my family on christmas

pretty sure this is the first "setup" full-family shot we've had since the wedding.

this kind of stuff makes my mom happy. 

enjoy.

Ron Paul supporters...

Ron Paul supporters wait(?) 6 million dollars yesterday. That's incredible. It's even more incredible that people view John McKane(?) as the oldest candidate currently running for president. I think Ron Paul beats him by like 12 years. listen

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i believe

i believe in relationships.

i believe that you are not judged by how much you have, or how much you accomplished, or even by how much you've given. i believe you are judged by how much you have invested in other people's lives.

i believe that everyone needs, at their very core, someone to listen to them, know them, and love them anyway.

and, of course, i believe that white chocolate is not really a chocolate at all, but a delightful masquerade.

9 Reasons You WON'T Vote for Ron Paul

Whether or not Ron Paul wins the Republican nomination, there are a lot of people who aren't going to vote for him. Here's some reasons you might not:

1. You want to wake up a winner.
Lets face it. In America, we really like to win. I think a lot of people will be paying attention to the polls right around the time it comes to the primary voting, and they'll vote for the most currently popular candidate. A lot of people vote the odds, not the issues.

2. You feel entitled.
Americans who feel entitled to free food or free medical coverage or pretty much anything that the government will give them in exchange for quality, service and a little portion of their freedom will certainly not vote Ron Paul. Dr. Paul tends to attract people that feel entitled to things like liberty and life and free markets and stuff.

3. You feel moral obligations to other, less fortunate countries.
As far as I can understand what these people believe, I can respect their decision not to vote for the Congressman from Texas. Unfortunately, they are misguided into believing that moral obligations are fulfilled by a people's government, rather than by the people themselves.

4. You like kickin' ass around the world.
Admit it. You get high on war. You can't wait to hear that we've gone into Iran. You just wonder why it takes so freeking long.

5. You feel America is God's country.
For some reason, a lot of people have made the following mathematical assumption:
liberty = good = God,
God's command to go into all the world = War on Terror
These same people do very little about the continued Regime of Terror against unborn children in our own country.

6. You are pro-abortion.
I completely understand, then, why you won't be voting for the good doctor.

7. You think that Government Bureaucracies do a pretty darn efficient job.
How do you argue with the person that thinks the government is doing a great job?

8. You think the Government should spend more.
I'm not kidding. I've actually heard people espouse the idea that the government still isn't spending enough of our money. Education, war, drugs, prostitution, medicare, social security, the list goes on and on. People still believe (!) that if you throw enough money at a problem, it goes away.

9. You think that solutions to the world's major problems can be summed up in 30 seconds or less.
Ron Paul may not be the clearest debater of the major Republican candidates right now (though part of that is the fact that he doesn't get nearly as much time as they do to make his case), but I'm honestly a little wary of people that make any of these issues seem like 30 second issues (*cough*Mitt Romney*cough*). Here's the first section of what I would consider to be closer to a real debate on a real issue.

I'm sure I probably haven't changed your mind about who you will vote for in your state's upcoming primary, but hopefully you'll give Ron Paul a second glance. If I have made some sort of impact, visit www.ThisNovember5th.com for a way to help.

memphis musings part II

so recently i kinda decided that i hate memphis.

but i've had the chance to think that over a bit, and i'm not sure its quite true.

here's the breakdown: i'm in memphis, working at a job i don't fully understand. we don't have offices yet, so i work from home for now. the only other person in the company is my boss. we're kind of a long way from everything: long way from our offices, long way from our first sale, long way from a clear direction. and yet i'm supposed to be developing a marketing plan.

also, we don't have a church. at least not one that can match the wonder that is Christ Community Church in Jackson. so i miss that. every week.

amy and i have seen A LOT of each other lately. which isn't bad in itself. in fact, its shown us that we can coexist in a situation all by ourselves and not drive each other absolutely insane. i still enjoy being with her, even now. but still, being in the house all the time, and only knowing one person in an entire town is kinda tough.

i'm rambling. sorry.

THE POINT:
it's not that i hate memphis. it's that i miss my friends so damn much. i'm homesick. i even miss the people i didn't know that well, like BJ and alice and jared (don't know why i picked on you guys...sorry).

and this is especially hard because there's no one around to gloss over the homesickness. i can't cover up the pain by just meeting a bunch of new people.

ok, this is longish, and i know nobody really reads this stuff anymore anyways, but for what its worth: i really miss you.
i miss my dear friends matthew and nick brown. i miss the wilkinsons.
i miss the denkers and the atkins and padelfords and the williams and the williams and the williamsons.
i miss chris, and the garners, and natalie, and J.P., and aaron hardin.
i miss the guthries and the beards.
i miss craig. and ben hickey (i know, i know, he's "the hickeys" now).
i miss certain people whose names i could never remember or never actually learned (gosh i'm sorry about that).
i miss the music, and the occasional pizza night that i would attend, and definitely the mexican nights.

heck, while i'm at it i might as well go even farther back: i miss tyson and brandon. i miss lucas. i miss my brother. and then there's jeremy and melody, jenna, jenni......and dessi and allison the asian and wilhelm and----

you know this could go on. and hopefully you get the point.

what is life but a series of fragile connections and intense longing?

The Most Ironic T-Shirt. Ever.

[via Despair.com]

telephone pictionary

Happy Go Lucky on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

my friend Luz posted this on her blog today. it's a round of "Telephone Pictionary", and i think it might be my new favorite game. for groups. besides nerts, of course.

anyway, before you click on the link, let me explain the game.

