Thinking about…

… the shit that Corey is going through

…where Phil is lately and if he is ever going to post again

… what Jay has been thinking about

… how come I haven’t talked to Ricky since July (I called him last night).  Sorry bro!

… why I cry so much.  I cry at just about every movie I have ever seen.  Seriously.  Lastest movie I cried at: Reign Over Me

… opening a comic book store: I just want to be my own boss and do something different.

… going to art school.  But, I don’t know if that will provide me what I want to do.  Which leads me to think about what I really want to do.

…Laura.  I love her.  I bought a Leann Rimes cd today because she sings a song that I love (and cried to, of course) and I want her to hear it (I will dance with her to it tonight) and I am going to learn it on guitar so I can play it for her to.  I am a mush head.

…how I want to go home cause we’re so slow and it’s snowing and I want to sit with my kids and watch Superman II with them (and Laura loves them – she’s a child of the 80’s like me!).

Transformers: animated

Cartoon Network is releasing a new Transformers Cartoon debuting the day after Christmas @ 8pm!  Click here to check it out!

7000 and counting…

I have had over 7000 hits on this blog since joining WordPress.  If you are not a subscriber to WordPress then you need to (do it, Corey, now…).

Fishers of Men

Jesus tells a couple of his disciples (some fishermen) that if they followed him he would make them “fishers of men”.  The classic take on this is that Jesus will teach these men how to “reel” people into being followers of him.  That just seems to modern to American of an interpretation to me.

In Jesus’ culture the kids who didn’t make the cut to be followers of a Rabbi would go and learn their parents trade.  In this case Peter, John, etc were fishing for a living.  They were sons of fishers who lived off their parents trade.  Jesus finds these “high school drop outs” and calls them to join his “university”.  The idiots were picked to go to Harvard because Jesus believed they could be Harvard grads.

Actually, Rabbi’s only picked those whom they felt could perfectly immitate them and pass on their teachings on how to live out the meaning of the Law.

Jesus believed these fishermen could do this.  So he calls them to “follow me”.  And if they do this he says they will become “fishers of men.”  Does this mean he will make them into mass-evangelists who will establish organized religion that will enlighten and darken the known world and its expasses for millenium to come?

We do know that these disciples do infact start a new religion called “The Way”, established congregations all over the known world of followers of this way, so maybe that is what Jesus meant after all.  But, I think his meaning was more basic.  I think he was a Rabbi simply calling these fishermen to become learners of his ways so they in turn could be Rabbis to pass down his ways.

Opening a Comic Book Store

I am semi-to-seriously considering this with a guy I work with.  It would be in Gaylord.  We would need capital (obviously) and research.  Any pointers?  Thoughts?  Idears…?

Now I Know Why Laura is With Me!

When She’s Hot But He’s Not 

(and article by Julia Allison)  from Time Out New York (from Yahoo News)

 

Every time I watched “King of Queens,” I was confused. The husband, an overweight UPS delivery guy, is married to a certifiably hot brunette with a tight body, whom he regularly asks to strip (is this normal married couple behavior? I would ask my parents, but that’s disgusting).

At first, I dismissed it, like the beer commercials featuring balding, pot-bellied men cavorting with Tara Reid look-alikes. They’re just Disproportionately Attractive TV Couples — they could never exist in the real world.

Or could they?

I look around New York, and everywhere I see gorgeous women with only moderately attractive — or even downright unattractive — men

 

I look around New York, and everywhere I see gorgeous women with only moderately attractive — or even downright unattractive — men.

Read the rest of the article here.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Thanks BJ for Seasons 1-3 and the COOL case they came in! You’re very gracious, or as my senior manager put it, “It’s nice to know there are still good people in the world” when he saw your gift…

Blog Stats

I added my blog stats at the bottom of my blog, if you care.  The count started in September.

Thor

The new Thor run is amazing! With fantastic artwork by Olivier Coipel and powerful writing by J Michael Straczynski this comic has sold out and subscriptions are running behind (which sucks because I have been waiting over 12 weeks for mine!!!).

