top 5 tuesday

Here it is again! Of course, I haven't really made a lot of progress in between, but I feel I must continue today to sate the appetites of all those adoring fans.

List 1: Mike's Top 5 Favorite "Christian" Bands:
--> I know that the term "Christian Band" is kind of in flux, and sensitive to most people, so cut me some slack and lets not be controversial.
1. Disciple
2. Red
3. Anberlin
4. Kristian Stanfill
5. dc Talk (its old school, the new birds have knocked 'em down on the list. . .)

similarly . . .

List 2: Mike's Top 5 Favorite "Secular" Bands:
--> The devil's music.
1. Muse
2. U2
3. Dream Theater
4. Opeth
5. Alter Bridge

List 3: Mike's Top 5 Favorite Guitarists:
1. The Edge (U2)
2. John Petrucci (Dream Theater)
3. Mark Tremonti (Alter Bridge)
4. Mark Lee (Third Day)
5. David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)

top 5 tuesday

Today I'd like to start a new tradition, hopefully it will keep me a bit more regular with my postings.

I'm calling it Top 5 Tuesday, and I'm going to compile a few lists of regular things to share that you will all come to love and adore.

List 1: Mike's Top 5 Favorite Bands of the Week According to His iPod:
--> Determined by bands with the greatest number of songs in the top 25 most played of the week.
1. & 2. Tie between Muse & U2
3. Dream Theater
4. Fee
5. A four way tie between 30 Seconds to Mars, Kristian Stanfill, Alter Bridge, and Aerosmith.

List 2: Mike's Top 5 Favorite Songs of the Week According to His iPod:
--> Determined by top 5 most played songs of the week.
1. & 2. Tie between "Plug In Baby" and "Starlight" by Muse
3. "Magnificent" by U2
4. "These Walls" by Dream Theater
5. Tie between "Burn for You" by Fee and "Moment of Surrender" by U2

List 3: Mike's Top 5 Reasons Money is Horrible:
--> (see Top 5 Reasons Why Mike Needs To Be Less Materialistic, soon to come)
1. There's never enough of it.
2. It never comes in fast enough.
3. It's not edible.
4. It doesn't grow on trees. (Related to #2, I guess.)
5. Money . . . so they say, is the root of all evil today.

after the hiatus / and i'm broke

I hate apologizing for not blogging, but I do feel an explanation is required as to why there has been a substantial lack of posting my yours truly.

Finals. And a new job.

Hopefully, that's about all the explanation you need (mostly because that's all you're gonna get).

Anyway, continuing on.

One of the things that frustrates me the most is that when I have a lot of spare cash lying around, I have no idea what to do with it. However, when I'm short on cash, or when I'm trying to save money (as is the case currently), I can easily find all manner of things upon which to blow inordinate amounts of dough. I'll refer to both situations as 'broke' simply because I have no money to spend on smaller things.

I'm currently in the market for a Boss DD-20 Giga Delay twin pedal. It's essentially the last part to complete the sound package I would 'need' to be exactly where I want to be in terms of effects.

Normally the DD-20 retails for around $220, but I'd like to find one on Ebay for around $100. So far, I've found quite a few of them, but they've all been going for around $120. I really don't want to spend more than that.

It takes some patience. The good thing is that the DD-20 is not necessary to the way I play; the digital delay features on the Boss GT-3 I currently use fulfills that role within my sound adequately. The DD-20 would simply take me to the next level; modularizing the delay and packaging it in a more controllable unit.

I can wait; time is on my side.

let's make sum noyez

One of my favorite things to do when I'm jamming on my own is making noise; I mean, really just making random, a-melodic noises. Not really notes, mostly just scratching and flicking and scraping about to see what kind of textures and moods I can create.

Adding some echo-delay or modulation effects like phasers, flangers, or wah is usually a necessity to get really cool effects. My personal favorite is to tap on muted strings, creating small clicks that, when delay is added, sound like clockwork. Secondary favorite: doing long, slow pick scratches on the lower strings with wah and delay at the end. Sounds like a rocket going off.

It's nice if I can put some kind of chord set to repeat endlessly on a computer or keyboard, and put the noises on top of that to add some interesting color to extended length chords that may have been a bit boring on their own.

What's been really fun is playing with other people who'll do the same thing. Then you can switch doing the noise and playing the "music".

top five: concerts

Whew. The past week has been crazy, and finals are coming up, so things aren't going to slow up for a few more days. Finals start next week, so a week after that, the pressure will be off.

In the meantime, I thought I'd continue blogging. As you have probably noticed, I'm going to see U2 and Muse in October in Charlottesville with my girlfriend, driving with a couple from WEC, Jake and his wife, and meeting a slew of others when we get there.

YAY. <-- (imagine that multiplied by about a billion)

This show is going to be amazing, and with that in mind, I'll share with you my top five favorite concerts that I've attended.
***
(5) The Devin Townsend Band, Dark Tranquillity, Opeth @ the Norva in Norfolk, VA
***
One of the first bigger shows I went to on my own. Hadn't heard of DTB or Dark Tranquillity, I went to see Opeth. I was pleasantly surprised by both of the openers. Devin Townsend is one of the more interesting personalities in progressive rock to be certain, and his music speaks for itself. Dark Tranquillity started getting me more into the melodic death metal arena, and is still my favorite in that genre. Of course, Opeth was phenomenal. Their stage presence is not impressive, but if you're going to see Opeth, you're going for the music, not the stage antics. Very memorable show. Tim was there.
***
(4) Dream Theater, and the other bands that don't matter @ Pier 6 Pavilion in Baltimore, MD
***
Seeing my all time favorite band for the first time ever in Baltimore was so awesome! Tim can attest that I was probably giggling with glee when they came out on stage. They could have played anything and I would have been more than satisfied with their setlist. I absolutely love it when they do their "play-a-cover-in-the-middle-of-one-of-our-songs" thing, hearing something from The Wall during "Surrounded" was my personal favorite. It was worth the drive, well worth the money, and well worth the wait.
***
(3) Tool, with some other crappy band @ the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, VA
***
My brother and I (notice a trend here?) hiked up to Richmond to see Tool. We're both big fans of their music, and their performance certainly didn't disappoint there, but both of us were utterly blown away by the visual elements of their show. They had 4 screens behind them and 3 screens above and towards the wings of the stage, all playing synchronized video to their music. Then, for the one of the last epic-length tracks from their latest albums, two of their circular light rigs above the stage began to move around, shining their lights: they were like UFOs! It was freaking amazing, and then when things couldn't get any better, lasers came out from the stage. One interesting note is that while we had nosebleed-section-ish seats, they allowed us to see images that were projected onto the white stage floor that we wouldn't have seen had we been in "better" seats.
***
(2) Blue Man Group @ Broadway in New York, NY
***
For band spring trip in high school one year, we went to New York City, and the best part of the trip was seeing Blue Man Group. Their show is beyond words; you have to see it for yourself. Their house band has one of the more interesting instrumentations: a drummer, a Chapman-stick player, and a pedal steel guitar player, all playing the craziest tribal rock that you'll ever hear. Plus, their show is hilarious.
***
(1) Van Halen @ the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC
***
What can I say, my girlfriend loves me. She bought me tickets to see Van Halen for my birthday last year, and what an adventure! Taking a hot chick to see a rock legend, complete with Eddie Van Halen's still explosive and innovative guitar playing and the original frontman, David Lee Roth, made for the most fun I've ever had at a concert.
***
(0) U2/Muse @ Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, VA
***
I'm putting this on the list preemptively, as I still get close to wetting my pants just thinking about this. It's much too far away. I'm anticipating that it take the top spot.

