Top Music Albums of the Year

Check out the following site for a review of the top music albums of the year. Some good stuff there, with a personal favorite Arcade Fire making the list. If you visit the blog page you can see the entire top 100 in multiple posts.

What was your favorite album of 2007? I would have to say that mine was the afore mentioned Arcade Fire's Neon Bible. An innovative and groundbreaking album, I find myself playing it on the iPod more than anything else.

Mental Unstable

It came upon a midnight bath...

Mmmmm, this seems like a bit overkill on celebrating Christmas. I mean, I like nativity scenes and all, but it seems a little weird to have one floating around you in a bubble bath!



HT: Calacirian

Creative Impulses

Kieran is now 2.25 years old. It seems every day he develops in his thinking and perceptions of the world around him. Lately we have really noticed his imagination and creativity taking off, with role playing, imaginary dialogues, invented games, and so on. Of course, some of the creativity causes Mommy and Daddy a bit of consternation!

Case in-point, yesterday afternoon I was in the bedroom when I heard a scraping sound of Kieran moving something down the hall. I glanced out and noticed he was pulling his diaper trash can down the hallway As it is typical for him to drag buckets, laundry baskets, etc, around the house, I didn't really think anything of it. Until I heard him grunting at the end of the hall as he strained to turn the fully loaded diaper can over on its top!

I quickly asked him, "what are you doing?," he responded, "I need to turn the tree lights on," pointing first at the light switch at the end of the hall and then the Christmas tree (the Christmas lights run off a plug controlled by that light switch). "Ummmm, Kieran, you don't want to turn your diaper can over, it will make a mess," "Oh," he responded, clearly thinking of that eventuality for the first time. Then he grabbed the side of the can and proceeded to labor back down the hallway dragging it back to his room. I couldn't help but smile at his earnestness!

Our church in US News & World Report

US News & World Report did an article this week on the emerging church movement in the United States. The article features Common Table, the small faith community that Maranda, Kieran, and I have been a part of for over two years. This type of publicity is certainly not something our discreet group aspires to, but it is interesting to see a national publication's take on our small community. To their credit the journalist arrived early and stayed late, as well as interviewing one of our team leaders.

While I don't expect the emergent movement to become the norm for U.S. christianity, I am optimistic that the emergent emphasis on freedom, authenticity, relationship, the arts, and service, will impact the greater christian body. However, even if that doesn't happen, places like common table (and many other like-minded communities), serve an important role within the faith community by providing a sanctuary for those who don't comfortable fit in a traditional church setting.

Check out the US News & World Report article HERE.

Oklahoma Ice Storm

As you may have heard, over the past week there has been a massive ice storm across much of the midwest, with Oklahoma hit the hardest. My brother Wes has taken some incredible pictures of the impact in Oklahoma, with some of my favorites below.

The Danger of Being Clean

This may be the most important article you read this week. I say this only in part because it appears to at least partly vindicate my thirty year campaign against excessive hygene! The researcher suggests that the American fascination with hygene is primarily cosmetic and has become a social norm in part due to the advertising industry. According to this author, the only clear hygenic benefits are hand washing, everything else is just personal comfort or to meet social norms.

Indeed, our fascination with hygene may even be making our kids sick! Supporting a claim I have often made in the past (can you see I am anxious for vindication here?), the researcher write, "In order to harden the immune system, the immune system requests some kind of stimuli all the time." Indeed, this correlates to the homeopathic method of medicating patients by giving them a little of the "bad stuff," to trigger their bodies natural immune response and heal naturally.

When asked if our hygene obsession helps keep us from getting sick, the researcher responded, "No. Not at all. I think it's making us sicker in the case of the hygiene hypothesis. It's increasingly believed by a large number of doctors and scientists, who say that the fact that we're not giving one of our immune systems enough dirt and germs to kind of flex its muscles on and get strong is allowing the other immune system, the one that gets allergies and asthma, to [take over]."

Wow, I mean, double wow! We could be healthier, have less respiratory problems, less illness, and less auto-immune disease if we simply washed less! I mean, talk about an easy call to action, all we have to do is stop doing something that takes time, wastes water, and is often uncomfortable (my wife disagrees here). Having a symbiotic relationship with dirt and bacteria is the key to a healthier life! As the researcher states, "it's not good for our health to have robbed ourselves of all these bacteria with which we have had a pretty fruitful coexistence."

From now on, when someone notices that I haven't showered in a couple days, or my body odor is a bit strong, I will just tell them I am having a "fruitful coexistence" with bacteria!

Visit from "Aunt" Tara

Dear friend Tara Ryan came and visited us in D.C. this past weekend. It was great to have some time to visit and catch up. Tara was one of two friends that toured France and Italy with Maranda and I in 2003. She is also our official fashion muse (we cleaned out all "dated" clothing from our closets with her input)! Kieran had a blast getting to know his "Aunt" Tara, as they listened to lots of up tempo music and had hours of dancing and playing. Some of my favorite memories from her visit include a fierce argument between Kieran and Tara whether a white fluffy animal was a "poodle" or a "sheep," with Kieran standing his ground on the sheep identity between fits of laughter.

One legacy that is likely to endure was Tara introducing Kieran to the song "I Want Candy." He now regularly (hourly) asks for that song and sings it in full voice with animated dancing (I assume to impersonate the sugar high induced by candy consumption). So the last couple nights when Kieran has asked to skip dinner and eat candy instead, my thoughts have fondly turned to Aunt Tara...

Here are some good shots taken by Tara during her trip. See her facebook album as well.

I love hate diets!!

Seven guys in my department decided to take on a weight loss challenge. We each contribute $20 to a pool, and the individual with the most % weight loss by December 17th gets the cash! This is a great idea as one of the only things that is more motivating for guys than food is competition! The last two days we keep passing each other in the halls with suspicious glances at the cans of soup, heads of lettuce, and other secret diet foods we are each holding. Our initial weigh in was this past Monday, so this coming Monday we will find out how we did our first week.

So in order to structure my approach a bit more, I have started the South Beach diet. I am a skeptic of most diets in general, because I think they oversell the potential for weight loss, and don't emphasize exercise enough. However, I have heard enough good things about the South Beach approach that I have decided to try it. It strikes me as a more balanced version of the Atkin's diet (pardon my ignorance if I am way off?). There is a lot of emphasis on avoiding high carb foods as well as trans fats. I truly didn't realize how many carbs I was eating until I tried to omit them from my diet this week!

The diet goes in three phases. The first phase lasts two weeks and during this time you abstain from all carbs. This is intended to break your carb addiction, after which carbs are gradually reintroduced during phase 2, which is the primary weigh loss stage. The final stage is entered after you have lost the weight and need to sustain your losses. You (theoretically) stay in this phase the rest of your life, only re-entering stage 2 if you need to loose additional weight.

After four days of boiled eggs, raw nuts, heads of broccoli, humus, fish, and plain yogurt, I am definitely missing my *regular* food! I will say that I have really noticed a change in the early afternoon hours, I have not had my typical lunch hangover, which I guess is my blood sugars crashing after my body absorbs a bunch of simple carbs. Look for further updates regarding my terrible wonderful dieting experience.

Cox Farms Visit

Kieran and Dad went to Cox Farms this weekend with our church as part of an outreach to local homeless familes (several families were brought to the event by members of our church). Kieran had a lot of fun, especially on the hayride (loved the spooky barn), and the pumpkin drop (pumpkins are dropped from a lift ~60 feet high!).


Here are some of the best shots (I will post a video of the pumpkin drop later).

Pumpkin Idol (note that he is leaning the mic, don't know where he picked this up!)

Kieran with his friend Elizabeth

Kieran showing a crazy face!

Trick or Treating

Kieran had a fantastic Halloween! He chose a Bob The Builder costume and happily bounced around singing "Can we fix it? Yes we can!" He was very brave during Trick-or-Treating, even given some fairly elaborately decorated houses on our street. Kieran went door to door with his friend Shreya (shown below). Also check out the video clip at the bottom of Kieran singing Bob the Builder theme song.

