Picking an entrance song for a fight show can be surprisingly difficult. You're trying to encapsulate something that speaks to who you are, all the hard work you've done and what you plan to accomplish in six minutes inside the cage (e.g., beat the other person senseless) all in some catchy, hard-rockin' tune that tells your opponent "Fear me!". That's a lot of pressure to put on a three-and-a-half minute song :).
I discarded some of the more obvious potential choices like Christina Aguilera's "Fighter" fairly quickly. Although it may show up in a future Random Playlist entry, it wasn't what I was looking for in an entrance song - too literal; especially when you're walking towards a cage wearing a boxing helmet and ten-ounce gloves. I like Pink but the songs I looked at, while they had the right amount of attitude, were almost too much just attitude. Don't get me wrong, there is a certain amount of swagger required for this sport but you need to be able to back it up and a song that seems to be based entirely on bravado and waving around half the peace sign was not the message I wanted to send.
(Queen's Fat Bottom Girls was also a contender simply to spread some love for the big girls in the sport but that ultimately went by the wayside as well.)
When it came down to brass tacks, I started thinking about what MMA had done for me and the crux of it was it had really brought me back to God and deepened my relationship with him. About the time I figured that out, I found Daughtry's song. Whether or not he wrote it as a Christian or Christ-themed song is immaterial because the lyrics are pretty dead on in portraying someone (me, in this case) re-finding and then refining their identity in Christ. So, yeah, it fulfilled all my requirements: it spoke to who I was, the work I'd done, and what I planned to accomplish in the next six minutes and the lifetime after that.
(And yeah, it was pretty cool hearing it blare over the speakers as the flash pots went off while I made my trek to the cage, too *g*).
19 January 2011
15 January 2011
Project 365 - Week 3 (January 9 - 15, 2011)
Sunday
This is a picture of our church from the back. I wanted to get the water in the picture and was trying to work with the zoom on the camera. Obviously, I still need some practice.
Monday
The corner of my apartment balcony after six inches of snow had fallen the night before.
Tuesday
MONKEY!!!! Happiness is getting a visit from my most favoritest four-year-old after not having seen him for almost a year. We love each other like whoa.
Wednesday
Proof there is a God and that he likes me.
Thursday
Yes, another hiking picture :). This is at the start of the hike the Spousal Unit and I took through Allsopp Park
11 January 2011
Random Playlist #1 - Gethsemane (Jesus Christ Superstar, 1992 Australian Cast Version)
In honor of Chip the iPod's retirement and the arrival of Frank the iPod (he's pink!), I've been sorting through my songs to create new playlists. While I've been wending my way through titles and genres, it's almost been like taking a trip back through time as certain songs reassert themselves and reignite memories of why they were important to me or what about them connected them to me on some emotional or gut level. Because of that, I thought I would occasionally jot down thoughts or impressions on some of them. And if someone could tell me where I managed to pick up 6,000+ songs, I'd be eternally grateful...
I tend to have a love/hate relationship with Andrew Lloyd Webber. I like some of his earlier stuff but he tends to get a little "moon in June" for me with a lot of his later works and Cats just makes me want to call the pound. JCS, though, is a composition that, done right, I can go back and listen to time and time again. The Australian cast is one of those, largely on the strengths of John Farnham singing the role of Jesus. It's also one of the first portrayals of Jesus that got me to see him as a real person as opposed to some cardboard cutout on a felt board in Sunday School or some literary figure talked about from a pulpit.
Too many versions of JCS have the actor playing Jesus singing the lyrics in a style that can best be described as...well, milquetoast-ish. Jesus just moves along, pats Mary Magdalene on the head, tut-tuts at Judas (oh, that scamp!), whines a bit in the Garden of Gethsemane and then meekly heads offstage. It's like the aural version of Max Von Sydow playing Jesus in that movie where he speaks...almost as...slowly...as...James T...Kirk...and...never blinks. In a way, many productions of JCS become more about Judas than Jesus - especially if you have an actor playing Judas who can sing well (most assuredly not looking at you, London cast! Judas should not sound like Donald Duck with a lisp). Farnham's Jesus, on the other hand, is present in a way many are not. He sings with passion. His Jesus has emotion and drive. He knows what he needs to do, where he needs to go and how little time he has left to get there.
