On to Paris!

So we received the info this morning that we're flying out to Paris. We're sitting in the hotel lobby waiting for the bus to arrive to take us to the airport now [about 4:30am back in Cincy]. And they were able to get our whole group out on the same flight to Paris. But here's the interesting part: they won't be able to get most of us back until Tuesday evening. Yep, that means we're going to get to see Paris after all- and even spend more time there than we thought we would.

This is awesome because Kelly was really disappointed about losing the Paris part of the trip. And we'll even get an extra day there too. So we'll see how things turn out there; there's still a remote possiblilty that we won't be able to get out Tuesday.

So keep checking in now and then, and I'll try to let you know what part of the world we're in.

Two full days of French people. How lucky am I?

Stuck in Israel

So I know it's been awhile since an update; internet access is hard to find here in israel. Yes, i said here in Israel. At this point in our journey we were supposed to be in Paris, ready to fly out tomorrow. Unfortunately the French are still horrible. Maybe you've seen that the French labor force has decided to go on strike. It's shut down travel throughout Europe and has put us back in Jerusalem to wait till we get a flight out of Tel Aviv. Right now it's Friday night here [Friday afternoon in the US] and it looks like we won't get out of here until Sunday at the earliest. On the bright side, this hotel that they have us in is the best one we've stayed in yet, abd we had the chance to once again explore the city of Jerusalem. it's been a great experience, but right now we're longing for home.

They tried to send a few people from our group out of the airport last night and they were there for five hours before being sent back. We're flying out of Ben Gurion airport which is notorious for their tight security. They gave a girl in the group a once over and interrogated her pretty severly. I swear, if they do that to me or Kelly, I'll call the US State Department. These Israeli soldiers are all over the place with weapons that my tax dollars helped pay for and they're going to give me a rough time?!?! So maybe I'll get to complete the Israeli tour with some time in prison.

Seriously though. it's been an incredible trip, but we're longing to get home. Hopefully it'll be sooner than later. Until then, it's watching Dumb and Dumber with Arabic subtitles: "Want to hear the most annoying sound in the world?"

hello from israel!

Hello to all! Please pass this message along to others who may enjoy reading it!

Well, we've had an adventurous time so far. We flew out of Cincy a week ago and landed in Atlanta then to Paris. The Paris airport was CRAZY!!! Then safely on to Amman, Jordan, where we arrived late at night.

Jordan was interesting. Very foreign feeling. We saw some places -- we'll show you photos -- and we stood on a hill where David had Uriah the Hittite killed. Then we drove south the next day toward the lost city of Petra. Amazing! Photos galore!!! From there we went back to Amman for the night and the next day crossed over into Israel. That was an adventure! Security was tight but we got through with less interrogation than Kelly anticipated!

We saw the Old Testament city of Jericho ruins. Then an unexpected whirlwind tour as we ascended through the Judean desert and up into the Mt. of Olives. There before us was Jerusalem! (Remind us to tell you about the song!) What a view!!! We worked out way down the hill, down the path of triumphal entry (Palm Sunday), stopping at the Garden of Gethsemane and then ascending to Stephen's Gate (woo hoo) into the old city of Jerusalem.

The city was overwhelming at first -- not quite the spiritual quest we envisioned. A modern day marketplace atmosphere with lots of people hawking their wares at us! We went on the Via Delorosa and ended up at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. That church is on the location where they say Jesus' tomb was located. Kelly didn't realize it's also the area where He was crucified. Can we say gaudy?! Yes, it was a bit sad to see the different areas of the huge church where Christian sects each had their place to decorate with many tributes, incense, etc. By the end of the night, we were sort of disappointed. But Kelly had this thought hit her: "Blessed are those who believe and yet do not see." Kelly was expecting to "see" something or to touch something Jesus had touched. (Thomas the apostle was her kind of guy!) But then she realized that her whole life she's had this faith and has not seen. Why should being in this place be any different?

