The Battle in the Mind

“He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. It is not by strength that one prevails.” (NIV) -1 Samuel 2:9

I appear to be a strong man. I left weights every day. I push my body to endure things normal men wouldn’t. I am physically stronger than the average man my age and height. Yet, there are times I feel immensely weak. There are days I feel like you could knock me over with a feather.

Yesterday I felt impossibly confused and somewhat angry as to what God intends for me. I see things change these days and I wonder what lies ahead, after all I have done. Yet it appears I have not done enough in God’s eyes. So I will take my mind away from this situation and place it on Him so that He will strengthen my resolve, calm me and take away my fears.

I firmly believe the victory is first obtained in the mind. By keeping God close and the faith in him paramount, it pushes the physical capabilities even further. What we contend with these days are not just physical problems but spiritual and mental. We must continue to strengthen our minds against those who would intend to harm the faith that we hold dear. One of my favorite quotes is “the mind is the sword.” Truly, it is the most powerful weapon we have, yet we misuse it every day, wasting our thoughts on miniscule matters that will have no consequence in the betterment of our lives and others.

Thank you, Lord, for today. It is especially awesome that you have come to my aid in the days I have thought I would falter. You have given me mental strength in the midst of my own shortcomings, though I don’t utilize the full force of it enough to have an impact. Thank you for your forgiveness.
So once again, I hope to honor you with these words that flow from my heart like water through a sieve. Praise be unto the Most High, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. In His name, I pray…

My God, my pen, ‘til this world ends.

Live to Learn/ Another Answer

The axiom “Live and learn” holds so true. How amazing is it that God allows us to live here and experience the trials and tribulations that the Earth has to offer. On this great ball of water and dust, spinning through space at thousands of miles an hour, we are afforded the blessing of love and family, of an amazing God that loves us despite our sin nature. We travel through days, quickly, learning all we need to survive on along the way. It can’t be a coincidence that we are here, at this time in history. We are witnessing a change that is profound.

Yet, amidst the beauty there is a great ugliness that sits upon the world like an ink blot on a white sheet of paper. A stain so deep I wonder if we can be cleansed of it. Then I think, “It’s not for me to wonder”, for God will answer all in time. He will address the horrors that we cower from when he comes back. No matter when that is, I am comforted by the fact that I will be with God in the afterlife. I am ever faithful, because I know that in the end He is all that can save me. He is all that I have. When all else fails me, He is there. So I am happy to look to Him in times of great happiness and pitiful sorrow.

Walk tall and proceed as warriors. There is no room for weakness anymore. Protect your faith and guard your heart, for the Bible says it is the most precious of all. Pray for me as I pray for you.

The Straight Path, Re-Visited

"Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."
-Colossians 3:9-10


Thank you God for giving me another chance.

I know so much has happened in the past year, but I continue to be hopeful. You have made a way for me when I literally had none. I can remember when I was at work in Washington, not knowing where I was going to sleep that night, lo and behold you sent someone that gave me a place to lay my head for not one night, but three. Lord, I was actually homeless for those days, and I realize that you wouldn't let me fall too far, as long as I had you on my mind and in my heart.

I thank you for just being God all by yourself. You don't need any help to make the stars shine and the planets move. I am humbled by your grace and in awe of your majesty. I ask that you continue to build in me the great human being you have asked me to be. I know I have my flaws and I fall short of what you want me to be, but you love me anyway. Thank you.

I ask that you take care of my loved ones. I want you to watch over them and keep them safe, Lord. My friends, all those near and far, keep them close to you so that no harm may befall them. I ask that those things or people you don't want in my life Lord, remove them with grace and expedience, Father, for I must not tarry. Liberation is near.

My true goal in life was to just be free. I know it sounds simple and maybe even crazy, but freedom is elusive. Highly sought, but rarely found. Help me find my way, Heavenly Father. This is my prayer to you, for I am but a lowly servant, a man trying to be a warrior. Put me on the straight path, so that I may lead by example.

In Jesus name I pray to Thee, Amen.

This Is For The Lover In You

Maybe this is premature, but I know this song says all the things I would want to say were it that right time. Even so, we aren't promised tomorrow. This goes out to the lover in you, from the lover in me...

I love you.


