Friday
13Nov2009

Music Necessities: The Swell Season

DateFriday, November 13, 2009 at 7:00 AM

Once in awhile there comes along a CD that you just connect with completely. Something about the lyrics, the type of music, and the aesthetics just make you want to listen to it over and over again. This is exactly how I feel about Strict Joy by The Swell Season. If you haven't listened to this CD yet, then seriously, you need to make this a priority.

The Swell Season consists of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. If these names sound familiar to you, it is because they are the stars of the hit indie movie of 2007, Once. I absolutely loved this movie (a review of which can be found here) and fell in love with the soundtrack. So imagine my excitement when I discovered that the two would be releasing an album together. This little indie heart leapt for joy, strict joy in fact.

If you have listened to the soundtrack for Once at all ("Falling Slowly"), then you already know the type of music you are getting. There are some tracks that are more tame and ethereal ("Fantasy Man," "Paper Cup," "I Have Loved You Wrong"), songs that require you to pour yourself a glass of wine and relax with some friends ("Low Rising," "In These Arms"), and other songs that are just downright fun and catchy ("The Rain," "Feeling the Pull"). They really do cover the whole gamut here.

But all of the songs have that distinct feel that Hansard and Irglova bring to their music. The music is so passionate and so well done that it just compels you to listen. Their two individual styles compliment each other well, and Strict Joy results in something so wonderful that you won't be able to help play the CD over again when it's all said and done. If you're into this type of music at all, there is no doubt in my mind that you will love it. So seriously, go listen. Now.

AuthorTone Hoeft | Comment1 Comment |
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Wednesday
11Nov2009

Republicans Are the Most American

DateWednesday, November 11, 2009 at 7:00 AM

You may be surprised to hear me say such a thing, but this post is most likely not what you're expecting. Republicans have often touted as part of their logic that they are the most patriotic, that they uphold American values the best. And to that I say, they're right.

When we think about American values, we think of a highly individualized culture. You should be able to do whatever you want with your money, what's most important is that you feel good about things. But why do we attach ourselves to such values so readily? If we were to examine other cultures, we would find a much more collective feel to the people. While the individual is important, it is not so important that it forgets about the greater good of the whole.

Let's take a practical example in the news, Universal Health Care (UHC). One proposed idea for UHC is to raise taxes on people but provide health care for everyone in the United States. Immediately the individualistic part of ourselves cry out. We say, "No one should be able to tell me how I can spend my money." It's an interesting argument when you think about it, because you would be spending that same money on health care anyway. The only difference is that you are choosing to spend that money instead of it being spent for you.

Now individual choice and freedom is an important thing. Without individual choice and freedom, we become mindless drones. There is always room for critical thinking. But there is something interesting happening in the collective conscious of the people where perhaps focusing on individual values alone isn't going to cut it. Perhaps there are more noble goals to live for. As the world becomes a smaller place, it becomes harder to ignore the needs of the ones around us.

So I'll make the claim again: Republicans are more American than any other political party. But here's the question. Are those American values really what we should be holding to? It is immediately at this point when someone makes a comment like this that they are branded an anarchist or wanting to take down America. I don't want any part of that. But I have to ask, what are those values?

Freedom? What exactly does freedom mean? Does freedom mean wanting to have a free market economy, but not the freedom to allow people to make their own moral choices about abortion? What about liberty? Is there more than one specific way to choose to display one's patriotism for their country? Is it possible to be pro-America without abusing hegemonic power?

These are but a few critical questions about American values. I do think as a people, we need to do some serious examination about what exactly American values are and if we want them to be the things that we hold as our paradigm. When doing so, we may find that there are other values that are more important that the ones we've been told are true and good.

AuthorTone Hoeft | Comment2 Comments |
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Monday
09Nov2009

Thinking of Quitting Trying to Lose Weight?

DateMonday, November 9, 2009 at 7:00 PM

Trying to lose weight has been sticking it to me lately. Ever since I moved to Spokane, I've been stuck in the 135-140 range. It's truly been a good example of what it means to be disciplined. Let me explain.

Trying to maintain a regular body weight has been a frustrating experience. I find myself having to regulate my intake of calories and making sure that I eat healthy on regular basis. These principles are good for me in the long run, but if I ever indulge, then it costs me. For example, one weekend I decided to just let myself go and enjoy myself. I had a very unhealthy weekend of eating. At the end of it though, I had gained a good chunk of weight, one that took me three weeks to undo. It just boggles my mind. A couple of poor decisions can have a lasting impact on all the work I had done previously.

To be honest, it drives me nuts because it makes me feel like I am walking some type of tightrope, always having to do the right thing. Further driving my insanity is the fact that there are plenty of people I know who can eat whatever they want and retain their weight. They have no conception of what it means to work to be healthy.

Also, I'm finding it discouraging to try and keep going. There are weeks when I see that I weigh the same or even more after a week of healthy eating and exercise and it makes me want to quit. What's the point of it all if it doesn't work? It's then that I tell myself that if I stopped exercising, imagine how much bigger I would be. It is a bit discouraging.

