Odd Job

Well, another lazy Sunday and I'm ready for Christmas. I keep thinking of these great blog subjects, and then promptly forgetting them. So instead, I'll post about some jobs that I bet are fun to have:

sporting event cameraperson
sports journalist
ESPN anchor
department store Santa or elf
ice cream man
Vince Young
movie trailer announcer voice guy
cartoon artist

I mean really, guys get paid to write about fantasy sports. How sad is that and how much do I wish I was one of those guys? And how great would it be to give ice cream to kids on warm Summer days? I would be the singing kind of ice cream man but not the Van Halen kind. And don't even get me on movie trailer announcer guy. That may be the coolest job in the world.

Which reminds me, I've been thinking lately about dream jobs. I wonder if we lie to ourselves when we say we can't do what we want to do. For example, I heard this guy talking the other day about how he's not enjoying his job and he's going through his mid-life crisis, but at least he has a job so he can't really complain about being miserable, etc. We've all heard that, right? My question is, why not? If you are miserable, shouldn't you be doing something else?

There's a tension here of course. The majority of the world does not have the ability to choose what they do for a living. And, in our country, we are more richly blessed than anyone deserves. So I can understand not wanting to feel some sense of empowerment because of the country in which we live. At the same time, why is it wrong to work at a job that you enjoy? Is it bad to do what you want to do in life? Or more than that, did God create us to do certain things? Is a job more than just an income?

This raises some interesting issues. For one, there's the issue of fulfillment. Should a job be a fulfilling thing? There's also the issue of contentment. Can or should we be content with our lives regardless of job? If your job totally sucks, should you just rise above it and be content and not try and change it? And what about purpose? I am familiar with the idea of people who aren't "in ministry" working a job in order to support the church financially. Is the the only purpose to the jobs people work who aren't paid ministers? Finally, what about identity. If you aren't defined by what you do, but who you are (which I believe) how does that affect one's profession?

Tickle, Tickle... Santa Claus

If you recognize the title of this blog, then you know what this entry is about: the uber-important Christmas Carol!

First of all, if you live in Memphis and own a stereo, you ought to be listening to WRVR for the rest of the month. All holiday songs, all the time. Even that scary seductress Delilah is playing them. I almost put a picture of her on here, but I decided it was too scary.

Second, as I listened to the radio in the car yesterday, it hit me that some Christmas songs are really great to hear, and some are just awful. For example, the Backstreet Boys would be better off putting their abilities towards a less critical holiday, like Flag Day. A Backstreet Boys Flag Day song is something I can handle, not to mention the necessary Fag Day joke. On the other hand, N'Sync is okay for me. Hey, I'll even admit to enjoying some of Clay Aiken's voice (as opposed to just Clay Aiken). Then there's the ~classic "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." Hate it. The worst part of that song doubles as the title of this blog. On the other hand, I have a soft spot for "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer." And I hate country music, so go figure. Also, surprisingly not annoying is the Chipmunks Christmas song (the first time). Then again, two of the greatest song writers ever, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, did not come through as usual with Lennon's "Happy Christmas" (the screaming children have got to go) and McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" (too simple for a five year old). I also maintain that song about how the guy gave his heart away last Christmas is not a happy song and no one should ever want to listen to that song over the Holidays.

Of course, when I told Jesse about this, she vehemently disagreed with me, so I guess it's a little subjective. So then, two questions:

1. What Christmas song is your absolute favorite? (Mine is Bing Crosby, "White Christmas")

2. What Christmas song makes you most want to kill yourself?
(see above)

Newsworthy in Memphis

The news here is great. Once, during LOST, we were pleased to see that a local man stabbed his neighbor with a fork. We were also thrilled to find out during Gilmore Girls that Paris Hilton puked on stage. You see, there's a lot going on down here in the Mid-South that's newsworthy. But the best by far, and certainly worthy of a pic, is the following newsflash...



See, there's nothing to be afraid of in Memphis. Deep down inside, I think we all have a little momma's boy in us. Even girls.


Speaking of girls, how about that cookie exchange last night????? Thanks. I think...

Ethics

If I can ever finish with the classes I don't enjoy at HUGSR this semester, I can start writing my paper for Dr. Fortner's Major Prophets on Old Testament Ethics. The reading for it has been awesome so far. My favorite has got to be Old Testament Ethics for the People of God, by Christopher J. H. Wright. This is his magnum opus on the subject, and he's the man to write it. Don't just buy it, read it.

Speaking of great reading, Christianity in Culture by Charles Kraft is monumental. I recommend it for any fan of critical thinking. It changed the way I think about everything. If anyone has read it, contact me now, because I have no one with whom I can discuss the book.

Jesse has a cookie exchange tonight with 18 or 19 other females, for which I am excited. Yay cookies. We made a lot of cookie last night, and I'm not sure, but it is technically possible we actually finished this morning.

Congratulations are in order to Ohio State for winning the National Championship. What's that? They haven't played yet? Oh don't worry, I am well aware of that fact. Congrats Buckeyes.

And the Mavs are back to their old ways. And the Red Sox will probably end up keeping Manny. So things are looking good for the holidays.

