Off to See Seattle...The Wonderful City of Rain

I could use your prayers for what will be a very difficult trip. And please hold up my Orlando family, as well. Two weeks doesn't sound like much except when it refers to time away from those you love most.

And just because I can't ever post anything without something shallow...

*** Worse Movie Line Ever **** From X-Men I (or maybe II, who remembers?), spoken by Storm: "What happens when a toad is struck by lightening? Same as everything else." As pithy, clever lines go, that one falls as flat, stomped even further into thickness oblivion by H.B's inability to act.

Holy Ironicism, Batman!

(Josiah's gonna love this)

So, I bought an MP3 Player, right? I've got a long flight to Seattle on Tuesday and wanted to have something to do and listen to. So I've been loading some 80's music and some Country music...

And Eric sends a link for free Sovereign Grace MP3's so I've downloaded a bunch of those. Two of them are Josh Harris' "The Christian and Media"...

I figure my MP3 player is going to melt when I put those on there with the music choices already on there...

Bionic Woman - a half hearted review

Long day working so what do I do to unwind? Post, of course.

Caught Bionic Woman: The Pilot on my laptop last week. Tsk-tsk.

Okay, I liked the eye effect. Nice introduction of the nano-probes (but whenever someone heals quickly, you can expect a bloody show).

Problems:
Actress looks like Dawn D. to me, so since I can't imagine Dawn doing those things, it just doesn't work for me...

The pace was way too fast. Might have worked better on the TV, but I would prefer an origin pilot with some mystery setting up a boffo season, but they tried to do too much by introducing the first bionic woman and having a fight scene. Say what you want about the Six Million Dollar Man and original Bionic Woman, but they got into the interior of the characters before maxing out the exterior.

Speaking of the originals, the slow motion running and ba-nah-nah-nah sound effects may be cheesy, but I loved them anyway. This version doesn't have anything like it. She doesn't run much, leaps a lot, no cheese. I miss my cheese.

Not much heart either. An attitudinal sister who needs a bionic slap or two, a dead doctor and an Asian bounty hunter of bionic babes (okay, I liked the new Oscar Goldman, whatever his new name is). The labtech blonde kept throwing me, since she looked too much like the bionic baddy. Sigh. Give me cheese.

Won't bother with more episodes (partly because the network player was so bad).

Celebrate Good Times, Come On!

Okay, Mrs. Young will get that reference...

Celebration was great. It's amazing how many friends we have and get to enjoy. There are a few people I only see at Celebration (though the Walley's weren't there, they were in Missouri where they are MOVING can you believe it? That's Paul and Jen, not Derek and Dina, by the way). Then there are those we get to room with and socialize with.

Oh, the sessions were good to... :)

No ticks, few banana spiders, one bug bite, four blisters on my feet and maybe five hours of sleep all together. All in all, a painless weekend.

I've got a big project this week, so posts will be few and far between. Then next week I'm off to Seattle, so same thing. I'll have access but probably not much time.

:)

The Nobel Prize has become like the Olympics

Ballroom dancing is now an Olympic sport and Al Gore won a Nobel Prize. Anyone else find this beyond silly? "Hey look everyone, it's getting warmer and my ice cubes are melting faster than they used to! What? I won a prize? Cool! No, no, I mean, that's Hot!"

The government is now enticing farmers to reduce the size of their cow herds because the heffers tend to cut more cheese than a french chef. More silliness.

People, cows and cars account for less than 10% of gaseous emissions (some of us more than others). Volcanos, vents and other natural phenomena accounts for the other 90%. Does Al want to cork the real problem? No, of course not.

He complains that America is responsible for 90% of our 10% (that's 9%, Joe) and that we should be horrified by that. Again, utterly silly. We're the largest technologically advanced country on the planet, so of course we produce more than the others. I don't see Jim Redneck saying "Hey Bubba, let's go out and run the truck to melt a few more icebergs." Face facts; it's farther for some Americans to go to the store than it is to cross Japan width-wise.

Global warming is a natural occurance that cycles in and cycles out. Are we headed for another ice age? Fine, we'll buy stock in winter sport companies. We'll sell gortex and raise more chicken for their down feathers.

