Unverifiable Ramblings

Wow, this is getting ridiculous

2011-08-28T21:25:00.000-07:00

Nope, I can't do it. I can't quite let go of this little blog page, and now that I have figured out how to associate it with my main Google account (I'm hoping to learn how to tie my shoes soon - stay tuned), I have fewer reasons not to be here, wasting as much of my time as possible attempting to waste yours.

No, four years have NOT passed since my last post as jokingly suggested (to apparently no one), but sadly enough, better than ONE year has passed, and I'm not any better at keeping up with it. Okay, I think I shall have to employ a little more creativity to remind people that it is here. I'll start with linking to my facebook page, as a good many of you have not yet tired of that forum. After that, not to be un-embracing of the next and newest, I shall link to it on my Google+ page.

Temptations galore.

These seem like to two great swings at getting the ball of self-promotion-and-importance rolling. But don't worry, I will endeavor to earn your begrudging patronage with pleasantries, rhapsodies, curiosities, and the occasional rant. And if at any time, I do not live up your expectations for things deemed "worthy of your online minute", then by all means delete any subsequent bookmarks and get on with your life, with my best wishes.

I do actually have some thought processes that could use the benefit of virtual open-air, and I will be bringing them to you soon. Very soon.

No, this time, I'm serious.

Is Three-and-a-half Years long enough?

2010-08-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

Ahh, this crazy internet thing. It makes sure that we have plenty to keep us occupied and supplies us a myriad reasons not to go outside. And, if we're paying attention, it allows us to realize that we are all ultimately like three-year-olds; drifting in the direction of any new shiny thing that comes across our field of vision. Just the way the creators of web content intended.

But we're not paying attention.

In the 42-or-so months since my last blog, I have taken part in the herd mentality that has seen most of my friends and associates fade from Blogger (which I just found out Google owns now -- who knew?), led them to create and decorate like Christmas trees from hell and subsequently delete accounts on myspace, and carried them into the waiting, seemingly-secure-but-not-really arms of facebook. And it is there that I too spend an increasing amount of my dwindling stationary time.

So that's where I've been, and I know you know this, because you've been right there with me. But there's something appealing about this format dedicated to stringing more than a glib comment's worth of words together, and I may spend more time here again. Myspace we can all live without, but hopefully, we're not ready to lay aside the possibility of actually sharing what's on our hearts and minds. At least, I hope not.

See you in four years. "I hope not" applies to that also.

What I learned from programming my VCR last night . . .

2007-02-12T09:24:00.000-08:00

Four things.

Always check to see when the band you wanted to tape is actually performing.
Make sure the clock on the VCR, which is supposed to set itself, is actually set correctly.
Never trust a VCR to do anything right.
In fact, just throw out your VCR.

Jen's Ugly Picture Challange

2006-10-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

Who says I can't get more Marshmallow Mateys in my mouth?

Back in Black

2006-09-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

Hey, we've been out for a bit, but we're still out here. Are you? Let me know.

The Jay Speight band, for which I play drums, did a video shoot this past Sunday, soon to be available online and for promotional use. A photographer and producer friend of Jay's named John Albani took some great stills of the day. Feel free to check these out. WARNING: He took HUNDREDS of pics, so get a drink and go potty first.

Way Overdue

2006-06-09T05:40:00.000-07:00

Time at last for a new post of deep spiritual and philosophical importance.

Or not.

MySpace is fun. I have, like, four different pages set up for various uses. Starting with this one.

My Da Vinci Coda

2006-05-05T05:28:00.000-07:00

If you are like me, and I'm sorry if you are, you've been receiving a deluge of e-mail from Christians expressing everything from concern to to anger to outright panic regarding The Da Vinci Code, both the film and the book. I have not yet seen or read either, but I've read a good deal about the premise. Having had enough of the "doomsday-ish" characterization of this work, I responded to a mass e-mailing with the following.

It seems that Dan Brown has released a modern myth, a reworking of old heresy, that caters to our culture's lust to debunk all things that are accepted as history, all things that are generally held as reliable and authoritative. This state of our culture is demonstrated in the fact that this book has become the best-selling fictional hard-back of all time. But although it (ironically) sets itself up as authoritative, let us not forget where this book is found - squarely in the fiction aisle.

A similar ruckus was raised at the release of The Last Temptation of Christ, now hard to find in most video stores, using at least parts of the misinformation used in the Da Vinci Code. It shouldn't surprise anyone that mankind perpetually tries to free itself of any responsibility to a perfect God by trying to deny and/or belittle His existance through the arts. The real tragedy is not that these books/movies get made and released with massive promotional budgets (telling mankind "what their itching ears want to hear"), but that we who claim to be believers in Christ are completely unable to engage in rational conversations on the topic because we are woefully uneducated ourselves about the history of our faith. I offer for your consideration this imbedded lecture on the matter by N.T. Wright, the Bishop of Durham, a renowned historian and Christian apologist. Scholars who know anything about the history of the church will tell you that Mr. Brown's novel does not hold water as an accurate representation of history.

