Wow, it's been 11 months since my last post, but here I am again for "The Most Anticipated Blog of the Year" I couldn't let my fans down...To recap the last 4 years, just scroll down 3 posts...I can't believe this is the 5th annual "Movies Simon Says You Should See." Am I on to something here? Should I quit my day job? Doubtful. How did I do over the last 4 years? I only saw 6 of the top 10 from last year, and I probably only saw maybe one other movie all of last year anyway. So, my goal for this year is to see them all. I'll tell you this, Indy and Love Guru did not belong in the top 50! Ok, so here we go. BTW, I just started my research today, but I've got to get this thing out because one of the movies debuts toKnight (bet you can't guess it). I'm not going to waste your time or mine putting this thing together. I'm going to give you a quick blurb on it and give you a link to watch the trailer. cause if the trailer can't sell you on it, well then you don't need to watch it. Here's one movie a week thru the summer. Let me know what I missed...
ToKnight – X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Gulp! Wait no longer, The X-Men are back., and the spotlight is on Wolverine. Oh, and Gambit is in this one, you know, the gay one…appearances by will.i.am and Ryan Reynolds too.
May 7 – Star Trek Starring Sylar (From Heroes) as Spock? Hmmm…and the dude from Harold and Kumar as Sulu. As one trailer said, “this ain’t your daddy’s Star Trek” Not sure what that means. But I never got into the old Star Trek, not sure why, but maybe this is worth seeing? It is JJ Abrams (Lost, Fringe, Alias).
May 15 – Angels & Demons Starring Tom Cruise. Movie adaptation of the book. Sequel to The Da Vinci Code.
May 21 – Terminator Salvation Christian Bale as John Connor…need I say more? As hesitant as I was about this when it was announced 5 years ago, I’m that much more excited…
May 29 – Drag Me To Hell Sam Raimi (Evil Dead and that Spiderman thing) is back to the “horror” movies. That’s pretty much why I’m bringing it up. I thoroughly enjoyed the Evil Dead movies.
June 5 – Land of the Lost Starring Will Ferrell. Ferrell being awkward as always, and I love it! It makes a new movie category that I’ll call “Comedy-Adventure”
June 12 – The Taking Of Pelham 123 Starring Denzel and Travolta. Remake of a 1974 movie I never saw, but Denzel is in this one…Travolta hijacks a subway train and Denzel stops him…sound familiar?
June 19 – Year One Starring Jack Black. I’m not sure why I like Jack Black, but I think he’s funny. Funny situation, so should be promising.
June 24 – Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Starring Shia LaBeouf Megan Foxx and Dwight Schrute, and hotness Tyrese! I enjoyed the 1st one. It was entertaining, not completely satisfying, but entertaining. I expect the same from this. And it’s Michael Bay again…
July 1 – Public Enemies Starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. If there’s one thing I learned from living with Murph is that John Dillinger has a HUGE schlong. So maybe you’ll get to see it. This should be a great action movie following “outlaw” Dillinger on his bank robbing antics during the 20’s and 30’s. Call me gay, but I like Johnny Depp, and this looks promising.
July 3` - Funny People Starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen. Stand up comedians do funny stuff. I don’t really know what to put, it’s a comedy…Adam Sanler is dying and that’s about all I know, oh and he’s a UK fan now too, just like the rest of us. I didn’t really laugh during the trailer though…
July 10 – Bruno Starring Sacha Baron Cohen. Dude from Borat plays a gay Austrian fashion guy.
“How do you protect yourself from a dildo?”
August 7 – G.I. Joe – I can’t say enough about G.I. Joes as a kid. I had a couple hundred. I had pretty much every vehicle and “base”. Playing with GI Joes was an everyday event for my neighbor and I growing up. Hey Stephen Sommers, DON’T F THIS UP!!! From what I’ve heard, they already have. But it should still be good, I guess.
August 21 – Inglourious Basterds Starring Brad Pitt and Ryan from the Office. Brad Pitt in a Tarantino film? A remake of a remake sort of. Sure to be a bloody mess as Brad Pitt kills himself some Nazis.
