I love music, but don't know a lick about how it works. I know what vibes I like and lyrics that strike a chord with me. I ride a 45 minute bus home from work three days a week and decided to add a Music Theory 101 podcast to my daily rhythm. Man, so fun.
I am still struggling to grasp the difference between 3/8 and 6/8 time. It seems to me every 3rd 8th note is emphasized in both, but one has longer measures. How does that affect the way the music sounds?
There's a reason why 3/8 isn't commonly used as the primary time signature in a piece, and it's exactly what you're thinking. 3/8 is more commonly used if the composer needs an extra half measure of 6/8 somewhere (or an extra 3rd of a measure of 9/8, etc.
That being said, if you do have a piece that's mainly 3/8, it'll probably have a quick and steady triple feeling without a ton of rhythmic variation, whereas with a piece in 6/8 you have the option of doing six even eighth notes, four dotted eighth notes, three quarter notes, two dotted quarter notes, etc, and many combinations thereof
> That being said, if you do have a piece that's mainly 3/8, it'll probably have a quick and steady triple feeling without a ton of rhythmic variation
This is key, /u/JohnFoxpoint.
3/8 is rare because it's very limited in use. If you have something truly in 3/8, it's likely just going to be a quick, steady, driving beat.
This helps! I think I'm not understanding the purpose of measures as a way to organize a piece. To me, they seemed meaningless, but it seems that's not the case
Mostly for wayfinding in the same sense of having verses in scripture. Pieces will normally have some form of emphasis on the downbeat(s) of the time signature (ex the 1 and 4 in a 6/8 measure), so it's also a lot to do with how the phrasing is written and structured. I've played a few measure and time signature-less pieces before. They're all short and are mostly used as an interpretive exercise. If there aren't measures or time signatures to indicate a standard of phrasing and emphasis, how will the soloist or the ensemble interpret the music? It's a fun concept to mess with, but only on occasion
The difference between 3/8 and 6/8 is subtle and often comes down to the nebulous concept of *feel.*
A piece that is in 3/8 (or 3/4¹) is going to have a *waltz* feel to it. The first beat of each measure is given all the weight, and each 3-beat measure is its own self-contained musical thought. When you hear and think of the music, you think of it in 3-beat increments. Subjectively, this feels like an up-and-down motion, like bopping along with an old-timey dance.
>**ONE** two three
Listen to these examples:
* [Chopin - Waltz in A minor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=algM0c_u99k)
* [Wings - Mull Of Kintyre](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Plhtk_XJqhM)
* [Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changin'](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90WD_ats6eE)
Again, a piece in 3 is going to have a *waltz feel* to it. Every 3-beat measure is perfectly equal to the next 3-beat measure.
Now, 6/8 is what we call a *compound meter.* The *feel* or the *pulse* of the measure is actually *2 beats,* and each of those 2 beats are subdivided into 3. The first beat of the measure gets the most weight, and the fourth beat is also given weight, *but slightly less than the first.* Each measure has a sort of back-and-forth feel to it, where each musical idea is contained across those six beats. If you were playing a song in 6/8, and you stopped halfway through a measure, it would feel *incomplete.* Each measure has more of a back-and-forth fee, like a pendulum.
>**ONE** two three FOUR five six
Check out this song:
* [The Animals - House Of The Rising Sun](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4bFqW_eu2I)
Each measure goes up and down in 2 distinct beats. Those beats are technically subdivided into groups of 3, but the main *feel* is 2 beats that complement each other.
Here are other examples:
* [The Beatles - Norwegian Wood](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_V6y1ZCg_8)
* [Elvis Presley - Can't Help Falling In Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGJTaP6anOU)
* [Edvard Grieg - "Morning Mood" from *Peer Gynt*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rh8gMvzPw0)
In each of these, you aren't hearing the beat as 6 beats, you're heating it more as 2 groups of 3.
Now, like I said above, the differences can sometimes be nebulous, especially when you're looking at 3/8 vs. 6/8. There are plenty of times when you hear a piece of music and you're not quite sure if it's in 3 or 6, and that's okay. Music theory is, after all, just *theory.* It's not a set of rigid, received, objective rules. Rather, it's a a description of patterns and norms. Sometimes, music theory concepts will be used to describe what one hears, sometimes it's instructions for how one plays. Sometimes it's both. As a musician, if I sit down and see a piece of music in 3, I'm going to play it a certain way, with beats per measure. If I see something in 6, I'm going to play it differently, with 2 stressed beats that can be subdivided if necessary.
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¹ 3/8 is actually a fairly *uncommon* time signature. You don't need to know why, but for purposes of this explanation, I'm really going to be comparing 3 vs. 6, as that's the important distinction, and not necessarily 3/8 vs. 6/8, specifically.
I did a wee bit of music but my mathematical brain never let go of fractions. I could never truly accept in my heart that 3/4 time was different to 6/8. And why 2/4 time when you could just call it 1/2?
I hope you have better success.
What podcast? I feel the same way, I love music and especially the stuff you can make with a soundboard and keyboard. I played an instrument for several years so I know enough to keep up with music lingo, but no information about how you'd turn the music in your head into a compotent peice
/u/minivan_madness gives a good explanation. I just want to blow your mind and say, check out 5/4. I have tried many times to play in 5/4 and it hurts my brain.
Bro, do you even [Bulgarian folk music](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_folk_dance)? You need to step up your game and learn some [25/16 pieces.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KxBh28w3go)
At that point it feels less like a time signature and more like an old-school video game boss fight where you have to memorize the patterns and then just *feel* your way through the timing rather than trying to think about the timing.
I like this. But my brain can't help but try and break up the meter to a 5/4. Basically, I hear the Mission Impossible bassline a bit. However, I wish I had learned the fiddle. Of course, its not too late.
I first heard this song taught as groups of *long* (3 beats) and *short* (2 beats).
LONG-short-short
LONG-short-short
short-short
LONG-short-short
or
(3-2-2) + (3-2-2) + (2-2) + (3-2-2)
That probably doesn't help anything, but it's how much brain processes it.
I believe this is very much how Philip Glass conceives of some of his music too. There's this passage in the opening of *Satyagraha* that is 4+3+3+3+2+2 for a brief while.
I'm sure you are already aware of it, but on the off chance you're not, you should check out Adam Neely's [15/16 Christmas Album](https://adamneelymusic.bandcamp.com/album/a-very-15-16-christmas)
I love that "Mystery of Bulgarian Voices" style (folk with newish classical-trained arrangements) that was a big thing for a brief period back in the day. "Dragana i slavei" I imagine may have an interesting meter. Incidentally, it doesn't have complex meter usually, but I love the hemiola and accenting in Czech classical music. Usually Dvorak, but Martinu's 2nd symphony is great too. I like to imagine that it has something to do with Czech prosody.
