crust. family

Great New Film!

2010-04-19T13:04:00.000-04:00

Can't wait to see this one when it comes out. I'm sure it will be an Academy Award Winner.

"This Time", I should have left it alone

2010-04-06T18:33:00.001-04:00

Sometimes things should be left in the past. The draw of nostalgia can be strong, but should not always be acted upon. For instance, I deeply regret watching a rerun of "The Dukes of Hazzard" a few years back. The show was more fulfilling viewed through the eyes of youth, I'm afraid.

Back when it came out, "This Time" by David Meece was in my heavy rotation for quite some time. Pretty sure I rewound the tape (almost certain it was on tape) repeatedly to just play that one song because the rest of the album didn't approach that level of sheer awesome. I don't recall the train of thought that brought "This Time" to my mind earlier this afternoon, but brought it was. "Man," I thought to myself, "that song was killer. I wonder if it would pack the same punch all these years later?" Or something along those lines. So off I went to google "David Meece This Time".

Sadly, I ended up finding this instead of just an audio track of the song. Now we'll never really know if the song holds up, because, while it still sounded OK, I guess, it's pretty tough to get into it when you are watching that haircut bounce around. Oh well, for each such disappointment, there are probably a handful of nostalgic feelings that lead one back to something that's actually worth revisiting. The music of Rez Band, if you remember (or ever heard of in the first place) those guys, holds up surprisingly well, given the collective volume of their hair when they were touring, for example.

But, in the interests of science, if anyone has a ripped version of "This Time" that they would be willing to send me, I'll try to erase that horrible visual from my mind and give it another listen or two. (Won't be holding my breath, though. That album must be 20 years old, and like I said, we had it on tape.)

I bow to the greatness . . .

2010-03-28T15:16:00.000-04:00

. . . of the Queen of Bracketology. With only two of the Final Four decided, Butler's big win cements Cherie in first place in a not-too-competitive crust. pool. It's entirely subjective, but I think my bracket has adequately served its purpose, which was to make the rest of the competitors feel good about themselves.

2010 Music Recommendations

2010-03-25T13:05:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I was marveling at how many great* albums have dropped already this year. ("Dropped" being the cool, in-the-know term for "went on sale" or "were released". Just wanted to be sure you noticed how super hip I am.) So here's my guide to new, exciting music in 2010. I'll try to keep this short.

My favorite group over the past 2-3 years has been Frightened Rabbit, a Scottish band. Their new album, The Winter of Mixed Drinks, is primarily about recovering from a big blow, re-prioritizing, and moving on (a break up in the singer's case, to be sure, but it translates pretty well for blows of other natures as well). The first single is "Swim Until You Can't See Land", but my favorite song so far is the opener, "Things", which I have adopted as one of my theme songs for the time being. Also, if you ever watch Chuck on NBC, chances are you have heard Frightened Rabbit, because they show up repeatedly in the last five minutes of that show playing over a poignant moment. Think they've been on Scrubs, too.
What do you get when you cross The Shins with Dangermouse? It's called Broken Bells and it's pretty cool. Here's "The High Road", which has a strong Shins vibe, but with a healthy dose of extra funk.
The drummer for local (well, Athens-based, but I'm counting it) band The Whigs was just called the best drummer in rock by Esquire magazine. Not as cool as hearing that from Rolling Stone, but still, it's something. This version of "Hundred/Million" isn't great, but it does start with a nice close up of the drummer, which kind of pulls this all together.
The sophomore album from Vampire Weekend, Contra, might not live up to their debut, but it probably isn't fair to expect it to. It's pretty good, though. Giving Up the Gun, for example, is as good as anything they have ever done. (Although I will say I liked the song better before seeing that video, RZA cameo notwithstanding. So maybe open the window and put it behind something so you can just listen.)
MuteMath, Armistice - nothing on this album packs quite the punch of "Typical" or "We All Break the Same" from their first album (which, check those songs out if you aren't familiar), but the entire album works well as a whole.
Rogue Wave, Permalight - Apparently some people were put off when the first single, "Good Morning (The Future)", sounded like a big departure from the previous Rogue Wave sound. I can kind of see it in the chorus there with the heavy synthesizer, but it's still a fun song and the rest of the album seems to fit just fine with other stuff they have done.
Shout Out Louds, Work - If I ever finish my "Best Ever ______" mix, the Shout Out Louds will be on there for "Best ever song sung by a guy with a lisp" (the song "Normandie" from their last album). This album is up there with the best music they have ever made. Check out "Walls" (don't know if the free download still works or not) for starters.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - I haven't even listed to this one yet, but a new album from the band I would most like to provide the soundtrack to my life has to be a good thing.

So much for keeping things short. I figured that would happen, but seriously, those have all come out this year. I don't know if 2010 can continue at this pace. (Maybe it can. MGMT, BNL, Usher, Wu-Tang, Sharon Jones, The Apples in Stereo, Caribou, and Hole (!) are all releasing albums in the next month.) But as far as I'm concerned, it's already been a stellar year. I will put a mix of some of this material together for the crust. reunion and play it incessantly whether you like it or not.

* Actually, it's probably more accurate to say "albums I expect to be great" since the sheer volume of new music has kept me from getting too familiar with most of this stuff yet.

official invitation

2010-03-23T09:30:00.001-04:00

crust. 2010

Memorial Day weekend

Ellis House

15630 Gateshead Dr.

Westfield, IN 46074

Please RSVP to:

dave@fenwaygroup.net (or evite here)

Accomodations:

3 bedrooms
2.5 baths
Loft and finished basement for sleeping bags or air mattresses

Food:

Bring snacks and dessert items at your discretion
Ellis’ will provide meals and put a money jar on counter for optional contributions
Plan for one pizza or restaurant meal

Kids:

Your call. They’re more than welcome
Our 8, 5, and 3 year olds may be around for part of the time but will sleep elsewhere

Activities:

Bring games, cards, ball gloves
Shopping within 3 miles
17 mile trail from Northern suburbs to Downtown Indy within 1 mile of house (BYOBike)

Schedule:

Minimal and loose
Cookout Saturday night
10am church Sunday
If you can’t make the whole weekend – come anyway.

This group may be smarter than I thought.

2010-03-17T10:47:00.000-04:00

I see most of you so far are scared to challenge my bracket. Discretion is often the better part of valor, 'tis true. In this case, however, the sting of a single college basketball beat-down will be fleeting, I promise. So step up.

You have (roughly) 24 hours to comply.

And kudos to the brave few who have joined already.

March Madness

2010-03-15T17:10:00.000-04:00

In case you aren't in enough pick 'ems already, here's one just for us. Do it.

