4.10.2009

We're moving...



Hola blogworld.

Well it's been a great run here at chapmionship vinyl, but it's time to switch gears a little bit, so I'm moving the blog over to my new website. This site will stay put, but this will be the last post. See you at djiverson.com

one love, one heart.

4.08.2009

Between the river and the ravens I'm fed. Between oblivion and the blazes I'm led. So Father give me faith, providence and grace. -Dustin Kensrue



Hola blogworld.

In case you haven't noticed, people all around the world are worried about the economy. I know this because everyone that can possibly find a reason to be in front of a camera is saying we are in the midst of a major economic disaster. Some have even used the term 'apocalypse' which I find interesting, because there really isn't much in scripture pointing towards a downward economic climate as a sign of the end of times. If there, is be sure to let me know. I'm too scared to read Revelations myself.

Let me share another story with you from the Bible. The Israelites have just crossed the Red Sea, fleeing persecution, and are now on a journey through the desert. No wandering just yet. After the first three days of celebrating their new freedom, they can't find any drinkable water, so the Lord provides. A few weeks later they are starting to wonder where their food will come from, so the Lord provides. Let's park here for a minute. When the Lord is providing bread for the Israelites, He commands them to take as much as they needed, just enough for each person in their tent. Then Moses tells them that no one is too keep any of it till morning. The funny thing is, there are people that decide to stockpile their bread and they find in the morning that it is covered in maggots and beginning to smell.

Here's the thing, these folks have seen the Lord do some pretty impressive things. Between the ten plagues, and the Red Sea alone, you would think they would listen to every command the Lord gives them. He's already proven HImself over and over. Yet they still keep some bread for tomorrow.

Fast forward a few years to a country founded by people fleeing religious persecution.

There are a lot of moving parts to our economic crisis. But I'd like to take apart a few of the events that I see as key to our current situation. First off, the housing crisis. For years we have promoted the 'American Dream,' which comes standard with a house, white picket fence, and some apple pie. Over the years this dream has gone from a goal to an expectation. The difference is a dream is something that you work for, and an expectation is something that you are to be given. It's a matter of rights versus privilege. So over the course of the past few years people who can't afford houses, are 'misrepresenting' their income because they feel they are entitled to a home. Corporations let this gross negligence fly, because they see a huge potential for profit, and they are entitled to make money by any means necessary.

Closely related, at least in my opinion, is the auto industry. I forgot to mention that every American dream house comes with a luxury car and an SUV. By no means does it stop at cars, but they make a great example. For years we've been upping the ante when it comes to automobiles, creating an industry that thrives on our excess. We've been demanding things that we perceive we will need, and committing ourselves to more than we can take on. We have become entitled to our luxuries.

Or extra bread is starting to smell bad, and is covered with maggots.

You see, before God provided for the Israelites, He told them IF they obeyed His commands THEN He would continue to provide for them and keep them safe from the same ills of Egypt. There is no entitlement in that proposal.

Also, most of the laws were about keeping God as a priority, a lot of the laws He gave served to preserve the health and stability of the people.

So back to us. Can we really expect anything less than a crisis when we aren't relying on God? These past few months we have begun to see the results of a basic breakdown of our core beliefs. Little white lies have created collapsing industries, selfish accounting has cost people their savings, and a culture built on scraping together as much bread as possible is now so far in debt it may take us 40 years to recover.

Keep in mind we are still the richest country in the world.

There's a phrase in the Bible that seems to pop up constantly through the journey of the Israelites; "The Lord heard their cries..." Wether it's about water, food, slavery, impending battle, or political strife, you hear this phrase repeatedly. The Lord heard their cries...

Lord,

We cry out.
On behalf of a nation that struggles with putting you first,
We cry out.
On behalf of a people that are realizing that our idols have let us down,
We cry out.
On behalf of a culture that has made a mockery of you,
We cry out.
On behalf of those with their priorities out of line,
We cry out.
For our rebellion,
We cry out.
For the lives we have destroyed,
We cry out.
Four abusing your blessings,
We cry out.
For our selfishness,
We cry out.
For our deceit,
We cry out.
For our greed,
We cry out.

Give us this day,
our daily bread.

One love, One heart.

4.01.2009

Happy Birthday Big Mac.



Happy 40th birthday to the Big Mac. Created by Jim Delligati, one of the earliest franchisees of McDonalds, the big mac was originally designed to compete with the big boy. It has gone on to symbolize America to many parts of the world.

Be sure to pick up your freebie at McDonalds today (I'm guessing one per customer). If it's anything like the Denny's fiasco you might want to get there early.

one love, one heart.

3.27.2009

"I practically invented decline." -Michael Scott

Hola blogworld.


Despite what it looks like, they are not leading worship.

Nothing big to post this week, but next week.. big news. So let's get on with the random thoughts...

Consumer vs Producer.
I finally have the words for a concept that has been floating around for a while when it comes to my vision for youth ministry. We have created a generation of church consumers who rate their church experience on how well their needs are met. More and more I'm getting excited about people who are looking at the needs they can meet as part of a church family. More on this later.

