Posting this here because FB is apparently on the fritz and is making things difficult.
Best line? "Excedrin RT. Takes me from 'Ohhh, no you DI'INT!' to 'I wish a mother%*&^$er would...' -- just like that!"
I LOVE Queen Latifah. Little Arabic tidbit for ya: 'Latifah' = nice/kind, (f). So she's the nice, kindly queen!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Joyeux Noël
A quick non-music post while the little dude is napping. I've got my language proficiency interview with CRS this evening, and it's gonna be in French -- a language I haven't used on a regular basis in two years, and haven't spoken at all since September. Even then, I was needing to push through my Arabic to get to the words and fillers and sounds I needed...so I was feeling a bit nervous about this thing tonight.
Back in our days as a childless couple, Anna and I used to occasionally hang out with the Raleigh French MeetUp group. They're organized by an amazing woman named Michelle. She's a French teacher at a middle- or high-school here in the Triangle, but she's a single mom raising a beautiful little girl with French as her native language. Talk about self-discipline! I can't even imagine. They speak *nothing* but French at home. Wow.
At any rate, I decided I needed to track them down sometime this weekend in order to get in some speaking practice before the interview. Turned out she was hosting a movie night at her place, so I went by to chill. The flick being shown was "Joyeux Noël," and I highly recommend it to everyone. It's a French/German collaboration, I think, and the dialogue is actually about evenly split between Scots English, French, and German. Oh, and did I mention it stars Diane Krüger (my biggest Hollywood crush)?
The film depicts the events of the Christmas Truce of 1914 between the Germans, French, and Scottish on the front lines in Alsace-Lorraine. It is, simply put, amazing. Nominated for Best Foreign Film in '05, features the singing of Natalie Dessay and Rolando Villazón (both of whom are apparently huge in the opera world, neither of whom I'd ever heard of before watching this movie), and is by turns hilarious and heartrending. I'm no film critic, so I can't do this justice, so I shan't really try. But if you have Netflix or Blockbuster or anything, you've GOT to see this. (They've apparently got it under the title "Merry Christmas" -- it's the 2005 release, rated PG-13.)
Here's a clip of Natalie Dessay doing the 'Kill Sarastro' aria from Die Zauberflote: Whew!
Back in our days as a childless couple, Anna and I used to occasionally hang out with the Raleigh French MeetUp group. They're organized by an amazing woman named Michelle. She's a French teacher at a middle- or high-school here in the Triangle, but she's a single mom raising a beautiful little girl with French as her native language. Talk about self-discipline! I can't even imagine. They speak *nothing* but French at home. Wow.
At any rate, I decided I needed to track them down sometime this weekend in order to get in some speaking practice before the interview. Turned out she was hosting a movie night at her place, so I went by to chill. The flick being shown was "Joyeux Noël," and I highly recommend it to everyone. It's a French/German collaboration, I think, and the dialogue is actually about evenly split between Scots English, French, and German. Oh, and did I mention it stars Diane Krüger (my biggest Hollywood crush)?
The film depicts the events of the Christmas Truce of 1914 between the Germans, French, and Scottish on the front lines in Alsace-Lorraine. It is, simply put, amazing. Nominated for Best Foreign Film in '05, features the singing of Natalie Dessay and Rolando Villazón (both of whom are apparently huge in the opera world, neither of whom I'd ever heard of before watching this movie), and is by turns hilarious and heartrending. I'm no film critic, so I can't do this justice, so I shan't really try. But if you have Netflix or Blockbuster or anything, you've GOT to see this. (They've apparently got it under the title "Merry Christmas" -- it's the 2005 release, rated PG-13.)
Here's a clip of Natalie Dessay doing the 'Kill Sarastro' aria from Die Zauberflote: Whew!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Andrew Osenga - Too Far to Walk
Here's the second installment in our weekly song lyrics postings. No other postings have happened yet, largely because I'm still full-time with the Scion and partly because I blew a lot of time putting up photos on Facebook. Sure was fun to go down memory lane with those, though! Only bummer is being unable to find shots from the Memorial Day weekend at Mammoth Cave with the DeYoungs. Apparently we saved 'em in some funky place on the laptop that I'm still trying to locate. Soon as I have, though, those are going up. The one with Caedmon and Laurie on the table and the two backpack shots are pretty much my favorites of all my photos of the little guy.
Anyway, with no further ado: this week's entry is by Andrew Osenga, and it is entitled "Too Far to Walk." Andrew (now goes by Andy) was formerly the lead singer of The Normals, then put out a solo CD, and then began writing/touring/singing with Caedmon's Call. I originally disliked his music because he had been recommended to me as one of these "If you like how Caedmon's sounds, you'll like such-and-such." Well, at the time I was mostly listening to the early Caedmon's stuff, and he didn't sound much like it. So the first time around, I put the CD away and didn't hear it again for three months.
Then came that awesome camping weekend when CH-$, the DeYoungs, Heather Richardson, Marc Hong and myself (I feel like I'm short somebody, but I know nobody else rode in my car...) went down to northern IN to a youth rally thing at which Caedmon's was playing. That was the concert in which Marc, Mitch, and I were all singing along to one of songs as it was being played, but because the band was short-handed they weren't doing the call-and-response portion of the song like usual...except, of course, WE were. So the entire crowd is silent and there's a couple beats that would've been quiet in the absence of the response, but instead you hear the three of us coming through beautifully in a little 3-part harmony. The great thing is that the venue was so small that the band heard us, and you could totally see a surprised/confused look on Cliff Young's face. It was priceless.
At any rate, Caedmon's took a quick break and ceded the stage to Andy, who was touring with them. He did a great rendition of "High School Band," a wonderful song that I probably won't post anytime soon but which nonetheless prompted me to give his CD another listen. (The video picks up a bit after the first stanza, but the audio is so much better than the other options that I figured it's better to have this one than another with worse sound but the extra twenty seconds...) Since then, he's been one of my absolute favorites, mostly because of his very confessional and narrative style. Many of his songs are little vignettes, rather than just being a collection of verses and a chorus; what's more, his favorite approach seems to be to write from the perspective of people who've Made Mistakes. You know, the kind of people a lot of Christians look down upon.
TOO FAR TO WALK
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, I did what I planned to do,
and I feel like I knew I would feel,
and I want to come back to you.
