Happy 2009

Oh Nine.

Good Morning a.k.a. Moblie uploads that might just make your day

It will barely be midnight when I post this. But why not...

Hope everyone had a great Christmas. Mine was, well challenging. Since my parents are divorced, my holidays are pretty much divorced. I went to 5 different places for Christmas Eve/Christmas. On top of that, my mom was in the hospital for some weird nausea she was having, and I was/am sick with the flu. And, on top of that, Rachel is now residing in the glorious Dominican Republic for a medical/missions trip. And I just slept all day. Enough of that raincloud. There are some brighter moments to update you eight on:


Got my brother a '75 Fuji bike


3rd row seats at Duke Chapel for Handel's Messiah


Rachel's sister Rita ran her first marathon (Every word "r")


Mom's cat still growing


Becoming a Shift at Caribou


Christmas Decorations?


Got a new Driver License at the DMV


My swanky new v-neck Vans shirt


And a Merry Christmas to you too, Will

How to stay warm this Christmas...

1. I laughed for a couple minutes once I found this. (Watch the video) I just laughed again.

2. Grow a beard and work at Caribou.

May it be noted

in regard to my "Idiot Wind" header, that I have been advised to clarify that no persons' name is to be associated with the word "Idiot," despite its apparent close proximity to the word. That is all...

The 100th Post

In lieu of this grand occasion, I give you this.

Another Update

To keep you in the loop

1. Mom had surgery, they removed the tumor
2. During the surgery the doc had to maneuver around a nerve next to her vocal chords; He must have nudged it - one of her vocal chords is temporarily paralyzed
3. The surgery was successful, but there is still a chance the cancer will come back
4. More chemo to come in the next 6 weeks

Thanks again for the prayers

Two Videos

Found this on a friend's blog
(You may want to skip the part at the beginning when "Lawrence" is talking...)


Thanks Will

As luck would have it

First, a picture of the drink screen at Caribou yesterday. I was on bar.



Second, a picture of an empty fortune cookie I received tonight at dinner. An empty fortune cookie. No fortune. What's humorous is that after our waiter handed out the magic treats, I bluntly stated that there is no such thing as luck.

Try this out

Noisetrade.com

Derek Webb's artist-to-fan site, with lots of free (or pay what you want) music.

Here we are...

1. My mom's tumor shrunk 90%. She's happy about it, as is the family, and she will be having surgery this Wednesday.
2. I'm restoring an old Peugeot UO8. See pics.
3. Rachel and I are going to Providence Baptist now, which turned 30 yrs. old today.
4. Every State football game a new set of drunks sit behind us. Where do they keep getting these tickets? I think a local pub gives them away in drinking contests.
5. I have fall break this whole week.
6. Ben Folds came out with a new CD. Might not get it this time.
7. Never go to Flythe Cyclery on Peace St. The worst. I mean, horrible.
8. In my opinion, The Office redeemed itself last Thursday.
9. Can someone tell me who Phil Wickham sounds like?



I was going to give each of these events a whole post, but, eh. I will also be accepting names for the Peugeot I'm fixing up. Until next month...

New Header

All's OK. Mom's getting better/worse. The treatment is working well; she has a few more weeks left. I'll post more soon...

Up to Date...

I need to change that trivia question. It was Marx, by the way. And now another update. You want the good news or the bad news first? Okay.

The Good News: The cancer was in fact localized and did not spread to her lymph nodes. They found it in the beginning stages. They are going to treat it with...

The Bad News: Radiation and Chemo Therapy. It starts this upcoming Monday, and takes 6 weeks. She'll go in almost every day.

I'm not so much worried about her receiving the treatment. She's a fighter and she said she wants to see her grandkids. Now all the pressure's on me. Not really, but what I am having a hard time envisioning is her reaction to a nicotine-free existence. They say smoking goes hand in hand with many activities, and kicking the habit is basically a lifestyle change. You really can't understand this unless you grew up with a smoker in your house.

