Lunar Boulevard

The tomb is empty and we have hope in Jesus Christ our Lord. Have a wonderful and blessed Easter, everyone! 

I can already hear some of you now: "Seriously, you're going to talk about space waste this week?" And my answer is a resounding, "You bet!". Let's be honest: you've often wondered how astronauts use the bathroom and where the waste goes once they're finished. This week we'll answer that mysterious question. Spacecrafts have a way of dealing with waste in low gravity situations. A toilet on these crafts allows the astronaut to sit on it as it sucks away the waste. After that the solid waste is dried and dumped out into space while the water is saved. It gives a whole new meaning to the the term "space junk", doesn't it? I guess that's what we get for going where no man has gone before.  Okay, I'll stop now.

Today my wife and I celebrate six months together. Sure, that makes us lightweights compared to a lot of you reading this but at least it's something. Heck, we outlasted Kim Kardashian's wedding and the 24 hour Britney Spears marriage (remember that one?).  I don't say that to be mean in any way but in this day and age of treating marriage like a bumper sticker on your car, I'm happy when I don't see couples calling it quits when they feel the marriage is worn out. In some ways it feels like we've been together longer and in other ways I'm surprised we're already half a year in. With every stage of life time appears to move at a faster speed and it's certainly true what couples will tell you: life moves ridiculously fast. But you know something? It's a good kind of fast, like attending a concert from an artist you love or taking a relaxing vacation. You look back and wonder where the time went, yet you smile at the memories and fun stories ...

...for music! Seriously, I'm stunned at just how many great releases are on the horizon for all of us lucky listeners. By the end of the year we should have releases from The National, Vampire Weekend, The Flaming Lips, Switchfoot, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Barenaked Ladies, Noah and the Whale, Arcade Fire, Phoenix, Editors, and (hopefully!) U2.  And yes, I'm well aware that there's a new They Might Be Giants album out. Unfortunately none of the stores around here are carrying it so using Amazon may be my only option. It's not fun but at this point you gotta do what you gotta do. Or something. So there you go. Will 2013 be the best year for music yet? It's hard to say but so far I'm thinking the answer could be yes. What's your favorite musical year and what upcoming releases are you excited about? Sound off!

Have you ever wondered why Mars is red? Me neither but apparently there's a reason for it. Mars' red color is due to oxidized iron in its soil. Of course, I just prefer to say that it's red because that's the way God made it. He has His reasons.  So yeah, Mars is rusty.

The past couple of weeks have been rough. Sure, they haven't been the worst weeks of my life but I've certainly had better. I won't go into detail but let's just say that at the rate things are going death could be the next punishment. Wait, punishment? I hear you asking. Isn't that kind of extreme?  Maybe, although things happen that we can't explain and I've been through this enough times that I begin looking for patterns. Something struck me during a restless night: it all boils down to tithing. That's right. I'm going there. Here's the deal: my wife and I, like any good couple, are always working on our finances and finding ways to live within our means (something our federal government apparently can't figure out how to do). Tithing is one of those issues that we both agree on, yet the execution has been slow-going due to moving and other expenses. We believe that tithing is an act of obedience and a necessary act that every...

The digital age certainly has its share of advantages. The ease and convenience of media available to us today is truly stunning and in an instant you can have the latest music, films, video games, and books at your disposal in a variety of formats on an array of different devices. The technology has continued to evolve and change at such a rapid pace, even in the last four or five years. What's high-tech and efficient today is outdated and slow tomorrow, paving the way for innovators to move us forward and to develop new solutions to our ever-changing culture. All in all, it's outstanding and quite overwhelming when you take it all in. While carrying my entire music collection on my iPod is convenient, there's something about a physical record collection that you simply can't replicate in digital form. Much like a traditional photo album, a tangible album collection lets you instantly hold those attached memories in your hands. Granted, music is an aural art f...