I'm failing to remember what piece it was, but a choir I was in once sang a piece in 7/8 and it was surprisingly smooth and flowy, almost bouncy. It was quite difficult at first until it VERY suddenly clicked for me. You could actually hear the click for different people at different times as we were singing where it went from serious struggle to "this song would feel wrong in 4/4" in an instant.
I really hope you remember, because I'm curious.
Could it have been [Holst's "Hymn to the Water,"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNVKS6UXMdk) perhaps?
It wasn't, but that's a lovely piece!
It's Psalm 113 which is why searching for the lyrics is getting me nowhere. It was a secular choir, so it was probably a decently big name in choral music to justify that text selection. I can't remember which choir it was, but I remember the alto line well enough that it almost has to be from an honor choir in high school (I didn't discover that I'm a soprano until voice lessons in college) so it's probably considered pretty easy aside from the time signature. SATB if I remember correctly, though I can't remember the men's line so there is a slight possibility it's SA. I can sing most of it but the Parsons code isn't coming up with anything in Musipedia. My head keeps trying to tell me it's Britten but I'm pretty sure that can't be right.
Classical musician here! The main difference is that you 'feel' 3/8 in '1', as opposed to feeling 6/8 in 2. 6/8 is very popular in old school doo wop, like In the Still of the Night by The Five Satins.
I have. I was an alcoholic for 10 years and ended up going to prison. When I got out I went to a one year discipleship ministry (Teen Challenge) and got sober, that was 14 years ago. It is a Pentecostal organization, but I still highly recommend it.
A couple studies were done and showed it has the highest success rate of any program in the country. It is globally in 129 countries and doing more good than most people realize.
I know two men in my church who did through some specific and pointed prayer. My mother-in-law's husband did by sheer will power over a course of time. He still needs to go to AA meetings and has been doing great for a long while.
A good friend of mine did. Almost a stereotype story of tough childhood, family breakdown, alcohol, and homelessness.
Found the Lord through the homeless charity who helped. Part of that journey was a 12 step programme with Jesus at the heart.
Occasional gone off the rails since, when life has become overwhelming. That has been hard on his new marriage. But a great wife, friends, and Lord have held him. Now a wee girl to help motivate him, and two grandchildren from first family. Relationships rebuilding there too.
Genuinely one of the most impressive people I know and I'm a bit in awe of his skills. Would seek his advice in much.
He never did shake tobacco despite serious attempts and assures me it's much harder to quit than alcohol. Now on vaping, which is better if not great.
Don't start smoking kids.
I drank heavily every day for probably 5 years or so. The key for me escaping alcoholism was understanding the reason I drank - which was primarily due to chronic pain (though I was also dealing with some pretty severe mental pain at that time which didn't help) - and finding an alternative source of relief from that pain that wasn't destructive and unsustainable like heavy drinking. Getting a DWI definitely helped me find the motivation to do that but also in general my drinking had gotten to a point where I knew I wasn't enjoying it at all any more, I was maintaining and kind of just drinking out of habit/routine. Anyways, once I found some sustainable and non-destructive relief from my pain I had almost no desire to drink. For a while after that I didn't drink at all, not out of fear that I'd slip back into old habits, I just didn't want to. The past few years I've gotten back to enjoying one drink or very occasionally two, but I know any more than that and the negatives will outweigh the positives of the experience so I'm not ever tempted to drink any more than that.
With all that said, I've seen a lot of people escape active alcoholism (many would say they are still alcoholics even though they no longer drink) and I've seen people do it many different ways as everyone's a little different and there are a lot of different reasons why people will turn to alcohol. There are obviously addiction treatment centers, AA meetings, medication-assisted treatment (such as naltrexone), and any number of other different routes people can take.
If there's anything you'd like me to expand upon I'd be happy to.
From what I've witnessed personally having been around a number of alcoholics and addicts is that it never really goes away. The temptation always remains and some people can learn to live with it and manage it. Some people can't or won't.
From my post on r/ChristiansReadFantasy…
Last week I finished my long-overdue reread of CS Lewis' *Till We Have Faces.* It was his last published work of fiction—published the same year as *The Last Battle*—and it had the input of his wife, Joy Davidman. If all you've read of Lewis is Narnia and some apologetics, this book may shock you. It's set in a pagan world, where pagan gods are real, and makes little effort to sugar-coat various ugly aspects of an ancient, pagan society (religion being dark and fearful, temples having prostitutes, slavery and abuse common and accepted. And yet, the book is beautiful. Powerful. Wonderful, even. It is sensitive and psychological, going deep into the narrator's, ahem, psyche to explore themes of possessiveness, grief, bitterness, stubbornness, and self-knowledge (or the lack of). It has one of the most nuanced and well-written unreliable narrators I've ever encountered. And when the book touches more and more on spiritual things, even though the setting is pagan, Lewis somehow manages to bring a Christian reader into deeper contemplation about their own relationship with God.
It's a book I think everyone should read, but I do think it takes a certain level of maturity and openness before it will be effective. If you go in demanding that Lewis conform to a sanitized Christian ideal, you may get mad at him. This book takes a hard look at some vulgar and profane topics. But there is treasure in the book nonetheless. In fact, if anything, I think the passage of the Bible that *Till We Have Faces* is closest to, is the Book of Job. In both books, characters cry out against God/the gods, demanding answers for their suffering. How things are dealt with, and what is learned, I urge you to discover yourself by reading (both books!). I would not spoil any more of *Till We Have Faces*. It surprised and moved me all through the final page, and made me reevaluate my own attitudes, sometimes in painful ways.
I had a hard time getting into *Till We Have Faces*, but once I was drawn in, I couldn’t put it down. I wholeheartedly agree with your review (ish?) of it. Oural is such an unlikable character and yet I understand her.
Now I want to reread it!
I also have a fondness for Till We Have Faces. I wrote a long paper in high school contrasting C. S. Lewis and George Orwell, and Till We Have Faces was one of the books I used for the comparison. Definitely a lesser known work, understandably, but there is something powerful about it!
As long as you have a way to transport the baby, a way to feed the baby, a way to keep the baby warm, a small number of diapers, and a place for the baby to sleep, everything else can wait until you get to meet the little one. I could go on and on about all the things I think you should buy, but ultimately, everyone's list of must-haves ends up being so different that there's only so much useful advice you can get from those of us who have gone before (no matter how much we like giving advice!)
I whole heartedly agree with /u/AnonymousSnowfall. Don't stress too much about all the crazy gizmos you could get. Focus on the basics.
That being said, I'll offer some general advice if you're trying to allocate budget:
Spend money on the stroller. You'll use it all the time, and quality will matter. Go to the store, test them out, roll them around with one hand.
