lost marbles

Diet Diary #1

2011-01-14T13:54:00.001-05:00

On January 4th I started the slow-carb diet, cheating on Saturdays with the goal to lose a little more fat.

Back in June in an effort to get back in shape, we began going to the gym again. While I began to gain some strength and size, one thing never really changed – the spare tire. Now, compared to some it’s more like a spare you might find on a Prius, but it was there nonetheless. And in spite of eating well and working out 4 days a week, it simply would not go away.

Starting weight on January 4th was 179.4. Now, of course weight isn’t the best way to measure progress, it is a way. Losing fat and gaining muscle will change both affect weight gain. Currently I have not lost any muscle. Workout has changed, more in an effort to change routine, though. As of the 14th, 10 days later, weight is 173.8. That’s a loss of 5.6 pounds in 10 days. Most of that is around my gut.

As far as the diet goes, I have eliminated dairy. That’s been the hardest part. I love cheese. The more the better. But as a bonus, my sinuses are almost completely dried up. In addition, I have cut almost all sugars (that means juices and fruits, I’m not a sweets eater – so no big deal there) and eliminated all enriched foods. I have increased green vegetable intake, eating chicken, pork, minimal red meat, some almonds, and protein shakes. I am also eating beans, black beans made with fresh garlic and sautéed peppers and onions are best for me. Topped with Tabasco and it’s perfect. I drink cold water (lots), coffee, and hot tea – green mostly. I am also taking green tea extract for it’s fat killing abilities.

The other effect that this has had so far, is that I don’t feel sluggish throughout the day. Simply put, I feel light on my feet and have a little more pep in my step. I don’t feel tired in the middle of the day. I tend to be a little hypo-glycemic, but have not had any issues now that the diet has changed and is regular.

I am committed to the diet for a minimum of four weeks. Then, I’ll re-evaluate.

So far, so good.

Gamefly Reviewed

2010-03-08T16:43:00.000-05:00

I recently decided to give Gamefly a shot. I joined Netflix quite a while back and like everyone else and really pleased with their service. Gamefly is the “Netflix” for video games. Again, I have been happy with the service, although I don’t think it is for all gamers.

THE GOOD: Ultimately, you get to play a ton of games that you may not otherwise play. Since having the Atari 2600 as a kid, I have bought games that ended up being horrible and have missed games that were awesome because I wasn’t sure. With Gamefly, you can try out all the games you are interested. If they are good, keep it as long as you are playing it. For me, some games no matter how good they are I may only play through once or twice. I currently have Bioshock 2 at home. It’s great and I am glad I could rent it. It’s a good game, but I don’t think I will play through it more than once. It’s very similar to the first. But I have it as long as I am playing and then it goes back. One the other hand, bad games like Stoked went back in the mail the next day. Or Dragon Age: Origins. I know people like that game, but I couldn’t get into it. It’s just didn’t hold me, so it also went in the mail.

To play a lot of games and different types of games, this is awesome and well worth the money. You will spend less then you would to buy the games and you can play many more than you would otherwise.

THE BAD: Now, I understand that games cost more than DVD’s, however, Gamefly is more expensive than I think it should be. 1 game plan is $16, where as with Netflix the 1 movie plan is $9.

The service for Gamefly is slow. With Netflix if you put a movie in the mail on Monday, you will receive the next in your queue by Wednesday. With Gamefly, it takes longer and sometimes much longer. For me, the turn around time has been at least a week. It will post in the account that a new one has been sent, but it is generally about 3 more days before it arrive at home.

You don’t always receive what’s next in your queue. You will receive something from your queue, you just don’t know what it is until it arrives. This is probably attributed to high price of games. The high price means that have a lower stock of all games, so you are sent whatever is next that they have in stock.

Finally, I am not able to sell games back to them. This has something to do with Florida. In other states you can sell games back to Gamefly much like you would with Gamestop. For some unknown reason, people in Florida are not allowed to do this. While this could be a good thing, for me it isn’t.

IS IT FOR YOU: If you tend to buy at least four games a year, then I think Gamefly is right for you and would recommend it, especially if you like a variety of games. There’s a 1 game, 2 games, 3 games, and 4 game plan. I can’t suggest anything more than the 2 game plan, though. The others just don’t make since. For me, I tend to play a game solely until it is complete. Any more than two games would just be overkill. With the slow turn around times and unpredictability in what you will receive, it just wouldn’t make since to have more than two at a time.

If you like to play a variety of games and will purchase 4 or more games in a year, this is definitely for you. If you only like one style of games, FPS’s for example, or solely play Modern Warfare, then don’t bother. It would be a waste of time and a waste of your money.

Things To Do in 2009 - Let's See

2009-10-21T14:42:00.001-04:00

So, I saw this post down the list and thought it was time to see how well I have done. There are two months left.

- Be patient - Working on it and improving. Trying to memorize Proverbs 15:18. I want to be more patient.
- Drink good coffee - yes! Coffeefool.com! You are the best.
- Read Predictably Irrational - Check
- Make time to ride my bike - Nope. Man I wish the Alafia State Park, I miss you.
- Video blog - some. see facebook.com/bryantjohnson
- Spend more time with my dad - did as much as i could. I was very blessed to have the time I did.
- Eat sushi and expand my palette - like twice. It was great. However, my palette still prefers pizza.
- Stop eating fried foods (at least for three months)- this has been easier than I expected. A job well done self.
- Read Disciplines each day - I wish I could say that did. Them problem with it is reading too many books at once.
- Publish materials - Check. GBOD.org.
- Return to the mountains - Check and double check. The smokies are awesome.
- Take another cruise - any venture capitalists want to pay for my wife and I to go? We'll think of a good business plan while we are away.
- Prepare more dinners - I think Tonya and I did do this.
- Date nights with Tonya - Sorry, baby. I wish we were doing more and I think we have done less.

A Jolicloud Review

2009-10-03T12:44:00.000-04:00

A few people have asked about Jolicloud and what I think about it, so here's a review. First, i was going to use ScreenToaster to record the review and show you around. But that presents one of the problems I had. Now, it should be said that Jolicloud is in the alpha stage, which means it has a long way to go. The beta stage is when things begin to really get distributed. I think it has a lot of potential.

Back to ScreenToaster, which allows you to record and capture video from your desktop to post and share online, runs on javascript. I never could get js to work or function. From what I can tell (and my knowledge of linux is minimal), it is not supported at this point.

I also ran into a problem with Adobe Air. Not Air itself, but uninstalling applications that run on the Air platform. Most applications within Jolicloud allow you to right click and select remove. But not the Air applications. I was specifically trying out the eBay app. I did find a way to remove the icon, but i really doubt that it removed the app. Again, this may be a issue with my limited knowledge of linux, but when i posted the question in their forums, I never receive and answer detailing how to do this.

The other issue that bothered me was the way some of the web based applications worked. They appear to be built upon a browser, but lack full browser capabilities. I frequently have multiple browser tabs open at once and go back and forth between them. For instance in facebook, rather than clicking and trying to find my way back to the same place in the newsfeed, I open everything inside another tab. At the time, this is not possible in the facebook ap or other web based apps. Of course you can use Firefox or Chrome to have the full featured browser, but then negates the purpose of the app.

The final problem I ran into was with Hulu. In Jolicloud, it seems to run slow for some odd reason. When i boot into XP Hulu runs fine and smooth, but in Jolicloud it is choppy and frequently stops to buffer.

Now, for the good. Jolicloud boots quickly. Without a doubt, it is fast on the load time which I appreciate on a netbook. Less boot time gives me more time to use my netbook. That means I am getting more time actually using it which is important.

I like the way you can install apps. Makes it simple for a newbie to linux to get up and running and have the things they need. Thunderbird for email, two browser options, Open Office for all your document needs, Songbird, Boxee, VLC Media Player and a few others all run natively. It is easy to get up and running with some good solutions to access all that you keep in the cloud.

I wouldn't suggest it for someone who is unsure, but if want to see what will be coming in the future for netbooks, this will give you a good look. I think they are onto something good and I will likely give it another shot once it makes it into beta or a final release. For now I will continue running XP for my main OS and may install Win7 in Joliclouds place.

Thanks.

