42
days since my last post. i guess i'm due.
33
lives lost at virginia tech last week. i wish there were something to say besides offering condolences to the families of those lost. my prayer is that we look to eradicate the causes of these senseless acts. i'm not talking about stricter gun control or tighter campus security, but the willingness for man to look out after his fellow man.
100
hours chulagirl and i had spent on the phone together between our first conversation in january thru the beginning of the month.
0
things i regret saying to her.
9
times we have stayed up past 3 talking.
40
dollars per month i owe gold's gym.
10
pounds of fat i have dropped in the last six weeks.
3
pounds of muscle i have put on.
5
kilometers i am going to run/jog when i participate in the 4th of july surf city 5k/10k run.
1
miles i can run w/o stopping as of this week.
66
the age of don imus, who evidently isn't funny. of course mencia, chappelle, rock and all those guys are a riot. note to self, if you're going to say something controversial, make sure it's funny, because if the joke bombs it's no longer an attempt at humor, its a racist remark. sidenote: be sure to catch imus' guest spot on the new ludacris album.
3
statements from jesse jackson and al sharpton that are noteworthy:
"[I'm] sick and tired of hearing about the Holocaust".
"Hymietown"
"“White folks was in caves while we was building empires ... We taught philosophy and astrology and mathematics before Socrates and them Greek homos ever got around to it.”
2
things that get me fired up very easily: racism & hypocrisy
6
art projects going on right now. a painting, designing a hoodie, two youth group shirts, a logo for another church, a stencil for my office and one for the cuz.
4
shows that i follow and my thoughts on each:
>the office - by far the funniest show i've ever seen. every episode consistently surprises me. someday i would like to take all of michael scott's lines and piece them into one long segment.
>24 - jack bauer is insane. i'm interested to see how intense the show could possibly remain after the past two episodes.
>lost - they're not lost. we are. and i think the writers are too.
>heroes - sorry all you 24 junkies, this gets top billing. for me it's almost like they've taken all of my favorite comics and put them into one show.
9.90
is how much i payed on itunes for john reuben's new album 'word of mouth', and it was worth every penny. this is the album that music needs right now asking questions like how much does it cost to be hip hop, and the rules for being indie.
1
hour a day that i have decided to set aside for myself. mostly in the afternoon. this is my time to veg, hit the gym, sit and listen to music, space out, pray, whatever i feel like. basically it's the hour i decide not to answer my phone, run errands, talk business, or even think about touching a computer. it's payed off so far, and i can't imagine making it through the summer without my hour.
10
weeks of summer on our calendar.
10
big events:
beach devo
pool party
go karts
youthwave
vbs
magic mountain
teen camp
raging waters (aka water lubes)
king's camp
24 hour prayer
1
intern.
66
days until i perform my first wedding. and yes, i am probably more nervous than they are. this should be fun. esp since it's hours before our guy's night out at the padres/dodgers game.
5
days that my allergies have been driving me nuts.
12
hours that these tylenol allergy multi symptom pills are supposed to last.
3
hours that they actually do help out.
300
cups of pudding that we demolished this past weekend at the puddingball olympics.
1
plunger spray painted gold to act as our torch during the opening ceremonies.
0
parent complaints.
28
days until me and the cuz will finally be able to visit mecca aka yankee stadium for a yankees/red sox game. it still hasn't hit home (no pun intended) that i am going to nyc for a yankee game.
83
homers i think a rod is going to hit this year.
119
his projected total at the rate he is hitting right now (14 homers in 19 games)
3
times this week that i have watched 'rad', one of the greatest 80's cult classic movies. all of the sudden i feel like buying a bike.
71
degrees outside today with a steady breeze. i love it. today may be the perfect afternoon. i'm out of here.
1
love,
1
heart.
4.25.2007
3.14.2007
Did I ever tell you about the time I invented snowboarding? Ya I don't want credit for it but they keep on giving it to me...
the long awaited...
i know it's been a while since the last post, which is a good thing i guess. i would much rather be doing things to write about rather than trying to write about things i would like to do. all in all the past month has been one that is going to be tough to forget. i was at my own apt for only 12 of the 28 nights of february, which has def made me appreciate my own bed, and the sound that my recliner makes when i kick the footrest up. i guess the best lyric to sum up the month would come from a social distortion song; 'life goes by so fast/you only want to do what you feel is right/close your eyes and it's passed/story of my life'.
off the market.
as of a few weeks ago i started talking to a certain ladyfriend of mine at the urging of one of my favorite people in the world. with a few exceptions, every night since has ended on the phone with her. needless to say, its been a good month. it's long distance thing yes, but at this point in time we're more focused on making things work, rather than focusing on the obstacles. i know i've been very open about stuff like this in the past, and i could go on for pages with the mushy stuff that you are probably more interested in reading, but i digress. that's for us. just us. i guess there are some things i just don't feel like sharing with the world. it's kind of like one of those moments where you see a gorgeous sunset and you kind of want to keep the special moment to yourself.
snowboarding.
our third annual youth minister's retreat held a snowboarding first for me, i actually hit up a few blue diamond runs on snow summit. man, i love snowboarding. i'm actually at that point where i wouldn't feel bad spending money on getting a better board and bindings. don't get me wrong, i'm not landing any jumps any time soon, but i def can make it down the mtn without falling now. this is a big deal for me, because i remember staring at the very same hill a few years ago and thinking there was no way i would ever be able to hit up these hills, and that was just the end part of the run that i now cruise down in a matter of a few seconds. i still have to get the whole 's curves' thing down without my board getting squirrely and causing a faceplant, but other than that i'm hooked all over again. i also have to give props to dantheman for getting back out there on the mtn and taking it easy this year boarding. i know that might send shivers up your spine if you remember the spleen incident from last year, but i can tell you with full assurance that dantheman took it easy this year. no wrecks.
the wreck.
speaking of wrecks ( i love a good segue). i learned that chevy tahoes do no make good ice skaters. we were coming down the mtn and hit a crazy patch of ice and decided to spin out down hwy 330. we took out a couple of guardrail posts and had to get a snowplow to pull the front bumper apart so we could move my wheels, fortunately though, no one was hurt. we did however stop traffic in both directions for about 45 minutes while we were trying to move my truck. needless to say, i was a bit shook up, but these little brushes with guard rails help put things in perspective on a much grander scale. i am getting to that place where i'm almost glad that it happened, not that i plan on taking my truck skating again. the worst part of the whole deal is that i have to drive a white dodge neon rental car around until i get my truck back.
kung fu.
i know this comes as a result of watching old kung fu movies whenever i'm doing stuff around the apt, but lately i've had the overwhelming urge to take karate lessons at the dojo across the street from my apt. i really want to improve my balance and i can't imagine it would hurt to work on my physical disciplines, but more than anything i think i just want to be one of those guys that knows karate.
spring/warm weather.
it's getting nicer out every day. i love it. i may actually get some sun on my skin soon. as much as i was enjoying the rain over the past few months, the joys of wearing shorts to work completely reigns over having to bundle up in a hoodie and jeans. i do appreciate the wet months though, everything around here is starting to get green again which makes for some great afternoon hikes. combine that with the time change and more sun in the afternoons and i'm in a great mood today.
27.
then i remember that i'm turning 27 in a few months. even though my birthday is in may, march is the time of year where i start thinking about how old i am. it's all because of college basketball. i remember the time when the guys on tv were these great giants that i looked up to during march madness. then when i was in college i was kinda weirded out because the guys playing in the national spotlight were my age. now i look at these guys who are five, six, seven, (gasp) eight years younger than me and i keep thinking that these guys are young enough that i could have had them in a youth group somewhere. weird.
songs.
along with the shift in weather comes a shift in music that i listen to. the winter is the time where i rock the jazzy hip hop or ska stuff, a bunch of acoustic stuff, and the classic alt rock stuff like beck, and the pixies. pretty mellow for the most part. but as soon as the sun hits and the temperature rises, i can almost here the guitars cranking up and the bass booming in my head. my spring cleaning involves dusting off my punk records and anything else that can be heard over the sound of the freeway as i'm driving with my windows down the 101. i call it 'get up and go' music. at least that's the name of the playlist on my ipod. so in honor of the songs/albums i'm dusting off this week here is my
TOP TEN 2007 SPRING CLEANING PLAYLIST:
10. Andrew W.K. - She is Beautiful
9. Operation Ivy - Sound System
8. Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Someday I suppose
7. (tie) NOFX - Whatever Didi Wants / Onyx - Slam
6. Outkast - Rosa Parks
5. Rancid - Roots Radicals
4. Steppenwolf - Magic Carpet Ride
3. Beastie Boys - So What'cha Want
2. Sublime - We're Only Gonna
1. Fishbone - Party at Ground Zero
wii.
as much fun as it is to play, i think we're getting punk'd by japan. if you have any doubts, watch somebody play a game using the controllers.
new shoes.
i'm not much of a shoe freak, but i do love getting a new pair of shoes. my old ones got a bunch of snow in them and never fully recovered. so now i got some fresh kicks. i think they make me run faster too.
the fro.
we're doing the gpa challenge again here with the kiddos where i grow my hair out the entire semester and the kiddos try and get a 3.0 gpa for the semester as a group. if they win, then they get to do whatever they want to my hair and i have to wear it for a week. it's already getting pretty huge though, this should be pretty interesting. i'm already getting john c. reily comments so we'll see how long i can stand it.
nelson mandela.
i got a book of quotes the other day and i found this nelson mandela quote that i really liked:
"We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just some of us, it's in every one. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."
baseball.
i'm already jonesing for opening day. the joy of waking up to sportscenter airing baseball spring training highlights has me pumped for another baseball season. i can't wait to get to a game and throw down a coke and a dog, watch the game under the socal sun, and make fun of dodger fans for yet another year. this season i don't have my hopes too high for either one of my teams (the astros and the yankees) so i'm doing the whole fantasy baseball thing to keep me glued to more games. and... there's word of a potential baseball trip this season. more details as they become available.
merry christmas madness 3 highlights.
are all on youtube. check out http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=braddahdj
well, i'm going to go soak up the sun. one love, one heart.
i know it's been a while since the last post, which is a good thing i guess. i would much rather be doing things to write about rather than trying to write about things i would like to do. all in all the past month has been one that is going to be tough to forget. i was at my own apt for only 12 of the 28 nights of february, which has def made me appreciate my own bed, and the sound that my recliner makes when i kick the footrest up. i guess the best lyric to sum up the month would come from a social distortion song; 'life goes by so fast/you only want to do what you feel is right/close your eyes and it's passed/story of my life'.
off the market.
as of a few weeks ago i started talking to a certain ladyfriend of mine at the urging of one of my favorite people in the world. with a few exceptions, every night since has ended on the phone with her. needless to say, its been a good month. it's long distance thing yes, but at this point in time we're more focused on making things work, rather than focusing on the obstacles. i know i've been very open about stuff like this in the past, and i could go on for pages with the mushy stuff that you are probably more interested in reading, but i digress. that's for us. just us. i guess there are some things i just don't feel like sharing with the world. it's kind of like one of those moments where you see a gorgeous sunset and you kind of want to keep the special moment to yourself.
