Monday, August 31, 2009
I just recently finished "Born Again," Frank Miller's 1986 Daredevil saga.
My thoughts? 1986 was a good year.
The Video that Hath Most Recently Consumed My Life
If you like it, favorite it! comment on it! watch it again!
Thanks for watching, friends.
Christmas
This is a good time to make a top ten favorite Christmas songs list, right?
My brother was just talking about the song "Here It Is" (from Over the Rhine's Snow Angels), and I was thinking about how it's probably on my list of top ten favorite Christmas songs.
And then I thought "Oh no! I don't have a top ten list of favorite Christmas songs!"
Thus, this blogpost.
Here we go:
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (I don't know if I'll put artists with each of the songs, but T Bone Burnett does a great version of this song)
"Here It Is" Over the Rhine. Joyful. Sad. Exuberant. A celebration of the big, sad, messiness of life. And of the wonder we find.
"Star of Wonder" Sufjan Stevens. As near as I can tell, this is God talking to the star of Bethlehem. Good stuff.
"Sister Winter" Sufjan Stevens. I have to put this one here too. Probably one of the songs that is most personal to me.
"O Come, O Come Emmanuel." My favorite Christmas song. The name "Emmanuel" means a lot to me as one of the names of God.
"White Horse" Over the Rhine.
"A Stick, a Carrot, and a String" mewithoutYou. A good reminder of what Christ came here on Earth to do. It is not wholly a Christmas song, but it starts off with a nice "Friendly Beasts" kind of feel.
"Holy Emmanuel" Terry Scott Taylor
My brother was just talking about the song "Here It Is" (from Over the Rhine's Snow Angels), and I was thinking about how it's probably on my list of top ten favorite Christmas songs.
And then I thought "Oh no! I don't have a top ten list of favorite Christmas songs!"
Thus, this blogpost.
Here we go:
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (I don't know if I'll put artists with each of the songs, but T Bone Burnett does a great version of this song)
"Here It Is" Over the Rhine. Joyful. Sad. Exuberant. A celebration of the big, sad, messiness of life. And of the wonder we find.
"Star of Wonder" Sufjan Stevens. As near as I can tell, this is God talking to the star of Bethlehem. Good stuff.
"Sister Winter" Sufjan Stevens. I have to put this one here too. Probably one of the songs that is most personal to me.
"O Come, O Come Emmanuel." My favorite Christmas song. The name "Emmanuel" means a lot to me as one of the names of God.
"White Horse" Over the Rhine.
"A Stick, a Carrot, and a String" mewithoutYou. A good reminder of what Christ came here on Earth to do. It is not wholly a Christmas song, but it starts off with a nice "Friendly Beasts" kind of feel.
"Holy Emmanuel" Terry Scott Taylor
Friday, August 28, 2009
So I guess it's not a cover name for the next Batman movie...
The teaser-trailer for Christopher Nolan's upcoming film, Inception:
It's interesting to me, he seems to be using (computer-driven) special effects to a level he never has before. Even The Dark Knight's special effects (explosions, etc.) were largely executed during production (as apposed to afterwards, on a computer).
I'm glad Nolan's making this before another Batman movie. I think this will help keep him out of a rut. Now that I think of it, I guess The Prestige was made between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.
What are your thoughts? Are you looking forward to another film by the director of The Dark Knight? Which of Christopher Nolan's films do you hope this is most like?
Does it seem like Leonardo DiCaprio is showing up everywhere these days?
It's interesting to me, he seems to be using (computer-driven) special effects to a level he never has before. Even The Dark Knight's special effects (explosions, etc.) were largely executed during production (as apposed to afterwards, on a computer).
I'm glad Nolan's making this before another Batman movie. I think this will help keep him out of a rut. Now that I think of it, I guess The Prestige was made between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.
What are your thoughts? Are you looking forward to another film by the director of The Dark Knight? Which of Christopher Nolan's films do you hope this is most like?
Does it seem like Leonardo DiCaprio is showing up everywhere these days?
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Sort
I think artifactual things are important to me.
In getting ready for my little brother's return from Indonesia (yay! he's back safe!), I've been sorting through things in my room, trying to see if there's anything I can throw away (we're talking paper, here, not like, huge chairs or something) to free up precious space (my brother and I share a 10x20[ish? I'm not good with numbers or estimations] room). I had the room to myself for the whole summer and quite sprawled over the whole thing. I barely had room for me at times (true story).
So anyway, now we have little Andrew sorting through things (by this I mean a stack of papers [and paper-like things] sitting at the foot of my bed), trying to see what I can throw away. And of course by "throw away" I mean "recycle."
The alternative to recycling the papers is either to a) Use them in a fantastically cool way somehow to decorate my room or b) keep them in the stack.
