Sunday, October 29, 2006

Ruth, Luke and I carved pumpkins


Can you guess which person carved which pumpkin?


It was a great weekend. Carving the pumpkins really topped it off.

I'll give you a hint. It has nothing to do with the order from the title.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

it's times like these you learn to live again

Financial woes. Spiritual discontent. Marital or non-marital fights. E-tests. These are just a few things that can knock you off your path to happiness.

I would like to state that I hate the E-Test. Or rather, I hate paying a large amount of money just so I can pass it and drive legally in this province. In Nova Scotia, the only task you need to accomplish is to pass your safety test, then you're a free bird! But not here. Honestly, who really cares about the environment? If I was really concerned, I would stop driving my car. Whoever set the e-test in place should have vegetables thrown at them. If they were so concerned about the environment, wouldn't they try to eliminate the amount of cars being driven? I guess the test might discourage people from driving because it costs a lot to fix whatever is wrong with the car.

Future warning to people moving to Ontario: Have lots o' money

What to do to drive here legally:

Pass safety test
Pass e-test
Change ownership over
Change insurance over (you have 30 days to do this)
Change license over

Tips to get through:
- Make sure your car doesn't suck.
- Know a good mechanic (call around)
- Prayer. Maybe God will fix your car if you pray enough
- Insanity is a must to convince people you need help
- Sweet talk also helps (but not on males)

Anywho, that ordeal is over, thanks to the lovely fellas at Bay City Mazda.

I'm listening to "The Church" by Derek Webb. And I am happy. Good Webbsightful thoughts.

Ruth made me some lovely Hot Chocolate with Cinnamon and boy is it yummy in my tummy.

We are playing Lemmings. Got to go!

Monday, October 23, 2006

Attention all

We have passed our E-Test.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

at the mac's house

greetings.

well right now, Ruth and I are watching Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip with Matty and his Mom. I'm not really paying attention because I'm surfing through other peoples blogs but it looks interesting. Ruth is curled up in a blanket because she is sick. I am too, so I'm wondering if the spaghetti we had earlier tonight had anything to do with it.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day. We have to take our car back to the Mazda dealership to find out what else is wrong with our car. We need to pass our e-test and the cost of fixing it has been a pain. But we're comforted by the fact that God is helping us through. I'm more worried about my stomach than our car right now. ugh.

When we take our car in, a Mazda man will shuttle us to our destinations tomorrow morning. I'm not looking forward to school tomorrow or this week in general. There is a lot of work to be done. Teachers will be assessing my work, basically to tell me if it makes the grade or not.

While I was sitting in church today, I thought of an idea for a book I'd like to create someday. It would be called "Voices and Faces of Kenya", consisting of profiling photographs of Kenyans and an indepth interview running down the page about their view of African life. I'd also like to contrast the book with another book about North Americans and their views. I'd be very interested in the difference between the two cultures.

It's 10:44 now and I have nothing else to write about.

Friday, October 20, 2006

cold rain / scatterbrain

I think that today will be the last day my stellar Nova Scotia license plate will be on my car. Now that I have my car safety checked, I need to pass an e-test (which I think is ridiculous). No other province has this. It might cost a lot which I'm hoping will not be the case.

I have to be there at 10:30 a.m. at the Mazda dealership. They said they'd help me out.

Well going up North ain't lookin' so good today. Her family is going to be busy and people are away, so it might not work. If not, a Peterborough trip would be a lot of fun.

school is becoming more hectic. I believe I'm doing well in the courses, or at least thats what my teachers are telling me. I really enjoy photography.

The weather today is rainy, cold and cloudy. I love it. These are the best days to do things. You don't have an obligation to go outside although you can choose to. When the rain hits, it makes you want to watch from the window with a cup of chocolate milk.

I should be on my way now. I have a whack load of stuff to do today and the day isn't getting shorter.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

artists to check out

James Morrison - http://www.myspace.com/jamesmorrisonmusic

"James Blunt meets Stevie Wonder"

Emily Haines - http://www.myspace.com/emilyhaines

Lead singer of band Metric branches out. The piano really shines through.

Snow Patrol - http://www.myspace.com/snowpatrol

Can't remember that song you heard on Grey's Anatomy? Listen to "Chasing Cars"

Matt Costa - www.myspace.com/mattcostamusic

Buddy of Jack Johnson with a slightly different style. Listen to "Cold December" and "Sunshine"

The Kooks - www.myspace.com/thekooks

Alternative / Indie / Reggae - Need I say more? Oh they're from Brighton, UK

James Yorkston - www.myspace.com/jamesyorkston

Other / Folk / Acoustic - I heard about this guy in Q magazine. Quite the little finger picker.


Most of them are up and coming artists who need their music heard. Plus their music ain't too shabby.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Part 1 of 2 (Album Review)

Artist: Bob Dylan
Album: Blood on the Tracks
Tracks 1-6

It is truly Dylan in his finest yet darkest hour. The albums ten tracks are a story filled with heartache and isolation. Dylan was going through a divorce with his wife at the time and you can really see it bleed into his work.

