How would you like that?

Congress is considering minting dollar coins with the faces of past presidents. Great. Bill Clinton on US currency. Just what we need. However, with the exception of Mr. Clinton, I am excited about this possibility. Why? Because it's Euro-cool. Literally. The European Union doesn't use bills for the one euro denomination. They use coins. I think that Great Britain also uses coins for it's one pound denomination, along with a note. People! The Greeks and Romans didn't use bills. It was coins! But we had to be different. We knew there had to be a better way.

Here's a little blurb about it from a local newscast yesterday. We don't want a dollar coin. It doesn't fit in our wallets. Boo Hoo. Cry me a river. Coins have a much larger circulation life than bills. And you can't tear them. People are concerned about confusing them with quarters. If we do it like the euro, there shouldn't be much confusion. But I'm sure people will make a stink about it and it won't make any mark whatsoever.

In non-currency news, Katie Holmes (Dawson's Creek, The President's Daughter) is dating Tom (Nicole Kidman was the best thing that happened to me) Cruise. And her dad is cool with that. Tom is almost old enough to her father (Sixteen year difference). And it's a good thing that girl is wearing a union-jack bikini in the ad for the euro-diet. Otherwise me might never know that it was European! (The preceeding two sentences made reference to an ad in the link to People Magazine.)

How do you want to be remembered?

This was the question posed to me tonight. The answer I gave was "loving son, loyal husband, faithful friend." But I got to thinking a little more about it and I got to wondering, Do I even care what people think? When I'm dead and gone, what do I care what people are thinking? I'm thinking no. Ummmm, I'll be dead and I won't be listening. But as I've thought more about it, I've decided that maybe I do care a little bit what people think. And here's why. Because what they think about me will be directly related to the impact that I had on their lives. And I pray that people can say the above words about me, and more. Mostly that I was a Godly man. And as I ponder that sentence, I wonder this "Why would I want to be known as anything other then that?"

Road Trip?

The Lord told Noah to build him an Arkie, Arkie.

High and Inside

Last night I went over to work at the new church (I would link it, but the link hasn't been working for the past few months). Good times. I like workin' on the "inside" and doing behind-the-scenes type work. So this stuff was right up my alley. People who meet in classrooms in a little over two weeks will have no idea of all the crap that was in the classrooms, and where it all went. People in the kitchen will have no idea where the shelving came from. Someone who has an office will wonder where this new piece of their desk came from. But I'll know.

If you look to your right, you will see a picture of a zebra. This is one of two zebras painted on the wall in one of the men's bathrooms. There is also some artwork in the ladies bathroom. Giraffes. But I have no pictures of the giraffes (sorry giraffe lovers). Perhaps Friday I'll post a picture of the cool clocks that the children's rooms contain.

I left the church last night with a good feeling. Like I had gotten stuff done. That I had been helpful. That I had made a contribution to the building. Now I've been making "contributions" for the past two years, but this was different. What is it about volunteer work that makes ya feel good? Sometimes it's the free food, but I didn't have any of that last night. I wonder if there is some sort of "do-gooder" part of your brain that releases some endorphins or something when you've done good things.

BTW, if anyone is looking for a metal or wooden desks, the church is giving away a few items. Just come to the new church and look at the wall opposite the lower awesome adventure entrance.

In other news, I've applied for four jobs in the past week.

Oh give me a home..

Whatcha think about that?

I was recently paid a compliment by a friend, who told me that I am a "good Christian guy." Admittedly, I didn't give it a lot of thought initially, but it's been bouncing around my cranial synapses for the past couple of weeks. And the more it's bounced, the more excited I've become. Why? Because people know that I am a Christian. And that excites me. Because that indicates that my life is a witness and that people see Christ in me. But it's no time for arrogance and gloating. Cuz I still have to continue to be a light. Compliments are nice, but they don't get me in to heaven. So I continue to work at being a beacon of God's love.

