Hear Me Out

As Good A Time As Any

2007-03-13T03:34:00.000-04:00

After many faithful years with Blogger (and the same template) I have finally worked up the time and courage to move out on my own. And just as Blogger was starting to get all advanced too! But I will now become yet another slave to the WordPress as many others before me also have. Blogger's been good to me but I think I'm finally ready to get all advanced on my own.

There's still some things I want to change template and plugin wise but it's pretty close to a final product so I decided to fork over the cash to GoDaddy and get my own domain and hosting. I can now be found at www.hearmeout.us/blog and I think I'm gonna like it here. So update your links (and RSS feeds [http://www.hearmeout.us/blog/feed])...first person to do it...get's a dollar!

Welcome to a whole new era of fancy blogging and flashier substance at Hear Me Out..."The future in 'intertaining'™ 'webtainment'™"

Tales of Trails: A JPEG Story

2007-03-09T04:04:00.000-05:00

The Rumors Are True

2007-03-07T16:26:00.001-05:00

traffic jammy jam jam
Originally uploaded by DPimpact.

Haven't blogged in a little while and I forgot to tell you all that I am in Arkansas with my brother. We drove on Sunday in about 12.5 hours straight through with only a few stops for gas and one for food. Here's the stats:

Average Travel Speed = 61.5MPH
Average Gas Mileage = 21.5MPG
Total Gasoline Used = 32.2 Gallons

We made good time but had to drive into some pretty strong headwind heading West. Hopefully we'll have the same tailwind on the way back and get some better gas mileage. The picture above is the traffic we got stuck in right outside Indianapolis when a couple accidents shut I-70 to one lane.

I'll update you on how much fun we're having here...

Christian Hardcore

2007-02-21T00:45:00.000-05:00

A genre near and dear to my heart is quickly becoming more mainstream than any other Christian genre. I think it's partly due to the lack of good hardcore in the big record labels, something they seem to be shying away from more and more. The latest place I noticed some good Christian hardcore was on a video podcast I happened upon called notmtv (or see notmtv.tv) at Revision3.

The show mentioned several bands that you may have heard of including a favorite of mine, Norma Jean. The focus of the show was on a young band called Bless the Fall. Pretty good stuff from what I've heard...download the podcast and check it out...pretty interesting.

Cedarmania: The Night From Hell

2007-02-16T23:41:00.000-05:00

Many of you may remember last year when I had to stay up all night at an event called Cedarmania. You may also remember that I managed to drink 16 Mountain Dews that night...let me just say...bad idea. I knew before I started it wasn't going to be good but some things just have to be done. Anyway...that event is back and I still have to stay up all night.

Basically I want to make it though on just light sugar in Gatorade, cookies, and stolen hot cocoa. Of course that probably won't be enough so I will also use a little Dew and plenty of Webtainment™. This year's Webtainment™ will come in the form of another ~~TWO~~ episodes of Nathan's Overdramatic Day. Some of you liked them...some of you loved them...we;ll see how you like this one. The first is available now...~~the second hopefully later tonight (tomorrow morning)...stay tuned!~~

Nathan's Overdramatic February 16th, 2007: Part One
Download mp3 (2.34 MB)
"Mo-Def" WAV format (17.2 MB)

UPDATE 2/19: In a wild turn of events there will be no part two as previously planned. Very sorry to disappoint but you may still enjoy the first and only part free of charge. I also remixed the original as there were a few errors that slipped by my careful ear. So if you listened to it before Sunday morning you should give it another listen...that is all.

You can see my first Overdramatic Day here...

Is -6 the temperature or today on a scale of 1-10?

2007-02-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

It's -6°F and sunny here in the Ohio city of Cedarville where many streets are still indistinguishable from the curbs and Chapel isn't canceled no matter what. Sometimes I wonder if chapel is our god here...

Yesterday, I was informed, should have been another snow day with classes entirely canceled. Instead they sent out a few very cryptic emails. The first said that chapel would not be canceled regardless of the school being closed. The second stating that if you thought the weather was too bad to make it in, you didn't have to come to school but classes would be in session. The reason: We are being reevaluated for accreditation this year and we only normally get two "calamity days." We already used one, and apparently the second was used to give us Good Friday off.

That's life I guess. Always getting screwed on the account of some technicality...

Medal of Honor

2007-02-09T20:10:00.000-05:00

Neil Greathouse, whom I greatly respect as both a human being and a gamer has recently commented on our Medal of Honor Allied Assult "Slamfest™" of which I must also comment on.

It was truly fun playing with such a quality group of guys. A lot of good competition, although I did expect more out of my brother. Neil is far too humble though because he did win like 90% of the rounds in his usual merciless fashion.

I also must say that I hate people who use rockets. You shoot them like 100 times in the eye, then they blow themselves up leaving you without a kill! Unacceptable...especially when they manage to also blow you up!

Most of all I wish I could be in the same room as the Columbus guys because I know there's some amazing smack talk going on over there...and I just wish I could contribute more... We will meet again next Wednesday!

Art: The Most Beautiful Form of BS

2007-02-05T22:50:00.000-05:00

After a weekend full of Super Bowls™, athletic marathons, and breakdown practicing one thing still dominates my memories: German Requiem by Johannes Brahms. Most of you probably have no idea what that is seeing as how you don't go to a fancy college like I do. German Requiem, or Ein deutsches Requiem, is "a large-scale work for chorus, orchestra, and soloists. 1"Also let it be noted that it is boring!2

Needless to say, orchestras are not my thing. Orchestras paired with enormous choirs are definitely not my thing. At slightly over an hour long, this amazing piece of musical composition (although boring, I still have to admit it is fairly astonishing) has supposedly taken me on a roller coaster of emotional ups and downs, but all I really feel is that this musical marathon should really be cut down to 15 minuets.

I understand why this music is enjoyed by many, but why must my Humanities professor insist that everything "art" is meaningful...to everyone! That requiem means nothing to me except that I could have better spent my Friday night. Maybe Brahm had some deep significant meaning in his piece or maybe he just thought it sounded good. Either way, art should not be something we glorify, it should be something we appreciate. I can't stand the way people always have to make more out of something than it really is. Enjoy art in all forms and appreciate those who are good at making it, but don't turn it into some mystical object that speaks deep into the souls of all human beings.

...plus, everyone knows that rock is the most beautiful form of art ever anyway...

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ein_deutsches_Requiem
2. My brain

Randomings

2007-02-01T12:35:00.000-05:00

I have had this word stuck in my head, ombudsman. It's pretty much the strangest word to have stuck in your head and I can't remember where I got it! Maybe they said it on TWiT...

Nothing is more disgusting than when they put way too much salt down on the roads. It's like for every inch of snow they put two of salt. You can't even see the lines in some Cedarville University parking lots because of the white glaze.

I want to be a Trade Mark troll. That's totally the future! I don't have any products or patents to sell, but I've got marketing! I was thinking I could call my blog the future in "webtainment.™" I was going to use "intertainment" but I thought that was too obvious...well...why the heck not? I'll use both! "The future in 'intertaining'™ 'webtainment'™"

Everyone, watch the new office tonight! That is all...

American Farce

2007-01-29T12:01:00.000-05:00

Can anyone else not stand this show!? Ok, sometimes when someone who sucks tries to sing on the show it is moderately funny, especially when they make us believe they really thought they were good.

What I cannot stand is how obviously scripted it is. There's no way all those people who sing really think they are good which can only lead to the conclusion that they're acting. We also know all those people are screened before they go in front of the "judges" which means the judges are not actually surprised when they hear a bad singer...they are expecting it (also called acting). After all this artificialization of the process, what do we have? A bunch of crazy people who just want to get on TV any way they can (whoever acts out the most or sucks the worst is going to go in front of the judges), and a bunch of pretty good singers (which apparently most people don't watch the show for that anyway).

Like I said, the terrible singers can be funny for a little while but how does that not get old after the first 3 morons? What's even worse is that most people feel sorry for the bad singers when the majority are only subjecting themselves to ridicule for the purpose of getting on TV! Nobody told these people they were good singers, they decided they could probably act dumb enough to have their 2 minuets of fame...and apparently they get that and sometimes a little more...

American Idol...you are dead to me!

(see votefortheworst.com or the Idol's most famous outcast William Hung to read more about this television travesty)

Nathan's Overdramatic Day

2007-01-20T02:50:00.000-05:00

As an audio guy I like to fool around with some sound waves from time to time and had a bit of an idea, I'm not really sure how funny it is considering it's 3am right now but I definately want some feedback on this one. There's even a little treat for those Office fans out there...wink!

Nathan's Overdramatic January 18th
mp3 Download (1.80 MB)

250 Miles Later

2007-01-14T22:43:00.000-05:00

This last week has been extraordinarily insane to put it in words. Non-stop running, working, and watching movies. Yes, I did have a little time to watch a few movies such as Cinderella Man (4.5/5 stars) and Lady in the water (4/5 stars), but don't let that deceive you. Until this weekend that was basically the only free time I had.

The trouble is that it was the perfect storm. Life Groups starting and Alternative Edge re-launching including their very own Life Group. For a part-time church media guy, that will push you to the limit...especially considering the weekly duties still need to be filled. So after 250 miles this week between Springfield and Cedarville I have made several video's, handouts and various forms.

You can check the videos out at aelive.com (full rez available ~~soon~~) or my YouTube profile...enjoy...

Defeat

2007-01-09T00:18:00.000-05:00

It was the worst massacre since Stalin's "dictorial" reign over the USSR. We all sat in amazement of how far our team had fallen from its near flawless execution of the marvelous game of football. Let the flags fly at half staff, let the world have a day of mourning, let us all weep for our fallen warriors, for the game they played that day was the saddest thing their fans had ever laid eyes on.

...plus a lot of people lost money on it...so that sucks too...

New Digs

2007-01-08T01:27:00.000-05:00

I have suddenly been thrust into new quarters with my flat mates (I always wanted to call them that) plus one.

Due to a series of bad things and whatnot we have moved out of our previous location into a new place about a block away. It really worked out for the better as we all now have our own rooms, and Mandy can adorn my wall and my wall alone (read more about my provocative Mandy Moore poster). So there's four bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, 2 small storage rooms, washer and dryer, and carpet...lots of carpet.

Stay tuned for some pictures and possibly a house warming party this weekend...we got plenty of room for guests now!

Nasty Little Cookie

2006-12-29T23:18:00.000-05:00

Apparently this cookie is a Residual Self Image of my war against Christmas. It's a cookie decorated by me during our family's annual Christmas baking marathon...complete with bullet wounds? That's some high caliber firepower that I've taken there but I should be fine as long as I don't start calling it "X-mas".

War on Christmas

2006-12-23T20:11:00.000-05:00

I am continuing my "War on Christmas" as declared by Aaron by criticizing holiday business practices.

You would really think that in this season, stores would take the opportunity of added traffic to impress new customers to bring them back rather than "dickle and niming" them to death. So far, every place I have gone that I don't usually go, I've been reminded why I don't go there. And if you can't have decent customer service, please at least keep your store in order!

Secondly, I want to make fun of Sony's PS3. Call me an Xbox fanboy if you want but from what I've been seeing the past couple days, they aren't exactly flying off the shelf. I have seen them available at Best Buy, EB Games, Wal-Mart and Meijer which has been easier to find in the last week than the Nintendo DS, Wii, and Xbox 360.

Finally, I saw the funniest thing in the world today. As Aaron and I were at Claire's in the Upper Valley mall with our sister's we saw a Barbie. Not just any Barbie though...middle class Barbie as we named her. She wears $10 jewlery and really seems like an image dump for the traditional high rolling, Corvette driving Barbie.

Prison Mike

2006-12-21T00:37:00.000-05:00

Thievery
Originally uploaded by prozaciswack.