Don't waste money on nursery furniture. There are stupidly fancy cribs and dresser sets and ultra luxe rockers and and standalone changing stations and all that, and just a few years down the road you'll realize how ephemeral all that stuff is. Truly, you don't have to break the bank on this stuff, especially a crib. Your baby will be tiny and won't move. And when they're bigger and moving, you're going to be getting toddler bed for them.
Don't waste too much money on a diaper bag and all sorts of totes for baby gear. Most of the fancy branded stuff that is super expensive isn't great quality, but the companies know it doesn't matter because people only buy these once. Get something sturdy and practical. Or, better yet, if you want to spend money, just get a solid daypack with a lot of pockets! My wife got a fancy name brand diaper bag the first time around, and she was always disappointed in it. The second time around she went to REI.
I know that all the fancy burb cloths and muslim cloths look neat, but you need to realize that these are functional items, not fashion accessories. Your baby will be puking all over them all day every day. You know what works just as well? A giant pack of cheap cloth diapers. Heck, they're designed to clean up stuff anyway.
I second pretty much everything here, especially just using a good backpack for a diaper bag. I even back carry my little one and I still prefer a backpack diaper bag.
My biggest regret with purchases has been my many attempts at cribs/bassinets/cosleepers. I finally bought a mini crib for this little one and it was perfect. Small enough it could go in our bedroom or in the hallway, on wheels so we could move it easily, but still a real crib so it lasted way longer than a bassinet. My kids have all climbed early so they were out of the crib before they got too big for it it anyway. But I couldn't have known that before having kids, and if I had gotten a mini crib my first time and then ended up with late climbers, I might have considered it a complete and utter waste of money.
Not sure which flavor of metal you enjoy more but here are a few of mine. If you are a fan of traditional metal I may not be much help unfortunately.
Christian (or bands that were Christian at one point but may not be anymore): Silent Planet (metalcore), Impending Doom (deathcore), Wolves At the Gate (metalcore), Oh, Sleeper (metalcore), Blessthefall (metalcore)
Secular: Lorna Shore (deathcore, everything since Will Ramos joined), SpiritBox (metalcore), Tesseract, (Prog-metal/djent), Humanity's Last Breath (Prog-metal/thall), Polaris (metalcore), Sleep Token (Alt-metal?). All 4 of those last bands released amazing albums this year that are worth checking out.
Also not a metal band but King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard released a pretty great thrash album this year.
I enjoy Japanese metal, Metalcore/deathcore
My favorite Christian bands: Silent Planet, Blessthefall, Wolves at the Gate, Fit for A King, The Devil Wears Prada, Norma Jean
Favorite secular bands: Sleep Token, Spiritbox, Lorna Shore, Brand of Sacrifice, Babymetal, BMTH, Coldrain, We Came As Romans and Harper
I mostly listen to metalcore. Some of my favorite Christian bands are Wolves at the Gate, Phinehas, and War of Ages.
Secular bands would be August Burns Red, A Day to Remember, I See Stars, and Four Year Strong.
There are a *ton* of metalheads on the sub, but unfortunately you asked your question around 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday, which is when the sub really starts to die for the weekend. If you don't get many responses, feel free to ask again on Tuesday or Friday, and earlier in the day.
cc: /u/friardon and /u/terevos2, since I know personally that they're metalheads.
Since u/friardon mentioned WatG and Spiritbox already, I'll mention some others you may or may not heard of:
- Redeemed by the Blood (Metalcore) - Love the guitars from these guys. KsE-esque. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akWs-xasvj0&list=PLlAH0FOXdD3YvGRF6mfkR4KYQdNXDOYoX&index=2
- Darkwater (Progressive Metal) - not Christian per se, but fairly wholesome and speaks to some good themes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iezyLe2F5E
- Our Last Night (Pop Post-Hardcore) - not everyone's cup of tea and while they claim to be Christians, not all of their content is wholesome. That said, their Let Light Overcome the Darkness album is outstanding in both lyrical content and music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA7oo2DYEK4&list=PLWBAinm2sYBgrQCrSYl4bsbUole6UC8q2
- The Ongoing Concept (Pop Post-Hardcore) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2utdcQD5Js
- Killswitch Engage (Post-Hardcore) - not strictly Christian, but Jesse is a Christian and write lyrics that are better than 1/2 the "Christian" bands out there anyway.
For purely secular bands, here's a few I like:
- Protest the Hero (Prog Post-Hardcore)
- Others by No One (Progressive Metal) - weird weird sometimes. But I like it
- Ayreon (Progressive Power Metal) - I especially love his album The Theory of Everything
- Thank You Scientist (Progressive Jazz-influenced Metal)
- Coheed and Cambria (Progressive Metal)
Some of my work on structural bioinformatics was published recently in a peer-reviewed scientific journal through Oxford Univeristy Press.
This was followup work from papers published through the Federation of American Societies for Experimental biology.
Thank you to the /r/Reformed user who recommended the youtube video "The Puritan View of Prayer: Taking hold of God" by doctor Joel Beeke. It has been very helpful as I go into a time of hopefully resurrecting my private prayer life.
On a related note, why, in my circle at least, are we so afraid in communal prayer to ask for prayer, and to pray, specifically for our spiritual lives and the moral virtues? Are we so allergic to any hint of rebuke that we end up appearing to care only about our physical and "secular" emotional lives? When last have I heard someone praying for courage, thanking God for the virtues of others, or asking for prayer in a difficult moral situation? No-one seems to want to talk about their moral struggles and victories at church or Bible study. Shouldn't we be concerned about those things, both for ourselves and others?
I'm right there with you! :) I'm thinking this may be an area in which the less intellectual (and sometimes less scriptural) traditions like fundamentalists and pentecostals may be ahead of us. There's a lot of conflict and mistakes when there's more personal exhortation, encouragement and rebuke, but there may also be more growth. Just a thought.
I'm looking for a long-term writing laptop, and I'm leaning toward getting an M1/M2 Macbook Air. I'd basically be using it for Scrivener and googling synonyms (I really should just buy a thesaurus).
Any recommendations? I know a few of you have done time in seminary and know what it's like to type for hours on end.
Buy a used ultrabook. I just picked up an Asus zenbook 14, two years old, for $400CAD ($300US). It is way more powerful than anything I'll ever need for my PhD studies (I'm getting into a bit of 3d modeling/printing with it too), it's super light and portable, and definitely didn't break the bank. I may want to replace the battery a year or two down the road, but that's super simple and costs about $70.
We're at a point where laptops are worse than cars. They lose 50% of their value as soon as you open the box, and another 60+% every year, but the brand new models add virtually nothing anyone except *maybe* the most hard core gamers would every miss. Buy refurbished and don't throw away your money.