This Is For The Lover In You ~ShalamarIt’s got to be real

Girl, I could write a book on how you’re makin’ me feel
I know I’ll never find
Another who could match the lovin’ you’ve givin’ to me

So this is for the lover in you
This ring means I’ll always be true
This is how we’ll start love anew
This time it’s gonna last forever

I trust you, yes, I do
And girl, you’re not the kind a guy could easily charm
‘Cause the meaning of love
Is always shown to me when you are wrapped in my arms

So this is for the lover in you
This ring means I’ll always be true
This is how we’ll start love anew
This time it’s gonna last forever (I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna give you up)

This is for the lover in you (I love you , baby)
This ring (Ooh)
This is (For the lover in you, girl)
This time it’s gonna last forever

I could say I never met a girl, no, no
Who satisfied my mental and my physical thing
When I lay me down to sleep
I’m rest assured with the thought that you are right next to me, my baby

This is for the lover in you (Take this ring)
This ring (It means I’ll always be true)
This is (How we’ll start love anew)
This time it’s gonna last forever

This is for the lover in you (Take this ring)
This ring (Oh...oh...)
This is (Sweet baby)
This time we’re gonna be together

Oh...
So much love between us
I’ll be the one to come runnin’ {Be the one to come runnin’}
Oh, home to you {Home to you}
You give me sweet love
With a woman like you, I don’t need to play around
Oh, you’re more than just one woman
You’re blowin’ my mind with the love that you’re givin’
That’s what you hear me say
Girl, every day

It’s for the lover in you, baby
With this ring I’ll show you that there ain’t no maybes
It’s for the lover in you, baby
And it’s this time we’re gonna last forever

It’s for the lover in you, baby
With this ring I’ll show you that there ain’t no maybes
It’s for the lover in you, baby
And it’s this time we’re gonna be together

It’s for the lover in you, baby
With this ring I’ll show you that there ain’t no maybes
It’s for the lover in you, baby
And it’s this time

Nude

One of my very favorites on the album 'In Rainbows', I visited the lyrics page just to see what the heck he was saying. Kinda deep. Thom's gotta be the king of minimalism. Short on words, big on impact. Makes me think of Canada and all the time I spent there only to realize that I belonged somewhere else. That there was something "missing" all along. The irony is that the first time I heard this song I was there in Vancouver. But I never knew what they lyrics were. I would listen to this song time and time again...and never looked the words up. But Gods hears. He sees. And now I know why I needed to see these words now and not then.

Funny how much you can see when the sky ain't clouded.


"Nude"

Don't get any big ideas
They're not gonna happen

You paint yourself white
And fill up with noise
But there'll be something missing

Now that you've found it, it's gone
Now that you feel it, you don't
You've gone off the rails

So don't get any big ideas
They're not gonna happen

You'll go to hell for what your dirty mind is thinking

Been Waiting, Lord

Whereas they want it all, grabbing blindly at none, my eyes are open so give me some
Been waiting on this Lord, wondering how it’s gonna come,
How my hands will be positioned, where my irises will be aimed,
Will it follow the way of the world, or the rules of the game
Where profit equals smiles through a soul’s exchange,
Or perhaps a miracle that cannot be explained?
Will selfishness usher the demise of my favor?
Will I ever bear fruit for my labor?
Or will that sweet taste be unavailable for me to savor?

Whereas they want it all, lost in the error of their fun, my eyes are open so give me some
Been waiting on this Lord, wondering how it’s gonna come,
How my mouth will sing your praise, or be full of lamentation,
Will I be standing amidst a family and their adoring admiration,
Where my soul is at ease and I live free of frustration?
Or perhaps I am pursuing more education?
Will I suffer the sins that my father has wrought?
Will I leave this world still seeking the unsought?
Or will I rest assured of the price my soul was bought?

Lend me your hand, God, let me stand
I want to be your warrior, but I am just a man
To work out the journey and perform your plan
My eyes are watching you Lord, here I am.

G Craige Lewis

I was checking out this hip-hop group called Hazakim and I got onto this clarkyboy.com website once again, revisiting another issue with what's holy and what's not. People, come on.

Let me comment on this G Craige Lewis thing and I'll be done. This is getting old...

