Y’all know I love U2–I love Bono and The Edge, of course–but I think Larry and Adam are vastly underrated and deserve a little more attention, you know? Even Bono’s said that they’re the ones that keep the band together, that keep everyone sane, and you know, I think they’re right. That being said, I’m also starting to love REM (not even kidding), and so this video makes me really happy:
I also think Viggo Mortensen’s still very underrated, even after the Lord of the Rings boom, and this is why he shouldn’t be, for sure:
1. Good morning, readers. Yes, I am skipping a class right now; yes, my professor has already put together our participation grades, so it doesn’t really matter. And my second class today was cancelled. My life is awesome right now.
2. I started applying to jobs at the library, which would be a great job, and the pay’s pretty decent as well. Prayers are appreciated for that–I’m really going to need a job that won’t drive me reasonably insane after eight months, and, I don’t know, being a library drone sounds like a good path for me right now.
3.The guys (and a couple of ladies) over at The Resugrence have started a podcast called The Heidelberg Project in which they read a section of the Heidelberg Catechism every week. They’ll be keeping this up for the rest of the year, which is great; they’re on week 16 already, and the sections build on each other, so if you want to get in on it, I suggest starting from the beginning. The Heidelberg’s a beautiful piece of theology–not only solid doctrine, but great writing and beautiful truths as well. My favorite Q&A is #1, personally.
4. Everybody wants to go to heeeaaaven–but nobody wants to diiiiiiiieee (thanks, Dave Crowder).
5. The end of the year’s coming swiftly, which is kind of freaking me out a bit, as it is the rest of my brothers and sisters in arms, so we’re all sort of wandering around dazed and confused. It’s fantastic. Give us coffee or a hug or something if you see us.
Saturday marks the third annual Embrace the Lame Day, a holiday begun by my friend Teacher Dave. Basically, it celebrates our love for what is usually considered “lame” or geeky, and gives us all the opportunity to find out that hey, other people like this stuff, too. It’s not that bad.
He’s trying to make this as big as that “all your base are belong to us” thing was, or the “Numa Numa” dance. So please contribute by posting on your website, or in my comments, or maybe even in HIS comments, because this week: 13 things that are kinda lame that you love anyway.
1. Blooper reels–there’s something inexplicably funny to me about people screwing up their lines. I can’t explain it.
2. Those of you who’ve been around The Living Room a while (and by the way, there’s more pie in the kitchen) know that I’m an obsessive listmaker–well, I got a notebook and labelled it “the book of lists”. It’s gotten that bad, kids.
3. The TV show Angel. Yes, I mean the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff. It’s all my roommate’s fault.
4. The behind-the-scenes features on DVDs.
5. My friend Chelsey is going to a Harry Potter convention this summer–and I am jealous.
6. I have not one, but TWO Justin Timberlake songs in my iTunes collection.
7. There’s a Facebook group called “I Will Go Out of My Way to Step on That Slightly Crunchy-Looking Leaf”.
8. I have a program that keeps track of how many keystrokes I produce. I will do some things just to get my count up. It’s a little sick.
9. Inside the Actors Studio.
10. Seventeenth-century literature–that Ben Jonson, he’s so dreamy…
This might turn into one of those scary stream-of-consciousness things really quickly. You have been forewarned.
I’ve decided that one of my favorite things in the whole world is a guy in a suit–and not just any suit, but one that fits him well and is in a color that looks good on him (my dad, for example, looks really good in navy blue; sadly, I haven’t been able to persuade him of that. Yet…). Bonus points if he has a pocket square and/or really good shoes and/or a non-white shirt (unless he looks better in a white shirt) and/or a hat. Any guy, no matter how good- or bad-looking he is, automatically looks better in a suit. I’m dead serious about this. Any prospective suitors (ha…), keep that in mind. (For proof: The Sartorialist.)
Also, not every dude can pull off a bow tie–actually, most dudes can’t pull off a bow tie–but those who can, should.
I really, really like footnotes.
Oh, oh, I just got the e-mail from Teach for America and–I didn’t get the job. And you want to know something? I’m not entirely disappointed. Ever since I walked out of that interview I had the feeling, and over the past few weeks I have seriously been feeling less and less attracted to it. So, I guess God kind of shut that door because there’s another one He wants me to go through. And that’s just fine with me.
