I wanted to encourage you guys to check out some great music Kevin and I saw downtown on Sunday night at Emo's: Carney. I first saw their frontman, Reeve Carney, open for Jonny Lang here in Austin about a year and a half ago; no one else was really listening but I was blown away. He just played electric guitar and sang, and I immediately rushed out after the show and bought his full band Live At Molly Malone's CD/DVD. You can download the whole audio portion and the 26 minute DVD on iTunes for $9.99. Trust me, it's worth it. Their new 4-song EP, Nothing Without You, came out last Tuesday, and is equally excellent.
These cats are the real deal will probably be the next big thing if anybody knows anything (it turns out nobody does though). I'd get on the train now if I were you and make it a point to catch these guys live next time they are near you. Let's put it this way: anyone who can successfully pull off The Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" live - and spectacularly at that - deserves to be heard. Kevin and I jammed out to these cats for an hour and a half on Monday with a room of maybe twenty people. These guys just jam and are a band of Christians making a big splash in a secular venue.
If you are one of those who needs to sample some of their stuff before committing, check out "Resurrection" (from Live at Molly Malone's) and "Testify" (from Nothing Without You) first and foremost, then also "Easier Said Than Done" and "Think Of You" from Live at Molly Malone's and "Nothing Without You" and "There She Goes" from Nothing Without You. And, by that point, just jump in and buy both the full records.
I haven't posted anything very substantial in a while, with good reason. Although there have been many things that I have felt were worthwhile to post, blogging has somewhat left a bad taste in my mouth as of late. Not to say that it hasn't been this way for years, but especially now it seems like everyone has their own blog, sometimes two, depending on how the mood strikes you. Sometimes four: when inspiration leaves you, just start another blog. Because, as we all know, typing a new - and different! - address into the address bar will turn that lack of inspiration around for the rest of time.
For some reason, it has, as of late, bothered me how connected we want people to be with us every second of every day. "I am doing my laundry now and then I am going to eat a sandwich and then I am going to watch some TV...". At the risk of being the bad guy here, let me just say what the rest of us are already thinking: NO ONE CARES WHAT YOU'RE DOING. I can't stand blogs where people post two sentences twenty times a day. It just reeks of insecurity. Really, do we all need to know your ten word thought on the latest football game? (Answer: No.) What I originally thought was liberating about anyone and everyone being able to post their thoughts on any subject matter any time of day for any reason - and for free - I have become convinced is probably more limiting. Some people's thoughts just shouldn't be aired, frankly. A blog only gives those with an already bloated sense of self-importance even more opportunity to post things they think we will all care about, that, in reality, we could care less about.
I'm sick of reading blogs full of buzzwords. I'm sick of reading blogs that claim to be "authentic". What does that even mean? We're all authentic in one way or another. The only reason one would feel the need to claim "authenticity" is when they know they aren't. (I'm speaking here of mostly Christianese blogs, where we discuss theological topics without actually discussing Christ. For those, blogging is a way to keep a slender thread to the real world without actually being engaged in it. I'm sick of reading blogs where people talk about ending poverty, for example, but don't actually do anything. At that point, blogging has become a hinderance. Hint: Mission Statements mean nothing, no matter how concise and impressive-sounding.)
In a world where everyone is becoming increasingly - and somewhat frighteningly - connected 24/7, I find myself wanting to disconnect if for no other reason than to be different. I've gotten an odd but pleasing joy lately in feeling inspired to post something on the blog and instead just keeping it for myself. Sometimes it will be a serious and worthwhile discussion of politics, justice, etc.; sometimes it will be a funny story or topic that's just begging for a heavy layer of sarcasm. Either way, it's been nice to say, "you know what? I'm not going to post that. No one needs to know what I'm thinking all the time." I've instead been able to discuss that topic with a friend or two, in an actual, you know, conversation.
Now, I realize that to a degree I am kind of like a criminal telling other criminals why they are bad, seeing as how I have a blog myself, a Facebook account, etc. and am often guilty of disconnecting from society; it's a fine line indeed, and it would be amiss to say there is not some gray area. My point, I guess, is that I will stick to what my very first post on this blog claimed: I'll only post when I want to, and not when I think I should post something so people won't lose interest in my blog or because I think everyone should know what I am doing every minute of every day. No offense, but I don't want you people knowing what I am doing all the time. :-)
That being said, one of my favorite blogs to read is Eric's Fire Ant Gazette. Eric is one of my parent's friends (and mine as well!) who lives in west Texas and works as a web designer. ("Work" being used in the lightest sense of the word, because I think "work" brings with it the connotation that one actually gets paid, right Eric?) The Fire Ant Gazette is updated consistently, with some healthy blogging fasts in there for good measure, and is witty but yet pointed. No post seems to be wasted; each has worthwhile content, even if the "worth" is to be silly and humorous. And the fact that Eric uses proper grammar is always appreciated. :-)
So... the conclusion I've reached in all of this? Nothing really. I'm not sure how it will change my blogging habits, if at all, and I'm not sure whether or not I would want it to change anyone else's. Just sort of thinking out loud.
