You know what pisses me off? The fact that Wal-Mart is starting to implement Subway as the new fast-food store in its stores. Basically, Wal-Mart is unwilling to admit that it is a big nasty megacompany that distorts beautiful land by building its ugly, albeit convenient, stores. Wal-Mart knows that there are many people out there who are disappointed with it---the way it treats it's "associates," the shoddyness of some of its goods, the ugleness of its buildings. So, in an effort to redeem themselves and wash their hands of all that people disapprove of them for, they've decided to replace McDonalds with Subway because:
A) Subway is healthy(er) and
B) Micky D's is a big and evil company, too, and is at constant emnity with Wal-Mart because of power struggle. Truthfully, I don't honestly know why Wal-Mart made the switch other than it's better for it's image---yes, it's powerful, brazen image.

So why am I actually pissed off? I wasn't able to get something off of the McDonalds Dollar Menu during thanksgiving when I was a Wally World with my mom and sistor. I was pretty hungry and I needed immediate satisfaction for my stomach; although, I don't really know if I would call the food at McDonalds "satifaction for the stomach."

Have a good day. I hope that none of you guys have to go to Wal-Mart or McDonalds any time soon.

It's 1 o'clock in the morning here in my bedroom in ye olde Lubbock, TX. I'm drinking an IBC root beer while listening to "Trains to Brazil" by the Guillemots, who incidently, aren't that good. I can hear the tremendous winds howling by window as they speed through the small section of space between our house and the neighbors'. I am now listening to "You're It" by Halloween, Alaska, which incidently, is a beautiful song. It's a little later and my root beer is more in my stomach and less in its glass container.

"You're it,
the silver on a little cloud.
You're it,
and this is the shit that I've been talking about.
You're it,
the sickness in a thinning crowd.
Your it,
and this is the shit that I've been talking about."

There are two things you should know about me.

1) Octopi have eight tentacles, and

2) I like IBC Root Beer ...a lot.

I've got a picture---a really cool looking picture. I've got a Jesus picture on the green wall of my bedroom. It's only 6" x 5". It's not very big. It's humble. It's gentle. I like it because the portrayal of Jesus Christ in this picture is not very representational. It has an abstract quality that intensifies the humble posture of His body and the solemn look on His face. It reminds me of how the greatest King is a most majestic servant who refused to open His mouth in the face of accusation and death because of His wonderful love and obedience. Totally left alone, He bore the weight of sin and shame fully upon Himself. It was heavy but He was God. He conquered that hefty burden. He's good. He's the very image of Almighty God, both as fierce as a warrior and gentle as a shepherd.

I really like that Jesus picture on the green wall of my bedroom.

"She Has No Time"

If you haven't heard of Keane, you should check this beauty out. If you have heard of Keane and never heard this song, you should check this beauty out. If you have heard of Keane and have checked this beauty out, I hope you are swelling with emotion as you read this.

Why Not Try to Possess Some Mystic? It Will Make You Feel Cool to Yourself, and You'll Be Healthier, More Positive, and Better at Decision-Making.

I realize that a lot of people like to express and even pour out their feelings in their online journals/blogs. I don't think I put to much of my inner feelings on my blog. To do so would mean that I'd be showing my humanity before an audience I'm not too sure I would really be comfortable doing that with. Nonetheless, I hope that my little blog here lacks no depth, which can be hard to conjure up if you don't express the inner recesses of your souled self. So, in order to prescribe my blog some depth, here's something Picasso said:

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

You can do with that quote whatever you want. Picasso is sort of a misfit in some circles, and some people just might want to disregard it. I remember being taught growing up that he was a creep, wierdo, and the devil's best friend (I'm kidding about the devil's best friend, but it sounds funny and legalistic.).

This is Buddy

Yeah, he's cute but he's not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree. Nonetheless, no one ever expected dogs to be very smart anyway. Sometimes I get irritated with Buddy and my roommates think that I hate him, but that's not true. I love Buddy; it's just a tensioned love because he doesn't understand that I don't like him constantly jumping on and biting my legs. We let Buddy get away with too much. It's because he's cute.

Something that's taken for granted

Flossing. Let's face it, folks, only a small number of Americans actually floss on a daily basis. I'm not in that minority. The person reading this probably isn't in that minority. I wish I was in it. I wish you were in it. And here's why: Everytime I go to the dental-hygenist for the semi-annual cleaning, my gums are always left in an uncomfortable pain because she (because dental-hygenists are always of the female persuasion) put the floss to the inner recesses between my teeth.

