blogging for you

- Weather and roads are horrible. Or were, last night. I think I made one of the managers cry. I called in before I went in, just to see if they needed me to come in, despite the ice storm, and she said she wanted me to, if I could (yeah, that was probably one of the worst sentences ever to be typed on this or any blog; I'm operating on little sleep here). So I did. When I got there, she came up and apologized and felt very bad; I guess she felt she guilted me into risking my life (which she did, in a small way... ;P). Later in the evening, I said "Yeah, and Jen (the manager, not my sister) almost got me killed today," and then she said she was going to go home and cry. And from what I know of her, she probably did. Then I felt bad. She said she was okay before she left, but I still felt bad.

- Our church moved to a new building, so I got to move a piano, organ, pulpit, etc. again. It wasn't too bad, and the other place was close by.

- My brother got engaged, but I still don't know the details. It's my own fault.

- One of the managers at work today (a middle-aged, overweight white guy) said that there's no way he's voting for a white guy to be president. He wants Barack or Hillary. I just walk away. It's not smart to argue politics with your boss, I don't think; especially since I'd win and then he'd be mad at me. Ooh, and the retarded guy I talked about earlier said "Well, I'm what some people call... an independent." That guy is great. Sometimes it's like working with the cast of The Ringer...

- It's chilly up here. I could be wearing warmer clothes, I suppose, but then I wouldn't be able to type this paragraph, and to be honest, I'm hurting for material. Maybe I should burn my hand again. I mean, you can only have so many teeth taken out, amirite?

- "Amirite" is one of my favorite things to type. I never say it when speaking. Only when I'm typing. I think it stems from my WoW personna. Man, I crafted that thing to the extreme degree (my WoW personna). And then i quit, and it's like I killed off a character in one of my many world-famous novels which stay atop the best-sellers list for 48 straight weeks until bumped off finally by the Oprah's-bookclub-suggested "The Butter-Battle Book." Hey, if Oprah suggests it, I read it. Who else would you trust to pick out the meeting of your literary needs?

Give Thanks

- Thanks for reading my blog. Now that that is out of the way...

- jk!

- So I'm going to try and take lots of pictures today that I can put up here for those of you elsewhere. Don't let me forget.

- Every time I take Tuesday home from church or work now, we spend an hour in the car talking. (I know this because I undoubtedly get a call from someone asking me if I'm okay around the fifty-minute mark.) We talk about everything. I have so much fun with her at work. I love making her laugh.

After Joe preached, we (2s and I) talked about the mission field. She is more open to it than I probably am. That's a fault I have. I don't do well outside my comfort level, and my comfort level is pretty high. It's not Zimbabwe. But the Lord can fix that, if I am open to His leading.

- My brother isn't going to be here today. That's sad. I really miss him.

- I burned my hand at work. It's all blistered. I grabbed a searing hot metal handle. I'm kind of like the kun-fu guy, except instead of going out and falling in the snow, I got Aloe Vera.

- Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

- mtg article


I'd like to think I'm a changeling type player.

finally.

Episode 13 is up on my other blog. Sorry it took so long after I kept telling you I'd get it done.

I'm really sick

- I have a head infection or something. My head hurts, my throat hurts, my nose is running, by throat is clogged, my head is stuffed, and I feel all around awful. I was supposed to teach the Wednesday night service this week but that isn't going to happen.

- I had to go to school today despite my illness because stupid stuff is due and stupid teachers don't like electronic submissions. I want to go home.

- I was on facebook again, raising my jedi score. Don't know why.

- I don't know how people can still be playing WoW. I mean, the same game for what, 3 years now? That's insane. We all have cell phones, so the whole "family interaction" thing seems a little fishy. At the same time, I played it for a long time, and i'm sure plenty of people were saying that about me too.

- I'm too sick to write any more. Bleah.

stuff to say

- I miss writing. I never have any time, and when I do have a few moments, I usually sleep or just lay around. I used to feel productive when I was writing. Now I don't feel very productive. I'd like to get back into it. Work tires me out, and school is a pain.

- Facebook is kind of fun.

- Really nice day out there. It's cool not to have to use the heater in the car.

- I have no idea what's going on with my brother. Joe came over last night, and apparently mom, jenn, and joe all think I'm being too hard in my... appraisal of the situation. They said I was cynical and pessimistic. We'll see. We'll see who's pessimistic when the world is overrun by zombies. We'll see!

- Manning threw 6 interceptions yesterday. Wow.

- So if you get a chance to listen to the Larry King/Jerry Seinfeld interview, you should. It's funny. Is it possible that King didn't know who Seinfeld was? I think so.

- Joe is moving, which is sad.

- Anyone else see the video of McCain and his mom being interviewed when she just starts bashing Mormons or something? And McCain has an embarrassed smile, and says something like "the views of this candidate's mother are not necessarily his." That's funny stuff.

- I miss Psych.

- One time, I hit a deer, and the thing went end over end into the air like the Meep's cover-stone on Quest For Glory 1: So You Want To Be A Hero. Just sharing.

- Speaking of hermits, I really should read or watch Henry V again. I feel like I'm losing my grasp on culture. It's one of the facets of my Renaissance personality. That and my goatee.

- I'm really hungry. I left the house without eating this morning. Why, you ask? Cause I wasn't hungry at the time.

Guess what I got..

- If you guessed a salad shooter, you're wrong. I got a digital camera. My manager at work gave me a great deal, cause he's an awesome guy, and he thinks I'm awesome, and together we fight crime in Jersey.

- So this guy at work said to someone else at work (while I was nearby) "so, did you vote for the President today?" Now, immediately, you assume he's making some lame joke while silently pleading for him to be serious. "Please, please, PLEASE be so stupid that you think the presidential election was November 6, 2007." Well, it turned out he WAS that stupid, but it wasn't as fun as I thought it'd be. I mean, he's too dumb to make fun of now. It's like mocking mentally handicapped people. It's low and not really worth it. So we didn't say anything after we corrected his mistake. It was awkward. The worst part was that afterward, in an attempt to save some credibility, the guy says "Oh, rats. I wanted to get rid of Bush." He clearly doesn't know anything; he doesn't know who the other candidates are, since there's 237 of them right now. But he thinks he can score some points by bashing Bush. The other guy and myself just walked away.

- I don't know how long I have to wait before I can start dating Tuesday and have everyone be okay with it. I was going to wait until after she got baptized, but I don't know if that's long enough. Or maybe it's excessively long, since I know she's saved and making progress. I don't know how long before everyone thinks she's proven her motives are pure and all that. So I'm waiting. That donkey-beast of a donkey-beast was taking shots at Tuesday's character again, saying she was only going to church to get me. Made me mad, but it's the reason I'm still not dating her. People are cynical, people don't believe in God's working in lives (because they're not saved), people believe in it but don't think they're seeing it (because they've heard stories? I don't know), and other stuff. It's complicated. And frustrating.

- Got some new Playstation2 games. They're cool.

- I'm probably going to be taking a lot more pictures from now on, so hopefully I'll get some more stuff posted. It's fun. Hopefully Tuesday will let me take one of her. She doesn't like people taking her picture. So she's like everyone else I know.

- Oh yeah, I recently have been wanting to punch a select few people in the face. Not a great Christian response, I know, but pretend they're Nazis. See? Now I bet YOU want to punch them in the face.

- It's cold. I wore a coat to work last night. I know, zane-y!

- Some level 6 pirate attacked Joe today, so in retaliation, I attacked him with my level 4 ninja... and WON! I was so pumped. And it was a big win, too. 19 to 15, and he had two more dice! Take that, pirate scum! And leave my friends alone.

(title goes here)

- I've been getting upset on behalf of other people lately. First my brother, and then Tuesday. Can I just say how blessed I am for the parents I have? Seriously, there are some nuts out there.

- Tuesday is really coming along well in her new Christian walk. She's not embarrassed to tell people about her faith. It's exciting to see.

- Finally found a flight simulator game for the PS2 and it is awesome. Ace Combat 5, I think. Maybe it's just cause my last one was the NES Top Gun (or Star Fox, i guess), but I really like this game.

- If I ever learned to play the guitar, I'd probably learn Green Day's Time of Your Life first. I love the guitar's part. And Jenn could play the violin part.

- Joe's interview is tomorrow.

- Pete called me last night. He has never called me before. That was cool. Of course, it was to get my brother's number, but still... ooh, I should call Matt.

- I had to work overnight last night. So daylight savings switcheroo just tacked on more work and less sleep: Booo!

- I heard it's going to snow this week: Brrr!

- This is what sheep say: Baaa!

- See what I did there?

couples

- So, on campus, there are these couples. You see them around, and depending on appearance, they follow a specific formula. I thought since I was bored, I'd give a rundown.

a). The "friends." Usually an average guy and a cute girl. You know a "friends" couple by when the two meet or separate, the guy gives the girl a hug. A kind of "so good to see you again" attitude, and the girl always acts like she buys it.

b). The "misfits." A short, fat girl with a tall guy, almost always with zany hair, and ALWAYS wearing a long dark trench coat. These are the couples that you get the feeling have been made fun of their entire lives and now they have a huge chip on their shoulders. They are obnoxious in class, they're loud, they're always talking about other people, and they act like they don't care about much of anything. These pairs are nearly always just friends.

c). The "cheerful." Usually a black guy with a white girl. Both of them are outgoing, and tend to have a charismatic/easy-going atmosphere about them.

d). The "gross." Two ugly people who stand in front of the door to class making out, holding hands, and then when one has to go, the other will hold on to their hand and pull them back, to make-out some more. It's like they have to prove to the world that they're in love and happy.