Hey, I'm whining about Al Gore... think I should nominate myself for a Nobel Prize?

Hey, There's a Title Setting!

As I frantically try to keep abreast with my four or five blogs (okay, I'm exaggerating, I have a personal blog, a business blog and a writing blog) I discovered a "Show Title" setting, so no more home made titles in bold.

Had to take a stab at writing lyrics yesterday. Not my thing. I'm like a painter who can't paint with the color green. Poetry is bad enough, but poetry to be sung? Fergetaboutit.

Hey, Joe, Charli said I was supposed to check your blog about a homework thing. Is this one of your blogs I don't know about, because there wasn't anything on the two I do know about...

Too Funny and a Little Bit Scary

I found my 1,000,000 dollar bill that Chris had given me (a Christian tract in the margin on the back, and Grover Cleveland on the front) and flashed it around at a couple people for a laugh on Sunday.

Get this, some guy in Pittsburg is now in jail because he tried to pass it as real currency. He asked some clerk to make change (like any store has that much cash on them). He resisted arrest and refused to give his name, so I'm assuming he wasn't just kidding around.

Oy.

That's It, I'm Now Officially OLD!

And that's seven days short of my 44th birthday.

I picked up a book at the library, T-Rex Canyon, that I recalled seeing before. In fact, I thought, as read the summary, I must have checked it out and returned it before reading it because the summary didn't ring any bells. So I check it out.

I have read it before. Holding it in my hands I clearly recall turning the pages in my office at SunTrust during lunch breaks. I just don't remember it. At. All.

Once I read it, I vaguely remember it but couldn't tell you what was going to happen if a gun was at my head (no need to test that, Joe).

No, this is not whining or grumbling, it's simple fact (okay, maybe a little whining). There was a time I could memorize a Shakespeare monologue in two readings, complete scripts in three or four readings. I've memorize 6 books of the Bible (James, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and all three of John's letters (which count as one since they're all short)). I admit I couldn't recite them anymore, but the point is I once had a phenomenal memory.

Now Mike claims he told me they were going on a cruise but I had no idea where they were. Erik describes a conversation we'd had and I don't recall it. And now I'm forgetting story lines (which involves a T-Rex with feathers and I couldn't even remember that freakish detail).

Chances are I'll forget I wrote this...

Big League Haircuts VS Sport Clips

I got my haircut today, using the coupon for a freebie at Sport Clips. Now it's the MatchUp of the Century!!!!

Haircuts: About even. Decent haircuts at both places. TIE

TV: Big League is set up with each haircutting station being a little oasis unto itself. A TV faces you, and you're given a choice of channels. Sport Clips is arena style seating along the wall. There are as many TVs as chairs, but they don't face you in the chair, they face out so you're looking at an angle. No one asked me if I wanted a different channel than what they were all playing. BIG LEAGUE WINS

Shampoo, Scalp Massage and Back Massage: Big League has one price and it's all included. Sport Clips has three different levels. To get everything costs $5 bucks more. Big League's inclusive price is cheaper than Sport Clips' MVP. BIG LEAGUE WINS AGAIN.

Professionalism: Really about the same, but Sport Clips trash talked Big League, which I don't consider professional. I've never asked Big League about Sport Clips, though so I can't rule on this one.

WINNER: Big League Haircuts. They are three times farther than Sport Clips, but I'll make the trip anyway.

Sorry Sport Clips.

God Has A Sense of Irony

Erik was horrified that I wrote about "disliking my dog" on my blog (which I didn't, it's that I don't really like him all that much, which he says is the same thing, but I think there's a shade of distinction) so it's only fair I share this experience...

Working from home I tend to forget what day of the week it is. So I didn't realize it was Thursday night when I went to bed. This was a problem because I had a 6:30 meeting in which I was the main presenter on Friday morning (another shade of distinction; I remembered the meeting, I just didn't realize it was the night before the meeting). So, no alarm was set.

6:00 a.m. rolls around, I'm dead to the world, and this dog whom we have had for six months, a dog who makes very little sound to begin with, howls for the first time ever. It's really a rather cute, throaty howl, and it was sufficient to wake me up. And realize that is was Friday morning (because, as the title implies, God has a sense of irony). I showered and dressed in five minutes, and made it to the meeting just a few minutes late (and there were twice as many people there as I have ever seen before, with a few prospective clients). Saved by the dog I don't like.