Group: crust. madness
Password: joelrules

100 Best Movie Lines in 200 Seconds

2010-03-15T14:49:00.000-04:00

Realizing I have seen almost everyone of these movies both scares and thrills me. Pretty cool montage.

Who in the world is Gadsby?

2010-03-11T17:44:00.001-05:00

Close observers of this site may have noticed that my nom-de-blog has changed recently. Didn't realize it would carry over to this page when I did it, but my friend Sam and I started a blog that is almost too awesome for words, and I needed a tag that wouldn't violate that blog's central rule.

I am a total nerd, so it's possible you won't love the Lipograms Blog as much as I do, but if you don't, that just means you are a bad person.

Joel in Celtic Thunder?

2010-03-10T13:16:00.000-05:00

So late one night last week, Brian and I were flipping channels and stopped upon PBS. It's a standby in our house for people large and small.

Imagine our surprise, when we both exclaimed, "Is that Joel?!" when one of the vocalists from Celtic Thunder (think Celtic Woman but with dudes) was highlighted.

Not convinced?

Exhibit A:

Far right, not the little kid.

Exhibit B:

Far Right Again (apparently his assigned spot) and apparently Dave Ellis is in the center now, too. And Whoa is that Brodie?

So maybe it's a bit of a stretch, but at the right angle at the right moment. Uncanny.

Who know he was an international singing sensation all along.

Breathing Life Back into the crust. Blog

2010-03-08T15:03:00.000-05:00

Hey folks . . . looks like it's been a good 6-12 months since anyone has posted on here. Much too long in my opinion. Dave e-mailed today saying he's working on putting together details for the crust. reunion and so I decided to dust this sucker off and give 'er some upgrades. Bare with me as I fine tune a few things. Soon and very soon you should be able to subscribe. I'll burn a feed so we can even track our subscriptions. :) AND there will be an official crust. flickr feed where you can post pics of your family at the base of the blog so that everyone can keep up with each other.

I hope you're all doing well and am looking forward to seeing everyone in May where we can wear our now vintage and collectible Asbury College gear. (AC became Asbury University last week in case you missed it).

2009-06-13T22:45:00.007-04:00

We had a great time at the crust. reunion this year. Wish you all could have joined us. Here are a few pictures to show you how much fun we had.

Here we all are (minus Jill - cause she's taking the picture)...and without Amelia and Kara who decided the time would be better spent taking a nap.

Here we are (without Janna)....

Here's Paul...getting ready for the big arrival. Nobody stole the sign this year!

Sorry the layout's a little weird.....I'm still learning things about the blog world.

It was great seeing you all....

crust.apalooza - May 21-25, 2009

2009-04-23T16:44:00.002-04:00

In case we haven't done a good enough job of publicizing, let me announce here that we are going to have the reunion on Memorial Day weekend, roughly between May 21 and 25. No obligation to be there the entire time, of course, those are just the outside dates.

If you wouldn't mind letting me, the Sells, the Moores, President Obama, or a random passer-by know if you are coming and likely ETA, it would be greatly appreciated.

Hope to see you there.

Conglomerating

2009-02-24T19:52:00.002-05:00

The time to start planning this years gathering(s?) is upon us. I put this info up on the crust. facebook group, too, in hopes of enlarging the circle of participation. Here are some significant dates in the next few months that might influence our planning efforts:

Friday - Monday, May 22-25 - Memorial Day Weekend

Our standard gathering time.

Thursday - Sunday, June 25-28 - Class of 99 Ten Year Reunion

We are old.

Friday - Monday, July 5 - Independence Day Weekend

Observed on the 5th, I'm assuming.

I have heard a few suggestions concerning time and place, but I don't want to misspeak on anyone's behalf, so I will leave it to those volunteers to put things in writing themselves.

2nd Installment

2009-02-20T10:32:00.001-05:00

Green in '09

2009-02-11T20:11:00.002-05:00

I do not consider myself an ecogeek. I do, however, try to do what I can to help out and be responsible. I teach my students the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling. I use reusable shopping bags each time I go to the grocery (Kroger gives me a nickle back for each one I use...Thanks, Kroger!). I bring home bags and bags of empty plastic water bottles from school b/c I can't bear the thought of them being thrown in the trash simply b/c we have a recycling program that includes the pick-up of paper and cardboard only. I buy things that are eco-friendly and made from recyclable materials when possible. I use my own mugs for my morning coffee instead of those hideous styrofoam ones that many other use. I recently bought a book called: Green Clean: eco-friendly cleaning for the home ~ awesome book, btw. More recently I've discovered blackle. I now use it instead of using Google. Blackle is a search engine powered by Google, which saves energy because the screen is predominantly black. Who knew such a thing existed?

BLowe is the Devil?

2009-02-10T14:57:00.003-05:00

So I'm hoping to help Mindy in her quest. Here's a video post that is rated M. Wait til after bedtime or shuffle the kiddos to the other room. Brian is helping our student ministries department with their series on sex right now at our church. We based the character/videos that he's doing off of an idea from another church but I think Brian does a great job of making it uniquely BLowe. Enjoy

Valentine's Weekend

2009-02-07T13:23:00.002-05:00

So...Just wanted to invite you all up to our house for next weekend. We're not doing anything special. There's no game (that I know of) or event - just an open door. I have Friday off since we have conferences this week (or you can come early and pretend to be me at conferences - I'd LOVE that!!)
Call me if you'd like to come and need directions. Or you can email me. Or facebook me. We'd love to have you.

Something to make you laugh

2009-02-06T08:56:00.002-05:00

I posted this on FB but just in case you didn't see it, thought I would put it up here.

crust. offspring

2009-01-25T20:52:00.000-05:00

As an answer to Mindy's challenge, thought I would post a quick pic of two of the crustlings. We had the great honor and privilege of dining with the Ellis family today. While we live a mere 40 minutes from their home, we haven't seen them since August. Here is a picture of Kaylee and Anna playing dress up. It's a bit blurry since it was taken with B's phone.

90 in 09

2009-01-25T11:18:00.003-05:00

Adored, cherished, and precious friends of mine,

For as long as I have been associated with crust., I have esteemed it and all its members as an elite group of individuals: the best of the best, if you will. HOWEVER, it came to my attention this morning as I was so dedicatedly (no, it is not a word, but my post, my words) and so intently working on my origami skills, that perhaps over the years we have not upheld that association. A sense of panic and dread fell upon me as I noticed the postings that have occurred over the years: 154 postings in 2006, 57 in 2007, and a measly 19 in 2008???? What the??? Not the quality of the best of the best, people.