Pumpkin Carving Party

Last night we had a pumpkin carving party at our house. It was a fun event, with a potluck dinner, a wide variety of Octoberfest beer, and a pumpkin carving. The pumpkins shown below were carved by (from top left), Ken, Kate Maisel, Maranda, Liz Fretz, then starting on the bottom left, Mike Croghan, Matt Maisel, Tina Driskell, and Elizabeth Fretz.


The crowd favorite was the witch carved by Liz Fretz.
The most unique pumpkin was voted Matt's Goblin.
And Maranda's pumpkin was voted the scariest (carved freehand without a template)

Little Face at the Window

I love your little face at the window in the morning. When I sneak out of the house, only to hear padded feet coming down the hallway behind. A sleepy eyed face turned up to mine, "you going to work daddy?" Yes my son, Daddy is going to work. I love you so much and I will miss you today. My heart melts at the sincere response, "Daddy, I love you at work..." My little boy, give me a big hug and a kiss, then stand on the chair and watch out the window while Daddy drives away. A little face at the window silently watches me as I back out of the drive. My heart tugs me back toward the house, but my mind intervenes and I inevitably turn the wheels down the road...

I think so...

Kieran has picked up Maranda's habit of answering his questions with a non-commital "I think so..." For example, Kieran: "Mommy, can we go play with Shreya after breakfast," Maranda: "Mmmm, I think so..."

The result of this has been that Kieran now answers all questions with a similar non-commital answer. For instance, Daddy: "Kieran, do you want noodles for dinner?" Kieran: "I think so..." It is very cute, although a little maddening when you are trying to get a "straight" answer!

Archery Success

I am happy to report that I have had my first success archery hunting for deer! This is great news as the Tennyson household will greatly benefit from some super healthy and tasty venison!

Where have all the blog posts gone!

Folks, I am getting serious about keeping up with my other blog, Transforming Society. My apologies for the slow start, but I hope to be more consistent going forward. If you are interested in my thoughts on social justice, sustainable living, human nature, and other related topics, be sure to check it out.

Ken

Five Cords Later

So it is wood splitting season at the Tennysonian. Maranda and Ken spent most of the weekend using a rented wood splitter to reduce a bunch of hardwood rounds into fireplace sized pieces. We split the labor as we believe in equal opportunity when it comes to back pain! ;) We split about 2.5 cords each for a total of five cords, with Maranda doing the work with infinitely more grace than Ken's huffing, puffing, and cursing.

The end result is a nice pile of hardwood that should last us through winter. We look forward to reducing our dependence on oil for heat, something that both dents the pocketbook and the environment. Of course we are aware that wood smoke is also bad for the atmosphere, long term we will try and find a greener solution (wood pellet stove?), but for now, necessity leads us to utilize the readily available hardwood in Northern Virginia (thank God for Craigslist!).



Content by Ken

Caffeine Free!!

So based on earnest advice from my Doctor, Psychiatrist, Counselor, and wife, and encouragement from a friend, I have quite coffee cold turkey as of this past Monday. To say it has been hard would be an understatement (hence the lack of posts this week except for the delirious one yesterday!). Luckily, the main thing that has suffered this week has been work, something I am entirely okay with! ;)

I woke up this morning after a normal nights sleep feeling more refreshed than I have in a very long time! Indeed, I am slowly creeping back into cognition and am finding my energy levels are already far less volatile than before. My 6-8 cups of coffee and pepsi per day had clearly begun to really affect my body (who would have figured?!?). Aside from a bit of tea, I am completely off the wagon.

Not trying to start a movement or anything, my major motivation was health and anxiety, look for future updates on whether these areas significantly improve. I know there is no silver bullet, but it is exciting to make a deliberate change that is already making a difference. Next up - Food consumption and excercise (ouch!).

