Okay, so honestly I should be working on a paper...I'm just going to sneak in a little up-date.
I don't really know what to say really, or how to say it, or how to make it short. I've been really struggling lately, really just wrestling with lots of deep thoughts and ideas...wrestling with God, and the concept of God, and the Bible, and what I even think about the Bible. Yeah, I know. Deep stuff.
So I don't want to get too much into all that right now, because a) I'm supposed to be working on a paper, and b) I'm still sorting things out. Basically I just want to deliver a message that might change the tides of victory...or at least make our bank account swell a little bit.
So I did our tax return this year, like in February. Filled it out, sent it in, got a few thousand back (being poor and having children is pretty awesome in terms of tax returns). Moved on in life. Got a letter from the IRS a month or so later, that we may have been eligible for some additional child-tax credit. Cool, right? Well, I fill out the form that they send us, do the math, do the math again, and I come up with $49. Hmmm...well, it's $49 that we don't have. So I send it back.
A couple months later, they send it back to us. Sara didn't sign it. Ugh. So Sara signs it, we send it back in. Now keep in mind, that all this time, we are being sent through the financial test of our lives. That trivial $49 in the spring is like an oasis during the summer. We're scraping by on pins and needles...constantly getting reminded of the word spoken over us...
...fed by ravens...
I mean, glory to God we're making it...it's just crazy tight. We're learning about trust, and about being smart with our money...but it's crazy tight. $49-would-go-a-long-way kind of crazy tight.
So anyways, fast forward to today. The last week has been kind of stressful because I accidentally sent one of our bills in early...and we had to buy some diapers...and car insurance was due...and Sara wasn't able to give plasma (I know we'll look back on this time and smile at the fact that we are having have blood pumped out of our bodies in order to survive).
So (wow, I'm getting long winded, aren't I? I'm almost done, I do really need to get crack-a-lackin on this paper) I donate plasma this morning ($50 day whoot whoot), run to the ATM, run right to the bank...and find out we've overdrawn. Crap. Good news is we'll have enough money in the account for when the car insurance gets taken next time. Bad news is we're down $19.
Here's the cool thing- I wasn't overly upset about it. I wasn't really that pissed about it (ask Sara about my attitude on such things in the past). A few hours later, I check the mail, it's the IRS again. That's 3 heart attacks this year that the IRS has caused me, because every time I get something in the mail from the IRS, I think that I've done something wrong and I'm either going to jail, or else I owe a crap-ton of money.
So this letter says blah blah blah we've processed your form blah blah blah, and you have a math error blah blah blah your credit is now $1300 instead of $49 blah blah b..wait, what? What???
Wow. You know, I am realizing more and more that I'm not all that smart. Really. And it isn't anything to do with being off by over $1200 on a tax statement. No, I'm realizing that I don't want this burden of objectivity. I don't want this burden of thinking that I can know all the answers. I don't want this burden of denying my subjective experiences....that our human interpretation of evidence is some sort of last word.
I'm still asking questions, I'm still seeking, I'm still knocking. I don't think my faith is going to look the same when this is all over. I don't know what it will look like. But I'm finding out that there is something going on behind the curtains, something pulling strings, and it can't be measured. It can't be debunked. It can't be proven, it can't be disproved. And I intend to find out what it is.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Favorite Project 86 Albums
Well, it's arrived- our final addition of Project 86 Mondays. I hope you've had as much fun following as I've had reliving my favorite band. If you haven't heard of these guys and you are inclined to listen to heavy music, I highly recommend them. If you have heard of them then I'd love to hear what you think about my choices.
Tomorrow the new LP Picket Fence Cartel hits shelves. I preordered mine a few weeks ago, and I'm super excited- Project 86 FTW!!!
Where will Picket Fence Cartel rank amongst Projects' albums? Only time will tell. For now though, I present you my ranking of Picket Fence Cartels ancestors.
