Left To Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza (Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust)
This was a fairly quick read, and very inspiring, once you get past the sheer terror and horror of the happenings. This story has been told in other ways (Hotel Rwanda, Shake Hands with the Devil, etc.), but never in such a faith-affirming way. Imaculee was a college student when the holocaust-level killing went into effect in Rwanda, and her story is harrowing and horrifying, although her suffering was mostly due to extreme discomfort in her hiding spot, and having to witness seemingly countless killings. In many ways it reminded me of the ending of the Book of Mormon, and it made me think of how the Book of Mormon was edited to be relevant to our time. The most compelling aspect of the book was that it documented how a person can go through such horrible events and come out with love in her heart. It is a testimony of the power of the Lord to help us forgive and thereby become free. My one negative comment about the book is that the Tutsis and Hutus relations are portrayed without substantial context. Reading her account you almost come away with the idea that the Tutsis were not involved in substantial violence, which is not the case. A simple consultation of the wikipedia entry for Rwanda will fill you in on some of the history. There is definitely enough blame to go around on all tribal (and colonial power) sides.
Maxwell Institute - http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/
There are some great articles here highlighting excellent Book of Mormon scholarship. A few of my favorite articles so far are:
DNA and the Book of Mormon: A Phylogenetic Perspective by Michael F. Whiting
http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=12&num=1&id=311&cat_id=488
This is probably the most complete article I have read on the limits of DNA testing in assessing Book of Mormon claims. Highly recommended.
Nephi's "Great and Abominable Church" by Stephen E. Robinson
http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=7&num=1&id=168
This does a great job explaining how "great and abominable" can refer to one specific church among many others that are not "great and abominable" at one point in scripture, and the apparent contradiction that comes in 1 Nephi 14:10, in which we are told that the devil's church consists of all those organizations not associated with the Church of Jesus Christ: "Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil." It is especially relevant to us out here where about 35% of our ward are former members of the Catholic church. He makes it clear why the term cannot be applied with any accuracy to the Catholic church as we recognize it, and yet how many churches and organizations could have the term applied to them in a different context.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Long time, no write
I missed the whole month of September...my apologies. I can only plead chronic busy-ness. With our Criminal Justice program director on sabbatical this semester, I am running the criminal justice program as well as the sociology department and that has stretched me to the limit, I'm afraid. I had to cancel a conference in November in St. Louis (with apologies to my friend Theron - yes, that is not a typo - who lives there). We have been internet friends for over 10 years and have never met, and we were hoping to change that, but alas, my rapidly fleeing sanity will not allow that. Maybe he can come for Thanksgiving?
Well, on the Cameron front: he finally went up to Grandma and Grandpa Lawson's place and came back with his car. He is pretty excited. Of course he'll still have to put gas in it, so he may not be driving that much. His classes are pretty rough this semester, so he is doing a lot of homework, and not enjoying the student life quite as much as he had hoped. There is always next semester, son. Or summer. Or...wait, we are supposed to enjoy the moment, so I guess we should all try to focus on the good and worthy aspects of where we are.
We had a great stake conference last week. One family tip that I enjoyed was, "The secret to changing your kids is that you can't change your kids. You can change yourself, you can change elements of the environment you share, but then you have to let them take the opportunities to change themselves. The best you can do is to provide change opportunities." I may have done the quote a little damage, but you get the idea. Jamie and I are in a Sunday School class about families, and we have decided to focus our family home evenings this month on teaching the kids how to teach. We are using the "Preach My Gospel" book - I think it starts around p. 175, but I don't have it in front of me so I'm not sure. "Lesson one" seemed to go well. We discussed the importance filling your mind with the words of life, and of asking commitments of the people you teach. Then we committed ourselves to a half hour of private spiritual study a day, so that our hearts can be filled with the words of Christ. I have high hopes for us. We'll see how that goes. Maybe writing it here will keep it in my mind. More later...
Well, on the Cameron front: he finally went up to Grandma and Grandpa Lawson's place and came back with his car. He is pretty excited. Of course he'll still have to put gas in it, so he may not be driving that much. His classes are pretty rough this semester, so he is doing a lot of homework, and not enjoying the student life quite as much as he had hoped. There is always next semester, son. Or summer. Or...wait, we are supposed to enjoy the moment, so I guess we should all try to focus on the good and worthy aspects of where we are.
