Song Obsession of the Week

Love Matt Nathanson...

"Falling Apart"

I Like...Susan Boyle

When the news is filled with depressing things like family murder-suicides, more economic crisis, details about U.S. torture policy, and random medical student-turned-stalker-slash-killers, the media jumps on feel-good, smile-getting stories like that of Susan Boyle. This sweet, 47-year-old woman came on Britain's Got Talent, got boo-ed and laughed at by the audience and judges, and proceeded to knock them on their arses as soon as she opened her mouth. Seriously, it was pretty great to watch Simon Cowell's stone face break out in a surprised grin with her first notes. 

You should really watch the video. 

But as heart-warming as this is, and as much as it makes every housewife or bored businessman jump up in their living rooms to root for the underdog, it made me think about WHY we were all so amazed by her performance. YES, her voice is awesome, and she is extremely talented...but to be honest, it's nothing we all haven't heard before, in a concert, or in a musical. 

If we're being completely frank, the reason everyone was floored is because that awesome voice came from someone who looked like Susan Boyle. Before she opened her mouth, we all (myself included) assumed she was one of the weirdos who came to juggle or sing a ho-down about her cat on national television, because we are so used to judging people on their too-frizzy hair, or their not-made-up-enough face, or their slight lisp, despite the fact that behind all that might be a sweet, good, valuable, impressive person that - GASP - we might learn something from! Yes, the voice would have still been impressive had it come from someone who looks like J-Simp or one of the girls from The Hills, but I think the sensational media blitz wouldn't have spread quite as quickly as it has. It's a happy, victorious tale for Susan, but kind of a sad commentary on our society and where we place top value.

Maybe I'm too cynical, but I do think it's worth pondering exactly why our expectations were so low for this lady who is clearly brilliant/ace/cracking/bloody great. 

p.s. I wish I was British. 

I HEART Jimmy Eat World!

I was a fan of this band before they ever got big (yes, I know I sound sooo emo elitist right now but I don't care!), and then I was a bad fan and forgot about them for a while...their latest album is great, and I have this song on repeat:

JEW - Always Be

shout out to my fellow JEW fan, shnavs :)

Song Obsession of the Week

We sang this song tonight in our Good Friday service...we went through the 14 Stations of the Cross, and this year I feel like I can't even begin to comprehend the magnitude of it all. 

Robbie Seay Band - Beautiful Scandalous Night

What I can't get out of my head:

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," and "Be thirsty no more." 

So perfectly said, it is scandalous and beautiful, all at the same time.

I Like...Middle School

I am proud to bring you the Jackson Middle School Golden Moment of the Week.

13 year-old-boy: Miss, why do I have to change my pants?
Alma (social worker): Because they are 31s and you are a size 34, and because you can't wear them below your butt.
Boy with angry face: But Miss, why?
Alma: Because you look like a street person. Here are some new pants, go put them on.
Boy comes back with normal pants: Miss, I can't wear these.
Alma: Why not? You don't look like a street person anymore? Do you want to look like a street person?
Boy: No, but Missssssss. These pants are lame.
Alma: Do you know my name?
Boy: Yes, Burrell, but MISS.
Alma: Put on your belt and go to class.
Boy: Miss, I can't wear these pants. I'm going to take off my pants and walk around in my boxers instead because I can't wear these stupid pants.
Boy begins unzipping his pants and walks out the door.

And there you have it, another quality moment at JMS. Or shall we say, the Moment of Disrobing Teenage Boys.

I Like...Threads

About once every season, our church puts on an event called Threads. Essentially, it is a free clothing closet for families who need clothes for their children, but it's really so much more. All items are donated, but only high-quality, attractive, and lightly used (i.e. unstained) clothes are up for grabs. We set the space to look like a "store," a la Baby Gap or Gymboree. Cute Easter dresses are hung from the ceiling, shoes are arranged into adorable displays, bright swimsuits are arranged in the window, and upbeat music plays from the speakers. When people enter the store, they are greeted with refreshments and a card to fill out with their name, children's names, and sizes. They are then assigned a "co-shopper," who takes them around the store, helps them find sizes, makes the kids feel excited about their new clothes, and gets to know them on a different level. The idea is that families from the neighborhood, who probably think of clothes-shopping as stressful or as a reminder that they can't provide their kids with what so many other kids are obsessed with, can come shop for high-quality clothes in an environment where they are welcomed, paid attention to, and valued.

The faces of the kids who come to shop are priceless when they pick out their new polo shirt, bright pink tutu dress, or good-as-new Pumas. I think all the time how I put too much value on clothes and trying to look cute, but when these kids come in the store, it becomes the most important thing in the world to them, and I think that's okay. As they leave the store, smiling and proudly toting their crisp shopping bag full of basically brand new clothes, it's obvious that this is an experience they won't forget. The Threads concept is so simple, but revolutionary at the same time, and it has been amazing to watch how it has grown from serving 40 families to over 100, and how it went from Rachelle's idea to a full-service, community-focused organization that garners support from businesses and newspapers. Threads is inspiring, and so is the little boy who left yesterday jumping up and down, holding up his new shirt for all to see. "Mom, this is the best Spiderman shirt in my whole life!" Yay Spiderman.

I Like...New Blog Formats and "Following" on Blogger

Sooo, I decided to mix up the blog-ness to make things a little more interesting. I thought this would be a fun new way to make myself blog more often, even if it's in the form of short, random posts.

In other news, I have recently discovered the "following" feature of blogger, and I have become an official follower of all of my friends' blogs, or at least the ones I am aware of. It's lovely and helpful because it updates me whenever one of you has posted something new, so I don't fall totally behind. It'd be sweet if I had more than two followers to make me feel more popular, but in all seriousness, I'm curious to actually know who all reads this. To my knowledge, there are only a few (aka Jen, Nava, Hannah, Mary, and Kathy), but I bet there are a few more who found the link on my Facebook profile or something. Come on, everyone stalks at least a litttttle bit, so I am just challenging you to do it out in the open. Show your faces, all you lurkers! Just kidding, I know about the awkwardness of Facebook and being caught up on the status updates and such of people you may not keep in touch with in person...but I'd love to know who you are, even if you've never commented or anything, so take the plunge and click the follow button! :)

Yay for blogging and the awkwardness of the Internet.