iron Lung” is a no holds barred musical monster, lyrically Thom mocks the success of “Creep:” “This is our new song, just like the last one, a total waste of time my iron lung,” while Johnny lays down the most intense leads he ever has. Clearly we could expect lots from the new record.

However after the audio assault of “My Iron Lung” it is surprising how mellow the majority of The Bends was. Most of the singles, and well over half the record are focused on balladry. The second single released was “Street Spirit,” still one of the most haunting tracks the band has ever recorded, and arguably their strongest music video. Also of note were its two b-sides, “Talk Show Host” and “Bishop’s Robes,” easily two of the best b-sides by any band. They did as much as the single did to build hype for the album.

The Bends opens with a crazy electro-rock track that was apparently recorded while the whole band was completely pissed drunk, which unknowingly lays the groundwork for the band’s future work beyond OK Computer. After this we are treated to the title track, which hearkens back to Pablo Honey the most of any other song on The Bends, but fortunately evokes memories of great tunes such as “You.”

Then the ballads begin: but fortunately Radiohead has the knack for them. “High and Dry” was one of the band’s best charting US singles, though in retrospect the lyrics are rather trite. “Fake Plastic Trees” is gorgeous, and even though it lasts about 30 seconds longer than it really needs to, it is still an excellent listen.

The biggest highlight is “Just.” This is the band’s loudest song, and most unique video. The solo on this song alone proves that Johnny is one of the best rock guitarists ever. After it and “My Iron Lung” the album closes on a quiet note, with another few ballads.

This album is held in universal acclaim, and fans of “classic” Radiohead often cite it as their best record. Though it is great, in hindsight there are some significant flaws. There are far too many ballads, some of which are excellent but specifically on the second half of the record they become listless. Some of the songs are also a bit too long. However these critiques aside, the album still stands as a monumental achievement, head and shoulders better than Pablo Honey, and paving the way for the difficult and inventive music to follow.

4.5/5

Radiohead Reviews Part 1

2007-11-04T14:58:00.000-05:00

Preface:

Radiohead has been my favourite band for almost 11 years now. To be honest, I don’t know exactly what it is about them that reaches out and grabs me with such intensity. All I know is that every album has been there at some special time in my life, and that in the past 11 years I have grown as the band has grown.

In order to help myself understand my love for this band I have decided to review each of their records. I know that this has been done hundreds of times, and I do it less to enter into the conversation as I do to understand myself. I plan on writing one review each day or two until they’re done, and if I like doing it I may tackle the EPs too. We’ll start at the beginning…

______________________________________

Pablo Honey (1993)

Rather humble beginnings for a band that went on to shape the end of the decade in music. Of course in the early nineties the kings were Nirvana, and this album is heavily indebted to that group. Not entirely derivative, but not the innovative heights we would see on later albums either.

The music is fairly general poppy alternative rock. Some tracks, such as “Vegetable,” where Johnny plays the guitar with a paintbrush, show the bands future experimentation, but in general this record is a product of its times. Some songs show transcendence though, the soaring vocals of “Stop Whispering” are truly magical, and “Anyone Can Play Guitar” shows the germination of Johnny Greenwood’s explosive and violent guitar assault.

The Radiohead song that everyone knows is “Creep.” It was so ubiquitous that the band was initially labeled as one hit wonders stateside. The song is a simple pop song, made interesting by Johnny’s violent “chugga chuggas” and Thom’s always impressive falsetto. The band really hates the song now, as evidenced by some humorous segments in the Meeting People Is Easy documentary released in 1998. In one performance Thom stands looking bored holding the microphone out to the audience as they scream the song’s verses, before taking the microphone himself to deliver the most ridiculously overblown and off-key version of the chorus you’ll ever hear. It is hilarious, and I wonder if anyone in the audience that night caught the irony.

The real downfall of “Creep” is the same downfall of the album as a whole: irritating, immature, self-deprecating lyrics: “I wish I was special, you’re so fucking special, but I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo.” Not to mention the embarrassing “Thinking About You:” “I’m playing with myself, and why should I care if you’re not there.” Thom has always been known for his depressive fair, but at least on later albums it serves a purpose other than teen angst and sexual frustration.

This album is certainly flawed and dated, but that is part of its charm. It is still a “fun” (if you can call it that) and nostalgic listen. Easily the band’s weakest record, but it still shows small glimmers of the greatness that is to come, and those moments are good enough to make some of the mediocrity palatable.

3/5

when Hollywood runs out of Indians only the Indians will know

2007-10-24T20:50:00.000-05:00

Well, I am in Peterborough still, and yes, I do exist. I've just been keeping myself very busy. Here's a breakdown:

Work/School: Yeah, for ONE class I prep at least 2 hours a night, and that's on top of traveling time and such craziness, this eats most of my time.

Wedding: Planning a wedding / maintaining sanity within my relationship with Rachel eats up the majority of the rest of my time. It's first in importance though.

You: You being the rest of my friends. I'd like to see you / I have seen you, but it takes time!

And while doing most of those things, chances are I am listening to way, way too much Radiohead.

Anyway, back to marking and lesson planning.

random geekly news

2007-10-21T21:00:00.000-05:00

I just figured out how to deny the copy control feature of CDs and therefore get pretty 320 kbps rips of copy controlled records onto my compy.

So now I have both the unmastered (leaked) and final master (copy controlled) of Radiohead's Hail to the Thief on my laptop, and the differences are quite noticeable. There are entirely different musical sections on each record, and the quality of audio is very different. I like both versions with the final master getting the top spot, however I prefer the longer versions of "The Gloaming" and "I Will" found on the unmastered version.

HA!!!!

2007-10-18T21:26:00.001-05:00

This is from Ebay, I saw it a couple minutes ago:

US $25.47
(approximately C[anadian] $24.80)

Oh yeah. That's right, I said it.

affectionately titled

2007-10-01T16:53:00.000-05:00

Listening to: August Burns Red- Your Little Suburbia Is In Ruins the first time I heard the drumming on this song my jaw literally dropped to the floor (ask Jer!) The drumming alone sold this record to me, but the rest is fun too. Standard, but high quality metalcore. They ain't gonna break down no doors, but they sure are pummeling me!

What? It's October 1st... really, its been that long? Wow!

Well, uh, last weekend Rach came to Kingston and make me sick! Whatta girl! It was lotsa fun to see her though. I also appreciate that I will be going home in 5 days! A whole lot of work to do this week though before I can go home.

Recently I made purchase of a wonderful beard trimmer. That's right. A beard trimmer. That means it ain't going anywhere. The Beard trimmer is pretty swank though. Phillips Phillishave system... nine preset lengths that go from perma-stubble to a bushy two centimeters. Oh yeah. And it even has a vacuum function that successfully sucks up 95% of the hair, so almost no mess! I am way to excited about this.

Uh, not much else for now.

road trippin'

2007-09-18T12:17:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was a magical celebration of love, the great North, bad food, Maurice who changes oil, and of course, fish.

Rachel's cousin was gettin' hitched so Rach and I were invited to hit it up. That we did, with the aid of two wonderful friends & gentlemen, namely, Todd Anderson at the wheel and Jerry Bolton at the camera. Lots of fun was had by all, as well as much consumption of poor quality fast foods, and of course, some rather strange and inane conversation:

J= Jer, T= Todd, N= Noah, R= Rach

J: Dude, the guy in your riding is called Rapin!
N: RAPIN! You could have a lot of fun with that... Rapin' the economy, rapin' the environment
R: Rapin' the other team!
J: [insert bad Quebecois accent] John Rapin! I will beat you avec my poisson
R: with your fish?
T: Avec! Avec! Avec!
N: [insert bad Southern US drawl] Hi, I'm Maurice. I will change your oil.
J CHANGE YOUR OIL AVEC MY POISSON!!

[and so on, for 15 hours...]

All in all, lots of fun, especially seeing Rachel... who I also get to see this weekend for fun and havoc in Kingston! Yay!

Oh, we also listened to a lot of As Cities Burn, and I must say their new record is awesome, and it has rekindled my love of their first record as well. Lovin' it!

I am not safer than a bank

2007-09-11T10:55:00.000-05:00

Listening to: Fear Before the March of Flames- Drowning the Old Hag Got into these guys after seeing them live with Underoath and The Chariot. They are pretty schizophrenic musically; each album changes and progresses in a healthy manner. The Always Open Mouth is easily their best both lyrically and musically, not to mention it has probably the best album design I have ever seen. Looking forward to lots more from these guys.

Well, it has been almost two full weeks since I arrived in Kingston, and I can safely say I have "settled in" whatever that means. It could mean that I am now used to cooking all my meals for myself... or that the opening of my morning is comfortably Jim and Joe instead of Mom... or that I am used to missing my closest friends and my fiancee... or perhaps it just feels like "home" now.

Living, for all intents and purposes, alone and as a bachelor is bittersweet. The excitement of the freedom is palpable, as is the feeling of being alone and somewhat insignificant. However I am finding a growing significance in my work. I am excited about teaching again... but more than that I can now see it as something worthy of my life's devotion. Shaping the next generation is a privilege that is important, humbling, subversive, and above all that something Godly, something that can impact souls as well as minds... and to think that I can do this with Shakespeare and World War II.

I have also become more thoughtful than I have been in a long time... I have much more time to think, and I have devoted more time into pursuing specifically God's will, be it a burden or a featherweight. But conviction seems to burden as a featherweight, but one that is always present, always demanding, always significant.... "I smell a change with horizons..."

To bring some levity, I am also sporting a rather rocking beard... as beards are quickly becoming something only the rocking attempt to possess. I enjoy it greatly, I definitely feel as though it holds some significance at the moment, a symbol of change, of moving on, of growing up perhaps? Wait, where's the levity? I think it looks bad ass. Bad. Ass.

Maybe that is all for now. Make your mamma proud.

More updating

2007-09-02T15:37:00.000-05:00

So it turns out that there is a coffee shop that is near the church that has free wireless internets!!! So I went to Bethel Tabernacle... turns out it happens to be the church that Caroline Cuthbert attends... also turns out the preaching was awesome so I think I'll be going there regularly. Today I need to get in contact with Sybil somehow... kind of hoping she gets her internet going or that it is not too expensive to phone her on a pay phone... the reason being I'm already downtown and I don't want to walk the hour back home to phone her then walk an hour back downtown to meet her for the movie.... argh

Anyway, Kingston is being good to me so far, and God is certainly faithful. I don't take it as a coincidence that the church that Jim pointed out to me is also the church that Caroline goes to... I will choose to take this as a hint from God that he wants me there, after all, I don't believe in coincidences.

Another interesting thing: I received an e-mail today from a woman that I haven't heard from in a while... she is one of the people who helped lead me to Christ over six years ago at Alpha in Norwood... apparently she reads my blog! It's funny what the internet can do.

That's all for now, I have to do some reading for my essay that is due on the second day of class. I guess this whole grad school thing isn't a party after all, byes.

blargh is the new black

2007-08-31T20:03:00.001-05:00

Now situated at random student hang-out starbucks across from church I may be attending... got new printer today (one that works with Mac... sorry no laser Jer, but it was the only one I could find!)

Also got some batteries for my camera so expect some fun pics of Kingston area and me doing crazy stuff here... until then keep it real!

I am in Kingston now

2007-08-31T11:51:00.000-05:00

First of all, Kingston is freaking beautiful. The population is similar to Peterborough but it is very spread out. There are tons of trees and greenery, cliffs, and of course, Lake Ontario visible from my classrooms and a massive river running through town. Absolutely breathtaking.

