THX For the Eyes...

You know how, sometimes when you go to the movies, they play that THX sound thing before the movie starts? You know, the one that you can feel in your chest. Have you ever wondered what it would look like if a lemur acted it out with its eyes? No? Oh... Never mind then.

But, for those who have...

What Would Bibby Do...

While glancing though sportsillustrated.com, I came across this picture of Sacramento Kings Gaurd, Mike Bibby.

After a few seconds, I couldn't help but notice one of his tattoos

Here's a close up...

That's right: he has a W.W.J.D. bracelet tattooed on his wrist.

Now, I should say that I'm all for having permanent reminders of one's faith. But... C'mon Mike. Isn't that a bit much...

Editor's Note: David Hughes, I hope you love this...

Josh, the Ocean's Right There...

Today, Snyder and I went to the third day of the Buick Invitational golf tournament at the ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL Torrey Pines golf course.

I can honestly say that, to be able to walk this course (which is beside the ocean!) was amazing.

We followed Tiger for a while, watching him drive and play the fairway. At one point, we even went ahead a little so that, when he was finished putting, we were right beside his path to the next hole. So, at one point today, John and I were a mere 5 feet from Tiger Woods! Pretty sweet...

My one complaint of the day was that we were not allowed to bring in cell phones or cameras. So, unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to share with you. Accept this one...

After lunch, we planted ourselves behind the 18th green and waited. It totally paid off! We got autographs from some nice guys (Charles Howell III, Boo Weekley), some not-so-nice guys (Vijay Singh, Hunter Mahan), and some other guys.

All in all, a great day...

iTunes Receipt: Part 8...

So many iTunes gift cards...

I've been combing through iTunes for past couple weeks picking up new songs and restocking old ones. Here's a few of my latest picks...

Maybe I'm Amazed by Paul McCartney

Say Say Say by Paul McCartney

Jack & Diane by John Mellencamp

We Can Work It Out by Stevie Wonder

War Pigs by Cake


Editor's Note: And as an added bonus (this is for you, David Hughes), while looking at my Just For You section on iTunes, I noticed it had recommended this little jewel to me:

That's right: How Will I Know by Whitney Houston. So sweet...

Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright...

When I moved to California in 2003, I decided a good goal to have would be to attend a game for every professional sport. This is mainly because South Carolina has no professional sports teams. So far, I've attended a couple of Angels and Padres games, a few Anaheim Ducks games, a Lakers/Clippers game, and a Packers/Chargers game. This Saturday, I'll be adding the PGA to the list.

I won two tickets to the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines golf course.

So, on Saturday, Snyder and I will do our best to stalk... I mean meet... Tiger Woods.

Hopefully, it won't rain...

Mark Twain Was a Whole Lot Smarter Than Me...

I'm bored out of my mind...

As a result of this, I've taken to watching (and re-watching) my TV on DVD collection and reading everything I can get my hands on while I do this. Everything...

For instance, this morning, I've been re-watching Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (Thank you, Alice) and reading as much about Mark Twain as I can.

Why Mark Twain? I don't know.

Anyway, my readings led me to pages and pages of quotes attributed to him. In reading those quotes, I've come to two conclusions: 1) Mark Twain was much smarter than me, and 2) He was a master at using rhetoric to spin his wisdom into bite-size nuggets that go down easy but get stuck in your brain.

Here's some of my favorites...

Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.

All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.

I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him.

In Paris they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did succeed in making those idiots understand their language.

Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.

You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.

The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.

Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer.

Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.

He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it - namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to obtain.

The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.

Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.

It's a good idea to obey all the rules when you're young just so you'll have the strength to break them when you're old.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe...

I just beat my very first Wii game, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, in 14 hours and 22 minutes. (Not all at once, mind you.) I first saw something on the game at last year's Comic-Con. Part button-masher, part RPG; it's a fun play. It gets a little repetitive though. Enemies don't change much over the various levels. But, it's cool to acquire new "teammates" from Spider-Man's glorious rogue's gallery and upgrade their abilities to make them stronger. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to make use of the two-player "VS." feature yet. All in all, a fun game. It even has an ending that could spawn a sequel!

