United State of Pop 2009

Now I don't have to listen to all those songs in full.
Who knew that the recording industry only knows how to write songs in one key.

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Catch the Wind

My grandmother, Mama, died last Tuesday morning. From elementary school through most of my college years I stayed with her about once a week. Through high school, unless I had a basketball game or band thing, I stayed at her house on Friday nights. When everyone else partied, or whatever you're supposed to do on Fridays, I went to Mama's ate junk food and watched TV. It was my escape every week. She used to make me a huge plate of spaghetti and garlic toast for supper, sometimes we'd splurge and have pizza. Or if she needed supplies we'd go over a town to Wal-Mart, I'd get a $5 toy and we'd go to Applebee's where I'd get the double cheeseburger and a cookie shake. Mama usually had the quesadillas, probably the reason I like them now. When I graduated high school she took me and my cousins on a cruise to Bermuda it was most awesome I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The first time I remember her crying is when I left for the Naval Academy after high school, and then again when I came back. While I was at Jewell before transferring to Wheaton I resumed my weekend stays at her house. After I graduated from Wheaton and went back to get another degree at Jewell I stayed with Mama Sunday nights as her caregiver, at that point she had full-time live in help. That continued until I moved to LA little more than a year ago. It was during that return to Jewell and staying with Mama that I started singing and playing my guitar regularly. Every private concert ended with Jolene, even the ones this last month with her in the hospital. She liked to hear me play and I loved playing for her. I'll never have a more captive audience. Or one more prone to be lulled asleep by my music.

I played at her funeral on Saturday. I would have liked to sing Jolene, but I didn't think it would be appropriate. I played Catch the Wind instead. My two cousins payed their tribute first in words, beautiful, appropriate words, then I played. I thought I'd make it through, but I got to the 3rd verse and broke down. I started thinking about the lyrics, "When the rain has hung the leaves with tears I want you near to kill my fears to help me leave all my blues away," and couldn't do it. I did manage to recite most of the rest, "Standing in your heart is where I want to be, I long to be..." But I couldn't finish it. Thankfully my mom, who was sitting at the piano, finished, "Ah, but I might as well try and catch the wind."

It'll be a long time before I see my Mama again. But she's dancing and laughing and singing at the feast. I've never heard Mama sing, I used to sit next to her in church and she'd just read the hymns without singing. I can hardly wait to hear her sing.

I love you Mama. I'll miss singing for you.

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The Arts

I wonder how any Christian could argue against the relevance and importance of the arts...

For surely the Bible itself is art. Isn't it the definitive collection of God inspired/revealed poetry, stories, and song?

Art is the human mind trying to capture the seen and unseen beauty and truth of the world. All true art is inspired at its core, and where does this inspiration come from but ultimately from God whether or not the artist recognizes the source.

I'm just glad I'm not alone on this stance. The good people at Ravi Zacharias agree and are turning their attention toward the arts.

Road to a Higher Degree

I fully expect to someday obtain a PHud using only the most rigorous and interesting methods available...or whichever gets the job done faster.
:P

Home and Books

In the last week or so I've been trying to catch up with my reading. I started off with one of my all-time favorites. When I read My Side of the Mountain in 6th grade I was absolutely convinced that I wanted to do the same thing. I quickly found out though, that outdoorsyness is not my strong suit. We went camping in the mountains for a week and the whole time I replayed movies in my head and wished for Dr. Pepper. SCA camping is much much more up my ally.

I also read Percy Jackson #2, which I really enjoyed. I've changed my mind on the series. I still have some qualms but I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series as soon as I can find them in the Library, I'm thinking I'll have to order it in. Read Ella Enchanted and it was super awesome, I must say I liked it better than the movie, but I enjoyed the movie in its own right. On the not kiddie side I read the latest Sookie Stackhouse, which is by far my favorite vampire book series. *pssst* Sookie has a personality and so do the vampires. That's why. In my queue is The Ranger's Apprentice, Artimis Fowl, and the graphic novel version of Pendragon (I tried the book and hated it enough to stop reading almost immediately).

My grandma is still in the hospital, but she's stable and pretty close to being back where she was before all this drama. Who knows how long she'll last. Other than that, I've been hanging out with friends and ferrying my other grandma back and forth for her cataract surgeries.

Exciting, I know. The only thing I haven't been doing that I should is....MERCATOR! But I will strive valiantly to finish him in the next 3 days. Probably. :P