Senseless Chatter with Minimal Splatter

Spin Me Right 'Round

2009-01-15T13:43:00.001-08:00

So, I try to get in some cardio at the gym after work on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Typically, that means 45 minutes on an elliptical machine, since I wasn’t given the best knee genetics. Well, a friend of our family is often at the gym while I am, and he is an avid spin-classer. And, at the end of 2008, he basically went around to all the guys that are there in the afternoon and asked them to join the spin class, in order to even out the gender ratio. The poor guy is usually the only male in there.

Ok, so I had never been to a spin class before; my limited knowledge was that it was basically an aerobics class on stationary bikes. I figured that it would be interesting to at least try it once.

Alright, so 5:30pm, Tuesday afternoon, I get to the gym. The first thing I noticed was that the guy that roped me into this thing wasn’t there, but his daughter was. It turns out that he had had some sort of minor medical procedure done that day and was at home resting. Did I feel like a sucker? Maybe a bit. However, it actually worked out well, because the class was basically full, and I had to take what would’ve been his bike.

Anyway, I went over to my bike, and I immediately learned why guys don’t usually frequent spin classes. THE SEAT WAS NOT COMFORTABLE. And, I’m not gonna go into a lot of detail on this point, but feel free to connect the dots on your own...NOT COMFORTABLE.

Oh, but I would not be deterred. I hopped on board and strapped my feet into the pedals. That’s right—you have to strap yourself in. Moreover, you have to tuck your shoelaces into your shoes. I guess that probably is standard biking etiquette (fast moving spokes and all), but in the moment, all it meant to me was that I was about to get owned by this spin class.

The omens just kept coming...I started to warm-up on the pedals (since that’s what everyone else was doing), and I looked around. Every single person had a huge bottle of water at their station. ALL OF THEM. Did I think to bring water? Haha, not a chance. This was just a whim. A poorly planned whim.

So, the class finally started. Overhead lights off, black lights on, music up...apaprently this is a rave-inspired class. Next time I’ll bring some glowsticks. ;) Anyway, we get going on low resistance. Easy cheesy. Then, we cranked it up—tougher but still doable. Oh, then the fun began…the standing up and sitting down part. By the time you get to stand up, your quads are burning, so standing is actually a relief, in spite of the awkwardness associated with simultaneously standing and pedaling. I mean, you’re just not supposed to do that. The worse part of this section involved sitting down each time, because it’s amazing how you forget how uncomfortable the seat is...until you sit down again. Now, imagine getting that realization 50 times in rapid succession. Nice.

The last half of the class involved cranking up resistance in intervals...10 seconds, 20 seconds, etc. I was amazed at how long 30 seconds felt. How long and how PAINFUL. I make no excuses...I’m a total weakling, but still, wow. The last thing was a 2.5-minute climb at max resistance standing up. You know, by this point, it was tough, but I was kinda numb to the pain. Is that the goal? I can’t tell.

Anyway, we made it through and started to cool down. And, BAM, that’s when it hit me. As soon as the adrenaline started dying down, I knew that 1) not having water was a big mistake, and 2) not eating a snack mid-afternoon was also a big mistake. Now, keep your gasps to a minimum...I didn’t faint or anything. Although, for a second, I did think about how embarrassing it would be for the one guy in the class to collapse under the strain; it would’ve brought ridicule and shame upon the entire male population. Fortunately, I survived. After 5 minutes of cool down, I was good to go. I left breathing deeply and feeling like I really got the blood pumping, which totally is the goal.

So, am I gonna go again? Well, we have our new production at the theatre starting next week, and I am involved with that show, so most of my late afternoon-evening time will be spoken for. The result is that workout time is gonna suffer. :( But, I will say that I’m not totally opposed to spin classes...provided I eat a snack beforehand, I bring some water, and I get used to the seat. That last one is gonna be a killer.

Oil & Water

2008-11-03T20:26:00.000-08:00

I’m glad this election cycle is coming to a close. In general, politics turns my stomach. It just does. But, in recent years, do you know what’s most unnerved me about politics? How faith has become so intertwined in it. For some reason, "evangelical Christians" are now known as a voting bloc, and if that’s what we’re known as, something’s really wrong.

I mean, faith and politics are basically oil and water. They don’t play well together. Faith should basically transcend everything on Earth, and when Christians put so much effort and time and resources in such a profoundly Earthly thing as politics, it diminishes who we are.

Let’s take an example...how about a really controversial example...abortion. Now, I believe that God values all life, but I don’t think that overturning Roe v. Wade is the way to show that to others. Why? 1) Prohibiting abortion will not stop abortions—-think Cider House Rules. 2) Taking such an important belief and reducing it to the stuff of lawbooks totally removes God from the equation. I mean, Christianity deals with the hearts of people; that’s how the issue should be handled—in one-on-one relationships. The point is that, if Christians were doing what we were called to do, it wouldn’t matter whether the government allowed abortions or not. The fact that we’ve had to take the battle to the political arena shows how ineffective we’ve been.

You see, Republicans don’t want you to know that. As long as Christians think that we NEED Republicans to do our work for us, then we’ll keep using our "Christian" organizations to send millions of dollars to them.

Oh, but the Democrats aren’t off the hook either. This election cycle has seen a notable chunk of Christians, particularly young Christians, move to the Democratic side of the coin. Well, the Democrats have hijacked Christian ideals as well. As an example, let’s use charity and benevolence...giving to those less fortunate. There are several Democratic tenets that match up nicely to that idea--after all, government assistance is also giving to those less fortunate. But yet again, all that does is remove God from the equation. When a Christian directly helps someone in need, he/she has the opportunity to share Love with them, in the exact same way Jesus did. If you outsource that act to the Government, that removes opportunities for us to do what we’re called to do.

And, Democrats don’t want you to know that, for the same reasons I noted above for the Republicans.

You see the risk here? If we try to mesh together politics and faith too much, we can lull ourselves into thinking that our vote--our support of one party or another--somehow covers our responsibilities. But, I’ve yet to find any scripture that tells us that God wants us to help get laws passed. And, I’ve not seen any verse that says we should look to our government to care for our fellow men and women. We’re just called to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the parties are so inferior that Christians shouldn’t vote at all. We each have preferences on how our Government should be run, and because this is America, we have the right to express those preferences. But, for those of you who are Christians, guard against letting your politics obscure your faith. It can happen more easily than you think.

A Tribute

2008-10-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

This morning, my grandmother passed away--the only grandparent I got the chance to know. Her health had been on a steady decline for a number of months, so we all had time to prepare. I’m pleased to say that she was resting comfortably in recent days, and that at least made things better for me.

She really loved her family. I mean, as far as earthly things go, we were everything to her, and we knew that. What an honor.

As is so often the case here in the South, my grandmother’s food was so much more than just meats and vegetables and starches. Her food meant love and tradition and memory. Because of that, I wanted to talk a little about her food, as a memorial to her.

Let’s start with breakfast. I had many opportunities to spend the night at her house, and she always insisted on preparing breakfast. She knew I didn’t like eggs--a morning staple for so many people--so she had to compensate...with bacon. Sure, there was always some toast or biscuits, but when she cooked breakfast for me, it was all about the bacon. When I visited, she would fry up AN ENTIRE PACKAGE OF BACON for breakfast. And, lo and behold, I would eat the whole thing. Bacon is so good! Granted, most of the time my sister would be spending the night as well, so maybe I’d only get to eat half a package. It’s all about portion control. ;)

Virtually all of my grandmother’s food was made from scratch--no big surprise there. I mean, creamed potatoes...always from scratch. Beans, peas, and corn…never from a can. She loved cooking up fresh produce. Of course, we grandkids always loved her macaroni and cheese; it’s not the healthiest side dish, but it’s often times a winner. Imagine the shock and surprise we experienced when we found out that her mac & cheese was Stouffer’s. Seriously! Straight from the freezer case to the microwave to the serving bowl. It didn’t matter to us, of course. And my goodness, she deserved to take a shortcut somewhere.

Why did she deserve to take a shortcut? Because she was known to COOK WAY TOO MUCH! Let me paint a picture for ya; pick a holiday. How about Thanksgiving (even though it could be Christmas or Easter or any other day that brought our whole family together). Her entire 8-person dining table would be covered in food. Two or three meats. A dozen or more sides. (I’m NOT exaggerating on that.) Then, move over to her buffet. That’s where the cold stuff was. The relish tray, the coleslaw, the fresh tomatoes and green onions. And, the cornbread often found its way there too. Let me pause on the cornbread for a second. It was sooooo good! My mother has pretty much figured out how to replicate it, and that’s a really good thing. The cornbread was also always served upside-down--you know, a result of getting it out of the cast iron skillet. To this day, when I see cornbread served right side up, it looks wrong to me. ;) Anyway, we’re not done with her cooking spread. Move over to her breakfast table, where the grandchildren sat. There were always a couple of things that had to be put on that table, because it wouldn’t fit on the big one. It seemed that the sliced ham always was there, because I had some cousins that absolutely loved it. Granted, it was good, but I always thought it took up valuable plate space that was better suited for other things. ;) And, finally, desserts. She’d always conjure up about 3 desserts. Now, wrap your mind around all that food. She would somehow do all of this BY HERSELF. She refused to have her daughters-in-law bring any food. She at least would let the family help move the food to serving bowls when it was time to eat, but that’s all. I’m still pretty amazed by all that. The few times I’ve tried to cook a whole meal for people, it was crazy enough to try and cook 3 or 4 things at once.

There are many, many more tidbits I could share about my grandmother and her food, but I’m just gonna mention one more. It has to do with lima beans. I love lima beans; I really do, and I’m the only person in the family that loves lima beans that much. One time, I overheard my grandmother mention to someone that she was preparing lima beans for one of our family meals, because she knew I loved them so much. And, from then on, I realized that they were at every single meal. As you might expect, I felt special and loved. Every time I eat lima beans, I think of her. Of course, that also explains why she felt compelled to cook so much food for every family gathering...eleven family members equals eleven favorites. Eleven chances for her to show how much she cared, and she never missed that opportunity. :)

Outdated, Yet on the Money

2008-10-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

I'm definitely enjoying New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton. If you aren't familiar with Merton, he was a Trappist monk right in the middle of the 20th century. He offers lots of fresh perspective that I don't get in my usual church circles.

Anyway, as I was reading, I came across the following statement. You can tell it was written during the Cold War, but it has uncanny applicability today as well.

"What is the use of postmarking our mail with exhortations to 'pray for peace' and then spending billions of dollars on atomic submarines, thermonuclear weapons, and ballistic missiles? This, I would think, would certainly be what the New Testament called 'mocking God'--and mocking Him far more effectively than the atheists do."

Some hard-hitting Truth.

Idols

2008-09-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

This video impacts me every time I watch it. The bridge especially.

When Doves Cry - Olympic Style

2008-08-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

So, Happy 08/08/08! Today also happens to be the day of the Opening Ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics!! Fun times!!

You know, the Olympics symbolize peace and harmony....and so do doves. As such, doves have been used throughout the modern Olympic era as a symbol of the Games.

However, there haven't been live doves used in the Opening Ceremonies since the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Wanna know why? Watch (gotta get to the end)...

Disco Disaster

2008-06-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have a small confession for you: every once in a while, I wish I had experienced the disco era. Now, let me clarify, it's not that I have some sort of longing to break out in dance, but I'm intrigued by the notion that there was a time when pop culture revolved around dancing. At least that's how my parents describe it. Everyone--young and old--went out dancing. That had to be fun, right?

Ah, but for every silver lining, there's a dark cloud, it seems. I had never really thought about the consequences of a disco-centric society. And no, I'm not talking about foot pain. Apparently, as disco grew in popularity, it began infiltrating things it shouldn't infiltrate...such as television. Case in point--absolutely horrible t.v. variety shows. Now, some variety shows were apparently quite popular, but until to day I had never thought that there must've been some really, really unfortunate shows that didn't catch on.

Thanks to MentalFloss.com for opening my eyes. :) Read on...

"Featuring female singers Keiko 'Kei' Masuda and Mitsuyo 'Mie' Nemoto, the duo Pink Lady enjoyed huge success in Japan. Nine of their singles sold more than a million copies. Their first step towards a career in the US was a concert in Las Vegas, which led to an English-Language album with one minor hit. This impressed producers at NBC, who had created a variety show for Pink Lady with (then) up-and-coming comedian Jeff Altman.

As producers quickly discovered Mie and Kei knew little English, and had to learn their parts of the show phonetically—a draining process for all involved. Rather than perform their own hits, the girls were forced to sing disco numbers such as 'Knock on Wood' and, in this clip, 'Boogie Wonderland':

Amazing, right? ;) Maybe I was born in the right era after all. :)

A New Toy

2008-06-02T11:52:00.000-07:00

After years of contemplation, I finally took the leap and bought a synthesizer! To be precise, I bought the Yamaha MO8, which is really the perfect keyboard for the different things I'll use it for (the first project being music production for Footloose: The Musical, Ripley's summer theatre show).

It didn't take me long to realize that, when you buy a serious keyboard, nothing comes with the keyboard. Well, except the AC adapter. So, in addition to the MO8, I also bought 1) a music stand, 2) a keyboard stand, 3) a sustain pedal, 4) a keyboard amp, 5) a bench, 6) a flash drive for external storage, and 7) all the cords needed to connect everything. Here's the whole set-up. :D

Fortunately, I got such a great deal on the keyboard itself (hooray for eBay!!) that even with buying all the accessories I still came in under the retail price of the keyboard alone. That's pretty exciting.

I've been playing on the keyboard all weekend, and I must say that I'm very pleased with it. Granted, I'll need several months, at least, to really understand how powerful it truly is, but for now I'm at least able to accomplish what I need to accomplish (as I said, Footloose).

Of course, no matter how great my keyboard is, I will never be able to accomplish this...

(btw, this girl is apparently ten years old. I would say she has a bright future in synth music production, don't you think?)

Four and Twenty Blackbirds

2008-05-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

I had no idea how smart crows are. I was fascinated by this video clip of Joshua Klein, who studies how crows have adapted to living in close proximity to humans. It's 10 minutes long, and I bet you'll find it fascinating too. :)

How Do You Spell That?

2008-05-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

Did you know that our trusty government can show you the most popular U.S. baby names for every year...going all the way back to 1880?!? As you can imagine, one can have hours (or at least minutes) of fun looking back at the trends. Go to www.socialsecurity.gov to start the fun!!

Here are some interesting things I found out...

- For 2007, my first name (James) ranked #15, my middle name (Douglas) ranked #396, and my nickname (Trey...being used as an on-the-birth-certificate name, not a nickname) ranked #285. And, just for fun, the derivative version Treyvon ranked #986.

- Back in my birth year, 1981, my name was a bit more common. James-#7 and Douglas-#64, although Trey only ranked #747. Surprisingly, no Treyvon's that year.

- This past year, the name Samson ranked #897, while the name Delilah ranked #298. Hmm...

- In 2007, my sister, Madeline, has a decent following (#61), as did multiple versions of her name. Madelyn-#104, Madeleine-#290, Madalyn-#371, Madilyn-#382, Madelynn-#471, Madalynn-#665, Madilynn-#801.

- In the year my grandmother was born (and I'm too much of a gentleman to post that year here), her name, Dorothy, was the #3 girl's name. Only Mary and Betty were more popular.

- The award for Most Popular Name That I've Never Ever Heard Of goes to Nevaeh, which ranked #31 in girl's names. 6,689 girls were born with that name last year, which only shows how behind the times I am. And, if you notice, Nevaeh is Heaven spelled backwards.

- In 1990, the name "Taylor" was more popular as a girl's name for the first time ever, and it's been that way ever since.

So, lots of interesting stuff. Look around the website and let me know what cool things you find!

Hooking Up at the Polls

2008-03-10T09:31:00.000-07:00

You know, in the realm of Presidential politics, Mississippi is never the State that matters. We aren’t huge, so the numbers game doesn’t help us out. And, in addition to that, we’re hardly ever “up for grabs.” I mean, come general election time, is Mississippi gonna vote for the conservative candidate? Most likely, yep. So, we usually get stuffed in the “foregone conclusion” bucket pretty quickly.

But, that’s the general election; we’re in primary season. Of course, we never matter in primary season either, because our primary is so late compared to everyone else’s! Typically, the party nominations really are foregone conclusions by the time we go to the polls.

Yet, it would seem that this election is just a bit different.

With Bill Clinton in Tupelo, Barack Obama in Columbus, and Fox News setting up camp in Oxford (Shepard Smith will do anything to go to Oxford), it seems that Mississippi—and even good ol’ North Mississippi, which never ever gets much attention—is finding its way into the political spotlight.

And, here’s where you’ll have to indulge a bit of cynicism. Mississippi isn’t so much finding itself in the political spotlight as it is finding itself courted on a Spring Break trip. (Apt timing, don’t you think?) I mean, think about it. Here we are, in the political primary-equivalent of Cancun, and for the first time in a long while, we’re getting some attention. Barack Obama thinks we look sexy in our bathing suit, and Hillary Clinton’s offering to do body shots with us. All the while, FoxNews and CNN both want to get some good footage of us for their “Politics Gone Wild” compilation. Oh, and we’re kinda liking the attention. After all, we’ve never felt so hot before. Never before have we gotten so many drunk smiles our way. We’re so glad we went on this trip!

But, all the free alcohol is clouding our judgment a bit. What we’re not realizing is that, for so many of the Spring Breakers (Barack and Hillary included), Spring Break is just a revolving door of hook-ups. Sure, today and tomorrow they’ll tell us we’re special. As a matter of fact, we’re the most special State they’ve ever seen! But, they’re just flattering us so we’ll head back to their hotel room for some “delegate nookie,” if you will. On Wednesday morning, we’ll be left alone in the bed, with no trace of what happened the day before…except for the lingering thought that, once we get home, we’ll have to somehow get tested for STD’s without our parents finding out. Oh joy.

Of course, the plus about this analogy is that it’s our constitutional right to hook-up! So, cast those inhibitions aside, size up the candidates as best you can with cheap alcohol coursing through your veins, stagger your way to their low-rent hotel, and VOTE!!

When Playing With Your Food Gets Serious

2008-03-03T11:41:00.000-08:00

This is one of the most clever videos I've ever seen. It traces the global history of war from WWII to the present....but it uses food to tell the story. For instance, pretzels and sausages represent Germany. Croissants represent France. Kimchee for Korea, Kabobs for the Middle East, etc. And, of course, the U.S. gets hamburgers, French fries, and chicken McNuggets.

Definitely go watch the video, and if you can't figure out which food represents which country, they provide a cheat sheet for you.

My favorite part is the Cold War section.

The Safety Stash

2008-02-20T13:25:00.000-08:00

I'd been wanting to do this post for about a week now, but I wanted to finish the Japan blogposts first. (If you haven't read them, then READ THEM! Even though they're kinda long...)

Anyway, I read an interesting article in Mental Floss that talked about the different items that people intentionally buy lots of...as in, when they're at Wal-Mart, they buy 5 or 6 or 20 of the same thing, just to make sure they're never caught without them.

When I read the article, the item that instantly popped into my head (oddly enough) was my deodorant: Speed Stick - Active Fresh. When I run low, I don't buy a single replacement, or even two. It's usually about 6. Why? Well, on two separate occasions, Wal-Mart briefly stopped carrying it, and I had to grudgingly switch to another deodorant...only to find my old deodorant back on the shelves when I needed to replenish again. I guess I'm not the only one who likes it. :)

Still, it's an odd feeling when I'm tossing 6 of the same deodorant into the shopping cart; I feel weird, since there's no good reason to hoard deodorant, but at the same time I feel relieved, since it will be many months before the threat of discontinued deodorant rears its head again.

I tried to think of any other items that I treat the same way, but no others came to mind. I mean, I do always buy a couple of 3-packs of soap when I'm about to run out, but it definitely doesn't feel over-the-top to do so. And, when it comes to food, there are plenty of things that I always like having around (Nature Valley granola bars, Pringles, and Dr. Pepper, for example), but I don't create emergency back-ups of them, just in case.

