Friday, May 18, 2007

Sex, Screaming, and STEM

Admit it, that's really what you want to hear about.

I have to tell you that some of the hype is faked. Like when they say, "Okay, everyone in the crowd mosh for a few minutes with all the lights on (so we can get a few good camera shots)." Or when it's, "Is everyone excited to be here? I can't hear you! Scream louder for all the people back home!"

But that's only because capturing down a good dose of the spirit for the record, is hard to do.

But the spirit is real.

Imagine that electric spirit--300 barely known people with similar backgrounds/beliefs, gathered together with two goals: 1, to help the JETTs and teens have fun, and 2, to have fun themselves. Can you imagine the potency in those possibilities? Add love and genuine concern to those explosive ingredients, and you have something that will never die. You have Wordstock.

Love is such a major part of Wordstock. I ended up spending every meal with a different group of JTs, in a different exotic place of the dining room, and I tell you that THAT is where the fun in Wordstock is.

During daylight hours, every extra second (not spent in class or work period), I tried to do my best to grab ahold of a JETT or teen and get to know them. They are thrilling people! In a lot of cases they were even funner than the staff! I am happy to be able to now call many of them my new friends, to be able to add so many of them to my Yahoo contacts, and to have spent the majority of my time there with them. They are the true gold of Wordstock, and I can honestly say that--even though coincidence handed me a room all to myself with a double bed, the best kitchen access in the whole camp, and so many new musical goodies that it's going to be hard to release them all. The JTs--not the sex, screaming or STEM--were really the highlight of Wordstock to me, and what made the $250 worth it, and what I hold in my heart and smile to now, after the fact.

Just having an opportunity to get to know some of them, to try to pour out to them some of my enthusiasm for my Lover and for my Career, and to listen to them, pray with them, pose with them and hug them--that's what I wouldn't trade for anything else I experienced there. That's what I want to emphasize before anything else.

And you JETTs and teens, you know who you are--I salute you. You astounded me. I love you, you are wonderful, I miss you and I can't wait to chat with you and to see you again (I hope, eventually). Let's just get that straight before anything else.

And then...

...Well, there was still the sex, the screaming, and the STEM.

To be continued.

Love, Joe.

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13 Comments:

At 3:02 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks dear Joe, that's just what I wanted to hear. So glad you obeyed! You got the gold.

Love you tons!

Mom

 
At 4:19 pm, Blogger David R. said...

Umm ya I really think you could of chose a better title Joe :P

 
At 8:19 pm, Blogger Xact Claims Services said...

Aww, thats so sweet joe! Good post, you're inspiring me to write something good and spiritual abotu wrodstock on my blog.

I love yooooou!!! It was good seeing you, GREAT HUGS!!! :D :D :D!

 
At 10:39 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Joe, that was inspired, and cutely humorous. It was great meeting you at the Stock.

 
At 1:31 am, Blogger Paul said...

You guys are all too lucky. I would have died to go.

 
At 11:55 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

thats really cool joe, hey do you do prayer requests?..

 
At 1:28 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Joan: Great seeing you too! I love you!

Ruthie: Hey, I didn't know you were all famous and everything (POM).

Teresa: Of course! Send it to me!

Love, Joe.

 
At 3:55 am, Blogger Kirsten Ryan said...

thats a nice thing to say Joe! GBY!

 
At 1:16 pm, Blogger bassistlikeflea said...

Well put. Bravo!

 
At 4:05 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Heh, I'm not so sure about famous. Especially since hardly anyone recognized me from my blog at Wordstock.

 
At 2:31 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Joe I lost your email,can you send it to me again?
Nicole.

 
At 8:23 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

so u got some eh.. good going.. well you did a good job as a cable runner during the concerts... except that sometimes we would see this man clearly outlined on the back of the stage posing for the camera's.. ha... well at least u got to be on the video's as well..

 
At 11:14 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Amen, Joe. I admire you. When I went to EuRoCk, all I could think about was trying to raise the money to get back.

I, like you, was a confused and distracted wanderer, selling my body to the highest bidder just to make ends meet. I see now in hindsight that if I'd stopped, like you, and re-evaluated my priorities while there, I probably could have done some for free! That's LOVE!!!

I guess you and I, Joe, we could be from the same tree. Probably even the same little love-branch. Except I hate posing for photos.

Come to think of it, I plain hate photos. They make me feel sinful and dirty and they are very un-Biblical. Moses (played by Charlton Heston) clearly warned that we're not to make any graven images and I, along with thousands of Canadian Hutterite farm-dwellers, staunchly agree with that Godly law, along with the one that condemns that old vile serpent, Punk Rock (sometimes referred to as The Deceiver, The Beast, The 10-Horned Hyperactive German, among other abominations).

But putting aside these minor differences, Joe, I really like you. It's true. I admire what you did at WS and I truly wish others would follow your example of love, unselfishness, and sharing. Then maybe next time I won't have to sell myself for money. They'll just give it to me for free...

 

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