Hmmm.

I should really update this one of these days.

10 Things Keeping Me Sane This Month

This has been a stressful month for some reason. Money issues, family issues, work issues, not to mention it being so friggin cold! Rather than harp on the negative, here are the ten things keeping me sane this month:

10. Sweaters
Yeah, it's really cold and that really blows when I'm walking from the bed to the shower, but at least I can pull out the sweaters! I have way too many of them. I think every year I buy a bunch on sale at the end of winter and then forget about them until the next year. Then I realize how many I have. I do this ever single year.

9. Looking forward to Courtney's Flotilla party. Good food, good drinks, good people, and of course, sweaters! Really, I'll take any holiday party, except Verizon Wireless's "Winter Celebration."

8. Cinnamon. I'm obsessed at the moment with cinnamon anything. Cinnamon muffins. Cinnamon lattes. Cinnamon buns. I'm such a spice dude, and what spice is better in the winter than cinnamon?

7. Anberlin. I've been listening to their entire catalog pretty consistently this month. They get better ever time I listen to them. Their best song by far is Fin. It's amazing. We need more boys' choirs in rock.

6. Back to the gym. I'm finally going to the gym consistently again. It took way too long, but better late than never.

5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Less than 50 days until opening weekend. I'm not one of those movie dudes who goes to a whole bunch of movies and get all excited for any crappy film, but I will be in a seat the weekend that it opens? Why? It was directed by David Fincher and that's all I need to know.

4. My small group. Really they help me get through plenty of months, but I feel like we're starting to make some serious progress and starting to look outside of our group to spread hope and good will. If you would have told me 18 months ago that I would be typing that sentence, I would have laughed in your face.

3. Pela - American Graffiti. Too bad it was released last year, or it'd be really high on my best of 2008 list. It's the best album I've heard in months, maybe even all year. Thanks Dave!

2. Winter holidays. I can't wait to spend Thanksgiving with just Kristen and I, shopping at ridiculous hours on Black Friday, and going home for Christmas. It really is the most wonderful time of the year.

1. Kristen's breakfast sandwiches. Really, it's just Kristen in general. She's the greatest wife in the world and the sandwiches are just one of the many, many things she does to prove her love for me every day. She gets me through every day. Don't get me wrong, the sandwiches are great, but she's even better!

No Strings Attached

This may be a bit of a shock to those who read this blog, but believe it or not, I'm pretty much into anything David Moore has touched, influenced, looked at, or thought about, and one of those things is The Chevy Downs Band. They're a bit of an Indiana mash-up band featuring Sonny Downs (Moore), Jesse P. Downs (Seth Greathouse - Bassist on Chamberlain's "Exit 263,") Beauregard T. Downs (Tim Jones - Vocalist of Old Pike, a band known best to me as being fortunate enough to share three-fifths of the only split album Chamberlain has ever released), and other Downs, whose backgrounds, I'll be honest, I'm not so sure about. Anyway, the album is not the easiest to fine, as I'm still unaware of a location offering downloads, but was easily worth the fifteen bucks and the wait of the postman delivering it to my door.
So you're probably wondering, "what's the deal with the No Strings Attached title?" After one of my late night Google sessions I actually hit the jackpot, a full Chevy Downs Band set offered FOR FREE online. I know, I could hardly believe it myself. I mean, let's be honest, I'd probably pay an insane figure for a full live set, so to be able to download it for free, that's almost too much to think about!
Now, if you're anything like me, you've learned to fear the "live download." Normally it sounds as if some person decided to record the set on one of those little tape transcription device thingys and then decided to sing along off-key during the entire set leaving you bashing your head into your keyboard while you painfully listen to your hopes and dreams be crushed within the opening notes of that first song. Disappointed, I know. I've been there. Multiple times.
This is not like that. This was recorded directly from the sound board (I'm assuming) and it rocks. It could be the best live album I've ever heard, and it's not even on an album. It's ridiculous really. No one should come across such a musical gold mine for free. There should be pain involved. And tears. And twenty dollar bills. At least some "holier than though" music snob you've gotta deal with in order to get him to send you a copy. I'm tempted to withhold the link from you, just to make you work for it...

...

...

...

Ah, I can't do that to you. I'm too nice a guy.

Oh, and you're already sold, I know, but as if it couldn't get any better, it includes versions of Chamberlain's "Hey Louise" and "The South Has Spoiled Me." Incredible.

The Worst Thing Ever

Reading through your old blog posts and finding spelling and grammatical errors. Grrr. I should hire an editor. Or maybe an editer.

May 5, 2009

Looks like May 5th is shaping up to be an exciting day. Chuck Palahniuk's eleventh novel, Pygmy is slated for release and is already available for preorder on Amazon. I'm surprised that it's coming so quickly as his last novel Snuff was just released this past May. I thought Snuff was a bit weak compared to his other work, so I'm hoping for greatness with this new novel. An exciting day indeed.

The Good Ol' Days

Hey look! It's my 1970 yearbook photo! I haven't seen this picture in years! That would make me what, 56 years-old?

The Most Awesomest Thing Ever (Today)

(Words are so unnecessary.)

Rumors! Rumors! Rumors!

Rumors abound on the web (like here and here and here) about Verizon Wireless and Apple teaming up for an iPhone in 2009, possibly even by MacWorld 2009 (second week of January for those who follow the Gregorian calendar rather than the Applearian calendar). This would be insanely awesome for me as I'm an employee of the former and an unashamed fanboy of the latter. If you're like me, and having trouble waiting for such a collabo (as the kids would call it these days), perhaps I could interest you in some coasters?

My New Favorite Letter to the Editor

I suppose I never really had a favorite letter to the editor, so forgive the title, but for whatever reason, this letter moved me a bit. Maybe it's because of my upcoming fatherhood, or my dad and I talking about baseball every chance we get. For whatever reason here it is:

I am among the countless Dodgers fans who, as a boy, slept with a transistor radio under his pillow, furtively listening to Scully. After I confessed my disobedience years later, my father feigned surprise and then said, "Son, why do you think you never had to change the batteries?"
Steve Ross, Sherman Oaks, Calif.

