A Rabbit to Chase...

Still Chasing Rabbits...

2006-05-20T04:06:00.000-04:00

Any regular readers that come back to this site will know that there was not a real specific theme to my blog. Back when I was writing 7 or 8 times a week, the topics would range from anything dealing with working out and health to topics like Intelligent Design Theory. Now as I am resurrecting this blog, I want to kind of keep with that same trend. Anything of interest, that may be a little controversial, or at least get a reader to think and generate conversation is up for grabs. During this beginning phase, I am going to try and make sure that I write something of interest at least once or twice a week, but I hope to become pretty regular again.

As a little recap for those who used to read my blog all of the time. Since I last posted I have had a pretty eventful several months. Last August I had a $70K heart surgery, fixing a birth defect. This put a kink in my exercise routine that stuck around during school. I kept it up for a while after my Cardiologist gave me an "all clear", but school and life took its toll on my routine. I have also since taken a beginning Hebrew class, and an Intro to Biblical Counseling class. Christmas came and went, and since then I have started a relationship, started a second job working third shift security on the weekends (just call me Barney), gained a few winter/spring pounds, changed my focus in ministry somewhat and last, but certainly not least, bought my first property (a nice townhouse condo). These things did not happen at all in that order, and that is not an exhaustive list by any means, but those are some of the highlights.

The first question that I would like to ask anyone that would care to answer, is how in the heck do you get re-motivated to workout after going through a temporary dry spell. In the past, I have had many ups and downs with work out regimens and weight. But once I got out of them, the laziness stuck around for a long time, until it got to the point that I just couldn't take it anymore and I would restart the cycle. I don't want it to be that way this time. I have been out of a routine for about five-six months now, and I want to be motivated to get back in that routine before it begins to get out of hand again. Please offer your advice!!

Coming soon...

2006-05-13T05:49:00.000-04:00

I seriously doubt that any of my regular readers from back in the day still check on me...since I have "fallen off the face of the earth" from a blogger perspective. If any of you still check me out, I am about to resurrect this blog...I am working a third shift job as a second source of income and I have some time to write during the night. I plan on having at least one posting a week...on good weeks more :). Hope all have been well.

Christmas Music

2005-11-28T16:48:00.000-05:00

I know that I will probably catch some flack for this...but if you have ever worked in a mall or a restaurant around the holidays you can probably sympathize.

There are many people out there who love the holidays for many reasons...some like to spend time with their families, some like to shop, some look for a good excuse to have a vacation from work...and some like the "holiday cheer". The latter of that list usually entails a love of Christmas music and all things related.

I want to start by saying that I AM NOT A SCROOGE by any means. I love holidays...I love hanging out with my family...I love taking some time off from school and work. I truly love the "real" meaning to celebrate Christmas (the birth of Jesus). But something that I truly truly do not like is Christmas music.

Fourteen years of working in restaurants (the majority of which was in malls) has jaded me when it comes to holiday music. To the point that when I come across it on the radio I instantly change the dial. Dont get me wrong...there are some old songs with good theological meaning that I can tolerate. But the thought of having a "Blue Christmas" or "Seeing momma kissing Santa Clause" makes my stomach turn even writing the words :). And every year it has gotten earlier and earlier. In the old days they used to hold off until the day after Thanksgiving...this year I actually heard some Christmas music on the radio more than a week ago.

Let me know your thoughts...

Graduation...14 years later :)

2005-11-23T09:37:00.000-05:00

Alright...Alright...I can take a hint. I know that I have been a blog slacker lately, but cut me some slack...I deal with daily drama at work...and I have had an extremely busy time lately.

But, the end is in sight. My semester is one week away from being done (my Hebrew final is next Friday), and I will have until the end of January before I start back...almost two full months of a school break.

I am so stoked...I met with an Academic advisor yesterday to confirm some decisions I was in the process of making. Some background on this...my masters degree is a 91 hour masters degree. I have been working on it since the fall of 2000. I have had five semesters where I was a full time student (9+ hours) and one semester off and the rest I have been considered part time (6 or less hours). I decided it was time to look into finally getting stinkin done and get serious about a plan (much like I have done with my finances in the past few months...they have started to turn around finally).

As of now...I will take 3 hours in the spring, 6 hours next fall, 9 hours the following spring, then 6, then 3. All while keeping my full time job, doing ministry, and trying to keep up with my relationships. The spring '07 semester will be a bear.

So projected graduation date...........................Spring 2008.

Graduated high school......................................Spring 1994.

Total college and grad school............................14 STINKIN YEARS!!!

How in the world does this happen to people :).

For those out there who have had college and post grad classes...please share some of these stories and help me feel better :).

Have a great Thanks...givin' (I have been told this is how I pronounce this word by my great friend A-dog).

Movies VS. TV Shows

2005-10-12T15:27:00.000-04:00

This is actually something that I noticed quite some time ago...I dont know if I have written about this much before now. I think that I have made references about this, but I dont know if I have never thrown it out there as a main topic of conversation. Even if I did, its worth a second look.

Something that I have noticed myself doing a great deal more of, if I go to the video store, is renting TV shows as opposed to renting movies.

There are so many shows that I have actually never seen as regularly scheduled programming. Alias, and the love of my life Jennifer Garner, is one of the long list of shows that I have strictly watched in DVD format. A few more are 24, Boomtown, and Dead Like me (One of my favorite shows of all time btw...even though it only lasted for two seasons on Showtime). The most recent show that I have been watching is Lost (what a great show...I have only seen 8 episodes of season one and I am hooked).

There are many advantages to doing this...The greatest advantage is the time factor.

1. When watching a show on a DVD, there are no commercials. You can watch the show in 20 (for a sitcom) to 45 (for a drama) minutes.

2. Not only do you do without the commercials, but watching a 45 minute drama compared to watching a 2 hour movie saves time as well.

3. Then there is the scheduling factor. I have mentioned before that I cannot guarantee from week to week that I am going to have the same time slot open on any given night.

Do any of you find that you rent more TV shows on DVD than Movies in any given month?

Mini Marathon Here I come

2005-10-10T15:23:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to share with my few loyal readers an accomplishment that is huge for me.

I have been running now for several months (started around March or April), but even though I have ran as long as I have now, I still have the occasional stops to catch my breath on the long runs...there is one hill that I run up near my apartment that kills me everytime. I can usually make the two and three mile runs without a stop...but anything more I find myself pushing myself too hard at times and wearing myself down to the point that I have to walk for 20 or 30 yards once or twice.

Last Friday evening I was able to make it up that hill and completely finish a five mile run without stopping once.

Now I just have to be able to do that for 13 miles by the spring :).

Hope all are well...

Funeral Etiquette

2005-10-05T12:18:00.000-04:00

I do not handle funerals and death well. I never have...but to be honest, growing up I never had to much. I really only remember a few funerals that I had to go to growing up, and only one of them was a relatively close family member (a grandfather). This "fear" of funerals and those things related became intensified in college when I lost a very close friendship with my best friend from high school over a misunderstanding when her little sister died. I was trying to be there for her in the best way I knew how, and she took it all the wrong way. I have only spoken to her one time since, and that has made me even more anxious when it comes to funerals.

I think that the main problem I have is knowing what to say to people. What makes this even worse is that going into the ministry I will deal with this on a regular basis. This by far is one of my, if not the, biggest weaknesses I have.

As I have gotten older, I have had to see death more and more. My friends' parents, tragedies, accidents...so many people in recent years that I have known directly or indirectly have passed away.

This brings me to the first part of my two part question of the day...

1. Is there any way to get better at this besides just going to a lot of funerals and reaching out to people? Does anyone out there have any tips on knowing what to say to people?

The next part (related, but quite different) of this question came up the other day when I was talking to my boss about a funeral that was going on Tuesday (a friend of mine's father). I was trying to decide whether to go to the Visitation or to the Funeral. If I had gone to the funeral, I would have missed two conference calls that I am a part of on Tuesday afternoon. If I had gone to the visitation before the funeral, I would been back in time for the conference calls, but I would have missed the funeral.

2. What determines when someone should go to the actual funeral or just visitation will suffice?

For example...I knew the girl, and I met her father a couple of times...but I didnt really know him. I was great friends with the girl and her husband a while back, but I havent really kept up with them in recent months. Should I have attended the Visitation or Funeral or both?

Anyway...this is already too long.

Let me know your thoughts.

The mysterious smell...

2005-10-04T09:05:00.000-04:00

For the past week the fridge in our office kitchen has gradually been smelling worse and worse. The smell was a mixture between parmesan cheese, belly button and butt (lol)...I know that sounds gross...and it really was getting more gross as the days passed.

The smell was overtaking everything. I put a can of diet coke in there the other day, and that smell had actually invaded the metal of my can. I even felt like the smell had gotten into my clothes when I got my lunch out of there yesterday. The office manager even took the time to clean out the fridge on Friday, but the smell was still there and getting worse.

So I took it upon myself, being the "hero" that I am LOL, to find the source of the smell. I started throwing away everything that it could possible be...and pinpointing the source was hard because everything in there smelled like it at this point.

Finally, after several minutes of searching, I noticed a gallon of milk in the back. As I grabbed it I felt the bloated feeling of a container with bad milk. I knew I had found the source. When I pulled it out I looked at the date...MAY 19TH!!! OMGosh...somehow a gallon jug of milk had stayed in there for almost four months and no one had caught it until yesterday. It was so "chunky" that it didnt really "slosh" so much as stay as a solid at the bottom of the gallon when I picked it up.

I have had a bad experience with spoiled milk before (not at my house, but at a friend's house)...this one may actually be worse. I dont know how long it will take before that smell subsides.

Favorite Time of Year??

2005-10-03T17:14:00.000-04:00

I love fall...it is one of my favorite times of year. I love that the weather is cooling off, and I love football. Also, deer season is right around the corner.

I have a new "Mini Poll" (see right Column)...Vote and tell me what your favorite time of the year is.

If you are one of the unfortunate ones that lives somewhere that doesnt experience the season changes, I feel for you...leave a comment and tell me what you like about the weather where you live. :)

Learning how to say "No" and really mean it

2005-10-03T16:11:00.000-04:00

OK...OK...I am giving in. I have been given a sufficiently hard enough time about not updating my blog...and now I am sure that it has been long enough that any regular readers I had have given up on me :).

I, as many of my fellow bloggers that I have been keeping up with, have also been extraordinarily busy. It is crazy how busy one person can actually be...which is why I have chosen the topic of today's entry.

It occurred to me about three weeks ago that I have way...way...too many things in my life that require too much of my attention...so much so that I didnt even really have a "life" to call my own. Prior to one week ago, I had seven days of my week planned...and every weeknight but one taken up with something. Typically I dont mind this too much. I like being a very busy person. For the most part, I work better under pressure...and I dont like not having things to do. Actually, when I dont have things to do, I typically look for things to do or get restless...which has brought me to where I am in this phase.

I decided to seek some counsel about my life, and a great man that I admire told me that I need to "Narrow my focus". It seemed that I had said "yes" to so much in my life that the planning side of me couldnt really get my arms around it, and the perfectionist side of me had actually retracted quite a bit. Apparently when I get as overwhelmed as I was this semester, my "production" gets very sloppy.

A prime example...my class this semester is Hebrew...learning a language is a very difficult thing that requires daily study. Basically what I was doing was cramming all studying for that class into one evening which is not near enough...thus, I am way far behind at the midpoint of this semester...Another example would be my apartment. I really cant stand clutter, however, I do take busy times into consideration and sometimes let my apartment get a little messy until a certain point. My apartment right now is so far past that point that I will probably have to have two cleaning sessions. The first of which to get back to my breaking point...and then the second to get it up to par.

One thing that I was made to do before this "counseling" session ended was actually say the word "No"...I have always had the hardest time saying "No" when asked to do something. I am definitely a sucker for helping out any and all people that need help.

Last week I was actually able to say "No" to two responsibilities in my life...not that I feel any less busy yet (this will be the first full week without them), but at the very least I have a little more room to play with in my schedule...and I have another weeknight freed up.

I hope all are doing well...and hopefully I will be able to keep you guys up to date about life or anything I see that deserves some thought with a little bit more frequency in the near future.

Doctor wrong or right?

2005-08-26T08:18:00.000-04:00

I heard about this on my way into work this morning...so I am going to throw this out here and get your opinions...

