weschop

2009-01-17T15:20:00.000-06:00

I've moved here.

Yo

2008-11-05T08:55:00.002-06:00

It's been a while. Hope you are all doing well.
I visited in Chicago last week and had a blast spending time with time with friends and playing music. I really love that place and I hope it works out that I get to move back there in May.
I am still enjoying my time here in Oklahoma City. It feels great getting school over with and spending time with my family and friends. I'm getting to play music more these days and I'm getting a lot of relaxation time. I feel like I've had a lot of life breathed into me over the last few months, which is great.
I'm happy that Obama got elected last night! I figured he would win but I didn't think he would win that handedly. Hopefully these next four years will be good ones.

Political Cereal

2008-10-16T10:26:00.004-05:00

These are for real. The company Air Bed and Breakfast made 500 boxes of this stuff with fun facts, conversation starters, and they even have their own jingles online. You can listen to them here or here. Each box costs $39 and 5% of the sales goes to each campaign. I thought the tag lines were funny; “Hope in Every Bowl”, a “Maverick in Every Bite”.

Funny Stuff.

#91 Wendell Berry

2008-10-14T11:48:00.005-05:00

I just finished reading one of the better books I have read called Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry. It's a story about a barber who lives alone in a small town in Kentucky. While it's fiction Wendell Berry still adds commentary on community, love, war, religion, the economy, the environment and politics. His questions and feelings on these topics match up with mine and a lot of my friend's. His writing makes ordinary life, death and sorrow somehow beautiful. I would suggest giving it a read.

"Here, Berry tells the story of Jonah (later Jayber) Crow. Orphaned as a young boy, Jayber makes his way through life from orphanage to seminary, and finally back to his roots, returning in 1937 to serve as barber in the community of Port William where he was born. Community is at the center of these stories. Berry is a passionate believer in the importance of belonging to a community and in the importance of community in the survival of our society. The characters here are clearly depicted, with all of their faults, but they are all the more real for those faults. Berry deftly captures the concerns, the loves, and the passions of his characters. Jayber’s unspoken love for Mattie Keith is the underlying foundation for the story. From the time he first sees her, through her difficult marriage to a local farmer with aspirations to achieve financial success, Jayber makes it his responsibility to assist her as best he can. Berry’s writing has something for everyone: powerful stories, beautifully described settings, and fully-realized characters. Jayber Crow is a gem among Berry’s fine novels."
- bfgb.wordpress.com

A couple people suggested Wendell Berry to me earlier this year so I thought I would give him a try. I picked up a book called Nathan Coulter earlier in the summer and loved it. I immediately fell in love with his style of writing, probably because the characters in his novels remind me of my family in Kentucky. Most of his books are set in a fictional town called Port Willaim, and a lot of the characters reoccur in the different stories.

It turns out that he is from the same county as my grandma, and my cousin actually is pretty good friends of his family. I would love to get to meet him, maybe I can talk my cousin into introducing me someday. Yeah right.

If you want to read his bio you can click here.

Seriously?

2008-10-11T10:43:00.000-05:00

I realize there's some dumb Obama fans too, but you have to be kidding me...

#92 Cheaper Gas

2008-10-09T11:33:00.001-05:00

Gas is down to $2.69 here which is nice, because I am getting poorer and poorer. I hope it keeps getting cheaper and cheaper.

Listening to:
Tom Waits
Long Way Home

#93 This Video

2008-09-21T23:34:00.000-05:00

Nice Little Weekend

2008-09-21T12:30:00.002-05:00

I got to go lead worship at my old Church's fall retreat this weekend. It was great spending time with my old band and hanging out with the students. I even got to do some fishing and hiking, which I have been craving. I really enjoy doing youth ministry and I am excited to get to do it again someday.

Feed Me

2008-09-17T00:09:00.005-05:00

I got a new pet this week. It's a ferocious venus fly trap named Leonard.
I got too bored with sitting around and waiting for a fly to land in one of the traps so I squashed a bug and fed it to him.

I think I am going to go watch LIttle Shop of Horrors.

2008-09-09T10:29:00.000-05:00

Well Done Grasshopper

2008-09-02T12:15:00.000-05:00

I need a job.

Spiderpost

2008-08-31T16:44:00.004-05:00

Update

2008-08-26T10:45:00.002-05:00

Things are still going well here.
Classes got a bit more tough this week, but I think I will be able to handle them. Had my first Spanish II quiz yesterday and I think I did a lot worse than I thought I was going to. Oh well, I just need to pass.
Played a show at Coffee Slingers last Saturday and it went really well. It was weird not having my Arlington Heights buddies there, but I still had a blast.
I'm still waiting to hear from Barnes and Noble about a job. I hope I get it, it seems like it would be pretty chill.
Last night I played trivia at Buffalo Wild WIngs down the street and got ranked 2nd in the nation out of like 5000 people. I was pretty proud of myself. There was a guy there with 3 of those trivia keypads, and he got really pissed and left when I beat him.

