Blogging effectively is tough for me. Maybe that's why I haven't attempted it in a while. Honestly, I'm not convinced anyone really cares about the chronicle of my life anyway. Plus, I'd rather experience life with people than tell them about it on my blog. That being said, I would like to come up with a purpose for this blog, rather than it just being a "here's what I did today." I suppose I could review music, but honestly I don't get new stuff very often. I could share pictures, but normally that requires a camera. I could share interesting articles, links, and tidbits that I find on the web, but that sort of thing is better suited to Twitter or Tumblr, both of which I have. Am I at a loss for ideas? So far, yes. Now's where you leave me a comment with your ideas for a purpose for this blog. Go!

On to bigger and better things...

I am now once again a reader.  Well, that might be a bit of a stretch, but I'm getting there.  I remember a time when, if given the choice, I'd choose to read for fun.  My imagination was filled with the stories of the Boxcar Children and the Hardy Boys, not to mention Aslan and crew from the Chronicles of Narnia.  Unfortunately, those days ended when I started 5th grade at a new school.  Suddenly, I learned what homework was and forgot what reading was.  Well, now that I am no longer a student of any formal institution, I have the responsibility of making the choice to continue my education on my own.  I suppose that's what life is all about, but I feel like I'll probably benefit a bit more by being proactive about it versus just breezing on through.  So anyway, I thought I'd share a couple lists with you.  The first one is fairly short, a list of books I've been working on recently:

C.S. Lewis - A Grief Observed (completed), The Great Divorce, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (re-reading)
John Eldredge - Wild at Heart (completed)
Mark Batterson - In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day

I set aside The Great Divorce a while back, in favor of Wild at Heart, but now that it's complete, I'll get back to it.  I needed a break from deeply thoughtful reading, so I decided to invoke my imagination and re-read The Chronicles of Narnia.  I don't have to sort through syntax to get to the meaning; I can just immerse myself in the story, and I love that.  Reading those books is like watching a movie to me.  Anyway, the second list is my "To read" list.  They're just sitting there on my shelf, waiting for me.  We'll see how long this takes.

Erwin McManus - The Barbarian Way
Becky Tirabassi - Sacred Obsession (for student ministries next fall)
John Piper - The Passion of Jesus Christ
Steve Brown - A Scandalous Freedom
Gene Edwards - A Tale of Three Kings (re-read)
Ron Owens - Return to Worship
Bill Hybels - Too Busy Not to Pray
Rory Noland - The Heart of the Artist (I've tried to read this a number of times and just never finished)
Robert Ludlum - The Bourne Supremacy (Same story here) and The Bourne Ultimatum
Thom S. Rainer & Eric Geiger - Simple Church
C.S. Lewis - Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Problem of Pain, Miracles, and the rest of The Chronicles of Narnia

I'm sure that list is incomplete, but those are all the books and I can think of at this point.  I've also been recommended The Shack, but I don't have it, so I'll have to borrow from someone.

Ok, I think that's enough for today.  I need to leave in 20 minutes for Pendleton, and I want to get a chapter or two more done in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

For Narnia and for Aslan!

On to bigger and better things.  How about that weather, eh?  LOVING IT.  I'm about to hop on my bike and kick it over to church for what is probably my 1,000,000th rehearsal in the last few weeks, but something (probably the weather) makes me not care a whole lot.  Even as I'm writing this, I'm realizing that I'm a pretty colloquial blogger.  I have other friends that feel it necessary to regale their readers with philosophic jargon, with which I have no problem, but I struggle to sift through it, and honestly, if I wanted that kind of reading, I probably wouldn't be reading blogs.

I wrote the title to this post many days ago, but because of my aforementioned difficulties with the image, I never got around to writing it.  And now I find myself wondering where I had intended to go with "The World."  So in lieu of that, I will actually sign off early, in hopes of keeping whatever base of readers I have left in less suspense in the near future (a.k.a. I hope to post again really soon).

Until next time.

One thing I do know, however, is that I want to love people and love what I do.  Maybe therein lies my motivation.

