I Cried Yesterday

People are always asking me when was the last time I cried; (they think I'm a wildebeest or something) which is a pretty weird question to ask someone, I might add. Well I can tell you....it was yesterday.

I've had this very dumb idea to not drink Coke and to start working out. This has been a huge lifestyle change compared to drinking 12 Cokes a day and sitting around telling jokes on my couch. I don't know what happened but when I was doing a shoulder exercise yesterday a little tear rolled down my left cheek.

I believe the tear was a result of my body realizing I might actually be serious this time and mourning the loss of Papa John's, Waffle House, Dr Pepper, and sweet tea (that was an average lunch). It also could have been my body rebelling against the gym....instead of sleeping or watching a delightful episode of Seinfeld I am now hanging out in a sweaty warehouse with a bunch of weirdos who grunt and flex in front of the mirror. OR it probably was the immense pain I was in since I was actually using my muscles for the first time in a few months/years. I think the tear was a combination of the three.

Either way, I cried yesterday. And I cried again today as I tried to put a shirt on b/c my arms are too tight and sore to reach into the sleeve. Should my whole body cramp up when I sneeze? I think at some point I will feel good and enjoy working out and drinking water but that time is not now. Right now I am mostly sore and a little sad. Goodbye old friend.

Ode to Christy by Josh Ridings

Christmas is just around the corner. I'm buying gifts for the usual suspects....Freida, the Ronster, Kevin, Heather, and my niece and nephew. But this year I want to take a little time on my blog to honor someone who I often forget helped me become the man I am today.....my sister's best friend, Christy Parker Trevett.

She knew me and accepted me even when no one else did. Even when all I did was cause her mom tons of distress because I was the world's worst chorus member. Even when the only two words I knew were, "Riiiiiight, Scott." Even when I was known only as "that guy with a lot of hair who gets really fat then really skinny over and over again." Even when I thought it was hilarious to make fun of really tiny campers in Ocean Lakes by yelling at them in the middle of the night. Even when I would lead worship in FCA and stop in the middle of a song to laugh out loud.

After all that, she encouraged and accepted me and even asked me to sing in her wedding. By the way, she married an awesome dude, Nathan.

So, here's to you, Christy Parker Trevett. Thank you for being my sister's BFF so that I could have the privilege of knowing you. You're the bomb-diggity. Merry Christmas!

(Note: Try to guess who REALLY wrote this)

Time For A List

Things I'm excited about:

1. Walking out to Creed's "With Arms Wide Open" tonight at Lenoir Rhyne
2. Eating with Jason, Deb, and George yesterday
3. Playing at Upward in 6 1/2 hours
4. Evening of culture tomorrow night...seeing the Hillsong Documentary - going to be rad
5. Chewing tons of Super Bubble which reminds me of my Grandma Ridings
6. Trying to ween myself off Coke
6b. Going to the dentist tomorrow!! I love the dentist, for real
7. Playing with Rob Walden (the man) Thursday night at SMC
8. Seeing the Hotness, Brett Younker, this weekend at his wedding
9. Having a clean car
10. Staying up late on a school night



Josh R

Hillsong United

If you like music, if you like worshiping, if you enjoy Jesus, if the gospel has changed you, if you have a heart for people-then you should consider going to see The i Heart Film in Greenville Wednesday night at 7:30 at the Hollywood 20 Cinema.

Filmed over a period of 2 years, The I Heart Revolution: We’re all in this Together follows the worship band, Hillsong United, as they travel across 6 continents 42 nations and 93 cities in a cross-cultural journey of music, animation, interviews and live action documentary as they realize every story of hope, love, loss and sacrifice ultimately points to the one story (www.theiheartfilm.com).

It's going to be rad. It's part 2 of a 3 part series. Check out http://www.theiheartrevolution.com/ for all the info. I'm watching With Hearts As One right now...it's the music (part 1) and it is awesome.

For tickets to the documentary Wednesday night click HERE!

I'll see you there...I'll be the one wearing jeans, a v neck and some weird shoes. Oh wait, that will be every guy there. Maybe i'll wear a velvet sweat suit.

For Worship Leaders

As a worship leader I know what kind of songs I am looking for: catchy, easy-to-sing, theologically correct, good songs that I can teach people. I want to hear people singing as loudly as possible to Jesus. It's neat when the song is still in their head 3 days later. With that in mind we want to get our music in the hands of worship leaders. I truly feel churches would benefit from these songs. We've seen the Lord do great things with them already - not b/c of us, that's not it at all. The Lord has given these songs to us and we want to share them with churches.

So, if you're a worship leader or want to get a copy for your church, we are selling the album for $5 (plus $2 shipping). And if you can't afford that then I will burn you a copy for free. Also, we're working on putting the chord charts on our website (that will be up soon). If you want to email me and get charts, please do - josh@joshridingsband.com.

For a Cd mail $7 here (or stop me on the street):

Josh Ridings Band
124 Spring Valley Dr
Spartanburg SC 29301

Include your name and what church you're from. If you get the Cd and hate it, I will give you your money back and I will cut your grass for a week. Rock and Roll.

Josh

Sing Out Loud, Official Release

I decided to celebrate the release of our debut album, Sing Out Loud, by getting the flu and laying around miserably all week! Hahaha. But now I am all better (I think). David Crowder*Band's new album, Church Music, came out this week also. It is very good, you should buy it.

If you are sitting around wondering how you can help the Josh Ridings Band, here you go:

1. Be our friend on facebook
2. Suggest our facebook fan page to your friends (link underneath the picture "suggest to friends")
3. Listen to us on myspace
4. Buy our album on iTunes
5. Rate our album and write a review on iTunes
6. Tell every living, breathing person about us. If said person owns/operates/works at a radio station/record label/church, we'd love to give them a press kit and free CD.

OR, invent an immediate cure for the flu, travel back in time, and call me last Thursday. Thank you, everyone who came to the Gajewsky's this weekend...it was awesome. We have the greatest friends and family ever. Thanks for being nice to us. We will do it again.

You Won't Do It

Alright everyone, today is the day. I'm pretty excited about it (even if we do play in a monsoon). I would like to see how many people actually read this, once again, by offering free stuff if you say a magic phrase. Today's magic phrase: James Todd Nethery.

Why James Todd Nethery, you ask? The reasons are 3 fold:
1. He's the man
2. I like him
3. His name is awesome

Say the magic phrase at our merchandise table and all your hopes and dreams will come true. We would love to give you t-shirts, cds, and Tahoes but alas, we are poor so you'll probably get a high five or some candy. See you tonight.

CD Release....so close

I have done many things these past weeks/months getting ready for the CD release. Tomorrow I will do the most important thing yet - a friend and I are going on top of a mountain to spend time seeking the Lord; asking Him to keep us close to the cross and to continue using us in big ways.

Of course we could do this in our living rooms but we really want to set aside tomorrow afternoon, get out of Spartanburg, and beg God to do big things through us, for His glory. Everything that has happened the past 2 years is completely illogical without God. The songs we've written, having the opportunity to record them this summer, seeing them on iTunes (so weird)....it's been the hand of God making it all happen.

If you would please join us in prayer these are the things I'm going to pray for:

Purity
For the songs to usher people into the presence of the Lord
That we would not get proud (in a bad way)
For the Lord to make us men
That we could share these songs with tons of people


I am looking forward to the 19th and the future in general.

Am I That Old? Yes.

I went to the free Matt Wertz concert a couple nights ago in Spartanburg. It was mostly high school/college girls and college guys hitting on those girls. Then there was me...the 30 year old creepy guy on the front row singing every word to every song.

I went alone (b/c all my friends were in bed or at home doing their taxes) and I met up with some dudes and dudettes I know from Wofford and HopePoint, or whatever. The highlight of my night was when I was talking to a dude who plays guitar at his church and he answered a question, "yes, sir". I laughed so hard I think I scared him. He offered me a wheelchair later also which was kinda weird. I accepted b/c my legs hurt from all that standing.

It was a great evening.

