Run with me!

I'm running in the St. Josephs Day 5k race in Mechanicsburg and you're invited to run too! Race date is Saturday, March 19th. You know you want to...

Oscar Wrap-Up

The Aviator and Million Dollar Baby were the big winners at the Academy Awards last night. I think Leonardo and friends took five Oscars and Hillary and company took three, including Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture. So hopefully, this film will get into wider release now and more people will be able to see it. Chris Rock was mediocre as a host. He did some funny stuff and genuinely looked like he was enjoying himself. But compared to the nominees and other actors present, he came off like a B-list host. And what was the deal with Mr. Rock getting a standing ovation when he opened the show? What was that all about?

I came up with some Yays and Nays from the Oscars.
-Yay to Hillary Swank and that blue dress of hers. I don't know what color blue that is, so I'm calling it beautiful blue. Not a big fan of the super-low rear scoop, but it still looked nice. It also occured to me that a certain physical therapist I know looks kinda like Ms. Swank...
-Nay to Star Jones Reynolds and Kathy Griffin doing the E! red carpet coverage. I didn't think anybody could be more obnoxious than Joan and Melissa Rivers. I was wrong.
-Yay to the guy who won the Best Song award and seemed to sing his acceptance speech in Spanish. Knowingly, the editor cut to shots of probably the only people understanding what he was saying, Antonio Banderas and Carlos Santana.
-Nay to Antonio Banderas. He is not a singer. He is an actor. Please don't ever let him sing a song again.
-Nay to choosing Beyonce to sing most of the Best Song nominations. She even sang in French!
-Nay to Drew Barrymore and her dark hair and her birdcage earrings. And I think she was wearing too much eye shadow. Reminded me of a former roommate... =)
-Nay to Renee Zellwiger for looking so much like a stick. That girl needs to put some meat on those bones.
-Nay to Spike Lee who looks like he's aged 20 years. He looked old, and the fez didn't help any.
-Yay to Leonardo DiCaprio who actually came off in red carpet interviews as more human than anybody probably thought.
-Yay to Halle Berry who actually became the first Razzie award winner to accept her trophy live at the Razzies since 2001.

Oh, and it's supposed to snow again today and tomorrow. Dee-lightful.

I'm a winner!

Yes, it's true. Last night I won two tickets to the Delirious? show in Lancaster. They were giving tickets away on the "V" and I've found it pretty easy to win tickets from them in the past due to the small arbitron ratings they have (if they even show up on arbitron). All that to say, that a 100-watt radio station signal ain't goin' far. So you got good odds. And I just had to be caller number one this time, and that was me. Suh-weet!

I got a digital camera for Christmas this year. It's neat. Not only does, it take pictures, but it records audio. So I've been messing around with it, trying out some different audio stuff. Here's a WAV file from church this morning. When you hear the quality, keep in mind that it IS a camera.

News Flash!

I bought a half-gallon ice cream tonight. This is a news flash because I buy ice cream maybe once or twice a year. And this is probably the first time in maybe six or seven months that I've bought some. Of course the reason I rarely buy it is because I don't eat ice cream often enough to finish a half-gallon within say, a month. But it was almost cheaper than buying a sundae, and I figure I can get at least two servings out of the half-gallon before it gets freezer burn.

And it was Mint Chocolate Chip.

Attn: ACC Basketball Fans

With Boston College joining the ACC next season, the ACC will consist of 12 teams. However, because each team will only have 16 conference games, teams will not play every conference team each season. The ACC has come up with some sort of archaic rotation, and in Maryland's case, the only guarantee every season is that the Terps will play both Duke and UVA home and away. Here's a link. Sad stuff.

Where I rant about PENDOT

Dear PENDOT,

Why don't you like to plow the interstates? Snow started falling at my office around 11:00 or so yesterday. I went home around 2:15 and the turnpike was pretty decent, although the visibility was pretty poor. However, PENDOT does not take care of the turnpike, the turnpike takes care of itself. So I go over to the east shore last night and I leave around 6:45. Mechanicsburg borough roads are horrible. Even Main Street which I thought would be plowed, was not. So I think to myself, "Okay, at the least the interstate should be plowed. I was wrong. I jumped on 581 at Trindle Road and there was one driveable lane on 581, and you couldn't even see the pavement in that lane. I proceeded to Harrisburg with a top speed of approx. 35 mph. So I'm at my friends house and I think to myself "Well, if I wait to leave here until 10:30 or so, the roads should be plowed." Wrong again. The roads were, if nothing, worse because the snow had not stopped and had only gotten deeper. So what I want to know, is where were you PENDOT? You certainly weren't on 581 between the hours of 7:00 and 10:00.

