Georgia On My Mind



RIP Ray

Ray Robinson Charles
1930-2004

Published

Check it out! I have a short little ditty published on CYSI Online!

Huzzar!

Flip Flop

George Bush has accused John Kerry of flip flopping on issues, and while some of it may be true, The Center for American Progress has a list 20 major Bush Flip Flops.

For a "war president" I think not concering one's self about the where abouts of the mastermind of 3,000+ murders is a little bit...um whats the word...yeah, how about dereliction of duty...

9. Osama Bin Laden

BUSH WANTS OSAMA DEAD OR ALIVE... "I want justice. And there's an old poster out West, I recall, that says, 'Wanted: Dead or Alive.'" [President Bush, on Osama Bin Laden, 09/17/01]

...BUSH DOESN'T CARE ABOUT OSAMA “I don't know where he is. You know, I just don't spend that much time on him… I truly am not that concerned about him.” [President Bush, Press Conference, 3/13/02]

1980s


You're a Spirograph!! You're pretty tripped out,
even though you've been known to be a bit
boring at times. You manage to serve your
purpose in life while expending hardly any
effort (and are probably stoned to the gills
all the while).


What childhood toy from the 80s are you?
brought to you by Quizilla



Thanks Tripp

Huzzah!

Mae is here!!!!


For whole Month!!!!


Huzzah!!!

Raaaaaaarrrrrrrrr


MONSTER ORIGAMI

Thanks Zannah

Scam!!!

If I hear one more thing about the "Low-Carb Craze" it will scream.

Sure, it works, but jeeze, it is such a scam.

Coke is coming out with C2. I has half the carbs Coke Classic. Gee that is fan-flippin-tastic. Only they already have a low carb cola out, and it has no carbs. It is called Diet Coke.

Same with all the low carb beers. Michelob Ultra...so what, Miller Lite has .01 more carbs.

URG...

Ladies, Pay Attention.

Ladies, please tell you husbands, boyfriends, and fiancés when you buy things from a baby store and have it shipped to your house.

Be ye warned, below is a tale of terror.

Yesterday, a friend of my got home from work and there was a package on his stoop. He thought it a tad unusual, but took it into the house, and opened the wrapper as it was addressed to the Finkle family (names changed to protect the victims). Upon opening of said package all blood rushed from the head of Bob, my bud. He almost peed his pants from fear. On the label of the box was the following:

Congratulation to the expectant mother, Lisa Finkle.

Well, needless to say, this is the first Bob had heard of the impending arrival of a little Finkle.

Hours later and a half bottle of Gentleman Jack later, Lisa comes home...

"Honey..."
"Hi, How are you?"
"Honey..."
"Yes?"
"Do you have something to tell me?"
"Um...hi?"
"Something else?"
"How was your day?"
"What about this?" (Shaking...handing the box to Lisa)
"Oh, good it came. It is something for Sarah's Shower."
"It...what?!"
"It's for Sarah's shower."
"But?! The Note...It...um..."
"I had to put my name on a mailing list..."
"You mean...um..."
(Laughing evilly and uncontrollably) "You thought...HA."
"I love you!"

So ladies, if you sign up for a baby shower gift and you don't want a puddle of pee in the front room, please tell your guys.

Thanks

Throwing Stones

My brother posted this on his blog. Check it out.

It brings up an interesting point. If you are going to throw stones, be prepared to be hit back. I am a sinner and know that and ask for forgiveness daily. But the sanctimonious people who use religion as a defense of marriage had better look at themselves in the mirror.

Jesus preached against divorce did he not? Well, almost all of the people posted on Josh's blog are guilty of it, and most of adultery. If you are going to preach about the holiness of marriage, you better have a clean slate.

So, If you are going to bring religion into the mix of the sanctity of marriage, you better be ready to be hit with some of your own stones.

And now, a segue.

I was going to post this yesterday, but never got around to it.

I think I have mentioned before that I believe the State has no place in defining what marriage is. I think that is the Church’s place. The State has a responsibility for declaring civil unions. The Church has the responsibility of blessing those unions.

I think what is done in some European countries would do well here. You have a civil union that is then blessed by the Church.

Thus, the civil union is recognized by the State as a binding contract and the blessing of the Church is the blessing of the union.

In the U.S. one of those steps is not necessary, because the clergy also serve as an agent of the State (a little odd?), but alas, couples are still obligated to sign the marriage contract that is held in a State office.

Rambling a bit, I know, but I needed to get that out.

Brown v. Board of Education

I am sure you all have heard that today is the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. For those who don't know it is the Supreme Court decision that desegregated the public schools in The United States.

NPR just had this story on the air. It is letters written to President Eisenhower after the decision was made. It is a very interesting listen.

