The Art of Critique

Perhaps you were not inspired, dear reader, by the quotation in the last post. So allow me to elaborate. Giving up is not beautiful. Complaining and whining is not attractive. No one pays money for anything done in the spirit of apathy, laziness, ignorance, or even in the pursuit of safety and comfort. Nor, I would like to point out, are people inspired by such things.

I want my life to be beautiful. I want to live an inspired life that inspires others. That may mean that I persevere under harsh circumstances. That may mean that I choose not to whine or complain about the way things are and pursue what they could be. It may mean that I need to start considering things about which I was too lazy, apathetic, or ignorant. And it may even mean that I need to abandon my desire for safety and comfort.

Unfortunately, I see a lot of ugliness in my world. I see people (including churches) and institutions that seem to lack or deny themselves the ability to create something beautiful. Now, I can criticize this ugliness, and I think many people choose to do just that, or I can create something beautiful. The choice, I think, rests on faith. Some might be tempted to call this optimism, but it's too easy to discount optimism as silly, immature, or stupid. While I don't think it is any of those things, I do believe that optimism is built upon the foundation of faith. If I believe that God can do great things in the world today, I will be optimistic. If I believe that the Spirit works today to change lives dramatically, I will be optimistic. If I believe that God's love can conquer all things and that nothing will separate me from that love, I will be optimistic. And if I can believe, then I can create something beautiful. And when I create something beautiful, then I can change the world.

What in your life will you make beautiful? Will you criticize or will you create?

Inspiration for the Day

Well, I finished my midterms last week, as well as the rest of my course work for my incomplete from last fall, so I am officially caught up with life after a three-month hiatus. Feels good...

Unfortunately, the extra time I have now leaves me without anything about which to blog, so I'll just share this quote I heard yesterday that inspires me.

"I critique by making something beautiful."

- Michaelangelo

Just a Quarter

Since Jess has referred people to my pseudonymous cyber-haven, I figured I should post something about it being my birthday. My first thought was to share with everyone how much and the many reasons why I love myself, since that has been the recent trend for February birthday boys. For the sake of time, I passed on that idea.

Then I thought maybe I could cover all the things that have happened in the last 25 years, but maybe some things are better left in the past.



(I don't know these people, but apparently this picture was taken in 1982)


So I decided that first of all, everyone should know that my wife has been really awesome to me today. I got breakfast in bed (honey nuts, strawberries, and a cinnamon roll), plus I got to check all my sports websites this morning in bed (as opposed to the usual spot, hiding out in the man room before Jess wakes up), AND she brought me Chinese from New Hong Kong for lunch (yes, Julie, God spoke to me through the Beef & Broccoli).

That being settled, my family has been very generous and I anticipate ruining my semester in front of the 360 (now with hard drive) thanks to their generosity.

Still, I've decided to try and incorporate more reader participation on my blog (Bob Lablob). My first choice was to have people go with when they think the titles of the gospels originated, or whether or not they think the gospels were written to a specific audience. However, since I have decided to increase participation, I will include on two similar musings that came up in the last week.

1. What is the greatest song to be released since 2000?

2. What is the greatest romantic comedy to come out since 2000?


My votes?

1. Jess mentioned "Since You Been Gone" by Kelley Clarkson (grammar notwithstanding)

I'm still deciding, but maybe "The Scientist" by Coldplay? "Thing Called Love" by the Darkness? Or even "Who Let The Dogs Out?" by The Baja Men.

2. I'm not sure yet.

That Special Place

These days, the most crowded room in the house is our bathroom. I know, it's supposed to be a taboo subject, but with the chief's approval, throne room talk has been allowed. So what's the big deal with our bathroom? Well, the new coat of paint does look nice, but it's actually not the atmosphere. It's the game. That's right, I recently uncovered a treasure in the attic that has taken pride of place in the next to the toilet paper roll and the plunger. And I give you, Electronic Hand-Held Yahtzee.

Would you believe my wife did not know how to play this game? The first few days, she had no idea what I was doing in there. Even with a 53-man roster, taking the Browns to the Super Bowl... well, you get the idea. But eventually, with the silent moments of contemplation being interrupted by piercing screams of "YAHTZEE!" her curiosity got the best of her. And now that I have explained how it works, it's a race to get to the bathroom first. Heck, I may not even need to go, but I'll still take a study break to try and beat the high score. So maybe it's a taboo subject, but in our house, there's no place we'd rather be.

A Few Bonus Yahtzee Tips:

I really feel like getting to 63 for the extra 35 points is key.

With the electronic version, rolling is easy. Starting over when you don't like your roll is even easier.

Finally, it's important to keep your focus. Just because it's in your hand does not mean you should wipe with it.

It Won't Be Long Before We All Are There...

in the snow! Well, I had plans to do nothing today, and then it snowed, so I had to cancel those plans. I took these pictures instead.





and one final video of our dog, Owens, who loves snow.