awesome blogsom...extra awesome

"United Breaks Guitars" (So does Delta/Northwest)

2009-07-09T22:25:00.004-05:00

Sammy Adebiyi showed me this. It's great because it's exactly what happens.

Southwest Airlines does not do this. They're still awesome.

dan

Nashville Motorbike Trip - 6.25.09

2009-06-25T15:11:00.018-05:00

First off, I apologize again for how long it's been since my last post. I decided on a whim to completely overhaul sanctusreal.com and it kept me pretty busy for awhile. In making the new site I included a new band blog and most of my internet socializing energies have gone to that. So next time you think I'm slacking, check the Sanctus website. If that isn't updated, then you're right. I'm slacking.

I also decided on a whim (too many of my decisions happen this way) to ride my motorcycle from Ohio to Nashville for recording this week. I know and agree. A 500 mile bike trip is a pretty hefty event to be whimsical. Some might even say it's foolish. I don't have a defense for any of this except that the weather looked nice and I had a free day with a bug to ride.

Most of the ride looked like these photos. It was gorgeous and warm and my arms were sunburned like fried chickens (I don't know what that comparison means).

For a brief time I had my visor up.
Good idea since I love the breeze and having bugs all over my face.

Anyway, with an hour left of the trip, about the time it started getting dark, some serious clouds were rolling in. I stopped at a rest area and looked at the radar.

Which looked like this:

I'm the green marker.

I followed behind the storm for a little while but I was so close to Nashville and so tired of being on the bike, I threw on my rain suit and went for it. It was completely dark by this time and I was pretty deep into the woods on some major hills. I couldn't see through the rain on my visor and in order to stay on two wheels, I needed to slow down to about 35mph. Every time a semi-truck barreled past, I was blasted with a wave of grimy rain water splashing up from the freeway. It was pretty nerve-wrecking and it was stupid (got you covered moms) but for some reason the adventure seemed healthy. Also I'm a sucker.

In truth, there was a spiritual desire to my being on the road in a nasty thunderstorm. I don't know if anyone will relate or if I'll be able to give a good explanation but I'll give it a shot. Actually, there's a Snow Patrol lyric that is a good starting point.

For once I want to be the car crash. Not always just the traffic jam
from the song Headlights On Dark Roads on the albums Eyes Open

Now, I definitely did not want to be in a car crash. A traffic jam either. I wanted to be in a vulnerable place where God could meet me. I wanted to know how deep he loved me and how strong his hand was in my life. I'll admit that as a human I need to feel this from God, almost selfishly. The physical danger of riding in this thunderstorm put me in a physically vulnerable place and out of instinct, I was innately communing with God. I'm not talking about praying for safety like you would on a family vacation or how we pray for God to bless meals, I felt truly connected to the God who created me, the rain, and the freedom to ride in it. I felt his love and care for me and I felt safe, not just on the motorcycle (I definitely did not feel safe on the motorcycle), I felt safe in life. I was reassured that my days are looked after by a God who wants the best for me.
And I should clarify that I wasn't testing God or anything like that, I just know myself and knew riding in through the storm would bring my heart and my brain to the place they needed to be to hear God.

Anyway, It was a precious time with God for me. Piece of mind snuck inside my helmet for a little while and it was nice.

I don't have an explanation yet for why it sometimes takes "the car crash" for me as a human to connect deeply with God, but I know how much I cherish it. I look forward to the next time.

Is anyone else this way or am I on crazy pills?

My sweet little Magna.

dan

LOST Season Finale and maybe a new website sometime

2009-05-13T10:24:00.003-05:00

I'm pretty excited about tonight. It's the season finale of Lost and there is only one more to go before it's all wrapped up. I'm not sure where I'm going to watch it yet though. I need to figure that out. After last year's season finale, I got pulled over by some crazy police officers who thought we had all kinds of drugs. We didn't. I wonder what kind of innocent trouble I can get into after tonight's...

I've been working on a new website for the band. I don't when it will be done or if it'll even get used, but it's been a good waste of time messing around with it. My hope is to make something that can be updated from our phones. That way we can be much more frequent with our updates and in touch with everyone who visits the site. This blog is actually a test to see if it will automatically go to the website. Cross your fingers and throw some pepper under a ladder

dan.