I stole...and I robbed..and I kidnapped the President's son and held him for ransom.......and I neva' got caught neitha!

I always try to go all out for the annual AE Christmas Costume party...but I usually don't start getting ready until the day of. So I chose something simple outfit wise and began to study the complex character of Steve Carell as Michael Scott as Prison Mike. I began studying the character the night before, picking up some key phrases (minus the crudeness), some of his mannerisms, and a short speech that he gives at the end of his visit.

It was a good party though, you can check out some of my favorite costumes on my flickr such as Gangsta Kim and Hilbilly Hillary.

You too can see the true Prison Mike here...crude humor may ensue...

10,000 Things

2006-12-14T12:08:00.000-05:00

Usually I have about 10,000 things running to my head that I want to get out all at once. In my blog, doing that has been an obvious struggle at times...like now. So many things are constantly coming down to the wire in my life from church to school to my personal life, but it's all so exciting. I have a lot to get done over Christmas break...probably more than I even know yet.

- Several video editing projects such as the WFFC year end video and some personal projects.-

- Make a radio ad for Un Mundo Cafe. Details not final but I will be making something to play on U99.5FM.

- We are restructuring Alternative Edge and will be releasing some videos and new flyers and such...more to come on that.

- WFFC info brochures before tomorrow.

- Meet Miss Jessica in 30 minuets...oh yeah...I need to go!

The Christmas Fib

2006-12-11T14:18:00.000-05:00

Nothing bothers me more than when people ignorantly...especially when it's such a ridiculous tale. There's one in particular that bothers me every year that I always suspected to but false but never looked into it until now:

It was said that the cane was shaped like a "J" for Jesus. The red-and-white stripes represented Christ's blood and purity. The three red stripes symbolized the Holy Trinity. The hardness of the candy represented the Church's foundation on solid rock and the peppermint flavor represented the use of hyssop, an herb referred to in the Old Testament."1

Now come on...seriously...what are the chances that this is true? This is a story that I've heard in church so many times, and yes it is a nice story with some nice symbolism but stop telling it like it's a true story! The article quoted above goes on to say, "There is no historical evidence to support these claims, quite the contrary, but they are lovely thoughts." This article and many others (Snopes, Wikipedia, and Farley and Sather's Candy Company) explain that this story has only popped up in recent history and is a completely fictional tale.

So please, stop lying to our children...

Let's Get to Know Each Other

2006-12-07T00:32:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned, I watched Ghost World a few weeks ago which included a strange clip of a song called Jaan Pehechan Ho. It was originally shot for a movie called Gumnaam and performed by Shankar Jaikishan.

The main lyrics to the song are:
"Jaan Pehechan Ho, Jeena Aasaan Ho,
Dil Ko Churane Wale Aakh Na Churaavo, Naam Tho Bataavo

Which mean:
"Lets get to know each other, it will make life easier,
oh you heart stealer, don’t shy away, tell me your name!"1

This goes in the category with Tunak Tunak Tan of stuff Americans really aren't supposed to see...

Here's a link to download a Hi-Rez version of Jaan Pehechan Ho (71.1 MB).

Danielle's Kidnapped Birthday

2006-12-04T00:17:00.000-05:00

I wanted to surprise Danielle in a unique way after the wonderful surprise party she gave me. We pulled off a kidnapping which included throwing her in a trunk and dragging her to Olive Garden. Hope you all enjoy the video.

Cedarville people and others who would enjoy a slightly higher quality video can download DanielleKidnap.wmv.

A Few Words About A Few Things

2006-11-22T01:49:00.000-05:00

I was looking through people's lists of "100 Greatest Movies of All Time" and "Top 10 Films Ever" to see if maybe I've missed some good ones in all my movie watching over the years. One that I saw pop up several times was Ghost World. It's a really strange movie apparently adapted from a comic book.

I did really enjoy it, especially the sarcasm towards modern art. It also took on the issue of how people who try so hard to be outcasts end up alienating themselves even from their fellow outcasts. Anyway, good one...check it out.

Also, on a completely unrelated topic I really like the business model Facebook has going for them. People say it's too boring and not customized enough, but they've acquired quite an impressive audience of very active members. The stats are truly fascinating (I have read the whole article) including more photo uploads than Flickr and 85% of all college students with a profile*, 60% of which log in daily! I consider the not as customized look a good thing. For anyone who has ever browsed MySpace (which I do not recommend), Facebook is a nice clean alternative to keep track of friends and share memories. Their ads are also quite cleverly integrated and not nearly as annoying as most site's flash banners with scantly clad women adorning them.

But I know this sounds completely like an ad for Facebook right now though so I digress and leave you with the fact that Facebook is much less annoying than MySpace...

*This number only counts students at colleges currently available in the Facebook world

Life Actually

2006-11-20T12:25:00.000-05:00

The fate of my Writing for Electronic Media hangs on how well the Bears do from week to week (luckily "da Bears" are having a good season at 9-1)...I always eat 3 M&M's at a time...I think it's time that we all meet Stu (he's really a quality guy)...remember Lemmings? you can play it here or download it here...the coolest optical illusion on the internet ever!...remember Tunak Tunak Tan? never gets old, oh Daler Mehndi...I tried a new search service called ChaCha that has someone chat with you to assist with your search, at first try not so good...Meebo is a really awesome online chat client for all your accounts all free...THE END

# # #

Put Back the Stars

2006-11-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

There are few song out there that really hit me in the chest. But there's even fewer that almost bring me to tears. I've heard this song dozens of times, but it wasn't until I played it the other day with the lyrics in front of me that it hit me on a level of myself that I need to remodel after some serious damage.

Blindside - Put Back the Stars

Put back the stars
I'm out of shape tonight
Pinhole black velvet navigation-skills got lost
with the fading light
It was there not more then a second ago
Now what do you know, what I do know
Is just not good enough to make things right
So put back the stars
I'm out of place tonight

Ain’t it something to know you’re lost
Ain't it something to know you’re lost
Ain't it something to know you’ve lost

I hoist my sail
Though there is no wind in sight
And I close my eyes to feel the fresh breeze
Paint the inside of my eyelids bright
Fill the sky with your breath
Cause you know I’m out of mine
Let the sky burn and I will inhale
Without a fight
So I hoist my sail
And I'll just wait for you tonight

Ain't it something to know you’ve lost
Ain't it something to know you’ve lost
Ain't it something to know you’ve lost

Black tar surround me now
But life is the next door neighbor
On the outside there is just absence
But when I close my eyes
All I see is your face

Ain't it something to know you're lost
Ain't it something to know you're lost
Ain't it something to know you're lost
Ain't it something to know you're lost

Ain’t it something to know you’ve lost
Ain’t it something to know you’ve lost
Ain’t it something I know I’ve lost

Although I question the legality of the site you can download this song or album here pretty cheap at high quality and DRM free.

All the Cool Kids Are Doing It

2006-11-13T15:25:00.000-05:00

Well, all the bloggers I admire have made such a list so it must be cool...right? I will also include a short comment on each one because I believe the meaning often goes deeper than just the title of the song.

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?

So, here’s how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button

Opening Credits: The River is Wild - The Killers
I take this as foreshadowing for the rest of the movie.

Waking Up: Calm Like a Bomb - Rage Against the Machine
I would certainly never consider my morning explosive by any means but there it is.

First Day At School: Wonder What's Next – Chevelle
Considering my thrust into public school after being home schooled, this is more than an apt description of that experience.

Falling In Love: Superfriend - Audio Adrenaline
This song is of course not originally about a girl...but it works.

Fight Song: Day By Day - DC Talk
Every day is a fight for some of us.

Breaking Up: God Put a Smile Upon Your Face (Live) – Coldplay
Make them wonder why you're still smiling...in the bad times.

Prom: Without Love - Johnny Cash
I wish they played Johnny Cash at my prom(s)...way better than Notorious Big.

Life’s Ok: You are the One - Lincoln Brewster
When life's just “OK” it's always good to hit a nice worship song and remember what it's all about.

Mental Breakdown: Blossom, The Witch - Still Remains
The album title for this song happens to be Of Love and Lunacy...true story.

Driving: Sleepwalking - Blindside
When I drive, I tend to drift off no matter what time of the day.

Flashback: Rest for the Weary - Cool Hand Luke
Good chill song, if I was having flash backs, I'd want to listen to Cool Hand Luke. Also the album is called The Fires of Life.

Getting Back Together: What's My Age Again - Richard Cheese
If you know what this song is about it makes sense, plus it's redone in the classy voice of Mr. Cheese.

Birth of Child: The Soldier's Song - Demon Hunter
Because it takes a soldier to raise a child...not a village.

Wedding: Bend the Bracket - Chevelle
On the album This Type of Thinking Could Do Us In ...hmmm...

Final Battle: Give - Faded Me
“And I will give my life a living sacrifice, and I give everything, every piece of me.” Battling to some good 'ol Faded Me.

Death Scene: God Shaped Hole - Audio Adrenaline
Maybe that “hole” is not a figure of speech...that's a pretty big hole.

Funeral Song: A Last Illusion - Trans Siberian Orchestra
I hope they play this at my funeral.

End Credits: Wiplash – Beanbag
With the lyrics, “Jesus will never let you go!”

Deal or No Deal

2006-11-06T19:15:00.000-05:00

This week, Pastor Jim decided to have a message themed off NBC's Deal or No Deal. As always, finding logos for these shows that are of decent quality is fairly difficult. Fortunately, however, they used a pretty standard font in their logo for anyone interested in making a more realistic recreation of the logo, Eurostyle Extended #2 (in bold). The logo above is my attempt at making the logo Saturday night before the sermon.

Above is a comparison of the original (top) and my version (bottom). I think a did a decent job since I only had Photoshop to use. Obviously I could not make it in 3D and ended with a much more well polished and shiny version, but the re-creation was necessary in order to make the "DEAL" and "NO DEAL" individual slides below.

I used Indigo Production's action "Chrome and Gold" and some color adjusting to made all these slides. Let me know what you think...

El Futuro de la Iglesia

2006-11-03T00:27:00.000-05:00

This weekend, the staff of Word of Faith Family Church (myself included) will be heading for a retreat in near Columbus to discuss the future vision and plan of the church. I am excited since I've never really been a part of anything like this before plus I can really see a lot of things developing that will be changing us a lot:

The Youth Group
Alternative Edge is about to be completely revamped. This includes changes such as small groups, more emphasis on Wednesday nights, removing the Sunday night service as it is now, and splitting the High School and Junior High into basically separate ministries. This is all preliminary brainstorming, nothing is set in stone, but this is generally what we're looking at.

Outreach Committee
We saw a lot of work and volunteering go into the NightLight and we now have an Outreach Committee. I think we're going to be seeing a shift toward more outreach events hosted by us and hopefully even in cooperation with other churches. I think we'll be doing another similar event as soon as the Spring.

The Media Team
Actually going through a rough patch right now as far as volunteers, but I have actually seen a lot of interest lately from the congregation. We're looking at a lot of video editing right now and maybe even video announcements as soon as the beginning of next year. This would require two things, about 3 people to shoot and edit that and a new Mac for editing. The 5-6 year old G4 is showing it's age a lot lately.

So all in all, looks like a lot of stuff is happening....we may even be breaking ground for a new wing pretty soon. But we'll see what God has for us this weekend...pray for us!

I am a Closed Book

2006-10-30T18:40:00.000-05:00

I know, you probably never thought I'd associate myself with books but it's just a metaphor. Anyway, I say that because I don't understand people that just start spewing themselves without being prompted. I'm not talking about people who will start a conversation, I'm talking about the ones who can't stop sharing everything about themselves. Those people are open books...or maybe audio books.

