but, that isn't all

"Life is just a plain bloody mess, that's all. And, people are fools." -– Hally from Master Herold…and the Boys, a play by Athol Fugard.

As much as this quote appeals to the cynic within me (while giving me a little chuckle), our generation needs to move past this shortsighted worldview, especially if we ever want to overcome the culture of death.

Life can be messy, but that isn’t all life is. People are often foolish, but that isn’t all we are. It’s a Wonderful Life. Really, it is. “Don't you see what a mistake it would be to throw it away?”

Looking into the Potomac River valley from the outdoor chapel at Mar-Lu-Ridge, where even amidst the madness of camp, life seems particularly beautiful.

"affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts." --Romans 5:3-5

obama, livestrong, awful music: is there any bandwagon we won’t jump on?

People leave all sorts of things “at the door” — problems, emotions, baggage, shoes, etc. But, when you go see No Sunlite For The Media play live, you will leave partially explained NSFTM stories to perplexed friends at home, crappy radio music in the car at all costs (probably 99.5 if yr from D.C.) and sanity at the door (possibly yr clothes, too).

NSFTM recently released “Psalms from a Dungeon,” their second vinyl record to date, and since it was also around Horne cousins Matthew and Joshua’s 23rd birthdays, it was time to celebrate. But not with Natty Light, sexy miniskirts or Poker Faces, but with Goldschläger, N.E.S. (leave yr Wii in yr preppy dorm room please), and anti popo but pro papa tunes.

Josh and Chelsie take a look at the new NSFTM vinyl, "Psalms from a Dungeon." For a full track listing and more info, check out nsftm.

At the party, NSFTM and company headed into the Dungeon to play live songs from every era of No Sunlite and to put on their new record while people danced with wild abandon. There is nothing like dancing to NSFTM while they play live. There is no party, concert, picnic, campout, visit to the moon, or otherwise that could live up to the intimacy, intensity, sweat, rawness, dancing, energy, sweat, low fidelity, and did I mention sweat, that pulsed through the walls of the Dungeon that Saturday night.

For some bizarre reason, it has become acceptable to answer the question “what kind of music do you like?” with “anything but country,” or “anything (even country!?), but not rap.” All of a sudden our iTunes minded selves grab all the music we can from anyone we’ve ever met without the slightest regard for criticism.

So here it is folks… The Jonas Brothers are cheesy. Lady Gaga does not create sincere art. Fall Out Boy just plain sucks (in addition to contributing to the culture of death). Green Day straight up sold out. And, don’t even start on the failures of the Christian rock world. NSFTM’s presence alone is the perfect music critique.

Math can't go wrong in the Dungeon with a harmonica, MLR shirt and a sweet dance move. NSFTM's next gig is Friday, October 16, 2009 @ 8pm @ the Record and Tape Exchange in Fairfax Virginia: 9448 Main Street.

C.S. Lewis said “in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.” NSFTM succeeds at this, and they are the most legitimate band I know.

So, instead of saying you love everything you hear, I want to start witnessing people announcing they like NOTHING, except No Sunlite For The Media.

my bad

Hey guys! I am sorry that I have not kept up with blogging in the recent months. The end of the spring semester ran into summer and working at camp, which then became the new semester! But, I’ve gotten my act back together and will most certainly be blogging again this fall. Look out for a new post later today or tomorrow!

In the meantime, keep in mind that “we walk by faith, not by sight.” -- 2 Corinthians 5:7

peace&love

real counter-culture

Joey Rampino is a baller. No, seriously, he is. Joey is a first year college seminarian St. Charles Borromeo in Pennsylvania. He wakes up at, like, 5 a.m. He is only 18 years old. And, most awesomely, Joey is one of my best friends.

I’ve known Joey since seventh grade. We rode the bus together before we were old enough (or cool enough) to drive. We played basketball at youth group open gyms and went to daily Mass together throughout high school. We graduated Woodson together last June. And, last week, he drove (cause he’s cool enough now) to Williamsburg for a visit.

Joey & I hanging out by Lake Matoaka on W&M campus last week. Seminarians and Priests are such blessings we all too often take for granted.

Joey is such a wonderful witness to the Faith through his understanding, humility and spirituality. I am so glad he is pursuing his vocation to priesthood by discerning at St. Charles; St. Charles is blessed to have a seminarian like Joey. Recently watching Fishers of Men, (see the embedded YouTube videos if you haven’t watched it before, it is legit), gave me a deeper respect for Joey’s call to priesthood (God-willing). Not only did the video move me so greatly as to make me tear up, but it instilled a deep appreciation and love for the sacrifices priests make everyday to serve God and us. As one priest in Fishers of Men said, “when there’s love, sacrifice is easy.” So, while Joey will not have children of his own, he will be the spiritual father of many. He won’t make a lot of money, but will help numerous make it to Heaven. A priest once told me that he didn’t look at everything he was giving up but at everything he would gain by becoming a priest. And, Saint Josemaría Escrivá (I just started reading The Way) said, “No ideal becomes a reality without sacrifice. Deny yourself.“ We must aim to be like Christ. He is the ideal. He gave us the ultimate sacrifice. Since priests are to be in persona Christi, it is only fitting that their vocation is lived out through loving but very real sacrifices.