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge Thor fan. This run on Thor has taken me back to the Walt Simonson days of Thor! Walt’s run portrayed Thor as more of an Asgardian deity who was the sworn protector of Midgard (earth) and dealt heavily with Norse mythology. Straczynski portrays Thor as a powerful deity (he is untouchable by Iron Man and the way he carries himself…you’d just have to read it!) who is bringing Asgard to Midgard (echoes of Revelation…?).

Anyway, I can’t say enough about this comic, but if I was to say one more thing it would be that this comic is NOT a “comic” in the sense that everyone thinks.

Thank God for Evolution!

This is a new book I am reading via The Ooze. I get several books sent to me each quarter for review on this blog. I can’t put this book down!

Below is an abreviated list of praises for the book. Scan through it to see whether or not you would like to check it out:

“The universe took 13.7 billion years to produce this amazing book. I heartily recommend it. I am often asked how science and religion can co-exist. This is a wonderful answer.”

— John Mather, Chief Scientist at NASA, 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics

“The science vs. religion debate is over! A path forward emerges! Michael Dowd masterfully unites rationality and spirituality in a world view that celebrates the mysteries of existence and inspires each human being to achieve a higher purpose in life. A powerful book! A must read for all, including scientists.”

— Craig Mello, 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine

“Michael Dowd and his wife, Connie Barlow, have committed their lives to showing that you can be a true Darwinian and a truly spiritual person. Thank God for ‘em, and thank God for Michael’s new book.”

— Robert Wright, author of The Moral Animal and Nonzero

“That evolution is a divine force has not been well appreciated, or articulated, up till now. But through the efforts of this brave book and others inspired by it, this realization is certain to be more widely embraced in the coming decades.”

— Kevin Kelly, Wired Magazine Editor at Large, author of Out of Control and New Rules for a New Economy

“Michael Dowd illustrates in Thank God for Evolution! that there are many ways to be a spiritual person, and that all of them are enriched by an understanding of modern science, especially evolution. This is a creative, provocative book that sheds light on just about any spiritual path one might be on. Many will find their faith revolutionized.”

— Eugenie C. Scott, Ph.D., Executive Director, National Center for Science Education

“Few if any religious books quote Richard Dawkins in his own terms, or with approval. That this book does both hints at the breadth of audience it will intrigue. Thank God for Evolution! has become my most quoted pastoral resource as a Christian minister. I cannot recommend it too highly.”

— Rev. Dr. Jason John, Scots Church Adelaide

“For Catholics who are worried that evolution has nothing to offer them but random Godlessness, this is the book to get. Mind you, it may sometimes be challenging. Traditional concepts, like ‘original sin,’ get re-expressed with new words, like ‘our lizard legacy.’ But the courageous will discover the same joy, energy, and spirituality that fills the author as he explores an evolutionary view of God and Creation. Take courage—and read it!”

— Chris Corbally, S.J. Vice Director, Vatican Observatory

“Like two orphans reunited, spirituality and evolution come face to face in this daring new book by Michael Dowd. <em>Thank God for Evolution!</em> invites us to explore new family traditions of knowledge informed by science and mystery inspired by God. As a pastor, I know the temptation may be to continue in a divided house—evolution versus religion. But Dowd skillfully redefines the terms of the relationship, creating hope and practical ways to awaken to the future of living as part of an integrated family that can tackle the challenges of today.”

— Spencer Burke, creator of TheOOZE.com (leading evangelical website), former megachurch pastor, author of A Heretics Guide to Eternity

“Michael Dowd has written a book that is at once fun to read and a significant contribution to those who think about God without the blindfolds of past centuries. Dowd affirms science, and shows how a spiritually alive consciousness must embrace evolution and understand it in the wider context of a world filled with the presence of God. It will be faith renewing to many Christians and has much from which people of all faiths can learn.”

— Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor Tikkun, national Chair, The Network of Spiritual Progressives, author, The Left Hand of God: Healing America’s Political and Spiritual Crisis

“A publishing event of rare significance, this exhilarating book moves us at last beyond false separations of science and religion. With true evangelical fervor, it liberates both heart and mind in service to the great adventure of our time: the rediscovery of our mutual belonging and our kinship with all life. With breathtaking clarity, Michael Dowd not only treats us to a panoramic vision of our origins, but reveals how this Great Story can grace our lives right now with courage, creativity, and peace of mind. Such gifts are not only our birthright, they are essential now for our survival.”

— Joanna Macy, Buddhist eco-philosopher, author of World as Lover, World as Self, and Coming Back to Life

“A much-needed bridge between science and spirit, well written, entertaining, and inspiring. Michael Dowd is one Christian Preacher who speaks to this Pagan’s heart!”

— Starhawk, author of The Spiral Dance; The Earth Path; The Fifth Sacred Thing

Baby Story

Have you ever seen the TLC show “Baby Story”?

It’s basically a story about a couple having their child.  They show them pregnant.  They show them screaming.  They show husbands crying and fainting.  You get the picture.  Then they wrap it up with them at home several weeks later talking about how much they love their little new born.

Cute.

Well, today’s episode dealt with a Homosexual couple, who happened to be male, having their second baby.  Their first baby was given birth to by one of the guy’s sister.  She decided she would conceive their second child as well.  So, she was inseminated with the non-brother’s sperm and we watched her go through her pregnancy and child birth as she sacrificed herself for her brother and his spouse (?) to have their second child.

Okay, I’m down with homosexuals being together and even having kids.  I reject it on the basis of it being “unnatural” and it is.  The very fact that this dude’s sister had to give birth to two of his kids speaks for itself.  (I know there are some couples who have others give birth to their child for them because they can’t and there is the adoption thing, but I’m not speaking about whether this is right or wrong, etc).

The thing I told Laura was: “I can’t believe the sacrifice she is making”.

She was giving of herself, regardless of the cost to her, her rep, etc, to give to her brother something he and his partner could never create themselves.

I thought it was Christ-like, for what I know of him.

Laura added, “And think of the years of counseling they’re all going to have to go through.”

This girl’s mom was also her aunt.

How many years of counseling should we all go through, though?

I still marvel at what this lady did for her brother and her brother’s life partner.

Heroes

As usual I am a day late and a dollar short.

Laura and I started watching Season One of Heroes.

But, as the saying goes, “better late than never”!  This series is awesome right from the start!  We are both pumped to watch all of them.

I just wish I was rich so I could buy them on dvd.

Fall: as the leaves fall the memories return

I don’t know what it is but something about fall causes all sorts of memories and feelings related to them to return to me.  Return might be an understatement, because sometimes I am overwhelmed by them.

For some reasons my senses go into overdrive this time of year.  Familiar smells tickle my nose.  Familiar scenes spark memories.  I want to read the DragonLance Trilogy.  I want to eat Wendy’s.  I want to sip on Cindy’s Spiced Hot Tea.  Old joys and buried pain return at the oddest moments and for no apparent reason.

For some reason fall does this to me.

Fargo: places to find me

“Foobar”?  No, Fargo.  A place where I can be found as well as millions of others out there.  Check out this site, link to it, and enjoy endless hours of browsings…

Pilonidal Cyst Surgery

Yeah, I had this surgery.  This is what it looks like, sort of (mine was deeper and larger…gross!).  I have been out of work since October 23rd.  Tonight was my first night back.  A little rough, and I am very tired, but it’s all good.  I haven’t posted cause I have no internet at my house (I got internet for online classes- which I don’t take, and I hardly use the internet at home so why pay for it?), and I have pretty much been resting and drawing and reading and loving being home with my kids and Laura (well, okay, and the dogs too!).

I have some time to post tonight because we are SO far behind in our close and I am physically spent.  I have done nothing but be on my feet all night (accept to catch up on paper work).  I think I over did it doing some meat pulls (steak) and helping on the buffet.  So I am chillin in the office for now.  I’m going to help here in a sec, but I wanted to let everyone know where I have been (home from surgery) and where I haven’t (blogging).