Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

so, i got some itunes gift cards for christmas, and this is one of the albums i bought with them. where to begin... i was sort of worried before buying it, because the review was saying how "it's a more conventional sigur ros, blah blah blah..." and i'm like, "oh, i really liked their older stuff a lot." anyhow, i knew that i wouldn't be able to pass it up, because sigur ros is still sigur ros, no matter how "conventional" they may be. let me just say that all of my fears were quickly disbanded.

yes, a lot of the songs are much shorter than say, Ágætis Byrjun, but i hardly noticed that in listening. the full run time is almost an hour, so that makes for a really good listen. while the instrumentation may be a bit more conventional in some aspects, it is no less epic than their previous work. in fact, i think it's a nice continuation to Takk..., and picks up where songs like Hoppípolla leave off. it's really happy sounding sigur ros, and some songs just make me feel like dancing. Ára bátur is one of the most beautiful songs i've ever heard, and at nine minutes, it's an epic piano ballad that explodes into symphonic bliss. all in all, i couldn't be more pleased with this album, and i genuinely recommend it to anyone and everyone.

so this is the new year...

(i wonder how many people titled their blog that today...) 2009, here we come, and one of my resolutions this year is to keep up with this thing better. a lot has happened within the last couple of weeks. in all honesty, i should be in russia right now, but due to some undesirable circumstances, i am still here in oklahoma. let's backtrack to christmas morning, shall we?

25 december 2008; keller, tx; sometime in the morning. i've just finished opening my second present of the morning, and i'm in a rather jolly mood. it's christmas, after all.
i'm watching everyone else open up theirs when i figure, "why don't i take the packaging off this thing?" one of my cousins-in-law was sitting next to me, and i extend my hand, asking for his knife. he obliges, and i tackle the task of cutting through the cable-ties that hold everything together. i make it through the first one (the sharp plastic it left scuffed up my right index finger, and you would have thought i'd pick out a better instrument for opening the second one). as i begin to cut through the second one, i position the knife so it won't slip out. oh, trust me, it didn't slip out. it just shot out at about a million mph once it broke through the plastic, and before i knew what happened, i see a large gash open up in my left thumb, and blood pooling up where there once was a perfectly fine hand.

after that, i really don't recall much that happened -- it all went down so fast. i rushed into the kitchen (only spilling one drop of blood on the floor, thank you), dropped the knife in the sink, and told people that i just cut myself and would need to go to the emergency room. my brother-in-law, john, rushed into action and got me to sit down as i started to get a little light-headed. i told everyone i was about to pass out, and after that, they apparently laid me on the floor, erinn started screaming bloody murder, everyone gathered to see what's happening, and what felt like hours asleep got crammed into the space of less than a minute. the next thing i felt is something i'd rather not go through again.

have you ever been laying on the ground, with a searing pain in your hand, people looking down on you, being told you've just passed out, all while feeling like you're waking up into another bad dream, thinking, "what is happening?" that has got to be one of the scariest moments of my life. anyhow, we got to the emergency room asap, and they stitched me up, got me on a painkiller, and sent me home with instructions to get to an orthopedic specialist soon because i'd probably need surgery on a tendon (the e.r. people said that i had partially severed one of them...) also, i was informed that i shouldn't be going to russia any time soon.

well, i made it through christmas, but my spirit was slightly dampened and i was quite tired.after seeing an orthopedic surgeon earlier this week, i am apparently quite lucky. rather than cutting through the section of my thumb that the tendons or nerves go through, i got the fat meaty part in between. i was given a removable splint to protect it, and i am now typing with freed up hands. i'll try to go back to work soon, but i'll be taking it easier. i'm still wondering what the grand scheme is as far as erinn and me not going to russia this christmas. even so, i'm glad that i'm in one piece and in a safe place to recover. my wife loves me, and it's been really good to have the together time with her. russia, plan on me being there this summer.

happy new year one and all, keep those traveling in your prayers, as well as the recovery of my thumb. 2008 was a crazy year, but a good one. i've got an even better feeling about 2009. cheers, everyone, and may your year be a blessed one.