God, Girls and Shoes

Some days I hate my personality. Rather, I suppose, I hate aspects of my personality. But I do so love that God redeems our personalities. It's beautiful to see God use even the dumbest, most inexplicable parts our of personalities.

I don't understand why girls have bangs. Unless, maybe, if you're so beautiful that you need to kick it down a notch. Jennifer Nettles has a bit of bangs in the "stuck on you" video and I'm almost still attracted to her. Oh who am I kidding? That's a beautiful woman! I think I like her mouth. and eyeballs. maybe that's it. She could stand to gain about 30 lbs though. seriously. Skinny does NOT equal sexy. Not by any stretch of the imagination. blech.

Can I tell you how much I love the newest Brooke Fraser album? oh my mercy. I know some people over-hype it, but it really is that good. Ok well, not the whole thing, but at least about 5 of the songs are like audio crack. They're nearly impossible to skip when they pop up on my phone. Recently I've had "Who Are We Fooling?" on repeat. oh my goodness!! The harmony is so beautiful. My gosh, that song makes my heart just want to burst into little heart tears, if there is such a thing. It makes me so sad. Which, in a weird way makes me happy.  yeah, I know. When a song breaks my heart, it brings me joy. bizarre. I just feel that song. It's so haunting and beautiful. But listen to it too many times and you'll end up depressed.
So flip your iPod on over to Sugarland's "Stuck On You" and you'll be perfectly grand again. Those two songs compliment each other perfectly...if you're a bit bi-polar. But still. They're like song cousins.

I just don't find girls that drink attractive. Especially Christian girls, and more especially beer. Christian girls drinking beer. Hugest turn-off ever. You might as well be smoking and pooping. It's that unattractive. To me. and yes, I realize that's weird. But that's just me. I'm not even opposed to alcohol or anything. Now, a Christian girl drinking Sangria, eh, that's not that bad! But beer? gross. Go read your Bible.
Just my personal opinion. No offense.

I like frozen yogurt and all, but I much, much, much prefer Yoplait. It doesn't get much more delicious, plus it has live and active cultures! boo and ya! BOOYA!

I hate West Village. I hate going down there. I hate thinking about it. I really don't like it. Just in case you were planning to invite me down there. Could we maybe meet somewhere closer to Greenville and Lovers or anywhere else on the planet instead? Cuz I hate West Village. I hate uptown. I feel like I can't say that enough.

I ordered my first pair of Chuck Taylor low-tops yesterday. It felt weird. I've always thought they looked..."special". Like a retarded brother of the beautiful, classic high-tops. But I don't like wearing my high-top Chucks with shorts. So I caved and got some low tops.
Just though you needed to know that. Cuz you do. My opinions are very important!
(totally kidding, my opinions aren't worth two farts in a snow storm.)

I love it when the water in the pool at the gym is perfectly, glassy, still. For some reason, I just think that is so beautiful. There's usually someone in the pool, but on the rare occasion that someone hasn't been in the pool in about ten minutes and the water is completely placid, it makes my heart smile deep inside. I love that little slice of beauty.

ok, bye bye my dears! Sorry for the schizo bliggity blog! (I might be a little hyped on N-O Xplode still!)

You're Beautiful

While I'm still not that keen on the Dallas campus, that's my home. The community here is sweet and so much more important than my preference of style. (ok, not that it's THAT much different from the HV campus, but there are several small things that I miss)
 I'm one of those people who just loves the worship time. Matt seems to think that most guys don't dig the singing, but honestly that's probably my favorite part.
    I love corporate worship so much. I love hearing all the voices so loudly and passionately singing to Jesus. I love that all pretenses and worries and concerns about our life here are thrown away and our hearts' focus is cast on Jesus. It becomes all about Him, as it should be. I love those moments in my own life where nothing matters but Jesus, but I love it even more when we're all gathering one echoing the same sentiment. Blows me up.
   
 We've been singing this Phil Wickham song lately that I just absolutely love. It's a gorgeous song. Almost haunting. But my eyeballs go all wonky when we all sing together:

When we arrive at eternity’s shore
Where death is just a memory and tears are no more
We’ll enter in as the wedding bells ring
Your bride will come together and we’ll sing... You’re Beautiful

Oh that just kills me! I love being united in Christ and singing to Him about His glory. I love that sweet thought of eternity. 

In other news, Mercy Me recorded Bleeker's song "Glorious Day" and apparently it's getting a lot of airtime on the radio. I haven't heard their version yet because you couldn't pay me to listen to KLTY, but his version is one of my favorite songs ever. Oh mercy I love that song! I mean, I loooooove that song! I'm happy for him! Glad that little gem is on the airwaves.

ok i'm done being gay. bye bye.

Furthermore...

I think that coffee is to teens as wine is to people in their 20's.

They both think that drinking it makes them appear mature and sophisticated.
Also, both feel the need to update facebook any time they're drinking it so that the world knows how cool and classy they are.

Okay, done talking about that. No idea why it was even on my mind. Just an observation.

