Encomium

My weekly artist review is on Portland based band Encomium. This is a young band with some great talent. In 2006 they released “Expression of Praise”, an impressive 9-song disc which mixes rock riffs and worship lyrics.

One of the first things that grabbed my attention on this CD was the expert musicianship. This isn’t a sequenced garage band recording, but rather a major label quality offering. Many young bands have an album of songs that all sound the same stylistically. But this CD has a variety of sounds without becoming disjointed.

Led by Devy Jamin, the group has recently put out a new EP entitled “Like the Dawn”. The samples on their MySpace page promise more of the same quality and no-compromise lyrics found on their first effort.

Check these guys out at http://www.encomiummusic.com/

Keeping Up Appearances

I have been bit by the Facebook bug. Like MySpace and other social networking sites Facebook allows you to connect with friends (new and old) through the Internet. I have enjoyed reading the profiles of friends whom I've not seen in years and finding out what they are now up to.

But as I've read the profiles of people from around the world, I'm struck by the fact that nearly all of us are trying to impress the readers of our profiles. We put our best foot forward. We tell about our accomplishments. We "brag" about where we've been and what we've done.

This has caused me to wonder what it would be like if we became really vulnerable and showed our true colors. What would happen if I told about my struggles and failures as well as my victories?

I'm not saying that we should avoid celebrating the high points of life. But I would guess that if we presented the dark sides as well as the bright we would be able to connect with each other on a deeper level. If we shared our frustrations and defeats we would most likely be able to relate better with others.

At this point in my life I've been longing for deeper connections with those people around me. I want to connect with people who have experienced the same struggles as I so that I can learn from them and discover how they worked through those difficult times. I want to share with others so they can learn from my mistakes and not have to repeat the negative lessons.

So, here is to being vulnerable; here is to presenting the real me, warts and all. And I hope that as we interact, we will be able to grow stronger as individuals and as friends through the better understanding of our shared victories AND failures.

Q v Q II

A few months back I discussed my obsession with records in my GeoCaching quest. Since then Sam8994 and DarK JazZ have had many quality excursions. But today was a quantity day. 42 finds in 10 hours of hunting! Our new single day record. In fact, our new weekend record and a tie with the best week of caching.

Discovery

One thing about living in a place for too long is that you begin to take things for granted. At least I do. I’ve lived in one of the most beautiful parts of the world for nearly ¼ of a century. But after the first few years I stopped exploring; stopped discovering; stopped recognizing. But then along came a life change, a fresh perspective, a new reason to enjoy my surroundings.

When my then future wife moved from El Paso to Portland, she was in awe of the wonder that is Oregon. And her excitement rubbed off on me. Again, my eyes were opened to the beauty, the majesty, the surroundings that I had become numb to. And I've spent the last seven years rediscovering my home.

During the past couple of weeks we have been exploring several of the small cities around us. These are places that I have had a very distinct mental image of what they would be like, despite never having been there. But with a renewed interest in exploring and looking and enjoying, it is with great pleasure that I recommend you visit: LaCenter and Battle Ground, WA, Silverton and Mt. Angel, OR… just to name a few. Go for the beauty. Go for the food. Go for the discovery.