DMB at Alpine...

I thought about snagging some grass seats for sunday night's Dave Matthews Band show at Alpine, but having heard mixed reviews about last year's show, I decided against it. I should have gone (set list here).

They opened with Dreaming Tree, one of my all time favorite DMB songs and one that they rarely play live (and have never opened with). They also introduced a new song for the first time called "A Dream So Real." You can hear it here. I also like the new song "Eh Hee," which is on the new Dave and Tim album (see video here). Would have been fun to see it with the band.

Then again, this might be a reason not to go. In my experience, DMB fans tend to get bored and yell when the band isn't playing their more popular stuff, making it very unenjoyable for those who want to hear new music. Either way, I think I made the wrong decision. Should have gone.

Something Beautiful...

I always enjoy the time.com photo essays, but this one was particularly moving. Just thought I'd share.

I find this article equally beautiful. However, I dislike the fact that they call Mother Teresa's doubts her "crisis of faith." I find it beautiful that she was that honest about her faith - I doubt there is anyone who can't relate to what she says in her letters, whether they are a believer or an atheist. The fact that she continued her work despite her doubts shows that there was never a crisis of faith.

$1000/hour

“Frankly, it’s a little hard to think about anyone who doesn’t save lives being worth this much money.”

Seriously, I did not decide to become a lawyer just for the money.

The ups and downs of homeownership

The downside: This past weekend, thanks to record rainfalls in our area, I spent some time dealing with water in our basement. Lots of fun.

The upside: Raspberry bushes behind our garage.

We picked and ate every ripe raspberry we could on Friday.

Then on Monday (thanks in part to the rain that has also found its way into our basement), we picked these.

I'd say the ups outweigh the downs.

40 years...

My in-laws celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary last night with their family. I feel privileged to have married into a family where commitment to marriage is valued and celebrated. Some pictures of the happy couple and their family:




Banana's Foster...

God's Warriors

For anyone interested in the intersection between religion and culture, CNN has an interesting series coming up called God's Warriors that highlights how the world's monotheistic religions shape the political and cultural climate of our world. Three consecutive nights will highlight Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

Just something to check out if you have the time (or in my case, Tivo).

I'm looking forward to watching, but am also wondering how you separate the three faiths so easily and if it is appropriate to do so. I realize it's easier for some viewers if the faiths are separated into three different episodes, but if I were designing the program, I would have a hard time not highlighting the interplay between the three faiths and how that interplay influences culture. For example, our culture is highly influenced by the way in which the Christian faith portrays the Muslim faith and visa versa. And throughout history, the interplay between Christianity and Judaism has had a large impact on culture (e.g., concentration camps). I hope the program delves into this issue as well.