welcome joy

so, i moved some of my sidebar stuff around.  basically, i took out the sports blog (see previous post) and moved adam up, since he's one of the so-called regular reads that actually posts.  i also added our friend joy to the sidebar.  she's new to blogging, but i had a good time reading her stuff today. it deals mainly with her experience doing a 60 day yoga challenge, which i think is pretty cool. i also hope she keeps blogging after the 60 days is over.

so, welcome, joy!

buh bye wide world of fresno sports

so, a while back i started a blog that was intended to be a fresno-centric view of sports.  i was tired of the crappy sports blog the bee had, and wanted to try my hand at a little sports writing.  i gathered a few friends, and launched the wide world of fresno sports (fresnosports.blogspot.com) and went at it.  we did some good stuff, but mostly it wasn't anything spectacular.

as time went on, i wrote less and less, and my co-writers became essentially non-existent.  as it is, there hasn't been a new post since last august.  what, no sports have happened since then?

so, i'm pulling the plug.  it's dead, so let's bury it.  i know there won't be any tears.

red tails trailer scare

as i wound down for the evening with some tv, i happened to see the trailer for a movie that i want to see.  i knew that it was coming up, and had heard some interesting drama about making the movie.  what movie am i talking about? red tails.  i mean, the story of the tuskegee airmen is inspiring, amazing, and should be told.  it needs to be told.  so, yes, when i heard that it was being made i was excited.  it's got a pretty solid cast of veteran actors.  when i heard that lucasfilm was doing it, and fronting a lot of money because they were having trouble finding backing, i thought even cooler.  good story, continued slight against the people it's about, sounds worth seeing.

and then i saw this trailer on tv.  now, the version i found on youtube is a low budge recording someone did and posted.  i couldn't actually find the version i saw tonight on the official pages, but it's on tv nonetheless



what the eff.  that trailer had me seriously scared about the quality of this movie.  frankly, a trailer like that makes me think the film was a a big, stanky turd.  anachronistic much?  i get that you may spice up a commercial to grab an audience.  and, depending on what you're advertising during, it may even really grab your target.  here's the thing: i was watching the daily show.  yes, that is a "younger" audience,  but i'm thinking that people that watch the daily show and its satirical take on american culture may be looking for something with more substance in a movie.  maybe like this:



then again, maybe everyone watching the daily show is stoned and the flashing colors and synth beats is just what they need to get them to see a movie about a rarely spoken of piece of american history.

take my recycling, please

i put out the trash and recycling a bit early today, and saw something different.

i mean, it's very normal for us to see people going through the recycle can, especially around dusk when a lot of the streets have their cans out. i've never seen someone pull up in their car and load most of my can into their trunk. crazy. honestly, i wouldn't have noticed if their radio wasn't so damn loud. it was louder than my tv.

taxi driver swede

i've enjoyed the whole sweding deal, and especially love that fresno is actually on the cutting edge with our swede fest.  today, i saw that michel gondry had done a swede of the movie taxi driver.




love that it's in french


love the use of color


love the cheese factor.  i especially like this because some criticize swedes for this.  but that's the beauty, they are supposed to be low budget, quirky films.

my dubstep kitchen

i've blogged my enjoyment for my drunk kitchen before, and now my dubstep kitchen has been unleashed on the world.



a-freakin-mazing


and for you pop fans, show me where you're noms at.

teen mania

this is a documentary, done by msnbc, about teen mania ministry.  now, i don't have any experience with teen mania and their honor camp, but when i was doing youth work i did help promote the local acquire the fire event rallys and attended at least one of their sales pitch event for pastors, to help sell them on the atf events.  the doc is 44 minutes, so you may want to watch it in sections, or break off some time to check it out.



to be honest, as i watch this doc, it frightens me.  it frightens me that i could have possibly sent a kid to this crap.  thankfully, i didn't.  this stuff that has nothing to do with Christianity, the love of Jesus, or living out the will of God.  it also really pisses me off how easily people get hooked in.  well intentioned, good Xian people being tricked into a dangerous situation.

now, i wouldn't necessarily say the atf events are a bad thing in themselves. i think you can experience God's presence at something like this.  i also think they can be very manipulative.  and the honor academy and their boot camp mentality seems very unbiblical to me.  seriously, what is that, navy seal training? how does that help you grow closer to God?

