The nature of blogging

All that thoughtfulness in that last post has provoked even more thought - I know, two days in a row, scary stuff huh?!

With writing about more serious stuff on the blog (can't say it's gonna be more than a one-off, but it was an interesting exercise nonetheless) I've had cause to think about how I blog and why I blog. I guess for me one of the fundamental practices is attention seeking, posting stuff on the internet in the vain hope that someone, anyone will take notice. This strikes a curious imbalance with a slight embarrassment at my opinions and keenness to maintain some layer of anonymity. So anyway I ten to just chuck stuff out there in the vain hope that someone may even like it and deign to comment on it.

I guess this is OK for my usual stuff, and maybe more of the content on Blogga. But for debating proper matters I guess just wanting people to read and admire isn't quite the right motivation. It also affects the writing, if I'm assuming people will admire my work I'll step up the eloquence of the speech a notch so that surely people will have to be impressed by the formality of my tone and assume that what I'm saying is good...right?

The other element of blogging is something of a cathartic nature, or that of a release. Blogging, for me, is worlds apart from fiction or essay writing. I find blogging a relaxing way of writing as I don't ten to plan or think through my posts much beyond the original idea. My fingers hit the keys and thoughts are electronically conveyed instantly. It means I can just write without the usual planning and thinking and editing involved - which I find quite liberating.

Again, I don't think this is wrong, but just tapping away when bringing up a serious issue is not necessarily the best way, though then again (thinking out loud) maybe it's not so bad. I suppose what I am always doing when blogging is thinking out loud, that is my blogging style. Sometimes I think long thoughts, sometimes only little snippets. Sometimes I plumb the depths, other times I laugh at squirrels, but I am always thinking and usually thinking 'live' as I write. So as a style it ain't bad and I suppose sticking to it means I'm not pretending to be beyond my capabilities, but nonetheless I need to take serious issues seriously and therin lies the struggle to find a balance between giving appropriate weight and writing pomp for pomp's sake.

I doubt very much whether I will ever get this balance right. It does have the downside of meaning that my posts never quite match up to the grand expectations I lay upon them (this very post is a good example), but nonetheless I will still enjoy the freedom to just write for most of my content, I just might have to practice putting a bit more thought into some of my content.

Well that was quite the excersise in rambling, but I wanted to think through the nature of blogging for myself and what better place for thinking out loud than a blog eh? I also want to make sure that there's more than just weekly quotes being posted up here to keep both myself and potential readers interested. But now I'll have to think of something else to write about - hmm, is there a new Coke out yet?

Word of the post: Coagulate - verb

1.	to change from a fluid into a thickened mass

Tim-inspired thinking post

I've been discussing with Tim over at his blog about posting up some
religious based stuff and whether it felt right to do so. We both
discussed that we sometimes feel unequal to the task and I'm still
cautious about it to be completely honest with you. I mean I'm no
theologian and I use this blog for posting up rubbish that pops into
my head, not like you know, serious things. I think there's also an
element of pride, as Tim mentioned, but also cowardice to use this
blog to talk about my God or Christianity which is stupid for two
reasons - firstly I should blog about what interests me, and second,
basically no one reads this thing and all those that do are Christians
anyway so what does it matter?

It is perhaps a little risky then that I start out with an exercise in
criticism, or at least what might appear to be so. I guess I should
firstly state that I am not critical of the song or it's writer. I
believe it is a good tool and has much instruction on living out the
Christian life, but I think it is one we don't necessarily think
through as we should. The tune is also an important element in
what I'm thinking about, so maybe if you haven't heard it you
should look it up on YouTube or something - or apparently
there's a GodTube now but I can't guarantee any content found
there! Anyhow, here's the latter half of the song, full lyrics aren't
hard to find if you want 'em. 


Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name


My reasons for bringing this up are because of a bible study done with
Ian Fry on the excellent Contagious youth week. In our group we
studied Job and had a look at his suffering under the excellent heading
 "how does God treat his friends?" which was very powerful and thought
provoking. One thing drawn up to the end was our perhaps unrealistic
attitude to suffering in Christian culture. I'm going to be very cautious
now as I don't have much experience in the area and I don't want to
inadvertently discredit either Ian or Matt Redman by what I'm writing
here and so I will stick to my usual 'something to think about' stance
rather than pretend to teach you something. 

The problem with the song is that the tune is quite upbeat, whereas the
words are actually quite somber. Not to say the tune is wrong, a durgey
 tune simply wouldn't work and there is a very real element of rejoicing
in suffering so I by no means think it's wrong, the problem is we as singers
forget the meaning of the words and get caught up in the moment and have
a risk of thinking it's easy for our hearts to choose to bless God, which from
my experience isn't true. Not when you compare it with the source for
the song and read the words of Job himself. 