Isn't it ironic?

(For the past few weeks I have been making a concerted effort to like this passive/aggressive dog... because that's the problem with him; he wants love, but doesn't really give any and it bothers me... which, from God's view, is also ironic...)

There is Nothing New Under the Sun, but Come On....!

Big League Hair Cuts is my favorite hair cuttery. Free drinks, tv at each station, a good shampoo and scalp massage, a hair cut and a back rub. Great concept.

There is nothing wrong with doing a variation of someone's business idea, but keeping everything the same except the name is just wrong. Whether it's Cold Stone Creamery and Marble Slab Ice Cream, or now Big League Hair Cuts and Sports Clips, come on people show a LITTLE originality. BLHC is a baseball theme, and Sports Clips simply widens the theme to all sports. Otherwise, the same. TV, Shampoo, Hair Cut and Back Rub.

Now, if it had been a music theme, or maybe beach theme, fine, BUT IT'S THE SAME SPORTS THING. (of course, that won't prevent me from using the free haircut coupon...)

It's probably Pepsi and Coke's fault. Worked for them...

Saved by a Pair of Slippers

Had a burned out bulb and was fishing around trying to adjust the fan while changing it and my wedding band must have touched an exposed wire. ZAP POW ZIP! Felt like a horse kicked my hand. Fortunately, I was wearing rubber soled slippers or it could have been a new hairstyle at best and a dirtnap at worst. Phew!

Only in America...

Okay, get this... Major League Baseball Player Milton Bradley (no, really, that's his name) throws his bat at the umpire for calling the third strike (really, in his direction, he didn't hit the ump). Ump holds a grudge and later "bates" Bradley into throwing his temper. Seems Big Bad Bradley has a well documented temper and the umpire uses profanity in a confrontation with Bradley. Bradley goes after the umpire, his manager holds him back and ends up dumping Bradley on the ground, tearing up his knee.

Do we have the broad strokes? Umpire says something mean and baseball guy goes nuts and hurts him's wittle knee.

And the umpire gets suspended for the rest of the season.

My mouth is open with astonishment. The ump said a discouraging word to someone who threw a BAT at him, and because the player has a temper tantrum and thereby hurts himself, the ump gets suspended.

There is no responsibility or accountability any more. None.

From the Eyes of Babes

I admit that little things amaze me. Aly said, "why is orange juice yellow?" She's right, of course, it is yellow, but because the name is "orange" juice I've never thought of it as yellow. In fact, when I looked at it, I had to convince myself that it WAS yellow and not a shade of orange. Amazing how compelling a misconception is; this small one didn't take much to overcome, but you can imagine how difficult big ones would be to overcome.

Speaking of Generation Gaps

Technically, blogging is one of those newfangled things that us old folks might not embrace in our dotter-hood. Maybe my natural opinionation overcomes the generation gap in this case. That, and I really do enjoy 'chatting' with the younger set (that would be Sherlock and Dami and the occassional Schwabbies... and we'll throw Malissa in with that younger set because she's so young at (anxious) heart.)

The Day and the Hour

Something came up as a tangent in home group last night (Malissa knew this was coming)...

I'll reserve the Biblical view until later...

Can we, as human beings, add OR SUBTRACT a single day from our lives? From a worldy perspective, of course the answer would be "yes" but from a Christian worldview, can God be frustrated? Will poor eating habits, extreme sports, or purposeful intent shorten our lives from that which God had ordained for us?

What say you?

The Tasered College Student

I watched the video; an obnoxious adult (not a kid) disrupts a lecture by John Kerry during QandA, taking over the mic and proving his idiocy, then resists removal by campus security. Screaming, kicking and yelling, under a pile of officers, some of them women, and gets tasered. He turns into a screaming puddle and the whole thing escalates.

Was he abused?

I don't think so, though I admit it's borderline.

1) It was on video, but we don't know if he was grabbing officers inappropriately, so we really don't know what they were responding to.

2) Idiocy has concequences and now the student knows that.

