You don't know Jesus.

A quick and belated thanks to Josh and Emily for taking me in on the 4th of July. Otherwise, I would have been hanging out with my parents, watching the KOMO 4 coverage of the fireworks display over Lake Union. I'm getting older, but not that old. So thanks again for helping me avoid a depressing holiday.

Another thanks to Jordan, who graciously gave me a discount rate on a Mariners ticket so that I might accompany him to the game Tuesday evening with the Royals. The seats were better than any I'd ever had before: second row, just behind third base. Even though it was a losing effort for the M's (3-2), it was still a good night at the ballpark; Jack Wilson made a couple of nice plays at short and Chone Figgins turned what had to be longest double-play ball in the history of the MLB. The bats were...terrible like they've been all season. I've now seen in-person that trading Cliff Lee is a must.

I just finished Christopher Moore's Lamb last weekend. For the unfamiliar, it's a light-hearted satire on the missing years of Christ's life as told by his best friend, Biff. Coming into it, my thoughts were somewhere along the lines of "well, it's all fiction to me anyways - at least this time it will be funny." Indeed, there is a quite a bit of humor, much of it in how Christ comes to inherit the traits which are commonly associated with his biblical personage - such as his steadfast celibacy (holy shit). Yet what really makes Lamb a unique tale lies in how Jesus is treated as human, rather than the extension of God in shell of man. Yes, he performs his fair share of miracles. But here the messiah doesn't know how to be the messiah right from the beginning. He is not the great shepherd on day one. Instead, he must learn through experience and - at some points - failure. (Character progression in the Almighty's son? I know, total blasphemy. ) So in that sense, it's kind of like Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ made enjoyable by way of crude sexual jokes. Ultimately, the narrative isn't really altered from the one we're already familiar with. And I still don't believe in any of it. But that's not the point. Lamb is great for what it is: fiction.

CURRENT FAVORITE

Mogwai - Special Moves (First off, I rarely get into live albums; I'd rather just go see the band in person. Secondly, I did catch Mogwai on tour about two years ago and was, to be frank, a little underwhelmed. I say this as a big fan of their studio work. Having been previously blown away by performances from the likes of Mono and Red Sparowes, groups that Mogwai unarguably paved the way for, it was a bummer that the Scots weren't able to match up. I don't know if it was the venue, the crappy opener, or merely an off-night for the band. Something was missing. So imagine my surprise when I first listened to these tracks and said "Damn. A Mogwai live album is better than seeing Mogwai live." There is no logic to that statement. Yet, it's true - for me, at least. There's a powerful intimacy to this recording that I didn't experience firsthand. Highly recommended.)