Before there was the Jonas Brothers, there was a much more talented boy/brother band called Hansen. This video says all their is to say:
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
A Sample of My Amazingly Exciting Life
I walk into room 326 of the South Omaha Campus of the Metropolitan Community College and walk to my normal front row seat dubbed "Position 1". How original. I put my backpack under the desk, take out my computer and set it up. Next I take my homework and turn it into the same folder I do every week. I turn my computer on and sit back down. Thinking ahead, I also turn on the other machine (A nice Dell hooked up to a high speed internet connection) next to my computer on and let it start itself up to be used later.
The other two students of the class come in a few minutes after I arrive and set themselves up in their positions. The teacher walks to the front of the class and begins to explain today. He's gotta be late 60's. I'm saying in my head. He starts talking and it's evident in his voice which sounds even lower and more grovelly than usual that he must have a cold. The teacher reads the answers to the practice test that was assigned as homework and I copy down the answers on my paper so as to be able to study them for the final next week. The teacher announces that today we will just be practicing for the midterm. He explains that we will be required to install Windows XP, the correct drivers for the machine we are using and hook it up to the local network in the room. Happily I soak this information in. Windows XP is the easiest of all of the choices the intructor could have chosen. While it takes longer for the setup of XP, nearly all of the work is done by the computer itself whilst I just sit by and watch the computer load.
We are then told we can start working. I put the Windows XP cd in the drive and the computer starts up the setup process. I give it a few commands and then it starts off with its little process. Now comes the waiting time. Glad that I had planned ahead earlier, I direct my attention to the nice Dell and log myself in. I surf myself to Facebook and begin doing my usual buisness. First noticing that it is somebody's birthday, so first I greet her a "Happy Birthday". Then I noticed I had 4 or 5 messages to reply to from various friends and then a couple wall posts to reply to. Most of the messages all end up saying the same thing with only a couple differences, the biggest one being how I sign the various messages at the end. Each person I communicate with online has a different protocol with how I message back and forth with them. Some messages end with a nickname, some end with a quote, others with Peace... etc...
While doing my Facebook buisness, I suddenly hear music coming from the computer my instructor happens to be operating at the time. I smile. Nice beat. I expect it to just have been a sound sample from the program he was operating, but then I hear vocals begin. I look confused at my teacher assuming it was a mistake on his part. He looks back and asks, "Is the music okay?" I smile back and eagerly answer "Yes!" He had no idea how much I enjoy music. The music playing, it was so feel-good-ish! I ask "Who is this". Both he and and older classmate state at the same time "Neil Dimond!" and give me weird looks as to say "What is wrong with you?". How was I supposed to know what Neil Dimond sounds like anyway? The only time I ever hear about him is when Kersey (The oldies master of my age) talks about how amazing he is. Slightly embarrassed and feeling a little stupid I just continue back to my work and listen to the great tunes, which continued to play through the rest of class. Good old oldies. Feel good music. It took the greatest of my skill to refrain from jumping up during some of the songs and singing along, air-guitaring, and/or dancing. I did allow myself a little head bop action as well as some occasional tapping to the beat with my feet or hands.
I finished my Facebook duties and sat there wondering what to do next. I looked at my work computer. By now it was nearly done loading the operating system. I waited on it to finish and then completed the setup of the computer. I had finished setting up the computer to do a triple boot with Windows 98/2000/XP... Something I didn't even know was possible (Who the heck would use a triple boot system?) Nevertheless it was possible. I asked my instructor what to do next, and he informed to just blow the hard drive and start the process of installing Windows Xp and setting it up again. I did as I was instructed and sat back down to check my Facebook to see if I had aquired any replies yet. Nothing. My stomach grumbled and I realized I was starving. I would soon waste away to nothing if I couldn't get some sustinance soon, so I decided it was time for lunch.