My mind is thick and it’s dirty.
My heart, it ran to hide.
My plans proved I don’t know what I’m doing,
'cause I used to feel alive.
There’s an angel on my left shoulder,
and ten devils on my right.
Jesus, you’ll have to come get me,
'cause it’s too far to walk tonight.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, how can I explain
these promises scattered ‘round the floor by the bed,
like dinner clothes after a date?
I get scared that forgiveness is for better people,
so I give up trying to fight.
Jesus, you’ll have to come get me,
'cause it’s too far to walk tonight.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, how precious is that name.
And while you’re forgiving I’m sorry I forget
that you came for sinners to save.
Unfortunately, I was not able to find any videos with this song, nor any recordings online.
I think the reason I love this song is probably pretty self-explanatory. Can any of us honestly say we have never experienced this kind of crippling doubt, this sense of imbalance, this desperation for God to reveal himself?
There’s an angel on my left shoulder/and ten devils on my right.
I mean, it'd be one thing if the ratio were 1:1, or maybe even just 3:1. But 10:1?! I mean, good grief! How am I *ever* supposed to get this right? And often enough, that is what it feels like. Very Saint Paul-ish. If only my devils and angels just did stuff like argue over harps and robes, show off with one-handed handstand pushups, and defend the honor of my spinach puffs.
I get scared that forgiveness is for better people/so I give up trying to fight.
I've never had anyone ask me this flat-out, and I've always kind of been scared that they will, 'cause I never really knew how I'd answer it. "Tim, with all your doubts and frustrations and questions and confusion, why do you remain a Christian?" Partly, I think it's because I feel like, overall, this all makes sense. It holds together. And, deep down, I think I really do believe that God is loving, kind, forgiving, etc. I just feel, roughly 95% of the time, that He is that way toward others. Since y'all know how deeply ingrained self-doubt is in my identity, you'll not be surprised to hear that there's nothing remotely contradictory in my mind about saying that God loves all, forgives all, heals all...except for me. You know, *I* am the ONE exception, the one person that God can't possibly love. I've *seen* what He does for you, friend, I've seen what He does for others...but He can't possibly feel that way about me. I can dedicate my efforts as a Christian to meeting people's physical needs; to counseling them through periods of spiritual and emotional pain; even to earnestly and sincerely trying to explain the faith to nonbelievers; and yet all the while I feel as though private prayer on my own behalf is utterly wasted, that the Bible presents me with more questions than answers, and that God does not deign to speak to me in any way I am capable of understanding. Such is the dichotomy.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, how precious is that name/And while you’re forgiving I’m sorry I forget/that you came for sinners to save.
So, here's the refutation to the above, right? Well, I suppose. But it still (almost) never feels that way. For me, the most relevant response to the feelings articulated above is just the following:
Jesus, you’ll have to come get me/'cause it’s too far to walk tonight.
Or, honestly, ever. Not in the "I can't possibly see an instance in which I'd be ready to approach you, Jesus," but rather in the sense that "It's too far to walk tonight. And it will be tomorrow. And the day after. And *someday* I might be ready, but I don't know when that'll be. In the meantime, you just keep coming to me. Because for the foreseeable future, I haven't got it in me to take the first step."
At any rate, the song is pretty much typical of Andy's writing on the "Photographs" CD, and I get very similar vibes (feelings of spiritual anguish, self-doubt, etc.) from a number of the other tracks. Possibly why this is one of my 'Desert Island' CDs.
Anyway, with no further ado: this week's entry is by Andrew Osenga, and it is entitled "Too Far to Walk." Andrew (now goes by Andy) was formerly the lead singer of The Normals, then put out a solo CD, and then began writing/touring/singing with Caedmon's Call. I originally disliked his music because he had been recommended to me as one of these "If you like how Caedmon's sounds, you'll like such-and-such." Well, at the time I was mostly listening to the early Caedmon's stuff, and he didn't sound much like it. So the first time around, I put the CD away and didn't hear it again for three months.
Then came that awesome camping weekend when CH-$, the DeYoungs, Heather Richardson, Marc Hong and myself (I feel like I'm short somebody, but I know nobody else rode in my car...) went down to northern IN to a youth rally thing at which Caedmon's was playing. That was the concert in which Marc, Mitch, and I were all singing along to one of songs as it was being played, but because the band was short-handed they weren't doing the call-and-response portion of the song like usual...except, of course, WE were. So the entire crowd is silent and there's a couple beats that would've been quiet in the absence of the response, but instead you hear the three of us coming through beautifully in a little 3-part harmony. The great thing is that the venue was so small that the band heard us, and you could totally see a surprised/confused look on Cliff Young's face. It was priceless.
At any rate, Caedmon's took a quick break and ceded the stage to Andy, who was touring with them. He did a great rendition of "High School Band," a wonderful song that I probably won't post anytime soon but which nonetheless prompted me to give his CD another listen. (The video picks up a bit after the first stanza, but the audio is so much better than the other options that I figured it's better to have this one than another with worse sound but the extra twenty seconds...) Since then, he's been one of my absolute favorites, mostly because of his very confessional and narrative style. Many of his songs are little vignettes, rather than just being a collection of verses and a chorus; what's more, his favorite approach seems to be to write from the perspective of people who've Made Mistakes. You know, the kind of people a lot of Christians look down upon.
TOO FAR TO WALK
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, I did what I planned to do,
and I feel like I knew I would feel,
and I want to come back to you.
My mind is thick and it’s dirty.
My heart, it ran to hide.
My plans proved I don’t know what I’m doing,
'cause I used to feel alive.
There’s an angel on my left shoulder,
and ten devils on my right.
Jesus, you’ll have to come get me,
'cause it’s too far to walk tonight.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, how can I explain
these promises scattered ‘round the floor by the bed,
like dinner clothes after a date?
I get scared that forgiveness is for better people,
so I give up trying to fight.
Jesus, you’ll have to come get me,
'cause it’s too far to walk tonight.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, how precious is that name.
And while you’re forgiving I’m sorry I forget
that you came for sinners to save.
Unfortunately, I was not able to find any videos with this song, nor any recordings online.
I think the reason I love this song is probably pretty self-explanatory. Can any of us honestly say we have never experienced this kind of crippling doubt, this sense of imbalance, this desperation for God to reveal himself?