Blundles Partying

Christian Partying

I just realized something...I was at a party the other day with some cool people who love Jesus and instead of drinking, Christians eat. The more you eat the more you are partying. Being really full is like being tipsy.

Take a look around....all the fatso pastors and church workers - they are partying hard. Jesus style. I think over eating is just as bad as over drinking. I over eat all the time, which isn't good. Last night I was hungry and my roommate cooked tons of chicken nuggets and I pounded them. There is nothing wrong with eating or drinking - it's when you abuse it that it becomes wrong. If you can't control your eating you probably need to stay away from the Beacon. If you can't control your drinking you need to stay out of Delaneys.

What happens at every church gathering?? Food. Lots of it. That thought made me giggle...getting drunk off of food is the Christian way of partying.

How Am I Sweaty?

I love lazy days. Now that I'm an old man I have to plan to have these. I don't know how but my schedule fills up fast and my brain is hard to turn off...but not today. I have read, played guitar, drank some Coke, and worked on some artwork for our album. I weighed myself this morning and I was 203 (refer to earlier post to see what in the world I am talking about). How on earth do I drink coke, not exercise, and eat tons of pizza and lose weight? Who knows.

I will tell you one thing....I am getting a haircut in about an hour and I am super pumped about it. It's the little things in life. I love haircuts. Also, our website will be up and running on September 19th which just so happens to be when the pre release party for our new album is gonna be.

We're planning on rocking at the Gajewsky Ranch off 221 near Dorman at 7:30 pm on September 19th. We're done recording and we can't wait for yall to hear these songs. I think you're gonna love them...especially if you are a toddler. The website is rad also. I designed it around people who work in cubicles b/c I knew how bored I was when I had a real job....the website will have tons of dumb hilarity to keep you occupied for hours. (I also know thousands of other sites you will love if you want them. just ask).

So that's what I'm doing....dreaming about the future and about how good my hair will look in that future (who says that??)

My Magic Power

I realized at an early age that I had a magic power. Today that power has been put into effect like never before. My magic power, you ask?? Being able to gain excessive amounts of weight in no time at all. I'm like the opposite of a wrestler.

But tonight on my drive home I realized my favorite shirt was a little uncomfortable. I was 205 yesterday...I weighed just now. 211. That's 7 pounds in one day. I have a gift.

I'm too old to party this hard

So Carowinds was awesome. I rode rides for 2 hours until the lines got too long then I found a huge umbrella next to the lazy river and sat under it for 6 hours. Best day ever. I got to hang out with Scott and Zena Gajewsky (the coolest....if you dont know them, you need to) and nap. Leeland tried to rock then Crowder came out and showed them how it's done. Pleasurable evening. I loved driving the van.

Then my crazy fun weekend started....saw Coldplay in Charlotte, hung out with Jeff, Jay, Marge, and Jessica, and 3Ds all night. It was great. Played for Sheperd's Door with the band Saturday night, rocked at HopePoint yesterday morning, then drove to Columbia to pick up the final mix of our music and NOW I'm driving to Charlotte to drop it off at Studio B where it will be mastered.

Such a good/crazy/busy week last week. I am looking forward to the Beach with my family in 3 weeks. Hooray!

Ahhhh 9th Grade

Tomorrow I am doing quite possibly the scariest thing in the entire world....driving a 15 passenger van full of youth kids to Carowinds. Not Paramounts Carowinds, though (who owns Carowinds now?? The Clock? Maurice's?) I can tell I am old b/c I've already thought about how much coffee I will need in the morning PLUS I've thought about all the shady spots in the park where I will sit all day.

I cant wait till the kids talk about how many times they rode the Borg Assimilator (wait...did they have to change the names of the rides?? Is it the Chilli Cheesburger Assimilator now? I hope so) and i talk about how many times I watched the ice skating show in the air conditioning.

We have front row seats to the Crowder/Leeland show, which will make tomorrows day of misery TOTALLY with it. I'm kidding - tomorrow shant be misery....there's a good chance I will ride the Drop Zone 25 times...with a penny on my knee!

Ahhh Spartanburg...ahhh my bed

I'm home. Back to the burg. This past week was so much fun and so much work. I was looking at our youtube videos just now...I put 10 up the first week and maybe 2 this week.

Recording with Kenny was great. I can't say enough good things about him. He fit us perfectly....he knows music and Jesus really well. It seriously couldn't have been better.

Next week Kenny will mix everything then it'll be mastered. We should have some rough cuts in 2 weeks. The artwork we're thinking about it awesome.

Looking back on the quickest, most fun week ever, I must say the Favor of the Lord was all over this project. I could tell people were praying for us like crazy. I really do think these songs are going to be big. I look forward to how the Lord uses it, for His glory. Now, it is bedtime....for there are faces to be melted tomorrow. Goodnight!

Wednesday Meltage

What I'm going to do tomorrow

I am going to find someone who facebooks or twitters WAY too much and comment on every single thing they post. Everything.

Should've Brought My Crochet Set

I'm just chillin in the studio right now, taking up space while Shag rips it, and I decided to do something I never do - read the news. Why on earth would anyone read this garbage?? I really like not knowing all this stuff....gross, mean, bad people doing gross, mean, bad things. The only awesome news I read was about a huge blob in Alaska (it was kinda boring but I like the word blob).

So I'm going to not read or watch the news ever again (I found out Michael Jackson died about 2 weeks after it happened...and that's the way I like it).

Monday - Week 2

Shag and Kenny teamed up yesterday to create the raddest, hottest, nastiest, sickest guitar riffs and solos in the world. These songs are really taking shape. When they would talk about tone or gear or theory I was pretty much in the corner eating Ritz crackers and counting to 10 with my fingers (im a big boy).

We worked from 9 am to 7 pm on guitars then started tracking vocals till about 11:30. Twas a looooooong day. But great. Got 2 songs finished. Seriously, this album i gonna be hot. Imagine Celene Dion, mixed with Brooks & Dunn, coupled with Journey, married to Matchbox 20. It doesnt get much better than that.

Week 1 Wrap Up

It's 1 am Sunday night and I'm back in Columbia to do some work on the album. We killed it last week - hopefully this week will be the same. This week will be fun, pretty stuff...all the electrics, keys, and vocals (bass and drums are the manly stuff).

I am really excited about this project. My flesh gets caught up in the "who's who" of worship leaders....I want to be in the cool group, leading at huge camps, turning heads at all the "cool" churches and that is all garbage. Pure doo doo. My only goal is to chase after Jesus Christ. Very simple....I want to know God.

That's our prayer every morning when we get started tracking in the studio - that the Name of Jesus would have all the fame not Kenny or the Josh Ridings Band. Please pray that with us.

My Mornings This Week

Every morning this week I have woke up in the Woodard dungeon (suuuuper cold and awesome) and walked upstairs to the perfect morning: breakfast casserole or homemade banana bread, 2 RAD kids, Yo Gabba Gabba, fresh coffee, and playing.

If you're sneaky you can catch Archie and Connie Anne singing along to the Josh Ridings band and playing their instruments....but as soon as you turn the camera on they freeze. This week has been awesome. Check it out.

Friday..Rocking it

Thursday Fun

Ode to Freida

Mom drew this when she realized the Post Office has You Tube blocked. Haha

Hansel, So Hot Right Now

Today is going very well. William is wrapping up the last 3 songs, Shag is asleep in the lounge, Pinkerton is designing a website (he's a machine...never stops), and I am destroying the Coke that Kenny bought for us/me. I love that guy.

I'll probably start acoustics after lunch. Yum yum time is over. (thanks Rachel and Stu for the food!!)

Hey, Where's Shag?

So You Think You Can Dance? Seriously Robby?

I am pretty excited about figuring out videos and imovie...I'm only about 10 years behind (i can thank Ron and Frieda for that). If you told Ron you'd give him $1,000 if he could turn on a computer you would lose no money.

