Maybe I'll come up with a title by the end

'Cause these don't necessarily have to be finished works, do they? They're blogs for crying out loud. Yes, it's communication and the written word and, as in all things, we have a responsibility to write our best and truest. Before every great work, however, there is planning and even brainstorming.

I contacted a few graphic design students to put together an image for the Faith and Film t shirt that will hopefully exist soon(ish). It was very exciting. I let them know what we needed/wanted, they let me know that they were interested and some of them began rough draft stuff. We got one image in already. From who? One of about five or six people involved. It wasn't right on the dot of what we were looking for. (Of course, we don't know yet what we're looking for, but we know it will be something amazing and beautiful - quality design.) It was satisfying to start a dialogue about the decisions they made, what the club is about etc. I hope dearly that she wasn't offended (I actually wrote the words, "Don't be discouraged" in my last reply) because it was a good initial try and she's a freshman and I don't think she has been to American Beauty or Whale Rider. So I sent her the constitution for the club, which is vague but gives a general idea of our intention, and invited her to see Virgin Suicides (Oct. 28th!). I hope she does and that she gets time to give it another shot. I'm sure she will and let me say, if it hasn't been inferred already, that I am super grateful for her enthusiasm and effort.


"Can you be friends with someone if... ... ...?"
"...at some point, I just confronted them and reminded them, 'Hello? She's a human being!'"
"Yeah, but what if..."
"I don't even think they realized that they were doing it..."
"...just tell them to bitch to someone else? Take it in without comment? Defend them?"
"Unless he's not especially picky about who his friends are."

Working at the Bean is the closest thing to being a bartender - which, I've found, is the most interesting and enjoyable jobs out there. You control music, people come to you to unwind and gather with friends and you provide them with a refreshing drink. It's not even that the drink is super comforting or caffeinated, but it is sustenance - it could very well be water that they're drinking (people should drink more water anyway) and they would be ready to do what they came to do.

Arcade Fire, Decemberists, Polyphonic Spree - I love these bands. And, sheesh, they all have like a lot of people involved in their performances. Well, I caught some of Decemberists on Austin City Limits and they had four or five members from the looks of it. The Polyphonic have... twenty three? Arcade Fire, when we saw them in St. Paul, had eleven or so. It was hard to tell 'cause they were all dancing and running around and changing instruments. I love Polyphonic and sing their songs a lot but 'Cade Fire and Decemberists definitely have a place in my top five albums. Crane Wife is in there... but, though I'm leaning more and more toward Neon Bible, I really love Funeral. It's a strange transition to become saturated with these two and a half (ie. a road trip to see Arcade Fire and playing Crane Wife dominantly in the ride to and from, in addition to Funeral/Neon Bible/single tracks of nostalgic stuff) and then listening to... I dunno... bands with drums and elec. guitar. Sufjan Stevens. John Wayne Gacy jr. is one hell of a song, and it's piano and guitar. And so is He Woke Me Up Again. But Chicago? Man of Metropolis? (to name a few!) it's... as much of a bastard this will make me out to be, it sounds like music. It's not pedestrian or done before or whatever. In addition! because a wide assortment of instruments alone doesn't make a great band, amazing amazing songs - lyrical style, energy, theme, conviction... it's much more of a dynamic challenge to put together an organ, two guitars, three violins, a keyboard, a french horn, accordion, everyone of them singing etc. than to place drums, guitar and bass together. Yes, drums and guitar and bass are super versatile but... how many bands do you hear that sound the same with drums and guitar and shit?

This has been Thursday. October 18, 2007. It has been cloudy and drizzling rain as have the past five or so days. Today has been a gift and I hope you have all ran with it. Praise God. Praise God for the people that make you who you are, for academic ability, for social effort and for orchestrating every second of every minute today.