Tag: playlist

Never Again Sighs the Dawn

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Monday morning here…hello friends!!  A quick few words.

Firstly…this is my 900th post here on livejournal.  I suppose that’s not too momentous and really only matters to me, but I wanted to make it known.  When will I get to 1000 I wonder…

Secondly…another book I need to log – even though I feel it’s cheating a bit since I really read most of it last year and then stopped reading it for about…9 months!?  Finally picked it up the other night and finished the last few chapters.

7. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.  Maryanne gave me this for Christmas of 2016 I believe, so quite a ways back now!  I do so love biographies even though I typically focus on Christian ones.  This was still quite good – got such a good glimpse into the historical details of the Revolutionary War period – and finding out more about Hamilton was indeed so fascinating!!  Of course this book has now become super popularized because of the musical(which YES is amazing if you haven’t heard it yet!!), but the book deserves praise on its own merit.  An extremely fun and easy read – I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes history and reading about interesting individuals.  (And no excuses for me taking over a year to actually read this)

Thirdly…last night I went to bed far later than I should have.  Two reasons for this.  I for some reason felt in the mood to throw together a playlist of a lot of my most recent songs I’ve acquired(via John or my random youtube listening)…and then I realized I actually had enough for another CD and so I put them on a playlist and had to listen through to see what stuck.  While I was doing that…I started my next book – a re-read of a series that will probably take a while but it is one of my very very favourites.  The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan.  I forgot how good this book is.  I got sucked into the world of Rand al’Thor and the village of Emond’s Field…and before I knew it, I had enjoyed listening to a fantastic playlist(CD of which now sits in my car!  It might be terrible though because it’s been vetted much less thoroughly than I usually do…) and read far too many chapters of EotW.  Ah well.  It was a pleasant Sunday night…I could have done far worse than had a night reading a good book while listening to lovely music…

Fourthly…I am consequently very sleepy today.  All hail peppermint mocha and much espresso therein!

Peace and love.

Liability

James HoganLeave a comment

So about to start this Wednesday(thankfully have a nice hot cup of coffee in front of me to aid and assist in this endeavour!)…just thought I’d share a few brief thoughts.

Firstly, was listening to my newest mix Tears of Nienna – which at some point, yes, I will post tracklist for – and as the CD wound down, I heard Taylor Swift’s “New Year’s Day”…a song laced with gorgeous piano, but apart from that, one line struck me: “Hold onto your memories, they will hold onto you.”  Apart from Taylor’s intended meaning for this, the line struck me because indeed, memories have such a strong hold on us at times.  The Lord knows I can surely fall into the nostalgia trap…I do so love thinking about dear memories and pondering the treasured past at times.  Do I do this too much?  Sometimes, yes.  It’s not a bad thing to think or recall the good things in your past – or indeed – remembering the deeds of the Lord in your life up to this point!  But – of course there was a but coming – we should be striving to live in the moment and press on to the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  We don’t want our memories to hold onto us.  All things in this life should be held loosely, even our memories of times most sweet.  Only one thing should we cling to – our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Secondly, this morning I read about Peter coming to preach to Cornelius and his household of heathens(i.e., Gentiles).  What a marvelous, momentous occasion was this.  For so long it was thought that salvation and the grace of God was limited to the Jews…now…God decreed and made manifestly known that the gift of eternal life was for all.  Peter was commanded to preach the gospel to these non-Jews(horror!) and he obeyed.  And God poured out His Holy Spirit upon them even as they heard the gospel of God.  The impact of this event can not be overstated.  Salvation and eternal blessings and ceaseless glory belong to all who believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  There is no barrier based on nation, race or creed.  How amazing is the love of God.  Amen?  Amen.