Recording is going great. I over-think and worry about everything, so, of course, I was worried about tracking with Kenny....what if he doesn't get our sound...what if we cant get the exact sound we want....what if something goes wrong....what if i lose both of my hands in a freak gasoline accident?? Buuuuuuuuut, it is Wednesday night and we are about a week ahead of schedule. Not only have we KILLED it, we have done some super creative stuff. I dont think things could be going better.

Also Emily and Robby's kids are awesome. They love us. We played animal hospital this morning before I had to leave, the waved out the window as we left, they were waiting at the window when we got home, they played drums and sang along to our older CD when we walked in, we played basketball in Archie's room, then they helped me change my guitar strings. Man, kids are hilarious! This just goes to show that toddlers love us.

This has been a great break from the norm. I love, love, love, love Spartanburg - i really do - but it has been great to be in Columbia. I am loving it. I think the record is going to be ridiculous. Hopefully it'll be in your hands in September.

Day 3...Blom killing it

Yay Blundy!

Pinkerton Rocking

Calling all Toddlers

Day 2 in the Studio

Today was all about John Pinkerton. He's our drummer. We were scheduled to work tonight till about midnight but we got done before 5. That's because Pink is a machine. I think he may really be a robot. It is totally normal to get 3 songs done per day when recording....Pinkerton did 8. He's the man (he's so humble he'd be really mad if he knew I was saying this stuff about him).

Our songs are all very upbeat, fast, and loud. Hence, John gets no break. He probably burned about 5,000 calories today. Right now I am exhausted....I can't imagine how tired he must be. We have a video we'll upload later. So rad.

It was cool to pray over the album, pray when things weren't working, and see dudes who weren't recording reading the bible. How cool is that? Anywho, today was the best day I have ever had in a studio. I am very tired. We are very far ahead of schedule. That excites me.

I am now going to bed and dream of the breakfast casserole, fruit, and coffee I will enjoy with the most perfect family ever.

Living the Dream

Shag, Bill Z, Josh (sweaty), Pinkerton, Kenny

Yesterdays session with Kenny at Archer Street Studio.....by Josh Ridings

I had a good time yesterday in the studio. Kenny is a nice guy. He made us coffee. It was very good. He has blond hair and is smart. There is a pool here. I hope to go swimming.

Thats a paper I've been working on for a while.

Yesterday was really cool. Not only are we getting to record with THE Kenny McWilliams but we're also staying with my crazy awesome friends Robby and Andrew (plus their wives, toddlers, infants, great danes, and some candy bars). We sat down with Kenny in the morning for a couple hours and talked through all our songs, our expectations, the arrangements, hooks, etc....he has some great ideas that work perfectly with our ideas. I really think the Lord has put us with him for this project. Plus he wears super cool clothes and has tatoos (which means he's totally legit, duh).

We filled our stomachs with Chick Fil A then began tracking drums. Man, it is awesome. These songs are going to be hot. Kenny + Pinkerton = love/rock.

I cant decided what's more fun....recording with the best band in the world or hanging out with the coolest families in Columbia. They are totally going to Heaven for how nice they've been to us already...just read James, you'll agree. But for real - they pretty much just gave us keys to their houses, cooked us breakfast casseroles, made our beds for us....it's a little ridiculous. I love them. (plus Robby and Andrew are the 2 funniest humans on the planet).

Waking up this morning to a 4 and 2 year old suuuuuuuuper excited about seeing us was awesome. I love the Woodards and Eckstroms. Probably the coolest thing is praying with the band and Kenny. We know this record is way bigger than just 5 bozos recording some sounds. We've prayed together asking God to do what He wants through us for these songs. We know the next 3 weeks are a big deal....God is doing something cool and He's letting us be a part of it. Every word, very strum, every drum beat, every button pressed on the computer - it's all for the glory of Jesus Christ. We are worshiping the beauty of our Creator as we make this album.

We hope to knock out a lot of drums today then come back tonight and start tracking some bass. I love when a plan comes together.

Yay Columbia!

I don't have words to describe how rad Hope Point was this morning. The music was so much fun and Richard (the Rev Doctor Smith) has been rocking me lately. We had our friends Shawn and Sharon sing with us and they've got soul. Real soul. Man, it was awesome. Nothing flashy, just the Spirit of the Lord filling up that gym...it was great. I'm still amazed that God chooses to use me like He does.

I've been getting ready to record with my band in Columbia for the last few months and we leave tonight! We start with Kenny McWilliams in the morning. I caaaaaaaaaaaan't wait. I've been like a child waiting on Christmas morning. I am super excited.

We have 12 original worship songs that we hope to complete in the next 3 weeks. We're staying with the 2 coolest families in the world - Andrew and Flo Eckstrom and Robby and Emily Woodard. It shall be the biggest party since 2002. They are opening up their houses to us for 3 weeks! Isn't that ridiculous. They are way too nice. So, if you live in Columbia and you love to party, let's hang out. We should be free in the late evenings. If you are a huge nerd and love Phase 10 or Dancing With the Stars boy are you in luck.

I think this album is going to be great for our church and for our city. I want to lead worship 5 times a day in Spartanburg. I want to see people experience the Spirit in a real way like I saw at church this morning. It's a beautiful thing.

So, we're going to update the blog rather frequently with videos and stories and maybe some clips of new songs. Please keep up with us (and pray for us tons), it should be fun!

Mr Rogers

I just did the most hilarious/raddest thing ever - I was the featured musician for an elementary school's art day. Springdale Elementary in Columbia has an artist appreciation day every year for the students...sculpters, painters, actors, dancers, musicians, etc....and the kids spend all day going to a class with each artist. Sooooooo, I was the musician and basically I had 35 minutes with K-5th graders all day.

It started with the kindegarteners - i'm pretty sure I scared them. But by the 4th graders we were rocking...crowd surfing, jumping, screaming the words to the songs - they were really into it. The 5th graders was a full out rock n roll show. They were nuts. I had some kids get up and rap, had the wave going on during a song, some kids were jumping off of tables and hanging on the ceiling...it was awesome.

If I had a dollar for every time a kid asked for a Taylor Swift or a Jonas Brothers song, I tell you, I would be rich. What in the world. The 2nd graders pretty much hated me....they sat completely still even during the song I wrote about the mural on the wall of 2 dolphins eating lunch together. That song was gold!

It was cool talking about church and leading worship to those little kiddies. Most groups even joined in and sang some songs with me....it was hip. I wrote songs with each group too. I wrote songs about Chick Fil A, Dolphins, riding a skateboard with Big Bird, and all of the teachers. It was great. It was the most random thing I think I have ever done and I mean that. I have the weirdest life ever.

Aussie Mullets

I'm pretty certain I want to go to a Hillsong United worship event every night for the rest of my life. Well, I may die - I would explode. Orrrrrr dehydrate (did some sweating last night).

It was outside. We were on the 18th row with every famous worship leader/band in America. It was weird...I was like a kid pointing and staring at people. (I am picturing myself going up to Steve Fee or Chris Tomlin's guitar player with wide eyes, tongue hanging out, and holding a HUGE circular lolly pop and not saying a word, of course.)

When the music started I began jumping around and singing at the top of my lungs and I didnt stop for 3 hours. Awesome. It was free, real worship. God was there. It was incredible. I was singing words like "I give my life to follow everything I believe in" and "the cry of my heart is to bring you praise" or "living to make your name high" and I began to beg God to make those words real.

Here I am as a worship leader in Spartanburg and I realized more than ever that it is a big deal. I have a big love for the local church. I want to travel and lead and all of that but I love Hope Point. It has shaped me into who I am over the past 6 years. I am not the same as I was in 2003. I want people to experience the realness of Jesus. I want people's lives to be changed b/c of Christ. I want people to feel the nearness of God when I am doing what God has called me to do - lead His people to worship Him.

I was floored last night. I see God moving in Spartanburg and in me and I love it. I want to see His Kingdom come to earth through the local church and I want to be a part of it (what a bold prayer). I feel a stirring deep inside my bones like God is on the brink of doing something big. I don't know what it is but all I want to do is know God more. I want to see people change through Christ.