2009-09-06T15:33:00.001-04:00

I am thankful for God’s grace and love in my life.
I am thankful for forgiveness.
I am thankful to have a team of volunteers who in the midst of crisis and at a moments notice are ready to take on all the responsibility.
I am thankful for volunteers who care about student’s lives.
I am thankful for volunteers in our youth ministry who place others first.
I am thankful for all those who commit even just an hour a week of their time so that others may know Christ.
I am thankful for all the support, cards, and hugs I received when my father passed away.
I am thankful for student leaders who are concerned about their peers and do all they can to help them come to know Christ.
I am thankful for parents who care enough to bring their children to church week after week.
And I am thankful for children who care enough about their parents to bring them to church for the very first time.
I am thankful for students who text the entire time I am talking and when I ask what was just said, they quote me word for word and expend on the theological indoctrination and the meaning of the original Greek language.
I am thankful for compliments and criticisms, I am sure there will be some when I am done, that remind me that I am on the right path.
I am thankful for the staff that function so well as a team, the support each other, and get behind the ministries, goals, and visions of the others.
I am thankful for the people who notice the little things like a new planted garden, an improved basketball shot (at least that’s what they tell me), and the hard work that goes into outpouring.
I am thankful for my wife, who sees beyond my deficiencies, to strengthen me.
I am thankful for my wife who reminds what it means to be beautiful and demonstrates what it means to love.
I am thankful for Tonya, who is committed to family.
Most of all, I am thankful for all that God has given me, family, a home, friendship, a companion, food, rainy skies, and the demonstration of his love through a son and for that coming alive in eyes of those who are with me today.

2009-01-16T00:50:00.000-05:00

Things To Do in 2009

2008-12-31T09:40:00.001-05:00

- Be patient

- Drink good coffee

- Read Predictably Irrational

- Make time to ride my bike

- Video blog

- Spend more time with my dad

- Eat sushi and expand my palette

- Stop eating fried foods (at least for three months)

- Read Disciplines each day

- Publish materials

- Return to the mountains

- Take another cruise

- Prepare more dinners

- Date nights with Tonya

The Star Wars Culture (PICS)

2008-09-24T23:33:00.001-04:00

Visiting big sites such fffound, Flickr and others, it becomes really obvious how huge Star Wars culture is. This is a endless source of inspiration. Just check these out. And enjoy, of course.

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Cancer #3

2008-08-13T11:47:00.001-04:00

So just as things were looking good, Dad gets more bad news. First and the most minor is that his blood tests on his kidneys are still a little abnormal, but not a major concern right now. It is still at a manageable level.

Second thing - about two weeks ago, his MRI came back showing a second tumor in his brain. This one is about 2cm in diameter. They will begin with some intense radiation therapy fairly soon. It has yet to be scheduled. Because this is totally unrelated to the last one, it is likely more will come about even after this one is destroyed. Hard to deal with, when he was healing so well from the first. Dad seems worried and tired. I know his med's are really wearing on him, too. He is frustrated that he continues to take an oral chemo pill and now has a second tumor come up. What's up with that? I am still trying to figure out how to feel about this. The emotions can be overwhelming at times.

Then, he just received the results from a prostate biopsy that also came back positive. Radiation treatments will begin on this area within the week or so, too. It's just crazy how much is coming at him at once.

Today, I am taking him to multiple scans and tests. These are to scan his entire body to find out if there is cancer anywhere else. We have no idea what will come from this. He should have results soon.

It's a difficult time... We just keep praying.

Three Days of Bahamas

2008-07-23T14:26:00.001-04:00

High School Mission Trip

The Methodist Habitat, Bahamas

7/15-17/08

Well, the journal each day thing didn’t quite work out so well. I thought about it, each day, but when it came to the end of the day and I was ready for bed, I was very tired and put it off thinking I would get to it in the morning. Didn’t happen. I believe I have settled into what we have labeled as “Bahamas Time”. And I think I would really like it here. Granted I would need to have my AC running constantly. The food is good. The people are great and friendly.

Now to Tuesday. Tuesday we divided into two crews. One headed off to finish one roofing project and then off to a second. The other crew stayed back to work concrete at the church across the street, do some weeding, and finish clearing the land for the church’s beach view. Our crew that stayed behind worked hard and diligently. We definitely had more people than work, but we spread it around and everyone pitched in well. This day was a little shorter and we knocked off at about 3pm. Dennis, a man who was helping with the concrete. Kept saying, “Take it slow. No rush, we’ll get the work done.” However, we came to work and wanted to get it done. We were quite getting it yet. The second crew went out to the first roof and finished the job. By lunch they had headed out to the next site ready to work. When the arrived, they did not have all the supplies needed and still needed a generator for power. Once that had all been gathered, they realized they had way too many people for the work, building rafters for a house. There just weren’t enough tools for everyone to be working all at the same time and many literally laid down on the job. They returned frustrated and upset that most of the day was wasted. I still thought that this might be a cultural issue rather than a preparation issue but it was feeling like the work was not prepared for us. Almost as if, the work was being thought of on the spot. What we find though is that it was just a cultural thing. Day three also ended with a dip in the ocean another wonderful dinner, bbq chicken, mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. All cooked Bahamian style.

Wednesday, day four. As we awoke this morning, Andre greeted us in the morning and stated that we would be divided by girls and guys. The guys were going out to the roofing site and the girls would remain behind. At first some of the group was bothered by this but they all adjusted well. The girls stayed back to organize the shed and clean up the house. They did an amazing job and when we returned it was cleaner than when we arrived. The guys all headed out to the house to finish building the rafters on this home. As we were getting ready to pull in, KP realized we had forgotten to pick up ice. We turned around and headed to a local fish camp. It was a quite nice tropical location. Lots of flowers trees and right on a creek. We sat and talked for about an hour, waiting to go off to work. The person with the keys to get the ice wasn’t there and we were waiting hanging out enjoying the conversation. After an hour had passed we decided to head on over to the work site. Once we arrived we again waited for a generator although KP found it and got it to us quickly. We are really beginning to notice that everything is just on their schedule. The really is no rush. As we ran out of wood for the rafters, we packed up heading out. The was a little for the remaining pieces, but KP said, “That’s another day’s work.” As we pulled out, there was a little bridge that the local jump off of into the creek. We stopped. We jumped. We swam. Returned home by about 3pm headed out to the shore and waited for dinner to be prepared. Tonight’s menu? Pork chops, and mac and cheese. Abraham had also arrived. He is the director of the Bahamas Methodist Habitat. So I asked about the slow pace. He explained like this. Think of the Bahamas as an endless summer. It’s always hot. You will always sweat. And tomorrow will always come. On a hot summer day, you just not in a rush to do anything, especially outside in the heat. This is the daily life. A gentleman, who lives on the beach next to the church, had worked on his boat each and every day we have been here. However, he only worked about an hour or so each day. The remaining time he sat by the boat and watched the water roll in. it all was really beginning to make since to me. I found comfort in it. Abraham shared that other groups struggled with this too. It really is a cultural difference. It has been a challenge for our group to really grasp this, yet they dealt with it well. it allowed for other interactions to take place. Most of our group has spent time playing with the local children in the evenings, something that would not have happened had we been exhausted at the end of the day.

Now, Thursday, day five. Again we divided into two groups. We took 8 out to finish the rafters and begin playing plywood and attaching hurricane shingles. The others stayed back to plant plants. There job didn’t take too long and they finished quite early. In Bahamian time, this was a hard day’s work, even though they were fully finished by 11am. The others were hard at work this day from the point of arrival until we left at about 3:30pm. We finished the last few rafter pieces, a team of about 4 laid plywood, and I, Koven, and Mr. Johnson attached hurricane straps. These are straps that help tie the roof down to the rest of the house to hold it on during the storms. Everyone worked hard and stayed on task. No matter how much or how little the work everyone on this trip worked as hard as they could and worked with excellence, wanting to show others how much they cared about them that they would take the time to do the best work possible for them. They did. All week they worked with excellence, both in their work and in their attitude. A couple of the girls even baked a cake to take back to an elderly woman whose home we had worked on. The final work day ended with another delicious dinner. This night was fresh, homemade bread and chicken wings. But not your mama’s chicken wings. I’m not sure what that means, but unless you mom is Bahamian; her wings are not as good as these. They were cooked with no sauce. Rather, they were cooked in water with onions, potatoes and salt and pepper. It created a juice for you to dip the bread in as you were eating the chicken. It sounds simple but without the Bahamian love, I’m not sure it’s the same. Our devotions were great this night, too. We took a look at John 15. Jesus calls his disciples friends instead of servants and sets forth the commandment to love each other. This is not en emotion of love, but an action of love. In all I have seen this week. Our group has show me what it means to be a servant, sacrificing all of their personal desires, time, and their selves to put love into action, to help out, to build, to work, and to build new relationships. We leave on Saturday and I will be sad to go. But I hope and pray that what was learned here is remembered and applied as we return back home.