If this were the chorus of a song, what do you think would be a good song title? "Whisper to Me"? "Write Myself In"? "Tell It Again"? Or some combination of those using a subtitle?

www.virb.com/mattulrich
www.myspace.com/mattulrich
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=6614417606

The rhythm track (everything that's not keyboards) was created in Reason, and the rest came from my lovely Nord Electro 2 and my mind/fingers. Most of it is pretty unpolished, but I suppose that's what jamming is all about. Hopefully you enjoy it!

² You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

⁵ You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

¹¹ If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"

¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

¹⁸ Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.

²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?

²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

Ok, I think I must call it quits on this one and hit the sack. My head is currently down, and that is giving me great troubles while trying to type correctly.

Peace to you, my brethren and sistren.

Matt Ulrich (not #69 for the Colts)

Anyway, since I hadn't blogged in a while, I thought I'd stop in and say hi. I am currently living with Pastor Mick (my worship pastor and boss) while I make some life decisions, including one regarding where to live. I've been enjoying a summer of playing country music with Cook and Belle and working at the church. I was recently reminded by a commenter on this blog that I had made a list of everyone I could think of who was engaged (found in my October 15, '06 post). That list had, I believe, 13 people on it, and I do believe most, if not all, of them are now married. Also married are some other people who I did not include in the list either because I didn't know they were engaged at the time or I simply couldn't remember them while writing the list. I could get all emo and cry about how I'm still single and really not content with it, but I won't. You probably are thanking me for not going there, which means we are becoming closer and friendlier. (If that's the case, and you're a single, attractive female, call me.)

That is all. Must...go...to...bed. Night.

Let me know before you buy me one, and I'll get you my address. Or you could just bring it to me. That would be fun and nice.

Matt

CLICK HERE

These people are from Westboro Baptist Church. I am sad that I even had to type that URL, but I wanted to share it with you. Click around on the site, and you'll find more and more outrageous claims. Man, that saddens me.

On a lighter note, I want to work at Google:

CLICK HERE

That is all.

Matt

virb.com/mattulrich
virb.com/melonhead616

I don't really feel like getting into all the reasons why Virb is better than MySpace, but a few include: looks cooler, much more streamlined (doesn't slow down my browser nearly as much), way fewer and less annoying ads, much more customizable and more easily so, etc and etc.

Ok, that's it. I just wanted to share. Bye now.

(GO BEN UTECHT!)

Don't worry everyone...I'm still a Packers fan.  The Colts are kinda like friend rock...you know...when your friend has a band, and you support them more out of the fact that you're friends rather than actually liking their music.  Same idea.  That and the proximity effect.  Favre vs. Manning in Super Bowl XLII?

But to get really honest, that isn't the root issue here.  It's the combination of a number of things.  Have I accomplished anything?  Have I grown and changed?  Have I risked and invested?  Do I have any friends who will actually care at least a bit when I'm gone?  Will my life turn out like it should, or will I screw it up?  Was it worth four years of my life and thousands of dollars of my parents' money (and eventually mine once I start paying off loans)?  Does my family know I love them and owe them the world but don't really know how to show it?  Am I ready to move on into real life?  Maybe it's the fact that it's 2:30 in the morning, and I should be sleeping, but I guess you could say I'm in a pensive mood.  I just want to make a difference and live without regrets.  And more than anything, I'm scared of being alone, which is something I'd much rather share with a friend or a special someone who is more than a friend, but at this point, I don't have the latter, and I question the former.  My phone sits silent most of the time, unless someone needs something, and not very often does my computer make that fun whooshing sound, announcing an incoming instant message.  Man, it's a good thing no one reads this, or you'd probably consider this an invitation to my pity party and then slap me for being such an idiot.  I am being serious, but realize that I don't intend to over-dramatize it.  I just think about these things sometimes, and the closer I become to a college graduate, the more they shift to the foreground.  It is good to know, or at least to assume, that there are other people who process these same things.  And of course, if I could figure out how to surrender control, there is One who can take care of it and me.  I guess I'm not alone.

