Life less ordinary

2011 in review

2012-01-14T07:25:00.000-08:00

I was looking back at my 2011 “New Year’s” post where I said one of my resolutions was to read less and do more. If 2011 embodied anything, it was this resolution. I mostly kept my word and only read 14 books (about half what I normally read in a year). Some were really short, some were long, some were re-reads, and most of them were fiction (which I’m going to be reading more of from now on). In the end though, it wasn’t really the number of books read that I’m proud of, but what I was able to do with the time I found cutting out things that weren't important to me.

I mentioned in last year’s post that I wanted to spend more time learning music theory and playing piano, and I tried, but it just didn’t stick. I haven’t been playing music all that much lately, and frankly, I don’t really miss it. I tend to go through seasons in my life, and I’m sure I’ll swing back around to music eventually, but right now there are things that are more important to me. If I took just one thing away from 2011, it would be to focus on what’s important and not to bother with the rest. From here it was just a matter of finding what was important.

I realized towards the end of 2010 that a big reason I was unhappy was that I was getting fat. I left for college 10 years earlier at about 175, and hit about 185 after my first year. Ever since my weight has been gradually increasing.On January 9th, the day of my 29th birthday, I was at 210.5 pounds. I realized that day that this is not how I pictured myself at 30, and I knew I only had a year to get myself up to par. I ended up finding “The Four Hour Body” and followed its lessons exactly. Thanks to the book, I lost 30 pounds in 6 weeks.

That was only the beginning of the journey though. Once I was skinny again, I realized I still wasn’t in shape, so I started going back to the gym. Unfortunately, the gym I was going to sucked, and I wasn’t getting anywhere. On the advice of a friend I signed up for 10 training sessions at a kickboxing gym called “Mick Doyle’s,” and that’s where things got really interesting. I signed up simply because I was told it would be the hardest workout I’d ever have. What I got was a whole lot more. I soon found out that paying for my training sessions got me full access to any of the martial arts classes taught there. After a couple sessions with my trainer I was brave enough to venture into both the Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu classes. The classes were great and I soon found myself obsessing about Jiu Jitsu (and coming home covered with bruises in the body hardening phase). With help from my trainer I started following another nutrition plan and adding prescribed weight lifting programs to my regimen. The results have been great. I turned 30 a week ago and I’ve never been in such great shape.

Getting stuff done didn’t stop with fitness though. After some remodeling work in the basement of my house I realized that made financial sense to finish the work with renters in mind rather than myself in mind, and this lead me to start looking for other houses. We found one in October and moved over New Year’s weekend 2011/2012. Now we just need to get renters lined up… (New house pictures in the post below this one.)

I also realized towards the end of the year that I wasn’t happy with my current position at work and switched to something that I’m much more satisfied with.

2011 also had a couple firsts for me.

We went to my first NFL game.

I competed in my first Jiu Jitsu competition and took home a bronze metal.

We went to Vegas for the first time.

I got my first real black eye.

I would say that overall, I’m pretty satisfied with 2011. I took some big steps in the right direction, took some risks, had some fun, and I’m looking forward to it again this year. 2011 obviously wasn’t without it’s mistakes, but if you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying. I’m not afraid of mistakes and look forward to learning from many more of them in 2012.

I’ve set some new goals for myself this year in several areas of my life. Some are big and some are small. I actually achieved one goal already this week at the gym by going 1000 feet non-stop on the versa climber, another thing I’d never done before (but in all honestly have never tried). Apparently I could have set that one a bit steeper. Regardless, here’s to 2012.

Focus on what’s important. Forget the rest.

We bought a house.

2011-11-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

We found a great foreclosure at a great price. We'll be moving in December and then renting out our current home :)

Steve Jobs

2011-05-29T07:35:00.000-07:00

"For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something… almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose."

Read Fewer Books

2011-02-01T18:39:00.000-08:00

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to read fewer books.

I love reading. I've read an average of 25 books a year for the last 3 years. I really enjoy waking up early in the morning, putting on a pot of coffee and reading until it's time to get around for work. The only thing that could make it better is if I had a fireplace to sit in front of (and also if I didn't have to go to work). The problem is that I find myself reading much and doing little.

Part of my problem is that I'm a trophy collector. I love finishing a book so I can add it to my list. I like watching the list get longer and longer, knowing that I'm reading 10 times as many books as the average person. But one thing I'm starting to notice is that there is quite a bit of overlap between books. I read a lot on business, entrepreneurship, and finance and it's very rare to run across an idea I haven't already heard. If I were to assess the reading I've done, I would say about 20% has been enlightening while the other 80% has just passed the time. It's a far better use of time than watching TV, but I'm beginning to realize there's an even better use of my time than reading.

Let's say I read an average of 30 minutes a day last year. That's 182.5 hours of total reading. Let's say instead of adding books to my trophy case this year, I take a single text book on music theory and study it an average of 30 minutes a day. How strong will my understanding of music theory be by the end of the year? What if instead of reading, I write for 30 minutes a day or practice piano?

This idea excites me. I've dabbled in music theory for the last several years but have never made any significant advances in my understanding. I've always felt that my brain wasn't designed to understand it, but I think a better answer is that you can't dabble in music theory, you have to immerse yourself in it. The same goes for writing and piano.

The challenge is that reading is relaxing for my brain, while studying/writing/practicing is taxing on my brain. Waking up in the morning knowing that I'm going to relax for an hour or two is easy. Waking up knowing that I'm going to immediately put myself to work is not.

I read a quote today. It's from Dean Karnazes and goes "Life is a not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: "WOW!! What a ride!"

For those who don't know, Dean Karnazes is the man who ran 50 marathons in 50 days in 50 states. So with his example in mind, here are my guidelines for 2011 reading.

1. I will only read 13 books this year
2. My 13 books will be chosen based on 2 criteria.
a) Book was recommended by 2 or more separate, trusted sources.
b) Book was written by an author I know and enjoy.
3. Mornings are primarily for music theory study, writing, and piano practice.
4. The only way I'm allowed to read more than 13 books this year is if the reading takes the place of TV time in the evening.

This should be interesting...

20 Minutes that could change your life.

2011-01-14T07:56:00.000-08:00

With the passing of the New Year as well as my 29th birthday, I've realized I'm not quite where I thought I would be when I turned 30. Now I've only got 1 year to change that.

I've got a friend who is very interested in Centurions. I've never really entertained the thought that I would live to be 100. I'm a taller guy and we don't usually make it that long.

On the other hand, I know that the way I've been living isn't really conducive to living 75 or beyond, and that's a goal I'd like to try an achieve. Obviously, it's not completely in my control, but there are some things I can change to give me better chances.

I asked my friend where he got the info about the Centurions we had discussed and he pointed me to this video. It's 20 minutes long, but it's very much worth watching, especially if you've got a reason or two to stick around on earth a bit longer than average.

"Derailed" by Tim Irwin

2010-09-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

“Derailed” by Tim Irwin, is a great read for anyone interested in business and leadership and shines a bright light on the pride and greed that seems to have defined much of Corporate America. Irwin takes a microscope to several recent CEO catastrophes as well as their glaring causes and his insight is very valuable, especially for those pursuing leadership. One of the more poignant profiles for me was that of Carly Fiorina and her epic failure at HP, especially considering her current bid for a seat on the Senate. While the book is not political in nature, I couldn’t help but laugh a little harder at her recent on-camera gaffe not to mention question how effective she may be in Government.

The CEOs who Irwin profiled were all very talented, intelligent, and charismatic people, but the book proves that without the proper motivation, morals, and focus, even those with the strongest outward characteristics can fail miserably.

In summary, the lessons taught in “Derailed” can be applied not only in our pursuit of personal betterment and leadership but also in guiding us in the selection of those who we put in leadership.

Get Over It

2010-09-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

Have you ever taken a look at the comments people post below news articles or videos online? I do every once in a while, and it blows my mind. I could be looking at a youtube video of a puppy playing with a kitten and there could very easily be the following comments.

doggiegal
"Oh, this is so cute! I love puppies! LOL"

polecat
"Ferrets are cuter. This was a waste of time."

darkstar07
"I'm going to come to your house and decapitate both your puppy and your kitten."

emokid2013
"This is the stupidest f#$%ing video on the internet. You should kill yourself."

eyehartkittens
"oooooh look at the kitteh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you're so lucky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Now these aren’t actual comments I’ve seen, but they very well could be, and this is on a stupid little video of a puppy playing with a kitten! God forbid it be a song, poem, article, or piece of artwork that you’ve put out there for people to see. If enough people take notice, you’ll easily get torn to shreds.

There’s a statistic out there that says something like 75% of people are more afraid of public speaking than they are of death. Now that statistic is probably high (as I didn’t actually look it up) but it makes me wonder why? After only a little self-reflection I think I’ve come up with the answer. The answer is that 99% of people are more afraid of embarrassment than death, and this statistic is probably low.

So what does it mean to embarrass? According to dictionary.com it is

“to cause confusion and shame to; make uncomfortably self-conscious; disconcert; abash.”

If anything can cause “uncomfortable self consciousness” it would be bearing your soul to someone, who after seeing a video of a puppy and a kitty playing could say "This is the stupidest f#$%ing video on the internet. You should kill yourself."

If you’re an artist of any kind, or really anyone with something to say, one thing you need to be prepared for is that most people will not like your work, but while haters are never welcome, they can also easily be overcome if you keep a couple things in mind.

1. The internet adds 100 lbs of muscle and a cloak of invisibility.

What super villain wouldn’t want these powers? But the thing to remember is that we’re not usually dealing with super villains. We’re dealing with regular people, who are probably sitting alone in their home, too scared to go outside (for fear of embarrassment) and they want the share that fear with others who are bolder than themselves (and who they usually envy) in order to bring them down to their level.

Ok, so this might not always be the case, but that’s how I like to picture it and it helps to cope with the nastiness. One time, after a show we played a long time ago, a kid wrote the band on myspace to tell us how terrible we were. He picked out a certain feature of everyone in the band and made fun of it (he made fun of me because I was balding). It wasn’t pleasant to read and obviously I remember it, but the point is, the kid was at the show. He could have come up and said it to our face, but he didn’t. He chose to do so over the internet, because it was a lot safer for the big tough bully to talk trash when he was a thousand miles away as compared to face to face.

2. Even if 99.9% of the world hates you, you can still be wildly successful.

Have you ever done the math? There are roughly 6 billion people in the world (easily more at this point.) So what’s .1% of that number? 6 million. 99.9% of the world could hate what you do and you still have the chance of making 6 million people like it. “There’s no way I’m going to reach the world with what I’m doing,” you might say. “I’ll never get further than the United States.” Well there were about 310 million people in the US in 2009, so .1% of that would be 310,000 people. Many record labels these days would be ecstatic to find an artist that could sell 310,000 units.

Now I suppose these numbers could have the opposite effect on a person. “How could I ever possibly reach 310,000 people?” you might say and then you decide to give up. This is absolutely not the point. The point is, even if 100 people have already told you that you suck, there are still plenty out there who might not think so. Your goal should be finding the people who will like your art, rather than focusing on the people who don’t.

3. Even if nobody likes it, it’s probably still important.

So many people base their decisions on what other people will think of them. I knew a girl once who was afraid to go to Subway and order a different kind of sandwich than she usually got because she was afraid she would look stupid in front of the sandwich makers and not know what to put on it. Seriously!?! Life is far too short to worry about these things. When you are lying on your deathbed, your last thought will not be “Man I’m glad I didn’t look like an idiot in front of the sandwich artist.” On the other hand, it could be, “I really wish I would have spent my life doing something I cared about and not let all that other stuff get in the way.”

If you’re art is important to you, you should do it whether millions of people like it or not, whether a troll on the internet makes fun of it or not or whether it’ll sell and make you money or not. None of these things should matter if what you’re doing matters to you. Of course, we as artists like our validation and to be told that what we’re doing is relevant and good, but that shouldn’t be our focus. We should make art because it is worth being made. A lot of people didn’t like what Jesus had to say, but I’m glad he wasn’t afraid to say it (of course he was God though, and knew in the back of his mind that he could explode his detractors if he really wanted to, or turn them to toads, which I think would be a nice skill to possess in overcoming haters, but I digress…).

Like everything else I write about, I don’t have this all figured out, but I think it’s a good start. A big reason I wrote this is to psych myself up for something I will be doing in the near future that might have a lot of people saying I suck, and I can be as self conscious as they come. I’m not going to let it get in the way as much anymore though, and I hope you will think about doing the same for yourself.

I searched and I searched

2010-07-24T05:42:00.000-07:00

Cootie knows (knew) that we can't take it with us when we die.

Hello there my old friend...

2010-07-16T06:21:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to the blues lately and it feels like I've rediscovered one of my oldest and best friends. I used to study the blues, I listened strictly to blues and I went to every blues show I could afford. I forgot how much I missed it.

One of the best performances I've ever witnessed was by an artist named Harry Manx. He played an instrument called the Mohan Vena and it was like nothing I had ever seen, probably because there are only a few westerners to ever learn how to play it. Harry is one and George Harrison of the Beatles was another. Manx actually went and lived in India for 12 years, 5 of them with the inventor of the Mohan Vena to learn the instrument.

For the performance I attended, Manx played solo on several different instruments including the Mohan Vena, and when he finished he announced that he was going to play another set inside on the smaller acoustic stage. At his announcement, the 2000 or so people at the venue proceeded to crowd into the bar sized acoustic stage and watch him play for another hour, completely ignoring the next national act to hit the big stage. It was one of the most profound things I'd ever seen happen at a concert. He was able to move the audience like no other performer I've seen.

For the longest time I couldn't find much about him on the internet. It was probably 8 years ago I saw him perform and at the time we didn't have youtube, myspace or google and many musicians still didn't have personal websites.

As I was writing this morning I decided I would search for him again and was pleased to see he's all over the web now and is still performing quite often.

For your listening pleasure I've posted a couple videos of Harry performing. The first, Manx tells a bit of his story and plays a beautiful song called "Rueban's Train" on the Mohan Vena. The second is a song you should recognize.

The Treat Before the Cage

2010-07-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Molly, my Doberman/Vizsla mix, is insane.

She’s far too smart for a dog and she’s got far too much energy for our little house. For this reason, when we leave the house, we have no choice but to put her in a kennel in the basement. She hates the kennel and for many months, she used her all her strength, energy, and wit to escape whenever possible. The first escape was simple enough for her. The steel kennel was collapsible so she collapsed it. After we reassembled the kennel, using about 2-dozen zip ties to make it un-collapsible, we thought we had her beat, but all it took was for her to figure out how to open the bottom latch and squeeze out. After we put a padlock on the bottom latch we thought we were victorious, but the task was far from accomplished. Soon she discovered the side door and worked its bottom latch and was out again. Soon we were using a total of 5 padlocks on the doors and yet when we made the mistake of leaving the key in one of the locks, she was somehow able to unlock it and squeeze out once again.

These days we use 5 padlocks and put the key across the room. We haven’t had an escape for many months and I think Molly has finally resigned to her daytime fate, but I do know if we ever forget to lock a lock, she’ll find it and escape to destroy our home again.

The point of this whole story is that when it comes to working a day job, I can relate to Molly. I work a good job, for a good company, but I still can’t help wish that I was free to roam the country, the world, or even just my musical imagination. Unfortunately, in this chapter of my life, it just isn’t possible. Don’t get me wrong, I’m testing the locks every day and if I ever find one that’s loose, I’ll escape, but it probably won’t be tomorrow.

One of the things that has helped me deal with my “imprisonment” is one of the things that seems to help Molly deal with hers. While Molly hates the kennel, she loves treats. These days, getting her into her kennel is as simple as grabbing a treat and saying, “Go to your room.” With this command she’ll run downstairs and sit in her kennel and wait for her treat and for me to triple padlock the door shut.

For lack of a better solution I use the same method on myself when it comes to work. While I don’t enjoy going to work, I do go to bed every night looking forward to waking up in the morning. I used to roll out of bed 20 minutes before I needed to leave, get around and then drive to work half asleep. Over the last couple years though, I've been waking up a couple hours early and using the time to sip coffee, practice piano, read, write or whatever else I feel I don’t have time to do after work. I also get to watch the sun rise every morning and its one of my favorite times of the day. How could I not look forward to waking up?

I run across a lot of people who are generally discontent with everything in their life. They don’t like their town, their job, they don’t have enough friends, enough money or enough anything, and for a long time I felt myself falling into this trap. Once I realized how big of a difference sacrificing an hour of two of over-sleeping made, to do some things that really mattered to me, I started looking for other unproductive areas of my life to cut away from and fill with things that mattered. I watch a lot less TV and movies now than I used to and use the time instead to walk the dogs and write music. I used to spend a lot of time reading online news and surfing the web but now I try to limit it and spend the time exercising or with Mindy doing things we both enjoy.

I still don’t have it all figured out and I still end up wasting a lot of time, but my general level of happiness has increased substantially.

I’m no lifestyle guru, but if you can relate to anything I just wrote, it might be worth trying out.

Enough

2010-03-02T04:20:00.000-08:00

You are not good enough.

You are worthless.

You’re too fat, too dumb, too boring, you don’t make enough money and nobody likes you let alone actually cares.

Think for a moment about what God must think of you after all you’ve done to betray Him.

Picture in your mind His face as He looks at you.

What is His expression?

Is it angry, sad, hurt, indifferent?

The truth is if you pictured God as anything but overjoyed with you, you’re mistaken.

*The Gospel truth is that in Christ, God is deeply satisfied with you. In fact, based on Jesus’ work, God has adopted you as his own son or daughter (Gal 4:7).

Now picture in your mind His face as He looks at you.

What is His expression?

What does overjoyed look like?

How does it feel to know that He is overjoyed with you?

Do you still feel too fat, too dumb, too boring, that you don’t make enough money and that nobody likes or cares about you?

Focus on that as you leave for work or school today. Maybe even tomorrow and the next day.

Think about that as you’re singing songs in church on Sunday.

Notice anything different?

*This line is an excerpt from a study called “The Gospel Centered Life” that my small group is going through and that was co-written by the former lead pastor of our church. You can google it. I would highly recommend going through it by yourself or with a small group.

India Update 4

2010-01-20T13:42:00.000-08:00

“During the offerings time, you get up and sing a song by yourself.”

“Um, ok,” I replied.

Though “offerings time” was less than a couple minutes away and I had no idea what song I was going to sing, I was not surprised. Things tend to just happen around here. Sometimes you pull over on the side of the road and just wait, for what you’re not quite sure. Sometimes you think you’re going to be taking a train and end up taking a bus. Sometimes you think you’re going shopping and you end up touring the belly of a submarine.

Somewhere between being asked to sit facing the congregation, standing in bare feet for twenty minutes on a strangely abrasive rug while the congregation prayed loudly in a strange language, leading impromptu songs with the group, the electricity going off (taking the fans with it), and watching the cows (or were they wildebeest) walk down the road outside the church door, I had a revelation.

As I stood in India, literally thousands and thousands of miles from anything familiar, I realized that God could care less about my individual comfort.

When Vijay asked/informed me that I would be “preaching” in church I wasn’t too worried. Having been in front of hundreds of audiences in the last 6 years, public speaking isn’t really a fear of mine. Besides, I knew I only needed to talk a couple minutes and I knew they wouldn’t really understand what I would be saying anyway. Nevertheless I didn’t just want to get up and talk about nothing. As I sat in the warm church, facing the congregation (women and children on the left, men on the right) I still had no idea what I was going to say. Then the electricity went out.

I thought to myself as the heat and humidity slowly settled around me, how nice the air conditioning in my mega church at home was. I wondered what would happen if during the hot summer the AC at my home church broke. Sadly, I realized that as time went on, and the AC went unfixed, the congregation would most likely dwindle. This is not to speak poorly of my church congregation. As a church we’ve done some really great things and I feel we’ve helped advance the Kingdom of God. It is, on the other hand, a commentary on our (myself included) addiction to comfort.

Even though I was excited for this trip, I found myself dreading the thought of leaving Omaha because it would take me so far from my routine and my comfort. I was worried to leave work because I knew I would be behind when I got back. I was worried about the foreign plumbing (or lack there of). I wasn’t worried about dying in a plane crash or getting some strange foreign disease. The things that weighed most heavily on my mind were comfort items.

For lack of something better, I spoke to the congregation what was on my mind at the moment (in short, segmented sentences to allow for translation). I said I loved India and its people and I thanked them for helping me realize and begin to overcome one of my biggest obstacles in knowing God on a deeper level. I don’t know if they got anything out of what I said. I don’t know if the Faceless team got anything out of what I said, but between God and I, I believe something was accomplished.

“We stand and lift up our hands,” I sang timidly into the microphone, “for the joy of the Lord is our strength.” I rarely sing, and never without a guitar, but there I was and there I sang. “We bow down and worship Him now, how great, how awesome is He.” As the congregation searched for the beat to clap to, I tapped in rhythm on the podium. Then a boy joined in on some Congo drums and another started playing a drum kit. I looked back and Cassie from the Faceless team was smiling with her hands in the air, the congregation found the beat and clapped along. Before I knew it, I was no longer timid. I was no longer worried about hitting the notes. What had once been very uncomfortable was now very enjoyable, I sang louder and with more confidence than I ever have in my life.

I don’t think Americans are any less Christian because we like AC. I don’t advocate pulling all the pews and chairs from the churches so that people have to sit on the floor or closing down the church coffee shops. On the other hand, it might not hurt for us to try some things that are a little uncomfortable a little more often so that we can experience God in ways we’re not accustomed too.

If nothing else, this will be a challenge to myself. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Quick note

2010-01-16T01:15:00.000-08:00

As of the time of this posting, Geeta and Rada's father has passed away. Geeta was the girl who escaped from trafficking and Rada is her sister. If you could say a prayer for the family, who is now without any men,it would be appreciated.

Thank you.

India Update 3

2010-01-16T01:08:00.000-08:00

We’ve been very busy since I last posted. We changed hotels to be closer to the villages we will be visiting and this one does not have internet so I don’t know how many more times I will be able to post.

On Wednesday we went and visited another village, ever further into the countryside. This visit was a lot of fun. Some of the girls from the village sang songs for us and then several members of the village did dances. Some of the village girls even taught the girls in our group how to do some of their dances. There are so many little cultural things you learn to really enjoy about these people and I will miss them when I get back to the states. In the states we nod our heads to say yes, here in India, the motion for yes is a side-to-side movement of the head. It’s hard to explain but it’s very fluid. The best is when you ask a little boy or girl if you can take their picture and the give you the yes motion accompanied by a big white smile. It’s very heart warming.

After our visit with the village we went and met with a very wealthy Hindu man who has been so touched by the work that Vijay and Faceless is doing that he has donated land in which to build a school and/or church. Over here, land is very very expensive so the fact that he’s willing to donate some is a very big gesture. The land is even more valuable because it has immediate access to a road. Vijay and Prem (our guide and his son) hope to build a free school here to help benefit the people of the villages. While we were in the rich man’s mansion drinking tea he brought in his grandson and I had a chance to hold him for a while. I will admit that, while he was very cute, the fact that he was not wearing a diaper made me a little afraid he was going to pee on me (or worse). Luckily this did not happen.

Yesterday was filled with a lot of new experiences. We started out visiting a family in the city. One of the girls, who we have not met yet, was a victim of human trafficking. We did meet the girl’s sister and the girl’s baby though and today we should be meeting her and her father, who unfortunately is on his deathbed in the hospital. Though we only visited one little block, the entire city was preparing for their carnival to celebrate the New Year. Music was blaring from one of the houses and we played with some of the children and shook a lot of hands. From there we went to a school where we would be painting. The schoolhouse was actually the former home of our guides, and they donated it for the school. The painting here is much different than back home. The paint is watery and the paintbrushes are constructed of a bunch of dried grass tied at one end. Needless to say we did not feel very effective in our painting. It seemed to just slop on the walls and was not consistent at all. Though we didn’t think we were doing a good job, Vijay and Prem said it looked great. Hopefully the school kids will feel the same.

After a long day of painting we jumped back in the vehicles and went to a tourist attraction on top of a mountain that over looked Vizag and the Bay of Bengal. It was a very beautiful sight. After some ice cream on top of the mountain we headed back down and drove through the fishing area where fish are processed. In India, when the fish are caught, they spread some of the fish out all over the ground so that they can dry. As you can imagine, the smell was… interesting. When we got to one of the docking areas we got into a boat and went a ways out into the Bay of Bengal. I thought it was great but some of other members of the group who are prone to seasickness did not feel the same. When we were done with this we headed back to Vijay’s house to celebrate the Indian New Year on his roof while watching the festivities below.

Overall, I don’t think there is a better way to experience India. I really feel like we’ve had the opportunity to see real life and not some false reality derived for tourists.

I have a lot of thoughts that I’ve tried to put down but haven’t had enough time to process yet. I’m going to save those for a future blog when I’ve had plenty of time to think them out. All I know is that I have a new perspective on the world or at least this part of the world that I never would have discovered sitting at home watching Nat Geo.

A few more of my observations:

The ONLY way to experience the Indian countryside is on the back of a motorcycle.

I much prefer the dancing in India as compared to the dancing in the states. Everybody seems to be able to do it well (at least from my observation) and it’s just very fluid and very elegant.

Here they make their coffee with hot milk instead of water. I don’t know if its because I miss the coffee in the states, or if it’s just that good, but instant coffee mixed with milk over here tastes just as good as a Starbucks latte. They also eat cereal with hot milk.

I think the thing I miss the most is my bed. I’ve been sleeping fine but the hotel beds are pretty stiff; essentially a 3-inch mattress on top of plywood.

If I ever build a house it’s going to be Indian style, with a garden roof you can walk up on and have parties. I would spend most of my time up there too.

India Photos 2

2010-01-12T17:21:00.001-08:00

Here are some more pictures for our day yesterday. You can click on them to make them a little bigger.

Indian breakfast.

Washing clothes outside our hotel window.

Construction of some sort of Indian monument.

One of the village girls.

The girls singing Miley Cyrus for the village. Yes you read that right.

Village kids doing the actions for Father Abraham.

Everyone on the team was presented a garland.

Mother and baby.

This girl had never seen a white person before. She was not so sure of us.

Some of the kiddies.

This Chai was the real deal.

Fresh coconut milk.

One of the many crowds that gathered to see us.

India Photos 1

2010-01-12T16:40:00.000-08:00

The internet is lightening fast this morning. Here's the first batch of photos. I'm going to try and upload some more.

Sitting on the runway in Newark.

Some of the group in the Delhi airport.

A McDonalds in the Hyderabad airport. There was no beef on the menu.

Sreet vendor food in Hyderabad.

Our welcome banner.

Just one example of the amazing food we're being served here.

Josh and Preem's birthday party.

The view from our hotel window in Vizag.

One of the village girls caring for her little sister.

The tribal dance.

Cassie and Patty handing out crayons and lollipops to the kids.

The kids love getting their picture taken.

One of the nicer mud houses in the village.

Some of the awesome scenery around the villages.

India Blog 2

2010-01-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

We made the first of our village visits today. Yesterday was a recuperation day since we’d been traveling for about 48 hours non-stop. It was good to have a hot shower and sleep in a bed for a change. It was the first time I had been able to sleep laying down since the trip began. Thankfully, people are still in good spirits and full of energy as demonstrated by the chorus of Disney songs that were sung on the bus ride home tonight. I think the girls are even starting to trust our drivers a little more as there are no longer as many shrieks when we avoid collision by inches.

Today was really good. I always seem to over prepare myself emotionally for these kinds of trips but I think I’m finally starting to realize I don’t need to be sad for these people. They earn much less than Americans and own next to nothing. They sleep in grass huts and run around barefoot. Though I do think it’s our responsibility to give them a helping hand, we don’t need to be sad for them. The kids here have a joy that is very rare to experience in the US.

That’s the thing that has hit me the hardest on this trip. We look around at the way things are done here and think they are weird. Their traffic system is different and most in the US would consider it crazy, but it seems to work. The food they eat is different (and delicious) but many would hold their nose and never try it. Their singing is different, their movies are different, everything is different, but that’s just the thing. It’s not weird, it’s not wrong it’s just different. To me, labeling something “weird” is hinting at superiority and though we may have more stuff, we’re not superior. We have everything and are not happy, they have nothing and are. Maybe we’re the ones who are weird.

But enough with philosophy, the experiences today were really amazing. We first visited a remote village that Vijay (our guide) has been working with. We met in their church (a concrete building about the size of a living room) and some of the women stood and lead us in songs (out of a snowman note book). After this we were treated to a tribal dance by some of the men and were then asked to lead something of our own. We sang Father Abraham and tried to get the kids to sing along with us. After this it was back to the church were we handed out crayons and lollipops for the kids and Saris for the women as well as some assorted hand me down clothes for who-ever they would fit. We mingled with the people, ate a quick lunch and then played a game called Coco with the kids. It is similar to duck duck goose but a lot more fun and it even makes you use your brain a little. After our game, we said our good byes and got back on the bus. From here we went to several different villages and met with the people. Though I did feel a little strange pulling up and just walking around and looking at stuff, the people in the villages loved it and a crowd always gathered. Vijay told us that many of these people have never seen a white person and some didn’t even know they existed. Some of the really young children were even a little scared. You could probably liken the experience to meeting a Martian I suppose. We were treated to some REAL Chai Tea as well as coconut milk straight out of a coconut that had just come off the tree. I really don’t think there could be a better way to visit this country.

A few of my personal observations from this trip so far would be:
1. It’s very hard not to eat with my left hand. In India, it’s customary to eat with your right hand. Your right hand is for eating, your left for going to the bathroom.
2. We have all been sitting/standing for so long on this trip, all of our ankles are swollen. They look like kankles really.
3. India has either the best, or the worst drivers in the world.
4. A close call in the US is Sunday driving in India.
5. They need to start selling Tata Motors in the US. If they can withstand the rigors they are put through here, they would last a lifetime in the states.
6. If we had used the kind of ceiling fans in the US that they use here, we wouldn’t need air conditioning.

I don’t know if I will have internet access after tonight, but I will continue to write. Unfortunately the internet here is not fast enough to upload pictures, but I’ll do that first thing when I get back in the states. We’re taking a lot.

India Blog 1

2010-01-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, I was a climber. Trees mostly. There wasn’t a tree I couldn’t climb in my youth and I was very proud of it. Proud enough and confident enough in my abilities that I would climb as high as I possibly could. If you are a tree climber, you know that the bottom limbs are the easiest. They’re usually nice and thick and evenly spaced which make climbing easy. It’s when you get to the top of the tree that it gets difficult. The limbs are thinner and more difficult to traverse and once you’ve reached the top, there is always the matter of getting down, which in my opinion is much more difficult. Often it was difficult enough that I found myself wishing I’d never climbed in the beginning.

Last night, as I reflected upon the events of the day and the events that lay ahead of us, I almost began to wish I had never started climbing.

The past 3 days have been nothing short of an adventure, an all out, Indiana Jones type adventure. It began with a 13-hour flight from Newark, NJ to Delhi, India. Our layover was about 10 hours long and was made all the more interesting in trying to meet up with a couple of the girls who were on a different flight. After a night of delays and sleeping on the marble terminal floors, we made our second flight to Hyderabad, India. This flight was simple as it lasted only 2 hours, but was followed by another 10-hour wait on marble airport floors. Finally it was time to go across town and get on our bus, and this is where the major adventure began.

Initially we were supposed to take taxis to the bus but once we loaded them up with our bags (they were strapped on top) there was only room for 8 people. Our Indian guide felt it important to stay with the girls and knowing it was only responsible of me, I volunteered to ride on the back of our other guide’s motorcycle so that one of the girls didn’t have to. The beginning of the trip was pretty enjoyable. The cool evening air of India was rushing through what’s left of my hair as we made our way down the open road. At this point I was thinking it was going to be a great ride. Then as we started getting into the traffic I realized the bus stop was all the way across the city.

As we rode, I found my mind rushing to many different thoughts. One was “I think the people of India must have a much better understanding and application of physics than people in the US” another was “any Indian motorcycle driver could easily put the cockiest US crotch rocket jock to shame.” All the while I was preparing myself for the taste of concrete.

To give you an idea of what my ride was like, picture New York or Chicago rush hour with no traffic signals or even traffic laws. Lanes that are designed to accommodate 2 cars wide are often jam packed with 3 wide or more and countless other bikes, motor bikes and pedestrians. Now imagine you’re buzzing through the thick of it on the back of a motorcycle with no helmet (sorry mom, it wasn’t an option). I’m glad I’m a calm person. If I were the least bit apprehensive I would have died from a heart attack or squeezed the life out of my driver. There were times when all I could see was a wall of stopped traffic yet we were still full throttle. Somehow he always found the crease and squeezed on through. Cars passed us within inches and we passed them just as closely. I felt their warm exhaust on my sandaled feet. We zagged and swerved and blasted our horn at pedestrians crossing in front of us. Every once in a while my driver would answer his cell phone. The one thing I knew was that if I survived the drive I would have an amazing story to tell that most could never match.

After about 30 or 40 minutes of this had passed, we were at our bus stop and after crossing the street (which I would liken to playing a game of frogger on the hardest level while dragging luggage) all we had left was to sit and wait for our truck. As we waited, our guide bought us some food from the street venders (some ice cream and fried egg and bread served on a piece of newspaper). Finally, our bus arrived an hour late and we piled on. After about 35 hours of constant traveling, all we had ahead of us was another 12-hour bus ride across the open country… with no scheduled bathroom stops.

As I write we’ve reached our first destination and are sitting in the home of our guide. Here we have plumbing and a sink and shower, a nice fan, a cool breeze and AMAZING food.

All the girls have been very strong. I’ve made plenty of cross country van rides and spent hours and hours in the air, but never have I had as intense an experience as our visit to India. Most girls would have thrown in the cards 24 hours ago but they’re still here. They’re still ready to help.

Most of the group is using vacation time for this trip though it is far more work than our 9 to 5 jobs. All have paid out of pocket to be here and all have sacrificed comfort for a cause, even though at our absolute best, we can only do very little.

Tomorrow we will be meeting a tribal village. Many of its inhabitants earn less in a year than the amount I spent to buy the word processing program I’m typing on, but we’re told to prepare ourselves for a people full of joy and charity. A couple days after that, we’ll be meeting girls who are at risk of being trafficked and after that we’ll meet girls who have actually been trafficked. Then it’s a 12-hour train ride and a 13-hour flight back home. I’m sure it will be difficult to put into words what we’ve experienced but we’ll do what we can, and many of us will come back in the future. Even when I was a kid and I scared myself half to death climbing to the top of the tree, I always seemed to make it back down and I always felt the need to climb up again.

Tentative Schedule

2010-01-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

Here's a tentative day to day schedule of what we'll be doing while we're in India. Of course, change is not only possible but likely.

10th - Arrive in Hyderabad and take a train through the night to Visakhapatnam.

11th - Arrive in Vizag and have lunch with our leaders at St. Joseph.

12th and 13th - Visit tribal villages and girls who are at high risk for being trafficked.

14th and 15th - Visit one of the 2 free schools in India and do some painting.

16th and 17th - Meet girls who have been rescued from trafficking and hear their stories.

18th - Sightseeing followed by a train back to Hyderabad.

19th - Fly back to US.

Natalie, Patty, Cassie in the hotel lobby, ready to take the shuttle to the airport.

The Next Adventure

2010-01-07T07:54:00.000-08:00

Wow. Long time, no updates. As usual it's been very busy recently but it's all been good. I'm writing from the Kanas City airport as we are waiting to board the plane to Newark. From Newark we will meet the rest of our group and then head out to India tomorrow night.

If you think about it, keep us in your thoughts and prayers, most notably for our health. New countries with new food and different sanitation can cause some interesting problems. Whatever India may hold for us though, we're very excited.

I will try and blog as frequently as possible, but who knows what type of internet connection we may have.

In related news, I will be experiencing a phenomenon most may never experience in their lifetime, a 12 hour birthday. As I will be in flight during my birthday and flying across several time zones, January 9th will only last about 12 hours for me.

"Josh and Mindy at KCI Airport with the snowy airport landscape reflecting off Josh's sunglasses."

And the winner is...

2009-11-13T07:51:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, thank you for taking a look at my blog posting and thank you for all your comments. As you may have noticed, Keith, one of the editors for Holy Bible Mosaic was not able to make it to my blog to answer questions as he had intended. He did send me an email apologizing and will be in further contact when he has the opportunity. Apparently editors get busy and I can't blame him for this.

As for all of you who posted comments though, I have drawn a winner, and the winner is....

Addie Domske

Addie. I'll get ahold of you on Facebook so I can get your address and mail you the Bible certificate.

Other than that, stay tuned for news from Keith. I'm hoping he'll be able to stop by and answer any unanswered questions.

Holy Bible Mosaic

2009-11-05T04:45:00.000-08:00

Note* Sporadically throughout the day, one of the contributors to Holy Bible Mosaic will be stopping in and looking at the posted comments. If you have a question, feel free to ask. Plus, anyone who comments between today and November 12 will be entered into a contest to win a free copy of Holy Bible Mosaic.

The first thing I noticed about Holy Bible Mosaic is that there is a clear division between the devotional section of the Bible and the Bible itself. Most of the devotional Bibles I’ve run across have the information spread throughout the pages of actual text. I’m a very linear person so the scattered-ness of it all really bothered me. I would find myself jumping back and forth, forgetting what I had just read and not being able to concentrate. Mosaic makes it a point to stray from this norm. You’ve got the text and the devotional, clear, cut and concise. Very much appreciated.

Another thing has bothered me about devotional Bibles was there really wasn’t much that tied the extra information together other than a theme. With Mosaic, the devotional section is based upon the church calendar, which prior to reading Mosaic I had never really considered. Advent was nothing more than a box of chocolates before Christmas and Lent meant my friends who went to other churches had to give up something fun. Mosaic walks through the church calendar and not only delivers nuggets of inspiration but also a very small lesson in the church’s foundational calendar.

The third piece that really rounds out the devotional section for me is the beautiful artwork. Though I can’t help but see a depiction of “Master Shake” from Aqua Teen Hunger Force in the “Bread and Fish Mosaic” featured on the cover and on “Epiphany, Week 4” (yes, I did just mention that in a Bible review), the artwork contained in the pages is stunning. None of this wanna-be cool, teen targeted graphic design that modern Christian publications seem so apt to include. The works of art contained in Mosaic are actual masterpieces in vivid color from all over the world.

The devotionals themselves, when viewed for substance, are quite good. Strewn with a mix of suggested scriptures, background information, printed verses, meditations, quotes and commentaries, a new and refreshing mix has been developed. With Mosaic, you don’t just have one person’s opinions over and over again. True to its name, Mosaic is constructed of a patchwork of the human population both modern and historical.

Overall, I think that Holy Bible Mosaic is a worthwhile publication that’s true to itself. NLT is not a translation I’ve read a lot of before but I do find the differences between translations interesting and sometimes enlightening. If you’re in the market for a new or additional Bible, at least stop by your local Christian bookstore and take a look for yourself. Or you could comment on this posting and win yourself a free copy of Holy Bible Mosaic. Any comments I receive on this post, between now and November 12 will be entered into a drawing. The winner will be announced on the 12th.

"Knockout Entrepreneur" by George Foreman (with Ken Abraham)

2009-10-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

One of the most vivid and inspiring sports memories I have is when I watched the then 45-year-old George Foreman knock out Michael Moorer to regain his title as Boxing Heavy Weight Champion of the World. Since that day, the “Punching Preacher” as they called him has always held a special place in my heart. So when given the opportunity to review his new book “Knockout Entrepreneur” I was happy to do so.

What I found was not far from what I expected. “Knockout Entrepreneur” covers entrepreneurship in the same manner that the QVC commercials covered the George Foreman grill: a bit shallow, a bit campy but for the most part genuine.

Foreman, with the help of celebrity book collaborator Ken Abraham, hits on all the usual topics which every entrepreneurship book seems to rely; the value of honesty, integrity, hard work, perseverance mixed with the obligatory rags to riches stories of real entrepreneurs that we know we’ll have heard of once their name has been revealed at the end. The only real noticeable difference between this book and other entrepreneurship books I’ve read is that Foreman filters all his advice through boxing parallels. No surprise here.

What I did really enjoy about this book were some of the insights into his own life that Foreman gives. The fact that he rose to success with nothing more than a Jr. High education, the fact that he once took on his pet lion as it was trying to attack his brother (and won!) and the fact that he once carried a full grown cow on his shoulders). I will admit, some of his stories that were meant to inspire seemed a bit like justifications for things that have gone publically wrong in his boxing career (he had the opportunity to knock out Holyfield in his moment of weakness but had dreamed the night before that he killed him so he didn’t take the opportunity, or that he could have gotten up when Ali knocked him out in the Rumble in the Jungle, but that he was waiting for his corner man to tell him to get up and didn’t hear the count.)

If you’ve ever thought about being your own boss, this might be a good book to start with. It’s definitely not a complete and infallible resource, but it is fun, and that’s what I expected from George. In all truthfulness, what I really took from this book is that George Foreman is still a guy that I can look up to and would enjoy reading more about (I’m going to look and see if they have “By George” or “God in My Corner” at the local library as soon as I finish writing this up.)

"Satan and His Kingdom" by Dennis McCallum

2009-10-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

As I do not typically read books on theology I had a very hard time picking this one up. After reading it I think I understand what may have been preventing me.

In his book “Satan and His Kingdom,” Dennis McCallum takes a very in-depth look at what the Bible truly says about Satan and how it relates to our everyday lives. Though Satan is the epitome of evil, our perception of him is very skewed. McCallum goes to great lengths to show how Satan’s primary tactic is that of a deceiver and though this idea isn’t as scary as the exploding heads we’ve seen in movies, we should be just as frightened.

Ever since his fall from glory, Satan’s primary goal has been to destroy humans, and though he is very powerful, there have been some limits placed on his power. Obviously he does not have to power to simply kill any human at any time or else he would have obliterated the entire earth already. On the other hand, he does have the power to whisper lies, which can cause one human to kill another and thus fulfill his goals. Satan does not have the power to read our minds (even through the psychic network), but because we are sinful beings, he is very well aware of what we will likely do and can make it seem as if he can.

Though I took a lot from the book, there were a couple of very insightful nuggets that really stuck out to me. In the chapter on countering Satan’s moves, the author writes,

“Many Christians seriously underestimate the power of God’s Word. If they didn’t, they would learn more about it. They’d spend more time reading and meditating on it. Actions speak louder than words, and the actions of many Christians clearly suggest that they have never understood how powerful the Word of God is.”

He goes on to highlight an illustration from a book by Chuck Smith. In short, if someone were to attack you on a dark street and start wrestling with you and then pull a knife, your entire focus of the fight would shift to that knife and trying to knock it out of the your attacker’s hand.

As Christians we are constantly at battle with Satan and the Bible is our primary weapon. It’s our knife if you will. Satan’s major focus is knocking it out of our hands and thus preventing us from knowing and loving Jesus on an ever-increasing basis. Be it TV, the Internet, money, our job, school activities or even church activities (yes he is that sneaky) Satan has done a good job at keeping us from our Bibles and of growing our faith by growing closer to our Creator.

Could it have been Satan or a demon that personally kept me from reading this book for so long? It’s possible, but I have a feeling it was nothing more than my sinful and lazy nature that is the culprit, and therein lies the problem. Satan has done such a good job throughout the years that he’s got us doing his job for him. I for one would like to change this behavior.

3 Big Announcements (Finally)

2009-10-24T08:41:00.000-07:00

The time has finally come for the long awaited (at least long awaited by me) 3 big announcements post. I was hoping to do them as part of my 100th blog posting, but I felt the passing of Michael Shada was worthy enough to take its place. If you haven’t read that post, I would encourage you to do so. Aside from that, here are my 3 big announcements.

1. Bible Give-Away

I will be hosting a blog tour on November 5th here at joshkidney.blogspot to review the Holy Bible Mosaic. One of the contributors to Holy Bible Mosaic will actually check in with my blog on November 5th to answer any questions that people may have. If you stop by and leave a comment, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a free copy of Holy Bible Mosaic. My first ever giveaway! I'm hoping more people stop by than just my mom, but if not, mom will be the one taking home the new Bible.

2. New Blog

I’ve debated starting a new blog for a while now. I enjoy writing, and a blog is the perfect outlet, but for a long time I struggled with the idea what to write. After a wide range of ideas, I finally I sat down and hammered out what topic I’m passionate about and would be willing to devote and entire blog to. I realized the thing I enjoy writing about the most is Personal Finance and Time Management. I also realized that most people would find this very boring which is why I’ll be writing those articles on a completely separate blog. I’ll let you know the title and web address as soon as I have the look perfected.

3. India

After a life-changing trip to Ukraine in May with Faceless International, I realized that I’m very much called to the Human Trafficking cause. To help broaden my perspective I’m teaming up once again with Faceless to take a trip to India in January. I will be blogging throughout the trip and would love if you stopped in occasionally to see what the team and I are up to. I would love it even more if you were to become passionate about the Human Trafficking cause yourself and began taking steps to help us rid the world of such a tragedy. You could start by signing this petition.

Stay tuned for a couple book reviews to be posted shortly. One on a book about the true nature of Satan and another on by one of my favorite athletes of all time, George Foreman (I loved him even before the grill).

Plans are fleeting

2009-10-01T21:22:00.001-07:00

He zeroed in on me from across the room with a focus that was almost startling.

I’d been here before, so it wasn’t as intimidating as it could have been. The surroundings were new and so were many of the faces, but the story hadn’t changed. Net new assets and share of wallet, you know, the usual.

I stressed for 3 weeks that I wouldn't be accepted back to the company, but they allowed it and I was grateful. Now I was back and reexamining everything with new eyes.

“I’m Michael,” he said extending his hand to shake mine. “You must be the new guy.”

“Yep, that’s me. I’m looking forward to getting started.”

We made small talk and I explained how I was technically a veteran. I’d put in two full years then took some personal time away and now I was back and chomping at the bit to get moving. Typically small talk is scattered, empty and forgettable and I can always tell the instant someone isn’t paying attention any longer. That instant never came with Michael. Despite the buzz of the sales meeting that was taking place around us, to Michael, I was the only person in the room. It was just he and I. When I mentioned I was a licensed futures broker (usually about the time people’s eyes glaze over) Micheal’s eyes exploded with curiosity and the stream of questions followed. For the moment I felt important and I certainly wasn’t used to it.

The sales meeting came to an end shortly thereafter and I had to leave to get back to studying for the Series 66 test. “Don’t take it lightly,” he advised smiling. I thanked him and left.

Throughout the next couple weeks we would pass every once in a while in the hall or in the rest room. I’d met others from the team and they were friendly but Michael stuck out. When we passed in the hall it wasn’t the normal “Hi, how ya doin.” Even the shortest of interactions made me walk away feeling better about my day and about myself.

Monday. September 28. Finally the hour of the Series 66 was upon me. I’d easily sunk 30 hours or more of the last month into my studies and today was the day I put my knowledge to the federally regulated test. After an agonizing hour and a half it was time to click the “grade” button and despite the strong impulse to vomit I clicked without hesitation. I passed.

Exuberant from my victory I grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed back to the office. Michael and I got to the front door at the same time. We greeted each other and bantered a bit about the market and options strategies, Michael intensely focused as usual and I, my normal distanced self. Realizing we both needed to get to work, we made it short and parted ways. As I walked upstairs to the training room I turned and mentioned I had just passed the 66. “That’s reason to celebrate!" he said, the sun shining across his face through the office glass, "We’re really looking forward to having you on the team” he said , and I knew he meant it.

Michael was killed in a car accident Wednesday morning September 30th on his way to work. He was 25 and left behind a fiancé and a 2-year-old daughter.

I really didn’t know Michael that well. The combined time we spent interacting was probably less than 15 minutes, but in those 15 minutes he was able to leave an impression on me that will not fade quickly.

If there is anything I can take away from this, it’s that even the small interactions we have with people are meaningful.

Don’t take opportunities for granted. In a matter of seconds you have the power to make somebody feel important, to feel special, to feel loved. In doing so, even if they are your last couple seconds, they will be wisely used.

3 Big Announcements and KC part 3

2009-09-30T05:10:00.000-07:00

Now that I have finally taken and passed my Series 66 Exam I actually have some time to finish the 3rd chapter of Mindy and my weekend in Kansas City with a review of Benton’s Steak and Chophouse

Before I do this though I wanted to mention something that I think is really cool.

The next blog I post will be my 100th. This is pretty important to me because it signifies one of the few things I’ve actually stuck with in life over a period of time. My first post was in March of 2007 and even though it may have been infrequently, I’ve continued to post for the last 2 and a half years. With any luck, I’ll continue to do so far into the future.

To celebrate my 100th post I’m going to do something I haven’t done on this blog, I’m going to make 3 BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS. As “big” is a relative term, don’t get too excited. I’m not giving away a car (but a giveaway isn’t out of the picture.) Just check back in the next couple weeks and read my next post and you’ll figure out what it’s all about.

But enough of my rambling, on to Benton’s.

I was more apprehensive visiting this restaurant than any of the others on this trip, primarily because it was the most expensive. Despite the fact that it was our anniversary, at $33 a plate (easily the most I’ve paid for a meal), the champagne brunch needed to be spectacular. What worried me even more so was that Benton’s was located in the Westin Hotel. I’ve worked in a classy hotel before and just because the rooms are $300 or more a night does not mean the food is going to be good. Luckily, the fact that Benton’s was on our Passport Card eased my worries a little bit.

We arrived at the Westin shortly before our reservations and found the designated elevator with little problem. If nothing else, at least we would have a good view of Crown Center from the top floor of the hotel.

What we found in the brunch buffet and wait staff was a very satisfying experience.

I started my brunch with a slice of prime rib and a dish of cooked to order pasta with shrimp, asparagus and a tomato cream sauce. I’ve easily paid $20 a plate for the pasta alone at other restaurants and this was equal in quality. For good measure, I filled out the rest of my plate with several of the cheeses from the cheese platter, some amazing multi grain crackers and a croissant. When I arrived back at the table our server had brought champagne and coffee. Both were excellent as was the prime rib (though it was served more rare than I typically prefer, I realize this is how most eat prime rib so I don’t hold it against Benton’s).

Gus, our server, was amazing and acted as a concierge in addition to a server. Three separate times we asked him fairly complicated questions about the happenings in Crown Center and the facts he didn’t immediately know he sought out an answer for. If we ever return, I’m calling Benton’s and visiting when he is scheduled. He was that good.

Our meal was rounded out by several more trips to the buffet and choosing from the seemingly endless selection of breakfast, lunch and dinner fare followed closely by a trip to the dessert bar. By the time we were finished, both Mindy and I were more than adequately stuffed.

I would highly recommend Benton’s to anyone with a serious appetite looking for a semi formal but relaxed atmosphere and beautiful view. I don’t know if I could allow myself to spring for the price of the brunch without my Passport Card, but that doesn’t mean the food isn’t worth it. I’m just a bit too frugal.

Kansas City - Day 2 - The Foundry at McCoy's

2009-09-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

After the Bice Bistro debacle, it wouldn’t take much for The Foundry at McCoy’s to be a better experience. What we found far surpassed our expectations.

Recommended to us by my friend Eric Milner, a Westport resident and Ukraine Trip brother, I was looking forward to the immense selection of beers and casual fare The Foundry had to offer. As an added bonus, the Westport Art Fair happening all around us made the atmosphere electric.

When we arrived, the alternatively dressed yet super friendly wait staff showed us to a table on the patio where we ordered our first round and waited for Eric and his troop to arrive. An avid fan of Brown Ales, my first choice was McCoy’s own Hogpound Brown. Brewed less than a block from where I sat, Hogpound Brown is now a very strong contender for my favorite beer ever, holding ranks with none other than my trusted favorite Newcastle Brown Ale. Mindy chose McCoy’s Blackberry Lager and though I’m not a huge fan of fruit beer, the taste was very crisp and refreshing.

Soon, Milner and our new friends had arrived and before we knew it, it was time to order more beer and something to eat. Though I was tempted to stick with a good thing, I chose not to order another Hogpound and instead opted for an Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. Let me tell you this, you have not had a stout until you’ve had Old Rasputin. Even the head was dark.

After some thought I chose to order one of The Foundry’s house pizza’s called “The Bruce Lee” and Mindy went with the ultimate of bar foods, the “Serious Nachos.” Before we knew it our food had arrived and we could dig in.

Though I’m pretty sure Bruce Lee “the legend” was of Chinese descent, Bruce Lee “the pizza” was straight out of Thailand, but what it lacked in cultural accuracy it more than made up for in taste. Topped with curried chicken, Thai peanut sauce, mozzarella, provolone, red onion, carrots, sweet chili sauce and toasted peanuts, the Bruce Lee was a roundhouse kick to the pallet. Only Chuck Norris could serve it up better.

As for the Serious Nachos, I don’t believe I’ve ever eaten a more accurately named appetizer. The Serious Nachos were piled high with pork carnitas, black beans, cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, jalapeños and green onions. Though typically served with black olives and sour cream, we opted for no olives and the sour cream on the side. Regardless, there was no end to the flavor. Mindy was able to eat about 1/3 of the plate which left me and the rest of the table to finish it off. Within a couple minutes, there was nothing left and after polishing off the last of the Bruce Lee and Old Rasputin, I leaned back in my chair and melted in a food induced ecstasy.

If you find yourself in the Kansas City area and craving Urban flavored bar food with an artsy twist, The Foundry at McCoy’s is your destination. With their alcoholic milk shakes, themed salads and baja tacos just to name a few, The Foundry’s menu should be diverse enough for even the pickiest eater.

I look forward to another weekend visit with Milner and another trip to The Foundry, if for no other reason than to have another Hogpound Brown.

The Foundry at McCoy’s

Overall Rating – A

Kansas City Day 1 - Bice Bistro

2009-09-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

Maybe I was just tired from driving the three and a half hour trip or maybe the chef was having an off night. Whatever the case, Bice Bistro (pronounced Bee Chay), just off of Kansas City’s Power and Light District was far from impressive.

Mindy and I arrived optimistic for what would be the first of three dining experiences. Mindy had our second anniversary weekend planned start to finish, and thanks to her excellent taste, I was happy to eat wherever she wanted me to.

Parched from our journey I immediately ordered Kansas City’s own Boulevard Wheat. This choice would be the only good one of the night.

At first glance the menu looked fabulous. Offerings such as Risotto aragosta, Lamb oso bucco and Linguini Carbonara leapt from the page and whetted our appetites. I decided on a personal favorite, Veal Piccata, and Mindy chose Scaloppine (Veal in a Marsala Wine Sauce), both $22 plates. Ordering veal dishes for the both our meals may have been our first mistake, but considering we never make it for ourselves at home, it sounded especially good this night. I chose to order a Caesar Salad as well.

As soon as the waiter had taken our order, the bread arrived. Unlike most Italian restaurants that bring only one type of bread, Bice’s basket held small portions of 3 different kinds; Focaccia, Italian and crispy seasoned bread sticks accompanied by a cream cheese, olive oil and balsamic vinegar dipping plate. This offering, to Bice’s credit, was actually very enjoyable, though it would have been far more enjoyable if we had silverware or appetizer plates (all of which were brought well after our bread had been consumed).

After a short time my salad arrived and though displayed beautifully and topped with a generous amount of parmesan shavings, it may have been the worst tasting Caesar Salad I’ve eaten. The dressing tasted much like mayonnaise stirred with anchovies. Even the parmesan shavings were tasteless. My $4.50 would have been better spent at McDonalds.

Slightly disheartened but still hopeful, we waited for our main course. Once again, both plates were beautifully displayed, but the beauty was only skin deep. My first bite of veal was surprising. The picatta sauce was the strongest I have ever tasted. Thankfully I am a fan of strong tastes or I would not have been able to eat another bite. I would soon be extra thankful as the strong flavor of the sauce helped drown out the bland (dare I say from a box) garlic mashed potatoes and cooked spinach. In most cases I am a fan of spinach. Spinach salads, spinach artichoke dip, spinach almost anything is great, but spinach in and of itself, cooked and soggy as the only vegetable on the plate? I really don’t know what they were thinking.

As if this wasn’t enough, the veal was tough. I had difficulty cutting it, even with a knife.

Mindy felt much the same about her meal, though she did at least have the benefit of grilled asparagus as a side. The Marsala Wine Sauce was good, but not phenomenal. Her veil was tough as well. The highlight of her meal was the Cucumber Martini (but it's hard to go wrong with Hendrick's Gin).

Luckily Bice Bistro is one of the restaurants that accepts our Passport Unlimited Card and we were able to use our card to get one of the entrées for free (this is how we chose the restaurant to begin with). Bice Bistro excluded, we have always been extremely happy with Passport Unlimited choices and look forward to using it every chance we get, but even with nearly 50% off of our ticket, we were both thoroughly disappointed in our meal. We cook far better for ourselves at home at a fraction of the price.

If you know me at all you know I’m not a very negative person and very rarely whiney. It takes a lot for me to say something pessimistic, but in the case of Bice Bistro, there's not much good I can expound upon. I would venture to say that if the restaurant does not shape up, it will not last another a year.

Thankfully, our next night of dining would be the exact opposite experience and restore our faith in Kansas City dining... I'll post my review of "The Foundry" very shortly.

Bice Bistro

Overall Rating - D

"Fearless" by Max Lucado

2009-09-08T04:08:00.000-07:00

I must admit that this is the first Max Lucado book I have ever read. Several have been suggested to me in the past, but I’ve never been interested. Though I am a Christian, I’ve always found a majority of modern Christian literature off-putting. In my opinion most seems manufactured to sell to a Christian audience at a premium price and then it’s not even that good. But when I was given the opportunity to read Lucado’s new book free of charge, before it was released and then encouraged to write an honest review, I jumped at the chance. If nothing else I could resell the book on amazon.com and make a couple dollars. Besides, I was intrigued by the title.

If you ask my parents, they will tell you I was usually a very intrepid child, unafraid of most things that kids commonly fear, at least until I watched the movie “Gremlins.” I still vividly remember dreams I had of those little green monsters in the weeks and months following the movie and even as an adult I haven’t been able to go back and watch the film again. Beyond this incident though, I still maintain a very cavalier attitude, typically unafraid of calculated risks and intrigued by the dangerous. So it was with a mind for my fearful friends and acquaintances that I read this book, and in turn would suggest to every one of them. I even took a little away for myself.

“Fearless” is written in the form of a daily or weekly devotional and even includes a discussion guide in the back. I was able to read through the book in about 2 days time with little effort and thoroughly enjoyed it. Lucado is honest and forthcoming with many of the fears he faces or has faced in his own life, and it’s easy to relate to him knowing he’s been there and done that. What is even better is that all of his points are reaffirmed with scripture. Though I’ve read most of the passages Lucado cites in his writing, I had not noticed or at least taken to heart how often Jesus referred to the idea of fear or rather having no fear. The scriptures make it abundantly clear that God has the best intentions for us whether we can understand His methods or not and as Christians, though He does not promise us a life without stress, turmoil, hardship or even tragedy, we can have faith that in the end, no matter the struggle, we will be with Jesus for eternity. As the book quotes “Everything will work out in the end, and if it’s not working out, it’s not the end.”

I especially appreciated Lucado’s illustration about Monopoly money on page 103. In the current economic climate, finances are a chief concern. Being smart with the money I make and saving for the future are very important focuses in my life, but as important as they both are, I must remember that in the end, I cannot take the money with me. Money holds no value in God’s eyes. It’s what we do with the money while we're on earth that matters.

Overall I give high marks for “Fearless,” though I would suggest reading it a chapter a day or even a chapter a week to be discussed with your small group. The book’s format does not lend itself well to cover-to-cover reading. There’s just a bit too much to take in.

As for me I will most likely read this book again, only slower, and I have a few specific people in mind that will be receiving the book as a gift.

As for you, whether courageous or cowardly, this book probably has something that can help you grow.

10 Stupid things I said in my teens and early 20s.

2009-09-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

Now that I’m “growing up” I find myself thinking back to a lot of the things I said when I was younger and reveling in my naive stupidity. It’s a commonly known fact of life that teenagers and college agers think they know everything. One of the greatest things I’ve learned so far in my nearly 28 years on this earth is that I “know” very little and I can learn a lot more from people than I can probably teach them. This doesn’t keep me from trying though, so with that in mind, here is a list of 10 stupid things I said in my late teens and early 20s.

Some are personal and probably won’t relate to you or where you’re at in life, but they’ll be a good laugh. On the other hand, some are probably things you’ve heard come out of your own mouth. If I sound harsh, don’t be offended. I’m not saying anything to you that I haven’t already said to myself at some point or another.

1. I’ll NEVER work there again.

You think I would have learned after the first time, but no, I can picture 3 different times in my life where I uttered these words. All three jobs I ended up coming back to eventually, one of which I’m currently working at and happily basing a long-term career plan around. When you’re broke, even the worst job can seem appealing again and often times when you return with a different attitude you can’t understand why it was so bad in the first place. Luckily my dad taught me to never burn my bridges. Imagine me re-applying at a job after I had previously told off the boss. I know the movies make it look like the most liberating experience in the world, but in most cases it’ll do nothing but hurt you.

2. I will always love you.

Yeah right. Not to be a downer on love because I’m married to a wonderful girl who I plan on spending the rest of my life with, but mostly bad decisions are made after these words are spoken. Yeah, I’m sure it was meant to be romantic, but 10 years down the road you’ll probably be laughing at yourself. I know you think you’re always going to feel this way, but you won’t.

PS. Girls… guys will use this line without remorse, and most of them only plan on “loving” you for the next 20 minutes or so.

3. Money is not a priority.

The love of money is the root of all evil, but the disrespect of money in your life will lead you to more heartache than almost anything. I talked to a girl once, who after having a “revelation,” quit her job and bought tickets to Portland on her credit card. “Money doesn’t matter,” she said “I’ll figure it out later. I just need to get out and live life.” You can live life, and probably even a fuller life, without spending a ton of money. The trip to Portland, or clothes from the Banana Republic that you can’t really afford may feel liberating in the moment, but that credit card debt is going to be an anchor around your neck when you’re tossed into the ocean of life!!! I’m not joking!!!

4. God put me here to save Rock and Roll.

Nothing really to learn from this one other than things you say while in highly philosophical moods and trying to impress girls are usually ridiculous. I kinda want to shoot myself in the face for having said this.

5. I don’t like being efficient.

Used to be I didn’t care if I had to make an extra trip, found things on sale, re-watched a movie in the theater, threw away leftovers or drove a vehicle with bad gas mileage, but the truth of the matter is that if you’re not being efficient, you’re being wasteful. Planning ahead, or even just thinking ahead can make a world of difference in many areas in your life.

6. I don’t care what people think about me.

Now this one is tricky so listen carefully. For the most part, I still don’t care what people think about me. I don’t care how I look driving an old car (that I’ve never made a payment on) instead of a new one, or living in a small house (that we can afford) instead of a big one. I’m not worried if people judge me on certain things and I believe this is good trait. On the other hand, the meaning of “I don’t care what people think about me” has changed from when I originally started saying it. In the past, this line was nothing more than an excuse to do whatever I wanted. I didn’t care what certain people thought as long as not caring made others think highly of me. It’s only now I realize how hypocritical I was.

7. Any trendy phrase I have ever spoken.

Trendy language just irks me. It’s probably something I should get over because it’ll never go away, but I can’t help it. Shamefully, I admit I have been a part of it in the past. Nowadays I just try to ridicule the practice by using the phrases long after they have lost their trendiness. Currently, my phrases of choice are “ahhhh snap” circa 2003 and “Niiiiiiice.” Phrases you can punch me in the nose for using would be “Legit” and “I know right?” at least until next year. Seriously people, they’re just trends! Some frat boy or valley girl probably started them. No one was saying them last year, and no one will be saying them next year!

8. I would DIE without music.

Seriously. Yes I said that. Like I’m really going to stop breathing if I can’t play guitar or listen to my ipod. And to think, most of the music I was listening to back then really sucked. (Oh yes, your musical tastes will change.)

9. I HATE this town!

Believe it or not, even the angst filled teens and New York, Seattle, Paris and Rio De Janeiro have probably spoken these words. The place you live is not the problem, YOU ARE. I’ve traveled all over the country and the plight is always the same. “There’s nothing to do here” (strangely enough I usually hear it from the kids who WON’T be coming to the concert we’re putting on for them). Stop you’re whining and go do something already.

10. I’m never going to use this in real life.

I think I drove this one into the ground, mostly in my Algebra 1 and 2 classes (both of which I failed the first time I took them). Have I specifically had to use Algebra 2 in my life since I graduated? No, but it doesn’t mean I haven’t generally used it, or wished I’d spent more time learning it. Challenging your mind stretches your brain. It helps you think and it helps you reason. Having knowledge will never be detrimental to you regardless of if you’ll be able to specifically use it. I really wish I could have those high school days back. I would have been less lazy and signed up for all the advanced classes and I would have breezed through any of them simply by putting my mind to it. I’m sure you could probably do the same.

Just so you know, I plan on writing another one of these posts in about 10 years called "10 Stupid things I said in my late 20s and early 30s."

Post-It Goals

2009-08-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

I promise, the next blog I write will be the “Stupid things I said in my late teens and early 20s.” I just wanted to write a quick blog about something I did last night that was a lot of fun and will hopefully be very beneficial.

First a little back story (if you don’t care, just skip to “The Activity.”)

I’m a stickler for making plans and setting goals. I don’t like just drifting through life. We’ve only got so much time on earth and I want to make the most of the time I do have. My “problem” is that I’m a dreamer. I think way too big and then get burnt out or just plain fail trying to make huge leaps instead of small steps.

I’m also a big Dave Ramsey fan. Several years ago, when I had a whole lot more debt than I do now, I read “The Total Money Makeover” and it changed my life. One tiny aspect out of that book that I grabbed onto was making small goals and achieving small victories. At the time, my mountain of debt seemed so overwhelming I didn’t even want to think about it. Dave suggested that to be successful at paying it off, I needed to focus on my smallest debt and pay that off to experience a victory. Even though the first credit card had only $500, I paid it off and it felt great! It motivated me to power through the next credit card and then the next. A series of small goals and victories eventually helped me wipe out my credit card debt. It was so beneficial that I decided to carry the concept over into other parts of my life.

The Activity

Last night my wife and I sat down and discussed the things that were most important to us in this period our lives. We narrowed our ideas down to 5 categories Debt, Savings, Home Improvements, Business and Fun and wrote all of them down on separate Post-It notes. Then we stuck them on the mirror in our bedroom. From there we focused on 5 goals in each category and wrote them all down on Post It notes and stuck those on the mirror underneath their category. Here’s kinda how it looks (you’ll have to imagine the dotted lines as post its)

------------------- -------------- ------------------------------

Debt Savings Home Improvements

------------------- -------------- ------------------------------

Car Loan $10,000 Remodel Bathroom

------------------- -------------- ------------------------------

School Loan 2 $8,000 Front Deck

------------------- -------------- ------------------------------

School Loan 1 $6,000 Kitchen Window

------------------- -------------- ------------------------------

Discover Card $4,000 Basement Windows

------------------- -------------- ------------------------------

Visa Card $2000 Interior Doors

------------------- -------------- ------------------------------

Now the fun part is going to be achieving our goals, from smallest to largest and then celebrating each of the victories with each other. Once the Visa is paid off, we’ll take down that Post-It, BURN IT and then maybe go to a nice dinner (using cash). For every $2000 we save over and above our current savings we’ll take down a Post-It and do something fun.

Speaking of fun it’s a very important part of the Post It wall. It reminds us to remain human while pursuing our goals and includes things such as visiting family in different parts of the country, going on a vineyard tour and working towards the highest goals of taking a trip to visit friends in Hawaii and later a resort in Mexico or Jamaica.

Once we wipe out a category, we’ll refill it with new goals, or we’ll make a new one and set the bar a little higher.

None of this is set in stone either. That would take the fun and motivation out of it. If we achieve a couple small goals and that big goal is still miles away, we may fill it in with some more small goals if we feel so inclined.

The whole process sounds a little complicated but it really only took us about 30 minutes to do and it was really fun. All in all, it’s a simple way to enjoy working towards what you want in life. I would highly suggest it to everyone, regardless of their marital status.

Paperbackswap.com

2009-07-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

Not sure how many of you are big readers, but I found a cool website that you should check out if you are. I read about it at www.thesimpledollar.com and it's called www.paperbackswap.com.

Basically what you do is sign up for a free account and then post 10 books you have that you don't really read anymore. Posting is very simple, you just have to punch in the ISBN number. Once you've posted 10 books you get 2 free credits, each good for a book. Then you can search through the catalog of over 3,000,000 books and order them. When you order, the person on the other end mails you the book free of charge and it is yours to keep. The trade off is that when someone requests one of your books you do the same, paying for the postage it costs to send. When a person requests one of your books, you get a credit to request another book. It's as easy as that!

I read a LOT and am often disappointed when the library doesn't have what I'm looking for. This is a great source to find what I'm looking for, and best of all, I can choose to keep the book if I want.

The X and Y of Buy

2009-07-29T06:31:00.000-07:00

If you make your living as a sales person, or have ever interacted with a person of the opposite sex, I would highly suggest “The X and Y of Buy.”

I was a little hesitant to start reading this book, though I’m not sure why. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down and finished it in 2 days. As a person who has struggled to make an independent living at which sales is the heart, I found Elizabeth Pace’s insight extremely valuable.

Most people understand that there are intrinsic differences between males and females, but very few have been able to understand the reasoning behind these differences. Pace sorts out the facts in a very neat fashion and details them in a way that is understandable and interesting. Not only will I use her advice in my day-to-day sales work, but her insights will be invaluable when it comes to personal dealings and my life as a husband.

There were many times during the book where it felt as if Pace had taken instances directly from my married life and explained why both my wife and I acted as we did. When I gave the book to my wife to read (who finished it in less than 24 hours and later gave a presentation based on what she read to her networking group) she felt the same and we found ourselves laughing out loud on many occasions.

I would suggest taking notes while reading this book, as there are a lot of facts and tips crammed into its 200 pages. As for myself, I plan on reading it again very shortly, this time with a highlighter. I also plan to put this book on my bookshelf and return to it several times over. The advice really is that good.

Bravery

2009-07-22T04:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted for a while. Things have been very busy on this end. I've actually got 4 blogs in the works, one that I'll get up in the next day or two reviewing a book I just read. The others, as soon as I get motivated, on the following topics.

Stupid Things I said in my late teens and early 20s.

Remembering the passion of your "first love" (not about relationships!!!)

Art or/of Money?

For this morning though, I thought I'd share this video I just watched. I think I'm a little emotional in the morning, especially considering this video almost made me cry. It's just that we don't see enough good news these days. Everything seems to be negative and scary and controversial. I want to start a news channel that only has good news. That way when people are feeling down about the world or themselves, they can flip over the channel and see that there are still some good things going on in the world.

I'm a sucker for bravery. I've said in the past "I would jump at the chance to die a hero," which could probably be filed under one of the above blogs that I'll be writing shortly. In a sense though, it's true. It's likely we meet heroes everyday. People that feed and clothe the hungry and give homes to orphans and love the loveless. As much as I admire these people and strive to be one, the adventurous side of my heart watches with envy when others put their life on the line and put their courage to the test. I'd like to think I'd be able to stand up to the challenge and have the guts to do something heroic. Until that time comes though, I'll just have to admire people like the ones in this video.

Self Improvement

2009-06-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

I've recently decided I don't write enough. I type a whole heck of a lot but when it comes to putting pen to paper I'm falling behind. I want to change that. The only problem is that I have terrible handwriting, especially when I'm trying to write fast.

So here's my personal challenge. I'm going to start writing in cursive again. I hated it so much in school that once I was out I never did it again. Now I'm wishing I hadn't. Cursive looks cool in a journal, even if it's sloppy, and the whole point of cursive is to be able to write faster. Maybe my teachers did know something...

Anyway, I started yesterday. I had to google how to make a capital "I."

This should be interesting.

The Eternal Struggle

2009-06-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

I read a blog today that inspired me to write. You can read the inspiration for yourself at lorilenz.wordpress.com. It’s very good.

The overall theme of her blog was essentially why do men suck so bad and why are the bad guys so attractive to women? Let me first start off by saying, I am in no way, shape or form the perfect man. If you talked to my wife and she told you the truth, she could easily describe me as one of the men I’m about to decry.

On the other hand, I do think I have a tiny bit wisdom on the subject, at least from the point of view of a man who tries (every once and a while) to be a good man.

I’ll start with the men first, then move to the women (what you thought you were immune ;).

Men:

Our world seems to be overrun with man-children: Members of the male sex who are technically old enough to be considered men but who have not progressed beyond a Jr. High or High School mentality. They can’t commit to anything, they base their value on performance and achievement, and they are constantly hurting themselves and anyone who gets close to them. When they die, 3 subjects will sum up their life:

1. Sports (or video games or music or drugs or add activity here and mix and match as you please) – Whatever they can do to fill their time and take their mind off the fact that they are miserable and dying inside.

2. Money – How much cash can they make, have or at least appear to have: Money is also the catalyst that helps them achieve subjects 1 and 3.

3. Conquests – How many women can they con into sleeping with them: The word “power” could be used as a substitute. Same difference.

Any man who is telling you the truth will tell you that there is not much in this world that is more appealing than these 3 subjects. And this is exactly the problem.

As humans we are imperfect, we are damaged goods. We are born evil and will remain as such unless we experience the power of Christ. Even with Christ, the lure of evil is often times overwhelming.

If anyone has ever raised a puppy, one of the first things you learn is that you can’t just leave puppy chow sitting around. A puppy will literally eat itself to death. As men, we are puppies left alone in a land of infinite puppy chow… which leads me to my next subject.

Women:

Why are women so attracted to the bad guy? I can’t say any of this without certainty because I’m not a woman, so I’ll just have to go off of observations I’ve made and material I’ve read on the subject.

Observation 1 – It’s not just a cliché; the whole bad guy thing really does work. I was the nice boy for the longest time. I also never had a girlfriend for more than a month (they always dumped me), but then I started putting the pieces together. Soon enough I was playing guitar and I had tattoos, piercings and dread locks. Before you know it, I was dating a model. See visual aide number 1.

Visual Aide Number 1

Observation 2 – The bad guy thing works for a while, but then to keep them happy, you’ve got to turn into a good guy. When we met I was a college flunky with dreads and tats and not much else going for me. When she dumped me I was an Aviation Administration major with a perfect GPA, full ride scholarship and nice preppy haircut.

Observation 3 – As much as women want to catch the bad guy and tame him, once they tame him he gets boring and they get bored.

So what’s a guy or girl to do in this insurmountable clash of the titans? John Eldredge, in his book “Wild at Heart” really helped me understand, and his explanation with God’s help, shaped the foundation that my one successful relationship has been built on.

In the book he says that inside every woman there is a beauty. A beauty who is looking for a prince to slay the dragon and rescue her so they can ride off into the sunset, and off to adventure. He goes on to say that inside every man there is a dragon to slay, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue.

Notice the story does not read, “The prince rescued the princess and she became his life and he became hers.“ The adventure is a very important part of the story and cannot be ignored.

(As for the question, why do women like bad boys? Bad boys tend to signify adventure, drama, and danger, most of which women find exhilarating. Not that good boys can't be exhilarating, but let's face it, they usually aren't.)

Now I would be foolish to think I could wrap up the entire male/female relationship conversation in a few short pages. There are obviously innumerable scenarios. I also do not believe that every woman needs a man, or visa versa. But for those who are looking, I think these ideas may be a good place to start. See visual aide number 2.

Visual Aide Number 2

Mindy and I have been married for a little less than 2 years now. Our entire relationship has lasted about 5 years. Notice my nose ring and gauged ears. This picture was also taken at one of my concerts. Mindy is very supportive of the adventure that God is sending me on, and I am very supportive of her adventure. We have not tried to “tame” each other. We have our bad times and our sad times and are by no means a perfect example, but in the end we both understand that we will not give up and with God’s help and God’s help alone we will transverse this awkward existence known as life.

For a few more random thoughts on the subject, I leave you with this"

“Love, love, love, is all we ever talk of, talk and talk is all we ever get done"

- Staggerford myspace.com/staggerford

“Love is a verb.”

- DC Talk

“A friend of mine spent twenty years looking for the perfect woman; unfortunately when he found her, he discovered that she was looking for the perfect man.”

- Warren Buffet

Va moozey tim yeppa mooch?

2009-06-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

It’s been one full week since I’ve been back in the United States and I still don’t know what I want to write. It’s been a busy week, so I haven’t had a whole lot of free time to just sit and decompress. The free time I did have I spent watching House M.D. I’m not a proud addict, but I am addicted…

At most I have a collection of random thoughts so I’ll put those down for lack of something better to write.

1. I’m going to be in big big trouble if I ever have a daughter. As attached as I got to a couple of the girls there in just a few short days, a daughter of my own will probably be too much to handle. Future suitors beware…

2. The orphans could really use a good financial education. They’re given about 600 Grivna a month from the Government and most of it is blown on payday. These kids don’t have a lot of out of pocket expense. Imagine what they could accomplish if they were to save half of what the Government pays them. 300 Grivna a month for the 36 months they are at the Orphanage leaves them with 10,800 Grivna, or about $1400 US at the current exchange rate. Not a lot by US standards, but not too bad for a Ukrainian orphan. (I don’t’ know what kind of investment tools they have in Ukraine, or if they are even stable, but I’ve got to believe that saving something is better than spending it on alcohol and candy.)

3. Ukrainian orphan boys could probably thrash US boys in athletic competition, and they don’t have fancy equipment or supplements to make them bigger, faster, stronger.

4. I’m definitely going to know at least a good handful of Russian by the time I go back.

5. I’m definitely going back.

6. Kiev is a really cool city, almost like if they put Chicago in the Great Smokey Mountains of North Carolina.

7. US culture is so obsessed with TV and the internet that we miss out on a lot of real life experiences.

8. I watch too much TV and spend too much time on the internet.

9. Ukrainian colds hold on for a lot longer than US colds.

10. I can’t spend too much time thinking about what the future may hold for the kids I got close too. If I was able, I would have taken a couple kids home to live with me, or even stayed to look after them, but I can’t (not yet anyway). So here I am, sitting comfortably in the US and feeling very helpless for their situation. This is when I have to realize, above all, that I can’t save the world. God is in control. He’s called me to this cause, and He’s called me to recruit others for this cause, but there is nothing worthwhile that I can accomplish outside of Him.

The Return Voyage

2009-06-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

Wow, I’ve been “home” for a couple days now and I’m just getting around to doing this.

First I’ll write about the trip home and then I’ll get to the “what I’ve learned” part in the next blog. I was going to try and do it all in one, but I've been so busy since I've been back, I haven't been able to get straight in my head what I want to say.

As is typical in the United States, I hit the ground running just as soon as I got off the plane. Thankfully, God provided a bit of a respite even in my travels when he allowed me and 3 other members of the Faceless team to be upgraded to First Class for the 10-hour flight home. Though I feel a little guilty that the rest of the team was stuck in coach, the added comfort of First Class was very welcomed.

After getting off the plane and through customs in New York, I had to rush to make my flight to Milwaukee. In the end, the rush was unnecessary as my flight was an hour and a half late. This in turn caused me to miss my connecting flight in Milwaukee. The airline was generous though and put me up for the night in the Wyndham Hotel. I didn’t sleep that well, but that was partially due to jet lag. I woke up at 5 am the next morning, had some Duncan Donuts and coffee and jumped on my flight to Minneapolis. In Minneapolis, my beautiful wife surprised me by picking me up, which made the day great. We had lunch at the Macaroni Grill and then spent the afternoon wandering through Ikea and the Mall of America (which was shocking to the senses after having been in Ukraine living with orphans the day before). The next day I woke up to run over the set with Bright Light and then the Pilot for Kite set, and then it was off to play Water’s Edge in Albert Lea.

This morning I woke up at 7:00 to see Mindy off. I spent morning drinking coffee and learning Russian. I’m going to be prepared for the next trip. Despite the coffee and non-drowsy cold medicine I took, I fell back asleep at 11 for another two hours. I’m really hoping my body becomes acclimated to the central time zone soon. Tonight we head to Wisconsin for another show. Then it's off to Illinois for a week long camp.

I'm really looking forward to getting back to Omaha and seeing my dog Henry and spending some more time with my wife and friends, but for now I've just got to keep pressing on. If Ukraine taught me anything, it's that time can fly by faster now that it ever has in the past.

A few more pics

2009-05-31T12:03:00.000-07:00

Let's see how it goes this time.

Posters on the side of a building. They're all over the place.

Ukrainian kitties like me.

So do Ukrainian kiddies.

Alyona on the left and Vika on the right right after they painted my fingernails bright red. Hopefully not the future faces of human trafficking.

Picture Update

2009-05-31T06:04:00.000-07:00

Today has been an excellent day. We haven't done a whole lot of work today because of a few set backs, but we've had a lot of time to hang out together which has been nice. I've been taking a couple photos so I figure they'll be able to tell some of the story best.

It snowed the other day. Actually it didn't, this is just the cotton from the cottonwoods. During the day, it's constantly floating through the air. It's very pretty actually.

This is what the hallway looked like and below is what it's shaping up to be. The school picked the color and loved it but I think I liked it the way it was before.

I'm having some issues uploading pictures so I'll try to do some more a little later. This is just the teaser ;)

тому що ми не можемо забути

2009-05-29T15:21:00.000-07:00

I find it uplifting that days which feel the most ineffectual can often be redeemed by a few short hours of extreme purpose. Last night, several members of the Faceless team had a great opportunity to get to bed early, yet chose to abandon it for talk of future hopes and dreams. Not dreams of fame and fortune but of a coming movement.

As so many people warned me, I was shocked by what I saw when I first arrived at this orphanage. I had mentally prepared in the weeks leading up to this trip for the worst possible scenario. I pictured sad and hungry children, wearing tattered clothes and sole-less shoes. Visions of Oliver Twist asking “please sir may I have another” tormented me in my sleep, but even my darkest expectations could not come close to reality.

Strangely though, the atmosphere was not worse than my imagination, but far better. Despite the mullet being the haircut of choice, the orphans are dressed far more stylishly than ever was when I was their age, and we’ve eaten 4 healthy meals a day since we arrived. Most of the kids are constantly smiling and joking and laughing and the orphanage they call home isn’t half bad.

Today, as I was updating my Facebook status, Alyona, a 16 year old Ukrainian girl, who earlier in the morning had stolen one of the work gloves off my hand, barked at me in Ukrainian to get out of my chair. As soon as I stood, she confiscated the chair and a computer and gave me the universal symbol for “talk to the hand.” This is our relationship and it started when I made smores for her and her friend Vika at the campfire.

It’s not hard to imagine these girls living a life in the United States. If you put them in a line up with American girls of the same age, you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. What is hard to imagine is that statistically, Alyona and Vika are more likely to be sold into sex slavery than to have a career or get married.

Of the kids we’ve gotten to know while we’ve been here, let’s say 10 girls and 10 boys, the statistics say that 2 will commit suicide before the age of 18, 6 of the girls will be forced into prostitution and 7 of the boys will enter into a life of crime. Though it doesn’t show on their face, Alyona, Vika, Oksana, Shasha 1, Sasha 2, Mischa, Olya and Sergei hold little hope for a bright future, and a vast majority of the United States is unaware that this tragedy exists. My hope is that when they become informed, they choose to act instead of changing the channel, closing the magazine, or clicking to another web page. The convenience of distraction is one of evil’s closest allies.

Earlier today, a couple of the guys and I made the 10 minute trek into town in search of a moneychanger and something cold to drink. On the way we ran into 2 of our orphan friends. The kids look forward to days like this because it is when they receive their monthly allowance from the government. The allowance adds up to 600 grivna or about 80 US dollars. It’s the only money they receive and it is usually blown on frivolous items that most teens are prone to buying. Mischa, one of the teens who met us on the street, had other plans for at least part of his money. As he approached us, he handed Danny a red tin box. Danny opened it to find a detailed collector’s knife, a gift from Mischa. Stunned, we walked with the boys into town. When we got to the moneychanger, Mischa motioned to us that we didn’t need to change in our money, that he had some that we could use if we needed. Stunned again. After finding nothing in the stores we started to walk back to the orphanage. After passing a group of merchants on the street we stopped to wait up for Mischa who was trailing behind. As we turned, we saw him putting money into the cup of an old beggar woman whom my friends and I had walked by without noticing. As if this wasn’t enough, when we got back, he had bought a chocolate bar for all of us to share.

It astounds me that a teen that has been dealt such a hard deck in life can be so generous. It makes me want to fight for him that much harder. These are not worthless degenerates that can serve no better purpose in life. These are loving, caring human beings with loads of potential that weren’t fortunate enough to win the ovarian lottery and wind up born in the U.S.A.

We’ve been blessed as a country and it is our turn to bless others. You have been informed. The question is what will you do about it? Will you choose to be a part of a movement that won’t carry your name or your personal achievements, but that will change the course of history? Are you ready to step out of your comfort zone and catch a glimpse of what the world we live in is really like? Are you willing to inform yourself and others about the tragedy that exists no further than an ride away from your own front lawn? Or will you switch on Conan and forget about it?