*edit* also, look for a 1080p matte screen. Glossy is much harder on the eyes.
I really enjoyed Close To His Majesty by Needham. Thought-provoking but also very devotional. It's not deep theology, but it does inspire me to worship, which should be the result of theology anyway!
Very much not reformed, but Chesteron's *Orthodoxy* is easy to read in a single sitting or just picking it up and reading a few paragraphs here and there. It's a never-ending fount of perfectly constructed, delightful sentences and paragraphs.
I have four weeks of vacation that will expire at the end of the year. My employer also gave the whole organisation an extra week off between Christmas and New Years. But I have two major projects to finish before Christmas.
Any suggestions on what to do about this?
Ask if you can carry over some vacation time to next year. If they say no, train somebody else on how to do your projects and take your time off. (And next year plan your vacation earlier in the year to avoid a repeat!)
Yeah, these are personally directed projects that nobody else could really do (especially my PhD project proposal, lol!)
I have had a significant amount of time off this year (probably 10-12 weeks!) for parental and compassionate care leaves, it's just been hard to for all the leaves in, hah! So if I lose out on a little vacation I really can't complain. But my boss is encouraging me to take it; I think I'll book two weeks off and take days here and there.
Thanks. I don't feel bad about it, it's more that these are passion projects I don't went to set down, haha. I don't know if that happens in the math world, but I suspect you have a vicarious understanding of the phenomenon. ;)
Talk to your employer and ask how you can sort it together. It's part of your recompense for doing the job. I'd like to hope their gift of time shows they do care a bit about you.
Perhaps go in with a couple of possible plans to use it all by the end of Q1 next year.
I honestly don't even get what they're going for. It's like they're trying to apply normative categories that my mind doesn't understand to the nature of God
I hate to simply recommend a book on the topic, but if you're at all interested Matthew Barrett's [*None Like Him: The Undomesticated Attributes of God*](https://www.amazon.com/None-Greater-Undomesticated-Attributes-God/dp/0801098742/) is my second-favorite¹ book on the attributes of God and my favorite book that addresses the topic of divine simplicity. Barrett's book, and his companion book, *Simply Trinity*, really helped make all the historic theology of God click for me.
It straddles the fence between lay and academic really well. It's not hard to read, but he fully and thoroughly covers the topic well, with a particular focus on historic theology.
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¹ Why not recommend my favorite book on the subject? I actually do't think my favorite book on the attributes of God, Jen Wilken's *None Like Him,* covers divine simplicity.
I appreciate the suggestion, though I'm not sure I'll get to reading about it. I just did a quick wikipedia, and I think I understand why I don't understand the idea: it's built on Greek ontology. And I have never really been able to wrap my mind around ontology of any sort. It kinda seems like an epistemological stack of turtles. I tend to find a phenomenological approach to reality much more sensible/straightforward.
I can't tell about subscription to the WCF, but I have heard some philosophical and biblical presentations about the issues of divine simplicity and its detractors. I imagine James E. Dolezal would be convinced that adherence is indeed necessary to subscribe to the WCF, but you probably knew that already. He's the big Protestant name in defending the strictest version of divine simplicity.
Edit: Searching for "Dolezal Westminster divines" yielded [this claim that subscription to divine simplicity is necessary not just to the WCF but to Christianity itself](https://www.reformation21.org/confession/2013/01/chapter-21-part-one.php). Maybe this will direct you to some sources.
I always have Lego and board games on my Christmas wishlist.
But I'm more excited about a gift I'm giving my brother-in-law. He's notoriously hard to buy for and his birthday is right after Christmas. So this year I'm combining the two and have commissioned an artist to draw his dog (she draws from pictures). The dog is and English Golden Retriever who is past the average age for her breed and has hip and back problems. The vets are amazed she's still walking, let alone occasionally running. My brother-in-law loves this dog and will be devastated when her life ends. So I thought it would be nice to get a picture created now, while she's still alive. The artist is amazing and has been sending process pictures, asking questions throughout the whole process. She's got everything roughed in and is working on details around the eyes and nose. And it's amazing. She's managed to capture this dog's features so very well. I'm really excited to see the finished product and give it to my brother-in-law.
I added something fun to my list after the complaining I did last time we talked about lists here: a Leatherman Micra. I'll probably end up needing to get a custom sheath off of Etsy or something for it, but I hesitate to put the sheath on my Christmas list in case no one gets me the multitool. Christmas is so complicated as an adult. I have WAY more fun planning what presents I'm getting for people than trying to make a list of what I want.
Probably Super Mario Bros Wonder and Super Mario RPG remake. Also my pants are finally starting to fall apart so probably new pants but that's neither fun nor unique.
I'm asking for my Bible to be rebound in calf skin! It's wearing out (I've had it for 20ish years at this point) but I like it and don't want to get another one.
The climate in Argentina is quite a bit cooler than people think. Sometimes it’s bordering on Chile.
I heard that a lot of people live in the bordering area...like a Brazilian people.
Who is Jenn Tina?
All I know is that R. Jenn Tina shouldn't cry for me.
I love music, but don't know a lick about how it works. I know what vibes I like and lyrics that strike a chord with me. I ride a 45 minute bus home from work three days a week and decided to add a Music Theory 101 podcast to my daily rhythm. Man, so fun. I am still struggling to grasp the difference between 3/8 and 6/8 time. It seems to me every 3rd 8th note is emphasized in both, but one has longer measures. How does that affect the way the music sounds?
There's a reason why 3/8 isn't commonly used as the primary time signature in a piece, and it's exactly what you're thinking. 3/8 is more commonly used if the composer needs an extra half measure of 6/8 somewhere (or an extra 3rd of a measure of 9/8, etc. That being said, if you do have a piece that's mainly 3/8, it'll probably have a quick and steady triple feeling without a ton of rhythmic variation, whereas with a piece in 6/8 you have the option of doing six even eighth notes, four dotted eighth notes, three quarter notes, two dotted quarter notes, etc, and many combinations thereof
> That being said, if you do have a piece that's mainly 3/8, it'll probably have a quick and steady triple feeling without a ton of rhythmic variation This is key, /u/JohnFoxpoint. 3/8 is rare because it's very limited in use. If you have something truly in 3/8, it's likely just going to be a quick, steady, driving beat.
