4.26.2005

Dude, if they're all stuck together then it only counts as one nacho

i may not live the most exciting life, but i would def not call mine normal.
someone pulled a pretty good prank on me and signed me up for an online dating service. i checked an old email account i had forgotten about and had over thirty emails from women interested in meeting me. not necessarily a bad thing, but they were all in oklahoma, into horses and country music, and over the age of thirty. needless to say i was cracking up all morning reading some of the profiles. whoever signed me up said i was into country music, liked to go line dancing, a huge sooners fan and i have a thing for strippers. my personal goals were to become a male model and or sing in a country music band. oh yeah, and i drive trucks for a living. fortunately whoever set up the account used my old nickname in college as a password so i could go in and fix my profile. so i changed it to the cuz's profile and signed him up for the dating service. i guess the only thing to do when you are pranked like that is to pass it on. mad props to whoever got me though, when i find out who you are there will def be retributions.
so last friday i went to nursegirl's sorority banquet down in santa monica. like i predicted it was not the fun kind of awkward that i normally enjoy. i was early, she ran late, did the whole pictures thing for a while then went to a really nice hotel ballroom down in santa monica. the saving grace for the night was that a former intern from park plaza was there, and we got to hang out all night and talk about kiddos from tulsa. nursegirl was pretty preoccupied with doing all of the senior stuff, which is cool, i just felt like a goof being that guy that is out of college going to a college banquet. whatever, call it a favor for a friend. after hanging around some her crew i could see why she was into asking someone from outside of the normal social circle. we're still on good terms and all that, she just owes me a huge favor.
me and the cuz went hiking yesterday up along the southern ridge of simi. man, talk about a great hobby. i think i may actually invest in some hiking shoes and make this a weekly thing. yesterday at the top of the hill we may as well have been in the colorado foothills, except we could see the ocean. we took some pics, and as soon as i remember to bring the camera to work i'll try and post some up.

other things on my mind as of late...
there really aren't a whole lot of decent looking church websites. i'm redesigning ours right now, and after having done some research i'm realizing that there really isn't any middle ground in church web design. kinda sad, christian art used to be the sistine chapel, now we take a picture of our buildings and parking lots and call it a day. oh yeah, my goal for the new church site is to not have one picture of a building on the whole site.

don't order nachos at a restaurant unless you are sure they are going to put cheese on the bottom chips.

i think customer service should be taught in schools instead of home ec., esp to those that don't think they are going to college. the curriculum would cover things like: 'making change',' you're being paid to be courteous to people', 'service+attitude=tip', 'please don't drop my stuff', and 'yes... i am going to pay with a card'. i'd like to thank the local fast food scene for giving me that idea.

it is impossible for any female between 6 and 29 to end any public statement without yelling, 'woooo!' at the end. the trl effect on public speaking has got to go. i can see now why carson daly is such a mental case.

one of my kids said they would make the effort to stop saying 'wooo' and just say 'fresh'. good idea.

speaking of random, i went to a b-day party for one of the kiddos last night. God knew not to give me a job with boring or normal kids. at one point during the evening's festivities one of the kids who thought it would be fun to wrestle ended up on the floor being fed ice cream from a spoon about three feet from his face.

support my favorite band bodacious lc and buy their stuff @ www.cafepress.com/bodaciouslc

only in california... will you see an old white guy in shorts and a cowboy boots, shirt hat etc... driving a a beat up el camino lowered with 20 inch chrome rims

getting deals on cars may not be my forte, but buying clothing accessories may be. i got a new pair of sunglasses last week discounted because they didn't have the case they came in. yesterday i bought a watch i've been looking at for a while for half off because it had a scratch on the underside of the casing. and a couple of weeks ago i got a new pair of sandals for less than cost because they didn't have a price tag and were in the wrong section.

i can find a tie-dyed astros rug for an RV, but i can't find one of their navy/ orange star hats anywhere online.

well, time to get back to work.
one love, one heart.

