The DOAN Zone

TV fast results

2011-08-30T21:01:00.002-04:00

I'm not a big Lent person. Never did it before. So what possessed me to do it this year I'm not sure... but I decided to give it a try.

A couple of reasons prompted me to pick TV.

I think I watch far too much TV anyway... it's a big time sucker.
I almost never binge eat unless I am sitting on the couch watching TV.
What could I do with all my extra time? It should enable me to be more available to friends and family and God.
My sister made some offhand comment on Facebook about having given up TV a few years ago, and I was a little envious.

It was worth a try. So, I took the leap!

The first couple of days were terrifyingly awkward. I didn't know what to do with my free time. I didn't know what to do when I needed a break. It was dreadfully quiet when I ate. I felt like I lost my best friend.

I noticed that I didn't really miss any particular show. I just missed the activity itself.

After a week or so it began to feel routine. I didn't think about TV much. I didn't find myself absent-mindedly wandering into the living room looking for the remote.
I did find that I spent more time on the computer. And I have to admit that I did cheat a couple of times and watched online video stuff. It was hard to know where to draw the line.

Part way through the fast I learned that Sundays don't count for Lent. Hallelujah! So I took advantage of that revelation and watched some TV on Sundays. (OK, Maybe a couple Saturday nights, too.)

So today is Easter. What have I learned? Where do I go from here?

I'm proud of myself. It was a big "give-up" for me.
I learned that there are very few shows that I really WANT to watch... vs just surfing through channels and wasting time. From here on, I have considered the possibility of watching only those shows that I have chosen in advance to watch. I think that would be a much better use of my time, and would give me the occasional distraction/stress relief benefit that TV can provide.
I learned that the computer/Internet can be a very convenient secondary addiction to fill in the gap TV leaves. So, for me, a true fast might have to be an all-encompassing "electronic entertainment" fast... in order to get the true freedom and time release that I had been expecting. I may want to make certain days of the week, or certain hours of the day "electronic entertainment free" zones.
I didn't do this fast with a specific spiritual focus, therefor I didn't receive any specific spiritual benefit. I am desirous of doing so in future fast endeavors.

Did you do anything for Lent? Leave a comment.

Play pinball online

2009-07-18T12:37:00.005-04:00

Pepsi pinball: Has a Western theme. Kinda fun.
The Sims Pinball: Ball has a light, bouncy feel. Flippers are not very powerful.
Freakshow pinball: Nice realistic feel and sound. Good action. Garish colors!
Tiki Quest pinball: Good action. 4 flippers. Has "mini games" embedded when you reach certain milestones.
Starsky and Hutch pinball: Nice retro feel. Every time you lose a ball someone says "Not cool."
Robo pinball: This game looks simple at first, but it's got cool robot sound effects and if you reach certain levels you enter into a first-person shooting game against some kind of droids. (Space bar to shoot them.)

For KIDS

Raven pinball: Very well done. Based on TV show, "That's so Raven."
Plankton's Revenge pinball: Nice action for kids. Sponge Bob Square Pants theme, with sound effects.
Aquatic pinball: Good game for young kids. Nemo theme.
Blizzard pinball: Feels a little klunky, but fun for kids.

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin

2008-10-07T10:12:00.008-04:00

Rarely have I seen an impersonation so spot-on!

Hopefully, you can laugh at these, regardless of your political persuasion...

Electoral College Daily Updates

2008-10-07T09:40:00.004-04:00

This is a pretty cool site that shows what the current lay of the land is in regards to the electoral race between Obama and McCain. http://www.electoral-vote.com/

Although the main page is great, there are a bunch of other links that are worth looking at. I liked the "animation" link where you can watch the colors of the states change over time. http://election.loquacious.org/2008-presidential/

The striking thing about the state of things right now is how much the electoral picture changed after the first presidential debate. See this graph. http://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2008/Pres/ec_graph-2008.html

My flippin' daughter

2008-07-04T21:47:00.001-04:00

She loves her trampoline in the back yard!

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-04T21:44:00.001-04:00

Watching fireworks off my balcony.

I'm old

2008-05-05T08:51:00.008-04:00

I find myself gravitating to the easy listening station.

You know. The one with mellow versions of all the old hits, lots of string instuments, few vocals. The one playing in the background at the doctor's office.

I keep thinking, "I'm turning into my father!" Dang.

And I kind of like it.

my son's big debut

2008-03-31T10:25:00.005-04:00

Justin has been playing guitar and writing songs for awhile. Last week was his first time playing guitar in the band for the youth group.

Yesterday he was the worship leader (singing and playing guitar) for the service we have for 5th/6th graders. Here's one of the songs they did.

Here's an example of one of the songs he writes. He asked a friend for a song topic and he said, "The sky is falling." So he came up with this.

Look Up To The Sky

The world is getting smaller
theres nowhere left to go
You think that you've found something new
but they already know

It's all been done before
there's nothing left to find
But i'll continue searching
so i look up to the sky

And i see

The sky is falling down on me
it's getting hard to breathe
I look around, nowhere to hide
to hide from falling skies

Lets find somewhere where we can run
for if we dont we're surely done
Lets find somewhere, lets find some place
a place where we'll be safe

Lets find somewhere where we can hide
for if we don't we'll surely die
Dont ask me how, dont ask me why
just look up to the sky

And you'll see

The sky is falling down on me
its getting hard to breathe
I look around, nowhere to hide
to hide from falling skies

This is a link to his music myspace page where you can listen to several songs he has written and performed. justanacoustic

This is a video he made about his friends. It's mainly him and his sisters in the beginning, and then includes some other friends.

This is a video he made of his custodial job at the church. I encourage you to watch it. Particularly to the end.

is it ok to question evolution?

2008-03-10T19:50:00.003-04:00

Ben Stein, who you may recognize from TV, has a documentary coming out in theaters on April 18th. It's called "expelled," and has to do with how scientists and teachers who question darwinism are silenced, fired, ridiculed, etc. It's kind of a "free speech" issue.

I watched the trailers on the site and it looks very provocative. I'm sure it will be a great conversation starter at school, home, and the workplace.

Here's some information about the web site.

-------------------------------

EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed
A quick guide to viewing the Website

The following links will help you understand the film at a glance. Included here are individual page links…or you can navigate the site directly from the Home Page. But be sure that you visit each of the six pages below, in order to get a feel for the project!

Go to the Home Page http://www.expelledthemovie.com/ watch the “Bad to the Bone” teaser trailer. Then enter the site.

From the Home Page…start with the Trailer…a clip from Ben Stein speaking to a college audience. It gives you an indication of the controversy surrounding the issues that the film addresses. Ben’s Trailer http://www.expelledthemovie.com/playground.php

Then go to the Movie Overview…a short synopsis of the film.
Movie Overview http://www.expelledthemovie.com/movie_overview.php

Next…go to the blog, and scroll down the page to Ben Stein’s Introductory Blog…nearly eighteen hundred people have responded already, since the site first launched August 22, 2007. Remember…the “responses” are all about a film that no one has even seen yet….so take them with a grain of salt!
The Blog http://www.expelledthemovie.com/blog/

Then…go to the News page. The film made the front page of the New York Times on September 27, 2007. A link to the story is the top article.
News Page http://www.expelledthemovie.com/news.php

Complete with all of the assets that you would find in a hard-copy press kit, this online press room was created specifically for your uses
Press Room http://www.expelledthemovie.com/press_room.php

Last, but not least…go to Big Science Academy parody Yearbook, and follow the links to the Class Officers, etcetera. The Playground is just that…a place on the site where the issues are treated with a decidedly tongue-in-cheek fashion.
Big Science Academy http://www.expelledthemovie.com/bigscienceacademy.php

here's why obama will win the white house

2008-02-29T14:25:00.007-05:00

I'm 47 and I've never seen the almost religious fervor about a political candidate before. He has struck a deep chord in the hearts of millions with two simple concepts. Hope. And Change. Something that many have longed for for ages.

I'm not sure how to put it into words, but the heartfelt passion for what obama represents is soul-stirring. All I can think is that is how people must have felt about JFK. He was a president everyone loved and believed in. And it wasn't because of his "policies." And it wasn't because he led a perfect life. He had the courage to believe. Believe that we could BE. That we could DO. He had heart and vision.

I suppose Reagan was in a similar vein, uniting the country to be and do again. But there's something different about obama that I can't get my finger on. I think it's because he puts even LESS emphasis on policy than Reagan, and more on principle. I think people are fed up with facts and figures and endless wrangling about the details... while the forest is being overlooked.

You've got to admit he's likeable. Like you wish he were your dad, or brother, or uncle, or husband, or counselor, or pastor, or boss, or friend. You want to run up to him and have him put his arms around you, give you a big smile, and tell you everything's going to be alright. And then he'll tell you, "Now here's what you're gonna have to do. Go do it. I believe in you!" And you run off happy and do it.

And then you mix in the fact that he is half white/half black, that he's got a name that sounds like a mix of Iraq and Osama, and you get to thinking, hey, maybe this guy does represent everybody! He is a walking advertisement for unity and diversity after what many people think has been way too long an era of segregation, partisanship, and fracture.

And, if you hear his wife speak, she's just as impassioned. She's a believer. She's not just "supporting her man."

So, obama has stepped into a vacuum that has been looking to be filled for some time. And the current is swelling. It is non-verbal. It is non-rational. It just is. It has it's own energy that is much bigger than obama itself. That's why it's called a "movement." Obama happens to be the catalyst.

And it makes all the other candidates look like carboard figures. Just men. Mortal. Pedestrian. Run of the mill. Uninspiring.

And that's why on an emotional level I feel like i WANT to vote for this guy even though I have absolutely NO idea what he stands for. And i almost don't care. Scarey, huh?

I'm not saying i AM going to vote for him. I'm just saying I WANT to. I can imagine going into the ballot booth and coming out smiling! Like actually feeling good! Excited! Yes! I'm a winner!I'm just hoping he has policies i can stomach. I'm kind of afraid to look.

So, to go with my former prediction, I think the contest for the white house will be between obama and mccain, with obama winning. mccain represents the old guard, the elderly white man's establishment, status quo. War, tough times, enemies, grin and bear it, strength and might... A charicature of what has been. WWII mentality. So "20th century." Obama represents unity, compassion, dialogue, negotiation, bringing together, toleration, hope, belief, youth, change. So "21st century." (And no matter what hillary does, she will be equated with the old guard... the last 20 years of either a bush or a clinton in the white house. I don't think people are looking to make that 28! We don't do monarchy here.)

To sum up, there's a dictum I find eerily true... "If you're not a liberal when you're in your 20's you have no heart. If you're not a conservative when you're in your 50's you have no brain!" In this election cycle I think the tinman is going to get his wish, not the scarecrow. We are looking for, and will get, a heart. A beating, imperfect, authentic, humble, generous, learning, growing, human heart.

If you have not gotten swept up into this current yet, watch these videos. If you cry at Hallmark commercials, you better get your tissues out. :) Be careful. You may get converted! You may become a believer.

"YES WE CAN"

"WE ARE THE ONES"

"READY TO BELIEVE"

"JOHN HE IS" (Anti-mccain spin off video)

political stock market

2008-02-23T13:18:00.015-05:00

Go to http://politicalmarkets.cnn.com/ and register to "invest" fake money by buying "stock" in various politicians and political issues. Create your own portfolio.

Here are 4 examples of current stocks for sale, and what the price is for various candidates. ($1 = 1% chance that they will win.)

Who will win the Republican Presidential nomination?

Who will be picked as the Republican Vice-Presidential candidate?

Who will win the Democratic Presidential nomination?

Who will be picked as the Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate?

If you want my Pres/VP picks at the moment...

Republican: McCain/Huckabee

Democratic: Obama/Clinton

Winner: Obama/Clinton

These are my predictions, not my desires!! What are your predictions? Post a comment.

Singles Awareness Day

2008-02-13T09:47:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine told me his new name for Valentine's Day... "Singles Awareness Day." Is that S.A.D.? lol

Mrs. Hughes

2008-01-18T09:44:00.000-05:00

This was too good not to pass on. Have a good laugh!

coincidence or deliberate?

2008-01-02T10:05:00.001-05:00

When Shakespear was 46 years old the King James Bible was published. If you go to Psalm 46 and count 46 words from the beginning you will find "shake." If you count 46 words from the end you will find "spear."

The year 2007 in review

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

Just in case you missed last year, here's a couple of sites with a ton of "best of" and "worst of" lists for 2007. Happy New Year!!

http://www.fimoculous.com/year-review-2007.cfm

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/top10/0,30576,1686204,00.html

the sky angel cowboy

2007-12-27T22:22:00.000-05:00

When a friend sent this to me on youtube I questioned whether it was true or not. However, a little super-sleuthing on my part and I came up with this link. http://www.ksbj.org/eblogs/morningShow/?p=113

Give it a listen when you have a minute.

PS This friend also won the free Sting CD I gave away!!! Thanks for being a subscriber!

Free Christmas music

2007-12-27T19:41:00.000-05:00

If you haven't had too much of Christmas music already you might want to listen or download these songs done by a band at my church. I think it's very professional. They should have charged for it! Their loss. Your gain.

Click this link to go to the folder. Once open, the songs are listed at the bottom.

To listen to a song click on it. To download it, right click on it and choose "Save target as." Once you've downloaded you can listen to them on your computer, make a cd, or upload to your ipod/mp3 player.

Enjoy!

serenity despite powerlessness

2007-12-25T08:19:00.000-05:00

Today I was on "Step 1, Day 15" in the Life Recovery Devotional. I was surprised to see the topic, since today is Christmas! Let me replicate it here, if you don't mind...

"There are times in life when we are powerless over the circumstances around us. We're not in the driver's seat. We have to do things someone else's way. And often, the whole experience is uncomfortable and frightening. During these times we can find hope and serenity in the promises of God.

"Mary was in her early teens when destiny took her by the hand. She was greeted by an angel who announced that she had been chosen by God to be the mother of the Messiah. She found herself pregnant, much to the confusion of her fiance, family, friends, and neighbors. After the angel returned to visit her fiance, he believed Mary's story and married her. When the time came to give birth, she and Joseph were required to travel the long, difficult journey to Bethlehem. There, in a smelly stable carved out of the side of a rocky hill, she delivered the baby. No one but her husband was there to attend Jesus' birth.

"What power did she have over her circumstances? She was powerless under the will of God, the decree of the state, the limitations of their finacial poverty, and the demands of her body. And yet, by holding on to the promises God had given her, she found serenity in her powerlessness and gave birth to the Savior. When we are powerless, we can find serenity by holding on to the pormises of God. When we do this, we will find new life and salvation being born again into our lives."

For more info on the Life Recovery Devotional go here...

it's a wonderful life

2007-12-25T08:07:00.000-05:00

Watch the whole movie online. Enjoy!

funny "12 days of Christmas"

2007-12-25T06:09:00.000-05:00

colorgenics results

2007-12-10T08:04:00.000-05:00

I take this color test periodically and am always amazed at how accurate it is. This time everything looks really close except for the paragraph that talks about withdrawn and intraverted.
_______________________

"You are trying to establish yourself and make an impact despite the fact that everything around you seems to be against you - putting up barriers, but don't be unduly concerned: you have the right ideas and come what may, they will soon be manifested and appreciated.

Always anxious to accept the role of the leader, as indeed you often work well with people - but try to stay out of the limelight. You'd like a life of ease with no one to rock the boat and someone who understands you is so important in your life.

There are times of everyone's life when 'compromise' is the name of the game and this is the time, so you have no alternative but to forgo some pleasures for the time being. You are capable of achieving satisfaction through physical activity.

For some time now your hopes and expectations have been denied and because of this you are becoming withdrawn and introverted. Continual disappointment has manifested itself in you becoming both suspicious and restrained you have become withdrawn from others and have receded more and more into yourself. You seem to have lost your innate enthusiasm and imaginative nature, for fear that you may be carried away by it only to find that you are wasting your time. You are loath to trust people, as in the past your trust has been misplaced. You seem to be keeping yourself cautiously aloof from others. At this moment in time your attitude is to trust nobody - until they can prove themselves to you.

You are presently worried about your future and you feel that whatever you do will go wrong. At this time you are your own worst enemy. All the disappointment that you have experienced, coupled with the fear that there is no point in formulating fresh goals, have led to anxiety. You would like recognition and a position of trust but you are concerned that these hopes and dreams may not be realised. You are very argumentative and insistent that you are right - maybe you are - but you are pushing too hard. Take it easy, let go, and smile. Smiling and agreeing with people works wonders - try it and see. "
________________________

If you'd like to take the test, go here. NOTE: Before you take the test, disable your pop-up blocker. If you don't, you will not only not get your results, but lose everything you entered, and have to start over. And for this test I think it's always best to go with your first gut entries.

Another test using colors is found here. These are my results from that...
_________________________________________

Your Existing Situation
Imaginative and sensitive; seeking an outlet for these qualities--especially in the company of someone equally sensitive. Interest and enthusiasm are readily aroused by the unusual or the adventurous.

Your Stress Sources
Feels that life has far more to offer and that there are still important things to be achieved--that life must be experienced to the fullest. As a result, he pursues his objectives with a fierce intensity that will not let go of things. Becomes deeply involved and runs the risk of being unable to view things with sufficient objectivity, or calmly enough; is therefore in danger of becoming agitated and of exhausting his nervous energy. Cannot leave things alone and feels he can only be at peace when he has finally reached his goal.

Your Restrained Characteristics
The situation is preventing him from establishing himself, but he feels he must make the best of things as they are. Emotionally inhibited. Feels forced to compromise, making it difficult for him to form a stable emotional attachment.

Your Desired Objective
Shelves his ambitions and forgoes his desire for prestige as he prefers to take things easily and indulge his longing for comfort and security.

Your Actual Problem
The fear that he might be prevented from achieving the things he wants leads him to play his part with an urgent and hectic intensity.

If God is for us

2007-12-07T07:45:00.000-05:00

In the morning I read scripture from index cards that I have made up. Sometimes it is just a snippet of a scripture that I haven't taken the time to look up yet and write out officially. Once in awhile, I pull it out and look it up on the internet, choose the translation i like the best, print it out, and put it on the index card.

I hadn't pulled one out recently, but today it was a card where I had scribbled, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" For some reason I decided to pull this one out to officialize it today. I felt pretty strongly about this one, for no apparent reason.

About a half hour later I was listening to a new life live radio broadcast and this guy had called in and talked about his struggle with passivity. John Townsend suggested that he look at scriptures, such as, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Steve Arterburn moved right on past it and John said, "He needs that!" About a minute later John said, "It's in Romans 8."

Coincendence?

As Archbishop William Temple notes, coincidences occur much more frequently when we pray.

In any case, I looked it up online and chose the New Living Translation. Romans 8:31-32. Hope it blesses you.

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be
against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how
will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

the doctor is in

2007-11-29T13:05:00.000-05:00

One of the people I am currently counseling was praying and asking God if she could trust me. She said that God told her, "Yes, you can trust Doug. Keep on counseling with him because he has the gift of healing the unseen."

I thought that was pretty cool!

(PS Thank you God)

Lose it for Life(style)

2007-11-28T15:09:00.000-05:00

Core Fundamentals

Develop a personal, intimate, daily relationship with God
Connect daily with a Lose it for Life buddy
Exercise 30-60 minutes per day, 5 days per week
Attend a Lose it for Life group every week (or OA, WW, or CR)
Do written exercises every week

The Basics

Monitor my progress regularly
Have goals
Work on one thing at a time
Plan
Learn to love my body
Be patient
Stay in the present
Stay away from negative people, places, and things
Accept reality
Make wise food choices
Develop a healthy self-esteem
Work on my relationships
Monitor my motivation
Face my problems
Learn to tolerate discomfort
Balance
Develop community and connection
De-stress my life
Manage stress well
Feel and deal with my emotions
Get healing for old wounds
Get a life
Surrender to the process
Eat regularly
Eat protein throughout the day
Eat whole foods
Eat breakfast
Journal
Take my thoughts captive
Get help
Don't multi-task while eating
Strive for progress, not perfection
Learn to differentiate between physical hunger and other hungers
Discover the root of my attachment to food
Accept responsibility for the cause of and solution to this problem
Invest time, money, and effort

Other things I may need to work on

Do strength training 2-3 x/ week
Drink 60 oz of water per day
Stay away from high calorie drinks
Find exercise that fits my personality
Find exercise that fits my body type
Get exercise equipment that will keep me safe from injury
Get exercise equipment that helps me stay motivated
Get a favorite water bottle
Exercise gradually, at my current fitness level, age, etc
Exercise at a time that works with my schedule
Stop watching so much TV
Go to bed earlier
Figure out what things need axed from my schedule
Get an exercise buddy
Incorporate physical activity into regular activities
Work on my social skills
Find ways to distract myself from food impulses
Face my fears
Develop hobbies and interests and creativity
Face my anger
Risk rejection
Give up food as my best friend
Grow on purpose
Give up obsessing about food/weight/body
Accept the reality of the impact my weight has on my health
Accept the reality of the impact my weight has on my life
Focus on the choice that is in front of me now
Have sufficient quiet time
Focus on what I can do, not on what I can't do
Seek for and apply God's wisdom
Admit my character defects and mistakes
Ask God to open my eyes to the truth about me
Ask God to open my eyes to the truth about Him
Learn to delay immediate gratification
Recognize the long-term consequences of each choice
Get plenty of rest
Control portions
Be alert to attacks from the enemy
Know the Word and apply it to my life
Have a goal for my target weight range
Have a goal for the pace of my weight loss
Give up the need to be invisible
Stop using weight as an excuse to not live
Give up my excuses
Stop self-sabotaging
Stay away from people who sabotage me
Rid my house of trigger foods
Eat only at the kitchen table
Stop eating in the car
Stop using my weight as a way to punish someone
Learn to be OK with a normal body size
Learn to deal with my sexual impulses
Learn to deal with others' sexual advances
Put in effort
Accept the reality that there will be occasional rough patches
Know the reasons why I eat, other than hunger
Have realistic expectations
Choose lower glycemic foods
Choose higher fiber foods
Stay away from refined flour and sugar
Exercise aerobically 30-60 minutes/day, 3-5x/week
Be willing to do whatever it takes
Accept that there are no simple solutions to complex problems
Shape my motivation around health, freedom, and pleasing God
Accept God's grace
Stop defining myself by what I weigh
Learn to listen to my body
Accept responsibility for my own behavior and choices
Mange my emotions, instead of them managing me
Make new, healthy connections with people
Get up after I fall
Let slips be isolated incidents, not a predictor of the future
Accept my body for what it is today
Learn to like myself
Become aware of my true needs
Seek to get my true needs met in healthy, God-honoring ways
Avoid quick-fix temptations
Want healing more than I want food
Explore the root reasons for my attachment to food
Make gradual lifestyle changes
Experience pain
Acknowledge my need for help
Seek help until I find what I need
Be open, honest, and vulnerable with God
Be open, honest, and vulnerable with trusted others
Forgive myself
Forgive others
Receive and accept forgiveness from God
Receive and accept forgiveness from others
Transform my struggle, loss, and pain into a purposeful mission
Accept my powerlessness and lack of control
Periodically measure my progress
Admit and accept my weakness
Be open to receiving God's power
Be honest with myself
Believe that all things work together for good for those that love God
Face my problems
Grieve my losses
Believe that God's plans for me are good
Record what I eat
Stop grazing
Stop overeating at a sitting
Learn to interrupt binges
Tolerate bad feelings
Get happy now, instead of waiting until you're thin
Focus on deep connections with several others
Live in the present
Get rid of the "if only"s
Stop losing weight for other people
Accept my true value
Move my expectations closer to reality
Learn moderation
Fill the emptiness with something besides food
Stop overly-restricting myself
Stop viewing certain foods as "bad"
Stop depending on others to tell me what to eat
Stop rebelling
View my body as sacred
Experience God's grace
Plan my meals ahead of time
Stop eating in front of the TV
Take the time to eat
Avoid eating 2-3 hours before bed
Increase my Basal Metabolic Rate
Discover the impact my medications have on my weight
Learn better time management skills
Study nutrition
See a nutritionist or dietitian
See a counselor or therapist
Learn to maintain weight during stressful periods
Learn my cycles... daily, weekly, monthly, annual
Look at my whole body in the mirror
Read affirmation statements
Get a physical
Discover my BMI
Increase vegetables
Increase fruit
Drastically reduce high-density calorie foods
Decrease caffeine
Decrease alcohol
Increase dairy/calcium
Choose low fat or no fat
Avoid fried foods
Learn my metabolic or blood type
Buy and cook up plenty of healthy food to have on hand
Increase my lifestyle from sedentary to active to very active
Determine the number of calories I need to lose weight, and to maintain weight
Count calories
Count points
Discover my food allergies
Put boundaries around chocolate
Make immediate corrections for overeating in my next meal
Do short-term fasts
Eat before events
Eat before grocery shopping
Avoid certain aisles of the grocery store
Avoid certain restaurants or fast food places
Limit the variety of food displayed
Limit eating during cooking
Create an enjoyable, stress-free eating environment
Sit down while eating
Use smaller plates and bowls
Put away leftovers
Limit or eliminate binge foods
Have a plan for eating out
Plan how to handle special events
Change my attitude about exercising
Exercise in short bouts throughout the day
Re-prioritize my time
Develop routines
Find healthy ways to deal with boredom
Stop eating when I am physically full
Stop cleaning my plate
Throw away food
Stop beating myself up
Stop eating in secret/hiding
Slow down when I eat
Be honest about how much I eat
Confess my sins and shortcomings to God and others
Praise God more
Take medication
Find my security in God
Refuse to believe I am a mistake
Believe that God is for me
Stop comparing myself to others
Be OK with happiness
Stop putting off unpleasant tasks
Express my feeling to God and trusted others
Determine the needs behind my feelings
Journal my thoughts and feelings
Keep a prayer journal
Listen for the Lord to speak
Identify the lies I believe
Get surgery for my heart
Stop talking negatively to myself and about myself
Never give up hope
Put a rubber band on my wrist to snap when I think negative
Keep a dysfunctional thought record
Stop obsessing about "What if"
Stop catastrophizing
Accept uncertainty and ambiguity
Use visualization and meditation
Stop thinking so much
Believe that God will do what he says he will do
Do the Word, don't just hear it
Turn off food commercials
Learn relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing
Stay away from goodies at work
Stand near the healthy food at parties
Concentrate on one change at a time
Accept that good health takes commitment and investment
Learn to say no
Get out of one-way relationships
Learn to be more assertive
Become more interested in others
Practice doing things that are uncomfortable
Refuse to play the victim role
Enlist the help of my family
Spend more time planning
Have a relapse recognition plan
Have a relapse prevention plan
Recognize complacency when it happens
Beware of rationalizations and compromises
Stop thinking that reaching your ideal weight is the end of the journey
Recognize when I start to isolate
Live in the moment
Practice spiritual disciplines-prayer, worship, confession, Bible study, giving, fasting, submission, service, forgiving
Stop eating with dangerous people
Take vitamins and supplements
Eat organic
Develop an emergency plan
Keep non-binge, healthy foods handy
Develop a week-end plan
Make phone calls
Love myself
Stand up more
Develop a pleasing appearance
Write down what I eat
Write down what I am going to eat
Do 12-step work
Set up rewards for small victories
Define when I will eat
Not get too hungry
Not get too angry
Not get too lonely
Not get too tired
Increase my faith
Believe God
Change my image of God
Be real and authentic
Reshuffle my friendships
Give and receive grace
Develop relationships a small step at a time
Turn my life over to God
Cry more
Cry more in front of others
Master my body
Embrace my humanness
Stop trying to change other people
Take baby steps
Start over every day
Look for and cherish my victories every day
Recognize and deal with any rebellion in my heart
Get a sponsor
Get a mentor
Get a personal trainer
Join a gym

Richard Roberts resigns as president of Oral Roberts University

2007-11-24T08:05:00.000-05:00

Embattled Oral Roberts University President Richard Roberts resigned Friday following nearly two months of allegations that he and his family misused university and ministry resources.

In his resignation letter, Roberts states: "I love ORU with all my heart. I love the students, faculty, staff and administration and I want to see God's best for all of them."

Roberts' letter, sent to the Board of Regents, states his resignation was effective Friday. The board is meeting Monday and Tuesday to determine its search process for a new president, university spokesman Jeremy Burton said in a statement.

"Executive Regent Billy Joe Daugherty will continue to assume administrative responsibilities of the office of the president, working together with Chancellor Oral Roberts, until the regents meeting," Burton stated.

The announcement follows weeks of bad news for Roberts and the university, including an overwhelming faculty vote of "no confidence" in Roberts and a statement by Provost Mark Lewandowski that he would resign if Roberts were allowed to return.

Several faculty members said Friday they had heard the board was poised to vote next week on whether to retain Roberts as president. He has been on a leave of absence since Oct. 17, a few weeks after three former professors filed a lawsuit against him, ORU and other defendants in Tulsa County District Court.

Rhae Buckley, president of the ORU Alumni Association board, said he hopes the university moves quickly to find a new president.

"I'm not surprised. I know that Richard really loved the university and he wants to do what he feels is right for the university," Buckley said.

Cornell Cross, an ORU student who filed a suit against the university last week, said: "It's an excellent second step in fixing the university. Now we just need the board to continue to do what is expected of them."

Among other claims, Cross' suit alleges his degree has been devalued by the controversy.

John Swails, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed by the former professors Oct. 2, said Friday he was "completely taken by surprise" when he heard Roberts had resigned. Swails was professor and chairman of the history, humanities and government department before he was fired.

"I felt like from all the indications this was going to be a fight to the very last. ... It's kind of sad that it has come to this. Based on what we know, for the good of the university he should have stepped down much, much earlier. I understand that students are leaving and money is diminishing."

ORU announced recently it was $52 million in debt.

Tulsa attorney Gary Richardson, who filed the suit on behalf of Swails and two others, said he expected Roberts to resign.

"To those that know what the evidence is that's come forth and those who know what is anticipated to follow, it's absolutely no surprise. We wouldn't have been surprised had it happened weeks ago."

Richardson said the lawsuit will continue, regardless of Roberts' resignation. He said the plaintiffs are open to mediating the lawsuit's claims.

"It could be a move in the right direction to be able maybe one day sit down and discuss mediation," he said.

The other plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Timothy Brooker, who coordinated ORU's government program, and his wife, Paulita Brooker, an adjunct professor who was first hired for the ORU School of Lifelong Education.

They sued ORU, Roberts, Lewandowski, Dean Wendy Shirk and Vice Provost Jeff Ogle. The former professors also claim that the Board of Regents neglected to properly oversee ORU, Roberts and administrators.

The lawsuit claims that Roberts required Brooker to make his students work for Tulsa mayoral candidate Randi Miller's campaign, in violation of laws that prohibit nonprofit groups from getting involved in partisan political campaigns. It also claims the professors were fired or forced out after they brought the board a report containing a variety of allegations against Roberts and his wife, Lindsay.

The report contained allegations of misspending by the pair, including a $39,000 shopping tab at one store for Lindsay, a $29,411 Bahamas senior trip on the ministry jet for one of the Roberts' daughters, and a stable of horses for the Roberts' daughters.

