Theory

Ok I was REALLY going to try to avoid writing a quick post about The King of Pop, but I did just want to get these thoughts down somewhere so that if this happens I can say "called it" and refer people back here.

HOW COOL would it be if Michael Jackson didn't die. What if this was just some sort of HUGE cover up. Lets not put it past Michael to do something of this caliber. Now this is what could happen. Michael Jackson is "dead." All of his 50 sold out concerts are "cancelled." What if the 02 theatre in London offered a refund but you had to show up to get it. Then they wanted to make a "public announcement" about his death. The people go in and sit down and then you hear it. Heavy Breathing. Then the bass comes in....smokey stage...and people are like..."What?!" "What is going on?!" And then you hear that laughter from Thriller! The smoke clears and there's Michael dressed up as a zombie "BACK FROM THE DEAD!" Then the show goes on according to plan. OH MY GOODNESS! That would be the best thing that has ever happened on stage. Anyway, just wanted "Told you so" rights so I thought I'd post.

David

Wam Bam Thank You Ma'am

Huge things have been going on over here in the life of David Mize. The biggest of which I would like to spend a few minutes talking about. Last weekend I bought the love of my life a plane ticket down to visit me! We had such a wonderful weekend and by the end of it we were engaged! I will let a few pictures tell the story!

A fun reminisce

Today I have been reminiscing a lot, and I thought it might be fun to get out my old external harddrive that I used in college. NOTE: College does NOT equal NTBI by any sense of the word. On this hard drive I laughed out loud SO much because I found things that I had not thought about in years, and honestly some things that even now that I'm looking at it I have no recollection of. Funny the things we remember. 2 Particular things that I found that really made me crack up were the musical Spanish Projects I did. I guess this was Spanish 101 or 201 or something pretty basic, but here are two songs that I made for Spanish class. The first song is called "Uno Mas" and it is me playing guitar and singing, the second song is a freestyle rap song (in Spanish) featuring me and Chad Sanders and I made a make-shift rap beat using a the chords and progression from a Beck song, the rap is called "Dios es bueno." ** note the shout out to our teacher Dr. Osvaldo Parilla I hope you enjoy it tell me what you think .







If you LOVED Uno Mas as much as I do, you will be thrilled to know that there is SOMEWHERE a video for this amazing movie. Stay tuned and hopefully I can find it!

I like songs about drifters books about the same.

It is said, by those who travel, that riding the rails is the last great American Adventure. So I thought I would take a quick moment to talk about songs and books about drifters, and travelers.

Of course the cult classic iconic book of:

"On the Road - Jack Kerouac"

Also a collection of his other "beat generation" books such as Big Sur, and Dharma Bums

Also for a more informative "guide" to train hopping and seeing the world through the eyes of industry check out:

"Hopping Freight Trains in America - by Duffy Littlejohn."

I can remember reading this book out loud to anyone who would listen all the way from Chapel Hill to Wilmington. Great Memories!

Also there are the writings of the most famous Hobo of all time A-No. 1. His writings include "Hobo Campfire Tales" and "the Life and Adventures of A-no 1."

There was also a movie about his called "Emperor of the North Pole"

Songs about Hobos include:

Gonna Ride a Train - J.B. Beverly & The wayward Drifters

Hobo Song - John Prine

Ramblin' Man - Hank Williams

I Ain't Got No Home - Woody Guthrie

Can't You See - The Marshall Tucker Band

Last night I did an interview for church about the up and coming third space group young adult ministry St. Mark's is showing. I began to think ( and hope ) that the camera "put on 10 pounds." I was thinking that would be a GREAT thing, because since I'm watching what I eat and excercising if I saw myself 10 pounds heavier then I would instantly feel good about myself! Twisted logic huh?

Tonight I am hosting "The Busy World" at my house. They are a band that is awesome and I have the pleasure of playing accordion for them. We are going to be listening to our new album and working on some final mixing! Woo Hoo! and it's a potluck! that means free fooooood.

Also something that is awesome - Tamara Mathew has the same birthday as Tupac. ( and GERONIMO!) how cool is that!?

I'm a loner dottie..a rebel

My car has been acting up so yesterday I went to take it to get an oil change and to see if they could just tell me what's wrong. The place where I get my oiled changed is about a mile from my house. On the way there I noticed about halfway there that I didn't have my seatbelt on! I instantly reached behind me to grab it and securely strap myself in when I thought...naaa; it's "cool" not to have a seatbelt. So I continued to travel to get my oil changed with no seat belt and windows down. That's right...rebel. Then I started thinking to myself, "Self, if THAT'S what you call rebellious then you got another thing coming." How typical "Bible School" of me to think that I was somehow "sticking it to the man" without my seatbelt?