And so, to Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, I give the honor of being awarded a certified 3 1/2 Yarmulke™ rating...

Martin Luther King Jr. Day...

Today, the third Monday of January, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. A day set apart to honor the sacrifice and impact made by the chief spokesman of the nonviolent civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.

To honor the impact made by Dr. King and many others, I wanted to post his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Not only is it one of the most well constructed (and delivered) speeches I've ever heard, it's (no doubt) one of the most important. If you've never seen it, I'd definitely recommend watching it. Editor's Note: The line comes at 12:21.

In the short history of our country, we've had many champions of freedom. Dr. King stands, rightfully so, amongst those champions; to be remembered in the present for his sacrifice in the past. All to change our future...

Read more about the day here and the man here...

I Am Heartbroken...

Body Double 20: Another Peek Into the Future...

On my way upstairs in the theater to see Cloverfield (certified 4 Yarmulke™ rating), I saw a standee for a just released movie starring Leelee Sobieski. Even though In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale probably isn't going to make it more than 2 weeks in the theaters, it served to remind me of a Body Double that's been in the back of my head for a while.

I've posted about what people might look like in the future before, and here's one more. Is it just me, or does Leelee Sobieski look just like a younger version of Helen Hunt?

Fire up the DeLorean. I think we have a Body Double...

No Soup For You...

In my preparation for the Packers game on Sunday, I ran across this hilarious article. It's all about how the station manager at a Green Bay TV station is attempting to junx Eli Manning by ruining one of his pre-game rituals: watching Seinfeld. Check out the article here. Here's a short clip...

Eli Manning enjoys "Seinfeld" reruns.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. Many NFL players have far worse vices.

But Jay Zollar, general manager of WLUK, a Fox affiliate in Green Bay, this week made it clear that he, not the Giants quarterback, is the master of that domain.

On a video on the station's Web site, Zollar points at the camera and says, "Eli, no 'Seinfeld' for you!"

Yikes...

I save all of my movie tickets...

I know, I know... It might seem a little weird, but it helps me write my end of year list. Anyway, I just counted up the stubs from last year (2007) and the grand total came to 60 movies.

Which, if you add multiply by the average cost of a movie in CA ($10), comes to a grand total of $600. Good thing I had some free movies tickets and was able to attend some free promotional screenings.

Still, yikes...

I Get By With a Little Help...

Another day, another road trip...

Once again, I saddled up and took the 5 north to the OC to meet my buddy Jake at Starbucks and get some wisdom from him on an opportunity that's been presented to me. I had the great pleasure of working on the same student ministries team as him 2 1/2 years ago during my internship. We've since moved on to pastor our own groups, so it was great to reconnect and listen and learn from his experiences of the past couple of years.

I love having friends that I can go to when I need help. I guess John and Paul got it right...

Diet Dr. Pepper (Cherry Chocolate)...

After going to the gym this afternoon, I decided to swing by the grocery store to pick up some things to make supper. So, I walked around Albertsons and got what I needed. Unfortunately for me, there were only two lines open. So, I got behind 6 other people. It wasn't the longest of waits (thanks, in part, to an issue of US Weekly I grabbed off of a nearby shelf), but it was just long enough for me to give in to an impulse buy.

I looked over into the refrigerated case and saw a new Dr. Pepper product: Diet Cherry Chocolate Dr. Pepper. And, in keeping with my tradition of sampling unknown foods so that you don't have to, I knew I had to try it.

So, what's the verdict? Not great. The first sip was pretty gross. It got better after that, but not enough for me to finish the whole 20 oz. bottle. I think it kind of tastes like a cherry Tootsie Pop.

All that said, stick to the real deal. Or, opt for my personal fave; Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper.