There’s an angel on my left shoulder/and ten devils on my right.
I mean, it'd be one thing if the ratio were 1:1, or maybe even just 3:1. But 10:1?! I mean, good grief! How am I *ever* supposed to get this right? And often enough, that is what it feels like. Very Saint Paul-ish. If only my devils and angels just did stuff like argue over harps and robes, show off with one-handed handstand pushups, and defend the honor of my spinach puffs.
I get scared that forgiveness is for better people/so I give up trying to fight.
I've never had anyone ask me this flat-out, and I've always kind of been scared that they will, 'cause I never really knew how I'd answer it. "Tim, with all your doubts and frustrations and questions and confusion, why do you remain a Christian?" Partly, I think it's because I feel like, overall, this all makes sense. It holds together. And, deep down, I think I really do believe that God is loving, kind, forgiving, etc. I just feel, roughly 95% of the time, that He is that way toward others. Since y'all know how deeply ingrained self-doubt is in my identity, you'll not be surprised to hear that there's nothing remotely contradictory in my mind about saying that God loves all, forgives all, heals all...except for me. You know, *I* am the ONE exception, the one person that God can't possibly love. I've *seen* what He does for you, friend, I've seen what He does for others...but He can't possibly feel that way about me. I can dedicate my efforts as a Christian to meeting people's physical needs; to counseling them through periods of spiritual and emotional pain; even to earnestly and sincerely trying to explain the faith to nonbelievers; and yet all the while I feel as though private prayer on my own behalf is utterly wasted, that the Bible presents me with more questions than answers, and that God does not deign to speak to me in any way I am capable of understanding. Such is the dichotomy.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, how precious is that name/And while you’re forgiving I’m sorry I forget/that you came for sinners to save.
So, here's the refutation to the above, right? Well, I suppose. But it still (almost) never feels that way. For me, the most relevant response to the feelings articulated above is just the following:
Jesus, you’ll have to come get me/'cause it’s too far to walk tonight.
Or, honestly, ever. Not in the "I can't possibly see an instance in which I'd be ready to approach you, Jesus," but rather in the sense that "It's too far to walk tonight. And it will be tomorrow. And the day after. And *someday* I might be ready, but I don't know when that'll be. In the meantime, you just keep coming to me. Because for the foreseeable future, I haven't got it in me to take the first step."
At any rate, the song is pretty much typical of Andy's writing on the "Photographs" CD, and I get very similar vibes (feelings of spiritual anguish, self-doubt, etc.) from a number of the other tracks. Possibly why this is one of my 'Desert Island' CDs.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Iraq Through a Bullet Hole: A Civilian Returns Home - Issam Jameel (Review)
As much as I hate to say this about any book, this is a book that really need not have been written. Or, at the very least, not written in its current form.
Issam Jameel is an Iraqi who left for Jordan in 1994, having incurred the displeasure of Saddam Hussein's regime because of his role with one of the opposition groups. He moved to Australia in 2002, and returned to Iraq in 2005 to visit his family. The book is an account of his experiences in Iraq over a span of approximately two months, concentrating largely on his interactions with his family and efforts to sell the home he had formerly built while living in Kirkuk as a recent college graduate.
Unfortunately, very little of consequence occurs over the course of his sojourn, and Mr. Jameel fails to engage the reader in any significant way. The book could be likened to any blog picked at random from the myriad choices online: of possible interest to those who know the author and participate in the events recounted therein, but otherwise of little literary merit. The best I can say is that this book may someday fill a niche that has yet to be created, although I remain doubtful that it could do so without substantial modification and rewriting.
Those readers who have little experience with developing countries where corruption is pervasive and technology limited may be enlightened by some of what Mr. Jameel describes. However, for the reader who is already familiar with the challenges posed in the developing world, Mr. Jameel's book has little else to offer.
Compounding the problem for the reader is the fact that Mr. Jameel is not a native speaker of English, and appears to have been ill-served by his editors. While his flowery, roundabout style is perfectly characteristic of Arabic writing, and perhaps reflects his earlier career as a playwright and thespian, the book suffers greatly by not recognizing the differing sensibilities of a target audience outside of the Arab world. The author and editors also failed in allowing the reader to be distracted by transliteration issues. While there is no one authoritative way to transliterate Arabic into English, there are a few different standards used by the Encyclopedia of Islam and various academic journals about the Middle East. It is not clear whether the author attempted to use one of these systems, or chose to rely entirely instead on transcribing with Roman characters the way he would pronounce the words in Iraqi colloquial Arabic (which is different from Modern Standard), because very frequently the same Arabic word will be transliterated two different ways *within the same paragraph.* At the outset this is merely distracting, but by the end it becomes actively annoying.
On several other occasions, awkward syntax is employed which reflects the underlying Arabic thinking. ("She had married my cousin, whom I'd phoned *him* already from Amman, and he advised me to call him as soon as I arrived in Baghdad.") The repetition of the object pronoun is obligatory in standard Arabic, but unnecessary (and distracting) in English. As unengaging as Mr. Jameel's story is, he could ill afford to have his editors miss such errors, which only served to take the reader out of the flow of the narrative.
(One Star)
Issam Jameel is an Iraqi who left for Jordan in 1994, having incurred the displeasure of Saddam Hussein's regime because of his role with one of the opposition groups. He moved to Australia in 2002, and returned to Iraq in 2005 to visit his family. The book is an account of his experiences in Iraq over a span of approximately two months, concentrating largely on his interactions with his family and efforts to sell the home he had formerly built while living in Kirkuk as a recent college graduate.
Unfortunately, very little of consequence occurs over the course of his sojourn, and Mr. Jameel fails to engage the reader in any significant way. The book could be likened to any blog picked at random from the myriad choices online: of possible interest to those who know the author and participate in the events recounted therein, but otherwise of little literary merit. The best I can say is that this book may someday fill a niche that has yet to be created, although I remain doubtful that it could do so without substantial modification and rewriting.
Those readers who have little experience with developing countries where corruption is pervasive and technology limited may be enlightened by some of what Mr. Jameel describes. However, for the reader who is already familiar with the challenges posed in the developing world, Mr. Jameel's book has little else to offer.