"13 One day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, 15
and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to
the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" 

16 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"

17 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"

18 While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, 19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"

20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said:
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart. ^[c]
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."

22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

Job is not exactly joyful here, nor is he stoically saying "naked I came..."
look at the verses immediately prior, watch him rip his clothes, shave off
his hair and collapse to the ground. The words that follow are not easy
words, it is not easy for him to claim that the LORD has taken away, it
is not easy for him to praise God, and yet he does. I haven't the faintest
idea what suffering, real suffering feels like and so I cannot hope to
offer worthy advice to a reader who for all I know may be
experiencing real physical or emotional pain so I will address
myself from now on as I know this is something I need to hear,
from myself if no one else.

I thank God for revealing some of his plan in suffering through the
book of Job. I thank Him for Job's example, his faith but also his
real confusion and even anger about what was happening, yet not
turning from God. I thank Him also for the song above that puts
some of these thoughts an principles to music that can be
addressed to Him.  And I pray that I might be able to grasp these
properly so that when suffering does come, though the pain and
anguish are no more diminished, I would still hold firm to him who
knows me, saved me and can keep me through all trials.

Please feel free to comment and to criticize, it's the only way I'll learn.

Word of the post: Acquaintance –noun  

1.	a person known to one, but usually not a close friend.

Weekly Quote W/E 06/09/08

More stuff, least I posted something...today!

"The captain looked at Fermina Daza and saw on her eyelashes the first glimmer of wintry frost. Then he looked at Florentino Ariza, his invincible power, his intrepid love, and he was overwhelmed by the belated suspicion that it is life, more than death, that has no limits." - Love in the time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I just had to

Weekly Quote Triple - W/E 30/08/08

Ok so a bit of catching up to do here, I'll have to dig out some quotes now, lemme see, herm

Ooh, there's quotes from books in my Big Read compilation thing, that'll do. So going backwards from 100

100. "The nose assumed a patriarchal aspect. On my mother it looked noble and a little long-suffering; on my aunt Emerald, snobbish; on my aunt Alia, intellectual; on my uncle Hanif it was the organ of an unsuccessful genius..." - Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

99. "Geez! Whatever happened to nice Greandmothers, who bake brownies for you and tell you how precious you are? It's just my luck I get one who has tattooed eyeliner and tells me I look like a hooker." - The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot

98. "Dan isn't my boyfriend. OK OK, he's fun. And I have a good time with him. And I can say all sorts of stuff to him. And though he's a hopeless nerd he's also brave. And quick-witted. And imaginative. And it doesn't really matter one hundred percent if he looks stupid." - Girls in Love, Jaqueline Wilson.

Phew - those'll keep me busy for a while!

Frusciante's new music challenge (1 of 3)

So I took up the challenge and trawled HMV for albums that would fit the categories mentioned by legendary guitarist John Frusciante for exploring new music. The music I found wasn't entirely new to me, but most of the songs I haven't heard before and aren't necessarily something I'd buy normally so I think it fits the bill. There was also a "2 for £10" deal on so I restricted myself to that! But I also got the Run DMC greatest hits which was very cool!

So category one was to talk to people who I think are cool, well a significantr number of my close friends who I talk to a lot and who buy maybe a bit more music than I do all are fans of Radiohead. Yuo may be one of those folks who looks aghast and think "you're not?!!" - well then you'll probably get on well with my friends! I'd never had a problem with Radiohead and usually liked it when it was played, but never called myself a fan - and probably still wouldn't, though I am warming to them. However I was always quite critical of the semi-religious fervour attached to this band, but in the interest of challenge I went for it and got myself...














...and I have to say I've enjoyed my purchase. On initial listening I wasn't quite as excited as I'd anticipated being, but I think that was to be expected. The buildup was so great the album had little chance of impressing me on a weary first listening. But a great work holds out and comes through in the end. I'm reminded of when I watched Napoleon Dynamite after hearing people talk about it for months and months - and ending up being dragged through one of the slowest, dullest films I have ever seen as a consequence. Some time later I can see the merit of the film, and the comedy of the character, though I still wouldn't watch it again.

I wouldn't say the same of Radiohead and their album however, of which I have had several pleasant listenings post my first encounter. Familiar tracks like "Just" were enough of a draw for me to give it another a whirl and then I realised I also knew "High and Dry" and several of the guitar riffs were also familiar. I was able to move past preconception and begin to enjoy the music.

