andrew dodson

Memorex gets it right. I bought a pack of Memorex CD labels a few weeks ago. I find them to be of good quality (on par with Neato) and very affordable (compared to Neato). I was also surprised to find Adobe Illustrator (the software I use to create labels) label templates on the included CD. A definite plus considering I normally have to create my own label template when I try a new company’s labels and don’t want to have to use their not-so-great labeling software. I highly recommend Memorex for all your CD-labeling needs.

About a month ago, while discussing the idea of moving to the St. Clair Apartment, I mentioned to my parents that it had a dish washer. One of the things I’m lazy about is washing dishes, so the idea of having a dish washer was very appealing.

My dad says, “you should just be using paper plates.”

The next time I went to Kroger, I invested in paper plates, bowls, plastic cups and utensils. I haven’t had to wash dishes since.

Good idea, dad.

This past week, I had the urge to expand my drumset. As of late, I’ve felt limited in my playing on a standard jazz setup. I added a couple of toms - would’ve added cymbals, but I’m limited on space on the stage at church. Just as well, I also changed back to Evans G2 heads on my toms and started using Vic Firth 3A drumsticks (a change from Vic Firth 2B sticks). I’m really liking the new setup and I’ve started to feel comfortable with it very quickly. Take a look:

I spent the last two nights redesigning the Saxton’s Cornet Band website. It was quick work due to John Higgins providing a basis for a design. Even still, it’s the quickest site design I’ve done to date.

In the works:
- Capital Church of the Nazarene’s site
- Taking over webmaster responsibilities for the Josh Martin Band
- New site design for my personal site

When you attend a church camp for a week, you hear the phrase “camp high” quite a bit. A camp high is simply the result of drawing closer to God and being in His presence for an extended period of time - which usually happens to students after they’ve attended some sort of church camp. A lot of students aren’t spiritually mature enough to maintain a quiet time, pray regularly, worship freely and soak up every bit of God they can get in their daily lives. However, when they’re at a camp, their time is focused on God causing them to experience the high after they get home.

Youth ministers try to cause students to realize their camp high can last a lifetime if they would only stay focused on God every day. Instead, the normal activities of their lives creep in - school, sports, clubs, family problems, friends, relationships - and take the place of God. As a result, their camp high wears off and they’re back to going through the motions in their spiritual walk.

Adults can experience this high as well. However, I’d like to refer to it as a camp low right now. Maybe this says something about my spiritual life, but one of the reasons I love Jonathan Creek so much is because it’s one of the few places I can truly feel God’s presence. After returning to Frankfort on Friday, I was literally depressed to be back home. I realized how much more difficult it would be to remain in God’s presence in my daily routine. I’m attempting to accept and overcome this challenge.

Once I made the decision to stay at my apartment, I celebrated my decision to save money by spending money. I know, it’s an odd concept. However, if I plan on spending X number of dollars, and I end up spending only Y number of dollars (Y being less than X), I consider it a good thing.

As if I need to add to my music collection, I went off the deep end and purchased several albums:

1. Coldplay’s X & Y - Not a bad little album. Maybe not as good as A Rush of Blood To the Head. I love the vocal melody of “Speed of Sound” and “Fix You” is a great song.
2. Mute Math’s Reset - EP - I heard “Control” over the weekend and found this EP on iTunes. I can’t really explain their sound - it’s a mix of British style, 80’s electronica, and anthem rock. Lyrically, they fit into the positive-but-not-outright-Christian mold.
3. Stanton Moore’s All Kooked Out and Flyin’ the Koop - Charlie Hunter appears on All Kooked Out, but I’m not sure if he’s on Flyin’ the Koop. Either way, it’s all the same style as Charlie’s music - modern jazzy, bouncy, funk.
4. Passion Worship Band’s How Great Is Our God - the 2005 live compilation from Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Matt Redman, Charlie Hall and others. A live version of Tomlin’s “Indescribable” highlights the album, and Crowder’s “Here Is Our King” is a good surprise.
5. Andy Hunter’s Life - impressive sophomore effort from this Christian DJ.
6. Starfield’s Starfield - “Filled With Your Glory” rocks the house. The remainder of the album is above average, but nothing stands out.

View of the cross in the evening.

Above is a view of Jonathan Creek. This is from the back of the motel, looking down on Kentucky Lake. You can also see the cross if you look close.

1. Creative Zen Xtra 40GB MP3 player - $150; two years old; excellent condition; no problems; being replaced by my new iPod.
2. Sony stereo receiver - $50 or best offer; approx. four years old; excellent condition; I’m looking to buy a new surround sound home theater system.
3. Cerwin Vega tower speakers (1 pair) - $100 or best offer; these speakers are about as old as me and still in excellent condition; the subs in these are amazing; hard to let these go, but I’m willing to part with them to get a new system.
4. Echo Layla 24/96 multitrack recording unit; $150; just over two years old; great for multitrack laptop recording.

Delivery available in the central Kentucky area. Email me - andrew@brianandrewdodson.com - if interested in any of the above.

I spent the past few days trying to figure out a new purchase - a Nikon 5600 5.1 megapixel digital camera. Today, I gave up and took it back. I’m thoroughly disappointed in that particular camera, compared to my Canon PowerShot A70 3.2 megapixel. I thought I’d notice a big difference in the picture quality. I thought I’d be able to take better pictures in a range of different situations. Nope. Lowlight, lots of light, using the flash, no flash - same result. Poor picture quality for a 5.1 megapixel camera.

Maybe I was doing something wrong, but I don’t mind sticking with my Canon. It’s taken a lot of good pictures for me in the past, and I know all the ins and outs of using it. In short, I don’t recommend the Nikon 5600.

A few people have mentioned they are unable to post comments on my blog. That’s because I don’t care about your discourse.

…just kidding!

I’m still learning the ins and outs of WordPress 1.5. I’ve turned off the option of having to fill out a name and email address when you post a comment. I hope this doesn’t lead to spam comments, but we’ll see. If it does, I’ll have to turn the name & email option back on and figure out how to make it work. Happy commenting!