An Already but Not Yet Resurrected Fallen Man

I Almost Wished You Would Have Loved Me Too....

2008-10-07T22:40:00.005-05:00

This is a very emotional song for me... Enjoy everybody...

Btw... Check out the pagans dancing on my shirt... I believe they add to the seriously emotional mood of the song....

When Nobody Else is Around (Laugh it up!)

2008-07-27T20:56:00.003-05:00

Long Time No Blog

2008-07-16T22:44:00.002-05:00

It's been forever since I've posted up here I know... I know I still need to post about my camping trip (That will be a long post), but I just thought I'd let whoever cares know that I went ahead and posted the EP on my iLike page... It's not as complete as I wished it to be... I just had to finalize it with three tracks total. Lack of time... Check it out and tell me what you think! (Also word-of-mouth advertising doesn't hurt :-)

Just FYI

2008-06-12T18:28:00.002-05:00

To whom it may concern, "The Story in the Dream" that I've been working on for a while has finally come to an end. The entire first and very rough draft in complete. Thanks to all the readers who gave me comments along the way and who supported me most, just by reading it. (Also, NO thanks to those who didn't... haha) It's really poorly written and full of all kinds of grammar and spelling mistakes, but you guys kept reading through it anyway. I myself, am happy, as this is the first longer story (Though it is actually VERY short) that I have ever stuck with and completed. If anyone would like to be involved in helping me edit it, then they can help in any way they feel led. Someday I would eventually like to clean this up and use it for SOMETHING. Anyway, just wanted to say that I posted the 8th and last chapter, and also the Epilogue... Thanks readers! I hope you enjoyed it!

A Very Funny Video

2008-06-01T13:44:00.002-05:00

So to all you who like funny videos with Christian artists in them, here's another one for you:
It turns out during the Portable Sounds tour (I know that was a while ago... ) Tub-o (Some of you might recognize that name) made this music video for Toby's song "Feeling So Fly". It is pretty stinking funny and has all the people who participated in the Portable Sounds tour in it (TFK, The Diverse City Band, Building 429, FF5, as well as the sound guys, stage guys, etc). Check it out ya'll
Peace

Is Having Some Trouble with the EP

2008-05-28T16:47:00.003-05:00

My plans for the upcoming EP (That still doesn't have a name) are as follows:

1. Get it out as soon as possible
2. Have 5 songs, or preferably 6
3. No covers

I'm having a little trouble writing the last two songs... Sometimes I lack inspiration, sometimes I can't think of lyrics, and sometimes I just can't make the music that I think would appropriately say what I want the song to say. In case you hadn't gathered the information so far, the tracks that are set to go on the EP are:

1. If Life was Like a Video Game
2. Stay with Me Forever
3. Music is Easy

Another thing I'm debating is to try and make the songs deeper and more serious or more goofy and fun. I prefer to write (At least when it comes to my stories) deeper stuff, but in real life I tend to be a lot more goofy. These conflict when I try to make music. Also, I would like to do at least one semi-rocky song on the EP. I have a hard time writing a song like that I would even possibly expect others to listen to.

Anyway... Just figured I'd post something up here about the EP... Even though I really haven't done anything since the last post.

The Project Has Begun

2008-05-24T16:32:00.003-05:00

If any of you have checked my iLike recently (Which is probably not the case) you would have seen my Bulletin about the upcoming EP I am attempting to make. Well progress started last night with me recording the instrumentals for my electric version of "Stay With Me Forever". I finished up the vocals on this earlier this morning, and also completed two more songs.
The first was my electric version of the song "If Life Was Like a Video Game". To those of you who are wondering, I took out the really awkward solo (Which was not only out of place, but WAY out of time) and tried to replace it with something more fitting for the song.
I also just finished recording my newest song "Music is Easy". It's a mellow, sing on the back porch kind of song. Don't look for it online yet though. It won't be available anywhere until the release of the EP. Just wanted to update the people who might care.
P3@(3!

Word to the Weak Sauce Basement Musicians!!!

2008-04-24T22:33:00.002-05:00

A Lazy Afternoon

2008-03-30T14:57:00.005-06:00

Here is a video of what I sit down and do when I'm bored. (At least one of the things I sit down and do when I'm bored.)

Be ready for the next HN album April 1st y'all (Hawk Nelson is My Friend)! I'm going to buy it and review it though anyway. Haha

Just Shoot Me

2008-03-19T09:22:00.001-06:00

The Time Has Come

2008-03-06T20:57:00.000-06:00

I present to you all, Chapter 7 of my story. Enjoy!

(Enter Star-Fox 64 Theme Music Here)

2008-03-05T11:02:00.002-06:00

Alright people. Much has happened in the last couple days that I feel I should write about. As some of you know, Sunday I was taken ill (Darned Thetins...) and have been down ever since, BUT I have not used the entire time to be idle.

First. FireRed came into heavy play. I have finally completed my indestructable army!!! Go me! Lol... After a total 100.5 hours, I now have 6 Lvl 100's:
Charizard
Blastoise
Venosaur
Mewtwo
Zaptos
Alakazam

Instead of boring those with great details, if you want to know more just ask me about it.

Second of all, MY DAD CAME HOME! Yay! Dad came home while I was sick! I am very happy to have him home!

Third, my dad bought me a gift which was.... (Drumroll) PEARL VERSION!!! And all the nerds said "AMEN!". I have already put some quality time into that game as well.

My fourth annoucement. I read 300 pages of Eldest whilst I was sick, thus finishing the book... NOW I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL THE THIRD ONE COMES OUT!!! 'Twas pretty good. Left me hanging.

And now, the final annoucement. Word! I have a feeling this will probably mean more to most people than any of my other announcements. This is technically where the theme music from Star-Fox should start playing. While I was sick I thought about some things that I should finish doing. Much thanks to Bethany Wilson and my grandparents constant encouragement (Sometimes called badgering... lol... jk.) I took a notebook and wrote the final two chapters to finish off "The Story in the Dream". Hooray! This is actually an accomplishment in my life as well because it is the longest peice of written work I have ever compiled. What I have finished is a very rough draft of what I want the story to be in the end, but I have completed the rough draft and may now continue to edit it until I have completely satisfied. I still want to write the closing notes for the story, but I am planning on doing that as soon as I finish this post (As I am starting to feel ill again and am getting a little light-headed). So let me restate that I have FINISHED the Story in the Dream [Rough Draft](Still untitled) however it is still in my notebook. I will post the chapters online asap and alert any interested. Thanks readers! Peace!

Before the "Jo-Bros"

2008-02-20T17:26:00.003-06:00

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:

A Sample of My Amazingly Exciting Life

2008-02-13T13:23:00.005-06:00

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!

Praying for You

2008-02-09T07:26:00.000-06:00

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...

Fall and Winter

2008-02-05T15:17:00.000-06:00

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

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

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!

Happy New Year!!!

2008-01-07T17:08:00.000-06:00

Hey everybody!!! It's '08 now! Sorry for the long wait in between posts...

It's the new year now and I've been thinking a lot... just like the beginning of every new year... Pretty soon I'll probably make some resolutions that I'll be trying to keep throughout the year...

Last year was a pretty good year for me... I've learned a lot and observed a lot, and my view of life has drastically changed... If I do say so myself I believe that last year I matured a lot.

I met new people, did new things, went new places, as well as refreshing old relationships with old friends.

I even broke my goal to have 2000 songs on my mp3 player by the end of the year... As of now, I have a total of 2069 songs! Yay!

I would like to start of this year early by stating that I am very sorry to all those I wronged last year and I am trying to correct things with my life as a whole this year.

I would also like to thank all of my friends for just being there last year when I needed you guys most... It really helped a lot...

Also, thanks should go out to all those who have given me complements, constructive criticizim and otherwise over the past year... It has helped me quite a bit.

Also thanks to all those people who took the time to listen to all of my recordings... it really did mean a lot.

Now I would like to hear from everyone else: What did you think of last year, and did you make any resolutions for this one?

Oh, and Happy 2008 everybody!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

2007-12-24T11:50:00.000-06:00

In Response to My Last Post

2007-12-17T12:16:00.000-06:00

The reason I have decided to stop recording is pretty simple. How long can people listen to an unexperienced teenager play cheap covers poorly before his welcome is worn out? There are already millions of people who can do that all over the world, and people can only take so much before they turn. While accepted at first, cover artists can quickly become old news and unwelcome. In short, I have retired for both mine and my listeners sake. For my listeners ears, and my dignity, I lay down my microphone.
In response to Hannah, no. It's not anything about my audience. (Of around 4 people... lol). Releasing a cd was last in my thoughts. I decided to quit before people became tired of hearing me. Save some time before I truly become a burnout. How many times can you listen to my covers before they just get old. Not even worth putting on a cd
In response to Colin... Lol. A good old quote from It's A Wonderful Life puts a smile on my face, though touched is not quite the word I think about when I think of what people get when they listen to my recordings. On the other hand, of course we can still jam! I do not want to put my guitar down for good. I just don't want to make other people feel like they have to listen to it. lol
In response to your sympathy, thank you, but it is unneeded. I'm doing you guys a favor in the long run!
I must say though. It was nice to have my entire dedicated audience comment on my farewell post. Thanks guys!
Once again, Merry Christmas!

A Retirement

2007-12-16T15:58:00.000-06:00

I have been thinking about it for awhile, and have made a decision. I have decided to retire from the recording scene. I am posting this video as my last recorded song.

With some soul, I wish everyone a merry Christmas!!!

Christmas Shopping!

2007-12-14T11:42:00.000-06:00

My favorite version of this song, to be listened to while reading the post (Though it has nothing to do with the post itself:

Okay... I'm finally almost done Christmas shopping... I started late, but I caught myself up. All I need to buy is something for my dad (I still have no idea what I'm getting him). I am just one of those people that waits until a couple weeks before Christmas to start shopping... I guess I really am a procrastinator at heart.

How do you guys Christmas shop? Early or late? I want to see what the majority of my friends would say.

Some Music I Grew Up On

2007-12-12T17:29:00.000-06:00

I know this has nothing to do w/ Christmas, but I feel like I need to say it anyway.
Alright... I have something to say... I've heard tons of people make fun of him and slam him, but I am totally down with this guy. It is hard for me to explain how amazing I think this guys voice and music are... I remember when I was just a little tyke in Okinawa I would take my little sing along tape player and take my mom's tapes of this guy and totally sing my heart out. Listening to Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, Amy Grant, Cindy Morgan, and this guy are how I taught myself how to sing. (Though I had some great influences, I didn't turn out so well...) I have recently started listening to some of this guy's stuff again and now am falling in love all over again... In my opinion, this guy quite possibly has some of the best love songs (Including lyrics) of all time... And I don't say that lightly.
Here is one of my favorite songs of all time... Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Bolton:

Christmas is Coming!!!

2007-12-09T14:01:00.000-06:00

Yay for Christmas! It is coming up and I am now in the Christmas spirit (It takes me longer every year... I must be getting old...)! Stores are getting crowded, Santa's are ringing bells, carols are on the radio, and Rudolf is a star on TV again!

Let us not forget what Christmas is all about however. Christmas is the day we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savoior Jesus Christ. W/out His birth on earth, we would be condemned eternally to Hell... Jesus came to earth to be killed by His own creation... Talk about humble. Still, many people try and hide the true meaning of this holiday. Here is a great song my grandma sent me!

Merry Christmas Y'all!

To Whom It May Concern

2007-12-03T17:27:00.001-06:00

Some of you may have heard my previous recording of the song "You Give Love a Bad Name". I used entirely piano to record it and called it my "most honest recording". Well, I recently rerecorded it using my acoustic guitar and I personally think I added some nice touches (It will be a surprise to those who hear it). However, I will not be posting the song again on the Imagine Cup Winners page like I normally do. I will put it on my Facebook files application and will also email it anyone that requests it though. Peace out!