Roberts issued a rebuttal to some of the lawsuit's allegations, saying many of the claims are either false or are misconstruing actual events. Roberts said some of the claims came from a report by his sister-in-law, Stephanie Cantees, who was paid to report rumors she had heard about ORU or the ministry.

An outside firm is conducting an investigation of the university. Sources said the report may be released to regents at their meeting next week.

By Ziva Branstetter, World Projects Editor (From Tulsa World)

To see the actual lawsuit filed against Richard Roberts, click here.

domestic violence

2007-11-24T06:54:00.000-05:00

This is a good site that describes various types of abuse that can happen within a relationship, and what to do about it. http://www.domesticviolence.org/violence-wheel/.

Ultimately, domestic violence is one person's attempt to get and keep control in a relationship.

The wheel enumerates various types of violence: coercion and threats, intimidation, emotional abuse, enforced isolation, minimizing/denying/rationalizing, using the children, economic abuse, and "male privelege."

meet u there

2007-11-23T08:20:00.000-05:00

by Olivia Doan, age 14

I'm over here
Ur over there
Let's meet halfway

Or just stand
Stand where we are
Not get any closer

I know why
'Cause it's just too hard
Too hard to try

It's hard for me
And hard for u
But let's both put in effort
'Cause it's only fair

And i'll meet u there

Phone Phantom

2007-11-14T19:25:00.000-05:00

One person that i counsel on the phone said i was like the phone phantom because they hear my voice but don't see me. Then she got the bright idea to write words to the song, "Music of the Night," from Phatom of the Opera.

Tell me
Secrets
Let your life unfold here
Wounds and
Secrets
That you have been hiding
Turn your thoughts away
From the many ways you’ve failed
Bring your wounded life into God’s holy light
Help me teach you how to make it right

Isn't that special?? :)

money and preachers

2007-11-06T20:28:00.000-05:00

Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa sent letters to a half-dozen Christian media ministries earlier this week requesting answers by Dec. 6 about their expenses, executive compensation and amenities, including use of fancy cars and private jets.

In a statement, Grassley said he was acting on complaints from the public and news coverage of the organizations.

"The allegations involve governing boards that aren't independent and allow generous salaries and housing allowances and amenities such as private jets and Rolls Royces," Grassley said.

"I don't want to conclude that there's a problem, but I have an obligation to donors and the taxpayers to find out more. People who donated should have their money spent as intended and in adherence with the tax code."

Those ministries that responded Tuesday either said they were cooperating or committed to financial transparency and following the law.

The investigation promises to shine new light on the kind of TV ministries that were crippled by sex and money scandals in the 1980s. Experts also say it stands out as an unusual case of the government probing the inner workings of religious organizations.

Most of those under investigation preach a variation of the "prosperity gospel," the teaching that God will shower faithful followers with material riches.

Grassley's letters went to:

• Kenneth and Gloria Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries of Newark, Texas, a $20 million organization and prosperity gospel pioneer. Questions were raised about the transfer of church assets to a for-profit company, Security Patrol Inc., a $1 million loan from Gloria Copeland to the group, and a "personal gift" of more than $2 million given to Kenneth Copeland to mark the ministry's 40th anniversary. A Copeland spokeswoman released a statement saying the ministry is working on a response to Grassley's letter, follows all laws and best practices governing churches and religious nonprofit groups, and "will continue to do so."

• Creflo and Taffi Dollar of World Changers Church International and Creflo Dollar Ministries of College Park, Ga. Grassley's letter asks for records on private planes, board makeup, compensation and donations and "love offerings" to visiting ministers. In a statement, Dollar called his ministry an "open book" and said he would cooperate. He also questioned whether the investigation could "affect the privacy of every community church in America."

• Benny Hinn of World Healing Center Church Inc. and Benny Hinn Ministries of Grapevine, Texas, is asked about use of a private jet, a home in Dana Point, Calif. and "layover trips" while traveling on ministry business. Hinn did not respond to requests for comment.

• Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and Bishop Eddie Long Ministries of Lithonia, Ga., was questioned about his salary, a $1.4 million real estate transaction and whether he, and not the board, holds sole authority over the organization. Long plans to fully comply with the Senate's request, and his church has "several safeguards" to ensure transactions comply with laws governing churches, according to a statement from Long's spokesman.

• Joyce and David Meyer of Joyce Meyer Ministries of Fenton, Mo., who were quizzed about receiving donations of money and jewelry and the handling of cash from overseas crusades. They also were asked about expenditures at ministry headquarters, including a $30,000 conference table and a $23,000 "commode with marble top."
The ministry's lawyer released a statement describing the ministry's work and public release of several years' worth of audits. He also said the IRS found in October that the group continues to qualify for tax-exempt status.

• Randy and Paula White of the multiracial Without Walls International Church and Paula White Ministries of Tampa, Fla. are asked about home purchases in San Antonio, Texas, Malibu, Calif., and New York, credit card charges for clothing and cosmetic surgery and the reported purchase of a Bentley convertible as a gift for Bishop T.D. Jakes, a prominent Texas preacher and televangelist. An e-mail to a spokeswoman for Jakes was not immediately returned.
In a statement, Randy and Paula White declined to comment on specifics, saying they needed time to review the letter with their lawyers. But the Whites called the Grassley letter "unusual, since the IRS has separate powers to investigate religious organizations if they think it's necessary."

Hinn, Kenneth Copeland and Creflo Dollar all sit on the board of regents for Oral Roberts University, which is mired in a financial scandal of its own.

The Senate Finance Committee has chided secular nonprofits for governance and compensation problems in the past, but this level of scrutiny for what are basically "non-pulpit churches" is unprecedented, said Ken Behr, president of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
Because the groups have tax status as churches, they are not required to file tax forms open to public inspection.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071107/ap_on_go_co/televangelist_probe

Daughter to Father!!

2007-11-04T09:47:00.000-05:00

Wow. I just stumbled upon this song. Never heard it before. I haven't cried like that in a looong time... :) For real. Get ur tissues out.

CareerDirect

2007-10-31T08:18:00.000-04:00

I took a free career test online and these were the results.

General Description: As a Driver, you create activity and set the pace within your family and among your friends. Due to your desire to produce results, you quickly take charge by defining goals and delegating tasks. You are not afraid to take risks or impose your will through strong action in order to move ahead.

Typical Areas of Strength: Drivers, like you, are bold, direct, confident, competitive, often pioneering, assertive, frank, independent, and responsive to new challenges. You excel by having the freedom to define a direction focused on results.

Typical Areas of Struggle: You may be impatient, insensitive to the feelings of others, frustrated with details and routines, a poor listener, impulsive, too blunt, or overbearing.

Your Preferred Activities: To maximize your talents, you look for situations in which you can have a high level of independence, with obstacles to overcome, challenges to meet and solve, without many details to handle.

Your Communication Style: You communicate directly and forcefully, getting to the bottom line quickly. As a result, friends and family may see you as demanding, impersonal, and dominating.

My profile page is here...

To take the test click here

I'd be interested in your results. Email them to me at dougdoan@yahoo.com.

Top Reasons to SUBSCRIBE!!

2007-10-28T08:22:00.000-04:00

1. It's free. How can you beat that??
2. You will be the envy of your friends.
3. No more sleepless nights wondering if you missed the latest post.
4. With your subscription and $5 you can get any drink you want at starbucks.
5. You might learn something.
6. No spam. Your email will not be rented, sold, or used to sell Viagra.
7. Get special bulletins from me which I send only to subscribers.
8. Save 15% on your auto insurance. (Depending on which company you call, and how much of a discount they give you.)
9. Unsubscribe at any time. No questions asked.
10. Unused subscription can be returned for full refund or store credit.
11. Please?
12. I have a goal to get to 100 subscribers and right now there are, ummm, not that many .
13. When there are a million subscribers you'll be able to say, "I was in the first 100!"
14. It's easy. Enter your email address and click the "subscribe me" button.
15. You might laugh.
16. Because I said so.
17. It does a body good.
18. Everyone else is doing it.
19. It would make me happy.
20. You can lie about it under grand jury investigation and I'll back you up.
21. Out of the hundreds of emails you get in a week, this will be one you actually want!
22. 4 out of 5 dentists recommend it.
23. Builds strong teeth and bones.
24. If you don't, the terrorists will win.
25. I want you to.
26. No credit check required.
27. You're pre-approved!
28. It's a guilty pleasure.
29. No calories.
30. It beats working.
31. No animals were harmed in the making of this blog.
32. It automatically qualifies you for the 12 step program, BA. "Bloggers Anonymous."
33. Pretty please?
34. You want stuff to talk about at the water cooler.
35. It would make my day.
36. You'll feel a lot less guilty.

Warnings

1. Take with milk and cookies
2. May cause unbridled joy and enthusiasm.
3. Do not mix with self-pity.
4. You must open your mind before partaking.
5. Does not cure genital herpes.
6. If symptoms last longer than 4 hours, consult your doctor.

Seriously, it would mean a lot to me if you would subscribe. I promise not to waste your time with crap. And if you want to unsubscribe at any time there's a link in every email you get that lets you do it easily. Why not try it for a month? What do you have to lose???

Thanks... Doug

PS If you comment here with other reasons to subscribe, I may add them to the list! :)

the 5th step

2007-10-13T16:35:00.000-04:00

Today I did my 5th step with my sponsor.

If you've never been through the 12 steps, let me back up. The 4th step requires you to "conduct a searching and fearless moral inventory." This involves writing up a page for anyone you have hurt, anyone who has hurt you, and any resentments or fears you have about anyone or anything. Mine was 150 pages. (Give me a break! I'm 47. That's only about 3 per year!! lol)

In any case the 5th step involves "admitting to myself, to God, and to one other human being the exact nature of my wrongs." After 6 1/2 hours, my sponsor had heard it all! (No, he didn't run out of the room screaming!)

Phew... I'm tired. But it's a good kind of tired.

Thanks Chuck!

stay away from this guy

2007-09-22T09:20:00.000-04:00

20/20 expose on Kevin Trudeau

wikipedia article on kevin trudeau

What I like about my church

2007-09-16T09:27:00.001-04:00

We have an awesome facility that is kept up very well. It's very nice and functional without being ostenstatious.
The senior pastor is very approachable, no airs.
The music is very professional. Flawless.
Has 7 well-established core values around which everything is decided and done.
Excellent use of multi-media, as well as decor and other "atmospheric" components.
The focus is on learning, discipleship, and continual growth, not just "crisis" experiences.
Very contemporary. Does not do anything because, "that's the way we used to do it."
Willing to take risks to see what works.
Very little "drama" for being such a large church.
Committed to not putting any barriers between the unbeliever and the gospel, other than the gospel itself. If someone is going to be offended, it is not because of the church being offensive.
Preaching is relevant and practical and Biblical.
Organizationally excellent, planning and administrating church functions like a finely tuned swiss watch.
No long list of rules or commitments or beliefs to be a member. If you are a follower of Jesus, have been baptized by immersion, and want to do what you can to connect, contribute, and receive, come on in!
No personality cult. The leadership and "glory" is very spread out. No one person has developed their own "following."
Lots of "specialty" ministries. Lots of places to fit in.
Devloping "satellite" churches. Not a need to build one huge, ever-expanding centralized church.
An excellent reputation in the community.
Although there are many "important," or "wealthy" people who attend, everyone is very human and friendly and "equal."
You gotta love the golf carts that chauffeur you to the building when you park far away! :)
Heavy focus on short-term mission projects, and practical small-group involvement in community needs.
Hosting Celebrate Recovery.
The Lord's Supper every week.

And now for the commercial!

if you look good, brains are optional?

2007-09-11T09:26:00.000-04:00

Q: "Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?"

Answer by a Miss Teen USA contestant...

"I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh...

some people out there in our nation don't have maps and uh...

I believe that our, uh, education like, such as in South Africa, and, uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as...

and I believe that they should, uh...

our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., or should help South Africa, it should help the Iraq and the Asian countries,

so we will be able to build up our future . . . for our... "

Would you allow this book in your school's library?

2007-09-06T16:17:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time there was a mayor of Centerville, Bernstein by name, who had many children.

Slade, Mayor Bernstein's son, had a sister who was very attractive. Her name was Britney.

Justin, also Mayor Bernstein's son, was in love with Britney. Justin was obsessed with his sister Britney to the point of making himself sick over her. She was a virgin, so he couldn't see how he could get his hands on her.

Justin had a good friend, Stone, the son of Mayor Bernstein's brother Rodney. Stone was exceptionally streetwise. He said to Justin, "Why are you moping around like this, day after day—you, the son of the mayor! Tell me what's eating at you."

"In a word, Britney," said Justin. "My brother Slade's sister. I'm in love with her."

"Here's what you do," said Stone. "Go to bed and pretend you're sick. When your father comes to visit you, say, 'Have my sister Britney come and make some supper for me here where I can watch her and she can feed me.'"

So Justin took to his bed and acted sick. When the mayor came to visit, Justin said, "Would you do me a favor? Have my sister Britney come and make some tacos here where I can watch her and be fed by her."

Mayor Bernstein sent word to Britney who was home at the time: "Go to the Justin's house and make him some supper."

So Britney went to her brother Justin's house. She took some shells, formed them into tacos, and cooked them while he watched from his bed. But when she brought the tray over and tried to serve him, he wouldn't eat.

Justin said, "Get everyone out of here," and they all cleared out. Then he said to Britney, "Bring the food into my bedroom, where we can eat in privacy." She took the tacos she had prepared and brought them to her brother Justin in his bedroom. But when she got ready to feed him, he grabbed her and said, "Come to bed with me, sister!"

"No, brother!" she said, "Don't hurt me! This kind of thing isn't done in Centerville! Don't do this terrible thing! Where could I ever show my face? And you—you'll be out on the street in disgrace. Oh, please! Speak to your father—he'll let you marry me."

But he wouldn't listen. Being much stronger than she, he raped her.

No sooner had Justin raped her than he hated her—an immense hatred. The hatred that he felt for her was greater than the love he'd had for her. "Get up," he said, "and get out!"

"Oh no, brother," she said. "Please! This is an even worse evil than what you just did to me!"

But he wouldn't listen to her. He called for his valet. "Get rid of this woman. Get her out of my sight! And lock the door after her." The valet threw her out and locked the door behind her.

Britney ran screaming and pulling her hair... Mascara ran all over her face and onto her clothes. She eventually slumped to the ground, held her head in her hands, and sobbed uncontrollably.

Her brother Slade said to her, "Has your brother Justin had his way with you? Now, my dear sister, let's keep it quiet—a family matter. He is, after all, your brother. Don't take this so hard."

Britney went and lived in her brother Slade's home, bitter and desolate.

Mayor Bernstein heard the whole story and was enraged, but he didn't confront Justin about it. Mayor Bernstein doted on him because he was his firstborn son.

Slade quit speaking to Justin—not a word, whether good or bad—because he hated him for violating his sister Britney.

Two years went by.

One day Slade threw a harvest party in Centerville in the vicinity of Georgetown and invited all the mayor's sons. He also went to his Dad and invited him. "Hey, I'm throwing a harvest party. Come, and bring your staff."

But the mayor said, "No, son—not this time, and not the whole staff. We'd just be a burden to you." Slade pushed, but his Dad wouldn't budge. He wished him a good time.

Then Slade said, "Well, if you won't come, at least let my brother Justin come."

"And why," said the mayor, "should he go with you?" But Slade was so insistent that he gave in and let Justin and all the rest of the mayor's sons go.

Slade prepared a huge spread. Then he instructed his friends who were helping him, "Look ... When Justin has had a few beers and is kind of out of it, and when I give the order, take him out back and mess him up. Kill him! And don't be afraid—I'm the one who will take all the responsibility. Come on! You can do it!"