- I got my computer working. Thanks, Mike, for the tips. Except Mike doesn't read my blog, so that was a wasted bit of gratitude.

- I think I'm going to come home early. I have no homework due, and my one class was simply going to the professor and making sure he approved what my paper topic was. And I'm really thirsty.

- Halloween is tonight. My thoughts on Halloween aren't that deep. I don't agree with the whole "dressing up as a vampire is bad" unless you also argue that pretending to be a robber in "cops and robbers" is also bad. I can't really say that going out and getting candy is a bad thing. At the same time, I'd rather churches had fall fests so Christian kids could be different from the world, and still get candy. But as for Scriptural basis to hate the day? I can't really find any. I mean, people who don't like it are probably safer and better off, but that's just an opinion.

- Mike was doing road construction in our town today and yesterday. He came over for supper and we played a lot of Magic. I really, REALLY like my Merrow deck, and my blue control deck, which only gets better and better. Planeswalkers are tons of fun.

- Okay, I'm gonna go home now. I hate this place.

i really don't like people

- So this... donkey-beast of a girl at work (who has a crush on me) is bad-mouthing Tuesday when she's not around because she knows we (Tuesday and I) hang out together. It really bugs me. If she does it when I'm around, I might push her into the fry vat... not really, that'd be gross. Fried donkey-beast.

- I came to school early to write some papers. Bleah.

- I'm not going to get any sleep from yesterday at 6pm to tomorrow at 6:30 am. 36 hours; that's really not that bad. Work tonight might be ugly, but I can handle 36 hours.

- Someone told me the only advice they have concerning girls is not to settle. If things were to work out between me and Tuesday, I wouldn't be settling. She's smart, she's funny, I think she's adorably cute; she's like me, in other words. Anyway, she told me she's been thinking about baptism, so hopefully she'll say something to pastor tonight. I'm trying to not push her toward things (to see what kind of drive she has without prodding) while at the same time helping her as a new Christian. It's kind of hard to see where the line needs to be drawn. But I've been seeing changes, things that make me happy to see.

- Apparently I thought "Liberty or Death" was funnier than everyone else. Oh well; I'm still thinking it's funny.

- A new poll reports that 50% of Americans now say that they would never, ever vote for Hillary Clinton. Half the country, before the election year, has already decided they will never vote for you, regardless of anything that happens. That's amazing.

- Colbert might be getting into trouble for his mock-campaign. If he does, I'll rant against stuff. Colbert is awesome. He may be the most awesome liberal ever. I'd vote for him in South Carolina.

- "The Assassination Of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Crawford" seems like it's going to be why too depressing. First of all, Brad Pitt almost always makes his characters extremely likable (maybe not in Troy). And the movie clearly is going to establish him as the hero. The problem is, unlike other movies where you know the good guy is going to die, there are no backup characters in this. There is good and bad, James and Crawford, and bad/Crawford is going to win. We know this; it's history. I could be wrong, but it seems depressing to know Casey Affleck is going to kill Brad Pitt.

- I'm starting to get tired. I'd slap myself in the face, but there are people around and it'd be weird.

- Okay, so I'm gonna go now.

no connection

- I haven't had internet for about a week, so that's why there hasn't been any communication from me. I use the school's computer every once in awhile, or my dad's (which still has connection), but I don't really miss it (internet) that much.

- Been busy at work. I can't wait to be done with school; it will make work days easier.

- The wedding was nice. Mike and Joe gave me a ride home; we had a good time. They came over yesterday afternoon, but I was sleeping. I do that at weird times now.

- Tuesday's birthday is this Tuesday. I bought her a nice study Bible.

- Peer review is the most retarded thing ever. Why would I want my peers reviewing any of my work? They're my peers! Most of them are a lot dumber than me, and the few that are at my level... are at MY level. I pay money for teacher's to review, not peers. Stupid, stupid, stupid....

- I slept for a long time last night. Felt good. I hope I'm not getting sick.

- Waiting for the net to get back up before I can post Episode 13. Sorry, I'm just really lazy.

feeling anxious

- Have a couple papers due today. Not too much, already have most of them done, so I'm taking a break to blog.

- Tuesday hasn't txt'd me all day. Not sure what's up with that.

- There are some weird parents out there. I hear about and see other people's parents and realize how amazing mine are.

- Ashlie's wedding is on Saturday. I hope to see all of you there... Yes, even you.

- Heroes is back. I think the Nathan storyline has the most promise this time around.

- My manager at work watches Psych, too. He's like the only person I know outside of my immediate family that watches it. That makes him awesome. Sorry, i don't make the rules.

- The Patriots are killing everybody. (No, not Ben franklin and Patrick Henry. Sheesh. I mean the football team. Though, I don't think anyone doubts that Franklin and Henry would be a pretty unstoppable duo. Someone should make a buddy-cop show, where they both wake up after 200 years of being cryogenically frozen, and they become maverick-like lawmen who take on the gangs of los angeles. Better yet, I'll do it. "Liberty or Death: Back to Freedom" - Trademark of the Michael Schmidt Production Studio.) I'm glad. The whole "they cheated!" thing was way overblown. Now they're just killing everybody, and i think it's funny. Still like the Colts, and I hope they win, but i think the Pats are going to take it.

- Ok, going back to work on school stuff.

couple things

- Pray for my friend Tuesday. She made a profession of faith last week. I believe it was sincere, but I understand the importance of maintained evidence. So pray for me too, that I will be wise.

- I was Arwen, and then Aragorn. I don't remember what I even changed. It was only one thing though, I think. Anywho, I'm going with Aragorn, 'cause he's cooler. Nyah.

- I want to play a big game of Magic. Mike came over on Sunday, and then Joe came over, but it was busy, and we never got to play. Mike and I and Jenn played a few, but we needed Joe. And Dave, and Pete, and Matt, and Andy, and Isaac, and Steve. And whoever else plays.

- Algore won the Nobel Prize. Because he brilliantly turned talking like a robot "hip." I'd have voted for him, too. Is there a more stoic guy that people think they are supposed to find charismatic? No, no there is not. Well played, Algore. Btw, there is an evil-looking lizard guy with a spear in Chaos Strikes Back named Algor. I'd also vote for him. Because he's an evil-looking lizard guy. With a spear.

- Interstingly enough, you don't get spears in Chaos Strikes Back.

- There's a stry about animal control workers who threw some pets off a bridge in Puerto Rico (my aunt is from there; her dog is still alive, as far as I know, but if it suddenly goes missing, we'll know why). I think we should keep this story alive for as long as possible. Not because it has to do with animal control killing animals, but because anytime you can use a real-life story to segue about the kids throwing Katz into the river, you should do it.

- Speaking of cruelty to animals, what's up with that lately? Vick beheads dogs, and now this Puerto Rican travesty? And we haven't even addressed the drunk guy in drive-thru who had a minature dauchshund under his shirt. That guy was simultaneously disturbing and ultra-disturbing. Not easy to pull off, let me tell you.

- Do people still go "Cool!" or "wow!" when Tiger Woods and Jeff Gordon win yet another championship? I don't. Then again, I never really did anyway. Why? Well, because it's golf and Nascar. I'd rather give myself papercuts than care about those sports. Or, at least, give you papercuts. I have sensitive skin.

glad tonight is over

- I had to work with horrible co-workers tonight. Just, really annoying people. Anyway, I'm glad it's over.

- Sorry to those who read my stories. I meant to get it up thursday, but I ended up taking Tuesday to Grand Rapids to see about a car loan. Fun day, but I didn't get anything done.

- I think the song "If you're reading this" is one of the saddest ever. I like it a lot.

- My family is home. They're all sleeping, so I have to wait til later to talk to them. But at least they're home.

- I'm going to bed. I want to buy some Lorwyn cards, but I don't know when I can get to a shop.

Video Game Ending Guide

So I decided to make a small guide to video game endings, pointing out what (imo) differentiates good endings from bad endings by mainly listing the basic forms that an ending comes in, and grading it. So here we go.

1. The Star Wars Ending.
- Basically, you finally win the game and your reward is a block of text slowly moving up the screen. Sure, depending on what the text says, it can be somewhat satisfying, and more often than not, some sort of pictures fill in the background to remind you of every primary point of your adventure. It's kind of like a nostalgic trip back over the last two hours, but it's definitely not worth seeing twice.
Example: Super Contra.
Grade: C-

2. The Literal End.
- Rare in these modern times, this version is one of the most dreaded outcomes to a hard fought victory. The screen fades black, and the credits roll, and then... "The End" appears on your screen. No resolution. No fancy art. Nothing.
Grade: D- (Yes, there is one worse on my scale)

3. The Result.
- Castles collapsing, buidlings blowing up, main male lead kisses main female lead. Basically any action/adventure game utilizes this ending.
Grade: B

4. The Epilogue.
- The Epilogue is resolution. Your character's(or s') fate is explained, the effect on the world is shown, and everyone feels good about themselves. Usually...
Example: Final Fantasy 6
Grade: A-

4b. The Cliffhanger.
- Cousin to the epilogue, the cliffhanger usually ends exactly with the same cheery tone as the epilogue, except a nasty surprise waits after the credits. Either the main villain remains, or an even darker threat is waiting to reveal itself. Sometimes exciting, sometimes annoying.
Zelda: Ocarina of Time (there are better exapmles, but it's late and I can't think)
Grade: B+

5. The Void
- Worst possible ending, usually to a long RPG. You work like crazy to level your guys, complete quests, collect gear, and finally slay the bad guy... and then someone tells your characters "You will have no memory of this adventure." Sure, you saved the universe, but no one knows; it's like it never happened. Is there any bigger let-down? I mean, your guys deserve parades, fame, honor, etc. Not only that, any friendships your characters formed are lost. Chrono Cross even has quests to reunite lost loved ones, but with the ending, it's all wiped away.
Examples: Chrono Cross, Zelda: Ocarina, Final Fantasy 1
Grade: F

6: Chrono Trigger
- Gets it's own level, since it has 10 endings, and almost all of them are better than most any other game. Frog's ascent to Magus, the new future, the Prophet's challenge of Lavos, the Quick Win scenario. All great moments.
Grade: A+

I'm sure there are more, and that you could break these down, but this is what I'm starting with. Feel free to post additions, revision, or comments on changes.