And so you don't have to sort thru the garbage to decide which ones to see for yourself, here you go...
10.) The Taking of Pelham 123
9.) Year One
8.) Land of the Lost
7.) Star Trek (sorry Justin)
6.) Bruno
5.) Transformers
4.) Terminator
3.) Public Enemies
2.) G.I. Joe
and the #1 movie "Simon Says You Should See" is...
X-Men Origins
Thank you for reading, I hoped I helped you sort thru the crap.
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Friday, May 01, 2009
Monday, June 09, 2008
Step by Step...Ooooo Baby!
Well I've been tagged again. And I don't care, so I'm probably not going to post about that for a while. It'll take me like a week to think of 6 random things about me.
Here is one for you though. I get choked up every time I watch "Field of Dreams" when Kevin Costner plays catch with the ghost of his dad.
The real reason for this post is to talk about Jesus! So, here's my question to you. In Major League, Pedro Cerrano says, "Jesus, I like him very much, but he no help with curve ball" In which, Eddie Harris quickly responds "Are you trying to say Jesus Christ can't hit a curve ball!"
Do you think Jesus could hit a curveball?
Ok, for real now. Here's what I wanted to talk about. PJ (what all the youngins at church call Pastor John) talked the last 2 weeks about the parable of the sower. And his teaching went pretty well with the biggest thing I took away from Rockbridge Leadership Weekend. So here's what I've been learning...
It's funny. God keeps bringing me back to Moses and the burning bush. I'm not sure exactly what He's getting at here, but He's been taking me to this scripture a lot lately. So let's go back to Exodus 3 and see what God's up to now...
So God shows up in the burning bush and tells Moses that He has this plan for him to bring the Egyptians out of exile. And to begin all of Moses' complaining and excuses for why he can't do this, he says (verse 11) "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" and God responds with (verse 12) "I will be with you."
I think it's funny that we sit here and think that anything we do is because we're qualified to do it. For instance, with Young Life, what makes me so qualified to get up every week and do skits or club talks? Or lead a bible study with guys, or do Campaigners? None of it. I am worthless! I can do NOTHING! But God does it all through me! Apart from God, I am nothing!
So now this brings me to the last 2 weeks at church and PJ's sermons. I'd link to them, but they're not up yet. So, I'll link to the site, and you can check back if you want, or just listen to some old one...
He's been going through the Gospel Of Mark, and the last 2 weeks was over 4:1-20 If you want to hear some good in depth teaching on the purpose of the parables check out the sermon from June 1st when it's up. I really liked it, but I'm not going to focus on it now. What I really like was from this weeks sermon about the actual parable. I'm sure you all know the parable: The sower tosses seed out and some falls on the path, and the birds eat it, some falls on the rocky places, where it springs up quickly and then is scorched by the sun. Some fell in the thorns where it grows up and is choked out. And then some falls on the good soil, where it grows nicely and produces a crop which returns 30, 60 and even 100 times.
I often think of this scripture when doing ministry. It's a great example of our Christian life. I have taught from this often because it's such a good way to relate the Christian life into real world terms. That Jesus is so clever! Even though most of us aren't farmers, most of us do understand what it takes to make something grow, so the parable is still very relevant in today's world. So back to my ministry...most of you know that Ross Young Life (my primary ministry) has struggled for as long as I can remember (even before I was there). There have been some good times, but I would say that overall, it hasn't been great. I would often remember this parable and think about the last seeds that fall on the good soil and produce a crop 30, 60, or 100 times. And wonder where was this in my ministry. I would often see other schools with successful Young Life and think that I must be doing something wrong. But what I forget is that it has nothing to do with ME! It is not my job to sow the seed, that is for Jesus. I am only here to be the means by which He sows the seeds. I always want to be in control. I am so stuck on doing things myself. I sometimes forget that I need to step back and let God do the work!
Here is one for you though. I get choked up every time I watch "Field of Dreams" when Kevin Costner plays catch with the ghost of his dad.
The real reason for this post is to talk about Jesus! So, here's my question to you. In Major League, Pedro Cerrano says, "Jesus, I like him very much, but he no help with curve ball" In which, Eddie Harris quickly responds "Are you trying to say Jesus Christ can't hit a curve ball!"