snowboarding.
our third annual youth minister's retreat held a snowboarding first for me, i actually hit up a few blue diamond runs on snow summit. man, i love snowboarding. i'm actually at that point where i wouldn't feel bad spending money on getting a better board and bindings. don't get me wrong, i'm not landing any jumps any time soon, but i def can make it down the mtn without falling now. this is a big deal for me, because i remember staring at the very same hill a few years ago and thinking there was no way i would ever be able to hit up these hills, and that was just the end part of the run that i now cruise down in a matter of a few seconds. i still have to get the whole 's curves' thing down without my board getting squirrely and causing a faceplant, but other than that i'm hooked all over again. i also have to give props to dantheman for getting back out there on the mtn and taking it easy this year boarding. i know that might send shivers up your spine if you remember the spleen incident from last year, but i can tell you with full assurance that dantheman took it easy this year. no wrecks.
the wreck.
speaking of wrecks ( i love a good segue). i learned that chevy tahoes do no make good ice skaters. we were coming down the mtn and hit a crazy patch of ice and decided to spin out down hwy 330. we took out a couple of guardrail posts and had to get a snowplow to pull the front bumper apart so we could move my wheels, fortunately though, no one was hurt. we did however stop traffic in both directions for about 45 minutes while we were trying to move my truck. needless to say, i was a bit shook up, but these little brushes with guard rails help put things in perspective on a much grander scale. i am getting to that place where i'm almost glad that it happened, not that i plan on taking my truck skating again. the worst part of the whole deal is that i have to drive a white dodge neon rental car around until i get my truck back.
kung fu.
i know this comes as a result of watching old kung fu movies whenever i'm doing stuff around the apt, but lately i've had the overwhelming urge to take karate lessons at the dojo across the street from my apt. i really want to improve my balance and i can't imagine it would hurt to work on my physical disciplines, but more than anything i think i just want to be one of those guys that knows karate.
spring/warm weather.
it's getting nicer out every day. i love it. i may actually get some sun on my skin soon. as much as i was enjoying the rain over the past few months, the joys of wearing shorts to work completely reigns over having to bundle up in a hoodie and jeans. i do appreciate the wet months though, everything around here is starting to get green again which makes for some great afternoon hikes. combine that with the time change and more sun in the afternoons and i'm in a great mood today.
27.
then i remember that i'm turning 27 in a few months. even though my birthday is in may, march is the time of year where i start thinking about how old i am. it's all because of college basketball. i remember the time when the guys on tv were these great giants that i looked up to during march madness. then when i was in college i was kinda weirded out because the guys playing in the national spotlight were my age. now i look at these guys who are five, six, seven, (gasp) eight years younger than me and i keep thinking that these guys are young enough that i could have had them in a youth group somewhere. weird.
songs.
along with the shift in weather comes a shift in music that i listen to. the winter is the time where i rock the jazzy hip hop or ska stuff, a bunch of acoustic stuff, and the classic alt rock stuff like beck, and the pixies. pretty mellow for the most part. but as soon as the sun hits and the temperature rises, i can almost here the guitars cranking up and the bass booming in my head. my spring cleaning involves dusting off my punk records and anything else that can be heard over the sound of the freeway as i'm driving with my windows down the 101. i call it 'get up and go' music. at least that's the name of the playlist on my ipod. so in honor of the songs/albums i'm dusting off this week here is my
TOP TEN 2007 SPRING CLEANING PLAYLIST:
10. Andrew W.K. - She is Beautiful
9. Operation Ivy - Sound System
8. Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Someday I suppose
7. (tie) NOFX - Whatever Didi Wants / Onyx - Slam
6. Outkast - Rosa Parks
5. Rancid - Roots Radicals
4. Steppenwolf - Magic Carpet Ride
3. Beastie Boys - So What'cha Want
2. Sublime - We're Only Gonna
1. Fishbone - Party at Ground Zero
wii.
as much fun as it is to play, i think we're getting punk'd by japan. if you have any doubts, watch somebody play a game using the controllers.
new shoes.
i'm not much of a shoe freak, but i do love getting a new pair of shoes. my old ones got a bunch of snow in them and never fully recovered. so now i got some fresh kicks. i think they make me run faster too.
the fro.
we're doing the gpa challenge again here with the kiddos where i grow my hair out the entire semester and the kiddos try and get a 3.0 gpa for the semester as a group. if they win, then they get to do whatever they want to my hair and i have to wear it for a week. it's already getting pretty huge though, this should be pretty interesting. i'm already getting john c. reily comments so we'll see how long i can stand it.
nelson mandela.
i got a book of quotes the other day and i found this nelson mandela quote that i really liked:
"We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just some of us, it's in every one. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."
baseball.
i'm already jonesing for opening day. the joy of waking up to sportscenter airing baseball spring training highlights has me pumped for another baseball season. i can't wait to get to a game and throw down a coke and a dog, watch the game under the socal sun, and make fun of dodger fans for yet another year. this season i don't have my hopes too high for either one of my teams (the astros and the yankees) so i'm doing the whole fantasy baseball thing to keep me glued to more games. and... there's word of a potential baseball trip this season. more details as they become available.
merry christmas madness 3 highlights.
are all on youtube. check out http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=braddahdj
well, i'm going to go soak up the sun. one love, one heart.
1.30.2007
Whatever you do, don't put the blame on you, blame it on the rain.
rainy days.
i used to hate them, now i love them. it's funny how things can switch up like that. i wish the pictures i have could tell the story, but simi looks so cool right now. there are low clouds between the foothills and the mountains to the north of us that look really trippy. and yesterday when it was clear for a minute i could see snow on the mountains that are about 30 minutes north of here. crazy. i went hiking in the rain and mud today for a little bit just to get dirty. it was well worth ruining my shoes.
guest blogger.
the cuz decided he wants to put a blog together and guest post sometime soon. this should be some comedy. if you have any ideas on topics he should cover please comment back.
swayed.
don't you hate it when you make up your mind to do something and the smallest thing persuades you not to follow through. i've been back and forth on a couple of things lately and it's starting to get on my nerves.
rainy day playlist.
my ipod is filled with different playlists for different occasions. today i put a huge day playlist together, so in honor of that i have my:
TOP TEN RAINY DAY SONGS:
10. Broken Drum - Beck
9. (tie ) Don't Know Why - Norah Jones & No Rain - Blind Melon
8. Blue in Green - Miles Davis
7. Sunshine - Matt Costa
6. Time Will Tell - Bob Marley
5. F-Stop Blues - Jack Johnson
4. The Three of Us - Ben Harper
3. I Wish it Would Rain - The Temptations
2. Yellow Ledbetter - Pearl Jam
1. Riders on the Storm - The Doors
feel free to comment back on your faves / additions i should make. i'm going to go sit on the porch and jam. one love, one heart.
i used to hate them, now i love them. it's funny how things can switch up like that. i wish the pictures i have could tell the story, but simi looks so cool right now. there are low clouds between the foothills and the mountains to the north of us that look really trippy. and yesterday when it was clear for a minute i could see snow on the mountains that are about 30 minutes north of here. crazy. i went hiking in the rain and mud today for a little bit just to get dirty. it was well worth ruining my shoes.
guest blogger.
the cuz decided he wants to put a blog together and guest post sometime soon. this should be some comedy. if you have any ideas on topics he should cover please comment back.
swayed.
don't you hate it when you make up your mind to do something and the smallest thing persuades you not to follow through. i've been back and forth on a couple of things lately and it's starting to get on my nerves.
rainy day playlist.
my ipod is filled with different playlists for different occasions. today i put a huge day playlist together, so in honor of that i have my:
TOP TEN RAINY DAY SONGS:
10. Broken Drum - Beck
9. (tie ) Don't Know Why - Norah Jones & No Rain - Blind Melon
8. Blue in Green - Miles Davis
7. Sunshine - Matt Costa
6. Time Will Tell - Bob Marley
5. F-Stop Blues - Jack Johnson
4. The Three of Us - Ben Harper
3. I Wish it Would Rain - The Temptations
2. Yellow Ledbetter - Pearl Jam
1. Riders on the Storm - The Doors
feel free to comment back on your faves / additions i should make. i'm going to go sit on the porch and jam. one love, one heart.
1.24.2007
Cobra Commander: As of now your little project is deader than disco! Hmm..Deader than disco..I like that.. I would have made a great stand-up comedian
well, it's been a good few weeks. i got a lot of stuff taken care of, off my chest, yada yada yada... so on to the fun stuff.
wasted day.
i try and accomplish five major things every day. i get frustrated when i get in a 'not accomplishing stuff' mode. but yesterday i didn't get a single thing done that i wanted to. when i got here there was an older couple that i like to talk to that told me stories about growing up in the war era. the fun stuff no history book will ever give more than one line to. then i talked to my best friend here for a while which always makes for a great day. then i talked to some of my youth minister friends. then an older gentleman from church stopped by and i got to hear his stories from back in the day. then one of my kiddos stopped in and bought me a jamba juice. after that i got a call from one of our families with an invite to a home cooked meal. the parents left for a bible study and we ended up being locked out of the house for an hour. so we went and watched american idol and laughed for a solid hour. i didn't get a single thing on my list accomplished yesterday. awesome.
drawlings.
so i was cleaning out my apt the other day and came across a bunch of my old artwork. yikes. i started making fun of it then i realized that i was making fun of a third grader. it's bad enough when you make fun of yourself, but when you're making fun of a third grader's drawing skills you've crossed the line, even if you were the third grader.
american idol.
speaking of making fun of people, i have a new favorite show. the american idol auditions. oh man, why was i not watching this sooner. simon may be my favorite tv personality right now, because he says the things that first come to mind when you see and hear these people sing. the highlight so far is the guy he called out for looking like a woodland creature. i couldn't have said it better myself. even if you disagree with his opinion you have to give it up to him for speaking the truth. all this being said, i think i may try out for next year's auditions because the way i see it, there are three possible ways it could turn out.
option a) i do really terrible and get made fun of on national tv and am never asked to lead singing at church again. call this the 'it was just a joke' route.
option 2) i'm okay, but not bad enough to make the highlights reel. the 'no harm, no foul' route.
option c) i end up being pretty good and make it to the next rounds, which is by far the funniest thing that could happen.
speaking of music.
everyone always asks me what kind of music i listen to, so i'm going through and my itunes playlist and putting every type of music that pops up. this way, when people ask me this question in the future i can just refer them to this blog post. so here are the types of music i listen to in no particular order:
ska
reggae
punk
skate punk
pop punk
rap
alt rap
hip-hop
nu-school
rock
rock'n'roll
hard rock
soft rock
light rock
folk rock
classic rock
glam rock
southern rock
arena rock
indie rock
nerd rock
rock/pop
pop
adult contemporary
rocksteady
acappella
gospel
christian
hardcore
softcore
metal
metalcore
hair metal
death metal
screamo
emo
post hardcore
alternative
grung
indie
house
electronica
dub
techno
dance
trip-hop
oi
acoustic
post-punk
celt punk
mod
rockabilly
psychobilly
rat-pack
lounge
new-wave
80's
classical
oldies
surf
funk
college
soul
neo-soul
doo-wop
inspirational
r&b
afrobeat
primus* (gets its own genre)
jam bands
barbershop
folk
jazz
acid jazz
country
alt-country
texas country
outlaw country
hick-hop
jungle
blues
experimental
americana
comedy
swing
ragtime
bluegrass
industrial
raprock
rapmetal
altmetal
grindcore
ambient
spoken
word
worldbeat
world
tribal
tango
salsa
orchestral
shympohny
chick rock
polka
easy listening
jawaiian
revival
lo-fi
latin
holiday
dance
celtic
big band
and in an effort to be completely honest, showtunes.
if you notice there is no mention of disco in there. that was not an oversight.