It's supposed to snow again on Monday, and unfortunately, I am expecting more of the same. Boo on you PENDOT.

I had a dream last night, and I don't recall too many specifics, but I can you this. It was a hip-hop flavored dream. Guest stars included Ice-Cube, Queen Latifah, and Kanye West.

Oh Queen Amidala..

Natalie Portman got herself in trouble in Jerusalem. Apparently you are not supposed to be kissing actors at the Wailing Wall.

Last night I participated in one of the top three racquetball games I think I've ever played. It was fierce, and I won, but it took a lot out of me and I was unable to play a third (and deciding) game.

I was watching a little bit of the Today Show this morning as I was getting ready for work, and they were discussing the Pope's new biography. Kutie Couric was talking to someone in London about a paragraph in the book in which the Pope compares abortion to the Nazi genocide. She asked "Isn't that a bit controversial?" I don't recall what the gentleman's answer was, but I was struck by the fact that she was trying to make a big to-do about something that I don't think deserved it. Perhaps she was trying for the Catholic vs. Jews angle, or perhaps she was trying to paint Catholicism as ancient and politically incorrect. Or perhaps I'm just writing this to make you think...

It's supposed to snow 3-6 inches here today. I'm calling for three inches, max.

Yesterday in History

On this day in 1861, President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrived in Washington. But what I found interesting was that yesterday in 1861, Lincoln was in Harrisburg, and actually spent the night at a hotel in the city. That's kinda neat to think about, that Abraham Lincoln was in my neck of the woods. Read more here.

Yesterday I posted a link (which has now been removed) to a certain someone's phone contacts. Well, I thought it would be fun to try and call Lindsay Lohan. I got her voice mail, and it was obscene. I tried calling Luke Wilson this morning, but his number has been disconnected.

I've been doing some reading lately and I wanted to share a great quote with you from my favorite German theolgian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I've been reading about true community and how important it is for members of true community to be willing to approach each other and speak truth to them.

One who because of sensitivity and vanity regects the serious words of another Christian cannot speak the truth in humility to others. Such a person is afraid of being rejected and feeling hurt by another's words. Sensitive, irritable people will always become flatterers, and very soon they will come to despise and slander other Christians in their community.... When another Christian falls into obvious sin, an admonition is imperative, because God's word demands it. The practice of discipline in the community of faith begins with friends who are close to one other. Words of admonition and reproach must be risked.

I think that last italicized part is what freezes us in our tracks. We don't want to be uncomfortable and risk rocking the boat. And above all else, we don't want to get hurt.

Hilton's sidekick...

Lots of names in there. Check, check, check it out... That's hot.

Where's my social security?

Senator Rick Santorum is going around the state this week holding forums on the future of Social Security where he presents the President's idea, and then does some Q and A. On Thursday morning, from 9:30-11:30, the senator will be holding one of these forums at Messiah Village in Mechanicsburg. I wonder whose idea it was to present this idea at a retirement home? These people wouldn't be eligible to make any changes to their benefits. Oh wait, maybe the idea is for people to be concerned about their future and thinking about retirement. Hmmm....

It snowed 17 feet in Pakistan over the last few days. That is a lot of snow.

I'm wearing a new shirt today. It cost me five dollars. Thanks Marshalls!

Oh the temptation..

I found out this morning that someone here in our office is selling chocolate easter eggs. And not just peanut butter eggs, but also butter cream eggs. For those who are unaware, around Easter, churches in the area make these delicious chocolate covered easter eggs. They most commonly are filled with peanut butter, but apparently there are other varieties as well. They put those Reeces eggs that Hershey's puts out at Easter to shame. And they only cost fifty cents. I never actually had heard of them until I moved up here. Is anyone outside of the state of Pennsylvania familiar with these types of eggs?

