Books

Best of 2013: Eyes and Ears Edition

It’s that magical time of the year when we reflect on the music, movies, and books we’ve read, making arbitrary lists and comparisons. Once again, I find that I am purchasing less and less new music these days. I’m unimpressed, you could say. Maybe that’s what getting older is all about: discontentment with the new and nostalgia for the old.

Nevertheless, here’s what piqued my ears and eyes this year.

MUSIC

imgres Daft Punk: Random Access Memories 

It took me forever to find the bandwagon (I’m not a big electronic music person), but I finally jumped on board.  I love Daft Punk’s newest. It’s absolutely wonderful. The musicianship is incredible. And the mastering engineer wasn’t too bad either.  (more…)

Holy Matrimony, Batman!

Holy matrimony, my friends, is a booby-trapped obstacle course full of perilous challenges. Think Legends of the Hidden Temple (my greatest childhood regret, oh how I wished to be a Blue Barracuda!). Last night, Megan and I overcame the single most formidable hurdle of our marriage. That’s right. We finished our first marriage book. And not just any marriage book, a Christian marriage book, one we started over three years ago.

Consistency is overrated.

Well, anyhow, we did it. We got through it. Ironically, we almost quit on the book, a year or so ago, while in a chapter labeled “Perseverance.” But we didn’t! (I have a feeling the author intended that chapter to be the book’s longest).

It’s called Sacred Marriage and is written by Gary Thomas. The book is pretty great, really. The speed at which we read is not indicative of the quality of the work or the messages in the content: we’re just lazy and watch a lot of Netflix and fall asleep way too early for mid-twenty-year olds. But I do recommend it. Unfortunately, I don’t remember much of the content (hey, I liked the ending; that’s got to count for something right?).

Best yet, I have another book on my shelf. Inquisitive friends will ask me about it, and I’ll look up and say, “Yeah, it was good.” They will nod their heads, and I will feel smart.  (more…)

Life in the Spiritual Fast Lane

Spiritual fasting. What do you think about it? Does it intrigue you? Personally, the thought of it makes me hungry, a bad sign. Fasting is definitely not my strong suit.

Recently, I read Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse. The second book of Hesse’s I’ve read, and admittedly my first on Buddhism, Siddhartha follows a fictional character (paralleling the real Siddhartha Gautama) who throughout his life searches for oneness and truth.

My upbringing has taught me to read all non-Christian, even non-evangelical, religious material with a filter. This filter acts less like a screen door and more like an actual door. Closed all the time.

As I’ve aged in spirit and body, I’ve come to realize that much can be learned from other religions. We all yearn for God. If a life-long monk wanted to take me out for coffee, or better yet, donuts, then you can bet I would take his offer. I’d probably even have to pay and I would still take his offer. I love donuts. I love talking about God with donuts.

This theoretical monk has spent his life learning to fast, learning to think, learning to be less. I would love to hear his insight, wouldn’t you? Just because religious roads differ, this doesn’t mean travelers can’t bump into each other every now and then. And get donuts.

Consumerism, Buddhism, & Ism-ism

Fasting was never pushed on me. I’m not blaming anyone else for my ignorance towards it, but let’s just say that the culture I grew up in simply didn’t value it. “It’s more of an Eastern thing,” I would hear or, “Just don’t tell any one about it.”

Regardless of how I got here, I’m here now. I believe that Americans have much to gain from learning to fast.

Our eyes have been purchased by the cinema of must-have.

Our hearts foster inward desires over the outward love of Christ.

Our bodies sleep best in a commonplace of complacency.

What if consumerism was just another powerless foe? What if we could break the paradigm? I wonder about a world where Western Christians could chose others before themselves, every day, with every dollar and every minute.

In the book, the young adult Siddhartha wishes to go into business with a merchant. The merchant asks Siddhartha what he can do. Siddhartha replies, “I can think. I can wait. I can fast.”

“… fasting, what good does it do?”

This is my favorite part:

It is very good, sir. If a person has nothing to eat, then fasting is the wisest thing he can do. If, for instance, Siddhartha had not learned how to fast, he would have to accept any service today, whether with you or with someone else, for hunger would force him to do so. But now Siddhartha can simply wait, he knows no impatience, he knows no plight. He can stave off hunger for a long time and he can laugh at it. That, sir, is what fasting is good for.

So what do you think, is it time Westerners start fasting? Can we still have donuts? Since I’m new to this whole thing, I hope to learn one or two things in the comments.