The man I'm living with is named Jim McTavish and he is certainly a blessing from God. On my first night he drove me all around Kingston to show me where everything is, and he even took me out for dinner to a spicy, spicy thai restaurant (and he paid too!) Much better than a dorm for sure! I am thankful for his kindness.

Also he is the first true "Liberal Christian" I have ever met. He rejects pretty much the entirety of scripture as authority, but he reads theology and goes to a couple different church meetings. He also recommended a church that fits "my spiritual needs"... an associated gospel church called Bethal Tabernacle. They are reformed but as far as I can see also charismatic to some extent and apparently they have some rockin' worship, I'll be checking them out this Sunday.

The Kingston downtown also makes me happy. With 2 colleges and 1 university it is entirely aimed at young folks. The main street has a bunch of indie record shops and even an American Apparel (yes!) and to appease my homesickness, the sister Chumleigh's is located in downtown Kingston... lol I just need to not become as regular a customer as I am at home because I don't have a job anymore!

That's all for now, any Kingston folks better give me some love soon before I get lonely!

last post before Kingston

2007-08-30T01:31:00.001-05:00

Well, it is 2:31 am and I have just finished packing all the stuff that I am taking with me to Kingston (including a nice going away present from Steve: a six-pack of St. Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale, sweet!) Tomorrow at 9:00 am I'll be leaving for Kingston with my parents.

I'm apprehensive... I have never set foot in Kingston before and now it is going to be where I live?! Oh well, at least I have Syb to show me around. We'll be catching the new Halloween on Monday and she's gonna show me around downtown.

I'm also excited, first time away from home and all... long overdue! We'll see how this Noah by his lonesome thing goes for a few months.

Thanks to Jer, Steve and Syb who made my final time in Peterborough fun... miss you Rach, see you as soon as possible. And all you who are in Kingston I expect a ring! See ya there!

recap of the weekend

2007-08-20T10:53:00.000-05:00

Listening to: Daft Punk- Human After All Remix EP This notably includes remixes by big names such as Justice and SebastiAn, but the best part is that each remix is so unique and different from the original song that I can listen to over 30 minutes of "Human After All" without getting bored. Cool!

This weekend saw a rather short trip to Dundas to visit Rachel's fam and go to the annual Cactus Festival. Since I had to work till 11 I went up on Saturday morning, catching the ungodly 4:10 am bus. I didn't bother sleeping for the approximately 4 hours between my shift and the bus, instead using the time to pack and get clean, as well as spend some quality time with Steve and Michael Hayes who providentially stepped into my Tim Horton's 5 minutes before the end of my shift, and they didn't plan it. Michael lent me the extent of his Daft Punk collection which I have safely placed upon my computer's hard drive to enjoy until a later time when I can obtain more legal copies at the right price. Steve and I also had a rather metaphysical conversation about film, music and the nature of Daft Punk's record Human After All (do we sense a theme here maybe?)

Anyway fast forward a few hours and I arrive in Toronto at 5:45 am. And my bus to Hamilton doesn't leave until 8:45. That's right, three whole hours in Toronto. This is not something I would normally complain about, especially considering that the flagship HMV and World's Largest Bookstore are both within a block from the bus terminal. The only problem is that even in Toronto, nothing except coffee shops are open until 9:00am, annoyingly 15 minutes after I have to leave. So pretty much all I did was go for an early morning walk and then nestle into a corner of Starbucks with my double tall non-fat no foam latte and my bible for some good reading of Philippians.

Finally I get on the bus and at 10 am I arrive in Dundas. I talk with Rachel's family for a while before Rachel gets home after buying her wedding dress (which I obviously was not allowed to see). Eventually I decide to have a nap, which stretches out to 4 hours before Rach wakes me up. We then walked around the main street of Dundas for the Cactus Festival. This is an annual event that is rather popular among the locals and tourists alike. Dundas used to have the province's largest Cactus store, and therefore defined itself as the "Cactus Capital of Ontario," and inaugurating the festival because of it. Since then the store has gone out of business and the Cactus Fest has very little to do with Cacti. Instead it is an opportunity for all the stores on the main street to have sales, a bunch of vendors to set up sidewalk sales, and some live music and an overpriced midway. Pretend the Peterborough Ex were to take place on George Street with the Midway in the park and the vendors lining the Street and you get the idea... except on a much smaller scale because Dundas is rather small.

Eventually we had supper at a local pub with a bunch of Rachel's friends. The food was great, but the service was the worst I have ever had. They actually forgot about my meal entirely and we had to remind the waitress about it about ten minutes after everyone else was eating. Then when Rachel's friend Brian asked for some water it took at least 20 minutes for him to receive it, and this pub isn't very big either.

On Sunday we went to see the movie "Superbad" with Misty and one of her friends. This was the most vile, disgusting, perverted and immature movie I have ever seen, and that's only based on the first 10 minutes. I almost walked out of it and I feel like I should have. Don't go see it, the title describes it perfectly. After the movie we had dinner with Rachel's family and then took the long ride home and stayed up chatting until about 1:30 am... then I decided to leave considering Rachel had to be at work for 8am this morning... ick...

Of course, as a side note, I also forgot my plastic bag which contained all my toiletries, so today I have to stop off at Shopper's Drug Mart before work to procure such staples as Deodorant, Sunscreen, and hair wax. So Now I must go get ready in order to do this... sigh, well that's all for now, hope you had a good weekend as well.

Oliver is dead and other items

2007-08-16T23:08:00.000-05:00

In what appears to be part of a series of unfortunate pet events this week, my beautiful exotic shorthair Oliver (aka Ollie, aka "Smashface" due to his breed's unique flat facial features) is now dead. His death was sudden and unexpected. We noticed that he was having trouble urinating, and that he was passing blood. We assumed a urinary tract infection and took him to the vet to get checked out. They wanted to keep him overnight for testing, but before they could do it he randomly had an intense seizure and then just stopped moving. The Vet assumes he had some sort of aneurysm.

Anyway, I'll miss the fella... he was one of my fav cats, wary of strangers but extremely affectionate to those he knew. He will be missed.

Tomorrow also promises to be the busiest day ever. Here's the lowdown:

Go downtown
Buy Greyhound ticket to Dundas
Get hair cut
Come home
Go to work 2:30-11
Come home
Have bath
Watch long movie to keep me awake
leave house at 3:30 am to catch 4:10am Greyhound to Dundas
Arrive in Dundas at 9:55am after lengthy stopover in Toronto
Sleep while Rachel goes wedding dress shopping
Spend all Saturday doing crazy stuff
eventually sleeping

There ya go. Have fun.

" † "

2007-08-12T01:05:00.000-05:00

The day that I understand God is the day that I become an atheist.

the good, the bad, and the absolutely disgusting

2007-08-06T01:52:00.000-05:00

Wow! This weekend was a winner (and a loser!) There are about five things that happened that I'll never forget, and some nice things too.... let's move along with the story...

Le Saturday:

Started out harmless enough. Jer and I decide to drive to the dirty 'Shwa for some fun and frolic, c'mon, we've done this a million times what could possibly go wrong on this routine road trip?!

Well, our brake lines could break.
Check.

That's right, our brake lines. Those are the things that stop the car's momentum safely and stop us from, say, rear-ending the angry man in front of us...

Well, we did our thing in the 'Shwa, no longer road trippin' but stranded instead, until Jer's dad came and picked us up. We then went to the Simpson's Movie to blow off some steam. Some shopping was also accomplished in the 'Shwa, but unfortunately Jer found nothing except his car's broken brake lines! Oh well, interesting day.

Le Sunday:

Went to see Daft Punk with Steve and his bro Michael. The concert was amazing and really loud. At one point a girl handed me a glow stick and then encouraged me to wave it in the air, which was rather interesting in that it is absolutely against my personality but was rather fun.

There are a few negatives to the otherwise great evening however. First of all there were lots of drugs. I mean, when I saw Phish life there was actually less pot at that show. We were surrounded by people smoking pot and it made me feel sick. Also there were a lot of scantily clad girls, fortunately no nude ones though! Thirdly and worst of all, when the show was over an obviously intoxicated girl puked on me. Full fledged vomit. Fortunately (well, for me only I guess) the only thing this girl had in her stomach was vodka, and lots of it, so her projectile vomit resembled water, smelly water, but at least water.

Oh, and when I got home just now I accidentally washed my pocket watch in the laundry, and at the moment it doesn't work at all... hopefully tomorrow morning it'll be okay once it dries up, but only time will tell.

Mostly a good weekend, but I have a feeling that the more challenging and annoying things will be more memorable than the "good" things... but then again remaining calm after being puked on builds more character than just positive happy stuff, so I'll take it. At least she said sorry.

The Noah Salo Guide to Ironic Haircuts (For Men), vol. 1

2007-08-01T11:01:00.000-05:00

In celebration of both my um, "freedom from employment" and also my last year of being a single man, I thought that I might go for the "David Crowder look"... that is, not shaving or cutting my hair for a long time:

the irony is not lost

2007-07-30T23:09:00.000-05:00

Peterborough has been experiencing brownouts for a few hours now, I don't know how widespead they are as I have not seen any news yet... anyway when I got home from work the power was out so the only thing I could do was listen to music on my lappy with its 1.5 hours of battery life left... I put on the song "We Are Tomorrow" by Bleach and when it hit the chorus and the band says "It's our time to shine" the power immediately came back on! Creepy!

velvet

2007-07-29T00:59:00.000-05:00

I bought a book today that I assumed I was going to hate.

You see, I have become rather fascinated by what is unofficially known as "The Emerging Church" and, under its official title, the "Emergent." (Technically these are different things despite being so similar in name).

This movement contains both positive and negative elements and is difficult to contextualize. For example, my exposure to the Emerging Church began with Mark Driscoll, one of its founders, who is now one of the foremost critics of others within the movement. The above linked article is a decent overview but has its flaws.

I have heard that the Emerging Churches are saving Christianity... I have also heard that they are heretical neo-liberals. But wait, Mark Driscoll is highly conservative in his theology. Get it? Hard to pin down.

There's this guy named Rob Bell who is really important in the "Emergent Village," the apparently more liberal minded "official" stream of Emerging Churches. He wrote this book called "Velvet Elvis." Some people love it, others, including most of my friends of the reformed persuasion think that it is heretical trash.

Of course, if there is one thing that I have learned in university it is that I have to critically analyze texts for myself. And if there is one thing I've learned in the bible it is that I have to test all things and hold on to the good.

With this in mind I can honestly say that I am led by the Spirit of God to read this book, so I bought it... It's hard for me to really explain, but the only thing I've been able to think about in my devotions lately is this book. I wake up and the front cover is in my mind. It's the only thing I've been able to think about, "I must read this book."

I'm surprised, challenged, thoughtful. Two chapters in and it has me on my toes, it in one hand the bible in the other. A lot of what it has to say is valid and worth consideration, and some of it is postmodern questioning for the sake of asking questions. It's not all heresy, but I'd have to say that some of the ideas presented are heretical. So I'm going to hold on to the good and reject the bad. I don't hate it... I don't love it either.

Expect more thoughts later.

I am afraid of childrens

2007-07-18T22:36:00.000-05:00

There is nothing else like your own impending, imminently foreseeable marriage to make you think about your future and your motivations. And there is something I have learned recently, notably, that I am absolutely terrified of having children. The thought of having a small defenseless creation of God in my custody disturbs me. The realization that this is something which may occur sooner rather than later creates an unfathomable shock to my system. Not only am I afraid of the concept of being responsible for a child, I am also afraid that I will not be able to provide... and the selfish part of me is also afraid of losing my relatively burden free middle-class bohemian lifestyle.