One way.
Have you ever driven somewhere and only had to make left turns? I was heading to a friend's house the other day and with the exception of exiting the freeway (doesn't count) every move i made was a left turn. Kind of freaked me out.

Closure.
Speaking of driving, one of the simple joys in life that mi hermana pointed out, is when the song ends right as you are turning off the car. Does anyone have a term for this? If there isn't one out there, I'd like to suggest 'closure'. My closure record is 16 in a row over the course of a couple of magical days back in 07.

If you're on twitter, you should follow Christopher Walken at :
***sorry, the link didn't post twitter.com/cwalken

Fridays have become our office music days. so far we've had:
Otis redding/soul day
Ladysmith Black Mambazo day
Bob Marley day
Caedmon's Call day
Jack Johnson day
80's day
and i think our secretary is planning on having Yanni day.

Is it just me, or is t-pain and his robot-voice on every song on the radio?

Overhype.
This has been a word dominating my culture conversations lately. Here's my list of things that are overhyped:
watchmen (overhyped and disturbing)
bruce springsteen (i just don't get it... sorry union members)
AIG (there are plenty of other corrupt companies that need some tough love as well)
NCAA basketball (i skipped bracketology this year and haven't missed it at all)
twitter (i joined because i'm hoping someday it will be useful)
hating the new facebook layout

Kings.
Best new show on tv. It's a modern day version of the story of David, which means it will probably be the raciest show in primetime. Go to hulu.com to catch up.

Creeper.
Still trying to figure out if/what to say to chica #2. I don't really want to use facebook to ask her out, but options are limited. I'll keep you updated on what I decide/consequences.

Reminder:
The on-ramp is for accelerating to safe freeway speeds. Please do not stop at the end of the on ramp. Also, if your car is not capable of maintaing reasonable freeway speeds, please do not travel via freeway. Thank you.

Science.
The restrooms at our office complex are down the hall, and a require a key to gain entry. I have discovered that the time it takes for the key to work is in direct proportion to my need to get in.

Mafia.
I've said it before, and I'll say it a lot more, I love my friends in youth ministry out here in SoCal. I've got a long list of blessings in my life, and the people that I serve with are right near the top.

Listening:
Switchfoot: Nothing is Sound
Thrice: Vhiessu
Rancid: Out Come the Wolves
Pearl Jam : Ten
Hum: You'd Prefer An Astronaut

Reading:
Purpose Driven Life
Crazy Love
Exodus
Band of Brothers
Something Under the Bed Is Drooling.

Planning:
Camping trip
Surf lessons
Overseas vacation
Young adults retreat

One love, one heart.

3.24.2009

A Mighty Wind.

I dare you to watch this video without laughing.



one love, one fart.

3.18.2009

Fall down seven times. Get up eight. - Japanese Proverb

This story is awesome.








In a culture of complaining, this story really strikes a chord with me. I would like to reiterate what DJ's dad said, this guy has nothing to be embarrassed about. Listen to this wisdom:

"If I fall, I fall. It's just another challenge. I'm going to fall, it's just the way it is; I'm going to do it. So, you know what, you get back up, learn from your mistakes, and do it again."

one love, one heart.

3.10.2009

Action Michael, Action DJ, Rog-R-Bot and the Fire-Breathing French Dragon: as told by one of my 6th graders.




This is action figure dj, and action figure michael. They work at an electronic store called Directdisc, which is owned by a fire-breathing french dragon. The fire-breathing french dragon runs his shop like Donald Trump, telling everyone that they are fired.

Action figure Michael comes with a giant mustache/wings. He used to be a semi professional football player, but his mustache/wings prevented him from making plays, because it was so heavy. And people couldn't see the number on his jersey. He wants a new job, but it's tough in this market.

Action figure dj comes with a some mini wings, a fire extinguisher and a pet transformer named Rog-R-bot. Action figure dj used to work at a car wash, but left when he kept getting soap in his eyes, and spent all day rinsing them out.

As for Rog-R-Bot, he used to have his own kids show called 'Mr. Rog-R-Bot' where he taught preschoolers about traffic safety, but was kicked off because it stunk.

The End.

Tune in next week, when in the year 3035 AD, action figure Michael and action figure dj fight over 'love interest'. action figure dj loses his hovercraft-truck and action figure Michael uses his mustache to win over the ladies.

one love, one heart.

Happy Birthday Chuck Norris.



I think the picture speaks for itself. But if you feel like you need to learn more about Chuck Norris, check out his fact page.

one love, one heart.

3.06.2009

Guest Blog from OK Chick

Hola Blogger World! I’m OK Chick, and I am your guest blogger. Now, I assume most of DJ’s readers reside in sunny, beautiful, close to the beach, CA? Well, I reside in Oklahoma. It’s possible; some of DJ’s sunny CA readers have a misconception about my fine state. I mean really, who comes to Oklahoma for vacation? No one. Furthermore, I’m sure what national news coverage we’ve received; hasn’t been flattering. I realize you’ve probably seen the shirtless redneck, missing two front teeth, give his tale of the tornado, which just destroyed his mobile home. Well Blogger World, there’s more to Oklahoma than rednecks, OU Sooners Football, Indians/Tepees, Barry Switzer, Toby Keith, and Garth Brooks. So please, step inside my world.