3) Tasing hurts like crazy, but it isn't permanent and it beats clubbing the guy in the head.

4) He also deserves it because he's probably not going to learn his lesson and he'll file a lawsuit. I hope the judge tasers him.

Was it necessary to tase him? It's hard to second guess officers in that kind of situation. They couldn't wrestle him out the door, they didn't want to club him... maybe the officer thought it would take the fight out of him. If so, it didn't, so maybe it was a poor choice. What should they have done? They're choices were: Tase him, Club him, let him go and if he didn't leave, you're left with the first two choices again. Tasing is the best of those options.

Jesus was tempted for 40 days in the desert and wilderness where he was tempted (or "temptated" as someone I know and love would say) by the devil.

SO...

What did that look like? Was it...

1) a physical confrontation where the devil bodily appeared and spoke out loud to Jesus?
2) a vision or set of visions that took place on a spiritual plane?
3) like we experience temptation in which the devil (or demon) is not heard or seen consciously but effects us subconsciously (but because Jesus could discern spirits, he would know what was really taking place, while we don't know if it's our own flesh or words whispered by demons - indeed, since Jesus had no sin nature, we can't look to this and say that we of the sin nature type are EVER tempted by demons; out flesh is plenty loud enough on it's own.)

Which do you think it was? Yes, I understand that how doesn't really matter, but since it DID actually happen, one of the options above is true.

I know I can count on Green Lantern answering this post, but please everyone else who reads this, post your comments.

I-Pod You Not

Maybe two of my readers are old enough to remember when the Walkman first came out. What joy, what heaven! Little tiny (by 80's standards) boxes you could play cassette tapes on and listen through wired headsets with cheap speakers. They were instantly banned at school, and since I practically lived there, I never used my walkman. Just as well, the box was small, but wear do you carry additional tapes?

Now we have iPods. I'm impressed by the bright little shuffles, smaller than a beltbuckle, holds hundreds of songs or dozens of sermons, even if searching is difficult. I do not like the ear buds, but I don't like headphones of any kind. Same problem as before, though. Where do I listen to it? I have a radio in my car and a stereo in my office and home. So when would I listen to it?

The answer is the problem. You would listen to it when you're away from those other players. Like when you're walking, shopping, going to church, or anywhere out in the world. You know, when you could be interacting with other people instead of listening to your own little world.

Raise your hand if you've ever talked to a child and discovered they couldn't hear you because they were Pod-ing? Don't iPods insulated us from others? Aren't they, in fact, a form of pride, telling all those around you "hey, you have nothing to contribute to my life!"? Aren't they a form of self-sufficiency?

Now, of course, there are ways to use them appropriately in the proper time and place. I'm just wondering how many times and places there actually are.

Are Blogs Prideful?

We had a great sermon on Pride this Sunday. I was like a greasy spot on the chair after being struck by lightening repeatedly. I'm extremely proud. Not because I think so highly of myself (I really don't), but because I think a lot about myself.

I enjoy attention. I like making people laugh or think or both. The stories I write are meant to engage my reader's thoughts and to explore important themes, which I think are a good thing.

But what about blogs? I don't keep a journal because I think things that are written should be read, hence this blog. But isn't it prideful to think that my opinions are of interest to others? In a story, the author is supposed to be invisible, but this post alone has more "I's" than a potato!

Now, my understanding of pride is that it is like Ayers Rock in Australia. Huge, monolithic and barren. Our efforts to whittle away pride is about as effective as an ant's filing away at Ayers; he can feel awfully proud of himself for the two inch mound of dust that he's chipped away, but Ayers is still undiminished, and probably bigger from added dirt.

It's like the sermon from the week before on judgmentalism, in which we should strive to be like the humble tax collector beating his breast instead of being like the haughty pharisee. Human nature wants to START at the tax collector and work our way to maybe the midpoint between the two, but the Bible says, no, you remain the tax collector while on this Earth. You don't get "better" you just are honest about what a wretch you are. With pride we are to live ever aware in the shadow of Ayers. We can't do much about it, but we can turn away from it every now and then, thumbing our nose at the mountain and squeaking out a little humility.

But probably not while blogging...