There you have it. With this subject in mind, I am quite disappointed that I am missing Gov't Mule twice this summer: they are going to be in Denver the week before Keren and I go on vacation to Colorado, and they are going to be in Richmond the day we arrive back from vacation. It is just not meant to be, I guess. Even more of a disappointment since I missed them at the Norva last fall.

easter and guitar at wec

Things went awesome for the Easter services at Waters Edge Church.

Needless to say, things were a complete success, judging by the number of people standing up during the services signifying they had made a decision to follow Christ. That, of course, makes all the practice and waiting and practice and practice SO worth it.

To try to keep with the music theme of things, I'm gonna review things from a music point of view.

Awesome.

The Waters Edge band, I may say, has never sounded better. After seeing a couple vids of performances during practice, everyone looked awsome, and sounded better. The drummers for the beginning were one of the coolest openers for a Waters Edge service.

I was quite satisfied with my playing today. Of course, playing the U2 song, I was in my element completely. Even with the percussion additions, things still kept quite in the neighborhood of where I like to hang out in terms of technique and content. The two worship songs we did, "Happy Day," and "From the Inside Out," are two of my favorites that we do. Thusly, I know exactly what I want to play throughout the song, and feel confident enough to grab little ideas for improv everywhere.

I got exactly what I wanted out of my Tele for each and every moment of every song. Especially, the dual pickup control allowed me to do some awesome volume and tone control that I don't necessarily do normally. I had my bridge pickup turned up all the way, and my neck pickup turned up to about 3. What this allowed me to do is to have a nice full lead tone during times that I was being loud, playing on the bridge pickup. If I wanted to drop the gain down a bit, I'd switch to the neck pickup, and the juice going to the preamp model goes down and the sound gets cleaner. In-between for both pickups. She sang beautifully for me.

I also used the wah pedal to get a further add some tone control since I don't like to mess with my tone knobs. During the last part of the sermon where I'm in the background over the hymn and Stu's speaking, I threw the wah down all the way to spread the tone along the EQ spectrum and make things muddy. I varied it a bit to get add a touch on dynamics here and there, but I rode the low end for the majority.

I had a video camera with me most of the day Saturday during practice and today. Got lots of candid moments with people, and I'll try to get that edited and posted for your viewing pleasure within the next couple of days.

music review: They Make Beer Commercials Like This EP

Weird name for an album, but it is an EP: "They Make Beer Commercials Like This", even weirder band name: Minus the Bear. Totally dig it.

A little indie band out of Seattle, this band has a sound that is familiar at first, but after a few listens, surprises you with little details.

Something about them makes you think they're not quite taking what they're doing seriously, almost like the way they play is a joke.

This band comes courtesy of a Scott757 recommendation.

**********************************************
Song by song drive by:
**********************************************
1. "Fine + 2 Pts"
Excellent, fun little riff that drives this song. I love the little synth line that runs throughout the song. I love the way the song transitions to the bridge, really a nice touch to change the feel of the song, then bring back the chorus riff at the end. Definitely a sing-along chorus. This song is as great an opener as could be asked for. Favorite song on this EP.

2. "Lets Play Clowns"
I really love the way the two guitars complement each other. I haven't heard a band such similar guitar tones so distinctly in a long time. Great driving chorus, right up my alley. Great little time change riff. Definitely a favorite.

3. "Dog Park"
Good change of pace for this EP. Another piece of great guitar work, especially with the arrangements between the two guitars. Chorus work especially. Over way too fast for me.

4. "I'm Totally Not Down With Rob's Alien"
Great little drum machine intro. Nice jazz influences coming in on the guitar work during the verses. I really liked the heaviness of the chorus. The song doesn't quite keep my attention for the whole time.

5. "Hey! Is That A Ninja Up There?"
Yes, that's the name of a song. Great little confusing time changes at the beginning to keep you on your feet.

6. "Pony Up!"
I really like the weird breakdown part in the middle with the fast playing. Acoustic guitar was a really cool touch, organ too.
***********************************
Musically, there's a lot to be interested in. Definitely not for the casual listener. I think you'll like it more if you play guitar.

Not my favorite album I've listened to recently, but the band has perked my interest, to say the least. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt as this is an EP and not a full-length release, but a little more variety would have been appreciated.

Lyrics are nice and cryptic, but a dark sarcasm is at work here for sure. These guys have an interesting sense of humor.

Every one of you should check out Lala.

but i digress

Let's go somewhere unmusical for a second.

Anyway. Pet peeve.

Vanity plates. I think they're cool. I think they're very cool, indeed. However, if it is not obvious with a few moments of contemplation what your vanity plate means, then ex-nay on the oke-jay. It's not funny or amusing or even fun if no one else on the road can understand your coded message.

Inside jokes are included in this rant. If only a small group of people are going to get your license plate, that group had better be tailgating you every time you leave your house. I don't see the point in this case.

Rant over. Music next time.

my mu2e(s)

So, now that I've got my tickets to see U2 and Muse in Charlottesville, VA, I can safely say that I have never been as excited about seeing a concert, ever. Even when I got to see the DT for the first time, or even when I went to see Van Halen with David Lee Roth last year, the anticipation for this coming show in October is just about too much.

Part of this may be that I've never bought tickets for a concert this far out before. It's six months away! A whole half a year. Wow.

I've already started preparing myself. U2's discography is playing at a nearly constant rate .

Also, if it weren't enough that I was going to see the single greatest influence on me as a musician, they're touring with one of my other top 5 (or so): Muse. If you haven't checked them out, you need too. Recently, they've gotten some fame as their song, "Supermassive Black Hole", was featured in the recent film adaptation of the novel Twilight. However, as any fanboy would say, I must say that that is far from their best work. If I had an album to recommend, I would say you should start with their 2004 album Absolution. Brilliant. And rockin'. And British.

