You Turn it off but then a still small voice comes in blazing from some vast horizon

Listening to Josh Ritter for me is listening to an individual who's transcended the existential debate. 14 years of perfect attendance in church and religious doctrine won't wash Jesus out of my soul, and it doesn't seem to be washing away from Ritter either.

What I've come to understand is an arrangement between pragmatism and mysticism, and have come to a happy acceptance that these two entities will be playing tug-o-war with my soul till I'm vapor.

Last night, snow / rain / and cacti in the window from a pub.

and the second city stage --

Conflicting Themes - Often times, for life we choose one theme and go with it, from a 'user interface' perspective, it looks something like this. You click on the choice you want, you hit ok, then you roll with it. But what if you like a little of each of them? For instance below, what if I like parts of 'reflector' and parts of 'plastic'?

It looks like this -- Hackin' hackin' hackin' the brain, turning it into something you want it to look like -- It's certainly harder and more tedious than picking the defacto choices.

What are the benefits?

1. Life is all about brand, the more authoritative you are in your brand, the better off everything you touch will be
   
2. Mental Exercise -- Being able to articulate an answer better than others
3. Doing the 'hard stuff' makes you a better person
4. The ability to take all the themes and piece them together helps serve as a better integrator of thoughts and ideas.

Where does it all lead? The whole know thyself is such a power phrase, and if you master that, and know where you want to go, I don't think there's anything within reason that can't be accomplished.