Wind
We have a lot of it here in Oklahoma. I know everyone thinks Chicago is the Windy City, but that’s only because Oklahoma wasn’t counted as a state when Chicago claimed the nickname. Really, Oklahoma City should be called the Windy City. This morning I was up at 5:15am for a run. Do you know that the wind was already blowing 22 mph? True story.

Thunder
No, not the sound made by lighting; the basketball team. Last year we stole an NBA team from Seattle, and changed their name to Thunder. It has made Oklahoma Thunder one of the most hated professional sport organizations in history; or so my buddy Bill Simmons from ESPN.com argues. Whatever, we have an NBA team and Seattle doesn’t. Get over it! We pack The Ford Center every game to see our Thunder lose. Besides, I support Seattle economy almost every day by stopping at Starbucks. It’s practically even. Folks, I buy a lot of nonfat Chais.

Oklahoma and Texas is basically the same thing
I would like for you to erase that statement from your brain. Go ahead- erase it. We are nothing like Texas. Have you met people from Texas? They have big hair, huge belt buckles, and talk with reeaaalll Southern accents. We Oklahomans like to keep our hair and belt buckles to a minimum level. Also, we do not talk with Southern accents. Fine! If you go to the backwoods of Oklahoma, waaaay south, you’ll find some folks that speak with southern accents. But here in OKC, no way. Also, I don’t know if you’ve heard of the Red River Rivalry? Yea, that right there proves how much the two states hate each other.

Fatties
Yes, we are more on the hefty size here in Oklahoma. It’s to be blamed on all the fried chicken, turkey legs, Indian tacos, bbq, fried okra, biscuits and gravy, and Sonic slushies we consume. Last year OKC Mayor made Oklahoma’s weight his top priority. He went on every nationwide news show and called our state fat. Yeah, it was a great moment. He challenged our stated to lose one million pounds in a year. It’s been over a year and we’ve lost 300,000 pounds. Needless to say, we don’t care that we’re fat because fried okra dipped in ranch is dang good!

Friendly
Down here people acknowledge each other. It’s not out of character to have a stranger strike up a conversation with you in line at Wal-Mart. However, I do not fit this mold. If I’m in Wal-Mart and I spot someone from High School; I will run and hide. If it helps me avoid having meaningless talk with them, I’ll go stand in the dog food isle for ten minutes. BUT generally, everyone is very friendly in this part of the world. Not saying the people of sunny CA are not friendly, but we’re REAL friendly around here.

Tornadoes
We have a lot of these in Oklahoma. Tornadoes are kind of a big deal around here. We take our weather and weather people very serious, probably more than most state. Every true Oklahoman knows what weather person is associated with each channel; and each person has “their weather person”. It’s kind of your go-to person when the sky is dark and it’s raining. I’m more of a Gary England girl. He’s on CBS. Lord Gary, as we call him, has been tracking tornadoes for 100 years. Really, he’s old. I trust a person that has lots of experience in this field. Also, he’s so funny to watch on TV. When he starts cussing it’s hilarious! Oh and they have even developed a drinking game for Lord Gary/Tornado Season. I’ve never played. I prefer to be sober during tornadoes. You know, in case a tornado comes ripping down my street, and I need to get in the closet.

Hopefully, I’ve cleared up any misconceptions. By the way, I’m jealous of you folks that live in sunny CA. You have the beach!

**be sure to check out OK Chick's Blog, it's a must read!

one love, one heart.

2.26.2009

Happy Birthday Johnny Cash





Johnny Cash is one of my all time favorite musicians. Songs like Folsom Prison Blues, and I Walk the Line resonate across all styles of music to this day. For my money though, his best song was a love poem written by his soon to be wife, June Carter. I remember the first time I heard Ring of Fire. I was in the car with mi madre and mi hermana and we were driving up north to L.A. for some reason. I turned the radio to the legendary KROQ station and heard this great song by (another one of my favorites) Social Distortion. I had previously caught the tail end of the song and was stoked to hear it in its entirety. I turned the radio up and sang along, when my mom (so it seemed at the time) ruined the moment. "This is an old country song". Screeeeeeeech. "No way" I replied. But mom assured me that it was an old country song, and she sang along. I knew my mom wasn't a Social Distortion fan, so she must know what's she was talking about. A few days later we were at the mall and I stopped in to the Wherehouse music (remember those?) and for the first time ever ventured into the country music section. There it was, Johnny Cash: Greatest Hits, right there at the start of the 'C's. I put on the headphones and scanned in the cd and for the first time heard the infamous horn riff that provides the memorable melody to what instantly became my favorite song. It was a few years before I told anybody that there was a country singer that I really liked. These were the grunge years, the ska years, and the punk years. I remember one day my friends were going through my cd collection and they laughed at this out of place country cd. We put it in the discman and cruised downtown seattle. I thought my music cred was gone, but my friends loved it too. I was floored. Pretty soon I started playing guitar, and with Ring of Fire being a simple GCD chord riff, it was first on my list of songs to learn. Over the years most of my friends have heard me play this, or at the very least know that I am a huge fan.