Slade's friends did to Justin exactly what he had told them to do. All the mayor's sons got out as fast as they could, jumped on their motorcycles, and rode off.

While they were still on the road, a rumor came to the mayor: "Slade just killed all of your sons—not one is left!" The mayor stood up and gasped, grabbing his chest. His face turned white. His staff was shocked and speechless as well.

Just then, Stone, the mayor's brother's son, stepped up. "Sir, don't think that all the your sons are dead. Only Justin is dead. This happened because of Slade's outrage since the day that Justin violated his sister Britney. So don't make things worse than they are, thinking that all your sons are dead. Only Justin is dead."

Just then the security guard on duty looked up and saw a cloud of dust on County Line Road alongside the mountain. He came and told the mayor, "I've just seen a bunch motorcycles on County Line Road, coming around the mountain."

Then Stone exclaimed to the mayor, "See! It's your sons coming, just as I said!" He had no sooner said the words than the mayor's sons burst in. They all cried and sobbed bitter tears together. Mayor Bernstein mourned the death of his son a long time.

In the meantime, Slade had fled and had gone to stay with Michael, son of Mayor Stanton, in Newport. He stayed there three years.

Mayor Bernstein finally gave up trying to get back at Slade. He had come to terms with his son's death.

The end.

(See 2 Samuel, chapter 13. Names have been changed to protect the guilty!)

You know you're from central New York when...

2007-09-03T10:55:00.000-04:00

You stay in your house most of the summer because you aren't used to the heat.

You drive 55 mph through 10 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching.

You see people wearing hunting clothes at social events.

You install security lights on your house and garage, and then leave both unlocked.

You've noticed that True Value Hardware on any Saturday is busier than toy stores at Christmas.

You define summer as three months of bad sledding.

One of your neighbors constantly has bonfires.

You carry jumper cables in your car, and your girlfriend knows how to use them.

There are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at the supermarket at any given time.

You know 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, cold, and construction.

It takes you 2 hours to go to the store for one item because you have to stop and talk to everyone in town

Cows are just part of the scenery

You know that the phrase, "Goin up ta," applies to going north, south, east, or west, up or down in elevation, and pretty much any other way you can travel.

The smell of freshly spread cow manure doesn't bother you.

Its perfectly normal for your life's aspirations to be working for the county.

Getting "dressed up" means tucking your shirt into your jeans and putting on clean work boots.

Halloween costumes are always designed around a snowsuit and winter boots.

You know what cheese curd is, and love it.

You can name everyone you graduated with.

You know what 4-H is.

You said the 'F' word and your parents knew within an hour.

You ever went cow-tipping.

School gets canceled for a sports team going to State

You had a senior skip day.

Your car is always covered with mud, slosh, and salt.

You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.

The town next to you is considered "trashy" or "snotty" when it is just like your town.

You have experienced frostbite and sunburn in the same week.

Getting paid minimum wage is considered a raise.

You refer to anyone with a house newer than 1980 as the "rich people."

You think driving is better in the winter because the potholes get filled in with snow and the snow banks protect you from the guardrails.

The Country Club doesn’t have a golf course.

You wear shorts when it hits 50 degrees.

You know exactly what time it needs to start snowing in order to have a snow day (3:30am).

Winter starts Halloween night.

You think that they don't have enough weather coverage on TV and radio.

You live within 10 minutes of an Ice Rink.

Weekend excitement involves a trip to RiteAid drugs.

Even ugly people enter beauty contests.

You decide to walk for exercise and 5 people pull over and ask you if you need a ride.

Your graduating class has no more than 500 kids, including the 100-200 that didn't quite make it through.

Your doors to your car freeze shut.

Your teachers call you by your older sibling's name.

The local phone book has only one yellow page.

You leave your jacket on the back of the chair in the cafe, and when you go back the next day, it's still there, on the same chair.

You don't signal turns because everyone knows where you're going anyway.

You call a wrong number and they supply you with the correct one.

You have to name six surrounding towns to explain to people where you're from.

The town population increases by one-third when the universities go on break.

Your snow blower gets stuck on the roof.

The mosquitoes in your yard have legal landing rights.

Catching lighting bugs is a way to entertain your kids for hours.

You’ve ridden your bike on the Erie Canal.

You can speak a second language: Native American. (onondoga, chittenango, oneida, Tuscarora, Seneca, Canaseraga, Canastota, Oswego, Otisco, Owasco, Cayuga, Sauquoit, etc.)

You suffer a heart attack while shoveling snow out of your driveway.

You owe more money on your snowmobile than your car.

The mayor greets you on the street by your first name.

You keep the snow tires on your truck all year because it ain't worth taking them off for only two months.

You consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 36 inches
of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by.

You're proud that your region makes the national news 96 nights a year
because Saranac Lake is the coldest spot in the nation, and Syracuse gets more
snow than any other major city in the US.

Your l ocal Dairy Queen is closed from October through May.

If you get 131 inches of snow in a week and you comment that 'winter's finally
here', you might live near Oswego.

You instinctively walk like a penguin for six months out of the year

Someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance, and they don't work
there.

Your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his forehead.

You have worn shorts and a parka on the same day.

You have had a lengthy phone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong
number.

Down South means Corning .

Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new shed.

You go out for a fish fry every Friday .

Your 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.

Your idea of a traffic jam is 10 cars waiting to pass a tractor.

You measure distance in hours.

You know several people who have hit deer more than once.

You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.

You know you’ve lived in Syracuse too long when…

You know the correct pronunciation of "Pompey."

You no longer need to brace your eardrums when exiting the pressurized Carrier Dome.

You can tell all the Hafner establishments apart.

Your chest bursts with pride when Syracuse's climate runs as the top story on cable TV's Weather Channel.

You know where to find parking spaces in Skaneateles.

You're surprised that people from other parts of the country know nothing about lacrosse.

Your idea of fun is to pack a picnic lunch and go watch the mosquitoes get sprayed in Cicero.

You attended a Syracuse Chiefs game at MacArthur Stadium. Bonus points if you attended a Chiefs game at Municipal Stadium.

You've shopped at Switz's novelty store in North Syracuse.

Attending the State Fair is a family tradition, and you go more than three times during the 12 days it's open.

You've shopped at the Tri-County Mall.

Half the change in your pocket is Canadian.

You can make a weekend out of going to Carousel Mall.

Erie Boulevard is the place to go on weekends.

You request the Syracuse vs. Miami Football game off from work a year in advance.

You go on a "big" camping trip to Green Lakes.

75% of your friends work at Wegmans.

You accept the fact that the Carrier Dome isn't air conditioned, despite being named after the World's Largest A/C Company.

You have a stuffed Orange in your car (Otto).

you can accurately forecast just how warm the day will be according to the intensity of the stench coming from the lake during your morning drive.

Jim Boeheim is starting to look sexy to you.

You feel like you're being subversive when you go to Hoffmann's instead of Heid's.

You know that Gate 2 at the Fairgrounds is always open.

you chuckle with glee whenever you hear that yet another truck has had its top sheared off by the rail bridge over Onondaga Parkway.

The word "iniquity" inspires images of a bejeweled hand gesturing from the edge of a grainy black-and-white television screen on Channel 5's Monster Movie Matinee.

You call the intersection of Salina and Jefferson streets "Downcity."

Your children dream of being on WIXT-Channel 9's "Storm Team."

You have the time and temperature number memorized

You're beginning to suspect that the time and temperature lady actually died years ago and her voice is now computer-generated and preserved for all eternity.

You miss Bowling for Dollars and its host, Bud Hedinger.

You remember the key to open the door of local TV's Magic Toy Shop.

You automatically give speeding cars with Canadian license plates the right of way on I-81.

You can determine how much a person's house is worth by the way he or she pronounces Skaneateles".

You can explain to visitors what salt potatoes are.

You remember Fairmount Fair. Bonus points for remembering it before it expanded at the western end; double points for remembering it before it was enclosed.

You've shopped at the Penn Can Mall. Bonus points if you remember its jingle or know that it's named Penn Can because of its location between Pennsylvania and Canada.

You know not to drive through Baldwinsville's Four Corners between 3 and 7 p.m.

You know how to decode the weather star on top of the MONY Tower.

You remember when Doug's Fish Fry had only one location.

You know the service elevator shortcut out of Hotel Syracuse's 10th-floor Grand Ballroom.

music stations i created

2007-09-02T10:33:00.000-04:00

Create your own Slacker Station now

Create your own Slacker Station now

Create your own Slacker Station now

Create your own Slacker Station now

Create your own Slacker Station now

Coach Doug Advertising Campaign

2007-08-17T20:57:00.000-04:00

Dave, a friend of mine, has too much time on his hands... Vote for which one you like the best!

INFORMATION AND REFERENCE

2007-08-11T07:29:00.001-04:00

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/

http://www.apa.org/topics/homepage.html?fc_c=1071850x1685898x61709661

http://rhyme.poetry.com/

http://www.rhymezone.com/

http://www.ourdocuments.gov/index.php?flash=true&

http://www.internic.net/whois.html

http://www.howstuffworks.com/?fc_c=1071850x1685901x61709661

http://www.fixya.com/

http://www.travelandleisure.com/afc/2007/

allmovie.com Information on almost any movie. Similar to IMDB

Chord House Look up every possible chord for piano or guitar

Better Business Bureau Check out companies or charities, file a report, etc.

Housing Tracker See what the average asking price is for homes around the country

wildfires map of us showing location of current wildfires. You can zoom in as much as you want.

Tell Me Ok, so this is the coolest phone number ever when you're out with your cell phone. 1-800-555-TELL. Using nothing but your voice you can get directions, find businesses, get the news, see what movies are playing in your area, and even play blackjack! Other stuff as well. Definitely worth putting in your speed dial list.

web elements Forget the atomic number of nitrogen? The isotopes of beryllium? Never fear. Webelements is here.

reference.com dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia look ups

Zillow Find out the value of your house (or your neighbors!)

Snopes You know all those rumors that go around the internet that seem too good or horrible or scary to be true? They usually are! Check them out here before you pass them on to the rest of us. (Please!)

Hoaxbusters Another site helping you sort out if what comes to your inbox is fact or fiction. Concentrates on virus warnings and chain emails.

Cnet reviews Lots of reviews of all kinds of electornic products

CBS News

Video news on Yahoo

Wikipedia If you are looking for information about anything, start here! It's an online encyclopedia that anyone in the world can add to or edit. (That causes some problems, obviously. But it's a great site and way worth the time to look there first.)

The Internet Movie Database Everything you've ever wanted to know about any movie ever.

The Middle East buddy list Ever get confused as to who hates who over there? Me too.

Charity navigator Look up your favorite charity or non-profit organization and get the financial low down.

answers.com Ask a question... any question.

the drudge report Late breaking news tips and rumors

the smoking gunThe Smoking Gun: An interesting mixture of "voyeurism." For example mug shots of famous people. Legal documents or police reports of popular court cases or of famous people. What do singers and bands require to be ready for them when they come to town. Even listen to fbi wiretaps of thugs.

Get a human! How to get a human being on the phone at big companies

Clark Howard Clark Howard's site with lots of great stuff on personal finance and computers/technology. You can even call and get free financial advice.

Kids in mind Rates movies on a scale of 1-10 for sex, violence, and profanity.

Please let me know if any of the links don't work. I depend on you to help me make this an awesome blog to come back and visit! Thank you.

About the blog author

2007-08-05T07:27:00.004-04:00

Name: Douglas Richard Doan
Age: 47
Birth Date: September 18, 1960
Location: Jacksonville, Florida
Occupation: Christian Counselor and Leadership Coach
Employer: http://www.growingandhealingministries.com/ (Self-employed)
Marital status: Single
Children: Justin 18, Olivia 16, Rebecca 13
Church: Christ's Church
email: dougdoan@yahoo.com
Aspiration: writer

Places I have lived

Syracuse, NY (kirkville, lyncourt, southside)
Houghton, NY
Tours, France
Sussex, New Brunswick, Canada
South Hamilton, MA
Haverhill, MA
Hampton Beach, NH
Jacksonville, FL (mandarin)

Education

Gordon-Conwell Theological Society 1994 MA in counseling
Bethany Bible College 1985 BA in religion
Houghton College 1982 BA in psychology, french, education
Chittenango High School 1978
Bolivar Road Elemenatry 1972

Doug's MySpace page
Doug's videos
Doug's Photos

other stuff i've made at "esnips"
Coaching CD I made with Steve Arterburn

My Personality Test results

my color quiz results
my enneagram type
my handwriting analysis

My wish list

my affirmation statements
my passions
my mission
my perfect wife

my childhood memories

It's all in the attitude, dude

2007-07-14T10:43:00.000-04:00

Many years ago when i was a pastor, there was a kid in my youth group named Derrick. He had suffered an aneurysm just before I got to the church and was in a wheelchair. He was almost fully paralyzed on the left side of his body. We prayed for him much, of course, but he was never fully healed.

Derrick had a great attitude, however, much of which probably came from his wonderful parents, and his faith in God.

Well, now he is a comedian, and he performed at my 25th college reunion last week! I had no idea, so it was quite a surprise. We got reacquainted and I was very heartened by the full life he is leading, and the poitive influence he is having. Besides doing comedy he runs an adult sports league in Atlanta, and has two clothing lines.

Here's a taste of his comedy.

FOX Theatre Atlanta(14 min.)

Add to My Profile More Videos

Here is Derrick talking to kids at camp about faith in God.

Rock on dude...

PS Derrick's site is http://www.myspace.com/dtcomedy

How to Post a Comment

2007-06-18T11:55:00.001-04:00

Several of you have mentioned that you didn't know how to post a comment, or that when you tried you didn't know what to do because you didn't have a google account, etc.

I want to reassure you. It is much easier than you might think. Let me show you how. With 4 very simple steps you can post a comment without having to sign up for anything!! yippee...

Step 1: Click on the link at the bottom of the post you are reading that says "x Comments so far. Add yours by clicking here!!" (See it in green at the botom of this picture?)

Step 2: Write your comment in the box under "Leave your comment." (See picture below.)
Step 3: Under "Choose an identity" Click the circle next to "Anonymous." (See picture below.)

Step 4: Now your screen looks like this (below). Simply click the "Publish your comment" button and you're done! Really. That's all.

To sum up the steps: 1) Click 2) write 3) click 4) click!

But Doug... What if I don't want to be "anonymous"??????? What if i want you to know who i am? What if i want my name in lights??

Not to worry. You can sign your name at the end of your comment. Anything you type in that box will show up in your post.

Current Events

2007-05-18T14:11:00.000-04:00

Paul Wolfowitz -May 2007

Wildfires in Georgia -May 2007

Alex Baldwin -April 2007

Partial birth abortion -April 2007

9/11 hero's Dad -March 2007

Paris Hilton and Britney Spears -March 2007

John Edwards -March 2007

Center of the Universe debate -February 2007

Peanut Butter recall -February 2007

Prince -February 2007

Bush's "New" Direction -January 2007

Sports Championships -January 2007

Gerald Ford -January 2007

President Bush Repents -December 2006

Propane gas explosion -November 2006

Rick Warren's foray into international politics -November 2006

2006 Election -November 2006

Ted Haggard -November 2006

Columbus Day -October 2006

Prescription drug prices at Wal-Mart -September 2007

South Dakota's attempt to oulaw virtually all abortions -September 2006

Violence in the name of relision -September 2006

New super retail center near my place -September 2006

The Wolf and the Pigs: Not a fairy tale

2007-05-17T19:05:00.000-04:00

Paul Wolfowitz resigned today as President of the World Bank, due to allegations he had helped his girlfriend get a generous raise.

You may recognize his picture on top, but you probably don't recognize him in the second picture, holding an ax... my dad on the left, him on the right.

I'll let my mother tell the story.

