Matt’s Meandering Mind on Monday March 21, 2011
Posted by Matt in Matt's Meandering Mind on Monday.Tags: family, Lent, music, NCAA Tournament, visiting home
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So, the weekend’s over and a new week is upon us. Here is what’s happening in the world of the Wisdoms.
- We visited my famiily over the weekend to celebrate both our daughter’s 6th birthday and my dad’s birthday. It was great to be with family and we even got to squeeze in one of our regular games of Trivial Pursuit. Saturday night Diana and I drove to the house of some friends whom we haven’t seen in a very long time and visited with them until 1:00am the next morning. Good times.
- We went to the local Church of Christ on Sunday morning with my family and though things have improved there a great deal over the past year or so, I’m more confident than ever that we made the right decision to move on. We joked on the way to church about how hard it would be to keep from kneeling during prayers and crossing ourselves.
- I think I may work on a series soon about my personal theology. It may not be of much interest to many of you, but I think it would be good for me to write it down.
- My NCAA Tournament prognostication skills are not all that great, but I do have to say that I’m not doing terrible yet either. Sure, I missed the Morehead State pick and I didn’t have teams like VCU, Richmond, and Marquette in the Sweet Sixteen, but all of my Final Four picks are still alive (Kansas, Ohio St, UConn, and Wisconsin) so that’s a major plus.
-As I mentioned before, I took the words of Patrick the priest seriously regarding Lent and I’ve been listening to one complete album each day in order to enhance the joy in my life. Here is a list of what I have chosen so far.
1. Bob Marley – Legend
2. Johnny Cash – Unchained
3. Phish – Billy Breathes
4. Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
5. Passenger Jones – Float Slowly
6. John Coltrane – A Love Supreme
7. The Avett Brothers – Emotionalism
8. Radiohead – OK Computer
9. Grateful Dead – Reckoning
10. Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
11. Pearl Jam – Backspacer
12. Bob Dylan – Time Out of Mind
Any suggestions for what else should be on the schedule?
- Today our babysitter called in sick, so I stayed home from work and kept JD. It’s been a good guy-only day around our house!
Matt’s Meandering Mind on Monday February 21, 2011
Posted by Matt in Matt's Meandering Mind on Monday.Tags: Beale Street Music Festival, good friends, I love used books, Radiohead, St. Timothy's Episcopal Church, Willie Nelson in Southaven
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So much going on…
- We had a great weekend, with my friend James coming over Friday night and the Sanders family the next evening. James and I listened to the new Radiohead and played old Megaman games on the NES after the kids went to sleep. I grilled some tuna steaks for the Sanders, they brought a jug of wine and we visited for 5 much-to-fast hours. Good times.
- Speaking of the new Radiohead, if you haven’t downloaded it (or bought the physical copy), you definitely should. They never fail to impress and amaze me. Their latest release, The King of Limbs, reminds me of their last one, In Rainbows, in that it continues the percussion-oriented sound. I’m a big, big fan.
- I bought my tickets for the Beale Street Music Festival already, even though they haven’t officially announced the lineup. So far, Pollstar has reported that Cee Lo Green and The Avett Brothers will be there and that’s certainly enough to get me in the door.
- I also just found out a few days ago that Southaven will host a Willie Nelson/Jamey Johnson concert this summer. How cool is that? We haven’t had a decent show since people complained about the noise level of the Velvet Revolver/Alice in Chains show (I was there!).
- We still love the church we’ve been attending, St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, and couldn’t imagine being happier and more fulfilled anywhere else, even though we still have a great deal to learn.
- The Memphis library is having their annual used book sale this Friday and I’m already chomping at the bit for it. It’s like having another Christmas Day!
Things are going well here. How are things in your world?
Matt’s Meandering Mind on Monday December 13, 2010
Posted by Matt in Matt's Meandering Mind on Monday.Tags: family, random thoughts
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It’s another day at the office, but there are only 6 more work days left until I’m off for a week, so everything’s fine with us. Here’s a quick update on what is going on with us.
