I gotta say that Gibson and I are quite excited about the new MuteMath record “Armistice.” I find it quite fast paced, the drummer must get quite a work out because he is all over the kit. I’ve been singing along quite a bit or more than usual, even though the singers range seems to be a few octaves higher than mine. And there is just a lot put in to this record, lots of details to pick out, different instruments used, timing, harmonies and I’m sure some computers too. MuteMath is definitely near the top of my list of bands to see live that I haven’t been able to yet. The track that I’ve posted is the title track, Armistice, and really makes me think of Jamiroquai.
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Possibly the greatest book title you will ever see: 
I did it! Yep, I finally did it! I have now completed The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess! And what a game it was. For the Wii’s limited power I thought the graphics were beautiful, while the Wii controls were well used and fun. I was continually amazed by the planning and creativity of each dungeon, cave or castle I entered. A really well thought out game that goes on forever, at least for a father of two, it only took me six months to beat. Certainly a worthy addition to the Zelda library.
I finally watched Religulous the other day, with mixed feelings. Religulous is a documentary made in the Micheal Moore mold (over the top, stressing one side of the story to make a point), it satirizes many different forms of religion, Judaism, Islam and Christianity being the heavy hitters. Bill Maher hosts the film and it’s interviews, I enjoyed his wit and humor, but found the interviews to be unfair. Bill admits that they were done without the person ever knowing beforehand that he, the big star, would be doing the interviewing and that they used a false name, “A Spiritual Journey,” for the movie. The interviewees seemed corned and out gunned by Mr Maher, I thought it was a little unfair. That said, many of them did a more than adequate job painting themselves into a corner or just looking plain stupid. I laughed a lot, I mean a Christian theme park is soooo wrong , and then there was that nutty Catholic priest outside the Vatican, woah!
I have to admit that Bill Maher presented plenty of good arguments against some outlandish claims of religion, including Christianity. Again though, I found many of them to be unfair, quickly stated without any evidence (yes, you may criticize my blog for that as well) and some of them were just not true. For example there is evidence outside of the Bible that there was a Jesus of Nazereth, several historians from the first century will attest to that, including a Jewish, Roman citizen named 
But once again, faith, seems to be what it’s all about, we all have faith, either in a god(s) or in the absence of god. Depending on your point of view, either the Jesus=Horus argument is flawless or riddled with holes. I won’t argue about whether or not Paganism has influenced Christianity ( see the celebration of Christ’s birth on Dec. 25th), but 
Liz and I rarely watch movies, instead we like to watch whole seasons of TV programs. It’s not that we don’t like movies, it’s just that we usually don’t have time to commit to a two hour program. That is kind of a lame excuse because we might still end up watching the tube for 2 hours, but we still have the option of turning it off without cutting the show short. Most all of our favorites are from US cable channels (HBO, Showtime, AMC etc.) as opposed to the traditional US networks (ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX).
We are celebrating both of the kids birthdays this week, amazing. I’ve had a lot of fun buying presents and then watching Gibson and Ellie open and play with them. Here’s some newish photos of my two favorite little people. **note the fine editing of the beach pic **
I wrote a post earlier this year about a new Taylor forklift that we were testing at work. Well I’ve been driving a brand new one now for about a month and it’s pretty great, the best part being that it includes a stereo with an auxiliary jack so that I can use my ipod with it. It’s really changed my work day, I now have whatever music or podcasts I want to listen to right there at work, I have a lot more time to rock out or learn.
Musically I’ve been enjoying a variety. I’ve really become a fan of Mastadon, they are heavy, dirty and progged out. To switch gears I’ve been listening to the last two U2 albums and I’m a little surprised by how much I like them. I’ve always thought they were OK and found Bono intriguing, but my appreciation for them is seeing new heights. I’ve also been mixing in the newest from Dredg, Taking Back Sunday. August Burns Red and of course Thrice at least once a day.
I bought myself a new toy this weekend a Garmin Forerunner 205. It’s a GPS watch that measures your pace, altitude and time when running or cycling. My friend borrowed a similar watch last year when we did a half marathon and it was a great tool to make sure we would finish the race in the our goal time. It uploads all your info to your computer so you can keep track of your times and see your progress… well hopefully I’m progressing. I think it will help motivate me and provide options for more variety in my runs, which is always good, keeps things interesting and fresh.
A memoir is a tricky book for me. I never seem to get hooked on them and so, read them slower than other books. Even when I read Anne Lamott, who I think is smart, funny, inspirational and just plain great, it’s a little tough at times. 
