Jun 30, 2004 Uncategorized
{ MOOD: Decent | ITUNES: “Falling in Love Again” - Eagle Eye Cherry }
I have updated the links on the left again. I seem to have to do that every month or so. I have whacked those who never update their blogs or have very old sites, as well as adding the following:
Matt H
Melissa K
Mike B
No Rock&Roll Fun
Suzanne P
Tall Skinny Kiwi
Enjoy.
Me Talk Pretty One Day
Jun 30, 2004 Uncategorized
{ MOOD: Conflicted…it’s a long story | ITUNES: “And I Love Him” - Diana Krall }
I just got done re-reading one of my favorite books of all time.
I first heard of David Sedaris on NPR (Yes, I listen to NPR). This dude is absolutely hilarious. You can hear some of his work on NPR’s site. I recommend the essay entitled “The Sex of French Nouns.”
This book is essentially a book of essays, mostly centered around his family and his attempt to learn French. Here is an excerpt from a chapter entitled “Jesus Shaves”:
Because our mother was raised a Protestant, our Easters were a hybrid of the Greek and the American traditions. We received baskets of candy until we grew older and the Easter Bunny branched out. Those who smoked would awaken to find a carten of cigarettes and an assortment of disposable lighters, while the others would receive an equivalent, each according to his or her vice. In the evening we had the traditional Greek meal followed by a game in which we would toast one another with blood-colored eggs. The symbolism escapes me, but the holder of the tables one uncracked egg was supposedly rewarded with a year of good luck. I won only once. It was the year my mother died, my apartment got broken into, and I was taken to the emergency room suffering from what the attending physician daignosed as ‘house-wife’s knee.’”
Cole
Jun 29, 2004 Uncategorized
{ MOOD: Toxic | ITUNES: “Toxicity” - System of a Down }
I have updated the video page again. The newest edition is the “Cole Collage:” Hi-Res (5.6 MB) | Lo-Res (909 KB)
Yee Ha
Jun 29, 2004 Uncategorized
{ MOOD: Nice…real nice | ITUNES: “Seven Years” - Natalie Merchant }
So apparenty someone left their motorized wheelchair at Riv. I’m not quite sure how that happens. Here’s the proof, though.
A revelation
Jun 28, 2004 Uncategorized
{ MOOD: Lazy | ITUNES: “Run Around” - Blues Traveller }
I am lazy. And awesome. Lazy and awesome.
And lazy.
Lawns
Jun 28, 2004 Uncategorized
{ MOOD: Crazy | ITUNES: “I Only Wanna Be With You” - Hootie and the Blowfish }
Mad props to Travis for his tyrade on lawns. My only caveat would be that when I finally get around to mowing, I usually love it. Maybe society has beat that into my head. I worked in the yard all day yesteday and I love the way it looks now. And now I don’t lose my kids when they go out to play.
Haircut
Jun 28, 2004 Uncategorized
{ MOOD: Energetic | ITUNES: “It’s Alright” - Pet Shop Boys }
So, I have been extremely bored with my haircut, so I went to Regina (my personal stylist, don’t you know…) and asked her to do something “drastic.”
She said, “that’s it?”
“Yup.”
“I can do drastic.”
Here’s a rough before and after. The “before” was before I trimmed my beard off awhile ago, but you get the general gist:
Home
Jun 27, 2004 Uncategorized
{ MOOD: Black and White | NOISE: Pre-Riv Stuff }
Thanks to Paul from Riv for some awesome pics of my kids, including this one:
My Son
Jun 26, 2004 Uncategorized
{ MOOD: Bleached and Short | ITUNES: “Last Night” - Over the Rhine }
My son Jesse just asked me if I had ever “heard of a band called ‘They Might Be Giants.’” I couldn’t be more proud in this moment.
Hospitals vs. Noel
Jun 25, 2004 Uncategorized
{ MOOD: OK | NOISE: Kid’s slurping on sticks full of sugar }
I occasionally have to go to the hospital to visit people from our church. Often, they are in the ICU where they have extra rules. One of these rules is no visitors except family and clergy. Good for me. Except I don’t look like clergy. So for a long time, I would get stopped and asked for ID. I watch these other guys walk right past me and head in. I always wondered if I stuck a stick up my butt and wore a suit if they would let me in faster.
Anyhoo, a year or so ago they started this clergy badge program. You could get a hospital badge for the area hospitals with your picture and all. I thought, “Yes, this is my solution.” So I went in to get it. Of course they checked my ID first. The lady behind the counter said, “you better check him, he don’t look the part.” Now, with my ID, everything is cool, right?
Today I went to visit a couple from our church who got into an accident yesterday (big time…pray for them). When I got to the ICU, the lady behind the counter ignored my shiny hospital badge and said “family only.” I said, “I’m clergy.” With this, she let me in. When I got in, I shared my story with Bill (the guy from the church) and he said “I wonder why they stopped you…I have had 5 or 6 visitors today.”
Apparently, I let off a hospital warning vibe. Oh well.
Pacing Myself
Jun 25, 2004 Uncategorized
{ MEDICAL CONDITION: Back Feeling Much Better | ITUNES: “Curbside Prophet” - Jason Mraz }
So I have a weird schedule this summer. I have a lot of conference work to do and a lot of teaching and creative stuff to plan for the fall. However, none of these things have pressing deadlines, which is when I work best. So I am trying to still get up at the same time every morning and pace my way through the work. It’s kinda weird.