4.20.2005

Rev. Brown: He helped Joshua fight the battle of Jericho, he helped Daniel get out the lion's den, he helped Gilligan get off the island.

our youth group meets on weds and thurs for small groups for jr/ sr high, in a series i call roots. i.e. growing deeper in the faith so we can grow out... i know i'm an advertising major... nuff said. anyways, i thought tonite was just an awesome blessing from God. in our groups i've tried to create a discussion atmosphere, and currently we're talking about living a life of praise. one of the things we talked about was acknowledging God's presence throughout our day. anyways, i always have a bunch of questions that i ask the kids to get discussion started and then pray that we'll be able to tie their comments in to the point i had originally intended. fortunately God intervenes and takes our discussion where He wants it to go instead of my direction. sweet. i just felt like the questions tonite really served a good purpose. here they are with my personal responses... i'll tie it together later.

what is the craziest thing that has ever happened to you?
i was on a mission trip to belize, and on our day off we took a speedboat to an island about 45 minutes off-shore. the island was the size of a couple football fields, they had kayaks there for rent, so i paddled out to this other island a few hundred yards off and decided to play gilligan and claim the smaller (5 feet wide, one tree sticking up) island for myself. sounds like a good idea... until i get out of the kayak and sink to my chest in silt, which is a mix of sand and bird droppings. so i start puking from the smell to the point of dry heaves, and use what strength i have left to pull myself onto this narrow tree to rest. i barely catch my breath when the wake from a boat causes a ripple to pull my kayak farther away from the island. so i have to jump off of the tree and try to get back to my kayak. i land up to my shoulders in silt this time, with my arms over the kayak, dry heaving once again and manage to get back in the kayak and push through the sludge out to the water again. i rolled the kayak a few times to get rid of the silt and paddled back to the island just in time to catch the boat back to shore. i say this is the craziest thing that has ever happened to me because i was stuck in the middle of the atlantic, with no english speaking persons around, up to my neck in what is essentially quicksand.

who is the most interesting person you have ever been around?
chrs billings by far. i've said it before and i'll keep saying it, chrs made any typical day an interesting day, and not by doing anything extraordinary, just doing the unusual, and encouraging others to join in.

what is the most fun you have ever had?
prob in college when we had our final el patioso party, and there were like 75 people jam packed on our front porch for no good reason, except to celebrate the conclusion of a great year.

when have you felt on top of the world?
i'm gonna cheat here, because i've got a few.
when i read a letter my dad wrote me when i was nine saying how proud he was to be my father
when i won gamma rho beau of the year
at graduation when i gave one of the professors a hug after i got my diploma, and i could see all of my family in the stands, and hear a bunch of people cheering for me from the crowd
my going away party from park plaza
when i got my job offer

when have you been your lowest?
a few months after i moved to seattle
after spending two nights in a row having the best conversation i've ever had, talking to a certain female till five in the morning, having her dump me the following week
when i thought i had failed out of school
when i didn't get a job offer that i really wanted

when have you felt the most loved?
whenever i go home
when i get a hug from my sister
fall retreat at park plaza
the hot seat at camp palomar

when have you felt the closest to God?
at the rock in la jolla staring at the ocean when it really hit that God exists, and i decided to get baptized
after baptizing a friend at camp, we hugged while everyone around us sang
when i found out my dad had a seizure and i had to fly home to see him
soooo many times while singing... most notably the last chapel i went to at oc

the point of all of these questions is to help us realize that God isn't in and out of our lives, he's always there, wether you're stuck on an island in the atlantic, spotlighting with some crazy friends, crying yourself to sleep, getting an award or looking at an old photograph. if we're going to live a life of praise it's is key to recognize that God is working in our lives if we acknowledge it or not. not only is giving God praise for all of these moments a way to build up God, but it is a way to help others come closer to Him. when we grow in the habit of sharing how God is working in our lives i think others will be drawn to the joy that we have in our lives. at the very least, it's always a good idea to give God praise where praise is due.

dear God, thank you for your presence in my life. i don't always recognize that you're there, but i know deep down that you have blessed me with so many people, thoughts, and memories that prove your love for me over and over again. even though you've seen all that i've done, you still offer me grace and so many second chances... second chances that i could never earn or deserve. i pray that i may share my experiences with others in a way that glorifies you, and draws them nearer.

one love, one heart.