"The law is an ass, a idiot"-Charles Dickens (Oliver Twist)


I got this in an email from a co-worker. Fair?

"100 days for manslaughter...

...v.s....

Life in prison for the following (eg: theft of razor blades)...

So much for equality being built into the constitution!"

McCain as V.P.

There has been a lot of chatter about John Kerry possibly picking Sen. John McCain for his vice-presidential running mate. Pundits have been bandying this about for months. Sen. McCain has denied interest, and Sen. Kerry on Imus in the Morning yesterday stated that he would like McCain for Secretary of Defense.

I think this would be a better option than having him as vice-president (although his hawkish ways are too far right for my tastes).

The reason I would not like to see Sen. McCain as vice president is a very simple and partisan one. He is a Republican. Plain and simple. He has stated that he would not switch parties, and even if he did I don’t believe ideologies really would have been changed.

You see, the pundits seem to have forgotten a major job the vice-president has, and that is being the tie breaking vote in the senate. Yup. President Kerry has a ground breaking bill approved by the house guaranteeing fair and balanced health care for every single one of us. The bill is now a full count in the bottom of the ninth with a tie game in the senate 50-50, remember if this passes you can go to the doctor of your choice and note go broke. The vote comes down to Vice-President McCain, a life long Republican, votes no because of ideological beliefs.

You see, the hypothetical situation above is exactly why Sen. Kerry should not have Sen. McCain as a vice-president. I am all for bipartisan cooperation in committee work of bills, but when it comes down to one vote I want someone on the good guy’s side casting the vote. And, believe me I would be saying the same thing if I were a Republican and my candidate was considering a Democrat for Veep.

A little help

Thoughts

Yesterday news hit the world of the brutal murder of Nicholas Berg. He was slaughtered by Islamic extremists. He was beheaded as retaliation for the heinous acts of soldiers at Abu Ghurayb prision. He was killed by militants in the name of God.

In my previous posts I have shown my disdain and anger at our own atrocities.

This, along with the brutal burning of four contractors earlier, is utterly despicable. Any violence perpertrated in the name of God/Allah is totally oppostite to any faith I can think of.

The actions of both the soldiers and militants bring bring to my mind much bigger qustions. Questions of faith and more importantly faith in action.

Using faith has been an excuse for murder for centuries. Ranging from the crusades to September 11, 2001. The Hebrew Bible is full of wars fought in the name of not only their God, but foreign gods, too. But the Christian New Testament is different.

Tony Campolo was on The O’Franken Factor yesterday and said something that has stuck with me. He brought up the fact that in the Christian New Testament we are commanded to love our enemies.

Luke 6: 27-36

27"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Wow!

Ok. He pointed out that much of the resentment we are facing began the moment we forgot this.

For 11 years we, along with the UN, were guilty of totally denying this passage and central tenant of our faith. Had we followed the prescription above, don’t you think that the people would have more clearly seen that Saddam was the problem? They would have notice that food and medicines were coming from the Infidel. Saddam would have been gone long before these atrocities were a glimmer in anyone’s eye. I think so.

We are a compassionate nation, as show by the outcry against the actions of both the Islamic Extremists and the American Soldiers.

We are a people, Christian or not, who know how to love. It is my prayer that we work to end the cycle of redemptive violence encapsulates our entire world. We are taught as children not to hit. We tell our children that violence is not the answer.

Have you ever seen children playing? The do not know that because their playmate is African America, White, Jewish, Hindu, Christian or Islamic. They see a friend.

How about we live by the examples of our children?


P.S. Please know that this is 1 Christian's point of view. I know the Hebrew Bible and The Koran also preach non-violence. This is just one of many p.o.v.

Peace

Nice, Huh?

What do you think aboot the new template?

Let me know!

Peace

He's Back

I wrote almost 2 years ago about the Sax Man. Well, I don't know if who I now hear outside is him or not, but he is doing an impov based on the Sesame Street theme. It is awesome! Truly!

OK

So he apologized.


"I told him I was sorry for the humiliation suffered by Iraqi prisoners and the humiliation suffered by their families," Mr. Bush said.

That was in the rose garden after the meeting with King Abdullah.

So he told the King of a country neighboring the one we are "liberating."

Let's see, that was like the time I punched my brother. Mom told me to apologize. I said sorry to the neighbor kid and then told my mom I apologized. Not quite the same as saying I'm sorry to my brother.

I am stopping now before I start a rant.

Which Homestar Runner character are you?

this quiz was made by jurjyfrort

What if?

What if President Bush would have said these words.

"I'M SORRY for the recent actions in Abu Ghurayb prison."

Those 2 words could have done so much.

