9-11

I know there will probably be alot of bulletins, emails, and other stuff about 9-11, but there's two things I wanted to communicate.

First, we could all use a good helping of "pissed off" about what happened six years ago. Osama Video Where among other things he says- "And before concluding, I tell you: there has been an increase in the thinkers who study events and happenings, and on the basis of their study, they have declared the approach of the collapse of the American Empire."

The other thing is, whatever your political views there are things you can do to help the soldiers who are in harms way and their families.America Supports you

No animated flags, no burning building pics, no Lee Greenwood- just watch Osama, or read the transcript- and then donate before you forget, and if you feel so moved- go ahead and forward.

Nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey hey...

GOODBYE!
I remember doing that song at sporting events when someone would get ejected from the game. It looks like it might be a fitting song to be revived now that the Dog abuser Michael Vick has decided to switch his plea to "guilty."
I can't feel sorry for this guy in the least. He's got all that money, and the only thing he can think of to do on a daily basis is torture animals? I'm not a big animal rights activist- and I'm not going to harp on how cruel dog fighting is- I'm going to try to stick to the topic.


Vick signed a six- year $62 million dollar contract on May 9, 2001. That works out to over $10 million a year, and over $600 thousand a week. So what does a man do who has everything? Fight Dogs.
If I ever get to the point where I have done everything, and the only thing left is DOG FIGHTING just shoot me. I mean, the morning I wake up- and I realize that I have done everything BESIDES watching pit bulls repeatedly rape a female dog- I want you to come to my house and literally blow my head off.

• What's so wrong about naked midget chick wrestling? http://www.cafepress.com/prideinart/406415
• Or car chucking http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2006/02/car_tossing_robot.html.
• He didn't have any fascination with going to space?http://www.virgingalactic.com/flash.html
• Or buying real estate on the moon?http://www.moonshop.com/.
  You mean to tell me that he didn't want to buy a tattoo on this guy's back? http://www.stunning-stuff.com/read-weird-news-stories/134.html?ci=l
• So, he's already completed his fossilized mud collection?
  http://files.tellmewhereonearth.com/Photos%20Weirdest/w184a.JPG
• He never got the urge to go buy- er I mean "adopt" one of these kids?http://peanutbutterburrito.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/darfur_kids.jpg

I know I can't judge the man until I've walked a mile in his Nike Michael Vick Shoes, http://www.pickyourshoes.com/images/shoes/listing/zoom_vick_wht_blk.jpg but I just think, that with a little creativity, and a little time Michael Vick could have thought of something better to do with the $577/ hour he's been making for the last five years (counting spring training and practice)

Mr. Vick, backatcha

Blacksmithing

I took a class with my dad this past weekend in blacksmithing, and it turned out to be quite the experience. Working with my hands again and learning something new was a very rewarding, sometimes challenging, but mostly fun experience.

It all started a few months back, when I was looking online at the curruculum at Howard Community College. I try to learn new things when I can, and I always enjoy the opportunity to increase the old knowledge base. There was a myriad of options for classes I could take-

1. business management type classes to help me climb the corporate ladder

2. engineering-related classes to help me one day legitimize my position, and trade level

3. requirement (filler) classes to inch me toward that ever-elusive degree.

It all seemed pretty 'ho-hum' the more I looked at it.

So I started doing the usual google searches for odd terms "trade schools" and "course study" and somehow stumbled upon the Carroll County Farm museum. They offer summer classes in old-school trades, and I saw the blacksmithing class and I knew I had to do it.

To add to the fun, Wayne recently moved up here from Florida, so I asked him (sort 0f at the last minute) if he wanted to take the class with me. So sure enough, he said yes, and we signed up. (For those of you who don't know me, I use "Wayne" and "Dad" interchangeably. It goes back to the days when I was 17 yrs old, and out on a jobsite with Dad, and too dumb and too proud to admit that I was working with my old man. You know I wanted to be my own man)

I had no idea what to expect. Would it be a bunch of time spent sitting in a classroom studying the history of metal work? would we have to start at the bronze age, go over the iron, and then at the end of the second day watch the guy make a fireplace poker?