Living in a family where everybody seems to run on the late side of things and having a class from 12-4 were not good things for a growing boy who desperately needs his lunch. Thankfully I had packed the leftovers of a Wal-Mart deli sandwich in my backpack. I looked at my computer and it had almost 50 minutes more time to load before I would have to interact with it. I picked up my backpack and walked out of the classroom. You see, in this class, it was just a move-at-your-own-pace-lab-deal where you were allowed to take breaks whenever you jolly well pleased as long as you got your work done, so I jolly well took mine.
I walked down the long hallway to what used to be the commons, but since had become just a big weird space since the new building had been added on. The room was full of vending machines, tables and chairs, and couches gathered around a nice flat panel LCD tv. I went and chose a table segragated from a majority of the other students gathered there, and checked my pockets for money. I had brought food, but no drink. I pull the four quarters and the dollar bill out of my pocket that I had specifically brought for the purpose of buying myself a drink and got myself a 16oz. can of Sobe No Fear. Ahh. I then sat down at the table and began to eat my lunch.
Odd what an unattractive nerdy 17 year old will notice when he is eating lunch in the old commons of a community college. First, that since I'm the beforementioned, no one will even attempt a convorsation with me unless some weird circumstance happens, I know them outside of Metro, or they have been in a class with me. So I sit alone at the table eating and drinking my time away. I begin to take in my surroundings. What a weird place. Dimly lit and slightly depressing I scan the room for anything interesting. I see a single glove laying on an abandoned table, somebody must be missing that. At another table a woman is sitting with homeworked stacked up two inches high trying to study or whatnot. Various other people are studying together at other tables. The old custodian talks to various people walking around with a voice so loud he must be deaf. Around the tv are a bunch of random type peoples watching CNN. Who the heck would watch CNN willingly? I mean, anyone could go change the channel to anything they want, but they chose to watch CNN?
Behind me I hear two people trying to have a convorsation. One, who will be referred to as Male A was english and seemed to be trying to have a friendly convorsation with Female A. Friendly convorsation my posterior end. By the look on his face you could tell he didn't care what she was saying, but he just smiled and nodded. Yep, he thought she was hot. I sighed out loud. What a loser. They walked over to the vending machine. She was still trying to talk to him with very broken english and tried to purchase something.
Meanwhile I hear something. It sounds like electronic R&B. Weird. I look around until I find the culprit. I see a girl in a wheelchair sitting behind a little wall with her laptop computer bopping her head and singing to whatever her extremely loud Ipod was playing. I later noticed that she was hitting up her friends on MySpace.
Then I hear Female A again, saying that the machine won't take her dollar. Male A takes his opportunity and says he'll pay for her with his change. She smiles. Instant brownie points. I turn away disgusted at his quick thinking and amazing opportunity. By this time I had finished my sandwich and so I downed the rest of my No Fear, picked up my bag, and went back to class.
Feeling good from that 16oz. of caffine packed goodness I check my computer and I realize my timing couldn't have been better. As I walk up to the computer the loading finished. I then entered the nessary information, and it went on doing its thing. Sigh. More down time.
I wait on my computer and talk to my instructor. He tells me that today I should just kinda run through the process two times so I am ready for the final next week. That sure helps. My mom had told me beforehand that she would be late picking me up today for various reasons. If I was only supposed to do the process twice, then I should be done way before 4. That's why I enjoy driving myself, but life isn't always as nice as I wish it to be. So where am I now you may be wondering? I'm sitting in Position 1 running through the process for the fourth time today and expecting to finish it at least 1 or 2 more times before class ends and then probably waiting on my mom for a little while. Ain't my life so great!
The other two students of the class come in a few minutes after I arrive and set themselves up in their positions. The teacher walks to the front of the class and begins to explain today. He's gotta be late 60's. I'm saying in my head. He starts talking and it's evident in his voice which sounds even lower and more grovelly than usual that he must have a cold. The teacher reads the answers to the practice test that was assigned as homework and I copy down the answers on my paper so as to be able to study them for the final next week. The teacher announces that today we will just be practicing for the midterm. He explains that we will be required to install Windows XP, the correct drivers for the machine we are using and hook it up to the local network in the room. Happily I soak this information in. Windows XP is the easiest of all of the choices the intructor could have chosen. While it takes longer for the setup of XP, nearly all of the work is done by the computer itself whilst I just sit by and watch the computer load.