I am not sure you can do ministry stuff full-time if you are not a self-starter. It would be so easy to waste all of your time. For instance, blogging instead of working. Dang it. Bye.
Crying
Jun 24, 2004 Uncategorized
{ MEDICAL CONDITION: Huge Back Ache | NOISE: Me Typing” }
Last night Dan and I hung out with Cole and Jaden. This is only notable because Cole and Jaden took it upon themselves to basically be crabby the entire 3 hours or so. Then, when Dan and Jaden left, Cole got happy. What do ya know?
Kill Bill
Jun 23, 2004 Uncategorized
{ MOOD: Guet | ITUNES: “Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” - Santa Esmeralda }
So, we finally watched Kill Bill Vol One last night. My wife and Melissa were totally bored, but Kyle and I liked it. I have been on this Quentin Terrentino kick lately. In the last month I have watched Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and now KB1. He is a phenominal talent. I think one of my favorite parts of his films is the musical selections. I loved the mexican/asian/pop fusion that filled the scenes in Japan in KB1. Looking forward to KB2.
Cole
Jun 23, 2004 Uncategorized
{ MOOD: Decent | ITUNES: “Boy Named Sue” - Johnny Cash }
So, I have been hanging out with Cole every evening for a few hours while Grace is at Riv doing the VBS thing. I have learned more about his personality this week than I have his whole life. Yesterday, Melissa asked me to summarize his personality for her, so I thought I would bore you all with what I am learning:
1) When you turn on any source of music, he dances in a way that betrays his Finnish / Korean heritage.
2) He doesn’t like to wear hats, and he doesn’t like me to wear them, either.
3) If I sit on the floor to read, and I laugh at my book, he will think I am laughing at him. He will crawl over laughing and put his face between my face and the book. He will then proceed to kiss, gnaw, or headbutt me for a few seconds.
4) If he is crabby, I only have to flip him upside down and zerbit his stomach and he forgets what he was crabby about.
5) He has a deep-seated belief that picture frames belong on the floor.
6) He sometimes laughs so hard, he nearly hyper-ventilates.
7) If I cover my face with something, he will remove it and then expect me to wrestle him for awhile.
Quote of the Day
Jun 22, 2004 Quotes
Emma: “We’re performing in the sanctuary at 6 on Friday.”
Noel: “What’s a sanctuary?”
Emma: “I have no idea.”
Van Woes
Jun 21, 2004 Uncategorized
{ MOOD: Good | NOISE: Emma doing a cheer }
So, I previously mentioned my van saga while traveling to Ignite. Now, you can view it in video format: Hi-Res (5 MB) | Lo-Res (748 K) Mad props to TJ for his help with the compilation.
BTW, this video makes me glad I am losing weight.
For more video fun, check out our vids pages.
Video Game Covers
Jun 21, 2004 Uncategorized
{ MOOD: Gamey | ITUNES “Legend of Zelda Live” - Nine Inch Nails (Supposedly, although I have my doubts) }
If you are a nerd, you are going to love this: check out these covers of video game songs.
Saved!
Jun 20, 2004 Uncategorized
{ MOOD: Anti-Sanctimonious | MUSIC “You Alone” - Riverview Band }
A lot of Christians are sounding off on the movie Saved! Therefore, as a public service announcement, I thought it would be good to offer a few things for Christians to remember.
Caricature is only funny when there is at least a grain of truth
Take for example, Ned Flanders. Why is he funny? Because there is a healthy dose of reality in his character. We have all encountered his kind, and not just in movies like “Footloose.” We have encountered Ned in church. Anyone who has spent time in evangelical churches over the last several decades has met at least one cheesy-demeanored, rule-oriented, overly-cheerful, mustachioed Christian. It’s funny, because at the basic level it is true. (As a side note, most “Christian” males in our culture resemble Homer Simpson more than Ned Flanders, but that conversation is for another day.)
Have you ever had a caricature of yourself done at the fair? What is the goal of the artist? Find something pronounced in your face (say a large honker) and accentuate it. But what is the inherent problem? Most of us are self-conscious of our most prominent features. So while the caricature to many is a stunning likeness, to us we fixate on the exaggeration and say, “I’m not that bad.”
The same can be said for caricatures in the media. If you are offended by one of you, do a quick gut-check. You may not be that bad, but is there a grain of truth? If I asked a sketch artist to draw me and this is what he came up with I suspect we would say he is a bad artist:
But call me Gene Wilder 5 times in one week and you may be on to something whether I like it or not.
If you don’t like stereotypes of Christians outside of the church, either shut up or change them.
If you find yourself constantly offended by the portrayals of Christians in the media, maybe the time has come to figure out why. Go find someone who agrees with these stereotypes, take them to a movie like “Saved!” and then ask them to point out where you are the stereotype. If the things they point out are “Christ-like” attributes, congratulations: you are being salt and light in our culture! If the things they point out are not found in the Bible and make Christ look ridiculous, it’s your job to change because you are making him into a laughing-stock and are not making him attractive to our culture.
If you are unwilling to do this, shut up and don’t complain about movies like “Saved!” Because otherwise, you are just adding to the stereotype. If you don’t know which stereotype, go ask a non-Christian.
Now if you need me, I’ll be at the theater laughing at myself.
Willy Noelka
Jun 20, 2004 Uncategorized
{ MOOD: Swell | NOISE: Cole banging on the front door }
Many thanks to Sharp for this creepy compilation:
