[SupaNova]

So I unearthed some old Fiona Apple demos I have idling in my music files a little while ago. I am not a real fan of her's, but enjoy listening to her music a littel from time to time. Anyway, I am sort of glad the weekend is back. Not that it's been a bad week, but I am sort of ready for the weekend's activites. Mainly, church on Sunday morning, strangely enough. I didn't get too much job hunting done this week. Partly because yesterday the internet was down for most of the day and then today I really haven't been around long enough to really do any searching. Earlier this week...eh, I was working at it, but it's just getting frustrating. And I know it's that way for a lot of people right now, there just doesn't seem to be much comfort in numbers these days.

Tonight was good though. I spent the afternoon with my step-bro and his girlfriend hangingout and driving through torrential rains and whatnot. We ended up going to the dollar theater and seeing He's Just Not That Into You, which....was honestly kind of a decent movie. A lot better then I expected it to be, at any rate. I was intrigued by the themes about communication they flirted with (no pun intended), but there wasn't too much substance on any one of the plotlines they followed (there ended up being several different converging storylines, as it turned out).

Mmmh, I should probably consider catching some 40 winks or so pretty soon. Yeah, it's overrated. However, it's also a necessity.

[gg7]

Originally Posted by SupaNova

Yeah, I assumed early on that it was going to have a heavy electronica influence, but it really doesn't. There're enough eletronic music that it permeates through the entire album, but it's never really overwhelming. I think the Jars struck a really nice blend with the way they mixed inorganic elements with their acoustic rock sound. You know, I am getting closer to saying The Long Fall... is better then Good Monsters too. Part of what holds me back is that I made a big deal about GM when it came out, that it seems a bit fanboyish to claim that their newest record is even better. GM was an important album for me when it came out, so it's always going to hold a signifigant place in my heart, but....this new one is just a better overall record, especially on the musical front. They are excellent though, so I guess it ultimately doesn't matter which one I rank higher then the other

I agree with that (about the new one).

Honestly, GM was out about a year before I even bought it I think. Sure, I ended up liking it, but it didn't catch on with me right away as a whole...although some songs on there I really love. One of them is the Julie Miller cover though.

I wasn't too keen on the cover art on the new one either. Then again, I'm not too keen on a lot of cover art like that. I'm just not big into the "playing dress up" thing if it's because you're trying to look cool or whatever. It all seems a bit hokey to me.

True that sir. It's just plugging in with the right church people that's tricky.

Yeah, if you plug into the wrong outlet you can get shocked.

[SupaNova]

Originally Posted by Jeremy

Honestly, GM was out about a year before I even bought it I think. Sure, I ended up liking it, but it didn't catch on with me right away as a whole...although some songs on there I really love. One of them is the Julie Miller cover though.

I didn't realize there were any covers on that record, which one is it?

I wasn't too keen on the cover art on the new one either. Then again, I'm not too keen on a lot of cover art like that. I'm just not big into the "playing dress up" thing if it's because you're trying to look cool or whatever. It all seems a bit hokey to me.

I'm not big on these type of covers either (though I really like the fonts they chose for TLFBTE cover). To be honest, I'm really not a fan of most Jars cover art. If I had to pick a favorite cover, it would probably be Who We Are Instead,

Yeah, if you plug into the wrong outlet you can get shocked

Heh. I can see some hip, happenin young preacher trying to use that in a sermon.







I need to figure out a way to balance out my sleep patterns. Saturday night I got maybe four and a half hours, which translated to most of the energy being zapped out of me by early yesterday evening. Then last night I got almost ten hours of shut eye, and today I've been feeling rather sluggish (well, I was anyway. I just woke up from a quick nap a few minutes ago. So far...that seems to have helped rejuvinate me a bit). There's got to be a happy medium somewhere that'll give me the sleep I need and no excess. My mom suggested reading a book for a little while before going to bed. I'm going to give that a go tonight. And yeah, any other second opinions or thoughts are quite welcome, of course



Getting to church yesterday was kind of a misadventure. The church we usually go to has classes that start at 9 and the worship service starts at 10:15. Now, this newer church I've been going to off and on starts their service at 11. You still with me? Cool. Alright, so I had this brilliant idea to drive out to our regular church for class with our folks and then dash across town afterwards to meet my step-siblings & friend to go to church with them. It all sounds simple, yeah? Well, I wasn't sure how exactly how to get to this other place from the old church, which wasn't a big deal, except that my step-father left out one crucial little step in his directions and...well, I'm sure you know where this is going