We are then told we can start working. I put the Windows XP cd in the drive and the computer starts up the setup process. I give it a few commands and then it starts off with its little process. Now comes the waiting time. Glad that I had planned ahead earlier, I direct my attention to the nice Dell and log myself in. I surf myself to Facebook and begin doing my usual buisness. First noticing that it is somebody's birthday, so first I greet her a "Happy Birthday". Then I noticed I had 4 or 5 messages to reply to from various friends and then a couple wall posts to reply to. Most of the messages all end up saying the same thing with only a couple differences, the biggest one being how I sign the various messages at the end. Each person I communicate with online has a different protocol with how I message back and forth with them. Some messages end with a nickname, some end with a quote, others with Peace... etc...
While doing my Facebook buisness, I suddenly hear music coming from the computer my instructor happens to be operating at the time. I smile. Nice beat. I expect it to just have been a sound sample from the program he was operating, but then I hear vocals begin. I look confused at my teacher assuming it was a mistake on his part. He looks back and asks, "Is the music okay?" I smile back and eagerly answer "Yes!" He had no idea how much I enjoy music. The music playing, it was so feel-good-ish! I ask "Who is this". Both he and and older classmate state at the same time "Neil Dimond!" and give me weird looks as to say "What is wrong with you?". How was I supposed to know what Neil Dimond sounds like anyway? The only time I ever hear about him is when Kersey (The oldies master of my age) talks about how amazing he is. Slightly embarrassed and feeling a little stupid I just continue back to my work and listen to the great tunes, which continued to play through the rest of class. Good old oldies. Feel good music. It took the greatest of my skill to refrain from jumping up during some of the songs and singing along, air-guitaring, and/or dancing. I did allow myself a little head bop action as well as some occasional tapping to the beat with my feet or hands.
I finished my Facebook duties and sat there wondering what to do next. I looked at my work computer. By now it was nearly done loading the operating system. I waited on it to finish and then completed the setup of the computer. I had finished setting up the computer to do a triple boot with Windows 98/2000/XP... Something I didn't even know was possible (Who the heck would use a triple boot system?) Nevertheless it was possible. I asked my instructor what to do next, and he informed to just blow the hard drive and start the process of installing Windows Xp and setting it up again. I did as I was instructed and sat back down to check my Facebook to see if I had aquired any replies yet. Nothing. My stomach grumbled and I realized I was starving. I would soon waste away to nothing if I couldn't get some sustinance soon, so I decided it was time for lunch.
Living in a family where everybody seems to run on the late side of things and having a class from 12-4 were not good things for a growing boy who desperately needs his lunch. Thankfully I had packed the leftovers of a Wal-Mart deli sandwich in my backpack. I looked at my computer and it had almost 50 minutes more time to load before I would have to interact with it. I picked up my backpack and walked out of the classroom. You see, in this class, it was just a move-at-your-own-pace-lab-deal where you were allowed to take breaks whenever you jolly well pleased as long as you got your work done, so I jolly well took mine.
I walked down the long hallway to what used to be the commons, but since had become just a big weird space since the new building had been added on. The room was full of vending machines, tables and chairs, and couches gathered around a nice flat panel LCD tv. I went and chose a table segragated from a majority of the other students gathered there, and checked my pockets for money. I had brought food, but no drink. I pull the four quarters and the dollar bill out of my pocket that I had specifically brought for the purpose of buying myself a drink and got myself a 16oz. can of Sobe No Fear. Ahh. I then sat down at the table and began to eat my lunch.