Anywho, the temptation is that I'm not eating candy until Lent is over. It's not really that bad of an issue, but when you haven't had candy for a while, you start to crave it. Or maybe that's just me.

I picked up my 2004 Dodge Neon this morning. It's slick...for a neon. It even has a spoiler. Oh, yeah.

All the weather boys had us geared up for 3-6 inches of snow. And we got an inch....maybe? Sorry snow friends. Thought you might have had something there.

One reason I like NASCAR

Despite our politically correct society, they still pray publicly before each race. AND it's televised. That's awesome. Now if they could only do something about that Jeff Gordon...

This week I'm finally getting my car fixed. I dropped my car off tonight, but I don't get my rental car until tomorrow morning. So I don't have any car to shovel out tomorrow.

Hitch beat out Constantine at the box office this weekend, but just barely. Will Smith took in 1.3 mill more than Keanu and Rachel Weisz.

David Beckham and Posh Spice had another boy. Cruz was born over the weekend.

There was a show tonight on Fox News Channel called "Hollywood vs. America." It discussed the juxtaposition of liberal-left Hollywood making movies for a largely conservative general audiences. Pretty interesting stuff. It turns out that many of the big movie studios, like Paramount, were founded by Jewish immigrants. And I learned that many Hollywood conservatives refer to themselves as "closet conservatives."

Watching that show has given me an idea for a new career path. I can be a "Conservative Cinema Consultant." Movie studios can hire me to view their films and tell them how the film will fly with the conservatives of America. I can offer them suggestions on how to change their movies to better attract conservative money. Now you may be asking, "Dude, what are your qualifications?" It's like this. I watch movies, and I live movies. And I happen to lean conservative. So.. anybody got any Hollywood connections?

Reversal of Fortune

Tedi Bruschi was on top of the world three weeks ago. He had just won the Super Bowl. Last weekend, he was basking in the Hawaiian sun at the Pro Bowl. And on Wednesday, he had a stroke. He may never play football again. In less than a month, he went from a Rocky Mountain high, to a Death Valley low. It's a shocking example of how sometimes you don't realize what you have until it's gone. For me, it creates a startling realization in my life. I am thankful for what I've been blessed with. Family, friends, job, roof over my head, etc.. But just because I'm thankful, doesn't mean that I'm always appreciative. And I need to work on that.

The big news story in sports yesterday and today has been the impending return of the NHL. As you may recall, the NHL cancelled it's season on Wednesday. It very well may be back tomorrow. I'm excited. Not because I'm a huge hockey fan, but because I'm hoping that they give away free tickets to hockey games. Why would they give away free tickets? Well because they need to try and win the fans back of course. And nothing says "We Want You Back!" like free tickets. I enjoy watching hockey and would love to see a pro game, but ticket prices are usually out-of-sight.

Tweet, Tweet

Red Robin is apparently looking to spice up their menu. I got a survey from them this morning and they wanted my opinion on a variety of asian and mexican-influenced dishes. I told them they were a burger joint, and that they should stick with burgers.

In other restaurant news, it looks like the new Macaroni Grill in Harrisburg will finally open in April.

In music news, Bill Mallonee of Vigilantes of Love will be playing at Messiah on 03/02/05.

Kudos to the Messiah College men's basketball team who earned their first trip to the MAC playoffs in a very long time with a win over Moravian last night.

Breakfast this morning in Lottie was delightful. For a nickel under $5.00 it was a great bargain. I had a bowl of Cracklin Oat Bran, sausage, frenchtoast sticks, scrambled eggs, and some apple coffee cake. Good, good stuff. And at 7:00 AM, I had no trouble finding a table.

Lunchtime musings

This is for my favorite cross-country runnin' friend.

I may or may not have remarked in the past on the fact that my job is not exactly mentally stimulating or challenging. If I didn't, well....it is. It's the nature of my area of work, unfortunately. But I've gotten an idea. I want to try and stay mentally sharp. Several years back I got a chess board to play chess, but nobody knew how to play chess. So I may have played once. And then I decided, that I can't depend on other people to mentally challenge me. So I've now decided that I am going to start working on brain teasers and word puzzles and mental games like that. I think this will be the first title. Neat lookin' book, eh?

