Unplugged from the World

So I officially made the move from living with my parents to my own place (although my own place is actually the guesthouse of my grandparents - so make of that what you want.) But the independence such a move provides is wonderful, the only thing though is that now on my own I am without computer and internet, and it was then that I realized I may have independence but I have become extremely dependent upon things such as computers and internet. Thus, until I can afford to purchase a computer (which will be at least another week or two) I will be unable to update my blog, incapable of emailing, unplugged from the world.

I realize that all three of you who read my blog will suddenly find yourselves struggling to pass the time without any new posts (kidding) so in the meantime here are some suggestions:

Watch the World Cup Final on Sunday
As an American, who has been told to eat "Freedom Fries" at fast food chains I never thought I would pull for France in an international sporting event until now. France is an exciting team to watch play, features an aging superstar making a John Elway type run at a title, and is the only European nation which actually features numerous black players - a refreshing sight - since we do afterall live in the year 2006. Combine that with the fact that the Italian team features worse, more dramatic actors than a late-night Cinemax flick and is mired in a massive referree fixing scandal back home (although you might want to ask Australia how it feels to play an Italian team who has the refs in their back pocket at the WC also) and I just simply cannot root for Italy and manage to fall asleep at night. Either way its a tough choice though. Root for a blantantly scandalous, dirty team with zero integrity or root for a team whose nation can't stand us. Oh well, aren't the World Cup games really just a 3 hour excuse for me to drink beer in the mornings?

Watch Seinfeld re-runs on TBS from 6pm-7pm
The hands-down best American comedy ever created runs every week night on TBS from 6-7 and is also found on other channels real late at night. Everyone needs more Seinfeld in their life - I suggest watching it while eating a Drake's Coffee Cake.

Buy "The Office" (BBC version)
I had to qualify my statement above by saying that Seinfeld was the flat out best American comedy because my eyes were opened to the sweet brilliance of The Office, which originally aired in 12 parts on the BBC. It is the pinnacle of British comedy and even though the American remake airs on NBC on Thursdays it comes nowhere close. Do yourself a service and get your hands on this and remember David Brent is not your boss he is a chilled out entertainer.

Drink a Bodington
Bodington is an ale brewed in Manchester which has worked its way onto my "Ambrosial Nectar" list. It possesses virtually no aftertaste, has one of the coolest looking taps around, and features that velvety creaminess akin to Guinness but without the smack you in the mouth heaviness and color. Visit your local British pub for more details.

Eat McDonald's Ice Cream
Thought that the best Ice Cream was only found in an Edys carton or in a Coldstone store or at Jackson's? Wrong. Everything else at McDonald's is artificial so there is little reason to believe that their ice cream is actually ice cream but the stuff that they sell on top of a cone or covered in hot fudge is darn good - and it is only around a dollar - you could pay for it with the change in your cup holders (and I frequently do). Word of advice - the hot fudge sundae is actually cheaper than the plain vanilla cone. Both are dynamite it just depends on your mood. I eat probably three to four of these a week. And after the whole Bodington thing you thought I was a man of fine tastes.

Life in a Wooden House

As Coldplay gains more popularity, continues to get compared with U2 and produces amazing albums I began to ask myself what it is about their music that makes me sit in the car long after I have pulled into the driveway and stare into space until I either get cotton mouth or begin to smell the exhaust of my own car coming into the air vents. At least for me, their music has this possessing ability to it - which I think is the defining characteristic for quality music and also a testimony to the overall affection our minds simply have for the strange yet beautiful practice we call music - and as I thought about it I came to the conclusion that Coldplay's music has a haunting simplicity to it. They are able in their lyrics to capture grandiose images and emotions in simple, concise yet lingering statements.

One such statement is found in the song entitled, "We Never Change" and it says,

So I wanna live in a wooden house,
I wanna live life, always be true,
I wanna live life, and be good to you,
I wanna fly, and never come down,
And I live my life, and have friends around.

The melancholy tune of the song adds to the effect but it is the simplicity of the lyrics that I appreciate so much. The author of the song expresses the most basic of desires: to live in a secure dwelling with the one whom he cherishes, surrounded by people who care for him. And I truly believe that in that short unimpressive paragraph Chris Martin sums up a desire which resides in the heart of every man - to live, love, and be loved.

(Click here for discussion on another great Coldplay song - Politik)

In the very first few pages of Scripture, after God has made the world and made Adam He makes a simple yet resonating statement:

It is not good for man to be alone (Gen. 2:18).

We have been ingrained and created intentionally to need the fellowship of other people, to need the community of friends and lovers. And in a day and in a society that has so heralded the prominence of the individual the words of Chris Martin and more importantly of God are needed now more than ever. As members of a Western, suburban, self-help culture we have been saturated with the doctrines of individuality and led to believe that any need we have for another only evidences weakness in ourselves. But the cry of Scripture is that such a desire and such a need is not weakness but design. That we are a people of whom being alone does not always, but can lead to trouble, temptation, loneliness and despair. We have been created to reach our true identity as an individual only within the confines of community.

And I think it is for this very reason that when it is all said and done, after the music fades and the lights go out, after every one loses the pretense and is honest our deepest longing is that of Chris Martin's - to live in a wooden house (simplicity), to live life and be good to a beloved, and to have friends around (community).

Furthermore, I think it is for this reason that you rarely see bars go out of business and why a bartender can be one of the most liked people in a community. A bar is a place where everybody knows your name and I think people crave and thrive off of that - the bar offers community that so many places, including a lot of churches, simply do not for whatever reason.

I struggle to end this article poignantly, but just am haunted by that lyric and verse. We don't need more money, more technology, faster cars or computers, bigger houses or success - people just need other people to love them, live with them, and be there for them.

We never change, do we?