So, I am suggesting that we do a bit better in 2009. There are several reasons for this:
1. I know that we are all busy, but I also know that many of you out there are living crazy ridiculous lives that I would like to live vicariously through you.
2. I am nosy, incredibly nosy.
3. If you are getting your hands on some incredible, awe-inspiring, staggering, tremendous, and wondrous stuff out there (I don't know...like how to perfect the Origami Millennium Falcon ~ very nice btw, Nathan), I can't speak for all of you, but I would like to know about.
4. I like you and I miss you. It seems like it's been forever since I've seen and/or talked with many of you and if you know me at all, you know this has devastating ramifications.
5. You know you periodically check this thing and are overwhelmingly pumped and exhilarated to find a new post.
6. After seeing the first post of the year and thinking about how great Nathan Coates is, you're inspired to keep them coming.
7. It could be fun.

I thought about coming up with 9 reasons in keeping with the whole 2009 thing, but 7 is my favorite number, so I'm done. Think about it... and then get to posting.

Also, have a great day.

For Paulie, if you're out there

2009-01-09T22:56:00.001-05:00

In case you need an activity sometime for Amelia:

A diagram is here: http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Fold_an_Origami_Millennium_Falcon

One great weekend

2008-10-20T23:07:00.004-04:00

It has come and gone, but it was one great weekend. The kids were numerous~full of energy and tons of fun, the fellowship was wonderful and relaxing, and on Saturday at 3:30, the Buckeyes showed up ~ as usual ~ to show those northerners how it's done. We missed those of you who couldn't make it; hope you are well and will be able to join us next time.

crust. get together

2008-10-03T11:58:00.002-04:00

Hi all! We are having a crust. get together on October 18th at the Taphorn house. We will watch the Buckeye's game and hang out together.... Brodie and I will grill out. If you want to bring a side, appetizer or dessert-- you are welcome to. We'll also provide drinks. Let us know if you can make it! Game time is TBA at this point.... we'll try to post it as soon as we know..... Come on over and catch up with good friends!

Every once and awhile

2008-09-12T14:09:00.001-04:00

I think that crust. should start a band.

Post your favorite line from this musical masterpiece.

Nothing better than the real thing

2008-09-05T12:25:00.002-04:00

This past weekend I spent time hanging with a bunch of Miami University Alums. I found myself having a great time as we watched the Buckeyes destroy that other team while we were downing wings at a BDubs in the Nati (Cincinnati for all you out of towners), while we watched Augustana, Maroon 5, and Counting Crows rock it out at Riverbend, witnessed the Reds defeat the Giants, and enjoyed the WORLD's GREATEST fireworks display (it's true, Joel...deal with it and move on). The weekend was wonderful and full of fun, delightful, and funny people. HOWEVER...it left me with one great need: the need for a crust. get together. Although the Redhawks were great, they do not compare to those I lovingly refer to as "the crusties". It's time to get the gang together. I don't care where or how - it needs to happen and it should be soon. Any thoughts? (Other than the obvious, "Mindy, you are so wonderful and always right about everything..." comments)

Mission Accomplished

2008-09-03T19:48:00.003-04:00

So. I completed my summer to do list. Yep, all done. Done with a capital A.

The funny thing about getting my masters....is that it's nothing like getting a bachelors. Probably because my BS was so much more then education by books. That involved my first real taste of freedom (or freedom AC style :)), learning how to think, and 8 million memories of friendships and conversations. Where as my MA is really more a hoop. I did it online which was super convenient but really lacked the intimacy AC gave us. I mean, really, what other school could I have done water aerobics with the instructor's wives (and since I'm horrible at grammar I hope I just didn't give a professor multiple wives with that last sentence). For my MA I never even saw a picture of my professors. But, oh well, I'm not complaining. It's done. Not that I feel smarter, cause I don't. But I certainly look smarter on paper. And isn't that what it's all about??? or wait, is that the hokey pokey?

Levi Michael Coates

2008-07-11T23:24:00.004-04:00

Important stats:

born 7/11 at 5:09 p.m.
6 lbs 1 oz
19.5 inches

More Amelia

2008-06-03T22:32:00.004-04:00

Incensed at the breach of privacy associated with the last post, Paul and Jill send the following officially licensed pictures.

Amelia!

2008-06-02T19:48:00.003-04:00

A dozen papparazzi hid in trees for two months to get this shot of the brand new Sells baby.

Things I learned at the crust. reunion

2008-06-01T15:36:00.003-04:00

Raccoons make wonderful pets.

The deepest, darkest secrets of the Sumo.

Whether or not a "panzer" is a fish.

There are few things in this world I want more than a Bob Evans t-shirt.

In the event of a nuclear blast, climb into a fridge and you will be fine.

At least 8 different ways to pronounce "Curacao".

Business models based on cutesy pun names never work

Hey. Ho. Let's Go.

2008-05-21T22:32:00.002-04:00

One last word of encouragement to not let the man hold you down. Travel to Columbus, Ohio this weekend. Everybody's doing it.

Seems like only yesterday . . .

2008-05-18T22:34:00.003-04:00

That I actually posted something. Lazy or busy? I will let you make your own call.

Nevertheless, in honor of BLowe's birthday, I will break my silence. Sadly, I have nothing earth-shattering to report. Braves won today. That was good.

Looking forward to seeing people next weekend. If anyone needs any peaches or peach-related paraphernalia, let me know by Wednesday evening.

Two-something

2008-05-15T20:17:00.006-04:00

I hope Paul had a happy birthday. Granted it was almost three months ago but I still wonder if it was good - since that was the last post- every time I look us up. So, I've decided to post. Not because there is anything really worth of a post - but because I really should be working on my thesis, and well, I'm not.

Two new sites I like:
1) This site is great. He's got a witty since of humor with just the right amount of sarcasm. Right up my alley. I think I remember reading that he lives in Atlanta - which means I think Joel should try to meet him. Anyway, it's nothing that will change your life, but it's funny and entertaining.
2) I have a new Sunday morning routine. Every Sunday this site is updated. It's different then anything I've ever read and I find myself so intrigued by what people have to share. I really want the books. What's your secret?

Two new things I'm making for dinner these days:
1) Love this. My friend, Cori, is an amazing cook. She has a blog. I steal all her recipes. It makes Larry happy. This recipe is a great combination for us. It's italian enough for him to think it's lasagna (which I hate and therefore never make) and it's good enough that I like it. Anna loves it too.
2) Like I said - I steal all her ideas. This was good and oh so easy.

Two books I'd like to read:
1) Spinning Straw into Gold: What Fairy tails reveal about the transformations in a woman's life by: Joan Gould
2)Bell Curve: Intelligence and class structure in American life by: Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray

Two things I want to do this summer:
1) Finish my thesis
2) Finish my thesis

Ok...so that's what's new with me. The girls are good. We're good. What's new with you?

