A few quick pointers

Sometimes one remembers good days, sometimes one remembers bad days, and sometimes one remembers strange days. Today was such a time.

Recollected today is the key to young bachelorhood: Eat whatever together and get creative. Space is limited. Time is essential. Dry Ramen is always a good option. If the cash flow is low, it has been found that a hot dog bun filled with mustard and relish is almost as good as a hot dog and has approximately 1/3 of the calories. Never forget that salad dressing and a loaf of bread can go a long way. Ditto for BBQ sauce, mustard, ketchup, syrup, whatever. This is a fully utilitarian issue. Just make it happen. I for one, just nostalgically ate a hot dog bun with pickles, mustard and a dash of ketchup. Ah the good ol' days...

Peace and Punishment, a not so Common Sense thing

It is a difficult thing, forgiveness. It's also a very difficult thing to not punish wrongdoers. Is there compromise? Does it depend on the outcome. Is peace the greatest good, or just a figment of our imaginations? If we offer amnesty, do we encourage more violence by evil people (read: if there is no punishment/discipline, what's to keep people from repeating the offense?)

How do we move on when so much wrong has been done by all sides?

What hope is there to answer the injustice? This is a brief venting of frustrations. I believe the best answer is to work to prevent most of these things from ever happening (Easier said than done, I know). But how do we do that? I don't know, but there are some things I'm willing to do to attempt to sway myself from apathy.

1. Be Content. I don't need your stuff.

2. Promote Peace in my relationships

3. Promote Peace with my words and actions in other public spheres.

4. Find new ways to be an agent of change for good.

It might be, It could be....

Caught behind 2B by Ryne Sandberg. This one's for Sammy B. I'll call soon.

harry

Philosophy 101, the laughing way...

Do you want this book? I know I do. Heard this guy on NPR this weekend, and he was hilarious. Best part is, the jokes were funny even if you didn't know the philosophical concept. (Which was about 50% of them for me).

The Power of Perpetuity

Sam, why must you strange conjugations of words? Because I must, because I must.

Have you ever asked yourself or realized at some salient moment that you've forgotten so many things that were simple and true and made your life better, but were let go of because they were either too simple or just a little below you?

Let's try to say this another way: ever noticed how crappy pop songs can get stuck in your head forever? (Hey now, you're an all-star... or Girl you're my angel, you're my darlin' angel, closer than my peeps you are to me-e, ooh ooh). I hope I didn't just ruin your day reading those, but the point is clear: our minds are affected by the things we allow to consume them, so what are we consumed with? Is it truth? Is it life-giving? If you had kids, or people you really wanted to be healthy and live a good (whom you influence), would you put the things in their head that you let rule your inner monologue? A few words to focus on and repeat to oneself during a day can make a monumental difference. Truth and Peace. Mercy and Hope. Passion and Justice. Grace and Patience. Belief and Love.

What fills your mind and defines your daily movements?

Sam welcomes himself to the ranks of the pseudo-technorati

Yes, you should check this out. I never understood (until now) why all these websites had this "RSS feed" thing.

I believed it was just some more nonsense known by people who know the shortcut keys to order an espresso prepared with love by their computer.

I. Was. Wrong. Check out google reader. It's cool. It will save you time. Etc.

The 2nd Quarter (That's right OH, your time is now)

Ohio, ohio, ohio...when will you learn? "Birthplace of Aviation Pioneers?" Alright, I get the Wright brothers; but do you know why they went to Kitty Hawk? 1: They needed to see the sunshine to jumpstart their minds again, and 2: ohio's dynamic topography didn't allow them to get a start for their flight. I have two options for Ohio. The first involves the things that Ohioans will brag on for why their state is awesome: a) Cedar Point: roller coasters? c'mon and of course the ever ubiquitous and logically sound b) because it is. There. see. That's great. I propose small script and bullet point style memo. The second option is really the one I would go with were I in charge. But as I don't have the moral flexibility to move to Ohio like some people (ahem..Tim ) might, this obviously will never occur. Be that as it may, here's how it should go down. Have you seen these quarters that are all colored in on the back side? Ohio needs one of those with the whole background just straight, flat, grey. There would then be two people walking in a field of mud with the stalks cut talking about killing themselves. Then one would say "Look I think it's the sun!" The other (obviously suffering from SAD) would say "No it's just the nuclear fallout coloring the clouds from the Mistake by the Lake." (For those who don't know, a.ka. Cleveland)


Before some of you go and get all sensitive about things like what state you're from, I'll go ahead and bash my state's quarter (although they went pretty straight forward and in line with how it should be: state song, obvious landmark, business, etc.)