Let's take stock of the facts here: In approximately 11 months I will be marrying a wonderful woman. I will have just graduated from a professional program that qualifies me as a teacher of English and History at the secondary level and I will have no guarantees of permanent (or even temporary) employment in that field. My wife will have one more year of university and will also have a relatively large student loan debt to pay off the year following. That is not easy. Add to that the prospect of a dependent child and it makes me want to duck for cover.

I'm really afraid of screwing up my family, or of not being able to provide for my family, or even of waking up one day with the largest chip on my shoulder towards my family. I am afraid that I will be a bad example of Christ and that I will push my children away from him. And I believe worst of all, I have a hard time trusting God for timing in this whole issue.

It would be nice, for example, to not have a child while Rachel is still in school and I am not gainfully employed. However even if we were to use every form of birth control known to man there is no guarantee that she will not get pregnant because frankly, it is God's decision when and how we have our children.

As much as this scares me what it boils down to is that I need to trust God. Children may be scary but they are also humbling, because in the end, my success as a man will be defined by my children and not my me. It doesn't matter how successful I appear on the outside or whether or not my children grow up comfortably... what is important is that my children grow up to love the Lord, and that they love him even more than me. My success as a man will be measured by my sons being God-fearing husbands who live with their wives with understanding; and by my daughters knowing they are beautiful and unconditionally loved, valuing both womanhood and motherhood.

This is something that this self-centred childish man cannot accomplish without humility and trust. Humbly serving both God and Rachel, and trusting both God and Rachel with my life, my hopes, my accomplishments, my fears, my life, and most of all my heart.

This has been prompted by conversations with Rachel and others. I hope that these observations may be profitable to others in similar and different situations... most of all my prayer is that I would grow to be a Godly man and father, and that I will be able to trust God with my future, both distant and imminent. He is sovereign after all, and he has brought me this far along.

6 Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm,
for love is strong as death,
jealousy is fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
the very flame of the LORD.
7 Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If a man offered for love
all the wealth of his house,
he would be utterly despised.

(Song of Solomon 8:6-7, ESV)

Good News

2007-07-17T16:03:00.000-05:00

A few months ago I mentioned that I have Grave's Hyperthyroidism and asked for prayer. I have good news regarding this issue! It turns out that my thyroid is slowly correcting itself so that it produces thyroid hormone at the proper rate (around 25). When I was first diagnosed my rate was in the 60s, on my most recent blood work it was at 11, less than normal rate! This means that I am taking too much medication, so my rate has been dropped down to 2 pills a day, with the chance that I will be taken off pills altogether within the next two months.

That would be a complete healing folks, and that would be good. It would allow me to more easily serve overseas if I am led... So thank you for your prayers, and please keep it coming so that I will be able to stop taking pills as soon as possible.

Grace & Truth

2007-07-14T22:44:00.000-05:00

Truth without grace breeds a self-righteousness legalism that poisons the church and pushes the world away from Christ. Grace without truth breeds moral indifference and keeps people from seeing their need for Christ. [Randy Alcorn, "The Grace and Truth Paradox"]

I recently had a conversation with someone I know but don't often see from TCF. Certain issues came up, and eventually I quoted a sort of proverb that I obviously must of heard someone say before because it was too good to be mine! What I said was "Truth without grace is judgment; grace without truth is license." I believe Randy got it better than me, but the point got me thinking.

It seems to me that most Christians are either "Truth Christians" or "Grace Christians," and that we collectively lack the humility to be both. In North America we particularly have a lack of grace that leads many people being excluded from the church and us being labeled as hypocrites. Some seek to remedy this by ignoring sin, and but this as well doesn't work No one will come to Christ unless they are convicted that they are a terrible sinner.

Jesus would be the best example of grace and truth working together. For example, one popular biblical passage (John 8) discusses Jesus' response toth e religious leaders presenting him with an adulteress, who, according to Jewish law, should be stoned.

Jesus' response is intriguing. First, he draws some pictures on the ground. I have no idea why! But then he says "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." According to the biblical law, only those who were innocent of the sin being punished could participate in the stoning. In this case the sin was sexual, and you'd be hard pressed to find a man, any man, who has never lusted after a woman! So all the men disappear. Notably Jesus didn't deny the Jewish law, he just expected them to follow it all.

The only one there who could justifiably stone the woman was Jesus, but instead he shows her grace: he doesn't. But he also shows her truth: he tells her "Leave your life of sin." This simple statement is not necessarily as easy as it looks. Considering the laws of the middle east in Jesus' era, if this woman was sleeping around she probably wasn't married. Most likely she was a prostitute and made her living off of her body. She also (obviously) didn't have the best reputation. In order for her to "leave her life of sin" she would have to trust that she could make an income in another way (most women didn't work), but also she would have to fight to build a reputation as a good woman because everyone knew her as a whore.

So, her life was saved, but it would not be easy to live from now on. It is like being a Christian in every way. Jesus shows us the holes in his hands proving that our sin is forgiven and that we will go to heaven! But then he looks at us sternly and says "Leave your life of sin... take up your cross and follow me."

Have you?

That requires humility, that we be full of grace and truth, that we show the world God's unquenchable love for us, but also his wrath that is only quenchable by the blood from his son's veins. It is always a dichotomy. Fear and love, friends.

Cooking with Noah

2007-07-12T23:15:00.000-05:00

Something you may not know about me is that I enjoy cooking. Here's a little recipe I dreamed up for Rachel and I the other day, quick, easy, tasty, and it looks nice too! Warning, it's spicy!

Ingredients:

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken breasts (cut into bite sized pieces)
Dash of Cajun Spice
Dash of Salt
1 tbsp Canola Oil
3 cloves Garlic (minced)
1 Sweet Green Pepper (diced and seeded)
1 Sweet Yellow Pepper (diced and seeded)
2 Jalapeno Peppers (chopped)
1 Tomato (diced)
1 can regular pasta sauce
1 bag whole wheat rotini
Tabasco sauce to taste

Directions:

Dredge chicken pieces in Cajun spice until coated
Using Canola oil, sear chicken, peppers, and garlic in a saucepan on medium heat
When chicken is white, add tomato and pasta sauce. Turn to low heat and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add Tabasco sauce to taste.
Cook pasta in boiling water with salt until it reaches desired tenderness
Drain pasta, serve in bowls with sauce mixture on top. Add more Tabasco sauce to taste.

Serves 4. For less heat reduce amount of Tabasco sauce and/or remove 1 Jalapeno pepper

Crazy times

2007-07-09T00:11:00.000-05:00

Get ready for a long post.... this one will be what we did this weekend/why Queen's sucks/life lessons etc.... so sit back and relax.

first the run down of the weekend:

Friday

leave at 5:45pm after working til 3:30pm, cutting it super close
7:45, arrive in Toronto, buy bus pass, head to Rotate This, a great indie record store. They were closing about ten seconds after we arrived so I just told the guys what I was looking for and they happily helped me find it before they closed.
around 10-ish we get to my Dad's and hang out for a while before going to sleep

Saturday

Go downtown around 12pm, go shopping on Queen for clothes etc. Hang out at Chapters. Lose bus pass. Cuss out losing bus pass. Buy new bus pass.
We then went to the Delta Chelsea for the wedding and pulled the getting changed in the bathrooms.
The wedding was great... I've decided that the most romantic thing an engaged couple can do is go to someone else's wedding... it's a way to prepare/take it in... it means more now that it will be happening in our lives as well.
Eat food and drink alcohol. Briefly evangelize a man at our table, following lead from another brother who we had never met before.
Best beef tenderloin ever
Rachel's friends are awesome people

Sunday

Hang out with James, an old friend who is now a professional graphic designer. It's great to see him again. We indulged in a bit of nostalgia with the consumption of Saint Cinnamon buns. Mmmm....
Took dad out for late fathers day at Swiss Chalet, also got him a cd, a family love affair!
Went back to dad's, got hair cut (and how!) ate supper
Back to the station to come home.
11:00pm arrive home

Some observations:

Dad and Geannie are quite fun, although our schedule was packed I feel we had a lot of time to hang out, perhaps it's that I'm more comfortable now, but it was also just really fun too!
Losing track of people sucks
Weddings are awesome
Rachel is awesome, and I am even more thankful for her now
Good music is just good music

Loot list:

2 American Apparel fine jersey buttoned leisure style shirts (for the purposes of looking professional and feeling comfortable at Con Ed placements
Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness (volume 3 in the hilarious alt-rock/anime digest comic by Bryan Lee O'Malley, funny and up to par with his older stuff)
Bible Doodles (a weird little stapled chapbook of sorts by Craig Thompson. It contains about 40 pages of short graphic stories based on the bible from his non-believing but raised in the church perspective. Never heard of it before but I love his stuff a lot. Probably a collector's item of sorts)

CDs:

(this is more than I've bought in a while, although following this I'm going to cut back again... I think this time I should go at least a month without buying any records at all. After all, soon enough I will have to buy essential items, like food, rent, etc. instead of just buying music... I do love it but recognize that I can be too gung ho about it. With that in mind, the last cds for a while:)

Aphex Twin- On (British EP) [this was a find! Rare-ish 1993 EP, the original British version. None of the 4 songs were ever released on anything again and it has become quite rare now. "On" was the first extremely successful single by Aphex Twin. Jarvis Cocker of Pulp directed the music video too!]

Aphex Twin- Richard D. James Album [self-titled I guess?! Often critically considered as his best work, and it is quite good stuff, Jungle style beats over ambient piano and samples... creates a very unique atmosphere.]

The Appleseed Cast- Low Level Owl Volume 2 [Unfortunately couldn't find vol 1, this album is mostly instrumental, it is great chill out music]

The Appleseed Cast- Two Conversations [a lot of people love it and it contains their best known song, I haven't really heard it yet though]

Bear Vs. Shark- Right Now, You're In The Best Of Hands... [first of only two bvs albums, not as classic as Terrorhawk but songs like "Ma Jolie" are among the best. A great record.]

Neutral Milk Hotel- On Avery Island [similar to bvs this band had only two records, a great debut followed by an absolute classic. This is the debut, what I've heard is good, very different feel from their second and better record though]

PART II: Why Queen's Sucks

They put my placement in Bowmanville... How on earth am I going to get to Bowmanville everyday for 6 months, hmmm? ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Holds back urge to cuss out Queen's)

Well anyway, it's late and I should sleep, been awake too long and I have lots of laundry to do tomorrow. Took some fun pics that should make it up on facebook soonish, keep your eyes open for those!

Toronto

2007-07-06T15:05:00.000-05:00

Well Rach and I are off to TO for a wedding... and for some sweet shopping action! See you all next week!

Unto Death?

2007-07-05T23:04:00.000-05:00

This is not a study but an observation, in terms of studies within the next few months I'll be posting an essay on the Spiritual Gift of Discernment (expect 3000+ words), and possibly a quick(?!) study on 2 Timothy 3. But until then, this:

I've recently been saddened by noticing the amount of Christians(?) I know who are fallen away from God/the church. I will not name names, as this is not Noah's rumor mill, but there is at least 10-12 people I know, of different ages and backgrounds, friends/mentors/pastors and others who at one point showed an intense love for Christ but now are disgruntled and don't give a crap.