Odd what an unattractive nerdy 17 year old will notice when he is eating lunch in the old commons of a community college. First, that since I'm the beforementioned, no one will even attempt a convorsation with me unless some weird circumstance happens, I know them outside of Metro, or they have been in a class with me. So I sit alone at the table eating and drinking my time away. I begin to take in my surroundings. What a weird place. Dimly lit and slightly depressing I scan the room for anything interesting. I see a single glove laying on an abandoned table, somebody must be missing that. At another table a woman is sitting with homeworked stacked up two inches high trying to study or whatnot. Various other people are studying together at other tables. The old custodian talks to various people walking around with a voice so loud he must be deaf. Around the tv are a bunch of random type peoples watching CNN. Who the heck would watch CNN willingly? I mean, anyone could go change the channel to anything they want, but they chose to watch CNN?
Behind me I hear two people trying to have a convorsation. One, who will be referred to as Male A was english and seemed to be trying to have a friendly convorsation with Female A. Friendly convorsation my posterior end. By the look on his face you could tell he didn't care what she was saying, but he just smiled and nodded. Yep, he thought she was hot. I sighed out loud. What a loser. They walked over to the vending machine. She was still trying to talk to him with very broken english and tried to purchase something.
Meanwhile I hear something. It sounds like electronic R&B. Weird. I look around until I find the culprit. I see a girl in a wheelchair sitting behind a little wall with her laptop computer bopping her head and singing to whatever her extremely loud Ipod was playing. I later noticed that she was hitting up her friends on MySpace.
Then I hear Female A again, saying that the machine won't take her dollar. Male A takes his opportunity and says he'll pay for her with his change. She smiles. Instant brownie points. I turn away disgusted at his quick thinking and amazing opportunity. By this time I had finished my sandwich and so I downed the rest of my No Fear, picked up my bag, and went back to class.
Feeling good from that 16oz. of caffine packed goodness I check my computer and I realize my timing couldn't have been better. As I walk up to the computer the loading finished. I then entered the nessary information, and it went on doing its thing. Sigh. More down time.
I wait on my computer and talk to my instructor. He tells me that today I should just kinda run through the process two times so I am ready for the final next week. That sure helps. My mom had told me beforehand that she would be late picking me up today for various reasons. If I was only supposed to do the process twice, then I should be done way before 4. That's why I enjoy driving myself, but life isn't always as nice as I wish it to be. So where am I now you may be wondering? I'm sitting in Position 1 running through the process for the fourth time today and expecting to finish it at least 1 or 2 more times before class ends and then probably waiting on my mom for a little while. Ain't my life so great!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Praying for You
Ok... Most of you know that my favorite channel is GMC (The Gospel Music Channel), and I've been watching Represent quite a bit lately. I also love to watch "The Kitchen Sink". Well, on the The Kitchen Sink they show the most requested videos for the week and for the last couple weeks a song by Lacrae has been winning the #1 top video of the week for the pop genre. I saw that the song was called Praying for You, but I never really payed attention to it. Well, I was watching Represent and the video came on and I decided to watch it. I'm very glad that I did! This song is amazing! Check it out: Praying for You, by Lacrae (I also posted the lyrics, sorry I couldn't find them in paragraph form:
Praying for You
Father God, I'm prayin' to you for somebody, who knows you Lord but just hasn't, hasn't been seein' you in the right view lately, Hear me out... Father, I'm prayin' for a friend he and I are pretty close, and out of all my friends for this one I'm concerned the most. He say he readin' daily but he ain't really learnin'. He been in church but say that he ain't moved by any sermon. His face weak, he ain't prayed in a week, he wake up and just weep with his face in the sink Lord, you gotta help my man, I'm prayin' for him daily, he ain't sinned but it just seem as if he goin' crazy. He say he feelin' trapped, can't even head up the mall coz every lady's half-dressed temptin' him to lust and fall. He keep the TV off, videos just make him feel that he ain't really nothin' without money, girls and shiny