To my surprise, after a short safety talk, and a brief introduction, each member of the class took positions forge-side, and before i knew it I had a 2 lb hammer in my hand and I was pounding on hot molten steel! Wayne and I are no strangers to a torch, and Dad has spent alot more time welding than I have, but surprisingly enough, we found ourselves joking around, giving the instructor a hard time, and learning (and I quote the syllabus directly)

"...the basics of blacksmithing from forge and fire control to hammer control. You will learn to forge a fish tail scroll, pig tail scroll, tab hook, drive hook, forge poker, water can handle, and other student selected projects as time permits."

Our instructors, Ray Neubauer, and Bob Nagle were great instructors, and through demonstration, hands-on instruction, and the occasional "corrective procedure" really helped us all feel like blacksmithing was something we could spend more time doing.

You can bet that when November comes around and its time for the intermediate class, I'll be signed up for what I know will be another great weekend. I'm also thinking about joining the guild but now the big question- where can i get my hands on one of those anvils?

I also got to spend a little time with Wayne- although I called him "Dad" most of the weekend, because the old pride just ain't what it used to be, and one of the guys thought we were brothers when we walked up- and I just couldn't have that!

Bart's Junk

We went to see the new Simpson's movie this weekend, and I have to admit it was a little wierd sitting in a large dark room with 250 other people watching the Simpsons. There were the usual gags, a few funny surprising moments, and a few genuine laughs- but the biggest thing was a dare between Homer and Bart where Homer dared Bart to skateboard naked to the Krusty Burger and back.

Bart's crusing down the street nude and a more than a few conveniently placed items cover little Bart, and then Bam! Bart's junk! Little Bart flashed on the screen for everyone to see. It wasn't that big of a deal, but it was just a little surprising- given that the male member is usually taboo in even R rated movies.

Aside from the Bart "member shot" it felt like a long episode of the Simpsons. I mean these characters have been in our lives for over 17 years! This show lasted longer than my first marriage for cryin' out loud. Standing in line and paying to see the Simpsons is kinda like going to the zoo to see your own pets in cages.

Its not that I didn't like it. I'm a Simpsons devotee- I've been watching the Simpson family not grow up or get any older since they were a short at the end of the Tracy Ullman Show. Its just that the movie didn't feel like a movie.

There was a few slow moments where I thought a remote would be handy- you know, not really "change the channel" just see what else is on for a second. The Simpsons at this point are like ambient TV. Its whats on when there's nothing on. Its what you have on BEFORE Prime time. There's much to be said about the "staying power" of the Simpsons, about its permanent place in American culture, and its enduring charm- but if you wanna pay to see the Simpsons, come to my house around 7pm every evening. For $40 I'll give you all the popcorn you can eat, a big soda, and even let you hold the remote.

under my umbah- rella ella ella eh eh oh eh eh

Has anyone else noticed that Rihanna's song has massive issues in the rhyming category?

When the sun shines, we’ll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be a friend
Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)

I'm sorry- but forever doesn't qualify as rhyming with ever, because you can't use a word to rhyme if its the same as the suffix- and then other and umbrella just do not work at all. It doesn't even work in ebonics.

I did, however realize that it works in hillbilly, because in certain parts of the south an umbrella is commonly referred to as an umbreller. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to work very well for the genre-So I made new lyrics that actually rhyme with umbrella:

When the sun shines, it shines through windows made by pella
Told you that sammich was poisoned with salmonella
Said I'll always be a friend
Took an oath I'm going to stick it out till the end
Now that it's raining on my friend named Ella
Know that I'll feature you in my next novella
You can stand under my umbrella

I thought about adding
"I'm glad there's loud accompaniment because I can't sing a capella"
but I thought that might be too mean.

Hey Rihanna- it's called Rhymezone.com. Look into it.

Oh yeah- I almost forgot, Umbrella has three syllables. I hate this friggin song.

GOHOA Problems

My HoA has become a problem recently.

PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS

I have a company vehicle that hardly qualifies as a commercial vehicle. It is a Ford Explorer Sport Trac (have you seen this thing?) Basically its a tiny little truck in which Barbie wouldn't be caught dead. I mean this "truck" (and I use the term loosly) is about as far from "commercial" as you can get!