---------------------------------------------------

"I'm just an ordinary out-of-the-link small town person . My circle of friends does not include Ivy-Leaguers , millionnaires, or national politicians. But in the 1980's my husband and I had the privilege of taking our first major flight. It was from New York State to the country then known as Irian Jaya (now known as Papua) on the island of New Guinea - just north of Australia. And there, of all places, amid Stone Age people I met the man who is now the president of the World Bank, Paul Wolfowitz.

For a year and a half we lived in the Mulia Valley, a remote moutainous valley 200 air miles from the civilization of the coastal area. Strapped in our small mission plane we landed noisely on the gravel airstrip catching our first glimpse of people who had still never seen a car, did not use glass or rubber in any form, and lived on a diet of sweet potatoes and sweet potatoes and sweet potatoes. They drank nothing but water because they knew nothing else. Grass roofed conical huts were their homes. Their possessions were nothing but bows and arrows, axes, and grass skirts or penile gourds, grown in the garden.

A few western style clothes had trickled in and were worn in a mix-&-match style. Everyone raised pigs, which were the "bank account" of each family. Since there was no electricity to preserve pork, when a pig was killed it was a shared occasion, a festival.

Unable to access Mulia Valley by water, road, or trekking, it was truly the end of the world. World War II plane crashes in these mountainous highlands made the world excitedly aware of undiscovered people-groups, and once the news leaked out, missionaries began arriving. My sister and brother-in-law (Jerry and Carol Powell) moved there as medical missionaries, and built a small hospital. We were going there to build an extension to that hospital.

One day we learned that Paul Wolfowitz, the American ambassador to Indonesia, wanted to leave Jakarta and visit the interior. I do not know how he and his body guards decided to visit our valley. But we 9 Americans that lived there excitedly began to prepare for his visit.

The tribal people in the valley were called "Dani's." Without governmental structure themselves, they had heard that the Big Man from America was coming. At this time it was very difficult for missionaries to keep their visas. They lived from day to day not knowing when they would suddenly be asked to leave immediately. The Dani's wanted the missionaries to STAY! They thought they should show Mr. Big Man the difference the missionaries had made in their lives.

Hundreds gathered nightly on the top of the steep airstrip close to our house, and pow-wowed concerning what they could do.

They decided to re-enact their former lives. They would put pig grease and soot on their faces, put leaves or bird feathers in their hair, wear almost nothing except fake goiters, carry their bows and arrows and spears, and dance in a counter-clockwise motion and chant. Afterwards, one of them would make a speech.

We radioed the ambassador and told him to tell his body guards not to shoot when they landed in Mulia. This was a friendly demonstration!

The big day arrived. The Big Man came. The Dani's carried out their plan to perfection. The ambassador was hustled past them to our house where he would have coffee with all the Americans living there. Very politely he drank his coffee, but his eyes were always looking out the window at the continuing demonstration. Finally, he graciously asked if it would be OK for him to go outside so he could get closer to the excitement. Off he went!

Now it was time for the speech. The chosen Dani spokesman told of how much their lives had changed since the missionaries had come. Their revenge intra-village killings had stopped. With better living and access to health care their life span had increased. And those fake goiters represented the real ones that used to be so prevalent.

Peace reigned in the valley; peace in their hearts that no longer feared the spirits of the jungle; and peace between villages. They even widened the walking paths through the mountains so that two people could walk side-by-side and fellowship with each other. And then came the plea."Mr Big Man, we hear that the missionaries need a paper to stay here. Can you please help them get that paper?"

Ambassador Wolfowitz arose in this open outdoor sit-on-the-ground meeting and gave a very gracious response saying he had learned a lot and that he would do what he could about the problem.

Now it was time for the pig feast. My sister explained to Mr. Wolfowitz, a Jew, that this was the only way the Danis knew to honor special people and apologized that they would be giving him some of their pit-roasted pork. As hundreds of people milled about all were fed this succulent pork, using banana leaves as plates.

Next came the presentation of gift stone axes to Mr. Big Man for having come, and to my husband for appreciation in having enlarged their hospital. The stones are chosen very carefully, and the handles are wrapped in wet vines and held over a smoky fire to burn a pattern on them.
That evening the Americans met informally with their ambassador and gave him a crazy quiz which he flunked, and was thus pronounced unable to leave the valley!

My husband's stone axe is still with us in our easily accessible attic where other mementos also remind us of our incomparable 18 months in Mulia Valley. I wonder where Mr. Wolfowitz's axe is??

I was impressed by this man, and knew if he ever ran for president I would vote for him. It saddens me, if we can believe the news reports, that he's gotten himself into some trouble as president of the World Bank. Maybe the world should take a lesson from the Dani's, who use shells as a means of exchange!

Donna Doan
-------------------------------------------------

Thanks, mom, for the most interesting story about Paul Wolfowitz in the news today!

smoke gets in my eyes

2007-05-14T10:23:00.000-04:00

We've have a lot of smoke in Jacksonville some days, even though the wildfires are mainly in Georgia. However, they have crossed the line into Florida and are threatening Lakeland with evacuations and expressway closings.

The yellow areas are the current wildfire boundaries. Here's a link to a site that shows current wildfires in the U.S. Click any area to zoom in closer. http://www.geomac.gov/viewer/viewer.htm

sea cows

2007-05-11T14:19:00.000-04:00

I was at the county dock chilling and i thought i saw a glimpse of the top of something coming out of the water. Manatees?? I had seen one once before so i rushed down the boardwalk and lo and behold i found 3 manatees floating lazily around. I stayed for about 15 minutes and took video.

If you'd like to see these "sea cows" the video is below. If you watch to the end you will hear me trying to talk to them (always the communicator!), and you also get to see me frantically trying and succeeding at putting my hand through the water and rubbing the back of one! Simple things amuse me...

They are really bizarre to see in person. They are startlingly big, and they move with quiet, gentle motion. I had to tell two people walking down the boardwalk that they were there. They would have walked right by.

There is a big effort in Florida to limit the speed of boats in manatee zones, because a lot of them get injured and killed. You can see scars on their backs in the video.

If you're in for a laugh, watch this video of the Dr. Katz show. About 30 seconds in it starts talking about the manatee. lol

Doug's Top 10

2007-05-08T21:07:00.000-04:00

I'm reading "Finding the Love of Your Life" by Neal Clarke-Warren, and one of the things he asks you to do is take the following qualities and rank them in order of which ones are most important to you in a spouse. Here's how I ranked the 10.

Personality
Creativity
Spirituality
Appearance
Chemistry
Intelligence
Authenticity
Character
Parenting
Ambition

Ok, so how would you rate those 10? I found it pretty hard, because no matter how I arranged them some would end up near the bottom of the list.

it's time he retire

2007-05-06T08:42:00.000-04:00

http://www.retirethepenny.org/index.html

fav albums

2007-05-02T11:29:00.000-04:00

Cry for the desert: Twila Paris

I had always associated Twila with lite, syrupy songs that were sweet but without a heck of a lot of depth. However, I picked up this tape at a garage sale and was blown away. I listened to it every night when i went to bed for weeks.
The lyrics are powerful. The music enchanting and ethereal. The arrangement flawless. It's the type of experience that gets better with repetition.
If you want to deepen your spirituality, increase your connection with the world of the Spirit, hone your longing for your eternal home, and commune with the soul of a fellow traveler on this pilgrimage, I highly recommend this CD. 9 of 9 raters on Amazon gave it 5 of 5 stars.

relationships with difficult people

2007-04-23T08:58:00.000-04:00

In a group I was leading I described the typical stages that we go through in a relationship with a difficult person. We were speaking about it in the context of a family relationship, but it applies to any difficult relationship. The group asked me to put what I said in writing. Be careful what you ask for! lol

What I am describing here are the typical stages that I have seen in myself and others when we have a relationship with a person who is difficult or abusive, and persistently un-repentant. If the person shows true signs of repentance along the way, then the following path will be modified accordingly.

FOUNDATION

At the beginning of the relationship we find ourselves connected with this person for some external reason… We live together, work together, play together, go to church together, etc. We expect them to treat us kindly, and in a manner appropriate to the external role they play (parent, neighbor, co-worker, etc.).

INJURY

We get hurt. They either don’t treat us kindly, or they don’t live up to the expectations we have for the role they play in our life. It hurts. It bothers us. We may get angry, or sad, or disappointed, or fearful, or insecure, or guilty.

CONFRONTATION

In some way we attempt to let them know that we have been hurt. They may respond any number of ways. Denial, rationalization, blame, anger, minimizing, promises, etc. We may not be completely satisfied with the response, but because of the nature of our connection with them, our good-will, and our belief in people, we move forward and let bygones be bygones.

REPETITION

The injury and confrontation cycle happens again and again and again and again. The intensity of its effect on us increases. At times we feel like we can’t take it anymore. We may blow up, get depressed, develop elaborate denial systems, “just trust God,” read books, try to be nicer, etc. We keep “hoping and wishing and praying.“ But nothing changes.

THE FINAL STRAW

At some point we have enough and break off the relationship, as painful as that may be. All we know is that the pain of staying in the relationship is greater than the pain of leaving it.

TIME-OUT

Allowing ourselves to have some space in the relationship gives us a chance to heal, to evaluate, to see things for what they really are, to get help and support. We feel the pain from all the injuries. We grieve the loss of the relationship. We grieve the loss of the dream we had for what the relationship might finally become. We accept the reality that they will probably never change. We allow our anger to come out in safe ways and places. We develop close friendships with a number of safe people. We look at what our part was in the relational difficulties. We forgive the abuser (not excuse them). We cry. We surrender the whole thing to God.

RECOVERY

The wound has healed, although there is still a scar. We are now able to fully focus on the present, although we have learned good lessons from our past experience. We find renewed strength and self-esteem. Joy comes back. Life seems a little bit more manageable and worth living. We can think about the offender without a lot of emotional baggage attached to it anymore. We learn how to keep the abuser at arm’s length. We learn how to speak truth to them.

CHRIST-LIKENESS

We begin to see the other person as Jesus does. Loving the sinner, but not the sin. Although we don’t bring the person back into our “inner circle,” and although we don’t encourage or enable their abuse or sin, we find ourselves having the power to choose to do good to them, fully aware that we may never see any reward or benefit of that in this life. We pray for them. We seek to meet their legitimate needs. We rise above what the person “deserves.” We are no longer on their level. We are able to forgive them even in the midst of occasional further injuries. (“Father, forgive them. For they know not what they do.”) It is important to realize that some people say that their "loving" behavior is because of their Christ-likeness. But they have short-circuited all the above steps and it's just cheap wimpyness.

WAIT JUST A COTTON-PICKIN' MINUTE!

You may ask, “Is this not the same thing as where we started??” No. Choosing to do good to someone out of strength and free will versus being compulsively “nice” and “submissive” and “obedient” to someone out of your need or desire to avoid harm, manipulate, or to be liked are two very different stances in a relationship. Also, although you are doing good to them or for them, it doesn't mean you are exposing your heart to them, and drawing them into your inner circle of confidants.

Amen

sunday morning sounds

2007-04-22T11:05:00.000-04:00

A short video clip of the sights and sounds out my bedroom window early sunday morning...

a tale of two brothers

2007-04-21T13:59:00.000-04:00

Alec Baldwin is one of the Baldwin brothers who has achieved much success in TV and movies, such as Third Rock, Will & Grace, Glenngarry Glenn Ross, The Hunt for Red October, Knott's Landing, etc. (For full filmography, go here... http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000285/ )

Known for having a temper, this week audio was released of a voice mail message he left for his 11 year old daughter. He is angry, out-of-control, vicious, demeaning, intimidating, with lots of vulgarity and profanity. (If you dare to listen go here... http://www.savage-productions.com/Baldwin_voicemail.html WARNING: If you are tender regarding child abuse issues this will probably ruin your day. Or ought to.)

On the other hand we have Alec's brother, Stephen Baldwin. Stephen has also been in numerous films (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000286/). Because of a Brazilian housekeeper he converted to Christ after 9/11. Since then he...

Directed and produced Livin' It and Livin' It LA, films that focus on Christian athletes involved in extreme sports and evangelism.
Is currently working with the Luis Palau evangelistic ministry, launching his own Breakthrough Ministry
Wrote a book, Unusual Suspect, detailing his conversion. It made it onto the New York Times bestseller list.
In contrast to his brothers Alec and William, who are noted Democrats and avid Bush opponents, Stephen is a Bush supporter.
In 2006, he launched a campaign to prevent an adult bookstore from opening on the outskirts of his village, Nyack, NY. After mobilizing much of the county's religious base to the cause, Baldwin lent his support to a petition filed in New York Supreme Court by a group calling itself the Catholic Citizenship, and succeeded in quashing the store.
He is actively and boldly telling his story, and spreading the gospel to the Hollywood crowd, and many varieties of media outlets.

Who am I? 1969

2007-04-21T07:44:00.000-04:00

Hint: Musician

partial-birth banned

2007-04-18T18:02:00.000-04:00

In a 5-4 decision today the Supreme Court said that the ban on partial-birth abortion which congress passed in 2003 is constitutional, so it is now the law of the land. Yay!

Many are saying this is the biggest victory in the fight against abortion since the Roe v Wade decision in 1973. It is the first time any law has been passed and upheld limiting the "how" of abortion.

Save money

2007-04-17T12:18:00.000-04:00

switchplanet Get stuff for free when you give stuff away.
freecycle Give stuff away. Get stuff for free.
mags 4 cheap Great rates on your favorite magazines.
lala trade CD's with other people for a buck.
Price Grabber want the best price?
mising money Who owes you money?
clark howard Clark Howard's site with lots of great stuff on personal finance and computers/technology
dumb little man tips that will save you money, increase your productivity, or simply keep you sane.
frucall stuck in the store wondering if you could get it cheaper on the internet? find out quickly with one free phone call.
gas price watch find the cheapest gas in your city. (my parents will like this!)
Ebay
Consumer Guide
Froogle
craigs list free classifieds
Switch Planet trade DVD's, CD's, video games
Book Mooch Click here to see a list of books I'm giving away. If you see something you want, simply register with BookMooch (free) and request it from me. It's a great site for trading books with others all across the country! Do it!
Amazon has great deals, particularly on used books, but lots of other merchandise as well.

who am i?

2007-04-16T21:55:00.000-04:00

1970 -Bill and Hillary

1968 George W. Bush

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

2007-04-09T17:08:00.000-04:00

My kids.... Rebecca, Justin, Olivia

Me and the kids...

Trying to look inconspicuous... "It wasn't us!"

PS I'm not that short!! (The ground is sloping down a bit, right?)

still ticking...

2007-04-05T17:27:00.000-04:00

My dad went to haiti for a month to help out the mission there, and after a few days home went to Swaziland where he is now for 6 weeks.

Apparently, nobody gave him the memo that you should slow down at 70!! lol

material goods that will meet my deepest spiritual needs...

2007-04-04T12:41:00.000-04:00

Here's my current wish list.

A Shark cordless sweeper, such as this.
The Wittenburg Door CD Click Here
A high quality bicycle
A rack for my bike like this
A cargo trailer for my bike like this
A high quality, pocket-sized digital camera
A memory-foam mattress
A memory-foam pillow
A large wall mirror
A cordless headset for my office phone
A "left-handed" computer keyboard click here
Starbucks gift cards
Pilot G-2 gel pens
Green (unroasted) coffee beans
A bunk bed
A flat panel monitor for my computer
A hand-held CB radio
Magazines: Charisma, Popular Science, Psychology Today, Discipleship Journal, Discover (A cheap site to order them is http://www.mags4cheap.com/magazines/index.php)

Wishes granted!

A remote control boat -granted by my kids
A bird feeder -granted by my sister
A bird bath -granted by my sister
A coupon for a massage -granted by "Princess Christine"
Sara Grove CD -Granted by dana
Sting CD's -Granted by dana

What do I think?