So many of my memories of my mother are tainted by a Basic Menthol Light 100. It was like having another sibling. Smoking after meals, on long car trips, outside relatives' houses on the holidays, before and after my games in high school, et cetera. I'm not trying to make her out as a monster or anything, she has other great qualities, but let's call it what it is: disgusting. Like a sad, smelly puppet.

Now that that is off my chest I'll remember to keep you all updated with, well, what is going to come out of her chest. Thanks again for the prayers...

Not the best update...

For the past week my mom has been in the hospital for tests. She's smoked for some 30 odd years, and it caught up to her. At this point the doctors say she has non-small cell stage IIIA lung cancer, which is of course, "[When the] cancer has spread to lymph nodes on the same side of the chest as the tumor (ref)."

Tomorrow, Monday, we will receive results of both the initial histopathologic biopsy, as well as the second round of exploratory surgery the doctors performed this past Thursday. She most likely will have to go through chemo-radiotherapy. Basically the good news is that there are four stages of lung cancer.

So that's the deal. For all those praying as of now, I ask that we petition for a physical as well as a spiritual recovery. As my mother is becoming the centerpiece of familial anxiety, I realize all the more the impact that her salvation would have on so many loved ones. Thanks guys...

I drew this for 45 minutes at work.

Thumbs Up in My Neck

I was driving today and saw a man jaywalking that reminded me of a hitchhiker I picked up one time. I was a sophomore at Southeastern, driving home in the rain, and picked up this dude who was drenched. Dirty jeans, ragged shirt, unkempt dreads and crazy eyes, this guy. We drove into Youngsville I think it was, and he began telling me he was a martial arts expert, with extensive training on pressure points around the neck area. With a rain soaked finger he prodded my neck, explaining that if he poked me hard enough I would pass out. He didn't, so I didn't, and after that test we had an interesting conversation about spiritual things. Oh, memories.

Rethinking Richmond: Part 3

Happy Birthday Rachel!

Headed back up to Richmond this past weekend - this time with Rachel's sister. What can I say, it was great to have some company in the car. We arrived around 7 p.m., and went out to eat at Nacho Mama's. CaryTown once again impressed me. After the meal we went to the $2 movie, "Made of Honor." Probably one of the corniest, most uncomfortable movies I've ever seen. The Grey's Anatomy guy was in it with that girl from MI3. So bad. Sooo bad. Sorry if you liked it, but, man that was a bad movie.

Saturday we graced Carytown again, scoping out shops and such. Found an American Apparel store, bought some shirts. Then to Short Pump Mall. Oh my. I was very tired of shopping at this point. After that we ate some chicken alfredo at Rachel's and went to a minor league soccer game. The Richmond Kickers (great name), played some Pittsburgh team and beat them. Lots of yellow cards and one red one. That was the funniest part of the night. After some failed corner kick, the ball was cleared and as the other 20 players headed down the field, one guy just clobbered another guy. The ref wasn't looking, but the line judge was. Caught 'em. I think I was one of five people to see it. The guy got kicked out of the stadium and had to sit in front of the team bus. Everyone was laughing at him.

Sunday, Redemption Hill again. This time an assistant pastor spoke on Jonah, Luke, and sovereignty. Ate at Sticky Rice, took a nap, watched Rachel's ultimate team almost win, and headed home.

Also, listen to Jim Gaffigan. Rita and I were cracking up listening to him on the way home.

Eno

Time to support the environment! Everyone's doing it right? I remember 5 years ago when people laughed at me for buying a Civic. Ahead of my time.

The Festival for the Eno is a yearly event where earth lovers frequent some park in Durham for a heat-filled day of craft glancing, folk and African music, and global eateries. You'll feel just like a nonconformist consumed by wanderlust. Rachel and I had a good time - eating pupusas, which, if you've never eaten a pupusa, shame. Look it up, it's not gross - we watched a Bohemian parade, walked down to the river but didn't swim, crafted bowls and German Shepherds out of clay, and finally, received glorious farmers' tans. At least I did. She got more of a spaghetti strapers' tan.