Anyway- I got a letter a couple months ago that the vehicle, being the GIANT COMMERCIAL vehicle that it is, was in violation of HoA rules, and that I could not park it in the community. So I quit parking it in front of my house, and began parking it up the street.

I also contacted the Community Mamangement Association, and asked them if I could simply get magnets to cover the company logos on the vehicle- the person I talked to at this time said that would be fine. So- I put in a requisition at work for some blank magnets, which had to be approved by my boss, etc. and are finally on order.

Well- to my surprise I got home today, and the truck was gone. So- you guessed it, the truck was towed. Isn't this a little extreme? Do we need a ban on commercial vehicles anyway?

So its not just the truck- its the constant letters telling me to pressure wash my friggin siding, and cut the grass in my FENCED-IN BACK yard. I even had a line-item to replace a missing piece of siding on the back of my house (there isn't any siding missing on the back of my house)

So I got to thinking- I work in HVAC, I know HoA's, Why don't we get a board that actually does useful things. Why don't we do things that we as a community actually want? Why not campaign to create a board that actually provides helpful and useful information to my neighbors? Why not find out what my neighbors really care about like-
1. SAFETY-
a. walkways and sidewalks are in various stages of disrepair and there is poor lighting at night.
b. the dry pond at the end of my street should have a cover over the water pipe inlet- some kid or pet could crawl in there and get hurt.
c. my truck (mentioned above) was broken into over the winter and a laptop and blackberry was stolen sometime in the middle of the night
2. ACCOUNTABILITY- The State of Maryland and Howard County require that financial and meeting records be available to Homeowners.
3. WASTE DISPOSAL
a. why can't we come up with a better way to manage waste disposal? Do you like having to wait until after dark on Thursday to take out the trash?
b. recycling (see point a)
We have rights as homeowners, and I'm really not looking for a fight- I just want to see some "reasonableness" come to our community and for once see some common sense reign in our community.

PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS

Iraq and a Hard Place

Didn't it used to mean that when you defeated a nations army, took its capital city, and killed its ruler that you won the war? What ever happened to the days when you defeated a nation's army you defeated the nation?

Now these piece of crap little countries have a few cowardly hold-outs attacking under the cover of subterfuge and terrorism and they act like they won. It reminds me of the Black Knight in Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail. Insisting that the fact that he has no legs is merely a flesh wound...


So I have a three point plan for winning the War in Iraq.

1. We wake up tomorrow and just say we won. We won. Let's decorate Washington, hang the banners, and shoot off the fireworks and bring the boys home as heroes. The only thing is- in order to get what they want- The Democrats in Congress have to say with the rest of us that we won. We won. No detractors, no pundits, no opposing viewpoint- we want out, so we with one united voice we say "WE WON"

2. We forget about the Iraqi people's human rights for the next ten-twenty years. Who cares if their economy doesn't recover. Who cares if their people don't have roads and infrastrure. Who cares if rogue armies run around blowing up their own crap. Whenever some self-appointed Shia rises up, we fly over and bomb the crap out of him. The only trick is that all the liberals who are crying now about bringing the troops home, don't get to go over there in those stupid khaki vests talking about how crummy it is over there, and what a mess we left the place in.

3. We refuse to broadcast whatever towel-head shows up claiming we didn't win all over our media outlets, and for once the media machine in the US works AGAINST our enemies, and we say WE WON. I mean who's gonna argue with us? The French? We're the friggin world power. If we want to go defeat a foriegn army, kill it's totalitarian dictator, and run Old Glory up the flagpole and declare victory, its our perogative. We're THE friggin world power. Lets start acting like it. If America wants to say that we won the war in Iraq- then we won the war in Iraq. End of story.

I personally think that the boys over there did a damn good job. I don't happen to think that policing crappy urban environments is what they signed up for- and none of us wanted a long, protracted crappy occupation with a bunch of idiots with roadside bombs getting a kick out of blowing up hummers full of GIs.

So lets just say we won. Declare victory, bring the boy's home to a heroes' welcome- and that's it.

