Diesel Fuel

Simple Pleasures

2006-02-18T12:34:00.000-08:00

I've heard a lot of people (in person, on TV, etc.) say that life is about simple pleasures. Today, I got to enjoy some of mine, and it was pretty fantastic. First, I got to leave work early. It was so slow this morning, we were just standing there a good bit, so I got to leave early (tips, though suffered as a result, but that's OK). Then, I swung by Target to pick up a six-pack of IBC root beer and then to Chick-Fil-A for a couple of chicken biscuits. This was great - when I got to the Chick, the drive-thru line was wrapped all the way around the building. So, I parked and walked in front of this truck in line to the doors and went in to the counter. I got my two biscuits really quick and went back out...in front of the SAME TRUCK! They hadn't moved! I thought it was funny. :) Anyway, I got back home, put my IBC in the fridge and enjoyed my biscuits. Then, I spent some more quality time with a few passages of Scripture for one of my classes, finished my homework, turned it in and kicked back to enjoy a pre-existing cold IBC and some Liar Liar on TV (that movie brought back some good memories from college with roommates, and it's so funny!). After that was over, I put on another great movie (National Treasure) and took a nap.

While the weather outside here today is frightful, things have been good inside. And, it's not even 4. :)

Ode to the Nice Guys

2006-02-13T17:02:00.000-08:00

Ode to the Nice Guys
This rant was written for the Wharton Undergraduate Journal
This is a tribute to the nice guys. The nice guys that finish last, that never become more than friends, that endure hours of whining and complaining about what jerks guys are, while disproving the very point. This is dedicated to those guys who always provide a shoulder to lean on but restrain themselves to tentative hugs, those guys who hold open doors and give reassuring pats on the back and sit patiently outside the changing room at department stores. This is in honor of the guys that obligingly reiterate how cute/beautiful/smart/funny their female friends are at the appropriate moment, because they know most girls need that litany of support. This is in honor of the guys with open minds, with laid-back attitudes, with honest concern. This is in honor of the guys who respect a girls every facet, from her privacy to her theology to her clothing style.

This is for the guys who escort their drunk, bewildered female friends back from parties and never take advantage once theyre at her door, for the guys who accompany girls to parties as buffers against the rest of the creepy male population, for the guys who know a girl is fishing for compliments but give them out anyway, for the guys who always play by the rules in a game where the rules favor cheaters, for the guys who are accredited as boyfriend material but somehow dont end up being boyfriends, for all the nice guys who are overlooked, underestimated, and unappreciated, for all the nice guys who are manipulated, misled, and unjustly abandoned, this is for you.

This is for that time she left 40 urgent messages on your cell phone, and when you called her back, she spent three hours painstakingly dissecting two sentences her boyfriend said to her over dinner. And even though you thought her boyfriend was a chump and a jerk, you assured her that it was all ok and she shouldnt worry about it. This is for that time she interrupted the best killing spree youd ever orchestrated in GTA3 to rant about a rumor that romantically linked her and the guy she thinks is the most repulsive person in the world. And even though you thought it was immature and you had nothing against the guy, you paused the game for two hours and helped her concoct a counter-rumor to spread around the floor. This is also for that time she didnt have a date, so after numerous vows that there was nothing serious between the two of you, she dragged you to a party where you knew nobody, the food was awful, and she flirted shamelessly with you, justifying each fit of reckless teasing by announcing to everyone: oh, but were just friends! And even though you were invited purely as a symbolic warm body for her ego, you went anyways. Because youre nice like that.

The nice guys dont often get credit where credit is due. And perhaps more disturbing, the nice guys dont seem to get dates as often as they should. And I wish I could logically explain this trend, but I cant. From what I have observed on campus and what I have learned from talking to friends at other schools and in the workplace, the only conclusion I can form is that many girls are just illogical, mean and manipulative. Many of them claim they just want to date a nice guy, but when presented with such a specimen, they say irrational, confusing things such as oh, hes too nice to date or he would be a good boyfriend but hes not for me or he already puts up with so much from me, I couldnt possibly ask him out! or the most frustrating of all: no, it would ruin our friendship. Yet, they continue to lament the lack of datable men in the world, and they expect their too-nice-to-date male friends to sympathize and apologize for the men that are jerks. Sorry, guys, girls like that are beyond my ability to fathom. I cant figure out why the connection breaks down between what they say (I want a nice guy!) and what they do (Im going to start dating this complete jerk now!). But one thing I can do, is say that the nice-guy-finishes-last phenomenon doesnt last forever. There are definitely many girls who grow out of that train of thought and realize they should be dating the nice guys, not taking them for granted. The tricky part is finding those girls, and even trickier, finding the ones that are single.

So, until those girls are found, I propose a toast to all the nice guys. You know who you are, and I know youre sick of hearing yourself described as ubiquitously nice. But the truth of the matter is, the world needs your patience in the department store, your holding open of doors, your party escorting services, your propensity to be a sucker for a pretty smile. For all the crazy, inane, absurd things you tolerate, for all the situations where you are the faceless, nameless hero, my accolades, my acknowledgement, and my gratitude go out to you. You do have credibility in this society, and your well deserved vindication is coming.

Fu-zu Jen, SEAS/WH, 2003

First of all, let me say thank you to Heather for posting this on her blog (read it here)and for "cleaning it up". I didn't see the 'unclean' version, but I trust it was warranted.

I do have some responses to both the Ode itself and to Heather's comments.

First, to Fu-zu Jen.

Bless you. Now, stop stalking me.

Now to Heather's thoughts.

From experience, I don't totally buy that "we are secretly interested in you" thing. I and friends of mine have gone out on that limb (see next point) and asked female friends out. You know what we got? Bupkis. Well, that's not entirely true. We hear the exact things the writer mentions (literally, almost verbatim - there must be a handbook or something going around).

Follow this train of thought:
We don't ask you out because you never show any interest.
You never show any interest because you don't want to ruin the friendship.
Guys don't want to ruin the frienship either.
For a guy to make the leap and ask you out, he does so acting on sheer hope (because you never show interest) AND at the risk of ruining the friendship.
The aforementioned experience then is gained when girls say "no" and wonder why he asked (because, after all, they haven't shown any interest, and if they did, it was purely unintentional).

I get this image of a lab rat here. He sees the cheese. He wants the cheese. But, every time he tries to get the cheese, he get's shocked. Now, if you're watching this, and the rat repeatedly tries to get the cheese, you're gonna say, "that's a stupid rat!" Eventually, the rats learn or electricute themselves.

If girls wonder why they get passed over by their best friends when it comes to the "Dating Game", here's your reason. They see the cheese. They may want the cheese. But the cheese is just going to have to sit there, because they've been there, done that, and got the burn marks to prove it. If they're gonna get the cheese, the cheese is going to have to come out from behind the thing that shocks the junk out of the rat.

Sorry if this sounds like it's all putting the ladies on trial, but this is coming from someone who's tried the very things that were requested only to crash and burn as a result. Ladies, you need to take some risks sometimes yourself and if you like someone who's your friend, be more direct and you'll have a better shot of him asking you out. The rat's not going to go for the cheese if he thinks he's going to get shocked again (a smart one, anyway).

A great expression of the good/bad guy phenomenon is in Will Smith's rant in the speed dating scene in Hitch. Watch that again, you'll see what I mean.

To quote Heather, "We need you to make that move that says, "Hey, not only do I think you're 'cute/beautiful/smart/funny' as my friend, but I think that about you for real." We need you to let us know that it's okay to be interested in a "nice guy" like you." (my words now) Too often what goes unsaid in that is, "And I promise, I'll try to with the very next guy!"

To all my nice guy friends, I stand proudly with you. I gotta go for now. This was probably a sort of fractured post, but just some thoughts.

OK, bring on the hate mail. At least the girls will like how I compared guys to rats...

Is it summer yet?

2006-02-09T10:22:00.000-08:00

After today's happenings, the answer to that is a resounding NO. Yes, at approximately 10am local time, Douglasville, GA saw some frozen precipitation. Now, I won't go so far as to call it "snow", but it was white, cold, and fell from the sky. So there you go. It happened, and surprisingly, the town didn't start flipping out. See, here in Georgia, we don't get much snow, or whatever that stuff was flying around today, so when we get it, we have no idea how to act. It's like the apocalypse or something. Seriously, it makes the top story on the news. Grocery stores sell out of bread and water. It's been a prominent topic of conversation around these parts because it's been so cold recently. I can only imagine what people from New England or Minnesota think of us. Down here, today will be remembered as "The 'Snow' Day of 2006!" Northerners have another name for today: "Thursday".

Anyway, onto my thoughts about summer. I'm literally chomping at the bit in anticipation of baseball season. OK, maybe not literally. But, if I had a 'bit', rest assured, it would be chomped on right about now. I picked up a couple of baseball season preview magazines today at the store. I haven't had a chance to read them yet, but I did flip through and see they both picked the Braves to win the NL East for a 15th consecutive year. Rock on. I also noticed that they picked teams other than the Braves to go to the World Series, so it's going to be like "15th verse, same as the first 14, except for that one time when it was different because we won". Oh well, there's always hope, right Red Sox Nation?

OK, so get this...I found out today that the youth minister at my church here in D'ville is coveting my services for the summer. My initial reaction was something like, "yeah, see, I'm working Fuge, so, yeah, sorry...." Then, I got that response that (let's just be honest, people) nobody likes to hear. "Well, at least pray about it." What are you going to say to that, No? So, I told him I would....so, I'm also going to ask you all to pray for me that I earnestly seek God's answer for that and not my own. Because, honestly, I want to do that thing where we say "OK, I'll pray about it" and then not do it, but say I did, because I really want to work camp. And, I know that's not the right thing to do, so I need y'all's help with that...'preesh'.

Super Bowl XL

2006-02-05T11:37:00.000-08:00

OK, so I want to take a nap right now, but I'll put this out there in case I don't have time between my nap and getting to my Super Bowl party of choice. I'm hoping the Steelers ride this thing all the way out. I love the story of them coming from the sixth (aka last) seed in the AFC to mow down the top three seeds all on the road to get to Detroit. Their fans are the epitome of 'die hard'. Their coach is the quintessential hard-nosed football coach. Jerome Bettis is a pretty nice guy, and he gets to play for the Lombardi Trophy in front of his old hometown friends and family in his last NFL game. And their led by a QB named "Big Ben". I can get behind these guys. I like Shaun Alexander, and it wouldn't hurt my feelings if Seattle wins this thing, but in a matchup that features two teams that I have no particular affiliation with, I'll take the Steelers.

Here's hoping for some great commercials...

New Look

2006-01-25T22:27:00.000-08:00

I got bored with the all green look. So, I changed it...I'll probably do some tweaking with it, but I'll do that when I have more time...

Oh, and I have a new profile pic up...I took it myself and played around with a photo editor...I kinda like it...

Different

2006-01-24T22:42:00.000-08:00

I'm really tired, since it's like 1:30am right now. So, this will be short. I was thinking tonight. I was at 7/22 at North Point tonight, which was awesome! Charlie Hall basically led a worship service the whole time with stuff from their new CD. Awesome. Anyway, much of the night, I was soaking the experience in. I was also thinking about the topic of some of the books I've been reading lately. They all seem to talk about how the current state of the church is just comfortable and basically in a rut. This has got to stop. I thought about what I want my ministry to look like when I get done with seminary and get a job somewhere. I looked at the stage, the fancy lights, and the huge crowd. I don't need that. It would be great if whatever I'm doing God is using it to such an extent so many people are impacted through it, but I don't need a huge production. I just don't want my ministry to be cookie-cutter. I don't want it to be same-old same-old. I don't want to follow a pattern of 'nice and tidy' church. I want it to be different. I want it to get back to what following Jesus should be. To borrow the expression from Erwin McManus, I want it to be "barbaric." Anyway, that's what I was chewing on tonight while I was in the midst of an awesome worship experience. God was putting that on my heart, and I got excited because I know He wants that, too. I'm going to get to be a part of that. Rock on.

Conference Championships

2006-01-22T10:48:00.000-08:00

OK, so instead of telling you who I think is going to win today, I'll tell you who I'm pulling for...and if you insist, you can put those down as my picks. I'm rooting for a Carolina/Pittsburgh Super Bowl at this point. It's not that I don't like Shaun Alexander or that I don't think Jake the Snake is fun and entertaining to watch. It's because of the following three reasons:

1. Carolina and Pittsburgh play physical, hard-nosed, toll-taking football. Remember the Bears/Panthers game last week? Same thing...people getting hurt all the time, injuries all over the place...just bruising, punishing action. In other words, a good old fashioned football game. It would be fitting that the signature colors for the two teams would be black (Steelers) and blue (Panthers).

2. While we're on the topic, a Panthers/Steelers SBXL would spare us all from what would probably the be most hideous uniform combination possible. The Broncos unis are just plain ugly. The color scheme is good, but the design is not. And if the Seahawks wear their all-green/blue outfit...yikes. I just don't want to see that.

3. When I'm out of teams I remotely like to pull for in the postseason, I default to the underdogs. If Carolina and Pittsburgh make it to Detroit, that would match up a five seed against a six seed. In other words, two out of the last three teams to make the playoffs could finish it. They would have both had to win three straight road games to do it, which has never been done before. But remember in October 2004, nobody had ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in a 7-game series to win before the Red Sox did it. You have to appreciate things like this if you're a sports fan.

Regardless of whether or not any of that comes true, I'll go ahead and tell you who I'm probably going to pull for the rest of the way...the team with the quarterback named "Big Ben". Yeah, we sticks together. :)

Start the Clock...