Content by Ken

Charging Ahead

Have you ever had the feeling that your half naked body is strapped to the front of a runaway train, and the only way you can slow it down is fashioning a make-shift wind drag out of your undergarments and hope for the best?


No? Me neither.

Kieran's B-Day

Kieran had a great Truck n Tractor themed Birthday! He had a lot of fun with all the friends that came over, and he is still enjoying their gifts of tractors, dump trucks, construction equipment, etc.

Kieran Enjoying a Company Fair

Here are some pics of the family enjoying a company sponsored fair. I love this first pic of Kieran riding a pony, very cute!

A Tomato Worthy of Praises

The Tennyson's have discoved an amazing heirloom tomato called Kellogs Breakfast Tomato. This tomato is truly fantastic and has changed the way we view this fruit staple (yes, tomatoes are fruit...). It has a firm texture and slices into wedges quite well. Dipped into humus this mild, slightly sweet flavored Tomato is TOO DIE FOR. Needless to say, we will be including Kellog's Breakfast Tomatoes in all future gardens. For other horticulturists out there, check them out!



P.S. I will be enjoying these luscious beauties as soon as I hit submit on this post!!!

Loving Support

So the other day I was bemoaning all my personal failings to Maranda, something I do on a regular basis. At one point I paused and said, "well, at least I am not a serial killer!" In autopilot mode, Maranda quickly responded, "Not Yet..."

Ouch...

Honey, the house may be on fire...

This is how Maranda greeted my on the phone today at 4:30pm. She followed this statement with, "yeah, the fire department is here and there are men on the roof and in the basement." Yikes, talk about getting your attention! As I raced out of work she was talking with the firemen and the whole story slowly came out.

Apparently our boiler is past maintenance and had built up a lot of oil vapor due to misfiring, and then when the vapor combusted the boiler "belched" a ton of soot and smoke out the chimney. As Maranda was scrambling upstairs to get Kieran in case something was going to blow, the neighbor saw the black smoke and called the firestation.

By the time I was halfway home the fire department had verified that there was no actual fire, just a lot of soot. Our oil company is sending someone out tonight to do maintenance on the boiler, so we will have hot water again. Sheesh...what a scare!

Update: Kieran is now asking "fire trucks again pleeeese"

Compassion for Luddites - Part 1 (Blogs)

I absolutely don't claim to be on expert on web technology. Indeed, things change so quickly that I am always feeling behind. However, there are many things in the world of the web that are taken for granted by those in the know, and thus rarely explained to the neo-luddites lurking amongst us! I know this to be true, because I have been in these shoes!

So for this initial post I thought I would focus on all things blogging related (since I assume that as your are reading this, you are interested in blogs...)

Blog - Start with the basics, a blog is a shortened form of "web log," basically an online journal of your thoughts and ideas that is shared on the web. The word blog was first coined in 1999 and has become a permanent part of online culture since. For a thorough definition of blogging and other associated terms, see the wiki entry.

Thread - A thread is a "string" of posts or responses from a single initial post. The most simple type of thread is an e-mail discussion, where individuals reply back and forth on a subject, resulting in a history of the discussion. Google's GMAIL now calls threads "conversations" for this reason.

RSS - RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication." It is a way to easily publish updates to a blog, website, or other online content. This allows regular readers to keep abreast of any new posts without having to check the site on a constant basis.

RSS Reader - If you are not using an RSS Reader, you are still in the dark ages of blog browsing!! ;) Seriously though, RSS Reader's have been a huge breakthrough in the way an individual can monitor content on a number of blogs, websites, etc. Instead of keeping track of many different sites, a person can simply subscribe to the "feed" for that site in a common RSS Reader, and then access a single site to read all new posts. I personally use BlogLines, although I am sure there are better Readers out there.

Podcast - Podcast was created from the words "iPod" and "broadcast." A podcast is a multimedia file that can be downloaded or viewed online. Similar to a traditional blog, a podcast is often audio or video reflection about ideas, information, etc. A person can subscribe to podcasts in much the same ways as to blogs. I currently use iTunes to subscribe to Podcasts (requires an iPod).