FAQ
i guess since i knocked out the answer to one
frequently asked question, i should knock out a few
more.
"Why do you always wear black t-shirts and blue jeans?"
- i don't. i have some navy t-shirts and a few red ones as well. i do like to keep things simple though, and i really don't like to put a lot of thought into my clothes. that and i like johnny cash.
"Do you wear a hat every day?"
-only when i get a bad haircut.
"Did you really do that?"
-yes.
"Why don't you ever respond or leave me a message on myspace?"
-the only time i check myspace or facebook during office hours is when i'm looking in on what my kiddos are up to, or maybe for a few minutes at lunch. if i know i'm going to be at the office kinda late i might take a break for a while and do some personal stuff, but i typically get away from the computer whenever i can and check out the view from outside my office.
"Are you a republican?"
-no. (looking around to make sure no one is watching)
"How long have you had your sideburns?"
-very long.
"Why do you have a plastic Santa?"
-it reminds me of good times, and encourages me to always break out of my shell.
"Why are you still single?"
-i'll give you a list of female's phone numbers, you can call and ask them.
"What do you do all day?"
-pray, read, study, phone calls, study some more and then look for ways to put into action the things i've learned.
"What did you do last night?"
-called friends, ate dinner, watched tv, played guitar and drew for a while.
"Favorite person in the world?"
-the person i'm talking to at any given moment.
"Really?"
-veterans. they have the greatest stories.
"What made you want to become an artist?"
-my mom and dad always made sure i had plenty of pens and paper around. it's the only thing that i've always been good at.
"Favorite scripture?"
-Romans 12 1:1-2
"Most Awkward date"
-awkward for me was when she asked what we should name our kids after our first date (to the movies). awkward for her was when my date farted in my car.
"Your life goal?"
-this changes pretty frequently, but right now it's to create and listen to as many people's stories as possible.
"Funniest thing you've done lately?"
-i convinced a friend to dedicate his karaoke song to an old lady. had to be there.
"Why do you end every blog the same way?"
-i don't really know. if i had to guess i would say it's because i feel like i needed some sort of signoff. mine has meaning to me.
one love, one heart.
wasted day.
i try and accomplish five major things every day. i get frustrated when i get in a 'not accomplishing stuff' mode. but yesterday i didn't get a single thing done that i wanted to. when i got here there was an older couple that i like to talk to that told me stories about growing up in the war era. the fun stuff no history book will ever give more than one line to. then i talked to my best friend here for a while which always makes for a great day. then i talked to some of my youth minister friends. then an older gentleman from church stopped by and i got to hear his stories from back in the day. then one of my kiddos stopped in and bought me a jamba juice. after that i got a call from one of our families with an invite to a home cooked meal. the parents left for a bible study and we ended up being locked out of the house for an hour. so we went and watched american idol and laughed for a solid hour. i didn't get a single thing on my list accomplished yesterday. awesome.
drawlings.
so i was cleaning out my apt the other day and came across a bunch of my old artwork. yikes. i started making fun of it then i realized that i was making fun of a third grader. it's bad enough when you make fun of yourself, but when you're making fun of a third grader's drawing skills you've crossed the line, even if you were the third grader.
american idol.
speaking of making fun of people, i have a new favorite show. the american idol auditions. oh man, why was i not watching this sooner. simon may be my favorite tv personality right now, because he says the things that first come to mind when you see and hear these people sing. the highlight so far is the guy he called out for looking like a woodland creature. i couldn't have said it better myself. even if you disagree with his opinion you have to give it up to him for speaking the truth. all this being said, i think i may try out for next year's auditions because the way i see it, there are three possible ways it could turn out.
option a) i do really terrible and get made fun of on national tv and am never asked to lead singing at church again. call this the 'it was just a joke' route.
option 2) i'm okay, but not bad enough to make the highlights reel. the 'no harm, no foul' route.
option c) i end up being pretty good and make it to the next rounds, which is by far the funniest thing that could happen.
speaking of music.
everyone always asks me what kind of music i listen to, so i'm going through and my itunes playlist and putting every type of music that pops up. this way, when people ask me this question in the future i can just refer them to this blog post. so here are the types of music i listen to in no particular order:
ska
reggae
punk
skate punk
pop punk
rap
alt rap
hip-hop
nu-school
rock
rock'n'roll
hard rock
soft rock
light rock
folk rock
classic rock
glam rock
southern rock
arena rock
indie rock
nerd rock
rock/pop
pop
adult contemporary
rocksteady
acappella
gospel
christian
hardcore
softcore
metal
metalcore
hair metal
death metal
screamo
emo
post hardcore
alternative
grung
indie
house
electronica
dub
techno
dance
trip-hop
oi
acoustic
post-punk
celt punk
mod
rockabilly
psychobilly
rat-pack
lounge
new-wave
80's
classical
oldies
surf
funk
college
soul
neo-soul
doo-wop
inspirational
r&b
afrobeat
primus* (gets its own genre)
jam bands
barbershop
folk
jazz
acid jazz
country
alt-country
texas country
outlaw country
hick-hop
jungle
blues
experimental
americana
comedy
swing
ragtime
bluegrass
industrial
raprock
rapmetal
altmetal
grindcore
ambient
spoken
word
worldbeat
world
tribal
tango
salsa
orchestral
shympohny
chick rock
polka
easy listening
jawaiian
revival
lo-fi
latin
holiday
dance
celtic
big band
and in an effort to be completely honest, showtunes.
if you notice there is no mention of disco in there. that was not an oversight.
FAQ
i guess since i knocked out the answer to one
frequently asked question, i should knock out a few
more.
"Why do you always wear black t-shirts and blue jeans?"
- i don't. i have some navy t-shirts and a few red ones as well. i do like to keep things simple though, and i really don't like to put a lot of thought into my clothes. that and i like johnny cash.
"Do you wear a hat every day?"
-only when i get a bad haircut.
"Did you really do that?"
-yes.
"Why don't you ever respond or leave me a message on myspace?"
-the only time i check myspace or facebook during office hours is when i'm looking in on what my kiddos are up to, or maybe for a few minutes at lunch. if i know i'm going to be at the office kinda late i might take a break for a while and do some personal stuff, but i typically get away from the computer whenever i can and check out the view from outside my office.
"Are you a republican?"
-no. (looking around to make sure no one is watching)
"How long have you had your sideburns?"
-very long.
"Why do you have a plastic Santa?"
-it reminds me of good times, and encourages me to always break out of my shell.
"Why are you still single?"
-i'll give you a list of female's phone numbers, you can call and ask them.
"What do you do all day?"
-pray, read, study, phone calls, study some more and then look for ways to put into action the things i've learned.
"What did you do last night?"
-called friends, ate dinner, watched tv, played guitar and drew for a while.
"Favorite person in the world?"
-the person i'm talking to at any given moment.
"Really?"
-veterans. they have the greatest stories.
"What made you want to become an artist?"
-my mom and dad always made sure i had plenty of pens and paper around. it's the only thing that i've always been good at.
"Favorite scripture?"
-Romans 12 1:1-2
"Most Awkward date"
-awkward for me was when she asked what we should name our kids after our first date (to the movies). awkward for her was when my date farted in my car.
"Your life goal?"
-this changes pretty frequently, but right now it's to create and listen to as many people's stories as possible.
"Funniest thing you've done lately?"
-i convinced a friend to dedicate his karaoke song to an old lady. had to be there.
"Why do you end every blog the same way?"
-i don't really know. if i had to guess i would say it's because i feel like i needed some sort of signoff. mine has meaning to me.
one love, one heart.
1.17.2007
No, you're not! Because I'm out there, and if I see you out there, there's not enough voltage in the universe to electroshock me back to coherence.
I wish i could start this off with some good news, but i digress. first things first. Adam Langford, a friend of mine who was a missionary in Africa, was killed today in a car wreck in Kenya. I'm sorry if this is how you have to hear about it first, but it's been on my mind pretty much all day. Adam was one of the cuz's best friends, and was pretty influential in convincing me to go to OC for college. It's amazing how someone you seem to so easily pass by for years can be a person that had such an amazing impact on your life. My hearts and prayers go out to the Langford family, all of whom are people that epitomize Christian living. one love.
On a much less serious note... in honor of the past few weeks here are the
TOP TEN THINGS YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR FROM THE OPPOSITE SEX:
10. "is that a booger?"
9. "i know it's the playoffs, but there's a 'flip that house' marathon on tlc."
8. "you're paying... right?"
7. "it was the chair."
6. "who's your friend?"
5. "do you have one of those little thingy's to fix the thing here?"
4. "sorry about the turrets."
3. "actually, i was going to tell you.... ___________________ (cell phone cuts out)"
2. "let's be friends."
1. "you're like family."
(feel free to send in your least favorite lines, this could be fun.)
not all of those were actually directed at me, but you get the point. oh well, in a week of paying off tickets, taking the truck in to shop, looking for a house to rent, getting shot down, and cold weather this is what's making me laugh right now. that and i saw a guy on rollerblades the other day. that made me laugh too. oh yeah, and the rejects from first couple episodes of american idol, i laughed at that too.
more updates to come when there's more to update. one love, one heart.
On a much less serious note... in honor of the past few weeks here are the
TOP TEN THINGS YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR FROM THE OPPOSITE SEX:
10. "is that a booger?"
9. "i know it's the playoffs, but there's a 'flip that house' marathon on tlc."
8. "you're paying... right?"
7. "it was the chair."
6. "who's your friend?"
5. "do you have one of those little thingy's to fix the thing here?"
4. "sorry about the turrets."
3. "actually, i was going to tell you.... ___________________ (cell phone cuts out)"
2. "let's be friends."
1. "you're like family."
(feel free to send in your least favorite lines, this could be fun.)
not all of those were actually directed at me, but you get the point. oh well, in a week of paying off tickets, taking the truck in to shop, looking for a house to rent, getting shot down, and cold weather this is what's making me laugh right now. that and i saw a guy on rollerblades the other day. that made me laugh too. oh yeah, and the rejects from first couple episodes of american idol, i laughed at that too.
more updates to come when there's more to update. one love, one heart.