- Diana’s birthday was Friday, so we got a sitter and went out Saturday night to celebrate. I joke about her birthday being the one day of the year I will not veto the choice of a major chain restaurant, and she chose Outback. We had a great time eating out and finally getting to see the new Harry Potter movie. We’ve only been on 3 dates this year (I think) without kids, so it was really nice.
- I’ll continue with my list of the best music of 2010 this week, hopefully tomorrow. It was a great year for music and, though I downloaded a lot of albums, I’m always interested in what you liked best. Let me know what you think should be included.
- Things are still going well with our visit to the Episcopal Church and I think we feel as though we could fit in well there. Yesterday we had lunch with the rector’s family again and I picked up the book Lamb on their recommendation. I’ll have more about that later this week or maybe next when I finish it.
- We don’t spend a lot of money on Christmas, so we have almost completed our shopping for the year, which, as you can imagine, is really nice. Over the weekend I wanted to watch some X-mas movies with the kids, but soon realized we couldn’t find any of them. Strange. We did watch a few short things on Netflix Instant Watch, but I may have to go buy a few DVDs this weekend so that we’ll have something.
- In case you were wondering, I stink at Fantasy Football this year. In the league I run, my team is horrible and will be lucky to not finish in last place, but I should be able to sneak into the playoffs in Scott’s league with an 8-6, 4th place, finish to the regular season.
How was your weekend?
Matt’s Meandering Mind on Monday 10/4 October 4, 2010
Posted by Matt in Matt's Meandering Mind on Monday.Tags: Amazon MP3 deals, Fantasy Football failure, Kanye West, The Walking Dead
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So, it’s another Monday and as usual there are a lot of things running through my head.
- I’ve enjoyed writing about the Bishop Spong book that I recently read, but I think I’m going to take a break from it for a while. I encourage you to pick it up for yourself if you’re really interested in it.
- I think it has been firmly established that I am terrible at fantasy football this season. In my league, I’m sitting at 0-3, about to drop to 0-4, and my three highest draft picks – Ray Rice, Jamaal Charles, and Matt Schaub – have turned out to be mediocre at best. It’s been an ugly, ugly year.
- I readily admit to being a reading freeloader at our local Books-a-Million. I usually go one time per week at lunch to drink a large coffee ($1.83 after tax) and read things that I don’t have the money to buy. Recently I’ve been reading The Walking Dead, a great graphic novel series about a future zombie virus apocalypse. Very cool.
- One of my favorite things to do at the beginning of each month is to check out the 100 $5 MP3 albums for sale on Amazon. It’s a great deal that, along with the great values at emusic, have allowed me to amass a lot of new music (about 35-36 albums from 2010) and a lot of older stuff at a low price. This month you should be sure to pick up Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs if you don’t already have it.
- With the exception of a possible new Radiohead release in November, my most anticipated album for the remainder of this year is the latest from Kanye West. This guy never ceases to blow me away. If you want to know why, check out his performance from the latest SNL.
Matt’s Meandering Mind on Monday May 17, 2010
Posted by Matt in Matt's Meandering Mind on Monday.Tags: ADD, community garden, Gulf Shores, Jon Calipari, NBA playoffs, pesticides, Piano recital, Ronnie James Dio, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, vacation
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There is a lot going on lately, both personally and in the world around us, and here are just a few things that have been on my mind lately.
- Our 7 year old, Rachel, had her first piano recital over the weekend and she did great. She was as poised as any of the other kids and showed very little nervousness as she played her two pieces for the gathered supporters. I’m a proud dad.
- We’ve decided to press on with our plans to vacation this summer in Gulf Shores. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the oil spill will stay away and that maybe they’ll find a way to get this mess cleaned up.
- I read this article regarding the link between pesticides and ADD in children with great interest. It’s just one more reason why I’m glad we have a community garden.
- Speaking of the garden, ours is doing very well so far. Last week, we planted three rows of black-eyed peas replanted a few things that had not come up. It won’t be long!
- Over the weekend I downloaded several great new albums, but the one I keep coming back to is the newest release from Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. If you’ve never heard of them, you should get acquainted soon. Their brand of soulful R&B, reminiscent of Aretha Franklin, is the perfect accompaniment for whatever task is at hand.
