News for November 2007

cheap and free. like me.

i just posted a thanksgiving blog that i wrote at home, but I also need to mention a couple things that have happened since then.

For about 2 years i’ve been eyeing a firewire in/out for recording made by mackie – (the onyx 400f for those of you who care)  Today I bought it for about 250 bucks cheaper than what you’d pay on sweetwater or at GC – and where did I get that smoking deal?  Metro Sound & Lighting in St. Paul.  I love the little guy.  I used to stop there on my way to buying things at Guitar Center thinking I was getting a better deal with the big box, but the last two things I’ve purchased I’ve bought there and gotten, better deals and way better service than I’d ever get at Guitar Center.  It totally pays to shop local. 

And then to add blessing upon blessing (shower me oh lord, with all kinds of great deals and wonderful buys) (just like you did for Joel Osteen) I totally scored a free bike on the side of the road on the way home.  Granted I had to pull over on a busy section of Ayd Mill to grab it, but totally worth it.  It’s an old sears 3 speed with internal hub shifting – it’s greatest feature may be the old school schwinn seat someone put on it.  It needs some work, and for those of you that think multi-tasking is the way of the future here’ a little warning.  taking advantage of your daughter’s soapy bath by putting dirty old rubber inner tubes in it to check for holes is only a good idea if you do it after your daughter’s out of the tub.  If you do it while she’s still in the tub she will get out dirtier than she went in.  And your wife may not like it.  I haven’t tested it, but I’m guessing it’s true if you have a son in the tub as well.

Lesson learned.  Theoretically.

Posted: November 26th, 2007
Categories: bike, music
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Thanksgiving Revisited

Thanksgiving 2007

 

The Wheel. I am thankful for the Wheel.

 

Yes, Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful but it’s also a time for tragedy. It was on this joyous occasion on which we celebrate the sacrificial turkey that our dear pet loving Lydia discovered that her beloved goldfish were dead. Goldfish aren’t supposed to die on thanksgiving. And to their credit they didn’t die on thanksgiving. Jodi had made the discovery 5 days ago. And even then who knows how long they had been dead prior to that. Goldfish aren’t exactly the most attention demanding vertebrates. One indication is that Lydia never referred to them with the same name twice. I think that’s an indicator of owner negligence. But then again I can’t keep the names of the three girls in this house straight either. Although, to my credit, I always get it right within three guesses. Unless Lydia has a friend over.

 

sidenote – my wife is watching a movie as we speak and in the movies childcare is never an issue. movies suck.

 

So a moment of silence for the goldfish. Whatever their names were. We miss them.

 

Yes, Thanksgiving is a time for tragedy, but it’s also a time to be thankful. In addition to the Wheel – an inanimate object worthy of it’s capitalization – I’m thankful for (prepare yourself for ubersappiness) Friends. They’re forever. If the Lord’s the Lord of them. I wonder if Smitty used to put BFF at the end of the notes he passed in high school, or did he know even then what life held for him and sign things, BFFITL’sTLOU (If he was writing in the first person I’m guessing the them would become us, hence the U) Maybe one of those notes would read something like this:

 

Hey Emily, You look really nice today. Lately you’ve been distant – like you’re on a wire balancing your dreams or something. It’s time we get out of rocket town. Would you like to go with me to Lamu, far away? I hope that doesn’t give away my secret ambition. BFFITL’sTLOU, M.W. Smith. (You can call me Smitty.)

 

At least that’s how I imagine dating Michael W. Smith would be. Not that I’ve ever imagined dating him before but if I did that’s how I’d imagine it. But I haven’t. Ever. Not since I was in like 10th grade at least. But that’s neither here nor there.

 

I guess what I’m really trying to say is that Jason and Erin are the best and the food was delicious and I want everyday to be thanksgiving. Amen.

 

Posted: November 26th, 2007
Categories: family, friendship
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rockfolkpunkroll

The new honest folk album is sitting at the apex of a very large roller coaster.  Is apex the right word? Justin? You’re smart can you tell me?

What I ‘ m t r y i n g t o s a y is that the wheels are in motion and starting friday we hit record.  This makes me happy. 

In other musical notes the preschool music class I teach was great today.  I don’t know if I’ve ever mention it before – I used to teach it before our year in Battle Lake and when I came back the position was still waiting for me so there you have it I’m back at it.  And yes, the joy is in the journey.  Today I took Lydia and her friend DJ with me on my 3 wheeler and then I put the trailer on back with my guitar and other stuff in it and we rode the 1/2 mile (if that) to the school it’s held at.  3 Folks, 5 Wheels, 1 Guitar = pure joy.  Only because there were no hills.

I’d also like to formally apologize for ripping on all things churchy.  I’m really not a cynical bastard, I’ve just been off my medication.

For about 30 years.

Sometimes I get in really good moods and call my friend kjell and tell him how great it is not to be depressed and he says, ‘this is the part they call manic.’  If there was a drug that was totally legal and didn’t rot your teeth that made you feel manic all the time I would totally take it.  Lots of it.  And I would share it with sad people and hungry children.  And ugly orphans.  Those are the ones I worry about.  And you should too.