Compounding the problem for the reader is the fact that Mr. Jameel is not a native speaker of English, and appears to have been ill-served by his editors. While his flowery, roundabout style is perfectly characteristic of Arabic writing, and perhaps reflects his earlier career as a playwright and thespian, the book suffers greatly by not recognizing the differing sensibilities of a target audience outside of the Arab world. The author and editors also failed in allowing the reader to be distracted by transliteration issues. While there is no one authoritative way to transliterate Arabic into English, there are a few different standards used by the Encyclopedia of Islam and various academic journals about the Middle East. It is not clear whether the author attempted to use one of these systems, or chose to rely entirely instead on transcribing with Roman characters the way he would pronounce the words in Iraqi colloquial Arabic (which is different from Modern Standard), because very frequently the same Arabic word will be transliterated two different ways *within the same paragraph.* At the outset this is merely distracting, but by the end it becomes actively annoying.
On several other occasions, awkward syntax is employed which reflects the underlying Arabic thinking. ("She had married my cousin, whom I'd phoned *him* already from Amman, and he advised me to call him as soon as I arrived in Baghdad.") The repetition of the object pronoun is obligatory in standard Arabic, but unnecessary (and distracting) in English. As unengaging as Mr. Jameel's story is, he could ill afford to have his editors miss such errors, which only served to take the reader out of the flow of the narrative.
(One Star)
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Vienna Teng - Lullabye for a Stormy Night
*Note: We're now on Day 3 of trying to publish this baby. Getting back in the swing of posting things may be more difficult than I'd originally anticipated.
I'm trying to re-establish the habit of blogging, since I know how frustrated I have been when I haven't know what's been going on in the lives of those I love. No excuses for my negligence of late, 'cept that I'm a creature of habit and I fell out of the habit while we were in Utah.
Anyway, one of the things I love more than anything is sharing my taste in music (as, I expect, do many people), and I decided that a way to help myself structure my posts would be to share tunes and lyrics I find particularly meaningful. I've got a long and growing list of things to share this way, but I think I'll start with doing it once a week. We'll see how this goes.
So! First up, of course, is Vienna Teng's "Lullabye for a Stormy Night." Here's a YouTube vid someone put up, using footage from Bambi (blast from the past!). Mainly chose it because the audio quality was good, not because I'm a particular fan of Bambi. (Also because most of the other vids were CHEESY. C'mon, really? This song overlaid on clips from Titanic? Schm-ALT-zy!)
Lyrics as follows:
Little child, be not afraid
The rain pounds harsh against the glass
Like an unwanted stranger
There is no danger
I am here tonight
Little child
Be not afraid
Though thunder explodes
And lightning flash
Illuminates your tearstained face
I am here tonight
And someday you'll know
That nature is so
This same rain that draws you near me
Falls on rivers and land
And forests and sand
Makes the beautiful world that you see
In the morning
Little child
Be not afraid
The storm clouds mask your beloved moon
And its candlelight beams
Still keep pleasant dreams
I am here tonight
Little child
Be not afraid
The wind makes creatures of our trees
And the branches to hands
They're not real, understand
And I am here tonight
And someday you'll know
That nature is so
This same rain that draws you near me
Falls on rivers and land
And forest and sand
Makes the beautiful world that you see
In the morning
For you know, once even I
Was a little child
And I was afraid
But a gentle someone always came
To dry all my tears
Trade sweet sleep for fears
And to give a kiss goodnight
Well, now I am grown
And these years have shown
Rain's a part of how life goes
But it's dark and it's late
So I'll hold you and wait
'til your frightened eyes do close
And I hope that you'll know
That nature is so
This same rain that draws you near me
Falls on rivers and land
And forests and sand
Makes the beautiful world that you see
In the morning
Everything's fine in the morning
The rain will be gone in the morning
But I'll still be here in the morning
So, why do I like this song so much? I definitely love that it's so melodic -- that's one of my favorite things about VT overall -- but I think most of it has to do with the overall arc of the song. I really appreciate the image of comfort represented by the narrator, as well as the idea of things which may seem scary being necessary for us to have beauty, etc. My favorite stanza is this one:
Well, now I am grown/And these years have shown/Rain's a part of how life goes/But it's dark and it's late/So I'll hold you and wait/'til your frightened eyes do close
I think I love it because of the idea that even if there's no need to fear--even if we're being counseled by an older and wiser someone that it'll all be okay--it recognizes that sometimes all of that is meaningless and what we *really* need is someone who will understand (and not belittle) our fears, and just hold us until we can come to grips with whatever it is we're fearing in our own time.
Of course, as a Christian I'm supposed to know that none of this is particularly NEW, right? I mean, there's the whole Romans 8:28 thing ("And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose"), and I can't even count the number of times pastors have tried to drive home the point that periods of darkness and pain are God's way of helping us grow. (That takes care of the 'purpose for pain' aspect of the song.) Then there's the "in God you will find peace" thing, which takes care of the 'comfort' aspect of the song. Right?
That said, I don't know about you guys, but I've never derived much utility from either of those arguments, despite rather frequently seeing, in retrospect, how I have grown or changed or improved as a result of crises that, at the time, shook my life or my faith.... While I imagine knowing that your suffering has a grand or ultimate purpose may be comforting in some instances (thinking here of our servicemen and -women), I don't find that to be the case for me. Why?
Probably because the explicit message of these well-meaning preachers is "You're not good enough." Well, you might say, so what? None of us are, right? I mean, that's the entire reason we *need* Jesus according to Christian doctrine. (Romans 3:23-4, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.") Well, in my experience, that is just a spectacularly unhelpful thing to hear.
When your self-image contains a particularly strong ingredient of "you'll never measure up," I don't think that verse really helps much, because there are really two options:
a) If paired with the "God is purifying you!" argument, you are suffering/being tormented (or *being allowed* to suffer/be tormented) for the purpose of being refined/purified/improved...and yet no matter how much you suffer (and, in turn, "improve") you'll still never be good enough. So, really, your pain is for naught.
b) If the purification argument isn't tossed in, the message you get is "Sure, *you* are 'less than', and you'll never measure up, but neither will anyone else!"...and that's cold comfort. *I* am not particularly made to be feel better by knowing that no one else is good enough either, since my sense of failure derives not from comparing myself to others but from comparing myself to my ideal. So you all fail too? Whoop-dee-doo.
