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Still awaiting delivery for LIVE/THE WAY WE WALK, the remixed, resequenced, and re-packaged version that encompasses the 1992 and 1993 release of LIVE/THE WAY WE WALK VOL. 1: THE SHORTS and LIVE/THE WAY WE WALK VOL. 2: THE LONGS, only available as part of the box set entitled LIVE 1973-2007 or this Japanese mini-LP package.
It seems like I ordered it ages ago.  It's not even been two weeks.  I'd be fortunate if it arrived today, especially given all the snow the Northeast has gotten.  And the NYC region is closer to Japan than the San Francisco/Portland side.  Of course, it might be entering the USA through one of the south eastern ports; last I've heard "the south" hasn't had to deal with all too much snow.  My town of residence, located pretty much in the center of the U.S.A., got hit with some heavy snow Sunday night/Monday morning.  The mail didn't arrive Monday b/c of President's Day and yesterday it took until after 5:30pm for mail to arrive, which was anticlimactic; just a gardening catalogue for my mom which she did not ask for, as far as I know.
I'm mostly assuming it's travelling by boat.  I don't know anything about boat mail.  I sure hope it didn't fall in the water or get stolen by someone...the seller did say to give it 2-3 weeks.  Amazon's estimated delivery isn't so optimistic.  They said to expect it between March 3rd and March 24th.  I really hope it arrives in good++ condition.  I would think the seller knows what they're doing and would as a result pack the merchandise in a manner that keeps it from getting wet or bent up.  I can only imagine the kinds of abuse this item has gone through over the past 13 days, let alone 13 MORE days...

I almost didn't go the Church on Sunday.  A) I didn't feel like it B) I was thinking my ride was going to be picking my grandma and her neighbor up.  C) The weekly sermon about THE STORY is on pause until this upcoming Sunday, so I figured it wouldn't be beneficial, which I realize now makes no sense, b/c Jeremy doesn't just make stuff up when he talks.  He does cite a lot of secular and second hand sources in his sermons, but it always comes back around to The Bible.  Today, I learned God's definition of Love and I realize now that I need a lot of time to recover all that's been lost.  I don't think God is incapable of providing me with Love, but I need to get with it, which is easier said than done.  I've been reading The Bible for almost(?) a year now and I'm only on page 73 (I think).  Granted, some of that lack of progress is due to my weekly commitment to read THE STORY, but not all of it is that.  I am EXTREMELY impatient, VERY easy to anger, maybe more modest than some, but always holding close myself and my own.  It's always "my" money, "my" CD Collection, "my" taste in movies....it's all going to rot and very little of it has even a temporary satisfaction.  Most movies and music are aptly described - entertainment; they give the brain something to do, not much different than a puzzle or a board game.  Almost all movies aspire to be art, but most of them are an embarrassment to the concept.  I guess I'm reaching there though.  Has art ever been all that?  I think of sculptures and I think of paperweights.  Seriously, I don't care!  I think of paintings, the Mona Lisa comes to mind and I go "why?"  My life is full of the richness of art but art is nothing without real people and real experience to back it up.  the thing is, I didn't always believe that, and I thought I'd be fine being a hermit.  Little did I know that going to school, despite the constant taunting and teasing by my peers, was the richest experience I could have gained, despite my profound lack of an education....sad thing is, most of my peers, for all I know, might have some redeeming qualities that overshadow the nastiness I saw in them, but I'll never know....
Going to church you'd think would help.  But I always sit in the back.  I feel like I'm imposing on other people, people that I don't know when I sit "with everyone".  Small group is a little better.  It still doesn't erase the bitter aftertaste of 13 years witnessing the apathetic cruelty of humanity, knowing how many people either forsake Christianity or pretend to be Christians and don't even try.  I knew some guy who was a member of the Church of Christ and the guy's pastor had no college education and, for instance, used quotes from The Bible as a means to attack a gay couple that was present.  The Bible says SPEAK THE TRUTH WITH LOVE.  This other guy I knew goes to a Methodist church - Methodist churches do baptisms on babies and leave everyone else out in the cold.  And how on Earth does pouring water on someone who isn't old enough to appreciate what's going on benefit anybody?  Sadly, most Christians, the 1/3 of the United States that aligns itself with that umbrella, are Catholic and I don't have any serious consideration for a religious institute that works for God and also knowingly employs pedophiles.  I'd be suspicious of them regardless due to the whole "last rites" concept, which is basically some random dude absolving someone of their sins, which makes NO SENSE!  Jesus absolves people of their sins if you choose to receive him.  There is no need for an all powerful and all knowing and mind bogglingly loving God to have a band of right hand men for that task.  The claims against The Catholic Church that gave rise to The Protestant Church seem perfectly rational when you compare the two's religious texts.  Yes, The Catholic Church has more pretty statues and buildings, yes, they are a very organized and powerful organization that, on the surface anyway, does a lot of good and has an interest in good, but it doesn't matter how many homeless people you shelter and/or feed, or how many grams of intellect you have or the # of contributions you made with it, if you do not recognize Love, aka God, your contributions are a drop in the bucket and are recognized as such.
Anyway.  Yeah.  I've probably turned 9/10 of anyone reading this away by this point.  Sorry if I don't sound loving enough.  Like I said, Jesus has a big restoration project on his hands once I figure out how to cooperate and consent to do whatever is needed.  My point in that anti-denomination rant is that going to Church is no solution for my lack of social integration, knowing how few people in this civilization are even interested in the ideals that make up The Church of God.  It's a small church too, mostly filled with old folk and I am a freak regardless - I know it, I feel it from within.  I guess it's the tardive dyskonesia(sp???), it really gets in the way of simply sitting down and being comfortable.  And how many people can listen to Oingo Boingo's first two CDs and feel like they're listening to a soundtrack to their brain waves?  Or listen to AMERICAN FOOTBALL by American Football and not think "This is weird!" ?  I brought my copy of HAVING by Trespassers William into my therapists' car and he was like "THIS IS WEIRD MUSIC!"  Not sure what his complaint was...I guess it was the mechanized reverb in the singer's vocals during the first 2 minutes of the opening track...idk...both CDS are profoundly emotional and dripping with sweetness.  All comparisons to any legendary mainstream, classic or alternative rock band are meaningless.
Ugh.  I have no idea what I was going to say if anything.  It seems like I was beginning something, but I don't remember what.  If I think of it, I'll edit.