Fortunately, the next day was a brighter, more spiritual side to the city. We saw the Western Wall and each got to pray there and place a prayer in its cracks. We saw the Temple Mount with the famous Dome of the Rock on it. (They currently don't let people in.) We also saw the stones that fell when Romans attacked the temple and destroyed it in 70 AD. We also saw the steps up to the entrance and exit of the temple where Jesus would've walked. (Kelly got to step where He had stepped!!) We had a wonderful time in the Jewish quarter of town. Then headed down to the old city of David (not currently in the walls but where Jerusalem used to be.) Steve went with a group through King Hezekiah's water tunnel. Kelly opted out with a few others because of claustrophobia. Steve was the only manly man to walk it barefoot. This tunnel was a person wide and dark and had water at times up to his waist. Unfortunately, this was a very chilly evening. So he sloshed around the rest of the night with the others, all of them with chattering teeth. We ended the night going through the rabbinical tunnel. This was built under where the Muslims currently live. It was built to go along the entire length of the western wall where the temple had been.

Friday we went to Bethlehem. First we saw a fortress King Herod (the guy who killed the babies when Jesus was born) built called the Herodium. It overlooked Bethlehem -- pretty close for a guy searching to kill the messiah. We went into Bethlehem and saw the Church of the Nativity. Then we went into a massive store and got many gifts.

Today was our free day. And boy have we used it to the fullest. From 9:00 to 12:30 in the morning, this is what we did: walked the entire city outside the walls, stopping at Schindler's grave, the church dedicated to the upper room and one dedicated to Mary, went down into the Kidron Valley and saw Zechariah and Absalom's tombs, went back up the Mt. of Olives (just to see the view again!) and then back down to continue around the wall, passing through the Muslim cemetary (we'll explain it later) and on around back to our hotel. We would love to know how many miles that was!

The hotel here in Jerusalem is MUCH better than the two in Jordan. Very nice for a four-night stay. The food here is good. In Jordan it was very Mediterranean. There are street hagglers at every stop, trying to sell us anything and everything. It is also neat to see the various people -- Muslim, Orthodox Jews in their black hats and clothing, etc. There are military, both Palestinian and Israeli with their guns. They've borded our bus at checkpoints to make sure we look OK. But all in all, we feel very safe. We've had such peaceful moments.

We have one full week left. Next week we head to the Dead Sea and Galilee areas. And then on to Paris where we hear it's snowing now. Brrr. We're having fun, but we wish you could be here to see it too. Love to all!

Steve and Kelly!

And Next Week . . . In Jerusalem

Tomorrow's the day that we've been anticipating for over a year now: Kel and I are going to the Holy Land. By the way, I have that Veggie Tales song in my head from Josh and the Big Wall, but have changed the lyrics to, "Cause we're going to the Holy Land!" [sounds sticky]. Anyway, planning for being gone for two weeks has been a bear. Between taking care of things at work, packing, and getting people to look after the house, it's probably been more work than the rest we'll be getting. But it doesn't matter. I'm beside myself with excitement for what the next couple of weeks will hold. We've been saving up for a couple years for an opportunity like this, and are so blessed that God provided. I know this doesn't sound like a dream vacation to most of you, but this is my Mecca . . . um, except that I'm not Muslim, yet Jerusalem is the third holiest city in Islam and there will be lots of Muslims there, so it's kinda like Mecca, just with more Christians and Jews and um, bullets. Yeah . . .

So here's a brief overview of our trip: We fly tomorrow from Cincy to Atlanta to Paris [we were promised a direct flight to Paris, but you know how Delta can be]. From there we fly into Amman, Jordan where we spend a day and a half there and then a full day at the lost city of Petra [made popular by the ending of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade]. We then cross over into Israel seeing Jericho and hopefully Bethlehem [if it's safe] and spend four nights outside the Old City of Jerusalem. We get to see everything in and around the city. We head south and spend two nights by the Dead Sea, getting to see the desert fortress of Masada, which is said to be the most breathtaking site in all Israel. We head north to spend two nights by the Sea of Galilee and one night by the Mediterranean Sea before flying from Tel Aviv to Paris. Finally we get to spend a day and a half in Paris before coming home.

I've heard that they don't have many internet cafes over there, but I promise, if at all possible, I'll be updating my blog when I'm over there. So check in every couple days to see if there are any updates.

