Wow, this is why I'm a football fan. Just when it looked like the Eagles were going to finish another season on a huge let-down (losing to the Redskins after collectively raising the hopes of all Eagles fans).....they find a way to DEMOLISH the Cowboys.

Thanks to clever scheduling by the local CBS & Fox stations, we were able to track the Raiders/Bucs game, and the Vikings/Giants game. Both games had meaning to the Eagles, though it was the combination of the Bucs & Bears both losing that opened the door for the Eagles.

Earlier in the afternoon I had said to Linford, it's probably like a 5-10% chance they actually make the playoffs. For one, the Raiders had next to nothing to play for, while the Bucs on the other hand were at home, would clinch a playoff spot with a win, and were trying to stop a 3-game losing streak.

Of course then it came down to which Eagles team were we going to see: the listless, unimaginative team that lost to the Redskins, or the exciting, passion-filled team that beat the Giants, Cardinals and Browns in 3 weeks running.

Turns out it was better than anything we could have imagined.

Very few games in sports are just out-right enjoyable games. Too many games (Football & Baseball) are the type that you enjoy along the way, but with a degree of nail-biting.

This one had the same feel that Victorino's grand slam against C.C. did....in that the team I was rooting for, in this case the Eagles, was going to win, and it was going to be quite a ride.

I felt that way after seeing defensive-lineman Chris Clemons rumble 75 yards for a touchdown, after a Romo fumble bounced right into his hands, AND stiff-arming a player before falling over in exhaustion in the end zone.

What a game!!!!!

Now, it's setting up for a let-down game, on the road against the Vikings, but it's not inconceivable that they win there, and play strong against the Giants a week later. The second part is considerable harder than the first, because usually only 1 team of the 4 that advances to the 2nd round (and play the rested 1 & 2 seeds) will win that second game.....but you never know....could be a nice ride.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone.

I'm looking forward to a little time off, okay 1 day, after a whirlwind of activity.

We haven't had much snow in the east, but have had our share of ice and cold winter weather. The wind makes all the difference (negatively).

It's the kind of weather that makes reading a book in front of a fire enjoyable....if you have a fireplace. If you don't have a fireplace....well that's a different kind of trouble...

I was in line with a lady today who was complaining about Christmas "today". She said out-loud, to no one in particular, why do we spend so much money at Christmas, and become so busy.....why can't it be like the "old" days.

You mean like the days without indoor plumbing, the days during the World Wars, the Crazy 60's/70's, "Cold" War, Gas shortage, recession of the 80's.....which days might you be referring to???

Ironically she was in line to buy something...sooo....if you don't want to spend so much money, why are you buying more stuff?????

Sure culture/society has something to do with it all, but if you want to change the way you perceive Christmas and the Holiday season, than do it....

....but like always, I kept my mouth shut, and minded my own business.

What is Up

Life moves along these days at a pretty stiff pace. When I here "12 days of Christmas", I'm usually thinking of the time before it, when we get extremely busy at work.

When I'm not at church in the evening, or at work, I've taken an evening (okay 2) to play NCAA Football on xBox. I'm living in the past, because I have the year when B.Quinn and Mardze were great. I shutout Michigan the other night for a cheap, video-game thrill.

I think I'm going to take a Sunday afternoon, use my created player who's rated 99 (why give him weaknesses) and try to lead the university of Toledo to a national championship (Go Mud Hens!).

On a professional level, I am rooting for the 'Birds to make every Eagles fan's Christmas wish: an improbable trip to the playoffs with 2 wins over the Redskins and Cowboys. They created this mess by losing to the Bears, and tying the Bengals, but maybe....just maybe...



(No Kittys were harmed in the making of this image)

(Though in somewhat related news, we are now down to 1 kitty: Joshie is no longer with us).

Da Weekend

It's always interesting from retail perspective, to see the time and energy put into the "black friday-saturday" weekend, and then measure the results. I'm always excited to see how we'll do, increase sales from last year, position ourselves for a great last 6 weeks of the year etc.

As I drove into work at 5:45am on black friday I had to smile at the radio announcer describe lines outside retailers, and the madness associated with the day. At least I didn't have lines or unruly behavior (or dealth/injury...see i.e. Walmart) to deal with, or so I thought....

Enter the After-Thanksgiving Webkinz Promotion:



We, like most retailers sell the furry, soft loveable Webkinz, gatekeepers to their own private virtual world.

Well, marketing decided to offer the first 100 customers in our stores a promotion where a customer would get a webkinz for $.01 (normally $12.99).

This brought the crowds....

I was working at our smallest store (2,000 sq foot) and the lines were the length of the store, for people waiting to check out.

We only have 2 cash registers, so for the first 30-45 minutes we were quickly working through the line of customers. It was crazy, frenetic, and somehow both energizing and tiring at the same time.

One hour later we still had a good customer flow, but the pace had changed back to "normal".

Needless to say, even with a lot of $.01 transactions, we did more sales in that one hour, than we sometimes do, total, on our slowest days.....and that was from 7am to 8am on Black Friday.

At least people were decent, and no major issues erupted.....I never saw the store so full of people.

Lots of happy customers.....now I hope to see them again for the rest of the year.

Oh....Deer

I find this picture equally disturbing and hilarious.

Needless to say, me 'n the bambis aren't getting along these days.

Long story short, I hit a deer in the mountains of Virginia at 2:00 am in the morning. That in of itself is a separate story, but the deer decided my right side of the car needed to reflect sunlight in a concave manner. 2 door and 1 fender panel later and we're playing the waiting game for vehicle repair.

Thankfully we can (and could) still drive the car. It could have been worse.

However, I now suffer from a deer 'phobia. With the time change I now am driving the back-roads to our house in the dark, or near dusk and see deer. Thankfully none of them are as close to the road as "Virginia", but it's slightly unnerving none-the-less.

None of them have ended up like the one above in the picture, can you imagine going to that guys/gal's house? I think I'd use the door knocker, or my own knuckles...

"Why didn't you ring the doorbell?"

Um.....

Sons of the Father(s)

So I learned today, that Irving Fryar's son is playing college football. To my knowledge, Senior Fryar is the only current (or former) NFL player to deliver a sermon at our church. I remember being amazed at the size of his hands, and well, at how many people were suddenly interested in coming to church. To his credit, it wasn't a celebrity focused sermon, it was a biblically-based sermon....but than again I was only 15-17, so I might not have been all that objective....but I digress...

His son, Londen, is a 5-11, 194 cornerback for the Western Michigan Broncos. NFL material...probably not, based on his size and where he plays, but who knows...

I also read an article on ESPN.com about the sons of 3 rather people who play high school football for Oaks Christian Academy in Los Angeles.....where some of you might remember that "7" came from, before his ND days.

Talk about star power....on the JV football team is quarterback Trevor Gretzky....son of the "Great One". The wide receiver he throws to is Trey Smith, son of the "Fresh Prince", and the quarterback of the Varsity team is some guy named Montana.

So picture Wayne Gretzky, Will Smith & Joe Montana in the stands for a high school football game....crazy awesome! The writer even talks about how when they see a helicopter circling the field that they think it's Will Smith, running a few minutes late.

Last but not least, how about those Ball State Cardinals?? I never knew why a college located in Muncy, Indiana could come up with the name..."Ball State"...maybe it's a reference to baskeball, but who knows, I certainly don't.

Anyways, the university, best known for being Dave Letterman's alma mater is unbeated and ranked 17th in the country, higher than ND (ouch), Michigan and only 6 spots behind Ohio State. How about them "Cardinals".

Cringe Factor

Have you recently been in a public place, and had to cringe at how "Christians" sometimes act?

I was in a supermarket recently, and a lady (apparently) got cut in line by another lady's friend. This didn't sit well with the offended lady, and she was quick to tell everyone around her.

Apparently the other lady, who was of another ethnicity, gave a form of an apology on the way out, to which the offended lady gave the whole "I didn't feel it was right, blah, blah, blah and then in the (seemingly) most insincere way gave the "but God bless you".