But me...I'm closed. Not in the sense that my story is over, just that you have to open me and turn the pages. I probably wont ever really share anything about myself or any deep thoughts unless provoked by another comment or question. That's just the way I am, I internalize things. The kind of person who never wears his heart on his sleeve, I am just "OK" all the time. I will say, however, that I am a particularly well written book coming up on the end of my...say...third chapter. And you know what happens at the end of a chapter...something exciting, tragic, or plot changing...

Modest but Exciting Results

2006-10-29T01:11:00.000-05:00

After a media onslaught for our fall festival, NightLight, we had an exciting turn out from the community.

The Numbers:

Designed, Printed, Cut
300 Full Color Glossy Door Hangers
500 Full Color Glossy 4x6" Postcards Mailed
500 1/4 Sheet B&W handouts
2300 1/2 Sheet B&W handouts
3600 TOTAL

Turnout (approximate)
65 Families
250 Total Visitors

I was not honestly expecting such a turn out but was pleasantly surprised. I know this isn't a huge turnout by any means but it's our first real community outreach event we've done on our own like this. I can already see my church gaining momentum toward even bigger and better things in the near future. It costs a lot of money and even more time from staff and volunteers, but we've always been pretty outreach minded and I don't think this will be a difficult direction for us to move in. I am excited about what God has for us!

The Trip Was Good But...

2006-10-23T13:06:00.000-04:00

The trip to Galion was fun and eventful including a flat tire and stripped nut, seeing Man of the Year (good flick), and reading countless books like my new favorite Bear in a Chair. But what I really want to talk about is the conversation Bobby and I had upon my return last night...it was amazing:

[00:39] Bobby: If a tree falls and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

[00:40] Me: only if it falls on your head
[00:41] Me: but yes...the laws of physics tell us so
[00:41] Me: why do you ask?

[00:41] Bobby: Laws of physics also claim that "sound" is a wave, and what becomes the sound is when the wave hits an eardrum
[00:42] Bobby: ... so if it doesn't hit an ear drum than does it count as a sound or just a wave

[00:42] Me: oh we wanna get technical huh?
[00:43] Me: i guess the real question then is, what is the definition of "sound"

[00:43] Bobby: If you are to debate might as well debate on a technical lever instead of the level of an ape
[00:44] Bobby: vibrations that travel through the air or a medium and can be heard when they reach the eardrum

[00:44] Me: alright, well if sound is defined only as those waves made in the air hitting an ear drum then no...the tree did not make a "sound"
[00:45] Me: rather it moved air particles in a fashion that would produce the waves necessary to make a sound

[00:45] Bobby: I love you nathan

[00:46] Me: but then there's the chaos theory where you could technically claim that even that seemingly small instance when looking on a global scale may have not had an immediate impact on the world such as being heard, but that one impact and moving of molecules could have been the beginning of a series of events that would eventually in some way be heard
[00:48] Me: such as somehow being the catalyst of a landslide by way of causing a fly to change directions slightly, sending him straight into the windshield of a semi on the freeway startling the driver sending him off the side of the mountain he was driving causing the whole face of the mountain to begin sliding down toward the village below...then...the tree would be heard

[00:48] Bobby: Or in quantum mechanics the lack of sound will play out in every other manner possible in millions of microverses
[00:49] Bobby: I prefer the quantum mechanics view

[00:49] Me: alright
[00:49] Me: but what did you really want to talk about

[00:50] Bobby: Um, am I really supposed to know?

[00:52] Me: nope...i think it's better this way

* this conversation was slightly edited for readability purposes

Fall Break Baby

2006-10-16T23:12:00.000-04:00

Takin' a break this weekend up in Galion, Ohio at Phil's house. Phil, Sam, Leslie, Danielle, Annemarie and myself will be taking off sometime early Thursday. I am excited becasue I haven't been away from it all in a little while so we're all going to take a breather, watch some movies, play some paintball, and hopefully bum around as much as possible!

Unfortunately I will be missing our big NightLight event this Saturday but I am confident that it will be aptly staffed with photographers and videographers. But if you are in the Springfield, OH area this weekend and have kids in 5th grade or under, it's the perfect thing to check out...for free...

Broken By Design

2006-10-11T00:21:00.000-04:00

Interchangeability

I really love videos that help us understand why DRM sucks (which it does...big time). I thought this one was really creative and a good example of why locking down stuff we buy is a bad thing. If you liked it, share it and check out these other cute illustrations (Anti-DRM 1 | Anti-DRM 2)

If you live in one of those lovely areas where YouTube might be blocked you can download and watch the videos here: (Interchangeability | Anti-DRM 1 | Anti-DRM 2). If you cannot play .flv files try downloading the VideoLAN player which you should have anyway!

1500 Later...

2006-10-08T19:23:00.000-04:00

With the Night Light event coming up soon we're promoting it like crazy. Yesterday I labeled 400 postcards to mail out and cut 1,500 half-sheet flyers to hand out to the Sonshine kids this week. I would be sick and tired of doing this stuff by now, except I'm really excited about what we're doing here. We're finally reaching out into the neighborhoods to bring attention to what we're doing here. I am proud of my church. We're not big, but we do big things, and we dream even bigger for the future.

So if you're the praying type, please pray that out fall outreach (Night Light) will go well and that the surrounding community will begin to see that Light through us more and more.

I Made the Team!

2006-10-01T20:51:00.000-04:00

It's not a huge deal but a cool happenstance nonetheless, I made it in the Eroded Magazine: Blue Edition. You can check it out at 555design.org, enter the site and click on "Eroded Magazine" at the top (on pages 10 and 11). The piece is entitled "Blue is the Loneliest Number" which was adapted from a previous work of mine. It's nothing amazing, but like I said...it's kind of cool. Let me know what you think of my piece.

Portman Goes Gangsta Too?

2006-09-27T13:23:00.001-04:00

Warning: This video is not appropriate for small children or Cedarville Students!

I'm sure many of you have already seen the Natalie Portman rap from SNL (above) and have laughed "OL" at it. I also enjoyed this video and found it an interesting topic for many reasons. (and yes, I do know this is old news)

This is a pretty different persona for Natalie to take on after her better known roles in Star Wars, Closer, and Garden State. She's probably wanting people to know her also for her tougher persona in movies like V for Vendetta and upcomming (rumored) Indiana Jones 4. This is definitely a popularity boost for her.

Obviously SNL/NBC is trying to recreate the popularity of the Chronicles of Narnia video titled Lazy Sunday but they suck so bad at the viral video thing. They pushed the video off YouTube (the most amazing website for free promotion) and are trying to keep it just to their site. Well NBC, the viral video thing doesn't really work like that! Of course you can't do anything like posting their video to your blog or anything so basically nobody cares when it's on their site.

But despite all this, I find the most interesting thing about it is that this is just more proof how easy (and stupid) rapping is in general.

London Bridge is Falling Down

2006-09-21T18:33:00.000-04:00

Two things...you know those people who know every song on the radio...and why is hip hop so stupid/confusing?

1. I am baffled by the fact that you can sit in a car with 3 other people with the radio on, and they all know every song that plays. And I do mean every song, from the rap/hip hop to the adult contemporary. Is the radio really so lame that it's possible to learn every song that plays on it. And I'm not just talking one station, we were hopping from station to station and the other people in the car sang every song annoying me the whole way. By my estimation, there can be no more than 50 different songs that play on all radio stations in an area throughout the day.

2. What the heck does it mean if someone makes your London Bridge fall down, of if you happen to be caught "Riding Dirty"? Ok, I could probably assume what most of these metaphors mean, but they're sooooo stupid! There is some rap and hip hop that I do listen to, but how can you really enjoy these overly vaugue, pointless, poorly written lyrics?

Despite my hate for it, however, I cannot deny the crazy for these catchy lyrics and decided to get in while I can. You can expect to see my hit "I'm Steamin' Like a Sauna, Ladies Get On Me ®". I know it's a bit crass, but that's the biz. You gotta Roll Deep and Ride Dirty...

The Streets

2006-09-18T14:11:00.000-04:00

I forgot to mention before the weekend that I was leaving to be homeless until 5pm on Sunday. That's probably why I had 7 missed phone calls and some voice mail. But it was a pretty thought provoking time.

I am supposed to not give anything away because everyone should take Intro to Urban Ministry with Dr. Cook and you can also have this experience, but I will say a few words on how it effected me. I was not surprised that it wasn't all that physically challenging since it was only a weekend but when I think about living like that all day every day, it seems quite overwhelming. Living with nothing, having no pupose, and pretty much nowhere to go...can you imagine the feeling of worthlessness?

Like I said, I can't give too many details but hopefully I will have something more to say on this later. I need some time to process everything but I know I see it all a lot differently now...

SURPRISE!

2006-09-13T14:06:00.000-04:00

And I was none the wiser! Yesterday was just supposed to be a normal day, I was going to go to Sonshine Club, go to class, and go running. Not the case at all. First, I decided to skip my class since it was the day after my birthday (and I went to all 3 of my classes yesterday) and play some ESPN NFL 2K4 (way better than Madden games). Well this threw off certain plans of secret people's scheming against me.

So Derek and Phil convince me that we need to immediately leave and go get stuff from their storage unit in Xenia. Frustrated, I gave in and drove them to get the stuff with Phil talking on the phone nearly the whole time. Little did I know, he was coordinating the most dastardly surprise party ever.

When we got back, still having no idea what was awaiting me, I burst through the door and am instantly hit with a confetti of "SURPRISE!" and little pieces of paper. Needless to say, I wasn't thinking about ESPN anymore. It was a great party and we had lots of good times, thanks to all who came and Phil (my roommate), Danielle (my sister), and Annemarie* (my sister's roommate) who planned it as far as I understand.

*I apologize, because I was not aware Annemarie was also part of the planning comittee therefore I amend this post

Prove It

2006-09-11T12:07:00.000-04:00

For some reason, movies about math geniuses are really really captivating. There's something about the mystery of mathematics and the exciting prospect of having things figured out that have never been figured out before. This movie really is awesome though and I would like to share a small excerpt from it. The most amazing equation ever written:

"Let X equal the quantity of all quantities of X. Let X equal the cold. It is cold in December. The months of cold equal November through February. There are four months of cold, and four of heat, leaving four months of indeterminate temperature. In February it snows. In March the Lake is a lake of ice. In September the students come back and the bookstores are full. Let X equal the month of full bookstores. The number of books approaches infinity as the number of months of cold approaches four. I will never be as cold now as I will in the future. The future of cold is infinite. The future of heat is the future of cold. The bookstores are infinite and so are never full except in September..."

Frustration Sets In

2006-09-07T15:50:00.000-04:00

I am a very laid back person, but I'm not going to lie to all of my trusted internet friends. I have been very stressed out lately! There's been few times in my life when I've really been stressed...very very few...like 3 times ever...and the weight of all these things on my mind is building.

I would have to say a lot of it is coming from the media team...or lack thereof. For anyone that doesn't know, I work part time for my church as Media Director. This is in no way a part time job! Usually we've had a "Media Team", a group of volunteers to come in and help me get stuff done and ready for service. Well, this team has nearly completely deteriorated with some people changing churches, some people taking time off, and some people being busy. Last week is was just me and I was there all day. I have had no creativity the last couple weeks and I need help.

I am not blaming anyone for this. I know a lot of things have added up to this frustration...I just needed you to know...

No Sleepy Time

2006-09-06T09:41:00.000-04:00

I really could not sleep last night. It could have been the ultra bright blue LED's on the side of Sam's supercool custom PC lighting up the entire room. It could have been that my right nostril was strangely filled with snot causing uncomfortable breathing patterns. Or it could have even been the excitement of knowing that I was coming to chapel today...and they're doing The Lion of Judah! That's right you heard it here first. If you don't know about this incredibly strange Cedarville tradition...please skip chapel this morning so you may live without said torture.

But if you do come...know that this song will (unfortunately) never ever die.