I've never had so many people tell me I'm crazy [well, just about one particular thing]. People are shocked that we would venture to someplace so dangerous. But I have no concerns over our safety. But I guess, this could possibly be my last public message to all of you, so I should at least be prepared. So I leave you now, with my own personal eulogy.

I'll see you on the other side . . . maybe?

Steve Carr [1975-2005] - A Personal Eulogy

How difficult it is for me to put into words thoughts about a man like . . . me. This is definitely a difficult time for all of us, to have to experience the snuffing out of a character as unique as Stephen E. Carr leaves a huge hole in our lives. But we must go on. Well actually, I'm dead, so I've already gone on but YOU, YOU MUST GO ON. That being said, allow me to reflect on Steve as we remember his impact on our lives.

I liked Steve from the very beginning. Now don't get me wrong, he had his faults and there were those times that he was so obnoxious that I wanted to choke him to death. He was just a different kind of person. Always making jokes about everything, but taking life way to seriously. Always making sure the neck holes on his t-shirts were just right, but not washing his car for six months at a time. This guy would spend hours pouring over sentences he just wrote to get them to sound just right and then misspell the word definately four times.

He sure did like Burritos. Those big overstuffed ones from Chipotle and Qdoba. But he hated sour cream. Who doesn't like sour cream on their burrito? Of course, he had this thing against white non-sweet food. No mayonnaise, no cole slaw, and definately no cottage cheese. He was twisted.

Man, was his wife hot. How that guy ever got a woman so fine, God only knows. She put up with a lot of his crap, but I guess she actually enjoyed being married to him. Must have found him mysterious. Too bad the guy was cheap and should've bought more life insurance before he went out like that.

Steve loved sports. Good thing he never had any kids because he definately would have forced them to live out all his unfilled sports aspirations. Instead he was relegated to a daily regimen of watching Sports Center, listening to sports talk radio, and playing fantasy sports online. How this guy never owned a PlayStation is beyond me.

He was kinda like the month of March, the very month in which he died in. Except instead of coming in like a lion and out like a lamb, he came in like a Mini Cooper and out like a Winnebago. That reminds me, sometimes he tried to make jokes that would just bomb. Then he'd move into self-effacement mode and start ripping on himself. What a turd. I don't know why he would always do that crap.

He was a minister. But he would laugh at the way people treated him differently because he was a pastor. They had no idea that he was just as human as they were. He could be a huge jerk. He had a potty mouth sometimes. His lifestyle didn't make him worthy of his vocation. but he loved teaching the Bible. Steve was just thrilled to live a Christian life that didn't have to be dull and monotonous. He loved God and he loved being around people. And that made his life complete.

But he's dead now. So we should definately move on. There's more life out there to enjoy. And that's how I . . . um, I mean HE would've wanted it.

"No I will not make out with you!"

That's what I'm going to be telling Kelly next week when we're standing by the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Apparently Queen Amidala should've watched herself too.

Good Morning Dr.Falken. Would You Like To Play A Game?

I wish I was six years younger. Actually, strike that. That would suck. How about I wish I was still this age, but that I was born six years earlier [does that make any sense?]. Here's where I'm going with this . . .

I'm the webmaster of our church's website, sorta by default. When I arrived on staff here, our church's website hadn't been updated in about two years, so I took it upon myself to figure out how to do web editing. Here I am, two and a half years later, just about as clueless as I was then. As many of you know, websites are made from a programming code called html that you use to dictate how you want things to look on a web page. When you're done, it all looks like gibberish.

But unfortunately, I have no idea what any of it means. Here my friends, before all you people, allow me to come out of the closet:

I use Microsoft Frontpage to edit my website.

This is the techie equivalent of saying, "I need training wheels on my Harley," or "I can't go potty by myself." Frontpage is web management for dummies. All I do is insert pictures, change text, and totally ignore html code [I don't even have to look at it if I don't want to]. I was at a meeting about the church's website a few weeks ago and I rather sheepishly declared that I use Frontpage to edit. My admonition brought about giggles and rolled eyes from the group. I'm not quite sure why so many people dislike the program so much. Sorry I'm not the man that you are! You can stick your shadow table where the sun don't shine for all I care! Sorry. Guess I'm a little bitter.