CRINGE.....

Let's see, you just spouted your mouth about being offended, and you offer a weak "God Bless You" like that's supposed to make everything alright. What a HORRIBLE example to everyone around you.

Jon Acuff, blogger for "Stufff Christians Like" (yes, 3 F's), wrote about this a number of months ago. The insincere stuff christians do in the name of closing a argument/discussion/slam on the person next to you. The whole, Trevor may have 3 nose rings, a "Mom" tatoo, but "God Bless him" or "Johnny might be making a huge mistake going to Tri-State Community College instead of Harvard, but "bless his heart".

The last thing the world needs is insincerity in their relationships/encounters with Gods people.

Me.....in a landslide

After a careful analysis of the reporting constituencies....I'm please to announce that I win (and I didn't even have to resort to smear tactics!).

Rough Video Feed, but the audio's worth listening to

Harry and "Wheels"

WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!!!!!

Wow! What a ride for this self-proclaimed sports nut!

Every year, as a big-time baseball fan, I watch the world series celebration (unless its the Yankees) and enjoy the excitement of it, seeing the emotions the players experience.

But every year, I could only observe as an outsider. I wasn't a fan of that team, those weren't players that I followed from February to October, and so part of me always wondered what it would be like to celebrate from a fans perspective.

Last night gave that chance.

We had church until 8:30, so I knew I'd miss a bit of the drama (and well, the Obama infomercial, which was not a problem).

We left church after it was finished and started the 12 minute drive home, making it within 5 minutes of the house when Jayson Werth's bloop hit brought home Geoff Jenkins!

Let the Party begin!!!! or not so fast.... Ryan Madsen gave up a rare run. At the time everyone thought he jammed Baldelli, but Baldelli got enough of the bat on the ball to drive it out of the park.

To the fans credit, they did not boo Madsen when he left the game (Commissoner Selig...that's a different story).

Romero came in and got the out. He looked a bit more nervous/figety than normal. Call it a "3-deep breath" moment instead of just the normal 1. He also had a huge double-play ball to erase an early Rays threat.

Burrell then delivered in his only hit of the World Series, and perhaps last at-bat as a Phillie. Again the celebration was about to begin as he drove a pitch to left-center, only to hit the top of the wall (ala Manny Rameriz a round earlier).

Again, in a true team-effort, Pedro Feliz, a 49 RBI guy during the regular season, came through with the biggest one in recent Phillies history!

Lidge came in, shut the door, and let the celebration begin!!!



Who would have thought it. A good team (the Phillies) finally taking a step and becoming a great team! After season upon season of disappointment, than the no-show in the playoffs last year, to World Series champions the next!!!!

What a great ride! Thank you Ed Wade, without your desire to have Geoff Geory, Michael Bourn and Michael Costanzo the Phillies would not have landed Brad Lidge, the former Golden Domer!

Final 3 outs....please?

Popup!!!!! stay with it, stay with it! YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Crawford's working him....we're all on the edge of our seats. No mistakes...


Crawford's the last hope (hopefully), Lidge has been dealing unlike other post-season games.


11:58 Slider low and away! YEAH!!!!!!! 2nd strikeout!!


Here comes Evan Longoria.

11:56 RING HIM UP!!!! YEAH!!!!!

Lidge vs. Pena

11:51 wasted opportunities

A bit of a surprise that Bruntlett got an at-bat with runners in scoring position. Bring in Dobbs, put Taguchi in left-field.

Oh well, it's Lidge-time. His best against the Rays best.

Close the door. 1 - 2 - 3

P.S. the whole build-up drama thing by Joe Buck is good when you don't have a vested interest, but with the Phillies leading, it gets annoying.

11:33 1 more inning!

BIG strikeout by Madsen! This is not your father's Madsen, or maybe your "Larry Bowa's" Madsen. This guy is dealing!!

1 more inning....let's get a few insurance runs...

11:16 Bring this Win Home

Cole's looking good. The Phils cannot pad the lead, despite a number of different guys coming up with runners on base.

Tonight's not over, but it will be interesting to see what kind of game Myers, Moyer & Blanton have with this lack of run-support that has occasionally plagued the Phillies throughout the post-season.

10:10 Blue Blazers

Breaking News.....the Tampa Bay Rays are going to wear khaki pants and blue blazers, as reported by Ken R of FoxSports.

I enjoy READING the different baseball thoughts of one Ken R, but find his side-line reporting to be a bit uninspiring.

We have yet to have a Chris Myers sighting, so one can only hope for that in later innings.

How about Burrell beating a path down the inside of the line. Looked fine from my perspective but brought about extra commentary from the announcers.

Also, I had to think about Utley's first at-bat, where he tried to bunt...I guess Rays fans wish he had done that, and not hit a home-run a few pitches later.

Kazmir still looks shaky, Cole gave one back, but we're 6 outs from turning this thing over to the bullpen, which, knock-on-wood, will hopefully be as good as the regular season (in-other-words, fantastic!).

9:39 Whewwwww

Wow, who would have thought a double-play would be so exciting. Not since Ryan Zimmerman's DP ball to win division have I enjoyed seeing the 5-4-3 DP.

I also exhaled after realizing that just a few minutes earlier I had mentioned that Cole might only need 2 runs. Not that I give creedence to the whole "jinx" thing but you never want to be proven wrong (so quickly).

Feliz, who McCarver might call Feel-is, isn't doing much offensively, but there's a reason he get's the bulk of the playing time instead of the better offensive player in Greg Dobbs.

1/3 of the way there. Time to get caffinated!!!

If my cell hadn't bit the dust, I would totally be texting people tonight.

9:27 Kazmir out of a jamb

The Phils might not need more than 2 runs, the way Hamels has looked early, but it's always a shame to leave a runner at 3rd when you could have gotten him in with the
2nd out.

Kazmir looks like the Kazmir from early post-season. The guy who has a 4.01 ERA in the post-season (well, higher now with the Utley home-run).

McCarver, who I waffle in my like/dislike for, has yet to show admiration for catchers making a nice block on a slider (wait for it, it's coming) did give his impression of Ru-is.....well, actually, it's Ru-ease, as in Carlos Ruiz. Oh well, least he got Iwamura right.

On a minor note, I'm really pulling for Chris Coste to get a few big hits. He's 0-2 with runners in scoring position this game, so he's struggling early, but time will tell.

Go Phils!

8:57 Good Start

Great double-play ball from Hamels, after the little fiasco at first base with Ryan Howard. Wow, I new B.J. Upton was having a great post-season, but 2 home-runs away from setting the all-time mark for home runs in a post-season? Let's hope he doesn't reach it. Also, I know he was hurt, but how sick is it to have 9 home runs in the regular season, and 8 already in just 3 weeks.

Great, great start for Phillies fans everywhere. Game one in particular is huge, and to get an early lead is awesome.

8:44 UTLEY!!!!!!!!!!!

Chase Utley with a HUGE game 1 at-bat, driving the ball out of the ball-park, setting the Phillies up 2-0 and momentarily shifting momentum from the home-team.

What a home-run!

Good patience from Werth to draw the full-count walk. Early props to Charlie for going with Werth in the 2 spot instead of Victorino. The fan favorite would be to bat Victorino 2nd and Werth 6th, but I guess against Kazmir, go with the righty who has "eaten up" left-handed pitching this year (power numbers at least)

Quick side-note on Victorino. PETA has sent him a letter, asking him to not eat Spam, this after he said one of his favorite foods is Spam _____ (I forget the 2nd combination).

Game 1!!!!!

8:32 Your line-up is re-introduced by no other than Michael Jack Schmidt! Good move. The 'stache never grows outdated.


8:21 That must have been the longest national anthem song ever. Nick Carter and the BackStreet Boys??? Nothing says "we're here and ready to rock on the national stage" like Tampa Bay trotting out the Backstreet boys to sing a falsetto national anthem.

Advantage Phillies!!

8:13 Great opening introductions for both sides. Kind of reinforces that this isn't just any game. Mixed response from the Tampa crowd when Phillies were introduced, I expected more of a hostile response, but there's definitely a Philly continguent there. Someone said there is a whole "Tampadelphia" thing down there with people who have moved from the Philly area.

Some early questions answered: Chris Coste will be the right-handed designated hitter, and back-up catcher....stay healthy!

8:07 Mark Grace informs the rest of America that he picked the Rays at the beginning of the season. Jolly for him.

8:00 Awesome opening to the broadcast, reliving baseball's role in American history. Embellished...sure, you can say that faith and family bonds have a similar role in pulling people through tough times, but from a entertainment standpoint, it got to be baseball...

Phillies - Rays??

I'd say you are just as likely to see this guy show up on your door-step next Friday night, than to have predicted a world series that included both the Phillies & Rays.

Even one day ago (before game 7), you probably would have found more people who thought the Red Sox would advance.

Although the Fox executives might think otherwise, this is a perfect "storm". You have the Rays who have experienced just one winning season (this one) in their history. You have another, the Phillies, with just one World Series championship in their 100+ history of the sport.

Both teams have great offenses. The Rays have an edge in over-all starting pitching but the Phillies have the end at closing out tight games (something like 89-0 when leading after the 8th inning).

Should be exciting for all baseball fans, but particularily those in eastern Pennsylvania and Tampa Bay-St.Pete.

Rockin the Hairnet

This might be the only picture of me, in my relatively brief existence, in a hairnet. I found it amusing.. notice the concentration etched on the face!!

7:41...CC's gone, Howard w/bases loaded

Wow,this game keeps becoming more amazing. CC just left the building. Ryan Howard is up with the bases loaded and a young Brewers pitcher (Stetter?) pitching.

I wonder when the last game, let alone play-off game featured 2 Phillies grand slams.

Not going to happen, called strike three down and away. The umpire has been effectively inconsistent, calling that low strike part of the time.

6:45 .... Victorino!!!!

Wow! Of all the things I've ever seen, Roger Cl-.....err, Shane Victorino hitting a grand slam off C.C. Sabathia after Myers & Rollins draw 2 out walks!!

Someone Has a Sense of Humor...

I saw this CD recently where the sleepytime worship creators took Third Day songs and made lullaby renditions of them.

It made me smile when the first song was "Cry to Jesus".

Sometimes "sleepy-time" only arrives after a time of "crying to Jesus".

SNA

Okay, so I missed the boat in naming our worship service something that could be used as a cool acronymn. Instead will still be referring to Sunday Night Alive as Sunday Night Alive and not SNA. See the image below, it included some of the print overlays, but get an idea.

Da Phils

Last time.....?;

For a city that doesn't celebrate many sporting success (see last major championship: 1983), when was the last time the 4 major sports teams all made the playoffs (and yes, I'm counting the Eagles making it, despite giving away a game to the Bears).

We've had (in recent memory) unparalleled success this calendar year by the Sixers, Phillies & Flyers. In reality, the Eagles used to be (and in many cases still are) the class of the city, as they've had the most success in the past decade.

Still need the Eagles to come throught, but this could be the start of a run like the Boston and New Yorks', and LA's have enjoyed.

Did you know...

This was a fun little fact I thought of the other night....of the 4 teams that have made the playoffs from the National League...the PHILLIES are the last team to appear in the world series, and that was in 1993. Dodgers won in '88, Brewers won '82, Phillies in '80, and well.....we know the history of the Cubs by now...even though they appeared in a World Series final in 1984, losing to those Steve Garvey led San Diego Padres.

How wild is that.... the Brewers haven't made the playoffs in 26 years. Someone did a run-down about what life was like back in 1982....let's just say that the Commodore was a main computer brand, and cell phones? text messages? Google?

There's a new tv show where a guy wakes up and it's 1973, and they do the whole "wheres my computer, where's my cell phone" angle. Interesting concept, since so much has changed in just 35 years.

Most wonderful time of the year

A lot of people will tell you that spring is the best time of the year, but I have a hard time arguing with fall.

The air is crisp, we've gotten over a humid summer (though not as much this year) and the perfect sports confluence of pro football, college football and playoff baseball all come together.

Speaking of playoff baseball. Crazy how things can change in a short period of time. In early September the Phillies were trailing the Mets and Brewers in both the division and wild card standings.

Now, they (with a win either today or tomorrow) can clinch their 2nd NL East championship and automatic playoff bid. I know, I know....they haven't done it yet, but even with 2 losses and 2 Met wins, they would play a tie-breaker on Monday, so it's hard to see them losing 3 times in a row, and the Mets winning 3 in a row (and yes, I hope I don't come to regret writing this).

Sports history is littered with teams that fail to live up to expectation, but it's hard to remember 2 back-to-back years like the Mets have had. Last year they had an historic collapse, this year they have given away 20+ games to a bad bullpen. Some of it's injury, but you got to think that all the players are uneasy when it's a tight game, and the bullpen is involved.

Every team goes through blown games (except the Phillies who are something like 42-0 when leading after the 8th inning.

Like last year, I hope to include the you-tube link of the final out, and proceeding celebration.

If anything, it gives a memory to access later over the cold winter months.

Google = 10

Wow, I saw recently that Google is celebrating it's 10 year anniversary.

It's crazy to think that 1) the word "google" wasn't in our vocabulary 10 years ago, and 2) how fast time flies.

I would have been finishing my first year of college, and the whole IT world was rapidly expanding/changing.

Tech stocks were doing well, things were on the upswing.

Speaking of the upswing, I read an article where the national deficit in 1979 was 1.5 trillion. As it turned out, President Bush added 1.5 trillion to the national deficit in the past year alone.

I won't claim to know how all this plays out in the end, but it's hard to see our kids, and our kid's kids getting many tax breaks in the future (refunds, yes....breaks....no).

BeDawked!

MWS

Recently, Michael W. Smith gave a private concert for the "Berean folks". It was cool to be a part of a small gathering (approx 150 people) and interact with him on that level.

The day before he was with the President of the U.S., in Washington, and the next day with the President of Berean....in Cincy. I hope it wasn't too big of a change for him.

He was gracious in meeting all the managers/management and signed pictures. I should have gotten a picture of everyone taking a picture with their camera phone. It was a pretty crazy sight.

Normally I don't get too caught up in meeting people like this, but he's a legend, so it ranks higher than riding a bus with Philip Yancey (and his afro) in Denver, CO.

Oh, and the W's for Whitaker...

Sports Sunday

So.... a "enemy" of your "enemy" is a friend? That's how I felt watching the Ohio State-USC football game. As a Irish fan, I don't like USC because they usually beat Notre Dame. I don't like Ohio State, because they're Ohio State. However, I couldn't bring myself to route for Ohio State, so I found myself not really watching the game last night. Some Big Ten supporters wanted a strong showing from Ohio State, as if it would bring some credibility to the conference, but in reality, I was glad to see that without 40+ days between games, OSU still came up small. At least they can complain about not having B.Wells, as if that would have made enough of a difference. Of course I now believe that Jim Tressel (Previously known as "sweater-vest", is a "pretty good guy", based on him writing a book, and doing an in-store appearance at one of our Ohio stores, so it's hard to work up the agnst against him, like before.



Of course the big news was the strong showing for Notre Dame against Michigan. It's good to see Michigan going through a rough year like Notre Dame did last year. Who knows, with a few breaks they could win 10 games after all. After last week I had defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta as the sucessor to Coach Weis........not-so-fast.

Kids Against Hunger

Recently I was part of a group who look time to pack meals for starving kids across the world.

It was a pretty cool venture. We set up 4 assembly lines and then went about packing soy, rice, chicken flavored vitamens, and dried vegetables into bags. The bags were then weighed and sealed, packed in boxes and stacked onto skids.