Editor's Note: Remember when I posted about Chocolate Rain? Well, Dr. Pepper got Tay to record a song for them. Enjoy...

C'mon Ralphs...

I spent this weekend on the road.

First, I was at a church interviewing for a job. Then, I stopped off in Orange County to spend some time with old friends (and, actually, had two unplanned interviews).

It was great to see my friends again. There's something about spending time with people with whom you have a history that lifts the spirit.

I spent Monday night cooking dinner and watching Stardust with Schwanny and Allison. Of course, since cooking requires ingredients, a trip to the local grocer was inevitable.

When Schwanny and I arrived at Ralphs, we began gathering all of the necessary components for our gourmet meal (read as: turkey burgers, vegetarian baked beans, and natural cheetos). After we realized just how many things we needed, I decided to grab a basket to make things a bit easier.

Now, I've posted before on what a good shopping basket should be. And this particular basket did not meet my standards. (See above picture.)

Could a more impractical basket design exist in the world? No, it couldn't. I mean, c'mon, I could barely fit the lettuce in there...

The Wonders of Technology...

I'm in Seal Beach right now staying at an Ayres Hotel. Here's some incredible technology that this hotel employs...

They give you two room keys: one to get you in, and the other to control your power.

You put your key in this device on the wall and you have power!

No key, no power. Amazing... I have no idea why... But, amazing...

The High Consulate From Solaxiant 9 Wants Floor Seats for the Next Bulls Game...

I just saw this online. Of course, I miss all the cool stuff while I'm home for Christmas! This reminds me of the time I missed Mel Gibson's visit to my church in Orange County because I had to fly home. Maybe one day I'll see something sweet in California...

news:ufo footage near san diego 1_1_2008
Uploaded by sizemen

Esquire's What I've Learned...

I picked up this issue of Esquire before I got on the plane back to San Diego. One of the things that I love about Esquire is their occasional feature, "What I've Learned", where they interview celebrities about what they've learned from life. This particular issue had a collection of various "What I've Learned's" from the past ten years.

Here's a few of my favorites...

"What you are thinking about, you are becoming." -Muhammad Ali

"Positive thinking is a good attitude to have. But positive thinking without any skills is a load of crap." -Conrad Dobler

"Steal with your eyes, not with your hands." -Antonio Pierro

"Like the person you love. That's how you have a long marriage." -Buck O'neil

"Tell the truth. Sing with passion. Work with laughter. Love with heart. 'Cause that's all that matters in the end." -Kris Kristofferson

"Laughing juries don't convict." -F. Lee Bailey

"You could never give your mother as much as she gave you." -Mel Brooks

"What good is being the best if it brings our the worst in you." -Rodney Dangerfield

"Money doesn't make people happy. People make people happy." -Steve Wynn

"Going through tough times is a wonderful thing, and everybody should try it. Once." -Donald Trump

"Hire people who will treat the switchboard operator as friendly as they'll treat the managing director." -Richard Branson

"One of the most beneficial things I've ever learned is how to keep my mouth shut." -Eric Clapton

"If you don't go, you'll never know." -Robert De Niro

"I can tell a young person where the mines are, but he's probably going to have to step on them anyway." -Burt Reynolds

A Tree Doesn't Grow in San Diego...

The picture above is of a tree in the Morley Field Disc Golf course at Balboa park here in San Diego. I took it about 2 years ago.

The first time I played at Morley, I gazed in wonder at the tree hoping that one day I'd be able to add my shoes to it. Well, that hope died on Sunday.

signonsandiego.com reports today that, "Wicked winds knocked the old tree to the ground. It had died years ago, but it was never cut down because of its popularity."

What a bummer. I was going this week to add my shoes to the collection...

Another Reason Why I Love My Brother...

I've written before of how incredibly sweet my brother is. Here's another reason...

I came home this Christmas with a pretty substantial beard. On Saturday night, I decided I was done with it. So, I shaved it off into a series of mustaches. Since my brother is the world's biggest Hulk Hogan fan, I decided that that would be the first mustache I would try.