1.09.2007
"give me hamm on five, hold the maio."
hola blogworld. i'll keep this short, quiet and with the light off because...
migraines are lame. i have one today. i had one yesterday. saturday i could barely move. i'm beginning to question exactly how opposed i am to going to the doctor. the thing that keeps me hanging on to my stubbornness is that a doctor bill is probably only going to add to my headache, so in order to truly feel better i am not going to the doctor. how's that for some logic. don't think on that too hard or you too might get a headache. but for now i'm going to pretend i enjoy everyone sounding like the teacher from charlie brown.
subway.
i've been eating lunch at home every day for the past few weeks in my effort to save a few bucks on food. but today, i passed a subway and couldn't resist the temptation. (by the way jan 9th is the day that researchers say 78% of new years resolutions are broken.) anyways, i realized what i miss most about eating out is the people watching. i'm in line waiting for the goodness that is the cold cut combo and i just kind of observed for a while. the guy in front of me was really self concious. he was pretty overweight and kept looking around nervously, then he kept making jokes wether someone was listening or not. i kind of nodded to let him know i heard on several occasions when it was obvious that no one else was paying attention. i felt bad for the guy because it was obvious that he didn't carry a lot of respect from his co-workers. then there was the guy who kept talking about how great he was as the office ladies man, if i had to guess, it's a small office. but the person i think that was the most interesting to me was the older guy in line. he was wearing a dress shirt, but it wasn't an 'impress me' dress shirt like the other guys. this was more of an on-sale dress shirt that someone wears when they care more about raising kids than looking stylish at the office. he was also the only guy in front of me to leave a tip in the jar. the thing i noticed about him the most though was his politeness, he was very soft spoken and said please and thank you to all of the employees that helped him. and despite it being pretty loud, he never really raised his voice. people like that are cool, and make it fun to people watch.
magnificent seven.
this movie is quickly climbing up my favorite movie list. easily one of the best western movies of all time. last week in class we were talking about this line from the movie that really stands out to me. in the story a small mexican village hires a group of gunmen to defend them against a mob that plunders their town every few months. anyways, a group of the town boys are talking to one of the gunmen about how much braver he is than their fathers. he replies that it takes a lot more courage to work hard day in, and day out under the thumb of responsibility to family, and he doesn't even have that kind of courage. the reason i brought that up is i think we discount the day to day. for example, we had a missionary preach here not too long ago and he kept hyping up how great it was to be a missionary and how much dedication it took. not to knock missionaries, but i think it might be just as tough, if not tougher working in the domestic mission field. and by domestic i mean the home. if you can raise your kids in the church here in socal then you deserve a medal. i think its a difference between a sprint and a marathon. both have their merits, but there's a lot that goes unsaid about 'just raising kids'. i think back to one of my friends that used to be a missionary for the homeless. he said, "i have it easy. the people i work with have nowhere to go but to Christ. you guys have to deal with people that are content where they are." i'm bringing this up for several reasons. 1. i have nothing but respect for my kids that keep the faith every day at school. i never could and i'm supposed to teach them. odd. 2. we have a parent appreciation dinner coming up and i'm doing inventory on the parents of my youth group. out here it takes two incomes to get by, and sometimes i forget the stress that brings to life. 3. i skipped the pepperdine preacher's luncheon today because i couldn't stomach listening to a bunch of guys talk about how many degrees they had or what book they were working on. so be sure to support your missionaries, but also be sure to remember the day to day missionary.
social distortion.
one of my favorite bands. i've been listening to this song over and over lately. take a break, head over to itunes download 'angel's wings' and read along.
You say you're down on your luck
Hey baby, its a long, long way up
Hold back now, hold back your fears
You say you're really down and out
And you feel like there's no way out now
Let go now, let go of your tears some more
How many times have you asked yourself
Is this the hand of fate that I've been dealt?
You're so disillusioned this can't be real
And you can't stand now the way you feel
I don't care about what they say
I won't live or die that way
Tired of figuring out things on my own
Angel's wings won't you carry me home
You say you're down on your luck
Hey baby, its a long, long way up
Hold back now, hold back your fears
You say you're really down and out
And you feel like there's no way out now
Let go now, let go of your tears some more
I triumphed in the face of adversity
And I became the man I never thought I'd be
And now my biggest challenge, a thing called love
I guess I'm not as tough as I thought I was
I don't care about what they say
I'm gonna marry you some day
Go ahead and wake up, its a brand new day
Angel's wings gonna carry you away
Angel's wings gonna carry me away
Angel's wings gonna carry us away
You say you're down on your luck
Hey baby, its a long, long way up
Hold back now, hold back your fears
You say you're really down and out
And you feel like there's no way out now
Let go now, let go of your tears some more
Angel's wings gonna carry you away
Angel's wings gonna carry me away
Angel's wings gonna carry us away
one love, one heart.
migraines are lame. i have one today. i had one yesterday. saturday i could barely move. i'm beginning to question exactly how opposed i am to going to the doctor. the thing that keeps me hanging on to my stubbornness is that a doctor bill is probably only going to add to my headache, so in order to truly feel better i am not going to the doctor. how's that for some logic. don't think on that too hard or you too might get a headache. but for now i'm going to pretend i enjoy everyone sounding like the teacher from charlie brown.
subway.
i've been eating lunch at home every day for the past few weeks in my effort to save a few bucks on food. but today, i passed a subway and couldn't resist the temptation. (by the way jan 9th is the day that researchers say 78% of new years resolutions are broken.) anyways, i realized what i miss most about eating out is the people watching. i'm in line waiting for the goodness that is the cold cut combo and i just kind of observed for a while. the guy in front of me was really self concious. he was pretty overweight and kept looking around nervously, then he kept making jokes wether someone was listening or not. i kind of nodded to let him know i heard on several occasions when it was obvious that no one else was paying attention. i felt bad for the guy because it was obvious that he didn't carry a lot of respect from his co-workers. then there was the guy who kept talking about how great he was as the office ladies man, if i had to guess, it's a small office. but the person i think that was the most interesting to me was the older guy in line. he was wearing a dress shirt, but it wasn't an 'impress me' dress shirt like the other guys. this was more of an on-sale dress shirt that someone wears when they care more about raising kids than looking stylish at the office. he was also the only guy in front of me to leave a tip in the jar. the thing i noticed about him the most though was his politeness, he was very soft spoken and said please and thank you to all of the employees that helped him. and despite it being pretty loud, he never really raised his voice. people like that are cool, and make it fun to people watch.
magnificent seven.
this movie is quickly climbing up my favorite movie list. easily one of the best western movies of all time. last week in class we were talking about this line from the movie that really stands out to me. in the story a small mexican village hires a group of gunmen to defend them against a mob that plunders their town every few months. anyways, a group of the town boys are talking to one of the gunmen about how much braver he is than their fathers. he replies that it takes a lot more courage to work hard day in, and day out under the thumb of responsibility to family, and he doesn't even have that kind of courage. the reason i brought that up is i think we discount the day to day. for example, we had a missionary preach here not too long ago and he kept hyping up how great it was to be a missionary and how much dedication it took. not to knock missionaries, but i think it might be just as tough, if not tougher working in the domestic mission field. and by domestic i mean the home. if you can raise your kids in the church here in socal then you deserve a medal. i think its a difference between a sprint and a marathon. both have their merits, but there's a lot that goes unsaid about 'just raising kids'. i think back to one of my friends that used to be a missionary for the homeless. he said, "i have it easy. the people i work with have nowhere to go but to Christ. you guys have to deal with people that are content where they are." i'm bringing this up for several reasons. 1. i have nothing but respect for my kids that keep the faith every day at school. i never could and i'm supposed to teach them. odd. 2. we have a parent appreciation dinner coming up and i'm doing inventory on the parents of my youth group. out here it takes two incomes to get by, and sometimes i forget the stress that brings to life. 3. i skipped the pepperdine preacher's luncheon today because i couldn't stomach listening to a bunch of guys talk about how many degrees they had or what book they were working on. so be sure to support your missionaries, but also be sure to remember the day to day missionary.
social distortion.
one of my favorite bands. i've been listening to this song over and over lately. take a break, head over to itunes download 'angel's wings' and read along.
You say you're down on your luck
Hey baby, its a long, long way up
Hold back now, hold back your fears
You say you're really down and out
And you feel like there's no way out now
Let go now, let go of your tears some more
How many times have you asked yourself
Is this the hand of fate that I've been dealt?
You're so disillusioned this can't be real
And you can't stand now the way you feel
I don't care about what they say
I won't live or die that way
Tired of figuring out things on my own
Angel's wings won't you carry me home
You say you're down on your luck
Hey baby, its a long, long way up
Hold back now, hold back your fears
You say you're really down and out
And you feel like there's no way out now
Let go now, let go of your tears some more
I triumphed in the face of adversity
And I became the man I never thought I'd be
And now my biggest challenge, a thing called love
I guess I'm not as tough as I thought I was
I don't care about what they say
I'm gonna marry you some day
Go ahead and wake up, its a brand new day
Angel's wings gonna carry you away
Angel's wings gonna carry me away
Angel's wings gonna carry us away
You say you're down on your luck
Hey baby, its a long, long way up
Hold back now, hold back your fears
You say you're really down and out
And you feel like there's no way out now
Let go now, let go of your tears some more
Angel's wings gonna carry you away
Angel's wings gonna carry me away
Angel's wings gonna carry us away
one love, one heart.
1.02.2007
"Clark, I wanna get you something... real nice."
just a short blog this week. more of a 'look back and see what was going on' kind of entry this time.
dec.25
christmas was a blast. mi madre and mi hermana came out to visit and we spent a week cramped in our small apartment being all christmas-like. me and the cuz went overboard with decorations (read three truck fulls for one apartment) but our place was def festive for the fam. we spent a couple of days touring around l.a. and santa barbara and just kinda chilled for the most part. christmas day was pretty sweet too, after the whole presents thing we drove up to my uncle's cabin and spent the night in wrightwood. after that we drove down to san diego and mom and i toured around for a while which was fun. all in all, it was a good week.
score.
i typically get ripped off for christmas, but this year def bucked the trend. a new stereo system for my truck, a leather jacket, thp8, and cash made for a good christmas morning.
home.
me and the cuz decided to add on a roommate, so as of yesterday a-list is officially added to the apt roster, except now we're looking for a house to rent. oh, the joys of socal housing. more to come soon... hopefully.
switchfoot.
get the new album, 'Oh! Gravity.' take a break right now and go to itunes. 'american dream' is the early frontrunner for favorite song.
to do list.
one of the things that i'm really trying to focus on this year is keeping a running to-do list. here's what i have so far (in no particular order):
clean my room
finishing painting my snowboard
find house to rent
clean truck
smog check for truck
fuel pump for truck
youth group website finished
personal site up and running
redo personal budget (prob after a new house is found)
get a haircut
build a new desk
put up molding around office
put electric guitar back together
new risers for my skateboard
get snowboard tuned
buy season pass to mtn high
organize files at work
get rid of old clothes
find digital camera (prob after room is cleaned)
ask out chica at the sushi place
return borrowed tools
i think 20 is enough for now. we'll see what the timetable for this list becomes.
bowl.