Attack Of The Shrooms

2008-08-22T16:00:00.008-05:00

This Saturday

2008-08-21T10:56:00.004-05:00

Charlie Hall CD Release

2008-08-19T12:33:00.007-05:00

I went to the Charlie Hall Band's Cd release party for their newest CD called the Bright Sadness on Sunday night. It was a great night, they are so talented and Charlie's Songs are very thoughtful and insightful. I love the way he can write songs that obviously come out of sadness, but then turns them around to be hopeful.
I would suggest buying the album or at least giving it a listen. You can get it on itunes or here.

I found myself getting very emotional during the concert, mostly because the songs reminded me of worshiping at Elevate and Axis. It was sad to look around and not see any of my Chicago friends near by. It's funny how you can take those things for granted when your surrounded by it all the time. I have the feeling that God is going do some cool things in my life this year, he's already shown me a lot.

Update from OKC

2008-08-19T12:10:00.006-05:00

I've been in Oklahoma for a week and it already seems like a year.
I started school yesterday and I think it's going to be a pretty good semester, although I missed the cutoff date by one semester, so now I have to take required classes instead of all electives. My classes this semester are Journalism Ethics, Music Appreciation and Spanish II. I haven't had any Spanish classes since my Jr. year of high school, so that should be interesting.

I miss my friends in Chicago immensely, I hope I get to see you guys soon. I am thankful that I get to spend time with my family and friends in Oklahoma. Hopefully we will make some good memories this year.

Still no word on if that Bigfoot was real or not. I still have my fingers crossed.

Bigfoot?

2008-08-15T18:08:00.004-05:00

Two men claimed to have found a bigfoot body in North Georgia. They haven't revealed the body to the public yet, but they released these pictures. They say they have videos, pictures and DNA samples. I hope they're not lying.

You can read more here,
Or here.

Watch This

2008-08-12T22:15:00.001-05:00

My cousin is a documentary film maker and a couple years ago he did a documentary on Hunter S. Thompson.
This is a hilarious trailer for the movie. I don't know how my cousin didn't get angry.

#94 Brandon Grissom

2008-08-09T10:48:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure how I am show my appreciation for Brandon in a blog post but I will try.
I met Brandon when I was 16 years old, when he came to my church to be an intern for our youth group. We have played in bands together, traveled the world, been through really hard times, had some really good times, worked together, fished together, dressed in skin tight super hero costumes together, and watched some of the stupidest scary movies I have ever seen together, and I have loved every minute of it. He's a 78 inch 230 pound mass of love (mowmp!) It's going to be really hard not to have him around when I go back to Oklahoma. He's one of the main reasons that I am in ministry and I can't imagine not doing ministry with this guy, but I am sure we will again someday.

Beki and Stella are like family too, and I am very thankful to have them in my life. Hopefully will see each other a lot this year, I know there will be a lot of ichating going on.

#95 No One On My Mind

2008-08-07T18:14:00.004-05:00

So I wrote some songs and recorded a CD. It's called No One On My Mind, and I am pretty proud of it.
You can listen to some songs off of it here.
Or you can purchase it here.
It will be on itunes soon, so that's cool.

#96 Squint Camp

2008-08-02T14:19:00.003-05:00

Man, I love Elevate and I am going to miss it.
This is my last week on staff and I am down in Southern Indiana at Squint Camp. I think it's a good way to go out.
Elevate's been like a family to me for the last 4 years. It's served as a much needed community during some rough times and it's also created some of the best ministry memories and experiences that I have.
I am dreading the end of camp, because I hate saying goodbye. It's not going to be easy.

#97 Jackson Browne

2008-07-22T09:13:00.004-05:00

When I was a kid the only music I remember listening to when my family went on road trips was the music of Jackson Browne. I remember sitting in the back of my dad's silver Oldsmobile with my little brother praying that my dad would turn off the boring music with all those words and put on some Beach Boys or the Monkees. But as I grew older I started to appreciate Jackson Browne and I could identify more with his lyrics. He quickly became one of my favorite artists. His well thought out chord changes and lyrics make you listen to his music on a deeper level, and think about his insights on what goes on inside the brain and hearts of people my age. His music is timeless, and I hope he continues to create it for many more years.

If you haven't listened to him before, I suggest the albums Late For The Sky or For Everyman.

#98 Rainy Days

2008-07-19T10:36:00.003-05:00

I really appreciate rainy days. Especially after so many hot sunny days in a row. Rain always helps me sleep better, and for some reason puts me in a chilled out mood. I could sit and stare out the window while I drink my coffee all day today, but I need to get ready for work.

#99 Subway Sandwiches

2008-07-17T09:18:00.004-05:00

I appreciate Subway sandwiches. The Subway Club with cucumbers, lettuce, and salt and pepper to be more specific. Subway's the most consistently good tasting food I eat, and it's healthy to boot. I would say I eat at Subway at least 5 times a week. It helps that I have one connected to my apartment building.

I could do without Jared though, he's probably the most consistently creepy spokes model I can think of.