- FInished episode 13. Just need to upload it onto my PC. I have today off, so I'll try to get it done sometime. Check back for updates later on; i'll let you know when it's up, if you care.

today is not Thursday

- So if you think it IS thursday, you're wrong.

- Living in a stacked deck. Something Linus says, but I feel that way. You get blamed for stuff that you don't start, but there's no way to convince anyone of it. It's stacked against you. Or something. Sometimes I don't even know what I'm talking about.

- My jaw still kind of hurts. I thought it'd be over by now.

- I don't want to go to work tonight. One of the overnight people quit, so we've been a man-down the last two nights, and tonight will be the same. That makes a difference when there's only four of you to start with.

- I left my phone at home. Feels weird not to have it right now. Like, my car might not start, and then I'm basically stuck. Or if I see a dinosaur, I won't have a camera handy. It's very disturbing.

- I need a stapler at the moment.

- I wonder if I should move out and try and live on my own. I'd miss my sisters, I think, a lot. Plus, I'd have to get my own towels and stuff.

- There's this old arby's flier next to the PC I'm at. It's making me really hungry.

- No one ever comments on my posts. It's hard to be motivated to write when no one is reading. I guess it's hard to read when no one is posting interesting stuff, eh? I can take a hint.

- I like my job, but I want to be making a lot of money. I don't know how. Writing is really hard. The more I think about it, the more I doubt I'll ever get a book done. There's always something else to do.

- I don't like my history class. It's boring and the teacher, while not as bad as the teacher I had last year, is kind of overly strict about stupid stuff. It's like she's endured years of people making jabs about history being a real discipline, and she's not going to take it anymore. History is relevant, by crackles! Because... something about the past... repeating mistakes... I don't know. It's not really that relevant for anything other than knowing history. I mean, sure, without history, Brett Favre passing Marino's record wouldn't have been celebrated, cause no one would have known about Marino's record. And other stuff.

Holyfield Grill?

- Evander Holyfield has unveild his own grill to challenge the Foreman grill. That's spectacular.

- OJ Simpson is in jail. Only a decade too late, but you know... better late than never, amirite?

- Team Lazarus remade Ultima V with the Dungeon Siege Engine. Coolest thing I've seen in a long time. It's a lot harder than the original Ultima V because I knew that game like I know Final Fantasy. Now instead of being able to go North, South, East or West, I can go 360 degrees and it makes finding stuff harder. Still, absolutely fantastic. The music was revampedto infinitely better quality, the graphics are dungeon siege graphics, and the dialogue got spruced up, even though Ultima V had the best character development/dialogue in a PC game, ever. Well, maybe not ever, but it's still up there, even though the game is 15-20 years old. I'm having a lot of fun with that right now.

- I just rolled over my toe with the chair. It hurts.

- New MTG set looks cool. I like the elves. That reminds me... Matt isn't coming to Christmas. Cause apparently 50 weeks isn't enough for Yuisa. Noooooo, she needs 51 weeks of the year with her side of the family.. Whatever, says I. What-Ever. I'm gonna take back the Holyfield Grill I bought for them. That'll teach 'em.

- I feel junky. My jaw and cheeks hurt. I'm not supposed to drive while on those meds, so I'm off them today so I can go to school. Like I need to go to school. Bleah!!

- Lions scored 34 4th quarter points yesterday. That's kind of crazy. Packers are 4-0. I officially apologize to Brett Favre. Apparently he knew how much he had left better than I did. Imagine that. Or he's on steroids. Hmmm...

- I need to start work on my toast for Ashlie's wedding. And Matthew needs to let me know when they're measuring for tuxes. Time is running out.

- Pray for Tuesday. She knows she needs to get saved; we're going to talk today sometime, hopefully.

- That's it for now. I have to go to school or something.

key

- My boss called me into her office and gave me a raise and a key-shaped pin today, because I'm "a key employee." I put the pin on my hat this morning and was wearing it around the house, and let me tell you, that thing is a power trip! I was like "I am an integral part of this situation. My sister's waffles rely on me in an important way. Without me, this would be a room of catastrophe." And then I took it off, you know, and it was a big let-down. It really was. I was all like "man... mom doesn't need me here for that blow dryer to work.... I am not involved in that conversation.... There are pastries being eaten without my participation."

- So, other news. Um... Everyone is warning me. They're like, "Mike, be careful." And I'm like "fo' show, my nizzles." No, not really. I appreciate the concern, and I'm paying attention to it. I'm being careful; if I wasn't, I'd have a girlfriend right now. I don't. I have a friend, and the Lord is giving opportunity after opportunity to witness to her. I'm not dating her, and I'm not going to date her as things stand, and even sometime after, should they substantially change. But I do appreciate the concern and prayers.

- School is the uber-bummer. Yeah, just thought it was time to reaffirm my hatred of all things Chippewa. That's the school mascot. The Chippewas. Yes, we're using American-Indians in the same capacity that other schools use talking skunks named Stinky. So, there's a point in our favor.

- Psych is still the funniest show on television. So there.

- Um... hmmm... haven't seen anyone in awhile. Mike is working like crazy, I hear. Joe is hot-dogging it on his mo-ped, as far as I know. People getting married, etc. Oh, I'm still getting teeth pulled this Friday. Definately looking forward to that... pain, and ... you know, blood filling my mouth. All right! I get myself so worked up and excited that I want to stick a screwdriver into my gums, just to taste the rush. Not really. That'd be gross. Eww.

- Mick Jagger and Stephen King: Same person or just both really ugly?

- Not a whole lot to talk about. I still have a goatee. I should probably call stephanie. I haven't heard much from her lately.

- Labor day was a bust. No one came over. If Mike wasn't bigger than me I'd knuckle burn his head.

- I woke up at 6:20 am and couldn't get back to sleep. That's going to kill me this week. I have to work from 11pm to 7am tomorrow, then go to some dentist/quack who wants to cut my wisdom teeth out with one of those obsidian knives that the aztecs used. Then go back to work at 11pm again. I'm not going to sleep much in the next few days.

- "I like to eat rice. Rice is really good when you're hungry and want 2000 of something." - Mitch Hedberg

- We went bowling again on Saturday. My third game was horrible and now my thumb's all swollen. I blamed the game on the thumb and maintained a slight amount of dignity.

- I haven't talked to Matt in awhile either. I hear he's doing really well though.

- Itunes isn't working so I can't watch the new episode of Psych. That bugs me.

- "It would be horrible to be killed by an arrow. They would never solve the crime. 'Hey look! A dead guy.... Let's go that way.' " - Mitch Hedberg

Mmmmmm, a slush..

- I have a cherry slush, and it is good. I'm betting none of you are drinking a slush while reading this, so I win yet again.

- Mitch Hedberg is hilarious. It's too bad he died. I mean, it'd be too bad he died even if he weren't hilarious, but it's worse because he was. And I'm a very shallow person.

- New guy at work that I don't like very much. My boss described him as a retarded puppy (not to his face, of course). I was thinking along those same lines, but wasn't sure I should say anything.

- So... a bunch of girls at work like me. I know 3 do for certain, and at least 4 more hint at it (or others hint at it about them). But they're all unsaved, so basically it's like I'm Ray Charles and have been asked to judge a homemade art contest. Yeah, just like that... Anyway, I know I'm charming and all, but it's a little much. Must be my goatee.

- I only have two classes this semester, and so far they seem easy enough. I'm happy with my English teacher. The last few have been older women who always seem on the brink of yelling at you or crying. This time it's a guy who generally seems to be in a good mood, so that's cool. My history teacher isn't bad either. She said she's not a raging leftist liberal, which is always a plus.

guilty

- I harp on you guys for not blogging, and then miss 9 days straight. What's up with that?

- My brother brought Kaylynn home over the weekend. Very nice girl, though I can't figure out her hatred of grapes. That's just weird. Who hates grapes? Anyway, she saw ANH and ESB, so that's a good start.

- I sat down and remade my Star Wars CCG decks. I need an Echo Base Operations, if anyone has an extra. We couldn't find a single copy between Dave and myself. I need to play. Hopefully Mike will bring his decks sometime.

- I had to teach church tonight. Well, last night now. It's getting easier. I hope it wasn't only because I was tired, and therefore more relaxed.

- I have half of episode 13 done, but I am struggling for material, or drive, maybe. By the way, I know I've already said this, but Psych is really good.

- Wedding is coming up. I don't know who's going to show. I'll probably hang around Joe and Mike, like always. We're going to sing Mambo #5 instead of Hound Dog. And then after they finally let us back in, we'll organize a tango.

- Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee did well in Iowa, I guess. Which means nothing, but if CBS cares, than so do I, by crackles. Really, we have more than a year left on this. Who's idea was that? 'Cause I'm thinking into the briar patch for him.

- I got very little sleep last night, again. Either I'm going to start going to various support groups, or create an alter ego. Or maybe I'll just drink some warm milk. Actually, my problem isn't insomnia as much as a lack of hours in the night. And the fact that it's 2 am and I'm blogging. Something's screwy in my head.