See Exhibit "A":

After shaving (and flexing with Caleb in the mirror for about 20 minutes), I asked him if I should keep the 'stache or shave it off.

Without hesitation, he said shave it off.

I'm a little disappointed that he didn't vote for me to keep it. But, I still love him. And, I'm going to miss the crap out of him when I return to San Diego tomorrow...

D-lovely...

I posted a few days ago about taking Nanny out for a date. The next day, I took my other great-aunt, D, out on a lunch date too. I've loved being able to spend time with my aunts while I've been home. I miss them so much while I'm in southern California.

We went to Wild Wing Cafe, Barnes and Noble, and Pier 1 Imports. While we were at Pier 1, we found an interesting surprise...

That's right, Pier 1 has a bench named after my family. Unfortunately, it was too big to purchase and pack with the rest of my stuff. So, anyone in southern California who wants to buy it for me will receive a free meal prepared by yours truly...

And finally, to keep with the theme of embarrassing pictures, here's one from back in the day of D and me...

Gas in South Carolina...

Back in May, I wrote a post about the price of gas in Southern California. Well, just a couple of nights ago, my mom asked me to fill up her car with gas. So I made my way to the gas station and was greeted with a somewhat surprising price. Still more than I paid in college, but way cheap compared to gas in SoCal...

Weird Cell Phone Picture: #9 (What's Wrong Here)...

Every time I come home to South Carolina, I always try to make it to the local disc golf course. So, today I went with my friend Tommy. It was at the course that we saw these two weird things...

The words on this sign are meant to communicate that this is a "safe place". However, the picture seems to clash with the intended message. Evidently, "safe" involves an adult sneaking up behind you and touching you in a place where you would need to show a judge and jury on a doll...

Here's a sign on the second hole. Mando (in disc golf) means you must throw to the indicated side. Can you spot what's weird about this picture? We got a good laugh out of it...

Body Double 19: Everybody Loves Chigurh...

I wrote briefly about the movie, No Country for Old Men, in my Top 7 Movies of 2007 post. The movie, while housing some of the best performances of the year by Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin, is owned by Javier Bardem. Bardem plays one of the scariest bad guys in the past decade and does it so subtlety that he makes you really scared of him.

Well, as I sat in the movie with my friend Tommy, he leaned over and said, "Dude, this guy looks just like Brad Garrett." Then, just yesterday while I was talking to Puddles on the phone, he brought up that he had seen the movie. "Good movie," he said. "But I couldn't get past how the bad guy looked like Brad Garrett from Everybody Loves Raymond."

So, this Body Double was brought to you by Tommy and Puddles. I think it's a pretty good match...

The Nanny Diaries...

I've said before that I, along with my brother and two cousins, used to spend everyday during the summer over at my great-aunt's house. Editor's Note: I have always called her Nanny. So, I've always been close with her. Well, I decided a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to spend some focused time with her while I was home for Christmas. So today, I took her out for a lunch date.

We went to Panera Bread, then to Target, then downtown for a bit, and then finished off our date at Starbucks. And it was great. She told me so many great stories of her and Papa's (my great-uncle) dating relationship. Editor's Note: They dated for 7 1/2 years. I can't even imagine...

I love my Nanny so much. I'm so glad we could spend the afternoon together. Here's a picture of us from a long time ago. (You didn't think I was done with the embarrassing pictures? Did you?) Oh, my bowl cut...

Embarrassing (But Funny) Pictures of Me...

Since I was little, whenever anyone came to visit our house for the first time, my mom would give them the tour. The featured stop on the tour? All of the pictures in our hallway. And yes, there are naked ones. Well, since I can't bring each and every one of you to my house in SC (and I would if you'd like), I figured I'd share some of these wonderfully horrible pictures with you. I don't have a scanner here, so I had to take a picture of them with my digital camera.

