FRIDAY!... word up... it's the weekend... and hey, food fight!... more on that later... i promised to try and get a few somethings written up today and here i am... trying...

Anyway... i'm pretty happy that it's the weekend and i don't have much planned... a possible barbeque to attend... a few chores around the house perhaps... but mostly lounging, wrestling with the littles, kicking back, writing?, trying to stay cool in the heat... and of course they will be reading... (my updated reading list is below)... for today, before i start the relaxation, here's a handful (five fingers, five topics) of items for the old blog... on we go with the program...

01. VIVA LA SOMETHING OR OTHER
to the tune of Lost! - Coldplay

Coldplay released their new album, Viva La Vida and i've been listening to it... mostly in the background of my normail work noises (keyboard clicking, chairs scraping, etc), but i've managed to get a pretty good feel for the album... and i like it... it's a clear step forward for the group and i think they've broken out of the mold that they cast themselves in on the last few albums... "Lost!" particularly stands out to me as one of the defining tracks for the album... the lyrics are pretty intriguing on that song, too... my only complaing is that it feels like the album blows by even though it actually clocks (get it?) in at about 45 minutes...

02. REAL CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
to the tune of Hero - Hans Zimmer & John Powell (Kung Fu Panda)

I guess this falls into the catagory of books, but it's probably considered cheating for a book club... anyway, Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite have written a book and started a campaign for character... They called the book Deadly Viper Character Assassins and you can get a free audiobook version of it on their site, DeadlyViper.org and while you're there, check out the blog and the videos to see more of what it's all about...

personally, i opted for the audiobook since it was free and immediate, but i plan to pick up a hardcopy of the book at some point to, because it's definitely one to keep handy... besides the great content of the book itself, there are some interview tie-ins that add to the conversation and enhance the message... i've decided that i'm going to try to get an interview set up with one or both of these guys to further explore this topic a bit... i'll keep you posted...

03. TOO COOL FOR YOU
to the tune of Play My Music - Jonas Brothers (Camp Rock)

so... the food fight... yeah... i'm watching Camp Rock which is the new Disney movie starring the Jonas Brothers and... hey, shut up... nothing wrong with laying up once in a while... we don't all have to tin-cup every hole... anyway, the movie runs about an hour and a half after commercials are fast forwarded and i'd guess that the script writing process took about half that time... okay... it's not the best script... it's not the best plot... it's predictable and makes you groan over and over... but it's the Jonas Brothers and i have nothing but good things to say about them... they're good people and they always put a smile on my face...

i still think back fondly to the first GMA Week i went down to Nashville for... i was a little nervous and such and wondering why i had agreed to interview the then 13, 16, and 18 year old brothers... turns out that they were the most enjoyable interview of my time down there that year... very down to earth and i'd interview them again in a heart beat... (seriously, imagine the traffic i'd generate with a Jonas Brothers interview... guys, hook me up)... anyway...

04. CODE BEE
to the tune of Viva Los Lakers - Grand Incredible

So, i was totally wrong about the NBA Finals this year... if you remember (and if you don't it's a few entries down), i predicted that the Laskers would win in seven... well, they lost in six and they seemed pretty fortunate to have made it that far... in my defense, when i made my prediction, it was predicated on the assumption that Kobe Bryant was the game's best player... clearly he is not... and clearly, all these references to him being "as good as Jordan in his prime" are absolutely ridiculous...

Does it seem like i'm being too harsh?... sorry, but the best player in the game does not disappear in the NBA Finals... Kobe was a waste throughout the finals and, even though the Celtics defense deserves a lot of credit, MJ would've figured out a way to win because he actually was the best in the game when he was playing... perhaps you can say Kobe is the next Clyde Drexler... anyway...

05. HOPE DEALER
to the tune of Bob the Builder - The International TV Orchestra

Okay, so here's the thing... i forgot to mention that Barack Obama came within three miles of my house a while ago... He had recently locked up the nomination and was stumping at a first come first serve free for all venue that made me nervous about traffic... it crossed my mind that it might be neat to see this man up there on stage repeating the same speeches he's been repeating for eleven months or so... mostly, i realized that it would be empty words from a cardboard cutout of a man, just like pretty much everything else related to politics...

I know that he's running as the candidate of change and the candidate for hope and that it's resonating with lots of people, but i'm not buying it... i think the most interesting thing about his campaign is how well it's exposing how bad our society has gotten... we're so discontented with everything that we have, we so don't appreciate the blessings that have been bestowed upon us, that we'll (as a nation) jump at the very promise of something better... all you have to do is put it in a pretty package and tell us that it's better and we'll start drooling at it like it's the new iPhone or the latest fashion accessory...

The problem is that the President of the United States is NOT a fashion accessory... nor is he (or she) the messiah... it's sad to see how many people buy into the same old rhetoric time and time again... it hurts more everytime you are failed... it deadens your ability to truly trust... it makes us more cynical, more skeptical, and more scarred... we are worse off for it... i have more on this, but you'll have to wait until i have time to finish up the next Left to Write...

THE READING ROOM
to the tune of Word of Mouth - John Reuben

Updated list for Mark Lee's Summer Reading Club... i keep adding more titles, but hopefully i'll get to cross some off...