To Get You In the Christmas Spirit:

2007-11-30T18:50:00.000-06:00

Just in case you haven't gottten in the Christmas spirit yet, here's a great song to put you there:

Up and Coming

2007-11-26T18:08:00.000-06:00

Have you ever just been with people and everything you saw or do is funny? Well... Me and my cousins do it all the time and we've come up w/ a great idea. We took a bunch of the funniest stuff we said during this trip (And other places) and are going to put it together and make some "Shows" That we'll post on YouTube. This contains some pretty funny skits, advice, and random humor that if I do say so myself, is pretty stinking funny! The planned release for these videos is next year when my cousins and I get together again. Look forward to them! I might post little advertisments if you guys want 'em. Peace!

Some Holiday Facts and My New Favorite Music Video

2007-11-20T13:22:00.000-06:00

I was reading an issue of CCM the other day and found a bunch of holiday stuff by my favorite artists:

5 Favorite Christmas Traditions from:

Superchick's Tricia Brock
1. Candles, and lots of them
2. Crazy Family Christmas Parties
3. Decorating
4. Christmas Eve Service
5. Having the people you love together making memories you'll never forget

Skillet's Jon Cooper
1. Watch It's A Wonderful Life
2. Monster cookies (Oatmeal, chocolate chips, peanut butter, and m&ms)
3. Take a family drive down "Christmas Lane" (which is a street where every house on the street has Christmas lights)
4. Big extended family breakfast
5. See a big Christmas blockbuster movie at the theatre

5 Favorite Christmas Treats from Relien K's Matt Hoopes:

1. Egg nog
2. Christmas cookies
3. Candy Canes
4. Roasted chestnuts
5. Mcdonald's mcflurry shakes!

Some of Sanctus Real's 5 best stocking stuffer ideas:

Pete Prevost
1. Itunes giftcards
2. Dark chocolate truffles
3. Target gift cards
4. Starbucks gift cards
5. Sanctus real cds

Dan Gartley
1. Transformers
2. Rubik's cube
3. An officail red ryder carbine-action 200-chot range model bb rifle with a compass in the stock
4. A foot?
5. Subscription to ccm magazine!

Barlowgirl's 5 favorite Christmas movies:

Becca
1. Muppet's Christmas Carol
2. Elf
3. The Year Without a Santa Claus
4. Animaniacs Hellooo Holidays
5. It's a Wonderful Life

Alyssa
1. It's a Wonderful Life
2. Little Women
3. Muppet's Christmas Carol
4. Elf
5. Miracle on 34th Street

Lauren
1. It's a Wonderful Life
2. Rudolf
3. Muppet's Christmas Carol
4. Little Women
5. Elf

And now for some funny ones:

5 Things to not give your girlfriend for Christmas from Hawk Nelson's Jason Dunn:

1. Smile, It's the End of the World by Hawk Nelson. I don't think she'd appreciate the music.
2. Hockey tickets. Funny... when I first met her she said she loved hockey! hm....
3. Homemade painting. I've done this for the past three years, and I'm just now figuring this out.
4. Chocolate. Apparently there are just way too many calories!!!
5. A trip to hawaii. Actually, I've never offered that, but I'm pretty sure she wouldn't like that anyways!

David Crowder's top 5 things to remember while hanging Christmas lights:

1. You will not find the lights straight away. No, you shall be nigh to capitulation before they appear, and not one bit sooner. They are in the attic, in the box that you are certain they are not in. This is a proven fact.

2. The lights are tangled. This you know, but it will still come as a chock. Delegation of this job is suggested.

3. Plug in the lights prior to hanging. (The expired culprits will also be the last ones checked. You will again react with surprise and feign exasperation.)

4. The staple gun will jam. Do not place index finger over the slit that the staples exit like last year. Also, do not look directly at this slit while examining it closely for jammed staples as sneezing can apply heavy pressure to gun lever, as year before last!

5. Trust not the ladder wholly, as the bushes are pointy and unrelenting.

Also, I was watching an episode of The Kitchen Sink and saw a Skillet video that has now become my favorite music video of the moment, Here's Skillet's "Looking for Angels":

Who I Am Hates Who I've Been

2007-11-16T18:36:00.000-06:00

Here's a recent (I just recorded it) video of me playing some guitar and singing... There's really only one mistake (Near the end on the guitar part):

The Black Box

2007-11-16T10:08:00.001-06:00

Here's the lyrics to a great song I have found by the band This Beautiful Republic on the cd Even Heroes Need a Parachute:

Black Box
The plane is starting to smoke
I think that everyone knows
That this thing will soon be going down
Some people think that we'll choke
Some people think there's hope
Which will it be?
When we know we see the ending

Quickly fading, we see that we're dying
I know it's a tragedy
That sometimes people can lose their wings
Now we're crashing down, what will they see?
When there's nothing left, who are we?

It's going down like a flame
There's no one out there to blame
We made our choice and now there's no more time
The black box is hearing the hop and the fearing
What will it say?

After all the smoke has cleared
There's only one record that they'll ever see
Our black box says it all, it tells them who we are
-------------------------------------------------

This song reminds me a lot of the song "Legacy" by Nicole Nordman. I think this is a great thing to think about. When we die, people will look back on our lives and that's how they'll view us. We have to live as Christ if we are to reach this world. One of our greatest testimonies is how we live out each day. How are we going to live?

A Great New Game

2007-11-13T13:45:00.000-06:00

I was checking out stuff on Facebook and I found this great new game a bunch of people were play called "Corrupt a wish"... Here are the rules: "the way it works is someone makes a wish, and the next person corrupts it, then makes a wish, and the next person corrupts it, and makes a new wish, and so on"

Here are some examples:

Wish: "I wish I had every movie ever made and they never ruined (and i had the best DVD/VCR player ever) "

Reply (and next wish): "Granted... your DVDs will never get ruined, but any time you are watching one of these special DVDs, if you happen to sneeze, a rabid goat will barge into your house and headbutt you while eating the contents of your wallet.

I wish I had a water bottle that magically refilled on its own whenever I was thirsty."

Reply: "your wish is granted...but unfortunately it also comes with the magically refilling bladder!

i wish i had my own personal genie"

Reply: "granted, but u grant the genie's wishes" etc...

Make a wish on the comments page and let's try playing the game!

Some Great Lyrics

2007-11-12T14:03:00.001-06:00

Most people think that Family Force 5 is just a bunch of goof-offs who call themselves Chrstians, and even though a majority of their songs may support that argument, they do have some great songs that reflect their faith. I decided I wanted to post the lyrics to some of them:

Replace Me

My batteries died sometime ago
Got a heart shaped box where they must go
Corrosions building everyday
My flesh is leading me astray
That's why I started to decay
and I will slowly rot away
but I can't feel that anyway

This heart it wants to beat
These lungs they want to breathe
These eyes they want to see
Got a mouth that wants to sing

Desperation needing You
Every last breath I scream for You
Shatter me to a million pieces
Make me new

Crush me, tear me, break me, mold me
Make me what You want me to be
I am Your's and for You to use
So take and replace me with You

Needing more than just a jump start to get me through
My disconnection is now the issue...

I miss my 1st love bad and its driving me mad
Just like a mixed up crazy person out of his head
Its been a long, long time I've been on the decline
I do an about face so I can be replaced. (180)

This heart it wants to beat
These lungs they want to breathe
These eyes they want to see
Got a mouth that wants to sing

Desperation needing You
Every last breath I scream for You
Shatter me to a million pieces
Make me new
Crush me, tear me, break me, mold me
Make me what You want me to beI am Your's and for You to use
So take and replace me with You

Never Let Me Go

Time don't wait for no one
Leaving you broken
Especially when you're under the gun
Makes things complicated
Leaving your jaded toward
Everything that's under the sun

Tick Tock Tick Tock, goes the clock
Tick Tock Tick Tock, till I drop
But time don't phase me, not a bit
'Cause I give mine to You, All of it
Death can't shake me, from Your hand
Me minus You equals, not a chance
It's good to know that, when I go
You'll never ever let me
Never ever let me
Never ever let me
Never ever let me
Never ever let me
Never ever let me
Never ever let me
Never ever let me
Never ever let me go

I want some face to face
Just give me that full embrace
What did I hear You say?
That You will never ever let me go
I'll never know
When it's my time to go
One thing I know for sure
That You will never ever let me go
Never let me go

The mind is a ticking time bomb
Itching to go off
Impatiently it waits in the calm
Bang, it might be over
In one little moment
before you know it,
It's all gone

Tick tock tick tock, Goes the clock
Tick tock tick tock, gonna pop
It's good to know that, when it goes
You'll never ever let me
Never ever let me
Never ever let me
Never ever let me
Never ever let me go

I want some face to face
Just give me that full embrace
What did I hear You say?That You will never ever let me go
I'll never know
When it's my time to go
One thing I know for sure
That You will never ever let me go
Never let me go

One thing I'll never know
The time and place that I will go
Death can't shake me from Your hand

You never let me go
Why do You never ever never ever let me go?
You Never let me go
I know You'll never ever never ever let me go

I want some face to face
Just give me that full embrace
What did I hear You say?
That You will never ever let me go
I'll never know When it's my time to go
One thing I know for sure
That You will never ever let me go
Never let me go

Face Down (My personal favorite of theirs right now)

I shut my eyes in search of sleep
Tossed and turned and hoped for dreams
Awakened by a voice that was so clear
It felt so near to me

I want Your love I need Your touch
I've been missing You so much
I reach out for Your hand,
And now it feels like I am falling

Down, down, down
Till I kiss the ground, ground, ground

Fall down with my face down
Giving up me, myself, and I
It's a bittersweet taste to swallow my pride now

Face down is where I stay now
If You see me standing up again
just knock me back down so I can live
Face down

I'm on my face again
It's where I should have been
It brings me back to where I found You
Where I first fell for You

No more depending on myself
Its You and me and no one else
You stretch out Your hand
and now it feels like I'm falling into
Love, Love, Love
Can't get enough of Love

Fall down with my face down
Giving up me, myself, and I
It's a bittersweet taste to swallow my pride now

Face down is where I stay now
If You see me standing up again
just knock me back down so I can live
Face down

I've got to live face down

These are actually some of my favorite songs that FF5 has. Who all has heard these ones and likes them? I hope I have may shown some people that Family Force 5 does have some good songs though.

Closer to My Goal

2007-11-08T20:06:00.000-06:00

Some of you know about my goal to get 2,000 songs on my MP3 player before the year is up and some of you don't, but now you all must... lol... Anyway... I have recently boosted up my count to 1,896 songs! Only 104 to go! This recent boost has me saying thank you mostly to two people (Though other random songs have been added), but mostly Hannah Woida for buying me the Tarzan soundtrack for my birthday ( I LOVE it and have wanted it for a long long time), and Amanda Wilson for giving me a Wal-mart gift card which I used to download a bunch of songs which I will list:

One - Three Dog Night
Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations
The Way you Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson
Blue (Da Ba Dee) - Eiffel 65
I Want it That Way - N*SYNC
Here We Go - N*SYNC
Rawkfist - Thousand Foot Krutch
I Love You to Death - Family Force 5
Face Down - Family Force 5
Minds Eye - Family Force 5
Whatcha Gonna Do With It - Family Force 5
Life is a Highway - Rascal Flatts
Breathe Into Me - Red
I Say a Little Prayer - (The Diana King version)
Alleluia - Hawk Nelson
Gloria - Hawk Nelson
I Heard the Bells - Hawk Nelson
The Album: Even Heroes Need a Parachute - This Beautiful Republic

You can see from the stuff that I downloaded that I have a very diverse musical taste (lol...) as I downloaded mostly everything but Rap, 80's Hair Metal (Sorry Colin), and Classical...
I'm that much closer to my goal!

