random musings
"that was it"
Monday, November 09, 2009
i'll get back to my
amazing U2 weekend in the next day or two, but i had
to stop and comment on my experience this evening.
tonight, Stacy and i went to check out Michael Jackson's "This is It." i haven't really gathered my thoughts about it into a coherent whole, so here they are in no particular order...
i'm sure i could come up with more thoughts, but those were my first impressions. i grew up on Michael Jackson. i remember my dad playing the "Thriller" album when it first came out. i remember buying "Bad" and "Dangerous" and watching "Michael Jackson's Moonwalker" on VHS in my room. (i also remember locking the door and practicing the dance moves in front of the mirror. i was good when i was in 4th grade!) so, this movie ended up being, for me, a retrospective look at Michael Jackson's career in my life. what a strange vantage that provides. it's hard to believe that he was even the same person. but hearing him sing those songs and dance those moves left no question... Michael Jackson, as strange and wacko as he may have been, was one talented dude. and, like him or not, he changed the face of pop culture, pop music and pop dance forever. like him or not, in one way or another, he influenced what you're listening to and watching. it would have been fascinating to see if he could have made the comeback he so desperately wanted. it also makes me wonder... if he could accomplish all of that with what he had, what could he have been capable of if he hadn't been plagued by so many demons in his life?
- barnes
tonight, Stacy and i went to check out Michael Jackson's "This is It." i haven't really gathered my thoughts about it into a coherent whole, so here they are in no particular order...
- Michael Jackson was an incredibly talented and incredibly weird dude.
- Michael surrounded himself with people who praised him constantly and never crossed him or pushed back on anything he had to say or wanted to do. this made him come off like a demanding child-star. (you know... the one where everyone is waiting for his parents to step in and give him some boundaries or a sense of reality.)
- a Michael Jackson show was the ultimate in spectacle. (i mean that in the best possible way.)
- even when he wasn't trying as hard as the other dancers, Michael moved in such a fluid way that he was just captivating. (seriously... even when he was just clapping along to the beat, there was something about the way he did it that was undeniably great.)
- up close, it was scary to see how much plastic surgery he'd had and how un-human he looked. (tattooed lips, the strange thing above his mouth that was supposed to be his nose and that ridiculous cleft in his chin made him start to look a little Frankenstein-ish.)
- from what i can see from this movie, Kenny Ortega is pretty much a massive tool. ("you missed your cue, MJ." "no... i decided to change the cue." "okay everyone, MJ changed the cue... watch him for the cue.")
- Michael was essentially a very demanding, overgrown child.
- he used metaphors to describe things before trying to describe the actual thing. it was a little maddening to watch.
- a butt-load of money was spent on that show... no wonder they made it into a movie. they had to try and make some of that back.
- i was a little shocked to find that Michael could actually sing and sounded really great even on the old songs.
- he sounded even better when he remembered the words to the songs he wrote.
- the guitar chick freakin' rocked.
- his final speech to his dancers/singers/band/production team was the combining of about twenty-five random phrases that, in the end, meant nothing.
- his personal stylist should be fired. (he or she was listed in the credits and should never be given a job in fashion again. ever.)
- the "Thriller" and "Smooth Criminal" videos were pretty cool.
- the rain forest video with the little girl was pretty dumb.
- i'm pretty sure that the black girl that Dixon has been dating on 90210 was one of the dancers. not that i'd know anything about 90210. Dixon? who's that? i mean, obviously Stacy just told me about that.
- even though he appeared to be drugged or just weird at times, it's pretty amazing that he could (seemingly effortlessly) remember all of that choreography.
- also amazing that he had such a specific vision for every part of the production. (he knew exactly when an instrument was even slightly off.)
- amazing that the dancers actually had to practice at perfecting the crotch-grab.
- Michael's choreography was AMAZING on the big numbers, but particularly awkward on the ballads. (note to... well, anyone who ever performs a song like "Human Nature"... just stand there and sing it. it doesn't need choreography.)
i'm sure i could come up with more thoughts, but those were my first impressions. i grew up on Michael Jackson. i remember my dad playing the "Thriller" album when it first came out. i remember buying "Bad" and "Dangerous" and watching "Michael Jackson's Moonwalker" on VHS in my room. (i also remember locking the door and practicing the dance moves in front of the mirror. i was good when i was in 4th grade!) so, this movie ended up being, for me, a retrospective look at Michael Jackson's career in my life. what a strange vantage that provides. it's hard to believe that he was even the same person. but hearing him sing those songs and dance those moves left no question... Michael Jackson, as strange and wacko as he may have been, was one talented dude. and, like him or not, he changed the face of pop culture, pop music and pop dance forever. like him or not, in one way or another, he influenced what you're listening to and watching. it would have been fascinating to see if he could have made the comeback he so desperately wanted. it also makes me wonder... if he could accomplish all of that with what he had, what could he have been capable of if he hadn't been plagued by so many demons in his life?
- barnes
|
"it's an epidemic... it's Obama fever."
Sunday, January 18, 2009
seriously?!?!?
it’s official. there is a new pandemic in this country and it seems to be sweeping the nation at a very rapid pace. Obama Fever is running rampant throughout the general population.
everywhere i look, i see the signs of it.
and, to a degree,
i get it. things suck. things have sucked for a
while. from a presidential standpoint, things have
sucked for a long while. people are hopeful. people
are excited about something new. i am too!
now, i will say here and now that i did not vote for Barack Obama. (i wrote myself in.*) but it wasn’t like i was devastated that he won. the way i see things, things weren’t going to be phenomenal either way. John McCain is old and would have probably died in office leaving Sarah Palin as our Commander in Chief. this wouldn’t have lasted long because she would have been a moving target and then we would have ended up with Nanci Pelosi as our president and i can’t think of many things that would be worse than that. (John McCain wasn’t great for other reasons too.)
but, Barack Obama isn’t the answer to all of our questions. he’s a man. he seems like a good man. he says “um” a lot but is a good deal more articulate than his predecessor (which, as we all know, isn’t saying much). in the end, though... he’s just a guy... a guy who’s being treated like the second coming. this would have to be the definition of setting someone up for failure.
i mean, when was the last time that a president had almost 50 songs written about him and his own iTunes playlist?
have you ever
known a president to have commemorative coins,
plates, medallions, busts and throws available before
he even went into office? (have you seen some of
these late night infomercials?) today i watched “We
Are One,” an inaugural tribute to Barack Obama with
celebrities like Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Jaime
Foxx, Ashley Judd (what?), Samuel L. Jackson, Steve
Carrell (who didn’t do anything funny), Jack Black
(who also was not funny), Kal Penn (the guy from
House and Harold and Kumar? were they desperate?),
Marisa Tomei (again... what?), Tiger Woods and more.
they also had performances by Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige,
Jon Bon Jovi, Garth Brooks (didn’t he retire... like
five times?), John Mellencamp (he always gets invited
to these things), Shakira (obviously), Bruce
Springsteen, Usher, Will.i.am (dude... just be
William) and, of course, U2 (new single tomorrow!).
remember when George W. had his pre-inagural concert? it was off the... oh wait a minute! nope. never happened. Bill Clinton? nope. Bush Sr.? Reagan? FDR? Bueller? anyone?
please, people. allow your optimism and hope to be balanced with a healthy dose of reality. i want Barack Obama to do well. but it’s a little bit like the over-inflated, unrealistic sense of unity we all felt after 9/11. it felt great for a while, but when things went back to normal, we crashed into partisanship harder than we ever had before.
so, everyone just back off a bit. give the man some breathing room. let him feel like a human being. because if we don’t and Barack Obama can’t live up to the ridiculous standards of fixing the universe that everyone is holding him to, he’s screwed and we’re all going to find ourselves right back where we started... looking for hope.
oh... and by the way, i’m sure the race thing adds to all the excitement. personally, i think it’s fantastic and amazing that a black man has made it to the Oval Office and that is something to celebrate because it means we’ve come a long way. but let’s keep some perspective and set the man up for a chance to do some good.
*i kid, of course
it’s official. there is a new pandemic in this country and it seems to be sweeping the nation at a very rapid pace. Obama Fever is running rampant throughout the general population.
everywhere i look, i see the signs of it.
now, i will say here and now that i did not vote for Barack Obama. (i wrote myself in.*) but it wasn’t like i was devastated that he won. the way i see things, things weren’t going to be phenomenal either way. John McCain is old and would have probably died in office leaving Sarah Palin as our Commander in Chief. this wouldn’t have lasted long because she would have been a moving target and then we would have ended up with Nanci Pelosi as our president and i can’t think of many things that would be worse than that. (John McCain wasn’t great for other reasons too.)
but, Barack Obama isn’t the answer to all of our questions. he’s a man. he seems like a good man. he says “um” a lot but is a good deal more articulate than his predecessor (which, as we all know, isn’t saying much). in the end, though... he’s just a guy... a guy who’s being treated like the second coming. this would have to be the definition of setting someone up for failure.
i mean, when was the last time that a president had almost 50 songs written about him and his own iTunes playlist?
remember when George W. had his pre-inagural concert? it was off the... oh wait a minute! nope. never happened. Bill Clinton? nope. Bush Sr.? Reagan? FDR? Bueller? anyone?
please, people. allow your optimism and hope to be balanced with a healthy dose of reality. i want Barack Obama to do well. but it’s a little bit like the over-inflated, unrealistic sense of unity we all felt after 9/11. it felt great for a while, but when things went back to normal, we crashed into partisanship harder than we ever had before.
so, everyone just back off a bit. give the man some breathing room. let him feel like a human being. because if we don’t and Barack Obama can’t live up to the ridiculous standards of fixing the universe that everyone is holding him to, he’s screwed and we’re all going to find ourselves right back where we started... looking for hope.
oh... and by the way, i’m sure the race thing adds to all the excitement. personally, i think it’s fantastic and amazing that a black man has made it to the Oval Office and that is something to celebrate because it means we’ve come a long way. but let’s keep some perspective and set the man up for a chance to do some good.
*i kid, of course
"at the... noose?"
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
okay...
so after my last blog about the stations of the cross, i had a thought. (i hope it's not sacrilegious.)
what if Jesus had been killed another way? what if He'd been hung? would we have nooses hung everywhere?
what if He'd been poisoned? would we be wearing little vials around our necks?
i think our songs would be different too.
just a thought.
so after my last blog about the stations of the cross, i had a thought. (i hope it's not sacrilegious.)
what if Jesus had been killed another way? what if He'd been hung? would we have nooses hung everywhere?
what if He'd been poisoned? would we be wearing little vials around our necks?
i think our songs would be different too.
just a thought.
"Sydney Bristow is still amazing"
Saturday, January 05, 2008
in another life, when i
was a teacher, there was a show that began during the
first month of my first year in that profession. it
was called "Alias." this was the first show i watched
from the first episode to the last. it was like a
mini-movie every week.
it had action and
adventure, romance and sci-fi, conspiracy and drama.
plus, it introduced the world to Jennifer Garner. it
was amazing. it aired on Sunday nights and the
discussions in my classes on Monday morning would,
inevitably, center on the happenings of "Alias" from
the previous evening.
was Sydney going to get caught? did Sloane know that Syd and Jack were double agents for the CIA? was Irina really good or really evil? are Syd and Vaughn ever gonna hook up? what's the deal with Rambaldi? where was Sydney during those lost two years?
these were just some of the MANY questions that this show left us asking over the first two seasons alone. it was like nothing television had seen before. yes... over the seasons, it lost its way a few times. but... even at its worst, it was more enjoyable than most of the stuff being produced.
anyway, the reason i bring all this up is that Stacy and i recently decided to rewatch "Alias."
and you know
what? it's just as good the second time! and it's so
cool to see now, because this is the show that set up
the successes of shows like "Lost" and "Heroes." it
was the first show (at least, that i watched)
thatmade every week a cliff-hanger and had an
over-arching plot that ran the course of the series.
(it's also kinda cool to see where shows like "Lost"
and "Heroes" clearly learned from the mistakes made
by "Alias.") all this to say, "Alias" (and Sydney
Bristow) kick ass and if you haven't watched the show
before, do yourself a favor and get the DVDs. (or
borrow mine.) you won't regret it.
-barnes
was Sydney going to get caught? did Sloane know that Syd and Jack were double agents for the CIA? was Irina really good or really evil? are Syd and Vaughn ever gonna hook up? what's the deal with Rambaldi? where was Sydney during those lost two years?
these were just some of the MANY questions that this show left us asking over the first two seasons alone. it was like nothing television had seen before. yes... over the seasons, it lost its way a few times. but... even at its worst, it was more enjoyable than most of the stuff being produced.
anyway, the reason i bring all this up is that Stacy and i recently decided to rewatch "Alias."
-barnes
"one stone, one bullet or one hand grenade?"
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
"kill two birds with
one stone"
it's a popular phrase. has been for a very long time. i used it today. i'm doing a side-project and getting school credit for it and so i said "i'm killing two birds with one stone." and then i thought, "why did i just say that?"
i guess my question really is, are there people actually going around killing birds with stones? i mean, if you really wanted to kill a poor defenseless bird, wouldn't you use a gun or something? wouldn't you have a better chance of killing two birds with one bullet? i think you would. especially if that gun had a laser-site. that HAS to have better accuracy than a stone. but even then, what are the odds that you're really gonna get two of them with only one bullet. i think you'd need to be hunting birds with hand grenades. then you could get like 50 birds at once.
so, let's break it down.
- two birds with one stone... very slim chances. first, you have to actually hit the first bird and hope that, somehow, the stone ricochets and hits a second bird hard enough to kill it.
- two birds with one bullet from a laser-site assisted gun... definitely better odds on the first bird going down. you've got accuracy and power on your side. but unless the other bird is standing directly behind the first, your chances of getting two are not great.
- two birds with one hand grenade... pretty much you just gotta lob it in the general direction without frightening the birds away and you'll take out an entire generation of birds.
so, from now on, join me in saying "i'm killing 50* birds with one hand grenade." it just makes more sense.