2006-01-17T20:00:00.000-08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, it has come, and lo that it was good! No, I'm not talking about most of the people on tonight's American Idol premiere...some of those people need serious help. No, I'm talking about the greatest show on TV finally returning for a fifth incredible season, 24! The first four hours flew by in two nights, and I'm pretty hacked that I have to wait a whole flippin' week to see the next hour! If you haven't seen the first four hours of this season, someone you know has it on tape - borrow it and watch it! If you've never seen it, shame on you! I say again, SHAME! My single-line description of the show is as true four hours into season five as it has ever been: it is the television equivalent of crack. Although I really want to, I won't spoil for you what has happened so far. I can say though, that it hits the ground running and will absolutely rock your face off! I can also tell you that in the first four hours, people die. Most of them bad, and six of them at the hands of Uber-Agent Jack Bauer, who, if you missed last season, is supposed to be dead, but isn't. Well, he was. Then, he was revived. Actually, that's twice now that Jack has been clinically dead only to come back to life (you have to go back to Season 2 for the other instance). A couple of words of warning for those who haven't seen the show yet (and I still urge you to watch it...). First, there's a warning at the beginning of each episode: "Due to graphic violence, viewer discretion is advised." They are NOT kidding! Second, you will very often find yourself saying "surely they wouldn't let THAT happen" or "they won't kill so-and-so". Ummm...yeah they would, and yeah they would. If you saw the closing minutes of season one, you would already know that nobody is safe. This show is the definition of going against the grain. In interviews, cast members (all of them...not just minor characters) read through the script for each episode wondering if they're going to make it through it. That's what makes this show so awesome...you are not guaranteed a happy ending. You just don't know what's going to happen next. In Day 5, it's now 11:00am, and the clock is ticking...

In other news, it would just figure that 24 hours (there's a theme in this post) after I get back from Statesboro for one of my old roommates' wedding, I would see my beloved Statesboro on the evening news. Some wackjob and his wife thought it a good idea to take their former lawyer hostage and claim they had explosives. The standoff lasted just over 24 hours (sounds like a day in the life of Jack Bauer!) and ended early this morning. Why did they do it? The guy felt he was wrongly convicted. He thought he was innocent and shouldn't have to do any time. So he creates a hostage situation. What part of this actually sounded like a good idea? Did he think there would be no consequences for taking someone HOSTAGE with EXPLOSIVES!?! Let's just say they gave the guy what he wanted...you know what, we were wrong, you were right...you don't have to go to jail. For that. This, on the other hand, I'm afraid we have you red-handed, and you will be going to jail for this. Congratulations. Idiot.

Beep. Boop. Beep. Boop.

Oh, one more thing. Just to keep you up to date. I have finished The Screwtape Letters. Interesting read, even though I didn't quite get all of it. I did get some good insights from it, so it was worth the read. I'm about to start The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus. The college group at FBC Douglasville is talking about it on Sunday nights, so I'm gonna read it as we get going.

Playoffs - week 2

2006-01-12T22:05:00.000-08:00

OK, I have to go out of town this weekend, and I need to get to bed, so this will be really short and sweet...Here we go...

Give me the Seahawks at home over Washington...Seattle should be primed and ready for this one...after the Skins' horrible offensive outing last week, they'll do better, but won't have enough to answer Hasselbeck and the NFL MVP Shaun Alexander.

The Panthers-Bears game could very well end 3-0 in overtime. Defense, defense, defense. The Bears have the best defense in the league, but the Panthers should look like it against a Rex Grossman-led offense (which wasn't that good anyway). Panthers in a low-scoring affair.

Even Ben Roethlisberger is picking the Colts...what does that say when your own QB doesn't think you can beat somebody? Indy's almost unfair...they look like they play with two or three extra guys on offense. I don't think they'll run the Steelers out of the building, but they won't sweat too much and advance to the AFC Championship.

The Broncos-Patriots game should be a good one. They will probably going back and forth all day long. The Broncos have been good, but in recent years, they've had trouble winning big games. New England hasn't. Tom Brady is now 10-0 in postseason play, along with coach Belichick. A Pats win will set up another Pats/Colts rematch...that should be fun.

It just don't do no good...

2006-01-12T22:04:00.000-08:00

I do want to say something meaningful before I take off for the weekend. Joe and I were talking last night about politics within the church and the SBC. This is what I do not look forward to about going into the ministry. I can't stand politics in the church (or any Christian organization). It's always about petty stuff. Things that, in the long run, make no difference regarding people's salvation. They don't do anybody any good. All they do is divide people and cause dissention. It's one thing to have different opinions or to be debating something of real importance (i.e. the deity of Christ or something like that). But, most of the time, it's over something stupid like what color the carpet should be. Who gives a flip? Does Bob Lostperson care what color the carpet is if he's walking down the street about to be hit by a car and go to Hell? Will God ask Bob or the church about the carpet? No! He'll ask why the church wasn't out witnessing to Bob!

So, here's a thought...knock it the flip off! When you get too wrapped up in that junk, you get legalistic. Keep your eye on the ball! Don't let minor issues that have nothing to do with saving souls get in the way of saving souls! In the Screwtape Letters, there's an extremely piercing comment by the demon Screwtape: "A spoiled saint, a Pharisee, an inquisitor, or a magician, makes better sport in Hell than a mere common tyrant or debauchee." In other words, beware those that thrive on political battles within the church! The Devil's writing them Thank You cards!

I consider it my duty...

2006-01-11T19:18:00.000-08:00

...to bring my faithful readers things like this. I have no words to describe this.

Oh, Tony...

If you have problems viewing it, keep trying...may just be a bunch of people trying to see it at the same time...

Oh, and if you're a Mike Ditka fan, whatever you do DON'T click here!

Week 1 recap

2006-01-09T23:07:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I went 3-1 this weekend. The only thing I really missed was the Giants/Panthers game. To say the least, the Panthers looked STRONG. Eli looked horrible. Tiki didn't do much, and no receiver had anything to brag about. They flat laid an egg out there. Looking back, I think I just wanted to use the Madagascar line too much and tried to justify the pick. Oh well, can't change it now. I will reiterate something I said about that game...I said that could have very well have been the NFC Championship game...and I stand by that. I think against most any other team in the field, the Giants win that game. The Panthers now look like the team to beat in the NFC. Right now, I don't know that any of the other teams can stop them from getting to Detroit. But, that can change in the next week.

The other games, I pretty much had it figured. Joe Gibbs was the difference against the Bucs. The Jags never had a chance against the Patriots (although the Pats started slow). And, Pittsburgh rolled over Cincinnati in the highest scoring game of the first round. Round two should be just as fun - the AFC matchups are going to be ridiculous!

I'll probably post something of substance tomorrow...just thought I should come on here and take my medicine for the Giants game. Peace.

NFL Playoffs - week 1

2006-01-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

Are you ready for some football? Oh yeah! This should be a fun postseason. The NFC is basically up for grabs. I can see any team from that conference going to Detroit. The AFC, to me, seems a little more clear cut, but that could very easily change. With the playoffs kicking off today, I feel it necessary to share my picks with you for this opening round. I have had a good week picking games so far. I went 3-1 in the BCS bowls. I took West Virginia over UGA simply because I hate UGA, and the Mountaineers winning made me happy because the Dawgs lost and I was right at the same time. Penn State scared me. I thought they would roll over the Noles, but it took 3 OT's to get it done. Until the last two minutes, Notre Dame had a shot, but I lost that one. And, how great was the Rose Bowl? One of the best games I've ever seen. I really got into it and was pretty excited when my pick won. Go Horns! Of course, all of those were really gut-picks...I'll probably lose all these because I actually thought about them. Anyway, on to the big boys...

Washington at Tampa Bay
Like any matchup in the NFC playoffs this year, this one could go either way. You gotta love the Tampa D, Jon Gruden, and Cadillac Williams. Tampa's made a living off their defense, and took home their first Super Bowl win three years ago. It was also the last time the Bucs were in the playoffs, which means two things. One, they have a winning streak going, which only one other team in the field can say (defending champ Patriots). Also, it means that much of that championship team is gone, including most of the key players on offense. QB Chris Simms and Cadillac are starting their first postseason games today. Washington, on the other hand, hasn't been to the postseason since 2000 (when they lost to, you guessed it, Tampa Bay), but there's reason for me to like the Skins in this one. Clinton Portis is one of the best and most consistent backs in the NFL. Santana Moss has looked almost more like Randy Moss than Randy did this season. Mark Brunell has playoff experience (with Jacksonville) and veteran savvy. But, the thing that seals it for me is Joe Gibbs. I think he gets his team ready to play today and makes his return to playoff football a success.
The pick: Redskins

Jacksonville at New England
Jacksonville has been incredible this year on defense. To go 12-4 with their offense, they had to be. In my view they had a fairly easy schedule. The last time they beat a team that even sniffed the playoffs, they beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh. But, that was when Pittsburgh wasn't really playing their best football, and their defense won it with an interception return for a TD. Two of their four losses though came at the hands of the almost invincible Colts, who they held to a combined 36 points. Until the last month of the season, it looked very much like a sure thing that we would have a new champion this year. However, lately, the Patriots have looked more like the Pats of the last two seasons than the Pats of most of the 2005 season. However, despite their six losses this season, only the one to Miami was to a team that wasn't a playoff contender, and that was on the final week of the season when most of the starters sat out. They didn't look bad this year, but they had injuries and looked beatable. Lately, they don't look so beatable, and it's hard to go against the defending champs with Belichick running the show and Tom Brady at the helm. The way they're playing, the only time I would be tempted to go against the Pats is if the Colts were on the other sideline.
The pick: Patriots

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
"Bungles" no more! Cincinnati looked, not only like a playoff team this year, but also like a Super Bowl contender. In the recent weeks, I have been pretty excited about the prospect of picking the Bengals to actually win a playoff game. Carson Palmer has become a great NFL QB. Rudi Johnson is a workhorse back, and they have one of the best WR tandems in the NFL with Chad Johnson and TJ Houshmandzadeh. The only legitimate black mark on their record was a week 16 loss to Buffalo. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, had some rough spots this season including a three-game losing streak and having QB Ben Roethlisberger hurt for a number of weeks. However, much like New England, they're looking scary right at the right time. They're more experienced than Cincy, and their offense is looking like a freight train running downhill. I expect lots of points in this one, but Bill Cowher's team to come out ahead.
The pick: Steelers

Carolina at New York
This could just as well be the NFC Championship game, in my opinion. Both of these teams could represent the NFC in Detroit, and it's, by far, the toughest to pick. It's also going to be my favorite to watch this weekend. The Giants are finally the ones to dethrone the Eagles atop the NFC East, and they earned it. The division was pretty brutal this season. Eli Manning is no longer just Peyton's little brother. He is a legitimate NFL quarterback with plenty of weapons at his disposal. Tiki Barber is one of the most exciting players in the league to watch. He can do it all and has one of the most fun names to say. Defensively, they have the best DE duo in football, that also happens to lead the league in sacks, in future HOF'er Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora (also a fun name to say). Carolina is loaded, too, though. Jake Delhomme led this team to the Super Bowl two seasons ago. Steve Smith is the best WR in the NFL that still nobody seems to know about. And, their defense is just scary. They've got talent everywhere. If they have a question mark, it's at running back. DeShaun Foster can be explosive or flaky, you never seem to know. Since some early season questionable losses (to the Saints and Dolphins), they have been outstanding, including thrashing the Falcons in the Dome in the season finale. If this game is in Charlotte, I'd go with Carolina. But, it's not. It's in the Meadowlands, and I think the boys in blue will get it done. In the words of the Madagascar lemurs, "All hail the New York Giants!"
The pick: Giants

Enjoy week one, kids!

Everything and Nothing

2006-01-04T17:33:00.000-08:00

A quick additional post tonight. I just read another Letter of Screwtape, and had a thought to share on it...and one about this football game about to kickoff.

First, the game. It's for the whole bag of marbles...at least this year, there's no question that these two teams should be playing for the Championship...although, I still say I-A football needs a playoff system. Anyway, this should be an awesome game. USC and Texas. I'm gonna go against the grain on this one...I'm taking Texas. Just a gut feeling, really...I just think it's time for USC to go down, and Texas is about as talented a team in the country that could do it. Plus, they're orange...like my CPO brothers and sisters...and their fans' handsignal is like "rock on!" and it reminds me of D-mac (just gotta add the flick of the wrist...CPO will know what that's about). I don't care too much about either team really, but I gotta say Go Horns!...just so I'll be right :)

Nothing. Something Lewis wrote (from the perspective of the demon Screwtape, of course) really hit my like a ton of bricks of truth. Here's the excerpt:

"The Christians describe the Enemy (God from Screwtape's perspective) as one 'without whom Nothing is strong.' And Nothing is very strong: strong enough to steal away a man's best years not in sweet sins but in a dreary flickering of the mind over it knows not what and knows not why, in the gratification of curiosities so feeble that the man is only half aware of them, in drumming of fingers and kicking of heels, in whistling tunes that he does not like, or in the long, dim labyrinth of reveries that have not even lust or ambition to give them a relish, but which, once chance association has started them, the creature is too weak and fuddled to shake off. You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without guideposts."

That's a mouthful, I know, but here's what he's basically saying. At least what it said to me. Those times I feel really bored and I look up and I've wasted all day and don't remember doing ANYTHING of value...those are the times the devil relishes...I've been totally unproductive toward any end. It is amazing how much time I can waste on days I don't have to work or study...there's usually nothing on TV, and often I'll watch the nothing on TV than a movie or season of a favorite show on DVD that I paid good money for! I'll spend hours on the Internet reading about the latest middle reliever to be signed by what team or reading emails that I won't respond to. Man, I'm lazy. At least it reinforces the thought of this reading thing. If I'm reading, I'm at least possibly learning something. And hopefully something valuable.