An angry woman in New Hampshire has filed a complaint because her doctor told her she was obese.

I listened to many callers call in on both sides of the issue. Apparently this doctor's patient has been seeing him a while (they didnt say how long), and has dealt with many weight related effects (i.e. diabetes, acid reflux, hypertention). When she was not doing anything about getting healthier he took a more direct approach and just laid all the facts out there bluntly to get her attention. She did not tell him that she was offended at the time, but later filed a complaint, and he sent a formal apology.

I feel like sometimes people need a shot of reality about their situation. Maybe he could have potentially chosen his words differently, but I feel as though the woman was at the doctor to seek medical advice, and was continually refusing to put into practice the advice she was paying for. I have heard counselors say that one of the most frustrating thing is when people continually seek their counsel, yet never listen and use the experienced counsel that they offer.

I was once in her shoes...my doctor in Tennessee told me I was obese...and I needed to lose weight for my health. I was dealing with diabetes, and headed down a similar rode. My situation was amplified because of the heart defects that I was born with. It took a lot of blatant laying out of the facts to make me wake up my third year of college...I finally decided to do what the doctor had been telling me I needed to do. And you know what...my health got better. I was able to stop taking medication for my diabetes and I felt better.

I understand about doctors with poor bedside manner...I have had those in the past as well. But it seems as though this doctor had tried everything else to get her attention, and she wasnt listening to him...so the direct approach that he used was somewhat of a last resort. If they shared how long she had been seeing him, I think that could effect my opinions on the matter.

I dont know...share your thoughts...was the doctor wrong to tell a patient that she was obese in the direct approach that he used?

Take an educated guess...

2005-08-25T12:37:00.000-04:00

Okay...I received an itemized bill for my heart procedure (hopefully all of which will be covered by my two insurances...we shall see), so I wanted to take a poll and get your educated guesses.

Interactive question: How much do you think a heart procedure like what I described in my last entry cost?

If I have already told you...be fair and dont answer.

This is what it all included:

One night in the hospital
A cardiac cath (the actual procedure itself)
The device that they put in my heart
A Trans esophogeal exam
Two echo cardiograms
a few ekgs
and a few chest exrays.

I will post the answer in a few days...let you know if you are close.

It has been quite a while...

2005-08-18T12:14:00.000-04:00

Man...I didn't realize I had gone almost three weeks since my last entry.

I have had a lot of stuff happen in my life since my last entry...here is a little update for those who read my blog to be kept up with my life a bit.

The main thing that has happened was my heart procedure last week. I was unfortunately born with two birth defects in my heart. Of the two, the more significant one at this stage in my life is the Atrial Septum Defect...commonly referred to as an ASD. A way to repair this defect was developed in Minnesota around 2000 or 2001. A team in Minneapolis developed a tiny metal thing called an AMPLATZERÂ® Septal Occluder (you should check it out...its pretty neat...it looks like a hamburger bun when its opened up in your heart). At any rate, they put a small hole in my leg...traveled up to my heart...placed the metal thing to fill the hole...and now the defect is closed. I have a tiny metal thing in my heart...beating along with me. After six months, the metal thing will actually be covered by skin, and become a part of my heart. How cool is technology. I was out for a few days last week...and I am unfortunately still limping around some. However, in about three weeks, all restrictions will be lifted. I will be free to continue on, and maybe push myself harder and farther than I ever have in my life. I truly look forward to the next several months...I want to train and run in the Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon.

Beyond the heart procedure, school starts this weekend. I am taking a Friday night Saturday morning Hebrew class.

I have also still been very active with church, ministry, work (which has picked up a lot lately) and friends.

I do intend on trying to update my blog more regularly.

Have a great day and a great weekend.

Blogging

2005-07-29T12:44:00.000-04:00

I have been a "blogger" for about three months now. Since I have started this weblog, being the analyzer that I am, I have thought a lot about the different things associated with the "blog world". Some examples: weblog traffic, the types of blogs that people have, the comments that are left on mine and ones I leave on other's, the interaction with people that I have met solely through my blog, how the web (no pun intended) of blog connections starts with leaving a comment on another blog and other regular readers of that blog seeing your link and looking at your site...the list really goes on.

I have thought about it a lot lately because I know that I haven't been able to post as regularly due to work, and I know once my semester starts in a couple of weeks, my entries are probably going to be limited as well. It made me think about the regular readers, if they would get frustrated and just stop coming to visit my site...or not having interesting things for new people to read and thus not drawing any new readers.

I read a blog entry in a friend of mine's blog (denny burk...see article "Understanding Blogs") that was a short commentary about an article in another blog (USS Clueless). The latter of the two, though somewhat a little cocky in his article, had some good points.

One thing that the author, Steven Den Best, pointed out of interest, also what Denny comments on, is the types of bloggers. Steven categorizes all bloggers into two classes on a broad level of categorization ("informal portal" and "writers").

The first of these two classes simply adds some commentary to an existing article (see Number 2 Pencil for a great example), and puts it out there for people to read. The latter of these two will write about anything happening in the news, or life, or interact with other stuff that is written, etc...according to Steven, the second type of blogger creates something new, but that does not mean that links and such will not be involved.

As I analyzed his thoughts and my extensive blog reading over the past few months, I find that on a very basic level he is correct. I would go on to say that there are several other sub-categories and that it does not break the rules if a blog crosses those categories.

For instance, I feel that I would probably fall into the second category of Steven's classifications for the most part, but there are times when what I write is solely a short commentary on something else that has been written.

Breaking it down even further, I would say that the main subject matter of what I write about is not set in stone. Some of it is about current events, or my life, or exercise, etc...I would say, for the most part, this is true of all blogs.

Even though some weblogs begin for one reason or another, from what I have seen, I think that most blogs cross the lines back and forth when it comes to subject matter or the two classes that Steven points out.

My IPod Shuffle

2005-07-28T08:12:00.000-04:00

The IPod shuffle is one of the greatest inventions ever created. I guess that would count for all MP3 players...

I just recently purchased my shuffle from a good friend of mine (he got a stinkin' 30 gig IPod...who needs that much space really? :)). I have been adding songs from my CDs for the past few days (about 90 songs so far), and I still have enough space for about 30-40 more songs. I even fell into the trap of ITunes and purchases a few 99 cent songs.

That brings me to my thought of the day...ITunes. Whoever thought of the idea of the ITunes store was brilliant. The simple fact that if you have an IPod, you are kind of a slave to ITunes to be able to manage what songs are on your player...that was their first smart move. I am not quite sure if there is a way around that. But beyond that, they are probably making a fortune off of people like me and you...those of us who will buy a few songs here and there at a cost of only 99 cents (not even a dollar). I am sure there are people out there who have purchased numerous songs that are less than a dollar...it has to add up.

"Realistic" or a "Recipe for Failure"

2005-07-22T16:06:00.000-04:00

My parents are in the minority of couples that have remained together in this day and age. Divorce is an epidemic that is at an all time high...especially in America. I feel very blessed that I did not have to experience what it is like to be a part of a broken home. In fact, oddly enough, most of the close friends that I had as a child did not have to experience that either...so I never really have seen it first hand.

My heart goes out to people that have been forced to go through this, either as a son or daughter watching their parents break the vows, or as a couple who has determined that they no longer need to be man and wife.

Thumbing through some internet articles the late stages of my friday afternoon at work (counting down the minutes until my weekend starts :)), I ran across a very interesting article. Apparently, the part of the wedding vows that say "Until death do us part" are gradually being phased out of the standard vows that are being used today.

The article reports, "Vows like "For as long as we continue to love each other," "For as long as our love shall last" and "Until our time together is over" are increasingly replacing the traditional to-the-grave vow -- a switch that some call realistic and others call a recipe for failure."

My thoughts on this are the latter. I think that if the mindset of the couple going into the marriage is "as long as we continue to love each other", it is a sad statement of the commitment level of the couple...and a sad statement of the non-committal mentality of the world that we live in.

William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, said this, "It's a change for the worse. The 'death do us part' vow is really unconditional. Once you change it to 'as long as love shall last' or something of that nature, it's conditional. It's almost analogous to a prenuptial agreement — simply saying 'we hope it works out.' It goes against the grain of marriage."

I am not married, but when I do make those vows, I want my wife to know that I am in it for the long haul. Tough times will come, there will be days when the "love" that we feel for each other will have to be more than the fuzzy feeling that we get when we first said "I do". Love takes work sometimes...and to say that we are only in it as long as the love last is indeed a recipe for failure.

Lines at the Post Office

2005-07-22T15:16:00.000-04:00

My office has a postage machine, and a mail pick up each day. Very seldom do we ever have to leave the office to mail anything. However, there are a few occasions when I am forced to make a trip to the post office (I am that guy in our small company).

When you are going to the post office, you never know exactly what that trip will be like. Sometimes, I have gone straight through the door and straight up to the counter, and I am back in my car in a two minute round trip. Other times, however, it can be very frustrating.

Today was a good example of the latter. I actually went to two different post offices before I settled into a long line. The first one that I went to had a line out the door and one person behind the counter. Since I was grabbing lunch for a couple of people, I decided not to wait in line. I simply jumped back in my truck and picked up the food and dropped it off at the office on my way to another post office.

This second post office had a line out the door as well. However, there were four people working behind the counter. Even with four people it still took me about 30 minutes to meander my way through the line.

The thing that frustrates me stems from the fact that you really never know how it is going to be when you get there. Post offices don't have a "rush hour" per se. There is no "lunch rush" as you find in a restaurant within a two hour window. At any given moment of the day, the post office could be a ghost town or have a line out the door. I don't really understand that, and being a product of the fast pace society we live in, I would love to know when the "slow times" are for my next trip to the post office. Furthermore, being a planner, I would really like to know what to prepare myself for.

Supersize Me (part 2)

2005-07-21T10:05:00.000-04:00

I decided to finally rent the Supersize Me movie a couple of nights ago (I have wanted to for a long time, but never took the time to do it). I highly recommend it to anyone that cares about their health.

Though there was a little bit of "boringness" through a couple of parts (I guess most documentaries have a little bit of "boringness" lol), all in all it was pretty good and very informative.

Throughout the entirety of the movie, the guy points out several statistics about Americans. The statistic that stuck with me the most is the fact that, if current trends continue, one out of every three children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes. That is alarming to me. I am diet controlled diabetes, and my blood sugar has been under control for several years now. But when I was diagnosed with it, I read up on it. Plus my mom and grandmother both have it. The effects of developing diabetes can shorten ones life by many years, and the risk of coma or a loss of eyesight at some time in life is high.

Another thing that was alarming was the effect of eating three meals of McDonalds a day on his body. He had several doctors examine him before he began and he was in excellent health. Before it was over, he was having chest pains, his liver was beginning to show signs of damage, his cholesterol skyrocketed and his blood pressure was horrible. The doctors were recommending that he stop before he even finished the 30 days.

If you have not seen this movie, I recommend it.

Crazy, Busy Life...

2005-07-21T09:24:00.000-04:00

I feel like such a bad blogger...I haven't been posting much lately. Its not because I don't want to...I have just been busy. This summer has been a very unique summer for me. I have been even busier than normal...and I have been out of town quite a bit. I have also not been able to have a regular weekly schedule at all, and that has been driving me crazy. And now, I only have a few weeks left before classes start and those few weeks have been fairly booked already.
My work has been really hectic the past couple of weeks, and dealing with being without a computer for a week made me even more tense. And since I only post when I have time here, I just simply have not had any time to post.

Analyzing this summer's events has led me to a question...If I could go back and start this summer over again, what would I do differently? or more correctly, what could I have done to prevent the craziness of this summer from happening? (I don't know if I could have done anything to prevent it actually)

If I could do this summer over again, I would definitely try to plan more down time. In my 10 years of school, I have only taken summer classes once. I have always felt like taking classes during the summer kind of defeated the purpose and allowed no break. For several years of my schooling I have worked 40 hours or more a week even while I am taking classes. The summers allowed me to just focus on work and not school. At this phase of my life, I also know that down time must be a planned event...to keep me from going crazy. The lack of down time this summer has made me somewhat tense.

I also would have read more. I started a book over vacation a few weeks ago, and I still haven't finished it :). It is not from a lack of trying, I have just not had the time.

With summer being 3/4 of the way done...is there anything that you wish you would have done differently or more of?