so we watched all three major bowl games on yesterday (which is why there are 20 things on my to do list, and why my eyes are glazed over) making for the end of one of the greatest seasons of college football i can remember. despite usc not being the championship, i was still stoked they beat michigan in the rose bowl. but nothing compares to boise state's ot win over oklahoma. i'm a big fan of underdog stories and boise state def takes the cake for this year's best.
italy.
one of my good friends from back in the day called me the other day and told me he's getting married in september of 08. so it looks like i have an excuse to save up and head over to italy next september. i can't wait. there's already a fund set up to save for the trip. get ready rome, here i come.
well, that's all i've got for right now, nothing to amusing or crazy, just trying to get back in the habit of writing more often. happy new year to all. one love, one heart.
dec.25
christmas was a blast. mi madre and mi hermana came out to visit and we spent a week cramped in our small apartment being all christmas-like. me and the cuz went overboard with decorations (read three truck fulls for one apartment) but our place was def festive for the fam. we spent a couple of days touring around l.a. and santa barbara and just kinda chilled for the most part. christmas day was pretty sweet too, after the whole presents thing we drove up to my uncle's cabin and spent the night in wrightwood. after that we drove down to san diego and mom and i toured around for a while which was fun. all in all, it was a good week.
score.
i typically get ripped off for christmas, but this year def bucked the trend. a new stereo system for my truck, a leather jacket, thp8, and cash made for a good christmas morning.
home.
me and the cuz decided to add on a roommate, so as of yesterday a-list is officially added to the apt roster, except now we're looking for a house to rent. oh, the joys of socal housing. more to come soon... hopefully.
switchfoot.
get the new album, 'Oh! Gravity.' take a break right now and go to itunes. 'american dream' is the early frontrunner for favorite song.
to do list.
one of the things that i'm really trying to focus on this year is keeping a running to-do list. here's what i have so far (in no particular order):
clean my room
finishing painting my snowboard
find house to rent
clean truck
smog check for truck
fuel pump for truck
youth group website finished
personal site up and running
redo personal budget (prob after a new house is found)
get a haircut
build a new desk
put up molding around office
put electric guitar back together
new risers for my skateboard
get snowboard tuned
buy season pass to mtn high
organize files at work
get rid of old clothes
find digital camera (prob after room is cleaned)
ask out chica at the sushi place
return borrowed tools
i think 20 is enough for now. we'll see what the timetable for this list becomes.
bowl.
so we watched all three major bowl games on yesterday (which is why there are 20 things on my to do list, and why my eyes are glazed over) making for the end of one of the greatest seasons of college football i can remember. despite usc not being the championship, i was still stoked they beat michigan in the rose bowl. but nothing compares to boise state's ot win over oklahoma. i'm a big fan of underdog stories and boise state def takes the cake for this year's best.
italy.
one of my good friends from back in the day called me the other day and told me he's getting married in september of 08. so it looks like i have an excuse to save up and head over to italy next september. i can't wait. there's already a fund set up to save for the trip. get ready rome, here i come.
well, that's all i've got for right now, nothing to amusing or crazy, just trying to get back in the habit of writing more often. happy new year to all. one love, one heart.
12.14.2006
"Hold on, my hands are glued to my face."
hola blogworld
well it's been a quick past couple of weeks for me as we near the end of the year. last weekend was our merry christmas madness event which is kind of the end cap event of the year. it's a giant video scavenger hunt, so now i have myself buried in front of my computer editing hours of video and i couldn't be happier. this event kind of signifies the start of a new time for me, and with the success that we had last weekend (no cops involved, no parent calls, and no kids throwing up on camera) it really is nice to be off to such a strong start for this upcoming year.
so onto the observation stuff...
must read.
i've been reading this great book lately, '9 things you simply must do'. i highly recommend it for all of my friends in the post college years that despite age, career and education are still trying to figure some stuff out. a lot of books are written for teenagers, and there is a whole section at any bookstore for people that are slightly older, but there really seems to be a vacuum when it comes to the mid twenties. it's almost as if we're supposed to have most of life figured out by now, and you're kinda out of luck if you haven't. i like this book because it doesn't assume that the reader is completely messed up, but takes a look at an average person and offers realistic suggestions on how personality traits can be amped. good stuff. right now i'm on the sixth principle so i'll wait till i'm done to give a synopsis.
you ever notice how a new haircut can completely change a person's personality?
uncle.
dantheman and futuremom called last week with news that she is five weeks pregnant. awesome. i can't wait to be the surrogate uncle that spoils the kid rotten. anyways, we were talking on sunday and i decided that instead of going the usual route of suggesting names, i would offer up a list of names they shouldn't name their kid. so here are the:
TOP TEN WORST BABY NAMES
10. Adolf
9. Ebert
8. Manny
7. Jezebel
6. Orenthal
5. Buffalo
4. Katrina
3. Velveeta
2. Tupac
1. Khadafi
riding a bike.
so after six months off, i've officially started back on the dating scene. yes, it was my choice to take six months off, and no, i'm not really in one of my 'high fidelity' moods just yet. anyways, i've had a few dates in the past couple of weeks which is always a good feeling. i'm figuring out too that my largest obstacle to overcome at this point is probably proximity. at least that's what i'm telling myself. if that's not the case, don't tell me. gracias. if anything significant comes out of these dates any time soon i'll be sure to update everyone, but for the time being, it's good to be, as george kastanza put it so well, "out there".
the berlin wall.
there are certain things we never thought we would see in our lifetime. the berlin wall come down, the end of communism, pauly shore disappear, the list goes on. add to that list me calling myself a fan of country music. before you get any images of me wearing a sleeveless nascar shirt, i have to explain. it started over a decade ago when i first heard ring of fire, and started listening to johnny cash. then came willie nelson (thanks to dad) and some waylon jennings. then there was the swingers soundtrack with roger miller and george jones. i kind of stalled for a while but this past year i've really started listening to more country. i think the key is i have to find the right kind of country. i'm not big on the mainstream toby keith, kenny chesney stuff, but throw in some kris kristofferson, randy travis, george strait or even some hank williams and i'm good to go. i haven't given up on my old punk or reggae music, but i'm realizing that when it comes to content i'm able to relate a lot more to some country singers more often than other guys. call it growing up, call it being employed, call it whatever, but the more i listen to some of these guys sing, i really like what they have to say. there's a sense of everyday life that these guys really get a hold of, and a lot of the country i'm hearing really lines up with my spirtual beliefs. to be honest, i would actually rather listen to most country singers sing about God than christian artists. i think there's a lot more honesty coming out of the country scene, and def more originality. well. i'm not moving to nashville anytime soon, but i figured anyone that knows me well would get a kick out of this.
onramp.
the onramp is there for you to accelerate to a safe highway speed. use it for such.
super bowl.
chargers 38 saints 27
customer service.
so i was in the apple store today because my ipod has been having some issues lately, and i couldn't get it to recharge. i'm waiting in line when this guy cuts in front of me and demands the lady at the counter fix his problem. so he starts in on this story about his ipod nano not working for the past few days and starts asking questions about his warranty. the lady plugs his ipod in and nothing happens, then she flips the ipod over and sees a huge dent in the back. "What happened here?" she asks. "I stepped on it a few days ago", he replies. she shoots a quick glance over at me shaking my head, and then asks the guy, "is that about the time that it stopped working?" "Yeah, i think so." at this point i'm thinking this guy is just stupid and doesn't deserve and ipod, but that changes as he keeps on talking. he then goes on a twenty minute rampage about how the warranty should cover this, and wants her to open up his ipod to prove that the dent is what is causing the ipod to not work. pan over to me sitting at he counter with my best 'you've got to be kidding me' face. so now this guy is actually getting irate and starts on some tangent about how there has to be some defect with ipods. the defect is they don't work when you step on them. so the lady goes to the back to print out this guys warranty contract, and he looks over at me expecting sympathy. i just shake my head. then he starts talking about how stupid it is that apple doesn't cover this kind of damage to me. i just sat there and listened to him ramble, and it became increasingly obvious that hew was trying to get a free ipod. so as he's going over his warranty, the lady steps over to me to help me out. i mention that my ipod isn't working either, so she plugs it in and takes a look at the diagnostics. she says that the battery isn't charged, and i mentioned that i had it plugged in all night, so we figure there must be something wrong with the battery. then i remembered that my car charger had not been working with my ipod for a couple of days, but i thought it was the chargers fault. so she goes to the back and comes back with a big box and says, "i'm really sorry, but you're going to have to up load all of your music again, because i have to give you a new ipod". this makes the guy down the counter just incredibly angry and he starts bringing over the manager. so now he's yelling at both of these ladies when i hop in and say, "look man, it's pretty obvious that you're just trying to get a free ipod. you broke yours, own up to it. it's your fault. you wouldn't blame toyota for a car wreck if you ran a red light." the ladies are doing their best not to just crack up at this guy being called out. he asks the manager for a formal complaint form so i step in again and ask for a customer service satisfaction form. the guy asks who i am so i hand him and the manager business cards he just kinda stops and she starts to laugh. so she looks at me and smiles and says, " i'll get both of those for you guys." long story short, i walked out of there with a new ipod and didn't have to pay this fee that they would typically charge and that guy walked out of there a tool with no ipod. gotta give props to both of those ladies though, they never lost composure once and even after he left they still didn't talk bad about him. i complain enough about poor customer service, so it's only fair to mention when people really excel.
mockingbird.
i've been thinking bout getting another tattoo, this one for my mom. i want to get a mockingbird holding a yellow rose, but i'm not really finding pix of mockingbirds that i like. any help would be appreciated. oh yeah, the story behind the tattoo is this: my mom has always loved the book/ movie 'to kill a mockingbird', and she has always called me 'boo', after her favorite character in the story, boo radley. the yellow rose is my mom's favorite flower so it kind of works well together. now all i have to do is figure out where i want to get it.
and last of all, i thought i would leave you with my favorite items from this years merry christmas madness list. hope these make you laugh.