You Can Take My Breath Away

2006-08-30T09:41:00.000-04:00

My body seems to have amnesia from when I used to run Cross Country (the greatest sport of all time) back in the day. I ran three miles around the campus, circling it like a hawk searching for...an oxygen tank! It was rough, I'm not going to lie. My joints ached like the rusty Tin Man, and my solar plexis burned like the Red Flame.

It was good though becasue I have been locked up in a cage in front of a computer all summer. I haven't been able to climb every mountain, ford every stream, and paint with all the colors of the wind like I usually do in the summer. I probably pounded down a few too many sodas too, but that's a whole 'nother problem. I am hoping to get back in shape by running every Tuesday and Thursday and lift every MWF. Then I can be as rockin' as Stu...it will be a good thing.

Back to Class

2006-08-28T13:35:00.000-04:00

So after a nice weekend of visiting Dustin (who is an awesome dude if you didn't know), I am back here sitting in class. Intro to theater...wow. This class is bad. I'm the kind of person that expects a class to be bad almost all the time, plus I'm not a huge fan of theater either. It also doesn't help when it sounds like your intructor is contantly out of breath. You begin to wonder when she's going to just pass out mid sentence.

But my class schedule is pretty nice this semester. I pretty much get to sleep in every day, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays I am hoping to be able to help out with Sonshine Clubs. I am really excited about that because I know Jessica is having trouble finding enough volunteers which is really sad considering the awesome opportunity we have in the Springfield schools. If you do want to help you can contact her through the info on the page linked above.

I hope you have a big trunk...

2006-08-23T20:15:00.000-04:00

Because I found my bike! I saw it outside the ENS (Enginnering, Nursing, and Science) building today on my way to my first class. I could have waited for the person who now "owned" it (who will not be named), or I could get to class on time and have my bike too. Soon after recovering it, I registered it in my name and will soon own a very nice lock. Bike theives beware...it also has a webcam attached.

Along with this joyous discovery, I have also learned that my class and chapel schedule will be quite a casual one this year...despite having a class at 6:30 on tuesday and thursday. Two words...sleeping in...

Long Walks on Main Street

2006-08-22T11:16:00.000-04:00

So living off campus in Cedarville is a different animal. We're actual "townies" now and have finally experienced the town as it really is outside of the University "bubble".

So living of campus means supplying our own food first and foremost. The interesting thing is that every time we walk down to the little grocery store set in a gas station, we get stopped by the coppers. Every time! This last time, making a total of three stops (plus two while driving), was the most ridiculous. As we are walking back once again, we are as jovial as always, and we wave to a few cars passing by at this late hour. It's about 11:30pm and all the sudden a cop car pulls up behind us and starts asking us what we're doing. I reply casually as I'm still walking that we just stopped to get some groceries, and that we're headed back to our house. He then angrily tells us to stop walking when he's talking to us, and begins questioning us as to why we're flipping off cars passing by.

Well, much to our supprise, apparently one of the late night passer-bys mistook our friendly wave for an osbscene gesture and narked on us to the cops. Which is funny and ridiculous at the same time. I really wish the Cedarville Police had something better to do than stop late night grocery shoppers.

To the Muffler Gods

2006-08-17T00:13:00.000-04:00

Once again, another of my vehicles has managed to wedge loose the large hunk of metal known as a catalytic converter (not to be confused with the Cadillac Converters). I really don't get how this is possible. How hard it is to make a two inch thick pipe that doesn't fall to pieces...HOW HARD IS THAT! If I ever owned a car company I would have to put a life time warranty on those babies because no person should ever have to struggle with those things!

So after taking the converter off my old car...adding two more adapters (bringing the total to 6 adapters)...and making a metal coathanger sacrifice to the muffler gods, I honestly believe that I won't lose this one. I guess only time will tell...but this is the last straw...I'll burn this building down if I have to move my desk again...

Door 222B

2006-08-10T00:32:00.000-04:00

Airports are cool and full of foreigners. That's where I am at this lovely hour waiting to pick up Derek's (like the Derek featured in my Whole New World post) girlfriend Karen in Columbus. Her flight is way late...oh wait...there she is! She's finally here after being over an hour late but she had fun apparently so yeah...

Neil the Great has a blog again...very exited am I...

But Phil is here on this adventure with me so that, of course, makes it way cool. And since this blog post is really going nowhere...and neither is the shiny baggage claim carousel...and there is only a hallway behind door 222B...and we are within striking range of flight 1720...and Phil's Milky Way Mocha is poisoned...and we have a long drive back...and......(Nathan trails off into the deep deep depth of his own thoughts wondering why...how...and WHAT IS THAT BEEPING NOISE!!!)

To Branson in and Back Again

2006-08-08T19:26:00.000-04:00

After staying in Lowell for a few days, we decided to head off to Branson, MO. I've been there once before, and definitely not what I remember. Now it just seems like a place that might have been fun 10 years ago.

I mean it is different, and there's a lot of crazy stuff going on, but it's mostly just a bunch of..."Hey, look at me, I'm juggling cats! Wouldn't you like to come to my amazing show!?" I can see wanting to go back if I wanted to learn how to overly whiten teeth for all the superstars' billboards, or a lesson on market oversaturation. Maybe worth checking out once in your life...but I mean, anything is fun when you're hanging out with Aaron...so if you can grab him for your trip...

Free WiFi

2006-08-04T03:13:00.000-04:00

Oh yeah, free WiFi at even the cheapest of one night stand hotels. I have to say, even as my family makes fun of me as I type this, I need the internet. I just like the feeling of knowing all the wildest imaginations of my mind are constantly at reach...and still all my sister can think about is MySpace (as he shudders at the thought of unsolicited music playing on his speakers and impossible to read text scrolling across his screen).

So the reason we are having this one night stand is because we are on the way to Arkasas to see my bro. It should be a fun 5 days not doing the things I normally do at home as much as possible. So please pray for me...that I might refrain from those things...

2006-07-28T14:02:00.000-04:00

10 ways to build a better body? 10 ways to organize my life? 10 ways to become rich quick without a pyramid scheme? No. No. No.

10 ways to look at photgraphy in really unique ways? Yes. Not only is this an amazing artistic website, but it's also 10 more ways to waste time on the internet...because we all need more of those.

Everybody should check this out, especially information (second one on page) by summona and "+" (first one) by tomato all sponsored by gettyimages.

Rain Delay

2006-07-22T13:11:00.000-04:00

Rain Delay
Originally uploaded by prozaciswack.

That would pretty well describe the game. The delay itself was 2hrs 20min...which was a long wait filled with America's Funniest Home videos and Tom Hanks clips on the Jumbotron. Tom Hanks and Ron Howard were actually at the game which was cool I guess.

After the rain was gone the Reds finally got their act together. Ryan Freel is an animal basically...reminds me of a young Nathan.

Danielle, being the perceptive little person she it, noticed that when they played an intro song for each Reds player, they each had a song that seemed particular to their ethnicity. Even the one Hispanic player had a quite mexican sounding song. It was pretty funny...for us anyway.

Eyes Wide Open

2006-07-17T19:24:00.000-04:00

Kyle "Corner Reflection"
Originally uploaded by fischink.

Eyes Wide Open was great. I didn't write about it a whole lot on here so if you're without a clue you can visit the website. All of the art was beautiful and I even bought the one you see to the right...I couldn't resist. It looks so great on canvas and it will be hanging on my new apartment wall...not that we only have one wall...

All the pictures you see on Flickr will be for sale in small format on photo paper through the Eyes Wide Open website in a few months...or you can buy the full set of 24 on canvas for $12,000.

And for the rest of the day today I will be at the Reds game...I anticipate a fun time.

Sucka?

2006-07-17T13:38:00.000-04:00

I am a sucker for advertising, I have to admit. No matter how hard I try to convince myself that the platinum spark plug is not worth $5 more each, I usually end up at the checkout counter 10 minutes later buying at least the gold series over the standard cheaper model. Why is that...why am I such a sucker?

Being fascinated by this powerful force which causes me to spend more money than I probably need to, I was looking at some reviews for the new Mac ads. I ran across Seth Stevenson's review (which I completely agree with) when I ran into what I really wanted to show you all...what would happen if Microsoft redesigned the iPod packaging...That is just hilarious and dead on. After watching, I grabbed a box for a MS product I had nearby and they really nailed it...and they should because apparently it was done by MS employees. I pity their graphic designers.

The Glorious Series of Tubes

2006-07-14T13:44:00.000-04:00

The internet is a wonderful and glorious place...except when it's not of course...which is fairly often. As the internet has become more useful and more used, it has of course become more dangerous and more annoying (like those flash ads that cover the whole page).

But what if I told you there was an easy way to get rid of all that junk? Something that probably even my mom could do. All you have to do is download a file and replace it for another one and many of the intrusive ads and phishing sites are then rendered "localhosted".

So what is this magic bullet? It's called the hosts file, and you may heave heard of it on the Security Now podcast. Basically what this file does is define domain names for your browser. So before your browser goes across the internet to retrieve the data, it will check the hosts file to see at what IP address that domain name (the www.whatever.com) is found. If you lie to it, and tell it a different IP address (such as localhost 127.0.0.1), then it will not show that annoying flash ad that covers the whole page like a virus.

So with all the explanation aside, all you have to do is download a hosts file and for Windows XP place it in C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc. You can get it as a text file here (which you would rename from "hosts.txt" to just hosts before you copy it into the folder) or download the zip file, unzip it and open mvps.bat. And you're done...man, there no place like 127.0.0.1.

**Editing this file is also a great way to play pranks on people such as changing their Battlefield 2 (159.153.177.11) website to automatically take them to My Little Pony's (207.162.131.61) website...think of the possibilities...

A Whole New World

2006-07-11T21:31:00.000-04:00

Moving back to Cedarville...and so soon this year. That's right, living off campus in the brand new apartment with Phil, Sam, and Derek.

Phil
Red Head | 5' 8 1/2" | International Studies Missiology Major | allergic to belts and willing to allow any girls to stalk him

Sam
Military Man | 5' 8" | Computer Science Major | aspiring Air Force sniper

Derek
Landlord | 5' 5" | Italian Mafioso | apparently doesn't know how to use the internet because he doesn't even have his own URL

Another change for me is that I can actually make calls with Verizon here now. Yep, all 6 bars...which may or may not be a good thing singe I had about $50 of overages last month.

We got this place all painted up and spiffy* fully functioning with WEP protected WiFi. We will have a house warming party soon.

*paint inspired by Los Mariachis

Dud

2006-07-07T08:22:00.000-04:00

So now that the Red Rocket is a dud I have been forced to move on although I have pretty much lost all hope in internal combustion engine cars. There's just way to much that can go wrong, and I just can't keep up with that entropy.

Another change that is in process is my moving into the apartment finally. I moved just about all my stuff with the help of Bobby, Rob and a little from my family. In addition to getting my stuff moved, I also managed to score a set of free couches...butt ugly, but free.

Still sitting here at my mighty desk of a throne working those full time hours. As I said last post, life is still crazy and way too full. But I did manage to find some good stuff on the web for you all. The first is the McGruff website teaching kids to stop crime and bullies. I like how McGruff is just sitting there, watching the kids like some creep. The other is Val Kilmer's website found here which I found after watching Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (an amazing movie) because he kept mentioning it throughout the commentary. I love the picture of him right there on the first page.

Back Around Again

2006-06-30T17:13:00.000-04:00

So I'm back from camp, which was an awesome time of media and friends, and it's time for the cycle to start again.

I say that because I realized something at Impact this year when Pastor Mark was talking. He was talking about people called to ministry. He was talking about his personal passion to see kids saved and you could tell he was near tears just talking about it. This is a passion God has given me as well, and I gotta admit, I was fighting back the tears myself.