This is laughable. Honestly, I have been saved for years. I am not perfect, nor do I profess to be. I have my own sin issues just like everyone else, but I take the Word of God seriously from a teaching standpoint. If I am speaking to someone that is not telling me the whole truth and just pieces, then I am going to be skeptical. What I don't understand is why are you Christians accepting part of Craige's sermon and ignoring the portion where he has obviously distorted the facts? Everyone wants to spout all these nice scriptures and talk about what he is saying is "truth" when he has things wrong. What is that about?

People looking for something to believe in. Anything. Anything that seems like it is sound doctrine. That's why we have so many offshoots of Christianity. We can't even agree how to worship God, anyway. Everybody wants to say their way is right and that's wrong and "oh, that's the devil" because you can't relate. Dude, are you serious? I guess I can call my artwork "devil inspired" because they don't have the image of Christ in them. Or, my poetry is of the devil because I don't always talk about God. Y'all must be joking. This is some silly stuff. If you want to call a duck a duck, make sure it's not a platypus first.

You say you want truth, but it's obvious you want a scapegoat. Someplace to lay blame. We are in the world but not of it, so why do we need to lay blame on anything in the world? We need to turn the eyes to our innermost being.

Let me address this...
"People often focus on the man instead of the message. We look for reasons to discredit a person rather than examining there words for the truth. What these brothers don't realize is that Craig G Lewis is not a " hiphop head" so to speak. So he doesn't have the same source of information as someone that is a part of the culture. Does his slight inaccuracies make his words false? Let’s talk about truth. No real hiphop insider considers Kool Herc to be solely the father of hiphop." -D. Davis

What? Really? You serious? People lie all the time. Their messages are like poison. The bible even says that the tongue is one of the worst offenders. So why would I want to look at the message? People talk about what these pastors say like it's the end-all-be-all, but they can't say who this man really is in his heart. Test the heart, the inner being, then you will see what's real. People hide their real intentions all the time. The Anti-Christ, when he appears, will be one such person. So, for real, test the man and not the message. The message can always be a front, but the inner being does not lie.

That's all I'm saying. So, if you want to judge hip-hop, make sure you judge the elements of who you are as well as the person who is rapping. I'm tired of this debate. Look to put blame on the individual and his doings rather than just the words and messages he is saying. The world is full of talkers and slanderers. Action is what is needed. Follow the acts and test the heart.

I'm out.

Oompa Loompa Song (Hip-Hop version)

Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-dee-pick
Here is a thing that’s making me sick
Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-da-dee-swill
Why get on da mic if you ain’t got skill?

Who do you blame when you spit a wack rap?
Hiding behind gold chains and ball caps
Thinking the deal is about looking clean
When you’re too illiterate to write a sixteen.

Your crew is gassin’ yooooouuuu…

Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-dee-da
If you’re not wack then you might get far
You may receive some props for it, too
Like the Oompa Loompa doom-pa-dee-do

Never Too Much

Some very special lyrics for the wonderful woman in my life. This is the real deal right here, and says a whole lot about my real feelings. I know there are people out there that feel this way about their significant other. Luther Vandross sang the mess out of this song.

"Never Too Much"

I can't fool myself, I don't want nobody else to ever love me
You are my shinin' star, my guiding light, my love fantasy
There's not a minute, hour, day or night that I don't love you
You're at the top of my list 'cause I'm always thinkin' of you

I still remember in the days when I scared to touch you
How I spent my day dreamin' plannin' how to say I love you
You must have known that I had feelings deep enough to swim in
That's when you opened up your heart and you told me to come in

Oh, my love
A thousand kisses from you is never too much
I just don't wanna stop

Oh, my love
A million days in your arms is never too much
I just don't wanna stop

Too much, never too much, never too much, never too much

Woke up today, looked at your picture just to get me started
I called you up, but you weren't there and I was broken hearted
Hung up the phone, can't be too late, the boss is so demandin'
Opened the door up and to my surprise there you were standin'

Well, who needs to go to work to hustle for another dollar
I'd rather be with you 'cause you make my heart scream and holler
Love is a gamble and I'm so glad that I'm winnin'
We've come a long way and yet this is only the beginnin'

Oh, my love
A thousand kisses from you is never too much
(Never too much, never too much, never too much)
I just don't wanna stop

Oh, my love
A million days in your arms is never too much
(Never too much, never too much, never too much)
And I just don't wanna stop

Oh, my love
A thousand kisses from you is never
(Never too much, never too much, never too much)
I just don't wanna stop

Oh, my love
A million days in your arms is never too much

My Sentiments Multiply

In the interim, my sentiments multiply, marking my dreams as I delight in the memories of your kisses
Conjuring thoughts and making wishes, seeing my delight grow with abandon, hurriedly, you are all I imagined
So when I look into your eyes, know that there is a longing, deeper than the depths of all surveyed, expanding like the skies
When I touch your face I intend to transfer the tenderness you give so that you may know of my true pleasure
And when I am holding your hand the moment extends, my love without end, creating a home in my heart, forever.