- I downloaded Link's Awakening onto my PC, but the emulator keeps freezing up at bosses. And so I curse Basic Boy 2.03! Just, you know, fyi...

because no one else will

- No one is blogging. What's up with that?

- Busy, busy week. Bible conference. Joe's graduation. Dave and his honey are coming over. Work. And so forth. And yet I blog. While the rest of you don't. That's just SAD. So again, for my second blog in a row, I say thee SHAME!

- I still like Romney. I look at the other guys, and don't like very many of them. I don't really know if the Mormon thing is that big a deal.

- I've been thinking a lot about how Christians approach things. If I were to tell an unsaved person that it is sin for them to swear, it implies that I am saying they could do right by not swearing, when even the plowing of the wicked is sin (I think it's plowing, it might be something else; either way, the Bible is saying that they are incapable of doing right). So everything they do is sin. Whether they swear or not, they aren't making any progress. Biblically speaking, the only times it is implied that Hell will be more severe for some over others is in terms of the level of denial of Christ/opportunity to repent.

Now, I'm all for preaching against individual sins in church and also with people who believe they are saved but show no outward evidence. What I wonder about is telling the lost that they need to stop drinking, etc. You know what? If they get saved, they'll stop drinking. That's a Biblical fact. What good does it do them to stop drinking and not get saved? Nothing. Just some thoughts.

101

Some quick notes since it's very early in the morning.

- This is my 101st post. Go me.

- There is not a single Bon Jovi song that doesn't sound like it should be played as the training montage music in a Van Damme movie. Double negative. Total truth.

- I think I liked Icewind Dale 2 better than Baldur's Gate 2, although some of the dialogue in BG2 is pretty good. Some of it isn't.

- My feet hurt.

- I came home and ate a bunch of tuna salad. I feel good about myself, and the people I encounter. Yes, I do believe the two are related.

where is everybody?

- I haven't seen Joe or Mike and Em in forever. I'm sure they will throw the "busy" card out there, but I think we all know that's a sham. Sham, I say! And with the subtle addition of the letter "e," I might also say Shame! As in, shame on them. Because it's not my fault. Obviously.

- Dave is coming home and bringing his girlfriend's family with him. Well done. I am very excited, personally. There is a comfort in knowing that you can have very little if any effect on something, and therefore can behave outrageously. Yes, the "outrageous" in the previous sentence was intended to be read with ze French accent. So was "ze."

- The last Harry Potter book came out. I'm sure my favorite auntie has already read the thing. I, understanding that it is important to be kept up to date on everything in order to appear more knowledgeable, read the spoiler. So if you want to know how Potter dies, just give me a call. I'm kidding. He doesn't really die. Or does he? *Do do do do do dooooooooo*

- I ordered Baldur's Gate 2 (with expansion) like 5 days ago and it's still not here. What's up with that?

- There is really very little to blog about in the summer. I suppose I could talk about little rubber ducks, or old pick up trucks. Or slow moving trains. And rain.

- My boss keeps asking me who the bands are that play these rock songs on the radio. Last time I thought for a second, then said "the Righteous Brothers." He laughed. Btw, it wasn't the Righteous Brothers. It wasn't even the Morally Challenged Brothers.

- So, I think a few of us need to start practicing are harmony for when we sing "Goodness Gracious! Great Balls of Fire!" at Jessica's wedding. (Jessica Foutch. That sounds weird.) Unless Joe gets all moral on us and makes us sing something less offensive. Like "Hound Dog."

- If I were the kind who gave free drinks of wine to people, I'd give one to my brother right now.

- I wonder if Devil Went Down to Georgia would be inappropriate... I think it has a good spiritual message behind it, and a catchy tune, personally. And Charlie Daniels is a "Christian." And Republican.

All sovereign

- I've heard it said (from Calvinists) that God "does not micromanage." So even though none of you want to hear this, here is yet another rant. I hope it will be my last for awhile.

Yes, God does micromanage. All sovereign means he controls everything, including where each drop of rain falls. Read the passages in Job where God speaks, and it becomes clear how God "micromanages." Nothing that happens is out of His plan; everything that happens is in His plan.

God turns the hearts of kings as a man washing dishes. We all know that. We also know that with God, there is no respecting of persons. So what makes us think God controls the decisions of kings but not farmers, or teachers, or McDonald's employees? What makes us think His sovereignty has limits? If He is truly all sovereign, then that means everything (excluding not even the tiniest action) is by His pre-ordained decree. If God does not control where the rain falls, who does? Is it chance? No, no Christian would seriously lay anything at Chance's feet. Does the devil control the elements? No; to say so would be blasphemous, as we know the wind and waves obey Jesus.

What I don't get it why anyone would make the claim, then, that God does not micromanage, unless to give man some sort of control over his own destiny. It seems a wholly Armenian line of thought. Why say "God allows you to choose over the little things?" Little things? As if there are different degrees of difficulty with God? As if "all sovereign" only extends over things human beings perceive as "big deals?"

See, that wasn't that long. No one that reads this blog has said that God doesn't micromanage, as far as I know. So I'm talking to the choir, but I wanted to say it anyway. Okay, enough rants out of me.

pants, cards, and cigarettes

- I was thinking on the way home from work tonight, so here it is. It probably won't be as coherent as it should be, but it's after 4am.

The church has lost its focus. We preach against things the Bible is silent on, and we ignore the fact that people blatantly avoid coming to church are still called "brothers." We condemn things we have no business condemning, and we don't mind that no one thinks the Bible is infallible.

We've lost our focus. Somewhere along the way, we decided as Baptists to lop of the dandelion's head rather than pluck it up by the root. Women wearing pants!!!??? That is really the cause of the church's current state of apathy and weakness? Playing cards? Cigarettes? Really???

The next time someone says cigarettes are sin, ask them about cheeseburgers. They will inevitably say the word "excess" if they have been taught anything. Then ask them where in the Bible I am given authority to judge excess for any other person. Where am I given reign to say "No!!! You've had one too many cheeseburgers already, Brother Munson. No more for you!" What is wrong with the church today, that we think that has anything to do with Christianity?

People don't know who God is. They don't know what is in His Word. They don't know what living separate really means, and for decades now, they've been hearing that Christianity is a list of rules. Don't drink. Don't smoke. And if you're a girl, don't wear pants. Don't play cards.

WHAT?

People don't respect the church anymore. They don't. They don't care what the church says. Do you think maybe that started when preachers stopped talking about sinners in the hands of a Mighty God and started talking about cigarettes?? I have a feeling it was.

Some will argue that the two messages are not exclusive. Okay, but one is Biblical, and the other isn't. One can be verified by verses and the other is cautioned flagged with "we think, because it's bad for you." Like cheeseburgers. And breathing without a mask. Honestly, we should all be mimicking Michael Jackson's phobia if we want to avoid "what's bad for us." What's wrong with us!? Cards, pants and cigarettes? Really.

We love rules, as Baptists. We like the "don't" list, because then we can say "hey, I'm doing pretty good." It's a sense of security, of accomplishment, of pride. But it's not Biblical!

House rules are different. You want to have a rule that says "no cards in my house" or "No cigarettes," then more power to you. Cigarettes are idiotic (costly, unattractive, costly), so I will never have them in my house. (But if someone asks you why you don't smoke, and you come back with "because I'm a Christian," you're not going to be able to back that up. You're not. Unless you're a vegetarian who uses gloves to open doors.) The problem comes when your kid asks "why don't we play cards?" and you say "Because the Bible says so" instead of "because I don't like them and don't want them in my house."

It's good to appear as lunatics to the world. We're supposed to be weird. The problem comes when we're weird for reasons that aren't Scriptural, and then we say they are. It's not in the Bible that women can't wear pants. Or tennis shoes. Oddly, Baptists don't usually have problems with the latter.

Anyway, that's my rant.

Psych!

- Not sure if any of you ever watch the show Psych (it's on USA, which I don't get), but I finally made an iTunes account and downloaded it. It's a good show; very funny. Season 2 starts in a few days, but, like I said, I don't get the USA channel.

- I need to check, at some point, when my classes start this fall. I am so sick of CMU. Last week, I even bought a cauldron so I could put a curse on the place, but I got gypped ("gypped"= gypsies = gypsy curses? Bizarre!). The thing didn't come with instructions, and I ended up transposing the application of the eye of newt with the tongue of frog. I think I'm growing an unusually large, sickle-shaped talon on the second toe of each foot, not unlike the Dein0nychus (which was the model of the Velociraptor in the Jurassic Park films).

- I feel like I have money right now. I really don't, but I feel like I do. Some combination of uncashed checks and a credit card.

life as now

- The week o' festivities is over. I still have all my teeth. Whenever I make it through festivities with all my teeth, I give myself points. Here, have some points. Thank you.

- Bunch of newbsauces neglected to participate in the water sports, but I refrain from shunning them. Because that's the way I roll.

- I have to take my G-ma to Flint today. I'm not good at finding places I've never been (although I was there once a while back). Chances are it will result in me discovering a land bridge between Alaska and Japan. I don't think I can handle Sushi.

- So the hotel where we all stayed had a pool, a full-size basketball court, some tennis courts, a batting cage, and a fully-equipped workout room. I watched the Weather Channel in my room. Kidding. It was a pretty cool place. That is, until my aunt got us all lost when we were trying to find the ice cream place. "Go past the Dirty Cow!" she said. But we weren't supposed to go past the Dirty Cow. And then there was the drive-in that wasn't. Crazy times. And my cousin got married.

- Speaking of married, there are still multiple weddings coming up this year. None of them mine, btw, because I know you were all thinking, "About time that wild buck settle down and raise hisself a family... Yee-HAW!" Okay, so maybe you weren't thinking the "Yee-HAW" part, but you should have been. Weddings are fun. For most of us anyway. For some, they are a grim reminder of how much having daughters costs you.