wheels. The other day he told me that he felt less a man coz he ain't have a five-year plan or a piece of land and man it's crazy coz his family think so much of him, plus he got a godly wife who always showin' love for him but he's strugglin', even though he talk to me, I tell him what to do but he don't listen when he oughta' be. I'm scared for him coz there's people that look up to him, he got some younger siblings who been changed by what he's done for them but is it done for him, Lord don't let it be, if he don't wanna talk to you then Father hear from me, is it done for him, Lord don't let it be, if he don't wanna talk to you then Father hear from me... Yeah, I'm prayin' for you, yeah, I'm prayin' for you Yeah, I'm prayin' for you, yeah, yeah, I'm prayin' for you... God, his condition is worsen since we were last conversed and I'm with him now and he ain't doin' well and this I'm certain. He say he tryna' trust you, doesn't wanna disgust you but he was in the mist of sinners and did not discuss you and just today his anxiety's got the best of him, he knows Christ but for hours refuse to rest in Him, he's not the best of men but Lord I know he really loves you and I can't understand why lately he's not thinkin' of you. People trust this dude, you could crush this dude, Father he needs more of you I pray you touch this dude, what can I say to him? I'm determined to pray for him Father empty and brake him I pray you'll just have your way with him, coz there's a change in him and the effects are strong, I pray you open up his heart before the next song and when he gets home, I pray he'll open up the sixty-six book love letter you wrote and soak it up coz he ain't hearin' You and he ain't feelin' me and God I know it's killin' You because it's killin' me and matter of fact there's somethin' else he's concealin' see, the person that I've been prayin' about is really me... Yeah, I'm prayin' for you, yeah, I'm prayin' for you Yeah, I'm prayin' for you, yeah, yeah, I'm prayin' for you...
Praying for You
Father God, I'm prayin' to you for somebody, who knows you Lord but just hasn't, hasn't been seein' you in the right view lately, Hear me out... Father, I'm prayin' for a friend he and I are pretty close, and out of all my friends for this one I'm concerned the most. He say he readin' daily but he ain't really learnin'. He been in church but say that he ain't moved by any sermon. His face weak, he ain't prayed in a week, he wake up and just weep with his face in the sink Lord, you gotta help my man, I'm prayin' for him daily, he ain't sinned but it just seem as if he goin' crazy. He say he feelin' trapped, can't even head up the mall coz every lady's half-dressed temptin' him to lust and fall. He keep the TV off, videos just make him feel that he ain't really nothin' without money, girls and shiny wheels. The other day he told me that he felt less a man coz he ain't have a five-year plan or a piece of land and man it's crazy coz his family think so much of him, plus he got a godly wife who always showin' love for him but he's strugglin', even though he talk to me, I tell him what to do but he don't listen when he oughta' be. I'm scared for him coz there's people that look up to him, he got some younger siblings who been changed by what he's done for them but is it done for him, Lord don't let it be, if he don't wanna talk to you then Father hear from me, is it done for him, Lord don't let it be, if he don't wanna talk to you then Father hear from me... Yeah, I'm prayin' for you, yeah, I'm prayin' for you Yeah, I'm prayin' for you, yeah, yeah, I'm prayin' for you... God, his condition is worsen since we were last conversed and I'm with him now and he ain't doin' well and this I'm certain. He say he tryna' trust you, doesn't wanna disgust you but he was in the mist of sinners and did not discuss you and just today his anxiety's got the best of him, he knows Christ but for hours refuse to rest in Him, he's not the best of men but Lord I know he really loves you and I can't understand why lately he's not thinkin' of you. People trust this dude, you could crush this dude, Father he needs more of you I pray you touch this dude, what can I say to him? I'm determined to pray for him Father empty and brake him I pray you'll just have your way with him, coz there's a change in him and the effects are strong, I pray you open up his heart before the next song and when he gets home, I pray he'll open up the sixty-six book love letter you wrote and soak it up coz he ain't hearin' You and he ain't feelin' me and God I know it's killin' You because it's killin' me and matter of fact there's somethin' else he's concealin' see, the person that I've been prayin' about is really me... Yeah, I'm prayin' for you, yeah, I'm prayin' for you Yeah, I'm prayin' for you, yeah, yeah, I'm prayin' for you...
