Generally About Music

Been awhile, ain't it?  Or is that just the days running together in my head?  Ah well, I FEEL like I've been fairly busy...not actually super busy, just busy enough in short spurts to be too tired for anything but guitar in the off times.  :)  This is the view from where I sit lately. :P

And I love how these pictures came out, just a little fiddling around with exposure and contrast...and voila!  (pun not actually intended, but hey, it works)

And a better picture of me puppy!  I walked him last night down to the park, and we discovered two things...  He's scared of bridges (little ones over streams a total of 2 inches deep) and small people's parked bicycles...  Haha!

I'm getting my brain back into Spanish mode :: I've missed it!  I've always loved songs in Italian and Spanish, but I've got a new favorite.



And also, my new favorite composer (it's all happened rather quickly, but now I've got all sorts of music by him and I'm cranking away at it) is Ludovico Einaudi.  My current favorite and one I'm getting close on ::



Confession :: I've spent HOURS at the piano over last day and a half, what with this, this one, and the rest of Le Onde, and now I Giorni.  I adore it.  The reason why I know I've spent hours there is because I've got them down, and though they're both pretty simple, it takes me a couple hours to get a song solid and memorized.  AND I'm returning to Hospice House!  First day all over again today, I did miss that piano, but it really still isn't the same without Mr. Ralph.  Oh well... seems like a different place, the new wing, new people, a new day (I used to go on Thursdays)... but same old piano!  And in tune!

Weather's crazy here today!  Windy, cloudy, cool, I love it. :)
AMZi  x x x x x

PS this is my new favorite book.  No joke.  The ending... but it won't make sense unless you're like me, generally strange.  I know a lot people who wouldn't get his refuge at all, but I understand exactly.  It's amazing.

Favorite Songs...

Of the moment. :)



My favorite word is Everlasting. :)



Oh my.  Something about that... wow.

AMZi x x x x x

PS Amzi has started college classes and gotten her license, hence the busy-ness lately!

Authority

Listen to this quote from my American Gov. book (BJU Press) ::

"DAVID -- Before becoming king, David faced an ungodly government in the form of King Saul's personal vendetta against him.  Despite almost being run through with a spear and then being hounded across the land, David remained respectful to Saul.  On two occasions when presented with the opportunity to kill the king, David refused.  He even expressed genuine sorrow for cutting off part of Saul's robe (1 Sam. 24:4-6), as this could be interpreted as a sign of rebellion.  Furthermore, he commanded those under him to show Saul respect and refrain from hurting him.  Later, when David received word of Saul and Jonathan's deaths, he lamented over both of them."

It's kind of amazing, if you think about it.  David knew that authorities are put in place by God, raised up to exact judgment, or to show His power.  Ungodly governments are not exempt from His sovereignty.  That's a good thing to remember.

But even more striking, I find, is the level of respect for Saul that David has.  I mean, I enjoy political cartoons, but the caricatures of the country's leaders could be considered disrespectful.  I'm no fan of Obama's policies, and I'm guilty of calling him disrespectful names, in spite of the fact that he is our president and therefore deserves a level of respect.  "But I didn't CHOOSE him as our president!" you (and I) have said.  Okay, true, but guess what?  God did.  As Doc would say, "Put that in your pipe and...chew it."

And another quote :: "I love Obama, I just don't like his ideas.  You need to do that with people--love them but be careful with their ideas." --Chuck Asay

That struck me.  It IS our moral duty to work to reform our country, to fight injustices in it, to elect Godly representatives.  We are NOT to abandon the "state" sphere, because our Christianity ought to permeate every aspect of life.  HOWEVER we are not to become so wrapped up in our politics as to become like secular politicians.  We are NOT to be assimilated and subsequently ignored.  And we are NOT to let our excitement/outrage over issues and ideas drag us headlong into ad hominem.  As Christians we maintain compassion for people, and solidity on issues.  It's a fine line.