So what have I done to keep myself going? I try and focus on the fact that being healthy is something that I've decided is important. For the sake of my longevity and maybe even for the future family I may have someday, I need to make sure I am doing everything I can to be healthy. How can I take care of the ones I love if I can't even take care of myself? So I'm going to keep trucking, even if I don't want to at all. I need to keep looking at the big picture: Over two years I've lost 75 pounds. The whole process is slow and I have to think that a year from now, I will have made significant progress. 

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Friday
06Nov2009

Don't Watch Sunshine By Yourself

DateFriday, November 6, 2009 at 7:00 AM

Monday's discussion focused around the power of Sci-Fi as a genre. If you haven't had a look, I'd suggest going back to read it. The basic premise is that Sci-Fi is the thinking man's genre because it allows you to create any hypothetical situation you please to test different philosophical and scientific ideas. Recently, I watched Sunshine by Danny Boyle and could not help but think back to this conversation.

Sunshine is a movie about a group of scientists and astronauts who are sent into space to save the world. Unlike Armageddon, this movie is actually good. The movie takes place entirely in space. When we see our team for in the opening credits, they are already on board the Icarus 2, the spaceship designed to do their rescue mission. In this universe, the sun is dying out and it is the job of the Icarus 2 to supercharge the sun to basically birth a new star that will power Earth.

For being a movie set entirely in space, it is one of the most visually striking movies I've ever seen. Not only is it colorful at times, but the shots are framed in such a way that they encapsulate the moment in the most artistic way possible. Sometimes shooting in artistic ways can be distracting, but in this film it only helps add to the overall feel of the movie.

Something wonderful about being trapped in space in a very confined area is that group dynamics arise quickly. It is thanks to this that we get to know the characters very quickly and understand the motivations for the rest of the movie. The "crew feel" is something that I have a soft spot for because it always helps bring a family dynamic, even if the family is quite dysfunctional.

Further reinforcing the pros of Sci-Fi, here are just a few of the issues tackled in this movie: The value of one human life vs. many, the ethics of dissent, the martyrdom complex, what is the role of "purpose?," can man play God with natural disaster?, how do you deal with mistakes, and what is the point of living? This is of course just to name a few.

I list these questions to highlight what I loved about this movie: I found myself thinking about the themes in this film after it was done. I felt like there were a lot of things it was trying to say and I continue to contemplate these things in some of my downtime. This is the power of film ideally, to get people to think.

One warning, this movie is deceptively scary. I should have known since before making Sunshine Danny Boyle made 28 Days Later. But seriously, the back half of the movie is terrifying. I made the mistake of watching this at 1 AM alone in my apartment and found myself tense through most of the end.

I highly recommend this film to watch, even if you don't like Sci-Fi. There are a lot of interesting things that Sunshine has to reflect about the human condition. 5 out of 5.

AuthorTone Hoeft | Comment2 Comments |
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Wednesday
04Nov2009

Who's Bringing the Keg to the Bible Study?

DateWednesday, November 4, 2009 at 7:00 AM

Here's the first in a series of post discussing taboo behavior in Christian culture. As always, for the framework for these discussion, I'll refer you back to the post I made about personal freedom. This post is crucial to understanding any discussion about the various taboos.

I was pumped for my 21st birthday. It was going to be a great time to go out with friends and have a couple drinks legal style. During the course of the festivities, I was surprised when one of the other members of the church I was attending at the time showed up to buy me a couple of drinks. I remember being almost shocked. It helped remind of how very taboo alcohol is in the Christian tradition.

Depending on your flavor of Christianity, there are many different opinions on alcohol. There are some that bring it to their Bible studies whereas others look down upon it heavily (I'm looking at you Assembly of God). It's a topic we don't know how to handle very well because somewhere along the way, people starting getting uptight about it. If I were a sociologist, I'd be interested in trying to figure out where this stigma actually came from.

As far as my study of the topic goes, nowhere does it mention that drinking alcohol is immoral. In fact, we all know one of Jesus' first miracles was turning water into wine. True, it doesn't mention if he drank it or not, but it also doesn't mean he was opposed to it. The verses that deal with drinking all have to do with not getting drunk or addicted to alcohol.

In 1 Timothy we are given guidelines for elders and deacons. We are told that they are not supposed to be drunkards but it does not prohibit them from drinking. If our church leaders aren't prohibited from drinking, then there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the behavior.

The only problem seems to be drinking in excess, but doing anything in excess is a bad thing. This is the heart of gluttonous behavior, and just one like avoids overindulging in any other thing, we must do the same with alcohol. 

This is my personal take on the issue. Once again, we come back to Romans 14:13-18. Even though I have no issues with it, I realize that some may. The way I see to make it all work is that I'll drink around those who are not offended by it but try to refrain around those who are. If drinking alcohol in front of someone were to lead them into anger, then it is my duty in love to not tempt them. However, at the same time, I must try to be aware that I have the personal freedom to drink if I choose to. It's about finding the balance between these two extremes.

So what do you say we toast this post to a nice glass of bubbly? Cheers!

AuthorTone Hoeft | Comment2 Comments |
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