1st place PT Cruiser

2009-05-09T22:03:00.001-05:00

We played a show in Tampa today at busch gardens and it was really
good. A bunch of friends that we've toured with in the past played
too...This Beautiful Republic, NeedToBreathe, and my former employer,
Relient K. The last time we played with rk was my very first show with
Sanctus...4 years ago. It was a lot of fun seeing everyone everyone.
After the show I went to eat with two really good friends from
college. I saw this in the parking lot and it was too amazing to not
photograph. Notice the ridiculous dragon mural on the front and
ichthus fish on the back.

1st place PT Cruiser

2009-05-09T21:50:00.000-05:00

1st place PT Cruiser

2009-05-09T21:40:00.000-05:00

New Record, and come see us play in Columbus!

2009-05-07T15:02:00.003-05:00

I've been so bad at updating lately. We've been holed up, writing new songs. And when we finally dug ourselves out of the hole, we walked into the studio to record them. Here's a little video excerpt of what we've been working on. We're really proud...

Seriously though, we started tracking a few new songs and they're coming along sweetly.
In the meantime I'll try to be a little better with my updating and here's some more tasty video from the studio...

Cabin down below

2009-04-27T11:28:00.001-05:00

We had a great show the other day in North Carolina. It was our first
outdoor show of the year and to celebrate we played a brand new song.
We had never played it as a full band (heck, it was the first time I
played it through an amp), but it went pretty well. Thanks to everyone
who came out.
Instead of staying in a hotel, our road manager, kurt, wrangled up
this sweet cabin in the hills of Virginia for us to stay in. We had to
drive through the river to get to the cabin.
That's about it for now. We've got some rehearsing to do for our show
in Toledo on Friday. We're hoping to unveil a couple new songs there.

Catch you soon

Dan

Oh, and this blog is sent from my phone...amazing

The Rock and Worship Roadshow

2009-04-16T11:41:00.002-05:00

The rock and worship roadshow is playing in Columbus tonight. It's sweet because I'm right around the corner and I get to see some friends. What is also cool is that we're playing on this tour on saturday and sunday. You can watch the entire show live here. Check it out.

Stuff Christians Like

2009-04-13T08:55:00.002-05:00

This is my favorite new website

www.stuffchristianslike.net

The guy isn't bashing anything as he's a Christian (which you can tell the instant you begin reading), but he's got the church pegged and it's really humorous.

Can you be a buckeye and drink "soda?"

2009-04-09T14:36:00.004-05:00

This mess will somehow turn into a sweet song...hopefully

Chris editing demos on Pro Tools ("Pro" being short for "Professional." I know, Jargon.)

We're starting to get excited up here in Toledo. Demos are being recorded and they're coming along better than ever. We're especially excited about this one:

Seriously though, we're really excited for you to hear the music we actually are writing and recording. We're playing tomorrow night in Dayton which will be fun...Which reminds me, we're finally playing a show in Columbus on May 8th. We've played there maybe twice since I've been in the band and it's the closest big city I have to call home. So if you're bored in Marion, Cbus, or heck, even the original state capital of Chillicothe, come hang out.

By the way, I called "Pop" "Soda" today at Penn Station. Sorry Midwest

So anyone got any good Lost theories?

2009-04-07T11:22:00.003-05:00

I apologize for the lack of blog. Not too much has been happening lately. We've had a good chunk of time off and I've just been trying to make the most of it. The band's been working on new music and so far it' turning out pretty sweet. We're headed to the studio next month to start recording. I can't wait to get some songs done. Maybe my bass will sound this sweet,

Anyway, let me know if you can find warm weather anywhere...I miss it.

dan

Don't speed by Al Gore's house

2009-03-09T23:15:00.005-05:00

So I found my new car.

I finally decided that between my home in Nashville, the band in Toledo, and friends and family scattered throughout the rest of Ohio, I spend way too much time in a car and better get one that I can count on for a long time.

For some reason, I'm a fan of all-wheel drive wagons. It's a bit grandmotherly, I know but...well, no buts really...It's just grandmotherly. So sue me...I need to haul music gear and I like staying on the road through snow. I will say in my defense, I prefer the wagon over an SUV because it's lower to the ground and handles more like a race car. That's un-grandmotherly, right?

