kmac

2011-10-26T22:30:00.003-04:00

One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

"this is how it works
you peer inside yourself
you take the things you like
& try to love the things you took
& then you take that love you made
& stick it into some...someone else's heart
pumping someone else's blood"

etc.

2011-09-04T22:07:00.002-04:00

[old poem i'm not sure i ever blogged...]

why aren't i moved?
by Your majesty,
or the world's endless tragedies,
or the way that king's strategies
end in fatalities?

i want You...
to be blistering heat,
the past, to repeat

do I want You,
or do i just want to be moved?
must Your presence be felt to be proved?

Failure?

2011-08-29T21:32:00.000-04:00

Well, it has a loose definition.

check out my flickr, man.

Because I just want to see your surprised face when you realize who posted.

2011-07-22T15:45:00.001-04:00

If I don't blog at school someone ought to shoot me.

But, seriously, this summer's been crazy-busy.

I still love you all =)

Yes, I feel bad for not updating

2011-03-18T01:09:00.002-04:00

But, somehow, that still does not motivate me to blog ;)

I have been writing plenty of poetry lately, though

The door was red, red and always locked. 
He'd say, "Don't come in today." If you ever knocked

The sun was red, red and always setting.

 It was the setting, not the rising, I was regretting.

  His hair was red, red and always growing.

 He danced & jumped in puddles when it was snowing.   

Her heart was red, red and always beating. 

She spent every day trying to quell its constant heating. 

I'm pretty much a horrible blog updater

2011-02-06T02:37:00.001-05:00

I would say sorry, but I'm not sure when I'll post again & it seems ridiculous to keep on apologizing ;)

I hope you have a lovely day.

2011-01-29T02:07:00.001-05:00

[this is amazing: http://minimalmovieposters.tumblr.com/]

2011-01-12T02:16:00.003-05:00

School, busy, love you all.

There are two moons in the sky if you do that weird cross thing with your eyes.

2011-01-03T11:52:00.001-05:00

I'm just saying.

Also? I was totally planning on learning all the rules of comma usage over break. Um...I still got time, right?

;)

[i think that may have been the title of a cheerleader movie. No?]

2011-01-01T09:44:00.002-05:00

Okay, new year, I'm ready for this.

Bring it.

i really should write a blog post.

2010-12-16T17:19:00.006-05:00

I haven't really given myself a reputation for well thought out or insightful blog posts, but I suppose the same could be said for me in general.

That sounded a bit more whiny and pleading than it was meant to.

Things I've been thinking about:

Christmas!

"He who has a crooked mind finds no good, and he who is perverted in his language falls into evil." [Psalm 17:20]

"He wants each man, in the long run, to be able to recognize all creatures (even himself) as glorious and excellent things. He wants to kill their animal self-love as soon as possible; but it is His long-term policy, I fear, to restore them a new kind of self-love--a charity and gratitude for all selves, including their own; when they have really learned to love their neighbors as themselves, they will be allowed to love themselves as their neighbors." -Screwtape (C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters)

I've decided to read a bunch over break...the only problem is I thought of this a week into break, so I'm only on my second book, but C.S. Lewis is the man, so it's all good.

Other things are on my mind, too, but I suppose that's enough for now.

oh.

2010-12-07T23:38:00.003-05:00

I have not thought very much about Christmas recently.

um...does anyone want a Christmas present? Family?

It's so weird that Christmas is so close and I am listening to Radiohead and doing school. I should be putting up the little cow or the shepherd or something that would make me end up with Baby Jesus [Mullaneys will understand what I mean].

I'll be home soon and then maybe I will feel festive =)

Snow!

2010-12-05T10:58:00.004-05:00

It's been kinda melty lately, but for a while there it was just coming down for days on end. It was awesome.

[queries]

2010-11-29T14:01:00.002-05:00

it's not like these are particularly well done as far as graphic design goes or unique as far as ideas go...it's just some stuff i wanted to remind myself of.

2010-11-28T13:43:00.001-05:00

semicolons are very interesting; i'm not really sure how to use them

Amy Pond.

2010-11-27T03:06:00.008-05:00

[is...a ginger]

The Doctor: Amy, only one thought, one simple instruction: don't follow me under any circumstances.

Amy Pond: I won't.

Vincent Van Gogh: Will you follow him?

Amy Pond: Of course.

Vincent Van Gogh: I love you.

if you're going to insist...

2010-11-22T21:05:00.003-05:00

Another Productive Morning

2010-11-17T11:11:00.001-05:00

You can always know when I'm having one of those when I pause everything to write a blog post. Yup.

I miss you all.

I've been doing NaNoWriMo and right now I'm only about two days behind, which...actually makes me feel pretty good. Usually at this point I'd be way ahead, but hey, my life is not as uncomplicated as it once was (is there a double negative in there somewhere? I'm not sure). My novel is a lot more disjointed than anything I've ever written and at this point it's more like a bunch of short stories with semi-loose connections between them. Also random other tangents I've written when I can't seem to bring myself to like living in the castle. [yeah, the connected-short-stories take place in a castle, kill me]

Well, most of it is terrible so don't expect to be reading it.

Oh! Yesterday...nothing exciting happened. But I'm pretty sure I didn't fail my midterm. So...yussssss [/Kip].

I'm wearing my white suit jacket because it makes me feel cool and I need to feel cool to be able to get anything done.

Unrelated, I watched the first season of Battlestar Galactica (yes, i keep giving you evidence of my productivity), and I mostly enjoyed it, so maybe I'll get around to season two when I have free time (like over Christmas break). [juuuust kidding family, i want to spend time with you, not Starbuck and Adama and crew]

I actually really dislike the theme music for it, which is only slightly annoying because now I have nothing to suggest for you to listen to.

I am enjoying some nice Police right now, if you're interested.

[hello again]

2010-11-09T12:37:00.011-05:00

I have set aside this morning to study for my last midterm.

So clearly it's the best time to blog.

Nope, never mind, I have work to do.

i've been thinking/relearning about...

"What commandment is the foremost of all?"

Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.'

The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

[Mark 12:28-31]

"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

[Galatians 5:13-14]

What exactly does it look like to love yourself as God would have you? In other words, what love are we reflecting when we love our neighbors?

[perhaps i should save this question in case i ever fill in on YoQ again, hm...or perhaps it's already been asked]

I [had] a dream...

2010-11-03T11:28:00.002-04:00

in it I blogged a wonderfully articulate post about...something I can't remember now.

And we ate queso burritos in Spanish class, and then if we stayed late we got to have bacon and dip it in queso.

I was really hungry when I went to bed.

That is all.

2010-10-30T17:33:00.001-04:00

there's not a single sentence I like in this paper I'm writing.

In other news, I keep listening to:

NaNoWriMo's coming up...

2010-10-25T12:46:00.005-04:00

so I figured I owed you all a blog post before I completely disappear for a month. (j/k Morts...I will be there for Game Day...probably...)

November always seems to be an uber-productive month for me. I think, maybe, possibly, that may have something to do with my intense procrastination skills. Instead of working on my novel, I get work done. It's lovely.

if these guys weren't so lazy, I might have some of that to do as well ;) [and by lazy I mean...busy with important things, yes]

By the way, I epically failed my whole productive-new-thing-in-October challenge. I had much thinking to do, and also my art class started.

music

What?

2010-10-11T00:14:00.002-04:00

Don't blame me, I've been busy...busy forgetting about my blog again.

Sometimes I use the excuse Seamus Heaney did when he took so long to translate Beowulf:

To put it another way: from the point of view of

the writer, words in a poem need what the Polish poet Anna Swir once called "the equivalent of a biological right to life." The erotics of composition are essential to the process, some pre-reflective excitation and orientation, some sense that your own little verse-craft can dock safe and sound at the big quay of the language.

Also, I just really like the way Heaney writes, he's kinda awesome. The point of the quote from Swir was that inspiration can't be forced, and an epic work (like translating Beowulf, or creating your own art) is as much a matter of excited motivation as it is preparedness.

I woke up this morning with "Hips Don't Lie" stuck in my head. So, it barely needs to be said that I had a pretty awesome day.

I would like to mention again that Kelsea Mort is awesome. Just so you all remain aware.

Unrelated...some football pictures:

Also, the Yankees just won the first game of the ALCS. OH YES.

& you should listen to all the music on this website: www.futureofforestry.com

Octubre

2010-09-30T14:14:00.002-04:00

So September is almost over, guys.

Also, I'm American. So I like dorky things like new-month/new-start.

The question is...what should I accomplish in October? I've already got something lined up for November (what? yeah, you heard me. NaNoWriMo, baby). But what about the month preceding it?

I am thinking about book-reading, which would essentially be my stealing Michael's New Years resolution. But hey, I love reading, and I've been doing far too little of it. Book a week? What do you think?

[Pictures? Take more of them? I'm already tryin' to do that, but y'know...I could try being more specific]

(Or...I could just catch up on Dexter. Grace would probably vote for this one :P)

I know...this post is lame. Like my foot right now.

Song...you know what, you guys, just listen to some Avett Brothers. You're welcome.

9/27

2010-09-27T18:51:00.004-04:00

[New blog layout? Yeah, you know it.]