Whine

People in their 20's seem to think that drinking wine makes them classy, sophisticated, and perhaps even artsy.

I could be wrong, but very rarely does what you drink define who you are.

But whatevs, drink that wine and get down with your super refined self!

A Note From The Facebook

My Top 90 Most-Played Songs

by Jordan Hoover on Sunday, January 16, 2011 at 8:24pm

 

I haven't done this in over a year, so I figured I'd do it again! These are my most played songs on iTunes.

It's interesting how much your most-played music reveals about you! If you didn't know me at all, you could definitely learn some things about me. I don't know if that's scary or really awesome.

Ah, and if you're wondering who it is that buys covers of other artists' songs, it's me. I love covers. sue me.
The number at the end is the number of plays. These numbers are surprisingly low to me, but maybe that's because I have a ton of music in my library?

1. Extended Joy (a song from a Christmas Coke commercial) - 65
2. Paperweight - Joshua Radin & Schuyler Fisk - 57
3. Front-Porch Song - Doug Moreland - 45
 (a cover of a Robert Earl Keen song, which is #46 on the list. Also impressive because this song is 8:31 long!)
4. Those Pants - Robbie Penny - 44
5. Pickup Truck Song - Gravy - 41
(a cover of a Jerry Jeff Walker song, which is #43 on the list)
6. Dang Me - Roger Miller - 41
7. I Hope That's Me - Brad Paisley - 39
8. Let's Go To The Mall - Robin Sparkles - 39
(from "How I Met Your Mother")
9. Monster - Skillet - 36
10. The Little Red-Haired Girl - Ezra Furman & the Harpoons - 35
11. Horchata - Vampire Weekend - 35
12. Red Haired Girl - Andrew Morse - 34
 13. Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit - Barney Stinson - 34
 (from "How I Met Your Mother") 
14. This Town - O.A.R. - 34
15. In the Garage - Weezer - 34
16. Make a Mistake - Brad Paisley - 33 
17. So They Say - Ensemble - 32
(from "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog") 
18. We're Both in Love with a Sexy Lady - Flight of the Conchords - 32
19. 1979 - Rob Thomas - 32
(cover of a Smashing Pumpkins song)
20. Tanzania - Alli Rogers - 31
21. Welcome to the Future (Reprise) - Brad Paisley - 31
22. You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd - Roger Miller - 31
23. How Will He Find Me - The Weepies - 31
24. The Bed Intruder Song - Antoine Dodson - 30
 25. Sympathy - Goo Goo Dolls - 30
26. Desolation Row - My Chemical Romance - 30
 (cover of a Bob Dylan song)
27. My Freeze Ray - Neil Patrick Harris - 30
(from "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog") 
28. Deciphering Me - Brooke Fraser - 29
29. The Ballad of Jerry Jeff Walker - Brooks & Dunn - 29
30. Sympathy - Goo Goo Dolls - 29
(yes, exact same song as #25. I burned them from 2 different Goo Goo Dolls cds and never deleted the duplicate. Combined that'd be 59 plays!)
31. Gimmie That Girl - Joe Nichols - 29
32. Porcelain - Lauren Kirkpatrick - 29
33. I Want You - Kelly Clarkson - 29 
34. The Mesopotamians - They Might Be Giants - 29
35. Who Is This God - Alli Rogers - 28
36. Rich Girl - The Bird and The Bee - 28
(cover of a Hall & Oates song)
37. The Bus Driver's Song - Flight of the Conchords - 28 
38. The Shindig (off to college) - FM Static - 28
39. Romeo & Juliet - The Killers - 28
40. Best Night Ever - Marshall Erickson - 28
(from "How I Met Your Mother")
41. Tanner Boyle Vs. The 7th Grade - AM Taxi - 27
42. Guy Love - Turk and JD - 27
(from "Scrubs")
43. Pickup Truck Song - Jerry Jeff Walker - 27
44. You Are the One I Love - Jon McLaughlin - 27
45. Debajo De Mi Lengua - Julieta Venegas - 27
46. Front Porch Song - Robert Earl Keen - 27
47. LA Freeway - Roger Creager - 27
(cover of a Guy Clark song)
48. Learn To Live With What You Are - Ben Folds - 26
49. Carol Brown - Flight of the Conchords - 26
50. Merry Happy - Kate Nash - 26
51. Return of the Revolution - The O.C. Supertones - 26
52. When The Bluebonnets Bloom - Robert Earl Keen - 26
53. Having Fun All Wrong - Roger Creager - 26
54. If Love Was A Plane - Brad Paisley - 25
55. Before The Throne of God Above - Dave Hunt - 25
56. Let It Roll - Divide the Day - 25
57. Friday I'm In Love - Fiction Family -25
(cover of The Cure song)
58. Let's Just Fall - Reckless Kelly - 25
59. LA Freeway - Roger Creager - 25
(cover of a Guy Clark song, but different from #47. That version was live. This is studio.)
60. Having Fun All Wrong - Roger Creager - 25
(same song as #53, but a different version. #53 is live. This is studio. yes, I love Roger Creager.)
61. You Be Illin' - Run DMC - 25
62. My Eyes - Neil Patrick Harris & Felicia Day - 24
(from "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog")
63. When She's Near - Fiction Family - 24
64. Black Balloon - Goo Goo Dolls - 24
65. Lovin' Makes Livin' Worthwhile - Jerry Jeff Walker - 24
66. A Mirror is Harder to Hold - Jon Foreman - 24
67. Resurrect Me - Jon Foreman - 24
68. Again - Jon Foreman - 24
69. In my Place - Michael Bleeker - 24
70. Front Porch Song - Robert Earl Keen - 24(The 3rd version of this song to make the list!)
71. Things Look Good Around Here - Roger Creager - 24
72. Hey Beautiful - The Solids - 24 (the theme from "How I Met Your Mother)
73. Loser - Beck - 23
74. Some Mistakes - Brad Paisley - 23
75. Adonai - The O.C. Supertones - 23
76. Peter Piper - Run DMC - 23
77. Who Is Like You - Tim Neufeld - 23
78. Wal-Mart Flowers - Trailer Choir - 23
79. When All Those Aggies Move to Austin - Aaron Watson - 23
80. Risque - Cute is What We Aim For - 22
81. X-Girlfriend - Family Force Five - 22
82. We The Redeemed - Hillsong - 22
83. Alphabutt - Kimya Dawson - 22
84. Point of Extinction - Motion City Soundtrack - 22
85. Sucker MC's - Run DMC - 21
86. I Don't Want You To Go/When All Those Aggies Move to Austin - Aaron Watson - 21
87. Big Green Eyes - Alan Jackson - 21
88. Betty - Brooke Fraser - 21
89. Share In The Blame - Caedmon's Call - 21
90. Restore to Me - Mac Powell & Candi-Pearson Shelton - 21