But read the lecture before continuing.

There are two pieces of really good news in this. First, the truth of our sovreign God will stand on it's own, regardless of how He is attacked. One day every knee will bow and every tongue will bear witness to this. Secondly, our God is a redeemer in everything He does. He is always using things that were meant for evil to accopmlish good. Suddenly our spiritually passive culture finds fascination with the prime question of life: "Who was Jesus, really?" What a great oportunity awaits those of us who are willing and ABLE to point to the true Christ! This is a challenge for all who claim the name of Christ, to know why we believe the way we do, and to BE READY in season and out to bear witness to the hope we have. I am doing everything I can to be ready to answer the questions that are coming in the wake of this pop-culture phenomenon, and I hope you will endeavor to do the same.

In the mean time, I'm not worried about the film - I may even see it, as Mr. Hanks and Mr. Howard are both exceptional at what they do, and I believe their gifts are from God - but that's another topic.

Peace be with you (relax).

Choo Choo Here We Come

2006-03-22T23:12:00.000-08:00

Here we go again.

It is time once more for my yearly tradition of accompanying Jen to her SAI Region 23 competition in Chattanooga, and per usual I am looking forward to it. We both look forward to it, but in completely different contexts. Jen goes to perform and compete; I go to observe and enjoy. Jen goes through an elaborate pattern full of final run-throughs and last-minute preparation; I enjoy killing time at a local coffee house for hours on end waiting for the show(s) to start. This is always a strange thing for me, as I am certainly not a part of the organization (nor could I be without some dramatic surgery), but I enjoy the best part of being an outsider: getting to watch those who have worked so hard for so long, my Jen being the most important to me, do that thing that brings them joy - sing their guts out for their region. I was recently reminded of the line from the Olympic runner Eric Liddle in Chariots of Fire, as he observed that God had made him fast, and "when I run, I feel His pleasure". I know what it is to feel that. It is a wonderful thing to watch someone you love do that thing they really feel "made for", whether or not it ever winds up being more than hobby - it doesn't matter. I go to see Jen experience God's pleasure as she sings. It's a nice bonus to see others enjoy it too.

So I look forward to the intermixing of moments of impossible suspense and moments of solace and solitude. It's a jerky sort of vacation for me, but I can't wait. I've told Jen that she's not allowed to win this year. I also secretly hope she doesn't listen :)

Stop The Presses!

2006-02-28T23:09:00.000-08:00

Always wanted to say that.

First, I'm back from Idaho. You may exhale.

Secondly, the truck didn't exactly work out. Thanks to the Carmax 5-day money-back-guarantee, I was able to return the truck, with which I had some issues, and go for plan B. Plan B involves getting a car for Jen and taking her van, which we did.

Look for Jen's green Beetle in your next pack of Skittles.

Wow: I'm blogging.

2006-02-11T16:52:00.000-08:00

Spare time has been about as mythical as old Nessie lately. Tonight I have a couple hours free, and for the life of me - I have no idea what to blog about. Just thought I'd mention it.

Hey, nice snow storm, Leland! There; we'll go with that . . .

Yup.

2006-01-30T23:12:00.000-08:00

I have been in Tennessee for close to 14 years now, and though the shift began slowly, the process has culminated in one act that has pushed me over the edge, freeing me of the bonds of my opressive yankee heritage. Yessir, I have officially become a Southerner.

I just bought me my first pickup truck.

Now, I have heard that just having the truck itself is not enough, and I was wondering: what accoutrements should I be adding to my truck that are truly necessary to REALLY turn this now southern gentleman into a genuine hick-a-fied truck-driving redneck? I'm first envisioning a gun rack, loaded with - not guns - fishin' poles . . .

Then maybe get some overalls; lose the shirt . . .

. . . maybe not.

Gross Tunage

2006-01-19T23:13:00.000-08:00

Funny how 20 years ago (yikes!), okay, even 15 years ago, I listened to Christian music almost exclusively. No, not almost, just exclusively. Now - hate it. I'm using the word HATE here. Has Christian music really changed that much? Have I? Both?

I'm not really much of a country fan either, so I suppose I'm in the wrong town. I am, however, discovering some wonderful americana acts like Patty Griffin, Kathleen Edwards, Rodney Crowel, and Mindy Smith. They are at the very least, honest, even if their view of the truth can sometimes be slightly skewed. At least their music's not written for the purpose of selling T-shirt catch phrases for your youth group to adopt. Or books - gee whiz, when did bands start writing books?! Why is anyone buying books full of what musicians have to say? Have you spent time with any musicians? Morons, all of them.