What about you? Do you have any intentional "safety stashes" of toiletries or food items or anything else in your cabinets?

Japan IV: The Many Faces of Tokyo

2008-02-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

And now it’s time for the last installment of my Japan blogs! So, the last post ended with Ross and me headed back to Tokyo on the shinkansen. I want to mention that that train ride was especially nice. Yeah, we got to see Mt. Fuji, which was cool, but Ross and I also got to just sit and talk, which was great. I mean, when you go somewhere like Japan, you want to experience everything the country has to offer, but in doing so, plain ol’ hanging out can get inadvertently pushed aside. The train ride helped rebalance everything.

Anyway, we detrained at Shinjuku Station (the busiest train station in the world—2 million people each day) to go in search of our hotel. I must say that the station is a bit of a maze. We knew we had to head west from the station, but navigating the building (which included multiple corridors and countless stores) wasn’t intuitive. But, with some persistence, we made it to the Kadoya Hotel, which turned out to be a pretty good hotel. The lobby needed a good fumigation, as it wreaked of cigarette smoke, but our room was nice and big. And, it was very conveniently located. While I’m focusing on the hotel, let me mention a hotel attendant named Abe (AH-bay…not like Abe Lincoln). Similar to Adachi at the Marunouchi Hotel, Abe was especially helpful, and it was nice when we saw him behind the desk (particularly since the other attendant, who was older, did not have very good English skills).

So, what to say about Tokyo….it reminded me a lot of New York City. First of all, it was definitely a city that never slept. And then, there were countless neighborhoods, each with very distinct characteristics…very similar to New York. What was cool was that, even though there were plenty of sights to see, the real fun came in taking in each of the distinct neighborhoods. Having said all that, though, there were distinct differences from NYC too. First, it didn’t feel like a melting pot. Everyone looked Japanese. Sure, there were random folks with crazy-colored hair, but by and large, it felt like a single ethnic group. Second, Tokyo was cleaner…at least it appeared that way. Third, the people kept to themselves more. This was the general impression I got from the locals in all the cities. They were respectful, and they were willing to help if you asked them questions, but unless prompted, they acted as though you weren’t really there. And, of course, that had pros and cons. There was very little yelling or honking, which was great, but there was also very little smiling. Oh, and speaking of honking, there were very few cabs, because cab fares are prohibitively expensive. The trains and subways are where it’s at. Lastly, I never felt unsafe in Tokyo. The city has very little crime, and much of the crime it does have is the mafia kind, which usually doesn't concern people who mind their own business. :)

Alright, since the neighborhoods are the interesting part of Tokyo, I think I’m just gonna list the different neighborhoods and include a few thoughts about each.

Shinjuku – Where we stayed. The west side is home to lots of high-rise financial buildings; the east side has lots of electronic stores, some shops, movie theatres, etc. The station itself is home to a mall’s worth of stores. People don’t really live here, but the train station makes it so lots of folks hang out here. Lots of neon signage, btw.

Kabuki-cho – Just north of Shinjuku, this is the area for adult entertainment. We walked through it during the day, when everything was closed, and yeah, I’m guessing it does get hot and heavy at night. But, the plus is that outside that area, there’s really no visible sleaze.

Harajuku – Just south of Shinjuku, this is wear the crazily dressed school kids hang out. And, I mean, really crazy. Think “outrageous Halloween costume,” but that’s every day. Lots of bright colors, lots of accessories, and if you’re a guy, apparently lots of drag. Go figure. And, the area was PACKED with teenagers. Where were their parents? Good question!

Shibuya – Just south of Harajuku, this is the Times Square-esque part of Tokyo. If I visit Tokyo again, I might want to stay here, because I feel we didn’t experience this area quite enough. Shibuya Crossing is the main intersection here, and literally hundreds of people cross there every time the Walk sign turns on. It felt like controlled mass hysteria. :) We also visited one of the big clothing boutiques in Shibuya. The guys’ clothing was…almost indescribable. First of all, I’m pretty sure that an American size small was a biggest size they had; stylistically, the clothes were like biker-meets-cowboy-meets-raver. Too bad my name’s not Harley Spur Glowstick. ;)

Asakusa – Over near the center of town, this is Tokyo’s take on old school. Unfortunately, it doesn’t retain the authenticity that we saw in Kyoto. It was nice to visit, though.

Roppongi – This section of town provides nightlife that caters to foreigners. Lots of bars and clubs. There’s also a huge complex called Roppongi Hills that is meant to provide everything people need to thrive—housing, retail, restaurants, entertainment, medical facilities, etc. It’s an interesting concept. And that’s where I paid the most I’ve ever paid to watch a movie--$18 (I think that’s what it was) to see I Am Legend, which I didn’t even care for. It was a nice theatre, though.

Ginza – Ross and I both liked this neighborhood a lot. Where as most of Tokyo felt very “Downtown,” Ginza was correspondingly “Uptown.” A little bit more refined, but still very urban. It just felt very cool. Lots of unique buildings, and lots of high-end stores, too.

There are a few more things to mention. One morning, Ross insisted that we go to the Tsukiji Fish Market (the busiest fish market in the world), and I reluctantly agreed. The tough part is that you’ve to get there at the 5:30-6:30 AM timeframe in order to see anything interesting. :( :( I don’t like early mornings. But, we went, and I confess that it was pretty cool. Every morning, thousands of whole tuna are auctioned off to local restaurants and distributors, which was really fun to see. And, after we were done looking around, we had early-morning sushi right there in the market. Now, I don’t really care for sushi, but if there’s anywhere to have sushi, it’s gotta be there, right?

On the trains to and from the market, we saw this group of American guys—probably around our age—and they were being SO DISRESPECTFUL! Yelling at each other across the train and dropping the f-bomb nonspot. It would’ve been rude stateside, but it was exceptionally rude in Japan. And, one of the guys tried to hit on a teenage girl on the train; she wisely ignored him. But, you know, I’ve got to say that any time we saw someone being disrespectful, THEY WERE ALWAYS AMERICAN! It was really a shame. I suppose that’s one reason why our country isn’t well-liked abroad.

One other cool thing Ross and I got to do was attend a sumo tournament. There were some disrespectful Americans there too. They tried to start the wave when they got bored. Save it for a triple-A baseball game, kiddos. :(

Summing up everything, I had a STELLAR time in Japan! It was so much fun!!! I hope I get the chance to visit again someday. :D

Japan III: All Around Kyoto!

2008-02-12T20:10:00.000-08:00

In terms of old-school Japanese culture, Kyoto is where we knew we’d focus our attention. After all, Kyoto was the capital of Japan for over 1,000 years—much longer than any other location. The city certainly didn’t disappoint.

To keep in the whole old-school vibe, we decided that while in Kyoto we’d stay in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn (i.e. the places with tatami mat floors, rice-paper sliding screens, etc.). Having said that, I confess that we didn’t go completely traditional. Our inn, Ryokan Shimizu, is categorized as a “modern ryokan,” meaning that, even though the rooms do retain a traditional feel, they also have modern heat/air conditioning, television (which wasn’t crucial since it was all in Japanese), and private bathrooms. We really appreciated that last one. ;) The place was really very pleasant. In traditional fashion, you had to take off your shoes when entering, and every day the staff brought you a tasty beverage that seemed to be hot green tea mixed with orange marmalade. It was nice.

Of course, it was a little tough to find the ryokan. The Japanese aren’t especially good at labeling their non-major streets, and this place was definitely tucked away on a non-major street. We did have a couple maps to help us get there, but again, they aren’t that helpful if you don’t know which street is which. Fortunately, we came across an extremely nice lady that offered to point us in the right direction. I would guess she was in her late-50’s/early-60’s, and I think she had the best English out of everyone we met, including all the younger folk. With her help, we found the place pretty easily. ;)

I got the impression that Kyoto is a city with a bit of an identity crisis. It wants to keep one foot solidly planted in the past and one foot solidly planted in the present. I mean, there are centuries-old temples and shrines all throughout the city, mixed right in with the apartment buildings, 7-11’s, and department stores. Even the population seemed to be a bit confused. There were lots of ladies who wore traditional kimonos, while also donning name-brand purses and modern jewelry. So, yeah, Kyoto definitely wants to have it both ways, and I think it’s as successful at it as any city could be.

As you can imagine, the majority of the sights in Kyoto are old, old buildings…and they really are spread all over town. Fortunately, our ryokan was within walking distance of Kyoto Station, the city’s transportation hub. And, since Kyoto thrives on tourism, their bus system was perfect for travelers. During our first bus ride, though, we learned an important lesson: do not sit down if you’re not sure how far away your stop is. Otherwise, you might be sandwiched in such a way that you can’t get out when the time comes. The second thing we learned in the buses was that the ideal temperature for the Japanese is somewhere in the mid-80’s. Those buses were HOT! And so was our room at the ryokan (prior to our daily adjustment of the thermostat). I mean, oppressively hot. Not to mention that, in all that heat, we were the only two people that would take off our coats. Everyone else stayed bundled up in coats, overcoats, and scarves. I don’t know how they stood it.

Anyway, back to the temples. Like I said, the bus system helped us maneuver the city, but you know, we still had to do a fair bit of walking. For most of the sights, the nearest bus stop was still about a mile or two away…usually with a hill to climb somewhere in there. ;) Regardless, the places didn’t disappoint. I could write paragraphs and paragraphs about them, but I’m already running pretty long. To sum it up, there was great architecture (including the longest wooden building in Japan and a temple totally covered in 24K gold), tranquil gardens (with babbling brooks, zen rock gardens, and koi), and exquisite statuary (like a collection of 1,001 Kannon statues—each one with its own set of 40 arms), as well as Gion, Japan’s most storied geisha district (and we did see a geisha!).

There are a few more random tidbits I want to share about Kyoto. At one of the temples, Ross and I were approached by a friendly, older gentleman. We both were a bit wary at first, because he was a little too energetic about starting a conversation, but he ended up being harmless. It turns out that he’s an English professor who’s writing an English-Japanese dictionary; wisely, he seeks out Westerners to help proofread it. So, we each took a page and gave it a once-over. All in all, a pretty surreal event.

Speaking of surreal stuff, I would never in a million years expected to see a Café du Monde right in the middle Kyoto Station. Yep, THAT Café du Monde...from New Orleans...that doesn’t have any U.S. locations outside of Louisiana. The only other franchises in the entire world are in Japan. Crazy! Unfortunately, the beignets weren’t the same. :(

Lastly, I can’t close my post about Kyoto without mentioning that Ross and I both had bouts of unwellness while we were there. :( Mine hit the first day in Kyoto. The combination of some sniffliness (probably from the cold night in Nara), the lingering fatigue/jetlag from my flight, and the exertion from walking around Kyoto made for an overall sense of blech. I definitely verged on dehydration, along with the sinus mess. Ross was really understanding at our first dinner in Kyoto, as I sipped broth from the noodle bowl. Fortunately, that night was as bad as it got. I was on a steady track upward after that. Ross’s own bout with near-dehydration happened the next day, as we frustratingly searched around midtown Kyoto for dinner. Another lesson learned: travel guidebooks offer great info on restaurants, but they don’t always tell you how to find them. We finally just threw up our hands and went with the first decent-looking place we saw. It actually turned out to be a pretty good place, and Ross felt much better afterwards.

Well, after 3 ½ days in Kyoto, it was back to Tokyo! So, we hopped aboard the shinkansen and headed that direction! The sky was clear enough that we got to see Mt. Fuji on the way! :)

Japan II: Nara or Bust!

2008-02-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

Time for the second blogpost on Japan! When we last left the story, Ross and I had made it to the Marunouchi Hotel, having misjudged the scheduling of the trains in Japan. After a good night’s rest and a good, hard look at the train timetables, we headed out for Nara. The shinkansen (bullet train) that runs between Tokyo and Kyoto made for a very comfortable trip; we should have bullet trains around here. Anyway, after changing trains in Kyoto, we finally arrived in Nara, the first permanent capital of Japan!

Compared to Tokyo and Kyoto, Nara is a quaint town. It has plenty of shops/restaurants/etc, since it’s a popular tourist destination, but it retains a definite small town feel. People frequently walked down the middle of street, just because car traffic was so sporadic. By the time we checked into the hotel it was mid-afternoon, so we decided to immediately hit the sights. You might wonder why we were in Nara anyway. Good question! Well, on the 2^nd Sunday of every January, Nara sets fire to Mount Wakakusayama (which really was just a glorified hill), in commemoration of a centuries-old feud between two Buddhist sects. People come from all over Japan to see it, and since the festival coincided with our vacation, we wanted to check it out!

But, it wasn’t dark yet, so we had just enough time to see some other stuff. First was Nara Park, a green space known for its extremely tame deer. I mean, tame like pets. They just roam around, looking for hand-outs, and of course, many people oblige. We walked through the park, on our way to Daibutsu-den (Great Buddha Hall), the largest wooden building in the world. As the name implies, it houses a huge statue of Buddha. So, yeah, this building was MASSIVE! Not to mention that it was also beautiful—definitely one of my favorite sights from the trip.

By the time we were done at Daibutsu-den, it was getting dark, so we decided to get some food from the street vendors and scout out a place for the hill-burning. This is when I learned that Japanese people don’t appreciate “lean” meats. One of the vendors was selling delicious-looking chicken skewers, and Ross and I both decided to go for those. Unfortunately, the chicken had a good bit of fat/skin on it, so it ended up being less than ideal for me. Of course, Ross gobbled his up—1) because he’s not a picky eater at all, and 2) China has been a good primer for such things. He noted that similar skewers in China would likely have gristle and bone in them as well. Um…right. I was thankful I only had to dodge fat and skin. :)

So, on to the hill-burning. Let me make one thing clear: IT WAS REALLY COLD!!!!! I did have a hood on, and I did have multiple layers on, but it was still freezing out there! Plus, there weren’t any chairs or seats, so everyone was just standing around in the park, looking up at the hill for over an hour. Not especially comfy. The event started with some fireworks, which were enjoyable, and then they started torching the hill. I’m not sure exactly what I expected, but I’m pretty sure it involved a massive explosion that left the entire hillside simultaneously in flames. On the contrary, there were about 20 or so guys with torches who started fires around the hill. The fire did travel up the hill, but never was the hill totally ablaze. Visually, it wasn’t that exciting, but it was still fun to see a tradition that’s been going on for hundreds of years. Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel to thaw.

The next morning, we packed up to head back to Kyoto. On the way to the train station, we picked up breakfast at a doughnut shop and saw two really adorable Japanese kids with their dad. Perhaps we should’ve taken their picture, but then again, adults taking pictures of kids can sometimes appear sketchy. At least in the U.S. Anyway, we took our doughnuts to the Starbucks in Nara Station for our first Starbucks experience in Japan! Just to clarify, my guidebook was apparently printed prior to the explosion of Starbucks’s in Japan, so I was under the impression that we had better take our opportunity to enjoy Japanese Starbucks then. Wow, I was wrong. They were EVERYWHERE! No matter…we enjoyed the Starbucks and hopped on the train to Kyoto!

Japan I: Getting There is Half the Fun? Really?

2008-02-08T14:38:00.000-08:00

Alright, I’ve finally gotten enough time to put together a blogpost about Japan!!! Hooray! I’m guessing I’m gonna have a decent bit to say, so let’s just get right down to it! :D

I confess that I did A LOT of planning in the months leading up to this trip. Considering that going on a vacation to Japan is probably a once-in-a-lifetime event, I figured it was definitely worth the effort. If there was something really cool to see/do, I certainly wanted to see/do it! Plus, I knew that a little foreknowledge about the culture would go a long way. So, you may be wondering, was the planning worth it? Well, I learned 2 important lessons about pre-trip planning: 1) planning is very important, especially on international trips, but 2) planning is NOT going to fully prepare you. In a few paragraphs, you will understand more fully, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Alright, so let’s talk about getting to Japan; it wasn’t as pleasant as it could’ve been. Now, I was fortunate to have a pretty easy flight schedule—Memphis to Detroit to Tokyo, with plenty of layover time in Detroit. First of all, I needed that layover time, because Plane #1 had mechanical issues. We arrived about 45 minutes late. But, no big worries. On to Plane #2. First problem: a leaky lavatory, which took 45 minutes to fix. Here’s where it got interesting. During that 45-minute delay, one of the passengers decided not to fly to Tokyo. I’m sure you’re wondering why, especially since he went through the trouble checking luggage, going through security, getting on the plane, etc. Yeah, we wondered the same thing. Well, whatever, right? Just kick him to the curb and be gone, right? Nope. Since he did check luggage, all of our bags had to be unloaded so his could be located. Then, all of our bags had to be reloaded. Suffice it to say that no one had warm and fuzzy feelings for that gentleman when we finally departed…2 hours late. :( Oh, but I wasn’t gonna be frustrated. I was originally gonna get to Tokyo about 2 hours ahead of Ross anyway, so no big deal. I settled comfortably in to my aisle seat (no one was in the middle seat—score!) for the 13-hour flight.

Fast forward about 11 hours—right when you realize you are definitely tired of being on the airplane. The captain came on the PA system and said (pretty calmly, since a non-calm pilot isn’t especially comforting) that one of our engines had conked out. He did a convincing job of reassuring everyone that 747’s can fly comfortably with 3 engines, but you know, that’s like driving without spare. At some point, you’re probably gonna need the spare. Luckily, three was enough for us. ;)

Oh, but the fun was just beginning! I made it through customs & immigration and found myself in Narita Airport Terminal 1, trying to locate Ross. Now, it’s important to note that Narita is actually more like two separate airports (Terminal 1 and Terminal 2) that happen to have a bus service between them. If you’re in Terminal 1, and your travel companion happens to be in Terminal 2, there’s NO WAY you’ll find each other conveniently. They don’t share PA systems or anything. But, we weren’t supposed to have a problem, because Northwest and Shanghai Air both use Terminal 1. Well…it turns out that Shanghai Air has some codeshare flights with Air China, which uses Terminal 2, and that’s actually what Ross was flying. If we had had this problem in the U.S., I simply would’ve called Ross on his cell phone to see where he was, but that wasn’t an option in Japan. So, I went over to Terminal 2, only to go back to Terminal 1 and wait until Ross appeared. And eventually he did! Hooray! After all the snafus, it was finally time to enjoy the vacation!!!!!

Or something like that. This is where the “planning only gets you so far” part comes in. Here was the original plan: meet up at Narita, take the train to Tokyo (45 minutes), transfer over to a bullet train to Kyoto (3 hours), and finally head down to Nara (20 minutes) to check into our first hotel. Haha, looking back, that was such a silly idea. After all, we were dog-tired; plus, we had zero experience working the train system, which, while easy to navigate, does require a bit of acclimation. The deathknell, though, was the fact that I had no idea how infrequently the trains run in the evening. As in, there was no way we were getting farther than Tokyo, period.

It was an interesting challenge…and an interesting way to be welcomed into a new country. We did make it to Tokyo Station, but then we had to find a place to stay. With minimal searching, we saw that the Marunouchi Hotel was located in the adjoining building, and thankfully, it had a vacancy! It was a very nice boutique hotel, and yes, I paid way more for that room than I’ve paid for any hotel room, but IT WAS SO WORTH IT! I think God knew that, after all the day’s transportation problems, both of us would benefit from a little extra comfort.

