You have new Picture Mail!

Hell Ya!

I am a bad ass salesman! I think I just made my first sale, we'll see!

Thanks + Crazy

Thanks to Jonas for sending me the cigars and Travis cd. I smoked the last one in the evening yesterday. It was a Fuente Work of Art, I smoked it down to the nub...so good.

So I have been on this message board called "hxc boards" since I was in 9th grade of high school. The guy in the picture above is from that board! It's weird how the internet brings people together.

I have 4 days left in my initial training here in Seattle. It has been a great experience so far, but I am very excited to sleep in my own bed and see my friends that I miss so much!

So I have been hanging out with my friend, Abbey over the past two weekends. She is a super nice girl and it’s been great to have someone familiar to hang with in this big city. She is really good at engaging my mind when we talk and making me think about things. The other night we made a fort and watched Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Anyway, if you are reading this, thanks for being a friend!

Abbey had a dream that consisted of her nailing herself into a coffin and sending it off to sea so that she could show her grandmother how to die. How song/poem-worthy is that!? I wish I had cool dreams.

Anyway, I will be seeing my friends this weekend so plan some Josh-time!

Be my memory

I need to apologize for slacking on my blog the past few weeks. A lot has changed and I am excited to write about it!

First off, I have started a new job with Dex Media as a sales rep in advertising. It is a really good opportunity for me to make some money and possibly start a career. I still plan on pursuing missions work and ministry, but I think this experience is going to aid me in all of that.

As a result of the new job, I am in Seattle, WA for training. The total training program is 7 weeks! I am here on the initial training for 3 weeks, and then I go home for the week of July 4th. After that break, I come back to Seattle for another 3 weeks to do “Field Sales Training”. It is pretty hard being away from home for this long, but I think it’s good for me to hit the ground running!

This break has given me a great opportunity to get away and gain some focus. I have quit smoking (I was starting to get dangerously close to addiction), I have been reading the bible and books on theology every day. I feel like I am gaining some drive and momentum towards the person I truly want to be. I think this job is going to put me in a good financial position to hit the mission field (i.e. Music, overseas, other churches, etc.)

I have been reading this book called “Irresistible Revolution”. It has really opened my eyes to missional living and simplicity. I would highly recommend it. I will forewarn you, it is pretty liberal oriented, so if you are conservative you might need to ignore some comments.

I will try to be more consistent in blogging! I suck at life haha.


Ps. How sick is my new bike!? (see entry below) My buddy John helped me get it all restored. It’s a 1966 Raleigh, it still has the original headlight and it works! (via generator on the front wheel)

You have new Picture Mail!

Bjork!

I had the privilege of seeing Bjork perform last night at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

Setting: It was a misty cool evening, but really the weather was perfect and provided a nice relief to the heat Denver has faced the past few weeks. The crowd was jovial and happy, yet still contemplative and very respectful to the music.

Opener: Joanna Newsom opened the show. She is a folk singer whose main instrument is the harp. She also has a violinist, a banjo player and a percussionist. I have heard her latest cd a few times, and frankly was not impressed. She just seemed like such a try-hard with her awkward/over the top voice. I must say, my impression of her was slightly raised after seeing her live. Musically she is fantastic. Her musicianship on the harp, and every other musician on stage was fantastic. I still, however, do not like her voice, and I thought it was distracting.

Bjork: Now for the main attraction! As she took the stage, her band consisted of an 8 piece horn section (all dressed in brightly colored clown-like costumes), a drummer, a sequencer, a DJ and a pianist. The stage was covered in flags and television screens. The sequencer and DJ both used very visual controls for ring modulation and program selection; it was hard to explain with out seeing it yourself. Quite simply, Bjork blew my mind. I wouldn’t say it was the best show I have ever seen, simply because I don’t have the same emotional connection to her music as I do with other bands. I will say, however, that this was the best sounding show I have ever been to. The natural reverb of Red Rocks seemed to just love her voice. I could not believe how loud it was for an outside show. I can see why Bjork has been playing for so long. She is just way to talented to be ignored. Bjork played a mix of songs. Mainly off the newest album, Volta. She did also play songs off pretty much every other album, even Medulla (with some musical accompaniment). Her set lasted for approximately and hour and a half, and had one encore. I felt very privileged to witness a show of this caliber. I have heard she is only playing 13 shows here in her North American tour. If you ever have a chance to witness the wonder that is Bjork, DO IT!

(crappy camera phone pic)

Peace like a River...

My mom just called me 10 minutes ago and informed me that Amy Fosholm passed away. Amy was a lady that lived with my family for a period of 8 years back when I lived in North Dakota. She was one of the godliest women I have ever come across. I would dare say that I probably wouldn’t be a Christian today had I not seen and experienced the love of God that was so evident on Amy. She used to sit in her room for hours up hours praying and interceding for people. I can still remember being a 6 year old sitting in her lap and praying together. Even after she moved out, she would write me letters with prayers and words of encouragement for me.

Amy was well into her 90’s and her health had rapidly depleted in the past year, so this death was not overly unexpected. Either way, it hits me hard. What will my legacy be? I desperately want to love people in the same way that Amy did. In some ways, her death re-ignites a flame in me.