This was in this week's Sports Illustrated in response to an article about Vin Scully, the long-time radio announcer of the Dodgers. Good stuff.

What Happened to Fall?!?

So fall was here for a week, and now that dreaded summer heat seems to be back. I really need more than a week of fall, I need three months of fall. I did get to enjoy the weather though. Kristen and I took a weekend trip to West Jefferson, NC and rented a cozy log cabin to celebrate our third anniversary. It was the best weekend I've had in a long time. It's always interesting to me how many couples seem to dread spending time alone, but Kristen and I can think of nothing better than a weekend alone, no phone, internet or TV, just each other. The highlights:

Hooded sweatshirts! That's right, it was cool enough to wear a hooded sweatshirt without sweating through it!

Cafe Breves at Bohemia. Kristen and I have spent a weekend in West Jefferson each of the last three years and we have had a Cafe Breve at least once every day that they've been open. (They're closed on Sunday. This always makes me very sad.) I alternated between pumpkin spice and cinnamon spice and they were both awesome. Of course, how could a beverage with half and half as its base not be awesome?

Organic veggies! Our cabin shared land with an organic farm. Friday night we enjoyed steak and salad consisting of heirloom tomatos and arugula that we picked ourselves that day. Delish!

Speaking of food, Kristen made cheese blintzes with blueberries one morning, and homemade chocolate waffles the next. No one does breakfast like she does.

We did dinner in Blowing Rock on Saturday and it was awesome. I had cornmeal dusted trout with a fresh tomato garlic aioli and Kristen had spinach and mushroom ravioli. We also started out with calamari. My mouth is watering at the moment.

We also drove down lots of dirt roads, breathed in copious amounts of fresh mountain air, enjoyed the hot tub, completed crossword puzzles, took naps for no reason, and just enjoyed the company of each other. I can't wait to go back in only 51 weeks!

Cha Cha

Has anyone heard of Cha Cha? Sounds like a cool idea. Call them or send them a text message (to 242242) and ask them anything. They will text you the answer and the source within minutes for free! They have a network of 25,000 "guides" who work whenever they want and are paid between $0.10 and $0.20 per answer. They only use pre-approved websites to find the answers. Pretty neat idea, right? So I decided to test them with a question no one would know off the top of their head (except probably my dad) but could find pretty easily. Here's what went down:
Q. What is Mike Mussina's career win total and career ERA?
A. Mike Mussina career average ERA is 163. Chacha on.

Only took about 2 minutes to get my response which is nice and speedy. The problem is that my-two part question only had a one-part answer, and that one-part answer was wrong. Mike Mussina has 263 wins and a career ERA of 3.69. What makes this worse is that you are also sent a link with the source of the information (in my case, baseball-reference.com, a perfect choice.) I was able to find the correct information on this page, why wasn't my guide?
Chacha=FAIL!

Totally Awesome (and Probably Delicious)

Tell me these don't look tasty! And only 8 gigs of sugar each!

Things That Iritate Me To No End

I'm a positive dude, I swear, but these 10 things drive me crazy!

1. Dudes who walk into an empty bathroom and use the middle urinal causing me to walk into a nearly empty bathroom and break the "don't use a urinal next to an already occupied urinal" rule. Hey, don't make it look like it's my fault when you're the rule breaker!

2. Technology made to make my life a tad bit simpler, but ends up making my life way more difficult when it doesn't work. For example, remember when you used to be able to turn a knob and water would pour forth from your sink? That wasn't so difficult right? Now while I'm in the bathroom at work (after being forced against my will to break the urinal rule) I have to wave like an idiot under each faucet hoping at least one will work long enough to dampen my hands. Thank goodness we've done away with those insanely difficult knobs. Life is so much easier now!

3. Bluetooth head sets. No explanation needed.

4. People with a total inability to utilize their vehicle's turn signals. Now I don't know about your car, but in my car I have an easily-manipulated lever located conveniently right next to my steering wheel that I can use to communicate my upcoming actions to other drivers around me. It's really a pretty remarkable device. You might know that your driveway is only a block and a half away, but without a turn signal, I have absolutely no idea why you are driving eleven miles an hour right now.

5. 24-Hour news channels. If you have no more details since the last update six minutes ago, then why are you giving us an update? I guess it is maybe a tad bit entertaining to hear a CNN anchor say things live on camera like "we're really just guessing here," or "we can't tell you why police are chasing this man, but we do have blurry video for you."

6. This new thing where you pay for something like an umbrella with your debit card and they give you a slip with a line for a tip. Why would I tip you? Why must you make me feel cheap when I'm forced to enter a zero on the tip line as if I'm starving your family? If you want a tip, cut my hair or deliver food to my table or something. Am I wrong here?

7. The radio. How do people listen to the radio for longer than eight minutes without going crazy? Do they realize that with an iPod or a CD you can listen to music that you choose without listening to 45 minutes of ads every hour? Finally, some technology that really does make our lives easier.

8. Football absolutely dominating anything sports related on the radio and TV when baseball is in the stretch run and the football season hasn't even started yet. Why do I need to know about the Dolphin's third string quarterback options two months before the season starts? I'm pretty sure Tom Brady just proved why preseason guessing games are worthless.

9. Mock drafts. I'm a dude and a sports fan, but I just don't understand why every single employee of ESPN, from the lunch lady to Stuart Scott needs to give us their mock drafts every day. Here's an idea, if the draft is tomorrow, let's just wait and see what happens tomorrow. I bet it'll even be accurate!

10. Writing checks. Unless you're over the age of 90 or you're paying a utility bill in the comfort of your own home, you should NOT be writing checks. Certainly not in public. Its called a debit card. Look into it. No really, look into it.