All of them people who taught me about God, molded me into who I am today, and influenced me specifically in my Christian life. The part that really sucks though is that these people mostly didn't just wake up one day and decide that Jesus wasn't for them, instead it was a result of being fed up with the church's hypocrisy and/or being pushed away from the church by other Christians. Once void of fellowship, they were left to Spiritual predators and Satan the ravenous lion had his way with their souls. I feel there is nothing I can do to reach out to these people from my past.

For the record I am a firm Calvinist. I will go along with Charles Spurgeon on this one... I have my own private beliefs regarding biblical doctrines and "Calvinism" is just a nickname given to "the Gospel." I believe in salvation by grace alone through faith alone. I believe in the inherent sinfulness of humanity from conception, and in the divine election of the Saints by God unto salvation. I also firmly believe in the doctrine of eternal security, that once one commits their live to Christ that nothing, no plot of man or the devil, even of themselves, can loose them from the grip and love of God.

When I see my fallen friends I am left with two options that either, a) they never knew Christ to begin with, or b) they do know Christ and are backslidden. Neither option appeals to me but both are in agreement with Scripture on the topic. I do not claim to understand this, but it makes me really sad.

We are not resurrected unto death, but unto life, and once one has tasted of that life why would they again choose death? Why do I so often choose the rotten death of this world over the freedom inherent in the Gospel? Do I care about my eternal soul? Do I love Jesus? Is God my father or my General? Do I truly understand that God's will is one of blessing and not of cursing? This makes me want to scream expletives at the top of my lungs.

Will I stand among those to whom Christ says "well done good and faithful servant" or will I stand among the deserters shamed by my sin and my pathetic stupidity?

oh God forgive me

DAS

2007-06-29T12:54:00.000-05:00

That is, suffering from DAS (Disgusting Ass Syndrome, including but not limited to the following: odiferous flatulence, explosive diarrhea, and the "ring of fire")

This was me yesterday, and according to the Canadian Board of Health, one cannot handle food while suffering from DAS, so I got the day off work!

So Rach and I had some mellow hang outs and watched Pirates of the... Stupid Long Movie Titles 2, and yeah, fun. We also had a nice leisurely walk down to Staples so that I could buy another Surge Protector, this one for upstairs to enable usage of my new Compy speakers/pluggin' in the compy/AC/phone one the one measly electrical outlet my computer room has due to my house being freaking old. I love these awesome wall mounted surge protectors though, they make me excited. You know you're a geek when...

Anyway, off to work!

fun times

2007-06-28T09:48:00.000-05:00

Hrmmm.... Yesterday was nice... The whole day went well except for one detail... notably I went downtown for the purpose of getting a police record check for Con Ed, but the office is only open Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, sooo looks like I'll be heading back over to the PO-lice stashun again today.

On the bright side, It turns out that Disc Depot is selling ALL their cds 3 for $10, which is a great deal and gave me an excuse to pick up a couple discs I've wanted for a while but for various reasons haven't got... also I found Sullivan's debut album Hey, I'm a Ghost, which combines the best of Further Seems Forever and Anberlin musically but unfortunately their singer has the tendency to hit notes of Michael Sweet of Stryper proportions... but it grows on ya after a while! At least the music ain't as cheesy as Stryper!

After that I made my way to Jerry's for some casual hang outs... We also checked out Future Shop and had some Mr. Sub... yum. Following dinner we picked up Rach and went to Braidwood Bible Chapel for Wednesday night study, for the final installment of Church History as taught by Steven Yuille. Surely a blessing.

After a quick stop at the Beer Store we came back to my place, joined by Todd & Heather and Paul & Erika. It's been a while since I've had that many people over... it was lots of fun. Well, I guess I better get heading over to the police station, see ya!

Engagement

2007-06-21T23:58:00.000-05:00

So now I'm engaged. That's probably the most ridiculous thing ever. I pictured like, a massive five year build up before I would have the guts to propose to someone, but it only took 8 months, which is kinda short. Too short some would say, but frankly, looking at Rachel and looking at me, I believe that we can (and do) glorify God better together than apart, and that is good enough for me! (That and Rachel is an awesome, empathetic, nice, godly and beautiful woman, how could I go wrong?)

The internet is a funny tool, it takes about 0.5 seconds to change facebook status before pretty much everyone we know is capable of knowing about our engagement... is that a cop out or a good thing? Or am I just way too thoughtful now?

I think this is yet to hit me really, but don't worry I get the gist of it! The Lord is truly faithful even when I am not and that is the real lesson here. God works all things together for the good for those who love him, and that is even when I lack trust. I did not expect to get engaged this year... actually I didn't even expect to date anyone this year. The way God brings people together really blows my mind.

And thanks to everyone who reads, most of you know both Rachel and me, some of you just me, but in any case a lot of you have prepared me to engage (lol) in this endeavor of life. So thanks. May Rachel and I bring the Lord Christ glory in our future marriage; and God bless you!

new poetrees

2007-06-18T23:44:00.000-05:00

I believe I will actually be posting some new poetry this week on my other blog (see link on right). It's been a while... it's not that I haven't been writing... I have, just more sporadically and it has become a slower process. If I have learned only one thing in university it is that poetry cannot be rushed and inspiration (in the classical sense) cannot be forged. Therefore I only write when I have something to say and I say it in the time I need to say it. I used to think that taking 5-6 years to write a 60 page book of poetry was exorbiant but now I understand.

But yes, one or two new poems will be up by Thursday or Friday for those who have ears (or eyes).

Busy week at work this week.

At Rachie's for the 500th time by now...

2007-06-17T23:52:00.000-05:00

This weekend was pretty insane. Busy, busy, busy. We got to Dundas around 11:30pm and hung out with Rachel's parents chatting it up over some Guiness and Scotch. On Saturday everyone else got up early for Charlotte's final gymnastics performance of the year, but I didn't go as I wouldn't fit in the car. A leisurely walk through downtown Dundas was not out of the question though.

Most of Saturday was spent celebrating both Jessica and Charlotte's birthdays (which are one week apart). A large and excellent feast of meaty goods was prepared, and fun was had by all. Also had a good chat with Rachel's parents when the young'uns went downstairs for their slumber party.

Today we went shopping in various malls so that the girls could spend their gift certificates for Chapters/La Senza Girl etc. I managed to find some good stuff as well, a book of poetry, Metropolis 16-29 by Rob Fitterman, a rather innovative poet and the leading edge of the modern technological/big city Avante-Garde. Also a couple cds, Mary Star of the Sea by Zwan, Billy Corgan's short lived post Pumpkins group... it is quite strange hearing him sing some praises to Jesus. Also Terrorhawk by the also defunct Bear vs. Shark, a mind-blowing record that is impossible to describe... wanted it for a while but didn't want to spend $20 on it, but finally said "screw it" and got it at HMV for that ridiculous price... which I guess is okay as I really haven't seen it anywhere else and it really is that good.

I really got to know Rach's family better this time... I had at least one meaningful conversation of decent length with each member of her family. They are all quite cool. Things are going quite well. I am dead tired though... at least I can sleep in cause I don't work til 2:30pm tomorrow.

See you all later, come back soon for some summer fun!

aeroplane flies high

2007-06-12T22:56:00.000-05:00

Ugh... 3-11 tonight, 7-3 tomorrow morning, another day with no sleep. For those of you who prayed over my foot thanks, the day after I made that most it was about 95% and now it's great! Of course, now Rachel hurt her foot playing soccer!

This weekend I'm heading down to Dundas for Rachel's sisters' birthday party. Should be fun meeting more of the fam, plus I will be discussing certain items of note with the parents... ahem...

I find it ironic that Smashing Pumpkins b-sides are often better than Smashing Pumpkins a-sides... notably all the b-sides from Adore and Machina are actually better than those albums... and I'm a big fan of the Pumpkins later period, more so than the early stuff actually. If you ever see a copy of the SP greatest hits record that includes the second disc Judas 0: B-Sides and Rarities 1995-2000 do not hesitate to make purchase of those shiny discs. Judas 0 was tres limited and contains some GREAT songs...

Rachel and I are now done 1 Timothy and moving on to 2 Timothy in our weekly studies. From 1 Timothy I believe I am starting to get more of a grasp on Ecclesiology, and what I find most interesting is how much the elders are told to say no. Paul instructs the elders to pretty much do a background check on anyone who requires assistance to make sure that they're not screwing the church... of course this is under the obvious assumption that the church offers support to those who need it.

Also the fiscal responsibility of being a husband really hits me hard... I have often been frivolous with money because I've always had extra cash but that will have to end when I get married... I assume that my wife will be staying home with the kids, and therefore I will be providing most or all of the money for living expenses. Yes, I believe in the "traditional" (a.k.a. biblical) family model. No, I am not sexist, and no, I don't think it is wrong for women to have careers. However I do believe that when a man and woman choose to marry that they should do so with the understanding that God intends for them to have a family and that God has ordained the husband as the provider for that family. 1 Timothy includes the chilling warning "If a man does not provide for his family he has betrayed the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" yikes.

I may go into more detail about this passage later but don't expect it!

Looking forward to the weeks to come, see y'all later.

in circles

2007-06-11T23:55:00.001-05:00

Well today was a day of much travels... first I went to Tim Hortons to sort out some shift issues and it went well, I even picked up another shift! Then I checked out the mall for something to do before busing it downtown... after trips to the usual spots (Chumleighs/Disc Depot/Bluestreak) I went to Rachel's...

...only to find out that she had beat me to Disc Depot and had randomly bought a Playstation 2!!! And she wanted to go to the mall to pick up supplies for it! So she whipped me up some pasta while I researched for the best games on the PS2. After dinner we went to EB and left with a memory card, a PS RF Switch for my old TV that she has, and two games, including Lego Star Wars 2 which I bought for use on her system... I also intend to buy a second controller for 2 player action at her house...

Anyway, we end up back at her place and we watch Wayne's World a classic film that was the Napoleon Dynamite of the early 90s. I am still trying to convince her to watch Halloween with me... It's not that scary, really!!!

anyway, it is now bedtime as I need to get up early and go to the bank tomorrow. See y'all later.

Whitby and the 'Shwa

2007-06-07T22:15:00.000-05:00

Today I went to Whit(e)by and the 'Shwa with Steve, Jer, and Sybil. Sarah was a gonna come but somethin' came up so she couldn't.

We went mainly because I received a gift certificate for Best Buy from my Dad for graduation, and Whitby has the nearest Best Buy. Plus it was a great excuse to go to Teddy's Restaurant in the 'Shwa, the OC, and Deja Vu Discs.

We all had fun, I got some Bose speakers for my compy, and they sound heavenly... I knew that Bose have a rep for really high quality audio reproduction, but I didn't think such rich and, well, three-dimensional sound could come from two small speakers... Great Success!!! Thanks Dad!

When we hit up the CD shops I got some new records to try out on the speakers as well!

Cool Hand Luke- Wake Up O Sleeper [one of the few "CCM" bands I dig, nice dreamy pop worship-y stuff]

Few Left Standing- Wormwood [long forgotten record by a long forgotten hardcore act, I heard the song "Burn Me to the Ground" on This is Solid State vol. 3 and have wanted this record since. Five years later I finally find a copy, dusty, sitting on the shelf in an old Christian Bookstore. Very nice. These guys would've blown up if it wasn't for the fact that they broke up as this was hitting the shelves. I guess being married and supporting their families was more important than playing in a band! Duh!]