Most of the stuff I kept in the stack. I threw out a fair amount of papers and things (and found my Portland State University ID, woo hoo!), but for the most part it just didn't seem like the little guys's time had come. And when I did throw things away (talking recycling, here), I honestly felt like I was ending a life. Like I was saying to the thing, you're no good. I've looked you all over, and I find no potential in you.
I think I personify* things too easily. That is, I see them too easily as people. And, oh my goodness, I can't even begin to tell you what I see people as. If I see a card I got in the mail from my dentist reminding me about an upcoming checkup as a pretty close friend, imagine the weight I put on relationships around me.
No wonder I get tired.
So anyway, all this to say I hold artifactual things, the things around me, pretty high. I enjoy putting things up on my wall, and these things remind me of things. They might remind me of an event (the book pass, for example, I had to get for the copies of So Brave, Young and Handsome and Peace Like a River I was bringing into Powell's to get signed by Leif Enger) or they might just be there because they're aesthetic pleasing. Whatever they're there for, they're an expression of myself. As with the other aspects of my life, the movies I make, the conversations I have, the things I draw. Expressing myself, for better or for worse, is all I can do. It's all I can really hope to do through my life and my work and my interaction. Maybe there's more I could do, if I were a stronger, braver person. But, for now, this is all I really can do. God grant me the grace to do it well.
==
*this word is used incorrectly here.
In getting ready for my little brother's return from Indonesia (yay! he's back safe!), I've been sorting through things in my room, trying to see if there's anything I can throw away (we're talking paper, here, not like, huge chairs or something) to free up precious space (my brother and I share a 10x20[ish? I'm not good with numbers or estimations] room). I had the room to myself for the whole summer and quite sprawled over the whole thing. I barely had room for me at times (true story).
So anyway, now we have little Andrew sorting through things (by this I mean a stack of papers [and paper-like things] sitting at the foot of my bed), trying to see what I can throw away. And of course by "throw away" I mean "recycle."
The alternative to recycling the papers is either to a) Use them in a fantastically cool way somehow to decorate my room or b) keep them in the stack.
Most of the stuff I kept in the stack. I threw out a fair amount of papers and things (and found my Portland State University ID, woo hoo!), but for the most part it just didn't seem like the little guys's time had come. And when I did throw things away (talking recycling, here), I honestly felt like I was ending a life. Like I was saying to the thing, you're no good. I've looked you all over, and I find no potential in you.
I think I personify* things too easily. That is, I see them too easily as people. And, oh my goodness, I can't even begin to tell you what I see people as. If I see a card I got in the mail from my dentist reminding me about an upcoming checkup as a pretty close friend, imagine the weight I put on relationships around me.
No wonder I get tired.
So anyway, all this to say I hold artifactual things, the things around me, pretty high. I enjoy putting things up on my wall, and these things remind me of things. They might remind me of an event (the book pass, for example, I had to get for the copies of So Brave, Young and Handsome and Peace Like a River I was bringing into Powell's to get signed by Leif Enger) or they might just be there because they're aesthetic pleasing. Whatever they're there for, they're an expression of myself. As with the other aspects of my life, the movies I make, the conversations I have, the things I draw. Expressing myself, for better or for worse, is all I can do. It's all I can really hope to do through my life and my work and my interaction. Maybe there's more I could do, if I were a stronger, braver person. But, for now, this is all I really can do. God grant me the grace to do it well.
==
*this word is used incorrectly here.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Thoughts from the 12th inning...
Baseball is like life: long, boring stretches punctuated by moments of intense beauty.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Tarantino on "There Will Be Blood?"
Quentin Tarantino on his friend Paul Thomas Anderson's most recent film.
I've never thought of using "sweet" in relation to Quentin Tarantino, but I was touched by his closing statements on his relationship with Paul Thomas Anderson.
I've never thought of using "sweet" in relation to Quentin Tarantino, but I was touched by his closing statements on his relationship with Paul Thomas Anderson.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Rainbow
I enjoyed this post:http://weloveyouso.com/2009/08/justin-waldrons-rainbow-parachute/
I'm grateful to Mr. Pat Hassel at Jim Bridger Elementary for allowing me to experience the blessing of the parachute. I count myself blessed.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Friday, August 07, 2009
Monday, August 03, 2009
Information I Can Not Share
"Cannot" and "can not" mean two different things.
"Cannot" means: not possible (or permitted, I guess).
"Can not" means: able to avoid it.
Roughly, of course. These definitions are off the top of my head, but I just wanted to share this. Thought it was worth noting.
"Cannot" means: not possible (or permitted, I guess).
"Can not" means: able to avoid it.
Roughly, of course. These definitions are off the top of my head, but I just wanted to share this. Thought it was worth noting.
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