We had a great stake conference last week. One family tip that I enjoyed was, "The secret to changing your kids is that you can't change your kids. You can change yourself, you can change elements of the environment you share, but then you have to let them take the opportunities to change themselves. The best you can do is to provide change opportunities." I may have done the quote a little damage, but you get the idea. Jamie and I are in a Sunday School class about families, and we have decided to focus our family home evenings this month on teaching the kids how to teach. We are using the "Preach My Gospel" book - I think it starts around p. 175, but I don't have it in front of me so I'm not sure. "Lesson one" seemed to go well. We discussed the importance filling your mind with the words of life, and of asking commitments of the people you teach. Then we committed ourselves to a half hour of private spiritual study a day, so that our hearts can be filled with the words of Christ. I have high hopes for us. We'll see how that goes. Maybe writing it here will keep it in my mind. More later...
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Jay Saves the Day! (and summer stuff)
Update on our family status - I am temporarily a single parent while Jamie runs around the country having fun. Okay, not quite. Cam's car broke down in Laramie, Wy., and things were a little stressful for our weary sojourners. A bishop in the area helped them get situated, but the biggest hero in the tale is Jay (Jamie's dad), who borrowed a trailer from a friend and drove from Idaho to save the day. This was at no small cost, because his back gives him trouble, but he was willing and so they made it the rest of the way out west.
Michelle is back in school (and hating it), and Brandon is still working at Western Enterprises in the warehouse. It is boring work, but fairly decent money. He plans on working a bit longer and then submitting his mission papers. One benefit of his work there is the time we get traveling together. We have had some great conversations.
Pictures: Michelle thought she was clever buying her "toy-letry". The boys have "assumed the position". In the evening after work, when we weren't doing something else, the guys would huddle around the shrine to all things virtual and comment on strategy and give advice. I don't think they got into a disagreement all summer, unless you count the informal competition to see who could push Michelle over the edge with that last sarcastic comment. Michelle was glad to have them back, and she won't mind seeing them go. If you want to see the results of teasing Michelle, you can check out the last picture. In this one though, I think it was me with a comment about the cats that set her off. It is a tough life living with the guys, but Michelle holds her own most of the time.
Michelle is back in school (and hating it), and Brandon is still working at Western Enterprises in the warehouse. It is boring work, but fairly decent money. He plans on working a bit longer and then submitting his mission papers. One benefit of his work there is the time we get traveling together. We have had some great conversations.
Pictures: Michelle thought she was clever buying her "toy-letry". The boys have "assumed the position". In the evening after work, when we weren't doing something else, the guys would huddle around the shrine to all things virtual and comment on strategy and give advice. I don't think they got into a disagreement all summer, unless you count the informal competition to see who could push Michelle over the edge with that last sarcastic comment. Michelle was glad to have them back, and she won't mind seeing them go. If you want to see the results of teasing Michelle, you can check out the last picture. In this one though, I think it was me with a comment about the cats that set her off. It is a tough life living with the guys, but Michelle holds her own most of the time.
Music - You HAVE to listen to or see John Mayer's Where the Light Is. The DVD is amazing! He plays an acoustic set, a blues/rock "power trio" set (just for Jamie!), and then does his hits and other assorted miracles with his band. If you don't have any John Mayer, this is a great collection of his songs, and all the tracks are very good. I can't believe he did it all in one night. That much talent is almost sickening. Almost.
Here is a link to my favorite acoustic clip from the DVD:
It is called In Your Atmosphere. I have learned the first part, but I'm still working on the middle.
Book recommendation - Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert. It is a clever and engaging book that explores the basic assumptions we make about how we think. We are often wrong, and I found him quite enlightening and amusing. Here is the preface from his website:
And praise from other clever authors:
"Stumbling on Happiness is an absolutely fantastic book that will shatter your most deeply held convictions about how your own mind works. Ceaselessly entertaining, Gilbert is the perfect guide to some of the most interesting psychological research ever performed. Think you know what makes you happy? You won't know for sure until you have read this book."
—Steven D. Levitt, author of Freakonomics
"This is a psychological detective story about one of the great mysteries of our lives. If you have even the slightest curiosity about the human condition, you ought to read it. Trust me."
—Malcolm Gladwell, Amazon.com
More coming soon...
