The new acquisitions have arrived: Floyd and Lenny. It feels good to be listening to good music. I understand there are spurts of purchasing and binges of enjoyment, so I’m just soaking this one up; pretty soon I won’t too much money to do anything. I’d like to check out some Radiohead (Jame’s any rec’s?).

Current Status of Life (CSL):

Daily Pattern as of late-wake up (around 1:30 PM), go to work (for 2:30 PM), get home from work (11:20 PM), talk to girl (normally from 1-2 hours, sometimes more), watch TV and mull around (till about 4 or 5 AM). Got to get out of this!

Things to get done-need to officially drop class, need to tune up sermon for Tuesday and get reading done, need to polish off/up papers for a class, need to start listening to lectures and getting work done for other class, need to burn a bunch of mp3s for a bunch of pastors, need to prepare for NT Survey class I teach at church, need to think about how I’m going to pay some bills, need to apply for a loan, need to nail down July 2 with Seminary for my wedding, need to get mentored ministry stuff together, need to pray.

Things I’m looking forward to-getting my sermon done Tuesday, going to a ministry summons in Philly on the tenth to the eleventh, seeing my girl in two weeks, having movie marathons with my girl and other friends, graduating from seminary, seeing my buddy Rusty get married in June, get married myself in July and having absolutely no physical limits with my woman, watching endless movies and listening to the coolest music together, starting Ph.D. work and moving to Kentucky with my new bride next August. I can’t wait to see Jesus come again to judge the world and resurrect me, to consummate what he has inaugurated by his death and resurrection. To see all wrongs righted, to see vengence taken on all the terrible and unrepentant people on the earth, to see all the saints join together in worship as the New Heavens and Earth come in full, to have mine and Kalila’s soul perfected and being satisfied by God forever.

Speaking of my woman, she had an interesting post yesterday on her journal (http://ateshparende.easyjournal.com/). It’s funny too because we had a great talk on the phone. Sometimes she’s hard to read like that. It sounds like she is depressed but she said nothing of this on the phone. Maybe she was out of this mood by the time we talked, or something, I don’t know. I hope she feels that she can tell me anything, but I don’t think she does. If you read her previous entry about “Happy Girls,” it’s almost like she wishes she could marry her best friend. I know that’s not what she intends, but I wonder if I’m “soulmate” material for her. She loves rain, I hate it. She loves archaelogy, I’m not that interested in it. She loves Sylvia Plath and E.M. Forster, I’ve never read them before and probably wouldn’t understand them even if I did. She loves darkness, cloudiness, the idea of insanity and the idea of death, and that stuff doesn’t compare to a sunny day (which she would love too) for me. Sometimes I think I’m too mechanical for her. I don’t know, I just wonder. But she’s crazy about me, so it’s almost like she doesn’t care if I can’t connect her as deeply as her friend Rachel. I’m just glad that I’m not in competition. Cause obvioulsy, I’m not a girl, I don’t have a different family/ethnic background (i.e. non-american caucasian), I’m not her age, etc. so I can’t relate to her on the same level. But sometimes I wonder if that is enough. I just feel that having looked at her online journal and then when I read her hardcopy journals, that I’m going to find a girl different than what she has portrayed to me. She told me this, but I just wonder how it affects/effects things. Sometimes I just feel like an outsider, that’s all. I guess we’ll find out.

The new U2 CD is unbelievable. The DVD that comes with it has some sweet acoustic and alternative takes of three of the songs on the album. “Vertigo” is growing on me more and more. When I first heard it on the radio I thought that it sounded so pop and I didn’t really like it. But when I was the DVD and a version of the song were The Edge is playing the banjo in an acoustic take with just him and Bono, you can’t help thinking that this is the best band of our generation (i.e. post 1980). Just about every album they’ve ever put out has gone platnum and they continue to crank out hits. They worked on their current album for three years and you can hear the quality. I’m particularly moved by “Miracle Drug” and “Yahweh” as their not quite disguised Christian side comes out. But what can I say, U2 is just cool.

Had an interesting chat with the lady last night about humor and comedy. She is not at all inclined to stand-up comedy. I have always been a fan since I was little. Her sense of humor seems to be a little more subtle, a little more darker. It’s interesting because I laugh at most of what she laughs at, at least when we are together. She doesn’t like physical comedy, which can be brilliant if it is done the way it should be. So I’m hoping that she’ll appreciate Seinfeld, even though Kramer’s physical comedy can be the focus of many episodes. We’ll find out. She’s never seen a full episode. I do know couples that have different senses of humor, but they seem work out fine. I was conversing with my pastor this morning about this very thing, and he suggested that a lot has to do with family and culture. I think there is some definite truth to that, and I hope as me a Kalila form a family and create our own culture that humor together will develop in that context.

OK, more musical acquisitions:

Phish (A Live One, Hoist-used to own both, and PhishLive 06)
Pearl Jam (5-disc concert done at Madison Square Garden in 2001)
Pink Floyd (Wish You Were Here-tied for my favorite, also used to own)

In the hopper, or mail via amazon:

Pink Floyd (A Momentary Lapse of Reason and Dark Side of the Moon, used to own)
Lenny Kravitz (Baptism-per recommendation of Jonathan Dodson, a close friend)

Looking forward.