YAY!!! I have my computer back.

2005-07-15T14:26:00.000-04:00

After almost an entire week of waiting on this guy to come put a new power supply in my computer (and jumping between like three or four different computers), he finally came this afternoon. After about two minutes worth of work, I am up and running in my own desk again. Everything feels right in the world now :).

Keep an eye out in the near future (probably this afternoon). I am going to be putting up a new mini poll question in my sidebar to the right of this page.

The new interactive poll will feature the question:

Which piece of technology would you find it the hardest to live without?

Supersize me or a new "McDonald's-only diet"???

2005-07-14T13:13:00.000-04:00

A movie has been out on DVD for quite a while now called "Supersize me". I have not actually seen it, but I have heard that is a documentary of sorts, depicting a man who eats only McDonalds for a month and gains 25 pounds.

A woman in North Carolina challenges the findings in this movie Losing Pounds Under the Golden Arches. She apparently is a busy lady that eats three meals a day at McDonalds. According to the report she has lost 33 lbs after doing this for more than two months.

She is quoted as saying, "I just [stay] anywhere between 1,200 and 1,400 calories a day".

A few thoughts:
1. Of course she is going to lose weight if that is all of the calories she is eating. Her body would burn more calories than that if she were sleeping all day. Honestly, in my plight to lose weight I started with my calorie intake around 1500-1700, but now that I know more, I know that my body needs the nutrition from a diet with more calories than that.
2. There is no way that her body is getting all of the vitamins that it needs strictly from processed, McDonalds fast food.
3. Is she exercising too? Even if her weight is getting better, is she actually getting healthier or just thinner?

Barry Popkin (not to be confused with Mary Poppins) is a "nutritionist at UNC". He actually gives her big props saying, "She's created, for her lifestyle, a very smart diet".

I think this is crazy that a nutritionist is actually condoning this way of losing weight.

Technology...a blessing and a curse!

2005-07-12T11:47:00.000-04:00

I work in an IT world with IT things and IT minded people. Over the past year, as I have been introduced to that world more and more, I have been sucked into it...now I very much enjoy checking out the new technology stuff that comes out (even though a lot of it I may never understand or need or want).

Over the weekend there was a power surge in my building. Unfortunately, though I was mistaken in my thinking, the power strip that my computer was plugged into was nothing more than just that...a power strip. It was not a surge protector. Therefore, I came into my office Monday morning to a computer with no power supply...it was fried. (all of which was caused by a squirrel on a power line by the way...that is the second squirrel in the past six months that has met his fate on a power line connected to our building and caused headaches for us)

All of the computers that are in our office are being used. Therefore, I have spent most of yesterday (after I spent a lot of the morning on the phone with the computer company) and all of today using a foreign computer in a conference room across from our office.

What have I learned from this?

1. I wish I had my own office all of the time lol...I have been in here by myself, and not that I goof off all day, but I don't feel like I am being baby sat now. Furthermore, I have a window to gaze out of in here (as I watch a rabbit playing in the rain...running in circles between two bushes) lol.

2. I miss the fact that all of the websites I need are just a click away in my favorites dropdown box on my own computer. In here, I have been forced to type in all of the web addresses and/or email addresses, and that has definitely slowed me down some.

3. I miss knowing where everything is on my own computer. I have all that I need and use on a regular basis saved on the desktop of my own computer. If it is not there, it is very easily accessible for me to find. In here, even though I have access to our shared drive, the shared drive itself is sort of a challenge to get to.

4. I have no access to old emails. All of the emails I have are saved in Micro. Outlook on my hard drive.

5. I feel out of place away from my seat, away from my desk, away from my computer and away from my desk phone.

Bottom line: My work has been choppy at best the last couple of days, and I blame a lot of that on the fact that I am using a computer that is foreign to me. I have often thought about how dependent we are on the technology that we own (not that I own my work computer, but I use it 40 hours or more in a week...so I have a personal attachment to it).

Here is another example...If I needed to call someone, and I did not have my cell phone with me, I would not know how to get in touch with them. In most cases, when I get a number from someone now, I never even look at the actual numbers anymore even as I type them in. Sometimes, I trust technology so much that I just have them call my phone and I save the number that appears on my screen. If it is in my phone I have it.

Are there any technology things in your life that would cause your world to become bumpy at best, or maybe even shut down for a while, if you did not have access to them????

Wow!!

2005-07-06T15:41:00.000-04:00

I have had some time on my hands today, so I have gotten a little "blog happy" :)...or I may be trying to simply make up for some lost time...

At any rate, I ran across a reference to this article on another blog (Number 2 pencil...a great blog btw)...and the sheer stupidity of this woman from Utah mades me want to share it with the world.

Apparently, this woman auctioned off advertising space on her forehead. Placing a tattoo of the highest bidder (a casino website) right over her eyebrows. If you don't believe me, here is a picture of it on another weblog.

Enjoy, and have a good laugh.

Creation Museum

2005-07-06T12:56:00.000-04:00

There is a museum going up in my great state of Kentucky that teaches a biblical worldview on history. Check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Creation Museum

Le Tour De France

2005-07-06T08:14:00.000-04:00

This is the first year that I have attempted to try and keep up with what is going on with the Tour de France. I honestly don't understand it at all...I have never sat down and tried to figure out how it all works...the yellow jersey, the green jersey, the different stages, team stages versus individual stages, and how the point system works...there is a ton of stuff that I am sure fans of the biking world understand, but I would need a crash course to be able to keep up with it. Also, I do not have cable, and I work during the day, so there really isn't an opportunity for me to watch it. I am reduced to reading the live updates online.

Even if you don't like biking, or keep up with sports of that nature, Lance Armstrong has an amazing story. Lance has the greatest overcoming adversity/comeback story that there is.

Lance began racing/winning Iron Kid triathlons at the age of 13 in Plano, TX. Three short years later, he turned pro. It was a short road to the top, and he continued at the top well into the 90's and was ranked as high as 9th in the world ('96). In October of 1996, Lance was diagnosed with cancer and given less than a 50% chance of recovery. He was told that the cancer had spread into his lungs and brain. Lance was determined to beat it, and sought advice from specialists. After taking a very aggressive form of chemotherapy, he began to recover and to think about racing again.

Nine years later, Lance has accomplished only what some would dream of. Not only has he battled cancer and survived, but he has made a tremendous mark on the biking/sports world. His first year back ('98), he finished 1st in four events. 1999 was his first year to race in the Tour de France after his victory over cancer, and he not only finished first, but he won four stages. Furthermore, he finished 1999 (two short years after battling his cancer) ranked 4th in the world. If that is not enough, he has won the Tour de France every year since (6 titles), and was ranked as high as 2nd in the world ('02).

Lance has used his experience not only to motivate himself in his sport, but to encourage others. Off of the race track, he is very active in the community. He set up the Lance Armstrong foundation in 1997, which is a non-profit organization that helps people cope with and learn more about surviving cancer.

Lance's story is there for the world to see. It could not have been better scripted. I am sure that his story will be shared with (as it should be), and it will be an encouragement to generations to come.

Sad Times!

2005-07-01T13:28:00.000-04:00

Well any doubts to the rumors have now been confirmed...Jen and Ben's Surprise Wedding! I was hoping that Jen would think twice about tieing the knot with ole boy, and consider me :)...but to no avail, she went through with it.

I hope everyone has a nice 4th of July weekend. I am heading out of town again.

Once you start...

2005-06-29T12:33:00.000-04:00

Part of what I have been sharing in my weblog have been periodic entries to encourage people to live more healthy lives...start eating right...start exercising.

The hardest part is actually starting, but after getting over that hump the danger is to start losing interest. Or another danger is not seeing any of the benefits quickly enough and giving up. It is easy to digress and fall back into your old lifestyle.

Here are a few pointers to help keep your motivation level up:

1. Set goals. If there are no goals, you really are aimlessly trying to accomplish nothing. The goals will change as you continue. Also, once you accomplish them, you need to set new ones. They don't have to be completely specific, but there must be goals to achieve. My goals have fluctuated a great deal over the past 14 months. Initially, when I started, my goal was to find something to focus on besides what I was experiencing in my life at the time. Then I had a goal weight I wanted to achieve. Now that I have plateaued somewhat in my weight loss, my goal is to lose body fat percentage (somewhere between 12% and 14% is my ultimate goal, but I also have a goal that I would like to hit before the summer is up). Furthermore, I have other goals that revolve around my training as opposed to just my appearance (which helps keep my mind off of the pride factor). I would like to run in a sprint triathlon next spring...so my training is more geared towards building up my stamina.

2. Celebrate when you reach a goal. Part of my routine used to include one meal a week where I did not count calories. I still splurge here and there...but my diet is a little more strict than it used to be. However, now when I have a great week of working out, I will sometimes celebrate with an extra day of rest the next week.

3. Have accountability. This is actually a pointer that I don't practice myself. I have always worked out by myself. Because I have a very people personality, I find that having a workout partner is more of a distraction to me than a benefit. However, most people can definitely find it beneficial to have someone to hold them to a workout regimen.

4. Know that this is a lifestyle change and not just a diet. The wrong mindset can ruin you from the start. You have to be in it for the long haul...not just a set period of time. There are going to be ups and downs along the way, but if you make a change of your lifestyle, it is a lot easier to return to the "ups" if you have a period of "downs". Please see The Practical Way to Lose Fat. I referenced this article in another entry, but it is very insightful when talking about patience and being it it for the long haul.

These are four tips...but there are many more. If you have other suggestions, feel free to share them as well.

If you have the time...

2005-06-28T15:48:00.000-04:00

Hey...here is an MIT survey for bloggers...it takes about 15-20 minutes. I took it so see how I compare to other bloggers. Some of the questions are pretty interesting as far as figuring out why they would ask them.

To the Penny

2005-06-28T09:34:00.000-04:00

I have a confession to make that will cause some people to cringe. Up until about 2 1/2 years ago, I never really balanced my checkbook. I was horrible when I was an undergrad. I bounced so many checks, you would have thought that my checkbook was made of rubber. I ended up giving more money to my bank than I gave to some of my bill collectors during those years.

Once I was supposed to be "grown up" (after undergrad), I got a little better about things. I actually opened the statements I received from the Bank, and tried to pay more attention to what the balance was supposed to be. I still had some slip ups, but they were much more under control than they once had been, and it wasn't costing me as much.

Three Christmases ago, however, I made a huge mistake. A mistake that ended up costing me about $300.

Since then, it has become an obsession of mine to balance my checkbook. I get online at least once or twice a week to mark off what has gone through, and see what is still pending. As of this past January, with a couple of small exceptions, I had been to the penny with my account for two years. I just balanced my checkbook a few moments ago, and the feeling that comes from knowing exactly how much money I have is a rush for me now.

Borrowing an example from another blog, I will be adding a poll to the sidebar of this site before the day is out:

How many people out there balance their checkbooks regularly?

(please place your vote on my newly added Checkbook Mini Poll :)...see below and to the right)

Healthy Snacking

2005-06-23T12:51:00.000-04:00

I am a peanut butter freak!!! I love it. I could truly try it on almost anything...at least once. It is great on granola bars, any cookie, added to ice cream, on bagels, on cheese, on pop tarts...the list really goes on. If I had no self control at all, I could literally eat a whole jar in two days. The unfortunate thing with Peanut Butter is that it is high in fat and calories.

Over the past year, as I have lost weight, and changed my lifestyle to a more healthy one, I have done very well at keeping peanut butter out of my house, or at the very least rationing how much I eat in a week. Occasionally I will buy a jar, but always the Natural peanut butter (just peanuts, oil and salt...btw, for those who get the Natural peanut butter, Skippy just started making one that you don't have to stir...the oil isn't settled at the top like others...I got my first jar of it last night, and it is really good). Natural peanut butter taste different than the traditional stuff (Peter Pan is my favorite processed peanut butter)...but if you eat it a few times, then you can find that you actually crave it over the other stuff, and it is better for you. I would rather have Natural peanut butter over the processed stuff now.

Even though I have feared peanut butter in the past, I read an article yesterday that really points out the benefits of the food: Peanut Butter: A Super Sports Food. The author, Nancy Clark, shows that even though a lot of people have the same fears that I do, peanut butter is really not a bad thing. She even recommends getting rid of the energy/protein bars and replacing them with a peanut butter snack. I admit that I am a big fan of certain protein bars (there are a lot out there that are a small step above candy bars...but some are good if you look at the Nutrition facts. Luna Bars, though advertised towards women, are good snacks...I like the ProteinBar brand too), and I doubt that I will stop buying them completely. However, I have now decided to start keeping peanut butter around again, and working it into my daily calories.