All that to say, it is a great experience; especially if you enjoy the outdoors, culture, and people watching.

No pics here; if you want to see some you can go to Rachel's facebook...

Best Colbert Quotes

List of memorable quotes from the Colbert Report

ˈpoŏ sh ˌəp

Chip and Lauren have started this new workout called one hundred push ups. See their blog for their progress. Sounds hard, but the workout lasts only 6 weeks and is doable. Really doable. Only 30 minutes a week. I started today. The best part is, if you complete the workout, you can put a shiny electronic orange completion badge on your blog. Or print it out and wear it on your chest, continually.

2000

Just another quick nod to the men and women who inspire me to keep blogging.
You 8 are my favorite readers.

When I purchased an iPhone, I bought into the idea I would need extra insurance on it. You know, if I accidentally dropped it, or if, well, anything happened to it. Now with the 3G iPhone coming out, I almost regret buying this package. Apple is sneaky. Unlike the old iPhone, the new one will require in-store activation. I.e., you can't buy up a hundred of them and sell them on eBay. I thought about selling mine, but who wants to lock themselves into a 2 year plan with a phone that really can't compare with its heir? No one. Right, so I decided to look into the AppleCare plan that I bought, you know, to see if I dropped it, if they would replace it with a newer phone. To my dismay, they will not. I did find a gem written in the terms and conditions of the plan that I'd like to share with you all:

Concerning the type of accidents not covered:

"Extreme environment (including extreme temperature or humidity), extreme physical or electrical stress or interference, fluctuation or surges of electrical power, lightning, static electricity, fire, acts of God or other external causes..."

That's right, careful readers. Apple has positioned itself as a company against the very hand of God when it comes to coverage. Whatever legal reason they purport for this addendum is beyond me, unless some zealot argues his way to court, citing that God miraculously destroyed his phone. Why stop with acts of God? What if an alien abducts and defiles my phone, mistaking it for some sort of anthropoid? Well that would fall under the category of other external causes I suppose. What I'm trying to get to here is, does anyone want to buy an iPhone for, ahm, $100? $50?

Glen Beck on Conservativism

Article on conservative vs. republican.

Rethinking Richmond: Part 2

You guessed it, I went to Richmond again this past weekend. This time was busier than last time. Friday, Rachel and I ate at Café Gutenberg - café by day, bar by night. Reminded me of Humble Pie in Raleigh, but with higher prices. After that, we walked down to Brown's Island that night and watched a show. At that point, I had probably walked 6 miles. Then, come to find out, Baby Mama was playing at a local $2 theater, so we went to that. The bad news was that I had no cash, and Rachel had spent two of her last four dollars on a diet something drink 30 minutes before. We were already late for the movie, but the cinema guy told us we could walk some 6 blocks to an ATM. In other words, we weren't going to see the movie. Dejected and wandering, we walked up Carytown. Not one block of doing this and I looked down and found a five dollar bill. And that's how that story has to end.

Saturday, whew. Eight of us drove up to DC to go to the Smithsonian, see monuments, etc. So we packed into two fuel efficient cars and drove the two hours each way. I was crammed in the backseat of a two door civic, seated behind a self-proclaimed Sunday driver. Rachel, bless her heart, planned the whole trip superbly except for the first stop. Our plan was to drive to the closest Metro, and catch it into DC. Turns out, one of the closest Metros was in a very sketchy part of town. The girls were freaking out, so that dog didn't hunt. We ended up driving into DC and parking behind the Capital building for free. Then the walking, O the walking. Not the best trip to wear a pair of Chacos flip-flops. Idiot. And I always thought you couldn't get blisters on the top of your feet. We walked all over the Smithsonian. I can't even recall what I saw. Planes, jungle, "name brand" sunglasses, crappy modern art, monuments, a couple metro stations, food, taxi, more. One of our last stops was the zoo, where we walked, ahm, 3 miles at least. Then another 3 back to the metro. Then another 2 to the car. Then we drove to Nationals Park to see the Nationals get beat by the Rangers. Overall I think I walked 20 miles on Saturday.