What do you guys think of any of these songs? lol

Bad Pick Up Lines

2007-11-06T21:33:00.000-06:00

I was checking out funny groups on Facebook and saw a bunch of really funny eccentric (to put it nicely) pickup lines. Some of them were:

Is your Dad an astronaut? Because someone took the stars from the sky and put them in your eyes.

You must be tired because you've been running through my dreams all night

Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?

Are you from Tennessee? Because you're the only ten I see!

Pardon me miss, I seem to have lost my phone number, could I borrow yours?

Were you in Boy Scouts? Because you sure have tied my heart in a knot.

What does it feel like to be the most beautiful girl in this room?

You are the reason men fall in love.

I'm writing a term paper on the finer things in life, and I was wondering if I could interview you.

Do you want to see a picture of a beautiful person? (hold up a mirror)

Can I borrow a quarter? I told my Mom I'd call when I met the girl of my dreams.

If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together.

You're like a dictionary, you add meaning to my life!

Hello. Cupid called. He says to tell you that he needs my heart back.

If you were a laser, you'd be set on "stunning".

Excuse me, do you have any raisins? How about a date?

Can I take your picture? I want Santa to know exactly what I want for Christmas.

If you were a burger at McDonalds, you'd be named McGourgous.

Guy: Did you just fart? Girl: No, why? Guy: Because you just blew me away.

If I had a nickel for every girl as beautiful as you, I'd have five cents

God was showing off when he made you.

Aieeeah! Your eyes glow like the twin suns!

There's a star in the sky for every time I think of you

Hi, I'm incredibly rich.

I've noticed you noticing me and I'm just giving you notice that I've noticed you!

Do you have a boyfriend?

I know somebody who likes you but if I weren't so shy, I'd tell you who.

Pardon me, but what pickup line works best with you?

Excuse me, do you have the time? Woman: No. Man: Well I have the time and it says I have time for you alllll the time

You know what I fell in? (What?) Love with you.

Excuse me, do you have Band-aid? I skinned my knee when I fell for you.

Was your Dad in the Air Force? Because you're the bomb.

Life without you is like a pencil without lead, pointless.

(One of the funniest) My love for you is like diarrhea; I can't hold it in.

Hey c'mon now, I'm ugly, you're ugly, it's perfect.

I should call the police because you're stealing my heart.

You're more beautiful than 100 pink flamingos on a golf course.

I can't wait until tomorrow. Somehow you get prettier every day.

If wishes came true I'd be having dinner with you tonight.

Girl: I'm sorry, I can't talk right now, I have a(n) (some instrument) lesson. Guy: (instrument)? I thought angels played harps.

Baby, you're so sweet, you put Hershey's out of business, and speaking of Hershey's, how about a kiss?

You see my friend over there? [Point to friend who sheepishly waves from afar] He wants to know if YOU think I'M cute.

Can I have your heart? I need it to be complete and I don't feel whole without you.

Sorry for the long wait...

2007-11-05T15:34:00.001-06:00

Okay... I just started to think about how long it's been since I wrote a chapter in the story I was working on. Well... Since I was in the hospital, but that was a weak chapter, and it had been a while before that. Then when Bethany commented that she was waiting on the next chapter, I figured I should at least write another one soon. I just finished Chapter 6 of the story for anyone who wants to read it. Sorry for any inconveniences.

My Newest Recording

2007-11-02T11:35:00.000-06:00

I just recorded a new song that is a little different... I tried to put some feeling into it, and there are some bgv's for those who requested them. I do only have one instrument on this song, but I felt that was best for the correct feeling of the song. This has personally become one of my favorite recordings now. (Not to try and sound stuck up). I don't know what you guys will think. I thought that it was quite the weird combination... It's Queen's "Somebody to Love" with TobyMac's "Love is in the House". They are almost about totally different things with the word "love" being the only real common factor, but I personally liked them together... It's hard to explain. Please check it out and leave some comments. I would like some feedback on this different endeavor of mine.

I miss you Amanda!

Much Has Happened... (And a cd review)

2007-11-01T11:24:00.000-06:00

Wow... since I've written my last post quite a bit has happened... I have been admitted and released from the hospital because of salmonella, my bestest friend in the whole world has come and gone, my brother has had his birthday... How do I start?

A couple weeks ago I felt really horrible and went to bed... I also couldn't keep any solids or liquids in me... I was admitted to the hospital a couple days later and eventually they found out that it was salmonella... I'm still not quite sure what I got it from, but I really don't want to have it again... The hospital staff were nice and I had a lot to do there, but there's nothing like being at home (and being able to eat and drink a normal diet). Thank you to all the people who did any or all of the following : Prayed for me, wrote me a card, gave me a balloon, sat and talked to me, came in while I was tired and didn't get to talk to me. I appriciate it a LOT. While in the hospital, the Wilson family got in from California. It stunk that I was sick for a large portion of their trip, but Amanda did come up the day after they got here and stayed at the hospital with me for most of the day (Thank you... Even if we didn't really get to talk). I got to hang out with Amanda for the remainder of the trip mostly by watching tv, driving and running errands, she came to Metro with me one day, and we sat out on the swing almost every night in the freezing cold... Amanda, I had a great time with you while you were here and I miss you so much now that you're gone...
Friday night the Moore's (and Josh Beasley) came over and we had a Mafia party... Oddly enough, I was never killed by the mafia... It's the first time I've played so many games and not been killed by the mafia... One of the games we played with a slight variation where there was one person who couldn't be killed by the mafia. I was that person and I found out Jacob was the doctor and we ended up winning by default when it came down to three people... lol...
Saturday was Marcus' birthday party. Blake and John Wilson as well as Jimmy T came. Amanda came with me and we took the boys up to the indoor playplace at Mohoney park. I played in the park for a little, but I am getting old and being weak from being in the hospital, being sick, and losing 12 lbs (I'm never going to be able to gain that back... sigh... if I wasn't skinny before...). The rest of the time I got to sit and talk to Amanda and laugh at the boys (We could watch from the balcony). It was really fun! That night Mr. Wilson said that Amanda and I could go to Applebees. It was great. It was the first time I'd had really really good food since I'd been sick. Amanda and I just talked, mostly about all the cool/weird/random stuff on the walls there. I think it was one of my favorite nights. After Applebees we went and got my brother's B-day present (Star Wars Legos II or whatever it's called).
Sunday was my brother's b-day and he got a soccer ball from the Wilson's (Soccer ROCKS!), the game from me and Maddie, and a remote control helicopter from my mom and dad. He really loved all of his presents! That night was pretty sad because we knew the Wilson's were leaving the next day.
Monday morning I had my dad wake me up at 5:30 so I could try and talk to Amanda some before they had to leave. Everyone was very out of it and very sad. We gave our goodbye hugs and the Wilson's drove away... As soon as they were out of sight I put my head on my mom's shoulder and pretty much lost it. I then had to go inside and take a shower and immediately head off to Metro for class... I have been very sad ever since...

Now for the cd review:
While Amanda was here, after I got my hair cut (Which I did eventually dye again, much to pretty much EVERYONE'S dissapointment, yes, a lot of people did tell me), we went to the BX where I bought Relient K's mostly not new Christmas cd "Let it Snow. Let it Reindeer." It's pretty much just a re-release of their old Christmas cd "Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hands" that came with Two Lefts Don't Make a Right, but Three Do. However, since many people haven't heard of that cd, much less don't have it, I think that it was smart for them to rerelease it again. Along with the original songs from Deck the Halls, there were also some new ones as well as the song, "In Like A Lion" Which came out on their cd Apathetic EP. I really like this cd a lot (Even though I'd heard most of the songs before, though I don't own Deck the Halls, I have listened to it a lot). I definately advise everyone who likes Relient K's music to get it. I'm trying to think of my favorite songs ... Instead, I'll just write all of them with a little review on each:

1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - I really like this song anyway, but I definately like the way Relient K made it their own... They have the perfect sound for doing Christmas music. This was one of the new ones added to the old Christmas cd... Definately a good track.

2. Sleigh Ride - Let me see. I do like this track, but I must say that I have heard other versions of this song that I like better. One of the big downers in Relient K's version is that they leave out a whole part of the original song... This is also one of the newer ones. Good track, but I wish it was better.

3. Merry Christmas, Here's to Many More - This song it a little sad, but also really good. I love it a lot now as it has one of my new favorite quotes, "Jesus Christ has blessed my life just to know who you are." Definately a good song. (Also A new one for this cd.)

4. Angels We Have Heard on High - This is one of their older ones that they put on this record. I like it a lot (I even was able to sing their version in a church service in Ohio and my cousin played the electric guitar.) Definately a good track. I like the syncopation of the guitar in the second chorous (I think).

5. Deck the Halls - Also one of the older ones. I this this one is ok. I really do like the harmony both in the melody and the guitars.

6. 12 Days of Christmas - This song is one of their old ones, but it was a very smart move on their part to re-release it... This one is AMAZING! Normally when you think of this song you think of it getting pretty old... Relient K does a great job of changing up each verse and even adding their own lyrics "What's a partridge and what's a pair tree? Well I don't know so please don't as me, but I can bet those are terrible gifts to get." This one is worth listening to by everyone!

7. Silent Night/Away in a Manger - Older track. Um... I like these okay, but I will admit I've liked other versions of these songs better... I can't really explain it though...

8. I Celebrate the Day - Also an old one, and original. I love this one a lot. I can listen to it all the time. I would like to learn how to play it on the piano (Or have someone else do it and have me record the vocals... lol) Great song. My favorite lyrics are at the end that say "I celebrate the day that You were born to die so that I could one day pray for You to save my life."

9. In Like a Lion - This song was inspired by The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe from the Chronicles of Narnia... Everyone who reads my blog should know that I'm a crazy insane fan of those books... I also really like this song and it was my favorite when it first came out with Apathetic EP.

10. I'm Gettin' Nuttin for Christmas - Definately a great track... One of my new favorites... I love the way that at the end they do the whole mob/punk think... You'll know what I mean when you hear it.

11. We Wish You a Merry Christmas - This is most assuredly my favorite version of this song I've ever heard. I love the sound, added lyrics, and sweet guitar part at the end. 'Nuf said.

12. Santa Claus is Thumbing to Town - An original song that was on their old Christmas album. Talks about how Santa's sleigh broke and the North Pole was in chaos ("I warned you never to trust those eleves."). Very funny, I also like how they use the melody from Jingle Bells in the guitar part before the verses.

13. Handel's Messiah - A very different version of Handel's Messiah. (The Hallelujah Chorous part). I like it a lot, but some people who like the original may not because it is so different... and it has electric guitar... lol

14. I Hate Christmas Parties - A very sad song. I like this one a lot. I'd heard parts of it when they had originally released it before, but until I bought this cd I'd never heard the whole thing. Definately a great track. I like the piano and the minor chords... Great song... Great song...

15. Boxing Day - Also a sad song about after Christmas. It's pretty cool. I like the way the guitars sound... It reminds me of the switchfoot song Daisy. (Which I love a lot)

16. Auld Lang Syne - I love this song a lot, but I especially like the barber shop feel of this four part harmony version. They had a version of this on their old Christmas cd, but they had to rerecord this one because they talk during it and wish everyone a merry Christmas. However, on the old version the member of the band that talked has since left the band. Matt T. and Matt Hoopes did the audio on this version. Great track.

17. The untitled bonus track - Um... I don't really care for this song (Good King Wincelas... Spelling?), but it's kinda funny... The person singing the low part can't hit this low note at the end of the song and his voice goes out... The next line he starts laughing... Kinda funny...