A slow Realisation

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Oh what a wonderfully cold morning!!  Now I sit nice and cosy at my desk, but previously walking outside feeling the brisk wind whip around me as I clung to my steaming peppermint mocha, feeding off the warmth therein…lovely.  I certainly am not complaining about this cold – long may it continue!  Also this morning I was listening to music as I drove in…probably my best mix, the tragic fall and most surprising Redemption of anakin skywalker.  I always forget what a beautiful mix of songs of it is…a perfect storm of beauty in music.  It is also almost certainly the best musical representation I’ve yet put together of a man’s(or woman’s!) journey from darkness to light, culminating in the joy that can only be found by knowing Jesus Christ.  It’s been a gorgeous morning and for that I thank my God.  Happy Friday, dear friends.

Fields and Flocks and Flurries of Fresh-Fallen Snow

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So it’s a nice(albeit far too warm) Tuesday morning and I’m rather hyped that this is my last work day of 2017! Tomorrow I fly off to Tampa in the early morning and then it shall be a nice long holiday with family. Shall be lovely. This morning I’m rather sleepy after enjoying the Rockets game last night with James(120-99 victory over Jazz – 14th W in row!) and while I (sorta) wish I could say tonight would be a night of rest, alas it is not to be. Going to local Heights Theater to see Julien Baker play a show – she’s a new artist that I discovered recently(one of her songs is the closing track on my latest mix CD – Tears of Nienna – for which I will attempt to post track list at some point)…then last week, was walking down 19th past the theater and I saw them advertising her show! It’s rare I get to see an artist I know in such a nice small venue…so I’m excited!! It does mean that I will yet again get no sleep tonight. Ah well. I’ll sleep on the plane tomorrow, I guess. Now – I suppose it’s time to start work soon. Going to heartily enjoy my peppermint mocha – saw Katie at Starbucks today and she gave me a free one…yay, Merry Christmas, Katie! I realize this entry is quite all over the place…but I’ll not attempt to edit. Thus is my early morning stream of consciousness. Have a most lovely day, one and all!!

A Little Bit of Sunshine

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And so another week comes to a beginning. It is a nice morning, complete with peppermint mocha(as is tradition for a Monday!) and I am quite possibly a little looking forward to the work week? Shocking. The weekend was busy(my only quiet night was Friday – thankfully I did make sure to keep that night free so I had a nice evening reading Lord of the Rings…) but though I am now tired from the weekend, it was filled with lovely times with friends so I cannot complain. Game night at Erica and Emily’s last night…lots of laughter and banter and it was beautiful. Got a nice chat with Earnie and Mandy on the way home…oh do I love those guys! This morning, took my sleepy self to Starbucks and got to chat(briefly!) with Katie and Kelli there – realized that I was not the only sleepy one since Katie had pulled an all nighter for school stuff – no sleep at all!! So I suppose that I should be thankful I at least got a few hours!!

Driving to work, was listening to one of my latest mixes…and got to enjoy hearing some classic Needtobreathe. Love their song “More Heart, Less Attack”. Music is indeed so powerful and yet again I was reminded of that as my soul rejoiced to that song – hearing the piano and then the harmonica kick in just brought a chill to the back of my neck and a thrill to my heart. Gorgeous music that reminds me of my longing for something that is beyond my grasp. That yearning for a greater call, a brighter star, a deeper love, that far country.

Now as you can probably tell, this entry is sleepy itself – apparently I haven’t had enough caffeine yet – and it is just about time to start work…so I shall get to it. Excited to see what the Lord has in store for me this day. Rest in the love of our God – all ye His saints.

K State

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Hello friends!! A Friday Morning Post(hopefully that’s not plagiarizing Dad’s blog) that I decided to quickly write. Sitting here at Starbucks. Greatly enjoying my “Best of Enfield” playlist on iTunes. I really need to listen to this one more often…so many lovely amazing, truly awesome hymns that lift up my soul to heights of wonder and praise. “There Is A Fountain”, “And Can It Be?”, “Crown Him With Many Crowns”, “Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken”…”Holy, Holy, Holy”…etc, etc. Simply lovely. Anyways, I shan’t write much else. My heart is full but fingers incapable of speech. I will continue to sip on my mocha americano and rest in the love of my God. Truly – sometimes it’s hard to trust in God and that He shall continue to guide my paths. But I need only look to the divine promises in His word for encouragement and comfort. My God shall always be with me. Forever and always. I trust Him and Him alone and rest in His awesome love.