2007-03-26T18:13:00.000-04:00

If you have a problem or question that you would like my two cents on, email me and I will give you my opinion. Relationships, emotions, Bible, spirituality, family matters, computers, decisions, life management, etc. You know, the kind of topics you find in this blog. Email me at dougdoan@yahoo.com.

Conditions:

You must be a registered subscriber to this blog.
I will post your question, and my answer, on this blog.
Let me know how you want to be identified, if at all.
Limit of 3 questions total, 1 each time.
You understand and agree that my response posted here will be construed as "advice from a friend" based on the information you gave me. It is not to be construed as professional counseling.
If you are interested in professional counseling with me through New Life Ministries, it's $75/hr, with the first session at half price. Call me at 800-545-1819 x 3. To see my availability click the Google Calendar button below.

hanging moss

2007-03-24T16:28:00.000-04:00

i took this picture today at the park, partly because it had hanging moss. I love hanging moss and it was one of the things i was looking forward to seeing when i moved south.

After i moved here i found out that it isn't just "some pretty thing." It's actually a parasite that kills the tree! Dang. Now i like it but i hate it! Who woulda thought?

What do we have in our branches that is like hanging moss? Something that's pretty to look at, but is actually sucking the life out of us?

a relationship?
a possession?
a job?
a habit?
a belief?
an attitude?
a vice?
a habit?

Sometimes we have to sacrifice something that looks good in order to stay healthy, strong, and alive.

tech tips, tricks, tools, and recommendations

2007-03-23T11:56:00.000-04:00

OK, you're a nerd. Maybe you haven't come out of the closet yet. But you can't wait to experiment with the latest gadgets, and your friends are always asking you for help with their computers. It's ok. We nerd you. (I mean NEED you! Whoops.)

In either case, here's some stuff you'll probably be interested in.

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/freesoftware.html
http://www.auditmypc.com/web-security-resources.asp
http://directory.fsf.org/
http://downloads.zdnet.com/download.aspx?&compid=45929&docid=293538&tag=nl.e530
http://www.fixya.com/
http://www.auditmypc.com/broadband-speed-test.asp
Recover Files Ever accidentally delete something you wish you could get back? This simple program makes it a snap!
tiny url Ever want to shorten an impossibly long URL? Do it quickly and simply here.
Test your internet connection upload and download speed, and how it varies depending on what city the server you are intacting with is located.
velocimetro Internet connection speedometer. Tests upload and download speed. Make sure you pick your country from the drop-down list before you run the test. Also, enable pop-ups on the site in order to get graphs of your historical results.
free mcafee stuff Free online tools from mcafee. Includes virus scan, a site advisor, and internet connection speedometer, etc.
Team Viewer The best program I've found so far to view someone else's computer and take control of it from a distance (with their permission, of course).
PDF creator Ever wish you could turn one of your Word (or other) documents into a slick pdf file? This program makes it easy to do that. Free.
Kiss Youtube Like a video on Youtube? This site lets you download it to your computer.
whatismyipaddress.com An easy way to discover
your ip address.
trendmicro Scan your PC for viruses for free.
Kim Komando America's Digital Goddess. Enough said.
ZDNet Where technology meets business.
c/net tips and tricks
yousendit.com Send large files over the internet for free. (File size imit is 100 MB. Larger sizes permissible with pay service.)
esnips Upload and share anything -files, music, videos, documents, etc. Anything.
zamzar convert files online without downloading anything
audiograbber convert audio files to mp3. Also, capture music from tapes and LP's to computer. (Cool!)

any video converter convert video files to mpeg format

imageconvert Resize photos and images, and convert from any format to any other format.
Windows Startup Ever get sick of all the programs that start automatically when you turn your computer on? Or maybe wonder about all the ones that are running in the background hogging up your computer resources? Download this free software and take control of what starts and what doesn't.
best of the web: home electronics Good web sites dealing with home electronics
best of the web: computers and internet Good web sites dealing with computer and internet

Please let me know if any of these links don't work, or go to the wrong place. Also, please add your recommendations by posting a comment. I need your help to make this a great site. Thanks!

My coaching CD is now finished! :)

2007-03-21T11:49:00.000-04:00

Steve Arterburn and I recorded a CD together about "Coaching" last Fall. It is now produced and available on the New Life web site. It is also being given out to all workshop participants. It will also be distributed to the 5,000 "Club New Life" members.

Here's what the write-up on the web says...

"Have you ever wondered what coaching is all about? Steve Arterburn chats with Doug Doan, one of New Life’s most effective Coaches. Steve and Doug explain what coaching is and share how it differs from counseling and therapy. You will learn how coaching focuses on the future and helps translate good intentions into action. They discuss what a coach does and how a person can benefit from having a personal coach. Common reasons for resisting coaching are explored and group coaching is also explained. They address the question of whether coaching is Christian by pointing to the many ways Jesus modeled coaching methods. To give a final flavor to what coaching is all about, Steve and Doug role play what part of a coaching session would look like using a real life situation from Steve."

To listen to the CD, click the play button.

coaching cd.mp3

To order the CD click here.

"Let's roll!"

2007-03-21T11:45:00.000-04:00

DAVID BEAMER, FATHER OF 9/11 HERO TO SPEAK AT CHRIST’S CHURCH

The events of September 11, 2001 will forever be engraved in the history books of the United States as a day that changed the nation and altered American’s personal sense of security. One of the heroes of 9/11 was Todd Beamer, a passenger on United Flight 93. Todd and the other passengers on that flight realized the terrorists who had commandeered their plane were heading the craft toward a strategic target to do greater damage than simply to harm the passengers on board. After conferring with the other passengers, it was Todd’s rallying words, “Are you ready? Let’s roll!” that set in motion a counterattack from the passengers and crew. This successful counterattack ended when Flight 93 crashed in a quiet field in Pennsylvania, far short of its suspected target in Washington D.C. Many believe the terrorists had plotted to crash the plane into the White House or even into the United States capitol building. All of the passengers and crew died in the battle, including Todd Beamer.

Beamer was a devoted Christian. His faith in God influenced not only his value of human life, but also his hope for eternal life. Todd’s father David Beamer, will be in the area speaking at Christ’s Church located at 6045 Greenland Rd. – Jacksonville, FL 32258 on Saturday March 24th and Sunday, March 25th at all services.

You are invited to be present and meet David Beamer and to hear his story of hope, peace, and how his son’s life and sacrifice is a prime example of how God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

Mr. Beamer is speaking at Christ’s Church as part of 4-week series inspired by the hit television show, HEROES. Heroes is the fictitious story of ordinary people who discover their extraordinary abilities and who come to realize that they have to work together to save the world. Our story—and the opportunity we have to save the world—is real and God wants us to seize this opportunity to be someone’s hero. God wants us to work together—with Him—to save the world.

In this 4-week Heroes series, we are examining the lives of heroes from the Bible and in our community who did extraordinary things, so that we can learn how to do extraordinary things for God, too. This series will also include several special events designed to take the love of Christ to the people in our community and around the world.

political video satire

2007-03-21T07:56:00.000-04:00

hillary clinton

john edwards

Barack-n-Roll High School

Bush State-of-Union

Bush impersonation

do u see what i see?

2007-03-20T21:29:00.000-04:00

This is supposedly a picture of melting snow. Some people see something much more important in it. Do you?

Star at the 3 dots in the center of this picture for 30 seconds, then quickly switch to the white square on the right. What do you see?

Sometimes he is there even when you can't see him. It's all in the perspective.

Take 10 minutes to enjoy this video production. Be patient. The main part doesn't start until about 3 1/2 minutes into it...

Who is he to you?

more than a feeling...

2007-03-16T13:27:00.000-04:00

In 1978 I went away to college and during that Freshman year this album was played many times and could be heard throughout the halls of the dorm. Thus began my love and appreciation for the band "Boston." That first self-titled album will always be their best in my book. So many classic songs.

Last week the lead singer of the group, Brad Delp, killed himself stating he no longer "had a desire to live," and that he was a "lonely soul."

He was known for being one of the most humble and friendly rock stars ever. His vocals were legenedary, and fit perfectly with the high-energy synthesized guitars that Boston was famous for.

For the last few years he was the lead singer in the band Beatlejuice, playing songs from the band he loved, The Beatles.

When I lived in Massachussetts I attended a small United Church of Christ for awhile just over the line in a little rural town called Atkinson, New Hampshire. Unbeknowns to me until now, that is where Brad lived (and died). Also, Atkinson was a stone's throw from the psychiatric hospital where New Life had a unit in the early 90's and where I worked as an Admissions Counselor, Hampstead, NH.

Here are the lyrics of one of their well-known songs. They seem somehow appropriate now.

"Peace of Mind"

Now if you're feelin' kinda low 'bout the dues you've been paying
Future's coming much too slow
And you wanna run but somehow you just keep on stayin'
Can't decide on which way to go

I understand about indecision
But i don't care if i get behind
People livin' in competition
All i want is to have my peace of mind.

Now you're climbin' to the top of the company ladder
Hope it doesn't take too long
Can'tcha see there'll come a day when it won't matter
Come a day when you'll be gone

I understand about indecision
But i don't care if i get behind
People livin' in competition
All i want is to have my peace of mind.

Take a look ahead, take a look ahead, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...

Now everybody's got advice they just keep on givin'
Doesn't mean too much to me
Lot's of people out to make believe they're livin'
Can't decide who they should be.

I understand about indecision
But i don't care if i get behind
People li vin' in competition
All i want is to have my peace of mind.

Take a look ahead, take a look ahead. look ahead.

Watch "Peace of Mind" live...

"More than a feeling" If this doesn't get your blood pumping by the end, you're dead.

"Don't look back" Good time, high-energy rock with plenty of harmony.

"foreplay/long time" An 8 minute romp including theater organ, synthesized guitars, throbbing drums, and screeching, soaring vocals.

Starbucks Contest

2007-03-13T15:31:00.000-04:00

When I go to starbucks i get a coffee. Black.

On Saturday morning i was sitting outside starbucks by the drive thru. 27 people went through. Here are the things they ordered...

Latte
Hot Chocolate
Mocha
Coffee
Frappachino
Maracioto

Here's the contest...

Post a comment listing those products in order based on the frequency they were ordered, starting with the most-ordered and working down to the least-ordered.

The first person to get the correct order will win a certificate created especially for you by me, recognizing your coffee prowess. Plus your winning will be announced right here on the doanzone. (That's worth millions in itself.)

RULES

1. You can only enter once
2. You have to put at least your first name on the post.
3. If you win you can email me privately with your email address to which i can send your winning certificate.
4. Come back here to see if you are the winner.

Have fun!

you're joking, right?

2007-03-12T20:37:00.000-04:00

We had a comedy night at our church last night. These blokes were there.

Henry Cho

"What's that clickin' noise?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaeAny6zgaU

One last one... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PPw5SODqCQ

Jeff Allen

jacksonville stuff

2007-03-08T21:16:00.001-05:00

Links

Ranking

15th highest foreclosure rate Q1 2007
51st best "Walking City" as ranked by Prevention magazine
24th "Fittest City" according to Men's health magazine (2006)
40th most populated city with 1,300,823 residents in July 2007 (up 1.7% from previous year.)
#1 largest city in land area (almost a million square miles)
#1 largest urban park system in the U.S.
3rd best city for business relocation or expansion (Expansion Managment magazine, 2006)
41st best city for business and carreers (Forbes, april 2007)
39th city to host the Super Bowl (2005)
34th best city for singles (Forbes, 2007)
22nd best city for young adult job seekers (BizJournals, 2007)
29th best road conditions (Logistics Today magazine, 2007)
295th best city for traffic/congestion (Logistics Today magazine, 2007)

Weather Forecast Weather Maps Weather Radar Hurricane Center

why a duck?

2007-03-06T21:19:00.000-05:00

Watching the ducks in my pond every day... I finally realized i was jealous!

Not only would it be cool to effortlessly float along on top of the water, but they can go under the water, walk on land, and fly too! They can pretty much go anywhere. That's cool.

And they never get bothered by anything because it's like "water off a duck's back." (Sorry. Couldn't help myself.)

And now for some classic duck humor from the marx brothers...

Hammer: (pause) Well, we'll Passover that...You're a peach, boy. Now, here is a little peninsula, and, eh, here is a viaduct leading over to the mainland.

Chico: Why a duck? (vi a duct)

Hammer: I'm alright. How are you? I say, here is a little peninsula, and here is a viaduct leading over to the mainland.

Chico: Alright, why a duck?

Hammer: (pause) I'm not playing "Ask Me Another," I say that's a viaduct.

Chico: Alright! Why a duck? Why that...why a duck? Why a no chicken?

Hammer: Well, I don't know why a no chicken; I'm a stranger here myself. All I know is that it's a viaduct. You try to cross over there a chicken and you'll find out why a duck.

Chico: When I go someplace I just...

Hammer: (interrupts) It's...It's deep water, that's why a duck. It's deep water.

Chico: That's why a duck...

Hammer: Look...look, suppose you were out horseback riding and you came to that stream and you wanted to ford over...You couldn't make it, it's too deep!

Chico: Well, why do you want with a Ford if you gotta horse?

Hammer: Well, I'm sorry the matter ever came up. All I know is that it's a viaduct.

Chico: Now look, alright, I catch ona why a horse, why a chicken, why a this, why a that...I no catch ona why a duck.

Hammer: I was only fooling...I was only fooling. They're gonna build a tunnel there in the morning. Now is that clear to you?

Chico: Yes, everything excepta why a duck.

i don't know which is sadder...

2007-03-06T21:17:00.000-05:00

john edwards and jesus

2007-03-06T10:57:00.000-05:00

John edwards recently did an interview with beliefnet.com about his faith and religious views. Among other things he said...

Q: What parts of American life do you think would most outrage Jesus?

A: Our selfishness. Our resort to war when it's not necessary. I think that Jesus would be disappointed in our ignoring the plight of those around us who are suffering and our focus on our own selfish short-term needs. I think he would be appalled, actually.

Go to this site to watcvh several video clips of the interview. http://www.beliefnet.com/story/213/story_21312_1.html

After you watch them, let me know what you think about his beliefs. I'd be interested to know. Thanks!