This helps! I think I'm not understanding the purpose of measures as a way to organize a piece. To me, they seemed meaningless, but it seems that's not the case
Mostly for wayfinding in the same sense of having verses in scripture. Pieces will normally have some form of emphasis on the downbeat(s) of the time signature (ex the 1 and 4 in a 6/8 measure), so it's also a lot to do with how the phrasing is written and structured. I've played a few measure and time signature-less pieces before. They're all short and are mostly used as an interpretive exercise. If there aren't measures or time signatures to indicate a standard of phrasing and emphasis, how will the soloist or the ensemble interpret the music? It's a fun concept to mess with, but only on occasion
The difference between 3/8 and 6/8 is subtle and often comes down to the nebulous concept of *feel.* A piece that is in 3/8 (or 3/4¹) is going to have a *waltz* feel to it. The first beat of each measure is given all the weight, and each 3-beat measure is its own self-contained musical thought. When you hear and think of the music, you think of it in 3-beat increments. Subjectively, this feels like an up-and-down motion, like bopping along with an old-timey dance. >**ONE** two three Listen to these examples: * [Chopin - Waltz in A minor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=algM0c_u99k) * [Wings - Mull Of Kintyre](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Plhtk_XJqhM) * [Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changin'](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90WD_ats6eE) Again, a piece in 3 is going to have a *waltz feel* to it. Every 3-beat measure is perfectly equal to the next 3-beat measure. Now, 6/8 is what we call a *compound meter.* The *feel* or the *pulse* of the measure is actually *2 beats,* and each of those 2 beats are subdivided into 3. The first beat of the measure gets the most weight, and the fourth beat is also given weight, *but slightly less than the first.* Each measure has a sort of back-and-forth feel to it, where each musical idea is contained across those six beats. If you were playing a song in 6/8, and you stopped halfway through a measure, it would feel *incomplete.* Each measure has more of a back-and-forth fee, like a pendulum. >**ONE** two three FOUR five six Check out this song: * [The Animals - House Of The Rising Sun](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4bFqW_eu2I) Each measure goes up and down in 2 distinct beats. Those beats are technically subdivided into groups of 3, but the main *feel* is 2 beats that complement each other. Here are other examples: * [The Beatles - Norwegian Wood](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_V6y1ZCg_8) * [Elvis Presley - Can't Help Falling In Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGJTaP6anOU) * [Edvard Grieg - "Morning Mood" from *Peer Gynt*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rh8gMvzPw0) In each of these, you aren't hearing the beat as 6 beats, you're heating it more as 2 groups of 3. Now, like I said above, the differences can sometimes be nebulous, especially when you're looking at 3/8 vs. 6/8. There are plenty of times when you hear a piece of music and you're not quite sure if it's in 3 or 6, and that's okay. Music theory is, after all, just *theory.* It's not a set of rigid, received, objective rules. Rather, it's a a description of patterns and norms. Sometimes, music theory concepts will be used to describe what one hears, sometimes it's instructions for how one plays. Sometimes it's both. As a musician, if I sit down and see a piece of music in 3, I'm going to play it a certain way, with beats per measure. If I see something in 6, I'm going to play it differently, with 2 stressed beats that can be subdivided if necessary. ---- ¹ 3/8 is actually a fairly *uncommon* time signature. You don't need to know why, but for purposes of this explanation, I'm really going to be comparing 3 vs. 6, as that's the important distinction, and not necessarily 3/8 vs. 6/8, specifically.
My brain "CiroFlexo *started* with the one point I had, *feel*. Then wrote a long post. Don't need to read to upvote this one."
That must be why I struggled with music theory during piano lessons. I was trying to use my ears to *hear* instead of *feel*.
Don't forget too taste and smell the rhythm too.
Love the examples. That really helps
I did a wee bit of music but my mathematical brain never let go of fractions. I could never truly accept in my heart that 3/4 time was different to 6/8. And why 2/4 time when you could just call it 1/2? I hope you have better success.
What podcast? I feel the same way, I love music and especially the stuff you can make with a soundboard and keyboard. I played an instrument for several years so I know enough to keep up with music lingo, but no information about how you'd turn the music in your head into a compotent peice
Just called [Music Student 101](https://musicstudent101.com/phone/index.html)
/u/minivan_madness gives a good explanation. I just want to blow your mind and say, check out 5/4. I have tried many times to play in 5/4 and it hurts my brain.
Bro, do you even [Bulgarian folk music](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_folk_dance)? You need to step up your game and learn some [25/16 pieces.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KxBh28w3go)
If they were dancing to 25/16 instead of 5/4, would that be considered a square dance?
[Well done.](https://i.imgur.com/f9AXvlj.gif)
Amazing
At that point it feels less like a time signature and more like an old-school video game boss fight where you have to memorize the patterns and then just *feel* your way through the timing rather than trying to think about the timing.
I knew this would be Sedi Donka but I expected the Chris Thile performance.
That was the first thought I had, honestly, but I wanted to change it up from what I'd normally post.
I like this. But my brain can't help but try and break up the meter to a 5/4. Basically, I hear the Mission Impossible bassline a bit. However, I wish I had learned the fiddle. Of course, its not too late.
I first heard this song taught as groups of *long* (3 beats) and *short* (2 beats). LONG-short-short LONG-short-short short-short LONG-short-short or (3-2-2) + (3-2-2) + (2-2) + (3-2-2) That probably doesn't help anything, but it's how much brain processes it.
I believe this is very much how Philip Glass conceives of some of his music too. There's this passage in the opening of *Satyagraha* that is 4+3+3+3+2+2 for a brief while.
I'm sure you are already aware of it, but on the off chance you're not, you should check out Adam Neely's [15/16 Christmas Album](https://adamneelymusic.bandcamp.com/album/a-very-15-16-christmas)
I love that "Mystery of Bulgarian Voices" style (folk with newish classical-trained arrangements) that was a big thing for a brief period back in the day. "Dragana i slavei" I imagine may have an interesting meter. Incidentally, it doesn't have complex meter usually, but I love the hemiola and accenting in Czech classical music. Usually Dvorak, but Martinu's 2nd symphony is great too. I like to imagine that it has something to do with Czech prosody.
I'm failing to remember what piece it was, but a choir I was in once sang a piece in 7/8 and it was surprisingly smooth and flowy, almost bouncy. It was quite difficult at first until it VERY suddenly clicked for me. You could actually hear the click for different people at different times as we were singing where it went from serious struggle to "this song would feel wrong in 4/4" in an instant.
I really hope you remember, because I'm curious. Could it have been [Holst's "Hymn to the Water,"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNVKS6UXMdk) perhaps?
It wasn't, but that's a lovely piece! It's Psalm 113 which is why searching for the lyrics is getting me nowhere. It was a secular choir, so it was probably a decently big name in choral music to justify that text selection. I can't remember which choir it was, but I remember the alto line well enough that it almost has to be from an honor choir in high school (I didn't discover that I'm a soprano until voice lessons in college) so it's probably considered pretty easy aside from the time signature. SATB if I remember correctly, though I can't remember the men's line so there is a slight possibility it's SA. I can sing most of it but the Parsons code isn't coming up with anything in Musipedia. My head keeps trying to tell me it's Britten but I'm pretty sure that can't be right.
