five names you might not know but should get used to hearing

1. sufjan stevens
2. ani difranco
3. denison wittmer
4. greg laswell
5. okkervil river

you gave your body to the lonely, they took your clothes

i was hit hard with a moment of conviction today. i am a terribly judgemental person. the funny thing is, this is the biggest thing i strive NOT to be. i have been surrounded with so much judgement from people in my past and i made a decision to not be like that.

but i am.

i was sitting here at work a few minutes ago, and in walks madge. in my time here at the bank, she hasn't always been my favorite person. i have made judgements about her character, and assumptions about who she is. and i have let that affect how i treat her. i have talked about her behind her back. i have been short or bitter towards her when she has been undeserving of it. today, she sat down next to me and used the phone to call her son. perhaps i shouldn't have been eavesdropping, but we were in a small room together. it was nearly impossible not to. but hearing her interaction with her son changed my heart. granted, i have been feeling more of an affinity for her lately, but today i've been shown the error of my ways.

the fact of the matter is i do this with a lot of people. almost everyone that i work with, and some of the people i'm friends with. i put people in a box, and assume they are going to live in it for me. thats not fair. and its not fair for me to judge someone's character based on my personal distaste for a particular situation, or because someone doesn't do things exactly like i do. each of us is different, and thank god because if everyone ran around acting, thinking, feeling just like me... well lets just not think about that.

so here's hoping that my thoughts and actions will change from here on out.


on a separate, unrelated note, i'm currently in love with sufjan stevens. let me just share this song with you...

I'd swim across Lake Michigan
I'd sell my shoes
I'd give my body to be back again
In the rest of the room
To be alone with you
To be alone with you
To be alone with you
To be alone with you

You gave your body to the lonely
They took your clothes
You gave up a wife and a family
You gave your ghost
To be alone with me
To be alone with me
To be alone with me
You went up on a tree

To be alone with me
You went up on a tree
I've never known a man who loved me


beautiful words about a beautiful man.

morning comes in paradise, morning comes in light

this new sun rises, and i have new eyes
i can see things clearly now

i can see your heart
quivering in vulnerability
wondering where to go from here
while you sip the wine
that isn't exactly an escape
but it makes you feel safe

i can see joy
that blurs the edges of life
and makes it difficult
to imagine an end
to hope

i can see a path before me
that i didn't see til now
and i fear its the one i should take
but how do you take
the first step in the right direction?

i can see love
freely given
but left unaccepted
and i feel the call
for more
to be more
to do more

i can see beauty
in the little things
and in each human
that has been hidden or lost or stolen
beauty that saves
that's beautiful

we've got the roots in music my rock

normally, i am accepting of the fact that i think a lot. generally, i do a lot of introspection. today it is unwelcome. i feel like if i embrace the directions my mind wants to go, i will end up feeling thoroughly in the dumps. and i don't want to feel that way.

but yeah. i feel concerned. for a friend. and potential decisions. that's all i'll say.

this last weekend was awesome. i got to celebrate my best friend's birthday!! we went camping, had some really good times, and then went to bumbershoot on monday. we only saw paramore and bedouin soundclash perform, but man, they were both so great, it was worth it. i have a renewed love for bedouin soundclash. good times. great friends.

love all around.