To make an ever-growing story shorter, I spent the next forty five minutes or so making risky u-turns, overshooting exits, and nearly drive straight into Kentucky at least once, trying to get to a place that was only a couple miles away from where I originally had to detour. It's really one of those situations that seems laughable now, but that the time is really, really frustrating. I must have dropped every profanity known to man that didn't involve taking the Lord's name in vain during that trip It all worked out fine in the end, of course. And while I insisted on beating myself up for being twenty minutes late (I mainly just felt bad for not being punctual when I was the one talking everybody into going there), but they essentially told me to suck it up and get over it, so I eventually did. We found seats in the balcony just as the sermon, which is the main reason I like going there anyway, so it turned out to be a good morning.

I think my laptop battery is getting ready call it quits soon. Lately it's been acting sort of weird. Like, occassionally a little icon will pop up claiming that the battery is almost drained, even thought I have it plugged into the wall. Simply pulling out the cord and plugging it back in solves this, but it's still annoying. And I've found out that if I don't follow this procedure, the little icon is not fooling around, the computer will shut down. For example, I was half way through this post when I left the room to go eat lunch, only to come back to a black screen Technology. I don't know, it's really not a problem currently, it's mostly just an interesting turn of events.

Speaking of which, I'm going into town tomorrow morning to pick up a copy of the new Punch Out!! game, and I am so. freakin. pumped for it. I likely wouldn't be spending money on new games except for the fact that I have some Best Buy giftcard money that's still sitting around not being used (enough that it makes buying a brand new game feel like I'm buying a budget title) and...well...I really love the Punch Out!! games I also used this as an excuse to pre-order the game last week and try out the store's "order online, pick-up at the store" system. It seems like a pretty smart idea. You pre-order what may turn out to be a hot item in the country, and then somebody in the city not only alerts you when you it's ready to be purchased, but they even hold a copy for you in the meantime. I also need to pick up a birthday card for my mom while I'm in town (her birthday is tomorrow as well). I already have the gift ready, just need that personal, written touch.


Sweet, I think I managed to write everything I wanted to say this second time through

[gg7]

"All My Tears" is the cover.

I've had a lack of sleep the past couple of nights. Today due to mostly getting up earlier than usual. I did manage to have a restful time/almost nap while my niece was napping though. That helped some.

I'm sure you're better at finding places than I am. I have a terrible sense of direction when driving. ha. If I had to find new places often, I'd get a GPS for sure.

[*]

If you keep in mind that the sleep cycle revolves around one and a half hour periods (relatively speaking, the precise minutes are different for everyone), and plan your sleep around that, you should wake up feeling lovely and refreshed. Perhaps plan to sleep for seven and a half hours tonight. This way, you'll wake up during REM and not feel as if you have to drag yourself up in the morning. At the same time, it should be enough sleep to keep you going for the day.

Of course, every body is different. Mine requires a hell of a lot of sleep no matter what I do, so I tend to not follow any cycle and simply sleep as long as I like when possible. Often, this ends up being nearly all day when I have my way.

Just my two cents, however.

[JayCarrFan]

For me, The Long Fall Back to Earth is just behind Good Monsters and just ahead of the debut self-titled album. Personally, I think that's a really high compliment.

[SupaNova]

Originally Posted by JCF

For me, The Long Fall Back to Earth is just behind Good Monsters and just ahead of the debut self-titled album. Personally, I think that's a really high compliment.

It certainly is a high compliment good sir. I know many, many people are still head over heels for the first album. For better or worse, I am not among those people




I think it's pretty safe to assume now that Derek Webb has been watching waaay too much LOST.

It looks like he's got some sort of internet viral game going and he's gradually putting up stems from the new album (as of this post, he only had a zip file with five 1 second clips up for grabs). At the very least, this is confusing. At most, it's utterly fascinating. And if his label troubles turn out not to be a big fat ruse afterall, then this is one hell of a way to try working around all the legal tape.

[SupaNova]

Originally Posted by Jeremy

"All My Tears" is the cover.

I figured it was either that one or Even Angels Cry. Actually, I should have known it was All My Tears. Isn't that an old hymn?

I've had a lack of sleep the past couple of nights. Today due to mostly getting up earlier than usual. I did manage to have a restful time/almost nap while my niece was napping though. That helped some.

Ah, yeah. Naps do help, I suppose. Personally, I am not a big fan. I have to really tired in order to grabe a nap in a timely manner. The one I took the other day was the exception, rather then the rule, and it still took maybe a half hour before I even fell asleep.