So why is this a big deal? I'm a music person. A large part of the reason that I am a music person is because of Johnny Cash. So thank you Johnny Cash. Thank you for providing me with a great soundtrack to my life. R.I.P.

One love, one heart.

2.25.2009

Confessions of a Wrestler.



Things that should have tipped off me and brohymm that we were in the wrong theater when we went to watch The Wrestler last night:

1. The lack of men in the theater.
2. The preview for the Hannah Montana movie.
3. The light, bubbly music as the movie started.
4. The opening monologue with a cheery voice.

Yeah, so as soon as we saw the words 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' appear onscreen we booked it out of the theater and managed to find our theater just in time to see the preview for T4.

By the way, to the ticket taker at the AMC in Mission Valley, it's second theater on the left, not the first.

Oh yeah, The Wrestler was really good. Not a kid friendly movie by any means, but good none the less.

one love, one heart.

2.24.2009

"I Recycle. I Cycle to work and Recycle home." - Nick Thune


Hola blogworld.

I've never been one to get caught up in much in the hype machine that it is environmentalism. I'm not going around emptying aerosol cans into the air, but I've always had my doubts as to how effective these measures are. There seems to be a lot of inconsistencies in mainstream environmentalism, from studies funded by oil companies, to groups like the ELF (earth liberation front...worst anagram ever) burning down new homes.

Anyways, here are a few things that I came across recently that I thought were noteworthy. I'll include a list of sources at the end.

Organic food.
It seems like a good idea. Eating food that is free of those nasty chemical fertilizers, pesticides and such. Anything that's natural has to be better for you right? Well, not necessarily. Cancer rates have dropped since farmers began using chemicals, and organic farming uses a lot of manure which results in a greater risk of contamination. Despite accounting for only 1% of the food supply, organic food accounts for 8% of cases of E. Coli.

Another funny thing about those chemicals is that they were invented for a reason, to increase food production. Organic farming is pretty inefficient. The current acre of farmland produces 200% more than it did 70 years ago, and the same goes for meat and poultry. According to some guy that won a Nobel Prize, we could feed 4 billion people if we all went organic, which is pretty lame for the other 2.5 billion left to starve.

As for the environment, organic food has a whole lot of issues to overcome. Because it is inefficient to farm, there is a shortage of organic food available to people that desire it the most. This means that organic food is being shipped hundreds of miles by (diesel) trucks. So in a way, organic food might actually be harming the environment.

Recycling.
Another seemingly good idea. Let's reuse everything. I was raised with images of forests getting clear cut and burned, and then panning out to shots of the globe being covered in water. Did you know that the number of trees on earth has actually increased over the past 50 years? Logging companies have long made it a practice to plant more trees than they cut down in an effort to ensure future growth.

As for landfills, some researcher at Gonzaga did a study about U.S. consumption and figured out our garbage over the next 1,000 years would fill a 35 square mile area 100 yards deep. This is less than 1/10th of the land that we currently use for grazing, and this is over a thousand year period. Also, our paper disposal has gone down significantly over the past decade with the rise of electronic communication.

Another flag recyclists wave is that of saving resources, which really is a matter of perspective. If you consider human labor to be a resource, then Los Angeles alone shows the ineffectiveness of recycling. In L.A. there are twice as many garbage trucks as there would be if there weren't a recycling program. Recycling requires more trucks and more people to oversee the process. So it's tough to measure the effectiveness of the overall impact of the recycling program.

Lastly, a chemist figured out that you would have to use a ceramic mug over 1,000 times before you would see benefits over using styrofoam cups for those 1,000 cups of coffee. This is taking into consideration the amount of energy it takes to make the mug, and the amount of energy and water it takes to wash it after each use. My dad had this beat, he used the same mug for years without washing it. It was gross.

Carbon offsets.
This is by far the worst idea environmentalists have come up with. A carbon offset is basically paying a company to reduce their carbon emissions to make up for your usage. This is basically paying for your guilty conscience. Currently, there is no structure set up to monitor these purchases, so you have no idea what, or how much you are buying, and what that exactly means. In fact, government investigations have shown that a large number of carbon offsets were just empty promises, or that companies were already planning on reducing their emissions. That's like offering me money to drink less diet soda.

Like I said before, these things do not mean we should package stuff in excess materials or waste energy and empty out cans of hairspray for fun. But, I think it is time we stopped worshipping the Earth and started worshiping the creator. If we focused the same amount of time and energy into serving others and caring for those in need we would rise up a generation of people that knew how to take care of all of God's creation. It's easy to get sidetracked by good intent, but when we get so caught up in preventing Waterworld from happening that we are willing to believe anything that lobbyists, and extremists cry out, I think we miss our true calling, which is a life of worship. We were not made for a life of fear, or trying to cover our guilty conscience, or searching for personal identity by identifying with a tree, and definitely not for satisfying self-interest groups.

