Donald, Eddie, and the rest

Hi all, Matt here. Since I've been pretty sick and unable to do much that requires any semblance of energy, I thought I would take the time to peck out a blog post about what I have been reading, listening to lately, and some other stuff. I will not have much time to do so in the next couple weeks, so I better do it now!


As I mentioned previously, I got to go and hear Donald Miller promote his new book A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, which was a fantastic evening--what an amazing speaker he is! Well, I finished the book as well and I must say it was a brilliant read (minus all the first edition typos and spelling mistakes!). The whole idea of taking the elements that make up Story and applying them to one's life really spoke to me and made a lot of sense. It made me think about the story I'm living and I am still evaluating what I think of that story and whether or not it is a really good one.

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Both Pearl Jam and The Black Crowes dropped new albums recently, much to my delight, and both groups have outdone themselves in their efforts. Pearl Jam's Backspacer is a taut, 37-minute unrelenting adrenaline rush, while the Crowes' Before the Frost...Until the Freeze is a studio album cut live in front of a handful of diehard fans at Levon Helm's studio; in truth it's a double album as buying Before the Frost... gives you a download code for ...Until the Freeze. The Crowes' double album is their finest ever: Chris Robinson sounds incredible, the playing is tight, but loose, and the songs are perfectly executed . These guys play fiery, powerful, gorgeous rock and roll that pays homage to great roots rock history without completely aping it. And they're only getting better with age! Pearl Jam's album is the sound of them having the most fun in their history, a huge shock to the critics. It's a lighthearted album; gone is the political railing against the Bush administration and in its place are highly personal songs about love, marriage, and blues legends (Johnny "Guitar" Watson). And these songs rocked live when I saw in in Vancouver a week and a half ago!

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I am growing really sick of watching some smokers treat the world as their personal ashtray. Hey folks, how about you put your cigarettes in designated receptacles rather than just throwing them out of your car window or throwing on the ground wherever you want. What a concept!

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I am fully stoked for my church's annual retreat, which is happening in a couple of weeks. This is easily one of the highlights of my year since it involves going to a beautiful, rustic camp on Thetis Island, enjoying the beauty of Creation, and spending time with some amazing people. It's a place of profound conversations, epiphanies, and calming/stilling of the soul. No TVs, computers, or anything. We sit around the fire, talk, play cards, play music, and just generally get to know members of our community in a deeper way. I can't wait!

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We received our five-DVD set of The Office: Season Five within the last few weeks and have finally been able to watch a few episodes and thus far I've had to pause proceedings a number of times because I've been laughing too hard. This line, where Dwight is confiding in Phyllis about his love for Angela (who is now engaged to Andy Bernard), is a prime example:

"She introduced me to so many things: pasteurized milk, sheets, monotheism..."

Brilliant.

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One of my favourite moments in the Gospels is when Jesus tells his disciples that he's "sending them out as sheep among wolves" and that they are to be "as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves." There is no possibility of counting the number of ways that the Church has gotten THAT little missive wrong, is there? I could make a lot of jokes starting with "more like as dumb as...", but I'll refrain. However, despite all of that , I still have hope for the Church...

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My friend Michelle talked about 'meeting me halfway' on this Battle of the Blades thing (though I don't have cable), since she loves figure skating and I love hockey, but I don't even know how this is halfway--where's the hockey? Unless Claude Lemieux can rub out Shae-Lynn Bourne with a bone-crushing bodycheck against the boards post-triple lutz, this is not meeting halfway. When Shae-Lynn can beat any NHL backup goalie short-side with a wrist shot, then we'll talk.

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Do I like Swiss Chalet gravy or do I not? I can't decide whether it's tasty or totally gross.