I went to the dentist today! More talk of jaw realignment and the importance of flossing and all that other fun stuff I've heard before. It's very exciting ;)

Some things that've been on my mind lately:

"Lo, for my own welfare I had great

bitterness;

It is You who has kept my soul from

the pit of nothingness,

For You have cast all my sins behind

Your back."

[Isaiah 38:17]

& real, true peace

is in release

to cease

(let Him increase)

He cares more for me

more than I'll ever see

(in this life I'll be

blind to infinite beauty)

a bit of this (& what place it has in my future)

Joy.

So what have you been thinking about?

Song I Can't Stop Listening To: Collide - Howie Day

la familia

2010-09-07T14:08:00.006-04:00

[I started writing this post about a week ago, I'm sorry I somehow always fail to keep up with my blog. maybe I just need a new look or something...]

I've been living with the Mort family for about five weeks now. Five? Yeah, I can count. They have so generously opened their home and hearts to me, and I don't think I'll ever be able to repay them or thank them enough.

I did want to mention a few things...

Bryson, he's a 12 year old boy. So, as you can imagine, he is awesome. ;) He plays football and likes to watch animals get killed on TV, hunting is apparently cool? Okay. Also, when I dropped my phone in the river he totally ran and jumped in to get it for me. He's sweet like that, and as much as he has his 12-year-old-boy traits (tackling, being loud and...throwing things?)...he's usually nice to me =)

Kalla, first of all, every time I hear her sing it's like, "DUDE, WHAT THE HECK SHE IS SO AMAZING." Ahem. She's also quite delightful to talk to and hang out with, and I hope I will have more opportunity to do so for the rest of the time I am here.

Kelsea Mort is my best friend. I could write an entire blog post about how amazing she is. But I wouldn't want you all to get jealous. Her friendship means the world to me and the surety I have that I'll never lose that brings gladness to my heart. She is a near-constant encouragement to me in my walk with God, and the beauty of her spirit is uplifting to mine. I am not always the best kind of friend that I should be to her, but she always forgives me and for that I am eternally grateful.

Katy, she reminds me of Michael a lot, in the way that she is just incredible ;) She's very thoughtful and philosophical, but also has a quirky sense of humor (don't even ask about the time she threatened to eat me for dinner). Her love for the Lord (and of language) is inspiring, and I highly approve of her taste in music. I'm kinda sad she's off at school now because I won't have as much of a chance to get to know her.

Mrs. Mort, I don't even know what to say. She's beautiful and looks out for me in the absence of my birth mother. She's kind and generous and hasn't done a half-bad job of raising her children ;) (just sayin', see above). I know she's a wonderful friend to my mother. Also, she made delicious breakfast this morning. Points.

Mr. Mort, he's bought me Greek food more than once, so he's already on my good side there. He's a loving father to his children, provides for his family, and seems to me to be a generally awesome dude.

This isn't all to say that I don't miss my own family, of course I do. But I am also very blessed to be at least a small part of another family here in Idaho. I love the Mort family very much.

Song I can't stop listening to: Nine In The Afternoon - Panic! At The Disco [This video...is very trippy. also, definitely filmed wherever they film Bones]

Oh, hey everybody

2010-09-02T12:45:00.002-04:00

I'm at school, and instead of reading the six-page short story I was assigned for lit class I am writing this blog post.

Hey. Be proud of my productive procrastination, okay?

Sorry I'm so terrible at blogging, it's so much easier when I have some idea of what I'd like to write about before I just open up a new blog post, but for one reason or another I haven't wanted to write much about anything as of late.

I'm taking Spanish 101, which has been fairly simple thus far. There's just a ton of stuff to memorize. I've had some practice memorizing so that shouldn't be too difficult :)

I also have Intro to Lit on Friday mornings (for three hours, you guys, three hours). So I've only had one class of that so far, and we just went over the syllabus and played games and introduced ourselves and got out super early...and ended up with a ton of reading to do. I have really enjoyed that so far, so I'm interested to see how discussions go this week.

Oh wait, did I mention I'm taking college classes? I think you probably gathered that.

The past week of reading has inspired me to write more, but apparently not enough to get me to take legitimate action. Hmph.

Speaking of which, I spent yesterday morning mostly on flickr looking through some awesome photography and it really made me want to go back to old-school picture taking, when it was fun and I wasn't all concerned with it being good or working in the CFC slideshow or whatever. So I took some pictures. I need to keep doing that.

Thanks for putting up with my totally unnecessary absence, please accept my apologies.

Song I Can't Stop Listening To: Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead

2010-08-22T21:07:00.003-04:00

Sometimes I wonder where my creativity went

& then I remember that I'm very tired

& it's probably just taking a nap

In place of my blogging...

2010-08-08T00:08:00.001-04:00

...you can watch me fill in for Friday on A Year of Questions:

also, that's basically all I've been thinking about :P

-Kmac

just so ya'll know...

2010-07-27T17:29:00.000-04:00

the prep team is amazing.

maze

ing

Thinking/Thoughtful Thursday

2010-07-22T23:22:00.002-04:00

It's been a good one.

I feel like we should always do this.

I wrote more poetry today than I've ever written in a single day.

Catey made me write a sestina.

Doesn't that sound like a Mexican festival?
Seriously.

Prep week/prep month/tour prep is wonderful. & I'll be sad to go when I do. But being here reminds me of the possibility of finding this joy of community anywhere in the world where God is at work. (which is...everywhere :P)

Elastic bands on a wooden cross

find a home in the hands of a boy, lost

great heights & depths he finds

heart uplifted by joys of all kinds

Song I've Been Listening to Over and Over: Inside - Jennifer Knapp

to forgive or to overlook?

2010-07-13T10:23:00.006-04:00

A few conversations I had this past week at ICC Summer Camp (which was awesome, by the way) brought this subject to mind.

When you love someone is it easier to forgive or to overlook?

Forgiveness is...cleansing. Complete recompense in spirit.

Whereas overlooking doesn't always mean the same thing.

"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:30-32)

I'm not sure what I'm trying to say here, or what I'm trying to figure out, but I owe ya'll a blog BIG TIME, so, here you go, this is the best I could do ;)

Song I'm listening to: I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) - Meat Loaf

are we drawn to our callings? (like an apple tree, i'm pretty sure you'll see)

2010-06-28T21:52:00.002-04:00

Hey.

I've been thinking a lot about...callings. Many people claim to know what they are called to do, even while a lot of people are confused and have no idea.

In terms of education, knowing what my calling is would probably help me to decide what to study, huh?

Can a calling be...something you love to do, want to do, feel led to do? Some sort of combination of the three?

I'm too tired to actually write down some well-thought out answer to the question. So, obviously, I'll just let ya'll answer. What do you think?

I think...

hm...

I believe God has a calling for everyone. For sure.

How easy it is to recognize that...is another story.

& what if a person's calling contradicts their "life plan"? Does that mean all the planning and training was for naught? No, I know it doesn't because everything we experience is important in shaping who we are...

Yup, still really tired.

The bible clearly teaches that God works in the hearts of His creatures. If my heart is moved in a certain direction, does that mean I should follow it no matter what?

Then of course, the heart is a deceitful thing.

Oh, fooey. Goodnight.

2010-06-22T10:46:00.001-04:00

[i was just thinkin', and hey, i owed ya'll a post anyway]

everybody's heart's been broken

& even when it's been unspoken

there's been some affectionate token

that's awoken

the pain inside

when your heart shatters

it's how you react that matters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pts-t0mGEYE

2010-06-11T11:26:00.004-04:00

I've been having a lovely, though work filled, time here in TN.

A few things I've learned so far:

How to order t-shirts (actually, i also know a lot about how not to order t-shirts :P)
Battlestar Galactica was taking up 10 gigs on my hard drive. Yeah, I moved it to the external.
Adam Hardy occasionally narrates his life, in either spoken word or a song =)
Journaling isn't as bad as I thought, it's a'ight.
It needs to rain less.
I am *never* going to have time to watch the Glee finale :P
I'm really, really excited about the coming events of the summer: the national convention, the secret trip, NAUMS, summer camp, tour prep, etc.

Sorry this post wasn't very lengthy or in-depth. But hey, it's a post ;)

-Kmac

2010-06-04T18:45:00.003-04:00

I think I should fly away from home.

Okay.

Let's go.

Just because I haven't been blogging doesn't mean I don't love you.

2010-05-28T11:19:00.002-04:00

I've just been...doing things.

I haven't necessarily been busy.
I mean, sure, I've been doing Algebra 2 and Physics and pwning the SAT and working on projects for Mrs. Moon.

But I've also been doing other stuff that might be considered "time-wasting". So, really, I have no excuse for not blogging. Except, maybe, I just didn't want to. Not because I dislike it particularly, but because I tend to spend a lot of time figuring out what I want to say in a blog post, and then not saying much at all. (example: this post so far)

Here's some stuff that's happened recently:

Grace and Michael and I drove up to New Hampshire to see Cardinal play, and that was fun. They don't suck ;)

I'm leaving a week from tomorrow for Tennessee, and while I'm sure I will actually be more busy than usual there, I am going to try to blog more often. Hold me to that, ya'll.

The heat this week made me miss the winter. Ah, I wished for snow.

We got a new fridge today.

& I'm going to miss this house on a hill and the people who live inside it.

The Final Vlog [well...the final one that I owe you...]