It was great to dance and sing at the top of my lungs with my friends. I asked God to prune me, mold me, and use me to do great things for Christ. I want that so bad. Only for the glory of Jesus Christ. It was such a good night.

Where Hast Thou Gone, 2009?

I really want to be the cool guy who blogs all the time...with interesting things I'm doing and all the cool places I've been - but I am not. It has been a month since I've blogged. You know those times when you blink and a month has passed? That has been May. I can't even tell you what has happened. I have played lots of guitar, lead tons of worship, and put about 5,000 miles on my car.

Ohhh, I haven't talked about the Spring Fling weekend - raddest weekend ever. We had T Shirts and played on huge sound systems and lots of friends came (those are all firsts for us). It was one of those moments when you say "yep, this is what I want to do forever". And I'm pretty sure God has called me to it, which works out really well. We played the Channel in Greenville and it was great. We will play there many more times in our lives. The funniest thing is the t-shirts. I like spotting the Josh Ridings tee in public. Hilarious.

But I have played the most fun/random things lately. A rainy campsite thingy in Greenwood, a baccalaureate service to 15 bored people, a camp in the middle of NO WHERE....the list goes on. But it has been great.

We have a new website rolling out this fall which i've been working on, we're recording in July (which excites me), and we've been doing lots of business stuff (press kits, photography, buying a trailor...yay!, working on spreadsheets..boo!).

Everything is going great. I have seen more of the Lord than I could've ever imagined. May has been a month of tremendous growth Spiritually. I have no idea where it's come from but I like it. The Bible has been fun, prayers have been real...choosing Christ over the flesh has given me life and peace. If you want to read some good stuff, read Romans 8. I have been begging God for big things. I want the Lord to use me. I want to know God.

In other news, I'm headed to Atlanta later for the Hillsong United show. Can't wait. It's going to be rad.

New Josh Ridings Tees!

How weird is it so see your name on a t shirt? Pretty weird. We ordered these to raise some money for recording an album this summer. They make you taller and hotter, or if you're me they make you look like a cube. Check out how good our drummer, Pinky, looks in it. That could be you.

How do you get your hands on this stylish t shirt you ask? If you live in Spartanburg just come by my house or stop me on the street. If you live in an awesome place, send a check or cash to:

Josh Ridings

124 Spring Valley Dr

Spartanburg, SC 29301

They are $15 each plus $5 shipping. We have women's fit (S, M, L) and dude's fit (S, M, L, XL, 2XL). The women's sizes are sized small. If you wear a M, you will wear a L in these. The men's fit normal.

Buy lots of them.

Come This Weekend

To all you peoples in the Greenville-Spartanburg area, I am playing with my band Friday night at the Channel in Greenville at 8 and at the Spring Fling on Sunday at 2 on Broad/Spring St. Please come.

We will be playing some new songs we've been working on plus we'll have t shirts for sale. The shirts are $12 and will go towards recording a Cd this summer.

This weekend only - If you say the phrase "Spaceship Camp" while winking with your left eye you will save $2 on your t shirt. (if anyone does this I will be incredibly happy). So, when the kind people at the merchandise table tell you how much the shirt costs, utter the phrase while winking and you will have enough money left over for coffee (or 2 double cheeseburgers from McDonalds). Man, what a deal.

Thanks Freida & Ron

I realized just now that I have no clue how to mail anything. 

My TOMS came in and they are waaaaaay too small (order true to size my bottom) so I went to the Post Office to return them.  I had the box, address, etc, and I went to the front desk and said "hey, I want to mail this".  Of course, the box wasn't taped and I hadn't written the address on it yet but I wanted to make sure I did it right.  

The dude behind the counter was no help.  There are about 700 labels and different ways you can mail a box.  Apparently he didn't understand what "cheapest" meant.  He kept talking some secret Post Office language and I was speaking english which he didn't understand.  

I asked for some tape and he said it was $3.30 a roll.  I said "no, I just want a little...I want a little free tape".  He went on some rant about how this was a business so I told him I was taking my business elsewhere.  Who on earth charges for tape?  

Then it hit me...call Mom (she was off...she runs the PO downtown, duh) and get a favor.  So I turned around and went to the back where 2 of the nicest ladies on earth taped, addressed, stamped, metered, weighed, and mailed my TOMS to California for me.  That made me glad.

With more good news, I got my Tahoe back from the shop today and it looks brand new.  Ron's crazy friend Buster Mills came through big time.  

Chicken Fajitas, no vegetables.

I am an old man. I just got home from Waffle House where I know all the people in there by first name. That got me thinking....all the ladies at the bank know me as well. I end up talking to them forever when I go in there. And the dudes at Monterreys know my order by heart when I walk in.

I love Spartanburg. It's a small town and everyone is friends. Plus I love to talk.

Ronald J Ridings III

Yesterday was Ron's day off (if you do not know Ron, he is the man and he is my dad) and we eat breakfast every time he's off.  Glorious.  There is nothing like Ron's breakfast...y'all lucky enough to have experienced it know what I'm talking about.

Remember how I lost the trailer I was hauling Saturday and dented the back doors on my car?  Well Ron had a solution.  Most people would just drop their car off at a body shop and pick it up when it's ready.  Not dad.  Where's the fun in that?  

We went to the coolest most backwoods place ever in Chesnee...dad's old friend Buster's shop...to find him sitting in a chair and smoking a cigarette.  He looked at the car, made fun of dad, talked about the losers in our family, showed us his rad Fairlane, then smoked 3 more cigarettes.  

Once he agreed to fix the car dad and I headed to Vickers, the most awesome junk yard ever.  This place baffles me.  It is full of guys who look like they couldn't tie their shoes but when you ask them about a car part, they look it up in the computer and find it in about 12 seconds.  

Have you ever been to a junk yard before?  It's is sooooooo much fun.  There is crap everywhere.  Vickers is huge...there are cars everywhere.  The guys that work there are awesome.  Ron and I ask about the doors and a Hispanic dude drives up in a car to take us to the Tahoes.  The car is a dump...plus there's only once seat.  Ron and I look at each other.  Am I supposed to ride in dad's lap??  You can't do that at a junk yard.  The dude tells me to follow.  

He takes off and I run after the car....it looked ridiculous (imagine Dad riding shotgun in a barely-alive car with me running after).  He dusted me and when he turned the first corner I lost him.  There are probably 30 acres of cars.  Cars everywhere.  I ran around for a while then finally found Ron and Julio.  We didn't buy the doors there b/c they weren't awesome.  So we went to another junk yard...much smaller but still weird.  (junk yards are weird).  Everyone wears acid wash jeans and has mullets.  

We ended up getting two doors for super cheap.  It was awesome seeing Ron in his element.  Dad is in the zone at Junk Yards and body shops.  Everyone knows his name.  We saved hundreds of dollars by knowing who to talk to.  Ron's the man.  

I love that I never know what's gonna happen when I hang out with Dad.  It's always random and it's always fun.  If you've never been to a junk yard you MUST go.  It's be a great date, guys, take my word for it.  

Things i want to do

I've been making a list of things I want to do.  I've been making the list in my head and now it is time to make it official:

Things I Want To Do:

1.  Ride in a bobsled

2.  Spin the wheel on Price Is Right

3.  Ride in the Goodyear Blimp

4.  Skydive

5.  Be on a talk show

6.  bench press 3 plates on each side

7.  learn to play piano

8.  drive a fire truck

9.  hit a homerun at tomorrow's softball game

10.  not ever have one of those terrible pictures from when you get arrested

this is NOT an all inclusive list.  i will continue to add things to my list.  i want to do lots of things.    

Sweatin To The Oldies

Yesterday I went to the gym and worked out for an hour and a half. Now, actually going to the gym is a huge accomplishment for me....working out for 1 1/2 hours is just getting ridiculous. As I was getting ready to leave my friend Matt came in and said "Hey, you coming to the Cardio Pump Fit Extreme Power Class with me?". I, of course, said no then he started making fun of me. So I went. We were the only men in there and also the only ones under 60 in the room.

