Matt Jones' Random Acts of Verbiage

This has definitely been a complex year. It was good, it was bad, it was exciting. Here is a roundup of my life this past year.

Debt, Debt, Debt
I decided to head back to school once again. The perpetual student, I am. Regent has been a great choice as I have learned a lot. I am glad the first semester is over, but really looking forward to this next one. I don’t think I will have enough money to stick around for summer term, so that kinda sucks, but I will figure it out. If anyone is looking into Christian studies, I would definitely check out Regent, there is no reason not to!

The World of Blogging
I had read a few blogs before but never really thought about writing one myself as I am not much of a writer and never figured I had much to say that people would read. After deciding to try it out, I really jumped into it. I have really enjoyed it so far and really enjoy reading what others have to say about different subjects and appreciate people giving me feedback on my posts. I also feel that Blogging is really going to change the way people see the world. The Main Stream Media (MSM) is on the downward spiral and I can’t see them really doing anything to change that. People have realized just how biased and often uninformed the MSM is. Bloggers have changed the scene. People have instant access to information that can be analyzed, verified, and passed on to many others to do the same, something that would never work with the MSM. Also, in the face of disaster (like the Tsunami that has taken so many lives), people had access to resources to help out and to be helped, also something the MSM could not do. I would now prefer to check blogs daily than watch the news or even read the newspaper. I would recommend the follow places to follow as there is a shift in power from the MSM to those “pajama wearing” writers of all sorts:

Instapundit - This is a must daily read. He provides a great jumping off place to current issues as well as some commentary. He would be the first to suggest that you should also branch out in your reading.
Ann Althouse - She is a lawyer, but I still like to read her. She seems to have her head on her shoulders and always has good things to say about a variety of subjects especially law and politics.
James Lileks - Always a fun read, he is able to intertwine his daily life with some (usually) very intelligent and insightful commentary on the world.
Tim Blair - An Aussie chap that I enjoy reading as it is nice to have a non-American perspective on things.
Bill Whittle - More of an essayist than a pure blogger, but his still qualifies. Bill has written some great essays on the state of the US. A former liberal who had a change of heart and his essays often reflect that change. He has a new book out, ”Silent America”, that is a compilation of his essays that would make a lovely present for your favorite blogger! (wink wink, nudge nudge)
Steven Den Beste - USS Clueless is a solid read at any time. Sadly, Beste doesn’t write any more, but I would still keep this as a daily read. Check his archives, his “best of” and use his search engine, you WILL find something on pretty much ANY topic.
Sound Politics - These folks will keep you updated on politics in Washington State.
Michelle Malkin, VodkaPundit, The Drudge Report - also frequent reads that are worth checking out.

There are a few blogs that I have heard really good things about and hope to start making part of my daily routine, therefore you should too!
Donald Sensing’s “One Hand Clapping”
Hugh Hewitt
Power Line
Andrew Sullivan

Ok, there are many more that I enjoy reading on a non-daily basis as well, but this has already been an overabundance of information, so I will stop for now.

Politics, me?
To the dismay of many family members on my dad’s side of the family, I am much more right-wing than left now. I don’t support everything on the right and don’t write-off everything from the left, but it has become very clear to me that while many liberals have good intent, they just don’t really manage to line up with the reality of the world. Yes, I voted for Bush. Yes, I support, for the most part, the war in Iraq (although do feel we need to leave as soon as possible). I hadn’t really been too interested in politics until 2004, especially becoming more involved in the blogosphere. I still don’t really like to argue politics much because it can really turn people against each other. I will stand up for my beliefs, but it drives me crazy when people think less of people just because they have different beliefs. There is such a double standard, people don’t like Christians because they think we aren’t open minded enough, they think that we should be tolerant of everyone’s beliefs and not be “closed minded” but then when it comes to politics, if you disagree with me, you are a moron. Not quite sure how that works…

Faith
2004 was also a great year for me when it comes to my faith. Heading to regent has been a great “faith booster” and has been great to be around people with similar beliefs and convictions. University Christian Fellowship at UW was great for me and having a lull after being involved with them was somewhat difficult to be detached. Being around a community of believers is extremely important, just as it is important to be around those that don’t believe as well. Both can build and strengthen our faith. Don’t take either for granted.

Relationships?
Oh why did you have to bring that up? Kind of a touchy subject! I guess I will have to wear my heart on my sleeve for this one! I have managed to be dumped twice this year from long term relationships! The first was good because I should have ended it before she did, I just wasn’t being honest with myself or her and that wasn’t good. We were just too different. The second is much harder because I think we were really good for each other. I am moving on, still have a glimmer of home for that one, but I am not expecting anything and recognize that she had to do what she had to do and I hope for the best for her if she doesn’t want to me with me. Ok, both are long stories and not really something I usually talk about in my blog… you know where to reach me if you feel you need to know more!

Movies!
I am actually not too sure what to write about for this. I just know I like movies and have seen a lot of good ones. I have written a few posts about some movies and you can read those if you are interested ([b-386084] and [b-293131]). Of course my favorite movie for the year would have to be Return of the King – Extended Edition, how can it not be? The stuff they added was incredible and it was a great way to end the trilogy, I think Tolkien would have been proud.

Books!
Same as above. I have read a lot of good books for classes that I wouldn’t have read otherwise that I really enjoyed (as well as others that weren’t as good). I am reading a book that I got for Christmas by Michael Crichton called State of Fear that I am really enjoying so far. It is great, he is basically shutting down all the “Global Warming” people. Looking forward to how it all turns out. I like books, tell me what I should read!

Photography
Got a new digital camera that I really enjoy using. I really like photography and look forward to getting out there to take more in 2005.

Science
I haven’t really been in touch with current scientific issues and I hope I can get back into that stuff as there is a lot of really interesting stuff going on out there. Look into it!

There must be other things that I should bring up in the year end review, but I have a horrible memory and can’t think of anything right now… Please remind me if I have left anything out!

I hope you all can reflect on your year, see the good and the bad and learn from it all. God really does allow us to learn from anything we go through, don’t forget that. I pray your 2005 will be what God has called for you and not something of your own making, He knows what you need better than you (and by “you” I mean “me” too).

God bless and Shalom

[UPDATE: The original post and comments are no longer available. Sorry!]