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Breaking Dawn, etc.
Well, dear readers, there were several book stores having Stephenie Meyer parties last night, and while I didn't intend to stay at one until midnight to obtain the next installment of our favorite vampire chronicles (or the "sparkly, twinkly, beautiful vampires" - as Brandon refers to them - he read the first book and thought it was okay, but is now able to mock and lampoon the series with greater accuracy as well). Anyway, the local stores couldn't guarantee they would have enough to sell one on Saturday morning, so we went up to Borders around 10:00 (Jamie, Michelle and I) to get an arm band so that Michelle could have some priority. Well, to make a long story short, by the time we got the arm band, and hung out for a few minutes it was 10:30, and we figured...in for a penny in for a pound, why not just stay? And we could save gas. :)
Well, it was quite an experience. There were about 200 "Twilighters" there, and they had crafts, trivia games, modeling (people dressed like the characters), and a Jacob/Edward debate - the other two parts of Bella's love triangle for those of you uninitiated. It was a little strange. I would guess the average age of the fans was about 15 or 16, but it was hard to tell since some younger fans probably needed drivers. There were also a handful of males, although literally that. One guy had on a funny shirt. It said, "I'm not gay. I only twinkle because I'm a vampire." It was a big hit with the crowd. The other funny thing that happened was that early in the evening (in relative terms) Michelle was a little uncomfortable with the idea of wearing the bracelet and figuring out where she should be standing in line, so she said that one of us should. I told her yeah, right. As if I should stand in line as a 47 year old guy with all the teeny boppers. Parental doting behaviors do have limits. It would be pretty funny though. She calmed down when she saw how it was done and was fine eventually. Today she is tired, but has her "baby", so she is happy.
One other thing I will write about Michelle before I get off: the other day we were in the car and I had changed the radio station at her request (after a short delay to remember who the artist was - Iron Butterfly - I know you were dying to know what band would stump me for a minute), and I put out my hand for my usual request. "Give me five if you love me, 25 million if you don't." This of course forces her to give me five, reaffirming her undying love for her father. When she is in a mood though, as she was at the time, she repeatedly gives five and begins to count..."five, ten, fifteen, twenty...". She rarely gets past 25 though without cracking a smile and giving up.
I hope you all have a good weekend. We have been busy here, but 1) Brandon has found meaningful work at a pump and valve warehouse, 2) my big reports are almost done, and 3) we are making end of summer plans. More info upcoming, but it looks like Jamie will be driving out to Utah with Cam, and then flying back. More later...I haven't forgotten that I still owe stories to you. Oh, and I have been amazed at the Facebook explosion among family and friends in the last two months. See you all somewhere...
Well, it was quite an experience. There were about 200 "Twilighters" there, and they had crafts, trivia games, modeling (people dressed like the characters), and a Jacob/Edward debate - the other two parts of Bella's love triangle for those of you uninitiated. It was a little strange. I would guess the average age of the fans was about 15 or 16, but it was hard to tell since some younger fans probably needed drivers. There were also a handful of males, although literally that. One guy had on a funny shirt. It said, "I'm not gay. I only twinkle because I'm a vampire." It was a big hit with the crowd. The other funny thing that happened was that early in the evening (in relative terms) Michelle was a little uncomfortable with the idea of wearing the bracelet and figuring out where she should be standing in line, so she said that one of us should. I told her yeah, right. As if I should stand in line as a 47 year old guy with all the teeny boppers. Parental doting behaviors do have limits. It would be pretty funny though. She calmed down when she saw how it was done and was fine eventually. Today she is tired, but has her "baby", so she is happy.
One other thing I will write about Michelle before I get off: the other day we were in the car and I had changed the radio station at her request (after a short delay to remember who the artist was - Iron Butterfly - I know you were dying to know what band would stump me for a minute), and I put out my hand for my usual request. "Give me five if you love me, 25 million if you don't." This of course forces her to give me five, reaffirming her undying love for her father. When she is in a mood though, as she was at the time, she repeatedly gives five and begins to count..."five, ten, fifteen, twenty...". She rarely gets past 25 though without cracking a smile and giving up.
