.travypp.

The new Underoath album has been out for a week now. It's great. If you don't believe me, believe this guy:
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/pc_article.php?id=7678

So, how long has it been?

Long enough that I realize most people don't check this anymore.
Well, kudos to you if you're actually reading this.

So much has happened since my last post (sometime last year..?).

So here's the short version of many long stories:
After I graduated from Centennial this past Decemeber I got a job as a reporter at a community paper in Vaughan.
I've been here for almost 5 months now. I have loved the job and working with my editor over this time.
However, last week I gave in my resignation because I got offered a job at another publication.
More on that when I actually begin.

But, suffice to say, God has been good and he's been teaching me a lot about provision, prayer and joy in the midst of every situation. It's great to know that no matter how old I get or how much I experience and learn, there's still so much more to know about Him and His character!

I will bring this post to a close now. I need to get some work done!

But I will you with possibly the best single of 2007. It's a large file (17mb), but worth the wait!

LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within you heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen

Well, I haven't posted for a while. I'm sure at this point I'm speaking to an empty room. That's ok :)

Between writing for school and for my own enjoyment, I haven't had much motivation to write anything here. And, aside from this right now, I still haven't found that motivation - or, it hasn't found me!

So, I will end this post with saying, check out the new:

Norma Jean album - http://www.myspace.com/normajean

TV on the Radio album - http://www.myspace.com/tvotr

Mewithoutyou album - http://myspace.com/mewithoutyou

These Arms Are Snakes album - http://www.myspace.com/thesearmsaresnakes

Pigeon John album - http://www.myspace.com/pigeonjohn

Decemberists album - http://www.myspace.com/thedecemberists



Alrite, that is all for now.

Payce!

( For your eyes )


( For your ears )

edit: the file i uploaded was not working on the site - the link now points to the purevolume page where the song is the first one on the list.

So tickets for Dave Chappelle went on sale today. I logged on about 20 minutes after the internet sale started - I did not feel good about tickets still being available. My instincts were right - sold out.

But wait! There was a second show at 10:30! I quickly logged onto that part of the website and searched to see if there were a pair of tickets still available. Yes! Two floor seats, ready for the taking. Oh, but $180? Hmmm, well maybe I should see where the cheap tickets are in the theatre. Ooo...way up there? All the way in the corner? Hmm..no thanks. I prefer that 8th Row Left Side section that was given to me before. Should I buy it? $180 is alot. But Dave Chappelle is so great. And I could always sell them later if I don't feel good about spending that much money. Hmm. No, I'll wait.

-10 minutes later-

UGH! I should buy them! I log back onto the site, and alas, the second show is completely sold out. Such is my luck. Too much patience was practiced in this situation.

*sigh*

Studying the Word becomes dry when its merely done to know the text.
Studying the Word becomes, and remains, alive when its done to know God.

The Word is true, but it is not truth. It points to the truth, but does not replace it.

-CP


My time in the Word becomes dry when I'm in it just for the sake of head knowledge. It should be more than that. It is always alive and real to me when I'm in it to know God more.



I'm loving this once-a-month study I'm in, more and more.

This past Saturday had to be one of the best days, in one of the best weekends of the summer.
The last few weeks have been busy with people and events, and there has been little time to really sit back and just enjoy being. Not doing, just being.
So on the weekend, Jenna and I spent a much needed weekend hanging out together, alone, away from the busyness that this summer has produced.

Saturday began with a lazy wakeup past the noon hour, since I had gone to bed around 5:30am that morning after driving Jenna home.
I rolled myself out of bed, cleaned up and then went to get a haircut. After being dissatisfied with the job done on my head (my “regular” barber was busy with another customer, and I didn’t want to wait so I just went with the new guy – bad choice), I was even more eager to see Jenna.
I made my way across town and got to her place around 2:30ish. We spent some time lazing around her apartment and finally decided to get food – Mucho Burrito filled my stomach like no other. It was SO good!
We then made a quick stop by to see one of her friend’s from church. He had just came back from East Asia, after being there for a year (I think?), a few weeks ago and had an open house for friends and family. We spent an hour or two there and then finally made our way back to my place.

We were both somewhat tired and didn’t feel like going out. We had originally planned to see Superman that night, but opted against it. Instead, we came home and made cookies! :) It was quite the evening. Making cookies and talking, with Wilco playing in the background. It really couldn’t have gotten any better.
It was so good to intentionally spend time together and catch up on what’s been going on for the last couple of weeks.
The plan after the cookies were finished (they turned out great btw:), was to watch a movie together on TV. We ordered Glory Road, which I had wanted to see since it came out months ago. Jenna was gracious enough to agree to watch it. As it began though, she slowly dozed off and fell asleep, and I was able to watch it while she rustled around :)

After the movie was over she woke up, and we were able to spend the rest of the night talking and spending more time together. Before we knew it, it was past 4:30am! The best times always seem to fly by so much quicker.