Oh well, I'm going to do it again when I go to the beach, this time with no shirt, no shoes and no safety belt. THAT will really show them.

ps. Heard on the news today that several schools in our district have H1N1. Better known as Swine Flu. It would have been nice to know this say......YESTERDAY when I was at those exact schools! uh oh, my throat is a little sore...Crap the A-pork-alypse is imminent!

It's All Crazy! It's All False! it's All A Dream It's Alright!

Scene 1: Curtain up.

It was December 2004 and Joby and I were on our way to Lynchburg to visit my then girlfriend Anna. We stopped off at Ace's Basement, a little venue in the basement of a hotel, to see a then small band play: Mewithoutyou. Joby and I were both huge fans of the band then early on in their "Catch for us the Foxes" tour. To see them is to love them. They are raw, energetic, and frankly just don't care about anything that touches materialism with a 10 foot pole. The album was beautiful, it was new, it was full of Spiritual themes. Aaron's unprecedented honesty shone through in each verse as he poetically related his deepest secrets and struggles of life through song. Their next album was "Brother Sister." This album progressed musically away from the post-hardcore of Foxes to some in between stage of folk and rock. Brother Sister was just as beautiful, honest and raw as Foxes, and previously A B Life. Their Spiritual highlights in this album came to a stunning climax in "In a Sweater Poorly Knit" as Aaron's heart shines through in a prayer to the Lord to increase to such a point in his life that Aaron would no longer exist, but only He would exist. I have been encouraged, challenged and pleased with every listen of these fine albums. In 2009 Mewithoutyou's newest, and possibly final, album came out. "It's all Crazy! It's all False! It's all a Dream It's Alright!." Musically this album completes the transition from post hardcore to folk. It begins with an odd sort of Mates of State beat before bringing in signature sounding riffs. The trouble I have with this album is the lyrical content. It is, to say the least beautiful. So many lines are so well written that often times I have to pause the song and just think about them. However many of their songs talk about Sufi fables. "The Fox, The Crow, and the Cookie is one of these. All throughout this album Sufism and the teachings of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen are seen. The other huge issue I have with this album is the last song entitled "Allah Allah Allah" In this song Aaron sings that in everyone we meet, in everything we see, in everything we do, Allah Allah Allah is in all those things. Now, I know that Aaron's father is Muslim and his mother Jewish (weird huh!) and based on his previous albums I would assume that he is simply using the word "allah" as the standard arabic word for "god," instead of the proper noun that denotes the "one and only god of the Muslim religion."

What is this saying? What is being implied or stretched here? I began to think, what if I were riding in the car with my pastor and that song came on, what would he think? But also isn't it easy to assume and confuse the "standard arabic name for god" and the "muslim name for the one and only God?" is it THAT far of a stretch to assume that the muslim Allah is simply the way Muslims worship the same God as christians worship? From there it's not that far of a skip to assume that if Muslims are worshipping the same God as we are, then anyone who worships whole heartedly is actually worshipping the same God as the Bible. This just is NOT the case. Over and over again the Bible proclaims that there is one way to God, through Jesus Christ.

The MOST frustrating thing about this to me is that I keep talking to my friends about it and I ask them specifically what they think of "Allah Allah Allah" and they love it. They're like oh such a cool concept, I like how it stretches traditional christians, and makes them think outside of the "box."

Who knows, maybe I'm just getting old, or maybe all my friends are just getting lazy, but I'd be willing to bet that it is the same old trick the our adversary has used since day 1, taking Biblical truth and subtracting or adding small parts in order to deceive.

Bottom Line, concept wise I am very disappointed with this album. I am also a little concerned with people who think this is perfectly cool. If i have it wrong PLEASE let me know because I'd LOVE to LOVE this album. But if you're going to tell me to step outside the traditional "Box" then I'd rather not hear it. I know what the traditional "box" is and I know that it's the only way to live and worship the One True God for eternity, and I'm just fine with staying there even if it's not the coolest thing to do.

What are your thoughts on this? Do I have it wrong? Do I have it right? Do you care?

Dog is my co-pilot

Today I saw a bumper sticker that said "Dog is my co-pilot" Now, I know what this is referencing, but the thought of those old ladies who let their dogs ride in their laps and look out the window while they're driving instantly came to mind. However after a few chuckles I got back to the seriousness of the issue. This is, of course, a direct play on the "God is my co-pilot" bumper sticker, which in itself is ridiculous. So despite the fact that that person is just an all out weirdo with an anti-religious sense of humor, they made a very good point in calling out the stupidity of having God as your "co-pilot." When I think of co-pilot I think of "Goose" from Top Gun. Despite being my favorite character in that movie, and tearing up everytime when that fateful scene comes up, I began to think about all the trouble Goose got into because of Maverick. Goose wasn't in control; Goose was a helper, a part of a 50-50 team. If you think that you and God are a team living the Christian life together and you both help each other, I would encourage you to get some facts and priorities straight. I think 1st Chronicles 13:9-10 sums things up. The background is this: David went out to reclaim the Ark of the Covenant that wasn't being used during the reign of Saul and bring it back to Jerusalem. They had made a "special cart" for it to be paraded around on instead of the way the LORD had instructed it to be carried (with poles). Verse 9 says this:

When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the Ark. So he died there before God.