VLOG - A fairly new term is "VLOG," which means video blog. This is different than simple embedding a clip on a blog post (as I often do), rather most (if not all) of the content is contained within a video clip. Video blogging has become extremely popular in recent years with the soaring interest in YouTube, now one of the largest websites in the world.

First Steps
If you haven't already, the first thing I would do is sign up with an RSS Reader and add your top blogs. This will revolutionize your blog reading experience and you will never be able to live without a reader again!

Ain't No Reason

This song has touched my soul over the past week, it captures so much of what I have been going through and what I see in the world. I am very thankful to my dear friend Tara for sending Brett my way. The lyrics are below, they are powerful and poetic just by themselves. However, do check out the song on Brett's myspace page, it is amazing.

Ain't No Reason - By Brett Dennen

There aint no reason things are this way
Its how they always been and it intends to stay
I can't explain why we live this way, we do it everyday
Preachers on the podium speaking of saints
Prophets on the sidewalk begging for change
old ladies laughing from the fire escape cursing my name

I got a basket full of lemons and they all taste the same
A window and a pigeon with a broken wing
You can spend you whole life working for something,
Just to have it taken away

People walk around pushing back their debts
Wearing paychecks like necklaces and bracelets
Talking bout nothing, not thinking bout' death
Every little hearbeat, every little breath

People walk a tight rope
On a razors edge
Carrying their hurt and hatrid and weapons
It could be a bomb or a bullet or a pen
Or a thought or a word or a sentence

There Ain't no reason
Things are this way
It's how they've always been
and it intends to stay
I dont know why I say
The things that I say
But I say them anyway
But love will come set me free
Love will come set me free, I do believe
Love will come set me free, I know it will
Love will come set my free yes.

Prison walls still standing tall
Some things never change at all
Keep on building prisons, gonna fill them all
Keep building bombs, gonna drop them all
Working young fingers bare to the bone
Breaking your back make you sell your soul
Like a lung its filled with cold, sufficating slow

The wind blows wild and I am not moved
The politicians lie and I am not fooled
you don't need no reason or a three piece suit
To argue the truth
The air on my skin and the world under my toes
Labor is stiched into the fabric of my clothes
Chaos and comotion wherever I go
Love I try to follow

Love will come set me free
Love will come set me free, I do believe
Love will come set me free, I know it will
Love will come set my free yes.

There ain't no reason things are this way
Its how its always been and it intends to stay
I can't explain why we live this way,
We do it everyday.

As Is - By Ani Difranco

this should have been sung at my wedding...

you can't hide
behind social graces
so don't try
to be all touchy feely
cuz you lie
in my face of all places
but i've got no
problem with that really

what bugs me
is that you believe what you're saying
what bothers me
is that you don't know how you feel
what scares me
is that while you're telling me stories
you actually
believe that they are real

and i've got
no illusions about you
and guess what?
i never did
and when i said
when i said i'll take it
i meant,
i meant as is

just give up
and admit you're an asshole
you would be
in some good company
i think you'd find
that your friends would forgive you
or maybe i
am just speaking for me

cuz when i look around
i think this, this is good enough
and i try to laugh
at whatever life brings
cuz when i look down
i just miss all the good stuff
when i look up
i just trip over things

and i've got
no illusions about you...

False Bottoms

One of the most bitter parts of depressive periods are what you might call "false bottoms." Places of descent that feel final, only to stare up wistfully at that place later on...

Ethical Dilemma

So I have an interesting situation that has recently developed at work....I have befriended one of our cafeteria workers who is a recent immigrant to the US. Befriended is perhaps an overstatement, I have just engaged in polite conversation each morning and afternoon and gone out of my way to go through her check-out line. She works ten hour days, 6/7 days a week! Her name is a challenge for an english speaker, so she always shows delight when I get it right. My interaction with her and a few other cafeteria workers has become my favorite part of each day.