When he called people called to ministry to the altar I wanted to go so bad, but just decided to stay at my camera instead. Not that I actually thought my task was all that important, just that I didn't take the initiative to. But I wanted that prayer so bad because I feel stuck right now. I have so many passions and so much I would love to accomplish and I just feel stuck right now. I already have so many commitments that I feel like I'm not accomplishing all that I really want to. An escape...a freedom...anything to make me feel like I'm doing what God wants me to do. I honestly pondered the possibility of just forgetting the rest of college. Bogged down with all this stuff I just want to feel like I am going somewhere with life...but it just feels like a cycle.

For the first time that I can ever remember I feel so bored with life. Not that I'm depressed or perpetually disappointed, because I do have awesome friends and family, but I'm am actually finally tired of doing "stuff". Just pray for me...that I will find direction, and that I would find in my heart the direction God has for me right now.

Too Soon

2006-06-23T19:29:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's already Friday. Emily and I will be leaving for Impact in just 2 days now. Al I can say is that I have no idea what I'm going to wear...OMG!

So my question is, why do I never seem to actually accomplish anything? I am always busy doing something. Going to Sonshine camp (AKA Sunshine City), working full time and part time, going to Impact, blogging almost every day...where does all my freakin' time go? I never feel like I really get anything done.

I never wanted this blog to be me talking about my life, but that's all I seem to think about. What I've done and what I still need to do. I really am tired of being busy. I have so many commitments and so many more I would love to take on but stupid things always seem to get in the way. It would really be nice to just give up on the whole college thing. Anyway, I am looking forward to camp...I'm just thinking about all the things I should be getting done while I'm there.

A Broken Update

2006-06-20T18:09:00.000-04:00

So I have been off the blogging for a while once again...I'll bet people have stopped checking for signs of life by now...but if you do still check this or get the RSS feed, here we go.

Sonshine Camp was last week. The week could also be titled Nathan v. 8 hyperactive kids. My kids were really good though and I have to say that I pity most of the other counselors (Kim, Kyle, Luke, Courtney, Danielle and several others). I was pretty exhausted at the end of the week needless to say. Being a jungle jim for 5 days is not a profession I am interested in, although being Superman 5 days a week I could probably handle with Frankie at my side!

Immediately after returning from camp on Friday, I sped off to Cedarville to retrieve the rest of the sound system we needed for the Phil Wing Band at our out of school blowout for AE. Got it set up only just a little late thanks to A LOT of help from the good man Dennis (mad props and thanks again).

So with all this stuff going right I'm feeling pretty good, right? Well, all was well until I'm driving home on Saturday coming up the hill to my house and all of the sudden...BANG!!! Something exploded/shot a hole in the bottom of some oil holding part on my engine...right after I had just fixed my car...again. So if anyone knows of a cheapo car for sale...let me know.

The Red Rocket

2006-06-09T08:21:00.000-04:00

Yep, that's my car. It is my first and only car and I gotta tell ya, it's getting up there in age. Coming up on 190,000 miles, that 4 Tech engine and all the parts around it require more and more attention. With all this extra time I've been spending with my car I have learned a few things about fixing cars and I thought I would share it with you all so we may all learn from my experiences!

1. If it's not broken, don't fix it. In fact, don't even look at it. And until you're sure, don't waste any money on it. (I broke this rule out of desperation)

2. Start simple with figuring out what's wrong with your car. For instance, make sure there is gas in your tank or that your exhaust is actually making it out of the engine and through the tailpipe. (I despise tailpipes!)

3. If the car still runs the same after you unplug or remove a certain part, either that was just a spare part or it's probably what is broken.

4. If you do need to fix something, you can be sure it will be in the most awkward place on your car. For instance, my fuel filter is located directly above my rear axel, not in the wide open space all around that area, nope, it's smashed in there above the axel.

5. Letting a small problem grow can make it easier to identify the faulty part once it becomes a big problem that no longer allows your car to run...but sometimes not.

6. Kicking your car violently may cause toe damage.

7. Teaching your car to not "have an accident" all over a parking lot is an important thing.

8. Red cars are cool...mine is not...

9. Nothing on a car ever "just slides right off"...especially brake rotors.

10. If your car is old, once you fix one thing, something else will break until you have fixed everything on your car...and then the first thing will break again.

And despite my last marathon of car repairs, I am not done yet! I still have a small, hairline crack in my radiator that is causing way more trouble than it should (although I'm pretty sure it overflowed yesterday because I put too much fluid in it), my ceiling is falling down, and my tailpipe still hangs a little low as my Dad reminds me almost every day. Other than that, she's a beaut.

I'm not dead...yet

2006-06-01T15:48:00.000-04:00

So even though I haven't blogged in nearly a month, I am not dead.

Even though I got some fingers shoved in my eye (2 or 3), I am not dead.

Even though I had to get a tetanus shot in my arm, I am not dead.

Why am I not dead even after all of this? Vicodin.

If you don't yet know the story, all was well on a regular Wednesday evening playing basketball down at the 'ol WFFC. My team was pretty much killing the other team...I'm talking about cold blooded murder on the basketball court here. So at about 13 - 5 I am sitting under the basket waiting to pull down the rebound, I get my hands around it and reel it in, and I turn and see Rob's hand flying at me faster than the Millennium Falcon at ~~warm~~ warp speed...and about the same size to (26.7 meters). I can still remember his fingers sliding in under my eye ball and scratching the heck out of my retina...still gives me the jibblies.

But all is cool, after the emergency room that night and the optometrist today, I'm being told that I should be healed up in a couple more days. Apparently it was a pretty bad scratch but the eye heals pretty fast so no hard feelings Rob, looks like I won't have to learn braille after all! Plus I got to buy some really cool sun glasses.

The truth about cats and dogs...

2006-05-10T23:34:00.000-04:00

I discovered something today...and it may offend some if not all...

Most girls seem to like cats. Most guys, however, do not (I am speaking in generalities of course). And I think I have deciphered why this is*.

Girls like cats because they are both equally evil. Those stuck up, "I'm better than you so you have to love me" maniacs! They demand attention because they deserve it. And even when they pretend to love you and cuddle up to you, they're really just "getting what they deserve."

Guys like dogs also because we are very similar, but in a different way. Not only are we both generally way too hyper and energetic (hence the humping of legs and overactive salivary glands) but also rather dumb. We're loyal, but probably only because we could not actually make it out in the "wild" on our own or we know what's best for us. We're good at cuddling though because we like to, not because we "deserve" it, but because we know our "masters" like it too.

So that's just breaking the surface. It really goes much much deeper which may be explored at a later time. Please submit your criticism and praise to the comments link below...

*Be warned, this is all negative propaganda towards cats and women in general...but the guys get slammed too.

2006-05-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

I've debauched and deceived,
And destroyed families.
I've taken all. Given none,
And received judgement
From the objective eye of a gun.
I'm guilty, it's true,
But remorseful, no less. I'm sorry!
What becomes of me,
But death deserved, received?
What of a crooked man's desperate plea
Seeking The Good Judge's mercy?
He loved the unloveable and the unlovely,
The decadent and the holy.
He made a way for the pope
And he made a way for me...

From Staple's song Gavels from Gun Barrels

Jesus my heart is all i have to give to you,
So weak and so unworthy,
This simply will not do,
No alabaster jar, no diamond in the rough,
For your body that was broken,
How can this be enough?
By me you were abandoned,
By me you were betrayed,
Yet in your arms and in your heart forever i have stayed

From Showbread's song Matthias Replaces Judas

I constantly have to realize the sacrifice Christ made, and how I consistantly abandon that grace. God is so good to me.

Captured

2006-05-01T22:24:00.000-04:00

Know any of the people on this page? Well you could get fifty bucks if you do. Basically the University of Colorado Police are looking to identify individuals captured in 150 pictures for trespassing/smoking pot on 4/20. Some students have reportedly turned themselves in for $50 just to pay for their next order of hallucinogenic drugs (that's a joke...it's not true...but maybe). Heck, I'd turn this guy in just for his glasses!

But other than that, while working on a video project another terrible event was captured (high rez | low rez) (definitely click on that link!). You can see the news project I was working on here...and yes, it sucks because I did it in one night...

(plus the house next to my new apartment burned down because it was a meth lab...they captured a lot of drugs)

Mae I Not Sleep

2006-04-28T09:49:00.000-04:00

Mae was absolutely incredible live, I will definitely be looking forward to going to another one of their shows. The only problem is that Mae has assisted in once again keeping me awake way later than I needed to be. For the last week and a half or so, I haven't been getting much sleep. The night before last I was up all night (meaning no sleep) working on a project. I started seeing little Abe Vigoda's flying around my room.

Man, procrastination is great...

Nailed It!

2006-04-25T19:09:00.000-04:00

That's right...I nailed it! We (me and my two partners) had to present our big project for Biology today and I have to admit, I was a bit nervous. We only met twice for like 5min each to plan out this 4 page paper and 12 min presentation and I was pretty sure it was going to flop.

I had done no preparation which was a bad thing since the two girls decided I was the best at speaking and left me to do 10min of the 12. But much to my surprise it went really well and we actually filled the entire time requirement...possible thanks to a little wasted time passing out the Swedish Fish. The project was over crashing fish stock populations and Open-Ocean Aquaculture if you're into that sort of thing. The paper was written by me...and the powerpoint was not...

Cleveland You Say?

2006-04-22T00:31:00.000-04:00

So I really did expect today to be fairly normal, go back to my room after class and work on a paper and maybe take a nap after being up till 4:00am last night and getting up at 7:30am. But instead of going straight back to my room I decided, out of good will to my fellow sound men...and women, to stop by the chapel and see if any help was needed for Elliv set-up. I knew the answer would be yes but I convinced myself I'd only be there for an hour or so...

Well that was at 2pm...and I'm still here at 12:35am. In this vast gap of time I was sent on a mission to Cleveland (home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) to retrieve a super special set of spectacular stairs for the show's stage. Upon arrival to pick them up (this is 4 hours away mind you) I realize that these are not the special stairs I had imagined, in fact they were quite ordinary and probably available at a dozen places within 30min of Cedarville. Yes, these were the stairs we ordered, spent 9 hours retrieving, and with all said and done find out that they're about 5 feet too short. So that's awesome...I may get to sleep by 6am.

...And It Should Just Slide Right Off

2006-04-17T22:43:00.000-04:00

"Yeah right!", is all I can think as I read the online explanation of how to remove my brake rotors. Nothing on a car ever just slides right off like that, and sure enough during yet another marathon of car repairs I find myself yanking, hammering, and prying at it with no hope. Why is nothing ever as easy as it sounds? So once again I go about soaking the rotor in WD-40 (my new best friend), waiting forty minutes on the couch watching baseball, and re-mustering the will to go at it again with a hopefully freed rotor. I step up to it, stare it down for a couple seconds, move in quickly and give it some more muscle with the hammer in prying position...and finally it budged! And then a little more, and then a little more, and before I knew it I was sliding those nice new shiny rotors onto my car.

No more scraping noises, no more grinding brakes, much less shaking, and finally a car that feels like all $50 that it's worth! I really hope I can get a better car this summer...

81

2006-04-11T15:07:00.000-04:00

Apparently my previous post titled "Day One" led some to believe that I was going to blog evry day of the event, but this simply was not my intent. I did get a lot of ideas at the conference and am back with a lot of cool ideas for improvement at WFFC and AE that we will hopefully be implementing soon.

After the conference we got to see our Arkansanian friends Josh, Sabrina, Aaron, and Kafka. It was a great time of quoting Mitch Hedberg almost constantly and playing rolling chair muderball before service (basically just running into each other and the use of my signiture move, the hammer throw). I was also able to fix their wireless microphone woes which I was quite happy with.

I learned three things through all of this:
1. The youth group at Church on the Move is actually On Eighty, I think when people realize this they will be severely disappointed.
2. "The way to stay is to outlast your critics." -Doug Fields
3. WalMart is the biggest attraction in Rogers, AK
4. XBOX three-hundred and sixty, 15" LCD, and a large van are a perfect combination
5. The media team needs a font budget.

