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Monthly Archives: June 2007
i love music
one day i want to do a post on the power of music in movies. how some movies (such as Bladerunner) has very little music, and what you’re left with is a series of powerful images. but the visuals tell the story. this might even be a more superior form of film making. the film’s story rests completely on the director and the actors to convey emotions and tell you what you need to feel.
but me…i love music. there’s just no way around it. the right music makes me feel…everything. it could be anger, love, happiness, sadness. music has emotions and is more than willing to share them with you. that’s why i think music plays such an integral role in movies. the right song, at the right time…cinemagic. the clip (as most cameron crowe movies do) above illustrates it to a tee. maybe more thoughts to follow…until then, enjoy!
running tonight was one of the best things i’ve done in a while. the air itself feels quiet. the stars (at least the ones you can see living in the city) are out and the moon is bright. the lampposts in the park illuminate the next steps. the album leaf is playing in my ears as my gait changes based on the song being played. but i can feel my whole body start to work together. i feel my heart beating in rhythm with my breathing, which syncs with my pace. the pain in the side is ignored as i hit that stride and i feel like i can run forever.
it’s times like this that i adore the nightime. most nights i just take a walk around the block, eventually arriving at one of my favorite spots to sit, a bench shaped rock in the middle of the brick sidewalk. i have no idea where it came from. but it’s nice. i sit there and light up a clove, watching the smoke rise and wisp as the breeze take it along. i’ll stay there for what seems like forever, alternately listening to matthew perryman jones, and listening to just the sounds of the night. but it’s in these moments, that i find the time and place to slow everything down. to stop worrying about what’s next. to leave the stress behind and be grateful for what i’ve been given. to find a certain amount of peace in my storm. i don’t know. it’s a good place to be…
i was catching up on fr honeycutt’s blog and ran across these quotes by st isaac of nineveh. i’ll run the risk of sounding corny, but these quotes went straight to my soul. they were much needed:
If you believe firmly that God cares for you, then you do not need to worry about the body, nor need you be concerned about discovering ways how to conduct your life. If, however, you doubt God’s care, and want to look after yourself without God, then you are the most miserable person imaginable.
There are people who are continually making clever plans, but who never get down to beginning on them.
Commence every good action wholeheartedly. Do not approach it “with two hearts” (Ben Sira 1 :28). As you travel through life, do not let your heart doubt about the hope that God’s grace provides, otherwise your toil will be in vain and the labour of your work will weigh heavily upon you. Rather, have faith in your heart that God is compassionate, and to those who ask Him He gives His grace — not in accord with our work, but corresponding to the love in our souls and our faith in Him. “As you have believed, so it shall be to you” (Matthew 9:29).
Begin on every action that is for God’s sake joyfully.
Just as the sun’s rays are sometimes hidden from the earth by thick cloud, so for a while a person may be deprived of spiritual comfort and of grace’s brightness: this is caused by the cloud of the passions. Then, all of a sudden, without that person being aware, it is all given back. Just as the surface of the earth rejoices at the rays of the sun when they break through the clouds, so the words of prayer are able to break through to drive the thick cloud of the passions away from the soul.
The person who benefits the poor finds that God takes care of him.
The ladder to the Kingdom is hidden within you, and within your soul. Dive down into your self, away from sin, and there you will find the steps by which you can ascend up.
Anything that is easily found is also easily lost, whereas what is found after much labour will be guarded with vigilance.
Thirst for Jesus, so that He may inebriate you with His love.
(uggh!! i LOVE this one)
Make sure you see to small things, lest otherwise you may push aside important ones.
Divine care surrounds all human beings all the time, but it is only seen by those who have purified themselves from sins and who have God in mind at every moment.
she quotes:
…The amazing thing about the author’s family in Karen was not that they were Catholic but that their whole lives were lived in the context of their faith. It was deeply woven into every day, every decision. That is what I longed for. That is what I have found in Orthodoxy. A faith that is not content to stay neatly confined to Sunday morning but overflows its banks, sweeping away the debris of my soul and pouring through every crack, every corner of my life. Fasts and feasts, darkness and candlelight, the scent of incense, the taste of bread, all running together in a glorious flood that transforms the ordinary into a sacrifice of praise. That transforms me.
Love God. Love your neighbor. Do the Christian thing. What’s so hard? Apparently our hearts are what’s so hard. May God soften them and create a new heart within us…
from the website:
A man who knows all about broken promises, when it comes to Africa…Retired General Romeo Dallaire.
Dallaire is widely known for having served as Force Commander on the ill-fated United Nations peacekeeping force for Rwanda between 1993 and 1994. He was trying to stop the genocide that was being waged by Hutu extremists against Tutsis and Hutu moderates.
Romeo Dallaire continues to fight for a healthy, peaceful Africa, he talks about poverty and prosperity.
watch the interview here:
well… this is a bit of a leap from a normal posting. and the only reason that it’s making it this far, is that i LOVE the Bats!
i’m thinking i might have to start up another blog. just for my “personal posts” series, as well as odds and ends i like to talk about. but that is another subject for another day.
to the subject at hand robin!
the new suit?
hmmm…still developing my thoughts on it. at first glance it feels “too much”. at second glance i start to like it. third glance it feels too much again. i’m not sure. i guess i’ll need to wait to pass judgement until i see more of the suit in action.
The last couple of days I got to visit with my good friends josh and anna up in the far off lands of northeast Georgia. We had a good ole time. Some of the highlights:
Day one:
Lots of beer
Hitting some sweet riffs of “sweet child of mine” and “freebird” on guitar hero
Azzio’s pizza and the guy the manager who was just a little too nice. (joey? I still don’t get it)
Ocean’s 13: it’s always fun to watch george, brad, matt, don, and bernie having a good time
Josh and me discussing our mutual existential crises
Smoking pipes in the evening on the porch
Day Two:
Sleeping in
Deciding to go hiking in the north georgia mountains
Spontaneously deciding to go kayaking down the river as we passed a sign instead
Having second thoughts when we found out how cold the water was
Enjoying a lazy day on the river
Tipping on the river, losing a flip-flop, going into shock, cursing the gods
Enjoying the rest of the river
Eating bbq at the “dam restaurant”.
Hitting my head on ladder sticking out from the back of a truck
Driving home, racing the thunderstorm and listening to Matthew Perryman Jones.
All in all, a good start to the week.
josh thought i needed to post pics of my latest scar-to-be. he thought it would be a lot better than a bunch of quotes from desert fathers. i decided to appease him:
a more side-line-ian view:
edit: as josh so forthrightly reminded me. other hightlights:
losing my sunglasses to Chatune: god of the river
us going over some great status line for facebook. ultimately wishing that someone would send me an application for facebook that would allow me to mentally change my status, wherever i am, doing whatever i’m doing. instead of all the other apps they send. and i truly do believe i hate facebook groups. but i do love to join them and then leave them.