Bullets But No Gun

Life and love about my head, a harrowing calamity calling me
To a destination where you look like you’ve seen a ghost and I
Am not scared at all of the happenings, a page written in a book
Lost long ago, and it makes no sense to drag my face about the past.
You are a synonym for Sunday afternoons, family get-togethers and cookies and milk
You talk to me slowly subduing my angst and smoothing my mood to silk
Let me break bad and tear huge holes in the quilt
Let me be sad about the all the hopes you just killed
Yet I can’t be mad, it’s the world that I have built
Pulling me in, bleeding me thin, wasting my wants like water being spilled.

Maybe I could be the free one, roaming and shuffling these roads alone
The sole bastard too self-aware to regard the musings of the trite and dogged,
Dancing and twirling like a retarded danseur, my shoes too little and my attitude strange
Spitting pomegranate seeds into the wind to remind myself that it all comes back in my face, eventually
I am the conundrum of the multi-faceted, a Jack-of-All-Trades; Master of None?
I am the humble diversion of the wary traveler, where the hell should I run?
You can get ghost and leave me in the dusted sun.
You can play host to an assortment of friends swallowing rum.
And you can’t seem to see that this is just all too fun.
Turning you away, asking you to stay: Likely I have the bullets but no gun.

Excerpt: Genesis of the God Hand

The city loomed above him, the megaliths firm and dark in the distance. All around him the city circled, huge and silent, neon lights pushing their warm glow to his skin. He could see Enforcer lights whirling and flashing blue and red in pursuit of offenders. He could see the colossal Goldman-Hart Tri-Plex, a group of the three tallest man made structures in history, seemingly touching heaven. They were progressively taller than one another, with a difference of about two-hundred feet or so per building. Jonny slowed to a brisk walk, dumbstruck at the sheer magnificence of this place. It all seemed distressingly hypnotic to him, as if he was lost in the perils of some futuristic Edgar Allen Poe novel. Jonny could feel his surroundings breathe and shudder against the night, alive and clawing at him, hungry to crush him. He stopped to steady himself, propping against the side of an adult video emporium, bathed in the light of its interior. The sign read “XXX Sex on the Wild Side, Videos and more”. Almost stumbling backwards at the realization, he now knew his destination was no more than a hundred yards away, in the back alley of the next block, in a store called Zion Christian Books.

He made a break for it, running without looking behind to see if they were following. The box bounced at his side, and he reached down to pat it once more. He had to make it. His father had put considerable importance in the package. He still did not know what it held, but figured it might be disclosed to him upon delivery. Whatever it was, it was deathly urgent, for his Dad had to send him away with it, alone and with no explanation. Jonny thought it was stupid they way they figured he was always too young to know anything. But I’m not too young to roam the streets late at night like some god-awful super-spy messenger. My teacher always says that I’m the smartest in my class, and they’ve already said they’re gonna have to skip me a couple of grades because I’m more advanced than the rest of my class. Jonny wished that he could prove himself to everyone, and let them know how really smart he was. He would deliver the package without a problem. He had to.

He saw the corner of Zion, and made a swift right turn into the alley. There would be a key in an old soup can near the steps so that he could let himself in. In the poorly lit place he came to a slow halt, nearly out of breath. His heart thumped like a bongo drum, and he felt the adrenaline rush, laughing out loud then covering his mouth with his hand in realization. He needed to be as quiet as possible. A few old aluminum garbage cans were set in front of him, along with full black plastic bags of trash. This seemed archaic to him, for he never saw his trash. It was incinerated as soon as it was thrown away. He remembered reading that there were landfills around that had garbage stacked to the heavens, and a smell that could kill. I guess these bags go to the landfill. He shook off those thoughts and proceeded to his task. He saw a couple of rats running back up into the darkness, and shuddered as if he felt chill. This is so nasty and disgusting. To his left, in between the trash cans and plastic bags, was the soup can. He bent at the knees and picked it up, looking it over. It read “Campbell’s” in bold cursive, and the name of the soup had been ripped from the rest of the label. In it’s place was the sign of the cross, sloppily painted in red. It was the right can. Inside he found the key.