If you need me, I'll be at the beach picking up trash.

One love, one heart.

p.s. here are some of the sources:










**** The links show up in my editor, but for some reason they aren't showing up on the post. If you really want them just comment****

2.19.2009

What am I gonna do with 40 subscriptions to Vibe?

Hola Blogworld,

Office.


I love the office I work at now. It's pretty cramped but it makes for some good times. Just like any other place we have our own little quirks. Here are a few of my faves:
At least once a week we have issues with our printers, which automatically qualifies us as an official office space. I have to fight the urge to yell 'PC load letter! what does that mean?' every time we have a hiccup with printing.
The secretary and I are about three feet apart so I typically have my headphones in, which means every time she says something I turn around and almost pull my laptop off of the desk.
Whenever somebody brings food in we all get hungry, but the office always smells good.
Our preacher has his own room, but it is only glass that separates us, so most of the time we are talking to each other through a single pane of glass. If I have anything serious to say I have to walk into his office because there's no way I'm keeping a straight face talking through glass.
At least once a week we start quoting a Mel Brooks movie. By we, I am not including our secretary. She's a saint.
Everything in our office is a shade of tan. The building, the carpet, the bookcases, our desks... everything.
My cheap target bookcase can not stand up on its own, we have to wedge it between another bookcase and a cabinet just to keep it standing.
When the sun is out, crows will fly into the window right in front of my desk. I jump every time.
Our preacher has Napoleon Dynamite stuff on his desk, I have my Goulet autograph. We get along really well.

Creeper.
So a bunch of my stuff is still in storage up in Simi, which is run by my least favorite creeper. When I was setting up the account, I picked up that she was trying to flirt (poorly) and tried to be as nice as possible. Sidenote: complaining about everything is not a good way to get someone's interest. Anyways, I went up there for the first time in a few months to pick up a few things, and when I got there my gate code didn't work. So I walk into the office (with nonickname alongside, I refuse to go in by myself) and ask her why I couldn't get through. She says she isn't sure and then proceeds to look up my account WITHOUT ASKING FOR MY NAME. I asked her if there was a problem with the gate, or if there was something wrong with my account, and she tells me that somehow my access was switched off. Mind you, this is the only person I have ever seen working there. She activates my code, we load up my truck, and on the way out nonickname points out the possibility that creeper probably messed with my code so I would have to come into the office. yikes. no fun at all. oh yeah, she also has access to my address and credit card information, so if you're out there creeper storage lady... let's be friends!

Universal remote.
I recently bought a universal remote for my tv and dvd player. It was a little more complicated to set up than I had anticipated, so I ended up reading the little instruction manual that came with it. Recently our government passed the single largest spending bill without anyone reading through it. Good idea. That's change you can believe in.

And you are...
I was up in l.a. on sunday night crashing at a friends' place in hollywood, and decided to go to the corner pizza place to grab some dinner. I walked in and it was like the scene from swingers where the crew walks in to the party, everyone stops and glances for a second, and then immediately turns their heads back to their really important conversations. I just chuckled and walked up to the only empty seat in the place and ordered a pizza and a pepsi (yes i'm drinking sodas again). Anyways, I'm sitting there at what is essentially the bar chillin waiting for my pizza, when the people around me turn and ask, 'so what have you been in?' not 'where do you work?' or 'where are you from?', but 'what have you been in?' i love that you just have to assume that everyone in l.a. wants to be an actor. and i'm love that i live in san diego.

214
Not always my favorite day, but this year I went to surferchica's birthday party and had a blast dressing up, hitting up a sweet sushi spot, and chillin with some new folks. Not a whole lot to tell there, but it was nice not to have something chill to do on 214.

Evangeline.
I talked with Evangeline Clothing about putting some designs to their shirts and possibly skateboards. It's a great company that's starting to blow up pretty decent. Be sure to check out the new site at evangelineclothing.com, and look for my stuff soon.

Pictures.
I found my box of pictures from back in the day, which look like they are mostly from church camp. If I knew then how much they would mean to me now I would have taken hundreds more.

Mere Christianity.
Is so much better on audiobook when read by someone with an English accent.

Reach for the stars.

A big birthday shout out to my main man Nicolaus Copernicus, who was born this day in 1473. Mr. C was the first guy to figure out that earth was not the center of the universe. He proposed that the sun is the center of the universe, and Galileo and Keplar backed it up a hundred years later. Nowadays we know the universe revolves around Kanye West.

Toilet Talk.

Another birthday shout out to Jeff Daniels, who will always make me laugh with the toilet scene from Dumb and Dumber.

anyways, there's a bunch of big stuff on the horizon that i'll hopefully be able to share with the blogworld soon. until then,

one love, one heart.

2.02.2009

Liveblogging at the DMV.



12:42 arrive. Found starting point, get ticket B531.

12:43 robot lady voice says, "now serving B 391".

12:47 inappropriate tank top guy offers suggestions as to how the DMV can expedite his unique, obviously more important needs.

