So, my great-grandmother died in the middle of the night, late Sunday night/early Monday morning. She was nearly 96 years old. That's old.
So the first odd thing in my mind....the whole visitation/wake thing. Does anyone else find it odd that everyone comes around and looks at the deceased and just carries on conversations with each other while there's this body lying in a casket right there in the very room you're standing in? And I don't know if I want to have an open casket for everyone to be staring at me like that. That's all just a little strange to me.
Second odd thing in my mind....we're at the cemetary today for the funeral. And this happens to be the same cemetary that like our whole family is buried in/going to be buried in. A couple months ago my parents and grandparents picked out their spots at the cemetary. Not only have they picked out their spots....they've already bought the headstones. Not only have they already bought the headstones....they've got them there in the ground with their names and birth dates on them.....just waiting for the "expiration date" now. Does this seem just slightly disturbing or creepy to anybody out there?
I don't care what anyone says....I like John Mayer....a lot. Todd did the John Mayer vs. Rob Thomas deal a while back, but there's just no comparison. It's two totally different sounds in the first place. Maybe Rob is a good writer and an alright singer. But John is a great writer, great singer and an amazing guitar player. And whoever comes around and says, "Oh, he's just trying to sound like Stevie Ray Vaughn" can kiss my left butt cheek. Yes, blues riffs are blues riffs, but Mayer still adds his own style to it. And have you even really watched his playing style in a live show? Half the time he's finger picking some complex melody...while he's singing. He's really got some talent on that 6-stringed chunk of wood. If you haven't seen any live footage of him, go find some and watch it....now! I want to see Rob Thomas throw down some guitar licks like that....then we can compare.
Oh, not only look for John Mayer stuff...but also the John Mayer Trio. Great stuff as well.
Why am I being so defensive like this? I don't know....
Ok, so we've got this "Evangelism Conference" goin on at our church in Rusk this week. We didn't make it to the service last night, but my dad just told me of some things that one of the preachers said....and it's beyond hilarious...
First... There is a family (the Griffins) in our church that has done music ministry for years and years all over the country/possibly world, and we're lucky enough to have them live in Rusk and call us their home church. They've led music in hundreds of revivals, events, etc. This particular preacher who was speaking last night has known them for a long time and done several events with them. He was talking about how much he loved them and all this mess, and how great they were as Christians and just as people in general. Then he proceeded to say, "If you don't like the Griffins, you're a pervert!"
No lie.
Second... Same guy preaching, talking about how people use the excuse of other people not to go to church and such. Like, how people will say, "Well Johnny over there cusses and gets drunk and beats his wife, but he goes to Hollow Log Baptist Church every single Sunday. So why should I go to church if that's how those people are?" I just made up that last quote, and was very impressed with myself, by the way. Think about it....Hollow Log Baptist Church...symbolism? So the preacher is saying how other people's actions or deeds shouldn't affect your relationship with God. Then he says, "I don't care if the Pope cuts the leg off of a nun and beats a girl scout to death with it, it's not gonna change how I feel about God!"
Well, all those dirty rumors you've heard are true. The infamous faux-hawk is no more. Now is where some of you may ask, "What is a faux-hawk anyways?". And still others of you may ask, "What does the word 'faux' mean?" So, I suppose the best way to proceed would be to give a little defining. Let's start with the word "faux"....meaning artificial, imitation or fake. The term "faux-hawk" comes from combining the words faux and mohawk. An actual, true-to-definition mohawk would be a head shaved completely except for the strip down the center, typically standing up, giving your classic mohawk look. So, persons such as myself who do not wish to completely shave all but this strip (due to professional reasons mostly) improvise a little. You simply lather up with some sort of hair styling product and push your hair up and together at the top/middle of your head, giving the resemblance of a mohawk, but still nevertheless fake....hence, a faux-hawk.
So, now that we have that out of the way.....you ask....."Why is the infamous faux-hawk no more?"
In honor/support/love/etc. of my amazing aunt, I have shaved my head. She has had breast cancer, went through radiation and chemo and all that mess, got through it. And now they have found something else, and she is going through this again. We/She knew she would lose her hair (again, for the second time), and I told her that I wanted to shave my head with her when her hair fell out. So, a little over a week ago, it happened. We talked and made an appointment to go to the hair cuttin' place. Although like 98% of her hair had fallen out, she still a couple spots here and there. So, she had the rest of her hair shaved off, and I had my head completely shaved. The old ladies at the beauty salon were absolutely loving it, by the way. I'm certain they thought I was the kindest, most loving and caring young man to ever grace these lands. And boy are they right!
So, as of this very moment, it is not completely slick shaved. I'll probably do that in the next day or so myself with a razor. It is, however, as short and shaved as the lady there could get it....so there is barely a stubble left. You probably wouldn't know anything was left up there if my hair weren't so dang dark. Anyways, I know you're all dying to see....so enjoy. I'm just proud that I didn't end up having some terribly deformed head.
Hey Todd....get over yourself and your cute little boy who can tell stories and make up songs and get one of his parents to type it into a blog for him. My beautiful little girl can talk on and on and on about absolutely nothing, and it's still entertaining to us. So guess what?!?!?!! Hope has a blog now!
Hope's blog will consist of random updates of simple (or not so simple) conversations that she carries on with us or herself during the course of the day. And hopefully a picture of her from that day will be included, as it is today, on her very first blog.