8)Project 86, 1998- Their self-titled debut, and the CD that got me hooked on these guys. It hasn't aged particularly well, although there are still some gems like Bleed Season and 1X7. Nonetheless, I do enjoy to listen to it every now and again as a reminder of where I've come from.
7)The Kane Mutiny EP, 2007- It's really hard to rank to rank a five song effort any higher, especially when two of the songs are remixes. To be fair, though, the remixes are solid, and I really like what the did with From December. Rte. 66 is a nice song, but what makes this EP worth the $5 purchase price is Lucretia, My Reflection and The Kane Mutiny, which are definitely two of the most B.A. songs that Project 86 has ever done.
6)Drawing Black Lines, 2000- Their sophomore release is still a solid effort, and if it wasn't for the amazingness of their later works then this would have ranked higher. There are some very intense songs on here, Stein's Theme, One Armed Man, and Set Me Up. I really like Sad Machines, and Star is one of the classic melodic songs that Project has ever done (to be fair, it's one of the only melodic songs they've ever done).
5)This time of year EP, 2008- Again, EP's are hard to rank very high, since they have a much smaller body of work. However, the fact that this is a Christmas album gives it some bonus points. I always wanted to have a Project 86 Christmas album, and when I got it I wasn't disappointed. Well, maybe a little disappointed. There definitely should have been more songs. However, this is definitely worth listening to for Shiny Skin, a song about presents, and a very unique interpretation of What Child Is This?.
4)...And The Rest Will Follow, 2005- Definitely their hardest rocking album, this starts off with the absolutely hard and heavy Sincerely, Ichabod, and goes from there. There is enough filler to keep this from ranking higher, but I would definitely put All Of Me, Necktie Remedy, and From December against any other trio of songs. Doomsday Stomp and My Will Be A Dead Man are very interesting as well.
3)Rival Factions, 2007- This is by far the most adventurous album that Project 86 has undertaken. I was particularly impressed by how far Andrew Schwab was willing to stretch himself as a vocalist. Out of all the albums they have done, this one sounds the least 'Projectish', and yet you can definitely tell that it is a Project album. This is to their credit as musicians, that they were able (and willing) to take chances, regardless of what critics said. If they had included The Kane Mutiny on the regular release (it was only available if you purchased the album on iTunes), then I would have ranked this higher. But they didn't, so I didn't. Fair is fair.
2)Songs to burn your bridges by, 2004- At first, I didn't really like this CD...I felt like most of the songs sounded all like, and so I didn't really listen to it too much. But it had staying power, and grew on me, and before I knew it, I just absolutely fell in love with it. True, there are songs that I don't get into so much, but the cream of the crop is superb- there are powerful worship tunes (Safe Haven and Shadow On Me), hardcore rocking tunes (Spy Hunter and Sioux Lane Spirits), and just flat-out amazing songs like Breakdown In 3/4. But I really had to rank this album at number one because a) it is so cohesive as an album, and b) it is not as amazing as my number one pick...
1) Truthless Heroes, 2002- A concept album dealing with the trappings of our society, this is probably their most (in my opinion) inspired work to date. The whole album is solid- there just aren't any bad songs. I just love listening to this whole thing- and that to me is what makes a great album. To be sure, there are some absolute cut-above-the-rest songs- Soma and Hollow Again come to mind- but this whole album is just rocking. The best thing about it though is the lyrics- Andrew Schwab brings his sharp wit and worldview on this musical social commentary. His wit is especially biting on SMC, Another Boredom Movement, and Hollow Again.
Thanks for reading! Tune in next time for...well, shoot, I don't know! I might write about Jon and Kate, I have an article that I've been sitting on about how there are too many bowl teams- and who knows what will happen between now and then! Love to all, God bless. See you on the flip side!
Tomorrow the new LP Picket Fence Cartel hits shelves. I preordered mine a few weeks ago, and I'm super excited- Project 86 FTW!!!