Amy, you will be missed.

If you think about it, please pray for Amy and her family. I know she is in a much better place right now.

(past blog I made about Amy)

Top 5 Vehicular Music Annoyances

Okay, so I was reading over Sean Brage's blog, and I got inspired to list my top 5 musical annoyances when it comes to listening in the car. (I was probably guilty of these at some point)

1. Constant song switching. Most of the girls I know are guilty of this. They listen to 15 seconds of a song, then switch it. I literally want to end it all when this reoccurs. (This is one I am mildly guilty of, but pretty much only when I drive in the car with Jonas and Mark)

2. Playing any form of hardcore after a loud show. The scenario: We just get done seeing Converge play at 140 decibels for 2 hours, I get in the car, and my buddy throws on Municipal Waste with the volume cranked. When this happens, I feel like putting my appendages in a wood chipper and sawing my ears off. After shows, it's either mellow music or nothing.

3. When people feel awkward by just listening to music in the car. If I am familiar with you, and comfortable, I don't feel the need to fill the air with words. I hate it when the music is constantly being turned down just to say some asinine thing that doesn't matter. Sometimes, it's best to just stay silent.

4. I am pretty good about appreciating other people's taste in music. I will admit that sometimes I get annoyed when I have to listen to certain bands for a long trip. I would list bands that fall into this category, but I think the list might be longer than the bible.

5. Over-controlling car DJs. I realize with this entry, I probably seem like a music nazi in my car, but I am not. I usually let my passenger choose the soundtrack for our journey. However, I H-A-T-E it when people are over-zealous with their DJ responsibilities. If you are in my car don't assume that everyone wants to listen to what you do. I will totally sit on your face a use it as toilet paper if this continues.

The end.

Love

I apologize for my lack of blogging lately. Honestly, I think I am going through a time where I am sick of “talking” and ready to start “doing”.

I am extremely excited about this summer.

Interesting Quote

"Search for Truth is search for God. Truth is God. God is, because Truth is. We embark upon the search, because we believe that there is Truth and that it can be found by diligent search and meticulous observance of the well-known and well-tried rules of search. There is no record in history of the failure of such search. Even the atheists who have pretended to disbelieve in God have believed in Truth. The trick they have performed is that of giving God another, not a new, name. His names are legion. Truth is the crown of them all."

- Mahatma Gandhi.

Pictures of my new apartment!

When it comes to you, I'm lazy.

On Monday, I went into the little café next door to my office, and the snow was just pouring down. It was really surreal, because the snow was dumping down, but none of it was sticking. It felt chaotic to me and invigorating.

It seems like life has really slowed down this week, which I am elated about. Last night, I watched the Nuggets play like ass and lose! Then I went home, folded my laundry, and watched the Danielson documentary: Danielson: A Family Movie. I was extremely impressed by this film. It goes through their entire career and really involves the viewer in the story. They are such an inspirational family. They make some of the most obscure sounding music ever, yet their hearts and attitudes are completely sincere and simple. They honestly just want to honor God with their music, and this is the sound that comes from them. I find that to be super interesting and beautiful.

This weekend is going to be quite busy! On Saturday, I am going to watch the Nuggets stomp the Spurs at the Pepsi Center. I am especially excited about this because it’s the first time I have ever gone to a playoff game. Directly after the game, I am going to walk across the street and watch Bright Eyes at the Buell Theatre. I am anticipating this show quite a bit. I really love his new album, Cassadaga.

PS – Last night I started writing some acoustic music for fun. I have been using a 1970’s tape recorder from Montgomery Wards. It sounds like total garbage, but it kind of has warmth to it. Regardless of sound quality, it’s really convenient for getting my ideas down.

I don't know how I feel about this:

LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- Get ready for "Spider-Man: The Broadway Musical."

That may not be the official title, but Marvel Studios is putting the pieces together for a musical on the Great White Way starring the popular superhero.

Julie Taymor, who won Tonys for direction and costume design for the Broadway production of "The Lion King," will direct, with U2's Bono and the Edge creating new music and lyrics for the project.

Auditions are taking place, and a reading is scheduled for the summer. No dates for a Broadway opening have been set.

While the Spider-Man musical marks the first time a Marvel character has been the subject of a Broadway show, it's not the first time a superhero has hit the stage. Superman was in the spotlight of "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman," which opened at the Alvin Theatre in 1966. Despite fairly positive reviews, it closed a few months later.

Spider-Man will next be seen on the big screen, when the third installment of the blockbuster franchise opens across North America on May 4.

Copyright 2007


from cnn.com

SIIIIIIIQ!

So I was hanging out at my church last night, and DJ, our worship leader approached me about playing bass this weekend for all 4 main services. I agreed, and we had practice. It was really interesting playing with in-ear monitoring, I have never done it before, and it was a nice luxury! The coolest part about the whole ordeal was this: I get to play a 1964 Fender P-bass! This is pretty much my dream guitar, and the guy who owns it was completely happy to let me use it for practice and the services. The bass played like a dream. It is heavily modded, but that vintage mojo is still there. I am really excited to play in front of thousands of people this weekend!