I have some very exciting news to report about the upcoming release of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. My sources on the internet say that they will be attaching a trailer to the new Star Wars installment. This is exciting because it will get a lot of exposure and hopefully get lots of folks excited. Then these folks will go see the movie, which will encourage the studio to get to work on the next movie in the series. And that would be really good. For me anyways...

Surreal

On the news tonight, they did a quick piece about some rioting in Togo. The video clip they aired, showed a young man running with a large brick. His shirt said "Promise Keepers."

What I didn't know..

Destiny's Child used to actually have four ladies in it. Never knew that. Weird. Also weird, the video for "No, No, No pt II" features the set they used for the Burger King Bacon Cheddar Ranch burger. Weird.

I found myself singing the following song as a prayer today over lunch:

I will cast all my cares upon you.
I lay all my burdens, down at your feet.
Anytime, I don't know, what to do,
I will cast all my cares upon you.

When we worry, we aren't focused on God and what he can do for us. But that's hard to remember. Gotta do a better job of that..

New Starbucks coming to the Camp Hill area. Looks like it will be at the old Pier One store on the corner of 15 and Trindle Road. Now my Chantico will be that much closer..

A funny email from a friend.

The Bridge

A man walking along a California beach was deep in prayer.

Suddenly, the sky clouded above his head and, in a booming voice, the Lord said, "Because you have TRIED to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish."

The man said, "Build a bridge to Hawaii so I can drive over anytime I want."

The Lord said, "Your request is very materialistic. Think of the enormous challenges for that kind of undertaking. The supports to the bottom of the Pacific! The concrete and steel it would take! It will nearly exhaust several natural resources. I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little more time and think of something that would honor and glorify me."

The man thought about it for a long time. Finally he said, "Lord, I wish that I could understand my wife. I want to know how she feels inside, what she's thinking when she gives me the silent treatment, why she cries, what she means when she says nothing's wrong, and how I can make a woman truly happy."

The Lord replied, "You want two lanes or four on that bridge?

Thanks Mrs. W!

In Good Company

Last night I finally got around to seeing In Good Company. I liked it. It wasn't quite what I expected, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, and it was easily worth the price of admission. Which was free. It's been a little while since I've seen Dennis Quaid in anything. But he can still act. Topher Grace played a believable young executive trying to please his boss Teddy K. and increase ad sales and revenue. And Scarlett Johansson played Dennis Quaid's daughter, and part love-interest of Topher Grace. It was a good movie, partly because it didn't follow convention, with the boy getting the girl in the end. It also did a great job of highlighting the monopolization of large worldwide companies, and the effect that it has not only on the companies it buys, but on the competitors that it battles for market position with. I'm giving this movie an 8.

The way I celebrate Earth Day.

I buy myself a salad. This is historic. One, because I don't celebrate Earth Day. Two, because today was the first time I EVER bought a salad for myself. Very exciting, it was. I paid $3.12 at Giant for a good size salad, with chicken. I thought it was a good deal. I feel like it was a good deal.

Also this week in salad news, on Wednesday, I received a salad with my meal at Outback Steakhouse. This is the first time ever when I didn't say "Hold that salad." or "Can I substitute another potato for that salad?" I took the salad that came with my meal. And I ate 87% of it.

So I ask you, who is the man?

Oh please no.

First up in the news, is the "engagement" of Jennifer Garner to one Mr. Ben Affleck. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it Bennifer Part Deux. I like to think that Hollywood relationships will succeed. I really do. But then the "Hollywood Factor" kicks in. If Brad and Jen, Angelina and Billy Bob, Nicole and Tom, and John and Rebecca Romijn couldn't make it, what assurances do we have that they will? Jennifer already has been married once, and Benny-boy certainly tried his darndest to marry that J.Lo girl. So why do they even try?

Because everyone wants to be loved. Even movie stars. And while the adulation of their adoring fans is nice I'm sure, they still want something more. They seek intimacy. And they look for it the only place they know to look. Among themselves. Now as I'm writing this, I'm seeing this come off as pretty harsh. And it probably is. I wish I could talk to these people and find out what's going in that head of theirs. I just don't think that lots of these Hollywood types have their heads on straight.