4.19.2005

Carl Spackler: He's on his final hole. He's about 455 yards away, he's gonna hit about a 2 iron I think.

do not ever wear a padres hat to a dodgers home game!
or a giants hat... or yankees... or any other team for that matter. so after pulling a few 12+ hour days last week i decided to call dantheman and ronald up for some golf and baseball. golf was less embarassing than normal. i only lost a few balls, threw only one club, had just one circle eight, no sandtraps, and even managed to pull off a couple of pars. still not breaking one hundred though. anyways, we decided to go golfing in burbank because we were going to the padres/ dodgers game on friday night. as i'm walking into the cheap seats in right field i realize that i've got on my old school pads cap and brown jacket on, and i stick out like a sore thumb. not a good thing. dodger fans, esp the ones in the cheap seats, aren't exactly the most understanding of sports fans. (a lot of these guys are raider fans as well.... enough said). so i'm starting to get a little on edge, because even the security guards are giving me bad looks. one guy asked me if i was intending on starting a fight. so we get to our seats, and i'm trying to stay low key, which works until about the third inning when i mistakenly turn around to check out the score board, and the four vatos behind me yell out to the rest of section 312 'hey, this guy's wearing a padres hat!' i haven't had that many people boo me since i last tried to tell a joke at a kappa meeting. it really didn't help that the padres couldn't hit a ball out of the infield either. needless to say, i kept my mouth shut as much as a i could, not really looking to start anything with the vatos behind me, much less the whole dodger stadium. my saving grace was a guy that had a miami heat shaq jersey that kept taunting the crowd about the lakers not making the playoffs. it's been a while since i've sized someone up for a fight, but the cuz and dantheman were doing the same thing. not that we would really be able to take these guys, or the whole crowd, for that matter, just an odd feeling that i haven't had to experience in a while. i had a family from the church take me to the game again on saturday night, needles to say i didn't wear anything with the padres logo on it. i'm not a sell out fan, but when your life, or general well being may be in jeopardy, there's a time to not really yell for your team. or just don't go to dodger games. i think i'm going to call the angels my home team. but hey, the dodger dogs were really good...
sunday i got to split sermon time with our preacher, so that was a little stressful too. not nearly as stressful as fearing for your safety, but i did have a couple of dodger fans boo me when i made a joke about the craziness at the game. that's great, people booing a guy during a sermon. way to make a great impression of dodger fans. anyways, it was really cool splitting the sermon because the elders and our preacher asked me to give our whole church the charge that youth have taken to be more faithful and bold in our ministry. we unveiled the new logo for the youth and asked the congregation to join us in our ministry. may not sound like much, but it's a big deal when the church asks the youth ministry to spearhead a charge for the whole church. lot of cool stuff going on churchwise as of late. i've taken over reconstructing our website, and creating a new mission idea for the whole church. kinda fun, def going to keep me busy.
sunday night i went out with surferchica for a while. we ended up at leo carrillo's watching the end of a surfing tournament. not a bad date, but one of those where you realize you are better off as friends. not really a whole lot in common between the two of us, so why force it. i think we both figured out we should just have fun hanging out. that, and she's gonna help me surfing, so we don't want to break any instructor / instructee protocal.

other random thoughts....
matisyahu is the musician of the day. hassidic reggae. check it out.

the cuz and i have declared may apt health month. we're gonna give eating healthy and not drinking and sodas or sugar based drinks a try for whole month. prepare for us to be in a bad mood. oh yeah, be careful when you watch the movie 'supersize me', it's got some pretty crazy stuff in it, just crazy enough to get you to try eating healthy for a whole month. actually, i think the only way that i can get through a whole month is by giving it a spiritual basis... something like 'the body as a temple', or 'getting rid of things that have control of your life'... who knows. i'll be sure to post an update.

i actually heard some pretty decent discussion from two political types from opposing parties that actually made sense. they both were talking about how neither side would concede anything to the other side. for example, the republicans that still won't admit that the seven minutes that pres. bush took to respond to the news that our country was under attack was seven minutes too long, or how the democrats refuse to admit that president clinton was a terrible foreign policy leader for our country. hmmmm... compromising for the good of the country.... sounds like what the forefathers were looking for.