Day 2

2008-07-22T11:14:00.001-04:00

High School Mission Trip

The Methodist Habitat, Bahamas

7/14/08

Day two started out a little slow. We probably could have slept in a little longer. Andre had said that we would get a slow start, but I still thought we would get moving fairly quickly. Some off our adjustment coming here is and adjustment to the lifestyle and the pace of life. We come from a world that we can get anything anytime at any point. We are Andros and learning that most of the Bahamas is not at all like Nassau, a large tourist area. Most of the island we are in, which is inhabited by about 6000 people is in a condition that we would call poverty. All the homes need work and not minor needs, like additional paint or an additional panel on the fence. But major needs like repairing leaking roves, sealing doors and windows, securing walls that appear to ready to fall are the norm. Anything less would be considered luxury. Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe’s are all just seconds away from our homes. For those here on Andros an item like a box of wood screws takes a day to secure. Most items are scarce, must be shipped in from Nassau, and are usually already sold by the time they arrive. I was told that the people here are about 2 years behind in getting repairs done. So, while we are ready to just get to work and get it done, all the supplies to do the work have been secured yet. We don’t have all that we need and it is difficult to get it. Yet, the people appear to be happy, sincere, and genuine. The community is friendly and always greeting us as we walk by or meet new people. Some of us worked on a roof waiting an hour to get started, others repaired a leaking roof, and some worked in the Methodist church across the street. We also cleared the dead brush behind the church so that the church again has a view of the beach. Speaking of which was beautiful. We all ended the day swimming in the ocean. Some snorkeled and found sea urchins and starfish. Our dinner on day two was fried fish, rice and peas (or maybe beans) and corn. The food was delicious. The fish, which some were hesitant to eat, was fried whole. It had been gutted but was fried whole. Head, tail, eyes and all. All as one, fried and served. And it was good! Homemade hot sauce and all. We closed the night out again together in devotion, sharing about the day, singing some songs, and sharing our thought about Luke 17: 1-10. Challenging stuff. It was a challenging day, but highly rewarding.

The Beginning

2008-07-21T02:18:00.001-04:00

High School Mission Trip

The Methodist Habitat, Bahamas

7/13/08

Day one began by the 19 of us meeting at the church to depart for the trip. We met at 8:30 to leave at 9pm. Koven came in just a little late thinking we were supposed to have met earlier. We left the church at about 9:30am. A little over an hour into the trip somebody requests for a bathroom stop. We needed to stop quick. Only this time it was a little different. The tables had turned. This time it was me, Bryant, requesting the stop. I felt bad, too. Usually I am the one who is asked to stop, and I tend to respond, “just a little while longer.” Just about 11:30am we stop for gas before getting to the airport. We have just West Palm. I wanted to make sure Traci and Cathy had enough to make it back. Well, as we pull into the gas station, we pop a tire. Knowing this could really set us back, we start making calls to churches, people we know, tire shops (not open yet), and then the airport. A shuttle was arranged and sent on their way to pick us up. In the meantime, we have got in touch with Tire Kingdom who can change the tire within the half hour. I try to call and cancel the shuttle service. They said they would arrive in 45 minutes, at this point I am realizing it is half an hour and as I look up they are pulling in. The bus has just left with all of our luggage and Jake. All the youth and adults are eating in the McDonald’s or Miami Subs next door. So, it’s just me, two shuttles, two drivers, hanging out. The youth all see the shuttle and I called Tonya and out came everyone. And off we go. Airport bound and one step closer now to our final arrival Andros, in the Bahamas. The luggage on the church bus arrives to the airport about half an hour after we do. We have checked in with our passports and received our flight tickets, which are just laminated numbers. We have all been weighed, gotten our luggage weighed and are now simply waiting to go. As we prepare to board the plane, I begin taking pictures. I know the plane will be small, but not sure how small. Well, it was about four foot in diameter, which is plenty to sit comfortably, but not enough for any of us to stand. You’ll see the pictures. We board the plane, select our seats, and wait. This small, claustaphobic size plane sits in line to take off for an hour, longer than the actual flight would take. While in the air the flight experiences some turbulence. Cue the girls. “Aghhhhhh!” Finally, our flight begins to land. We were able to look out the front to see the landing strip. Actually, look out the windshield. This was actually pretty cool. We land at an airport that likely sees one flight a day. They said that rarely is there more. We sat in customs, filled out paperwork and began looking for the gentleman; we would come to know as Andre. Nowhere to be found. So, I ask for a local phone to call his cell. As the lady in the customs office sees the area code she exclaims, “You’re on the wrong island.” Huh!? We actually did land where the itinerary stated. We were in the right place and the wrong place at all the same time. We were on the south end of Andros, which we should have been on the north end. This is what a slight miscommunication can lead to. Being islands, we needed a boat to make the distance. The customs agent begins making calls. She says, “I found a boat to take you there, it will cost $800. Do you want it?” Not having a spare $800 on me I said that we needed to speak to Andre first. He said he would take care of it, but we would still need to pay $75 for the three cabs to get us to the dock. I had that and on our way we went. This would take nearly two hours to arrive. However, a blessing in disguise. We did not have any boat rides planned and at this point the sun was beginning to set. A sunset cruise in the Bahamas? What could be better? We finally arrive at Fresh Port. Andre is on his way to pick us up and to take care of our boat fare. He brings two buses and we load up to go. Interesting thing is that they drive on the left side of the road, but almost all the cars are American built and have the steering wheel on the left side, too. It makes it really hard to tell where the oncoming traffic for those that are new to this. Finally, arrive to Camp Makepeace just before 10pm. What should have only been a four hour trip, now had taken us 13 hours. Yet, we arrive warmly welcomed by smiling faces who are excited to see us, have prepared our dinner, spaghetti (delicious, too) and it is still warm. As we looked back over the day’s events and the surprises along the way, everyone had fun. Every felt a peace about them. While some got frustrated, it never showed. They knew that in the hearts, they were here because they wanted to serve. What took place was different than we expected, but everywhere we were blessed.

Mountain bike Sweetness

2008-07-07T21:38:00.001-04:00

Sweet video of a session in Utah. These guys built a mini park complete with various jumps and stunts. Family Day at the Park from piton productions on Vimeo.

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summer is almost here

2008-05-28T16:18:00.002-04:00

as i have been working on our programs for this summer, i find myself wondering at times if there is too much going on. sometimes we pack our schedules so full of stuff, that we are just busy. we lose sight and we lose perspective on who we are and what we are about. i have to keep that as a caution ahead of me. if i am not well, what i am doing won't be done well. we have our regular stuff going on: small groups, jr high and high school nights. during the summer we also add a movie night, mission day, and beach day to the regular routine. we also have two camps and a high school mission trip, all a week long. we kick it off with a huge school's out party and end it with outpouring and a trip to busch gardens.

with all that is going on and my commitment to what i do, i am reminded of even stronger commitments to myself, my wife, and to God. these must come first. i intentionally take fridays off to spend time in those areas. i truly believe that if i maintain and develop even stronger relationships is those areas what i do in ministry will have an even larger impact than what i can imagine, not that i am great or good, but because God is great and good. if am just busy, i won't rest, i won't be focused, and i will move slow and lack patience, rendering me quite useless to say the least. yet, if i am fresh, energized, and growing, much more will be accomplished because of it. obvious i know, but much easier said than done.

halo tournament and gaming

2008-05-26T08:42:00.000-04:00

many people have different thoughts about hosting a halo tournament at a church. many of our youth play video games (there are 350 to start with), and it is a good way to connect with them. in fact at our tournament today, we have had quite a few register a team who have rarely come to any other program events. what a great thing it is, when we are willing to meet others where they are at to connect. we should be in the world, but not of it.

i personally have been playing games since i was about 5 years old. i remember my father coming home with an atari 2600 with one of the greatest games at the time, asteroids. i was hooked. we played asteroids, missile command, and breakout for hours. since then i have owned the nes, super nintendo, nintendo 64, playstation, dreamcast, gamecube, and for a few years now the xbox 360. yes, i prepaid for my 360 and picked it up on launch day. the 360 offers so much from game downloads, to movies, streaming from the pc, and windows live. it is on more often than just the tv in our house. i also play game on my pc. not as much since the 360. but loved battlefield vietnam and battlefield 2, command and conquer series, especially generals, and of course all the games from valve. this is something i have grown up with and enjoy doing. i would rather play than watch tv. it is interactive and entertaining. i am currently playing quite a bit of cod4 with a bunch of seminary students (friends of my brother in law) from north carolina right now.