In 2 hours we did 3 skids worth, thousands of meals. I believe each meal cost .25 cents, each bag fed 6 people for $1.50

A sobering venture, but worthwhile non-the-less.

We always think of Africa for starving, orphaned kids, but these meals were also going to some of the most improverished parts of the United States (specifically the Appalachian mountain region) and across the world.

Check out www.feedingchildren.org

Great Wolf Lodge

I'll admit, when I heard we were going to the Great Wolf Lodge in Ohio, I thought, okay...it's going to be small but adequate, old but comfortable. Basically something you'd find in small-town america but better than a dingy dump of a motel. I mean...it has "lodge" in the title. Must have had Canadian infuences (think Red-Green show).



Was I ever wrong..........

Talk about a great place to have a conference! Waterpark, symposium/movie theater, conference area, great rooms, fantastic food! The place was HUGE. Lots of wood, stone and fake wood, fake stone everwhere.

Little did I realize that it's a chain of locations (currently 12) that include the Pocono Mountains area.

I didn't check out the rates, but it's definitely something that my family will take advantage of in the future (great for kids and family) and hopefully even the extended family.

Got to Love Those Canadians

So a group of guys from CANADA played for us this week as well. They've been around for almost 10 years, but I didnt' really know their music.

This song is one of their best...combining both of their vocals and pretty cool message as well.

I ate supper with the drummer and bassist, and they're pretty good, unassuming guys.

About the video, it's the best live version I could find that didn't sound like they were completely in a phone booth (or radio booth) thought there is a good version that includes clips from "Passion of the Christ".

Britney

Wow! It's been 3 weeks since I last posted. Defintely not something a blogger should do.

That being said, I heard Bebo Norman in concert last night (2nd row, front and center) and he played this song. It's a unique song because it's basically an "apology" to Britney Spears. Check out the video, if you haven't already.

Also, Britney's mom is writing (or has written) a new book that releases in the next month that basically is her "mea culpa" (spelling?) to allowing outside influences/things to get ahold of Britney. Her mom was raised in a Christian home, so she comes at it from that angle as well.

An interesting but hopefully positive angle to the Britney news.

A Must Buy

Well....I may have to break my commitment from the previous post.

David Crowder Band came out with a live CD/DVD combo. It's a must buy....including songs like "O Praise Him (All This For a King)" which rivals "When the Music Fades (Heart of Worship)" for longest song title.
Also on the CD/DVD combo is "Beautiful Collision", "Everything Glorious", "No One Like You" and "Here Is Our King" among other songs.

We've had it running at work and I'm hooked like a kid in front of a candy store...mouth open, eyes slightly glazed over, small trickle of drool..

Great worship item. I'm absolutely giddy....

Limited Spending?

So recently I read about this incentive to go a month without spending money.

To clarify, that's not possible unless you 1) grow your own food 2) ride a bike to work, 3) generate your own electricity and 4) don't take tithing very seriously.

What they were going after is extra spending...the non-necessary kind. You not talking about those "Stacker" sandwiches at BK are you....yes (and for the record I find them utterly disgusting, but Linford, who distains lettuce (and apparently vegetables of any kind) enjoys them).

I had tried this once before (February) but I (unwisely) picked a month that had my wife's birthday in, and decided to (wisely) break my commitment, and actually spend money.

Why might one do this? Well.....I'm overtly greedy, and want to jump in a pile of my cash like that duck character in the cartoons (Scrouge McDuck??). No, actually, since I work next to a supermarket AND a restaurant, it had been too many "little" trips to get food, candy, ice tea, etc. I wanted to break that cycle.

I'm 15 days into it, and besides buying gas, I have only spent money on 3 things this month:
1) cheese (my wife asked me to pick it up)
2) a soft pretzel at the Reading Phillies game with Dakota (try going to a game with any kid and not feel compelled to buy something....it's part of the parent-child covenant) and
3) Reading Phillies tickets (already put in motion before my commitment was made).

So far, so good...will this mean that September will be filled with trips to Taco Bell, McDonalds & Wendys....hopefully not.

Enjoy the weekend, we have been having GREAT weather right now!

Enough!

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You know it's the dog days of summer, when the only thing the sports media can focus on is Brett Farve. The Brett Farve network...errr....ESPN has given non-stop reporting, to everything from text messages, rumors from whisper-down-the-lane, he-said / she-said, and the grocery list Deanna Farve compiled for this week's groceries (cheese anyone?).

I know it's bad when I even have a Brett Farve dream. Yes, I can hear the gasp from you the reader. When my sub-conscious is dreaming about Brett Farve being traded, you know it's been enough of the Brett Farve media submersion.

For the record, my dream had him going to the Jets, which immediately sent my sub-conscious into thinking the rationale behind whether or not that made sense to Farve, the NFL, etc (of course it makes sense for the Jets).

In my defense, in my dream someone actually told me about the trade, so it's not like I'm perched in front of the TV or anything.


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Let's see....

Let's see, 8:00 am, why don't I go out and mow some wet grass for the 2nd time this week?

I pretty sure that is what's going through our neighbors heads, each week. Don't get me wrong, they're nice people, grandparents, etc.....but what is so important about your retired life, that you need to mow grass early in the morning.

Maybe early is the operative word there. Most likely 8:00am is already at least 2-3 hours into the day.

I theorize that today's retirees have spent their lives working hard (getting up early, working late) to get to the place when they can retire, that once they get there, their life patterns keep them in the same schedule. I'd think this to be especially true of those who farm.

There's a lady at work who still push-mows her lawn in the summer heat waves, as if it's a badge of honor? (Hint: they've invented riding tractors for people your age, and dying from a heat stroke is a foolish way to finish life).

I really wonder what our retirement will be like? At this point I think it's safe to say mine will be much, much, later than the normal retirement age.

I also wonder if I'll be out-of-touch from a clothing perspective...i.e. clinging on to that favorite dated t-shirt or pair of jeans. While you don't see many stone-washed jeans anymore, I do see a lot of seniors wearing incredible plaid combinations. I mean, if you're cool with it, that's fine.....it's just very out-of-touch with present day style.

Fast forward 50 years, I'll just about be 80, hopefully a grandpa of many, and still wearing my khaki shorts...which probably will be as modern as plaid on plaid combo.



Actually, as I write, I think it's more likely that those track suits, if they aren't already, will probably be the fashion no-no of our generation, at the senior age-level.

Dzija!

Yesterday marked the beginning of the Jeff Samardzija major league career for the Chicago Cubs. He got called up to take the place of Kerry Wood's roster spot, and was put to pitch (relief) in his first game.

Seeing the highlights on baseball tonight, he had some nasty action on his fastball, and looked pretty good. He did give up a run, in 2 innings, but overall looked like a major leaguer.

In all reality, he probably will be sent down in a week or so, as Kerry Wood could be activated from the DL early next week. However, he'll definitely be a September call-up, when the rosters expand in early September, and if he does really well, could make the post-season roster.

You can visit his website at www.jeff-samardzija.com

Here's a few highlights from the Cubs.com article:

"The Cubs didn't waste any time getting him into a game. With Chicago leading, 2-1, Samardzija came on in relief in the seventh against Florida, and struck out Alfredo Amezaga, prompting the crowd of 41,570 to rise to its feet."

"The first member of the Cubs' 2006 Draft class to reach the big leagues.."

"He may be a little groggy. Samardzija got the news when he was in Tucson, Ariz., with the Iowa team, and flew to Las Vegas, then took a red eye flight to Chicago. He arrived around 5 a.m. CT on Friday. How much sleep did he get?

"None," he said, laughing."

"The first thing Piniella wanted to know was how long Samardzija's hair was."

"He had family and friends scrambling to get to Wrigley for Friday's game against the Florida Marlins." Good thing he's from Northwest Indiana, though it was an afternoon game.

