12 Lists of Christmas

Merry Christmas! I figured since I wouldn’t get each and every reader a present, I would instead share my favorite and least favorite Christmas music! Are you ready for this?

Favorite Christmas Songs

1. Believe by Josh Groban
2. Wonderful Christmas Time by Paul McCartney
3. Love Came Down at Christmas by Jars of Clay
4. Wizards in Winter by TSO
5. Step Into Christmas by Elton John
6. Happy Holidays/The Holiday Season by Andy Williams
7. Celebrate Me Home by Kenny Loggins
8. What Christmas Means to Me by Stevie Wonder
9. Sleigh Ride mixed with Super Mario Brothers by Oneup Mushrooms
10. Kay Thompson’s Jingle Bells by Micheal W. Smith
11. The Christmas Waltz by Harry Connick Jr.
12. All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey

Honorable Mention- Merry Christmas Happy Holidays by N Sync, This Christmas by Straight No Chaser, and Christmas Shoes by New Song

Favorite Christmas Carols (you know, all those traditional songs you can find in any Presbyterian hymnal)

1. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
2. Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel
3. Oh Holy Night
4. How Great Our Joy
5. Birthday of a King
6. Away in a Manger (Cradle Song)
7. Angels from the Realms of Glory
8. Good Christian Men Rejoice
9. Hark the Herald Angels Sing (I rewrote the chorus and the sopranos don’t stop moving for more than an eighth count as opposed to the normal quarter. )
10. We Three Kings
11. Joy to the World
12. Angels We Have Heard on High

Least Favorite Christmas Songs

1. Little Drummer Boy
2. Do You Hear What I Hear?
3. The Gift (about the girl and her bird and such; basically the above named song but with one element changed)
4. The Carpenters. Sorry, but, not for me.
5. Last Christmas by Wham!
6. Almost every vocal performance of Carol of the Bells
7. Dog Jingle Bells
8. Other than that I can enjoy any Christmas song. . .

Favorite Christmas Movies

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas
2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated)
3. The Polar Express
4. Elf
5. The Muppet Christmas Carol
6. Jingle All the Way
7. Home Alone 2
8. The Grinch (with Jim Carey)
9. Home Alone
10. Christmas With the Kranks
11. Deck the Halls
12. Frosty the Snowman

Review: Avatar

I went to the midnight showing of Avatar last night. I left three hours later feeling disappointed and wishing I had gotten some popcorn and feeling tired and all the things you’re not supposed to feel after seeing a movie that was supposed to revolutionize the movie making industry.

Avatar is the story of a paraplegic marine who is sent to the planet of Pandora in place of his dead brother. He is part of a team who is genetically linked to an “avatar” that looks like the indigenous (a word you’ll hear more times than the word THE) people who live on the planet. On the first day, this jughead gets separated from the group only to be welcomed with open arms by the tribe. He then becomes one of them all the while reporting back to the military force back at base. (It was very annoying to watch the military and science branches bicker, fyi.) The military strikes, but as you saw coming from the beginning doesn’t win. Nature FTW.

I’m going to start with the good. It was in 3D, which was actually very cool especially since James Cameron didn’t use every corny 3D effect to remind you. Also, the CGI team did a magnificent job. Very real-looking. All in all, it was a very visually awesome movie and I would definitely see it again if not to just see it.

If you are a person who enjoys an original movie, than this movie isn’t for you. At all. Nothing about this movie was original. Just watch FernGully before you see it and you’ll know what I mean. One scene was practically copied and pasted from Dinotopia (the ABC miniseries that was awesome. Just saying.) and that annoyed me more than anything else. And on and on. It was also ridiculously long.

I can’t say that I wouldn’t recommend this movie, just that you need to forget all the hype that everyone and their mother is giving it and go see it with a clean slate. I am getting very annoyed at all the reviews that are saying that it was great. It was better than decent. James Cameron still owns a large slice of the Sci-Fi pie in my book, because let’s face it- who doesn’t get giddy while watching Terminator 2? But people really need to get real and realize that it wasn’t revolutionary.

A Love Song for the Rest of Us

So, I pretty much took Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” and made it for a guy. Actually for me, but you know how it is.

I didn’t really change all that much, which is why I’ll take little to no credit for this song.

Well, without further ado, I give to you “You Belong with Me (Guy-mix)”

You’re on the phone with your boyfriend, He’s a case
He says you’re clingy and just wants to have some space
But he is a jerk and you don’t know it but I do.