"the honor academy is not for everyone." - ron luce.  you know what, it's not for anyone.  it is a cult situation masked in Christianity.  luce's defense disgusts me because it's not an answer.  it's a spiritualized response that masks what is going on.  it blames those being abused for not being spiritual enough, or as Christlike as they should be.  the reality is that not everyone swallows the lie, and that sort of answer avoids what needs to be addressed.

30 days without meat

today is december 4th. i have officially gone thirty days without meat (i have had eggs & cheese).  and you know what, it was surprisingly easy.  i didn't have any withdrawl symptoms or strong cravings or any other imagined things.

what did i learn during these thirty days?

• well, there are meatless options at most places.  some of them are damn good, too.  
• fast food sucks.  okay, i'm sure most of us already know that, but it really does.  not eating meat helped me avoid fast food for a month.  yes, it's convenient, but it generally is low quality crap that i don't need in my belly.
• fresh & easy has an amazing vegetarian chili.  this stuff is seriously good, and i think i like it more than any other canned chili.
• apparently, there is meat in a lot of stuff.  it's cold, so we've been having more soup lately.  when you start looking at labels, you find that a lot of stuff will have bacon thrown in.
• i want to find a local farm that is doing quality, free range cattle.  if i'm going to eat meat, beef specifically, i'd like to know that it's fed right (grain fed) and not raised in horrible conditions.  this may take some time, and cost more, but i think it's worth it. (a friend gave me a link to page river bottom farm - a sanger farm doing just this)
• it would be good to get veggies from a csa.  just like the better raised beef, it would be good to support a local farmer, and buy seasonal vegetables.  i hear good things about the farmer's daughter csa.
• i've been thinking more about cooking, and want to experiment a bit more in the kitchen.  i've found some interesting recipes, and want to get some more cookware and try out new foods.  if i'm eating, it should be an enjoyable experience. sure, there will be quick, easy meals, but i'd rather they be the exception, rather than the rule.
• i really want to try this.

i wonder what i should try to give up next for thirty days?

diego's umbrello & the quiet americans

thursday night an intriguing little show hits audie's olympic.

local favs, and up and comers (as much as an up and comer group with all road tested, successful musicians can be) the quiet americans are taking the stage @ audie's.  i dig 'em a lot, and if you haven't seen them, you should.  and buy a cassette.

they'll be joined by a band named diego's umbrella.  i haven't heard of them, but apparently they have a bit of a name to them.  and, i like their sound, which sort of reminds me of a little more electric ska el olio wolof.

check some vids from diego's umbrella






okay, i definitely like the quiet americans better, but it should be an intriguing show.

lemur thanksgiving

i love the san francisco zoo. seriously, it's my favorite zoo.

thanks

at this time of year, of course we think of what we're thankful for.  i mean, it was thanksgiving yesterday.  so, i started thinking about what i am thankful for, from trivial to actually important.

1. family - here and abroad. i'm thankful for heather and all that she has to put up on a daily basis with me as her husband.  my mom has been enduring some change in life that i don't know i would go through as gracefully.  although it's at a distance, it's great watching my brother and sister raise their kids via facebook.  and, up close we get to see heather's brother & sister in law raise their twins.  good stuff.

2. friends - again, near and afar, it's good to see you all growing and changing as a part of our lives.  some settle down, others don't, and it's all good because it allows us to be different things at different times. and, we're excited to meet an addition or two to the friend group family.

3. pub quiz - dang right. every wednesday i have a blast as a part of the team doing pub quiz. some weeks it's stressful, or we get annoyed with people, and some weeks we really bone it on a question or three, but it's still a good time.  i would have never imagined when we started that we would average 100 people a week.

4. soccer on the television - the US men's and women's teams gave us plenty of good watching in the last calendar year.  arenal gives me fits, but i love tuning in, and the galaxy had the best record this season and won the mls cup.  good stuff.  and, it was great watching all these games with friends.

5. home - as i type this, i watch leaves falling from our tree onto the lawn i raked this morning. dang it! but, others don't have this luxury.  we enjoy our place, and are actually trying to get stuff done around the house.

6. work - i choose to work a few different jobs because the one or two i would really like aren't full time options.  but i'm glad to have freedom to teach subjects i really enjoy, and to coach students.  like any teacher, i have my share of complaints, but it's generally good, and steady, work.

7. art - dang it, i am such a rare painter that i wouldn't call myself an artist right now.  but, i still have a mural looming off in the distance, and when that gets going it'll really push me to do more and to make a bigger impact.

so, there are some things that i'm thankful for off of the top of my head.  what are one or two (or more) things that you're thankful for?

movember on the news

no meat november update - first thanksgiving

so, last sunday was our first family thanksgiving of the season.  i knew thanksgiving would take place this month, but with all the foods available, it's actually not that hard to avoid the meats.  what i hadn't accounted for was random meats.

this sunday, tri tip was there, along with turkey.  now, don't get me wrong, i like turkey.  i expected turkey.  i was ready to avoid turkey.  but tri tip?  dammit.  i held strong, and avoided the meat.

what this really makes me want for the remaining thanksgiving feasts i'll attend: people to step their game up on the mashed potatoes.  really, i've had a lot of weak, mushy, watery mashed potatoes in the last few years.  doesn't seem like it would be that hard to me.  we've made them at home during the years, and haven't had much problem.

mustache 11/16

mustache coming along nicely. thanks those who have donated.  see the link on the mustache post below if you'd like to donate.

no meat november

so, i haven't eaten meat in a little over a week.  it hasn't been difficult.  i mean, it's not like i was addicted to meat or anything.

there have been a few little snags. i knew that i was eating a bunch of fast food, but i didn't quite think about how frequently, and convenient, it was.  eating is requiring a little bit more planning.

another issue is that there is meat in a lot of things that i didn't think about.  we went out for thai food the other day. i knew i'd be okay on my meal because they have tofu as an option.  we ordered an appetizer, the money bags, which are these little delicious little fried deals. i knew they had potato and peas in them, but didn't know they also had chicken in them.  damn, those were out.

for some reason, i really want tacos.  this is a little odd to me, because it's not like i eat tacos regularly.  but i really want to have some asada tacos right now.  and , it seems like i notice taquerias more.

i have discovered some nice vegetarian options. for instance, bobby salazar's has a nice veggie burrito.  i think i prefer thai food without the chicken, shrimp or beef.

mustache update week 1

here's me looking slightly handsome, with a week's worth of whimsical mustache.  also, this picture looks very orange for some reason. (i think it's because i didn't use a flash.)

as i mentioned in the movember post, i'm a part of a local team, growing mustaches and trying to raise some $ and awareness about male health issues, particularly prostate cancer.  if you'd like to donate, you can click here.  i'd appreciate any support, but now pressure.

as the mustache thickens up a bit i intend to try some goofiness.  we'll see.

movember

so, along with everything else that i'm doing this november (no meat, paint more, blog more) i've also joined a team.  a mustache growing team.

last year, i grew a novembeard.  it was handsome.  this year, i'm taking part in movember.  movember is a movement trying to bring about awareness about prostate cancer and other male cancer issues.  from their website,

"Once registered at www.movember.com, men start Movember 1st clean shaven. For the rest of the month, these selfless and generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts.

Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November. Through their actions and words they raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.

At the end of the month, Mo Bros and Mo Sistas celebrate their gallantry and valor by either throwing their own Movember party or attending one of the infamous Gala Partés held around the world by Movember, for Movember. 



The Movember Effect: Awareness & Education, Survivorship, Research
The funds raised in the US support prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. The funds raised are directed to programs run directly by Movember and our men’s health partners, the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG, the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Together, the three channels work together to ensure that Movember funds are supporting a broad range of innovative, world-class programs in line with our strategic goals in the areas of awareness and education, survivorship and research."

so, if you would like to, find my profile, it's under my name, and donate. any donations help and are appreciated.   or, you can donate to anyone on my team, team fresno.

questioning westboro baptist

i am not a fan of westboro baptist cult and their weird family. i remember hearing them frequently on adam carolla's radio show, and it always bugged me that these wackjobs were given any time or opportunity to spout their crap.  generally, i'd like to just ignore them.

however, sometimes comedy happens, and it's worth checking out.  brick stone, a fake personality that interviews people,  did an interview with some westboro folks in las vegas, and it's funny enough to share.  enjoy.

swede fest 8

good times to be had this saturday

swedefest returns, and it'll likely be packed since the avengers trailer swede done by the dumb drum has blown the eff up. should be a good time, and for those of you over 21, enjoy a beer. and, there will be tacos!

the god who loves justice

take 20 minutes, if you can, and hear a sermon that i wish was being preached more frequently



preach it!