Matt

Anywho, next semester is almost here, and not only is it the only thing standing between me and summer break (aka warm weather), it is the only thing standing between me and real life. Yes, folks, that's right. It's my LAST semester of college, and very likely my last semester of school ever. I'm not closed to the thought of going farther in my education if necessary someday, but for now, I think I'll be done.

As I mentioned in my last post, a number of my friends will be marrying soon, and since the writing of said post, I've thought of a number of more friends who find themselves victims of the same fate. Forgive my terminology; maybe I'm just bitter at my state of singleness. Anyway, I'll be playing for a few of these weddings and receptions, and probably attending most or all of them, so that will be one feature of my summer. Also, I hope to be touring and playing music so I don't have to get a real job.

If you get a chance, you should check out my website www.mattulrich.com. If you've ever visited it before, you will probably notice that nothing major has changed. Oh, but that's just what you notice at first glance. If you'll recall, clicking a link would simply take you to the desired website. Well, now you get the pleasure of a new experience. Click a link. It's sweet. You'll like it. I promise.

I'm a nerd...

Lately, I've had a strong desire to start a podcast. You laugh and think that if I don't update my blog, why would I ever update my podcast. You're probably right. Plus, I don't have a ton of hard drive space left, nor do I have very good equipment with which to make a podcast with any semblance of professionalism. Plus, who would care anyway? So on to other pursuits...

I've also had a realization that I might really like to get into scoring films or television shows. I just finished watching the 5th season of 24 on DVD (my Christmas present to myself), and one of the bonus features was a featurette about the guy who does the music and how he does it. I was very intrigued, but also quite sad that apparently you need to be rich to do something like this, because I could never afford the hardware and software with which scores for shows of that magnitude are produced. I suppose I could work my way up. It's another option for "real life" I guess...

Well, I've officially covered topics that allow me to file this post under every category, so I guess that means there's not much left to say. It's getting late, and I need to get out of the habit of sleeping in past noon. My Monday, Wednesday, Friday classes once again start at 9am next semester, and sleeping through them isn't really an option. Friends, thank you for your listening ear (or in the case of this blog, your reading eye). Happy new year, and God bless America!

Matt

Ok, I thought of a fun topic for this post. I will now attempt to list everyone I can think of that is engaged. Here goes:

Jon Mobley
Evan Gilmore
Nate Heironimus
Phil Larson
Tim Hollowell
Peter Smith
Dave Elwert
Ben Eades
Nate Brown
Curt Anderson
Mark DeLaVergne
Ryan Fancher
Jeremy Zerkle

Well, that's about all I can think of at this time, and that only accounts for guy friends from college. I have plenty of female and high school friends who are also engaged. Hopefully you enjoyed that list, and if you know of anyone I forgot, please feel free to leave your input. Oh yeah, I thought you'd like to know I'm currently listening to Foreigner, and what song should come on but "Waiting for a Girl Like You." Ironic really.

Much love,
Matt

Anywho, I'm gearing up to lead worship for Worship in the Valley on Friday night. It's a pretty cool part of orientation weekend, so I'm excited and nervous to be helping out in that capacity. Classes start on Monday, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle the load. My class schedule is pretty lop-sided, with four classes on MWF (9,11,12,1) and only one on TR (8:30). Well, technically there's Jazz Ensemble on MW at 5 as well, and Orangehaus usually falls on some evening. On top of that stuff, I'll hopefully be playing a lot of music with Paige, Jennifer Stanley, Melissa Sandullo, Chad Meadow's and my new band, or anyone else who wants to hire me. I'd love to make some more dough playing for weddings. Everyone seems to be engaged or almost engaged, so you'd think I'd have more wedding gigs. Oh well...

I should get back to planning Worship in the Valley. I think you're up-to-date on me now. Oh yeah...one more thing...I turned 21 this past August 6. Thought you'd want to know.

Bye.

Matty

Matt

Matt

Matt!

Then Click Here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anderson_Packers
http://nbahoopsonline.com/teams
http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_1950.html

Enjoy!

SOUL PATROL!!

Peace.

Matt

Make sure you know which one you're buying when you buy. Read the label.

This public message brought to you courtesy of my own personal experience.

Matt

Happy listening!

Matt