What I like about my employer

2007-03-04T11:44:00.000-05:00

We have a very long and consistent history of helping hurting Christians.
We are balanced!!! We avoid the extremes which exist all too often in Christian ministries that try to help people… either so “method” and “formula” oriented that they are virtually indistinguishable from secular help… or so “spiritual” that they are completely irrelevant to the day-to-day life that people actually lead. New Life brings the “spiritual” and the “practical” together in a real, living, authentic, powerful, seamless, and seemingly effortless way… although it is anything but. A true art. A gem.
We don’t pretend to have all the answers or to have it all together.
We are not afraid to take risks… either in the issues we address, or the methods we use.
We don’t get married to anything. If it isn’t working anymore we let it go and embrace change. We are unflinchingly contemporary.
A radio program that excels far beyond any other Christian call-in show.
A steady stream of timely, accessible, and life-changing books and resources.
Our employees are awesome. Professional, love God, love people, sophisticated (in a good way!), and good team players and co-workers. Many of my best friends over the years have come from this company.
We have a great HR director!
As a coach, I appreciate being able to work out of my house, having the people I coach give me a lot of up-front trust because of who my employer is, having the privilege of focusing my time on coaching vs marketing, and the openness that has been shown to my ideas regarding the variety of coaching styles and topics I engage in.
I am blessed!

www.newlife.com

time wasters

2007-03-03T11:01:00.000-05:00

http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/yankee_dixie_quiz.html
http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/
http://www.parodyville.com/
http://www.lavasurfer.com/cereal-guide.html
http://www.wittenburgblog.com/
http://www.weirdal.com/home.htm
http://video.stumbleupon.com/#
http://www.longawkwardpose.com/
http://soundboard.com/category_results.aspx?cnt=MTM%3d-tniwqYHjvW0%3d
http://soundboard.com/index.aspx
http://www.funnyordie.com/
http://www.regrettheerror.com/
http://overheardlines.blogspot.com/
http://www.dailycognition.com/
http://www.frontiernet.net/~cdm/age1bd.html
http://www.thedigitalbeat.com/10about.html
improv everywhere Groups of people doing funny or odd things in public on cue.
funny or die Watch and rate videos to help decide whether they will stay on the site, or get kicked off.
Zingfu Make your photos dumber
Television Tunes Listen to hundreds of your favorite TV theme songs
Bad fads The ones you will swear you never got caught up in. "Everyone else did."
Splish Splash Kinda gross, but I laugh every time! lol
Sketch swap Draw something. Submit it. Get someone else's drawing sent to you.
Optical illusions
Pop? Soda? Coke? What do you call it? Depends on where you live.
Cyber cones Make your own virtual cone
Cool Quiz Test yourself with quizzes and trivia
Vote for the Worst! A site that encourages you to vote for the worst american idol contestant, to keep them in the running.
do you speak "engrish?"
hampster dance you wish i hadn't reminded you!!
Bubble Wrap You know you want to pop some!
wacky uses ohhhh the things you can do (with common household products)
rumsfeld's wit and wisom
10,000 reasons why civilization is dooomed Feel free to add to the list
Oddly enough Strange news
Offbeat news More strange news
Caught on tape Interesting videos
Youtube See videos thousands of people have posted.
The dancing baby You haven't forgotten already, have you??
Guinness world records Includes photos and videos
3-D chalk art this guy draws stuff on sidewalks in such a way that they seem 3-D. freaky.
Optical Illusions Lots of cool optical illusions
Dirty car art Think you can't make beauty out of dust? Check out this guy's gallery.
net disaster make it look like you are destroying a web site in many inventive ways. cool.
despair.com beautful motivational posters. sort of.
micro-image blog random everyday objects magnified
Mr. Picasso Head Create your own Picasso masterpiece!
Jackson Pollock Create your own Jackson Pollock masterpiece!
carve your own jack-o-lantern
Pianographique Create your own audio/visual collage
Date Setters A chronology of over 200 predictions of the end of the world.
Who said it? Take a quiz and try to guess who said each quote: Osama Bin Laden, Jerry Falwell, or Pat Robertson.
Found lists Peek into the world of people's lists that have been found
Found Magazine Pictures of all kinds of personal memorabilia people have found laying around
Overheard in New York Things people have been overheard saying in New York City
Overheard at the beach Things people have been overheard saying at the beach.
Overheard in the office Things people have been overheard saying in the office.
Earthcam Click anywhere on the map to find a live cam in that area.
Last words Read what the last words were of criminals executed in Texas.
the mango falls project What do you get when you develop film found in old cameras at flea markets and antique sales? Lots of surprises.
make your own sign (May take a bit for the page to load.) When it is done you will see a list of various types of signs you can create.
indie shorts If you like "independent" films, here are a few "shorts" you can watch online.
the smoking gun The Smoking Gun: An interesting mixture of "gotchas." For example mug shots of famous people. Legal documents or police reports of popular court cases or of famous people. What do singers and bands require to be ready for them when they come to town. Even listen to fbi wiretaps of thugs.
The Rapture Index It's like a speedometer showing how much current world events mirror what the Bible says about the last days. This guy gives a score of 1-5 for each of 45 categories (like natural disasters, economy, false christs) and comes up with a score. Kinda hokey, but interesting. PS Lots of other interesting things on the home page and the FAQ page. Check them out.
The Wittenburg Door The world's only religious humor and satire magazine. The link will take you to the current issue. I remember reading this in Bible College in order to stay sane amidst the culture of ultra-conformity. PS Don't forget to check out the archives!
midi-hymns Listen to a bunch of hymns and other Christian songs from the mid 1900's.
infomercial heaven ya gotta love those informercials...
ivillage quizzes how much do you know?
fark how do i describe this site? hmmm... just tons of the weirdest stuff on the internet
trivia quizzes from queendom
mind strethers from queendom

books

2007-03-03T07:38:00.000-05:00

Book Mooch Click here to see a list of books I'm giving away. If you see something you want, simply register with BookMooch (free) and request it from me. It's a great site for trading books with others all across the country! Do it!
The Gutenberg Project 20,000 free online books!
Christian classics Such as Pilgrim's Progress and The Imitation of Christ
Early church fathers The writing of great Christian thinkers during the firt few hundred years after Christ
Non-canonical literature A huge collection of literature resembling scripture, but not included in the 66 books of our present canon.
The Online Books Page Over 25,000 free books online covering all categories
Sacred texts A huge collection of books and texts considered sacred by one religion or another
Amazon has great deals, particularly on used books...

the 80/20 principle

2007-02-28T08:57:00.000-05:00

ever feel like you're doing a lot of stuff, but not getting results equal to all that effort??? (Yes!)

the 80/20 principle states that 80% of your results will come from 20% of your effort. So it makes sense to figure out what that 20% is, doesn't it??? That's "leverage." Putting most of your effort in the things that produce the most results.

A lot of us have heard this principle before, most likely in a business context. But how many of us have actually applied it to our life in any meaningful way? I thought it would be good to list some concrete examples of how this might apply to my life, and the people i know. Enjoy...

80% of my spiritual growth comes from 20% of my spiritual disciplines. Which disciplines?
80% of my weight loss comes from 20% of my lifestyle changes. Which changes?
80% the impact I have on others comes from 20% of my gifts. Which gifts?
80% of my anxiety comes from 20% of my problems. Which problems?
80% of the impact i have on my kids comes from 20% of my behaviors with them. Which behaviors?
80% of the interest in my blog comes from 20% of my posts. Which posts?
80% of my relational needs are met by 20% of my friends. Which friends?
80% of my heartaches and headaches come from 20% of the people in my life. Which people?
80% of my pleasure comes from 20% of my activities. Which activities?
80% of my groups are about 20% of the available topics. Which topics?
80% of my coaching sessions are filled by 20% of my coachees. Which coachees?
80% of my energy and vitality is during 20% of the day. Which part of the day?
80% of my sin comes from 20% of my temptations. Which temptations?
80% of my learning comes from 20% of the learning styles and methods. Which styles and methods?
80% of my time is consumed by 20% of my comittments. Which comittments?
80% of my electricity consumption is from 20% of my appliances. Which appliances?
80% of the calories i eat in a day comes from 20% of the foods. Which foods?
80% of the impact the Bible has on my life comes from 20% of the chapters/verses. Which chapters/verses?

Then i thought about the other people in my life, and what 80/20 questions might apply to them.

80% of my sales come from 20% of my callers. Which callers?
80% of the company profit comes from 20% of the books. Which books?
80% of workshop attendees come from 20% of the locations. Which locations?
80% of the things given to me by others comes from 20% of the people I know. Which people are they?
80% of the reason for getting good grades comes from 20% of my behaviors? Which behaviors?
80% of the interest girls have in dating me comes from 20% of the girls. Which girls?
80% of the interest in the songs I write are about 20% of my songs. Which songs?
80% of the fun i have comes from being with 20% of my friends. Which friends?
80% of sales revenue is generated by 20% of my sales people. Which sales people?

I would be interested in hearing from you with any more questions that you feel are relevant to your life... or what your answers are to a particular question. Click on "comment."

some of my favorite old games

2007-02-19T11:16:00.000-05:00

Ms Pacman

Click to Play!

Yahtzee

Click to Play!

Asteroids

Click to Play!

Frogger

Click to Play!

Breakout

Click to Play!

Pacman

Click to Play!

Qbert

Click to Play!

Space Invaders

Click to Play!

Pong

Click to Play!

Tetris

Click to Play!

Reversi

Click to Play!

Chess

Click to Play!

Battleships

Click to Play!

Connect 4

Click to Play!

Checkers

Click to Play!

Dominos

Click to Play!

Wheel of Fortune

Click to Play!

Dots

Click to Play!

free books!!

2007-02-16T12:18:00.000-05:00

If you're like me there are many times you would like a book, and you know your friends might have it and not need it anymore, but you don't want to bother them all the time asking, or having them think you're cheap.

And then you have a bunch of books you've read that are good, and you know they would be of benefit to someone, but you're not sure who. So you're torn between throwing them away, donating them to the library, trying to sell them in a garage sale or amazon, of trying to pawn them off on friends who you think "need" them. (They're too polite to say no.)

Once I tried to start a book cooperative online where books could be traded or given away. I didn't have anywhere near the volume of participants to make it work well.

Well Bookmooch came along to save the day! I am truly impressed with this site. You list the books you have that you want to give away, and you search for books you want. You earn points when you give books away and you spend points when you request a book from someone else. It's a huge swapmeet.

I have sent and received several books so far. And it's nice to know my book went to someone who really wanted it. (To a good home, if you will.) The site is very easy to use. Very user-frinedly and informative. Keeps track of everything for you. I would be proud to have invented this.

The site charges NOTHING. Your only cost is the postage on the books you mail out. That's it. To get started you have to list at least 10 books.

If you like to see the list of books I currently am offering, go here. (You can search for other books from here too.) If you really want one, you're going to have to become a member of bookmooch. That's my way of encouraging more people to get involved with this.

Happy reading!

fixed or moving?

2007-02-16T11:17:00.000-05:00

A big flap in the news recently about a memo circulated in congress promoting the idea that the universe rotates around the world and that the Copernican Revolution (inspired by the Jewish Kabbalah) was the first step in discrediting the Bible, leading eventually to evolution, a 15-billion year old universe, etc.

Here's part of an article from the Dallas Morning News...

Chisum contrite over memo

Legislature: Group says evolution handout contains anti-Semitic material

08:02 AM CST on Thursday, February 15, 2007
By KAREN BROOKS and ROBERT T. GARRETT / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN –

House Appropriations Chairman Warren Chisum said Wednesday that he's "willing to apologize" for giving colleagues a document that contains what the Anti-Defamation League called "outrageous anti-Semitic material."

On Tuesday, the Pampa Republican distributed a memo written by Georgia GOP Rep. Ben Bridges to Texas House members' mailboxes. The memo advocated that schools stop teaching evolution and contained links to a Web site that warns of international Jewish conspiracies. It also directed readers to the group that created the Web site – the Atlanta-area Fair Education Foundation.

_______

I've been fascinated, obssessed, worried, and confused about Bible/science issues since I was a teenager. Age of earth. Evolution. Creation. 24-hour creation. Geocentrism. Sun stopping for a day. Etc. Etc.

Here's the web site explaining the views relating to the news story above. http://www.fixedearth.com/

What do you think?

not so great value

2007-02-16T07:45:00.000-05:00

I had been hearing something about peanut butter on the news lately but hadn't been paying much attention. This morning as i was drifting in and out of sleep the story came on the news and I decided to see what the fuss was about.

Seems as though 300 cases of salmonella since August have been pinned on peanut butter. I'm not sure what slamonella is, but it doesn't sound good. (I used to think it was the Italian guy who ran the sub shop.) I listened for the details since I've been eating a lot more peanut butter in the past month than i have in a long time.

Peter Pan was suspicious. (I have always thought that young men in green tights and skirts chasing little boys around was suspicious, by the way.) I immediately checked that off the list. I would never buy such a common brand. Too much money.

Then they said, "Wal-mart's Great Value brand." Uh oh. I've been grocery shopping at Wal-mart for a few months and of course i would be their house brand. The report continued... "Check your lid. If it starts with 2111 throw it out!"

I hopped out of bed and ran to the cupboard. Yes, it was Great Value. Now, what did the lid say??

2111... What to do. What to do... There's still a third of the jar left. Can i really just throw it out?? Kinda wasteful, ain't it?

They did say you could mail the lid in for a refund. I'd be tempted to do that if the cost of postage wasn't as much as the refund would be...

I guess I'm just going to have to bite the bullett and throw it out.

my friends' businesses

2007-02-13T10:21:00.000-05:00

Bonita Wesleyan Church My sister Diana, and her husband Marc, just moved to san diego to pastor this church.

ONUG "One Nation Under God" patrtiotic apparel by my friend Derrick

ThatFishThing My friend Derrick's custom sports apparel

iplayd1 My friend Derrick's adult sports league in Atlanta

Left Arm Comedy My friend Derrick's stand-up comedy.

Life Strategy Coaching and Wilderness expeditions conducted by my friend Steve.

Great Therapy My friend Steve's Counseling business.

Bridging the Gap Meeting simple needs, in a complicated world. My friend Shirley's company that helps provide water to 3rd world countries.

Oasis Counseling My friend Bill's company that provides counseling and consultation, specializing in sexual and relational issues from a distinctly Christian perspective.

Keep Growing, Inc. My friend Steve's company whose mission is to "train, resource, and coach leaders to leverage personal development for organizational effectiveness." Incidentally, Steve was just appointed President/CEO of the Evangelical Fellowship of Missions Agencies which over 200 missions agencies belong to. Go Steve!!

Mobilizing Brazil My friend Jason's site about his efforts to mobilize the Brazilian church into missions.

AppwrightMy friend Dave's company that creates and sells web-based scheduling and collaboration software for homebuilders and contractors.

Truth Coaching My friend Dave's company that provides Christian Coaching in a variety of areas.

Sherry B Gallery My friend Sherry's site displaying her artwork.

Ensemble Gaudior My friend Alexandra's string ensemble. (Be sure to listen to the audio clips!)

other blogs and such

2007-02-13T08:37:00.000-05:00

Justin's MySpace My son's myspace page

my own little corner my friend and fellow employee Cheryl's inspirational blog. She is a strong and consistent supporter and friend of mine.

Southern snowboarder My friend Jason's family blog

dzcowart My friend Donald's blog

curlytopgal my 17 yo niece kristy's blog. she is fanatical about acting/theater. lives in new brunswick canada. cool girl.

i found my voice this is my friend Missi's blog. She has recently rediscovered her self (thoughts, feelings, opinions, values) and is no longer afraid to express them. Yay! I don't know when she has the time, however, because she has 14 children!!

Sometimes Roxie Writes Stuff... My friend's blog. I like her writing style.

Eternal Bud's Eternal Blog My friend Chris' blog

drury writing Keith Drury was Director of Youth for the Wesleyan denomination when I was a pastor. He was always a sharp and honest thinker and doer. He is now a professor of Religion and this is his weekly blog.

a daily prayer of surrender

2007-02-10T09:09:00.000-05:00

using written prayers can be a great aid in the devotional life. they can help to remind us of things we really do want to say in our prayers, but can't remember at 6 am! It also helps to keep us from repeating endless clichés. a written prayer, carefully and meaningfully read, can be a powerful tool. Your prayer life should be broader than this, but written prayers can be part of it.

There are many written prayers available for you to use. Or you can create your own. the following is a prayer that i created and modified over time to try and express the sorts of things that i want to say to God every day. maybe you will find it useful as well.

A DAILY PRAYER OF SURRENDER

Heavenly Father,

I come to you today, just as I am. I give you all my strengths and weaknesses, vices and virtues, hopes and fears, successes and failures, faith and doubt.

I cast all my fear and anxiety and insecurity upon you, trusting that you will do your part, trusting that you will show me what my part is (if any), and trusting that all things will work together for good, because I love you and because I am called according to your purpose.

I receive your mercy, grace, and love into my life. Please help me to extend it to myself, and others.

Please give me the wisdom to know your will for me, the willingness to accept it, and the courage and strength to do it. I need your help in each of these ways, for I can not do any of them on my own.