I think the thing I really love about Farnham's singing of Gethsemane is that he captures the human side of Jesus. A lot of treatments of Jesus during this crucial time tend to gloss over the turmoil he was in because we know the end result: he submitted to the Father and went to the cross. Yet Mark 14 (NLT) characterizes Jesus as beginning to be "filled with horror and deep distress." The entire song takes place within verses 35-36 (NLT): "He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. 'Abba, Father,' he said, 'everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine.'" These words sound so...simple in a way, almost bloodless, when they are just read as part of the chapter. It's part of a story we all know very well and sometimes familiarity breeds detachment.
For me, however, the song lyrics really show how Jesus might have pled with God for another way to go, to not have to walk the path that had been set for him. Since he was fully human as well as fully God, would he not have been afraid as well especially since he knew what was coming? Emotionally spent? Just plain physically exhausted? Even maybe a little angry? He'd spent thirty-three years on Earth with preaching God's message the thrust of the final three. Yet his disciples - the ones hand-picked by the Son of God - still had their thick as brick moments; never mind the majority of the general population who would shortly be jeering him on a cross and demanding the release of Barabbas instead of an innocent man. Even the disciples he'd asked to come with him into the garden fell asleep instead of keeping him company and would shortly run away and deny Him.
Like the rest of us, Jesus had free will. He did not have to do what God was asking of him and He was certainly not powerless by any means. If Jesus had chosen to exercise his free will, that would have been it. God's plan would have been over. There would be no church, no salvation through God's son. The whole of Christianity as we know it would simply not be.
And I think that's the other thing that really hits me about this song: the ultimate capitulation to God's will when He didn't have to. It was a choice Jesus had to make the same way we have to make that choice when God asks us to do something. In a way, the Gethsemane scene strikes me as an unanswered prayer of Jesus to God (perhaps His only unanswered prayer?) in that the cup was not taken away. In it, Jesus sings in his prayer to God about all his feelings; his anger, his fear, his frustration; even asking why he should go through with this and die. He initially expresses the "agreement" that he will die as almost a dare: "Just watch me die".
The first part of the song is all the "human" reasoning and questioning, the demanding to know "why" we should do what God wants us to. We're human and we want to know the outcome of our choices. The bridge where the music swells and the guitars do their screaming is reminiscent of the swirling emotions and thoughts that crash in on each other as you pray and try to hear God's voice amidst all the confusion of a difficult or painful decision. Then, there is that brief moment of silence when the guitars stop and just before the lone piano starts up again which is like that moment of clarity when you just...get it. You know what God has said to do and it's your choice and you choose to do it even if you'd rather not. So, the last verse is Jesus leaving behind the human need to understand or demand answers and acquiescing, submitting, to the will of God ("God, thy will is hard/But you hold ev'ry card") even though He knows the way ahead will not be easy and that there will come a moment where He will be totally and utterly alone. Even the last line, that last soft "before I change my mind" isn't Jesus being indecisive. He isn't waffling. He has submitted to the Father and is going to follow His will. When I hear that line, it's like that moment when you make the decision to do something monumental or frightening or distressing or any other adjectives (good or bad) that involves faith. You've made the decision to do it but you're still human and there is still that vestige of nervousness or anxiety accompanying your decision. That last line of the song is the big, shaky breath you take before you put faith into action.
So, er, yeah...that's me rambling on about why this song will pretty much always be on any playlist I make...
(YouTube doesn't have an embed code for this song but a URL for it can be found here)
I tend to have a love/hate relationship with Andrew Lloyd Webber. I like some of his earlier stuff but he tends to get a little "moon in June" for me with a lot of his later works and Cats just makes me want to call the pound. JCS, though, is a composition that, done right, I can go back and listen to time and time again. The Australian cast is one of those, largely on the strengths of John Farnham singing the role of Jesus. It's also one of the first portrayals of Jesus that got me to see him as a real person as opposed to some cardboard cutout on a felt board in Sunday School or some literary figure talked about from a pulpit.
