A Standing Ovation

So it's December 31, 2008.
New Year's Eve.
And what would such a day be without a good old wrap-up post on my blog?

Without spilling my guts all over the internet and with sweet tunes in my ears, I'm going to attempt to put a cap on what has been a roller coaster of a year.

I went to church with my parents this evening and God, as he is said to do, worked in a mysterious way. One of the readings for the New Year's Eve service was from Luke's gospel and it read something like this:

"27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?
29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 3031 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you." (Luke 12:27-31 NKJV)
(If you're wondering about the translation, it was a Lutheran church.)

So after a year of spiritual tempest and trying to control the cross of every T and the dot of every I in my life, hearing this passage was absolutely divine. It seems like all year I'd been hearing about exactly what this passage is saying but it hadn't hit me until this evening.

To sum up this year I'm not going to talk about every single thing that went wrong and every thought that I couldn't forget, which, unfortunately, would be my first instinct. Instead, I'm going to look back on gaining of new friends and saying goodbye to old friends, the beauty of Michigan's upper peninsula, new experiences, realization of dreams, new roommates, 21 frets gone, and so much more that's not to be regretted in 2008. I'm also not going to look back at what hasn't been done, but look forward to what could be in 2009 and stay optimistic (or, go against myself completely ;-) ).

I want to invite everyone to do their best to let go of worry this next year. To use an old cliche, let go and let God. I know you're like me and you like to be in control, but why not give it to your Father in heaven? We've spent this entire last year trying so hard to be in control and we only ended up losing it. If God knows what we need and is going to provide for us, all those things we worried about before won't matter. They will be added to us according to His will. So when the right time comes, we'll be in the right place with the right people doing the right thing without having to fret about it every single day. And if something doesn't work out at some point, something else will. Wouldn't it be nice to know that someone else has things under control for you? And not only under control, but has a whole life of blessing in store for those who would just trust?

I feel like 2009 is going to be about letting go of control, running towards God, and learning to make the most of the life, the precious gift we were given by Him. Trying to control everything and play god myself isn't something that I want to continue to pursue.

So, take it or leave it. Regardless, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and may you hear much good music and eat at least one serving of fruits and vegetables every day! :-D

Fretless/Stand By Me

Happy Wednesday,

Lately I've been really enamored with my fretless bass (see left). The flatwound strings take some getting used to but it's a lot of fun to play. The change to fretless seems to have fixed problems I used to have with this bass concerning intonation, too. It's been an all around good thing!
And since I've modded this bass once, I figure a second mod may be in order in the near future. Over break I'll be looking into a replacement pickup. Something a little beefier, sturdier, and possibly an active preamp. We'll see.
Anywho, a happy winter break to all those who have gone home or already started and to those who are still here like me: the end is definitely near!



And before I sign off, this is really cool. Music is everywhere. Dig it:

http://www.vimeo.com/2539741

Bass Hilarity

Greetings Music Nerds,

I found this on my favorite bass forum mega-site. It's pretty funny whether you're a bass player or not. Enjoy:

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/11644109.html


And hopefully a more meaty post is coming in the near future...

Thanksgiving 2008

Greetings,

This past Thursday (Thanksgiving) was the 7th Annual SOME Trot For Hunger in Washington, DC. Team "Putnami" took this particular 5k race by storm (see picture). We had a great time and are grateful for all the support we received (over $350 all together!). It was truly a great event (around 5,000 runners/walkers/babies) for an awesome cause. The organization, So Others Might Eat (www.some.org), serves meals and helps aid the poor in DC. Really good stuff...

An effort to really race, however, was nearly useless due to the sheer volume of people there. It turned out to be kind of funny trying to fight our way to the front of the crowd to even stretch our legs a little! I think between my brother, his girlfriend, and myself, our average mile time was about 13:45. :-D

Oh well, congratulations to all and we'll definitely be back next year!

...And a shout-out to Doug Henry, the turkey borne of a napkin illustration, from all of us at the Putnam household!

Pass on Plastic

Hello again. I was spending some time on my new favorite news source, www.BBC.com, and I came across a really neat (and quite useful) article on some neat tips to cut out plastic waste. So instead of coming up with a post myself, I thought i'd let them do the writing :-)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/monthwithoutplastic/2008/08/top_tips_from_plasticfree_blog.html

God + The Earth?

Well, I'm finally starting this blog after what could be seen as quite a long time. I think the seed was first planted in my head about a year and a half ago while I was edging lawns part-time for my neighbor who runs a landscaping service back home. The environment (world around us) has kind of always been a part-time interest of mine and its something I'd like to start sharing with everyone. I think now, more than ever, is a good time to start thinking about how we can all do our part instead of just sitting back and pretending it's not our problem. I remember even back in elementary school we used to have Earth Day celebrations. There would be an entire school day dedicated to learning about nature, petting reptiles, and planting the annual tree out back. I guess back then, though, it wasn't as much of a national/global crisis as it is today. So, I hope you'll join me in taking advantage of the recent hype and all the opportunities available to start taking care of the gorgeous planet we've been given. I hope to start blogging about my efforts and maybe they will give you ideas or inspiration for your own.

And if this is all just a global warming hoax, I plan to figure that out, too.

And then of course there's the Creator. Sometimes I still find myself in a flux about who he even is, if he even exists, and what in the world we're doing here. So another purpose for this blog is to explore those questions in depth. I plan on finding out who he is (if he is) and what he wants with me and this planet. And I feel like if he is there, he wants us to be good stewards of his creation, which brings this blog back around full circle.

And so I hope this blog is enjoyable for everyone to read, that we can all find some things out, and pull this whole story of God, his creation, and his people together under one big green umbrella.