Editor's Note: This is actually something that I've been thinking that I want to do for the past 2 years. What can i say, I like embarrassing myself.

So, here they are in all their glory...

This is actually my first memory. I remember wearing that sweatshirt and walking out behind our couch...

This picture makes it look like my family was in a photoshoot for a catalog in the 70's. But I was born at the end of 1980. So that would be impossible...

Check me out in my sweet suit. I'm pretty sure I still make that face in pictures...

From early on, it was obvious that I was gifted...

I'm not sure why, but this is one of my family's favorites...

Seriously, how ridiculously cute was I...

Yes, I did rock the bowl cut...

I was baptized on December 23, 1990...

My 7th grade picture. Oh the sweatsuit...

9th grade band picture. Please pay careful attention to the shaved bottom half of my head...

My senior year of high school...

Just so you know, there are worse pictures than this. But these were ones that I could live with releasing to the public. I hope laughing at me has brought joy to your life...

A Southern Tradition That I Don't Understand and Kind of Grosses Me Out...

Now, you should understand this: I'm a proud Southerner. And, as such, I fully embrace and support most Southern traditions. However, this post is about a tradition that I neither support, nor even understand. It's the tradition of eating two specific things on New Year's Day every year. Those two things are collard greens and black eyed peas.

Supposedly the black eyed peas are for good luck in the new year. (I support and embrace this one.) But, the collard greens are supposedly for money. Since I find collard greens to be super gross, and therefore cannot offer them my support, I guess I'll never know if this superstition is true. And I think I'm OK with that...

Giving My Brother the Finger...

Tonight my mom made one of my favorite dinners. And, as a little snack while she prepared, she put some little baby carrots out on the counter while she was cooking. Editor's Note: She also put out ranch dressing. But, due to the difference in taste between the dressing and the Doritos, I think it's gross. I mean, why doesn't the dressing taste like the Doritos?

Anyway, towards the end of supper I began to notice that the baby carrots looked a little like fingers. So I pulled out my pocket knife and made mine look a little more like a finger. Then I gave it to Caleb. Psyche. I ate it...

The Search Begins: Part 4...

Parts one, two, and three...

I think that you can tell a lot about a church by what kind of values it says it has along with what values it silently lives out. One of these things that I've observed in churches over the past 10 years (that has become important to me) is its commitment to learning.

I'm looking for a church that is committed to the continued learning and intellectual growth of its staff and congregation.

I don't think that anyone would argue that our world is in a constant state of change. And it's not a new philosophy in ministry that we need to constantly find new ways to meet the needs of this changing world. Nor is it a surprise that one of the best ways to to do that is through education. So then, why is it that some churches still adopt an ethos of "we've got this figured out"? My best guess is that they're comfortable in how they do things and are afraid that change will bring discomfort. Editor's Note: Duh.

Some staffs that I've been apart of have encouraged their employees to continue the learning process by sending them to conferences or allowing them margins in which to continue their scholastic education. I'm not saying that these are the only ways, but certainly they are ways.

If a church wants to grow, then it has to change. If a church wants to change, then it has to learn. And I want to be a part of a place that wants to do that...

iTunes Receipt: Part 7...

I recently received a ton of iTunes gift certificates. In fact, I'm a little bit intimidated by the amount of money that I now have to apply towards my iTunes account. So, as a start, I spent about an hour last night combing through the iTunes Essentials Your Favorite Year, Your Favorite Song section. I looked from 1990 through 2000 and picked up 4 singles that I hadn't heard in a long time. I also picked up two songs that I had just heard on TV and knew I wanted. I suppose I'll be looking a lot more in the coming weeks.

And now, I'm heading over to the fam's house to celebrate New Year's with food...

I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow by The Soggy Bottom Boys

The Motown Song by Rod Stewart

The King of Wishful Thinking by Go West

Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman? by Bryan Adams

You Don't Know How it Feels by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Do You Know (What it Takes) by Robyn

You Give Me Something by James Morrison