Anyway, I'm scanning craigslist for things like toyota and subaru, waiting for that right car to show up. I should also mention there was prayer involved. I get pretty nervous about making big purchases like this (hence why it's taken me so long to buck up and seriously look for something), and I need a little confirmation from God that it's the right thing, ya know?
So one night I'm browsing through the nashville list of Subaru Outbacks when tucked right in the middle of them all is this ad for a bmw wagon. My curiosity is peaked, so out of fun, I click on it. I'm really glad I did. It was the same year and price as everything else I was looking at, but had 30k less miles and was maintained as though it were a brand new car. I have to go check it out.

I get there and it's a super-cool car that's been taken care of by awesome people. Then, as is standard procedure when selling a car, they let me take it for a test drive. I'm on the road and things are going good. I'm checking things like the AC, the cruise, and most important, the stereo. I get to a stop sign and take off quick to see if the engine makes any weird noises or if the transmission does anything screwy. Keep in mind I'm in an upscale residential part of town...on the other side of the tracks if you will...the grass is greener here...or simply put, it's a good thing I was in a bmw and not my pile of scrap metal, Lumina...I would be going to jail for sure.

When I took off at the stop sign I had no idea what the speed limit was or how fast I was going, but the car shifts up through 3rd with ease. I let off the gas, round a corner and wouldn't you know it, a police officer is camped out watching for speeders. I pass him and he doesn't seem to pull out or follow me. As I round the corner further, I see a familiar house with solar panels on the roof and all of a sudden realize where I am. I decide to turn onto the next side street so I can turn around and take the car back. It ends up being a dead end right beside this famous house with solar panels. I turn in, go to the end and loop around. As soon as I get facing the other direction, I hit the brakes...I'm blocked by that police officer (apparently he's a ninja or his car is KITT from Night Rider).

Although he's a little wound up, this officer is miles cooler than previous officers I've told stories about. He gets out and says, "You know you were going 15 mph over the speed limit...45 in a 30?" Keep in mind I'm in someone else's car, speeding past the ex-vice president's house. It's not looking good for me.
I try to explain my situation, "I'm really sorry officer, this isn't my car, I'm test driving it and just wanted to see how the car acted. I don't speed, it's totally out of character for me."

"Test-driving huh? Does the owner know you have it?"

"Yes, sir."

"And they live on this street do they? (translation: you expect me to believe you're buying this cheap old thing from Al Gore's richy, rich, rich neighbor?)"

"No, they live around the corner on another one. I was just turning to go back to their house (I wasn't about to act like I knew where I was who lived around there)."

"Do they have proof of insurance?"

I dig in their glove box praying they have an insurance card. "Here, I think this is it."

He looks it over, "This expired yesterday."

Of course it did.

"You know, I have every reason to give you a big, fat ticket right now?"

"Yes sir. I promise this is completely a fluke and it will never happen again."

He looks around for a second, "Go on, get out of here."

And so I follow his orders and speed off at a gentle 30mph.

Anyway, after that, I went and checked out a couple different cars, but none of them were even close to how perfect this car was for me. I never thought to look up bmw because I just assumed they'd cost way too much. I'd say I got really lucky but as mentioned before there was prayer involved. So instead, I'll give God thanks for not only providing a reliable car and a good story to go with it, but one that I love to drive. Oh and fyi, I'm still very, very un-rich.

What is the blurry thing next to bigfoot?

This dog is an awesome dog, he runs from people with guns...

2009-03-03T09:55:00.011-06:00

Thank you Megan Elliott for showing me the funniest thing I've seen in a long time...Possibly ever. Thank you also for being my awesome friend. Also, thank you Pete for taking the tune of Awesome God and singing it about a dog. Seriously, how great is this dog?

And thank you Jeremy and Jeanie (did I spell your name right? i'm sorry if it's wrong) for this very necessary gift. It's exactly what my car has been missing.

I guess it's been awhile since I've talked about my ridiculous car. That's because if I talk about it, it reminds me that I have to drive it, and since that only depresses me, I try not to bring it up. Maybe that's why I neglect repairing it too.