As a sidenote, I discovered Sun-Dried apples yesterday too...no fat 110 calories...and it taste like a fruit rollup.

If you have any other good/healthy/nutrition beneficial snack ideas, please share them.

After the Caloric Massacre

2005-06-22T15:57:00.000-04:00

As the dust settles, and I look back over the events of my vacation, I realize that any kind of potential calorie count would be pointless. I was very proud of staying on top of my daily exercise routine (I was more worried about skipping that than anything), but my eating habbits were horrible. Don't get me wrong, I had some good meals in there...but I also had my fair share of bad ones. Not too many sweets, but a lot of fast food and pizza.

Now that I am back in the swing of things, I have a renewed focus on my caloric intake. As usual...this new focus sends me to the researching benefits of the internet and magazines. One article that I found today in particular, that has a lot of good stuff is: The Practical Way to Lose Fat by Jeremy Likness.

The author presents a lot of ideology that would burn the ears of the proponents of the current "diet fads". I recommend taking a look if you have time. His most profound thought comes in the last lines: "Perhaps the most useful tool for losing fat isn't a nutrition guide or workout program after all...it is a trait. Patience is by far the most powerful tool to lose fat and keep it off."

Funny or Not So Much?

2005-06-22T10:49:00.000-04:00

By now, I am sure that everyone has seen the infamous Tom Cruise saying: "You're a Jerk" clip. If not, you have probably been asleep for the past two or three days. I have seen it on the news, on the internet and heard all about it on every radio show that I listen to (even this morning, three days after the fact, they are still talking about it on morning radio shows).

At the London premiere of "War of the Worlds", Tom was squirted in the face by a fake microphone that was held by a fake reporter. The reporter was apparently a part of a reality t.v. show that pulls pranks on stars. The show had already pulled the same stunt with Sharon Osborne (who in turn poured a bucket of ice water on the guy), and I heard today that they had done the same thing to some other actress (but I don't remember who it was). The fake reporter was arrested (I guess he was arrested for public display of a prank), and released on bail.

My question today is, "Did Tom overreact?"

I have really gone back and forth on this. I am not much of a practical joke guy. For one, they usually end up failing or backfiring on me :). Secondly, there really is no use for them...the point of them is usually to embarrass someone, or make them look stupid. On that line of thought, I see where Tom was coming from...I possibly would have reacted in a similar fashion.

But at the same time, it was just a squirt of water. Did the guy really need to go to jail over a squirt of water?

Back to Reality...

2005-06-21T15:30:00.000-04:00

Well, I was able to enjoy six days of gorgeous Florida weather...its kind of funny, I was told that right before I came down, they had rain storms every night. I saw about two dozens drops of rain the entire time I was down there, and when my friend dropped me off at the airport yesterday, the bottom fell out. The entire time I waited to board my plain they had a monsoon.

I have to say that this proved to be one of, if not the, best trips I have ever had. I was able to relax with no worries of deadlines or responsibilities...it was much needed and well deserved.

I only have two regrets...one, I really wanted to see an alligator in the wild. I don't know why I wanted to do that so badly. I don't even know what I would have done had I seen one...maybe try to wrestle him :). I saw one at Busch Gardens, but unfortunately I was never able to see one at the lakes that I was near.

Secondly, I never went to a beach (believe it or not). I stayed in Lakeland, which is like an hour or so inland from Tampa and Clearwater...so any beach trip would have had to have been just that...a "trip". Not to mention, Clearwater is experiencing what they call the "Red Tide". This happens once or twice a year...there is an algae that kills a ton of fish, and they wash up on to the shore...it also causes people to get a scratchy throat and watery eyes...not to mention, I was told that the smell was awful too. When I saw that was going on, I kind of lost my desire to go to the beach.

The main thing was just getting to rest. My life is so hectic when I am home. I have stuff going on everyday of the week. And this summer has proven to be more eventful (as far as trips out of town) than any other summer that I have had since I have been in school. One of my friends jokingly said that he had forgotten what I looked like :). I also was very proud of myself for staying on top of running. There was a lake about a half mile from where I was staying that had a 3.5 mile trail around it...it was great...and very relaxing as well. My eating was horrible though...we wont get into that :).

Well, I have spent most of the day getting caught up at work, and that will consume the last hour that I have here as well. I will be chasing rabbits again starting tomorrow...I may share a couple of stories from my trip. I had a three hour adventure to try and find a towel to be able to take a shower the first morning I was there that was pretty funny...

The O.J., I mean Michael Jackson, Verdict

2005-06-14T08:35:00.000-04:00

Okay, I am sure that the blog world in its entirety is probably going to write about Jackson today, even though I like to typically be more creative and not join the bandwagon of the spotlight topics, I feel since I am a child of the 80's, I need to at least share my opinion.

Even though I owned Michael Jackson records and tapes growing up, and I owned the making of Thriller on VHS, and I at one time thought it was cool to wear one glove...when Mike became the freak that he now is, I began to not pay much attention to him.

Due to the media coverage, there is no way to not pay attention to him right now. In fact, I heard that out of the hundreds of potential jurors, there were only two that said they knew nothing about the accusations and the previous court settlement.

My opinion (if you didn't pick it up from my title) is, honestly, I wanted to see him go to jail. I know that I do not have all of the evidence in front of me. I know that it is possible that these families were trying to simply make money. I know that everyone is "innocent until proven guilty". However, Michael Jackson is not right in the head. Seeing what he has done to his skin and face over the past two decades...the fact that these boys were in the situation that they were invited into...the fact that he offered kids alcohol and that they had access to pornography while at his "Neverland" Ranch...the fact that he hung his own child over a balcony...the list just goes on.

I have no idea how in the world he got out of this...I guess if you have enough money, you can buy your way out of any trouble.

Florida Eve

2005-06-14T08:18:00.000-04:00

Hello all...it has been so crazy the past week or two. Once I missed one day of consistently writing an entry a while back, it was all down hill from there. I have been so busy in and out of work that I have barely had time to breathe, let alone make time to write a blog entry :).

Even though I have a ton of stuff to do today, I wanted to take time to write an entry or two because I will not be able to for the next week. Why you ask? I am stinkin' going to Florida :). I have been anticipating this trip for about three months now, and here I am today finally, the day before I fly down there.

The problem with being the way that I am, is that even though I am so excited to go tomorrow, and I probably wont be able to sleep tonight (I am like a kid when it comes to these things) I am already dreading coming back. I have already played out in my mind how it is going to be next week, and I am so not looking forward to that.

As I have noted before, this will be the first vacation that I have had in about seven or eight years. I had worked in the restaurant business for 14 years before finally escaping, and it is really hard to get vacation time without simply taking time off and losing pay.

Since today is Florida Eve, I wanted to put the question out there "What is the best/most memorable vacation that you have ever been on?"

I will probably write again today or tomorrow, but if not, I hope everyone has a good rest of the week and weekend.

The Irony...

2005-06-10T14:35:00.000-04:00

Not that I had intentions of writing two back to back entries about the Obssessive disorders of my life, and not that this is really an entry, but I just laughed out loud as I realized what I had done earlier today.

Some of you may not find this as funny, but I realized I had written a "Post-It" note to remind me later to write another "Post-It" note LOL.

Some of you may ask, "Why didn't you just write the second post-it when you wrote the reminder?" That is a very good question :). The only reason I did not is because I was in the middle of a conversation with the person for whom I was writing the note.

I guess I still could have written it.
Lord knows why I do the things I do.

The Detriment of being a planner.

2005-06-09T14:50:00.000-04:00

I have been going through a lot in my life the past few weeks. Not so much what has been happening to me, but what has weighed heavy on my heart and mind.

Being a 29 year old, single, working/"college" student, who desperately wants to know what the future holds for him can become debilitating at certain times. This has been one of those times.

Don't get me wrong, its not that I am not happy with life. I love life. I love the fact that I have friends that care about me. I love my job. I love my school. I love a lot about Louisville. I really love the fact that I am going to Florida in less than a week :).

The problem stems from being a planner. Being a planner has its good points. When everyone is going out on a Friday night, it is the planner who calls ahead and gets tickets for the movie that will be sold out by the time they arrive at the theatre. It is a planner who counts the number of people that are going to be there so when they go to the hostess stand the number can be given to the hostess as the name is put on the wait (usually the planner's name :)). It is a planner who has the bug spray, so that when everyone is at the lake and the sun begins to set, the group will be protected from the mosquitos.

The only real drawback to being a planner is wanting to know how everything will turn out when there is no way of knowing how everything will turn out. One can plan for every single possible scenario, yet without knowing all the possible scenarios to plan for, the planner is at a loss.

As a Christian, this is where faith has to really step in. When I go through one of these debilitating times, I must always remind myself that God is in control...that he is sovereign over what is going to happen in the future. No amount of worrying now can effect or change what is going to happen in the future. All that the worrying does is effect my stress level for the moment.

Planning is good, I will always testify to that. I will try to plan anything that is "planable" when it is possible. But I must always come to terms with the fact that I can't have all of the answers to all of the questions, and know that I don't have to in order to stay the present course. All I must do is simply plug along where I am at, dealing with the "here and now", and trust that everything will work out as it is supposed to in the distant future.

Salesmen want to make a buck

2005-06-08T10:46:00.000-04:00

Okay, here is the deal. When I want to learn something about something, I typically go instantly to the web to learn what I can about a topic to be more knowledgeable (taking everything with a grain of salt of course...there are a lot of crazies on the web). That is my nature, it is what I do...I am obsessive like that :). If I don't find out enough about the topic online, I turn to books, and then I typically lean on the knowledge of other people that know something about the topic as well.

I had a free "Training Analysis" done last night. Granted, after further analysis, I do feel like part of what the trainer told me (during the hour and a half of talking) was informative, but I had to remind myself that this guy is a salesman that works on commission. His whole driving force behind talking to me was 1. trying to get me to buy a training package from him (that cost an arm and a leg btw) and 2. try to sell me APEX supplements.

I left that session feeling very depleted...like everything that I had read and learned, and all that I had been doing was wrong to accomplish my goals. After I have had some time to think about it though, I can really look back and see that that was what his goal is by meeting with me. Since he more than likely works off of commission, it is his goal to make the person think that what they are doing is all wrong...and the truth is, though I can probably change a few things to accomplish some goals quicker, just the fact that I am dedicated to a healthy lifestyle, and do the things that I do, puts me on the road to success no matter how long it takes me. I have passed my one year anniversary. I plan on being active as long as I can. I dont need a professional trainer telling me that what I am doing is all wrong, and forget that so much of what I am doing is right.

There are two morals to this story:

One, if the person that is talking to you is going to earn money from what they are telling you, make sure you sift through what they tell you and take only what is useful from the conversation.

Two, if you want to be more healthy, just get out there and exercise...just start...sit down and decide that you are going to do it and just do it (I stole that from nike :)). However, do it consistently and systematically...develop a plan/routine for each week. That way, if you do decide that you are not accomplishing what you want to accomplish and you decide things need to be changed around in the future, you can make those changes within your routine instead of starting from scratch and developing a routine. Just because I may change a couple of things based on this assessment, does not mean that I have not accomplished anything in the past year. Furthermore, my routine is already in place...I have always been moving in the right direction by doing what I do.

David vs. Goliath

2005-06-07T08:25:00.000-04:00

(This story may not be for the faint of heart :) )

Man...I feel like it has been forever since I have posted anything. It has been a busy few days, both inside and outside of the office. My work has really picked up in the past week, and even though this past weekend was my first weekend to not go out of town since the semester has been over, I didn't really relax much. Pretty much every moment was planned (as usual), and I didn't even clean my house or do my bills until last night (let me just say, I felt the tension leave my shoulders when I took some time to get stuff organized...as I was driving to work yesterday, I had such an uneasy feeling about "life" as a whole, and I think it was directly related to the lack of order that existed all around me).

I have a story about the events of my morning to share, but it really takes some background before I share it...this will be a pretty long one (sorry for that).