Finally, I need a good pet name for Jesse. Logan calls Rory, "Ace." That dude on Men in Trees calls Marin, "Coach." I considered, "Tiger," since she's an Auburn girl, but it's not sticking. At the risk of hearing from anonymous, any suggestions?

P.S. Go to ESPN.com and watch Happy Birthday, Larry and tell me you don't get totally creeped out by Bill Walton. That guy is officially psycho.

Official Time

One hour, fifty minutes, and fifty seconds.

The BIG Race

Jess and I (and a few other people) are running the St. Jude (half) marathon tomorrow morning. I am pumped. It's going to be great. Yay!

Props

to my wife for fixing up my blog with Dallas Mavericks colors. She's the bomb.

It's the Most Wonderful Time

Who doesn't love the holiday season that is descending upon us? It's the best! I love this time of year. Starting off with Thanksgiving, the Macy's Day Parade, the football, the turkey, the football, Christmas shopping the next day, the football, the decorations, and of course, the great holiday traditions! The cool thing for Jesse and I this year, is that we get to start our own (which really just means we continue the ones from our families that we cherish the most).

Here are a few of mine:

- Everyone must start, of course, with the old tannenbaum. Ornaments and lights are key, but often it's the oft-overlooked tree skirt that really ties it all together. Although, I am opposed to tinsel. I prefer multi-colored lights/common ornaments to the more stuffy, one color/one-ornament-repeated tree. Some of my fondest holiday memories are laying on the floor of the living room with the family, lights off, listening to Christmas music, and watching the lights sparkle on the ceiling.

- I LOVE Christmas lights on the house. The cooler it looks, the better. Also, driving in the car to check out lights in the fancy neighborhoods is great.

- Christmas movies are a must. My two favorites are White Christmas and It's A Wonderful Life. Jesse loves A Christmas Story, which is also good (it better be since she quotes it year-round).

- Finally, Christmas food. Gingerbread cookies, hot chocolate (check out the Chantico at Starbucks), etc. Two family favorites are my mom's WORLD FAMOUS sugar cookies and also chocolate peanut butter balls (buckeyes for Bob's sake).

Yep, I'm pretty sure the holiday season, in all its glory, is upon us. What are your favorite holiday traditions?

And just because I can...

If genius was directly proportional to brain size.
















And if I was an alien, I might wear sweaters and look like this. Notice Alien Nick refuses to shave as well.

Photo Booth Rocks

Hitting yourself in the face is totally sweet. But it is twice as sweet when you do it twice... AT THE SAME TIME!!! In related news, I turn 12 next month.

Parody

Here's my top seven, because I can't seem to get them in to Bob on Sunday night. Sorry Brother. Of course, considering our lists looks pretty similar, maybe I should be apologizing for plagiarism. I'm so glad Texas lost. If Auburn didn't deserve to be ranked that high, neither did Texas.

1. Ohio State - can't wait until next weekend's game

2. Michigan - should be wishing they could wait for next weekend's game

3. Notre Dame - I'm staying on this bandwagon. They will beat USC, and play Michigan in the Rose Bowl? Can that happen?

4. Arkansas - there is only one SEC team that plays consistently good every week (except the USC game, I know, I know). The adage that the best teams don't play down to the level of their competition is the difference between this team and Florida.

5. USC - sure, why not?

6. Florida - If it wasn't for that extra inch to one DL's freakishly long arms, this team would have joined my beloved Tigers in the two-loss category. South Carolina also played their best game of the year. Coach Urban has is all wrong. Let Leak play only first downs, and the let Tebow go the other three.

7. Rutgers - sigh. If they beat WVU...



Auburn fans, especially those tired of B. Cox, remember this name: Kodi Burns. His coach says he can throw the ball 74 yards. He does a few other things well, too.

It's (NOT) Great to be an Auburn Tiger

At least not today. Brandon Cox is underwhelming. The entire offense is underwhelming. I thought they were supposed to have more than 8 plays on offense by now. Their bread and butter against Georgia appears to be running it up the middle, pitching it to the side, reverse to Courtney Taylor, and the play that works everytime, the one where Brandon Cox throws it to the other team.

In a related story, guess what team will not be in my top seven this week. Go ahead, guess.

I also think it stinks that Rutgers beat Louisville. The Ville broke my heart. I was on, then off, then wanted back on, and then the wagon blew up. Sigh.

And finally, the Mavs won their first game, against the Suns. If this was last year, I'd be happy about that. This year, it seems to matter less. Check out the Sports Guy's coverage of this crazy fall in sports. NCAA basketball fans beware, I don't think you can escape the madness, and it's not March.

Amerianity Must Be Stopped

Well, I've been feeling a bit like Jeremiah lately. This fire in my bones has been itching to be let out, what with the massive amount of political discussion currently taking place. When it reaches your fantasy basketball league, you know it's a big deal. I mean, is nothing sacred?

On a serious note, things have gotten out of hand, and I am NOT talking about the Democrats taking over. The picture above captures it perfectly. The rainbow - God's promise, His first covenant with mankind, that he would never again destroy His creation like He did in the flood. The steeple - the great symbol of Western Christendom. The American Flag - the great symbol of ... American Christendom?