I’m in the room, it’s a typical Tuesday night
I’m reading all those comics he doesn’t like
And he’ll never know your story like I do

But he wears Nike, I wear Sketchers
He’s quarterback and I’m on the bleachers
Dreaming bout the day when you’ll wake up and find
That what you’re lookin for has been here the whole time

If you could see that I’m the one who understands you
Been here all along so why can’t you see?
You belong with me
You belong with me

Walkin the streets with you in your worn out jeans
I cant help thinking this is how it ought to be
Tell a joke, make you laugh, thinkin to myself
Hey isnt this easy?

And you’ve got a smile that could light up this whole town
I havent seen it in awhile, since he brought you down
You say you’re fine I know you better than that
Hey, Whatcha doing with a jerk  like that?

He wears jerseys, I wear sweaters
He’s quarterback and I’m on the bleachers
Dreaming bout the day when you’ll wake up and find
That what you’re looking for has been here the whole time

If you could see that I’m the one who understands you
Been here all along so why can’t you see?
You belong with me

Standin by waiting at your back door
All this time how could you not know, baby?
You belong with me
You belong with me

Oh I remember you driving to my house in the middle of the night
I’m the one who makes you laugh when you know you’re about to cry
I know your favorite songs and you tell me about your dreams
I think I know where you belong. I think I know it’s with me.

Can’t you see that I’m the one who understand you?
Been here all along so why can’t you see?
You belong with me

Standing by waiting at your back door
All this time how could you not know baby
You belong with me
You belong with me

Have you ever thought just maybe
You belong with me
You belong with me

100L Notes…hehe

So today I was in my Recital Lab class. I was taking notes. Then, he said that the notes would be online because he was going super fast. The following is what followed . . .

Berlioz (1803-1869)

Symphonie Fantastique

Musical Nationalism

Smetana

Opera is cool

Sometimes I just write to look like I’m taking notes.

I’m gonna tell a story now….

Once upon a time there was a boy who owned a pig. He loved this pig like it was his own illegitimate child. But one day, the government came and took all that his family had. He didn’t want the nasty dinosaur people to take his pig. But they did. So one day the boy decided to go for a walk. When he walked he tripped and fell into the woods and slid down a hill. At the bottom of the hill there was a hole. He decided to make the story longer and went into the hole. At the bottom of the whole he met a lot of magical creatures, some of which C.S. Lewis and Tolkien couldn’t come up with together. He thought they were weird so he left them and wandered into the ice cream forest. He ate a lot off ice cream and fell asleep. When he woke up he was surrounded by a hundred little insects. The insects were talking about their latest acid drip. Luckily, they boy had a can of raid in his pocket. They died. He continued walking and it started raining. He didn’t have an umbrella, so he wandered into a cave. At the end of the cave was a technologically advanced city. It was called The World of Dreams. All the people were ridiculously good looking, so this boy fit right in. He got a job as a pizza delivery boy and worked for a while. One day he was delivering a pizza on his hovercraft when he created a wormhole. The wormhole spit him into the country side, but took his hovercraft with it. He didn’t know what to do so he followed the fence, because he thought it led somewhere. It didn’t. So he decided to use the trees to build a house. He built a house and eventually got married to a gorgeous woman. The procreated and eventually moved into the city, where he was promoted to CEO of a large corporation. They treated him well and gave him many health benefits, but they didn’t cover his family. So he quit and moved back out to the country. There he lived until he was 54. When he was about to die, all he had left was a pig. He left this pig to his son. He loved this pig like it was his illegitimate child…..

Review: Green by Ted Dekker

Green is the story of the end of the Circle, which happens to be the beginning. We see the division of the futuristic world, and somewhat see our world as it might be in the not too distant future. Samuel peaces out and Thomas is torn between conflicting interests in very conflicting realities. That’s about the gist of it.

I loved this book. It made an awesome end to an incredible series. I greatly appreciate the Biblical and historical ties that this entire series has had. I was greatly challenged to reevaluate my Christian faith and world view in light of the Circle. It was also a very consuming book, in the sense that I had a hard time putting it down at times.

I have to say that I am extremely disappointed in two regards. First off, I expected more of an ending. I know it was supposed to be the “beginning and the end” but come on! What about Johnny and that world!? I expected to read more about that reality but found myself still wondering the same things when I closed the back cover. Secondly, I strongly disagree with claims to start with this book. Sorry, but if you haven’t read Black, then Red, then White – in that order – then you have no business reading Green. It would be a terrible and discouraging start in my opinion. If you have read the series thus far, then what are you waiting for?

Confessions/Heads Up

I’m sorry. It has been a long time since my last post. I thought about making up an excuse, such as midterms. It would work.

But it’s not the truth.

Truth is, I’m stuck.

Dried up.

Blocked (and not the constipated kind).