So, in the past two days she has intentionally not charged me for my milk at breakfast (I always get a bowl of oatmeal and raisins, milk, and a cup of instant coffee (yek). The free milk is a small token of appreciation from someone who has very little to give. But here's the rub, its not her milk to give away! I really appreciate the gesture, and the impact on the food service company is clearly insignificant, but should I be accepting such an offer, especially if it becomes a regular occurrence?

Now I know the obvious answer here is to politely decline, leading to a moment of embarrassment on her part, and a rectified situation. For me, her warm greeting is worth many, many times more than the free milk, but I can't think of a way to graciously communicate that.

So, do I refuse such a small gift from an overworked, underpaid worker who likely comes from a culture where gifts are highly valued, with the alternative to basically aid and abet stealing milk from our cafeteria? Or should I find a way to reimburse the cafeteria coffers while continuing to accept her token gift of a free milk (thus reinforcing that this behavior is acceptable)? Or am I just being silly and should look a gift milk in the carton?

I for one do not think there is an easy answer here, but would like to get your input. What do you think I should do?

Long Beach Island NJ - Pics

Here are a few pics from our time on Long Beach Island. Also shown in some of the pictures are our friends Nidhi and Shreya (just turned two).

Eggs Aplenty

We returned home from our vacation on the NJ shoreline to find a good store off eggs awaiting us! Between the eggs we collected prior to leaving and what the hens had laid, we had 74 eggs!!!

In this pic Kieran is helping Mommy wash the eggs (our free range chickens are not too particular where they step...). So our illicit egg trade is going quite well (and its a good thing we all like boiled eggs, scrambed eggs, egg benedict, egg sandwiches, egg ala-mode, etc....).

Pastor Wanted

This is a very sad, but true to life satire of how Pastor's are viewed in the traditional church. As most of you know, I grew up as a PK (pastor's kid), and many of these ring far too true. TBNN did miss a few though, particularly janitorial work and church finances (maybe that is only in a small church?).

It is a shame that many churches still operate in such a way that responsibility for the spiritual health of the community is placed on a pastor(s). Instead of being vibrant fellowships for spiritually healthy and growing individuals, many churches are more like nursing homes for the spiritually tepid and infirm. Of course, at the end of the day, who gets the blame? I have a particularly low regard for denominations that treat Pastor's as dispensable, discarding them when they are no longer useful (normally due to age). The role of a pastor is very similar to the role of a therapist/counselor, and should only be enhanced with age (experience and wisdom). Clearly churches that want young, energetic Pastor's are looking for something other than spiritual guidance.

New Jersey Shoreline

Maranda, Kieran, and I just returned from a relaxing long weekend on the NJ coastline. We were on Long Beach on the ocean side. Our neighbors had rented a beachfront townhouse and were kind enough to invite us along! It was a nice time of R&R, with very little on our agenda. I did manage to get a little fishing in, but only managed to catch sand sharks, a small rock bass, and a skate. I am interested in heading back up to check out the Striper Bass fishing later this fall.

For our drive home we took the scenic route along Highway 40, which cuts across most of southern New Jersey. It is quite rural, as we quickly discovered when we started watching for a resturaunt to stop and eat. We finally found a place called "Good Vittles" that was still open at the late hour of 7:30pm. It became very clear that everyone in the resturaunt knew each other, reminding both of us of our rural roots.

It was a fun trip, I realized that it was my first vacation on the East Coast since our move (Maranda enjoyed a trip to Virginia Beach earlier in the year)!

Indigo Girls Concert

My twin sister Melissa recommended that I check out the Indigo Girls as part of my music quest. Over the past month I have enjoyed their music on my iPod and was excited to hear they were performing in Virginia this fall. Last night Maranda and I dropped Kieran off at some friends house and got out for a rare night on the town where our conversation is not interrupted by constant interaction with our wonderful, but busy little boy.

We watched the Indigo Girls in concert at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. It was our first time to visit Wolf Trap and we really enjoyed the laid back atmosphere in an outdoor setting.


