Come On (My Soul)

I picked up Rend Collective Experiment's debut album last year and was amazed by the passion that they put into their music.
This was one of my favorite songs from the CD...




As simple as the lyrics are... they have a very powerful message... to me at least.
There are days were I show up at church and really don't fell like worshiping God.
Not that I'm holding anything against him, there's just to much on my mind.
School, work, even ministry can just get on my mind to the point were... that's all I can think of.


That's what I love about this song, It conveys (to me) putting aside all of the stuff that's on my mind or in my life
and just worshiping. It usually feels like plowing through concrete... but in the end, it works.
Do you know what I mean?

M.A.S.H Bash 2011

Yesterday was M.A.S.H Bash at Snow Valley in Barrie. I have always wanted to check this event out. So when I found out I was not only going to M.A.S.H Bash, but was competing in the celebrity bad pan race...

I was STOKED!

The event was a blast, amid B.B.Qed sausage and chicken breast, a random tent where you could play Rock Band and of course the skiing/snowboarding... the apex of the event was the bed pan race!

The title of "Bed Pan Champ" is a very hotly contested title... and I wanted it.

The hill wasn't that high... but it was steep, so steep in fact that when I was ascending it on a snowmobile, I felt like I was climbing a wall!!!

At the top, my nerves kicked in, but once the whistle blew I recovered enough to start to slide down the hill with 11 (I think) other crazed DJs.

The bed pan only stayed under me for about 5 seconds... after which I was rolling down a hill, dodging other floundering media people! I managed to get my bed pan back (mid roll [that was sweet]) and slid halfway down the hill on my jeans.

I came third from last.

Oh well. Next year... I'm going to dominate that race!

The Light Sides

As you have no doubt heard, Hawk Nelson released a new cd by the name of Crazy Love. Scott Jackson posted a review of that album on Tuesday (you can catch that here), however this is "The Rest of the Story" (to quote Paul Harvey)... my review of "The Light Sides". To clarify "The Light Sides" is an acoustic cd that is bundled with Crazy Love in the "Deluxe Edition" of the album.

To the review...

The disc starts off with arguably Hawk's biggest song "California" and what the boys do to the song is... interesting? They replace all of the guitar parts... with human voice... creating an interesting sound.

One of my favorite Hawk Nelson Tunes is "Friend Like That", and I looooooooove the acoustic version. Replacing the electric guitars with acoustic creates a need sound without compromising the already amazing song. "Zero" is next up with as well as "Stagefright" which both sound great. "First Time" sounds more like a rock song without electric guitars than anything. Kinda disappointing.

What is done to You Have What I Need is to say the least, fresh, fun and rockin'. I like.

Everything You Ever Wanted comes in with a decent sound (the highlight is the drill sound playing at the end).

Skip ahead to "Take Me" and you are listening to one of the highlights on the album.

Not really acoustic par~say, but it's a tasteful remix of a already great song.

My only gripe about the album is "36 Days Later". It sounds whiny to me. That is my opinion at least, the song doesn't stink... I just think it's whiny.

That sums up my review. If you're planning to pickup Crazy Love, don't skimp, go all out and pick up the Deluxe Edition. The Light Sides is worth the 4 extra bucks.

My Score -

Winter Circa 1700

Chances are good you got snow today. Schools have closed, stores have closed, roads have closed. While going for a walk in the low visibility winter wonderland today, it occurred to me what sacrifices pioneers actually made. Think about it: we get 7 inches(?) of snow and everything shuts down. Sure we can still function, but chances are good you and I will be more likely to cancel our appointments and relax in our nice warm homes than venture out into the white unknown. The pioneers didn't have this luxury. They had to hunt for food, build their homes and raise their families rain or shine, snow or hail. I'm outside complaining that there is snow in my boots (if you've ever seen my boots you'd know that the snow must be deep) where as these guys had to put up with all the cold, snow and wet boots just to survive. Thank-fully they put up with it like they did so that we could have the country that we do today, furnaces and all.

Which is why Ground Hog Day was likely invented... to provide some hope for Spring!

My doctor's a quack!

... Actually my doctor's a cat.
Continuing my unintended series of blogs about talented animals... I don't think I'd trust this doctor.

Cash... really?

I got myself a cell phone for Christmas this year. Nothing fancy... in fact, it's one of those old school jobs. (Yes texting takes forever without a slide-out keyboard).

So as you can expect, I revived my first bill. I went in to pay said bill at the Kiosk where I originally bought the phone.

After buying a USB cable for the phone, I tell the clerk, I'd like to pay my bill. He then informs me that I can't use cash, I have to use a credit card. I'm underage (gasp!) and hence don't have a credit card... so I have to find a place in the mall that sells a Visa giftcard. I found one, bought it and went back to the Kiosk. I'm then informed that it takes these cards 30 minutes to activate, but I can go home and pay over the phone!

So in review I can pay my bill --

Over the phone by credit card - Over the Internet by credit card - By auto withdrawal - By manual withdrawal (I tell the bank to pay it) - in person at the Kiosk, but I CAN'T pay with cash... why?

They do take cash for accessories (remember that USB cable?), but when I want to pay my bill, I can't use cash? What's the point of having a currency if we aren't going to use it? I'm not too crazy about auto withdrawal and I likely wouldn't get a credit card for a little while... but I always carry cash! Maybe I'm over reacting, but it seems really illogical to me that I can't just hand the guy 30 bucks and be done with it... I don't mind using Visa giftcards, the only catch is the extra charge for activation.

Can you relate or am I just overreacting?

I'd hate to be convicted by this jury

I have never had to do jury duty before. My Dad did once. He wasn't allowed to tell me anything that happened due to security (it was a high profile case).

Keeping quiet, wouldn't be a problem with this jury member... talk about crazy.