Recently I had the emotionally difficult undertaking of pruning my plant. The stems had grown so much that the plant had become top-heavy; it seemed all essential nutrients were being transfered to the upper portion, leaving the first two feet of stalk bare and dark; in fact the pot would constantly be tipping over due to the imbalance. A friend was kind enough to suggest I prune it (-at this point I was in denial...I figured the plant was sick, or perhaps feeling neglected). So I gave in and pruned it in the way she suggested: cutting the stems a foot from the base. The plant -a citrosa- was a sorry sight: it looked like someone had stuck a couple of twigs in the ground. I kept hoping though. Sure enough the bare stalks have begun to grow perky little buds. Plants are wonderful things.

The other night I watched in amazement as a rabbit agressively chased a squirrel through an open field. Is it me or does this seem a tad odd? I mean, if Don King where to organize a match up between Peter Rabbit and Squirrelly Jack, I would hedge my bet on Jack. In fact I'd say the odds are 9:1 in Jack's favour. Wouldn't you? Squirrels are hyper and malvolent. Bunnies are...well they're cute little cuddly things. Hmmm...then again no one ever suspects the bunny?

There is a challenging article on poverty posted by Louizandre Dauphin. I encourage you to take a look. Oh and for those of you who have no qualms stroking my ego...read my comment and tell me what you think.

In Rotation:

The Roots “do you want more?!!!??!”
According to friends educated in the way of the hip and the hop this is The Roots best album. I haven’t spent enough time listening to either hip-hop or The Roots to make such a claim. I do like what I hear though. I find their sound here incredibly refreshing; it’s innovative and organic; I love the live instrumentation; these are skilled musicians…a great blend of jazz, funk, hip-hop, and other influences (how many other hip-hop records have bagpipes?!).

Bob Marley and The Wailers “Natty Dread”
This is my favourite Marley album and I just discovered it a month ago …Why was I not told!? Am I ill-informed or is this a gem unjustly overlooked? Forget “Exodus”. Lock up “Legend”. Start with “Natty Dread”.
A solid album. The nine tracks ensure a concise collection of strong tracks. I love the addition of horns and saxophone- especially on the opening track, “Lively up Yourself”; and I appreciated the tight production work: I found the sound warm, full, and well-mixed.
I am amazed at the positivity this record exudes. Marley deals with harsh political realities -“Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)”, “Rebel Music (3 O’clock Roadblock)”- and painful relationships- “Bend Down Low”- yet maintains an exuberance that reaches past my “happy” emotions to offer a deeper comfort.

Bob Dylan “Oh Mercy”
At once gritty and ethereal, Daniel Lanois’ splendid production coupled with fine songcrafting on Bob Dylan’s behalf marks “Oh Mercy” as a fine addition to the Dylan canon. Released after a slew of bad albums in the eighties, “Oh Mercy” is often hailed as Dylan’s comeback album.
In some ways "Oh Mercy" marks a departure from Dylan’s early folk albums; instruments sound layered and molded by electrical effects; guitar, dobro and lap steel are drenched in reverb and delay; Lanois creates an expansive and surreal atmosphere that moves lazily around Dylan’s deep gravely voice. I imagine some Dylan purists would draw issue with this album on account of the production: they might argue that it is too polished. Regardless, Dylan is in top form here; even if the production were stripped down the songs would still be there; and the songs are good. “Man in the Long Black Coat” is my current fave; complete with insect chirpings, slow chiming guitars, and occasional pulses of harmonica the music provides a perfect backdrop for Dylan’s narration. Masterful phrasing accentuates all the right pieces of Dylan’s story, reminding me of the importance of a story’s delivery. Not that the lyrics need any help.
Listen to the record in its entirety and you feel like a slow and careful wind is carrying you through a landscape of back porches and untold mysteries.

I was digging through my old files today and I came across a file filled with quotes I had written on cue cards. A number of them are taken from Cal Seerveld's work. For those of you that are not familiar with Seerveld, he is a philosopher of aesthetics (among other things).
I am convinced the man is in love with words. In fact his love of words is often prolific. I recall sitting in church listening to him exort numerous "-isms" I never new existed. He also has a tendency to string multiple words together using hyphens, thus making words of sizable length. And his knowledge of other languages seems to give him license to compose a multi-linguistic melange of words that are visibly delightful to pronounce.
Needless to say he is wonderful to read.
Here are some of the quotes I came across:

"To become an artist means you become a professional imaginator in order to help your handicapped, unimaginative neighbor. Our artistic profession is meant to give voice, eyes, ears and tactile sense to those who are underdeveloped toward such rich nuances of meaning in God's creation."

"Give the neighbor what they imaginatively need, not just what they want, and wait patiently upon the Lord for blessing."

I began work today.
After being in the office for a mere half hour my co-workers and I broke for chapel. I must say that during the school year I often neglected to attend chapel: I accomplish my best work in the mornings and I was loathe to part with the precious time. When I did go I was largely unaffected.
Today’s service was held in a modest sized classroom. Metal chairs were set snuggly together in four tight rows. I came late and by the time I arrived the few photocopies of the service’s song sheet were already distributed. Rather than hum along, I struggled to read over the shoulder of a timid girl who sat in front of me. At one point I politely nudged the back of her arm and asked if she could lift her sheet a little higher; she seemed slightly alarmed, but complied.
The service’s simple local matched its simple purpose: to gather a work community into a time of praise, reflection, and prayer. It was when we broke into small prayer groups that I was struck by the luxury and goodness of such a routine event. My boss, another lady and I began to pray together. My boss thanked God for the opportunity to work with me; she prayed that God will bless the work we do together; and then she asked for God’s protection over my girlfriend who is studying abroad. I was touched. How many other organizations include a time such as this where employees, their co-workers and their superiors pray for each other? I am blessed.

Here are the lyrics to a song a friend and I wrote this past semester. Him and I enjoyed meeting Monday afternoons to write songs and drink coffee. It was quite informal and the only reason we actually finished this song was because we committed to playing it at a showcase.
The words are set to a slow blues groove and we performed it with a single electric guitar. The song is based on a tragic love story I was hashing out in my imagination. That said, there isn’t much plot. Instead, I tried to present the story in snapshots.

hot hot tears, slippin’ through your fingers
air stops where the pain still lingers
see your wings torn by the wind
dry blood caked on your skin

apostate! you hold on!
apostate! hold on!

pull the sky and blanket the moon
wrapped up in candy’s cozy cocoon
where every cut bleeds so sweet
and no heart whispers defeat

apostate! you hold on!
apostate! hold on!

keep the light on and the table set
c’mon home; we cancel your debt
it don’t matter if he clipped your wings
step step up ‘til the morning dove sings

Hello and welcome to my blog. I've always enjoyed writing -be it stories, articles, or midnight scribbles- so I thought I'd try an online journal. In high school I used to journal obsessively and I'd often wonder, "what if someone found this?" It was a dangerous thought; it was an exciting thought. And now here I am.
Though I plan to write often, I hope to post small chunks -little nuggets of literary goodness. I imagine myself writing little critiques on films I see and albums I discover (or re-discover); I imagine I will also include the thoughts, feelings, and questions that arise as I attempt to know my Maker's love. Enjoy.