Before I close out this chapter, I have to talk about our check-in process at the Marunouchi. Remember, we had reservations at a hotel in Nara that night, and the check-in process is very important in Japan. If you don’t check in by a given time, you forfeit your entire reservation. Well, our front desk attendant at the Marunouchi (her name was Adachi) was very, very kind. She definitely realized we were weary travelers and was kind enough to call our hotel in Nara and have them revise our reservation. But, that phone call was especially memorable. Here’s how the call went (as best as we could tell, since it was in Japanese): Adachi told the gentleman in Nara about our situation; then, the gentleman repeated the entire thing to make sure he understood. As he spoke, Adachi kept saying “hai” (Japanese for “yes”) to confirm that Nara guy was saying everything correctly. And, she said “hai” in a memorable way—think, the woman from the Herbal Essences commercials. Now, slow it down and add a touch of breathiness. That’s what it sounded like. And, Adachi said it at least 25 times…no exaggeration. Ross and I were overwhelmed by it, but of course, we had to be respectful, so we kept it inside. :)

And with that, our first day (or portion thereof) in Japan was complete!

Not Much Longer

2008-01-30T08:25:00.000-08:00

Ok, I definitely want to post a blog about my FANTASTIC trip to Japan, but there are a couple of things that are keeping me from it right now.

1) I've begun work on the 2008 Ripley High School Musical, The 3 1/2 Musketeers. This musical is gonna be quite a bit different from ones in the past. The biggest change that affects me is that I'M THE ENTIRE ORCHESTRA! :O Yeah, this musical doesn't have a full orchestra score, so there won't be any brass, woodwinds, or percussion joining in the fun. Just little ol' me at the piano. It'll be a good challenge, but it may be a little crazy too. ;)

2) I'M SICK!! :( Yeah, I have a pretty significant cold. I don't have fever, so that's a plus, but I definitely have sinus congestion and a nasty cough. My sister apparently has a cold, too, so I'm guessing we caught it while at the MLMA mid-winter meeting last weekend.

Anyway, those two reasons leave me with zero energy or time to write a proper post about Japan. However, for those of you with Facebook, let me point you to my three (yep, THREE!) albums of photos on Facebook. They are good stuff. :D

Christmas Cheer

2007-12-13T12:39:00.000-08:00

This is pretty cool. :D

Mix & Mash

2007-12-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

The holidays are definitely filled with opportunities to act like a glutton. And, often times, holiday gluttony is served up with a side of mashed potatoes. Tasty, right?

Well, over Thanksgiving, I realized that I treat mashed potatoes quite a bit differently than everything else on my dinner plate. For most foods, I like focusing on one at a time--enjoying and savoring until I've either finished that serving of food completely or gotten tired of it. Then, I move on to the next food and repeat the process. (Just to clarify, I'm not totally OCD about it; I know folks who refuse to have one food touching another. That's not me. Besides, anyone who's ever been to a Baptist potluck knows that it's impossible to adequately load your plate without having foods touch each other.)

Anyway, I tackle mashed potatoes completely differently. I prefer to mix them with something. I guess this goes back to pre-kindergarten, when my mother told me that putting black-eyed peas in my mashed potatoes was like hiding Easter eggs (even though the "grass" was white and the "eggs" were gray-brown--I guess I was an easily convinced fella). To this day, if I'm at a meal that serves both mashed potatoes and black-eyed peas, I will mix them together. :)

But, sometimes, you don't get both...and that's a sad day. However, all is not lost. In middle school, I learned that mashed potatoes also go pretty well slathered on cornbread. Especially if its an extra-crunchy edge piece of cornbread. Really good.

So far, the compulsion doesn't sound that odd. But, now it gets interesting. I also like mixing my potatoes with......white rice. Weird, huh? Of course, unless you're eating at a buffet, you hardly ever have meals where both rice and mashed potatoes are served, but when that does happen (and there aren't black-eyed peas), I go for the rice-potato combo. Really starchy, for sure, but it is a texturally interesting mixture. And, I admit that every once in a while I go for rice-potatoes on cornbread. The trifecta!

So, what's the moral of the story....other than the fact that I'm weird? ;) Um, I think that's the only moral. :P BUT, I'd love to hear if any of you have unique habits when you're eating. :)

Place Your Bets

2007-11-15T12:38:00.001-08:00

So, we're just under one year from the 2008 Presidential Election. Hip hip hooray. Let me say that I don't care for politics at all. Nonetheless, I agree that it's important to study the issues and find out which candidate best aligns with your views.

In the spirit of such research, here's a very handy quiz I found at USAToday.com. It takes the most topical issues in the political realm these days and allows you to choose a viewpoint that best aligns with your own. Then, it does all the hard work for you and matches your views with all the major Presidential candidates. You can weigh each question, depending on how strongly you feel about it, so it's about as good a tool as I've found to help sift through all the candidates.

Go To The Quiz Here

Bond, Wolfgang Bond

2007-10-22T07:59:00.000-07:00

I've had musical debates like this in my head before. ;)

Picking and Choosing

2007-10-10T13:20:00.000-07:00

The Family Research Council is one of several groups that typically speak up politically on behalf of Christians in the U.S. And, many times, I find myself wincing at what they say. Honestly, I'm uncomfortable with the extent that faith mingles with politics. Sure, faith influences beliefs, which in turn influence stances on issues, but I think that faith too often lowers itself to meet politics on politics' home turf.

Anyway, I was reading an interview with Tony Perkins, the president of the FRC, and he was commenting on the current field of presidential candidates. He said this, "The Republican Party has staked out the ground in terms of defending human life." I thought to myself, "Really?" Now, don't get me wrong, Republicans certainly stand up against abortion, but they sure stand up far less against the death penalty. And, why do they do that? Because Christians take the same stance. We do...and it's shameful. I've heard so many Christian speakers talk on the "sanctity of life," without ever mentioning capital punishment, which leaves the impression that some lives are worth saving and others aren't. Ultimately, that's not our call to make. Not at all. Moreover, the phrase, "sanctity of life," sure takes on a different meaning in a time of war, doesn't it? Please don't misunderstand; I fall prey to the same subjectivity as well. None of us can escape it, but that doesn't change the fact that it's wrong.

As time goes on, one of my most sincere prayer requests is that I see things a little more like God sees them. I sure have a long way to go...we all do.

Best Restaurant So Far This Year

2007-10-06T19:22:00.000-07:00

I just had an outstanding meal at the latest upscale restaurant to hit Oxford: Waltz On The Square. It's right next door to Old Venice, in the spot formerly occupied by Madre, the restaurant that tried and failed at bringing "upscale Tex-Mex" to Oxford.

Anyway...on to Waltz On The Square. From an aesthetic standpoint, the restaurant is beautiful--refined and contemporary--with particularly interesting light fixtures. Also, they've partitioned the bar in such a way that the restaurant itself doesn't fill with loud chatter (unlike, 208, for instance), which allows patrons to relax and enjoy the dining experience. And, let me not to forget to mention the highly attentive waitstaff. Our waitress, Margot, was great.

On to the best part...THE FOOD!!! I started with the she-crab soup. Now, let me say that several Oxford restaurants have she-crab soup on their menus, and this one is the best I've had. So many times, the soup can easily get too salty, which kills the sweetness of the crab, but here, the balance was perfect...not to mention the fact that it was filled with big, sweet chunks of lump crabmeat. A great start.

For my entree, I almost ordered the pork chop, but Margot highly recommended the sea bass. She was right on the money. I absolutely love fish that is cooked perfectly, and honestly, overcooking fish is SO common. Here, I got fish that was both moist and flaky. Just right. Accompanying the fish was a vegetable ragout (which was nice and tomato-y, even though it included a surprising array of vegetables including baby corn, snow peas, and water chestnuts), as well as a creamy sauvignon blanc sauce. The combo was similar to the duo of marinara and bechamel sauces you sometimes get with stuffed pastas, and it provided a nice balance of acidity and richness for the fish. Really fantastic.

And, at such a great restaurant, you can't skip dessert, right? Of course not. So, my sister and I decided to split the gooey butter bar with whiskey sauce. It was like a high-end chess square, laced with pecans...and drizzled with whiskey sauce, of course. ;) A really great finish to a really great meal.

Let's see...I also got to taste the vegetable tempura (light and crispy, with a nicely assertive horseradish sauce), the chicken blanquette (a cheesy, high-end chicken pot pie), and the beignets (as good as you can get without sitting at Cafe du Monde)--all were very good.

As for pricing, entrees range from $12-$30, pretty standard prices for most of the nice restaurants in Oxford. The combination of food, service, and atmosphere was well worth the money.

Waltz On The Square takes reservations, but they restrict how many, which allows them to also accept walk-ups. Certainly, try for a reservation, to ensure you can get in. Be aware that game weekends fill up quickly. :)

Where Did the Month Go?

2007-10-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

What happened to September? I mean, did it even happen? I guess so, because this morning I got to change my three office calendars to October. Yep, THREE calendars! What are they? Good question! This first one is a big, boring one from an insurance vendor; that's the one I used to right down important work stuff. Then, I have a calendar from our accounting software vendor; that's the one I use to display the stereotypical image of the month, since that's apparently the types of images they chose for that calendar (i.e. October's photo is a pumpkin in a field). The last one is my favorite--Japanese landscape photos! :D Each one is so peaceful looking...and so orderly too. According to the calendar, October's image is of Okochi Sanso Villa Garden in Kyoto. Whenever y'all are in Japan (or in my office, for that matter), you should check it out. ;)

So, what happened in September? Hmm...

1) The Ole Miss Rebels got off to a 1-4 (0-3) start. Not too pleasant. Unlike recent years, the quarterback issue hasn't been as huge a problem, but man, that defense really needs a helping hand.

2) I ramped up my involvement with Ripley's production of "Broadway at the Dixie." I'm one of 6 directors to put together several "vignettes" from broadway musicals, which will all be brought together for a big ol' extravaganza...or something like that. Lesson #1 - DON'T HAVE MUSICAL PRODUCTIONS IN THE FALL!!!! I think I knew that already, but the compelling lady that got me involved with this whole thing apparently didn't. Lesson #2 - DIRECTING TAKES A LOT OF TIME. Though I think everything will turn out fine, I don't think I'll be directing again. Btw, performances are October 16 (7PM), 20 (2PM & 7PM), & 21 (7PM)...I know, odd day choices, but that's how it goes. All of you out there should plan on attending! :D

3) Through several different things that aren't at all related, God has been calling me toward a more fervent prayer life. I am so bad about just "checking in" with God, which doesn't cut it, no matter how often I do it. Instead, I'm attempting to set aside real chunks of time for it--an hour, 30 minutes, etc. I find that there's plenty of things to fill that time when I do it. Along with that time, I'm also attempting to spend a meditative time of silence with God. If you've never tried it, I would recommend that you do so. Very simply, you just sit quietly and focus your mind singly on either a short verse of scripture or just God Himself. It may sound a bit "new age," but I promise that it helps refocus and regenerate one's spirit. Anyway, that's what I'm working toward these days; I haven't been 100% successful at it, but it's definitely working its way up my priority ladder. From a time management standpoint, God certainly deserves more of mine. The cool part is that God's already granting blessings through all of this, even in spite of my spotty commitment. So as always, He's going above and beyond. :)

For the Children

2007-08-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

Think back...way back...to your Sesame Street days. Aw, good times, right? Do you remember when famous people would sometimes visit Sesame Street? I sure do, although I find it kinda hard to believe that I actually knew the famous people were famous at the time. Oh well, a little "revisionist memory" never hurt anybody.

Anyway, it's a fun novelty (for parents at least) when celebrities turn up on children's programming. And, I'll admit that if I was famous, I'd love to show up on Sesame Street for a skit with some Muppets (preferably with either the Count--"that's TWO, TWO peanut butter sandwiches! Ah...ah...ah"--or with Oscar the Grouch and Slimey the Worm, but only if Slimey is there). Nonetheless, I don't know if my desire to be on children's television extends beyond Sesame Street, because there's not any personal nostalgia associated with any of the new kids shows out there.

Not so for Elijah Wood. Granted, he's quirky and energetic, so children's tv is perfect for him. But, for someone with such name recognition, don't you think he'd want to go straight for Sesame Street, the pinnacle kids show for celebrity cameos? Alas, he opted for a show called "Yo Gabba Gabba," which airs on Nick Jr. Do you think it was a good choice?

Sadness. Perhaps he wasn't on Sesame Street because of artistic differences. As in, Sesame Street wouldn't allow such a "unique" dance on its show. Here are a couple of examples of what a celebrity cameo should be like. :D

Hooray for Patrick Stewart and Yo-Yo Ma!

Falling Down on the Job

2007-08-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

First of all, if you aren't already checking out the blog on www.mentalfloss.com, you really should. Lots of interesting info gets shared there. :D

One of the topics recently mentioned on the Mental Floss website involves the state of U.S. Infrastructure (i.e. our transportation system, water, security, etc.) According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, our national infrastructure is currently given the grade D....as in, just above failing. Not a huge surprise, but it's a shame. Here's the link to the actual "report card" given by the ASCE in 2005, the last year it was issued. It's some interesting, though disconcerting, reading.

http://www.asce.org/reportcard/2005/page.cfm?id=103

They Lost My Luggage!!!

2007-08-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

You know, thus far in my little life, I've had my fair share of problems related to air travel. I rarely fly to and from a destination without something unfortunate happening. Usually, I have to contend with inconvenient flight delays/cancellations, but every once in a while, I get to enjoy the pleasure of having my luggage lost. Tonight falls into that category.

I must say that, even though lost luggage is the ultimate crappiness at the end of the already taxing journey that is air travel, I've been generally pleased with the technological advances made by the major airlines. I mean, I know I'm not that old, but I do remember a time not too long ago when airline reps knew nothing about the location of one's bag until it eventually found its way to the right place. The notion of "tracking" a bag was unheardof.

So, when I walked up to the American Airlines help desk in Memphis, I confidently handed the agent my baggage claim ticket (with the handy-dandy bar code that points to the exact location of my bag). Imagine my confusion when the lady said that she had no way of knowing where my bag was! I asked her if she could verify at least that my bag made it to Chicago, the intermediate destination; she couldn't say either way. It turns out that, for American Airlines, those "handy-dandy" bar codes only get scanned in two places: 1) as the bag goes through security at the very beginning of its journey, and 2) right before the bag is put on the carousel at the very end of its journey. So, did my bag ever make in onto my first flight? Or did it just miss my second flight? Or did my bag get routed to the wrong airport? What flight(s) did my bag travel on? The answer to all those questions is "I don't know."

Now, if this level of service, or lack there of, was the industry norm, I wouldn't be so miffed. However, this is not 1994. I know for a fact that Northwest, Continental, and Delta all make real use of their baggage bar codes to know where each bag is located. (Yes, that means that I've had my luggage lost by each of those airlines, but let's not focus on that point.) So, for American, the largest U.S. airline, as well as one of the most successful, to not do that puts it squarely behind the curve.

So, for all of you out there (especially the ones of you living in American's hub cities), you may have several reasons for you to travel on American, but this is one reason not to.

UPDATE: My bag did arrive!! All's well that ends well! :D

Help Me Out - New Cell Phone

2007-07-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, folks! I need your help. I'm about to get a new cell phone, and I want to get everyone's opinion on their own phones. As in, is your cell phone amazing, or does it suck? And, of course, I'm talking about signal strength, functionality, all-around coolness, etc. Everything.

Here are the requirements:

1) Gotta be compatible with Cingular (a.k.a. AT&T Wireless)
2) It CANNOT flash/blink/make noise when it's idle. I hate cell phones that do that.
3) In terms of cost, I just can't see myself shelling out more than $200 for a cell phone. I'd prefer something in the $100 or less range, but if it's a great phone that yields above-average service, it's worth more money.

So, if your phone meets those requirements, tell me what phone you have and what you think of it. :) And, I especially want your help if you live in a rural area, like me. Frequently dropped calls are not acceptable.

Thanks! :D

Scribbled on the Back of a Napkin

2007-07-24T07:35:00.000-07:00

Ah, community theatre. You never know what to expect. :)

The Ripley Arts Council's Summer musical was originally planned to be the Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera, H.M.S. Pinafore. But the movers and shakers that selected the show forgot that Ripley isn't familiar with opera. All the folks that auditioned were expecting to be involved in a more, um, modern production. This realization didn't take place, though, until our first musical rehearsal, about 3 weeks ago. Personally, I was extremely impressed with the progress we made in the rehearsal, especially since most of the performers had never sung anything like this before. Every one stuck with it, and I left the rehearsal thinking that we might actually be able to pull this thing off.

The cast apparently didn't feel that way on the inside. After that one rehearsal, virtually everyone dropped out. Seriously. At that moment, I was very glad I wasn't the person in charge. :) So, the aforementioned movers and shakers huddled back up and decided that we would embrace a more typical musical, one that would be very approachable: Grease! (And, please note that I'm including that exclamation point because it's part of the official title--not because I'm rabidly overjoyed. I personally think Grease! is a played-out musical, just like Phantom of the Opera and Cats.)

Anyway, we had our first rehearsal for this new music last night. That brings me to the title of my post. EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF MUSIC THAT CAME FROM THE PUBLISHER WAS HANDWRITTEN!!!!!!! Look, I'm sure that handwritten music is very common in the infancy of a new musical--you know, when it's being workshopped. But, a decades-old musical that found its way into American pop culture should most definitely live in Finale, or some sort of other composition software. It was dumbfounding. I mean, H.M.S. Pinafore was written in an era when folks used quill pins, and it somehow found a way to step into modern times with its music (and that's even without the aid of royalty fees). Is it too much to ask for Grease! to do the same? NOT AT ALL! And, just to be clear, it's not like the music was written in good handwriting either. The cast can only make out 90% of the words, the notes often straddle both a space and a line (a big music theory no-no!), and about a third of the measures aren't even completely written out. The scribe opted to go for a fake-sheet approach for those measures, giving me a melody line and a few chord symbols. One page had been xeroxed so many times that the staves were completely invisible. Ugh.

Look, I'm sure there are tons of pianists out there that would have no problem with any of this, and more power to them, but for small communities to fork over hundreds of dollar to rent theatrical music, they deserve a high-quality product....or at least a decent product. This music is a piece of crap.

Thanks for your kind attention. :)

What a Difference a Ply Makes

2007-06-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything light-hearted in a while, so I figured now was a good time. :D

The last time that whoever buys toilet paper for the office bought toilet paper, they made a huge mistake: they bought the cheap one-ply paper. (You know, the kind that can file women's fingernails.) This was a shock, because name-brand toilet paper is one of the unspoken perks of working in the office of a smaller, independent company. Plus, it bolsters morale. ;)

So, like I said, it was a shock. However, we Southerners have a make-it-work attitude. And, along with said attitude is the sense that we cannot be seen as "too good" for, well, anything. If sandpaper is what we're given to care for the most sensitive of areas, then by golly, sandpaper's what we're gonna use! We see it akin to a spiritual trial.

So, what happened? Nothing. Nobody said anything. Everyone just endured with the patience of Job. For about a week.

Then, something magical happened. Some kind soul, who I guess had had enough, bestowed on us a few rolls of Quilted Northern. However, they didn't toss out the cheap toilet paper; they left it right on the toilet paper holder. Instead, they simply sat the new toilet paper on the back of the toilet. As a result, each visitor to the bathroom gets the opportunity to choose. One can either stand firm on the commandments of toilet paper usage and use what's on the holder, or one can indulge.

Apparently, we're all an indulgent bunch. ;)

Jimmy and the Red Kickball

2007-05-31T13:07:00.000-07:00

Jimmy was a fortunate boy. Some people considered his father to be the most important guy around, and with so much prestige came a fair amount of wealth also. As such, Jimmy had many toys: a bicycle, a swing set, lots of cars and action figures, plenty of games. However, one day Jimmy noticed that one of the other boys way down the street was playing with a red kickball, a toy that Jimmy didn't have. That other boy seemed to be having a great time, so Jimmy decided to ask his father for a red kickball. It's understandable that Jimmy had become accustomed to getting what he asked for, because his father was so generous, so you can imagine his surprise when his father told him he couldn't have one. Even more confusing was the fact that his father wouldn’t tell him why. That fact didn’t keep Jimmy from asking, though. Still, no level of fervor on Jimmy's part could sway his father. Eventually, he just quit asking.