2010-05-09T09:26:00.003-04:00

I might do this more often.

I just have too much fun with the copyrighted music to do it on youtube. WHATEVS.

Anyway, I shall let the video speak for itself...myself...yeah...

Blog Vlog Pt. 2

2010-05-04T13:08:00.003-04:00

If you think I look really tired that's because I am. xP

p.s. I didn't end up having to go shopping, so...yay :P

I miss you guys :P

2010-05-03T10:25:00.002-04:00

SRSLY

Maybe Someday You & Me Can Run Away

2010-04-30T17:23:00.006-04:00

I now owe you guys two video blogs that will happen sometime next month.

Tomorrow, Michael and I are taking the SAT.

This calls for a Get Psyched mix. "SHOT THROUGH THE HEART, AND YOU'RE TO BLAME. DARLIN', YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME!"

no? nobody got that tv show reference I made with bon jovi lyrics?

okay.

Anyhow, levity.

"Always be comic in a tragedy. What the deuce else can you do?"

Is life a comedy or a tragedy? Let's make it both, either way.

I actually don't have well-formed thoughts on this subject. Sorry, Hayley.

[it's apparently a 2003 Morgan Freeman movie? Okay. He has a cool voice. Also a Polish avant-pop-jazz group]

I have felt far too serious this month in my obsessive blogging. But if levity is a lack of seriousness, I don't desire an excess of it.

See, I have no specific definition to go off, that's my problem.

Pshhh, whatever. I've really enjoyed BEDA, even though I failed a couple of times...

Speaking of which, all day yesterday I was like, "I'll blog later." Yeah, that worked out well.

Thank you, my loyal handful of readers, for sticking with me this month. =)

Song I Can't Stop Listening To: Juliet - LMNT

bonus video!

Tomorrow: May. No blogging obligation ;) (i will, however, be writing an essay very early in the morning)

12:01

2010-04-30T00:01:00.000-04:00

oops?

i am a hypocrite (or you think i am)

2010-04-28T21:04:00.003-04:00

Misappropriation

& word association

"I'm fine."

means

"I won't tell you what's on my mind."

we've all heard that before

so we try to even the score

with a,

"Golly, I'm great!"

in order to placate

the thought.

A shot rings out

and they shout

"the war has begun!"

frantic cries

"stop, please!"

are taken as lies

"you will be pleased!"

for the last time

"I don't like oranges"

i mean, by that line,

"I don't like oranges"

sometimes they believe what you say

when you say what you believe

but sometimes

they just...leave

Occasionally it's easier to make words rhyme than to write anything; so this isn't even a poem, it's just rhymey words. :P

Song my brother enjoys: Elephant Love Medley - Ewan McGregor/Nicole Kidman

Tomorrow: Levity. [sugerido cerca Hayley]

April 27th

2010-04-27T12:57:00.004-04:00

Since I let Dr. Seuss, Billy Joel and David talk for me yesterday, I figured I'd have to use some of my own words today.

Recent Happenings:

I'm finally getting around to reading The Man Who Was Thursday. I started it in 2007 and I think I made it through one chapter and then somehow stopped reading...that was really silly of me.

I am not a physicist.

I got a new phone and it is awesome and my dad is awesome for buying it for me and Armando is awesome for selling it to him. Armando. I named the phone after him.

I should be prepping for the SAT right now. Functions and integers, rational numbers and sequences and series. Fooey.

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Song I Can't Stop Listening To: Hey Ya! - Outkast

Tomorrow: Misappropriation.

I've been far too serious lately. :SRS FACE:

2010-04-26T15:15:00.005-04:00

"The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come,

or a plane to go or the mail to come,

or the rain to go or the phone to ring,

or the snow to snow

or waiting around for a Yes or No

or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite

or waiting for wind to fly a kite

or waiting around for Friday night

or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake

or a pot to boil, or a Better Break

or a string of pearls,

or a pair of pants

or a wig with curls,

or Another Chance.

Everyone is just waiting.

No! That’s not for you!

Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying.

You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,

once more you’ll ride high!

Ready for anything under the sky.

Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!"

I've realized lately that life involves a lot of waiting.

"Slow down, you crazy child

you're so ambitious for a juvenile

But then if you're so smart, tell me

Why are you still so afraid?

Where's the fire, what's the hurry about?

You'd better cool it off before you burn it out

You've got so much to do and

Only so many hours in a day.

But you know that when the truth is told,

That you can get what you want or you get old

You're gonna kick off before you even

Get halfway through.

When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?

Slow down, you're doing fine.

You can't be everything you want to be

Before your time.

Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight

Tonight...

Too bad but it's the life you lead,

you're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need .

Though you can see when you're wrong, you know

You can't always see when you're right; you're right."

"Patience is a virtue." they say. I think whoever they are, they have the right idea. (it's one of the fruits of the spirit, right?)

"Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD.

Lord, hear my voice!

Let Your ears be attentive

To the voice of my supplications.

If You, LORD, should mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?

But there is forgiveness with You,

That You may be feared.

I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait,

And in His word do I hope.

My soul waits for the Lord

More than the watchmen for the morning;

Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the LORD;

For with the LORD there is lovingkindness,

And with Him is abundant redemption.

And He will redeem Israel

From all his iniquities."

But, also, Carpe Diem.

Song that I adore (& that semi-reminds me of waiting): Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? - She & Him [this is a super super weird music video xP]

Tomorrow: {deliberately ambiguous topic here}

[Related Works]

2010-04-25T14:21:00.006-04:00

I remember when we were little my siblings and I were sometimes only allowed to be outside on the porch.

I really don't remember why.

But what I do recall is that we would walk into the street and say "the porch is connected to the walkway that's connected to the street, so...we're still on the porch!"

Okay, maybe this was just me. Honestly, I was a weird kid.

But, anyway, I wanted to talk about interconnectivity.

Specifically the interconnectivity of the gospel to our lives.

God is everywhere, and our thoughts should be centered on Him at every moment. That means that no matter what we encounter in this world it should remind us of Him and the work He has done and is doing. [Okay, wait, God's out of time, therefore, it's only "the work He is doing"...okay]

But oftentimes my thoughts are filled with other things, stories, ideas, loves, fears, SAT preparations. Does this mean God is not in those things? Or involved in them in any way? Of course not. Now I'm not saying that God is "in everything" as in...this piece of Play Doh and this roll of paper towels and this Fajita Seasoning on the table here are all God...but that He is the ruler and creator of all things, and therefore the One we must abide in at every moment.

"You know what the entire job description

of a Christian is? Abide." -Eric Ludy

But...what about impromptu speeches and SAT essays?
This is my question: just because God is everywhere, and part of everything, and should be dwelt on with every thought...does that mean that we must speak of Him with every breath?

Should I write my SAT essay on the topic of, say, "trust" and talk about how much I trust my Savior? Or should I not mention Him at all?

It's easy to make fun of the people who always have a point in their impromptu speeches about God. "Jesus" becomes cliché. Well...maybe we don't always have to talk about Him. I mean, our acknowledging His presence doesn't make Him any more present.

"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to

worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling

the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell." -C.S. Lewis

Am I justified in talking about real concrete things, philosophy, difficult situations, issues...without directly mentioning the Lord? He seems to be a force that is called upon in the most desperate of circumstances, and left by the wayside when little things crop up.

Oh, but...oh.

I don't believe He should ever be ignored by His children. We are the here to run the race He has set us on. & He is always there for us. (& we fail so miserably at attempting to do the same for Him) We need only to call on His name, to recognize his presence. A friend of mine was having computer trouble, and he prayed over his computer and I...wanted to laugh at him, just because it's a silly little thing.

But nothing is silly and little. Everything is His.

But even if I did resolve to speak every thought, every word, for Him...I feel as if I would fail. As I have so many times in the past.

My thoughts are disjointed at this point, and I feel like this would've made a better video blog. Especially because I would've been able to use Play Doh. But, oh well, I shall leave you with my rambling of uncertainty.

Song [that you probably don't like, but the video's funny]: Burnin' Up - Jonas Brothers (video by Judith)

Tomorrow: Waiting.

stuff i usually just try not to think about...[/war]

2010-04-24T14:58:00.003-04:00

Okay, I've been reading "All Quiet On The Western Front" this week and it just reminded me of some questions I've often heard...

Is war ever justified?

What is the validity of pacifism?

Should Christians be soldiers?

God said "thou shalt not murder" yet aided Israel in the slaughter of thousands?

I know killing isn't the same as murdering.

But...

"Whoever sheds man's blood,

By man his blood shall be shed,

For in the image of God

He made man." {Genesis 9:6}

Doesn't this automatic sacredness of every life mean that any taking of a man's life is murder? And thus, in the sight of God, sin? But why then would God lead His people in war against the nations?

Self-defense is considered a justifiable homicide. At least, according to the 5,423 Law & Order episodes I've seen.* What's the biblical perspective on self-defensive killing? I feel like there's something in Leviticus about this.

A spider is walking across the ground next to me. I think I will kill it.

Song I Can't Stop Listening to: I Was Once A Loyal Lover - Death Cab for Cutie

Tomorrow: Related Works.