Buuuuuuuut, those were some in-shape grandmas. It was another hour and a half of misery for me. No breaks, tons of moving, lifting, shouting, (crying)...it was super hard. I have never been so sweaty in my life. I thought I was going to pass out.

At the the end of the class the 65 year old lady behind me came up and said, "this class isn't for sissys". (Apparently she was refering to the point about 45 minutes in where I laid down on the floor and moaned).

Needless to say, it was rough. Those ladies are monsters. But everyone came up to me (not too hard to miss the new guy) and talked to me and encouraged me to come back. It was hilarious. I am now in the club.

Oh, and I am never going back

Today Was A Great Day

This morning started off rad. I awoke around 7:30 and made my way to Boiling Springs. There is nothing like being awake and driving around at 7:30 am on a Saturday. You can swerve around in all the lanes b/c no one is out yet. Not even the cops. It's awesome.

I was gonna borrow a trailer from Ron and then borrow a lawn mower from Dirty Arnold (I own nothing....I am the king of borrowing/lending/trading).

I enjoyed a delicious cup of coffee with Freida after her morning walk then loaded up the trailer and hit the road. Here is approximately the time the day got a little not-so-rad. As I was getting on the interstate the trailer popped of the hitch and started punishing my car. It was freaking out, I was freaking out, the lady driving behind me was freaking out....it was bad.

I finally stopped the chaos...do you know how scary it is when a trailer pops off the hitch?? You always hear about it but never do you get the pleasure of experiencing it. Yikes. I got out to check the damage....the 97 Tahoe got her first scratch today. We had a flawless run, I guess it was time. But man, I sure made up for the past 12 years of splendor. The backs doors are destroyed....they will not open.

The weird thing is (I guess I was just too scared) I didn't flip out. I was super happy that one of the chains stayed connected and the trailer didnt fly off and kill someone. It could have been much, much worse. And I think I can fix the doors ("I can fix" translates to "pay a smart person to fix it for me"). Even when not-so-rad stuff happens God is still protecting me. If a messed up Tahoe is the worst thing to happen to me today then I am doing pretty good.

The rest of the day was awesome.

Today was a great day.

Josh Ridings LLC

Goodness me, I have had a crazy two weeks. So we're starting this Josh Ridings Band thingy and it has been work. Let me tell you it is super fun but exhausting. I have sat through meetings, worked on t-shirts, talked to designers, had some photo shoots (dont make fun of me), driven about 1000 miles around the upstate, talked to producers, cried myself to sleep, skipped tons of meals, worked on contracts, tried to write some new songs...I need to take a nap just thinking about it.

I am becoming narcaleptic. I fell asleep on Easter Sunday at my parents house on their cement driveway while attempting to play with my nephew. I was woken by Harlan screaming "wake up uncle josh!!!!" at the top of his little lungs about 2 inches from my ear. It was awesome.

But I think a lot of the work is over for the time being. We have ordered business cards, fliers, band photos, postcards, info sheets, stickers, press kits, and t shirts. It's on. One thing that is awesome is that I am actually using my marketing/management major. I love businesss. This has been very fun.

Some news: We decided to not go to Nashville this summer to record. We were about one second away from saying yes and it just didn't feel right. So we're back to looking for a producer or studio...we want to do it for very cheap or free (if you are laughing you should stop....it WILL happen). Actually who knows. I don't want to get in debt and I don't want to move too fast....things have happened pretty naturally for us so far and we want to keep the ball rolling gradually. So, if you know a small time (but awesome) studio in Charlotte/Greenville/Columbia let me know.

We still have the same goals (rock lots) we just are going to do a local album and try to get in the "scene" around here.

So, if you want to rock with us, we will be playing at the Channel in Greenville on May 1st at 8 and the Spring Fling in Spartanburg on May 3rd at 2 pm. Come out and sing with us.

We also will have shirts for sale. They are $12 and they are hot! All money will go towards our album so buy lots of them. Our EP will be for sale ($5) and we'll have some other free stuff at our table. It's been a hectic, up and down last few weeks but God has been strong. All we want to do is rely on the Lord....not our music or any of that garbage. If God wants this to happen, it will. Duh.

Old Men Can Do Anything

I saw a guy in the gym this morning wearing a mock turtle neck, sweatshirt, baseball hat, and slacks drinking coffee while working out. It was the weirdest thing ever.

Church Yesterday

Yesterday was one of the coolest/most worshipful moments I have ever experienced. During the last song at church Richard invited everyone to pray for social justice for the oppressed and for families in America who are barely getting by and 3/4 of the church came down and began to pray. It was really neat to be on the stage and see everyone singing and praying.

When the song was finished I was still wrapped up in worship (as i think everyone else was) so we started singing another song. The band picked right up with it (even though half of the members have never even heard the song.....it was pretty incredible). Then I went into Mighty to Save and it was as if it was rehearsed. The band was rad. We built it up then sang the bridge for a while...."Shine you light and let the whole world see/We're singing for the glory of the risen King, Jesus".

Anywho, you know those rare times when you can feel the Spirit of God amongst you and it's real? This was one of those times. It was huge. I am still on a high from yesterday. I can't believe God uses me to lead His people to worship Him. All I want to do is beg God for holiness and purity and watch Him move like that again.

Shake and Bake Uncle Josh

Let me tell you something....i hung out with my nephew yesterday and my sister should be up for the Noble Peace Prize or something like that. Don't get me wrong, my nephew is the man, but he's almost 3 and he loves to not listen and do the opposite of awesome.

I learned another snippet of info for you nonveterans: Chick-Fil-A playground = bad news. Good gracious, kids just disappear in there. There's a helicopter, slide, car, and tons of tubes to crawl through....seriously I didn't see Harlan for about 45 minutes. Real safe. When it was time to go I just yelled "hey Harlan, let's hit it homey". Silence. Every other kid was completely still and quiet too (i forgot that adult voices scare the poo out of kids). I thought I was gonna have to climb in there after him but an older kid slid down the slide carrying him. That's when World War 3 broke out.

Apparently kids don't enjoy leaving playgrounds. Who knew? Have you ever tried to put shoes on a toddler who is super mad? Impossible. As we carried him out to the car every person in the restaurant stared at me with their judgmental eyes. I'm sure they know all the secrets of how to get a kid to politely walk to the car and buckle himself into his car seat. Or maybe the screaming just made them choke on their #1 combo.

Being an uncle is the best. I only party with Harlan. I give him candy, and play the guitar with him and hand him back to Heather...I don't have to discipline him (usually) and I'm never around for the hard parenting stuff. Whew, kids are hard. That's why I'm nominating Heather for the Mom of the Year Award. She really is ridiculous. I hung out with Harlan for about 12 hours (and I handed him to someone older when he was crying...hahaha) Heather is with him 24/7. I can't imagine that. So Heather, relax, you only have about 15 more years until you'll have some peace and quiet...unless you have more (which you will). So call me when you're 50 and we'll party.

You Can and You Will

Cool People,

We put our music on Grooveshark, a site that offers every song in the world for free. So, you should probably go there, type in Josh Ridings, and listen. Add our songs to your favorites and I think that would be good for us.

Also, we're on Amistreet, which is a rad place to find new music. Go there, type in josh ridings, and download. It's free.

Sincerely,

Josh Ridings

Hello Internet

Let me tell you a little secret: when you wake up at 5:45 am to workout you are tired all the time. Always. I can take 6 naps a day and it doesn't matter. Still tired. Hence the no blogging. I have been asleep. Or pumping iron. (who says pumping iron)

Anywho, my clothes are starting to fit again (over the past 6 years i have just been going out and buying larger clothes) so thats good. I am just surprised I have made it 4 weeks.

On other breaking news Shag (guitar player) and I have been handing out press kits and it's been going grand. We maaaaaaaaaaaaay get to play at the Spring Fling in Spartanburg which would be neato. We have a show at the Channel in Greenville on May 1st and we'd love for you to come. Pretty much if no one shows up they'll never let us in the building again. So please come. We're going to debut 5 or 6 new songs. It should be hot. We're headlining that night but we may play first so all the toddlers can come (seriously).