12:55 pretty sure roofing guy just farted.

12:56 "now serving J102". What happened to B?

12:57 call james.

1:04 give up seat for a vet.

1:09 standing next to me in line friend suggests the DMV add a bar.

1:11 barefoot cowboy hat lady makes her entrance.

1:19 awkward kissing at the dmv couple embarrassed kid near them.

1:20 massive wrestler guy gives up seat for sweet little old lady.

1:25 standing next to me in line friend suggests we start the wave.

1:30 kind old man let's extremely large lady sit next to him and is now trying to figure out how to move over to empty seat next to him without being rude.

1:33 Its not my fault I forgot my paperwork lady is upset at the DMV lady because someone else must have forgotten her paperwork.

1:34 giant wrestler guy laughs at tiny skinny wanna be gangster guy.

1:39 sit still guy moves to his third different chair.

1:40 standing next to me in line friend calls me, 'look at me typing on my phone guy'.

1:42 I'm kind of a big deal guy does not realize that he has ketchup on his tie.

1:43 barefoot cowboy hat lady is singing.

1:44 excited guy is really excited about registering his vehicle.

1:49 abe Lincoln beard falls asleep.

1:49 sit still guy moves to his 4th chair.

1:50 I got dressed up for my drivers license photo lady is wearing blue eye shadow.

1:51 standing next to me in line friend and look at me typing on my phone guy debate whether or not the lady on the drew carey show was named mimi.

1:52 robot lady voice says, "now serving G221". goodbye standing next to me in line friend.

1:56 abe Lincoln beard listens politely to catlady talk about her "children".

2:04 matching t shirt couple make their entrance.

2:07 headphones guy goes into bathroom to answer phone.

2:11 best daughter in the world brings in burrito for mom, makes other 200 people in the waiting area jealous.

2:16 check ESPN mobile for sports news and realize I don't have anything to check until spring training starts.

2:18 funny lady yells bingo when B517 is called.

2:22 robot lady voice has no stopped for 6 minutes.

2:23 debate on whether or not to go to bathroom and risk missing robot lady voice call my number.

2:25 B351!

2:26 need a smog test.

2:29 drop off car at smog test shop.

2:33 downgraded to c154.

2:44 over to the corner store for a snapple.

2:49 pick up paperwork from smog check.

2:51 back over to DMV to hang out with long lost friends; barefoot cowboy hat lady, navycouple, and massive wrestler guy.

2:55 joker hair does not pass his test.

2:59 navycouple notices robot lady voice is not calling C numbers.

3:00 finish snapple, throw bottle into trash can with sign that reads, 'this not a secure trash bin'.

3:01 talk to trash bin to make it feel more secure

3:03 "now serving every letter but C".

3:06 C140!

3:11 skaterguy says to friend "hehe... 311 dude".

3:12 ponytail through cap guy makes his entrance.

3:18 I forgot my paperwork lady us back

3:20 J264 is pretty cute.

3:23 quick dry guy asks if anyone wants to go get some Mexican food.

3:24 quick dry guy starts clapping for people getting numbers called.

3:25 quick dry guy tried to auction off B640 ticket.

3:27 J264 chica says hola to blogworld.

3:31 quick dry guy teaches little kid how to make elephant noises.

3:35 quick dry guy yells,"B639 come on down, you're the next contestant at the DMV!"

3:39 "I'm not as think as you drunk I am" t shirt guy makes his entrance.

3:44 realizing I will probably be haunted in my dreams by robot lady voice.

3:48 pretty sure rent a cop is walking quickly back and forth just to look busy.

3:51 C154!

3:52 angels sing, trumpets sound and I get my tags and am out of here.

3:55 affix tags and hit the road.

one love, one heart.

1.31.2009

"We're Americans, with a capital 'A', You know what that means? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world."

hola blogworld.

Soda.
I'm on day 31 of no soda and the only difference I can tell is that I'm tired in the afternoon and feel cheap at restaurants.

iTunes.
I'm currently trying to go through and rate all of my music in iTunes. This may not seem like a big deal to most, but when you've got almost 20,000 songs it becomes a bit of a task. So far i've got about 19% of my music rated. It has been fun going back and rediscovering some old tunes. In the past week alone I've gone back and listened to all of my Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Skindred, NIckel Creek and Pearl Jam. I've also discovered there is music on my iTunes that I don't recall ever owning; Duran Duran, David Bowie (Labyrinth soundtrack), Neurosis, and James Taylor.

Toys.
I was in Target the other day and noticed that the aisles for toys, sporting goods and electronics were all right next to each other. I guess when you graduate from one to other they don't want you to get lost.

Books.
Does anybody else read more than one book at a time? I'll start like three books at once and rotate through depending on the day. Right now I'm reading Band of Brothers, Chasing Daylight, and Lead Like Jesus.