*slightly inflated numbers

In Which I Have Continued To Read Nedroid

2010-04-23T20:05:00.002-04:00

"What is the secret to great living? Entire separation to Christ and devotion to Him. Thus speaks every man and woman whose life has had more than a passing flicker in the spiritual realm. It is the life that has no time for trifling that counts." -Amy Carmichael

What trifles have I been spending all this God given time on?

Will I do better now that I want to?

I feel as if I have wanted to all along.

Oh, desire.

Also, humorous sarcastic anecdote here.

My Favorite Song: Amazing Grace

Tomorrow: War...what is it good for?

I have like 55 minutes...

2010-04-22T23:04:00.003-04:00

My lack of post yesterday was retribution for no one commenting on Tuesday's post.
Or I was at reg10nals all day, and Burger King some of the night. Yes, that was it.

Which means I legit owe you another video blog. Ideas?

I've been reading this comic a lot recently:

[/http://nedroid.com]

Yeah, it makes me laugh, a lot.

Today Michael and I walked about 3 miles to Chipotle. True story. The burritos are that good. Or maybe we were bored. I don't know. It was nice out. Fragmented sentences.

This video made me laugh, but will only make sense to you if you are a Columbo fans. Yes, I will now alienate anyone outside my family who reads this blog...unless some of you are closeted Columbo fans.

Wisdom from the tournament this week: "Guys don't socialize in the bathroom!" -Mark Cloutier ["Yeah, the most you'll ever get is a: 'sup?."]

I read through all the "REAL LIFE" sample essays in the SAT prep book today. They were the same ones I read last year, and they were equally unimpressive.

Speaking of impressive...the time-stamp on this post will give you an accurate portrayal of how long I took to write it. [hint: I wrote the title before I started writing any of this...] I'm gonna guess this will be unimpressive as I am a massive procrastinator and am alternately working in photoshop.

I like how this turned out:

I like you all.

Song currently playing on my iPod: Cupid's Chokehold - Gym Class Heroes [not that I'm recommending this song. :nervous laughter: :P]

Tomorrow: An excerpt.

time remaining: 30 minutes. PWNED.

on my way out the door...

2010-04-20T12:10:00.003-04:00

So this'll be brief.

On the topic of surety:
I will use "the state of being sure or certain of something" as a definition.

I really wanted to ask, what are you sure of?

I am sure of Christ.

I am sure of the deliciousness of Chipotle burritos.

I am sure that I am unsure about most things.

What about you?

in which my thoughts are rambly...

2010-04-19T14:28:00.008-04:00

Those of you who saw/read my persuasive last year know that I'm not the biggest fan of the implications of the word "tolerance".

But, of course, on principle, I fiercely believe in tolerance, in the way that it's the opposite of intolerance. Intolerance disgusts me. & it's one of the only things I find intolerable in others. [Which...I guess...is really hypocritical :P]

Perhaps it's naive of me to believe the best of the people that I encounter, to give everyone a second and third and fourth chance, to prefer assumptions of pure motive. But I feel as if it's my duty as a person to love...well...everyone.

This doesn't make love any less sincere, it simply means that I search for and long to find the lovable in everyone. I remember Grace discussing a while back what the worth is in every person. Correct me if I'm wrong hermana, but it was something like...since everyone is created in God's image, there is inherent value in every person.

That's why I'm a little perturbed by both intolerance and tolerance alike. Neither allows for much love.

When it comes to practices like lasciviousness, dishonesty, homosexuality, idolatry...these should not be things that we just generally accept, this point I agree on. But with this belief often comes a confusion as to how we should treat those who participate in said practices. Love is left by the wayside.

Maybe I talk too much about love, maybe everyone does. But even if this doesn't tell you anything you didn't already know...at least I am reminded. And I think by reminding myself of the foundation of care and concern my actions should be based on, I am working towards an imitation of Christ.

This imitation will be shoddy at best, if I'm the only one trying. But I am being refined by One who is not limited by the frail corrupted part of humanity. His unbound humanity and unmatched deity make up for more offenses than I could ever commit (and that's a lot).

I am grateful today, that even though I've been feeling really under the weather lately, I'm still happy and content. At peace to live in God's arms. [but I must continue to be reminded to strive to be...better]

Song for today: All You Need Is Love - The Beatles

Tomorrow: Surety.

These things are worth something.

2010-04-18T15:18:00.002-04:00

Love

also, here's my video blog:

I sound like Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail when she's all, "Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flower?" only...with a deeper voice.

What inspired the background music: Hello Goodbye - Glee

Tomorrow: Tolerance.

2010-04-17T21:00:00.001-04:00

Sick.

blue tinted glasses in a rose-colored world

2010-04-16T17:43:00.000-04:00

"sheer genius!
come see this!"
the girl played the violin

"we don't know why!
now and then we cry."
the boy was bent towards violence

"my child will rise,
a demon in disguise!"
he laughed in his playful way

"if angels could be on earth,
this one would have an angel's worth!"
she mended hearts and stopped decay

"look how high,
the change is nigh!"
he was older, but not much wiser

"I just don't see!
how could this be‽"
she wouldn't be getting any older, they told her

"we love you!"
he turned a blind eye

"we love you!"
she wouldn't let them cry

"Everybody knows, it sucks to grow up."

Tomorrow: With a word.

Sometimes it cuts.

2010-04-15T17:46:00.004-04:00

Paper, that is.

As a result of several months of hanging out with them, printers are now my friends. I have learned many things from them. That ink and toner always run out at the worst possible moment for instance. But also that every print job (and their mom) needs paper.

Paper comes with a sense of permanence you can't find in the electronic world. No matter how much more reliable files and emails and backup drives are than paper, the written word on the literal page always feels more concrete. Am I the only one that feels like this? I feel better when I have a copy of my novel/short story/debate case/autobiographical rap/etc. printed out and tucked away somewhere.

In a similar vein, a letter feels more sincere than an email (no matter how sincere you try to be in emails; personally, I am a big fan of sincerity all around). Maybe words in a person's own hand are more reminiscent of them personally (by "hand" here I mean "handwriting", not sure where your mind was going with that, but I envisioned a person carrying words a la Mr. Tumnus in The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe). Or maybe we just like to know that someone took the time to write something specifically for us, rather than just type up a quick email or Facebook wall post.

[Hey, don't get me wrong, I appreciate the occasional "ILY!!!!!" wall post. No, really, I actually like when people write on my wall. But now I've gotten off topic...]

Why do homeschoolers love letters so much? I think it might have to do with the fact that letters are generally awesome and awesome people recognize awesome things when they see them. Awesome. [I choose not to use this paragraph to make fun of homeschoolers...even though it's a super-effortless task]

Paper's interesting in another way, it can be used to deceive so easily. Counterfeit money, and falsified birth-certificates (not a political commentary in any sense of the word) are just a few examples of the power of paper.

[Power to the paper. Power to the people.]

Where was I? Truthiness. I like to write true things on paper (and on the computer too, I mean, I'm not picky about where I spread truth). Truth becomes a realer reality to me, when I write it down. Or when I read it. In a book that smells like the library. That's why the Kindle will never compare. Typeset words on a screen cannot feel sincere. My SAT-prep mindset is telling me that this paragraph has way too many disjointed sentences in it. Whatever.

In short, I like paper.

Song I listened to while writing this: Cannibal Resource - Dirty Projectors ("suggested" by Erin ;) [http://xkcd.com/541/]

Tomorrow: blue tinted glasses in a rose-colored world

p.s. I still need suggestions for my vlog, I mean, seriously guys, come on ;)

Hmph.

2010-04-14T12:21:00.004-04:00

I'm not going to post today.

Primarily because I am not in the mood and I've been doing a lot of work today.

But also because I wanted to try out this punishment deal.

So soundoff in the comments (yeah, that's some youtube phrasing right there) your suggestion for what my video blog should be about.

Tomorrow: Paper

The Easter Bunny & Hope

2010-04-13T15:12:00.003-04:00

It's perfectly alright to be disillusioned to the fantasies of Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.

But when I say I am "antidisillusionment" those types of true disillusionments are not what I'm talking about. Being freed from falsehood is of ultimate importance. I am, however, against the idea that you can be disillusioned to hope, or love or the possibility of peace.

Hope & love & peace aren't illusions we need to be woken from.

I hate when people say they've been disillusioned to hope. I (most confidently) say that there is always hope. Maybe it's corny of me to say it, and maybe you think I'm like a little kid still believing in Santa Claus, but...I don't care. I will always hope.

The delusion of disillusionment to hope or joy or love or peace or any other number of blessings is worse than any imaginable obscenities to nature's created beauty.

This was a little disjointed, sorry. I still love you all.

Song you should listen to: The Book of Love - Peter Gabriel

Tomorrow: Poker. (...face?)

this is why my brother is awesome.

2010-04-12T18:35:00.002-04:00

...among other reasons.

So Michael agreed to do a photoshoot with me yesterday, even though he had a terribly uncomfortable time during this one:

Anyway, in order to completely humiliate him (jk Michael! :P), I thought it would be fun to share some of yesterdays shots with ya'll. Also, because it requires me to write less words.

Song we had stuck in our heads: At Least I'm Not As Sad (As I Used To Be) - fun.

Tomorrow: Antidisillusionment

& then everybody died. the end.

2010-04-11T13:48:00.003-04:00

spoiler alert?
I think Hamlet's been around long enough for that not to matter anymore.

