That thing going around FaceBook, and if I could only own 5 records.

I copied and posted that thing going around facebook, "25 or 16 or whatever number of things about You." Don't be a hater, it's fun, and you can get to know more about each other. Just look at it that way.

1. I mostly wear Adidas Samba shoes.
2. I wear two pairs of socks with my soccer cleats.
3. I wish I knew my Grandpa's. (they both died when I was super little)
4. I like Kermit the Frog better than Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny.
5. I'm really disappointed they haven't released seasons 4-7 of Boy Meets World.
6. I've had a birthday in Uganda, Ukraine, and Tanzania.
7. I picked the Anaheim Ducks to be 'my team' before their first game. I based it on my affinity for Disney, but am very glad they are not associated with Disney anymore.
8. My two current 'dream' occupations are Astronaut and pro hockey player.
9. I want to be like Mr. Rogers (in most ways, not all)
10. I was accepted to, and really wanted to attend University of California, San Diego. God wanted me to go to Citrus and Master's, though.
11. I'm not really into 'action' movies anymore. (Except for classic Harrison Ford stuff)
12. Five Iron Frenzy is my favorite band. I relate to them in many a way, and I once saw them 3 times in 3 nights (Santa Ana, San Diego, and Hollywood). I also drove 18+ hours with some friends to see their last show.
13. I once went to a minor league hockey game by myself (Long Beach Ice Dogs)
14. One of my most comfortable flights was a jetBlue flight from Oakland to Long Beach.
15. It seems like God has grown me most when I've been 'sad' or 'scared.'
16. My favorite person to play music with is my brother. I've never 'really' played with my dad.
17. I have an old hockey shoulder injury that acts up time to time.
18. I think I am so blessed to still be close friends with people I've known since I was about 5.
19. I once wore #19 on a hockey team. (I was usually #9 (Paul Kariya))


For my next segment, imagine you are left on a desert island for the rest of your life. You are allowed to pick 5 records to have with you, and you will have means to listen to them. (Let's not get all focused on the hypothetical situation, just focus on the 5 albums) Remember, these don't have to be necessarily the ones you think are 'Greatest Albums of All-Time," this is "if you could only listen to 5 albums for the rest of your life."

Here are the ones that mean most to me:

Further Seems Forever - Hide Nothing

This record has quickly put itself amongst my favorite since I bought it a few months ago. I always knew they were pretty good, and even got to see one of their last California shows in 2006 thanks to Steve Tenney, but for some reason I never listened closely until now. A lot of what I was going through in life related to the lyrical content of the record. Lines like, "live your life, don't hide it all," and "the times that I feel nothing, you bring enough," really hit me hard, and they are musically very interesting. At first glance, you might assume they're just another emo-sounding alt. rock band, but they are very unpredictable in their songs, and I really like that.

Thrice - Vheissu

Intensity in music AND lyric?!?! This is such a solid record front to back, it's got the intensity of "Image of the Invisible," the heaviness of "The Earth will Shake," the melody of "Music Box," the cinematic appeal of "Stand and Feel your Worth," and will take you sailing under the "Red Sky." This is thrice in between the super hard, in-your-face Artist in the Ambulance and the very experimental Alchemy Index, thus, the sound is somewhere in between there. Yesssss.


Les Miserables

This musical was my life for three months, thus carries a lot of life memories within the music. I also love the story of redemption, and my two favorite songs are "One Day More," and "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables."


braveSaintSaturn - The Light of Things Hoped For

Reese Roper writes lyrics and music that I really connect to. This record is the more meloncholy and 'sad' project that speaks of heartbreak, hurt, and the hope one can find in the midst of feeling lost and alone. The tagline of this record should be, "sometimes, the bravest thing of all is to hope" (Hope in God's Love)


Five Iron Frenzy - The End is Here

Again, Reese Roper's lyrics with the more upbeat and creative music styles made by him and the band. This is the recording of their final show in Denver, Co, in Nov. of 2003. This collection of songs performed that evening sum up their 8.5 year career, and ends with a heart-wrenching and emotional performance of their 'sacred song', Every New Day. The End is Here also includes the "End is Near" record, so it's kind of a two-for-one choice.

What would you choose if you could only have 5 records?