Top Ten Items on the Merry Christmas Madness 06 List:
10. set someone's clock ahead one hour w/o them knowing
9. drink a bottle of syrup
8. ride a bike as slow as possible for thirty seconds
7. saran wrap the entire team together
6. find someone with 1% milk and let them know they could drink whole if they wanted
5. glue your hands to your face for ten minutes
4. pick a strangers nose
3. sing 'bad boys' with a police officer
2. give a stranger a wet willie
1. sing a christmas carol to someone named carol
well, check youtube soon for some highlights. one love, one heart.
well it's been a quick past couple of weeks for me as we near the end of the year. last weekend was our merry christmas madness event which is kind of the end cap event of the year. it's a giant video scavenger hunt, so now i have myself buried in front of my computer editing hours of video and i couldn't be happier. this event kind of signifies the start of a new time for me, and with the success that we had last weekend (no cops involved, no parent calls, and no kids throwing up on camera) it really is nice to be off to such a strong start for this upcoming year.
so onto the observation stuff...
must read.
i've been reading this great book lately, '9 things you simply must do'. i highly recommend it for all of my friends in the post college years that despite age, career and education are still trying to figure some stuff out. a lot of books are written for teenagers, and there is a whole section at any bookstore for people that are slightly older, but there really seems to be a vacuum when it comes to the mid twenties. it's almost as if we're supposed to have most of life figured out by now, and you're kinda out of luck if you haven't. i like this book because it doesn't assume that the reader is completely messed up, but takes a look at an average person and offers realistic suggestions on how personality traits can be amped. good stuff. right now i'm on the sixth principle so i'll wait till i'm done to give a synopsis.
you ever notice how a new haircut can completely change a person's personality?
uncle.
dantheman and futuremom called last week with news that she is five weeks pregnant. awesome. i can't wait to be the surrogate uncle that spoils the kid rotten. anyways, we were talking on sunday and i decided that instead of going the usual route of suggesting names, i would offer up a list of names they shouldn't name their kid. so here are the:
TOP TEN WORST BABY NAMES
10. Adolf
9. Ebert
8. Manny
7. Jezebel
6. Orenthal
5. Buffalo
4. Katrina
3. Velveeta
2. Tupac
1. Khadafi
riding a bike.
so after six months off, i've officially started back on the dating scene. yes, it was my choice to take six months off, and no, i'm not really in one of my 'high fidelity' moods just yet. anyways, i've had a few dates in the past couple of weeks which is always a good feeling. i'm figuring out too that my largest obstacle to overcome at this point is probably proximity. at least that's what i'm telling myself. if that's not the case, don't tell me. gracias. if anything significant comes out of these dates any time soon i'll be sure to update everyone, but for the time being, it's good to be, as george kastanza put it so well, "out there".
the berlin wall.
there are certain things we never thought we would see in our lifetime. the berlin wall come down, the end of communism, pauly shore disappear, the list goes on. add to that list me calling myself a fan of country music. before you get any images of me wearing a sleeveless nascar shirt, i have to explain. it started over a decade ago when i first heard ring of fire, and started listening to johnny cash. then came willie nelson (thanks to dad) and some waylon jennings. then there was the swingers soundtrack with roger miller and george jones. i kind of stalled for a while but this past year i've really started listening to more country. i think the key is i have to find the right kind of country. i'm not big on the mainstream toby keith, kenny chesney stuff, but throw in some kris kristofferson, randy travis, george strait or even some hank williams and i'm good to go. i haven't given up on my old punk or reggae music, but i'm realizing that when it comes to content i'm able to relate a lot more to some country singers more often than other guys. call it growing up, call it being employed, call it whatever, but the more i listen to some of these guys sing, i really like what they have to say. there's a sense of everyday life that these guys really get a hold of, and a lot of the country i'm hearing really lines up with my spirtual beliefs. to be honest, i would actually rather listen to most country singers sing about God than christian artists. i think there's a lot more honesty coming out of the country scene, and def more originality. well. i'm not moving to nashville anytime soon, but i figured anyone that knows me well would get a kick out of this.
onramp.
the onramp is there for you to accelerate to a safe highway speed. use it for such.
super bowl.
chargers 38 saints 27
customer service.
so i was in the apple store today because my ipod has been having some issues lately, and i couldn't get it to recharge. i'm waiting in line when this guy cuts in front of me and demands the lady at the counter fix his problem. so he starts in on this story about his ipod nano not working for the past few days and starts asking questions about his warranty. the lady plugs his ipod in and nothing happens, then she flips the ipod over and sees a huge dent in the back. "What happened here?" she asks. "I stepped on it a few days ago", he replies. she shoots a quick glance over at me shaking my head, and then asks the guy, "is that about the time that it stopped working?" "Yeah, i think so." at this point i'm thinking this guy is just stupid and doesn't deserve and ipod, but that changes as he keeps on talking. he then goes on a twenty minute rampage about how the warranty should cover this, and wants her to open up his ipod to prove that the dent is what is causing the ipod to not work. pan over to me sitting at he counter with my best 'you've got to be kidding me' face. so now this guy is actually getting irate and starts on some tangent about how there has to be some defect with ipods. the defect is they don't work when you step on them. so the lady goes to the back to print out this guys warranty contract, and he looks over at me expecting sympathy. i just shake my head. then he starts talking about how stupid it is that apple doesn't cover this kind of damage to me. i just sat there and listened to him ramble, and it became increasingly obvious that hew was trying to get a free ipod. so as he's going over his warranty, the lady steps over to me to help me out. i mention that my ipod isn't working either, so she plugs it in and takes a look at the diagnostics. she says that the battery isn't charged, and i mentioned that i had it plugged in all night, so we figure there must be something wrong with the battery. then i remembered that my car charger had not been working with my ipod for a couple of days, but i thought it was the chargers fault. so she goes to the back and comes back with a big box and says, "i'm really sorry, but you're going to have to up load all of your music again, because i have to give you a new ipod". this makes the guy down the counter just incredibly angry and he starts bringing over the manager. so now he's yelling at both of these ladies when i hop in and say, "look man, it's pretty obvious that you're just trying to get a free ipod. you broke yours, own up to it. it's your fault. you wouldn't blame toyota for a car wreck if you ran a red light." the ladies are doing their best not to just crack up at this guy being called out. he asks the manager for a formal complaint form so i step in again and ask for a customer service satisfaction form. the guy asks who i am so i hand him and the manager business cards he just kinda stops and she starts to laugh. so she looks at me and smiles and says, " i'll get both of those for you guys." long story short, i walked out of there with a new ipod and didn't have to pay this fee that they would typically charge and that guy walked out of there a tool with no ipod. gotta give props to both of those ladies though, they never lost composure once and even after he left they still didn't talk bad about him. i complain enough about poor customer service, so it's only fair to mention when people really excel.
mockingbird.
i've been thinking bout getting another tattoo, this one for my mom. i want to get a mockingbird holding a yellow rose, but i'm not really finding pix of mockingbirds that i like. any help would be appreciated. oh yeah, the story behind the tattoo is this: my mom has always loved the book/ movie 'to kill a mockingbird', and she has always called me 'boo', after her favorite character in the story, boo radley. the yellow rose is my mom's favorite flower so it kind of works well together. now all i have to do is figure out where i want to get it.
and last of all, i thought i would leave you with my favorite items from this years merry christmas madness list. hope these make you laugh.
Top Ten Items on the Merry Christmas Madness 06 List:
10. set someone's clock ahead one hour w/o them knowing
9. drink a bottle of syrup
8. ride a bike as slow as possible for thirty seconds
7. saran wrap the entire team together
6. find someone with 1% milk and let them know they could drink whole if they wanted
5. glue your hands to your face for ten minutes
4. pick a strangers nose
3. sing 'bad boys' with a police officer
2. give a stranger a wet willie
1. sing a christmas carol to someone named carol
well, check youtube soon for some highlights. one love, one heart.
11.28.2006
"it's only a happy turkey day if you eat steak" - matt
hola bloggers, i've got a relatively short post this week but in my defense i do have to say it was a holiday weekend, so i had my brain turned off for a while. whatever, here we go.
fantasy league.
quote of the year goes to mi amigo a-list who had this gem for me as we were watching the chargers beat down the broncos last week. there we all were watching sunday afternoon football, me in my chargers jersey like a super-fan, all of us downing pepsis and salsa... anyways, every break there was a commercial for eragon, some movie about a dragonslayer. i kept complaining about all the dungeons and dragons type stuff that was coming out in recent years and how much i can't stand stuff about wizards and dragons and all that. fortunately the conversation moved on to fantasy football which prompted this genius quote, "fantasy football is just dungeons and dragons for cool kids. look, you're even dressed up!" busted. and i was laughing too hard to get a comeback together. good stuff.
youthfest.
this past weekend was pepperdine youthfest. it hasn't been an event that i've really been behind the past few years because i've been out of town for thanksgiving weekend, and all the stories i've heard are pretty bland. but this year i was pretty impressed actually being able to go to the event. it's not that it was this groundbreaking spiritual event, it was just a good weekend mix of praise, discussion and fun. now if it were only on a weekend where half of my kids weren't traveling...
thanksgiving.
this year i spent thanksgiving with the cuz and our friends in camarillo. it was a good mellow thanksgiving which is exactly what i needed. we skipped turkey and grilled two of the biggest tri-tip steaks i've ever seen. throw in some mashed potatoes, grilled corn and (because it's us) some homemade salsa and it made for a great meal. cap it all off with an office marathon and call it a good day. and it prompted me to get together a:
TOP TEN THINGS I'M THANKFUL FOR THIS YEAR
10. my longboard. i rode my board more this year than i ever have before. there's something kinda fun about being able to say 'sometimes is skate to work'.
9. hdtv/dvr. i love being able to watch what i want to watch whenever i want to watch it. i find myself actually watching less tv now that we have a better system, and i only really watch the few shows that i'm interested in like the office, heroes, and lost. oh yeah, it's great for football season too.
8. myspace/facebook. this might sound really lame, but i love being able to check in and see what's going on with my friends. i'm not the greatest about calling people up or keeping in touch so being able to get a quick glimpse and leave a quick comment helps me stay in touch better.
7. the end of the year. i love the change that comes with knowing that it is a new year. 06 hasn't been my favorite year, but i have grown a lot so i guess that's a positive thing. let's just say i'm looking forward to being able to enjoy 07.
6. cross country driving. i spent a lot of time driving this year, which is a really expensive thing to do, but it was worth the cost, esp the two cross country trips i took to texas and seattle. there's something about hitting the road that inspires me and clears my head.
5. my kiddos. i have awesome kids in my youth group. they constantly make me laugh, push me to be a better christian, a better leader, and are a great example of patience and grace.
4. friendships. over the past year i've made a few new friends, and really developed some old friendships that have been a huge blessing to me. there's my old faithful friends that have proved themselves to be more solid than ever, and a couple new ones that have made my life so much better. that, and i think this year i'm just more appreciative of friendship in general.
3. grace. the more i receive it, the more i realize i need it.
2. peace. our family is at peace. mi hermana is an amazing young lady who has come into her own and may be the next big thing out of ACU. mi madre has made some great wise decisions on buying property and moving on, and she is able to start a new life for herself. being the man of the family now is a lot easier knowing that everyone else is capable on their own.
1. dad is at rest. no more struggle, no more pain. as the song says, "we will rest in the fair and happy land by and by, just across on the evergreen shore. sing the song of moses and the lamb by and by , and dwell with Jesus ever more".
well, that's all i've got for today. things have picked up enough here lately that i should prob go ahead and cut my lunch short and tackle my to-do list. one love, one heart.
fantasy league.
quote of the year goes to mi amigo a-list who had this gem for me as we were watching the chargers beat down the broncos last week. there we all were watching sunday afternoon football, me in my chargers jersey like a super-fan, all of us downing pepsis and salsa... anyways, every break there was a commercial for eragon, some movie about a dragonslayer. i kept complaining about all the dungeons and dragons type stuff that was coming out in recent years and how much i can't stand stuff about wizards and dragons and all that. fortunately the conversation moved on to fantasy football which prompted this genius quote, "fantasy football is just dungeons and dragons for cool kids. look, you're even dressed up!" busted. and i was laughing too hard to get a comeback together. good stuff.
youthfest.
this past weekend was pepperdine youthfest. it hasn't been an event that i've really been behind the past few years because i've been out of town for thanksgiving weekend, and all the stories i've heard are pretty bland. but this year i was pretty impressed actually being able to go to the event. it's not that it was this groundbreaking spiritual event, it was just a good weekend mix of praise, discussion and fun. now if it were only on a weekend where half of my kids weren't traveling...
thanksgiving.
this year i spent thanksgiving with the cuz and our friends in camarillo. it was a good mellow thanksgiving which is exactly what i needed. we skipped turkey and grilled two of the biggest tri-tip steaks i've ever seen. throw in some mashed potatoes, grilled corn and (because it's us) some homemade salsa and it made for a great meal. cap it all off with an office marathon and call it a good day. and it prompted me to get together a:
TOP TEN THINGS I'M THANKFUL FOR THIS YEAR
10. my longboard. i rode my board more this year than i ever have before. there's something kinda fun about being able to say 'sometimes is skate to work'.