Instead he left it to Scott McClellan

"Q Okay, a simple question. The President had two interviews
today the White House set up for Arabic TV networks. In neither did the President apologize. Why was that?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, we've already said that we're sorry for what occurred, and we're deeply sorry to the families and what they must be feeling and going through, as well. The President is sorry for what occurred and the pain that it has caused. It does not represent what America stands for. America stands for much better than what happened.

Q He didn't think that was necessary to say in his own voice, with his own words?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, again, he was -- he was addressing the questions that were asked, but we've made it very clear that we are deeply sorry for what occurred"

Name Fun

justin is the #56 most common male name.
0.311% of men in the US are named justin.
Around 380975 US men are named justin!
source namestatistics.com

thornburgh is the #27012 most common last name.
0.0005% of last names in the US are thornburgh.
Around 1250 US last names are thornburgh!
source namestatistics.com

News

A couple of weeks ago Cliff and I were discussing Air America Radio, and the fact that it will not be available in Chicago after May 1. I was letting him know about how AAR is in effect leasing air space from Multi-Cultural Radio, the owner of the call letters used for their Chicago station.

Well, here is another example of a media empire refusing to let stations air the upcoming Nightline in which the name of all of the US killed will be read.

What make this so interesting the owner of those stations, Sinclair, is a major contribtior to the Bush Campaign ($16,000), and the Republican Party ($120,000).

I just find this an interesting coincidence.

Thanks to The O'Franken Factor for the links.

Tutenstein is the funniest cartoon I have seen in ages.

Oops

So, I just realized my fly was down for my entire commute.

Random Fact

Roger Daltrey was a fish farmer.

Lights, Camera...

So I was going to blog about this a month or so ago but I decided against it. Now I will. It is cool down by my office. The Weather Man is filiming down here. It is really cool. Seeing the whole process.

Yay

I've Got Cabin Fever

I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever I've Got Cabin Fever

The Chicken Dance

Everybody now!

Just tell the Chicken what to do!!!

Addition

I forgot to mention that the fundraiser tonight is for 21 and over. Sorry to any youngster.

Come 1 Come All

Tonight at The Viaduct, beYond thAt will be having a fundraiser. $10 at the door gets you in to partake in the aural experiences of:

One of The Girls at 8:30
Tony Piscotti at 9:45
The Sleepers at 11:00

There is also a bar and there will be art, scupture, photos and other fun stuff.

Peace

Reading is Fundamental

Got this from Tripp's:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.

1. Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
2. ok
3. finding
4. "Abu, however, can perform on himself precise local suicides, temporary amnesias, painless aphasias."

That is funny when you realize the Abu is the name of a word processor!

This hear cant not be write


You are a GRAMMAR GOD!


If your mission in life is not already to
preserve the English tongue, it should be.
Congratulations and thank you!


How grammatically sound are you?
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I am freaked out by this

Here we go again

I don't know what to say. How about Bite Me!

Bank of America cut 12,500 jobs.

Why was this burried in my daily news stuff?

I am sorry, but I am just pissed off and angy.

10

RIP
Kurt

NEKKID

Yup, my face is nekkid. I went to trim my beard this afternoon. And I slipped pretty good, and had to make the save. So, as of today I will begin growing afresh.

My face is chilly.

Job Growth

My big fat white ass.

Tell that to my, now former, csr. She just got let go.

Let's see, 300,000 payroll increase...what the heck is that? HMmm. Could that be because the California Grocers Strike ended last month. Let's see, 10,000 to 20,000 workers back at work + the 70,000 replacements = about 1/3 of those.

Classifying Fry Cooks as Manufacturing Sector Jobs. Yup...That is great. 25,000 new "jobs" in Palm Beach County alone. Huzzah!!!

How about the 11,087 laid off today?
What about that?

An International Threat

Everyone please read this. It is pretty scary. We must fight to ban dihydrogen monoxide.

Peace

Uhhhh

I haven't even read the story, but this wins my prize for the WORLD'S DUMBEST HEADLINE...ready...here it is

"Study: Tired children don't get enough sleep"

Well, Duh!!

This was on a respectable website, and not The Onion (not that it isn't respectable).

What next, "Study: Gasoline catches on fire", "Study: Bricks hurt when dropped on toe", or "Study: Spinning in circles makes you dizzy."

Shoes

So, get this.

Someone was searching for shoes at foot locker.

In doing so, they paid a visit here. To this entry.

What amuses me the most about this, is that I was #5 in the search...weird.

A new Blog

Hey there. Visit Mae's new Blog. She is doing it for a class project. Interesting discussions.

Mark your Calendars


July 16, 2005. That is it. That is the date. Spring Valley, MN. Mae and Me. We take the plunge!!!!

Tripp, Mark you calendar!