The choice is yours.

Very Superstitious

2009-05-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

It’s been a pretty slow day today, at least for me. I got to feeling pretty terrible last night around 9 and tried to go to sleep early, but that didn’t happen. Luckily, despite the lack of sleep, I woke up this morning feeling a little better than I did last night. I’m starting to think that I actually picked this up from our hotel room in New York. Danny and Stephen are both sick and we all stayed in the same room. We started working on wallpaper right away and finished the first room. It’s looking pretty good, and the team is already starting to paint.

Despite feeling bad, the last couple days have been really good. The kids here have really started warming up to us and the language barrier isn’t nearly as extreme as I thought it was originally. I still want to learn the language, but we’re having a great time even without it. Even some of the girls have been warming up. I was afraid I was just a big scary American to them but we’ve been joking and teasing each other today so I’m not so afraid of that anymore.

We had an interesting lesson on Ukraine the other night. Ukrainians are a very superstitious people. First of all, I found out that whistling is a bad thing. The superstition says that if you whistle you will lose all your money. Besides that I found out that when a baby is born, it is believed the child will be jinxed if their parents talk nice to it. So for the first few weeks of its life, they say things like “Stupid baby,” “ugly baby.” They use a nice baby tone to say it in though. There are also some pretty crazy superstitions for women as well. If women sit at the corner of the table, they will never get married and if they sit on the ground, their ovaries will freeze and they’ll never have children. Black cats and ladders apply the same as they do in the U.S. but mirrors have a bigger role here. Here you can’t put a mirror facing the door. If you do, when you bring money into the house, the mirror will push it back out. And when someone dies, they put covers over all the mirrors and reflective surfaces because if they don’t, their spirit will get caught in the mirror.

I love learning about different cultures. I wonder what the roots of these superstitions are. I may have to do some research when I get home.

Ron, losing the battle to sleep... so much for that Facebook Status.

Lori showing Micha some pictures behind the Mac army. The kids are surprisingly technologically savvy. I guess it's a generational thing.

Sasha

2009-05-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

This is my new friend Sasha. He's smooooov with the ladies, but I can kick his butt in wrestlin. He calls me "Datzel." I guess that's a famous person here in Ukraine that has the same hair as me, or lack there of. Now he's famous cause he's on the internet.

Wallpaper and Advil

2009-05-27T08:03:00.000-07:00

Day 3

I woke up this morning with a bit of a cold I think. It may just be allergies. The building we are staying in is fairly old and I’m pretty sure there is mold and there is definitely dust. I can’t complain though. Some coffee and a few Advil made me feel almost as good as new.

I got to thinking as I was getting around this morning. I really wish I knew the language here so that I could communicate more effectively with the kids. When I speak, it sounds as much gibberish to them as their speech sounds to me. If I could just speak to them I’d be able to maybe reach these kids even more. Then I got to thinking about the way I am at home. I speak the same language as most of the population yet I go out of my way many times to not talk to people. I may have to reconsider my methods when I get back home.

We began putting up wallpaper in the room today and it’s starting to look good. The paper we’re using is mostly for texture and will be painted over. We have a human trafficking seminar this afternoon that we will attend with the kids. I don’t know yet how much they know about it. Considering the statistics, I’m guessing they don’t know that much.

I was speaking with Suzanna, another German worker with YWAM, the other day and she was saying that they are in the process of building another home for these kids for after they graduate. One of the biggest issues these kids face is that they may have trade skills, but they don’t have many life skills. They wouldn’t know how to get an apartment or pay bills or cook for themselves. Once they’re out of the orphanage, they’re on their own, and they’re not developed enough to be on their own. This house would be big enough for 12 kids and 2 sets of house parents to teach these kids the things they haven’t learned yet and give them a fair shot at life.

They still need a lot of funding, approximately $160,000. I don’t know yet where donations can be sent, but I’m going to find out.

Once again, be praying for all of us. There are several people who are feeling under the weather, and the aches and pains of doing construction work is starting to set in.

Marshmallows and Soccer

2009-05-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Day 2 - 11:56 pm

Today ended up being a really good day. We finished up our work around 3pm and changed clothes to go play soccer with the guys and totally got schooled. These kids were good. I did score one goal though, which is pretty impressive considering I’m terrible.

After soccer we lit a campfire and roasted marshmallows with the kids and made smores. It was the first time I felt I made a connection with some of them, but considering it’s only early on, I think we’ll be getting along pretty well.

The highlight of the day was sitting in our bedroom and telling stories with the guys. I laughed so hard.

The low light of the day, and probably the most difficult obstacle to overcome is that you can’t flush the toilet paper down the stool. You can do the math on that.

www.facelessinternational.com

2009-05-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

Several of the people I'm traveling with are also blogging. If you are interested in reading their blogs and getting their point of view, you can follow them as well at www.facelessinternational.com

Day 2 - Part 1?

2009-05-26T06:20:00.001-07:00

Day 2 – 5/25/09 – 7:00 am Ukraine time (11 pm Central US time)

I slept in my clothes last night because I was too tired to change out of them. Thanks to Soviet construction, we couldn’t find the light switch to turn out the lights in our room. I know it’s downstairs somewhere, but we’ll have to figure out that mystery today. Despite the lights being on, I slept like a rock and woke up refreshed and needing to go to the bathroom. One look out the window, told me my timing had not adjusted yet. It was pitch black outside and the clock read 2:30 am. Luckily with a trip to the bathroom and some will power I was able to fall fast asleep again and awake with kids playing soccer outside and the sun shining brightly into our room at 5:30 am.

Getting around in the morning is a little interesting as there is only one public bathroom on our floor to share between about 20 of us. Luckily there are stalls and toilet seats. This is thanks to the team that was here before us. It would have just been porcelain toilets and nothing else if it weren’t for them. I think I’ll make it a point to wake up nice and early the rest of the trip so that I don’t have to worry about being in anyone’s way.

Breakfast will be served in about 30 minutes and I’m praying there will be coffee. Though I spent time in the coffee shop yesterday, there wasn’t any coffee made. The only coffee I’ve had to drink is the small cup of surprisingly phenomenal coffee on the airplane yesterday morning. European airlines definitely do it better than US ones. The food was even really descent.

Afternoon Update

Breakfast was great this morning. It consisted of buttered noodles, a fried egg and a pickle. They also have a 3 in 1 instant coffee that's really good. 3 in 1 as in coffee, cream and sugar. It took me by surprise though. I was expecting plain black black coffee.

We worked our butts off this morning. We're re doing 2 rooms and a hallway in the orphanage. I spent the morning wetting down and scraping the ceiling, removing the water soluble paint so that we can repaint the ceiling. Tonight we're having a basketball tournament and a marshmallow roast. It should be a lot of fun!!!

Ukraine Day 1

2009-05-26T06:13:00.000-07:00

Day 1 – 5/24/09

We arrived in Kiev around 10:30 am, 8 hours ahead of the time at my house in Nebraska. The trip was fairly comfortable and not nearly as long as I expected it to be. I have no idea why I thought I would need a battery pack to extend the life of my ipod. The group spent a good portion of the time talking, and we tried to spend another good portion asleep. That wasn’t always successful. One of the strangest things to me was seeing the sun set, and then rise again only a few hours later.

As soon as we landed and made it through customs, we hit the ground running. There was a bus waiting at the airport to take us to the YWAM base, which was a boat on the river. We met some of the folks who would be with us and learned a little bit about what we were doing and about the kids we were helping. The statistics that stuck out in my mind the most was that 10% of the students from the orphanage will commit suicide before the age of 18. 60% of the girls who graduate from this orphanage will be victims of human trafficking and 70% of boys will enter a life of crime. Graduation is in a month.

After training we jumped back on the bus and drove to the actual orphanage. Though we were all told the best way to beat jet lag was not to sleep, most of us couldn’t help ourselves and slept the rest of the trip in the bus. Soon we were at the orphanage and loaded into our rooms. The beds are small, about ¾ the size of a twin bed, maybe smaller, but are comfortable enough to sleep well in. Though we were all tired, it was not yet time to sleep.

We met several kids right away, and Stephen McGee, a photojournalist traveling with us who has an amazing gift of getting to know just about anyone in 5 seconds flat, took to playing soccer with the kids while the rest of us toured the facility. In the coffee shop (the size of a large bedroom with a bar and a coffee machine and some tables) I met a boy, I’m guessing around 16 or 17 years old, taking music lessons and who asked if any of us played guitar. I told him I did and he asked me to teach him. I told him through a translator that I would try after his music lesson was done.

After the tour we went back to our rooms to relax a little, but it wasn’t long lived. Helmut, a German carpenter that is working with us, was already building a platform that was to be used to paint the ceiling in one of the rooms. It was more than a one-man job so I took to swinging a hammer. We finished in about 30 minutes and the boy who I was going to give guitar lessons too was already at the door so I grabbed the guitar and we went back to the coffee shop. Trying to teach someone guitar is difficult in the first place. Trying to teach someone who spoke no English was even more so, but he was motivated and quickly learned the G, C and D chords.

Quickly it was time for dinner so we headed down to the cafeteria and ate our first Ukrainian meal at the orphanage. It consisted of half a tomato, some sort of rice, bread, hot tea and a type of pastry that was round and had sour cream on top. The orphans ate their meal in less than 5 minutes and were out the door. It took us a little longer, and as soon as I was done, the boy was ready to play more guitar. We worked at it a little more in the coffee shop and then he wanted to move outside so that everyone else could here. We sat on the steps of the orphanage and drew in a few more of the boys who wanted to hear “System of a Down,” “50 Cent” and “Eminem.” Unfortunately I didn’t know any of this music so I played them some Pilot for Kite stuff and they seemed to like it. One of the leaders, and older woman here at the orphanage, brought out a blanket and ushered us to a bench area by an outdoor ping pong table where kids were playing. This caused several more kids to it and listen as I quickly ran out of songs to play. Luckily Danny, the singer for a band called National Product, came down and took over the performance.

You get many different reactions from the kids. Most of the girls look at you as if they’re trying to figure you out and are highly suspicious. The leaders say the girls are the hardest to get to know. Ukrainian girls are very girly, even more so than American girls. They rarely play sports or lift heavy objects, so when American girls are here to help and are playing sports and lifting 2x4s the boys are very intrigued.

The boys are easier to get to know aside from being normal teenage boys. Though you don’t speak their language, you understand that some of them are making fun of you, but it really isn’t that bothersome when you can’t understand them. The leaders said this was normal and that pretty soon they’ll be your friend and won’t want to leave your side.

As of right now, Ukraine is not what I expected. Though there are definitely differences from the US, there have been many times I’ve caught myself feeling as if I were just in Lincoln or some other town in the US. Visually, it’s much the same. There are buildings, green trees and cars that have the steering wheels on the same side as they are in the US. The people, though usually very much Russian looking, are just everyday people like you and me. Until they speak, it feels like any other town in the US. This may be due to the fact we are isolated at bit at the orphanage. I’m sure we’ll be making some trips into town in the near future, and that should usher in a bit more of a culture shock.

Ukraine

2009-05-24T10:50:00.001-07:00

I fly out for Ukraine today and if there is internet access, I'll be blogging from there. I met the team last night and they are some awesome folks. We ate Pizza underneath the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. It was amazing. Pray for me!!!

Tour Update

2009-03-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted a blog. It's been super busy the last couple weeks, but it's been pretty good for the most part.

So far the tour has gone ok. We've had a lot of things happen to us that have made it difficult but we're still out here and loving what we do. I can't imagine myself any other place right now (except for maybe in bed, I've somehow picked up a nasty cold that's making things a little miserable).

I can't complain though. We played a show in Holdrege last night. It was a lot of fun and I met some really cool people. I look forward to going back. Tonight is an acoustic show and since I'm not feeling the greatest I think I'm just going to stay in and sleep it off. I need to kick this thing before tomorrow because the next 10 days are going to be killer. 10 shows in 10 days, and I play in 2 bands, so that's 20 shows in 10 days for me. Not something I want to do with a cold.

I'm still busy trying to raise money for my mission trip. I've designed a t-shirt and poster that are for sale at my website www.transparentclothingco.com Check it out and tell your friends. I'm coming down to the wire on this!!!

Anyway, I'll write again when I'm feeling better and have more to say.

Until then...

God sends answers in the mail...

2009-02-21T20:55:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a crazy week. The next tour starts in 2 weeks so we've been practicing a lot and I'm learning a lot of new music. My fingers hurt but that's not a complaint. It's a sign of a dream come true!

There's quite a bit outside of music that is keeping me busy as well, but it's all good, I'm just exhausted.

There was one particularly notable event of the last week. I'll preface a bit first.

For the last year or so, I've been feeling called to go on a missions trip. I never had the opportunity to do so in high school and feel it's something important I need to do. I originally was looking at going to Mali, West Africa in January with my worship team from church but that trip was postponed. Then I was browsing around facelessinternational.com and noticed a trip to Ukraine taking place in May. I would be working at an orphanage that helps victims of human trafficking which is something I speak about for World Vision during shows.

At first I dismissed the idea because the trip was only a couple months away and I needed to raise a lot of money, but the idea stuck in the back of my mind. I talked it over with Mindy and we had been praying about it for a while. We mentioned it to a few people, but were kinda keeping it on the down low.

On Friday I got a unanimous letter in the mail with a check made out to me for "God's Work."

I'll still have to raise quite a bit of money, but that pretty much sealed the deal. I'm mailing the application on Monday, support letters shortly after that, and if all goes right I'll be headed out of the country in a couple months.

Shooting Stars

2009-02-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

I was listening to my ipod while driving the other morning, and right about sunrise, as the black sky dotted with stars was slowly dissolving into the pinkish purple horizon, a song came on that nearly brought me to tears. Not what I expected from a gutter punk band out of Minnesota.

After listening to it about 10 times in a row, I felt that I should share. It seems to fit in with something that has been weighing on me pretty heavily for quite some time now. Here are the lyrics.

Jesus who are you talking to
I don’t wanna get involved
I know it might be my duty
But I don’t feel called
I know everyone’s beautiful
And I try to understand
But I wish you’d stop bothering me
And hold someone else’s hand

Do you know who they are in my eyes?
Can you see the shooting stars in my skies?

Jesus who are you talking to
Do you know who she is?
Oh, of course we love them
But this is not how we live
I can try to be sorry
If you tell me that I’m wrong
Oh, of course I believe you
When no one else is around

Do you know who they are in my eyes?
Can you see the shooting stars in my skies?
Do you know who they are in my eyes?
Can you see the shooting stars in my skies?

Originally I thought the “shooting stars” line was just a lame rhyme for the first line of the chorus. Around the 3rd listen though, as the last of the stars where disappearing from sight and the sun was in view, I found myself thinking back to the last time I was lucky enough to see a shooting star and the exhilaration of catching such a moment.

How much more beautiful are even the most unlovable people to God, and if this is the case, how important should they be to me?

I apologize for the sappiness, but it put things in perspective for me.

Lone Star State of Mind

2009-01-17T11:17:00.000-08:00

Well the band is in Arlington, TX this weekend and it's great. We went from -10 in Nebraska to about 50 or 60 here in Arlington. It's grrrreat.

They have a cool piece of art hanging on the wall of the church here in Arlington. I thought it was worth posting.

Same old New Year

2009-01-13T21:55:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. I haven’t had much I wanted to write about lately so I figured I’d spend the time reading to generate some new ideas. It worked!

A New Year has dawned since I last posted an entry and I have made a few resolutions. Nothing too extreme this year, I want to eat better, get in shape, save a good deal of money, and I want to read just as many books in 2009 as I did in 2008, you know, the usual.

To get a jump start on the reading resolution, I’ve already come close to finishing my first book of the year, “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu. My brother gave it to me for Christmas and I’m really enjoying it. Beyond inspiring this post, the book has stirred me to explore a fascination I’ve had since I was a little kid; inventing a board game. I’ll write more on that later, but for now, here is something I found interesting.

In a section about how to weaken the enemy, the following was written:

“Entice away the enemy’s best and wisest men, so that he may be left without counselors. Introduce traitors into his country, that the government policy may be rendered futile. Foment intrigue and deceit, and thus sow dissension between the ruler and his ministers. By means of every artful contrivance, cause deterioration amongst his men and waste of his treasure. Corrupt his morals by insidious gifts leading him into excess. Disturb and unsettle his mind by presenting him with lovely women.” – Chang Yu – excerpt from “The Art of War”

When I read this passage, all I could think about was the United States, and how it seems increasingly obvious that Satan is setting us up for defeat using these tactics.

Most notably:

“Entice away the enemy’s best and wisest men, so that he may be left without counselors.”

Bernard Madoff and Kenneth Lay are the first that come to mind. There are plenty more, but you already get the point.

“By means of every artful contrivance, cause deterioration amongst his men and waste of his treasure.”

Noting the enormous number of dead-beat dads, it’s easy to see our manhood has been deteriorated, and considering the current recession, I would venture to say we have not been very wise with our treasure.

“Corrupt his morals by insidious gifts leading him into excess.”

“Excess”- more than or above what is necessary, usual, or specified. - That doesn’t describe the United States at all now does it?

“Disturb and unsettle his mind by presenting him with lovely women.”

The Sexual Revolution of the 60s and 70s, though often praised, is easily to blame for the spread of AIDS throughout the world, millions of abortions, and the aforementioned slew of dead beat dads and single welfare mothers.

Hot buttons I know, but you'll get over it.

6 Word Memoir

2008-11-04T07:32:00.001-08:00

I read about this on a blog that I like to read. modesty.blogspot.com

The idea is to sum up your life in 6 words. It took me a LOT of thought, but this is what I came up with.

Insatiable dreamer discontent with contentment. Alas.

Now that I've actually put it in words, I'm realizing it's pretty spot on. It's the story of my life.

I'm going to vote today. I'm ready for this election to be over with.

I've also finally chosen a title for the book I've been writing (that I'm nowhere near done with). It will be called "Driscoll."

PS

2008-11-02T22:41:00.001-08:00

Today was also one of my favorite days of the year. Daylight savings time, fall edition. I LOVE the extra hour.

I finished another book. You should read it.

"A Crime so Monstrous" by Ben Skinner. Heartbreaking to say the least, life changing if you let it sink in.

I also ran into the band "Lydia" at a gas station in Hershey, Nebraska today. I talked with their guitarist a bit. He talked to me like I was a fan boy but that's alright. I probably would have done the same if someone struck up a conversation with me at a gas station by asking what band I'm in..

A Good Weekend

2008-11-02T22:10:00.000-08:00

The guitar I've always wanted and now I have it. I rule.

A 1980 Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst. Let's just say someone made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Now I'm faced with a tough decision. Do I sell my absolute favorite high dollar Larrivee acoustic guitar that I don't play that often to pay for it, or do I unload 3 of my other guitars I play a lot but that are just so-so? It's a tough call. If I sell the 3, that leaves me with only 1 stage guitar. If I sell the Larrivee I'm selling a part of my soul....

Beyond that, I spent the weekend in Colorado and realized that I really want to live there someday. It's just a different world than Nebraska. I love the mountains and I love the way of life. There seems to be a lot more activity everywhere you look. Everyone is riding bikes and there are trails everywhere, and most people even like dogs. Mindy and I sat outside at Starbucks with Henry and didn't feel like a nuisance for once. In fact, there were at least 3 other dogs there the whole time. I've been to Colorado many times before, but it took this weekend to finally make me realize that I truly want to end up there someday.

This weekend also solidified that another one of my favorite places to be is Goodwill. Mindy and I stopped at one on a whim and after another failed attempt to find me some cowboy boots, I retreated to my favorite section of the store. The books. 99 cents for paperback, $1.99 for hard cover. I had a pretty amazing find to tell you the truth. I found what I believe is a First Edition Hardcover Copy of "You Shall Know Our Velocity" and it's actually signed by Dave Eggers, the author. I was pretty excited.

Books and Human Trafficking

2008-10-13T13:55:00.001-07:00

Well I finally finished the Narnia books which put me at my goal of reading 15 books for the year. Since then I've had a pretty veracious appetite for other reading and have finished 3 other books.

Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist - Roger Lowenstein
A biography on the life of Warren Buffet up until about 1995.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosaki
Good book on personal finances.

The Tao of Warren Buffett - Mary Buffett and David Clark
Lots of Warren Buffett quotes. Very insightful.

I'm working on finishing another book in the Rich Dad series called "Loopholes of the Rich," it's about how the rich legally work the system to pay less taxes. Tomorrow, I'm going to be checking out a book called "The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life." I've been on a Buffet kick as of late. I figure there might be a lot I could learn from one of the richest men in the world, though I think "The Snowball" is the last book on him I'll be reading for a while. I'm also going to be picking up a couple books on the topic of human trafficking. This is a subject I'm very passionate about. If you have a chance, you should check out the following website to gain a little perspective.

www.callandresponse.com

The Future?

2008-10-02T07:06:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting article I read today. Can't say I agree with it 100%, but it does seem to highlight some of the fears I have about the future.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Dear America:

Happy 300th Birthday!

It's 2076 and we've just invented the time-fax machine. (Actually, "we" didn't invent the time-fax machine, the State did -- they pretty much control everything now.)

I'm faxing this back to you in 2008 because that seems to be the year we had the best chance to reverse our course and get back to the vision laid out by our founding fathers -- a vision that didn't include the government being in the insurance business.

I don't have a lot of time (the State only gives us one 30-minute break per day) so let me give you some advice: Stop worrying so much about who runs the country and start worrying about who runs your towns, your states, and your Congress.

I know you're all distracted by the presidential election, but for all the money and time poured into it, the truth is that you're choosing between two roads that will lead you to the same destination. Sure, one may be the Autobahn and the other a two-lane highway, but you'll end up at the same place either way.

Decades of Republicans and Democrats alike have all chipped in to lead you to where you are today. Believing that one person, from either party, can change that by themselves is a big mistake.

Presidents are like captains of a large ship: They can map out a course and shout out orders, but without the trust and hard work of the people who actually move the rudders, their commands mean nothing.

In retrospect, the lack of trust and confidence you now have in your leaders was really the root cause of everything that's happened since. While our founding fathers designed a brilliant system of checks and balances, separation of powers and democratic elections, trust was the one thing they couldn't mandate in the Constitution.

Unfortunately, it's also the foundation upon which everything else is built and once it began to erode, our whole house inevitably began to crumble.

Looking back now, it's pretty obvious that our trust in government declined at about the same rate as our partisanship increased. People became so concerned about getting their party into power at any cost that the truth didn't even seem to matter anymore.

That's probably one of the reasons why George Washington hated the idea of political parties so much. Here's what he said about them in his 1796 farewell speech:

"The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty."

I know that George had a habit for using big words, so allow me to translate into 2008 English: Political parties that put their own success over that of the country's will be the death of America.

If you don't believe him yet, just wait a few more years...you're about to see firsthand how right he was. After all, if power corrupts, then the kind of absolute power gained by political parties (and feared by Washington) corrupts absolutely.

The best advice I can give you is to stop thinking in terms of left and right and start thinking in terms of right and wrong. Demand the best leaders possible, and then demand the best out of them.

Believe me, when you see what's coming your way, you'll realize how little the donkey and the elephant really ever mattered. Oh and while we're on politics, one quick thing that I'm sure you're curious about: Yes, Robert Byrd is still in the Senate. He's 159, but doesn't look a day over 91.

Now, let's talk about the economy. Let me see if I have this right: Money and power made people greedy, so you decided to hand over a bunch of money and power to greedy politicians instead. Smart! After using that money to nationalize a bunch of banks, mortgage companies and insurance companies, they moved on to bigger things.

The airlines came first -- we just couldn't live without them. Then it was the automakers (Detroit would've died), health care (they said they could manage it better), and eventually, the oil companies (I'm not sure where all of those "windfall profits" have gone).

The idea behind it all (an idea that was eventually turned into law with the passage of the Securities Exchange Act of 2011) was to "socialize losses" by spreading them out among all taxpayers. The pain, our leaders argued, would be minimal that way.

They were right. At least until the bills came due. See, we didn't actually have any of the money we were promising everyone; we were borrowing it.

It didn't take long before so many of our tax dollars were going toward interest payments that we couldn't fund even the most basic of government programs without massive tax increases on everyone. People now work most of the year just to pay Uncle Sam (or, as we now call him, "Comrade Sam").

I hear the State censors coming, so let me leave you with a few other quick things:

• Good call on not worrying about protecting our borders. That works out really well for you in 2019.

• You might want to spend a little less time worrying about carbon and a little more time worrying about Iran. We're now in a new mini-Ice Age but, believe me, Iran isn't using their nukes to warm any homes. (PS The International Atomic Energy Agency just revealed to you that Iran appears to be refitting their long-range missiles to carry nuclear payloads. Did you think they were joking or were you just too busy with lipsticks and pigs to notice?)

• The currency of the future is energy. Those who have it are thriving and those who don't -- well, let's just leave it at that. Drill for all the oil you can, but you also better start seriously looking for some other options.

In closing, remember this golden rule and you should be fine: Your Constitution will never fail you, but your leaders will. Be wary of anyone who tries to convince you that it's the other way around.

Best wishes (you're going to need them),

Worker 2744A

PS It's not all socialist doom and gloom here in the future. We just thawed Ted Williams' cryogenically frozen body and he hit 87 home runs for the North Team!

14 down, one more to go...

2008-09-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

That last 2 months or so I've taken a break from reading. The first tour, starting in June, was pretty good for reading. I would wake up in the morning, play the first set, and then read in the shade for an hour or 2. The Locked and Loaded tour on the other hand was not good for reading. When we were in the van, there were 12 of us in the van, and when we weren't in the van we were either setting up or listening to loud bands all day long.

The break has done me well though, and since I've been home, I've finished up 2 more of the Narnia books. That puts me at 14 books for the year and I'll be finishing "The Last Battle" hopefully this week which will put me at my goal of 15 books. This doesn't mean I'm going to stop for the year.

Next year the goal will be 24 books. 2 a month. I'm confident I can accomplish this.

One thing I have noticed while reading the Narnia books though, is that CS Lewis has an amazing way of detailing food. So much so that I often times put down the to make a huge meal for myself. This morning after reading only a chapter of "The Silver Chair" I found myself making and then eating a breakfast of pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, coffee, orange juice and milk. It really was amazing.

Just to give you a taste, I'm going to type out one small passage from "The Silver Chair" where it is explained how a Centuar eats breakfast.

"Why Son of Adam, don't you understand? A Centaur has a man-stomach and a horse-stomach. And of course both want breakfast. So first of all he has porridge and pavanders and kidneys and bacon and omelette and cold ham and toast and marmalade and coffee and a beer. And after the he attends to the horse part of himself by grazing for an hour or so and finishing up with a hot mash, some oats, and a bag of sugar. That's why it's such a serious thing to ask a Centaur to stay for the weekend. A very serious thing indeed." CS Lewis "The Silver Chair"

I don't know about you, but even reading about the horse breakfast makes me hungry, and I'm already full.

I would guess that Mr. Lewis had quite an appetite back in the day as there are descriptions like this all throughout the book.

Day of the Squirrels...

2008-08-31T13:43:00.001-07:00

Ever since I was in 6th grade and we went to my friends house in small town Nebraska to play with their pet squirrel, I've wanted one for myself. Even before that, some of my earliest memories were of my grandpa taming black squirrels in his back yard so that they would take walnuts from his hand.

Yesterday I was given the opportunity to tell a squirrel story of my own.

It started simple enough, I was letting the dogs out, and like normal I was sitting and watching them from a concrete step in my backyard. I wasn't paying much attention until I noticed they were both looking intently at something on the tree, and that something, just out of the reach of their nose was a baby squirrel. I really wanted to capture the moment so I grabbed my camera phone and tried to snap a picture. The dogs were to excited so nothing came out, but I decided to take a closer look anyway. Upon further investigation I noticed that the poor baby had a bloody nose and was very wobbly on the side of the tree. As soon as I noticed this he stumbled forward into the reach of the dogs, and Ringo, my puppy, had the squirrel in his mouth on a second. I yelled "Drop it" as loud as I could and rushed over to stop him. He dropped it on command but went after it again. I grabbed his collar and pulled him off and the squirrel made its way up the tree again, half in a daze. Just to make sure the baby was ok I stuck my head up the tree and gave a look. He was huddled at the fork of two branches and looked kinda beat up. Since I'm stupidly fearless around animals, I slowly lifted my hand up near the little guy, and to my surprise he climbed right in my hand. I slowly lowered the both of us out of the tree and had Mindy put the dog away.

Since I wasn't sure how hurt he was, I decided I should keep an eye on him, so I brought out my 25 gallon aquarium and put him in with a little dish of water and some almonds. He wasn't interested at first so I decided to leave him alone for a bit. I went upstairs and had dinner and came back down a little later. He still hadn't touched anything so I decided there wasn't anything else I could do but let him go. I tipped the aquarium and he crawled out, but instead of scampering away, he started hopping towards me. I took a step back and he hopped towards me again. Another step back, another hop towards me. Finally I sat down on the ground to see how it all played out, and Mr. Squirrel decided to climb in my lap. I cradled him there for a little while and took some pictures with him. Finally, since he seemed to be feeling better, I decided it was time to set him free. I picked him up and started heading over to the tree again but as I did, another baby squirrel came crawling across the neighbor's yard to the same tree I was headed to. As he climbed up he chattered at me a little bit but wasn't afraid as I came closer. Since the baby I had in my hand wasn't interested in getting on the tree again, I thought maybe his little brother would help. I held him up and they nuzzled each other. I was even able to pet the brother and the thing almost fell asleep on the side of the tree. Finally after knowing I was getting too attached, I set the baby on the tree and he started to climb again. They nuzzled each other again and I considered my work to be done. I walked away and went back into the house.

10 minutes later I decided to check on them again, this time from my deck. When I walked out, one of the little guys was clear up above my eye level, but when he saw me, he started down the tree again. When he got to the bottom he started squeaking really loud and then scampered towards my house. He was squeaking and squeaking and actually trying to climb the side of my house, then he decided to sit on the stoop of my basement door.

I went downstairs once again and opened the door, and there was the little brother squirrel sitting and looking at me. I gently picked him up and took him back over to the tree and let him go again. He looked at me once more and then went up the tree again.

I saw them playing later that night. When I went outside again, the brother was in the neighbor's yard again, and squeaked when he saw me, but chose not to come say hi again. I'm hoping maybe I've made some friends that will come back and visit me. If not though, at least I had the experience.

Biting it...

2008-08-13T17:18:00.001-07:00

Well I did it. I finally got a facebook account, and ya know what.? I kinda like it. I don't have to worry about trying to make my page look cool, I just log on and talk to people. It's real simple.

I also got a new phone the other day. My phone went haywire when we were in Minnesota and considering we were still a week away from being done, I really needed a new one. I went to the store and looked at several and decided on a Samsung Alias. It flips open Sideways for a keyboard to text on, and then normal like a cell phone. Well I kept it for the rest of the tour and was just un-impressed overall. If I wanted to keep more than 50 text messages in my inbox I was going to have to buy more memory. Not what I expected from a $100 phone. So when I got back to Omaha I went and browsed Nebraska Furniture Mart. The one stop shop for the best prices on anything you could ever want to buy. They had the SAME phone and after the rebate it would have actually cost me negative one penny. They would pay me a penny to take the phone. Then I played with the LG Dare and was faced with a moral dilemma. I loved the Dare but it was more than the first phone cost and I know in a matter of months the price will be cut in half, and even more. So do I get a phone for free that was ok, but unimpressive or get a phone that I really really liked, but spend money on it just to watch the price go down in December. I called Mindy up to get her opinion and she was helpful. I walked away with the Dare, and so far I love it!!! It's pretty much an iphone and it's smaller so it fits in my pocket. I would suggest it to anyone who wants an iphone, but doesn't want to switch to AT&T.

Other than that, we're headed to Dallas next weekend for the Feedback Conference. That'll be fun. Next month we'll be venturing down into Alabama and Tennessee. It should be a good time.

I'll have a few more videos to post here pretty soon.

Life on the Road

2008-07-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

If you want to know what life has been like on the road for FOA this tour, this video pretty much sums it all up.

Have I written anything lately? I can't even remember. I was in the van today and was trying to figure out what day it was. I had absolutely no point of reference. I tried for a good 5 minutes to figure it out on my own but couldn't come up with anything. Luckily my phone has been keeping track. It's Wednesday.

I'm too tired to write so I video...

2008-07-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

Day One

2008-07-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of writing. I've been so busy putting together the video that I didn't want to write about it to. The video gives a better description of where we've been anyway.

Today is the first official day of the Locked & Loaded Tour. We're here in Columbus, Ohio right now. We took off on Thursday, July 17 and drove through the night. We showed up at Pendlwood Studio B around 6 am and stayed the night. We all woke up about noon and went and had lunch with our producer CR Pendelton. After that it was work all afternoon. We had several boxes of merch and merch display stuff sent here so we spent the afternoon putting it together and getting shirts rolled and rearranging the trailer. After that it was off to a late dinner and then a mad rush to see "Batman: The Dark Knight" and it was freaking amazing. I'm going to go and see it again. Heath Ledger was awesome at the Joker and I'm especially sad over his death now because we won't get to see him do it again. There is Oscar buzz around the performance I think it's well deserved. The Joker was amazing.

Anyway, we got back from that around 2:30 and went to bed. Now the 30 people (all the members of Fate of Angels, Anacey, Divide the Sea, Alli and I, and A Life Echoed are all here) are all getting around to leave, and that's what I need to do.

I'll catch you later.

A Monumental Video Blog

2008-07-17T07:32:00.001-07:00

Part 3 of 3

2008-06-27T05:29:00.001-07:00

Part 2 of 3

2008-06-25T07:14:00.001-07:00

Part 1 of 3

2008-06-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

My favorite place in the world...

2008-06-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

Well here I am again this summer in one of my favorite places in the world; the mountains of Montana. We’re out at Camp on the Boulder this week and it’s amazing. We were here for a week last year as well and fell in love with it. This place is so remote, there’s no hope of cell phones working and the internet connection is barely a trickle. I’ll be lucky if I can up load the pictures I’ve taken. It’s made a couple other things difficult as well but I can’t complain. We’ve been playing music a couple times every day and relaxing in between. Today we’ll be hiking it up the side of the mountain as far as we can go. It should be awesome.

Saturday we leave here and drive straight on through day and the night and then part of the next day to get to North Carolina, which is probably one of my second favorite places in the world.

So far the tour has gone well. There have been a couple close calls. Luke caught a bass headstock in the nose at the show in Wisconsin, and then clothes-lined himself the other night playing capture the flag. John has had a soar throat, and we’ll all worn out, but it’s a good worn out. The kind that says you’ve actually been doing something with your day.

We’ll be posting the mastered versions of the EP songs online here in about a week. The new mixes are pretty sick. I can’t wait to get them out.

Done, Done, on to the next one...

2008-06-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

Well the first week of the tour has come and gone. Despite the fact that I've slept less and worked more in the last week then I have in a long long time, the week went by extremely fast. We left Carlinville, IL yesterday at about 2:00 in the afternoon and headed north to Wisconsin. It was supposed to be an easy 8 hour trip between destinations, but thanks to the flooding in Wisconsin, I-94 was closed and we had to take a detour, along with the other thousands of vehicles that normally use I-94. In the end, the trip took a solid 12 hours and we got to Eau Claire around 2 am. We stayed the night at the apartment of some friends from Survive the Drive and it was a bit crowded, but it was a lot better than the van. This is what the scene looked like this morning.

Tonight we play in Durand with Bensonwells. It should be a good time. After that we take off for the drive across Minnesota and North Dakota for the 13 hour drive to Billings, Montana

Drama

2008-06-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

Well it's day three here at camp and the Jr. High drama is starting to hit the fan. It seems like almost yesterday that I was there, living it out myself.

Yesterday was a sad day. A newly acquired friend of the band here at camp was asked to go home for certain reasons that will go unmentioned. If you're reading this man, I hope you're doing well and make sure to keep in touch. I apologize on behalf of all the fake bands out there and hope that you can see what really is important in this life.

The girls here at camp are being girls. Not much more can be said about that. If you've ever spent much time around Jr. High girls, you know what I'm talking about. They're great though. I can't complain.

Overall, The Zone, here in Illinois has been an awesome time, and we're only half way through. The weather has been awesome and the food is really good. It's a good thing these kids are so active or I'd put on a lot of weight, really fast.

Can't say I've slept a whole lot though. That's my own fault. We tried to hit the hot tub last night after all the kids were in their rooms. The water was clear, so that was good, unfortunately, it was more of a luke-warm tub than a hot one. We lasted about 5 minutes and called it good.

Tonight we play an actual rock concert, so that should be fun. It also means another late night, followed by another early morning. Thankfully there is coffee within arms reach almost 24/7.

Finally!!!

2008-06-09T22:11:00.000-07:00

Well I finally did it.

I'm a full time musician.

We took off last night from Lincoln, Nebraska and were packed in like sardines. Considering gas is the price it is, we chose not to pull our 10x17 trailer and instead stuff everything in the back of the van. That left us 2 bench seats , the driver seat and the passenger seat... for 5 guys. Keep in mind, that's where we had to sleep last night. The back bench seat had suitcases stuffed underneath it so there was no place to put your feet. That's where I slept, wedged between my backpack and a rolled up sleeping bag. To make it even better, Luke's cowboy boot that was wedged up above kept falling and hitting me in the head through-out the night, and the AC was/is broken. Anthony ended up sleeping on the floor of the van for most of the 9 hour trip.

Overall though, I think it was worth it. Now I'm sitting here in a hotel room in Illinois, in my own bed, with a nice cold air conditioner blowing on me. The resort area we're playing this week is pretty nice. It's definitely not a place for people who don't like kids though. There are probably 700 Jr. Highers here as well (as evidenced by the yellow hot tub water, no seriously, I didn't have my phone at the time or I would have taken a picture. YELLOW.)

We're here until Friday and are playing for a great group of kids. Friday night we take off and drive through the night up to Wisconsin for a single date show, then drive through the night again to hit a camp in Montana. I'm really looking forward to that one, It's in the middle of nowhere in the awesome Montana mountains. There won't even be cell phone coverage for a whole week.

After Montana is the killer, a 30 hour trip, across 2 times zones, to North Carolina, but once we get there we'll be spending 10 days in one of my favorite places in the country, Lake Junaluska. Once Junaluska is finished we drive to Georgia for a day, then play a couple dates in Tennessee and finally its back home (more than a month after we left).

That's only the first leg by the way, the easy leg. The second leg will be 23 dates in 23 days over a span of 10 states. Then after that will be the 3rd leg. That one's still being booked.

I've probably done more work in the last 24 hours than I did in a week at my job, and I got paid about 98% less, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. This is the dream I've been trying to accomplish for the last 5 years. Now I just need to make sure and keep it alive.

I'll keep you updated.

Josh

Happenings...

2008-06-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

This week has been an interesting one to say the least. I'm not even sure I know where to start. I'll just give you an overview.

Thursday - Leave work early, brother comes to visit, doggie wanders into our yard and we call the humane society, then we go to a comedy show.

Friday - we go to the humane society and fill out pre-adoption papers for said doggie, drive to Lincoln for practice, go to Anthony's going away party, stay the night

Saturday - drive to a small town in Kansas and play a show

Sunday - get home from show at 4:30 am and decide not to go to bed and just go right to church to play at 6:30 am.

Monday - go to work at 6:00 am, then leave work at 7:00 am feeling crappy. On a whim I go to the doctor and have him look at a bump that was growing on my arm. I walked away from the doctors that day with whatever it was cut off. They're going to run tests to find out for sure, but now I've got 3 stitches in my arm and am going to have to figure out how to get them out when I'm on the road in a week. Later that evening I become an UNCLE for the first time, as my brother in law and sister in law welcomed Alaina Gisele into the world. I am going to be the COOLEST uncle.

Tuesday - THEE BIG DAY. Tuesday was my last day of work. I left work for good at 10:00 am to pursue my life as a musician.... and it was terrifying.

Wednesday - We find out that the doggies owners came and picked it up on Saturday. It was a sad/happy occasion. I also found out that my grandma is going to have to have surgery to remove a lump from her adrenal gland. This was frankly better news than I was expecting, but still a little frightening since grandma is getting older and I'll be on the road thousands of miles from home for the next 2-3 months. Just for good measure and to mark such a momentous week, I also went out and got my nose pierced. I really thought I might die cause my nose is so sensitive, but I barely felt it. I'm not trying to say that to be tough. He slid a tester ring on my nose to test the placement and that stung like crazy. I thought there was no way I was going to make it through, but when the time came, I really barely felt it.

Notice the ghost swimmer over my shoulder. We were actually driving down the street when I snapped this picture with my phone. I have no idea where the swimmer came from or how it came to be perfectly placed next to my head. If for some reason I'm found drowned in my bathtub tomorrow or later this week you'll know that the movie "Shutter" really was true.

I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring and I'm definitely not sure what next week will bring, but I must say I feel more like me today than I've felt in a long time. I don't have to be two different people anymore. I don't have to keep 2 separate wardrobes in my closet or an ID badge in my wallet and that's an amazing feeling; one I've been waiting for for a long time. Let's just home we can sustain it.

Until next time...

PS I've been thinking about starting to post a short story of the month on this thing. I've been writing a lot more lately and I think it would be a good exercise for me. Hopefully you can be looking for that here in the next couple weeks.

More pics!

2008-05-30T13:48:00.001-07:00

New Frontiers

2008-05-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

I've decided to take a new path in life. The more I do this music thing, the harder it gets and I'm ready to move on to bigger and better things. Who really cares about guitar players anyway.

From now on, my sole purpose in life will be to become a cellular phone company mascot. You know, like the "can you hear me now" guy, or Chad, or Joan Cusack, or even something like that crazy group of guys that symbolizes Alltel's competition.

Last time I checked, AT&T was in dire need of a new icon. That globe thingy, or whatever it is, has about run its course. Sprint Nextel, I'm looking at you too. Yellow lines? Come on. At least back in the nineties you had Murphy Brown.

I have a good feeling this new career path is going to be a lot more promising than the life of a traveling musician.

Discovery

2008-05-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

I've recently discovered that I do not take enough pictures of myself.

Being in a band, I spend a lot of time on myspace making friends, and most of the people I make friends with have dozens and dozens of self portraits on their profile.

This causes me to feel inadequate.

The strangest part about this revelation is that being in a band, I've sat through at least 3 professional photo shoots in the last 12 months and already feel a bit narcissisitic.

I guess I'm going to have to step it up in order to keep pace with this generation.

Sheesh. I never knew it was so tough staying relevant.

Books books books

2008-04-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

One of my New Year’s Resolutions this year was to read at least 15 books. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but reading really helps calm me down. I’ve always described myself as having “duck on the water” syndrome. Though it may look calm on the surface, the feet below the water are constantly moving. It’s the same with my mind. I’ve been told on a couple occasions that I am a “calming force.” It’s hard for me to understand cause I don’t usually feel calm. I’m usually on edge and thinking very hard about something. That’s why I have a hard time finishing sentences, speaking loudly, or driving anywhere without making at least 2 wrong turns.

Anyway, the 15 books goal is one I actually think I might meet. So far the books I’ve read this year are…

A Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemingway
Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
The Orphaned Anythings – Stephen Christian (the singer for Anberlin. Great book and brief. New readers will be able to finish it in a couple days)
Black – Ted Dekker
Red – Ted Dekker
White – Ted Dekker
(These 3 books were actually bound into one book, the first book I’ve ever read with more than 1000 pages. I don’t usually read modern fiction, let alone modern "Christian" fiction, but this was a gift and it proved interesting. For the sake of my goal, I’m counting it as 3 books ;^)

So there you have it, 6 books in the first 4 months of the year. I’m currently reading “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee and am about 1/3rd of the way finished. I also hit a gold mine yesterday and found "The Invisible Man" by HG Wells, "Dr. Zhivago" by Boris Pasternak, "Ivanhoe" by Sir Walter Scott, and "The House of 7 Gables" by Nathanial Hawthorne at a thrift store. I spent $2.16.

For those of you who would consider me a bookworm, I would have to argue otherwise. The bulk of my reading is done about 1 to 2 hours before I go to work. The mornings, in combination with the time I spend reading in the van are the only times I read.

Not that I care about labels, but you might, and if you think reading more might earn you this title, I would suggest you can do it without anyone knowing (unless you blog about it) and you’ll be better person because of it.

My foray into vegetarianism

2008-04-26T13:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, April 25, 2008 I became a vegetarian.

Only for a month though. Are you kidding, this is PRIME grilling season. I couldn’t last any longer.

I’ve actually been thinking about doing so for quite a while. I’ve noticed myself eating less and less healthy over the past couple years and doing less and less exercise. To top it off, I don’t have near the time or motivation that I used to, so trying to fix these problems has been next to impossible.

I understand myself though and realize that the only way I’m actually going to do something difficult these days is if I build it way up and then force myself to be accountable by writing a blog about it.

Now I don’t actually think that eating meat is wrong, but I do think the US eats more than its fair share.

I found some statistics at http://www.youthxchange.net/main/b223_food-supply_meat-h.asp, and they’re a little disturbing.

Each year, the average American consumes nearly twice his/her weight in meat…

• 195 pounds (about 88.4 kg) per person of red meat + poultry + fish (boneless, trimmed-weight equivalent);

• 57 pounds per person more than in the 1950s;

Consequences on human health:

• a global epidemic of lifestyle diseases (such as heart attacks, strokes and cancers)

• increasing pressures on land and water resources (water pollution, global warming, etc.)

Consequences on the environment:

• In the United States, over 90% of all agricultural land is devoted to livestock agriculture in some form. Most water consumption goes to livestock agriculture;

• the waste generated by livestock is 130 times that produced by humans, livestock wastes are implicated in waterway pollution, toxic algal blooms and massive fishkills;

• the US uses twice the energy per capita on food production than the less developed countries use per capita for all purposes. Meat production typically uses 5, 20, or even 100 times the land, water, and energy that plant food production does.

Personally, I don’t really buy a lot of the hype these days that our environment is doomed. If you read in the history books, there have been many periods when weather conditions have been extremely harsh and unpredictable and the earth has always adjusted.

On the other hand, I do feel that we as Americans are extremely wasteful and should be much more considerate. We act like a greedy pig that devours anything and everything it gets in its path. We feel we somehow deserve it. If someone tries to take it away or tell us otherwise we complain as if there were no tomorrow. We are consumers to the utter most. We take away far more than we give back, and personally I'm doing my best to reverse this trend in myself.

Maybe this is why I’m going to be a vegetarian for a month. Maybe I just want a challenge. Maybe I want to inspire someone else to live a healthier lifestyle by proving it’s not really that difficult. Maybe it’ll just be a story to tell in the future.

Whatever the case, I’m going to be getting a lot more familiar with the plant kingdom in the next 30 days.

I’ll keep you updated.

Three Cheers..

2008-04-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

...for uninsured drivers.

I was in a car accident today.

I was driving to work and an S-10 pickup pulled out of a gas station in front of me. I had no time to react and hit the other car at probably 20-30 miles an hour. We filed a police report and the other driver was cited with failure to yield. I was not cited.

Everything seemed like it was on the up and up until I got home and called his insurance company to file a claim. The insurance policy for that vehicle was no longer valid. There is still hope that the other driver may have switched insurance companies and has a policy elsewhere, but I won't know for a while. I am hoping this is the case but am skeptical.

Though I'm annoyed at the whole ordeal, I do need to step back from the situation and take a good look at it.

If in fact the other driver is not insured, what do I really lose? I've been driving my truck for 5 years now and it has served me well. I have no outstanding debt on it, and if push comes to shove, my folks have a car I can borrow until my vehicle is either fixed or parted out. Really it boils down to an annoyance; nothing was lost that can't be recovered.

What about the other driver though, what does all this mean for him? First off, he was cited for the wreck so he'll have to pay that fee for starters. Second, if he really is uninsured, then his license will be suspended, and who knows what that means for him. Third, if he's uninsured, his vehicle, like mine, is now inoperable and he'll have to pay to have it fixed.

In this scenario, it sounds like he stands to lose more than I do.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not excusing uninsured drivers. It's illegal, it's irresponsible and they pose a serious threat. If I had been seriously injured today and didn't have good medical insurance, I could be facing a crippling amount of medical bills. (It's for reasons like this, you yourself should be responsible and have an emergency fund set up. We never know what tomorrow may bring.)

Despite all this, I can't help but at least have some compassion for the situation.

Even though it was only an old beater, I really did love the Bruiser (Blazer). In the winter, there wasn't a hill icy enough that she couldn't tackle with a little effort. Other than when I first bought her, I've never had to make a payment and though she's broken down a couple times, she's actually been a very dependable car. I'm hoping this situation turns out better than I'm expecting it too, cause I'd love to be able to get her fixed back up to live out the rest of her life.

We'll just have to see. It's not in my hands.

Parts 3,4 and 5

2008-04-02T10:13:00.000-07:00

I grow tired of this series...

The last 3 pet peeves are

3. Things that break right after you buy them (even under normal use).

Just because a pair of sunglasses only costs $15, does it really mean that it's only allowed last for little more than a week?

4. Being interuppted.

Is there a bigger sign of disrespect. I understand if it happens accidentally, but when someone blatently cuts you off, there's no excuse.

5. Repeating myself.

Yes, yes, I know. A guy complaining about repeating himself that chooses to work in a call center. Well, I didn't really "choose" it, I really don't enjoy it, and I'll be done with it as soon as I possibly can be.

There you have it. Now we can start talking about something productive.

2 of 5

2008-03-22T04:41:00.000-07:00

I really don't like being interrupted when I speak. To me, its a sign of disrespect, as if what I have to say doesn't matter. I can't remember which book I read it in, but someone said that most people aren't really listening, they're just waiting for their chance to speak. I'm starting to notice this more and more, and strangely enough, even in myself. It's funny how something can be annoying when it's done to you, but completely acceptable when you do it to someone else. I'm working on changing this habit in myself. I'm definitely better at it than I used to be, but I could still use some polishing.

Part 1 of 5

2008-03-13T12:56:00.000-07:00

Today I’m going to start a five-part series on one of my favorite topics; my pet peeves. If you know me at all you’ll realize I’m OCD in some areas and therefore have a lot of pet peeves. The five that I’m going to touch on in this series though aren’t just little annoyances; these are five of things that annoy me the most.

This will be a completely selfish series of rants, void of any compositional value, but my hope is that getting the thoughts down on paper will at least help me not hate these things so much.

I also hope you’ll be able to find some sort of humor in my insanity.

Pet Peeve #1 (Ladies, this is one you probably won’t have to deal with so be thankful.)

I HATE it when men feel that they must spit while urinating.

Guys always seem to end up side by side in the restrooms and it’s inevitable that at least 2 or 3 of them will be spitters.

What’s the point? What do you accomplish? Does it make you feel manly?

I was next to a guy the other day that spit 4 times in one standing. 4 times!!! Why on earth would a person need to spit 4 times in 60 seconds? Is there some sort of spit quota that needs to be met everyday and the bathroom is the only place it can be done? Is there some sort of salivary disease that 60% of men have contracted but to which I am somehow immune?

Maybe I just don’t understand. Honestly I don’t want to. All I know is that I’m not a violent person, but today someone came in and spit immediately and it took all my strength not to punch them in the side of the head.

In the future, if you happen to read on cnn.com that some poor schmuck in Omaha, was viciously attacked in the bathroom, you’ll know who the prime suspect is.

Death to PC!!!

2008-02-28T15:09:00.000-08:00

Hopefully this will be the last post I ever write from a PC.

I finally decided to get with the program and ordered an Apple Computer this week. This has been a move I've been looking forward to for quite some time now. I wasn't able to order the brand spanking new Macbook Pro that Apple just released, but thanks to that release, the Pro I ordered was discounted quite a bit. (I'm ok not having the latest and greatest if it saves me $600. Besides, Apple will just come out with another latest and greatest in another 6 months.)

When I talk about hating PC though, I'm not just talking about the guy with glasses or the personal computer he represents. Recently, I've come to realize how much I hate Political Correctness. Don't get me wrong, I don't think racist, sexist or other offensive speech should be tolerated, but the level to which political correctness has been taken is ridiculous. PC has gone beyond censoring what we say and is now trying to censor what we think and believe.

For example, if I were to look at the world through the PC lens, in order to be "tolerant" of my friend who is a Jehovah’s Witness, I would have to agree that both of our views is equally valid. This is impossible. For me to believe what I believe, I cannot think his beliefs are equal to mine.

If it were up to PC, I think John 6:14 would read something like this:

Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” *

* Keywords “I”, “Father”, and “me” as found in line 6 of chapter 14 in the book of John are subject to interpretation based upon individual preference and/or sentiment. Furthermore, “Jesus” as established in the aforementioned passage is the topic of elucidation and is considered interchangeable with such figures as Allah, Confucius, or Chuck Norris (any figures not mentioned are similarly viable). Moreover, it is the conclusion of the board that the statement “no one” as found in the text, is insensitive and, if inclined, one can replace the word “no” with whatever adjective one deems acceptable.

I haven’t read any other holy books, but my guess is that few are this vague.

According to PC, my friend and I shouldn’t be able to get along, but somehow we do. I’m not surprised. I respect him as a person and he feels the same about me, even though our beliefs are vastly different. I’d love it if he believed what I believe because I think I'm right, but that doesn't mean we can't coexist peacefully and even beneficially.

Maybe I'm just extra sensitive these days, but it seems that anyone with an agenda can make a little noise and force the rest of society to bend to their will. If this is the case it's time for me to to get noisy about mine.

For sake of the pun, let's replace PC with Mac; The Mutual Agreement of Consciousness.

Mac users will be conscious of the cultural, ethnic and religious differences inherent in the world, but won’t feel pressured to adopt a “universal” mindset. We won’t be afraid to hold fast to our beliefs and share them with others, but won’t expect a conversion to extend our friendship and respect.

Besides, if PC gets his way, 1984 will only be about 30 years behind schedule.

The Next Big Adventure

2008-02-20T13:07:00.000-08:00

So I'll be taking off for Columbus, Ohio this weekend to record a couple songs with the band. It should be pretty awesome. Once this trip is done I'll have officially traveled through 13 states so far in 2008. Not bad for a month and a half. I remember the days when a trip to Kansas City was a big deal and was the only time I got out of Omaha for 6 months or more. I much prefer these days to those days.

Josh

Not indie enough :*(

2008-02-14T05:16:00.000-08:00

I am not feeling very indie today. I just realized I own nothing from "To Write Love On Her Arms" or "Invisible Children."

Spacebook?

2008-01-29T14:04:00.000-08:00

Today I had some free time at work and decided to browse some of my friends myspace pages. I like doing this every so often so I know what to talk about the next time I see them in person. But instead of being greeted by all their latest news, my myspace friends served me only a sobering moment. Of the 30 or so friends whose accounts I browsed through, a good 70% haven't even logged into their myspace page for at least a month, some of them even longer. Have they all grown up and no longer feel the need to log in and update their profile? Am I a loser because I log into my account multiple times a day without fail to check for messages or comments? Or maybe it's something altogether different. Maybe they've simply migrated to the newer, trendier Facebook.

Recently, several of my friends have been hounding me to get a Facebook account, but even after I spent all last week on my couch, sick, with nothing to do, I couldn't bring myself to do it. As it is, I consistently log into 4 separate social networking accounts on a regular basis. My personal myspace page, the band's myspace page, the band's private myspace fan page, and the old band myspace page (Nobody seems capable of reading the notes I plastered on every inch of the page stating that the band's name has changed and "The Livingstons" no longer exist. I still get booking requests weekly, and though most are fruitless, I don't want to miss any opportunities.) This isn't even including the band's purevolume page, Bebo page, Oaktree page or any of the other 13 pages we've set up that I never log into. One more social networking site to log into just might drive me insane.

Let's say I do sign up for a Facebook account, what do I do next? Well I have to go out and find all my friends that I'm already friends with on myspace and add them to my Facebook account. Then I've got to pimp out a completely new profile (you do that on Facebook too don't you) so all my friends (or whatever they're called on Facebook) don't think I'm a nerd. Then I've got to upload all the same pictures that I uploaded on myspace and type a whole new description of the same me that has an account on myspace. Where does it end? Do I need to set up a Facebook for the band? A private facebook fan page? A Facebook page for "The Livingstons" just in case someone comes looking for the old band?

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my friends and want to keep in touch with them, but how much time should in invest in maintaining the perfect online medium?

I suppose I should just accept the fact that myspace is slowly fading away considering I predicted it would happen in a blog a couple years ago (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=5689225, entited "What I Really Think of Myspace"). Never-the- less I didn't think it would just fade away to make room for another different, but basically the same social network.

So where do I go from here? Is knowing the latest, up to the second info on all my friends important enough to double my online social networking accountage and bow to the throne of mighty Facebook? When I think about it, the times I do eventually run across a long lost "friend," it's a really good feeling. I get to see their latest pictures, catch up on all I've missed out through the years, and shoot them an email telling them how much I've been thinking of them. But then, once that minute and a half has passed, I understand why it is we fell out of touch in the first place. I care about them, but not enough to maintain a chain of more than 2 or 3 emails a year.

For now, I vote "no" to Facebook. I've got nothing against it, but I've probably got better things to spend my time doing then chasing down a bunch of people just to fall out of touch with again once the new latest and greatest network appears. I can do that on myspace for the time being, at least until their "most recent log in" prove that they really are long and lost again.

On a different note, John and Anthony are blogging again. Check their stuff out while it lasts!

101 and rising

2008-01-23T13:29:00.001-08:00

My day started around 5:00 am at 99.5 degrees. I wish I could say that was the temperature outside, but that was measuring in at 9 degrees. I am warm in my bed and my skin aches. I'm sick? I think. I haven't been "sick" for years. Yes there's been days I've called in sick because I didn't feel good, but I haven't had a temperature in over 2 years, and I haven't had to go to the doctor for about 6. Today is an exception the the rule. I drag myself out of bed after an hour of hitting the snooze button and get ready for work. I'm going to tough it out I think to myself.

2 hours later I'm a collapsed puddle of human on my desk. I'm not going to be any good to anyone today.

I call the boss and get bundled up to go back home. My head is throbbing and I can't stop coughing. By noon my temperature is 101. This is groundbreaking. The last temperature I had (2 years ago) never reached 100. I've heard that the flu has yet to make it to the United States and am wondering if I'm the carrier of the next pandemic. I put on my pjs and melt into the couch. My faithful dog Henry falls asleep on top of me. This would be a perfect day if I wasn't infected with Ebola.

I do not feel like writing right now. I'm crabby and tired and smell bad (even though I took a shower this morning). My dog is still cuddled up on top of me and it's starting to get annoying. Art at the expense of my well being I tell myself.

If I die, give my guitars to at risk kids, my record collection to the cast of "High School Musical" and bury me with my limited edition Neil Diamond scented candles.

Television

2008-01-05T05:51:00.000-08:00

Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy ..--..--..--..Television The Drug Of The Nation..--..--..--..--.. One nation under God has turned into one nation under the influence of one drug [chorus:] Television the drug of the Nation Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation (2x) T.V. it satellite links our United States of Unconsciousness Apathetic therapeutic and extremely addictive The methadone metronome pumping out 150 channels 24 hours a day you can flip through all of them and still there's nothing worth watching T.V. is the reason why less than 10 per cent of our Nation reads books daily Why most people think Central Amerika means Kansas Socialism means unamerican and Apartheid is a new headache remedy absorbed in it's world it's so hard to find us It shapes our mind the most maybe the mother of our Nation should remind us that we're sitting too close to... [Chorus:] Television, the drug of the Nation Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation (2x) T.V. is the stomping ground for political candidates Where bears in the woods are chased by Grecian Formula'd bald eagles T.V. is mechanized politic's remote control over the masses co-sponsored by environmentally safe gases watch for the PBS special It's the perpetuation of the two party system where image takes precedence over wisdom Where sound bite politics are served to the fastfood culture Where straight teeth in your mouth are more important than the words that come out of it Race baiting is the way to get selected Willie Horton or Will he not get elected on... [Chorus:] Television, the drug of the Nation Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation (2x) T.V., is it the reflector or the director ? Does it imitate us or do we imitate it because a child watches 1500 murders before he's twelve years old and we wonder why we've created a Jason generation that learns to laugh rather than to abhor the horror T.V. is the place where armchair generals and quarterbacks can experience first hand the excitement of warfare as the theme song is sung in the background Sugar sweet sitcoms that leave us with a bad actor taste while pop stars metamorphosize into soda pop stars You saw the video You heard the soundtrack Well now go buy the soft drink Well, the onla cola that I support would be a union C.O.L.A.(Cost Of Living Allowance) On television [Chorus:] Television, the drug of the Nation Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation (2x) Back again, "New and improved" We return to our irregularly programmed schedule hidden cleverly between heavy breasted beer and car commercials CNNESPNABCTNT but mostly B.S. Where oxymoronic language like "virtually spotless", "fresh frozen" "light yet filling" and "military intelligence" have become standard T.V. is the place where phrases are redefined like "recession" to "necessary downturn" "Crude oil" on a beach to "mousse" "Civilian death" to "collateral damages" and being killed by your own Army is now called "friendly fire" T.V. is the place where the pursuit of happiness has become the pursuit of trivia Where toothpaste and cars have become sex objects Where imagination is sucked out of children by a cathode ray nipple T.V. is the only wet nurse that would create a cripple [Chorus:] Television, the drug of the Nation Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation (4x

First thing's first...

2008-01-04T08:47:00.000-08:00

Well, there's not better way to ring in the New Year than with a big change. I don't think I'd have it any other way.

I posted a blog a while back mentioning that Jared had quit the band and that my friend Todd had decided to join as the new singer. Well after giving it a whirl for several months, and putting on several thousand miles in our van, Todd has decided FOA is not where he needs to be at this point in his life. He's going to continue playing shows with us for a little while longer, hopefully until we're able to find someone else. I'm not upset in the slightest about his decision. Actually I'm happy about it. I think we were all beginning to understand that we weren't the ideal match for each other. This ministry requires an extreme amount of commitment and time away from home, and it wasn't meant for him. Todd will continue in his ministry at King of Kings Lutheran church and FOA will find another lead singer. I think we will all be more effective this way.

If there are any youth pastors or promoters reading this, have no worries. We will continue to play shows as scheduled. I'll be calling you all personally to fill you in when I have more info. Todd didn't leave because we couldn't get along or because his heart wasn't into ministry. This just wasn't the right ministry for him. We will make sure that the next singer, whoever that may be (and we have some exciting candidates at this point) has an extreme passion for youth and for ministry and will be able to live a life on the road. We will be unwaivering in this resolve. The next singer will be THE permanent singer for FOA.

I'm excited about the possibilities and will update everyone when we get something established.

Happy 2008!

What have we become...

2007-12-05T13:51:00.000-08:00

2 hours ago a gunman opened fire in the Westroads Mall here in Omaha. As of right now everyone I know is safe, but names have yet to be released. I do know that one of my friends was there and witnessed everything from the beginning. As stunned as we can be everytime something like this happens in our country, it never compares to what it's like when it happens close to home. What have we become? Can we really look at this country and continue to say we're doing ok without God?

There are 2 things I know for sure.

1. I refuse to live in fear.

2. I refuse to accept that this is just the way it is.

We can make a difference. We can make a change. We cannot allow this to continue.

Christmas...

2007-11-29T12:57:00.000-08:00

I was finally able to put up my Christmas tree yesterday. If you know me, this is actually a really long time to wait. I was supposed to put it up the weekend of Thanksgiving, but the band ended up finding out on Saturday about a show we were supposed to play on Sunday and I wasn’t able to get to it.