Those moments where U2 has not been playing have been filled with Muse. The number of bands from the U.K./Ireland area that occupy my top bands list has been steadily growing over the past couple of years. Sorry for the lack of patriotism, I should listen to some country this week.

a follow up

Just to let everyone know, I am still absolutely in love with my new Tele. You have to play a guitar for a while to really get a feel for how it responds to things like control changes, weight shifting, string bending, and speed.

I love my new Tele. I don't think I can say it enough. Every touch, every strum, makes me feel like we were made for each other. All of the above mentioned aspects of guitar-dom are found in levels exactly as I wanted.

She is indeed a beautiful thing, but I'm looking to improve upon her. I want to do something non-stock that would make her a one-of-a-kind. First things first, probably a cosmetic mod: replacement pickguard. Something kind of artsy, just to make me feel like I've got a start on a unique axe.

On another note, I think I am going to commit to going to see U2. I've loved their music for too long and who knows how much longer they're going to be doing this. Rumors of Muse opening for them have me drooling doubly. And, they're coming to Charlottesville on Keren and I's anniversary in October. Seems like a sign, eh?

skipping

I have a major confession to make.

I am a chronic song-skipper. It is, of course, a huge problem. I don't know what got me started, or how long I've been like this, but I do know that it has gotten way far out of control.

I'm not talking about skipping around to find a certain song on my iPod, I'm talking about listening to a song about 80% of the way through, then skipping.

I am going to make a commitment this week to listen to a song all the way through if I get more than a few seconds through it. It's going to be hard, it's going to be tough, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to see it through to the end of the week.

Maybe next week I'll commit to listening to whole albums.

music review: no line on the horizon

In recent times, I haven't anticipated an album quite as much as I have U2's latest work, No Line On the Horizon.

Man crush alert. I listened to more U2 when learning to play guitar that I did any other band, so The Edge holds a special place in my heart. I usually hate using "influences" type references, but The Edge's style (not necessarily in a gear way, just technique) really affected the way I love to play now.

That being said, with U2 I tend to stray away from reviewing lyrics, as I enjoy their cryptic nature and don't try to take too much meaning from them.
*******************************
Track By Track:
1. "No Line on the Horizon"
A nice fast one to start out the album. I think it definitely puts a good impression of what the rest of the album will be like: a turn in a different direction along with a little experimentation.

2. "Magnificent"
My favorite song on the album. The Edge does some awesomely lyrical work during the instrumental breaks in this song that just make me want to kiss him. Very singable. A "stomper" as I like to call them, just a step above a toe tapper. My foot comes off the ground during this one. Great Edge solo, he does a lot with very little. I love the way Adam Clayton keeps a groove in this song. I love the the irony in the lyrics, that love can hurt so painfully, but is also the only thing to fix those deep wounds.

3. "Moment of Surrender"
This gospel-flavored song fakes you into thinking it is going to be a "Stuck in a Moment..." or "Sometime You Can't...". I'd definitely say that this may be one of the more passionate Bono performance's on the album, if not of all time. It's a little darker of a ballad than I've come to expect from them, but I do like it. My only complaint is that it's a little long and doesn't quite hold up the momentum in a way that keeps my interest. Another great solo by the Edge evokes hints of "A Day in the Life", but speaks volumes over the chords.

4. "Unknown Caller"
The melodies in this song will surprise you each time; the chord changes are not standard and will take you to a completely unexpected place each time. I really enjoyed the computer references in the lyrics.

5. "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"
My favorite one to sing on the album. I love the little tiny eastern influences that show up throughout the chords and melodies. Feels like the most traditionaly U2 song on the album.

6. "Get On Your Boots"
I did not like this song the first few times I heard it. Then, after blasting it through car speakers with the windows down, it started to grow on me. If you see a silver Taurus/grey Cougar with some idiot screaming "Sexy Boots..." you'll know its me. Sounds to me like it should be played right after "Vertigo".

7. "Stand Up Comedy"
This song, more than any other on the album, harkens back to the Achtung Baby/Pop era of hard rock-inspired riffs and full chord instrumentation. I can't wait to see The Edge stomp through this one.

8. "Fez - Being Born"
A little Brian Eno electronic/ambient collection starts out, followed by a primarily instrumental-focused track. Makes me a little anxious, like I'm being chased. I love Bono's wailing over the more instrumental parts, it adds an emotive depth that perfectly seals the mood.

9. "White as Snow"
This is a really beautiful and poetic piece. I love the dynamics that Bono puts in his voice. I really appreciated the use of a traditional song with different lyrics/rhythm/melody, although it almost distracted me from the song itself because I kept trying to insert "O Come Emmanuel". I thought the drums at the end could have been left out.

10. "Breathe"
Wow, what a rocker. If "Magnificent" wasn't on the album, this would be the favorite for Mikey. I can't help but band the head during this one. Best listened to at ear-splitting volume. I dug the little twist on the last chord of the chorus progression, I definitely expected a more cliche ending - I should've learned by this point in the album. Again, I really want to see the band play this one live.

11. "Cedars of Lebanon"
A great way to end the album, taking the dynamics way down. The one profanity is not neccessary. The little guitar groove at the end is one of my favorites. Probably a really heavily Brian Eno written piece.
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Brian Eno definitely has his fingerprints all over this album. That fact makes it difficult to tell what innovation is the result of growth on the band's part or if the new eccentricities incorporated into the sound are just a consequence of the producer.

My favorite thing about the arrangements are the surprising chord progressions. After working themselves into a bit of a chordal box in the past, this album showed they had quite a few surprises left to show the world. Some turns the melodies take (like in "Unknown Caller" and "Magnificent") completely baffled me, caught me off guard, and kept me wanting more.

I recommend getting the version with the bonus tracks (iTunes has them I know for sure). I may fancy the new mix of "No Line on the Horizon" a bit more than the original, and the dance mix version of "Get On Your Boots" is just plain fun.

I also liked that The Edge got a few more solos than he has in the past. While he's not a virtuoso player by any means, I think he creates hooks and melodies through his axes that speak volumes over their tunes.

My only complaints for the album:
- It doesn't have any of the anthemic tracks that they've always managed to pen. None of the songs really stand out the way "Vertigo", "Beautiful Day", or "Mysterious Ways" have in the past re-inventions of the band.
- The one profanity seems superfluous. It seemed forced, just like . . .
- . . .The lyrics. They also seems a bit forced at times. But, this isn't really a breakpoint for me, I'm really too busy listening to The Edge.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the album. I didn't have high hopes after hearing "Get On Your Boots" for the first time, but as that song has grown on me and the rest of the album has showed its colors, I think this one will stand against the trial of time and become one of my more beloved U2 albums.

From a purely guitar perspective, this is The Edge's best work. Maybe he wasn't as innovative as he has been in the past, but his solid style is truly the key the U2's sound and structure. I can't wait to pick this album apart with his playing.

the next generation

Today I came to a realization.

