Art and stuff

So one of the cool things about living in LA and Pasadena in particular are the museums that are nearby. In October I was able to visit the Huntington Library where I saw an original Guttenberg Bible, an original Canterbury Tales, as well as Thomas Gainsborough's "The Blue Boy" Which interestingly once had a dog painted at the boy's feet, but was then painted over. There is a cool x-ray of the painting that shows the dog.

Anyway, today I was able to go to the Norton Simon museum with Katie and her parents. It was so cool, to see paintings and sculptures by Picasso, Renoir, Monet, Degas (who has some weird sculptures like "Woman wiping her left armpit" [I'm Serious]), and other famous dudes. And being a student, I got in for free. How cool is that?

So, my artistic culture is being widened by being out here and it is fun.


The other thing of interest is the preparations for the Rose bowl are underway. The parade route is about two blocks from where I live. I will be working till 2 am on new years eve and then at 4pm the next day, so I may be able to see the parade. Some friends are possibly going to spend the night there so maybe I will join them. ALso, it appears that The Ritz Carlton is the home base for the business end of the Rose Bowl Parade etc... No teams, but lots of rich folks I guess lol

Happy New Year!

Richie

Christmas

The last week has been a fairly emotional one for me. A weird mixture of good and bad.

I have definitely had some wonderful quiet times and prayer with our Lord, and I try to keep focused on that, but there has been so many othere things affecting me too.

I have already talked about the stresses of the job, and so I don't need to go into too much more here. It has been rough. Since I thouhgt I would be working way back in october or november, all of my finances are pretty screwed up (which is unfortunately nothing new for me) so I am currently trying to make enough to finish paying for last quarter so that I can register for the upcoming quarter. This has been increasingly stressful as january approaches, I believe I am about half the way there, but everything depends on how much people are tipping. Rich people seem to be more stingy than the middle class in that area....
So there is that.

More troublesome was the fact that I am almost 2000 miles away from home at Christmas for the first time in my life. Thanksgiving was tough, but I still had friends around to be with and have dinner with, Christmas was the opposite. My friend Jon and I were the only ones in town, and I had to work both Christmas eve and Christmas day. When I called home last night to talk to my family it was a bag of mixed emotions. I was joyful because I was able to talk to just about every one in my family, but hearing the voices made me sad that I could not be with them. I am certainly blessed to have a family that is supportive and that loves me like they do. We went through a lot as a family this year when we lost my Grandma, so I have felt a lot closer to them all. All I really wanted last night was to give and recieve hugs from them. I never thought that would be the specific thing I miss, but I do. I miss giving my aunts and uncles a warm embrace that many families do not take the opportunity to share. I know I am rambling, but anyway..

To top that all off I have been looking at all of my photos the last couple of nights. I saw so many joyous occasions and such, but the things that stood out to me the most were the people who have passed away, as well as thefriendships in those pictures that have now become fractured. I have been a poor friend to many people and I know that part of it is moving on and such, but my heart still grieves for some of those friendships.

Blah

But I do need to mention the blessings as well. I have a job, that is a blessing. God has provided me with close friends out here, including Jon and so many people who are home for the holidays. God as also completely surprised me with an emerging relationship with Katie. We are still in a very ealry part of it all, but she has been such a blessing and one of the things that has kept me smiling this Holiday season. And finally, just the fact that I am in California right now is such a blessing. To be going to an amazing school and enjoy my studies at a level I have never known before is amazing enough, but the fact that I am constantly learning about Jesus is indescribable.

So, for those of you who have been around in the last year, I am not in the midst of a deep depression like I was before. I am just in an unsettling moment amidst a greater stability in Christ. He lives in me, and my knowledge of him (limited as it may be) is the greatest thing I have.

Peace to all

Christmas Cards

So lately I have been getting a bunch of christmas cards.

I think that is nothing out of the ordinary, I have always gotten a bunch at christmas time.

There is something different about this year though. I think being away from home has made things like that so much more special. I definitely miss spending christmas time with my friends from NR and Cap. I know there are some that feel the same, so I am not writing this to complain or seek pity, but I really want anyone who reads this to know that I miss them and care for them.