So now I’m looking at this. It looks kind of exciting.
Know what’s really frustrating? When you’ve nearly exhausted everything you can say on a topic, and you’re still seven pages short of where your paper needs to be. *sigh*
Okay. I think I need to stop for the day before my head explodes. Thanks for bearing with me, guys.
This week: 13 things you like to eat. (I’ve been stressed, which means I’ve been thinking about food…no wonder I’m gaining weight, lol. I apologize if I make anyone hungry.)
1. The portobello mozzarella panini at Panera.
2. Spaghetti and any kind of tomato sauce.
3. Quesadillas.
4. Blue Bell vanilla + strawberries + chocolate syrup.
5. My dad makes this really good vegetable soup–I mean, it’s just a bunch of canned goods with some ground beef added, but it’s so good. Really.
6. Post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches.
7. Cinnamon-vanilla yogurt (which, for some reason, I can only find at HEB).
8. Roasted chicken.
9. Denise Johnston’s cornbread. I need to get the recipe for that, because seriously, people, it’s amazing.
10. A good crunchy apple.
11. My roommate makes excellent chicken parmigiana…
12. Pita bread and hummus (which was my lunch for a solid month while I was in Edinburgh–it was great).
13. Umm, mashed potatoes. With garlic and no gravy.
1. ^ That’s right, everyone–rockin’ it old-school. I’m having a lot of middle school flashbacks right now.
2. Today’s my roommate and buddy Ashley’s birthday; today she officially enters twentysomethinghood. Welcome to the club.
3. I’m sorry, fair readers, that I’ve been in something of a blog slump lately, but these last few weeks of school (holy cow, I’m graduating in less than a month) are, and will continue to be, extremely busy. Four papers (including a twenty-five-pager), a presentation, two books, and a whole host of senior events to go to (not to mention parties) mean that I will be somewhat preoccupied for a while. T13s and the occasional random thought will probably go up, but until the 30th I’ll be pretty swamped. Thanks for being understanding.
4. Isn’t it funny how we bloggers feel like we always have to be churning out material? Strange.
5. I went over to my friends the Johnstons’ house yesterday, and ever since then I’ve been thinking about cornbread, and marriage, and why people seem to have better conversation when they eat together. Big mishmash of topics, I know, but that’s what going over to their house does to me. It’s all their fault. I’ll have to explain later.
6. Reader survey, because I haven’t done one of these in a phenomenally long time:
a) What are you reading these days, and do you like it?
b) What’s one thing you learned in high school?
c) If you were randomly given $50,000 and a plane ticket, where would you want to go?
d) When was the last time you talked to your parents?
1. You know, as funny as this sounds, I’m not really a poetry person. I mean, I like poetry, I consider myself fairly competent/familiar with it, I write some of my own, too, but I’m not as into it as I am with prose or drama. Give me a well-written novel and I will proceed to devour the thing.
2. Current reads: Pride and Prejudice (oh baby), Life of Pi (second time–I love it, even if its theology sucks in a big way. I’ve discovered that a book’s worldview can be completely pagan, but I’ll like it if it’s written well. I don’t know if that’s good or not).
3. Proof that my life is a sitcom…actual dialogue that just happened:
Dad: Honey.
Me: Yeah?
Dad (mock-serious): I need you to know something.
Me: Okay.
Dad: Chickens are the only animals without nasal passages.
Me: That’s good to know…
Dad: I knew you needed to know that.
(…and scene.)
4. I went to a Tenebrae service last night at Kaleo…wow. I’d never been to one before, and I have to say, it’s a great opportunity to meditate on the cross. I mean, we go into celebratory mode too soon in the Easter season in evangelicalism; sometimes we need to meditate on the darker parts of the story. “For every sin on Him was laid…”
5. Look for a longer post later. I’ve got one brewing that I hope will be good.
13. Finally, a classic (and, incidentally, whatever I start quoting whenever I think about “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”–you’ll probably agree that this is much more pleasant): “The Jumblies” by Edward Lear.