You can download a copy of all my notes here.

Day One

2006-04-07T01:12:00.000-04:00

Well, today is our second day here but the first day of the conference and I gotta say it was great! I'm not a big fan of conferences (especially the 5 Ways to do Everything Because it's Really That Simple type sessions) but I'm diggin' this one so far.

There was only one session today with Doug Fields and it was titled Important vs. More Important and about setting priorities for your ministry. All of his points were spectacular, but one of his points in particular was between having a structured youth ministry and and realizing the mystery of God. It's hard to explain in his words but he just wanted us to think about how even when everything goes wrong, and none of our plans work out, God will still mysteriously make it exactly what someone needed and work in a way only He could understand.

Other than that we played pool, bingo, and gambled away our rental van at one of those Native American casinos. But I feel God has a lot of blessings in store for us yet...even if someone is going to try to tell us the 7 Keys to Growth...

And things of that nature...

2006-04-03T14:23:00.000-04:00

Last week I was informed that I was at the aforementioned Ken Ham seminar at Cedarville about 15 years ago...so that is neat. If you missed it, you should read it. I know it's long and boring, but I think it's important.

Pastor Jim said something really cool in his sermon yesterday. "I don't need CNN to tell me prayer doesn't work, I've had the Devil telling me that for 35 years." Not to be taken out of context, he was of course saying that prayer definitely works!

I found Rachel's Bright Eyes CDs that I lost. Thank God! Maybe now I can have all my cool points back which would be good because right now I'm in the negative range. [sung]"Yes he's less than zero, less than zero. He's a regular negative guy..." - Bill Nye the Science Guy

Most of the AE staff will be heading off to Oklahoma tomorrow night. It will be a fun, relaxing, bonding, educational time with the good people at the Edge. I'm sure Phil will take care of Elmo while I'm gone.

Believing the Bible

2006-03-28T20:47:00.000-05:00

I want to take a moment to step aside from the usual pointless blog posts and silly discussions and talk about something I think is pretty important. I was listening to a Ken Ham seminar from 1992ish that was at Cedarville (if you want to hear it let me know) the other day and he was mostly talking about the word yom in the book of Genesis which as most of you probably know can be interpreted either as "day" or "age" (usually meaning thousands of years) depending on who you ask.

Well Ken Ham holds to a literal, simplest interpretation of these verses saying that it most definitely means "day" and not "age". I have always believed this myself but have had trouble explaining why I thought it was dangerous to believe in the age theory. Ken Ham, however, is very good at explaining why so I'm basically just going to say what he says...

First of all, this age interpretation didn't even start showing up until evolution started to develop as an explanation to our existence. This is because the scientific idea of an old earth was being pushed on church leaders which led them to find a way to make the Bible fit science. Hopefully we can all immediately see the problem with that! Don't think this is the first time this has happened, not too long ago, a group of Southern Baptist churches threw out several books of the Bible that talked about David because they couldn't find archaeological evidence of his existence. The evidence of his existence was later found and the books re-accepted, but we see what happens when we put our knowledge before the Bible.

Another thought is that when you put aside all the biases on the subject of the Genesis 1 definition of day, we can pretty well see that the truth is hard to dispute. Of course if you ask someone who already has an invested interest in believing one or the other, it's hard to take their answer as an unbiased interpretation. But when Ken asked several scholars who didn't believe the Bible was true at all (meaning they just want to interpret it as it is written with no agenda) they always said it means day...as in 24 hours. This is because every time the Hebrew word yom is used in the Old Testament as it is in Genesis, it always means day, as in day, as in 24 hours. The list of reasons goes on and on.

The reason this is such a big issue for me is because this sort of thing happens is because we're putting what we know above what God has clearly told us in the Bible. The way day used in Genesis is really no different than the word we use today. Think about the sentence, "During the day I drove for a day in my car from back in the day." The context tells us what each one means as does yom in Genesis.

When reading the Bible, we can never assume we know more than God. We must also assume that God wanted us to know the meaning of what He's saying to us so he's not going to make it hard to understand in general. When God blatantly says that he created the world in 6 days, I'm just going to have to assume he knows what he's talking about regardless of what the world tells me. If you're honestly going to say that day means thousands of years, you're going to have to say that God messed up with the Bible, because that's most definitely not what Genesis says...that's not what God says.

If you need more check Ken Ham's website or maybe just this podcast. Please send me information on any opposing views to this interpretation of the Bible because I would really love to hear it.

Masterpiece Conspiracy

2006-03-25T11:28:00.000-05:00

or Conspiracy No. 5

One of those double title things...I couldn't chose just one song to name this post after. But anyway, I think I'm really on to something. If you have been watching March Madness (the NCAA tournament) you may know that upsets (when a team ranked lower than another wins) are fairly common and unpredictable. So all the people who fill out brackets try to weed out the weak high ranked teams by predicting which of the lower ranked teams will beat them. Another thing you should know is that if you call an upset you get more points in your bracket.

Well I have determined that it's all rigged. Using the stats from the Facebook page that shows what school's students have the best bracket scores, it's clear that it's all completely up to chance! People may be good at guessing who will win, but if you ever noticed, how good they do varies a lot from year to year...because sometimes they get lucky and sometimes they don't. It's relatively random. What's cool about the Facebook stats is that is very clearly shows that the low ranked schools that do well in the tournament also do very well in the overall bracket score ranking, because, of course, they chose their schools to win against the odds, and when this happens, they get a lot more points.

You may be saying, "Well duh, of course that happens!" But I say it makes filling out brackets completely pointless. If you're from a state that has a team in the bracket, you're going to favor that team most likely, as I did with Ohio State. Had Ohio state done well this year, my bracket would have done pretty well, but as for schools with low ranked teams that are doing well, they will do even better. See, it has nothing to do with how smart the school (or the people) are, it has to do with what tournament team is closest to them. Because of all of this, the students as George Mason (ranked 11th which means every upset win is worth even more) in general have very exceptional bracket scores as do the students at LSU and Bradley. All of this doesn't apply to top ranked teams as much however because they don't get as many points for winning (since they're expected to win).

So now that I uncovered the truth to the "skill" of filling out brackets, remember to never bet against someone from a low ranked school in the tournament, or someone that is a fan of those teams because they have a much higher chance of scoring higher than you in reality. Another tip, don't brag about how awesome your bracket is, trust me...you got lucky this year!

Dedicated to a nameless friend who has a very good bracket that he filled out by chosing teams from states he's visited...

Two Things....

2006-03-21T22:19:00.000-05:00

I know I'm a little late on the breaking news but it's now official, XP booting on Intel Macs! Why is this cool? Because you can...and if that's not a good enough reason, then becasue the first person to make it work got $12,000. That's probably a good enough reason. So if you haven't been listening to podcasts, this is the latest cool news so go here for the whole story.

In other news, I have been using Open Office now for about 8 months and I'm pretty sure I love it. It runs pretty good and using it just feels great.

Does it crash? Yes.

More than MS Office? The beta I was using, yes, but the normal versions I would say no.

Is it free? 100%

Should you use it? Well, I really like it mostly because you can still open and save as MS Office files. This is critical considering 99% of everyone uses MS files. (I will not even mention WordPerfect although it will support the Open Document format). Honestly though, if you already have MS Office and it doesn't bug the heck out of you just stay with that. But if you don't want to drop $100+ on basically the same program, go with Open Office! (available for Mac and PC)

It Came! It Finally Came!

2006-03-20T11:34:00.000-05:00

(Followed by an evil childish laugh) If you can tell me what movie that is from you get the weekly allotment of exported cool points. If not, all you get is this blog post...

JVC SU-DH1

I have been waiting for this for a while and it finally came! This may look like a boring little box to you, well you would be wrong. You may remember way back in November of 2005 I wrote about the Dolby Headphone Technology which was incredible (and recently outdone by Holophonic Sound which will hopefully replace the Dolby stuff some day) and that is what this little piece of hardware does. It adds that ability to hear surround sound from your regular headphones on portable devices. Only problem, it has to have either an optical input or the Pro Logic II input so there's really no use to most people with laptops or iPods (maybe a portable DVD player).

Really the only reason this excites me is because the Dolby Headphone stuff is finally coming out into the open. But really, why is this ability not being built into laptops, portable DVD players and, heck, even iPods! Think about watching a movie on your iPod or PSP in surround sound...keep picturing it...ok, stop salivating. But the industry is so slow at catching on to these things. This is an amazingly beautiful technology that nobody can use yet...come on hardware industry, GET WITH THE PROGRAM!

All that is Nerd

2006-03-17T13:41:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's right, I am all that is nerd! I have now permanently been engraved into the future of the internet. I have contributed to its vast wealth of knowledge in a way that no other man ever has. That's right, I found a goof and submitted it to the IMDb (Internet Movie Database).

The goof I found is definitely not the kind of mistake most people would catch but I recognized it at first listen. While watching Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (great movie by the way), during a certain scene, I heard it! I had to go back and rewatch it to make sure it was real...but I heard it again...and again! I just couldn't believe it when I went to its IMDb page and found that nobody else had. So you can go there now and see my contribution. It's the last, most recent, and definitely the best one on there. And now you all know why I am so cool!

NYC and Back Again

2006-03-14T20:37:00.000-05:00

It was a great, awesome, amazing, photogenic trip and I'm back (for two days now). I've been waiting to blog until I had all the pictures up and ready to go so thanks to Aaron's generosity the pictures are there! There's 79 pictures, all touched up real nice with Picasa. I mostly only put mine because it already took so much time but Rachel may put hers up somewhere too.

We did a lot while we were there starting on Friday the 10th. We got there and checked in at about 6:30 and headed off for Times Square right off. It was awesome and the pictures are all there for you to see. After that we went back to the room to sleep.

The second day we got a decent start at 8:30am with a continental breakfast and then headed off to start with the World Trade Center. And then we just wandered around the rest of the day finishing off with blowfish, chicken wings, and ice skating.

Forgetting that Jews don't work on Saturday we weren't able to go the Jewish Heritage Center and then we slept in a little on Sunday after not really sleeping so we missed that. All I can say about the ride back is that, yes, I did leave my phone at Hooters in Mechanicsburg, PA. Also on the ride home...I definitely lost!

Anyway, for those of you that didn't/couldn't go...do it...it's worth it! So go see the pictures or just go straight to the slideshow (you don't see the comments or notes that way though)!

Jamaica

2006-03-10T19:05:00.000-05:00

So we arrived in Jamaica and just got in our hotel which is pretty much straight in the ghetto. We will either head into the big city maybe tonight but definately first thing tomorrow.

So we drove 11 hours to see New York and I already got some sweet pics. I am really excited because we will be spending all day tomorrow in the city hanging out and trying not to get mugged. If all goes well, this will be the perfect ending to a very nice spring break full of laughs, sleeping...and hopefully some of the Conan walking around NY. I'll post some pics tomorrow so stay posted.

Ponderosa....Ponderosa....Here We Come!!!

Did I Mention?

2006-03-03T12:55:00.000-05:00

I have spring break this coming week (WHOOOO...Spring Break 2004!!!!) and I have to say...this one is definately right on time. Things actually cooled down on the being busy front since last week besides the 10 page overnight paper (which, by the way, by "Ahead of Schedule" I meant because I got done at 5am rather than the expected 6am). But despite the far more relaxed schedule this week I am still really needing the break.

See, I am the kind of person that never plans anything and just wings it all. This can prove difficult for doing large assignments here at Cedarville University but I've been able to get by pretty well so far. So whenever I have a big project coming up, I start to think of when I can get it done closest to the due date and how to get it done. You may think this means I purposefully slack off...but you'd be wrong...it's just that I know no matter how hard I try it just won't get done untill the night before. So yeah...that's me...and I'm a slacker...and I know it...