Since I'm not a totally negative guy, here are 10 things I like:
1. My wife's guacamole.
2. Brollie and Eva when they wake up from naps and their heads are extra cone head-like.
3. Skippy natural peanut butter with golden delicious apples.
4. Long walks on the beach. No, seriously.
5. My MacBook.
6. The 13000 songs in my iTunes. (I love each of them, much like a parent loves each of their children.
7. Watching 72 episodes of Lost in a month with Kristen.
8. Flaming Amy' burritos.
9. Iced coffee.
10. Lists of things.

12 Albums That Have Shaped My Life

1. Aerosmith - Big Ones



I guess for a list like this, I've gotta start at the beginning, and what better way to do that than starting with my very first CD. It was Christmas morning some time in the early 90s, and after opening all my other presents and failing to find the CD player I had been hoping for, my mom asked me to get something for her from my room. I can't remember what she asked me to bring her, but I do remember the ginormous box wrapped and sitting in the middle of my room. It was a Sony 5-Disc stereo that I still have today. And what's a brand new stereo without any music to play in it? I then unwrapped my final gift, Aerosmith's Big Ones. I played that disc out for years. My parents probably got so sick of hearing "Crazy" and "Amazing" over and over. Until I got to my hardcore stage. Then I'm sure they missed those songs.

2. Face to Face - Don't Turn Away



This album did more to influence the next 13 years of my life than anything else. I was in Brad Davis's basement in the summer of '95 and he tried to play off this album being his band. I was blown away when I found out that there was this whole underground scene of music that I was completely ignorant of. Brad is now in The AKAs (Are Everywhere) doing the whole Warped Tour thing and I'm training people on how to use Verizon Wireless's data services. I guess our paths turned out slightly different.

3. Strife - One Truth



Ah, my hardcore days. This really should be a three way tie along with Earth Crisis's Firestorm and Snapcase's Lookinglasself albums as I originally thought that only Victory Records released hardcore albums. Then I discovered:

4. One King Down - Bloodlust Revenge



What? There are other hardcore labels? No way! I'm going to be really poor now!
(Side note: God bless my parents for dealing with this stage of my life. They must have HATED these albums.)

5. Chamberlain - The Moon My Saddle



If you know anything about me musically, then you already know about my unwavering obsession with all things David Moore. Of all the albums on this list, I still listen to this album on a consistent basis. If this was a Best Albums of All Time list, this would be at the very top.

6. Texas is the Reason - Do You Know Who You Are?


Much like Chamberlain, I have devoured anything Texas is the Reason related in the last decade. From Solea to New Rising Sons, House + Parish to New End Original, if a former member of TITR is in the band, you'll find it in my collection.

7. Saves the Day - Can't Slow Down



I know, I know, Saves the Day like totally ripped off Lifetime and I'm losing all the respect you had for me by listing this album. See the thing is, and it's embarrassing to admit it here, but I discovered Saves the Day before I discovered Lifetime. It was my sophomore year at IUP and I met this dude named Kiersten who was all about New York hardcore. We'd hang out in his dorm and listen to Madball, Blood for Blood and the rest of the DMS crew until one day he played Saves the Day and from those first chords of Deciding I was hooked. To this day, this is still the album I go to for that first day of summer, when you're driving around with the windows down. This is that album.

8. The Juliana Theory - Understand This is a Dream



So it's still my sophomore year of college, and I'm rooming with another straight edge hardcore kid named Mike, and suddenly our musical tastes start drifting apart. He's still completely into metal and hardcore and I'm starting to seque into the more melodic (aka wussy) emo genre of music. Now don't get me wrong, I was still all for the late night mosh sessions where we'd turn the lights down, blare the music and practice our circle pit moves (totally not a joke, I thought I broke my hand one night when I went windmilling right into our bunk beds. Not cool, but totally awesome at the same time...). I can't tell you why, but suddenly he was also into the Juliana Theory and I got to play my wussy emo music a little more often. I'm pretty sure he even started cuffing his dark jeans and wore his glasses a lot more often. Those were fun times. But just when you'd think we'd lost our hardcore edge...

9. Ignite - Call On My Brothers



Ah, southern California's hardcore poster children. For a long time I kept a list of the top bands I wanted to see live and Ignite held the top position on this list for at least three years. That's when Mike and I saw the fliers. Ignite were performing during IUP's annual finals week concert. This is still the most unusual concert I've ever been too, and probably one of the best. It's easy to get the attention of one of your favorite bands when only two people in the crowd know any of the words. Long story short, Goldfinger headlined the concert and the fire alarms went off in the middle of the concert moving everyone to the parking lot. I had lost my copy of this album and had planned to buy a new copy but all the merch was inside, so I just walked up to Zoli in the parking lot and he gave me his personal copy. I won't be losing this one.

10. Last Days of April - Angel Youth



I was really into this album during the summer after my junior year of college. I was interning for a computer software company and had to share an office with someone a few pegs higher than me on the corporate ladder. I listened to this CD with the volume as low as humanly possible and basically looped the album over and over (cause that's what I do) and I thought I was all nice and stealthy about it until he finally turned around and said "you really like that album don't you?" Whoops. I'm still a rabid fan and buy all their albums direct from Sweden.

11. Say Anything - In Defense of the Genre



A double disc, and my vote for the album of 2007. It's obviously the most recent album on this list, and possibly the most popular (except for Aerosmith of course) but it is a phenomenal genre melding piece of work. Max Bemis will write a song specifically for you for a price (which I can't recall at the moment) and it could actually be worth it. The dude can sing about anything and make you think it's the best song you've heard in years. Hopefully he's got plenty of songs left.

12. David Crowder*Band - A Collision



I was actually given a mixed tape (really a CD, but mixed tape sounds so much more indie and cool) by a friend to discover the greatness that is the DC*B. This mixed batch of songs opened my eyes to the idea that religious songs could still be well-written and worthy of a listen. A lot of things have changed in my life in the last year, and this album has influenced quite a few of those changes. You can scroll through some older blog entries to find out more. My wife gets sick of me listening to DC*B ALL THE TIME but it could be worse. Much, much worse.