Too many versions of JCS have the actor playing Jesus singing the lyrics in a style that can best be described as...well, milquetoast-ish. Jesus just moves along, pats Mary Magdalene on the head, tut-tuts at Judas (oh, that scamp!), whines a bit in the Garden of Gethsemane and then meekly heads offstage. It's like the aural version of Max Von Sydow playing Jesus in that movie where he speaks...almost as...slowly...as...James T...Kirk...and...never blinks. In a way, many productions of JCS become more about Judas than Jesus - especially if you have an actor playing Judas who can sing well (most assuredly not looking at you, London cast! Judas should not sound like Donald Duck with a lisp). Farnham's Jesus, on the other hand, is present in a way many are not. He sings with passion. His Jesus has emotion and drive. He knows what he needs to do, where he needs to go and how little time he has left to get there.
I think the thing I really love about Farnham's singing of Gethsemane is that he captures the human side of Jesus. A lot of treatments of Jesus during this crucial time tend to gloss over the turmoil he was in because we know the end result: he submitted to the Father and went to the cross. Yet Mark 14 (NLT) characterizes Jesus as beginning to be "filled with horror and deep distress." The entire song takes place within verses 35-36 (NLT): "He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. 'Abba, Father,' he said, 'everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine.'" These words sound so...simple in a way, almost bloodless, when they are just read as part of the chapter. It's part of a story we all know very well and sometimes familiarity breeds detachment.
For me, however, the song lyrics really show how Jesus might have pled with God for another way to go, to not have to walk the path that had been set for him. Since he was fully human as well as fully God, would he not have been afraid as well especially since he knew what was coming? Emotionally spent? Just plain physically exhausted? Even maybe a little angry? He'd spent thirty-three years on Earth with preaching God's message the thrust of the final three. Yet his disciples - the ones hand-picked by the Son of God - still had their thick as brick moments; never mind the majority of the general population who would shortly be jeering him on a cross and demanding the release of Barabbas instead of an innocent man. Even the disciples he'd asked to come with him into the garden fell asleep instead of keeping him company and would shortly run away and deny Him.
Like the rest of us, Jesus had free will. He did not have to do what God was asking of him and He was certainly not powerless by any means. If Jesus had chosen to exercise his free will, that would have been it. God's plan would have been over. There would be no church, no salvation through God's son. The whole of Christianity as we know it would simply not be.
And I think that's the other thing that really hits me about this song: the ultimate capitulation to God's will when He didn't have to. It was a choice Jesus had to make the same way we have to make that choice when God asks us to do something. In a way, the Gethsemane scene strikes me as an unanswered prayer of Jesus to God (perhaps His only unanswered prayer?) in that the cup was not taken away. In it, Jesus sings in his prayer to God about all his feelings; his anger, his fear, his frustration; even asking why he should go through with this and die. He initially expresses the "agreement" that he will die as almost a dare: "Just watch me die".
The first part of the song is all the "human" reasoning and questioning, the demanding to know "why" we should do what God wants us to. We're human and we want to know the outcome of our choices. The bridge where the music swells and the guitars do their screaming is reminiscent of the swirling emotions and thoughts that crash in on each other as you pray and try to hear God's voice amidst all the confusion of a difficult or painful decision. Then, there is that brief moment of silence when the guitars stop and just before the lone piano starts up again which is like that moment of clarity when you just...get it. You know what God has said to do and it's your choice and you choose to do it even if you'd rather not. So, the last verse is Jesus leaving behind the human need to understand or demand answers and acquiescing, submitting, to the will of God ("God, thy will is hard/But you hold ev'ry card") even though He knows the way ahead will not be easy and that there will come a moment where He will be totally and utterly alone. Even the last line, that last soft "before I change my mind" isn't Jesus being indecisive. He isn't waffling. He has submitted to the Father and is going to follow His will. When I hear that line, it's like that moment when you make the decision to do something monumental or frightening or distressing or any other adjectives (good or bad) that involves faith. You've made the decision to do it but you're still human and there is still that vestige of nervousness or anxiety accompanying your decision. That last line of the song is the big, shaky breath you take before you put faith into action.