On a personal note, the thing I always admired about Samardzija was his determination to get to the end-zone. The guy was a human-highlight film, and brought many warm fuzzies to ND fans with the Quinn-Samardzija football connection. I do think he made the right choice to play baseball over football, as his impact as an athlete will be better in baseball, and I look forward to seeing his determination play out as a starting pitcher. He could easily be one of the "Roy Halladay" old school type pitchers who gives you more complete games than the regular guy.

Like everything in sports....time will tell.

Credit Card Crunch

Working in the retail environment, I'm always amazed at how many people have stacks of credit cards in their wallet or purse.

Granted, some of them are reward cards or membership cards (Blockbuster, Staples, etc), but a lot of them have a VISA, Discover or MC logo on them.

One lady the other day pulled out a stack of cards (6 or so) then another, and then another until she had 3 stacks of cards, of which at least half were credit cards....I wanted to discreetly count, but I didn't realize how many until the end.

Kristy and I have tried "shopping around" for different credit card offers, and we do benefit from occasionally adding a different card, but I hope we never get to the point where some of these people are. Even if you have only $100 on each card....it's paralysis by quantity.

How Sweet would this be!

This would make for great NFL "theater". Rexy isn't consistent, the rest are backup material....but Favre....he's the legend. Of course, I'd route for just about any big-time quarterback (McNabb, Culpepper, etc) to go to Chicago, just to make it an interesting division.

Back to the Farve image, someone had some fun with photo-shop...and I'd say Hillary has a better chance of being president before Farve is in Chicago (or Minnesota).

Sunday Night Alive

Wow....it was a hot-hot day, but thanks to our evening praise & worship service, I really didn't mind it.

Practice was even enjoyable, as we mixed & matched melodies/dynamics,and as we had at least 4 small fans pointed at/on the stage. The ceiling fans were all turned to "frenetic", so that kept air moving as well.

Our theme was based on the song "From the Inside Out" and so we enjoyed a period of reflective worship, followed by Pastor Eric sharing a short devotional/discussion and then a time of celebration.

Some songs just seem to resonate well, regardless where you are worshipping, and with whom you are worshiping. Our expressions of worship overflowed with joy at "Trading My Sorrows" and "Days of Elijah" and we ended the evening with "Praise Song" by Third Day.

All-in-all a very enjoyable night of worship. May God continue to bless our efforts.

Jose Canseco - Val Sikehema Fight

Normally I'd stick my nose up in distain at boxing, but this particular 1 min 36 sec fight caught my attention. It matched former Eagle Vai Sikahema against former childhood baseball hero Jose Canseco.

The tale of the tape: Vai is 5'9 and roughly 181 lbs (drafted in the NFL by the then St. Louis CARDINALS (before they moved to Arizona) in 1986). Jose Canseco is 6'4 and roughly 240 lbs (drafted by the A's in 1982). That's roughly 5 inches & 40-60 lbs depending on the accuracy of the weight figures!!!

To paraphrase a quote from Vai, "(when the bell rang) I wanted to be on him like a pitbull in a phonebooth".

Sunday Night Alive

Everyone's invited to our Sunday Night Alive service this Sunday. We'll have an extended time of worship & Pastor Eric will share a few thoughts.

Thanx

Thanks to everyone who prayed/visited/expressed concern for my dad. He came through open heart surgery very well, and is at home recovering. Continue to pray for him and my mom, as they have a long road (6-8 weeks) of recovery to face.

What a show!

After Chase Utley was elminated with a 4 HR evening, I pretty much had tuned out the home run derby. The announcers made a big deal about Chase's swing, but I really think his pitcher didn't do him any favors....too erratic in my opinion (but than again, I was watching with a more critical eye).

The pitcher who did well, and made me sit-up and pay attention, was a 71-year old guy!!! The Josh Hamilton story, which, if he played in any other market but Arlington, Texas would have been exhausted by now, but the story continues....

....especially when he hit 13 CONSECUTIVE home runs, on way to a record 28 in the first round.

Kristy and I were watching as he hit bomb after bomb after bomb. I'd say, opps, a little to inside (home run)....oops, just got under that one (home run), and so on....the guy was taking fly-ball outs, and still muscling them into the front row of the stands.

After awhile, it was...."Can he make 30 in a round" or "can he hit it out of the yard (520+ feet). He had a few which made it into the 500's, and ended up with 3 of the top 10 longest home runs in the HISTORY of the derby.

You don't often get many "wow!" moments...because the game is continuously moving for any one moment to linger...but this was a wow! moment.

What a event....too bad he couldn't finish the night and win. I told Kristy, it might work against him to have that much time off, and swing that many times early...and it did.

The 71 year old guy....he pitched around 85 pitches! While the velocity isn't the same, considering his age & conditioning, that's about the same as a full game.

Great story...I'm quickly becoming a fan of his.

Happy 4th!

It's a rainy 4th here in Pennsylvania. Thankfully we have our cookout planned for Sunday.

On the Other Hand

...you can really feel good about the Josh Hamilton story.

Here's a guy who seemed destined for stardom, but threw it all away for drugs and a "fast" life-style.

Eventually he got it all together again, and found Christ, and now is a potential triple-crown winner for the Texas Rangers.

This story has been covered extensively as well, but something that came out recently is that he has helped Jeff Allison.

Allison was another highly touted prospect pitcher, who went down similar paths that Josh Hamilton took as far as drugs, alcohol, etc.

Now, apparently thanks to Hamilton, Jeff Allison is back and playing baseball, and doing well.

The Hamilton story in particular reminds me of our sermon yesterday, about the "prodigal son".

Embarrassment

From time to time I feel sorry for the sports world, and sports journalist/media in particular.

When I was watching Baseball Tonight on ESPN, and saw the whole "breaking news: Shaq slams Kobe in free-style rap" come across the bottom line, I groaned.

Since it's summer, this story got about 100% more publicity than it deserved. Since I watch sports, and listen to sports talk radio, read sports magazines and online sites, and sometime dream about sports (like the time I'm a kid and met Tony Gwynn....why him? I don't know), but since I am immersed in sports, I was treated to a little more analysis than needed on this story.

The same could go for Barbaro, Clemens/Mindy McCready, and most other "non-stories" that are somehow contrived to be stories, because it's a slow news day.

There are other real-world problems, in the real-geographic world that could use more attention than the big "fu-machu goof" who raps about Kobe.

Jimmy Cub

I've always had a soft spot for certain teams that were "lovable losers". I guess it kind of reminds me of the Philly teams who haven't won a championship since 1983 (someone did a study and there's a 3% probability that all 4 major teams wouldn't win 1 championship in 25 years).

I was pulling for the Red Sox to win their first, and get over the "hump" against the rival Yanks, and I was routing for the White Sox to end their World Series drought, and they did.

Don't get me wrong, I'll always be a Phillies fan, unless they move to Ottawa and become the Moosejaw Mounties, but until then, I'll always be a Phillies fan first, but there's a soft spot for those "Cubbies".



Even though at first I found the radio team of Santo & Hughes to be obnoxious (Santo's an over-the-top cheerleader and Hughes often calls games in a pulse-less monotone) I grew to at least appreciate them for their own unique style.

Throw in the White Sox - Cubs rivalry and it's easy to have a soft spot for those Chicago baseball teams.

Now go ahead and add Jim Edmonds. I respected him from his days with the Angels, when he played an awesome defense in centerfield, and had a sweet-left handed swing. Then he went to the Cardinals (Cubs rival) and here's where it's easy for me. To the hard-core Cubs fan, any Cardinal is revolting (ala Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys), but to the casual fan, who cares? If he helps them get to the NL Championship game, where they lose to the Phillies, who cares? He's a nice left-handed bat off the bench, and a quality guy to spot-start or cover injuries.

So, welcome aboard Jimmy Cub...there's plenty of room on the band-wagon.

Unbelieveable!

Recently I was reamed out by a crazy local artist. Apparently she thought we should be carrying more of her CD, and basically called for 3 straight weeks wondering why we didn't have more (apparently the answers given weren't to her satisfaction).