Ragtime

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Saturday morning time here(well – technically afternoon, 12:03 at the moment!) and I’m at Starbucks with my mocha americano and my will to write is flagging. Alas. I have had a lovely morning…it is nice and cold outside – in the 40s! – and I did mean to go for a nice run in the early morning dark. My body decided it did not want that and I slept through my alarm…woken up by the sun instead. Guess I needed the extra sleep!! And truly I did – stayed up late last night watching the Astros game with Jared. And by Astros game – I mean World Series Game Three. Because yes – Astros are in the WS! They’re up 2-1 at the moment. Two more games. If they win, Houston will go crazy and it will be magnificent! They may only be my third baseball team(after Rays and O’s) but I’m still heartily rooting for them. Anyways! That was last night and of course it was much fun watching it with Jared. This morning after I finally dragged myself out of bed, went and had a great breakfast time with Earnie and Jake. Oh so encouraging. And now here I sit at Starbucks and it’s already after noon and I probably should go soon because I do need to do a little shopping, stop at the dry cleaners and then get home to do cleaning and chores.

So…can I write as much as I planned? I suppose not. But…I think I do have time to share my latest CD tracklist…composed a few months ago and it is utterly fantastic(even approved of by Laura and Caisson!). It’s story? Well – I had planned to make a more “melancholy-lite” playlist but I had also wanted to put some new Needtobreathe songs on. And it then morphed into what it is now – a playlist that starts gloomily enough but soon morphs into some good old-fashioned toe-tapping fun. Because it has a few songs that could be considered a bit more country/folk…it’s title is thus influenced. There are quite a few songs that have glorious harmonica! I also chose the title from one of my all-time favourite verses from one of my all-time favourite chapters from one of my all-time favourite books. As lovely as this earth may be, I do confess that I am a stranger and an exile in it. So do I present…A Country of Their Own:

1. Solitaire – Marina and the Diamonds
2. The Last Time(feat. Gary Lightbody) – Taylor Swift
3. All Too Well – Taylor Swift
4. Call You Home – Mangas Colorado
5. Black and Blue – Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
6. Funeral Beds – The Districts
7. Money & Fame – Needtobreathe
8. Unbelievers – Vampire Weekend
9. Happiness – Needtobreathe
10. Supercut – Lorde
11. Forget – Marina and the Diamonds
12. Born Again Teen – Lucius
13. Great Night(feat. Shovels & Rope) – Needtobreathe
14. Trustful Hands – The Dø
15. Postcard Memories – Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
16. Feet, Don’t Fail Me Now(Live) – Needtobreathe
17. Wasteland(Live) – Needtobreathe
18. More Heart, Less Attack(Live) – Needtobreathe

And I am now all caught up on posting my playlists. Finally!! I guess that means it’s time to craft a few more. One more note on the above – I do truly love it. It ranks up there with eyes closed, Heart Open as a list of songs that mirror my heart and thrill my soul…shadows the melancholy I sometimes feel…and echoes the joy that overflows my cup when I remember my true home. May all my “creative” endeavours always be thus.

Peace and love, dear friends.

tEcHnO

James HoganLeave a comment

A lunchtime update! Shocking!! But, I thought I might as well be random. Why not, right?

Firstly – I’m def enjoying my tuna fish sandwiches just now. I never knew sandwiches could taste so good…(plenty of Old Bay to assist with the awesomeness, of course). Secondly…past few work days I’ve been rocking out to assorted techno playlists on the youtube…surprisingly good work music, for some reason! Don’t be surprised if at some point soon I publish a new playlist with these influences. It’s coming. dance Vol 2. Of course – I need to figure out a catchier, more appropriate name. We shall see.