Smashing Pumpkins- Pisces Iscariot [nice selection of b-sides/outtakes/covers from the first few years. Some of these songs are as good as or better than songs that actually made the records, others are fun in their weirdness, and others invoke "What were they thinking?" factor]

Dinner at Teddy's was nice as well. Came home and went on a date with Rach, had fun times getting caught up as it's been about a week, stupid working different hours!

On another note please pray for me, I did something to screw up my foot a few days ago (God knows what) and so every day I wake up with a dull pain that eventually becomes so terrible that I find it difficult to walk. This sucks, as I walk everywhere and my job requires me to stand for 8 hours a day. Anyway, I'm off to bed, early morning tomorrow!

to all the audiophiles

2007-06-04T10:14:00.000-05:00

I came across some music some of you will be interested in. In 2000 the Smashing Pumpkins released what was supposed to be their final record for free. There were only 25 copies on vinyl but those who received them were instructed to distribute copies freely to the public. The album is called MACHINA II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music and was initially meant to be part of a double album with the first MACHINA but Virgin refused to release it due to lackluster sales. For more info on the record go here.

For a complete download of the highest quality MP3s available of the record go here. (320 kbit/s transfered on high end audio equipment at Q101 in Chicago). Keep in mind that these were ripped from vinyl so there is some hiss, but it was a labour of love so it sounds about as good as possible, and is from a reputable website.

Gradiduationedzes

2007-06-02T15:41:00.000-05:00

Lis10in: The Smashing Pumpkins- I of the Mourning Everyone called MACHINA/The Machines of God the worst Pumpkins record. I disagree... Don't let your appreciation of this record be tainted by your Adore disappointments. I would say that I dig this more than Adore and also more than Gish. The lyrics are Billy's best too. It's too bad the production is so processed though. Got it for $4.99 so I ain'ts complainins

The past few days have been quite packt (like sardines in a crushd tin box). Thursday was my gradiduation from Trent University. So now I can prove to you that I can speak good. So, tso good. The ceremony was... um, distorted by hail the size of ice cubes which enjoyed cutting my fingers open. Following was some dinna avec Dad (from TO) and Rach at Hot Belly Mamma's, one of teh best restaurants in this town.

On Friday I hung out with my dad and we had some good conversationings. I also found the elusive Metroid II: The Return of Samus for use on my old skool Gameboy system (the original, folks). This was at the Hock Shop. The game play has some unique features... much simpler control than on Super Metroid, but also harder to master the intricacies of movement.

I also went to Emmaus with Rach and picked up the book Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches on a recommendation from Erin Doherty. It includes 5 chapters from different "Emerging" pastors about essential doctrine, etc. Each other writer then responds, so it is kinda like an academic roundtable discussion. Apparently I should like the first chapter (Driscoll) but become increasingly pissed off as I go on. We'll see. Three cheers for comparative theology!!!

Also werkt midnights last night and tonight.... sux. But next week it is all days. Yays. That is all fer nowz.

EDIT: It also turns out that this was my 500th blog posting.

church

2007-05-27T20:15:00.000-05:00

Today Rachel and I went to Elim Family Worship Centre instead of our regularly scheduled church for a couple reasons, first Steve is gone tree planting and second, our church is showing a boring video series.

So Elim it was, within walking distance and I know the Pastor. I certainly enjoyed the service but could never go to the church regularly because of some doctrinal friction. However, this service was quite profitable because it reminded me of what our church is missing and therefore the reason that I am a member of Riverside.

Notably the service included both the proper use of prophecy and tongues. And by "proper use" I mean as described in 1 Corinthians 14, with only 1-3 people doing so, one at a time, and the tongues with interpretation. The tongue speaking itself was distinguishable as being a real human language with actual syntax, morphological structure and natural sounding inflections, and the interpretation translated it with the same tone and structure. It gave me chills because so far my only experience with "tongues" is what I would call either fake, or even Satanic. However this was certainly the real deal. Rachel laughed at me because apparently my face had a look of amazed shock the whole time!

Operating in the Prophetic is something that is taken for granted in more Charismatic churches, but it is something I strongly desire to see my church embracing, but without a change in our Reformed theology of course.

We had to leave the service early though because Rachel was feeling sick and I had been awake for 20 hours and needed to sleep for tonight's midnight shift. But yeah, just thought I'd report, see y'all later.

All is quiet

2007-05-24T21:14:00.000-05:00

Well I'm off to work soon for what will be the first of my four last midnight shifts ever. Sucks. I hate midnight shifts. Good news though is that my ESV "Journaling Bible" came in and I've been making some use of it. Quite nice to have the space to write ideas/notes and feel no guilt (I'm SUPPOSED to write in it!)

Had dinner with Rach and my mom. Jerry? Are you free tomorrow evening? If so you're mine!

Talk to y'all later.

Wire(less)

2007-05-24T14:32:00.000-05:00

After much groaning and pain, both physical and mental, I now have a wireless network in my home! YAY! And this post is brought to you by said wireless network.

2007-05-21T01:17:00.000-05:00

argh too much nintendo the past few days, starting to hear bleeps and bloops in my head in the quiet of 2am

do you still believe?

2007-05-20T00:17:00.000-05:00

Argh. No sleep last night at all. I must say that funny as it is, I had a normal bed time for 22 years but after 4 months of working midnights last summer I still haven't been able to regulate my sleeping pattern. Some days I go to bed at 10:00pm, and other days, probably as a combination of my overly thoughtful nature, caffeine on an overly sensitive nervous system, and a burdened spirit... no sleep. I look at my clock at 1am and realize I really need to sleep before my alarm goes off at 4:3oam so I can go to work. Next thing I know, three hours of rumination upon a combination of the biblical precept of tithing, Super Metroid, missing Rachel, and song lyrics forming in my brain, my alarm goes off and I laugh. I am still awake, for almost 36 hours by now and I'm still only partially tired.

My friend Peter really, really wants to start a spazz-thrash band, Slayer meets The Chariot style. He has invited me to do vocals and I will oblige if anything comes of it, but since all my past musical forays have failed I'm not going to get my hopes up. However I am surprised by the ease at which I am writing lyrics, not straight poetry, but actual lyrics that I could fit to music. We'll see how it goes. In any case the band would be called "Whores." and my lyrics are taking the direction of humanity's infidelity with God, so "Whore" is probably the best descriptor. Funny thing is that everyone Peter has asked to be in the band is a Christian, and he is not. Sounds like a good opportunity to me!

And as another note Ashamed is definitely the best Suffering & the Hideous Thieves record...

And uh, I miss Rachel, haven't really seen her for a week minus the 10 minutes spent at her place with Jerry on Wednesday. This rather sucks as our relationship tends to improve both of us. We need some improvin' says I!

On another note I am unfortunately back on the heart meds as well as the thyroid stuff, so 5 pills a day until June 1st then 3 a day. The pills are having a strong effect on me. I guess I never realized how much of a role metabolic hormones play on my personality. I feel calmer, however still easily agitated. If I miss a pill or two or take them irregularly I become flightly, tired and light-headed.... kind of like I want to vomit and sleep at the same time...

Please keep praying over this. I would like a full recovery and would prefer to not take pills for the rest of my life, especially as they do modify my personality (some would say for the better no doubt! lol)

that will be all for now, see yas!

It's super!

2007-05-13T21:50:00.000-05:00

I've had an enjoyable weekend. To start off, I walked into Chumleigh's Friday night only to find a copy of the game Super Metroid for the SNES, long regarded as not only one of the best SNES games, but one of the best video games ever. Its charm comes from its challenging and innovative game play, equal parts adventure, puzzle, shoot 'em up, and RPG. The graphics and level design are impeccable, the labyrinthine structure of the levels actually creates fear within me as a player. Not to mention that one can only save the game at save points throughout the levels, and if one dies before reaching a save point, everything since the last one is lost. Anyway, this game is fun to play, fun to watch, and overall great.

Yesterday I hung out with Steve and Rach and we had dinner and watched some TV (Mythbusters for the win!) Today was church and some fun hang out times with everyone. After, I met Rachel at Beavermead park following her soccer game and we went back to her place for some ice cream and tea.

Good times for all!

cha cha cha

2007-05-06T20:51:00.000-05:00

thoughts & ideas:

The Lord has a keen sense of irony. Last week I mentioned something to my pastor and this week he preached on the exact thing that I mentioned. And it convicted the hell out of me.
I love sushi. Specifically, I love Matsu Sushi, the awesome and friendly local neighbourhood sushi joint.
The Chariot's new album will rip your face off and, not coincidentally, also convict the hell out of you. These are Josh's best lyrics. It's like non-cliche worship with pummeling heaviness... and southern mass-choir-ness! Enjoy at your own risk.
Nerdy news: Today I bought a Western Digital 120gb portable hard drive. Two purposes in mind: first, remove all valuable files and documents from my Craptacular Dell, and also to digitally back up ALL of my CDs onto it. This will be quite nice for traveling/partying purposes.
Rachel is amazing. Thanks for being there.

falling from the sky

2007-05-03T23:11:00.000-05:00

It is so nice having Rachel so close! I can visit often, and it doesn't require long bus rides or staying up late! It is so refreshing. The ease of seeing each other has also done great things for us in our prayers and studies, which have become more regular and even spontaneous at times. We must remember to focus our relationship on nothing other than Christ, but that is impossible unless our own individual lives are focused on Christ, and this is easier said than done. So a prayer request would be, "pray for Rachel and I as a couple" because we don't plan on separating any time soon!

In other news, Rachel keeps finding old SNES games lying on the side of the road after work each day. In three days she has found three games, two of which are currently in my possession! And, to make it better, they are great games. Mickey Mania and Kirby Super Star. They are in decent condition and play fine. My best guess is that someone either dropped them accidentally and never returned for them, or someone threw out a box of games that someone found and decided to play a game of "Kick the Cartridge," thankfully these old school games hold up to abuse so much better than modern CD and DVD games.

So yeah, if anyone wants to get in on some multi-player SNES action, just bring a controller, cause I only have one! And if you got some good games, bring 'em over too! Hrmm, do I sense an old school SNES party in the works or what?!

moving and ESV-zing

2007-04-27T23:06:00.000-05:00

Today was pretty sweet... with a little help from Jer and Todders we moved Rachel into her new apartment... It's on Aylmer and Charlotte. Yes, that's like ten minutes from my place. SWEET! Misty will also be livin' there next school year. Jer, Rach and I also had supper together at McThirsty's Pint and had a round of pints too, which was a great way to end our moving day bonanza.

Hung out with Rach all night... it's super fun being able to walk her home! Joyous!

The other day I ordered an ESV "journaling" bible from Emmaus. Pretty much it is a regular ESV but with some cool journal like features, like two inches pf margin with ruled lines, cream coloured paper for ease of reading, reading plans and a salvation plan (useful in preaching). I'm excited about having a bible with the purpose of writing in it, as this will enhance my experience with the text, making the study more profitable. The end result is a make-yer-own study bible filled with personal study notes and references. I will be putting this to much use in my Ecclesiological studies. In keeping with tradition, I'll give my current pocket ESV to Rachel so we can study from the same (great) translation. (I gave the previous one to Steve after getting my pocket one).

Speaking of the ESV, I recommend checkin' it out if you haven't already, I have linked to it on the right column. Hopefully it will live up to its name. It combines literal word renderings with readability. That is, it allows readers to judge the context of the original Greek and Hebrew words without being confused by the terrible English grammar that plagues other literal translations. Much love is due to the NASB, but the constant, purposeful grammatical mistakes drive this English student bonkers. I can't deal with it... I find myself correcting its grammar instead of studying its message! So the ESV helps this, Greek/Hebrew style and phrasing, English grammar. Great concept!

