Sermon 1989

The following is the text of a sermon I heard in Hillsborough, North
Carolina in the Spring of 1989.

No kidding.
-----

People, you are not concerned in what you're doing in now! You are not
concerned in what you're doing in right now! When the world is going to
take care of itself, boy, is it going to take care of itself. And it's
going to take a year from now.

I'm the one who's going to pay the price for what I don't have, and I'm
going to get my life straightened out. Something is great, something can be
great, and I want it. That's what the world can have.

This is the kind of business I'm trying to be a friend in. This is the kind
of business I'm trying to be a friend in, and I am wanted!

There is one thing I really wanted to say in this world, and I couldn't get
a start.

This is how it spreads out, this is how it's going to spread out, and this
is how it really should spread out. When something is feeling in danger
and you don't know it, you've got to give this world a chance.

I want something to happen. I want nice things to happen. I show it that
way. I want more things to happen. I want nice things to happen because
it shows that. And you want things to happen for you and things to happen
for the world.

That's how you appreciate something-- you want it to happen. Now you know
it, that more things can happen. I know a change can happen. A change in
my life.

Behind the Scenes

For those of you who have braved your way to a Dentones show, I hope that the experience you have come away with is a jolly and blurry combination of fun, friends, and good conversation---- with some at-least-acceptable music from the band providing a soundtrack to all that.

So, in case you have ever wondered what a Dentones rehearsal is like, here is a snippet from Satsy's new invisible camera. This rehearsal was unusual, however, in that we invited veteran musician and all around nice guy Fred Rodriguez to sit in and provide feedback. He's a real guru.

Pink Bullets

A few years back, a fellow who happens to be a soldier in the Israeli army approached the Shins asking for permission to make a video for their song "Pink Bullets". They gave him a nod but didn't expect much. This little gem is the result.

Economic Stimulus Check

In recent weeks Mila and I have been wondering what we should do with our upcoming economic stimulus rebate. About the only thing we could decide on was that we should actually buy something rather than just squirrel the money away. We agreed that it would be nice to buy something that was made here in America, but then we realized that we really didn't need $600 worth of hamburgers.

Mistress Fortuna rescued us from our indecision last weekend when we discovered that our water heater was kaput. The tank had corroded through and a puddle of water was forming on the garage floor.

To make a long story short:
Price of a new water heater at Home Depot: $259
Charge for the RotoRooter man to hook it up: $459

This is all somehow rather unsatisfying.

Ah, Denton....

Not long into a YouTube search of topica Dentonica I came across this dubious tidbit and almost stopped watching right off---- that was, until it dawned on me that although this video was presumably shot only two years ago it betrays a sensibility that is at least 30 years behind the times. How typically "Denton"!

Usually, this special form of cultural retardation manifests itself simply as a rather poor and out-dated selection of jukebox offerings that are weighted toward the Heavy Metal end of things. But in this case, something else is afoot. Something decidedly more innocent and more intentionally silly. Something more middle class and also less self-conscious. These kids are capering about like we used to do for our parents' silent 8mm cameras. Even the unsuspecting peers they draw into their little project seem somewhat innocent and unjaded.

I don't know. It must be the water.

A Denton High School video
This is terribly corny and adolescent, and yet it's also somehow refreshing.


Plus it has a Beck song for a soundtrack.
Plus the kid who made it is a Norwegian American (Frisby).
Plus Beck is a Norwegian American.
Okay. Enough of that.