Anyway, I'm gonna go watch football now. Go Horns.

The List

2006-01-04T16:41:00.000-08:00

OK, so I figured since I have this resolution to read this year, I figure I should share the list of books on my agenda. I'd love to be able to cross as many of these off my list before camp as possible, but if I take a class or two, we'll have to see. So, here it is, in no particular order...

Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller...yeah, I've already read that one, but since I started the resolution before the New Year and it was the one that started this whole thing, I'm including it. It's my list, I can do that.

The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis...reading it now...a little more wordy and I gotta stay focused a little more, but it's an interesting perspective.

Velvet Elvis - Rob Bell...I have almost violent orders from someone to read this immediately when it comes into my possession...I don't have it yet.

Searching for God Knows What - Donald Miller...Don's second book...Bizzle highly recommends it...looking forward to it.

Through Painted Deserts - Donald Miller...the only other one he's got out right now...sorta got hooked on him.

Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis...probably setting myself up for another wordy one, but I think it's a valuable one to read.

The Ever Loving Truth - Voddie Baucham...Voddie rocks...the man can flat out preach...I would expect his book to do the same thing.

Louder Than Words - Andy Stanley...Bought this one a while back after reading another of Andy's books...should be a good read on integrity and 'walking the walk'.

There are some others that I'd love to be able to read, but let's face it...that's eight right there (okay, seven really because I already read one)...that's a lot for me. If I get through all of those, it'll be a miracle. Oh, I also have Dave Barry's Greatest Hits for bathroom reading...each "chapter" is like three pages long, so it's perfect...I'll refrain from updating you on how I'm progressing through that one.

Reading Rainbow

2006-01-01T12:37:00.000-08:00

Well, it's New Year's Day, and time for everyone to make resolutions that they'll keep for maybe a few weeks. Despite my history of failing to maintain my resolutions, I'm going to give it another shot. This year, I feel I have a good one. I feel like it's honorable and I'm proud of myself for it. Maybe my resolution should be to curb some pride... Anyway, my resolution for this year is to read more for myself rather than only read stuff for class. Many of my friends are very good at this. They read books just to learn about things for themselves. They get challenged to be better Christians and better people. They have great insights into and because of the things they read. They sound smart and worth listening to. I'm jealous of that. Most of my profound thoughts concern playing armchair-GM for the Braves and thinking of how we can get a closer. Either that or "hey, that reminds me of this time on Family Guy..."

So, my intention is to read some good solid books that I think I would enjoy and benefit from. Then, hopefully, I can somehow mature intellectually so that I have something to share in conversations rather than ESPN highlights. A friend recently asked me who my favorite author was. Well, since I don't really read, the first thought that came to my mind was Andy Stanley. Why him? One of the only books I've ever read for myself was by him. And it was good. I enjoyed it. But, that's really not a very good answer, or reasons for the answer. I guess the truth is that I don't really have a favorite because I don't read enough to have one. Well, that's a little different now...I have finished Blue Like Jazz (read it in about 4 days, which is really fast for me), and absolutely loved it. I was challenged. I was intrigued. I actually tried to implement some of the things I learned from it already. That counts, right? Well, in light of that, and the way I love his writing style, I now adopt Donald Miller as my favorite author. I have ordered his two other books that are out right now, and can't wait to read them too. For now, though, I'm gonna start on a classic... I'll let you know how it goes.

Happy New Year!

2005-12-31T23:56:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

A Revelation

2005-12-28T20:32:00.000-08:00

I know, two blogs in one day! Well, I just had a revelation that I feel was worth doubling up today. I started reading Blue Like Jazz today. I've been wanting to pick it up since D-mac gave it to me at CP Christmas, but the only reading I've been able to keep up with since then has had a grade attached to it. But, that's over now, so I'm starting to read it.

So far, the book is great! It's really easy for me to read and get into. The position Donald Miller writes from is what does it for me. He's obviously a committed Christian, but he doesn't put the fine "Christian gloss" on his text. He says what's on his mind, whether the stories, grammar, and terminology are "spiritually pretty" or not. The word 'crap' is in there, which somehow excites me. He talks about having beers with Tony the Beat Poet, which is also intriguing even though I don't drink beer myself. He's real. Plus, there have been moments I have laughed out loud at his comments.

I've realized something. First off, I don't much like to read. I'm slow at it, and I frequently lose my train of thought. So, I don't read much. But, when I do read, and enjoy it, it's usually something like this that says something meaningful but doesn't take itself so seriously. That's me. I know I'm a seminary student and one day (in some cases, that's already today) I'll be looked to to have all these deep and profound answers to life's questions. But, honestly, I'm far less serious than people (including myself at times) think people like me should be. I love God and look forward to a life of ministry. But, honestly folks, I enjoy things that aren't inherently Christian. I like watching movies and TV that rot my brain. I play Xbox. I couldn't care less what's going on on the news unless it pertains to the Braves getting a closer. And as you may have noticed, I have Trick Daddy playing on my MySpace page. Does that mean that I don't love God or am not a devout Christian? No. I guess it just makes me real.

Dukes of Hazzard - Movie Review

2005-12-28T20:31:00.000-08:00

From time to time, I'll feel obligated to share certain opinions with the world. This is one of those times. I recently watched the Dukes of Hazzard movie...the new one with Stifler and Johnny Knoxville. In a word, it was an abomination. If you're a fan of the old TV show, you will be THOROUGHLY DISAPPOINTED with this adaptation. Everyone cusses and sex is a dominant theme. Willie Nelson as Uncle Jesse is beyond bad...a far cry from the original. I'm sure the director was trying to be funny and "liven up" or "modernize" the old classic, but he failed miserably. Keep in mind, this is the same creative genius that brought you such Oscar-caliber films as Super Troopers and Club Dread. The only thing even remotely resembling the original is Daisy's shorts. Jessica Simpson is hot, but she's blonde (Daisy isn't). Still, her character is the closest portrayal to the original in the entire movie. Roscoe in the movie is big, fat, and mean - the original is bumbling, goofy, and lovable. Actually, I take the "Jessica's Daisy is the closest to the original character" comment back...that 'honor' goes to Flash. A basset hound is a basset hound. I'm actually a little surprised they HAD a Flash in the movie. Burt Reynolds is Boss Hogg...sort of...he wore a white suit and was crooked...that's about it. You know what, I'm done talking about this...if you're thinking about seeing it, don't waste your time. Unless you're one of those people who just has to see for yourself how bad something can be (like I am - I should have heeded the warnings myself).

Out of five stars, I quote the General Lee himself - 01.

Facebook!

2005-12-06T21:11:00.000-08:00

Check it...I am now rockin' the Facebook! It took me a while to figure out that I could get an alumni email address at good ol' Georgia Southern. Which, if you didn't know by now, a school email address is the essential ingredient to getting a facebook account. Now, I'm part of the online phenomenon! A little over the top? Ok, maybe.

BTW...I signed up about this time last night. I now have 35 friends. There's a self-esteem boost when you need one. :)

And we're back...

2005-11-03T16:21:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it's been seemingly ages since I posted. I know, I know...back you animals! I don't have a ton of time to post at the moment, but I wanted to share some things I've observed recently.

First, the baseball postseason was interesting, despite the ratings. Here's a tidbit for you...since 1990, this is only the second time that the League Championship Series round went on without the Braves, Red Sox, or Yankees (the other being 2002). It was hard for most of the country to get interested in either LCS or the World Series, mostly due to those absences, but regardless, those of us that did watch it saw some good baseball. The ChiSox simply played the best baseball...they did everything right and everything well. People may have seen it as boring because no games were played in Fenway or the Bronx, but it was still very good baseball.

FOX did OK with the production, but not great. Joe Buck does a great job calling the games, but he's all they've got. Scooter, the animated baseball explaining what a fastball is...unnecessary, juvenile, and pretty much just stupid. If that's supposed to be geared towards kids, they might want to think about starting the games before the little tykes go to bed. Also, with all the shots of the fans, it's a safe statement that baseball caps and general 'fan' appearance make girls look really cute.

I heard something on the Dan Patrick radio show that I think bears repeating. Dan's former co-anchor on SportsCenter Keith Olbermann was talking about how he is a consultant for the Topps trading card company and they pay him for his services in baseball cards. That's not the funny thing though. He talked about the guy who assigns numbers to the cards, like whose card is #1 in the series and whose is #700. Yeah, there's actually a guy that picks that! He's also a huge Yankees fan. So, for the last three years, he has assigned card number 666 to the pitcher who had the most to do with putting the Yankees out of the playoffs the year before. In 2001, card #666 was Byung-Hyun Kim (Diamondbacks). In 2002, Troy Percival (Angels). In 2003, Josh Beckett (Marlins). In 2004, Keith Foulke (Red Sox). So, there is a method to the madness.

Lastly, just to share something hilarious that I saw on the Jay Leno show the other night. He was doing Headlines, which are by far the funniest thing on any talk show. The other night, he showed an ad a guy had placed in the classifieds looking to buy weed! And put his real phone number in the ad! Jay said it best, "how high WAS this guy when he placed the ad?!?"

Ok, one more...this is free...just a quick recommendation...if you need a good laugh on Tuesday nights, NBC 9:00, "My Name is Earl". enjoy.

I'm goin' in...

2005-09-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

OK, this is going to be a quick post because I'm about to get on the road. I'm heading to Birmingham tonight, then at least Jackson, MS, tomorrow. I'll be spending a few days with Joey, and that may include several stops. One may be Franklinton, LA, to help a church clean up and rebuild. It also could include getting down to Metairie to my apartment to get the rest of my stuff. Of course, the one thing that could preclude all those plans...yep...another hurricane. This time it's Rita. Looking like a Cat 4, but right now, it's projecting to hit west of the New Orleans area. However, as we're all aware, those things are unpredictable and could very well follow Katrina's path. We'll watch closely, but hopefully I can close the book on my Cherry St. residence and be the hands and feet of Jesus for a while to some folks affected by the first storm.

New Addiction

2005-09-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

It's good to see that help is finally getting to work in the city of New Orleans. The nastiness that is the water that has flooded the streets of the city for over a week is finally being pumped out. It will still be a long time before things are 'back to normal' in the Crescent City, but at least the first steps are being made.

In the meantime, I've had some time off here in good ol' Douglasville. Usually when I have too much time on my hands, I pick up some new addiction. This time is no different. This time, it's Smallville. If you've never seen it or heard of it, it's basically about Clark Kent and his growing up in Smallville, KS. Now, if you've never heard of Clark Kent, you can't be serious. Ok, fine, I'll humor you. Clark Kent is the secret identity of Superman. It took me a while to get into it, but it's really a neat show. The plotline that Clark and Lex Luthor are best friends is kinda wild, especially considering in the movies, Lex is Superman's arch-nemesis. Makes me think about the new Superman movie being made...they've got Kevin Spacey lined up to play Lex Luthor...while Spacey is an incredible actor, I think it would be awesome to bring back Gene Hackman (the original Lex) for the role. Anyway, that's beside the point. The storylines are getting really interesting, and this season (#5), which starts September 29, looks to be awesome in evolving into the general story we know. Season 1 arrived in the mail today...starting to work my way through it. Season 4 comes out Tuesday.

Well, figured I'd share that little development in my life. Classes don't start back until Oct. 3, which I'll be taking online. Till next time...holler...

You sir, are a hero

2005-09-02T22:22:00.000-07:00

OK, I gotta tell y'all about this guy. There's a guy that was just interviewed on Fox News named Jabbar Gibson. Kid looked maybe 20-years-old. This morning, Jabbar was in New Orleans. Tonight, he's in Houston at the Astrodome with about 80 people that he picked up. What do I mean 'picked up?' Peep this...

Jabbar decided he was tired of sitting around waiting for things to happen. He saw need. People desparate to be evacuated from New Orleans. He found a school bus conveniently in a school bus yard. Found the keys and started one up. We'll say he 'commandeered' it. Did he know how to drive a school bus? Nope. But he did. He pulled out, doing the best he could and started picking people up. Babies, old people, and everyone in between were brought on board to ride with a kid who had never driven such a vehicle. But they wanted out and he was willing to take them. He said it took eight hours to make the trip, including three stops for fuel. The passengers on the bus compiled their money to pay for gas.

Basically, this guy did what he had to in order to save some people. Probably most of which he didn't even know. Tip-o-the-cap, Jabbar.

3rd world in our world

2005-09-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe what I see, hear, and read lately. One week ago, I was enjoying a beautiful day off in the beautiful city of New Orleans. Now, things are much different. I won't recount everything I've seen and heard that you have no doubt seen and heard on the news yourself, but it's unimaginable. It's so bad there. I echo something that Fox News reporter Shepard Smith said. In my wildest dreams, it's hard for me to imagine that city rebuilt. The New Orleans I have come to know will never be again. My school appears to be in relatively good shape, but God only knows when I'll set foot on the campus again. When you hear the phrase "uninhabitable for weeks or months" said about your city, it's really sobering.

Many people have expressed care and concern. I certainly appreciate it. I can assure you that I am fine. I am with my family in Georgia, and I have a roof over my head, clothes on my body, and food on the table. I am in far better shape right now than thousands of my neighbors. I'm not part of the decision making regarding the seminary's plans for the rest of '05, and the actions taking place to restore the city are out of my hands. All I can ask of you all is for your prayers for the city, the school, and especially the people.

That's about all I've got right now, guys. Thanks.

Hurricane Katrina

2005-08-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

Oh, junk!