- Over the past few years I’ve become a fan of the NBA, so I’ve stayed intently tuned to this year’s playoffs. The Celtics are looking pretty incredible so far and it will be interesting to see if they can keep it up, but if I could choose one current player to have on a team for the playoffs, it would have to be Kobe. That guy has nothing but ice water in his veins.
- Another NBA note: As a fan of the Arkansas Razorbacks and Memphis Tigers, nothing would make me happier than to see Calipari bolt Kentucky for the big leagues after only one season.
- R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio. As one of the quintessential voices of heavy metal, he led the bands Black Sabbath, Rainbow, and Dio, and was also renowned for popularizing the “devil’s horns” hand gesture. He was 67.
- And if you get bored, check out Stuff Christians Like.
Matt’s Meandering Mind on Monday January 4, 2010
Posted by Matt in Matt's Meandering Mind on Monday.Tags: Arkansas Razorbacks, communal living, Inglourious Basterds, Liberty Bowl, Memphis Grizzlies, random thoughts, weight gain
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- I weighed myself this morning…and the results were not good. Now with the knowledge that I’ve put on a good 10 lbs over the holidays, it’s time to buckle down and get serious. Over the weekend, my friend James gave us their old weight machine to add to my free weights in the garage. Of course, it will be well below freezing tonight and we won’t be able to buy a space heater until next payday, but I’ll survive. My friend Jason the workout guru and I put together a plan of sorts for me that I’m planning on starting this evening.
- Inglourious Basterds = Best Movie of the Year. I watched it once over the long weekend and actually considered doing it again (rewatching movies is almost completely unheard of for me) because it was so awesome.
- At first I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to attend the Liberty Bowl and see the Razorbacks play over the weekend. Of course, then I realized that it was about 25 degrees outside and watching it indoors became much agreeable. Congratulations to the Hogs on their big win over East Carolina! Now I just need to find something else to watch in place of the terrible brand of basketball being perpetrated by my boys from Arkansas.
- Speaking of basketball, it has been a pleasant surprise to see our hometown Grizzlies doing well as of late, climbing out of last place and bringing their record all the way to .500, at 16-16, which is the best they’ve done this far into the season in a few years. Here’s to hoping they can keep it up for the rest of the season.
- The remainder of my top 100 albums of the decade list is still forthcoming. I will hopefully have more time to write in the coming weeks.
- We’ve been doing a lot of talking recently with good friends of ours about the possibility of communal living in the future. At this point we’re still in the talking stage, but it is possible that this could lead to a major change in lifestyle for us. I’ll keep you posted.
Matt’s Meandering Mind on Monday October 5, 2009
Posted by Matt in Matt's Meandering Mind on Monday.Tags: Arkansas Razorbacks, college football, concerts, fantasy football, Monday, random thoughts, Roman Catholics, Supreme Court
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There are a lot of things bouncing around my head these days.
- It’s been a crazy year so far in college football and I have to say that I am happy to see my beloved Razorbacks sitting at 2-2 for the moment. The upcoming stretch is killer, though, with a home game against a surprising Auburn team followed by matchups at Floriday (ouch) and Ole Miss. Not to mention that we also still have 25th ranked South Carolina at home and a regular season finale at 4th ranked LSU. Regardless of what happens in the other games, a win at Ole Miss would label this season a success.
- As usually happens, I start the season with high hopes for my fantasy football season, but within a few weeks my spot has been settled in low-mid level of mediocrity. Tony Romo has turned into quite the Achilles heel in one league, while DeAngelo Williams has also proven to be a disappointment so far. Hopefully we’ll turn it around soon.
- I was reading this article regarding several Supreme Court Justices attending mass over the weekend when it struck me how prevalent Roman Catholicism is among those on our high court. A bit of investigating turned up that 6 out of 9 are practicing Catholics (2 are Jewish and one is listed as Protestant). It just struck me as strange because, while Catholicism may the largest Christian denomination, it certainly does not encompass 2/3 of the popluation. It’s interesting and probably a random occurrence, but I’m curious if any of you have a theory as to why this is.
