Kaged Harmony

Pensive Jenny

Before I get too far into this post you should know that my wife is aware and alright with the knowledge I am about to drop on ya'll.  I have a slight crush on Jenny Lewis of former "Troop Beverly Hills" fame and current "musical hell cat" fame.  I feel like that nugget of honesty was important before I continue.

I have been listening to her most recent foray into musicdom and I am so into it (it felt worth noting that she is in love with her band mate).  I realize that there are some fantastic and more intelligent music reviewers out there, so I am going to spare you all the clearly biased and most likely poorly articulated review of this album.  Instead, I started to wonder (aside from my little crush on Miss Lewis) just what it is about her music that appeals to me, specifically in this newest project.  As I considered the various sounds, beats, lyrics, tones and melodies that went into this album it hit me, there was something about the meshing of her voice and his, something about the sound of two people who care deeply for one another creating music that makes it transcendent.

Fleetwood Mac, Mates of State, Edward Sharpe (Alexander) and Jade, Kanye West and himself  there are plenty more, but the fact remains, some of my favorite music is produced by 2 people who love each other just a little more than they love music.  What is it about these harmonies that draws me to this music?  My wife frequently "calls" which songs she thinks I will enjoy the most when we find a new band or listen to a new album, and she is rarely wrong.  So, is it just that I am attracted to a specific type of music?  Am I that musically closed minded, or does this idea of harmonious attraction resonate with you?

p.s.- Vanny, you are way cuter than Jenny.

p.p.s.-  sorry Jenny (just in case you found this blog, you didn't though)

Godspeed,
Kage

Kaged TGIF

It's FRIDAY!  Huzzah!  I have been swamped at work, so blogging has fallen by the wayside (anyone know why this term means what it means) this week, and for that I am sorry.  But on this Friday, I wanted to give you a nugget of inspirational coolness courtesy of R. Sargent Shriver who became the founding director of the Peace Corps and was integral to LBJ's war on poverty.  Also, this quote involves a fox, so this is a little bit for you, Vanny. 


"I never ride just to ride. I ride to catch a fox. I play baseball to make the team."

-Sarge Shriver 




Whatever you do, do it with purpose( Unless you are that vampire lady from the Bachelor, and in that case please stop).


Godspeed,
 Kage

Kaged Manliness

Shel is so Hard Core.

Kaged Face Blanket

PREFACE: If you don't know me at all or haven't spent more than ten minutes with me you may not know that I am borderline obsessed with beards/facial hair. I don't really know what it is about this follicular art form that makes me so happy, but I do know it's weird.

As I said in a previous post I recently started a "big boy" job where I have to wear slacks and deodorant and carry a briefcase. It is a weird chapter in my life, but I actually really love my job. The only thing that makes having this job difficult at times, is my lack of facial hair freedom.

I saw my whole face for the first time in 4 years about a week ago, and though my wife was and is frustrated that I did not vocalize my intentions to do some northern hemisphere landscaping, she told me that I look cute and younger, and she likes to be able to see what I looked like when we got married. Don't get me wrong, I love it when she thinks I am cute, mind you, I don't get it(i think it may be her penchant for older, graying men), but who doesn't enjoy a compliment? Here is the issue though, my face is FREEZING. It is literally 6 degrees outside with a wind chill below zero, oh, and I am from TEXAS! This has to rank with one of the worst grooming decisions I have ever made (probably number 2, after the "trimming" incident of '99). Logistically speaking this was a bad move, but emotionally speaking it may have even been a worse move. I feel as though I have lost a friend. Okay, that was dramatic, let me try again. I look weird. Better?

Now that you (hopefully) understand where my mind and face have been for the past week (this post is getting a little too long to be about a beard)let me cut to the chase. This morning when perusing one of my favorite blogs I came upon this.  After looking this beauty of a post over I have decided something, beards make handsome people more handsome, and they make somewhat strange looking fellas like me less strange looking (i never claimed to be a profound man).  Thank you George, Jim from the office and mostly you John a.k.a. Don for providing me with a little closure and perhaps some solace in knowing that within a week I will once again be bearded.

Godspeed,
Kage

Kaged Creativity

The job that I have forces me to think about creativity a lot, and to be honest I nothing allows me understand the greatness of God and the vastness of our world better than the mere act of creating.  You may think this post is getting all deep and theological and that may be causing you to tune out, or wonder where in tarnation this is going, but I say all this because when I see people creating things that I love it is more than inspiring, in fact it is almost indicting, like, "why aren't you doing this?"

This video is not new, and I have seen it on about 10 of my favorite blog sites, but I have not once skipped over it.  To think that this one guys can do this all by himself, and do it well.  And in the midst of this video if you find yourself wondering how denim can cause someone to reflect on God, then maybe you should go out an buy something that will make you happy that someone else made with their own hands and then maybe you will understand it a little better.  If you still don't get it after that, then I am sure there is an episode of sister wives on that you can go catch if you hurry.






Roy's Jeans - Video by Self Edge from Self Edge on Vimeo.


Godspeed,
Kage

Kaged Tardiness

I know this is late, but I have been pretty sick since the new year, and haven't exactly felt like blogging.  That said, here is a Ben Franklin quote to sum up my wishes for you in this New Year.

“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every New Year find you a better man.”  

-Benjamin Franklin

Godspeed,

Kage