One great guy...

2008-03-03T18:35:00.003-05:00

Although a bit early, I'd like to wish Happy Birthday to one of crust.'s finest. Paul Sells, hope you have a wonderful birthday!!! I read a quote one time that said, "Whatever with the past has gone, the best is yet to come." I am certain that is true in your case. Happy birthday, Paul. May this year be one of your best one's yet. Love you.

You are my sunshine....

2008-02-24T13:00:00.001-05:00

Ok, so Saturday I'm watching the news and the weather-lady says that yesterday (Friday, February 22) was the first day of 100% sunshine since OCTOBER!!! Now Kara was born at the very beginning of October and I do know that the sun was shining that day - not like the corny "her birth made the day full of sun" - but we have pictures (not those types of pictures) and the sun was streaming in....however, I also know how long it has been since October. Explain to me, why does such a great state has such sucky winter weather???
I'm certain none of the scientists who believe in global warming live in MI.
I'm ready for spring.

ps. and just for all of you ohio people who are going to mock my "great state" comment.....whatever, we know we're better :)

Lent

2008-02-05T19:34:00.000-05:00

Ok, so growing up a devout baptist I never had even heard of the term "lent." Maybe a pastor mentioned it one sunday but I was probably too busy passing notes to my friends during the sermon. You know, the "did you see how cute (insert random boy name here) looked today...he's dreamy" type of note. Anyway, I now am viewed as an adult (haha....) and work with a bunch of catholics. Yes, they are more catholics by name then by practice but none the less, they have all been talking about lent and what they are giving up starting tomorrow. I've heard talk of giving up pop, lottery scratch offs, potato chips, desserts....you know, all the necessities of life.

I've been asked on several occasions what I'm giving up (they assume all should give things up) for lent. I go back and forth on my feelings. Yes, Chirst gave his life, can't I give something up for Him. Yet, isn't the most wonderful thing about grace is that it is free...no strings attached, but just as I am. And yet, this could also be viewed as a time to better myself...to get rid of the things that hold me back from being a more Christ-like person. But, do I really need a scheduled time to start that? Shouldn't I always be looking for things to do to learn to be more Christ like?I guess if anything, it's a good time to look at my life and see how I can be a better example of Christ to those around me. And for some reason, I don't think me drinking pop is keeping people away from God (except for maybe the health freaks I work with....since freak is such a loving Christ -like word - maybe I do have something to work on :)).

What I'm wondering is...do any of you give things up for lent?

Extra, Extra...

2008-02-02T22:28:00.000-05:00

Any of you feel like writing a thesis??? I seem to be fresh out of motivation. I'd gladly barter tedious household chores for a wonderful paper.....any takers?

Reunion 2008

2008-01-17T19:47:00.000-05:00

Who has thoughts on where and when? It's entirely possible we finalized this last summer, but I don't really remember whether we did or not, so help me out. Last I heard/remember, the following dates and cities were still in the running and awaiting a final decision from the committee:

Dates -

Memorial Day-ish (May 24-26) - the traditional choice
Independence Day -ish (July 4-6) - the patriotic choice
Next Wednesday and Thursday (January 23-24) - the inconvenient choice
Random Non-Holiday Weekend (???) - the ambiguous choice

Cities -

Indy - again, the traditional choice
Lex - the nostalgic, and fairly central, choice
Beijing - the popular choice for some reason this year
Atlanta - the super convenient for Joel choice
Ibiza - I saw a Wild on E! about this place years ago. It looked awesome. Great for the kids.

None of these suggestions are intended to impose on anyone, I'm just throwing ideas out there. If you have additional/better ideas or comments on these ideas, let's hear them. Like I said, if there is already some understanding concerning when and where, my apologies, but they say memory is the first thing to go.

Exercising the Powers of Deduction

2008-01-15T19:56:00.001-05:00

So apparently no one's New Year's resolution was to post more often to the blog.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T18:48:00.000-05:00

Here's hoping that 2008 is the best year ever.

I'll be Home for Christmas

2007-12-17T21:38:00.000-05:00

Because the majority of us are baseball fans - I thought I would share this. It is from my friend's dad's blog. May you all have a merry Christmas. And thanks, for making Asbury a home for me.

Home is an English word virtually impossible to translate into other tongues. No translation catches the associations, the mixture of memory and longing, the sense of security and autonomy and accessibility, the aroma of inclusiveness, of freedom from wariness that cling to the word ‘home' and are absent from ‘house' or even ‘my house.'
Home is a concept, not a place; it's a state of mind where self-definition starts. It is origins, a mix of time and place and smell and weather wherein one first realizes one is an original; perhaps like others, especially those one loves; but discreet, distinct, not to be copied.
Home is where one first learned to be separate, and it remains in the mind as the place where reunion, if it were ever to occur, would happen. All literary romance, all romance epic, derives from the Odyssey and it is about going home. It's about rejoining; rejoining a beloved, rejoining parent to child, rejoining a land to its rightful owner or rule. Romance is about putting things aright after some tragedy has put them asunder. It is about restoration of the right relations among things. And ‘going home' is where that restoration occurs, because that's where it matters most.
That was written by former Baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti, as he was pondering "why home plate is not called fourth base."
Baseball is, of course, entirely about going home. It's the only game you ever heard of where you want to get back to where you started. All the other games are territorial – you want to get his or her territory – but not baseball. Baseball simply wants to get you from here, back around to here.

I'll tell you where you can go, Bobby

2007-12-11T23:39:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure who all reads this (I strongly suspect the answer = nobody), so I will watch my language, but I am fairly disappointed in Bobby Petrino. I know he didn't get exactly what he signed up for this season - if you paid close attention, you may have heard about some of the bad news that hit the Falcons this year - but really.

The tragic part (read: the part that makes it hard on me) is that I have a long-held affinity for the Razorbacks, so while it is pretty easy for me to consider Nick Saban a classless buffoon, keeping Petrino in that category will be more of a challenge.

It should be obvious

2007-11-27T19:26:00.000-05:00

I don't need to tell you why I thought about Paul when I read this post. Pretty sure you know which of the pictured individuals rang the bell most clearly, too.

Monday Night Football has Sold Out

2007-11-12T22:57:00.000-05:00

I didn't count the seconds, but during the third quarter, the MNF crew spent as much, if not more time talking with Drew Carey about his new gig on The Price is Right than they spent talking about the game.

That sort of thing happens every week. I assume this disgusts everyone else as much as it does me.

Matty being Matty

2007-10-26T00:21:00.001-04:00

What in the world was Holliday doing?

