GEMS

I have loved music from a very early age. From listening to Bob Dylan on vinyl with those really big headphones, to playing guitar, to going to shows growing up. I’m from the days of “mix tapes” and having to pay $20 for a CD. Your only option for new music was whatever was on the radio. Well, the digital age has been upon us for a while with access to more music than I could ever even imagine. Over the last few years I’ve been overwhelmed with trying to find good music out there. It’s like going to the record store thumbing through thousands of records to find that one gem. I have found a few gems lately though that I hope you enjoy.

Jake

Singalong

Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. From a very young age looking up at my dad’s reel-to-reel and listening to Dylan on vinyl up untill present day. Growing up as a little guy I wasn’t allowed to listen to “secular” music. I protested and eventually got my way. I grew up listening to half Christian and half secular I would say. What I love in music is melodic chords that ring out, someone who can really sing, and someone who can write lyrics well. What I really love though, are people who can do those three things when it comes to their relationship Jesus. Not in some hokey way, but in a truly artful and talented way. There’s nothing better in my opinion.
Needless to say Phil Wickham is one of those artists. He showed up on the music scene a few years ago with his first self titled album a few years ago. Last year he released sophomore album Cannons, which I have grown to love as well. Well, he has outdone himself with his latest release singalong. This album really is a sing along show recorded this past May up on Oregon. Phil, a guitar and fans eager to sing along with Phil are the only ingredients in this album. With his Jeff Buckley vibrato that fills the room with songs of beauty and depth, Jeff shows how it’s done. Added into the mix of his own songs are beautifully done classic hymns that are sung the way I’ve always imagined they could be.
The album is free from Phil’s site for download. After hearing it, I would have paid full price for this one. One of the best recordings I’ve heard in a very long time. I hope you all will take the time to listen to it as well and give me your opinion. I think you’re going to love it.

Jake

The Final Lap

So I'm going to give a little back round here. My college career began with the typical junior college experience and then moved on to the school of hard Knox for the past 14 years. Most of my life has been devoted to working full time. Those years have been good. I've learned so much about life and about people during that time. It is it's own education in a way.
I always thought about going back to school and graduating college but never pursued it resolving that I didn't have the time or money for school and who needs a stinkin degree anyway.
Well things changed about a year ago. After attending my friend Jasons' graduation from Biola. I was inspired. Here is my friend, my age, finishing what he started. The fetching Mrs. Dayneko and I got to talking about me going back to school. I have always wanted to teach high school and I now had over 5 years of experience with BMW. I would love to teach an auto shop class. Yet all the reasons for not going back to school came quickly to my tongue.
The wife quenched those reasons for not going back and encouraged me to go for it.
So last fall I began my college career again starting at Cal State LA. It was a little intimidating at first. Old guy suurunded by a bunch of kids who has not been to school full time for fourteen years. My fist math class was literally like a bad dream come true. He hands out a quiz the first day of class and says " I just want to see where your math skills are at". I look at the page and I know nothing. Absolutely nothing. I thought to myself " what have I gotten myself into".
Well, one school year at Cal state down and one to go. I'll be a Senior again this year which is a little weird. But it's good. I am well on my way to graduate next spring. I'm even enjoying my classes. who would have known.
Well I could not have done this without my beautiful wife who has sacrificed for my sake. I also could not have done this without the tremendous grace of God who sustains me in ways I could never even imagine. I'm on this final lap now. I just have to finish strong.

This is our cat

We have a cat. His name is Lucky. WE've had lucky for a few years now actually. He's a great cat; very friendly, stays out of trouble, and fairly low maintenance. You will find if you've bee over to our house lately that our screen door no longer has a screen on it. Now it is partially because I don't feel like putting a new one up but the other part is that Lucky likes to climb the screen. He now actually climbs on the door without the screen in protest of his stomach not being full. Don't worry folks, we do feed him twice a day and he also tends to sneak over to the neigbors patio for some dog chow if he's still not saatisfied. This clip is our cat if we had a glass front door.

Big Dog don't fall down!

So as most of you know I'm back to school to get my BS in industrial technology to teach high school auto shop. The program is pretty broad in scope covering technology in gneral. I'm taking a indutrial robotics class this quarter and ran across this video. THE BIG DOG. I couldn't believe what I was watching. This "thing" can walk over just about anything. The freaky thing is that it doesn't fall over.....ever. You need to see this one to believe it.

Seriously

Back in high school when Marine corps El Toro air station was open, my friend Jason and his dad Gary (Mr. Rogers) would invite be to go with them to the air show. It was so cool to see the diffrent planes doing diffrent manuvers, the rush of a plane going faster than the speed of sound, seeing a stealth bomber up close. It's what memories are made of. Well here's a little ditty that brings some of those memories back.

I Can Relate

This is one of the funniest things Iv'e seen in a while. I can relate since my little girl is talking up a storm these days. I'm sure if she was a year older she'd be telling the same story the same way.