The first song "Tangled Up In Blue" begins with a recap. He recalls parts of his life and how things used to be. The song has no giant chorus as the verse simply carries into the title of the song.

Simple Twist of Fate - A lament. A song filled with loneliness and confusion. Spoken in third person, Dylan evokes his feelings to the listener, asking for empathy. A brilliant song.

You're A Big Girl Now - The songs simple melody is easily background music if it weren't for the power of Dylan's voice. Best part of song is 52 seconds in where Dylan softly yells "And I'm back in the rain, oh, oh,". This song is best listened to with coffee in hand and a friend.

Idiot Wind - Dylan offers us insight to his genius wit.

"Someone's got it in for me, they're planting stories in the press
Whoever it is I wish they'd cut it out but when they will I can only guess.

They say I shot a man named Gray and took his wife to Italy,
She inherited a million bucks and when she died it came to me.
I can't help it if I'm lucky"


You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When I Go - Sounds like an outtake from the Freewheelin' album. Dylan displays his straightforward guitar playing which shape around his words well.

Meet Me In The Morning - Dylan plays the blues effortlessly.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

truthfully. honestly.

Listening to: Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
U2 - Wake Up Dead Man

I feel as if my life is need of change. A spiritual revamp. I feel stale and poignant. As someone who professes to make God first in his life, I certainly fall short. I have no doubt a lot of us do. It's understandable. Why would we put the One who gives us breath to live our puny little lives ahead of us? We have so many more important things to accomplish. I'd rather read a music magazine than His guiding word. I'd rather go to sleep than pray to Him at night. And most definitly, my friends and family come way before He does.

Jesus said this:

"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

And yet, even with this truth thrown right into my face, I only feel somewhat vindicated. This is a sad thought. The created hating the Creator. Who is my life lost to?

Without God intervening in my life, whether I like it or not, I am lost. I am worthless. What confounds me is that He doesn't think so. He loves me unconditionally and I throw that back into His face.

I am selfish. Completly and overwhelmingly selfish. Deep down, I only care about me. And you know what? So does God.

Jesus carried the cross and all my shame in front of everyone. I'm too scared to say His name in class. I feel awkward when I pray in public. I turn down Christian music when non-Christian friends need a ride somewhere.

It is time to take a stand. Christianity has taken a beating for a long time. We are weak-willed and compromisable. We listen to other beliefs yet don't hear our own.

Jesus really is behind the locked door in our hearts. Find a way to get in.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

a little webb told me

I began to grow a beard. It is bushy and itchy. It doesn't really look all that cool. I look deranged. My hair continues to lengthen so really, I look like a really manly girl. Now that my facial progress has been stated, I thought I'd share with you bloggers some interesting news...

I wrote Derek Webb an email yesterday. To my sheer surprise, I received a response from David McCollum, who works for dryve artist managment. Here is what he said.

- Hey there, Derek sent this over to me as he is on the West Coast right now and has had little internet access, but wanted for me to at least get back to you and say thanks for the kind words and know we’d love to get up North at some point, the economics always play a factor as you can imagine. Please keep an eye on his schedule and we’ll do our best to get there at some point.

Thanks,

David
dryve artist management, llc
P.O. Box 682546
Franklin, TN 37067

I thought that was worth posting. Now the validity of this still has yet to be determined. I am waiting for a second reply to the response I sent earlier today.

I'm curious about the first line. He said Derek sent this over to him. Does that mean Derek read it but did not respond or does David receive all emails sent to Derek first? I hope he writes back.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Monday, October 02, 2006

and I thought I had it bad

sometimes I just need to shut up. Why do I worry about how "bad" my life is? It is not healthy. Today I was driving down Sydney St. and I saw a woman confined to a motorized wheelchair. That was her main transportation. Me? I have a car to get me where I want. She didn't look like a complainer to me. She seemed content. Why am I not content? Maybe I have too many things. The more you have, the more you worry about. I wonder how Mr. Trump feels?

I also saw a boy who obviously suffered from a mental illness.
A blind man walked past me.
A deaf man could listen to the pastor speak. (sign language is such an amazing tool)

And here I am worrying about foolish things like money. I don't worry about those people. It's all about me which is sad. It seems that my wants are in the wrong place. Yesterday, as I was walking home from Parkdale Baptist, I saw a pine tree. It was green and healthy. I looked underneath the tree and saw thousands of brown, dead ones. They fell off the tree. I know this analogy is cliche but it is a good reminder. Cling to the Branch!

{A correction to the last post - "Halo next week" should have read "I got Super Mario RPG! Flippin' sweet!"}

I enjoyed newspage and design today. I think I'm finally starting to understand it which is an answer to prayer. Thank you God.

Ruth is at work until 4 p.m. today so I'm going to burn some cds and all the pictures I have on this computer onto a DVD-R disk because it holds 4 gigs.

I will continue my Mario quest today and then maybe venture down to chumleighs to exchange the crappy controller they gave me and perhaps pick up mario kart for snes seeing as my other copy is in Africa...God bless those kids..... :(

Well thats it for now.

listening to: basketcase - green day
mistake of my life - caedmons call

sean