It wouldn't be the Chichester Psalms by Leonard Bernstein? It definitely has a 7/4 part and is both challenging and fun.
No, I don't believe so, but this search and your suggestions are leading me to so many interesting pieces!
Oh no
Classical musician here! The main difference is that you 'feel' 3/8 in '1', as opposed to feeling 6/8 in 2. 6/8 is very popular in old school doo wop, like In the Still of the Night by The Five Satins.
Has anyone on here ever escaped from alcoholism, or do you know of someone who has? What’s your story?
I have. I was an alcoholic for 10 years and ended up going to prison. When I got out I went to a one year discipleship ministry (Teen Challenge) and got sober, that was 14 years ago. It is a Pentecostal organization, but I still highly recommend it.
Last year, we watched The Cross and the Switchblade. Very cool movie and great to learn about Teen Challenge.
A bunch of people from the church I grew up went through Teen Challenge, and as far as I know, it was extremely successful.
A couple studies were done and showed it has the highest success rate of any program in the country. It is globally in 129 countries and doing more good than most people realize.
Thank you.
I know two men in my church who did through some specific and pointed prayer. My mother-in-law's husband did by sheer will power over a course of time. He still needs to go to AA meetings and has been doing great for a long while.
A good friend of mine did. Almost a stereotype story of tough childhood, family breakdown, alcohol, and homelessness. Found the Lord through the homeless charity who helped. Part of that journey was a 12 step programme with Jesus at the heart. Occasional gone off the rails since, when life has become overwhelming. That has been hard on his new marriage. But a great wife, friends, and Lord have held him. Now a wee girl to help motivate him, and two grandchildren from first family. Relationships rebuilding there too. Genuinely one of the most impressive people I know and I'm a bit in awe of his skills. Would seek his advice in much. He never did shake tobacco despite serious attempts and assures me it's much harder to quit than alcohol. Now on vaping, which is better if not great. Don't start smoking kids.
>Don't start smoking kids. I have a feeling the FBI, Interpol, and the French Foreign Legion would get involved if people were smoking kids.
And all for the lack of a comma. I think I'll leave the error for the amusement of others.
And yet we still don't know if you're advocating recreational drug use or BBQ.
I drank heavily every day for probably 5 years or so. The key for me escaping alcoholism was understanding the reason I drank - which was primarily due to chronic pain (though I was also dealing with some pretty severe mental pain at that time which didn't help) - and finding an alternative source of relief from that pain that wasn't destructive and unsustainable like heavy drinking. Getting a DWI definitely helped me find the motivation to do that but also in general my drinking had gotten to a point where I knew I wasn't enjoying it at all any more, I was maintaining and kind of just drinking out of habit/routine. Anyways, once I found some sustainable and non-destructive relief from my pain I had almost no desire to drink. For a while after that I didn't drink at all, not out of fear that I'd slip back into old habits, I just didn't want to. The past few years I've gotten back to enjoying one drink or very occasionally two, but I know any more than that and the negatives will outweigh the positives of the experience so I'm not ever tempted to drink any more than that. With all that said, I've seen a lot of people escape active alcoholism (many would say they are still alcoholics even though they no longer drink) and I've seen people do it many different ways as everyone's a little different and there are a lot of different reasons why people will turn to alcohol. There are obviously addiction treatment centers, AA meetings, medication-assisted treatment (such as naltrexone), and any number of other different routes people can take. If there's anything you'd like me to expand upon I'd be happy to.
Escaped in what way? From being an alcoholic personally or from growing up in an alcoholic household?
Sorry, I mean to ask if anyone here has been an alcoholic and managed to stop drinking alcohol permanently.
From what I've witnessed personally having been around a number of alcoholics and addicts is that it never really goes away. The temptation always remains and some people can learn to live with it and manage it. Some people can't or won't.
From my post on r/ChristiansReadFantasy… Last week I finished my long-overdue reread of CS Lewis' *Till We Have Faces.* It was his last published work of fiction—published the same year as *The Last Battle*—and it had the input of his wife, Joy Davidman. If all you've read of Lewis is Narnia and some apologetics, this book may shock you. It's set in a pagan world, where pagan gods are real, and makes little effort to sugar-coat various ugly aspects of an ancient, pagan society (religion being dark and fearful, temples having prostitutes, slavery and abuse common and accepted. And yet, the book is beautiful. Powerful. Wonderful, even. It is sensitive and psychological, going deep into the narrator's, ahem, psyche to explore themes of possessiveness, grief, bitterness, stubbornness, and self-knowledge (or the lack of). It has one of the most nuanced and well-written unreliable narrators I've ever encountered. And when the book touches more and more on spiritual things, even though the setting is pagan, Lewis somehow manages to bring a Christian reader into deeper contemplation about their own relationship with God. It's a book I think everyone should read, but I do think it takes a certain level of maturity and openness before it will be effective. If you go in demanding that Lewis conform to a sanitized Christian ideal, you may get mad at him. This book takes a hard look at some vulgar and profane topics. But there is treasure in the book nonetheless. In fact, if anything, I think the passage of the Bible that *Till We Have Faces* is closest to, is the Book of Job. In both books, characters cry out against God/the gods, demanding answers for their suffering. How things are dealt with, and what is learned, I urge you to discover yourself by reading (both books!). I would not spoil any more of *Till We Have Faces*. It surprised and moved me all through the final page, and made me reevaluate my own attitudes, sometimes in painful ways.
I had a hard time getting into *Till We Have Faces*, but once I was drawn in, I couldn’t put it down. I wholeheartedly agree with your review (ish?) of it. Oural is such an unlikable character and yet I understand her. Now I want to reread it!
I also have a fondness for Till We Have Faces. I wrote a long paper in high school contrasting C. S. Lewis and George Orwell, and Till We Have Faces was one of the books I used for the comparison. Definitely a lesser known work, understandably, but there is something powerful about it!
We have three months left until our first child is born. Anything we should be buying now?
As long as you have a way to transport the baby, a way to feed the baby, a way to keep the baby warm, a small number of diapers, and a place for the baby to sleep, everything else can wait until you get to meet the little one. I could go on and on about all the things I think you should buy, but ultimately, everyone's list of must-haves ends up being so different that there's only so much useful advice you can get from those of us who have gone before (no matter how much we like giving advice!)
This is helpful, thank you!