Overall this album is a great cd and all people who are fans of Christmas music and Relient K (Or even the pop-punk style) should definately buy it. (Or at least download select songs).

Now for clarification, I don't want the album review to take away from the fact that I am very sad and missing my friends the Wilsons... I miss them very much and my heart is very heavy, but I thought that you guys might rather have an album review to read then a depressing overview of my life right now... But I can't end this post without saying:
I miss you soooooo much Amanda!

Chapter 5 in The Dream

2007-10-18T16:30:00.001-05:00

I just finished Chapter 5 in my story that I've been working on. I apologize for both the lack of length and lack of plot in this latest addition, but there needs to always be a calf before a storm and then the fact that I'm in the hospital and haven't eaten for a couple days may help account for that. Yes... I'm asking for a sympathy read... lol

Debt...

2007-10-10T21:55:00.000-05:00

Lol... Have you ever been in debt? I'm talking about a debt that you would never be able to repay if you took all the years of your life and tried... (No, I'm not talking about salvation... the situation we all are in...) A debt that you not only owe to one person, but three? Lol... sorry... inside joke... Isn't it weird how inside jokes are only funny if you are, well, on the inside? Post some comments on here that are inside jokes and explain them (If you want to)! They're always better when more people know! Here are some inside jokes I have with various friends:

I can do that.

Metal. The Genre.

Want some cheese?

I'm pretty sure it's spelled with an "a"

How appropriate. You fight like a cow.

There's this pirate ship, and it was a rockin' and a rollin'

The next best thing that could be happening.

When I look in the mirror I see someone else.

Gloham, Danny the Baker, The pink samuri (ROTFLOL)...

Never assume...

The answer is always "no"

Well slap my boat!

Arthritis

Fight without winning!

One is the Lonliest Number

2007-10-09T16:12:00.000-05:00

I know it's a little soon for me to be releasing another recording, but I had some free time and I thought it would be fun to put this song out. (I've been trying to work on it for a couple days now).
Some lowlights:

-The fact that it is just above my range as you can see in the chorus (One chorus especially).

-The fact that the timing is slightly off for much of the track.

Some highlights:

-This is the new record for most instruments in a single track and most tracks layed over each other for the majority of a song. (I have Bass Guitar, Acoustic guitar, piano, and some bgv's).

- I love this song... lol

Please check it out and post some comments...

Shut Me Out

2007-10-07T22:00:00.000-05:00

Kutless has some pretty amazing lyrics with some of their songs, and this is one of them. This is definately one of my favorite songs of late. I know some people who read my blog may not actually care for the style of the song so here are the lyrics for it if you want to read them:

Tell me something I don't already know
I know that you can't stand these things I'm preaching in the streets
But how can I contain the truth I hold inside
With all the hurting people that I see so I don't mind
Putting up with you, and all the things you say
I'm not about to stop or even change my ways

[CHORUS:]
There's nothing you can say
That will take me away from this life
There's nothing you can do
To shut me up when I'm speaking the truth

Into the bridge and ending last line:
(to shut me up, to shut me out when I'm speaking the truth)

You may not like all I have to say
But you can't prove that everything is filled with empty words
I know my life and inside how I've changed
A testimony to the truth I speak, so I don't mind
Putting up with you, and all the things you say
I'm not about to stop or even change my ways

Hey Now (The Way You Make Me Feel)

2007-10-07T15:37:00.001-05:00

I was goofing off with my new guitar when I decided to record a simple little song by FM Static. The song is the bonus track on their first cd and it doesn't really have a title. All of the websites I see say that the song is called "Hey Now", but I think "The Way You Make Me Feel" would be a better title... Lol... but it was already taken by Michael Jackson... Of course, Hey Now was taken by Tobymac... You can check it out on the Imagine Cup Winners website.

Chapter 3 Down

2007-10-05T22:49:00.001-05:00

Chapter 3 of the Dream is now posted on the site.

Chapter 2

2007-10-04T21:52:00.001-05:00

The dream has the second chapter added to whom it may concern.

The Story in the Dream

2007-10-03T20:53:00.000-05:00

Recently, as some of you know, I had a very very strange dream. I thought it would make some very interesting reading material if I wrote it down. I don't actually remember the whole dream, and what I remember is very vague, but I have the general principles down which makes for a great story when I add in the rest of the details as well as some original ones. I have posted the first chapter in this story under the title of "The Murder". You can find this on the new blogspot site under http://thestoryinthedream.blogspot.com/. I have also posted a link on the side of my blog. Post some comments on the chapter about what you think. It's definately a different direction for me... I usually write light hearted things. The "Darkest" thing I'd written was my Kingdom Hearts story, which was also very light spirited. (Comparatively). Anyway... That's what I have to say...

My Recordings Part II

2007-09-28T21:55:00.001-05:00

Out of all the songs I have recorded, what it your favorite and why? Here is a list:

1. Adlib Instrumental
2. Apaloosa Spirit
3. But a Breath
4. California (The first time)
5. California (The second time)
6. Chem 6a
7. My Girl (The shower song)
8. Every Little Thing
9. Getting Into You
10. Hey There Delilah
11. High of '75
12. I Wish We'd All Been Ready
13. Lean Back and Listen (My first recording)
14. Lean Back and Listen (Lean on me)
15. Lean on Me 2.0
16. Oh Gravity
17. Luv Addict
18. The Best Thign
19. Whispers in the Dark
20. You Give Love a Bad Name
21. Three Days Later
22. My First Stereo
23. Swing Swing
24. Company Car
25. Amazing Grace
26. Auld Lang Syne
27. Michael Row Your Boat Ashore
28. Swing Low Sweet Chariot
29. The Lion Sleeps Tonight
30. Blue Christmas
31. Last Christmas
32. Silver Bells
33. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
34. Santa Clause is Coming to Town
35. Oh Holy Night
36. Lonely

Wow... I hadn't even realized I recorded that many... Is there anyone out there that has heard all of them?
I realize that some of these songs have only been heard by select people and some of them cannot even be downloaded anymore (If they ever could have been downloaded in the first place). Also, I've been thinking about re-recording some of the songs I've already done. Do you guys have any favorites that you would like me to remix? Or maybe there's one you hate that I could try to make better. Post some comments please!

My new guitar!

2007-09-27T14:39:00.000-05:00

Hoooray! I got my new guitar! (Acousitc electric)! I'll have to post a picture of it later. It rocks way hard! After I put the picture up I'll take some suggestions for a name for it... Also, does anyone have some suggestions of songs to record next?

The Things People Do When They Are Bored

2007-09-24T21:15:00.000-05:00

So I was sitting in my Metro class with nothing to do, (We had finished a test and the other half of the room was still taking it and the teacher was grading, so we were sitting there doing nothing. I tried to talk to the guy next to me, but it's hard to talk in a completely quiet room when you're the only one trying to talk... It pretty much amplifies everything, so instead I made up a little code using numbers from bianary and english letters... Lol... Too much time, but it's kinda fun. If you want me to send you the rules for using it, just post a comment saying that you want them and I'll get them to you somehow. Here's a little sample of it:

English: The Fabulous Fegan Floop

Code: 11111_10011_10000*10001_1100_1101_100000_10111_11010_100000_11110*10001_10000_10010_1100_11001*10001_10111_11010_11010_11011.

Of course, you could always try and decode it yourself, but it's easier if I send you the solutions... lol

Getting Into You

2007-09-23T21:48:00.000-05:00

Ok... This is a new direction for the recordings I've been posting. Upon request from a very special friend to me I've made an alliance with my buddy Holysword and recorded the Relient K song from the cd Two Lefts Don't Make a Right, but Three Do. The song is called, "Getting Into You". I say that I got together with him about it, but actually we never physically saw each other during this recording... lol... And actually, I didn't really do anything... It's pretty much just Holysword on this one. He recorded the layers of guitar and the bgvs (Suggested that would make the recordings better) Much props to him for making this a more memorable recording. He added some very original stuff at the end that wasn't in the original. (Lol... you'll know what I'm talking about when you hear it). Thanks Holysword! Please just listen to the lyrics and music of this song. It has a good message and some sweet music. Try to ignore the bad lead vocals... lol... this song was definately out of my range. Listen, then post a comment!

Hooray Bethany and Amanda!

2007-09-23T14:03:00.001-05:00

Both of my favorite imagination inspiring characters have been guessed. If haven't seen their movies in awhile then you should rewatch them. You will definately know what I mean when I was talking about them letting their imagination wild! In case you haven't been reading the comments, the characters were Willy Wonka and the fabulous Fegan Floop.

Yay Bethany and Amanda for guessing them!

Score 1

2007-09-22T10:29:00.001-05:00

Yay! Amanda got the first one of my imaginary inspirational characters characters right by guessing Willy Wonka! There's still one more to go! In comments to the same post, she got the mystery character right! lol... I had just watched that same episode where they start the band the first time. What are the odds? lol.

Another hint on my other favorite imaginative movie character: Gum has saved my life before.

Name That Character

2007-09-21T21:59:00.001-05:00

There's a character from a tv show that is rarely talked about, yet has some vary distinct features. Other than people in my family, who is this character?

I was crowned a deity in Norway.

I'm not good at playing the bass guitar.

I did shotput in school.

My first love was figure skating.

When my father saw I had dyed my hair white, I was grounded from the blender for two weeks.

(Is no one going to guess my two inspirational characters? Here's a good hint for one of them. The movie was remade with an actor who wasn't Wilder and had Depp(th).)

My Recordings

2007-09-19T21:06:00.000-05:00

Okay... I've been recording songs for a while now, but there's still something missing... (Lol... It needs... children) They are mostly just cheap covers of popular songs. Nothing to write home or tell friends about. What is something I should change to improve the quality/likability of my recordings? I would like to hear from the listeners what they would like to hear more of... what would make them better? Different genre? New vocals? They just don't have "it". What should I add or remove? Or maybe I should just stop recording all together... I need to hear from you guys.

The Most Honest Recording

2007-09-19T18:25:00.001-05:00

I just recorded (By suggestion from a friend) "You Give Love a Bad Name". I feel that it is one of my most honest recordings. Instead of recording it a million times trying to have the house perfectly quiet or trying to get all the parts right, I recorded this one on the second try through. As a result, there are voices in the background (Including one of my mom yelling at me telling me to shut up... Ah... so goes the amatuer recording life... everyone's a critic), but I don't think I sound sick of singing the same song over and over trying to get it perfect. Another thing about it, I normally have a set way I'm going to play a song before I record it. This one I just kinda made up as I went along, with only a general direction of where I was going. This recording one was of my favorites to make because of the simplicity of it. I just went with the flow and tried to put my own little spin on the song.
As a result of this, the listeners of the song (Sorry everyone) are probably going to hate it. Lol... from my mom's yelling, I've already proved that once. Then there's the problem of length. You'll probably be sick of it after the first 30 seconds (If not sooner) so you might not even notice, but this is definately my longest recording to date... So I apologize to everyone beforehand, BUT I feel that I needed to get this off. I will probably lose all my listeners I have developed thus far, but I felt I need to show everyone that this is what recording is really like. The honest way.