Honorable Mentions:
Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come
The Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home About
New Found Glory - Nothing Gold Can Stay
Mae - The Everglow
The Gloria Record - A Lull in Traffic
Silent Majority - Life of a Spectator
Jimmy Bufett - Songs You Know By Heart
Bane - Holding This Moment
The Hope Conspiracy - Self-Titled
Underoath - They're Only Chasing Safety

Fourteen Days

When I started blogging, I had stuff to say all the time. Then I create a blog, and never have anything to say anymore. It's weird how that works. I still don't have anything to say, so instead, here's a list of what's happened in the last two weeks:
1. Found out some huge, good news. Let's just say someone I know is going to be a father within the next, oh, nine months or so.
2. We got slammed by Tropical Storm Hanna. That's a lie. She snuck around the city early in the morning on Saturday, knocked out our power a few times for a couple of minutes, and then ripped the gate off our fence. Then she was gone. I haven't seen her since.
3. I made some peanut butter ice cream for a friend and it's my new favorite flavor. RIght now I'm waiting for a batch of vanilla to finish churning for our small group/ice cream sunday party tomorrow.
4. I have a slight ankle sprain which totally blows. I did it on Wednesday playing volleyball at lunch. It's still sore, and being that it's Sunday, it makes me a bit nervous. Good thing I have two volleyball matches starting in fifty minutes. That'll probably help the ankle out.
5. I ran a mobile camera today at PC3 and it was a blast. Much more of a creative outlet than the studio cam. Hopefully it's not my last experience.
6. My song of the week has been Cannons by Phil Wickham which the band performed today. Good stuff.
7. Today has been a good day, but started disastrous. For some strange reason I woke up ten minutes before my alarm clock (5:04am) so I decided to get up and eat breakfast. I then proceeded to find two piles of dog poop in the living room. Gross. So I bag it up and put it outside the door. Then I go to eat my frosted mini wheats and find out the fridge door was never completely closed last night. So I had lukewarm milk with my cereal. Gross again. Then as I was leaving for church, I take the bags of dog crap to the trash can and find the lid absolutely covered in maggots. GRRRROOOOSSSSSS. From that point on the day has been good. But oh, what a stomach churning start.

Sunday

I'm sitting in the video control room at Port City Community Church between the 8:30 and 10:30 services. Today is a pretty special day for PC3 as there will be five baptisms on site for the first time. We've all definitely been blessed with such an amazing place to worship and to serve, and such a phenomenal staff to guide us in our walks. If you told me a year ago that this is what I'd be doing right now, there's no way that I'd believe you. In fact, I'd probably think you were crazy.
God has done amazing things in my life and in Kristen's life during this past year. I'm so thankful for this change in my life, and so excited to see what's next.

Vampires, Mummies and the Holy Ghost

What do those three things have in common? If you said that they are the things that scare Jimmy Buffett the most, you'd be correct!
There's a second commonality, however, which is the reason for this post. Until recently, I wasn't sure if any of the three existed. Although I've still never seen a mummy and I've yet to be bitten by a vampire (probably due to all the garlic Kristen and I consume) I think the holy spirit and I have crossed paths. Probably multiple times but once in particular that comes to mind.
Now this story involves two main people. I write this blog and therefore am totally cool with the idea of this being online for all four of you to read. The second person I'm not so sure about, so he'll be referred to as simply "friend." Creativity at its finest.
So this friend of mine has had a rough couple of years. Some issues entirely in his control, others entirely out of his control. Kristen and I have been praying for guidance in his life as he seems to be lost as far as walking with God is concerned. Totally understandable to me, as I was a bit lost myself just about a year ago. So we had been praying for guidance and change in his life and then found out he was coming to visit for a long weekend. My prayers quickly included my own guidance as I was unsure what part I could play in the situation. With my background, the last thing I want to do is start preaching to someone who isn't ready to hear it. This happened many times in my past and if anything, caused me to take a step back rather than forward. I prayed that God take control of the situation and use me however he saw fit.
So the visit happens and we have a good time. Good food, the beach, conversation, all that good stuff. Sunday comes and we go to Port City as is always the case and he enjoys it. Mike's message that day is about starting or continuing your walk with God. Fitting, don't you think?
That night he goes with Kristen and I to volleyball and then to Dairy Queen (can I get an Amen for Peanut Buster Parfaits?). On the way home we somehow got onto the topic of a friend of his who passed away a couple of years ago after being hit by a drunk driver and how this ties into the Christian idea of everything happening for a reason. He was struggling with this for obvious reasons and was questioning a God who would let these things happen.
Without thinking I asked him three questions:
How many people where positively influenced by her death?
What kind of life did she lead up to her death?
If there is indeed a heaven, is it safe to say she's in a much better place now?
His answers:
Hundreds, a great life, yes.
I pointed out that maybe this was God's master plan for her. She led a great life, influenced hundreds of people with her passing and now is enjoying paradise in heaven. I much prefer this explanation than the alternative, that she was killed for no reason. He was nodding in agreement and thinking about this idea.
So where does the Holy Spirit come in? Well, during our small group meeting on Monday night I told this story and talked about the fact that it could have influenced my friend's walk with God, but also talked about how the things I spoke about surprised even me. This idea of everything happening for a reason has been a struggle in my life and now here I was, explaining this to my friend and in the same breath, explaining it to myself. I wasn't sure where these ideas even came from. One of the guys in the group explained it pretty clearly for me. "Now that," he said, "is the holy spirit working in your heart." Well said John. Well said indeed.

