Vinyl or bust

In recent months I have become increasingly infatuated with the world of vinyl music. It's sort of a cross-breed between music appreciation and baseball card collecting. When considering the purchase of a used record the quality and condition is most important (to me), but the real fanatics/obsessives also consider the pressing of the record (i.e. the first pressing is the oldest, usually the rarest and thus most valuable). This article does a great job of articulating the perspective of the vinyl music fan and its re-emergence as a medium in the market.

Listening to vinyl has been a revelation to my ears: the warmth and subtlety of sound makes each record an experience to enjoy. Now as I listen to my Cd's -- while they certainly sound crystal clear -- in comparison to my records they sound synthetic and cold. A debate rages among audiophiles as to which medium, the CD or vinyl, is superior. Read these guys weigh-in on the debate. While I consider myself an audiophile, half the time I'm really not sure what they're talking about.

A wonderful moment

Now that the man-bag controversy has finally blown over, I can rightfully acknowledge the amazing and profound recent landmark in my life: on September 23rd I was married to the inspiring and beautiful Olivia Bagley. We were married at St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church in Brier, Washington with our own parish priest the V. Rev. A. James Bernstein serving. I currently have a number of pictures of the ceremony if you click on the sidebar to the right but I'm still waiting for pictures of the reception and more of the professional shots to trickle in.

In the Orthodox Church, marriage is a sacrament. The centerpiece is the crowning ceremony which symbolizes the divine unity between a man and a woman in Christ. As you might see in the pictures, Olivia and I are crowned in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit with floral crowns which are signs of both royalty and martyrdom. As humans who have fallen into death and sin, we are restored as kings and queens of creation in Christ. However, this restoration can only take place through the Cross. We are crucified with Christ in this world, which leads to the death of my self-centered pride and its roots that go so deep into my heart that it is hard to see sometimes where my pride ends and my heart begins.

Music plays an indispensable role in each Orthodox liturgy, and the marriage ceremony is no different. The choral music in the marriage liturgy is particularly noteworthy however and several of my musician relatives/friends commented on how stunning the music was, with one noting that the Our Father (the Lord's Prayer) nearly moved him to tears.

It was the hope of Olivia and I that the reception would be a big celebration/party with as many of our relatives and friends as possible and the event itself exceeded my expectations. Great food and drink, lots of laughter, good music, and humbling toasts left me glowing for several days afterward. As I recall that day now I can't help but think we all tasted a little slice of heaven and if I do say so myself, I doubt that's a coincidence.