Some Random Lists

2007-09-18T15:46:00.000-05:00

Songs I have had stuck in my head or have been caught singing (Or both) recently:

Last Words ~ Thousand Foot Krutch
California ~ Hawk Nelson
Dare You to Move ~ Switchfoot
One is the Lonliest Number ~ Three Dog Night
You Give Love a Bad Name ~ Bon Jovi
Let Your Love be Strong ~ Switchfoot
Godspeed ~ Anberlin
Adelaide ~ Anberlin
Dismantle Repair ~ Anberlin
Awake ~ Pillar
Learning How to Die ~ Jon Foreman

My Groups I'm a Part of on Facebook:

The Really Real Family Force Five Facebook Group
THEY ARE TRYING TO SHUT DOWN FACEBOOK - PETITION TO KEEP IT! INVITE ALL
Even Stevens was one of the best shows EVER MADE!!!
Switchfoot Fan Club
Skillet
I bet I can find 1,000,000 Christians
Why Yes, I Do Frequently Burst Out In Song
Unsocialized Homeschoolers AND PROUD OF IT!!!
Switchfoot!
The Offial Hawk Nelson Fan Club
Skillet Fan Club
Polarity (4/17)
Relient K Fan Club
Chad Butler(Switchfoot) and/or Dave Douglas(Relient K) are rad drummers!!
Psych Fan Club
Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker are MASTERS
KINGDOM HEARTS FAN CLUB
Family Force 5
The Legend of Zelda Fan Club
An appriciation for MONK - The Obsessive Compulsive Detective

An odd description of me from a friend when asked how he would describe me:

"Wow..Umm...I'm not sure.Some where between hardcore rocker and neetly dressed gentleman. "

Some of the cds I would like to buy (The ones I can think of right now... there are probably more):

Even Heroes Need A Parachute ~ This Beautiful Republic
Phenomenon ~ Thousand Foot Krutch
The Art of Breaking ~ Thousand Foot Krutch
The Flame in All of Us ~ Thousand Foot Krutch
Collide ~ Skillet
Buisness up Front, Party in the Back ~ Family Force 5
Tarzan ~ Various
Annie ~ Various
How Can We be Silent ~ Barlowgirl
Pirates of the Carribean 2: Dead Man's Chest Soundtrack ~ Various
Kingdom Hearts 2 Soundtrack ~ Various
The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time Soundtrack ~ Various
Halo 2 Soundtrack ~ Various
Crashings ~ Falling Up
Dawn Escapes ~ Falling Up
Blueprints for the Black Market ~ Anberlin
Never Take Friendship Personal ~ Anberlin
Cities ~ Anberlin

(No one except my mom has posted any guesses for two of my favorite characters... At least guess somebody ... None of my mom's guesses were correct if you wanted to know. Another clue: Lot's of purple)

Strange...

2007-09-17T14:12:00.000-05:00

Well... I was thinking of something deep to write today, but nothing came to my head. Oddly enough, I couldn't think of anything silly to write about either... I'm at a proverbial loss for words. My life has not given me anything very inspiring at all to write about today. Anyone who has known me for any period of time knows that I am VERY rarely at a loss for words. VERY VERY rarely. I guess every once in a while strange things happen and there's nothing we can do to explain them. I guess I could put down some random and/or odd quotes...

"Not today" ~ The Prestiege

"Once upon a time there was a magical land where it never rained. The end" ~ Holes

"Why do we fall, Bruce?" ~ Batman

"It's the frost. Sometimes it makes the blade stick." ~ Gladiator

"Rodents of unusual size? I don't believe they exist." ~ The Princess Bride

"This was once alive. It is a lizard or a mammal?" ~ Extreme Days

"Fool of a Took" ~ The Lord of the Rings

"Put your behind in the past" ~ The Lion King

"You are a sad, strange, little man" ~ Toy Story

"This reeks so bad I can't take it!" ~ Jonny Tsunami

"What's life if you never pull down your shorts and slide on the ice?" ~ Even Stevens

"Sick and wrong" ~ Kim Possible

"Santa Clause we never see..." ~ Annie

"It needs... Children" ~ Spy Kids

"I usually wear it." ~ Hoodwinked

"Don't repeat!" ~ Lizzie Mcguire

"Life stinks... then you die." ~ UNKNOWN

"If all else fails... Use potty humor" ~ My mom

"Mood ring, oh mood ring, oh tell me can you bring the key to unlock this mystery of girls and their emotions. Play it back in slow motion so I might understand the complex infrastructure known as the female mind." ~ Matthew Thiessen

(Hints about the two characters: One can be found in a story that was a book, then became a movie. The other can be found in a story that was a movie then later had books as spin-offs)

Imagination

2007-09-16T13:42:00.000-05:00

With all the movies I have seen, and all the books I have read. Two characters stand out to me and being some of my favorites of all time. What makes them my favorite you ask? The answer is simple. Imagination. These characters had brillaint imaginations (Though shunned by others) and used their imaginations to create their own unique "homes" for themselves. They used their imagination to take them wherever they wanted to go. One of them is a classic, and one of them is much newer, and slightly less acknowledged. They both strike me similarly, though they are found in different contexts. I myself have always enjoyed using my imagination to play games and write stories. It's one of my favorite things to do. I can read books and pretend I'm there. I can watch movies and do the same. I love stories that stimulate the imagination. The stories these characters are involved in do that. Maybe that's one reason that I enjoy Ted Dekker, Frank Peretti, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis (In the Chronicles of Narnia) so much.
Who are these characters that I care for such much you ask? Instead of telling you outright. I'll use my imagination to give my blog readers clues as to who they are. You may already know who they are. When you think you have them figured out, just post your answers in a comment to one of my posts. When both of them have been guessed, I will post the correct answer in a new post. Have fun!!!

My Uncle the Troy Bolton of the 70's

2007-09-14T22:23:00.000-05:00

Okay... It's about time... I know you guys out there are getting sick of hearing my deep and intulectually (Spelling? lol) stimulating thoughts, so I decided that I would post something very light hearted. I recently found out some very interesting news. My Uncle David was the Troy Bolton of his high school. Lol... Actually I think I might have enough proof to sue Disney for taking the idea for Troy from my uncle. Here's the thing...:

1.) He was great looking and all the girls loved him. (The typical hottie superbomb) That alone isn't enough to prove my point though. I can think of a couple hottie superbombs off the top of my head... lol

2.) He was a school jock. (Of course his main sport was football). He set school records for football and still holds some of them (Interesting). Oddly enough however, he did play basketball for a short time... he was a starter on the team when they won the championship game... This is getting a little interesting now...

3.) The final crowd killer and proof for my case. My mom can't remember which year of high school this was, but one of his years guess what he did? HE STARED IN THE SCHOOL MUSICAL!!!! If that's not enough to prove Disney stole Troy Bolton right off my uncle, I don't know what is...

Schizophrenia

2007-09-14T22:01:00.000-05:00

"I'm my own worst enemy.
I sink my teeth into the hand that feeds.
I curse and praise in the same breath.
Which man in the mirror is the one that's left?" ~ The Wedding in the song Schizophrenia on the cd Polarity

Many people live like Schizophrenics. They are double minded. Paul summerized it very well when he said something resembling, "I don't do the things I want to, and the things that I don't want to do, I do". There is good and evil inside all of us, saved or unsaved and it's like two personalities fighting for control of our lives. We may do something to honor God with one action, then turn around and do something dishonoring. It's like the Pharisees. They could talk the talk and follow all the rules, but they didn't really have the faith nessasary for salvation. They were the ones that ended up crucifying Jesus. People these days are very hypocritical. We say that we love God and say that we are Christians, but by our actions we deny that very fact. What kind of witness is that to someone who isn't a believer?

It's true that one will always sin on this earth because he has a sin nature and we are still living int he flesh, but we can't let the sin define who we are. We have to allow God to help our Schizoprenic state by allowing His Spirit to live through us. Only then can we be the witness we were called to be.

God doesn't want us to just serve Him with our mouths.
"If you love Me (God) then just love Me. Don't you give me pretty words. Lay your life down at the alter. Let Me see how serious you are." ~ The Wedding on the song The Call on the cd Polarity.

He wants us to serve Him with our lives. He wants us to let His love shine through us into the
darkened world and illuminate it.

(I realize that those songs aren't Scripture, but I think that the concepts from them are Biblically sound and help to show the point of my argument)

(On a much less serious note: Lol... I had to take a break from the Underoath titles because I'm running out of good ones to even come close to relating to my point... The closest one I could think of was "Writing on the Walls"... lol... So I just decided to use a title from The Wedding (A band that I actually like) because the title went so well with what I was trying to say.)

The Impact of Reason

2007-09-13T14:54:00.000-05:00

If only I would have said it.

How many times do our feeble minds lack the wit to intelligently come up with what we want to say when we want to say it?

Many times one will finish a convorsation only to realize that there was something else he wanted to say.
Many times one will think of a perfect comeback to an argument only seconds after the argument is over.
Many times one will think of a comforting word too late after one is hurt.
Many times one will think of the right thing to have said in that awkward situation only after they have passed through it.
Many times one will think he said the right think, only to realize that he made the situation worse.
Many times one will think of the best thing to have said to greatly improve an already good situation after it is too late.

A lot of times I just think about what's been happening, and I'm just like... If only I would have said it.

A Moment Suspended in Time

2007-09-12T15:25:00.000-05:00

Odd how the weather can partially control how we feel.
We take things in without thinking most of the time and that will effect how we feel for that day and dictate (To a point) our actions. A sunny day with a good cross breeze makes you feel alive and generally you will be in a better mood and more patient than normally. If the weather is rainy or the sky is cloudy you feel sadder. You will always have a heavy feeling on your shoulders during the day.
Odd how we percieve peoples actions.
Someone can be best friends with a person their entire life and know that they will be best friends for many years to come, however one day when a person is in a bad mood and treats the other friend harshly the friends mind automatically assumes that the person hates him no matter how long they've been friends.
Odd how quickly some feelings change.
One day I may think pizza is the best food on the face of the planet and crave it with an unmatched passion then the next day we can feel different and be despised by the very thing longed for.
Odd how quickly memories can change feelings.
You may be in the worse mood in the world and hear an incredibly depressing song, however the song may have accompanied with it very good memories and the sad song will cheer you up.
Odd how quickly we forget.
We may have loved something, consider a song, but for whatever reason, we get distracted and are unable to listen to that song for an extended period of time. We take for granted that the song could have been our favorite because it is simply put on the back burner and life moves on with it behind. When talking about the song, we have completely forgotten all the joy that song used to bring and we no longer even remember how much we enjoyed the song. When the song is heard again however, all the old enjoyment that the song used to bring floods back into our minds and we remember how much the song meant to us. We suddenly realize how much we liked this song we haven't heard in such a long time and wonder how we could have forgotten such an amazing song.
Odd...

Casting Such a Thin Shadow

2007-09-11T15:42:00.000-05:00

Isn't it interesting how different people have different perceptions on the same event? For example, two people can hear a song and have totally different opinions about it and sometimes even descriptions about what the song meant. Two people can read the same book and have totally different takes on what the books purpose or main emphasis was.

Isn't it interesting how one can twist a false thought in his mind to the point where it becomes true in his mind? If you tell yourself something over and over again, you will eventually start to believe it. If one tries to explain this twisted thought to another, it appears lunacy to the second party.

Isn't it interesting how two people that are close to each other, can have completely different feelings about someone else they both know? Me and my best friend could both know the same person who I may love, and he may hate. Each person develops their own taste in others personalities.

Isn't it interesting how people can feel completely different about each other? One person may completely despise me, and I may love them as close as any brother. People don't always have mutual feelings for each other.

Isn't it interesting how quickly people's feelings can change? It is possible to be happy one moment then the next moment be completely depressed. Emotions are always changing.

Perceptions, thoughts, emotions... they are all very interesting...

(On the same much less serious note: There is a specific common factor between this title and 3 of my other posts. No one has yet to name the factor.)

In Reguards to Myself

2007-09-10T14:53:00.000-05:00

Ah... the fun must always come to an end.