The perils of early endorsements

2007-10-25T22:12:00.000-04:00

It seems like the 2008 presidential campaign has been going on for years, so I can understand why Cherie felt like it was time to jump on a bandwagon. But she should have held out for the real thing. (Not to be confused with a similarly named, totally super awesome movie.)

I find the whole thing fascinating as social commentary and because it puts the bureaucrats at the FEC in a bit of a bind. At some point they have to stop treating it as satire and shut it down, don't they? I'm not an election law expert, but I would guess they can let it be a joke until it actually starts to affect other candidates or the SC primary in general. I'm not sure where that point is, though. I would argue that merely appearing on the Republican and Democratic ballots isn't enough for the feds to start worrying because I would like to think that Colbert's constituency is mainly college kids and young adults who wouldn't have voted in the primary under normal circumstances, so he's not taking voters from other candidates, per se.

Of course, then I read that Colbert is polling at 13% in a hypothetical three-party race against Clinton and Giuliani, which is hilariously troubling, and I reconsider briefly. One would hope the novelty will wear off at some point in the next year, and this will just be another entertaining bit of campaign trivia. Like that porn star and Gary Coleman running in the California gubernatorial recall elections. Or that time Gary Bauer ran for president.

All I need to know to cast my vote.

2007-10-22T21:08:00.000-04:00

Based on calculated research, I have made my selection for President in '08.

What is Tim McCarver talking about?

2007-10-16T20:38:00.000-04:00

On multiple occasions this post-season, including the bottom of the fifth inning of game 4 just now, I have heard Tim McCarver say something to the following effect:

One would think that a lead-off walk would lead to a multi-run inning more often than a lead-off home run. But we looked at the stats, and this year, a lead-off home run actually lead to a multi-run inning more often than a lead-off walk.

He says it like it's totally counterintuitive. What in the world is he talking about? Presumably his thinking has something to do with getting runners on base and having the pitcher in a hole of some sort, but there can't be any reason to prefer the lead-off walk. In the "lead-off home run inning," after the lead-off hitter scores, you are in the same situation you would be in before the first hitter in the "lead-off walk inning" only you would already have a run in. Nobody on, nobody out, right? Unless there is some statistical anomaly that says the second hitter in an inning rarely walks, it's just as likely that the second hitter in the "lead-off home run inning" would walk as anyone else, and then the inning plays out, from a statistical perspective, just like the "lead-off home run inning," doesn't it?

What am I missing?

Good news for the Bosox. Youk just homered to lead off the 6th. Good thing he didn't walk.

Narrowing of the Names

2007-10-13T20:18:00.001-04:00

You can eliminate XY names and only suggest XX names for Baby Lowe now with a due date anywhere from March 22-25.

This pleases me

2007-10-11T20:50:00.000-04:00

A new blog of note, sure to keep you "busy": http://quotation-marks.blogspot.com/

While on the topic of the written word, any good book recommendations out there? I know from his sermons that Brodie is reading memoirs of 6th century monks (maybe slightly overstated), which reminds me of a good Bob Dylan deadpan on his satellite radio show:
"A listener wrote in and wants to know why we play so many old songs. I ain't got nothin' against new songs, it's just there's a lot more old songs than new songs."

Innovation is not always progress

2007-10-08T22:17:00.000-04:00

If that title led you to believe this post would be a discourse on Burkean political philosophy or something similar, sorry to disappoint. Watching the Yankees lose doesn't inspire those sorts of thoughts. I just have one comment, which I will put in the form of a rhetorical question:

Does that steady cam shot of guys crossing the plate after a home run and then jogging to the dugout really add anything to anything?

If you are watching the playoffs on TBS and you see one of those transition-things where it looks like players but clearly isn't game footage, you should know the actors for those spots were recruited from my amateur league.

Schadenfreude

2007-09-30T22:13:00.000-04:00

Things haven't been going my way in the sporting world lately: a late hot streak wasn't enough to save the Braves; the Cyclones were knocked out in the semi-finals; and the Broncos have dropped two in a row (no comments from Indiana necessary, thank you very much).

But at least the Mets missed the playoffs.

Lyrics Born

2007-09-27T21:38:00.001-04:00

If you can get past their name, which seems to have been chosen for the sole purpose of preventing mainstream acceptance, Challengers by the New Pornographers is pretty darn good. I'm happy to field any questions if anyone wants to know more, but my purpose here is not to review the new album. Rather, I simply want to marvel at the fact that, in a song called "Go Places," they manage to work the phrase "deus ex machina" fairly seamlessly into the lyrics. There's just not enough Latin in today's music.

Pondering that impressive lyrical feat got me thinking about other splendid turns of phrase in popular music. These are not quite as impressive divorced from the context and music, but here are a few of my favorites:

If it's the thought that counts, you can always count on me. I think about it all the time. - "Close" by Soul Asylum
"I'm just a notch on your bedpost, but you're just a line in a song." - "Sugar, We're Going Down" by Fall Out Boy
You don't have to go to the right kind of schools. Let your boyfriend come from the right kind of schools. You can wear his old sweatshirt. You can cover yourself like a bruise. - "You Can Make Him Like You" by The Hold Steady
And for those of you who still think we're from England: We're not. No. - "North American Scum" by LCD Soundsystem
He kinda shoulda sorta woulda loved her if he coulda. - "Confetti" by The Lemonheads
Baby, I'd leave you for the person you used to be. - "Soft & Warm" by Voxtrot

Those were just a few that come readily to mind. Got any to add?

Stylish crust. girls

2007-09-24T14:08:00.001-04:00

Anna Lowe and Kaylee Ellis this summer striking a pose.

Coincidentally

2007-09-14T19:21:00.000-04:00

Every once in a while, I'll read something that, simply by its style, makes me giddy inside. The introduction to Coincidentally, by Father George Rutler, is the latest piece of prose to have that effect. The book is a collection of essays about trivial connections - things that happened on the same date, things that happened to people named George, etc. I have only read a few of the essays and don't have much to say about them yet. For now, I'll stick with the introduction.

The main purpose of the introduction is to relate how and why the book was written. Father Rutler tells us that he more or less wrote the book off the top of his head - no google searches for particular dates or Nexis searches of particular phrases. The volume of knowledge is staggering, although Father Rutler apparently thinks that it shouldn't be. That is to say, he believes people should have a lot more knowledge of history than people do these days. A legitimate criticism, to be sure, but one is left thinking that perhaps he expects a bit too much from the average person.