The only strategy that the enemy has is victory by attrition. If we pull our boy's out of there, and drop a nuclear bomb that turns that place into a (well...desert) some AK-47 toting mutant arab is going to climb out of a cave and declare victory over the infidels- and you can bet your ass that CNN will be right there to film the big American defeat.

The other option is to do as George Sr. said one time and "stay the course" We can tighten security in Iraq, send more troops give more funding, and crack down on those towel headed ingrates, forcing democracy and freedom on them whether they want it or not.







Any questions?

Paris Hilton Autopsy Sculpture

And now for the OMG WTF category...

Apparently the sculptor that made the thing last year of Brittney Spears giving birth on a bear-skin rug is at it again with another whacko sculpture.

Paris Hilton has allowed her visage to be used for a sculpture depicting her dead, splayed body ready to be autopsied. Apparently its a hands-on exhibit where students are allowed to open her up and remove parts. Its meant to scare teens away from drinking and driving during prom season.

I think the thing that makes it so wierd is that I've never seen an autopsy (on TV or otherwise) that features the DD with her legs spread like that! I mean the tiara and the puppy are one thing, but why not have her laying the way a body would prior to an actual autopsy.

Oh well, I took art classes for a short time in college- sometimes art is just wierd, and bizarre for the shock value and publicity factor. I have one question. Doesn the artist get to sculpt the figures from live poses? If that were the case that's probably how I'd pose her too- but I seriously doubt it.

Oh well- Paris is one of my close, personal friend on Myspace (I really do believe it), and I fully expect to hear from her about this in the next couple days. You can check it out for yourself at parishiltonautopsy dot com

ONEbyONE

Join the One Campiagn- or at least donate some cash

Clerks 2- and a guide to thirtysomething 2.0 humor

Sunday before going to see Clerks 2, I read about how Joel Siegel walked out of the movie after about 40 minutes. I wondered what could have been so terrible about the movie that a reviewer (the guy gets paid to watch movies and write about them for a living.) would feel the need to walk out?

Then, while Mel and I were sitting there in stitches, laughing 'til Mel was crying and I was having trouble breathing- we noticed two sets of people get up and leave the movie! Was it the racism jokes? Was it the donkey? Maybe the cracks on organized religion?

Are we just so terribly jaded that nothing shocks or disgusts us any more? Have I become so de-sensitized that maybe there's something wrong with me? I don't think so. I think that I just have a sense of humor.

I think its because of the same old thing. The group of people who are my age are constantly misunderstood. Thats right, good ol' gen-x is at it again. Its OK for Tom Hanks to have a donkey sex scene in one of his movies, and everyone loves him- but Kevin Smith does it, and somehow its too much?

I'm not sure- but I have a theory.

I think its because "we" weren't meant to fit in. We're too young to have gone to Vietnam- but we watched a bunch of movies about it in the 80's. Some of us went to Gulf War 1.0, or Somalia.(not "real" wars in the popular media) We were in the spotlight for a few moments in the 90's, and then Columbine happened. Then, suddenly teenagers became the focus. Wedged in between Baby boomers and the next younger generation, "we" became a side-note once again.

"Our" music was alternative, which had its 5 minutes of fame and then blended into obscurity. At one time we owned Lilith Fair and HFs and Lollapalooza, and Starbucks...all of which have either been co-opted by the older and younger crowds or have gone the way of the dodo.

If you're my age, you can probably relate to being in a crowd of people older (or younger) making jokes, everyone's popping them off- and then your turn comes and you say "in my butt" for your little add-on to the joke-fest, and everyone stops laughing and says "eww, thats just kinda gross." Thats kinda what its like- they don't get us, and they never will.

The inside joke. That's the beauty and the subtlety of the whole thing. that's why Dante and Randal can be such losers, and still manage to have the ability to make fun of everyone else- because no one else gets the joke. The opposite of being around a bunch of people who don't get you, is to be in a small click of people who do get you, and to have one person that doesn't. Oh what heavenly bliss!