Anyway, that's why I wish I had been just a tad younger when websites started becoming so popular. I could've been on the cutting edge rather than on the edge needing to be cut off. They even teach html code in school now. Of all the junk they tried to teach me back then that's been useless in life, I could've used that kind of information. Instead I'm doomed to dwell in my purgatory of html ignorance.

Me and my Frontpage. She's all I got.

***postcript
I thought it would be cute to include some html code in this post to show what it looks like and to be funny. All it ended up doing was screwing up my blog. I still have no idea how I did it, further proving the point of this post.

Where'd My Poop Go?

Yeah, I'm trying to draw you in with the title of this posting. Let me know if it worked.

Ah, the joys of home ownership! For the past three months I've been waging a battle against our outgoing water flow [I guess you could call it sewage, but it's not necessarily all sewage]. Fortunately my dad's company has the reaming machines for sewer pipes, so it could've been much worse. I ran a smaller machine through the pipes a few months ago when we had a backflow in our laundry room. When finished, I left the machine in my garage for about six weeks. Seriously, the day after I returned it, I had another backflow problem. My uncle made two trips within a couple of weeks [including three hours yesterday] with an even bigger machine to ream the pipes out. I think yesterday's actions finally took care of things.

You see, one of the reasons Kelly and I wanted to get a house in Landen was all the beautiful trees. But these trees have produced seeds that formed the roots growing in my pipes. The roots have blocked the outflow of water to the sewer which backs up into my laundry room [stupid trees]. After reaming, you can continue to fight the problem with a root killer, which I've already used and will apparently keep using for years to come.

It's been crazy, though. Because of this, there's been a few nights during this experience that I've told Kelly things like, "if you're gonna pee, do it now," and "you'll have to shower in the bathtub and slowly let the water out" [I'm sure she'll be thrilled that I just shared that]. But this whole problem has caused some hiccups in our lives that we could've done without.

But I guess it makes me appreciate those little things that I usually take for granted. Showering, using the bathroom, doing laundry- they all need water to flow in and out of your house for them to work without notice. And if something ever messes up, it feels like the biggest inconvenience ever. This little house problem has brought a slew of naughty words from my mouth. So now I've been more thankful for things like not having to think everyday about where my poo ends up. I mean, it could be worse: how about outhouse living? Um, no thanks. So thanks, God, for indoor plumbing. Never knew the blessing it was in my life.

Play Ball!

It's finally here: my fantasy baseball draft. I love fantasy baseball. For those unfamiliar with what I'm talking about, you get a bunch of guys together [not meaning to be sexist, but only males are geeky enough to participate] and draft major league baseball players. Then you compete against each other according to the stats that they produce throughout the season. Of course, if you're familiar with fantasy football I just wasted my time explaining all that to you, but I've gotta tell ya that fantasy baseball is way better. In football, if you're high-profile quarterback gets injured, your season's over. In baseball, there are consistently new players to be found so that if you lose a superstar to an injury, you can at least find someone to replace him.

I love fantasy baseball because it gives you a reason to care what other teams are doing. I used to watch Sport Center and after they showed the Reds and the Red Sox scores, I'd tune out. Now I'm somewhat curious to see what Kansas City does in a game against the Tigers. I'll admit that the strike of 1994 really ticked me off, but fantasy baseball helped restore my excitement for the game.

This is the sixth year I've done fantasy baseball, and I've figured out what you need to do to win. I've won four of the leagues I participated in. Here's the secret: become a stat geek. Find out what RISP is. Know how a player hits on the road verses at home. Scout the minor leagues for prospects who will be called up in June. And watch ESPN's Baseball Tonight until you think Peter Gammons is your father. That's how I rule this game.

But I'm still a dork.

Just For The Taste Of It

At the end of my freshman year of college I weighed 185 pounds. I was preparing to play collegiate soccer the following fall so I decided to shed some pounds and get in shape. By the time I started school I was in the best shape of my life, weighing 155 pounds. Now I've fluctuated with my weight since then but I've never reverted to where I was at the beginning of college. Honestly, one of the main reasons I've kept the pounds off is this:

Diet Coke.