Work on sunday was so much better. I think it will all work out. :)

My Life as a Valet: Part II

Oy

So today was many things when it came to work. It was frustrating, stressful, even panicky.

The first hour seemed to go well, but then all of a sudden we were double parking cars all over and making new spaces I think we hold 600 cars and we had almost 650 or 700 to park tonight. Anyway, in the midst of it all I had a small accident. This was stressful enough without having a guy who is not my boss start yelling at me for which way to turn the steering wheel etc... I bumped a bumper to a bumper and then he freaked out. in the midst of turnin gin the direction he wanted me to go, I ended up scraping the passenger side door on a concrete pillar. It was at this point that I came even closer to panic mode than the other day. The next two r three hours continued to be stressful as I was trying to shake off the incident and then get back to normal. When the flow started going from incoming cars to cars being picked up to leave, I was able to get back on top of things and did well. In the end we made 43 bucks in tips a piece, but there were like 30 guys working so I guess that comes out to like 1,290 in tips for the dept. not too bad I guess.

My only other weird moment of the night was areminder of how cocky some people can be. I was being waved forward by my boss and began to pull forward when a couple who was completely oblivious walked in front of me. I of course hit the brakes. I was embarassed, but also knew that it was mostly his fault. Well this guy who was in his late 30's or early 40's gave me this death stare that was apparently supposed to intimidate me as he walked across and then made some comment on me being carless. I am not taking it to heart, and in reality most of the wealthy patrons are pretty nice. But man....I pray that I don't treat people like he treated me.


So continued prayer is of course always good. I would love to work inside as a bellman actually same stuff just w/out the cars which means less stress, but it seems to have very few turnovers so it prolly would be a while before I could do that.

so now it is 2am and I probably will not go to church tomorrow because I need to get some sleep...but I did actually have a lot of prayer time as I was working and have felt God close with me during all of this, so I am thankful for that. I am also thankful that I at least have an income. Someday I will be able to devote my career to him as well, but right now I know I must do what I can to make the money to pay the bills I have. He has blessed me and is so amazing in his faithfulness!

My Life as a Valet: Part I

So, I made it through orientation and started my two on the job training days on thursday. Basically all that means is I do the same work as everyone else but don't recieve tips - but whatever...

After my first three hours I was ready to look for another job. It wasn't that I had a problem with how hard the work was, or something like the guys who work there were really mean or rude(which they aren't), it was just a lot more stressful for me than I had anticipated. My anxiety was going up through the roof. It was the closest I have come to a panic attack in months. The width of the parking spots are literally just wide enough for cars to fit into, an inch smaller and there would be no room I think. Combine this with your second car to park being an Excursion and that equals high anxiety for Richie.

Fortunately things have gotten better and I am willing to wait it out and see how things go. I am still unable to drive stick and that sucks, because sometimes I go to pick up a car and find that it is a stick. That is not too often though.

My only other concern right now is whether I will have to work nights come classtime in January. Right now I am ok working anytime since I am off school, but when school starts again I need to be working days to keep my sleep under control and stay on top of my workload. Class is priority. Originally when I was hired, I was hired for the day shift, but the guy who hired me was fired and the guy in charge now may or may not honor that request... So any prayers you all have to offer up for me would be appreciated. :)

I am still very blessed to have the job and thank God that I have some income finally.

In other news, I have been praying a lot about things with Katie and am really excited about how they have been going. I feel like God has brought me to a healthy place in my relationship with him that will allow me to keep up a healthy relationship with her. After my year of Hell I have come to know that dependance on him for my well-being and needs is a necessity in all things. Anyway, the other thing is that we both have our own commitments so I think that we will be forced to refrain from spending huge amounts of time together which could cause problems. Space is a good thing! Once again though, I would appreciate any prayers for God's control and guidance.