The Indigo Girls are a folk music duo with punk rock and blue grass influences. They are very active politcally and particularly support environmental and gay rights issues. It was a wonderful experience to see them in person, they are amazing musicians and full of life and personality! It was also very good to be surrounded by lots of folks from the gay subculture, a reminder that I need to get out of the suburbs more often! The most poignant moment of the night for me was when they stopped singing and allowed the crowd to sing full voice. The entire place swelled with voices and the hair on my back tingled, it felt like church!

Here are the lyrics from Pendulum Swinger (Maranda's favorite so far), which is on their newest album. It is a powerful and pertinent message.

Indigo Girls - Pendulum Swinger Lyrics
I meet you for coffee
We get together periodically
I got a bad case I can't shake off of me
The fevered walking round wondering how it ought to be
You work in the system
You see possibilities and your glistening
Eyes show the hell you're gonna give 'em
When they back off the mic for once and give it to a woman

I dream like a mad one
Brutal fantasies I catch as catch can
I'm a psychic and a laywoman
I see love and I like to make it happen
What we get from your war walk
Ticker of the nation breaking down like a bad clock
I want the pendulum to swing again
So that all your mighty mandate was just spitting in the wind

It doesn't come by the bullwhip
It's not persuaded with your hands on your hips
Not the company of gunslingers
The epicenter love is the pendulum swinger
She is she is she is

It's fine about the old scroll Sanskrit
Gnostic gospels the da vinci code a smash hit
Aren't we dying just to read it and relate
Too hard just to go by a blind faith
But they left out the sisters
Praying to a father god so long I really missed her
The goddess of benevolence
You should listen to your mama if you have a lick of sense left

Pushed under by the main press, buried under a code of dress
Relegated by the Vatican
But you can't keep a spirit down that wants to get up again

If we're a drop in the bucket
With just enough science to keep from saying fuck it
Until the last drop of sun burns its sweet light
Plenty revolutions left until we get this thing right

My personal favorite is Closer to Fine, which has a message that resonates with my place in life right now. I will let the lyrics speak for themselves.

Closer To Fine

I'm trying to tell you something about my life
Maybe give me insight between black and white
The best thing you've ever done for me
Is to help me take my life less seriously, it's only life after all
Well darkness has a hunger that's insatiable
And lightness has a call that's hard to hear
I wrap my fear around me like a blanket
I sailed my ship of safety till I sank it, I'm crawling on your shore.

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountain
There's more than one answer to these questions
pointing me in crooked line
The less I seek my source for some definitive
The closer I am to fine.

I went to see the doctor of philosophy
With a poster of Rasputin and a beard down to his knee
He never did marry or see a B-grade movie
He graded my performance, he said he could see through me
I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind, got my paper
And I was free.

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountain
There's more than one answer to these questions
pointing me in crooked line
The less I seek my source for some definitive
The closer I am to fine.

I stopped by the bar at 3 a.m.
To seek solace in a bottle or possibly a friend
I woke up with a headache like my head against a board
Twice as cloudy as I'd been the night before
I went in seeking clarity.


I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountain
There's more than one answer to these questions
pointing me in crooked line
The less I seek my source for some definitive
The closer I am to fine.

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountain
There's more than one answer to these questions
pointing me in crooked line
The less I seek my source for some definitive
The closer I am to fine.

We go to the bible, we go through the workout
We read up on revival and we stand up for the lookout
There's more than one answer to these questions
pointing me in a crooked line
The less I seek my source for some definitive
The closer I am to fine
The closer I am to fine
The closer I am to fine

Vic's Offspring

Over a month has passed now since our male German Shorthaired Pointer was killed by a car after escaping our back yard. It is still very difficult when I think of his life cut so terribly short, but it does offer me some consolation to know that Vic's has some beautiful offspring, some of which we plan to meet now that they are no longer puppies.

Vic's son, Chocolate Chip is owned by a friend in Virginia (Culpeper), and has turned into a stunningly gorgeous dog. We are excited to meet him a week from tomorrow. Based on his owner's feedback, he has Vic's amazing personality, so it will be a very special reunion.