I'm pretty sure it's on it's last leg. Then again, I thought that last summer and last fall and all winter, but here it is almost spring and it's still kicking. I haven't quite figured out my game plan. Do I spend money to fix the Parking gear? I'm certainly tired of throwing a rock underneath the tire so it won't roll away. But I have a feeling that will be an expensive repair, more than the car is worth. Do I spend money to repair the leak in the tire? I don't mind just pumping it back up every 2 weeks. Do I spend money on changing the oil? I probably should do that one. But then I have to go to the mechanic and explain why there is a rock under the tire and how they have to leave the car in 1st gear when they turn it off. That way the key won't come out of the broken ignition. Once it comes out, it literally takes 30 minutes to get the key back in the right way so it will start again...that is if the starter decides to work, which it doesn't always want to do.
Add to that, the back seat is full of stuff going to goodwill and the trunk is full of recyclables. So pretty much, if you see my dirty old car with the rock and the flat tire, filled with junk, you're going to think it's been abandoned. Which I guess it sort of has.

Did I mention it's been parked under a tree while I'm on tour and all the birds are coming back for spring? You can use your imagination on what they might add to the party.

My plan has been to survive through the winter and come summer, I'll just ride my motorcycle everywhere. We'll see how it goes. I might end up breaking down and buying a new car sometime soon. Who knows. Either way, the hula dancer is coming with me.

That's all the worthless banter I have for now.

dan

i got a new phone, got to test the camera

2009-02-20T13:33:00.007-06:00

So...

First off, Happy Valentine's Day.
Second off, Happy President's Day.
Third, Happy Groundhog Day.

Man, a lot's gone on since I last blogged. I apologize. Did the groundhog see his shadow? I missed it. We don't even have the same President since I last wrote. Does any know if he saw the groundhog's shadow? Did he see Groundhog Day the movie? I have a bunch of times. Classic Bill Murray.

More recent, has anyone heard what GM and Chrysler are prepared to do to keep from bankruptcy? They have to layoff crazy amounts of people. There's no way around how awful that part will be. I know we all hope and pray that plenty of jobs will be created soon to offset it.

Also, a bummer but not really awful, Pontiac is being scaled back to just a couple models. Kind of a bummer, but there's still Chevy and Saturn right? Well moving on, Saturn is canceled. Honestly, I never really understood why that brand existed anyway. It was nice, but what did it have that Pontiac or Chevy didn't? Also kind of sad, but whatever, someone will do something good with it...Saab is for sale.

Anyway, enough of the appetizers. Now the good news...the news that restores a little pride in my citizenship...

Hummer is cancelled.

PTL!

Big party in the forest.

Enough said.

The only news that could best discontinuing vanity tanks came from Chrysler. What was it?

PT Cruiser...gone. It's toast. I got teary-eyed when I heard that. Sure it doesn't waste resources quite like a Hummer, but still, I'm so tired of seeing them everywhere. And all the custom paint jobs...

Chris took this photo. Unbelievable

???????

I won't go too far into this except to say that I'm excited about the possibility that the next era of American cars might actually be cool. Not just aesthetically, but maybe we'll make a car that can compete environmentally or be engineered as intelligently as vehicles like the Toyota Prius or Smart Cars. Obviously I'm not saying trucks or SUV's or tan diesel Ford vans with 290,000 miles are wrong, we carry heavy equipment all the time and we have families and need space too. I'm just saying instead of being proud of our ability to waste as we often times seem to be, we now have an oppertunity to be proud of our ability to engineer quality products and conserve energy at the same time. Who knows, maybe we could have SUV's and trucks that are as good as what we have now, but are much more effiecient. That would be pretty great.

So whatever, I'm off the soapbox. I get frustrated at some of the wasteful things I see happen around me. I'm guilty too though, so I'm mostly talking to myself.

We have a show in Colorado tonight. It's supposed to be the biggest show of the tour with over 2000 people coming. That's crazy. What's a little crazier, our bus carrying half the gear caught on fire last night and is 3 hours away. Everyone and everything is fine but the work that usually takes all day to do will now have to be done really fast. It's going to be fine because the crew rocks it and can do this in their sleep...which they might end up doing since none of us got sleep last night due to the fire.

Catch you later

Destiny Calls...Lost and the KLOVE cruise

2009-01-26T09:41:00.004-06:00

I love this show. I also hate it.

Anyway, back to the goods...

I heard it made it's way down to -20 in Marion, Ohio. Hmmm

Miami before we left

Not on purpose, but I apparently took the same photo of Miami when we got back

This was the second time we got to be apart of the KLOVE Caribbean cruise and it was just as great as the first. We even got to bring our parents along this time. Now we're all headed back to cold and snow... sweet. Short of playing 3 shows, I'll admit I did close to nothing. I slept until about 11:30 everyday, read books, wrote, drank coffee, ate soft serve ice cream. It was exactly what I was hoping to do. Now it's back to work though for real. I'm not about to complain though, I'm excited and ready to play some music again.