KY sports the title to its state song which speaks of another time (one in which certain wordings and activities were deemed acceptable), A horse, a mansion, rolling hills, and a KY farm style fence. Now, this is all admittedly very neck (and a solid representation of a majority of people in this fine state IMO), but according to state representatives, it still had a purpose: Tourism. At least KY gets that. Granted, tourism in KY is in my opinion like an icemaker in antarctica, but at least they're trying and not straying off the path. Here's to you KY.

Armpit states of America, watch out.

For the Married Peeps out there...

"Like everything which is not the involuntary result of fleeting emotion but the creation of time and will, any marriage, happy or unhappy, is infinitely more interesting than any romance, however passionate."

-- W.H. Auden

Mmmm...I'm hongry!

What do you want? Stop looking at me! So what if I do have an inordinately large head relative to my hind quarters! Get off my back!

More is Less

No, that's not a usage error of the colloquialism in the title. It's the beginning of a question. In regards to making money, having things, and doing things, why do we constantly need more? It often requires more of our time to work extra hours for more money, to take care of the things we've bought which we don't need or use. Yet we as a culture are still obsessed with it. It's very easy (and not that inaccurate IMO) that one of the reasons it's done is to avoid slowing down and facing the fears of silence, simplicity, and calm. The problem is that this way of life has no true center and roams around the spirit like a devil pac-man eating up any substance that exists until all that remains is a shell, just a sketch of the former and intended whole person. The difficulty arises in having to say no, in having to pay bills, in feeling the need to maintain the "everything's just fine (even though I'm losing my mind)" view for the world to see.

All the time and money that we've accumulated has done nothing but rob us of true purpose. The things and the love of money do not inherently bring life. In fact, the opposite is the case more often than not. To walk away from a world of wealth is a difficult thing. But is it worth your soul?

Humor Time

You must and I mean must read this post on a discussion forum about bees. If this picture isn't enough to whet your appetite so you go to read it, I just don't know what else to do.

I would say. "Wow. Kentucky!" But this is in FL.

Quarter for your thoughts...

Do you ever wonder who gets together to come up with these things? The author sure does. Most of the state-themed quarters are pretty innocuous, even a nice changeup from the norm. They make the general claims and identify their state by what most know it. Texas has a lone star on it, Delaware has the first state, Washington references its natural beauty. The real issue arises when states make outlandish claims. In the crosshairs today is the great state of Iowa. Their quarter, minted in 2004 shows what appears to be a one room schoolhouse. A teacher is outside with some students, and they are planting a tree. In the background are rolling hills, and above the schoolhouse are emblazoned these words: "FOUNDATION OF EDUCATION."

A couple of things really stick out here. First, the rolling hills seem to me a bit off for a place like Iowa. I've been there. It's flat. I must've missed the hills. I'll give them benefit of the doubt here.

The real issue though is the foundation of education part. I understand that Iowa stresses education, and they place relatively high in test scores, but for goodness' sake people! You were the 29th state. In the early years of this nation, you were considered "The West!" Maybe their education never prompted them to understand what foundation means. I like definition 5a the best: "A body or ground upon which something is built up or overlaid." Now I could maybe buy some of the foundation thing based on standardized testing, but when a place like Harvard was founded (and named Harvard) roughly 200 years before you became a state, the foundation tag just seems a bit off.

Personally, I would've gone with "fueling the future" (However ridiculous the actual proposition is) and had a picture of a person jamming some corn on the cob into a car's fuel tank. It would've been awesome. I was here all along Iowa, and you missed your chance to ask. "Foundation of education." Honestly!

Next in the crosshairs: Indiana.

Dissonance

I have been meaning to post about some challenges I've encountered in the past year dealing with things that should be part of a normal Christian mindset (Love, hope, preserving the natural world, encouraging freedom and justice, wholeness and hope, etc.) In addition to that, had hoped to make some points about what flowed out of those things. People who eat better, drive better, exercise and think critically and with a keen mind. I still hope to do that, but Zach beat me to it. You should check his post on eschatology and diverging views.

Baby tossing and mad skills...

There seems to be some general frustration with Cullum baby tossing that has been received either via comment or e-mail by the author of this sub-par blog. As an example to my comments regarding tossing and balance from the last post, I give you my cousin Matt. I also give you evidence that baby tossing works. Just watch the video.