That summer I changed over to Diet Coke instead of regular Coke and it's made a huge difference. I drink pop like it's water [well I guess it actually IS water, but you know what I mean]. Regular pop is almost as fattening as beer. With the "just one calorie" factor Diet Coke has brought to my life, I can drink as much as I want and be OK. If Kelly and I are at the grocery store and Coke products are on sale [$1 per 2 Liter or lower is a great price] we'll buy 12 of them. And I know this might sound surreal, but I probably down 120 ounces of Diet Coke a day.

Usually when I tell people this, they respond by saying Diet Coke will give me cancer someday. I'm not sure what to think about that charge, especially because nothing like that has ever been proven. I think people just hate on DC because they don't like the taste of it. I'll have to admit, it took me a couple months to get used to it. But now that I am, I can't drink regular pop anymore; it's too syrupy.

Now my true addiction is the fountain Diet Coke. There's an incredible difference between bottled and the tap. I've seriously thought about installing a Diet Coke fountain in my house; it's on my to-do list before I die. Until then, I frequent different establishments across town getting 32 ounce shots of the good stuff. So here is my list of the best fountain Diet Cokes across the city. I refuse to rank them because each has their special something.

UDF- I usually stop at the one at the corner of Sociallville/Foster and Mason Montgomery once every day. If you bring in your old cup, a 32 ouncer only costs 85 cents.

McDonalds and Wendy's- some of the best Diet Coke on the market, but not as practical because it's more expensive. Especially Wendy's can be bothersome because they stuff way to much ice in there. If dining in at a fast food establishment, these are excellent choices for DC. I usually get two refills. Then I've made up for the price gap.

Speedway- these gas stations have the cheapest fountain in the city. In the summer you can snag 44 ounces for 74 cents.

Lone Star off Fields Ertle- I think their DC is next to the root beer, because you get a unique taste. Although Kelly hates the hybrid taste, it's a nice break from the norm.

Meijer, BW-3, Moes and Subway in Arbor Square- all these establishments have what I really enjoy: the ability to add Cherry Coke to the mix. Ever since the Coca-Cola Company started putting out Diet Cherry Coke, I've been hooked. And once I find a place that offers Diet Cherry Coke in pure fountain drink form, I'll be there all the time.

Top Ten Movies I Haven't Seen

I subscribe to these e-newsletters that tell when a website's been updated and what new articles are there. Most of them are ministry oriented. While reading one this morning I ended up at the site of a church in North Carolina. What caught my eye was their current sermon series: It's A Guy Thing. Isn't it interesting that for years churches were obsessed with getting women involved while now there's a drought of men? Even more interesting than the series is the title of this week's sermon: Why We Like The Godfather. Interesting. Never though about preaching about that.

I watched the Godfather for the first time a few months ago. I'm way into guy movies, but since the movie was released three years before I was born, I never really felt the need to see it. Finally, after hearing so many quotes and talking about horse heads in people's beds, I decided I should watch it. Not to be blasphemous here, but I found it painfully slow to follow. I'm sure it was groundbreaking thirty years ago, but I'd rather go for Braveheart any day of the week instead of that.

So I'll end this post with a list of top ten movies I really need to see that I haven't seen yet but have been afraid to tell people that I haven't seen:

10. Reservoir Dogs [saw the first 30 minutes]
9. Enter The Dragon
8. Raging Bull
7. Slapshot
6. Ben Hur
5. Scarface [every rapper on MTV Cribs says it's awesome]
4. Citizen Kane
3. Fletch
2. Psycho
1. Animal House

Ta-da! How To Pray

Our church is in the midst of 40 Days of Prayer. It's been a very rewarding time, as I don't think I've ever focused on prayer this much in my life. Usually I've prayed most ardently when there's a major decision that needs to be made, but these past weeks has pushed me way beyond that. I'll admit that I've never really struggled that much with how to pray, but I know there are many people that are frustrated because they have no idea. Yeah, there's that whole A.C.T.S. acronym [I always forget what that first "A" stands for], but I've never found that quite as memorable. So last week as we were studying the Pattern of Prayer, I decided to see if I could create a new pattern to approach prayer that might be a little easier to remember. So here's what I came up with: T.A.D.A.! I know, it's not quite as Biblical sounding as A.C.T.S, but it sounds like you've had an epiphany, which IS Biblical. Maybe it'll help.