I want to be loved. I want to get married. But my yearning for companionship does not lead me to romance my co-worker. Sure, I probably could, but then I could be settling. And I'm not settling for anything less than the lady that God intends for me to marry. I had a conversation with some friends earlier this week and I commented on the fact that I had developed a set of qualities that my wife would have. I also told them that I had no doubt that God could provide me with a girl of that caliber. While they were suprised at the number of qualities on the list, they were encouraging in telling me that it was good to have an idea of what you were looking for and not just settling for whatever came along (i.e. Desperate Houseman).
But enough about love. = )

Lebron James will be watching the NBA playoffs from home. Ha! Mista Superstar couldn't quite carry the team all the way into the playoffs. Almost, but ninth place doesn't quite cut it. I have a certain amount of satisfaction with the Cavs not making it into the playoffs. Lebron should have gone to school. Akron would have been a powerhouse. If I was David Stern (thankfully I'm not), kids would have to have at least three years of college experience to enter the NBA Draft. Maybe in my dreams.

Don't reckon this would occur here in the States..

Sausage Attack

What's in a name?

I was suprised to find that when a new pope was elected, he got to choose his own name. Cardinal Ratzinger chose Benedict XVI. I did some research, and the last pope who used the name Benedict, was elected during World War I. Here's a link to some background on the name game, and here is some rather comprehensive info on Pope Benedict XV works, and here's some info on him as a person.

I was thinking about something else today. If I'm out eating with Christian friends, I don't think anything of praying with my friends before we eat. But I don't pray when I'm with my non-Christian friends. And I'm working through why I don't. Am I embarassed? I think a little bit. And then another part of me doesn't want them to feel uncomfortable. But then I think, well are they thinking about my comfort when they curse? I don't think so. So anyways, I need to be better about that. I was out to lunch today with two lady friends, one a Christian and one not. And I should've prayed, but I didn't. But I'm resolving to pray the next time we get together, and possibly ask if I can pray aloud.

Go. Here. Now.

Wardrobe

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

It's been a while since I plugged Passion '06. So ummm, you should go. I'll be there. It'll be fun. And I'm thinking about driving down this year instead of flying. So I'll need road trip participants. I'll keep you posted when volunteer sign-up opens.

I've been slacking in the exercise area as of late. The last time I ran was last Wednesday. I gotta try and get back on the horse tonight and see if I can't work out three out of the next five days. That's my short-term goal.

I would just like to say that I love pizza. I'm having lunch today at The Pizza Grill in Lemoyne. They're great because they give you the option of having your pizza made with whole wheat crust. And I'll probably figure out a way to get some more pizza into my diet by the end of the week. My favorite local pizza joint, has to be Al's. There's an extra little hint of spice in their pizza that I love. When I was in Germany, I ate pizza at the train station every day I was there. It was good, and relatively cheap. And cheap is the next best thing to free, which as you know, is my favorite word.

Movie weekend..

I watched a bunch of movies this weekend. Friday night I watched Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen starring Lindsay Lohan and Allison Pill (who I believe to be cuter than Ms. Lohan) Saturday I finally watched Kill Bill Vol. 2. Sunday I watched Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. And right now, I'm watching The Hound of the Baskervilles from 1959, starring one Christopher Lee (who I think played Saroman in LOTR).

As for the rest of the weekend, it was decent. Key to the weekend was some fabulous weather. Today was just delightful. Drove myself over to City Island and did some walkin'. If I had a bike, I would have ridden it a lot today. But I didn't, so I walked.

And for the record, to follow up on my last entry. That one ad never ran. They never called me back. Booo. So I have to still place the ad, plus deal with the fallout from the person wanting to place the ad. Anybody want my job?

6:30pm and all's not well.

