SO the question on everyone's mind I'm sure must be... New York, why??? Pardon my late response and let me attribute it to 19 or so days of waxing philosophical...maybe needing to be sure? I think not. If you know me, you know that my decisions may appear impulsive but are actually accompanied by meticulous research. And such is the case here as always.

SO what is the attraction of NYC? It is the big city, the biggest city at least in our fair land. It is the anti of so many things that have become normal and commonplace. The West Coast, the easy-going carefree individualistic western mentality have grown old and tiresome for me in the last nearly-30 years. So the first gut reaction to the question would be simply change of pace.

SO yes there is purpose beyond mere need for scenery replacement. Kelly and I feel that the time has come to do something, as we have spent nearly every moment of our lives up to this point preparing for something or getting through something. Now, at last, the road ahead is clear and there are no more obstacles to be overcome, at least no more tangible ones like school. The road is clear and we are ready to move along it; our dream is to bring something similar to 1-4-1 to the heart of NYC. What this will look like, we have no idea. But we have no problem with letting the overflowing energy of New York populate the vision and give it flesh and feet.

SO that in short begins to explain the "why," and that leaves many more questions to be answered. I will answer them in less or more than 19 days.

Check in time...once again it's good to be back. One cannot nearly call oneself a writer without writing, and during my dry spell I found myself wracked with enormous amounts of guilt at many times due to my lack of productivity. Alas, I realize that output is not the measure of the man, but daily wrestling with the void requires outlets and without those outlets the battle begins to age us. I approach this field somewhat older but hopefully not jaded, my eyes wiser for the combat and the daily trouble.

So a few things, personal matters, happenings to air for those of you interested in the context behind the rambling (i.e. the author). Summer days blow by in a windy and pollenated haze, and I am awaiting the fall to start another term of teaching. This time I will be teaching a history of the Bible class at NPBC, an intersting propostion since this is not my first area of expertise. I am looking forward to the research involved, and have begun said quest with none other than The Da Vinci Code. That's right, the notorious novel that has caused more controversy in the church world than Arius. I found the book interesting, a decent piece of entertainment/fluff. It was certainly a page-turner. That Dan Brown writes a fair mystery novel, and his depth of detail is impressive. My own theological reactions deserve another post (I promise), but I can assure they are far less than shock and disgust and more intrigue, perhaps opportunity? Who can say.

The other bombshell is that Kelly and I are strongly considering moving to New York City. That's right, NYC, Gotham itself, the belly of the beast. The reason? A vague yet concrete sense of calling perhaps? A foray into "urban ministry?" Perhaps, let's wait and let the chips fall where they may.

So much excitement and so little time. At least in this post I have inspired in myself material for at least two more meditations. That would roughly equal my entire output for the year. Ahhh but let that not be my measure... there I go again.

So I return, somewhat awkwardly, to the world of blogging after making the many and several changes mentioned in the previous post. Obviously the reader will notice the new design features. I realize that some tweaking is necessary, but I am excited about the new aesthetics of this page. The clean lines, the eye-friendly white background... I find the look to be newsy and informative, utilitarian and yet somehow comforting. Sidebar items are now available as dropdown menus (cool feature). I will be adding a large number of links to the ol' blogroll shortly (been digging around the web quite a bit, happy to share my new obsessions.)

All things considered it feels good to be back in the game. Sometimes it just becomes necessary to shut down, to spend time processing life and the various curveballs that get thrown our way.

For some reason I have decided that this blog is still worth maintaining, albeit with many and several changes. On that note, I hearby declare the Orphange "under construction." I will be experimenting with some new designs and will start again when I feel better. Have a pleasant day.

By the way, you really should check out the new permanent link on my sidebar...Process Recess by James Jean . It's a completely awesome blog that details the graphic arts process (hence the name). Graphic art has always been a favorite of mine, ever since my days of photocopying collage-style punk rock show posters at Kinko's (ahh...the copier keys. Theft was never so easily facilitated).