So yeah, check it out. The complete text is available at that website, and they also have a store (or you can get the ESV at Emmaus). The basic trade edition is available uber cheap, $3.99! But I would recommend a higher quality edition because it is truly suitable to become your main bible for all your needs. How's that for advertising?! lol, I just really like it!

Thanks again Jer and Todd for helpin' out, many hands make light labour, and Todd, too bad you couldn't do dinner with us but I'm sure there will be other opportunities, preferably with your wife too!

reflections

2007-04-25T12:04:00.000-05:00

I am feeling drawn to a study of Ecclesiology (that is, the study of church structure). Mostly I want to look at the positions of Pastor, Elder and Deacon in the New Testament and compare it with how we are (and by "we" I mean my church body) structuring leadership in the church. Ideally I want to chart an effective plan for approaching the church with biblical leadership practices.

I will only be there for four more months, but I would like to make it count. I met with Pastor Norm yesterday and we discussed some of these matters. I offered myself, literally, for "slave labour" (e.g. all the jobs that no one else in the church wants to do that I will have time to do). He has some ideas, we'll see where we go.

After TCF I can't see myself in a teaching position for a while. I'm all "teached out" at the moment. I see this as a season of reflection and personal learning before I can enter into another teaching or discipling role within the body. We'll see how it goes, but the Lord may have other plans as he so often does...

Links Update

2007-04-24T21:43:00.000-05:00

I have just updated the formerly outdated links to the right to better reflect where I am at now. Some general notes:

See Also: my other interweb places.

Comrades: Added blogs I frequent, and that are frequently updated.

Music that Doesn't Suck: Not a complete list of my favourite bands, but certainly the ones that I particularly want to support with links for various reasons.

Enjoy the Word of God: BibleGateway is a nice site with translations in various languages including Greek and Hebrew. Blue Letter Bible is a bit more difficult to to use but much more scholarly in its scope. E-Sword is a great, free, downloadable bible tool that is (sigh) unavailable to MacAddicts like myself.

Other Stuff: The Mind Control is Shelby Cinca's personal portfolio of art, photography, writings, and music. This guy is prolific (Frodus, Decahedron, Frantic Mantis, The Cassettes, and solo!) and enigmatic. This site sheds some light and has excellent design. Speaking of design, James Provost is my buddy from way back and is about to graduate from Sheraton College with a degree in Technical Design & Illustration. He has done work for high profile clients including the Toronto Transit Commission. If you need some design done please support him. Examples of his work are on the website. Mark Driscoll is my favourite preacher/theologian.

These are among my most frequented web visits

Ballad in Plain Red

2007-04-24T20:17:00.000-05:00

Some fun lyrics to decipher from Mr. Webb:

I’m robbing Peter, I’m paying Paul
I’m changing my name back to Saul
I got to them and you know I’ll get to you
I’m turning shepherds into sheep
And leaders into celebrities
It’s holy sabotage, just look around you

‘Cause everything’s for sale in the 21st Century
And the check is in the mail from the 21st Century

Don’t want the song I want a jingle
I love you Lord but don’t hear a single
And the truth is nearly impossible to rhyme
But I know the songs with all the hooks
And I know some lies that will sell some books
So grab ‘em fast, I’m running outta time
Just keep selling truth in candy bars
On billboards and backs of cars
Truth without context, my favorite of all my crimes

What works versus what’s right
Hey what’s the difference tonight?

Take out the sign, forget the meal
We’ve got a gym and a Ferris wheel
I swear it’s just like the country club down the block
‘Cause you can make your life look good
And you can do what Jesus would
But you’d be surprised what you can do with a heard heart

I think you’ve got trouble in the 21st Century
So welcome to the struggle, it’s the 21st Century
I never thought I’d make it to the 21st Century
Lord, I love the 21st Century

I write these words from the grave
‘Cause it’s the only place that I’m safe
And only the dead are permitted to speak the truth

Derek Webb's "The Ringing Bell"

2007-04-24T07:19:00.000-05:00

I pre-ordered Derek Webb's new record "The Ringing Bell" today (as my weekly music purchase). When it does arrive it'll be a pretty sweet package... 96 page colour graphic novel with the cd signed by Webb. His server was so slow last night that I actually had to wait til this morning at 8:00am to order... this means that A LOT of people are pre-ordering the record, that's great! Finally Webb is getting the attention he deserves. It'd be nice to see him in the top ten on Billboard's Heatseeker.... Anyway....

Musically this album is rockin' seriously, this is the most rock 'n' roll record he's ever done. And I mean real rock, the glory days of the 50s-60s. His influences are definitely on his sleeve. I hear the Beatles a lot, and on one song, "A Savior on Parliament Hill" I hear tons of Larry Norman influence, always a good thing.

I'll have to chew the lyrics for a while to get them... but from what I can tell from some interweb perusing, it's a concept record about being a peacemaker. It's certainly not as confrontational as his other stuff, but he's not getting weak he's just getting mature. His message is still bold, just not as blunt.

The album is short clocking in at a mere 30 minutes, but not a second is wasted. This is the tightest record he's done, and where his older, longer albums will have a clunker filler song, this album just doesn't. I'd rather have a killer 30 minute record than an okay 50 minute record, so this is fine. (Although in a perfect world I'd have a killer 50 minute record!)

Overall, as with all Derek's stuff, I can't recommend it enough. This album blows away Mockingbird which got stale by the second half of the record, and it also blows away "I see things upside down." I don't know whether it'll blow out "She Must and Shall Go Free" though. I am die-hard for that record, but this one is certainly more fun to listen to.

I'd say get in on the pre-order 'cause that way you get a signed 96 page graphic novel and an immediate download of the record, but if you don't have a credit card at least go buy it early because the graphic novel is limited edition and will get scarce.

(Favourite lyric: "You can always trust the devil or a politician to be the devil or a politician." LOL)

wrist tattoos

2007-04-23T21:50:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody... here's something I don't often do but want to: I'm going to discuss my next (pending) tattoos with you before I get them. Rachel and I spent a portion of this afternoon designing them, and I think that they represent me quite well.

As many of you know I plan to eventually have full sleeves with the themes of life/beginning (left arm) and death/end (right arm). These will continue this design and aim (which began with my Alpha and Omega tattoos). They combine a bit of my geeky qualities with what is probably the most obvious spiritual message yet that I will have tattooed.

They will be located on the underside of each wrist (below my palms). This is the approximate design, but blogger's formatting regulations do not allow for an exact paste, so the size is off. In the actual design the words are much smaller than the emoticons and are centered underneath them. The emoticons themselves are also supposed to be quite larger, but this is they are in the largest text blogger permits:

[>_<]
Philippians 3:8-14

\(^o^)/
Revelation 4:5-11

Now for the explanation. Both of these are Japanese emoticons (there's the geekiness), unlike traditional American emoticons which are sideways, these ones are designed to be read upright like the text. The Bible references are linked to the emoticons in a way that makes them spiritually applicable.

The top (left) one means frustration and is combined with Philippians 3: 8-14. This tattoo is on the "life" arm. This life is filled with the frustration of dealing with our sinful nature. We will never be free from it until our ultimate redemption in Heaven.

The bottom (right) emoticon means "joyfully singing" and goes with Revelation 4:5-11. Death is defeated by the blood of Christ, so his children should have no fear. Death gives way to the perfection of Heaven, where all the Saints will sing the praises of the Lord.

These tattoos taken together are representations of the message of salvation, but also the struggle of seeking holiness. Hopefully they will give me ample opportunity for preaching the gospel. I've noticed that people that I have never seen before are much more comfortable randomly asking me about my tattoos than they normally would be. I have met over 20 random strangers since getting my arm tattoos, and usually I never get more than a minute to talk with them, but in that minute I do get to discuss Christ. These new designs will undoubtedly cause the same reaction.

Please feel free to leave comments and questions. Also: expect a lengthy post on relationships coming soon.

It is over

2007-04-21T20:16:00.000-05:00

I am now officially a university graduate, just had my last exam today.

In other news, Derek Webb will be releasing a new album entitled "The Ringing Bell." The first pressing will come with a 96 page(!) graphic novel. You can pre-order this edition of the record here. As an added bonus, when you pre-order the album you will be granted access to download the entire album on MP3. This is quite nice as the album's street date is May 1. So go order it now for $20 and get the cd, the massive graphic novel, and the MP3 downloads!

you got yer eggnog in ma goat's milk!

2007-04-20T20:27:00.000-05:00

Warning: preceding information is entirely irrelevant to the meaning of this post.

Listening to: Aphex Twin- 54 cymrv beats Aphex Twin: inspiring and confounding music lovers since 1989!

Lots of good stuff recently. School is almost over so I am in that transitional area where I am not yet working full time and I no longer have classes, aka the University student's 2 week summer... so I am whoring it out like any good 23 year old would.

This week I had lots of fun... impromptu Breakfast with Chris Jardin and Jerry Bolton, applying for the coveted (HA!) position of supervisor at Timmy Ho's, going to the 'Shwa with Bolton, Steven and Rachie (and sorry that Shane couldn't make it). Also some good readin' and a bit of studyin' to keep it all mildly formal.

While in the 'Shwa I picked up a book by Mark Driscoll, who is a mentor of sorts, entitled "Confessions of a Reformission Rev." This basically chronicles the development of the Mars Hill Seattle church. Considering I am a mad fanboy I've heard most of this before in sermons, etc. but it's nice to get it all in one place. Mark is pretty blunt, and the book has already pounded me upside the head like a large brick a couple of times.

Tomorrow is the dreaded Historical Linguistics exam. I hate this lots... mostly because I entirely ignored this class the whole semester.

In other news I am going to purposefully and consciously cut down on the music I buy... I am addicted to buying new music and I spend way too much money on cds. I am going to do this by progressively limiting both my time looking for music and the amount of music I buy. This is officially starting tomorrow, and will begin as a weekly thing (e.g. I am only allowed to look for / purchase music on a weekly basis) which doesn't sound like a lot, but is significant to me.

Also I will try to cut down on cds purchased at a time on trips... so no more buying 8 cds at Sonic Boom in Toronto when I visit it the 4-6 odd times a year. Instead I will make a specific list and stick to it, limiting those trips to only 2-3 cds, which again, would be a lot to others, but to a cd junkie like myself this is a drastic reduction. Hopefully this will have two effects, first, I will have more money for other things because I am spending less, and second, the music I do buy will be of a consistently higher quality because it will be more deliberated upon.

Anyway, that's the news from me! Also, Rachel and I will be at 6 months on Monday, which isn't really all that long, but is still significant. We'll be havin' some nice eats that night.

you know what time it is

2007-04-13T13:53:00.000-05:00

It's Friday the 13th, have you seen this man today?

Image Souce: dvdactive

At Rachie's Part Deux

2007-04-09T17:54:00.000-05:00

Hey, been at Rachel's house in Dundas since Friday morning, staying til Tuesday night when we'll be takin' the greyhound home together. Here is the lowdown:

On Friday we mostly stuck around at the house then went to a sweet bubble tea cafe called QQ that everyone should go to if they are in Dundas. It's really that good. On Saturday we also mostly stayed at the house and hung out with some of Rachel's quite good friends. Sunday was the family day at Rachel's grandparents' place in Oakville. Well, let me just say that the way to my heart is ribs and imported beer, and guess what we had for dinner! LOL! Very good ribs and some obscure (at least in Canada) British beer. And wine, lots of wine. Nothing says family gathering like a bottle of wine for every 3 people! Today we went out shopping for some electronic joyfulness. Rach got a couple movies, I pulled some stuff I've been looking for... all at the right price too! Here is my list:

CDs:

Counting Crows- Hard Candy
Depeche Mode- The Singles 86>98
Galactic Cowboys- The Horse That Bud Bought
Galactic Cowboys- Let It Go (been looking for this one for about 6 years now!)