I'm sure you're better at finding places than I am. I have a terrible sense of direction when driving. ha. If I had to find new places often, I'd get a GPS for sure.

I'm not very good at finding places either. I just have this stubborn tendency to keep driving around until I figure out where I need to go. It works, sometimes. Sometimes it just gets me into more trouble

Originally Posted by As(terisk) & ye shall receive

If you keep in mind that the sleep cycle revolves around one and a half hour periods (relatively speaking, the precise minutes are different for everyone), and plan your sleep around that, you should wake up feeling lovely and refreshed. Perhaps plan to sleep for seven and a half hours tonight. This way, you'll wake up during REM and not feel as if you have to drag yourself up in the morning. At the same time, it should be enough sleep to keep you going for the day.

Of course, every body is different. Mine requires a hell of a lot of sleep no matter what I do, so I tend to not follow any cycle and simply sleep as long as I like when possible. Often, this ends up being nearly all day when I have my way.

Just my two cents, however.

Thanks, I appreciate the suggestions But aren't you suppose to avoid waking up during rapid eye moment periods? I probably have that wrong, but I remember hearing something along those lines growing up.

I think I will give that a try tonight and shoot for 7 or 8 and a half hours. My mom proposed to me the other day that reading right before bed helps to make you efficently sleepy. Which makes sense, seeing as how many textbooks I struggled to keep my eyes open for during college. I've tried it the last two nights though, and so far I'm not sure if it's helped that much. Oh well, I'm finally making some more headway through Harry Potter at least.


And apologies to you both for seemingly ignoring your posts yesterday, I shamefully just forgot to scroll further up and look for earlier replies in my haste to report that Webb is turning into his own worst conspiracy theorist

Yesterday was a good day. Coincidently, it was my mother's birthday, which I believe she ended up enjoying. I gave her this garden sculpture (of sorts) of a cheerful frog sitting on a brightly colored mushroom she had found last week when we were at Lowe's and my step-dad ran out and bought her a tree (dappled willow, is the flora's formal name I believe) from a nursery we had checked out over the weekend. And jetting off to Best Buy yesterday turned out to be a really good cover to go pick out a great birthday card too

Step-siblings seemed to pretty much ignore the ocassion, which is lame. I recommended to my step-brother that it'd be nice if he would at least pick up a card somewhere, and hopfully he'll do that sometime before church starts tonight. When I was talking to him about it the other night, his sister quickly yelled from her room, without being prompted about it, that she's broke right now and can't do something nice like that. And to be fair, I know that in such trying economic times, it is difficult for some people to part with a considerable chunk of their money. Like ninety-nine cents And too be fair, I'm sure they were pre-occupied with a concert they had last night (it was basically the current band director's last hurrah, before he's basically foreced to quit because of a really stupid situation the school board got itself into. Maybe I'll write more about that sometime soon), but I don't even think they even bothered to mention anything about it yesterday. Oh well, kids, I guess

As for today, it's been pretty dull so far. Let me ask, does anybody else ever get the feeling that they might be going a little stir-crazy? I've been feeling kind of like that this morning, and hopfully it's nothing to fret about, but I figured I'd mention it here and get a little feedback to ease my cranium a bit. Job searching has not been going very well this week. My sources keep coming up dry and I've been sitting here for the past hour trying to think of other stores to try right now or sources to check out, but nothing's coming to mind. All this to say, that if anybody would care to send some prayers for direction and motivation and encouragement (any of those three will do, honestly) as far as looking for work is concerned, it would be very, very appreciated. Otherwise, things are running pretty smoothly, just pretty lonely and unfulfilling during the day.

Hot off iTunes, I downloaded one of those free single-of-the-week things for, like, maybe the third time ever today. The song is called Rise Up by this up-and-coming jazz/soul singer named Diane Birch, and man, does the girl have some pipes. It's actually a cool little song, and the fun multi-track choir portion towards the end is really terrific. So...I guess I'm saying I approve of the free download this week...I guess, haha.

Oh, and yes, I did get the new Punch Out!! yesterday as well. It is freaking awesome. Really, really.

[beanbag]

I get the feeling I am going stir-crazy quite often.

sometimes I sing the cabin fever song from the muppets.

[gg7]

Originally Posted by SupaNova

I figured it was either that one or Even Angels Cry. Actually, I should have known it was All My Tears. Isn't that an old hymn?

According to the liner notes I checked the other day (making sure I had my facts right) it was written by Julie Miller in 1993 or something like that.