- It All Goes Back in the Box (Ortberg)
- Simplicity (Salomon) [about 110 pages left]
- Character Makes a Difference (Huckabee) [about 175 pages left]
- Searching for God Knows What (Miller)
- New Way to Be Human (Peacock) [about 200 pages left]
- At the Crossroads (Peacock)
- Deliver Us from Evelyn (Wells)
- The Two Towers (Tolkien)
- Quiet Strength (Dungy)
- UnChristian (Kinnaman & Lyons)
- Prince Caspian (Lewis)
- The Word of Mouth Manual (Balter) [about 90 pages left]

FULL LIST HERE...

peace... love... bdg....

i promised myself that i'd write again before it was time to do the whole American Idol thing and yet, here it is again... Tuesday staring me square in the face laughing at my lack of discipline... mocking me with my own voice... well... anyway... it is Tuesday but it's not time for Idol... not just yet anyway... and i've not been idle in the meanwhile... in fact, i've been so busy that i'm ready to burst...

in the past week (though it feels like one long day), i worked on building out a new site for my brother and sister in law, i transcribed a lengthy interview, i wrote two feature articles, i wrote a couple reviews, i did a walk TRu, and i sketched out some work on a few other projects i have whirling around in my head... all this on top of my day job, the duties of which have exploded over the last five days or so... this is going to be one hectic week, i'll tell you that much... so much so that i missed out on having a sabbath this past weekend and i'm a little discombobulated... anyway... my time is probably short, so let's go ahead and dig in...

MOVIE MONDAY
to the tune of Assets and Targets - John Powell (from The Bourne Ultimatum)

Well, i finally got around to watching the third installation of the Bourne trilogy, The Bourne Ultimatum, and all i have to say is woah... not like a Keanu Reaves, Matrix, "woah"... a serious, have i taken a single breath this entire movie, woah... i normally try to do some work or whatever on my laptop while the movies are playing, but not while Jason Bourne was on... i had a tough time taking my eyes off the screen the entire time and that's how an action movie should be... if i'm watching an action flick, i want to be completely taken in by it... i want the little boy in me to be acting out the fight scenes for the next few days after watching it... bottom line, The Bourne Ultimatum gets a 4.5 out of 5 from me...

RETURN OF THE TALK
to the tune of Jesus is Just Alright -dc Talk

So i've realized that i don't talk music enough here on the old blog, which is genuinely odd since this is primarily a music website... if i made any bread and butter, you could say that music is where i've made it... and since i enjoy the older stuff too, when i saw this headline... dc Talk Reunites. . . i naturally had to check it out and share it with you all... i knew we'd all be excited together... (note: yes, i realize that it is what it is)...

WHERE IS THE LOVE
to the tune of Love Is Here - Tenth Avenue North

And now for perhaps some more serious musical news... hot new band Tenth Avenue North who's debut record is set to release next week has released a video for their lead single... the video for Love Is Here seems to pay a bit of tribute to The Beatles and U2... or maybe i'm reading into it too much... anyway, the song's really good....

IN OTHER WORDS
to the tune of Violet Hill - Coldplay

When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg... Well, i've moved onto the final section of this book, which means it's time for me to talk about Hazards (the second to last section)... the first chapter in this section jumped off the pages to me... "BEWARE, THE SHADOW MISSION" discusses what i'm far too familiar with... distractions... distractions keep you from accomplishing your mission... shadow missions seem like worthy causes sometimes... like, hey, can i really beat my previous high score in that game?... but they occupy your time and prevent you from making progress on what actually matters in the long term... it's somthing that i can honestly admit to struggling with just about every day...

the rest of the section is good, too, reminding us that competition isn't necessarily a bad thing... more stuff will never make us more of an actual success... and what's really important in terms of our physical existence is how we react to, cohabitate with and most importanty love those around us... all in all, a number of good lessons in this book so far... and as i've rounded the last bend as they say (i have about 20 pages to go), it's earning my recommendation more and more with each page turned... stay tuned for the finale sometime (most likely) next week...

PEEP INSTEAD OF SLEEP

okay and there are a few things to check out over on the main page... first, a Walk TRu of WOW Hits [1]... part two of my GMA Reflections and Responses... and an album review of Meredith Andrew's debut album, The Invitation... right around the corner, you can expect some more reviews, 2 interviews (Salvador and Stephanie Smith), an iTRunes playlist and a handful of other things...

peace... love... bdg...

So, it's another Idol night already and that means i've not updated in a week... what a jerk... anyway... i've been trying to readjust to life and a bunch of other excuses that you don't care about, i'm sure... and man, have my allergies been driving me nuts lately... my eye has been twitching for about a month and my nose has been twitching on and off as well... the littles are starting to struggle with the pollen counts, too, which really makes like fun... anyway... lots to get to, so let's get getting...

MOVIE MONDAY

i meant to go post this yesterday, but i didn't post anything so, here it is now... i finally, (read: FINALLY), saw Oceans Thirteen... and for me, it was goooood... i really like the series and i thought this one fit very nicely into the mix... you gotta love crooks who steal to make other people happy... and they're all just the epitome of cool... a couple odds and ends notes... as expected there were a number of twists and turns in the plot line... i say expected because it seems like every movie now has to have these crazy twists at the end nowadays... i think that eventually, we'll get to the point where a straightforward movie - one where what you expect to happen actually happens - is going to be the new suspense thriller... just a thought... Also, and i'm not one to force spiritual meanings into things, but at the end of the movie, all i could think about was that verse in the Bible about man making all the plans that he wants, but it's only God's plans that actually matter in the long run... yeah... i should figure out where that's from exactly... i'm guessing Proverbs...

FOUR MORE (A.K.A. THE AI COMMENTARY)
to the tune of Roll over Beethoven -Chuck Berry

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame night... i... wanna rock and roll all night.... and party every day... okay... so i'm not going to guess the songs this week, but anyone wanna bet that Brooke tries to crash the stage and sing Piano Man or something... anyone? anyone?... okay... the show's underway after Ryan specifies when the judges are allowed to speak...

David (Daughtry the 2nd) Cook: Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran... i remember the video for this song more than anything else about it... i think some dude was wandering around the woods trying to catch a girl dressed up like Little Red Riding Hood and he's wearing a wolf skin... i remember that video more then i expect to remember this performance actually... Randy says it was just okay... Paula says she's hungry for some David Cook and then she rambles on about something odd... Simon says it's probably good enough, but nothing special...

Syesha (a.k.a. Cry-esha): Syesha's dress has been designed by Kristy Lee Cook... or something... oh, i like the hat... Tina... i thought she might sing some Tina or Aretha, but i don't know who's in the HOF... wow... she's trying to look like Tina... she's definitely working it... she has the clear advantage of being the only official girl left in the competition... and this song is alright... her vocal isn't that great, but the performance is very strong indeed... she knows how to use the stage... Randy says she was in the zone... (no, i didn't just copy that from last week)... Paula says she looks like a star... Simon says he has to put a slight damper on it... shrieky, bad impersonation of Tina Turner... the song was Proud Mary, by the way...

Jason (Castor Oil) Castro: i think Carley's drunk... so, go figure, Jason Castro is singing a Bob Marley tune... I Shot the Sheriff... props right off the bat to the band... they're fantastic... he's alright... well... i mean, this really... well... um... he looks the part at least... he needs to take into account the dynamics and meaning of the song... Randy plays the karaoke card... Paula says he played to the crowd... Simon says it was utterly atrocious and he has no idea what Jason was thinking...

{Little) David Archuleta: singing Stand By Me... and he actually looks like the kids walking on the train tracks during this movie... i remember singing this song in like fifth grade or something... i think i sounded about the same... well, i didn't sing it solo or anything... but come on... if anyone deserves the karoake card, it's him right here... that's just... bah... Randy says he broght the hot man vocals... or hot mad vocals... or something like that... Paula says she admires that he kept his eyes open... Simon says whistling would've been better than Jason's song, that he struggled a little bit, but it was the best performance so far...

REALLY? YOU WANT MORE?
to the tune of A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke

So far i'm not really impressed with any of them (surprise), but as of halfway through, Archy and Jason seem to be battling for the boot...

David (Daughtry the 2nd) Cook: singing something from The Who... Baba O'Riley?... i never listened much to The Who... it seemed really short, which isn't a baad thing... i've decided that he sounds like Todd Agnew... slow build and now he's screaming up the end of the tune... whatever... it's alright... Randy says it was really good, the David Cook they like... Paula says she wants a happy meal with a David Cook toy to hug and squeeze and hang from her rear view mirror... Simon says welcome back...

Syesha (a.k.a. Cry-esha): oh no she isn't... she's singing my boy Sam Cooke... Change is Gonna Come... look, if you can't mess with a Bob Marley song, i'm not sure you can mess with Sam... well, this is an entirely new arrangement... and she's belting out the words here and there... that's a strong finish, but i'm not sure that the whole thing was that great... not as much soul to it as the original... Randy says he didn't like the arrangement and you shouldn't mess with Sam... Paula says she did a great thing with her vocals... Cry-esha is still reeling from Randy's harsh comments... Simon takes pity and sides with Paula, noting that Randy got it entirely wrong...

Jason (Castor Oil) Castro: oh gosh... Jason didn't shoot the sheriff, he shot himself in the foot, head and heart... BOB DYLAN???? and we don't know the lyrics... somebody call Wayne Brady up on stage... i don't even know what to say... sort of like Jason... wah wah waaaah wah wah waaaaah.... well, needless to say, it was terrible and he's going to get trashed... he might not get voted off though... Randy just kind of giggles... Paula is smelling her feet... Simon tells him to pack his suitcase...

{Little) David Archuleta: oh... good grief... he really IS trying to beat Jason for the lamest performance... Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley... and he's, well, he's saving himself quite nicely actually... the vocal is pretty solid... why does the dude who can sing really well have to be so annoying?... Randy says he was carressing the lyrics... Paula says he's so sweet... Simon says he CRUSHED all those who oppose...

Well, i'll say that the Davids are safe and Jason will go home despite the possibility of pretending to forget the lyrics for the sake of getting sympathy... Syesha will probably be left on stage with Jason, but should be safe...

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

So, lots of new stuff to peep over on the main page... first up, a Walk TRu of the Jars of Clay Greatest Hits project... part one of my GMA Reflections and Responses... an interview with Poems (formerly Sharlok Poems, Sharlok P, etc from LA Symphony)... and an album review of Salvador's latest, Aware... and there's plenty more to come...

peace... love... bdg...

Here's to hoping that your weekend went well... mine wasn't too bad... little boy got the first trophy of what i'm sure will be a long and storied atheletic career... this one was for participating in the Upward Basketball League... the ceremony was accompanied by puppets and a magissionary... yes... anyway, he's extremely proud of his trophy, that's for sure...

a few things before we dig in... first, i was stuck in traffic this morning and i read through Psalm 91... i'd like to dig into it a bit further, but not today... today, i'm just working on digesting the though of "dwelling" in God's presence...

Next, i joined up with Technorati and unless i misunderstood, i think they're supposed to make me famous, but it all starts with you adding me to your favorites... i think... also... well... i forget... so let's just get going...

MARCH MADNESS
to the tune of We're So Far Away - Mae

The big news of the weekend is that the fields have been narrowed down to just four... Davidson, the last hope for a Cinderella story, put on a spectacular show up until the last 6 seconds of their game against Kansas... which leaves us with a Final Four consisting of all the #1 seeds... this is the first time that the selection committee has gotten all four correct... this will either make it a fantastic final three games or a very uninteresting one if you like underdogs... i'm undecided, but i'm not sure i'll even be around to watch anyway...

MOVIE TIME (brought to you by Netflix)
to the tune of Teacher's Pet - Doris Day

two more movies this week... hopefully quickly as my time is short... first up... SPIDERMAN 3... i finally got around to watching this, even though i've had it for a while... as expected, the special effects and the fight scenes were spectacular and the storyline was pretty well done as well... i enjoyed seeing the cocky Peter Parker strutting around the streets... very nice touch... the notion of forgiveness was nicely done and relayed to the audience in a powerful and entertaining way... bottom line... i give Spiderman 3 an A...

next up, i dig deep into the archives of Netflix (actually, my wife picked it)... and we come up with TEACHER'S PET starring Doris Day and Clark Gable... obviously, this is a romantic comedy, but Gable is a grizzled newspaper man and he stumbles upon a night school class teaching journalism... the story revolves around the romantic attraction between the two of them as well as a discussion about what journalism is and what it should be as well as whether or not it can be taught... it plays out very interestingly and i'm not ashamed to say that i enjoyed it... i'd give it a B+

THE WORLD AROUND ME
to the tune of Work - Jars of Clay

Well, with just under three weeks left, my GMA Week is shaping up to be pretty busy... i've booked somewhere between 20 and 26 interviews over the course of 2 days (waiting to hear back on a few, still) and i've been staring at the showcase schedules for a while, trying to decide which ones will be the most appealing... one thing's for sure, Robert Randolph is scheduled to play and i'm going to do anything i can to make sure i don't miss that one... it's already what i'm looking forward too most...

Other than that and my day job, i'm working on a number of writing projects including a concert review of the Tobymac, Jeremy Camp, and Matthew West show i went to a couple weeks ago, a few, yes few issues of Left to Write, a number of album reviews, a handful of interviews, and even more... all this and my "o" key is sticking... actually, it's been working pretty well tonight... maybe i fixed it... anyway... that's all for now, kiddos... remember to favorite me so i can get really famous or something...

peace... love... bdg...

well, it's Friday and you may be thinking that, hey, i guess the new schedule means that he blows off Wednesday and Thursday... well... you'd be wrong... sure, i did blow off the last two days kind of, but it wasn't entirely intentional, it was just life... Wednesday i was in a fog most of the day and yesterday, among other things, i had to do an interview that i had pretty much forgotten about... and then amidst all the preparations for GMA Week which is now officially less than a month away... it's just been pretty crazy around here... so i'll try to make up for it with a fantastic post today, but be forewarned... i'm listening to talk radio and it's kind of difficult to write while doing that... but let's give it a go...

ONE. DOVE-ING IT
to the tune of We Won't Be Quiet - David Crowder Band

So, they've announced the first batch of performers for this year's Dove Awards and we care because i'll be there and i'll have to watch them... Anyway, it looks like an alright mix... we've got Casting Crowns, The Clark Sisters, Michael W Smith, Amy Grant, Marvin Sapp, Switchfoot, Steven Curtis Chapman, Chris Tomlin, Trin-i-tee 5:7, David Crowder*Band, Israel Houghton and Charlie Daniels with Mac Powell... i've bolded the ones i'm particularly interested in seeing... but, i think it's a pretty nice variety so that most people will enjoy at least, i don't know, maybe 5 minutes of the telecast...

oh, yeah, they're going to be telecasting the Dove Awards live on Gospel Music Channel

TWO. BUSSED-ED
to the tune of Gypsy Flat Road - Sandra McCracken

So i kind of laughed out loud when i read this story about flattened bus tires... not because i think it's a good idea, but because i clearly remember a time when some guys i knew did something similar during my high school days... i don't think they were successful, and they certainly didn't keep a secret well, because everyone knew about it by the day's end... this case, however included other vandalism to the busses including graffiti... i've also, in looking for a better article about this, learned that this has become quite an epidemic across the country, with recent occurrences in Boston, Chicago, Colorado, New Jersey and probably a lot more... that's the power of the internet, kids...

one side note... i remember when graffiti was about giving a voice to the voiceless... now it's just about degredation of society and it really irritates me...

THREE. NEW DAY???
to the tune of Come Together - Third Day

Third Day is planning a new album and by golly it actually sounds pretty exciting... given that i haven't heard a note of it, i'm basing this solely on the press release that i received not too long ago... here's the gist... they're bringing in Howard Benson (Daughtry, POOD, Flyleaf) for production and they guest list includes Chris Daughtry, Lacey Mosely (Flyleaf) and Robert Randolph...

I'm not saying this is going to be the best rock album of the year, but REVELATION may just be the best Third Day album in many, many years...

FOUR. Syncast
to the tune of The IV - Braille

consider me a somewhat late whistle-blower, but if you dig hip hop and you do the whole podcast thing, you've got to check out The Syncast... i guess it's once a month, but it's generally packed with good tunes a brief interview or other feature and it really rolls along well... They're on #37 and i've listened to the last three (they're about a half hour each) and i'm definitely recommending it right now...

Check it out in iTunes now or figure out how to subscribe other ways at TheSyncast.com

FIVE. BIG BEN
to the tune of Bad to the Bone - George Thorogood

So Ben Stein has gotten behind and in front, center stage of a documentary about evolution, creationism and the suppression of free thought in the scientific world... the trailer, despite the loud, blaring music and the silly outfit, makes the movie look pretty interesting... i got a leaders packet a couple weeks ago about it, but unfortunately not a screener, so i can't tell you if it actually is as good as it looks or if it's just the magic of creating a captivating 3 minute trailer... either way, it's an interesting concept and maybe, just maybe, it will get some people realizing that everyone who believes in the Creation isn't a complete imbecile...

HAPPY WEEKEND

and that's that... i've got a new Walk TRu posted for those that are interested... Ampersand EP by Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken... hopefully i'll have some more for you soon... 'til then...

peace... love... bdg...

I'm a finger down... playing hurt... fighting through it... yeah... here's the deal... i was rationing off a chocolate bunny on Saturday... by the way, i didn't get a chocolate bunny this year - very disappointing - i'm going to have to raid the clearance aisle or something... anyway, i'm rationing off this bunny, which is a nicer way of saying that i'm lopping off the ears to help manage the resultant sugar high... and i also managed to lop off a chunk of my left index finger... since then, i've been bandaged and i feel rather gimpy... you wouldn't think that the left index finger is all that important to a right-hander, but yeah... you do notice...

Anyway... i'm trying some new things starting today... we'll see how they work... let me know what you think...

EASTER
to the tune of Mighty to Save - Hillsong

So our Easter went pretty well... i mentioned earlier that we went over the Easter story a few times with the littles and they seemed pretty taken by it... so that went well and we did the church thing... the littles and i all wore full-out suits and they totally showed me up as they were supremely handsome... Before church, though we did a treasure hunt which involved eight treasure maps that led one to another until the big payoffs which were the Easter baskets... they LOVED it, but apparently, i could've drawn the maps a little better... shows what happens when you scrawl things out at 1 in the morning...

We had hoped to bring our neighbors to church as well, but that didn't work out for a variety of reasons that i'm not completely aware of and some that i am... so, after church, we had a laid-back lunch, sent the littles to their rooms for some down time and i watched a movie which i'll talk about later... and then, when they came back down, we did the egg hunt thing and shared a splendid lamb dinner... all in all, a very nice Easter Sunday and i think we covered all the traditional bases...

THE OTHER MARCH MADNESS
to the tune of CrushCrushCrush - Paramore

So there's also this little business of the NCAA Tournament going on in the background... and i performed my duties as a guy and filled out a bracket and joined a challenge group... and on Thursday, i watched a couple games via the online video players... and caught some games on Friday and Saturday as well... and it didn't take too long into the process to remember why i never put money on these things... outside of the NFL, i'm so disconnected from the sports world these days... i enjoy occassional games from pretty much every sport, but i don't follow it nearly like i used to... so, despite a strong early showing on Thursday, my picks all died away rather quickly and i'll be lucky to finish in the top 7 of the 7-person pick 'em group i joined...

It is sad for me to see Georgetown, UCONN, Duke and George Mason get booted so early, despite my bracket, but that's life... from what i've seen of the tourney so far, it seems to me that UNC is going to run over everyone the rest of the way through and probably win in the championship game by 15 or 20 points... then again, what do i know...

MOVIE MONDAY
to the tune of Ratatouille (score) - Michael Giacchino

So one of the first things i want to do to change things up is to get on a better schedule... so, depending on the day of the week, there will be some regular "features" to look forward to... the first that i'm unveiling is Movie Monday... since i happily subscribe to Netflix, it seems that i always have a movie to talk about, and this week, i'll talk about two...

first up is Horton Hears a Who, which we took the littles to see on Friday... yes, it's in theaters and no, it's probably not worth seeing before it's available on DVD through, say, Netflix, perhaps?... anyway... most everyone is familiar with the gist of this story, an elephant discovers a speck of dust that contains an entire civilization and he vows to keep it safe... Horton faces a number of challenges, in this case Carol Burnett's mean-spirited kangaroo... on the flipside, the mayor of Whoville has to convince a world of people that are so caught up in their own comforts that they need to take action or see their world destroyed...

There's a number of themes that can take you in a myriad of directions... on Horton's side you see the importance of imagination, loyalty, and faith as well as facing persecution and defeating "the man"... and in Whoville, you see the question of God's existence as well as the intentional disregard of the world around you... common themes betweeen the two worlds seem to be faith, character, ridicule, and being brave...

And all these themes can relate to something in everyone's life, however, the movie doesn't completely develop any of them which is somewhat annoying, though the humor and entertainment level for children is pretty great... my main problem with the movie is the name-calling... there's lot's of "idiots," "morons," and "boobs" thrown around - in fact, i think they said "boob" about 10 times in a minute... and it's not that these are terrible words, but i really don't want the littles running around calling people boobs and idiots because they heard it in a movie and don't understand that it's not nice or appropriate... Overall, i give Horton a B/B-...