In case you've missed it, there's a hurricane of historic proportions in the Gulf of Mexico on its way to New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast. This thing is big, nasty, and has teeth. Watching the news, it appears there's either a vast number of people in the Big Easy that don't own TVs or just don't care. People are still drinking and partying on Bourbon Street with Katrina supposed to make landfall in less than 24 hours. What the flippin' junk? Are these people just seriously brain damaged? There are a lot of people that just can't make the evacuation for whatever reason, and God be with them as they try to find shelter in the Superdome and other locations the state is attempting to provide. On the news, they have a good point, thinking that people are so tired of hearing "wolf!" that they assume it's just going to miss them like every other 'serious threat'. Well, from the looks of it, Katrina's got a taste for cajun and wants to join the party in the Quarter. It's gonna be bad...this thing is ridiculous. An ENORMOUS Category 5 hurricane that dwarfs Charley from 2004 and is stronger than Camille and Andrew. One thing cracks me up though...on the national forecast map for tomorrow (the one that shows the green rain areas and sunshines with temperatures), the forecast for New Orleans has the standard rain cloud with "windy" on it. Windy. No flippin' joke. They ought to have a little canoe or something on there. It's going to be just stupid how much water is going to be in that town...between the river and Lake Ponchartrain, not to mention what Katrina decides to drop, I don't know how much good the levees are going to do, and so the city could be underwater for a while. I hope not. I hope the levees hold and minimize the damage, but we'll have to wait and see.

All of the interviews that people have done with people that are still there are pretty much useless. Mom told me about one this morning where this guy (who had obviously spent a little time on Bourbon St. and was feeling the subsequent effects) was asked if he was worried about the hurricane. His response was that New Orleans had been through bigger tragedies and been just fine...citing the Titanic sinking in the 1960's. Ummm....nevermind...

On a more personal level, NOBTS is closed at least through Wednesday, and I would imagine will be beyond that. I'm not expecting to attend class this week, to be honest. I am out of town, for those interested. I'm at home in Douglasville. I left yesterday afternoon and got in last night. So, I'm far away from the impact zone. I have some stuff still down there, but not a whole lot. Mostly clothes. But, in the grand scheme of things, losing clothes isn't as bad as what many people may experience in the next couple of days. I've got my really valuable and sentimental stuff. Some things are still there that I wish I would have grabbed, but can't worry about it.

Anyway, hope everyone of you all are safe and out of the path. Holler...

UPDATE: Fox News stated that Katrina is the 4th most intense storm ever recorded. Glory.

2005-08-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

Shout out to the O-team! What up!

Memories...

2005-08-10T22:05:00.000-07:00

So, I promised a list. Here's a list. There's no way I could include a completely exhaustive list of memories from this summer...there are WAY too many. But, here's a selection of 175. Don't be offended if some of them don't make any sense to you, chances are you weren't there...

Jacquie yelling as we came down the escalator at the airport.
Chik-Fil-A sandwiches at the airport
Meeting the O-team and seeing the other CP and CK teams.
Long waits for Budget physicals
Worship with Slaw-dog
Hungry Hungry Hippo cheaters
Budget load night
"Take that! Rewind it back, O-team's got the trunk that makes the Budget go *CLAP*"
REEEEEEEEEEEEMIIIIIIIIIIX!!!!!!
20 seconds
The chocolate pudding at the Campbellsville Caf
Carabiners
the replacable gimpy Carabiner
practicing Bible Study
Chocolate Pie
The big kid in the back
"I will make you great, and you will love it!"
First roommate: Bull
Bell's Bakery
D-mac's Go-Fight-Win cheer
Hearing my real name for almost the last time all summer
"Those spinny things"
Sport time practices
Filming the Ultimate Frisbee video
Nancy's football sport time
Bull lying down next to the tree during the Handball practice ST
Dancing down the hallway
Early morning Budget ride to Nashville with Opie and Durbin
Repacking Budgets in Nashville
Setting up the trophy case like 4 times the first night
Taking hours to decide where to put the screen
Where to put the Heroes banner
Sarah crawling in and out of the hole
Sarah and Clint as the original Workout Wilma and Sweatin' Steve
Jacquie and D-mac as the new Workout Wilma and Sweatin' Steve
The abomination that was "The World's Fastest Olympics"
Ditching WFO for Movie/Sales night
Beating Fuge at Mega-Relay (twice)
Wal-Mart runs
Shopping for SE's
Movie nights in the audi
pimp black polos
Diverse City
Harold and Clarence
Good ol' Eddie Zell
Pimp my Gear
"Put the lime in the Coke, you nut!"
DJ Orange Blossom and Diva Pink Bow
Sesame Chicken!
"Watch me shove all these goldfish in my mouth."
"That's a great question, Brother Dearest!"
Frick/Flip/Friggin/any other alternative for the bomb
Crushing Union Fuge in softball
Fletch talkin' junk and not showing up (went shopping!)
D-mac's called shot
DG treating us to some Iron Chef
Ultimate Frisbee in the pouring rain on a ginormous field
Golf (sort of)
The Crank
"I said forget the tootsie rolls!"
Joey and Sarah bringing their church to camp
Joey bringing Gatorades and rides in the pickup
Lambuth's sucky caf
painted fingernails
slip-n-slides
Female bonding (piercings and tatts)
Slamma Jamma outside Moe's
Spoons aplenty ("where two or more are gathered, there will be a spoon")
"What tha junk!?!"
Sarah Beth is scared to death...
West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx
Man Thigh 2 and the Pig
Lola and White Stallion
Floaties!
Tennis, WHAT! Tennis, WHAT!
Arizona Diamondbacks, BLING BLING!
Finding out Clint stole his cheer from Fitty
MediaShout driven worship
"Staff, line the aisle!"
Interrogating the boyfriends
Moo Moo, Freakin' Moo
Metro and Fretro
Official Band of CPO 05: Rascal Flatts
The SHOCKER!
"I'm gonna punch you in the throat!"
Shooting off fireworks in a state park
Shooting off fireworks with Green
Cracker Barrel with Green
Shady slips on stage (Clarence and his wife in the bubble bath!)
Nancy's endless supply of hot friends
Enormous steaks
unknown chemicals on the softball field
Parham's head busted open
Fabalicious DVD's (Deadly Venomous Dragons - Trogdor!)
Traffic in Atlanta spawning "The Game"
slugs and exoskeletons in SE boxes
Thongs
Raiding snacks and drinks from kids' rooms at night
Shaving heads w/ George and Hendersonville
T-shirt swapping w/ campers (not me, obviously)
Coach Audrey joining CPO
KG busted in the nose with a crutch
Coach Christie's mansion
Bull losing his shorts while tubing
Jacquie engulfed in Harry Potter
"Harry Potter dies!"
mock 'note' tattoos
Registration - Excel and Solitaire
"Church is here!"
J-Hen's dancing
Clayton's dancing
Booty Hits
"Lemme ride that donkey!"
YIMMY!
"I like cheese"
"I like shiny things...like raccoons"
"Crank my froggy"
Audi Hotties!
"My shoulder hurts" (metaphorical)
"My shoulder hurts" (for me, quite literally, at least for one week)
ripping off Bible Study cheers
The Spot
Basketballs, Eyeballs, and SEC Specials
Basketball Dance Party
GAME DAY
Major Lieutenant Sargeant Henry Beauregard III
"If you drop your keys in the volcano, forget it, because man, they're gone!"
Soldier kicks, ice cream scoops, and one spectacular vault
"Go Dawgs"
Sleeping in the hallway
Bull's China Shop
AD Appreciation Day
Fish faces and chicken wings
Touchdown dances
"Kurt can't keep a secret"
Church pizza parties and insane amounts of leftovers
Michael Jordan
June-bug baseball
"I love lamp"
Christmas shopping
Clint proposing to Lydia at Carrabbas
The Posse
"Hey, pass it down."
"I CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING!!!"
"MIDEON, you have too many men!"
"It's not even a nice trumpet!"
"Hi, I'm Stephen. I spend a lot of time in coffee shops..."
Missions Drama SBTB Remix
Shana's weekly Kitchen Chaos attacks
"I'm a little teapot, short and stout..."
AIGHT!
Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!
Shades
Jacob's stalker
Grandmama
Hurricane Dennis
Pilots and Co-Pilots
Slinging Lydia off the jetski
Jacob's ticket
THE CREAMERY! (Georgia Peach milkshakes)
Rudy
Crosspoint store fashion show
Jenga
the Garth Brooks mic not working most of the summer
KG and Jacob having no sport time or special track Week 9
"Work smarter, not harder"
CD of the week
cheering on Fuge Bible studies in Mega
"Not that kind of camp, coach."
"RIDICULOUS!"
"Wut up?"
Ben and Jackson
cuddling with 'the bear'
water duty
friggin' ghetto flagpoles

And...scene.

2005-08-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

Well, it's over. My first summer of camp is done, and what a ride it was. Flip, I feel like it was just yesterday that I was trying to go to sleep so I could get up and go to the airport to head to Nashville. It went by so fast. I have made some amazing friends this summer and have so many incredible memories. CPO, if you're reading this, I love you guys.

Just a head's up, once I get motivated to do something other than sleep (which is a runaway winner on the priority list now that I'm back from camp), I'm going to compile a list of quotes and/or memories from this summer. Fair warning, they're mainly going to be understood by my Orange crew.

For now, I'm out. Peace.

Three weeks later...

2005-07-03T11:38:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are three weeks after my last post. It seems like an eternity. For all of you loyal readers who keep checking to see if I've updated, thanks for hanging in there. Also, sorry it's been so long. Camp is flippin' busy. This weekend, we have a lot of down time because we have an extra day off due to July 4th on Monday. So, I get a chance to get on here and let all my peeps know what's going on.

Let me start by saying, "a lot". Let me follow that by saying, "there's no way I can put everything on here, I just don't have all that much time." I'll try to hit the high points, though.

Things are going great so far. All of our weeks have been good. Very busy, but good. Our first week at Lambuth, Joey and Sarah surprised me when they came with their church. It was awesome having them there for a whole week. They got to see me at work, and I got to hang out with them a little. The day they left, we got treated to dinner by our coordinator at a Japanese steakhouse...soooooo good. Then, we got free tickets to the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx minor league baseball game! I won a prize in the big beachball game between innings (free ticket to another game, which I gave to a guy and his kids since there was no way I'd be able to redeem it), and we got to run around the bases at the end of the game. We had a blast. Oh, and Backyard BBQ in Jackson, TN, is fantastic...possibly the best sweet tea on earth.

Also that week, we saw about 8-9 kids get saved, one of which I got to lead personally. That was an awesome experience. God was really moving at Lambuth. The next week, another 4-5 accepted Christ. So, we've gotten to see some good harvest at camp the last couple of weeks.

Last week, one of the girls in my Bible study group gave me an excerpt from her journal from the week saying how much the week has impacted her. It was pretty deep for a 6th grader. It was awesome...I copied it and gave it to the rest of the team so they would know that their efforts are not in vain, even among the quiet, shy kids in their groups.

Monday, we'll go over to Maryville and play a softball game against the CP Green team. There's been a lot of hype surrounding this game, so it should be fun. Then, we'll probably try to find some fireworks or something with them as well. They're a good group. We helped them unload their Budgets last night and all went out to eat at Cracker Barrell together. Ok, let me just say that the food at Cracker Barrell was probably 10x better last night than I've ever experienced...because with the exception of Asahi and Backyard BBQ, the food at Lambuth was atrocious. It was an abomination to all things good and holy. I seriously think a lot of us got malnourished while we were there. Not fun. But Cracker Barrell was fantastic. Real food was wonderful.

So, anyway, I've gotta go put my clothes in the dryer. Hope all is well with folks out there in blog land. I'll leave you with a little CP Orange team exclusive cheer that the kids are LOVING...

We don't need no money
Salvation is free
Because the Lord died for you
And He died for me
So when you come to Crosspoint camp,
You know that we're ferocious
Super-cali-fragi-listic-expi-ala-docious
SLAMMA JAMMA! OoOo OoOo! SLAMMA JAMMA! OoOo OoOo!

One Down, Eight to Go

2005-06-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

That's one. Week one of camp is officially over. Campers went home today about 10AM. The week just flew by. It was pure craziness. Let's see what I can remember from the blur that was Week 1.

Well, first, before campers even showed up, it was an adventure. We lost pretty much an entire day because it rained and we couldn't completely unload the Budget. So, the couple of days leading up to registration were hectic.

So, kids showed up on Monday, and most of them were on time. One church had some bus issues and rolled in late. Why is this noteworthy? Because I'm on the "Sport time card" team to organize kids into their sport tracks for the week...this has to be complete by Opening Ceremonies, which is that evening. But, we got it done, and there were no snafu's with that. Opening Ceremonies, however is a different story. We had a thunderstorm roll in about halfway through our opening fellowship, which was outside on the rec field. We had to herd all our yunguns inside when the clouds rolled in. We finished our fellowship and continued with the OC in the auditorium. We got most of the way through our sign language and the power went out. Glory. After that, there wasn't much of a problem except it was pouring down rain and it became time for churches to go to their devotional rooms for the week...that didn't happen so much.

Day 2 we started sports. Baseball is using the baseball field this week, but the ground was too soggy for us to go down there for our sport time, so we ended up in the gym. Rainy day activities aren't much fun. We're going to try to figure out how to spice it up for next week. Of course, our drills weren't all that exciting anyway, especially when you consider all the kids in my track time were stars...they were all ballas. After worship that night, we went to the dorms to hang out with kids before lights out at 10:30. Let me tell you something...when you go over there as a staffer, it's like your friggin' Zeus or something. Kid's go crazy when staffers come hang out with them. They're appreciative too, and express that in sharing their snacks and drinks. And believe me, some of these kids' luggage is half filled with clothes and half with snacks. One kid just walked up and handed me a Coke C2. Score. The rest of the nights, kids just try to give you whatever...it's like they're the coolest if you eat their snacks. It's wild. Last night, I just saw Little Debbie snack cakes flying at us. The only part that stinks about it is you don't always get drinks, so after a bunch of snacks you get really thirsty.