American Christians vote republican, right? At least, the ones who hold to the right doctrine do. Those crazy liberals might vote democrat, but not us down here in the South. We stand for what's right. But what is right?

I'm sick of seeing voting booths in our churches. Can we vote to have voting somewhere else? I'm sure that there have been many parallels over the years to draw a line from Jesus clearing the moneychangers out of the temple to various ecclesial practices, but I'm going with voting in churches. How dare you turn my Father's house into a political arena! It's disgusting to see signs out in front of churches here in Memphis for the different politicians. It just doesn't seem right.

I'm sick of being reminded to vote yes for the gay marriage amendment. What is that? Really? What will that accomplish? Here's what really gets me, all these people, going around and passing out flyers in church, reminding their Sunday school classes to vote yes, what happens now? So gay people can't ger married, have you now performed your Christian duty? How many of these people care more about voting yes than they do about the homosexuals in our city? I maintain that voting yes has very little to do with my Christian duty, but seeking to help homosexual people discover a God who cares about their souls, I think, is pretty high on that list.

I'm sick of politics. I don't vote. I don't want to, and here's why: I put no faith in the American political system. I'll even go so far as to say that I have no faith in America as a geo-political entity. Why do we think that our political system is the primary change agent Christians have at their disposal? It's not! The primary agent of change that we have at our disposal is the power of God and He's waiting for us to ask Him to use it. Here's the irony, God wants US to be His change agents in the world. Politics won't EVER really succeed in helping the poor find jobs, or healthcare, or homes. Politics won't EVER really succeed in protecting our warped perspective of the American moral order. Politics won't EVER really succeed in taking care of widows, providing financial security for everyone, or anything else Christians expect it to succeed in doing. And that's the thing that gets me, really. Politics won't EVER succeed in seeing the Kingdom of God impose itself on our nation, state, city, or even neighborhood. Politics won't EVER succeed in bringing peace to the world.

I am firmly convinced that the ONLY thing that has even a shot at caring for the poor, the elderly, the sick; the ONLY thing that will bring true security; the ONLY thing that will see peace come into the world, is God working through His people. Now there's a proposition I can support. I just hope we don't have to put it to a vote first. I'm not sure it would pass.

Wowsers

Well, now I feel a little bit like a loser for falling off the Louisville wagon a bit too soon. WVU really did look better going in, I don't think anyone would argue that. They still looked good last night, minus two huh-yuge Steve Slaton fumbles to start the third. In spite of that, Slaton is really good. So is Pat White. Even so, "The Ville" won and did so convincingly. Seeing as how I wasn't too ashamed to fall off the wagon, consider this my getting back on. If they win at Rutgers next week, watch out, my friend, the Ville is BCS-bound. More on the college scene after Saturday.

In other news, it's great having an older brother. That way, when the Mavs lose to the Spurs, I can just call him, listen to him rant, and not be as mad. His rants are always better than mine, except they also put things in perspective with their absolut ludicridity (I think I just made that word up). Anyway, 81-1 is still a good record. Check out my wife's blog for some GREAT insight. She's amazing. Candy Corn soda anyone?

More Free Advice

This is Jones Soda Candy Corn flavored blah. Don't even think about it. Unless you like carbonated maple, that is. Just plain gross. Also, it's yellow. Just take my advice, don't do it, even if you see it in a small, novelty-size four-pack at Target. Do yourself a favor and just turn and walk away. You're welcome.

By the way, if anyone wants some of this stuff, we still have two cans.

A Few Random Thoughts

My advice to all men regarding this movie: DON'T DO IT!!!!!! I may get some flak for this, but I was under the impression that this movie was one of those classics that everyone likes. Well, it isn't. I rented this movie for Jesse and I to watch, and I didn't exactly like it. It was less than bearable. How is this movie a classic?

In other news, USC lost much earlier than I expected. I'm not sure how I feel about that, honestly. I'm worried it may be too early, and now they will be extra motivated to win out, beat Cal and ND and get back in the picture. See, if they had lost to ND at the end, there wouldn't be an answer to how good they might or might not be. This way, we'll know. Hopefully they just lose at least one more game, and I won't have to worry about it.

I'm still an Auburn homer, I promise.

This is the year the Mavericks win it all. I'm super pumped for the NBA season.

My top seven:

1. Ohio State
2. WVU
3. Michigan
4. Florida
5. Louisville
6. Arkansas
7. Notre Dame


Yep, AU is out of my top seven. It was Ole Miss for crying out loud. If you are only as good as your opponent week-to-week, then you are not going to be in my top seven. That includes you, too, Texas. Cal is on the bubble, and will move up if Arkansas loses. Biggest game this weekend? UT vs. LSU. Watch out, my friend! BIGGEST GAME THIS WEEK? WVU vs. Louisville this Thursday. Upset special? Oklahoma State over Texas.

B ig C ontroversy S hortage

So here is my long-awaited (by Bob and iii) post on the state of college football this year. Things have gotten a little crazy this year, and I wanted to write about some of it. The most important fact, as Bob and I were discussing earlier today at school, is that this year's secret word is parity.