- Apparently, I'm a night shift guy, now. 7:30pm to 3:30am is my schedule. So no more late night expeditions to go Dirty Cow tipping. Auntie Yuisa.

pat robertson

- Awhile back I said I would talk about Mr. Robertson, so here it goes.

Robertson is perhaps the most vocal and famous person to ever blame a natural disaster on sin, other than the disciples and the tower of Siloam. Robertson has become synonymous with assigning sinful causes to catastrophes.

Now we have a problem, because he is judging where and what he is not authorized by God to judge, and he is doing in under the guise of conservative Christianity. He believes he is told things directly by God Himself, and he believes that every bad thing that happens to someplace is due to sin.

Perhaps it is, and perhaps it isn't. But the whole point of Luke 13 is that we are all guilty and worthy to be killed in a catastrophe; that the 18 men were NOT more guilty than anyone else. Robertson is a fearmonger, and he is using the Bible and the guise of Christianity to give himself credibility.

I'm convinced the man isn't saved. I honestly don't see how he can be. His words have just enough truth-sounding things that it fools people, but he's basically spouting lies and illogical connections between things that aren't connected, and he's doing it while claiming the Bible is his source. He is harming Christianity, and the cause of Christ.

Now I have to be careful, because a lot of the anti-Robertson feelings out there are due to his stalwart stances against things that the fundamental Christian movement has always been against. Truth will bring persecution. On the other hand, Robertson is, like so many other "famous" theologians, about fame itself. He is preaching out of contention, but what's worse is his misrepresentation of who God is while he's doing it. Pat Robertson was NOT given special messages from God explaining why Ariel Sharon had a stroke. Pat Robertson does NOT know why new Orleans was hit by Katrina, and neither do the rest of us for that matter.

Robertson practiced faith healing. He predicted a time for the second-coming. He took a chapter out of Luther's book and said Methodists and Presbyterians had the spirit of the anti-christ. He claims to direct storms with his prayers.

The point of all this is to convey my belief that Robertson does not know the true God, and maybe, just maybe true Christians should stop looking to this guy for guidance of any kind. Hopefully we don't. There's my rant on Mr. Gordon "Pat" Robertson. Discussion welcome.

- I finally put up some links. If anyone else wants me to link your blog, let me know.

pixie sticks

- cashews, and juice boxes.

- I don't like saying "nuff said." If it was really enough, then saying "nuff said" is superfluous. It's overkill. It also demeans from the economy of what you said (which you said for precise reason of being laconic). 'nuff said.

- Wait...

- Legerdemain means slight of hand or trickery.

- One of the managers at work was talking about how he bought cds and cologne because the person putting it on the market was attractive. See, I know there are people like that out there, but why would you admit to being "that guy?" I mean, why stand in the middle of McDonald's and tell your peers that you're so weak-willed that if a pretty girl asks you to buy something, you do it?

- Speaking of weak-willed, my brother - ....

- Yo-yo-yo-yo-yoda. Luke, stay away from the darker side and if you start to go astray let the force be your guide.

- So I found these hacker programs for the Icewind dale games. They aren't as challenging when you can give your guys 800 hit points.

- It's really hot here. Like if superman were flying around the house at super speed with his heat vision on full blast.

- Ghost Rider

- .. hehe. That was one bad movie. I thought it might be alright when Cage was talking about his jelly beans and the chick asked the guy at the restaurant if he thought she was pretty and he said "meh." But that was it. The fight scenes were horrible. They weren't even fight scenes. And then Cage quoted The Grapes of Wrath at the end and ticked Mephisto off. Wow, was that a bad movie. I was really thinking it would be better than that. Maybe if he hadn't looked like Burton's version of Bane from Batman and been able to, you know, do karate. And actually use his chain as a whip. And the bad guys weren't complete wastes of time.

- I have to work from 11pm to 5am tonight. Eww.

- My brother drove to Wisconsin tonight to ask his girlfriend's parents if they could be a couple. But not hold hands. I told him not to do anything that would make them hate him. I think he listened.

- Is Lord of the Rings that big a deal? I thought it was, but Dave was like "she's seen Star Wars, so leave it alone." I mean, Lord of the Rings is better as a trilogy. It has better literary forms than Star Wars does. But Star Wars was our first love, so maybe he's right. Anyway, entertainment is just that, so in the long run, it's probably not important she know who Max Rebo or Celeborn are. Even though the woman I marry will.

- Road trip this Friday! Just me, Joe, Dave, Jenn and 56 liters of cola. And if anyone is smart, some cashews.

- I want to get the Baldur's Gate series. I played the Icewind Dale series, which is great, but there's no story and it's extremely linear. If something is going to be linear, it had better have a story. If there is no story, better make it like Elder's Scrolls.

- 11pm - 5am. Eww.

things we hear

- I was listening to the radio on my way home from work tonight, and this guy was reporting on a study that found that kids who eat with their parents 5 nights a week are more than 50% more likely to abstain from alcohol and drugs than kids who eat with their parents 2 or fewer times. Then he said "so do something smart; eat dinner with your kids."

Maybe, just maybe the reason the kids are doing better isn't that they ingested food in the presence of their parents. Maybe (and this is a pretty small limb to go out on, I'm aware) they do better because the kinds of parents who make time to eat with their family 5 nights a week are also the kind of parents who have time for their kids for other things as well. Maybe these are the kind of parents who read to their children, and who spent time telling them not to do drugs and drink alcohol. So this guy goes on the news, and acts like dinner is the silver bullet.

Maybe I'm over-something about this, but are people really this dumb? Children who eat with their parents less than 2 times a week are 50% more likely to try alcohol and drugs. Well,yeah, what else are they going to do? Their parents don't have time for them, so why not find someone who does? The local dealer probably has plenty of time.

- Work is going well. I kind of enjoy this job. I really hated working at the fitness center, though, so anything would be a positive, I would imagine. I've been working at the grill, and I'm getting pretty fast and proficient. If they had olympics for people who were on the grill for only two days, I'm pretty sure I'd medal multiple times.

- Can't wait to go to the wedding and then have the fourth. Joe's going to be my wingman (or vice versa) at the wedding, so we'll pick up all the hot chicks.

- If O'Donnel replaces Bob Barker, mid-stream America had better march on Washington. And I don't even care about the show.

work tomorrow

- my first real time behind the counter is tomorrow. I guess I'm gonig to get a bit of training and what not.

- Studio 60 is officially cancelled. Whitford came right out and said it's finished. I think three more episodes will air this summer, and that's it. It was no West Wing, but it's sad that Desperate Housewives and a hundred other reality/talent/game shows are still on. Our drama shows are crime and medicine (except for Heroes, thankfully). It's just sad.

Crime shows aren't about writing. They aren't. They're about mystery, and cliches. They're about the crime, and the sensationalsim of finding a new way to kill someone and a new way to cover it up. Sure, they might be entertaining, but I like characters. I like dialogue. I like smart banter, not David Caruso saying... anything.

They renewed Law and Order, apparently. I guess there is still someone left in New York that they haven't killed. I've never watched the show, but 17 seasons?

Speaking of long running, the Price is Right is needing a replacement for Barker. I saw Wayne Brady was suggested as a name. Honestly, I think a show that allows normal everyday people on television is a horrible thing. Why would I want to see some loser from Arizona win a dryer?

The only thing worse than having normal people on gameshows is having actors masquerading as normal people. Deal or No Deal should be burned to the ground, it's producers flogged, and Howie dropped into the Pacific with a life jacket and a pocket full of Mike & Ikes. And the banker? Well, Dante could think up something suitable, I'm sure.

So, what does that leave for the gameshows? Celebrities, of course. And I mean real ones, not "I was backup dancer in a Weird Al video" people. Like when Who wants to be a Millionare had David Duchovny and Jon Stewart on it. That was a good week. Or anytime Jeopardy gets Sean Connery- nevermind.

Speaking of Dante (sort of), it's weird that while violence will get you thrown into the 7th ring, fraud puts you into the 8th. Even more weird is how Pope Nicholas III is the the eighth circle. Dante was a complete freak but I have to love the way he throws the Pope into a deeper pit than Filippo Argenti (wikipedia gives a rather humorous position on why Dante found him there). Also, Muhammed is one section lower than Odysseus [both lower than Nicholas III, and both in the 8th ring (the rings have sections too)]. That's just awesome.

To sum up, bring back Firefly, Sports Night, Angel, and... I don't know, Dark Skies or Brisco or something.

one week ago...

- ... was the last time blogged. Sorry about that for those who care.

- http://adteo.blogspot.com/2007/06/episode-12.html

I finally got my 12th installment done. I didn't read it over very carefully, so I'm sure there are mistakes. But there it is. Read it if you can. I appreciate feedback. This one was hard to write. I feel like I'm grasping for words, but luckily I had enough older material I hadn't used yet (that I liked) to supplement it.

- I'm wearing glasses now. I like how they look. And stuff isn't quite as blury anymore. He said I didn't really need them, and then only for reading and computer stuff, but I'm kind of getting used to them. We'll see how that ends up.

- I went in for orientation on Thursday. I have a feeling I'm going to think most of my co-workers are idiots. I hope I'm not a jerk in response. I'd rather be able to get along with them.

- I hope the Cavs beat the Spurs, but they won't.

- Sounds like the immigration bill might be dead. Good. I don't know what the Republicans are doing right now. I really don't.