If you know any church or organization that I could talk to or mail a press kit to, let me know. We're working on a new website, band photo, and Electronic press kit right now. It's been pretty fun. (i skipped the gym this morning which is why i am awake past 9:30 and blogging....it feels like the good ol days).

Lastly, i am making a list of things I want to do in life and so far i have "spin the Price is Right wheel". That's pretty much the only thing I want to do before I die. Yes, I understand I'm setting the bar pretty high but I'm a dreamer.

We're praying about recording an album in Nashville this summer and I think we're gonna do it. If things work out, we'll have a rad album by the fall (thank you Eric Sparks for introducing me to an awesome producer). So we've got that going for us.

2009 Words of Wisdom #2

If you have been off coffee for a while then it is NOT a good idea to start your day by guzzling a Grande Pike Place at Starbucks....it's so good at the time but you will regret it in about 45 minutes.  Great Googley...it's like I ate breakfast in Haiti.  

1989: Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Series

I've worked all afternoon on the set list for United, a student led ministry at Wofford college that is radical.  It has been an awesome time of worship the past three weeks - lots of people singing very very loud (loudy?  who knows) to a God they love.  It has been cool.  

I feel like an athlete right before a game...i am ready to go...sitting here is driving me bonkers.  The funny thing is it starts at 9:15.  That's pm.  We get done @ 10:30 or 11.  Silly college kids.  I have to be up at 5:45 to get the kids ready for school, wait a minute I dont have any kids.  Anyway, I am an old man.  I am posing as a cool college person but you can't fake it.  When I reference Vanilla Ice songs and scenes from Quantum Leap they know I am not hip.  (did anybody watch Quantum Leap?  Best show EVER).  

Anyway, here is some news:  I am shopping around for a producer to work with on a worship CD.  I just got an email from a big time guy in Nashville saying no and I am fine with that.  I wished he would've said yes but I know that God is going to work out ever single detail of this process.....for me to get sad or mad would be silly.  All I want to do is get out of the way and let God move.  I feel a strong call on my life to lead worship and I think the songs we have written are great.  All we need is a producer who sees potential in us and isn't afraid to work with some nerds from Spartanburg (not exactly the Mecca of music).  

So, when you pray, please pray for me and my friends in the band to listen to God.  Pray that we will move when God wants to move.  Not a second before or after.  And if every single door is closed then we will now that now is not the time.  But we will not stop until we have done everything humanly possible to record an album.

Also - if you know anyone in Nashville or you yourself happen to be a producer of worship music, please let me know.  I am kinda excited about seeing what God is going to do.  

 

Write This Down

Man, i'll tell you something...a 4 hour nap sounds great at the time (as does eating 6 Reese Peanut Butter Eggs for breakfast) but now that it's 12:12 am and I'm bouncing off the walls I think I should limit myself to 30 minutes next time. I have a 7 am meeting tomorrow...I am in trouble.    

You Never Know the Demographic

There is a weird phenomenon currently occurring.  Two phenomenons to be exact.  

1.  My band has a huge toddler following.  Seriously.  Everywhere I go I hear "my little Jeffy only asks for Mr Josh everytime we're in the car".  I am not kidding.  This happens tons.  My 2 year old nephew goes crazy if my Cd isn't playing every single second.  It's going to be super weird if we play at the Bi-Lo Center one day and I look out to a sea of 20,000 toddlers.  Can you imagine?

2.  My blog is read only by Moms.  No ones else reads this except 25-35 year old moms.  How random is that?  Moms love my blog.  Girls I don't even know come up to me and talk about the blog and just as I'm about to ask said girl what her sign is I look behind her and see 2 kids sitting in a stroller wearing "josh ridings" t-shirts and singing "I Cry Out".  

Seriously?

I am watching U2 on Letterman right now, as I did last night, and I have one question....Are they joking?  You know what I think they are doing?  I think they wrote these songs in about 10 minutes as a joke to see if we'd fall for it.  And guess what, we ARE falling for it.  

Bono said, "hey, Edge, I'm bored...let's do something.  Should we go to Wal-Mart?  No, no...let's write a joke album and market it like crazy and see if people will be brainwashed like on that last terrible album we put out."  

The Edge:  "Sure.  I can put the reverby janglys on everything, you wear a scarf, those other 2 guys in the band will do nothing and we'll get a road named after us in New York."

In other news about ugly, dumb things that people are falling for all over the world - I was at Wofford today and saw 300 pairs of Uggs boots in about 11 seconds.  They are the stupidest shoes ever.  They are ugly and if you wear them you look like you belong in a mental institution.  But I don't blame you....you are just a victim of great marketing.  

If this was U2's first album or if you saw a pair of Uggs at K-mart they'd be in the same category as the hamburger, fries, 2 taco combo at Jack In The Box (yuck! and weird!).  U2 would be opening for Sawyer Brown and Uggs would be given away at local homeless shelters.  Terrible.  

Your comments are like tiny Christmas Presents

I know nothing about technology but I found a little thingy on my blog that said "Comments than need to be monitored"....or something. There were a lot of them - I found comments from last September. Apparently some comments go through and some dont. I have no clue why.

To be completely honest a comment is like a set of fresh sheets...oh man, I love the first night of sleep on clean sheets. They're cool and smell really good (instead of smelling like bad breath) and I just sleep so well that night. That's what a comment on my blog is like. I kinda want to go change my sheets now......nah, too much work.

So to know I had missed that feeling was devastating. Maybe devastating is a little strong. I was mildly unhappy. So, if you comment and it doesnt come through, let me know. Keep them coming. It makes me happy.

(comments are also like the candy bars in your Easter Basket after sitting through an excruciatingly boring and early sunrise service.)

Yay Snow Day!!

So I absolutely had no idea it was going to snow tons in Spartanburg this weekend. But it excites me. I love snow. Even though I'm 27 I still act like a 3rd grader. When school and work was canceled I jumped around and giggled (with my roommates).

We checked the window every few minutes with disappointment until about 6 pm. Around 8 pm we looked outside at the exact moment a huge tree beside my house fell into the power lines and made weird looking fireworks (it was awesome and sad at the same time b/c not having power put a huge damper in our Rock Band tournament....but how many times do you get the chance to see a tree destroy a transformer in person??!).

What do you do when there's a blizzard and you have no power? Walk to Waffle House, duh. The hilarious thing is that people in our neighborhood were locking their car doors as we walked by.....we'd see the lights flash and the locks go down. How funny is that? They thought we were vandals. I wanted to knock on their door and tell them that we were a worship band who just wanted some hash browns. Nothing to worry about.

We discussed over coffee and hot chocolate in the extreme warmth our options....get a free hotel room that was offered by Lewis White (nice guy), drive to my parents house, pay for our own hotel room (yeah right), or go home and light candles and let Willy read some ghost stories to us. Guess what we picked.

Billy Z (Blomby, Blundeul, William, Willy...all the same person) was halfway through his first story and the power came back on. Yay, party time!! It was awesome.

Anywho, we had a spend-the-night-party and slept really late. Then we (Ben, Blomby, Gene, and I) went to see mom at work, which was awesome. We looked dirty and ridiculous and we were being very loud. We got our picture taken by the Passport lady just for fun (a group picture, of course) then walked around pestering all the employees (I mean...who parties at the Post Office?? Me.)

When we came home we had planned on having a Chris Farley marathon, starting with Black Sheep, but that tree that had fallen was still in the road and 3 others had also fallen. My neighbor was out there cutting them up by himself (which is nooooooo fun) so I went to talk to him. I ended up helping him carry and drag everything into nice, orderly piles.

It was cool getting to know my neighbor a little better plus it was cool to do some good 'ol work. I wasn't born in Chesnee for nothing. Plus, I'm a 210 cube....I'm practically made for carrying logs. It was neato helping him (how horrible would your snow day be if you had to cut up and move 4 huge trees by yourself?.....you're supposed to be sledding and pestering people who have Government jobs - haha Mom....I guess you'll get the last laugh on Presidents Day or some other completely fake holiday that you get off).