:)

My Grandparents rock

So, my grandparents on my mom's side are pretty amazing folks. They have always been there even when my mom hasn't. Yesterday they sent me some money to help out with bills, and in the letter my Grandma snt with it she wrote "We're very proud of the man you have become." That one sentence has given me so much joy. I know I have a lot to learn and will always be growing, But to have them say that about me really touches me. In conversations about my move west to go to Seminary, they have been so supportive and have also let me know they could tell by how I was talking about it that this really seemed to be what my heart desired and that it was the course they thought was best for me as well. I have been blessed by them in so many ways before, money, advice, shelter etc... but the best blessing of them all has been their support recently. Thank you Jesus for Pam and Bob Zorens.

So you wanna work at the Ritz-Carlton do ya?

The last two days have been quite long.

On Tuesday I drove all the way across town at 6 am to go to an orientation for the Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Rey. I am hired at the one here in Pasadena as a Valet Attendant, but they didn't have an orientation here this month. Or so I thought. When I got there I found out they had scheduled one at Pasadena and had never let me know. So I could have slept in and not spent four hours of my day in traffic. Let me rewind and say tha tagain so it can sink in. FOUR HOURS OF MY DAY WERE SPENT SITTING IN TRAFFIC.

So today I went to pasadena to complete my orientation. This time when I show up I am told that Iwill have to wait another month because I didn't attend the first day of orientation at Pasadena.

After the initial heart attack I asked why they had me sit through a whole day at the other Hotel if it didn't count. Apparently there was miscommunication(duh) and I was really ok.

But It was just really frustrating. The orientation sessions themselves were really great. The head staff led all of the sessions including the General Manager spending over an hour of his time with us. So I was impressed by all of that.

The hotel itself is amazing. So beautiful. I will be spending all of my time out front attempting to drive stick...which I can't do very well. But I suppose I will get is someday soon.

I would say that last night really ended up being the highlight of an already amazing week.

Katie and I got to hang out and watch Office Space before she left for home this morning. The best word I can think of to describe it was 'comfort.' I just feel at ease around her and I also feel at ease with the fact that God is in charge of whatever will happen between us. There is no need to rush things or whatnot.

One of the things I have struggled with in the past is the question of "Am I loveable?" God has really been showing me how that question is just bunk. When I realized that I am loveable for the simple fact of being God's child, I also realized that that can help eliminate the fear of rejection.

Anyway, the moral of the story is: God is in charge, and I have faith in his guidance.

OK, so this post was a little heavy, but I promise to post something funny soon. :-p

Date Jesus

Date Jesus

Ok..so not too many things on the internet make me laugh out loud much anymore, so this was a nice treat to find!

While this page is pretty funny....I don't recommend most of the rest of the site, so if you browse it beware.

Crucifixus

So tonight I had my final class in New Testament 1: The Gospels with Dr. Hagner. I honestly don't think I have ever enjoyed a class as much as I have this one. Dr. Hagner is one of those professors who are so passionate about what they do, that it really begins to rub off. I have learned many things this quarter, but I will just share one of them from tonight that I thought to be interesting.

Dr. Hagner was discussing The Gospel According to John, and he noted that while the Synoptics place a high emphasis on the Resurrection, a closer reading of John will reveal that for him the Glory and Exultation of the Christ comes on the cross at the Crucifixion itself. Some texts that point to this are John 3:14, 8:28, and 12:32-34 The word for "lifted" in the greek is hupsoo (hoop-sah-oh) On the one hand it means "to lift up on a pole" (i.e. the crucifixion) and it has a second meaning that is "to lift up in exaltation." John has a few of these double meanings, but this to me is the most striking.

Anyway, one of the points Dr. Hagner made was that a common view of protestants is that "My Jesus doesn't hang on a cross anymore so he shouldn't be depicted that way" While it is true that he doesn't hang on that cross anymore, a Crucifix is a valid portrayal for the glory of Christ. He then went on about radical Iconoclasts that knocked off the heads of statues in some churches in England and how even Luther would have been appalled. But he is funny like that lol.

That’s my theological insight for the day lol.

Sick is no fun.

So I am getting a cold, or having a cold, or facilitatin a cold or something.

