Les Misérables

Last night I took Amy to see Les Misérables. I had never seen it before and neither had she, so I was pretty excited. We had seats right in the front row of the balcony directly in the middle. It was sweet!

The first song started off good, except you could tell something wasn't quite right with the mics. It sounded like Jean Valjean's mic was rubbing against something. "Oh well," I thought, "I'm sure they'll fix it next time he goes offstage." But then his mic completely cut out, finally coming back on except now it had a tinny sound.

And then partway through the second song this loud throbbing noise started coming out the speakers. It was weird. I was surprised they were having such difficulties during such a big production. Then to my even greater surprise a voice came over the speakers,

"Ladies and Gentlemen," The voice caused Jean Valjean to stop singing mid-sentence, "We are experiencing some audio difficulties and will pause the production to correct the mistake."

How crazy is that?!? The actors walked off stage as the sound team worked feverishly to fix the problem. After about 10 mins everyone was getting restless. No one knew what was going on. You could tell some people were getting frustrated. They wouldn't let people leave their seats because the show could start up again at any minute.


we saw this guy sing at least...

Well, after I think about 25 mins, the Guest Services guy came out and told everyone the problem could not be fixed in time and the show would be cancelled. I still can't believe it. What a tough break! The guy behind us booed, which I think was completely immature, but thankfully many people clapped in support of the decision.


but we didn't get to see this part...

As a pastor of a church that has constant technical difficulties I could feel the pain of everyone in the production. What a letdown for them I'm sure. I hope they were not too discouraged by it. That's just life sometimes!


or this part...

Thankfully we have a chance to rebook tickets for a later show. I just hope we get good seats again...

Washington, DC

I might be going to the U.S. capital this summer! But I don't know anyone there...anyone know someone I can hang out with that lives there???

Finally!!!

Jay Leno is done with The Tonight Show!!!

I don't like Jay Leno. I think his humour is, well, umm, not humour? He's not funny. His sketches aren't funny (oh I actually like the talking photo booth...). I don't like listening to him interview guests. I don't like Jay Leno as a late night talk show host!


So I am glad that Conan is taking over The Tonight Show. I'm really excited to see what he does with the new show.


I am glad that Conan will be on earlier, however I kinda wish it wasn't on at the same time as David Letterman. Cause I love David Letterman! That guy is amazing!!! So it's going to be difficult juggling my love for Letterman and for Conan.


Oh well, Jay Leno is gone. Actually he's not. He just moved to a 10 o'clock time slot. Now that I think of it, I'm not really sure how I feel about this new deal.

Greater Is He

During the conference this weekend, the speaker at one point said "Greater is he who is in me, than he who is in the world!" That's a common Christian saying. It's from 1 John 4:4 -

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (KJV)

So according to this, the greater one is the one (God) that is in you (Dan), rather than the one (the Antichrist) that is in the world (the system that seeks desires apart from God). That's a pretty good saying. God is bigger than Satan/the Devil/the Antichrist/the Evil one. But, for me that's not really an impactful statement. It's pretty much common sense. If you believe in God and you believe in the Devil, obviously God is stronger than the Devil. I don't question that. Satan doesn't really scare me, because God is so much more powerful than him, there really is no comparison.

Now when I heard the speaker say this phrase it made me think of it in a different light. This isn't how it's quoted in the scriptures, but the spirit of it is deeply rooted in scripture.

I imagined it as if Jesus was saying to me, "Greater is he who is in me, than he who is in the world."

From this perspective Jesus is saying, "He (Dan) who is in me (Jesus) is in a better position than he (someone against Jesus) who is in the world (the system that seeks desires apart from God)." So rather than asking Jesus into your heart, I would rather ask Jesus if I can come into his heart. I want to live in Jesus, with other Christians, rather than look at it as though Jesus is in my heart.

And it reminds me that if I choose to live in the world, with the mentality of those who do not seek God, than I will not be experiencing full life or power.

John 15:4 - Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (NIV)

Oh hey, I guess Jesus was saying both. Live in me, dwell in me, remain in me, and I will live in you, dwell in you, and remain in you. Yeah, that's a good relationship I think.

Greater is he who is in me, than he who is in the world.

Online TV

I don't have cable, but I still get a few good channels over the antennae. But still, there aren't many shows on that I like to watch. And the ones I do like are on late (Letterman, Daily Show, Colbert Report, etc.). So when my buddy Phil told me the Comedy Network has an online video player, it changed my life!


The Comedy Network video player has a wide range of shows to watch, it's incredible!!! Now I can watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report whenever I want, rather than at midnight. I also heard about this show called Stella awhile ago, but never had a chance to see it. Now I can watch it online! Demetri Martin had his own show called Important Things and I get to watch it online!!!