I showed "Luther" to my class last night and I must say it is a pretty decent flick. From the perspective of a history teacher, it does a good job of encapsulating the important events in Martin Luther's life. From a film snob's point of view... well, it doesn't score as many points. Character development is somewhat lacking, cinematography is interesting but not spectacluar, and acting is hit and miss. Joseph Finnes does a fine (ha ha pun I'm freakin hilarious) job as Luther. He definately tones down ol' Marty's infamous obnoxious personality a tad, though.

On a more visceral (favorite overused word) level, the film portrays the process of disillusionment with the religious institution. Luther's epiphany comes as he climbs the stairs in Rome with a horde of other pathetic pentitents in an attempt to free a dead relative from purgatory. All at once the futility and absurdity of the scene hits him like a slap in the face. His doubt has been growing since he arrived in Rome; now it has all come to the forefront. After his Rome experience Luther was never the same.

I've had plenty of my own "Rome experiences" over the last few years. They have come in both religious and non-religious settings. The noble thing about Luther is that when faced with the reality of the dark side of Christianity, he did not cast his faith aside. He instead fought to reclaim what he considered to be its true heart. Good advice today for those who are left feeling disgusted and distruaght by what they have seen.

I listened to "IRS" and "The Blues" from the upcoming Chinese Democracy album from Guns'n'Roses. Needless to say, there was little there to stir my heart or imagination. I would not say that the songs were bad -- they seemed well-written and well-produced. Axl's voice sounds the same as it did back in the late 80's/early 90's. The guitar tone was classic G'n'R, and the absense of Sir Slash was barely noticed. But the tracks definately did not carry the visceral weight of early G'n'R. Perhaps I'm just getting old and jaded.

Guns'n'Roses introduced me to danger in rock'n'roll music. They were not safe and slick like, say, Def Leppard or Bon Jovi. Their decadence and nihilism was palatable; their music smelled of the grime of Hollywood's underbelly. They were not clownish in their debauchery like Motley Crue or the countless other Sunset Strip glam metal bands. Guns'n'Roses gave a young kid the sense that something was out there, something forbidden and tasty, something that would ruin you. I suppose that the words I use conjure up the immediate responses of "sin" and "temptation," but these are often consequences of a life lived instead of hidden. G'n'R felt real. They did not feel like a cartoon or like a pre-pubescent gutteral fantasy.

The overbloated and overblown rock music world wasn't quite ready for G'n'R in the late 80's, and now their darkness seems like a pale tint to cynical, irony-seeking eyes. But more than anything else, G'n'R sounded like Los Angeles. Maybe my perception of boredom and irrelevance at the new tracks stems from my rejection of LA as the city of nihilistic urban dreams. I'm actually happy to be as far removed from LA as possible, both geographically and spiritually.

So cheers to you, Axl. I applaud your perseverance in continuing to make decent-sounding records and attempting to harness some of that danger for the kids who only know rock music as a cheeky joke. Maybe their ears are still looking for a seedy LA underbelly to wallow in for a while.

Dang, some of the tracks from the new Guns'n'Roses album are posted up on Stereogum and I haven't listened to them yet. I'm actually fearing it. Usually, long-awaited comeback albums from artists/bands that are long past their prime are a horrible disappointment. Also, "classic rock" bands that still manage to put out records despite the absence of the majority of their founding members often release pure garbage. You can find stacks and stacks of such in the record bins at the Goodwill (Wow!!! Lynard Skynard is still putting out albums! But I thought that most of them died in a plane crash...) Anyway I'm not setting my expectations too high. The "other" G'n'R reunion incarnation (Velvet Revolver) was a waste of time and energy, and contained what many consider to be the creative nucleus of the band in Slash and Duff. So how could Axl on his own be any better???

If you're wondering why this is such an issue for me, please bear in mind that G'n'R played a very important formative role in my life. They helped to get me where I am today (poor, under-employed, etc.) I still hold to my opinion that Appetite For Destruction is the best rock album ever.

Stay tuned for my report when I finally summon up the courage to download the above metioned songs.