Just Thinking

It's Not Prejudice

2010-02-27T19:29:00.005-05:00

Tragedy... it knows no boundaries. It doesn't care how old you are, how happy, how sad, how wealthy or poor you are. Tragedy isn't prejudice. Sometimes it is unrelenting. Right now I'm waiting for the next bomb to go off. Surely somebody is just about to call with another story of despair.

Hundreds of thousands of Haitians don't have a home. Their searching for their loved ones among rubble and the stench of rotting human flesh. They have nowhere to lay their head. I can't begin to relate to the horror that they are experiencing. Though my problems may seem minute compared to those wanderers of a wasteland called Haiti, I do suffer.

My heart crushes to pieces every time I consider the loss my wife's aunt and uncle have had to endure. To witness your own child wither away under the clutches of cancer can be nothing short of suffocating. I can't restrain the tears when I read my friend Zombie's blog about his best friend. I can't imagine losing a friend (one that's closer than a brother) the way that he did. My heart goes out to the children that have been left fatherless from this disaster.

Now my own mother is fighting cancer. Thankfully, all visible cancer was removed during her first surgery. Only, she still spent an entire month in the hospital because of a surgical complication and a second trip to the operating room. Now it is on to chemotherapy for her. I feel horrible for her. She is looking forward to chemo as much as one would look forward to the tenth round of a heavyweight title match. Through it all she has had some inglorious days, but she has nonetheless pressed on like a warrior. I am so proud of her.

It has become clearer to me with each passing year that my number may be called at any given time. I don't say this to be morbid, but because I believe it to be beneficial to have that realization at the forefront of your mind. Let it be a reminder to live a life of sacrifice that blesses others and is fruitful. A life that has no regrets and will be welcomed into the Kingdom with a "well done my good and faithful servant."

Birthday Blues

2009-12-01T20:07:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow I turn another year older. Tomorrow, I start my final year as a twenty-something-year-old! A lot of people get the blues I guess about getting older. That has never really been a problem for me. However, the part that really makes me sad is that soon I will no longer be in my "prime". Meaning that my chances of becoming a professional baseball player are pretty much shot now. To this day, I love thinking about how I could have went pro. Kind of like Napoleon's uncle Rico. I'm not stuck in the "glory days" like he was, but I definitely have delusions of grandeur when it comes to my baseball skills. I guess that is probably the saddest part of my birthday.

Mostly, I welcome getting older. I think maybe one of these birthdays will come to pass and I will be able to grow a beard, or stop getting zits, or maybe my voice will finally change. My hope is what really grows as the years go by.

P.S. - I haven't been able to write lately because my wife has been bogarting the computer watching the O.C. episodes online.

Love you babe!

Random

2009-11-04T20:44:00.004-05:00

I'm nearly thirty years old! Why do I still get zits like crazy!? Why can't I grow anything other than three hairs on my chinny chin chin?! Yet, I continue to grow hair in random places that should never have hair.

Anyway, life is tiring. I used to be a night owl. Back in the day, I could stay up through all hours of the night. Now my body starts shutting down around nine o'clock whether I want it to or not. I try to tell myself that this is more due to my real life schedule and not my getting older. I didn't ever have to worry about getting up real early every day before. I could just sleep in until noon. Oh, those were the days. Even on a school night I could catch a nap in pre-calc, or geometry depending on the year. Math was always a good class to get some much needed shut-eye. I had the most dull monotone teachers for math. Being in the first row couldn't even keep me awake.

I am so physically beat right now I can't even think. Good night!

Zero

2009-10-14T16:41:00.003-04:00

Just wondering if anybody has any ideas why a twenty-eight year old stud like me has zero energy. I feel exhausted approximately 99.9% of the time. I've always thought that twenty-eight was still young, but I feel like my energy level is more on par with that of a 150 year old first trimester pregnant woman.

The Boy

2009-09-21T20:52:00.003-04:00

My little guy is an intelligent jock.

Good Day

2009-09-15T21:40:00.003-04:00

Today was a good day at work. Our department has made a significant materials purchase that will increase productivity and enjoyment at work. This purchase was cheap no doubt, but I am sure my employer did not have any easier of a time parting with the money. I am so thankful they did, and I am sure that was not the only one walking with a little more pep in my step today. You are probably wondering what this incredible piece of equipment is. Well... gasp... are you ready? They bought us NEW toilet paper dispensers! Yeah! Whoo hoo!

I suppose this isn't normally what people get excited about, but I will explain and you will then understand. The old dispenser was extremely cumbersome to use. Every time you went to pull the paper, it would come apart in small pieces. It could take several minutes of pulling off these little pieces to make a suitable bum wipe. Sometimes the exposed roll would run out and the one above it wouldn't come down. Not without a considerable amount of coaxing anyway. In my estimation, this valuable device will save approximately five minutes for every deuce dropped. Time is money so lots of dollars will be saved as well. Good business move!

If I could just get them to put a man wipe dispenser in there now, I'd be all set.

My Baby Isn't a Baby Anymore

2009-09-10T20:18:00.002-04:00

My oldest daughter is officially a kindergartner. Though this is nothing truly ground-breaking, it was very hard for me to see her off to school. After all the excitement about her first day was over, and the kids were in bed, I became an emotional wreck. Not in a manly sniffly way, but in a hormonal pregnant woman way (ha ha ha). I wailed in a fashion that was even embarrassing in front of my wife. Another milestone reached and not many more until she is moving out of my house. I couldn't help but think about how quickly she would be gone. Also, I still worry about the little heathens at school wrecking my daughters innocent, pure, and tender heart. Deep down, somewhere really deep down, I know that she will be alright. I know that, but I can't help but see the dramatic foreshadowing of a young woman going off to college, and out of the nest. I can't bare to think of it.

Kids

2009-08-25T18:01:00.003-04:00

My son is currently having his play space invaded by the baby. This happens very frequently and he doesn't handle it very well. Usually, he screams at her, and they may sometimes end up in a physical exchange if you will. Currently, the babe is trying to grab one of my son's cars from his box of a hundred thousand or so. I told him to stop yelling, and he actually stopped. Plan B is now in effect. Observe.

Good Morning

2009-08-23T10:39:00.002-04:00

This was a fine good morning from the Newbie. Thanks sweetie! Good morning to you too.

Thanks to the wife for cleaning this up.

Longing

2009-08-18T21:47:00.003-04:00

Most of the time I am a worry free, easy-going, and happy guy. I am still happy for the most part, but I am longing. I am longing for -

my wife, and her well-being.
my kids, and their well-being.
my family to be close (to each other and to God).
to be a good friend.
peace and quiet.
God's word.
my baby to sleep.
school to be over.
financial strain to disappear.
the Tigers to win the World Series.
an overwhelming love for those who don't know or don't care about Christ.
time to exercise. ( I want to have the strength of ten men in one hand.)
wisdom.
rest.
speaking and writing ability like that of Ravi Zacharias.
the world to stop trying to pretend that God isn't real.
people to realize the horror of abortion. (There is hope. The end of slavery is proof.)
enough time.
heaven.

The list could go on and on. Mostly I just want to resemble Jesus in even a small amount. I long to be close to him. I long to hear his voice and follow him.

PC

2009-06-19T21:22:00.002-04:00

Gay Pride?! WTH! This was one of the labels you click on at the iTunes online store. I guess that is the link to all kinds of "gay" music and "gay" movies. Okay, I realize this "gay pride" stuff has been going on for a long time now, and has only picked up speed in the last few years. I should probably be numb to it by now, but it still bothers me though. Especially when it is smacked right in your face like that. I realize that this is not a PC subject to talk about (unless you want to talk about how great gayness is), but I'm tired of being quiet on the subject.

Before I get in trouble, let me just say that I have had gay friends, and I work with gay people. I am not some hate monger. My coworkers and friends would never describe me as some intolerant religious bigot. I would never harass somebody for being gay, nor would I approve of those who do. However, I will not pretend that it is just fine to be gay. I believe it to be sin, because that is what God says it is. It is not a super sin. It is no worse than being a liar, or a thief, or an adulterer. This is simply what I believe about homosexuality. It is a sin just like any other. That being said, I would never think to make a sign proclaiming "liar pride", or "adulterer pride", or "pedophilia pride". That would be ridiculous! Why would you try to bring about a sense of pride in a community over such things?!

I am a sinner too, but I will not take pride in the things I do that are disgraceful to God.

Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. (Phillipians 3:19)

Random Shtuff

2009-05-26T20:11:00.002-04:00

I guess it has been a ridiculously long blog drought for me. Thankfully I don't have many readers hanging on my every word.

Anyway, I have been ridiculously busy these days. I have an exciting new job at work. I have been taking on the role of first assistant to the surgeon. This is a good, and fun job but it does require extra reading/studying, and technical skills. I have to do this on top of my college coarse. Add to that the normal housework/kids/time with the wife etc. I'm not organized enough to juggle all this stuff, and it is somewhat overwhelming.

So my wife had to leave the house for an hour for her little tutoring session. She almost never has to leave me with all the kids and she still feels guilty when she has to. I have no problem handling the kids, but she still feels guilty. Not only that, but she got the bedtime snacks ready, and the baby's bedtime food ready to go! She's crazy incredible! I hardly had to do anything! Thanks Babe.

Somewhere in the Bible it states "as a dog returns to it's vomit, so does a fool return to his folly." that is the K-Dogg paraphrase for some verse in Proverbs. This is the verse that best describes me these days. I hope that I will kick my foolishness to the curb.

School

2009-04-14T20:41:00.003-04:00

My oldest is real close to starting kindergarten. I can't believe my baby is already that old! My main problem is that I am just not sure what is the best educational option for my girl. My wife and I have worked real hard to raise her to be pure, and kind, and to love God. Though she can cause quite a ruckus from time to time, she really is an amazing little girl. I just worry that she'll go to school and kids will be rotten to her and break down her wonderful spirit. On the other hand, I can't possibly shelter her from every bad encounter in life. On top of that, she loves school! She loves learning, and she loves going to class with her friends at preschool. We have thought about homeschooling because there are many benefits to it, and you don't have to worry about little terrorist rug rats that go to the public schools. Once again, she loves school. Plus, that is one more big responsibility to take on and to commit to for 14 years. Private school is not an option because I don't roll like a rock star. I don't think I'd be entirely convinced that a private school would do a better job anyway. Most likely she will attend the schools that I grew up in, but I am still freaking about it. I just hope and pray that this is the right decision. The funny thing is that she is the one I'm most concerned about. For whatever reason, I think that my son would be fine in public school.

Another thing is that my girl is wicked smart. I'm sure this has a lot to do with my wife staying at home with her and being able to teach her things. She is also very self-motivated though. She loves learning, and I'm not sure that the public schools will be able to keep her interested. In preschool this year, the class was going over the sounds of each letter and how to write them. My daughter can read full length books already and she is only 4.5 years old.

I don't know. I just hope that everything will work out, and that Satan's little minions won't torment her in school. I realize that I did some shameless bragging about my girl, but she truly is incredible.

Rick Warren Apoligizes

2009-04-13T16:52:00.005-04:00

I guess a lot of Christians are freaking out today about some Larry King interview with Rick Warren. They were talking about it on the Dutko show today on my way home. When I listened to the radio show, they made it sound like Warren was apologizing for saying that marriage should be between a man and a woman. I watched that interview and was shocked. Not shocked so much with what Warren had to say, but with the interpretation many Christians have taken from this interview. I don't think the interview is very old, but there are many Christian bloggers out there that have taken issue with Warren's so called apology. The interview in question, Rick Warren said he apologized to his gay friends, because people were spreading rumors about him being anti-gay people or some jazz. He was not apologizing for holding to the biblical worldview that says marriage should be between a man and a woman. I am sort of bummed that Dutko made a big deal of this on his show when Warren has clearly stated his position on marriage on the same show on another date. If you are one of those Christians out there feeling betrayed by Warren then watch the following video. Maybe you won't be so up tight about the whole situation. I'm not some sort of disciple of Rick Warren, but I think the Christian community is being a little harsh on him in this particular instance.

I Covet These Kicks

2009-04-12T23:21:00.002-04:00

I simply need these shoes. As soon as possible. Take one gander, and you'll understand why.

Some People Spoon

2009-04-12T22:59:00.002-04:00

Disclaimer: I am writing this knowing full well that my perverted mind will be exposed. I apologize in advance.

So once upon a time, my wife and I were cozy on the couch watching who knows what. I think that her pheromones were in overdrive (they usually are), because my body was just excited to be close to hers. Anyway, I will spare you any wonderfully pornographic details of what happened that night, but I did think of a new term to add to the vocabulary whilst l was lying there in juvenile excitement. Most people cozy up on the couch in a "spoon" like fashion. Well, I creatively thought of the term "sporking". Now sporking can only occur when man is behind woman. Anyway, that is it. Consider yourself equipped with one more worthlessly fun word, and have fun sporking your wife.

NObama Why?

2009-04-01T21:02:00.002-04:00

Here are just a couple more reasons why NObama makes my blood boil. He fires the CEO of GM. This may not seem like a big deal because the company has been failing for some time now. However, I do believe it displays just how arrogant he is. How is it that he and his politician cronies are qualified to run an auto company that is running at light speed into the ground? This is exactly the reason why companies like GM should not be taking crazy loans from the government. Especially with a democrat that thinks the country would be better off if he were a dictator. Oh... did I just say that?! Oh my... sorry. That slipped... sort of. I exaggerate a little, but who else would pull a stunt like that. The CEO was doing his job basically for nothing this year. It's not like it's an economical move. He really thinks he can run a megacompany like GM. NObama obviously has a god complex and the american people gave it to him.

One more NObama stunt that chaps my a@#. As it states on my profile, I am a registered nurse. (Feel free to make fun.) Thankfully I don't currently work in an institution that performs murderous birth control procedures (AKA - abortion). However, Bush put in place this great "conscience clause" for us health professionals. This provision made it lawful for us to refuse to be apart of any form of care that went against our conscience. Great idea I know! Especially since characters like NObama have no sence of right or wrong. The truth has been polluted in his mind. You could probably convince him that pedophiles are born that way, and thus deserve protection under the law. I'm ranting! Back to the issue at hand. So NObama wants to take another right of mine away. He wants to make it unlawful for me to refuse to participate in legalized murder (AKA - abortion). Sorry for repeating. I have to repeat myself because people have actually been fooled into thinking that people aren't entitled to their right to life simply because they reside in their mother's belly. Oh wait, they are entitled to their right to life if somebody other than the mother takes the baby's life. How about that for some logic!

As you could probably guess, I have been enraged by these things. I can't get them out of my head. NObama is desperately in need of prayer. I need prayer too. Please pray that I don't start to hate him. Even though he is offensive to me in just about every conceivable way, I need to see him as Christ sees him. He is in dire need of God's grace and wisdom. I pray that he gets it, and gets it soon.

Me

2009-03-31T22:14:00.001-04:00

Check out my new action figure and laugh!

Aaarrrghh!

2009-03-21T22:13:00.003-04:00

I have a had a crazy last couple weeks. This is part of the reason I haven't really been blogging much. I have school work just about every night. This is what I have been doing at the time when I might normally write a blog. Class is almost over for the semester, and I am looking forward to the breather. We have a vacation coming up and I am so ready to get out of this house. I haven't had the time with my wife that I need. I haven't had the time to help much around the house. I don't come home with a lot of energy. (They work me to the bone at work.) I pretty much never get enough sleep either. There are about a hundred and one reasons why I don't get the sleep I need. Our newest little runt has been a horrible sleeper lately, and it just wears you down mentally.

Tonight, I really just wanted to relax with my ridiculously good looking wife, and maybe watch a movie. Instead, my friend came over (which is cool), because the baby has woken up like six times since we put her down for the night. The relaxing movie time would have been shot.

Anyway, I do have things to be thankful for today. I found out yesterday that I won a thousand dollar scholarship from one of the docs I work with. What a blessing! Though I am kinda complaining about my baby, I am very blessed to have her. She is a sweet baby, and I know many people that are having a very hard time even getting pregnant. I really am thankful for all my babies. They mean the world to me. Also, I was able to pay off my minivan with my tax money. I got to see my aunt that lives in California today. That was nice because I really don't see her often at all.

So life is kinda crazy right now, but enjoyable nonetheless. I really can't wait to go on vacation. Picture me rollin'.... in the mini wit my shorties cross da state. mmm hmmm oh yeah!

Liar

2009-03-09T14:59:00.003-04:00

Visit the link that follows to read about one of the greatest liars of all time. This is simply a must read. I would love to abbreviate what was said and put it here; however, the message would not be the same if I did. So go here and read it!

A Little Bit of Nursing History

2009-03-08T23:34:00.002-04:00

Nurses no longer are allowed to sport the old white skirts in the operating room. The reason:
they wanted to reduce contamination in surgery by eliminating "pubic fallout."

WHAT?!... Yeah, I know. This was not the kind of history lesson I was expecting either when one of my excellent coworkers let me in on this little tidbit. I was happier when I was in the dark I think.

Get Rid of the Plates

2009-02-24T19:12:00.005-05:00

I was listening to Bob Dutko today and he reminded me of something that bothers me about church. First of all, he was talking about a church in New York that decided to publish the exact breakdown of numbers for the offering. They didn't put names in this material, they just specified that two people gave one dollar, or ten people gave four dollars, and so on. So the question posed was whether or not this was a good idea.

My first thought is, ARE YOU SERIOUS?! Christ's church is trying to bully people into giving. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised as this kind of stuff has gone on since the church began. No wonder people look at the church with skeptical eyes thinking, "they just want my money."

My answer would be a resounding NO! The church doesn't exist to make money, so it shouldn't be trying to manipulate the congregation into giving. The purpose of tactics like this are to make people feel guilty, and compel them to give more. Though I would agree that the majority of churchgoers probably don't give what they should, I don't think these kind of maneuvers reflect the grace of Christ. Also, the old plate passing needs to stop! This too, is a form of manipulation. Some people will give a dollar so it looks like they gave something. After all, people won't know how much was given. Others might flaunt the hundred dollar bill they drop on the plate. Plate passing brings on guilt, or pride in the giver. And SHAME on those who don't give anything. Be sure not to say hello to them after the service. The last time I attended a church that passed a plate, I had to restrain myself from chucking it to the floor.

Giving to the church is to be done by a humble and cheerful giver. If giving is an issue at your church, as it clearly is in mine, than the pastor should address that in his sermon. God is in control of the rest. Hopefully, the Lord will teach us to give generously and cheerfully.

SiCKO!

2009-02-19T21:10:00.003-05:00

We watched a part of Michael Moore's health care documentary in class today. This movie is really good, but it really chaps my cheeks too. It is very good at pointing out how corrupt our current health care system is. If you haven't seen it, I will sum it up really fast. It's about how our health system in the U.S. SUCKS, and how universal health care in several other countries is AMAZING. The show is extremely one sided as I am sure Moore's other flicks are. It is really dramatic, and has many horror stories of real people going through real pain and suffering brought on by our health care system. His proposed solution would be to have universal health care through our government. Though I don't necessarily see the peril in this that a lot of conservatives do. I do know that the universal health care in other countries is not as utopian as it sounds.

I have personally worked alongside a surgeon who specializes in gynecology/oncology. He has had several patients from our Canadian neighbors come to him for surgery. Surgery to remove cancer that the doctors in Canada were not willing to waste the time on. They considered the cancer terminal and, therefore, not worth operating. Some of these patients came to this specialist, and had their cancer taken out here in the states. Then, they went on to live. They lived a lot longer than they would have had they not come to our doctor. We have also had many bariatric patients come to us, because the wait in Canada is insane.

I agree that our system is horrible, but fixing it is not as simple as giving everyone insurance through the government.

Betrayed

2009-02-10T21:00:00.002-05:00

So my wife was making dinner tonight. When she makes dinner, she likes me to get the kiddies out of her hair so I brought them down stairs. Everything was fine, and she got the table set and everything. We all came to dinner, and we prayed. I specifically, gave thanks to God for the wonderful CHICKEN fried rice before me. It looked delicious, and man was I hungry. I wasted no time digging in. I did notice something strange right off the bat, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. My stomach screamed at me to stop thinking, and to just pour more food down the shoot. So I did. During my second helping, I slowed down just enough to notice that the CHICKEN was formed in such perfect little rectangles. A flashback came to mind at that moment. I saw a little box of in the fridge. I thought... could it be... "Hey, is this chicken?" To this question, I received an outburst of laughter. Very devious, and yet, satisfied laughter.

You see, my wife (that I thought I knew and could trust), was tickled to death that she tricked me. She explained that she had to "make a substitution." I immediately had to squeeze my own neck to keep the upchuck reflex from getting the best of me. In the middle of my horror, I pictured my sweet wife chuckling to herself as she was cutting up these neat little rectangles of tofu. Tofu! How could I have just eaten tofu?! More importantly, how could my wife pull off such a ruthless switcheroo on me?! What if I was allergic? My wind pipe could have swollen up like a beach ball, and I might have DIED! No, all my wife could think about, was how funny it was that she got me to eat this rancid excuse for real food. My stomach aches at the recalling of the event. My heart is wounded by the wife I thought that I could trust. She must have bile coursing through her veins! Only Adam and Eve had to deal with a more cunning serpent. I will forever be on my guard.

Super TV

2009-02-07T11:09:00.002-05:00

Mostly, I am not a big TV watcher. Partly because most programming is crappy, and bad for your mind. Also, because I don't want to get sucked in and feel like I have to watch a certain show. A lot of time can be wasted watching TV.

Anyway, this isn't really a rant about how TV sucks, and is a waste of money, and time. Actually, it is the opposite. I could probably be considered lame for my taste in television, but I'll risk it any-flippin-hoo. My wife and I were watching Super Nanny last night. I've watched this show before, and I guess I forgot how much I liked it. I know, my guess is that 98% of Super Nanny's viewers are of the female persuasion. (Being that I am a murse, it is easy for me to admit that I like this show.) So, I figured I'd plug this show for it's family promoting values. The nanny knows her stuff too. By the time the show is over, she has given parents the tools to discipline their children effectively. That is the main objective, but she has also helped parents deal with deep wounds from their own lives. Last night, she helped an alcoholic admit that he had a problem and needed help. During the show he went to a support group, and committed to going. He has been alcohol free ever since the show was filmed.

Super Nanny sees the big picture, and excells at helping families make lasting changes. Changes that need to take place for the health of the entire family. When you see the dynamic in these families, which resembles the majority of the general population, you can understand why our kids, and marriages are in so much trouble. I think that Super Nanny often resembles what we should look like as Christians, and for that I am so thankful that she has a spot on national television.

My Favorite Commercial

2009-02-05T22:42:00.001-05:00

A Funny Exchange

2009-02-04T21:11:00.004-05:00

Here is a little conversation my wife and I had with my oldest:

J(momma): Do you remember what mommy looked like when she was pregnant?

E: Like a fat orange!

after much laughter...

Me: What did daddy look like?

E: A skinny driver.

She amazes me. I am glad that my wife was able to laugh at this too.

Homework

2009-01-19T22:12:00.005-05:00

The following is a required reflective journal that I wrote for my college course. Some of the terminology comes from the book, Who Moved My Cheese. However, it should be easy enough to understand. I'm only putting this in here because my wife thought I should. That, and I haven't written in a while. Now that I have you all on the edge of your seat, here it is.

There are some great characters in the story Who Moved My Cheese. As I read this book, there were times when I would laugh to myself because it brings to light some truths about myself in a rather silly way. In my short life I can look back and honestly say that I could identify with each of the characters at some point. For the sake of this journal, I will reflect on how I have identified with the ever-reluctant Hem.

To my disdain, I was not receiving any baseball scholarships that would later lead me into my dream job of playing ball for a living. Instead, I was an assistant manager at a cinema. This is where I was first working when I started college. I went to community college because I didn’t know what I wanted to do with myself, and couldn’t justify going anywhere else without a direction. I guess I thought that if I just started going that some great career idea would slap me in the face, and say, “Here I am! Follow this road to a great life with much happiness!” Fortunately, I had this great girlfriend, who I would later marry, that suggested to me a career in nursing. I am not sure why, but she was convinced I would be great at it. I wasn’t producing any great alternative ideas so with her great encouragement, I finally decided to give it a try.

Battles would rage within me for the next three or four years over this decision. The “Hem” in me immediately feared that I would fail. I thought to myself, “I will probably fail because the grading scale was tough. I will probably make a deadly dosage calculation with my poor math skills and be kicked out of the program. Do I have what it takes to make the critical decisions in these very unfamiliar settings? Will I really be wiping butts, and cleaning vomit?” I really cannot stand the smell of vomit. For somebody so confident on the ball diamond, these were hard doubts to be dealing with. They would almost paralyze me at times. Before, during, and even after nursing school, I would struggle with my belief that I could or should be a nurse.

The hospital was foreign ground to me, and I hated the smell. I hated the dry air that would parch my nasal passages. I hated how uncomfortable I felt around the elderly population, and the dying population. I really hated cleaning butts. On top of all of that, I was humiliated in my starch white scrubs. (I didn’t feel very manly in those things.) It is safe to say that I dreaded going to clinical every day. I would lose sleep just thinking about it. The only thing that kept me going was the “cheese.” Above all else, I feared being a loser that lived with his parents. It was all worth it to have some career.

My resolve to score my “cheese” was really tested when my parents divorced. I was near the end of my third semester when they separated. I was crushed by what was going on with my parents. My studies would suffer a great deal, and I couldn’t help but question if this was the path that God had wanted me to take. My fear of coming back to the program just to fail again plagued me. Like Hem, I just wanted somebody to drop my “cheese” in my lap.

Eventually, I would gain confidence and a love for my nursing career. Now it is almost as familiar as the infield grass. Like I said, I can relate to all characters in this story. However, the Hem in me nearly stripped me of my “cheese”.

Batting Practice

2009-01-13T22:06:00.003-05:00

My son is about two and a half years old now. He is about five to six years away from his first real baseball game. Naturally, we had to get him started with his batting practice. Last summer he was hitting off the tee. Today, he graduated to hitting in my downstairs batting cage. He accidentally found the pitching machine that I bought him for the summer. He was excited to use it so, of course, I was too. He did amazing! He has star potential for sure! I didn't keep a strict count, but I would say that he hit about two out of thirty very well. About four more he got a decent foul ball swing. The rest were incredible practice swings. Regrettably, my wife wasn't able to come down and video this future slugger in his first real batting practice. I should mention that he also took a pitch off the knuckles. He just shrugged this one off. He also took a pitch to the right cheek. This one sparked a tear or two, but he was over it in about two seconds. I am so proud of him.

Back To School

2009-01-12T22:26:00.004-05:00

Well, I'm going back to school for the first time in almost 6 years. It really is harder to go back the longer you wait. This kind of thing would normally get me excited and anxious, but in a good way. Not so for this. I'm going back for my bachelor degree in nursing. It will be cool to learn things that will directly relate to my job. However, there is no exciting pay raise at the end or anything. There won't be any great new job opportunities either. The only thing this will accomplish, is getting me closer to a masters degree. Also, since I am going part time, it will take me a good 4 years to accomplish this goal. I dread thinking about it. I know that it will fly by, but it seems like such a fruitless mission. It is just hard to get excited about. The best thing is that it is virtually free through my work. U of D Mercy is and incredibly expensive college too. So that's nice. I just hope I can stay motivated to get the good grades. I should also mention that it is a good education. U of D is a highly esteemed academic establishment. I am blessed to be able to go there.

On another note... I am glad my classes are being held at my hospital. I had an orientation on campus at U of D Mercy. Some of you may not know, but this college is not exactly in the best neighborhood. It's located on the northwest side of Detroit which is where the news gets all of its news. I also had the responsibility of getting a fellow student there with me. Well, no matter how many times I drive to Detroit, I get all messed up. This time wasn't any different. I found a way to get off course, not by much, but enough. My trusting passenger wanted to stop and ask directions. "ARE YOU CRAZY!?", I exclaimed. Before I could convince her to keep the window shut and her eyes on the road she had her head out the window. Luckily, it was some sweet old dude and his wife. So I thanked God, and asked her to think of another strategy. She did have a number in her cell that proved to be handy for our trip. We did eventually get there. We were just a good 40 minutes late or so.

Acai

2009-01-05T21:09:00.003-05:00

I am just about certain that this post will be offensive to some. So I am sorry to those of you that may be offended. Just to be clear, my purpose in writing this is not to offend, just to... well... I'm not sure what the purpose is yet.

Anyway, here it goes. So there is this wonderful berry out there that is gaining great popularity. It is known as the acai berry. I guess it is only found in the amazon and has some great nutritional properties. Specifically, it contains an incredible amount of antioxidants. Everyone knows that antioxidants are a must for great health.

However, in this country, it's all about the cash flow. MonaVie is one of the many acai berry products out there today. For a small 45 dollars a bottle (the size of a typical wine bottle), you will drink and live. (You may also purchase a monthly supply for only 180 dollars.) You will be healthier, feel better, lower the risk of heart disease, lose weight (even those trouble areas) firm up your skin, etc., etc. This is an exageration of the companies promises, but this is the way the media will make you feel about the product. Yes, this berry is good for you, and would be a great addition to your diet. But people, FORTY-FIVE DOLLARS a bottle. Listen, STOP trying to find easy ways to health and weight loss and so forth! Don't do diets! Don't do special pills! There is a simple formula to better health, but we Americans are too lazy to do it. It's called eat right and exercise. Put down the carton of ice cream and get your tail moving! You don't need to pay 45 bones for a bottle of juice every week or so for the rest of your life. There are many budget friendly sources of antioxidants.

Also, this wonderful product is brought to you by your local "Mary Kay" of health juices called the "Team." It's a new pyramid type scheme designed to make the dudes at the top super duper rich. Their work force can be all over the flipping place too. Although, they probably won't like it if you called it a pyramid scheme, but that is exactly what it is. I guess my main problem is with this type of business. All of a sudden, you have these acquaintences calling you up wanting to sell you their product. Then they want you to join in on the selling of the product so that they can make more mula too. So you end up with friends trying to manipulate you and making things all uncomfortable. If you do this kind of business, that is fine, but don't be soliciting your own friends for business. That is just bad form. I would prefer if this type of business didn't exist, but if this is your thing, then just keep in mind that you might want to leave your friends out of it. They might want a product that they like, and in that case, they will ask for it. If they are your friend, they will know that you are the local Mary Kay or MonaVie dealer.

My New Year Photo Shoot

2009-01-02T23:02:00.009-05:00

The Change

2009-01-01T22:37:00.011-05:00

I thought it would be a good idea to start off the new year by recalling the birth of my faith. I have always known the story of Christ and what he did on the cross. I was raised Catholic and attended regularly all my life. I also attended catechism once a week. I went through all the sacraments including confirmation. Confirmation, I think, is supposed to be your public commitment to Christ and the Catholic church. I guess I was never really there in my mind. I went through the motions as many do. Mostly, church was boring and never really made me think deeply about Christ.

Fast forward to somewhere in my junior year in high school. I went to a concert of a local band with an old friend. We were talking to the band members during a break in the show and they asked us to join them at the youth group that they worked with. I didn't really think much of it at the time. I had never been to a youth group before, other than Cub scouts. I didn't really have any notion of what it might be like. My friend and I decided to go after very little consideration. We just thought that they seemed cool, and therefore, how bad could this group be?

I was sort of stunned silent after my first visit to this group. The rather large group of high schoolers that made up the group were quite welcoming from the start. I noticed as I looked around the room that kids of all varieties were in attendance. The various social classes that seem to develop in schools everywhere converged in this room. This struck me right away as I had always had my own biases toward certain types of kids.

That night the young youth pastor delivered a great sermon. I don't remember anything specific about it. All I remember was the feeling that I was missing something truly important. I had always considered myself a Christian because of my growing up in the Catholic church. I realized that night that I was wrong. I missed the boat. I don't remember the specific time that I decided I would live for Christ but it was not long after that. My mind was going crazy that very night trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I had grown up in church, and missed out on the saving grace of God.

It has been about ten years since I made my commitment to Christ. I'm not nearly as far in my faith as I had hoped I would be. However, God has blessed me beyond comprehension and I want to dedicate this year to him.

Fun While It Lasted

2008-12-29T17:06:00.004-05:00

Here is a picture of some of the fun we had in the snow. Eventually, this great snow structure had a window and could comfortably fit my oldest daughter sitting up. We spent quite a bit of time out there and she wanted to stay in the igloo because it was warmer in there. She also asked to have her snack and hot chocolate in the igloo. My kids are so freaking great.

Gun Control?

2008-12-29T16:55:00.003-05:00

I know that most of you that read this are parents. I'm just curious as to how you feel about kids playing with guns. Is it appropriate, and if so, is there a magical age that it becomes appropriate?

Playing with guns was a huge part of my childhood, but I know that others shudder at this idea of kids playing with guns. Just to clarify, I am talking about toy guns, not the real deal.

Let It Snow!

2008-12-23T21:26:00.002-05:00

There is probably a little less than a foot of snow right now. Currently we are getting some ice rain, and later, we are supposed to get more snow. I say, let it snow! Even though I can't get my snow blower running I still love it. Not only is it a beautiful reminder that God is in control, but it is lots of fun. I'm hoping that this little bit of rain will make the snow super packable. I want to go out and build an igloo with the kiddies. Maybe go sledding too. It's funny to me that this kind of weather just makes some people angry. I really don't have anything profound to say today. Bye-bye for now. Have a happy holiday, to everyone that is offended by Christmas. And to those of you who aren't sensitive weenies, MERRY CHRISTMAS! Peace out.

A Revelation

2008-12-19T23:17:00.006-05:00

This is my quick story about how I got turned on to man wipes, as I call them. There are only two stalls in the men's locker room at work. As you can probably imagine, these stalls are in high demand. So much so that your almost never there by yourself, and the seat is always warm. (I thought when I first came to work in surgery that the seats were heated. It didn't seem like that much of a stretch for the primadonnas in the operating room.) Anyway, back to the story. I was finishing the bidness in stall number one when a fellow work comrad in stall number two offered one of his wet wipes. Now I was quite taken aback. However, before I could let any thoughts of how weird this situation was stop me, I just took the wipe he was offering under the wall that was conveniantly suspended a foot or so in the air. I proceded to finish my paper work with this wet wipe. It was an amazing experience. Suddenly, the world seemed a bit clearer and I seemed a bit cleaner. Now there was no turning back.

Favorite Things 2008

2008-12-16T22:52:00.001-05:00

1. Cottonelle Kids - I've already explained on my lady's blog. You all must give them a try. You won't be disappointed.

2. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich - This has been a staple lunch for me for several years now.
Cheap and tasty. You can't beat that.

3. Light sabers - My kids and I have some. I love that my kids will have light saber duals with me.

4. Cheese-Its - They're simply awesome.

5. My bed - I love being in bed for obvious reasons.

6. Rock Band video game - This is the only way I can feel like a real rockstar with extremely marginal skills. I've always wanted to be a drumming legend.

7. Target - I have to list the place where my wife and I go on all our dates.

8. Starbucks - Also, a great date destination. We have really been blessed as a newer Target by us has a Starbucks in it. Starbucks makes a great mocha that has the same great taste every time.

9. Blogger

10. My minivan - It's a status symbol. It's not a 15 passenger, but a status symbol none-the-less.

What Are We Doing?

2008-12-14T22:31:00.004-05:00

I'm currently reading "Walking From East To West" by Ravi Zacharias. I guess this is part of the reason I haven't written much lately. Well, there is that Rock Band game I just got, and the fact that my wife has been hogging the computer since she started her blog.

Anyway, this book has been really good and I am only about half way through. I've already felt an array of emotions. I have been intrigued, invigorated as I wonder what happens next, moved to tears, excited, and even depressed. I won't be giving away anything that happens in the book. I am just in awe of the man's (Zacharias) life. I long to have the passion that he has for defending the faith and telling the good news of Christ. I feel great appreciation for the life I have in Christ but I am ashamed because "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate to do." (Romans 7:15)

I have successfully stripped things or practices from my life that have hindered my faith in the past. Yet, I still struggle with communicating with others the reason for the hope that I have. I remember a sermon that my pastor did a few weeks back about being a "fanatical" Christian. This is a description that I have always wanted to avoid. It just sounds bad. However, my pastor made the point that people are fanatical about so many less exciting things. Being a long time fan of sports, I understood exactly what he was getting at. We go crazy about our beloved teams, or players, though nothing that they do will be of any great consequence when you get down to it. We will party long before the game and arise to our feet when they enter the field. We go crazy throughout the game and the outcome will affect our day or even our week. For some, it will affect our bank roll. Then we will talk about what we saw for days and watch ESPN so we can get another take on what happened. Perhaps we will have other fantasy players to check on too. These athletes can be exciting for sure, but how do their stats measure up to what Christ did on the cross? I want to be a fan of Christ.

Here It Is

2008-12-14T22:25:00.001-05:00

Take a picture of yourself right NOW!

DON’T change your clothes, DON’T fix your hair… Just take a picture.

Post that picture with NO editing.

Post these instructions with your picture.

All The Work

2008-11-28T23:39:00.002-05:00

I might have mentioned somewhere that I work in surgery before. At my job, there seems to be a few people, including myself, that do a vast majority of the work. I'll work with the fastest doctors or in the most labor intensive services (like orthopedics). Every day I will do this stuff while it seems others are spending all kinds of energy finding new ways to get out of work. I think about this from time to time and it is frustrating. Especially because people don't seem to notice what is going on. If they do, they don't find it necessary to do anything about it, or at least, give you credit for your hard work.

Well, I've thought about it a lot and I've noticed that not only am I guilty of pride, but I am also guilty myself. When it comes to serving my church, I fall shamefully short. I do basically nothing more than show up and I use my family as an excuse. Though, deep down, I know that there is no good excuse to not serve the church. I wonder what those who do the majority of the work at church are thinking when they see me. In the best light, probably just a lot of potential.

Say What?!

2008-11-23T20:36:00.001-05:00

This could be a touchy subject for some. This weekend I was asked by a friend if it would be possible to get together on some day every week for fun and games. Just the guys. I simply said that it would be impossible for me to make such a commitment. I only said this because I have three little ones and a wife and a full time job with some weird hours. I didn't really think much more about it at the time as it didn't seem like such a bad excuse. I felt no need to defend my position. Later, this friend went home to his wife and said that "I needed to grow a set" or something to that affect. For those of you not accustomed to the phrase "a set", it is macho talk for "balls."

This was somewhat surprising for me to hear as I had no idea that people wouldn't understand why I can't commit to a game night. My life is pretty crazy right now because my kids are all under 4 years old. Those of you who do not have kids, if there are any that read this blog, that just means that the kiddies are still a little high maintenance. Not only that, my wife stays home and takes care of the kids with very little outside help. (Thank God for her parents and everything they do). She is literally with them 24/7. With a 2 month old, my wife doesn't really get to go galavanting around by herself or with her friends just for fun. She puts herself last and does the best for her baby by breastfeeding her. So every 2 or so hours she has to feed her. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that my wife sacrifices everything for our kids. Literally, everything. It is an incredibly hard job to be a stay at home wife. Because, I respect her for denying herself and serving her family, I want to be there for her. I want to help her with the house and the kids. If I'm not there, how does she get the breaks she desperately needs?

As for myself, well, I am for sure a "family" man. I am away at work for 40 hours or more every week. My kids, as I have said, are very young and learning a lot every day. I love to spend my time with the kids. I want to be there when they are learning to say "light sabre" or how to count to 100. I've already noticed that kids grow at light speed and you're lucky to get half of the awesome things they do recorded in picture or video or in written word. I'd rather be with them than miss the great things they do in the name of entertainment. This doesn't mean that I don't get tired of being home or even tired of being around the kids. However, I will not just up and leave every time I get the itch to go do something. I love my friends and I wish that I had more time with them. It's just hard to juggle everything in life sometimes. I know that I haven't been the best friend. I know that I should call people more and put more effort into my friendships. I do regret that I don't at least communicate better with my friends. But if I'm going to err, I will always try to err on the side of my family.

Whew!

2008-11-23T20:30:00.001-05:00

Alright! I got my keys in working order again. You see, the last post was just a little goofy cause some coffee mysteriously made its way into the keyboard. It was strange what happened though. Some keys worked while others didn't at all. Other ones typed letters but not the one that matched the key. Pretty bizarre. Well, after that last one, I figured it wasn't worth trying again until I had a new keyboard. Thanks for the keyboard J! Life without the computer is more trying than I thought it would be.

Unfortunately, I don't really remember what I was trying to say in that last post. Oh well.

Ckser

2008-11-17T22:10:00.000-05:00

TdaywasagddayFuntmeswththekddesMansmetmesthnktmustbeasnhwmuchkvethsebabesfmne
AksfeekcksertGdthannrmakfrsmereasnandmgettngbacmyvsnfrutreachhethatwkkkearntutmyfathntactnKrdhekme

Toys 2

2008-11-15T22:18:00.001-05:00

Another one of my favorite toys. Straight out of 1988. The ones in the pictures were my favorites.
I bring you, the Dino Riders!
http://www.toyarchive.com/DinoRiders/DinoRiderDiplodoARMORED.jpghttp:

//www.toyarchive.com/DinoRiders/DinoRiderTrexARMORED.jpghttp:

//www.toyarchive.com/DinoRiders/DinoRiderTriceratopsARMORED.jpghttp:

//www.toyarchive.com/DinoRiders/DinoRiderPteranodonARMOURED.jpg

3rd Leg

2008-11-12T21:14:00.002-05:00

From K-Dogg's wife:

I was driving my 4-year old daughter home from preschool. We had talked about a little boy in her class that was wheelchair-bound.

E: Some people just don't have legs that work.

Me: You're right; we should be thankful that God gave us legs that work.

E: I just think I would like 3 legs.

Me: That would be silly!

E: Yeah, then I just couldn't pee.

Me: Nope.

E: I'd just have to pee out my foot!

I laughed so hard I just about peed out my foot.

Special Day

2008-11-11T22:51:00.001-05:00

This is a post for you, dad, as I guess you have been reading my blog lately. I forgot to tell you "happy Veteran's Day." So I just wanted you to know I thought about you and that I'm proud of your service in Vietnam. What a crazy situation for a young man to find himself. I'm so thankful to God that He sustained you through those times.

Toys

2008-11-11T17:24:00.001-05:00

I'm so excited for Christmas this year. Not for the noblest of reasons, but because I'm just excited for my kids to open their gifts. My son is starting to get to the age where I can start getting enjoyment out of the toys he receives. Anyway, my excitement about cool kid toys got me thinking about the cool toys that I have such fond memories of. I'm planning on featuring a picture of some of my favorites. So below will be the first of several. Maybe others will be able to recall some of these wonderful toys.

Yes, this is Voltron. All the parts of this mammoth imposing figure came apart and were each driven by some dude I think. If I remember correct. Anyway, it was awesome.

Resourceful

2008-11-11T16:51:00.001-05:00

My oldest daughter was playing with one of her beloved stuffed animals the other day. I'm not sure why but she thought that her little plush doll was lacking some of it's plushness. She then located one of the tampons out of the box of a hundred and tried to pull the stuffing out in order to transplant it, if you will, into the doll's "trouble" spot. She's so smart. I mean, somebody of normal intelligence would never have been able to troubleshoot like that. She is obviously destined for greatness and could very well be our first female president. After all, she is about as experienced as our current president-elect.

Contagious

2008-11-11T16:31:00.001-05:00

Today, I came home to my wife and kids laughing hysterically with each other. My wife had something resembling a sock puppet (basically just a sock that had two holes in it that resembled eyes) on her hand. This I thought was great because everyone was in a good mood and having a good old time. I didn't realize how great this moment was until a couple minutes later when my wife repeated the puppet animation that had everybody in stitches. The puppet ate a carrot and then proceeded to "poop out a carrot!" My wife and daughter erupted again in laughter and I couldn't help but laugh. At that very moment, my respect for my wife and kids had went up a few more notches. Apparently, my toilet humor has been more contagious than I thought. I thought that it would have caught on earlier in marriage but hey, I'll take it when I can get it.

Decisions Decisions...

2008-11-03T16:13:00.001-05:00

I've read some incredible stories in this blog world lately. A lot of women out there that have personal experience with the right to choose. It's unfortunate that they would have even been given that right to choose in the first place. A young woman or girl gets pregnant and they have even more of a predicament than they would if it was unlawful to abort a pregnancy. Family can get involved, boyfriends can stay or leave, family could reject the individual. The list goes on. Then, when the "choice" has been exercised, the woman or girl are the ones who have to deal with the guilt and the missing person for the rest of their lives. This right was given under the notion that it was for woman's health. It seems there is a greater argument out there that it isn't healthy for the woman at all. There are plenty of women out there willing to tell their stories as I have noticed. I pray that people would listen to them and realize what a terrible disservice we have inflicted on our young children and women.

Alarming

2008-10-29T22:34:00.001-04:00

So I was on call the other day and got called in at 4 in the morning. I worked from 430 am until 300 pm because my normal shift starts at 7 am. Oh yeah, and I was called in around 1100 pm before that. Point is, I got home in rather exhausted state. My wife, the amazing woman she is, just told me to go get a nap as soon as I got home. I don't typically like to nap because I usually wake up tired anyway and feel like it was a waste of time. This time I had to nap. I was just exhausted. So I fell asleep immediately. Then... a couple hours later... COCKADOODLE DOO!!!!!!!!! my four year old exclaimed with such delight. I shot up thinking I was under attack by some freak giant rooster and thankfully I saw her beautiful face before I started swinging fists at lighting speed. I think it did get my adrenaline going though cause I sure didn't feel tired after that wake up call.

Exercise Those Glutes

2008-10-26T20:24:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I had a lot of fun with the kids. We were watching a kids exercise DVD. Elana and Luke, my 4 year old and 2 year old respectively, were doing the exercises the best they could and getting in to it. The video was rather odd and not very well done but they got into it enough that it made me want to join in. So we got a great work out and sat at the table for a snack. As I was pushing my daughter's seat in she let go a rather impressive fartnasty. As if the fart alone wasn't impressive enough on it's own, my daughter turns to me and asks, "was that exercise?". I'm not sure if I even answered the question. I just burst into laughter and she laughed too. It's no wonder that I am in such awe of her.

Insulate 2

2008-10-21T21:18:00.001-04:00

On the topic of insulation. I've been thinking about how cold it will be soon and how some added facial insulation would be nice. Unfortunately, I can grow hair just about anywhere but on my face. Amazing I know. But it is depressing for me. I really want to grow a beard. I confess that sometimes I even envy others because of their illustrious beards. It didn't help my problem when I saw what awesome things you can do with a beard. Below are some examples.

These are just a few of the great beards out there. These photos are brought to you by

www.worldbeardchampionships.com.

Insulate

2008-10-17T17:49:00.001-04:00

I just got done putting more insulation in my attic. What an extremely obnoxious job! In my profession I have dealt with piles of poo and mucous. I've dealt with odors that aren't fit for the air of hell's atmosphere. This house project made me miss my job. Being cramped into the fine corners of the attic struggling to place this wretched blanket of insulation was terrible. My knees are all messed up, my neck is sore and having to balance on 2 inch wide beams has left me quite exhausted. Visions of myself falling through the ceiling were running through my mind. The kicker is that I only finished maybe a third of the job. Crazy! How do people do this stuff for a living. I probably cussed like 4o times. Some only audible to God but some slipping out into the air around me.... hopefully not finding the ears of my innocent children. A truly hateful job.

Lost Control

2008-10-15T17:52:00.001-04:00

So I just had dinner with the family. It was mighty delicious. I love spaghetti. Anyway, after our opening ceremony prayer. I was taken off guard by this overwhelming urge to lay some smooch down on my wife. So I did. Over and again. Like twenty times total. I almost got carried away and then realized my kids were at the table. I think minime got a little jealous cause he immediately had to lay his lips on mommy. He had the biggest smile on his face. Then my oldest daughter grabs minime by the chin and kisses him a couple times. They are so great. So are the wife's lips. I'll tell you. I think they're pheromone flavored or something.

Reason Two

2008-10-13T16:02:00.001-04:00

I guess that I've felt a little reminiscent of times past lately. I had a good friend back in the day. We'll call him T diddy. He was a fan of the rap/hip-hop genre. Though it didn't take with me right away, it did eventually grow on me. So this "Mo Money Mo Problems" is one of those tunes that reminds me of this great era in my life. We had a lot of good times T diddy and I but I get these cravings once in a while for some good rap music. Problem is that most rap music is dirty as h*!l, literally. Thank God for Lecrae cause he is actually really good.

About this period in life.... there are some who would argue that these were my "wigger" days. To this assertion I maintain that this is entirely untrue. I admit however, that I did own some rather large shirts that had Nike or Adidas on them. I realize that this may require some explanation as this does look rather incriminating. I have never been very style savvy and I was merely buying clothes that were athletic, like myself, and was probably influenced a little by T diddy which is ok. I don't think that makes me a "wigger" though. I honestly didn't realize that my shirts were too big. I was just ignorant. Really!

Reason One

2008-10-12T09:40:00.001-04:00

So I changed my tunes. "Mo Money Mo Problems" is the particular song I'm talking about. This song was the cause of one of the biggest embarrassments of my life. I was at a friends wedding just hanging with some of the gang and all of a sudden the beginning beat to this song comes on. Because I happened to enjoy this song back in the day I became really excited, in fact, a little outwardly emotional. Then I proceeded to run to the dance floor and soon realized that the song that really came on is called "I'm Coming Out" by who the heck cares. I was mortified for obvious reasons. I guess I should have known that "Mo Money Mo Problems" is not exactly a common wedding song. Although I could make a case that I'm Coming Out should also not be a common wedding song. Just think about it. Anyway, promptly following my embarrassment was the onslaught of harassment. Quite justified I guess but I still hear about it to this day. The incident was many many years ago.

Minivan

2008-10-11T19:24:00.001-04:00

Growing up I never imagined getting excited about a minivan. Well, today I have three children! That in itself is crazy! So I recently purchased a minivan. When the banks were still capable of loaning money. Anyway, sometimes I find myself looking out the window at my beloved minivan. I love this family focused ride. I even daydream about the great trips I could take with my little munchkins and how cute they look sitting in their kid seats. It's kind of a symbol in my mind of a close family. I know that isn't true across the board but that's how I think of it. I smile just thinking about it and the places I will go with my family. Today, was kind of our first trip together. We went to the erie apple orchard and hauling the fam in this minivan was as wonderful as I pictured. Almost a religious experience.

Good Thing

2008-10-09T19:13:00.001-04:00

I have had three kids in four years of marriage. Only one of them was planned. I don't mention this to aggravate those who can't have kids but just for the sake of reflection. If life went as I wanted it too when I was a teenager I would probably have thousands of kids. Not because I wanted that many kids but because I really only had one thing on my mind. It's a weird age and I'm surprised that there aren't more day cares in high schools. Good thing I met my God and my wife when I did.

Reproductive Science

2008-09-30T18:40:00.001-04:00

A fertilized human egg has all the things necessary for life to begin. Judging from this picture, it looks like human life is about to begin. Unfortunately, things aren't as simple as they appear. People are more confused than ever about when life begins because of the issue of abortion. Also, it seems that people who are pro-life are of some religious persuasion and I think most who are pro-choice are those who do not consider themselves religious. Now this issue is interesting because I think that it only takes science to realize where human life begins, but those who live apart from God are going to have a harder time seeing clearly. Not because they are stupid or anything but because, without God, it is harder to distinguish truth from fiction. A biblical perspective helps one to realize how precious life is to God. And therefore, any reason to abort a baby, or fetus, or human zygote, or whatever you wish to call the life inside the womb, cannot stand against rational thought. Nobody would argue that it was the right thing to do to go around giving lethal injections to those with down syndrome or physical deformities. However, those are a couple of reasons people will site for allowing a woman the right to terminate her pregnancy. People have actually criticized Sarah Palin for not having an abortion when she knew she would have a down syndrome baby. I was kind of shocked by that. The right to life is the most basic right a person has. I don't understand why those who do not have faith in God cannot see that human life is no different in the womb than out. The definition of life becomes so subjective when people actually can justify abortion. It seems that people who hold to this ideology should not be the least upset if someone decides to just take the life of any population of his or her choice. After all, life is only life when one thinks it is.

The Problem with Church

2008-09-21T23:42:00.001-04:00

I've gone to church basically my entire life. I was baptized in the Catholic church and dragged there every week until high school when I made a decision to go to another church. This one I liked immediately and have been going to ever since. I guess it's been about ten or so years now. Within that time frame I have felt a variety of emotions about my church. I've felt excited, joyful, proud, ashamed, sad, shocked, uncomfortable, relaxed and even close to leaving on occasion. Today, I'm not sure how I feel but probably a combination of anger, shame, and weariness. Being a part of a church is just like being apart of a family. Based on the current state of the common american family, my guess is that nobody needs a description about how dysfunctional a family can be. Same goes with the church, unfortunately. Today, our church has disappointed me in so many ways. I know that I will try to muster up all my perseverance and stay committed to my church as I feel we are supposed to do. I don't really believe in church hopping. It's going to be hard though. I wonder how many others are feeling the same.

Evangelical Vote

2008-09-15T13:43:00.001-04:00

So I guess I should start by saying that I really like Gov. Palin as McCain's choice for running mate. She doesn't seem to have a great deal of experience but more than Barack Obama. She seems to be aligned with my family values and all of that which is nice. Still... I'm skeptical and unsure. McCain seems to be a little on the liberal side of the republican party and that isn't going to change. At a glance, it also seems almost obvious that picking her was just a way to solidify the evangelical voters and/or conservative voters that were so easily won by George W. Add to that the fact that she's a woman and Obama did not select Hillary as a running mate. It's like a perfectly placed chess move. He can get the conservatives that don't care for him and the women that just want to see a woman in the most powerful office in the world. I feel as though, as evangelical/conservatives, we are just being played and taken advantage of. That's politics I guess. As I get older I just get more and more discouraged with our political leaders and the games they play. I think I'm the only one who was not completely won over by the McCain/Palin ticket. I just feel like McCain is trying to manipulate me. Undoubtedly he is. After all, that is his business isn't it.

Upside Down

2008-09-15T13:29:00.001-04:00

My second daughter was born on 9/10/2008 at 11:11 a.m. It was quite an experience as birthing a baby can sometimes be. Our baby came out with the umbilical cord around her neck and also with a knot tied in it. Those two things alone could have been devastating to her health and possibly deadly. I guess that the knot never cinched down inside the womb and the umbilical cord never really contracted around her neck. There were never any signs that the baby was in distress. I know that the Lord protected my baby and I'm so grateful to him. She is so precious and I immediately fell in love with her.

So were home now and settling in... again. Our lives have been turned upside down... again.

I wouldn't change it for the world.

Divorce

2008-09-05T21:18:00.001-04:00

Divorce is quite common these days. I guess it's the fate of about 50% of all marriages across the board. Quite a sobering statistic for those who are thinking of committing themselves to someone for life. It's also a subject that kinda gets me going because so many people make light of it. I had a conversation with a guy that was going through a divorce and he said that he talked it through with his nine year old son. He convinced himself that his son understood and would be unaffected by the demise of his parents marriage. Another woman said that she was getting a divorce simply because her and her husband grew apart over the years. "They are great friends," she said, but they only married because she got pregnant when she was young. Another woman divorced her husband because he got a vasectomy without her approval and she wanted more kids. This, I admit, is a rather serious disagreement but worthy of divorce, I'm not so sure. There are many reasons that couples seek divorce. Infidelity and abuse are often the reasons you hear people say that they might consider divorce an option but it seems that many less significant causes are justifiable. I haven't been married a very long time but my wife and I have been through a lot in five years. We're expecting are third child any moment. This is great news of course, but having children so early in life and in marriage is taxing on a couple with little experience as a married couple. Before marriage I was convinced that everyone was crazy and selfish to the extreme and that was why people got divorced. I was convinced that would never happen to us. Not long after the wedding bells rang, difficult times would abound. Many details could be brought up here for why things were so hard for us but that is not what I'm writing about. The point I'm trying to make is that I understand that people suffer feelings of defeat and hopelessness in marriage because I have too. Those who are so disheartened need to press on though. The marriages need to be saved in order to save the family and the kids. My parents were married for thirty years when they called it quits. I was like twenty-two years old or so. I was devastated and so were my other two brothers that are older than me. I couldn't concentrate for school and I bombed a few key tests that would lead to my dropping out of the nursing program. One of my brothers seriously doubted whether or not he could ever expect to have a lasting marriage. The mental trauma that this event caused on everybody in the family can only be understated. My point is that divorce always affects the kids. It always tears wounds in the hearts of those going through the process as well. Nobody gets out unscathed. Marriage most assuredly is full of ups and downs, as I can say with experience, but it is also filled with such incredible highs that the lows are worth trudging through. Thank God for marriage!

Ravi

2008-09-02T17:06:00.001-04:00

I just finished reading a book written by Ravi Zacharias. Unfortunately, I am an extremely marginal writer and would not do justice to his work if I were to try to explain it. Previously, I had listened to some of his podcasts and immediately liked him. He is extremely intelligent and very eloquent in his speech, a truly gifted man. The best thing about him is that he is those things and christian as well. I say that because he really seems to live it out. His life isn't just talk, he backs it up with action, unlike myself. As a writer, he doesn't lose anything. He is truly captivating and I would love to follow this guy around and learn from him. He is routinely asked to speak and answer questions at colleges as notable as Columbia and Harvard and the like. How awesome that a christian man would be able to speak at colleges that are usually trying to convince people that God doesn't exist. Anyway, I highly recommend listening to his podcasts or reading his works.

The Light

2008-08-08T16:11:00.001-04:00

I was driving home from work today and on the radio, WMUZ "the light", they were talking about christians being judgemental. I really don't know everyone in the planet but I would guess that there are plenty of judgemental christians and non-christians. People just get more irritated I think when christians have this particular trait. I can totally sympathize with that sentiment. After all, as christians we should look different to the world as we reflect the love of Christ. I will be the first to admit though, that I need forgiveness for this type of attitude and a slew of other faults. However, Bob did make a good point. As a christian we are called to love people and in order to do that you must be a lover of truth. So if someone asks me if homosexuality is wrong then I'm going to tell them the truth. It is wrong. That doesn't mean you can't love that person and show them grace. Their sin is no worse than mine and vice versa. We are to love people regardless of their sin or appearance or whatever. I think that in some cases christians will be unfairly labeled judgemental though because the truth is offensive sometimes. People don't like to be told that they are wrong. I know that I become defensive when I am told that I'm in the wrong (a rare occurrence of course).

KK

2008-08-08T16:09:00.000-04:00

Good ol' Kwame K is all over the news again. I'm so tired of this one man circus in Detroit. I'm tired of hearing about him. I wish they would just get rid of him and move on. I don't think there is all that much to say about the situation.

Oh, what is this world coming to?

2008-07-14T13:54:00.000-04:00

So my last post made me think of something else. Why is it that our society is so obsessed with trees and animals. People are caring more for their pets and animals all over the country more than they do other human beings. Everybody in the country probably knows who Michael Vick is now that it was all over the news that he held dog fights and basically mutilated the losing dogs. Though I agree that this is rather disgusting I think it more disgusting that people find abortions completely acceptable. People are literally ripping the life within their womb out to just dump it in the trash and then wanting Michael Vick's head on a platter for killing a dog. The news is so telling about the values of our society. It's almost unbearable to watch. Not long ago an old man got ran over by a car in the light of day and not only did the driver just keep going but the many onlookers just stared and did nothing. It was just a spectacle to them. What a tragedy. On the flip side... another news maker was that of a baseball player who went back home, I think to the Dominican, and went to watch a cock fight. Why does this crap even make the news let alone ruffle the feathers of millions of americans. Again, kind of a stupid cruel sport but one that doesn't even take place in this country and it is legal there. We have the UFC which back in the day I'd probably found entertaining but if you think about it, is really messed up. No one says anything about two guys trying to kill the other with their bare hands but two freaking roosters fighting is outrageous. What a world.

Election Year

2008-07-14T13:41:00.000-04:00

How exciting! Another presidential election year. Woo hoo! Yeah right. It's funny because I get so tired of people saying that there are no good presidential candidates. Mostly it's because I feel like they are just trying to get out of saying who they are going to vote for. I guess it doesn't really matter. This time though I have to say that I don't like either candidate and it may be the first time since I've been able to that I won't vote. It's kind of ridiculous that I wouldn't but I can't really vote for either of them in good conscience. Most importantly, neither of them are into protecting the most innocent and purest forms of human life. My other concern with McCain is that it will be almost as if there was no change at all from the Bush administration. Which will obviously not be good for the economy. Obama seems to be a smart man but his history is so unclear and the little that I do know doesn't really settle well with me. I guess in some ways I am prejudice and I have a hard time trusting Muslims. I guess that he wouldn't say that he is muslim because he went to that one christian church but for all I know that could just all be a political move. I don't think this country would nominate a muslim for president, at least not right now. He would obviously know that and do whatever it takes to become president even if that meant going to a church he didn't really care about. I'm just at a loss.

Fire!

2008-07-10T22:57:00.000-04:00

So I did something a little out of character for me tonight. Lately, I have been thinking about how I don't too much care for the ever increasing amount of hair creeping out of my chest. So I had my wife carry out the task of waxing my chest. I had given at least a week or two of thought to this idea. Plenty time for me to work myself up and think about how horrible it was going to be. So I was rather nervous about it and once that first strip came off I knew why I was nervous. An intense fire erupted on my chest... well it felt like one anyway. Less than a minute though and the fire was just a light simmer. Oh but that first paper only got a couple inches worth of hair so I had to go through that craziness a few more times. Anyway, kudos to you ladies or metros out there who can do this stuff on a regular basis to keep that pesky hair out of the way.

After all this drama took place I was pleased that there was nothing but really smooth skin. However, it was also even more apparent that I needed to work out more. Arrgh! Somehow I gotta work in a butt load of push-ups in my already ridiculously busy life.

Sick Freak

2008-07-02T21:51:00.000-04:00

Someone told me about this terrible German man today at work but I can't tell my wife because she hates these types of stories. So the short of it is that some dude in Germany had a daughter locked in his basement for her whole life and I guess she was teens or twenties or something. He kept her locked up so he could have sex with her. What the f#&% anyway. This girl gave birth to several of her dad's children and was only caught because one of them got hurt and went to the hospital. This isn't a very detailed version but I can barely stand to think about it. These are the kinds of things that make it hard for me to not like the death penalty. I know this dude was German and they'll do whatever but that kind of stuff happens here all the time. Generally I don't really like the death penalty. I can't explain perfectly why either. It seems that God would not approve of it to me but a lot of christians do think it is just. Still, these kind of crimes just don't seem adequately punished with life in prison. I know that the Lord's judgement will be enough but it is hard to wait for that with all the crazies there are in the world. What if these messed up criminals got life in prison.... what if then they were shown Christ through some prison ministry and accepted his gift of salvation.... all of a sudden your standing with him in heaven as he has inherited the same prize as you. God's grace is truly amazing. Amazing enough to save a murderer, a serial rapist, or a regular guy like me. We're all on the same playing field as far as Christ is concerned. Without Christ my sins keep me away from heaven and his salvation just as much as the rapist.

It's Been A While

2008-06-10T22:26:00.001-04:00

It's been a while since I've wrote but not because of lack of things to write about. Right now I have a couple coworkers on my mind. I work with a lot of great people but I recently found out that two of them have been diagnosed with cancer. Both of them are ladies that are 39 years old. One has a beautiful family with two small children and the other dreamed of having a beautiful family of her own. These are the kinds of things that are so hard to accept. It doesn't make me doubt that God is there but makes me want to ask him why. I think everybody goes through situations like this and these are the things that really show whether our faith is real. I think a lot of people turn their back on God in hard times, including myself at times, but he is the one that gives peace. He is the one that heals. He is the one that comforts. I pray that these two friends would be healed and cured of this cancer. If that shouldn't happen then it's my hope that they will be cured of the greater cancer of sin and that I will see them in Heaven reunited with their families.

Mother's Day

2008-05-12T13:53:00.000-04:00

What a depressing day. I love my mom and my wife who is also a mom of three small kiddies. I just never give her the special day that she deserves so much. Ironic that on a day designed to honor moms would be the one that my wife ends up hurting on every year. Sorry Jen. I blew it again. Your the best. I'm not very good. Your beautiful. I'm not very good looking. Your smart. I'm not really smart.

The Words Won't Come

2008-04-12T19:11:00.000-04:00

I wish that I was a singer/songwriter. I love the guitar and the piano. I think they are some of the best sounding instruments. I would love to inspire people and praise God with these kinds of talents. I can just imagine people lifting their hands to God and dancing to my music. Not necessarily in public or at church or at a festival but maybe in their own house, while they have some intimate time with the God of the universe. I just think that would be an amazingly fun thing to do. Problem is... I'm not good at the guitar, writing lyrics or singing. I'm pretty much musically messed up in the head. Ideally, I would play guitar like Dave Matthews and write lyrics that make people think about the Creator like Chris Tomlin or Phil Wickham. I would love to maybe have a voice like Bono or the lead singer of Jars of Clay. That's just me dreaming though.

I wish that I was a writer. Not as an occupation per se but at least as another job on the side. I would love to write inspirational works, intelligent and persuasive arguments for Christ's, or anything that would help change lives. I just don't think I was given that gift. I can sit with a great idea to write about but can't put the words down. I try and put things down and don't like anything the way that I wrote them. So I end up erasing the whole thing and starting over. It ends up being one big waste of time usually. Thank God there are many others with this gift. I'm just jealous that I don't work that way. I guess that if I want to impact the world for Christ than I'll just have to do it with actions. Go figure... I'm not very good at that either. Hopefully I can get myself to start practicing. There are just so many excuses to not to.

What In The...

2008-04-05T14:25:00.000-04:00

What the crap is up with the Tigers? They haven't won in the first 4 games. I'm shocked. I don't even know what to say. Thank God the season is long.

Christ in Television

2008-03-31T22:21:00.000-04:00

I guess you could say that I don't like to watch much TV. Mostly because it seems to be a waste of time and the quality programming is severely lacking. I'm not saying that there isn't plenty of shows that are successful at entertaining you. There are just very few shows that are really worth my time. I think my favorite show in the world is probably got to be Extreme Makeover Home Edition. The entire premise of the show is just incredible. I can't even believe that a show based on helping someone out has made it but I am glad that it has. Neighbors and companies teaming together and pooring their lives and resources to take away enormous burdens for a select family. Every episode I watch blows me away and inspires me. It actually brings me to tears like that crazy designer guy on the show. I know that I can't just do what they do by myself but it inspires me to be more like Christ. I long to make an impact like that on other lives. I think that God would be very pleased if more of his churches could work like that for eachother.

Finally

2008-03-30T18:12:00.000-04:00

Finally, baseball season officially upon us starting tomorrow. For me the past few years have been a special treat because my team, the Tigers, have been abnormally good. I just hope that Illich is building a tradition that will match that of our Red Wing counterparts. Anyway, I have been anticipating this season for a long time and the huge off season moves have just added to my excitement. The Tigers' lineup is one to be feared. More so than recent Yankees lineups in my opinion. However, pitching could go either way. I would say that Verlander is the only concrete pitching star in the rotation. Willis, Bonderman, and the rest of the rotation are either beaten up physically or weathered from overuse. I'm not really impressed with the bullpen options either. Whatever happens, it should be a fun season. Seats have been selling out like crazy so the park will be electric. I can't wait to see what happens.

Wife

2008-03-11T21:52:00.000-04:00

I work with a lot of different guys from different backgrounds and religions and belief systems. One very common thing among the men is to whine or joke distastefully about their wives. Some people complain about their wives quite openly in front of whoever and I wonder sometimes if their wives know about the dishonorable things they say. Sometimes I feel worn down in marriage like it's just too hard. I think that is pretty normal though when you try to do life in the same house with anybody. My wife and I have had many late exhausting nights that have been painful just like anybody else. The thing is... I can't imagine not having her to raise my kids and to just be there with me. She is a great encourager. She is great with the kids and teaches them a lot. She works hard around the house and puts dinner on the table. It's not uncommon for her to work from the time she gets up till the time she gets in bed. I have no problem admitting that her job is harder than mine. She is very giving of her time and considerate of her friends and family even if they don't reciprocate. I have never had to doubt her love for me and I'm proud to have her as my wife. Proverbs says, "he who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord." I without a doubt have found what is good.

Surgery

2008-03-06T21:38:00.000-05:00

I have worked in an operating room now for about 4 years or so. Before I did though I always thought that surgeons were pretty awesome. I don't mean personality but I thought that they were just crazy smart and talented and good with their hands. Though there are surgeons that have measured up and surpassed my expectations, their are also surgeons that are just plain rotten at their craft. Just like there are good carpenters and there are bad carpenters. I am writing this because I've seen too many people get serious operations done by people who should not be operating. I'm not trying to scare anyone away from having surgery. Look... people buy cars and houses and major appliances and they go and research everything about them before they purchase. How much more should you research the people that are cutting on you. Find out qualifications and training and the sort. If you know anybody that works in the operating room, please ask them who to go to. Anyway, that's all I have to say about that but don't be the uninformed patient heading into surgery.

2008-02-25T15:42:00.000-05:00

Why is it so hard to get close to God? The Bible says that if you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you. I'm really trying to do just that. He still feels far away. I have forsaken sins that bound me in the past. I have prayed more than usual. Yet I still can't hear his voice like I used to. I long to hear Him again and be obedient to His call. God was able to use one of the biggest sinners of all time in Paul to grow His church, and I know He could use me as well. If only I'll be as willing when He does call on my name again.

I know I'm not alone because the church as a whole seems to be lackluster about spreading the love of Christ. The world is probably more depraved than ever and the church is struggling to get out and do something about it. I just hope that I won't forever be on the sideline as many Christians and churches are. I never wanted to be on the bench when I played high school baseball and I don't want to be on the bench just waiting to do something for God either. As much as I love baseball, God's plan for the salvation of mankind is just a little more important.

Safe Surfing

2008-02-12T23:11:00.000-05:00

Hey fellow surfers... be safe out there. Don't be looking at porn. It's bad for you and the people you love. xxxchurch.com has accountability software for free to help you stay away from internet porn. It doesn't actually keep you from looking up porn but will email a history of "bad" websites to a friend of your choice. The drawback is that plenty of sites with porn slide in under the radar of this software so I would recommend paying the 7 bucks a month on covenant eyes. Their software logs your entire browsing history and keeps it safe for whoever has the password. It's great because no matter what, someone can check any of the sites you've been to, including the sites that might not be so obvious. Anyway, I'm sure most people out there love the internet porn but for those looking for freedom from this addiction... the software is a great tool.

Constance

2008-02-04T15:49:00.000-05:00

XXXCHURCH

2008-02-02T21:25:00.000-05:00

I really like what this guy Craig Gross is doing. You can check out his ministry at xxxchurch.com. I think that everyone needs to be more aware of the dangers of pornography and he seems to be doing a decent job of communicating about it. It is an issue that affects marriages and families and churches all over the world and the church, in my opinion, is not doing enough about it. You can be sure that pornography is rampant within the church as well as outside the church too. I'm so glad there are other people out there that are telling the truth about pornography.

GO TO XXXCHURCH.COM CHECK IT OUT!

Ray LaMontagne

2008-01-17T21:29:00.000-05:00

Vote NO on Hillary

2008-01-15T18:34:00.001-05:00

I'm speaking to all sane voters that might happen upon this page. Please, please, please,
DON'T VOTE FOR HILLARY! That is all.

Amazing Grace the Movie

2008-01-15T16:13:00.001-05:00

Last night I watched the movie Amazing Grace. I know that it is not by any means a new movie but I am not exactly up to speed on every knew movie that comes out. I just don't care that much about them but I do enjoy a good movie occasionally when my schedule allows it. I thought from a technical stand point that this movie was good and that the acting was also good. What I was particularly pleased with is the story. It is based on real history, a subject I often find interesting though I know very little about. I thought it was incredibly inspiring. I wouldn't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it and are historically ignorant like myself, but I would definately recommend that people watch it. Especially if there are any social injustices going on today that outrage you. I think that this kind of movie would be very encouraging. For me... it gives me the hope that crimes against humanity like abortion could possibly be outlawed... at least in the U.S. People always say that the law will never change and they could very well be right. As for me, I will continue to hope that Roe vs Wade will be overturned. Wilberforce along with many others in history have proven that such feats are possible.

Nice Ride

2008-01-13T22:25:00.000-05:00

I wouldn't mind driving around in one of these.

Master Quarterback

2008-01-13T14:02:00.000-05:00

O.K. ... Last night I was watching the Patriots rout the Jaguars for yet another victory this season. Tom Brady and the Patriots made it look like they were playing a high school team. The game was just that easy for them. Brady threw for 3 TDs and only 2 incompletions all game. It's just ridiculous how good he is. He barely even threw the ball to Randy Moss. I think he just might be the best quarterback of all time. It's crazy that he was drafted in the 6th round. Then he was a backup to one of the all time quarterback flops in Drew Bledsoe. As a Lions fan... I just want to know when our time will come when we get our hands on someone of this caliber. I'm so tired of watching Scott Mitchell, Rodney Pete, Andre Ware, Jeff Garcia, Eric Kramer, and the list goes on and on and on. Just a history full of mediocrity. I think maybe I'll just have to keep the T.V. off again come next football season. Somebody wake me up when the Lions decide to contend. Probably when Brady and Favre have retired.

Election

2008-01-11T21:48:00.000-05:00

Election time is coming up and this time around i feel as though i should be more informed about the candidates running. I haven't gotten too far in my research yet but as it stands right now my two favorites are McCain and Huckabee... Huckabee for his interesting tax reform ideas and pro life perspective... McCain because he would obviously be a great commander in chief and he would be dedicated to national security. I'll know more hopefully come election
time.

Chilling with Coldplay

2008-01-11T20:22:00.000-05:00

I'm just relaxing listening to some good Coldplay. I gotta see these guys in concert. Why are they so good. It doesn't seem to matter what kind of mood i'm in, they're always fun to listen to.