Sunday, chill. We up and went to Redemption Hill, a church plant of Vintage21 in Richmond. They meet in an elementary school at the moment, but have big plans for Richmond. You can't tell, but I just looked up a lot of info on the legal issues surrounding religious organizations meeting in public buildings. Some trial made it to the Supreme Court and the judges sided 9-0 with the churches/religious groups. Booyah. After church, we ate at Sticky Rice - so good. I, for one, hate sushi. I said it. I realize at this time and place in my life, considering my friends and co-workers, it is blasphemous to do at least two things: not eat sushi, and not back Obama. Oh well. Just like I enjoy being full after I eat, I enjoy knowing my morals are shared by someone being elected to the most powerful office in the world. But I'm also a realist. Obama is going to beat McCain, and Rachel will eventually make me eat sushi. See how that second statement softened the first claim? Rachel also had an ultimate game on Sunday, so I went and cheered for that. They lost horribly, but she scored. Genius.

Then I drove back. I'll put some pics of the trip up a bit later.

Attack!

Recently I ate some fast food. Some fast food with ketchup. Then I thought, "wait a second, I thought tomatoes are giving people salmonella..." Aren't they? Then what goop are we eating with our fries that no one seems alarmed about? How long do these liquid salt packets sit boxed up in warehouses? Months? From CNN.com:

"The reported advance in the investigation came as the toll mounted, with 552 people identified as having contracted the strain of Salmonella Saintpaul since April in 32 states and the District of Columbia."

I searched and searched, but I could not find the irritable scientist who decided to bacteria slap the Apostle. Even Wikipedia had nothing.

In case you do get sick, this lawyer seems like the guy to call.

2 Things

Get Firefox 3 and Coldplay's Viva la Vida.

Rethinking Richmond

This past weekend I went up to the capital of VA to see Rachel. She was one of 15 people accepted to do bio-med research at VCU for the summer. That's right. Genius.

The first time I walked aimlessly around Richmond was years ago (hey Chip and Lauren). This time Rachel and I walked at least eight miles, scoping out Carytown, coffee shops and the History Museum.

Carytown: Your local strip with countless galleries, restaurants, boutiques, and shops. It's like an artsy, worn-in Franklin St. For the first time I realized how flat parts of the city were. All the indy VCU kids rode modified beach cruisers everywhere. It made me want to dirty up my vans and get more tattoos. But I did have Chacos. The architecture around Carytown was really something. Two to three story Victorian pads with only 5-6 feet separating them. From what I could tell, almost all of them were filled with college students. It was like San Francisco with, well, no hills.

Science Museum: Used to be an old train station. We must have been the oldest, youngest kids there. It was your basic hands-on kids museum with exhibits ranging from space travel to binary code. The latter was pretty funny. They had a "mezzanine" floor with 1980s exhibits on binary code. You could take a sheet of paper filled with 1s and 0s and find the letters of the alphabet. The interactive computer modules reminded me of computer lab time in elementary school. There were even a couple machines on that floor that didn't even work. Loved it. There went the 80s.

Baseball game: The Richmond Braves, or Ducks, were playing the Charlotte Knights. I was the only person cheering for the NC team, as Rachel donned an old Atlanta Braves t-shirt to the game. A lot people were almost injured. The "protective" net behind home plate was inadequately small, and foul balls were zipping into the stands. It really is a great way to encourage concentration at a game. Rachel and I would be talking and hear a crack and just cower. You never knew if you were next.

The same day we also went to see M. Night Shaymalamianans "The Happening." Very attention-grabbing, yet not very satisfying in the end. Okay, spoiler alert: there actually is no ending. It's like he gave up on climatic twists. If you want a seven word description of the movie, I'd suggest: "Gasp! What? Gross! Gasp! Awe. Gasp! And..." I'd wait for the dollar-fifty release if I were you.

