songs of 2010

Do you ever find that you might  listen to an certain album or artist regularly (almost daily!) for a certain period of time?  That's how it is for me.  Slowly that music starts to fit that time: I'll listen to the song later and I'm sometimes reminded of where I was for those months and what I was doing, etc.  Last year was a year of transition: we were living in Saskatchewan until the end of April before moving to Ontario in early May.  Summertime brought travelling, autumn was a time of grieving deaths in our family, I was off work for October and back again in November until Christmas.  Different times of life, different songs that spoke to those times.

Here's my favorites from over the past year (not all are new).  Some of them were full albums, some were just one song here or there.  Enjoy!

(Right click link and choose Open in New Tab if you want to play the song and keep surfing the blog).

Late Winter/Springtime:

• Michael Bublé, Crazy Love, "Crazy Love" - Jazz/Big Band
• Ray Charles, The Best of Ray Charles, "Let It Be"- R&B/Soul/Blues | This song actually isn't from that album, but it's one of my favorites.
• John Mayer, Battle Studies, "Half of My Heart" (ft. Taylor Swift) - Pop/Rock
• Dave Matthews Band, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, "Why I Am" - Rock/Funk
• Ray Lamontagne, "Trouble" and "Shelter" - Acoustic Singer/Songwriter

Summertime:

• Jack Johnson, Ocean, "You and Your Heart" - Acoustic/Reggae
• 30 Seconds to Mars, "Kings and Queens" - Alternative/Rock/Pop
• Eminem, "Not Afraid [Clean Version]" - Hip Hop/Rap | This song surprised me when I first heard it.  It depicts his road to recovery and his change of mindset after having gone through rehab.  Admittedly, it's not perfect, but there aren't a lot of songs in this genre that relay something hopeful, let alone handling family responsibilities.
• Gavin DeGraw, "In Love With a Girl"- Rock/Country
• Brett Dennen, "Ain't No Reason" - Folkrock/Indie/Pop

Autumn:

• Bebo Norman, Big Blue Sky, "Sons & Daughters" and "All That I Have Sown" - Folk/Pop
• Bebo Norman, Try, "I Am Nothing" - Folk/Pop
• Sanctus Real, "Lead Me" - Rock/Pop
• Andrew Peterson, "Dancing in the Mine Fields" - Folk/Rock

Winter:

• Brooke Fraser, Flags, "Something in the Water" and "Flags"- Folk/Rock/Pop | The whole album is excellent--none of the songs sound the same: beautiful lyrics, great musicality.  Sarah and her have very similar voices.
• Owl City, Ocean Eyes, specifically "Meteor Shower", and "Vanilla Twilight" - Electronica/Pop
• Coldplay, "Christmas Lights" - Alternative Pop/Rock
• Bebo Norman, Ocean, specifically "Everything I Hoped You'd Be" and "Remember Us" - Folk/Pop

What about you?  Do you have certain songs that remind you of certain times or seasons?

Be well,
Nikolas

why the wandering? what's this blog about?

Wandering is about journeying in unknown land.

Life is the most unknown land of all.  We might have  signposts to tell us what might be waiting over the next rise, but we know not for certain.  We might meet friends along the road, or run into bandits.  We might get lost in forests or stay awhile at a cozy inn.  Each journey is unique.  Yet our journeys also intersect.  We find travelling companions who join us for a day or a year (or several!).  I want to introduce you to some travelling companions of mine.  I want to share with you some of the things that they've taught me, and some of the things that I've been working through as I continue to walk out my journey.  In this way, the blog is really a work in reflection.  This blog is about exploring faith and life: its nuances, it beauties, its tragedies, and its Hope.

It'll be a strange mixture of songs and stories as we tread the path together!  A discovery here, an honest question there, a memory come to mind, that sort of thing.  I welcome your thoughts, fellow pilgrim, as we journey together.  

Be well,

Nikolas

fresh start

Yesterday I decided to revamp my blog.  I had originally made it for a class assignment on the book of Romans while studying at Eston College.  Then it had sat for some time with a few tidbits of information here and there, but was more or less neglected for a few years.  The time has come!  I feel like it'll be a good outlet for writing and putting some ground beneath the feet of meandering thoughts.  And I hope that someone somewhere might find what I say interesting... though I can't say I'd know why!

Upon cursory glance one might wonder themselves what all this is about:  Svet?  Scarlet Monks?  Mythopoeia?

My mother taught me the importance of clear communication, so I feel that some explanation is in order.