- matt
* feel free to substitute 50 with whatever number of birds you are actually killing (aka- things you are accomplishing)
it's a popular phrase. has been for a very long time. i used it today. i'm doing a side-project and getting school credit for it and so i said "i'm killing two birds with one stone." and then i thought, "why did i just say that?"
i guess my question really is, are there people actually going around killing birds with stones? i mean, if you really wanted to kill a poor defenseless bird, wouldn't you use a gun or something? wouldn't you have a better chance of killing two birds with one bullet? i think you would. especially if that gun had a laser-site. that HAS to have better accuracy than a stone. but even then, what are the odds that you're really gonna get two of them with only one bullet. i think you'd need to be hunting birds with hand grenades. then you could get like 50 birds at once.
so, let's break it down.
- two birds with one stone... very slim chances. first, you have to actually hit the first bird and hope that, somehow, the stone ricochets and hits a second bird hard enough to kill it.
- two birds with one bullet from a laser-site assisted gun... definitely better odds on the first bird going down. you've got accuracy and power on your side. but unless the other bird is standing directly behind the first, your chances of getting two are not great.
- two birds with one hand grenade... pretty much you just gotta lob it in the general direction without frightening the birds away and you'll take out an entire generation of birds.
so, from now on, join me in saying "i'm killing 50* birds with one hand grenade." it just makes more sense.
- matt
* feel free to substitute 50 with whatever number of birds you are actually killing (aka- things you are accomplishing)
"that's nice for John Mayer"
Monday, June 11, 2007
so... i went to the
John Mayer concert tonight.
John Mayer is very talented.
John Mayer plays the guitar very well.
John Mayer sounds just like he does on his albums. (maybe even better.)
John Mayer has a song called "bigger than my body."
i was singing along to his song "bigger than my body" when a thought occurred to me.
John Mayer is tall and thin and may very well be bigger than his body.
that's nice for John Mayer.
i think my body might be bigger than me.
i've been working on that.
i need to work harder.
but first i need to sleep.
- matt
ps... why is it that John Mayer seems to be the only artist who is waiting on the world to change? i mean, everyone else seems to be trying to change the world. maybe he's tired. (seems like waiting on the world the change would take less effort than actually changing it.) or maybe he's lazy. maybe he feels like it's too overwhelming. maybe he feels defeated. or maybe he realizes that everyone else is trying to change the world and he's like "Bono's got it covered... i'm just gonna chill over here till something actually changes."
funny how much i love that song though.
John Mayer is very talented.
John Mayer plays the guitar very well.
John Mayer sounds just like he does on his albums. (maybe even better.)
John Mayer has a song called "bigger than my body."
i was singing along to his song "bigger than my body" when a thought occurred to me.
John Mayer is tall and thin and may very well be bigger than his body.
that's nice for John Mayer.
i think my body might be bigger than me.
i've been working on that.
i need to work harder.
but first i need to sleep.
- matt
ps... why is it that John Mayer seems to be the only artist who is waiting on the world to change? i mean, everyone else seems to be trying to change the world. maybe he's tired. (seems like waiting on the world the change would take less effort than actually changing it.) or maybe he's lazy. maybe he feels like it's too overwhelming. maybe he feels defeated. or maybe he realizes that everyone else is trying to change the world and he's like "Bono's got it covered... i'm just gonna chill over here till something actually changes."
funny how much i love that song though.
"the way it is... the way it could be... the way it should be"
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
it started about four
years ago. i've been going to church for my entire
life and just accepted the way it was. you go to
church on Sunday... you get some great message and
learn what it means to be a good Christian... you get
involved in other areas of the church to "give
back"... (this is what separates you from those who
just go to church to mooch or be social)... but it
was pretty "me-focused." four years ago, i started
thinking that maybe church should be
different.
it was at this point that my friend and pastor, Matthew Cork, asked me to read two books. one was called "An Unstoppable Force" (written by a guy called Erwin McManus) and the other was "The Purpose Driven Church" (written, of course, by Rick Warren who wrote "The Purpose Driven Life"). suddenly i realized that the church was not what it was supposed to be. the church, which had begun as a movement of epic proportions, had turned into a monument with no movement. what had started out as a living and growing organism had become a static and boring organization. what was supposed to be a powerful force in changing the world had evolved into an inwardly focused group of self-righteous and impotent people. (no wonder so many people hate Christians!) this got me started on a search to find out more about what the church should be.
last summer, i had the privilege of hearing Bono speak at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. he talked about Africa (of course) and about how the church couldn't simply sit by and let the horrible things happening in the world happen anymore. he talked about how the church and the teachings of Christ were all about service to the "least of these" and how the church, for a long time, had seemed to forget these things. **
as i left the summit, i was talking with a friend of mine. i wondered what a church dedicated to being outwardly focused might look like. we talked about how exciting and different it would be to start a church that was all about giving back. all about using what it had to change the world. all about training up the people of God to take Him to the world not through preaching and bible-beating, but through acts of service. "a church like that," i told him, "i would want to be a part of!" ***
having studied it further, that's exactly what the church has been called to be. recently i came across Ephesians 4. i've read this before (probably many times) but the implications of it never hit me until now...
verses 11 and 12 say "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up..."
Paul is talking about what the purpose of the church is. he says that God gave different people different gifts but all for the purpose of building up the church so that they would be prepared for works of service. sounds like what Bono was getting at. (sometimes i hate that it takes an Irish rockstar to get people to figure things out and pay attention.)
so, yes... the church is supposed to build up its members. they are supposed to grow and support one another. they are supposed to be a community and a safe-haven for each other. however, this is only so that they can be healthy and strong (spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically) so that they can go and serve the people of this world.
imagine if even 1/2 of the churches in the world started living this out. even if 1/4 did, the world would be a very different place. Jesus was with the poor. Jesus ministered to the prostitutes and the tax collectors and the fishermen and the sick and the homeless and the rich and the people who lived lifestyles that didn't match up to Christian ideals. we should really be more like Jesus if that's who we're trying to serve. people might not hate us as much. who knows? they might even want to be a part.
- matt
** Bono also spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast last year and shared many of the same sentiments. you can read the very short book "On The Move" which is basically his speech that day with pictures. (pictures always make books better!)
*** a month after my friend and i were pondering these thoughts, ROCKHARBOR launched their "Give Yourself Away" vision which is all about training the church to go out and serve the world. their plan was almost exactly what we had been talking about (even down to some of our ideas and the details behind it all). he now works there.
it was at this point that my friend and pastor, Matthew Cork, asked me to read two books. one was called "An Unstoppable Force" (written by a guy called Erwin McManus) and the other was "The Purpose Driven Church" (written, of course, by Rick Warren who wrote "The Purpose Driven Life"). suddenly i realized that the church was not what it was supposed to be. the church, which had begun as a movement of epic proportions, had turned into a monument with no movement. what had started out as a living and growing organism had become a static and boring organization. what was supposed to be a powerful force in changing the world had evolved into an inwardly focused group of self-righteous and impotent people. (no wonder so many people hate Christians!) this got me started on a search to find out more about what the church should be.
last summer, i had the privilege of hearing Bono speak at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. he talked about Africa (of course) and about how the church couldn't simply sit by and let the horrible things happening in the world happen anymore. he talked about how the church and the teachings of Christ were all about service to the "least of these" and how the church, for a long time, had seemed to forget these things. **
as i left the summit, i was talking with a friend of mine. i wondered what a church dedicated to being outwardly focused might look like. we talked about how exciting and different it would be to start a church that was all about giving back. all about using what it had to change the world. all about training up the people of God to take Him to the world not through preaching and bible-beating, but through acts of service. "a church like that," i told him, "i would want to be a part of!" ***
having studied it further, that's exactly what the church has been called to be. recently i came across Ephesians 4. i've read this before (probably many times) but the implications of it never hit me until now...
verses 11 and 12 say "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up..."
Paul is talking about what the purpose of the church is. he says that God gave different people different gifts but all for the purpose of building up the church so that they would be prepared for works of service. sounds like what Bono was getting at. (sometimes i hate that it takes an Irish rockstar to get people to figure things out and pay attention.)
so, yes... the church is supposed to build up its members. they are supposed to grow and support one another. they are supposed to be a community and a safe-haven for each other. however, this is only so that they can be healthy and strong (spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically) so that they can go and serve the people of this world.
imagine if even 1/2 of the churches in the world started living this out. even if 1/4 did, the world would be a very different place. Jesus was with the poor. Jesus ministered to the prostitutes and the tax collectors and the fishermen and the sick and the homeless and the rich and the people who lived lifestyles that didn't match up to Christian ideals. we should really be more like Jesus if that's who we're trying to serve. people might not hate us as much. who knows? they might even want to be a part.
- matt
** Bono also spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast last year and shared many of the same sentiments. you can read the very short book "On The Move" which is basically his speech that day with pictures. (pictures always make books better!)
*** a month after my friend and i were pondering these thoughts, ROCKHARBOR launched their "Give Yourself Away" vision which is all about training the church to go out and serve the world. their plan was almost exactly what we had been talking about (even down to some of our ideas and the details behind it all). he now works there.
"waking up is hard to do"
Thursday, March 08, 2007
waking up is, for me,
not the best part of the day already. i'm a night
person. i'm not a morning person. i LOVE my sleep
time. since waking up is what marks the end of sleep
time, i don't always like it so much. but when things
aren't going well, it's even worse.
when i'm upset or depressed or whatever, sleep is my great escape. you know how people always talk about losing sleep over things they're worried or upset about? not me. i usually sleep better when i'm upset about something. it's my chance to get away from it all without going anywhere. which brings me back to waking up.
have you ever had something bad happen or been worried about something or upset about something and then you go to sleep and when you wake up, for a split second you feel fine? you feel like everything is okay, but this is just setting you up for the overwhelming letdown of the next second when you remember how crappy everything actually is right now. and it's just that much more impactful because you had this sorta blissful ignorance that you can have during sleep and that one second after you wake up before you realize it's all not real.
sorta a crappy way to start your day. but, every day gets a little better than the last as you get some distance from whatever event set this whole system into motion. i'm on day three now. life doesn't suck or anything. i know that. i just had a really, really crappy beginning to this week.
when i'm upset or depressed or whatever, sleep is my great escape. you know how people always talk about losing sleep over things they're worried or upset about? not me. i usually sleep better when i'm upset about something. it's my chance to get away from it all without going anywhere. which brings me back to waking up.
have you ever had something bad happen or been worried about something or upset about something and then you go to sleep and when you wake up, for a split second you feel fine? you feel like everything is okay, but this is just setting you up for the overwhelming letdown of the next second when you remember how crappy everything actually is right now. and it's just that much more impactful because you had this sorta blissful ignorance that you can have during sleep and that one second after you wake up before you realize it's all not real.
sorta a crappy way to start your day. but, every day gets a little better than the last as you get some distance from whatever event set this whole system into motion. i'm on day three now. life doesn't suck or anything. i know that. i just had a really, really crappy beginning to this week.
"ignoring Brent Wood"
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
he's my professor.
yes... his name is really Brent Wood. no... he never
lived there. no... he doesn't have a sister named
Holly. (these, of course, being the questions i asked
the first night of class.) right now, i'm sitting in
his class. he's talking about something. i don't know
what. (though i just heard him say something about
bread. i like bread. actually, i love bread. but i
know that no matter how much i love bread, i will
find nothing he's saying about it as
interesting.)
so life... this is a little update for those of you who care:
- in January i applied for a job at ROCKHARBOR church in Costa Mesa. it is an awesome church and an awesome job.
- as soon as Yorba Linda Friends found out about this, the quickly offered me a job (as they'd been telling me they were going to do for almost three years).
- "save the cheerleader, save the world."
- i started counseling with a bald guy named Ted. he's pretty cool. i think counseling is fun (but expensive).
- i decided that i want to learn to drive a motorcycle. (i've never riden one!)
- Scrubs aired their musical episode (appropriately entitled, "My Musical.") it was the greatest 1/2 hour of television ever.
- i had a phone interview with ROCKHARBOR church. it went REALLY well. i got called back pretty quickly for a phone interview.
- "are you on the list?"
- Stacy and our friend Kit were also offered jobs at ROCKHARBOR. they took them. they work there now.
- i did a juice fast again for a few days (exactly one year after the last one... this one didn't last as long).
- i had an interview with ROCKHARBOR church. i was sick. i was drugged. it wasn't bad, but it didn't go as well as i'd hoped.
- i started new classes. i decided to take two instead of the one i normally take. they just happened to be the two most boring classes in the program. i'm dying a slow death of boredom caused by monotonous lectures that have no relevance to my life or even the topic of the class.
- Megan and i went to Nashville for a weekend. (see my last blog for info on that.)
- i got an interview set up at another company. (that will happen next week.)
- i dyed my hair black again.
- Meredith didn't die on Grey's Anatomy. i was saddened by this. (my plot to change it to "Izzie's Anatomy" was thwarted again.)
- i said goodbye to Seth, Summer, Ryan, Taylor, Sandy, Kirsten and Julie as The OC went bubye. i was in shock because it feels like that show's been on forever and it's only been 3 1/2 years.
- my mom got another dog. i argued with her over what she should name it. we got it down to Cocoa or Chloe. i voted for Cocoa. so did everyone else. she picked Chloe.
- "someone flies... someone dies."
- an American Idol reject won an Academy Award.
- i found out that i did not get the job at ROCKHARBOR church. i think i might go there anyway. i really like them.
- i got my hair cut short again.
and so, here i sit. bored in class. i'm really okay about not getting the ROCKHARBOR job. i mean... i really wanted it a lot and i know that i could have done it very well. however, if that's not where i'm supposed to be, then there's something else. and i'm okay with that.
well, class is almost over. (i can't wait to run out of here faster than i've ever run before.) nice talkin' to ya.
-matt
so life... this is a little update for those of you who care:
- in January i applied for a job at ROCKHARBOR church in Costa Mesa. it is an awesome church and an awesome job.
- as soon as Yorba Linda Friends found out about this, the quickly offered me a job (as they'd been telling me they were going to do for almost three years).