What Rachel is doing: Researching, ahm, artificial... Okay, she is taking silk, from silk worms, spinning it (?) and putting it in people's bodies. Repairing torn muscles/ligaments with synthetic, silky implants. And taking classes. Far away classes.

So there's a little slice of Richmond! If anyone has any parcels to send to Rachel, I'll be making the trip at least 6 more times this summer...

C'mon, Really? ...Really?

A good reason to be up after 1:31 AM

I, along with 3 other friends, signed a new 1 year lease on our house at Bloodworth. During the walk-through with the landlord, we discussed various problems with the security of the house, and asked that he fix them. Namely the broken locks on the windows, poor lighting outside, etc. Yesterday I sent in the lease, with a good amount of money. Come Thursday, my roommates said that some items of theirs were missing. Come sometime from 2-8:30pm today, the back door was kicked in.

After an hour with a local cop, Ed and I left Bloodworth to stay with friends/family for the night. Talk about an unnerving feeling. The officer said that there were so many break-ins and homicides the past few days, that there were literally only 2 cops at the station dispatching other cars. There are a few things fluttering through my mind right now.

One, I realize that we live in a sketchy part of town. We are no strangers to dealing with/ministering to vagabonds, drifters, drug addicts, etc. But it seems that the protection we felt, whether it be sincere or naive, was crushed with that back door.
Two, to expound, does one seek to break a lease, and accept this as an unintended consequence? Or simply accept it as a consequence for a larger picture of changing downtown Raleigh?
Three, I need to reconcile my actions with my convictions over the love of certain possessions. More than that, I need to know that my safety is not something I control.

It's not the first time I have had something stolen from me. But it is the first time that I have been locked into a legal agreement to occupy a place of residence that has recently proved itself dangerously volatile. Good night soon.

Hmm

I bet Mitt Romney is uber glad he dropped out of the race when he did.
After all this controversy surrounding the Mormon ranch in Texas.
Just thought of that. Political zinger of the day...

Photo Update

Click on the talk bubble to read captions...

Sigh...

church sign
Uploaded by luvnews

The Homegroup

Michael's been coming to our group for 8 months or so. Someone invited him after meeting him during an outreach ministry. Michael's from Miami, and moved to NC looking for a job. He's homeless, but he's aspiring. And he loves to write poetry.

Last Monday he invited our homegroup to an open mic night at Cameron Village library. Around seven I made my way over to the poetry night, and as I walked in the reading room I was overwhelmed. Almost all of our homegroup was there, as well as 10-15 other people from Vintage21. That's over 20 people. It may seem insignificant, but for me it was quite defining. Tyler (pastor V21) always talks about "living life together," and "laughing over good food until you cry," stuff like that. You know, the beauty of Christian fellowship and community. And I've known that. College, Camp Willow Run, my time in El Salvador - all taught me the importance of community and accountability. But here in my mid-twenties, while working and pursuing a master's, this kind of community demands a more persistent pursuit - for me at least. One of the brightest days in my week is Thursday, when our homegroup meets. Here is something I jotted after last Thursday's meeting:

Something hit me tonight. It was not like a punch, but like a burst of cool sultry air. I sat on a thick couch, just listening to my friends around me. Here we are, twenty somethings, filled with food and laughter, reveling in the wisdom of the Scriptures. I think I was just happy to be out of routine, ignoring the day. I honestly misplaced my thoughts of work and school and deadlines and of commitments. I just sat there.
It seems appropriate that we take our time. In an age of immediate knowledge and gratification, there is no way to speed up getting to know someone. Fine wine is only opened after years of settling. So as I gazed around the room, I realized this is a beautiful time in my life. I live downtown. I see skyscrapers in my windowpanes. I meet and minister to the homeless. I sink into sheets knowing I have an exciting job. My family is near, my food is near, my Saturday night plans are endless and my church is within walking distance. And I reflect, to Whom do I owe this great pleasure?