Phil wants me to get into South Park, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. There's so much else to watch, it's overwhelming. I just recently discovered other networks have online video players as well. I can watch all the latest videos and classic ones as well on Much Music and MTV. And I've just recently discovered the Discover Channel. I just finished the second season of Canada's Worst Driver and now I'm on the first season of Canada's Worst Handyman. Love it!!!


However, the thing that confuses me is...how can these networks afford to put these shows on the internet for free? Most of the sites have no advertising, and if they do it's usually just one commercial repeated over and over. This concerns me, cause I want it to last. I want these video players to be around for awhile. But I fear it's only a temporary thing.

My theory is they will get people hooked on going to their sites to watch their shows and slowly they'll put more and more advertising on it, or they will start charging people to watch their shows. I don't know, I just don't understand how they can keep it free?!?

Here are my favorite video players:

The Comedy Network

The Discovery Channel

MuchMusic

MTV Canada

CTV

GlobalTV

Postpwned

this post is postponed because i am currently on a bus ride from hell back from edmonton...

Societal Expectations

I don't like encores at concerts. I think they're dumb. Why do they leave and wait for us to yell and then come back and play a song or two that they've obviously practiced and are ready to play? One time I was at a concert and they played like 5 songs in their encore??!? I know it started cause a band would leave and the people would want them to play more and the band appreciated their fans and would play another song or two, but now it's an expectation.

Back then a band didn't have to play an encore. You know what I saw once??? The band left and maybe 15% of the crowd was cheering for them to come back. No one cared. But still the band came back and played some more?!? Ridiculous. If I was in a band, I wouldn't come back unless they were going nuts in the crowd. But then we'd lose fans, and I'd be kicked out of the band, even though I started it, and I'm the lead singer/lead guitarist/lead hottie.

It's just like tipping. Why do we tip at restaurants? I think that's the dumbest thing in the world. I'll get into that another time.

What's Going On?

Well I'm in Edmonton right now with the youth group for YC: Alberta. This giant-mega Christian rock worship God concert invasion thingy is a big deal for our group. I'm dying of fatigue at the moment.

Here are some random things from the trip so far:

- This guy in Tim Hortons today walked around collecting all the newspapers. Then he went outside with them all and disappeared. Then he came back in with no newspapers and sat down to eat his food. I was considering reading one of those papers...

- Some of the youth bought me a new shirt. It's pretty incredible!

- I bought 33 YC tickets for our youth and 35 tickets for no good reason. I managed to sell 34 of those tickets!!!! However, two of the tickets for our youth didn't get filled unfortunately, leaving me with 3 empty seats.

- My eyes are really mad at me for wearing contacts too long.

- I fell asleep multiple times during the main speaker tonight.

- David Crowder once again absolutely moved me!

- At the food court there is a China Court and a China Wok. I asked Amanda which one I should eat from. She said China Wok. I ate it. It was probably the worst chinese food I've ever had.

- Tonight I made a major discovery...not only did I find my missing gamecube memory card, but I also found my missing ipod headphones!!!!!!!!! They were in a little pocket in my bag.

- My computer can charge my phone. Except today it said "charge complete". So I unplugged it. Not ten minutes later did it start beeping from low battery. This is the second time it has lied to me about the charge being complete!

- A random lady bought two tickets off me and then drove me to West Edmonton Mall. That was a fairly awkward 15 min. drive...

Blockbuster!!?!

When Blockbuster first introduced their "No Late Fees" campaign, I was skeptical. How could they afford to lose late fees??? Not only would they lose money from people not returning their movies on time, they would also lose a lot of money from the late fees themselves. It just didn't seem feasible to me.

And then I discovered they had a restocking fee if you didn't return the movie within a week past the due date, and they would charge you the full price for the movie if you just kept it. I guess I can see them making some money there, but still, seemed like more of a hassle for everyone.


So I wasn't too surprised to discover just recently that Blockbuster has brought back their late fees. And I would just like to say, I hate them for doing it! I had become so used to not feeling the pressure of returning a movie, that now I completely forget when it's due. Any day now I'm going to get busted for a late fee, all because they made me accustomed to not caring when I return it!


I just discovered that a local video store in Ladner accepts Blockbuster coupons. I've been disappointed with the Blockbuster selection lately, so I think it's time for me to switch over!


On another note, at the Ladner Blockbuster they have a movie called "Blockbuster" starring my buddy Josh Hughes!! You should really check it out sometime in the Drama section...

