What I listen to- The Composers

During my day I listen to various types of music. Much of which is conditional to what mood I am in. The best music, however, is that which can sway my mood to a more relaxed place. I often listen to trance when I run, rock and rap when I lift weights, and mostly everything else when I'm either driving or working. Classical music is special because it derives it's own interpretation from our take on it, just as trance/electronic does. I've sometimes considered trance to be the classical music of our technological generation largely because their are no spoken lyrics. It leaves only what we desire to feel in the moment. The same song can create different moods at different times. Fascinating to say the least. Lastly, I virtually never listen to any pop music, or anything that might currently be played on the radio.

For me, I personally love movie soundtracks and musical scores. I think many people would be surprised at who/what I actually do listen to on a regular basis. Here's the short list of composers and singers that strike a chord with me (bad pun intended).

The Three Tenors-Luciano Pavarotti's timeless power, Placido Domingo's classic sound, and Jose Carreras' smoothness. Few, if any top Pavarotti, and the combined triplet is quite a delicacy.

Andrea Bocelli- incredibly rich voice and range. Can go from opera to contemporary naturally.

Alan Silvestri's score for Forest Gump. "Forest Gump suite" is incredible.

Randy Edelman's score for Dragon the Bruce Lee story. There's a reason so many tv and movie trailer's use the song "Premiere of the Big Boss" and the "Dragon Bruce Lee Story suite". The Gettysburg score is also high on the list of epic pieces along with Last of the Mohicans.

The Tree of Life soundtrack. This movie was artistic and quite visually stunning, though many people will have mixed feelings regarding the seemingly platitudnistic and pantheistic approach to art and meaning. Yet, few could dispute the use of incredible high def cinematography overlaid with music like Lacrimosa, Funeral Canticle, and Smetana's rousing La Moldau. Maybe I'm drinking the kool aid, but Terrence Malick has blended Kubrick with Aranofsky, even down to using the same macro liquid dynamics used for dramatic visual effects in The Fountain.

Jerry Goldsmith's score for Rudy. "Take us out" and "Tryouts" are incredibly fitting for the movie that inspired me to foolishly attempt football in high school :-)

Michael Giacchino- scores for the tv show Lost and the Star Trek movie. "Enterprising young men", "Life and Death", and "No place like home" are gold. Giacchino and JJ Abrams go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Bill Conti- The Karate Kid and Rocky scores. Two of my favorite childhood movies and soundtracks that take me back to the '80's.

Danny Elfman- another dynamic duo usually paired with sci-fi director Tim Burton. Edward Scissorhands and the Orginial Batman soundtracks are probably his highlights. "Ice Dance" and "Grand Finale" are my two favorites.

Clint Mansell's score for The Fountain. It was a beautiful and haunting score for a deep and thought provoking movie by Darren Aronofsky. "Death is the road to awe" might be his most impactful piece.

Ennio Morricone's score for The Mission. "Gabriel's Oboe" being the highlight. I'll end with the lyrics to the song "Nella Fantasia" which is an updated version of Morricone's song with added lyrics. Lyrics shown are the Italian and English translation.

Originial Italian (Nella Fantasia- In My Fantasy)

Nella fantasia io vedo un mondo giusto,
Lì tutti vivono in pace e in onestà.
Io sogno d'anime che sono sempre libere,
Come le nuvole che volano,
Pien' d'umanità in fondo all'anima.

Nella fantasia io vedo un mondo chiaro,
Lì anche la notte è meno oscura.
Io sogno d'anime che sono sempre libere,
Come le nuvole che volano.

Nella fantasia esiste un vento caldo,
Che soffia sulle città, come amico.
Io sogno d'anime che sono sempre libere,
Come le nuvole che volano,
Pien' d'umanità in fondo all'anima.

English version:

In my imagination I see a fair world,
Everyone lives in peace and in honesty there.
I dream of souls that are always free,
Like the clouds that fly,
Full of humanity in the depths of the soul.

In my imagination I see a bright world,
Even the night is less dark there.
I dream of souls that are always free,
Like clouds that fly.

In my imagination there exists a warm wind,
That breathes on the cities, like a friend.
I dream of souls that are always free,
Like clouds that fly,
Full of humanity in the depths of the soul.

Just another Tuesday morning.

My parents remember the day President Kennedy was assasinated like it was yesterday. My grandfather, until his dying day, could recall intricate details of World War II. I remember watching the news about the Challenger explosion in my parent's living room as a small child. I remember what it was like attending my first Yankees game. Of all those events in recent history, I don't think any could compare to what happened almost tens years ago to the day. It started off like any other day, but it was a day that would change the world as we knew it. It changed the world as I knew it.

It was a cool, but, bright sunny morning in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It was 9:30am and I was beginning my second week of classes at James Madison University. It was early enough in the semester where my class work load wasn't heavy yet, and I could still enjoy the freedom of what seemed like a short extension of summer vacation. A hint of fall was creeping in the air, a lively time it was, and I soaked it in during my short walk to government class. If I had been paying any attention, I may have noticed the growing concern and confused haze taking place around me. But, on this morning, like so many others, I was oblivious.