it's amazing what a little paint and a couple of new couches will do for a youth room.

debate of the day/ odds of likeliness
what to do with my tax return?
new surfboard/ wetsuit 2-1
snowboard 3-1
get rid of the nastiness that is the carpet in my office and put in some hardwood floors 3-1
trip to the midwest to see friends/ family 5-1
trip to nyc to see yankee stadium 20-1
pay off a large portion of a certain debt 4-1
visit the virgin records megastore 64-1
flat-screen tv 32-1

we'll see when the check gets in. with health month coming up i've got the surfboard as the favorite. i'm still open for other ideas too.

nursegirl called yesterday, and we got to talking about when the next time both of us had a free day off to go out. yeah, camp in june is it. nothing like being busy all of the time.

so i give ikea props for providing cheap cool furniture for the youth room, however i do not approve of ikea stuff as necessary for the home. unless you want your place to look like everyone else's.

i actually found a reality show i like. the contender. boxing on primetime, you can't get much better than that.

well, there's a new hawaiian restaurant down the street that's calling my name.

one love, one heart.

4.12.2005

happy birthday little stizz!

oh man, where to begin...
today was amazing, and its only lunchtime. some friends from the church here had their first child today, noah matthew stump. i was fortunate enough to stop by the hospital as noah's mom got to hold him for the first time. noah's dad prob would have held him too, but he was floating somewhere around the ceiling tiles and i guess there's an issue with babies and heights. man, i can't even begin to describe how blessed i feel to be there on the day of a baby's birth. what an amazing gift from God. i'm speechless. so today is a great day, one of those days that throws everything else into perspective... makes you want to sing, pray, jump around... whatever you can. a great reminder of God, HIs love, His power, and His glory.
so the details... noah matthew stump was born to matt and erin stump at 8:05 tues april 12th. he weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz. and was 19 inches tall.
oh yeah, his first birthday present was a baseball from his uncle d.j. hehe, matt said i officially reserved an uncle status with that gift. i just want to do my part to help raise the kid right. whatever, the stump's are good people, which makes it really cool to see them have a kid. kinda like you know that the kid has a head start already. there's a lot to be said for being born into a church family. hmmm, good simile there. anyways, today's a day when it's easy to praise God, hard to not believe that life is a miracle, grown men cry, important things are important, and everything else takes a back seat. not that noah's parents are going to bother to look up today, but it's a gorgeous afternoon as well.

Dear God, i praise you for your glory. it's so easy to see clearly on days like today. thank you. i praise you for the birth of noah matthew. i pray that his life will always be a testament of your power and glory. i praise you for matt and erin, that they will continue to follow you and your will. i thank you for blessing them with a beautiful, healthy baby boy. give matt and erin the wisdom to raise noah in a way that brings glory and honor to your name. give them rest when they need it, and the strength and love that they are going to need. praise your holy name Lord. through your son i pray. amen.

4.11.2005

only a surreal day could get me to continue this...

so this weekend was yet another group of surreal days.
saturday i took a kiddo to the beach and got back in an artistic mode. we're doing a mural in the youth room, and i've been struggling for a way to get back into doing art, and this has been a big help. nothing groundbreaking here, just feels good to get the ol sketchbook back in action, and to have some ideas that are worth putting up on canvas, or a wall.

saturday night was cool, because i was reading through my notes on the book of james for class, and scripture really started to speak to me. james starts off his book talking about how we should find joy in trials, because that means we are being grown in faith. interesting concept, that i never really understood. i feel like i've always been told to run from sin and hide, but it is becoming more apparent that i am fully capable and turning towards, and confronting my sin, because i've got support. God doesn't want me to fail. He's promised to help me battle sin. so no more running. i'm not much of a runner anyways. it's time i become a stand and fight christian. sweet, maybe i can start stepping on some toes, specifically mine. i'm not saying this is for everyone, james also says that there is a a need for wisdom and maturity when confronting sin, but i think i've been put in a position to lead, and that's what a leader does, knows when to run, and knows when to fight. i guess the theme song for me right now would be 'bring it on', because i seriously feel ready to take on the anything that's thrown at me. that, and i keep thinking of the quote from blackhawk down, where the troops are getting to ready to go out, and one of the soldiers asks why the other soldier is taking out the 20 lb plate in the back of his armor, and he replies, 'i don't intend to get shot running away'. nice. we'll see how this goes.