My Beef with Michael Phelps

I suppose this is less an issue with Michael Phelps, and more an issue with all this "greatest olympian in history" talk. Now granted, Phelps in a monster in the pool, absolutely dominating in the pool during these games, so I'm not trying to take anything away from his accomplishments, but hopefully people have realized how much greater his chances are at medaling by simply being a swimmer in the olympic games.
You could say that Misty May-Treanor and Carrie Walsh dominate the sand in much the same way as Phelps is dominating the water. When you watch them play, they seem to be unbeatable. And for the most part they are. They haven't lost a match in over a year! They could win every point of every match this year, and end up winning one gold medal. Most sports don't have the opportunity to win multiple medals the way that swimming and also gymnastics does.
Seventeen athletes have won three or more gold medals in a single summer olympic games. They are made up of five swimmers, seven gymnasts, two track and field athletes, two shooters, and one fencer. Outside of these events, you really have no chance of winning multiple medals in a single event. Hopefully people realize this as they watch the games.
Source

Other notes:
1. The woman who does the diving announcing annoys me. Some people just seem to be way more negative than others. She is one of these people. I'd like to see her dive once so that I could pick it apart.

2. I've seen a Target commercial twice while watching this morning where I'm pretty sure we watch two girls have a room decorating dance off. Now if that's not a future olympic sport, I don't know what is.

3. Subway's Peel-off-your-winning-sticker-thing-and-then-throw-your-soda-all-over-the-person-next-to-you commercial? Yeah, absolutely awful. Someone should be fired for such a horrible ad campaign.

Under the Knife

Kristen has her wisdom teeth removed on Friday and has been recovering these last few days. This experience has led me to a few realizations:
1. You can really get a sense of your love for a person when you see them in pain and unable to fend for themselves. Seeing Kristen after she woke up from surgery made my heart break. She seemed so sad and weak. Needless to say, she got over that stage pretty quickly and was running around the house days before I was when I had the same thing done. She's one tough cookie!
2. You learn who your friends are. It's refreshing to see the things people do and say when you've experienced some sort of trauma, no matter how big or small. This year I've experienced it through my back surgery, my grandmother's passing, and now Kristen's surgery. We have some fantastic friends.
3. Lost is a great drama, and I'm so glad I kept myself from watching a single episode so that I could start at the beginning. Six episodes down, quite a few to go.
4. Milkshakes are good. Don't believe me? Blend up one banana. Add a cup of homemade vanilla ice cream (or store bought, I suppose...) and 3/4 cup of milk. Blend till smooth. Drink it up! Delish! (If you're really crazy, throw in some peanut butter too!)
5. Dogs are weird. When you really think about it, they just are.
6. The human body is an amazing thing. This is never more apparent then after watching the olympics. To see a person swim like a fish, then another person run twenty miles, then another person lift twice their body weight, then someone else jump and flip on a four inch bar, to a person...
7. Not really a realization, but on the subject of the olympics, did you know this is the last time baseball and softball are going to be part of the olympics? Yeah, I guess they don't have much room for pseudo-sports, what with table tennis and badminton and all. Maybe it'll come back as synchronized baseball. After all, we have synchronized diving now!
8. Laying around the house doing nothing is awesome if your name is Wes, not quite as awesome if your name is Kristen.

Now we're off to PC3 for the 12:30 service. Then to Best Buy to get Apple's wireless keyboard, two volleyball matches tonight and then hopefully a couple more episodes of Lost tonight!

The Newest Craziest Thing

So today while watching TV I came across a commercial for loans. This one was pitched by Gary Coleman which was strange enough. Is he really the trusting presence people are looking for to pitch their products? Probably not. But the crazy part was when the fine print popped up at the end of the commercial. I had to back up the commercial and pause it to be sure, but here is the first line of the fine print:
"The APR for a typical loan of $2,600 is 99.25% with 42 monthly payments of $216.55."
99.25%.
Ninety-nine point two five percent.
Just think about that for a second. That $2,600 loan will end up costing $9095.10 by the time you pay it off. Oh, and there's a $75 loan fee too. Now that's crazy right? But get this, I went to the site just to see what it looked like and took a look at the rates in North Carolina. Check this out:



That's right, in North Carolina you can borrow $1500, lose a third of the loan for a "loan fee" and then pay back the loan with 141.42% interest. Thank you for using Cash Call. Have a nice day.

The Craziest Thing I Have Ever Seen in My Entire Life

Well maybe not in my entire life but at least in the last couple hours. You see, I was absentmindedly flipping through my wife's Women's Health magazine (yes, I was looking through it, so kill me. It was sitting on the couch and I opened it and glanced at a couple of pages. I don't make a habit of it.) and I came upon an article about haircuts and whether or not you could tell the difference between expensive haircuts (like around $145) and cheap haircuts (like around $100). Now this isn't the point of the story, but let me just pause and say that I've started going to a place for my own haircuts that I deem "expensive.". My haircuts are $20! A piece!
Anyway, in said story was a sidebar explaining the always confusing subject of tipping. Now I agree that tipping is indeed an art and one in which I am always confused. Again not part of the story but does it drive anyone else crazy that places that you would normally not even think about tipping now have the "tip" and "total" lines when using a debit or credit card? Like PT's Grill and Flaming Amy's. I normally didn't tip and didn't think anything of it but now I'm forced to either start tipping or stare at the big fat zero I write and feel like a cheap jerk. Thanks guys.
Ok, back to the point of the post. The craziest thing I've ever seen in my entire life that happened in the last couple of hours. Here's how you're supposed to tip if you're a girl and you get a haircut (that you'll pretend to absolutely hate for a week and a half):
Your stylist - 15-20% of service.
Your colorist - 15-20% of service.
Stylist's assistant (huh?*) - $10-20(**).
Shampooer - $3-5.
Blow-out Person (for real?) - $10
Coat-check Girl - $1.

Seriously, that's what it says. You should be tipping somewhere between $50 and $100 dollars. Each time! I will barely tip that much this decade! What is the deal with women and haircuts? A blow-out girl? All I can say is thank God I'm a boy.