So, er, yeah...that's me rambling on about why this song will pretty much always be on any playlist I make...
(YouTube doesn't have an embed code for this song but a URL for it can be found here)
09 January 2011
Marsala Beef
Since a couple people mentioned that beef, garlic and Marsala sounded like a good thing, I figured I would share the recipe. Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures all through this (*makes notes for next time*) but here is the basic premise. Adjust amounts up or down as you need. The Spousal Unit and I are saving pennies so I will usually buy things like cuts of meat in a slightly larger quantity. It guarantees we have leftovers for the next day's work lunch and generally means we have some left that we can freeze for another night as well when it's just not quiiiiiite payday yet :).
2 lbs beef (I used a thick cut top sirloin since that's what Walmart had on sale)
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons butter
1/3rd cup Marsala + 1 or 2 "splashes"
1 can beef broth
Salt
Pepper
Cut beef into thin strips while still partially frozen. Set aside.
Peel garlic and slice. Pour olive oil into a small saucepan and add garlic. Place onto stove top on low heat. The olive oil will warm and slowly cook the garlic. You will know it is done when you can smell the garlic and it is a toasty brown color. Strain the oil or remove the garlic with a slotted spoon.
Heat a large saute pan with the garlic-infused oil and add the meat, then season with salt and pepper. Cook until just pink in the middle/rare. Remove from the pan and set aside, draining any oil left. Adjust the heat to low. Add the butter and flour to the pan, whisking to create a roux. Cook until the roux is a golden brown color and then add the marsala to the pan. Once it is incorporated into the roux, slowly add the beef broth a little at a time, whisking to avoid lumps. Let the gravy simmer for a few seconds in between each addition of broth in order for it to thicken. Stop when the gravy is to your liking. Add a splash or two more of Marsala if you desire. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Return the meat to the pan and warm through.
We ate this over rice but I think it would be equally good in sub rolls or over egg noodles or diced, roasted potatoes as well.
2 lbs beef (I used a thick cut top sirloin since that's what Walmart had on sale)
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons butter
1/3rd cup Marsala + 1 or 2 "splashes"
1 can beef broth
Salt
Pepper
Cut beef into thin strips while still partially frozen. Set aside.
Peel garlic and slice. Pour olive oil into a small saucepan and add garlic. Place onto stove top on low heat. The olive oil will warm and slowly cook the garlic. You will know it is done when you can smell the garlic and it is a toasty brown color. Strain the oil or remove the garlic with a slotted spoon.
Heat a large saute pan with the garlic-infused oil and add the meat, then season with salt and pepper. Cook until just pink in the middle/rare. Remove from the pan and set aside, draining any oil left. Adjust the heat to low. Add the butter and flour to the pan, whisking to create a roux. Cook until the roux is a golden brown color and then add the marsala to the pan. Once it is incorporated into the roux, slowly add the beef broth a little at a time, whisking to avoid lumps. Let the gravy simmer for a few seconds in between each addition of broth in order for it to thicken. Stop when the gravy is to your liking. Add a splash or two more of Marsala if you desire. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Return the meat to the pan and warm through.
We ate this over rice but I think it would be equally good in sub rolls or over egg noodles or diced, roasted potatoes as well.
08 January 2011
Project 365 - Week 2 (Jan 2-8, 2011)
The nucleus of a new recipe I made up. It also included garlic-infused olive oil and Marsala wine.
Tuesday
Thanks, Chip, for service above and beyond through runs in the rain and snow, shadowboxing in sauna suits and sweats and more rounds of jumprope and heavy bag than I even want to remember :).
02 January 2011
Project 365 - Week 1
I wasn't sure how the first day of the year was counted so I'm just going to go along with Sara and say there is one day. Here it is a little bit late...
The Spousal Unit and one of the cats (Munchkin) doing what comes naturally to the Cyber Hermit homestead on a Saturday night...
28 December 2010
Welcome to the world, Baby Girl!
My newest granddaughter, Emery Esther Madden, was born tonight just a little bit ago. I don't have many details yet but mother, daughter, dad, and big sister are all doing well. Grandma is all verklempt :).
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