We are all “called to something more than just mediocrity.” Joey is answering this call. And that, my friends, is why Joey Rampino is a baller.

there is hope

ladies, i dare you to throw out yr teen magazines. gentlemen, be gentlemen.

To liberate. There is a lot of weight attached to this infinitive. BIG events come to mind, like Moses and the Hebrews’ exodus from Egypt or the African American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. After all, “to liberate” is to “set free, set at liberty; to free, release from (something).” That is straight up according to the OED.

Liberation is mighty. Liberation is major. It changes lives and transforms worlds. Therefore, it is counter-intuitive to recognize that as a woman, shaving one’s head also falls into this realm.

But it does.

Allow me to demonstrate. Recently, I had the great honor of shaving my friend, Monica’s hair, (down to a number 4 for those keeping track). Having shaved off my own hair twice (and then halfway for a third time when I got my mohawk), I was seriously energized and excited to share in another woman’s experience. So, in the middle of my brother’s apartment, in the midst of a party, we brought the razor out and began.

You could tell she was nervous, and who wouldn’t be? Almost every male around her was discouraging it. Their reasoning? In their eyes, her beauty was on the line. Her femininity was at stake. Her cultural perception and social acceptance were about to be radically twisted. In those minutes I heard more than one too many lesbian jokes. And, way too many negative comments. I don’t care about the honesty. I love honest opinions. I care about the way in which they were honest. It was frustrating to the point of anger. Poor Monica, surrounded by friends and not one guy offering support. None of those guys chose to stand up and be a man. They were all boys choosing to let market-driven media shape their definition of womanhood and beauty. Instead of living in this world, they were being of it. I do not condemn them, but I will judge them.

To my utmost appreciation, there were several real men present at the party who recognized that hair is only hair, and Monica’s choice should be respected. They understood that personal growth and learning trumped head-turning any day.

When the deed was done, many guys continued to be immature boys. Monica took it so gracefully. (While I continued to be livid in their direction). The comments I was hearing were too similar to ones I had heard aimed my direction last spring when I shaved my own head. Being “unbeautiful,” or “not looking like a girl” was everyone’s biggest concern. But, she looked amazing. She really did. And she isn’t a girl, but a woman, as her conduct that night revealed. Plus, this is so much bigger than appearances. This is about challenging the world to redefine stereotypes. This is about acknowledging diversity in beauty. This is about making a statement. It’s about encouraging free expression. If shaving one’s head makes one unbeautiful, it isn’t worth having long hair. That kind of beauty is so blind to integration of body and soul. This is about female liberation. Even if that liberation is routed in freeing oneself from the hair on top of one’s head.

I was not with Moses, nor was I alive in the 50s or 60s for such civil rights movements. But, I proudly live in solidarity with Monica. I dare to say that shaving my head has been the most liberating event of my 18 years of life. And, the OED recognizes this; an alternate definition equates "to liberate" as to "free from social or male-dominated, etc., conventions."

Monica, congratulations, we are free of this convention. We are demanding more from our men and from our culture. We are liberated women.

Monica, a proud and beautiful woman dancing in her new 'do.

"Joy is the best makeup" --Anne Lamott

check out kyle's related blog!!

X: i've got straight edge

My life is marked by the letter X. The letter X is intense. It helps to fulfill my life; it is a personal decision. X stands for freedom. X stands for pride. X stands for straight edge.

Being straight edge means living above the temptations of alcohol, smoking, and drug use. But take a step back, the straight edge lifestyle isn’t about following rules. It’s living on the edge in an alternative way. The straight edge lifestyle goes against the precedents which so much of the youth society sets. While high school and college students who are underage may crave the idea of engaging in the unknown and fighting authority, drinking and drug use are not constructive experiences or effective rebellions.

I personally live straight edge not because I embrace authority, but because I understand that these actions fail to undermine such powers and in fact give authorities more reasons to constrain the youth, to look down upon the youth. It fuels the idea that the young generations are incapable and immature. By marking oneself as straight edge, one is free to express his or herself in new ways and share in more creative outlets.

An underground development, straight edge encompasses an ideal. While straight edge has been followed by teens of different scenes and backgrounds, it was the early hardcore punk movement in the US that started the lifestyle. Minor Threat, a hardcore band of the 80’s, was one of the most influential bands participating in the straight edge movement. Their 46 second song “Straight Edge” highlights the point of this way of life.