Yet another...
A few weeks back I was hanging out at the coffee shop by the office chillin with the baristas pretending to be working. Anyways, we got into a pretty cool discussion about church and after a while it ended up being just me and baristachica. The discussion turned to flirting after a little while, which is awkward enough, but still cool. So we're talking, I crack a joke, she laughs and farts. Unfortunately she was sitting on a wooden chair which doesn't exactly absorb sound. Needless to say she was pretty embarrassed, but I assured her she would fit in just fine with my family. Now every time I go in to chill everyone laughs and she gets red.

Happy 40th Birthday to:

Pualy Shore

Stripes.

My friend djliz got me hooked on the 365 Project this past year, and it's been a blast. This year she started a new 365 project with 'Stripes' as the theme. At first I thought she meant the Bill Murray movie from back in the day. Fortunately she's focused on finding stripes in everyday moments, and creating a sweet gallery in the process. check it out:



Camera.
I'd like to get a decent camera. Any suggestions?

Mi Hermana.

I always call her Shar. Back in the day when she was little it was Sharah, and over time it got shortened a little, and then when clueless came out it was cemented. Anyways, the other night i was chatting with her and accidently called her shat. I'm still laughing at that.

Supercuts.
Should just be called 'cuts'.

Guitar Center.
Have you ever gone to a music store and asked to check out a guitar, only to have the employee start off on a five minute metal solo to show you 'what the guitar can do'? Any time that happens to me, I ask them to join my band. If they seem interested I tell them i'm in an Spice Girls tribute band and we need a Sporty spice.

Clipboard.
Speaking of customer service, if you ever want to get the attention of store employees, walk around with a clipboard. Look around, and pretend like you're taking notes.

Cap.
I finally found the Padres cap I was looking for:

next up is the 90's astros cap.

Movies.
I wonder if this has happened to anyone else. All of your friends hype up a movie that you don't see until months, maybe years later, then when you go to talk about the movie everyone looks at you like, "why are you talking about Sixth Sense"?

Indian Food.
Still not a fan.

Gold Stars.
Should be handed out at the office.

Army Surplus Store...
T Shirts are the most comfortable shirts I've ever owned. At $4 a pop they're a really good investment if you're in the need of some decent shirts. The fact that they are logo-free is also a plus.

14 years ago

We moved to Seattle.

I think that's it for the rant stuff, be sure to check out some of the new links I've posted.

one love, one heart.

1.13.2009

Jesus and the 'Angles'.



"Quick. Describe yourself in one word..."

What seems like a simple question can sometimes be very difficult to answer. Some people are fortunate enough to have a quick response, while others really struggle with this seemingly inane question.

A few years ago I become one of the millions of people that have joined a social networking site (Facebook is my preference). One of the toughest parts for me was filling out the 'About Me' section, because I have this little space to create a blurb to sum up who I am. So much pressure! After perusing through some of my friends' pages, I noticed how many of my friends never really captured their personality in their blurb. But really, how well can you describe yourself in a few words?

There's another phenomenon that has sprouted up online, especially on social networking sites like Facebook or Myspace, that has been dubbed 'the angles'. This occurs when the person in the photo (usually self-taken) is only able to capture a portion of their face or body at some extreme angle, leaving the viewer with only a partial picture.

I wonder if we do the same thing with Jesus?

In our age of media soundbites and 'about me' sections, do we look at Jesus trying to simplify Him into something pocket-sized, easy to digest, and - dare I say - understandable?

The Jesus portrayed in the Bible has depth that mankind is still trying to grasp. For 2,000 years we have been studying what He said, what He did, and looking to HIm for guidance. If mankind is around for another 2,000 years, I'm sure it will be more of the same. So while we really have no choice but to study Jesus in parts, it is important that we don't limit Him to one specific word.

Let's look at some scripture to see some of the dangers of only looking at Jesus from one angle. We'll do so by looking at a few of the claims of Jesus.

1. An answer to prophecy.
Matt 5:17, 14:33, 16:16
Mark 14:21
Luke 24:44
John 20:9

2. Son of Man
Matt 8:20, 20:18, 25:31
Mark 8:31, 14:41
Luke 6:22, 21:36
John 1:51, 12:23

3. Son of God
Matt 11:27, 27:43
Mark 14:61
Luke 8:28
John 1:18, 17:1

4. The Messiah/Christ
Matt 23:9, 26:63
Mark 8:29
Luke 24:25
John 4:25

5. Teacher
Matt 26:18
John 13:13

6. Lord
Mark 5:19
John 20:28

7. Savior
Luke 19:10
John 3:17, 10:9

If we try to describe Jesus with just one of these seven aspects, we miss out on the complete picture. If Jesus was just a man, we lose sight of the fact that He is God as well. If Jesus was just a teacher, then we could easily skip over the fact that His life was described to us hundreds of years before He walked. Why is this dangerous? If we become so focused on Jesus as a savior, we can easily look past all of the things that He taught. The same man who graciously sacrificed Himself on a cross is the same man that was adamant about following God's law.

Popular culture likes to take Jesus and turn Him into a soundbite, or - more offensively - quote Him when it is beneficial to an argument. Let us be people that study the whole story. Let us be people that seek to find new depths to Jesus every day. Let us be people that add more and more to our picture of Jesus every time we call His name.

one love, one heart.

