Check out Weezer’s Pork and Beans video. It’s chock full o’ YouTube personalities and web memes. How many do you recognize?
Hat tip to Paul for this one!
My mind is such that it looks for patterns and relationships in everything. That’s why I’m a “numbers” guy – it’s easy to make patterns from numbers, whether it’s consciously or sub-consciously. For example, part of my parents’ phone number is 3-5-2-3. See the pattern/equation? I get 3-5=2 and 5-2=3. That sticks all the numbers together in my mind, so even if it’s been years since I’ve dialed the number (speed dial and storing the number in cell phone memory really has spoiled us), I’ll remember it. It doesn’t stop at just numbers, though. I find myself doing this with everything, from phone numbers to license plates to protocol designations at work to dates and times. Sometimes it drives me crazy; other times it comes in handy. I still remember things from ages ago because of this type of thinking. The license plate to the white Thunderbird my parents had 15+ years ago was TGT 701. Yeah, so that’s an example of where it’s not exactly handy. 
(Where’s the pattern in that, you ask? I guess it was “ee” sound and surrounding T’s in TGT that were enough to make the whole thing stick.) I often find myself (not on purpose) staring at license plates and trying to think of a phrase or some association for the letters. (Yep, I’d definitely be the guy you’d want around witnessing a criminal flee from a robbery via a car. Wouldn’t do well with the color, but I’d be all over the license plate!). Even if I don’t find a pattern, my mind must work at it so hard that it causes things to stick anyway.
While patterns can be great for remembering things like dates and phone numbers, they greatly fail when it comes to people. As soon as I think I begin to understand someone (especially girls!), the pattern and label that I’ve applied fails, and fails miserably. You can’t put people in a box; they simply don’t fit into any pattern or equation or label. Just because someone does this and says that doesn’t necessarily mean I should apply label A or pattern XYZ to the person. Two people may be similar in 99 out of 100 ways and I’ll stick the same label on both of them and expect them to behave similarly – according to the “equation” I’ve stuck them in as variable X. Then that 100th way, the exception to the “rule,” the one seemingly insignificant part that is different, becomes even more magnified and destroys my nice, neat pattern. And I get thrown for a loop because I tried to stick God’s awesome, magnificent and unique creations into the tiny, limited box that my mind could comprehend.
Just random thoughts; nothing triggered this post other than that random license plate from years ago popping into my mind on the way home. Thought it would make for a good post, though, so there ya go.
From Stuff Christians Like – How well do you know Indiana Jones and the Bible?
1. When the ark was opened up, everyone’s face melted.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones2. When the ark slipped and someone tried to steady it, that person died instantly.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones3. In a plot twist, the hero is thrown into a pit full of lions.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones4. In a plot twist, the hero falls into a pit full of snakes.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones5. Someone is rescued by an eagle.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones
C. The Lord of the Rings (ohhh trick question)6. Poisonous snakes come out of no where and a brass snake must be made to help ward them off.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones7. The natives are restless and in a fit of worship pull the still beating heart out of a human sacrifice.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones8. The natives are restless and tell their king they’ve turned into cannibals.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones9. The ark is mistreated, forgotten and lost somewhere no one will find it.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones10. As if by a miracle, a character is able to walk across a terrifying expanse as if on an invisible sidewalk.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones11. As if by a miracle, a character is able to walk across a terrifying, watery expanse as if on an invisible sidewalk.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones12. Through selfish greed, the villain falls to an unexpected death, essentially killing herself in a canyon.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones13. Through selfish greed, the villain falls to an unexpected death, essentially killing himself in a field.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones14. One of the main characters receives a painful scar on his hand when he gets burned.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones15. One of the main characters receives a painful scar on his hand so we won’t get burned.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones16. A tag team of bears kills more than 40 people when they make fun of a bald guy.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones17. An angry man disarms a bad guy with a whip.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones18. An angry man clears out some bad salesmen with a whip.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones19. A huge boulder chases the main character down a hill.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones20. A giant whale swallows someone and pukes them up a few days later.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones21. A hooker with a heart of gold helps the good guys escape out of a window.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones22. At dinner, someone brings in a monkey head on a platter.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones23. At dinner, someone brings in a human head on a platter.
A. The Bible
B. Indiana Jones
How exciting is this! A friend of mine from waaay back in the day wrote a book and got published!
Emy Hancock and I grew up, for a few years at least, in the same church. Her dad was the pastor of my childhood church, Latonia Baptist, but her family moved to central KY around the second or third grade and I didn’t see her again for many years.