What I really love about The Bends is the sheer variety available within their distinct "sound" - while Radiohead are recognised for being abstract and there's plenty of abstract sounds on the album there are also more than enough catchy and enjoyable bits of music that mainstream ears can tune into easily, easing you into the world of the band.

Well my music ignorance is probably driving some Radiohead fan into a fit of rage as we speak so I'll stop there and just say that I bought Radiohead and liked it - that OK?

Word of the post: Discombobulate –verb (used with object)

to confuse or disconcert; upset; frustrate

Weekly Quote 09/08/08

I'm detecting a possibly flurry of Simpsons quotes...

"Who made you Judge Judy and executioner?" - Homer Simpson, The Simpsons

Corporate Rivalry

While it's on my mind I just thought I'd post up some thoughts on advertising in the present day. Ine recent weeks I've noticed that a lot of companies in their ads are making a lot of references to their competitors and how they are better than them.

ASDA are frequently doing this, showing how many 'cheaper' prices Tesco has and then demonstrating how they are cheaper on twice as many products or whatever. Another is Huggies natural fit nappies - which specifically compare themselves to Pampers active fit (possible name/company mix up here) and show how they are better. A recent example is of sports starts causing havoc as they urge men to replace their Mach 5 with a better Gilette Fusion (I've just thought that Mach 5 might be a Gillette product, but it's odd all the same) and so on and so forth.

I'd always thought it some kind of unwritten (or more likely an actual written) law that you could not directly slander or discredit or mention your competitor in advertising your own product and I don't seem to remember any adverts of the kind until recent times. So has there been a change in legislation, have companies just got bolder or has this always been going on under my nose? If you know do drop a comment - I might do some more digging when I've got the time, but while it's puzzling me I figured I'd post it up.

Word of the post: Qwerty –adjective

of or pertaining to a keyboard having the keys in traditional typewriter arrangement, with the letters q, w, e, r, t, and y being the first six of the top row of alphabetic characters, starting from the left side.

Weekly Quote Double - W/E 02/08/08

Ok, been away and stuff - been exposed to a lot of comics so this one had to go in

"With great power comes great responsibility." - Ben Parker, Spiderman.

and another picked at random.

"Diligence is the mother of good luck" - 16th century proverb

Good stuff, more from me soon I hope

That was quick!!

I just noticed that Wimbledon has finished, and finished a fair while ago. I find this unusal as I mostly recall Wimbledon starting and several exhausting weeks later we are still only a few sets into the first match...or something like that. As much as I respect and enjoy the sport of tennis and admire the pros who can play with such incredible grace and power I often soon tire of this British institution and it's domination of the media and television in particular.

But this year, and the past year or two as well I think, I've barely noticed it. I've tuned into who'se on top and even watched the odd match (Williams v Williams was a good 'un) but rather than an annoying drag I've found it to be an interesting sporting event that I can tune into occasionally and enjoy. I attribute this to two key television based factors:

1. I don't watch kids TV any more.

Well not much anyway! As an avid viewer of many cartoons and other media "back in the day" it was of great annoyance to have to have a boring never ending sport meeting with endless delays and replacing the joyous animation I'd planned on watching. The fact that tennis matches can technically never end was the most annoying thing as the schedule was pushed back again and again and despaired at having to watch grown up stuff.

2. The Simpsons moved t0 C4.

Pretty much the same reasoning here, as I got somewhat older my main programme was the Simpsons and again to have something I looked forward to replaced because Henman couldn't just face defeat and had to hang on for more agonising sets was just infuriating.

Now, with my TV schedule mostly taking place in the early evening I find myself uninterrupted by tennis, and without it impeding my enjoyment I am able to more enjoy and appreciate genuine athleticism at it's best. So...um...yeah...go Murray!

Word of the post: Squiggle –noun

1.	a short, irregular curve or twist, as in writing or drawing.

Weekly Quote W/E 19/07/08

One of my favourite song lines of all time, the thirs line is in my opinion one of the best quotes in history, but I'll post up the whole chorus 'cause it too is awesome!

"Red alert! Red alert! It's a catastrophe!
But don't worry, don't panic!
Ain't nothing goin' on but history
But it's alright, don't panic!" - Red Alert, Basement Jaxx

Weekly Quote 12/07/08

Had this one bouncing around in my brain for a while, couldn't remember where it was from so I looked it up and whaddya know.