so roll on to sunday. nursegirl was supposed to ride down to san diego with me for the godfather's going away party. she bails on me with a text message during church saying that she already left this morning. salgoode, that frees me up to stay in s.d. for the night, except i'm not really packed for it, and i don't have time to do the necessary laundry. whatever, i've worn the same clothes two days in a row, i'll just bail early monday before i see anyone. have i mentioned before how i love the flexibility of being a bachelor? anyways, l.a. traffic was esp lame because i was pretty stoked to get to the godfather's going away party. so i get to the party, and see a some friends that i haven't talked to since last summer, and i 'm having a blast catching up. more and more people are filtering in, all people that i was glad to see, topped off by a few specific females that i have at one point or another seriously cared about. (mind you this goes back to jr high days). anyways, it's a bit of a trip because they all look extremely hot, and i've always had an increased awkwardness talking to girls that are hotter. i.e., the hotter they are, the harder they are to talk to. general rule, not without exceptions, but you get the idea. anyways, it was good to catch up with all of them, and it was really cool because there really weren't to many awkward moments to speak of, aside from the look on my face when i realized all of them were sitting right by each other. yeah, that was weird. i had a couple of people comment on it, but nothing really noteworthy, aside from the fact that topgun girl was there, and we got to talk for a while, kinda patched things up. i think the consensus is that we're both pretty busy right now, and a long distance thing really isn't something we have the energy to commit to, but we want to keep in touch so that when that time does come, we're not wondering whatever happened to....? then there was catching up with this other chica that i hadn't seen in prob seven or eight years. i wish there was something to tell, but we just hung out for a couple of minutes, gave brief versions of the last few years and that was it. overall that part of sunday was anti-climactic for what was potentially there, but i'm all about avoiding drama. i'll call it a surreal day, potentially weird, but really not that bad.

got to hang out with one of mi amigos that's a youth minister in s.d. and talk camp stuff, now i'm all stoked on camp this summer. that, and the godfather is coming back for camp. oh man, i wish i had a camera to see my reaction to that news. this whole going away party for him was awesome. the godfather takes compliments so well. when a lot of people get praise for their accomplishments, they tend to pass it off with stuff like 'Oh God did all of the work..' and stuff like that, which is understandable, because God does do some awesome work. but the godfather always makes sure to be thankful for the compliment, and own up to the fact God used him to do the work. kinda cool, one of those things that has always impressed me about the godfather. he doesn't deny his part or involvement in people's lives, but makes sure they know it is God working through him, and that God can do that with anyone. that, and the other quote from the godfather that struck me this weekend was, ' i stopped praying for God to start working in my life, and started praying that He make me aware of what He was already doing.'

what an encouragement.

one love, one heart.

4.07.2005

Barry: Rob, I'm telling you this for your own good, that's the worst sweater I've ever seen, that's a Cosby sweater.

never a dull day...
esp on weds and thurs when the kiddos are up here for our small groups. gotta love the randomness of teenagers. we had our youth ministers lunch today and i couldn't get over how awesome we have it. i was waiting for the restaurant to open, and for the other guys to show up, and there was a bit of a crowd waiting as well. most of he people were business class, armed to the teeth with cell phones, palm-pilots, briefcases, and dress shirts and ties on a perfect socal afternoon. i felt sorry for them. they were struggling to make conversation, and the conversation they had was so surface it just cracked me up. (sidenote, when listening in on someone else's conversations, don't laugh at their jokes. it's a dead giveaway) i recognize the need for small-talk, i was the master of the 30 second conversation about nothing when i worked various fast food jobs in high school. anyways, it was a great way to put into perspective the conversation that we were about to have as youth ministers. not that business stuff isn't important and we're all high and mighty (esp since we spend most of the time joking around... youth ministers... go figure) but there's something so special about having a conversation with a person you know cares. we have shop talk just like any other group of professionals (i still can't believe i use that term for myself) but we balance that out with genuine care and concern for other people. even when we're joking around (mostly at my expense) there's an element of care there that makes it all worth while. that being said, i can't wait for one of the other guys to say something goofy and me to get my turn with the cheap shots. still, i'd rather have the guys feel they can joke around w/ me than feel like they couldn't.
just something i've been thinking about lately, esp since my lunches have been during corporate hours. it kinda shows God's glory in a way i guess. not all of us are geared to be in an office. i'm glad there are people that are cool with that, if everyone were like me there'd be a whole lot of chillin, mostly during the daytime cuz a society of me prob wouldn't be able to get the power on to do anything at night. yeah, sometimes i don't really have a clue what i'm saying, but i have a thing about not erasing my mistakes on here. they can't all be golden nuggets...