Whenever people talk about "the next generation", they are referring to the next group of young people who will live to take up the torch from the older people. Until recently, I have counted myself among that group.

However, I guess now I am getting "old" enough to no longer belong to the group known as "the next generation". I've passed into the "current generation", or whatever they're called; they're not actually important enough to have a title. If they had a title, it would be "the people who used to be the next generation".

I'm not thinking about having kids any time soon, but the kids that I see are now the people I am working for, the people for whom I will strive to create a better life.

I feel old. No offense to those older than me, and any comments about "you're only 21!" will be promptly deleted.

my favorite band doing a song by another favorite band

Sorry for just posting another video, but the past couple days have been rather hectic.

Yes, this is a guilted post.

However, this video is my favorite band, Dream Theater, performing part of one of the greatest albums of all time. I have the entire concert on DVD, and they play the whole album. My favorite band, playing one of my favorite albums.

on a less serious note

this song rocks.

stuck in traffic and pain

Yesterday I had a conversation with some guys in class about traffic.

When I first moved to the Hampton Roads area, I thought I had experienced traffic through living in crazy D.C. and overcrowded Honolulu. However, nothing could have prepared me for the ridiculousness of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.

I'm not sure anyone really knows why it gets backed up, and I'm sorry for the poor soul who swerves too fast or doesn't break fast enough, causes a minor accident, and backs up the bridge for eight and a half miles.

Initially, traffic would drive me absolutely nuts. I would get bored, get angry, or even get tired. I was so incredibly tired of being stuck in pointless traffic. However, after three years of trucking it across the bridge to get to school, I have finally become accustomed to the traffic, and I expect it to be bad all the time. I know that mostly likely, it is going to be there, it is going to be horrible, and it is going to delay me.

I discussed this with the guys in class, and they said that I was probably thinking about traffic with the right attitude. Heck, now I think rush hour traffic has its good sides: I've listened to numerous audiobooks, sermons, and music albums while going in and out of first gear on Interstate 64 Westbound. For me, its not rush hour, its time alone to relax, pray, and/or chill out to some tunes.

Stu's sermon on Sunday and Community Group this evening made me think about this traffic, and how it is kind of like the pain in our lives. In John 16:33, Jesus said that "in this world you will have trouble." This means that because of the godlessness in the world, things are going to get bad. Not necessarily now or soon, but things will get bad. We shouldn't be surprised by the horrible things we see on the news or by the accidents, downfalls, and pain we experience in our daily lives. However, knowing they are going to come is probably the best thing.

Just like I knowing that there is going to be disgustingly long traffic on my way to Yorktown from Norfolk enables me to prepare my heart and soul for the experience and benefit from it, Jesus says that knowing that pain is going to come in this world is going to allow you to be prepared and strengthen yourself through a relationship with him. The passage in John also contains the good news, too: Jesus says to "take heart! I have overcome the world."

Though the traffic may be bad, and the pain may be deep, knowing is half the battle. So take heart! Jesus has overcome this world, and the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.

a very serious condition.

I have never missed having a guitar as much as I have the past couple of days.

I've had too much time on my hands, and no strings with which to pass it. I had too much stuff to take back to the apartment in Norfolk after Spring Break and a guitar didn't make it onto the car. What a bad, bad idea.

I may have to make a slight detour on the way to community group tonight and pick one up. I thought I'd be OK until Wednesday band practice, but I am totally not going to make it.

I've been listening to a lot of new music that I'm enjoying quite a bit, and learning lots of stuff in terms of ideas of what to play, and style stuff to try out, and melodic hints I'd like to explore . . . BUT I HAVE NOTHING. Nothing at all.

a break during spring, part eye vee: the final chapter

Thus ends what could be the last Spring Break for Mike Dominice, ever. A very sad thing, but exciting nonetheless, mostly due to how productive I was during break, getting to jam with some new people, and a new job to boot.

Mondays are always really easy, I only have about 50 mins max of class, usually a bit less, then the rest of the day I usually devote to scheduling/budgeting time for the rest of the week. Since this week is pretty slow, this took basically, uh, no time at all. The rest of the day was devoted to gaming, reading, and getting a bit ahead on notes for the rest of the semester.

Short start to a week, but I have advising and stuff like that this week, getting ready for next semester, which is a scary, but really cool thing. The end is near! Yes.

Short start = short blog. Sorry.

Currently listening to Oceansize. These guys sure know how to be weird.

a break during spring, part eye eye eye

Today, I got the great news that I have an internship! After months (well, longer than a year if you count from last job search season) of searching, applying, and interviewing, the search is over. It is absolutely my ideal job, doing exactly what I want to do, and in a perfect location to boot!

Took my Tele out for a swing. She's so awesome. I think I'm in love . . .

Also walked the dog, fancying myself the Dog Whisperer after I watched that show for about two hours yesterday. The Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel form a triumvirate of distraction and a black hole of wasted attention. But I love it so much . . .

After my great news, I was Mr. Handyman. I took care of some honey-do's at my parents house; getting some cool posters hanging in the awesomely developing music room and hanging some lights for my Mom on her deck. It feels good to be productive.

a break during spring, part eye eye

I know God says not to worry about the future, but I tend to ignore him on that regard. Money sucks.

Today I was brushed with a cold (well, let's call it lukewarm) dose of reality. Nothing horrible happened, just a great conversation over lunch with the one of my greatest mentors, advisors, and now, friends, plus a bit of prodding from the Lord about the future. Thinking about huge financial commitments like, uh, houses and other things tend to make me feel small. While I am enjoying the "simplicity" of being a college student, I was looking forward to those days being over, until now. Today, I had my first ever feeling of "Please don't let me grow up".

It faded away pretty quickly, as I began to reflect on the amazing surprises God has in store for me down the road. I can't even comprehend them; if you would have asked me, even four or five years ago if I would have known where I'd be right now, I would have laughed in your face. And then thrown stuff at you. At then ran. And laughed some more.

If you're the praying kind, pray for a job to come.

a break during spring, part eye

Sorry for the journal-ish entry today, but I thought y'all would enjoy some proof that I do actually go outdoors every once and a while.

Day 1 of Spring Break '09 consisted of a day trip with Keren down do Nag's Head. We wanted to give a try-out to her tiger kite that has been sitting in her closet for a really long time. So, we drove down to the Outer Banks this morning after a hearty eggs and bacon breakfast, stopping at the dunes of Jockey's Ridge State Park in North Carolina to taker her out. After a short hike to the top of a dune, we took the kite out.

Then, after about a half hour of untangling, we got it into a state we though would be air-worthy. To make a long story short, we messed it up. After a bit of frustration, we realized we had set it up incorrectly, and remedied the problem. We got it flying for a bit, but then pooped out and headed back to the car for a picnic lunch.

