Something about the way coffee popdrips this morning really fills me with a love for all of humanity. I'm listening to Crystal Skulls, so that probably helps. I might just have to review this record. For anyone who remembers the band Scientific, their lead singer is in Crystal Skulls. He was also in Unwed Sailor for a while, but more or less as a fill-in. I guess that was 5 years ago already. Anyway, he really sounds at home in Crystal Skulls, an "indie pop" outfit that works to hone good SONGS, not just some sort of fashionable sound. A little bit of sophisticated jangle, slightly dark Brit-like undertones, and a sort of natural transition and blending between more guitar-based, then electronic sounds for different songs (or elements within songs). Their press blurb drops names like The Smiths, Steely Dan and Spoon, though they don't really sound LIKE any of those...again, they blend quite a few elements. Anyway, there's my non-review that just sort of streamed. I'll probably work on something based on that for later posting.Speaking of which, Carter and I may be close to a good zine name. Stay tuned.

In case anyone's reading this but doesn't look much at the "Everyday Cafe" board, the other half of our duplex is up for rent. 3 BR (or 2 + office), many new elements, $550/mo. Move to Omaha and start/re-start your band. You'll be ignored by the majority of this generally "conservative" city, but it's probably better that way. The mainstream press here latches onto the occasional decent band, especially Saddle Creek stuff, but for the most part, pretty obviously doesn't "get it." Some newspapers have one columnist that does, and I'm pretty sure our paper here does...but I rarely read their "entertainment" stuff anymore, anyway, so I wouldn't really know. Wow, that really turned into a rabbit trail.

Since I'm already drenching this post with plenty of music content, here's a bit more. This past week I received some birthday money from my in-laws and spent it on a personal CD player that can also play mp3s. The unit's cheap and a bit squirrely, but works for what I need. I like being able to switch between tracks and albums all at once...while working out yesterday morning, listened to Heiruspecs (underground rap from Minneapolis, pretty decent stuff), then sat in the sauna for a few minutes and enjoyed a few Dave Van Ronk songs. Between my own music and the whirring of machines, I can't really hear the TV that's always turned on in the room where I do most of my exercise, but I see plenty of Soledad on CNN every morning. I'm not much of a "morning show" type person (this could elicit several raging journal entries, no doubt) but theirs is the only one I can really handle for more than 2 minutes and the only one that shows signs of true journalism. I digress again.

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I realize that Holy Week in the West is literally just around the corner, but Lent just started this past week for Orthodoxy. Hopefully you'll indulge me my reflections during this time, even though you're all what, a month ahead? Save me some Easter candy, maybe it won't be stale yet in early May.

Beside the usual food/consumables abstinence and fasting, a major focus in Lent is fasting from sins and certain attitudes. Not that these are allowed or encouraged during the rest of the year, of course, but we all have our specific things we struggle with, and this is a time to particularly focus in on those, taking more drastic measures, sacrificing more in order to grasp God's grace in dealing with them. I, of course, found myself locked into an absolutely silly, ridiculous "Internet Scrap" this past week, flipping out and being exactly who I don't want to be. The whole issue aside (and it's since been resolved and the two of us involved fine now), I'm pretty ashamed of my behavior and how I handled a situation that could've been taken care of in a much more mature way. Sometimes we prove our own points far too well, and show our need for grace more than we intend to.

I'm trying also to fast from judgementalism...a character flaw that was ingrained in me as ideal and holy for twenty-some years and I struggle with, usually silently, every day. I'm not sure where the fine line is between judgementalism and commenting on the truth, so the following two things I submit in full knowledge that I may cross the line, for which I beg forgiveness, if it happens.

* Yesterday, of course, was "St. Patrick's Day." I'm not going to get into a dissertation on St. Patrick...if anyone really wants sources and info, ask me or juandelacruz and you'll be hooked up promptly, I'm sure. I probably should have posted some interesting info on St. Patrick yesterday. At any rate, this year and every year I'm bombarded with ads for "pub crawls" and 6am beer specials and people bragging about just how smashed they got (or plan to get) for St. Patrick's Day. I'm not adverse to celebrating a saint's feast day or any other appropriate feast day with alcohol, good food, etc. What I do take issue with, however, is the excitement and willingness to do so without any real concept of who St. Patrick (or St. Valentine, or St. Nicholas, or...etc.) really was, what he stood for, why he really IS important to know about and, if wished, celebrate. It's one thing to have an ignorance, willful or not, regarding Christian history, saints, etc. That is what it is, and I'm not railing against that. But to actually be confronted by something and choose to care not one bit about the actual essence of what it is, but rather use it as an excuse to party, really says a lot. What exactly that says...perhaps that's best left for another time, and most of you probably get my drift anyway. Perhaps I'm a hypocrite because some days I enjoy off of work without really taking interest in the issue at any time of the year (though I've really tried to improve on this in regards to MLK, war-related and other days), though truth is I have no real choice in whether I get them off or not. Maybe I'm a hypocrite because I do this in other ways, I don't know. However, I thought I'd share something I've been contemplating.*

A church across from the University (Disciples of Christ, I believe?) has large banners up to advertise that on Easter Sunday, they're holding a "Brunch With The Bunny" promotion. A google search shows that this promotion isn't uncommon, even with churches -- and in a community center setting, where this promotion often occurs, would probably be a good family activity. The difference between a community center and a church doing this is immense, of course, and something I grit my teeth about every time I see the sign. It's one thing to send cute little bunny rabbit toys to relatives and godchildren, at least I hope so, and quite another to form a church's Easter celebration around something like this. Then again, maybe this is just ironic hipsterism and their Independence Day picnic will feature a musical tribute to Osama Bin Laden or something.

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Well, now that I've pissed everyone off, I'll just add that this week marks the second anniversary of the beginning to the Iraq War. I've been invited to and thought about going to an anti-war rally in the park, and still may go despite looming term papers and presentations next week (ok, so that probably just convinced me not to go)...I've already angered most of you, anyway, so I'll leave out anti-war rumblings, but whatever your position is on it, this marks a good day to pray for the over 1500 dead, their families, and their comrades still over there. May they rest in peace, and may the rest of us find peace.