Eating Balut

I've been in the Philippines for the last six days. I've met some incredible people and seen some breathtaking sights. Let's face it though, my long-winded ramblings don't necessarily produce a lot of page views and I'm very sleepily laying in my hotel bed. So, here's a video of me eating a balut. Balut is a partially germinated duck egg. They are boiled for about thirty minutes and then served, half yolk and half developed bird. There were definitely organs in mine. Crack the egg open and throw a little salt in. Drink the "syrup". Unrap the balut. Throw a little vinegar and salt on that and you're ready to go! Thanks to my awesome hosts who didn't let this opportunity slip by. Note, to self: turn the phone sideways to get that great 16:9 aspect ratio Apple keeps talking about rather than a tall sliver.

Mumford & Sons Babel Liveblog

I have a "to do" list this week. I am getting more and more committed to checklists, particularly in their "to do" format. I wrote on the list that I needed to post twice this week. Because I take checklists very seriously, this is a task I must complete despite the fact that no one will read this because I've been inactive here for so long. I am also extremely busy right now, so etching out the time to think and write is very difficult. However, I have a God send today. The new Mumford & Sons album has hit Spotify, meaning I can listen to it absolutely free (a huge development considering my current, tight finances). I'm going to listen to this album right now, while I work. I am going to liveblog the experience, thereby killing three birds with one stone. I will blog, work, and listen to Mumford all at the same time. This liveblog will also be interrupted by meetings.

12:28 Pressing play, I am currently eating pork chops and scalloped potatoes with apple sauce. They are delicious (Thanks Grandma!)

12:28 Banjo - Yes, this is Mumford

12:29 Marcus is coming out with guns blazing, lots of energy, big life concepts: love, loss, self-awareness, grace, choice, etc. etc.

12:30 "I cry Babel, Babel!" +1 for getting the album name shout-out out of the way

12:32 Whispers in the Dark - Ambient beginning like "Awake my Soul," Banjo! Kick drum! Holiness and devils mentioned, hooray for religious imagery! Mumford is back!

12:34 Love, lessons, coming home, serving the Lord. Oh Mumford, how I love you and your recurring themes

12:34 "I wonder if I blew my only chance!" You guys remember that song "Little Lion Man?" That you heard on the radio like a billion times? I'm not suggesting you listen to it. There are too many f-bombs. This is a family blog.

12:35 And "I will wait" begins. I heard this song about six months ago. I love it even more within the context of an album. I have decided that this task is impossible. I have too much to say (Weird!?). I cannot blog, listen and work at the same time. Liveblog will resume after work.

12:36 I like what I hear so far, it will be very tough to restrain myself from listening, but I'm on a DMB kick, so I'll listen to some of their catalog to get me through the day.

(The following Tuesday) As Calvin & Hobbes say, The Days are Just Packed. I've been going nonstop since I stopped listening to Mumford. On Wednesday night, I drove up to NYC for a conference. I squeezed in a little dinner with Flavin (#3) and managed quick tours of downtown and Times Square on Thursday night. As I ascended the steps at the Courtland subway station, I looked up to see the new World Trade Center in its partially completed glory. Incredible.

This is what freedom looks like.

Walking around with Andrew was awesome, he showed me the NYSE, Wall Street and The Treasury, where Washington was sworn in as our first president. We had a great time looking at old buildings, having burgers and beers, catching up and even sneaking in a couple snarky comments about the Occupy Wall Streeters (Yes, they’re still doing that. He’s so at home working back in New York and I’m so happy for him and Joanna.

I drove home from NYC Friday evening. Saturday I spent just catching up on my personal life, spending some time on skype with my lady friend and catching up with our old family friend who visited with us, Mary Laurenzano. Sunday was church, expense reports, miscellaneous office work and prepping to go to India.

That’s right, India. Just under two weeks ago, I got the awesome, surprise news that I would be visiting India for work. This morning I got up and caught a train back to NYC, where I made my way to JFK and I am now onboard with India Air, on my way to Hyderabad, India. Crazy, huh?

With no onboard wi-fi, I’m taking the opportunity to unplug from my e-mail. I’m getting into a book or two and I watched both Inception and The Hunger Games. Now, I feel ready to write, so I can finally crack back into this Mumford album. No, I really have not listened to a note of it since I last wrote. I’m serious about this live blogging thing. For clarity’s sake, I’m writing this according to EST, although I believe I’m currently 30,000 feet above Norway. Let’s get started back up with, “I will wait”

9:53 PM  I Will Wait – Feels like it beckons back to “Roll Away Your Stone”

9:55 This guy writes love and renewal so well. It seems he is always patiently waiting for something and grateful for the opportunity to do so. Patience is a virtue I wish I possessed more of.

9:55 More images of being helped along and greeted by loved ones

9:56 “So tame my flesh, and fix my eyes” – Incredible line. As the chorus repeats at the end, this is the kind of song that gets in your bones. If I were not on a plane right now, I’d be screaming in unison with them.

9:59 Holland Road – This one takes it a little slower. The first one of these we have on this album. It has a little “White Blank Page” feel to it. However, Marcus seems to understand the heartbreaker in this scenario a little bit better.

10:00 We got a little more banjo and kick drum. Man, he is using the heck out of the word calloused in this one. Tempo hasn’t sped up, but the songs developed a little more power. And . . . Horns! Classic chorus singalong type end.