Pretty intense huh? So here's what I have to say to that person with the bumper sticker. "If Dog is your co-pilot I hope to goodness you are in the backseat or tied up in the trunk because life ain't worth living unless God is the pilot."

And to myself, I find I pray everyday that He would become more, and I would become less. That I would allow Him to have complete control and be the "Perfect Pilot" after all He has been known from the oldest of times as: Jehovah Pilotrah : God is my pilot. (rough translation)

Post Script: Or that person could have just really loved her dog, that remains to be determined. I guess we'll never know.

With a name like Norman...

There are few songs on this planet that I know of that can instantly transport me to another place. On a very hot day with the windows rolled down there's nothing like a little Norman Greenbaum - Spirit in the Sky. This song instantly takes me back to what I think it would be like to live in the 70's. Windows down in an old car, long hair, mustache, cruisin the open road at 55 mph.

The little joys of life.

ps. Tonight I might get a bicycle. While running yesterday I saw a bicycle that had 2 broken tires laying under a bridge. If it's still there that baby is mine :)! can't wait to cruise this town on a blue mountain bike!

The Decemberists

A few posts ago, I went into detail about a new album that I have really fallen in love with. That album is The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love. If you read my earlier post you would know that it was an entire "folk-opera" complete with different voices for characters. Well last night I was able to go see the Decemberists live in Raleigh, NC. It was one of the early tour dates that they are doing in which they are performing their entire new cd in its entirety. If you think to yourself: "Self! This is amazing! I wish I could hear that amazing album live in its entirety for myself!" Well you can! This link was recorded from the soundboard and aired live over NPR. I cannot even tell you how unbelievable this show was. The Decemberists had all of the members for the various parts in costume and singing and somewhat acting their parts out. After they had played through all 17 tracks of their new cd, they took a break and came back out to play some older songs! Then they did something that I have always dreamed would happen to me. They pulled people from the audience and let them play their instruments! Ever since I was a little boy at Hardee's Walnut Creek with my dad and Phillip Neuhart watching Lynryd Synyrd I have wanted to be pulled on stage and allowed to play with the band. Some little 12 year old kid and highschool girl last night just had their lives MADE.

Here are some pictures that I took.

First I will say that I was fascinated by this light. I have always been a fan of light rays and these last night were beautiful! I wonder if there are visible light rays coming from the Lord in heaven? I hope so, it's one of the most beautiful things I know of.

On another note, the accordion player in the band last night was unbelievable! Wow.

All in all it was a fantastic night. I got to see an amazing band, put on an amazing show and I had amazing seats! I also got to see friends I haven't seen in years, and some that I see all the time. It is totally worth being tired today!

David

Tonight I became a coupon cutter. Never thought I'd see the day.

Summer Happenings

Summer means so many things to all of us. We look forward to so many different things. We look forward to getting out of school, going to the beach, flowers, summer lovin ( had me a blast ). I used to look forward to swim team, being in the woods all day making forts and having bamboo sword fights. Now I look forward to summer because of the hobos. I know it is summer time because in the last several days I have seen the travelers start to emerge. Saturday I saw 2 hitchikers, and today I saw a train hopper. I wrote this in my journal after I saw him, "Once you ride the rails the love for them will never go away; neither will the silent call of the tracks or the beckoning whistle of a passing engine go unnoticed."

That made me think of a much better quote said by the king of Hobos himself A-no 1: "When I started out the wanderlust was upon me and I enjoyed the zest of adventure. Later I travelled because it became a habit with me, and now, although I hate the life I travel because I cannot stop." A-no 1

Here's to the unforgettable experience of hitching and hopping across the

country with Mark, and a shout out to the people whom we met along the way who changed our lives.

(And to Funky who is not pictured here but is one of my best friends in the world)

I have always been a fan of sad songs, sad stories, especially sad love stories and increasingly more I am loving very emotional songs, and if they are about settling down and starting a family that is even better. (Since that is the point where I am at in my life) So here is a song that is about that and is very emotional. It's by Des Ark and I think it's beautiful.

Two Hearts Are Better Than One.

Enjoy!

David

ps. Also yesterday I got out of my car at the ending of a song. I was at my house for several hours and got back into my car at the beginning of the EXACT SAME SONG. Weird huh?