I flossed my teeth tonight and my gums weren't very happy about that. With consistency, though, the little guys will become tough hard-a's soon enough. I just have to stick with it. Did I also mention that flossing daily is good in the prevention of cavities. It's a win-win situation.

Pale Like White

"It felt like rain
That fell again
Down on me

It felt like rain
That touched my face
And I can't believe it

Like rain
I can't believe it
No, I can't believe it

The things You said
seem to find their way into my head
And I regret my ways
You never left
Remind me once again so I won't forget
You're never far away

It felt like rain
That said again
That it's okay

Pale like white
I close my eyes
'Cause I can't believe it---the way You forgive me"

"Forgiveness" ~Luna Halo

"When you look at, there can be no hesitation. There cannot be a close second to you."

I'm beginning to get tired of this long hair. It's starting to get in my eyes. It's a well-known fact that eyes don't take well to foreign objects entering into them. Hair's not an exception. In fact, I don't even know how girls cope [ha ha... a shameless reference to Copeland, a rock band that I like heaps] with it, but they do. And this cues in a little bit of an insight. There's a reason why girls should be treated so well by guys. It's because they put up with so much crap for my gender's gratification, satisfaction, and all those other words that end in "tion".

On a different note about an above reference, I still like Copeland. Nathan, if you read this post, realize that even though "Testing the Strong Ones" has a very generic emo rythym to it, you can't dismiss the whole Beneath Medicine Tree album for that reason alone. Give it another chance. If that doesn't do it for you, give it two more chances. Finally, if that doesn't do it for you, know that you tried to like it. That'll be satisfactory.

Bradley Hathaway: a Poet

Step 1: go to http://www.myspace.com/bradleyhathaway
Step 2: listen to the "boobie poem"
Step 3 (this applies to the majority of people reading this post): laugh at how true and "in-yo-face" it is. I did. I was also inspired.

If you want to listen to the other recorded poems he has, they are good, too. He does have a sort of whiny voice, though ...just a disclaimer.

O_o

It's been a while since I last posted on my poor forsaken blog. (I love you blog...just want you to know this.) So here's the dirt:

1. The 18th of August, that's when I go back to Lubbock. That's when I go back to school. That's when I go back to having countless adventures in a far-off, dust-filled, windy land.
Getting ready to go back to Lubbock: C+ (It's not too bad preparing to move into a house, but it's not a walk in the park.)

2. For anyone interested, lifeguarding is way overrated. Having nothing to do but sit in the sun and live in fear of burning alive is not a good way to spend your time. Lifeguarding: D-

3. The only coffee shop Kerrville has is Starbucks, which means that's it's the new hangout place for kids and middle-aged folks going through mid-life crisis. I'm kidding about the mid-life-crisis people. On a different note, I did overhear a man and a woman who were in their thirties talking about love at this particular Starbucks. It reminded me of a scene from a movie almost. So, based soley on this one event, I've made a generalization. Kids and young adults in their twenties go to local, more romantic coffee shops to share in one another's love, but men in their thirties and forties take their dates to Starbucks because they've been in corporate america for so long that they no longer no any other coffee shop other than ye olde Starbucks.
Making total assumptions based on one event: A+ (This is a lot of fun to do because it really pisses people off and they think that you're actually serious about it most of the time.)
Starbucks in general: C
Starbucks in Kerrville: B (it's all we have...and it's on the river, which is nice.)

I have a high systolic blood pressure.

It's either that or the machine at Wal-Mart that checks it is messed up. My point? Blood pressure is a good thing to check up on from time to time. This is the first time I've actually checked it in probably 5 years, and back then I didn't even know what it meant.

I Like Death Cab for Cutie.

There's a song by Death Cab for Cutie called "Passenger's Seat." Here are the lyrics.

I roll the window down
And then begin to breathe in
The darkest country road
And the strong scent of evergreen
From the passenger seat as
You are driving me home.

Then looking upwards,
I strain my eyes and try
To tell the difference between
Shooting stars and satellites
From the passenger's seat as
You are driving me home.

"Do they collide?"
I ask and you smile.
With my feet on the dash
The world doesn't matter.

When you feel embarrassed,
Then I'll be your pride.
When you need directions,
Then I'll be the guide
For all time.
For all time.