Ever been in a situation where everyone has seen a movie but you? Or everyone in your group listened to a radio show that you missed? The really cool thing that happens is when a click gets a hold of a particular movie and then really runs with the lines from the movie. The most common (and obvious) example, would be a group of 30 something 2.0s in a car looking for a parking place, and then one of them says "use the force, luke" Everyone in the group knows that

1. this is a reference to the 1977 film Star Wars
2. the driver is having difficulty finding a parking spot
3. the general consensus of everyone in the car is that the driver has not tried hard enough to find an available parking spot.

Its the art of the inside joke.
1. take a popular (or obscure) movie, television, or song reference
2. use the quote in a situation that loosly applies to said reference
3. share the common understanding that the quote or reference applies to this situation
4. laugh
5. don't get offended or pissed off if you a. didn't see the movie, tv show, or hear the song, or b. saw the movie, show, or heard the song and still don't get the joke or the reason why the reference is funny.

Anyway- Clerks 2 is funny, and I don't care what anyone older (or younger) says about it. I'll just be home in front of the mirror- smearing on lipstick, listening to q. lazarus doing the tuck.

New Job and Master License

After the debacle at Unitemp/ Chesapeake HVAC- I managed to rise from the ashes once again and will start working for Amtek in Lanham, Maryland on August 1. Its funny, getting a job with a company owned by a local utility would seem like a lifetime commitment. Benefits, Retirement, security, stability...blah friggin blah!

I recently had a discussion with a slightly older gentleman who has basically had three jobs in his entire 30+ year career, where I have had three jobs in the last four years. How do you tell a guy like that- Its not my fault! Is it my fault when the owner has a heart attack and decides to get outta the business? Is it my fault when the parent company decides to close down my division?

Some of these old-school guys have a stay with the job mentality, but I'm starting to wonder if those old-school JOBS are a thing of the past...Maybe this next job will be THE ONE...

On another note, I got my MASTER LICENSE in the mail the other day! Woo-hoo, baby! (me doing a touchdown style end zone celebration)

that baby was 6 yrs in the making. I blogged about taking the test a while back, but I passed it and now Ive got that baby in my hot little hands...I can pull permits to replace/ install HVAC systems in the state of Maryland. Woo-hoo!!! Now all I gotta do is take a test in DC and fill out the forms in Virginia, contact a dozen or so counties and cities...

Three New Things for "Generation X." Remember how in 1993 it was all the rage to talk about the coffee swilling Mcjobs generation? Im not really sure how you slice and dice it, or where you draw the lines but if you're anywhere close to my age, here's three new media pieces for you:

1. http://www.jpod.info/ This is the new book by Douglas Coupland centered around a pessimistic dissilusioned group of people who work for a video game development company. Through a glitch in the personnel computers, they all have the same first letter of their last name and wind up in the same workgroup- thus the title "Jpod"

2. http://www.clerks2.com/ Even though after Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back Kevin Smith said he was done with the Jay and Silent Bob movies, the boys are back with a sequel to the movie that started it all. I guess Jersey Girl changed his mind!

3. http://wip.warnerbros.com/ascannerdarkly/ This movie, based on a Philip K. Dick Novel is about a futuristic society in which drugs, paranoia, and government testing blur the lines between reality and multiple personality. An interesting piece of this film is that it uses interpolated rotoscoping, to make Robert Downey Jr, Keanu Reeves, Woody Harrelson, and Winona Ryder blur the lines between reality and cartoon.

Blogging on the go

Blogger has set it up so that I can email blogs to my blog. So now I can bloggity blog blog all bloggin day long! Isn't that bloggin' cool!

Ok, Two movies that I haven't seen but still wanna blog about.

1. The Davinci Code
2. The x-men

Three things I gotta say about the Davinci code are; first If there is anything the Catholic church should know better than anyone by now- the best way to raise interest and awareness about something is to officially ban it. Every book the church blacklisted during the reformation became bestsellers in their day Does anyone remember The Last Temptation of Christ? That sleeper sold 10 times the number of tickets is should have because the Catholic Church banned the stupid thing. The best way to battle the Davinci Code, just friggin ignore it. Trust me, it will go away. Second, It doesn't matter whether Jesus got married or not. The truth is that he had a key mission, he fulfilled it, end of story. I mean none of us protestants with any common sense believe that Mary stayed a virgin her whole life... Third and finally- They toned down the fact that the assasin was an albino because they didn't want to offend the albino community. Apparently you're allowed to say that Jesus isn't the Son of God, and claim the Catholic Church is a big fat liar, thats been covering up a 2,000 year old Lie about their God and Savior- but you can't portay albinos in a negative way?..Hollywood blows my mind...