Awesome


You are YOU CAN'T DO THAT ON TELEVISION.
Sometimes, you wonder why you couldn't just be
Canadian. Some people say you are weird. You
have an interesting sense of humor and a
meaningless life. But, you're nearly Canadian,
so did you expect better?


Which old school Nickelodeon show are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Am I Crazy?

I listen to Chicago Public Radio all the time, and right it is pledge time.

I actually enjoy it. WBEZ has some of the most entertaing banter. Some of my favorites are then Ira Glass and Tory Malletia are together...the just continually egg each other one. Also, Lisa Labuz at the end of the day is always a treat. She is the morning host, and so she is usually a bit slap happy...

oh well...

my 2 cents for the day

More Wedding News


My Cousin's husband,Andy has agreed to give the blessing at our wedding. This is going to be a real ecumenical affair.

Let see, at last count...An Anglobaptist American Baptist officiant. An ELCA Social Justice officiant. And a Missouri Synod Good friend blesser. Wouldn't Bonhoffer be proud!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Slainte

You are Rerun!


Which Peanuts Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

What a long strange trip

Holy Cow! I am back!

It has been a crazy last couple of weeks.

You see, I had a show open this weekend, and have been living in the perfromace space for the past week.

The show is Godspell, and the space is North Shore Baptist Church. This has been one of the best learning experiences of my life. I have plenty experience directing plays and none doing musicals. This is a musical. Let me just say, I learned the necessity of time management. We spent a lot of time working on music and dancing, and less time on acting. This led to some some fustrating momnets. But, it is amazing how well everyone worked. The show is about buliding a community of love. That means helping each other out, and that is exactly what happened. Everyone kept the ball in the air. I am truly grateful to everyone involved in the show. For all turned out beautifully.

We run for the next two weeks at NSBC, 5244 N. Lakewood at 7:30.

In other news, Mae and I made a decision to have Tripp and Pastor Bob marry us. We asked them at Leo and Sherry's wedding. It will be cool. Both of these guys are amazing. Twill be fun.

My tummy is still full. Pastor's Doug and Carol took the cast and crew to Andie's last night...mmmm. Medetranian Buffet.

Peace kids

Special Skills

You know, I think I am the only person who can pull a hamstring by sitting in a Lazy Boy all day.

Urf.

New Favorite

I saw this quote on the little tv thing in the elevator:

Most rock journalism is people who canít write interviewing people who canít talk for people who canít read.

--Frank Zappa

My 2 cents for the day.

You're Animal Farm!

by George Orwell

You are living proof that power corrupts and whoever leads you will
become just as bad as the past leaders. You're quite conflicted about this emotionally
and waver from hopelessly idealistic to tragically jaded. Ultimately, you know you can't
trust pigs. Your best moments are when you're down on all fours.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Gone Fishin

So Tripp and I were chatting about what he should preach on on Sunday. With his encouragement, I am posting our converstion. Be ye warned...brilliant minds at work!!!

Read it here.

It Was A Good Day

Yesterday was my birthday.
It was a pretty eventful day....let's see.

I went to work, left work early, got engaged, went to lunch, had to go to a meeting, then a bible study with Tripp...nice work by the way, went to Kopi.

Oh yeah...did I mention I got engaged? Mae, for some reason, said yes when I popped the question. This is good...very good!

Whew

At least I am not the Ultimate Geek.

You are 34% geek

You are a geek liaison, which means you go both ways. You can hang out with normal people or you can hang out with geeks which means you often have geeks as friends and/or have a job where you have to mediate between geeks and normal people. This is an important role and one of which you should be proud. In fact, you can make a good deal of money as a translator. Normal: Tell our geek we need him to work this weekend. You [to Geek]: We need more than that, Scotty. You'll have to stay until you can squeeze more outta them engines! Geek [to You]: I'm givin' her all she's got, Captain, but we need more dilithium crystals! You [to Normal]: He wants to know if he gets overtime.

Take the Polygeek Quiz at Thudfactor.com

Here you go

The Ultimate Geek!!!

Prayers

Hey gang. Could you please keep a couple of people in you prayers. I got an email from my mom today asking for the help. "Sam" is a friend of mine with cerebral palsy. It is because of him the the western states on the map are filled in. Between my freshman and sophmore year of college I assisted him on a trip out west to visit family. He is an amazing guy. He worked with an architect and co-designed his own handicapped accesable duplex. He has a master in library science degree and works at the Illinois State Library. He is a great guy.

"Susan" is a friend of my mom's. I don't know her to well, but she is going through a rough time.

Here is what my mom sent me:

"Remember 'Sam' in your prayers. I understood on Wed. night he had pneumonia, but its worse than that. Judi was telling us at circle yesterday he had gotten choked at home and it severely damaged the flap on his esophagus. To the point that at one time they thought they would have to insert a permanent feeding tube-which depressed him greatly. It seems to be starting to improve, so that may not happen now. Hope not. Poor guy, he's pretty coragious from the get go.

Also, remember 'Susan'. She was in the hospital last week in the Psyc. unit. They were trying to wean her off one of her meds that with shock therapy could cause a stroke. She is to go back in sometime this week and will have to have either 6-8 treatments. She has gotten really bad since Jim's cancer treatment. The Drs. feared suicide. She told me she sometimes just doesn't want to go on. Shes such a nice person to have such a serious problem."

Thanks kids.

create your own visited states map

Lost In Translation

I was looking thorough the sites people have hit my site from, and I found this. Pretty cool...my page was translated.

New Blog

Mae's friend Devon has a blog.


Check it out.

513

As I posted the other day I went to a memorial for the murdered soldiers.

Here is some main stream attention the memorial got.

USA TODAY
DAILY SOUTH TOWN
PEACE CHICAGO
PEACE CHICAGO PICTURES

Fun

I got this from Tripp.

Become a God or Goddess. by zerogirl
Name:
God/Goddess of	The Unknown
Element:	Earth
Animal Companion:	Coyote
Weak against	Heat
Weapon:	Big stick
Created with quill18's MemeGen 2.0!

Quickie

I heard a commentary on the radio the other day.

Please give it a listen. It talks about how, for some reason, in this election cycle we have become voting pundits. Conning ourselve into believing the whole "electablity" issue instead of voting our conciouses.

Let me know what you think.

This topic really intrigues me.

Something Else

I have seen the infamous Howard Dean video and listened to all the hullabaloo. And I have to say what is the big deal? Really. Somebody that is passionate about what they are doing...oh my gosh!!! Somebody that will stir the water...oh me oh my!!!!

We have become so complacent that when somebody has the gonads to shake things up we demand an apology. We need to get off our high horses and try to cause some ripples of our own.

I am still debating which candidate to support. I am not a Deaniac yet (and don't know if I will be). But for crying out loud...at least he is passionate.

We all could take a cue from him.

505

On Wednesday I stopped by federal plaza. There was a visual demonstration of the cost of war. On, I believe Jan. 18 the 500th service person was murdered. On Wed. there were 500 pairs of empty boots put on display with the names of each soldier. These boots were placed in military formation. It was a very disconcerting sight. Very Sobering.

I want to take this one step farther. Here is a link to the Faces of the Fallen. I am going to be adding this link to the Links section. As of today the number is 505.

Let us pray for them and their families. And for the nearly 10,000 civilians killed or injured by this atrocity.

What Classic Movie Are You?

Yes

It is coming. Those of you who know me, know that I will have a response to the State of The Union speech last night.

I am going to try and take a different track than most of my gut rants. It will be a few days away, because I am actually going to present it in a cohearnt fashion...(holy cow!!!)

Please know it is coming.

What Famous Leader Are You?

I can feel the flames (litteraly)

I think the bellows are pumping a little harder because I liked playing this game.

Is that a...

Man Fur? Good Lord. I saw 10 people in Man Fur today, and it freaked me out. Man Furs just aren't right. Not at all.

Breach of Contract

This is how our our government thanks the brave men and women over in Iraq. How is this possible?
Please read the article.

Here are a couple of other ways our men and women over there and stationed here are getting the shaft from Uncle Sam. The following statistics are from Had Enough? A Handbook for Fighting Back by James Carville.

-- $1.5 billion in cuts to military family housing, schools, and child care centers;
-- $200 million in cust ton Impact Aid, the program that funds schools near military bases;
-- Doubling the prices that vetrans will pay for perscription drugs;
-- Cutting vetrans' medical care by suspending enrollments at VA health centers;
-- "Imminent danger pay" cut from $225 monthly to $150 monthly
-- Family separation allowance cut from $250/month to $100/month.

Good ole Shrub has done it again. Cutting taxes, but saying that the people getting shot at are not worth $225 a month.

Also, on a side note. I have heard several times over the past few weeks reports of soldiers saying that they are more grateful for the people coming over on USO tours and their visits than the Turkey Bush brought. The president should make it over there as the commander in chief. It is his duty. The USO people are going over because they want to. To show real support for our troops.

God Bless them.

On The Road, or Travel's with Homer

First of all, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Mine was great.

Monday 12/22/03

Arrive at Harrison Street Greyhound Station. Way early. Oh well, that is travel paranoia me.

Meet Mark. An actor from St. Paul. We share a seat to Milwaukee. Over half the bus departs at Milwaukee, I bid Mark adeau and take over my own row of seat. This pleasure continues for th next 7 and one half hours as I make my way to Rochester, MN. Land of 'The Brain'.