I have lived in my apartment for about 4 1/2 years. Every year when there is a major shift in temperature, I have had to deal with a visit from this massive bug. Usually just one or two times a year do I have this encounter, but there was one year where I had to slay 3 or 4 of them. I am not quite sure what the bug is, but it is about an inch and a half to two inches long, and it has the ability to fly. It resembles a cockroach, but I have never in my life seen one this big, nor have I ever known that a roach is able to fly.

My very first encounter was my first spring in my apartment. It had just started warming up outside, and I was up late one night of my spring break, working on a paper that was due before the end of the semester. The way that my apartment was set up at the time, my computer desk was in my dining room facing the kitchen and the hallway coming down from my bedroom. I was sitting there, minding my own business and frantically working on my paper, when all of a sudden this monstrous thing comes flying down my hall, into my dining room and lands on my computer desk in front of me. I freaked out...jumped up, knocked my chair over, start moving things around on my desk as it crawled its way to the bottom of it. Finally I was able to squash it and call the EMS workers in to remove the body (joke :), but it did take some cleaning up to remove its remains). As I cleaned up the wreckage (and the body), and my heart rate began to get back to normal, I wondered what in the heck I had gotten myself into by moving into that apartment.

Over the course of the last 4 1/2 years, as I said, I have had several different encounters. At least one a year. One was crawling down my hall (the first time an x-girlfriend had ever seen my apartment...and she discovered it...what a great first impression), another was staring at me from atop my ironing board when I came home one night, one (the one that probably freaked me out the most) was actually under my covers.

Today's adventure is just as eventful as some of those previous ones. I had already hit my snooze alarm a couple of times, and I had decided to reset my alarm for ten more minutes. I had just crawled back into bed, and I began to hear a clicking noise. I thought that it was coming from my air duct, but as I looked towards my ceiling, I noticed the silhouette of something on my light fixture. Crawling out from the inside of my light fixture was one of my yearly visitors. I of course realized in an instant what it was, so I jumped out of my bed, turned on the light, ran to the kitchen to grab a paper towel, ran back into the room just in time to see him fly to the floor and scurry towards my bed. I threw up the comforter that was hanging down over the sides, and luckily caught him coming out the other side. Let me just tell you...I was awake at that point. My heart was going about a hundred miles a minute.

Please, if anyone out there has had this problem...tell me how to stop them from getting into my stinkin' home.

Can Guys and Girls be "just friends"?

2005-06-03T08:25:00.000-04:00

This is a question that has plagued me since middle school. I have always had mainly female friends (I would say between 80% and 90% of the friends that I have had since then are girls). I have always had at least one "best" female friend as well. In fact, I can mark certain periods of my life by who that girl was.

I think part of the reason for this is my personality. I am very much the talker. I sometimes would rather just sit at home and talk about life than go out for a big evening on the town. I am also much more analytical, emotional, and sensitive than your average guy.

I am not saying that it hasnt been difficult or awkward with certain relationships, but thus is life. No matter who your friends are, there are issues that come up that you have to deal with. They are different when the friend is of the opposite sex, but issues are issues...you deal with them and go on with life. The hardest issue to deal with in this case is when they get married. Most of my female friends from college now have husbands and families. I am still close to them all, but the dynamics have changed drastically, and for the most part, I am just as close to the husbands as I was the girl.

I have even tried to make it a point to have more male friends in my life (with little success). I was at one time under the impression that it wasnt healthy to have any close relationships with females. I still analyze that thought and have different views on it at different times, but now, especially as I am older, I view my interaction with the opposite sex in a very different way than I did when I was in undergrad. I know that when I talk to a girl, it is not for the sole purpose of trying to hit on her (whether she thinks that or not), as opposed to when I was a college boy looking for dates.

Let me know your thoughts...I can talk about this topic in great length, but I will keep it short for now.

Life...or something like it...

2005-06-02T14:59:00.000-04:00

I am simply in no mood to try and come up with some kind of deep thought/comment provoking topic (although I am happy to see the runaway bride pleaded "no contest" in her court trials...paying money and doing community service...she got off somewhat easy in my opinion). I am also just too stinkin' tired...so even though I dont do this much...I am just going to share a brief snippet about what has been going on in my life this week.

I am exhausted today because I am a stinkin' procrastinator, and stinkin' busy. I am teaching tonight, a Bible study that I knew I was teaching about a month ago over Mark 15, and yet I hadnt done much preparation (some reading, but very minimal) at all until yesterday morning. I started working on it yesterday morning at 5:00 before work...went to work...didnt get home from my day until 9:30 last night officially...worked until 12:00 am...started hitting snooze around 4:00 am...worked on it again until I left for work...and now i am leaving work about an hour early to finish before I teach it tonight. I wish that I didnt put things off, but I always do.

I will never forget my greatest "procrastination episode". I once wrote a 20 page paper for a Greek class (covering two verses in Jude and one in 2 Peter) in about 27 straight hours. I got up at 8:00 am the morning before it was due, and worked straight through the night, finishing it up shortly before it was due at 11:00 am the next day. That is with no prior research...i merely had checked out all the sources I needed. So I researched and wrote it all in 27 hours. And for a good bit of time after that, I new the issue inside and out. I would have to go back and read it to share with any depth now.

I really dont mind the marathon papers sometimes. It is kind of a nice jolt to the system. I tend to work better under pressure typically anyway. Furthermore, I discovered that I have inherited this trait/habit from my mom, being somewhat of a perfectionist, if I wrote the paper several days or weeks before it were due, there is quite a possibility that I would rewrite the entire thing before I actually turned it in due to the amount of revision I would probably do to it.

There are many other issues going on in my life that I could write about...and I kind of liked doing this today. You may get more of my life in the future, if this sparks enough commentary...if my life seems to bore you, then you want have to deal with it :).

Mind and Body

2005-06-01T12:23:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine pointed out to me last night that I, unlike most, have the ability to struggle with discipline in targeted areas of my life at certain times as opposed to lacking discipline in all at the same time. In other words, at those times in life (i.e. when your schedule is more demanding, and your time is spread more thin...or you find yourself being over committed), when most people slack on their regular routine (or discipline) in all areas (which is somewhat justifiable depending upon the situation and circumstances and how long it lasts), I, on the other hand, still stay very disciplined in some areas and yet let others fall even completely away from my regular routine.

Here is my life as an example...

I thought my life would slow down some this summer, but it feels like it has actually picked up the pace some (until this week...this weekend I am relaxing, and it seems like life is slowing down a little...hopefully it will hold steady for a while once it does). I have been out of town every weekend since my semester was over (that has left m-th here in Louisville). I always have work (m-f days). I still have Bible studies on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Mondays and Tuesdays I have been trying to spend time with friends when I can, but some weeks, like this week, I am teaching Thursday, so I have had to prepare for that.

Within all of this busy-ness, I have still stayed somewhat very disciplined with my exercise schedule, my eating habits, my water intake and being at my Wednesday and Thursday night responsibilities. However, discipline in a lot of other areas has been lacking. My apartment has remained a mess most of the summer, my morning quiet times have become sporadic at best, my laundry piles up until I have about 5 or 6 loads compared to the 3 I used to do weekly.

I have pondered her statement since last night (actually I fell asleep right after the conversation, but I have pondered it all morning), and it has led me, as always, to a few questions for everyone.

Why do we even choose to be disciplined in certain things and not others? (this is really more of a question for myself, but you can ponder it about your own life too).
I have been both the couch potato playing playstation, and the active exercise junky. The feeling I get after a good workout continues to bring me back to it. I want everyone to experience that, but not everyone wants to. Why not? It means a longer, more healthy life. Why have I chosen to be disciplined in that area over something else?

Do we prioritize disciplines in our lives (consciously or subconsciously), and on what basis do we prioritize those disciplines?
The end of my thoughts on that last question actually lead to this thought. Once I have certain disciplines in my life, what is the criteria on which I decide what disciplines are more important to me than others? What makes my health more of a priority to me now than say my laundry? Or more importantly, why has physical health become a higher priority than my quiet times?

Is my friend's statement true?
When most people's lives get busy and/or overwhelming, do they usually slack in all areas of discipline, or are there those out there who prioritize as I seem to, and ultimately stay very disciplined in some areas while others seemingly fall to the wayside?

Just when you thought you'd heard it all...

2005-05-31T08:35:00.000-04:00

Well, I hope that everyone had a great Memorial day weekend. I went home to Nashville and enjoyed some good times with my friends and family.

While I was home this weekend, as my dad was reading the Sunday paper, he shared an interesting story (it was local, so I am pretty sure most of yall have not heard this) with the group that has literally floored me, so I figured I would share it with any loyal readers (or passers by) of my weblog.

Apparently this mom (Anette Pharris) in Nashville decided to do something "special" for her sixteen year old boy's birthday party. This "special" thing has ended up getting a great number of people into a lot of "special" hot water.

Anette ( see article) decided that her son was "mature" for a sixteen year old ("age is just a number"), and thought it would be nice to hire a female stripper (Cassandra Joyce Park, a.k.a. "Sassy") to attend his sixteenth birthday bash. Not only was her son under age, but there were 10 others (out of 30, one of which was grandpa) that were there under the age of 18. Beyond the fact that I take issue with adult entertainment in general, there is the fact that there are laws. Her son cant get into the strip club (must be 18), but the mom apparently felt like it was legal for her to bring the strippers to him?

And if you dont think this is bad enough, it actually gets worse. The kids that were there took up a collection ($150), and as the mom left the room, they gave the collection to "Sassy" and requested that she fully disrobe. The public knows that she complied because the kids that were there had cameras and took pictures (one of the photographers was the 14 year old brother of the birthday boy). The mom actually took the film to a local drug store to have them developed, which I think is what actually started the investigation.

I wouldnt be as fired up about the whole thing (and believe me, hearing the story I was already pretty fired up), if the mom hadnt actually quoted a biblical text to try and defend (I guess this was an attempt at a defense) her actions ("Let he who is without sin cast the first stone").

As the smoke clears, indictments are being handed out left and right.

T.G.I.F. OR "Its the Freakin' Weekend Baby, and Im ready to have me some fun..."

2005-05-27T14:50:00.000-04:00

(A-Dog, that subtitle is for you bro)

Okay, I have been a little on the more controversial/deep thought end of the spectrum the last couple of days...I considered not even writing a post today (I am pretty busy at work for a change), but I am so obsessive about writing at least one a day during the week, and it is about to be a three day weekend so I wont have access again until next Tuesday...I felt that I wanted to write something.

Before I stepped into the "real world" job that I have now, I spent fourteen years working in the restaurant business. Nearly 10 of those years were with Applebees, and there were a few pizza joints involved (about 3 years as a manager of a Sbarro's pizza place), and I spent a six month stint at a restaurant called Bahama Breeze (Great place...love the food and the atmosphere...if you live near one I highly recommend it).

During that long restaurant experience, I never really understood the whole concept of T.G.I.F. (Thank God It's Friday). From my standpoint at the time, Fridays were horrible. Fridays were essentially the beginning of the proverbial work week for a restauranteur and his/her employees (actually it began on Thursdays at Bahama Breeze because it was singles night and the patio was always packed...the patio was typically where I worked on Thursdays). It was the weekend when the largest percentage of the money was made, and when the wait at the door is, as I am sure you know, the longest (sometimes there was a two hour wait at Bahama Breeze...how crazy, I would never wait two hours to eat anywhere).

I have been at my current job for almost a year, and I spent one semester at Humana insurance company a few semesters back. Since I have been in the "real world" (40 hours, m-f, paid holidays, vacation time, health benefits) environment, T.G.I.F. has really taken on a considerably new meaning for me. I so look forward to Fridays now. I cant wait for quitting time before the weekend, especially when our business is closed such days as memorial day, and I get a "free" three day weekend. I typically can get stuff accomplished on Saturdays and Sundays (when I am not taking classes or out of town). It really can be a very refreshing couple of days.

For those out there that have made that transition into t

2005-05-27T14:44:00.000-04:00

For the Jennifer fans out there, I leave you with this picture of her for this long weekend. I just saw this episode the other night from season 3. I like the long curly hair, but nothing will ever compare to her red hair from season 1 :).

I don't love Paris in the spring time...or summer, or fall, or winter for that matter...

2005-05-26T08:08:00.000-04:00

I already didn't care much for Paris Hilton...what I read about this commercial leads me to dislike her even more. I know it is about the money, but I think she is just trashy anyway.