Here, one example of Father Rutler lamenting the lack of historical knowledge, with a rough approximation of my thoughts as I was reading interspersed:

After a lecture at one distinguished university, a freshman asked if the term "Second World War" means that there had been a previous one;

[Ha, how typical of our floundering, misfocused educational system. What an embarrassment.]

and at another well-known school, not one member of the graduating class could name a single Duke of Angouleme.

[Um . . . right.]

Things I don't get

2007-09-12T21:01:00.000-04:00

Why those buttons you push to get a "walk" signal exist at standard intersections. Total waste of time and resources.
Why people like Nickelback.
That Cadbury's gorilla ad that now haunts my dreams. Thanks, Jules.
Why Britney thought that was a good idea.
Particle physics

World Wrestling Federation

2007-09-08T15:43:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I retrieved a bin of toys from my parents' attic that mainly consisted of old WWF wrestlers (big ones, bendy ones, thumbwrestler ones), He-Men, and other assorted action figures (including Aqua Man, Mr. T, and BF Goodrich). Luke has been having a great time, demonstrating a timeless instinct for hand-to-hand machismo combat. Chloe knows their names and can imitate their poses ("George the Animal goes like this"). Needless to say I'm very proud of them. Here's a quick clip of Luke in action. Watch out for the scissors leg-lock.

Can anyone name all three wrestlers featured in this clip?

(Others in the attic include Junkyard Dog, British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith, Ric Flair, Cowboy Bob Orton, Big John Stud, and, of course, Macho Man Randy Savage who was once drafted by the Cincinnati Reds and is, of course, the brother of Leaping Lanny Poffo who used to read poems written on frisbees before he wrestled. Good old times.)

A change of heart

2007-09-06T21:01:00.000-04:00

When I was little I loved Little House on the Prairie. I thought it would be so fun to grow up back in those times and wear the pretty dresses and live on a farm. Well, last weekend we got a small taste of that. We had a storm which took out our power for 67 hours. In case you were wondering that's 4,020 minutes - about 4,000 beyond the point of "this could be so romantic." All that to say, I've changed my mind. I'm glad I did not grow up with the Wilders'. I like my electricity. I love running water. I like my TV and computer. This is what I have learned about myself in the past month.

Thank You (from Janis)

2007-08-25T13:34:00.001-04:00

To everyone who was at the reunion this year... Janis sent a thank you card recently and I wanted to pass it on to you all.

"I'm sorry it has taken me so long to write this thank you note. I have had health issues. My yard looked great when all of you finished working on it. I love to sit out and look at the flowers and listen to the waterfall. Jackpot even enjoys sitting out there with me. Thank you so much for all you did for me that day. Grace Center of Hope was thrilled with all the bags of clothes. The garage is so clean it makes my golf cart look good. I like the house better with the shutters off and I'm still enjoying cherry tomatoes. I have the picture of us up by my computer.

God's blessings,
Janis and Jackpot"

A new letter in our alphabet . . .

2007-08-21T11:05:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the blog announcement but in March the Lowes will add a new member to their household. Now taking D name suggestions . . .

Guilty Pleasure

2007-08-20T22:13:00.000-04:00

If you haven't been watching "The Pick-Up Artist" on VH1, well, you're a better person than I am.

I used to give him the benefit of the doubt, but now . . .

2007-08-16T23:21:00.000-04:00

The one night I get down to see the Braves/Giants series and Bonds sat. Didn't even have the decency to pinch hit.

Now I feel cheated.

My New Favorite Person . . .

2007-08-14T23:47:00.000-04:00

. . . can be found here. Watch the video. Not only is there is a Cornholio reference, but the interview towards the end contains my new catch-phrase.

It's a Bird. It's a Plane. It's . . .

2007-08-11T16:43:00.000-04:00

Many thanks for all of the wonderful suggestions. Unfortunately, none of you win the prize because I did not end up using any of them. Hard to believe, right, Jen?

I know you are all waiting with bated breath to know what sort of super alter ego took the field in the place of your mild-mannered friend, but I'm not going to reveal it until I have a picture.

Put on your thinking caps

2007-08-08T19:41:00.000-04:00

I spent the weekend in Baltimore, so I missed Part II of the right Reverend Baucham's series at Buckhead Church and have nary a hermeneutical question to ask.

But I have the next best thing, a pressing kickball issue. As you may know, the kickball team has taken to adopting a different theme every weekend, with varying degrees of success. We have done Hawaiian. (Highly successful - I wish you could tell how great my shirt was.)

We have done 80's. (Moderately successful - Denise and Stephanie in the middle particularly outdid themselves. Stephanie's shirt says "Jem" in puffy paint.)

And, of course, it all started on Cinco de Mayo.

Well, this week, the theme is "I wish I were a super hero." Apparently, this is distinct from the theme simply being "Superheroes" because you can't come as, say, Batman or the Green Lantern (yet again my green spandex leggings will sit unused in the closet). You have to make up a superhero and costume.

The point of all this being: I need ideas. Keep in mind that it has been nearly 100 degrees in Atlanta the last few days, so Eskimo-Man, for example, is not a workable concept.

I look forward to the inspired assistance.

Donde Esta Bud?

2007-07-31T23:24:00.000-04:00

Who decided that we care where in the world Bud Selig is on a given day? Who on God's green earth cares if he is there when Barry hits that fateful flyball? I have never once concerned myself with the commissioner's whereabouts, and I resent having to read that he did in fact make it down to LA for tonight's game.

It may very well be the stupidest non-story in the history of journalism. Possibly less important than Lindsay's latest arrest.

Narrative is (not?) Normative

2007-07-29T20:43:00.000-04:00

This evening's meandering and only marginally focused-message left me with roughly 42 thoughts and no one with which to discuss them at a traditional post-church dinner. So the burden falls to whomever might still check in on this blog once in a while despite the general dearth of activity in the last few months. (For which, my apologies.)

Ultimately, most of the 42 boil down to the fact that I am an awful and cynical person, so we can ignore those for the time being and start with one about which I am legitimately confused.

The background: started a new series this week entitled "Legacy." The speaker was a gentleman named Voddie Baucham* and the primary verse was Jer. 29:11 ("For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord . . . ). His basic point about the verse was that it gets misinterpreted as meaning "God will never let bad things happen to me," which is a pretty solid point. In order to analyze the verse, Voddie gave us his five rules of hermeneutics (although he did not use that term, which is unfortunate, because that is a super-fun word), which went as follows:

Context
Context
Context
[I can't seem to recall this one.]
Narrative is not normative.

As the title of the post may have led you to believe, it's that last one that gives me pause. I have heard the phrase before in a similar context and more or less let it go. But hearing it tonight, it sounded at best unhelpful and at worst, just plain wrong.