There are some pretty classic lines in Hamlet.

"Frailty, thy name is woman!"

"To be, or not to be, that is the question,

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them."

"There's a divinity that shapes our ends,

Rough-hew them how we will."

I've heard many of these things before, but I am ever so glad that I read the play in its entirety. It's inevitably better to experience something yourself than to have it explained to you. Unless the explainer is a master storyteller.

Polonius: What do you read, my lord?

Hamlet: Words, words, words.

I read half of the editors introduction to the play. Let's face it, introductions aren't that interesting. It was going on and on about translations and historical imperatives and such drivel, but amongst all of that I got the impression that an interpretation of Hamlet is something attempted by everyone who's ever read it.

So, to disprove this theory, I shall not interpret the story.

I would just like to say, I very much enjoyed it, even though the ending sucked. It's Shakespeare, what should I have expected?

I'm thinking I may read more from the guy...I guess I've always been too intimidated by anthological volumes and frill-filled portraits.

Song [playing on my iPod right now]: You Don't Know Me - Ben Folds & Regina Spektor

Tomorrow: a photo blog. fizinally.

"OMG YOU GUYS!"

2010-04-10T12:53:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite people on the entire planet is coming to visit next month.

& also she apparently sometimes stalks my blog, so, hi Erin :waves:

This absolutely counts as a blog post. Come on, it's Saturday.

There is a lot a could say about Erin, but she often leaves me speechless ;)

Song you should totally listen to because Erin recommended it: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel

Tomorrow: Hamlet

i wouldn't fast forward through them...if i had DVR

2010-04-09T14:50:00.003-04:00

I wasn't really thinking this through when I chose TV theme songs for today's blog topic...but, I shall attempt to do that now.

The Gilmore Girls theme song is one of my favorite songs. Not because it necessarily has the greatest musical or lyrical composition, but because it reminds me of my best friend.

Grace and I used to watch Gilmore Girls together all the time. And (while I know you're not the biggest fan of cheesy things like this, Grace) it is basically my song for her =) I miss my sister.

There are other theme songs I really like; Psych's, for instance, is just too perfect for its own good. The Bones theme song is incredo-techno (as is House's, in a different way). I do like some shows with nearly non-existent theme songs, but generally, the theme song enhances the whole thing. There was an amazing episode of Monk a bit after they changed the theme song, got a ton of flack from fans, and changed it back. Sarah Silverman was in it. That's all you need to know (also, basically all I remember).

Another one of my favorite songs is from one of my favorite shows: Cold Case. The theme song is an excerpt from the E.S. Posthumus song "Nara". I am convinced that you could montage it over anything, and it would be moving and make sense somehow. Speaking of music montages, the way Cold Case incorporates music into the last 1-2 minutes of the show is inevitably incredible.

This was another post with excessive links in it. I apologize.

[Please actually listen to]: Nara - E.S. Posthumus

Tomorrow: {undisclosed}

P.S. Epic fail in not mentioning the Chuck theme song. Which is actually a Cake song. Love.

If Your Heart's In The Right Place [Home.]

2010-04-08T13:42:00.008-04:00

At the moment, I'm sitting in my kitchen. This room has some pretty gaudy flower wallpaper from the 50's, a light-switch that flips the wrong way, cabinets whose pale yellow color matches my skin tone on a sick day and windows overlooking the bird-feeder collection. And it lacks a dishwasher. But it makes me smile, because it's home.

For a while now, it's been easy for me to call any place "home". I've lived in 17 (18? um...?) different homes in the past 7 years. They've all had their quirks (and, in some of the cookie-cutter Florida apartments, their...lack of quirks) but they've all meant something to me. It's not like I'm particularly attached to any place we've lived, but...wherever we lived at any moment, I think God gave me the grace to call it "home" and mean it.

This phenomenon carried over a little oddly when I toured with Communicators For Christ this past fall, every week a new place to sleep and new people and new experiences. And yet...everywhere felt like home.

This could, of course, be easily explained by the fact that I was with some of the most amazing people in the universe.

"If home is where the heart is, then my home is where you are."

I must've been given more heart than I ever thought possible. Because...my heart is with so many people. & So I think I can find a home anywhere. Because I can find someone I love anywhere (practically). Also because I miraculously find something homey about every place I inhabit.

This will probably make eventual house-hunting fairly easy.

Song [quoted in this post]: I'm Taking You With Me - Relient K

Tomorrow: TV Theme Songs (it'll probably be as lame as you think)

A #2 Pencil & A Broken Heart

2010-04-07T12:21:00.002-04:00

http://xkcd.com/499/

[just go look at it, i don't feel like figuring out how to make it show up on my layout right now]

Ah, it's that time again. Spring is in the air, and the SAT is just around the corner.

Last year I was pretty much totally freaking out, like a boss. But, it's true what they say, the SAT turned out to just be a longer version of the PSAT with an essay thrown in for good measure.

[Or, at least, they claim it's for good measure.]

I read the entire prep book, and took a couple of practice tests, so when that Saturday morning came I felt sleepy, but reasonably prepared. I definitely forgot that "the book" had told me to read/write something before I went into the test, so it wouldn't be the first thing I read/wrote that day, and then the first section ended up being the essay...oops. Let's just say, my first written words after a partially sleepless night did not end up being particularly insightful.

[sidenote: one of my reasons for doing BEDA is that it will help me to practice writing every day. Very needed.]

The test wasn't as scary as anticipated and didn't feel as long. But, looking back at it now, a year later, I am hesitant to go into the SAT a second time...very optimistically. Caution has always been my default emotion for these situations, and it has rarely failed me. So I will continue to plod through these SAT prep books, sharpening my #2 pencils, blogging and asking my brother for math help.

When April 30th comes, I will try to get a good night's sleep. & When I awake, to read and write a little. & Go in guarded, and mildly optimistic. I mean, I'm interested in the SAT, but I'm not gonna let it break my heart.

Songs I wrote this blog to: Baby - Justin Bieber (yes. true fact.) & First Day of My Life - Bright Eyes

Tomorrow: Home.

P.S. Great quote from Michael about the SAT: "I hate the way they make you apply your knowledge in new ways."

Eyes Open

2010-04-06T17:03:00.004-04:00

I have long claimed that going blind is my worst fear.

Sure, death is a little scary. [& Edward Cullen is pretty freaky, too]
But I find the thought of life without sight to be even more frightening.

Constant darkness. It's like an endless claustrophobia of the mind.

[You get the picture. I'm gonna move on.]

As much as I dislike the constant overuse of analogies in blogs, I will now transition into one.

But, oftentimes, I think, it's easy to be blind to the truth. The expression "if it was a dog it would've bit you" isn't just about looking for your keys, it can also apply to direct knowledge (like, I guess, where you left your keys).

If God can restore sight to the blind (what? that's right, I said it), then He can certainly do the same for the metaphorically hard-of-seeing. [is that a phrase? it seems like it would be]

What I'm saying is...sometimes we miss the obvious truths that are staring us in the face. It's a kind of blindness. & Shouldn't it be just as terrifying and breath-quickening, and cause my blood to run just as cold, as optical blindness?

I so often lose sight of the truth. The Truth.

I am never alone.

There is always hope.

Peanut butter ice cream is delicious.

I am weaker than I think.

He is stronger than I can imagine.

Butter should not be eaten by the stick. (or Sweet'N Low by the packet.)

& Jesus loved to the point of death.

Lord, restore my sight.

Tomorrow: The SAT

"I'm so tired, I haven't slept a wink"

2010-04-05T15:46:00.004-04:00

I tend not to get a lot of sleep.

It reminds me of that Beatles song.

..you know i can't sleep, i can't stop my brain...

I know I should probably be getting more sleep than I do [hi mom!], but for some reason even if I go to bed early (for me "early" means "before midnight") I end up waking around 9-10ish, which is when I get up normally (by "normally" i mean "after going to bed past 1").

I like to imagine that the longer I stay up the more I can accomplish. But, really, who am I kidding? I can't get anything worthwhile done in the late hours of the night/early hours of the morning. (That doesn't include chatting with people, which is a beneficial & meaningful pursuit...usually.)

Sometimes I spend two hours reading xkcd/graphjam/MLIA/tfln/FB/other webcomics/etc. without thinking about it. I know, I know, I should keep better track of time. But when the sun's gone down and the schoolbooks have been put away, not even the seventy-two clocks we have in this house can help me remember how long it's been since I did anything productive.

I like reading. Reading is good. But I rarely read in the evenings. Therefore, I am now resolved to read more during the night. After all, lightbulbs were made for a reason. Help me out with this?

KTHXBAI

Tomorrow: Blind.

Identity. {Who am I?}

2010-04-03T23:40:00.000-04:00

"For every being cursed with self-awareness there remains the unanswerable question: Who am I?"

I am an ISFJ. {i think}

I am a salsa con queso lover.

I am a photographer. {or as my mom would say: "phratographer"}

I am a writer. {sometimes}

I am a ginger.

I am prone to pack-ratedness.

I enjoy smiling.

But do I find my identity in these things?

I like categorizing myself, I think everybody does. (Yeah, even hipsters...especially hipsters). It feels...safe to know I can place myself in any particular category or set of categories. I am a nerd, subset: Star Trek fan. I am funny, subset: occasionally.