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow...

Luke told me Southern put on a screening of a new Ben Stein movie. Looks like it'll ruffle some feathers. Here is a link to the site for trailers and shorts.

&c

Reading Religious Affections by Edwards, came across this &c like 100x. It means "et cetera." How do I know that? My friends at acronymfinder.com helped on this one and they can help you too! Settle the debate, use acronymfinder.com for all your acronym related arguments. Do you know what NASCAR stands for? ESPN? ABBA? Find out right away at acronymfinder.com.




NEW! You can now search for over 850,000 postal codes!

AC Slater

Our indoor soccer team won a game today. We are now 1-3. I scored and got an elbow to the temple. Signing out.

Kitty Hawk Trip

Witnessing Covenants

"No government official is inaugurated unless he or she promises, in the presence of the citizenry, to be faithful to the constitution. Why, then, should not the promise of lifelong faithfulness, which we as husband and wife should give each other, require public declaration in the presence of family, friends, acquaintances, and especially the church?(267)"

I knew a guy in college that felt he and his girlfriend were spiritually married, though they never had a public ceremony. You know, the "we took vows before God and don't need the state to tell us we're married." Maybe you don't. His situation was one of those nagging thoughts that came up when I would think about marriage. Nagging enough to get my attention, but not pertinent enough to require immediate research. After reading this chapter in Douma on the 7th commandment, I realize how ridiculous that idea is. We're not in a deserted island/end of the world scenario. Making a union public for the sake of accountability is a high calling - then to take vows before that audience and God Himself? Beautiful and obligatory.

April Fool

A funny trick for a friend with a Mac.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Some sites to check out:

Hulu.com: Tons of streaming TV shows and movies - the YouTube rival with forced commercial breaks

Redlasso.com: News site where you can search for and clip your fave shows/controversial events for blogs, etc.

Breitbart.tv: More clean current events

Deal of the day!

Classic Leprechaun Vid

And now some SPD/Irish trivia:

- The official symbol of Ireland is a harp
- St. Patrick the evangelist died on the 17th of March
- Today the Irish wear bundles of clovers in their hats and pockets
- There is 1 four leaf clover per 1000 three leaf clovers
- Ireland aka the Emerald Isle

My Foot Hurts and I Love Jesus

Rachel and I went to Kitty Hawk a few weeks ago to visit Chip and Lauren. Wonderful trip. I got to drive an old Jeep on the beach, spend some qt with friends and see Chip in a giant easter bunny costume.




Another noteworthy item: Rachel and I ate at the best BoJangles in NC - it's in Plymouth. The sanitation grade was 98.5, the dining room was spotless, the food was perfect, the tea wasn't nasty or watered down. Go see Chip and Lauren and stop there twice.

And the title quote is from a tipsy man I overheard in a gas station. He kept repeating it over and over. I may make it into a song. Here goes.

I've found that while creating a post, a lot of work goes into it that you, the reader, can't see. But while I wrote about the title, I looked into that old Jars of Clay song "Jesus Blood Never Fails Me Yet." I heard it was about a drunk guy who just kept singing the same thing over and over. Turns out Jars of Clay didn't write it, and the guy wasn't drunk. There are some videos on YouTube about it. You can see it here or here. The first vid is a bit edgier. Thanks Gavin Bryars.

Flat

While driving downtown in the rain, I sideswiped a curb and blew out my right front tire. If you think changing a tire is hard, try doing it in the rain. Buah. After I put the donut tire on, I drove over to my parents house to borrow my step-dad's truck. It's a stick, and I'm ok at driving a stick. I'm getting a new tire Monday. Now for the crazy part.

