When I was a freshman in high school, me and my best buddy, Andy Hunt would lay on his living room floor and try to guess the next song that would come on the 5-disc CD changer that his parents had recently purchased (and let me tell you--that thing was high technology!). You got points (it was never determined how many) if you got the right artist (there were always at lest two discs in the changer by the same band--usually The Cure or Morrissey), more points for getting the album right, and then the closer you were to the actual track--you guessed it--more points. If you actually chose the song--well, I don't know that it ever happened. Perhaps the room would have been sucked into a new dimension.
That cute story from my past aside, I know that there are several of you who read this blog who have a favorite group or maybe even a few bands or singers you like. Here's how you play this game. Think of a group that you like and then post a comment that has your top 3-5 songs by that group (I know how hard it can be to boil it down) and some words about why (optional). Then we can post in agreement or disagreement with words of our own.
I'll start:
Ben Folds is probably my favorite songwriter of all time. Yes, even more so than Robert Smith or Billy Corgan. Here are my top three songs by him:
"Selfless, Cold, and Composed"- I already have a soft spot for songs in 6/8. This song came out in the months before I left on my mission and it (as well as "Missing the War" and "Evaporated") had just the right forlorn twinge that suited me then and suits certain moods of mine now (though the other songs I mentioned were more acute back then--"Selfless" has jumped in the rankings since). It is, for me, the consummate Ben Folds tune.
"Army"- you know you can't resist those horns! This song starts off with a swear that I can't condone (though for some reason when BF swears, I can't help but smile usually--kinda like your dad swearing. It's funny!), "Army" is Ben Folds Five at their best. Harmony and Horns--that's all you need (and fuzz bass).
"Trusted"- this tune in on Ben Folds's most recent solo album. I love it. I love how he can be super funny on one track and then super serious on the next. This is one of those serious moments. When I heard this tune I knew my boy Ben would be around for a long time.
Tina and I are going to see Ben Folds and John Mayer together this summer (you got John Mayer, Nick? Tell us your fave three!). It is sure to be magnificent.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Thursday, April 05, 2007
The End of an Era..?
About a year ago, my buddy who hosts jonstone.com for me (Mat Richins) got an email from Jon Stone offering $500 bucks for the domain. Yes, there are many other Jon Stones out there, I guess, and this one has his eye on my site. I scoffed when I heard--HA! I am the only Jon Stone who really matters (except that dude with the big beard who was the writer for Sesame Street before he kicked the bucket). I laugh in the general direction of your $500!
A few months later he upped the ante to $1000. My pride bubble grew--dollar signs in my eyes. If i sit on this long enough, I thought, it could be my chance at millions!
Well, as we tabulate the costs of moving, paying a rent deposit, going on extended vacation, etc., that $1000 bucks is looking a bit more appealing. So- I offered the dude $1500. He was all over it. (Man! should have offered it for 2K!). I have to give him time to drum up the cash, but it looks like jonstone.com is in its final stretch.
Fear not, dear family! I will be able to very easily transfer all of the happiness on the site to a new domain. Unfortunately, most of the good ones (stonefamily.com, thefamilystone.com, jonathanstone.com, and on and on) are taken already. Right now, the best I can do are thehouseofstone.com and jonstonefamily.com. So--your job, should you care to participate, is to vote on either of those or use your creative juices to come up with another site with an appropriate title to host the picture vault that is currently jonstone.com. You can check and see if that domain is available by plugging it into a domain availability search engine like the one here or here.
I actually like thehouseofstone.com It has a nice ring to it and works well as a place where many of us with stone connections can post pictures of our families. I don't doubt in your abilities to come up with something better, though. Go for it!
A few months later he upped the ante to $1000. My pride bubble grew--dollar signs in my eyes. If i sit on this long enough, I thought, it could be my chance at millions!
Well, as we tabulate the costs of moving, paying a rent deposit, going on extended vacation, etc., that $1000 bucks is looking a bit more appealing. So- I offered the dude $1500. He was all over it. (Man! should have offered it for 2K!). I have to give him time to drum up the cash, but it looks like jonstone.com is in its final stretch.
Fear not, dear family! I will be able to very easily transfer all of the happiness on the site to a new domain. Unfortunately, most of the good ones (stonefamily.com, thefamilystone.com, jonathanstone.com, and on and on) are taken already. Right now, the best I can do are thehouseofstone.com and jonstonefamily.com. So--your job, should you care to participate, is to vote on either of those or use your creative juices to come up with another site with an appropriate title to host the picture vault that is currently jonstone.com. You can check and see if that domain is available by plugging it into a domain availability search engine like the one here or here.
I actually like thehouseofstone.com It has a nice ring to it and works well as a place where many of us with stone connections can post pictures of our families. I don't doubt in your abilities to come up with something better, though. Go for it!
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Gathering Blue & Messenger
I just finished the second and third book in the Lois Lowry series that begins with The Giver. I posted earlier about my affinity for The Giver but about my frustration at its length and failure to offer any real closure in regards to the central conflict in the novel. This tradition continues into the second novel, and (while not as prevalent) is also present in the third. These problems do not outshine the warmth and quality of these latter two novels, but still leave the reader wanting (maybe that is the point though).