DVDs

Beavis and Butt-head: The Mike Judge Collection Volume 1 (Now I have all the box sets, you know what that means! B&B Marathon party!!!)
Napoleon Dynamite (Had to pick it up eventually!)

Tonight and tomorrow will be spent with Misty as she'll be going back to Germany soon. Right now Rach is watching a movie and I'm typing this and listening to some tunes, but we have to go do the dishes soon, so I'll be off. See you all later!

the summer

2007-04-05T09:35:00.000-05:00

I AM NOW DONE ALL SESSAYS!!!!!!!

Therefore, time to make a summer reading and etc. list:

to read:

Dennis Lee, yesno
Dennis Lee, Body Music
George Herbert, The Complete English Poems (again)
Brian Lee O'Malley, Scott Pilgrim vol. 3-4
Mark Z. Danielewski, Only Revolutions

That was brief, I'm sure Rach will hit me up with some good stuff

to listen:

Still on the quest for Chemical Brothers singles and Suffering and the Hideous Thieves albums and singles. It also looks like some britpop, Pulp and Blur and currently a lot of Depeche Mode

to watch:

Want to complete my Beavis and Butt-head collection, also wanna get into the Ren and Stimpy boxsets for viewing pleasure.

to do:

Hit up Tronna with Jerry
Go to weddings
Go to Dundas Cactus Fest & Busker Fest
Go to Dundas in general
have lots of fun doing all above things!

That's all!

Dennis Lee

2007-04-04T23:41:00.000-05:00

Wow.

The poetry reading tonight was amazing. Laid back yet formal, simple yet enlightening. It also turned out to be the launch party Dennis Lee's new book yesno. This makes me officially the second person to own a copy. Someone beat me to the table!

Cervantes is super classy and provided some free appetizers that were amazing. Dennis read most of his new book and a few from his teen poetry book So Cool to break the ice. About half an hour of reading. He's genuinely a great performer as well. At one point in the evening he randomly sat down at the table where I was directly across from me, which gave me some time to gush praises! He also gave me some writing advice and signed my book "To Noah, Good luck! Dennis Lee"

After he signed it as I was walking away he punched me in the shoulder and said, "Really, good luck with the poetry writing!"

I also drank 3/4 of a litre of amazing red wine. Hello headache! (Good red wine gives me a headache even when I don't get drunk!) Val and Steve Hayes were also in attendance.

Good times... now to finish my sessay!

General updatezing

2007-04-02T10:28:00.000-05:00

Argh. Hey everyone... One last essay and then freedom for a while... planning on going to Rachel's for Easter but they scheduled me at work for 3-11 on Saturday even though I requested it off over 5 weeks ago so I need to sort that out so that I can go.

Rachel's birthday surprise went quite well, Misty and Andy showed up a bit lated but that's to be expected when someone's on a plane! They came to church with us and after to Rachel's choir performance which was great! On Sunday I also picked up Beavis and Butt-head: The Mike Judge Collection Volume 2 so now I only need volume 1 and I'll have all the B&B available on dvd. (Thanks Steve for the special edition of the movie!)

Dennis Lee is coming to Peterborough on Wednesday! He'll be reading at Cervantes Restaurant (across from The Only Cafe) at 7:00pm. You should come because he's great!

Well, nothing substantial really, have a good day!

Back from Toronto

2007-03-25T22:38:00.000-05:00

Actually got back about an hour ago. It was quite fun. We ran all over downtown in a big circle going to all the best stores. Everybody got something they've been wanting for a while... notably Rachel was quite excited to find an anime series box set for a mere $28 for what looked to be at least 5 dvds! As for me...

The Chemical Brothers- Hey Boy Hey Girl (single) purchased for the b-sides
The Chemical Brothers- It Began in Afrika (single) again for the b-side, but also for the original 8 and a half minute version of the title track unavailable anywhere else (the album version is a full 2 minutes shorter)
The Chemical Brothers- Come With Us/The Test (dvd single) has the video for "The Test" an edit of "Come With Us" a b-side and a live song. Unfortunately I can't rip the audio tracks to my compy because they're in dvd format! Argh!
Underworld- 1992-2002 Great 2-disc comp of all their singles and a few b-sides, all in their original 12-inch version. 16 songs, over 2 and a half hours of music. Most the songs are over 10 minutes long!
Suffering and the Hideous Thieves- Real Panic Formed These guys are impossible to find, I've only found two of their records in 4 years! Both at Sonic Boom in Toronto and both in the Misc. S section, it pays to sift through the crap to find treasures. This album is great, I'd say their best actually.
Dennis Lee- Body Music A collection of essays by my favourite poet. Rachel found this on sale at World's Largest Bookstore for $3.99! Sweet deal! Thanks Rachie.
Four shirts and one track jacket from American Apparel. I know the CEO Dov Charney isn't exactly a model citizen, but it is hard to find clothing of such high quality manufactured in a shop with fair wages, proper equipment, subsidized bus passes, etc.

We also ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, which was quite nice indeed. All in all a great day, thanks guys for a good time.

Health Update- Prayer Request

2007-03-22T22:27:00.000-05:00

A while ago I wrote that I might have a form of hyperthyroidism. This has now been confirmed, I have the most common form, officially known as Thyrotoxicosis but colloquially known as Graves' Disease. For general info on what this is go here.

Unfortunately this went too long without being positively identified which has led to a number of health complications. On top of losing lots of weight, it has drastically increased my chance of having a heart attack. So much so that I am on heart pills with a dosage twice as strong as my dad's same pills. Since heart problems already run in my family this is very bad news. Graves' itself is more annoying than harmful, but the complications it causes are bad.

I'll also have to take 4 thyroid pills a day which are very expensive for the rest of my life. (Fortunately I currently have health insurance!) Please pray for my miraculous complete healing as this sickness is from the devil.

In other news I'll be going to Toronto with Rachel and the Hayes Bros. (Steve and Michael) for some fun and frolic... and the Chemical Brothers Best of is great (duh!)

That's all for now!

beats

2007-03-19T13:12:00.000-05:00

Well, well... lots of news some good some bad.

Found out my last three assignments are not all due on the same day, but instead staggered over a few weeks which makes my life happier. The last one is due on April 4, which makes way for...

Going to Rachel's house for easter! I get to meet the whole fam including her very British grandmother, so no "I hate that stupid monarchy" comments.

Something quite bad happened this week, but I will not divulge it here, talk to me if you want to know.

Also I have discovered the wonderful world of electronica / techno... notably artists such as Daft Punk (thanks Steve) and The Chemical Brothers. I dig the Chems a bit more, got 3 of their records and its great stuff. Dig Your Own Hole is the best record I've heard in a long time.

Enjoy your week.

Tags anyone?

2007-03-07T16:10:00.000-05:00

Hmmm.... I am slowly realizing that I need to start work on the 3 assignments that are all due on March 30th or I'll be a sad, sad boy....

Listening to: Neutral Milk Hotel- Oh Comely AMG describes these guys as "a marching band on acid." Apt description. This song is more of a pseudo-ballad. It's long, like the American Pie of low-fi indie-rock. There singer reminds me of a less annoying combination of Violent Femmes' Gordon Gano and Jeff Suffering from Suffering and the Hideous Thieves. Highly recommended.

So I'm at Haaselton's because my Metaphysical poetry class was modified and shortened, and my facilitator job doesn't start til 6pm so I got some time. My BME belt buckle came in really fast, ordered it on Saturday and it arrived yesterday, talk about fast shipping. It's gorgeous too, 4 inches by 2 inches and excellent detail. I'm sure I will receive some comments on it (a picture of it and my toe here).

Read the first two sentences of Ephesians with Rachel yesterday... the sentences of Greek grammar tend to be long, covering at times 3-4 "verses" and entire English paragraphs. It's interesting ignoring those little superscript numbers and instead looking at the punctuation to guide my reading. That and Ephesians is the entirety of Christian doctrine summed up in 6 chapters. Very packed stuff, and since Rachel has the NKJV we got to discuss dispensationalism. We had a fruitful conversation about how to seek God, and how Christians need to be Godly in order to function as human beings.

Oh, I also plan to surprise everyone at the TCF Coffeehouse by doing something quite uncharacteristic of me...

oh my

2007-03-01T12:55:00.000-05:00

well....... I tso fomisshed my sessay.... thank GOD.

I'm really happy that Rachie is back! We need to go to church more though! I miss going to church every week like I would miss my arm if I lost it. I need to go to church. Hopefully Steve will be more available on Sundays. And if not we'll bus it and walk! Ha!

I'm digging Counting Crows lately (the band). They right infectious pop-rock with good lyrics, if a tad too depressive, but how much "happy" music do I have anyway?

So it looks like John and I will be covering 18 Spiritual gifts in four weeks. Oh man, oh my. This will be interesting.... Mark Driscoll did it in 6 weeks, it only took him hour and a half sermons every Sunday... (AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!) At least he's funny... oh, and entirely biblical and Godly...

which reminds me that I actually have a name for my theological position. I thought that I was the only one trying to merge a Reformed theological position with charismaticism. Then I met Rachel. Then I listened to Mark Driscoll.

Turns out I am a "Charismatic Calvinist" which means that when it comes to isssues like salvation, election and eternal security I am Calvinist but when it comes to the Holy Spirit I am charismatic, but not pentecostal. I don't believe that people need to speak in tongues to have the Spirit. That is not true. Having the Spirit is the definition of a Christian.

Apparently this is a rather "cutting edge" position... a kind of reformation if you will attempting to unite all evangelicals in opposition to the Emergent. This is good. I'm glad that the Lord led me to this before I got together with Rachel and discovered Mark Driscoll, although they are a confirmation for me. If anyone is confused feel free to discuss this with me, and also subscribe to the Mars Hill Seattle church podcast and download the series on the Spiritual gifts... it's about 10 hours long but it is worth the effort.

yes.

well.

that is my update I guess. Keep it real... God bless.

Hey look I'm on BME

2007-02-27T13:48:00.000-05:00

I'm on BMEzine! Yay!

Unfortunately Shannon put my tat in the wrong section "Wildlife and Nature" instead of "Religious and Mythological" I can understand the mistake though, it is a bird with a tree in it!

Here's the link.

(If you're like "what's BME?" check this out).

Just like starting over: the best and worst of 2006

2007-02-23T19:12:00.000-05:00

Usually I do this at the end of each school year but 2006 was just crazy, warranting its own post.

The Best

January:

New tattoos!
discovering Christian Bok and Dennis Lee
Derek Webb's Mockingbird
hanging out with Natalie lots

February:

Creating my poetry blog
Going on TCF winter retreat

March:

Giving my testimony at TCF open house
reading lots of poetry

April:

Analyzing speaking in tongues more than ever before
being elected for TCF Exec
discovering Starbucks espresso
Getting a signed copy of Dennis Lee's Riffs

May:

discovering King's X

June:

Nothing good except going to 'Shwa with Steve and Sarah

July:

Sigh, not much... but I did analyze the great commission

August:

Todd's bachelor party!
Going to TO with Jerry on the annual trip

September:

Todd's wedding
Going camping with college and careers
School starting... that means TCF!