Parity! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

The college football world seems to be filled with a number of competing, confusing storylines. Along with that, there are still many HUH-YUGE games waiting to be played that will help to clear up the picture. With that in mind, I'd like to take a look at a couple stories in detail (taking order from my weekly seven over on Bob's blog).

• Well, there's always an exception to every rule. If parity is the rule, Ohio State is the exception. Please Ohio State, don't lose! It's always nice to have one certain thing on which to fall back.

• Who knew that the Big East would live up to its name? Three undefeated teams looks good right now. Then again, all three will be playing each other. I say it's likely to pan out with an undefeated, a one-loss, and a two-loss team in the Beast. I would REALLY love to keep riding my Louisville pick, but I'm starting to be swayed by all that coal. WVU is looking a lot better than Louisville right now. Their rushing attack is outstanding. They each have a long week here, not playing until Thursday, Nov. 2. Long week, fresh legs, offensive explosions. If that's how it turns out, I'm thinking Louisville can't keep up. After that, WVU can coast until their final game against Rutgers at home. Those pundits may be right. WVU to go undefeated. Louisville hanging tough the following week at Rutgers as the one-loss team. Rutgers finishing a respectable 10-2.

• I'm still saying USC will lose one. Probably the ND game at the end of the year, which will screw everything up, unless if you are a WVU fan. I'm backing off my Louisville prediction, but I'm sticking with ND. Bob disagrees with me on this, but ND beat a really good UCLA team. They will coast through their next four games (Navy, UNC, Air Force, Army), pad their stats, and then beat the Trojans. That being said, I'd like to go ahead and give the Trojans some credit. The big names are gone, but these guys are still good. Good athletes go a long way in college football, and Pete Caroll has a ton playing for him. That said, check out their last four games (Oregon, Cal, ND, and UCLA). Not going to make it. That'll be nice for a change.

• I'll skip talking about Michigan. Say whatever you want, they'll lose to Ohio State and be the best one-loss team in the country. They'll go to a BCS game, probably against USC. Rose Bowl maybe? The real topic of discussion here, and the source of much of the messiness is the SEC. To appease iii, I'm an Auburn homer. There you go. Let's get that on the table. But here's the deal, Arkansas beat AU. So, they're going to the SEC Championship game, unless they lose two. Well, there are two games for them to lose: Tennessee and LSU. Potentially, they could lose both and Auburn would be in Atlanta again. But I don't know if that will happen. Even if they lose to UT2, I can't see them losing the last game of the year to LSU on which all of their hopes ride. Then again, there are a bunch of young guns on that team, and the choke factor could come into play. I wish, right? So, let's say that Arkansas escapes with one loss and goes to the SEC Championship. Who will they play? Likely, Florida. I think UT2 will lose to LSU or Arkansas. From that game, I have to think that Florida wins. So now you have one loss Florida looking at a BCS game, PLUS one-loss Auburn (not in the Championship game), and two loss Arkansas (USC, and Florida). Who goes to the BCS? Arkansas did win head-to-head, but AU has only one loss, and did beat Florida, which Arkansas could not do. The confusion begins. The lobbying starts, and the controversy continues.

• I don't even want to think about Texas. They should have lost to Nebraska. Clemson will also be talked about, as they are likely to end up with only one-loss.

• Where does that leave us? Here's what I am looking for at the end of the year:

Ohio State - no loss
WVU - no loss
USC - one loss (possibly undefeated)
Michigan - one loss
Texas - one loss
Louisville - one loss
Clemson - one loss
Auburn - one loss (fine, MAYBE two)
Florida - one loss (maybe two)
Arkansas - one loss (maybe two)
Notre Dame - one loss (maybe two)
Boise State - no loss??
Cal - one loss (probably two)
Tennessee - two loss (MAYBE one)

What in the world do you do with that? Here's my crazy thoughts. I think that with all these crazy potentials, the BCS will actually work this year. The only way we have three undefeateds is if USC wins out, and I don't see that happening. (Boise State doesn't count, but they will be undefeated). With all those one loss teams, how do you decide? I think that the BCS might actually be prepared to handle this. Call me crazy, but with all this parity, in the end, we might just see everything work out.


In the coming weeks, I anticipate giving you my BCS bowl predictions, teams and bowl games. I'm also thinking heisman candidates. Until then...

Is this for real?

ESPN.com's Page 2 Uni Watch is reporting something truly amazing for Sox and baseball fans alike. Apprently, Bill Buckner (a la 1986 WS meltdown) was wearing a Chicago Cubs batting glove underneath his glove while playing the field. Double curse indeed!

The New Toy

We recently purchased a macbook for the family, but mostly for Jesse to use. She's gifted and I wanted her to have good tools to use with her amazing gifts. I on the other hand, am a different kind of tool, as evidenced by the unnecessary amount of fun I had taking these pictures with her computer.

Media Day

I don't have much to post about, but being Thursday night, I do have a little TV on the mind. Thus, it seemed fitting to share my thoughts on the new fall season.