Concert Cravings

I used to go to concerts quite a bit when I was in my 18-22 stage, but it's dwindled down since then. I loved moshing so much! Actually, I still do, but usually I'm twice the age of everyone in the mosh pit. So, I kinda find concerts boring if you can't mosh.

That is, until I discovered that I can dance at concerts!!! Well, it's not really dancing, it's just kinda me swaying around like a tree in the wind. Anyway, I love doing it, but there's not many bands that I love to dance to. I'm going to see Snow Patrol and Coldplay in June. I'm pretty excited about the chance to dance there!

Although, there are some bands that I either have not seen in concert, or that I'd love to see again. These are those bands:


Dashboard Confessional

Probably my favorite band and I haven't seen them once!!!! This is a travesty my friends! Someone get me to their concert NOW!!!


Emery

Also, I cannot believe I have not seen these guys in concert. It must happen soon!


Mates of State

Yeah, I know I just saw them a month ago, but they are amazing...


Stars

Mmmmm, I love their music...but have yet to see them live.


Tokyo Police Club

Just got their CD "Elephant Shell" and I can see myself going nuts at their show.


Death Cab for Cutie

Again, how have I never seen them in concert either?!?!


Sigur Rós

I will kill someone if I don't get tickets next time they're in Vancouver. There are only a few CD's that I find powerful. Sigur Rós in concert will undoubtedly move me.


Pedro the Lion

Ok, so Pedro doesn't exist anymore, but they were so good live!!!!!!! I cannot wait for David Bazan to tour with a band again. He's pretty good solo, but it's nothing compared to his music with a full band.

Mutual Friends 3rd Update

7th Place (tie)


Shane Tarnow - 76 mutual friends


Jordie Roste - 76 mutual friends

5th Place


Andrew Learmonth - 77 mutual friends

4th Place


Matt Castle - 78 mutual friends

2nd Place (tie)


Jaclyn Sweeney - 83 mutual friends


Megan Hazelton - 83 mutual friends

1st Place


Tyson Kliem - 120 mutual friends

Oh yeah...

I'm blogging again.

My commitment until August 31, 2009:

I will post every Wed, Fri, and Sun plus one mystery day each week!

Thank you,
Dr. Coopernicus Who

Star Trek

I saw the new Star Trek movie yesterday. I liked it!!!

This changes everything for Star Trek films. You see, there's this rule:

Every even numbered Star Trek movie is good and every odd numbered one is not so good.


Star Trek: The Motion Picture = Long and boring at parts


Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan = Sweet!


Star Trek III: The Search for Spock = Meh...


Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home = A fun time had by all!


Star Trek V: The Final Frontier = Absolutely Abysmal


Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country = Thrilling!!


Star Trek: Generations = Mediocre


Star Trek: First Contact = Action packed!


Star Trek: Insurrection = Lame (actually I loved it, but most people didn't)

And this is where everything changed


Star Trek: Nemesis

The Tenth movie. There was a lot of hype, especially because it was an even numbered Star Trek film. But it SUCKED!!!! It was so awful. Not only do they destroy the Enterprise again, but they also stole the ending from The Fellowship of the Ring where the bad guy gets speared and he pulls himself up the spear to give one final scream or something.


So now, the Eleventh Star Trek film is here, and it is amazing!

The characters were so good. Bones was my favorite. Loved Kirk and Spock. Not sure what was going on with Uhura. Thought Scotty was a little ridiculous. Liked Chekov. Sulu was okay. Nero was pretty much a lame villain, oh well. I'm really looking forward to seeing where they go with this series next!

One more thing:
I've been going to matinees for a really long time. Most of the time it's me and 3 other people in the theatre. This is the first time I've ever walked into a midweek matinee and saw at least 50 people! What the heck?!?

Mutual Friends 2nd Update

I think some foul play is at work...

7th Place (tie)


Shane Tarnow - 76 mutual friends


Jordie Roste - 76 mutual friends

5th Place (tie)


Andrew Learmonth - 77 mutual friends


Matt Castle - 77 mutual friends

3rd Place


Jaclyn Sweeney - 78 mutual friends

2nd Place


Megan Hazelton - 81 mutual friends

1st Place


Tyson Kliem - 118 mutual friends

A Little Fun

K, I'm going to write the rest of this post in code, and you have to try and solve it. Three parts, not connected, see if you can solve the mystery!

The amount of tools, furniture, parts and equipment we have
i think that icarly should be on more.
:D So some of the big questions are

Will your heart still race for me?
I Could
Even if the words are probably gonna hurt
But
I recall the push more than the fall
Won't
It gains the more it gives

Will man amount again?
For within inches aggression stops more.
Who sells plans clearly offended for profit?
Stop chase with psalms.