Next, we hit out the outlet mall in Nag's Head for a bit of shopping. Both of us got some pants.

During the car ride there and back, we listened to C.S. Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader on my iPod. We grabbed a Starbucks on the way home, and now I'm probably gonna spend some time with Ginny while the women in my parents house watch Dancing with the Stars.

Days like this are great; I am going to miss spring break after the college years are over, a time which is approaching quickly. Here are some pictures of the day.

a new lady in my life

On Friday I was blessed beyond infinite measure by being introduced to the girl of my dreams. I've been wanting to meet this girl in person for . . . well . . . years, actually. She is everything I dreamed she would be: she has a great body and her voice is simply to die for.

I'm talking of course of my brand spankin' new black on black Fender 1972 Reissue Deluxe Telecaster. I've been eyeing this one for a while. My parents surprised me with an early birthday present on Friday afternoon, and I've pretty fixated on her. I have dubbed her Ginny, after my favorite character in the Harry Potter books - a bit nerdy I know, but I've already been told that I will never be able to name any child of mine this lovely name, so I'm using it here. She is everything I hoped she would be: a nice chimey, Tele twang but with the nice low end provided by the humbuckers equals Mike's dream girl.

She made her live debut today at all 4 Waters Edge services, and I beat her up already. She performed phenomenally, giving me exactly the sound I was looking for, and not to snub my other lady friend, Laura, the only thing I missed was the whammy bar.

I am going to want to spend some quality time with her now that we've had our first date, and this week is perfect timing, as spring break starts for ODU tomorrow. I may not be reachable over the next few days. There will be a tie on the door.

late night come home work sucks i know

So, after a delightful snow day, where I got to relax, play with the puppy in the snow, hang out with the girlfriend, and do a little bit of gaming with friends, I completed underestimated how long it would take me to finish up some homework. Oh, I am going to be in trouble come tomorrow . . . I mean . . . today.

With that being said, I stand before you, here at 5:30 in the morning my time, I am definitely an expert at creating state machine charts, transferring them into VHDL, and implementing them with one-hot state machines or single-address microprogramming.

Coming soon will be another music review. The new (and long awaited, at least for me) U2 album started downloading (I pre-ordered it on iTunes) during the course of my all-nighter homework sessions. As I sat and beheld its awesomeness, I reflected on U2; what an amazing ability they have to completely remake themselves over and over again, while still holding true to their strengths. Some places on the album I can just see The Edge stomping; I can't wait to see him play these songs live. Very impressive work; not their catchiest by any means, but it kept my attention and there's lots to find interesting. Risky, but still U2 (with some very Brian Eno fingerprints smudged about).

I hate it when this happens. Good thing I don't have a public speaking class to sit through in the morning where people just give speeches the whole time. Oh, wait . . . ::falls asleep::

music review: southern hospitality

Disciple's latest effort, Southern Hospitality, is . . . um . . . awesome. I've always been impressed with the way Disciple has managed to be unashamedly declare their faith without sounding like the numerous other

Overall, the album's title does reflect a bit of a stylistic difference from their previous albums. The album, as a whole, leans a bit farther towards the bluesy-southern hard rock than they have before. That being said, don't expect a country album by any means; SH rocks harder than most other of Disciple's contemporaries newest offerings.

Kevin Young's vocals are among my favorites, and Brad Noah's guitar solos really stand out. It's awesome to see a band with talent, faith, a distinct lack of cheesiness, and some of the best guitar solos to come out of 2008.
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Track by track:
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The album opener, "Southern Hospitality" is an awesome start to the album, setting the tone with a slow, bluesy riff reminiscent of Mark Tremonti's newer work. From start to finish, this song makes you want to bang the head and pump the fist, resulting in some awkward stares from the people currently watching me; its hard not to get excited about lyrics encouraging you to get excited and live life to its fullest.

"Romance Me" follows and is much more in line with what I've come to expect from Disciple. It's a fast rocker with a passionate cry out to the only cure to the problems and hardships of life.

"321" comes back to the slow, hard southern rock theme and could very well be the next sports arena anthem in line with Saliva's "Click Click Boom" or "Ladies and Gentlemen". The lyrics depict the excitement of Christ coming again and the desire to work for helping and loving others until that time. Brad Noah also shreds his first of many awesome guitar solos of the album.

"Whisper So Loud" is another fast one that will make you speed on the highway, so be careful. My favorite guitar solo of the album is featured here. Good song, but I have tended to skip it to get to . . .

"Whatever Reason" is the first ballad of the album. Disciple has proved over and over again that they have mastered the rock ballad, and this song is no exception. Heartfelt lyrics show God's love and desperation for us to return to him: "Whatever reason you've been running, I just don't care anymore...".

Bringing in another slow rocker, Disciple throws down in "Phoenix Rising" to rival any other band out there in terms of heaviness.

"Liar" paints an honest picture of the struggle we have with forgiveness as Christians. Definitely the angriest song on the album. Another amazing Noah guitar solo, really showing off some passionate arrangement and speed.

"Falling Star" is one of my favorites in terms of lyrics, encouraging a recovery from bad decisions and hopelessness. Disciple has a way of putting spirituality into a real situation through a song that I have yet to find in another hard rock band. Noah's most expressive solo drives the emotions of this song right to the sky.

"Right There" is faster ballad, another example of Disciple's ability to show the character of God and the passion he has for his children.

The last of the fast songs, "On My Way Down", has some really nice aggressive riffs and hooks that usually don't find their way into a later track on a hard rock album, but keeps the momentum going. The lyrics are among my favorites due to the personal voicing that cries out for protection and guidance "if I'm on my way down." My favorite scream of the album, Young really knows how to wail 'em; also another great solo.

"Lay My Burdens" has an equal chance finding its way into a gospel choir as it does a rock arena or country hoedown. One of my favorite songs on the album, simply because of the catchy hook and blatant southern rock roots. Nice little southern/Hendrix-y intro, Slash-like leads and a simple chorus make for a really awesome end to the album. The ending guitar solo makes me want to start yelling "Lay My Burdens!" at the end of concerts, instead of "Free Bird!"

"Savior" closes out the album oh-so-passionately with a friend, perhaps husband or boyfriend that is praying desperately to help a woman in need of healing that brought tears to my eyes.

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Overall: Two thumbs up, five stars, two fists in the air, and anything else. This album is going to have a special place right with the rest of Disciple's work, a testament to a willingness to rock and a steadfastness in faith.

the rig

I've observed a number of guitar players blogs that outline their music rig, so I figure I should post my stuff.

I use what I guess could be considered a pretty simple setup. I plug my guitar into a Morley Classic Wah pedal. The pedal then runs into a BOSS GT-3 multi-effects processor. Sometimes I'll run a stompbox tuner in between the guitar and the wah pedal. I like the Classic wah, even though its a little indiscernible when things are really dirty; I like the subtleness of it. I use it occasionally on solos and more recently I've been using it as a supplemental EQ to get some nice low-end sounds.