Nothing of real excitment happens on the bus. No Carnies. No Drunks. Listened to a sad story from the people behind me...eaves dropping. Let us just say that domestic abuses are even more painful during holidays.

Hightened travel alert. Means zilch, except for LaCrosse Wisconsin of all places. They had what was either the local high school ROTC or the local National Guard at their bus station.

Hopped over the mighty muddy Mississippi. Instant snow....WEIRD.

Arrived in Rochester safely and all body parts intact at 7.15 pm. Ms. Mae is there to pick up this ragged soul.

We begin the 30 minute treck to Spring Valley Minnesota. With stops at Andy's Liquor to get a bottle of wine for her Grandparents, and Fleet Farm for a gift for her dad.

Safe arrival in SV.

Lots of stars in the middle on nowhere. Absolutley beautiful. I love the city, but I love the middle of nowhere about as much if not more. No asphault jungle. No go go go. Just space. Air. Breath. Life.

Play pool. Go to Bed.

Tues. 12/23

Do not do much really. Until afternoon, when I finally meet the gaggle of friends I have heard so much about. A rather jovial bunch. Good times and libations we had by all.

Wed. 12/24/03

Finally the night of the begining of the new covenant is here. For unto to us a child is given. Gloria, In exilsis Deo.

Make it through a Lutheran Christmas eve service witout getting strung up. Actually this was less formal that the last one I went to. More of a Carols and Lessons service.

Thurs. 12/25/03

Celebrate the day with Ms. Mae's family. Have a wonderful time. Meet new folks. See some fimilar faces. Tis a blessing.

At Don and Isabelle's house I enjoyed the confusion of the children as they passed out gifts, wondering who the new fuzzy guy is. Quite fun.

Friday 12/26/03

On the road, again at 8:00 am sharp. That was weird. And EARLY. Begin the treck from Srping Valley to Springfiled, IL via Iowa. WOW. There is a lot of it. Start by taking route 63 all the way to Waterloo. Just on the other side of a river we join I 380 all the way to Iowa City where we merge onto I-80.

On this section of the trip we managed to exit for some gas, and get behind an 18-wheeler. No big deal, except we are behind it on the off-ramp. And I notice that there is a big sign on the back of the truck saying that it is a truck driving trainee. The poor fellow turns on to the road at the top of the off ramp. Must have popped the clutch or something, because the dern thing stalls. Yep, here we are in Ms. Mae's mom's nice Impala on a kind of sharp curvy incline with a stalled semi in front of us. After a few moments of cold sweat he beings moving.

We make it to Springfield unscathed.

We arrive in the Patch about 2:30 and find out that my cousin is in town and dinner is planned for everyond...fantastic.

Dinner at The Fairview is great. Ms. Mae meets my cousin and her family, along with my grandparents cousin.

We share gifts, the three of us, mom, Ms. Mae and me.

Sat. 12/27/03

Sleep. Go to lunch with Mom. Got to the mall to get more toys with gift cards. Go to Movie. Sleep

Sun. 12/28/03

Church. See familiar faces. Have a nice time. Out to lunch with family. Nap. Dinner. The road to chicago.

1,011 miles total.

That was my tripp and experinece.

Peace to all

Final Respects

I my previous post I mentioned the passing of Sen. Paul Simon. The Suntimes today ran a great recap of his memorial service in Carbondale. Please read it if you get a chance. I have such respect for this great man.

"One last thing -- by George, you were a good man, Paul Simon." -- Sen. Dick Durbin

I have returned.

After a bit of a hiatus I am back, and will try to update this thing more regularly. I just have not been inspired.

But some recent happenings in the news have got me thinking (uh-oh here he goes).

Watching all the depressing and agrivating events of the past week (suicide bombings, mortar attacks, parents drowing childern, etc) got me thinking about a passage in the great book "Once and Future King." I read this book in highs school, so please bear with me here if my memory is a bit faulty.

General Drift: Merlin and a boy Artuhr are on one of there lessons, and they have become ants. While they are ants, Arthur notices that they will randomly attack each other. Merlin note that besides fire ants, the only animals that kill each other for no good reason (self-defense, etc) are humans.

So that has me thinking.

Humans are supposed to be suprieor to the other animals, and yet we disrespect each other with such malice that I have a hard time buying that. If humans are superior, why is there so much hate between different races, creeds, neighbors, families? I belive in the existance of evil, but sometime I get so upset at its growth that I want to give up.

Several times a day, I want to break down and talk some sense into people. I have my heart broken daily, because I can not put some change in the guys cup. I am moved to tears when I read articles in the paper about mans hatred towards man.