* What exactly does a stylist's assistant do? Hold the comb? Hold up the mirror so you can see the back of your head? And you gotta pay her $20 for that?

** And if you're paying the assistant $20 then I'd assume you're paying the actual stylist twice that. Unbelievable.

Sunday

This is probably going to end up being an awkward blog post. I'm just putting that out there. So if you read it, and you think "boy, that was an awkward post" you can't say I didn't warn you. I'm just going to see where this ends up.

Today I took my brother to Port City Community Church for the first time. He's in town, and that's what I do on Sundays, so it doesn't seem like a weird thing. The thing is though, that a year ago I was constantly looking for an excuse to skip church, and this would have been a perfect excuse. I really only went to church because my wife went to church, and it was an important aspect of her life. I wanted to be a good husband, to support her interests, but there really wasn't anything in it for me. Just less than a year ago, I agreed to tag along with her to the new church she had been going to, PC3 as the cool kids call it. I walked in to Roland Grise middle school, took my seat, and was blown away. For the first time in my life I actually felt something while sitting there in the old wooden auditorium seat. Something was happening in that room that I couldn't just write off. Since that day, I've gone to nearly fifty services at PC3 and I can feel real change happening in my life. Everything about PC3 fits with what I needed at the time. Their mission statement says it all: "Reaching people and helping them walk with God." That's it. That's what everything comes down to. It's not about rules, negativity, status, whispers, attendance sheets, etc. For most people, it's a continuation of their walks, for me, it was about taking those first awkward steps. For once I felt like it was normal and almost expected to have questions. It was okay to feel some doubts, to feel lost when looking through the Bible, to be unsure what to do next. The important thing was all about taking those steps, and that's what I've been doing. Those steps may have been awkward, and I may not have known where exactly I was going, but after eleven months of walking, I can look back and recognize the progress I've made.

The best part, for me, is that I've gotten to the point that I can actually participate and give back. From the first service, I was taken aback by the professionalism and creativity of the church. I wasn't sure where everything was coming from, I guess I kind of assumed there was some kind of Ikea for churches where you could go and find cool bulletins, video, maybe a bassist and some stage lights, a message or an entire series, but quickly I realized that not only was most of what I was experiencing done in house, but it was actually done by volunteers! Impressive is a total understatement. I was drawn to the production team from week one, but spent nearly ten months working up the nerve to actually put my name out there and step up to the plate. Last weekend was my first experience running a studio camera during the service and it was awesome. I've watched the playback and definitely have some room for improvement, but it's so nice to feel like I'm contributing to something that is literally changing my life. I spent a long time being a skeptic, and the knowledge that someone may walk in those doors for the first time and I can have a small part in helping them take those first steps that I had taken nearly a year ago, well, it's pretty amazing. I'm so glad and thankful to have that opportunity.

Besides the staff of PC3, I owe a great deal of gratitude to my wife, Kristen (who had been praying for this change in my life for over five years), Chad Brewer, David Crowder Band, my entire small group and the PC3 Production Team. Hopefully you all know the impact you've had on my life. Thank you to you all.

Zach Attack

The easiest way to gauge the city that you live in is to have a family member visit for a long weekend. All of a sudden you have to take all the best aspects of you city and scrunch them together into a five day vacation. Some towns are harder than others. For instance, in my hometown of Williamsport, there was always a good chance of running out of things to do by lunch time. On the first day. Wilmington is slightly different. Here's what's planned:
Thursday
Lunch at PT's grill.
Nap! (Zach's flight left at 6:15am)
Boating with the Eisley's.
Dinner at King Neptunes.
Friday
Sleeping in obviously (Zach is still in bed.)
Making Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream.
Walk around downtown including CD shopping at CD Alley.
Lunch at Chick-fil-a. (I take Chick-fil-a for granted. Zach doesn't have one nearby in PA. Oh the horror!)
Dinner at Water Street Restaurant.
Beer and pool and Blue Post with Joe and Amanda.
Saturday
More boating.
Picnic at the beach.
More napping! (Beach + Nap = Heaven)
Dinner somewhere. Maybe Flaming Amy's to celebrate Zach's birthday.
Sunday
Get to church early to grab some coffee and walk around.
10:30 service.
Brunch at Sweet n Savory.
Volleyball at Captain Bill's
Monday
I don't plan this far in advance.

Needless to say, there's plenty to do in Wilmington. I love this town!

Super Obvious Gym Etiquette Rule #1

PUT. DOWN. YOUR. CELL PHONE.
Yes I'm talking to you, girl who is barely even moving on the treadmill. I don't care how animated your phone conversations are, talking is not exercise. Likewise, a cell phone is not a piece of exercise equipment.
Barbell?
Sure.
Treadmill?
Of course.
Cell phone?
Not even close.
You shouldn't be able to exercise and have an entire conversation at the same time. Look around, see those people who are sweating? The ones who are out of breath? Be more like them and hang up the phone!

Frightening Self-Discovery

Yesterday I discovered something very surprising about myself. Something I never saw coming. Something I'm still finding hard to believe. You may want to be sitting down for this.