I also like "figuring myself out", learning things about myself, realizing how I work. Hey, I like hot pockets. Good to know. Hey, I enjoy rap music. Also mighty good to know.

When I introduce myself I am introducing the person I think I am. When I say "Hello I'm Katie." I'm really saying, in so many words, "hello, my name is Katie and I hope you like me because I think you are cool and maybe I'm a little cool, too, even if I do get bad sunburns sometimes, and I don't always know what words to use in sentences and I stumble over my own insecurities and failures and...well, hello."

So if I'm presenting this front of myself to everyone I meet and interact with it's probably important for me to know who I am. I can get pretty confused about that some of the time (all of the time). I'd hate to be all "subliI'mawesomeminal" but at the same time an "I am not worthy to be in the same room as you" attitude can be annoying as well.

Who I am to myself determines (at least partially) who I am to other people.

Oh, but, oh, oh, OH!

"The ancient human question 'Who am I?' leads inevitably to the equally important question 'Whose am I?"

I am a child of God. In this I find my true identity. Nothing matters but loving Christ & joyfully obeying Him. To glorify Him with my every thought and breath should be the greatest desire of my heart. In Him I live, in Him I am truly alive, in Him...I am who I am supposed to be.

It isn't easy to remember that, it's so hard. But when I do, or when He reminds me, I know who I am. I know whose I am. I am His.

Oh, and Happy Easter. He is risen!

Song[s] I can't stop listening to: "Love You Madly" by Cake & "What Is Happening?" by Alphabeat

Tomorrow: Sleep[lessness?]

Twitter [or: the masses of ignorance]

2010-04-03T10:01:00.001-04:00

Okay, you guys gotta help me with this Blog Every Day in April thing...if I miss a day I have to make a video blog. I won't be blenderizing any happy meals, but you could come up with something interesting for me to do.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Yes, I have a twitter account. I tweet. And yes, I do feel silly every time I say that word.

Twitter is an awesome way of keeping tracks of all the hilarious things my brother says, like:

Mike: You going to the bank?

Mom: Yeah, did you want me to deposit?

Mike: I want a lollipop.

I've also begun to tweet some of my flickr photos. This is why I use twitter, I also like the interconnectivity with the 100 or so people I know who also...tweet, and I follow a lot of celebrities (because they are amusing) and I follow people who are extremely clever or post awesome links or who are fantastic photographers.

But there's a lot more to twitter than that, let's do a quick overview:

The "Following": Yeah, prima facie it seems a little creepy. I'm "following" my friend Devin. Does that mean I am stalking him? No, not really, what he writes on twitter, he writes for the people who follow him. It's like consensual stalking.

The Users: Practically every company and their mom has a twitter. That means you can get "exclusive offers" and updates from your favorite stores and companies. You can follow Walmart or the SyFy Channel (who have giveaways all the time, dude) or bands, bands are big on twitter. Anyone who has a name on the internet probably has a twitter. That means big youtube stars, webcomic founders and websites like hulu or CLASH Entertainment. If you want, you can even follow Lady Gaga.

The Lingo: Twitter has created its own subset of the English language. Words like "retweet", "twitter" and "fail whale" have become common monickers online. There are "tweetups" and "twitdowns" and Tweety Bird isn't just a cartoon character anymore. Man, I love Tweety Bird.

I feel like this post had an excessive amount of links. Also, no real point.

I can't really "defend" myself for having a twitter, I don't go around tweeting about my daily life every second, or posting only when I want something from my followers, but I'm not particularly profound on twitter either. Some have said that twitter and text messages and short emails have contributed to the downfall of prose and poetry in the everyday. But beauty can be found in 140 characters, like: "I believe that God does everything for a reason. I believe that God's timing is perfect. I believe He is wonderful beyond all imagination." [@dinologist]

I leave you with some of my favorite tweets:

"in honor of ken burns, please slowly move your head from left to right while reading this tweet" [@StephenAtHome]

"It is not the business of the law to make anyone good or reverent or moral or clean or upright. -- Murray N. Rothbard (1926-1995)" [@LibertarianMike]

"...Just realized that fruit loops is actually spelled "froot loops." Consequently hate them forever." [@annalisa2]

"@katiemacmull you're COOLER than Captain Kirk" [@asilannax]

Tomorrow: Identity.

BEDA

2010-04-02T21:27:00.000-04:00

My April Fools was that I was not doing Blog Every Day in April.

Unfortunately, that meant I had to fail the very first day.

Oh well. It was worth it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"The thing you fear is impossible. Well and good. Can you therefore cease to fear it? Not here and now. And what then? If you must see ghosts, it is better not to disbelieve in them."

I've been reading That Hideous Strength for the past week. & I've been fearing things...all my life.

Fear is a powerful motivator for demotivation. Especially irrational fears. Even when we recognize these things as irrational, why do we continue to fear them?

I think it's like The Wizard of Oz.

I can't believe I just said that. But, bear with me, it makes sense (sorta). The wizard isn't really a wizard at all, he's a professor from Kansas. But the fancy of the story isn't broken when you learn this, you still believe in the magic; the scarecrow found his brain, the tin man, a heart and the lion, courage. Their self-motivated success is a replacement for the belief in the all-powerful Wizard, when he turns out to be just a man behind a curtain.

So it is with irrational fears. Are we afraid of monsters in the dark, or tripping and falling flat on our faces...in the dark? We may say there's no reason to live in trepidation of the bogeyman or alien invasions, and yet we are sometimes unable to stop our hearts from beating quicker at the thought of approaching darkness or unidentified flying objects.

Perhaps we have replaced our knowledge of our total inadequacy to fight anything in the dark with an impossible monster. Monsters are smaller than our weakness.

Maybe I'm so scared of stupid things because I don't want to face the fact that if I rely on myself I will never overcome anything. I am so weak.

I have a feeling this isn't making a lot of sense, so that's obviously the best place to leave off.

[click to see the picture, if my blog layout is being lame again]

Song I can't stop listening to: Gimme Sympathy by Metric

Tomorrow: Twitter

2010-03-29T17:46:00.001-04:00

for a blog post this turned out incredibly indecisive.

Perelandra

2010-03-22T12:54:00.000-04:00

"Of course I realize it's all rather too vague for you to put into words."

"On the contrary, it is words that are vague. The reason why the thing can't be expressed is that it's too definite for language."

The Jungle.

2010-03-18T12:40:00.001-04:00

"Ah, what agony was that, what despair, when the tomb of memory was rent open and the ghosts of his old life came forth to scourge him!"

Don't Bring Me Down!

2010-03-15T15:05:00.001-04:00

I was just listening to some ELO.

This will most likely be the song I won't be able to stop listening to this week.

no, no, no, no, no, no, no, oo-oo-ooh!

Should I go to Howard Payne? Oh. I would love to.

Should I keep rhyming words? Even if they suck, it's only really for me anyway.

Will I try my best to do my best?

I'll tell you once more, before I get off the floor, "don't bring me down!"

What is it with excuses? I always think that there could never be a good one...until I have one. I never think someone could excuse themselves from something they've done...until I've heard their side. Does that mean some excuses are valid? Or are reasons just reasons, and should they not have any effect on just punishment or just reward?

Am I asking too many questions?

You guys are the worm's squirmyness, the bird's flight, the piano's tune.

A page from my "LDer notebook"

2010-03-09T21:24:00.000-05:00

I've tried writing in it, but have mostly been failing. Oh well, it's an interesting experiment in self-reflection, and other kinds of reflections...

Here, I provide for you, an excerpt:

Harmless flirting

oxymoron?

Why must everyone be discontent?

the only one I resent

{is me}

everyone can see

my dirt

& useless hurt

Song I can't stop listening to: "You Don't Know Me" Ben Folds & Regina Spektor

Independence is Overrated.

2010-02-26T21:10:00.000-05:00

[Hey, Zab, listen up, this is me being more specific about something I was vague on before ;)]

Remember that time I was all "I learned a lot on tour" and "I'll tell you about it sometime". Sometime is now.

I have been saying that the biggest lesson tour taught me was to trust, but before that, I needed to learn that I needed to learn to trust.

I've spent most of my life looking for ways to accomplish things on my own; I've always hated asking for help, appearing weak, or seeming like I didn't know what I was doing (even if I didn't, I liked to seem like I did, which is a whole other story that involves my eventual personal commitment to total honesty).

It was actually the insistence of a particular teammate that got me to consider, not for the first time, but perhaps seriously for the first time, the idea that I couldn't live like I had been. It's not possible to live independently of everyone else. We all need people. Not in the same sense that we need God, of course. Anyone could live without people, but not in the way God desires us to.

He tells us to commune together, to live, and work, and love together. Each individual Christian is a member of the Christian body. Inseparable.

I can't go it alone; as they say.

I've become quite adept at...googling my problems. That can be taken in so many ways, I guess, but what I mean is just that if I ever need to figure out anything (like a technological problem, or the answer to a simple question) I'll probably ask Google first.

This philosophy, for a long time, flowed into my personal "issues", not that I have many, but...if I was ever frustrated I tended to keep it to myself, because I didn't want to "bother" anyone with my "problems". Gee, that's a lot of air quote usage. Not to say I'm not self-centered, I am, obviously, since I'm a person, but I liked to pretend that I could make everyone else think that I wasn't. By never asking for help. Ever.