- So I got Season 4 of the West Wing for my birthday. One of the better seasons. I think 2 and 4 are my favorite. Anyway, the scene where Toby and Will are reading each other's speech, and Toby tells Will to "Stop reading mine," is a great scene. I really want to be able to write, but I don't know enough, frankly. So I have to keep reading. I'm always trying to improve my vocabulary. It's hard to incorporate it into life though on a consistent basis. It's little easier when writing, but it still sinds a little forced. Anyway, that's my current hobby. Soporific, pusillanimous, and somnolence are my current three. Soporific is easy enough. So is pusillanimous. Somnolence might be tricky.

my birthday

- I turned 21 today, and you know what that means - Road trip to Canada! To see the endangered lagomorphs and help the trees, of course. What were you thinking?

- I got a job at McDonalds today. That was a blessing from the Lord. So I'm feeling pretty happy right now.

- A friend mentioned buying me a castle with a moat for my birthday, but it didn't come through. It probably got held up in customs.

- The weather is finally turning cooler.

- So I really want this internship at the Alma Morning Sun paper. It wouldn't pay anything, but I have this idea that not getting paid to work somewhere you like for experience is noble. Or honorable. Something. The editor lady still hasn't called me back though, so I'm losing hope. Still, I'm going to stay upbeat, because good things are coming my way. I think.

- 21. I feel like I'm falling behind. I need to get a career going pretty soon.

- Btw, my brother? Totally twitter-pated. And the fact that I just referenced a horrible Disney movie doesn't even bother me.

- I'm going to go do somethin else now.

- I knew it!

- Lohan was arrested on suspicion of a DUI. Go back a few posts and you will see I predicted her arrest as a given. Now, I know I shouldn't be gleeful at another's misfortune, and honestly, I'm not glad she might be going to prison, but... I called it! If I were Colbert, there would be balloons right know.

- I dove into a really cold 2 ft deep pool twice today. Me and my cousin Levi. We were obviously the coolest two people at the party. And Joe is pretty tough for such a wirey fellow. Not sure that's how to spell wirey. Wiry, maybe, but that looks wrong. I'm too lazy to go to dictionary.com, since it's 12:42am and I've been very active today, relatively speaking.

- I looked it up. It's wiry.

- I need to get to sleep.

- We played poker and I didn't do well. Then we played Street Fighter, and I started off really well, but then I hit this slump. I did win the last match of the night though. We also watched Monty Python's Quest For the Holy Grail, which is like the pinnacle of quality television.

- Apparently, my cousin was able to pick out that Future Jack was using a razor cell phone, and that such phones were not in existence prior to the crash in the timeline, so therefore he knew it was Future Jack. That's just creepy. Emily took the blame for his "ability" which I thought was big of her.

- I ate way too much. I'm getting fat and flabby. Better start some kind of exercise regiment or something.

- awww, hax!

- Pirates 3 spoiler is now up on moviespoilers.com. I read the ending, but couldn't handle reading anymore of it. It doesn't seem to be getting very good ratings so far, which is sad, but the others didn't either.

- So I wrote a scene last night for my script, after I complained about not being able to. It wasn't fantastic, but I felt better after I got it down. Maybe I should focus on short stories or something, because I never have enough creativity to get 120 pages of dialogue. Except I'm not very good at description, and stories need that.

- I went in to a grocery store today to see about working there, but everyone in the building was a minimum of twice my age; some were 3 or 4 times my age. So forget that.

- I need ideas, people! I think this weekend, when people come over, I'll ask everyone for an idea, or what kind of stories they like. I don't need an entire plot, I just need some kind of catalyst I can work with. At this point you're all rolling your eyes, since I'm just a kid without a job and I'm going on and on about writing. I don't blame you.

writing (continued)

- It's been awhile now since I've written anything that I'm particularly proud of. I can't make any progress on my stories since I don't know where any of them are going. I'll chew out a scene, and then it dies, because I don't know how to follow it up.

I guess every profession has ways of slumping, but this isn't a profession with me; it's just a hobby. I should be able to have fun with it, and I'm not really. It might have something to do with the stress I'm feeling, as well as shifting priorities, but honestly, I want to be able to write as a release. It's a great feeling to get done with 8 pages of stuff you hammered out and just be pleased with it. I really need to do that right now.

Video games are boring, TV is over for the summer, and it's hot. I'm not trying to complain, just clear up why I'm kind of in a non-exuberant zone. Some people are coming over this weekend; hopefully I'll be jolly... or at least witty. It's another stress-reliever for me.

I think a part of my problem is I'm not reading anybody I like atm. Since my job ended, I haven't read Simmons at all. Whedon is still off, and Sorkin is only-semi on. My mind feels mushy, like I don't know how to frame things humorously anymore. (some might argue I never did) Maybe it's all the time I'm wasting. I really do want a job, despite appearances.

- Pirates 3 is officially out. I really, really, REALLY hope that

* Spoiler*



Will doesn't become the next Davy Jones as I hear he will. Apparently, there are photos of him with a scar over his chest where his heart would be, while he is commanding the Flying Welshman.



*End Spoiler*

That would be a lousy ending, but we'll see. Anyway, the movies have been pretty cool so far.

- Starcraft 2 might be out soon. That would be cool. From what I've seen, the gameplay looks quite similar to the first, which is a good thing.

- Major congratulations to my cousin Pete and his wife Sarah on the birth of their third child, a girl named Eliza.

- until Fall

- So my show is over for the season. It all ended too fast. They should have made the finale 2 hours. Or 4. Anyway, volume 2 looks to continue with the awesome. Btw, the samurai in blue? The fans are all saying it is Hiro's dad. The eyes did kind of look like him, but I wasn't paying enoguh attention. I guess not-aging would be his power. Kind of a bummer to get it at 70.

- I'm currently playing four different video games. This not working stuff? Not so bad. Well, as long as the checks keep coming in, and my parents don't start charging me rent.

- Not much to talk about with no school and no work. I don't think there's much to say about my writing that you'd be interested in.

- So I'm losing my support for Romney. My pastor had a good point about how his election would galvanize the Mormon movement, and also how he basically became conservative in the past two years. Before that, he was pretty liberal. So now what... Guliani is probably the most suited for the office, even if he's kind of whack on a lot of things. I can't stomach McCain at all, and the other guys don't have a chance. So either Giuliani or Romney. I think Giuliani would be a good president, because Romney is looking more and more like a fraud, but Romney is at least saying the right things. It's very... troubling.

- a day without work

- is a day without... ... I don't know; income, I guess.

- I've been lazy, but I'm admitting it, so it's okay.

- Jerry Falwell died. I don't know enough about the man, honestly, to give an opinion, and my opinions don't really mean anything anyway. Like a lot of these "famous" theologians, they tend to get worked up over things for publicity's sake, and it hurts them and their cause. Like with Monty Python's "Life of Brian" and the ensuing uproar. I've never seen the movie, but the "theologians" who attacked it hadn't seen it either, and they ended up looking like complete idiots. A similar thing happened with Harry Potter. A similar thing happened with teletubbies. It's like with Pennsicola CC. They focus on inane stuff that doesn't matter and their testimony is ruined.

It is more and more common for Christians to condemn things out of ignorance or out of a sense of self-righteousness. I've heard of a preacher who said DvDs were bad. That makes no sense at all. So we condemn Harry Potter, and we condemn this and that. Meanwhile, our parents don't know how to raise their kids, our deacons are trying to muscle out the pastors, and we live like the world except for on Sundays. Maybe the problem isn't Harry Potter, or Life of Brian, or even Mel Gibson's The Passion.

Certainly, calling sin what it is is required not only of pastors but all Christians, and Falwell's stance on homosexuality and other issues was the proper Christian stance. At the same time, going on Crossfire to debate it is more about publicity than the issue. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope he wasn't another Pat Robertson. I'll talk about Robertson some other day.

- The Force isn't real. Sorry. In the same vein, neither are Firaga or Quartr or X-Zone. It drives me crazy when people talk about the Fantasy world as witchcraft. This isn't voodoo, this isn't demonic consultation ofa Biblical perspective; it's fantasy, like superheroes are fantasy. It's no more sorcery than Babe, the talking pig or Charlotte's Web. For some reason, Sci-Fi gets a pass, while normal Fantasy gets barraged with claims of occultism. Drives me nuts. Ah, I yearn for people to be logical. (<- extremely arrogant statement, I know. I really am a jerk.)

- They should make a movie out of Final Fantasy Tactics. Zalbag would be a great part. The only downside is the main character is kind of a loser. But they could fix that.

- Going to try to have a poker game this Friday night. Give me a call if you're interested in coming. You all have my cell number.

- I'm listening to the Temptations' Sounds of Silence, atm. Charlie Daniels is the one on the guitar, and he pwns it.

- Ooh, ooh, now it's the Pirates' theme. Speaking of which, Pirates 3: Curse of the Dolley's Llama is out soon.

- How come more people don't use Duel of the Fates in their PvP videos? Or, you know, their weddings. Listen to it enough times, and you'll be able to speak Latin. Also, parts of it are straight out of the Ewok village level on Super Return of the Jedi. Wicket is awesome. Name someone else who could kill a chicken walker with his stick bow and arrows while simultaneously jumping on more of his arrows that are stuck in a tree. Go ahead, try. You can't, can you? See? Wicket is the best.

- The Cheat is not dead. Support the Municipality!

- jobless

- So I'm a bum. Yeah, I ended up quitting my job of 5.5 years, and while it's kind of nice not to have to go back to that place, it would also be nice to have some income. It's weird; I don't think I'm going to miss it, really. As long as it's honorable, there is no such thing as work that is too low for a person; that's what I was told over the weekend, and I like the whole noble ideal behind that sentiment.