“Boy, give us the pendant, and you may live to see tomorrow.” The can dropped with a silence shattering tinkle, and Jonny turned with terror in his eyes to two figures standing at the entrance to the alley. He could not tell which of them had spoken. Fear gripped him, and he stepped towards the door.

“Give us the pendant, and you will not be hurt,” the second figure hissed. The first one sounded more masculine, a strong bass voice. The second figure was less masculine, but more frightening. The words came out of his mouth in a metallic twang, like an electric guitar being plucked. Each word he said hung in the air, in a strange echo. At his last word, they stepped toward once, in unison. Like robots…or something…like a robot.

Anything That Bled

He just don’t sing the dream, that makeshift miracle lives in his eyes, watching himself walk a path posers attempt to settle.

Just don’t seem right, the angle is a bit too high, and it’s getting hard to tell where he’s been and where he’s going.

It’s getting to be a little difficult to focus. He doesn’t see things like he used to, but when he closes his eyes it’s still there.

It’s still there, a beacon glowing through the pitch of night. More real, more tangible than anything that bled, the dream pulsed and boomed in his head.

The Peddler

The deliverer and not some shiftless common vagrant
upon a nightstand he spread sense shaped like dollar bills
gnarled fingertips laughing across wood grain, hoping
to find more texture in the reality it might buy
and his visions individually wrapped fortune cookies
breaking off to expose an axiom crafted lovely
not some nomad adventurer but a seeker of life hating
his plight but more bent to admonish a lesser path
the better craft, the debtor past, the peddler, last.

Separate; Together

We are separate
ideal droplets of rain never meeting but the same
but the same

We are connected minus the frame
holding it together in opposing names
think it strange

Sit on the edge of the bed
watch my world turn around
Leaving a little piece to find
A little piece of me behind

We are separate
complex modules made to fit, flip and click
flip and click

We are connected minus the frame
holding it together in opposing names
think it strange

Sit on the edge instead
turning my world upside down
Leaving a little piece to find
A little piece of me behind

Self-Same/No Escape

Another one from long ago...

Just as I stagger in, seems like I’m staggering alone
Just seems lonely as I smile ‘cause they know I’m a regular
Charles is familiar and I’m more than proud to say I’m back
And there she is with a shied grin, black pumps waving
And there she is with her hair pulled back and a red pencil skirt
And she, never looking but I want them to look, I want them
They should visit the new me in fashionable attire, crisp new jeans
A mean New York cap and coke and vodka in a plastic cup
I am abrupt and tattered dealing my face like a deck of cards
So someone’s fancy can jump free of the ground
Still sulking in one spot, one shot down gazing in amazement
At a crowded frenzy of blinded lies I am making friends with images
Knowingly bludgeoning my wits against a wall of recidivism

If God had designed the underlying mechanisms to regenerate
He would have made a failsafe, a secret place of escape
I want them to know my urge to hold my thoughts in their hands
All the twinkles of my stars as the hourglass drains of sand

Here I am again, a bustling drunkard minus friends
Shuffling in expensive shoes with no ends to lend, laughing
At stories of hollow conquests, little hedonist hopes throwing my
Input into the fray, throwing my love like a baseball, then fouled away
Steadying upon a stump of associates crashing their names in my head
I don’t remember names well enough, but faces stay painted
And in my fingers I fix a playing theme, I have traced the lines a hundred times
Escape is never to be had, and I know, I know there is no walking around it

There is sound that pulses like light through the dark, hanging like a halo
My God should be angry, my whimpers swallowed and subdued,
I never ask Him when I should, “My Lord, what must I do?”
The night is not an answer, it is only a clue

The roses seem brighter here, but how is that true?
Even with another destination, there is always you
Even in another place, you will remain.
There is no escape. Your self is the same.