If I understand the term "normative" correctly, I think "narrative is not normative" is a tough argument to make. My definition of "normative" - without jumping over to dictionary.com to double check - would be something along the lines of "having to do with how things ought to be." Given that understanding, one would be hard pressed, I would think, to find a story that is totally lacking any normative undercurrent. Wouldn't you? Isn't there always going to be something to the effect of "You should do the right thing" underneath it all?

So the "at best unhelpful" interpretation of the phrase is that "just because Person X did something good/bad in the Bible, doesn't mean that I should/shouldn't do that thing." But do we really need to be reminded that cursing fruitless fig trees isn't the best use of our time?

On the "just plain wrong" end, even if erecting temples for the Baal-worshippers isn't normally on my daily agenda, isn't there something in those stories that suggests I live my life one way as opposed to another?

So without belaboring the point, what say you, pastors and laypersons? Am I missing some key aspect of what "narrative is not normative" is all about? Is there some common hermeneutical pitfall from which the trope protects us? Or is it just some phrase that caught on due to the lovely alliteration?

* My only previous experience with Mr. (Rev.?) Baucham was a series a year or so ago, the content of which is lost to me save (1) what I thought was an ill-considered gay joke and (2) encouragement to Christians to breed aggressively lest the Muslims take over.

What the . . .

2007-07-09T13:01:00.000-04:00

Hell-o, I must have hell on the brain today . . . I just found this article about a Catholic school that balked at letting a little boy in because his last name is Hell.

Hell No?

2007-07-09T08:31:00.000-04:00

So looks like 20/20 is doing a special on Hell for Friday the 13th . . . gotta love how religious topics get highlighted during superstitious times of the year. Here's a news piece from Good Morning America that introduces the topic. I've never heard of this evangelical mega-preacher before but I suppose there are more mega-preachers and mega-churches I've never heard of . . .

link

2007-06-26T23:51:00.000-04:00

Free plug for Bro's church and sermons: http://tech.ualc.org/mp3/

We had the privilege of hearing him a few weeks ago when we were in town for a wedding and it was great, as is the series. Of course this followed a night when Janna and I were locked outside of the Taphorn house with our two kids while they slumbered the night away. In true romantic fashion I roused Brodie from bed by tossing pebbles at his window. I was looking for a boombox to play like John Cusak in Say Anything.

Ok, kind of bizarre

2007-06-07T18:55:00.000-04:00

You might remember this post that Joel put up in September of 2006. Anyway, someone commented on it today. I'm a little confused . . . how about you? Someone clue me in, ok?

crust. reunion 2007

2007-05-30T14:16:00.001-04:00

We had a lot of fun at the reunion this year. We hope everyone else did too. Plans for the crust. reunion 2008 are already underway. If you weren't there this past weekend, here's what you missed.

Sad news . . .

2007-05-14T14:54:00.000-04:00

Due to several factors, the Lowe family isn't going to be able to make it to this year's reunion after all. *sigh* It was a hard decision to make but the best for our little crew, our finances, our sanity, our extended family, etc. We'll miss everybody. Bocce it up right for us and belt out "The Humpty Dance" if you karaoke. :)

Kickball Update

2007-05-01T21:07:00.000-04:00

Thanks for all the input on the song choices. The answer to Cath's query in the comments is sadly anticlimactic. My song choice for last week's game was Zero, but we ended up forfeiting because only two of our lovely ladies showed up to play and you need at least four of each gender. The umpire for our game was a stickler who would not let us pick up people from another team so we could play, despite our opponents' imprimatur on the move.

Quite a downer. This week my Dad's birthday is on Thursday, so I won't be at the game at all. I feel like I have let you all down.

The Most Important Decision I Will Make All Week

2007-04-24T23:46:00.000-04:00

Here's an informal poll. My kickball team is putting together a CD of intro music to play before each kicker. Here are some options I have come up with based on different song-choice theories.

Retro 80's song - Don't You Forget About Me by Simple Minds
Non-ironic, just plain cool, but still somewhat retro song - Zero by Smashing Pumpkins
Ironic, worst possible intro song - Rainy Days and Mondays by the Carpenters
I'm cooler than you indie-music-cred-enhancing song - Flathead by the Fratellis
Not-all-that-clever pun song - Kick, Push by Lupe Fiasco
Even-less-clever pun song - Legs by ZZ Top

If you come up with anything better in one of these categories or in a new category, I would love to hear about it.

-Note also, should you visit the webpage, that GoKickball's slogan is "Atlanta's Premiere Social Experience." Pretty big claim. It's fun and all, but I know people who would disagree.

TMI

2007-04-20T00:22:00.000-04:00

I only did this because Jen did it first.

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free.

In love, you feel the most alive when your partner is patient and never willing to give up on you.

You'd like to your lover to think you are optimistic and happy.

You would be forced to break up with someone who was arrogant, acting like the dictator of your life.

Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with.

Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.

You think of marriage pessimistically. You don't think happy marriages exist anymore.

In this moment, you think of love as commitment. Love only works when both people are totally devoted.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

And this one I would have been better off not knowing, although I cannot say I am surprised.

You Are 70% Weird

You're so weird, you think you're *totally* normal. Right?
But you wig out even the biggest of circus freaks!

How Weird Are You?

Batter Up . .

2007-04-17T10:07:00.000-04:00

A little something something to lighten the mood.

"Just"

2007-04-15T20:39:00.000-04:00

The word "just" has a lot of different meanings. It can be a stronger version of "fair" (The verdict was just.). It can emphasize the immediacy of a past event (She was just here.). It can denote exactness (Just so.). It can be a diminutive adjective or adverb a la "only" (It was just a small promotion.)

But there is yet another meaning of "just" that you only hear in church or church-related situations. It's close to that fourth one and close to number 13 in that first batch that Dictionary.com gives you ("13. actually; really; positively: The weather is just glorious."). It's kind of a "simply" only with an extra dose of earnestness. Actually, even saying you hear it in church-related situations isn't specific enough, because you really only ever hear it when someone is praying. You know, we all bow our heads and then someone says something like, "Please just be with Johnny and just bring him comfort in this difficult time."

Some of us have discussed this religio-grammatical phenomenon in the past, but it's on my mind again after church this evening. A guy named Moxie was leading worship in the historic* service. Moxie is not his real name; we're not scared to use stage names at Buckhead Church. I have been trying to get people call me Thor there - hasn't caught on just yet. But I digress.

It's not set in stone, but the basic program at Buckhead is (1) an opening video sketch to quiet the chatter and introduce the service's theme, (2) two or three songs, (3) a prayer, and then (4) the offering gets taken during a third or fourth song that is generally less sing-along than the previous numbers.