- It's hard to be funny when you don't have a job. I'm going to miss some people, I guess. We weren't even close; it's just that talking to them made things easier. Ah, well; that's life.

- I'm hoping I can get a job writing, but that would entirely be by the working of God. I have no experience, don't have my degree yet, and there aren't many opportunities around here for that kind of work anyway. So I'm praying in that direction, but I think it's important to stay open to whatever He brings my way.

- Did you hear about the teachers who staged a fake gunman attack at their school? Did they honestly believe they would be able to hold onto their jobs after that? Well, maybe they will, but that's pretty insane. Just wait until the Today show starts interviewing people involved, and Al Sharpton realizes that some of the kids may have been black.

- Favre is demanding a trade! Well, I didn't expect that. I guess he got tired of hearing people say he was washed-up and figured that he could blame his team, and maybe save his reputation. Still, way to alienate the only city you've ever played for, Brett. You understand how much Rodger Clemens is hated by Boston and Houston right now? We're talking about the one sport Wisconsin really has! Now, they supposedly worked it out, but come on, Fav-ray. Better to go out idolized by at least one city then detested by two (the poor team's that would acquire him and Green Bay).

- I think tomorrow I'm not going to do much except write and watch Heroes. My mind keeps going, and it's depressing me. Writing forces me to think about something or someone else, even if they aren't real.

Good news

- No, I still don't know if I'll have a job next week. The good news is even bigger! Tim Kring changed his mind, and decided not to have the Heroes cast be a revolving door situation, where they kill off/get new Heroes every season. He said people liked his current cast so much, and he liked them too, so he decided to stick with them. This is good news, since I don't like the Survivor MO of constantly putting new people through the same stuff.

- Yes, my priorities are all out of whack at the moment.

- My boss is coming in today, and if he can't offer me at least what I could get at any fast-food joint, I'm going to have to quit. Which is a bummer. So I'm praying things go well, but I'm honestly expecting to be out of work soon.

- The vitamin water commercials are pretty good. Urlacher and Ortiz playing badminton (sp?)? Funny stuff. And then the sheep-tossing contest one, which is eerily like the early days of pig-mania. I also like the Vault commerical, where the guy is playing paintball and launches that rabid squirrel at the opponent.

- My birthday is coming up. West Wing Season 4, Sports Night Season 1, Heroes Season 1, and cashews. Oh, and because I'm masquerading as an intellectual, get me a book. Where's Waldo? or something. Dilbert is good, too.

- Mother's Day is tomorrow. My mom never asks for anything. So I have to guess about what she wants, and things turn out horribly, kind of like King Lear.

- Speaking of King Lear, the Fool is one of the best Shakespeare characters ever. Antonio and Sebastian in The Tempest are cool too, in that one scene. The rest of The Tempest is lame, but that one scene right after they land on the island, and Gonzalo is trying to cheer the king is fantastic. Read it, if you get time. And, yes, Henry V is the best Shakespearean character, but that's like saying "superman!" when someone asks you who the best superhero is. Have some imagination. And don't say Batman, 'cause that's stupid.

links!

- Cool song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huRwBFmAx78

- Old link that I was originally shown by my uncle, I think: http://rinkworks.com/fnovel/

sub-link: http://www.rinkworks.com/said/insurance.shtml
(I laugh every time I read these)

- Something everyone should see once a day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSJ1liGPbW0

- Random Antonio Banderas video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8gYxguwLvc&mode=related&search=

- And the obligatory Weird Al video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xEzGIuY7kw&mode=related&search=

(for more good times, check out "Saga Begins," "Bob," and "Trapped in the Drive-Thru", all by Weird Al)

Yeah, that's Seth Green and Donny Osmond, which is great.

- Speaking of which, apparently Wahlberg and Co. are making the Brazilian Job. Because the first one was just so awesome.

- I'm getting bored, and I really feel like I want to write, but I can't make myself do it. That sounds weird, I'm sure. I have some plot points I want to develop, a few scenes I want to get down, but instead I listen to sogns on youtube and write blogs and stuff. And then I'm bored.

- I have to go to work in 20 minutes. Bleah. And I have to work Saturday too. I hope people come over this weekend.

may 9th

- Heroes was kind of slow, but it was a setup episode, so that's to be expected. And it had some good parts, unlike Book 10 of The Wheel Of Time series. I'm still bitter about that.

- Alabamba Labamba was at a rally where he said that "over 10,000" people had died in the recent Tornado catastrophe, when really it was 12 people. Well... he still has clean, eh Biden?

- For some reason, Steph is not coming back to Michigan this summer. Nay, I say thee Steph. Come home. I'll buy you a penguin.

- The Scorpion King was on at work, and it was the first time I've seen it. Wow, was that movie horrible! The Rock still thought he was in in the WWE. Yeah, Arnold was Conan, and it was campy, but this was so much worse; Duane's facial expressions were just laughable. The conclusion was lame, and boring. The guy from the Green Mile was much cooler than the protagonist, and the bad guy dual-wielded flaming swords. But everything else was sad, as in "it's sad that they made a movie like this."

- That's all I have to say on the matter.

- Monday, 7th ...

- ... or the day the new Heroes is on. No, I don't know why I get so excited about a TV show. It hasn't been like this since the 4th season of The West Wing.

- Colbert did a bit on the European Atheist society being started up, and how it's basically a church, with all the church functionality and methods, only their religion is "no religion." It was pretty funny.

- De la Hoya lost to Merriweather, and I don't know if I spelled either name correctly. But I think everyone knew De La Hoya would lose, even though everyone wanted him to win. Basically, De La Hoya wanted more money, and everyone else wanted to see what Rocky 2 would have been like if Rocky had lost.

- I threw a softball around for about 3 hours in the past two days, and I haven't done that for a few years. Now my whole right side is sore, and it's really hard to clean the tanners. So I don't think I will. Because, really, who doesn't enjoy lying in- nevermind, I better clean the tanners.

- I've noticed a lot of my comments in life and online don't make sense to people because I'm referencing stuff they aren't familiar with. Apparently, I'm a Dennis Miller routine.

- Due to recent events, I've been thinking someone should start odds on which "young hollywood actresses" will end up in jail in the next ten years. I don't think Lohan is eligible, since it's basically a given. Or you know, 1000 to 1 odds, at least. I'll put $50 on our next inmate being Mary Kate Olsen.

- It's 3pm. I'm just waiting for the people I don't like to come in.

- Dave is coming home this weekend, and I'm excited about that. That, and how I'll throttle him in Street Fighter.

- Shot some guns yesterday afternoon. Why? Well, because that's what we manly men do. We shoot guns, throw softballs, speak of video games. We also want to be bitten by radioactive spiders and have adamantium claws.

- Spiderman 3 is big! Just like I said it would be. You'd do well to heed my words.

- "Hey, there, old woman!"
"I'm a man."
"Oh, old man."
"I'm 42."
"What?"
"I'm not old, I'm 42."
"Well, I can't just call you 'man.'"
"You could call me 'Dennis.'"
"I didn't know your name was Dennis!"
"You never bothered to find out, did you?!"

That was from memory, so I could be off. Dennis is the best.

Heel-Toe

- That's some bad hat, Harry.

- My new max is 330 push-ups.

- Vikings got Adrian Peterson. I think that's a good thing. Lions, surprise surprise, picked a wide receiver.

- I'm done with classes this semester, and it feels good.

- Heroes was spectacular last Monday. P. Petrelli went all Neo on those security guards. I'm actually not joking; I think Kring was going for a Neo-look there. He even had the trench coat. One of the best episodes yet, even though Bennet in the future got killed by Parkman, and Parkman should never have been able to do that. Bennet is too awesome. I liked how they could kill off anyone they wanted, and how everyone had this masterful control of their powers, because it's in a future they are going to prevent. I could watch that one a few more times.

- There was just a commercial on ESPN comparing soccer to basketball, saying "what do you love about basketball?" and they came up with "speed, athleticism, and desire," concluding that people are fans of soccer, they just don't know it yet. Um... scoring? The gang culture? Criminal behavior? Soccer still has way too far to go to reach the greatness of the NBA.

- You can write this down: Spiderman 3 is going to be big. (yeah, I was being Larry King right there.)

- Creepy Maxfield people keep coming by and looking for my boss. The Maxfield people are shady.

- The Black Donnelly's got cancelled. Just confirming it for you all, since I know you care. I'm going to do a little victory dance. I'll be right back.

*Turn around, now swtich!* Just kidding; I don't listen to Will Smith rap. Really.

- Mavericks are on the brink of elimination. Being a fan of the Sports Guy, I'm kind of swayed by his views on the matter: I want Cuban to win a championship, but I really really don't like Dirk Nowistlsitksityskotoskt. So if they get booted, I'll probably be happy. The Mark Cuban thing isn't because I like him, either. It's just that he's this complete black sheep, and Stern doesn't like him, so it would be cool.

- Watch Heroes. Best show on televison.

something...else

- apparently my previous opening was already used by my brother, and not wanting to plagarize his homage, I changed it. Because that's the cut of my jib.

- One more exam today, and then one tomorrow evening. And a couple papers that shouldn't be hard. Then I have all summer to think about what I did. OR will I??

- Got a new car. new as in '92, but it's really nice, and in great condition. And it has in microwave in it, only without the actual microwaves. The beeping is there, though. Of course, it might be something else, but I doubt it.

- It's a good thing I slept pretty well last night, or who knows what horrors I might be unleashing on this unsuspecting world. Like, I might have linked that video of Ironforge Cossak. "Hey! hey! hey! hey!"