Now on to the important thing- The X-men. So Halley Berry wasn't gonna be in it unitl she heard that the director was gonna change and that there would be more character development for the Storm Character. Woohoo, cuz thats what we wanna see is the chick that makes it windy and can hurl the occasional lightening bolt. Screw that!!! We wanna see claws and laser eyes, and car crushing...and more of half-nekkid Rebecca Romijn in blue paint...We don't care about Storm's character development! Besides there already was a good Halley Berry/ Hugh Jackman moment. It was in Sordfish, and Halley Berry was topless!

I am an old-school x-men fan... Would it have been to much to ask for a cameo of Bishop? How about just one friggin Sentinal for cryin' out loud...but a mutant war- still gotta go see it.

Hip Hop Week

Allright everyone, its national hip-hop awareness week. Colleges and Universities all over the US have events, concerts, and rallies scheduled . Head out to your local scene and support hip hop.
My myspace page this week is a tribute to old-school hip hop from back in the day!

oh johntindale

My Myspace page is my second tribute to the Cohen Brothers movies. My first was for the Big Lebowski, with John Turturro in his "Jesus" character. accompanied by the Gypsy Kings singing Hotel California in Spanish.

This one features the video Man of Constant Sorrow from the movie soundtrack attributed to the Soggy Bottom Boys. The song was actually recorded by Dan Tyminski, a menber of Allison Kraus and Union Station

My dad was from West Virginia, and we woke many Sunday mornings listening to Stained-Glass Bluegrass on 88.5 WAMU. This movie features a rich soundtrack full of blues, bluegrass, early country and gospel music from the depression era South.

If you haven't seen this movie, or any other of the Coen Brothers movies, go straight out and buy them, don't even bother renting- because you'll want to watch them again later.

Rumor has it that Clooney and the Coen Brothers are working on a new project called "Burn After Reading" Im sure it will be another gut-busting trip.