Anyway, it's time to get on the plane and go home. Until next time.

dan

Covalent Bonds

2009-01-22T01:30:00.006-06:00

I don't understand much of what's in this photo, but I love all the things in it anyway. Lights, telephones, and chemistry are all pretty great.

So I have to get up in two hours to head to the airport. I don't know why I'm up now, and I don't know why I've decided this is the right time to blog. Nevertheless, here I am doing it anyway. We're playing on the KLOVE cruise for the next 4-5 days. It should be a pretty good time.

After that, we take off on tour with Matthew West and Jason Gray for the WAY-FM/World Vision tour. Here's a photo of the production. The projector screens in the back look pretty killer.

After all that, it's time to record a record! We've been writing some songs lately and we're starting to get in a good groove with it all. We're excited

Anyway, I've got to sleep. Catch you on the flip side.

dan

Pork and Sauerkraut and Old Man's Cave

2009-01-02T14:23:00.009-06:00

It's been years and years since I've been to Old Man's Cave. I remember thinking it was awesome when I was younger, but I didn't remember it very well. I'm glad to report that it's still fully awesome. It's probably the most awesome place in Ohio actually.

Sorry I've been so inconsistent lately with my blogging. WiFi has been hard to come by these last couple weeks which has led to me opening my computer about a total of 3 times. It's actually been kinda nice being a little bit out of touch with everything. Every once in awhile I need it. I've been up in Ohio and it's been really refreshing. I've been able to see my family and catch up with some great friends from high school and college. The band got together and started working on a couple new songs which I think are going to turn out pretty killer. We had a Christmas party which was a blast. Oh...and I got a sweet new Miter Saw from my parents as a Birthday/Christmas present. I know it sounds lame, but I'm into it, so back off.

Anyway, we have a couple more weeks off which is good. I've got a lot of home repairs to make before we get back to rocking. I hope you had a great month jam packed with holidays. Oh, which reminds me. Does anyone have Pork and Sauerkraut as a traditional New Year meal? Has anyone even heard of this tradition? Does anyone have a different tradition?
All my life this has been the traditional meal that supposedly brings good luck to the new year. Similar to how it's a fact we turkey on Thanksgiving...we eat pork and sauerkraut for the New Year. But I'm learning that not everyone does this. In fact, many people have never even heard of it. For example, no one else in Sanctus Real has ever heard of it and they kind of think I'm crazy. But then other people who do eat it are like, Of course we eat it. It's like turkey on Thanksgiving. It'd be crazy not to. So anyway, I've started asking around because it's a great tradition and a lot of people are missing out.

Alright, we'll catch you later

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T23:56:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to write a quick note to say, Merry Christmas! I hope it's wonderful. Eat a lot of cookies, have fun opening presents, and most importantly, tell Jesus you're really glad he was born.

Some photos from Vienna...sorry I'm so lazy

2008-12-14T16:18:00.011-06:00

So about a month ago I promised to post photos from Vienna. Then Thanksgiving hit. After that, I got lazy. Then it was Pete's wedding. Then I got lazy again. Then I painted a room. Then more laziness. Anyway, I'm still feeling pretty lazy, but the guilt has finally built up enough and my computer just happened to be sitting right in front of me. So here they go...

We had breakfast in this little place where Mozart and Beethoven used to perform

Stephansdom - Mozart was married here and his funeral was here. It was unlike any place I've ever seen

Inside

On the roof overlooking Vienna

a small part of the roof

more Vienna

Beef w/ vegetables inside...it was really good. Don't worry though, we had Weiner Schnitzel and Goulash another day.

St. Carls Cathedral

In front of St Carl's

Pete hanging with Mozart

What is this random creepy skull in the middle of a park at a busy intersection anyway?

Oh, it's a sauna. Of course it is.

Anyway, it was an incredible time. Now we're relaxing and spending time with family and it is great.

I hope you're having a Merry Christmas.

I Need Africa More Than Africa Needs Me

2008-12-03T12:41:00.005-06:00

We Need Each Other - The Tour was an incredible experience working with Mocha Club. They are a group of people who put their whole hearts into bringing relief to Africa and receive very little in return. They do such a great job of finding practical, affordable ways for people to join in, we really cherish being apart of what they're doing. On this past tour, enough money was raised to build wells for 70,000 people! Praise God.