I drove to a coffee shop to read a bit. The wind was howling as I made my way down the breezeway. While in the coffee shop, I got the idea to see when the State game was. I am not that excited to see State play these days, but I decided to go watch the game. It was really like I had to leave at that time. I got my stuff together and went to the truck. As I walked up the stairs to go home, I see the truck rolling across the parking lot. Toward a Lexus and a Pathfinder to be precise. I ran like mad, caught up to the truck and dug my elbow and shoulder into the hood. My feet started sliding, but I managed to stop it, no joke, 5 feet from the other cars. Some other good Samaritan came over to hold it while I jumped in and started it up. It felt strange to know that God was tugging at me to leave the cafe when I did, so as to catch the truck right on time. Either way, I haven't had the best luck driving lately.

Jonny Surname

Recently a bill passed in NC that allows adopted persons the right to reunion with their original birth parents. Consequently, that may be the most boring hyperlink ever. What? Strange topic?

My father was adopted when he was a year old. From? We don't know. Circumstances? Not sure. There's actually a lot our family doesn't know, about, well, the family. So after some seven months of bouncing around the NC House and Senate, HB 445 will allow him access to that information.

He told me that he wanted to find out where he was from, and what kind of medical history his parents had. And to see if we are heirs to some successful enterprise. But more the former. In all this, I just want to know what my last name should have been. Hopefully not Beard.

I did some reading online about the whole ordeal and found a blog called, ahm, go see it. Interesting stuff, apparently there is quite a political struggle going on regarding adoptee's rights. Can of worms, this one.

Well, I'm off to read a bit. I had an eye exam today, and they dilated my pupils. I really can't see anything up close. I may even be misspelling words as you read...

Living the Anti-Thesis

I was reading The Ten Commandments - Manual for the Christian Life, By J. Douma, when I came across the statement found in the title^. Douma's commentary is to the point. He goes through Exodus 20, digging up the text and explaining the intricacies of each commandment.

Thus, my light bulb moment:

"We may certainly deduce from the negative formulations that man is a sinner inclined to transgress the law. In the law we have a mirror in which we look to see ourselves as we really are: you shall not kill, because you are a murderer; you shall not commit adultery, because you really are an adulterer! It is absolutely necessary that we come to know the law in this unmasking function (usus elenchticus)...the law of God liberates us from conceit and self-righteousness. It tells us rather clearly that we had better not look for our salvation in being decent or moral or law-abiding, but that we can be declared righteous only through a living bond with Christ - who has fulfilled the whole law.(10)"

You should really check out the blogs/podcasts/writings by Al Mohler, Ravi Zacharias, and Peter Kreeft. Theologian, Apologist, Philosopher.

1000

I just saw that we've reached one-thousand views on this blog. To all 7 people who are reading this, thank you. It's all about grassroots. Have a great day.

The Situation Room...with Charles Barkley.

I have plenty to do, but I heard about this video and had to post it.



Why is Barkley on CNN? Well, because he is a consistent blooper reel. I really don't care what an aged, ex-NBA player has to say about politics. But I do understand that slap-stick interviews get more ratings.

In regard to Sir Charles' claims, I realize that some candidates/political leaders toss around their "faith" to garner votes. But what kind of guy goes on national television and calls all conservatives "fake Christians?" Even Blitzer was taken back by that comment. I really don't think our country can be united under this kind of press.

Best quote of the interview:

"And when I look at [Obama], he represents everything that's good in the black community. He's intelligent, he's articulate, he's a...we a, we need that, you know. Most of our role models are athletes or entertainers."

Athletes and entertainers. If you are saying that the your own image needs to be reformed for the good of the public, well, I agree. This TV spot was bad for Mr. Barkley in another way. At the end of the interview, he announced his plans to run for governor of Alabama. You know, Alabama, that crimson Republican state that Huckabee won. If Barkley does end up running, something tells me this tape may show up. Here's a shirt for you:

Yeeha.

My grandparents decided to take the fam out to celebrate a couple birthdays. Their place of choice? Normally it would be the Angus Barn, or Tripps - something nice, kind of classy. Yet today, 7 adults and 3 toddlers sat snug around a table at Golden Corral. Very funny meal.

