Dodgeball: a lesson in humility

Last night was the first time in a long time that I have felt humiliation. It felt like a flashback to elementary school, getting picked on in gym class. And what do I have to thank for the honour of such nostalgia? None other than Dodgeball. (Surprise!)

Okay, it’s a goofball sport, not to be taken seriously (though many people still do, it seems). With a gang of friends, we had previously played 2 seasons with a local recreational organization. It’s a new “sport” in this city, so it didn’t get much attention other than a dozen fun-loving teams coming out to have a good time, some laughs and get a little exercise. We finally got to play that game which, in elementary school, the bullies dominated and made unfun. Hell, our team was actually good, and we went nearly undefeated both seasons.

When this third season came around, we thought nothing was changing. Little did we know that with the passing of summer, the organizers recruited new teams from their baseball league. So all season we were up against a bunch of steroid-infused apes that made me wish I was merely playing against those primary-school bullies. And as fate had it, we were pitted against the league champions for our last game. Needless to say we got creamed. It didn’t help that I was already tired and wanting to go to bed before we started, but we didn’t win a single match and I managed to get hit ‘accidentally’ in the balls, once, and THREE times in the face (including once in my eye at point-blank by my own team-mate. Don’t ask.) so I left a not-so-happy camper, and feeling quite humble.

I guess we were just getting a taste of our own medicine for what we had enjoyed the past two seasons, so I should stop whining. But I needed to vent, so thanks for reading through this ...

Sufjan Stevens

The older I get, the harder it seems to find good music. Yes, there's a ton of stuff out there that's catchy, gets stuck in my head or is fun to dance to at the club. But it's so rare to find new songs, let alone artists, that pull you in and grab you emotionally. U2, Radiohead and Tool have all done this for me, repeatedly, and I am a devoted fanatic as anyone who knows me is aware. Why does it seem such a rarity to find such emotive music? Perhaps, I'm "getting old". Perhaps, I don't listen to enough of the new music out there.

Every now and then, an artist grabs me for a while and I obsess with them. In the last year it was Keane, Death Cab for Cutie, Bloc Party and Snow Patrol. I've played them to death now. Last night, though, I found a new artist to obsess over for a while: Sufjan Stevens.

Though I've listened to him for a while (thanks to Jocelyn!), none of his beautiful recordings compare with the live performamce we saw at St. Andrew Wesley's church. I had no idea that he would be bringing 13 band members in tow, including a string and brass section. The experience was amazing, and there were moments in some songs that ran chills down my spine. Though I am not a particularly religious fellow, this was pretty close to heavenly. I went into that show tired, weary, wanting to go to bed, and left feeling uplifted and happy. High.

So I'm going to insert a little plug here. If it's been a while since you've found an artist you are truly passionate about, check out his MySpace (click his name above) to get a taste of what his music is like.

And if you've got any music you want to recommend to me, I'm all ears! ...

Congratulations, Nev and Jen!

And 'Hello!' to little baby Cooper, born Sept 29: