Full-Time Student, Full-Time Dad, Full-Time Dork...

It's been a while...

2008-11-08T14:21:00.000-08:00

While it may not be considered much to other people, last night I watched some Nic' At Night with this guy:

He's a really nice guy, and he giggles a lot.

8 Rodens in one day...

2008-03-15T14:42:00.000-07:00

Friday. What a day. Road trip to Austin to finally verify that Dave didn't make up some girl that he's been courting. Evidently, he's not making her up. Thankfully she's as awesome as he made her out to be. Ava was giving her godfather the cold shoulder most of the day, but it turns out she was sick. Even though she was sick, she wanted to be held by strangers. Okay, not strangers, but strangers to her. She seemed to enjoy Chase and Kate Roden. I go to meet 6 new Rodens on Friday. Chase and Kate's daughters Wren and Jane, along with a whole new clan of Rodens that I had only known via Wimpkiller icons before. So yes, it was a busy day.

Yesterday (Sunday) I got a phone call that I had been expecting, but it still caught me by surprise. An old friend that shared a back fence with me is back in Texas (see Dave, people can always come back). Long story short, after being out of state for roughly 3-5 years, he has returned. Maybe I'm being naively optimistic (which is rare for me), but I believe that he really wants to get his life back in order. I also believe I know a way that he can do just that. We'll see.

Anniversary

2008-03-13T06:31:00.000-07:00

Three days ago I posted about How Lina and I started dating. Today is something else.

Four years ago today I rose after a night almost completely without sleep. I got up and showered, because tired or not it was to be the biggest day of my life up to that point. I got up, and went to the grocery store to buy some tea. Lots of tea. Seriously, who makes tea on this day? I do. People would need tea. After the grocery store I go to a small convention center and make the tea. Many gallons of tea. I go back to my apartment (it was my first one on my own) and get cleaned up. Again. I sweat a lot that day. I spend quite a long time fixing my hair. I had to look good for my lady, right? I went to my Mimi's house to pick up my big brother, because we always said we'd be there for each other for this. The whole time I miss her. Adam (my brother) and I get to St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Pasadena, where we wait for the others. I'm looking good in my white t-shirt and jeans, with converse and an awesome pompadour. The other guys show up, and we take some pictures, my favorite of the shots being at the top of this post. we also had an awesome Abbey Road type shot. After we get done with the tom foolery (for the most part), we all take our clothes off in the back room and get dressed up. I miss her terribly. Guests begin arriving, and I greet them as I'm supposed to, not really paying attention to the sentiments people are giving me, the pats on the back, the congratulations, the smiles. All I can think of is how much I miss her. How it is taking too long. I'm told to go in to the back and wait. Wait?!? Are they stupid? Crazy? Both? I go back with my brother by my side. After what seemed like at least 4 hours (I was told it was only 10 minutes) I hear the organ start playing Journey. Through all the tension borne of impatience, Adam and I giggle at the fact that we can hear everyone singing "Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world. She took the midnight train going aaaaaa-neeeeee-where..." Yeah, I know. It's awesome. My brother and I walk out in front of everyone and take our positions. Then I hear a song that for my entire childhood I thought was written for a Kodak commercial. As a teenager I discovered it was written by Pachelbel. I knew she was close now. I didn't miss her as badly. I try to step up on my toes without anyone noticing, just to get a peek of her veil. I succeed, and all emotion lets loose. Every single bridesmaid is crying along with me, my brother, and almost every groomsman. So here you have 13 crying people (two of my seven groomsmen didn't cry) waiting for the guest of honor. Finally she is walked to me by her father. We now have 28 teary eyes at the altar. My dad very slyly hands a handkerchief to my brother, who slips it to me. I try to stop my blubbering long enough to speak my vow to the woman who is becoming my wife. I only partly succeed. I end my promise to her by simply saying "I love you". Then, four years ago today, "the rest of my life" became "forever".

I love you baby.

5 minute break

2008-03-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

I have been (somewhat) diligently doing schoolwork for about 3 hours, and I am taking a small break.

While I mentioned that yesterday was my birthday, I neglected to mention what I got. I am very pleased to mention that two things I have wanted for a while (one longer than the other) were birthday presents. Friday Lina took me to get my ears pierced to 2 gauge (actually they were pierced with a 4 and stretched to 2). They used to be 00g, but the jewelry was knocked out of my ears in a 4wheeler accident. I was in no condition to go look for the jewelry, so my ears tightened back up, and I haven't worn anything in almost seven years. I have wanted to stretch them back out ever since, but have never taken the time to do it. Time? Who needs time?!? getting up to 2gauge was the hardest part before, so this time I just cut right to the chase.
My other noteworthy present was from my brother. He got me a flippin' Wii. He had a fairly new (less than 3 weeks old) demo unit from the Game Crazy he was running. The store was closing, but Nintendo sent the unit anyway. Nintendo doesn't reclaim units from stores, so he gave it to me. He also bought me Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Awesome game.
Okay. I'm going to get back to work...

On this day, six years ago...

2008-03-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

Six years ago today many things happened. I turned 22. Chuck Norris turned 62. Rick Rubin turned 39. It was the 100th anniversary of the day that the US court ruled that Thomas Edison did not invent the movie camera. It was also the first time I cuddled the girl that was to become my wife. Six years ago today I held the last woman I will ever hold again. Six years ago today I started a relationship that would give me my daughter. Six years ago today, I listened to the intro music to Fight Club for 5 hours because I didn't want to let go of her long enough to turn off the DVD player. Six years ago today I began the rest if my life.

Congrat's to Uncle Rupee!

2008-02-27T09:54:00.000-08:00

I would like to announce that my dear friend, and Ava's godfather, Dave Rupert (or "Uncle Rupee" as we're trying to teach Ava to say) is now officially engaged to Jessie "Chuy" Conklin. I can only assume Chuy is as awesome as Dave keeps telling us, because we have yet to actually meet her, but that will all change on March 14th. Chuy, Dave, Lina, Ava, and I will all converge on that date, in the capital of the greatest state ever. We will join the Rodens, and eat hamburgers. This will probably be one of the greatest days ever. Then again, this all depends on how awesome Chuy is. From precursory examinations performed by us VK's, she seems like the real deal. for this reason, I officially bestow upon her the title of being Ava's "Aunt Chuy". This means, on behalf of the Von Kanels, I would like to welcome the future Mrs. Chuy Rupert to our family. Can't wait to meet you!

Homework is lame, but steak makes it better

2008-02-23T16:38:00.000-08:00

Once again, I am not out doing fun things. Nope. I am doing an assignment that is quite stupid. At the end of the post, however, I will give you my solution to all boredom (at least it's my solution since I quite drinking and taking copious amounts of narcotics!).

Essentially it's just a ton of reading (85 different psalms), which must be followed up with a paper about "what [I] think is important about the psalms". Seriously. My 10 year old nephew could write this paper. Frivolous busy-work is one of the reasons I did so poorly during junior-high and high school. Over the past two semesters of Bachelor's studies it has been rare that I will get an assignment that challenges me, makes me have to take a stance on something I had never considered, or (at a minimum) entertains me. The rest of the time it's just writing papers to prove that I read my assigned reading. Instead of spending the afternoon with my in-laws, enjoying great company and generally not being away from my wife and daughter, I am writing a stupid paper. Why can't they just give me a test?

So, what is my solution to this aggravation and boredom? Steak. There is a gigantic steak that my mother-in-law bought me that has been in the freezer for quite some time. Originally there were three, and Lina and I ate two of them for VD (read: Valentine's Day). So I thawed #3 in a marinade that I am quite proud of. I will then pan-sear it to a nice pink medium-rare, and gorge until I can't see straight. I will be eating it with cheddar Goldfish.

Curse you, limited space!

2008-02-19T14:55:00.001-08:00

I am doing homework, and I am instructed to write a single sentence on how Isaiah 1:23 applies to modern times.

Isaiah 1:23
" Your rulers are rebels And companions of thieves; Everyone loves a bribe And chases after rewards. They do not defend the orphan, Nor does the widow's plea come before them. "

Now, I go to a fairly conservative school. It is very hard to limit my answer to one sentence, and even then not be too harsh on my teachers. God must be teaching me tact.

Get busy livin', or get busy dyin'.

2008-02-08T14:22:00.000-08:00

Today something happened that I almost couldn't believe. My brother asked me about many things all directly related to my relationship with my Creator. He has seen what I am like with God, and what I am like when I stray, and he said he realized that if we handled life similarly without God, maybe we would be similar with God (ambiguity added to respect his privacy). He was interested not in having a God that would be a Santa Clause to him, because he knew that wasn't the case, but being in a relationship with God that would enable him to better handle life as it comes at him. You know, an opportunity like this doesn't just fall right in to your lap. Someone (read: God) has to line this sort of thing up. I can hardly contain myself. Even if there is no change immediately, he seems to be on a path that will eventually lead him to the Lord. Ever since I was in high school there has been a distance between me and my brother because of my faith. Him asking me about this was something I always prayed for but never figured would happen. This is way better than getting a Wii for Christmas would have been.

Blog Surverys and the Bible. How do they connect?

2008-02-05T14:49:00.000-08:00

Seriously. I don't think I've ever posted a survey on my blog. I actually enjoy reading these surveys on other people's blogs. I don't know why, because they all pretty much ask the same questions. And if someone just posted a blog that said "I m listening to [insert cd/song title here], I am wearing [insert color] socks, and I don't own any [insert random item]", I wouldn't find it interesting at all, but if posted in a Q&A format I enjoy reading it. Why? I don't know. I almost feel like I'm slighting anyone that reads this blog by not filling out any surveys. If you happen to read this and feel like you deserve to read a survey or two for your trouble of reading this, let me know.

On another note, I am amazed at how much attention I've actually been paying in class. Not just this semester, but over the past two (ish) years. While thinking on the issue of the JEDP Theory I was drawn in to more Biblical criticism, and I have grown more fond of it. As opposed to it just being a great way to kill space on a paper, I have found other uses for studying Biblical criticism. You may say to yourself "Who cares about Biblical criticism"? My reason is that very question. So far, I have found many issues that non-Christians will raise about the Bible, and my answer can remain the same: Who cares? Much of Biblical criticism is an assault on tradition, as opposed to being an assault on the Bible. When that is the case I can stand on the front line with them. The Bible can very accurately record faulty traditions that have been held to in the past that were then followed because they were in the Bible. Just because you find flaw with the tradition, this is no reason to discount Scripture. This actually goes back to the "infallible vs. inerrant' debate, where you have two parties that don't disagree near as much as they think they do, but want to cling to a title that makes them appear to have a more liberal or conservative view of Scripture. To this I can proudly ask: Who cares?

Nice little snippet...

2008-01-31T08:52:00.000-08:00

While reading my Western Civ II book, I read the most interesting quote. It is from a secular commentary on Martin Luther's journal in 1512 (before his understanding of Romans and therefore pre-95 Theses)

"Despite an outwardly placid and successful academic career, during the next few years Luther lived in mental torment. He could not convince himself that he was worthy of Christian salvation. ...The more he pursued ascetic practices and sought to perform good works, the more vividly he felt that his 'sins' outweighed his merits in the eyes of his God"

Well, for a secular commentary, they really hit the nail on the head with that one.

Disney Strikes Back

2008-01-29T17:23:00.001-08:00

I had to go through the task of watching The Prince of Egypt and write a paper about the discrepancies between the Biblical account and the animated account. I am making it very clear in my paper that two great things about the movie are 1) Having Patrick Stewart in it and 2) Having Jeff Goldblum play a sarcastic Jew. Other than that, I really didn't care to watch the movie. What really irks me is that they tried to say that Moses and Ramses II having a chariot race was the cause of the Sphinx's missing nose, but anyone that has watched Aladdin knows that Aladdin and Jasmine caroming around while singing "A Whole New World" are the reason for it.

My New Playlist

2008-01-24T06:33:00.000-08:00

I sit here begrudgingly reading my textbook listening to music that makes me think of a time when I would begrudgingly read my textbooks. Whaaaaa?
The documentary from the last post has greatly affected my aural life these past few days, so I made a new playlist called "Andy's Highschool". While it has a lot of stuff that certainly wouldn't have been in American Hardcore, it has a lot of stuff that I listened to while I was also jamming bands like D.R.I. and Minor Threat (both of whom are on the new playlist). So, I now go from Descendents to the Specials to Minor Threat to the Slackers to Hi Fi and the Roadburners, etc. It's like being 16 sans acne and big black X's on my hands.

Joel will occasionally mention how listening to atheist punk-rock will lead him into worship, and I think I understand it a lot more now. While I've never been an atheist or agnostic, I certainly have spent times in my life where I might have appeared as such. Yes, even I, the great Just Plain Andy have had fruitless periods of time in my life. I know it's hard to believe for most, but it has happened. Since sarcasm doesn't come across very well sometimes in type, let me go ahead and clarify for everyone that the prior two sentences are to be read drenched in self-deprecating sarcasm. Listening to songs that were once anthems for my angst now reminds me that I have been relieved of the burdensome anger. While there are still plenty of areas that still need (massive) work, at least I'm not as angry as I used to be. Granted I still find wrongs in society that aggravate and frustrate me. I tend to not let this be a cause for self-righteous anger, but more try to see how that simply raises the bar for my own actions and mindset. This change is so severe that it is plain to me it is a result of nothing I personally have done. The internal structure was too messed up for it to fix itself, so obviously it was an outside job that continues. It's astounding how much of an angry kid and young man I was back then. While I wasn't an aggressive person necessarily, I certainly had a lot of anger. So much so that I turned my back on pretty much any institution that I once held dear to me, many of which I have returned to.

Okay, I'm really rambling here and need to get back to begrudgingly reading my textbook...

Heart Warming...

2008-01-21T08:22:00.000-08:00

Last night as we were cooking and eating dinner, a documentary called "American Hardcore" came on tv. It was all about the punk-rock scene from 1980-1986. So here's a movie that is pretty much an hour and a half of Minor Threat, Negative FX, Bad Brains, SSD, Black Flag, 7 Seconds, and the like, and what was Ava doing during all this? At the ripe old age of 371 days, she was bouncing, screaming/singing, and banging on the floor and cabinets with a huge smile on her face. Seriously, how awesome is that? My daughter rocks hard.

Neck Tattoo: Activate!

2008-01-17T08:08:00.001-08:00

My "SOLA GRATIA" work was done last night. Suffice it to say, my neck is still a little tender...

1st things 1st

2008-01-15T13:10:00.000-08:00

First of all, happy (belated on the blog) birthday to my daughter, Ava Grace Von Kanel. 366 days ago she was born, and she hasn't stopped getting cuter.

Second, is it odd that as I study the books of Judges and Ruth I am listening to Iron Maiden?

Delay

2008-01-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

Due to family obligations (read: my head was up my tailpipe and didn't realize my time could be much better spent with Lina before she goes back to work), my neck tattoo will have to be delayed. It will be next wednesday, the 16th.

FYI: Anyone unaware, Ava turns a year old on monday. Praise God.

Splinter

2008-01-07T08:38:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm a wuss. I admit it. I hate splinters. They are no fun at all. Do you know what worse than getting a splinter? Getting one on the crease of the inside of your finger. You know what's worse than that? Acquiring said splinter while hooking up a/v cables only to find out that your daughter forced (yes, forced) you to go through all that to watch Barney. Barney. I hate you, you big purple jerk.

Catharsis

2008-01-04T20:08:00.000-08:00

The past week and a half has been a rough one on so many levels, but catharsis is usually painful. I would recommend going to The Ruah Center for anyone in need of some silence in the Houston area. For a chatty guy like me, spending six hours without saying a word isn't very easy, but it's amazing how much you can learn when you spend more time listening to God than you do talking to Him. They make a very good point at the Center: Any other spiritual guide you have a conversation with, you'd spend much more time listening than you would talking, but that rarely seems the case when we speak with the ultimate spiritual guide, our Father.

On a slighter note, I'm going Tuesday to get some more work done! This time I'm getting "SOLA GRATIA" tattooed along the front of my neck.

Skipping School

2007-12-18T06:14:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read that correctly: I'm skipping class! It;s my last class, and there's no final. The class is going to be a 4 hour lecture over my favorite topic: Dispensationalism! So I am skipping class today. I am going to run errands and clean house all day instead. Fun? No. More important than a borderline heretical lecture? Yes. Okay, so dispensationalism isn't heresy, it's just not what I would call sound doctrine. Whatever. the difference is very subtle.

The only reason I thought this was post-worthy is because I haven't skipped school just because I didn't really feel like going (as opposed to some medical reason or emergency) in a long, long time. I remember when skipping school meant sitting around smoking pot, or going and vandalizing stuff. Now, it means running errands. And potentially cleaning. Wait. Smoking pot: unproductive; Running errands: productive. Vandalism: Destructive; Cleaning: Constructive. My Lord I'm old...

Why am I not doing my homework?

2007-12-11T14:25:00.000-08:00

Happy 100th post!

I have a paper due on Thursday. I haven't finished reading the book, but my professor just told me today that I don't have to read the whole thing. He tells me this after I've read the majority of it. Thanks, jerk. The Didascalicon by Hugh of Saint Victor. It's a manuscript from 1167 that was translated in 1961, and reading it is like pulling teeth. The paper is essentially supposed to be what I thought of the book. That's where I'm going to get in trouble. When I someone writes a few paragraphs that essentially say "Don't say everything that is possible to say on one subject. Simply say enough to clearly make the point", there's a problem. So, I get to write a 5-7 page paper (thank God it's so short!) about how little I care for the assignment. I bet I get a "B" out of it...

First post since March, so i better make it good...

2007-12-06T05:36:00.000-08:00

Too bad I won't...

When you get up at an ungodly hour of the morning to get to school in less than three hours (traffic free it's a 35-45 minute trip), knowing that if you get there early enough you just might be able to get some extra studying done, just to arrive and realize that you left the book you need to be reading at home, what do you do? You blog, that's what. I haven't touched this blog since March 15th I believe. What's happened since then? Here we go

- Ava is the cutest baby girl EVER.
- I started drinking again
- I played stay-at-home dad while Sugar Momma (aka Lina) went to work
- My parents got back together
- Dave came down for Ava's dedication
- Dave, Lina, and I sang karaoke, went to go see the 'Stros, and had a Wii party
- Basilica switched over to morning services
- I started going back to school
- I stopped drinking... again.
- I began using the word Omnichronal [A state of existence that is qualitatively superior to human understanding of time (existing at all time at once, and superior to time)]
- Lina and I went to Wizard World Texas and had a great time at Texas' best comicon
- Had a great Thanksgiving
- Finally got a house (rental, w/an option to buy)
- Ava has learned to say "Dada" (actually, dadadadadadada), Momma (bobba, or mobba), can clap her hands when she's happy, when you ask her to, or if you start singing (regardless of what you are singing), and is one shaky hand-hold away from taking her first steps on her own.
- I got to school early one morning w/o my book and decided to blog.

I guess that about catches everyone up. I say everyone, assuming that no one will read this, because it's been ages since I have posted on this thing.

On a side note, on my way to school this morning my iPod did the most wonderful thing. While on shuffle, it went from Snapcase to the Kinks. To the best of my knowledge, Mr. Rice is the only one else I know that has an iPod that would do that and it not feel odd. I could be wrong. I was tempted to call Captain Rupert to see if his iPod would do such a thing, but I decided against it because it was before 7AM. Then I realized that because his lame ass is two time zones away it meant that it was before 5AM. This again tempted me to call him. I've done it to him before, while Lina and I were at WWT in Dallas. Why? Because that's what he gets for living to flippin' time zones away. In other important news, Dave has a Chuy, which is awesome. Chuy seems great, and Dave deserves no less. Dave keeps lying and saying that they will visit Tejas, but we all know it'll never happen.

In less impressive news, I have decided to grow out Pringles-guy/Rich Uncle Pennybags mustache. Lina's not too keen on it, but I must defy her on this.

okay, I think this is enough for one post. I intend to begin blogging again, but, then again, I intend to do a lot of things...

Dear Blog-blog

2007-03-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, my blog has been neglected.
Ava had her 2-month shots on monday, and she pretty-much hasn't slept since. Well, she did this morning from 3:30-8:00 (not including a bottle in between, but that's a given). We're taking her back to the doctor this afternoon because she's been having the loosey-goosies.
On Tuesday (our third anniversary) we went out to eat and caught a movie. My mom watched Ava, which is her favorite thing to do since the whole debacle from the last post. We watched Music and Lyrics. What, you wanna fight about it? Yeah, I willingly saw a Hugh Grant movie. On top of that, I kinda liked it. My mom's watching Ava again tonight while the two of us go to our friend's birthday dinner up at Star Pizza.
Tomorrow I get more work done on my left arm, and I'm as giddy as a school-girl. Lina's birthday present to me was tattoo money, and you can't really get me a better gift than that. I went ahead and had Ava's name put on my right wrist last week, but tomorrow I go in for the long work. I am finally putting together stuff for my left sleeve. I've been waiting for sleeve work for a few years now. The last time I got anything done was a couple months after Lina and I started dating, which was about five years ago. Tomorrow I get to sit down for a nice long stretch to have the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud put on, and I might go ahead and have him outline the upper arm stuff while I'm at it. It all just depends on how late it gets, I guess. Either way, I'm giddy.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, part 2

2007-02-15T11:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, I was woken up with a serious WTF moment this morning. My Dad is leaving my mom for my mom's best friend. My mom was introduced to my dad through my "Aunt" Terri about 34 years ago. My parents were married shortly afterwards. They have had a couple rough patches, but they stuck together. LAst night (or this morning) at 2 a.m. my dad packed up his stuff and left to go be with Terri (the honorary title of "Aunt" is no longer there, effective 2 a.m. this morning). My mom was completely caught off-gaurd, and is damn-near catatonic about this whole thing. Any readers, please pray for her. She's never lived alone her entire life. Lina and I are considering moving in with her for a while until she gets through this. We really don't have any idea, considering how fresh this whole thing is. I'm completely dumbfounded by this. My mom saw this woman through five failed marriages (with four husbands, one was a re-tread), and this is what happens. No matter how much first-hand experience I have with the depravity of man-kind, I still am amazed at how low people can be. No matter what I've seen, I still find this impossible to believe, but it's true. This woman had the audacity to talk to me abot my marriage, speaking to me about how important the bond that God gave us is. This woman was given the privilage of entering the I.C.U. to see my daughter, and stood by my mom while I first saw my daughter. My father and her have evidently been planning this for quite some time, and she had the gall to tell my mother that her marriage would be okay, and that my Dad wouldn't leave her, but would work things out.
I don't know. It's hard to think of someone with the love that God commands us to have for them when this happens. It's impossible to love someone and despise them at the same time. I guess I'll have to choose which one, eventually.

Ava is here!

2007-01-21T10:57:00.000-08:00

It was a long 6 1/2 - 7 months, but she's HERE! Ava Grace Von Kanel was born last Sunday, January 14th, at 4:41pm. We thought she was coming in the middle of March, but it looks like Ava and God got together and had a different plan. There were some complications, but God has carried my wife and daughter through, and it looks like they came through unscathed.

To be honest, it was more than a little scary. Both of their lives were in danger at a few points, but God has been glorified through it all. While Ava would have meant the world to us had she been born at the regular time in a more traditional manner, this has only heightened our love for her. God has given us a perfect gift (James 1:17. Read the chapter, the context is painfully accurate) that has allowed us to have a love and appreciation for our daughter that surpasses anything I would have ever thought possible.

This might be my last post for quite some time, considering my hands will be quite full for a while. Just ask Chase and Kate, little girls can be a handful.

I'm related to a movie star!

2006-11-28T15:25:00.000-08:00

I happen to be related to someone that was in Mr.& Mrs. Smith, someone that was indicted for multiple felonies (go figure...), a senior staff writer at CNN, a freaky-huge body builder, a darn-fine handsome fella', and evidently a couple of mercenaries.

Home again home again, jiggety jog

2006-11-27T12:35:00.000-08:00

Our time in Norfolk was hurried, but our Thanksgiving turkey was awesome. Lina started feeling a little sick on the flight out, and by monday she was worried she might have the flu. We ended up spending Wednesday and Thursday nights in a motel so we didn't get Chris and Shanna's two awesome kids sick.
I took a look around the city, and showed Chris places that I had told him about, but never got the chance to show him. Chris never knew me during my "harder" times, so I gave him a little tour of his current home town. At one point I actually had him park in the exact same parking spot where I would pop open the glove-box, smoke some coke, smoke some pot, smoke a cigarette, then walk in to my barracks. We drove by the Taj-Mahal (where I moved from serious drinking to full-blown alcoholic with a drug problem), and it was closed down. Go figure.
Chris and I had some fun, and of course found time to go to a comic shop. I watched Laserfart, which is possibly the best comic movie ever, and comes complete with a Jack Black cameo. I also got a hold of the trade-paperback for Marvel's "1602", which is written by Neil Gaimen. Within an hour of this, Chris I were discussing John 1:1, and comparing every translation of the Bible versus hiw old New World Translation (the JW version of the Bible). To anyone else this may seem trivial, but this was all within a week of having a discussion about people that might read both Neil Gaimen and the Bible with genuine enthusiasm. Six degrees of seperation, and it all comes back around. Judas was a ninja. Amen.

Waltz in C Sharp Minor

2006-11-16T11:36:00.000-08:00

I'm listening to Chopin, and I find myself typing in 3/4 timing.

Heart Still Beats

2006-11-14T14:40:00.000-08:00

As I've posted before, I'm going to Norfolk next week. I wrote about how I wasn't sure how it would feel to go back to the place that I lived in such depravity. This thought, combined with the fact that it's Thanksgiving week next week really drew me to a song that I love but hate to listen to. Remembering pain can often remind us to be thankful...

The girl in the alley, kneels with exhaustion, she's gaurded by the skinny guy, who limps from some infection.
Behind a vail of bleached thin hair, her eyes tell a story, like a photo of Berlin, December 1944.
She's looking for a handout, she's been high for several weeks now. She's too far gone for whoring, and the money just gave out.

And her heart still beats inside, and the blood runs in her veins, a remenant of life remains, her heart still beats inside.

The man finally comes to the door, I've seen him several times. He always looks pissed off, and his sunglasses stay on.
I think he got his biceps and tattoos, while in prison. And it doesnt seem to bother him, when he says go to hell.

And his heart still beats inside, the blood runs in his veins, a remenant of life remains, his heart still beats inside.

The thought it comes to mind, to somehow intervine, but it could bring me trouble, and what can i do anyway?
It's hard to be effective when it happens so often, to see a life unraveling, through drawn venitian blinds.
I'm sickend by compassion, I'm stiffled by my limitations. Anesthetic apathy, come take the pain away.

And my heart still beats inside, and the blood runs in my veins. A remenant of life remains, and my heart still beats inside.

Oh God, we need you here, We're sinking fast and we don't care.
The evidence is all around me, on both sides of my door, our hears beat.

My semi-annual love affair with Ben Franklin

2006-10-31T05:01:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday my niece went to the Museum of Natural Science on a field trip to see the Ben Franklin exhibit, and when I went to get her after school (I was dropped off outside the school to wait with all the parents on MY way home from school, then Lina came to pick us up) she wanted to tell me all about Ben Franklin. She told me wonderful little facts about him, but she spent most of the time describing to me HOW the facts were displayed. I think the exhibit might have focused too much on being displayed in an entertaining fashion, because that seems to have been what she paid the most attention on. At the end of her description of her day, my younger niece told me that I could set my clock back an hour before I went to sleep on Saturday. It's already the end of day-light savings time?!? I didn't realize it had crept up on me already! For about a week every fall, I get to sleep in half an hour longer than it feels like, and still wake up half an hour earlier than I'm used too. During this week, I am madly in love with Ben Franklin. I know that there have been many people associated with Daylight Savings time, but Franklin is the most prominent. I can usually only sleep in a little past my normal wake-up time unless I'm sick or something. Most people have this rhythm. But that extra little half hour (on a school day too!) makes me feel like I'm throwing caution to the wind, damn the schedule I want my sleep! Then, I wake up with a extra half hour of productivity!

The down side to all this, as we all know, is April. When we have to move our clocks forward and whole hour, losing sleep and screwing up our schedule for a whole week. My schedule has never been ruined from an extra hour, but losing an hour makes things rough. You half to wake up early just to be where you would have been before. This time of year, I hate the library, bifocals, and just about everything (but not electricity, since he only discovered it, and didn't create it) associated with the $100 man. I have sometimes gone so far as to not have his money in my pocket. Don't get me wrong, if someone gives me a hundred dollar bill I would take it, but I would go buy something as quickly as possible to no longer have his wretched face in my pocket.

Daylight savings time ultimately had to do with saving candle wax, and adjusting everyone's schedule to match the growth and harvest season. These days we have electric light (combo of two great inventors) and few people actually work on a farm. SO the question is this: Do we really still need daylight savings time? Is the extra hour in the fall worth losing it again in the spring? This question isn't rhetorical. I actually am trying to figure it out. please, give me some feedback.

Our baby's film debut

2006-10-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already seen this, you MUST watch it. If you HAVE already seen it, watch it again...

What to do, what to do...

2006-10-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

I have to be honest, the only reason I'm posting is because I'm bored. I can't think of anything that is exciting or different fom the last time I posted. It's a little like trying to go on stage AFTER the Beatles. Until I get the DVD of Ava's ultrasound edited, nothing can really be that big.
Lina and I got our plane tickets. We are spending Thanksgiving week in Norfolk with some friends of ours who just had a baby girl. Honestly, it's a little wierd thinking about going back to VA. I haven't been there since I was 20, and in a REALLY bad place in my life. My life was in the crapper so bad I LEFT Norfolk to try and get a fresh start, but I brought my drinking and coke' problem with me. I don't know, maybe I'm just being stupid anout it. It would be different if I was just going there for a day, but we'll be there for six days. I remember a while back, Lina and I were heading up to what has so far been our last time up at Ecclesia, and while looking for a parking spot we stumbled upon a section of town that I hadn't been to in a while. I knew that it was close to Ecclesia, but there was never any reason to go towards this subdivision, so I hadn't seen a litle duplex that I used to spend time at. Long story short, it was a place that I used to go to to just spend the time drinking and smoking cocaine. Nothing else, just drinking and cocaine. Maybe a little ramen noodles. I had never thought anything about it, but once I saw the little duplex it just made me think. I always say that, even if given the chance, I wouldn't change my drug history. I wouldn't know what I know or be where I am without it, but it has seemed pretty detatched the past few years. I have been places that I used to party, and seen people that I used to party with, but it hasn't really affected me. I think it was because there were few places that I went JUST for the purpose of getting high. Granted, I would do that sometimes once I had already gone to the place or hung out with the person, but few places I went or people I associated with had nothing but drugs as the motive. This duplex was one of the few. Half of flippin' Norfolk is like that for me. Then again, if something is important to who you are, maybe it's good to revisit it. I never have been one to "find closure" with things. I either resolve it then, or move past and never look back. I don't think I ever moved past Norfolk. I still shudder when I think abou tit. Maybe it's time to truly close the book and put it away when it comes to what I've done.

Say goodbye to Bean, and hello to Ava Grace!

2006-10-24T05:15:00.000-07:00

We found out yesteday that Bean has girl parts. We had an HD ultrasound that showed us all kinds of stuff. We got the whoel thing on dvd, so i'll be editing it into a nice compilation to post on youtube or google video. We have such great motions like "Ava shows us her booty, and lets us know that she is Ava, not just Bean anymore", "Ava mimics eating a cheeseburger", "Ava says 'Aaaaaaay' in her best Fonzie voice while giving us a thumbs-up", and "Ava hitting Lina in the stomach from the inside because Ava's tired of that thing being pushed against her while she's trying to eat a cheeseburger".
The doctor was really nice. Lina was understandably a little nervouse about having a male doctor, even though he's probably not going to work with any nekked parts. It turns out he look like a wrinkle-free William H. Macy, and seems like a sweet old man. He was very good at letting Lina know what we might have to watch for (because of her blood pressure) without scolding or using scare tactics. Nice guy.

So, there it is. I have a daughter. I will get to hold her in about 20 more weeks. It looks like St. Patrick's Day is the due date. I don't know if this makes any sense, but this makes me feel more grown up. THings have changed from "I'm going to have a baby" to "We're having a daughter". It being more specific seems to change things a little, all for the better.

Tuesday's Gone

2006-10-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

Weekend:
Most of it's a blur. I remember Church on sunday, then eating with the wife. Oh yeah, we went to the rodeo cook-off on saturday, but it was pretty uneventful. Missed the band we were going to see, and the food wasn't anything super-special.
Yesterday:
Good breakfast w/ Joel discussing theology, among other things that are less appropriate to blog about (this coming from the guy who had no problem blogging about how a teacher kept using the word teabag). Lina's car broke again. Then after spraying some insecticide around the house, Nathan and Yimmy and I went to stuff ourselves with some pretty decent sushi, followed by a round of great cigars at the Smoke Ring. I finally strayed from my standby Padron Anniversario and tried a "punch in the face", as described by the young'un working the counter. Good stuff. Then Lina and I watched the second episode of Heroes. If you don't watch Heroes, you should. Jeph Loeb is one of the producers. He has done some of the best DC comics, and was the consultant for Smallville. The show rocks it like a hurricane. Seriously.

A while after I woke up I remembered that my morning class was cancelled for the day, so then I had a big Woo-Hoo! Then I remembered that I have a test today that I totally didn't study for and should use this extra time to rectify the situation. Lame.

This is the day your life will surely change

2006-09-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the night! Clark will be facing of against a Zod-possesed Lex! Then we will see Sam and Dean continue to struggle against the demon that killed their mother. Sam and Dean anre't as important as Clark though. Okay, I'm addicted to Smallville. Wanna fight about it?

Later tonight Lina and I are going with a few other Basilicans to go see Jackass 2, which pleases me very much. Not only am I going to see a movie that will warp my mind for a little while, but I also have a wife awesome enough to go see it too. Honestly, not many girls are that cool.

I wrote (and then edited) a paper that had a lot of potential, but now I am going to have to make it as lame as FDR's legs. I have compiled a good bit of information and connected some dots to compare the rewriting of the Holy Trilogy (turning them in to the "Special Editions") and the liberal attitued that many people hold towards Scripture, but now I have to butcher it up to make it fit an incredibly constrictive format. I am goin to keep the first version on my hardrive so I can revisit it sometime and make it awesome, because it's just to good to be this lame. The first version (five paragraphs) was only able to glaze over the fact that Han shooting first in the Cantina is like trying to make Peter an infallible pope. There were a few other great comparisons that were put together in my head during conversations with Dave and Joel, but I never got to write them in. It feels like a painting of a crowd that has no faces yet. I can't just throw it away.

On a final note, I would like to voice my strong support for the Astros, and remind everyone that it is their duty (if you live within 50 miles of Houston) to support them in their race for the district title.

T-minus 5,4,3,2,1...

2006-09-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

LAUNCH!
Sunday was the first "Really for real, this time it's for real" service for Basilica. Good food, good service, good fellowship. I met a few people that I had heard of but never saw face-to-face (Hello Joel's Mom!). Good times were had by all.

Lina and I have become addicted to Grey's Anatomy for two reasons: No cable, and Joel introduced us to Red Box. I'm not one for TV drama's, but somehow I got roped in. Okay, that's a lie. Some people know that I happen to watch Gilmore Girls. It'as my wife's fault, I swear. At the old apartment she would watch reruns on ABC Family before she would go to work, and since we spend almost every moment at each others' side when we're in the same building I ended up watching them with her. DAMN YOU GILMORES! However, I'm not the only guy I know that secretly watches thew show, but don't make me give names. Chris Baldauf and Andy Graeber. And a few more that I can't think of.

ow s it that I always end up with the teacher that snorts peanut-butter and smokes crack while they put together their lesson plans? I was told this morning that all paranoia disorders (including some forms of schizophrenia) are all directly because of Adam and Eve hiding from God in the Garden? Evidently, Adam and Eve hiding when God was walking through the Garden the evening they ate the fruit started a genetic predisposition to paranoid delusions. Also, some forms of mental retardation can always be undone if the person truly had enough faith. I hope to God I don't sound like this guy when I talk about Judas being a ninja. I mean, I have documentation for my theories.

Lina, Dave and I went to go see the Astros on thursday, and it was awesome. Dave had this great rhythm with ball-park food. After we had some dogs, he was cycling between his nachos and peanuts with great precision. We saw Berkman break his record for homeruns in a season to win the game, and the ball-boy gae me one of the balls they were using for practice in between the innings. After the game there was an ice-cream truck outside the park, so we ate varieties of bomb-pops and smoked cigarettes. Okay, so they were candy cigarettes, and we play-smoked them like a couple of 8-year-olds. Whatever. Either way, it was an awesome night.

School's for losers

2006-09-12T15:10:00.000-07:00

I just remembered why I was in such a hurry to graduate high school. I don't like doing school work. I wish I could just go to school, listen to the lectures, participate in the conversation, and be done with it. Why do I have to take two english classes, huh? I mean, the Bible wasn't even written in english. On top of that, it doesn't even translate into perfect english. If my main studies are scripture and theology, why the crap do I need to study english? I have an okay understanding of my native language, and how languages work. Again, why? I can speak without sounding like a complete idiot (in my use of language, not the language I use. I'm still working on that one...), so WHY? Because these people want more money, that's why. Capitalist pigs. They should have a class about playing Guitar Hero, or Donkey Konga. IF they say I need to take the class to be able to communicate properly with other people, they should have a class on pop-culture. I wathc enough E! and VH1 to be able to pass that class. Maybe a class on movies that are a complete waste of time, yet I still watch them because I'm a silly boy that watches silly boy movies. Hello "Snakes On a Plane 101", and "Mike Judge 302"! Yeah.

Cowboy Coffee

2006-09-07T11:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's been a while since I've posted.
I spent an entire week combating Ebola Zaire, therefore I am officially on the better side of the 10% survival rate. I spent that week resting, taking OTC med's, and eating throat lozenges that taste horrible (unless you have a strong love for menthol. If so, you should go to CVS and buy Fisherman's Friend lozenges). Then my wife caught it. I was still sick, but she was MORE sick, which means I don't get to be sick anymore, whether or not I really am. It's a fair trade, because the same works when she's a little sick and I'm deathly ill. Now, as I am still a little runny-nosed and full of lung-oysters, I have to go to school. I missed Tuesday, which means I missed 1 week of classes for three different classes. Two of them I'm not to broken up about, but I'm really curious about my Biblical Counseling class. I can honestly say, this one is mostly just for the credit, not the information. The textbook is based on the opinion that ANY mental problem can ALWAYS be cured (not just treated) without any medical assistance, up to and including all forms of schizophrenia. I think that this is as insane as the diseases themselves, but hey, what do I know? It was either this class, or a class with a prof tat I alreaedy know I don't want to sit through for another semester, so at least with this class I get a good laugh, right?

After hunting down a burrito with Dave yesterday, we then went to Wal-Mart, because I needed to show him the Transformer that turns in to his new car. Before we got to the toys, we ran in to a display for the PS2 game Guitar Hero. Half an hour later, while it's his turn, I go and grab the Transformer for him. Somewhere between half an hour to an hour after that, we decide that we need to stop playing this game r we will have sudden onset carpal tunnel syndrome, not to mention that the skin started peeling of of Dave's pinkie. He can tear it up on Symphony of Destruction. We earned some money, used it to purchase a double necked SG, and achieved the level of Shredder. I was tempted to buy a PS2 on the spot just to buy the game, but my sound reason(read: knowledge tht I would have been killed by Lina for wasting $220) convinced me otherwise.

Alas, it is time to spen time looking up silly things on Wikipedia, so this post must come to an end.

Bean is Back!

2006-08-25T13:02:00.000-07:00

Here is Bean's first clear picture. Bean appears to be covering his/her ears, laying slightly on his/her right side, with the head on the left.

THe tech had a hard time getting a clear shot, because Bean wouldn't keep still. GO figure, my kid either won't keep still or is acting like a smart-ass. All conditions are great, with a strong and steady haertbeat. Withing a month or so I'll be able to stop using "his/her", and the occassional "it". Bean has grown a lot since Bean's fuzzy picture, and the scaling has gotten more accurate. No longer is Lina carrying an alien/Godzilla hybrid, and now has a baby. Mi gusta.

Life is good

2006-08-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

Ten minutes ago my third grade niece saw that, in my assignments, I have quite a few transparencies. She was pretty flippin' impressed. That made me feel so grown-up, which is funny because I'm 26, married for two years, and have a kid on the way, yet feel like my adulthood is validated by an eigth year old that is impressed with the format my homework is printed in.
The assignment I was working on is my final for tomorrow's class, which involves me doing an expository sermon on James 5:7-12. Here's where the real gold comes. In this sermon I will:

1-compare John the Baptist to Obi Wan Kenobi
2-call Jesus "The Real Luke Skywalker"
3-use the words "YAY!" and "WHOOPIE!" with great dignity
4-state that Jesus isn't the kind of guy that will stand us all up on prom night
5- (Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand...) Verify the fact that Jesus never had to say "By the power of GreySkull!" (...BOOM goes the dynamite.)

Sweat Pants, here I come!!!

2006-08-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

I have entered in to a new phase in my life, which is marked by many signs. The two that are most obvious are the fact that I'm going to be a dad, and that my pants are bigger than ever. On the first one, we went to the Doc on tuesday the 8th, and she said the baby looks wonderful. I was going to post the informal ultrasound, but it's really hard to make out. Essentially, little Bean has a huge head, and incredibly strong heart-beat (it's a good thing from what the Doc said), and a fair amount of modesty. The ultrasound couldn't get a clear picture of Bean's size, because the Doc said she couldn't find the rump of the child. She said it's because she wasn't the best at "just-for-fun" ultrasounds, but I know it's because Bean is exercising some modesty (which obviuosly comes from the Mother, as anyone who knew me in High School will verify) by not showing his/her bottom. What a kid.
On the second sign, there are many other related signs. The one that really hits me is that I'm going to have to get my wedding band sized up. IT's getting harder and harder to put it on and take it off. Okay, I went to the grocery store a couple mornings ago, and I realized that my ring was still in my pocket from when I went to sleep the night before, and I tried to slip it on one-handed, but it got stuck. It wouldn't finish going over my fatty sausage of a ring finger, and my finger actually started turning a little blue by the time I got back out to the car. I have entered in to a new stage in life that has shed almost all physical identification with my pre-married self. God Bless tattoos.
I have yet to meet a man in love with his woman that hasn't put on a few pounds. Added to the fact that I was still pretty slim (mid-120's lb.'s)back when I started dating Lina, I guess this mean that I love my wife in a measurable amount, and that amount is about 40 lb's. How much do YOU love your wife, husband, or fiancee?

I'll miss you Sammy.

2006-08-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

Sammy Hatchet was found dead from "unknown cause" this morning by his aunt. She had come to pick him up and take him to school. He was last seen Friday night at a prayer meeting at his home church.

Sammy Hatchet was a class-act. He loved everyone he saw, and wanted everyone to believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He had a knack for cartoon impressions. His rhyming abilities rivaled that of Al Sharpton. He always did his best to make sure that all of his classmates had finished their homework, regardless of whether or not he could actually help them. Sammy Hatchet has been called many things, and many of them were not kind. People said that he was "happy", "funny", and "kind". He was also called "dumb", "simple", "slow", "annoying", "immature", and "retarded". Clinically, he was classified as "developmentally disabled" because I.Q. was measured to be somewhere in the mid-60's, but he had no shame in the fact that God made his mind differently than most of the population's. In his words, all he cared about was the fact that God made him able to love and give glory to Him. His daily prayer was for God to call his parents to Him, so that he would see them in Heaven. Sammy Hatchet wrote poetry. Although his poetry appeared to be uncomplicated, it contained Truth. He wrote about how much God loved him, and how much he loved God. He also wrote about how much God loves you and me. His poetry always contained the Gospel, because, as Sammy always said, "Without Jesus, what's the point of writing?" He told me that he felt the pull of irresistible Grace almost a decade ago. Unknown to me, Sammy was in his mid forties, which meant that God called him in his mid to late 30's. Since his conversion, Sammy was able to get his own apartment and go to school. I knew that he loved going to college, but I didn't know that everyone (including his parents) told him that he would never be able to go to school, especially since he wasn't able to graduate high school. Mrs. Reese, our Comp 1 teacher, had known Sammy since before his conversion. She gave him a ride home every week, because she knew that otherwise he wouldn't be able to attend. She told us today that she always worried about Sammy, because he was struggling in class, but because of the effort he put in to it she refused to fail him. She was worried what would happen in Comp 2, because she wasn't going to be teaching it next semester. She said she didn't know if his teacher would be able to see how hard he worked at a subject that he had trouble with.

Sammy, I know you love God, the Father. I know you love Jesus, the Son. I know you love the Holy Spirit. I saw your love for the Trinity expressed in everything you did. May you rest with the Lord tonight. May you find Peace and Joy in your Eternal Reward. I'll miss you.

Here I go again on my own...

2006-08-07T11:06:00.000-07:00

Let us examine the last few days...

Thursday, after Lina picked me up from school, we went and ate wonderful food for Heather's birthday. I walked in and saw there were two seats open for the two of us. I glanced around quickly, seeing that many friends were there. I cassually sit down, say hello to Betha, Tim, and Jessica, then Lina asked me a question: "Did you say high to Dave?" Wha-a-a-a- (in an inquisitive tone)...? I look behind the row of people, and there's Dave, with his big smilin' face! My Dave is home. I know, many of you will say, "He's not YOUR Dave, He's EVERYONE'S Dave!". Wrong. You see, Dave and I spent many many youth group hours together. We spent many weekends making farts and fart jokes together. WE prayed, played, and worshipped together. Dave was there when I first leanred what it was to truly worship. Dave was there when I first read the Bible because I loved God, and wanted to learn more about Him, as opposed to reading it out of obligation. Dave was the owner of a cassette that introduced me to the World's Finest Descendents. Then I left, and Dave wasn't there anymore. I was around the world, Dave was at home. A few short years later, Dave was around the world, and I was at home. I lost contact with Dave, and then gained contact with Dave. Then again. Then one last time, when he had already left for Japan. Now he is back. He may go somewhere else, or Lina and I might move for my school, but atleast he's here now. Fudge anyone who thinks this is a sappy post. Yes, fudge you all.

Friday:
Buy my new Bible, go to Onion Creek. While at the O.C., I drank three V8's and smoked Joel's pipe. I walked away smelling like a distinguished gentleman.

Saturday:
I got my conga's back from Chevy, and then we went up to Basilica. It tuurns out that Jessica knew Chevy from a long time ago. Didn't see that one coming!The service was fantastico! Even before we prayed over Mike and Tammi, the entire congregation was really focused on the service. Strong fellowship existed among us, and through this God was glorified. Then every single person in the room got all boo-hooey over Mike and Tammi. By everyone, I mean me too. Even though a strong fellowship was there, we prayed in one accord over the first missionaries to be sent from Basilica. Even some that had only known the Rices for a few months felt the pain involved in lettig them go. To agree with Joel, if it had not been for Christ in us, we probably would have done everything physically possible to not let them leave. Above the pain of the fleshly side of us wanting them to stay, the love and fellowship praised God for blessing us with the chance to see them go.

Sunday:
Hands and shoulders hurt from playing the congas. The Frenchman said I must play through the pain, and I guess that order is a standing one, not just for during church. Mostly I studied. ANd then I studied.

Today:
Well, here I am. That's everything so far.

Another day at school...

2006-08-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted, because the school temporarily locked out all blogging. Someone in admin saw on the news that some people used MySpace in a preditorial way, so all of admin went "OH MY GOD! IF WE LET PEOPLE BLOG AT ALL THEY"LL BECOME PERVERTS!". I guess it took them a while to realize how, well, stupid that is.

Lina and I have complied two playlists for little Bean Von Kanel. We have one to stimulate Bean's intellect, that has some Yann Tiersen, Buck Owens, Beatles, Bonnie Tyler, Chuck Berry, Cash, Lou Reed, Bowie, They Might Be Giants (half of their songs give you Jeopardy! answers), Van the Man, Clutch (10001110101), Danny Elfman, Slackers, CCR, and many others. The other playlist of for Bean and Mom combined, and is titled "Bean's Lullabies". It also has a heaping portion of Yann Tiersen and the Beatles, with some Cat Stevens, Beck (Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime), Bob Marley, the Doors (Crystal Ship), Lennon, McCartney, Double Down, Ella and Louis, R.E.M., Seu Jorge (doing Bowie), more of Van the Man, Willie, and more. If anyone has any reccomendations, I'm open.

We go to her Doc on Tuesday. I'm not sure what all we'll find out. She's somewhere in her 8th or 9th week. What all do you get to see at that time? I know Bean should no longer look like a microscopic version of Godzilla, and has moved to the alien stage. Awesome. I have an alien. Bean's somewhere around an inch from head to "rump" as the chart says. I'm so dumb. I whisper hello to him/her sometimes. Lina doesn't know (but she probably will now) that I even whisper to Bean when Lina's asleep.

A couple of weeks ago we did something that was harder than I thought it would be. We gave Bean to God. The prayer wasn't very long, but very emotional. It was joyful and painful at once. I haven't even seen the face of my first born child, and I felt what can only be described as a ripping feeling. I declared before God and my wife that I was accepting that our baby is not ours, but we are only a steward of one of God's creations. I've always wanted to be a dad, ever since I was a kid. I always felt that having a child would be the culmination of my life handed down to another. This prayer meant that, while my job hasn't changed, my accountability in some way has. Uttering the words "God, if you choose to take our baby home early, we know that it is to serve Your greater purpose" was the hardest thing I've ever done. Don't get me wrong, I've gone through some pretty rough things, but this is a whole new level. When speaking in medical matters,the very reason we hadn't conceived before is the same reason we did concieve now. This same reason automatically places this in the "high risk" category, not to mention the inherent risk involved with a first-time pregnancy. So far, shortly after every stomach pain Lina goes through, I praise God for for giving humans the gift of heartburn and gas. A little bit of ice crean or a good "howdy-doo" from under the blanket, and all my fears melt away.

The triune God is the first person (people, whatever.) I have ever loved personally with passion, without seeing face-to-face. I'm probably not as mission-minded as I should be, but He's also been the last. Don't get me wrong, I have cared deeply for people that I have never met, but I've always had a hard time feeling a vested interest outside a general love for the church.That is, until the morning Lina told me she had "a mutant on board" (I also give God thanks for comic books). It's strange loving someone that you can't feel. It's as alien to me as Bean's appearance. I wonder what it will be like to see an audio image of Ava/Ender for the first time. Will I immediately recognize her/him as having come from me, or will I have to connect the dots in my head? What will I do the first time I feel a kick? Cousin David told me about when he saw the fingers of his daughter's hand clearly through his wife's stomach. What? Kuato?!? (if you need any help with that one, watch Total Recall). Cousin Gracie (Cousin David's younger sister) is knocked up too, and she's due in January. That makes four friends for Bean, since we have Bella, Holden, and Big-Poppa "D" (aka Darin the Badass). I haven't spent much time with yougner children, considering how much I love them. Immediately following my induction to the Basilica Community, I fell in love with three children that (for all intents and purposes) belonged to a stranger. Upon arrival at the House of Burdeaux yesterday, I was assaulted with warmth. Joel came in before me, since he was carrying Big Poppa D. I walked in and saw my wife sitting/laying on the couch under a blanket. Then I was bum-rushed with hug from the one-boy-wrecking-crew named Holden. At the same time, Bella pointed towards me with a wonderful smile and informed her dad that "An-Ty's here!". I don't care how many times I say it, and I don't care if I sound like a blubbering fool every time, but I love those kids. I think they might like me too. I thank God that Bean will have those three kids growing up (until they move to Russia, but hey, whatever.)

Wow. This post totally went in a different direction. Praise be to God.

Blowing off steam...

2006-07-20T15:55:00.000-07:00

Okay. I'm good now.

First look at the BABY!!!

2006-07-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

Here is the first baby picture of the new Young Von Kanel. Yes, you read it right: We're having a baby!!!

delightful combination

2006-07-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

Sour Apple Big League Chew. Amen.

Just for the sake of it...

2006-07-03T15:56:00.000-07:00

I'm only writing this because I haven't posted in a couple weeks. Since I last posted I have spent five days in Dallas (it was going to be four, but we ended up there an extra day because the a/c went out on the car), saw Beck play, helped clean the bedroom three times, come up with a cool motorhead tattoo (a black ace of spades with a reversed black&white picture of Snaggletooth B. Motorhead in the middle), gone to a wedding reception, and totally butchered a song while playing at church, and gotten crazy freaked out when my father-in-law's girlfriend left her unmentionables on the bathroom counter. Looking back at the normal size of my posts, I woner why this one is so short. All these occurances were actually pretty interesting, but I guess I'm lazy...

Bags for making Tea...

2006-06-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

This morning of class started as any other, with discussion on our prior work and guided conversation instead of pure lecturing. Part of the lesson was about giving "stories" or examples to kick-start a sermon. France (the prof. Yes, it's a man named France.) had told us not to forget to ask him about the Teabag Story. My response was "The what?" with a little snickering. "The Teabag Story." Of course, I say, "I'm sorry, that was the what story?" "TEABAG." Obviously, France was oblivious to the term. The class progressed.

After a little while, someone said said, "Hey prof, weren't we supposed to remind you to tell us something?" I piped up quickly "TEABAG!". Here's the story. I'm ommitting the quotation marks, but this was what France said:

One day I was having lunch with a friend of mine, and afterwards we had some tea. Not the iced-tea us brothers usually drink, but we had some nice hot tea. As we were talking, my buddy kept taking his teabag out of his cup and putting it back in (I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on the story). He kept dunkin' and dunkin' and dunkin' his teabag (grimace to hold back laugh...). I asked him what he was doing, and he said that if he didn't keep it in there the whole time, he didn't have to worry about his tea getting too strong. So I sat there watching him dip his teabag into the hot water (my eyes get big, but my mouth stays shut...), and I realized that it was a great analogy for some church-goers these days. They'll come in for a while, and then they'll get out before it gets too strong for their taste. Tea-baggin' the church, tea-baggin' the church (my head goes down a little, hand over my mouth...). They just keep tea-baggin' the pastor, and they're tea-baggin' the whole faith! (hat goes on to help cover my face, and my hand is clamped very tightly over my mouth) When it comes down to it, they're tea-bagin' the whole congregation, from the sunday-school teachers to tea-baggin' the little old ladies in the front!

Okay. This is where I lose it. I let loose a laugh like a cannon blast, alternately laughing deeply and squealing the words "tea-baggin' the little old ladies!". One of the guys next to me, who's a good ten years my senior, looks over laughing and said he knew what I was laughing about, but tried to hold it in. France is chuckling, asking what's so funny. It took me a minute to realize that he was serious, and had no idea what it meant to tea-bag somebody or something. It took me a few more minutes to regain myself, and we explained to him and the rest of the class what tea-bagging was, complete with (fully-clothed) visual aides. France's response was "No wonder I always get more laughs from this story than it really warrants." We then took a few minutes to share some other terms he might want to steer clear of, like "taint" and "dutch oven". Then, as I thought of one of my first conversations with Joel, I told him he might not want to use "boof" as a sound effect or exclaimation. France said "Why. Wait, you know what, I probably don't want to know." I said, "Let it suffice to say that you would have doctrinal issues regarding it."

Today was the day that I heard a late 30-something preacher say that people tea-bag the little old ladies at his church. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand BOOOOOOM goes the dynamite.

I am the Best at Wallball!!!

2006-06-08T11:18:00.000-07:00

Last night was the first spontainious Men's Night for Basilica, which mostly involved pizza and wallball. I ate my share of pizza, and achieved many top-scores at wallball, therefore making me the champion. Here is a short (but not complete) list of areas in which I was #1:

1) Number of times falling down chasing for the ball
2) Number of times falling down running for the wall, to avoid being hit by the ball
3) Number of times to touch the ball w/o catching it, therefore
4) Number of times having the ball thrown at me as a penalty, which taught me
5) Best method of clinching butt-muscles to avoid possible damage to my "coin-purse" during free-peg's... and of course
6) Best ability to consistantly imitate a four-year-old girl when throwing the ball

Obviously, holding this many top-ranks, I am the Master of all things wallball.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?!?

2006-06-05T14:20:00.000-07:00

Note: The majority of this is to be read from a Richard Lewis stlye "I'm talking about my life, but not really complaining, as much talking about it in a cynical, self-deprecating, humorous style" perspective. I've earned every bit of this stuff, so, if anything, I'm getting off waaaaaaaay easy.

I had last monday off for the holiday, but by I had goten sick on friday, so monday was spent in bed. It was a case of meningitisebolainfluenza with a touch of upper resp. infection. Sad thing is, I missed out on my mother-in-law's birthday get-together, which invloved steak. By tuesday, my body was so exhausted the dynamite went boom while I was reading comics. I was sitting in bed with the TV off reading some X-Men, and then I time traveled a little bt in to the future. I don't know how long I was out, but a few things stick out in my mind. I don't remember the actual phone call, but I remember that I called Lina at work to tell her I had a seizure. I also remember that when I looked down on the floor, I saw that I had not dropped my book, but had set it on the floor with the page marked. This is funny, because the last time I had a seizure, I had taken my glasses off and folded them up on the desk. I also remember handing the phone to my father-in-law with a "the phone's for you" idea, and flopped down on the couch. Eduardo says I was a riot talking to him, and almost got him in trouble with his girlfriend when she called. I was pretty out of it for another hour or so. Guessing acording to how my body felt the next few days, I probably had a full generalized seizure(s), but no partial-complex aspect added. Therefore, no shaking, just locking up, probably for a minute, maybe two. No idea how long I was blacked out after the seizure before I called Lina. What now? Another anti-convulsant on top of the Dilantin. Now I'm feeling like a narcoleptic until my body adjusts. You know, these seizures made my life look exciting at first, but I think that aspect is no longer worth the trouble I go through. I imagine my body (as a seperate entity) tsaying to me, "This is what you get. If you had been nicer to me we wouldn't have to go through this." You know, what really sucks is the fact that this was supposed to be a relaxing week. I mean, what good is a holiday if you don't get to play frisbee, huh? Instead, I got to cough, take medicine, get an MRI, and scare the crap out of Lina. Fun.

How sweet the sound...

2006-05-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday Lina and I went to go see Kori (Lina's older sister's daughter) perform in Deer Park Elementary's talent show. Of course, her performance was wonderful, and so was a 5th grade boy's performance of the Star Wars theme song on piano, but I what struck me most was a little 1st Grade girl in a big red dress singing Amazing Grace accapella. To anyone that doesn't know, Amazing Grace has always held a very special place in my heart. While every verse is important to me, the second verse pulls my stomach up to my throat.

"T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that appear the hour I first believed."

As most know, I don't drink. This is because one day I woke up and realized that I shouldn't have lived through what I'd been putting myself through. Drinking played a big part, but it certainly wasn't the only thing I was doing to myself. The day after Thanksgiving a few years ago, I woke up afraid. Grace had taught my heart to fear. I have believed that Jesus is the Son of God and is my Salvation ever since I can remember. It wasn't the moment I believed in the grace of salvation, it was the moment I believed in the grace of living. Not only did Grace suffice to secure my life in the hereafter, but it also was the only reason I was breathing. That grace-induced fear crippled me. At the same time, that fear moved me to live.
When I heard that song sung by a six-year-old, whose voice didn't hit most of the high notes, and almost had to grunt out the lower ones, I couldn't even look at her. It hurt me to think that a little child wanted to display how much she loved a song
that represented everything wrong with humanity. At the same time, I was blessed to hear that same child love a song that told about man-kinds only hope, and how strong that hope really is. At six, I didn't know about how far a person could really fall. I didn't look at my dad's two brothers and see heroine junkies. I looked at them and saw two uncles that loved me. I had never seen a starving homeless person at the age of six. The only poverty I had ever seen was on commercials asking me to "adopt" a child for "only the price of a cup of coffee a day". Honestly, I knew nothing about hurting, and had never seen suffering. To know that a child could love that song so much that she would get up in front of everyone she knew and sing it... honestly, I'm not the kind of guy that says this kind of thing... it touched me. Someone that hadn't had the chance to try and test grace, but still knew it was wonderful. Amen.

J. 'Rocky' Howlett III

2006-05-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

He has been renamed, groomed, and is ready for the ladies.

Willingness

2006-05-15T14:49:00.000-07:00

Prelude:
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, this post started about one thing, but ended about something else entirely

Over the past year, God has placed many things before me that required stepping out on faith. However, while they have required faith, they have not required sacrifice. Honestly, I had started to take it for granted.

While it could almost seem trivial from some points of view, a little sacrifice has now been called for. While it's a big deal to some in my family, it could seem so small to someone else. As (I hope) anyone who reads this knows, Basilica is now up-and-running. I had to miss last week for a wedding, which was a hard choice to make, since it was only the second week of church. I was also scheduled to miss this upcoming week due to another wedding. Today in class I got a text message from Lina telling me that her Mom had a surprise party on the 27th, starting at 3 or 3:30-ish. That would make three weeks in a row. I am going to be a no-show at this weeks wedding, because three weeks without Basilica is out of the question. My mom is definitely upset by this, since the girl getting married this weekend is the grand-daughter of the minister that performed my parents' wedding ceremony, but I haven't been in any real contact with this family for almost a decade.

I am supposed to be helping the Worship Leader by playing guitar with her and helping out with the singing. On May 6th, right after the first service, I dropped the bomb that I wasn't going to be there for the next two weeks. In hindsight, I was wrong in many ways. The most blatant is the fact that, while I had known about it for a while, I kept forgetting to tell her. While part of me wants to tell myself that I'm just a forgetful person by nature, that doesn't matter. I should have taken the proper precautions against my "talent" for forgetting by calling her or emailing her the minute I would remember it. Obviously, I didn't do that, which means that I was not only being irresponsible and inconsiderate, ultimately I was acting as if her ministry and my commitment came second to my own convenience. Another blatant example of how wrong I was in the situation was how I just casually said with a sheepish chuckle (and I'm quoting myself on this), "Oh yeah! I'm not going to be here the next two weeks!" To anyone out there that is ever in a situation where you need to inform someone that you won't be able to fulfill a prior commitment, tossing it out with a chuckle is a horrible and calloused way to do it. That's near the top of the list of "Worse Ways to Inform Someone You Won't Help Them". My wife had reminded me many times to tell Jessica, but I didn't do it until we were actually trying to plan out the week when it came to practice. Her response was somewhere along the lines of "Well, I guess that solves scheduling problems!" While she's not the type of person that would say something like this, instead of a nice reply that showed kindness and understanding, what I really deserved was "What the crap?!? How long have you known about this? Why are you just telling me now? You shouldn't just throw that at someone like that, and not at the last minute! Come'on! You're so inconsiderate!" Even if she was the type of person to say that (which again, she is not), after she said it I still would owe her an apology. Since I hadn't mentioned it to her before, I didn't find out that this weekend was potentially one of the weekends that she would need me to fly solo, because she had plans. Now, she has had to go through more work to set up a couple weeks of music. Her job is hard enough, just having to set up the worship for a church with no back-log of songs OR stand-in musicians, and I made it harder. Jessica, I am sorry.

rocky von kanel

2006-05-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

He's a four-year old yorkie that we adopted today. He's still nervous, but he likes us.

"Tonight, I'm gonna have myself a real good time..."

2006-05-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

A funny little detail about my first class today. In most of the literature it is written like this "Th 301: The Church, Holy Spirit, Ange", which i correctly assumed meant that it involved the study of angels. I incorrectly assumed that by finishing the word "angels", I was also finishing the title of the class. Written out completely for the course description, it reads "Theology 301: The Church, Holy Spirit, Angels, demons, Satan, and Church [mostly end-times] Prophecy". Didn't see that one coming. Aaaaaand boom goes the dynamite.

In my best Judy Jetson voice: "Dear Di Di..."

2006-05-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

It's been an interesting summer vacation, but it is over. Today is the first day of my summer semester, therefore the vacation is done. It's been pretty interesting, though.

To start, I have eaten many wonderful things. At my friend Chevy's birthday party, I ate a medium/rare sirloin, covered with.... strips of bacon! I also had another steak out to eat with Lina. I have had too many burgers to remember. At Katz's I had a foot-long Hebrew National covered with... strips of bacon! Score. Those are the best. I have been quite the glutton with desserts, too. I'll skip to last night's dessert. A gigantic bowl of ice-cream, covered in Magic Shell and peanut butter. To anyone who hasn't had peanut butter on Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla, just trust me, it will change your life.

The church plant is no longer a "planting"", it is a "growing". Saturdays at 4pm. email for directions. I have a pastor named Joel, a nursery full of the awesome trio, a worship leader named Jessica, and most importantly, a wife named Lina that smiles at me when I play guitar and step far enough away from the microphone that you can't actually hear me.

The past two weeks have been full of new and painful experiences, but I have been given a better perspective on life because of it. Without getting too far in to it, after my Dad had a severe allergic reatcion that almost killed him (his blood pressure had dropped so low that they couldn't get any reading for either number), my parents went through what could be called a "rough spot", if I want to be glib. As a result, my image of my father has been forever shattered. It took this situation to realize that my Dad is not perfect. I've always been ready to accept flaws in my family, just not my dad. I still know my father is an incredible father, and a good husband, but his faith and family skills aren't perfect. You might say, "Well of course they're not, Andy", and I would tell you that I knew that, but I didn't ever really admit it to myself. Seeing that my dad isn't always right in every situation has also helped to lift a veil that I saw the world through, especially my family. It was pretty painful at first. To be completely honest, I spent at least an hour sobbing, laying down at the foot of my bed. However, something that I always thought would crush me no longer has that power. I always believed that my parents could never split up. They haven't and they won't, but if they did it would have crushed me. I realized that it would have done this not just because of my parents splitting, but also because it would force me to see that my Dad isn't perfect. That would have been the hardest part. The worst thing that could have happened already did, though, and it needed to. My dad is only human, not a spiritual Hercules. I always thought that my dad had always had everything figured out, and his only flaws were a result of not being able to put that knowledge in to action. I was wrong. No one ever has everything figured out. These are things I could always accept in others, but not in him. It hurt a lot, but growing isn't always pain-free. I thank God for Lina, who sat by me as I was crying, rubbing her hand along my back, being there to reassure me that the world wasn't ending. I thank God for opening my eyes even more to the world around me. While my dad is my human father, he is also a Brother in Christ, not a father in Christ. Amen.

It's okay if you don't know everything...

2006-04-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

I've been in a Ben Folds mood today. Songs for Silverman is so flipping awesome...

First 1/2 of "Jesusland" by Ben Folds

Take a walk
out the gate you go and never stop
past all the stores and wig shops
quarter in a cup for every block
and watch the buildings grow
smaller as you go

Down the tracks
beautiful McMansions on a hill
that overlook a highway
with riverboat casinos and you still
have yet to see a soul

Jesusland
Jesusland

Town to town
broadcast to each house, they drop your name
but no one knows your face
Billboards quoting things you'd never say
you hang your head and pray

for Jesusland
Jesusland

I took my last final this morning. It was the class that I was most confident in. Not only have I ace'd every assignment, but I've also enjoyed them all. It turns out, the final was to make 10 exegetical observations and form a current personal application fo Matthew 28:16-20. I turned in an A+ test, but just to be safe I used some ninja skills. Dr. Jackson told us that his wife was out of town for six weeks to help out his daughter in Hawaii, because she was having twins an her husband got called up to active duty in Iraq. Dr. J and I have shared a couple personal emails about how hard it is for a lot of husbands to function when their wives have gone out of town (namely, the two of us). His wife came back with his daughter and two brand-new grandkids last week. I did a little bit of investigating and found out that the twins' names were Reese and Cate. On the bottom of the test, I wrote a note, saying "Due to the fact that my favorite candy is Reeseis Peanut Butter Cups (a fact that he is well aware of, since it is my breakfast in class every thursday), and that I was friends with a girl named Catherine, who occassionally went by Cate, I think I deserve an A+." He wrote a note next to it saying "I agree with your pristine logc!"
And boom goes the dynamite

I can say that I don't know what I'm doing, but I can't say I have the time...

2006-04-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

The title is a line from one of my favorite song, as many of my titles have been...

Today I took my final for Theology 301. Dang. This dynamite didn't go boom. I felt like Dave from Summer School, filling in c,c,c,c,c,c. I did great on everything except the part where I was required to give a list of scriptures, including the chapters and verses, for a bunch of theological principles. This part actually covered the majority of the test. If I had a Bible in front of me I could have answered all 35 questions in five minutes. However, this was a completely closed-book exam. I have never been good at listing and memorizing scripture. I think I got four of them. He gave me half credit for the questions that I got the chapter right. That gave me 2 more. I did the extra credit on the exam, and I got five extra points.I ended up with a 71 on the test. He also gave me extra credit for the papers I turned in with my other two assignments. I actually only turned them in to defend my reasoning for my definitions, because with them, he had no real room to dispute, just disagree. The final was worth 80% of the class grade. My final grade for the semester is a B. I don't know what that equates to as a GPA. Tonight's exam (Church, Clergy, Non-prof., and the Law)is going to be pretty easy. I've learned a lot of new information in this class, but everything that's covered on the test is stuff that I already knew. Tomorrow I have my exam for Inductive Bible Study Methods, and I'm not worried about it. Tomorrow's afternoon class doesn't have a final, and I turned my assignments in early, so I'm probally not going to go at all. I've read the text, I've read the commentary, and I don't like the instructor. All he ever does is read the scripture, paraphrase the commentary, and tell some story about how he(or on of his friends) has been poorly treated in his life. Then again, by poorly treated I mmean not having their anually salary raised from $180,000 to $205,000. I've ranted about him before, so I'm not going to go any further.

Oa: the planet that holds the central power battery

2006-04-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce you to the newest member of the family. Its name is Oa, and I enjoy it very much. I have my wife to thank. She loves me so much...

Phase 1 of haircut day

2006-04-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

As i started to shave off my beard

Phase 2 of haircut day

2006-04-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

Mostly shaved here.

Phase 3 of Haircut Day

2006-04-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

Here is the final product.

Don't you hate it when...

2006-04-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

I just have to say this. I really enjoy my classes. I've learned plenty in all of them. I have discussed things in all of them. All of Blake Wilson's classes should include a warning on the syllabus along these lines: "I am not very capable of defending any of the theological stances that force in to my survey of scripture. If you scratch the surface off any of my arguments, I will get mad and say that you are wrong and change the subject, without ever actually giving any evidence that you are incorrect. On top of that, I have bad breath."

Shakes the Clown

2006-04-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

Here's my weekend. Sunday, after going six months without a seizure (or so we thought), I got to drive for the first time since the last one. I went over to Joel and Heather's, and then went back home. Monday was spent doing work and stuff, and watching the guys play racquetball. Tuesday, I drove Lina to work so I could use the car, ran some errands, then went over to my parents' house to use the computer. I was coming back from the kitchen half an hour before I was going to pick up Lina, and boom goes the dynamite. I was siting down at the computer to wrap up what I was doing, and the next thing I remember was my dad holding from behind, helping me to sit up by lifting me a little from my armpits. I looked up at the computer desk and saw that I had taken my glasses off, which I vaguely remember doing so they wouldn't break when I fell out of the chair. I kinda new what was happenning I guess. So, six more months without driving. As I was looking up some funny little image for this post, I found this. I thought it was damn funny, for about two seconds. Seriously, I looked at it for a couple seconds, and realized I had to stop.

We got an urgent care visit to the nuerologist the next day (yesterday), and they did some little test where she pushed up my foot, and it bounced on the way up. She said I needed to get an X-Ray of my neck, because there might be some spinal damage. I'm laughing about all of this still. I have this great and horrible habit of lauhing at things that aren't funny. Lina, however, isn't taking this the same. I try to see this whole thing as part of God's plan. I do everything I'm capable of doing (within reason), and if these seizures don't go away, then for some they are intended to be part of my life. I try to look at it from her perspective, though. What would I do if this were happening to her? I'd be a mess. I'd have long since started smoking cigarettes again, and I wouldn't let her out of my sight. The fact that she let me go to class last night (I had to miss my afternoon class to go to the doctor) shows a lot of faith on her part. Seriously, I don't remember any of my seizures, so it doesn't really freak me out. I just hate the headache that follows, and the muscle soreness. That and I hate not being able to drive. Oh yeah. Earlier I had said "or so we thought" when refering to the fact that I hadn't had a seizure in six months. It turns out we were wrong. the last one had ben in November, not October, therefore making it five months. I guess that's why they say to wait six months, right?

The Ninja Apostle!

2006-03-30T15:04:00.000-08:00

Oh my. It's just too great.
Judas "THE FREAKIN' NINJA" Iscariot!?!

That makes Jesus that much cooler.

"Virginia, they didn't give you quite enough information..."

2006-03-30T10:53:00.000-08:00

Two updates on prior posts: 1) I recieved a zero for the assignment, not a "failure to submit', therefore the grade will be dropped. Score. Dr. J said that the smiley-face was the deciding factor. 2) Somehow, my knees still don't hurt anymore than normal. Keep in miond, my knees hurt, but the activity didn't make them any worse, or at least not that I can tell. That's great, because I had a lot of un, and I haven't been very physically active lately, hence my out-of-shapeness that made three hours of racquetball crazy-exhausting.

My dad had to go to the hospital yesterday. He had an allergic reation to something, which caused him to go quickly in to anaphylactic shock. For about a decade we've known that he developed an allergy to honey, and every time he ingests anything with honey his reactions become progressively worse. This is the second time he's had a reaction to something other than honey, but they never pinned down what it was the last time. So far, the rumor is that it might be sesame seeds or sunlower seeds. Nothing for sure, though. It scares me, because, due to the progressiveness of the reactions, the epinephrine takes longer to effect his system. That's what doctors call "other than good". It makes me realize that the potential exists fo his next reaction to be a final one. I know that there are all kinds of potential dangers for everyone, but this is not random nor unrealistic, therefore it's scary. I also realize that God only takes someone when it's his time to take them, but that doesn't mean you have to like it. He's fine, now. I don't know, I'm jus kinda going on and rambling. Well, no one forced you to read, so I can only assume whoever reads this somehow find this interesting. Crazy...

My sister... by Andy Von Kanel

2006-03-29T14:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, this isn't a poem.
Amanda and I have a very unique relationship. It's uniqueness lies in it's simplicity. We totally get each other, even though we're not totally like each other. Now, I've heard people say "Yeah, my younger brother and I are like that, too" or some other comparison, but (trust me), this is different. Lina is extremely close to her brother and her sister. I'm close with Adam, but it's totally different from Amanda and me. Honestly, I can't really even describe it. We've been there during such extreme periods in each other's lives, and as a result, it has built an extreme bond on top of the already strong sibling relationship. Lina once said that it was fun, but sometimes a little strange to see the two of us together. And when she drives me to school, sometimes we'll talk about the most meaningless crap, but somehow or another we both seem to walk away feeling like we understand life a little bit better.

Move Over for a Damage Case...

2006-03-29T08:29:00.000-08:00

First things first, you HAVE to see this story about a leprechaun.

Yesterday I spent three hours playing racquetball. Yes, three hours. No, i have never played racquetball before. It wsa an experiment. Over the past two years, since my knees have really gotten bad, I have only tried a few athletic activities. Riding a bike doesn't work, because the problem isn't impact. The problem is based on putting weight on my knees as they flex or extend to a certain degree, and riding a bike covers both ends of the spectrum. Bob, (a gentleman I've known for a few years now, but still not spent much time with) and Clint (who recently moved in from Austin, and just so happens to live within two minutes of me) play raquetball. One thing I never noticed about racquetball until I went was that it involves sprinting every moment until someone scores or the serve is changed It's always seemed like fun, so I decided to perform an experiment. I pushed myself pretty freakin' hard for a little over three hours solid (until 9pm), learning and playing. It just so happens that a 75 year old man that teaches racquetball (and dominated EVERYONE there) gave me a few pointers. I believe his exact words were "Don't worry, eventually you'll stop hitting it like a girl. Everyone does." To the point of this... this morning when I woke up, my knees hurt. Strangly enough though, they hurt just about as much as they do every morning. This means one of three things. 1) My knees might actually be getting better, 2) Racquetball happens to be something that isn't that bad for my knees, or 3) It's a delayed reaction, and tomorrow I'll wake up a temporary paraplegic.

The aspect of this sprt that I didn't take in to account is that my right arm now feels like I have a toddler's arm attatched where a grown man's should be. When I lifted the pot of coffee, my arm didn't hurt, so much as feel like it was pathetically weak and uncontrolled. For anyone familiar with it, it must be what Captain America felt like when he tried to lift Mjolnir. Anyone that doesn't get this, that probably makes you much cooler than me...

The Saga Continues

2006-03-27T12:54:00.000-08:00

Here is a tale that started four fortnight's worth of Sabbaths ago. It has traversed the globe nigh five times, maybe more. Danger from knowledge of this tale is great, but the danger of ignorance is greater. May your fate be in your own hands…

great puppy, except...

2006-03-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

This wonderfull, adorable little puppy has gas. right where she lies. but she's too cute to move. what a predicament. Ignore the glazed look I have in my eyes. It's really fear and disgust.

And the man in the back said "Everyone Attack!"...

2006-03-23T10:27:00.000-08:00

I had an assignment due today in my morning class. I had worked quite some time on it over the weekend. By spending time on it, that means I put some serious effort in to it. Last night, while talking to my clssmate that happens to work in the bookstore, I found out that I either didn't recieve or had lost the second page about the assignment that stated some extra work that needed to be done. It involved rewriting by hand a large portion of the work I had done, and even more work. Had I known about it I would hae done it gladly, because it sounds like a lot of un. I'll probably do it later just for the sake of what I might learn by doing it. However, getting home after 10pm from my night class, and having to wake up early today to get over on this side of town for my morning class, my only option to complete it on time would have been to stay up even later than I already was. Now, Dr. Jackson drops the lowest grade of the semester, if you turn in every asignment. I asked him what the exact requirements were the first day of class, and he said, "As long as you turn in something for every assignment, I'll drop your lowest if you want." You might be asking yourself, "How will Andy solve this?" Well, the answer is simple. When I got in to class this morning, I sat down, and tore a piece of paper out of my composition book (you think I would have learned to carry loose-leaf paper wth me, but no...). Since the paper isn't perforated, the edges were pretty torn up. I wrote my name, the class number, the date, and the assignment number on it, and wrote "Drop me, please", and drew a big smiley face on it. We'll see what happens.

A Sentimental Mood

2006-03-21T16:04:00.000-08:00

Coltrane, anyone?
Funny story: For once, I have no external distractions from typing up my school-work. Not to worry, this was quickly rectified. I ended up catching up with three friends who are so very dear to me. Two by conversation, one by research. I spent some time on the phone and then on AIM catching up with the two that I haven't had any contact with in years, and I haven't actually seen in over five years. I can't even begin to describe how great it felt. The other friend, however, was a different story. The last time I saw him wasn't good, nor were the terms in which we parted. He was a friend/neighbor/cohort of mine from when I was younger. He lived right behind me, so we shared a back fence. I used to jump that fence every morning before school, to the point that I had a toothbrush in his bathroom and his step-mom used to make extra coffee for me. Shortly after I left home, I got word that he had gotten himself in a little bit of trouble. He got busted for B&E and Grand Theft. He was given 'prison boot camp'. I visited him when I got home on leave. After I came home from the Navy, we ran in to each other, caught up, spent some crazy nights partying hard, and then got in to an argument about some "substances" and how they should weigh out. We haven't actually spoken since. Shortly after that, I found out that he had committed a couple felonies our last night partying, and he was convicted for them. At my wedding I found out that he had moved to Arizona, trying to get a fresh start. A couple of months ago I found out that he was in prison in AZ. Today I looked him up in the AZ prison database to try and get his mailing address. I also got to see his record. He has at least two years, but considering all the drug charges he's accrued while he's been in, he probably won't see daylight for quite some time.

Now, don't mistake this for me trying to feel at fault, or wondering "where I went wrong". We got in to some legal trouble together in high school. We both got some community service, and both records were sealed. All I can really say is that I started going to church a few months later, and he didn't. I had a dad that treated me like a man-in-the-making, not a guy that should already know enough about life. Granted, I had things in my life that weren't quite as easy as his, but I had better guides. The two of us were attached at the hip for years, but suddenly things changed. I don't think anyone could have seen where our paths would go. Even though, at a point later in our lives, we would meet back on equal ground, I was still saved from his future. Was I refined by fire, where he was burned? Is he one that must fall so that others may continue? I've heard it said, "Some must die, so that others can live" It hurts to think it's true.

As I said, life and times...

2006-03-20T14:33:00.000-08:00

Last night Lina and I made a break for it. Walk-Mart, Gringo's and the to go see The Libertine. Great movie. Incredible movie. Make sure you know what it's about before you go watch it, though, because (as the title states) because it's not your genereal Johnny Depp movie.

It's so silly, but I can't decide which purchase from Wal-Mart I like the most. I'm excited by both, and they don't seem to go very well together. One is the coolest toy ever, because it combines the two coolest toys, and I got a great beard trimmer. The fact that I am excited by either, much less both, seems really silly.

Hmph.

2006-03-16T07:07:00.000-08:00

That last post was a pretty long one.

Last night I finished my class on the Gospel of John, I'm sad. Prof Jim Klubnik was awesome. I'm going to be taking the class he's teaching this summer, mostly because he's teaching it.

Scene: Sitting in the computer lab, drinking coffee and eating a breakfast burrito in front of the sign that says "No Food or Drinks in the Computer Lab". Listening to Snapcase's "Caboose" (thanks again Joel), which is possibly the most blasphemous song if you pay attention to the lyrics. Am I the only one that finds the humor in all this? What's really funny is that Five Iron Frenzy came on right after it. I just shoved so much burrito in my mouth I couldn't close it. I'm so dumb.

King of the Longshot!

2006-03-15T15:08:00.000-08:00

Wow. Where do I start? Firt off, our second wedding anniversary was awesome. Brief rundown: Great breakfast at a awesome little B&B, full pampering at a spa, and a double feature at a drive-in (right outside of Ennis on 45. They even have radio transmission along with the little speaker-boxes). Good times.

John 6:1
Therefore Jesus, Lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?" This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do.

Dang. It's funny. God seems to have a pattern in my life. He tends to really make sure I know that He's the only way things are going to work out. I can never really know exactly why, because I don't know what it's like otherwise, therefore have nothing to compare it to. Maybe it's because I'm so stubborn that I really have to be smacked around by the world. Maybe it's because He knows that when He puts things in order I'll laugh unceasingly for ten minutes, then randomly for the next three hours once He's presented the missing piece, and He wants me to have a good laugh. Either way, it seems like it happens pretty often. My buddy Chris once said that I was the luckiest man he knew. Then, after a little more talk, he said that I just happened to really fall in to the longshot solution. (Keep in mind, we were talking from the human perspective, not God's plan) The difference is, if I were "lucky" I wouldn't get the longshot solution. A really problematic situation will come up that I have absolutely no way of solving, and then God turns it into a freakin' sweet display. Knee problems lead to unemployment, but unemployment leads to the opportunity to go to school. Seizures prevent me goin to the school I wanted to go to, but losing that option caused me to seek other options, which ended up in me going to a school that surpasses what I would have attended. Of course, this is just a quick description of last fall. It seems to be the theme of my adult life, from the time I left home. Actually, I guess it even extends back to high school. Speaking of high school, Lina told me that my former assistant principal said that she was glad things were going the way they were, because they were afraid I'd be the next Unabomber. Should I be offended or amused? Oh yeah, longshot. Long story short, there was a serious panic issue today. Not just for me, but for Lina too. We realized that we can only do what we are capable of doing, and let God take care of the rest. What we could do wasn't very much. Over the course of a few hours things turned around. Not only did God solve the problem (opf course, not how we thought it needed to be solved, but whatever, He's God, I'm not), but because it brought me to
the financial aid office at the exact right time (there was a fifteen second window), I happened to run in to the transcript guy. I'm not sure how it works, but there is a new regulation for them that went in to affect this week. There's another regulation that is going in to affect next week. During this one week gap, my transcripts can get proccessed a certain way that gives me more credits. He said that he thought of it just when he saw me. He said that when he was going through the regulations, he thought "Wow, if someone had 'situation A' and 'qualification B' with 'history C' (I'm using these to fill in the things that I wasn't paying attention to), they can get 'credits D and E'." When he saw me he said, "Andrew (he calls me Andrew), do you have 'qualification B'?" I said, "Why, yes I do!" Awesome.

Okay, on a different note:
My parents' van was broken in to a few nights ago. Three times. By the same person. Who lives across the street. My parents have done a lot for this guy. I'm talkin' a lot. At first, I wanted to go off like a slapped gorilla. God has helped me, though. This kid grew up across the street, and one house over. He has FAS, and his mom was not the 'prudest' lady. This kid has ben beat down at every corner in his life, sometimes literally. He's now an adult. ever since he was younger, my parents have tried to help him out. There's not a whole lot they can do, but they've always tried to show him kindness. Long story short, my parents are the only people that I know of that he shows respect to. The cop said he refered to my mom as "miss brenda". This kid already has a criminal record, and he's not afraid of going to jail (reminds me of a younger version of me). He said he was on drugs when he did it, and barely remembers it. The detective at the station has known this kid for a few years, and he said he's never seen him admit to anything, until now. I can only assume that God softened his heart. The detective said that Michael (that's his name) actually started sobbing in the chari. Not because he was afraid or anything, but becase he had done something to my parents. I hurt for this kid so much. I can relate so much it hurts me. Him and I have both been given so much from my parents, and then turned around and hurt them. What we've been given and what we've done to them doesn't matter, what matters is the fact that we've both violated the trust of two people that have only shown us love. The detective also said that this is the only time he's ever seen the plaintiff come and try to help the defendant. They are going to press charges on the understanding that the DA is going to give him probabtion if he can get and hold a job before his trial. Please pray for him. This is his turning point. What he does over the next few months can set the direction of his life. I know it's no excuse, but this kid has never had anyone try to help him, or give him any hope. His mom even came by my parents' house and told them that no one has ever treated him like they have. That can only mean she hasn't even treated him like that, which would fit her. I know Michael's story is that of a million others, but I've never actually seen it happen before. Over the course of one illegal action, Michael has gone from being "that kid that lives in the disreputable house and will probably never go anywhere" to being "Michael. God help him, please."

At the drive-in

2006-03-13T20:41:00.000-08:00

Five minute intermission!

2006-03-13T20:37:00.000-08:00

We went to a real drive-in on our anniversary

I guess I'm a year older....

2006-03-11T12:25:00.000-08:00

First off, I'm not that guy that sits around on his birthday lamenting about how old he is. Second, I don't mind the aging proccess.
I was looking at some pictures of Lina and me from when we first started dating, and I couldn't help but think, "Wow, I sure was young then." I have looked back at high school photos and can of course see an aging difference, but that's different. Lina and I started dating during what I call the first part of my real adult life. After the Navy (which I don't consider part of my adulthood), after all the drinking and drugs. I consider when I sobered up to be when I started adulthood. The time in between was just that, a long period of time in between. I know a lot of people that had time in between leaving home (or not leaving home, for that matter), and becoming an adult. Some have had longer time than me. Now, I don't think that I became an adult because I started a lifelong relationship, I think it's the other way around. Had I not become an adult, I wouldn't have been ready for what was to become of my love for Lina. So, after all this, I look at pictures of us when we first started dating, and she looks the same. Then again, she hasn't really changed much since she was five. I look at the two of us and I think, "Has it only been that long?", but then I look at me and think, "Has it really been that long?"
Last year I had a big laugh about the fact that I was officially closer to 30 than I was to 20. This year is all about Full House episode 42. Anyone reading this, look up the script.
Yesterday was a great birthday. I had a woderfull day with my wife, and other people were invited. We went out to eat for some good asian food with my brother and his son. All four of us ended up eating some stupid-hot peppers. My brother said, "This General Tso's is kinda spicey, but not really." As I was about to put a pepper in my mout (We both ordered the General Tso's), I said, "Why don't you just eat a pepper?" I put one in my mouth 2 seconds before he did. We botth kept a straight face, jokingly said, "You're a jerk." We both casually began gulping our drinks, and casually talkinh about how we can't wait until our faces went numb, because then the hell-fire and brimstone that was taking place in our mouths would stop. We then talked to Lina about eating one, since she always pulls the "I'm mexican therefore can tolerate hot foods better than you" card. She ate one after she finished with he food. Her eyes got huge, but the rest of her face stayed normal. This whole time, Jonathen (Adam's 8 year old son) was talking about joinging the group in this masochistic endeavor. When he hesitated, for some evil reason we decided to talk him in to it. I believe I might hae said, "Come on Jonathen, it's my birthday!" (to any wimpkillers reading this: Yes, I used the correct use of the apostrophe in the word "it's"). Does encouraging him make me a bad person? Okay, it didn't end there. We tried to bribe him with comic books. Eventually he put one in his mouth. His face lit up a little. This is horrible, I can't believe I'm about to admit this. We then told him it didn't count unless he chewed it up. He did. After a couple of seconds where he was trying to figure out if swallowing it would make the burning go away, he spit the chewed up lump of red on his plate. We had packets of sugar and a glass of milk ready. Lina couldn't bear to look at his face while he was chewing it. I have to admit, that kid is tough.

After a nice relaxing trip to a comic book store, Lina and I then ran some errands, and met up my my friend (also named Andy) and his girlfriend, whom I call Facey. He gave me this freakin' great and huge book of Alex Ross work. I was driven so insane by t that I almost failed to notice the Clone War Volume II dvd in the bottom of the bag. Then comes over an hour over shrimp. Lina and I went to her mom's house (where we were house sitting), I perused my stash of illustrated literature, and smoked a quite pleasant Romeo Y Julieta. Seriously, can it get any better?

my mom:

2006-03-10T11:05:00.000-08:00

I am going to get a parrot and an eye patch. Arrrg.

Will I ever tire of this song?

2006-03-07T15:02:00.000-08:00

Seriously, I can't stop. I listen to "Ace of Spades" every chance I get. That and "Don't Stop Me Now" (thanks a heap Chase).

March 13th makes two years that Lina and I have been married. The 10th makes four years that we've been together. March 17th will then be the day that we've been married for the majority of our relationship. That makes a week of good times. The day before our time out of town (we're going to spend 2 days at some cottage type place) I have to do my take-home final for my class on the Gospel According to John. I also have to read on the way there and back. By doing this, I can avoid having to do school work during my massage at the cottage's spa. I'm not quite sure how we're supposed to afford all this, but considering my former comic book budget, I'm sure this will work out. We're ridiculous with money sometimes. I remember one time when we were crunching some numbers and freaking out over the budget for the month, and we were so stressed out by how close it was going to be that we decided to go out to dinner and a movie to relax. We bought a cd in between the two. While we want kids very badly, I have to admit it's kinda nice to not have to worry about anyone but ourselves.

I'm supposed to exposit John chapter 5-12, and then use that to defend Jesus' deity. It's due tomorrow. Why am I blogging? Because I'm an idiot. At least I have Lemmy to help me out.

UPDATE:You know, you hear so many horror stories and jokes that it has become cliché, but now I know: auto-save.

UPDATE #2: I forgot about another assignment. It feels like high school. It's a mixed feeling when I look through a folder and find something I forgot about. At least I found it and didn't not-do it, but that means I have to stay up and keep working, because these are both due tomorrow. And boom goes the dynamite.

God Bless Lemmy Kilmister

2006-03-02T10:39:00.000-08:00

You can walk in or out of any room or situation listening to "Ace of Spades" and feel tougher and more determined than John Wayne.

this doesn't have to make sense

2006-03-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

You know I'm born to lose, and gambling's for fools, but that's the way I like it baby. I don't want to live forever.

In brightest day, in blackest night...

How do I describe my past few days?

2006-03-01T10:45:00.000-08:00

Since I don't quite feel like posting my other papers yet, this is what else I've been doing the past few days.
Pondering this: why does "monosyllabic" contain five syllables? When you most need to use it, it's too big of a word to use.
Listening to : Nelson. Yes, I said Nelson. I've also ben jamming Europe's "The Final Countdown" (better known as GOB's magician music), and Motorhead. Where does Motorhead fit in? It just does.

Doing my best to refine little things that I draw on stuff when I don't feel like taking notes, or when the notes are already there. I can draw a great little head with a mohawk.

While it might not seem like much, I've just been repeating these things a lot.

In the words of Reverend Redbeard, "So put THAT in your Bible Church pipe and smoke it!"

2006-02-22T15:42:00.000-08:00

Absolute Attributes versus Relative Attributes of God

In the area of God’s attributes, they are often categorized as either “absolute”(not requiring space or time to understand, i.e. spirit, love), or “relative” (being understood by space and time, i.e. omnipresence) attributes. I believe this to be a common misconception, and this is why:
*God has no relative attributes. All "relative" attributes are actually fixed attributes that belong to the creation.
Example (1): "Under the table" or “next to the chair”, are attributes of the furniture, not space. When the items are moved, or altered, "under the table" is in a different location, but the distance and space that "under the table" occupies is still the same according to the furniture.
Example (2): "Yesterday" and “tomorrow” are attributes that belong to "Today". As of “today”, “yesterday” occupies a specific point in time. When “today” changes, “yesterday” will follow, yet will always occupy the point in time 24 hours prior to “today”. Along with this, “tomorrow” and “next week” will follow.

Therefore: "Omnipresence" is an attribute of space, not of God, but an attribute of space. If it were an attribute of God, and God were to create/end/change time and space (which He has done before, and will probably do again), His omnipresence would shrink, grow, or stop existing. To say this is possible is to deny God’s immutability.
Andrew Von Kanel
Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Thank God I'm not who I wanted to be

2006-02-21T15:32:00.000-08:00

Today I was listeneing to "When I Get Old" by the Descendents, and I was thinking about who I wanted to be when I was younger. Ten years ago, I thought I wanted to be punk-rock until th day I died. Funny. I remembered about 6 years ago when I decided that I would always smoke pot, just not always as much as I did then. I thgouth about what I must have looked like to other people that saw me going through life. I hate to say it, but I have to admit, when I look back at certain points in my life, I really didn't know what I wanted. I just knew that I didn't want what I saw most people having. That still remains, but I think I've (or, more accuratelly, God has)refined it a good deal.

When I was about 14, I decided that I would never again drink alcohol, or use any "substances". Not out of religous practice or anything, but because I saw so many people my age having problems. I remember when I was 16, I decided that I was never going to have a "normal" haircut, ever again. Why? Who knows. I had my head shaved, I had bleached/died liberty spikes, and I even had a couple mohawks. My dad said I would grow out of it.
When I was 18 I joined the navy. Not out of any sense of duty, or wanting to be in the military, though. Just because it was a quick, easy way out, and because I was the last person anyone would have thought would do it. Of course, I got a lot of tattoos, but I'd always wanted to have tattoos. At one point in the navy, I decided to start drinking again. Long story short, it didn't go well. A couple weeks ago I was talking to Mike . We joked casually about all the drugs I ended up being addicted to. We talked about when he first saw me after I started drinking, and he said, "I knew it wasn't going to go well." A while later I somehow ended up at a senior prom (no I was not there with highs school students). Some how, it had come up that by joining the Navy I had missed out on the prom, so some friends of mine acquired half a dozen tickets to Deer Parks prom. I vaguely remember seeing Amy there as a chaperone or something, but then again, I was pretty drunk. Funny, Lina was there two, but, like me, not with a high school student.
After I sobered up, I recalled my call to ministry. I thought I was going to be an Episcopal minister, but, lo and behold, I was wrong. While my invitation to Episcopal seminary is still open, it's just not where God's put me. After five hundred "alterations" to my plan, I have learned to keep an ear opened for God's plan. Then when things get rough, I can always say, "Hey, it's not like I'm doing this, right?"
Right when I think I've got it nailed down, the plan always changes.

What a day...

2006-02-16T14:17:00.000-08:00

This morning as my wife dropped me of at the school library before class, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful of a day it was. Don't get me wrong, I didn't start singing and dancing or anything, it just seems like a great day. The weather's nice enough for me to enjoy. I mean, I can tolerate lots of weather, and I am indifferent to a lot of weather, but today it was awesome. Oddly enough, on the way to school today I was in the mood to listen to Rod Stewart. I don't know what that means, but I'm really a Rod Stewart kind of guy. My wife likes him. I have to admit, I don't mind a couple of his songs, but I'm not the kind of guy to put a Rod Stewart cd in.

Totally off the subject (sans segue): While I'm writing this, I'm also Google'ing myself. I happened to find out about a Danny Von Kanel from Mississippi (where my Dad's from, although I haven't met any of the family there), and he happens to be a minister and Christian author. Go figure. That just floors me. Dang.

While I'm here, everyone needs to check out the man who share's my birthday of March 10th. That makes me awesome.

Rough Week

2006-02-15T10:49:00.000-08:00

Okay, I had a hard week. Not only was I sick with the Super-Flu, but I had a ton of studying, a lot of homework, and I had a wedding to go to. I'm not whining, I'm just trying to defend myself before-hand. I actually forgot the term "play on words" for two days. If the Riceman reads this, sorry about the late call. I was so retarded. Seriously. I mean, I couldn't even explain what I had forgotten. I called four people.
Then again, if I've done enough brain-damage to cause seizures, chances are that's not the only damage done, right? I think it's funny. Am I the only one that's ever done this?

On another note, I was struck by an odd occurance. I happened to see something both astounding and disgusting, and although my first thought was to call everyone I know and tell them about it, something inside me said, "You know, that's just not something everyone wants to hear about." Then I was scared. Does that mean I'm getting old? When I was younger, I never really thought much about the "getting old" proccess. I often thought about what I would be like when I got old (thanks in part to the Descendents), but I never thought about what the proccess would be like. It feels like watching a tree grow in 1st person. Now, with what I happened to observe today, after a few seconds I thought, "What would it mean if I did call everyone and tell them about it?" Then I realized it would mean I was becoming "that immature old guy". Can you stop the "getting old" system? No. Can you act like it isn't happening? Yes. Is it worth it? No. It's crazy to think that this year's crop of new drivers never saw the 80's I'm a year and a half away from my 10 year reunion. I'm John Cusak. I need to kill people for money. Wait, that movie is nine years old now. What?!? Dang.

who said what where?

2006-02-14T21:06:00.000-08:00

After writing two papers, making a chart, and making a "devotional", my brain is fried.

True Story...

2006-02-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

I'm typing a paper for my New Testament II class, which covers the book of Acts and Paul's epistles. It's about his tracking his ministry and persecution among the gentiles. I'm trying so hard, but I know I'm going to have to slip in a genitals somewhere. Aaaaaaaaand boom goes the dynamite.

Mystery gift

2006-02-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

My friend chris sent me the first season of "arrested developement". What a great guy. The mystery gift, however, is in reference to the fact that i have acquired Captain Tripps.

New thingy on top

2006-02-08T15:50:00.000-08:00

For anyone not aware, the new banner on top of he blog is a collection of photos from my friends at wimpkiller. More babies than you can shake a stick at, for the most part.

Geeky teacher...

2006-02-08T14:21:00.000-08:00

Today in Theology I, we were discussing "naturalist" arguments for the existence of God, which (for those of you who didn't know) are arguments that defend the existence of an ultimate diety based soley on our natural exitence. After we covered some of the basics, we went in to one that was based on the existence of time. Long story short, we end up talking about Green Lantern (as Parallax), Fantastic Four, and of course, teacher's favorite, Lord of the Rings. and BOOM goes the dynamite

All this wasted time...

2006-02-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

Here I go again...
Last night, after talking to my wife while she as up at work, her coworker told me about how Joel Osteen lives one house down from G. Bush Sr. Hm. The AntiChrist needs political connections. After I got off the phone, I was flipping through the channels, and guess who was on tv? Yep. Joel Osteen was preaching about some really interesting stuff. He said that if I wanted blessings and wealth, I just needed to visualize them. If I was having any problems in my life, I just needed to visualize the solution, and believe that they would come to me if I kept visualizing. Dang. All the time I've spent praying, and I had it all wrong. Here I was, thinking that by doin my best to walk in God's will, and praying for God's will to occur in my life, I would recieve blessings as they were in accord with His will, and any trials I endured would also be in accord with His will. Nope. According to Joel, all I ever need to do is trust that I know better than God, and I can accomplish anything that is MY will. Worship myself and my own power. That's Anti-Christ-Tastic! And BOOM goes the dynamite. Also, when he called for "the sinner's prayer", he specifically said, "Say these words with me and you'll have salvation." Then he said a little ditty about wanting to have Jesus in his heart. Say these words. Hm. Seriously, he didn't say anything about believing that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died and was ressurected for our salvation, nothing. Just that all you needed to do was repeat his words, no more, and that's all you would ever need to do. Works... faith... works... faith... He's bringing people just short of salvation, and getting them to have faith in themselves and him. Anti-Christ-Tastic! And Boom goes the dynamite.

I'm sorry if I seem to rant, but of all the things in this world, with all the things I've gone through in my life, with all the hardships I've inflicted upon myself and others, I only have one really hot button. Different people have different "causes" in their lives. For Christians, they always revolve around God. Some are called to be missionaries, some are called to work in charities, some are marriage counselors. I can not ever stand by when I see or hear someone perverting the Gospel of the Lord. I can accept all kinds of interpretaional differences, but not out-right lies. There are plenty of things about the church I grew up in that I don't agree with, but they are all pretty much interpretaional. There are somethings said by some churches that I just can't ignore though. Well, who knows. Maybe I'm wrong.

Here's another assignment (second draft)

2006-02-06T18:58:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've decided to post my assignments. Not all of them, just the 'not too boring' ones. Keep in mind that this is the first draft. And away we go!

Prayer and Decision Making in the Book of Acts

The many prayers in the book of Acts teaches the significance that communicating with God played in the foundation and growth of His Church. To know how important prayer truly is, we first need to understand exactly what the word means. Webster defines prayer as: an address (as a petition) to God or in word or thought. The etymology roots back to the Latin word precarius, which became the English word precarious. Webster defines precarious as a : dependent on chance circumstances, unknown conditions, or uncertain developments b : characterized by a lack of security or stability that threatens with danger. Combining the action of addressing God with the thought of “unknown conditions” and “lack of security…that threatens with danger” helps to show us the perspective of the apostles’ prayers during the first century.

By these terms, every prayer is ultimately an exercise of faith, which is essential when praying for guidance. The apostles used prayer for many different parts of the decision making process; sometimes to seal the decision made, other times to guide the leaders, or occasionally (as in the choosing the new 12th apostle) as an avenue of making the decision itself. Acts 1:14 tells us specifically that the disciples were “with one mind continually devoting themselves to prayer.” They were making prayer their life. Acts shows that they were devoting themselves to prayer (2:42), not just for decision-making, but to guide them in their daily lives.

“Peter stood up in the midst” (1:15) of the one hundred twenty, and announced the need to fill the vacancy left by the betrayal of Judas. Luke used the term dei, which literally translates to divine necessity, regarding the requirement to replace him with one who had been there for the life, and most importantly, the resurrection of our Lord. As the appropriate candidates were chosen, they called upon God through prayer to show them who was to become one of the twelve. As Matthias was added into them, a tradition of prayer was started.

As we follow the path of the Church, we see that even among the early believers there were divisions. However, such great men of faith would not let this cause problems. They needed seven men to serve the widows so they could devote themselves to prayer and ministry (6:4). Acts 6 shows us that prayer and the laying of hands is to be used to anoint men for even the most menial of jobs. Certainly, they could not have known the effect these men would have on the future Church. About ten percent of the book of Acts is dedicated to the Seven and their ministries. Immediately they saw that a great many priests were led to faith (6:7). Of course, Saul would later hear the sermon from Stephen that would help to serve him in his early faith. Philip’s ministry would lead to the first Gentile baptism (8:26-39), and later would provide Saul (now called Paul) a safe haven as he traveled back to Jerusalem to face certain punishment.

Deeper into the book, we see another way that prayer corresponds directly to the decisions made in the early Church. In Acts 10 we see that God revealed a truth to Peter, through his prayers, about the direction the Church was to take. God showed Peter that the Gentiles to be treated with equality when it came to delivering the Gospel. While before they might have inadvertently told God’s Truth to a Gentile or two before, now they were to actively pursue them with their ministry. Again, a great decision made about the church, but this time the decision was made before the question was even asked. Amazing.

As the now famous ministry of Paul (still known as Saul at this point) was rearing out of Antioch, yet another incredible choice was made: the first “missionary journey” of the Church. In Acts 13 we find that five prophets were guided by the Holy Spirit to send two people west and north in a trek to spread the Gospel. The use of prayer and the laying of hands were used to anoint their journey, because little was known about what was to come. This was to be the first example of what would later become a way of life for Paul, Barnabas, and many other Christians through today. People would travel far from home just to make sure that every person they could reach would be saved. From reading Acts 14 we can see that this lesson of first praying to appoint and then anoint was well impressed into Paul and Barnabas, as they followed that example in Lystra, Iconium, Attilia, and every other city that would hear the word of God.

Paul used prayer as a tool quite often in Acts. Sometimes it preceded a decision that was unsure, but often it was used after the proper choice was already known. Just as Jesus prayed in the garden before His arrest, the early disciples knew that through prayer God would strengthen them to follow through with a decision already made. While in Miletus, Paul had sent for the elders of Ephesus (Acts 20:17). He knew that this was the last time he would see them as a group, because his next actions would result in years of imprisonment. The Lord had revealed to him that he was to return to Jerusalem and suffer for His name. Acts 20:24 tells us his beautiful statement of determination: (NIV) “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”

With all these examples set before us, I think we should all be forced to realize our lack of prayer in life. How often has a church made a decision that affects the congregation? How many times, as Christians, do we choose a new path for us, or for our loved ones, without first consulting our Ultimate Authority? Our forefathers turned to God to set aside a group of seven people that today would be considered soup-kitchen workers. That anointing led to the first gentile baptism, and the sermon heard by the man who wrote most of our Christian text. It led to the first missionary journey, and those missionary journeys resulted in the Counsel at Jerusalem, where it was first put to paper that the Law of Moses (and therefore our actions and ceremonies) was not the Gospel of Grace. Before there was church tradition, denominational doctrine, or denominational governments, there was prayer. Simple, effective, Spiritually guided prayer.

Two different things...

2006-02-06T12:01:00.000-08:00

True story:

As I'm doing some homework, I get a phone call. I am in the middle of fact-checking in the book of Acts, writing points of observation about the apostles Paul and Peter, and someone calls me and asks me to look something up online. I eventually look up the term "monkey (let's just say it's a five letter word for 'lady part')". Then back to the book of Acts.

Does this stuff ever get easier?

2006-02-02T14:39:00.001-08:00

Being someone who hasn't been in school for years, with a penchant for being a slacker, I keep forgetting that I have assignments that are due. I was so tired in class that when I came to a part in Acts that I felt the prof was, lets just say, picking and choosing from, I didn't even have the energy to articulate my objection. I almost said, "What, are you just going to ignore the context? Come'on, skippy, how do you make that work when you read the scripture in it's entirety?", but I just let it go. I knew that if I said anything, I would have had to get in to this long discussion about scriptural interpretation vs. doctrinal tradition, and I just didn't feel like it. Then again, I know this is the type of thing I'll have to deal with when I enter the ministry completely, but not right now. The wierd thing is, I've never met this many conservative and educated Christians that I agree with so well. There're only a few things that I we don't see eye to eye about, but when they are mentioned in class, I want to laugh. Once, I let a, "Are you serious?" slip out. We did have a fun time at the expense of a leadinig church in the houston area. There are quite a few biblical references about how some 'pastors' will mildly pervert the truth, to steer clear of the bible for the most part just to tell people happy little tales and blow sunshine up their , um, you get it. "Most people don't like to hear from the bible, so let's not preach from scripture" is a great attitude for money making. Let's just say the pastor of houston's biggest church has few fans in the theological community. I mean, putting your personal webpage adress in big illuminated letters on the side of the church to make it visible from the freeway? grumble grumble money changers grumble grumble... huh? Oops. That was quite a little tangent. So be it.

Does this stuff get any easier?

2006-02-02T14:39:00.000-08:00

my wife's awesome.

2006-02-01T19:28:00.000-08:00

Here's the real question...

2006-02-01T10:42:00.000-08:00

First off, let me start by saying that I try not to judge a musician by their past transgressions. Over the past couple years I've found myself listening to an artist that who's previous work was just plain horrible, and thinking, "Hm. I kinda like this.". Maybe I'm just getting soft in my old age. However, is the reverse applicable? I wonder. Should we hold great musicians accountable for their priorly great work when they release a mediocre piece? Here are a few instances: David Bowie and Mick Jagger doing "Dancing in the Street" (makes me want to vomit), The Highwaymen doing "The Highwaymen", anything by Neil Diamond after 1980 etc. To start off with, "Dancing in the Street". David Bowie is incredible. Mick Jagger? No need to state the obvious. But you put the two together and all you get is their crappy cover of "Dancing in the Street"?!? Are you serious!?! Come'on! Next, Willie Neslon, John R. Cash, Kris Kristofferson, and Waylon Jennings, some of the best songwriter/singers to ever be pressed on to a record, and you get "The Highwaymen"? wtf? Neil Diamond, well, he started a whole new legacy for himself after 20 or so years in the business. So, these artists, is it okay to despise these songs even more than if they came from someone else? "Dancing in the Street" could have just been a bad memory if it wasn't for the fact that it's on practically every "best of" David Bowie has. However, if you just lumped it in with songs like Duran Duran's "The Reflex", it would just be another mistake of the era. A great band that happened to have a bad song. But not Bowie. Bowie's better than that. "The Hghwayman" makes me want to cry, but if you only take it in the context of what happened to country music circa 1980, and how horrible the entire genre stayed from that point on, it would be okay. But not from these guys. They are the originals. They taught us the definition of the word "outlaw". Put them together and they should have been the Justice League of music, but no.

This all spawned from me seeing a video of a Steven Tyler/Santana song this morning. Pardon my rant.