Oh yeah. Vacation is great....until you come back. So at 4:15, I had one more ad to run before I could go home. I still have one more ad to run before I can go home. For some reason, I tried to place an ad with the one newspaper who didn't know we filed for bankruptcy, and as such, had an outstanding balance on our account which was pre-petition. So I had to fax some documentation to them to try and get them to clean the account up. So I'm waiting......and blogging.

Ever have those times where you feel like not being nice but you just can't bring yourself to be not-nice? Sometimes I feel like I really want to stick it to somebody, but I can't bring myself to do it. Just because I think their behavior or actions deserve it, doesn't make it justice. And I'm very thankful that 95% of the time, the Holy Spirit holds me back.

And now it's 6:45 and I don't think this ad is going to run. So I've spent an extra two hours and change here, waiting for an ad that probably won't run. Lovely....

Oh, a little bit of this, and some of that..

Okay. First. I'm tired. Probably more tired than I've been in a while. And I'm experiencing something I don't normally encounter: Irritability. Simple stuff that I don't normally give a second thought to, came across as annoying this evening. I don't think I particularly enjoy being irritable. Actually, I think it sucks. Cuz I probably showed annoyance in my body language, and I don't want to do that to people. So if anyone was getting an "irritable vibe" from me, sorry.

This week I tried something new. Up until Tuesday, I had purchased something at Starbucks once. I think that was January of 2000, in Philadelphia. I visited Starbucks on Thursday and I purchased this. I had read some stuff about it in a trade journal, and seeing as I like hot chocolate, it was a good match. This is good stuff. If you like hot chocolate, or even chocolate, you should try this. It's euro-expensive (I paid $2.99 for that cup in the picture), but it's good.

I saw Ginny Owens play on Tuesday night. Two observations. 1) Not every blind person can play the piano well. Ginny can. And she sings. 2) I feel bad for blind people. But I don't think I should. She hasn't seen a flower or a blue sky in years. She hasn't seen a sunset. But she's not worse off for it. God has really blessed her with skillz and a great stage presence. And he's provided for her. And that's cool.

Tomorrow (or today, depending on when you read this) is lining up to be a crappy day. But I'll get through it. And ya know why? Cause God will get me through it.

Mad shouts to my man who is leaving the big high-rise world of Baltimore for the small village of Dillsburg. I salute you sir.

I think I may go see Sahara this weekend. I'd like to see Downfall, but I don't have a free movie coupon for that theatre.

Hersheypark opens in like three weeks. Wheee!

Thought for the day

Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD , the LORD , is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
Isaiah 12:2

One more link

Hey y'all. I know you've heard me talk a lot about Beth Moore. Well, Billy Graham's Evangelical Association is giving out free copies of Breaking Free by Beth Moore. Request your free copy here. Could even work as a small group type of book....

Your password will expire in...two days.

I can understand the need for tight security when dealing with data, but why oh why, do I have change my voicemail password every 60 days? It just doesn't make sense.

Link of the day. Also known as "Messiah College's Attempt to Rationalize Why We Bring Bob Dylan, The Counting Crowes and Wilco to Campus." I have no other comments at this time on this topic.

I have developed a new philosophy on DVD purchases. You see, I simply do not have the money to purchase all the DVD's that I would like to purchase. And so I thought that perhaps if I developed some sort of philosophy, then that would help me stick to my guns and not buy the latest and greatest flicks. So I've decided that the only DVD's that I would be purchasing will be Disney/Pixar animated movies, as well as movies that I deem to be "classic." A "classic" could be something old like The Greatest Story Ever Told, or something more modern like Wargames or Gladiator. So there's a little leeway there with said classics, but it's not going to allow me to purchase silly stuff like Starship Troopers 3. That being said, the following movies are now available for purchase:
The Simpsons Season 1
The Simpsons Season 2
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - TAKEN
The Monkees (pilot episode)
Chicken Run
13 Going on 30 - TAKEN
Down with Love

I'm asking $15 for the two box sets, and $6 for any of the others.

And thank you to all the participants in the second stop on my International Dining Tour. I appreciate your time. You all are good peoples.

Thai one on....