Times are tight - my grandmother even told the whole family that we could only get water, "because when you're in a recession, you drink water!" Make your body happy. That reminds me of an old Aquafina commercial...

Although I believe life begins at conception, it's still nice to have a day where people congratulate you for being born. I'm actually glad that people don't congratulate me for being conceived - that is one of those, well, more difficult thoughts.

But hey, I am 24 now. And it was a super Tuesday. And a fat Tuesday.

Speaking of elections and celebrations, I would like to apologize to Mike Huckabee. Ever since I posted that pic of McCain on this here blog, John's numbers have sky rocketed. Even Mitt got scared and dropped out, thankfully, might I add. So I'll try to alter that photo a bit. Later.

This week went well. I handed in that Erasmus paper, killed some quizzes, and survived another week of life at the Bou. Here are some random things to get you through this weekend:

An interview with NT Wright on the misconceptions of heaven.

Colbert, Stewart and Conan fight over Huckabee:


Huckabee on ice:


How not to use Craigslist.

Some news stations report Tom Jones has insured his chest hair for $7,000,000. Well, I checked his official site.

That's all for now - I'm out like Ty Lawson...

Erasmus to Mirriam

I was trying to read "The Praise of Folly" and came across this statement:

"Whoop Holiday!"

I laughed out loud. I think this phrase should be more common place...speaking of which:

I invented a word, and for the first time, I will be attempting to put it into type. The word? Well, here is some background first...

Many people say that chivalry is dead. You know, men doing courageous and courteous acts for women. Apparently, a lot of guys have been slacking off. Every so often I'll see a girl get the door for a guy, or hear of women being the sole leaders of setting boundaries or goals in dating/marriage relationships. This is a reversal of what was chivalry. Indeed this is "evolrish." More complicated explanation:

One night at Camp Willow Run, I was sitting around with a couple friends talking about chivalry and what not, when I got the idea to record my voice on a PC and reverse it. Thus "chivalry" reversed is "evolrish." Next step, contact the dictionaries. I did.

I submitted the word to Mirriam-Webster, and this is what they said:

"Dear Jon,
Thank you for writing, but I'm afraid we don't accept word submissions"

I thought this was an auto-generated reply, so I tried again and got this:

"Dear Jon,
Thanks for your e-mail. Your coinage is clever, but I'm afraid that
cleverness is not the criterion on which a word is entered into our
dictionaries. As I said in my earlier reply, we don't accept word
submissions."

So turns out that a "word," if that's what they call it, has to be cited thousands, if not millions of times in various publications before it is even considered.

Conclusion: With your help, we'll be rattling off "evolrish" in no time. Please forward this entry to all your famous friends/influential writer-types.

Maybe I understand Erasmus more than I think I do...

Catch Up

Hello all!

It's been a while. The problem is, I have many things to blog - these sporadic thoughts during the day - but I forget. Been pretty busy with Caribou and school, so here are some updates:

- Got "employee of the quarter" award - which means I received an awkward fitting teal polo to wear at work, with something uncomfortably embroidered on the back

- Started classes: I'm sure I'll be citing things from my Christian Ethics class here soon

- I actually got an iPhone for Christmas...well, the plan was the gift. But I'm on a family plan still, and we were already AT&T customers, so it was cheaper

- Found a great place to eat downtown: Humble Pie - thanks to Dan Hawkins

- Put up pics on Facebook of Luke and I in Greece and Turkey

More to come.

While in the Granite State...

A quick vid of spotting John McCain in an airport...

Happy 2008

A little late, but what the hey.

I took a rest from blogging, not because there was nothing to say, but because I just didn't feel like typing it. And I was busy.

I have a lot to talk about, but I'll try to spread it out a bit.

Here's an old commercial that I was in for the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. This actually aired on TV in the Triangle. Thanks to Bobby and Jim. I star as "glutton #1".

More to come...


Posts, not commercials.