I have shown this picture before, but it bears repeating as Sadie is a beautiful girl and shows influence from both Vic and Alexa.

Back to our Roots

The Tennyson's had a fun Friday night painting the town red. Check out the clip to share a little of our fun (and watch a little of the amazing indestructible yellow station wagon!!). Needless to say, Kieran has been saying "crash crash" all day...

Breaking a Sweat

Kieran and Daddy clearing some limbs from a tree that was felled in our back yard. Kieran was a great helper, including mimicking Daddies grunts as we picked up heavy branches!

Adventures in Parenting - Part II

So the other morning Kieran and Daddy were in the office playing on our "computers" (Daddy has a dual processor AMD screaming machine, Kieran has an old keyboard) when we heard a commotion in the bedroom. Maranda was getting Grandma Kathy's opinion of how a blouse matched a couple different skirts and had ran into some difficulty in retrieving a skirt from its hanger. In a moment of frustration she yanked the hanger free and flopped the skirt onto the bed, exclaiming "flippin closet!." Kieran had wandered in and not recognizing the need for a Grandma filter, quickly translated "f@cking closet!" It is moments like these that you wish you had the ability to instantly turn into a gnat and crawl under the floor boards for a while. Really not much you can say to redeem the situation, as I doubt G-Ma would buy my mutterings about "kids programs these days...."

Grandma, in case you read this we are aggressively addressing the situation. I am installing quick release hangers in all of our closets!

Karunesh

I am completely thrilled with new age world music artist Karunesh. Every song on his album Global Spirit is a thrilling experience. These are not songs to listen to, but rather experience! He blends international sounds, especially native and tribal sounds and instruments, with an electronica rythym (this is my uneducated take, so I may be wrong!). If you are into something a little different, with sounds that transport you across the world, check out this album. He has a number of other albums that I have not listened to, but they come highly reviewed, check them out on his web site, where you can also listen to clips from each album.

My favorite songs from this album are Native Rituals, Punjab, Kubula Ma, and Earthsong. If you liked Sting's "Desert Rose," be sure to check out Punjab, the haunting vocals are amazing. If you are interested, I recommend the entire album as there is not a single "filler" song, they are all amazing.

If you happen to listen to any of his music, or are already a fan, please post your responses here, would love to hear your perspective.

Puppy Coming in 4 Weeks

Maranda, Kieran, and I are anxiously awaiting the arrival of a male puppy in four weeks! We don't know which puppy for sure, but it will be either the puppy on the left or the puppy on the right in this picture. Aren't they cute!!

Tay Zonday revisted

This song is very good, I like it even better than Chocolate Rain. Check it out, the lyrics are powerful!

Imagine by A Perfect Circle

In my musical forays, I have started to come across some wonderful new musicians and songs. When I find an artist or song that I feel is truly exceptional, I will blog about it here so others can share in my findings (or clue me in to new ones!). Of course for some of you this is not "news," so bear with me as I fumble around in the world of music.

A song that has really piqued my interest is called Imagine by A Perfect Circle on their album eMOTIVe. It has a haunting composition, with lyrics that capture your attention as they explore the possibilities of living in a very different world from today. It strikes me as both a bit melancholic (which suites me just fine) with a thread of hope running through the song. As soon as I have the funds, I plan to download the entire album, lemme know if you have already heard this album and what you thought of it?

Here are the lyrics:

Imagine there's no heaven,
It's easy if you try,
No hell below us,
Above us only sky,
Imagine all the people
living for today...

Imagine there's no countries,
It isn't hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
No religion too,
Imagine all the people
living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.

Imagine all the people sharing all the world

You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.

Imagine no possessions,
I wonder if you can,
No need for greed or hunger,
A brotherhood of man,
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.


And here is the song on Rhapsody. If you download their free player you can listen to the song for free (after 25 songs you have to start paying for the service).

eMOTIVe by A Perfect Circle

Update: See the comments section, this song is actually a cover of John Lennon, which probably explains why it was vaguely familiar! I will check out more of their stuff and see if they have some equally compelling original content.