“I’ve got the straight edge/I’m a person just like you/But I’ve got better things to do/Than sit around and smoke dope/’Cause I know I can cope.”

But, condemning the mislead decisions of peers is not the end goal. Straight edge remains a personal choice.

We often treat drinking at college or experimenting before our lives “pass us by” as a part of the inevitable. Yet, it is just a simple decision to live life to a higher standard. It only takes one letter to crossover onto this edge.

X is a part of me. X helps to form my identity without robbing me of my individuality. By choosing X, I am liberated from any gray areas in decisions. Straight edge is an answer for all the non-conformists.

"Straight Edge" by Minor Threat

I'm a person just like you
But I've got better things to do
Than sit around and fuck my head
Hang out with the living dead
Snort white shit up my nose
Pass out at the shows
I don't even think about speed
That's something I just don't need

I'VE GOT STRAIGHT EDGE

I'm a person just like you
But I've got better things to do
Than sit around and smoke dope
'Cause I know I can cope
Laugh at the thought of eating ludes
Laugh at the thought of sniffing glue
Always gonna keep in touch
Never want to use a crutch

I'VE GOT STRAIGHT EDGE

SFL shoutout

Few can declare that college campus flyering has had any serious effect on one’s life. In fact, it is widely accepted that flyering tedious and dull. However, I can honestly claim that flyering for Student For Life has challenged me to grow, encouraged me to live my beliefs without shame, and helped me cling to reason above fear of rejection.

“Flyering” is the act of posting advertisements (in the form of flyers) around the school. It is a task born out of necessity for clubs campus-wide.

When I decided to join SFL, I didn’t put too much thought into the decision. I was a freshman and it seemed like a natural progression from my participation in the pro-life movement throughout high school. When I came to college I didn’t understand that meeting new people also meant opening myself to vulnerability. Friendships were no longer based on history or shared upbringings. I left a world where my community knew about and accepted my dedication to being pro-life and entered college, where these beliefs seemed to separate me from my peers, giving me one more insecurity.

My extraverted pro-life beliefs began to fade somewhat; they were just something I identified myself with at SFL meetings or inside my own head.

Then, I began flyering for SFL by myself. I would be sweating and nervous, making eye contact with just the laces of my shoes as I blindly stapled SFL handouts on public posting sites. Slowly the flyering process led me to be more confident. There was something so powerful about identifying myself with the flyers. To me, it became both a public statement and an internal reminder that beliefs aren’t about approval.

Being pro-life isn’t a label I tack onto the bulletin board of my identity. My pro-life beliefs are so much more than that, and only the opportunities SFL has provided me with could have helped me rediscover this last semester.

Thanks helena and james and your parents, logan and eric, for all you are giving to this world.

"I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself." 

-Mother Teresa

the tipping point

A new semester is well underway for me here in Williamsburg. If you ever visit, you will get a great feeling of respect across campus for the historic town in which we are blessed to learn. The mere fact that freshmen and seniors alike covet classes in the Wren Chapel proves how we value this great tradition.

But, sadly, in this same holy place where Thomas Jefferson so famously studied, my peers feed media encouraged sex addictions, fuel their bodies with alcohol (irresponsibly) and sell their minds out to TV show after TV show. The overwhelming attitude held at W&M is that intelligence is revered when paired with a certain acceptance of moral relativity and immoral carelessness.

And therefore, I am glad that the closing of last semester is far in the past and the ending of this semester is a good look into the future. I will emotionally prepare myself this time around.

The last day of the semester, “blowout,” is an excuse to do many obnoxious things, the first of which is coming to class drunk. Imagine a 300-person room at maximum capacity in which the majority of people are drunk. This is what my microecon class looked like at 10 a.m. that Friday.

I sat down to listen to the last 50-minute lecture before our final, but I was incapable of focusing on the professor because of a boy two rows in front of me: a drunk 18-year-old college freshman staring at internet porn videos. Looking. Smiling. Pointing. Laughing.

Haha. LOL. Isn’t that funny?

Yeah, so funny I was tearing up. I have never felt such an urge to act out violently against another human than in that classroom. Ever. But, I didn’t do anything. And neither did anyone else. The entire class chose to ignore and laugh. Because, after all, this is the way college is.

I am far from believing that life should be taken seriously all day everyday, but I do believe there are serious choices we make in our lives. There are choices that can bring us to a better state of enlightenment and self-control. And, there are choices that, well, cause us to be stumbling drunk, looking at pornography in a public classroom in front of 300 peers.

I refuse to believe that we will be able to continue to ignore, laugh and turn our heads from such obvious violations of human morals. We will reach a tipping point.