The background text I used to come up with this is II Chronicles 6:12-42. It's Solomon's prayer of dedication for the temple. Why this? Check out I Corinthians 6:19 where Paul writes that our bodies are the temple of God. Boo-yah [still like to use that phrase]. So here's the pattern:

Step 1: Thanks
Verses 14-15
Our first thoughts in prayer should always be directed towards praising God for the good he does in our lives.

Step 2: Apologize
Verses 22, 24, 26,36
Solomon understands the concept of sin. In today's world, it's not very PC to admit sin. We're now living in a rather grace-heavy world. But the point of all the sacrifices that would be made in the temple was to make things right with God. We need to make things right with God by asking forgiveness when we do Him and others wrong.

Step 3: Dwell
Verse 41
Solomon had just built a house where he wanted God to dwell. As Christians, God already dwells within us. This should be a time to pray to conform our will to that of God's. Everyone always asks "How do I know if I'm in God's will?" There's no better way to get there than to pray about it. This whole will of God discussion is something we can go more in-depth about latter.

Step 4: Ask
Solomon's prayer here is peppered with petition. When you go through the T.A.D.A in order, the emphasis on our requests is the last thing we think of when we pray. Hopefully, by the time we get to this point our requests are no longer selfish, but sincere, God-centered desires laid before him.

Honestly, I don't get into pattern and stuff like this, but I've realized that many people need it to get along. So I offer this up as something to think about. If it works for you, fine. If not, just keep praying. I like to.

Mr Red #2 Was Always My Pick

There's this UC student who has been sitting in line for Reds Opening Day Tickets since Monday. Some of the local news stations are proclaiming him the biggest Reds fan. Call me jealous, but that's a bunch of bunk.

The guy's in college. He's got nothing better to do than skip class and sit outside and wait in line[oh, and news flash, buddy: chances are your professors just might recognize you from all the media exposure you've been getting]. Also, he's obviously not working while he's out there [he said on the news that he's missing work, but I'm sure he's not putting in 40 hours a week anyway], so mom and dad are probably footing the bill for him to "show his devotion" to the Reds.

I'm just not buying him as being the biggest Reds fan. The level of true devotion should be directly proportionate to the sacrifice being offered. If this guy was 40 years-old with three kids, unable to take vacation time and sitting in line for tickets, that would be impressive [stupid, but impressive]. But no love from me for this guy.

Pete Rose rocks!

Valentine's Day Mascara

You might be wondering how Kelly and I celebrated Valentine's Day. This is how the evening worked out: We got home from work, ordered Donatos Pizza, she talked on the phone with a couple of friends while I messed around with my guitar and watched college basketball. Pretty romantic, huh? But at the end of the night we remarked that it was a great evening together.

The way people approach Valentine's Day has always puzzled me. Around the office yesterday their were jokes going back and forth about how you better have a card or a gift ready for your sweetie or you're dead meat. Kelly and I have never really been like that. And I know that some of you are thinking, "Ha! It probably IS like that and Steve's oblivious. Kelly's gonna kill him someday." Well, you might be right on the last part, but I promise, I've probably only given Kelly a Sweetest Day gift once. And she doesn't complain. We do little things here and there throughout the year to show each other our love. Using one day to make up for what you haven't done the rest of the year is so Hallmark.

Here's the shocker: we actually love being with each other. That's why we got married in the first place. And we're working on our seventh year of marriage, so don't throw all that newlywed crap at me either. God has given me the perfect person to appreciate the way I am and the way I live life. I figured that before we got married and that's why my life rocks. Sure we have arguments and our relationship isn't always storybook, but at the end of the day, we know how to love each other. So Happy Valentine's Day, Kel. Yeah, it's a day late, but you know how I am.

A Grammys Review

I don't know if I ever really watched the Grammys before I got married. Then again, I'm not sure that I watched any kind of awards shows before we were married. But overall, I'd say I like to watch the Grammys the most. I love all kinds of music, so I end up like a kid in a candy store. A lot went on, so I'm not gonna write too much about everything, but here are my quick thoughts about what went on:

The introduction number was pretty cool. Could've done without the Gwen Steffani number; it just seemed out of place. It was a great mix of talent [Black Eyed Peas, Los Lonely Boys]. Speaking of which . . .