post-modern, post-congregationalist

I gave up my membership and leadership postion as an elder in a church in October of 1999. It all started because I had what I believed to be a legitimate gripe against my pastor, and according to our own bylaws, my co-elder. It wasn't an easy choice, and it was one of the most difficult times in my life.
I attempted to follow the Biblical model for confronting him- I talked to him in private. I shared my concerns:
1. I felt we weren't stewarding our resources when we overextended ourselves financially, bouncing checks, etc.
2. I felt we were manipulating and controlling our congregation under the guise of "discipleship"
3. I felt that while we were giving everyone else the keys to "managing life effectively" I had a hole in my soul that was getting emptier and deeper by the minute
This didn't go over too well, and he ignored and dismissed everything I said.
I went to the next step. I voiced my concerns in a private elders meeting. Again I was dismissed and basically "blown-off"
I took the final step and flew to a conference put on by our denomination. I paid for the trip myself, and met with the leaders myself. They flew my pastor into the meeting, and ignoring our church's by-laws, assumed that our church was subject to the traditional model of leadership and cited "spiritual authority, and denied my right to confront my pastor.
So, in a classic Ron White moment, WE decided that it would be best if I resigned. I was lost, I didn't know where to go. What do you do when you were a leader in a church, involved in national and international ministry, and now your'e out of a job, out of a church, and out of your social network of friends.
My wife was unable to cope with the whole situation, and found that it was easier to confide in some guy at her job than it was to confide in me, so I soon lost her as well.
I tried, but couldn't find a church that fit. After all I just spent 10 years customizing a church that fit me, how was I going to be able to fit into someone else's? I didn't handle the whole thing too well. I freaked out. I went a little crazy. After all, my whole identity was wrapped up in this thing- I was CHURCHBOY for crying out loud.
I didn't realize that in all of this pain and agony, failure and misery I was on the forefront of a new revolution in the church. I wasn't a backslider, a drop-out, a loser- I was simply a post-congregationalist. I wasn't an anomaly, I was a revolutionary, I was at the forefront of a new trend in the church.
I gotta tell you, it ain't easy. At first I felf guilty being seperated from the church. I wished some days that I could just take it all back, and put things back the way they were. All the control and manipulation wasn't that bad was it? I mean it wasn't so bad when my pastor asked me to sign bad checks and knowingly lie to creditors was it? It wasn't so terrible to promise a bunch of stuff to a fellow ministry and then lie, cheat, and steal to deliver substandard material. It wasn't so bad that we were killing ourselves for my pastor's view of "success?"
I didn't do everything right. As a matter of fact I did alot of things wrong. I figured that since I had basically been excommunicated, I was basically a spiritual "dead man walking" and that I could do whatever I wanted. I was confused. All I did was stand up for what I believed was right.
I don't know where things are going to go from here. I don't know where I fit into this concept of a wall-less church. Over the last few months I have been waking up, and formulating a plan.
I still believe in God, and in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This relationship has become more real to me lately, since I have been pursuing it without someone pressuring me into it. I believe in the Bible, but I'm not a fundamentalist, nor am I a infallibilitist.
You gotta understand that before my excommunication I made myself an expert on church growth, small-groups, preaching styles, church administration, generational studies, contemporary worship and trends facing the church.
I withdrew for a while. I went into hiding. I shut down emotionally, spirittually, but I have begun to wake up. Traditionally, a person like me would walk into a church, fall down at the altar in tears, spend some time in counseling, and then be back in the network again "doing church."
I don't want to go back to the way we did it before. I'm not a baby-boomer, and I refuse to participate in Ward and June Cleaver's fake idealistic church. Americans are stressed out. We don't need to stress them out further by putting forth an idealized unrealistic relationship with God.
I want to get real. I want to face reality. I want to be a Christian, and I want to do whats right. I have things that I have learned over the years, that once I get my head straight, I plan to share these things with others. We are on the verge of something new, and exciting- a little scarey, but I think that as always, with every reformation, there comes a renaissance, and I love art.

comments and commentary welcome-
http://www.barna.org/
http://www.theooze.com/main.cfm http://www.faithworks.com/archives/a_churchless_faith.htm
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Its finally over

Was it just me, or did it seem like the US Olympic team was a bunch of whiny b#$%es this time around? To steal a phrase from the junkies, the whole thing was more than a "little hurting."
The key to saying hurting is in the pronunciation. its "herrr-Ting" you overpronounce the "herr" and the "t" so it comes off as I said before, "herr-Ting"
Lets start with Michelle Kwan- So you pulled a groin muscle, and you gotta go on live TV to skate around for a minute, fall, and then skate over to your manager/ trainer in tears...You know what? Just don't show up! Bow out gracefully, let some other kid get the spotlight, take some time off, and then go talk to the Disney on Ice people. You can always be a judge on the next installment of Skating with the Stars.

Then there was Bode Miller. How much did Nike pay him in endorsements? Two DNFs, a disqualification and the 5th and 6th place is the best you can do. Nice move, pansy. Then I love the way the commentators "spin" it, "Well, there's the mark of a very intense athlete, its all or nothing for Miller." You don't even have the decency to finish skiing down the damn hill when you realize you're not gonna win? Grow up. Can you imagine this guy on the playground in dodgeball. "You're out, little Bode- don't cry, when everyone gets out we'll start another game." Who names their kid Bode anyway?
Then there was that Wier kid. I'm sorry you don't hold a press conference to tell the world that the other pansy is going to beat you before the competition even starts. Thats why we call it a competition. You are COMPETE-ING. You have been training your whole life for this, so you can BEAT the other GUY. Don't get me started. Say it with me, Herrrrrr- Tinggg.
Finally, we come to the girl who tried to showboat on the last jump in the women's downhill snowboard race, caught a bad edge, and came in second when she clearly had the gold. What was her name? Jacobellis-whatever.
I think there needs to be two more parts added to the pre-olympic qualifying. A really hard puch in the arm, and a wedgie. I'm sorry Weir, you scored a .05 in the arm puch for the audible whelp you let out, and the tears and the little girl scream during the wedgie segment cost you 2.7 points.
Gimmie a break. These candy-asses are America's best? These whimps are supposed to inspire me to stand in the street yelling "YOU ESSS Ay, YOU ESSS Ay, I don't think so, sparky. I guess this is what happens when a generation grows up on Barney, and non-competitive or judgemental primary school sports and grading systems. Jimmy can't read or write, or throw a ball, but he is very helpful and kind during sensitivity time.