now, i do think as with anything, that we should be aware and careful about what we put into our heads, games, movies, books, music, etc. i don't think that nay of these forms of media cause bad to happen. people cause bad things to happen. however, parents should know what their children are playing and decide what is allowable. there are games that young children and even early teens should not play, but there are also great alternatives.

back to the tournament. today's setup is four man teams. all games will be played on original maps (pre-selected or random) and normal setup. the games will the best out of 3 and winner moves on. loser will move into the losers bracket. each 1st place team member will win a 3 month subscription to xbox live.

remembering

2008-04-28T09:50:00.002-04:00

this memorial day we should be remembering the soldiers who have died in war. we should also celebrate those who are fighting now, our friends and family.

i looked up my uncles name, george johnson, on the online vietnam memorial. he died while fighting in quang tri with the marines.

the best messages are from star wars

2008-04-23T23:05:00.001-04:00

some good gardening tips

2008-04-14T17:45:00.001-04:00

earth hour

2008-03-29T12:42:00.001-04:00

retelling the story

2008-03-24T21:19:00.000-04:00

Star Wars is back! New movie August 15.

2008-03-15T22:35:00.001-04:00

Lucas offered a glimpse into the latest creation in his sci-fi universe at the theater-owners convention ShoWest on Thursday, showing a sequence from "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," due in theaters August 15.

read more | digg story

2008-03-04T16:03:00.002-05:00

this video is symbolic of my fathers strength and struggle with brain cancer.
james 1:2-8

read more about ann's story.

SNL digital short: the mirror

2008-03-03T08:57:00.001-05:00

this is really funny.

indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull

2008-02-14T13:18:00.001-05:00

Watch the Trailer on Yahoo! Movies

24 chapters in 24 days

2008-02-12T09:39:00.001-05:00

i will be joining each person who took on the challenge this week; to read 24 chapters of luke in 24 days. starting monday 11th, you should have read chapter one and today chapter two, completing the entire book one chapter at a time on march 5th. if you do it, dinner is yours!

when are your favorite shows coming back on?

2008-02-12T09:34:00.000-05:00

film school rejects posted a list of tv shows and when they will return yesterday. quite a few will be filming new episodes to be aired in april, while quite a few others will not return until next fall, and others not at all. there are also a few that are still up in the air.

read here for more info on what the details are of the new contract the writer's are expected to are on.

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Now playing: Jack Johnson - Angel
via FoxyTunes

dad, february 6th, 2008

2008-02-07T01:38:00.000-05:00

This past Monday my father returned to see his surgeon and oncologist. As he has been he is recovering well from the surgery. They removed half of the staples from his head and plan to remove the remaining next week. The surgeon said that the wound is healing nicely. Dad continues to feel dizzy, however. Some of that is caused by the surgery he endured and some is caused from the seizure medication he is taking. I am not sure what it is, but that is one of the side-effects. He was having an additional MRI this week to plan for the radiation and the oncologist has set up a schedule for treatment. He will begin his radiation treatments on Wednesday February 13^th. Chemo is schedule to start at the same time with oral treatment. I will be trying to get back down once that begins. His particular type of cancer is Glioma Astrocytoma. Those are a couple of big words for brain cancer.

His email tonight said “all I can do is lay around from one chair to another and watch the boring TV.” He sounds good when I talk to him, but I know he is feeling worse than he shares. I respond much in the same way. But you can hear it in his voice. It stirs the range of emotions in me too. I find myself very angry at times. This is not easy for any of us.

Here's an article that was written about him recently in the Naples’s Daily News. Dad’s been writing articles about once a month for the paper’s faith section sharing childhood memories and his deeper sense of connection to God. This time the article was written for him. It will give you some insight into the man I call Dad.

what they play

2008-02-06T13:26:00.000-05:00

one of the ongoing questions i get in youth ministry is what do i think about "X" video game? is it safe? is it appropriate? i am glad to see that a web site has been developed to help parents figure out what the ESRB ratings mean, what certain warnings have been given to the game, and what the actual reference is. it appears as though this will be a great tool for parents to use when buying new games.

the site is whattheyplay.com. it distinguishes itself by having writers who have played through the game to explain exactly why a rating has been given. for instance cooking mama 2, for the DS, has an alcohol warning because she refers to cooking with it.

this is a great reference for parents who are looking to purchase a new video game but are unsure what is appropriate.

the hawaii chair

2008-01-31T21:01:00.001-05:00

just came across this little gem. i know some people are probably struggling with the new year's resolution to maintain a regular workout schedule. this has got to be the prodcut to turn all of that around. introducing the hawaii chair.

oldschool

2008-01-29T21:39:00.000-05:00

i got the itch to sit down and watch some old school skateboarding videos. so, i sat down and watched the bones brigade video show, future primitive, and animal chin. as i watched the old videos and i look at today's skateboarding, rodney mullen was doing things in the 80's people still aren't doing today. he invented tricks, perfected tricks, and can do things the average skater can't do. you can read about him n wikipedia, too.

here's a couple videos i found. from his attire, this is in the 80's for sure.

this is a best of compilation.

here's a few more on youtube.

you can find some more on what appears to be an unofficial mullen site.

thanks for boarding this train down memory lane.

saturday 1/26/08 update

2008-01-26T22:58:00.000-05:00

I changed the subject line this time because I kept typing in the wrong day, although I did have the right date. I still can’t get it right. I hope it didn’t confuse anyone too much. So this is the third installment with updates about my father. All great stories have been told in trilogy’s. So like George Lucas, I will wrap it up in this third email. However, you never know, there may be more to come.

Today, Saturday, Dad was in great spirits. He had been up and eating real food. They got him out of bed and into the chair in his room. This was partially because they wanted to get him up a little today and partially to prepare him to move to his room and out of ICU. That would take quite longer than expected. We arrived to the hospital just before noon. He had some other visitors come by from the church. We ate lunch in the café’ and found the waiting room had been freshened with new magazines. We decided since he was still in ICU that we were no longer going to abide by the 3 in the room at a time. Today we took in 4. At one point we even had seven. But Susan, Tonya and I sat with him until dinner. He called at about 9:30pm and said that they had just moved him into his room on the sixth floor.

Dad is feeling great, sitting up and laughing. He is happy watching college basketball and reading his woodworking magazines. I think the most frustrating thing will be not being able to drive his couple of month old Rav4. He has mentioned that quite a bit recently. He is taking medicine now to prevent seizures. He had been having petite mal seizures from the pressure of the tumor. He won’t be allowed to drive again until those have completely subsided. He will begin radiation and chemotherapy in 2 weeks. The radiation will last for 6 weeks. He will go in 5 days a week at 10 minutes at a time. His church members are beginning to sign up to drive him to and from treatment, allowing Susan to return to work. The chemo will begin at the same time. It will be the oral type so the doctor is expecting that he won’t be sick from it.

If everything goes as well as it has, Dad should return home on Sunday. I know he is excited about that and his dog will be too.

Again, thank you for your support, encouragement and support. Please continue to keep my father in your prayers. While the crisis period is over, the fight is not. The battle will go on. It’s been a long weekend, stressful at times, but I don’t think it could have gone any better than it has. Dad’s recovery has been better that we could have ever have hoped for.

God’s grace is abundant.

friday 1/25/08 update

2008-01-25T20:59:00.000-05:00

Today was much like a long day on a youth trip. We went to bed after midnight and needed to leave the house at 5am to get my father out to the hospital on time. Little sleep, no shower as I am not a morning person, going all day long, eating fast food, lots of coffee, getting a pimple, and trying to keep with others made me feel right at home.

The doctors got him right in and prepped for surgery as soon as we arrived. The nurses and doctor were great. He got into surgery about an hour late because of some other things going on in the hospital. Surgery went great and in just over an hour and a half, dad was back into the recovery room awake and moving his fingers and toes. Before we were able to get in to see him, the doctor came to give us the news. Some good, some bad. The good is that dad was recovering well, in good spirits, and recovering as well as they could expect. However, based on what he had seen in the past (actual biopsy results will come back Monday) the tumor was a 4. If you don’t know what that means, it’s the worst type. Because of this, the doctor believes that the cancerous tissue is spread throughout his brain, the extent of which is unknown. While they removed the entire tumor, they will continue with chemotherapy and radiation. These will start in two weeks. The radiation will last for 6 weeks and the chemotherapy for as long as he can continue with it. The doctor shared that is working with another that has been on it for over 5 years now and doing well. It was tough news to hear. Tears fell and out hearts hurt. It is difficult to take in and understand what that does and doesn’t mean. As we have witnessed already, dad has been the strongest person throughout all of this short week, which has been more of an encouragement to us than I think we have been for him.