But on the flip side, I am moved to tears of joy by some simple acts of human decency, and I am thankful all...no most humans are not evil. I am thankful when I read of donations to shelters, cooking of meals, reconciliations of families. I rejoice when I hear of people taking care of their sisters.

But we hear more about the bad than the good. Maybe if we here more good, more good will happen.

-----

Another RIP

Senator Paul Simon died. I liked him. He retired before I could vote for him. But he cared for people. In fact he was the only democrat my dad ever mentioned in a quasi postive light.

You were a special man...I respect you.

Peace...I will be back sooner than later.

Tripp ain't alone

Tripp isn't the only famous one!!

Over the weekend, oh my god's video for Get Steady went online over at Asylum13.com. Check out the backstory about how the video came into being here. Then Check out the video itself...right HERE!

And here is a new way to watch The Matrix. Make sure the brower is open all the way.

Watch this...you need quicktime. this girl is only 3...and ... wow

Soul of a Whore


Just wanted to let everyone know that this weekend the Chicago Premiere of Denis Johnson's (author of the novel Jesus' Son) newest play, Soul Of A Whore, opens this weekend.


Here is a brief description of the play:

Set in our country's execution capital of Huntsville, Texas, this divine tragicomedy follows the travails of a jailbird TV preacher with a burdensome supernatural gift as he struggles with a demonic nemesis, and absentee boss, and his fragile flock consisting of his deranged ex-cellmate, a possessed stripper, and a needy Biker-for-Jesus with a mother on Death Row.

Paul Dillon (best know as Angelo/Cracker Jack from the TV show The Pretender) stars as The Reverend William Jennings Bryan Jenks.

This is the second of Denis Johnson's plays I have worked on. He is an amazing writer with a true gift for story telling. I have been working as the stage manager/bunch of other stuff for this show.



Peace

Spooky

So, I stood up to get off the eL this morning, and I was the tallest one around -- by at least 2 inches. (For those of you who don't know me, I am 5"6").

Freaky Man.

A wandering spirit caring for a multitude of just concerns, you are an instrumental power in many of the causes around you.

And so am I, very dangerous: more dangerous than anything you will ever meet, unless you are brought alive before the seat of the Dark Lord.

Gandalf is a character from the Middle-Earth universe. TheOneRing.net has a description of him.

Well, Well, Well

I haven't posted anything lately. So, here goes!!!

Cubbies

Well, they didn't win. Oh well. Yeah, it stinks. Yeah, they choked. You can't say they didn't...up 3 games to 1, and they lost it. They choked anyway you look at it. But they had a Tremendous season. Can anyone debate that?

I am glad they choked. This would have been a Cinderella year. The could have won the rings, but then what? Now, they have a fire in their guts. They know what it is like to be almost there. They will want it more than ever next year. My only armchair managment issues are that they need to get some relife pitcher that can save games. And Sammy needs to go.

I like Sammy. He is a good player, but the team is young. The don't neeed the distraction of a "superstar" player. They need to be a team...not Sammy and the Cubs, but rather just The Cubs. One of their best winning streaks was when Sammy was out in June. Look at it this way...How many rings does Barry Bonds have...0. Look at the teams who have won the rings in past years...is there a "superstar" among them. Not that I can think of.

The Dream Teams Bulls did the same thing. They were together for a few years before they started winning rings. The 2 or 3 seasons before the run began they got their butts kicked in the playoffs....with the same team that won the 6 rings.

My prediction...The Cubs with have 4 rings over the next 8 years. They have a fire now. They want it. Go Cubs.

(Please note: this all has been written by a Cardnial fan)

California

What can I say? The democratic process has officially been put on a downward spiral. The bitter Republicans have bought another election. Gray Davis was RE-ELECTED by the people.

OK...My beef is with the whole idea of recall to begin with. It makes a farce out of our entire process. What is the point of electing officials if you can recall them on a whim? All elected officials should serve their entire term, unless some major crime or treason has been committed. We, the people, need to learn that when you vote for someone, it is your voice that has been heard. If they are goofs, then there is nobody to blame but youself. You just need to wait till next time to fix the problem. By recalling you turn the process on its ear.

Other News

I am currently working on Soul of A Whore at the Viaduct Theatre. It is a really cool show. Once I get run dates. I will let you know.

Peace

Christopher Walken and Cake

Why Christopher Walken is the coolest person ever!!!!

You are "Welcome to the Caribbean, love."
You're more than a little world-weary, but also
intelligent and you keep your head when things
get dodgy. You're everybody's favorite
drinking buddy, but your stubbornness does get
in the way sometimes.