Summer, like all other seasons must eventually become fall, and the school break itself must eventually be broken and life must continue again. Many good things have happened this summer, and I'm pretty sure it has been the best summer of my entire life. I have gone many special places - Mexico, California, Hawaii, Ohio. I have made many new friends, and reunited with old ones. The summer was a blast with all the people I hung out with, the movies I watched, the music I listened to, and the books I read, but with the privilages I have gained while growing up, I have also gained many responsibilites. The fun always must come to an end.

The Wilson girls leaving was not only sad because of the fact that they were leaving. The departure of the girls brought in the next chapter of my life, my junior year of high school. Last week I started my classes at the community college, and this week I have started my school classes at home. On Saturdays I must now work at the soccer fields refereeing games for spare cash. I no longer have large amounts of free time which I can use freely and pleasureably without plan or reason. The time has come where life must be directed by a strict schedule and pleasure becomes a privilege rather than a right. The fun must always come to an end.

I look on my life and realize that I am growing up. I am now a 16 year old male. The odds dictate that I will leave home for college in 2 more years and then begin to live a life that includes me getting a job and possibly a family. Very rarely will I ever again have time like I did this summer to take a break from life and have such a good time. The fun must always come to an end.

However, instead of being extremely depressed about my situation, I believe that it would be better to look at life through a different perspective. Do all people get to have any time where they can have an entire summer of carefree fun? Many people in third-world countries must work at my age and never get to experience all of the joy I have had in my life. God has blessed me with an entirely great life overall and has given me a wonderful family and friends. Instead of complaining and begging for more of something that not everyone has a right to, I should be greatful to God for all of the blessings He has bestowed upon me. All the fun was from God in the first place.

I have already said it, but I would like to re-emphisize that not everyone has the blessings that I have in my life. There are many homeless, friendless, foodless... Funless. It's not all about fun anway.

I use this moment to thank God for everything that I have. For my life, my family, my friends. For my home, my money, my dog. For my talents, for my church, and for His Son, the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and for His Word. I also thank God for the fun I have had this summer, and for the fun that I will have in the future. For the fun that is not a right, but a gift from God. A gift that I don't deserve, but He has given to me anyway. Thank You.

(On a much less serious note: Does anyone other than Amanda notice anything weird about some of the titles of my blog posts?... lol)

My New Garb-age

2007-09-09T08:15:00.001-05:00

Boo goofy pictures. Hooray Looney Toons tie!

SURPRISE!!!!

2007-09-07T16:38:00.000-05:00

This has nothing to do with the special recording that I have annoucned for Sunday, but I have made a new recording that you can check out now... I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that it's quite different from what I normall make... For those who are wondering, it has a little of my "Whiteness" in it too! Check it out please! Leave a comment! It's on the Imagine Cup Winners website under "Surprise".

New Recording

2007-09-07T11:44:00.001-05:00

For those of you who like to listen to my recordings, I've created a new one. It's going to be put online Sunday, September 9th. I won't say what the song is, I'll just let that be a surprise...
A note to those listening... This recording has the most minitracks playing of any of the other songs I have recorded to date. (Even more than the Rebirthing Instrumental Demo, which used to hold the record). Word out y'all!

The Best Week Ever!

2007-09-07T11:23:00.000-05:00

As all of you know, the Wilson girls came to our house this past week. I would like to start off by saying that it was quite possibly the best week of my entire life! I had sooooo much fun! Normally when I have friends over, we have to have a specific thing to do, or mostly a video game to play, but when the Wilson's were here, we just talked, watched movies, listened to some music, and mostly just hung out, and doing so with the Wilson's can be the greatest "game" every played!
Bethany and I didn't used to be on the friendliest terms. (I was a stinking meanie pants when I was younger... to both Amanda and Bethany). I've said it before, but I'll say it again, it's great being able to have a good time with Bethany. She's really funny and fun to be around! (And then there's the fact that I was in love with her... and she broke my heart when I couldn't produce a library... lol)
However, most of the time, I hung out with Amanda. Amanda, it's great being able to talk to a person you've known for as long as we've known each other, and I loved being able to just be myself. I found it hard to believe that we've known each other as long as we have, but then after I thought about it... It did seem to make sence...
I thought about doing the same kind of thing that I did when the Hammacks came and writing a letter to each individual or group of individuals involved in the trip, but instead I'll just be normal and say thank to you Amanda for different things that she did:

1) Thank you for watching Space Jam.... Lol... I know you didn't really like it and I know you hate sports movies, but I'm glad that you watched it anyway... lol

2) Thanks for the forgiveness for all the mean things I did when I was little... I don't even remember being that mean... Again... I really am sorry!

3) Thanks for teaching me that, if done with the right people and the right way, shopping can be fun!

4) Thanks for not remembering any of the random things I was saying that night we were up until 5... I still barely remember that...

5) Thanks for putting up with me singing all the time... I usually just get on people's nerves...

6) Thanks for clapping for me even when I rolled gutter balls...

7) Thanks for being happy for me when my favorite "celebrity" accepted my friend request on Facebook, and not being weirded out that I was freaking out about it.

8) Thanks for coming with me when I had to run errands and the like. I usually get bored when I have to drive all over the place, but having you to talk to made it very very fun!

9) Lol... Thank you for not being afraid of me... I scare a lot of people...

10) One of my biggest thanks is: Thank you for laughing at all the stupid things that I said. Lol... I have always loved it when people laughed at my comments/jokes/antics but I don't know anybody who laughs as hard as you. It made me laugh just to see that you enjoyed it (Or at least pretended too)

I have a ton more things that I could say, but I think I'll leave it at that for now... I miss you guys... :-( I think I'm getting something in my eye... Looking foward to seeing you in Oct.!!!!

It's Dangerous Buisness Walking Out Your Front Door

2007-09-03T17:43:00.000-05:00

More pictures from today at the mall:

We tried to take that picture a couple of different times...

Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape

2007-09-03T17:30:00.000-05:00

Today we went shopping at the mall. We tried on a bunch of pairs of sunglasses! Check them out!

The Water Park

2007-08-31T20:01:00.000-05:00

Today, we went to the Mahoney (Spelling?) State Water park with the Wilson girls. It was a blast! lol... We went there and the water was freezing cold... It's not really that hot today and there was a pretty decent breeze going on so it was really cold unless you were moving around. We started in the wave pool, but then when it turned off we went to the normal pool. We weren't very active there and got really cold really fast. We eventually went back to the wave pool where I warmed up a little, but Amanda never warmed back up and she was really cold. I was starting to get bored again so she and I dried off and talked the rest of the time at one of the tables. Bethany and Maddie kept doing whatever it is that they do together and Mom and Dad and Marc played in the wave pool some more. We eventually all got tired and decided to leave. On the way home, we got french fries from McDonalds and I got a strawberry milkshake. It was really good and made for a very fun day!

A Really Funny Video....

2007-08-30T18:12:00.000-05:00

Lol... Check this out... it's a Doogtoons (They do some Ask a Ninjas) and it's a Weird Al song... It's bound to be funny! (And It's really long). Memaw... I don't think you'll care too much for this one...

My Good Friend Colin Cutler

2007-08-29T12:23:00.001-05:00

I asked my good friend Colin Cutler the other day if he was thinking about selling his bass guitar. I was kind of interested, but don't really have the cash right now... it was more of just a curiosity thing. Well... He really wasn't using it much right now so he decided he would be so kind as to let me borrow it for a while! It rocks soooo hard! I messed around with some songs first, but then I got out my book of The Beautiful Letdown and put in the cd and just started playing out of that. It's way way way fun! Thanks Colin! (I might add it to some recordings or make some more with it!)

Some Great Songs You Should Check Out and Another Video

2007-08-28T18:29:00.000-05:00

I said I was going to post about some other songs I've been listening to recently. There are some old ones, new ones and lots of different genres!:

Last Words - Thousand Foot Krutch
Step To Me -Thousand Foot Krutch
Open Wounds - Skillet
Adelaide - Anberlin
Dismantle Repair - Anberlin
The Feel Good Drag - Anberlin
Awake - Pillar
Shout - Tears for Fears
Look Away - Chicago
Luv Addict - Family Force 5
Kountry Gentleman - Family Force 5
Basics of Life - 4 Him
Happy is a Yuppie Word - Switchfoot
Amy's Song - Switchfoot

If you haven't heard these songs before, I suggest that you check them out! You may not like some of them (Depending on your musical taste), but you might like at least 1 or 2!

This video is a song by Apologetix. The song is a parody to the Train song "Drops of Jupiter". It's called Drop of Lucifer... This song is way high for my voice. This was before I could key change the simple songs I do on a snap:

Move Along

2007-08-27T22:56:00.000-05:00

This was my first attepmt to combine a song with piano and guitar. It was pretty bad and the first chord (as well as the last chord) that I hit on the piano is messed up. Praise the Lord that he has created us in a way that we get better with practice! I can play the song much better now for those of you who were wondering (Both the piano and guitar parts).

How Much I've Improved

2007-08-27T10:01:00.000-05:00

Well... people always like it when they make fools of themselves... So... I'm using the new video feature on blogger and posting some videos of where I first started trying to make music... They are pretty bad, but hey... What can I say... Maybe someday I'll redo them... Lol... You can tell how old they are by the way I do my hair... I'll start with just one video and you tell me what you guys think. If you think they're funny or want to see more, then just tell me and I'll put another up!

Evergreen: One of the first songs I learned using power chords on my guitar. A great song that is actually a Switchfoot song (On a Tooth and Nail Christmas CD). I recorded quite a long time ago and Sharon Woida might actually remember this... She was there that night. The Woida's hadn't known us very long and it was one of the first times Sharon came over. I probably scared her... lol

Ohio

2007-08-27T09:30:00.000-05:00

"Ohio has the flavor of a watered chesnut. It's not too crazy and it's not the best, but we're not setting forest fires just out of boredom. I'd rather see a movie if in fact I can afford one... Cause they always say in Canton you can't enjoy yourself. Well, there's truth to that, but may I add it's not half bad and never less than that." ~ Relient K: Hoopes I Did It Again

"The state that is round at the ends and high in the middle"

I don't really agree with Relient K's description of Ohio because I have a blast whenever I go there, but I thought I'd post the quote because it's a funny song.
We went to Ohio to visit my grandpa for his 76th birthday! I personally had a good time! Everytime I get to see my extended family I get to have a good time. Some of my aunts and uncles and cousins who live near my grandma came down to visit too. However, instead of just describing everything that went on, I would like to talk about three specific things that I love about Ohio:

Shot Through the Heart:
First of all, I clearly remembered I was in the Bible belt one Sunday night. Our family went to one church which started at 6 and then went to another church which started at 7 for Sunday night. (We were a little late for the 7 0'clock one). The message at the first church was very good, but the one at the second church is the one I would like to tell everyone about. There is a guy who is a youth pastor at Mamre Baptist Church in Ohio who my family has known for a long time. The night we went to Mamre, he was speaking. Let me tell you something... That was an amazing message. I chose the title of this section as Shot Through the Heart because that night, when he preached that message, it was as if he just loaded the gospel into a shotgun and blasted the congregation through the heart. God is using this man to do great things! The message was about prayer and how most people take it for granted. However, prayer should be something we should LOVE to do because it is a great privelige to come before the throne of the Almighty and speak directly to Him. Back in the Old Testement times, people couldn't communicate directly with God. They had to go through the priest. When Jesus came, he became the new mediator and we have direct access to God! We should be extremely greatful for this!