Okay, I'm better now. Your thoughts?

Two Hours Of Your Life You Really Want Back

2006-01-05T23:03:00.000-08:00

Okay. Now that we've discussed some of my - and your - favorite movies, holiday and otherwise, riddle me this; What qualify as some of the WORST movies you've ever seen, and why?

Any list of this type for me simply has to start with Random Hearts. Ouch, talk about a stinker. It's really depressing when two actors you genuinely like combine talents and reach new lows.

Movie Quotes: REVEALED

2005-12-30T12:02:00.000-08:00

The movie quotes are from "Waking Ned Devine", "A Hard Day's Night", and "Noises Off", respectively. All worth a watch, if you haven't yet.

Quote two is about John McCartney, allegedly Paul's grandfather. The running joke throughout the film is various random people commenting that he's very clean. It's funny even now, but it's an inside joke; Back when the movie was made (1964) the same actor, Wilfrid Brambell, played a regular role on a British sitcom where he was regularly called a "dirty old man".

I need a hobby . . . a DIFFERENT hobby.

Name The Movies

2005-12-28T16:38:00.000-08:00

See if you can guess the film for each of these movie quotes.

Quote 1:
" . . . but Michael's never told a lie in his life."
"Aye, well, he's making up for it now, so . . . ?"

Quote 2:
"John (surname omitted). Filthy rich, of course."
"I don't know . . . he looks quite clean to me . . ."

Quote 3:
"Are you in?"
"In?"
"Are you there?!"
"What?"
"You're out, okay . . . I'll call again . . . "

Planes, Trai - well, Planes and Automobiles

2005-12-27T13:20:00.000-08:00

Started off for Ohio on Saturday morning, hoping to spend as much of my small window of time with Jen's family as possible. Halfway to the Tennessee state line, the transmission of the car I was driving started slipping badly. Rather than risk getting stuck somewhere in the hills of Kentucky, I decided to turn back. As my other car is not in much better condition, and after talking with Jen, we decided I should rent a car. So much for getting an early start.

Limped home, logged on, reserved a car. No sweat.

I then drove to the airport where the rental company was located. This, of course, being the holiday weekend, I had to park in overflow parking, which is somewhere in the vicinity of Lebanon. Took a very slow moving bus from there to the terminal.

Always a strange feeling being at an airport with suitcases but not flying anywhere. I feel like a fraud, somehow.

Anyway, at the rental counter, I was informed that I could NOT rent a car from the airport location using only a debit card if I was not, in fact, FLYING either to or from Nashville International. I would have to go to an alternate location, where I could rent a car from their company. Logic and common sense miss yet another foothold.

Out to the curb I went with my bags, and waited for an overflow bus. And waited. And waited. Time with my family sliding irrevocably into the past, I asked the driver of a bus labeled "Longterm" if an overflow bus was coming anytime soon. "Oh, we'll get one over here right away". Apparently, somebody who was supposed to drive a bus from my lot over to the terminal "forgot" or something. You got me; must be very involved being a bus driver at the airport.

Tick . . . Tick . . . Tick . . .

So back I went to overflow, picked up my car, and drove to the alternate rental location, successfully procuring an automobile. Happy ending; I made it home with some time to spare to get to the Christmas Eve service.

Hope you all had Merry Christmases.

Atta boy, Clarence . . .

2005-12-16T23:51:00.000-08:00

OTHER THAN It's A Wonderful Life, which, if you're not planning to watch you're a heathen beast from hell, any holiday movies/specials you have fond memories of, or are looking forward to rewatching soon? Common to obscure, you pick.

Mrs. Encyclopedia Seinfeldica

2005-12-14T17:18:00.000-08:00

We all have unusual gifts, talents, and, well, knacks for things. I tend to remember lines of dialogue I've heard and can parrot them back with decided accuracy, which is sometimes useful for low-brow entertainment purposes. This is okay, but my wife has a creepy ability to organize in her head complex plotlines to television programs and, in some cases, COMIC STRIPS, with powers of instant recall that make the Pentium 4 chip look like a geriatric cassette tape drive.

This talent will normally manifest in direct relation to "Seinfeld", "the Simpsons", and "King of the Hill", but there are other examples. She first discovered her super-power as it emerged for the comic strip "Bloom County", which ran for several years in the 80's. You could tell her the dialogue from the first panel of the strip (from among thousand of strips), and she could give you the last panel. You may ask her, "Remember the episode where Elaine's cousin is dating Jerry", and she would outline the enitre episode with each character's storyline for you. Mr. Dewey of the famed decimal system would be proud, but would most likely want his mommy.

Challenge her on this some time. She may frighten you, but you will not be disappointed.

A window seat on the bandwagon, please . . .