I Love Goooollldd… mund (and Narcissus)

urlLast night, I finished my first Herman Hesse novel, Narcissus and Goldmund. A friend gave me this over Christmas; I may or may not be a slow reader.

Lay off me.

It was amazing. Not an easy read for me. It’s more detail oriented than plot focused, which means it had to win me over. Despite the book’s slow start, Narcissus and Goldmund is a beautiful tale worth every bit of your time.

Instead of a full review you probably won’t read, I’ll just share my favorite passage. If you feel interested in reading it, just google the book and you’ll find the synopsis.

For those needing to be sold, here you go: It has tons of sex! Also, death, traveling, and philosophical discussion regarding the difference between artists and thinkers.

My favorite passage (kind of grim, but beautiful still):

Perhaps, he thought, the root of all art, and perhaps also of all intellectual activity, is the fear of death. We fear it, we shudder at the ephemeral nature of all things, we grieve to see the constant cycle of fading flowers and falling leaves and are aware in our own hearts of the certainty that we too are ephemeral and will fade away.

So when as artists we create images, and as thinkers we search for laws and formulate ideas, we do so in order to salvage something from the great Dance of Death, to create something that will outlast our lifetime.

-Herman Hesse

That’s all for today folks. Are there any fans of this book out there? I’m still processing it, and would love to hear other thoughts regarding its themes.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Best of 2012: Books. Movies. Musics.

Another year. Yayyyyy. I’ll think I ‘ll just get to it.

Movies:

For the record, I don’t see a lot of movies. At least when they come out. Either way, here are some I really liked.

MV5BMTc3MjI0MjM0NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTYxMTQ1OA@@._V1._SY317_CR0,0,214,317_Argo

It’s insane. Ben Affleck is one of the best directors in Hollywood. Who’da thunk it?

This movie wasn’t perfect but it was still pretty close. John Goodman and Alan Arkin were enough to make the movie for me. The last hour left me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

MV5BMjM1MzMzOTA3MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTE3NzA1OA@@._V1._SY317_Skyfall

Is there anything worth saying that hasn’t been said? Probably not.

My personal favorite aspects of this film though? There was too much to like: The skyscraper assassination/fight, Javier Bardem’s introduction monologue, Q, and of course the 1965 Aston Martin DB5.

Still, what was up with that scorpion scene?

imagesSafety Not Guaranteed 

This movie really flew under the radar. I absolutely loved it. It may even go as far as being my “favorite of the year” (Though I’m a sucker for 007).

Mark Duplass and Aubrey Plaza are absolutely incredible in this film. The “campfire-song” scene between the two of them is beautifully shot, not to mention the song itself was quite impressive. If you haven’t, go see this film now!

MV5BMTM3MDUzMDQwNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDk1NjM4OA@@._V1._SY317_Sleepwalk With Me

This fun little film was produced by the This American Life crew, and was written, directed, and starred by Mike Birbiglia, who inspired the true events in the movie.

It’s not exactly a “pro-marriage” movie, but I don’t think it’s necessarily “anti” either. Just be aware that it paints marriage in a funny light. (I wrote a blog on this type of thing already here)

Despite my reservations on that topic, it is still a film worth viewing. It’s quite hilarious and very heart-warming.

MV5BMTk4ODQzNDY3Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODA0NTM4Nw@@._V1._SY317_The Dark Knight Rises

Any body who doesn’t have this movie in their end of year favorites is just lying to themselves. Get over your expectations! This movie rocked. Was it the best in the trilogy? No. Does that make it a bad movie? Of course not.

Christopher Nolan delivered just enough to cement his trilogy among the greats. With that being said, I do hope that Nolan returns to a smaller scope in whatever his next film is. The grand scale moments of TDKR are definitely enticing, I can’t help but enjoy the more human aspects of all his films a bit more.

Still, that airplane scene at the beginning? The Bane-Batman fight sequence? The cat burglar? That Ending? Too good.

Music

51kdATs+Y7L._SL500_AA280_Matthew Perryman Jones- Land of the Living

This is such a great record. For a full review, check out American Songwriters take on the album here.

It’s dark, swoony (is that a word?), uplifting, deep, and poetic. Stones From The Riverbed is probably my favorite; his eerie chanting of “the stones from the city wall are pulled from the riverbed,” give me chills every time. Waking Up The Dead is worth mentioning as well. It PUMPS ME UP MAN.