If you missed The Passion of the Christ the first time around, never fear. The Passion:Recut is due in theatres next month. Apparently the movie has been "re-imaged" and a lot of the violence has been removed. I think they may be shooting for a PG-13 or PG rating this time around. I think Hollywood may be in for a suprise....again.

Up, Up and away, in my beautiful balloon...

I've been dreaming like crazy over the past couple of weeks. Last night's dream involved a small group trip to see an Orioles game, and a secret covert operation where I was trying to infiltrate a cult of some kind.

I've decided that I'm going to grab breakfast tomorrow in Lottie Nelson. For those of you who did not graduate from Messiah, it's the cafeteria. Breakfast is only $4.95, and you can check out the menu here. And all meals in Lottie are all you can eat. So I can have all the scrambled eggs that I want. You may think otherwise, but I am classifying this as a deal. You're all invited to come along (although it might be a bit of drive for you Texas). I'll be there at 7:00am. Bring a fiver.

Any Alias fans out there? I don't understand that Sydney Bristow. She hates Sloane and can't stand looking at him, much less working for him. So he decides to give her an out to get back to the CIA. BUT SHE REFUSES TO GO! I don't know. I think she's obsessed and her obsession will probably lead to the death of both Sloane and her father. And probably Vaughn too.

Goodbye NHL. See ya next year?

Linkys

Jesus looked like this as a boy?

This article caught my eye in another blog with the headline Holy Wars! It's especially relevant to those who are familiar with those denominations.

Also, this article, which will make Joshua Harris s........ummmm....proud?

Now, check out the main page of the source of the prior two articles. Lark News. Cliek here for the Visually Impaired Version.

And finally, I know there are some amusement park fans out there, so I wanted to toss you one of my weekly visit links so that you too, can be in the know. It's called Screamscape.

Attention Flying Smokers!

From the US Airways internal update:

Effective March 15, 2005, the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) will ban the carriage of lighters
and matches through the security checkpoint. Passengers
will not be permitted to carry any type of lighter or
matches on their person, nor will they be permitted to
transport lighters or matches inside carry-on or checked
baggage. As of March 15, customers who indicate that they
are carrying lighters or matches on their persons should
be encouraged to leave them in their cars or to give them
to persons accompanying them to the airport. The ban is
mandated by congressional legislation and applies to
flights to, from, and within the United States.

Ouch.

I've been thinking about getting my hair cut differently the next time I get it cut. I've never really been a big fan of my hair, and I think perhaps the shorter I keep it, the more we'll be able to get along. For those of you who don't know, I have what is known as a "widow's peak." However, the shorter my hair is, the larger my forehead will be. I'm not so sure I'm a big fan of that, but I can't keep coming my bangs forward forever. Maybe I just need to embrace my follicle-challengedness. Or wear a hat. All the time.

This and That

I'm watching my new favorite channel, the NFL Network, and they're playing some footage from the 20 miles of film they shot on Super Bowl Sunday. During the coin toss, Tom Brady told Brian Dawkins during the coin toss that he (Brady) was going to bore him (Dawkins) tonight. And then after the little kid tossed the coin, both Donovan McNabb and Bryan Trotter shook the kids' hand. That was cool of them.

Charlie Hall is coming to Christian Life Assembly on April 8th. That will be a good show. Speaking of CLA, their young adult ministry has it's own blog community. Check it here. Speaking of blogs, somebody in ICON has their own blog. And speaking of ICON, few people know that there is actually an ICON message board. Nobody really uses it, but it's here. And speaking of ICON, look what I found.

And finally, here is a pretty funny update from Britney Spears' website.

Public Service Announcement

I've declared the month of February to be Sodium Awareness month.

Are you aware of how much sodium is in the food we eat? I was rather startled to discover how many of our foods are chock full of sodium. Two tablespoons of Tostitos Salsa con Queso contains 280 mg of sodium. That's over ten percent of your daily recommended sodium intake. The Tostitos chips that you actually eat the cheese with aren't much better, with 80 mg of sodium for six chips. I had some Ramen noodles last week. The seasoning packet for the noodles by itself, contained the equivalent of 30% of the recommended RDA of sodium. Boston Market lends it's name to some pretty good frozen entrees. I have taken quite a liking to the lasagne in the past couple of months. Unfortunately, that has like 53% of your daily sodium in a handy, dandy 12 ounce plastic container.