1.07.2009

I think I can sum up the show for you with one word: nothing.

scattered thoughts from the past few days:

Resolutions.
1. No soda for a year. Just to see if I can.
2. Pray for 5 different facebook friends everyday.

Sublime Moment of the Day
I decided to take the long way home tonight and ended up in downtown watching planes land.


Jersey.
I want to get a new Chargers jersey, but I'm having trouble deciding which one would be ideal. The choices are:
#4 Farve
#17 Friesz
#9 McMahon
#19 Unitas
#16 Leaf
#1 Manning


Out of the ordinary.
Do you ever have a day where you're not really into any of your typical music so you throw in some destiny's child or 80's arena rock and just rock out?

Celebrity birthdays for 1/7/09
Nicholas Cage 45
David Caruso 53
Sammo Hung 57
Erin Gray 59
Ray Bailey 30
Screech 32
Katie Couric 52
Kenny Loggins 61
Doug E. Doug timeless

Other 1/7 highlights:
The first U.S. presidential election was held in 1789.
The Harlem Globetrotters played their first game in 1927.

Respect.
There are not enough trees on God's green earth to print the money it would take to get me to do this, but man if these guys aren't crazy cool.


Ann Coulter is just crazy. She needs a hug. And a burger.

Bromance has replaced 'celebreality' as the number one word that should not exist.

Death Cab for Cutie is great music for sitting out on the porch at night looking out over la mesa.

The Bible is a great read on a quiet evening. or any evening.

Catching up with old friends is always fun. whether its checking out a facebook page, a late night chat, or grabbing a bite to eat.

Honey Nut Cheerios make a great late night snack.

Playing Guitar is a great way to chill at the end of a long day.

later blogworld.

one love, one heart.

1.06.2009

Sleeveface.

Hola Blogworld. me and hardcore contributed to sleeveface yesterday. Hopefully these will be on sometime soon.












one love, one heart.

1.02.2009

Best of...




hola blogworld. it's the end of the year which means two things: 1)people are making lists of stuff that happened over the past year, and B) award season is upon us. I'd like to combine the two for the first annual 'Golden Tamale Awards'. the votes have been tallied (meaning i ran them by the cuz) and the results are in, so go put on your favorite tux or evening dress because these awards are nothing if not chalk full of class. here we go:

winners of the Golden Tamale will be designated by the *

comeback player of the year:
josh hamilton
britney spears
oprah's chins
brett favre
beijing*

best newcomer:
3G
Hank Steinbrenner
Alaskan Politics*
ugly christmas sweater parties
zac luben

best hair:
the governor from chicago*

vice song of the year:
umbrella - rhianna
single ladies (put a ring on it) - beyonce
low - who cares
paper planes* - m.i.a.
whatever you like - t.i.

athlete of the year:
michael phelps
ussein bolt*
brett favre
oj
todd palin

best glasses:
sarah palin/tina fey
joe madden*
kanye west
the guy at the bass pro outlet
pepsi

website of the year:
sleeveface*
sexy people
omnomnomnom
the hero factory
stuff white people like

word of the year:
youbetcha*
maverick
change
apocalypse
bailout

joe of the year:
madden
paterno
the plumber*
g.i.
pesci

tv show of the year:
the office
chuck*
big bang theory
knight rider
rob and big

political moment of the year:
bill clinton eating crow
illinois
alaska
election
jesse jackson crying*

physical therapy term of the year:
proprioceptiive neuromuscular facilitation
motor moron*
fat
anterior cruciate ligament
regime

worst movie:
27 dresses
jumper*
shoot em up
avp 2
there will be blood

best place i've visited:
bahstan
bass pro shop
colorado
plymouth rock
vegas*

you're still around? award:
Detroit
ING
Jesse Jackson
Prop 8*
tom cruise

shun of the year:
farve to the packers
red sox to manny
ed hochuli to the chargers*
raider nation
blue ray to hd dvd

disappearing act:
Obama's tax cuts
joker's pencil
$4 a gallon*
rolled tacos
objectivity

best day of the year:
friday
wednesday
thursday
monday*
saturday
sunday
tuesday

beverage of the year:
pepsi
mt dew
dublin dr. pepper
big red*
crunk juice

stuff i've heard about, but have no clue what's going on there:
twilight
hannah montana*
jonas brothers
georgia
college basketball

speech of the year:
obama's acceptance speech
mccain's concession speech
ozzie guillen
jeter's last game at yankee stadium*
everything michael scott said

office season 5 moment:
jan singing
michael/holly/daryl road trip
kevin isn't retarded
let's get physical*
the tall guy got engaged

number of the year:
250,000
850,000,000,000
8
18-1
619*

album of the year:
angels & airwaves / i-empire
bedouin soundclash / street gospels
beck / modern guilt
jack johnson / sleep through the static
the alchemy index 3& 4 / thrice*

movie of the year:
bedtime stories
iron man
dark knight*
kung fu panda
forbidden kingdom

that's all for this year.
one love, one heart.