My tree isn’t anything special. I picked it up at Wal-Mart for $20 a few years back. None of the guys in my house had enough for a tree themself so I figured I’d treat everyone. I’ve still got and use all the cheap little ornaments I bought for it. There was nothing sentimental about them when I bought them, but over the last couple years they’ve started to become so.

This is my absolute favorite time of year. I know there are a lot of people who complain about Christmas being “over-commercialized” and hate the holiday because of it. While I agree with them, I don’t share their sentiment. Everything is over-commercialized these days from music to church to Nascar, but it’s what YOU make of it that matters.

As a Christian, the biggest reason I’m thankful for the season is obvious. The reason it’s my favorite time of year though has to do with family. For as long as I can remember, Christmas has been the time for my family to get closer (and not just while opening dozens of presents). I remember years where we didn’t know if we’d have enough money for gas to drive around and look at Christmas lights, not enough for a Christmas tree, and not enough for lots of expensive presents. Come to think of it, despite the lack of packages underneath the 1-foot tall Christmas tree, the Christmas I’m referring too is probably one of the fondest memories of my life. Christmas with my family taught me that giving really is better than receiving and that there are more important things in life than things.

When I listen to Anberlin it inspires me to want to change the world. When I go to church I find my faith growing stronger. I don’t really watch Nascar, but I’m sure if I loved Dale Earnhardt Jr. he would inspire me in some way. The Christmas season inspires me to be a better person. I’m positive that if any of the ba-humbugs out there would use the time they spend complaining to, I don’t know, feed the homeless, buy presents for needy children (though that would, God forbid, feed the consumerism), or even call a friend who they know is going through a hard time or who they haven't spoken to in a long time, that the Christmas season would take on a whole new meaning for them. If that might be you, give it a try. I think you’d be surprised. I promise I won' tell anyone.

PS Another thing I love about Christmas is drinking a peppermint mocha while reading by the fire as it’s snowing outside.

Kansas

2007-11-15T05:23:00.000-08:00

It was a sunny day in Kansas and the small town carnival we just finished playing had been a success. Everyone was in a great mood. After the show, each of the guys went their own direction with their significant others and we decided to meet in an hour to get things loaded up. Mindy had come along with me and we had driven separate. We were going to be leaving before everyone else. While we were wandering I happened to bump into my Pastor from Omaha. I wasn't quite sure what he was doing down here, but after saying "hi" I forget to ask. After some cotten candy we headed back to my Blazer and started loading up the equipment. Soon enough it was starting to get dark and we were headed out.

About an hour down the road we decide we are hungry and want to stop to get something to eat. We'd had enough of restaurants and fast food so we decide to swing into the local grocery store to get something healthy. I pull into a parking spot and shut off the truck. I stretch and we sit in the truck talking for a couple minutes before heading in. The next thing I know, through the gap above the equipment piled in back, I can see flashing lights behind us. To my surprise there's also a police officer standing next to my window. He taps on it with his flash light. Not knowing what on earth I could have done, I roll down the window and stammer "Uhhh, is this not a parking spot?" "No your fine," he says, "but we've recently had a brash of killings in the area and we still haven't found the killer. You shouldn't just be sitting here like this. Lots of people are getting shot in the head." "We were just going to get something to eat," I say, frightened at this point, "is it ok if we run in real quick and grab something before we take off?" "Yeah that would be fine," he says, "but hurry up."

That's when he notices the equipment in the back of the truck. After examining it through the window with his flashlight he tells me he needs to search it. I pop open the rear window and start unloading stuff. As I pull out a suitcase, the merch box falls and pops open, spilling money everywhere. The cop picks up a hundred dollar bill and looks at me. "I'm in a band," I sputter, "and my bass player and drummer were supposed to put that in the money bag." He silently puts the cash back down. After further examination he tells me it's ok to load everything back up and that I'm free to go. I do exactly that. I'm not staying in this town any longer.

Finally everything is loaded except for one last suitcase. I thank the officer and extend my hand to shake his. He stands their stiffly, looking at me through his aviator sunglasses. That's when I notice what's going on around me. The streets are completely empty, the grocery store isn't even open and the flashing lights that I thought were police lights are really coming from a tow truck in a parking lot behind us. I slowly look back at the police officer. He's no longer wearing his sun-glasses and has taken off his hat. He's staring at me with evil eyes, his hair is wildly messy in the wind. His grin is crooked and menacing. I slowly look towards the gun on his hip and his hand quickly moves to draw it from the holster. I grab my suitcase and thrust it in front of my face, hoping to deflect the bullet first and defend myself second. That's when the officer shoves the gun to my hip and pulls the trigger.

My life flashes before my eyes as I envision the bullet tearing through my flesh and shattering my hip bone. I'll never walk again I think to myself as I'm falling to the ground.

I wake up gasping from my dream. It had been a toy gun. I remember that much. When he had pulled the trigger it was only a toy gun. It had made the "bang" sound and I had really thought I was being shot, but I wasn't and the cop laughed.

My heart is racing. I try to fall back asleep but it's impossible. I decide to roll over and try again, but feel I should check the clock first.

It's 5:03 am. The exact time to get up for work. My alarm never went off. Typically it's set for 4:27 and I hit snooze until around 5:00, but that didn't happen cause it had never been set. I stumble out of bed and try to make sense of it all. It's not until several hours later, after I get to work on time, that I'm able to shake the panicked feeling. I still wonder if there's more to understand.

Justice has been served... Amen!!!

2007-10-31T15:29:00.000-07:00

I just read the news and I couldn't be happier. According to cnn.com, the Westboro Baptist Church has finally gotten a small taste of what is coming to them. If you aren't aware of of who this group is, they're the ones who travel around and actually protest soldiers funerals with signs saying things like "Thank God for dead soldiers" and "God Hates Fags." Finally somebody sued them and won. Finally a lawsuit that I feel is well deserved. The settlement was for $11.9 million to be paid to the father of soldier who's funeral was protested. My only further hope is that many many others follow suit and put this group out of commission completely.

As much as I want to see swift and terrible revenge carried out upon these people, I know that this feeling is not right. Justice has been served and for that I am greatful. The only other judgement needed is that which they will incur when they leave this life. A judgement that can just as easily be reversed if between now and then they repent of their sins and truly ask Jesus to be their Lord and Savior.

Even though they are hate mongers who shame and defile the name of Jesus, He loves each and every one of them as infinately as He loves me. He is just as willing to forgive them as He has forgiven me. In God's eyes, my sin is just as terrible as theirs.

It's not the easiest pill to swallow, but when digested you begin to understand why it was prescribed.

Josh

Tattoo have and to hold

2007-10-01T05:33:00.000-07:00

Once again I've joined the ranks of the newly tattooed. It's funny, considering that all I've seen lately is how the popularity of tattoo removal is exploding. It's been about 6 years since my last tat, so if it's only a phase of mine, it's lasting a long time. I got my first one when I was 18 and I still don't regret it. Actually, it's become such a part of me that I hardly see it in the mirror anymore.

My dad actually forbade me to get a tattoo for many years, saying that he'd disown me if I did. Strangely enough, I was ok with that. My dad was cool enough to sign for me to pierce my ears, and he let me quit all the sports I was playing so that I could spend more time playing guitar (which is all I really cared about at the time). Besides, I didn't even really want or like them for a long time. As 18 crept closer though, and the idea of going to college was becoming a reality, the idea of a tattoo became more appealing. Finally I decided I wanted one and drew up my design. Then, because I was a respectful son, I sat my dad down to talk to him about it. Once again my dad surprised me with his support. It wasn't until several months later that I surprised him with the actual tattoo (the morning I was leaving for college, I guess I still believed he might murder me). We'll see what he thinks of my latest one considering it's my most daring to date, and nearly impossible to hide.

Since that day I've been back to the tattoo parlor 3 times for a total of 4 tattoos (6 depending on your definition of a single tattoo). I doubt the latest will be my last. I held off getting tattoos for a long time because I couldn't justify paying for a tattoo when I was having trouble paying rent and buying food. Any extra income went for amps and guitars.

I get tattoos because they stand as a marker in time. If I would have gotten one because everyone else was doing it, I would have regretted it a long time ago. The girl who got the butterfly on her lower back, or the guy who got the tribal arm band (that doesn't meet in the back) because everyone else was doing it, are the people who are getting them removed. Now that they're 30 and a little more saggy or no longer playing football, that tattoo means nothing. They realize as they look back at their high school pictures with the baggy jeans and flannel shirts that their "love" for the tattoo has faded, just like their love for the grunge look.

But then there's the 70 year old man who's got a wrinkly blue anchor on his forearm. He wears it as proudly as the day he got it, even though you can only make out the shape and none of the detail. He'd never think about having it removed because there's a story behind it that he'd love to tell you. "Got this in Okinawa back in 53' with my Navy buddies. I still get together with Topper and Scrugs about twice a year. Scrugs has grandkids. I never thought ol' Scrugs would find any woman that would keep him for more than a week. Stupid as a brick that Scrugs, but his grandkids are brilliant."

This is the kind of tattoo wearer I want to be and that's why I only get tattoos for memorable moments in my life; most recently my wedding (I'd be happy to tell you the story). For a vow that is supposed to last for life, what better memorabilia (at least in my opinion) than ink that will last for life. I guess the point can be made that less than 50% of marriages last these days, so why risk a tattoo. I'm convinced though, that the people getting divorced are the same people that are getting tattoos removed. If you can't commit to a small patch of colored skin that you decided at one point would last forever, how can you ever expect to commit to a living, breathing human who can hurt and fail you?

Unfortunately, divorces these days are easier than tattoo removal, but as for me and my household, we will have neither.

Do I think that everyone thinking about getting married should go out and get a tattoo? Not at all. But I think you can see the parallel.

Love, or a lack thereof

2007-09-04T22:14:00.001-07:00

I leave tomorrow to get married.

I met Mindy (who's name I haven't yet mentioned in this blog) 3 and a half years ago. It was an awkward first meeting to say the least. Awkward enough that it took a year of chasing to convince her I was worth dating. It was 2 and a half years ago that she finally said she would be my girlfriend, and about 6 months since she said she'd marry me.

I write tonight because I want a record of what I'm about to say, because what I'm about to say cannot be taken lightly on my part.

This week has been an amazing week. A week that has finally made clear many things that God has been calling me to do, but that I have been ignoring.

I've been a Christian now for several years, but for the most part I've been a Christian in appearance and reputation. Don't get me wrong, I don't question my salvation. If I would have died a year ago, I would have gone to be with Jesus. On the other hand, I am realizing that through the last couple years, God has been working in my heart, and my flesh has not kept up. I apologize if that sounds "churchy," but that's really the only way I could think to put it.

It boils down to this; I do not love as Jesus has called me to love, I do not trust Jesus the way that I should, and I am not walking the path that God is calling me to walk.

I am getting married in 4 days to a woman I know God has set apart as precious and holy for me, so I must and will from now on, love her as I am supposed too. It's sad to say that I am so far detached from truly loving (and not just loving with strings attached) that I have to physically demand myself to do it, but I'm afraid that's what it has come to. This week has shown me what it is to truly love, and I choose tonight to bury my selfish love and love Mindy the way the Christ loves the church.

Then there's odediance. Mindy said to me the other day "I fell in love with your smile, but I never see it anymore." She was right. I come home from a day at work, where I'm considered talented and intelligent, and where I make a descent amount of money and I can't even muster up the slightest smile. The only time I seem to smile is when I'm on the road with the band. I know I'm called to ministry in the band, but I'm realizing now that I am called to ministry beyond the band as well, and this is where trust comes in.

I have never truly trusted God with my finances. I understand finances and enjoy the study of money and how it works, and the thought of not having it scares me. Enough so, that I hold on to a job that is damaging my life and my relationships because it comes with a good paycheck. I do want to mention that I feel this job was a blessing, and I believe God gave it to me for a purpose, but now that it has fulfilled this purpose, I will soon be called to leave it and with less "security," venture into a life of full time ministry.

A life I don't necessarily feel qualified for...

but I'm not the judge of that.

Life, Commodities and Todd in general

2007-08-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

Wow, it seems like just yesterday I was typing my tour diary blog, and now that I look at it, that was more than 2 weeks ago. Come to think of it though, absolutely everything in my life has been moving this fast lately. 2007 has been a huge year. More has happened this year than the last 5 years put together and I've still got nearly 1/3rd of it left to go.

I doubt there will be much of a point to this blog other than it's helping me take my mind off studying for a couple minutes. While on tour a couple weeks ago I got a call from work, and the promotion I had interviewed for actually came through. It was a good feeling, but it came with several large books and a difficult test to pass. I've made it through the books at this point, and about 10 practice tests, now I'm just re-reading and re-testing. The real test is on Wednesday. Once passed I'll be a licensed Commodities Broker. I know, it sounds boring, and trust me it is compared to playing music and touring, but in a strange way I love it. I imagine there's a good reason I'm working so hard at this on top of working so hard with the band and working so hard to maintain my relationship with my fiance'. It's daunting, but there's a purpose.

The days are counting down until the wedding. We stressed all this weekend that Hurricane Dean was going to destroy Jamaica before we were able to visit, but it seems that everything should be ok. The island is still intact. I can't imagine the amount of stress relief it will be to finally be finished with this test and then finally finished with the wedding. I probably won't know what to do with myself, but you know what that leads to... lots and lots of writing.

The band finally secured a new lead singer. I don't think it was ever officially announced that Jared was leaving the band, but that's ok. We didn't really want to make a big deal of it. I'm proud of what we've been able to accomplish with Jared these last 4 years. We wouldn't be here without him. He's a good friend and a good person and he will be missed. I'm happy that he's following his calling, even though it is calling him away from the band.

Todd Laird is going to be stepping up to the mic for us from now on.

I'm very excited about this. Todd was actually one of my guitar heroes in the early days of playing and really inspired me to be the player that I am today. I saw him in the band "Simple Truth" when I was a sophomore in high school and thought he was amazing. Somehow through God's devine intervention, nearly 10 years later, we happened to meet at a church service. From there things progressed and when the lead singer position opened up, Todd was interested. I see great potential in this pairing and I think huge things are ahead for Fate of Angels. Who'd have thought God would make our paths cross again all these years later. I've got to believe that it's for a greater purpose. I just can't wait to see what that higher purpose is.

Thanks for reading.

Next time, I'll make the blog worth your while...

A week late... (tour diary)

2007-08-04T22:13:00.001-07:00

It was exactly one week ago that I was laying in my bed in North Carolina, realizing that today was the end of one of the greatest experiences of my life. Soon after I would fall asleep. When I awoke, there would be one last show, one last chance to hang out with the kids and then it was time to pack up and head home, back to a life of schedules, money making and chores. But what an amazing trip it had been.

It started late on a Tuesday night. The guys were supposed to be at my place around 10:00 pm, but as it typically goes, they didn't get there till about midnight. I had planned in advance though for this to happen, and took the extra 2 hours to take one last nap on my couch. Eventually they showed up, we loaded up, and we were off.

I drove the first shift, and slept as soon as I was done. Later I was woken up just outside Chicago. We'd already driven through Iowa (so I didn't miss much while I was asleep). We ate a quick breakfast and set out to finish off Illinois. Soon we found ourselves in Indiana, and then thanks to a wrong turn by Anthony, in Michigan. The detour only cost us about 10 minutes and we were back on track and cruising through Ohio. Before we knew it we were driving through Pennsylvania. I woke up to see Philidelphia and then our first destination, New Jersey, 26 hours later. After a stop for directions at the nearest Wawa (go to New Jersey, you'll understand quickly) we found ourselves at Mt. Misery, in the very woods where the legend of the New Jersey Devil originated. We didn't let this bother us though and we were soon fast asleep...

...for a couple hours at least. We woke up early the next morning so that we could take a field trip to Surf City, New Jersey and for a couple of us including myself, see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. The day couldn't have been much better. The water was cold, but the experience was unforgettable. After three hours in the drink we headed to Boulevard Clams, soggy and sunburnt, for a seafood lunch. Later that night was the first night of work.

After the show we slept another night at Mt. Misery and soon headed out on our next quest; to see the Statue of Liberty. I can now officially tell you from experience that driving a 15 passenger van while pulling a 6x12 trailer through the busy streets of Newark, New Jersey is not something I want to do again. We did accomplish our goal and got a good look at Lady Liberty, but only from the back. Since we were running out of time, we decided to come back the next day for a better view. It was off to our next show. Luckily we left early. The trip to the next destination, which was supposed to take an hour ended up taking 3 because we were fortunate enough to hit New York City, Friday afternoon rush hour. We made it just in time and the show went off without a hitch.

The next morning it was time to get to the meat and potatoes of this journey; New York City. We were going to do it all and do it quick cause we had to play another show that night. We started out at the World Trade Center. It was a very humbling experience to stand in the crater of the buildings I watched fall on TV 6 years ago. Why they haven't been rebuilt yet I still don't fully understand. After that it was off to Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange, then to Broadway, 5th Avenue, Times Square, the Empire State Building, Central Park, and the Statue of Liberty again. We hit it all in 6 hours, and then it was off to pick up John at the airport before we headed of to the next show.

We played that night knowing full well what lay ahead for us. The next show was the next evening, and we were 12 hours away from it. After we loaded up that night it was back to the hotel for showers and then on the road one more time, this time to North Carolina. On the way we hit Delaware, Maryland, Viriginia and decided it would be fun to tour Washington DC at 5 am. We took in all the sights, The Washington Monument, The Lincoln Monument, The White House, The Capital building. Another thing that I can now say from experience is that Washington DC police don't like a 15 passenger van pulling a 6x12 trailer around the city at 5 am. After a couple verbal warnings that we were not where we were supposed to be, we decided it best to simply move along.

By the next afternoon we were at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina (which is quickly becoming one of my favorite places in the US). This is where we would spend the rest of the tour, playing twice a day for groups of kids from all of the South Eastern parts of the US and playing volleyball, basketball, and ping pong in the free time between sets. This turned into the highlight of the trip. The kids at these camps were amazing. We felt so welcomed and appreciated. We even had the opportunity to write a song with a group of kids. It ended up practically turning into a camp anthem and we played it every session after it was written. We may even have the opportunity to record it for the next album. We'll just have to see.

And this is where I was, one week ago this evening, laying in bed, thinking about heading home, looking forward to seeing my fiance again, and my doggie Henry, but knowing that one of my biggest adventures to date was drawing to an end. The next day we played on last time and loaded up. We headed off into Tennessee and made a quick stop in Nashville to meet with our manager. Then it was off through Kentucky, where we watched a semi truck blow a tire at 75 mph and later a car full of teen-agers race past us only to lose control and do a 360 into the ditch. Soon it was Illinois again and then Missouri, and finally back home at 8 am, just in time to make it to work at 9 am.

In the 2 weeks we were on tour I had the opportunity to see 8 new states, swim in the ocean for the first time, tour New York City and Washigton DC within a 24 hour period, and play music for hundreds of kids. There was one point on stage where I remember just looking out at everything and saying to God, Thank you. Thank you for all of this. Who would have ever thought I'd be able to come this far. I still think he's got a lot in store for me. The next adventure starts next month when I do another couple things for the first time. I'll tell you more on that when the time comes.

Who knew making a salad was so fun AND those "Ziplock" Commercials are true!!!

2007-07-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

So it's Tuesday July 17 and I've been rushing around all day trying to get things around to leave on tour tonight. The band is headed out to New Jersey to play a couple camps and then to North Carolina to play a couple camps. I've been looking forward to this trip for quite a while even though it's going to be ultra complicated and fairly stressful. What else is new though.

So at lunch time I was feeling health and money conscious. When I'm headed out on the road for a week or two I never pick up groceries cause they'd just sit in the fridge and go bad. Because of this I usually eat more fast food than normal which reminds me that I don't have a lot of money and also makes me think about gaining more weight. Luckily my fiance is going to be living in my house while I'm away so that she can take care of Henry, my basset hound.

Well since my fiance was going to be moving in she had already started stocking my fridge with her kinds of food. Girls eat strange things like fruit, vegetables, and chicken (as compared to my diet of coffee, ego waffles, and cereal). Since I had already eaten the last of my waffles and cereal, I decided to tap into her food reserves in the fridge. There was lettuce, leftover grilled chicken, salad dressing and cheese. I seem to remember eating something in a restaurant that had these ingredients. Yes, actually I used to make them when I worked at Applebees. A chicken ceaser salad! Not only is it free, it's probably healthy.

Once the menu has been decided on, I commence the wrangling up of a bag to put the ingredients in and shake them up (like I've seen on TV in those salad dressing commercials). As I'm doing this I think back to those ZipLock commercials where they put spaghetti sauce in a ZipLock bag and a generic back and then threaten to hold it over someone's head, and then make them choose which bag they really want to use. They were pretty intense commercials, but it's just advertising right?

Once the ingredients are in the bag, I commence the shaking (I like the word commence cause it makes me feel like a fighter pilot.) 2 seconds into the shaking, the zip seal of the bag pops open like ZipLock warned me it would if I used a generic bag instead of their name brand. The salad and chicken and dressing and cheese flips out of the bag in every direction. All over me, the counter, the floor, and mostly on the dog, who was faithfully at my side at the time of the salad making.

Thankfully Henry was helpful in cleaning the mess off the floor, though he didn't seem to realize he had salad dressing all over him that I later had to clean off. I salvaged what was left on the counter and ate that for lunch.

I'm pretty sure Henry will get excited from now on when I make a salad, and I'm pretty sure that from now on I'm buy Zip Lock brand zipper bags.