We got to go see him shortly after the doctor shared that news with us. While my dad was in pain, he was already joking around. We spent about 30 minutes with him before letting him get back to rest. As I was leaving I bent down and kissed him on the cheek. He responded by saying, “well you don’t have to ever worry about me being gay, because I could never get used to being poked with your whiskers.” Dad has a very dry humor and is always working on a joke. He believes as I do, just keep going after the joke and eventually one will be funny. For some of you, my humor is beginning to make since.

We remained at the hospital for the remainder of the day and spent some more time with him this afternoon. He was watching Rachel Ray, drinking Diet Coke, and keeping his hand warm by holding Tonya’s. His vitals were normal. He was tired but talking and sharing and glad to have company. They are keeping him in ICU through the night and plan to move him to his own room tomorrow. If all goes well, they expect to send him home on Sunday. I would never had imagined the initial recovery would be so quick. He is a strong man and has exemplified who I want to be in time of crisis. His faith remains strong and reminds us that God is control.

Thank you for all of your prayers and your messages today. We shared those with dad and he appreciates it all.

Thanks. Take care and more tomorrow.

thursday 1/24/08 update

2008-01-24T23:41:00.000-05:00

Tonya and I, my sister, Dawn and her younger son, Devin, all arrived this evening at my father’s home in Bonita Springs. If you had not been caught up at this point, earlier this week, doctors discovered he has a brain tumor and decided to remove it on Friday.

Tonight, his lay leader organized and planned a prayer service for him at the church. The pews were all full. As Dad was sharing what was going on with the congregation he joked about it taking a brain tumor to fill the seats with everyone at once. He is in great spirits and as he shared with the congregation a few words, we saw a man who was confident in his faith in God, stood with strength, and prepared for his surgery in the morning. He goes to the hospital at 5am and surgery will begin at 7:15am. The expect it to take between 1 and 2 hours and will be in ICU through Saturday.

We have a lot of questions about side effects, about malignancy, and recovery time. We will know much about these things once the surgery is complete. Until then, we will follow my dads lead and remain confident in the doctor’s ability and in God’s hand in the situation. Please keep the situation in your prayers as we go through this weekend.

Thanks and we will update you again later.

paradigms of youth ministry

2008-01-23T23:23:00.000-05:00

at the large church initiative today, i sat in a class that was discussing the need for a new paradigm of youth ministry in the united methodist church. this need is due in large that there is little education specific to youth ministry (outside of a few good books) or specific about how to do youth ministry and all the tasks that come with it. many people go into a career of youth ministry with the passion and desire and receive little or no training prior to being placed in the position. we know that most people don't last more than 2 years in youth ministry on average and many move on long before that. in the methodist church there is a great standard set for pastors to be ordained and to take lead in a church. yet, for other church staff there is very little education offered and what is available is difficult to receive, unless you go back to school full time again. the methodist church should set a minimum standard for its youth ministries. this will bring quality to the ministry and quality to the spiritual growth. it will also give the church a higher level of integrity. but the church's should get involved in helping to make this training and education available. i think this is the beginning of a conversation that needs to continue. it will take quite some time for this idea to be moved into action and will need to continue throughout the denomination.

now this is a jump

2008-01-20T23:52:00.000-05:00

might not be the record, but good enough i would say.

my love languages

2008-01-18T02:03:00.001-05:00

The Five Love Languages

My Primary Love Language is Quality Time

My Detailed Results:
Quality Time:	10
Words of Affirmation:	8
Acts of Service:	7
Physical Touch:	3
Receiving Gifts:	2

About this quiz

Unhappiness in relationships is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. It can be helpful to know what language you speak and what language those around you speak.

Take the Quiz!

a few shots from christmas

2008-01-09T21:57:00.000-05:00

spirit

my mom and i

my dad and his wife

tonya and i

outpouring speaker for 2008

2008-01-08T16:26:00.000-05:00

jason gant, director of student ministries at church of the resurrection in kansas city, will be sharing the scriptures with us at outpouring in august 2008. take a listen a recent sermon he gave at their youth group.

if you would like to see more, check out their videos at blip.tv.

how much is this blog worth?

2008-01-05T23:43:00.000-05:00

My blog is worth $1,129.08.
How much is your blog worth?

it's not much, but i'll take it.

leadership interview

2007-12-30T22:18:00.000-05:00

i was recently interviewed about my thoughts on leadership for a student's class project. here's what came from that discussion.

2nd day at the park

2007-12-21T18:00:00.000-05:00

i went to the park of melbourne which is an indoor skatepark, built by team pain. high noon was the perfect time. i had the bowl all to my self. now at 32 years old, and on my second trip i started get a little feel for it again, while carving the bowl and pulling off some 50-50's. i may have to fit this into my routine.

reflections for christmas

2007-12-18T14:47:00.000-05:00

with christmas coming so quickly this year, i have been reminded at a few different times to experience christmas this year. yet, as i say that tonya and i have only dinner together at home once since december 3rd. as i look at the calendar today, it will be that way until we return home after christmas, even on our anniversary. i truly value the time that she and i have together at home. i enjoy a quiet evening and as i look at my calendar, it has not been fair to her to have had some much happening during this season. i will need to make some changes next year.

often the celebration of the season is lost in the busyness of the season. i want to be able to just be at home for christmas and enjoy that time together. at the same time i have had some quiet reminders of what the holiday is about. giving because of what was given. it makes think of all the ways others have given to me throughout this past year. tonya gives to me in some great ways. she is patient with me. she adjusts for me. she takes care of things, so that i don't have to be concerned about it. she protects me and watches out for me. and she loves me in ways that make me feel great in all the little things she does.

she reminds me of what christmas is about. it's not about the busyness and going to all the parties. it's not about giving gifts because that person gave you a gift and you just have to reciprocate. it's giving freely because of the love you have for others. it's giving without expecting a return. it's giving of that surprise gift that was never expected. it's thinking of what makes others happy and spending time doing those things. it's giving not just of things but of yourself. it's giving because of what was given.

tekzilla daily talks of vista sp1

2007-12-18T14:30:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas

2007-12-17T21:36:00.000-05:00

in the spirit of Christmas, this song and dance was made special for you.

why so serious?

2007-12-17T11:23:00.000-05:00

the dark knight trailer is now available for viewing. it is also available to download in HD. looks great.

Cool Stuff: 30 Years of LucasFilm Christmas Cards

2007-12-14T10:13:00.001-05:00

For the last 30 years, Lucasfilm has created special holiday Star Wars greeting cards for its employees and business partners. Check 'em out!

read more | digg story

many faces of the castle.

2007-12-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

these were all taken on the eve of december 3rd, 2007.

illusion portrait made in halo 3

2007-12-06T13:00:00.000-05:00

here's the link to the flickr page. this was made using the forge editor in halo 3. it took me quite a while to finally see it. there is a face in the pic. do you see it?

2007-12-05T14:47:00.001-05:00

don't forget what the season is all about.

xbox 360 #4 & 5

2007-12-02T22:03:00.000-05:00

as you may remember from my earlier posts that xbox #2 died back in february. well, to resolve that situation, i bought xbox #3 with the extended warranty plan at best buy. this would allow me to replace the xbox 360 on the same day that it breaks. notice i didn't say if it breaks. xbox #2 was sitting on a shelf in a closet still broken.

this summer microsoft, generously decided to extend their warranties on the hardware to two years. seemed reasonable and expected. with this news i called the service center and recieved a shipping box in the mail to have it repaired again. on the original machine that is the second repair. when i received it back, i was actually sent a new xbox completely. i discovered this by the manufacture date on the rear of the machine. we will call this one xbox #4.

now, yesterday, december 1st, 2007 xbox 360 #3 also died. this time, i took it back to best buy and it was replaced with no hassle, same day, for xbox #5.

i would definitely recommend buying the extended warranty on this product. it is highly likely that it will die at some point. the extended warrant cost $38 at best buy for two years and save you the convenience on sending it out to be sent back - about a 2 week process. eliminates the down time. to me, it was worth it.

here's what it looks like:

you can read about it through microsoft's support page. their support phone number is 1-800-4MY-XBOX.

so xbox #4 (the repair by microsoft) is now being used. how long will it last? no idea. however #5 is in waiting, sitting quietly in its box, prepared to fill in as soon as it is needed.

tin man trailer

2007-11-30T20:13:00.000-05:00

good, bad? we'll see. looks like it could be a really good retelling of the original "wizard of oz."

now this is a speedbump

2007-11-27T21:42:00.001-05:00

i believe that this is in german. i don't know what is being said, but the video is pretty funny.

your computer randomly plays "fur elise"

2007-11-27T21:37:00.000-05:00

i can't believe this is real. but if your machine ever just randomly plays "fur elise" the truth of the matter is that your CPU fan has failed. you should get it serviced. here's the actual microsoft help and support page on the issue.