In our "quick food" society, the cheapest and easiest way to preserve frozen and canned foods is with salt, the great preservative. Back in the day, people had the time to make ALL their meals fresh, so you may have only needed salt for flavoring. These days, that's not so much the case. I don't got the time to make fresh meals. I'm the guy who eats frozen chicken patties and lipton rice mixes for dinner. But I'm trying to get away from that.

So you may wonder, dude, why the big deal with the sodium? Elevated sodium levels can lead to high blood pressure. I already have one friend on blood pressure meds, and he's my age. I don't want another one. So watch your sodium intake. Get your blood pressure checked once a year. Do it for a friend. Please.

Only now am I getting my money's worth.

I paid too much money to go to Messiah College. And I could argue with you that it was a waste of my money. Or more succintly, that it was an experience that I shouldn't have had to pay so much for. However, I feel that after I've graduated, I've started pickin' up some of those lost dollars.

Some examples: I probably average a little over one racquetball match a week, for which I have to pay nothing. I work out in the fitness center using my choice of treadmill, stationary bike, or elliptical machine at least twice a week. Again, I pay nothing. I can check out library books, and surf the internet to my hearts desire. All free. And they even send me a little letter when my library books are overdue. And then there's the cultural aspect. I can catch free shows in the Student Union along with a nice size tv, cheap french fries, and foosball table. And I can check out movies on campus for only 100 pennies. Last weekend, they showed The Incredibles and this weekend it's Lemony Snicket. And for you intellectual types, free lectures. Tonight I went over to Messiah and I listened to a lecture by David Myers. Messiah grads will probably not care that Mr. Myers wrote the pych textbook that we used for Intro to Psychology. However, I enjoyed psych and almost minored in it. He spoke tonight on "The Scientific Pursuit of Happiness."

Speaking of tonight's lecture. I got a bone to pick with somebody. This lecture was also considered an alternate chapel. And there were people there sleeping, reading other books, and playing with their cell phones. It made me rather sad that students seem to devalue the Tuesday/Thursday common chapels. Why wake up and have community, when I can sleep in and sleep through an evening lecture, or talk about Bob Dylan and get chapel credit for it. Grrrr.

Of course you the conclusion to this problem is to have a place where the entire community can meet in chapel (thanks to the department of enrollment management's expanding waistline, I don't believe all the students can't meet in Brubaker). This of course means that we have to build yet another building. Perhaps a convocation center. Of course, this project will delay the building of another dorm, so students will stay overcrowded and tripled in dorms FOREVER!

I got a pet!

Happy Hallmark Holiday!

If you're not showing people love all year around, what makes you think that if you show love one day a year, it's gonna make up for other 364 days?

For the four single men that read this blog, here are some dating tips from Will Smith (aka Mr. Hitch):
1. For your first date, do something you excel at. So she can see you're good.
2. Put a lot of planning into your second date (I have no idea why you wouldn't plan every date, but I'm still single...)
3. Suprise her. Celebrate Valentines Day on the 12th.
4. If you have to fail, fail big.
**For more specifics, pick up the latest copy of People.

And here's a cool website that shows all the recent earthquake activity.

Heard at Grantham Church this evening....

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Brought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

Bobcat Pretzels

Another painful Friday. Oi! Maybe it's the aliteration of February Fridays.

Kelly Clarkson was on Saturday Night Live this weekend. She died her hair blonde. I was rather disappointed. Unless she was filming another Justin and Kelly movie. Then she would have a good reason to disguise herself.

Kudos to my Maryland Terrapins who last night swept the regular season series with the dreaded Duke Blue Devils. It made for some very good television.

I'm currently watching Rich Eisen, Lincoln Kennedy and Rod Woodson learn to hula. It's funny.

Here's a quote from Beth Moore that I was reading last night.

The only way to open a door that God doesn't for you is to break it open.

Deep thoughts.

And while I'm discussing my latest reads, I was reading my Brennan Manning devotional last night and he was discussing living in the present. Bear with me as I do some more quoting:

Whatever past achievements might bring us honor, whatever past disgraces might make us blush, all have been crucified with Christ and exist no more.
But worry is not limited to the past. When the mind directs its gaze to the unknown future, it can spin fearful scenarios that also keep us in a chronic state of worry. This worrying about the future prohibits our being aware of the living present.