- "save the cheerleader, save the world."
- i started counseling with a bald guy named Ted. he's pretty cool. i think counseling is fun (but expensive).
- i decided that i want to learn to drive a motorcycle. (i've never riden one!)
- Scrubs aired their musical episode (appropriately entitled, "My Musical.") it was the greatest 1/2 hour of television ever.
- i had a phone interview with ROCKHARBOR church. it went REALLY well. i got called back pretty quickly for a phone interview.
- "are you on the list?"
- Stacy and our friend Kit were also offered jobs at ROCKHARBOR. they took them. they work there now.
- i did a juice fast again for a few days (exactly one year after the last one... this one didn't last as long).
- i had an interview with ROCKHARBOR church. i was sick. i was drugged. it wasn't bad, but it didn't go as well as i'd hoped.
- i started new classes. i decided to take two instead of the one i normally take. they just happened to be the two most boring classes in the program. i'm dying a slow death of boredom caused by monotonous lectures that have no relevance to my life or even the topic of the class.
- Megan and i went to Nashville for a weekend. (see my last blog for info on that.)
- i got an interview set up at another company. (that will happen next week.)
- i dyed my hair black again.
- Meredith didn't die on Grey's Anatomy. i was saddened by this. (my plot to change it to "Izzie's Anatomy" was thwarted again.)
- i said goodbye to Seth, Summer, Ryan, Taylor, Sandy, Kirsten and Julie as The OC went bubye. i was in shock because it feels like that show's been on forever and it's only been 3 1/2 years.
- my mom got another dog. i argued with her over what she should name it. we got it down to Cocoa or Chloe. i voted for Cocoa. so did everyone else. she picked Chloe.
- "someone flies... someone dies."
- an American Idol reject won an Academy Award.
- i found out that i did not get the job at ROCKHARBOR church. i think i might go there anyway. i really like them.
- i got my hair cut short again.
and so, here i sit. bored in class. i'm really okay about not getting the ROCKHARBOR job. i mean... i really wanted it a lot and i know that i could have done it very well. however, if that's not where i'm supposed to be, then there's something else. and i'm okay with that.
well, class is almost over. (i can't wait to run out of here faster than i've ever run before.) nice talkin' to ya.
-matt
"a few of my favorite things"
Saturday, January 20, 2007
so, if you know me you
know that some of my favorite things are as follows:
U2, Steak, Mountain Dew, Pizza, Scrubs, Movies, Musical Theatre, anything Apple, Sci-Fi, The Office and Sleep
obviously, those are just SOME of my favorite things. and yes, i can deal with the fact that some of those loves immediately qualify me as a dork (or geek... not sure which). recently, two of my favorite things listed above were combined into one 1/2 hour of awesomeness. two words:
SCRUBS MUSICAL
i've been waiting for this for a long time and for once, something actually lived up to all the hype. if you didn't see it the other night, do yourself a huge favor and download it on iTunes ASAP. it was freakin' amazing. they got the guys who did Avenue Q (the funniest musical on Broadway right now) to write most of the music and it was fantastic. (a clip from "Guy Love," the JD and Turk ode to heterosexual love between males, is posted on my myspace.) anyway, it was fantastic.
download now.
go.
seriously.
i'm not kidding.
--matt
U2, Steak, Mountain Dew, Pizza, Scrubs, Movies, Musical Theatre, anything Apple, Sci-Fi, The Office and Sleep
obviously, those are just SOME of my favorite things. and yes, i can deal with the fact that some of those loves immediately qualify me as a dork (or geek... not sure which). recently, two of my favorite things listed above were combined into one 1/2 hour of awesomeness. two words:
SCRUBS MUSICAL
i've been waiting for this for a long time and for once, something actually lived up to all the hype. if you didn't see it the other night, do yourself a huge favor and download it on iTunes ASAP. it was freakin' amazing. they got the guys who did Avenue Q (the funniest musical on Broadway right now) to write most of the music and it was fantastic. (a clip from "Guy Love," the JD and Turk ode to heterosexual love between males, is posted on my myspace.) anyway, it was fantastic.
download now.
go.
seriously.
i'm not kidding.
--matt
"dead"
Thursday, January 18, 2007
"o blog, where art thou?"
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
wow... i think i must have gone on blog overload or
something. i mean... i was blogging like a freakin'
blogging maniac and then just...
nothing.
anyway, i'm back. and i've committed myself to blogging once a week. i think it's good for my soul (or some crap like that).
life is unexpected. well, not life i guess. that's pretty expected. but the things that happen in life. i'm probably in the best place i've been in a long time. (both location wise... in bed right now... and emotionally/spiritually.) my little plan for the new year... it's been working. i feel growth and balance already. it's fantastic! i've come to a place where i've finally been able to realize a few things. here they are, in no particular order:
1. worrying about the future doesn't do anything. seriously.
2. it's okay not to know everything about where you're going and what you're doing. in fact, when you don't and you're okay with that, that's when you suddenly start to figure things out! (weird)
3. i need the new iPhone. now. (it's not shipping until June!)
4. i'm impatient.
5. counseling can be kinda fun.
6. my mountain dew addiction is not something i need to kick... it's something i need to embrace and control. (also, if i drink those cool little half cans, i drink the same amount of cans that i do when i drink the big ones, but i'm cutting the amount of mountain dew i'm actually ingesting almost in half!)
7. you never know what great opportunities are out there until you stop looking so hard and really let God show them to you.
8. i have a strange need to fix things and people. this is good when i'm able to use it to help others. this is bad when i get overly involved and emotionally attached to a situation i have no business attaching myself to. i just end up being irrational and acting very stupidly. i need to find that line in between helpful and stupid.
9. i am passionate about leadership development. i LOVE helping people figure out who they are and what they can do with that. especially when they can figure out how they can use who they are to help others and serve God. that's awesome.
10. i'd like to do that for a job.
11. even though they say they are... my church isn't really looking for that right now.
12. other churches are.
13. is an unlucky number.
14. physical activity sucks... but it's necessary to not be fat.
15. i like Chinese food. (specifically orange chicken or madarin chicken from Panda Express or seasame or honey chicken from anywhere.) this is new for me. i've always hated the Chinese and their stupid food. just kidding. i just hated their food. (but now i don't. hence the existence of point ..15.)
16. the past is in the past. leave it there. seriously... everybody always feels the need to dwell on the past. sometimes, it's just not necessary to dig up old skeletons. what we've done does make up who we are... but just because you did something (or things) that were bad, doesn't mean you're bad now. if you learned from it, it could mean you're better off.
17. i don't go to the movies enough.
18. celebrities with bands aren't always a bad thing. (check out Gary Sinese and the Lt. Dan Band sometime. seriously.)
19. despite the beliefs of most Christians or people who think they have taste or moral character, The OC started out as a good show, hit a few rough patches, but is now excellent again. i'm very sad that it has been cancelled. Seth and Summer (mostly Summer)... i will miss you. (The OC on The CW anyone?)
20. high school students devoted to serving God and serving others (and not selfishly serving their own interests as most high schoolers are in the mindset of doing) inspire me.
okay... there are 20 things that i've recently realized. yes... some of them are random. yes... some of them are shallow and superficial. but, i don't care.
i'm excited about what's going on in my life right now. i'm excited about the amazing possibilities that lie ahead of me. for those of you that are prayers... pray for me in the next few days. there are some really great possibilities on the horizon that could change some things for me in big (and good) ways. i'll keep you posted.
"love and peace (or else)"...
matt
nothing.
anyway, i'm back. and i've committed myself to blogging once a week. i think it's good for my soul (or some crap like that).
life is unexpected. well, not life i guess. that's pretty expected. but the things that happen in life. i'm probably in the best place i've been in a long time. (both location wise... in bed right now... and emotionally/spiritually.) my little plan for the new year... it's been working. i feel growth and balance already. it's fantastic! i've come to a place where i've finally been able to realize a few things. here they are, in no particular order:
1. worrying about the future doesn't do anything. seriously.
2. it's okay not to know everything about where you're going and what you're doing. in fact, when you don't and you're okay with that, that's when you suddenly start to figure things out! (weird)
3. i need the new iPhone. now. (it's not shipping until June!)
4. i'm impatient.
5. counseling can be kinda fun.
6. my mountain dew addiction is not something i need to kick... it's something i need to embrace and control. (also, if i drink those cool little half cans, i drink the same amount of cans that i do when i drink the big ones, but i'm cutting the amount of mountain dew i'm actually ingesting almost in half!)
7. you never know what great opportunities are out there until you stop looking so hard and really let God show them to you.
8. i have a strange need to fix things and people. this is good when i'm able to use it to help others. this is bad when i get overly involved and emotionally attached to a situation i have no business attaching myself to. i just end up being irrational and acting very stupidly. i need to find that line in between helpful and stupid.
9. i am passionate about leadership development. i LOVE helping people figure out who they are and what they can do with that. especially when they can figure out how they can use who they are to help others and serve God. that's awesome.
10. i'd like to do that for a job.
11. even though they say they are... my church isn't really looking for that right now.
12. other churches are.
13. is an unlucky number.
14. physical activity sucks... but it's necessary to not be fat.
15. i like Chinese food. (specifically orange chicken or madarin chicken from Panda Express or seasame or honey chicken from anywhere.) this is new for me. i've always hated the Chinese and their stupid food. just kidding. i just hated their food. (but now i don't. hence the existence of point ..15.)
16. the past is in the past. leave it there. seriously... everybody always feels the need to dwell on the past. sometimes, it's just not necessary to dig up old skeletons. what we've done does make up who we are... but just because you did something (or things) that were bad, doesn't mean you're bad now. if you learned from it, it could mean you're better off.
17. i don't go to the movies enough.
18. celebrities with bands aren't always a bad thing. (check out Gary Sinese and the Lt. Dan Band sometime. seriously.)
19. despite the beliefs of most Christians or people who think they have taste or moral character, The OC started out as a good show, hit a few rough patches, but is now excellent again. i'm very sad that it has been cancelled. Seth and Summer (mostly Summer)... i will miss you. (The OC on The CW anyone?)
20. high school students devoted to serving God and serving others (and not selfishly serving their own interests as most high schoolers are in the mindset of doing) inspire me.
okay... there are 20 things that i've recently realized. yes... some of them are random. yes... some of them are shallow and superficial. but, i don't care.
i'm excited about what's going on in my life right now. i'm excited about the amazing possibilities that lie ahead of me. for those of you that are prayers... pray for me in the next few days. there are some really great possibilities on the horizon that could change some things for me in big (and good) ways. i'll keep you posted.
"love and peace (or else)"...
matt
"another song from the past"
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
here's a song i heard yesterday that i haven't heard
in a long while. i used to listen to it in college a
lot. it's by a group called Caedmon's Call. i always
just loved the lyrics. i don't know what single
person can't relate to them.
"Table for Two"
Danny and I spent another late night over pancakes
We talked about soccer and how every man's just the same
And made speculations on the who's and the when's of our future
And how everyone's lonely, but still we just couldn't complain
And how we just hate being alone
Could I have missed my only chance?
And now I'm just wasting my time
Looking around
But you know I know better
I'm not gonna worry about nothin'
Cuz if the birds and the flowers survive then I'll make it okay
Given a chance and a rock see which one breaks a window
And see which one keeps me up all night and into the day
Because I'm so scared of being alone
That I forgot what house I live in
But it's not my job to wait by the phone
For her to call
This day's been crazy, but everything's happened on schedule
From the rain and the cold to the drink that I spilled on my shirt
Cuz You knew how You'd save me before I fell dead in the garden
And You knew this day long before You made me out of dirt
And You know the plans that you have for me
And You can't plan the ends and not plan the means
And so I suppose I just need some peace
Just to get me to sleep
* Derek Webb (who wrote this song) is now a happily married man and doesn't sing this song anymore.
-matt
"Table for Two"
Danny and I spent another late night over pancakes
We talked about soccer and how every man's just the same
And made speculations on the who's and the when's of our future
And how everyone's lonely, but still we just couldn't complain
And how we just hate being alone
Could I have missed my only chance?
And now I'm just wasting my time
Looking around
But you know I know better
I'm not gonna worry about nothin'
Cuz if the birds and the flowers survive then I'll make it okay
Given a chance and a rock see which one breaks a window
And see which one keeps me up all night and into the day
Because I'm so scared of being alone
That I forgot what house I live in
But it's not my job to wait by the phone
For her to call
This day's been crazy, but everything's happened on schedule
From the rain and the cold to the drink that I spilled on my shirt
Cuz You knew how You'd save me before I fell dead in the garden
And You knew this day long before You made me out of dirt
And You know the plans that you have for me
And You can't plan the ends and not plan the means
And so I suppose I just need some peace
Just to get me to sleep
* Derek Webb (who wrote this song) is now a happily married man and doesn't sing this song anymore.
-matt
"it's just instinct"
Sunday, December 03, 2006
so... one of the
reasons i've been having such a hard time with this
whole thing (and this is just one of many) is that
since there was no warning that the end was coming, i
didn't know that the last time we did things was
going to be the last time we did them.
little things. like going to lunch with our friends after church on Sunday. (we do it pretty much every week.) or going to dinner on Saturday nights. or eating sushi. or going to Target. all the things i've already posted about. usually, when you have a major transition in life, you see it coming. you prepare yourself. but we didn't get that.
i remember last year when we decided to take some time apart from each other, we decided to have one last night out. it was a little awkward at first because we both knew that when it was over, we were going to go our seperate ways for a while. but, after a bit, it ended up being one of the most fun nights we've had. i'm sure that's one of those things that was harder for her, but made it easier for me.
this morning, i knew she was down in her room at church. i'm so used to just going down there to see her that i kept almost doing it without thinking. it was instinctual.
anyway... those are my random thoughts for the day.