Hands down it was one of the best nights this summer has seen.

P.S. I probably forget a ton of stuff that happened and I most likely didn’t capture how great the night was in my quick rambling/typing in the last 5 minutes.

Is it wrong that I dreamt about what the Raptors will do with their draft pick on Wednesday?

His head slumped to his chest, hanging from his neck like a dead leaf from a branch. The dark air surrounded his thoughts as he tried to regain consciousness. "What happened?!" he thought to himself as he slowly staggered to his feet, leaning on an old Pine tree for balance.
A pool of blood, filled with curious insects, caused him to instantly reach for the pounding area on his head. He looked down at his fingers to see his own dark, sappy blood cover his skin.

He then noticed a piece of paper on the ground, partially covered by dirt. "YOU DID NOT SHOW UP" the note read, in blood red capitals. Bewildered and still in a daze, he raced through his memory to try to understand what this note meant. Why did he become a victim of a seemingly random act of violence?

He checked his wallet to see if any money was taken. Was this just another mugging? He didn't remember anyone approaching him before blacking out.
As he leafed through his wallet, it him hit harder than the blow to his head - he saw the ticket.
He didn't go to the show that night! How could he have forgotten?! He knew he derserved what he had gotten - he knew he couldn't turn to the authorities now, because he was guilty.



*Don't let this happen to you*
Moneen. at The Opera House. June 14th. BE THERE.

Change is a funny thing. It can bring the prospect of something new and exciting - something never imagined, yet vital and needed. At the very same moment, change brings forth thoughts of uncertainty as it takes you into territory never wandered or seen before.

Is the season of change upon me? I'm not quite sure. Changing school? Ending school? Leaving things as they are and continuing where I am? All these thoughts and questions are once again surfacing. Perhaps I brushed them off too quickly the last time...? I'm going to go forward and explore what options I have right now and pray pray pray.


In other exciting news, Moneen is gracing Toronto with a headlining show June 14th. I plan to be there and so should you! It is a Wednesday evening I believe and at the moment I'm going by myself - I'm quite content with that since Moneen is more than enough, but the more the merrier! :)

It is now week two of me being back home, marks are in from school, I'm settling in and about to start my job next week. It will be nice to be making money, but I don't look forward to early mornings and less going out during the week. I think I have become too accustomed to going out whenever I please without the worry of having to wake up early the next morning. University does nothing to prepare you for the work world in that sense - at least for me, having the ability to choose my schedule and have my earliest class begin at 11:30am. *sigh* It was fun while it lasted.

Ok, I never thought this day would come, but I am telling everyone to watch Oprah tomorrow (yes, now would be a good time to look outside to see if pigs are indeed flying).

I received an email today saying that the three filmmakers of the Invisible Children project will be on Oprah tomorrow afternoon. I've been loosely following the happenings of Invisible Children over the last year or so, as they try to bring awareness about the situation in Northern Uganda.
What is Invisible Children? Well, check it out for yourself: www.invisiblechildren.com

Who won tickets to see Moneen on April 30th?! Yah, thats right, I did! Ok, well, they're opening for Saves the Day and Circa Survive, but whatever, I'll be there for them.

In other concert news, many good shows already announced for the summer...so who's in??

May 2nd - The Books
May 4th - Pinback!
May 5th - MSTRKRFT
May 6th - Owen
May 12th - Blockhead
May 13th - People Under The Stairs
May 16th - MOGWAI!
May 19th - Islands
May 19th - MSTRKRFT (yes, they're playing again)
May 20th - Architecture in Helsinki
May 27th - Imogen Heap (not a huge fan, but would be interested to see the live show)
June 11th - Pink Mountaintops
June 13th - Band of Horses
June 14th - Bright Eyes
June 15th - The Aquabats (I don't really know they're stuff and I'm not a huge fan of what I've heard, but I think it'd be a fun show to see)
June 18th - Showbread
June 23rd - THE STREETS!
June 27th - The Walkmen
July 5th - The Roots

Thats all for now. I'm probably missing some and others will be announced soon enough.
I'm sure most of you stopped reading after the first date, thats ok, hopefully one person will want to go to at least one of these shows, making this worth my time :)

One week, three exams, and then year three is officially over - I can't wait.

Yesterday I wrote the dreaded History of Germany exam. It was everything I expected it to be, yet I think I still managed to get by on the limited knowledge I acquired on the country's history from 1870-Present in one day of cramming.
But one thing bothered me. I wrote the exam in the Raven's Nest (the nice new gym) and something felt different. I loved writing in there before, because its so huge and they give you these massive desks that are so spread out from everyone else - its like you're on your own little island writing the exam by yourself. But that has changed! Yesterday, they had those "small" desks in the gym - attempting to fit as many people in there as possible. I did not enjoy that. But I digress ...

