The Mentality of People

Recently, College Park Covenant Church in Saskatoon was broken into and stole a few items.  They stole the projector, two djembes (one being the church's and the other being Kelly's), the drum kit, a laptop, a garbage canister, a guitar (Kathleen's guitar from her office), and headphones from the sound booth.  They were going to steal the keyboard and soundboard, but must have gotten scared off.  They also scattered some keys around.  So locks are going to be possibly changed.  The people even went downstairs and ate food from the kitchen.  They had their own little meal.  Jokingly, someone said they should have stolen the TV.

There was speculation as to how they got in.  One is they could have gotten through the window they broke in Colin and Kelly's office.  Or they could have hid in a dark place in the church while people were downstairs Thursday for Coffee Club.  Apparently there is an eclectic mix of people who go to the Coffee Club.  Maybe one of them could of done it.  Another person who may have done it might have been someone who goes to the Clothing Depot or who uses our food bank services.  But we might never know.

Yesterday at the congregational meeting, we discussed this.  We discussed getting an alarm system and possibly locking the doors while you are downstairs when stuff is going on like the Coffee Club.  Other things that were discussed is that the front door has a hook up for it to ding when someone goes in and out.  But I doubt people want to keep going up and down to check who it is.  Someone said that if we have security cameras that we might have been able to identify the person.  So we might get security cameras.

I just don't get why someone would steal stuff from a church.  Generally a church is their for people and College Park Covenant Church has done a lot of the surrounding community of College Park.  It's just mind boggling as to why this happened.  What would make someone do this?  But until everything with the insurance is straightened out and we can get some new drums, I don't know what capacity I'll in worship.

May God have mercy on this wicked souls.  It's just stupid on their part.

My Victoria Day Long Weekend - Wiener Roast at the Farm and Wakesiu

I got to get away from Saskatoon this Victoria Day long weekend.  It was my niece Allie's birthday on Saturday.  She became a teenager!  She turned 13.  So on Sunday we had a small gathering at the farm with some family and friends to celebrate her turning 13.  We had a wiener roast at the farm.  Even though we had a few people, it still was a great time to sit outside in the very nice weather and roast wieners and fellowship with the ones that were there.  Great afternoon and early evening!

On Monday my mom asked me if I wanted to go up to Waskesiu with her and my step dad.  Of course I said yes.  We took a small picnic to eat up at one of picnic spots just past the town site.  The first spot we went to was windy, so we went to another spot which was much better in terms of no wind.  My step dad and I went for a bit of walk through the wood at the one spot.  I skipped stones at both spots, but I was bit rusty at doing that.  I didn't always skip them as some of them just hit the water with a plunk.  I got a couple of rocks to skip six times.  But my average was two or three and sometimes four skips.  I got the odd ones to skip five times.  But still not the greatest at it.  There were a lot of rocks that lined the shore.  My mom wanted to take a bunch of the rocks home.  So we picked a box full or so.

On the way back to go home, we stopped at Waskesiu River.  I've never been there.  My mom and step dad said they never usually see fish, but this time we saw a lot.  We walk the trail on the boardwalk and woods.  On the boardwalk we seen two geese and six goslings.  On of the goslings got up on a rock and one of parent geese got up on the rock too.  The goslings were cute.  Than we saw three fish later on the boardwalk.  While in the woods part of the trail, we saw two deer.  It was so awesome to see them up that close.  My step dad heard something and was looking to see what it was and saw a deer.  The deer stopped and seen us, than kept going.  As we kept going we saw the other deer.  The whole Waskesiu River trail was 2kms. It was great exercise!

Overall a great day at Waskesiu.  It's been a number of years since I've been there.  Proof of that is there is a Traxx Footwear where Subway used to be.  We seen lots of wildlife on the way to and from Waskeisu lots of deer, elk, fish, and a heron.  Next time I want to take my mom and step dad on the Boundary Bog!  The Boundary Bog is a great walk in the woods.  Being one with nature is great because it lets you forget about your life for a fleeting moment or two.

While getting stuff ready to take Waskesiu, I told my step dad that I wrote a song with my good friend Mark entitled "A Day Like Any Other Day" and some of the stuff in the song was happening.  I told Mark about it and he thought it was awesome.  For instance lyrics such as "P.A.'s looking to gray, I'd rather spend my day in Waskesiu."  All that happened.  The first three lines of the song, "Sitting on the back porch, drinking Arizona Iced Tea, watching the world pass by" almost happened.  I had an Arizona Iced Tea in my car, but I didn't sit on the back porch drinking it watching the world pass by.  But it would have been awesome if the whole song happened.  Oh well, the parts that did happen was still awesome!

This Weekend - The Next Step of Life

This weekend I'll be going up to the farm.  Even though my niece Allie's birthday is tomorrow (Saturday).  We are celebrating her becoming a teen at the farm with family and friends of the family.  It will be a blessed day to share in this next step of her life.  Plus it will be good to get away for the weekend!  It's also a long weekend which is awesome too!

Violence in Entertainment vs. Christianity

I was on Facebook Tuesday morning and Marc Vandersuly posted a status about the "Avengers."  The comments took a turn to someone saying that they can handle swearing and sex, but not violence.  I found that to be ironic.  Marc replied by saying that they only don't like violence if it's "gory" or "extreme."  Basically, domestic violence in entertainment such as movies or television don't bother them because it's not "gory" or "extreme."  I dually noted by saying that was backwards.