And so, Jimmy's wanting of the red kickball ended, right? Hardly. That other boy seemed to always be outside, having lots of fun with the red kickball--all in clear view of Jimmy. Eventually, Jimmy decided that a little creativity might help his situation. He asked his father if he could run down the street to play with the other boy; of course, Jimmy was more interested in finally getting to play with the red kickball, instead of meeting the other boy. Ah, but Jimmy's father was smart enough to know what was going on, so he asked Jimmy what his real intentions were. (Of course, since Jimmy was a boy, he did so in simple language, instead of referencing "intentions" and "motives" and such.) Now, Jimmy couldn't lie to his father; he didn't want to, and even if he did, he knew it wouldn't work. So, he confessed about plotting to play with the red kickball, and then he walked away shamefully.

Oh, if only Jimmy could just step away from the whole thing. But you know that he can't. He tried, though. He focused on his most enjoyable toys and made his best effort to keep entertained with them. Some days, it worked. Other days, it didn't. And on those days, Jimmy just wouldn't play at all. He'd just sit, sinking in self-pity. Oddly, he knew that, even though the red kickball wasn't available to him, playing with any toy would be better than just sitting there. Yet, he frequently found himself just sitting. It's not that he felt as though he had been mistreated, really, but the mixture of confusion and rejection felt a lot like mistreatment. And unfairness. At the same time, Jimmy did trust his father; after all, his father had never done anything to cause Jimmy to think otherwise. Of course, that just fueled the confusion further.

When it came down to it, Jimmy knew that he wouldn't disobey his father regarding the red kickball. But knowing that to be the case didn't ease Jimmy's struggle, because he also knew that the red kickball would never fully leave his mind. And, as the kickball rolled around his mind, he knew there would sometimes be moments of loathing or desire or anger or despair, none of which he looked forward to. To the extent that it was possible, Jimmy wanted the red kickball to just fade from his memory. He also wanted those moments when he chose to obey his father to feel more like "obedience" and less like "missing out."

Appeasing the Conscience

2007-05-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

Benevolence, charity, alms...they all have to do with giving to the less fortunate. And, I'm pretty sure that most people, and certainly most Christians, feel like those are good things. I feel the same way.

However...

How does your life make use of charity? What does it do for you, as a giver of charity? I'm asking myself these questions, thanks to an article I just read by Shane Claiborne, a guy who works in Philadelphia living a life of ministry along side the city's most destitute inhabitants. Here's a quote from the article. (Let me preface it by saying that the quote will come across as, at the least, provocative, and, at the most, downright offensive. But, it's good for making you think.)

"Over the years I have come to see how charity fits into — and legitimizes — our system of wealth and poverty. Charity assures that the rich will feel good while the poor will remain with us. It is important that the poor remain with us, because our capitalist system hinges on it. Without someone on the bottom, there is no American dream and no hope for upward mobility.

Charity also functions to keep the wealthy sane. Tithes, tax-exempt donations, and short-term mission trips, while they accomplish some good, also function as outlets that allow wealthy Christians to pay off their consciences while avoiding a revolution of lifestyle. People do their time in a social program or distribute food and clothes through organizations which take their excess. That way, they never actually have to face the poor and give their clothes, their food, their beds. Wealthy Christians never actually have to be with poor people, with Christ in disguise.

If charity did not provide these carefully sanctioned outlets, Christians might be forced to live the reckless Gospel of Jesus by abandoning the stuff of earth. Instead, thanks to charity, we can live out a comfortable, privatized discipleship.

But when we get to heaven and are separated into sheep and goats (Matt. 25), I don't believe Jesus is going to say, 'When I was hungry, you gave a check to the United Way and they fed me' or 'When I was naked, you donated to the Salvation Army and they clothed me.' Jesus is not seeking distant acts of charity. He is seeking concrete actions: 'You fed me, … you visited me, … you welcomed me in, ... you clothed me...'

If we are to truly be the church, poverty must become a face we recognize as our own kin."

That's hard-hitting stuff.

Don't Look Down

2007-04-17T14:48:00.001-07:00

There are lots of analogies to describe how the Christian fits into society, whether it involves being light or being salt or being fishermen or whatever. However, I think there’s room for another analogy in the mix: a bridge. After all, the Christian has to exist in two worlds: the spiritual world and the physical world. And, as I’m sure all of you know, those two worlds don’t really move in the same direction.

I liked the topic of plate tectonics in middle school, and it totally comes in handy here, because if a bridge spans two tectonic plates (i.e. the spiritual world and the physical world), it’s gonna find itself under a great amount of stress.

Ah, stress! The much-maligned companion of our lives! And, what do we try to do with much-maligned companions? We try to get rid of them! A very understandable human response!

And, that’s the temptation in this case. We try to retreat, to hedge our bets on one side of the bridge or the other.

The Spiritual Side of the Bridge - If you retreat to this side of the bridge, you’ll find yourself immersed in God. Not a bad thing, right? Well, seemingly not, but then you find yourself not doing anything with all that God-saturated energy. You stay buried in that blanket of spirituality, and you end up turning down opportunities to serve. It’s a place of piety. It’s also a place of fear (the fear of saying what you have to say) and, ultimately, a place of selfishness.

The Physical Side of the Bridge - If you retreat to this side of the bridge, you’ll find yourself with the perfect opportunity to be a beacon, dwelling amongst those most in need of hearing what God might have to say. And, that’s exactly what Jesus did, right? Well, the bad part is that you aren’t connected enough to God to be able to share what you need to share, and so you avoid speaking up. In the process, you get to enjoy some of those enticing earthly joys. It’s a place of indulgence. It’s also a place of fear (the fear of having something to say) and, ultimately, a place of selfishness.

Oh, but there’s another way to cop out, and it’s a technique I like to use. I like to run quickly from one side of the bridge to the other. Five minutes on the spiritual side, then five minutes on the physical side, and back again. And, by enjoying equal amounts of both extremes, they cancel each other out, right? If I move fast enough, it seems like I’m just standing still in the middle, right? Yeah, how convenient that would be. But, did you notice that retreating to EITHER side of the bridge results in fear and selfishness; it doesn’t matter which. So, playing the back-and-forth game leaves you and me with the same amount of ineffectiveness.

So, where are we supposed to be? Right in the middle…all the time. By being that bridge between the two tectonic plates, we are signing up for being in the place with the MAXIMUM amount of stress. Think about straddling the San Andreas Fault. That’s where God calls us to be - standing directly over the crevasse between Heaven and Earth.

It’s not for the fainthearted, and it’s not for the pious, and it’s not for the indulgent. And, here’s the odd (and a bit painful) irony of the situation: if you find yourself at your maximum threshold for stress, that’s perhaps an indication that you’re on the right track. As I said, not for the fainthearted…

Doubting Thomas

2007-04-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

I didn't expect to post again tonight, but I came across this absolutely fantastic Nickel Creek song. Many Christians put up a brave front, but truthfully (at least based on those I've talked to), faith isn't always as strong as we'd like it to be. Frequently, it's because we try to grasp spirituality from an intellectual perspective (a plug for my other post of the day...feel free to read it below this post). And, this song perfectly captures those moments of questioning.

Enjoy the words...and go listen at www.myspace.com/nickelcreek.

"Doubting Thomas"

What will be left when I've drawn my last breath
Besides the folks I've met and the folks who've known me
Will I discover a soul-saving love
Or just the dirt above and below me

I'm a doubting Thomas
I took a promise
But I do not feel safe
Oh me of little faith

Sometimes I pray for a slap in the face
Then I beg to be spared cause I'm a coward
If there's a master of death
I bet he's holding his breath
As I show the blind and tell the deaf about his power

I'm a doubting Thomas
I can't keep my promises
Cause I don't know what's safe
Oh me of little faith

Can I be used to help others find truth
When I'm scared I'll find proof that it's a lie
Can I be led down a trail dropping bread crumbs
That prove I'm not ready to die

Please give me time to decipher the signs
Please forgive me for time that I've wasted

I'm a doubting Thomas
I'll take your promise
Though I know nothin's safe
Oh me of little faith

Not a Thinking Man's Game

2007-04-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

Some excerpts from a Tozer sermon I read today. They're good enough on their own...

"The realm of the Spirit is closed to the intellect."

"Look at this passage. 'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord, for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.' (Isaiah 55:8)".

"Now that is the problem with the church in our day. We forget that there is something you cannot get a hold of with your head. We run around with our heads always trying to lay hold of things with our minds. Now the mind is good. God put it there. He gave you a head and He did not give it to you so your glasses could be on it, or your hat. He gave it to you and He put brains in your head; and the organ we call the intellect has a work to do, but that work is not comprehending divine things. That is of the Holy Spirit."

''But we imagine we can handle it by the flesh and so we try to handle it by the flesh, and the Lord lets us do it."

"If you are reasoned into Christianity, some wise fellow can reason you out of it."

Senseless Chatter, For Sure

2007-04-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure that most Christians want to commune with God; I know I sure do. But, I'm not very good at encouraging intimacy. This notion popped into my head (again) when I started considering how my conversations with God go.

Think about it...well, wait. First, think about the person to which you're closest. Think about the conversations you have with that person. Think about the time you spend with that person. What are the characteristics of those moments?

For me, there's a great amount of ease. I can be upfront and honest. Conversations can get intense, but there's always an underlying groundedness, hinting at the aforementioned ease. At the same time, words aren't always a necessity. I don't harbor concern when there's silence. All in all, it's just a setting of comfortability.

By contrast, how I approach conversations with God is completely different. I'm usually okay with honesty, since it's hard to deny the fact that God always knows what's really going on. ;) However, I don't take a comfortable tone. My tone can sometimes be frantic, such as when I'm pleading with God for some specific outcome to a situation...similar to a defendent pleading with a judge. Other times, it's just rote...similar to an adolescent that is forced to converse with his parents over dinner. But, it always oscillates between one extreme and another...both attributed to an improper state of mind on my part.

And, in both cases I overdose on words. In the rote case, I barrel on through the words so I can rapidly reach the finish line and be done with the chore. In the frantic case, I'll emotionally repeat my requests over and over, as if God doesn't hear them the first time. I try to convince myself that God may honor my "fervor," but it's such a ploy for me to internally feel like I've done a thorough job of carrying my woes to God. After all, if I do my part, I can't be blamed for a less than optimal outcome, right? Ugh.

There's much improvement to be had in the way I approach God.

A Close Companion That I Barely Know

2007-04-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

Apart from basic tenets of Christianity, I think of myself as an open-minded Christian. I like hearing diverse viewpoints from within the Christian community, because I find that so much of the "infrastructure," for lack of a better term, within churches is based solely on social norms or pre-existing conventions. It seems beneficial to see how other Christians may see things differently.

However, because of that search for new perspectives, I sometimes miss out on perspectives that are more traditionalistic. I try to convince myself that I got enough "old school" evangelicalism while growing up, but the truth is that real Christian wisdom is real Christian wisdom, no matter whether it's categorized as "progressive" or "fundamentalistic" or whatever.

So, all of that was a preface for the collection of sermons I'm reading by Dr. A.W. Tozer. Dr. Tozer was a very direct preacher, as can be clearly seen from his sermons. He doesn't speak from some sort of nouveau vantage point; he's just a hard-hitting source of Biblical truth. He lived in the early- to mid-20th century, but his words really do resonate powerfully today. This collection of sermons is on the Holy Spirit, and Dr. Tozer makes a very compelling argument that the Church's neglect of the Holy Spirit (which in turn limits God's presence within the Church) is the greatest shortcoming of the modern-day church.

In the sermons, the first thing that hit me hard was what the Holy Spirit is not. Here's a quote:

"The Holy Spirit is not enthusiasm. Some people get enthusiasm and imagine it is the Holy Spirit. They become worked up over a song thinking it is Spirit-anointed worship. And they imagine that is the Spirit. Enthusiasm is not the Holy Spirit, because those same people go out and live just like the world. The Holy Spirit never enters a man and then lets him live like the world. You can be sure of that."

You know, when I get those warm & fuzzy feelings when something spiritually exciting happens, I mentally categorize that as the Holy Spirit moving. However, Tozer's quote points out that that's not the case, which makes sense. The Holy Spirit would not be a fleeting presence (as those warm & fuzzies are very temporary); why would the Holy Spirit be so fickle? Sure, those fun emotions might be used by God as encouragement, but it's not proof of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

(Sidebar: Let's not get confused about the Holy Spirit vs. Salvation. Being a Believer does not equate with the Holy Spirit filling your body; after all, the apostles' belief happened clearly before the coming down of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.)

So, to sum it all up, I was thinking that one thing was "the Holy Spirit," when actually something (someone) else is "the Holy Spirit"...a being with real sustenance and real power...so much power that I must release control, and I'm talking really release control, not simply use God as an advisor in my own decision-making. Tozer's latter sermons really hit on that point. And, I'll be honest; that's a scary prospect.

I really don't want to not be in control; I don't even know if I know how not to be in control. And, I certainly don't mean to presume, but a lot of y'all that read my blog are fairly put-together folks as well. I would guess that many of you don't know how not to be in control either.

How much of your life was orchestrated because of things you came up with on your own (even if you feel that God wouldn't necessarily object)? How much of mine? Too much.

And I wonder why it's sometimes hard to feel God's presence.

The Question

2007-03-18T14:49:00.001-07:00

What is green and carries a bullwhip?

The Answer

2007-03-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

Kermit the Flog!!

:D

SCORE!! (The Three-Variable Funny Test)

2007-03-11T21:27:00.002-07:00

the Wit
(57% dark, 26% spontaneous, 15% vulgar) your humor style:
CLEAN | COMPLEX | DARK

You like things edgy, subtle, and smart. I guess that means you're probably an intellectual, but don't take that to mean pretentious. You realize 'dumb' can be witty--after all isn't that the Simpsons' philosophy?--but rudeness for its own sake, 'gross-out' humor and most other things found in a fraternity leave you totally flat.

I guess you just have a more cerebral approach than most. You have the perfect mindset for a joke writer or staff writer.

Your sense of humor takes the most thought to appreciate, but it's also the best, in my opinion.

You probably loved the Office. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check it out here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/theoffice/.

PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Jon Stewart - Woody Allen - Ricky Gervais

The 3-Variable Funny Test!
- it rules -

In Need of a Polygraph

2007-03-07T14:46:00.000-08:00

If I’m being completely honest, I’ve never been 100% comfortable with the statement that the Bible is completely “true.”

Now, before you start activating the prayer chain over my apparent back-sliding, fear not. I’m not in the midst of a spiritual tempest, or anything; I’m just throwing a thought out there.

The reason for my concern is rooted in the word itself: “true.” Truth is a powerful concept, with even more powerful connotations. In the post-Enlightenment era, truth is super-glued to the notion of proof. Without proof, someone’s version of truth can be someone else’s hypothesis, or even still, someone else’s lunacy.

And, that’s why Christians often get skeptical looks from non-Christians. We throw around words like “true,” leading someone to inevitably request, “Prove it.” (For myself, I’m usually the one asking myself to prove it.) Unfortunately, we frequently are unable to do such, because faith can’t be churned through the Scientific Method to achieve a meaningful result.

(Sidebar: I think that spirituality and science exist on completely different planes. I don’t really see a big conflict between the two, since it’s such an apples-to-oranges kind of comparison. But, that’s another post for another day.)

And, that “true” word isn’t the only description of the Bible that often gets questionable responses. Southern Baptists use the term “inerrant,” meaning that the Bible has no errors. That one runs into trouble when the notion of Biblical contradictions comes up. Can the Bible appear to contradict itself and still be free from error? From our perspective, it feels like the answer should be no, but I think that ultimately we’re falling prey to semantics.

In the end, the point is that the Bible is a tool provided by God, and all of it exists to serve His purpose. I may not understand all of that purpose, and I think that’s as it should be. And, oddly enough, when I phrase it that way, my sense of internal conflict diminishes. I don’t have to bear some sort of burden of proof, because that’s not my responsibility.

Do you sometimes feel you have to prove Scripture, either to yourself or to others? That’s not our job.

It Keeps Getting Better

2007-03-02T07:41:00.000-08:00

As long as Melinda Doolittle keeps singing stellar music, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to keep posting YouTube clips on my blog. ;)

This week's version of My Funny Valentine was outstanding. The key for me was that she was smart enough to not just sing the song as it's typically sung. After all, the song could easily fall into the "hotel lounge" bucket that Simon likes to mention. I was waiting patiently for Paula to say that Melinda made the song her own; imagine my shock when Paula actually commented on Melinda's musical phrasing! I mean, does Paula really even know what musical phrasing is? Apparently so, because she was actually exactly right! Go figure!

Now, obviously Melinda's not gonna be getting the high school vote, or even the college vote. Her musical style and her personal style certainly are a little older than that. The only hope I have for her to win is the fact that Taylor Hicks won last year. We'll see...

Who I Want to Win

2007-02-22T19:42:00.001-08:00

UPDATE: ANOTHER CLIP OF MELINDA DOOLITTLE (ONE THAT'S NOT OUT OF SYNC) HAS BEEN POSTED ON YOUTUBE, SO I'VE REPLACED THE ONE I HAD BEFORE.

Last year, I grew tired of American Idol. I didn't have anyone that really energized me to keep tuning in each week. This year is different; I'm throwing all my support behind Melinda Doolittle. She seems to be the sweetest, nicest person, and it's exciting to watch her go from a timid singer to a worthwhile performer.

This YouTube clip seems to have the audio and video a bit out of sync, but it's the only one that summarizes her three performances so far. Enjoy it!

And, ever since I first saw her, she reminded me of someone, but I couldn't think of who it was. Now I remember: Lynne Thigpen, the great theatre, film, and television actress who I love for playing the Chief on Where is the World is Carmen Sandiego? ;)

Here's to hoping that Melinda does very well on the show. :D

Ishmael 101

2007-02-11T21:32:00.000-08:00

Another Sunday, another enlightening edition of Speaking of Faith. I really should temper these theological posts with funnier ones in between, shouldn’t I? Oh well, that’s for another day. ;)

Today, the discussion was about Abraham, and his role as patriarch of three major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Now, the guest was pretty light on theological insight...he confessed that his scholarly work was more historical in context. So, I just took straight to Genesis to see what it had to say.

Before getting into the verses, let me preface it by saying that I had read through these verses several times, but never had they had such an amazing impact.

Let’s first talk about the words that you might expect to be there:

In Genesis 16:12, as Hagar (Abra[ha]m’s maidservant/Ishmael’s mother) is pregnant, the angel of the Lord proclaims that Ishmael’s “hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”

And then, in Genesis 25:18, after Abraham’s death, it is noted that Ishmael’s sons moved to Egypt and did, in fact, live “in hostility toward all their brothers.”

However, there are some amazing verses in between these “hostile” bookends.

In Genesis 17, when God reveals to Abraham that Sarah will provide him a son to receive God’s covenant, Abraham shows the love of father, when he says, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” And then, God makes a potentially surprising response: “And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.” Now, God does make it clear that his covenant will be with Isaac, not Ishmael, but that doesn’t negate the fact that God vows to bless Ishmael’s lineage.

But, it gets even more intriguing. After Isaac is born, Sarah insists that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away. Abraham reluctantly concedes and sends them out with food and water. We pick up that story with Genesis 21:15-20a:

“When the water in the skin was gone, (Hagar) put the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, ‘I cannot watch the boy die.’ And as she sat there nearby, she began to sob. God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, ‘What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.’ Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy as he grew.”

Two things strike me about this passage. First, look at the compassion shown by God. I mean, this is picture of a God whose hand is outstretched to Ishmael, a God who provides for Ishmael. In spite of the darkness that the Bible hints will rise from pockets of Islam, this is a group of people who has still prospered because of God’s blessing. Secondly, I’m astonished that these words have actually survived in the text of the Bible. For all the energy that has been spent throughout history to refine Biblical texts (particularly with the goal of pointing readers toward Judaism/Christianity as the religion of choice), it’s very profound that these verses are still around. I don’t think it’s by accident.