"Have a pizza paaaarttyyyy!" ~ One of the pizza gremlins from The Logical Journey of the Zombinis:
Okay... I will admit that my favorite food is cheeseburgers, but way up there close is pizza. I LOVE a good pizza, but most of the time I just have to settle for something like Little Ceasars or Pizza Hut. There are other better pizza places around here, but none compare with the smaller chain that they have in Ohio and the surrounding cities. I'm talking about Giovanni's pizza. I looked for a website, but was unable to locate one. The logo for the store is a waiter holding a pizza with a napkin on his arms while skating on roller skates. Anyway, this pizza is, in my opinion at least, the best stinking pizza in the ENTIRE WORLD! It is soooooooooooooooo good! Everytime we got to Ohio it is a tradition that we get Giovanni's at least once (Though usually we get it every night for dinner after we have a church service). I wish there was some way all my friend could try it, but I can't think of any. If you're ever in southern Ohio or the surrounding area, try getting pizza from Giovanni's. It may be a little on the expensive side (And I'm usually a cheapskate), but this pizza is definately worth it!

Sonic the Hedgehog's Favorite Food:
For those of you who don't know, (Which I'm guessing would be everyone... Except Jared Willaims... Lol) Sonic the Hedgehog's favorite food are chilli dogs. Well let me tell you something... The best hot dog place that I know of is also based near my grandparents house. Stewars Hot Dogs is the best place to meet your hot dog needs. Known for their special chilli sauce and serving a lot of my favorite drink, everyone should try going to this restaurant if they get a chance! Usually when my family gets together for what we call "Buckeye Christmas" (We celebrate during Thanksgiving) we will see a movie and then go right across the parking lot to Stewarts for a great meal. Though we didn't see a movie, we were able to go after going shopping at the mall this trip to Ohio. It was excellent as always! It makes it so much better when it's a family tradition!

A lot of what I like about Ohio is visiting family and doing all the family traditions that we have. I had a great time (As always) last trip and I look forward to going again this fall! I love my family!

My Top 20

2007-08-26T13:58:00.000-05:00

I just thought that I would share with my online friends the top 20 most listened to songs on my mp3 player. What do you think of them?

1. Savior -Skillet
2. Energy - Skillet
3. Forsaken - Skillet
4. Move Along - The All-American Rejects
5. Glass To The Arson - Anberlin
6. Wake the Regiment - The Wedding
7. Erfquake - Family Force 5
8. Paperthin Hymn - Anberlin
9. Yours to Hold - Skillet
10. My First Stereo - FM Static
11. Stationary - Anberlin
12. October - FM Static
13. Donna - FM Static
14. Move This City - The Wedding
15. Rebirthing - Skillet
16. Some Will Seek Forgiveness Others Escape - Underoath
17. All the Days - FM Static
18. Day Late Friend (Acoustic) - Anberlin
19. One Eye Open - The Wedding
20. The Notion - FM Static

What do you think of these songs? Soon I'll post a list of some of my newer favorites that haven't had a chance to make it to my 20 most listened to.

Zachary David Alexander Efron

2007-08-24T11:48:00.000-05:00

The famous actor Zac Efron, known for the High School Musical movies and Hairspray is supposedly a singer/actor. However, upon my research of Efron's career, I'm not completely convinced that he can really sing.
I heard recently, (From annonymous sources) that Efron didn't really sing in High School musical at all. Another singer, named Andrew Seely, did the singing for Troy Bolton in the movie and also did the recordings for the soundtrack. I looked it up on the source of all knowledge and sure enough, the songs from High School Musical say that they are sang by "Vanessa Anne Hudgens and Andrew Seely". Andrew Seely also went on the High School Musical tour in the place of Efron who was reported as being too busy (Possibly working on Hairspray).
However, Efron reportedly did his own singing for High School Musical 2 (Confirmed by the source of all wisdom). Is he going on the tour though? I'm not sure yet. He is working on a movie called Seventeen right now... Could he not go on the tour because he is working on that movie?
High School Musical 3 is supposed to come out '08. When the tour for that movie takes place, he might be busy working on the remake of the movie Footloose. Could is possibly be, that Efron has a ghost singer (Much like a ghost writer)?
This doesn't really prove anything, but it does cause some weird thoughts to come into my mind... It just doesn't make sense to me...

Jesus is Everything We Need

2007-08-21T17:21:00.000-05:00

My mom just showed me a video. It is an interpretive dance, but I think that everyone should watch it. It is a short skit preformed to the Lifehouse song, "Everything". It is very touching, and gave me chills. Watch it for yourself!:

One

2007-08-20T12:59:00.001-05:00

Okay... This is the story:
My friend Kersey and I LOVE to sing. We sing all the stinking time (Ask anyone). There are tons of songs that we both know and love to sing together, however there are songs that one of us knows that the other does not. I sing a lot of Anberlin stuff (And other various songs that I hear weird places, or watch on Rock Block) that Kersey doesn't know, and he listens to a lot of oldies that I don't know. Well... One of the songs that he used to sing a lot was called "One" (By Three Dog Night). It should be called "One is the Lonliest Number", but I think the original title might just be One... Anyway, he would always sing this, but I had never heard it and didn't really think much of it. Until Hawaii... We listened to this one oldies station on the radio and this song came on. Kersey of course was really happy because he loved it, but I had never heard it before. To put a long story short, I fell in love with this song! It's pretty amazing! I decided I should share it with my friends over my blog, so here it is:

We're In Ohio

2007-08-18T21:54:00.000-05:00

Word up people brothers! WORD WORD WORD! We're in Ohio! The trip went fairly well, but I'm glad to announce that we have reached our destination. We got here this afternoon... say 2:45 (Ohio time).
It was great... I got to surprise my Memaw and Pepaw (Grandparents) and my cousin, 2 aunts and an uncle and tomorrow I get to see some more cousins and my aunt! Hooray family!
I just got back from the church where my grandparents go. Their church watched Facing the Giants. I love that movie even though I have seen it quite a few times, so it didn't bother me seeing it again!
Tomorrow is church! I love going to church here... sometimes it's nice to do some things different. I know some of the people that teach the classes and I even recognize some of the kids (lol... I do come here every year at least once). I hope we have a blast! (Well... more of a blast... we already are)
After the movie at the church, they played a video that was made a couple of years ago. A bunch of the family went to this comedy thing that was called the "Comedy Barn". The Comedy Barn taped all of it's shows every night, and it just so happened that whilst my family was there, both Pepaw and my Uncle Paul were picked for different skits. It was soooo funny! Especially when they found out Pepaw was a preacher... They made lots of jokes, then they were playing a game (Like musical hats) and my grandpa was cheating and not giving up his hat... lol... It's really funny!
It's getting a little late here... Friends: Keep in touch! Magic Carpet signing off... Peace out!

The Chronicles of Narnia

2007-08-17T12:15:00.001-05:00

Here's the thing. Anyone who knows me probably knows that I love the Chronicles of Narnia. However, most people do not know how much I love that series! I have completely read through the series 7 times (Though I have read some of the books many more times than that), and I frequently listen to the Focus on the Family Audio Dramas of them. I'm on the brink of obsession. Though they were written to kids, they have stories deep enough for even the most advanced reader and they have spiritual truths conveyed in them so deep that it would take a man such as C.S. Lewis to write them. Every time I hear/read them I notice a new truth or a new part of the story that shows how amazingly they were written. Every person on the planet needs to read these books! (I have them if you need to borrow them). My personal favorite is "The Silver Chair" (Which I just finshed the audio drama for two days ago), however yesterday I decided to re-read The Last Battle. I finshed it this morning. (Another plus for the non-readers is that all of the Narnia books are very small comparitively... though quantity of pages is made up for with quality). It brings the whole series together at the end in such an amazing way! I nearly cried (And I have heard/read this story many many times), but it is so good and it so well portrays Jesus, God, the world, and heaven that it is a magnificent peice of literature. Once again I say, EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THESE BOOKS (Note: The movie doesn't even begin to cut it).
Though they were written out of order (Chronologically) I personally believe this is the order they should be read in. The Chronilogical order of the books is:
The Magician's Nephew (One of the best, used to be my favorite)
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Horse and His Boy (I used to hate this one, but actually it is quite good. I noticed this when I found another spiritual truth portrayed)
Prince Caspian (As much as I like Caspian the character, this is my least favorite book)
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Many people's favorite, this one is stinking amazing! Just like them all!)
The Silver Chair (My personal favorite... hard to explain why... why don't you read them all for yourself?)
The Last Battle (Amazingly wraps them all up... sniff... I'm going to cry again)

Check them out!

Hello, Hello, Hello

2007-08-16T10:18:00.000-05:00

On a much less serious note then my last post, I was watching TV and I love this song! Lol... Check it!

Learning How to Die and The Ones Who Look Like You

2007-08-15T16:22:00.001-05:00

Okay... I said something about them in my post that talked about Jon Foreman, but lately I have really been falling in love with these songs! They are soo cooL! I wanted to share them with my online friends!
Learning How To Die Lyrics:

I'm gonna miss you,
I'm gonna miss you when you're gone"
She says "I, love you,
I'm gonna miss hearing your songs"

I said "Please,
Don't talk about the end,
Don't talk about how
Every living thing goes away"

She said, "Friend, all along,
Thought I was learning how to take,
How to bend, not how to break,
How to live, not how to cry,
But really I've been learning how to die
I've been learning how to die"

"Hey everyone,
I've got nowhere to go,
The grave is lazy,
He takes our bodies slow"

I said "Please,
Don't talk about the end,
Don't talk about how
Every living thing goes away"

I said, "Friend, all along,
Thought I was learning how to take,
How to bend, not how to break,
How to live, not how to cry,
But really I've been learning how to die
I've been learning how to die"

Here is a video where you can see Jon singing it! Please check it out! It's really cool! The video quality isn't very good, but you can hear the song at least!

Also, here are the lyrics for the song, "The Ones Who Look Like You" written by Jon Foreman and Molly Jenson:

"here's your heart?
Where's this love you talk about?
Did someone hold a gun
To your head?
Who's that girl you laugh about?
Did a feeling do you wrong?
You've been gone too long.

Did you love her?
Did you leave her cold?
Did you see her through?
Or do you only love the ones who look like you?

Where are you now?
Are you afraid of being found?
See, I'm alone when you're around.
Silly girl,
What can you see from way up there?
Is that the world in devil's clothes
Looking down your nose?

Are you lonely?
Are my scars too deep?
Do you have them too?
Do you only love the ones who look like you?

Listen love
To a melody for you
Will you change your point of view?
Or do you only love the ones who sing your tune?
Do you only love the ones who look like you?"

Here is the video for that song... Lol... This is a funny video because they were having key troubles, but listen to the song and laugh... But then listen to it and realize how cool the words are written! It's a very very cool song!

Post some comments!

Eureka (I have found it)

2007-08-14T11:18:00.000-05:00

I have been looking for a while, but couldn't find this video until recently. I posted about this video a couple posts ago, but was unable to show the video until now. It's pretty sweet! Check it out!
A Sidenote: McNevan is wearing the same shirt that he wore the night I saw TFK in concert with Tobymac.

Switchfoot, Jon Foreman, and My Life

2007-08-12T21:43:00.000-05:00

First matter. Switchfoot. I went to their site the other day and read the following information (That you can check out for yourself if you really want to... assuming you don't trust me or something). Switchfoot has now gone independent (I almost spelled that independant.... ROFL... inside joke). They have decided to leave Columbia records. They have a new cd coming out planned for next year. (I didn't see a name yet). Also, their tour coming up this fall doesn't even come anywhere near me... sigh... why is it that nobody likes Nebraska? Hardly any cool concerts come here! It's not like we're the complete middle of nowhere... I mean even the American Idol auditions came here to the Quest this year... sigh...