Anyway, It has been an okay few days. I got a lot of work done over the Thanksgiving break so that makes me happy. I just have to make it 11 more days!

I am thankful for the random people who have said hello lately. It has helped my homesickness stay under control :)

Now that the election is over, the U2 album is out, and the LOTR special edition is almost here, I have been wondering what (Aside from the second coming of course :P ) I have to look forward to by way of my favorite things. And now, I know. They are turning The Chronicles of Narnia into Movies! Starting with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe of course. It is supposed to be coming out next year and is directed by the Guy who did the Shrek movies. Lewis' stepson Dougles Gresham is involved as a producer to help keep it true to Lewis' intents. (This means a pretty pro-christianity slant woohoo!) It would be really hard to have Narnia without the overtones of Christianity. It makes great stories on its own, but man.....that would be like removing the statue of Lincoln from the Lincoln memorial. Anyway. I am excited.


My friend Hikare (pronounced Hih-car-ee, not hickory) is from Chicago, and we have been venting on the differences between the midwest and SoCal lately. We have found that SoCal folks don't know how to just chill and relax. They have to be doing something everynight. We think this is because they have no winters here. When it cold and snowywe are forced to just hang around and we may complain after cabin fever sets in, but that relaxation is good for us everyonce in a while.
We have also noted that there is some weird need to dress up if they leave home for anything. I am a jeans guy normally so I don't notice it as much, but at home its no big thing if smeone left home in sweatpants or pajamas to go to the grocery or something. Out here that is a no-no.
And finally, sadly there is so much superficiality in relationships(no necessarily a surprise) out here. In general at home if someone says "we should hang out sometime" they include the possibilty of hanging out and may even pursue a coffee date or whatnot. Here that phrase is thrown around to the point that if you did try to hang out with them it would surprise them, and they would probably try to back out of it. We of course are not immune from that at home, but its really severly distorted out here.

Hooray for Advent!

Jesus is more real than the Holiday we have bastardized in this world. For that I am full of awe and happiness.

Turkeyday Fallout

Sigh, I do miss my friends and family from home.

It was very surreal yesterday. I was actually able to go to two places for dinner. The first was the home of a lady in one of my small groups. It was fun and I had a good time but I didnt knw most of the people. Then I went over to the place of a guy who has become one of my better friends out here. A lot of our building was able to go and I really felt pretty happy while I was there. God can do amazing things when you need the love of friends. So that was all good :)

I am not sure what it was like in Ohio, but the shopping madness was insane out here. My friend Jon saw that Best buy had a $500.00 laptop deal but it was only good when they opened at 6 am. So he figured he would get up around3-4 with my friend Brad and go down there. Well at 11 pm we were watching the news and saw there were already lines forming at the Burbank store. So we decided to run down to the Pasadena store and check it out. There were people who got in line at 6PM on THANKSGIVING! Jon ended up staying the night as well, and luckily was able to get the laptop... I can see waiting for about 5-6 hours. It is pushing it for me, but it really isn't so long. But 12 hours? They had to skip out on their families to be there that early. That is sad.


Blah

Makin' It Through

Well it’s been a pretty good week.

I am down to the last three weeks of the quarter. I was starting to get overwhelmed with work since I pretty much did nothing but play Halo 2 for a week, but I sat down this weekend and made up some of my handy dandy lists and calendars of what is left and when its due. It made me feel a whole lot better!

A quick rundown of what’s left:

**2 more chapters of Greek and the corresponding quizzes and workbook assignments as well as the Final.

**An 8 page write-up on my experiences in a small group for my small groups class.

**An 8 page report on some topic as yet to be determined for my Gospels Class, and a final.

**A journal of theological reflections after a fresh reading of each Gospel.

**Another journal on another small group, as well as a church auto-biography.

So it is not too bad. I can do it!


I have come to a few realizations this week.