By the way, I had a grilled cheese for lunch today.
Ok, I'm only a little bit late here (read: a few weeks late), but better late than never I guess. Or at least that's what I'll keep telling myself.
My friends Ben and Terry have decided to try a little social experiment in which they ask you to send one dollar to a homeless man they have become friends with named Herman. I'll let you read all the details on Terry's site, but the gist of it is this: send $1 if you want (no more than $1), and see what happens! Ben and Terry will help decide a useful application for the money in Herman's life (ie. he won't be given the money directly, if that sort of thing worries you). The a-lot-of-smalls-to-add-up-to-something-big idea is catching on, and they have been featured on RelevantMagazine.com and on Rick Jensen's radio show.
Ben and Terry have had a commitment from someone to meet the donations dollar for dollar up to $500. They've since then received another financial backer to meet, dollar for dollar, the next $500 pledged. It's becoming quite a movement and something I'm sure you would like to be involved in.
For a while now, my mom and I have talked about our desire to go skydiving. It had always been one of those "some day we'll do it!" things, but we finally decided to make good on our claim that we will skydive, and went this past Tuesday. It was amazing! Since it our first jump, we both went tandem with an instructor (which basically means he just pushes you out of the plane if you don't want to go). We decided to opt for the video to look back on and laugh at ourselves later. It was a blast ! Check it out:
My buddy Jason and I were talking the other day about a strange phenomenon that is either (a) just starting to occur, or (b) has always happened but we're just now at the age where we realize how odd it is.
I'm talking about throwing yourself a birthday party.
It's one thing to throw yourself a soiree (via your parents) when you are, like, eight (have I even had an actual birthday party since then?), but I find it a little off-putting to be inviting your friends to a birthday party for yourself - which you've planned - when you are twenty-five. I've been a part of several of these and find them quite strange; I am not quite sure how to react. You are inviting me to your own party? Am I supposed to actually bring a gift and treat this like an actual celebration? Should I line up a clown and/or pony ride?
I guess it just feels a little sad to me. I say your friends either need to take the initiative and throw a surprise party/invite to take you out, or you need to let it go... Sending out invitations (no matter how informal, even via email) for a party you have planned for yourself is just plain odd. Perhaps we are longing for our younger and more carefree days when once a year we could act like the world revolves around us and we just don't want to let that go?
"Hey, don't forget that we're all meeting at [insert place here] to celebrate my [insert "way-too-old-to-be-having-a-birthday-party" age here] birthday!" Hmm... we are all meeting there huh? By that you mean all of your own friends that you yourself have invited to come celebrate your existence?
So, I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, to resist the urge to throw a bash for yourself in order to celebrate... yourself. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the rest of us find it a little pretentious and disheartening. Allow us to do something for you for your birthday: it'll make you feel better anyway than throwing your own shindig, and it won't creep us all out.
I was looking at my blog for something that I had posted previously, and ran across this, which I forgot that I wrote, but it really made me laugh. Is that sad? [Answer: Yes.]
OTHER NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS:
1. Wrestle a black bear to his knees and make him cry "uncle" solely by using my patented Half-"Craig T."-Nelson move.
2. Find out what Craig T. Nelson is up to these days. [Editor's Note: Please don't tell me what he is actually up to. That was a joke.]
At what point did people become so bored with outgoing messages - when trying to reach you on the phone - that they just ignored it completely and zoned out until they heard the beep, and then just started talking?? I will never understand how someone can call a number, get the answering machine or voicemail that identifies the person who owns the number, and then just leave a long and rambling message, totally unaware that they've just called the wrong number.
This means you Art. There is no one at my house by the name of Kirby.
My outgoing message at the studio says: Hi, you have reached Kyle Lent at The Audio Village. Please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
I have had THREE (count 'em: THREE) messages in the past two days from some dude named Art, trying to get a hold somebody named Kirby. (I'm not making up those names, honestly. I can only assume their full names are Art Vandelay and Kirby Puckett.) He doesn't even say, "I'm trying to reach Kirby, please call me back" or anything that would make it seem that he's not sure if Kirby lives there. He's confident: "Kirby, this is Art. Call me back. Later."
I get these messages on my cell every now and again too. What gives people??? You know that message that says "Hi this is KYLE LENT. I'm not here...." That means if you are trying to reach Kirby (or anyone else for that matter), I'm not him.
I heard a good political humor joke yesterday and thought I'd share it. But don't worry, I'm not turning into "one of those guys". Or, shoot, maybe I am, how do I know???
A man is drowning in the Potomac River 100 feet from shore. A Republican sees him and runs down to the bank. He yells out, "I'm tossing you a rope!" He tosses a 50-foot rope into the water and screams, "There you go! The rest is up to you!!" A Democrat sees that the Republican has failed him and so he also runs down to the bank. The man is still drowning 100 feet from shore as the Democrat yells, "I'll throw you a longer rope!" He then proceeds to throw the drowning man a 200-foot rope, but lets go of his end.