The last verses I want to share are Genesis 25:7-9: “Altogether, Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah.”

Picture the scene. Ishmael was sent away decades ago; the rift between the half-brothers has had plenty of time to build. Yet, with the death of Abraham, the two come together to share in the funeral. It’s an amazing image, when you consider what each of these men represent. At that moment, at the very beginning of divergence in these two cultures, they shared a moment of, at the very least, civility and respect. I find that an extremely important recognition.

Of course, there are more pragmatic Christians out there, ones who are quick to point out the definitive tone of the angel, when it proclaims the hostility that will plague Ishmael’s descendents. However, I think Abraham’s funeral offers hope against that argument; that stands as a moment, chronicled in our own Scripture, when the hostility was not in the forefront. What brought them together that day? Their shared ancestry. And it’s that commonality among the religions, not least of which being the shared history of God’s provision, that offers us potential for moments of civility and respect today. Of course, these days, there is hostility, in various forms, on both sides of the argument, isn’t there?

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” – Matthew 5:9

An Important Film

2007-01-23T20:05:00.000-08:00

I had wanted to see Hotel Rwanda ever since it was released, but for some reason I never got around to seeing it. Tonight, I finally got the opportunity to watch it. I don't think I've ever said this about a movie, but this is an important film. Throw aside the fact that it's exceptionally well made and well acted. The story that it tells is gravely important.

I'm going to personally ask that, if any of you haven't already seen it, please make a priority to watch it. Oh, but be prepared. For any of you that don't know, I hardly ever cry in films; it's just not something that typically gets triggered. The tears I shed in this film are more than I've shed in all other films combined.

I was vaguely familiar with the history of the Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda (I even remember Anderson Cooper talking about it on Channel One News way back in middle school...did any of y'all watch Channel One in school?). However, as is often the case, this film takes the words and make them painfully real. Nonetheless, across the ocean, seemingly safe from mass killings, such situations often become nothing more than talking points. And what a disservice to humanity that is.

It's pretty ironic...we crave the artificial closeness that technology provides, but we can't help but hide our eyes and ears from atrocities, when technology drops them on our doorstep. My hope is that the Holy Spirit will force me not to turn away.

Speaking of which, do you know anything about Darfur? Do you know of ways you can help?

http://www.savedarfur.org

Behind That Pleasant Expression

2007-01-21T15:38:00.000-08:00

Today, Speaking of Faith (see last post) was one of those episodes that I didn't agree with. Guest-dude believed that the spirit itself was a creation of human physiology. Not simple delusion, mind you, but a high-level advancement in our make-up that has allowed us to add another dimension to our consciousness. Completely all our doing. Man, are we good, or what!?! ;)

No matter, because buried in all the blah-blah-blah was an absolutely amazing quote:

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." - Plato or Philo of Alexandria

It was interesting to me that the authorship of the quote is disputed...I guess both Greeks and Egyptian Jews want to claim it. :) Anyway, it made such an impression on me that I wanted to ponder it with y'all.

Do you take for granted the smiles that people give you? What about kind words? I sure do. And I take them for granted in two ways: 1) because I don't thank people enough for them, 2) because I don't realize that those smiles and kind words are coming from people that, at that very moment, are experiencing some sort of inner turmoil.

It's that second point that the quote speaks to, and I love the definitiveness with which it says "...everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." There's no "maybe" or "probably." Everyone is, period. That's such wisdom. No one can escape struggle and angst, and moreover, not even for a split-second is the struggle not there. And, that's the truth of human existence, right? Life really is tough, and none of us make it through it unscathed.

What's interesting is that, when this harrowing revelation became clear, I could immediately see it on people's faces. I walked around the mall this afternoon, and I would catch glimpses of people. There was always tension worn on their faces...never did anybody look "100% A-OK." There was something brooding within each of them. Let me suggest that you do your own experiment. When you're at the grocery store or at work or wherever, take a moment to look at people's faces. (Now, of course, you kinda have to steal a peek without them noticing, otherwise they'll put on that facade that everybody keeps close at hand....that's another blogpost.) I guarantee you'll see the subtle marks of internal pain that you wouldn't have noticed otherwise.

Of course, what is one to do with this burdensome piece of information? The quote lets us know. "Be kind." Since we all have plenty of fiery turmoil already, there's no need to fan the flames further. And, if by chance God gives us the opportunity to throw a little water on those fires, why not do it? I would surely want someone to do that for me.

And, it's that sense of reciprocity that Matthew 7:12 (The Golden Rule) mandates. But, I've got to tell you, no longer for me is the Golden Rule something to live out "just because the Bible says so." It's something to live out because each person is secretly having to fight off something, and that's already enough for them to handle. Further to that point, he or she is, consciously or subconsciously, crying out for a hand. If I am able, it's my responsibility to offer that hand; the same is true for all of us.

However, make no mistake; this discussion isn't restricted to just chance meetings with random strangers (even though it certainly covers those instances). For each of you that read the blog, you're in the midst of some struggle as well. To the extent I may not have acknowledged that fact, or not actively offered to be of support to you, I'm sorry. I don't want that to be the case anymore. At the very least, you need my prayers, in the same way that I need yours. Additionally, let me listen, if you so choose. As God's priorities oh-so-slowly become clearer to me, I don't want to fill my time watching tv or playing a game or wasting time on the Internet, if there are deeper, more important, issues at hand.

I love each of you, and my affection for you and those around us only grows, as I realize more and more that we are all struggling sojourners together.

To Protect and To Serve

2007-01-14T19:27:00.000-08:00

I don't recall if I've mentioned it before, but I really enjoy a radio program called Speaking of Faith. Conveniently, it comes on Mississippi Public Radio (yes, I listen to public radio) in the hour that I drive from Ripley to Tupelo on Sunday mornings. It's the perfect way for me to center my focus on God before arriving at Sunday's Bible study and worship service. The show is weighted toward Christian topics, in alignment with the demographic that it serves, but not exclusively Christian. It provides a nice way to compare/contrast Christian beliefs with other faith traditions; it also displays the vast spectrum of perspectives held within the Christian church. All in all, it's a fresh source of spiritual information for me to take in and think about. I know that there will be things I agree with, as well as things that I disagree with, so I know I have to be paying attention. And that excites me. :)

(Incidentally, if any of you would like to check out the radio program, you can go to their website: speakingoffaith.publicradio.org. You can listen to each weekly show online, or if you have an iPod, it can be sent as a podcast for free.)

Now, having said all that, today's show was about Faith and Environmentalism. The primary guest, Calvin DeWitt, has been a leading evangelical voice for environmental protection and conservation for several decades. He and the host, Krista Tippett, had an insightful discussion on the topic. (Bear with me; it’s about to get a little technical.)

A verse of scripture that came to the forefront was Genesis 1:28: “God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." And, as I was taught in Sunday School, this is the “we’re in charge” verse. God has bestowed the Earth to mankind. The Hebrew word “kabash” is what is translated into “subdue,” and it literally means “to bring into captivity.” Many scholars hypothesize that this verse actually was a guiding force in Christendom’s rise to industrial prominence, since it seemingly puts the natural world in a subservient position to mankind and its inclinations.

DeWitt then made reference to Genesis 2:15: “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” Here, the Hebrew words “abad” and “shamar” are used to describe Adam’s role in “dressing” and “keeping” the garden, respectively. “Abad” means “to serve,” and is often used in the Old Testament to denote man’s service to God Himself. “Shamar” means “to preserve,” and is typically used to describe the Hebrews’ keeping of God’s commandments, as well as God keeping his covenant with the Hebrews.

When I looked up those two words, I was really floored by the emphasis God places on Adam dearly caring for Eden (and, as a result, our own care for the Earth today)...I mean, on par with His own covenant with His people! It’s in stark contrast to the picture painted by Genesis 1:28 alone.

That’s not to say that the first verse isn’t important. It squarely put the responsibility on our shoulders. We really are in charge. But, in charge of what? That’s where the second verse comes into play; we’re in charge of caring for, preserving, and even serving God’s creation. It’s a kind of servant leadership that nicely parallels with the example provided by a certain someone from later on in Scripture...

What am I doing to serve God’s creation? Not much...and that sin really hit me hard today.

My Self-Constructed Storm Cloud - God's Silver Lining

2007-01-07T18:59:00.000-08:00

This morning, I heard something that was uniquely encouraging...

God is always up to something good.

Now, conceptually, the statement doesn't say anything that's necessarily shocking, but it presents the information in a way that perfectly captures how we relate and don't relate to God.

I mean, to say that God's up to something implies that He's being covert...sneaky, even. And, from our vantage point, doesn't it feel like that sometimes? Most of the time? For me, I have a constant pile of question marks that, to be honest, rarely get addressed. They're just there, and they fade in and out of prominence in my mind. Moreover, I'm seemingly most at peace when they're faded out. What does that say? Should I pray for mental oblivion? Well, perhaps going that far isn't the best choice. ;) Nonetheless, letting go of things, choosing not to fret over them, seems like a better goal. Hold on to that thought for a second...

Back to God being sneaky. When I'm in a foul spiritual mood, one of the most common thoughts that pops into my head is that God's holding out on me. I create the notion that I'm entitled to some level of knowledge, and God's withholding that knowledge for some reason. It's like those vicious group projects from high school. Of course, I'm the leader of the group, since I'm a control freak. ;) God's responsible for the research--the research that, at the end, I will magically craft into the final product. Anyway, from my twisted perspective, in those moments of bitterness, God's not bringing the goods. He's not doing His part to enable me to shine. If this was a group project, I'd just do the research myself, but that's not possible in this case. Oh, the streaks of pride that run all through that progression of thought! It's almost laughable.

But it's so true. I frequently think of the aspects of my life as some sort of project. And, since it's my life, it's my responsibility. I can make an A at my life if I'm not hamstrung by God. What an amazingly sad thing to think...that God hinders us. When the Enemy gets us to believe that God's working against us, or even just working separately from us, we're left with nothing of much worth to fend off feelings of isolation, ineffectiveness, and apathy.

And that brings us back to the idea of letting stuff go...of not having to understand...of simply living life, not trying to figure out life, not trying to plan life.

Now, "not trying to plan life" sure is a nice idea, but it sure doesn't seem like a feasible notion, does it? Life requires us to plan, to some extent. Nonetheless, the more things we can wrestle free from our grasp, the better that things will be. Why?

God is always up to something good.

It fits really well with a familiar verse I heard elsewhere this morning:

"Trust the Lord your God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6

It's not a sentiment for cynics, but it's pretty good for those who want hope. :)

Happy New Year!

2006-12-31T23:07:00.000-08:00

A Christmas Cruise!!

2006-12-31T17:02:00.000-08:00

I must say that I was pretty skeptical about going on a cruise during Christmas. After all, my family, like most families, has a Christmas Day ritual that happens without fail every year. However, let me go ahead and say that I had a great time. :) Let me also go ahead and say that I've uploaded a ton of photos on Facebook, which now allows all people to look at their members' photo albums. :) Just click here:

http://olemiss.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2057551&l=c1468&id=6517120

Just to whet your whistle, here's one of the pics:

Now...onto the cruise. I was the only member of my family who had never been on a cruise before, so despite the eagerness of my parents and sister to prepare, I had no idea what to expect.

First of all, the ship has a Cruise Director. For our cruise, her name was Linda. The cruise director's job, in essence, is to announce activities and events all throughout the day. To the point that you begin to loathe her voice. Fortunate for us, Linda's voice was amusing. It was British, and it sounded a bit like a "late-night telephone operator." Amusing, yes.

What's next...oh, the food. Since a cruise ship works just like an all-inclusive resort, all the food was prepaid. So, at each meal, we ate appetizer and soup/salad and entree and dessert. I gained less weight than I thought I would...probably because of the walking we did during our on-shore excursions. But, I did gain a little. Now, something else about the food. It was hit-and-miss. The dishes themselves all sounded absolutely fantastic, when reading them on the menu. However, sometimes, when the dishes came up, something got lost in the execution.

Worse dish: shrimp-encrusted salmon. Listen carefully: SHRIMP SHOULD NEVER ENCRUST ANYTHING!!!! It became rubbery rubber crust. It also gave the salmon even more of a fishier taste than it would have had on its own.

Best dish: New York strip with green peppercorn sauce. So good!!!! And, the Potato Gratin that came with it was even better!!! It was a stellar meal.

Moving on to the entertainment, it was interesting. This cruise ship required most of its performers to do a variety of things...sing, dance, be acrobatic...and that led to none of them being outstanding at any one talent. Everyone was very talented, but none of the shows really showcased the talent well. It was a bit amateurish...of course, when the entertainment venue is called "The Stardust Lounge," you already working under a deficit.

Over the course of the week, I got tired of the ship itself. I mean, there's only so much you can explore, and I covered that on the first day. After that, it was repetitive. Where I really enjoyed the cruise was at the ports of call and on the shore excursions for each port. In that way, it was like 4 vacations in one, and I found that really appealing. I got to visit 2 Maya ruin sites, tour a working banana plantation, and explore a coral reef in a submarine. Very cool stuff. In addition, I got to see 4 unique towns. That whole aspect of the cruise was right up my alley.

So, now I'm back, on the verge of a new year. I hope everybody had a great Christmas, as well as a positive 2006 overall. Here's to hoping for a safe and happy 2007 for all of you!!!

Refocus

2006-12-10T18:15:00.000-08:00

I love those moments when something catches me off-guard and instantaneously refocuses my spirit. Of course, it's too bad that things get so out of focus that I'm truly caught off-guard by such a thing, but at the same time, there's something very magical when it happens. In that instance, you know the moment is not something you have orchestrated, yet you're an integral part of it. I don't know, it's just very special.

Today, I got back from Monroeville, AL, where I was playing the piano in the wedding of Chris Allen, a friend of mine from Ole Miss. On the way back, since it was a 5.5-hour drive, I got to listen to lots of music that I hadn't listened too in a while. This is the song that was the catalyst for today's moment of refocusing.

"The Purest Place"
by Watermark

Paint me with Your purity
That I'd attract Your majesty
When others boast in fame and gold
The purest place is where I'll go

The purest place I will draw near
Do what it takes to keep me here
In the center of Your heart
The purest place is where You are

It's not with masses, not with kings
Not in these songs, or offerings
Not in this life, or what it brings
The purest place is You my King

The purest place I will draw near
Do what it takes to keep me here
In the center of Your heart
The purest place is where You are

If there's such thing as too beautiful
If there's such things as too wonderful
If there's such thing as too marvelous
Jesus it's You, Jesus it's You

The purest place I will draw near
Do what it takes to keep me here
In the center of Your heart
The purest place is where You are

Deck The House! Part 1

2006-12-01T18:40:00.000-08:00

Hooray for Christmas!!! I finally get to decorate my own house for the holidays! Most of you have never seen my house, so I figured this was a good chance to upload some pics of it. 18 in all, so I'll post it in 4 parts. :) (Captions below each picture.)

Living Room Pic #1. The 3 art pieces above the couch are called (from bottom to top) Earth, Wind, and Fire. :) The only Christmas adornment in this pic is the center green sphere on the coffee table; it's an ornament. Oh, and it's hard to see him, but that's Gingy from Shrek in the striped chair.

Living Room Pic #2. It took me FOREVER to find a credenza I liked; this one's perfect. The art on this wall came from eBay--nice and modern, just like the 2 "Christmas trees" in front of it. Oh, and yep, that's a classic SNES in the lower right hand corner. ;) I still play it.

Kitchen Pic #1. My kitchen is probably my favorite room in the house. I think it's the room that turned out most like I wanted it. I got to pull out fishing line to hang those glass ornaments from the light fixture above my island; I felt like MacGyver.

Kitchen Pic #2. Here's a close-up of the dining room table. Dishes, napkins, snowflakes...all from Wal-Mart! The snazzy things in the vase came from Pier One, though. [Notice: I know it's a bit much, but seriously, I do like girls.]

Kitchen Pic #3. Ah, the heart of the kitchen. Hmm...wonder where I put all the unattractive things that typically hang out around people's sinks? That's right: in the sink. I couldn't sacrifice a good picture. :)

Deck The House! Part 2

2006-12-01T18:26:00.000-08:00

Kitchen Pic #4. For all you math fans out there, the 4 turquoise prints on the kitchen wall (you see two of them here) are fractal posters. And, as a bonus, there's the Abominable Snowman sitting on top of the turquoise sphere. Why do I have a big turquoise sphere sitting on top of a bench? Good Question!

Piano Room / Office Pic #1. Christmas trees never seem to photograph well, but nonetheless, I love my Christmas tree. This one would typically be a bit too big for the room; luckily, no one has to know that I left out all the back limbs. ;)

Piano Room / Office Pic #2. Man, I need to buy a printer to match my monitor. Then again, it's time to buy a flat panel monitor, too! Maybe next year. I really love the prints on the wall. Nice and calming...although they were murder to have framed. 3' x 3' isn't a standard frame size.

Piano Room / Office Pic #3. My favorite place to sit in the whole house. :) It's an old, twangy piano, but it's mine. And, yeah, that's Beethoven sitting up there. Some cliches are fun. ;)

Guest Bathroom Pic #1. It's a small room, so you only get one picture. It does look a bit like Barney exploded in here, but in person its less annoying. ;) The three art pieces here say "Insert," "Art," "Here." There's a silver Christmas tree on the other side of the sink; too bad you don't get to see it!

Deck The House! Part 3

2006-12-01T18:11:00.000-08:00

Guest Bedroom Pic #1. It doesn't have a bed, but it has the best sleeping couch in the world! This is where much of my college stuff ended up. Colorful, isn't it? Note the Ole Miss Santa's on the table. Also note the James Bond posters. :)

Guest Bedroom Pic #2. Two more James Bond posters and the ultra-stylish football helmet lamp! ;) I figured I could have one room with schizophrenic style.

My Bedroom Pic #1. I'm gonna brag on myself about the thing over the bed. It's a floor screen from Target that I attached fabric to the back of. Out of all the crafty projects I've done, I like this one the best. Also, my comforter is fantastic!

My Bedroom Pic #2. Some people don't like faces looking at them when they sleep. I don't mind. These remind me of the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disney World. :)

Deck The House! Part 4

2006-12-01T18:00:00.000-08:00

So, it all began back in August. I wanted the exterior of my house to be uniquely decorated for Christmas, and I wanted to make everything myself. This is the "doorflake," a.k.a. the prototype. If everything worked with this one, I would embark on the full-scale project...

...which brings us to snowflakes like these. Five different flake designs, three different sizes, 15 snowflakes in total...and none of them are the same! This one's probably my favorite. It's 4' tall. The one directly behind it is 3' tall.

And, here's the whole thing! I couldn't quite get all of them in the picture, but trust me, they're all there! Oh, and there's the outside of my house! Why is my Escape not in the garage? Because the garage is still covered in wood scraps and paint tarps from the project. ;)

Were you wondering what the yellow sign was all about? Well, I had an extra piece of plywood left over, and I wanted to do something fun with it. My favorite part, of course, is the image of the car. There's something very "Looney Tunes" about a big snowflake crashing on your vehicle. :D

The Worst Birthday Song...EVER!

2006-11-21T21:11:00.000-08:00

So, I have a double treat for y'all.

First of all, here's the link to a site that will show you what song was #1 on the pop charts when you were born.

http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/member/birthdayno1.php

It's pretty fun to see what the obstetric nurses were probably singing to me and the other babies in the hospital nursery.

And, that brings me to the second part of the fun. It turns out that the #1 song when I was born was "Rapture" by Blondie. Now, until this moment, I had never heard this song. Boy, is it a WINNER! Do you catch the sarcasm? I hope so. Fortunate for y'all, there's actually a copy of the music video on YouTube!!! And, so, for your listening and viewing pleasure, here's "Rapture"--quite possibly the most wretched song to reach #1 in the history of all music. The only consolation is that now I know who to blame for all the "sing-rapping" that we're hearing these days from Fergie and Gwen Stefani, among others. It's Debbie Harry!!!