This song remineses the story of a young boy riding right next to his father in the car on their way home. The cool thing about the dialog is the accuracy of the ideas and mannerisms in it ("with my feet on the dash, the world doesn't matter.") They tell the story in a way that most people could relate to on their initial listening. Additionally, the words Ben Gibbard uses to portray these ideas are also so precise that they help in giving a strong portrayal to the story a young boy riding in the car with his father. I particularly enjoy the line, '"Do they collide?" I ask and you smile.' That's so cool.

"Sleep Now Moon"

Sleep now moon.
I'll watch over her while the sun is up,
And you'll have her eyes again soon.
It's a glorious day
And my lonely heart is tired again
And I am
Starved for her attention, oh

That's when Paula sparks, oh
That's when Paula sparks a little light in my eyes
(Ever since she went away)
That's when Paula sparks a little light in my eyes
(I miss her more everyday)
That's when Puala sparks, oh

Sleep now sweet princess.
I'll cheer for you silently
And carefully not to disturb, oh.
And I'll be ready on that evening
When you're starved for my attention
And you'll say
You'll say
"Wait now prince.
There's a brilliant sky above
and a jealous moon in love and they are
Starved for our attention, oh."

"When Paula Sparks" ~ Copeland

I Live in the Boonies...No Cell Phone Service Whatsoever.

I used to live in the city of Kerrville. I liked living in the city of Kerrville. My cell phone (which has a lubbock area code) got service, we had time warner cable*, and lastly, it didn't take 20 minutes to get to river right by starbucks (as opposed to the starbucks by the river**). We recently moved to a housing division outside of Kerrville. My point here is that I can't recieve or send calls to people where I live now; I've tried. Most of the people in my cell phone directory are my friends from college. I can't really call them, nor can they call me. So if any of you are reading this who have my cell phone number, don't bother calling me; it probably won't get through, that is, if you wanted to in the first place. On a side note, I tried calling my friend Andrew and couldn't get ahold of him. That's what it's like.

*I liked time warner cable because it had Food Network on it. The cable we have now, which is from Dallas of all places, doesn't have Food Network. What kind of garbage is this? Why don't they have Food Network? That channel kicks serious backside. Congradulations Extended Cable, you've thouroughly disappointed the child of one of your customers. Oh well, at least you have the Discovery Channel. I can't complain about that.

It's been a while.

Comments on my posts make me feel good. I like it when people comment on my posts. In fact, maybe one of you will comment on this post. I'm just trying to give a little nudge to those of you who read this blog. Besides, you don't even have to have a blogger account. You can do it anonymously and then leave your name with you message. Come on guys, I don't bite.

"The only losers are those who don't try."

My entire junior year of high consisted of fixations. I was fixed on radiohead, keira knightley*, being a free-spirit, and how to supress these obsessions for the sake of God. Does it sound ridiculous if I say that radiohead pulled me away from walking closely with God. Rather, I think it was the simple fact that I let myself become enamered with that cool band. But I rememer thinking during that period of time that I wanted to get close to God. I would try but all my attempts seemed fruitless. I would think of times that displayed me being close to God. Well, recently, I came across a journal that I had written in during one of those fond times and found that I was struggling with very similar stuff then as I was in my junior year of high school. It really still doesn't make sense to me, but I assume that when you literally cry out to God for help when you are struggling, you feel much more in line with his step than when you "cry" out. I think the struggles of my junior year were comfortable struggles; they didn't seem to cause any direct harm to me except for my conscious, which was saying, "Forrest, you have idols." The moral of all this?: Harmless idols are so much more destructive than painful oppressions of the mind, body, and spirit.

Call Us Up when You Need Some Flavor to Your Party.

One of the highlights of this year was dressing up like complete idiots. The picture above is of Ben, Andrew, and I, and we look like complete dorks. At least we had fun doing it---that's important.

I'm OCD about C.O.P.E.

"Cause your words hit like a train and I can't ignore it.
This moment could be our last.
You fall in love and I'm running after.
You move way too fast." ~ "Don't Slow Down"

If you're wondering why I'm posting so many lyrics from the the band Copeland lately, it's because they are such cool lyrics. I don't know that these lyrics would be as moving to me if I had never heard the music that goes with them, but I know that where I stand, these lyrics are awesome. If you've never heard Copeland, check them out on the itunes music store or amazon.com. They're so cool. Aaron Marsh's highly sung vocal melodies are awesome. The songs are so easy to get into.