It was good for me to read because it is so dang easy to get caught up in the unknown future, nevermind my checkered past.

Excuse me?

Normally I would have nothing but good things to say about Germans. However, this has me scratching my head. Especially the part about the Swedish females. I would have suggested trying the Dutch, but then again, I'm no expert..

Gentleness

So our small group discussed the fruit of the Spirit known as gentleness last night. I concluded that gentleness is the grease in the cogs of the Christian life. Well, maybe that's not the best analogy. Perhaps what I'm trying to say is that gentleness is integral to all aspects of a Christian's life.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:1

How many times do we find ourselves giving less-than-gentle answers to family, friends, and others? As I was thinking through this this morning, I think at some times it's easier to be harsh, than to be gentle. Many people tend to lose any semblence of gentleness when they are tired and/or irritated. Having been on the giving end as well as the receiving end in this type of circumstance, I understand this well. Personally, I know I can be harsh in times of anger and frustration. And it hurts me, because I am usually quick to realize it (although sometimes it may take a tad longer) and then I become disappointed in my reactions.

Just in the past 24 hours, I have been on the receiving end of some less-than-gentle words. I can't do anything about that. However, dear reader, if you should hear something less-than-gentle come out of my mouth, please, please, please let me know. I would appreciate it and I promise not to tell you what you can do with your opinions or where you can stick it. = )

I have chocolate cake

sitting in the fridge. If you want it, it's yours. I deliver, but only within a thirty minute radius. There's about half of the cake left and it's a decent size cake. I would also consider a trade.

The cake is waiting...

Today for Lunch

I burned my lip on a Chicken Parmasean Lean Pocket. Owww. And I can say that the lean pockets were satisfying either. But they were filling, so that should hold me over until dinner.

While I was burning my lip at lunch, I was reading this article about Kevin Federline. It's worth a read just to see what he thinks about parents.

I love the NFL Network

In the past several months, I have come to remember why I like Rich Eisen so much. He's a funny guy. I was watching the network last night and they were cracking me up. They're out at the Pro Bowl and in the first segment, Rich and Rod Woodson are interviewing Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs of the Ravens....on the beach. In the next segment, Rich is poolside talking to the Barber brothers (Tiki and Ronde). They're walking up to the set, and as they go to break, Rich says "Somebody is going to have to tell me which one is which before they get up here." They also miked the practices and it was funny watching Bill Cowher coach Tom Brady, who had beaten his Steelers three weeks ago. That Jim Mora (coach of the Falcons) is a pretty funny guy too. Trying to break the record for the world's shortest AFC Pro Bowl practice..

And if you have comcast cable, check your HBO. It should be a free preview weekend.

Did ya ever wonder?

Why, in our world of pints, quarts, and gallons, do we have a two-liter bottle? Anybody?

Ash Wednesday

So today is the first day of Lent. For the next 40 days, no candy and no fried foods for yours truely. I was thinking this might be easier than last year....but I think it will be harder. Not that I eat a lot of that stuff, but I do like it.

So I made a little calendar of prayer for Lent. As I stated last week, I was going to focus-pray (my new phrase) for friends and family during this time. So here's the calendar. For safety purposes (i.e. I try not to post my friend's names online), I'm using intials. If you see your initials and you want prayer for something specific, lemme know. That being said:

02/09 & 03/20 ME
02/10 & 03/01 MD
02/11 & 03/02 SB
02/12 & 03/03 DD
02/13 & 03/04 ST
02/14 & 03/05 MK
02/15 & 03/06 LZ
02/16 & 03/07 BS
02/17 & 03/08 TJ
02/18 & 03/09 DK
02/19 & 03/10 IL
02/20 & 03/11 MW
02/21 & 03/12 MH
02/22 & 03/13 AH
02/23 & 03/14 KB
02/24 & 03/15 MM
02/25 & 03/16 KK
02/26 & 03/17 JP
02/27 & 03/18 JB
02/28 & 03/19 JT

Glazer really wants Man United

So for those of you not in the know, very-rich man Malcolm Glazer (who currently owns the Tampa Bay Bucaneers) is trying to buy the Manchester United football (soccer) team. The team has made it clear that they have no interest in his ownership of the team. He has made two prior offers to buy the team and they have both been turned down. And now he's preparing number three. Read more here. I hope that he is denied again. Americans should not own English football teams. I'll take that a step further and say Americans should not own any foreign sports teams. We cause enough trouble here in the states. We don't need to export our American sense of "win at all costs."