I hope you all have a good weekend. We have been busy here, but 1) Brandon has found meaningful work at a pump and valve warehouse, 2) my big reports are almost done, and 3) we are making end of summer plans. More info upcoming, but it looks like Jamie will be driving out to Utah with Cam, and then flying back. More later...I haven't forgotten that I still owe stories to you. Oh, and I have been amazed at the Facebook explosion among family and friends in the last two months. See you all somewhere...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
New York highlights (part 1) and music comments
Some favorite NYC moments:
Talking to a homeless guy everyday outside my hotel - he was pretty cool. I talked to a few homeless people, and a lot of natives in Central Park. I explored almost every square foot of that - there was little else to do on Sunday.
Visiting Ellis Island - I was not expecting to be moved, or that it would be so interesting, but it has some great displays, and I learned a lot about historical immigration patterns while I having fun there.
Within two hours of arriving I went to look for the temple - which doubles as a church meeting house - and on my way there I was taking in the sights which were interesting. It is the neighborhood where "You've Got Mail" was filmed, so it is a nice area, but the people are still...colorful. Anyway, as I was walking along about a quarter mile from the temple, I saw a young woman who looked very wholesome and I thought, "Well, I suppose there are all types everywhere". She came up to the same stoplight I was at dragging her rolling luggage behind her. Then she turned to me and asked if I knew where the Mormon temple was. She was from Utah, and I was the first person she talked to after arriving. What are the odds of that?
I hopped off the bus tour down at the southern end of the city and walked most of the way back to the upper west side, which was a lot to explore, but I enjoyed it very much. I finally got tired after several miles and took the subway (very easy to navigate with) to Times Square, because I had not seen it at night and I wanted to see the huge displays. Upon arriving I noticed that the police were setting up barriers and weren't saying what they were for, so I decided to hang around to wait and see. I talked to a couple of teachers from the mid-west and told them my little miracle of finding my glasses (another time, dear readers), and we had a nice testimony as well as a discussion of the city. I helped them plan out the rest of their trip because I knew where everything was by then. Anyway, pretty soon a band started to set up on the platform above the entrance to the Hard Rock Cafe, and it turns out it was Ozzy Osbourne. I could of thrown a rock and hit him - "missed opportunity" some of you are probably thinking. Anyway, I listened until they played Crazy Train and a few other songs and left.
I also loved Grand Central Station - I have a poster in my office and it was as cool as the poster, and had a great atmosphere. By the way, if you want to see a good prank done there, here is a cool site for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwMj3PJDxuo
It is the same link that is on my Facebook site if any of you ever go there. I'll tell the rest of the NYC story later.
Music:
Lately I have been really into Neal Morse. He is a progressive rocker (along the lines of Kansas, Yes, and early Genesis) who was the lead singer/songwriter and multi-instrumental genius behind the band Spock's Beard. Anyway, he left the band a few years ago to do Christian music, and some of it is quite amazing, although a lot of it is still progressive rock. My favorite disc is called simply "?", and it is a theme album about the tabernacle in the wilderness, of all things. It is quite amazing.
This first link is actually a live performance of a Spock's Beard song called June, which I think is amazing. If you don't like live music, there is a video accompanied by the studio version right beside it at the linked site:
http://www.last.fm/music/Spock%27s+Beard/+videos/+1-P9NLFpzh9d4
This last one is my favorite - although it is not progressive, like most of the rest of the "One" album that it comes from. It is called Cradle to the Grave. It is a song written with a verse for man and a verse for God, then their two parts mesh together. You can find it here. There are a few other songs as well, although some of you might be shocked by the distorted opening of Solid as the Sun.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=285998991
You can see the lyrics here if you want.
http://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/Neal-Morse/Cradle-To-The-Grave.html
That's all for now kids, other than to note that we are still having a good time with all the runts, at least when the boys are not making our lives miserable by tormenting Michelle. For her part, she gives us all a trial when her emotions heat up, but overall we are having a great time with our fun children this summer.
Talking to a homeless guy everyday outside my hotel - he was pretty cool. I talked to a few homeless people, and a lot of natives in Central Park. I explored almost every square foot of that - there was little else to do on Sunday.
Visiting Ellis Island - I was not expecting to be moved, or that it would be so interesting, but it has some great displays, and I learned a lot about historical immigration patterns while I having fun there.