9. hdtv/dvr. i love being able to watch what i want to watch whenever i want to watch it. i find myself actually watching less tv now that we have a better system, and i only really watch the few shows that i'm interested in like the office, heroes, and lost. oh yeah, it's great for football season too.
8. myspace/facebook. this might sound really lame, but i love being able to check in and see what's going on with my friends. i'm not the greatest about calling people up or keeping in touch so being able to get a quick glimpse and leave a quick comment helps me stay in touch better.
7. the end of the year. i love the change that comes with knowing that it is a new year. 06 hasn't been my favorite year, but i have grown a lot so i guess that's a positive thing. let's just say i'm looking forward to being able to enjoy 07.
6. cross country driving. i spent a lot of time driving this year, which is a really expensive thing to do, but it was worth the cost, esp the two cross country trips i took to texas and seattle. there's something about hitting the road that inspires me and clears my head.
5. my kiddos. i have awesome kids in my youth group. they constantly make me laugh, push me to be a better christian, a better leader, and are a great example of patience and grace.
4. friendships. over the past year i've made a few new friends, and really developed some old friendships that have been a huge blessing to me. there's my old faithful friends that have proved themselves to be more solid than ever, and a couple new ones that have made my life so much better. that, and i think this year i'm just more appreciative of friendship in general.
3. grace. the more i receive it, the more i realize i need it.
2. peace. our family is at peace. mi hermana is an amazing young lady who has come into her own and may be the next big thing out of ACU. mi madre has made some great wise decisions on buying property and moving on, and she is able to start a new life for herself. being the man of the family now is a lot easier knowing that everyone else is capable on their own.
1. dad is at rest. no more struggle, no more pain. as the song says, "we will rest in the fair and happy land by and by, just across on the evergreen shore. sing the song of moses and the lamb by and by , and dwell with Jesus ever more".
well, that's all i've got for today. things have picked up enough here lately that i should prob go ahead and cut my lunch short and tackle my to-do list. one love, one heart.
11.14.2006
Oh Mylanta.
hola blogworld,
i'll start off with the funny stuff. this came from a conversation with some friends the other day:
TOP TEN DVDS THAT NEED TO COME OUT
10. iron eagle: special edition - where we explore the makings of the greatest 'boy-rescues-pilot-father-from-iranian-prison-with-help-from-retired-colonel-and-high-school-friends' action flick ever. also, we get a behind the scenes look at how to plan your own military style rescue operation. audio commentary by Melora Hardin (Iron Eagle, The Office)
9. charles in charge: season two - i went through season one in a day. i need my fix.
8. the complete bravestarr - the most underrated cartoon of the 80's. a talking, biomechanical horse, a planet called 'new texas' and a hero that can summon the powers of the eagle, the wolf and the bear to fight the bad guys lead by tex-hex. and the main character spells his name with two 'r's. where can you go wrong?
7. full house: the lost episodes - a collection of great episodes that never aired including: "We don't talk about Uncle Steve", "Kimmie and the Klan", "Jesse shaves his head", and the elusive pilot "Why do we eat on one side of the table?"
6. street fighter: director's cut - bonus features include audio commentary with jean-claude van damme (subtitled).
5. the a-team christmas special - the a-team is hired by mrs. claus to rescue santa from evil druglords in columbia. can the a-team rescue jolly st. nick and repair his sled in time to get toys to all the boys and girls? i pity the fool who thinks they can't.
4. perfect strangers - special features include a how-to guide for the 'dance of joy', and a tour of meapost.
3. vanilla ice: live at roxy's - concert footage from his Celebreality Star Tour
2. rad - i'm not even joking about this. i can't wait to see rad on dvd. if you ever owned a bmx bike this movie is the reason why. also, lori laughlin back in the day... wow.
1. the wonder years - seriously, every other show that has ever been released is available on dvd except wonder years. this needs to change soon. you can take your 'boy meets worlds' and your high def tv, i'll take my old taped copies of kevin arnold's teen angst any day. at least until the dvd comes out.
feel free to comment back on any shows i may have missed. now on to the regular blog stuff.
permission pt. 1
well it's about 130 in the morning and i am nearing the end of one of my favorite weekends of the year, the youth specialties conference. it's a great time put together by a bunch of guys who know what youth ministers need to have available to them. meaning that if you really want to be pushed spiritually you can be, if you want to be challenged in your ministry you can be, if you want to be equipped for the next year you can be, or if you just need some time to kick back and be your old self you can be. so as some of the guys sit back and talk about how theologically sound some of the sessions were, i choose to put that on the back burner for a while and laugh at the fact that i played foursquare with two of my best friends for a long time tonite. it's been waaaaay too long since i've been excited about acting like a kid and that's what is so great about this weekend, i feel like i've been given permission to be whatever for a few days. i've feel like i've had permission to go to classes and discuss things that are outside of my normal church of christ boundaries. i've had permission to disagree with theologians and authors, and agree with men and women who share the same desire to work with youth. i've had permission to say yes when i want to, no when i need to and let me think about it when neither one of the first two is an obvious choice. i don't know why this is such a big deal, except that for the first time in a long while i feel like it's okay to forget about bills, schedules, routine. there is freedom in having permission.
band of brothers.
i have said it before and i'll say it as long as i need to. the youth ministers that i call my friends absolutely amaze me. we come from such diverse ministries and backgrounds, but when we get together we all laugh together. a simple lunch turns into a comedy festival, but the real joy is knowing that behind every joke there is a guy who knows what i am thinking. we call ourselves the youth ministry mafia, but band of brothers would probably more accurate. i guess you could make a comparison between youth ministers in general and the 101st airborne, and if you are going to make that analogy then we are definitely easy company, and socal is bastogne. (if you haven't watched band of brothers yet a: go buy it and b: you probably aren't going to get this reference.) the way i figure it, youth ministers are the guys that sent to a lot of the big battles first. we truly are on the front lines of ministry. i don't want to downplay the toughness of the teens we work with, but the youth ministry line is simply more aware of the battle going on. that, and we volunteered. and socal is definitely bastogne. we are outnumbered, outgunned and too stubborn to give up. we have some turnover, but there are a core group of us that are bonded over fighting the good fight together, and as time goes on our ability to look each other in the eye grows stronger because we know the battles that we go through together. here's the thing about our job; no one knows what we go through. if you're an accountant, you work with other accountants who understand your work. not so much with us. we operate in ways that only we understand. i don't mean to sound like an elitist by any means, but i do wish to convey the joy that comes with being able to look a brother in the eye and just know. i know my brothers pray for me, i've heard them. they know i pray for them because they've heard me. i kid you not, we've worn the knees out on our jeans sometimes praying for each other. we pray for each other's kids, we pray for each other's churches, we pray for each other's families, and we pray for each other because we know the Christ has brought us together here, for this job, that no one can do like we do. i also know that behind every fart joke is a guy who knows what it means to teach junior high. i know that when straw wrappers are flying into my drink, someone has just figured out a way to make one of their kids laugh. i know that walking down the street one minute we are going to be talking about some skit from last years camp, and the next we are talking about how Christ used that moment to make something stick for one of our kids. we are a band of brothers, and like the true soldiers that we look up to, we wear the badge of minister with proper respect and pride in the greater cause we serve.
_______________continued a few days later___________________
wreck 'em tech.
i've got to give it up for my amigo wreckemtech. he's one of those guys that has the innate ability to pick up right where you left off, no matter how long it's been since you've seen them. also, it's always nice to hang out w/ another single youth minister. i don't really feel like explaining why, but let's just say not a lot of guys understand the feeling of having someone at their church pray for 'the ministers and their families'. anyways, it's always good to see mi amigo, because he's always a good reminder of faithfulness to me. keep your guns up.
permission pt. 2
i give myself permission to not do anything big today. i've had several days of classes, prayer, and overall busyness. in the next few weeks i have a crazy schedule that starts tonight with dinner with one of my families. so today i'm going to take care of some of the smaller stuff on my agenda, but i'm not going to do anything that requires me to think.
uniform.
i made a reference to youth ministers as soldiers earlier. you could def make a case for us having a uniform. slightly overweight (too much pizza), receding hairline (too many jr high kids), gotee (makes us look more mature), camp t shirt (something you would never buy at a store) underneath a track jacket, with either sandals or athletic shoes (depending on where you are from) all topped off with a baseball cap. throw in the cell phone, black framed glasses, and some sort of backpack and i have just described at least 75% of the guys at the youth workers convention. the other 25% have a faux hawk.
four square.
there were several four-square courts in the exhibit hall at the youth workers convention, something that you will probably not find at any other convention. so sunday night i got relive some of my least favorite memories of elementary school as me, dantheman, wreckemtech and the aussie played foursquare for about an hour or so. i was having fun being as unathletic as possible, and even more so making the rest of the crew laugh. evidently i even impressed one of the females that we were playing with, at least that's what my friends told me.
17 dollars.
that's how much it costs to provide a years worth of aids medicine for a child in africa. i spent that much on two movie tickets last night. ugh.
orange revolution.
i'm always impressed when one person changes the world. this is a brief synopsis of what i learned about the orange revolution. in the presidential elections of ukraine in 2004, the government lied about the results of the election using the national news program to deceive it's people. while the anchorman was broadcasting the lies that the government had issued, the sign language interpreter in the bottom left hand corner signed that they were lying and that the people were being deceived. deaf citizens watching the broadcast immediately began text messaging everyone they knew and hundreds of thousands people flooded the capital square leading to a re-vote under close scrutiny. simply amazing.
heroes.
if you're not watching it, you should be. this is by far my favorite new tv show, quickly replacing (the continually frustrating) lost as the best drama on tv. i like the show because it takes a much more realistic approach to superheroes and how they deal with their powers. if you could fly, would you fly all the time? or would it take you a while to figure out this wasn't a passing fad? is the ability to read people's minds really a blessing? or the interesting moral dilemma posed by my favorite character hiro nakamura, do superheroes have a moral obligation to help others? i know a lot of people love superheroes that have superpowers, but my favorite has always been batman, a simple man with an above average will and the bank account to back it up. i like to think that we don't need super powers to be heroes, we can do plenty ourselves. but it's always fun to look at shows like heroes and imagine and be inspired.
hole in one.
my new goal in life. i went to a par three course yesterday and was off on one shot by just a couple of inches. now i can't think of anything else but going golfing and getting that elusive hole in one.
jumping in.
talking to people is easy for me. in high school i learned to master the 30 second conversation while working at the grocery store deli. nowadays, if i feel the urge, i really think i could talk to anyone about anything for at least a couple of minutes. it's pretty simple, if you're not sure what to say, find the lowest common denominator. at a ball-game you talk about the last play or the price of hot dogs. at the store you talk about how long the lines are. if someone is tatted up you ask them where they got their ink done. so why is it taking six months to say what i want to say to the one person i talk to all the time?
pictures.
do you ever go through old pictures and laugh at your old haircuts?
preschool.
i love my office. it's on the second story overlooking a preschool and the jr high field. the sun faces the other side of the building so it's always kind of cool in here and there are mountains off in the distance. i keep my door open all day to let a breeze through, but also because i hear the sounds of kids playing all day long. between the jr high to the right, and the preschool right in front of me, i really am blessed. our preacher asked me one time why i keep my door open all day and he never hears my stereo in my office. i told him to open his windows during the day.
the bouncer.
one of my friends is a bouncer at a bar, and he recently said something that has me thinking. he said that people go to bars for a lot of the same reasons people go to church. community, relationships, uplifting, filling a hole... besides the obvious differences in practice, they go to bars because people tend to be less judgmental there. hmm. good stuff to think on.
well, i'm going to go hit some golf balls. one love, one heart.
i'll start off with the funny stuff. this came from a conversation with some friends the other day:
TOP TEN DVDS THAT NEED TO COME OUT
10. iron eagle: special edition - where we explore the makings of the greatest 'boy-rescues-pilot-father-from-iranian-prison-with-help-from-retired-colonel-and-high-school-friends' action flick ever. also, we get a behind the scenes look at how to plan your own military style rescue operation. audio commentary by Melora Hardin (Iron Eagle, The Office)
9. charles in charge: season two - i went through season one in a day. i need my fix.
8. the complete bravestarr - the most underrated cartoon of the 80's. a talking, biomechanical horse, a planet called 'new texas' and a hero that can summon the powers of the eagle, the wolf and the bear to fight the bad guys lead by tex-hex. and the main character spells his name with two 'r's. where can you go wrong?
7. full house: the lost episodes - a collection of great episodes that never aired including: "We don't talk about Uncle Steve", "Kimmie and the Klan", "Jesse shaves his head", and the elusive pilot "Why do we eat on one side of the table?"
6. street fighter: director's cut - bonus features include audio commentary with jean-claude van damme (subtitled).
5. the a-team christmas special - the a-team is hired by mrs. claus to rescue santa from evil druglords in columbia. can the a-team rescue jolly st. nick and repair his sled in time to get toys to all the boys and girls? i pity the fool who thinks they can't.
4. perfect strangers - special features include a how-to guide for the 'dance of joy', and a tour of meapost.
3. vanilla ice: live at roxy's - concert footage from his Celebreality Star Tour
2. rad - i'm not even joking about this. i can't wait to see rad on dvd. if you ever owned a bmx bike this movie is the reason why. also, lori laughlin back in the day... wow.
1. the wonder years - seriously, every other show that has ever been released is available on dvd except wonder years. this needs to change soon. you can take your 'boy meets worlds' and your high def tv, i'll take my old taped copies of kevin arnold's teen angst any day. at least until the dvd comes out.
feel free to comment back on any shows i may have missed. now on to the regular blog stuff.
permission pt. 1
well it's about 130 in the morning and i am nearing the end of one of my favorite weekends of the year, the youth specialties conference. it's a great time put together by a bunch of guys who know what youth ministers need to have available to them. meaning that if you really want to be pushed spiritually you can be, if you want to be challenged in your ministry you can be, if you want to be equipped for the next year you can be, or if you just need some time to kick back and be your old self you can be. so as some of the guys sit back and talk about how theologically sound some of the sessions were, i choose to put that on the back burner for a while and laugh at the fact that i played foursquare with two of my best friends for a long time tonite. it's been waaaaay too long since i've been excited about acting like a kid and that's what is so great about this weekend, i feel like i've been given permission to be whatever for a few days. i've feel like i've had permission to go to classes and discuss things that are outside of my normal church of christ boundaries. i've had permission to disagree with theologians and authors, and agree with men and women who share the same desire to work with youth. i've had permission to say yes when i want to, no when i need to and let me think about it when neither one of the first two is an obvious choice. i don't know why this is such a big deal, except that for the first time in a long while i feel like it's okay to forget about bills, schedules, routine. there is freedom in having permission.
band of brothers.
i have said it before and i'll say it as long as i need to. the youth ministers that i call my friends absolutely amaze me. we come from such diverse ministries and backgrounds, but when we get together we all laugh together. a simple lunch turns into a comedy festival, but the real joy is knowing that behind every joke there is a guy who knows what i am thinking. we call ourselves the youth ministry mafia, but band of brothers would probably more accurate. i guess you could make a comparison between youth ministers in general and the 101st airborne, and if you are going to make that analogy then we are definitely easy company, and socal is bastogne. (if you haven't watched band of brothers yet a: go buy it and b: you probably aren't going to get this reference.) the way i figure it, youth ministers are the guys that sent to a lot of the big battles first. we truly are on the front lines of ministry. i don't want to downplay the toughness of the teens we work with, but the youth ministry line is simply more aware of the battle going on. that, and we volunteered. and socal is definitely bastogne. we are outnumbered, outgunned and too stubborn to give up. we have some turnover, but there are a core group of us that are bonded over fighting the good fight together, and as time goes on our ability to look each other in the eye grows stronger because we know the battles that we go through together. here's the thing about our job; no one knows what we go through. if you're an accountant, you work with other accountants who understand your work. not so much with us. we operate in ways that only we understand. i don't mean to sound like an elitist by any means, but i do wish to convey the joy that comes with being able to look a brother in the eye and just know. i know my brothers pray for me, i've heard them. they know i pray for them because they've heard me. i kid you not, we've worn the knees out on our jeans sometimes praying for each other. we pray for each other's kids, we pray for each other's churches, we pray for each other's families, and we pray for each other because we know the Christ has brought us together here, for this job, that no one can do like we do. i also know that behind every fart joke is a guy who knows what it means to teach junior high. i know that when straw wrappers are flying into my drink, someone has just figured out a way to make one of their kids laugh. i know that walking down the street one minute we are going to be talking about some skit from last years camp, and the next we are talking about how Christ used that moment to make something stick for one of our kids. we are a band of brothers, and like the true soldiers that we look up to, we wear the badge of minister with proper respect and pride in the greater cause we serve.
_______________continued a few days later___________________
wreck 'em tech.
i've got to give it up for my amigo wreckemtech. he's one of those guys that has the innate ability to pick up right where you left off, no matter how long it's been since you've seen them. also, it's always nice to hang out w/ another single youth minister. i don't really feel like explaining why, but let's just say not a lot of guys understand the feeling of having someone at their church pray for 'the ministers and their families'. anyways, it's always good to see mi amigo, because he's always a good reminder of faithfulness to me. keep your guns up.
permission pt. 2
i give myself permission to not do anything big today. i've had several days of classes, prayer, and overall busyness. in the next few weeks i have a crazy schedule that starts tonight with dinner with one of my families. so today i'm going to take care of some of the smaller stuff on my agenda, but i'm not going to do anything that requires me to think.
uniform.
i made a reference to youth ministers as soldiers earlier. you could def make a case for us having a uniform. slightly overweight (too much pizza), receding hairline (too many jr high kids), gotee (makes us look more mature), camp t shirt (something you would never buy at a store) underneath a track jacket, with either sandals or athletic shoes (depending on where you are from) all topped off with a baseball cap. throw in the cell phone, black framed glasses, and some sort of backpack and i have just described at least 75% of the guys at the youth workers convention. the other 25% have a faux hawk.
four square.
there were several four-square courts in the exhibit hall at the youth workers convention, something that you will probably not find at any other convention. so sunday night i got relive some of my least favorite memories of elementary school as me, dantheman, wreckemtech and the aussie played foursquare for about an hour or so. i was having fun being as unathletic as possible, and even more so making the rest of the crew laugh. evidently i even impressed one of the females that we were playing with, at least that's what my friends told me.
17 dollars.
that's how much it costs to provide a years worth of aids medicine for a child in africa. i spent that much on two movie tickets last night. ugh.
orange revolution.
i'm always impressed when one person changes the world. this is a brief synopsis of what i learned about the orange revolution. in the presidential elections of ukraine in 2004, the government lied about the results of the election using the national news program to deceive it's people. while the anchorman was broadcasting the lies that the government had issued, the sign language interpreter in the bottom left hand corner signed that they were lying and that the people were being deceived. deaf citizens watching the broadcast immediately began text messaging everyone they knew and hundreds of thousands people flooded the capital square leading to a re-vote under close scrutiny. simply amazing.
heroes.
if you're not watching it, you should be. this is by far my favorite new tv show, quickly replacing (the continually frustrating) lost as the best drama on tv. i like the show because it takes a much more realistic approach to superheroes and how they deal with their powers. if you could fly, would you fly all the time? or would it take you a while to figure out this wasn't a passing fad? is the ability to read people's minds really a blessing? or the interesting moral dilemma posed by my favorite character hiro nakamura, do superheroes have a moral obligation to help others? i know a lot of people love superheroes that have superpowers, but my favorite has always been batman, a simple man with an above average will and the bank account to back it up. i like to think that we don't need super powers to be heroes, we can do plenty ourselves. but it's always fun to look at shows like heroes and imagine and be inspired.
hole in one.
my new goal in life. i went to a par three course yesterday and was off on one shot by just a couple of inches. now i can't think of anything else but going golfing and getting that elusive hole in one.
jumping in.
talking to people is easy for me. in high school i learned to master the 30 second conversation while working at the grocery store deli. nowadays, if i feel the urge, i really think i could talk to anyone about anything for at least a couple of minutes. it's pretty simple, if you're not sure what to say, find the lowest common denominator. at a ball-game you talk about the last play or the price of hot dogs. at the store you talk about how long the lines are. if someone is tatted up you ask them where they got their ink done. so why is it taking six months to say what i want to say to the one person i talk to all the time?
pictures.
do you ever go through old pictures and laugh at your old haircuts?
preschool.
i love my office. it's on the second story overlooking a preschool and the jr high field. the sun faces the other side of the building so it's always kind of cool in here and there are mountains off in the distance. i keep my door open all day to let a breeze through, but also because i hear the sounds of kids playing all day long. between the jr high to the right, and the preschool right in front of me, i really am blessed. our preacher asked me one time why i keep my door open all day and he never hears my stereo in my office. i told him to open his windows during the day.
the bouncer.
one of my friends is a bouncer at a bar, and he recently said something that has me thinking. he said that people go to bars for a lot of the same reasons people go to church. community, relationships, uplifting, filling a hole... besides the obvious differences in practice, they go to bars because people tend to be less judgmental there. hmm. good stuff to think on.
well, i'm going to go hit some golf balls. one love, one heart.
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