My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2024 the theme is a personal retrospective that I call "I Coulda Been" which is in reference to my job and career arc over my lifetime. I'll be looking at all sorts of occupations that I have done or could have done. Maybe you've done some of these too!
I've always wanted to be funny. But maybe that doesn't sound right. Maybe what I meant to say is "comical"? No, perhaps humorous. Witty? Hilarious? Peter Mark Roget probably told jokes way longer than they were supposed to be...
Funny or Not
Sometimes things get interpreted way differently than we meant them to be. I'm not sure I'd want to be a stand-up comic these days. Actually, I could never realistically do a good stand-up routine. Telling jokes was never my forte. And often my jokes aren't taken well. Maybe they would be if I told them well. Well, well, well--that's about all I have to say about that for now.
What I really was wondering is if you've ever received silence or anger or some other unexpected reaction to something you said that you thought was kind of funny? How do you fix an "awkward" moment? Are too many people today overly sensitive?
Battle of the Bands Results
The current Battle between Claire Lynch and Ali Matthews was a good race. This was one of those pairings where I switched my vote after reevaluating the recordings. Like many of the voters I was initially captivated by Ali's vocals, but after further listening I started to prefer the vocal harmonies and instrumentation of Claire's version and that's where I cast my vote.
My vote was with the minority, but only a minority by a very narrow margin as the total votes indicate...
Final Vote Tally
Claire Lynch 8 Ali Matthews 9
Next Post Wednesday August 1 (Unless I change my mind)
Some things in life take time--especially when those things involve other people as so many things do.
Perception is a matter of either what we see or what we think we see. Then there is the perception of others who convince us to believe what is true and those who convince us to believe the lies they wish to foist upon us...
Let Us Pray (and drive)
My travels for this summer have nearly come to an end. On the Sunday this post is appearing I am somewhere in Texas heading westerly toward Los Angeles. It's been a wonderful trip--a truly blessed trip. My wife has stayed behind in Houston as she awaits the arrival of our seventh grandchild--a boy whom the parents have decided to call Alex (sorry, Alex J. Cavanaugh, but they weren't thinking of you, but it's a good name). I am driving back alone which is okay with me. I don't mind solitary driving sometimes.
Driving alone for long distances makes for a time of contemplation as well as prayer. Being a Sunday, once again my second Battle post for July considers the topic of spirituality. Hope you will enjoy this song...
Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bandsisthe blogging event started byFar Away Seriesand now hosted byStMcC Presents Battle of the Bands. This event happens each month on the 15th and on some blogs there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month. My blog is one of those with a second Battle on the 1st of the month. The premise is simple: Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it. Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.
All the Diamonds in the World
The song in this Battle match-up was written and recorded by Bruce Cockburn in his earlier years as a primarily Christian artist. Later he became more political in his song subject matter. He is still a favorite songwriter of mine though I definitely prefer his spiritually inclined songs. I've chosen two very nice covers by female artists. Please give a listen and let us know which version you enjoy the most.
Claire Lynch "All the Diamonds in the World" (2016)
A highly acclaimed award-winning bluegrass artist, Claire Lynch has been active in the music scene since 1977. I'd never heard of heard of her before compiling this Battle, but I do like her sound a lot.
Ali Matthews "All the Diamonds in the World" (2010)
This is a return appearance for the Canadian Christian artist Ali Matthews. In a previous Battle Ali won by a narrow margin of one vote with her rendition of another Bruce Cockburn song "Lord of the Starfields." Can she win this Battle as well? We'll let you voters decide.
Time to Vote! Is this song a jewel or junk to your ears? What's your favorite between these two choices? Which song version do you like best? You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.
Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.
Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts: StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands 'MIKE'SRAMBLINGS' 'Curious as a Cathy' Sound of One Hand Typing Angel's Bark Debbie Doglady's Den Jingle, Jangle, Jungle Cherdo on the Flipside Winner of this Battle Announced Monday July 23rd I should be settled back into my regular life this week so I should have no problem getting the results post up. It may take a day or two to get around to other Battles so bear with me. Hopefully I'll have an okay turn-out for this Battle, but I have been kind of scarce on my blog visiting of late due to travels and lack of time and access on the internet. Things will be returning to normalcy in the week to come. Well, depending on whatever "normalcy" means.
I'm going to make this BOTB Results post short and to the point, though first I'd like to tell you about my Sunday. I started out early from Marion Virginia which is in the southwest part of that state. I spent hours driving through the mountain back routes, passing through Boone NC before heading back to Interstate 75 to Chattanooga TN and finally landing in Bessemer Alabama where I am as I write this post.
Talk about worship and praising God from the seat of my van. It was just like the song "My Church" talked about. I saw some beautiful aspects of God's creation and got to my destination safely. I felt like shouting "Hallelujah!" many times with a few "Amens!" now and then. Sundays don't get much better than that one.
Heading home soon. It's been a great trip so far.
My Vote
My previous battle was a showdown between Maren Morris and Home Free performing renditions of Maren's song "My Church". My person favorite was Home Free because of the harmonizing. A few agreed with me, but Maren handily ran away with the win. Not what I expected, but often those outcomes aren't.
Final Vote Tally
Maren Morris 15 votes Home Free 5 votes
Next Battle will be on Sunday July 15th
I should be able to do this. My plan is to stay with the "church" theme. Kind of. Maybe I should say "spiritual"--yeah, I guess that's what I'll say.
I guess it might be better to not be in church and be thinking about God than to be sitting in church thinking about where you want to go for lunch...
Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bandsisthe blogging event started byFar Away Seriesand now hosted byStMcC Presents Battle of the Bands. This event happens each month on the 15th and on some blogs there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month. My blog is one of those with a second Battle on the 1st of the month. The premise is simple: Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it. Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.
When our church worship leader first sang this in Sunday service it was a bit of a jolt to most of the congregation I'd guess. After a few Sundays, most of us seemed to have gotten used to it and were getting more into it. My wife still doesn't care much for the song, but I guess it's a popular song that a lot of people enjoy. I'm going to go ahead and use this original version by Maren Morris as the first on the BOTB stage...
I figured this group's version is worthy of going up against Maren's original version. But you get to decide which version is best by your estimation. Give Home Free a listen...
Time to Vote! What d'ya think? What's your favorite between these two choices? Which song version do you like best? You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.
Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.