I no longer enjoy shopping for used CDs. I know, crazy isn't it? It used to be quite the past time for me. I could think of nothing better than spending the greater part of an afternoon holed up in some crummy used CD shop thumbing through grimmy used discs waiting to find that one rare disc to add to my already overwhelming collection. I'd stand there for hours, hunched over an endless sea of polymer, squinting at album titles in the dim light, beeds of sweat starting to form on my body as I realize the air conditioning is, as always, no match for this small space. Rapidly skipping the Britney Spears singles, the Sublime bootlegs, the random albums that some record exec somewhere should be ashamed of after letting such a horrific 52 minutes of noise be released on their label. I keep searching and searching as the hours pass. Hunger, thirst, the need to pee, these things I suppress as the hunt continues. The stale stench of body odor and mildew are no match for my heightened state of awareness as I move on. Backstreet Boys, Lita Ford, Savage Garden, a cornacopia of the crap America used to listen to before we discovered the error of our ways and sold our former precious things for pennies on the dollar. Still I press on. I can feel it getting close. The scent of discovery is near. My neck starts to cramp as hour number three comes and goes, still awaiting for that moment of glory when this exercise of dedication presents its award. I feel my pupils dilate, as album title after album title are processed by my over clocked brain. For a moment I feel connected to my ancestors, as they hunt for game over the plains of, somewhere. We are as one, searching, hunting, feeling so alive. Then I see it. Finally. The plastic case seems to be just a little brighter, the font just a bit more legible. Could it be? It is! Chamberlain's The Moon My Saddle! Such an amazing album, just sitting here, waiting for discovery! Who would have ever thought that such a gem of an album could be sitting here for only $7.99? Pure amazement and joy flood my body as I pull this prize from the rack and take a closer look. It is beautiful, a perfect specimen. Barely played, free of all scratches and smudges. The liner notes intact and crisp. That tiny hole in the bar code. Simply breath-taking. It's too bad I already have two copies. I put it back with a knowing smile, knowing that someday, someone will find this piece of art, and they will leave the store with a sense of accomplishment, knowing that their day has been worthwhile. Me? I continue the search. Only 23 letters of the alphabet to go.

Yeah. I'm done with this crap. You other people can continue the hunt. I'm loading up iTunes. Where's my credit card?

I Scream You Scream...

Today is going to be a good day. Why? Because I'm making ice cream! I have lots of ice cream to make. I have requests for a chocolate fudge brownie (plus one for me!), raspberry ice cream with dark chocolate chips and peach. Time to get some dairy and get to work!

David Moore

For those who don't know, today is a very important day for music. A day I have been waiting for for the greater part of this decade, this millenium in fact. Today we have been blessed with a digital EP by David Moore. I can say with complete and total confidence that David is my generation's most under-appreciated singer-songwriter.

Ten years ago marked the release of "The Moon My Saddle" by Chamberlain, a band fronted by Moore. The album changed my outlook on music and has been my overwhelming pick for best album of all time. At the time I was a senior in high school, into the hardcore and punk rock scenes. One of the bands I listened to was Split Lip, a band typically catogorized as "emotional hardcore." They released "For the Love of the Wounded" in 1993 which actually stands out in my mind as having one of the greatest instrumental tracks from an indie band, ironic as Moore's bands are known for his voice and astounding lyrical abilities.  

It was 1995's "Fate's Got a Driver" that became a landmark in the hardcore scene and was the beginning of many changes in the band. In 1996 the band remixed and rereleased "Fate's Got a Driver" under the name Chamberlain, an obvious sign of their maturation, both as people and as a band as a whole. Things would only continue to mature as The Moon My Saddle released to critical acclaim in 1998. As Split Lip and then Chamberlain released material between 1993 and 1998 you could literally hear Moore grow into his own voice, a powerful, earthy baritone dripping with emotion.

At this point, let me be sure to mention Adam Rubenstein, the guitarist and composer for both bands. Chamberlain wouldn't work without Moore's vocals, but Rubestein's song writing supplies the base for what is accomplished by these bands.

I'm not sure what type of inner strife was going on behind the scenes when Exit 263 was released independently in 2000, but the band soon called it quits and went their seperate ways. Drummer Charlie Walker joined Jonah Matranga and members of Texas is the Reason for an all-star band of sorts (New End Original) that only managed to last long enough for one album. Rubenstein released a solo album under the monikor Adam Dove, and Moore, well, I'm not sure what happened to him. His bio speaks of him selling his equipment and becoming a time share salesman. The idea of this still makes me cringe. It'd be like Pablo Picasso deciding to work in construction for awhile, definitely not the way the universe would want it.

During this time a double CD retrospective (Five-Year Diary) was released independently consisting of a couple of never before heard tracks, live versions of previously released songs, and a section of songs released on The Moon My Saddle recorded at Big Brown, a log cabin tucked deep in Brown County, Indiana. This recording session also produced a large portion of Exit 263. The album was something to be clutched tightly by Chamberlain's most loyal fans as this was expected to be the final chapter in the storied history of Chamberlain.

At some point in 2004, Moore joined some friends to form the The Chevy Downs Band, recording a stripped down album influenced with everything from gospel to bluegrass. Two songs on the album, Small Details and One Hundred Proof were written by Moore giving us an idea of where his musical stylings were headed. It may have been a totally different band, but you couldn't miss Moore's trademark lyrics. He hadn't skipped a beat. I personally missed this album for months so discovering the fact that new material was available was both amazing and excrutiating as I couldn't find it anywhere online and had to wait a week for it to arrive by mail. A long wait to say the least.

Finally, in the winter of 2005, Adam Rubenstein paid his old friend a visit and sold him on the idea of a solo album. He'd even take guitar duties for the third time in Moore's musical journey. News of this upcoming album was reported nearly 18 months ago on Moore's MySpace page, but the weeks of waiting quickly turned to months and soon an entire year had passed. Fans waited anxiously for any news of this mysterious album. The comment section of Moore's MySpace page is littered with inquires as to when the album could be expected. Updates were slow to say the least, but fans were kept in anticipation by an uploaded demo track every couple of months. The fact that new music existed and had been recorded could only be seen as a promising sign.

During the wait I was able to find a live set from CBGBs posted deep in the recesses of Chamberlain's Yahoo fan page (insomnia has its advantages) and there was a Live@FYI set by David and Adam. We were even treated to a live track from Moore's SXSW performance and another track from when (gasp) Chamberlain got up for an impromptu reunion set at the same festival. This fact practically left me in tears as my wife and I have sad many times that we'd fly anywhere in the world for a Chamberlain reunion regardless of the price. The only catch? I HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT THE REUNION!! Heartbreaking to say the least.