In movies and television, violence doesn't bother me because a lot of it is fiction.  With that, I am disconnecting myself from reality.  Now I do understand that it's the individual beliefs of that have them feel the way they do.  But why they would feel this way about violence in entertainment verses sex and swearing baffles me.  Some people I've talked to feel the same way about three things.  That makes more sense.

Why do a portion of Christians have to shy away from this issue like it's taboo is baffling and beyond me.  There is violence all throughout the Bible.  The Old Testament is riddled with violence.  God is wrathful against the people who do wrong and disobey.  There is also violence against Jesus in the New Testament.  Jesus is beaten and crucified.  With that being said, these same Christians don't shy away from the violence in the Bible, but in movies.  What happened to Jesus can be looked upon as "gory" yet they'd never think that.  I find that to be very odd.  But we understand Jesus had this violence bestowed upon him to forgive our sins.

Maybe I am wrong for comparing two opposite things.  Movies for the most part are fiction while the Bible is real as it did happen.  But maybe I'm not wrong for comparing the two.  I just find it puzzling that a person would feel like this about this?  Am I missing something?  It seems pretty black and white.  Why is there this gray area?  Maybe it's one of those things I'll never fully understand.

Writing Music

Recently I've wrote or finished three songs.  I was on Skype with my good friend Mark and was able to bounce ideas off him.  I even get lyric ideas from him.  I find that conversing and working with someone is good way to get me motivated in finishing music.  Sure I have written songs without working with someone.  But it's just a tool I find useful in music writing.

I feel accomplished when I get songs written or finished.  I feel like the album I am going to record will take shape.  It's always good to have these feelings and senses.  It makes a person feel more motivated.  Since these creative juices are follow, I hope I can keep going to finish and write a few more songs for my album.

Whenever I get my album recorded, I'll let you know!

Uptown Magazine Del Barber Interview Review

First off, let me start by saying that I am a Del Barber fan.  But I am not one of those people that believes everything he touches turns to gold.  He is a great talent, but I don't overpraise him as the end-all to be-all of singer-songwriters in Canada.  Has he earned such praise and hype?  Sure he has logged a ton of mile all across North America, writes some good story songs, and can play guitar pretty good.  Sure some of the praise and hype is warranted.  But do some people take it too far?

Uptown Mag has an interview with Del on their website. I understand that articles will be written on him and he will give interviews.  But the chick who wrote the article and conducted the interview sounds way to pretentious with the following. 

Del Barber’s masterful Headwaters examines the complex relationships we have with where we’re from — and how history dictates our future.

The pretension is unbelievable.  She is trying to make Del out to be some prophet that knows how life works and where it will go.  What he writes is only his take on things.  It's not like his lyrics are scripture telling people this is the way things will go.  She says his 2010 album "Love Songs For the Last Twenty" is a "career making record."  In some ways, that is not a far off statement.  She wrongfully thinks that "Love Song For the Last Twenty" was his introduction to the Canadian roots scene.  That is totally false.  Del's 2009 album, "Where the City Ends" is his introduction.  Seeing as "Loves Songs For the Last Twenty" was acclaimed in a bunch of circles and nominated for two awards, of course she'd leave that out.  But she blows smoke up his saying "Headwaters" is "mightier than the predecessor."  I've not listened to "Headwaters."  So I can't say for certain if that's a truthful statement or if it's convoluted and inflated.  I've heard a few songs from the album.  But I do know this album is vastly different in terms of what he does with the music compared to his past albums.  Yet this isn't mentioned in this interview/article.  Instead she'd rather give him the proverbial "blowjob" by not asking him why he decided to do things with the music that are un-Del Barber and just praise the ever loving shit out of him for "Love Songs For the Last Twenty" and "Headwaters."

This chick likes to state the obvious.  She states that he has a love for community and loves Winnipeg.  What late night session of genius deadline article writing did she come up with this nugget of unknown trivia?  If you've followed Del's career, than this would be painfully obvious.  We don't need some lame online magazine writer to tell, at least me, any of this.  He always puts Manitoba references in his songs.  He likes to talk about home.  Unless you're a simpleton, you shouldn't need it pointed out to you.  As well, she felt the need to point out that Del has kept his "prairie roots."  No shit Sherlock.  What, did you expect your readers to think he moved to some remote village in the Northern China?  I understand that she is stating the obvious for people who don't know who Del Barber is.  But for most people, they know who Del Barber is and know all the stuff she states.

As I sit her writing this review, I chuckle at the atrociousness of this interview/article.  This chick tries too hard to sound like an artsy and intelligent writer, but fails at that only to come off as pretentious.  I could write that someone's album is "evocative and soul stirring."  But that's not who I am and I would come of as fake which she did.  She didn't have to write this article in this way to appease their wannabe artsy/hipster audience of readers just because Winnipeg is known for that.  Is being real and not giving him the proverbial "blowjob" too much ask?  I think not!

Song of the Day #41 - Bachman Turner Overdrive

This song got stuck in my head yesterday at work thanks to Landon!  This song was featured on an episode of "The Simpsons."

"Takin' Care of Business" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
YouTube link