work...

Its 4:28am on easter morning.  Just typing this is painful.  I want my holidays back.

Concert Survey

First concert?
The first one I remember was DCtalk with Billy Graham at a cruisade

Last concert?
Club3 hard rock tourny night with Leven, Allies in Chaos, Last holidy, Rivera,  on S3ntry

How many concerts have you been to?
Hundreds

Best band to see live? (best bands I've seen live)
Anberlin or Spoken.

Worst band to see live? (worst bands I've seen live)
Any crappy 15yr old emo rock band trying to do stuff that has already been done before.

Life-changing concert?
Project 86 with spoken and others.  I got to meet and talk to a band that has changed/saved my life.  Incredible.

Best friend to go to a concert with?
I sometimes go alone.  Or am just friends with the band thats playing.

Worst Friend to go to a concert with?
(See above answer)

Best thing to bring to a concert?
Money for swag

Worst thing to bring to a concert?

a jacket (cuz you end up carrying it around all night, never wearing it)

Best reason to go to concerts?
To experience the way that the artists indend their music to come across and to see them feel it on stage...

Best concert memory? 
Project 86 at sonshine 05 and seeing Schwab stage dive over a 6 foot gap between the croud and stage.  Either that or Pillar on Seespotrock and watching the stage manager throw Lester a stick and him catch it in mid air and hit the cymbol just in time for the crash.  I was left speechless.

playing a show: Playing IPR's showcase and having everybody sing along to "champagne supernova" our closing cover sing-along.

Funniest thing you've ever done at a concert?
Mosh at a RAZE concert in 98 sonshine

performing: Making Dan Nimlos play a show when he was blatantly on his death bed and couldnt sing.  It was horrible but on an external perspective pretty funny.

Worst thing ever done at a concert?
Make Dan play.

Longest concert ever attended?
DCtalk on supernatural tour.  DCtalk played for like 3 hours

Upcoming concerts wishing to attend?

I want to see Thrice playing new stuff

Age people should start going to concerts?
7

Age people should stop going to concerts?
whatever age they die

Stupidest thing to get at a concert?
Posters, cuz they get ruined

Coolest thing to get at a concert?

Tshirts that aren't sold anywhere but at a live concert

Most annoying thing at a concert?
People trying to mosh right behind you when you're enjoying watching the band on stage

Outdoor concerts or indoor concerts?
Indoor, sound is just better

Clubs or larger venues?
Clubs

Favorite venue?
Club3 is the best sounding system in minneapolis

Least favorite venue?
QUEST

Name three bands that you would love to see tour together:

Thrice, Project 86, Blindside

One band that you would love to see reunite for a tour:

Trust Company

Do you prefer seats or the pit?
Balcony

Do you usually buy food/drinks at a concert?
Depends

Hardest concert you've had to get tickets for?
Relient K at CSP

Best music to see live?
Rock

Sometimes Christians mess it up for all of us...

Christian    ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (krschn)
adj.

1. Professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.
2. Relating to or derived from Jesus or Jesus's teachings.
3. Manifesting the qualities or spirit of Jesus; Christlike.
4. Relating to or characteristic of Christianity or its adherents.
5. Showing a loving concern for others; humane.
6. 
   n.

1. One who professes belief in Jesus as Christ or follows the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.
2. One who lives according to the teachings of Jesus.

So over a matter of events recently that have led me to think of alot of my own anger, self-hatred, and overal cultural loath comes from.  And in this recent thought, over much reading, and self-reflection, I have come to a conclusion...Christians got it wrong.

