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  • High Five: Great Music Finds (July 2007)

    I listen to a lot of music and often run across some great new artists and bands, so here’s my first installment of “High Five: Great Music Finds”.

    These artist and bands are guaranteed to not suck. Trust me. Come on. You know you want to.

    Mew – Am I Wry
    [youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=IHnQB6CnlKI]

    The Living Things – Bom Bom Bom
    [youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=srvDHCWTDZo]

    Brendan Benson – Cold Hands Warm Heart
    [youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=zKjRzSr-V88]

    30 Seconds To Mars – The Kill
    [youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=qF1wZQzpeKA]

    The Feeling – Love It When You Call
    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGlneOQBPMk]

  • Paint It Black

    Lazy, hot Sunday afternoon. Kids and wife are out of the house. Local boy Joe Walsh turned up pretty loud on the surround sound system. Ok, really loud.

    So loud that I just noticed my dog Buddy left the room. Other than barking fits, Buddy is a “party- favorites-Jimmy-Buffet” kind of music lover. In my eyes, these are his only two faults.

    I’m pretty sure he rolled his eyes at me as he passed by. I could tell (yet again) that he was on the verge of speech, likely about to say, “I ask for Margaritaville and you give me Life’s Been Good? Pathetic!”

    I’m realizing I haven’t blogged in quite some time. Several of my new blogosphere friends (who have been doing this longer than I) seem to have taken the summer off. Perhaps subconsciously I have been doing the same? I just went through a few weeks where everything mechanical in my life stopped working, so that’s my excuse.

    I have completed my full discography collection of all Rush albums adding Moving Pictures, Hemispheres and the new one Snakes And Arrows last week. I found 1 ticket on Ebay in the 4th row and am eager to see them here in Cleveland at the end of August. It will be my fourth time.

    Most classic rock fans know Tom Sawyer and New World Man pretty well, but have never heard what I think is one of Rush’s best albums: Presto. Several years beyond their “heyday”, I fell in love with this disc in 1990 and have fond memories of listening to it in my old Honda Accord back in Springfield, Missouri.

    I gave it a spin last week and was reminded again how really good it is. Presto includes a song called War Paint that, at least for me, is a great song about the masks we wear. I think it’s also about us becoming so full of ourselves that we can’t see clearly.

    All puffed up with vanity
    We see what we want to see
    To the beautiful and the wise
    The mirror always lies

    Boys and girls together
    Mistake conceit for pride
    Ambition for illusion
    Dreams for self-delusion

    Girls and boys together
    See what it is we lack
    Boys and girls together
    Let’s paint the mirror black

    Paint it black

    I like the idea of painting the mirror black, dropping the mask, and being real with others. Easier said than done of course.

    What do you think?

  • Making Sense Out Of Nothing At All

    jimsteinmanOk, Kim and need some help. We were listening to some old 80’s songs tonight and on came Air Supply’s “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All”. Kim especially has been befuddled by this song for quite some time. In fact, she’s close to needing therapy over this.

    I know this is one of Jim Steinman’s songs, the brilliant composer of much of Meat Loaf’s discography including “Paradise By The Dashboard Light”. Steinman also wrote the pop/rock anthem “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” (Bonnie Tyler) … you know … Turn around, bright eyes? Now, I’ve got you signing!

    So the help we need is anything to explain just what this Air Supply song is about.

    We’ve Googled. We’ve Yahoo’d.

    We’ve even MSN’d.

    Nothing. And now we’re considering a reward for anyone that can help us.

    If you don’t know and you’d like to join in the torment, here you go ………

  • Most Creative SNL Digital Short

    What is your favorite SNL Digital Short?

    There have been some good ones in the last year, but I think by far the most creative one is Dear Sister. I didn’t realize until today that it’s a parody of the season finale of The O.C.

    You may need to turn up the volume a bit on this, but enjoy and let me know your favorite:

    [youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=ymJ50Ql7EF4]

  • Gotta Love Free Power Pop Tunes

    Bruce at Not Lame is offering what he calls “22 power pop songs not heard by 99% of pop fans!“.

    You can download individual songs or two zip files with all 22 songs. I saw one of my favorite new bands in the list: Jackdaw (Listen)

    If you order a CD from Not Lame between now and Noon Thursday, Bruce is also offering a special CD-R compilation of rare, unheard power pop, shoulda-been classics. Limited time thing, so check it out.

  • Real Dads (Father’s Day 2007)

    Someone or something
    raises every child.

    Men who care about their kids
    do the job themselves.

    Men who care only about themselves
    leave it to chance.

    ~ Kevin O’Brien, Cleveland Plain Dealer June 17,2007

  • Theologically, Your Worldview Is….

    I’ve been reading Eric’s Blog recently and he recommended a very interesting 50 question quiz that will suggest your theological worldview. Here is a link to the quiz. Click the Comments link below and let me know how you score?

    I was not surprised at my low Roman Catholic score. However, being raised in a Charismatic Pentecostal church, I was a little surprised that this was my second lowest score.

    Here are my results:

    You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan, You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God’s grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists.

    Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan
    		79%

    Neo orthodox
    		68%

    Fundamentalist
    		57%

    Emergent/Postmodern
    		50%

    Classical Liberal
    		43%

    Modern Liberal
    		43%

    Reformed Evangelical
    		39%

    Charismatic/Pentecostal
    		25%

    Roman Catholic
    		14%

    What’s your theological worldview?
    created with QuizFarm.com

  • You Had Me At “Big Trophy”

    spur.jpg

  • Quotes & Head Scratchers Volume 2

    If we quit voting, will they all go away?

    Ever noticed how nothing is impossible for those who don’t have to do it?

    Seen it all. Done it all. Don’t remember most of it.

    How do you know if honesty is the best policy unless you’ve tried some of the others?

    If you saw a heat wave, would you save back.

    Why didn’t Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

    All I ask is a chance to prove that money can’t make me happy.

    Why doesn’t Tarzan have a beard?

    Someone who thinks logically is a nice contrast to the real world.

    What if the Hokey Pokey IS what it’s all about?

    Why do they call it a TV set when you only get one?

    All’s well that ends.

    A penny saved is a penny.

    Things are more like they are today than they ever have been before.

    First rule of marriage: If you’re right, apologize fast.

  • Married To Jesus? Yipes!

    Perhaps my Mom knows more than anyone what it might be like to be married to Jesus. After all, my Dad is the closest thing I know to a saint.

    Just a shout out to my good friend Matt White who has written his first book, Married To Jesus. You’ll also find his blog listed in my “Blogs I Read” list to the right.

    Want to wet your whistle? Here is the entire first chapter.