And one more thing that I forgot to mention about the weekend. I changed the bulb in my left front headlight. Now that might not sound like much, but I'm not exactly a handyman, and my car knowledge isn't exactly definitive. So there was a certain amount of excitement that was felt when I finally figured out how to get the old bulb out and the new bulb in. And of course, I checked it to be sure and when it came on, I pumped my fist. It was a proud moment. I should also include that I knew of a girl who replaced her own headlight bulb as well several months back. So I, as a man, had to be able to do it. Or ask her for help....

Gentlemen, can't we all agree?

Today in his press conference, Andy Reid said this:

"We have a good nucleus and the best quarterback in the National Football League is on this team,"

Last night on the NFL Network, Brian Dawkins of the same Philadelphia Eagles said that Tom Brady was the best quarterback in the NFL.

So who do you go with? The head coach who watches the game, or the defensive back who plays the game?

For the record, I actually think that Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the NFL. He just needs a defense. And maybe someone else in the backfield with Edgerin James.

Super Bowl Ads

Here's USA Today's Ad Meter for the Super Bowl commercials.

L-O-S-E-R-S

Those poor Eagle fans. They finally win an NFC Championship game, but lose the Super Bowl. So if they follow their schedule, they will need to lose two more Super Bowls before they win the big game. But what some people want to know, is will they make it to Detroit next year (host of next year's Super Bowl). I was watching Terrel Davis on the NFL Network last night and he made the comment that most teams only have a limited space of time with which they can achieve success (as a lot of sports successes are cyclical in nature). And Davis seemed to imply that the Eagles had finally gotten their chance, and that they may not make it back next year.

People sometimes ask me why I don't like the Eagles. It's quite simply the "Penn State Syndrome." Non-natives to Pennsylvania will understand this serious, debilitating illness. During college season, all you hear is "Penn State this" and "Penn State that." It gets real old at record pace. And this season it's been all about the Eagles and I just got tired of it. Oh, and the Redskins are in the NFC East too.

And for those of you wondering, Go-Daddy.com is a company which sells website domain names. I know it was difficult to figure that one out considering that they didn't even mention what they're company did. Somebody should tell them that only nationally-recognized companies can get away with that.

As I mentioned, this past weekend was pretty much a blur. Before I knew it it was Sunday morning and the previous day and a half was just a memory. I should mention that I had dinner Saturday night with the charter member of WAW and her associates. In a related note, Ski Roundtop charges way too much for food.

Sensitivity

How sensitive are you? Not to heat or light. But to people and their feelings?

I encountered a situation this evening where my feelings were hurt. But here's the deal: I gave my okay to the situation. Ya ever had one of those situations where you said one thing because that's what that particular person wanted to hear, but you were hoping that they wouldn't follow through on what you had authorized? That's what kinda happened. I do have to claim partial responsibility because I did not more forcefully make my feelings known. However, I think that if I had not given my "okay," it may have caused more grief. So maybe that's why I acquisced. So I think I sacrificed my feelings to avoid confrontation. I probably shouldn't have done that, but then again I seem to go to great lengths to avoid confrontation.

What is the deal with me?

from an email i was writing..

This applies to worship in a musical setting:

to clarify my recruiting efforts for Passion '06. It dawned on me that a lot of people, I think ____ included, have yet to experience a "total" worship experience. the setting and the skill of the musicians have a lot to with helping to usher people to God's throne and I think we as Christians often don't do it well. Of course, we are only humans, but if we're playing for God, we need to dedicated and we should not feel like we have end each song with a picked-out chord (my term....i don't think that's an actual term). But I think I yearn for people to be able to praise Him in a conducive setting.