I also heard the saddest story ever the other day...Leslie once had a Tickle-Me Elmo (my favorite toy of all time) and her dog humped it to death...seriously...it didn't work anymore. After I heard this.......I cried.......

Ahead of Schedule

2006-03-01T09:03:00.000-05:00

So, I procrastinated as always and decided that it would be fun to write my 10 page New Testament paper all in one night (to ensure consistency of my thoughts as some times they are more thoughtful than others). It went well and only really took me like 5 1/2 hours leaving me with a finish time of 5am...an hour ahead of my planned finish time. I turned my paper in just now and intend to sleep until I am forced to get up...if you don't see me at church this is why.

In other news, I met with Ty Fischer on Monday who I met randomly through his Flickr account. The first pictures you will see there are the reason I wanted to meet him. He has a ministry called Eyes Wide Open which teaches kids creativity through photography and encourages them to pursue it if that's what interests them. He picks lower income kids who may not have as many opportunities as other kids and allows them to sell their photography in a silent auction. The kids get to keep the money and have an amazing chance to see their creativity bring them income. I am hoping to be able to help Ty out in any way I can...this is a really cool opportunity to help for anyone into photography so let me know if you're interested.

2006-02-24T16:30:00.000-05:00

With its less than believable characters, poor attempt at creating a plot with a moral to it, and its even more pathetic attempts at being cute, Dreamworks has kept on pace by making yet another terrible movie.

I really tried to watch it with an open mind, and I have to say, I was bored out of my mind after only 30 minutes and had only laughed maybe once...mostly out of the need to laugh after being bored for so long. The animation was certainly nothing special to look at either. It was really about at the quality Toy Story had 10 years ago. I am sorry Larry, but this movie was lame by any standards. I even imagined myself as a kid watching the movie and I really still saw nothing. Pixar has mastered the art of computer animated movies and has always nailed it with a good script, but Dreamworks has just left us all with still nothing more than Shrek to thank them for.

Cross-Cultural Missions

2006-02-21T00:01:00.000-05:00

I visited Phil's class today, Cross-Cultural Missions, and I have to say I enjoyed it. Although I do not ever condone going to a class that you don't have to go to, I think I did actually learn something. We (I liked it because it was a discussion type class) talked a lot about going to another culture and being careful about not pressing our social norms on them. For instance, having church on Sunday morning is the only time you can have church. I actually debated with a guy about this...he believed that you can't be a good Christian unless you attend a Sunday morning service (those Godless Apexers with their new Saturday night services!).

Something that professor Cook brought up in that class was this website, WholesomeWear.com. It looks fine at first but just take a little peek inside........yeah...that's what we were all laughing at in class. I was doing some people watching though (I know, I know...stalker) and I noticed one of the girls look really interested and was not laughing. I'm pretty sure she wrote the site down too. But anyway, his point was that Christians always make a big deal about everything (in this case modesty) and take it way too far. Then we try to push these ideas on other cultures. Anyway...it was fun.

A Thought Crushed My Mind

2006-02-16T21:26:00.000-05:00

Shouldn't an elevator going down be called a de-elevator? Think about it...

Ohio weather is probably harder to understand and explain than the mind of a woman.

The irreducibly complexity in the universe is unfathomable not only down to the human body, not only of every organ in our bodies, not only of every bit of tissue in it, not only of the cells that make up that tissue, not only to the little organelles that make that cell work, not only to each one of the many proteins necessary to make any one of those organelles, but all the way down to the atom which makes up all things. You cannot explain that kind of perfect design with random mutations over any number of billions of years!

If I were to do an assignment ahead of time rather than the night of (as with my two assignments last night) I would actually have no idea of what to do with all the time of which I don't have an assignment coming up that is due which I would spend thinking about how and when I will do that assignment.

It's a bad idea to have your ashes sent into space because the aliens will get it and clone you from it. With millions of clones they will make an army of you's to come and destroy the entire world.

Primer

2006-02-13T17:48:00.000-05:00

This is definately one of the coolest movies I have seen in a while! You should watch it, but without really knowing anything about the movie. I read the back and it almost ruined it for me! But really, I'm not going to tell you much more, only that it is awesome and you absolutely have to watch this. The way the dialouge is written and performed is so natural and the movie just feels like probably no other movie I've seen. It will blow your mind...I had to watch it twice in a row. So get it now...

And Then......He Died

2006-02-10T18:00:00.000-05:00

Well tonight is the night of the year that I am forcibly denied sleep. That's right, Cedarmania! I am going to give you more or less bi-hourly updates of how I am doing like last year. Not that I think anyone is reading in real time, I just want to capture the night as it happens. I will also be drinking the annual 12+ Mountain Dews in one night to keep me alive/kill me immediately along with some fun facts about the Dew...so here we go...

6.00pm - Already Dead
Already 1 Dew down and I'm already beat. I was up late last night working and I didn't get to take a nap this afternoon as I planned (doing laundry). I am the video slave tonight so I am currently working with the poorly formatted lyrics (church media guys know what I'm talking about) getting them ready to show for worship. A pretty boring task yet necessary. As soon I have this done I have to start learning the video switcher and getting ready for 4 hours of shows. I will be up till 7 or 8 am...so media team will be fun! Click the can to see our first, and slightly racy, bit of info about the Dew.

8.00pm - Pizza and More Dew
Yes, already on #3 and feeling good. The band is running through their songs (all 500 of them) and we're about ready to rock. The kids will be coming in soon and I will be fighting the effects of sleep deprivation. Rob and the junior high kids should be here and I'm expecting to see them at some point. No real exciting stuff happening yet though...just doing my taxes for FAFSA with my mom over instant messenger. So that was fun. I should probably get back to work now!

10.00pm - On Pace
Slowed down a little on the dew but still going strong. Still haven't had to break into my own supply yet. The first session out of 2 in the chapel is over so we're on a little break now. The lyrics went well...almost perfect...pretty good considering there was no real rehearsal. Anyway, I found some more cool Dew facts here which may look like MD is only third on the list of the caffeine buffs but with some research, I found otherwise. First of all, Surge no longer exists so that's out. Secondly, Afri-Cola has since changed it's formula so it now only contains 53mgs per 12oz can (see Wiki article above). So Dew tops the scales on the soft drink end and is still the best drink in the world!

12.00am - Old Rivalries Renewed
Session 2 worship just ended...therefore my job is done here...till like 1am... But I was talking to Anthony (the aussie I met in Guatemala) online and had a little debate just like old times (Bobby can tell you about those). So yeah, that was a really refreshing good ol' OT/NT debate. My lyrics admittedly got a little sloppy though, which I could blame on others but I have to admit Every Day really got me. My belly is sluggish with MD so I should probably take it easy here for a while lest I lose it. I did see the WFFC group already and Larry came up to "Video Land" to visit me, so that was nice...until later...

2.00am - Number Nine With My Head on the Bar
I'm actually at ten as you see but number nine, I would say, was a pivotal one. I used it to chase down a shot of pizza sauce. I usually don't get all crazy and wired up until about 3am but it seems to be happening earlier this year. I am back at my old spot in the gym (like last year) and I pretty much rule the world from atop my throne of lies. They forgot to give me a CD of music as always...should have known...and I get to use the fridge up here to keep my Dew cold for the rest of the night. Which brings me to my latest Dew fact...did you know Canadians haven't had "real" Mountain Dew until just recently when health related Dew was released? Those Nazis!

3:00am - Dual Display Baby
Well it looks like I have already reached my goal of 12 MD's with 3-4 hours still left. I might lighten the pace a little so maybe I can catch a wink or two before media team. I'm feeling pretty good except my back is killing me right now but the pain is subdued by the little glimmer of joy I have found. Up in my little tower I found an extra LCD monitor for me to use the rest of the night so I can rock it out on dual display! Pretty much the best Cedarmania of all time as I rock it out up here with my music, 2 monitors, a nearly unlimited Dew supply and hundreds of little kids screaming endlessly. I wish every day of my life could be this sweet...

5:00am - And the Rest Will Follow
I have noticed that my insanity is growing while my ability to spell is inversely proportionate. Things are beginning to wind down around here. Only an hour left of events and then clean-up begins. While my will to stay awake is waning, I have decided that the rest of today is going to suck bad. My eyes burn with want of sleep and my brain is just tired of thinking. I do have a confession though. Last year while I was up here, I was hungry something awful, so I borrowed some Wheat Thins from the adjacent room. This year, I found another box of Wheat Thins...I ate some...I think it was the same box...

6:00am - And Now....I Will Soon Be Dead
Well, the good news is that it will take 235.77 cans of Mountain Dew to kill me...so only 219.77 to go. I have consumed about 192oz of MD and 880mg of caffeine (the equivalent of 4.4 average caffeine pills) all in exactly 12 hours. My heart rate is 112bpm as I sit hereAs for the rest of my 40 hour day, I will not be consuming any more Mountain Dew...I'll just have to stay awake the old fashion way. All I know is that this next paycheck is going to be pretty nice and that I am going to bed as soon as I can...

Audio Major

2006-02-07T19:29:00.000-05:00

If you remember way back in October I told you my class was doing a live production of the original 1938 H.G. Welles War of the Worlds to broadcast on the student radio station. Well unless you were in Cedarville during that, you could not have heard it...but you can now! The original can still be downloaded here if you want to compare it, but here's the 64 kbps (mono) version that we did last semester. It's the original script and meant to sound like the original broadcast so it's in mono and EQ'ed to sound like old-timey radio.

Also, I have done many other projects during my time here at Cedarville. None of them are particularly good becasue they were almost all done in one night (yes, I am a slacker) but I thought you might enjoy them if you have not heard them before.

Fall 2005-
A commercial giving the basic gospel message. A little corny but it got me an A! There's two of them because we had to two different ones.

God Commercial 2
God Commercial 1

Spring 2005-
This one is a commercial that we were given a script for and given the assignment of making it. I used a 4th grade class at Cedarcliff, and two friends from Cedarville (Julie as the narrator and Amber as one of the kids).

Sugar Shockers Commercial

Another comercial with a given script...this one for a product called "Actual Reality"

Actual Reality Commercial

And my first audio project of my college career, a one minuet story about anything I wanted. I obviously took some frustration out with this one and it actually came out pretty good!

Audio Story

*Note - If anything won't play through your browser, just right click on the link and choose "Save Link As..." and play it from your computer.

As You did warn me Carpenter, this world has weakened my heart

2006-02-05T01:56:00.000-05:00

I am tired. I love my life, my friends, my church, my God. But what is it about this life that drains me? I'm not trying to be emo, but every once in a while I find myself wanting so much more. So much more out of myself.

I am not the man I want to be, and certainly not the man God wants me to be . I want my heart to be excited about everything I do, and to chase after every opportunity passionately. However, usually I end up just wanting a day to be over rather than looking forward to accomplishing more. Again, not that I think life sucks or anything, just that the drive I want isn't there.

I love everything I am involved with and I do it all with the best of my current ability (...let's not include school here). But the more I look at it and see all the things I busy myself with for God, I do almost none of it for God. I have busied myself so much with serving, that I have lost sight of my master. I need to make God my focus rather than these arduous tasks. I've always been so independant, trying to do everything I can when I need to be letting God show me how insignificant I am. He doesn't need me...I need Him!

"By me You were abandoned, by me You were betrayed,
Yet in Your arms and in Your heart forever I have stayed."

Showbread - Matthias Replaces Judas

Double Take

2006-02-01T01:25:00.000-05:00

I posted about Windows OneCare Live not too long ago and gave it a pretty good review. Well, after a few more weeks with this porgram I have changed my mind. The hard drive backup is pretty much the only feature that works right (which is pretty good) but almost everything else has a problem.