Here's a little excerpt from something new they're doing. Check it out, get on board, and get excited because this stuff is really impacting people's lives in radical ways...

When I think of Africa, the following images immediately come to mind: Starvation. AIDS. Child soldiers. Genocide. Sex slaves. Orphans. From there, my thoughts naturally turn to how I can help, how I can make a difference. “I am needed here,” I think. “They have so little, and I have so much.” It’s true, there are great tragedies playing out in Africa everyday. There is often a level of suffering here that is unimaginable until you have seen it, and even then it is difficult to believe. But what is even harder is reconciling the challenges that many Africans face with the joy I see in the people. It’s a joy that comes from somewhere I cannot fathom, not within the framework that has been my life to this day. [read more]

Turku, Finland + Vienna, Austria = Crazy Delicious - Part 1

2008-11-24T22:10:00.011-06:00

Part 1: Finland

Alright, so we went to Finland and Austria and I have a bunch of pictures that I've been holding out posting. I've finally got some time to do it right so here we go.

Now I've got to stop right here and warn all the Americans about the these Finnish folk...they're not to be trusted. They're a tricky bunch who like to pull pranks. If there's just a few of them watch out if they try to give you candy...they're going to say they love it and it's the best thing in the world, but really it's going to taste like salty licorice cough drops. There's no sugar involved and you'll be miserable.

They might also try to convince you that you should sit in a 180 degree sauna for awhile and then run outside (possibly naked?) and jump into a hole cut into a frozen lake...that this somehow promotes healthy living and is not crazy.

They will also tell you that Santa Claus lives in Lapland, which I'm told is a beautiful town in northern Finland. In the winters the sun never actually rises above the horizon and in the summers it never sets...crazy and awesome.

When you really have to look out though is when they all get together and conspire in Finnish, a language you've never heard before. They know you've never heard it because no one else speaks anything like it and they know they're going to get you good.

We played at a festival and there were roughly 12,000 people there. They day before we showed up, they actually practiced a prank they were going to pull on us, the foreigners.

Now at a typical concert when it's time for the band to come on, an MC will announce, "Sanctus Real!" and usually people will cheer (hopefully they will anyway). Well here, they announced, "Sanctus Real!" and there was absolutely nothing...complete silence. We walk out and everyone has their cameras up, holding the button halfway down so that the little orange light is shining at us. It was the most uncomfortable feeling I'd ever had. An arena full of people with agitating lights, being completely silent, and staring at you. It's not just awkward, it's actually a little frightening. Here we are, a bunch of happy Americans super excited to be in Finland for the first time and they look like they hate us. The first minute passes (the longest 60 seconds in history) and I'm scanning the stage for an escape route. It's so uncomfortable. After eternity comes full circle, it's finally time for Matt to sing the first notes to Face of Love. He does and all of a sudden the walls split open, the ceiling breaks apart and the entire room erupts. The flashes go off and my eyes are overloaded with light almost to the point of seizure. My body is physically being tossed around from the vibrations of 12,000 voices screaming at the top of their lungs. It was pure sensory overload. It was madness. It was the greatest prank I've ever been apart of. Their plan was to be completely silent and awkward with the cameras until the first notes were sung. Then they were to erupt as loud as possible and take as many flash pictures as they could. It was executed so well...I was speechless. Thanks Finland, I will never forget that.

The other things aren't really pranks. They're small pieces of culture that make Finns proud to be Finns and it's pretty cool. Much cooler than having fast food as a cultural hallmark anyway. It was such a great couple days in the city of Turku. Everyone was so nice to us. They treated us very well and we made some really great friends.

Anyway, here's some photos of the show:

This is our friend, Justin York on guitar. He was filling in for Chris because he and Dominique just had their first baby, Josiah. Congrats guys!

Matt didn't make it in time for the picture. He was still packing.
The guy next to me is Tero (you have to roll the R). He's pretty awesome and he took all these pictures for me. He also owes me some Euros...a lot of them. Then the guy next Mark is Janne (Yawn-A). He and his sister, Johanna were our hosts. They ate meals with us, took us where we were suppose to go, translated things. They were super cool.