10:02 We’re hearing a little more redemption again, “If you’ll believe in me, I’ll still believe

10:03 Ghosts That We Knew – This is another one that I heard months ago and absolutely fell in love with. This is the quieter, mournful song I was expecting Holland Road to be at the beginning.

10:04 One thing these guys understand is that relationships can be beautiful and intimate and totally 

broken all at the same time. I love the honesty and truth in that thought.

10:06 Hope is a wonderful, God-given gift. I love this song.

10:09 “The ghosts that we knew made us black and all blue, but we’ll live a long life, and the ghosts that we knew will flicker from view and we’ll live a long life.” I love this image of redemption.

10:10 Lover of the Light – I’m not sure what to think of this, I would say it sounds legitimately different from a lot of Mumford songs, despite the banjo.

10:11 Honestly, I’m feeling a little meh on this one. That’s alright, it’s still pretty decent and I pretty much love four out of the first six songs

10:15 Lover’s Eyes – Another one with a little more ambient beginning. And the vocals come in with a quieter instrumental start. I’m really kind of hoping this one stays this way.

10:16 No heavy banjo strum yet. Wait, nope, there it is. I’m really enjoying this song though.

10:17 They’re talking a lot about ghosts in this album

10:18 “I’ll walk slow, take my hand, help me on my way” – Again, I love reaching out and counting on friends/God, this is another thing Mumford writes well.

10:19 Ooooooohhh, Banjo solo! Melikes.

10:20 Reminder – “Without her I’m lost, my love don’t fade away” I feel like this is a little different variant on typical themes.

10:22 This is like a legit love song. Wow, that was short

10:22 Hopeless Wanderer – Alright, I’m gonna be honest. This is ruining the album for me. I already have a hypercritical streak in me, just ask anyone in the entire world that knows me. I don't want to critique my favorite artist's new album anymore. It takes away from being able to just sit back and enjoy it. And this post is long enough (Too Long)

This is the way it’s gonna be: Based on 9 of 15 songs (I got the deluxe version, because more Mumford), this album gets a 12 out of 10, 6 out of 5 stars, three thumbs up (an emphatic double eyebrow raise) and a recommendation to buy. This is not really anything new from the West London quartet. Similar instrumentation and themes and the impeccable writing we’ve come to expect appear throughout. I’m partially grading it on the credit they’ve already earned with me and the fact that I know I will fall more in love with this album as time rolls on. Call them the Everclear of indy folk if you'd like, but if you loved it the first time, you’re gonna love it again. Thanks, Mumford.

RIP MCA

Last Ride Home

Flavin dons his wayfarers for the final carpool home.

Goodwill

Recently, I've been given the opportunity to put my accounting brain to use a little bit at work. Despite my departure from the field, I still have an analytical mind that deals well with numbers and accounting concepts. I've been able to enjoy exercising this part of my brain recently because it's gone largely unused for so long.

For some reason, one concept that keeps coming to mind over and over again is that of goodwill. In accounting parlance, goodwill essentially represents the residual value of a company after all of it's physical assets have been stripped away. An appropriate way to illustrate goodwill is through the sale of an organization. Suppose I have an accounting firm and it's physical assets are a $100,000 building and $50,000 worth of computer hardware and software and desks, chairs, etc. Now let's say I was able to sell my firm for $225,000. The $75,000 that a buyer was willing to pay above and beyond the value of the physical assets of my firm is goodwill. This $75,000 represents the positive reputation the business has in the community, client lists, and other such intangible assets.

Now, the point.

I write a blog. Well, I used to write a blog. Now I possess a blog that I have failed to update in months. Seeing as how there are no physical assets related to this blog, it's sole value is found in goodwill. This goodwill is embodied in all the people that come back day after day to read and enjoy what I have shared. I am fairly convinced that after my repeated writing droughts, I have lost anyone that meets such a description. This leaves my blog utterly and completely worthless.

Putting your time into something you know is worthless can be discouraging, but I don't want to have my name on something that's worthless, so I'm going to try to get some of you back.

I don't want this to be one of those posts where I apologize that I haven't written in awhile and promise to write more.  I've already written that post a few times and seen it countless times on other blogs. Truth is, I've been crazy busy so I can't blame myself too much. There is some really cool stuff going on in my life right now though, and I'm hoping that I'm going to have the discipline to share as much of it as possible here. So, check back soon. Maybe I will have added a little more that's worth reading, and we can increase the value of my little corner of the webernets.

In the meantime, watch these videos, more awesomeness from Gotye and a sweet group that covered him:



Homeboy goes a little hard on the chorus, but this is a ridiculous cover. Love it.



An admittedly sardonic but an awesome depiction of the way we let life and the dull, pressing routines therein captivate us and bum us out. I'm amazed that this guy has time for social commentary with all the time he spends making incredible music and accompanying videos.

Star Discrimination

If.you.are.a.star.with.a.cowboy.hat.on,you.may.not.carry.a.gun.into.jerry's.and.expect.to.be.served. Also,no.shoes,no.shirt,no.service.

Striving to be Consumed

The dove descending breaks the air
With flame of incandescent terror
Of which the tongues declare
The one discharge from sin and error.
The only hope, or else despair
     Lies in the choice of pyre of pyre—
     To be redeemed from fire by fire.

    Who then devised the torment? Love.
Love is the unfamiliar Name
Behind the hands that wove
The intolerable shirt of flame
Which human power cannot remove.
     We only live, only suspire
     Consumed by either fire or fire.

-T.S. Eliot, Little Gidding, IV



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