Anyway, I love Snow Days. They feel fun. Everyone is off and relaxing and happy. PLUS, since this is Spartanburg everything will be closed tomorrow and probably Wednesday even though all the snow is gone and it will be 65 degrees and sunny....I love this town.


note - I did a snow angel in the middle of HWY 29 last night and it was awesome.

Camera Adds A Couple Hundred Pounds

I realized today that I don't take pictures well...you know, i'm not photogenic.  Dodd (3 D's) and I had a little photoshoot today with THE Rachel Hansen, promoting Rice Bowls, and I looked fat and out of shape in all the pictures.  This had to be the camera b/c in real life I am in-shape, muscular, thin, smart, athletic, funny and hot.  

The camera adds a double chin and a gut....in every picture.  It was weird.  But then I realized that I am just not photogenic.  Whew.  

Good Idea

Do you think my mortgage company would be cool with letting me skip next month's payment so I can buy a wii and a 50" Sony Bravia for my room?  I mean, I have been a dedicated customer for at least half a year (maybe shorter) and just this one time I would like to use my money for something else.  Just this one time.  I think I'm going to call them.  

To You Shelley

In honor of my new fans in Columbia I would like to list my favorite tires:

BF Goodrich

Yokohama

Firestone

Dunlop

Goodyear

Pirelli

Michelin (most favorite)

In other news, I've been able to lead worship tons lately and that makes me happy.  My name was on a church sign...that's super awesome and dorky at the same time (if anyone from Temple reads my blog....well, i'll be shocked, and your church rules).  

That Offer Better Include Dental

I'm sure you all have heard that Manny Ramirez rejected the Dodgers' 1yr/$25m offer.  I mean, this is huge news - suffering in North Korea, massive slave trade in Asia, huge deficit in the US....nope, let's talk all day about Manny Ramirez.  

I don't know what you think but I am totally on his side.  Just last year Hope Point offered me a 2yr/$100m deal and I told them not to even bring that trash to the table.  They knew I was looking for at least a 4 year deal.  The nerve.  

In other dumb news John Thain, CEO of Merrill Lynch, spent $1.22m renovating his office last year as his company was tanking.  $87,000 on a rug, $1,400 on a trash can (I couldn't find a link to this without tons of bad words...apparently people are pretty upset....just google "Merrill Lynch CEO".  There is a nice list of where all the money went.)

Neither one of these dudes have a clue what normal life on earth is like.  

Stop having boring Tuna, stop having a boring life

Where did Billy Mays come from? Has he been around forever and I just noticed him or has he recently gotten the job for ever commercial on TV? If you do not know who he is consider yourself lucky. Now that I have pointed him out, though, you will see him everywhere. I think I saw him in Chesnee las week. I love how wikipedia describes him: "known for shouting, a beard, and wearing a blue shirt". What a weird way to be recognized. I also just read that Discovery Channel is working on a reality show starring Billy. Can't wait to watch 30 minutes of him!

Just when I though I couldn't handle Billy Mays (makes me think of that crazy, psycho evangelist Billy Mayo who convinced every 12-16 year old to throw away all their CDs and only listen to talk radio....man, Heather, I still miss that Aerosmith CD) any longer this WEIRDO Vince shows up with the Shamwow. I seriously don't watch tons of TV but this guy is always on. And the strange thing is - i've never considered buying anything off of TV, especially from Billy Mays, but I have to get one of those Shamwows. The slapchop looks awesome too.

What is wrong with me? How is Vince making want to buy that garbage? He is super annoying. These guys are making me even happier that I have Tivo.

Ode to Joel Greene

Today I was trying to park at Office Depot.  They have a weird, slanted parking lot.  I pulled into a spot close to the building and saw that I could do the 'ol pull through.  I LOVE the pull through.  Anywho, this dude was walking towards the entrance but he was walking right in the middle of my spot.  I was already pulling through (before he crossed the plane of my spot) and he began gaving me the longest stare down I have ever experienced.  Usually I just look away but not today.  I had just saved a lot of money on my car insurance...honesty, I am pretty excited about it.  

Anyway, this character was giving me the stink eye for a good 10 seconds.  I kept pulling forward whilst giving him the crook eye.  He's the one who's walking through my space AND last time I checked my '97 Tahoe is a little bigger than a middle aged 35 year old man wearing a carhart jacket.  I can't believe he stared me down....he was the one who was wrong.  He wasted his free monthly stink eye on that??  

I bet he's one of those guys who goes around staring at weaker people making them feel as if THEY are wrong.  What a meany.  He learned today.  Never stare at a man who just saved $191.  You will lose.  

Answer to Question

i had a dream/I had an awesome dream/people in the park/playing games after dark/and what they played/it was a masquerade....

I dont even know what song that is or how it got there but it is in my head. Hopefully it is in your head now too.

When I posed the question in my earlier post I kinda knew the answer already but I wanted to hear your opinions. Very good feedback by the way, class, I am proud. I think every situation is different, duh, and you can't just make a blanket statement like, "i will never be around alcohol" or "all cats should die". Sometimes cats should live.   Or not. 

People will always think whatever they want PLUS your character cannot really be destroyed quickly....everyone says it can (it take a lifetime to build and a second to destroy) but that isn't usually true. If you love someone and they are awesome (even if you dont love them) it takes more than one thing to disprove their awesomeness. Having said that....you can't worry about every little mistake you make.  You will make mistakes.  That's life.  

Truth is, I started writing this response 2 weeks ago and now I have no clue what I was trying to say.  I do know one thing....it is 1:30 am and I just made a huge mistake - i'm watching tivo'd stuff and I just watch a commercial.  What was I thinking??  I just wasted 23 seconds of my life that I could have fast forwarded.  What am I paying that $4.99 extra a month for??  Not to sit around and watch commercials, I'll tell you that right now.  I am far too busy to be sitting around watching commercials.  

Lesson of the day - be on your guard....be aware that your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour.  Don't be dumb.  Don't be legalistic.  Eat a hearty breakfast.  Bring 2 #2 pencils.  Don't let your freedom destroy a weaker person.  Have fun.  You know what's right so do it.  

I Have a Question

On New Years Eve I went to a radical party.  It was mostly mid-late 20 somethings and there was alcohol there.  It wasnt a kegger or anything like that, it was just mixed drinks, wine, and stuff.  Everyone was pretty sensible.  Whenever alcohol is present you're going to have the guy who gets hammered and passes out in the fondu...you've seen him at every wedding, bar mitzvah, and graduation you've been to.  He's like the guy who wears a sweat suit to work on casual Friday and ruins it for everyone.  If you serve alcohol you know he's going to show up and use the bathroom in your fridge.  I hope you aren't that guy.  If you are, no one likes you.    

Anyway, I dont drink.  I just can't get the stuff down.  But also I know I stand in front of 500 people a week who may get the wrong idea even if they see me just having a single drink and I want to stay as far away from confusion as I possibly can (we could talk all day about this issue but we won't....this is the way I feel and as long as your philosophy falls in line with the teachings of Jesus and you can look yourself in the mirror every day then you are good.)  It helps that I hate the taste of alcohol so problem solved.  

I kinda dislike New Years Eve b/c it's an excuse for people who just follow rules to get tipsy.  By "just follow rules" I mean they don't drink b/c they think that action will get them to Heaven.  (Now, I am the biggest sinner you will ever meet so don't think I am better than them.  I am not.  I am worse probably.  But I know I am going to Heaven b/c of Jesus, not rules)  To know if you are a "rule follower" examine why you do or don't do things.  Is it b/c you love Jesus and want to honor Him or is it because you just follow a rule.  Let's say you had a coupon good for one day that let you punch someone in the face who you didn't like....and you wouldn't get in trouble.....you have a coupon.  You see where I'm going here.  

