July 2025 Update
Out in the air, chased from my lair, my surprised ears do greet a natural symphony passing sweet.
Through the trees, a gentle breeze. From warbling throats, a harmonic tease. Spoiled anon by our metal throng and its ceaseless, guzzling song.
But in the quiet, I comprehend no matter how much, on sound, we spend: No song, no orchestral suite, with God-played Nature, can compete.
— “God-played Nature”
July is here, and with it summer. It has been a busy, beautiful time for us, not without struggle, but not without joy. I have been snatching writing and music time, moving furniture, and reading. The 4th passed for us in a whirlwind. We saw family, which was good, but my patriotism is hanging by a thread. This country, founded by rebels, will seem to need rebellion again soon if we want it to be made free for all. I pray for peace, and change, and a remembrance that “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” was not a statement of fact but a battle cry.
Writing
I have completed a second draft of my second novel, and am now editing from the first novel all the way through to the second. Still querying. Still getting rejections. I also managed to complete my essay on Re-reading Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. You can find it as the previous post on this blog. I am somewhat proud of it, as it is the longest non-fiction essay I have produced since college, and I think I am warming to my voice as an essay writer somewhat ﹣ But I still have many defects.
Music
I have been playing more guitar than past years. I decided to trick myself by picking up the guitar before I sit down to do anything fun, like play a video game, and have found that I usually end up playing guitar and not the game at all. Music, to me, is the original video game: It requires rhythm, timing, dexterity, and yet has so much more depth and nuance to explore. Video games are not bad, but I have noticed a tendency in my life to pursue them to distraction and the detriment of the greater goods in my life, and I do not think I am alone. If I want my kids to pursue productive hobbies like music, then I have to model it for them.
Reading
Well I went back to James Baldwin, this time re-reading The Devil Finds Work, his long form collection of essays about films. Initially I was looking for a quote to use in my Tolkien essay, but just ended up reading the whole thing again. Baldwin is my comfort food. His subjects are often heavy and difficult, but he maintains his sanity and sense of humor (miraculously). It is like listening to a truly great blues player, who is not simply playing to be impressive and make noise, but who is redeeming his pain by making something beautiful out of it. Oddly enough, I found it applicable as I was sitting in a resort hotel theater suffering through the Minecraft movie. Read more about that here, if you like.
I also read Flannery O-Connor's Wise Blood. I knew a little of what to expect since I had already read A Good Man is Hard to Find, and while I enjoyed it, it is definitely not for everybody. Her characters are so dirty and so ugly, and her worldview is so terrifying, and yet there is something beautiful about it. Like Jesus dying on the cross, it reflects the stark juxtaposition of divine beauty married to the worst corruptions of humanity. She's an American classic for a reason.
Ah yeah, I also started The Tempest, and as always with Shakespeare I am impressed and humbled. I am happy to report that my Shakespeare muscle made it not too difficult to get into. Like most skills, and reading is a skill, it gets easier the more you do it. Here's a random quote with no context, because we all need more Shakespeare in our lives:
“O, if you but knew how you the purpose cherish; Whiles thus you mock it, how in stripping it, You more invest it.
Ebbing men indeed Most often do so near the bottom run By their own fear or sloth.”
— Antonio to Sebastian, urging murder.
Listening
I rediscovered my love for Needtobreathe while mowing the lawn and listening to The Heat. I stand by that album. There are so many little touches they add in the studio, that make it so rich and re-listenable. Little things; like windchimes, and horn accents, and layered guitar parts, that all add up.
I have also been reflecting on how we can imbue songs with meanings over the course our lives — meaning that the original creator could not have dreamed of. I think we do this with all art, and I think it is why art is what it is. I think the greater imminent tragedy of AI is not necessarily the difficulty of making a living as an artist, because it has always been hard, but the perception that people have of the practice of art. Its greatest good, to me, is the joy that it can give to the practitioner, regardless of how 'good' the end result it. So the next time you reach for AI to generate a picture or what have you, reach for a pencil and paper instead. It might not look professional, but it will be unique, and it will be something that only you could make. It will also avoid the truly staggering environmental cost of running AI servers.
Thank you for reading! I greatly regret that I will most likely never be able to meet you in person and shake your hand, but perhaps we can virtually shake hands via my newsletter, social media, or a cup of coffee sent over the wire. They are poor substitutes, but they can be a real grace in this intractable world.
Send me a kind word or a cup of coffee: