Wrandom Wramblings

Frappr Map...

2007-08-17T10:06:00.000-05:00

If you're a frequent reader why don't you add yourself to the map. I'd love to see where my peeps are at (both of you).

New Website Up!!!!!

2006-09-21T11:20:00.000-05:00

Not much to see yet but all future content will be here:

Spiritual Tramp

I'll leave this blog up until I can either move posts over there or barring that just keep this open for archival purposes.

Weird Al!!!!

2006-09-20T14:31:00.000-05:00

My new theme song!

Yeah I know, original content. I'm gettin' on it. Just thought I'd lighten the mood.

Spiritual Gas Tank...

2006-09-13T12:45:00.000-05:00

To say that mine has been running on fumes would be an overstatement. That in part explains why this place has gone a bit to pot. That plus trying to write for other folks (which I love) has made writing time dear.

Now I'm not promising anything, by any means. I do plan on getting back in the saddle with my daily ramblings and writing my fiction. Reading about a young lady who is on novel number four and had her movie optioned by Peter Jackson should help me be inspired, not depressed. I just don't feel that my stuff is quite ready for prime time.

Anyway, back on topic. I haven't done any sort of meaningful spiritual things in quite some time. No Bible reading, practically no praying unless I'm with others who are, and I'm not back in choir or leadership training both of which started back this month. I just have no desire and as time passes that is no longer really bothering me. I'm asking myself, "Is this it? Is this how someone falls away?"

And if it is then I guess I'm okay with that. Don't get me wrong, I'm not turning into an atheist by any means. It's just that the way we American Protestants do church doesn't make any sense to me. Most of them seem to be afraid or unwilling to be anything more than either modern Pharisees, or "free spirits" that completely pick and choose (though we all do that to varying degrees) and turn religion into a self-help resource. Add to that the fact that the Bible seems more and more to be a bunch of made up/grossly embellished stories by well meaning men.

Something my wife and I talked about is the fact that she see all of this sort of thing in B&W and I see, at best, shades of gray. Sometimes I wish I had her faith, not that it's perfect or makes her life any easier. It just seems better than the constant roller coaster that I stay on.

I guess I'm just tired of running a race that I can't win. The outcome is already decided so why bother?

Just so you know I'm not depressed or suicidal. I am tired. I am busy. I am stressed. But I don't think there's anything to be worried about in regards to my physical wellbeing.

Any of you ever gone through anything like this? I mean I've had low, loooooooow points in my life. I've even taken antidepressants. That was nothing like this. This feels a lot more like an internal paradigm shift of some sort.

Well anyway that's all for now. More wrandomness coming back at ya soon.

You-tubage...

2006-09-13T10:01:00.000-05:00

Chad Vader - Night Shift Manager Episode Three

Rubber Band Gatling Gun!!!!!!!

Swingin'...

2006-09-11T09:57:00.000-05:00

I took the kids to Miller Park on Saturday and we had a grand old time.

Our oldest is wearing her new yellow shoes:

Our two youngest swinging in tandem. The boy couldn't go high enough.

Wachovia Building

2006-09-11T09:37:00.000-05:00

These are some snaps of one of downtown's more distinctively phallic buildings.

Downtown Architecture...

2006-09-08T08:21:00.000-05:00

I love this office building in downtown Winston Salem.

This smokestack is also very cool.

(Yes I'm testing my new camera/cellphone).

Office Space

2006-09-07T19:35:00.000-05:00

Office Space, originally uploaded by capteucalyptus.

This is where I work.

Pulse Check...

2006-08-30T14:32:00.000-05:00

Yes we're still alive. Yes we're still writing daily stuff for two other sites. Yes we like to refer to ourselves in third person. Since I can't do a video blog and I'm having trouble keeping a pointless, wrandom blog, I'm thinking of reading some of my fiction and posting those MP3s here. Would any of you be able to host (Pat, Bear, Bueller)?

South 21 Drive-In...

2006-08-25T12:15:00.000-05:00

Has it really been a week? Wow. Well anyway as promised in an earlier post I tried the South 21 Drive-In, a restaurant that appeared on Alton Brown's Feasting on Asphalt. If it hadn't been on that show I never would have found it or if I did I don't think I would have stopped. It didn't look like anything special food wise, but the decor was definitely a throwback to the fifties.

They only take cash or checks and not realizing that I didn't bring very much along for the ride. I did have enough to order the Super Boy hamburger with fries and a root beer for $5.90. Let me tell you, it was worth it. The burger wasn't as good Five Guys, but it was better than most other fast food joints. It consisted of two bun-sized patties with lettuce, tom, onions, and mustard with a dill pickle spear skewered to the top. The fries were fantastic and the whole affair was served on a paper plate.

This place is what Sonic tries to be, literally I suppose. The speaker system looks like it's original to the restaurant (1955) and has a tray attached that pulls out on a swing arm so that you can reach it. Service was pretty quick, but I was one of very few customers. Of course it was almost two o' clock. I suppose I should go again so that I can try their "Famous" onion rings and give their milkshake a shot. As good as it was though it's a little out of the way.

America's Got Talent But No Taste...

2006-08-18T15:22:00.000-05:00

Someone please tell me why these guys didn't win??

I mean I didn't watch all of every show but these guys were the best thing I saw. Of course I told my wife at the beginning, before I'd seen one second that a singer would win. *Sigh* I mean don't get me wrong, the little girl was talented, but Penn and Teller said it best. America apparently voted for cute.

Heavy Rotation...

2006-08-17T07:49:00.000-05:00

MCF has given us a list of the songs he could listen to over and over. This in part thanks to The Art of Getting By. I figured I would return the favor. I had to do this quick like otherwise the list would take over my blog like kudzu. Most of them are from my teen years.

Panama by Van Halen - When I hear the opening riff from this it blows any cobwebs I have in my brain right out my ears. It's between this and Jump and I suppose Panama edges it out because I actually have this on my iPod. Otherwise this might be a harder fought battle. The whole 1984 album does a time warp for my brain.

Pump Up the Jam by Technotronic - Much like MCF's choice of Groove is in the Heart I defy you to listen to this an not tap your feet. Again it was a hard fought battle in my mind between this and Salt n Peppa's Push It. No seriously. Why are you looking at me like that.

Piano Man by Billy Joel- I am a hardcore fan of the Kid. His songs range from touching ballads to the hard bitten piano driven rock. He is a song writer par excellence. I chose this because it's a story. He manages to fill a three minute song with these unforgettable characters.

Georgia On My Mind by Ray Charles - This song is just perfect to me. It's so singable and he does such a moving job of it that it's just perfect. I don't know what else I can say.

Something in the Way She Moves by James Taylor (right click/save as for video) - This one has a personal connection. While my wife and I were dating it seems like all we listened to was JT. This song distills my feelings about her then and now. She pulled me out of a nose dive of depression and showed me the light.

Okay stopping now. Your turn.

Star Trek Inspiration...

2006-08-16T13:06:00.000-05:00

These are more funny that anything I think I could come up with:

Click the pic for more.

Life stuff...

2006-08-15T15:36:00.000-05:00

Things have been more than a little busy. I spent yesterday at home with the kids while my wife visited her grandad. He's in a pretty bad way so y'all can certainly pray for him I spent most of the day with a headache (unrelated to the chilluns, I think).

Today is better. Work is busy. I continue to write for Morse and Fake Life. Feel free to drop comments over at those joints.

I haven't been able to do any significant fiction writing of late, which sucks.

A buddy of mine is about to be published and I have yet to read Chapter 12. Sorry Rock! I will this week, promise!!!

The idea for a vlog (video blog) is tabled due to a lack of time and the whopper of a hard drive that I would need to do it. We're gonna buy a Mac when the tax refund fairy comes so maybe then.

How're you doing?

Make Your Own Motivation Poster...

2006-08-11T12:10:00.000-05:00

Life as a Dog, originally uploaded by capteucalyptus.

This is a hoot. Now you try!

BookMooch

2006-08-09T08:08:00.000-05:00

Okay this is a pretty cool idea. According to the Inquirer (a Brit tech mag) a new site will allow you to trade books with other members. Bookmooch is trying to build such a community. You type in the books that you are willing to give away. Just type the ISBN and Amazon brings up the details. If you want a book, search their database and the owner will ship it to you. You build points by trading which encourages you to give away and not just ... mooch. All you pay is shipping which they estimate will cost you a buck or two.

There's a site that does this with DVD's and another that does it with CDs. Those sites charge a buck per transaction (filthy capitalists). BookMooch founder John Buckman said that he didn't want to charge as he felt it takes away form the sense of community. Bully for him!

IQ Test

2006-08-08T12:56:00.000-05:00

That's pretty close to what I thought it'd be based on my WISC-R.

HT to MCF

What I've Been Up To...

2006-08-08T11:21:00.000-05:00

I've been a busy boy, but not here.

Movie News at The Fake Life

Tech Issues at CodeMorse

Writing meaningful crap on a daily basis is HARD! But I like it. More stuff at this here blog in a bit.

Jumpcut...

2006-08-03T13:24:00.000-05:00

Well in working towards a new project I have discovered a tool to help me edit video. Jumpcut.com lets you upload video and do some basic editing. They also host and let you embed video like Youtube.

I did this in crappy lighting with my Canon A60. I think with better lighting and my tripod I should be able to pull this off.

Hat tip to my bug Katanga for reminding me about the goodness that is Lifehacker.

The Dark Knight Rumor Mill...

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

So it's been confirmed the Ledger is the Joker and now I'm hearing that Philip Seymour Hoffman might be playing a certain tuxedoed bird. I won't put too much stock in that, the internet being what it is, but I think that might work. The man can certainly do subdued creepy and I think that would be a good fit for the atmosphere of the new movie Batman. It would also be a nice change from the DeVito Penguin.

Lisping penguins or not, the only thing about this rumor that makes me nervous is that they might fall into the trap that so many superhero movies have to date. If you do it right, you don't need more than one big name villain. The Joker is the undisputed king of Batman's chock full Rogues Gallery. If you're going to include him, throwing in another villain especially another well known one, makes about as much sense as well.. a bird that swims carrying an umbrella.

Tell you what. Hire PSH as the Penguin and put him in the third movie (trilogies being all the rage). And if you feel the need to put another bad guy in TDK make it someone like Killer Croc and let Bats take him out quickly. Think James Bond.

Fan Filmage...

2006-08-01T10:57:00.000-05:00

Okay I heard about this first one on NPR and had to check it out. James Cawley and some dedicated fans are picking up Star Trek from where it left off in the sixties. They have some of the original sets, props, and costumes. The website is here. They intend to finish two years worth of eps. I watched the premier "Come What May" here. It was cheesy, but I loved it. I also admire the work that went into it. It's entirely funded by the folks making it. "Capt. Kirk" aka Cawley is a professional Elvis impersonator.

Also you need to watch Chad Vader - Day Shift Manager:

M.C.F.A.T. Volume XV...

2006-08-01T08:14:00.000-05:00

Been a while since I've done one...

1) Your life is going to be a graphic novel. Who's writing it, and who's drawing it?

I'd have to say Robert Aspirin and Phil Foglio. It would certainly be funnier and more interesting.

2) Weather patterns are shifting every year. Wars are exploding across the globe. When and how do you see the world coming to an end?

Well I'm kind of partial to the portrayal in Revelation. Angels and Demons slugging it out with their various human allies helping out. Of course, in Revelation the whole thing's a little brief.

3) What, if anything, would turn you into a supervillain?

Well if comics are any indication it would be some serious personal tragedy combined with a nuclear incident. Probably won't happen... Or maybe it already has. MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

4) Let's try another showdown question: TMNT vs. The Kurgan; who wins?

Well since they can tuck their heads inside I give it to the Turtles.

SPECIAL BONUS QUESTION: The year is 3994. What’s a Mok?

A mutated gerbil.

Dr. Phibes Rises Again...

2006-07-31T09:51:00.000-05:00

Between working on putting together a new swing set for the kiddos and holding down the fort with them while the missus worked all day Saturday, I managed to get to Ed McKay's used books and pick up Batman Begins and Dr. Phibes Rises Again.

I watched the latter last night with my lovely wife. It was as chock full of camp, weirdness, novel offing of characters, and organ music as I remember. Well worth the cash I plunked down for it. I think the thing I love most about it was Inspector Trout. Watching him and his boss track Phibes as people died around them was a hoot (in a really weird way).

If you want a look at a homicidal maniac that could teach Freddy a thing or two go rent this. Heck, buy it. The Midnite Movies release of it is as barebones as can be, but the transfer is clean and it's dirt cheap.

Feasting on Asphalt...

2006-07-31T09:37:00.000-05:00

While I am not an Alton Brown superfan or stalker, I do love me some Good Eats. Saturday, Food Network had a GE marathon and a behind the scenes of the show followed by Feasting On Asphalt, a new mini-series featuring the greatest foody instructor on TV. He and his crew will be driving across country using back roads only and stopping at unknown places for "road food" when hungry.

The initial episode was great. They actually broke the rules at the first restaurant, because he wanted to show what he considered to be a true road food joint Jack's Cosmic Dogs in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. During the premier they ate pickled pig's feet, some excellent looking biscuits, and went to South 21 Drive In in Charlotte, North Carolina. I believe I'll be headed there on my next trip down.

This would be a truly awesome way to spend a month! Give it a look, August 5th, 12th and 19th at 9:00 pm.

Slowness...

2006-07-28T14:45:00.000-05:00

Things have been a little slow around these here parts. I've been pumping out a quality post a day at Morse's blog and he seems to like them (as do I). Those take some time though and work has been pretty busy.

So in lieu of anything titillating or perhaps even interesting I will share with you the deal I got from Amazon. For forty-five bones I got (or rather will get):

At Folsom Prison - I am rediscovering my love for the Man In Black.
The Long Road Home: The Ultimate John Fogerty/Creedence Collection - CCR RAWKS!!!!
Spider-Man 2 - No idea why it's taken me so long to order this. It's better than the first and I haven't seen it since I saw it in the theater.
28 Days Later - I sort of blind bought this. I had purchased a copy better than a year ago and lent it to a guy I worked with. He left not to long after and never returned it. So by rights I've probably spent more on this movie than I should have.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl [Soundtrack] - Looking forward to this a great deal. I don't own many soundtracks but this was CHEAP and the review was good.

Internets Madness...

2006-07-25T14:15:00.000-05:00

Get all your latest cool junk from (some of which written by yours truly):

CodeMorse

MCF

Crazy Catholic Conservative (Not Mel Gibson)

The Thinklings

Goblins Web Comic

Girl Genius

w00t!!11!

Sony E-Book Review...

2006-07-25T14:03:00.000-05:00

PC Mag has a veeery promising review of this up. The idea of reading text off of a screen doesn't usually appeal (okay not something book length anyway), but this e-ink stuff looks cool. It seems compact enough and if I can add whatever I want to it (non-proprietary e-books) and if it isn't hideously expensive (it probably will be) and if it makes books cheaper (the only thing more RIDICULOUSLY expensive than CDs and this probably won't change that because publishing companies are as greedy as record companies, BREEEEATHE) then it might be worth a go.

Lamborghini Gallardo Convertable...

2006-07-25T11:03:00.000-05:00

Okay so I'm not a gear head, but I love playing Burnout: Revenge and I love drifting around corners in that game. I would also love to have this guy's job for at least one day.

Boiger...

2006-07-21T11:45:00.000-05:00

Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries is probably my favorite new burger joint. They're certainly pricier than fast food, but it was worth it. Nine bones got me their bacon cheeseburger (onions, lettuce, pickles, toms, sauteed mushrooms, and mustard), a bucket of fries (regular size equal to any other place's jumbo xtra large), and a good sized sweet tea.

The burgers are hand patted and made to order (the way it should be). The fries looked hand cut to me. They have a big bin of them near the grill. They also have buckets of peanuts in the shell on every table. The restaurant itself wasn't much to look at, but I didn't mind. I had business with the burger-strosity in front of me. Their regular burger is two patties, not too thin or too thick, with lots of bacon. The whole affair was just a little bigger than my mouth and believe me that's a good size. Go get some!

Tesla Car...

2006-07-20T10:01:00.000-05:00

Droooooooooool.

From Uncrate:

No, not Tesla the band — Tesla the maker of electric cars. One of the reasons electric motors have been long lamented is the fact that they're slow. Or at least they used to be. The Tesla Roadster ($TBA; 2007) is the first entirely electric car we'd recommend. Featuring a 0-60 time of 4 seconds, a range of 250 miles per charge while averaging an equivalent of 135 mpg, and drop-dead gorgeous looks, this is one green-friendly auto that everyone is sure to love.

A Real American...

2006-07-18T12:53:00.000-05:00

Okay true believers, I have heard two CDs that anyone with any taste in music need to own. I don't buy CD's very often because frankly they are too gosh darn expensive. Thankfully this is my birthday and I was given both American IV: The Man Comes Around and American V: A Hundred Highways.

My absolute favorite on IV is "The Man Comes Around". It is replete with Biblical imagery, but that's not the only thing that makes me love it. It is pure poetry and anyone who can write a song like this and "Folsom Prison Blues" deserves every ounce of respect they get. Mr. Cash sings several, I don't want to call them covers, let's say standards because wannabes/tribute bands sing covers. Some of them came across as a bit odd at first. "Bridge Over Toubled Water" is a song I've loved for years and hearing it come out of his mouth was striking and a bit unsettling. "Streets of Laredo" was the best of that bunch.

The ones that stood out on V were "God's Gonna Cut You Down" and "Like the 309" (the last song he recorded). The spirituals on this record are also fantastic. One of the things I love about Mr. Cash is how he is able to tell both Christian and secular stories without losing authenticity in either.

Collaboration Station...

2006-07-17T12:25:00.000-05:00

I'm a long time reader of CodeMorse where I go for my daily dose of political commentary and insanity. Today I joined the blog as its newest team member. Read my thoughts on a new spy chip. While you're there catch up on their other stuff.

PS - I'll still be posting my own brand of madness here, here, and here as life permits.

Dragonlance Movie...

2006-07-17T07:58:00.000-05:00

Okay I have to admit that I read the Dragonlance novels when I was in college, most of them anyway. And I quite enjoyed them. I especially like Raistlin Majere, the uber mage with funky eyes. Imagine my surprise when I found out this morning that there is indeed going to be an animated movie made of this thing. That was cool, but when I discovered that Kiefer was voicing Raistlin, well let's just say that my interest ratcheted up a few dozen notches. Keep in mind that my interest was at zero at 8:45am. Movie site.

Screw-on Head...

2006-07-14T11:41:00.000-05:00

As if knowing it was my birthday, Sci-fi has put the pilot to Mike Mignola's The Amazing Screw-on Head on their website. It is truly bizarre and truly funny. If you liked the Hellboy movie odds are pretty good you'll enjoy this. And as a capper David Hyde Pierce who voiced Abe Sapien in HB voice Emperor Zombie here. Enjoy!

Thirty-five years ago...

2006-07-14T07:27:00.000-05:00

The mountains shook, gerbils spontaneously burst into flame, the moon turned to ricotta cheese briefly (not cottage cheese, though I do like that it is inferior), the oceans dropped over a millimeter in depth, and I burst onto the scene. That's right today (well thirty-five years ago today) I sprang from my mother's loins fully formed.

If you wish to get me a present all I ask is that you give me a holler in the comments below (remember, keep it pithy). But if you insist on giving me a gift of a more... physical nature you can click here or heck you could give the gift that keeps on giving in my name here but mostly a comment would tickle me, particularly if you are the sort who doesn't typically leave one.

My wife certainly knows the way to my heart. She gave me a gift basket with:
6 Black Hook Porters
Chocolate covered brownie dough
Nestle Crunch Dark Stix
Butterfinger Stix
Cappucino Wafer Rolls
Seattle Chocolates Espresso Infused Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar
Seattle Chocolates Cocoa Nibs in Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar
an amaretto cake
Kenyan coffee
Snyder's Cheddar Cheese Pretzel Sandwiches
Extra Dark Chocolate Pastilles
and some beautiful purple and yellow flowers

I also got some Choxie dark chocolate covered espresso beans from my mother-in-law. And my Mom got me Cash's American IV & V and some moolah.

Fish Tacos...

2006-07-13T12:24:00.000-05:00

Time to break in that new foodie icon f'realz. In a rush this morning due in part to a late morning gettin' up, a daughter who wanted to pick her dad some flowers, and helping a friend with a ride I left my sack lunch at home. A shame too because it was a really nice BBQ glazed chicken breast sammich. So I decided rather than suffer I would go out to lunch. This doesn't happen very often mind you and should be a reason for celebration. In this case it was.

I heart Moe's in a major way. If you have one near you then you probably Moe... uh know about how good they are. If you don't they are similar to a Qdoba or a Chipotle. If you (you sad, sad soul you) are unfamiliar with those then suffice to say they do southwestern style food in a casual dining (slow, fast food) atmosphere. At Moe's you are greeted with a hearty "Welcome to Moe's!!" from the staff and the scent of cilantro/grilled meat/frying tortillas.

I usually opt for either a Homewrecker (head sized burrito w/ rice, beans, choice of protein, shredded cheese, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and lettuce) or a Close Talker (taco salad with lettuce, beans, cucumbers, salsa, shredded cheese, black olives with choice of protein) and the protein is almost always beef, but I've been known to do it up with tofu. Today I saw a new menu item, the above mentioned tacos.

They serve it up in a double white corn tortilla with slaw and pico. The fish is grilled with a bit of spice. And this pooor little tortilla is CRAMMED let me tell you. The slaw is tangy and I'm guessing made with their chipotle ranch dressing and maybe some vinegar. It was a lovely experience and yet another reason why Moe rocks it hard. Go get you some!

Book/Movie Meme...

2006-07-10T13:37:00.000-05:00

From Jared at The Thinklings adn I am choosing to add a movie for each answer as well.

1. One that made you cry
Not really a crier, but a few have the power to choke me up.
Book: One doesn't immediately spring to mind.
Movie: Forrest Gump (when Jennie dies)

Shut up.

2. A book that scared you
Book: Pet Semetary/Christine - both finshed late at night when alone
Movie: Jaws.

3. One that made you laugh
Book: Brain Droppings, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (Tucker is evil and immature but funny)
Movie: Any Danny Kaye movie.

4. One that disgusted you
Book: Catch 22
Movie: 8mm

5. One you loved in elementary school
Book: Where the Red Fern Grows
Movie: Star Wars (natch), Any Abott and Costello/Jerry Lewis

6. One you loved in middle school
Book: The Hobbit, 1984
Movie: Jedi, Excalibur

7. One you loved in high school
Book: The Bachman books
Movie: Highlander

8. One you loved in college
Book: The Once and Future King
Movie: Monty Python's Holy Grail

9. A book that challenged your identity or your faith
Book: Mere Christianity
Movie:

10. A series that you love
Book: Hitchhiker's Guide
Movie: X-men

11. Your favorite horror
Book: Night Shift
Movie: The Fly (1958)

12. Your favorite science-fiction
Book: The Martian Chronicles
Movie: Blade Runner

13. Your favorite fantasy
Book: The Hobbit
Movie: The Princess Bride

14. Your favorite mystery
Book: The Silence of the Lambs
Movie: Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

15. Your favorite biography
Book: Malcom X
Movie: Men of Honor

16. Your favorite coming-of-age
Book: Little Women
Movie: Stand By Me

17. Your favorite not on this list
Book: The Gunslinger
Movie: Cool Hand Luke

New Buttons...

2006-07-10T13:32:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my buddy Dave I have some new buttons.

One for beer:

One for food:

Is he the man? Why yes, yes he is.

More Power...

2006-07-07T15:43:00.000-05:00

More Power in the Blood is up at Scott's Brain for your perusal. I chopped it up into five parts for less scrolling. Enjoy!

PS - If you've read it before it'll pay to re-read the whole thing.

Pics from A-kon...

2006-07-06T12:55:00.000-05:00

I was over at Penny Arcade and they have a guest who wrote a column for them, Chris Avellone from Obsidian Entertainment. He went to A-kon and took some pics. Since I haven't got any pics yet I went to look and they're pretty good. Even better I'm actually sort of in one. I'm blocked by Jay, but I'm there. Here are the pics It loads reallllly slow, but I think it's worth it.

And if you don't want to play "Where's Scott-o":

Cool shotgun...

2006-07-06T12:29:00.000-05:00

Don't know how you feel about guns, but I'd think anyone would appreciate the level that this guy's shooting at. (It's a commercial for the Extrema2 Beretta shotgun.)

Blog Party VIII: The Returns...

2006-07-06T08:27:00.000-05:00

A blog party's where a bunch of fellow bloggers who frequent MCF's blog all do a post on the same day on the same topic. This party's topic, What are the best things in your life that have returned?

I could wax about movie remakes or think about finding items I had lost. But frankly none of the remakes of the last decade have lit me on fire and stuff is just that. There is one return that has happened in the last couple of years that was really meaningful to me though.

So okay, I flash back to 8th grade home room. I've just moved to Manteo, NC from Arkansas. I've always been a geek, an outsider (shock and horror) and now on top of that I was the new kid. I was desperate to find a friend. Enter one John aka Bear. Now to be honest, it's been more than a few years since then so the details are fuzzy. One (probably both) of us was doodling axes, swords, and other medieval paraphenalia. This sparked a discussion of D&D (which we both played) and from that blossomed a friendship that has lasted over twenty years (WOW).

We lost touch more than once along the way. College, moving around post college, and life all seemed to conspire to separate us. Or one touchstone was his cousin, a rock in more than one sense of the word. We finally caught back up in April of last year and that has been a source of great joy to me. Getting to see pictures of his wife and son and hear their story is indeed a great benefit of that return.

So all of this to say, use the 'net to find your old friends. If you're like me (and I'm far from unique) you haven't kept in touch with that buddy you had in elementary school. I found a couple of those guys recently and while we haven't spoken much since then it was good to know that they're alive and well. Maybe you have some family that you haven't seen or heard from in years. Go call them. Now. I'll wait...

Now don't you feel better? I'll close this with a request I've made from time to time in hopes that he'll find me. If your name is Bill Hatcher (not the nature photographer) and you attended Manteo High School in the late 80's email me!!!

Flaming Beetle...

2006-07-06T07:58:00.000-05:00

This is frickin' awesome:

Most people are content to pimp their rides with chrome spinners and a turbo kit. Not Ron Patrick. He wanted something unique for his 2000 VW Beetle. So he mounted a $270,000, 26,000-rpm, 1,350-horsepower, Navy-surplus helicopter jet turbine in the trunk.

The jet jumps the Bug’s speed from 80 to 140 mph in less than four seconds, at which point Patrick eases up on the throttle. He estimates that at 160, “the rear end would probably start to go airborne.”

MAN I would love to see that.

Wired.com

Python...

2006-07-03T11:29:00.000-05:00

Teaching myself a programming language. Appropriately enough it's named after the comedy troupe. I know, I know between this and everything else when shall I have time to write? Maybe I'll give up my TV habit?

I Pledge Allegiance...

2006-07-03T07:17:00.000-05:00

Happy Independence Day Eve!!! I was listening to my favorite talk show, Brad and Britt, and apparently North Carolina is going to pass a law that requires schools to lead the Pledge of Allegiance and display the flags of both the state and the country. Here's part of the story. There's already a law that encourages school systems to "provide the opportunity". And it says that schools should not force students to do it.

Now at first blush I was like, "What's the problem?" Then after talking to B&B I gave it some more thought. This does smack of life back in the fifties; loyalty oathes, witch hunts, fear. That's not what out country should be about. The idea of making an oath to liberty and justice while forcing folks to say it, or at least forcing schools to "provide the opportunity" seems at least ironic. In that spirit and in the spirit of the fifties I will re-write the oath in a fashion that I imagine would please our president.

I pledge allegiance to the President
of the United States of America,
and to the Plutocracy for which he hungers:
one Nation divided,
With Liberty and Justice for those who can afford it.

Audioblogger...

2006-06-30T14:44:00.000-05:00

Blogger now has a free service that allows you to blog using your phone, any phone really. Now you get to hear just how geeky I sound!

Not sure how much it'll get used by me, but it's interesting. It automagically converts your call to an mp3 file and posts it. You have to come back later and add a title and any text.

Poetry...

2006-06-30T09:31:00.000-05:00

I have some links over there on the left (you might have noticed) and I have to admit that I haven't dug very deep into some of them. One of them, a link to author/poet Ilona Hegedus, I put up mainly because we both posted on The Horror Writers Network and we exchanged links. She commented on one of my posts and I realized I hadn't been to her blog much at all. I did some digging and read this poem called Trial. It's quite good (imo). Give her a click, won't you?

Old School...

2006-06-30T09:21:00.000-05:00

Bored? Want to read some of my pre-blog wramblings? Go here.

Trip round up...

2006-06-30T06:53:00.000-05:00

Catch my previous travelogues here and here.

Sunday and the last day of the con arrived. I had crashed on the roll away bed watching Little Nicky which I mercifully remember little of. I woke somewhat refreshed and after getting packed and ready we descended upon the food court to stuff our faces.

The line at tea McDonald's was HUUUUUGE, so we ducked into a cheese steak place that appeared to have breakfast offerings. That turned out pretty well as the McD's lost all of the orders they had taken in one of their register lines. (I bet their terminals have a Windows OS back there somewhere.) I got three pancakes the size of hubcaps and some good sausage for three bucks. Sufficiently recharged we decided to hit the con floor one more time.

I think I mentioned the skyway between the two hotels in a previous post. Well my friends this thing STANK after having who knows how many of the great unwashed (and apparently untrained in the art of throwing away their food related garbage) spent the weekend sleeping there. We hurried through and checked out the dealer tables. There were lots of sales, especially on food. I only purchased two things and both of those the night before. One was Bawls, the best energy drink evah, and the other was Men's Pocky, an awesome pretzel stick dipped in dark chocolate.

Our experience complete, we headed back to get our cars and got on the road. The drive consisted of much napping on my part. We did stop at World Market where I picked up a cute little four pack of Dave's Hot Sauces. At a gas station I also tried the new Habanero Doritos. They were most excellent.

Jay and I dropped off his buddy and we grabbed a bite of dinner at Braum's, quote an interesting little burger/ice cream/grocery chain. We finished up the road trip listening to Weird Al and laughing our butts off. Pat's house came in view and I was so ready to be stationary. We relaxed for a bit, had some excellent pizza, wings, and beer and then Jay called it a night. He had kitties to tend to.

Meanwhile Pat and I watched Collateral which restored my faith in Tom Cruise and gave Jamie Foxx a few more points in my book. I have GOT to see Ray. After that I finally had to give in to sleep. We tried watching The Aristocrats but I just couldn't do it.

Monday morning Pat and I played his X-box while waiting for Jay to come over. This after Pat made waffles from scratch and a damn fine cuppa joe. (Ladies, someone move to Okie and snatch these guys up. They're gems, the both of 'em.) Lunch at a cool Irish pub, a quick trawl through a new age book store, a brief chat with Pat's mum and we were at tea airport all too soon. We dragged our goodbyes out a bit, none of us really wanting it to end. It had been a great time, no doubt.

The flight home was loooong and I read The Conqueror Worms to pass the time. A buddy picked me up and took me to my car and after what seemed like a whirlwind tour I was back at home, safe and largely sound.

Wrandom Wramblings??/

2006-06-29T08:21:00.000-05:00

Weird...

A friend pointed it out to me. Now I need to find out who was first and if it was me, sue them.

Realistic Superheroes???

2006-06-28T20:43:00.000-05:00

Possible good show?

Heroes on NBC.

Looks like the producers of Crossing Jordan are attached.

New Feature...

2006-06-28T07:21:00.000-05:00

You will notice something that looks like a chat client over there on the sidebar. Well guess what? It is. If you see Capt. over there than holla back! If you want to add it to your blog go to gabbly.com It's amazingly simple.

Holy Transforming Spiders on a Planhe...

2006-06-28T07:09:00.000-05:00

Here's a nice pic of Bumblebee from the new Transformers movie:

And if you value your life you WILL go here to see the Spiderman 3 trailer. And if you value your soul you will check out the Snakes on a Plane trailer.

Power...

2006-06-27T10:39:00.000-05:00

Power in the Blood is up at Scott's Brain for your perusal. I chopped it up into four parts for less scrolling. Enjoy!

Slackness...

2006-06-26T16:02:00.000-05:00

I haven't been slacking, honest. I've been honestly writing non-blog stuff. Back on the fiction treadmill. The piece so far has gotten one positive commentor and one negative commentor. To those who've read it, I'm not afraid. Tell me it sucks, tell me it's good, whatever. If you see this and haven't read it and would like to, drop me a line.

Christ: Not a CEO or Superhero...

2006-06-23T14:49:00.000-05:00

Would that I could write like this. Nice work by Frank Turk of Team Pyro.

Test...

2006-06-21T13:22:00.000-05:00

This is a title tag works.

Sidenotes...

2006-06-21T11:16:00.000-05:00

I'm testing something called Sidenotes.

It sounds pretty cool.

Here is some ordinary paragraph text. Within this text, I can highlight
a particular passage and add a side note to it
like so.

Magic Time!!!

2006-06-21T10:35:00.000-05:00

I love close up magic and I know something about these two tricks. Not so much how he did them as generally how they are done. In any case this is VERY cool.

Adventures in Anime-land...

2006-06-20T07:21:00.000-05:00

Day Three!!! (Catch the first two days here.)

Saturday began much, much too early but as a father of three it's difficult for me to sleep in. I did manage to stay in bed til 8:30 when I finally gave up and fixed coffee. I think I mentioned that the Westin was swank. As further proof they had a little coffee maker that had pre-measured packets of Starbucks coffee for the brewin'. I'm not "Seattle's Finest"'s biggest cheerleader but it was a darn sight better than the crap you usually get so I didn't complain.

Showered, coffeed up, and dressed I made contact with Dave and Ben who I was to spend the day with. I had managed to get my fill of cosplayers the day before so I was eager to see these guys and hang out. I caught the DART out to Plano (I wish we had trains like that here) and we went to lunch first at Scotty P's. The burgers were phenomenal, let me tell you, but the cardiac fries were awesome! They were really good steak cut fries with about a pound of cheese on. I could have gotten jalapenos, sour cream, and bacon, but I'm watching my waistline. We chased lunch with a comic book store run and then headed to Ben's house.

The man has a serious home theater situation; an LCD projector with a kickin' sound system and some comfortable chairs. Beers in hand we watched Robot Chicken (HAH!), an episode of the Chappelle show (meh), and Spaced (HAH! times ten). Let me say, as an aside, that I will now actively seek out anything Simon Pegg is in. I loved him in Shaun of the Dead and he was brilliant in this. And not just him. Well, just click the link to read more.

After meeting Ben's family and making a quick run to Costco (which allowed Ben and I some most excellent conversational time) Dave and I said goodbye to El Chupacabra and went to pick up Dave's much better half and meet our dinner companions at the Hoffbrau Steak House. Good food, great beer, and excellent company led to an evening of much making of merry. I won't bore you with the details (too late for that maybe?) but we topped the whole shebang off watching some decent improv comedy at the con after which I collapsed into the rollaway bed in my room.

Ask A Ninja...

2006-06-16T14:55:00.000-05:00

Okay this is pretty funny.

Ninja Excuses...

More here.

A-kon...

2006-06-14T10:41:00.000-05:00

Part the First!
After a relaxing, but not exactly restful, trip to see my parents on the beautiful coast of North Carolina my wife dropped me off at the airport for my flight to Tulsa via Dallas. As I think I said prior, the reason for flying to Tulsa instead of straight to Dallas (where A-kon is) had more than a little to do with money. As an added bonus though I got to see my friend Pat (whose blog I would link to but he password protects the mug) who was unable to attend the con itself.

The flights were uneventful in spite of a rather fantastic thunderstorm in NC. I did get to meet a charming older lady who I shared a row (and no more) with. We chatted and actually had dinner together at McD's in DFW. The flight to Tulsa had me sharing a row with two young ladies and we all happened to be reading Dean Koontz novels (not the same one, that would be freaky). I landed in Tulsa at about 9:15 local time and Pat and Jay were waiting for me. We exchanged manly hugs and retrieved my less than manly suitcase. Jay was sporting a shaved pate and a forked blue beard with a bright red soul patch. He does something every year along those lines. A man that big with that sort of facial growth could easily be intimidating and I'm sure he was to anyone that didn't know him.

A short trip later and we were ensconced in the warmth of Pat's pad. The man is a consummate host, I'll say that for sure. He had some brats and an awesome chili sauce ready for us to chow on. That plus beer (some of my home brew and some of his store bought) got us in a movie mood. The lateness of the hour and the fact that we had to get up at 4:30 am (a bomb that got dropped during dinner) didn't stop us from catching a good portion of Bad Boys 2 on Pat's 62" Screen of Hotness. I fell into a sound but all too short sleep on the futon in spite of the decibels pumping out from the subwoofer five feet away.

Part the Second aka Day Two!!!

Friday dawned, but we were up before it. It was dark and already humid as we climbed into the XXXterra of Doom to pick up some of Jay's friends and their dog. We gave them a ride to somewhere in Oklahoma and then joined the wagon train south. Smitty joined us and we played chase car to the other vehicle. A breakfast of foodstuffs from Carl's Jr. under our belts and we were finally on our way.

Playing DJ using my laptop with an FM transceiver thingy and doing the alphabet game (The object of the game is to cite all of the letters of the alphabet ,in order, from a to z using road signs and license plates. The first person to z wins.) kept us all awake. The miles rolled by and we reached our target around 12:30 (after an unintentional tour of downtown Dallas).

Our party was staying in the Westin Hotel, which is attached to the Adam's Mark were A-kon is held. Our room was swank times ten. Gear stashed, we ate lunch and then headed down to the con proper. It was a sea of geekdom. Lines snaked all around and we took our places to pick up our con badges. "Security" made sure that we all stayed in formation (and let me tell you, having a last name with an R meant a looooong wait). We got the "opportunity" to watch some sort of summoning/mating ritual/line dance that the hard core fans were doing to anime music. Not even the hardest core in our group new what the heck they were doing.

Finally wearing our geek badges with pride, we were able to take in the rest of the con. I spent most of the next hour or so in the dealer room. It had all kinds of anime, manga, food, t-shirts, cheap indian swords, and a Guitar Hero game that never ended. It was also an excellent place to check out costumes. I hope to have some pictures from David (one of our group) but for now let me just say that some folks apparent;y work on their cosplay stuff all year. Then of course you have the ones that look like they spent as much time on theirs as I did on my science fair projects in high school (except the costumes used a little more posterboard and Elmer's glue).

The biggest disappointment I had was a lack of any actual anime being shown. At least nothing I was interested in seeing. They did have rooms dedicated to J-Pop, hentai (you look it up, just not at work) and video games (only saw one interesting game that involved a DJ turntable). But the main reason I went was to hang with some friends and gawk at those geekier for something than I.

Let me take a moment to say that I was convicted about that. I started looking down on these folks and that's just wrong. I hate it when people look down on me for having a hobby they don't understand so where do I get off doing the same? Granted that didn't stop me from pitying/being creeped out by the guy who was cosplaying as a girl with dice on her head, but it couldn't be helped. Maybe I was just jealous of his legs, but I'm not telling.

Dinner at Atomic Sushi, a last pass through the con for the day, and drinks at the hotel bar (the highlight of which was the Espresso Martini) closed out the day.

Have Some Cheeeeese Rat...

2006-06-13T12:24:00.000-05:00

The jokers at the Fake Life have let us in on the newest Pixar/Disney flick:

Here's the trailer and it does look pretty cute. I get the feeling that they didn't much care for Cars over at TFL. I haven't seen it myself, but this trailer does seem more original than "Doc Hollywood with wheels". You take a look and tell me what you think, or better yet check out TFL and tell them.

Return of the King...

2006-06-13T09:56:00.000-05:00

I'm back baby! I had a great time with the gang. I ate too much, drank to much, and got too little sleep, but it was fun. I managed to stay out of trouble and I bathed regularly so I had two up on some of the con attendees. More details to come.

Vacation All I ever Wanted...

2006-06-02T15:10:00.000-05:00

Vacation, had to get away!

Expect little in this department until a week from today at the earliest. I shall be vacationing with the fam until Thursady with only dialup if that. Then I fly to Dallas to partake in anime, sushi, and beer. There I might be able to find a decent hi-speed connection and share some news. Until then feel free to peruse my archives and whatnot!

More Thoughts on God...

2006-05-31T12:20:00.000-05:00

Excellent and ongoing discussion about yesterday's post.

Tell Me All Your Thoughts On God...

2006-05-30T11:07:00.000-05:00

Codemorse points us to an interview with Karen Armstrong former nun and authour of A History of God among other things.

I read some of that book and ultimately decided that it wasn't worth my time to read it all. I did read the interview and thought I'd respond to some of her points.

You say one of the common messages in all these religions was what we now call the Golden Rule. And Confucius was probably the first person who came up with this idea.

All these sages, with the exception of the Greeks, posited a counter-ideology to the violence of their time. The safest way to get rid of egotism was by means of compassion. The first person to promulgate the Golden Rule, which was the bedrock of this empathic spirituality, was Confucius 500 years before Christ. His disciples asked him, "What is the single thread that runs through all your teaching and pulls it all together?" And Confucius said, "Look into your own heart. Discover what it is that gives you pain. And then refuse to inflict that pain on anybody else." His disciples also asked, "Master, which one of your teachings can we put into practice every day?" And Confucius said, "Do not do to others as you would not have them do to you." The Buddha had his version of the Golden Rule. Jesus taught it much later. And Rabbi Hillel, the older contemporary of Jesus, said the Golden Rule was the essence of Judaism.

Fine except that I think the Golden Rule as taught by Jesus differs in a small but important way. He said as recorded in Matthew 7:12 "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." First Christ promotes good action. Do something good. is not the same as Don't do something bad. In addition Jesus believed that these principles could be found in the Law and the Prophets.

What is religion?

Religion is a search for transcendence. But transcendence isn't necessarily sited in an external god, which can be a very unspiritual, unreligious concept. The sages were all extremely concerned with transcendence, with going beyond the self and discovering a realm, a reality, that could not be defined in words. Buddhists talk about Nirvana in very much the same terms as monotheists describe God.

I don't really think so. Monotheists (again going back to the OT) saw God as a very personal father figure. Even in the Garden Adam and Eve walked with God. Is this true of Nirvana? More on this in a bit.

In my book "A History of God," I pointed out that the most eminent Jewish, Christian and Muslim theologians all said you couldn't think about God as a simple personality, an external being. It was better to say that God did not exist because our notion of existence was far too limited to apply to God.

Don't know which theologians she talking about, but the Bble looks at God as a personality and a being outside of creation. I'll grant that our notion of existence is limited and that God is most assuredly not simple though.

Jesus did not spend a great deal of time discoursing about the trinity or original sin or the incarnation, which have preoccupied later Christians. He went around doing good and being compassionate.

Never mind that he said things like "The Father and I are one." Or that raising the dead and calming the seas qualify as a bit more than "doing good".

very often, the opinions of the deity are made to coincide exactly with those of the speaker

True dat. You do have to be careful not to put words in God's mouth.

People such as the Buddha thought miracles were rather vulgar -- you know, displays of power and ego. If you look at the healing miracles attributed to Jesus, they generally had some kind of symbolic aspect about healing the soul rather than showing off a supernatural power.

Miracles are displays of power. They display God's power over his creation, his power over death, his authority. If that's vulgar then I guess Buddha needs to take that up with God. Jesus healing miracles were a way for him to show that he had the authortiy to forgive sin.

Western people think the supernatural is the essence of religion, but that's rather like the idea of an external god. That's a minority view worldwide.

I'm comfortable with having a minority view on this matter.

Her answers to the questions on fundamentalism, reading scripture and the hard work of religion are all good thoughts though and this is spot on.

Is faith a struggle?

Well, faith is not a matter of believing things. That's again a modern Western notion. It's only been current since the 18th century. Believing things is neither here nor there, despite what some religious people say and what some secularists say. That is a very eccentric religious position, current really only in the Western Christian world. You don't have it much in Judaism, for example.

Faith is far more than some sort of intellectual assent to something. And in closing she has one more thing to say that I also agree with in regards to how our Christian culture sees heaven:

People can perform their good deeds in the spirit of putting their installments in their retirement annuities. And there's nothing religious about that. Religion is supposed to be about the loss of the ego, not about its eternal survival.

X3: The Last Stand

2006-05-30T10:52:00.000-05:00

Seen.

Memorial Day...

2006-05-29T18:30:00.000-05:00

Just a post to say that this has been a great Memorial Day/celebration of my oldest's sixth birthday. And also to say that the spousal unit and I shall be partaking of X3 in T minus 150 minutes.

Long Distance Anger...

2006-05-26T15:08:00.000-05:00

I've noticed and interesting phenomena on the 'net. It happens through e-mails, message boards, and all manner of other ways that we communicate electronically. Somebody makes a statement (or doesn't), someone else takes offense (where none was intended) , and the whole thing escalates until it either explodes and people engage in flame wars or it immediately collapses into a black hole.

This has happened to me a few times and to other people I know more than once. And it's hard to know how to deal with it. If you ask before getting offended ("Did you really mean this in this way?") then you might come across as overly sensitive. Too often you end up assuming the worst and don't do anything to correct that mistake. Heck I've had this happen with people I live in the same town with.

If you are reading this and you have a long distance friendship that has turned cool because of something along these lines then you need to take steps to fix it. How do you do that?

If you're still angry then you need to repent, especially if that anger has caused you to sin. And remember, repentance is not just about God. Christian or not you need to go to that person and say, "Look, I messed up. I got angry and I'm not sure that I had just cause." Anger is almost always a fruit of either insecurity or selfishness, both inward turning. It's not about you, it's about relationship. It's up to you to restore that. (Eph. 4:26)

After you've done that you can start looking ahead. If it's someone you're in a relationship with (be that a friendship or a more romantic thing) then it's your responsibility to be "slow to anger". You know this person (at least on some level. Ask yourself after reading something that they wrote, "Would they really do this thing to me? Is there any possibility that I'm reading this wrong?" Then you need to risk looking like a weenie and going to them for clarification. What's worse, looking like a weenie or losing a friend? (1 Cor. 13:5 James 1:19)

As time moves forward we'll continue to rely on the written word to communicate and in a fast paced world that missive will not always be as well written as the letters of generations past. With that in mind you also have another charge. Before you click "Send" or "Post" re-read what you wrote. Do it as best you can while divorcing yourself from any knowledge of intent. If you can have a machine read it out loud (easy enough with a Mac) then do so. Is there anything in your writing that can be misconstrued? Does what you're writing speak in a way that makes your intent clear? I'm not saying that we can't engage in sarcasm. I think the net would implode if the barbs between friends (or even enemies) stopped completely. And I'm definitely not an advocate of smiley faces. I use them from time to time, but I think you need to be a good enough writer to communicate you feelings via words alone.

All of this really only requires you to do one thing. Think. Think before you send. Think before you get angry. And talk. Okay that's two things. Talk to the other person, on the phone, face to face, whatever you can do. Hear the other person's voice from time to time. Email is great because it's free and if you're out you will still get the message, but it really shouldn't be a substitute for relationship.

Wrandomness...

2006-05-26T13:07:00.000-05:00

Okay here's a snapshot of what's on my mind.

(No that's not the snapshot.) X3 coming out this weekend. W000T!!1!!!ONE!

I'm going to A-kon to be among freaky people and good friends (some of which are freaky people). So I'll be in Dallas from the 9th of June to the 11th. Much beer, good talking, watching of anime, and eating of raw fish is expected to happen.

From now on this is the first place I will go for movie news/commentary. Of course I will still go here, here, and here just not first (and never, ever here those people scare me).

SW:TPM in 3-D??? I haven't the words, but if I did I suspect that silk and a sow's ear would be involved.

A member of my wife's family (and by extension of mine I suppose) isn't doing to well.

Talking cars, pirates, Superman, a skeleton riding a wicked motorcycle, Garrison Keillor, snakes and planes, Satan, and houses eating children? This is gonna be a busy movie summer.

Have you been here? Have you seen this? The former gets updated every weekday and I WILL bring the latter back from the dead.

Need to laugh? (Humor involving alcohol and profanity)

And TAYLOR HICKS RULLLLLLES!!!!

Up, up, and away!

2006-05-23T07:57:00.000-05:00

The latest Superman trailer rocks! Especially the last scene. Potential spoilers?

Sex, Love, and Video Tape

2006-05-21T16:07:00.000-05:00

Well the weekend was truly awesome. We talked about love, commitment, good sex, conflict resolution, predestination, the whole ball of wax. The Song of Solomon is a much deeper book than I understood and I’m looking forward to continuing our study.

There was one passage in chapter five that we found didn’t quite mesh with what Tommy was saying. The bridegroom visits the bride in the middle of the night and she tells him that she doesn’t want to get out of bed. She changes her mind and when she goes to the door to let him in there’s a passage about myrrh being on the door handle. She goes out and he’s not there. She goes outside and gets attacked by the city guards.

Tommy said that the bridegroom put myrrh on the door as a gesture of love and that the attack was God’s retribution for her refusal to let him in. I see where he was going with it, but a plain reading of the passages doesn’t say that. I’ll be checking out some commentaries. His steps in conflict resolution that he gleaned from the scripture was dead on though. Don’t react emotionally to your spouse when they start conflict. Love them. Don’t try and change them, let God do it. Keep lines of communication open and talk about what’s going on. Forgive them their sin against you and put it behind you.

I have a bad tendency in a fight to get all cold and logical and if that gets no result (typically the case) I go for the silent treatment. It was good to think about healthier ways to handle conflict and it’s all really stuff that I already know, but sorely needed reminding of.

I’m glad to be headed back to the hose and can’t wait to see the kids. It was good to get away and just have some adult conversation and peace and quiet, but I miss the hugs, smiles, laughs, and complexity that children bring. As often as I imagine how much simpler life would be without them (as every parent does from time to time no doubt) I wouldn’t have things any other way.

I’m looking forward to bringing the whole crew back up to Montreat some day soon. It’s absolutely gorgeous. We got to experience some of the little shops downtown, including a fantastic place called Chocolate Gems where I had an Earl Grey tea truffle and an ancho/chipotle truffle. I love Winston Salem and would find it hard to ever leave, but if I did I have a hunch I’d like to call Black Mountain home.

Click here to see some mountain pics.

Let's Talk About Sex Bay-bee...

2006-05-20T17:36:00.000-05:00

Gas money - $30
Cabin cleaning service - $25
Groceries for the meal we cook - $15
Spending a weekend with some friends talking about sex, marriage, and the Song of Solomon. - Priceless.

Seriously. We're spending the weekend in a cabin (really a HUUUUUE multi family house) eating good food, laughing, and studying SoS with the aid of some DVD's from Tommy Nelson, a pastor in Texas. And naturally this is without the kiddos, so it's been a blast. I'll post some pics and what I learned later.

Parkour...

2006-05-18T12:29:00.000-05:00

You've probably heard of it, but if not here's a wiki on it. As they say though a picture's worth a thousand words.

Stretching Your Brain...

2006-05-18T11:10:00.000-05:00

I'm reading on the bus and I've decided to catch up on some heavy theological reading. If you ever want to stretch your brain, understanding of God, and vocabulary all at once, read Calvin's Institutes.

One of the things I'm working through theologically is the concept of general revelation. That is that God is revealed in everything around us sufficient that man has no grounds to say "There is no god." It's not specific enough to reveal God's nature (that would be specific revelation). He spends quite a bit of time on that subject in the first few chapters of Book 1.

I particularly like this passage:

Since the perfection of blessedness consists in the knowledge of God, he has been pleased, in order that none might be excluded from the means of obtaining felicity, not only to deposit in our minds that seed of religion of which we have already spoken, but so to manifest his perfections in the whole structure of the universe, and daily place himself in our view, that we cannot open our eyes without being compelled to behold him. His essence, indeed, is incomprehensible, utterly transcending all human thought; but on each of his works his glory is engraven in characters so bright, so distinct, and so illustrious, that none, however dull and illiterate, can plead ignorance as their excuse. Hence, with perfect truth, the Psalmist exclaims, “He covereth himself with light as with a garment,” (Psalm 104:2); as if he had said, that God for the first time was arrayed in visible attire when, in the creation of the world, he displayed those glorious banners, on which, to whatever side we turn, we behold his perfections visibly portrayed. In the same place, the Psalmist aptly compares the expanded heavens to his royal tent, and says, “He layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters, maketh the clouds his chariot, and walketh upon the wings of the wind,” sending forth the winds and lightnings as his swift messengers. And because the glory of his power and wisdom is more refulgent in the firmament, it is frequently designated as his palace. And, first, wherever you turn your eyes, there is no portion of the world, however minute, that does not exhibit at least some sparks of beauty; while it is impossible to contemplate the vast and beautiful fabric as it extends around, without being overwhelmed by the immense weight of glory. Hence, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews elegantly describes the visible worlds as images of the invisible (Heb. 11:3), the elegant structure of the world serving us as a kind of mirror, in which we may behold God, though otherwise invisible. For the same reason, the Psalmist attributes language to celestial objects, a language which all nations understand (Psalm 19:1), the manifestation of the Godhead being too clear to escape the notice of any people, however obtuse. The apostle Paul, stating this still more clearly, says, “That which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead,” (Rom. 1:20).

Too often I get caught up in the day to day and forget the beauty that God has surrounded us with as a reminder of Himself.

PvP on Intel Macs...

2006-05-18T11:02:00.000-05:00

I love PvP and this sums up my impression of the changes in Macs perfectly.

Dogfish Head Brewery...

2006-05-17T15:41:00.000-05:00

I should get a food/beer button, I really should. Anyway...

Dogfish Head how I love thee. Beer snob I may be, but their beer is superb and I really want this:

Espresso Bock
Availability: Available at the Rehoboth Beach brewpub while supplies last!

Release Date: 5/3/06

Dogfish Head Espresso Bock

Our Espresso Bock was made with actual Espresso Beans & 5 Malt Varieties. It is a dark brown color with attractive garnet highlights. The bouquet is noticably coffee-like. The malty-sweet flavor is complimented by the roasty, chocolate notes of the espresso beans and balanced by a medium to full body. Try this delicious offering with our Chicory Stout Rib-eye, our sweet-n-spicy BBQ ribs, or one of our homemade pastries!

Bottom fermented, a Bock beer is named for the famous medieval German brewing town of Einbeck. The style is generally a heavy bodied lager and is darkened by high-coloured malts. Bock is traditionally brewed in the winter time for drinking during the Spring.

Bocks have a long history of being brewed and drunk by Catholic monks in Germany. During the Spring religious season of Lent, monks were required to fast. Bock beers are higher in food energy and nutrients than other beers, thus providing sustenance during the holiday.

Many bock beer producers have displayed goats on bottle labels since Bock in German means billy goat. In the local dialect, Einbeck is pronounced similar to "Einbock", which sounds like ein Bock (a goat).

30 IBU's 7.5% ABV

but alas it's only available in Delaware. *sigh*

MTV to get into...

2006-05-15T11:50:00.000-05:00

the music business. Specifically the online music business.

The service will be called URGE and:

It comes integrated into the latest version of Microsoft's Windows Media Player, which Windows users will soon receive as an upgrade. Before then,the player upgrade will be available for download at the URGE and Microsoft websites.

At launch, URGE will have more than two million tracks, which can be bought individually for US99c ($1.29) or as full albums starting at about $US9.95.

The service will offer unlimited downloads at a monthly rate of $US9.95, or $US14.95 for the ability to transfer songs to any of more than 100 compatible portable music players.

Initially, URGE will feature streaming video, with video downloads becoming available to buy later this year.

URGE will be the featured music service on Microsoft's Media Player, which will continue to have built-in links to several other services.

More at Australian IT.

Dev/Irregulars

2006-05-12T13:27:00.000-05:00

Oh and while I'm pimpin' web sites, I'll pimp the tech blog again. Got to dev/irregulars for all things techie that I (and a select few) find cool and interesting.

CodeMorse...

2006-05-12T13:10:00.000-05:00

Matt and Jabba blog the hard stuff so I don't have to.

We're talking:
wire-tapping
racism
presidents being all cra-zazy
Lost

Go read their stuff (just take your asbestos earmuffs).

New Chance for a Fallen Idol...

2006-05-12T12:49:00.000-05:00

This is the first season of Idol I've watched and it is due in large part to Taylor, Chris, and Elliot. This week Chris got voted off because he didn't have breasteses. However it looks like this won't be his last shot according to Extra.

Chris Daughtry Gets 'Idol' Boot and Offer of a Lifetime
May 11, 2006

Twenty-eight million jaws dropped to the floor Wednesday night as Chris Daughtry got voted off “American Idol.” But don’t think this rocker is down and out.

Only “Extra” broke big news about Chris that’s making headlines from Ryan Seacrest’s radio show to stations across the country.

“You have an offer to be the lead singer of a major band,” Ryan revealed to Chris Thursday morning on his hit radio show. “Theyre going to be on ‘Extra’ tonight, and they’re going to submit the formal offer for you.”

Thursday, Fuel bass player Jeff Abercrombie and songwriter/guitarist Carl Bell came straight to “Extra” with the offer of a lifetime -- they want Chris.

"Chris, if you are watching, we've talked about this before, and if you want to entertain it again we'll take it and go," Abercrombie offered.

Chris’ rendition of Fuel’s “Hemorrhage” was his first groundbreaking “Idol” performance. The band, which has been searching for a lead singer, saw Chris’ performance and they want him in the band.

Well Chris, it’s up to you, but first “Extra” has another “Idol” exclusive. Our Terri Seymour was with Ryan and Randy for LA’s FOX 11 just moments after Chris’ shocking send off.

"Obviously, it wasn't based on singing tonight because the wrong person went home," Randy admitted. "Catherine probably should have gone home tonight."

It’s down to the final three, and Simon came to “Extra” telling us now there are no favorites. “The funny thing about this show is when someone goes, you never know where their votes are going to go,” Simon confessed. “I genuinely don't know who is going to win.”

I'm not a Fuel fan (don't have any feelings either way really) though I did like the song of theirs that he sung, so I'm not sure how good of a move this would be for him. But my guess is that this can't be bad.

How to Eat Fried Worms...

2006-05-11T15:02:00.000-05:00

I loved this book as a kid. I believe that there was also a Saturday TV special of it as well. Now, there's a movie. I saw the trailer in front of RV. It was actually pretty cute with a healthy dash of gross out humor, but 98 minutes worth? We'll see. Or probably we won't.