Within two hours of arriving I went to look for the temple - which doubles as a church meeting house - and on my way there I was taking in the sights which were interesting. It is the neighborhood where "You've Got Mail" was filmed, so it is a nice area, but the people are still...colorful. Anyway, as I was walking along about a quarter mile from the temple, I saw a young woman who looked very wholesome and I thought, "Well, I suppose there are all types everywhere". She came up to the same stoplight I was at dragging her rolling luggage behind her. Then she turned to me and asked if I knew where the Mormon temple was. She was from Utah, and I was the first person she talked to after arriving. What are the odds of that?
I hopped off the bus tour down at the southern end of the city and walked most of the way back to the upper west side, which was a lot to explore, but I enjoyed it very much. I finally got tired after several miles and took the subway (very easy to navigate with) to Times Square, because I had not seen it at night and I wanted to see the huge displays. Upon arriving I noticed that the police were setting up barriers and weren't saying what they were for, so I decided to hang around to wait and see. I talked to a couple of teachers from the mid-west and told them my little miracle of finding my glasses (another time, dear readers), and we had a nice testimony as well as a discussion of the city. I helped them plan out the rest of their trip because I knew where everything was by then. Anyway, pretty soon a band started to set up on the platform above the entrance to the Hard Rock Cafe, and it turns out it was Ozzy Osbourne. I could of thrown a rock and hit him - "missed opportunity" some of you are probably thinking. Anyway, I listened until they played Crazy Train and a few other songs and left.
I also loved Grand Central Station - I have a poster in my office and it was as cool as the poster, and had a great atmosphere. By the way, if you want to see a good prank done there, here is a cool site for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwMj3PJDxuo
It is the same link that is on my Facebook site if any of you ever go there. I'll tell the rest of the NYC story later.
Music:
Lately I have been really into Neal Morse. He is a progressive rocker (along the lines of Kansas, Yes, and early Genesis) who was the lead singer/songwriter and multi-instrumental genius behind the band Spock's Beard. Anyway, he left the band a few years ago to do Christian music, and some of it is quite amazing, although a lot of it is still progressive rock. My favorite disc is called simply "?", and it is a theme album about the tabernacle in the wilderness, of all things. It is quite amazing.
This first link is actually a live performance of a Spock's Beard song called June, which I think is amazing. If you don't like live music, there is a video accompanied by the studio version right beside it at the linked site:
http://www.last.fm/music/Spock%27s+Beard/+videos/+1-P9NLFpzh9d4
This last one is my favorite - although it is not progressive, like most of the rest of the "One" album that it comes from. It is called Cradle to the Grave. It is a song written with a verse for man and a verse for God, then their two parts mesh together. You can find it here. There are a few other songs as well, although some of you might be shocked by the distorted opening of Solid as the Sun.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=285998991
You can see the lyrics here if you want.
http://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/Neal-Morse/Cradle-To-The-Grave.html
That's all for now kids, other than to note that we are still having a good time with all the runts, at least when the boys are not making our lives miserable by tormenting Michelle. For her part, she gives us all a trial when her emotions heat up, but overall we are having a great time with our fun children this summer.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Music and Movies Part I, etc.
Hello Everyone. We are having a good if busy summer. I thought I would take a minute to comment on a movie or two and some music you might like. Before I get to that though, I have to tell you about some silliness. Last night at scripture study, we were reviewing the teaching of searching for the one lost sheep and leaving the 99. As part of the teachings about that, I mentioned that the scribes/pharisees and priests sometimes thought they were above repentance, and asked if anyone was actually above that. All three of our children raised their hands at the same time. So much for the lesson. I was hoping that at least Michelle was just asking a question, but no, she was also claiming the state of perfection. Sigh. My kids...we did laugh pretty hard about all of them doing it at the same time though. : )
Movies: We recently went to see Prince Caspian (Narnia 2.0) as a family, and it got mixed reviews. I thought it was alright, but a little light on plot. Cameron (who has read the book about 10 times) hated it because it was too far off the mark. The rest of the family liked it reasonably well. Cameron and I preferred Martian Child, because of just the right amount of wacky weirdness (like John and Joan Cusack are perfect for), and very heart-warming moments. It was flawed by one or two formulaic elements you could see coming a mile away, but it was a good film, and I liked some moments A LOT. In case you don't know about it, it has to do with widower writer trying to get his life together and how he looks into adopting a little boy (who has a few problems, one of which is that he thinks he is from Mars). At the risk of sharing a lot of the charming parts of the film and thereby diminishing the impact of it, here is the link to the trailer. If you get interested enough to see it, you might stop watching to keep some great fresh moments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo--9mYFpVM
Music: I got a great steal at our local music store, and am listening to The Thorns right now. They are sort of a supergroup made up of Matthew Sweet (100% Fun - my favorite disc of his), Shawn Mullins (Soul's Core and Beneath the Velvet Sun), and the sort of folky Pete Droge (http://www.myspace.com/petedroge). The one I have has the original disc (which has electric and acoustic songs), as well as an acoustic only session with them doing all their songs with just an acoustic guitar or two, a bass, and occasional drums. It is great. If you want to hear their music, you can find it at: http://www.myspace.com/thethornsmusic
My favorite song on their player at that site is "No Blue Sky". They are little like Crosby, Stills and Nash.