Where will Picket Fence Cartel rank amongst Projects' albums? Only time will tell. For now though, I present you my ranking of Picket Fence Cartels ancestors.
8)Project 86, 1998- Their self-titled debut, and the CD that got me hooked on these guys. It hasn't aged particularly well, although there are still some gems like Bleed Season and 1X7. Nonetheless, I do enjoy to listen to it every now and again as a reminder of where I've come from.
7)The Kane Mutiny EP, 2007- It's really hard to rank to rank a five song effort any higher, especially when two of the songs are remixes. To be fair, though, the remixes are solid, and I really like what the did with From December. Rte. 66 is a nice song, but what makes this EP worth the $5 purchase price is Lucretia, My Reflection and The Kane Mutiny, which are definitely two of the most B.A. songs that Project 86 has ever done.
6)Drawing Black Lines, 2000- Their sophomore release is still a solid effort, and if it wasn't for the amazingness of their later works then this would have ranked higher. There are some very intense songs on here, Stein's Theme, One Armed Man, and Set Me Up. I really like Sad Machines, and Star is one of the classic melodic songs that Project has ever done (to be fair, it's one of the only melodic songs they've ever done).
5)This time of year EP, 2008- Again, EP's are hard to rank very high, since they have a much smaller body of work. However, the fact that this is a Christmas album gives it some bonus points. I always wanted to have a Project 86 Christmas album, and when I got it I wasn't disappointed. Well, maybe a little disappointed. There definitely should have been more songs. However, this is definitely worth listening to for Shiny Skin, a song about presents, and a very unique interpretation of What Child Is This?.
4)...And The Rest Will Follow, 2005- Definitely their hardest rocking album, this starts off with the absolutely hard and heavy Sincerely, Ichabod, and goes from there. There is enough filler to keep this from ranking higher, but I would definitely put All Of Me, Necktie Remedy, and From December against any other trio of songs. Doomsday Stomp and My Will Be A Dead Man are very interesting as well.
3)Rival Factions, 2007- This is by far the most adventurous album that Project 86 has undertaken. I was particularly impressed by how far Andrew Schwab was willing to stretch himself as a vocalist. Out of all the albums they have done, this one sounds the least 'Projectish', and yet you can definitely tell that it is a Project album. This is to their credit as musicians, that they were able (and willing) to take chances, regardless of what critics said. If they had included The Kane Mutiny on the regular release (it was only available if you purchased the album on iTunes), then I would have ranked this higher. But they didn't, so I didn't. Fair is fair.
2)Songs to burn your bridges by, 2004- At first, I didn't really like this CD...I felt like most of the songs sounded all like, and so I didn't really listen to it too much. But it had staying power, and grew on me, and before I knew it, I just absolutely fell in love with it. True, there are songs that I don't get into so much, but the cream of the crop is superb- there are powerful worship tunes (Safe Haven and Shadow On Me), hardcore rocking tunes (Spy Hunter and Sioux Lane Spirits), and just flat-out amazing songs like Breakdown In 3/4. But I really had to rank this album at number one because a) it is so cohesive as an album, and b) it is not as amazing as my number one pick...
1) Truthless Heroes, 2002- A concept album dealing with the trappings of our society, this is probably their most (in my opinion) inspired work to date. The whole album is solid- there just aren't any bad songs. I just love listening to this whole thing- and that to me is what makes a great album. To be sure, there are some absolute cut-above-the-rest songs- Soma and Hollow Again come to mind- but this whole album is just rocking. The best thing about it though is the lyrics- Andrew Schwab brings his sharp wit and worldview on this musical social commentary. His wit is especially biting on SMC, Another Boredom Movement, and Hollow Again.