- I’m looking at the upcoming concerts in the Memphis area and trying to decide which ones I can afford with our severely limited budget. I’ll have to miss the Wilco/Liam Finn show this weekend since we’ll be out of town at a wedding. Neko Case on Nov. 4 is definitely a must-see and I’d really like to catch Son volt on Nov. 17 and Dan Auerbach/Justin Townes Earle on Nov. 20. And then of course there are shows by Robert Randolph (Oct. 30), The Wailers (Nov. 13), and the Meat Puppets (Dec. 4), as well as shows by the Drive-By Truckers in the nearby towns of Starkville, Oxford, and Little Rock. If only I was independently wealthy…
- According to the annual United Nations human development index released today, the United States is only the 13th best place to live in the world. The best country in which to reside is Norway, followed by Australia, Iceland, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Switzerland and Japan. All of the darned European socialists…
- On a personal note, our friend in ICU is undergoing surgery today, so she is on our minds and hearts. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers today.
Matt’s Meandering Mind on Monday September 21, 2009
Posted by Matt in Matt's Meandering Mind on Monday.Tags: Arkansas Razorbacks, Cooper Young Festival, fantasy football, mission work, Nebraska, random, short fiction, thoughts
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- I just finished listening to Springsteen’s Nebraska and it complemented my mood quite nicely on this cloudy Monday morning.
- Friday night we had a good time at the Cooper-Young 4 Miler, where we got to see some friends and enjoy a Bosco’s keg and some Central barbecue. The girls really enjoyed cheering the runners on as they passed us on the street.
- The Razorbacks’ offense looked great Saturday – their passing game is unbelievable – and I was happy, despite the loss. If nothing else, they should be a lot of fun to watch this season.
- My two fantasy football teams rebounded this week from opening week losses, both of them posting impressive wins. So, I want to give a big thank you to Tennessee’s Chris Johnson (284 total yards and 3 TDs), Marques Colston (98 yards, 2 TDs) and Vincent Jackson (141 yards, 1 TD)
- I’ve got a new idea for a short work of fiction that I’ve been batting around for the past week or two. It will probably be a little longer than the few stories I’ve posted have been, so it may go up in installments on my fiction blog. Along those same lines, I still have not heard back about the Memphis magazine fiction contest, but I’ll keep you posted.
- I applied for a new job around two weeks ago and I’m still waiting to hear back about it. It’s with the same company, just another step up the corporate ladder and in a different area.
- Some of our good friends are on a survey trip to Togo, West Africa right now and I’m looking forward to hearing more about their experiences. I’m sure it would be an interesting transition from the Western World to a third world country.
What’s new with you?
Matt’s Meandering Mind on Monday April 13, 2009
Posted by Matt in Matt's Meandering Mind on Monday.Tags: easter, Eddie Vedder, family, Monday, search terms, sick child, top posts
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I’m trying to get caught up at work today after being out three days last week, but there are a few things on my mind this rainy Monday…
- Our oldest child, Rachel, is sick and feverish, so I took one for the team yesterday and stayed home from Easter worship to keep her. Today the fever had not yet abated, so Diana took her to the doctor this morning.
- The girls had a great time at my parents’ home in Beebe hunting for Easter eggs and eating bucketfuls of sugar in the forms of jellybeans and chocolate.
- The garden work has gone slowly so far due to the lack of able bodied workers on nice days and to the torrential rainfall on other days. If we can get a few dry days in a row, I’ll spend every moment of spare time getting our plot ready for the summer.
- I learned late last week of yet another great concert coming to Memphis in the near future – Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam will be playing a solo show here on June 20. So, due to a lack of financial resources and a high ticket price, I’m trying to figure out how much my bodily organs may go for on the black market. If you have any idea, let me know.
And just for fun here are the top five Words of Wisdom posts from the past week:
5. Resurrection Rumination
4. Hail to the Boss!
3. Hillary Clinton and the Bible Code
2. Anomaly Awareness
1. The Case Against Lads to Leaders
And the top five search terms that brought web surfers to my site:
5. influenza virus
4. toy store
3. matt wisdom wordpress
2. lads to leaders
1. Ethiopian food