TODAY the new .moneen. album is out. Woot! TONITE I go home for 10 days. Heck Yes! I have been patiently waiting for this day for a while, and it has arrived. I just have to write my MCOM3101 exam at 2pm (which will be a joke) and then I'm off. I'm hoping since I'm leaving on a Tuesday afternoon, the Greyhound bus won't be that packed - meaning I can have two seats to myself to sprawl out, listen to music and air drum without hitting some old lady beside me.

Until next time...

This isn’t living, this is merely existing - a means to the end of the day, a way to allow time to pass and the pain of nothingness to dissipate. It is hard to see the truth sometimes through these eyes, yet it is still tried. A futile attempt to gain control of something that is uncontrollable, a swat in the air to clear the dust that will always remain.
The world still turns and the days continue to grow old, yet the excitement of these simple facts are lost in self-indulgent thoughts and pretension that do not allow the enjoyment of life to be had. Rather, life is wrapped in a cloth of anxiety, worry, anger and frustration – products of attempting to self-fulfil a life that is not your own; the opposite of what life is meant to be, yet the rule rather than the exception in most surrounding lives. Re-evaluation is not only needed, but should be expected. There should be a cause for concern, a frantic rush to rectify choices and ratify changes. But there is silence. Absolute silence. The hum of people cruising by continues - the sound of change not even in queue on the record player.




(This isn't about anything in particular. Simply writing for writing's sake.)

Last night was the much anticipated Blackalicious show. The weather was so nice that I decided to walk down to the venue. After walking around York Street not knowing exactly where to go, I figured out I had to go around the building to the back, because the entrance was there.
The room was about half filled, but there was a constant stream of people arriving. The crowd was quite diverse, drawing from everything you'd expect, plus everything you wouldn't think of.

There was a local DJ spinning until around 10pm, when Pigeon John came on. I was totally surprised that he was the first opener. From what I heard he was a great performer, and I thought he had a stronger fanbase than Fatlip and Lifesavas - but apparently I was wrong.
Anyways, he had incredible stage presence and great interaction with the crowd. Most of his songs from his latest album are more chill and laidback, but the beats were beefed up for the live show and he just went off, tearing across the stage, creating conversational rhymes and freestyling between breaks in his original material.
Looking back, he was definitely a good opener, hyping the crowd up right from the start.

Fatlip (from Pharcyde) was up next. I don't know all of his solo stuff, but he started off with a couple tracks I recognized. After talking with the crowd between songs, he decided to throw it back oldschool and ended his set with 3-4 Pharcyde songs - the crowd went off for those and most were yelling for more.

Lifesavas were up next. I've listened to their latest album quite a bit and I enjoy it - I just didn't know what to expect from them live...originally I thought they should have been the first openers.
They quickly changed my mind on that. The energy they brought to the stage was staggering. They had Chief Excel (from Blackalicious) DJ for them, and they threw down song after song, getting right in the face of the crowd and never stopping for a second. They had some of the best on stage chemistry I've seen in a long time.

After their set the crowd was ready for Blackalicious. But there was about a 30-40 break which started to suck the energy from the audience. Finally, after the long wait, Chief Excel and Gift of Gab hit the stage and the crowd didn't stop yelling and waving their arms until they left.
They went through the best material from their Blazin Arrow and The Craft albums, throwing in a couple of older songs (if I remember correctly). Gift of Gab's flow is amazing. Never missing a beat, always adding something extra, and reaching speeds that you would think weren't possible. He threw down some freestyles between songs as well - so good...so good.
They came back out to do an encore - I turned to Katie and said that I hope they do their song with Pigeon John...and thats exactly what happened. One of the best moments of the night, next to the last song they did with everyone on stage - Fat Lip, Pigeon John, The Lifesavas and Blackalicious, all throwing down a verse and left us wanting more.

All in all, an incredible show. I think I'll leave it at that. This post was more for me than anyone else :)

I was going to have this lengthy update, but then I decided against it for now.

All I have to say is that I can't believe the way God answers my prayers sometimes, and the immense blessing I have to see such things happen before my own eyes. So humbled and thankful for the continual display of God working in my life, bringing together things I never thought would have been possible before.




P.S. On a completely unrelated note, I've been listening to the new Saves The Day album...and it takes me back to my high school days - they've returned to their old sound, and I'm a sucker and like it :)

I bought my ticket for the Blackalicious show today! Sweet, I can't wait.

For all you Ottawa kids out there, you really should come to this show. I know that $25 is a lot, so I'm going to share a few songs from each group that's going to be there.
One song does not do them justice, but it will give you a better idea of what they're like if you haven't heard them before.


Blackalicious - First in Flight

Pigeon John - Nothing Without You

Lifesavas - It's Over

I don't have any Fat Lip on my computer, but here's a link to one of his videos:
Fat Lip - What's Up