Thanks for reading! Tune in next time for...well, shoot, I don't know! I might write about Jon and Kate, I have an article that I've been sitting on about how there are too many bowl teams- and who knows what will happen between now and then! Love to all, God bless. See you on the flip side!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Favorite Project 86 Songs
Well, that week certainly flew! Thanks for tuning in to part two of my Project 86 Monday series, in anticipation of the July 14th release of their newest LP Picket Fence Cartel. This week I will be reviewing my favorite songs done by my favorite band. Where will their new stuff rank? Only time can tell. If you want to hear it ahead of time, they have four brand new songs posted on their Myspace account, which is: www.myspace.com/project86
Well, now that we have the formalities addressed, let's get on to the main event, shall we? My top-twenty favorite Project 86 songs!
20) Sioux Lane Spirits, Songs To Burn Your Bridges By
19) The Forces Of Radio Have Dropped A Viper Into The Rhythm Section, Rival Factions
18) Another Boredom Movement, Truthless Heroes
17) Know What It Means, Truthless Heroes
16) Shelter me, Truthless Heroes
15) Pull Me Closer, Violent Dancer, Rival Factions
14) From December, ...And The Rest Will Follow
13) All of me, ...And The Rest Will Follow
12) Slaves To Liberty, Rival Factions
11) Sincerely, Ichabod, ...And The Rest Will Follow
10) Safe Haven, Songs To Burn Your Bridges By
9) Sad Machines, Drawing Black Lines
8) Shiny Skin, This Time Of Year
7) The Spy Hunter, Songs To Burn Your Bridges By
6) Hollow Again, Truthless Heroes
5) Little Green Men, Truthless Heroes
4) Necktie Remedy, ...And The Rest Will Follow
3) Soma, Truthless Heroes
2) Breakdown in 3/4, Songs To Burn Your Bridges By
1) The Kane Mutiny, Rival Factions
Hmmmmm...not bad, not bad! Again, I wanted to make a top-ten list, but I just couldn't trim it down! I had a hard enough time trimming this to just twenty, let alone ten. Now, know that I am not some blind fanboy, who worships everything that my favorite band puts out. There are Project songs that I don't like, there are Project songs that I think suck. What makes these guys my favorite band is that those songs are few and far between, and the fact that their top songs kick serious behind.
Next week is our 'season' finale. Join me as I put to rank the Project 86 album catalogue!
Well, now that we have the formalities addressed, let's get on to the main event, shall we? My top-twenty favorite Project 86 songs!
20) Sioux Lane Spirits, Songs To Burn Your Bridges By
19) The Forces Of Radio Have Dropped A Viper Into The Rhythm Section, Rival Factions
18) Another Boredom Movement, Truthless Heroes
17) Know What It Means, Truthless Heroes
16) Shelter me, Truthless Heroes
15) Pull Me Closer, Violent Dancer, Rival Factions
14) From December, ...And The Rest Will Follow
13) All of me, ...And The Rest Will Follow
12) Slaves To Liberty, Rival Factions
11) Sincerely, Ichabod, ...And The Rest Will Follow
10) Safe Haven, Songs To Burn Your Bridges By
9) Sad Machines, Drawing Black Lines
8) Shiny Skin, This Time Of Year
7) The Spy Hunter, Songs To Burn Your Bridges By
6) Hollow Again, Truthless Heroes
5) Little Green Men, Truthless Heroes
4) Necktie Remedy, ...And The Rest Will Follow
3) Soma, Truthless Heroes
2) Breakdown in 3/4, Songs To Burn Your Bridges By
1) The Kane Mutiny, Rival Factions
Hmmmmm...not bad, not bad! Again, I wanted to make a top-ten list, but I just couldn't trim it down! I had a hard enough time trimming this to just twenty, let alone ten. Now, know that I am not some blind fanboy, who worships everything that my favorite band puts out. There are Project songs that I don't like, there are Project songs that I think suck. What makes these guys my favorite band is that those songs are few and far between, and the fact that their top songs kick serious behind.
Next week is our 'season' finale. Join me as I put to rank the Project 86 album catalogue!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)