-matt
little things. like going to lunch with our friends after church on Sunday. (we do it pretty much every week.) or going to dinner on Saturday nights. or eating sushi. or going to Target. all the things i've already posted about. usually, when you have a major transition in life, you see it coming. you prepare yourself. but we didn't get that.
i remember last year when we decided to take some time apart from each other, we decided to have one last night out. it was a little awkward at first because we both knew that when it was over, we were going to go our seperate ways for a while. but, after a bit, it ended up being one of the most fun nights we've had. i'm sure that's one of those things that was harder for her, but made it easier for me.
this morning, i knew she was down in her room at church. i'm so used to just going down there to see her that i kept almost doing it without thinking. it was instinctual.
anyway... those are my random thoughts for the day.
-matt
"shopping for friends"
Saturday, December 02, 2006
by the way... i found this Christmas song about two years ago. it's by a guy named Ron Sexsmith (poor guy must have gotten made fun of a lot as a kid) and it's one of my favorites now... short, simple and great.
"Maybe This Christmas"
maybe this Christmas will mean something more
maybe this year love will appear
deeper than ever before
and maybe forgiveness will ask us to call
someone we love
someone we've lost
for reasons we can't quite recall
mmm... maybe this Christmas
maybe there'll be an open door
maybe the star that shined before will shine once more
and maybe this Christmas will find us at last
in heavenly peace
grateful at least
for the love we've been shown in the past
ooh... maybe this Christmas.
mmm... maybe this Christmas.
(this was the song played during the last scene in the Chrismukkah episode of the 2nd season of The OC... probably the best episode of that show ever.)
"therapy gone wrong... Denny Crane style!"
Thursday, November 30, 2006
as you may also know, i've been filling my spare time (of which i have much these days) with the second season of one of my favorite shows, "Boston Legal."
anyway, i was watching episode 23 of season 2 entitled "Race Ipsa" (sad that i've gotten that far in 9 days) which starts off with Denny Crane (William Shatner) in a therapist's office. it was one of the funniest scenes on the show and i can only hope my trip the counselor goes so well.
anyway, check it out if you get a chance. if you haven't watched "Boston Legal," you should. it's one of the funniest shows ever. buy the DVDs. or borrow mine if you'd like. totally worth it.
matt
"addendum (a request for prayer and a good song)"
Sunday, November 26, 2006
as a quick addendum... there are a lot of other
things going on in my life right now too that just
add to the chaos of feelings. some of them are things
that i'm struggling with (the future, career stuff,
personal stuff) and some of them have little to do
with me and have more to do with watching other
friends of mine wrestle with some pretty major
stuff.
if
you have a moment and are so inclined, please throw
up a prayer or two for me, Stacy and my friends.
i appreciate everyone's support more than you can possibly know and i'm sure Stacy does too. if you're one of "our" friends... please just keep loving on her and taking care of her in whatever ways she needs.
crap. now i'm crying again.
ps... (if you can have a "ps" to an addendum) if you haven't heard the song "Bad Dream" by Keane... it's fantastic. actually, everything by Keane is pretty fantastic.
"i wake up... it's a bad dream. no one's on my side. i was fighting, but i just feel too tired to be fighting. guess i'm not the fighting kind. wouldn't mind it if you were by my side, but you're long gone... yeah, you're long gone now."
i appreciate everyone's support more than you can possibly know and i'm sure Stacy does too. if you're one of "our" friends... please just keep loving on her and taking care of her in whatever ways she needs.
crap. now i'm crying again.
ps... (if you can have a "ps" to an addendum) if you haven't heard the song "Bad Dream" by Keane... it's fantastic. actually, everything by Keane is pretty fantastic.
"i wake up... it's a bad dream. no one's on my side. i was fighting, but i just feel too tired to be fighting. guess i'm not the fighting kind. wouldn't mind it if you were by my side, but you're long gone... yeah, you're long gone now."
"getting to know me"
Saturday, September 09, 2006
so... every once in a
while i'll do these dumb surveys when i'm bored. it's
been a while so here's one for ya to enjoy or ignore.
130 Random Questions
When was the last time you cried?: well, it was about... i mean... um... i'm a man... men don't cry!
Have you ever faked sick?: of course... thank you Ferris Buehler
What was the last lie you said?: "i'm going to bed"
Have you ever cried during a movie?: like a baby when i was watching... i mean... no! ... of course not!
Who was the last person you couldn't take your eyes off of?: Rachel Bilson
Have you ever danced in the rain?: sure
Have you ever been drunk?: nope
Have you ever tried tried drugs?: niet
Do you smoke?: no
What's the farthest you've ever gone on a dare?: i don't know but i'm sure it involved not wearing clothes.
What is your full name?: matthew morgan barnes the first, the last and the only
What is your blood-type?: i think B-... but who knows. (i do know that that's the grade i got in intro to math. i'm a math retard).
Have you ever been in a car accident?: a few
How old were you when you recieved your first kiss?: first real kiss was the summer before my freshman year of high school
Who was your first kiss?: her name was Jen
Have you ever had an online relationship?: i don't think so
Have you ever had phone-sex?: like anyone who had would broadcast that publicly here... i feel as though it would be a little embarassing.
Have you ever been rejected by a crush?: sure
What is your favourite sport to play?: i like to ski in the snow
Have you ever made a prank phone call?: that's a dumb question... if anyone had not made a prank call in their lives, they are not living a life worth living. (ps... if you haven't... i'm not advocating suicide.)
Have you ever said "I Love you" and not meant it?: unfortunately
What's your favourite childhood memory?: finding ways to fill long summers
Is there anything that you have done that you regret?: well, normally i'm not a big regrets person... but some things that hurt other people i regret.
What do you want to be when you grow up?: a kid
What is your political persuassion?: moderate... how can anyone label all of their views into one category. that's just ignorant.
Have you ever had cybersex?: this is sorta like the phone sex question.
Do you believe in g-d?: if by "g-d" you mean God... then yes i do.
Do you believe in love at first sight?: yeah... why not?
Do you believe in karma?: yeah... but the cool thing about God is that He's got grace which travels outside of karma and sorta destroys it.
Who was your first crush?: the girl down the street when i was five.
Who do yo uhave a crush on?: i sorta like this girl named Stacy.
How would you describe yourself?: average
What are you afraid of?: the boogeyman. oh... and cats, clowns, mustard, dr. pepper, cornnuts, people from Texas or Arkansas, country music, mullets and broccoli
Are you religious?: not a big fan of that word... but yeah.
What does your screen name mean?: it means the end of the world is coming on March 3, 2032. or maybe it's my initials and last name plus my favorite number. what do you think it means?
What person do you trust the most?: i trust a lot of people. probably more than i should.
Who was your first boyfriend/girlfriend?: my first REAL girlfriend was Michelle Jordan. we broke up at the Homecoming Dance.
What is the best compliment you have ever recieved?: "you're awesome!" and i've been saying to myself ever since.
What is the meanest thing anyone has said about you?: this one girl who hated me told everyone i was gay. (actually, i ended up going out with two girls who wanted to find out if it were true. so, that kinda worked out for me.)
What is the longest crush/relationship you have had?: 2 1/2 years (on and off)
What is your greatest strength?: that i know and understand myself pretty well and keep trying to know and understand me more.
What is your greatest weakness?: i'm totally not patient. i'm also not organized. my room's a federal disaster area right now.
What is your perfect pizza?: cheese... i like First Class Pizza a lot.
What is your first thought when waking up in the morning?: "holy crap, you've got to be kidding me"
What is your first thought before you go to bed?: "goodnight God... goodnight me."
What college do you want to go to?: hmmm.... well, considering i spent 7 years at Pepperdine and a year at Azusa already... i don't know that i need to add another one to the list.
Do you get along with your family?: yup
Do you play any instruments?: the kazoo and the egg shaker. wanna start a band?
What kind of music do you like?: anything but rap and country
Do you think you're attractive?: ehh
Would you ever get a tattoo?: i have one
How many piercings do you have?: none
Who makes you laugh?: lots of people... Jody's pretty damn funny.
Who would you want to be tied to for 24hours?: Rachel Bilson.... i think i love her today.
Have you ever seen a dead body?: yeah
Do you have a celebrity crush?: have you not been reading this?
What is one thing scientists should invent?: teleporting or beaming or whatever they call it. i wanna be somewhere and i wanna be there NOW! (see? not patient.)
Have you ever broken a bone?: my toe... holy crap that's painful and there ain't anything you can do about it.
What happens after you die?: up or down. me? up.
Do you watch or read the news?: does the Daily Show and the Colbert Report count?
What stereotype would you label yourself as being?: a dork.
Would your friends agree with that stereotypic label?: oh yeah.
If yo ucould change your name, what would you change it to?: Phoebe already kinda stole "Princess Consuela Bananahammock" so... maybe "Bob." it's the same backwards and forwards. easier for dyslexic people.
If you could go back in time to one point in your life, where would you go: college... for sure. sophomore year. awesome.
If you could change anything about yourself, what would you change?: the fact that i have 40 extra pounds of luggage with me at all times.
Have you ever gone skinny dipping?: yes... but in my case, it's just called "dipping"
Have you ever played strip poker?: yes.. and strip Speed!
Would you ever lie to someone to make them feel good about themselves?: i would bend the truth to do that.
What do you want your friends to think about you?: that they know me and can trust me completely.
Whats the biggest argument you've ever gotten into?: ah... i remember it now. May of 2004... Matt Barnes vs. Gregg Pinick. good times.
HAve you ever bitten someone?: as often as possible.
When's your birthday?: today!!! 09/09/1978
Have you ever stolen anything?: i'm sure i have but i can't think of it.
Do you make wishes on shooting stars?: no... i make out when i see a shooting star. you should too!
Whats the most you've ever eaten in one sitting?: two words: RIO BUFFET... it was a lot!
If you could go back and change one day, what would it be?: the day i didn't back up my old computer before it died and lost everything from 9th grade through Grad School
Do you remember your dreams?: sometimes
Have you ever been in love?: yes... a few times.
Are you a morning person or a night person?: night... but i wish i were a morning person. those bastards always make me feel bad about myself.
Do you have any phobias?: i can get claustrophobic on occasion.
What's the meanest thing you've ever done to someone?: i'm not reallly a mean person.
Have you ever been to the hospital (other then birth?: to visit others.
How many screen names do you have?: one
Do any medical problems run in your family?: i think high blood pressure or something
Have anyone ever been disowned from your family?: not really... my grandpa disowned my cousin... be we all thought that was stupid and ignored it.
Have you ever had a nightmare?: ding ding ding! we have a winner! that is officially the dumbest question on this list!
Do you say meaner things to your friends or your enemies?: probably my friends... i'm very sarcastic.
Would you ever participate in a threesome?: probably not.
Would you ever pay for a prostititue?: no... if i had a gift card? maybe.
Have you ever mooned or flashed someone?: yes... yes i have.
Have you ever cheated on your bf/gf?: no... no i have not.
Have you ever laughed so hard you peed in your pants?: no.... no i have not.
Have you ever written a love letter?: yes... yes i have.
Have you ever attempted suicide?: no... no i have not. (this is getting old)
Do you prefer boxers or briefs?: boxer briefs actually
Have you ever been in a fistfight?: yes.... and i lived.
Do you have any hidden talents?: no... my talents are on full display for all to see.
What is one thing you want me to know about you?: my name. don't you hate it when people forget your name. actually, that really doesn't bother me. it's when i forget other people's names. that sucks.
What is one question you wouldn't want me to ask?: probably something to do with science or math.... i don't do science or math.
Do you usually prefer books or movies?: movies.
Who is your favourite person to talk to?: me.
Who is always able to cheer you up when you're sad?: me.
Would you ever have sex before marriage?: no. i've waited 28 years now... i think it would be dumb to give up at this point.
Who do you talk to most on the phone?: probably Stacy.
Do you have a secret that yo'ure ashamed of?: don't we all?
Do you prefer british or american spelling of words?: i like the British... they were first.
Have you ever gotten detention?: yes.
How do you vent your anger?: i like to kick small children or animals.
Have you ever been on a diet?: sorta.
Would you ever date someone younger than you? Older than you?: yes and yes. and i have done both.
Is your best friend a virgin?: no... he's married. his wife is pregnant. i feel as though they might have done it.
What's a rumor someone has spread about you?: that i was gay.
What's the kinkiest thing you could ever actually see yourself as doing?: two words: Bungee Sex (just kidding... i don't even know what that means.)
What's the meanest thing anyone has ever done to you?: told me i was going to have a steak dinner and then given me pizza instead.
What's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?: given me the steak dinner.
Have you ever been diagnosed with a mental illness?: self diagnosed... but not officially.
Have you ever cut yourself on purpose?: no... i'm not that numb to pain.
Have you ever wanted to murder someone?: something perhaps.... damn cat.
Have you ever hated someone?: yes. boyfriends that treat their girlfriends like crap. you know who you are!
Do you prefer talking on the phone or online?: either.
Do you consider yourself popular?: i'm well known.... but mostly cuz i don't give people a choice. (YOU WILL KNOW ME!)
Would you ever tell the person you have a crush on that you like them?: if i meet Rachel, i'll let her know.
Have you ever had a crush on an enemy?: yeah... and that's weird.
Have you ever had a crush on a best friend?: yeah.
What is your favourite book?: "Green Eggs and Ham"
Do you have a collection of anything?: DVD's... thousands of them.
Are you happy with the person you are becoming?: i think so.
Are you a different person now then you were 5 years ago?: um... i've just grown... i don't think i'm different.
What do you see yourself as being in 5 years from now?: alive... hopefully!
Are you happy with the life you have?: yes.
130 Random Questions
When was the last time you cried?: well, it was about... i mean... um... i'm a man... men don't cry!
Have you ever faked sick?: of course... thank you Ferris Buehler
What was the last lie you said?: "i'm going to bed"
Have you ever cried during a movie?: like a baby when i was watching... i mean... no! ... of course not!
Who was the last person you couldn't take your eyes off of?: Rachel Bilson
Have you ever danced in the rain?: sure
Have you ever been drunk?: nope
Have you ever tried tried drugs?: niet
Do you smoke?: no
What's the farthest you've ever gone on a dare?: i don't know but i'm sure it involved not wearing clothes.