There is no "free day" where getting drunk is fine.  This is why I still wouldn't smoke weed even if it were legal (these are the things you sit around and talk about if you are a guy).  

So I'm at the party and two other guys and I are acting crazy....dancing around, singing the Larry the Scary Rex song, singing David Hasselhoff in 3 part harmony (angelic) and I heard some guy say, "which one of those guys is driving" - assuming we were drunk.  I say all of that to ask a question:

Should I care that I am at a party were alcohol is served and people think I am drunk b/c I am acting dumb?  Should I not go anywhere where alcohol is being served?  Or do I just not worry about it?  Seriously I want to hear some opinions.  

Do I stay as far away from that issue as possible or do I just not worry about it?  

I have to care.  We all have to examine if what we choose to do is smart.  But how far do you go?  I want to be totally above reproach on this.  I don't want there to even be a hint of impurity on this issue.  What do you think? 

2009 Words of Wisdom

Mr P's pizza, although cheap and delicious, will come back later to haunt you.  Yikes.  

Might As Well Be An Alien

As I was at Wofford College today having lunch I was reminded of how nerdy I am.  First off I am almost 30 and I'm eating lunch in a college cafeteria.  I bust in there like the Kool Aid Man and my 2 friends who I'm supposed to meet aren't there.  Maybe it was all in my head but I felt like everyone there was staring at the old guy....but I was wearing my Italian sport coat, pink T-shirt, white linen pants, Ray Bans, and slip-on sockless loafers.  Boy did I feel out of place.

I have no idea how college cafeterias work anymore.  The scary guy behind the hamburger grill was yelling at me for my order and I wasn't paying him any attention...I was no where close to the front of the line, cut me some slack.  Then I go to the 1 register to pay (1 register, seriously?) and I pull out the Visa card which took forever.  Everyone else just swipes their Terrier Bucks and keeps moving.  Not me.  I held the line up for about 4 minutes.  That line got really long. 

Here's where it goes down hill:  I get my receipt and try to spot my friends as I trip over the yellow "Caution, Wet Floor Sign".  It crashes to the floor (who knew those things could make so much noise??) and i steady my burger and fries as I'm slipping on the wet floor.  Good thing that sign was there.  

So I sit down with my friends all flustered and I realize one small thing - the 2 guys at this table aren't my friends, in fact I have no clue who these 2 guys are at all....they sure looked a lot like my 2 friends before I sat down.  Nope, wrong table.  So I moved.  

Finally I get seated with Bennett and Philip and we are enjoying a nice cafeteria lunch.  I get up to get a refill and I run into the girl sitting behind me, kicking her in the shins.  Our tables were absurdly close to one another in my defense but still...a little embarrassing.    It just wasn't my day.

I realized that I do not belong at all on a college campus.  The funny thing is when you are almost 30 you don't get embarrassed very easily....or at all.  If that stuff would've happened to me in college I would've cried for hours (i'm a big crier)....but today I was just like, "Oops, look out for that sign", and "Hey, wrong table" or "Sorry about your shins"....hahaha, I might as well be an alien.  

Hello My Name is Billy Graham

I heard that the Reverend Billy Graham recently joined First Baptist Church, Spartanburg. Why, you ask? I have no idea. Is that a marketing move? Are you allowed to "move your letter" only for publicity? (By the way, how funny is the phrase "move your letter" in the nerdy baptist world? What does that even mean? Is it like an actual hand written letter or is it like a high school letter you get for playing sports....you could pin your Sunday School Perfect Attendance button to it. Could Churches be weirder??) How nervous would you be as a pastor if Billy Graham was sitting in your congregation? I dont care who you are, that's scary.

Do you think First Baptist made Billy Graham attend the mandatory membership class? Could you imagine that? Did they slowly walk through what it truly means to be a Christian? This is probably how the final question went:

Old Lady With Blue Hair: "umm, Billy...can I call you Billy or do you prefer William? Well, ummm, let me teach you how to confidently share your faith with others"

Billy Graham: "yeah, I think I'm good on that one"

OLWBH: (ignoring him) "I like to draw a picture of a huge cavern seperating us from God"

Billy Graham: "oh really, I like to have huge crusades where millions come to Christ"

OLWBH: "well I guess that's an idea...you could also teach about the 4 spiritual laws over coffee"

Billy Graham: "oh yeah, I've used that with every US President since Harry Truman. You know, when I was hospitalized in 1976 three president called in one day to wish me well."

Old Lady: "yeah, yeah...don't go changing the subject, we've got a lot of info to cover. Where were we...oh yeah, let's talk about when you can volunteer for the nursery."

Billy Graham: "Well, this Sunday I will be speaking at the the $27 million Billy Graham library in Charlotte. After that I am accepting my 2nd Congressional Gold Metal in DC, then I'll be gone the next weekend as I'm being inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, then I'm being Knighted, then I'm speaking at Samford where an honorary chair is being named in my honor, the list goes on for a while.....but maybe I can play lead guitar in the band one week.


Billy Graham is the man. Do you know the United States Postal Service has said he is one of the few people, along with the current president, who can be delivered mail that simply reads his name and country: "Billy Graham, America". I guarantee I will not receive your letter if you send it to "Josh Ridings, America". That letter is going in the garbage. He's a big deal. I hope I see him at Wades after church one week....i'll hand him a demo.

Destined to be a loser

Apparently Texas A&M (my new favorite team) is terrible. They haven't been in a bowl for 4 years and they won 4 games this year. This proves one thing: I am drawn to losers. I can't help it. I just am. It also proves another thing: when picking a new team you shouldn't base that decision solely on the pretty color of the jerseys....you may want to look at stats and stuff. Oh well.

Luckily I haven't bought my A&M wind sock yet so I can pick a new team - MICHIGAN! Just kidding. I don't like football anymore. I've been afraid to admit that b/c it means you aren't a man but then I looked in the mirror at how hairy and huge I am and realized I dont need to watch football to be a man.....I need to be a Fireman or Cowboy of Venture Capitalist!!! What?

Goodbye Gamecock Allegiance

I saw a little of the pathetic display of sport today called Gamecock Football. I think Spurrier thought it was a best 2 out of 3 tournament and he was pretending that we stink today so the next 2 games we will dominate....right? He was hustling the table, no? But I have bad news - it isn't a tournament, it is just one game and the Gamecocks got embarrassed. Now, I am used to losing, duh, I've followed the Shamecocks for 27 years but today was a total debacle.

Here's what I am doing. I am going on a 3 year hiatus from the South Carolina program. I have decided to pledge my allegiance to the Texas A&M Aggies b/c they like to win. The Gamecocks hate to win; they love to lose. So I am getting an A&M t-shirt, maybe a nice car magnet, and I'm going to learn the cheers, the players names, etc....it is on. I couldn't pick an SEC team team - that'd be like dating an ex girlfriend's friend (bad news, don't do it) and I couldn't pick an ACC team because they are all terrible. Therefore A&M it is. Here I come big 12!

At the end of the 3 years if the Gamecocks decide to like winning I will consider pulling for them again. You may call me a "fairweather fan" or "bandwagon" guy but 27 years of mediocrity will drive you to do crazy things. I will find a team who wins and I will pull for them. Or if the Gamecocks disband the football program for a year and come out for the first game in 2010 with pink dresses on I will respect them and consider dusting off my Gamecock pajamas for the 2011 season.

I am now officially not a Gamecock. Go Aggies.

New Years time is here

I'd like to start the new year by listing my favorite numbers:

17
45
3.14159265
642
1981
4,180,000
0
500
-12
93

This is an all inclusive list. Now you may think I would have included 22, obviously, but I hate that number. It all dates back to when I graduated college and moved back into my parent's house. I had to live under the tight regime of Ron and Freida and I was 22 when I received my last spanking for not making my bed.

Also I decided to leave 13 out....you may think it's an unlucky number but it's not...that's how old I was when I saw my first episode of Dark Wing Duck - but I had to be ultra selective or the list would've gone on forever. I am sure you understand.