Some news on Jon Foreman... He is coming out with four solo EPs tenatively called Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. He is also coming out with some other projects that I read about such as The Real SeanJon. I have heard some of his solo stuff that I found for free download on Switchfoot's site. They are pretty stinking cool, as is a song that was written by him and a another girl. I love Jon Foreman's writing style. God has really blessed him with a way to write words down in a cool/deep way. Whether he's talking about problems with the world, God, or something having to do with girls, he can make the words fit in cool ways. Two of the free downloadable songs prove that. (Learning How to Die, and The Ones Who Look Like You). Both of those songs are really good! I suggest that you listen to them sometime!

Now for the stuff on my life. Sigh... Unfortunately one of my best friends whom I have known for a long time (Jared Williams) is going off to college. Tonight was probably the last time I'll see him until Christmas. I'm going to miss him. We've done a lot together!
Mark Connolly, a single from our church, also leaves for college tomorrow (The same in fact, Bob Jones) and it has been cool getting to know him and talk to him and I'm sad that he's leaving too.
On a positve note, my family (Save my dad) are leaving for Ohio this Tuesday. I love going out to visit my grandparents! They are so funny and I love them to death! We always have a good time up there! A cool thing about the trip is that I get drive for some of it! Hooray! I love to drive at high speeds! lol.
Also, the Wilson girls are visiting in 17 days as of today and I'm really looking forward to that. I have known them for 10 years now (Over half my life) and it is always really fun to hang out with them. I am also looking forward to introducing them to all my friends here!

World's of Fun

2007-08-10T17:13:00.000-05:00

Okay... Yesterday, I went with my youth group to World's of Fun. I must say that it was pretty stinking amazing! We left the church bright and early at 7:00. I don't remember when we arrived at the park, but we split up into little groups. Well... The boys all went together at first making it a large group. (lol) We rode some various rides. For some reason, since I've grown older, I really don't have any fear of roller coasters or rides or heights or anything like that... (I keep my fears for bugs and stuff) so it wasn't a huge thing that I rode all the thriller rides of the park (Which, compared to "real" theme parks, are pretty weak). But the biggest thing about the youth group World's of Fun trip is that you go for the fellowship with friends, not for thrills on the rides!
The group changed a little later on to being just me, Josh, Kelly Nupson, and Krista Jaques. We hung around and rode some various stuff but the groups eventually went back to the big guys thing again.
I had some weenie friends that got tired of riding rides (Or hurt, or sick) so I eventually joined a small group with Andrew Emory and Jimmy Teutschmann. I never really hang out with Jimmy much, but he can be pretty funny and cool. It was a cool experience! Lol... he even taught me a lesson. You're never too old to use your imagination, but more about that l8r.
We started just going around the park and just riding the rides as we came to them. One of the funniest parts is where Jimmy and Andrew started acting like two unicorns from Charlie the Unicorn... Lol... "We're on a magical ride Michael" "Yeah.... a magical ride." And I was like, "Shut up guys. You know there's no such thing as a magical ride" to which they responded "Shun the unbeliever" "Shhhuuuunnnn" Lol.
We eventually worked our way back to one of the roller coasters known as The Patriot. We rode it and about midway through, Jimmy was like... "Hey, let's pretend we're Spider-Man!" Me being the grown up teenager I pretend to act like was first a little reluctant, but when I did, it was SOOOO fun! You could actually feel like you were flying through the air on a web. It's the first time I've really used my imagination like that in a long time! We rode a couple other rides pretending to be Spider-Man on them too! It was sooo fun!
The way home was fun as well! We started the night off with some Irish Drinking songs (One of which was pretty stinking funny). We pretty much sang the entire way home! It was way cool! Unfortunately my voice was destroyed from screaming on the rides, though I must say I did a pretty good Lean On Me. (lol)
I was so tired from the day that I just came home and crashed... It was worth it though. I would do it again everyday!

A Random Question

2007-08-08T22:19:00.000-05:00

I was just thinking of all the stupid little fads I was into in my past years. How they seemed to be the "Next big thing" back then, but quickly (Or sometimes slowly) faded until noone cared about them anymore. Some of these examples:
Star Wars Cards (Faded semi-quickly)
LOTR Cards (Faded after a long time)
Mechwarrior (Just now fading)
Rumble Robots (A complete waste of money that faded within a year)

What are some of the dumb fads you were into? Post some!

The Mississippi Squirrel Revival

2007-08-07T22:12:00.000-05:00

I've heard this song before, but my buddy Mark Connelly recently showed me the music video and I had to share it with y'all! Check it out!

Relient K's Newest News!!!!!

2007-08-07T20:17:00.001-05:00

AAAHHHHH I'm freaking out! Check out this from the front page of www.relientk.com !:

We just got off a conference call with Santa Claus and baby Jesus... they told us they'd like to hear some new Christmas songs this year. So we're down in a muggy 98 degree Nashville, tracking songs about sleigh rides, stockings full of coal, and hot chocolate (which is also muggy... haha... what a terrible joke). We're going to track about 7 new songs to tack onto our existing "Deck The Halls, Bruise Your Hand". It should release Octoberish. Anyway, we're having a holly jolly time of it, and we hope that the end result will provide you with an ample amount of holiday cheer when the appropriate season rolls around. Matty T.

I'm sooo excited and now I'm going to be anticipating it all fall long!

The Poll is Closed

2007-08-07T11:19:00.000-05:00

Well, it looks like the poll of what you do with my recordings has ended and it looks like at least one person actually cared enough to put them on a media device. TY! lol. Actually I know another person that does that too, but this person is quite odd... I'm putting another poll up now!

These Are Not My Pants

2007-08-06T12:30:00.000-05:00

This is the video for a song my friend Jacob Ackerman told me about a while back ago. It is by Five Iron Frenzy and they make fun of a bunch of different music styles by using the lyrics (With vary little variation) "These are not my pants" Check it out!

The Bourne Ultimatum

2007-08-05T13:02:00.000-05:00

I just watched this movie last night. First of all, let me say this about the movie. It had a major major downside. Language. All three of these movies have a problem with it (The first one the most), but this one followed the bad trend and had quite a bit of a it. If this movie didn't have that, it would have been SOOOO much better. The biggest problem with this movie (At least the other two had this problem) was that even when they come out on DVD, the format they are in restricts TV guardian from working. (So you have to hear it anyway) That part of the movie pretty much bit. On the other hand,
The sweet intense plotline from the other two movies continues in this edition. You are on the edge of your seat pretty much the whole movie in awe of the brilliance of Jason Bourne as he tried to unravel the mysteries of his forgotten past, while avoiding everything the CIA has to send at him by outsmarting or destroying all of their methods. His brilliance resonates so much that some parts of the movie are actually pretty stinking funny! You're just like... "How the heck did he know to do that? He's a genius?"
The biggest letdown to me about the second movie (The Bourne Supremacy ?Spelling?) was that it didn't have very much action. The sweet plot was still there, but all the action was gone. This movie was a major improvement improvement especially in the action department. There were some major sweet fights and carchases in this one too.
There is room for a sequel, however, the movie is made so it could be the last in the series (providing the movie doesn't do well in the public eye). I personally hope they make a sequel though.

Impossible

2007-08-03T13:20:00.000-05:00

Recently while watching Rock Block (One of my new favorite shows... I'll have to add that to my list of favorite shows), I saw a sweet video for a song called Impossible by Manifest (A white rapper) featuring Trevor McNaven (Lead singer of TFK). The song was way sweet! It was talking about giving your life to God and giving Him control! I need to look up the video for this song and post it here... It's way cool because the song is perfect for McNaven's voice (He does is low soft to high crunk thing that is soooo amazing and cool) and the song is catchy with a good message. Check it out!

Portable Sounds by Tobymac

2007-08-02T18:22:00.000-05:00

I just bought Portable Sounds by Tobymac this morning and finshed the whole thing while mowing a lawn earlier. Here is what I have to say about the cd:

Overall, this thing is pretty mellow. I think that my mom would love this cd (She usually doesn't like the cds I listen to because they are too hard), but this one is softer. (Especially compared to Momentum and even some of Diverse City) There aren't any really "Get Crunk" tracks on the cd, but it is still pretty good. It seems to have a very unique feel.
True to form, Tobymac nails the lyrics. They are all amazing! They all relate to God or spiritual things in one way or another! (That is a good thing by the way... lol).
There weren't really any amazing tracks that stuck in my head that I loved a ton, but when the cd was finished, I almost wished there was more... I really liked the last track a lot...

For fans of Tobymac, it's a little different, but you should like it... If you are wondering, there is another Tru Dog track (It's pretty funny... he goes "old School" for a second).

Michael's Address Book

2007-08-01T13:42:00.001-05:00

I have recently created a program (using good old C#) that probably no one will have to use. (Thanks to good old modern technology). The program is a simple address book that will allow you to keep names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, website addresses, and birthdays of people on your computer. If you still want to support me and check out the program anyway, it is availible free (lol... duh) for download on the Just Chillin' page of the Imagine Cup Winners website. I'm not sure how the download will work, or even if it will work, but supposing the download works, just double-click on the Setup.exe file. (There is also a readme for other various information you may or may not (most likely) want to know. I would like all errors about anything to be reported if possible... I am an untrained, inexperienced and long time not been trying to program programmer, so I will try to fix all errors though it may not be possible. Thanks for anyone who wishes to cooperate!

A Beginning and an End

2007-07-31T08:32:00.000-05:00

Well... The poll of which summer movie was best has finally ended. It was pretty much a blowout for Spider-Man 3. (Which was my personaly favorite). I'm working on a new poll now, check it out! (Answer honestly!)

Air Guitar

2007-07-30T15:13:00.000-05:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I love to pull some sick moves on the air guitar. I'm not like an ordinary person though. I actually take time during the day and practice air guitar moves. I love to take some of my favorite songs and make up some amazing stuff. Well, a lot of you know that Whispers in the Dark is one of my favorite songs, but I've never really tried air guitaring it (Seriously) until yesterday when I watched the video on a taped episode of Rock Block (Gospel Music Television). It is a way way way way way way way way sweet song to crank up (My parents weren't home) and just bust out with the radical moves. Well, my lawn mower needed to cool off for awhile so I jumped up on my trampoline and guess what song I picked... yep... Whispers in the Dark. Let me say that that was one of the most wicked air guitaring experiences I've ever had in my entire 16 years! I could pull flips and things on the trampoline and some gnarly high jumps! It was mondo sweetishness! Just thought I'd inform y'all

A Concert

2007-07-29T20:29:00.000-05:00

Today after church in the sanctuary I got to hold my second "Concert". It's where I get to go upstairs and play on the piano whatever I feel like and sing and have a good time. The echo of the sanctuary is way cool! I wish I could describe how cool it felt. I pretended there was an audience and I really got into the songs! It was a blast! The piano is one of the nicest that I have the opportunity to play. The only thing that would have made it better would have been an audience... lol... things come in time I guess.

Surf's Up

2007-07-28T18:03:00.000-05:00

I just got back from the theater and I saw the movie Surf's Up. It was a pretty predictable movie, but hey... what kids movie isn't? On that note, I thought it was a great younger kids movie that teenagers would enjoy too! I thought it was pretty stinking funny! With Shia Lebouf (Louis Stevens on Even Stevens) as the main character and Jon Heder (Napolean Dynamite on Napolean Dynamite) it made for a pretty funny movie! If I have to compare it to other movies, it's definately not as good as Spider-Man 3, but I thought it was quite a bit better than Nancy Drew. I suggest seeing it!

High of 75

2007-07-27T11:29:00.000-05:00

Using the same concept, idea, and style, I just recorded a similar version of High of 75... I apologize for all mistakes, but I haven't played piano for a long long time and I thought this was as good as it's going to get for a while... Please leave a commet! (I apologize to those who hate my singing, for I do sing in this recording!) Check it out here!