What is your full name?: matthew morgan barnes the first, the last and the only
What is your blood-type?: i think B-... but who knows. (i do know that that's the grade i got in intro to math. i'm a math retard).
Have you ever been in a car accident?: a few
How old were you when you recieved your first kiss?: first real kiss was the summer before my freshman year of high school
Who was your first kiss?: her name was Jen
Have you ever had an online relationship?: i don't think so
Have you ever had phone-sex?: like anyone who had would broadcast that publicly here... i feel as though it would be a little embarassing.
Have you ever been rejected by a crush?: sure
What is your favourite sport to play?: i like to ski in the snow
Have you ever made a prank phone call?: that's a dumb question... if anyone had not made a prank call in their lives, they are not living a life worth living. (ps... if you haven't... i'm not advocating suicide.)
Have you ever said "I Love you" and not meant it?: unfortunately
What's your favourite childhood memory?: finding ways to fill long summers
Is there anything that you have done that you regret?: well, normally i'm not a big regrets person... but some things that hurt other people i regret.
What do you want to be when you grow up?: a kid
What is your political persuassion?: moderate... how can anyone label all of their views into one category. that's just ignorant.
Have you ever had cybersex?: this is sorta like the phone sex question.
Do you believe in g-d?: if by "g-d" you mean God... then yes i do.
Do you believe in love at first sight?: yeah... why not?
Do you believe in karma?: yeah... but the cool thing about God is that He's got grace which travels outside of karma and sorta destroys it.
Who was your first crush?: the girl down the street when i was five.
Who do yo uhave a crush on?: i sorta like this girl named Stacy.
How would you describe yourself?: average
What are you afraid of?: the boogeyman. oh... and cats, clowns, mustard, dr. pepper, cornnuts, people from Texas or Arkansas, country music, mullets and broccoli
Are you religious?: not a big fan of that word... but yeah.
What does your screen name mean?: it means the end of the world is coming on March 3, 2032. or maybe it's my initials and last name plus my favorite number. what do you think it means?
What person do you trust the most?: i trust a lot of people. probably more than i should.
Who was your first boyfriend/girlfriend?: my first REAL girlfriend was Michelle Jordan. we broke up at the Homecoming Dance.
What is the best compliment you have ever recieved?: "you're awesome!" and i've been saying to myself ever since.
What is the meanest thing anyone has said about you?: this one girl who hated me told everyone i was gay. (actually, i ended up going out with two girls who wanted to find out if it were true. so, that kinda worked out for me.)
What is the longest crush/relationship you have had?: 2 1/2 years (on and off)
What is your greatest strength?: that i know and understand myself pretty well and keep trying to know and understand me more.
What is your greatest weakness?: i'm totally not patient. i'm also not organized. my room's a federal disaster area right now.
What is your perfect pizza?: cheese... i like First Class Pizza a lot.
What is your first thought when waking up in the morning?: "holy crap, you've got to be kidding me"
What is your first thought before you go to bed?: "goodnight God... goodnight me."
What college do you want to go to?: hmmm.... well, considering i spent 7 years at Pepperdine and a year at Azusa already... i don't know that i need to add another one to the list.
Do you get along with your family?: yup
Do you play any instruments?: the kazoo and the egg shaker. wanna start a band?
What kind of music do you like?: anything but rap and country
Do you think you're attractive?: ehh
Would you ever get a tattoo?: i have one
How many piercings do you have?: none
Who makes you laugh?: lots of people... Jody's pretty damn funny.
Who would you want to be tied to for 24hours?: Rachel Bilson.... i think i love her today.
Have you ever seen a dead body?: yeah
Do you have a celebrity crush?: have you not been reading this?
What is one thing scientists should invent?: teleporting or beaming or whatever they call it. i wanna be somewhere and i wanna be there NOW! (see? not patient.)
Have you ever broken a bone?: my toe... holy crap that's painful and there ain't anything you can do about it.
What happens after you die?: up or down. me? up.
Do you watch or read the news?: does the Daily Show and the Colbert Report count?
What stereotype would you label yourself as being?: a dork.
Would your friends agree with that stereotypic label?: oh yeah.
If yo ucould change your name, what would you change it to?: Phoebe already kinda stole "Princess Consuela Bananahammock" so... maybe "Bob." it's the same backwards and forwards. easier for dyslexic people.
If you could go back in time to one point in your life, where would you go: college... for sure. sophomore year. awesome.
If you could change anything about yourself, what would you change?: the fact that i have 40 extra pounds of luggage with me at all times.
Have you ever gone skinny dipping?: yes... but in my case, it's just called "dipping"
Have you ever played strip poker?: yes.. and strip Speed!
Would you ever lie to someone to make them feel good about themselves?: i would bend the truth to do that.
What do you want your friends to think about you?: that they know me and can trust me completely.
Whats the biggest argument you've ever gotten into?: ah... i remember it now. May of 2004... Matt Barnes vs. Gregg Pinick. good times.
HAve you ever bitten someone?: as often as possible.
When's your birthday?: today!!! 09/09/1978
Have you ever stolen anything?: i'm sure i have but i can't think of it.
Do you make wishes on shooting stars?: no... i make out when i see a shooting star. you should too!
Whats the most you've ever eaten in one sitting?: two words: RIO BUFFET... it was a lot!
If you could go back and change one day, what would it be?: the day i didn't back up my old computer before it died and lost everything from 9th grade through Grad School
Do you remember your dreams?: sometimes
Have you ever been in love?: yes... a few times.
Are you a morning person or a night person?: night... but i wish i were a morning person. those bastards always make me feel bad about myself.
Do you have any phobias?: i can get claustrophobic on occasion.
What's the meanest thing you've ever done to someone?: i'm not reallly a mean person.
Have you ever been to the hospital (other then birth?: to visit others.
How many screen names do you have?: one
Do any medical problems run in your family?: i think high blood pressure or something
Have anyone ever been disowned from your family?: not really... my grandpa disowned my cousin... be we all thought that was stupid and ignored it.
Have you ever had a nightmare?: ding ding ding! we have a winner! that is officially the dumbest question on this list!
Do you say meaner things to your friends or your enemies?: probably my friends... i'm very sarcastic.
Would you ever participate in a threesome?: probably not.
Would you ever pay for a prostititue?: no... if i had a gift card? maybe.
Have you ever mooned or flashed someone?: yes... yes i have.
Have you ever cheated on your bf/gf?: no... no i have not.
Have you ever laughed so hard you peed in your pants?: no.... no i have not.
Have you ever written a love letter?: yes... yes i have.
Have you ever attempted suicide?: no... no i have not. (this is getting old)
Do you prefer boxers or briefs?: boxer briefs actually
Have you ever been in a fistfight?: yes.... and i lived.
Do you have any hidden talents?: no... my talents are on full display for all to see.
What is one thing you want me to know about you?: my name. don't you hate it when people forget your name. actually, that really doesn't bother me. it's when i forget other people's names. that sucks.
What is one question you wouldn't want me to ask?: probably something to do with science or math.... i don't do science or math.
Do you usually prefer books or movies?: movies.
Who is your favourite person to talk to?: me.
Who is always able to cheer you up when you're sad?: me.
Would you ever have sex before marriage?: no. i've waited 28 years now... i think it would be dumb to give up at this point.
Who do you talk to most on the phone?: probably Stacy.
Do you have a secret that yo'ure ashamed of?: don't we all?
Do you prefer british or american spelling of words?: i like the British... they were first.
Have you ever gotten detention?: yes.
How do you vent your anger?: i like to kick small children or animals.
Have you ever been on a diet?: sorta.
Would you ever date someone younger than you? Older than you?: yes and yes. and i have done both.
Is your best friend a virgin?: no... he's married. his wife is pregnant. i feel as though they might have done it.
What's a rumor someone has spread about you?: that i was gay.
What's the kinkiest thing you could ever actually see yourself as doing?: two words: Bungee Sex (just kidding... i don't even know what that means.)
What's the meanest thing anyone has ever done to you?: told me i was going to have a steak dinner and then given me pizza instead.
What's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?: given me the steak dinner.
Have you ever been diagnosed with a mental illness?: self diagnosed... but not officially.
Have you ever cut yourself on purpose?: no... i'm not that numb to pain.
Have you ever wanted to murder someone?: something perhaps.... damn cat.
Have you ever hated someone?: yes. boyfriends that treat their girlfriends like crap. you know who you are!
Do you prefer talking on the phone or online?: either.
Do you consider yourself popular?: i'm well known.... but mostly cuz i don't give people a choice. (YOU WILL KNOW ME!)
Would you ever tell the person you have a crush on that you like them?: if i meet Rachel, i'll let her know.
Have you ever had a crush on an enemy?: yeah... and that's weird.
Have you ever had a crush on a best friend?: yeah.
What is your favourite book?: "Green Eggs and Ham"
Do you have a collection of anything?: DVD's... thousands of them.
Are you happy with the person you are becoming?: i think so.
Are you a different person now then you were 5 years ago?: um... i've just grown... i don't think i'm different.
What do you see yourself as being in 5 years from now?: alive... hopefully!
Are you happy with the life you have?: yes.
"there's no way that was 10 minutes!"
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
you know how some
mornings you hit the snooze button and it's like the
most wonderful thing in the world. the ten minutes
(or whatever your alarm clock gives you for a snooze)
seems like an extra hour and it's like a gift from
God. okay... well, today it was the exact opposite of
that. it was like i hit the button and the alarm went
off again right away. i was pissed.
thinking that it must be broken or that maybe i didn't hit it properly, i tried it again and it happened again. then i looked at the time and realized that 20 minutes had really passed since the first alarm. i hate that crap.
ps... i also keep having this recurring problem where i hear my alarm go off in the morning... some song is playing... and i keep trying to reach for the snooze button, but it doesn't happen. instead, in my mind/dream/half awake state i think i've done it and i can't figure out why the music isn't stopping. it's only after about 3 or 4 tries that i realize that i, in fact, have not hit the button but have only done so in my dream-like state. this has never happened to me before last week but has pretty much happened every day for the past week or so. please tell me i'm not alone in these experiences.
thinking that it must be broken or that maybe i didn't hit it properly, i tried it again and it happened again. then i looked at the time and realized that 20 minutes had really passed since the first alarm. i hate that crap.
ps... i also keep having this recurring problem where i hear my alarm go off in the morning... some song is playing... and i keep trying to reach for the snooze button, but it doesn't happen. instead, in my mind/dream/half awake state i think i've done it and i can't figure out why the music isn't stopping. it's only after about 3 or 4 tries that i realize that i, in fact, have not hit the button but have only done so in my dream-like state. this has never happened to me before last week but has pretty much happened every day for the past week or so. please tell me i'm not alone in these experiences.
"where everybody knows your name"
Friday, August 04, 2006
myspace is like the new
Cheers. just a random thought.
anyway, what i really wanted to say was that when i renewed the website for my company, FIGURE, Inc., they gave me a free new domain name. so... now i have my own website with all kinds of random matt crap that you probably won't care about at all. but, as long as it's there, i might as well let people know so if they're bored they can take a look. the address is www.matthewbarnes.net (hard to remember... i know.) check it out. or don't.
peace
anyway, what i really wanted to say was that when i renewed the website for my company, FIGURE, Inc., they gave me a free new domain name. so... now i have my own website with all kinds of random matt crap that you probably won't care about at all. but, as long as it's there, i might as well let people know so if they're bored they can take a look. the address is www.matthewbarnes.net (hard to remember... i know.) check it out. or don't.
peace
"saying goodbye (to imaginary friends)"
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
you know... i get a lot
of crap for watching as much TV as i do. people think
it's indicative of laziness or that it's a waste of
time. but, i truly believe that one day, we'll look
at certain TV shows as art (much like we do plays and
many movies now). people said the same kinds of
things about plays in Shakespeare's time and about
movies in the first half of the 1900s.
right now, i think we're in a sort of TV renaissance. some of the stuff currently on TV (or over the past few years) has been extraordinarily well written. unfortunately, a lot of people don't would rather watch the crappy stuff that has earned television its stereotype and many good shows are going away. here are some of the ones i've had to say "goodbye" to lately.
1. ALIAS... i just finished watching the series finale of this show and i'm really kinda sad.
i mean, it wasn't
the best show on television, but it started out that
way. because of people who couldn't keep up with how
smart the show was, the producers were forced to dumb
it down a bit. anyway, this is probably the show i'm
the most attached to, only because it's the only show
i've followed from the first episode to the last.
(plus, Sydney Bristow is an extremely attractive
character for a lot of reasons.)
2. The West Wing... i've said this many times: the first four seasons of this show were the best TV writing ever. amazing stories... amazing acting... amazing music... amazing everything. Aaron Sorkin is a genius. after season four, it sorta went downhill. it was still a good show, it was just a very different kind of show. if you never watched, get the first seasons on DVD. they're great.
3. Will and Grace... yeah, it went on for too long. yeah, the characters got a bit stale and the stories were overdone. but you know... it was generally pretty funny. another show where the first four seasons were great. for better or for worse, Will and Grace changed pop culture forever.
4. Arrested Development... this was, quite simply, one of the two best written comedies on network television. (the other being Scrubs, of course.) it was incredibly smart, amazingly funny and brilliantly acted. the American public seemed to miss this and it was cancelled mid-season. the Bluth family was probably the most dysfunctional family imaginable and it was always fun to watch them go through life. another show where you need to buy the DVDs and find out how amazing it was.
5. Everwood... now, i know it's a bit fem to admit that i watch this WB show, but Everwood was really underrated and well done. the acting, the stories... all of it seemed real and very rarely seemed like the contrived melodrama the WB usually puts out. it was dropped at the last minute because the new network (the CW) decided to bring 7th Heaven back. this is, perhaps, the greatest injustice of scheduling i've ever heard of.
now, there is some good TV still out there and hopefully more to come. but, please watch LOST, Scrubs, Battlestar Galactica (sounds lame... but it's seriously really good), What About Brian?, Grey's Anatomy, etc... and make sure that we still have some good TV to watch in the future.
right now, i think we're in a sort of TV renaissance. some of the stuff currently on TV (or over the past few years) has been extraordinarily well written. unfortunately, a lot of people don't would rather watch the crappy stuff that has earned television its stereotype and many good shows are going away. here are some of the ones i've had to say "goodbye" to lately.