other random stuff...
this whole blogging thing is tripping me out. i was laughing today because it seems that blogger and xanga are the new toys for the oc aim crew. i'll find one persons blog from somebody's i check, then find like four other people... and so on. i think' i'm up to 20 or so i've found. now i can read what's going on in their life w/o actually talking to them. isn't that convenient. i guess i'll go ahead and cancel my trip to the midwest since i can read all about it on people's pages. i keed, i keed. it's actually really cool to see the side of people that come out in their blogs. i printed out my whole blog the other day and read it from day one. yeah, there's def a bunch of humor missing, at least enough where reading my blog made me stop and comment, 'i know i have more fun than this'. oh well, i started this thing as a way i could look back and see what it was like to be jobless. kinda weird. i first wrote on my blog as a way to memorialize a weird day, joblessness and a date the previous night, now there's like a couple hundred views of my page every week, reading my thoughts on who knows what. our preacher, lawdog said i need to stop publishing this stuff and write a book for people to buy later. yeah right, i'm still getting over the fact that someone aside from my mom and sister read this, i can't imagine someone paying to read my thoughts. go read the bible. it's better for you.

in this is going to be awkward news...
nursegirl is back in the picture... sorta. we've kept in contact ever since breaking up last summer, and as of recently she's started calling more frequently. my old youth minister (godfather) is having a going away party this sunday, and nursegirl asked if she could ride down to san diego with me. that means she's going to come to church here on sunday. oh man, i can't wait for having to explain to my kids (and everyone else in the church) oh yeah, meet my ex-girlfriend. i may videotape this. anyways, things are going to get even more awkward in a few weeks, because she asked me to her sorority banquet. that's right kappa bros. i'm two years out of college and i'm going to banquet. i thought being invited to freshmen banquet as a fifth year senior was fun, this is going to be awesome (for awkward moments). oh well, i've got a pretty good standing policy of going out with any female that actually asks me out, esp banquets, so i might as well.

so this has me thinking about oc banquets, and how awkward those could get. like the one time i asked this girl to banquet, and in the time between when i asked her and the actual banquet she started seeing one of my friends. yeah, that one stung. what was worse was they decided they should go together, and i should ask someone else... who found out she was second pick when one of my friends blurted out... ' thought you were bringing girl #1?' yeah, that was a long ride home. quiet as i recall. then there was the banquet date who never said a word the whole night... then there was one where i never got a word in edgewise. then there were the times i was asked, 'will you take me to your kappa banquet, i want to get a new kappa shirt." is there a way to pluralize 'stung'? because that happened almost every semester. there were a few really fun banquets though, i remember one where i went with one of my best friends and we ended up hanging out till like 2 in the morning just talking. the best though was gamma banquet when i won rho beau of the year. not a whole that could top that.

random d.j. banquet facts...
out of 13 banquet dates i asked out in college:
2 i asked to 2 different banquets
7 are married/engaged
2 have kids
4 had boyfriends that they failed to mention when i asked them out
10 had full time jobs before i did
2 never talked to me again
1 is sommer billings
3 didn't know my last name
4 didn't/don't know what my initials stand for
3 have talked to me since i got a new job
2 were favors
1 i actually drove my car
4 i drove a borrowed car
4 i wore the same suit/tie

out of the 10 kappa banquets i went to:
2 were dinner at abuelo's and a hockey game
1 involved a monster truck rally
5 were formal
5 had me wearing a blue and gold tie
5 had me with the tie off within the first two hours
3 i would ask someone else if i could
4 i wouldn't trade a moment

as far as the banquets that i was invited to... i had fun. no comment after that.

hmmm... looking at those numbers, i realize this is one of those posts that really is misleading. i actually remember having fun at banquets, just not as good of stories on the fun ones i guess. oh well, most of the stuff i did at oc to have fun doesn't really translate well into writing about it years later. whatever, i know i had fun...

well, it's getting to be that time.
one love, one heart.