Anyway, enjoy! :D

Shameless Plug

2006-11-16T14:05:00.000-08:00

I like listening to music while I'm working, but I've gotta say that I'm pretty fickle about it. One minute, I want pop music; the next, I want classical. Then, it's jazz. And classic R&B. My music tastes tend to jump around. ;)

Well, the other day I was searching for some Internet redio that played Christmas music, and I came across www.accuradio.com. Yes, they definitely had Christmas music...29 different playlists of it!!! And, that underscores the diversity they have in all types of music. They have a sub-channel dedicated just to "women of soul." Then, there's the sub-channel dedicated just to "country duets." Not to mention the sub-channel that only plays music by Scottish artists. Or the sub-channel that only plays comedy tracks from the 70's and 80's.

So, no matter how diverse or specific your music tastes are, Accuradio has you covered. Go check it out!

(Trey has not and will not receive any compensation for his remarks made in this post. He is not employed or affiliated with Accuradio.com or its parent companies.)

Gratitude

2006-11-12T17:30:00.000-08:00

By Nichole Nordeman

Send some rain, would You send some rain?
'Cause the earth is dry and needs to drink again
And the sun is high and we are sinking in the shade
Would You send a cloud, thunder long and loud?
Let the sky grow black and send some mercy down
Surely You can see that we are thirsty and afraid
But maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case ...

We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
For lessons learned in how to thirst for You
How to bless the very sun that warms our face
If You never send us rain

Daily bread, give us daily bread
Bless our bodies, keep our children fed
Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight
Wrap us up and warm us through
Tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs
Let us slumber safe from danger's view this time
Or maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case ...

We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
A lesson learned to hunger after You
That a starry sky offers a better view
If no roof is overhead
And if we never taste that bread

Oh, the differences that often are between
Everything we want and what we really need

So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
Between alibis and enemies tonight
Or maybe not, not today
Peace might be another world away
And if that's the case ...

We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
For lessons learned in how to trust in You
That we are blessd beyond what we could ever dream
In abundance or in need
And if You never grant us peace ...

But, Jesus, would You please ...

Is it me that I see?

2006-11-02T13:27:00.000-08:00

I know the grammar for the title is incorrect, but it wouldn't rhyme if I said "Is it I that I see?" If lyricists can take that liberty all the time, so can I. :)

My Bible Study group is about to start a study on Heaven, so I figured now would be a good time to talk about my most recent pondering about the celestial glories. :) To be honest, I don't think as much about Heaven as I do other topics, so I just have disjointed thoughts instead of well-developed ideas. The student that's forever in me is annoyed by that, but no big deal. You don't mind too much, do you? ;)

Have you ever thought about exactly how different a person you will be in Heaven? Sure, there will be no more sin, which will make us drastically different people. And we'll spend our time worshipping God, which will certainly (and unfortunately) mark a big change in my daily routine.

But what about things like personality? Will we have the same personality? The reason I ask is because I realized today that things like cynicism won't be in Heaven. Along with that, there will be no need for skepticism or pessimism, and even the notion of "realism" will be turned on its ear. My whole personality will be shot! ;) All these personality traits are mechanisms of carefulness--ways of protecting ourselves from various types of harm. And without the potential for harm, there's no need to be protected from it. In its place will be a freedom from concern, of sorts. I don't know about y'all, but having freedom from being concerned about what might happen will be a huge burden lifted from me. There won't be a need for figuring out people's true intentions or for developing contingency plans. It will all have the resemblance of innocence...but along with wisdom. What an amazing combination!

Alright, so, thank God that, in Heaven, the dark clouds from our personalities will be lifted. But, here's another mindbender. With no dark clouds, will there be a need for silver linings either? Like, take hope as an example. Hope is an emotion that connects the present and the future; it's the potential for improvement. Well, if the present is as good as it could be, then there's nothing to hope for, is there?

It's all a lot to think about, but I like the fact that I can't figure out Heaven. Its mystery makes it seem so much more "of God" in my mind, and when I think about spending eternity somewhere, I want it to be the most "of God" place I can envision.

A Warning to All Who Tread...

2006-10-31T15:01:00.000-08:00

Since it's Halloween, I figured this would be the appropriate time for something scary.

Ready for the scariness?

You sure you can handle it?

Okay, here it goes...

I've noticed that a few of you have been excessively negligent in updating your own blogs. So, I have no choice but to instigate a rule stating that anyone who fails to update his/her blog over a three-month period will be dropped from my link listing at the right.

AAAAAAAHHH! I know, I know, it's terrifying. Luckily, there's an easy way to avoid such terror and fright. Update your blog...and do it often! At least once a month. :)

The Heart

2006-10-05T09:39:00.000-07:00

Why does the heart linger? It cannot be prodded or goaded or urged. And, so, it remains. It cannot be moved; it can only move…and only when it’s ready.

I was standing on the dock, poised to embark, yet the heart mourned and wept. It wept for Home. Home, which was comfort and peace and joy. Home, which was love. But it wasn’t Love. And that’s why I stood at the dock. Like an orphaned child, the heart couldn’t be left. But it couldn’t be coaxed either. I had to choose.

The choice had to be swift, lest the pleadings of the heart erode my resistance. In the moment, it was simple, really. Just two steps onto the deck. And, as quickly as it happened, I was asea. Easy to perform. Hard to endure.

Before long, I began to mourn. To mourn the heart. I found that confusing, since I needed the heart to mourn, yet the heart I did not have. How cruel that a cosmic impossibility would be overturned for the sake of my own suffering.

Drenched in suffering, I did all I knew to do. I beckoned the heart, though the fog had since obscured the dock. I begged for it to meet me on this journey, on this voyage of promise. I shouted until my voice left me. Perhaps the voice found its way to the heart.

And now I don’t know. Does the heart still stand on the dock? Is it withering in its solitude? Those two steps…way back on the dock. They were easy to perform, but they are hard to endure.

Why does the heart linger? It cannot be prodded or goaded or urged. And, so, it remains. It cannot be moved; it can only move…and only when it’s ready.

Are you ready?

In the Midst of Turmoil

2006-10-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm already posting again. I never get around to posting two days in a row. Well, this one's for a good cause.

My sister is currently involved with a really great philanthropy at Ole Miss, and I wanted to pass along the information for anyone who wanted to join in. :)

Victory Boxes are small boxes filled with school supplies, toiletries, and toys that soldiers hand out to children they meet in Iraq and Afghanistan. It costs $18 to fill ($8) and ship ($10) one Victory Box to its final destination. Therefore, it's very accessible for most of us to give a little and make a big impact in a child's life.

Personally, I have a big range of emotions regarding the War, but there's no denying that the children of Iraq and Afghanistan didn't choose to grow up in a warzone. Anything that can be done, no matter how small, to make a positive difference in their lives seems well worth it.

If any of you would like to give, you can send donations to the following address:

Victory Boxes
c/o Phi Mu
P.O. Box 8198
University, MS 38677

Giving Christians a Bad Name Since...Well, the Dawn of Christianity!

2006-10-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

You know, the Christian church has certainly survived in spite of itself...

I'm currently (albeit slowly) reading a massive book by Dr. Ed Murphy: The Handbook for Spiritual Warfare. I'll be the first to admit that spiritual warfare isn't a topic that I know much about, but obviously Dr. Murphy has a lot to say about it; I'm interested to see what comes of it.

The plus of committing to read such a large text (about 550 pages, which is pretty big for me...all you Harry Potter readers can just be quiet) is that there are plenty of opportunities for Dr. Murphy to provide insight about many aspects of Christianity and the Church. As an example...

"[C]orrect biblical interpretation is that interpretation which is most consistent with experience. Theology which is contradicted by experience, or at the least brought into question, is theology that needs to be reexamined. To declare that theology must be maintained even if it is challenged by on-going experience is legalism, pharisaism, dogmatism, and evidence of subtle arrogance. To continue with theology that hurts already hurting people is sin. We cannot sacrifice people on the altar of theological presuppositions."

Why doesn't the Church-at-large seem to get this?

To quote The Black-Eyed Peas, "Where is the love?"

You Complete Me :)

2006-09-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

I've decided I'm gonna make this blog post about y'all. Why? Because y'all deserve it. We all have our individual paths in life, but thank God, literally, that our paths are not meant to be isolated from one another. They intersect in beautiful and surprising ways, for the benefit of us all. Why some people don't make use of those intersections is beyond me.

Of course, it's not all happy giddiness. There are times when having a close connection with someone is vital. It's crucial in warding off sadness, anger, depression, loneliness, etc. And, I confess that this blog (in its two incarnations...Xanga and Blogspot) is often the place I go to find that connection. And because of that, I say thank you for reaching out to me. My hope is that I can reach back in an equally powerful way.

So, as a small way of expressing my appreciation, I want to share a quote that perfectly describes that magical moment when a regular ol' acquaintance becomes a treasured friend. (At least one of you already knows it, since I swiped it--in a friendly manner, of course--from your blog.)

"We cannot tell the precise moment when a friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindness there is at last one which makes the heart run over." - James Boswell

Self-Expression...Mine and Theirs

2006-09-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

"Void"

I didn't hear what I didn't hear,
And I felt detached.

I didn't see what I didn't see,
And I felt isolated.

I didn't feel what I didn't feel,
And I felt alone.

I didn't know what I didn't know,
And I felt free.

_____________________________________

"Man has responsibility, not power." - Tuscarora proverb

_____________________________________

A priest asked, "What is Fate, Master?"

And he answered, "It is that which gives a beast of burden its reason for existence. It is that which men in former times had to beat upon their backs. It is that which has caused nations to build byways from City to City upon which carts and coaches pass, and alongside which inns have come to be built to stave off Hunger, Thirst and Weariness."

"And that is Fate?" said the preist.

"Fate...I though you said Freight," responded the Master.

"That's all right," said the preist. "I wanted to know what Freight was too."

- Kehlog Albran, "The Profit"

The Land of Fruits and Nuts

2006-08-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

You know, rural Mississippi lore dictates that California be referred to by the moniker found in the title of this post. I suppose that said lore was established around the same time that folks concluded that God would punish Californians by causing earthquakes to consume the whole region. Regardless, let me say that the only fruits and nuts I saw on this week's trip to San Francisco were on my dinner plate. (Groans all around, please. Thank you.)

I had a great time in SF; it's a city that's certainly full of interesting history, interesting people, interesting everything--definitely worth a visit, for any of y'all that have never been. I won't bore everyone with senseless details, but there are several things I wanted to note. "Several" = "A Whole Bunch"

First of all, about the city itself. The temperature was fantastic...upper-60's, lower-70's; however, there was no escaping the wind...a steady (and icy) 10-15 mph blowing straight off the water. San Franciscans must have entire coat wardrobes. Additionally, the city is ALL hills. Now, I knew SF was supposed to be hilly, but I didn't realize that it was exclusively hilly. And, just to show off the city-tour knowledge I learned on the trip, there are 43 hills, to be exact. ;) Lastly, you know about the Victorian houses that define San Franciscan architecture? (As in, the homes you see in Mrs. Doubtfire or on the intro to "Family Matter.") Well, I thought there'd be one or two blocks that represented that architecture, and then the rest would be regular ol' housing. Wrong. If it's a residential structure in San Francisco, it's a 3- or 4-story Victorian structure, butted right up against one on either side. So, just to summarize...ALL wind, ALL hills, ALL Victorians.

Now, onto what I'm calling my "Best Ever..." section. I found a couple of things in San Francisco that I thought were better than any other similar experience I've had in my life so far. How cool, right? Okay, here we go.

Best Ever Dining Experience. I love me some food, but I gotta say I've never had as good a meal as I had at The House of Prime Rib. I thought I'd come away from SF raving about seafood; well, the seafood was good, but this restaurant was absolutely perfect. Here's the deal: this restaurant only has one thing on the menu...prime rib. You just pick what size. Then, when the time comes, a huge silver cart comes before your table, and your slab o' beef is carved for you. Potato, creamed spinach, Yorkshire pudding, and horseradish come along with it, and it's all just the best stuff one could eat. The food was great; the service was great; the atmosphere was great. It was wonderful. And, you know, I'm usually one that goes for restaurants that are a little more pretentious (i.e. carefully crafted plate presentation, excessively descriptive menu listings, etc.), but the straightforward approach...albeit an upscale straightforward approach...was perfect for this place.

Best Ever Architecture. I absolutely love architecture, but for the first time in my life, I came across an architectural structure that I just couldn't turn away from. It was so beautiful and so grand that I just wanted to stay there. The structure was the Palace of Fine Arts, which was built for the Pan-Pacific Exposition that San Francisco held in 1915; it was the only structure that was not demolished following the Expo.

This top photo shows the massive rotunda, which is surrounded by curve colonnades. Here's another photo, just because I want to include another one. :) Click on both to get a closer look. Notice the height of the people compared to the height of the structure.

It felt like such a centuries-old location, harkening back to Greek and Roman times, but at the same time, it didn't look Greek or Roman, because...well, it wasn't falling apart. So, that dichotomy invoked an engulfing timelessness that completely won me over.

Moving on, there were some other really great things that I wanted to quickly mention. 1) Saw a fortune cookie factory. Basically fortune cookies are cooked like crepes and then bent like tuile cookies. 2) Saw the giant redwoods in Muir Woods (named after environmentalist John Muir); they are awe-inspiring. Plus, the air was about as refreshing as I've ever experienced. 3) Saw a great exhibit called "A Curious Affair" at the newly-relocated (and beautiful) Asian Art Museum. The exhibit showed furniture, figurines, paintings, etc. showing the mutual fascination that Westerners and Easterners had with each other as trade began to flourish between the 2 areas. It was intriguing to see how Europeans depicted Asians, as well as how Asians depicted Europeans, especially since it wasn't all about stereotypical (derogatory) imagery, as I thought it might be. There was also a hefty bit of...um, whatever the geographical equivalent of anachronisms is. 4) Saw another great exhibit on Monet at the Legion of Honor (SF's actual Fine Arts Museum). The works fully represented Monet's artistic progression throughout his life, and that was interesting to see. Although, by the end, I'd had my fill of pastel-y Impressionism.

To wrap things up, and to come full-circle as well, I want to assure you that I did see a couple instances of "Land of Fruits and Nuts" behavior, but both came from tourists. :) 1) Every single day, people were swimming in our hotel's outdoor pool. Remember, with the wind, it was cold. Plus, the pool hardly ever got sun, because of its location. Water temperature had to be about 60-65 degrees, at the most. I wanted to warn all those folks about the dangers of pneumonia, but I refrained. 2) My favorite: Outside of Ghirardelli Square (where you buy the Ghirardelli chocolate...yum), a street performer was singing clever little ditties with his guitar. Usually, they were simple, rhyming couplets...some a little corny. No one objected to the gentleman though...except for one. A whiny, middle-aged man who boldly proclaimed that the lyrics were "SO cheesy." The irony is, of course, that the middle-aged man, was himself the epitome of cheesiness. Why? Because he was wearing a "genuine Looney Tunes" jacket. And, for those of you who don't get the hilarious SNL reference, please go here.

The Spectrum of "Good"

2006-08-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, I heard a sermon that, all in all, wasn’t especially applicable to me. However, the pastor said one sentence that struck a chord:

“Sometimes, the good things in life crowd out the best things in life.”

Oddly enough, he didn’t expound on the statement; it wasn’t an integral part of the message. However, there seemed to be a lot behind those words, so I started thinking…

I tend toward a homeostasis of “good things.” I want to get closer to God; I want to help people; I want to do the right thing; I want to refrain from sin. I’m constantly wanting to improve me, based on what God wants for me. (Sidebar: wanting and doing are two completely different things; let’s make that clear. I’m not always successful…most of the time, I’m not.) But, you know, about that whole “improvement” thing…I always seem to look at it from the perspective of bad vs. good. My goal is to decrease bad and increase good. And, in the end, if I play my cards right, I have big ol’ heap of the “good things” mentioned in the quote. But, you see, it’s not like the Fair, where you can trade in 4 small stuffed animals for a big stuffed animal. If I go through my whole life thinking that “good” is good enough, then how in the world am I gonna be prepared to receive any of the “best things” that God wants to give me? And, God certainly has those “best things” out there somewhere for us. Look to Malachi 3:10, which talks about the blessings that are so full that we don’t have room for them.

That’s the key. God’s ultimate blessings are greater than we can comprehend. Well, of course they are; that’s not surprising to anyone. But, in practical application, we don’t serve boldly enough for God to use us in those ultimate ways.

Let me take a step back. I don’t serve boldly enough for God to use me in those ultimate ways. And, this fact hit me this week in a major way. I have concocted some sort of “Plan of Service” that attempts to quantify my level of service to God. And, I did that because that’s how I approach everything. I create a game plan—one that lays out a list of steps—and I follow through on them. And, man, that works really well with earthly things. But, with spiritual things, God’s got the game plan, not me. And, if I try to guess God’s game plan, then I’m gonna come up short every single time.

Here’s the tricky part. If I use my own game plan, good things can still come of my efforts. Because of that, I can rationalize that things are “good enough.” God’s work is still being done, after all.

However, take a look around. There aren’t a lot of really serious Christians out there. So, for those of us that are serious about our faith, the responsibility is great. Good enough isn’t good enough. This world needs God’s “best things,” and we are the conduits charged with transporting God’s best to the world. For that to happen, we must not attempt to control how we serve.

Do you create your own plan for your service to God?
Do you limit, consciously or subconsciously, what God puts into your vessel?
Do you defer your service until you gain enough information to reach some sort of comfort level?
My answer to all those questions right now is Yes. And I confess that does God a disservice.

Trey's Theological Worldview

2006-07-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan. You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists.

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

75%

Classical Liberal

68%

Emergent/Postmodern

57%

Neo orthodox

54%

Fundamentalist

54%

Charismatic/Pentecostal

46%

Modern Liberal

46%

Reformed Evangelical

43%

Roman Catholic

25%

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

Who knew I was so Methodist? ;) I sure didn't. The quiz does have some flaws--for several of the questions, I wanted to ask for clarification or express some sort of nuanced response. Still, it's an interesting quiz.

Click on the link just below the bar graph to take it yourself!

God Puts the "Hip" in "Friendship"...or Something Like That

2006-06-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

And, on the 2nd day, there was a 2nd C.S. Lewis quote about friendship...also borrowed from Creth.

What can I say, I enjoy gushing over Friendship as one of God's special gifts to people.

"friendship, like the other natural loves, is unable to save itself. In reality, because it is spiritual and therefore faces a subtler enemy, it must, even more wholeheartedly than they, invoke the divine protection if it hopes to remain sweet. For consider how narrow its true path is. It must not become what the people call a 'mutual admiration society'; yet if it is not full of mutual admiration, of Appreciate love, it is not Friendship at all.... For a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret Master of the Ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, 'Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you', can truly say to every group of Christian friends, 'You have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another.' The Friendship is not a reward for our discrimination and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each the beauties of all the others. They are no greater than the beauties of a thousand other men; by Friendship God opens our eyes to them. They are, like all beauties, derived from Him, and then, in a good Friendship, increased by Him through the Friendship itself, so that it is His instrument for creating as well as for revealing. At this feast it is He who has spread the board and it is He who has chosen the guests. It is He, we may dare to hope, who sometimes does, and always should, preside. Let us not reckon without our Host." -C.S. Lewis

Such good stuff!

The Much-Appreciated Ripple Effect

2006-06-26T17:44:00.000-07:00

I'm borrowing a C.S. Lewis quote from Creth's blog. When I read it, it struck such a warm, comforting chord within me that I had to share it.