Now, gonna finish my lunch and then it’s time to drive over to Transocean for meeting times. Yay?

Peace.

Unexpected Meetings

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It is yet another Saturday, yet another playlist! (I promise, I’m almost caught up…only one more to go after this! …for now)

The below mix CD playlist is one that I’ve been pondering for some time. I really wanted to make a light and frothy dance mix but had the hardest time finding the proper tunes for it. I finally got (what I think) is a solid list…a mix of some fun pop tunes and then the whole middle section is non-vocal pure beat. Ended up being a bit more moody than I had expected but still – good stuff, or so I say. Great great car music!! It’s inspired me to make another one similar to it – currently crafting a playlist that will be “dance Vol 2” with much more techno. It will be rad. Just saying. But I’m getting ahead of myself – this one I made sometime this past summer…allow me to present…i Don’t Mind If You Don’t Dance, but Pardon me if I Do:

1. The Prologue – Halsey
2. Breathe – Telepopmusik
3. Holiday – Vampire Weekend
4. Blank Space – Taylor Swift
5. Sola in Citta(feat. Elin Melgarejo) – Thievery Corporation
6. Some Chords – deadmau5
7. Sofi Needs a Ladder – deadmau5
8. Tie In – Recondite
9. Who Loves the Sun(Original Mix) – Nu & Jo Ke
10. Solitary Daze – Maceo Plex & Gabriel Ananda
11. Levo(Club Edit) – Recondite
12. Sunset(Jamie xx Edit) – The XX
13. Green Light – Lorde
14. We Are Young(feat. Janelle Monae) – Fun.
15. I Can Feel Your Heartbeat(feat. Jordan Frye) – A New Normal

A Candle Carried Up the Steps

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I will yet catch up on my mix CDs…(as long as I don’t make more anytime soon)…so here is another one. This one is a bit of a different style for me yet again – I could call it my punk/rock mix, which it kinda is. I’ve for a while wanted to have a “Best of Greenday” CD…but I don’t quite have enough songs for a whole CD for that. So I decided to just make a whole punk CD. Why not, right? Consequently though – this isn’t the most “cheery” playlist. It’s a great soundtrack for driving furiously through Houston though!! And how do I explain it thematically…? Well, I could say it’s the cry of a heart that knows something is missing but knows not what. Or the rage of a girl who just thinks she has it all together…until she doesn’t. Or the tears of a boy who is breaking on the inside and no one knows and no one cares. Or I could let the title speak for itself. I cautiously (and somewhat guiltily) present…Lost and Not Yet Found:

1. Girlfriend – Avril Lavigne
2. The Best…Thing – Avril Lavigne
3. Sk8er Boi – Avril Lavigne
4. Complicated – Avril Lavigne
5. Hitchin’ A Ride – Greenday
6. She’s A Rebel – Greenday
7. Holiday – Greenday
8. Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Greenday
9. Jesus of Suburbia – Greenday
10. Homecoming – Greenday
11. Hello Again – Lost Prophets
12. Wake Up – Lost Prophets
13. Last Train Home – Lost Prophets
14. Last Summer – Lost Prophets
15. Embers and Envelopes – Mae
16. Christie Road – Greenday
17. Wake Me Up When September Ends – Greenday
18. Time of Your Life – Greenday

I did send this CD to Laura and Caisson and I don’t remember their thoughts on it. Must remedy that and see what they thought! Also, this playlist is an interesting one for me in how many of these songs nostalgically take me back to late high school and early college days…fascinating how music does that, mm? Last Summer and Time of Your Life in particular recall very specific and special memories from end of high school…some twelve years ago now! Ah how my God has blessed me and will continue to do so. To Him be all glory – always.