OK, moving on. I'm gonna stop going day by day because I really don't need to, I guess, and I'm tired and want a shower. So, a couple of other highlights...
We had a variety show on Wednesday night, and we all went to Goodwill to get the goofiest outfits we could to wear that night. I think I got the most random outfit EVER! I got pants that had to be 54's or something because they were HUGE on me; a pink and yellow sunflower T-shirt from the Pocahontas movie; a black vest from a suit, a green clip-on tie that looked like one of those couches from the 50's; a horrendous looking belt that looked like it was picked up off an artist's studio floor; a pair of sunglasses that were a couple of notches below Magnum PI; and to top it all off (literally), a teal cap from some creamery that had a cow on it. It was horrible, but that's what we were going for. :)
Another huge highlight came yesterday morning. Yesterday was Game Day, so all the sports had their big games going on. Our setup for Game Day is SO much easier than the rest of the week. So, we finished really early and actually got to go to breakfast. Katie, our softball coach, and my sport time parter, and I sat with some students, and one of them told us she accepted the Lord the night before! So, that was amazing to get to hear that.

Well, I'm worn out. We went to the rec field after kids left and played Mega Relay with the Centrifuge campers that are also here at Carson Newman. Our Crosspoint staff competed against the Fuge staff, and we won! (woot woot!) Then, we just cheered on the Fuge Bible study groups. It was great, but I was sweating buckets out there. So, now that kids are gone, and we don't have have a meeting or anything, and finally have some free time, I'm going for a shower and a nap.

Holler...

O-Team Remix!

2005-05-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

OK, so I'm at training week, and don't have a lot of time to tell you everything that's going on. Things are awesome though! My team rocks. We probably stand out more than any other team here at TW. Half my team at this point refers to me simply as "Diesel", and not "Ben". That's cool...neat team thing. I'm going to be driving the Budget much of the summer, mainly because I'm over 21 and have a clean driving record. We leave here on Thursday, and finally head to our sites. I can't wait to get there...it's going to be so much more real when we're at our first location. Anyway, I just can't say enough about my team right now, but they're awesome. The guys have greatly encouraged me by showing their maturity and integrity. The ladies are all super-sweet. It's going to be a great summer. Oh, and before I forget...there's been this fad that I've been pretty obstinate about being opposed to - the reminder wristbands. Well, guess what...we have Orange wristbands. Since it's for my CP team, I'm all about it and have put my prejudices aside. Well, I have to run, but just wanted to holler at my faithfuls.

One more thing, if anyone has tried to call me and didn't get a response, it's because I have ZERO cell service here in Campbellsville, KY. Should be good when we get to CN.

Holler....

Exit, Stage Left...

2005-05-25T21:56:00.000-07:00

Well folks, this is gonna be short and sweet. I'm outta here in about seven hours. Somewhere in that seven hours, I need to get some sleep. I'd love to give some deep and profound thoughts here before I bolt for Crosspoint, but I just don't have that kind of time. Yes, I was wrong about the American Idol finish. Carrie won, and that's great. They were both great, and they'll both be successful. If Carrie is allowed to get more into the Country genre, she'll be awesome. She fits better in Country. And, it doesn't hurt that she's super hot. There I said it.

As for parting words. Well, I don't have a whole lot to say. I'm hoping to be able to post on the weekends and keep all my faithful readers up to date on what's going on at camp. Just in case this gets read...Leslie, I'll look for Wayne (if I can remember what he looks like since I saw him for basically a total of 12 minutes when he was in NO)...Joe, keep busy man, and my page should continue to be available :)...anyone from the Boro, I miss you guys, tag some Zaxby's for me...Emily, it's gonna be interesting without AIM, for sure, and take a break every now and then...anyone else that follows my blog, umm, thanks and stay tuned! You ever have one of those conversations where it's like you're watching a show on TV and then the dog sits on the remote and changes the channel? Yeah, I think I'll miss those on occasion...randomness is so cool.

OK kids, this is it. I'm off to camp. BRING IT THE FREAK ON!

WHEEEEEEEEE!!!

2005-05-21T21:53:00.000-07:00

What am I doing? Why the freak am I posting at this hour? I'm out of my mind, that's why. But, it's been a fun couple of days, so I guess I'll share. Some of my buds from the Boro came up to visit. We went to see Star Wars yesterday (yes, that makes two times for me in three days...I'm a dork...get off me). The bad B-movie black-n-white-esque Frankenstein-like moment Darth Vader had ain't no better the second time you see it.

Before going to the theater last night, Jason showed me this site: www.savetoby.com. My first thought was "no way." The guy is basically holding a bunny rabbit hostage for fifty G's. He's already raised over $28,000 with his threat to fricasse Toby, but personally, I don't think he's gonna do it. He took a shot, made some money for essentially doing nothing at all, what does eating the bunny get him at this point? In my opinion, no chance he goes through with it.

Another site I came across yesterday was another blog page by someone I wouldn't expect to have one. Master Yoda. Yep, it's true. Go here if you don't believe me. Take some time to read some of this...it's hilarious. Yes, I know it takes valuable time away from other important things like, say...reading my blog (like you're doing right now...BUSTED!). :) But, it's worth your time. You learn such valuable information such as what a big slob Obi-Wan apparently is, how Yoda is such a big fan of Dolly Parton, and that Anakin is apparently some Eminem-wannabe poser. The "BFF" pic of Yoda and Chewbacca (who also has a blog, but you apparently have to speak Wookiee to read it - there's a link on Yoda's page) cracks me up. I laughed out loud at this stuff...

Today, we (Jason, Casey, Kelvin, and me) went to Six Flags Over Georgia. We went ahead and got season passes. I can use mine in New Orleans after camp is over. I finally rode a couple of rides I hadn't before. I finally got to ride Superman and Deja Vu. Superman was cool, but Batman is still the better coaster. We were in line for three different rides (Superman, Free Fall, and Batman) when the rides became temporarily out of order. We had waited an hour and gotten to the loading platform when Batman "was stopped in his tracks by the Riddler" (so saith the "we got a problem" recording they play over the loudspeaker at the ride). We waited 15 minutes and rode it anyway...still the best in the park. Jason and I had been wanting to ride Deja Vu. Every time we had been to the park in the last few years (for me, that's been zero, however), it had been closed. So, since it was open, we were determined to get on it. We waited 2 hours and 45 minutes to get on the stinkin' thing. Not even Batman is worth that. But, we had to do it since there was no guarantee we'd ever get the chance again. It was good though...the initial drop, which you do face-down, is killer. You go through a couple of corkscrew turns at the top of another rise, a loop, and then up a tower...then you do it all again...backwards. (hence the name) Pretty sweet ride. Not sweet enough for the wait though (which really can't be helped since it's technically impossible to run more than one train on that track since it doesn't connect with itself to form a circuit track - thus, when one train is coming back for it's second pass, it would inevitably hit the other one making it's first). When it was over, Jason got stuck in his seat. His chest harness wouldn't release. While the "highly skilled technicians" that run the ride were working on getting him out, I turned to the people waiting to get on and said, "the good news is it's stuck holding him IN." To close this part of my entry, I offer you this advice, which given the hours I spent in queue lines with hundreds of people is well founded. When you get dressed to go to an amusement park, give careful consideration to your attire. Remember, you are IN PUBLIC, and many times very close to infringing on the personal space bubbles of others! Some people obviously consider this decision unworthy of any serious thought. I'll leave it at that.

I have four full days left here before I leave for camp. Oh crap! I'm so excited about getting started, I can't tell you. It's still hard for me to get my brain around the fact that I'll be there in just a few days. I can't get it yet that I'm actually going to be working camp this summer. It's gonna be nuts. I'm getting closer to being ready, but I'll be hitting it hard this week. I'm not really worried about having my stuff down - meaning knowing my sport time and sign language and Bible study materials. I'm pretty confident I'll be ready to rock and roll with that stuff come Thursday. It's the other stuff about camp I'm not as confident about. Like relating with the kids and communicating with them. How my body will hold up for the summer. The physical/emotional/social challenges of camp. But, I suppose it's good to feel that way. That means that I have to rely on God to take care of it. Being uncomfortable humbles you and makes you depend more on God for strength and guidance. This summer is not going to be a success for anything I do...only what God is able to do through me and my teammates. When I/we try to do it ourselves, we'll spin our wheels. Which means our efforts will be in vain. I've just gotta let go, let God drive, and do my thing. With that in mind, I'll say goodnight...I have a full four days ahead, only to be followed by an incredible summer.

Holler...

Twelve Seconds Too Much

2005-05-19T23:30:00.000-07:00

CAUTION: IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE NEW STAR WARS MOVIE AND DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ANY SPOILERS, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER!

Ok, I'm just gonna continue my warning here, just in case someone who doesn't want to hear any spoiler info has continued to read. I'm serious...some of this could spoil your fun. You accept full responsibility for your actions if you continue to read past this paragraph. I can say right here though, that the mass of costumed fans I was expecting was a total bust. The only ones I saw worth mentioning were two people dressed up like Boba Fett and Darth Vader. I was in line for a drink at the time, and didn't have my camera out. By the time I had gotten my drink, Boba and Vader had disappeared. Other than a few guys basically in black bedsheets and a terrible looking Chewbacca outfit, that was it. So, there wasn't really anything worth taking a picture of. Sorry for the disappointment.

Ok, if you're still reading, you agree to the terms of service and won't cry and moan that I spoiled it for you. Personally, I thought the movie was really good. Blew Episodes I and II out of the water. If I were grading it, I'd probably give it a 93. It's an A, but not perfect.

First, the good. All the appropriate connections were made and the story completed. It actually made sense, too. I was kinda worried that they would be totally reaching, but the reasoning behind Anakin's turn was pretty reasonable and human. It was because of the girl. Come on, what guy hasn't done (and won't do again) something stupid for a chick? That's what I thought. Something else that was cool was the high amount of action. Lots of lightsaber duels, space battles, and moments where you just think, "cool!" There's a really cool baddie named General Grievous, who's apparently some sort of battle droid commander and some biological being underneath. Not really sure why he constantly had allergies or something, but he was wheezing more than a chain smoker running a marathon. His fight with Obi-Wan was cool...he's got four lightsabers going (since he splits his arms into four) in that one. Yoda fights the Emperor, Obi-Wan squares off with Anakin, Chewbacca makes an appearance, and Natalie Portman was looking pretty cute. Plus, to his credit, Hayden Christensen's acting is infinitely better here than it was in Episode II - not that that's hard to do.

Now, the bad. There were some moments in the dialogue that seemed just really cheesy...these mainly came in scenes with Anakin and Padme. I mean, I know it's a galaxy far far away, but there were some things they said that made you think, "who talks like that?" Granted, these moments are few, but still... Another significant flaw was that by the time the end credits rolled, Jar Jar was still alive! He was in the movie all of about twelve seconds, but even that was overkill considering the lack of his demise. Call it creative difference, but if I were directing this thing, I would have had to pause the scrolling text at the very beginning, cut to a scene where Jar Jar gets shredded by a lightsaber, then resume the scrolling text. There's no doubt that almost everybody in the place was looking forward to seeing that guy bite it. Come on, Lucas! Give the people what they want!

Then there's the ugly. There's the scene near the end where Anakin gets THE suit and the table he was strapped to raises up vertically...cool moment. Then, it gets ruined...even though he's got the James Earl Jones voice now, he's asking about Padme. The Emperor lies to him and tells him that Anakin had killed her in his rage earlier. Then, there's this extremely bad black-and-white-horror-movie moment where Vader looks like a low-budget Frankenstein ripping himself off the table and screaming, "Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!" Hor-ri-ble.

Over all, solid flick. Even if that floppy-eared waste of space did walk away from it.

Commencement...

2005-05-17T23:27:00.000-07:00

In Spider-Man, Willem Dafoe's character (Norman Osborn/Green Goblin) said at his son's (and Peter's) high school graduation, "Commencement. The end of one thing, the start of something new." Well, we're in the midst of such a time. I am done with class for the summer and have a little bit of "down time", such as it is. I have preparations to make for camp this summer, which begins in a little over a week. So, I'm in the middle of that. I had a birthday on Sunday, so I began my 28th year on this earth. Also, all of my favorite shows end before I go to camp (or have already ended). The Amazing Race is done. Everybody Loves Raymond is done, for good, except in syndication. Survivor just ended Sunday night (I have a thought on this...). Thursday, we have the explosive two-hour season finale of CSI, which is directed by Quentin Tarantino and has CSI Nick Stokes buried alive - seriously, I am to be left alone from 8-10 PM EST on Thursday. Next Monday, there's the two-hour finale of 24 - again...no touchy... Then, American Idol, which really doesn't qualify as a favorite, just something I've gotten interested in, finishes up next Wednesday. Here are some thoughts...

First, on Survivor, Ian, after almost twelve hours of standing on a little metal disc on a buoy, bows out with the request that Tom take Katie, not Ian, to the final two. His reasoning was that he had lied and betrayed both of them, who happen to be his closest friends on the show, and he wanted to show them that friendship meant more to him than the money. It worked, and I for one was really impressed. It probably helped his feelings that he had just won a brand new Corvette in a challenge a few days earlier, but it was still very classy.