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Fall and Winter
Ok... I wrote a long time ago about Jon Foreman of Switchfoot releasing some EPs over this year. As of now, two of the four part set (Named after the four seasons) have been released. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into Divine Truth (My favorite store) yesterday and the first cd I saw happened to be a set of his first two EPs together. Since I didn't have them, and I love Jon Foreman (And since it was recommened by my best friend) I jumped at the opportunity to buy these set of cds. I must say that they are an amazing experience, with the only downside to them being their short length (But they are EPs. lol).
The first of the two was entitled "Fall". It started out with the song "The Cure for Pain". The feelings portrayed in this song are portrayed within all of Jon's songs. It is one of slight sorrow, but with a happy feel to it, very peaceful. The instrumentals on this disk were incredible and really would bring you into the feel of the song.
My favorite song on this disk would definately have to be the song "Southbound Train". The song starts with Jon's guitar chugging along like the sound of a train. His harmonica comes whistling in after the first few measures. It defiantely creates a peaceful train-like atmosphere. The words to this song are so sweet and the music so beautiful... Here are the lyrics and a video. The video doesn't do a good job of showing the part at the beginning (Where it sounds like a train), but it does show you how beautiful this song sounds! Even live, it is amazing!
Southbound Train
Oh, I guess they'll say I've grown
I know more than I wanted to know
I've said more than I wanted to say
I'm headed home
Yeah, but I'm not so sure
That home is a place
You can still get to by train
So I'm looking out the window
And I'm drifting off to sleep
With my face pressed up against the window pane
With the rhythm of my heart
And the ringing in my ears
It's the rhythm of the Southbound Train
Oh, and the wind starts to look like her hair
And the clouds in her bright blue eyes
As the sea and the shore fall and rise
Like her breast as she breathes by my side
And the moon is her lips as the sun
Is headed on down to the sea
Like her head as she lays down on me
Until we reach Oceanside
Over and over
I hear the same refrain
It's the rhythm of my heart
And my sleepy girl's breathing
It's the rhythm of my Southbound Train
Oh, I supposed they'll say I should've known
Or maybe I'm just feeling old
Like a lawyer
With no one to blame
I'm headed home
Yeah, but I'm not so sure
That home is a place
That will ever be the same
That will ever be the same
So we gather up our things
And we head out in the cold
And your eyes are where you carry the pain
When I haer the whistle weeping
Int's crying to th esky
It's the rhythm of my Southbound Train
It's the rhythm of my Southbound Train
Jon Foreman's second EP, called Winter, was just as amazing as the first, and is more like a continuation of the same feel. It starts off with one of my favorite songs called, "Learning How to Die" which I posted a while back ago if you want to see it. More of Jon Foreman's amazing lyrics are displayed with this cd. Also, a sort of Asian sound is demonstrated from a couple songs. Of all of Jon Foreman's songs that I've heard, here is the one with the best lyrics concerning spiritual matters, it is a beautiful song called "White as Snow". Here it is with the lyrics:
White as Snow
Have mercy on me, oh God
According to Your unfailing love
According to Your great compassion
Blot out my transgressions
Create in me a clean heart, oh God
Restore in me the joy of Your salvation
The sacrifices of our God are a broken and a contrite heart
Against You and You alone have I sinned
Would You create in me a clean heart, oh God
Restore in me the joy of my salvation
Wash me white as snow
And I will be made whole
Wash me white as snow
And I will be made whole
These cds are totally different from what I normally like to listen to on a regular basis, but they are so amazingly written and beautiful that I can't help but love them! I encourage anyone who loves music to buy these cds, they aren't rocky, or rap, they are beautiful melodies written from a man whom God has given much talent. Check them out for yourselves!
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