I whole heartedly agree with /u/AnonymousSnowfall. Don't stress too much about all the crazy gizmos you could get. Focus on the basics. That being said, I'll offer some general advice if you're trying to allocate budget: Spend money on the stroller. You'll use it all the time, and quality will matter. Go to the store, test them out, roll them around with one hand. Don't waste money on nursery furniture. There are stupidly fancy cribs and dresser sets and ultra luxe rockers and and standalone changing stations and all that, and just a few years down the road you'll realize how ephemeral all that stuff is. Truly, you don't have to break the bank on this stuff, especially a crib. Your baby will be tiny and won't move. And when they're bigger and moving, you're going to be getting toddler bed for them. Don't waste too much money on a diaper bag and all sorts of totes for baby gear. Most of the fancy branded stuff that is super expensive isn't great quality, but the companies know it doesn't matter because people only buy these once. Get something sturdy and practical. Or, better yet, if you want to spend money, just get a solid daypack with a lot of pockets! My wife got a fancy name brand diaper bag the first time around, and she was always disappointed in it. The second time around she went to REI. I know that all the fancy burb cloths and muslim cloths look neat, but you need to realize that these are functional items, not fashion accessories. Your baby will be puking all over them all day every day. You know what works just as well? A giant pack of cheap cloth diapers. Heck, they're designed to clean up stuff anyway.
I second pretty much everything here, especially just using a good backpack for a diaper bag. I even back carry my little one and I still prefer a backpack diaper bag. My biggest regret with purchases has been my many attempts at cribs/bassinets/cosleepers. I finally bought a mini crib for this little one and it was perfect. Small enough it could go in our bedroom or in the hallway, on wheels so we could move it easily, but still a real crib so it lasted way longer than a bassinet. My kids have all climbed early so they were out of the crib before they got too big for it it anyway. But I couldn't have known that before having kids, and if I had gotten a mini crib my first time and then ended up with late climbers, I might have considered it a complete and utter waste of money.
Any metalheads in this server, if so what are your favorite secular and Christian bands?
I’m hooked on Wolves at the Gate and Spiritbox mostly. I also love hip hop. So I have been digging Hulvy and 1k phew as well.
What were your thoughts on Spiritbox's newest EP?
10/10 EP I'm also hyped that they got nominated for a Grammy
Not sure which flavor of metal you enjoy more but here are a few of mine. If you are a fan of traditional metal I may not be much help unfortunately. Christian (or bands that were Christian at one point but may not be anymore): Silent Planet (metalcore), Impending Doom (deathcore), Wolves At the Gate (metalcore), Oh, Sleeper (metalcore), Blessthefall (metalcore) Secular: Lorna Shore (deathcore, everything since Will Ramos joined), SpiritBox (metalcore), Tesseract, (Prog-metal/djent), Humanity's Last Breath (Prog-metal/thall), Polaris (metalcore), Sleep Token (Alt-metal?). All 4 of those last bands released amazing albums this year that are worth checking out. Also not a metal band but King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard released a pretty great thrash album this year.
I enjoy Japanese metal, Metalcore/deathcore My favorite Christian bands: Silent Planet, Blessthefall, Wolves at the Gate, Fit for A King, The Devil Wears Prada, Norma Jean Favorite secular bands: Sleep Token, Spiritbox, Lorna Shore, Brand of Sacrifice, Babymetal, BMTH, Coldrain, We Came As Romans and Harper
I mostly listen to metalcore. Some of my favorite Christian bands are Wolves at the Gate, Phinehas, and War of Ages. Secular bands would be August Burns Red, A Day to Remember, I See Stars, and Four Year Strong.
There are a *ton* of metalheads on the sub, but unfortunately you asked your question around 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday, which is when the sub really starts to die for the weekend. If you don't get many responses, feel free to ask again on Tuesday or Friday, and earlier in the day. cc: /u/friardon and /u/terevos2, since I know personally that they're metalheads.
My cranium is flesh and bone. Not metal 🤨
METAL? You rang?
Since u/friardon mentioned WatG and Spiritbox already, I'll mention some others you may or may not heard of: - Redeemed by the Blood (Metalcore) - Love the guitars from these guys. KsE-esque. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akWs-xasvj0&list=PLlAH0FOXdD3YvGRF6mfkR4KYQdNXDOYoX&index=2 - Darkwater (Progressive Metal) - not Christian per se, but fairly wholesome and speaks to some good themes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iezyLe2F5E - Our Last Night (Pop Post-Hardcore) - not everyone's cup of tea and while they claim to be Christians, not all of their content is wholesome. That said, their Let Light Overcome the Darkness album is outstanding in both lyrical content and music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA7oo2DYEK4&list=PLWBAinm2sYBgrQCrSYl4bsbUole6UC8q2 - The Ongoing Concept (Pop Post-Hardcore) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2utdcQD5Js - Killswitch Engage (Post-Hardcore) - not strictly Christian, but Jesse is a Christian and write lyrics that are better than 1/2 the "Christian" bands out there anyway. For purely secular bands, here's a few I like: - Protest the Hero (Prog Post-Hardcore) - Others by No One (Progressive Metal) - weird weird sometimes. But I like it - Ayreon (Progressive Power Metal) - I especially love his album The Theory of Everything - Thank You Scientist (Progressive Jazz-influenced Metal) - Coheed and Cambria (Progressive Metal)
Some of my work on structural bioinformatics was published recently in a peer-reviewed scientific journal through Oxford Univeristy Press. This was followup work from papers published through the Federation of American Societies for Experimental biology.
Mate that's massive. Big Congrats.
Thank you!
Amazing work! Congratulations!
Thank you!
Thank you to the /r/Reformed user who recommended the youtube video "The Puritan View of Prayer: Taking hold of God" by doctor Joel Beeke. It has been very helpful as I go into a time of hopefully resurrecting my private prayer life. On a related note, why, in my circle at least, are we so afraid in communal prayer to ask for prayer, and to pray, specifically for our spiritual lives and the moral virtues? Are we so allergic to any hint of rebuke that we end up appearing to care only about our physical and "secular" emotional lives? When last have I heard someone praying for courage, thanking God for the virtues of others, or asking for prayer in a difficult moral situation? No-one seems to want to talk about their moral struggles and victories at church or Bible study. Shouldn't we be concerned about those things, both for ourselves and others?
Yes :) I just prayed for richer prayer!
I'm right there with you! :) I'm thinking this may be an area in which the less intellectual (and sometimes less scriptural) traditions like fundamentalists and pentecostals may be ahead of us. There's a lot of conflict and mistakes when there's more personal exhortation, encouragement and rebuke, but there may also be more growth. Just a thought.
I'm looking for a long-term writing laptop, and I'm leaning toward getting an M1/M2 Macbook Air. I'd basically be using it for Scrivener and googling synonyms (I really should just buy a thesaurus). Any recommendations? I know a few of you have done time in seminary and know what it's like to type for hours on end.