Well that's about it for Finland. It was a fantastic time that I really will cherish. Thanks for making it so great guys.

I'd write about the days in Vienna, but I'm too tired right now. I'll get that together here soon too, so check back soon.

goodnight.

dan.

Matt's a punk and I have a giant Cleveland mug

2008-11-20T23:36:00.003-06:00

So matt just posted about my sweet, sweet coffee mug and how I'm worked up aout not getting credit. It's true, it's awesome and I'm not that worked up. Check out his twitter. Anyway, I got it when I worked at starbucks a long time ago and it's been a treasure of mine ever since. Anyway, I got to run because we're going to get some food. Thanks matt for coming back and giving me some credit.

dan

We Don't Need Each Other Anymore - The Tour

2008-11-09T20:58:00.004-06:00

It's not true...It hasn't even been 24 hours since I've seen them and already my heart aches.

Unfortunately from the very beginning, We Need Each Other - The Tour was doomed to end last night in Gaylord, MI. I had two months to prepare for it but the sorrow is still so strong. It was such a great experience being on the road with these guys. I've truly made some lifelong friends. We traveled everywhere from Paul Bunyan's home in Maine to In n' Out burger in southern California to the great pyramid of Las Vegas to the original Starbucks in Seattle, Washington to Texas where you can still drink the original formula of Dr Pepper in a glass bottle. We've seen so much too from Michigan's loss to Toledo at throwing the ol' college pigskin to a radio flyer wagon full of actual pig skin ready to be turned into pork rinds. We witnessed first hand how beautiful and defening a completely silent night is camping in the desert. We also witnessed Sammy A give the message about Mocha Club and saw you be the face of love by giving enough support to dig wells for 70,000 people!

Again...I can't say how incredible it is how many of you have come to the shows and signed up for Mocha Club. It's truly a miraculous thing you're doing in people's lives in the village of Jach - Darfur, in the Sudan. Seriously...imagine not having clean water. How different would life be? Then imagine out of nowhere people come and start building wells for you. How emotional of a time would that be? All because some loving, servant-minded teenagers and adults from a country on the other side of the world cared enough to give up $7 a month to be the face of love. You have blown us all away. Building wells has been the driving force behind the tour since the beginning and we've been so energized and renewed from what God has done. I couldn't possibly thank you enough.

So apart from the touring side of life, things are things just like usual. My car still needs a rock in front of the tire so it won't role away when I park it, all my music gear is still in the shop being repaired from life on the road in a beat up trailer. My motorcycle needs fixed but then it's too cold to ride it. It's freezing in my house because I won't turn on the heat. The leaves are all losing their color and falling from the trees (it even snowed in gaylord and a little in Ohio on the way home today). Man, it almost sounds like I'm depressed. I'm not at all, you got me wrong. These are the spices that make my life a little more interesting and adventurous. They certainly aren't fun all the time, but when I look at the grand sceme of problems I could have, these ones aren't so bad and I'd be a jerk if I thought they were. These ones I could fix fairly easily. I think I must like the suspense or something. Maybe I should just stop putting a rock in front of my tire and see how I like it then. It would probably change my mind.

Besides all that mumbo jumbo I just spouted off, you know whats good about the cold and the snow? I know what you're thinking and it's definitely not Christmas. Alright...it is Christmas. It's definitely Christmas. I should probably overemphasize how awesome I think Christmas is before someone gets upset and thinks I'm not a christian anymore. I'M A CHRISTIAN AND I LOVE JESUS AND CHRISTMAS!!! But you want to know what else is great about december? A few days before the day we celebrate baby Jesus' birth, we celebrate the birth of little baby danny. There aren't as many people celebrating and I haven't done much to change mankind for thousands of years to come, but a few people usually say "happy birthday" and it brightens my day.

Now I'm running out of things to talk about. I'm trying to make up for my lack of blogging in the last few days but I think rather than quality of content I'm starting to shoot for quantity. I should probably stop before it just turns into me talking like a baby or making animal noises.

catch you later

dan

Biker Momma

2008-11-02T22:25:00.004-06:00

Here's a picture I found on my mom's facebook page (ya, my mom has a facebook page, what can I say...we gartleys are with it). It's her getting ready to drag race my dad's motorcycle.

I knew they were cool

ohh
I just found this one too...

That's me on another one of my dad's bikes. Can someone reach the clutch for me?