This will be the first Thanksgiving (Christmas too most likely) I will be spending away from home. That is just hitting me. I am not too depressed, but it will be weird. I do have somewhere to go for Thanksgiving so I am not all alone; don’t be worrying about that :)

I am still very excited about tomorrow! I have listened to U2’s new album a bunch, but having a hard copy will be so nice :).

I got the job as a valet for the Ritz-Carlton here in Pasadena.

But.

I cannot start until I go through the hotel’s orientation. There was supposed to be orientation today, but the guy in charge of that was fired. There is not another one scheduled until January, but the Valet guy is trying to get them to do one sooner so that I can work. I am running low on funds so I am in need of that job ASAP. Blah Money Blah

That’s about it for now

1 part Clinton, 2 parts Bush, 1 part Carter, and a dash of Bono and The Edge...

Ok so lets see if my computer will let me post this this time....

So today I saw some clips of the Clinton library dedication on MSNBC.com. George HW, George W. and Clinton gave great speeches.

I was impressed.

The theme of all the speeches was the need to end the divisions in America. Not only did they speak of it, but they also lived it out. There was an obvious respect and kindness from all of the former presidents as well as W. It wasn’t the forced admiration for the public either. There was genuine friendship evident.

When I was in HS I was a pretty dumb kid, so I didn’t actually try to be informed on issues, I just let the conservative culture around me shape my opinions of Clinton. This is sad, because he really accomplished a lot of stuff (and yes he did screw up as well). That said I enjoyed two parts of his speech. He talked about the negative ads some; he said that remarked to a friend of his a couple of days before the election of 2004 “Am I the only person who likes both Kerry and Bush? That doesn’t think they are both bad people? That they just have two different views?”

The other thing that struck me was such a great statement. He mentioned that he was more of a red state and a blue state kind of guy and said “conservativism at its best draws the lines that should never be crossed. Progressivism at its best tears down the walls that either don’t need to be up anymore, or never needed to be there in the first place.” (paraphrase).

I love that…I wish moderates were able to run in this country, but unfortunately they have to adopt a radical plan on either end of the aisle.


Anyway, other highlights were when George HW talked about his dislike of debates and how when he looked at his watch in 92 he really was wondering if Ross Perot was ever going to stop talking. Very funny.


Finally, despite a lackluster performance in the rain, Bono and the Edge’s were still a good highlight :)

peace

my computer is pissing me off.

So I just wrote a nice size post about how impressed i was with the speeches at the Clinton library opening and then my computer decided to freeze. So instead I will just leave it at this for now..perhaps my computer will be unshitty later this evening and I can try it again... but that is doubful since this is the second time in two days it has done this. I think my computer is conspiring against me.

damn, I'm really pissed now.....

FOXNews.com - Foxlife - Out There - Caution: Do Not Walk on Tracks

FOXNews.com - Foxlife - Out There - Caution: Do Not Walk on Tracks

Welcome to the world of America...where you really can sue anyone for any reason.

Apparently a lady in Virginia who was hit by a train is suing the Railroad company for not informing her that trains tavel on train tracks.... Um Hello? McFly? If this lady is actually able to win this trial..I may join those Kerry-ites in Canada.. Probaly not, but just in case I am going to start posting signs on my window that if you climb out of it you may fall down 2 stories. This of course could cause injury or death. But who knows....someone might try it if I dont post a sign right? We don't use our brais anymore do we? Guys? Hello?

Oh bugger...

MSNBC - Of Prayer and Payback

MSNBC - Of Prayer and Payback


Ok.... so even though I voted for Bush, this scares the heck out of me.

I think the scariest line may be : "We're going to strike out and demand a conservative agenda," says direct-mail guru Richard Viguerie. "If we don't do it now, when do we do it?"

I didn't know it was the Christian's responsibility to "strike out"
Sigh... I guess I am glad that I go to a seminary where this is not the norm.

Also read about what Bob Jones III of Bob Jones Univ. has to say about liberals...

I voted for Bush, not the radical right.

blah

The Days of Wine and Roses

Some things of note from the past couple of days.