4.05.2005

B.A. Baracus: Gimme a cup of coffee! Diner Clerk: How do you want it? B.A. Baracus: In a cup, fool!

i was talking to nascar, one of the youth ministers i worked with in tulsa for a while today, and we were laughing at some of the things you notice as you grow up.
when i was a kid i hated tomatoes and most other vegetables. i was at the deli today and i had the guy putting tomatoes, onions, pepperchinis etc on my sandwich. seriously it was a salad in between slices of bread. weird, i used to hate tomatoes, and now i can't get enough of them.
also, i always thought paying bills would be this gigantic mess that would be impossible to deal with. i always wondered how i would manage. it's easy, they send you papers, and you mail them back a check. the only thing that is complicated is making sure that the check you get exceeds the checks you write. i always imagined what it would be like to have a full time salary and manage to pay all of my bills, now i wonder how i managed to pay bills before i got a job.
i can hear my mom and everyone else over the age of 29* saying to themselves 'that's part of growing up'.

that, and while lawdog was out for a ministers lunch, i had to answer the phones at the church which always leads towards some interesting conversations (see previous post). we had a lady call today updating information for a national church directory. it's weird to think that my name is going to be in a national publication (along with thousands of other people). not a huge deal, but one of those things that always trips me out. kinda like this blog, i put this up more of a journal for myself, and i went and added this site counter update and got an email that like 60 people a day check this. weird. i know of only two people who respond, and my mom would if she knew how to set up an account (don't worry mi madre, most moms don't even know what a blog is, much less read their kids' blogs).

speaking of, if you're reading this, please respond. just interested in who you are.

well, after some much needed talking to the amigos and doing grown-up stuff, i think its time to go play. and by play i mean get my calendar together for may. to go play in the hay, by the bay, i just may.... ahhh, nothing like a happy gilmore quote to finish with.

one love, one heart.

4.04.2005

"There doesn't have to be any reason for baseball; it's just a beautiful thing to watch."

so today is may favorite day of the year by far.
opening day of the baseball season should be a major holiday. if we have arbor day where we honor trees then we def should make today a national holiday. people should get off work, kids should be dismissed from school... the whole nine. columbus didn't even discover america and he has a holiday. so the cuz and i decided we would re-organize our calendar around baseball. needless to say we had a lot of fun with this...

so here are the changes/ additions we made.

opening day will now be called new years day
off season is now lent
the post season is now called the high holy days
the day after the world series is dia de los muertos
the all star game is election day
thanksgiving is now referred to as charlie kerfeld day in honor of the astros pitcher who could throw down some turkey.
because columbus didn't get his directions right, we are renaming his day yogi berra day.
the day that pitchers report to spring training will be called joe neikro day
the 19th of every month is tony gwynn day
every day of the season is cal ripken day
the world series is pentecost
game one is passover
the playoffs are now the state of the union or the primaries
the first game of the playoffs is now the iowa caucus
hall of fame induction day is now known as veterans day
good friday is now the first friday after both the cubs and red sox have been eliminated from the pennant race
the day before opening season is now field of dreams day
the day before easter is bud selig day
november is now baseball history month
the home run derby will be known as arbor day, in honor of the lumber that is used
halloween is now the home opener of the oakland raiders (this has nothing to do with baseball, we just thought it was appropriate)
valentines day is now salary arbitration day (the whole 'will you be mine' idea), it is also known as 'barry bonds media day'
st. patricks day is now fenway park day, in honor of the big green monster
the spring time change is now bunt day
the fall time change is now relief pitcher day
april 15th is now alex rodriguez day (this is subject to change depending on who is the highest paid player as of the start of the season)
the 31st of every month is designated hitter day
memorial day is now throwback jersey day
mother's day is a league of their own day
fathers day is now yankees/pedro martinez day
juneteenth is negro league day
march 4th is now kirby puckett day
the span of days where dimaggio hit in 56 straight games will be called the great flood
jackie robinson day
shot heard round the world day
nolan ryan day (to celebrate the day he beat up robin ventura)
mcgwire performance enhancement day
billy hatcher 'cork your bat day'
mccarver leap day (we skip this day in honor of our least favorite commentator, tim mccarver)
disco demolition day
cap day
we will rock you day
peter gammons/ bob costas day
major league quote day