LOST - same old craziness, same old maddening plot twists, same old kate...

HEROES - I am loving this show. There was a scene at the end of this week's episode with Syler (presumably) that legitimately freaked me out. Good characters, good story, good cliffhangers, something substantial happens every week, I love this show. Although how is a deadly alter-ego a super power? Still trying to figure out exactly what's going on there. Hiro is also great.

STUDIO 60 - It's good. Obviously well-written, funny, clever, etc.

THE OFFICE - Jim is a stud, although I'm a little disappointed that he's not any good at Call of Duty. Pam is coming around. Dwight is Dwight, and Michael is Michael. Check out nbc.com for fake PSAs, and prank messages from Dwight. Good stuff.

MY NAME IS EARL - consistently funny, running story lines is probably a good idea. I do wonder how long they can keep going with the same material. Randy is the glue.

The Ol' Dia-blogue

Head on over to Bob's blogtastic extravaganze for my latest thoughts on the college football world. I'm not going to lie, it's probably the funniest thing I have ever written.

Ants

I vaguely recall this poem we dissected for a class period in Senior English titled "Ants." It went like this:

Adam had'em.

Like all good poetry, it rhymes. I suppose it was an exercise in critical thinking more than anything else, but as it turns out, the poem also has a relevant spiritual message. Turns out, if the reader so responds, "Ants" is a clever way of talking about sin. Now if I recall my grad. school training correctly, I'm not supposed to be a Calvinist. So when it comes to TULIP, I don't believe in TOTAL depravity, but just depravity. Ants = sin. Adam had'em, and so do I. Here's another good one, supposedly attributed to Luther.

"The old Adam is a good swimmer."

Now there's a good one for us dunkers. You can immerse all you want, but turns out, it is pretty hard to drown the old man - and I'm not talking about your dad. Maybe we need to start holding them under longer... So, yet another clever way of saying that humans typcially (I type that tongue in cheek) have a problem with sin. Seriously, what's the deal with sin?

Here's my reflection based on something I just read by Will Willimon (see sidebar). Sin is, by all accounts, something every person has, struggles with, falls into, lives in, etc. I started to write, "Sin does appear..." or "Sin seems" but that would contradict what I want to say. Here's the thing about sin: it is real. Now, granted, I may not have to convince any of my readers, but it's likely that you readers know someone who does need some convincing. I would argue that we live in a world that is increasingly in need of some convincing on this topic. However, I think we have some flawed logic in what I have experienced in terms of methodology (how we do what we do) and epistemology (how we know what we know).

Example: I have friends who do not believe in God, or, while they have some form of belief, do not follow The Way. Now why should I expect them to act any differently than they do? If they cuss, drink, are sexually immoral, and live a generally immoral lifestyle, why should I be surprised by that? Wouldn't you live that way, if you didn't believe in God?

Now there's the question that gets us. "Surely not I!?!?" you exclaim. "I would still be a good person." Well, maybe so. But what blinds us, and ultimately leads us to think we would still be good without a knowledge of God through Christ happens to be the very same thing (knowledge of God through Christ). I don't know how we got skewed into this thinking but stick with me on this one - I promise I'm not saying that knowledge of God through Christ is a bad thing in any way.

Somehow, in our pseudo-Christian American culture, we came to the conclusion that everyone is generally good. We have scientific results to back up the reality of something called conscience. The problem is, and what Christians assumed, is that our consciences are part of the image of God that God put in us at creation. Well, maybe that's true. But I have a feeling that somewhere along the way, our consciences became more of a social construction. If I'm not a Christian, I don't have a Christian conscience. I may have a conscience, but its standard for morality is only a social construction. Watch TV, listen to music, go to the movies, consume your media of choice, and you'll find out quickly that the Christian conscience and the American conscience are growing apart quickly. The point is that we can no longer appeal to the innate human condition of conscience as evidence of the human sin condition.

Instead, I say that we ought to appeal to Christ as our evidence of sin. Sin is only secondarily about not doing something right or doing something wrong. Sin is primarily about separation from God. I believe that Christians have been arguing from conscience about sin being a matter of morailty (bad method that sounds good). What we ought to be doing is talking about sin being a matter of broken relationship with the Creator. And here's where epistemology comes into play. We know what we know about sin ONLY because of Jesus. It is only through the language and culture of Christ that we can adequately describe what sin is and what it does to us.

So all this time, maybe we've been doing it backwards. We think if we can convince people they are sinners, then they will feel a need for Jesus. But how can we convince them of their sin if we do not first give them a language in which to adequately speak about it? If I say to someone who is not a Christian, "You are a sinner." What does that mean to them? It probably means exactly what we are seeing in so many churches today. It probably means that they need to learn how to be moral people who are nominal at best and who never learn how to develop a meaningful relationship with God. It means that if they want to stop being sinners, they need to do things that make them feel like not sinners, as in going to church and giving money and taking communion.

So what is the solution? I'm not really sure. What I think is that we need to focus our discussion of sin more on what it means to have a relationship with God through Christ and how sin prevents that. I think we need to focus less on sin as a morality issue. I think we need to stop assuming that sin is best argued as a matter of conscience. And most of all, I think we need to realize that sin is something we understand and talk about only through Christ. Our discussion of sin does not lead us to Jesus, rather our discussion of God and His Son lead us to sin.