The second movie, i want to talk about is called The Final Inquiry which was apparently first released in Spain, but tells of a Roman soldier commissined to investigate the rumors of about the resurrection of a man named Jesus... there's mystery, intrigue, some fight scenes, romance, Dolph Lundgren, cover-ups and a lot to like about the film...

It's actually a pretty compelling movie - even with Dolph - and it's an interesting perspective as you see the current Caesar conducting a secret investigation and you get to follow all the evidence as it comes to light... There are some conflicts of timing and such, but nothing terribly distracting from the main thrust of the film and certainly not fom the conclusion... it was particularly interesting to watch around Easter time and i enjoyed it in lieu of reading The Murder of Jesus by John MacArthur which i appear to have misplaced... Bottom line, i give The Final Inquiry a solid B+

WORD OF THE DAY

Joshua 6: 22-27

Promises Fulfilled and then...

God fulfilled His promise and delivered Jericho to the Israelites in an odd fashioin so Joshua, in turn fulfills some of his promises... He spares Rahab and her family and allows them to live with them as a reward for her faithfulness... and then they burned the entire city to the ground, keepinng all the silver, gold, bronze and iron into the treasury of The LORD - which i think, constitutes one of the earliest "Building Funds" in church history...

And then there's a curse... Joshua pronounces a curse on anyone who tries to rebuild the city of Jericho... he says that whoever does so will lose his firstborn son and his youngest son... they destory the place and hope to wipe it off of the face of the earth forever... now, i think this will lead to some interesting things... in fact, someone named Heil DID rebuild Jericho, during the reign of King Ahab and guess what? his first born son died as did his youngest son... should've seen that coming... i'm going to rethink signing that petitiion to save Jericho (the TV show)...

IN OTHER WORDS
to the tune of The Motions - Matthew West

When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg... Prevent Regret... This is a chapter that closes out the "Setup" section of the book... it deals with the general notion that if you don't figure out what's important in life and act on it, then you're going to experience a lot of regret... the opening story is touching and sad and reminds us that relationships have a lot to do with our priorities... the chapter talks about four common regrets that people face at the end of life and reminds us that life doesn't slow down until it stops and then it's too late to change anything... we have this point in time right now to make the most of and that's it... Next section: HOW TO PLAY...

MEANWHILE, BACK IN THE -dAT CAVE
to the tune of The Batman Theme - Danny Elfman

a few nice pieces up at theTRu... posted my 2oo7 Year in Re:TRu piece last week as well as a long, lost interview with Shawn McDonald... plenty more to come your way... as long as i can stay awake...

MOVING ON

hope you enjoyed this slightly new format and will check back to see the rest of the new "schedule"...

peace... love... bdg...

Hey MyCCM readers (if there are any)... i'm thinking of packing this blog up and just posting on my primary blog... these have been all cross posts as it is and since i don't get any responses here, i was thinking i could save myself some time... make your case now or forever hold your peace...

sorry for my absence this week.. i've had a busy week at work and then some time yesterday the cold that i've been fighting for a week or so finally pounced, caught me from behind and dragged me to the ground like a lion chasing a gazelle in the wild... i've spent most of today either shivering or sweating or both actually... i slept fairly well overnight, catnapped through the morning and lounged around most of the day and i'm still coughing and hacking pretty regularly which is, oh so much fun...

anyway... i'm watching All the King's Men and it seems to be a movie that one needs to pay more attention to... dialogue seems to be pretty key as it is a pretty brutal look at politics... i like it so far though... okay... moving on...

DOWN SEPARATE ROADS

last week, we said goodbye to a dear friend and travelling buddy... our faithful Durango, Red Rover was traded in to a dealership with a bit of money in exchange for a brand new Buick Enclave... in purty deep metallic blue... i will say this... buying a car is as annoying as ever... haggling over price, sitting around talking through like 100 different layers of "management" and the oft-asked question, "what do i need to do to put you in this car today?"... please... this is why everyone still hates sales people... anyway, we like the new ride and the hardest adjustment so far is agreeing on a new name... (i think we're leaning towards Ka-BLUE-ey, though)...

AM/FM/XM...

along with this new vehicle comes a three-month trial to XM Radio... and an opportunity to subscribe to it beyond that... i'm not much of a radio guy, but i have to say that i'm fairly impressed with the selection of music thus far... and hey, NO COMMERCIALS... where else do you get that?... really though, i was most excited, because it meant that i'd be able to listen to the weekly Sphere of Hip Hop radio show on The Fuse... oddly though, The Fuse is only available online, so it'll be a matter of logging into the website and ignoring what's going on around me... i don't like being tied to a schedule... that's for sure... i need to figure out some sort of an XM Radio Stream DVR device... hmm...

GOING HOME

American Idol is whittling down the top 24 and i'm glad... i think i'll get more interested in it once they get down to the top 12... i hope so anyway, but i have to ask... did they always do theme weeks this early? i seem to remember the theme weeks starting further down the road... anyway, my early favorites are the little Archelleta kid, Michael, Brooke, and Ramiele (though i don't think that i could possibly pronounce that name)...

REALLY GOING HOME

On Sunday, Larry Norman left this world and joined up with God in eternity... the Father of Christian Music who watched his dreams and legacy become what it is today, for better and worse, passed away peacefully early in the morning... he wasn't a perfect man, by any means, but he left a legacy of music that was revolutionary, radical and quite memorable... and his final thoughts as dictated to a nearby friend are as moving as the lyrics we've all come to admire...

"I feel like a prize in a box of cracker jacks with God's hand reaching down to pick me up"...

AND ON THAT NOTE

i'm off to lay down and rest a bit more... i didn't get the reviews done that i wanted to this week yet, but i did post a really nice interview with Steven Delopoulos and a Walk TRu on the new Avalon record... and, before i go... a hearty HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my good man, Churck... if you need web hosting, he's your guy...

peace... love... bdg...

Yesterday was non-stop motion, so i didn't really get a chance to do a full blog entry, so here's a special Tuesday update... we'll join yesterday's blog already in progress...

Well, that was a busy weekend.. i feel like i'm a bit behind on everything and maybe a part of that is because i'm starting this so late... but we'll see where it goes and how it all turns out... i ended up seeing a couple movies, booking a few interviews, enjoying a special breakfast with little boy, checking out a comedy improv show and, of course, watching some serious football...

And now, it's back to the grindstone and back to the ole blog...

THERE'S NO NEED TO FEAR...

...the underdogs are here... well Sunday the 13th lived up to all the eerie superstitions that can be expect- what? oh, why does that only work for Fridays?... anyway... what a crazy bunch of games this weekendl... i honestly can't remember a year when the playoffs were so very compelling... i've been on the edge of my seat for most of these games so far and i can't wait for the next round... with the exception (maybe) of the Giants and Buccaneers game from Wild Card weekend, all of these games have been classic matchups... and this weekend is shaping up to be a snow-bowl in Green Bay and a snow-bowl in New England...

i'll address each of these games later this week, but man, is this excitement or what?

THANK DOGS YOU'RE HERE...

our church brought in a comedy team known as Mad Dogs and Englishmen this past weekend... having no idea what type of comedy this would be, we decided to go because there was free child care and i like to laugh... turned out that they are an improv team in the vein of Whose Line Is It? and Thank God You're Here... and i guess that's about where i would put them... not nearly as good as Whose Line, but not as agonizingly bad as You're Here... the biggest problem, i think was that they dragged the sketches on too long... 5-6 shorter sketches would've played better than 3-4 longer ones... i'm just saying... that and the fact that i'm funnier... but anyway..

YO HO HERO...

YES... as promised i went to see Veggietales extravaganza known as The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. We packed up the littles and headed to the "movie puterer" on Friday afternoon for opening day. It wasn't quite as crowded as one might expect, but that's probably because we didn't go to the midnight showing or anything like that... actually, the movie did fairly well in the theaters, placing 9th in total sales with just under $4.5 million and maybe 6th or so based on the average per theater...

All that aside, the movie itself was very entertaining... i liked it from the very beginning and as always, it's great fun picking out all the random pop culture references... leading up to the release, i'd heard complaints that it doesn't blatently spell out the Gospel message... but there are so many good lessons and messages tucked away in there that i think those folks are crazy... i liked it, the little liked it, it was a hit all around... and the littles currently spend as much time as they can blasting the soundtrack in their headphones... go see this movie...

MUSIC NEWS

Skillet recently announced that they've got a new drummer now... Apparently Lori "Coolest Chick Drummer Ever" Peters has moved on to pursue other interests and she's replaced by youngster, Jen Ledger... Ledger has been training with Lori for the last few months and is excited to join the group...

the big news today though is that EMI has announced plans to cut about 2000 jobs (a third of their current workforce) over the next six months... the cuts will save an estimated $400 million a year and, "allow [their] labels to spot and sign new artists and better handle existing ones," according to a press release. sure, less people doing more work for fear of getting fired... that's the way to go...

and the really big news is that American Idol begins again tonight... okay, not that big of a deal... never mind.. move along...

WORD OF THE DAY

Joshua 4: 1-9

What do these stones mean?... i remember hearing a sermon specifically about this question... actually, it wasn't a sermon so much as, hmm... what was it? i wanna say that it had something to do with a mission statement of some sort... regardless... this is an interesting passage for me... clearly this is a common practice for their culture, stacking up some rocks, building a memorial and remembering from whence you came...

whenever i go into the Capital, which isn't very often, i love looking at the architecture of the buildings - houses, museums and whatnot... and most people who come to DC spend the bulk of their time walking around "The Mall" and staring at all the memorials that have been erected to honor past leaders and influential times... i guess we all have different ways of preserving memories, but it seems that we could do better... i don't know, giving God credit for all that He's done... perhaps we're so far removed from deliverance... i don't know... just thinking out loud...

IN OTHER WORDS

When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg...

Ortberg states that there are three main ways that we keep score in life... comparison, competition and climbing... they're all quite interconnected actually and as, he states, they all have downfalls... there are healthy ways to work within each of these scoring systems, but more often than not, we'll get caught up in them, and fall into their respective trappings... before closing out the chapter, Ortberg talks about the contrast between these three systems and the one that Jesus models... it's almost like he's read my mind...

GONE BABY GONE

well... little boy actually has a fever today and i'm going to go take care of him... like only daddy can... this is where i would put links to all the updates that i've had pop up around the web, but there's nothing to link to today... perhaps tomorrow... i do have a number of irons in the fire... be safe and enjoy American Idol tonight... bdg... out!

peace... love... bdg...

today is a very special day... not just because it's Friday, but that's nice... not even because it's 1-11 which rarely ever happens... what? oh, it happens every year?... okay... not because of that... but today is special nonetheless... today, Monk and Psych return to air as planned... regardless of the strike... i'm happy...but what's really special about this day is The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything... yeah... Veggietales in the theater again...

ON HUCKABEE, ON THOMPSON, ON MCCAIN, ON CLINTON, ON OBAMA, ETC...

so i was supposed to talk about the debates from last weekend and i blew it... i watched all the Republican segments and enjoyed it a lot... again, prior to this year, i never got much into the whole political scene... and while the charm of these ridiculous amounts of coverage should wear me even thinner than normal, i'm actually intrigued by it all... i was reminded why i don't like politics a few weeks ago witnessing angry arguing and abrupt assumptions, but it wasn't until the other day that i realized that i'm more a fan of debating than i am of politics...

i really enjoy watching these debates... i love the banter and the back and forth civil arguments... it's entertaining and educating... anyway, i'm still backing Huckabee and i'm excited to see how the next few states turn out... one thing i do really enjoy is that Romney is getting put in his place in every debate... the televangelist android has been spending millions on negative attack ads and everyone is calling him on it... they're nailing him for his inconsistencies and then he has the nerve to cry foul...

The funniest things i've seen this week have been Jon Stewart nailing both Mitt and Rudy on Wednesday's "A" Daily Show... anyway... enough politics...

WIN OR GO HOME (PT. 4)

Last on the docket... The NEW YORK Giants head down to Dallas to face the Cowboys... after getting manhandled during the previous two meetings this year, the Giants are looking for revenge... and they're looking to the suddenly strong arm of Eli Manning... this should shape up interestingly as Romo will surely have some jitters and Eli has the confidence of having led his team to victory last week... the problem is that he's still facing the Cowboys, who have dialed him up twice already this year... Terrell Owens promises to be back and this promises to be a really good game... all week, i've been thinking that the Cowboys will win easily, but i'm actually changing my vote and calling this one for the Giants...

NEW YEAR, NEW MUSIC, NEW OUTLOOK

i've spent a lot of time thus far this year getting organized... i'm trying to make this year a great year for writing... i know, i've said that many times before and i still have a long way to go... but i'm happy to be listening to the new Leeland album and have a few other promising prospects coming down the pike...

AND WITH THAT...

everybody's working for the weekend... no, actually, i'm just chilling out all weekend... with some work thrown in, i'm sure... in honor of the Veggietales Pirates movie, you can "peep" my walk TRu of the movie soundtrack... happy weekend everybody... i've got some, emails to write...

peace... love... bdg...

so, is it oddly warm where you are? it's been in the 60s and 70s here so far this week and everyone else seems pretty happy about it... i'm a bit indifferent, because i'm really still wishing there was some snow on the ground... it's January for goodness sakes... let's cool off a little bit... well... there's a lot to cover today, so let's dig in...

NO ROOM FOR GREY

i'm in the midst of watching Blood Diamond... and i've seen a few other movies with similar themes... as portrayed in the movies at least, the situation in some of these third-world countries seems as close to hopeless as possible outside of Hell... the main character even says in this movie, "God's left this place a long time ago"... it can certainly seem that way...

One thing that really bothers me about these movies though, is that there's always several sets of "bad guys"... and you're never quite sure who to "root" for... well... that's not entirely true, there are the innocent victims... it's just that they're never the real focus of the film... here's how the characters break down usually:

there are usually the rebel troops.. these are the bad guys... they use excessive force and terror to gain power... they slaughter the innocents mercilessly as they wage war against the next group... the govenrment army... initially, these may seem like the good guys until you realize that the rebels rose up because the government army mercilessly oppressed its people to gain and maintain power... that's the first conundrum

Sometimes there's a third army... an outside army... initially they seem like the good guys until you realize that they are present in the country not to instill peace or restore order... they aren't there to rescue the innocents like you might expect... no, they are there because they want control and power in their own way... whether it's some sort of resource that they crave or just a chance to exert their own strength and prove their own power... there always seems to be an ulterior motive...

with all these shades of evil, who do you root for, indeed?... well, this ties in with my last post about the Ortberg book that i'm reading... and it goes along with something that we're getting to in Joshua... we don't need to root for any of these options... we are presented with these options and we can reject their offer... we need to "root" for love... a love that overcome all evil...

i know, it's hard... it was much easier when we only watched Disney movies... movies where good and evil are clearly labeled... movies unlike life...

WIN OR GO HOME

Well, that was a bit heavier than i intended, but let's talk some football now, shall we?... the Saturday night game will once again be the biggest game of the weekend... The Jaguars march into New England to face the undefeated Patriots... fresh off their hard-fought victory in Pittsburgh, the Jags hope to upset the team that everyone expects to win the Super Bowl... They'll certainly give the Pats a run for it... but after the two-headed run attack and the level-headed play from defense and the rest of the team, it'll come down to the fact that the Patriots have more weapons at their disposal and they'll get one step closer to that trophey...

LAST YEAR (PT. 3)

the final list from Last.FM is the 25 most played artists of 2007...not sure how this works because it doesn't necessarily line up with either of the oth