Danny ChaiI’m in the Meyer second floor computer cluster, using a Power Macintosh 7100/66.
So I found out Clara has something like this as well, but she updates it more often. At one point, in fact, she would update it daily. That’s a little much, but I have to compete, because as Dave Hong knows, I’m Danny Chai (wag the head).
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. I hate Valentine’s Day. Why don’t people just call it in celebration of sin? That and Halloween. What’s up with that? Anyway, the FiCS guys got together and made little Valentine’s packages for all the girls in FiCS. Dude, so we figure it will take about you know, an hour or two. But it turns out to be a 9 hour extravaganza. Nine hours!!!!!! Insane.
The best part of that long Saturday was the music though. Hosanna has this medley of Let Us Rejoice and Be Glad and Praise the Lord that is amazing. And because I’m a dork, I have to explain it. Okay, so they start the verse to Let Us Rejoice and Be Glad, then go to the chorus, then back to the verse, then chorus, then chorus again; but (this is great!) it’s acapella with only men. So one group sings a bass line, then one sings this tenor line, then one pops in going “Hallelujah He Reigns!” It’s great! So edifying! Then the chorus again. Then to Praise the Lord, the chorus, the verse, which is sung in cut time, then to the chorus again, but this time, after they sing the first Praise the Lord part, they modulate up half a key. Superb! Then they go back to the verse, then when they sing Praise the Lord again, half of them go back to the Hallelujah for the Lord… part again, then when they get to Almighty Reigns the first time, some go Praise the Lord… It’s awesome! Total edification.
Ok, so I hear that, and it’s the first time I’ve heard the recording. So I find out that we’ve been singing the song kind of wrong. And you know, that bothers me. So what do I do? Do I insist on singing it right, when everyone else is singing it the other way? Such an ethical dilemma.
This is my struggle. You know, I seek excellence in praise because I believe we should strive for excellence in serving God. Like in the Old Testament, the players are commanded to play and sing skillfully; the builders and craftsmen likewise. Like in making the tabernacle and ephods and all that stuff, they go totally all out, and God grants the head men (what’s his name again? Ohaliel or something like that) great skill, and they use all this awesome material, overlaying everything in gold and using the best wood, etc. I mean, it’s extravagant, and it probably could have been used for other practical purposes. But regarding the Lord, we must give and do our best. Especially when doing this doesn’t mean taking away from others. Like in praise, making it the best we can only means maybe a sacrifice of time; it’s not like we’re taking money or things away from people (although this is possible and is another dilemma of mine). But then the problem is, sometimes praise gets so complicated and intricate that the worshipful heart and attitude is lost. Or people get caught up in the music and not the one to whom that music is meant to be directed. It can even be a distraction, a stumbling block. I mean, praise should be a magnifying glass, right? It helps you to focus through it, not on it. But I guess that doesn’t always happen. That balance is so hard to find, you know? Anyway, that’s what I’ve been thinking.
You know, my drawmates are too cool for me. I was just reminded of that yesterday. You know, my strategy for the draw was this: I figure if I surround myself with cool people, people might regard me accordingly, not because I am, but because of the association, you know? Like they’ll refer to the good-looking draw group (which my draw group really is) and then they’ll remember, wait, Danny’s in that draw group… hmm… I guess that must mean he’s good looking. Cognitive Dissonance theory. Good stuff.
I hate Dave Hong.