we should have the bill before congress in time for the 06 season.

oh yeah, i don't want to get into too many of the laws that we made up as well, but we thought right after the singing of the national anthem the crowd and players hsould recite james earl jones speech from field of dreams.

"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come."

this years world series picks: padres vs. angels

one love one heart, and PLAY BALL!

4.01.2005

"The truth is not always the same as the majority decision." -Pope John Paul II


ignite logo
Originally uploaded by braddahdj.
so we finally came up with a logo for the youth ministry. man, it's so hard to get in an art mode after being out of school for so long. that, and trying to get finances in order doesn't really lend itself to being creative. but, after a kinda trippy week i guess we're pretty much done.

now comes the fun part of doing what i can so the ministry lives up to the name ignite.

oh yeah, and we're finishing up the youth room slowly but surely. right now we have one half blue with black stripe, and the other side is tutti frutti-pink, mango passion-green and chalkboard black (so we can write on the walls). we still have to put up our mural, find couch covers, and build a backlit logo for the pink wall and i think we'll have our room up and going. slowly but surely...

today is one of those catch your breath days. the whole schiavo case, the memorial service i had to put together, the random homeless guy who knew my name, and the whole deal with the pope has me pretty well drained. i'm not catholic, but i've always liked the pope. we have the same birthday and we are both of polish decent (although i claim norwegian). anyways, i always respected him, and thought he was a very admirable man. he made tough calls, unpopular to some, but always did what he thought was right in God's eyes. you can't really ask for more than that from a man. mi padre always told we 'doing the right thing is always the right thing to do' and the pope def personified that. like him or not, agree with him or not, he was a good man. i think my favorite story of the pope is when he invited a breakdancing crew to the vatican and said he was marveled at how well they could move. that's right, the pope liked breakdancing. and he kept working after taking a bullet. but in his last hours, he embraced life the way that is in great contrast to the schiavo case that frustrated me so much. the pope faced death like someone who was ready to see God. i may not be catholic, but that is def something that i can look to the pope as a role model.

here's a few of my favorite quotes from the pope:
"The truth is not always the same as the majority decision."

"Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well. Do this in complete faith and confidence."

"Science can purify religion from error and superstition. Religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes."

"As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live."

"The future starts today, not tomorrow."

"To maintain a joyful family requires much from both the parents and the children. Each member of the family has to become, in a special way, the servant of the others."

"You are priests, not social or political leaders. Let us not be under the illusion that we are serving the Gospel through an exaggerated interest in the wide field of temporal problems."

"Radical changes in world politics leave America with a heightened responsibility to be, for the world, an example of a genuinely free, democratic, just and humane society. "

"When you wonder about the mystery of yourself, look to Christ, who gives you the meaning of life. When you wonder what it means to be a mature person, look to Christ, who is the fulfillness of humanity. And when you wonder about your role in the future of the world look to Christ."

"Young people are threatened... by the evil use of advertising techniques that stimulate the natural inclination to avoid hard work by promising the immediate satisfaction of every desire."



God, I know that the pope did his best to serve you. i pray i can do the same.

....man, its 630 and it may as well be 2 in the morning. i'm wiped out, and since none of the kiddos signed up to go to the retreat this weekend i have a free night. i think it's bonfire at the beach time.

well, to all the people out there mourning the pope's death, i hope you can find comfort in the way he went. as for me, it's time to get move on and get ready for tomorrow.

one love, one heart.