The second novel in the series is titled Gathering Blue. I should mention, however, that the series is not really a standard one as series go. There are no characters that appear or speak in the second novel that were in the first. The only reference that we get to the other story at all is a mention of a young man with pale blue eyes who lives in a different village from that of the protagonist. We assume that this pale blue eyed fellow is Jonas—though he is no longer referred to by that name in the second or third book.
The third novel is titled Messenger. Because the books are both so short, I will keep a rehashing of plot elements to a minimum—what is important to know is that both books take place on the same “world” as The Giver did—a post apocalyptic Earth. Each introduce and describe different utopias in this world, though each are vastly different from each other (which is kind of cool since they are all on the same planet). Each book, like The Giver, centers on a protagonist with a special power that can be used to serve others. The books are all about how these young people come to terms with their inner power and how they learn how to use it for good.
The thing that I like about these novels is that the “broad strokes” (there’s that term again!) are colorful and bright. The picture that they present to the reader leaves much to the imagination—in other words, the reader is really only told a few details about the environments in the book and is left to fill in the blanks. Unfortunately, these broad strokes are where the novels are lacking for me as well. Lowry introduces (in all three books) potential antagonists with which a detailed conflict would be very interesting and then never uses them. It’s a bizarre choice for me, dramatically. Gathering Blue has almost no conflict in it at all—so the story arc ends up a little weird. Like The Giver it seems to end just when it starts to get good. This is alleviated a bit by the fact that Messenger deals with many of the same characters as Gathering Blue does, so we get a bit of closure on some plot points (plus the Jonas character gets a supporting role). In a word, the books are soft. If you like that kind of thing (and I am thinking particularly of you, Dad), you should really enjoy them. I did—though they all left me a bit hungry.
I should also mention here that I am halfway through Pirsig’s famous Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I really like it—though it is a very different kind of book. It is ½ philosophy theory, ¼ self-help, and ¼ travel narrative. The theory gets a bit complicated and thick at times, but the self-help stuff is well disguised and isn’t preachy or toot-your-own-horn-y like some self-help stuff I have read. The travel narrative is the part of the book that I wish there was more of. I love reading about places and scenery—I guess I am just at the part of my life right now. Anyway, more on this book in a few weeks when I finish it.
The second novel in the series is titled Gathering Blue. I should mention, however, that the series is not really a standard one as series go. There are no characters that appear or speak in the second novel that were in the first. The only reference that we get to the other story at all is a mention of a young man with pale blue eyes who lives in a different village from that of the protagonist. We assume that this pale blue eyed fellow is Jonas—though he is no longer referred to by that name in the second or third book.
The third novel is titled Messenger. Because the books are both so short, I will keep a rehashing of plot elements to a minimum—what is important to know is that both books take place on the same “world” as The Giver did—a post apocalyptic Earth. Each introduce and describe different utopias in this world, though each are vastly different from each other (which is kind of cool since they are all on the same planet). Each book, like The Giver, centers on a protagonist with a special power that can be used to serve others. The books are all about how these young people come to terms with their inner power and how they learn how to use it for good.
The thing that I like about these novels is that the “broad strokes” (there’s that term again!) are colorful and bright. The picture that they present to the reader leaves much to the imagination—in other words, the reader is really only told a few details about the environments in the book and is left to fill in the blanks. Unfortunately, these broad strokes are where the novels are lacking for me as well. Lowry introduces (in all three books) potential antagonists with which a detailed conflict would be very interesting and then never uses them. It’s a bizarre choice for me, dramatically. Gathering Blue has almost no conflict in it at all—so the story arc ends up a little weird. Like The Giver it seems to end just when it starts to get good. This is alleviated a bit by the fact that Messenger deals with many of the same characters as Gathering Blue does, so we get a bit of closure on some plot points (plus the Jonas character gets a supporting role). In a word, the books are soft. If you like that kind of thing (and I am thinking particularly of you, Dad), you should really enjoy them. I did—though they all left me a bit hungry.
I should also mention here that I am halfway through Pirsig’s famous Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I really like it—though it is a very different kind of book. It is ½ philosophy theory, ¼ self-help, and ¼ travel narrative. The theory gets a bit complicated and thick at times, but the self-help stuff is well disguised and isn’t preachy or toot-your-own-horn-y like some self-help stuff I have read. The travel narrative is the part of the book that I wish there was more of. I love reading about places and scenery—I guess I am just at the part of my life right now. Anyway, more on this book in a few weeks when I finish it.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Come on feel the Illinoise
Sears Tower pictures
Chicago looking northeast
north
Champaign church (Stake Center)
English building at UIUC
place we will probably live...(still working out the details here--notice the picture changed)
Chicago looking northeast
north
Champaign church (Stake Center)
English building at UIUC
place we will probably live...(still working out the details here--notice the picture changed)
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