"Lamb says somewhere that if, of three friends (A, B and C), A should die, then B loses not only A but 'A's part in C', while C loses not only A but 'A's part in B'. In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets. Now that Charles is dead, I shall never again see Ronald's reaction to a specifically Caroline joke. Far from having more of Ronald, having him 'to myself' now that Charles is away, I have less of Ronald. Hence true friendship is the least jealous of loves. Two friends delight to be joined by a third, and three by a fourth, if only the newcomer is qualified to become a real friend. They can then say, as the blessed souls say in Dante, 'Here comes one who will augment our loves.' For in this love 'to divide is not to take away'. Of course the scarcity of kindred souls- not to mention practical considerations about the size of rooms and audibility of voices- sets limits to the enlargement of the circle; but within those limits we possess each friend not less but more as the number of those with whom we share him increases. In this, Friendship exhibits a glorious 'nearness by resemblance' to Heaven itself where the very multitude of the blessed (which no man can number) increases the fruition which each has of God. For every soul, seeing Him in her own way, doubtless communicates that unique vision to all the rest. That, says an old author, is why the Seraphim in Isaiah's vision are crying 'Holy, Holy, Holy' to one another (Isaiah 6:3). The more we thus share the Heavenly Bread between us, the more we shall all have."

The more we shall all have, indeed. :)

It's Scary Because It's True

2006-06-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

I've really fallen of the blogworld, lately, and that's too bad. I really do enjoy posting on my blog, as it's another fun way of interfacing with all of you. I will do better in the future.

I'm not typically a fan of online quizzes and such, but I was recently sent a test that turned out to be pretty insightful--a Jung Typology Test, which does a decent job of describing how your internal self interacts with the external world.

A bonus is that, after the test is complete, the website offers several snippets of information that summarize who you are. At least that's the intention. Mine was fairly accurate.

So, here's my challenge to all of you: 1) Go take the test.

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

2) If the results seem to be accurate, report back to me in some fashion (e-mail, blog comment, whatever) so I can better understand what's going on in all your heads. :)

In the spirit of quid pro quo, here's my summary:

Introverted / iNtuiting / Feeling / Judging
by Marina Margaret Heiss

INFJs are distinguished by both their complexity of character and the unusual range and depth of their talents. Strongly humanitarian in outlook, INFJs tend to be idealists, and because of their J preference for closure and completion, they are generally "doers" as well as dreamers. This rare combination of vision and practicality often results in INFJs taking a disproportionate amount of responsibility in the various causes to which so many of them seem to be drawn.

INFJs are deeply concerned about their relations with individuals as well as the state of humanity at large. They are, in fact, sometimes mistaken for extroverts because they appear so outgoing and are so genuinely interested in people -- a product of the Feeling function they most readily show to the world. On the contrary, INFJs are true introverts, who can only be emotionally intimate and fulfilled with a chosen few from among their long-term friends, family, or obvious "soul mates." While instinctively courting the personal and organizational demands continually made upon them by others, at intervals INFJs will suddenly withdraw into themselves, sometimes shutting out even their intimates. This apparent paradox is a necessary escape valve for them, providing both time to rebuild their depleted resources and a filter to prevent the emotional overload to which they are so susceptible as inherent "givers." As a pattern of behavior, it is perhaps the most confusing aspect of the enigmatic INFJ character to outsiders, and hence the most often misunderstood -- particularly by those who have little experience with this rare type.

Due in part to the unique perspective produced by this alternation between detachment and involvement in the lives of the people around them, INFJs may well have the clearest insights of all the types into the motivations of others, for good and for evil. The most important contributing factor to this uncanny gift, however, are the empathic abilities often found in Fs, which seem to be especially heightened in the INFJ type (possibly by the dominance of the introverted N function).

This empathy can serve as a classic example of the two-edged nature of certain INFJ talents, as it can be strong enough to cause discomfort or pain in negative or stressful situations. More explicit inner conflicts are also not uncommon in INFJs; it is possible to speculate that the causes for some of these may lie in the specific combinations of preferences which define this complex type. For instance, there can sometimes be a "tug-of-war" between NF vision and idealism and the J practicality that urges compromise for the sake of achieving the highest priority goals. And the I and J combination, while perhaps enhancing self-awareness, may make it difficult for INFJs to articulate their deepest and most convoluted feelings.

Usually self-expression comes more easily to INFJs on paper, as they tend to have strong writing skills. Since in addition they often possess a strong personal charisma, INFJs are generally well-suited to the "inspirational" professions such as teaching (especially in higher education) and religious leadership. Psychology and counseling are other obvious choices, but overall, INFJs can be exceptionally difficult to pigeonhole by their career paths. Perhaps the best example of this occurs in the technical fields. Many INFJs perceive themselves at a disadvantage when dealing with the mystique and formality of "hard logic", and in academic terms this may cause a tendency to gravitate towards the liberal arts rather than the sciences. However, the significant minority of INFJs who do pursue studies and careers in the latter areas tend to be as successful as their T counterparts, as it is *iNtuition* -- the dominant function for the INFJ type -- which governs the ability to understand abstract theory and implement it creatively.

In their own way, INFJs are just as much "systems builders" as are INTJs; the difference lies in that most INFJ "systems" are founded on human beings and human values, rather than information and technology. Their systems may for these reasons be conceptually "blurrier" than analogous NT ones, harder to measure in strict numerical terms, and easier to take for granted -- yet it is these same underlying reasons which make the resulting contributions to society so vital and profound.

Go Ahead, Let It Out

2006-06-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

Nothing outwardly displays the fun frivolities of the American society like dancing. I submit the following video to you as an example. Thanks to Richard & Emily & little, prenatal Sophia for introducing me to it. :) If you've already seen it, enjoy it again. Have a fun weekend!

Tribute

2006-05-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

I love my mom, because she enjoys her life...even on days when things aren't going her way. She always has a smile on her face, and she always makes a point to share some happiness with the people she meets.

She just came back from a trip to Disney World with her sister, Marilyn, and her five-year-old niece, Gracie. Disney World is my mom's favorite place on Earth, so you can imagine that she couldn't let Gracie keep all the camera time for herself. ;)

You can tell, just from her smile, that she carries a lot of joy with her. And she definitely does.

Feel free to post a comment sharing what you love about your mother. :)

Love me some Rumi

2006-05-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

I must admit that until about two years ago, I had no idea who Rumi was. And, in case you're in the same boat, here's the abridged version. Rumi was a 13th century Sufi mystic who was quite prolific in his poetic writings. (By the way, Sufism is a esoteric wing of Islam, so they were kinda like the Islamic version of Gnostics.) What's so interesting is that Rumi's poems end up transcending his own beliefs. The Christian can read his poems and actually be moved. Part of it does relate back to the common beginnings of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, but there are some poems that one can actually relate to New Testament theology--an unexpected connection. Now, because of all this, Rumi ends up being the poster-child for religious pluralism. Aside from that, though, I still can't deny that I and my belief system can relate to many of Rumi's poems. So, I thought I'd share a couple.

"Why and Where We Go"

You are more beautiful than soul,
more useful than eyes; whatever I've

seen in myself, I didn't see it.
You saw. You chose me. I say this

poem to honor that choice. I chose
to lie down in a burning coffin-bed!

Ask my eyes, "Why do you flow?" Ask
my back, "Why so bent?" Ask my soul,

"Why do you wear iron shoes on the road?"
Also ask my soul if it has met another

like you, or heard of such a thing in
any language. You're the sun dissolving

dull overcast, the fragrance of a field,
Joseph entering this room. Peeling

oranges, we see you and nick our hands.
Without touching the ground, you draw

a line. We turn that way. You're why
and where we go, and what we do there.
_______________________________

"What I See in Your Eyes"

Out of myself, but wanting to go
beyond that, wanting what I see

in your eyes, not power, but to
kiss the ground with the dawn

breeze for company, wearing white
pilgrim cloth. I have a certain

knowing. Now I want sight.

That last couple of sentence rings so true for me. "I have a certain knowing. Now I want sight." If you search through Rumi's works, you can find lots of little wisdom pearls throughout. At the very least, they are insightful secular thoughts. At the best, the Holy Spirit uses them to uncover some Christian truths for yourself.

You Should Watch It - Continued...

2006-04-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

Well, today I concluded my apparent independent-film-turned-mainstream-movie-of-2005 rentfest by watching Capote and Good Night, and Good Luck. So, to match my previous post about Junebug (which, perhaps, you should read first), I figure that I should at least say a few words about these films as well.

I watched Capote first. Certainly, the most impressive part of the film was Philip Seymour Hoffman's transformation into Truman Capote. In recent years, the Academy Awards have been generously awarded to actors and actresses that have undertaken such dramatic transformations, so it's not a surprise that Hoffman picked up an Oscar this year. And, it's well deserved. I completely forgot that I was watching Philip Seymour Hoffman, even more so than I forgot that I was watching Charlize Theron in Monster.

Alright, so the lead actor was amazing. What I also appreciated about the film was the study in individuals' motivations, played out most strongly between Capote and Perry Smith (one of the two murderers that were the subject of Capote's pinnacle work, In Cold Blood). Over the course of several years, as Capote interviews the imprisoned Smith, it becomes clear that each man is 1) attempting to use the other one (Capote using Smith in hopes of literary success, and Smith using Capote as a megaphone that will hopefully exonerate him), but also 2) developing a strong bond with the other one. It's quite similar to the isolation vs. community duality that I liked so much in Junebug. And, in the same way, it shows that--in its truest depiction--human existence is about both extremes. We are in it both for ourselves and for others. I could really babble more about that, but, anyway, it's another very good film.

And now, on to Good Night, and Good Luck. This film is well documented for having political overtones, undertones, and everything in between. And it does, of course. George Clooney, et al. wish to draw a comparison between Senator McCarthy's gratuitous use of fear to manipulate public opinion and the current administration's case for the war on terrorism. My thought is that if you're already inclined to draw that comparison, you'll buy it, and if you're not, you won't. For me, the key take-away is that no one should get a free ride through the court of public opinion. That's easier said than done, though, because a large portion of our nation is resigned to blindly accepting what one group or another says. What I dislike the most about our political system is that so many successful politicians (of all parties, I might add) seek to cultivate that kind of blind acceptance. Instead of encouraging people to think critically and truly make their own decisions, it seems like it's more about usurping those people's decisions and deciding for them. That's a shame.

Apart from the politics of Good Night, and Good Luck, the film was very successful in projecting the climate of fear and tension during the days of McCarthyism. I must admit, I'm not especially informed about the era. When it comes to our generation and 20th century history, it seems like we have a knowledge gap between WWII and Vietnam. That's another topic, though. Anyway, as I was saying, the tight cinematography, combined with that searing gaze of David Strathairn's Edward R. Murrow, pulls the audience into the tense atmosphere, which is so important to the success of film. After all, this was a film based on a true story that was already lived out on television. (The film even makes use of quite a bit of actual footage from the era.) So, without the personal connection of the audience to that fear and tension, the film would've just been a boring rehashing of the past. Definitely another good film.

Well, it would seem that I spent my afternoon solidly rooted in the late 50's / early 60's, didn't I? I have to say that I enjoyed it. And, just to keep things going, I think I'll fold my laundry while watching one of my favorite frivolous flicks, Down With Love. Sure, it's a trite little tale, but it's pretty fun...particularly for those who appreciate tongue-and-cheek innuendo. And that's certainly me. :) Alright, enough critiquing for now! Happy Watching!

You Should Watch It

2006-04-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

If you were raised in the rural South, I hope you've seen Junebug. I just finished watching it, and it was a fantastic film. I was really amazed at how it perfectly captured the charm, the quirks, and the annoyances of small, Southern communities. Not only were the characters dead-on, but so was the location. I mean, for me, it looked like they filmed it right down the road from where I live.

In spite of that direct connection, though, I most loved how the film depicted the duality of people striving for both moments of isolation and moments of community. It said so much about how individuals use 1) times of isolation to be considerate to others, 2) times of isolation to be inconsiderate to others, 3) times of community to be considerate to others, and 4) times of community to be inconsiderate to others. I don’t know of many films that give adequate depiction of all four of those scenarios, but in real life, they certainly all happen. Anyway, it's the lushness of all these different situations that makes me suggest that all of you (even those not as familiar with the setting) rent the film.

I also appreciated that Junebug was more optimistic than pessimistic about the hearts of people. I don’t know about all of you, but I like giving mankind the benefit of the doubt. It disappoints me that the world we live in doesn’t configure its reward system that way. It rewards pragmatism, which would prefer that people bring a hefty level of skepticism into their relationships. But hey, I’m supposed to be talking about a movie! ;)

I rented Capote and Good Night, and Good Luck as well. We’ll see if I have something to say about them when I get around to watching them.

A Couple of Thoughts

2006-04-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

Alef (#1)...

For Christians, Earth is such an insufficient place. And, by "place" I really mean "state of being," because it's not just about location. It's about everything in the Earthly realm being insufficient. Of course, the reason that fact is so clear is because we have the promise of Heaven, the perfect place to dwell, which certainly is exciting and phenomenal in the future context, but kinda makes the present a little lackluster. Who am I kidding...it makes Earth real crappy. Now, don't get me wrong, the Holy Spirit dwells amongst us on Earth, and that provides for genuine glimpses at God's love--glimpses that, in themselves, are absolutely wonderful; however, you have to admit that those wonderful moments are often no more than teasers. And, rightfully so, since we are all fallen creatures. We can't expect Heaven on Earth, because...well, this is Earth--not Heaven.

Anyway, all of that to say that Christians should expect to be frustrated. Well, let me rephrase: I do get frustrated; y'all can speak for yourselves. ;) No matter how great things are going, there's always something amiss, something lacking. For me, ever since moving back home, it's been about isolation, and those of you who have read my past posts know that topic creeps in now and then. But, even when that hasn't be the problem, there's been something else. Pick your void; there's always one there, and I'm guessing each of you has a constant void as well.

Right, so like I was saying, I get frustrated. The angst builds up, and I want to get mad. I want to have an explosive release of emotion, so it doesn't stay brewing inside. However, it rarely ever happens (I guess that's why some folks think of me as a pretty even-keeled fellow, whether it's true or not). Anyway, right before the explosion happens, I think about how blessed I am and, particularly at this time of year, how God's sacrifice so completely overshadows any semblance of sacrifice that I might pursue in my life, and I'm left with no sense of entitlement, no ability to claim anger in my situation.

Now, fear not; this post is not about patting myself on the back. Just because I've averted an emotional outburst, doesn't mean the angst gets dealt with. It just diminishes, maybe, until it comes to the forefront again. And, when it does, it's like having a baseball in my hand and wanting to throw it forcefully away. (Sports analogies aren't usually my thing, but for some reason, the notion of throwing something like a ball really came to mind most strongly. Go figure.)

Anyway, so I have the ball of emotions in my hand; here are my options. 1) Throw it. Have the emotional outburst. However, like I said before, I'm in no position to get upset over my lot in life. 2) Keep it. Ride out the storm for now. However, also like I said before, that doesn't really deal with the problem. And, then, that's when God steps in and points out Option 3. It's not anything new, nor is it anything radical. We all know what it is. 3) Release it. Just let it go. Instead of forcefully getting rid of that ball of emotion, just open your hand, and let it fall to the ground. It relieves you of the burden, while also preventing any collateral damage.

Do I know how to do that effectively? No.

My Prayer of the Moment: God, show me how to drop the ball.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Bet (#2)...

Don't ask me why I decided to read Deuteronomy this afternoon. Hehehe, just reading that sentence is kinda funny. I mean, Deuteronomy? Random book, right? Especially on Easter, which is the most "New Testament" day of the whole year! Anyway, I did come across an interesting group of verses that I wanted to share.

Now, just as a preface, I never really like looking at snippets of scripture on their own, particularly ones from the Old Testament. It can be very easy to read them out of context and screw up the real intent of the passage; however, this one is a straightforward description of the heart of God. It can stand on its own. Moses is speaking to the Israelites prior to their entry into the Promised Land:

"The Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt." --Deuteronomy 10:17-19

The first thing that struck me about the passage was how New Testament-esque it sounded. It speaks of God's love for people beyond those of Israelite heritage, as well as the Israelites' responsibility to mirror that love. That's quite different from the majority of the Old Testament, which is fairly introspective toward the Israelite relationship with God.

The second thing that struck me relates to the interplay between love for people vs. politics/nationalism, which is quite timely, considering the current political issue regarding immigration. And, honestly, I'm not gonna go into detail about my political thoughts on the matter, mainly because they're not especially well-defined. :) Still, here's how I see the two situations paralleling:

1) Political regimes will make their own decisions regarding interactions with "alien" groups ("Alien," here is the Hebrew word "gare," meaning "sojourner/foreigner"). In OT times, people-groups were tribal and nomadic, and there was quite a bit of regional warring. One group was always conquering and enslaving another group. Today, in the U.S., our government is weighing what the best choice is regarding illegal immigration. There are perspectives ranging from amnesty to national guard deployment to barrier-building; who knows what the end result will be.

2) God's command is to love, regardless of the political situation. Through Moses in Deuteronomy, God made it very clear to the Israelites that they were to love foreigners, which parallels nicely with the New Testament's charge to the Church to love all peoples. The beauty of the whole situation today is that, no matter what our Government decides, our responsibility doesn't change. Our knowledge that people are suffering requires that we act in love...regardless of whether those people are on one side of the Rio Grande, or the other.

The Bookends of Time

2006-03-20T21:15:00.000-08:00

When I was driving home from church on Sunday, I started thinking about Genesis 1. I thought about God acknowledging that each of His creations was good. Up until now, I had looked at it like God was a craftsman. He was driven to make something, He made it, and He was pleased with the outcome. After all, that's how we react when we create something.

However, I realized (yet again...for the umpteenth time) that God is not bound by time. When He was creating the Light and the Darkness, when He was creating mankind, He knew already what the ultimate outcome (the fulfilling of His Plan) would be, and with all that foreknowledge, that's the mind from which God acknowledges "it is good." And, in doing so, He really provided the ultimate comfort to us all. He's saying, "Mankind is gonna make it hard on themselves, but I've chosen to use them to fulfill My purpose, and with 100% certainty, that purpose will be met!" And, that's why the creation of it all is so good.

That's really the first connection I've ever made between the beginning of Creation to the End of the Age, and it offered me a glimpse into how big the "Big Picture" is to God. I mean, "the body of Christ," as a metaphor, isn't bound by time either. Sure, there is a real-time aspect to the church, whereby you literally work beside your fellow Christian to achieve one of God's many mini-purposes. Yet, greater than that, the "body of Christ" that fulfills God's ultimate goal includes Paul and Peter and Billy Graham and all the generations before and after...and you and I are working along side them as well.

God's knowledge of our lives is complete and full. He knows all the sins each of us will commit. However, He also knows how much God-inspired goodness each of us will do in our lives. And, the great comfort is that--whatever that amount is--that will be enough. That's the exact amount that God planned for, and that's the exact amount that you will give.

So, to the earnest Christian, take heart. Imminent victory awaits the Body of Christ, and you are a part of it. Release yourself from the burden of "measuring up."

Alone on a Park Bench

2006-03-01T11:55:00.000-08:00

I know it's a little crazy, but I'm totally posting twice in one day. So, after you read this one, go right ahead and read the one below it!

Loneliness is a fickle emotion. It's like a bitterly cold wind that comes out of nowhere, completely overtakes your senses for a moment, and then fades away, leaving no trace of itself until it blows through again. At least that's how it is for me. I can be moseying along, doing just fine, and in a blink, I feel desperately alone.

In all honesty, I'm not alone. I'm surrounded by family; I keep in close contact with lots of friends...my life is not transcendentalistic. But, in that moment when the loneliness hits, you don't feel anything but the profound emptiness, as though all your life's been just as empty. All the warm collegiality that I experienced an hour before or that I will experience an hour later means nothing. Loneliness is an emotion that's firmly rooted in the present.