Give me what I need for today -physically, spiritually, and emotionally. No more. No less.

May I live today with a heightened sense of your presence. May I catch glimpses of the eternal in all things. May I be aware of, and listen to, the promptings of your Holy Spirit.

I place my life completely and unreservedly in your hands, and trust that you will not let anything happen to me outside of your will for me.

I ask these things in the name and the power and the authority of Jesus Christ, my savior and friend.

Amen

a short political lesson

2007-02-05T20:02:00.000-05:00

DEMOCRAT You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. You feel guilty for being successful. Barbara Streisand sings for you.

REPUBLICAN You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. So?

SOCIALIST You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor. You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.

COMMUNIST You have two cows. The government seizes both and provides you with milk. You wait in line for hours to get it. It is expensive and sour.

CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE You have two cows. You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.

DEMOCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE You have two cows. The government taxes you to the point you have to sell both to support a man in a foreign country who has only one cow, which was a gift from your government.

BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE You have two cows. The government takes them both, shoots one, milks the other, pays you for the milk, and then pours the milk down the drain.

AMERICAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one. You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have down sized and are reducing expenses. Your stock goes up.

FRENCH CORPORATION You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows. You go to lunch and drink wine. Life is good.

JAPANESE CORPORATION You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains. Most are at the top of their class at cow school.

GERMAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour. Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.

ITALIAN CORPORATION You have two cows but you don't know where they are. While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman. You break for lunch. Life is good.

RUSSIAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You have some vodka. You count them and learn you have five cows. You have some more vodka. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.

TALIBAN CORPORATION You have all the cows in Afghanistan, which are two. You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature's private parts. Then you kill them and claim a US bomb blew them up while they were in the hospital.

IRAQIAN CORPORATION You have two cows. They go in hiding. They send radio tapes of their mooing.

POLISH CORPORATION You have two bulls. Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk them.

FLORIDA CORPORATION You have a black cow and a brown cow. Everyone votes for the best looking one. Some of the people who like the brown one best, vote for the black one. Some people vote for both. Some people vote for neither. Some people can't figure out how to vote at all. Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which is the best looking cow.

the new face of jehovah's witnesses

2007-02-04T20:58:00.000-05:00

If you saw the super bowl half time show this year you saw "Prince" perform. It may have been your first encounter with him, or maybe you have been a devotee, even through his "symbol" years. It would be impossible to not have heard his song, "We're gonna party like it's 1999," which played continuously at the turn of the millenium.

In any case, rumor has it he is now a Jehovah's Witness, although he was born a Seventh Day Adventist. As he puts it, "There are some songs I don't do anymore, just like there are some words I don't say anymore."

Prince. There's nobody like him. Who knows what will come next?

To read more... http://www.getreligion.org/?p=138

Dear "Abby"

2007-02-03T10:32:00.000-05:00

A friend recently emailed me...

what is your take on using the scripture, "god will give you the desires of your heart" in regards to singleness? I have a single friend wrestling with that.

Here is my response...

Oh geez... whenever you ask me to interpret scripture you're probably going to get more than you bargained for... lol.

This is a psalm of David... David made up lots of songs expressing his thoughts and feelings. I believe they were preserved for a reason. However, does that mean every thing he said in every psalm is true for every person in every circumstance?
Rick Warren says that this means that God will put the desires in your heart that he wants there. Although when we delight ourselves in the Lord our desires do become more like his, I don’t think that is what this verse is referring to. It’s an interesting interpretation, but it goes against the plain and obvious meaning, with no warrant to do so. (That’s ok. Rick’s use of Scripture is often sloppy.)
Experience shows that many people who love the Lord fully do not have all their desires met (in this world). Life is full of hurts and disappointments. Time to grow up and face reality. What are the desires of our heart, really? A new house? A promotion? To get pregnant? To find a husband to make us happy? Or do we desire peace, contentment, security, serenity, strength, courage, wisdom, acceptance, etc. In other words, God may be more interested in giving you what your heart really wants, not just the quick fix you have in mind.
Most likely a single person who is wrestling with this verse is desperate to get married, or discouraged because she hasn’t had a successful dating life, or because of her insecurities she wants God to “give” her a husband without her needing to do the normal things necessary to go out there and find one! She may be the type of person that has the passive approach and would like to believe that if she just stays home every night and reads her Bible and prays, one day there will be a knock on the door and standing there will be prince charming. (He may be in a UPS uniform, however.)
It’s also possible that she may be suffering with the syndrome of, “If I really give myself to God then he is going to require me to be single and I don’t know if I can deal with that.” (Similar to, “He’ll make me go to Africa.”) This comes from a faulty view of God, thinking that he longs to ask us to do things that we have no interest or desire or giftedness for. So we end up fearing some imaginary requirement that we couldn’t possible imagine performing. Be assured of this... God will never require anything more of you today than he will give you the grace to deal with for today.
End of story. Have her read, How to Get a Date Worth Keeping by Henry Cloud.

Doug

Grandpa's 100th birthday

2007-01-30T20:41:00.000-05:00

The devotional booklet published by the Wesleyan church did a write up of my grandfather's 100th birthday celebration. He is my mother's father.

To read the devotional, click on the article below. It should open up into a full page that you can read. Enjoy!

12-step art

2007-01-25T11:25:00.000-05:00

My friend Chris is an artist and has painted a picutre representing each one of the 12 steps. Here are some examples...

Step 3: We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.

Step 7: We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.

Step 12: Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we try to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

To see all 12 paintings, or to order greeting cards of same, go to http://wordnet.net/chris/toc.html

a win, win, win situation

2007-01-25T08:19:00.000-05:00

Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border.

Use the dirt to raise the levees in New Orleans.

Take the alligators from Florida and put them in the moat.

Any other problems you'd like me to solve?

JUST FOR KIDZ

2007-01-23T07:19:00.001-05:00

neopets create your own online pet and feed and take care of it. Lots of other games and activities too.
kids.gov Lots of government sites for kids sorted by age and category
great web sites Lots of great sites for kids organized by the American Library Association
Magazine for teen girls by Focus on the Family
TV disney Watch full length episodes of Disney TV shows
homework spot Lots of helps for doing your homework!
national geographic kids games, activities, and learning
Virtual Magic Kingdom
Disney games
Switcheroo Zoo games
PBS kids
prongo a bunch of stuff for kidz, broken down by age category
ranger rick games from national wildlife federation
Links to coloring sites
crayola Rainbow the Spouting Trout
christianity today game zone
kidzonearth games
christian television network games
stardoll Forget paper doll outfits. Dress up your favorite stars online at stardoll.com.
everythinggirl.com portal of several sites for pre-teen girls, including polly pocket, barbie, and pixel chix.
kid explorers from christian answers
fcc (federal communications commission) games
veggietales games
imagination station from adventures in odyssey
links to lots of kids' sites be sure to go to the bottom of the page and browse the categories. (tip: when you click on a category it will look like it brings up the same page. You have to scroll down again to see the links for that new category.)
kaboose.com Lots of fun stuff for kids and families, many of them educational. This link takes you to the games page. Be sure to check out the rest of the site, too!
HisKids.net Online Christian radio for kids. Kind of like radio disney, but christian. Either listen to the "live" station, or listen to the archive of various christian kids programs.
millsberry.com games
nick.com A bunch of games and stuff for kids based on the nickelodeon tv channel
nick junior for the younger set
monteray bay cam see animals play at an aquarium. under the cam there is a drop-down list to choose different animals, like penguins, fish, birds, and sea otters
children's bible hour cbh zone games
club penguin Club Penguin is a kid-friendly virtual world where children can play games, have fun and interact with each other. Safe.
millsberry.com A virtual town where you can create your own character and go exploring. Click on “Tour” to watch how it works.
Lava surfer http://www.lavasurfer.com/morekidslinks.html
Kinetic city http://www.kineticcity.com/
Webkinz http://www.webkinz.com/

Please let me know if any links don't work, or go to the wrong place. I need your help to make this the best blog possible! Thank you.

RECOVERY STUFF

2007-01-22T21:48:00.004-05:00

http://www.teeccino.com/Quiz1.aspx

http://theraveproject.org/

http://www.tesh.com/ittrium/visit?path=A1x97x1y1xa5x1x76y1x3e70x1x65

http://ndvh.org/

http://www.priscillakelly.com/fears.htm

http://www.priscillakelly.com/anger_mgmt.htm

http://www.priscillakelly.com/relationships.htm

http://www.priscillakelly.com/anxiety_checklist.htm

http://www.priscillakelly.com/depression_checklist.htm

http://www.recovery.org/aa/

http://www.royy.com/feelings.pdf

http://www.royy.com/step4.pdf

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=www.newlife.com

http://www.safehavenministries.org/

http://peaceandsafety.com/

http://www.hazelden.org/#

http://www.apa.org/topics/homepage.html?fc_c=1071850x1685898x61709661

http://www.cbeinternational.org/new/index.shtml

http://www.spiritledwoman.com/display.php?id=605

http://www.royy.com/concord.html

http://www.christianhealingmin.org/

http://www.brainphysics.com/checklist.php

http://www.recoveryzone.org/docs/bigbook.htm

http://www.abbafather.com/

GAMES

2007-01-22T13:58:00.000-05:00

http://www.planetarcades.com/
http://www.kongregate.com/featured_games
http://www.lavasurfer.com/kevin-ng/games.html
some of my favorite old games
Coin Arcade Tons of free flash games.
game of the day free flash games
zeeks.com Games, videos, puzzles, etc.
armor games Free online Flash games
mo fun zone online and downloadable games
Soup Toys Download the toybox, and then play with all kinds of cool toys on your desktop. Caution: Could wile away many hours that should be devoted to something else!
skiing games from norway
addicting games
bushtarion online multi-player game
orisinal i have no idea how to describe these out-of-the-ordinary games.
sliding puzzle
playtonium lotsa games
mini-golf
"Best of the Web" More game directories
"Best of the Web" Game directories
classic consoles tons of free online games and a bunch of other fun stuff.
free online games Play free games online. Thousands of games to choose from. Racing games, shooting games, flying games, puzzle games, RPG games and many more!
ivillage games
millionaire Play "Who wants to be a millionaire" online
shockwave Online and downloadable games. Some free and some for purchase.
R-cade more games
starsky and hutch pinball One of the best i could find for a vintage "real" pinball feel
Yahoo! games Lots of games, mostly to play with others. Requires a Yahoo! ID. Some free, some pay. I like playing literati (scrabble) online with folks around the world.
nintendo donkey kong, mario brothers, ms pac man, etc. (Click on “English Language Games” in the top left menu, under “VNES Categories.“)
free online games Scroll down page to see complete list of games.
download.com You can't play these games online, but there are a lot to download. Either free, or "free to try."
jigzone Tons of jigsaw puzzles you can do online. And you can choose how many pieces it will be and their shape!

Please let me know if any of the links don't work, or take you to the wrong place. Thank you!

The original dollar menu

2007-01-19T09:33:00.000-05:00

I was just listening to a McDonald's commercial on the radio touting all the things you could get for just $1 each.

If my memory serves me correctly, McDonald's advertising slogan in the 60's was "change back from your dollar." And they weren't talking about for a single item. That was for a complete meal... hamburger, fries, and drink. 89 cents. 99 cents if you got the cheeseburger.

I remember when they first started charging more than $1 for the "all american meal" and couldn't use those advertisements any more. What would their new claim to fame be? So many years later, the advent of the Dollar Menu, once paying a dollar for anything would seem cheap.

But that won't last long. Most fast food places are calling it "Value Menu" now so they can charge more that a dollar.

How long before the "Dollar Store" will have to go by the wayside because it will be impossible to sell anything for a dollar anymore? Lots of dollar stores now are called "Dollar General" or "1-2-3 stores" to justify the fact that most of the things in there are more than a dollar now.

room with a view

2007-01-17T07:55:00.000-05:00

The last couple of weeks have been consumed with moving... Although it is only to the building next door, everything still had to be packed up, broken down, thrown away, carried down stairs, carried up stairs, unpacked, reassembled, cleaned, etc. etc. etc...

The new place still has stuff cluttered througout, but I am already reaping the rewards of the move. My last place looked over a parking lot. The video above will show you what my new view is from my bedroom/office window. mmmmmmm....

Which way did he go?

2007-01-10T23:15:00.000-05:00

I hope you weren't listening with baited breath to president bush's speech on the "new direction" for iraq. I was.

As far as I can see we're going the exact same direction, we're just getting a bigger engine, a set of new tires, and an alignment. That does not constitute a new direction.

I'm not commenting at the moment on whether we should or should not have a new direction in Iraq. However, I think that W is losing credibility rapidly during this window of opportunity that the american people gave him to prove that he had heard what they said in November. Many thought that he was finally listening.

From his speech tonight, I can't see any way that he was affected by the public outcry on election day. The mass intervention failed.

what sports teams boost your ego?

2007-01-10T09:29:00.000-05:00

Yay! We're great! Go Gators! We're better than everyone else... So there!

Now, the truth is... I never watched a Gator game in my life. I couldn't tell you the name of the quarterback or the coach. I've never even been to Gainesville.

However, I live in "Gator Nation," and I'm excited, and I feel a sense of pride, and I'm going to celebrate. It boosts my self-esteem, my pride, my ego.

But I have a lot to make up for anyway.

I grew up in Syracuse, NY, and the Orangemen were OK, but we didn't hold out much hope of winning a championship. The basketball team had a knack for leading in points most of the game and then blowing it in the last few minutes.

I then went to Houghton College. They had a great soccer team. But who cares.

I went to Bethany Bible college. Sports? What's that?

I went to Gordon-Conwell Seminary. I heard a rumor that there were sports leagues available, but never knew anyone who was in one, and never heard about a game.

Then I moved to Boston.

The Patriots were an OK team, but not championship status. We had been to the Super Bowl twice in 30 years, and lost both times. And then Coach Parcells abandoned us, and our star quarterback, Bledsoe, got injured.

The Red Sox were great entertainment, but could never go all the way. Usually stopped by the Yankees. And we had the dreaded "curse" put on us by Babe Ruth.

So, I kinda got used to being a "loser." I would see cities celebrate on TV and realized that I would never be a part of that. It must be something about me.

When did the tides of fortune turn for me?

Well, in February 2002 The Patriots surprised everyone by winning Super Bowl 36, with rookie Tom Brady as quarterback. Must be a fluke. And it will probably be my one life-time experience of the thrill of victory.
Then in April 2003, Jim Boehoem led the Syracuse Orangemen to defeat the University of Kansas in the NCAA basketball championship. Did lightning strike me twice??
In February 2004 Tom Brady and The Patriots did it again, beating the Carolina Panthers to win Super Bowl 38. Later in 2004 they completed a record-smashing 21-game winning streak. Maybe not a fluke after all.
In October 2004 The Red Sox "reversed the curse" by beating the Saint Louis Cardinals to win the World Series. Unbelievable... And the way they did it was history-making. In the American League championship they were up against their nemesis, the NY Yankees. After losing the first 3 games and being behind in the 9th inning of the 4th. They ended up winning the 4th. And the 5th. And the 6th. And the 7th! Sweet.
In February 2005 the Patriots decided to win a 3rd Super Bowl against the Indian Colts in my new home town, Jacksonville, FL. Maybe there is something about me after all?
And then comes the Gators! In 2006 they win the ncaa championship for basketaball AND football. Never been done before.
In 2007 the Gators win the football championship again! Never been done before.
The Red Sox proved that "reversing the curse" was not just a fluke by winning the World Series again in October of 2007, 3 years after the first time!

I am taking personal credit for all these wins. Aren't I something??

I must confess it is getting kind of routine. Who's next? The Jacksonville Jaguars? Even after all the aforementioned positive experiences, I'm not getting my hopes up!