Okay, I'm stopping at 90 because it's an even number and I'm tired.
I wish everyone would post their list once a year or so! It' so interesting to me to see what people are listening to.

Music can be an intriguing reflection of your personality.

Why it's been so long

Howdy!
I haven't written in a while, eh? But not because I don't want to. In fact, I think about it every day.
Now that I've waited so long, there are too many thoughts colliding with each other and I have no idea in which direction to indulge myself.

Nobody wants a long blog, but brevity has never been a friend of mine.
So consider this blog as a sort-of primer, like attaching a sieve to my heart so that perhaps my thoughts can dribble out more consistently and deliberately.

I hate that my blog has become mostly fluff and irreverence, although I don't want to always feel the pressure to be raw or meaningful either.

So why haven't I blogged in so long? a few reasons.

I don't know my audience...or perhaps, rather, I know my audience too well.
I don't know the reason for writing. I am writing for myself, as a cathartic experience or do I blog to entertain or enlighten or for someone else's benefit?
On the other hand, knowing who reads my blogs unintentionally gives me the proclivity to write with specific readers in mind. That's dangerous. I don't like the control that gives me. I know I can't handle it. It creates too much temptation to try and shape and manipulate people's opinions of me. Even when I honestly think I'm being real, how do I know I'm not trying to control someone's opinion of me? For me, blogging can very easily lead into fear of man traps.

And I don't know if I like the idea of people only knowing me through my blog. While sometimes a very accurate reflection of my heart, it's also only a small portion of the whole of me. 

...which is another reason I haven't written. If I'm going to be all real and whatever, I kinda want people to earn it. That's a serious flaw of mine, I know. I feel like I have grown in that area, but it's still a struggle. I don't want people who don't care about me to have little pieces of me (...which reminds me of that ridiculous Ashlee Simpson song.) I prefer that depth be earned. I feel that's one the effects from the scars I've accrued in recent years.
That being said, I also wouldn't say I'm a closed-off person at all! 

A final reason I haven't blogged much is because I feel like it's so self-centered. Even if I'm miraculously not talking about myself, how often is there not still a self-centered intent behind my writing? What is my purpose and how can I trust myself? Another thing I know about myself is that I like knowing myself. It's an introverted gift to be very self-reflecting and self-aware. That's probably a good thing! But there's a danger in spending too much time processing, analyzing and reflecting. Look, I love talking about personality types, why we are the way we are, and other characteristics that make us so unique, yet so similar. But I think there's a trap to that as well. Spending too much time thinking about yourself, even in a good way, is dangerous.
  Especially for the introvert.
It steals the focus from God. My life isn't about me. This life isn't for me. So in the end, "my" life and my personality and my goals, dreams, failures, etc. aren't what matters. I feel weird writing about what I'm going through because that isn't of importance, and in fact, may be stealing from what is of supreme importance. I don't want to be self-centered. I know this life isn't about me, and I don't want to act like it is. So I think that keeps me from writing a lot of times.
I've a very different blogger than I used to be. There's also probably a fear of being the type of person I was back on xanga. I couldn't be more different and I don't want to be anything resembling that person.

so. I guess I'll just post a little here and there.