I had to take a set of psychological evaluations (fill in the bubble stuff) yesterday for my foundations of ministry course. I have determined these tests are evil. I am sure there is some scientific resoning behind this, but some of the questions were like this:

I prefer to work alone rather than with a group of flesh eating rabbits:

A.) Sometimes
B.) ? (the inbetween answer)
C.) Never


Now, my question is, why would you pair an absolute like "never" with an ambiguous term like "sometimes" and then give an option to go between sometimes and never? what goes there? Almost Sometimes?

Bah

Next and most interesting this week was that my Professor for my Gospels class breifly brought up the class that John Wimber taught with C. Peter Wagner here at Fuller back in the 70s called "Signs and Wonders"

Dr. Hagner was actually a student here in those days and attended the class. It seems that perhaps the class was not what we in the Vineyard want it to be in some aspects.

Dr. Hagner was speaking about the eschatological (relating ot the last days) realization of the Kingdom of God (the already and not yet aspects of it) and was talking about miracles and their place for today. He is a believer in miracles as true possibilities in this day and age. But, when he spoke of the class it doesn't even sound like the Vineyard would not even agree with aspects of it anymore. The biggest was that there was a lot of emphasis put on the faith of the person being prayed for and it was really affecting the students in a bad way. I was surprised since I have always been taught that it is dependant on God's desire to heal or not. So, perhaps John Wimber had a change of position on that end of things not too long after that?
He also spoke of an incident regarding the lengthening of legs. It appears that while some of these occurences are true, there is also a medical explanation that happens as well. One of the things that happens when you lay hands on someone(which is a supernatural effect) is a warming sensation. This can allow for the muscles to relax and the leg to lengthen, which accounts for the visual of seeing the leg move. One person who had experienced this was found in a couple of days to have to reinsert the lift inside his shoe. When the muscles tightened up again the leg went back to its old shape.

His main point (rightly in my opinion) was that we have to be accurate in what is a miracle and what is not. There are miracles that can only be explained supernaturally, but we shouldn't run in guns ablazing for everything.

That all said, when I approached him after class we had a pretty interesting conversation for about half an hour on the Vineyard as I presented (my understanding of) its philosophy and such which to him sounded very healthy.


And finally I was browsing Sports Illustrated's website, and found that it has a couple lists that are interesting.

Teams to root for and not to root for in NCAA basketball. While my Wildcats were not on either list, two of Cincinnati's teams made it. Xavier was listed as the number 3 team to root for. Here is the excerpt:

3. XAVIER A Cincinnati school has the No. 2 NCAA graduation rate for
student-athletes. Impossible? For the Bearcats, yes, but not for the
Musketeers. Xavier is everything Cincy (page 22) is not. Xavier's 2004
run to the Elite Eight is proof the team delivers in the postseason. NBA
clubs have noticed the skills and work ethic of X-Musketeers, drafting
four in the past two years. Cincy in that time? None. Xavier's big-man
lineage includes Brian Grant, Tyrone Hill, Derek Strong, Aaron Williams
and David West. Next up? Sophomore Justin Doellman. Perhaps the biggest
compliment comes from the higher-profile colleges that have pillaged the
Muskies' coaching staff (Pete Gillen to Providence in 1994, Skip Prosser
to Wake Forest in 2001 and Thad Matta to Ohio State this summer). --
M.H.

UC however is the number one team not to root for:

1. CINCINNATI Every year without fail the Bearcats trot out a police, er,
starting lineup stocked with juco transfers and miscreants. Cin City ballers
have been charged with every crime in the book -- and some that aren't: Donald
Little was kicked off the team in April 2002 for taping his roommate to a lawn
chair, throwing weights at his head, clubbing him with a whiskey bottle and
burning him with a heated coat hanger. Only then did Little stab him. The warden
of this outfit? Coach Bob Huggins. Yes, Huggy Bear has taken Cincy to 12
straight NCAA tournaments; the problem is that student-athlete is not the
preferred term for describing the players who have gotten the Bearcats there.
Huggins's 1996 comment "Our guys have done a good job educationally" rivals any
of Baghdad Bob's assertions. The team's graduation rate, according to the latest
NCAA figures, is 25%. But it was Coach Bob's performance during his DUI arrest
in June that cemented his Most Vile status: When Huggins staggered from his
Lexus, the officer spotted vomit on the inside of the car door. At least the
puke matched Huggins's sweater.