On the GT-3, I generally use a Mesa Boogie preamp model with a nice, manly amount of gain. That's the first thing on the chain within the processor. After the preamp, I run a little bit of compression and sustain. I then run the external overdrive/distortion loop, then delay. I use delay, um, a lot. Most of the music at WEC requires a nice bit of The Edge-flavored delay. When I'm not using delay rhythmically, I use it in lieu of reverb, because I think it gives a bit more organic feel to the sound, and reverb seems to sound make things sound processed. I use the CTL pedal to active various effects that I don't use as much, like

I plug an Ernie Ball 500K Stereo/Pan Volume into the external overdrive/distortion loop. I use that as a master volume for everything. I put it before the delay in the loop so that the delay will fade a bit after everything is muted; again, this placement seems to make it a bit more organic and less processed. I use this for fades, and false sustains, and also just for a bit more control over volume.

If I'm playing at WEC, the output of the volume pedal goes straight to a DI box and then straight into the PA. If I get to use an amp, I play through a 120 watt Randall RX120RH amp head and then throught a Randall Rx412 4 x 12 cab. I alternate a bit between two different ways of using the amp. Sometimes, plugging straight into the amp from the GT-3 and using the clean channel is more than enough; I generally do this to practice for WEC, since I don't use an amp there. However, I also enjoy turning the preamp off on the GT-3 and running the whole rig through the effects loop on the RX120RH, taking advantage the nice metal overdrive channel.

I've been using this for a while now, and there's not a whole lot I'd do to change things. I would add a permanent tuner stompbox, rather than borrowing one from people, and maybe a more versatile delay unit, but other than that I am quite satisfied.

who watches the innocence and instinct?

This week I had my first experience with a graphic novel.

One of my roommates has Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen. I was really excited about the movie just because it looks really cool, and now I'm ecstatic! I started in early this week, did a lot of work during the week, and then finished it staying up a bit too late last night.

To be honest, I haven't really read a novel in about a year. I haven't really had any desire to, to be honest. I've read a lot of reference material and nonfiction, and, as a good college student, many (sections of) textbooks. This week I decided, since I had a bit more free time on my hands, to read Watchmen and finish it. I absolutely enjoyed the experience. As a disclaimer, there is a bit of adult content (violence, language), so if you're a young-un, pass until later, please.

By the way, I think it's beyond awesome that Muse's "Take a Bow" is in the previews for Watchmen. It makes me super excited. I guess I'm a bit of a fan boy.

Also, I picked up the new album by Red, Innocence and Instinct, and I'm a bit disappointed. Their first album, while a bit derivative, was absolutely enjoyable, catchy, and rocked like no one's business. However, the new one is a bit of a let down, especially compared to the first. It has some nice moments of rocking, but the lyrics are a bit less mature and forced at times. A bit of a let down.

Sorry for the large transition in topics, but I'm feeling a bit "stream-of-conscious"-y tonight.

knowing songs

My ultimate goal when it comes to practicing and getting ready for a performance, be it for WEC or any other place I've played, is to know a song so well that I don't have to think at all.

When I don't think about what I'm playing, it means I know the song: its chord changes, its melody, its harmony. I know them from an instinctual feeling, rather than procedural memorization. I know the sound of the next chord and the shapes of the frets I need to play, rather than thinking of A - F#m - D - D/A.

How do I get to this state? It doesn't always go the same way. The easiest is, of course, when I can immediately tell what I want to play over a song after I've listened to it, or when I've written something I actually like. In these situations, I can improvise leads, rhythms and fills in the most natural way (at least to my own ears, I won't speak for everyone listening). I feel the most comfortable with my instrument and the song, and this is where I want to aim to be.

Sometimes this desire to know songs is complicated by the fact that I don't always know what I want to play at the first listen. Generally this results in a feeling that I don't like the song. Really, this isn't the case, but when I'm frustrated about having nothing that sticks out to my ear, the song is tainted in my mind.

This past Sunday and TNL and WEC had all the songs that I am comfortable with. I know them, I love them, and I don't think about them. What comes out of the fingers is just me worshiping over six strings; I love being able to concentrate on the Most High God without worrying about messing up or making bad playing choices. I'm just lost in the song and in the prescence of the one who gave me the song and the ability to sign and shout and play.

in all seriousness

I apologize for the breach in blog etiquette, but I must apologize for the lack of posts this week.

I've been going through a rather difficult situation involving a very dear friend of mine, Laura. She and I have been close for, about four years now. We spend a great deal of time together during the week, and she's been one of the only constants in my life over the fast four years.

On Thursday, while I was getting her ready for TNL at WEC, I noticed that there was something quite wrong with her. It took me a long while to realize what was going on, and by then it was too late to do anything about it. I was terrified of what this could mean; all the time we've spent together, to be ended so soon by such a small, yet profoundly influential problem. My emotions overwhelmed me, rushed over me like a cold wind, freezing me in place as I contemplated the changes that were about to come.

The threads on her locknut on her neck were stripped, which meant that no whammy bar action would happen, and she was useless to me.

In case you're wondering, Laura is my 2005 Ibanez S470 electric guitar, the . . . um . . . let's say . . . second-place love of my life. I bought her in 2005 (I know it's hard to comprehend) and she has been my the best guitar I have ever laid hands on. Other guitars have come, and I've even tried to convince myself a couple others were the ones for me; Laura and her perfect tremolo system and beautiful, lightweight black body have always remained number one in my heart.

The good news is, I went to Wintersound and picked up some parts (I love them there, well worth the trip across the Coleman Bridge) and she's as good as new, ready to rock for Sunday. All is well, and a friend has been restored to me.

the rebellion against the empire

I wouldn't say I am a rebel with any cause at all. I wouldn't say I'm particularly non-conformist or even particularly anti-establishment.

Something inside me, however, has an allergy to things that are popular, most easily visible in music. If a lot of people like it, I tend to avoid it. It isn't always the case, but my natural tendency is to flock towards obscure groups.

"Now, Mike," you may be thinking, "someone who is anti-music-establishment would not like such bands as U2, Van Halen, and The Beatles. You are obviously not a rebel and I hereby rebel against you."

I realize that this is not always the case, I'm just saying my natural tendency is to flock away from popular music. Due to the amount of trash in popular music, the gold tends to get covered up pretty quickly. There's lots of bands I missed out on for a while because I was a stuck up, I'm-so-much-better-than-pop musician.

It is most definitely a fault. Don't be a stuck up musician, check things out.

old music

I love rock music (can I get a wit-ness). I've loved rock music for a long time, at least relative to how long I've been alive.