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Now playing: DL.TV - dl.tv 205 Nov 22, 2007: OBDII Scanner, Mass Effect and More!
via FoxyTunes

all of star wars in one pic

2007-11-27T09:44:00.000-05:00

this is just awesome. now, if it would come as a poster i would have to buy it. for now, it will do as my desktop background.

5 Best Things to Say When Caught Sleeping at Your Desk:

2007-11-26T09:28:00.001-05:00

submitted by Liz Kroll

5. "They told me at the Blood Bank this might happen."

4. "This is just a 15 minute power nap they raved about in the time management course you sent me to."

3. "Whew! Guess I left the top off the Whiteout. You probably got here just in time."

2. "Did you ever notice sound coming out of these keyboards when you put your ear down real close?" And the NUMBER ONE best thing to say if you get caught sleeping at your desk...

1. Raise your head slowly and say, "...in Jesus' name, Amen."

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows

2007-11-22T08:19:00.000-05:00

i have now finished book 7 in the series. first let me say this is greatest set of books i have read. i haven't read many novels, but this was amazing! i began with the first book in june and finished the final chapter this week.

prior to beginning the i made a couple of predictions. 2 came out right and the one completely wrong. i did share these with others before i started reading the book.

SPOILER ALERT! as if you haven't read this book yet.

the first was that harry potter would have to sacrifice himself to die for others to live. TRUE. this was easy to guess. i had heard that j.k. rowling was religious and the themes in the book illustrated her beliefs. the only magic harry knew the voldemort didn't was love. the greatest love is this, that one would lay down his life for another. it had already happened with his mom and now it was his turn. while he was resurrected, he died to save others. his heart was full of sacrifice.

number 2. severus snape was good and killing dumbledore was a part of the plan. TRUE. i wasn't sure of the details, but i knew it had to be true. dumbledore trusted snape and we as the reader were supposed to, too, even if we didn't know what was happening. i just felt like there had to be a reason. he wouldn't just kill dumbledore. however, it is our nature to see the worst in things and not the good. a friend who was reading this at the same time, told me i was crazy for thinking this.

finally, number 3. dumbledore would come back to life. FALSE. i just knew he would return. he couldn't be gone that easily. now, at the end of the series his death didn't seem to abrupt. we did see him in the picture frame and harry talked with him while he was dead. but, dumbledore did not come back to life like i thought he might.

purple and brown

2007-11-16T09:29:00.000-05:00

one of the simple pleasures of life. purple and brown.

fast food and nutrition

2007-11-12T21:31:00.001-05:00

those are two thing we know don't go together. but how bad is it for you? the overwhelming truth is the more of what you don't want in your food than what you do want. but take a look through the charts and see just how bad it is for you. i guess we shouldn't be surprised.

Strike Chart

2007-11-12T21:28:00.001-05:00

wondering how long your favorite show will remain on the air in the midst of the writer's guild strike. today, i came across the strike chart. the most interesting or depressing is that the office season will end with the next show aired. ouch! the chart gives you a list of sows that are on and how long you can expect to see new shows. it's easiest to say that within the next 2-3 weeks this season will end for all of your favorite shows.

about me

2007-11-12T12:59:00.000-05:00

this email was going around our church staff and contemporary worship team so i thought i would join in and see if anyone else responds. here are my responses.

A) Four jobs I have had in my life*

1. frozen food stockboy (stockperson to be pc)
2. juvenile counselor charlotte county sheriff’s office
3. head lifeguard
4. youthdirector

B) Four movies I would watch over and over:

1. star wars
2. gladiator
3. good will hunting
4. legend of bagger vance

C) Four Places I have lived:
1. tampa
2. Englewood (up to no good)
3. plant city – land of the strawberries, they are so good stay away from the festival
4. madison

D) Four TV shows that I watch

1. the office – writer’s guild strike = fired a bunch of people
2. the unit
3. chuck
4. heroes – season ends abruptly on December 11th

E) Four places I have been on vacation
1. st maarten
2. grand canyon – it’s big
3. paris
4, Ashville, nc

F) Four People who e-mail me regularly:
1. spammers
2. phishers
3. advertisers
4. jay

G) Four favorite foods:
1. pizza – even bad pizza is pretty good
2. blackened chicken pasta (made by yours truly)
3. moe’s joey bag of doughnuts – it’s a burrito
4. grilled pastrami and swiss on rye

H Four places I would rather be right now:
1. mountain biking again at Alafia state park
2. on a cruise with tonya sitting in the hot tub on the back of the boat watching the sunset
3. playing halo 3, anyone else?
4. eating lunch

I) Four friends I think will respond:*
1. no one, likely
2. someone, unlikely
3. everyone, least likely
4. someone who asks what phishing is, most likely

Mass Effect Video Preview

2007-11-09T13:59:00.001-05:00

The video describes the story of what will be one of the greatest Xbox 360 games this year.

read more | digg story

more thriller

2007-11-08T23:20:00.001-05:00

Final Fantasy: Thriller

Posted Nov 23, 2006

The Cast of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within get their groove on to Michael Jackson's epic pop masterpiece.

good speech from former president bill clinton

2007-11-06T21:39:00.000-05:00

read more about the speech and find about empower change.

starbucks keyword search

2007-11-05T20:25:00.000-05:00

using google analytics, anyone can track usage on their website, blog, etc. after posting about having an extra starbuck's "song of the day" there was a plethora of searches that brought people by here. the searches contain similar words but in all kinds of forms. here's a few.

free starbucks song of the day codes
starbucks song of the day codes, blog
starbucks song of the day
free starbucks song of the day code
starbucks song of the day code
starbucks song of the day codes
free starbucks song codes
starbucks song code
starbucks song codes
starbucks song of the day
free starbucks code
free starbucks songs
starbucks song day
"starbucks song of the day" code
starbucks songs codes
"free song of the day" itunes starbucks
"song of the day" mp3
"song of the day" code
"starbucks" and "song of the day"
codes for free starbucks songs
codes from starbucks song of the day
free song of the day at starbucks
free starbucks card
free starbucks codes
starbucks "song of the day"
starbucks code song
starbucks itunes "song of the day" code list
starbucks song of the day blog
the code for free starbucks song
what is code for free starbucks song of the day

there were a few more, too. i couldn't believe that all of this traffic was driven here after a single post. it's also amazing to see all the variations of the same search. i don't think i could come up with so many on my own.

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Now playing: Starfield - Obsession
via FoxyTunes

the writers guild strike

2007-11-02T21:54:00.000-04:00

i was wondering what kind of impact the writers guild strike would have would have.

"There is a lot of tension in Hollywood right now.

It’s been discussed for the past few months, but it looks like it just may become a reality. The Writer’s Guild of America very well may begin to strike as early as Monday. They voted by more than a 90% margin to allow their leaders to launch a walk-out. Sure, this sounds like it’s a bad thing, but I don’t think many people actually understand what is going on and how this will effect entertainment in their daily lives."

for the entire article and to begin to understand what is going on, check this article out at filmonic.com

24 season 7 trailer

2007-11-01T10:00:00.001-04:00

vanity search

2007-10-31T10:19:00.000-04:00

i decided to do a search for bryant johnson on facebook and see what came up. while i first on the search results, i found that there are 59 additional "bryant johnson" profiles on facebook. crazy! i have never met another "bryant johnson", however i did know of one in plant city who went to the same doctor. we got mixed up on paperwork one time but he was in his early 50's with heart disease. definitely not me.

dance trooper

2007-10-29T20:35:00.000-04:00

sunrise, san diego, october 23rd, 2007

2007-10-24T21:30:00.000-04:00

You know you're a Floridian if...