Of course, the take-home message here is that this is where we're supposed to turn to God, and find in Him the rest and peace and everything that's supposed to soothe our troubled souls. Right? Right. And yet that's practically never been the case for me--and that makes it particularly infuriating when people speak/sing of it so blithely, as though it's *so easy* to receive God's peace.
In many cases, I have found that the Christianspeak that pervades popular Christian culture is a significant barrier to actually *experiencing* God. Dunno if it's because I wind up looking to feel/experience Him in a very certain/specific way, or if I just can't identify with the language being used, or what. All I know is that it's one of the reasons I particularly dislike hearing people speak about these sorts of things in any public setting or in front of an audience: there is a strong tendency to fall back on platitudes and meaningless phrases that serve little purpose beyond establishing or confirming their Christian bona fides to the people who are listening to them, and those often come at the expense of presenting a genuine, naked picture of the struggles they've experienced and the fact that sometimes *it's just not that easy*.
...which, perhaps, is why I love hearing the message here, in an utterly secular context. There's none of the Christianspeak to get in the way, there's none of the sense that in addition to being a failure as a person, I'm *also* a failure as a Christian because I don't experience my faith and my God the way everyone else *claims* to. There's just an articulation of the hope that there is a purpose for things that may frighten me now, and an assurance that in the meantime I will be comforted and protected.
I'm trying to re-establish the habit of blogging, since I know how frustrated I have been when I haven't know what's been going on in the lives of those I love. No excuses for my negligence of late, 'cept that I'm a creature of habit and I fell out of the habit while we were in Utah.
Anyway, one of the things I love more than anything is sharing my taste in music (as, I expect, do many people), and I decided that a way to help myself structure my posts would be to share tunes and lyrics I find particularly meaningful. I've got a long and growing list of things to share this way, but I think I'll start with doing it once a week. We'll see how this goes.
So! First up, of course, is Vienna Teng's "Lullabye for a Stormy Night." Here's a YouTube vid someone put up, using footage from Bambi (blast from the past!). Mainly chose it because the audio quality was good, not because I'm a particular fan of Bambi. (Also because most of the other vids were CHEESY. C'mon, really? This song overlaid on clips from Titanic? Schm-ALT-zy!)
Lyrics as follows:
Little child, be not afraid
The rain pounds harsh against the glass
Like an unwanted stranger
There is no danger
I am here tonight
Little child
Be not afraid
Though thunder explodes
And lightning flash
Illuminates your tearstained face
I am here tonight
And someday you'll know
That nature is so
This same rain that draws you near me
Falls on rivers and land
And forests and sand
Makes the beautiful world that you see
In the morning
Little child
Be not afraid
The storm clouds mask your beloved moon
And its candlelight beams
Still keep pleasant dreams
I am here tonight
Little child
Be not afraid
The wind makes creatures of our trees
And the branches to hands
They're not real, understand
And I am here tonight
And someday you'll know
That nature is so
This same rain that draws you near me
Falls on rivers and land
And forest and sand
Makes the beautiful world that you see
In the morning
For you know, once even I
Was a little child
And I was afraid
But a gentle someone always came
To dry all my tears
Trade sweet sleep for fears
And to give a kiss goodnight
Well, now I am grown
And these years have shown
Rain's a part of how life goes
But it's dark and it's late
So I'll hold you and wait
'til your frightened eyes do close
And I hope that you'll know
That nature is so
This same rain that draws you near me
Falls on rivers and land
And forests and sand
Makes the beautiful world that you see
In the morning
Everything's fine in the morning
The rain will be gone in the morning
But I'll still be here in the morning
So, why do I like this song so much? I definitely love that it's so melodic -- that's one of my favorite things about VT overall -- but I think most of it has to do with the overall arc of the song. I really appreciate the image of comfort represented by the narrator, as well as the idea of things which may seem scary being necessary for us to have beauty, etc. My favorite stanza is this one:
Well, now I am grown/And these years have shown/Rain's a part of how life goes/But it's dark and it's late/So I'll hold you and wait/'til your frightened eyes do close
I think I love it because of the idea that even if there's no need to fear--even if we're being counseled by an older and wiser someone that it'll all be okay--it recognizes that sometimes all of that is meaningless and what we *really* need is someone who will understand (and not belittle) our fears, and just hold us until we can come to grips with whatever it is we're fearing in our own time.
Of course, as a Christian I'm supposed to know that none of this is particularly NEW, right? I mean, there's the whole Romans 8:28 thing ("And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose"), and I can't even count the number of times pastors have tried to drive home the point that periods of darkness and pain are God's way of helping us grow. (That takes care of the 'purpose for pain' aspect of the song.) Then there's the "in God you will find peace" thing, which takes care of the 'comfort' aspect of the song. Right?
That said, I don't know about you guys, but I've never derived much utility from either of those arguments, despite rather frequently seeing, in retrospect, how I have grown or changed or improved as a result of crises that, at the time, shook my life or my faith.... While I imagine knowing that your suffering has a grand or ultimate purpose may be comforting in some instances (thinking here of our servicemen and -women), I don't find that to be the case for me. Why?
Probably because the explicit message of these well-meaning preachers is "You're not good enough." Well, you might say, so what? None of us are, right? I mean, that's the entire reason we *need* Jesus according to Christian doctrine. (Romans 3:23-4, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.") Well, in my experience, that is just a spectacularly unhelpful thing to hear.
When your self-image contains a particularly strong ingredient of "you'll never measure up," I don't think that verse really helps much, because there are really two options:
a) If paired with the "God is purifying you!" argument, you are suffering/being tormented (or *being allowed* to suffer/be tormented) for the purpose of being refined/purified/improved...and yet no matter how much you suffer (and, in turn, "improve") you'll still never be good enough. So, really, your pain is for naught.
b) If the purification argument isn't tossed in, the message you get is "Sure, *you* are 'less than', and you'll never measure up, but neither will anyone else!"...and that's cold comfort. *I* am not particularly made to be feel better by knowing that no one else is good enough either, since my sense of failure derives not from comparing myself to others but from comparing myself to my ideal. So you all fail too? Whoop-dee-doo.