My tastes have changed over the years, sometimes favoring much heavier rock, sometimes more artsy, musician-oriented rock, sometimes more electronic, hip-hop flavored rock.

Recently, I've started to listen to some stuff that I was into in like, middle school. For the most part, I still like most of it. However, there are quite a few moments where I think, "Um, did I really used to listen to this that much?"

Any of those moments for you lately?

dueling guitars

One of the coolest, but most difficult and annoying things about playing in a band is playing with multiple guitar players.

Playing by yourself (i.e. power trio) has its own challenges with filling out the sound, but at least no one steps on each others shoes.

Playing in a power trio + a keyboard player is little different. I think it's easier in terms of staying out of the others way - a keyboard/piano rarely ever sounds similar to a guitar, so doubling up on parts actually ends up sounding better, rather than boring.

Bring an acoustic guitar to our power trio (still four people). Again, an acoustic guitar tends to fill out the sound a bit, but strumming styles can start to fight each other.

Add a rhythm guitar/lead guitar combination, and then the two guitar players have to really work together to make a song arrangement work. They can play the exact same thing, but if that's the case, why have two guitar players? The parts need to be separate, distinct, and complementary to each other in order to make the song arrangement as natural and full as possible. Its tough work, especially if there is a lot of gray area in the rhythm/lead separation.

All that being said, when everyone is playing what complements everyone else, things sound better than any other situation. The band sounds full, the music sounds great, and both guitar player have the ability to more clearly pick out their own playing on a recording or in a live mix.

One of my favorite examples of a band that does this perfectly is Third Day, particularly on the album Conspiracy No. 5. Most of the songs on that album feature Brad Avery and Mark Lee playing electric, dirty guitar, and every moment they play together, they stay out of each other's way, complement how the other is playing, and even the stereo mix of the album adds to keeping the two guitar parts separately. The songs are so complete, that learning one of the guitar parts hardly comes close to making it sound good; you need someone playing the other part so that it will be faithful to the original! Check it out, if you haven't, if only for the guitar work.

death and diamonds

As a child, I had very little experience with death. My parents are both first children of first children, so most of the older people (grandparents, etc.) are still alive in my family; that is to say that my family is pretty young for most part. I remember going to my last great-grandfather's funeral, as well as his wife's (my great-grandmother's) funeral a few years later.

I never really thought this was odd until I started to learn ages of some of my friends parents and grandparents and realized that my parents and grandparents are comparatively young; perhaps as coming from a mostly military background, the men in my family had stable careers earlier, more conducive to a family.

My first real experience with death was over the last summer, when one of my best and closest friends committed suicide. It affected me in ways I myself probably do not know. To know that he will never send me another email and that no call I give him will ever be answered is such a blow to me even now. Remembering all the times that I shared with him, the experiences and conversations that will never be repeated but in my own mind, it brings me to tears. He inspired me to play better, treat other people better, enjoy life more, and show bravery more. He changed my life in ways that I never told him, and knowing that fact, as well as the permanence of his absence from this world, is simply...words fail me.

I've met many people since coming of age who've had the horrible experience of fighting cancer, a few having battled it multiple times. Meeting them and hearing their stories of coming closer to the thought of their own death than any of the rest of us. As many of them have told me, it opened their eyes to the important things in life. I sometimes wonder if I know the important things, or if it takes coming close to your own death to make you see the light.

I salute those of you who have fought and survived, no, just fought. I deeply respect each of you and I pray for comfort for those of you who have lost ones, and I pray health and peace of mind to those of you who have survived the fight.

I dedicate this post to you all, and also to James Warren. James, your flame in this world will never be extinguished as long as I draw breath. Shine on, you crazy diamond.

chinese food

My roommates decided to go run some errands and picked up some Chinese food for lunch for the apartment.

Never will you find a cheaper, better value food with bearable taste. $5 for more food than I should have eaten by myself. Chinese food is almost always cheap, almost always in MEGA sized portions, and almost always easy to reheat and enjoy later.

I won't exactly say that Chinese is my favorite by far, but I am fascinated by Asian cuisine. I had my first experience with Thai food a couple of weeks ago, and it was quite enjoyable. I am fascinated with the flavors, the style of cooking, everything.

My only problem with Chinese and other Asian delicacies is that apparently, we don't have the real thing here in the States. My roommate always tells me that American Chinese food is fake and no one cooks that way in China. My roommate being Chinese, I think I should take the opportunity to try to get him to teach me how to cook "authentic" Chinese food.

battlestar galactica

Tonight. It's finally here!

Short blog this evening, because the greatest program ever to be televised begins the final episodes this evening.

If you don't watch Battlestar Galactica, you should. If you've never heard of Battlestar Galactica, you should seriously consider a psychiatric evaluation. I'm not talking about the old hokey Battlestar Galactica, I mean the new one with hot chicks, amazing plot, great and memorable characters. I don't care if you like science fiction; my girlfriend (a self-proclaimed hater of science fiction) introduced me to Battlestar as her favorite show.

I got into it after watching ten minutes of the first episode. I watched Seasons 1 & 2 on DVD, then started watching in real time for Season 3 and the first half of season 4.

The final episodes of Season 4 begin tonight. Tonight. The Cylons are gonna have their day tonight! The humans are gonna get their way tonight!

I'm so excited I quite literally get shaky just sitting here thinking about it. The last episode (previously aired) is on as I type, and the next, unaired episode starts in 40 minutes! The beginning of the end!

Is anyone else as excited as me, for anything on T.V. this spring?

babies 'r' us

I think any dude who works at Babies 'r' Us could be rolling in the ladies.

I was thinking this as I was with the girlfriend picking up a gift for a baby shower.

"But, Mike," you make be thinking, "only pregnant chicks shop there, and, uh, they're mostly not available, so, I think you're crazy."

So not true.

The majority of people entering that store are single ladies coming in to get gifts for their friends who are having babies. Single, relatively attractive ladies (as the gf noticed this evening, not me). These single ladies are going in to get things for friends, and they are feeling particularly motherly, my guess, and would probably be particularly vulnerable to the masculine wiles of a clever, suave, single young man working at the joint.

Just a thought. If you're a single dude, I highly suggest putting in an application.

amusing words

This post finds its genesis in making a comment on a friend's blog.

I go to make a comment, and as usual, I have to look at a weirdly warped image of some made up word, decipher its contents, and type the word into a box to verify that I am indeed a human being. The word was something like "luorpleld". I'm sitting in the middle of the cafeteria at school, and I laugh hilariously at this word. I then blush in embarrassment as many people stare at me with looks of "whoa, that guy's got issues".

I go through phases where I love words. Every once and a while, I'll come across a word, usually one more commonly used, and I'll get stuck on analyzing it. It will start to sound strange after a bit, then I start to wonder why such an awkward meeting of sounds every became a word that people used every day. I wouldn't call myself a logophile; I'm really just a strange person with too much time on my hands a majority of the time I'm writing something.