Advertisers know that "sex sells". All one has to do is turn on the T.V. and it is pretty apparent. My question today is going to come first, and then I will give you the low down on this Paris thing...

At what point did advertising start relying solely on sex to sell anything, and why isn't there more thought provoking advertising? (okay there are two questions, but they are kind of one in the same:) )

In California there is a burger joint called "Carl Jr." (which basically looks like a Hardees incognito...it has a Hardees star as its logo and the burger is called "the six dollar burger"...I dont really understand how those things work/happen) Their new advertising campaign is a commercial with Paris Hilton dancing/strutting/crawling on the floor/splashing herself with a soapy sponge...all in a very revealing outfit, while eating their burger with one of her hands.

This was one of the topics on the O'Reilly Factor recently, and they showed the commercial. The commercial has been compared to "soft porn" by some, and actually after seeing it, all it really made me want to do was not buy the burger. I felt like by using sex to sale a stinkin' hamburger what they have done is "dumbed" down their advertising. Granted they probably will continue to sale their hamburger, but they have relied solely on the lowest common denominator to sale their product. Can't their advertising team be any more creative than that?

Can a sticker really bring down a theory?

2005-05-25T07:59:00.000-04:00

Here is a rabbit that I have been chasing for a couple of days now. Up to this point, even though some topics that I have covered are somewhat controversial, I really am not a confrontational person so I have typically avoided topics such as the one that I am about to get into (and probably another one that I am thinking about writing before the week is out actually :) ), but I have just recently joined in on a conversation discussing Intelligent Design vs. Darwin (see Articles about ID ).

(For those who do not have any idea what I am talking about, ID states that there is a God who created the universe, and he intelligently designed all that is in it, and of course we all know Darwin's theory of evolution because that is what we were taught in school.)

Currently, my position is that there should be more emphasis on the fact that Darwin's theory is indeed a theory. I feel that students should at least be made aware that there are other options out there instead of presenting evolution as the only viable option (which is what I feel that some science departments do), even if that requires giving a brief overview of the ID stance in a public school setting. That does not mean that I feel the Science departments should adopt the ID position, nor do I feel that they should teach it as the truth either, I just would like the students to be made aware that Darwin could be wrong.

Recently, in Cobb County, GA there was a court ruling that directly relates to this conversation:

According to Foxnews, 34,452 stickers were placed on Science books around that county. The disclaimer stickers read "This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered."

Within the "Bible Belt" of the south, this was somewhat of a "moral" victory for ID supporters, which of course led to an appeal from anti-ID'ers that was eventually upheld.

Therefore, now all of those 34,452 stickers have been removed.

My question today is, "Why is this sticker such a threat to evolutionists?"

The fact that students should not take everything at face value without research, is a fact of life anyway...they will really find that out in college. Honestly, I would not be an ID supporter had I not been convicted in my own heart eight years ago when I became a Christian. I didnt learn that in the public school system. And just because I am in Seminary does not mean that I take everything that my profs say as truth without some digging of my own.

Before you leave a comment, I ask one thing...if your intent in leaving a comment is purely to bash the Christian worldview, please refrain...there is enough bashing going back and forth in the world already. I feel as though I have not attacked people who hold an opposing view to my own with any of my comments that I have made, please be respectful enough not to attack me...Thanks :).

Now that's what I call some high quality h2o!

2005-05-24T10:58:00.000-04:00

You have heard it before, and now you are about to hear it again. It will be one of my many battle cries until the day I die..."you need to drink more water!!!"

For those interested in losing weight, or even simply keeping a healthy lifestyle, one of the key ingredients to the proverbial pie is drinking h2o.

There are many benefits to drinking water...here are several that I have found from various sources and some of which from my own personal experience...

Water:

Keeps you hydrated
Helps you lose weight (lessens water retention)
Keeps your skin looking younger
Stimulates muscle growth
Stronger teeth and bones
Maintains a healthy digestive and urinary tract
Reduces headaches
Increases energy
Speeds up metabolism (especially if cold)
Increases mental and physical performance
Removes toxins from your body
Decreases the risk of some cancers
Eases joint pain
Reduces high cholesterol
Reduces blood pressure

I am not quite sure how many of these have been scientifically proven, but you get the idea...there are several benefits to drinking water.

Experts used to say 8 glasses a day, but in reality the amount (just like anything else) varies by age, weight, size, how much physical activity, etc...However, if you are not drinking any at all, 8 glasses is a good starting place.

There are dangers to drinking too much water, but on the average I would say that as unhealthy as Americans are, the percentage of people that approach the "too much" range is probably quite low.

Is it a crime to want to look good in a swimsuit?

2005-05-23T14:11:00.000-04:00

Three weeks and two days before I get on board a fast plane, and head to Lakeland Florida. Where I plan on finally relaxing for a few days, catching some rays on the beach, and actually reading for pleasure for a change.

I think I mentioned this in a previous entry, but this trip to Florida will be like the first vacation that I have had in 7 or 8 years...furthermore, I am so excited to actually get to spend some quality time with my sweet friend Jules who lives hundreds of miles away now (see picture on previous post).

In my quest to have a healthy/hot bod, I have had many ups and downs...literally. This past weekend was probably one of the worst "falls off the wagon" that I have experienced. Friday, I had a #2 (no onions) at McDonalds, followed up by a "Watchamacallit" (one of, if not the, best candy bars ever made...I got the big one no less) on my way out of town, Saturday wasnt bad, but I had like five chocolate chip muffins throughout the day (thanks to my friend's mom, who is one of the best hostesses in the world), then Sunday I had a #1 at Wendy's with cheese (biggie sized of course), followed up with a butterfinger crisp and a 100 grand (another candy bar masterpiece) on the way home. When I fall, I do it right :)...there is no need in counting calories when you lose track around 2,000. And of course, even though I planned on exercising while there, my gym shorts never came out of the suitcase.

All of that to say, that it is now crunch time (pun intended)...Starting today, I am bound and determined to "look good" before I go to Florida. No unhealthy thing shall pass my lips :).

With this health renaissance, I have two questions that have begun to float around in my brain...

First, even though health is a byproduct of exercise...and of course where my main focus should be, I admittedly have to fight the pride associated with the other byproduct, which is simply looking more attractive. I was always a "fat" kid, and I have never been so focused on my health as I am at this phase in my life...the natural byproduct of looking better in my clothes began last year, and has carried on into this summer of course.

So my first question is what does it mean to "look good"? Looking good is relative. Different people find different qualities attractive. So does it really matter how I think I look in my swimsuit?

The next question is, with my obsessive qualities, is it even possible for me to ever "look good" enough to satisfy my own goals and desires?

If I keep a right attitude about it all, and have health as my ultimate desire, I can strive for healthiness as a lifestyle for the rest of my life, but along with that, I will continue to incur the other byproduct as well...How do you keep from focusing on the outward appearance while continuing to do the things that are right for your body (eating healthy/exercising)?

Ultimately I really have one question I guess...At what point do I cross that line from a "healthy" desire to a "unhealthy" disorder?

I have more thoughts on this, but feel free to share yours...

Weblogs that lack substance.

2005-05-20T14:53:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I have been a little bored today. I am still in the midst of a long dry spell of a slow period for me. I have had some real work this week, but it has been limited.

I figured since I wont be able to add a post over the weekend (no internet access) I would write another quick entry here before I leave work.

The fact that I have been a little bored, and that I am obsessed with this whole weblog thing during this phase of my life, led me to hit the next blog button at the top of this page...what I found was very irritating.

First, I admit that some of my writing is fluff. I dont claim to be a professional writer by any means...and I put pictures of Jen...and pictures of me with my friends...I have words of the day...I share stories about my life. But most of what I write has at least some kind of point, and it can be somewhat controversial at times and spark comments. Most of the time when I write something, I feel like I need to get to a point of why I am sharing that with "the world"...the moral of the story if you will. Whether the point is to share some emotion that I am dealing with, or vent, or simply entertain.

There are a great number of exceptions to this rule, but for the most part, what I found while scrolling through does not amount to much. The problem with most of these is that there is no substance...nothing worth taking my time to read. Again, I know that there are exceptions out there...I even found some of them while scrolling...but you have to sift through so many bad ones to get to a good one.

I want to encourage everyone to take a stand with me people...help promote writing with substance.

Have a great weekend everyone.

A Cleaning High!

2005-05-20T09:18:00.000-04:00

Well, I am going out of town again this weekend (I think it is the third or fourth weekend in the past six weeks ...second in a row...fifth if you count the weekend I house sat, and I am out of town next weekend as well). I feel like I havent had a day to just hang out at home in like a year.

The main problem with going out of town on the weekends is that is when I mainly clean my apartment and do laundry. My week, as a whole, is pretty packed from the beginning to end, and on the weekends (now that my Saturday class is over) all that I typically have is church and exercise (unless I am out of town :)).

Being out of town so much lately has allowed my apartment to get unbearably messy, and my laundry to pile up. Yesterday it was driving me so crazy that I actually got up at 5:00 this morning, just to do all my laundry and clean my apartment before I came to work.

My question to all is do you experience the "cleaning high"? I guess for me it would be more like a "post-cleaning high". The moment right after your apartment has everything in its place, and every bit of laundry that you own is clean, and the universe is right again :).

I even go a step further...(when my apartment is messy it effects me in so many ways...both physically and mentally). During my "cleaning high" I feel like the tension in my shoulders is released at that moment, and I can breathe easy again. I also feel like I can think clearly again, and process my thoughts in a more orderly fashion (I cannot study at all if there is clutter around my place).

This morning I have been coming down from my cleaning high as I have transitioned into working time...

Star Wars Review

2005-05-19T09:36:00.000-04:00

(there are no details about the movie here)

Wow...I am actually pretty speechless after seeing it last night (those who know me know that is saying quite a bit lol). Even though I have splattered a few superlatives throughout this entry, no amount of superlatives can really capture what I feel about this movie.

The movie as a whole was incredible. The cinematography was a little different than the first two, but it truly added to the movie and made it better, and it also made for an easier transition into the original trilogy (when you see it, let me know if you think it looked more like the original three as it got to the end of the movie). The story line is great, and very easy to follow for even the smallest of Star Wars fans.

I have a theory on all of this though...I feel like this movie was set up for success no matter how you look at it. It is the closing gap...the link in the chain...to tie all of the new first episodes into the original trilogy. There are so many questions that have finally been answered after 30 years of wondering, and placed on the big screen for Star Wars fans around the world to see.

If you are not a fan, you should be. Go out and rent the first two and make it into the theatre to see this one before it runs its course. You should really see this one in the theatre.

Interesting statistics for the day...
(foxnews.com)
THE NUMBERS
8 pounds: weight of the Chewbacca costume.
6: Number of Star Wars movies containing the line, "I have a bad feeling about this."
3: Star Wars movies in which C-3-P-O loses a body part.
6,598,928: hours computer spent rendering effects for Revenge of the Sith.
THEN AND NOW
360: visual effects shots in the original Star Wars ("A New Hope").
2,151: visual effects shots in "Revenge of the Sith."
$13 million: budget of original Star Wars ("A New Hope").
$113 million: budget of "Revenge of the Sith."

Also, I think this estimate may be a little high though, "according to one analysis it will cost US employers as much as 627 million dollars in lost productivity". They say this is due to people skipping out on work today (the day after the midnight opening). I dont know how close that is to accurate, but I came in a little late, and I am leaving early today, so I fit in that statistic somewhat :).

Any comments on what you think after you see it are appreciated, but please be considerate of those who may read my blog before they see it. Dont give anything away.

I am going to do some work now and try not to fall asleep...I think I may grab a diet coke before I start :)...

Why do bad things happen to good people?

2005-05-18T14:55:00.000-04:00

This question has plagued philosophers, theologian and pretty much any person who has had a rational thought since the beginning of time. Therefore, you really should not expect an exhaustive answer in this short snippet of a blog entry...I am not even claiming to know an answer really (even though I am pretty smart if I do say so myself :)).

As I look around the world today, I see so many evil things. Fathers killing defenseless daughters, pregnant women being killed for their babies, school shootings...even as I look closer around me, I see bad things happening to sweet friends of mine.

The question is why do these things happen?

The answer is we may never know for certain.