As soon as I stepped into Dr. Hammond's 9:45am class on modern political theory, I heard the shocking news for the first time. A plane had struck one of the World Trade Center buildings. The details were shakey at best, and on a college campus news from the "outside" doesn't come in very fast. Was it an accident? What kind of plane was it? There was no facebook and no real time news access from an iphone. We only had word of mouth and Instant Messenger. The cell phones started buzzing. Wait, there were two planes? One flew into the other building, and now both towers were badly damaged. It became excedingly clear this was not an accident. The Pentagon was hit too! This was a premeditated and widespread terrorist attack on America. The students began to panic. There were family members and friends who worked in the Pentagon and the Twin Towers. Certainly there were massive casualties from the morning's events, but who, and how many? Were my friends safe? Our professor let us go and, in fact, many classes were canceled for the remainder of the day. The professors had family, we had family, and we needed to know if we were the lucky ones.

I called my parents on my way back to my dorm, and they were okay. Thank God, they were okay. But, we also had family New York. Were they accounted for? Were the attacks over, or was this the beginning of something far more grim than we could ever imagine? Was my generation going to be the one that ushered in a new world of terror and war? As I headed back to my room I found a tree on the grassy quad, dropped my back pack, and sat down. Is this the end of the world as we know it? The end of freedom? Nothing made sense, and I was shocked and greatly troubled. The "reality" of my little world was trampled with reckless abandon. The weight of it all came crashing down, as if the towers themselves were the physical embodiment of my charmed naive existence. I prayed to God. It was the only thing I could do. The sparkling green quad was now filled with college aged souls just like mine slouched in a fog of confusion and sorrow. Those who chose to simply sit still, with their minds flooded with anxieties, were in stark contrast to those visibly running and frantically communicating. I could only hear my thoughts. The sounds of my breathing and heart beat were like the soundtrack to a silent film playing out before me. Time was standing still.

After the mind numbing stillness of my conscious ramblings, I headed back to my dorm to consult with friends. I wanted to support them in their time of desparation and fear. When I walked into my room, my roomate John was praying fervently on his bed. I wanted to join him, but I simply could not sit, or stand still a moment longer. I HAD to know what was happening in our world. Surely enough small groups of students began clustering around computers and tv screens to get the latest news. America was, in fact, under heavy terrorist attack. Another plane had crashed in PA, but was that coincidence, or part of the same dark master plan? Then I saw my first glimpse of the Twin Towers. Various news stations showed the images of two planes soaring through the New York skyline and then simply being engulfed into the side of the World Trade Center. Then the planes, immediately after impact, erupted into a flashing ball of fire, smoke, and debris. The Twin Towers burned, but still stood defiantly. Who knew that the images captured on these screens would be the same ones that would haunt the world from that day forth?

For certain I knew many Americans had to have been lost on this day. I kept a watchful eye on the news, and the scrolling news feed at the bottom of the screen. Then my heart stopped. A large deafening billow of smoke and dust revealed that the south tower had collapsed. It was completely gone. Then I saw videos of the north tower. It was gone too. Movies like Deep Impact and Independance Day had eerily similar visuals as to what we were seeing. Dust clouds consumed city block after city block. New York City was in chaos. Knowing that both mighty towers had fallen, may very well have been the most heart breaking thing I have ever seen. It was an iconic sight that was horrible to witness, yet I could not stop watching the replays on tv. Thousands of people were lost. In the wake of the morning's events, there were countless stories of heroes among us. The common man and woman becoming uncommon. FDNY, NYPD, EMT. In the rubble and remains of a once towering facade, a single American flag was raised.

The morning of September 11, 2001 may have started off just like any other. But, on that same evening myself, and thousands of fellow JMU students gathered in candle light vigil I will never forget. It was a somber time of remembering, weeping, and strengthened resolve. In vunerable brokeness we became all together one.

Weeks and months after September 11, America was the most united I have ever seen it. There was solidarity with our foreign allies, and solidarity within our own government. More importantly, Americans learned how to love one another again. The United States were actually united. I write this now on eve of Sept 11, 2011. I know that in the first few years after 9/11 people paid their tributes, but as time passed by people forgot. I am writing this today, so I never forget. It is a reminder as to why I am proud to call myself an American.

Afterall, you never know when just another Tuesday morning will change the world.

Season of Goodbye

I know not why, nor the reason. But, this is the season, of farewells, goodbyes, handshakes, and sad eyes. For some the candle blew out, for others an escape from the drought. It's what we give away, and what we take with. Swift fleeting moments, sweet fleeting gifts. The trade off is simple, but at a cost we can't choose. A life well shared, equates to how much we lose. Brave new worlds and brave new friends. Johnny Cash was wrong, not everyone goes away in the end.