1. ALIAS... i just finished watching the series finale of this show and i'm really kinda sad.
2. The West Wing... i've said this many times: the first four seasons of this show were the best TV writing ever. amazing stories... amazing acting... amazing music... amazing everything. Aaron Sorkin is a genius. after season four, it sorta went downhill. it was still a good show, it was just a very different kind of show. if you never watched, get the first seasons on DVD. they're great.
3. Will and Grace... yeah, it went on for too long. yeah, the characters got a bit stale and the stories were overdone. but you know... it was generally pretty funny. another show where the first four seasons were great. for better or for worse, Will and Grace changed pop culture forever.
4. Arrested Development... this was, quite simply, one of the two best written comedies on network television. (the other being Scrubs, of course.) it was incredibly smart, amazingly funny and brilliantly acted. the American public seemed to miss this and it was cancelled mid-season. the Bluth family was probably the most dysfunctional family imaginable and it was always fun to watch them go through life. another show where you need to buy the DVDs and find out how amazing it was.
5. Everwood... now, i know it's a bit fem to admit that i watch this WB show, but Everwood was really underrated and well done. the acting, the stories... all of it seemed real and very rarely seemed like the contrived melodrama the WB usually puts out. it was dropped at the last minute because the new network (the CW) decided to bring 7th Heaven back. this is, perhaps, the greatest injustice of scheduling i've ever heard of.
now, there is some good TV still out there and hopefully more to come. but, please watch LOST, Scrubs, Battlestar Galactica (sounds lame... but it's seriously really good), What About Brian?, Grey's Anatomy, etc... and make sure that we still have some good TV to watch in the future.
"oh... the depression!"
Thursday, March 09, 2006
there was one event
that i've been looking forward to for months now. i
planned my school schedule around it. i planned my
life around it. i was going to see U2 do their only
stadium show in the US in Honolulu in April. and then
it happened.
last night, U2 posted on their website that the rest of the dates on their Vertigo '06 Tour have been postponed due to a family illness.
now, i'm sure that this must be something pretty bad for them to cancel 10 concerts taking place in four countries (Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the US), and i really pray and hope that whoever is really sick gets better... but this sucks!
so now, i must pray specifically that whoever is ill gets better within the next week or so. that way, the band can say "just kidding... we'll reschedule the dates we missed but we'll do the rest now!" otherwise, i gotta figure out what to do with these plane tickets!
last night, U2 posted on their website that the rest of the dates on their Vertigo '06 Tour have been postponed due to a family illness.
now, i'm sure that this must be something pretty bad for them to cancel 10 concerts taking place in four countries (Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the US), and i really pray and hope that whoever is really sick gets better... but this sucks!
so now, i must pray specifically that whoever is ill gets better within the next week or so. that way, the band can say "just kidding... we'll reschedule the dates we missed but we'll do the rest now!" otherwise, i gotta figure out what to do with these plane tickets!
"random thoughts from class"
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
okay... last week,
while i was in class, i had random thoughts running
through my brain and i wrote them down. here they are
in no particular order...
- i wonder if the Tawianese exchange student dropped the class because he had as much trouble understanding us as we did him?
- was that racist? i didn't mean it to be.
- the two people at the other end of the room are constantly typing stuff on their laptops. what the hell are they typing? am i missing stuff? should i be typing? should i have a computer out?
- also, their computers aren't plugged in and their batteries never seem to die. are they faking it?
- on that map on the wall, east is up. that's weird.
- how come love isn't a value in any of these books? seems like it would cover a lot of ground.
- why does Jesus always look the same in movies when we really don't know what Jesus looked like? i think i wanna make a Jesus movie and have Him look really different. maybe beardless. and with a mullet.
- was that sacreligious? i didn't mean it to be.
- i like food. a lot.
- i've been wearing the same rainbow sandals for 4 years.
- what the crap is going on on his tie?
- what's the deal with gum? i mean... who came up with it and why?
- i bet people see me writing this stuff down and think i'm taking notes just like i think those people typing are taking notes. maybe they're typing out their random thoughts.
- i wonder if the Tawianese exchange student dropped the class because he had as much trouble understanding us as we did him?
- was that racist? i didn't mean it to be.
- the two people at the other end of the room are constantly typing stuff on their laptops. what the hell are they typing? am i missing stuff? should i be typing? should i have a computer out?
- also, their computers aren't plugged in and their batteries never seem to die. are they faking it?
- on that map on the wall, east is up. that's weird.
- how come love isn't a value in any of these books? seems like it would cover a lot of ground.
- why does Jesus always look the same in movies when we really don't know what Jesus looked like? i think i wanna make a Jesus movie and have Him look really different. maybe beardless. and with a mullet.
- was that sacreligious? i didn't mean it to be.
- i like food. a lot.
- i've been wearing the same rainbow sandals for 4 years.
- what the crap is going on on his tie?
- what's the deal with gum? i mean... who came up with it and why?
- i bet people see me writing this stuff down and think i'm taking notes just like i think those people typing are taking notes. maybe they're typing out their random thoughts.
"a night at the Radisson in Visalia"
Saturday, February 18, 2006
know what you're asking
yourself. "why, dear God, would he be at the Radisson
in Visalia!?!?" well, normally i would be as weirded
out by the thought as i imagine you are right now,
but tonight is different.
i'm here to visit my friend, Jen. Jen is one of my oldest friends and one of my most unique relationships. Jen and i met, very randomly, in high school at a leadership camp at UCSB. we have one of those rare/great relationships where, from the moment we met, we were instant friends. we don't see each other much (because she lives in freakin' Visalia!), but when we see each other, it's as if no time has passed at all. (even though, at times, it's actually been years.)
normally, when i see Jen, it's in Orange County. i live there and she lives in Visalia so i automatically win when we play the "where are we going to meet up?" game. so, why am i here? two weeks ago, Jen gave birth to a little girl she named Nathalie. because of these extenuating circumstances, she won the battle this time. but that's not what this blog is about.
i don't know what it is about this baby, but i think she might actually be as close to perfect as a baby can come. as soon as i got to the house, i was handed the baby and i didn't want to let her go. (this is abnormal for me as i'm generally bored with babies who cannot walk, talk or at least crawl.) for some reason, i'm totally enamoured with this child and totally weirded out by the fact that this baby belongs to my friend.
i think it's because she's really my first close friend who's my age to have a baby. maybe it's because it makes me realize that i am (and people i'm friends with are) capable of doing this thing that i already know i'm capable of doing, but am not actually sure i could do. plus, i've known Jen for so long and i still think of her as the goofy high schooler i met at UCSB all those years ago. so, the whole thing is this weird experience for me. i don't know. i've been around babies a lot, but somehow this one is different.
then i got to thinking about the idiots in this world who take children for granted. these people who have kids and don't appreciate them or realize how amazingly great they are and what a miracle they are. the ones who actually treat their kids like animals or worse. the one's who don't want their own children. i thought about this tonight as i was holding Nathalie and she looked up at me with those piercing eyes and she gripped my finger with those fragile little hands. i mean, if anyone ever needed proof of God... there she is. and millions more like her. how could you look at any of them and see anything but God? to ignore that... to somehow see a burden or a mistake... i can't even fathom it.
so, now i'm back at my room at the Radisson in Visalia just in awe of God's creation. anyway, sorry this one isn't funny or random. maybe you understand what i'm talking about, and maybe you don't. if you don't, that's okay. it took 27 years for it to hit me.
i'm here to visit my friend, Jen. Jen is one of my oldest friends and one of my most unique relationships. Jen and i met, very randomly, in high school at a leadership camp at UCSB. we have one of those rare/great relationships where, from the moment we met, we were instant friends. we don't see each other much (because she lives in freakin' Visalia!), but when we see each other, it's as if no time has passed at all. (even though, at times, it's actually been years.)
normally, when i see Jen, it's in Orange County. i live there and she lives in Visalia so i automatically win when we play the "where are we going to meet up?" game. so, why am i here? two weeks ago, Jen gave birth to a little girl she named Nathalie. because of these extenuating circumstances, she won the battle this time. but that's not what this blog is about.
i don't know what it is about this baby, but i think she might actually be as close to perfect as a baby can come. as soon as i got to the house, i was handed the baby and i didn't want to let her go. (this is abnormal for me as i'm generally bored with babies who cannot walk, talk or at least crawl.) for some reason, i'm totally enamoured with this child and totally weirded out by the fact that this baby belongs to my friend.
i think it's because she's really my first close friend who's my age to have a baby. maybe it's because it makes me realize that i am (and people i'm friends with are) capable of doing this thing that i already know i'm capable of doing, but am not actually sure i could do. plus, i've known Jen for so long and i still think of her as the goofy high schooler i met at UCSB all those years ago. so, the whole thing is this weird experience for me. i don't know. i've been around babies a lot, but somehow this one is different.
then i got to thinking about the idiots in this world who take children for granted. these people who have kids and don't appreciate them or realize how amazingly great they are and what a miracle they are. the ones who actually treat their kids like animals or worse. the one's who don't want their own children. i thought about this tonight as i was holding Nathalie and she looked up at me with those piercing eyes and she gripped my finger with those fragile little hands. i mean, if anyone ever needed proof of God... there she is. and millions more like her. how could you look at any of them and see anything but God? to ignore that... to somehow see a burden or a mistake... i can't even fathom it.
so, now i'm back at my room at the Radisson in Visalia just in awe of God's creation. anyway, sorry this one isn't funny or random. maybe you understand what i'm talking about, and maybe you don't. if you don't, that's okay. it took 27 years for it to hit me.
"deep fried.... whatever!"
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
(so, as you may know...
i've had little inspiration to blog lately. but,
Melissa reminded me about this and i decided that i'd
throw it up here. it's an experience i wanted to
share. now... on to the blog.)
in mid-2005, i was introduced to something that would forever change my life.
it is called a
Monte Cristo sandwich and i had it for lunch at the
Blue Bayou at Disneyland. HOLY CRAP!!! this was
amazing. cheese... good. ham and turkey... good. deep
fried goodness... AWESOME! my stomach was happy, my
heart was burning and my arteries were clogging. i
couldn't have been happier. however, this only led to
letdown for a few reasons.
1... i have to go to Disneyland and make reservations ahead of time to get lunch at the Blue Bayou. what if i wanted one on a whim? (i'm not exactly known for my patience.)
2... they don't serve Pepsi products at the Blue Bayou and, clearly, a Mountain Dew would only serve to complete this meal and enter it in to the top 10 eating experiences of my life.
the second one was simply and easily solved by sneaking cans of Mountain Dew in. (though the waiter did give me a strange look, it was totally worth it.) but the first... what to do???
then came the call. my friend, Jen had found the actual Disney recipe for Monte Cristos. i was elated. so, to make a long story short, i ran down to Target, bought a deep fryer (everyone should have one) and invited some friends over for a night of Monte Cristos.
i'd never fried anything before. it was awesome. friends... mountain dew... Korean television (don't ask)... and deep fried sandwiches. quite nearly a perfect night. however, after we were done eating our sandwiches... we still had a vat of boiling hot oil and grease... what to do?
now, the average person would say "that's pretty gross... let's turn it off and clean the thing up." but not us. no... we said "let's fry stuff!" so, we started frying things... a banana (it was too mushy though and sorta fell apart)... a marshmellow (kinda acted like the banana)... and a snickers bar (melted... but it was good). we were gonna fry some fudge that we had as well as some brownies, but i don't think they made it to the fryer (our mouths may have gotten in the way).
anyway, the moral of the whole story is... Monte Cristos are good... i can make them... and frying stuff is awesome.
ps... i still have that vat of oil sitting in the deep frier downstairs... come on over if you wanna give it a try!
in mid-2005, i was introduced to something that would forever change my life.
1... i have to go to Disneyland and make reservations ahead of time to get lunch at the Blue Bayou. what if i wanted one on a whim? (i'm not exactly known for my patience.)
2... they don't serve Pepsi products at the Blue Bayou and, clearly, a Mountain Dew would only serve to complete this meal and enter it in to the top 10 eating experiences of my life.
the second one was simply and easily solved by sneaking cans of Mountain Dew in. (though the waiter did give me a strange look, it was totally worth it.) but the first... what to do???
then came the call. my friend, Jen had found the actual Disney recipe for Monte Cristos. i was elated. so, to make a long story short, i ran down to Target, bought a deep fryer (everyone should have one) and invited some friends over for a night of Monte Cristos.
i'd never fried anything before. it was awesome. friends... mountain dew... Korean television (don't ask)... and deep fried sandwiches. quite nearly a perfect night. however, after we were done eating our sandwiches... we still had a vat of boiling hot oil and grease... what to do?
now, the average person would say "that's pretty gross... let's turn it off and clean the thing up." but not us. no... we said "let's fry stuff!" so, we started frying things... a banana (it was too mushy though and sorta fell apart)... a marshmellow (kinda acted like the banana)... and a snickers bar (melted... but it was good). we were gonna fry some fudge that we had as well as some brownies, but i don't think they made it to the fryer (our mouths may have gotten in the way).
anyway, the moral of the whole story is... Monte Cristos are good... i can make them... and frying stuff is awesome.
ps... i still have that vat of oil sitting in the deep frier downstairs... come on over if you wanna give it a try!
"a disturbing lack of creativity... help!!!"
Monday, January 09, 2006
ummm... yeah. so, this
weekend, somebody (Melissa) commented that i hadn't
posted a good, creative or entertaining blog in a
long time. i hadn't realized how long it's been. i
don't know what's wrong with me, but i find that i
have had a disturbing lack of creativity lately.
so, please forgive me for posting stupid surveys or lame online test results. i want my creativty back! maybe i just haven't been inspired by anything lately. i don't know. anyway, if you have any suggestions, please feel free to pass them along. in the meantime... i'll just continue to not be entertaining in any way.
so, please forgive me for posting stupid surveys or lame online test results. i want my creativty back! maybe i just haven't been inspired by anything lately. i don't know. anyway, if you have any suggestions, please feel free to pass them along. in the meantime... i'll just continue to not be entertaining in any way.