And, I think that's what makes loneliness so hard to deal with. Whenever you feel bold enough to do something about it, it's not there. It's kinda like taking your car to a mechanic, and saying, "It made this horrible rattling sound all the way here, but now that I'm here, it's not making it anymore." Of course, that's the situation I'm in right now. I'm not lonely now...but I was. And I think most everyone lives with similar ebbs and flows of loneliness. That's one of the reasons that human companionship is so important to all of us--in its most complete form, marriage. It's so appealing to have someone so close that they are, in effect, part of you. It seems like the death knell to loneliness, but surprisingly, it doesn't turn out that way. I'm sure that's the reason for many divorces out there. And, I think people sometimes want children for the same reason. As a matter of fact, I heard a woman say that not too long ago. I don't know where it was, but she said that she assumed that after she had children, she would never be alone again. Yet, she realized that it didn't turn out that way.

The most poignant depiction of loneliness comes in the form of a photograph I once saw in an art gallery. (I hate I don't have an image of it to post, but just envision it.) The photo was of a old man sitting on a bench in the park. He was seated to one side on the bench, leaving room for another person, but no one else is there. In one way, the photo is all about him; he's the only person in the photo, after all. But, in another way, the photo is completely not about him--it's about that empty space next to him, about that other person that's not there. And, that's another facet of loneliness. On the one hand, it's a completely selfish emotion, because it's 100% internal: I'm saying to myself, "I'm lonely." But, on the other hand, it's unselfish, because what I'm really saying is that I don't want it to be 100% about me. I want there to be someone else there. It's a painful duality.

Now, how does this contemplation relate to God. For me, it has a lot to do with my incomplete appreciation for the many roles that God is intended to play in my life. I mean, there are some that I "get": God as Sovereign, God as Provider, God as Savior, God as Healer, etc. However, I don't yet understand God as my friend. Well, and I think it's because I closely associate "friend" with "peer," and God is not my peer, similar to the way my earthly parents aren't my peers, but even more so, since He's God. He knows me better than anyone, He understands every facet of who I am, He's been there in every second of my life, but I can't relate to Him. And, really, relatability isn't the name of the game with God. I mean, Jesus, the one embodiment of the triune God that's closest to me, is the example to follow, the ideal to chase after. Yes, He was tempted just as we are, but he aced the test. I can't say the same for myself. Not much relatability there. But, I still want relatability. Why? I could go into a long dissertation on that one, too, but this thing is already long enough.

Jumping straight to the point (thankfully, right?), I'm trying to put a round peg (God) in a square hole (peer relationship), but what I don't realize is that I'm overdosing on square holes already, and leaving the one round hole totally unattended.

Are human relationships a gift from God? Yes. Do they have the power to enhance insight into God and His Plan? Yes. Are they, sometimes, the only thing that breeds sanity in this world? Yes. However, can human relationships overshadow the importance of communing with God? Yes...just like any other addiction.

Hello. My name is Trey Hankins, and I'm a people-holic.

Idol Chatter

2006-03-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

Okay, I admit to being an American Idol fan. Of course, most of America is made up of American Idol fans, so it's not like I'm an outsider. :) I'm more on the outskirts with my other two reality show favorites--Project Runway and America's Next Top Model. All three of them offer something artistic, and I think that's why I like them.

Anyway, last night was the 2nd live performance for each of the 10 remaining female semifinalists, and all-around, it wasn't a very exciting night. I think all of the ladies have decent talent, which isn't something I necessarily would've said in years past, but none of them really showcased it. Nonetheless, I still have my favorites: Mandisa, Paris Bennett, Lisa Tucker, and Katharine McPhee. All of them throw some soulful style into their singing, and I think all of them will make it through to the finals. That leaves 2 spots, and dang it, I don't think there's any way to avoid Kellie Pickler getting one of them. She's gone way overboard on the country-girl-in-the-big-city bit, and her sob story is already ringing in my ear like a broken record. Granted, she has had some tough things to deal with, but goodness, America doesn't have to know all about it...every show. Still, I'm sure she'll get through. Now the 6th spot could go a few ways; history has shown that America does like at least one raspy-voiced, rock-ish girl in the bunch. That would be Melissa McGhee, who's rock-ish in the Country vein. She couldn't go all the way, but neither could any of the other girls. Ayla Brown and Kinnik Sky are both good, but there's no spark with either of them. And, as for the last two--Brenna Gethers and Heather Cox--they should be gone after Thursday's results show.

Tonight's the guys' performances; it'll be only fair for me to post about them as well. After that, though, I'll have gotten it all out, and I probably won't waste blog space on it any more. I know there's some of you out there that will appreciate that. ;)

However, I am curious to know if any of you that regularly read my blog follow American Idol. It's a guilty pleasure, definitely, but it sure is a fun one.

Who Needs a Lobotomy When You Have High School Musicals!

2006-02-14T08:44:00.000-08:00

Ah yes, we're less than 2 weeks away from the Ripley High School production of Annie, Get Your Gun, and let me say that rehearsals are going swimmingly! No, that's not true. Last night's rehearsal was horrendous! And, you know how these types of things are...it feels like it will never come together until it magically does the night before the 1st performance. Well, we might need a little more magic than normal. ;)

Last night was the 1st rehearsal with everyone--cast, crew, orchestra. From my vantage point behind the piano, I was most concerned about the marriage between music and drama. About 1/3 of the drama takes place with music in the background, and the director hasn't taken the time to explain to the actors that their words have to match how the music flows, otherwise everything gets off. Last night was the first time it's been blaringly obvious. Up to now, they've had me just "go with what the cast does," which essentially means "completely disregard how the music is written and make the notes fit how they're acting. That's a lot easier for a pianist to do than an entire orchestra. As a matter of fact, an orchestra just can't do that. So, there was a low level of chaos. Now, fortunately, we're finding this out this week...instead of next week. There is still time to hammer home the idea that they have to cue off of the band director, instead of the band director cuing off of them.

All in all, the director has generally disregarded the music aspect of the show, and it shows. If I agree to work with the musical next year, I'm afraid I might have to make a list of things that I'm gonna insist on going differently.

Well, I don't like the idea of using my blog as a soapbox for ranting, but honestly, this is definitely what's going on with me for the time being. :) I go to work, I eat, I go to musical rehearsal, and I sleep. Maybe in two weeks I'll have better topics to post about. ;)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

2006-02-05T14:37:00.000-08:00

Do you know who Dietrich Bonhoeffer was? Until today, I had heard his name a few times; I had seen it here or there in passing, but I had never taken the time to find out his story. Well, I got to hear about it today.

As is my current Sunday morning ritual, I drive 45 minutes to Tupelo, MS, to attend church. I typically try to get "in the mood" for church, as it were; honestly, sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. This morning, it worked. I was flipping through the radio channels, trying to find some good praise & worship music; unfortunately, in rural Mississippi, all you usually get is Southern Gospel quartet music. Anyway, I found my way to Mississippi's NPR station, which airs a show called "Speaking of Faith" at 9AM--today, the topic was Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Okay, so who was he? He was a German theologian during Adolf Hitler's rise to power. Because of the widespread violence that defined WWII Europe, it's often noted that Bonhoeffer was a pacificist, as well as a critic of Hitler's regime and how it hijacked Christianity as somehow supporting the Nazi cause. Like most German critics of Nazism, Bonhoeffer found himself imprisoned, and he was hanged in 1945.

While imprisoned, Bonhoeffer did a lot of writing, much of it in the form of letters to friends and family. All his prison writings have been compiled into a collection aptly called, Letters and Papers from Prison. I looked around the Internet and found a few excerpts from the book. What's so neat about this collection is its candor and its approachability. After all, Bonhoeffer wasn't writing scholarly theses, he was writing notes to his closest companions. He doesn't gloss over the fact that he's a screwed-up human being, and what I especially liked is that his letters chronicle his pursuit for understanding. He writes about the topics he thinks about...not in order to present an "answer," but to foster a dialogue. I think that parallels so nicely to how each of you uses your blog; they're places of honesty and openness. You don't use them to preach. You use them to share.

There was one detail I forgot to mention about Dietrich Bonhoeffer: the specific reason he found himself put to death. He participated in several attempts to assassinate Adolf Hitler. It's an amazing irony, considering his strong opposition to violence. And, that's another reason I want to read more of Bonhoeffer's writings. He was clearly a conflicted man, a man who recognized that a Christian's life is one of struggle between the earthly realm and the spiritual realm. That recognization leaves him somewhat unable to define or understand himself. I don't know about you, but that's where I find myself, more often than not.

As an example, here's a poem written by Bonhoeffer, included in Letters and Papers from Prison:

"Who Am I"

Who am I? They often tell me
I would step from my cell's confinement
calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
like a squire from his country-house.
Who am I? They also tell me
I would talk to my warders
freely and friendly and clearly,
as though it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also tell me
I would bear the days of misfortune
equably, smilingly, proudly,
like one accustomed to win.

Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself,
restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
struggling for breath, as though hands were compressing my throat,
yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
trembling with anger at despotisms and petty humiliation,
tossing in expectation of great events,
powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?

Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today, and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
and before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?

Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, thou knowest, O God, I am thine.

That's perhaps the most relatable piece of writing I've ever read.

Cinememories

2006-01-26T14:31:00.000-08:00

Last night, I watched Mary Poppins. I hadn't seen it in a long time, so I was hoping to have a fun moment of nostalgia. I've got to admit, it was fantastic. Now, I confess that I do like musicals, so I am kinda biased from the start, but the movie overall is great. It is a Disney movie, of course, so it's not heavy on social commentary or suspense or, well, much of anything, but its theme is presented in a straightforward, heartfelt way that really resonates. And, you can't help but love Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke.

Plus, I can't leave out the nostalgic aspect of the film. I remember watching Mary Poppins way back when I lived in Grenada...gosh, that's almost 20 years ago. :( Anyway, we had one of those monstrous back-yard satellite dishes that moved according to the signal, with a descrambler in the house. That was when the Disney Channel wasn't a free channel, so my parents made sure we got our money's worth of it. I watched it all the time--"Mousercizing" in the morning, cartoons in the afternoon, and movies like "Mary Poppins" and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" in the evenings. Good times.

Children's movies today usually win over adult audiences by including subtle humor that goes over kids' heads--and I've got to say I enjoy those movies, too. But, movies like that end up having a different impact on their audience; they make you laugh, but they don't make you smile.

What movies make you smile? (I do understand that having nostalgic memories help on the smile factor, but you don't have to completely restrict your responses to by-gone children's films.) I want to see more movies that leave me feeling good in the end.

Quartz Movement

2006-01-23T08:42:00.000-08:00

Time is one of those things you can't ponder too much, lest you get a headache. For all of us, it's such a certainty, but because it's so certain, it's hard to think outside of it. Usually, you don't have to think outside of it; as a matter of fact, life on Earth requires you to think completely inside of it...especially in the U.S., where productivity and scheduling and time management are so revered. And, on top of that, time spills over into the petty niceties of life, where punctuality is translated into courtesy; after all, people's time is valuable. So, Time is seen as both reliable and precious. We've obviously placed it on a pedestal.

And this is where things get tricky...at least for me. Time is one of the boundaries in life that I count on; it gives me a framework upon which to build my life. It's not too long before it's clear that time gets too much of...well, my time. I'm guilty of putting lots of things before God, but when I think about such things, it's always things that are more tangible--work, play, laziness, myself, etc. But, until now, I don't think I've ever placed Time itself into that category. However, if you want to talk about the things that confine us while we're on Earth, the things that keep us so stifled that we can't breathe, you've got to talk about Time. Each of us has made our own set of time shackles, and we spend our whole lives trying to live inside the boundaries of those shackles--crying out in frustration and pain when we try to stretch beyond them. And, those cries of pain probably should be the first indication that something's awry.

It's a tough thing to think about, because I don't know how to fix it. You can't quit scheduling times for groups to get together. You can't just ignore the framework of time, because it's such a fixture of our lives. Nonetheless, you can't be a slave to it either. And, I'm not talking about, for instance, letting obligations eat up your available time for God; I'm talking more abstract than that. It shouldn't be about having time for God or not having time for God; it should be about living and breathing God, period, and letting time work itself out.

Wow, even typing it seems weird..."letting time work itself out"--it's seems like lunacy. Time is just...time. You deal with it, you manage it, you move on. But, I just can't shake that maybe that's not it. How should it all go? I have no idea. I mean, seriously, I don't have a clue. At this point, I'm still in the time framework. My life still works that way. But, I think that I should be thinking of ways that it shouldn't.

2006-01-20T11:14:00.000-08:00

So, a new establishment has opened up in the metropolis of Ripley, MS; I thought I would help bolster the town's economy by posting a picture of their newly erected sign online--you know, free advertising.

Is it just me, or is this sign made in a way that inaccurately communicates what these folks are trying to sell? Maybe it's the odd combination of pieces of words together in my mind that's getting me sidetracked.

Various Sundries of Sundry Variety

2006-01-20T08:29:00.000-08:00

So, here I am at work, waiting for a huge demo software package to download. I think that means it's the perfect time for a blog post during work hours. :)

However, having the perfect opportunity does not exactly mean that the perfect blog will result. I can't come up with anything good to type about. I mean, I know the blog isn't supposed to be the forum for strictly intellectual, philosophical discussion, or the forum for only humorous statements either, but it would be nice if what I typed had some interest to it.

Hmm....I guess I'm just gonna have to talk about random things until something good comes along. And, if it doesn't, then so be it.

First of all, I was shocked when I opened my canister of powdered gatorade mix this week. Up to now, I've just bought the pre-made kind, but I figured the more prudent choice would be to buy the powdered kind, as long as it tasted the same. Luckily, it does, by the way. Anyway, I don't know what I was expecting, but when I opened the canister, the powder was practically fluorescent. I drink the lemon-lime flavor, which is a bold chartreuse color, but I didn't exactly expect the powder to look radioactive. I mean, kool-aid powder isn't typically as brightly colored as the finished beverage--this powder really looked like a cross between solid sulphur and a cartoon depiction of nuclear waste. I guess the dyes are just uber-powerful.

Speaking of which, one of the dyes in lemon-lime gatorade is Yellow-5. Do you remember the urban myth (well, in my case, rural myth) about Yellow-5? It became popular when I was in middle school. Wait, come to think of it, maybe it's just something silly students come up with in middle school--like, 7th graders right now are talking about Yellow-5, instead of, say, 1994 being the "year of the yellow-5 scare." No matter...the lore was that males should drink Mountain Dew, or any other consumable with Yellow-5 in it, because the dye had...um, a detrimental effect on the male anatomy. I think that's hilarious. Of course, who am I to say it's not true--it's not like I want to do a study on it. Hmm...now I have planted doubt in your minds...now you're scared. Well, if you're male. If you're female, you're probably trying to figure out how to use Yellow-5 to usurp power from all the chauvinistic men that try to run you over in life. And, good for you!

Oh, speaking of chauvinistic men (the stream of consciousness is really working today), I read a news story today about how the Japanese government is considering allowing women to become impresses. As it is, only men can assume the emperorship (as per a 1950-ish law); unfortunately, the emperor's lineage hasn't produced a male heir since 1969--tough luck, so they've had to kinda skimp on the direct lineage thing, leading to concerns that the lineage will continue to be fudged. Anyway, the result is this proposed change in law, which would make a 4-year-old daughter of the current Prince Regent (acting as the emperor, since there haven't been males to actually be emperor) the new impress. Of course, the Prince would still be the regent ruler until she turns whatever age the Japanese culture sees as "adulthood." Anyway, to the chauvinism part: during the debate over the law, one of the legislators against the law said that he would prefer, instead, to reinstate the use of concubines, to allow for more opportunities of a male heir to be born. When I read that, I was like, was he being serious? And, apparently so. I mean, I'm a middle-of-the-road guy in terms of political idealogy, but I think it's safe to say this man was a little behind the times. ;)

Behind the times...it seems like I could stream-of-conscious myself into another thought. But, I'll stop for now. Hooray for the impending weekend!

A Second Chance to Make the Same Impression

2006-01-12T20:16:00.001-08:00

Do you remember the silly politics from high school? Do you remember that there were kids who got stuff and kids who didn’t get stuff? And there were teachers who had their favorites? And parents who weren’t afraid to jump into the mix when things didn’t go their child’s way? I hate to tell you this, but it’s still the same. :(

And, how did a young, single 24-year-old like myself stumble upon such a depressing piece of information? I’m glad you asked. Since moving back to my childhood home (and, for those of you who don’t know, it was a God thing—I was set on the idea of not returning here except for holidays and, maybe, retirement—of course, God’s working it out, like He always does), I had stayed away from things of a civic nature...until last week, when I agreed to be the pianist for the high school musical, Annie Get Your Gun. (Great choice, ay? In rural Mississippi, the standing rule is apparently to avoid all musicals that post-date, say, 1964...though this is the remake. I bet they don’t know that. Anyway, probably has something to do with defending the ears of innocents against that pollutin’ liberal thought. There will probably be gasps from the audience when they hear one of the characters is half-Indian, half-Irish. “Can you believe that? Irish!”)

Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked. I agreed to be the pianist which entails all the rehearsals and the performances—it will consume some time. At the last minute, I got pulled in to the auditions, and believe me, I would’ve stayed home if I had known what that would get me involved in. So, to shorten the already lengthy story, a girl who was trying out for Annie didn’t get Annie. The way things played out, it definitely gave the impression that the teacher/director was being partial to other students, so the girl’s parents wrote a letter to our version of a PTA, as well as the school board, expressing their disgruntlement.

Because I was at the final audition, I was listed in the letter as a knowledgeable individual who could potentially object to the director’s casting decisions...at least that was what was implied. I, of course, did not give me permission to be listed in said letter, nor did I allow them to INCLUDE MY WORK TELEPHONE NUMBER for people to call me!!!

So, between actual work tasks, I spent a large portion of my day proclaiming my neutrality on the issue. I told the parents I sympathize with their situation, but it wasn’t respectful to rope me in like that. And, I told the director I’m not on the side of the parents and I’m still committed to the musical; however, the tryout process was performed in such a way that they can’t prove what they did was legitimate. I mean, goodness gracious, Switzerland doesn’t have to proclaim its neutrality! Why can’t they just assume I’m neutral until proven biased!

The end result, of course, is that there aren’t very many winners...really, no winners. That’s the sad part of it all. Nothing was accomplished by all these inconsiderate actions by so many people. It just showed people will get worked up about anything if they want to.

It also brought to light a little bit of irony. When I was in high school, all I wanted to do was to be seen in a positive light by my fellow students. It didn’t matter to me a whole lot that all the adults had great things to say about me, I just wanted that affirmation from my peers. Now that I’m thrust back into this setting, I’m on the other side of the fence. I’m an adult now, and I’m also well respected upon my “peers,” the other adults. But, you know, I still don’t care about the adults, even if they are my peers now. I’d rather have the appreciation of the students.

Why is that? The psychologist in me says it’s because I’m trying to fill a void that has been empty ever since I was in high school. The spiritual person in me wants to disagree. If you look into the eyes of an adult, you don’t see the same thing that you see in the eyes of a kid, even if the kid’s a teenager. Adults are so much more tainted...they have so many more agendas, and their eyes tell that tale. So, if you want to get an earthly glimpse at the eyes of God, you’re less likely to find them in an adult’s eyes.

I love it when God throws human logic on its ear. In this case, human logic dictates that an older, wiser people have more knowledge and wisdom to share than younger people. And, though that is sometimes the case, at other times, God’s most powerful teachers are children. (Not at all times, mind you, sometimes kids truly are mean!)

Switching gears, am I the only one who feels like Doogie Howser when I post a blog? I’m guessing he was the first blogger (i.e. the first person to type his thoughts on a computer screen for everyone in the world to read), right? Go figure.

FIrst Time Up

2005-12-11T15:48:00.000-08:00

You know, I don't know how much I'm gonna post on this site, because I really like posting comments on other folks' sites better...at least I'm being honest. :)