Piano and Virb.com

I have always (well not always but for quite along time) wished I could play piano. Last night at Fasai's party there was a guy there who was studying classical piano in Russia and he was amazing. Last night I think I finally made up my resolve to learn piano and learn it well. I am going to be taking a class this year to learn the basics I guess and then I hope to kind of teach myself the rest. I basically taught myself guitar (apart from Darren and Alex's help). So I figure I can basically teach myself piano, once I've learned the basics, and then every now and then when I find someone who plays they maybe could teach me some. But I am going to do it. I am going to learn piano. I found that it is a great instrument to express lots of emotion in your music.

www.virb.com/coolhandluke check it out. amazing stuff from Cool Hand Luke. All will enjoy.

Dreadlocks picture

I am really not one for posting pictures and what not but since there are quite a few people asking about my dreads and for a picture, instead of emailing everyone I thought "hey, why not put up a picture on my blog, that'd be easy" so here is my first and hopefully last picture. Right now the dreads are alittle I guess crazy. I don't have any wax at the time, which is really annoying, but Jon is sending me some soon, and so I will go have them touched up and then I will begin to wax them. Indeed, they still are quite nice though, I love them. Well enjoy the picture.

Sadness, Happiness, and Cool Hand Luke

Well after the night at the foxes I have realized that I don't really like loud noises very much. It sounds kinda odd coming from me because I am quite loud myself but I think that I am starting to not like being really loud. Quiet seems alittle better to me. I believe that I am going to try and tone back alittle with my ridiculous loudness. I don't mind being loud when there is a time for it, during a game or what not, but all the time is kinda bothering me. So that is my nearly the end of august resolution, to become alittle bit quieter.

I have been listening to a few songs off of the new Cool Hand Luke album and I must say that it is some of their best work yet. If you haven't listened to CHL then you really should check them out because they are a bunch of amazing musicians. They just happen to be atop my favorites list. I think I like them so much because they are such nice guys. I met them at a show in Atlanta and they gave me a cd and I was happy. The show was really good too.

School is getting ready to start and I am partially looking forward to it. I am not excited because that means that I am going to be taking Algebra 2 again and I really don't want to. But school starting also signals the end of my last year of high school. And that is something to be excited over. But that also signals the soon to be graduation, and that is something to be excited over and yet quite sad over. I will be excited because I will have graduated, and yet I will be very very sad because I will then, most likely, be leaving and I am going to miss some people here alot. It will be hard for me to leave. I just might cry. And if you know me, that doesn't happen very often. But I think that at graduation I will be more sad than happy.

Cold Beer And Cigarettes

A white ghost, making his way up the west coast
Trying to focus his high hopes on a vagina or two
He's taking his chances
Meanwhile, back in his living room
Bright smiles are watching his toddler run speed trials
Over a grandmother's rug
And nature advances

Up the interstate
He's been awake
And pretty drunk for three whole days
No one wants to stop
Until they get to where they're going
I'll get to where I'm going pretty soon

So he takes another drink
'Cause watching the scenery bleed
Into each similar scene
Isn't as sweet as it had been in his dreams

It's faster to buy cigarettes and some cold beer
If you don't rattle the cashier
By asking her back to your room
She's calling security

Our car's on fire in the parking lot
And nobody wants it to rain
But God isn't listening
So all of the windshields glisten
The water and oil mix
Causing the fire to spread
To five or six innocent automobiles
Waiting in their nearby spots
What a cruel God we've got

Right on, right on, right on
Right on, right onRight on, right on, right on
Right on, right on

So he takes another drink
'Cause watching the formula bleed
Into each similar thing
Isn't as sweet as it had been in his dreams

Thats How I Remember

I go out in public now
More than you might think
But only after pills and drinks
Thats how I remember
And if I see any girl
Ive ever met before
I run like hell for the door
Thats how I remember
Memory records
Selected shorts
And interpretations
Then later plays them back
As gospel fact
Thats how I remember
Thats how I remember
With one eye open
You can focus like a camera
On whomever you are capturing
Without exception I prefer it
As a way to document
The objects of my interest
Red and yellow
Black and white
Are precious in his sight
But who he roots for in a fight
Thats how I remember
So every time I find a girl
Beaten, gagged and bound
I let her go and write it down
Thats how I remember
Thats how I remember

Jesus, Youth Group, and Pedro The Lion

Youth group this past week was really good I thought. I ended up playing a few Pedro The Lion songs for worship. The Longer I Lay Here, The Well, Be Thou My Vision, Silent Night were the songs that I played. And I quite enjoyed singing them. There is something about singing pedro songs at youth group that I enjoy. Rachel spoke for us and I very much enjoyed what we did because it got me to think. We did this beginning of a bible study that Rachel has been working through and we studied the passage of scripture when the rich young ruler comes to Jesus and asks what he must do to get to heaven. He kept all the laws but the one thing that he could not do was sell all he had. What got me thinking was that Jesus could have said "it is not about your works but about your faith in me." But instead He gives the man one more thing to do, and for this man it is the one thing that will hold him back. Why did Jesus give the man another task to accomplish instead of just saying "believe and me and you will be saved" ? It just got me thinking and wondering why Jesus said that. Most christians have never even heard of this opportunity (someone coming to them and asking them point blank what must I do to inherit eternal life?) and most would be quick to make the way easy to become a believer in Jesus. But Jesus, He seems to make the way one step harder. Its just something to think about, Jesus didn't always give people the easy way but there is going to be great sacrifice. But I had never thought about that passage this way. It gave good things to think about.

Tunings

For the guitar players out there, check out this open tuning. Instead of tuning EADGBe tune it CGCGCe The EAD stings tune down and the B tune up half a step. Open C tuning friends. It is quite alot of fun to play in. I have been enjoying it alot. So if you have yet to use it, go out and try Open C tuning.

Alone, Rapture, and Da Vinci

Being alone is quite nice. My parents have gone to Bangkok for a few days with the family and I opted to stay back, watch the dog and take care of the house. It is really nice because it is so quiet and peaceful. Not to say that it isn't good having my family home but I have realized that it is good to be alone sometimes. All the time would be bad (at least for me) but every now and then is quite good.

I am nearly finished writing my guitar instrumental i have been working on for ages. I have had a base idea for it but just recently decided to finish what I started and complete it. Which by the way is a good thing, we should always finish what we start. Never leave a job half done. I am listening to Pedro at the moment. More specifically the song Rapture. I really don't understand this song, I would love to know why David Bazan wrote it, but at the moment all I can say is it is a bit strange of a song.

I finished reading The Da Vinci Code and I must say it was a fantastic book. I am not sure why people gave it so much crap. I mean sure it is about Christ and isn't very, not even sure what word to use, respectful I guess. But it is just another conspiracy theory. I mean I guess it is sacrilegious in a way but still, it was hated by most christians. Now it could throw alot of doubts into your mind, but I find that it is good to know what other people think of Christ and who He was and what He did. Knowing that and listening to what somebody has to say about it doesn't change my own beliefs but I then have an understanding of where other people are coming from. It was interesting to read this book that shared 'facts' (though I have never heard any of them outside of this book). Alot of the book is opinion and supposed 'facts' about God and Christ that were put into a novel form. It was quite interesting to read it and find out that people actually believe alot of what the book had to say. Sad but interesting. But like I said earlier, I thought the book was fantastic and would recommend it to anyone seeking a good conspiracy theory.