As for the CSI and 24 finales go, I'm just drooling in anticipation...if I'm gonna be without TV for a summer, I am SO glad, I get to see both of these before I go. I won't comment now on them, I'll wait till I see them. :) American Idol should be pretty easy to predict. I've been saying for weeks now that Bo is going to win. After tonight, there should be zero doubt. Carrie is awesome and likely headed to a recording contract too, but she'll probably finish second. Vonzell is really good too, and will probably get a deal herself. But Bo is in a whole different league. He sang one song acapella tonight and basically told everybody he's got this thing won. The guy's good. I also realized tonight that my great-grandmother's middle name is Bice and is from the same part of Alabama. I'm not saying Bo and I are tight, but it is actually possible we come together somewhere up the family tree. (And no, I'm not going to be one of 'those' relatives that comes looking for a handout when he gets famous...it was just kinda cool that there's possibly that connection)

So, I got an iPod Mini for my birthday, and it's incredible how much stuff I have put on the thing. I've spent most of the last couple of days ripping CD's and loading "Lil' Brudder" (that's my iPod's name) up with tunes. I've almost got all the music I would possibly want to listen to at some point this summer on there, and I just passed the halfway point on my capacity. Wow...

It's just starting to sink in that I'm going to camp next week. You think I'm excited? Gee, let me think, umm, yes I am! This summer is going to be 'crazy go nuts'. I'm going to be tired, exhausted, spent, worn out, and likely very sore at the end of the summer, but it's going to be so worth it. If one kid, just one kid, gets something I say and hears God speaking to him through it, my summer is well spent. I expect to see a lot of kids come to know our Lord, and I'm sorta just hoping I don't become some bubbling, teary, incoherent pile of goo. Sorry, but just from when I've been at camps in the past and seeing kids get saved, even if they're kids I've never met or seen before, I get choked up. Nothing is cooler than seeing God work in kids' lives, and I have a ring-side seat all flippin' summer! Bring it on...

Take care guys and gals...holler...

The Fat Lady Has Left the Building!

2005-05-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

It's official...my semester is finallly over! Woohoo! Here we are, nearly four months after I first set foot as a student on the NOBTS campus, and it's been a wonderful and eventful term. I've made many new friends, gotten plugged into areas of ministry that I can serve, develop, and grow, and I've put my brain to more use than it's seen in three years! Now, it's time to focus on something I've been itching to do for years...it's time to prep for camp! I'll be 27 on Sunday, and with the exception of my camp director (who has been doing this for about 7-8 years already), I'm easily the oldest member of my team. It feels weird because everyone else is 19-20. But, I have to look at it this way...I'm coaching baseball, and in professional baseball, the guys that are 27 are in their prime, so bring it on! The bad news about camp is I can't have my laptop with me, so I won't be able to update my blog very often or email people as often as I'd like. But, I will be focused on camp most of the time anyway, so it's not that big a deal there.

I leave for training week two weeks from today, which is great timing. I get some time at home, some time to be with my friends from GA, and all my favorite shows have their finales before I leave and don't get to watch TV for three months. The Amazing Race ended Tuesday, and it was one of the best seasons yet...the finale went down to the wire, and it's cool how it ended. The Survivor finale is Sunday. Everybody Loves Raymond has its series finale on Monday (sad). 24 has two episodes left. CSI's finale is a week from tonight, and it's gonna be a doozy! Quentin Tarentino is directing it, and one of the CSI's is going to be buried alive! Whoa, Nelly!

Also one week from tonight, Star Wars III opens (technically at 12:00 AM). Kelvin already has our tickets, and sure enough, we're going to the midnight show. We will probably be easy to spot, since we will probably be the only people NOT dressed up like a character from Star Wars. I'm taking my camera, and you will probably see some of these people right here...it's just comedy gold! It's pretty cool though, getting to see one of the most anticipated movies of all time at the very first public showing. I still just really hope they don't botch this thing...

So, tonight I went to see Fever Pitch with Leslie. I really enjoyed this movie. How could I not when it's about the Red Sox and the main character's name is Ben? Lots of Sox highlights, and a fun look at what it would be like for someone to actually have those season tickets...that's just a dream come true...maybe someday...

Well, I'm gettin' tired, so I'll probably go to bed soon. We'll holler...

Steak, Cake, and Crossdressing Monkeys

2005-05-07T23:07:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been an eventful couple of days. Yesterday, we had our birthday bash at Sunshine Park here on campus. It was BYOB - bring your own beef - as we had the grill fired up and invited everyone to bring whatever meat they wanted and it'd get cooked. Huge props to Matt for cooking for us - thanks bro! Emily and I got steaks at the store because it was our party and we wanted steak. It was good too. :) Darla "built us a cake" (a la Pedro in Napoleon Dynamite), which was also very good. We had a great turnout, which was awesome, because we were a little worried we'd only get a few folks. But in all, it was a blast! Frisbee, basketball, football, and whiffle ball were all played at some point, and it was tuns-a-fun. Hey, it's my birthday (well, it will be next Sunday), I can make up words if I wanna! And, in case you haven't noticed already, there's a pic of us with our steak and birthday cake below...

Today was fun, too. Emily and I had been talking about hitting up the zoo, and we made plans to get over there today. We had such a good time. Saw some pretty interesting and unusual things, as well as some things that probably needed censoring. We had a great view of some giraffes. There were two just trying to beat each other senseless by swinging their necks and slamming them into the other giraffe. They started walking away so we followed around to the next viewing area and had a good view of four of them now. Well, let's just say that one of the male giraffes was feelin' a little frisky and tried to holler at a much taller lady giraffe. Didn't quite work out. Immediately, the place cleared out as parents started taking their children to another exhibit.

The monkeys stole the show today, though. We made two stops at the primate area, and it was well worth it. The orangutans and gorillas seemed to have some popularity war going, as they are on opposite sides of a path/seating area. One species would start 'performing' and then the other one would try to steal the attention from the gathering crowd. You almost felt like they were going to try to one-up each other and you'd turn around at some point and an orangutan would be spinning plates while riding a unicycle or something. Well, it didn't quite get that far, but the orangutans won the bout by decision. They had some lace stuff in their pen and all three of them took turns playing with it and trying to look pretty for the spectators. Imagine walking up and seeing an orangutan sitting on a limb apparently wearing a wedding dress (see pic). It was hilarious. But, the gorillas were entertaining too, especially the one we dubbed the "diva" who kept hopping up on the main rock and striking a variety of poses for her adoring fans. The silverback in the exhibit was more no-nonsense. He just walked around apparently saying, "here I am. What's up." He didn't need to impress nobody. He just commanded respect by his sheer presence. Just a beast of solid muscle.

Another entertaining spot was the zebra viewing area. Not so much because of the zebras though...they stayed kinda far off and out of good viewing sight. But, it offered patrons a chance to feed the ducks. Well, turtles are all over this place, and there's no shortage of them here in this spot. One in particular caught my eye. His picture is below. He must have been sitting there for quite a while because he seemed to have an inordinate amount of bird poop on his shell. Honestly, haven't we all had days where we've felt like that? Just totally dumped on? Well, this wasn't one of those days for me...today was awesome for me. Sucks for the turtle though...

I'm out, kids...holler....

2005-05-07T23:03:00.000-07:00

At some point, I think we've all felt like this turtle...

2005-05-07T22:44:00.001-07:00

The Beautiful Bride...

2005-05-07T22:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me and Emily!

SUCAUF, Zephyrs, and other fun words

2005-05-03T22:14:00.000-07:00

What a day! Had my last 8:30 class of the semester this morning (woohoo!), which makes me happy. For lunch, I had VIP passes with Jonathan to go to UNO's annual study break bash known as SUCAUF, which stands for Students Unwinding with Crawfish (and beer, although the B was crossed out - they are, as they put it, "technically a dry campus") And Unlimited Fun. I think. Actually, I can't remember exactly what the last 'U' stands for. Anyway, that translates to "Ben got to eat free crawfish and feel all special because he had a cool orange VIP wristband." They had a bunch of games there, and I kicked a field goal through this big inflated goalpost. I also got some free passes to a screening of the new movie Kingdom of Heaven for tomorrow night. Only downside was the VIP privileges didn't include a free coke, so Jonathan and I ate our free crawfish with no drink.

Tonight, I got to do one of my absolute favorite things in the world with some of my buds - Jonathan and my new roomies Dave and Smitty. We went to see the New Orleans Zephyrs minor league baseball game. Or so we thought. We got there a half hour after the game started and found that the Zephyrs weren't playing tonight...lucky for us, we walked up to the UNO/Tulane game. So, we got in and sat about ten rows behind home plate. Sweet. Turned out to be a great game. Tulane is #1 in the country right now and got challenged by the Privateers (see my previous post for comments on this mascot) but held off UNO for a 7-6 win. We had a blast. We laughed probably the entire time and all visited the concession stand where each of us enjoyed an order of "Pig Nachos". Dear Lord, bless the man that came up with this idea! Nachos, cheese, pork or beef barbecue and barbecue sauce. Heaven in a little plastic tray. It's $5.50 for this wonderful treat and worth every glorious cent. So, great night, great game, great company, and great eats. And, I found out that Smitty has an extreme fear of clowns...so much so that the mere mention of the word almost send him directly into the fetal position.

Lastly, I'll mention a little something fun that I had first enjoyed back at my old job. I was reminded of this today by one of my camp teammates' AIM away messages, so I looked it up. It's the news clip talking about whistle tips for car exhaust pipes with an interview with the eloquent Bubb Rubb and Lil Sis. Of course, people have used the soundbytes to create flash things and song parodies, but the original, uncut, straight story is the funniest. Here's the clip. Enjoy with my blessings...Wooo Wooooooooooooooooooooo!

All Downhill From Here

2005-05-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I turned in my book review this afternoon, which means all I have left this semester are my finals. That rocks so hard, Metallica is jealous. I've got two take-home exams (due Monday and Tuesday of next week), which essentially mean I just have to do them and turn them in without having to sit there for a couple of hours of intense stress. There's something about take-home tests that, although they're longer in nature, are far less stressful.

After tests, it's time to head to Georgia for a while. Gotta catch the final chapter in the Star Wars saga, which had BETTER be good! Instead of "Revenge of the Sith", it ought to be subtitled "Lucas, you better not screw this up!" We get to see Anakin's transformation to the baddest hombre in the univese, Darth Vader. I think I speak for everybody when I say I hope we also get to see ol' Darth dice that imbecile Jar Jar into sushi. Cross your fingers, folks, just a little more than two weeks to go. For all of you that are thinking that I'm a dork right now, I am...now get off me!

Exactly one week after Star Wars comes out, I leave for camp. I can't tell you how awesome that's gonna be. Camp is going to rock my face off. I can't wait.

Yesterday, I was taking a guy home from church. He lives on campus at UNO where the athletes stay. The UNO mascot is the "Privateers". We asked Fred what that was exactly. His best guess was that a Privateer is a "secret pirate". Well, they've got a pirate in their logo, so he's probably not too far off...but a "secret" pirate? Are these the Clark Kents and Peter Parkers of pirates? Like "shhhhhh! Don't tell anybody, but 'ARRRRGGHHH!'" "We go a-plunderin', but keep it to yourself!" "It looks like a real leg, but it's really a wooden peg with a shoe on it! I just don't want folks to know!"

Ok, that's enough...

Alright, already!

2005-04-29T23:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've been hearing a lot lately that I need to update my blog. You people and your demands! Update your blog. Send Trogdor over to my house. Put on a purple thing and dance around. Well, alright...here you go. Updated blog. Ya happy?

I guess I should update this thing, after all, it's been about a week. I've been working on yet another paper that was due yesterday, so I've kinda been preoccupied. This one was for my ethics class. To make it less painful to write, I incorporated an episode of CSI as a case study. It made it appropriate to talk about the issues of abortion and euthanasia. Gotta say, during my research, I came across a discussion board online where some people were actually trying to DEFEND abortion, citing scripture, saying that the Bible is not, in fact, opposed to the practice. People like this seriously make me want to puke. Subsequent posters didn't help matters, though...the posts that followed got into basically name-calling, and nobody looked good in that exchange. Anyway, just thinking about that gets me steamed, so I'll move on.

Thursday night, I had set my tape to record Survivor and CSI, which come on at 7 and 8 here. Well, at 8, I was supposed to visit a professor's house to discuss the possibility of me leading the FCA group at UNO next year. By the way, that will probably happen, and that's really exciting! Anyway, so I cook me some dinner about 7 and click on the TV as I normally do while I'm cooking to watch Survivor...and, there's good ol' Dubya talking about Social Security. I consulted the digital cable guide and it showed no change in the expected viewing times of my shows, so I let it be....well, Dubya just kept on talking for the whole hour, the end of which, I had to leave to get to my meeting. Well, I get back about 10:00 after spending about an hour at the Grubbs' house and another hour outside talking to my boy Joey. I get back in just in time to see the end credits for CSI...and my tape had stopped an hour ago...so, I got Survivor but no CSI...kinda bitter. I haven't even watched all of Survivor yet...I guess I'm just a little soured on it right now because I missed CSI after it. Bah.

So, ok, I need something positive in here...first of all, I have only a book review and finals left in the semester, then it's time in Georgia (not to mention at least one viewing of Star Wars Episode III - yes, I'm a dork, get off me), and then I'm off to Training Week baby! 27 days and counting! In the more immediate future, my Saturday looks to be pretty fun. Probably playing a little softball with the FBC team in the morning (I say 'probably' because if I have to pay $30 to play just a couple of games, I'll opt out - I'm leaving in a couple of weeks, you know), and then I'm gonna go to the zoo with Emily. We've been talking about seeing some monkeys for a few days now, and I think it's time to finally go visit the little guys. Monkeys are so freakin' awesome. Seriously.

Well, I'm sure I'll think of something else later...if I'm not too slack to update this again. :)

Holler...

Where am I?

2005-04-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

What a week! Pulled two all-nighters getting work on my paper done. Finally got to turn that bad boy in yesterday, so that's a LOAD off my mind. Now, just got a couple more assignments for the semester, finals, and then it's "hasta la vista, baby!" I'm off to D'ville for a little while, and then, it's time to get my camp on!