Liquidating the Cares Causing Corruption

Living languid in a fantasy world
The pictures placate lies abandoned, they will soon gather in
Cryptic posturing abroad, in the mirrors they pretend
Catching glimpses that describe how much money was made
Crushing codgers thumbing at their pill bottles, naked

Lighting laughter, sketches of dream gateways angled
The pleated monuments caught and frozen in mind
Centering on the sound leaving my life, those words wait,
Carrying meaning across the solar system to escape
Cataclysm, the breath taking, wasted but once sacred

Looking like an imbecile, my pretensions are jagged and heavy like bricks
The crown of genius dropped and I survey the release of my ego
Captain of a ship doomed to disaster one day, like all
Costs me nothing but affords a lock on reality
Contain, contract your lucid act, cock the gun on your favorite.

Leave me be
Thank you for noticing
Common are those almond eyes lurking alone
Concoct some building block that creates a shield
Creating a prison of a promising home

Pink Pants

Can’t you see it’s bothering me?
A stale kiss covering your caustic angst
You’re dripping your world in front of me, a watery nothing
To step over and avoid while ducking your lollipop face
Tears are for friends of martyrs and their inevitable Wake

Don’t worry too long with your nose in the air
I am punching holes in your picture, a pen through your eyes
I really hope you see me, I hope you see
It’s really bothering me and I don’t want you to change
Your reddish lips part to say something I heard yesterday

Distant stars caress my memories as I hold the night sky
Something of a wonder, this world, its charm
Something of a bargain of evil, ring the alarm
You’ve risen to cause trouble again, and you cry
You cry buckets when my eyes are dry

LOL! Can’t you see it’s bothering me?
These robots, iron-headed mules that pose like marionettes,
Trying to hold up the veil, its transparent glory,
the strawberry smear on a white sheet
the typographical error I choose to delete.

Won’t you come with me, huh, won’t you?
The whistles of candid enthusiasm
Marked optimism, the blurred vision of hope
Sitting in the right place, wanting nothing, asking never
To see something else I don’t want to need.

It’s me, it’s you and it’s time in a bottle
Preserved for your attention on a day when you can’t think
I’m pushing down the pedal, I mash at full throttle
Washing the reds in whites will turn your pants pink
Put some bleach in the water and soak them in the sink.

Ghosts Come In

I'm reaching out across this stone
The coldness, so old
The coldness like a withered hand bare in Winter wind
but I feel your skin

Bunches of cares and bags of thought, crumpled
I saw Age waste itself today
fell to dust and was blown away
and there are no tears

Sisters tell sisters of slope head men
dangerous dreamers, cowards and sin
They all look like lovers
Till love looks like all the others

I'm reaching out across this stone
A live chill, so bold
Like deadened words before the assassin's twist
He's holding your wrist

Across this stone
Across this stone
I think I fought my way on once
I think I fought for home
I found you
Alone.

Obviously, Noticeably

Still I was thinking sometime ago about the inevitability of a thought
A thought driven by her in drunken abandon, swerving madness merging
Then crashing the guard rails in my skull, a wrecking so wrought
Then another sped along laughing, her wide eyes wild and urging
Laughter as our courses ran parallel, I knew of her before my real self
Revealed self, my Age crying, grasping for the history of adolescence
So I could avoid that coming calamity, invariably reveal help
The real kept in a closet: dark. Should I pray for omnipresence?

I need you to know that you are the blaring melody
In my crooked steps home, my eyes on your kiss
Wishing love looked so impressive, it looks like this
It looks like a wish of all the wishes; Displeasure’s elegy

A reminder of madness if I ever knew of such clever pain
I endeavor to abstain, to avoid, to run away claiming ignorance
Gained. Why do you love me? Are we to play this game
And follow some set rules made of Fools of Fame and Innocence
Named? I shan’t. I can’t. I mean, make me believe God grants
Justice and keeps the faithful free. We have faith, don’t we?
These days, these meetings, your voice in my ear is not by chance
Leaving our desire known to see what others won’t see.

I need you to know I’ve grown and I’m thinking presently
Of your hand in mine, and we are shopping for grocery
And we will return to our new place of residency
And we are in sync, obviously, noticeably.

And we are in sync
And what do you think?
Is it obvious? Noticeably so?
Do we look as if we know something they don't know?