1. someone writes a short sentence. anything. they pass it to the person on the left.
2. that person draws a picture, accurate as possible, of the sentence.
1. the drawer then folds the paper from the top, covering the original sentence but not the drawing.
2. he then passes the paper to the left.
3. the next person looks at the drawing, then writes a sentence describing it.
4. he folds the paper down over the picture, then passes it to the left.
5. and so on.

if you have several people playing (more than 5), the results can be pretty hilarious, apparently. ok, you can go look at the image now.

also: we finished moving out of our apartment in jackson. there's something nice about finally finishing something. even if you have to vacuum.

vote for the constitution. vote for ron paul.

Blogged with Flock

strange things happenin' to this blog

you can now watch my (and my wife's) videos,
see the titles of my tumblr blog,
view my latest tags on del.icio.us,
and see my current pick for presidential candidate...

all from this one super-nifty page [see right column].

i love the internet.

strange things are happenin to me

i've been away for quite awhile. i am ashamed of myself. my new job is spent almost entirely on the computer, so perhaps that will be of some help. also, my intention to begin adhering to a more "gtd" (that's getting things done) mentality might help too.

i say "might", for obvious reasons.

so, a lot's happened in my life since we last spoke. let me explain--no, there is too much. let me sum up:

• i got a new job as a producer/videographer for charter media (a cable company)
• i graduated. woot.
• i went to kenya to shoot film for a new company called "fair trade flowers"
• the new company offered me a better job, so i took it
• i quit charter (after 5 weeks!), and became the marketing director for ftf
• subsequently, i applied to an apartment in memphis (where hq for the new job is)
• the apartment complex screwed up, and we lost our apartment. or at least, they told us we couldn't move til august (!)
• we found a new apartment in a southern suburb of memphis. the catch? its in mississippi
• 4 days later, we moved
• now i'm in Houston, enjoying my one-week summer break that my new boss let me take.

sheesh.

just typing that out was tiring. to give you some perspective, all of that happened since the [edit:] end of april.

ok, hopefully that's enough breakfast blogging for a while. if i come up with something interesting to say soon, i'll be sure to post it. i gotta get at least one good one in here.

drat! i'm postmodern again!

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern. You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this.

Emergent/Postmodern 75%
Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 64%
Neo orthodox 61%
Reformed Evangelical 54%
Fundamentalist 50%
Charismatic/Pentecostal 43%
Classical Liberal 43%
Roman Catholic 39%
Modern Liberal 21%

What's your theological worldview?

omfg (on my favorite game)

i've been decently productive lately.



cleaning house, accomplishing homework, finishing projects...things are coming together in ways that they haven't in quite some time.



it's unfortunate, then, that i discovered this.



i think i'm too addictable.

Post 100

Believe it or not, I've been away from xanga for 100 posts and counting.

and i don't know why i've started capitalizing my sentences. maybe its cause i've been writing business emails lately.

speaking of business: i've sold out. i'm packing up most of my freelancing ways and settling into a cushy corporate job with charter communications.

ok, maybe not cushy, but its a "real" salary-type job with benefits, et cetera. as much as i dread the thought of working 8-5 everyday, i'm stoked about the idea of a steady income doing what i love.

oh yeah, the job is making television commercials for local clients. should be fun.

in other breakfast-blog-type-news, i'm sick. i've got the strep throat, so don't be asking for any kisses anytime soon. i know, i know. you'll miss them.

my head hurts. that is all.

LIFE STRESS SCORES

• 0-149 :: Low susceptibility to stress-related illness
• 150-299 :: Medium susceptibility to stress-related illness. Learn and practice relaxation and stress management skills and a healthy well life style.
• 300 and over :: High susceptibility to stress-related illness. Daily practice of relaxation skills is very important for your wellness. Take care of it now before a serious illness erupts or an affliction becomes worse.



i scored a 529.

yikes.

Party!

What: Open house party
Where: Pfost apartment
When: Thursday, March 22
6:30-?

We just moved into a new apartment and would love for everyone to come over and enjoy it. You can come and go anytime after 6:30 for as short or long as you like. We'll have snacks and fresh SMOOTHIES, as well as some games, etc. We also have an incredible guestbook that should not be missed.

a perhaps return

am i back?

time will tell. but here's some newly recorded songs for your listening pleasure. the new ones are the first two in the list:

sparkling stars
&
gravity

My Recent Work

Apple iPhone is actually real?!!!

I am such a geek.

I practically drooled early this afternoon when I saw the images coming from the MacWorld Expo via CrunchGear.

[the MacWorld Expo is Apple's yearly conference where they unveil all sorts of uber-cool stuff. CrunchGear is a website that covers technology, especially hardware and geeky "gear."]

The new Apple iPhone, which won't be available until June and even then will only work with Cingular, is nonetheless an incredibly beautiful piece of hardware.

• There is only one button on the entire phone. The rest is touchscreen.
• It syncs with iTunes.
• The screen "knows" if you're holding it vertically or horizontally, and switches displays accordingly.
• It will hold music, videos, has a 2 Mpixel camera.
• It runs Mac OSX [a full-featured operating system].
• It will allow browsing the internet through a normal browser [Safari].
• I could go on

Sorry. I just think it looks pretty much incredible. Here's a picture for your viewing pleasure:

Oh, and since I didn't mention it, Apple also announced the release of the Apple TV, which lets you stream and store video and music content from your computer to your living room.

Egads! What a day!