I think I would like to start making up definitions for these words that appear on comments and then begin using them in my everyday speech. I may even start a separate blog to document these words, or just the ones I find extremely amusing.

allergies and new tv shows

Spring is my favorite and least favorite time of the year.

It is my least favorite because allergy season begins. I didn't have allergies before I moved to the South, but ever since I lived in South Carolina and here in Virginia, I have enjoyed my sinuses clogging, my eyes itching, and various fluids seeping out of my nostrils during the Spring season. Usually, my perpetual state of congestion results in a nasty summer cold that plagues me for months, but I have avoided becoming sick for the past couple of years. I promise to you here and now that this year will be no different!

I love the spring, however, because of new seasons of my favorite television shows! The new season of Lost, that hopefully will not suck like last year, will begin. I am hopeful that things will turn out to be better this season, as last season was a sore disappointment. I am excited about Heroes, more House, American Idol, and What Not to Wear.

The one I am most excited about is the final season of the greatest show on television: Battlestar Galactica. I just (today) purchased the first half of season 4 of Battlestar Galactica, complete with character booklet, the season opener (Razor), and the official Starbuck dog tags. I may or may not have enough time to do a marathon viewing of all the episodes before the new season starts, but regardless, this season promises to be the best way to spend Friday night!

What shows are you looking forward to?

schedules and web development

Lest I go back on my new posting schedule, a new post is in order. I'm attempting, along with my blogging accountability partner and brother by blood, Tim, to adhere to a strict schedule of posting Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and once on the weekend. Eventually I'd like to move to every day like some of my esteemed colleagues, Rob Shep and B Mills, but I think small steps are necessary.

I have a fascination with web design; it's one of my periodic projects that will come and probably go. For the fast few months I have been working on developing and maintaining my own website, as I figured any self-respecting computer science major ought to have his own self-coded-from-scratch website, which is finally coming to fruition. While I won't do this for a living, and there are thousands, if not millions, more sites on the Internet to which my site can't light a candle, I find a certain fulfillment from learning how to code HTML, PHP, JavaScript, and CSS on my own, and using them to develop something creative and informative about myself. Of course, certain people close to me were contacted for consultation on color, layout, and ease of reading (mostly a certain girlfriend of mine - hey, she does this at work and they pay her for it so I might as well trust her judgement).

In case you haven't had a chance to look at my site, I highly suggest you take a look around. Now that I'm satisfied with my layout and design (for now), I will focus more on adding new content. I'm not quite sure at the moment what I would like to add besides reference material for my guitar pupils and information for potential employers and people curious about me. Of course, the number one rule of web development is that content is the reason people come to your site and stay, so I'm thinking very hard about how to generate a bit more traffic on my site by including some meaningful content. Whether it be music reviews, a showcase of my hobbies (guitar, music, photography), or just random links that I find funny or useful.

Any suggestions on content?

barns, iPods, and convenience

Today was one of the great days where I get to relax on a Sunday. Don't get me wrong, I love playing at WEC. However, the days where I get to wake up on my own, eat when I feel hungry, not stress about playing well and memorizing music, and go to the 6:00 service at the Yoder Barn (no plug intended) are super cool to say the least.

I'm really enjoying having an iPod. I received an iPod Classic from my parents for Christmas, and it's been a long time coming. Not that I have been waiting on them, I've just had much better things to spend my scarce cash on - all the junk like food, textbooks, you know, all the not really that important stuff. I have an inordinate amount of music (also a drain on the petty cash), most of which I do listen to. You could probably call me an iTunes junkie, as I've been using it to organize my music for years now. So naturally, I should have bought myself an iPod years ago.

I am loving that I have all my music with me all the time now. I can say, "Hey, I have this song I really want you to hear!", then pull it up and listen to it, whereas before I mostly had to wait until I could get to my laptop and pull up the song there, or burn it to a CD so the person in question could hear it. So much more convenient now!

Convenience is a wonderful thing. As an engineering major, I've discovered a lot of things in the engineering discipline are about convenience. I mean, one could argue that all technology ever developed is for someone or another's convenience, but even in the process of engineering, you do things for convenience. You assume certain parameters are negligible to simplify calculations, you reuse pre-derived formulas once they've been learned, and you even ignore some effects altogether. It's kind of scary to me, actually, to think about the number of shortcuts we take in class, but almost scarier to think about what would happen when one of those "negligible parameters" actually had an effect - things are super complicated! For the sake of convenience, no, of sanity, we have to streamline the effects to things that show the global behavior of things, and then verify through experiment whether our shortcut worked.

If you sit and think about the number of people that you come into contact with in your lifetime and the choices they make, all the weather patterns and universal orbits and changes, the world is such an infinitely complex thing. It's literally mind-boggling for me to even to try to conceive it. To know someone is in control is where my ultimate convenience lies.

I misspelled the word "convenience" the first time I typed it ever time it is used in this post. No lie. Curse you "I before E", you've failed me for the last time.

accountability partners and christmas decorations

Anyone reading will notice the . . . absence of posts. This is partially due to a lack of enthusiasm to blogging, but mostly due to the business of final exams and then the ecstasy of being done with finals and being on Christmas holiday from school. I would like to dig in my feet a bit deeper and really commit to keeping up with this.

In other "due to's":

Due to the sparse postings on the page at the time, I have decided that the only way to commit to a consistent schedule of blogging will be to have a blogging accountability partner. My brother, Tim, has graciously agreed to fill this position. So, for the next few weeks, we are going to try to form a more routine schedule of blogging together.

It's been really great having Tim home for the holidays, participating in all the traditions my family has developed over the years. The most important, and probably most fun of all, is decorating the Christmas tree with ornaments. There are so many stories that come out for each and every ornament; some of them funny, some of them heart - warming, some of them stupid inside jokes that never fail to send the whole family rolling on the floor.

I do have some favorites. One is an ornament in the form of a man on a bike, which must be placed on the tree whilst humming the theme from E.T. Another is the Millenium Falcon, which plugs into a light socket and then features lights itself. My mother has a number of Precious Moments ornaments that my father has given her: one for every Christmas they've been married. There are a number of woven candy canes, and the goal of their placement is to subtly remove all of them so as to be the one who places each and every one of them; kind of a fun game to play.

I absolutely had to wait for Tim to get home to do this with my family, he is a vital part of the humor of the traditions. I know that we won't celebrate every Christmas together as the years go on, but I'd like to enjoy as many as possible. Of course, this decorative delay meant that we couldn't decorate the tree until about a week before Christmas. By the time Christmas came and went, it seemed that it hadn't been around for hardly any time at all. I now believe, as a result, that the tree and Christmas decorations will remain up well into the New Year. I have no problem with this, I love Christmas!