Ok, so anyway, there are a couple fun things to note about this week, other than my experiment in sleep deprivation. First, as you can see by the pic below, we had a nice little New Orleans moment at our apartment building. Our building is built to look somewhat like the buildings in the Quarter, and the other night, some of the girls upstairs were just chillin' outside their apartment. Turns out they set the oven to clean itself and it stunk up the joint and ran them all outside for a while. Well, Matt from the apartment nextdoor to them joined them, as did Megan and Emily from next to me. Looking upstairs, it just reminded me of how people hang out upstairs at places in the Quarter during Mardi Gras...or so I've heard, so I took a picture of it. It was kinda fun...not something that we do a whole lot here, but it was neat to have everyone together for a few minutes. Won't have too many chances left to do that.

The other story is really random. I had taken a nap yesterday afternoon and a little while after I got up, I was going into the kitchen to get something to drink. However, I was met pretty much at my door by Charles. Which was wierd as he never ventures to this side of the apartment. He starts by saying, "You ever watch Night Court?" I used to love me some Night Court back in the day, so I obviously answered in the affirmative. Next, he says, "I ticked off Harry Anderson last night!" WHAT? How random is that?!?! Apparently Judge Harry has a magic shop in the Quarter and Charles decided to call the shop around midnight or so to get the shop hours or something off the recording. Well, there was no recording. There was a real person. Harry Anderson, to be exact. He apparently lives at the shop (or above it or something). So what do you do when random British-sounding people call you in the middle of the night? Yeah, me too. So, Charles managed to hack off a celebrity...granted he's sorta B-list and past his prime, but a celebrity nonetheless. Where am I going to get these stories next year!

That's all for now, kids...be good...

2005-04-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

Feels like New Orleans...

Freakin' Genius Award

2005-04-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

I bring you my unprecedented third post (if you count the pics as one) of the day to present the first Freakin' Genius Award.

The first recipient of this prestigious honor is Munchies. The fine folks at Frito Lay have managed to come up with something truly glorious. They have combined some of our favorite treats in one bag. And these aren't rag-tag ingredients we're talkin' here...no sir. Check this lineup: Nacho Cheesier Doritos. Rold Gold Tiny Twists (not the stick pretzels you get in every other snack mix, these are the aces on the Rold Gold staff). Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips. Crunchy Cheetos. Not a slouch in the bunch. Then you bring them all together, and talk about synergy! I challenge you not to be blown away by the awesomeness that is Munchies! Just open up the bag and let the goodness flood over you. The nutrition facts on the bag may say there's 8 servings in there, but I say nay nay! It's a one-serving bag, Jack! Maybe two if you really stretch it, but beyond that is just crazy talk. So, here's to you, Munchies! *applause*

2005-04-19T19:36:00.000-07:00

The soup...

2005-04-19T19:35:00.001-07:00

The closeup...

2005-04-19T19:35:00.000-07:00

The bowl...

2005-04-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

The note...

Microwave Safe Bowls + sleep = total opposite of my night

2005-04-19T03:30:00.000-07:00

Well, this is nice. It's about 5:30 in the AM here in the Bayou, and I have yet to fall asleep. I gave up. Went to bed about 12:30 or so, and laid there for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours...nothin'. Eyes just kept snappin' open. I guess it was a combination of things...first, I was for some reason, starving. Not sure why, but I was just really hungry. Also, I guess the test I have this afternoon and the paper I have due Friday were weighing on my mind. Plus, I figure I should be conscious just in case my phone rings...I figure any minute now, they'll call me and ask me to be Pope. Then, there's the sound of two of my roommates talking in the living room...not sure why they were talking loudly, and maybe they weren't really, but I could hear them. I also heard someone crank up the microwave, which when you figure it out is in reality, about 2-3 feet from my head when I'm trying to sleep. It's just through a wall. And, this time, I noticed that it ran for an unusually long time, which had me wondering what was being cooked. A few minutes later, the A/C comes on...not unusual, but this time, I caught a distinct smell that I could only place as cotton candy. Weird. Well, the smell of (what I'm imagining as) cotton candy just adds to that hunger I was experiencing, and I'm just thinking about some pepperoni pizza Hot Pockets I've got in the freezer and how that would be just perfect right about now. One thing about our apartment, the A/C unit is right next to the kitchen, so whatever is being cooked, that smell gets pulled into the system and dispursed throughout the house. I look at the clock, and it's after 3:30 now...alarm's supposed to go off in about 3 hours...I figure if I go to sleep now, there's no way I'll hear the alarm and sleep through my Ethics class yet again. I give in and get up.

Good news is, I'm off to the kitchen to fulfill that need. I get in there and there's a little note on the microwave.."please do not touch". Beautiful. There's no telling what happened to that thing. Or what happened to whatever's in that thing. I hear Charles shuffling around in his room and figure it's a safe bet he knows what happened and probably wrote the note. Sure enough, I win the car wax and free llama rides for life. Charles was, as he described it, trying to make some more peanut brittle and was heating up some cane syrup...to apparently a temperature not experienced outside active volcanoes and nuclear reactors. His microwave apparently cooks a little hotter than normal microwaves, and according to Charles, has gotten worse each time (I've kinda made do with it, personally, but if he says so...). Well, combine that with the use of a bowl that, as we now know, is not microwave safe, and you have (again, as he puts it) a close alternative to volcanic glass. The bottom of the bowl, which we have to refer to now in the past tense since it ceases to be, has combined with the melted cane syrup (now brown in color and explaining why I sniffed cotton candy) to pool in the recesses of the bottom of the microwave. Charles explained that what he has apparently accomplished is something similar to the volcanic rock obsidian, and openly considered packaging the microwave up (as-is) and shipping it to the Smithsonian to see if they would have any use for it. His other idea was to put it in Jackson Square here as an art piece with a fancy title card with it. My suggestion for a title: "oops". So, long story short, I had some turkey sandwiches instead of Hot Pockets.

Class is still over 2 1/2 hours away, the Sun's not up yet, and I've told my little story. Guess I'll study a little more for that Old Testament test I have later on. Oh, and if you're wondering...still no phone call from Rome.

Crunch Time

2005-04-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

Just a few weeks left in the semester, and there's plenty to do. Lemme break it down like a fraction for ya...

This Tuesday - Old Testament Test
This Friday - 18-20 page Exegetical paper on Philippians 2:1-11 due for Hermeneutics AND a 4-page interview with a BCM director due for Servant Leadership

Next Thursday (4/28) - 10-15 page research paper due for Ethics

Following Monday (5/2) - Same interview due for BCM class AND a book review due for the same class

Not to mention the little one-hour Co-op thing I have to do online (it's tied to our orientation from the beginning of the semester).

Then, it's just finals, and I'm home free...

Just to make it worse, we've had the BEST weather for like five straight days...ugh...temptation...

Anyways, that's all I got right now...holler....

Breaking News!!!

2005-04-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

* Catchy News Special Report Music plays *

We interrupt this regularly scheduled...well, there's nothing regularly scheduled here, so we're not interrupting anything...but, we have something to say, dangit! Breaking news coming in from downtown New Orleans tonight where we have a reported hit-and-run traffic accident!

While waiting to take the ramp to get on Highway 90, a white car was rear-ended by a speeding gray car. Details are somewhat sketchy because our on-site reporter was caught up in the thought of "woah! That guy just hit that guy and drove off!" Reports say that the "gray car" was moving very fast toward a line of stopped cars waiting at a stop light and attempted to cut into the line. However, due to the car's excessive speed, it did not stop in time and slammed into the back of the "white car". Then, the "gray car" pulled right back out of line and drove off up the emergency lane. The "white car" immediately followed in pursuit. Here is one eyewitness account:

Ben Fuqua, an apparent unobservant hick from Georgia (studio hands chuckle) had this to say: "Me and Emily were at this light and we saws this car come outta nowheres like a rocket or sumthin'. It plowed inta that white car while the white car was just-a-sittin thar. Then, that turkey turned tail and took off without even sayin' he was sorry! The white car didn't take too kindly to that other feller and took on off after 'im. Then we had the green lite we was waitin fer and got on the freeway an had ta roll the winder down a little cuz Em's sammich got ta stankin."

We will keep you updated as we get more information. All we know at this point is that it is uncertain whether or not the "sammich" will be allowed to be kept much longer.

* Catchy News Special Report Music plays again with the voice "We now return you to your regularly scheduled....well, nothing." *

Whew! I say again, whew!

2005-04-12T15:25:00.000-07:00

OK, so it's been forever since I updated. Not really, but it feels like it. And, there's a lot to cover, so let's get started. Just a warning, this could get long...get comfy...

I went home to Douglasville last Thursday and came back yesterday in time for my 3:00 class. If you don't know, it's a 7 hour drive each way. My mom's birthday was Friday, and my gift to her cost somewhere north of $100...it was me being there...gas prices suck. I'm so glad I'll be at camp all summer and don't have to pay through the nose for gas for my Explorer. Yay for Crosspoint! As many people are aware, my tax situation was high on my prayer list (and many thanks for those of you that prayed for this situation!). Well, I took my stuff up to H&R Block on Friday...the last Friday before tax day...you can imagine the number of people there...well, stop imagining, because you're wrong...there was one person there! I walked right in and sat down with someone. Long story short, I ended up having to pay less than half what I thought! It was still a lot, but I was prepared to pay (they didn't take taxes out of my stock sales last year, so I tucked it away). So, God totally answered that...

The rest of my time home was great, too. We grilled out two nights in a row. My brother had given my folks some Omaha Steaks for Christmas, and they'd had them in the freezer since then, so we fired those bad boys up...incredible...absolutely delicious meat. So good. Then the next night, my dad fixed some lemon pepper chicken that we grilled...again, fantastic...baked potatoes, corn on the cob...just wonderful. And, it was nice to see my family again...haven't seen them since I came down here back in January. Another cool thing that happened at home, the good ol' mailman had delivered a package for me from LifeWay...it was my camp manuals for Crosspoint! Oh yeah, gettin' ready now...

Let's talk sports...I saw some great action in the world of sports this weekend, too. There was this little golf tournament down the road in Augusta this weekend. The Masters is always a treat...Augusta National is always gorgeous and you see some of the best golf of the year. Let me just say that Tiger is indeed back. Here's a trivia question...how do you have an eagle putt on a hole that you technically don't get credit for being on the green in regulation? (for those of you that don't know what that means, being on the green in regulation means your ball is on the putting surface in two shots under par - par assumes a two-putt, and an eagle means you put the ball in the hole two shots under par) It was crazy, but it happened...to Tiger...in his first round, he had some really bad breaks (including hitting the freakin' pin on his approach shot only to have the ball bounce into the bunker). Tiger is on a par-5 and has the ball on the green in two (one less than regulation). The green is so fast that his putt misses the hole, curves along the break, and rolls all the way off the green and INTO THE WATER! So, technically, he missed the green in regulation because his third shot (a putt on the green) went in the drink. It was just that kind of day for him. But, it balanced out (and then some), as he took home his fourth Green Jacket.

There was a pretty decent baseball game on Sunday, too. Braves hosting the Mets with John Smoltz and Pedro Martinez facing off on the mound. Great stuff. Smoltz was ON. He struck out 15 hitters. His only mistake, though, was a big one, a two-run HR to Carlos Beltran in the 8th, giving the Mets a 2-1 lead. They extended it to 5-1 (though not against Smoltz), and won on Pedro's complete game 2-hitter.

Now would probably be a good time to stretch your legs and take a break...like I said, gonna be a long one.

Back to the blog. So, I drive back Monday, leaving town at 7am (New Orleans time) after only a couple hours of sleep (couldn't get readjusted to that bed at home after the one here, so it took a while to get to sleep). Got back on campus in plenty of time, went to class, and had to get a take-home test done for my class the next morning. Mix in an episode of 24 and a little CSI:Miami, as well as something else (which I'll explain in a minute), and I end up hitting the bed around 2:30. For some reason, it took a while for me to get to sleep here, too. Slept pretty good until my alarm went off at 6:45...hit snooze till it gave up (I barely remember that)...then, my eyes snap open as it hits me that I have a test to turn in...look at the clock...8:12...good thing I showered last night in between questions 3 and 4. I threw on some clothes and get to class just in time. No offense, but some days, especially when I'm dead tired, that class can be painful, and it was today. After class, over to UNO for BCM lunch. Jonathan calls me and asks me to hit Sav-A-Center for groceries while he goes to Wal-Mart to pick up a birthday present for his roommate (his party is roughly an hour and a half from now, if you're interested, so I need to finish this and get a shower). My task is to get salad, dressing, dessert, drink mix, and ice. I guessed right on the salad quantity, picked out Sara Lee pound cake for dessert, and orange (homage to CP Orange team 2005 - rock on) "Kool-Aid". Lunch was good (main course was pizza - we were slackers this week). Jonathan picked up a copy of the newly released "Ocean's Twelve" for me while he was at Wal-Mart. Rock on again. After lunch, back to campus for Old Testament class...quiz everyday, and I don't even know what we were supposed to read for this class...still got a 4/5...once more, rock on.

This is still a continuation of my thought, I just thought I'd throw in a paragraph break because that one was getting a bit long...how do you like it? :) Anyway, it is absolutely GORGEOUS here today after this monsoon (remember, I'm getting to that other thing that I stopped my test for...be patient) that hit here last night. Not a cloud in the sky. So, I hunt down Amy and Emily from next door and get outside for a while, getting a little frisbee action in as well as some wiffle ball swings...incidentally, there's a spot in our apartment complex that turns into the coolest wiffle ball stadium...I also discovered I hit wiffle ball better left-handed now than I do right-handed...weird. So, we finish playing and come inside...I sit down to type this blog that you're now so enthralled in, you can hardly stand it. Gotta get a shower soon, so I need to hurry...