Say it with me, "Herrr- Ting." Now you're getting it.

Dayona 500, Baby!

Well, its the start of another NASCAR season, and the Daytona 500 fired it up yesterday. Bon Jovi entertained the crowd, and that girl from The Black Eyed Peas sang the National Anthem.
Nevermind all that, though. My driver, Rusty Wallace retired last year, and it was wierd, because my gut-reaction is to get excited when I see the no. 2 car moving up in the standings. "Cool- oh wait, thats Kurt Bush..."
Anyway- it was a little tough to keep up, aside from the fact that I don't have a favorite just yet. I think some of the rookies have a good shot, there's JJ Yeley and Denny Hamlin, both driving for Joe Gibbs, and David Stremme, and Reed Sorenson from Chip Ganassi racing. There's also Brett Sherman with BAM Racing, and Clint Bowyer is driving for Richard Childress.
While Tony Stewart, Dale Jr., Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth stayed with their cars and sponsors, 43% of the drivers have switched cars/ owners/ sponsors, making it a little tricky to watch the race and understand what was going on.
Finally, the commercials yesterday were pretty good, though- Will Ferrel wondering why NASCAR Day isn't a Federal holiday, The Chevy Drivers toasting themselves by dumping beers on their heads, UPS trucks doing laps around the track, and Denny Hamlin driving a personnel car through the airport at high speeds topped my list. I won't say that they topped the Super Bowl commercials, but they were up there for contention.
The announcers did a pretty good job describing rules, exlpaining restrictor plate racing, and sorting out the drivers/owners/ sponsors thing. They did a reasonable job keeping us informed as to what was going on.
and Jimmie Johnson's pit chief was suspended earlier in the week for cheating. Apparently NASCAR officials spent 3 hours yesterday inspecting the car after the race.
Oh yeah, and did I mention that Jimmie Johnson won?

Rollin' Thunder, Baby!

meet the bowling team!

yours truly

Felicia

Abby

Mel

Kevin

fun with rabbit ears!

The System of the World

Allright, so now I'm finished with The System of the World by Neil Stephenson, and this time its a lesson in economics with England setting up the modern system of banking and finance as we know it, and with good 'ol half-cocked Jack playing the role of the villain.
We're introduced to the trial of the pyx, and re-introduced to alchemy and finance, while Daniel Waterhouse comes into his own as an older, wiser natural philosopher who's had some time to think. All this and Stephenson's clever use of logic, and mathematics-as-a-study-within-its-context makes for a fitting conclusion to this epic three- part novel.
Sir Isaac Newton plays an interesting role in the forefront in this book (as opposed to playing supporting roles in the two previous novels). Newton is the Master of the mint, in charge of assuring the quality of British coinage, and Jack Shaftoe- the French backed counterfitter- the nemesis of Newton.
Newton and Liebnitz finally get to have their discussion, and wind up talking about predestination- which was a bigger deal in their time than the secular reader might catch today. Their discussion ends in the same way that two protestants would end today when they have two opposing views, they agree to disagree.
Rather than run ships all over the world, as in the first two stories, Stephensons keeps the story confined to England, and London proper- and as an hvac mechanic, I have a soft spot for his mention of the invention of "the device for raising water by fire" the first steam-driven well-pump, the precursor to modern boilers, and mechanical engineering.
Overall, I'm still massively impressed by The Baroque Cycle and I owe it to an advertisement glued to the wall of the London tubes.