And what I didn't write in the email, is that it is the responsibility of the worship leader to ensure that the service is designed to lead people to Him. We like to get caught up in trappings and various other "artistic notions" that more often detract and distract from a worship experience. Now obviously, I cannot speak for everyone, but I think sometimes people try to be too creative and I think that can hinder others. For me, give me my worship straight up. Not shaken, not stirred, and not on the rocks.

Any Josephs out there?

This week I have had three dreams, which is the most that I can recall in such a short period of time. Last nights dream involved a modified picnic table driving down a highway that appeared to be the New Jersey Turnpike. I was sitting on the picnic table with some friends, and what's remarkable (besides the fact that I have friends) was that Penn Gillete was sitting at the picnic table with us. Penn, if you don't know, is the talking half of Penn and Teller. He even did a magic trick. Interpret that!!

Normally I live for weekends. Weekends are great. But have you ever had one of weekends that was going to be so busy, that you knew going into the weekend that A) It would fly by, and B) Wouldn't even be considered a weekend at all because of all the work/running around? Yea, that's my weekend coming up. And the busyness starts right after work tonight...

Singing Eggs

The aforementioned eggs.

It's Lent Time!!

So Lent starts next week. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept of Lent, click here. Last year for Lent, I sacrificed all forms of cheese. That was mega-hard. This year I've found something almost as difficult. Starting Wednesday, I will be abstaining from all forms of candy, as well as fried foods. The only acceptable "candy-like" substance will be vitamin c drops or cough drops. I'm also considering gum as a candy for this period. As far as fried foods go, I'm not a big fried food eater, but I love french fries and I love chicken tenders and chicken sandwiches (can someone say Chick-fil-A?). And doughnuts, but I only eat those maybe once a month. So all that will be gone. That being said, I will have to get some chicken this weekend. Maybe some chicken-fried chicken at Cracker Barrel, or some buffalo chicken somewhere else. Cuz everything's gotta be baked or grilled for the next 40 days.

I've also decided during this period that I am going to focus my prayers on my family and friends. Not that that's any different from normal, but I'm going to be praying a little more thoroughly than I normally do. Because you're worth it.

For reasons unbeknownst to me, I was watching Everybody Loves Raymond last night. And it made me want to go visit Italy. Perhaps it was because thats where they happened to be vacationing. Or maybe it was just the pizza that Ray was eating.

Hey, have I asked you if you would be interested in going to Germany in the summer of 2006 for the World Cup? If not, consider this your invitation. Drop me a line and let me know if you're interested. The trip would probably take place around the middle of June, 2006. It'll be a fun time. Fo shizzle.

The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind

Here is your Sammy Sosa quote of the day:

"It's a great place for me to come here and win the crowd like I'm going to do and be happy again," Sosa told The Sun last night. "I like the situation in Baltimore. They have a great ballpark. I think I'll be perfect here."

That Sammy...

Did my taxes last night. For my single friends out there, do any of you itemize your deductions as opposed to taking the $4850? Maybe if I tithed like 25%... For the second year in the row, I owe money to West Shore, the state and I are even, and Uncle Sam owes me money. And I telefiled with the state this year and was excited to find out that I didn't have to mail W-2's with the telefile. I don't know how long this has been the case, but I wasn't able to telefile last year because of my address change. And hopefully, I won't be able to telefile next year either.....

And for those of you who had been praying for Aunt Julie, she got a job offer yesterday. Three cheers for God! Hip-hip hooray! Hip-hip hooray! Hip-hip hooray!

One month down, eleven to go..

The Arizona Cardinals have updated their Cardinal logo. Now it looks like it wants to peck your eyes out. But even if it does, it will just fumble and allow you to recover them.

On this day in History...Travelers Insurance issued the very first auto insurance policy in Buffalo, New York. $11.25 was the annual premium for liability coverage up to $10,000.

A big "Thank You" goes out to the people at Sheetz. Once again, I had an awesome chicken MTO last night for dinner. Now if you would just go back to using shredded lettuce instead of that whole leaf stuff....

I was thinking to myself this morning how fortunate I was to be raised in a Christian home. While many people, who are now Christians, were not. If I call you friend, and your family is not saved, I pray for them. (And if I don't call you friend, but your family is not saved, I'll pray for them, but you have to let me know)

that merton quote

"A saint is not someone who is good, but who experiences the goodness of God."
-Thomas Merton