October:

going to see Bob Dylan and the Foo Fighters with Elizabeth
Getting to know Elizabeth again
Getting my MacBook
joining facebook
Meeting Rachel! Yay!

November:

Dating Rachel more is pretty cool!!!

December:

Getting a mint copy of Mortification's Scrolls of the Megilloth
visiting my dad and Rachel over Christmas holidays

The Worst

January:

The buses being canceled when I was on campus
Old English class... all of it!

February:

Beowulf essay... shudder

March:

So many essays

April:

Almost getting over by a car

May:

Working midnights
working midnights again because I did it all summer and it sucks

June:

doing nothing but working and sleeping drove me crazy

July:

Almost drowning... and working midnights

August:

paying tuition

September:

Thyroiditus

October:

Walking into a no parking sign... ouch!
Too much homework

November:

not much bad stuff!

December:

Pretty much rocked!

So there you have it... Obviously the best part was meeting Rachel and beginning my relationship with her, still going after four months and hopefully continuing for a long time! Cheers everyone, I've done enough procrastinating see you later.

I'm getting sick of not being able to go anywhere...I'll be glad when I can ditch the dressing on my toe!

sucking

2007-02-23T17:38:00.000-05:00

Essay is sucking my will and I can't walk more than ten feet without hurting because of the dressing on my toe. I haven't seen a human being for more than 2 minutes since Wednesday and I don't have the time.....................................................

I am looking forward to the end of this week.

Fun in Dundas / Of being on TCF Exec

2007-02-22T15:34:00.000-05:00

This will be a two part post, first a recap of my four days in Dundas / Hamilton area with Rachel and her fam and then a discussion of what it means to me being on Exec. Here we go!

Fun in Dundas:

I went to Dundas to visit Rachel from Sunday-Wednesday... here is an account of those days:

Sunday- Leave for Dundas at 1:40pm Jer dropped me off. We had a stopover in Toronto so we had a quick stop at HMV and Frankz for hot-dogs. We arrived at around 6:30 and we ate at McDonald's and went walking in Dundas so Rachel could show me around.

Monday- Hung out with Rachel's friend Shane at Limeridge Mall. Cinnabon rules so much. We also went to Dr. Disc, a sweet used cd store in downtown Hamilton. Had supper with the family. Then we went to Tim Horton's with Rachel's friend Jenny for a while.

Tuesday- Went used book shopping in neighboring towns in the afternoon. Went on a date at Kelsey's and then checked out the Canadian Bible Society bookstore that had a massive selection of bibles. Had supper with the fam and then went to QQ a bubble tea shop that Rachel likes, they had killer spring rolls and fruit smoothies.

Wednesday- Went to Tim Horton's store #1 in Hamilton and then checked out the Sonic Unyon store. (Sonic Unyon is Canada's largest indie record label. Their studio is in Hamilton and has a record shop attached to it where they sell indie records from various labels really cheap). After we went to Blessings Christian bookstore in Ancaster then to Little Caesar's for some pizza action. Rachel and her mom drove me to the bus station in Hamilton then I was on my way home.

Dundas is a beautiful town, I could definitely live there! Rachel's family is pretty cool. We also found the time to pray and read the bible together, which is essential for a healthy relationship. Thanks for the good times Rachie!

Of being on TCF Exec:

TCF Exec is elected each year from the body of TCF to fulfill spiritual and administrative needs in the TCF community. TCF has existed since the 70s, seeing over 30 different Execs and over 7 generations of Trent University students... so it's easy to think that what I do is at all significant in the long-run... what is the importance of one Exec, one bible study leader? In this way I feel as though I have squandered the short time I have, failing at my job.

However, what I do this year as a bible study leader is eternally significant...it is all important in the eyes of God who has placed me on Exec in the first place. And I am growing into my position... I feel responsibility for the spiritual growth of those in my bible study as well as a desire to make sure that they are doing okay in general. I also see the need to maintain my own spiritual growth in order to be a successful leader in this way. Here's looking forward to the rest of this year!

photos

2007-02-22T10:37:00.000-05:00

some new pics on flickr... substantial post still forthcoming... need to get essay out of the way first.

At Rachie's

2007-02-19T19:10:00.000-05:00

Listening to: The Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band with Choir- Babylon Was Built on Fire/Starsnostars Weird song by a weird band, but it's fun!

At Rachel's house for most of the week... went shopping in Hamilton, the city of smog, got the following:

The Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band with Choir- "This is our punk-rock," thee rusted satellites Gather + Sing,

King's X- The Best of King's X

Alice Cooper- From the Inside (rare out of print cd!)

Bob Dylan- Bringing It All Back Home

Brand New- The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me

Sepultura- Chaos DVD

Also had fun with Rachel's sisters, hanging out with Rachel's friends Shane and Jenny. Good times. Tomorrow we are going to go on a romantic date and also check out Tim Horton's Store #1, pretty cool. Soon I will be posting on weightier spiritual topics, but until then...

Reading break is coming...

2007-02-07T15:45:00.000-05:00

...and I will spend my time hanging out with Rachel and her family in Dundas. I'm excited to see important places from her childhood. Other than this, I will also be having minor foot surgery and writing an essay. Speaking of essays, I need to start one soon so that I can start writing the other one. Ack. School.

There is a chance that I will be living in Toronto the majority of next year. It's a complicated situation regarding con-ed placements and unfortunately I won't know anything until next September... So it's going to be rather awkward making living arrangements. But the Lord will provide.

Soon enough I will be making a recording of some of my more performance ready poetry. My friend Michael Hayes owns his own recording studio and record label. Mostly this will be low-fi for my friends only, but some poems will be produced and remixed with some electronica backing care of Michael, and may end up being released on future label compilations. This will be happening whenever we both have the time. Expect to hear stuff you haven't seen.

That is all for now, redeem the time.

Spiritual Gifts

2007-01-25T00:14:00.000-05:00

I love 'em, hopefully you do too. Some of you are probably sick of hearing me discuss this, but I had a conversation with Luke Dent tonight in which God revealed something to me while I was speaking.

Let me begin by saying that I believe in all the Spiritual gifts for today, in all places and all throughout the entire church age. I believe in apostleship, prophecy, miracles, healing, tongues, interpretation, knowledge, wisdom, pastor, teacher, evangelist, exhortation, discernment, mercy, giving, faith, service, and administration. All 18 Spiritual gifts at all times in church history. (See 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Peter 4:10-11)

There is more controversy surrounding Spiritual gifts in North America than anywhere else. Many of us are quick to accept the healing of a blind man in Mexico, but just as quickly argue that this type of thing doesn't happen here. Why?

I think there are two reasons for this:

We are proud rich North Americans who don't have faith in God to perform miracles
Our teaching on Spiritual gifts is biased and skewed because of this.

Let's look at number one. Though we hate to admit it usually, we are quite rich compared to other places in the world. In our first world country we are blessed with food, shelter, money, medicine, and lots of distracting entertainment. We are self-sufficient, self-reliant, and proud. Frankly, we don't know how to have faith in God. Our faith is a self-centered faith that focuses on our prosperity, our emotions, our desire for power. We focus on God's love but not his sovereignty. This is epidemic in North American churches. Our lukewarm apathy has led to different movements / denominations that have tried to remedy our problems. The two movements from which we receive the most divergent views of the Spiritual gifts were created to combat pride and apathy around similar times, but they each focused on different aspects of God leading to different doctrines.

These movements are fundamentalism, which primarily focuses on the sovereignty of God and going back to the "fundamentals" of the faith, and charasmaticism, which focuses on the lost passions for godliness and the miraculous. These movements are really brothers, but quickly grew to disagree and cause division.

The different views on Spiritual gifts are partially caused by different interpretations of scripture and are partially reactionary.

1 Corinthians says, "8Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known." (NASB)

Fundamentalists teach that the "perfect" is the completed word of God including the whole New Testament, and therefore the gifts have ceased, and charismatics teach that the "perfect" is the second coming of Christ, and therefore the gifts continue. I personally believe the latter view because although the word of God is perfect, it does not make imperfections in our knowledge of God disappear, and certainly we do not see face to face. This is all I will say about this issue because I would like to spend more time on the reactionary issue which I consider more prominent.

Fundamentalists have seen charismatics as crazy; the "charismatic chaos," and charismatics look at fundamentalists as legalistic (I have been on both sides of the issue). Both stereotypes are justified because they are often true because we are self centered. Our North American "me" focus comes out like this:

For charismatics the Spiritual gifts become a status symbol of spirituality. The one who displays tongues, prophecy or miracles openly is clearly a very successful and spiritual Christian. There is nothing wrong with using the Spiritual gifts (we are called to desire them), however displaying these obvious gifts can lead to a sense of proud accomplishment. The focus of the gift of healing ceases to be on God's power to heal and moves to the one using the gift. A sense of expectancy is born. A view of so-and-so as a great healer instead of focusing on God. This is the reason for so many scandals involving false healing and prophecy. Certain people get reputations and begin to maintain the status quo, becoming greedy and not wanting to lose their status, leading to false prophecies and healing. The moment the focus is on man the Spirit leaves.

Fundamentalists however, seeking humility and a reverence for God forsake the Spiritual gifts all together. Instead they value theological knowledge and bible teaching to the detriment of anything experiential. People who seek the Spiritual gifts are frowned upon. The word of God crosses the fine line and becomes an idol.

These are clear stereotypes and not everyone is like this, but they do hold truth. I would like to see the reconciliation of these feuding brothers. I would like to see solid biblical teaching lifted up alongside the Spiritual gifts. I would like to see all glory given to Christ and humility in the church. Let's forgive our differences and seek to mend our damage done. Let's learn from each other. Let's lift up all the Spiritual gifts and not idolize the more exciting ones. Let's not ban Spiritual gifts based on the sins and abuses of certain people.

God bless you, may you seek his will. I will leave you these words from Ephesians chapter 1:

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. (emphasis mine)

what's going on

2007-01-19T12:48:00.000-05:00

Been listening to a lot of Marvin Gaye lately (you think is weird?) R&B isn't really my thing, but his voice is gorgeous, and the music appeals to that hidden small part of my soul that actually enjoys dancing...

I don't really have a whole lot to say... First bible study back was great, we're finally getting into the NT which brings the most relevant (and most controversial) of topics. Next week we are discussing Spirit Filling, which is John MacMillan's first study as the co-leader (and he prepared this very well given the short time he had).

I'm looking forward to sitting back and learning (as well as the rest!)

The next week I'll be discussing the first possibly controversial topic of the year, Spirit Baptism. I am going to approach this with the Socratic method... I will give both the charismatic and evangelical points of view, and then I'll give them each verse that mentions baptism in/by/with the Holy Spirit and say, "you tell me!"

Then I'll explain why I believe what I do, but only after they reach their own conviction.

Well, God bless.

soundtrack to the end of my life

2007-01-13T23:33:00.000-05:00

...I hear the quiet voice of lonliness and fear I say, "devil disappear!" I'm still (technically) a virgin after 23 years which never bothered me before, what's maybe 50 more?

(kinda quoting Aaron Jonathan Weiss)

IMMENSE JOY!

2007-01-11T01:13:00.000-05:00

Dennis Lee is releasing a new book of poetry in April! Even better, it's a companion piece to UN which is my favourite book by him. Yay! I'll be first in line, er, online.