That is frustrating to me. I want to know all the answers...I want to be in control...I want to be a leader and not a follower...I want to know everything about everything...

As I realize that I will never have all the answers or be in control, it humbles me. It also makes me turn to God's word for answers. Even though I may never know why bad things happen to good people, I know that I can trust that God is sovereign, and has a plan and a purpose for all of our lives.

Jeremiah 29.11-14 "For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart. And I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile."

I am blue :(

2005-05-18T14:45:00.000-04:00

I just had lunch with a very dear friend of mine who may be moving away for good today.

It is very sad to go through certain transitions. When I moved to Louisville, it was a long time before I started making close friends again...and I very much missed all of the friends I left behind in TN.

Here I am, on the verge of going through that again in a year or so...wherever I am moving to. I hadnt really thought much about leaving my friends and my church until today...I had mainly been focused on all of the new and exciting aspects of moving...seeing my friend leave just reminds me of how tough it will be to leave everyone when I go.

Sad times...

2005-05-17T14:02:00.000-04:00

A cool picture of Jennifer.

Reality TV has Jumped the Shark

2005-05-17T09:49:00.000-04:00

For those who are not familiar with the phrase "jumped the shark", it is that defining moment when a show starts to go downhill. It started with the Fonz from Happy Days actually jumped a shark while skiing on water skis. It was at that point that Happy Days started its downward spiral to cancellation.

That said, as I listened to the radio recap of the bachelor, and the guy crying when he gave his sappy speech to the girl that he gave a "promise" ring to in the finale of that show (another problem that I have...promise rings...either you get the girl an engagement ring, or maybe even a ring to mark a special occasion...the concept of a "promise" ring makes no sense..."i am giving you this ring to let you know that I will possibly be giving you another ring at another point in the future...and I will ask you to marry me...maybe"), I realized for the hundredth time that I am so, so, so over reality TV. They should have a "Six months later" episode of the Bachelor as the finale. The likelihood of that relationship lasting is minimal at best.

Reality TV is not reality anyway. What is shown in the final product allows the producers to portray whatever they want to portray when the show actually airs.

There are a few possible exceptions to the rule (I have friends that love Survivor, the Amazing Race and the Apprentice, and I want them to be happy :)), but as a whole, it would not bother me at all if all Reality TV was gone for good. Give me a good episode of CSI or Alias any day.

2005-05-16T13:30:00.000-04:00

This is me and one of my best friends, Jules, when she was in town for the derby last week. she is also who I am going to visit in Florida in a few weeks :). I would love to have more pictures on my blog if I had a stinkin' digital camera...if anyone would like to buy me one that would be a great gift ;).

Luke...Luke...I am your father...

2005-05-16T11:37:00.000-04:00

The countdown has begun...in a little over 60 hours, me and several other Star Wars fans across the U.S. will be moving with the rest of the herds into one of many special midnight showings of the final installment of this classic.

There are several movies out there that have bridged the generational gap...but none probably as much as all of the Star Wars movies. As I have thought about this movie the past several months, I have realized how much it truly does cross that gap. It is quite possible that I will be sitting next to a 12 year old kid on one side of me (who has never heard of garbage pail kids, or never known life without the internet), and a 40 year old (who took Thursday off from work to catch up on sleep...lol) on the other side of me. (although I am not taking a whole day off, I have informed my CEO that I will not be in 'till noon :).)

I truly cannot wait to see this movie. There are so many fond memories associated with the original trilogy in my life. For instance, everytime that I went to my uncle's house...watching the original Star Wars 1 was a huge treat for us...so much so that I am sure my family was tired of seeing it. I even remember where my cousin accidentally taped over the part with R2D2's help beacon from Princess Leia with part of a Vanderbilt basketball game..."help me Obi-Wan Kenobi...your my only hope...and Vandy brings the ball across half court...a pass to Will Purdue..."

As much as I am going to enjoy the movie, if I am going to make it Wednesday night I better make sure to have an extra diet coke before I go. As I get older, I find it harder and harder to make it to midnight movies :).

Please feel free to share any thoughts on the movies and or memories you have...and if you are planning on going Wednesday night in Louisville and havent gotten a ticket yet, you better buy your ticket very soon because almost all theatres/showings are sold out. If you have a ticket to the 12:10 Stoneybrook showing, feel free to join me and my friends...the more the merrier :).

I wonder if Jared is the culprit...

2005-05-16T11:27:00.000-04:00

FYI...

For anyone out there that has not been made aware, Subway is doing away with their stamp system as of August 1st. For those of us who have about 10 full cards in their wallet, this is pretty annoying.

Honestly, with so many people that always try to beat the system out there, I am surprised that it has lasted this long. Apparently, there has been some people making a quick buck by selling stamps on Ebay.

All it takes is one bad apple...

According to the manager that I talked to, they are putting together a system to use a swipe card, but they do not know how long this will take.

OCD...A blessing or a curse?

2005-05-13T09:57:00.000-04:00

As I was sitting down yesterday to make a list of potential topics for today's blog entry, the thought occurred to me "I wonder how many people actually make a list of possible blog topics to write 24 hours in advance..." :).

A very overview/broad definition of the disorder is:
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder - Excessive concern for rules, efficiency and order, coupled with an insistence that all do things their way.
A person with obsessive-compulsive disorder have either obsessions, or compulsions, or both. The obsessions and/or compulsions are strong enough to cause significant distress in their employment, schoolwork, or personal and social relationships.
http://www.psychnet-uk.com

There is much more to OCD than the brief definition above...and though I probably do not have a full blown case of it, I do have tendencies that lean towards the disorder.

I go through phases with my obsessions. For instance, right now in my life, I love writing in this stinkin' weblog. I also love reading, talking and learning more about healthy living. I cant wait to go to Florida next month, so if my mind goes there, I spend about thirty minutes picturing how it will be. Next week, I am getting a Bike...that takes brain time too.

I also have an obsessive need to plan. It is 10:30 in the morning, and a few minutes ago I actually made a call to make sure I knew where a certain Subway was in Murfreesboro, TN, so I could stop and eat supper on my way to a wedding tonight. Eating is a huge hang up for me because I always want to eat healthy, and when I go home for the weekend my family doesnt always have healthy stuff to snack on. I was actually thinking about the rest of my meals this weekend and planning them out earlier this morning.

Anytime there is something "new" in my life, I get on the web and start reading about it to learn what I can and be knowledgeable about the topic.

The only downside I see in my case is the need that I have for perfectionism. I dont know if this is true for all, but there is a drive in me to be perfect in the areas of obsession that I have. If I cannot be perfect, I have a tendency to blow off whatever it is that I was obsessing about.

Through an exchange with a fellow blogger yesterday, I came to the conclusion that a mild case of OCD can be a good thing because organization is a good thing. With us around, the world is a much better place. Take pride in your OCD!!

2005-05-12T14:06:00.000-04:00

For those who have never seen Alias, I highly recommend it. Besides the fact that Jennifer Garner is the star, the show itself is really good. I have recently started watching it on DVD. I just finished the second season a couple of nights ago (Please dont offer any details of seasons after two if you leave a post). This is Jen with her red hair as Sydney...man what a hottie :).

Turn Signals and Cell Phones

2005-05-12T08:58:00.000-04:00

I always said that if I became a columnist I was going to write an editorial on turn signals...today's entry, I am going to include another pet peeve of mine as well...

I truly believe that when a person gets their driver's license, in Louisville, Ky, they are purposely condition not to use a turn signal. In fact, they probably fail their driving test if they do use a turn signal. Although it has not ticked me off as of late, it is by far one thing that I cannot stand. If everyone on the road drove like me, the world would be a better place :).

I know everyone has been there and can share in my frustration. You are driving down the road, and the car in front of you begins to apply its brakes...slowing down to nearly a stop. What the heck is he going to do? Is he turning left...is he turning right...is there a family of ducks crossing in front of him? The guy takes his sweet time turning, paying no attention to the line of cars behind him...you honk...and he politely tells you that you are "Number One" with his middle finger on one hand, as he talks on his cell phone with the other. Which brings up a valid question...if the guy can flip you off while he is turning, why couldnt he have just used his turn signal from the beginning with that free hand? That would have saved all the hassle for both of you.

My second pet peeve, though I mentioned the cell phone while driving scenario in my illustration, is not people talking while driving. I in fact do that quite a bit, however I always use my turn signal. In fact, I talk a ton in general (if you cant figure that out from my lengthy blog entries), just look at the minutes of use on my verizon bill.

No...the cell phone pet peeve that I have is directly related to a person's use of their cell phone while in the bathroom. That drives me absolutely insane. Why in the world would anyone want to talk to you while you are peeing or pooping? What kills me even more is that I hear business men, on their phones, probably talking to clients, in the bathroom of my building. If the client knew, would they still be a client?

The cell phone is a great invention. It does make life much easier, and more efficient...it allows you to multitask in many ways. However, if you need to make a call, and you need to go to the bathroom...the call can wait two or three minutes. Go to the bathroom first, wash your hands (that is another peeve of mine lol), and then make your call :).

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE...if you are reading this...and normally dont use your turn signal...I beg of you, consider starting. Also, if you ever talk to me on the phone, and I find out that you are on the toilet, we will never speak on the phone again :).

One Year Later

2005-05-11T09:09:00.000-04:00

May 11th marks a special day for me. It was one year ago that I first stepped back into a pool and decided that I was going to lose weight again. Six or seven years ago I lost 70 pounds...but after four years of graduate work, I had gained back about 55 or 60 pounds of that.

Now a year later, I have far surpassed where I was before coming to Louisville. Furthermore, this time I can tell my healthy lifestyle change is around to stay.

I want to encourage those out there that feel as though they 1. "cant do it" or that 2. eating right is "impossible" or that 3. they are too busy...None of those excuses are viable excuses.

1. Anyone can do anything they set their minds to...all it takes is to start. Start slow, 30-45 minutes of cardio 3 or 4 days a week...but continue to add challenges to your body as it becomes easier. Before the summer was over last year, I went from swimming 1/2 mile a day to 2 miles a day...6 days a week. If it gets boring, switch it up. I started rollerblading some last summer too...and now I use the treadmill, track and lift weights.

2. Eating right is a mind thing. If I feel like I am going through a period when I will be tempted more, I dont keep anything in my house that will tempt me (peanut butter, though good in moderation, is a weakness of mine. i could eat half a jar in a day if i dont watch myself :) ). Plus, you allow for one "splurge" meal a week. This does not mean order a whole large Papa John's pizza and sit on the couch and eat every crumb. You can have pizza, but order a medium and share it with someone...have them take the leftovers home with them instead of keeping them at your house. Also, always remember if you "fall off the wagon", tomorrow is a new day. start fresh...but dont wait until Monday of the next week.

3. Busy-ness is the least viable excuse of them all. If you knew now, that you could spend 30-45 minutes 4 days a week and avoid a heart attack in 10 years, would you do it? Let me tell you a little about being busy...

Granted I am single, but that does not mean I dont have commitments. I work 40 hours a week, I go to church about 3 or 4 times a week, I am in charge of a local college ministry that meets one night a week (not to mention special events), I work with a college group at my church that has one large event a month as well as several small events scattered throughout, I am working on my masters degree taking classes on nights and weekends, I play djembe with our Singles band and I have played with another band for one concert (i hope to continue with them) that required several practice sessions, I play djembe at another church on Sunday nights, I have met with people one-on-one for mentoring and discipleship, and I do have a family and somewhat of a social life :).

...it is within this schedule that my typical week is to swim six mornings a week, lift three evenings a week, and find some random times to go to the treadmill or track.

Up to this point, most of what I have talked about is directed to the individual, but truly, I give the credit for my accomplishments to God and my relationship with Jesus for this past year's success. Without God, there is no way that I would have changed from the night owl that I was to the disciplined person that gets up at 5:00 a.m. It is my relationship with my Lord that gives me the ability to accomplish all that I do in my life, and He is where I lean to find the strength that it requires.

Denny's Bear Barrel Pub...

2005-05-10T09:01:00.000-04:00

Considering the interest that I have on health and fitness, I feel that I should share about this huge stinkin' burger that has just been introduced to the world.

There is a burger joint in Pen. that once had the crown of the place with the biggest burger (a six pounder)...the title was recently taken by another burger joint with a bigger burger. Denny's, to retaliate, now has a fifteen pound burger.