Finally, she dialed me.

I tried to take the high road, but she was a badger. I'd like to say I was reamed out by a psycho harpist (because for some reason to me it makes a better story)...but I believe she was either a pianist or a flautist. I'd like to think a flautist would be too delicate to do something like that, but a pianist...we'll that's another story (cue memory of the 'pez' episode with Elaine and George's pianist girlfriend).

I'll have to take a look at her CD sales, she might have just crossed a line she might regret.

But for now, I'll lick my wounds and make a decision on how much we are going to be willing to put up with.

Weekend Topper

To top off the weekend, we had Inventory at our Berean stores.

I was coordinating the 4 "former Provident" stores, so I had quite a few conversations with the other 3 managers.

Fortuantely we have RGIS Inventory Specialists come and "count inventory". Basically they scan each product (or at least they should). In some areas of the store, when there is multiple copies of the same quantity, they scan once, and enter the quantity.

If you are a task-oriented person, you could probably handle scanning inventory. If your mind wanders, and you lack focus, you're better off doing something else. I think I could do it for a day, but I'm pretty sure I couldn't do it everyday. I like variety in what I do, not in whether I'm counting books or loafs of bread, boxes of shoes, etc.

It took New Holland 4 hours, and Lancaster 8, but I still was home in a reasonable hour.

Now to finish all the reports tomorrow at work....

Uggghhhhh

Ugghhh. This past Sunday my guitar was incredibly out of tune.

How? Why? I'm not sure, since I had tuned it before 8:00 practice.

During practice, the climate was a little sticky, but by the time church started, there was a decent breeze going, and it didn't feel too bad in church, so I cannot blame the humidity.

It could have been my battery. Had I thought of it, I could have replaced it, and maybe that would have taken care of it.

It was almost as if some little kid turned all the shinny knob thingees. Who knows, they might have?

So, I was kind of in a bind, what do I do? We only have piano and guitar that morning since our bass player wasn't on.

I almost had a Tonya Harding-type moment. Do you remember the '94 Olympics, the one where she apparently broke a lace, and went crying to the judges?

Maybe I should have went "crying" to our pastor, and he could have talked for a few minutes.

I really had 2 options: keep playing, and hope it wasn't as bad as it sounded (it was) or stop, go do a quick tune, and leave everyone else to finish the song.

Crazy as it sounds, I did the latter, which sparked 3 family members (including my wife) leaving the auditorium to see if they could help/or what was wrong. I appreciate their concern/willingness to help, but it kind of created an extra layer of concern for the rest of my team.

Since I don't have an in-guitar tuner, I did my best to improvise, which wasn't very good, and so it was a lost morning for guitar players/lovers.

You know how singers can sometimes lip-sync their songs if they're not 100%....maybe I need to start recording some guitar tracks......

Bring your Tired and Weary

Wow. What a weekend.

Saturday we played in a slow-pitch softball tournament.

Because of a wedding Friday night, we had all 4 "pool play" games on Saturday. We ended up finishing 2nd, to advance to the double-elimination tournament.

There we ran off a string of 3 straight wins to get us in the championship game. Unfortunately we ran out of steam, and lost twice to finish second in the tournament.

After 50+ innings of baseball (in 9 games), in the hot sun, it was time to crash at home.

Here's a picture of our dusty, dirty bunch. It's not very easy to see, but I got a Barry Melrose mullet type thing going.

It was a lot of fun, but a long, tiring day.

Who Knew?

Apparently Cedric Benson (formerly of the Chicago Bears) has been ordered to have an alcohol lock installed on his car. Who knew that was even an option? Why isn't this mandatory for all first-time DUI/DWI offenders?

On a side-note, if I could convince Kristy, our (FUTURE but not imminent) third child would be named Cedric Jayson. Actually I could care less about Cedric, it's the Jayson with a y that has me intrigued. Of course then we'd be cliche, having named Cole Jaxon with the x. I guess having a last name at the end of the alphabet has me receptive to those x-y-z's.

For a girl it could be Zena for a middle name.....(I think Kristy just rolled her eyes).

HOT HOT HOT

A Few Good Laughs

While it had nowhere near the following that Seinfeld had, and has been despised by a few medical professional friends, the show "Scrubs" continues to have a soft spot in my heart.



As a sitcom, you always have to filter out some stuff, but as a whole, it has tickled my funny bone like very few shows have.

Thanks to syndication, it's on multiple time slots in the evening (I estimate that if I had the time, and desire, I could watch it for 2 hours every night).

While I missed the series finale, I hope to catch it someday in syndication.

Da Lake

We enjoyed a nice weekend up at Jon and Kelly's lake house. It was a nice opportunity to relax in an aquatic setting.

Dakota even caught a fish (with a little help from me). I could have used a little more down time fishing, but it wasn't in the plans for the day.

Cole and I caught some rest under a tree, while I kept one eye open for pesky caterpillars.

Kristy and I broke away from our diet for some of Carissa's good cookies. I tried not to butcher (or burn) our hamburgers & hotdogs.

We (well Dakota) even got a plastic frisbee from the lady park ranger, and then Jon and I got to sit quietly while Kelly and Kristy commented how pretty the lady park ranger was, for a park ranger.

A few sand castles later, it turned out to be a good day/weekend.

Penny Pinchers

Hey, I'm all about financial freedom. I think it's admirable for people who can stay out of debt, and live good fiscally-responsible lives.

I do sometimes scratch my head at the customers who use a 25% off coupon on a 2-3 dollar item (like a greeting card, or a pack of stickers). I mean, you're saving less than a dollar.

I guess if you are a coupon clipper from the Sunday paper, you treat bookstore coupons the same way....and I can understand that.

However, if you have a chance to pick any item in the store, I'd pick a book or CD where I saved dollars and not just a few dimes.

But maybe that's just me.

Save on.

Sound Cards

Dayspring has come out with a card line of Christian themed cards, that when you open it, a song plays.

You can get 4-Him's "Where There is Faith" or a song from Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Steven Curtis Chapman, Third Day, etc.

I think it would be more fun for the shock affect. Say you get a card that has some song like "who let the dogs out" or something obnoxious like that.

I can see those cards would have some comedic value.

Maybe Christian songs cards are supposed to be comforting or inspiring, but then again I'm not a big card giver.

Meat Slappers

So there's a Subway restuarant locally, as part of a gas station. Somewhere, there is probably a manifesto against getting your food prepared by people who also pump gas.

Unfortunately, it's the closest one to where I work, and I go there about every other month.

The owner is a real meat slapper. You can tell who enjoys their work, and who doesn't. He cuts open the bread, and practically throws the meat onto the sandwich.

Since I like the Italian BMT, it's watching the process 3 times over (slap, slap, slap, slap, slap...opps, here's an extra slice of meat....slap). By comparison, the Quiznos people have the meat already prepared, and separated by paper (smart, efficient).

He's also not the most attentive. One time he asked me what cheese I wanted 3 times, while he slapped meat. I answered provolone each time. It was a fascinating game...one where he could have tested how many times I would have answered to his "cheese?" question.

So, I overlook his disinterest in preparing food, to enjoy the tasty goodness of a BMT. By the way, check out subway.com and find your "inner sub". Yes, it sounds kind of new age-ish, but I learned my personality is best described as a cold-cut combo. Who knew??

Baseball Anniversary

Okay, thanks to the oddity of 16 innings, I know that today (May 17th) is anniversary of the Phillies 1-0 win over the Cubs.

I would have been 12, so it's probable that I went to a game or two before that (I remember an excursion with Jeff & Brad), but this is the first one I remember going to with my parents, so I'm claiming it as my anniversary.

It's also interesting that the Cubs were featured. I've seen them play (in person) the most, of any team other than the Phillies.

So happy anniversary to me, and enjoy baseball, because the summer is just starting!