I had Thai food this evening for the very first thime. I chose the Bangkok House for this wonderful extravaganza. The "House" was chosen based upon input from other eaters of Thai food.

We started with an appetizer of egg rolls. I've never been a big fan of egg rolls and these didn't win me over. I've only had egg rolls one other time and they seemed to be much bigger. Not better, just bigger. Maybe they had some meat in them or something. Or maybe just a ton more cabbage. Eh, I'm just not a egg roll kinda guy.

On to the main course, Chicken Masama. I liked this dish. I ordered it "medium" on the "mild, medium, hot" scale. It was chicken, potatoes (two pieces of potato), carrots, onions, and some blocks of mysterious stuff, which I never figured out what it was. Oh, and there was some red curry in it. The sauce was good, but it was rather warm. Warm enough to make my nose run....several times.

So the question remains, would I return? Probably not. It was good to try it out, but it's not something I could eat on a regular basis. I have to admit that more than anything else, I'm a meat and potatoes kinda guy. Some people may describe me as "Plain Jane," and that's okay. I'm a no-frills kinda guy. So I probably won't return to the Bangkok House. Unless you're payin'. Cuz my favorite word is free.

What's wrong with the movie industry?

Exhibit A

Soothing Sounds

I meant to blog this last week and I forgot.  It's kinda random, but it's about my favorite sound.  I think my favorite sound (as far as I can tell) is the sound of air bubbles underwater.  I came to this realization as I was swimming in the pool.  Just the sound of the air bubbles expelled from my lungs was so peaceful and relaxing.  I can't exactly say why...maybe because it's a soft kinda sound.  Not harsh and/or abrasive.  That could be.  It's also very peaceful underwater.  I like that.

I don't understand.

This. Seriously. I don't understand.

A first for me.

I plunged a sink this morning. Not just any sink. The kitchen sink in the big break room. So take my advice, and don't put anything in the kitchen sink in the big break room. Cause I used the plunger from the bathroom. All together now.. "Ewwwww!" I used to wash my oatmeal bowl in that sink...

I started reading a book over the weekend. I wish I could tell you the name of the book, but I can't. You see, I left it in the seatback in front of me on "the worst flight ever" on Saturday. I can tell you it was a leadership/business type of book that used Biblical applications. And one of the chapters I got to read was about creating a mission statement. Now I can't tell you how many times I have actually created a mission statement, but I know it's been at least three. So my goal this time around, is to actually creating a lasting statement that I stick to and use as what I'll call a "life principle." So we'll see how that goes.

Ree-di-q-lus

I was watching the news tonight. They did a piece about recess, and the increasingly popular trend of either downsizing, or eliminating recess altogether.

According to the piece, and from data I've found on the internet, there are two primary reasons for wanting to eliminate recess. The first is that because US test scores have declined for quite a while, there's a school of thought that says we need to use recess time to teach the kids and that somehow this extra time will teach kids more, and thus make them smarter. The second reason is liability. School administrators are concerned that if something happens to the children while at recess, some legally minded parents might come after them, whether it's a broken leg playing kickball, or being shot by a stray bullet.

Regardless, you can't eliminate recess. That's silly and heavy-handed. Kids need to be kids. We can figure out some other way to raise test scores and improve our educational system.

If you'd like to read some more, go here.

One more month

Till what, you ask? Why till Hersheypark opens it's gates for the season. I enjoy being able to head out to the park whenever I feel like and do whatever I want. Having a season pass is a wonderful thing.

Practice has begun for the next performance of "The Bobbleheads." If you've forgotten, we're playing at the Harbour Coffeehouse on Saturday night April 16th at 7:30pm. We got some good stuff lined to play this time around. I was hoping to be able to buy my own drum before this gig, but that money has gone elsewhere. Perhaps before the the following next gig, whenever that is.

I applied for a position at Messiah College. I didn't even get considered for the position because, well let me just quote directly:

Thank you for your interest in Messiah College. At this time we are no longer taking applications for this position as the department is very far along in their search. Good luck in your job search.