A prayer will be said for you for sure. Times are tough right now, but God provides always. Matthew 6. You'll find something I'm sure. In the meantime, at least you do have a roof over your head and food on the table....and internet even.

[SupaNova]

Originally Posted by Sabrina

I get the feeling I am going stir-crazy quite often.

sometimes I sing the cabin fever song from the muppets.

Ha ha, the one from the Treasure Island movie? I saw that one a long, long time ago. I still want to know how they magically turned a ship into a floating disco bar then took it down so fast

Originally Posted by Jeremy

According to the liner notes I checked the other day (making sure I had my facts right) it was written by Julie Miller in 1993 or something like that.

Hmm, interesting. I would have figured it was a much older song from the lyrics.

A prayer will be said for you for sure. Times are tough right now, but God provides always. Matthew 6. You'll find something I'm sure. In the meantime, at least you do have a roof over your head and food on the table....and internet even.

Thanks amigo, much appreciated. And yeah, I try not to complain because I do have a place to stay with family while I search, but sometimes I'm just sort of harshly reminded that this isn't the life I want, and frustration bubbles up occassionally. It always helps a little to put everything in perspective.

Speaking of such things, how has life been treating you recently bro?




Webb head finally put up a new track last night, albeit one still shrouded in secret codes, and I'd put a link to the mp3, except I'm afraid of little bald men in dark suits and sunglasses coming out of nowhere to make me disappear. Anyway, it took several listens to grow on me, but I really dig it. Song's called The Spirit Vs The Kick Drum . The lyrics are pretty simple and repetitive (the three main lines sort of build on each other as the song goes on). Musically it sounds kind of like a progression of the classic rock stuff on his last solo record. The drums sound really good and the bass groove kicks major ass. And yeah, there's some electronic things going on like he promised, but it's kept to a minimum on this particular tune. Maybe he's going for a minimal electronica presence like the Jars' had? I don't know, but I'm excited to hear more from this album, and while all this cryptic internet scavenger hunt stuf is interesting, deep down I kind of wish he'd just upload the whole thing to that Noise Trade site of his already

[gg7]

Originally Posted by SupaNova

Thanks amigo, much appreciated. And yeah, I try not to complain because I do have a place to stay with family while I search, but sometimes I'm just sort of harshly reminded that this isn't the life I want, and frustration bubbles up occassionally. It always helps a little to put everything in perspective.

You're welcome.

We don't always get what we want, but God does give us what we need.

Speaking of such things, how has life been treating you recently bro?

Well, this is my first day back online since Wednesday or Thursday. The past several days have been a lot of keeping my niece, work, and major renovations to my sleeping cave. I was pretty much wiped out by the end of yesterday. Working like that for 14 or 15 hours straight will do that, but I just don't have the time on other days usually. I woke up feeling pretty tired and sore today, but had church and a big family deal. That was all good. I'm going to attempt to get some good rest tomorrow, but still have some stuff to do, then Tuesday is back to business as usual with work and all that jazz.


As to the music stuff: It's funny to me now how people are putting electronic stuff into their music thinking it's original or whatever, but it's not. Practically everyone and their brother seems to be doing it these days. ha....except Andrew Peterson. He's held his course and stuck to his roots more than any artist I listen to...not that I'm opposed to branching out and trying new things though.

[Small]

I think Mr. Webb's contrivance would be significantly more amusing were the fiction behind it known from the beginning. In other words, if the intricate and interesting scavenger hunt weren't built on the unsteady back of a thin fiction passed off as reality, it would be twice as slick.

[SupaNova]

Originally Posted by Jeremy

We don't always get what we want, but God does give us what we need.

Indeed. It's easy to say, but very difficult to accept on occassion.

Well, this is my first day back online since Wednesday or Thursday. The past several days have been a lot of keeping my niece, work, and major renovations to my sleeping cave. I was pretty much wiped out by the end of yesterday. Working like that for 14 or 15 hours straight will do that, but I just don't have the time on other days usually. I woke up feeling pretty tired and sore today, but had church and a big family deal. That was all good. I'm going to attempt to get some good rest tomorrow, but still have some stuff to do, then Tuesday is back to business as usual with work and all that jazz.

All things considered, sounds like things are pretty swell for the most part, which I'm glad to hear read I may catch some flack for saying this on CGR (and fair enough) but if you're so busy during the day that you can't spare the time to run around on the internet for very long, it's probably been a good day.