- So I have yet another idea for a writing project, but I haven't started yet. I'm hoping I get so bored during the summer that I am driven to pontificate through the written word. By the way, does anyone know if Hillary actually said she was a "linguistic polyglot" or was the Right just making fun of her? Because, if she said that, that would be, quite frankly, awesome. Like Southshore beach. And sand lobsters.

- I'm a linguistic polyglot. I'm going to make this my new description of myself. I better come up with an accent.

- So my cousins didn't know who Louis Armstrong was. I don't mind that they aren't familiar with early jazz musicians, I mind that apparently they've never seen a show where people do imitations. Wayne Brady does a mean Louis Armstrong.

- Heroes is on tonight. I'm psyched. Although, I've read some spoilers, so I know what the Hiro storyline is going to be. I can't help myself. I used to always read the end of books too. It may come in handy some day.

- Some family is coming over this weekend. I better prep the tiger cage.

- My little sister got a hamster, and the wheel that she runs in non-stop is extremely squeaky. I could hear it from my room upstairs if I left my door open. I think she's in training for the championship. "Showdown, goin' down, how ya gonna mess around, showdown, put your nose down, showdown!" You go, Mrs. Rosencrantz. Wagon-full-of-pancakes got nothing on you.

-return of good tv

- Heroes was back, finally. I really missed that show. And then after it was over, that "Real Wedding Crashers" show as on where these five people are professional crashers, brought in by the bride and groom to crash the wedding. I only watched half of it. It wasn't horrible, but wasn't as good as I was hoping.

But back to Heroes. The fight scene between the two major powers was kind of lame. If you can turn invisible and use telekinesis, wouldn't you do something other than turn invisible AND turn your back to the villain so you can get hit in the head with glass? Maybe... I don't know, turn invisible, and then push a chalkboard into the guy, because he's impervious to everything but that? That's what I would do. The rest of the episode was pretty cool, though. Isaac kind of had a hard time, but I think he might pull through. I mean, having the top of your head chopped off and your brain eaten isn't all THAT bad.

They need to bring in a character that's like the Pretender. He can do everything any normal human can do; like perfect martial arts, marksmanship, any academic discipline, etc. just by seeing or reading or something. I think that would be a sweet power. Or, you know, you could bring in a Fantastic(!) character that - wait for it! - stretches! Because EVERYBODY lovers Mr. Fantastic.

Honestly, he never comes up in any conversation of superpowers. Superman, Spiderman, Flash, Batman, Wolverine, Professor X, etc. Never-ever the guy named "Mr. Fantastic." Anyway, I hope Peter, Greg Grunberg, and the Bennets form the Justice League. And Pretender. He can join too (This is not an endorsement of the show "the Pretender." I didn't like the show, or the guy who played the protagonist; I didn't like the female lead or the guy who played the "father-figure/villain"; I didn't like that he solved a murder by using spam; he was like the potential super-soldier who wasn't).

- The last episode of "Angel" gets better every time I watch it (unlike it's counterpart in the same universe). I hated it the first time. I think it helps knowing that Whedon has them living through it in canon. It's probably the only tolerable episode in season 5. And the puppet one. Heh.

- Almost done with the semester. I'll try to keep up with this thing during the summer; better than I have this past month, anyway.

- "Once you have two people disagreeing, you have a scene." - Aaron Sorkin. (I'm doing "research," and needed a place to put this where I wouldn't forget it.)

"Collaboration is about having smart people disagree with you. It's also about standing on couches and shouting at each other because you believe something is right." - Sorkin

zoinks!

- So we're apparently going to be having a meeting at work on Sunday. They will meet my demands or fall into the depths of the Failed Business ring of Hades. You know, the one where you can't access the system/program website because the only guy who knew the password quit, and prior to quitting he also deleted the computer's hard drive? Yeah, that one. If it goes really badly, someone might break off a key in the office door; you know, theoretically. I mean, it's probably been known to happen.

- My car died. And my dog died. And we all thought Penny died, but then she woke up, and then she wasn't Penny at all! Lost was humorous, but to be honest, they live on an island, and Jin is like "Camping? Swweeeeeeet!" They live in tents. Camping. That would be like if House was on a plane and happened to come upon a difficult-to-diagnose in mid-flight, and... yeah. I would think writers could have come up with a better excuse than "camping," but I'm not going to complain.

- Could The Flash outrun Superman? Now I'm curious. I know on the one "Lois and Clark" he (superman) vibrates so fast that he demoleculizes and passes through a force-field.

- I saw Man On Fire at work a week ago. With Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning and Bruce Dickinson-, er, Christopher Walken. Yes, THE Christopher Walken. It's cool because he kills everybody. Washington, not Christopher Walken. Fanning doesn't kill anyone either, I don't think. But, like all Denzel Washington Movies, he *spoiler* dies at the end. Seriously, besides Much Ado About Nothing, does he ever live through anything? Now people are going to rattle off the submarine one, and the pelican one, and I'm pretty sure he lives in the one with Clive Owen and the diamonds, but he dies a lot for a main star, okay? Fallen (but really cool anyway), Training Day, Deja Vu (sort of), Malcolm X, Man on Fire, Glory. I've only seen three of those movies (and not even the whole thing of Glory), btw. And I'm guessing on the Malcolm X one. Hey, if they can kill off Professor, they can keep Malcolm alive.

- I just looked up a list of D.W. movies. He lives through a large majority. Who cares...

- I'm out of things to say. I need a car.

- Because I'm bored, some Colbert quotes.

On speculation that JK Rowling will kill off Harry Potter in the seventh book: "Wise move. He's a wizard; he should have been stoned a long time ago."

"We have barely recovered from the original Y2K. If you don't remember, seven years ago at the stroke of midnight, planes fell from the sky, the banking system collapsed and power grids caught fire from coast to coast. Or so I assume. I was locked in my underground shelter cleaning my zombie rifle."

"This teaches children a valuable lesson: Expect nothing and be happy you're not kidnapped."

"The NY Times wants you and your family dead."

"Equations are the devil's sentences!"

Colbert: [debating himself on torture] This is America. We don't torture. Respect for human life is what separates us from those we're fighting. If we stoop to their level, in a way, we've already lost.
Colbert: But if we don't stoop to their level, we might lose in a worse way... by actually losing.

-checking out

- I'm worn out, tired, beat, ready to be done, etc. I want school to be over and for work to make sense, but it looks like a few more weeks before either of those things happen. I wonder what would happen if I quit; or better yet, put off my "nice-guy" persona, and just yelled at everybody for awhile. Then I could quit, if they didn't meet my demands. (1. Bring back the play-station in the office...)

- I can't believe I actually spent four years of my life at this place. Some kid called me last night wanting to know if I would donate $50 to the senior scholarship fund, and if I did, I could get a signed brick to put in front of Warner Hall. What... in... the Tartar Sauce...? I told him I didn't really like CMU, so having a brick with my name on it wasn't a drawing point. A brick. Yeah, I can see me now, holding a brick... chucking it out the 4th story library window.... Hmm, I should call that guy back.

- Juliette is bad? Crackles! oh, right, we all knew that. Kind of like how we knew Prison Break: Season 3 wasn't going to be about "family time on a riverboat."

- I don't listen to Imus. I never will listen to Imus. But the fact is, Sharpton once publicly said that white people were still living in caves while blacks were teaching each other art and culture. When can we expect you to resign from your radio show, Mr. Sharpton? Hypocrites. Imus should have went after these guys, instead of cowering away, because now he's up the creek.

- My mom and two sisters are going to Wisconsin today. Dad is going to work, and poor Abby (our dog) died this week (not sure why, she wasn't that old; just got sick, I guess). So I have the house to myself. As if I'm not bored enough as it is. I really have no idea what I'm going to do. Watch the Office. Maybe watch Scrubs.

- Is "crikey" a cuss in austrailian? Just wondering, 'cause it's fun to say. Another good one is "bloody," but you can only use that in certain situations, like "I cut my bloody fingers with the bloody knife!" because I'm pretty sure that really is a cuss in Britain. And if someone's foot got caught in a door, one might have the opportunity to say, "I already told you: darn those bloody socks!" I think I need to set that up...

Edit: Drudge has up that Imus is calling out Sharpton to apologize to the Duke players now. About time he showed some backbone. Good move, Imus. Sharpton's a racist bigot; unlike, interestingly enough, Mel Gibson, who is not a bigot, and Michael Richards, who is not a racist. That's the crazy thing.

Confrontation

- Had a great time over the weekend. A bunch of people came over on Saturday and Sunday. But now I've kind of been dwelling on the last major thing we talked about; namely, confrontation, and how some of the clan seem to view it as a bad thing. So I wrote out 4 or 5 pages during budget class yesterday, and there were still more things I wanted to address. When I finish, I'll type it out, send it to a few people I know agree with me for refinement, and then maybe mass email.

Confrontation is good. It's healthy. It refines. As Mike V. said, iron sharpeneth iron. All theology is, at its core, about the character of God. Nothing in the Bible is arbitrary. Therefore, for people to take a stand against what happens at out semi-annual meetings is completely... embarrassing, I think is the word.

Of course, the objections become more varied because no one wants to come out and say "who cares?" about theology, even if it's what they might be thinking. So it becomes an excuse like "well, we need to see more application" or "there's not enough love," both of which I address in my paper. Anyway, I might chicken-out, since sending "my take" to adults isn't something I feel comfortable doing.

- Next time you talk to Joe, tell him "I can't believe you told that joke!" and see what his reaction is.

- Turentin said that Adam's sin is the result of God withholding grace. Page 518 of volume 1, I believe. So we got into this big thing about that. Wish you could have been there.

- happy b-day, Jenn. She had the violin for a day and was already playing Twinkle Twinkle, Jesus Loves Me, and Enya's May It be.