So I decided to only write when I have something to say. Blogging just for blogging’s sake was wearing me out. If you disapprove, I’m sorry. I know, I know- a writer should always be writing even when he can’t write any more. But guess what, I’m not a writer. I’m just a college kid with an opinion on various topics.

So, if you don’t mind, let sleeping writers lie. I need an idea to blog about before I can blog.

That being said, I am “working” for Thomas Nelson publishing company. They give me free books, I blog about them. I have been reading Green by Ted Dekker and am just about finished, so you will be seeing a review of that up soon.

Also, my parents have agreed to get me a flip video for Christmas! So expect more video incorporation in my blogs. ‘Twill be awesome.

Speak your mind!

Yes, I do realize this is a Fox News clip, and for that I am sorry because I promised in my first post of this kind that I would not attempt to sway opinions. Nevertheless, speak your mind!

My Adventure!

Today, I was tired so I decided to take a nap. I woke up from my nap a little earlier than I wanted, so I got on Facebook and the first thing I see is Red Bull’s page advertising something about stashing Red Bull across the country. Catching my attention, I clicked and found out that there was a “stash” at 1512 Pendleton Street with the clue “When you are walking up the steps, don’t forget to look down!” I got my shoes on. I trek across the bridge and up the hill to Russel as fast as I could. Then I remembered that I didn’t know where Pendleton was. Crap. So I stop at the map in front of Russel and find it. Keep in mind that there was Red Bull at stake and I wasn’t about to give up my wealth to some ungrateful fiend! After that detour, I trek over to Pendleton and find the 1500 block. Thinking that 1512 was the parking garage, I searched. Up and down and up and down every staircase I could find. I searched bushes and trees and the little crevices between the stairs and the walls. I start to get frustrated.

“I’ve been beat!” I thought.

Slightly depressed and worn out from nearly thirty minutes of searching, I decided to ask somebody what the address of this building was.

1501.

There was still time!

I hopped on my bike and crossed to the other side. I found the Anthropology building at 1512 and searched. I first went up the stairs to the second floor. Nothing. I checked under the mat and only found a dead roach. I went down the stairs and down a set of stairs to the first floor. Still nothing! The feeling of defeat was starting to permeate my being when I decided to check under the stairs. It was there! I had found my treasure! Excitement was taking over as I announced to two girls having a smoke that I had found it. They congratulated me, then probably laughed at my foolishness, but I care not, for I have my Red Bull.

I had my adventure.

Review: Surrogates

Sigh….where to begin….

Surrogates was an excellent movie. Bruce Willis did a phenomenal job portraying Agent Tom Greer. Rosamund Pike? Who’s she? She had a kick-butt performance, that’s who! Then there’s James Cromwell, who seems to enjoy the crazy old guy role (24; I, Robot) also had an excellent performance.

The story opens showing a brief history of the rise of Surrogates. In the “present day” (obviously in the future) almost all of the population lives their daily lives through their robotic counterparts, or surrogates. Those who don’t live in small ghettos and are called Dreads. Then two surrogates are not only murdered, but their operators are somehow murdered by it. This sends Agent Greer into an unfolding plot of cover-ups and betrayal. I won’t give too much away, because I want you to see this movie!

I am required by some law out there that I’m sure exists that this movie is not for everyone. It is very much a science fiction film with fairly realistic effects. Some scenes might be too intense for small children. Other than one or two words that I can remember, language was fairly mild. The sexuality in the rating exists because we see a man and woman making out outside.

Here’s the bad news- I wouldn’t see it again. Don’t get me wrong, I am very glad that I saw it! But I probably am not going to buy it when it comes out. If watchability is a factor for you, then I might recommend waiting and finding it in the nearest Redbox down the road.

But I would still see it.

It rocked.

My Sanctuary

Every person I have ever met has had their “place.” That place of relaxation. That place where they can just get away from it all. All the hustle and bustle of daily life. All the things that have happened to them and all the things that they need to accomplish. A place where they can escape, because let’s face it, we all need a little break.

I have found that place. A place where I can get alone from all the joyless, mind-numbing crap in my life. A place where I can be me.

But it goes deeper than that. The best thing about this place is not that the world seems to stop spinning in it’s chaotic spiral around me, but that a more intimate relationship with God begins.

I become aware of his presence.

I wake up.

God doesn’t show up; He’s been there all along. But here in this place I focus all of my being on this reality.

On the third story of the Russel House, in a large room sitting on a couch, my Bible sitting in front of me and my lunch beside me, surrounded by only a handful of people who all come for the quiet, I can worship. I can envelope myself in the greatness of God.

It is here that I find inspiration.

This is worship.

This is my sanctuary.