Of course, the take-home message here is that this is where we're supposed to turn to God, and find in Him the rest and peace and everything that's supposed to soothe our troubled souls. Right? Right. And yet that's practically never been the case for me--and that makes it particularly infuriating when people speak/sing of it so blithely, as though it's *so easy* to receive God's peace.
In many cases, I have found that the Christianspeak that pervades popular Christian culture is a significant barrier to actually *experiencing* God. Dunno if it's because I wind up looking to feel/experience Him in a very certain/specific way, or if I just can't identify with the language being used, or what. All I know is that it's one of the reasons I particularly dislike hearing people speak about these sorts of things in any public setting or in front of an audience: there is a strong tendency to fall back on platitudes and meaningless phrases that serve little purpose beyond establishing or confirming their Christian bona fides to the people who are listening to them, and those often come at the expense of presenting a genuine, naked picture of the struggles they've experienced and the fact that sometimes *it's just not that easy*.
...which, perhaps, is why I love hearing the message here, in an utterly secular context. There's none of the Christianspeak to get in the way, there's none of the sense that in addition to being a failure as a person, I'm *also* a failure as a Christian because I don't experience my faith and my God the way everyone else *claims* to. There's just an articulation of the hope that there is a purpose for things that may frighten me now, and an assurance that in the meantime I will be comforted and protected.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Tag 'im and Bag 'im
The problem with doing this is that I'm following in the footsteps of two people who understand how to make judicious use of words. When you talk as much as I do, it gets tough to remember what all you have and have not said. So for all I know, each of these six items may be a re-tread for any or all of you.
1) Of all the things I think it'd be coolest to learn, #1, hands-down, no competition, is how to speak Basque. I mean, how often do you get a chance to learn a language...
a) that seems to have emerged from out of thin air;
b) spoken by only 0.016% of the people on Earth;
c) that shares its name with an item of lingerie;
d) the cradle of which is the home of some of the world's greatest cheese?
2) As a junior and senior in H.S., my not-so-"guilty" pleasures ('cause, really, c'mon--almost everyone else was listening to that junk then, too) were boy-band songs...to the point that my little bro. (once) and some of my buddies (several times) and I could do pretty much the entirety of the dance from N*Sync's "Bye, Bye, Bye" music video...and did so, at prom and the winter ball.
3) When I was about 9 or 10 I stole a book from my mom's purse called "Black Wind," by F. Paul Wilson. Several of the main characters are Japanese, and whenever authors write about Southeast Asians they are contractually obligated to focus on their stoicism/impassivity/imperturbability, etc. (Sort of like those who write on Africa, right Ry? Do you still have that link I sent your way? I think I oughta add that in here...) That, and how contemplative and in tune with nature the requisite old Japanese gardener is, and how they can be moved to tears by the beauty of a flower blooming. So, anyway, I spent the next three months trying to be contemplative and moved by nature (FAIL!) as well as impassive and stoic in the face of pain (C- or D+). In my most vivid memory of the latter, we were sitting in the living room of our house in El Salvador, kerosene lamp burning (the electricity being rationed because of the civil war), as my dad removed a splinter from my hand. I tried SO hard to be stoic and impassive, and I don't think anyone even noticed that I didn't scream my bloody head off...which I think was the catalyst for my saying, "Well, screw it. If no one's gonna notice, this ain't worth the effort."
4) Anna knows this, but y'all probably don't: We were sitting in that first year honors colloquium (or whatever that silly thing was) at Alma, listening to the Mongolian GoatVet (that's how I always pictured her title in my mind...I think she was a guest of Dr. Bonhage-Freund) speak about something or other, when I looked over at Anna. She was sitting to my left, a row in front and about 4 seats down, looking FOIIIIINNNNE with her highlighted California-girl hair, etc. etc....and for no apparent reason whatsoever, I had a sense of absolute assurance that she was The One. (Or would be until Barack showed up on scene :-P ) 'Course, I didn't have the cojones to put a move on her or anything, and it took another semester-plus before we started exploring a relationship, but still. I *knew* right then.
5) I have about 350 books in my bookcase back home (one of the biggest moments in my life was my 13th birthday, when my allowance kicked up to $6/week and I could finally afford a new trade paperback every week), most of which I've read 2-3 times. The goofy thing is that among the number are nearly every Xanth novel and the vast majority (probably on the order of 85-90%) of the DragonLance novels that had been published by the time I graduated from high school. (I've fallen off the wagon a bit since then...they just keep crankin' those out!) This explains why I've read so few of the Great Books -- I was busy filling my mind with fluff. [On a related note, my first job ever was working for Waldenbooks at the King of Prussia mall. I think I earned something like $3,000 after taxes but never saw more than $1200, because I blew the rest on books.]
6) My favorite dessert I've ever eaten was at the Grey Rock restaurant in Green Lake, WI. Goat-cheese cheesecake! Mmmmm...it was aMAZing.
Tagged: Lovebug
1) Of all the things I think it'd be coolest to learn, #1, hands-down, no competition, is how to speak Basque. I mean, how often do you get a chance to learn a language...
a) that seems to have emerged from out of thin air;
b) spoken by only 0.016% of the people on Earth;
c) that shares its name with an item of lingerie;
d) the cradle of which is the home of some of the world's greatest cheese?
2) As a junior and senior in H.S., my not-so-"guilty" pleasures ('cause, really, c'mon--almost everyone else was listening to that junk then, too) were boy-band songs...to the point that my little bro. (once) and some of my buddies (several times) and I could do pretty much the entirety of the dance from N*Sync's "Bye, Bye, Bye" music video...and did so, at prom and the winter ball.
3) When I was about 9 or 10 I stole a book from my mom's purse called "Black Wind," by F. Paul Wilson. Several of the main characters are Japanese, and whenever authors write about Southeast Asians they are contractually obligated to focus on their stoicism/impassivity/imperturbability, etc. (Sort of like those who write on Africa, right Ry? Do you still have that link I sent your way? I think I oughta add that in here...) That, and how contemplative and in tune with nature the requisite old Japanese gardener is, and how they can be moved to tears by the beauty of a flower blooming. So, anyway, I spent the next three months trying to be contemplative and moved by nature (FAIL!) as well as impassive and stoic in the face of pain (C- or D+). In my most vivid memory of the latter, we were sitting in the living room of our house in El Salvador, kerosene lamp burning (the electricity being rationed because of the civil war), as my dad removed a splinter from my hand. I tried SO hard to be stoic and impassive, and I don't think anyone even noticed that I didn't scream my bloody head off...which I think was the catalyst for my saying, "Well, screw it. If no one's gonna notice, this ain't worth the effort."