"OUT OF CONTROL!"
Monday, November 21, 2005
"i had the feeling it
was out of control... i was of the opinion it was out
of control..."
most of you probably don't know that those are words from a very old U2 song (their very first single from back in 1979... i was one year old. you probably weren't yet born.)
Bono said that the song was about waking up one morning and realizing that the two biggest events in your life (your birth and your death) have nothing to do with you. you have no control over them. (yes... i know... suicide would void that statement, but generally speaking it's true and a little weird to think about.)
i usually think that there is nothing in our lives that is completely out of our control. i mean, it seems like you can always do SOMETHING to change a situation or whatever. but right now, i feel like things are happening that are out of my control. there's nothing that i can do that wouldn't just make things worse. and i hate it.
control freak? yeah... maybe. it runs in the family. i feel like my life has been a series of events consisting of me trying to take control and God smacking me upside the head and saying "you're an idiot!" and yet, here i am again... pissed cuz i'm out of control. and the cycle continues...
most of you probably don't know that those are words from a very old U2 song (their very first single from back in 1979... i was one year old. you probably weren't yet born.)
Bono said that the song was about waking up one morning and realizing that the two biggest events in your life (your birth and your death) have nothing to do with you. you have no control over them. (yes... i know... suicide would void that statement, but generally speaking it's true and a little weird to think about.)
i usually think that there is nothing in our lives that is completely out of our control. i mean, it seems like you can always do SOMETHING to change a situation or whatever. but right now, i feel like things are happening that are out of my control. there's nothing that i can do that wouldn't just make things worse. and i hate it.
control freak? yeah... maybe. it runs in the family. i feel like my life has been a series of events consisting of me trying to take control and God smacking me upside the head and saying "you're an idiot!" and yet, here i am again... pissed cuz i'm out of control. and the cycle continues...
"oh... dumb surveys"
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
i just knew you all
wanted to know this stuff about me...
1. Legal First name? matthew
2. Were you named after anyone? no.. but it means "gift from God" or something which is, clearly, very true.
3. Do you wish on stars? i don't think so... but i like to look at them. and, according to "matthew m. barnes' rules for life, vol. 1"... when you see a shooting star, you get to make out with someone.
4. When did you last cry? well, actually it was when... i mean... umm... i'm a man. i don't cry! pssh.
5.what happened to question .. 5? i'm a little confused about this. gonna have to get back to you on that one!
6. What is your favorite lunch meat? me loves da ham. mmmm!
7. What is your birth date? September 09, 1978... if you missed it, it's not too late to send one of those "ooops! i'm a retard and forgot your birthday!" cards with some cash in it to make me feel better.
8. What is your most embarrassing CD? i dont' know. probably like some musical.
9. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you?? well, since sometimes i am another person and that person is most certainly friends with me, i suppose the answer would have to be "yes."
10. Do you have a journal? not in a while.
11. Do you use sarcasm a lot? what do you think?
12. What are your nicknames? matt, barnes, barnsey (not a fan), mattbarnes (i swear there's a small contingent of people out there that think it's all my first name), mateo, MB, jackass (thanks dad!), little shit (thanks mom!), "hey you!" (thanks all the people who i've made such an impression on that you can't even remember my freakin' name!)
13. Would you bungee jump? in May of 1999, i did the highest bungee jump in the world in interloken, switzerland. it was cool.
14. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? rainbows are hard to untie. trust me... i've tried.
15. Do you think that you are strong? no... but i'll sit on you if you're mean.
16. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?? Peanut Butter Passion... it's the Ralph's Brand and it's pretty much the most amazing thing to enter my mouth ever.
17. Shoe Size? 12
18. Red or pink? red
19. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? i can sometimes be lazy.
21. Do you want everyone you send this to, to fill it out? why not?
22. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? blue jeans with holes in them and no shoes.
23. What are you listening to right now? the sound of the fan in this room and my fingers tap on the keys as i type these very words.
25. If you were a crayon, what color? why would i be a crayon? (last night on The West Wing, i learned that if you don't like a question, you simply reject the premise of that question.)
26. What is the weather like right now? it looks nice out but according to accuweather.com (which shows up on my dashboard), there's gonna be thunderstorms tonight.
27. Last person you talked to on the phone? megan.
28. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? eyes/hair/lips
29. Do you like the person who sent this to you? the crazy receptionist at my dad's office? Sofia's the coolest chick around. (and if you're smart, you'll say the same or she'll unleash her evil twin, Jacki on you!)
30. Favorite Drink? i have often been quoted as saying... "if Jesus were a soft drink, He'd be Mountain Dew."
32. Hair Color? Brown... and gray. crap. i'm old.
34. Do you wear contacts? i don't think so.
35. Favorite Food? i'm thinking Italian. they eat great beef and amazing pastas altogether. you really can't go wrong.
36. Last Movie You Watched? crash... but i need to watch it again because i put it in on my laptop on the way to Amsterdam right after i'd taken a sleeping pill and don't remember much of it.
37. Favorite Day Of The Year? i don't know. days are just days. how can you really have a favorite? if you pick one that is supposed to be your favorite, you're just setting yourself up for a letdown. in my book, all days suck until they prove themselves otherwise.
38. Scary Movies Or Happy Endings? how about scary movies with happy endings?
39. Summer Or Winter? i love all of my seasons equally and there's no way you can make me choose.
40. Hugs OR Kisses? definitely both. often at the same time.
41. What Is Your Favorite Dessert? cake... i love cake. mmmm.
42. Who Is Most Likely To Respond? i don't really care.
43. Who Is Least Likely To Respond? please see number 42.
44. Living Arrangements?? i've got a house with a youth pastor roommate who sleeps in a little white bed and a ironman running roommate who sleeps on the floor and works for a toy company. i like to keep it interesting.
45. What Books Are You Reading? "matthew m. barnes' rules for life, vol. 3"
46. What's On Your Mouse Pad? i don't have one of those. except in my office where it's the cover of "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" by u2.
47. What Did You Watch Last night on TV? The West Wing.
48. Favorite Smells? good food and hot chicks
49. Favorite junk food: cake
50. What's the farthest you've been from home? Hydrabad, India
1. Legal First name? matthew
2. Were you named after anyone? no.. but it means "gift from God" or something which is, clearly, very true.
3. Do you wish on stars? i don't think so... but i like to look at them. and, according to "matthew m. barnes' rules for life, vol. 1"... when you see a shooting star, you get to make out with someone.
4. When did you last cry? well, actually it was when... i mean... umm... i'm a man. i don't cry! pssh.
5.what happened to question .. 5? i'm a little confused about this. gonna have to get back to you on that one!
6. What is your favorite lunch meat? me loves da ham. mmmm!
7. What is your birth date? September 09, 1978... if you missed it, it's not too late to send one of those "ooops! i'm a retard and forgot your birthday!" cards with some cash in it to make me feel better.
8. What is your most embarrassing CD? i dont' know. probably like some musical.
9. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you?? well, since sometimes i am another person and that person is most certainly friends with me, i suppose the answer would have to be "yes."
10. Do you have a journal? not in a while.
11. Do you use sarcasm a lot? what do you think?
12. What are your nicknames? matt, barnes, barnsey (not a fan), mattbarnes (i swear there's a small contingent of people out there that think it's all my first name), mateo, MB, jackass (thanks dad!), little shit (thanks mom!), "hey you!" (thanks all the people who i've made such an impression on that you can't even remember my freakin' name!)
13. Would you bungee jump? in May of 1999, i did the highest bungee jump in the world in interloken, switzerland. it was cool.
14. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? rainbows are hard to untie. trust me... i've tried.
15. Do you think that you are strong? no... but i'll sit on you if you're mean.
16. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?? Peanut Butter Passion... it's the Ralph's Brand and it's pretty much the most amazing thing to enter my mouth ever.
17. Shoe Size? 12
18. Red or pink? red
19. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? i can sometimes be lazy.
21. Do you want everyone you send this to, to fill it out? why not?
22. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? blue jeans with holes in them and no shoes.
23. What are you listening to right now? the sound of the fan in this room and my fingers tap on the keys as i type these very words.
25. If you were a crayon, what color? why would i be a crayon? (last night on The West Wing, i learned that if you don't like a question, you simply reject the premise of that question.)
26. What is the weather like right now? it looks nice out but according to accuweather.com (which shows up on my dashboard), there's gonna be thunderstorms tonight.
27. Last person you talked to on the phone? megan.
28. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? eyes/hair/lips
29. Do you like the person who sent this to you? the crazy receptionist at my dad's office? Sofia's the coolest chick around. (and if you're smart, you'll say the same or she'll unleash her evil twin, Jacki on you!)
30. Favorite Drink? i have often been quoted as saying... "if Jesus were a soft drink, He'd be Mountain Dew."
32. Hair Color? Brown... and gray. crap. i'm old.
34. Do you wear contacts? i don't think so.
35. Favorite Food? i'm thinking Italian. they eat great beef and amazing pastas altogether. you really can't go wrong.
36. Last Movie You Watched? crash... but i need to watch it again because i put it in on my laptop on the way to Amsterdam right after i'd taken a sleeping pill and don't remember much of it.
37. Favorite Day Of The Year? i don't know. days are just days. how can you really have a favorite? if you pick one that is supposed to be your favorite, you're just setting yourself up for a letdown. in my book, all days suck until they prove themselves otherwise.
38. Scary Movies Or Happy Endings? how about scary movies with happy endings?
39. Summer Or Winter? i love all of my seasons equally and there's no way you can make me choose.
40. Hugs OR Kisses? definitely both. often at the same time.
41. What Is Your Favorite Dessert? cake... i love cake. mmmm.
42. Who Is Most Likely To Respond? i don't really care.
43. Who Is Least Likely To Respond? please see number 42.
44. Living Arrangements?? i've got a house with a youth pastor roommate who sleeps in a little white bed and a ironman running roommate who sleeps on the floor and works for a toy company. i like to keep it interesting.
45. What Books Are You Reading? "matthew m. barnes' rules for life, vol. 3"
46. What's On Your Mouse Pad? i don't have one of those. except in my office where it's the cover of "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" by u2.
47. What Did You Watch Last night on TV? The West Wing.
48. Favorite Smells? good food and hot chicks
49. Favorite junk food: cake
50. What's the farthest you've been from home? Hydrabad, India
"random thoughts from the dam amster"
Thursday, September 22, 2005
so, i've spent the last
week in Amsterdam learning about culture, art,
history and religion. if you know me, you know that
i'm a bit ADD (not as much as Megan) and have all
kinds of random thoughts that usually have nothing to
do with what's going on around me. as i was sitting
in my "classes" this week, i decided to write some of
them down. a few are just good quotes. i'm posting
them here because i don't know what else to do with
them. here they are in no particular order...
- why is it considered rude to yawn when someone is talking? maybe i'm just tired!
- people are dumb and that's why John the Baptist has two skulls in Europe.
- hope is all about perspective.
- what makes beautiful music beautiful?
- i don't do numbers.
- "and i must be an acrobat to talk like this and act like that" -u2
- why does everyone think that they're right about everything and everyone else is wrong?
- what's wrong with the world that we can't have one plug standard? don't people know that the US plug is the best one?
- tenure has destroyed the educational system.
- "i fell off the gay monument." - stan leach
- dear Lutherans, Luther was the start... not the end. love, matt
- tap your feet to that funky Renaissance music!
- how come whenever i get distracted it's almost always by thoughts of women or food... or both?
- i hate "the music man."
- labels = division... so why label it?
- i feel like there's something i should know... somewhere i should go.
- what if they'd decided to call "Apple" (the computer company) "Banana" or "Pineapple?"
- nobody should ever wear a lime-green leisure suit.
- if this is the "next thing," what's the next one? if we could figure that out, should we just skip ahead?
- why are the candles, which are so close to the wall, not setting the wall on fire?
- time is slowly killing me.
- where is home?
- "evangelism is naturally sharing God's supernatural story." - phil graff
- that crap in your eye when you wake up... where does it come from?
- i like Christmas carols.
- why does there always seem to be such a struggle to balance the head and the heart?
- who decides which colors "go together" and which don't?
- how does Mark Beamish stay so freakin' tan all the time?
- would Jesus wear Diesel jeans if He were here today? even if they were a gift?
- i need a nap and my legs hurt.
- the sound of children crying can, at once, evoke compassion and annoyance.
- "row, row, row your boat gently down the stream..." and then someone else comes in and it starts all over again. it works... until somebody screws it up.
- "what stench in your life do you need Christ's fragrance to cover up?" - phil graff
- people who think they're smart, usually aren't. i think i'm smart.
- i'm tired of being tired.
- music is an external movement of the soul.
- contrary to popular belief, God's preeminent characteristic is not His holiness... it's His love. everything else flows from that. so, stop trying to be so freakin' holy and start loving people. everything else will flow from that.
- why is it considered rude to yawn when someone is talking? maybe i'm just tired!
- people are dumb and that's why John the Baptist has two skulls in Europe.
- hope is all about perspective.
- what makes beautiful music beautiful?
- i don't do numbers.
- "and i must be an acrobat to talk like this and act like that" -u2
- why does everyone think that they're right about everything and everyone else is wrong?
- what's wrong with the world that we can't have one plug standard? don't people know that the US plug is the best one?
- tenure has destroyed the educational system.
- "i fell off the gay monument." - stan leach
- dear Lutherans, Luther was the start... not the end. love, matt
- tap your feet to that funky Renaissance music!
- how come whenever i get distracted it's almost always by thoughts of women or food... or both?
- i hate "the music man."
- labels = division... so why label it?
- i feel like there's something i should know... somewhere i should go.
- what if they'd decided to call "Apple" (the computer company) "Banana" or "Pineapple?"
- nobody should ever wear a lime-green leisure suit.
- if this is the "next thing," what's the next one? if we could figure that out, should we just skip ahead?