Another band that resurfaced at the Quist house is an old favorite "Toad the Wet Sprocket". They are my favorite 90s band, and Brandon has just found them, causing a bit of a resurgence. They were pool fodder at our pool exercise/fun time this morning. In Light Syrup is an odd collection of their weird stuff that never made it on a regular album, but it may be their best album. The song "Good Intentions" on this page is from that album.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=69945434
The song Walk on the Water was a hit for them as well, although it is not one of my favorites. It is one of Jamie's favorites. The other songs on the page are not very indicative of their best music. My favorite albums other than In Light Syrup are Dulcinea and Coil. Check them out at your local library! : )
For those of you who don't remember Shawn Mullins, here is a link to a video of his biggest hit, "Lullaby": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sQIX1NTkcQ
This is a link to an acoustic version of Lullaby (live) where he tells a bit of the story behind the song. The sound quality is not the best, but it is interesting, and you can see how he plays it (open G).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgyA-6Br1HA&feature=related
Movies: We recently went to see Prince Caspian (Narnia 2.0) as a family, and it got mixed reviews. I thought it was alright, but a little light on plot. Cameron (who has read the book about 10 times) hated it because it was too far off the mark. The rest of the family liked it reasonably well. Cameron and I preferred Martian Child, because of just the right amount of wacky weirdness (like John and Joan Cusack are perfect for), and very heart-warming moments. It was flawed by one or two formulaic elements you could see coming a mile away, but it was a good film, and I liked some moments A LOT. In case you don't know about it, it has to do with widower writer trying to get his life together and how he looks into adopting a little boy (who has a few problems, one of which is that he thinks he is from Mars). At the risk of sharing a lot of the charming parts of the film and thereby diminishing the impact of it, here is the link to the trailer. If you get interested enough to see it, you might stop watching to keep some great fresh moments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo--9mYFpVM
Music: I got a great steal at our local music store, and am listening to The Thorns right now. They are sort of a supergroup made up of Matthew Sweet (100% Fun - my favorite disc of his), Shawn Mullins (Soul's Core and Beneath the Velvet Sun), and the sort of folky Pete Droge (http://www.myspace.com/petedroge). The one I have has the original disc (which has electric and acoustic songs), as well as an acoustic only session with them doing all their songs with just an acoustic guitar or two, a bass, and occasional drums. It is great. If you want to hear their music, you can find it at: http://www.myspace.com/thethornsmusic
My favorite song on their player at that site is "No Blue Sky". They are little like Crosby, Stills and Nash.
Another band that resurfaced at the Quist house is an old favorite "Toad the Wet Sprocket". They are my favorite 90s band, and Brandon has just found them, causing a bit of a resurgence. They were pool fodder at our pool exercise/fun time this morning. In Light Syrup is an odd collection of their weird stuff that never made it on a regular album, but it may be their best album. The song "Good Intentions" on this page is from that album.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=69945434
The song Walk on the Water was a hit for them as well, although it is not one of my favorites. It is one of Jamie's favorites. The other songs on the page are not very indicative of their best music. My favorite albums other than In Light Syrup are Dulcinea and Coil. Check them out at your local library! : )
For those of you who don't remember Shawn Mullins, here is a link to a video of his biggest hit, "Lullaby": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sQIX1NTkcQ
This is a link to an acoustic version of Lullaby (live) where he tells a bit of the story behind the song. The sound quality is not the best, but it is interesting, and you can see how he plays it (open G).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgyA-6Br1HA&feature=related
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