Blade TV Series and HB2...

2006-05-11T14:43:00.000-05:00

I loved the movies. Most of that was Wesley Snipes and Mr. Kristofferson, but a vampire half breed hunting vampires with a sword is so cool in general. I've known about the TV series coming up for a while, but I cruised by deltorofilms.com/ and saw this update (fyi both sites linked to have a hot woman in a neckline that doesn't so much plunge as plummet):

Spike TV has put a wild new site online promoting the new Blade TV series, starring Kirk "Sticky" Jones. It is at HouseofChthon.com, and it plays like a recruiting site for a sort-of erotic, self-healing cult, which is obviously the vamps. Cool.

Also, go here to register for a contest to win 1) A trip to Vancouver to visit the set of Blade, 2) Blade 1, 2, or Trinity DVD's, or 3) a pair of Oakley sunglasses.

Also:

Kirk "Sticky" Jones talked with SciFi Wire about his upcoming portrayal of Blade in the new Spike TV series.

"Well, first and foremost, I think Blade is going to be a little more street," said Jones, a rap musician who was last seen on F/X's war series Over There. "He's going to have a little more of that human side and a sense of humor, but then it's going to be the same Blade that everybody knows."

Blade as more "street" could be good or bad. I'm guessing bad and hoping for good. Bad = Flava Flav. Good = Ice-T.

And in closing, some Hellboy 2 news:

According to SciFi Wire, Hellboy star Ron Perlman has hinted that the long-awaited sequel may be announced soon.

"What that means? I know they're incredibly close. I know that there's one studio in particular that I probably shouldn't name [that] is pounding away at looking at the budget and has expressed a huge enthusiasm for [Guillermo] del Toro's script and the desire to do the project. Now they're just pushing numbers around. And I wouldn't be surprised if it's announced very soon."

Foxes in the Henhouse...

2006-05-11T12:53:00.000-05:00

or something.

Dan Phillips at Team Pyro drops some science about how women in church can make things... difficult for the brothers.

Now you should know that he's not excusing the weakness of men or blaming women in any way. And he's not suggesting (in as far as I can tell) that women should all wear burlap. And I'm also sure that he's not talking to women who are a)not Christians and are visiting a church or b)new converts who may just be unaware.

I, like him, think that people who go to church should dress modestly and not just in the church. There's plenty of scripture to back that up (and he provides it). And I'll go so far to say that that modesty doesn't apply just to sexuality. I see men and women going to church wearing suits/shoes/etc that cost more than I make in a month. Could that money better go elsewhere? This rule of thumb can also be applied to other expenditures (cars, houses, toys).

I'm not trying to add new laws and I'm not jealous (okay not much), but think about it. How are we to live and what message do we want to send? We're talking about spiritual warfare in church and how the little lies we hear lead to big sin. I think one of these little lies might be, "If people think you're prosperous and you give God the glory for it then that's okay." Or maybe "God wants his children to be well taken care of financially. He's a good provider." Neither of those things are necessarily untrue, but they can rapidly lead to a prosperity gospel

I'm not saying that Christians who drive Hummers are bad Christians or even bad people (though unless you're wearing olive drab I think it's in bad taste). I am saying that we are to glorify God in all we do and say and maybe someone needs to sit me down and 'splain the glory in 3 MPG.

Glad We Didn't Steal This One...

2006-05-11T11:08:00.000-05:00

from the Brits.

I love Dr. Who and K9 was a cool companion but wow.

For the Bond Villain Who Has Everything...

2006-05-11T10:39:00.000-05:00

Have a sub -

Here are the details. This baby is the Phoenix 1000. It has 5000 sq. feet of luxury. It displaces 1500 tons and a docking mini sub. It'll cost $78 million, but for you, 77.9.

Now about the wisdom of naming this after a bird that dies in flames...

Life Stuff...

2006-05-08T09:04:00.000-05:00

This weekend flew by. I took the kids to a birthday party Saturday morning and out shopping in the afternoon while a friend helped Leigh redecorate/organize. We got a lot of stuff done around the house and I managed a nap Sunday to recover from the two of us herding nine two year olds in church nursery. We had a micro-date at Panera after small group and discussed how selfish we are as a race.

Today started off with a bang. I got up at five a.m. and slid down the stairs. I'd love to say it was on purpose, but it wasn't. I have serious rug burn on my elbow and will no doubt have a large stair shaped bruise on my butt. I took the bus into work and managed to read John 4 and 5 and the first chapter in the Four Loves. I was going to read more of my Westminster Confession book, but couldn't find it (guess what I found in my gym bag). I had a good though quick workout (women over thirty shouldn't have a belly button ring even if they are in good shape) and trekked through the jungle to get to work on foot. I was sure that there was a shortcut. Nope.

John 5:21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.

I am thankful that I am given life, both temporal and eternal. May it please God.

Super Savior...

2006-05-05T14:07:00.000-05:00

I have reviewed this book:

and I have called it good. If you like the Supes and/or the Christ, have at.

Sample chapter here.

Another One Rides the Bus pt. Deux...

2006-05-05T12:03:00.000-05:00

So I took a ride on PART this morning and it was quite nice. I think I shall definitely be doing this on a regular basis. I encourage you to look into mass transit in your own area.

Blak...

2006-05-05T11:55:00.000-05:00

I read about this

here first and it sounded interesting. I got to try it yesterday and it wasn't bad. It's basically Coke+Coffee. I think they use an artificial sweetener which gave it an off aftertaste, but I'd buy it again. It's cheaper than Sbux Doubleshot and has a nice caffeine kick.

Save the Internet...

2006-05-03T08:27:00.000-05:00

Congress is pushing through a law that would permit large telephone and cable companies, like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast, to control what you do, where you go and what you watch online.

Visit this URL to check out what's at stake and send a loud message directly to the Congress.

Another One Rides the Bus...

2006-05-02T15:48:00.000-05:00

I think I'm gonna put my money and time where my mouth is and start using PART the local bus. It means a slightly longer morning routine, but a monthly pass is fifty bucks for unlimited rides and I spend about thirty a week in gas. And it's eco-friendly to boot. We'll see how it goes.

Movies...

2006-05-01T07:43:00.000-05:00

Well my third review has gone up over at HollywoodJesus.com which means I now have my own official blogspace there where you will be able to read all of my reviews, including my latest review of RV.

I'm also reviewing a book that looks at Superman and his parallels to Christ for that same site. Expect my review and possible interview there soon.

I watched 2/3's of Radio while donating platelets on Sunday and it was pretty good. I left before it was over so no fair "reviewing" it, but suffice to say I shall be renting it so I can watch the end.

Dueling Lightsaber...Duels

2006-04-27T15:28:00.000-05:00

Some pretty amazing homemade lightsaber action.

Via: VideoSift

Funny stuff!

2006-04-26T12:03:00.000-05:00

Here's a new webcomic that I found. It's a space opera that seems heavily influenced by Douglas Adams and Phil Foglio.

Sorry if this has kind of turned into a link dump. I've been a tad busy and frazzled to write anything terribly original. But Stranded, the occasional devotional, and other brain droppings will recommence soon I hope.

Job Change...

2006-04-24T14:28:00.000-05:00

Changing jobs. Okay I'll be in the same place, doing largely the same thing, for the same pay, but for a different company. This is good news btw. More details to come as they happen.

Surreal...

2006-04-18T15:23:00.000-05:00

Shatner does Rocketman...

Chattanooga Trip...

2006-04-17T12:57:00.000-05:00

Well I didn't see the train and thanks to no camera you won't see what I did do, but I can at least share it with you verbally.

Tuesday I arrived after a nice flight and took in a couple of beers and some excellent stuffed mushrooms at the Hair of the Dog Pub. After a walk around on the riverfront, an ice cream cone, and a viewing of Inside Man (good flick) I decided I was hungry again and went to Cheeburger Cheeburger where I had their Pounder and a Mud Pie milkshake. Needless to say that led to another jaunt around the riverfront.

Wednesday found me working (the reason I came down after all) and that went well. I installed two PCs and found the folks in Dalton to be friendly and easy to get along with. A quick lunch at Krystal (what's the diff between them and Whitecastle?) followed by a nap recharged me for another afternoon/evening in downtown Chattanooga. I ate dinner at Rhythm and Brews where the barbecue pizza and the beer were out of sight! No live music while I was there, but that's okay. After that I found a little coffee shop called Greyfriar's and had their Chaipaccino. I had a good conversation with someone there about the Westminster Confession. A visit to Barnes and Nobles later and I called it a night.

My flight home was uneventful and thankfully early.