Updates

My wife got her hair cut and it looks great! I cannot even begin to describe how truly hot she is. You just need to see it for yourself.


I've decided I don't mind working at Super Suppers. It has somehow helped me understand women a tiny little bit better, but at the same time, make me feel less inclined to communicate with them. I suppose that only affects my wife, but don't worry baby, I'm not going to quit communicating with you. Props to Jonathan Jerkins for the somewhat related idea that the worst work environment is either all women or all men.


The Red Sox took three out of four from the Yanks this weekend. Too bad it didn't count for squat. What will make this pain even worse is when Jeter gets the MVP over Ortiz. Once again, an undeserving Yank (although more so than last years fiasco) takes the prize over a deserving Big Papi. I can't even begin to tell you what a difference Ortiz made to the Sox this year. So I won't.



I still don't have the Box live. As a result, I still miss Charles.



Finally, after two wonderful experiences with young married couples yesterday, I think it's funy how much we all enjoy reassuring each other that we're all in the same boat. This is why most tv shows about married couples are so popular. It's not the new material - mostly because the material is not new. It's all just a different persepctive on the same problems. They are popular because all married people can relate. It's kind of nice to know that you're not the only one who argues with their spouse about _____________. In fact, if we're not dealing with ________ right now, it's funny to watch someone else successfully deal with ____________ in less than 30 minutes. With that in mind, my top five marriage-centric television shows (with the disclaimer that many marriage-centric shows could arguably be called family-centric as well):

5. The Simpsons
4. Mad About You
3. Home Improvement
2. The Cosby Show
1. Everybody Loves Raymond

(Aussie) Irrelevancy

I may not be the only blogger, but apparently, I am the only one who cares...


In other news, it's now Day 7 of the Derek Webb crisis. Authorities are still searching for his whereabouts as they cannot free him until they find out where he is.


What is it about women that creates such drama? I work with all women (well, except for the gay guy and the husband of the owner) and those ladies are crazy. They get stressed out about everything and then start yelling at each other. Except they only mean half of what they say (read, yell) and are mostly just letting off stress by creating a more stressful atmosphere, as if that helps or makes sense. So what am I really saying here? Basically, that I am a guy.


Working at Super Suppers does not make me want to eat food less, except for Chinese. Must be all the raw vegetables. Or the dog meat.

Aussie Jealousy

I know I'm not the only one blogging about this...




But crikey, Steve Irwin is dead. And I'm not kidding when I saw the world has lost a great man. First of all, how can you be surprised that he died? I do not want to be mean about this, but it was bound to happen. There was a slim chance that he was going to live to a ripe old age, but the odds were against it. Also, how can you say that it was ironic that he died not doing something dangerous? The way I see it, when you are around anything than can and might stick a barb into your heart and kill you, it's dangerous.

Second, how can you not love the crazy things this guy did?!?! I'm not even mad about the baby incident. Besides Crocodile Dundee, Nicole Kidman, Sir Marcus Oliphant, Angus Young, Mel Gibson and Ned Kelly, he's got to be the one of the greatest Australians ever.

He might have been a lunatic, but in one sense or another, we all envy the things that this man saw and did. Even more than that, though, this guy had a passion. And not the daytime soap kind, but the kind that totally consumes your life to the point that it is SO extravagant that other people cannot help but notice it. The world saw him live and die for his passion. I don't think I have to explain where I am going with that one...

The Box... LIVE!!!!!

So the other day, one of my good buddies and groomsmen was over at our house for lunch. His name is Robert Paulsen. I mean, Charles Kiser. Now Chuck was moving for good that day back to the place from whence all good things come: The DFW Metroplex. I digress. So we're eating lunch (he, me, Jesse), when Charles says, "Hey Nick. You should get X-Box Live so that we can "keep in touch" after I'm gone."

And then...









Jesse says...










"Yeah, Nick. You should do that. That would be great. You guys could keep in touch that way."








So, I'm getting X-Box Live now. Who knew it could be so easy? So, if you are in Memphis, and my friend, but moving soon, let me know because maybe you can help me get something fun but unnecessary.

There you are

I just deleted the post that was on for so long. Man, that was embarrasing. I now understand in some tiny insignificant way how authors feel so vulnerable about their work.

In other news, I've discovered a gold mine:

http://www.sportspickle.com

My favorite from this issue has to be the article on Edgerrin James. Classic. This guy has started writing for ESPN.com under the name DJ Gallo. His stuff is hilarious. He's might be funnier than the Sports Guy.

Wow

I have not posted in a long time. Perhaps too long. Then again, perhaps not. The conclusion of the last story is we got engaged. Maybe I'll start posting relevant things again.

More Pictures

This pic, taken from ESPN.com, deserves the increased exposure that only being on my blog can provide.

Randy Hanks or Tom Travis?

He's gonna love you forever...




and ever and ever. Amen.

This post is not about sports, but man the Mavericks are playing awesome right now!