This burger includes:

10 1/2 lbs. of ground beef
25 slices of cheese
1 head of lettuce
3 tomatoes
2 onions
1 1/2 cups of mayo
1 1/2 cups of mustard
1 1/2 cups of ketchup
1 1/2 cups of relish
1 1/2 cups of banana peppers
1 bun

I decided to do a rough estimate of how much fat and calories are in this thing and from my best calculation (granted I had to do just a general search on the items, and I couldnt find how much fat and calories, if any, is in relish) I concluded roughly:

Total fat: 1,408 grams
Total Calories: 18,975

The average person requires 2,000-3,000 calories a day. That means that this burger contains the total daily intake of calories for about six people.

Also, 3,500 calories above what a person requires equals a pound of fat, so theoretically, if one person were to eat this whole burger, they could literally put on about 5 pounds of fat in one sitting.

Stop the madness people!!! There is enough problems with weight and health in the US, why do we need to give people an excuse to try and out eat each other?

What up dog...i mean doc...

2005-05-09T13:59:00.000-04:00

Although this is the second rabbit from the "Rabbits from around the globe" series, it does not mean he is second in my heart :).

Bugs Bunny has been entertaining people for generations. In fact, I just learned that he is 67 years old this year.

The "waskily wabbit" (sp?) was introduced in 1938 in "Porky's Hare Hunt", but did not munch on a carrot, or utter his famous "Eh, what's up doc?", or kiss Elmer Fudd until 1940 in "A Wild Hare".

As for many, my age and older, Bugs Bunny was a huge part of cartoon watching. It is unfortunate that cartoons today have changed into Pokemon and Rugrats. Dont get me wrong, I love a good episode of Dexter's labratory and the like. But there is well thought out humor and slapstick from the days of Bugs and his cohorts that will never be seen again.

FIRED UP!!!!

2005-05-09T08:26:00.000-04:00

Okay...I heard two news stories on the way to work today that have gotten my blood pressure up!!!

First, has anyone heard of these new "chronic pops"? Apparently somewhere in Florida, there are suckers called "chronic pops" that are pot flavored. Their advertising slogan is "dont tell your parents...tell a friend"...omigosh, that is the craziest thing i have ever heard of. what are they going to have next? cocoa puffs that taste like cocaine?

The Second thing is this "Runaway Bride" thing...for some reason, I have followed a lot of this story. The new news that came out over the weekend is that she has done this more than once...she did the exact same thing to a guy eight years ago, and then broke up with another fiance OVER THE PHONE!!! after they had picked out rings and shopped for houses. The newest news is that the media has now "given her an excuse" for her latest malicious break off. Apparently her current fiance did not want to have sex before they got married...this of course led to the poor poor girl's being "frustrated", so of course she had to go to vegas to "get it out of her system".

we live in a world where no one takes any responsibility for what they do. why should the runaway bride???

The Kentucky Derby

2005-05-06T09:44:00.000-04:00

Hello all...most of what I have posted to this point has been the ramblings of a professional student...This entry is a little glimpse into who kevin really is...if there are those out there who would like to know more about kevin :).

The Kentucky Derby has meant different things to me at different times in my life...really just two different things at two times in my life...

When I was growing up in TN., every year around this time my family, in particular my grandfather (C.T...I actually referred to him by his name instead of some term of endearment...I think that started because I was a grandmother's boy...a.k.a. Nanny's boy...and that is what she called him), was getting excited about the upcoming derby. C.T. loved sporting events. That is probably partly why I love sports as much as I do today...any kind of sports really. We actually all went over to their house and picked the names of the horses out of a bowl, and sat down to watch all of the hype leading up to the two minutes of actual racing where we would cheer our horses on. It is really a very wonderful childhood memory that I have.

Now, it is quite different lol. I live in Louisville (for those who do not know, it is where the Kentucky derby is ran). Louisville is the capital of large conferences, as well as the home of the derby...so every year/all year, people from around the United States come to Louisville for one reason or another. Derby time is no different...in fact it is probably the worst of them all. They usually project a million or more people to be downtown during "Thunder over Louisville" (the largest fireworks display in the country...and it happens two weeks before the derby)...then there is the weeks worth of events that start the Saturday before the derby...

Long story short, I really dont care about the derby as I once did. It is somewhat of an annoyance more than anything during this phase of my life. Businesses shut down. Schools are out. Traffic is worse. Dont get me wrong...I enjoy the history of it all, and I actually do try to watch it every year (this year will be on a big screen in the house where I am house sitting). But I have not bet on the race ever, and dont plan to...I just look forward to this saturday being over...not to mention, I take my final and turn in my last paper for my class, and my semester is over this saturday too :).

Hope this doesnt offend those out there that truly love the derby.

Word of the Day

2005-05-05T13:36:00.000-04:00

"Facade"

A word that I have used quite frequently for a long time...but I never really knew the whole definition...

dictionary.com

1. The face of a building, especially the principal face.
2. An artificial or deceptive front: ideological slogans that were a façade for geopolitical power struggles.

how funny that the first definition is the face of a building...i have never heard it used for that before. i wonder what the etymology (study of the history of the form and definition of a word...another good word for the day lol) of the word is that caused the second definition to be used...and if the second definition is derived from the first...it is kind of like you "cant judge a book by its cover" so to speak. just because the front of the building looks like a mickey d's...doesnt mean you are going to get a quarter pounder when you go in :).

Rabbits from around the globe...

2005-05-05T09:13:00.000-04:00

It has been brought to my attention by my good friend "P-Diddy" (not THE P-Diddy...but he knows who he is...big props to you dog), that in consideration of my blog title, I should devote a couple of posts to the famous rabbits of the world..."International Bunnies" :)...

This first one is dedicated to a childhood icon flying in straight from Germany...that master of sneakiness that glides in like a stealth bomber and places candy by little children's beds and then sneaks out undetected by the home alarms...stealth-bunny :)...He is also apparently very good at hiding eggs...(which I have never really understood that because i dont think bunnies have eggs :).)

This fluffy friend has been a sweet story that has been told to children for hundreds of years...but how sweet is he?

Wikipedia (an online encyclopedia) shares this about the our good friend the "Easter Bunny":

"This myth (the easter bunny myth) says that the Easter Bunny was an Egyptian goddess of fertility. The origin of this myth relies solely on an isolated comment by a first century monk. There has never been any other evidence of any kind to substantiate this claim. The probable origin of this claim is the similarity in the pronunciation of the Egyptian Goddess Eostre and the word easter. The actual origins of the Easter Bunny can be traced to Catholic German Protestants who wanted to re-introduce the custom of eating colored eggs on Easter."

Other internet sources say:

"Eostre supposedly opened the gates of Valhalla ( heaven ) to Baldur, the murdered Sun God who had brought light to humankind." (sad times!!)

"Thanks to their notorious mating habits, hares or rabbits were held to be sacred animals to Eostre, and although no archaeological evidence has yet been unearthed, it seems the goddess was at times depicted with a hare's head."

The egg was of course one of Eostre's symbols as well...(if you dont know why that is, you may need to consult a biology book :))....and apparently one of the traditions surrounding this myth was to set bonfires and tell the children that the easter bunny burned flowers to get the dye for her eggs.

Anyway, the point, ah yes there is of course a point to this rabbit hunt...

I am not married (i promise i am going somewhere with this...bear with me), and I do not have children, but I have several friends that do. I was home in TN a few weeks a go, and one of my dearest friends asked her daughter "Is Santa Claus real?"...and her three year old in the cutest way possible said "noooooo" (it was really cute i promise...if you know me, ask me about it and i can demontstrate)...then her mom said "What is Christmas really about?"...the sweet girls first response was presents lol (i was on a t.v. commercial once as a child and gave the same answer)...when my friend pressed harder her daughter told us about Jesus being born.

Jesus is also of course the real reason to celebrate Easter as well...his resurrection from the grave after his crucifixion.

I know that when I am married...and have children...I will have many decisions to make. I would like to handle it in the same way that my friend has. I am very proud of her for sharing the true meanings of Christmas and Easter with her three year old, and not presenting her with a facade, to only find out when she is six from her friends in kindergarten that the easter bunny isnt real...and then to come home crying in her bed because she found out that her "LIFE IS ALL A BIG LIE!!!"...okay, it may not be that dramatic...but you get the point :).

My thoughts today are to encourage everyone to do this as well. Our fluffy little figure...the rabbit in the current proverbial spotlight...really has absolutely nothing to do with the real reason that Easter should be celebrated. The "pyro-hare" is just an excuse for chocolate making companies and hallmark to make some cash :).

Compartmentalization

2005-05-04T14:06:00.000-04:00

Dictionary.com has three sources that it pulls a definition for compartmentalization:

Main Definition:
To separate into distinct parts, categories, or compartments: “You learn... even the ability to compartmentalize ethics” (Ellen Goodman).

Secondary Definition:
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth EditionCopyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Function: noun: isolation or splitting off of part of the personality or mind with lack of communication and consistency between the parts

Tertiary Definition:
Source: Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
compartmentalization
n 1: a mild state of dissociation 2: the act of distributing things into classes or categories of the same type

I bring up this word because I believe that is how my life is set up (that comes from some of my own analysis as well as input from a fellow rabbit chaser)...I feel as though that most of my life is compartmentalized in some form or fashion.

For instance, I have a life at my job...forty hours a week with a very small group of people (we are a small company :) ). The rest of my world (i.e. the other compartments) is set aside while I do my duty here at the office. I have a compartment where my church life and friends is kept...a compartment for friends back home...a compartment for family...a compartment for my life at the gym...and even my pool compartment is separate from my gym compartment.

I am not saying that there is not some overlap. Obviously, if my day is slow enough that I have time to be writing this entry to whomever is reading it :)...as well as sending an email to my address book letting them know that I have created a weblog...and responding to a text message that I received from a friend of mine...and making a phone call about the plans I have tonight...there is overlap. Not to mention there are times when our worlds (a.k.a. compartments) collide. I have often brought friends from home to Louisville, or vice versa.

The point I am trying to make is that I feel as though a great number of people do this as well...consciously or subconsciously...we place all of these areas in their own little box.

I find it interesting that the first definition source feels as if we can compartmentalize ethics...to some degree I have seen that is possible. An example would be when I used to work for Applebees Restaurant. I found myself laughing at jokes...or even making jokes...that I would not have when I was at church.

As Christians, we need to realize that the compartmentalization of our lives is okay...it is normal. But we should not compartmentalize our ethics. As we live our lives in Christ...our ethics must reflect Jesus in every compartment that we have.

A lot to say about nothing...a little to say about something...

2005-05-04T11:44:00.000-04:00

I have recently become a huge fan of the blogging phenomena...reading some different ones on a daily basis even. It actually feels very strange to have that much of a glimpse into a persons life sometimes. Very much even feels like I am stalking them to a degree :)...

What I have realized within the last couple of days is that blogs are a perfect outlet for those of us, like myself, who can easily use 1000 words to tell a story that would take any other average person about 300 words to share.

What the two different types of people do have in common is that the heart of the matter...the main information...is being distributed to the hearer...but it is at that point where the two types of personalities diverge.

The difference is the ride to get to the so called heart of the matter. A person like myself, the story teller that I am, has a tendency to do several things when disseminating information:

1. There is always a rabbit to chase. Rabbits can pop up at any twist or turn in the plot of the conversation. They come from random thoughts, any comment that reminds the person of another story, or any details that the story teller deems are important for the story to be better.
2. They have a flare for the dramatic...having a tendency to overestimate or underestimate small or minor details of the story.
3. Every bit of information that can be passed along to someone can be told in a story format (i.e. telling someone about a trip to the supermarket can turn into a thirty minute routine :)).
4. People like myself love a crowd. The more dramatic and big a story is...the more people in the room turn to hear what happened next.

If two of these types of people get together for a conversation, they better keep an eye on the clock if they have an appointment to keep...I have even found myself setting time limits when I am speaking to another one of these so called "rabbit chasers".

Long story short (I have a tendency to say that a lot too...lol) I am starting my own blog to have an outlet to do this sort of thing.

The unfortunate thing, is that I do not know how often I will get to post new stuff. I do not have internet at home as a personal choice...I can get into that thought later...so what I type will be while I am at work (the boss probably wouldnt appreciate too much of that), or what I write at home and bring with me to upload.

Hope all are having a wonderful day.