Signs

Signs was on last night. You know, the thriller movie with Aliens, corn fields, crop circles, lots of dramatic music, and extra-sensorary titilation.

Full-Disclosure: This is only the 2nd time I've ever watched it. The first time was the middle of the afternoon, and after watching it, I was looking over my shoulder at night for a few weeks. I know it's not real, but when you have an imagination like mine, it's hard not to keep that from going into hyper-drive. In other cases, I'd walk past guys passed out, outside the Goshen store, and not think twice about it (the back of the bookstore was perpendicular to the back door of a bar).

Getting back to signs....this time around it was at night, though with commercial breaks. That being said, I couldn't watch it downstairs alone, I had to go upstairs, and I knew what was coming (hand under door, alien at kids party, aliens at house). That being said, it was still a good thriller.

I really go for movies like this. The ones where it's smoke & mirrors, you think something is happening, but you're never quite sure what's going to happen. "The Village" was another movie like this (same director), where you saw glimpses, bits & pieces, but it wasn't until the end that it all came together (that one gave me trouble when I'd be turning off the lights in our basement at the store).

Big fan of these movies...even if it keeps me from ever walking in cornfields at night.

You know.....Staples

I got a call today from a "dutchified sounding" gentleman. He wanted something from our office supply section that we couldn't order.

I recommended he check at Staples..

Caller: where?
Me: Staples

Caller: how do you spell that?
Me: S...T...A...P...L...E...S

Caller: that's how it's in the phone book
Me: yes...Staples in Eph

caller: okay, thanks

I'm mean....we're talking about

Easy button, red building...office supply mecca??

It's interesting running into people who have not heard about what I would consider modern-day normal stuff.

In other news, we have a guy locally who is trying to claim that because he was Amish (he's not), he didn't understand the bank rules for depositing money (depositing under 10,000 each time at 10 different banks, amounting to $541,000). Yet somehow he knew that if it was under 10,000, the bank wouldn't have to file paperwork on the transaction. This is also the guy who we (the store) had to get a restraining order against, because he would steal product, return it for gift certificates, hoping to get some unsuspecting cashier to give him cash.

Apparently he would even peddle his bike to Souderton, about 1.5 hours away, and work his system there as well as the local stores.

but anyways...I mean...Staples.....S-T-A-P-L-E-S....you know...

Locavore?

I know it sounds like an animal that might be a little crazy...but that's probably a loco-vore.

It's actually a term to describe people who shop locally. It has been described as:

“Locavore” was born which means “a person whose primary source of food is his or her local foodshed or from within a relatively modest radius.”

We always say the world is getting smaller, perhaps our buying habits are as well....but I doubt it.

Music Shop Ministry

So the last 2 weeks I've been frequenting the area music shops in search of "this or that" for our sunday night worship service.

I've always known this, but wow! what a sub-culture those shops are. You take a basic business approach, combine the love of good music (mainly guitars) and throw in your slightly crazy customers, and presto! you got a unique sub-culture, that could also serve as a ministry field.

I'm convinced you could effectively make a difference in people's lives, just by hanging out and building relationships in a "Starbucks", I think the same would apply at a music shop.

Now I believe musicians to be a suspicious bunch. To avoid being characterized as a "poser", you got to have a certain look (we'll call it the musician look), be able to express your love for/distain for certain types of instruments, equipment, local places to play, etc. Let's just say "Urkel" isn't going to start building friendships using the accordian and high-water pants.

Like any good musician, you need some good stories, if you're from a non-traditional background they may or may not include alcohol, throwing up, or getting stiffed out of a full gig fee.

Finally, you should be able to pick up a guitar, and play some cool riff / rhythm that instantly draws credibility to your musical background and experience.

Since I don't fit many of the above, I don't see the music shop ministry as one for me. However, for those who can, wow....what an opportunity.

Red Sox - Yankees.....and a t-shirt

This is part of what makes fan-hood so crazy, and baseball so interesting.

In summary, a Red Sox fan buried a t-shirt under the concrete floor of the New York Yankees new stadium.

Why is this a big deal....baseball people, whether they like to admit it or not, are very superstitious. The Cubs still blame a goat for their World Series failures, and they bought the Bartman ball, just to blow it up. The Red Sox blamed the "curse of Babe Ruth".

Now, in reality, all this disappears when you actually win a world series, but until then, fans tend to very superstitious (Players are too, see Wade Boggs eating chicken before every game).

Anyways, at first it was reported that the t-shirt was buried under the visiting clubhouse, but in reality it was where a restaurant was going to be. According to the store, anonymous sources tipped off the real location. The stadium itself is going to cost over a BILLION dollars, so what's a little extra expense in seeing a little more concrete dug up. My guess is that organizational pressure (i.e. you could lose your job) made the exact location a little easier to find.

Check out the link....it's really a bizarre story. They jack-hammered through 2 feet of concrete!!!!! (someone's going to get in trouble....)

Update: At the cost of about $30,000 and wasted 5-1/2 hours of work!!!!!!

Did you know the average guy will eat 100 burgers in a year?

It's hard to imagine eating one every 3-4 days, but that's what it would take.

I know I had racked up quite a total (nowhere near 100....I like tacos as much as hamburgers) before I decided that I like to fit into my clothes a little better than go out and buy new ones.

Here's an interesting link on eating "trade-offs"

Talked to Mac Powell

Talked to Mac Powell today....that's me giving him a pointer on how to better perform.

Actually, he was a part of a phone conversation with the other 30 Berean managers/support staff, in preparation for the new Third Day CD coming out this summer.

Basically, I said "how do we want to start this.....a one, two...."I want to sing a song for you Lord" (see Offerings II).

It was cool hearing him talk and a guy named "Ty" who I'm embarrassed to say I don't know what he does with Third Day (a quick google search, and I still don't know)....maybe he's the bassist?

If you're looking to buy the CD, we'll be having a pre-sale where you get a t-shirt, and $5.00 coupon for pre-buying the cd at 13.97

Pray for Zimbabwe

Ever since the Kenyan ethnic violence, anytime elections roll around in an African country, and end up closely contested, it brings a certain degree of trepidation.

Zimbabwe is in a similar situation. It appears that there is going to be a run-off election, and there have been talks about the current ruling party not vacating their posts without violence.

My guess is the only way violence will be avoided is if the opposition does not have the military strength (or numbers or will) to "fight back".

Inflation's at more than 100,000 percent, so it's not like people don't wish for something better...they just might be living in fear with the current regime.

So...pray for Zimbabwe.

Hulu.com

I just heard about a link called hulu.com.

It's a place where you can watch TV shows or movies. Of course you need a good DSL connection and plenty of time. They do interrupt movies/shows with the occasional ad (got to make money somewhere)...so if you don't mind seeing an ad for "Chili's" in the middle of watching "The Office"...you'll be set.

The cool thing about this site, is that it has some classic TV shows / movies...as well as sports and modern shows.

Up then Down then Up then down, down, down

As a Phillies fan, Game 1 of the 162 game series known as the "regular season" started in typical fashion.

The Phillies jumped out to an early lead, followed by Myers giving up the lead, followed by the Phillies tying the game with a Jimmy Rollins home-run, and then losing it with a 5 run 9th inning, off of the "closer" Gordon.

At this point I have better appreciate for my son's Thomas the Tank friend "Gordon" than an actual-live-human-being-who-may-be-asked-to-do-more-than-he-currently-can do....close games (in WINNING fashion).

I want to route for Gordon, even though I know he's like that used car, who used to be dependable, but now leaks oil, the gas guage is broken, and you aren't sure if it's going to get you to your destination.

If it's any consolation, I switched to the Cubs game after the Phillies lost, and saw them tie it in the 9th off of Eric Gagne, with a Kosuke Fukudome home run (and no I didn't have to google his name....that's the power of fantasy baseball...except I had him on the bench). This came after I snickered at the Cubs announcers making jokes at Eric Gagne's pants expense (they went to the well 2x on oversized pants jokes)....and then watched them lose it in the 10th...with me having similar disappointed feelings for Kerry Wood (yes, fantasy baseball) as I did for Tom Gordon.