All good and well. Just please do me the simple favor of pulling the ad from the website so that you don't get additional applications from folks whom you're going to deny without consideration.

Iron sharpens iron

There's a Christian guy out in the Lebanon area who works with iron and does a lot of cool stuff (mostly crosses). You might have seen his work at Christian Pub. Anywho, I found out that he's gotta web page. See it here.

I've been pretty psyched as of late because the past two nights I've gotten a solid seven hours of sleep. I'm thankful for that. Sleeping is awesome. I'm glad God decided when he created us that we needed to sleep. He's smart. I wish my boss would understand how important sleep is to me.

A reminder for those in the area, that Charlie Hall is going to be at CLA this Friday evening. It should be a good show.

Last night Carolina beat Illinois for the NCAA Championship. I was really hoping Illinois would win. While I do like the Tarheels and respect their storied history, I was pulling for the Illini this year. Didn't happen. But they played well. I'm not going to wax philosophical about the game, but I did want everyone to notice that Bruce Weber of Illinois had an orange jacket on with his shirt and tie, and Roy Williams of Kansas had a light blue (shoulda been Carolina blue) jacket on with his shirt and tie. That was cool.

Almost the end of the book

So I have almost finished reading this book called "A Heart Like His." Your quick recap on this title is that it's written by Beth Moore (ladies, she's coming to Hershey in June and it would be worth your time to see her) and it's about the life of David. I could wait till I actually get to the end of the book, but I'm only two short chapters away, and it's on my mind now, so I'm telling you now.

This is a great book. What the author does, is really just go through David's life, chapter by chapter. From Samuel being told to go find Jesse, to Solomon taking the throne. I've really found it rather informative and captivating. The author really paints you a clear picture of where David is and of the events surrounding David's reign as king. And here's what I got out of it.

David was a great man of God. But David was human, and by default, a sinner. David did great things for the Kingdom of God. But his sin caused great pain to himself, and to those around him. But in spite of his sin, God used David to accomplish great things. And David worshipped God. And all this gives me hope, that despite the broken, beat-up, prone-to-stumbling people that we are, God can and does still use us. We're imperfect vehicles for the salvation and the work of a perfect God. But he chose us, because he knew he could use us. And when I stumble in sin, God is there to forgive me and he still has a plan for me.

File under "Ummm, Good to Know?"

I really liked Julia Stiles' hair in Mona Lisa Smile.

Jane, stop this crazy thing!!!

Yesterday, I experienced the worst flight EVER. I was on my way back to Harrisburg from Pittsburgh yesterday afternoon. US Airways flies prop planes between MDT and PIT, as well as MDT and PHL. But that's another story from another day. Well, it was raining yesterday, which made some crappy atmospheric conditions. Up and down, side to side, for forty-five minutes. People were vomiting on the flight. We actually had an ambulance waiting for us on the tarmac when we arrived. It was brutal. I closed my eyes for most of the trip. And I'll probably be taking two more trips before the end of the month. I'm praying for better weather.

My friend Jim posted some neat pictures from a camping trip to Death Valley last week. Take a peek at them here.

Sorry for some of the mediocre posts as of late. Haven't been thinking too clearly.

Ugggg.

Today was one of the worst days I've ever had at my current place of employment.

What's doin' with tha local yokels.

I thought I would list some church websites here that I visit on a weekly, bi-weekly, or every once in a while basis. I like to see what's going on in local congregations, and some folks are good enough to put their weekly announcements on their website. And while not all of it's timely, at least they're putting stuff up. Which is more than I can say right now for West Shore. I don't know where our site went.

Christian Life Assembly
Camp Hill United Methodist
Mechanicsburg Brethren in Christ
Grantham Brethren in Christ

Thanks to my mum, I'll be going to the Steven Curtis Chapman concert tonight in Hershey. I'm mostly excited to be seeing Chris Tomlin. I like SCC, but I'm not so much looking forward to seeing Casting Crowns. Oh well, I'll be in a suite, so it shouldn't be too bad.