Which one of Captain Jack Sparrow's bizarre sayings from Pirates of the Caribbean are you?
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Hell Yeah


You are Morpheus, from "The Matrix." You
have strong faith in yourself and those around
you. A true leader, you are relentless in your
persuit.


What Matrix Persona Are You?
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Life Expectancy

Just Dew It!!

You are

Andrew

"So this is my redemption at last . . . I buy back my bruised soul with the blood of my heart."

What "Buffy" Character Are You?

Allergy Free Pets

Just Click here and sign up!!!!

Irony?

Kazaa, a file sharing website, is suing the RAII (the group suing the useres of such groups) for copyright infringment.

The English Languate

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in
waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer are in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe and the biran fguiers it out aynawy.

Sweet Home Chicago

According to MLB players...Chicago Rocks!!!

hmmmmm


You are Proverbs.


Which book of the Bible are you?
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Fur Faces

Fury Faces Rule!!!

Since I can't post pictures, Right now my beard us about half of Huw's before be went clean cut. Does this make me orthodox?

Just kidding.

Hell has frozen over

Congrats Kids...I love ya!

Kids

My inner child is one year old!

Everything is new to me. I like watching the world
go by around me, and I don't sweat the small
stuff--or the large stuff, either. Just so long
as I stay warm and safe and dry, life's pretty
good.


How Old is Your Inner Child?
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Hell has frozen over

Congrats Kids...I love ya!

And they walked off into the sunset...talking about what had been

Rest in peace, Johnny Cash and John Ritter.

The Man in Black
Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.

Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black.
-- Cash

Check it out.

My brother has posted a very cool thing about the friendships and atmosphere of his workplace. Please check it out...tis very cool.

News

oh my god has been picked up for national distribution of the their new record, Interrogations and Confessions, by WEA (that is Warnere/Electra). Congrats...good thins will happen.

Oh To Be Me

After Mae wrote her statement of belief, and Jane Ellen and I have been talking about Baptists, Tripp is always conjecturing, and Cliff philosophizing; I guess it is my turn to say what I believe ... for now. Tomorrow it will probably be totally different. But let today speak for today!

I believe in love. Love is the thing that connects us to each other. Love is that pain you get in your gut when you see someone hurting. Love is a gift everyone has, but many are afraid to show. Love is painful. Love is uplifting. Love is...

I believe in grace. Grace is a gift one receives and gives. Grace is that thing you extend to the bully who beat you up in 5th grade. Grace is forgiveness. Grace is freely given. Grace is not cheap. Once you receive grace you must work at extending that grace.

God is the creator Spirit who gives us these. God is the one who gave us free will. God is the ultimate expression of Grace and Love. God weeps. God laughs. God is among us. God is with the one who can not find love. God is with the ones who can not receive grace. God live with them. God is them. God is mom. God is dad. God is here.

Jesus is Godís Earthly manifestation. Jesus lives among us. Jesus was a man. Jesus is God. Jesus healed those who hurt. Jesus grieved with those who grieve. Jesus loved. Jesus angered. Jesus brought peace to those who needed it most. Jesus' death was for us. Jesusí pain was for us. Jesusí resurrection was for us. God did not need to prove his love. We needed him to prove it. Our culture of violence demanded a blood sacrifice to prove this love. Through Jesus we receive Godís grace and love.

The Spirit is Godís eternal presence on Earth. The Spirit is what some may call conscience. The Spirit is fire. The Spirit is water. The Spirit is Earth. The Spirit is the power of the moving river. The Spirit is the mother nursing a child. The Spirit is God on Earth.

The Word is divinely inspired writings. The Word is words of wise men. The Word is past. The Word is present. The Word is changing. The Word is a gift of The Spirit. The Spirit is God on Earth. The Word never closes. The Word heals.

The Church is the body of believers. The Church is many people. The Church is not the church. All are part of The Church. the church is where members of The Church go to worship. The Church is open. The Church welcomes. The Church holds us accountable. the church is held accountable. The Church loves.

I believe these may be expressed in different ways. I believe that The Spirit works in its time and its way. I believe I could be wrong. I believe I may be right. I understand what I do, and I let The Spirit lead me.

There...that is it. hmmmm.

Hey Tripp!!

With all your wacky postings. I thought this Harry Potter/Matrix hybrid would fit in nicely.

Thanks Zannah.

Request

Pray for Susan and her husband. They were in an accicent on Wednesday. She is ok. But he is in the hospital. He went into cardiac arrest on Thursday. He is in ICU now. Susan is a great person. She is one of the CSR I deal with on a nearly daily basis. Her husband has had some health problems that have parrelled what my dad went through. Please keep the O'Dell's in prayer as they struggle through this time.

Thanks

New

I have a new comment host...please feel free to use it...for Some reason YAACS has not appeared on my blog for awhile.