2005-12-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

7 Things . . .

To do before I die;

Adopt a child
Visit Ireland (with Jen - she ain't goin' without me)
Drive from NY to LA
Be driving in a city in which I do not live and hear a song I've written on mainstream radio
Give a very large sum of money to someone
Skydive (hopefully not just before I die)
Get my brakes fixed

I cannot do;

Tie my shoes like a normal human being (check me out some time - it's disturbing)
Play a wind instrument (other than kazoo, on which I ROCK)
Knowingly eat onion in any of its discernable forms
Watch Fear Factor. Some things are JUST NOT FOOD!
Not try to be funny. Like this needed to be said.
Shoot a 3-pointer. Total fluke if it goes in.
Think of a seventh thing.

That attract me to my spouse;

She is awesomely compassionate
She is consistently funny
Her ever-present smile
That she's always willing to see the silly side of things
That she is always willing to believe the best of people
That she is NEVER willing to hurt someone's feelings
The voice, baby - the VOICE!

I say most often;

I love you
(Insert Seinfeld reference)
(Insert Friends reference)
(Insert Frazier reference)
Sorry. / Sorry?
Do you want room for cream?
Who wants popcorn?!

Books I love;

The 66 books of the Bible . . . well, most of them. Numbers is tough.
Mere Christianity (C.S. Lewis)
Everyday Apocolypse (David Dark)
Imagine (Steve Turner)
When No One Sees (Os Guinness)
The New Breed (Gary Chester)
Stick Control (G.L. Stone)

Movies I could watch over and over (and have and do);

Love, Actually
The Matrix
Saving Private Ryan
To End All Wars
Dumb And Dumber
Christmas Vacation
Any of the MST3K films

People I want to tag (limiting to mere humans);

Bono
Pope Benedict XVI
The Apostle Paul
Gordon Sumner
Anne Rice (Now, and before)
Martin Scorsese
Fred Astaire

"Reality" bytes

2005-12-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

Interesting to note that to the same degree that my wife is drawn to reality programing, I am repulsed by it. The problem I have with it is that these shows consistantly give the human species such ample opportunity to showcase its dark side. I'm not saying that I'm any better than these people, I just don't find it entertaining to watch people be the jerks they are. Not to mention the fabricated moments of drama throughout each episode. "And the next person to be eliminated . . . . . from . . . . . . . . . . . (insert show title here) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (the viewer dozes off and suddenly awakens, uncertain of how much time has passed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "

It must be said that having spent most of the 90's as a devotee to Must-See-TV on Thursday nights, I am now wise to the hypnosis television shows employ to keep us tuning in week after week for fear of missing out on some new development that will "change EVERYTHING". Ross and Rachel cured me of that.

The joys of Tennessee winters Amy Grant doesn't sing about

2005-12-09T13:10:00.000-08:00

For starters (no automotive pun intended), yesterday was a rainy day. I don't mind rainy days unless they are subsequently followed by dramatic drops in temperature. The net effect is that all that sogginess turns to solid ice.

Thus this morning when I left the house at the less-than-happy hour of 4:30am, my car door locks were frozen, and all the doors frozen shut. My only recourse was to open the back hatch and climb across three rows of seats to get the the driver's seat of my van, start the engine (which sounded genuinely surprised that it was being asked to awaken at such an cold and unfriendly hour), and make my way to Starbucks, looking through the six-inch hole I was able to create in the frost on my windshield, hoping to avoid trees, other vehicles and the odd dog-sled.

Wait - it gets better . . .

Upon arriving at work (on time, thank you), a couple of my car doors had unlocked but were not yet thawed enough for me to get out. To further complicate things, there is no handle to open the back hatch from the inside. My only solution? The passenger side window was the only one that would open sufficiently for me to exit a la Luke Duke. But in order to then close that window, I had to RE-ENTER my vehicle through the back hatch, climb across the seats once more, turn the key to close the window, then back out the hatch again. Once closed, the doors were still too frozen to lock.

My waiting co-workers were stunned and amazed by this performance that was both impressive and somehow painfully pathetic.

Not a snowflake in sight, mind you. That's the worst part, I think.

A noir-ish photo for your viewing pleasure

2005-12-08T19:45:00.000-08:00

Note the cool steely determination. Of the guitar, not me.

Well, we're back . . . in the car again . . .

2005-12-03T00:24:00.000-08:00

After a frenzied trip to Gainesville, GA and back in the last 48 hours, I look forward to heading north to Louisville tomorrow, in the hopes that there might be something there of more interest than simply staying right here at home. This hurts, barbershop or no. I miss my house, which I continue paying on a monthly basis to enjoy.

Another mindless lemming diving in head-first . . .

2005-12-01T08:55:00.000-08:00

I really just created this so I could comment on my wife's clever and useful musings. Maybe there will be something of use to you here, but I doubt it.