Sides

This song has been haunting me for about a week now. (It's by Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.) When I first heard it, I had no idea where it was going. Now that I know, I'm a bit sorry I know, though I know it's good to know. Listen to it and let me know what you think.

I don't know where to go with homosexuality, in that I don't know what to tell people about it - where it comes from or how to respond to it in yourself or someone you love. All I can tell you is to love - yourself and that person and whomever you can. That is surely what we all need.

Reckoner

Everything that is Radiohead's greatness - serious mood, haunting atmosphere, disorienting rhythm - and everything that makes them difficult to listen to, at times, and inaccessible.

Equilibrium

There is this great state of equilibrium that we are supposed to reach. Some call it "balance." Others might call it "peace." We fall in and out of it all the time. It's like how your thermostat tries to keep your home at a certain temperature. It's right on for a few hours and then something goes out of whack. That's because there are so many factors - the wind, how many times you have opened the door, what materials make up your home, how many people live there.

It's easy to see how things in our world shift off of center. There are so many factors. What we must do is listen and pay attention to what is happening so that we can make adjustments when we get off center. You know that sensation of pain, that feeling that something's not quite right, that feeling that the world could be a better place? That's the world and the Man in charge telling you something. Something must be done to right the ship.

Prayer

Sometimes I feel worse after I pray. I mean, I'd love to tell you that every time I pray that I end up feeling like a great person. Sometimes that happens because I feel good about myself for doing something (praying) that I was supposed to do. That in itself has its own problems.

Spending time with God has a certain effect: it lets you realize how screwed up you are. It's like me playing basketball against Lebron James. I'd look like quite a schmuck. When I spend time with God, my whole idea that I walk around with quite a bit - that I'm pretty alright and I have a few peckadillos I need to iron out - is ruined. Spending time with God shows me that I have some serious crap to address. Only He is good.