Thankfully, like the past 3 years, I was able to watch the game with friends. Despite the fact that more young fans have entered the circle (we've added a child each year (either them or us), the outcome is still the same, the Phils are winning, and then the bullpen loses the game.

Regardless, there are 161 more "rides" to take on this Phillies journey, which hopefully will be as exciting as last year's.

Funny April Fools Links

MSN ran a list today of 10 funny April Fools pranks. Most of them are pretty good, including the new vacation destination the island of "San Serriffe" which is amusing for those who sat through Typing 101. Also, don't miss out on how to grow a "spagetti tree".

As usual, most of these jokes rely on people being gullible....and getting worked up over something they feel is important (like the mathematical value of Pi is 3.14 and not the more "biblical" value of 3.10). Check out the link at the beginning, or else this won't make any sense.

I could have tried to think of something "we're moving", "we're having twins", "I lost my job", but all that really does is ruin the trust of everyone around you. I'm pretty sure the boy cried wolf on April 1st.

On a totally unrelated note...I wonder where the phrase "more than one way to skin a cat" came from. Um....are we talking a literal interpretation? It had to originate somewhere?

My Savior Lives!!!

The Dreaded "D" Word

Lately my wife and I have started the dreaded "D" word......diet. We're in day 11 of the South Beach Diet, which is the closest I've ever come to endorsing/supporting something that originated in South Florida.

The first 14 days we are to eliminate "carbs" from our meals, which means we're eating a lot of cheese, nuts, and small squirrels. Okay, not squirrels, but other meat (fish, beef, chicken,etc).

At first I thought, how bad can 2 weeks be? Well, at day 2, I was wishing for the freedom to eat whatever I wanted. That being said, by now, we're moving along pretty well. We're both enjoying more flavors of food that we might not have otherwise (i even tried a few bites of the dreaded "b" word.....broccoli).

We both lost some weight, Kristy at 8 pounds, me at 6, and I no longer need duct-tape to keep my belt closed. However, the side effects have presented themselves at night....food dreams. Last week I dreamed I was eating pizza (and it was good), and this week, I dreamed I went to Subway and had a big sub and cookies (good as well, though I felt "dream guilt" over not sticking to my eating restrictions).

The good news is that on Monday, we can start introducing more food into our meals, as the restrictions become more relaxed.....so hello Subway (or not).

Speaking of Subway, we joked recently that Taco Bell or McDonalds should hire the Jared guy as their rep, and see if he puts that weight back on. I think that weight thing only works in reverse, you don't want to hear Jared say "I gained 40 pounds eating at Taco Bell every lunch", followed by him holding up a pair of pants he used to fit in.

I've referenced this enough times...here's the actual

Da Drive Home

Well, I'm glad to say I was pretty much precipitation free on the way home.

Thanks to Mike & Mike, Colin Cowherd, Rush, Sean Hannity (and his daughter), Jim Rome and others for accompanying me on my trip home.

Wait, (you're saying)...what are those political talking heads doing in your list of radio programs. Good question....thanks to my cheap walmart cd player breaking after 4 (count it) 4 songs, I was stuck with some non-traditional listening hours.

Miles: 606
Drink: Mountain Dew & Gatorade (Orange!)
Food: Chicken McNuggets (sweet-n-sour sauce!!), Corn chips, pretzels,

CDs: Steller Kart (had to hear what they sound like, got to 2 songs), Tim Hughes (some red album...got to song 3).

Cringe/Wince factor: Pittsburgh sports talk radio. The dude just didn't get it. He's advocating more hockey and soccer. Granted when you live in a city with the Pirates, it's somewhat understandable, but football is always #1, baseball & basketball, Nascar, easy round out the top 4 in relevant topics.

Number of times I called Kristy: 7
Number of times she actually answered: 2

# of Cops seen: 10-12
# of tickets: zero

Mental calculations of how many miles left until I got home: too many times to count

Meetings Update

Well, it's been a day and a half of meetings, eatings, meetings, and more eatings.

I enjoy pretty much everything about this conference....in moderation.

Thanks to Mr. Mountain Dew, I can keep awake/focused in meetings, except when I can't due to getting "squirmy" due to a full bladder.

Tonight we went to P.F. Chang's, a family style situation. Chinese food is great, except with groups this size, it takes FOREVER to get your food, have people eat, and then move on.

I was ready to move on, and go play poker with the guys. We played two games, and I won both, though as the later we go, it becomes a test of who wants to keep playing the longest. In the last game, chips were about even, so we had a one hand takes all....and I won.

Poker's a lot of fun, I wish I'd play it more at home.

Brett Farve retired today (4th of March....his jersey number (4)). That will be a big "loss" for football fans.

We're to get snow tomorrow in Cincy, and in Indiana, so traveling could be interesting.

Live From Cincy

Wow! I just spent 8 hours driving to Cincy. Since I was driving alone, I spent a mixture of listening absentmindedly to NASCAR, Cavaliers basketball, Pirates baseball, Flyers hockey, wacky FM songs (one from the Lion King that goes Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, that particular one I tended to sing rather manically, as I was feeling the effect of only sleeping 4.5 hours the night before.

Miles: 509
Gas Stops: 2
Bottles of Mountain Dew: 1.5
Food Consumed:
Italian Sandwich/wrap
Corn Chips
Orange gatorade
brownies (2)

Weather was great, I only fought sleep during the afternoon hours (when it was the most sunny).

More updates to follow.

Hey Myers....how about putting some time in out getting people out...

Africa

As I've blogged here before, I've recently delved into the "Africa" topic. I've always had a fascination with the black continent, but lately it's grown.


I've started a book called "The Heartless Stone" by Tom Zoellner. It's about the diamond trade, which includes Africa, Japan, the U.S., etc. So far it's a fascinating look into how the diamond, and diamond mining has caused problems in several African countries, and even in Japan, how in 20 years time, through intense marketing, the diamond entered Japanese cultures so that now almost every Japanese woman is given a diamond engagement ring, where as 40 years ago it was 60%, and 20 years before that, it was 1%.....but I digress.



We recently watched "Beyond the Gates", a movie about the Rwandan genocide, that eerily parallels what I believe is happening in Kenya.








Also, as I've mentioned before, the book "When A Crocodile Eats the Sun" is a good inside look at the problem "white" Africans face, as people (an many times farmers) who have lived in Africa their whole lives, and are descendants of Europeans. However, when push comes to shove, they are often forcibly removed from their land, creating even more economic and social problems.

Crazy Crazy Links

Check out these crazy (and not so crazy) links for some reading enjoyment:

ESPN's Page 2 writer Eric Neel had this to say about the Phillies chances in 2008.

Part of me wants to grumble about the Phillies wasting time with pranks, but this one was pretty good.

Okay, not crazy, but Friendship Community is building a 4M apartment community in Ephrata.

A 45M "village" is being planned for Intercourse, PA (heart of Amish related tourism country).

They could have promoted the speaker a little better, but here's a look at the community calendar for the Men's Retreat.

Wild Weekend

This past weekend, the family and I went to the "Loggers" Cabin. This cabin is a simple, rustic cabin, a little over 1 hour north of where we live.

To heat the cabin, we had to fire up the wood stove, and keep it going. While it was really cold at the beginning, once we got that thing cooking, it made for a nice cabin experience.

I really hit the bottle hard this weekend.
We had bought some weird organic coffee/carmel "fair trade" drink, that was convincingly awful, but after that, I would pour soda or tea into it, for the "bottle effect". What you see here is delicious blue cream soda.



Cole seemed to enjoy the weekend, though I think he is teething, as he was fussier than normal.





Last, but definitely not least, the cabin experience included a few trips to this little (cold) building.....home of 1001 "flushes"


But fortunately there were instructions for the uninformed....