2007-10-24T10:08:00.000-04:00

Socks are only for bowling.

You never use an umbrella because you know the rain will be over in five minutes.

A good parking place has nothing to do with distance from the store, but everything to do with shade.

Your winter coat is made of denim.

You can tell the difference between fire ant bites and mosquito bites.

You're younger than thirty but some of your friends are over 65.

Anything under 70 is chilly.

You pass on the right and honk at the elderly, but p! ull ove r for a funeral.

You've driven through Yeehaw Junction.

You could swim before you could read.

You have to drive north to get to The South.

You know that no other grocery store can compare to Publix.

Every other house in your neighborhood had blue roofs in 2004-2005.

You've gotten out of school early on Halloween to trick or treat before it got dark.

You know that anything under a Category 3 just isn't worth waking up for.

You dread lovebug season.

You are on a first name basis with the Hurricane list. They aren't Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances...but Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne.

You know what a snowbird is and you don't like them.

You know why flamingos are pink.

You think a! six-foot alligator is actually pretty small.

You were twelve before you ever saw snow, or you still haven't.

"Down South" means Key West

"Panhandling" means going to Pensacola

Flip-flops are everyday wear. Shoes are for business meetings and church.
No, wait, flip flops are good for church too, unless it's Easter or Christmas.

Sweet tea can be served at any meal.

An alligator once walked through your neighborhood.

You smirk when a game show's "Grand Prize" is a trip or cruise to Florida.

You measure distance in minutes.

You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and one sweatshirt.

You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls.

All the local festivals are named after a fruit.

A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level.

You think everyone from a bigger city has a northern accent.

You know the four seasons really are: almost summer, summer, not summer but really hot, and February.

It's not soda, cola, or pop. it's coke, regardless of brand or flavor,
"What kinda coke you want?"

Anything under 95 is just warm.

You've hosted a hurricane party.

You go to a theme park for an afternoon, and know when to get on the best rides. (Space Mountain during the Electric Light Parade!)

You understand the futility of exterminating cockroaches.

You can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee, Ichnatucknee and Withlacoochee

You understand why it's better to have a friend with a boat, than have a boat yourself.

Bumper stickers on the pickup in front of you include: various fish, N! RA, Nas car, Go Gators, and a confederate flag.

You were 5 before you realized they made houses without pools.

You were 25 when you first met someone who couldn't swim.

You get angry when people say "Florida isn't really part of the SOUTH."

You've worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas.

You know what the "stingray shuffle" is, and why it's important!

14,000 points

2007-10-16T14:21:00.000-04:00

i know this is pretty geeky, but i just reached 14000 point gamerscore playing halo. my xbox was even talking about it. it would have been my largest daily increase in gamerscore, but two achievements were logged in just after midnight. and yes, i could play halo 3 all night long.

cirque du soleil

2007-10-15T09:21:00.000-04:00

seeing cirque du soleil in person is simply amazing. la nouba in orlando was simply breathtaking. i would to watch all their shows at some point. in the meantime, we can settle for what's online.

onemansblog has more for your viewing pleasure.

einstein or harry potter

2007-10-12T20:54:00.001-04:00

read the story about this optical illusion here.

halo 3 and the church

2007-10-10T15:25:00.000-04:00

just read this post by Josh Griffin about Halo 3 and the church. he was referring to an article posted in the new york times regarding halo being used in youth ministry programs. it's an interesting read. after reading through the comments, i felt compelled to share, too. here's what i posted.

"for me. i have halo 3 and love it. i have some youth in our program who play regularly and i will meet up with them online to play. and the co-op is awesome. we sit, we talk, we hang out. and many of the kids are talking about it, their stats, and their achievements. a few want to help me beat legendary. i grew up with games. at 5 years old, my dad came home with an atari 2600 and together we played asteroids for hours.

anyways, i have always thought that if you are ok doing "X" anywhere else, then you should be ok doing it in the church. if that wouldn't be ok, then we should really think about what it is we are doing. maybe we shouldn't be doing it all.

the culture changes and will always change. just as soon as we think we have it figured out, it will change again. we need to be culturally relevant. in but not of the culture. i think games are ok.

for us in our church, i'm not sure it would fit with what we are currently doing. i wouldn't be opposed, but it doesn't fit our events and activities. for some it might be right and others it's not. i think that's ok. what i don't think is ok is that we miss the message of the gospel. jesus has called us to become more like him; full of love, grace, mercy and compassion. not matter what your are doing, if we leave this component out of what we are doing we have failed.

and for outreach, you need to be involved in that culture that you are reaching out to. i don't think we need to do an outreach expecting youth to know the words to the latest chris tomlin song. it may just not be an outreach if it is filled with youth ready to worship.

to sum it all up - go with God, sensing His presence, experiencing His love, and sharing with all that you come in contact with."

josh will be posting his thoughts tomorrow.

6 Things 'Star Wars' Teaches Us About Our Money

2007-10-09T23:07:00.001-04:00

i found this on digg. it's great. anything that we can take from star wars or has anything to do with star wars is simply awesome.

read more | digg story

balloon bowl

2007-10-08T09:15:00.000-04:00

awesome video of a guy skating in a bowl full of baloons. looks like it was a blast.

free starbucks song of the day

2007-10-05T23:02:00.000-04:00

starbucks is giving away a free song of the day from october 2nd through november 2nd. read more about that through the starbucks press release if you please.

here's the reason for the post. i received two cards today for keith urban's song, "i told you so." so, it's first come first serve. copy this code and paste it into the itunes/starbucks song of the day and it's yours.

FRGJWHPCGPTG

book 5 finished

2007-10-03T13:55:00.000-04:00

i finished book 5 of the Harry Potter series this morning. The Order of the Phoenix. it is the longest book in the series and it took me the longest to finish. now you may be thinking, "he's quite behind," now that many people have finished book 7. i just started reading the series mid june with book 1 with the encouragement of my wife and a few friends.

i had thought that there was a lot of fluff in this book, things that just made it longer, rather than actually adding to the story. but as i finished it this morning, as with each book so far, most of the fluff came together in the end and made since.

funny thing about this is, that i was late for staff meeting. i go so into finishing the book this morning that i completely forgot i had a meeting at noon. an hour later i made it to the meeting with the confession of my tardiness.

more from dove

2007-10-02T10:24:00.000-04:00

the new dove campaign video.

Samurai Sword in Halo 3

2007-10-01T00:18:00.001-04:00

Several people down at the High Impact Halo Forums have noticed that there is a player online who has a samurai sword attached to his back as if it were a secondary...

read more | digg story

130.7 MPH on a mountain bike....Dang

2007-09-29T12:19:00.001-04:00

Video.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYrd5qwzPrA

read more | digg story

www.creedthoughts.gov.www\creedthoughts

2007-09-26T23:34:00.000-04:00

in preparation for the office season four premiere, be sure to catch up by reading creeds blog at www.creedthoughts.gov.www\creedthoughts

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Now playing: U2 - New Year's Day
via FoxyTunes

tv premieres this week

2007-09-25T23:44:00.000-04:00

so far have watched:
chuck - enjoyed it a lot
heroes - left with more questions than answers, normal
journeyman - good, we'll see if it stays on the dvr
the unit - great, again
my name is earl - anticipating, hopefully it will bring back the funny
the office - can't wait, it will be awesome

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Now playing: Relient K - My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend
via FoxyTunes

travel expenses

2007-09-25T16:47:00.000-04:00

i am working on travel expenses for next summer's mission trip with the methodist habitat in the bahamas. i contact AAA today to see if they could help. they said the best way was to call the airlines directly and to start with delta because they had good group rates. after talking with them on the phone, the cost appeared to be the same i could order online for everyone individually. the group rate was the same as the individual rate... i don't understand that. she also said that they would not accept tax exempt status and that we need to file those expenses later. i will be checking with american airlines next. we'll see.