"All that is gold does not glitter; not all those who wander are lost." - The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien

Frusciante's new music challenge (2 of 3)

Well I'm starting to slowly get into finding and indeed parting with cash for music, having bought two albums in a month - quite a shocker for me. DVDs and especially TV series' are my current vice, but I don't have the same urge to risk a few pounds on a CD, especially one that I'm not entirely sure I'll like. But I'm getting a bit better, having bought Coldplay's new album and also the Ting Ting's debut withing a week or two of each other. Both involved some deliberation and pacing up and down the aisle but I got them both and have enjoyed them both.

But that's not quite why I'm posting - I'd hoped to justify one of these purchases by referring to John Frusciante's piece in the sleeve of Red Hot Chili Pepper's greatest hits. As well as reflecting on his time with the band he urges people to try new music, referring to three categories.

1. Asking questions to people you think are cool
2. Finding out who your favourite recording artist themselves like
3. Buying something because you like the cover

I think these are pretty interesting and worth trying. I'll have a go at finding albums which fit them, I'm especially intrigued by the third one and I'll have to have a go at perusing HMV to see if I can find a cool album cover (and one that's cheap!) and maybe a cool person while I'm at it. But for now I'll refer to an album I bought a while back, which just about squeezes into category 2.

Arcade Fire - Funeral











They are a popular band and quite succesful, but when I first encountered them I had no idea who they were. I had just caught the Red Hot Chili Peppers set at Reading festival and was about to switch over when I hear the announcer state that a band were coming on whom RHCP were big fans of, so I decided to stick around and listen, and I really enjoyed what I heard and a few weeks later got myself their first album Funeral and have really enjoyed it.

The album centres around their life in Canada and the difficulty of living in the snow and the cold. The title and the tracks are marked by the fact that many of the family members of the band died during writing and recording. The original material gives the lyrics a unique and meaningful edge and there's also good poetry in them too.

The band produce a powerful sound, augmented by the vocalist, who can producean incredible wailing/shouting sound which captures you rather than the just plain whining which defines so much of "new music" these days. OK, this "review" is already going down the pan, I've only just managed to avoid using "haunting vocals" which seems to come up every time I discuss music - I mean they are haunting but I don't need to say it right?!

My favourite tracks on the album are "Tunnels" and "Power Out" both because they are unashamedly specific as to details in the bandmembers lives, which I like - i've heard about love and stuff enough not to need to hear it again but "kids are swinging from the power lines, nobody's home so nobody minds" - that actually means something. Another favourite is the much quieter "Kettles" which is very poetic, using the old cliche of 'a watched pot never boils' to comment on life and growing older. Lastly "Rebellion" has a very catchy bassline and funky chorus.

I think I'm probably preaching to the converted in talking about this band as a lot of folks know more about them than I do, but nonetheless they are a band well worth checking out if you haven't done so already, though I've heard their second recording "Neon Bible2 isn't as good as the first.

Well I'll be chatting to my friends and perusing music shops for a while, let me know if you've come up with any good finds on the above principles.

Word of the post: Trepidation - noun

1.	tremulous fear, alarm, or agitation; perturbation.

Weekly Quote W/E 05/07/08

Sorry folks, been a bit slow the past few weeks - I had a post or two in mind so I'll do my best to bash them out next week, but for now I'll just post up what I think is one of the most memorable and striking quotes of modern times.

"Let's Roll." - Todd Beamer, aboard United Airlines Flight 93, 11 September 2001

Weekly Quote W/E 28/06/08

Last of the Watchmen ones

"Qui custodiet
ipsos custodes.
- Who watches the watchmen?

- Juvenal, Satires, VI, 347
Quoted as the epigraph of the Tower Commision Report, 1987

Weekly Quote W/E 21/06/08

It would be a stronger world, a stronger loving world, to die in." - John Cale

Top Ten and thoughts on Music

I've wanted to do this for a bit and as I've got a bit of dead space to fill in I thought I'd post up the present top ten just to see how out of touch I am with current music. While fairly connected to music I tend only to listen to music I've already got an interest in and don't pay much attention to current stuff. As I'm no longer in school or Uni I din't tend to discuss music much and therefore I'm often unaware of current hits. I only really listen to radio in the car, which isn't that often and I only occasionally catch the music channels. I'm also very miserly so I don't often splash out on music unless I feel it's worth getting or it's tried and tested - it was a stretch for me to buy the new Coldplay album today, and that's mainly 'cause I saw the live gig last night! Anyway enough of the bla bla and on to the chart - I'll try to embed videos. Note that I am no music expert and opinions are purely what pops into my head.

10. Heartbreaker - Will.I.Am ft Cheryl Cole