51uehPYp-eL._SL500_AA280_Dirty Projectors- Swing Lo Magellan

It took me a little while to jump on the Dirty Projectors band wagon. But once I did, I was curious as to what took me so long. This album is absolutely wonderful. It’s surprisingly catchy and could be easily categorized as a pop record; though I would never fully agree.

The hooks are unmistakable and the lyrics are positively thought-engaging. Sometimes the production work is a bit too “purposely messy” for me, and I could use a bit more main vocals from the female side of the group. Still, it’s great. The title track is wonderful, Impregnable Question is probably better, and The Socialites is my favorite. The album closer, Irresponsible Tune, feels like it comes straight out of John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band. 

51uCk8LoGtL._SL500_AA300_The Gaslight Anthem- Handwritten 

This was a Spotify favorite for me, and then I finally gave in and bought it. In the midst of indie mania (I’m not excluding myself on this i.e. Dr. Dog & Dirty Projectors) it’s hard to find bands that can still simply just… you know… rock?

Gaslight can rock and they do it well. Frontman Brain Fallon’s songwriting is just getting better on each record. You can almost sense the confidence he has in his craft. I’m sure records like this aren’t for everyone these days, but man, if you need something to keep you awake on a long drive, plug in Gaslight and turn it up. My favorites: Here Comes My Man, Too Much Blood, National Anthem. 

51o+P0uSdfL._SL500_AA300_Dr. Dog- Be The Void

I love this record for the same reason I love the Dirty Projectors: every song offers a unique sound and each sound holds it’s own weight.

Sadly, Void was my first real introduction into Dr. Dog. I tend to get turned off by some indie people you find on “best-of” lists year after year. Finally I put my guard down and picked up this record after a close friend recommended it.

Get it now! It’s one of the few records that literally get better as each song plays. As soon as you think it can’t get better, it does. It was hard to pick favorites, but I did. Check out: Big Girl, Vampires, Warrior Man. 

51waS91VgdL._SL500_AA280_Lovedrug- Wild Blood

Wild Blood was a great turn around After Lovedrug’s last weeiiird album. There were a couple other records I wanted to mention here, but I thought I’d end with Lovedrug since they probably wont get a lot of love on other lists.

Yes, the Lovedrug guy is in love. At some points, this record is almost too cute. As a Lovedrug fan, I never thought I’d say that. Still, it’s a great album and a very worthy mention. Check out: Wild Blood, Dinosaur, Anodyne.

Books

Love_Does2Love Does- Bob Goff 

Yes, it’s a Christian book. Turns out, it’s a really good Christian book. I love the emphasis: “be available.” The stories in this book make you laugh, tear up, and shake your head. In terms of conventional faith books, it’ll take you outside your comfort zone.

There is no formula, no big plan. Goff just says that love does things. It’s available. It’s Jesus.

232324Platform- Michael Hyatt

It’s exactly what the cover says. A step-by-step guide on creating on online platform. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to start a blog, launch a product, or simply find out more about social media.

Obviously, it hasn’t turned me into an online success, but that’s ok, there’s always next year. (I’m still working on that whole ‘be consistent’ thing)

Once you read the book, plug in to his podcast This Is Your Life. It’s a good way to keep motivated and inspired on the ever present empty page.

9780307888907_custom-566a7991b87d68a3881514af980c49cca6095091-s6-c10The Start Up of You- Reid Hoffman & Ben Casnocha

I actually just finished it today. Not just for those with an entrepreneurial mindset, but also for those curious on how to cultivate a career in today’s ever changing market. The main idea? Treat your life and career as a start up venture. It’s actually a cool concept.

Hoffman is the guy who co-founded LinkedIN, so a lot of the advice is to go on to LinkedIN. Nonetheless, there are nuggets of wisdom in here I wouldn’t have found anywhere else that made it worth the read.

If you’re not into these business books, I can’t guarantee you’ll like it. Though I do think the idea of “personal beta” is a concept everyone could use to better their lives. Check it out!

781998The Screwtape Letters- C.S. Lewis (1942)

I didn’t read as many new books as I was hoping to this year (thank you Calculus) so I thought I mention an older one.

This is a classic. It took me a few chapters to buy into the story (demons writing letters to each other) but eventually, like all of Lewis’ work, I fell in. I don’t necessarily agree with everything in the book. For instance, I’m not sure if demons write letters…. but there are ideas that can and should change your life.

My greatest takeaway? Don’t miss the present. It’s God’s gift to us and we are all prone to miss it. Some focus on the past, others (like myself) worry too much of the future. Today, this moment, is a gift.