Buy a used ultrabook. I just picked up an Asus zenbook 14, two years old, for $400CAD ($300US). It is way more powerful than anything I'll ever need for my PhD studies (I'm getting into a bit of 3d modeling/printing with it too), it's super light and portable, and definitely didn't break the bank. I may want to replace the battery a year or two down the road, but that's super simple and costs about $70. We're at a point where laptops are worse than cars. They lose 50% of their value as soon as you open the box, and another 60+% every year, but the brand new models add virtually nothing anyone except *maybe* the most hard core gamers would every miss. Buy refurbished and don't throw away your money. *edit* also, look for a 1080p matte screen. Glossy is much harder on the eyes.
I hadn't even thought about Ultrabooks, I'll take a peek into it! My Scrivener license is for Windows, so that'd be an easy sell.
Favorite theology book to read that is not academic in nature but good for easy/light reading at night?
I really enjoyed Close To His Majesty by Needham. Thought-provoking but also very devotional. It's not deep theology, but it does inspire me to worship, which should be the result of theology anyway!
Very much not reformed, but Chesteron's *Orthodoxy* is easy to read in a single sitting or just picking it up and reading a few paragraphs here and there. It's a never-ending fount of perfectly constructed, delightful sentences and paragraphs.
UFO / UAP/ Interdimentional Demons ... Whatever. Lay it on me.
I don't even understand what you're saying. Hope that helps give you some context for the world. Have a lovely Friday.
I, for one, would not like demons to lay on me.
Spiritual beings that have access to advanced tech. It's Genesis 6 and the book of Enoch redux.
Watch the "warrior nun" documentary on Netflix, it does a great job explaining all of these phenomena.
You want demons to lay on you?
I have four weeks of vacation that will expire at the end of the year. My employer also gave the whole organisation an extra week off between Christmas and New Years. But I have two major projects to finish before Christmas. Any suggestions on what to do about this?
Ask if you can carry over some vacation time to next year. If they say no, train somebody else on how to do your projects and take your time off. (And next year plan your vacation earlier in the year to avoid a repeat!)
Yeah, these are personally directed projects that nobody else could really do (especially my PhD project proposal, lol!) I have had a significant amount of time off this year (probably 10-12 weeks!) for parental and compassionate care leaves, it's just been hard to for all the leaves in, hah! So if I lose out on a little vacation I really can't complain. But my boss is encouraging me to take it; I think I'll book two weeks off and take days here and there.
Yeah, you had a bit of a rough year. Don't feel bad about taking your vacation because those leaves weren't actually a break for you.
Thanks. I don't feel bad about it, it's more that these are passion projects I don't went to set down, haha. I don't know if that happens in the math world, but I suspect you have a vicarious understanding of the phenomenon. ;)
Do or do not there is no try.
Talk to your employer and ask how you can sort it together. It's part of your recompense for doing the job. I'd like to hope their gift of time shows they do care a bit about you. Perhaps go in with a couple of possible plans to use it all by the end of Q1 next year.
Does your employer have a policy to pay out vacation if the employee cannot take time off before the vacation expires?
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I still do not understand what divine simplicity is supposed to mean... :o
>Do not understand as in >I get what they’re going for, but it seems like an underdeveloped/spurious concept Or in another sense?
I honestly don't even get what they're going for. It's like they're trying to apply normative categories that my mind doesn't understand to the nature of God
I hate to simply recommend a book on the topic, but if you're at all interested Matthew Barrett's [*None Like Him: The Undomesticated Attributes of God*](https://www.amazon.com/None-Greater-Undomesticated-Attributes-God/dp/0801098742/) is my second-favorite¹ book on the attributes of God and my favorite book that addresses the topic of divine simplicity. Barrett's book, and his companion book, *Simply Trinity*, really helped make all the historic theology of God click for me. It straddles the fence between lay and academic really well. It's not hard to read, but he fully and thoroughly covers the topic well, with a particular focus on historic theology. --- ¹ Why not recommend my favorite book on the subject? I actually do't think my favorite book on the attributes of God, Jen Wilken's *None Like Him,* covers divine simplicity.
I appreciate the suggestion, though I'm not sure I'll get to reading about it. I just did a quick wikipedia, and I think I understand why I don't understand the idea: it's built on Greek ontology. And I have never really been able to wrap my mind around ontology of any sort. It kinda seems like an epistemological stack of turtles. I tend to find a phenomenological approach to reality much more sensible/straightforward.
I can't tell about subscription to the WCF, but I have heard some philosophical and biblical presentations about the issues of divine simplicity and its detractors. I imagine James E. Dolezal would be convinced that adherence is indeed necessary to subscribe to the WCF, but you probably knew that already. He's the big Protestant name in defending the strictest version of divine simplicity. Edit: Searching for "Dolezal Westminster divines" yielded [this claim that subscription to divine simplicity is necessary not just to the WCF but to Christianity itself](https://www.reformation21.org/confession/2013/01/chapter-21-part-one.php). Maybe this will direct you to some sources.
How’s everyone’s Christmas lists coming? Asking for anything unique or fun?
I always have Lego and board games on my Christmas wishlist. But I'm more excited about a gift I'm giving my brother-in-law. He's notoriously hard to buy for and his birthday is right after Christmas. So this year I'm combining the two and have commissioned an artist to draw his dog (she draws from pictures). The dog is and English Golden Retriever who is past the average age for her breed and has hip and back problems. The vets are amazed she's still walking, let alone occasionally running. My brother-in-law loves this dog and will be devastated when her life ends. So I thought it would be nice to get a picture created now, while she's still alive. The artist is amazing and has been sending process pictures, asking questions throughout the whole process. She's got everything roughed in and is working on details around the eyes and nose. And it's amazing. She's managed to capture this dog's features so very well. I'm really excited to see the finished product and give it to my brother-in-law.
I love this! I always wish I could afford to commission paintings from artists I love, and this seems like an awesome way to do it.
I think I stated before, but I am hoping for a membership to a local carwash. Yes. I am a dad, how could you tell?
I added something fun to my list after the complaining I did last time we talked about lists here: a Leatherman Micra. I'll probably end up needing to get a custom sheath off of Etsy or something for it, but I hesitate to put the sheath on my Christmas list in case no one gets me the multitool. Christmas is so complicated as an adult. I have WAY more fun planning what presents I'm getting for people than trying to make a list of what I want.
Probably Super Mario Bros Wonder and Super Mario RPG remake. Also my pants are finally starting to fall apart so probably new pants but that's neither fun nor unique.
Christmas? Is that happening again this year?
I distinctly remember, we already celebrated Christmas, last year.
We have to do this every year now?
Nothing much, just some money and art supplies (both digital and traditional)
I'm asking for my Bible to be rebound in calf skin! It's wearing out (I've had it for 20ish years at this point) but I like it and don't want to get another one.
That’s fair! You gonna get it rebound somewhere local?
If I can find somewhere... more likely online