Ironically, my last post references the "history in the making" event of two post appearing on simulataneous days on my blog. And here I am a month later, postless and maybe forgotten...

Here's what you've missed: nothing. I spent the last three weeks digging myself a hole in the HUGSR library and not coming out except for a couple hours of sleep each night. You may think I am exaggerating, but in fact, every other night, I would go to bed at three and wake up at five, so "couple" is no misnomer. Well, I did come out a couple times to make some caffeine runs with my buddy Charles Kiser, but those weren't always productive. Like the time we went to Starbucks, and I called Jesse about something. She thought I was calling to get her something while I was there, and when I didn't... well, let's say it was productive in that I learned something about being an idiot. Namely, I have an unusual ability to be one.

This talent has been manifesting itself in many ways lately. For example, the exegetical paper for which I dug that hole? Yeah. I turned it in four days late, in part because I failed to take into account that there was a page limit: 13-17 double spaced. Unfortunately, my first draft was about 22 pages, single spaced! That's right, my first draft was 34 pages double spaced. So, I spend the next 12 hours cutting my paper in half. I'm not sure how much time I wasted needlessly on that silly paper, but I think my wife has it down to seconds.

Well, all that idiot stuff is behind me now. With a new season beginning, I am filled with hope about what might be. I might not be as much of an idiot this summer. I might actually put down the X-Box controller and write some thank you notes. I might not blog about sports next time either. In fact, I'm thinking of trying a little something different, but I'd like to take a poll. I have this great little story (based on real events) that I'd like to write. I was thinking about posting it in sections on my blog. Anyone interested? It doesn't really matter, because I'm going to do it anyways, but I welcome any encouragement my faithful reader(s) would like to give. My next post will begin the story, and I hope to post one "chapter" per week until I run out of material.

Two final thoughts: I love my wife, and yes, it rained on our honeymoon.

History in the Making...

The title of this post is a phrase often used in reference to me. With this case, it happens to refer to the fact that I am posting on consecutive days. Never happened before, and it may never happen again.

Today, I would like to discuss America's Pastime. And yes, I googled it, it is actually "pastime." And no, I'm not talking about Laguna Beach. Rather, I'm talking about that most republican (namely the "grand" and the "old") of sports, baseball. For me, baseball is the classic story of undiscovered beauty that Hollywood so often exploits. A bit nerdy, rough on the edges, often looked over for more exciting things, wears glasses, trips often and drops stuff, etc. And yet, at the end of the show, baseball comes out on top. So just what is the fascination with baseball? Well, I'm not sure it's explainable in blog form, but I'm going to give it a try.

Baseball is dollar dog night and Lemon Chills. Baseball is the seventh inning stretch. It's the ballpark and the walk-off homerun. It's the organ and the constant hawking of overpriced wares. It's the hated rival and the beloved underdog. It's who is warming up in the bullpen, and the reliever coming out to face one guy before he calls it a night. It's the endless suspense of the final out. It's extra innings and rain delays. Baseball is a day game at Wrigley. It's the infinite possibilities of every pitch, swing, hit, and throw.

And for me, baseball is the Boston Red Sox. It's the Green Monster and Yawkey Way. It's Tek and Big Papi. It's hating Judas Damon, and loving Dave Roberts forever. It's THE bloody sock. It's the history. And now, it's May 23. My wife (Jesse Faris) has planned a trip to Boston on that day to see my beloved Red Sox play the hated Yankees at Fenway Park. Sorry, fellas, but she's mine. So really, I have the greatest wife ever. This is by far the greatest gift I have ever received in my entire life. It's absolutely one of the coolest things ever, and I know I'll remember it forever. I think about this trip every day and how awesome it will be and how I'll probably cry when we walk through the turnstiles and how much I hope the Sox win. It's all just perfect.

There's only one problem now. What do I get her for her birthday?

Where is everyone?

So at thing point, I'm thinking I can type whatever I want on my blog. I'm even past the point of people commenting that they want me to post again, which is great. It basically means one of two things: 1) Jesse is tired of me enough at home to not care about what I say on my blog or 2) well, actually, maybe there's just one. I'm not even sure if more than 4 or 5 people I see on a regular basis read this. Now, if that's not an obvious cry for affirmation, then I am even more pathetic than we thought.

So, I'm married now. It'll be a month this Saturday, so I give you the obligatory "Thoughts about Being Married" post...

1. "Morning people" often clash with "night owls." At this point, I'm not entirely sure that Jesse is not some kind of mutant vampire (she can stand the sunlight, but just barely). Of course, she likes the beach, so this doesn't really work, but the point remains, my wife does not like the morning. And I, on the other hand, like to sleep at night.

2. This thought is directly related to the first. Coffee drinkers are a strange breed to me. Personaly, if you claim to be a morning person, but can't do it without your coffee, you're just faking. Either way, was is it about coffee that makes such a drastic difference on someone's mood, senses, breath, etc? Oh right, the whole addiction thing. Oh well. Besides J.J. Abrams, it's probably my second favorite addiction, so drink away America. I have a feeling this one is here to stay.

