Did we win?!?!?!

Tonight was the first UNC basketball season opener, and I was very excited. My housemates and I set the DVR to record the game on two channels lest one not work right, and decided upon 8 o'clock as game time. We start the game and are enjoying watching our beloved Tar Heels give the Wildcats a workout. With 1:26 left to go, freshman Tyler Zeller gets fouled. He rises from the floor clutching his wrist. The replay comes on, and suddenly stops as Zeller rises in the hair for the one-handed flush. A small dialog box asks us whether or not we would like to keep the recording.

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! We didn't record the last 1:26 of the game because it went past 8PM PST. I know we won, but it was disheartening nonetheless. Oh well, a lesson learned.

After a watching most of the Heels victory, I spent the night watching videos of drummers on YouTube. I have decided on one that you simply must watch, even if you are not a musician. If you are, you may be ashamed that you are probably at least 10 years older than this kid and he owns you.




I believe that video was made in the late 80's, the "kid" now has his own website, jacobarmen.com

Enjoy.

Prop 8 Update

It has been almost three weeks since the election, and a lot of animosity and uncertainty surrounds Proposition 8. I put up a post earlier on the subject, feel free to peruse it. Several folks have asked for an update from a Californian's point of view, so this is it.

I originally said that I would vote against Prop 8 (thus voting against the ban of gay marriage) because I think the State should award citizens equal rights. That actually might not be the case. I discovered since then that civil unions can be awarded to homosexual couples. In light of this, I probably would have voted for Prop 8. Although I can understand the equality argument, I believe that upholding the sanctity of marriage is important, especially when the opponents of Prop 8 already have the same "rights" as heterosexual citizens. It is essentially arguing for a different name of something that exists.

Prop 8 passed in California, and even passed in LA county. Immediately all types of petitions, protests, and rallies flared up complaining about the legality of a proposition. Seems to me those things should have been taken care of BEFORE the whole election. Anyhoo...

It seems as if this issue is here to stay. No one has changed sides; opponents of Prop 8 are taking to the streets and complaining about their rights being infringed upon. Others are frustrated that the wishes of the majority are not being respected and are tired of the whole ordeal. I am sick of seeing it in the papers, personally. For now, the California media has bigger and more important issues to deal with in the sweeping wildfires across California. If you haven't heard of these, look them up. It's actually pretty scary; visibility was about 1 mile today on the freeway, which was a good 20 miles from the fire. Just crazy, crazy stuff. The whole city smells like a campsite.

Hope you all are well, thanks for reading. I just moved into a new house and only got internet today. I will be uploading a video tour shorty. Get excited.

New Song Posted!!

I am excited!! I have been hard at work lately on my solo album. It's been tough to stay motivated, but things are really starting to come together. Most of the songs are standard rock stuff, but as you know I am a fan of the electronica. So I tried the wrestle the two genres into a cool-but-not-too-weird song. You can be the judge on how well I did...

The song is posted over on my MySpace and it's titled "The Cry Of One Afflicted." NOTE: Bonus points for anyone who can determine where the song came from.

You should go listen to it now. And then again. And then make Facebook posts about it and text your friends and all that goodness. Seriously. It's a good song.

Halloween and Proposition 8

Halloween was a night that started terribly and end up wonderfully. I was invited to a party where by a friend I met at church. I was planning on going, and then my friend realized she had to work and wouldn't be able to go. No biggie, I'll just crash the party and make friends. So I dress up as Terry Langner, freelance security guard, and head to the party. I arrive, then sat in my car for an hour because I realized, "I might not know anyone in there. And that would be weird." I listened to UnderOath at extreme volumes, it helped a little.

After sulking in my car I headed over to a house where some guys and gals from UNC live. I know them through random mutual friends and I had been to the house once before. It was a great time, I met lots of new people, got to know the UNC folks a little better and really enjoyed myself. It helped that there was loud music and a strobe light.

One guy had a genius costume -- a propeller made of cardboard and aluminum foil with "8" written on it. Prop 8. Which is utterly hilarious.

For you non-Californians (which is probably everyone), Prop 8 is going to be voted on Tuesday. If it passes, then the State Constitution will be amended to legally define marriage as a heterosexual union. This is in response to a court case a while back where the judge's ruling allowed gay marriage in California.

So, how should I vote on this matter? You might think that being a Christian, I would obviously want the bill to pass. But I am not so sure how I feel about that. Should we vote based on our moral convictions or our sense of justice and fairness? The campaign against Prop 8 states, "Regardless of how you feel about marriage, it's wrong to eliminate others' rights." And I agree.

"But Chad, marriage is a picture of Christ and the Church! And homosexuality is explicitly condemned in Scripture!" Yes, these things are true and I believe them. I do not think that Churches should officiate and endorse homosexuality, whether in lifestyle or marriage. But I also believe in the Separation of Church and State. And sine the State does not hold marriage up as a spiritual union, then why shouldn't they allow gay marriage? Furthermore, if we are to make laws that reflect the morality of Scripture, then it logically follows that all sinning should be outlawed. It should be illegal to drink and chew and go with girls that do. JK JK, lol. But seriously, a campaign should be started to make Christianity the official religion of the United States. And we all know that that is just ridiculous.

So, I welcome your thoughts and opinions. Let's hear 'em.