TV fast results

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?

1. I'm proud of myself. It was a big "give-up" for me.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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

• 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

Rarely have I seen an impersonation so spot-on!

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

Electoral College Daily Updates

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

She loves her trampoline in the back yard!

Happy 4th of July!

Watching fireworks off my balcony.

I'm old

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

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?

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

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

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

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

Mrs. Hughes

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

coincidence or deliberate?

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

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