Alone, as it were, without my family, for an extended period of time, for the first time, tour forced me to reconsider.

What if I did need to talk to someone? Tour is an awesome experience; but it can be stressful too, and exhausting--both physically and emotionally.

Have you ever heard the expression "it'll feel better just to tell someone"? Yeah, well, I always ridiculed such statements, because I wanted to see how long I could do it alone.

I wasn't fooling anyone though, I wasn't doing it alone, anyway...I wouldn't be where I am without God holding my hand, carrying me, the whole way. I was an idiot to believe I could do anything alone.

And who was I to shun the helping hand of my brothers and sisters in Christ?

When I got to this point; when I saw through my own self-deception, that is when I realized that I would have to learn to trust. And that's another story for another day.

Sorry this was kinda long, thanks for sticking around if you did :)

-Kmac

p.s. Mom, this doesn't mean I never trusted you, or the rest of our family, I do and I have. This was more directed to...people outside our immediate family. Just to clear that up. =)

"I wanna be laughed at, laughed with, just because."

2010-02-22T14:49:00.001-05:00

Song I can't stop listening to: "Weightless" by All Time Low

"I've been goin' crazy, I don't wanna waste another minute here."

I have no profound thoughts today. In fact, I rarely have profound thoughts.

But, generally, some thought should be put into a blog post, I suppose.

I've been thinking recently about where I should go to college, and also, what I should study. I used to want to become a photographer, which would probably entail me getting a business degree and taking photography classes...

But, once I thought about it, I really don't want to be a photographer. Not professionally. I want to take pictures the way I want to (which sounds selfish when you write it down). I extremely dislike being told what to take pictures of, or how, or when, or why...I love taking pictures. So for now that shall remain somewhere else in my life.

I considered studying history further; because I've always enjoyed peering into the past and glimpsing the same mistakes and triumphs of today play out on an older stage. But...I will just have to keep thinking.

"I wanna feel weightless, 'cause that would be enough."

Pride & Prejudice

2010-02-13T13:04:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I read it.

I don't have much to say about it.

Except that Mrs. Bennet has the saddest life in the world.

I mean, all she cares about is getting her daughters married.

Seriously‽

Also, it was about...Pride and...Prejudice. You probably already knew that.

The real point of this post [if I even have one] is that I have so missed reading. Books in particular. I haven't really read a book through for a long time [before last week when I read Republic] and I plan on doing it more often. I'm not gonna go all "Michael" on you and inflict upon myself a certain number of books to read, but I will insist that you all hunt me down and threaten my life if I stop reading altogether ever again. There is no excuse.

-Kmac

song I've been listening to over & over this week: Two Princes by Spin Doctors

Two Important Discoveries.

2010-02-09T22:03:00.000-05:00

1. The Princess Bride has the perfect definition of love in three words: "As you wish."

2. Gilmore Girls has what I like to call "The Wizard of Oz Factor"

What I mean to say is...

you can relate anything to Gilmore Girls if you've seen enough of it

[as it is with the Wizard of Oz]

think about it...mother-daughter relationships...Auntie Em as a maternal figure for Dorothy.

there. i just connected Gilmore Girls to Oz.

I have discovered through personal experience that any impromptu topic can be connected to Oz.

I will make Gilmore Girls references more often, I think.

& I'll try to love like Wesley

Plato's "Republic"

2010-02-01T10:02:00.001-05:00

Define: Justice

The Jig is Up

2009-12-29T11:20:00.000-05:00

or maybe the year almost is.

A lot has happened this year, and this is not going to be a highs-and-lows of the year regrets-and-triumphs blog post. Although I have nothing against those.

I will say, however, that this has been a lifechanging year for me. in many ways. someday I might tell you about it.

lyric overheard in a book store: "Gaps in my diary speak volumes about me."

song i've been listening to over & over: Get It Faster by Jimmy Eat World

quote: "If I had a fresh start I'd probably fail." -Gary Baker

I love you all.

-kmac

p.s.

"Today I bought a piece of pie. Its total, $3.14 I laughed out loud. The waitress didn't get it. MLIA"

"Today, my dad asked me if they deliver emails on Sundays. MLIA"

Oh, hey, Christmas!

2009-12-20T20:56:00.001-05:00

it's way too close.

I've been reading a lot of MLIA:

"I've been using the same chap stick for a month now but it hasn't been working that well. My brother gave it to me as a gift but all it does is make my lips sticky. I told my friend and showed her the chapstick, she started laughing and told me that it's a glue stick. MLIA"

"Today, I was trying to decide whether or not I needed to wash my favorite hoodie. I looked at the tag and it said: "Machine wash, tumble dry low. Or just wear it dirty." My decision was made. MLIA"

[one of my favorites ever! /\]

and Tom Swifties:

"I dropped the toothpaste," said Tom, crestfallen.

"Here's someone who can't speak!" exclaimed Tom dumbfoundedly.

I've also been working a bunch with Kate Pitchford in photoshop...

We decided against using this, haha :)

& taking pictures with my sister

I love you all.

This week...

2009-12-09T20:55:00.000-05:00

...has been good so far :)

"never desire revenge. it requires real strength to love man and to love him despite all invitations to do otherwise, all provocations and all reasons why one should not. happiness and strength endure only in the absence of hate. to hate alone is the road to disaster. to love is the road to strength. to love in spite of all is the secret of greatness." -L. Ron Hubbard

today's xkcd made me LOLZ, click:

Oddly enough, I started writing a story once about the sun dying. I gave up on it. This would've been a great way to conclude it. ;)

I'm a little bit mad at myself for neglecting the three (four?) people that read my blog. So from now on, I'll try my hardest to update regularly.

Song I've Listened To Over & Over This Week: "Something About Us" by Daft Punk

I was on conference calls for 4 1/2 hours yesterday. So I slept in today & was generally lazier than I should be. But I felt totally justified. ;)

-Kmac

2009-10-29T04:47:00.001-04:00

Tour has been teaching me a lot about myself.

Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime.

Marie.

2009-10-17T01:05:00.001-04:00

I haven't felt very inspired to write on my blog, but I thought I'd tell you about somebody I love very much.

Her name is Marie.

You might know her.

Her last name is Jeffries.

She inspires me.

A few days ago we ran to the store to get a wrap for Tim's twisted ankle. First of all, Tim needs to take better care of his ankle. But secondly while we were at the store Marie explained why she was there by saying; "I find out what people need, and I get it for them. I fix it." It's just what she does.

Tonight, in the middle of the program, one of the girls needed to safety pin her dress, and Marie went running out to find a safety pin and then utilized her near-superhero-like safety-pinning abilities to aid in this dire situation. Because...that's what she does. She helps when people need help. She loves when people need love. She wants to work with IJM when she grows up.

Marie is so focused on other people, has such a heart for the hurting and lost and abused and misused and mistreated and ignored, that the way she lives her life is one of the most powerful examples of love I know.

I love Marie, and I hope some day I can love like Marie.

2009-09-29T08:33:00.000-04:00

I need to re-learn, or learn for the first time, how to have a serious conversation. Since I wrote that post about wanting to...I've mostly failed...it's as if I didn't learn to walk when I was young, and I still crawl around.

In other news: tour is amazing. :)

Hello.

2009-09-05T20:27:00.000-04:00

I miss...

this

that

nothing

everything

you.

Lip Syncer's Worship

2009-08-09T11:51:00.001-04:00

I'm a lip syncer. I lip sync. I love lip syncing. Highly emotional songs like Mariah Carey's "Without You" and Maroon 5's "Harder to Breathe" are among my favorites. As I mouth the words (and occasionally dance lamely) I can feel the emotions behind them. Though I may never have experienced the events that are lyricised by Johnny Cash's "Hurt" or Kate Nash's "Foundations" I can almost imagine feeling the way they do. Emotion is a powerful drug...maybe that's why I enjoy the art of lip syncing so much.

But.

I've begun to wonder in worship these past few weeks whether I am just lip syncing aloud. When I cry "Blessed be the Lord!" do I mean it? Or is this lip syncers worship? Do I believe that "my God is mighty to save"? What is my faith?

This years ICC theme "Lead the Escape" is represented by the image of a parrot. The idea is to lead the escape from artificial communication to authentic communication.

When I lip sync I am parroting the words and emotions of the singers and songwriters. When I worship...am I doing the same thing?

What if my faith is a lip syncers faith? What if I say the words of the hymns, repeat those of the oft-quoted verses, and all I'm doing is parroting the truth? Is it still the truth?

Lip syncers worship.

Lip syncers faith.

Lip syncers love.

I say I love so many people. But do I?

"I love you."

I say it every day. Am I parroting these feelings?

I want to escape to authenticity!

I want to be real.

Authentic worship.

Authentic faith.

True love.

God. Lead my escape.

to.be.real.

2009-07-28T08:44:00.000-04:00

For a while now I have been a sarcastic, fun-loving (and occasionally incredibly witty) version of myself. No matter what situation I find myself in I inevitably respond with either a sarcastic comment, a pun, a change of subject, or silence.

