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December 28, 2006
Today
What a wonderful day I had today. It just got better now, right before bed, when I came to the realization that it's been prefaced by months of equally great ones. When did I get so lucky?
I wrote this poem about it:
What a positive force
this life, your skin in
my reality
like
ears of corn, knobby
and grown only to
separate; be alone
and make more.
I feel like I am in love even though I am thoroughly single. I think it's because I keep having these wonderful experiences with all different sorts of people. I guess thats what community is, just spreading love around.
I got some great bottles of wine for Christmas and will be making steaks soon for friends, I can't hardly wait.
Posted by Jon at 10:59 PM | Comments (2)
December 14, 2006
Care
"God does not care...whether I am happy or not. What God cares about, with all the power of God's holy being, is the quality of my life...not just the continuation of my breath and the health of my cells--but the quality of my life, the scope of my life, the heft and zest of my life...fear of death always turns into fear of life, into a stingy, cautious way of living that is not really living at all...to follow Jesus means going beyond the limits of our own comfort and safety. It means receiving our lives as gifts instead of guarding them as...possessions." -Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor
Posted by Jon at 07:35 AM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2006
Two Quotes
Here are a couple of quotes that struck me in my reading this morning:
"Those who make religion their god will not have God for their religion." -Thomas Erskine of Linlathen
"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened; vision cleared; ambition inspired, and success achieved." -Helen Keller
Posted by Jon at 07:22 AM | Comments (0)
December 06, 2006
I had the strangest dream...
I had the most peculiar dream last night. I was the sole-leader taking kids from my youth group to a sporting event in a castle type arena with moving stone stair cases a-la Hogwarts when I ran into the girl I dated for two years in college. She introduced me to her new husband and then proceeded to flirt with me in order to persuade me to fix her ailing computer. I complied and by doing so left my responsibilities as youth leader. Every time I tried to go back she'd grab my arm and make eye contact which, in turn, prevented me from leaving. Her husband was really into me, shaking my hand and being overtly friendly but had a frightening dermatological condition. The skin on his cheeks was covered with boils and peeling off, dripping blood and making me feel uncomfortable.
After I fixed her computer she invited me on a walk through a location that was an amalgam of the neighborhood I grew up in, her childhood neighborhood and the campus of Messiah College. By this time I had told myself that the children in my care could find their own way home though I felt uneasy about abandoning my responsibilities. I can't remember what we talked about but I do remember her always trying to make eye contact with me so that I could see her smiling face.
She invited me back to dinner at her home, which was an exact replica of her parents place, where she paid extensive attention to me and ignored her husband which gave me a paralyzing sense of unease. The dream ended with us leaving to go play softball where we were on the same team, constantly afraid and watching the sky for a plane we were certain would crash on the field and ruin the game. As I was stepping up to bat my alarm went off and I woke up, strangely calm and confused.
Does anyone have ANY idea what this could possibly mean? It was the most lucid dream I've had in a while and am dying to know it's underlying meaning, if any such thing exists.
Oh and I could watch this all day...I don't know why but it brings me inexplicable joy.
Posted by Jon at 12:00 AM | Comments (2)
December 05, 2006
EyeHeartSynths
I just posted my Winter Promo Mix for your downloading pleasure. It's entitled 'EyeHeartSynths' and you can receive it free of charge by clicking right here on this hyperlink. It's a zip file because I split it up into individual tracks, giving you the freedom to skip around at your discretion as well as know which track it is you are listening to at the time. This was done for your convenience but, please understand that when I began the process of creating this mix that I painstakingly thought about the order and flow of the music, intending to construct an aural journey where the listener would pass by, in order, certain landmarks that warranted their attention.
The music is mostly upbeat, driving and synth heavy electro house (hence the title) occasionally taking the brief detour into loopy techno or more spacey progressive territory. The highlights, in my opinion, are 'Give Me Love', 'The Now People', 'Musical Hero', 'Echo' and 'Sedna' but every tune on here I enjoy quite a bit and the ones I didn't mention are far from flat.
The intro quote is from Hackers, a movie that, despite being woefully inaccurate, had a soundtrack and aesthetic that influenced me a lot in high school and was the spark that started my addiction to electronic music that still burns brightly today. I covet your feedback so please let me know what you think...
Tracklisting:
01: Laid - Me (Zoo Brazil Mix)
02: Beckers, D-Nox, Amo, Navas - Memory Cell
03: Coburn - Give Me Love (Andrea Doria Remix)
04: Henrik B - Overrun
05: Daso - Daybreak (Oliver Koletzki Remix)
06: Zen-Kei - The Punisher
07: Gregor Tresher - The Now People
08: Gordon Truerock - Bleepnotic
09: Dave Lindbergh - Musical Hero (Gee & Lighter Remix)
10: Luke Dzierzek - Echo
11: Ellen Allien, Apparat - Jet (Paul Kalkbrenner Remix)
12: Misstress Barbara - Azzurri
13: 16 Bit Lolitas - Sedna
Posted by Jon at 07:44 AM | Comments (1)