Posted: November 20th, 2007
Categories: music
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bike pics

my single speed rescued from my neighbors garbage (i got rid of the green paint and 9 of the gears… and 1/3 of the handlebars  pbr

 here’s the pedicab i made with jesse (he did all the welding)

pedicab-003.jpgpedicab-005.jpgpedi

and here’s my mother in laws bike after i found some antlers in their garage this summer:

antlerantler-1.jpg

and now i have to figure out how to get the car in the garage this winter…

Posted: November 11th, 2007
Categories: bike
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redemption

If the church is about God€™s redeeming work in the world what does it look like?  When it comes to interacting with culture who€™s redeeming who?  I think of this mostly in the realm of the arts.  On one hand the church should be associated with the brightest and best right?  We want excellence in our worship.  At least that€™s what I€™ve always been told and believed.  And I still agree with the basic principle €“ God deserves our best, thank you Cain for teaching us.  I think the biggest common example is the Church€™s role as a proponent of the arts during the renaissance.  But what I wonder now is, how many little church€™s supported little artists that made little impact on our art history books but at the time were key to the congregation€™s worship life?  How often did a church find a nobody artist and participate in a redemptive work?  Because if this happened then €“ heck even if it didn€™t €“ it needs to happen now.  I think about all the modern praise and worship cd€™s out there and the gluttonous industry it fuels and question how it glorifies God.  Luther said what makes a Christian shoemaker isn€™t that he puts crosses on his shoes, but that he makes excellent shoes.  So much of the €˜christian€™ music I hear these days would aptly be described as crappy shoes with big effing crosses on them.  But little churches are putting together praise bands with the best of intentions and the grandest of hopes that putting on a pair of payless shoes will bring in the lost and unshod. 
And how does it play out when the Church is out in the world?  When a church makes a presence known outside their walls do they seek the lost in cool bars serving surly and fat tire or do they find the bud lite dives?  Now I don€™t want to equate redemption with making something cool.  People that drink Chamomile need redeeming too.  But what bugs me is seeing a church using cool destinations as a way of legitimizing their (the church€™s) existence.  The same can be said for how the Church utilizes musicians.  Do we hire excellent musicians that could care less about the church or do we get the high school hack guitarist that shows up every Sunday morning.  Either choice is a redemptive work right?  So maybe the question becomes is the Church€™s role one of nurture or endorsement? And ultimately who gives a rat€™s behind?  Well I give my rat sized behind willingly, because I€™m tired of talking about being counter culture and never countering culture.
Maybe sometimes the most excellent thing we can do is to fail miserably.  To be associated with losers and to be caught drinking miller high life.  Maybe I should worry less about other€™s redemption and spend more time in fear and trembling concerning my own.  Nah, there€™s no fun in that.

Posted: November 7th, 2007
Categories: music
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3 wheels, 2 kids, 1 dad

if my digital camera worked this would be so much more interesting.

 Before moving back to St. Paul I had a chance to work on a 3 wheel pedi-cab contraption with my friend Jesse.  It started when I found a BMX frame and 2 sets of wheels on the side of the road outside of Fergus Falls with a free sign on them.  Free is good.  Except for haircuts.  And so I squeezed it into the backseat with Lydia and we took it home.  I got a bunch of pictures of various 3 wheel bikes off this here internet and went over to Jesse€™s house €“ home of scrap metal, industrial tools, and welding rods.  Over the course of the next few weeks we€™d get together on the off night and work on it a bit.  Or at least go fishing and talk about working on it.  Anyways, the day before we moved we finally got it done.  To try it out Jesse got his wife and I took them for a ride up and down the highway.  It was about 11pm, no clouds, full moon.  A downright beautiful night.  Jesse€™s comment was, €œNate, this would be more romantic if you weren€™t breathing so hard down our necks.€  Note to self, bring Altoids next time.
After the initial ride we decided the seat tube was too short so Jesse made a new one, but I didn€™t have a chance to put it on until last Thursday.  Generally speaking Thursday€™s are long parenting days for me, Jodi€™s out of the house by 7:30am, hopefully is home for a few hours in the afternoon, and then off to night class and gets back around 9:45pm.  So last Thursday Jodi got home around 3 and I headed out to the garage for a little nate time.  Half an hour later I had the seat on, the brakes adjusted, and chain tensioned.  Now all I needed was kids!  So, much to Jodi€™s surprise, I ran in the house looking for Lydia and her friend to see if they wanted a ride.  For the next 2 ½ hours I gave rides around the block to a half dozen kids and it was great.  Until Jodi stuck her head out back and called us in for supper because she had to get going.  At which point I kicked myself.  I totally squandered what would€™ve been 3 kid free hours.  I spent the next four hours deciding whether or not it was worth it.  Survey says, Worth It.

Posted: November 7th, 2007
Categories: bike
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