Category Archives: Free For all Friday
Let me ask you a question…..
Anyone can question. We do it every week during a sports game, when our boss makes decisions, when we read the news……. The world is full of question askers…..
The world is NOT full of people who answer those questions. Better yet, what if everyone tasked themselves with solving just one of the questions they posed?
Free For all Friday
Each week, we ring in the weekend with a Free For all Friday post. My/Our chance to just post whatever we feel like rambling on concerning and let the chips fall where they may.
This week’s episode finds me in the mood to tackle a really burdensome issue – my front lawn. As I sit in the air conditioned house about to begin my second cup of coffee, my grass has just reached mid-calf (no, not a heifer, MY calf), in some spots. This is rather embarrassing and I feel compelled to head out into the wilderness, dodging the occasional tiger as the monkeys playfully banter overhead, but it conjures some bitter feelings for me.
See, when I was lad (just a few short years ago as I am still considered by some to be a lad), weekends were spent as a family out amidst the steadily warming elements. Tasks were divided among edger, lawn mower, raker, weeds, etc etc (this was also aided by the fact that my father sired a battalion) and were accomplished in half the time of an individual working alone. However, the sheer size of the lot (and capacity of the archaic 18th century relic that my dad called a “lawn mower”) meant that if you drew lawn mower duty, you were stuck for a good 1.5-2hrs and would thus be at a distinct caloric disadvantage when it came whatever-sport-time. After a few years of these indentured activities, we began a discourse with our to-date reasonable and logical father and began to float the idea of some hired help. ”Perhaps..” said we, “if we hired a gentlemen of considerable lawn skill, we might spend the time recreating as a family and thus strengthen the bonds of our world-changing capacity.” A fair argument, all things considered, but one that had the success rate and discussion time of a pay cut in Congress. We were told that we WERE building family ties and that, best of all, we had the glorious chance to build this thing called “character.”
Fast forward a few years (I am still a lad, remember) and I have since moved out of my parents house and now experience all the joys of home ownership – dismal home values, lawn care, aging HVAC units, a pathetic seller’s market…… just to name a few. As I begin to venture into the great unknown with hopes of tunneling my way to my garage, my dad’s lawn crew is likely arriving at his house ready to build their character (and get paid). It is this emotional scarring that has lead me to this second cup of coffee (nothing like a man’s breath after 2 successive cups of coffee).
So if you drive past my house and see me engaging in the emotionally draining exercise of building my character and drawing closer to my family by moseying along behind a motorized spinning blade, shed a tear with me. I fully expect some will judge the grown man who weeps his way through a hedge trimming, but they know not my tale of treachery. In the days to come, the traveling minstrels will tell of my tale and the sizable size of my burgeoning character.
Free For all Friday
Fridays on the blog of excellence and worth (standing out from the crowd by being obnoxiously arrogant 
will hereby be declared “Free For all Friday” where I am free to post on whatever I want to post…… (isn’t this my blog and can’t I do that anyway?) Oh well…. here goes
Today’s Free For all Friday is on the topic of music. As some of you know, I received my BA in music from Campbell University and it is a topic on which I am highly passionate. As there is a dearth of good “popular or pop” music to be found and I am constantly asked what I’m “listening to right now,” I thought I would be your guiding light in the area of good music. Be forewarned that I am not an exclusive “Christian music” listener (another topic for another day) so allow your conscience to guide you as you sift through my list of favorite albums (for right now).
1. Aftermath – Hillsong United. These guys are the worship music STANDARD!!! Highly recommend this record.
2. Blood Bank – Bon Iver. Raleigh, NC was his home for a brief time. Great songwriter with a knack for sad, folky tunes – this is a great album to drink a cup of tea and contemplate.
3. 99 Must Haves – Mozart. The original “boy genius.” These 99 Must Have albums are a great buy on Amazon and Mozart’s is the pick of my playlist, right now.
4. Tron Soundtrack – Daft Punk. I DARE you to put this on your iPod and go for a run. You will run much faster than you intended, I promise.
5. 10 Song Summer Sampler – Starbucks. I know, I know…. This came free when I bought my wife a Frap and the tunes are surprisingly good. Cold War Kids, Death Cab for Cutie, and Fleet Foxes are standout tracks.
6. Every Teardrop is a Waterfall – Coldplay. No list is complete without this band. Their new 3 song EP drops in it’s entirety on Sunday and you should check them out.
7. The Suburbs – Arcade Fire. Can’t stop listening to this album since it came out. Start to finish it’s PACKED with killer tunes.
That’s what I’ve got spinning. What are you listening to?