This one was kind of long... so if you didnt make it down this far, I understand lol.

WXRT Radio Chicago STREAMING HTDAAB RIGHT NOW!

WXRT Radio Chicago


So the wait is over...kind of. In order to counteract the pirating of the album, U2 has granted some radio stations the right to play the entire album over the air. One such station is 93 wxrt in chicago which is playing it now.

They are playing the entire album all day long...if you miss it here you can hear it next week on mtv.com

more info at : www.atu2.com

Halo 2 and HTDAAB in the same week?

I am blessed.

Holy Speed Limit Batman, What was That?!

So yesterday I finally became a true citizen of SoCal.

I witnessed my first high speed car chase. Not on the tv mind you...but rather RIGHT BY MY STREET.

It is quite surreal to be watching the news, and not only realize they are in your area, but that the load helicopter noise is not coming from the tv, but right above your head instead!

I am still not sure how it all ended, but man....this aint Cincinnati anymore Toto.

In other news, even though my midterms went great, my brain seems to want to go on strike. Combine that with Halo 2 and not much has gotten done this week. *sigh*
Lots of reading ahead this weekend.....

Excuse the Drool...

Seth since you are about the only person who is probably reading this blog so far....this is for you.

After spending 2 hours waiting in line, my friends Jon and Brad and I obtained a copy of Halo 2.

I can't say too much without ruining some surprises.
But- It is amazing! SO hardcore. It is 3 am so we had to shut her down for the night, but what we saw in the last level we were on was jawdroppingly sweeter than the plot twist of the Flood in the first one.

I am a video game geek

I am in awe of this work of art.

I am going to bed.

Electoral County Update

Okay..so the guy in charge of http://www.electoral-vote.com has changed his site. He now has a map that is more than just a red/blue breakdown, but rather a shading system to show the percentage of voters for each candidate. He is using a map from a guy at Princeton named Robert J. Vanderbei. The link to the original file by Vanderbei is here. Enjoy!

Urban Rural Divide

So, right now on my computer I have a map showing the Bush/Kerry breakdown county by county in the United States from the site http://www.electoral-vote.com. While I did finally vote for Bush...I don't have it there to remind me of the victory. It is really quite striking and sad at the same time. Where ever there is a blue county the chances of finding a large city in that country are great. For instance In Ohio, The entire state is red except for the toledo, cleveland, youngstown, dayton, and columbus areas. Also notable are th counties bordering West Virginia. The only county that appears out of place is the Athens. But, when you remember that Athens is home to Ohio University, and not much else...it makes more sense.

My point is the same one that everyone has made this week. We are 2 countries. Michael Moore has a Map of the country diveded into "The United States of Canada" and "Jesusland" on his website: http://michaelmoore.com. Granted, its a bit of an overstatement.

As Christians though...isn't it our duty to reach out to the otherside? That doesn't mean compromising our beliefs, but ma...there has to be a better way.

Coming from Cincinnati I am sure it is a no-brainer that I would vote for Bush... Yet Coming from Columbus as well I am sure some might wonder why I would do such a thing.

I did not base my votecompletely on moral values as many Bush voters did...simply because both parties have moral values I hold high and others that I don't agree with.

I tried all summer and fall to give John Kerry a chance to impress me. To see that he wasn't just a politician. In the end I came to the conclusion that there really wasn't going to be much of a change if either was elected. The country will go on and have its dark and shining moments with either candidate. So ... I chose Bush for the sake of continuity.

Away We Go!

Well..... here it is..I have finally succumbed to the power of Seth Jewett and created a Blog....whether or not I keep it up to date will remain to be seen...

I guess this will be a place for me to share a little bit about life out here in California vs. home in Ohio/Kentucky...hence the name. But I would imagine some personal views might creep out along the way...