As to the music stuff: It's funny to me now how people are putting electronic stuff into their music thinking it's original or whatever, but it's not. Practically everyone and their brother seems to be doing it these days. ha....except Andrew Peterson. He's held his course and stuck to his roots more than any artist I listen to...not that I'm opposed to branching out and trying new things though.

Ha, true that. I guess trying to mix electronic elements is the next big thang in the music industry. Which, of course, means that if it hasn't happened already, there's going to be a massive influx of electronica CCM worship albums within a year's time

I am not a big fan of electronica as a genre, but I do enjoy some of it from time to time. I think the main problem with all these artists trying to be hip or whatever is that it's so easy to half-ass electronica. Just pull up a lazy drum loop and throw in a few random noises and boom, you've got a bonafide modern day radio hit. Electronic music that's constructed carefully and thoughtfull though, is a joy to listen to. I imagine it's even more difficult to mix the inorganic with organic musical staples.

Originally Posted by Small

I think Mr. Webb's contrivance would be significantly more amusing were the fiction behind it known from the beginning. In other words, if the intricate and interesting scavenger hunt weren't built on the unsteady back of a thin fiction passed off as reality, it would be twice as slick.

My current hypothesis, based on casually following Webb's proceedings on another message board, is that he planned out his little scavenger hunt poorly. I think that people are figuring out the clues and locating the stems quicker then Webbhead & cohorts anticipated, thus, this thing is getting ridiculiously dragged out and everybody is getting frustrated.

And for what it's worth (I mentioned this in a more official thread, but it may have been glossed over), there actually is some kind of issue with the label going on behind the scenes. Apparently INO doesn't want to release on of the tracks (either because of some adult thematic issues or little four letter words) and Derek's probably thinks he's really clever for cutting up said song into tiny stems and having fans collect them and piece the song back together again. Out of curiosity, I'm collecting the stems as they go online, but honestly, Derek could say "screw it", put the whole song on his website tomorrow morning and I wouldn't say boo about it







I wish I had something remotely personal, yet at the same time relevant and heartfelt, to say, but alas, such is life at the moment that I do not. A couple nights ago, I did purchase a Ben Folds post on eBay, however. Started looking for some more concert posters for the first time in a few months, and I found this one surprisingly quick. It's the exact same as this print, and I think it's going to compliment one of my dull white walls nicely. It should be here sometime next week. I wager that with Mr. Folds' mug in place, I'll still have another space or two for some sweet wall art. If I could find a nice Jimmy Eat World print and a vintange Get Up Kids one, I'd be in business.



Also, on an unrelated note, Punch-Out!! is easily one of the best games on the Wii so far. There is no debating this much. It is surely truth.

[gg7]

Originally Posted by SupaNova

Indeed. It's easy to say, but very difficult to accept on occassion.

Right you are.

All things considered, sounds like things are pretty swell for the most part, which I'm glad to hear read I may catch some flack for saying this on CGR (and fair enough) but if you're so busy during the day that you can't spare the time to run around on the internet for very long, it's probably been a good day.

Flack you!
Well, I think it depends. I do enjoy certain work to some degree, but sometimes when you pull the kind of hours I have been on things it gets to be a little too much. It's cool though. I've accomplished a lot and this week has been good.

Ha, true that. I guess trying to mix electronic elements is the next big thang in the music industry. Which, of course, means that if it hasn't happened already, there's going to be a massive influx of electronica CCM worship albums within a year's time

heh.
Actually, the first Christian I know of coming from the folky side of things to do this was Jeremy Casella, who you probably haven't heard of. I have one of his CDs that I like quite a bit. It was more traditional. I didn't get the last one that has the electronic elements, but it has been out for a long time now. Actually, I just saw that it released in 2007. So you see, he was ahead of the game. That CD is called "RCVRY".
I'm actually listening to some tracks on his myspace page right now, and thinking maybe I will end up grabbing this after all. There is a lot I like about this guy's music. Check out his myspace here. Of course he has a website too, and I'm thinking you're smart enough to find it on your own.

I am not a big fan of electronica as a genre, but I do enjoy some of it from time to time. I think the main problem with all these artists trying to be hip or whatever is that it's so easy to half-ass electronica. Just pull up a lazy drum loop and throw in a few random noises and boom, you've got a bonafide modern day radio hit. Electronic music that's constructed carefully and thoughtfull though, is a joy to listen to. I imagine it's even more difficult to mix the inorganic with organic musical staples.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
I am okay with some electronic elements in my music these days.

I hope you're still saving a place for that "My Little Pony" colored picture.

I still haven't had the chance to play a Wii, but I know I'd like Punch-out since I liked the NES version.