The virus scan won't update...no mater where I'm at. The help forums are terrible, they just tell you to reinstall the software which is a huge hassle! The firewall will block some things een though you tell it not to. And, my favorite part, the virus scan slows down my Thunderbird to a crawl because it tries to quarantine parts of the mail file. On the forums, the developers just say that they hope someone familiar with Thunderbird can help fix the problem!

Other than my great disappointment with this software, I have also now tried out the new Windows Live Mail (the replacement for Hotmail...the worst email client ever). It's pretty slick, works really smoothly, and is really fast. Drag and drop things on the screen, select emails quickly, and view emails without loading a whole new page, and best of all, 2GB of storage. Some features are still missing though which I pretty disappointed about: no POP mail at this point, and it works in Firefox...but not entirely. It's probably no different from the new Yahoo mail and AOL mail but we'll have to see if they address these features...untill then my loyalty is still with Gmail.

Holophonic Sound

2006-01-27T17:49:00.000-05:00

Sound too nerdy for you? Well just wait until you hear it! Every once in a while I come across something so cool that it pretty much blows my mind...in this case it freaked me out a little too. All you have to do is put on some headphones (it doesn't work at all without headphones) and click on one of the two links below. The first is my favorite because it really gives a better idea of the capability but the second one has a lot more action and may be a bit more exciting. Everyone has to give this a try so dig out those headphones in the bottom of your drawer and choose your holophonic sound (and Jennifer, this is not a prank...I'm not as cruel as Josh).

Holophonic Sound Test #1
Holophonic Sound Test #2

Yeah, it's so real...it goes above and below you. Can't wait till we start seeing this more.

About an Arkansanian

2006-01-25T01:23:00.000-05:00

That's my brother now...if that's what they're really called and I gotta tell ya, it was quite a trip.

But that's not really what I want to talk about because that's obviously not the important issue. My brother is now gone! Am I devastated? Ruined? Depressed? No, I am proud! Aaron is awesome and I know that what he's going to be doing is something that he is not only really good at, but loves.

I learned so much from him that when I think of all the things I now quote as knowledge, they are almost all either credited to Wikipedia or him (and that's a pretty good source to be compared to if you ask me). Aaron could just about work on any program that I have ever heard of and be teaching you more about it than a robot could...if robots could teach...

But most importantly...this is the mushy part...he was a great brother too. Never scared to critique, always ready to help, and never afraid to start a battle of throwing ice cubes and rubbing his feet on me at 3am (don't ask). Aaron, I salute you and all the amazing things you've done to make me who I am.

AELive.net....it's dot com!

2006-01-17T14:10:00.000-05:00

It really is AELive.com and it's finalyy up and nearly flawless. This has taken up almost all of my free time for the last couple weeks and a lot of my time over the last month and a half or so. It was pretty rough getting everything to work together. You have to get the perfect mix of versions for everything for it to work (this is extremely difficult!) and we finally did.

Of course Aaron deserves more credit than me seing as how he's the only one that really knows what he's doing with HTML and CSS and .php files in general, but we also owe a lot to those crazy forum people. There's people on those help forums that seemingly do nothing all day but help people with broken stuff. Particularly the Simple Machines Forum...forum. This one guy was just sitting there answering my questions for about 3 hours at 11::00 and then answered some more when he woke up in the morning!

Anyway, I am sick of working on websites although it was an awesome and educational task. Too bad we still have the WFFC one to do this week...I'm going to get some ice cream.

Microsoft OneCare Live

2006-01-13T09:26:00.000-05:00

This is a review of Microsoft's new Windows OneCare Live which I have been truing out for a couple days.

I have always had a virus scan program for free, I run Windows automatic updates, there is already a defragment feature, and windows already has a built in system for backing up your files (this is different from the system restore). So why would you even bother with this program?

Well, first of all, right now it's free! That's a plus for everyone. The downside is that eventually (probably once it's out of beta) it looks like they will charge for yearly subscription (according to this page they send you to if you try to do it with Firefox).

It is a really nice program though despite the fact that it crashed my system pretty bad (becasue I had 2 virus scan programs running at the same time). The reason I would reccomend going through all the trouble to use this program even though most people already have all the features in it is one word: integration. It takes all of those features listed above (virus scan, defragment, file backup, and windows update) and makes them seamless and easy. You can schedule its Tune-up however you schedule it and it will just take care of your system.

The file backup is my favorite part because the one built into window sucks bad! This makes it easy and it's scheduled. You can back up to external devices and removeable media and make sure all your files are safe. The virus scan seems pretty thorough since it found all the old virus email files that I never opened or deleted and has a good system for locking them down and keeping you from unleashing them on your system. OneCare also integrates the Windows Firewall, but I haven't really looked at that yet.

So yeah, it has my two thumbs up especially since it has even more features coming. I guess we'll have to wait and see how much it costs.

Deepest Darkest Secrets

2006-01-12T00:12:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a while since my last post again, but in honor of the spring like weather a few days ago...and Conan O'Brien...I am going to do some spring cleaning of my deepest, darkest secrets.

I have never read the entire Bible. I'm not proud of this or anything but I have just never had the patience and self-control to do it. There's definately a lot that I need to get to.

I often wear jeans 5-15 times before I wash them.

It's no secret that I usually wait till the night before to do almost any school paper. What is a secret, however, is that I usually have no idea what I'm talking about.

I really am the most forgetful person on the face of the planet and when someone asks me about something I forgot, I usually tell them that I haven't got around to it or that I'm working on it.

I watch rated R movies at Cedarville.

One time, when my brother and I were little, we were disallowed by our parents to listen to anything other than contemporary christian music. Well, one day we decided to ride our bikes out to the mall and totally defy this order by purchasing Jock Rock Volume 1 (good album) in what was probably the most vile and defiant thing we had ever done...but they never found out.

God deserves so much better of me. Not in the way that we all fall short, but I have so much trouble hearing Him and laying aside my will for His. I know I'm not where he wants me to be spiritually.

I can sit around for hours just thinking about how amazing God is by looking at His creation. I think about the atoms that make up a leaf and then jump out to the vastness and complexity of the universe (a little nerdy, i know). I stand in awe of how intricate even the simplest thing is. I am even more amazed that through all of that awesome creation, He chose us to be his special creation...and I'm pretty sure atheists are blind, deaf and dumb to not see it all.

I would like to say...

2006-01-03T13:34:00.000-05:00

Cars are stupid! I mean, if there's one thing on a car that should never break, it's the tail pipe. Seriously, how hard is it to funnel smoke through a tube from one end of the car to the other. Well, not only did mine break, but mine broke 4 times (including the time my whole muffler fell off).

This tube of smoke really doesn't need to be that strong or anything, it just needs to stay on the car and all connected. In order to achieve this, it may be necessary to attach the pipe to the car more than just at each end of the 9ft pipe! I have since added 4 more supports (coat hangers) along my tail pipe to secure it. Pontiac should really take note of that, and everyone out there should probably add some coat hangers themselves before theirs begins to slowly decinigrate and fall apart.

I have learned my lesson.

Things You Should Never Know About Me

2005-12-30T00:11:00.000-05:00

In other news, Josh visited us this week. It was awesome!

But back to the point of this post:

I want to get pulled over by Deputy Shaq and take him to court over my ticket causing him to miss basketball games.

Although I have been lacking in my blog posts lately, I have been spending my free time playing GTA: San Andres (the dirtiest game ever made) and drinking gallons of egg nog.

I honestly believe that there is nothing as fun as making fun of Chuck Norris.

I enjoy confontations for some sick strange reason.

I don't like reading, but when I am reading I usually enjoy it. (Shhh...don't tell anyone)

I think Dungeons and Dragons is stupid. Not because of the silly nerds that play it or the stange obsession many have with it that lead to hours of wasted life. D&D is stupid because you have to use your imagination.

When I pee, after I have held it a little too long, I sing that TFK song that goes, " When I let loose, I come out blazin'..." Don't ask me why...it just pops into my head.

I once saw Heraldo Rivera on Fox News...and then I stabbed a guy

Christmas Time is Here

2005-12-24T01:59:00.000-05:00

Yippie, hooray! Christmas is almost here! For me Christmas is cool, not a big deal but always fun. I don't always spend a lot of time with my family or get to sit around and do nothing (both things I really do enjoy) and that's what these holiday times are good for.

Oh yeah, that other thing Christmas is about too...uhhh...oh yeah, Christ or something. But seriously, it is so cool to sit back and think about Him. Think about the kind of man He was. The way he talked, the way he stood up boldly in the face of opposition, the way he showed such an amazing love to everyone, especially the rejects. Nothing amazes me more how He treated those that nobody else even wanted to look at. How they must have felt when he came to them, and how everyone else must have been amazed to see this.

I can't even explain how cool that is to me. I can't even tell you how awesome it is to know I can have that same love...and you can have it too (inside joke there for leslie)...

Merry Christmas...on fire

2005-12-19T22:51:00.000-05:00

Christmas Burning
Originally uploaded by prozaciswack.

Ahh...Christmas break is finally here and I am the laziest person in the world! I have accomplished absolutely nothing today but I thought I would take some time to share my Christmas cheer with you all! Here is a nice Christmas tree burning backdrop for all of you 1024x768ers and another one for anyone like myself with 1200x800 out there. I hope it brings back good Christmas memories for all of us.

Thanks to Leslie for the original photography.

Young Men Will Dream Dreams

2005-12-15T13:37:00.000-05:00

Well, this probably isn't the kind of dream the Bible was talking about but it was a stange one. We were all talking about Shaun of the Dead (good movie) last night.

So I was just coming back from a class, my last class of the day looking for some time to relax. But when I am almost there, what do I see? Slow-walking people all around my dorm, about 10-20 of them. I don't know what they are doing but they look suspicious and lost so I hurry into the unit next to mine.

When I get in there I ask them what was going on they tell me that some other country dropped a biohazardous bomb on Cedarville. So there we are, just about 3 guys and one girl stuck inside the with zombies roaming around outside. There's only one problem, I left my laptop in the other unit!

I must rescue it, there's no choice so the one girl and I head off to go retrieve it. After we sneak over (through the now heavily damaged building for some reason) without detection we decide that we need to wait there untill some of them wander away. Well this didn't work because we actually somehow attracted them to our location and for some reason started talking to them. They were actually quite nice and weren't too aggressive.

I think I then eventually found my laptop in the rubble and it still worked fine and we made it back to the other unit (which for some reason was not damaged at all even though it's the same buliding) where we hid until the zombies were extinguished.

So yeah, it ended up pretty well...plus my laptop still worked!

Blogger is Dead

2005-12-13T12:24:00.000-05:00

Let me tell you why...Bobby told me that nobody has been posting lately...I guess I've been pretty busy.

Anyway, life's been cool lately except for the usual issues. It was awesome hearing Jennifer's testimony at church! Everything she was talking about is exactly what I worry about when I know God wants to use me for something. I really wonder how he can work through me...someone who isn't as faithful as I should be. I don't do the things I know I should so why wouldn't he just use someone more qualified? But thanks Jennifer, that was a cool testimony. (Plus she really knows how to oreder food!)

School's been crazy lately but I honestly do love exams week. It's so relaxed and I have like one exam a day and the rest of the time is just time off. Dustin is coming back tonight so I'll definately be all over that and then I probably won't sleep tonight (since I just got up today).

Looking forward to Christmas break. I always use it to catch up with old High School friends and I already have plans with a few. I'll be outta here sometime on thursday...at that time I will venture to come up with the greatest White Elephant gift this year...

Fake Rich People

2005-12-07T16:50:00.000-05:00

I thought this was pretty funny. Forbes 500 has put together a list of the richest fictional characters of all time. The list is as follows:

(Click on the picture for more information on the character)

Yeah, surprise ending huh? You can see the original story here and a slideshow of the list here.