Our paths crossed again in 1995, when we were both part of GSP at NKU. Unfortunately, we lost touch after GSP, though I’ve heard mention of her a few times since those days. And there’s good reason why!
Since then, she’s been crowned Miss Massachusetts (1998) and competed in the Miss America pageant, graduated from Harvard, earned a law degree from Georgetown, become an environmental lawyer, gotten married, had a child and now she’s published. It would be a gross understatement to say she’s been busy and quite successful!
Now the point of the post – to spread word of her book:
Trespassers Will Be Baptized: The Unordained Memoir of a Preacher’s Daughter.
Amazon Product Description
Growing up Southern and Baptist in Eastern Kentucky, Elizabeth Hancock’s world revolved around Sunday School, foreign missions projects, revival meetings and of course, the Kentucky Wildcats, who “glorified God through their goal-shattering, soul-shattering play.” Hancock chronicles her childhood misadventures with sardonic wit, detailing her and her sister Meg’s mischievous – if harmless – abuses of power (stealing Guess jeans from the Africa donation box, or hawking backyard swimming pool baptisms during her neighborhood’s annual yard sale) and lovingly recalling the wisdom imparted by her long-suffering parents as they ministered to their unruly flock.
Kirkus Reviews
Humorously irreverent look at life as the eldest daughter of a Southern Baptist preacher whose philosophy, he once told her, “rests largely on the principle that all God’s glorious, perfect children are also dumb as dirt.” That pious but realistic comment framed Hancock’s childhood attempts to understand the church people around her as well as her own special role as the PK (preacher’s kid) in 1980s Kentucky. Her experiences will ring true for anyone long involved in a church, as she sardonically tells of busybodies and holier-than-thou congregants while keeping the main focus on the sincere believers who were her true beacon, none more so than her parents and sister. A large portion of the memoir pokes fun at the silly and often maddening people found in any congregation, prompting many a good laugh. But [the author] goes deeper, delving into her own spiritual journey. [Her] experiences are the true crucible of anyone’s faith, and they certainly shaped Hancock. The reader comes away hoping that this rueful autobiographer will tap more of her memories in the future. Expressive and thoroughly entertaining.
Congratulations, Emy, on your book and having a baby!
My friend Jen, who I met at GSP, is also published – Causation, Psychology, and Law.
And here’s yet another interesting connection from GSP. My roommate was Andy Beshear. You may have heard of his dad, Steve – the governor of Kentucky.
Congratulations to Jen Ledden and Scot Toler on their marriage today! May God bless you with many happy years together!
I felt like a Pablo Picasso painting much of the day, out of whack and disjointed, and just couldn’t shake it. It was a very weird and uncomfortable feeling. Ever felt that way? The day’s over, though, and the weekend – an extended weekend – is here. Yay! Maybe some sleep will get me straightened out…
Some spoilers ahead…you’ve been warned
I’ve been waiting for the next chapter of Indiana Jones for years. Rumors about a fourth installment of Indiana Jones started in earnest about 4 or 5 years ago, back when I first put together my Indy costume for Halloween. I was really looking forward to it and crossing my fingers they wouldn’t ruin it like Star Wars Episode I.
Unfortunately, I had read some pretty negative reviews of the movie leading up to the release, so I went in with my expectations set pretty low. I’m happy to say that it’s actually not that bad! It’s definitely not a Raiders or Last Crusade, but it’s still an enjoyable movie. There were some rather lame parts, even by Indy standards, but it also had some pretty funny moments as well. All the adventure of an Indy movie was there, with some tips of the hat back to scenes from the previous Indy movies.
Things I didn’t like? The first 10-15 minutes and the last 10 minutes specifically. When the movie started, my first thought was “the negative reviews trashing the film were right” but a few minutes later, it was all good. I was also disappointed with some of the plot choices, specifically the alien aspects. They could have done without the UFO ending and I wish they hadn’t physically put aliens into the movie. I’d be okay if they just alluded to them rather than featuring them so much at the end.
Overall, I found it an enjoyable movie, fitting for the Indiana Jones series. Have you seen it? What did you think?
Saw Prince Caspian this weekend… Overall, pretty good movie, with plenty of action and adventure and good special effects. You may be disappointed if you’ve read and are a fan of the book, though. While it didn’t deviate drastically from the book, there were some liberties taken (such as a bit of a romance) and they choose to leave out quite a bit in order to throw in more battle scenes. What bugged me the most, though, was the wannabe Lord of the Rings aspects of the film – such as the Ent-like trees in the final battle. The big screen adaptation wasn’t close to the “movie” I had formed in my head while reading the book, but it was still an enjoyable movie. I’m really looking forward to the next movie, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Dawn Treader is my favorite book of the seven and could make a really great movie. It’s scheduled to hit the big screen in May 2010.
This is turning into quite a summer for movies. Ironman has been a blockbuster (haven’t seen it yet, but heard nothing but rave reviews about it), Indiana Jones is released this week (heard it’s awful, but I’ll see it anyway) and Get Smart is coming in June (looks hilarious). I was very surprised to see a trailer for Journey to the Center of the Earth, starring Brenden Fraser. This movie is based on the Jules Verne novel of the same name, which is one of my top 10 favorite books. Fantastic read – be sure to check it out! The book has been adapted to the big screen before, almost fifty years ago, but the reason this version surprises is me is that it aired as a made-for-TV movie on SciFi ION earlier this year.
Last bit of entertainment news – Muppet Show Season 3 hits stores tomorrow!
On a side note, I added a few new pics to the gallery.
[Oops, new gallery pics were broken. They're fixed now.]
…Fire!
The men in my Bible study group got together for a guy’s night and hit the shooting range (Lloyd WMA in Crittenden for those who may be interested). Prior to last summer, I had never fired a “real” gun (not counting BB and paintball guns). While visiting my grandparents last year, I took some pot shots with a rifle at a ground hog that was well off in the distance in the corn fields (no, I didn’t come any where close to hitting it). I felt pretty uncomfortable at the time, so I didn’t take more than a couple shots.
I was still a bit hesitant about firing at the range tonight, but figured it would be a good experience to have – you know, just in case… While I can’t say this is something I necessarily loved doing, it was good to get rid of the nerves that accompanied holding and firing a weapon. Justin gave good lessons and rules on shooting and marksmanship that put me more at ease, and I felt more comfortable with each round I fired. My paintball experiences helped as well – I was already very cognizant and in the practice of having the safety on whenever not shooting, so that was one less thing on which I had to intentionally focus.
Justin, being quite the gun enthusiast (he’s even built a couple), had plenty of weapons and ammo for us to shoot, including a M1 Garand, AR-15 Rifle, M1911 Pistol, as well as a .22 Remington rifle and .22 pistol. All kinds of different calibers and sizes! The M1 and M1911 had quite some kick to them (to me at least), with the .22 pistol feeling smooth in comparison.
We had the typical paper targets, but Justin also brought some floppy disks that needed “formatting.” Overall, I think I did fairly well at the hitting the target, though I know I flinched and blinked before firing most shots. I did hit a floppy, though! (Does it really matter if I wasn’t aiming at it? 
)
I’d definitely say I’m now more comfortable, though still cautious and careful, with guns, so it was a great learning experience. I took a few pictures before my camera batteries died, so check the gallery for these in a day or two.
Woohoo, classes are over for the semester! Ah, jessie, it feels good! My last final, on Thursday, was a killer. 78 accounting word problems. Yuck! I finished in a little over two hours, and I was the second or third done. I studied pretty well for this test, having had more time since my other class’s exam was the previous week and the additional motivation to finish as quick as possible because I had somewhere to be that night. No amount of studying can prepare you for a test that long and “reading” intensive, though, especially after a long week and killer day at work. My brain started shutting down about halfway through, so I don’t have a good feeling about the results, but at least it’s over!
At long last, I got to see Needtobreathe, one of my top 5 bands, in concert. They were in town at the Mad Hatter (along with Seabird), so James and I went out to see the show. I had heard goods things about their live show, so I had been looking forward to a tour stop for some time. And they didn’t disappoint! It was a great show, and awesome to hear the songs live. James got excited when they played some Counting Crows (Long December). Good stuff, and a great way to celebrate the end of classes!
And to continue that celebration, some friends and I went to an improv show (think Whose Line). My friend Missy is the leader/coach of the Q City Players and invited us out for a friends and family night before they began their tour. Funny stuff! It felt really good to laugh after the long week. Good job Missy and Q City Players! Good luck on your tour!
One of the reasons that I decided to not take summer classes is because of the many things that I want to do over the summer. That list includes:
- volunteering (probably for STARS)
- getting more involved in my church
- getting involved in a creative ministries (specifically puppets)
- searching for grants and scholarships for grad school
- taking road trips to visit family and friends
- finishing up some projects around the house/yard
- looking for a new “lavoro”
I’m definitely looking forward to a great, productive and fulfilling summer!
P.S. Still working on that pesky Shoutbox…
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