I'm loving the weather right now, but I'm freezing!  Must finish that sweater, because I NEED it! :)

AMZi x x x x x

Ozymandias

Poem I've memorized for a long time, and still love. :)

Ozymandias by Percy Shelley

I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert, near them on the sand
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains.  Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away."

More are coming to my mind--mainly Robbie Burns.  The Twa Corbies.  I love that one.  And When I Was One and Twenty by some other chap.  And Very Like a Whale by...oh, whatsisname.  I'll find them soon.

AMZi x x x x x

I Want To...

Draw a picture...



Or paint a picture...



Or sew something historic...



Or maybe go to bed...  NAAAAAH!!  :)

Pondering, conversing, thinking, reading, and now blogging,
AMZi x x x x x

images (c) their respective owners

*Cough Wheeze*

Made it!  I'm back!  Ayi, now I think life will settle down to normal.  Thank goodness the school year's starting!

Interspersed you find pictures of our latest venture, to Tennessee, to the lake house, plus some minor excursions on my part to a couple schools down there.  Bryan College and Covenant College, to be precise.  Both awesome schools, but Covenant is incredible!  And they gave me a T-shirt.  Which of course makes all the difference. :P Haha!

Aaaand just about to get my driver's license, just need to go take the test.  Nervous, yes?  But it'll be convenient so I can drive myself to school.  Maybe freaky, but still, good.  And we've created a thingummy, to remember the streets in order like you remember the planets in order.  Instead of My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas (minus the Pizzas now, poor Pluto!!) it's Queen Samantha Ate Muffins Not Rolls.  Clever, yes?

Aaaand not much crafting going on at my end, unlike all the stuff going on in the blogocosmos but I have some ideas floating round in my head!  Which is a promising sign.  Just as I plunge into the time of year when I have NO time whatsoever...

Aaaand writing isn't really happening, but it's because I'm waiting for cold weather.  It's vital to the "mood."  I'll get there, y'all.  Somehow.

Mainly still a lot of reading and studying going on!  Updated book list:

1. Understanding the Times by Doc (David Noebel)
2. Just Six Numbers by Whatsisname (Martin Rees)
3. Economics in One Lesson by The Other Chap (Henry Haslitt)
4. El Dorado by the Baroness (Orczy)
5. A Prince of the Captivity by Buchan (John Buchan.  Shaken, not stirred.)
6. Why We're Not Emergent by Two Guys Who Should Be (Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck
7. Just Do Something by The Guy Who Wrote That Other Book With That Other Guy (Kevin DeYoung again)

And still to come, as soon as I can justify starting new books...

1. Starship Troopers by Heinlein (already read but WANT to re-read!)
2. Unnatural Death by Dorothy Sayers (friend gave it to me and I STILL haven't gotten to it!)
3. Books by Kuyper and RC Sproul and Norman Geisler...piles of 'em!

AAAAND we got a dog!  And he's amazing.  Perfect little puppy!  About 5 mos. old, a cockapoo who's more poodle than cocker (pookapoo?) and we're calling him Kuyper.  Extremely smart little guy.  Very sweet.  

Aaaand I think that's it!  Had a lot of fun, but it is good to be home.  Lots on my mind, lots to pray about, but life is pretty darn good.  :)

AMZi x x x x x

Breakthrough

You want to be real, you want to be empty inside

You want to be someone laying down your pride

You want to be someone someday

Then lay it all down before the king

You want to be whole, you want to have purpose inside

You want to have virtue and purify your mind

You want to be set free today

Then lay it all down before the King

This is my desire, this is my return

This is my desire to be used by You

You want to be real, you want to be emptied inside

And I know my heart is to feel You near

And I know my life

It's to do Your will

It's to do Your will

This is my desire, this is my return

This is my desire, to be used by You

This is my desire, this is my desire

To be used by You 

All my life I have seen

Where You've taken me

Beyond all I have hoped

And there's more left unseen

There's not much I can do to repay all You've done

So I give my hands to use

This is my desire, this is my return

This is my desire, to be used by You

This is my desire, this is my desire

To be used by You