Alicia Keys has an unbelievable voice. And surprisingly, so does Jamie Foxx. I knew he could play piano, but he did a great job singing. By the way, if you haven't yet, rent the DVD of Ray. But with the good comes . . .

Tim McGraw can't sing. And he had like three shots at it. Some people just need a studio mix to sound better, which reminds me . . .

What was up with that J-Lo/Marc Anthony thing? I've never really watched Spanish Soap Operas, but I guess that's what it's like. Maybe we were supposed to be impressed because it's their first public duet since they've been together, but I kept waiting for the stage to blow-up or something interesting to happen. But I got nada[notice my use of the espanol in honor of their song]. At least . . .

U2 and Kanye West Rock. 'Nuff said.

Green Day's all grow'd up. Well, sorta. But I'm finally gonna have to get a copy of American Idiot. Can't believe they won a Grammy. And to the recording academy I say . . .

Way to give Led Zeppelin a Lifetime Achievement Award. Yeah, and then show them for like two seconds. Good call. While I'm in this sarcastic mood . . .

Would you really buy that on I-Tunes? I'm all for supporting the tsunami relief, but the celebrity collaboration of the Beatles Nothings Gonna Change the World isn't worth the 99cent charge. It was rather painful to listen to. Also on the list of stuff I wouldn't buy . . .

Britney Spears won a Grammy. I found that out this morning. It was for best dance recording for her song Toxic. Glad I didn't know that last night. Could've ruined the whole experience. Yet perhaps even more disappointing . . .

Wouldn't Ray Charles have rather been loved when he was alive? How weird was it that the guy who won the most Grammys hasn't been alive for eight months? I have the utmost respect for what he contributed to the music community, but I guess it just plays into the old adage that you don't know what you've got till it's gone. It's sad that it took Ray's death for him to finally get full credit for his life's work.

Where There's Smoke . . . Part 2

Blogging has been a valuable learning experience for me. Like today God taught me a lesson and now you get to hear about it. But first, if you haven't yet, you need to read my previous post about cigarette smoking and responsibilty in order to understand what this post is about.

While I was out and about doing hospital calls this morning I got a call from the church telling me about a guy in the Intensive Care Unit at a local hospital. I walk in the ICU and there's an older gentleman lying half unconscious in a hospital bed with six or seven tubes running in and out of him. What was his problem? Severe emphysema. Now I don't know for sure, but I've visited people in the hospital before who've had it and almost all of them developed it as a result of smoking. A nurse was there treating him, using some sort of vacuum to suction stuff out of his throat. And the words of my blog post that I had typed hours earlier were running through my head.

Now thinking back to my other post: is it this guy's fault that he's suffering from this disease? Yes. Would I have the guts to call him out on it standing next to his hospital bed? No. Then why would I type about it? Because that's how I am. I'm a wuss. And that's how you probably are too. We're hard core about issues and stances that we have, at least until we come face to face with it. It's fun to be opinionated about things, until you have to deal with it in the flesh. "Get a job" I mutter under my breath. Then I meet the homeless man in person. I'll talk sports and bash on a steroid taking pro-athlete, but if our roads ever converge, I'll probably suck up to the guy. Yep, I'm a turd.

So sorry if I came across with a little edgy in that last post. As much as I want to be cool like that, I'm really not the guy. And I know I'll spout off like that again, and end up right where I am now- prying my foot out of my mouth. Humans are more than hypothetical situations. They have names. They're people lying in a hospital bed wondering what's become of their life. I'll try harder to remember that next time.