As time progressed, the demos on Moore's page turned to studio tracks, the updates came quicker (if only by just a bit) and we were treated to a new MySpace header claiming Moore to be the legit musical entity that he is.

This all brings us to today. The wait has begun to pay off as we've been treated to new music from Moore for the first time in years. After all this waiting am I disappointed by what I hear? Not in the least. Breaking You Down has been on Moore's page for some time so it's a well known tune for me by now, but I can finally claim it as my own. As Moore himself sings on the track, "You can not hold on to what does not belong to you."  To be able to finally hold on to these tracks and to be able to listen to it away from my computer is worth the cost and then some. "Corner" is a new tune that was part of Moore's Live@FYI set and in my opinion may outshine the title track. The song has that type of catchy chorus you'll find yourself singing to yourself no matter where you are. Prepare for some strange looks as your caught singing by your peers. As if both songs for a combined total of 99 cents weren't enough, purchasers may be surprised to find a third download, a live video of Breaking You Down filmed at the Cutting Room. As of today, there is no sign of this download on iTunes which I can't see being by design. Two songs for a dollar? Awesome. Two songs plus a live video for a dollar? Unbelievable!  Advertising this fact could only increase downloads and let's be honest, at this point of his career, it's only right for Moore to become a household name. He deserves every bit of fame, of recognition, of appreciation that comes his way. It's time for the world to stand up and appreciate David Moore for what he is. One of the greatest songwriters of all time.

The News. Yuck.

So I'll admit it up front. I do not understand our fascination with 24 hour news. I can't begin to comprehend why anyone needs more than 13 seconds of news a day let alone twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. First of all, it's never good news. Never. Even if you think it is, they'll turn on you so quickly that you won't know what hit you. From cute furry squirrels learning to water ski to "This just in. It seems that the Plague has resurfaced in America. Details after the break."
Secondly, these are strangers. So a woman in British Columbia got her purse stolen during last nights Bingo. So what? Most of us couldn't even point to British Columbia on a map if we were asked. (hint: it's not quite driving distance from Great Britain.)
I bring this up for a reason. You see, it's actually getting worse. 24 hour news is quickly turning into every single second news. Just this morning I'm getting ready to start a data training at work (that's what I do now, take pretty simple products and services that we offer and teach them to people who like nothing more than to take simple ideas and complicate them beyond belief. But that's another post). So anyway, one guy shows up a couple of minutes early and as we wait for the others to arrive, his BlackBerry starts to vibrate. He looks down for a moment, looks up and says to me, I kid you not:
"Some 15-year old kid got buried under hot asphalt in Canada." I'm not making this up. I'm not even exaggerating. At all. I guess he's signed up for some kind of service that alerts him to when teenagers are buried under hot asphalt in Canada? Are you serious? Why would anyone feel the need to have this information immediately sent to their mobile device? God forbid we have to wait for the evening news to hear about today's tragedies. We want tragedy now! Constant tragic reminders! I'll pay the twenty cents for the text message, just send it! We've even have CNN setting up their own Twitter page. Can you imagine?
2:12pm: Person dead.
2:33pm: Person almost dies.
2:38pm: Getting ready to wash the mobile camera van.
2:42pm: Someone shoots someone else. Dead.
Depressing. Can someone please please please explain this to me? Quickly, before some other teenager gets buried under hot asphalt. Cause you never know, this time it could be in the US! Gasp!

Friday

So yesterday sucked.  I spent the night and half of the morning in the bathroom cursing Pizza Hut’s lunch buffet.  I’m not positive that the pizza was the culprit, but being that I haven’t had their buffet in years, and now all of a sudden I’m debating moving my pillow and a blanket into the bathtub, they’re getting the blame.  Deal with it.  So yesterday was a wasted day.  I ate a bunch of saltines, drank some Ginger Ale, and promised never to eat a pizza buffet ever again.

Today, however, is going to be a productive day.  I will mow and edge the yard, get a hair cut, take the dogs for a walk, and begin some preparations for tomorrow’s Buffett party!  That’s right, tomorrow is the second annual Bechtel Buffett Bash!  My main job is to prepare for the Cheeseburgers in Paradise.  They’re going to be slider style, nice and small with some big flavor.  Gotta find lots of small buns as well.  Kristen’s going to be getting all the other food ready since she’s a crazy party planner.  I’m not kidding, the girl can throw a party!  It should be a good time.  I’m hoping for two things, it’s not ridiculously hot, and it’s not raining.  75 degrees and partly cloudy would be just about perfect.  We’ll see what we can get.  

I suppose it’s time to start on the lawn.  I have two dogs.  Which means mowing the lawn is a two-step process.  Gross.

Lunch

So I still don’t really have anything witty to say. Now that I’ve started this blog I can practically guarantee that I will never ever in my life have another interesting thing to say. It’s pretty sad really. I mean, I guess after a while I’d get used to it. If you look around, most people you see are completely wit-lacking. I guess I’d join their ranks. There’d be a lot of us, practically a witless army if you will. I guess it wouldn’t be that bad, I’m still pretty neat even if not witty so perhaps I could lead this unfunny army. We could change the world, me and this sub average motley crew. Soon I’d be famous. And forget the paparazzi and all that mess, no one wants to follow around someone with nothing interesting to say. I’d end up a rich, powerful celebrity who still enjoys his private life without interruption. I think I like this idea. So yeah, nothing witty to say. My apologies.

Oh yeah, lunch. Joined some coworkers for the Pizza Hut lunch buffet. But don’t worry, my gym clothes hung out in the locker room the entire time. That’s gotta mean something right?

So um... Hello?

I created a blog.  Here it is.  I don’t have anything witty to say at the moment, but sometimes I do and then I think “boy, it would be cool to have a blog,” but I don’t, so nothing gets posted.  Now I have a blog, so I have no excuse the next time I think of something cool.  Anyone want to make bets as far as how long it takes for me to think of something cool?

Listening: Underoath - Desperate Times, Desperate Measures