- why are the candles, which are so close to the wall, not setting the wall on fire?
- time is slowly killing me.
- where is home?
- "evangelism is naturally sharing God's supernatural story." - phil graff
- that crap in your eye when you wake up... where does it come from?
- i like Christmas carols.
- why does there always seem to be such a struggle to balance the head and the heart?
- who decides which colors "go together" and which don't?
- how does Mark Beamish stay so freakin' tan all the time?
- would Jesus wear Diesel jeans if He were here today? even if they were a gift?
- i need a nap and my legs hurt.
- the sound of children crying can, at once, evoke compassion and annoyance.
- "row, row, row your boat gently down the stream..." and then someone else comes in and it starts all over again. it works... until somebody screws it up.
- "what stench in your life do you need Christ's fragrance to cover up?" - phil graff
- people who think they're smart, usually aren't. i think i'm smart.
- i'm tired of being tired.
- music is an external movement of the soul.
- contrary to popular belief, God's preeminent characteristic is not His holiness... it's His love. everything else flows from that. so, stop trying to be so freakin' holy and start loving people. everything else will flow from that.
"only in America!"
Saturday, July 30, 2005
only in this amazing
country of ours could we have an entire industry
dedicated to people who aren't talented. only here
would people say "hey! you suck... come over here and
we'll call you the best of the suckiest and make you
a star!" only in America could you be rewarded with
vast amounts of money, beautiful women, big houses,
awards, cars and everything else that comes with
celebrity for not being good at what you do.
these thoughts struck me as i was riding back from the airport today and my sister Megan, who apparently has no taste in music, put in some piece of crap country cd. i mean seriously... these people can't write... they can't sing... they copy music that's been played about 50 million times before... it's quite horrific. and yet the power of marketing and peer pressure have convinced millions that the talentless are talented.
now, don't get me wrong. there was a time when "country music" (very different than it is today) was the heart and soul of a great country. just listen to the soundtrack from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" to hear some samples of bluegrass/country. (mostly modern, updated samples, but good ones nonetheless.) anyway... that all died with Johnny Cash. now it's all horrible. country "stars" all write and sing about the same crap over and over again. and now it's worse because they've made a concerted effort to cross it over with pop music and develop a hybrid that is truly revolting.
all this to say... if you want to be a star and have no talent... country music may be for you! if you can't sing, but want to make millions at it anyway, move to Nashville! if you have nothing to say, but still want to write songs... there's a whole industry that will call you downright amazing and pay your bills.
this just makes me feel that the end of the world must be coming soon
these thoughts struck me as i was riding back from the airport today and my sister Megan, who apparently has no taste in music, put in some piece of crap country cd. i mean seriously... these people can't write... they can't sing... they copy music that's been played about 50 million times before... it's quite horrific. and yet the power of marketing and peer pressure have convinced millions that the talentless are talented.
now, don't get me wrong. there was a time when "country music" (very different than it is today) was the heart and soul of a great country. just listen to the soundtrack from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" to hear some samples of bluegrass/country. (mostly modern, updated samples, but good ones nonetheless.) anyway... that all died with Johnny Cash. now it's all horrible. country "stars" all write and sing about the same crap over and over again. and now it's worse because they've made a concerted effort to cross it over with pop music and develop a hybrid that is truly revolting.
all this to say... if you want to be a star and have no talent... country music may be for you! if you can't sing, but want to make millions at it anyway, move to Nashville! if you have nothing to say, but still want to write songs... there's a whole industry that will call you downright amazing and pay your bills.
this just makes me feel that the end of the world must be coming soon
"why God, why? and other thoughts on middle America"
Monday, July 18, 2005
so... i've spent the
last few days hanging out in Nashville, Tennessee
with a brief stay in Somerset, Kentucky. what the
crap is going on out there?
i am, now more than ever, fully convinced that God never intended for the middle states to actually be inhabited by people. i mean, seriously! what are people doing out there? (note to the reader: just as a warning... don't ask people there that question. they tend to get offended and quickly go on the defensive. although, i must say, it is entertaining to hear them try to tell you why it's better than California... always good for a laugh, those middle-staters are!) there's nothing going on there.
if you know me at all, you know of my FIRM belief that country music is of the devil. (if you know that, then you probably also know that my parent's cat, Jake, is in fact the devil from whom all country music flows.) so, now i'm voluntarily going to visit a place that is proud to declare itself the Country Music Capital of the World!?!?! i'm a pretty freakin' good person to put up with that crap for my family/friends who have been dumb enough to move there. (perhaps an award should be bestowed.)
so... here is a summary of what i've learned/had confirmed in the past few days:
1... the middle states are only for flying over or driving through.... quickly. they're simply there to make you put in some effort to get to the other side where the good stuff is.
2... people that are normally annoying... are 10-15 times more annoying when they have a southern accent.
3... everyone in Tennessee is still in high school as all anyone there seems to do is sit around and gossip or complain. however, they do it with a huge smile on their faces as they pretend that life is just so gosh-darn amazing. also, if you accused them of gossipping or complaining, they will go to any length neccessary to deny it because they honestly believe they weren't doing either.
4... nobody really knows anyone there. seriously... these people put a HUGE amount of effort into being fake. as referenced in ..3, it is very important to a person in Tennessee to seem, by all outward appearances, that life is absolutely perfect. these are the same people who's lives are actually falling apart and are living in a deep denial.
i'd compare it to Stepford. it's just weird.
anyway, i'm sure this is an overgeneralization and not everyone is like this. however, even good people get sucked into it, i'm sure. it's like high school... it's hard not to get sucked into the popularity contests and gossip sessions. run for your lives.
i will say this for them though... they've got some great food. and that might make all the rest totally worth it.
i am, now more than ever, fully convinced that God never intended for the middle states to actually be inhabited by people. i mean, seriously! what are people doing out there? (note to the reader: just as a warning... don't ask people there that question. they tend to get offended and quickly go on the defensive. although, i must say, it is entertaining to hear them try to tell you why it's better than California... always good for a laugh, those middle-staters are!) there's nothing going on there.
if you know me at all, you know of my FIRM belief that country music is of the devil. (if you know that, then you probably also know that my parent's cat, Jake, is in fact the devil from whom all country music flows.) so, now i'm voluntarily going to visit a place that is proud to declare itself the Country Music Capital of the World!?!?! i'm a pretty freakin' good person to put up with that crap for my family/friends who have been dumb enough to move there. (perhaps an award should be bestowed.)
so... here is a summary of what i've learned/had confirmed in the past few days:
1... the middle states are only for flying over or driving through.... quickly. they're simply there to make you put in some effort to get to the other side where the good stuff is.
2... people that are normally annoying... are 10-15 times more annoying when they have a southern accent.
3... everyone in Tennessee is still in high school as all anyone there seems to do is sit around and gossip or complain. however, they do it with a huge smile on their faces as they pretend that life is just so gosh-darn amazing. also, if you accused them of gossipping or complaining, they will go to any length neccessary to deny it because they honestly believe they weren't doing either.
4... nobody really knows anyone there. seriously... these people put a HUGE amount of effort into being fake. as referenced in ..3, it is very important to a person in Tennessee to seem, by all outward appearances, that life is absolutely perfect. these are the same people who's lives are actually falling apart and are living in a deep denial.
i'd compare it to Stepford. it's just weird.
anyway, i'm sure this is an overgeneralization and not everyone is like this. however, even good people get sucked into it, i'm sure. it's like high school... it's hard not to get sucked into the popularity contests and gossip sessions. run for your lives.
i will say this for them though... they've got some great food. and that might make all the rest totally worth it.
"if i were the President of the United States..."
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
President Matthew M.
Barnes' first presidential press release:
dear citizens...
there are several issues that, as president, i feel i must address before dealing with lesser issues such as foreign policy, the war on terror and world hunger. they are as follows:
1. when did the people of this great country forget how to drive? if the speed limit is 65, please do not drive less than 75. if you must, please stay in the far right lane (aka... the "retard lane"). from this day forth, driving less than 10 miles per hour over the speed limit in the fast lane is punishable by death.
2. restraunts: if you advertise a particular item of food or beverage, please actually have it available. those not complying will be immediately desimated by an arial strike force. (Hard Rock Cafe of CityWalk, you have 24 hours to get your Mountain Dew dispenser fixed.)
3. as they have been scientifically proven to be pure evil incarnate, cats are no longer welcome in our country. all cats must be either deported or destroyed within the next week. (if you wish, the government will collect your cat to be unleashed against our enemies at no additional charge.)
4. car companies: you're making our country look bad. all the cool cars come from Europe and all the dependable cars come from Japan. GM is hereby ordered to produce some cool, dependable cars within the next 6 months or all American auto creation will be stopped.
5. as of August 1, 2005, CBS will cease to exist. they have continually produced the suckiest shows of the past decade. there will only be two major networks that will be officially recognized by this government and they are NBC and ABC. FOX can stay as it continues to create unique and subversive content (ie- "Arrested Development"); UPN will continue to serve the minority viewers who still think that "Moesha" was a quality program; and the WB will continue to produce over-written, over-acted and over-hyped programming geared toward high school girls such as "Everwood," "Gilmore Girls," and "Summerland."
6. as an addendum to number 5, ABC is hereby required to find a better timeslot for "Alias" in the coming season. (also, please make sure that this whole "i'm not really Michael Vaughn" thing doesn't end up stupid. oh... and as the president, i demand to know what's down the hatch on "Lost" and i mean now.)
7. free TiVos and TiVo service for everyone. watching your TV shows exactly when you want to is every American's God-given right.
8. as of January 1, 2006, all PCs will be abolished and replaced by Macs. anyone using a PC after this time will be shipped off to join Bill Gates and the rest of the Microsoft crew on the imaginary island of Tonga (which, i believe, he actually owns).
9. the new "offical beverage of the USA" will be Mountain Dew. anyone caught talking trash on Mountain Dew will be deported to Arkansas.
10. we're getting rid of Arkansas. next weekend, we'll be placing an add in the paper for any country that wants to buy themselves a new state. we don't expect any takers.
thank you for taking this time to listen to these suggestions (demands). i know that, together, we can maybe make this a kinda great nation once again.... possibly. (we may have to get rid of Texas though too.)
dear citizens...
there are several issues that, as president, i feel i must address before dealing with lesser issues such as foreign policy, the war on terror and world hunger. they are as follows:
1. when did the people of this great country forget how to drive? if the speed limit is 65, please do not drive less than 75. if you must, please stay in the far right lane (aka... the "retard lane"). from this day forth, driving less than 10 miles per hour over the speed limit in the fast lane is punishable by death.
2. restraunts: if you advertise a particular item of food or beverage, please actually have it available. those not complying will be immediately desimated by an arial strike force. (Hard Rock Cafe of CityWalk, you have 24 hours to get your Mountain Dew dispenser fixed.)
3. as they have been scientifically proven to be pure evil incarnate, cats are no longer welcome in our country. all cats must be either deported or destroyed within the next week. (if you wish, the government will collect your cat to be unleashed against our enemies at no additional charge.)
4. car companies: you're making our country look bad. all the cool cars come from Europe and all the dependable cars come from Japan. GM is hereby ordered to produce some cool, dependable cars within the next 6 months or all American auto creation will be stopped.
5. as of August 1, 2005, CBS will cease to exist. they have continually produced the suckiest shows of the past decade. there will only be two major networks that will be officially recognized by this government and they are NBC and ABC. FOX can stay as it continues to create unique and subversive content (ie- "Arrested Development"); UPN will continue to serve the minority viewers who still think that "Moesha" was a quality program; and the WB will continue to produce over-written, over-acted and over-hyped programming geared toward high school girls such as "Everwood," "Gilmore Girls," and "Summerland."
6. as an addendum to number 5, ABC is hereby required to find a better timeslot for "Alias" in the coming season. (also, please make sure that this whole "i'm not really Michael Vaughn" thing doesn't end up stupid. oh... and as the president, i demand to know what's down the hatch on "Lost" and i mean now.)
7. free TiVos and TiVo service for everyone. watching your TV shows exactly when you want to is every American's God-given right.
8. as of January 1, 2006, all PCs will be abolished and replaced by Macs. anyone using a PC after this time will be shipped off to join Bill Gates and the rest of the Microsoft crew on the imaginary island of Tonga (which, i believe, he actually owns).
9. the new "offical beverage of the USA" will be Mountain Dew. anyone caught talking trash on Mountain Dew will be deported to Arkansas.
10. we're getting rid of Arkansas. next weekend, we'll be placing an add in the paper for any country that wants to buy themselves a new state. we don't expect any takers.
thank you for taking this time to listen to these suggestions (demands). i know that, together, we can maybe make this a kinda great nation once again.... possibly. (we may have to get rid of Texas though too.)
"so here's the thing about blogs... (read this if you have one)"
Thursday, February 17, 2005
i really don't get the
whole concept. i mean... i'm supposed to go online
and share my private life and personal secrets
with... the entire freakin' world?!?! i mean,
seriously... if you know me, you know i am not a
private person at all. you wanna know something, i'll
tell you. but this is ridiculous. especially since
everyone and their freakin' mother is on here.
there's no way you can write something about someone
else and not think that it's not going to get back to
them. and, for all of my younger friends, you do know
that your teachers/counselors/administrators/janitors
spend a great deal of time on here reading what
you're writing, don't you? i mean, of course they do!
some of them are nosy, but most of them just care and
if you're gonna write the stupid stuff you do on
here, can you blame them for checking it out? please.
they'd have to be freakin' retarded not to. to sum
up... blogs are bad. unless you're famous and you're
like "dear fans... this is what i've been up to in my
life lately," you really shouldn't have one. (and
then, let's face it, you'll have your own website and
not need a myspace anyway. plus, of course, you'll be
mostly lying.) of course, seeing as it is the current
fad and cool thing to do, i'm sure i'll be caught up
in it in no time myself. if that happens, please...
someone give me this lecture. all right... end of
rant. we now return you to your regularly scheduled
willing participation in the voyueristic nature of
Big Brother.