Friday, June 27, 2008

faux occult. narrative theology, sigur ros, broken social scene, club fred, fresno bulldogs, alkaline trio

Another week in the whirlwind...trying to understand where the sermon on the mount fits into the narrative arc of the Bible, listening to the new Alkaline Trio record, cooking taco salad for 140 people, cursing my best friend for moving back to Idaho. Oh, we also played a show to a few brave souls at club fred, dropped by the big celebration yesterday at Beiden Field, and are going to the farmer's market and grizzlies tonight. Since I took one class at Fresno State in 1998, I can also say that I've been through two National Championship baseball season (Fullerton in '04).

In between those events a bunch of other things transpired, and I missed both Euro semifinal games. My cousins are staying with us this weekend and I just ate with my friend Jason at Thai Palms. If you can't tell, I struggle with both focus and chronology.

If you choose to ignore the faux occultism and satanic references as I do, and instead recognize the Alkaline Trio as gloomy punk pop heirs to the Cure than you might love them as much as I do. The last several albums have been questionable but their latest, Agony and Irony, sounds on first listen like a welcome return to form. Nobody writes better break up songs and as it turns out, they also churn out some dark-leaning true love songs while they're at it. Maybe I'll get out to their summer tour, but that would also require that I figure out when and where they're playing.

I've also been enjoying the new Sigur Ros album. Beginning this week, I'm speaking for three consecutive weeks in our Red Letters series. While I am pretty stoked for the opportunity, I am also not too skilled at organizing my week to leave space for the amount of contemplation, study and prayer I'd like to make time for.

Over time, I've grown to love this wonderful, smoggy, irritatingly provincial city we live in. It's very imperfections are the reasons that I believe we need to love it...AND work to correct some serious injustices. Problems like this one...have been haunting me since I took the drive WAY down Chestnut to Fresno Pacific and saw some houses/apartments that looked like they wouldn't have been occupied during the Dust Bowl. Someone needs to stand up for what's right and stop these greedy corporate bastards from taking advantage of the poor. {UPDATE: Having spent more time on Mr. Defrees' site, I must point out that I cannot agree with his position on illegal/undocumented workers but I do appreciate a site like his and the constant challenges he throws down for those with the power to change things}

I'm praying about what to do next.

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