4) Anna knows this, but y'all probably don't: We were sitting in that first year honors colloquium (or whatever that silly thing was) at Alma, listening to the Mongolian GoatVet (that's how I always pictured her title in my mind...I think she was a guest of Dr. Bonhage-Freund) speak about something or other, when I looked over at Anna. She was sitting to my left, a row in front and about 4 seats down, looking FOIIIIINNNNE with her highlighted California-girl hair, etc. etc....and for no apparent reason whatsoever, I had a sense of absolute assurance that she was The One. (Or would be until Barack showed up on scene :-P ) 'Course, I didn't have the cojones to put a move on her or anything, and it took another semester-plus before we started exploring a relationship, but still. I *knew* right then.
5) I have about 350 books in my bookcase back home (one of the biggest moments in my life was my 13th birthday, when my allowance kicked up to $6/week and I could finally afford a new trade paperback every week), most of which I've read 2-3 times. The goofy thing is that among the number are nearly every Xanth novel and the vast majority (probably on the order of 85-90%) of the DragonLance novels that had been published by the time I graduated from high school. (I've fallen off the wagon a bit since then...they just keep crankin' those out!) This explains why I've read so few of the Great Books -- I was busy filling my mind with fluff. [On a related note, my first job ever was working for Waldenbooks at the King of Prussia mall. I think I earned something like $3,000 after taxes but never saw more than $1200, because I blew the rest on books.]
6) My favorite dessert I've ever eaten was at the Grey Rock restaurant in Green Lake, WI. Goat-cheese cheesecake! Mmmmm...it was aMAZing.
Tagged: Lovebug
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Yet another cool meme!
1. Put your iTunes (or iPod or iPhone or iAnything) on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing the meme as well as the person you got the meme from.
5. Add a pic that you think represents you at this moment in time.
IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Michael Hedges, "Rikki's Shuffle" **Reminds me of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, my first favorite story. Don't we all need more mongeese in our lives?
WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Beach Boys, "Be True to Your School" **Really? Given that I've yet to attend an NCSU basketball or football game, I'm not sure that's right.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Simon & Garfunkel, "Go Tell It on the Mountain" **Does this mean that the answer is "Faith"?
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Beach Boys, "Surfin' USA" **Ahhh...
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Tracy Chapman, "Tell It Like It Is" **Used ta was, once upon a time...I'd like to think I've progressed since then...
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Patty Griffin, "Stay On the Ride" **Stubborn and persistent beyond belief? I dunno.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Kany García, "Esta Soledad" **Only when I wake up crying in the middle of the night 'cause I dreamt Anna left. So, occasionally, but not frequently. Thank goodness.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
The Octaves, "I Can See It In Your Eyes" **"You wanna get with me/You know I'm fine and that's okay...I can see it in your eyes that you want me/I can see it in your eyes that you think I'm fine/But baby, why are you so shy?/I know that you want me, I can see it in your eyes" ~ Hmmm...you'd have to ask Anna. That sounds about right. [Laurie, what do you think? Have I earned that wine glass? ;-)]
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Jars of Clay, "The Edge of Water" **"Have you ever been haunted/The way I've been by you?/And have you ever felt the measure of the days that I've spent waiting/Pining for you?" ~ Yes. Especially when she wears this certain pair of pants. MMMMMMmmmm. :-P
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Dave Matthews Band, "Too Much" **Certainly w/r/t/ me and food, yeah. As to the song's actual subject matter, that'd be a categorical "No."
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, "Sevillanas" **I want to be a group of Spanish women? Man, I'm learning *so much* from the Magic 8-Pod!!
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Gabrieli Consort and Players, [The Messiah (G.F. Handel)] "Why Do the Nations?" **"...rage?" Clearly because they're all competing for her attention. That Handel -- so perceptive!
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Indelible Grace, "Thou Lovely Source of True Delight" **I think the massive amount of Christian music in my collection and the faith's penchant for bridal metaphors rendered this a not-unlikely selection...very apropos, no?
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Mehdi, "Falling Leaves" **I'd rather there be some kind of wild 'n' crazy party at my funeral, like an Irish wake...but this is a nice sentiment, too, I suppose.
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
H2O (Providence College Ministry), "Sweet Substitution" **Does this mean I like Mad Libs, or something?
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Al-Kitaab, "Lesson 12 - 'Amiyya As'ab" **[In Arabic:] "My name is Mohammad Abu al-'Aila. Naturally you know a lot about me because of my daughter Maha..." ~ Nice! I'm an Egyptian Ph.D. in Comparative Literature who works as a translator at the U.N. and has a gorgeous daughter with my Palestinian wife! And y'all never knew...
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Danilo Montero, "Dios" **"De guerra y paz, Dios fuerte y tierno eres Tú/Principio y fin, el Dios Eterno eres Tú/Estás tan alto y tan bajo, a lo ancho, a lo largo en mi ser" ~ Not unless I'm an idolater, which I don't *think* I am. Then again, if I'm trying to convey the idea that they're always with me in spirit, I guess that can work.
WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Sally Dworsky, "Red, Red Robin" **"When the red, red robin/Comes bob-bob-bobbin' along/There'll be no more sobbin'/When he starts singin' his song" ~ I got nothin'.
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Laura Pausini, "Se Fue" **From the refrain: "Se fue, se fue, el perfume de sus cabellos/Se fue, el murmullo de su silencio/Se fue, su sonrisa de fábula/Se fue, la dulce miel que probé en sus labios./Se fue, me quedó sólo su veneno/Se fue, y mi amor se cubrió de hielo/Se fue, y la vida con él se me fue/Se fue, y desde entonces ya sólo tengo lagrimas." ~ As a kid, I once felt that way about a boomerang I got stuck up in a tree...otherwise, I think I'm okay. [Ry, don't you just *love* that romantic Latino songwriting? I'm picturing the soulful gazing into the camera thing right now...]
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Diana Krall, "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" **Hmmm. I don't know that that's a *funny* sentiment...
WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Jim Brickman, "Peace (Where the Heart Is)" **Tears of joy, perhaps?
WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Fred Hammond, "Go Tell It on the Mountain" **Apparently my parents felt something like this when they heard I'd actually been able to maintain a healthy and lasting relationship, so I guess it works...
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Randall Goodgame, "Charlie Robin" **A song about financial difficulties? Sign of the times, I guess.
DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Maná, "Pobre Juan" **Apparently not.
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Sarah Makem, "Farewell My Love, Remember Me" **Again, nothing.
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
David LaMotte, "Deadline" **Until last Friday, I'd have said yes. Now, no longer!
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Tracy Grammer, "Hard to Make It" **If "it" means time for such a lengthy meme, yes.
Note: What gives with all the Spanish tunes? No Portuguese or French? What the hey? I'd also like to say that I've got a bunch of "more manly" stuff on here, lest you think from the selection that popped up that I'm terribly sensitive or something. Where's the GnR, Metallica, or Evanescence? I mean, seriously...
1. Put your iTunes (or iPod or iPhone or iAnything) on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing the meme as well as the person you got the meme from.
5. Add a pic that you think represents you at this moment in time.
IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Michael Hedges, "Rikki's Shuffle" **Reminds me of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, my first favorite story. Don't we all need more mongeese in our lives?
WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Beach Boys, "Be True to Your School" **Really? Given that I've yet to attend an NCSU basketball or football game, I'm not sure that's right.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Simon & Garfunkel, "Go Tell It on the Mountain" **Does this mean that the answer is "Faith"?
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Beach Boys, "Surfin' USA" **Ahhh...
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Tracy Chapman, "Tell It Like It Is" **Used ta was, once upon a time...I'd like to think I've progressed since then...
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Patty Griffin, "Stay On the Ride" **Stubborn and persistent beyond belief? I dunno.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Kany García, "Esta Soledad" **Only when I wake up crying in the middle of the night 'cause I dreamt Anna left. So, occasionally, but not frequently. Thank goodness.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
The Octaves, "I Can See It In Your Eyes" **"You wanna get with me/You know I'm fine and that's okay...I can see it in your eyes that you want me/I can see it in your eyes that you think I'm fine/But baby, why are you so shy?/I know that you want me, I can see it in your eyes" ~ Hmmm...you'd have to ask Anna. That sounds about right. [Laurie, what do you think? Have I earned that wine glass? ;-)]
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Jars of Clay, "The Edge of Water" **"Have you ever been haunted/The way I've been by you?/And have you ever felt the measure of the days that I've spent waiting/Pining for you?" ~ Yes. Especially when she wears this certain pair of pants. MMMMMMmmmm. :-P
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Dave Matthews Band, "Too Much" **Certainly w/r/t/ me and food, yeah. As to the song's actual subject matter, that'd be a categorical "No."
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, "Sevillanas" **I want to be a group of Spanish women? Man, I'm learning *so much* from the Magic 8-Pod!!
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Gabrieli Consort and Players, [The Messiah (G.F. Handel)] "Why Do the Nations?" **"...rage?" Clearly because they're all competing for her attention. That Handel -- so perceptive!
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Indelible Grace, "Thou Lovely Source of True Delight" **I think the massive amount of Christian music in my collection and the faith's penchant for bridal metaphors rendered this a not-unlikely selection...very apropos, no?
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Mehdi, "Falling Leaves" **I'd rather there be some kind of wild 'n' crazy party at my funeral, like an Irish wake...but this is a nice sentiment, too, I suppose.
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
H2O (Providence College Ministry), "Sweet Substitution" **Does this mean I like Mad Libs, or something?
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Al-Kitaab, "Lesson 12 - 'Amiyya As'ab" **[In Arabic:] "My name is Mohammad Abu al-'Aila. Naturally you know a lot about me because of my daughter Maha..." ~ Nice! I'm an Egyptian Ph.D. in Comparative Literature who works as a translator at the U.N. and has a gorgeous daughter with my Palestinian wife! And y'all never knew...
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Danilo Montero, "Dios" **"De guerra y paz, Dios fuerte y tierno eres Tú/Principio y fin, el Dios Eterno eres Tú/Estás tan alto y tan bajo, a lo ancho, a lo largo en mi ser" ~ Not unless I'm an idolater, which I don't *think* I am. Then again, if I'm trying to convey the idea that they're always with me in spirit, I guess that can work.
WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Sally Dworsky, "Red, Red Robin" **"When the red, red robin/Comes bob-bob-bobbin' along/There'll be no more sobbin'/When he starts singin' his song" ~ I got nothin'.
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Laura Pausini, "Se Fue" **From the refrain: "Se fue, se fue, el perfume de sus cabellos/Se fue, el murmullo de su silencio/Se fue, su sonrisa de fábula/Se fue, la dulce miel que probé en sus labios./Se fue, me quedó sólo su veneno/Se fue, y mi amor se cubrió de hielo/Se fue, y la vida con él se me fue/Se fue, y desde entonces ya sólo tengo lagrimas." ~ As a kid, I once felt that way about a boomerang I got stuck up in a tree...otherwise, I think I'm okay. [Ry, don't you just *love* that romantic Latino songwriting? I'm picturing the soulful gazing into the camera thing right now...]
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Diana Krall, "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" **Hmmm. I don't know that that's a *funny* sentiment...
WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Jim Brickman, "Peace (Where the Heart Is)" **Tears of joy, perhaps?
WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Fred Hammond, "Go Tell It on the Mountain" **Apparently my parents felt something like this when they heard I'd actually been able to maintain a healthy and lasting relationship, so I guess it works...
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Randall Goodgame, "Charlie Robin" **A song about financial difficulties? Sign of the times, I guess.
DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Maná, "Pobre Juan" **Apparently not.
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Sarah Makem, "Farewell My Love, Remember Me" **Again, nothing.
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
David LaMotte, "Deadline" **Until last Friday, I'd have said yes. Now, no longer!
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Tracy Grammer, "Hard to Make It" **If "it" means time for such a lengthy meme, yes.
Note: What gives with all the Spanish tunes? No Portuguese or French? What the hey? I'd also like to say that I've got a bunch of "more manly" stuff on here, lest you think from the selection that popped up that I'm terribly sensitive or something. Where's the GnR, Metallica, or Evanescence? I mean, seriously...
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