Music Theory

So, I posted a musical-type theory on my twitter account. My theory is that bands with food names correlate somehow with their namesakes. I use Cranberries (acquired taste) and Meatloaf (comfort food but easy to get sick of)as examples. Any comments or (constructive) criticisms are welcome.

Just a Haircut

So I missed this story when it was recent, but I feel it's still quite relevant and worth sharing.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8221933.stm

I love how it says she fell short of her goal but still considered it a success. I could see the conversation now.

Random observer (RO): You missed it by a couple of inches.
Kung fu lady(KL):I pulled a vehicle with my hair.
RO: Good point.

Also worth noting: she credits the strength of her hair. But I could have sworn it was the braids.

Random Reads

I've been reading a lot lately, and while I can't fully recommend all of them, I enjoyed them and wanted to share some of the highlights. So here goes:

1. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoffer. Okay, I can fully recommend this one. One of my favorite parts involves people trying to ask Jesus theological questions and Him in response taking them back to obedience. Good stuff.

2. The Dante Club. A murder mystery based on Longfellow's translation of Dante's Divine Comedy, it was a mixture of grisly murder, mystery, and tons of literary factoids. For example, Dante's poem was only called a comedy because the ending is in Paradise, so it's therefore not a tragedy. As one who loses sight of the ending, this fact resonated with me.

3. Angry Conversations with God. I can recommend this entire book as well. It's funny, but it also has some great points to it. The author is dissatisfied with her marriage to God (being part of the bride of Christ) so she takes Him to marriage counseling. But whose fault are the problems in question? And is that really God she's representing? And doesn't the word "Abba" remind everyone of Dancing Queen?

4. The Amazing Adventures of Kavelier and Klay. This novel explores a world in which comic book writers live messed-up lives. It's funny in places, but there's a lot of sadness to a story about people who invent characters to do what they cannot. It's a reminder of the limits of heroism on human terms, and for that honesty I enjoyed it.

5. Welcome to the Monkeyhouse. Kurt Vonnegut may not be known especially for his short stories, but many of the ones in this collection are excellent. I enjoyed all of his sci-fi stories, especially "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", a story about an overcrowded world in which no one dies from old age. In this world, prison becomes a matter of perspective. Another memorable story is "All the King's Horses", in which a prisoner of war must play a real life game of chess and learn to truly sacrifice.

More is on its way I'm sure, but it may slow down as the holidays are over and I'm actually doing stuff. Time will tell.

Fun with Crappy Equipment

I wonder if the same is true of my old washer (may it, you know).

http://www.theonion.com/content/from_print/old_dryer_abandoned_by_train?utm_source=onion_rss_daily

Book Review: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

I read a lot of books over the break, but none affected me the way this one did. As I read a story about what makes a story/life interesting, I imagined a book about me sitting around in a heated room during winter reading a Donald Miller book. Thanks very much, Mr. Miller, I'm officially depressed.

As a reader and writer, this book spoke my language. If you never wondered what would happen if you broke your everyday routine one day, or you don't frequently ask "what if" and wonder about how tollbooth operators go to the bathroom, or you don't ask "what if I broke my everyday routine to find out how tollbooth operators go to the bathroom" this might not be the book for you. Or simply put, it compares people to characters in a story and gives this idea merit. If you don't think of life in terms of narrative, something like The Cost of Discipleship might be more up your alley. Also a good book, and similar points overall, but a very different approach.

Steve Taylor (yes, it's spelled correctly and therefore a different guy than the lead singer from Aerosmith with the cavernous mouth)and some former stoner (also not Steve Tyler) approached Mr. Miller about making Blue Like Jazz into a movie. The only issue was, they needed a story. The fact that his life would make a boring story causes the author to re examine his life and attempt to edit it. In short, he wants his life to tell a better story.

This is like Bonhoffer's book in that whether he says it or not, Don Miller is talking about obedience. If you set aside your stuff for a moment and follow Christ, your life will not be boring. So though he doesn't use those words specifically, he's talking about being a disciple of Christ.

A Million Miles also earns bonus points for reminding me of an excellent book I read a few years back entitled Man's Search for Meaning. If you ever read Night and got depressed, read Man's Search for Meaning. Victor Frankl is one of my heroes for even trying to give hope in the direst of situations. And every time I get soup from a pot I randomly hope I'll get soup from the bottom. It has yet to become a problem, but you never know.

In the end, all three books and authors refuse to settle for less. And that's definitely worth a recommend.

For all the Twits Out There

If you have a twitter account, or are willing to whittle away more seconds of your time online I recently joined the club.

http://twitter.com/reeseseater

If I can't possibly get random-er, this should do the trick.