3. The Darth Vader cookie jar I got as a wedding gift from my former youth minister's kids may just be the coolest thing I own. Now, I just need to get some cookies. The "Fill Vader's Face" cookie donation station will be opening soon if you would like to make a donation.

4. That last post has little to do with being married.

5. And this one is important: ALWAYS marry an awesome person (just one at a time though). I did, and it's worked out pretty good so far.

T minus 5

days and counting... and with the wedding rapidly approaching, I thought I would talk about something totally different.




















Well, after trying and failing to think of anything other than the wedding for the last 30 minutes, and failed, I guess I'll talk about the wedding.

Things are going into crazy mode, like Homer with no food and no beer. And while, I knew this would happen, I really have no idea it would be like this. I'm starting to realize that about other things, too. Like the epic fights that occur for no reason the week before the wedding. Every married person has a story about theirs, and it almost becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy:

"Well, I'm getting married this week, and I love this person and want to spend the rest of my life with them, but I'm too tired to care about that. I think I'll just selfishly act like a jerk and hope she can take it."

That's the mind of a genius right there, or it could be a sign of what the french call, "les incompetent." At least I'm not getting married to Buzz's girlfriend. Woof.

In other news, the Dallas Mavericks seemed destined to be spectators in this year's NBA chamionship, having lost to both San Antonio and Phoenix this week. Tough schedule, but a great opportunity to prove we have what it takes. That's right, "we." I am an integral part of the team, and had I watched either game, I'm certain the outcome would have been different. Being a loyal, but hopeless fan, I've decided that "we" need a curse. So, without further ado, I give you curse contestant #1, The Derek Harper Curse.

Derek Harper played 16 seasons in the NBA, 12 with the Mavs. He also had stints with the Knicks and the Magic. Derek Harper played on a team that made the playoffs 10 times, but only made it to the big dance once, losing in 7 to the Houston Rockets. Looking at the Knicks and Magic since his departure, especially this year, one can easily see the curse at work. For the Mavs, however, the curse is even more twisted, as it tempts us even more than the Knicks and Magic combined. I give you last year's playoffs series against the Suns, and the failure to foul Steve Nash play (performed to perfection by Jason Terry) which is comparable to Bill Buckner's infmaous through-the-legs ground ball error. Clearly, Derek Harper is responsible for this lapse in defensive judgment. He even LOOKS like Jason Terry. Where is Derek Harper today, you ask? He's in Dallas, doing pre-game, post-game, and play-by-play analysis for the Mavericks. Until this man is completely eradicated from the Dallas Mavericks, we will never win a championship.

This is fun. Sometime soon, I will present other theories, including the Roy Tarpley, Fat Lever, Popeye Jones, Detleft Schrempf, and the Defense-Wins-Championships Conspiracy Theories.

Did I mention that I'm getting married in five days?

stuff

So, today is my birthday. I am now 24. AND, there are exactly 24 days until the wedding. How uncanny is that? Go me for being born on this day and for proposing on that other day!

I've been watching Mad About You with Jesse lately. It's kind of like Seinfeld with more estrogen. A lot more. And more early-90s ish. But, hey, it's classic Paul Reiser.

The Office continues to roll. Dwight Schroot bobbleheads are no doubt selling like hot cakes after last week. Similarly, Grey's Anatomy literally exploded in the last two weeks. Amazing. I recommend this show to anyone who has a face.

Oh, and the Olympics are going on right now, except on a 10 hour delay. I used to LOVE watching the Olympics as a kid. Technically, "used" should be in all caps in that last sentence. What happened to the greatness of the Olympics? Is it me, or is no one interested anymore? On SportsCenter this morning, there was a five minute segment with no clips except of Picabo Street bashing the brash Bode Miller. Totally mised in this was the fact that some guy named Ligaty won a gold medal for skiing down a mountain. NO "Ligaty-split" jokes were made. Not one. Nor did anyone comment that Ms. Street should be hooking up with that guy because who doesn't want to say "Picabo Ligaty" at least once in their lifetime?

Bob Costas is the Dick Clark of the Olympics. He doesn't age, and he'll be doing it for another 100 years. Watch, cause I won't be...

The Home Stretch

The title of this post could be a good blog name for those eschatology freaks. No really.

Today, I was driving in the Target parking lot, and this old lady forgot to stop at the stop sign, so she had to hit the brakes when I pulled in front of her to turn, and she looked at me, and with the meanest granny face you can imagine mouthed the words, "STUPID JERK!" At first, I was mad, but then, the thought of an 80 yera old getting angry and yelling at me was pretty funny. So, naturally, I turned around, caught up, and cut in front of her again. You'll be pleased to know I got the EXACT same reaction. That was kind of mean, I know, but totally worth it. Stupid Jerk! Ha!

There aren't many months, weeks, or even days before I go to Hawaii. That's exciting. Oh, and I guess I'll be married by then, too.... Of course, I'm really more excited about getting married, I just wanted to say it cleverly. I suppose I could write more about getting married, but I don't think it would be very original. Everytime I tell any of my married friends about ANYTHING that has happened during the engagement period, they just smile and nod. It's annoying.

Don't say I never post.