Today

Today, this day, will always be the culmination of all the prior days of our lives. In other words, everything that has ever happened has literally prepared us for this very moment. Until the unpromised sunrise of tomorrow arrives, today is technically always the last day of your life. Live it as such.

My Bucket List

I decided to compile a new list of things I'd like to do in my lifetime. I haven't really considered a "bucket list" in a while. I have also listed some things that were previously on the list, but now completed.

Climb Mt. Everest: this will be doable as soon as I have $60,000 to do it.
...or Visit Napal and at least see Everest from a distance
Go to Hawaii: complete
See the northern lights
Complete and Ironman
Run a marathon: complete
Have a role in a major Hollywood film
Learn to do the windmill( a breakdance move)
See the Great Wall of China
Paddle the Yangtze River
Dunk a basketball
Run with the bulls
Run the Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim
Sit in the Devils Pool at Victoria Falls
Go to: Alaska, Korea, New Zealand, Ireland,
Run 100 miles in a single day: complete
Skydive
See the Great Pyramids
See Niagara Falls: complete
Storm Chase/see an F5 tornado
Feel an earthquake: complete (believe it or not in Richmond, VA 12/04)
Own a black Harley Davidson Nightster
Highpoint every state with summits over a mile high: 5 so far (CO, HI, TN, NC, VA)

Part 1: The Fall

In the beginning a garden, a betrayal naive
In the beginning, one choice, so easily deceived.
A love story so perfect, but we chose to hide
No longer our eternity, haunting whispering lies.

We fall through history and time, we make our mark
We keep falling forever, deeper into the dark.
A great flood, the great plagues, world wars one and two
A civil war took thousands, a global war 6 million Jews.
Made equal by God, but enslaved, bound by our hands
If your skin is dark, you're only three fifths on a man

Persecution, control, man's lust for power.
A doomsday clock, in the eleventh hour.
Oppenheimer, and armies, a mighty weapon of fear.
Hiroshima, Nagasaki in ashes, creation disappears.
The atomic age yields to another, a hydrogen beast
Tsar Bomba quakes the heavens, a 50 kiloton feast.
Falling forever again, what is it worth?
When choas rules, how can the meek inherit this earth?

Cambodia, Vietnam, Kmer Rouge, the scene at Tiananmen Square
Another trail of tears, napalm scorches the air.
Generations of man, one after the other
Keep falling forever, waiting to discover
Why can't our hearts change, why can't we believe
Oklahoma City in terror, quiet Waco under seige.
So many chances to turn it back, to simply be found
April 20,1999. 14 taken in a small Colorado town.

Madrid's 191, 56 in a London rush hour blast,
American 11, 77, United 93 happened so fast
We are the villain's of the story, where are the heroes?
2,752 more when the mighty twins fell, this is ground zero.
These are the headlines, the news flashes of our time
Darfur, Virginia Tech, Rwanda genocide

The world says it's ok, we're doing fine
Then why do we fall, time after time?
They say we don't need a savior, there's nothing to save
Then why are billions on bended knee every single day?
We fall forever and ever with this empty cup,
We must fall....so we can be lifted up.

...part II coming

Short Stuff

(these were actually messages sent via Facebook to friends of mine, and never intended to be posted on here)

Life has given, life has taken. On the cross, even the Son felt forsaken. The cuts are deep, the bruises are real. Is truth more than what we feel? Isolation, the beast, your courage on his teeth. Young, torn, scorned, this is your crown of thorns. How can near feel so far, how does love feel like scars? Is He cruel and distant, a promise unkept? But, John 11:35 said by your side Jesus wept. Alone in the winter, by snow covered trees, a single rose struggles, yearning to be free.(3/21)

Something dark, something fierce, something wicked draws me nearest. Back and forth, shadow to light, into morning, into night. Piercing eyes, story untold, raise your flag into the cold. Bold, weak, broken, and shattered. Flag torn, heart tattered. Raise up, raise up, you sleep no more. Lift those looks from the floor. Take a step, walk the line, grasp it now, the light is mine.(3/15)

Sit back relax, plan your attack. Like a coward you hide, taking my pride, don't you know what's inside? Cracked mirror has me wondering who I am, what's His plan, does He understand? Blinded and deaf, I can neither hear nor see. Sharpen your blades cuz your taking me from me. Pull back the hammer, reload, reload. You'd better kill me deadeye I'm about to explode. Caught in your crosshairs I dodge, shift, and slide. Word without truth is a dark little ride. Anger and hatred, the fangs come out. The wolf has shed the sheepskin, more doubt, more doubt. I'm a weak feeble target, you think I'm an easy kill. I've got my eye on you, the world stands still. The deluge of assaults, your clip is empty. One last try, you're trying to tempt me. You did your homework, you studied my mind, but there's a piece of me you didn't find. Behold a longsword, drawn from my will, now you're the prey, come get your fill. Stagger back to the darkness from wherest thou came, pouring is truth, washed in the rain. Fake lying shadow, I'm serving you wine and bread. Your treachery is done, no more, your dead. (3/23)