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Now playing: The Anchor Fellowship - Burn In Me
via FoxyTunes

7 Tips for Resolving Conflicts Quickly and Peacefully

2007-09-25T10:00:00.001-04:00

Everyone has to deal with difficult people, whether they are argumentative, abusive, stubborn, or combative. The question is, how can you assert your own rights without creating an unnecessary incident?

read more | digg story

3:10 to yuma starring dallas roberts, reviewed

2007-09-22T22:29:00.000-04:00

just went an watched 3:10 to yuma. we decided to go see this film while watching the preview. about half way through i realized, "oh my gosh, that's dallas roberts!" my wife said, "who?" "dallas," i said. now don't get me wrong, i have not seen or talked to dallas for about 16 years, since my sister's wedding i guess. hmm... when i was just a young tyke our families were great friends while we lived in sarasota and they have kept in touch regularly since. in fact, my father still keeps in touch with his father on a regular basis.

he and my sister were the same age. when i was in jr high and high school i skated for about eight years. i fondly remember my first ride on a skateboard was down the hill in front of the robert's home. dallas' brother had a skateboard and showed me how to ride it, while we were visiting.

anyways, dallas, if you ever see this - excellent film and excellent work! this truly was a great western film. both russell crowe and christian bale gave great performances. this reminded me of older westerns exploring the inner good of a man. go see this film.

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Now playing: Pearl Jam - Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
via FoxyTunes

nice.

2007-09-16T22:58:00.000-04:00

for the star wars open source community.

Chick-fil-A Giving Away Free Chicken Sandwich and a Free Coke

2007-09-12T22:21:00.001-04:00

Get yours today, by filling out there survey. Do it quick. Don't know how long it lasts.

read more | digg story

Amazing Slalom on Rollerblades

2007-09-12T22:12:00.001-04:00

impressive. fluid. beautiful.

Amazing Freestyle Slalom On Rollerblades - Watch more free videos

an old dog, new tricks

2007-09-11T21:29:00.000-04:00

over the past two months we have discovered that our dog loves to play Frisbee. he's always liked it, but now is in love with it. he always been able to catch the ball, but never the Frisbee. he would run after it and sometimes bring it back. most of the time not actually to you.

somewhat out of the blue in august he began catching the Frisbee and bringing it right to my feet. i would throw it and he would bring it back, nudging it with his nose. it was like he was saying, "come on, already. put it in the air." he has also begun jumping in the air to pull it down. and his best catch would rival any Frisbee dog of any time. i had tossed the Frisbee into the air and as he ran across the back yard, he jumped with his body contorted, missing the catch, he tipped it up, and as soon as his paws hit the ground he jumped again, catching the Frisbee. he gets so excited about catching it.

when he misses, he kicks at it with his paws until it flips over so he can pick it up. he's a boxer. short snout. underbite. you get the picture. his paws get filthy. somehow, he fills the Frisbee with dirt, when he picks it up it goes all over his face. he's just dirty. yet he returns ready to try again.

i want to live like this. i want to live in such a way that even when i am covered in the dirt of my mistakes that i seek, with excitement, the opportunity to get it right. knowing that there is a god who is excited to watch it all happen and is eager to help and assist and is ready to celebrate with the successes.

2007-09-10T09:02:00.001-04:00

we currently are using earthlink. it's been a great service and i have used them for about 5 years now. normally problem free. above you see my speed test results when everything is working fine. however, after about 30 minutes or so, my connection dies. it simply dies. i can reset the modem and bring it back up. i can force our router to pull a new ip address and it comes back up.

this all started after the lightning storm that happened about 4 weeks ago now. if you remember there were (according to news reports) over 17,000 lightning strikes in that one day across the state. so we first replaced our modem, now it's very inconsistent.

we have tech support coming out today to check the lines. hopefully we will be back up and running, soon.

An open letter to iPhone owners from Steve Jobs

2007-09-06T17:11:00.001-04:00

Amazing! Amazing! Amazing!We have decided to offer every iPhone customer who purchased an iPhone from either Apple or AT&T, and who is not receiving a rebate or any other consideration, a $100 store credit towards the purchase of any product at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store.

read more | digg story

NBC leaving iTunes makes no since

2007-09-05T21:58:00.000-04:00

if you haven't heard already. NBC will no longer be providing it's shows through itunes for $1.99 an episode. which ok, i understand paying for the digital copy of. but i think NBC is wrong to go into another realm to sell their episodes for more money with more extensive digital rights or which Mac users will not even be able to purchase their shows for. i would expect them to lose sales by doing this and as a result people will likely turn back to bit torrent to get their shows.

anyways, if you would like to read into this further, here's a great article from iLounge discussing this issue in detail.

dealing with telemarketers

2007-09-01T12:54:00.001-04:00

searches that led here

2007-08-29T22:40:00.000-04:00

got this idea from josh griffin. simply a list of searches that led to this site. here we go.

1. turn yourself into a transformer
2. "bryant johnson"
3. "glue boys"
4. 30th anniversary lego starwars
5. create yourself as a simpsons character for myspace
6. funraiser pumpkins
7. how do you make your photos into a simpsons character?
8. lego star wars 20 anniversary
9. lost marbles design group
10. make urself into a transformer character
11. nice cake
12. outpouring 2006 first united methodist church melbourne
13. photos of new lego star wars 30 th aniversery
14. tony nolan
15. xbox 360 failure blog

cruise photos

2007-08-29T10:47:00.000-04:00

check them out here. and here are a few of my favorites.

Reviewed: Demos from the Marketplace

2007-08-28T10:26:00.000-04:00

here are a few demos on xbox live's marketplace that are worth checking out. there's no fluff in these, just what i thought and a "try it" or a "buy it."

beautiful katamari - for all audiences. easy and simple to pick up and play. full game might be difficult to master. push your katamari (a big ball) around and pick up stuff within a specified amount of time. the bigger it gets the better you've done. the camera was difficult to control and was at times looking the wrong direction. might be corrected by the release. depending on the price point, just try it.

bio shock -definitely geared for an adult audience. simply put amazing. graphics are great. storytelling drew me in quickly. a lot of first person shooters are just replicas of each other in a new setting. this game sets a new standard that others will have a hard time replicating. it goes above and beyond all others. easy to recommend. buy it. it will be in my hands as soon as i get done with forza 2.

call of duty 4 - coming soon. expecting my token for the beta today. we'll see.

medal of honor: airborne - good game. new concept. you are an airborne soldier you can drop in anywhere on the map when it begins. there are safe zones to aim for. the level starts where ever you land. really cool concept. the AI appears to be pretty smart. they move around. they hide. fight smart in the game. however, it is still set in wolrd war II. how many of these games can we possibly play? great idea and twist on the gameplay, but i think the demo will hold me over just fine. just try it.

skate - skate has been promising a new gameplay mechanic that makes this skateboarding game more realistic. the demo is good be learning the controls was not simple. i think the good thing about a game is the learning curve. for me a good game, you can jump into and enjoy as you learn. this one wasn't doing it for me. the sterring controls were really touchy. the kick controls slow to respond. however, i did like the way the ollies worked with the right thumbstick. it might take some getting used to. try it and if you like it buy it. it is refreshing to see against the tony hawk series.

stranglehold - again for adult audiences. this demo took me by surprise. no article or review had sold me on it and i almost passed on the demo. for some reason i downloaded it anyway. i was blown away. fully destructive and interactive environments. you can use just about anything on the screen in gameplay. there were some really cool "bullet time" gaming sequences. as you jump the action goes into slow-mo which makes for some really fun gameplay. if you haven't already, give this demo a shot. it will take you by suprise. then when it arrives on shelves, buy it.

Which Transformer Are You?

2007-08-15T23:34:00.000-04:00

For centuries, two races of robotic aliens - the Autobots and the Decepticons - have waged a war, with the fate of the universe at stake. Now it ’s your turn to engage in this epic battle. Will you Protect or Destroy? Take the quiz and see how you do.

Digg It

I AM
77%
OPTIMUS PRIME Take the Transformers Quiz

outpouring '07 worship

2007-08-15T22:49:00.000-04:00

the glorious unseen led us in worship and it was great. here's a couple of vids from the worship time. they truly led us into a deep state of worship. we were reminded that we were there to give of ourselves back to God. if you want to see more, chem them out here.

book 4 complete: a journey through hogwarts

2007-08-14T20:51:00.000-04:00

i began reading the harry potter series this summer. after some encouragement from friends and my wife, on june 25th of 2007 i began reading through the series. this week i completed book four, the goblet of fire.

for me, i have never been a big reader. i will read if i am interested but have never been into reading novels. it has always felt like work to me. these books have set me on a journey. i can't put the book down until it is done. it draws me. captures my attention. i feel as though i know and understand every piece of architecture and design. it is relaxing and easy to read. i don't find my mind wondering. and when i do put it down, i am planning for when i will have time to read again.

now, i am off to begin working on book 5...