Now, before hate comments, or any comments for that matter come along, let me explain myself and my thoughts to you the reader.  I thought back to 8th grade.  It was a wonderful time of happiness, friends, and joy.  I was an athlete, a 3 sporter.  Times were good.  Then I entered high school.  Things got interesting, I made so called friends on the football team, ones who I thought could be trusted and all those things that come with friendship.  Over time, freshman year became interesting.  I didnt try out for hockey, I just simply wasnt good enough so I thought, ( a mistake I wish I could take back).  And I got cut by the baseball team, (i tore my bicep the day/week before and my arm was nothing.  This left me more time on my own.  Enter social rejection.  I didnt feel loved or respected by anyone, and therfor was left in isolation.  A few years later, things progressivly got worse and by my senior year, I was basically suicidal.  Now, the clincher of all this pain that I had was this, Christians were letting me down and just simply not being Christians.  I was hurt, no one listened, I was alone, no one visited, I was emotionally left for dead for a few months.  Late senior year I eventually took solace in a few relationships, there werent many, but something is better than nothing.  This is not meant to be an emo poor josh riggs post, I say the previous to set up my main thought.

The social rejection, cultural isolation, and overall denial of the blatant loss, was lead by Christians.  I went to a Christian school.  What feeds whats left of my emo-ness was the fact that Christians were just simply more concerned with their social status and cultural appearance.  The same hands that were raised in so-called worship were the same hands that pushed me away and farther from the love that every human needs.  Now, I may have turned you off a few paragraphs before, but stick with me here.  Christians are still doing this today.  And quite frankly, im offended. 

How dare you call yourself one of us, a family of love and forgivness, and do the things that you do to the lowly, forgotten, and broken hearted.  God told us to treat each other as brothers and sisters, not enemys.  Jesus himself hung out and spent His time with the worst of the social chain.  Some people ask me why I hang out at club3 all the time, "dont you have friends"?  I go to club 3 when my "Christian" friends mess it up.  I have felt more broken hearted over things that they do lately.  This is getting random, but Im speaking from my heart.  Just be careful with the word Christian, know what God calls of you and dont bath in mediocraty.  God loves us and to be honest thats what motivates me to be a better individual.  I dont cuss or get drunk, and Girls are not plastic toys for guys to look at or touch.  I see some of the way guys treat "hot" girls and it makes me sick.  Stand up for whats right, you know this. 

I am not perfect, not even close, and to be honest, I may have stept over my bounds.  If I EVER am caught doing the said things, let me know.  If I am ever unapproachable, let me know.  Hold me to it.  Keep me accountable, my brothers and sisters.  Be Christians. 

Holy cow if you read all of this you get a free chipotle or something.  I am also open for thoughts, reflections as well.  Thank you for reading.

My birthday list...

Its my birthday sunday, so I came up with a little list...

1.) A dragon

2.) A japanse-les paul spinoff guitar.  MUST be valued 100$ or less. 

3.) A new DVD player so mine doesnt get taken anytime someone wants to watch a certain DVD downstairs

4.) A new calculator

5.) Pencils

6.) Actually, skrew pencils, get me an iBook.   

7.) Stentorians hair

8.) Silverlines drum machine

9.) Children 18:3's bus/van/metro mobility thinger

10.) A fire inside volume two DVD with the very last show of Five.Small.Worlds in its entirty

11.) I signed copy of tomorrows 39's new CD "its pronounced 3-9"

12.) Club 3 degrees light rig

13.) A dinosaur

14.) A plane

15.) Dove Award

16.) This is fun.

17.) Randy from project 86's pro tools studio

18.) Trust Company to come back

19.) Undying Anthems ability to write good songs

20.) I have blogged more often in the past 3 days than I ever have.  So I want a life.

Malls...

So I went to Rosedale mall and made a few observations on our culture today when it comes to fashion and trends...

1. Abercrombie plays emo music in their store.  For one, as I understand, emo music is for the kids who are "anti-jock/prep/cool kids."  Culture shock.

2. The busted up/thrift store/cheap person look is now the major trend.  Therefor, it gives The Buckle the right to make a sweatshirt just like that and put a price tag of 75$ on it.  I could make a sweatshirt, buy a few patches, and tear it a little for less then 15.  Irony.

3.  I would personally like to thank Apple inc. for putting all of America and her countrymen in a heap of debt.  Everyone had an Ipod and people at caribou had their I/power/mac books open doing stuff.  Granted, I hope to purchase an Ibook someday, but without use of any credit. 

So yeah, those are my current observations.