But I can't shake this desire to change. There is that person inside of me that wants to think and feel and experience serious things. I do, very often by myself, ponder and think and examine what really makes this universe run. And I like that. :)

I do the same thing in the speeches I give. I find that in front of three judges and a timer I can be as serious as I want, and it feels like freedom. Now having given my persuasive at the Hutchins' youth group in RI...I'm finding I've bridged the gap between my speaking life and my, shall we say, real life. I had the opportunity to talk to a few people there about how I felt about a cause that is very serious and important to me.

Sure, I've "spoken in the community" before...but only in more formal settings, and mostly with interps.

This upcoming internship with Communicators For Christ is, I think, going to do the same thing...for the better. It's going to force me to care, really and truly, to mean what I say on the platform, and to have a serious conversation or two with people.

That's been my problem for a long time. Having a real, real, real conversation. An actual two-way interaction that involves a serious topic, without spending the entire time cracking jokes or avoiding the subject.

I'm gonna go grab some breakfast, and maybe strike up a conversation over a bagel or a bowl of cereal.

New Layout! [and some other life updates]

2009-07-15T10:40:00.000-04:00

Guess what?!

I'm posting twice in the same month. OH YEAH!

{technically the layout isn't new, I just switched out the pictures and the colors, so...new-ish}

I've been having fun with Photoshop Elements lately. See: new banner & the picture below:

I also got a new computer. :insert happy dance here:

I've been working on my classes for tour. That's actually been quite fun, talking about tacos? yeah. yeah. hard work.

I'm officially addicted to twitter. That's...all I have to say on that subject.

Also, mom has gotten me into "So You Think You Can Dance?" and I really like this song so...

{p.s. Evan is my favorite}

Well...that's enough about me. People are so inherently selfish that it's so easy to talk about yourself, and I kinda hate that. It's also what blog posts always end up doing for me...so :shrug:

{i'm leaving}

2009-07-10T11:25:00.001-04:00

I wonder if I'll have the gumption to blog while I'm away?

oh well.

I'll try.

....

2009-06-22T21:53:00.001-04:00

Goal Setting

2009-05-19T15:22:00.000-04:00

New Years, Summer, next week, a new day! These are all opportunities people grab on to and occasionally decide to use as a jumpstart for new life. A new year coming? Time to make your new years resolutions! What are you going to do over the summer? How about, starting Monday, you actually get some work done. Make a to-do list! Come on, you can do it!
For some reason I've always found to-do lists oddly comforting. I feel that if I write a to-do list the night before I have more reason to get up in the morning and get going. But something about this has irked me for a while. When I write "do load of laundry" on my list for the next day, why can't I just do it right then? What's stopping me from putting clothes in the wash before I head off to bed? Or writing a letter to a friend, sending an important email, or...the ever dreaded...working on SAT prep. Why don't I just do it now? If it's five o'clock in the afternoon and I've finished my work for the day, why can't I go on to the work I set aside for tomorrow? The point is, I can but I don't.
I think this idea applies to new years resolutions and summer goals and "oh, I'll be productive next week!" I don't know about you, but things like that have always been more of an excuse for me to put things off now, than to get things done in the future. New years resolutions are notoriously broken, I almost never accomplish every goal on a "major goals" list I create [see: working on apologetics, debate, SAT, and my novel at the same time...not really happenin'].
Goals are not always an excuse to procrastinate. Good goal-setters will begin working on their goals as soon as they create them. But, me, I'm not a good goal setter. I set goals, but I always seem to either be reaching far too high with them, or I just feel so accomplished upon setting my goals that I don't work on achieving them.

I want to do things. But I don't want to just want to do things. I want to actually do them! That Nike slogan always annoyed me, "Just do it!" Who are they to tell me what to do? I need my metaphorically miraculous sneakers, something to get me going. But what am I missing? The motivation? No, I feel so motivated I could burst with it. The courage? Maybe, yes. Yesterday I was almost too scared to order a sandwich...until the guy at the sandwich shop asked if I was ready to order. The song "Courage is..." is so inspiring [but has, as yet, motivated no change in my behavior]:

"Courage is when you're afraid,
But you keep on moving anyway
Courage is when you're in pain,
But you keep on living anyway

We all have excuses why
Living in fear something in us dies
Like a bird with broken wings
It's not how high he flies,
But the song he sings

Courage is when you're afraid,
But you keep on moving anyway

Courage is when you're in pain,
But you keep on living anyway"

I need courage. Courage to begin. I can't just set goals, I have to carry them out. God, please just help me do what you want me to do, and to get it done as soon as possible.

Thanks for...reading? I was going to say listening, but that wouldn't make sense :P

Embracing Unoriginality

2009-04-29T17:23:00.000-04:00

I'm going to write a novel.

next month.

and I'm "borrowing" ideas from many things I've read/seen/heard of. and I don't care, because I've come to realize that creative writing is a lot more about creative execution than creative ideas.

2009-04-16T19:03:00.001-04:00

How?

2009-04-13T15:15:00.001-04:00

what?

2009-04-07T21:56:00.001-04:00

why?

<3

2009-03-29T12:03:00.001-04:00

I've always been annoyed by those people who say "don't give away your heart", like loving someone will take away from yourself. Almost like...if you love someone and they don't love you back, then it wasn't worth it, then you've wasted your heart. Disregarding the physical, or romantic ideas behind it, "giving away your heart" is not a bad thing.

I love a lot of people. I'm not gonna lie, they're everywhere.

And...I don't know...I'm not sure...but I think that a "heart" in context of this love, is not limited, like a physical heart is. I think that, with God's help, we can love every single person in the world. That doesn't mean we will, but I think it means we don't have to withold anything.

If God commands us to love everyone, then we should at least try.

For me, it's hard not to love someone. [CASC, but, really, I find it difficult]

There are literally hundreds of people across the country that I *love*, I mean really love. Like, it makes my heart glad to think of them and sad to miss them.

Maybe I just haven't met anyone bad enough, but I can't recall meeting a single person I don't like. Eventually, when I become friends with these people, spend time with them, and get to know them I love them.

[don't ask me to define love in this context...let's say it's either agape, or philia]

[that flaunting of Greek terms was just for you Hayley ;)]

Why can't we 'give away our hearts'? if God tells us to do it, He'll replenish our supply of heart if we need it.

meh, I'm not sure if I'm right, I've just been thinking about this a lot recently.

wastin' time

2009-03-23T14:42:00.001-04:00

I'm frantically writing a speech.

Attempting to finish it by 3. Right now it's 2:38.

and yet, I stopped to post on my blog.

What is my problem?

Is it because it convicts me, that I don't like my procrastination speech?

hm.

bye

p.s. if you are Hayley, or in my family, you know that this did not end up working out *goes off to finish speech*

Spam (154)

2009-03-16T00:25:00.001-04:00

that's what my gmail keeps telling me.

I have a lot of spam.

So I went in there to delete it today and noticed that most of it was 'cleverly' disguised as being from "me".

The bait.

yes, yes, the subject lines, while the interiors of the emails are probably just trying to sell me stuff/make me send money to foreign countries, the subject lines are what get me.

Here are a few.

"Sandy will sue you"

"Where were you last night?"

"Fire near your house!"

"Come to accounting department now"

"Check answering machine please"

"Need you in hospital"

"So I will see you this evening or not?" --the terrible grammar in this one kills me.

"Check if you attached files..." --anyone who has ever been my debate partner will find this hilarious. xD

Just thought I'd share those before I hit 'delete forever'.

Edifying music, anyone?

2009-03-08T23:02:00.000-04:00

I plan on writing a post about the super-fabulous Freedom tournament sometime in the future. But for now I have a question for you all...and by "you all" I mean...the three people who read this.

Do you know any good Christian music?

A while back I got so sick of the monotonous, repetitive, and down right annoying, style of most contemporary Christian music.

As a result, I've almost nearly abandoned listening to Christian music at all.

That isn't right.

Help me out here, if you don't mind.

{at this moment I am listening to Brandon Heath's "Give Me Your Eyes", because that is an awesome song, I wanna hear more stuff like this}

Michael is juggling apples...

2009-02-25T14:12:00.000-05:00

...and he just dropped some on the ground, oops!

At the moment I'm listening to Taylor Swift's live cover of Rihanna's "Umbrella".

That tells you a little bit about what kind of music I listen to. :)

I like female country singers who have a non-crooning voice [Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, etc.], and I like rap (but only the non-objectionable kind), and I like the Jonas Brothers.

Yes, I did just say that.

I've been thinking a lot about why I like certain types of music, because I like almost everything.

The first thing is lyrics. If the lyrics are good I could care less how it sounds, because the message is amazing.

Secondly, though, if a song sounds good, I enjoy listening to it. And, to my ears, for some reason, most music sounds good. I'm using 'sounds good' as a loose term here for 'sounds nice to me'.

My favorite songs to listen to change from day to day, or week to week. Right now I'm really into Taylor Swift and Jesse McCartney, a few months ago you would've found me listening to Carrie Underwood or David Archuleta non-stop. And before that? Switchfoot all the way!

And now, at this very moment, I am listening to Demi Lovato. She's cool ;)

My brother likes to say that my taste in music, is that I have no taste in music. He's mostly right, I'm not too over-critical of the music I like.

There are pretty much two factors that would discourage me from listening to a song/artist: 'objectionable content' (swearing, sex, excessive drug references, etc.), OR lyrics I cannot hear...like screamo.

So, this post was kinda lame, but I don't know, I just wanted to try to explain.