Where there's smoke . . . Part 1

Perhaps you think that being a Christian was the most unpolitically correct thing you can do in American society today. I would have to disagree. The worst possible thing you can be in American today is a smoker. The governor of Minnesota [who, by the way, is no longer an ex-professional wrestler] is trying to ban flavored cigarettes from the state. Part of a quote from Governor Pawlenty in this article really stuck out to me: "They [big tobacco] are clearly undertaking a marketing campaign . . . to attract new smokers." Hmmmmmm. I attended Bible College or a Christian University or something like that, so I might not be the best with economics, but let me at least give it a try. The point of a business is to make money. Those businesses must get people to buy their product in order to make money. With so many people quitting smoking today [and with the continued flow of court settlements] tobacco companies do need new people to buy their cigarettes. So they might want new customers who will buy their product. I guess the governor might be right on this one.

The real reason people are bent out of shape is because they say these flavored cigs are appealing to minors. I'm not too sure about that charge. But "save the children" has been a rally cry for this entire attack on tobacco companies. Yet last time I checked, it wasn't illegal for the tobacco companies to make and sell their product. Big tobacco has paid the price for the cover-up they made in the 50's, 60's and 70's: huge settlements and continued embarrassment. They've been putting serious warning labels on packs for almost twenty years now ["This product will kill you"]. We need to either make tobacco totally illegal or move on.

And what really blows my mind is that beer companies get off the hook. I guess the government recognized that prohibition was a debacle and they don't want to go there again, but alcohol-related incidents cause more problems in our society than tobacco. And aren't there still those lawsuits out there against McDonalds for making people obese? We'll blame anyone we can if it means we can make a buck.

I think this issue is less political and more a reflection of our society not wanting to be accountable. At some point we need to fess up for our own screw-ups. The next generation will continue to smoke Marlboros, drink Bud, and eat Taco Bell. Let's just see where that gets us in another twenty years.

It Takes A Village

A few weeks ago, we rented M. Night Shyamalyan's The village. We steered away from it when it hit the theaters because it received bad reviews. Once again, it was proven that movie critics aren't to be trusted, because Kelly and I thoroughly enjoyed the flick. True, Shyamalyan has had a lot to live up to since he made The Sixth Sense, but he always brings a form of creativity to the big screen that rarely comes from Hollywood. And Bryce Howard's [Opie's daughter] performance was fantastic. This is well worth the rental and was probably worth the ten bucks to see in the theater. I am sorry M. Night. I shalt not doubt thee again.

Here are some thoughts on why the movie didn't resonate with some reviewers and movie goers.

. . . And The Short Of It

It's a great day to live in Cincinnati . . . um, not by the looks of things outside this morning, but because this is Crosstown Shootout day. It's the basketball game of the year pitting the University of Cincinnati Bearcats verses the Xavier University Musketeers. If you know me at all, you know that I'm a huge UC fan, so obviously they're who I want to win tonight. It's not that I dislike Xavier; I even own various XU apparel [that I rarely wear]. But just for one game each season I want Xavier to lose.

So this morning I woke up a little early to go shoot some hoops [I hate that phrase] and I was looking for my basketball shorts. I have the authentic UC Jordan shorts from a couple years ago, BUT I COULDN'T FIND THEM. Of course the only ones I could find this morning were my Xavier shorts. So this left me with a dilemma: wear the XU shorts on the day of the Crosstown Shootout and possibly jinx the Bearcats or wear soccer shorts. I chose the former. So if by some possible means the Muskies pull it out tonight, it's my fault.

I'm so sorry Coach Huggins. I promise to do better next time.

Sure It's Blatant Commercialism, But For A Free IPOD?!?!

OK, I had a bad experience with multilevel marketing in college so I was somewhat skeptical when my buddy Noel told me the other day about a way to get a free-iPod. But he vouched that it was totally legit and after investigating the offer, I believe he's right. So I'm in. This company has already given away $4 million in free stuff and Noel's iPod will be shipped in five days. All you have to do is complete an online offer [anything from applying for a credit card to buying flowers to spending $1 on a trial monthly service you can cancel] and you're eligible. Then you get five friends to do the same and you're done. And if you already have an iPod, you can choose to get 250 free downloads from iTunes.

So here's all you need to do. Click this link to get signed up: http://www.freeiPods.com/?r=14939158 Please use this link so you can help me get mine. Then email [or blog] this info out to your friends and that's it.

You might think I sold out using my blog for this, and you're probably right. But come on, you know how cheap I am. And I swear I'll write something more meaningful soon.