So anyway, Moxie had just finished his prayer, which wasn't noticeably "just"-laden, by the way. Then, for his segue from part 3 of the program to part 4, he said, "I just want to invite the host team forward to take the offering." The inadvertent use of using the prayer-only sense of the word in a non-prayer situation amused me greatly.

I found it so amusing, in fact, that I am now of the opinion that non-prayer use of the heretofore prayer-only sense of "just" should be encouraged. I can hardly wait to walk up to the counter at Arby's and say, "I just want to order a roast beef sandwich and just get some extra barbecue sauce with that." I think this idea has some potential and would just love to hear it in full employ next time we get together.

Even if you don't think it's the best idea ever, don't get bent out of shape. It's just a suggestion.

* Historic because it was the last service in the retrofitted grocery store where we have been meeting for the last several years. In three weeks, we move into an actual church building with three-times the capacity. I think I have written about the move before. Should be sweet.

Pimp My Stroller

2007-04-11T13:33:00.001-04:00

Sure, it's a waste of five minutes, but it's a little amusing . . .

Re: The Kinki Twist

2007-04-02T23:18:00.000-04:00

OK, not really. If you're my friend on MySpace, you may already know this, but I am going to be running five miles as part of a fund-raiser for the March of Dimes. Does that make me a hero? I don't know, but if that's your conclusion, I won't argue with you.

Now it's not a bike ride across the state or anything cool like that, but should you care to throw a fin towards a good cause, you know what to do. No donation is too small. Seriously, I have raised like twenty-five bucks, and I am pretty sure that is all out of my own pocket. It's pretty sad.

I know, I know, pretty lame of me to not post for such a long time and then put up something asking for money, but at least I am honest about it. And as far as I am concerned, honest people are the greatest of heroes of all.

Ideas anyone?

2007-04-01T20:25:00.000-04:00

I see some pretty interesting things as I travel around the state looking for land. Maybe I can share more work-related images in the future. However, my lovely wife happened to spot this beauty on our way to Elijah's doctors appointment in Indianapolis and I thought I'd solicit some opinions on what it might possibly mean. Could it be that Trina is working for Hasbro or Mattel selling boardgames via pyramind scheme at various home parties in the neighborhood?

A mini van and all it implies

2007-03-23T19:46:00.000-04:00

We bought a mini-van last weekend. I'm no longer a Jeep girl - but a Toyota Sienna future soccer mom. The worst part is....I love it!!! But yes, that officially means I'm old and can't even pretend to be young and cool anymore.

Now, I'm not sure that Emily Post would approve of me doing this over a blog, but, I want all of you to know and this way you can all know at once. Anna is going to be a big sister!! I'm due September 27. I'm 13 weeks along and already feeling a bit large, a bit emotional and a bit flighty. (Larry might argue on the "a bit" part of the last two symptoms).

That's all the news in western MI. We'll update when we find out early that he/she is a super genius or anything else exciting.

Yo, ho, ho

2007-03-20T12:31:00.000-04:00

Something to think about.

2007-03-19T21:00:00.000-04:00

I'm sure, by now, you've all seen this one. It's been around for awhile, but it remains one of my favorites.

Alas, missed my opportunity to do this

2007-03-05T19:56:00.000-05:00

I don't know why I'm hung up on these first dance videos, but I seriously think that B and I could have pulled this one off . . . nobody puts Baby in a corner.

reunion 07, the seventh annual gathering of the coolest people I know

2007-03-04T19:02:00.000-05:00

| View Show | Create Your Own

When: Friday, May 25-Monday, May 28 (Memorial Day weekend)
Where: The Henderson Hotel in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
What: Time to hang out, eat pepperoni rolls, play poker, croquet, swim, grill out, play softball, watch movies, crust. church service
Other possibilities: sailing, golf, bocce ball at Palazzo di Bocce, service project

RSVP: please let Janna or Nate know if you plan to come!

More details to come about food, money, dates, times, logistics, etc.

Best Picture

2007-03-01T22:43:00.000-05:00

If you haven't seen The Departed, well, then that makes two of us.

Low Impact, High Results

2007-02-07T09:03:00.001-05:00

Since I have no original thoughts to ever blog on, here again is a video clip I picked up off of YouTube. Seriously, what did I do before YouTube?

Manning under pressure

2007-02-04T23:20:00.001-05:00

Ok, at least one post on the hero of the day though . . . as I watch local coverage I realized that I forgot about this gem that was on earlier this week.

It's a good night to be in the Indy area

2007-02-04T23:11:00.000-05:00

So there's plenty I could post about. And I certainly cannot sleep. After a long and wonderful day . . . I bring to you this video and an obvious game plan for the next crust. wedding. I believe that Ellis could handle the lead. It starts slow, but it's worth the wait.

I'm watching a show called "World Combat League: presented by Chuck Norris"

2007-01-30T22:08:00.000-05:00

Not really sure what is going on. People are fighting and seem to be sorted into teams. But seriously, Chuck Norris, what more need be said?

At any rate, it gives me an excuse to bring back a classic. Whoops. Not that one. This one.

They say when you know, you know

2007-01-25T23:17:00.000-05:00

So I bought a date tonight at an auction. If I remember correctly, her name is Leah. I just know we are going to be very happy together.

Save the date cards will be going out soon, I'm sure. Keep an eye on your mailbox.

Does it get any better than this?

2007-01-25T11:37:00.001-05:00

Um, hello? Anybody?

2007-01-16T20:11:00.000-05:00

Nice to see that I didn't miss anything in the nearly two weeks that I was sans internet due to the move.

But never fear, I am back on the information super-highway and ready to enrapture you all with prose. Except now I have to go to IKEA. The prose will have to wait.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T12:04:00.000-05:00

Here's to making 2007 the best year yet. Hope you all rang it in in style.

Where's the Outrage?

2006-12-29T19:38:00.000-05:00

"Some people have expressed outrage at a Christmas movie that is this disturbing . . ."

So begins the trailer for Black Christmas. The thing is: No, they haven't. I defy you to find me one person expressing outrage anything associated with this movie. As an attempt to stir up buzz, using the anonymous irrational critic both saddens and disappoints. The most outrage this movie has engendered is embodied in this paragraph right here.

Element

2006-12-28T18:47:00.000-05:00

A mere 28 months after the initial document was signed, I am now a proud homeowner. That sound you hear is Atlantic Station property values sky-rocketing now that I am officially a resident. Similar to the effect you saw when Ashton opened his restaurant.

The guest room and other available sleeping spaces are available for any of you whenever you may have need of them. But take your time because for the next few weeks you would be sleeping on the floor.

It's getting closer . . .

2006-12-20T23:56:00.001-05:00