Now, about that other thing. The monsoon. I live with and around crazy people. One of my roommates, Charles starts preparing some kind of meal that again emits an odor that consumes the house, or at least found its way into my room via the A/C. I figure I'll get some fresh air and step outside (it's like 11:00 or something like that, by the way). Another one of my roommates, Trey and the aforementioned Amy and Emily are playing in the monsoon. They are soaked. The street in front of our place doesn't drain well (like anything does in New Orleans in a downpour), so the whole street is one big puddle that is at least ankle deep. Amy was perhaps the boldest, going so far as to LAY DOWN IN THE PUDDLE! No, I'm not making this up. Keep in mind, this is New Orleans...this is probably not the most sanitary water to fall in America, much less collect in the street. Charles, sitting at the patio table says in a way only he can (you have to know his accent...think British, but he's from Mobile), "you know you're going to catch ringworm!" Nice. Emily has stepped under the overhang by now, refraining from further rain-frolicking. Amy comes over to where I am long enough to join Emily in a sandwich hug of me...you can tell who's been in the rain the most...Amy's side of me is very wet now. (this is why I took that shower I mentioned - God has a purpose for everything! Even making me shower last night so it was OK when I overslept this morning) Trey and Amy are just getting started, though...they go for a walk...apparently a long one...just to do it, I guess...and, so far, they don't show any signs of ill-effects.

I'll close with a pic I took of our resident sponges...holler kids...

.

Random thoughts

2005-04-06T20:36:00.000-07:00

OK, so today, I don't really have any specific train of thought to share. But, here are a few of the highlights from the last couple of days...

Bobos - I have bobos. What are bobos? I didn't even know until yesterday. Apparently, they are a camp tradition and necessity. Leslie surprised me with them yesterday, and it was super cool. She explained that at Crosspoint, if you have an outdoor sport time (which I do - baseball), if it rains, you are still outside. So, your shoes get nasty quick. Bobos are your new friends. They are basically just ghetto-fabulous Wal-Mart shoes (velcro straps are a MUST) that you wear on nasty days so you don't mess up your good shoes. Getting them was awesome. Thanks, Leslie!

Library - this needs no definition, but the library has been very useful for me lately. I get VERY distracted around the house - TV, Internet, AIM, sleeping, etc. all scream "come play with me!" So, I am generally not very productive left to myself at the apartment. The library has given me a quiet place just to sit and do research for my exegesis paper.

Amazing Race - one of the best shows on TV. Easily the best reality show. I would so go on that show with Joey. The amazing thing I'm noticing about the Amazing Race so far this season is how well Meredith and Gretchen are doing...they're like 70-something, and they're still in it! Six teams have been eliminated, but they're still there! Sometimes, they look totally clueless, and here they are...Gretchen even busted her head open in a cave...wow... Also, I know he's dirty and a big-time jerk, but I can't help but pull for Boston Rob and Amber - he's just so good at the game...he's fun to watch. Sorry to see Brian and Greg go this week though...I was pulling for them, too.

Today, it POURED. there was so much water on the road outside our apartment, I thought I might need a kayak to get to class. Good thing I've got my SUV. :) Probably against all good advice and reasoning, I gunned it going through the massive puddles...it was like Moses parting the Red Sea! Walls of water on both sides of me...that rocked...and no, no innocent bystanders were dampened as a result of my little fun...

Ok, so that's all I got right now...take care kids...

Holler....

Call in a Hazmat Team!

2005-04-04T16:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Opening Day, everybody!

The 2005 baseball season didn't get off to a very good start last night as the Yankees beat Boston 9-2. But, it's a new day, and during baseball season, there's a lot of 'new days'. A lot of other teams are getting into action today, which is great...the Braves, however don't start until tomorrow. A few things to note: Pedro Martinez didn't win his Mets debut, but Carlos Beltran did homer for them. The Washington Nationals (aka Montreal Expos) lost their first game of the year. The Cubs are beating the brakes off of the Diamondbacks right now, and have a couple of guys who are a triple away from the cycle. And, Dmitri Young of the Detroit Tigers will be remembered for something other than being a random, mediocre major leaguer: he joins George Bell and Tuffy Rhodes as the only players ever to hit three home runs on opening day.

Now, this is what warranted the title of this post. For a second time this semester, one of our roommates has totally funkdafied the house. Earlier in the semester, he was boiling pork for several hours...the result was a funk that could not be avoided. I had to change clothes three times. Didn't help. I grabbed a shirt, put it on, ran out of the house (of course the only exit is through the kitchen), and it caught me...I went to a neighbor's apartment and was standing in the doorway...one of the girls sitting on the other side of the living room said, "you stink!" *sigh* Yes, this was truly potent stuff. So, last night, said roommate makes an attempt at making some kind of candy from pure liquid sugar cane and peanuts. He explained that the sugar cane must be boiled for quite a long time. Well, apparently it got too hot because the place started reeking like something was on fire. There was no flame, but the odor was like a punch in the face. The candy project was aborted, obviously, but the smell remains. Even as I type this, it lingers...Febreeze has been futile against it. An Air-Wick freshener bottle has been sat next to the air conditioner to grab the smell and disperse it throughout the apartment, but has made minimal impact. The windows are open. The door has been open...it won't leave. We may need an exorcist.

Hope things smell better where you are...holler...

My own personal SportsCenter

2005-04-02T09:08:00.000-08:00

Duh Duh Duh...Duh Duh Duh...this is SportsCenter....

OK, got an all-sports post for you today, so let's get started...

Yesterday marked the end of the UNO Intramural softball season, and the awesome team I coach, the Sons of Thunder (comprised of students from various campus ministries), fell one run short of the championship. In the first round yesterday, we won in dramatic fashion, winning in the last inning 10-9 over a very competitive Longballers team that was playing with 8 people. The next game was the championship game, and we played a team that beat us 23-1 during the regular season. We gave them a game, this time, though...we led most of the way, until the last inning where we surrendered 2 runs on some long drives by their big hitters, and ultimately fell 6-5. I'm really proud of my team though, they played hard, and most importantly, they showed themselves worthy of being called Christians. We were able to pray with the entire team we faced in the title game, but only one of the guys from the Longballers. We're glad we played as well as we did, but we just hope somebody saw Jesus out there.

Story #2...went bowling last night with some friends from seminary at 11:30 for 'cosmic bowling'. I could have just as easily gone to sleep at that point, and actually dozed on the way to the lanes. No, I was not driving. I don't think I ever entirely woke up, so I was glad to break 100 with a 112. The real story was Leah and Alan...Leah bowled a 136, including something like 4 strikes...we think she was a ringer and probably on some performance enhancing drugs, although we can't prove it. Alan was the only person to beat her, with a 146 and a turkey. He just caught fire when he hit the 6th frame. Another fun thing about last night was one of the guys in the lane next to us. He was cracking me up...he was really good, had that spin roll going and everything. But when he bowled, he'd follow through, then bring his arm back and then jab it at the pins like he was shooting them...most of the time, a lot of them would fall down...so, whatever works...it was just funny to watch.

Last but not least, I'll give you my Final Four predictions. This doesn't really mean much considering my bracket had more red on it than Matthew's gospel by the end of the first weekend. It was bad folks...real bad...both participants in the championship game for me were at home before the second weekend's games started. Just ugly. Anyway, all that is behind me, and I have a secret weapon that can't fail at this point. These predictions aren't original, but here they are...Illinois over Louisville, and UNC over Michigan State. Illinois will cut down the nets after beating North Carolina on Monday night. Why, you say? Simple. It's not because Illinois went 36-1 this season. It's not because they have a great coach in Bruce Weber. It's not because they have great team chemistry comprised of fantastic players like Dee Brown, James Augustine, and Luther Head. Nope. None of that. So, why will they win? Easy. They're orange. And from now until August 6, it just doesn't get any better than orange...Crosspoint Orange...here's another shout out to my brothers from other mothers and sisters from other misters on tha CPO-05.

Finally, a little Did You Know...Did you know that MLB's regular season starts tomorrow night? It does...Red Sox/Yankees in the Bronx. Man, what a way to start! After a few games there, they all go to Fenway and do it again...this time, though the Yankees get to watch the Sox get their World Series rings and raise the championship banner. Oh, that will be sweet! It's been 86 years, Chowdahheads, live it up...

ORANGE Crush!

2005-03-31T16:30:00.000-08:00

Well, today's been eventful. Woke up feeling like poo. Went to class anyway. Came back, took some tylenol and a rockin' nap. Got up feeling better and went to my Old Testament class. Quiz...5/5...rock on. Checked mail...no mail...hence, no bills...rock on again. Back home, got talked into going out for snowcones. Yes, I realize I'm 26 years old. Went out for snowcones, of course expecting those cheap fake-ice snowcones that barely have enough syrup on them that you can tell what color (and almost what flavor) it is that you get at the ballpark when you're like 8. They're not even quality enough to be called "snowcones"...they don't even get the "w"...they're "snocones". Ghetto, man...just ghetto. Totally surprised when we get there...they had like four billion flavors...I settled on Cream Soda because I'm a Root Beer (and pretty much anything in the root beer family) Fiend. Medium. It was a mere dollar. One buck. Rock on. I get this regular sized cup (probably 16 oz., I guess...I don't know), with fantasticly shaved ice (not that cheap bead-like ice that hurts your tongue when you eat it) coning well above the rim. Didn't get shorted on syrup either...no sirree...that guy must have dumped half the stinkin' bottle in there...it was like all the cheap 'snocones' I had growing up were all redeemed in this one sugar-loaded ice experience. I got halfway down the cup and couldn't eat anymore...it was that sweet. I can't believe I'm saying this, but it really almost got inedible at a point...it stopped being syrup flavored ice and became icy syrup. Next time, I'll get a small...less than a buck...man, does that rock. I've said "rock" a lot. Moving on...

So, then, I get ready to work on my laundry, and have a flurry of emails from members of my future family, my 2005 Crosspoint Orange team! Just another sign that camp is getting closer...I can't wait. So, this post is titled in tribute of my new buds. Orange Crush '05 coming soon to Carson Newman, Lambuth U., and Brewton Parker. I haven't heard from everybody yet, but I'm getting so pumped about this team...this summer is just going to rock my face off...I can feel it...

Let me leave you with something really cool that I read in one of the books I've had to read for my Servant Leadership class. In this part, it is discussing Jesus washing his disciples' feet. Here's what the book has to say:
"This scene ranks as one of the most significant in Christ's ministry. It was His last evening with His disciples - His friends. His death was imminent. 'When a man knows the end is near, only the important surfaces. Impending death distills the vital. The trivial is bypassed. The unnecessary is overlooked. That which is vital remains.' In these last hours, Jesus' vital choice was to exercise His authority and power...as a servant."

Wow. That really shows you what Jesus felt was an important last impression. That's what I want this summer to be about. I am so excited to be a part of Crosspoint this summer, and specifically the CP Orange team. And I look forward not to "working camp" with them, but serving with them. May the Lord receive all the glory for it all.

Until next time, kids...holler...

Bird on the windowsill

2005-03-30T15:33:00.000-08:00

Hey there, everypeoples! Ok, so last night, one of my neighbors comes over before we leave for the Element and tells me there's a bird sitting on my roommate's windowsill. She said she passed within just about a foot of it and it didn't move. So, she's thinking it may be hurt or something. I go out to see, and sure enough, there's a bird just sitting there. She goes to get one of her roommates to witness it...I go get my camera...

So, her roommate comes out, sees the bird, and goes inside to get something to trap it with...ok, in her defense, her mindset is that if it is in misery (like if it flew into the window, broke it's neck and is going to die anyway), she was going to put it out of said misery. My thinking was, what if it's just chillin'? What if it just likes sitting there? Well, she comes back out with a towel and moves toward the bird...it flies away. Not hurt...just chillin'.

So, after Element, we get back, and the bird is again sitting on the windowsill. Probably with a bit of a chip on its shoulder. When I walked by this afternoon, the bird wasn't there, but it did leave a nice little gift...my guess is that after it got attacked with a towel, it wanted to come back, sit (as if daring us to do it again), and leave us something out of spite. Can't say that I blame it...

Maiden Voyage

2005-03-29T19:32:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is...my first post on this blogger dillio...hence the 'maiden voyage' title. I have a couple of posts on a xanga site, but this one looks a little better...I think I like the features of this one a bit more...we'll see how it plays out.

So, let me say something of substance before I chalk this up as just another "first post". I'm taping the Amazing Race right now, which is one of my favorite shows...it's 2 hours tonight. I missed the first half, and I hate just picking up halfway through and spoiling the part I haven't seen, so I'm abstaining until it's over (10 more minutes :) ). That wasn't really the substance I was talking about though...the important thing is why I missed the first half and planned to tape the show. I went to the Element tonight at FBC New Orleans, which is an area-wide weekly worship service for college students. The speaker, James Thiele (very gifted fella, by the way), spoke on Psalm 57. James talked about how David was seemingly bi-polar in this Psalm because it goes from confidence that God has a purpose for him to accomplish (v. 2-3), and then goes to talking about how terrible his circumstances are (v.4, 6), then back to exalting God (v. 5, 7-11). Interesting thoughts. The focus of the message, though, was David telling himself, his own soul, to wake up! How often do our souls slumber and we lose sight of how great our God is? How we focus on our here-and-now, and forget the times when God has so rocked our face off! Wake up, soul! God has plans for you!

OK, so, off my pulpit for this evening. :) At least it wasn't a cookie-cutter first post, right! Hopefully, I'll spruce things up around here and put some pictures up for all to see.

For now though...holler...