Do you think Jesus could hit a curveball?
Ok, for real now. Here's what I wanted to talk about. PJ (what all the youngins at church call Pastor John) talked the last 2 weeks about the parable of the sower. And his teaching went pretty well with the biggest thing I took away from Rockbridge Leadership Weekend. So here's what I've been learning...
It's funny. God keeps bringing me back to Moses and the burning bush. I'm not sure exactly what He's getting at here, but He's been taking me to this scripture a lot lately. So let's go back to Exodus 3 and see what God's up to now...
So God shows up in the burning bush and tells Moses that He has this plan for him to bring the Egyptians out of exile. And to begin all of Moses' complaining and excuses for why he can't do this, he says (verse 11) "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" and God responds with (verse 12) "I will be with you."
I think it's funny that we sit here and think that anything we do is because we're qualified to do it. For instance, with Young Life, what makes me so qualified to get up every week and do skits or club talks? Or lead a bible study with guys, or do Campaigners? None of it. I am worthless! I can do NOTHING! But God does it all through me! Apart from God, I am nothing!
So now this brings me to the last 2 weeks at church and PJ's sermons. I'd link to them, but they're not up yet. So, I'll link to the site, and you can check back if you want, or just listen to some old one...
He's been going through the Gospel Of Mark, and the last 2 weeks was over 4:1-20 If you want to hear some good in depth teaching on the purpose of the parables check out the sermon from June 1st when it's up. I really liked it, but I'm not going to focus on it now. What I really like was from this weeks sermon about the actual parable. I'm sure you all know the parable: The sower tosses seed out and some falls on the path, and the birds eat it, some falls on the rocky places, where it springs up quickly and then is scorched by the sun. Some fell in the thorns where it grows up and is choked out. And then some falls on the good soil, where it grows nicely and produces a crop which returns 30, 60 and even 100 times.
I often think of this scripture when doing ministry. It's a great example of our Christian life. I have taught from this often because it's such a good way to relate the Christian life into real world terms. That Jesus is so clever! Even though most of us aren't farmers, most of us do understand what it takes to make something grow, so the parable is still very relevant in today's world. So back to my ministry...most of you know that Ross Young Life (my primary ministry) has struggled for as long as I can remember (even before I was there). There have been some good times, but I would say that overall, it hasn't been great. I would often remember this parable and think about the last seeds that fall on the good soil and produce a crop 30, 60, or 100 times. And wonder where was this in my ministry. I would often see other schools with successful Young Life and think that I must be doing something wrong. But what I forget is that it has nothing to do with ME! It is not my job to sow the seed, that is for Jesus. I am only here to be the means by which He sows the seeds. I always want to be in control. I am so stuck on doing things myself. I sometimes forget that I need to step back and let God do the work!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Uh...is this thing on?
So like a month ago, Brian "tagged" me...I finally decided to get around to doing something about it. It's been giving me this itching sensation for weeks! But really it's just because I'm not good at coming up with this crap.
I guess I'm supposed to write some random stuff about myself and then tag other people. I think J-Dub started this whole mess in our circle of friends. So whatever...and then for some reason unbeknownst (I just wanted to use that word) to me you're supposed to say "here goes"
-Other than shoes for special occasions (sports shoes, dress shoes, work boots) I haven't owned a pair of shoes with laces since High School
-While driving I sometimes have thoughts about driving off cliffs or into poles, and even sometimes other cars. The one I think I have most frequent is on the highway, I think about ramming into the side of a Semi truck. Not suicidal thoughts, but more thoughts of I want to see what the damage and wreckage would look like, and what injuries I would sustain. Then I realize it wouldn't really be worth it, and continue driving on my way to wherever I was going. I also have thoughts of running stop signs at blind intersections (where you can't see if cross traffic is coming) just to see if I would make it. I think I was born to be a stunt(crash)man. I guess that could be another random thought, but I'll combine it into this. One of my dream jobs has always been to be a stunt man for the movies. Not so much the ones that do the stunts where they land safely or whatever, but more the stunts that involve huge crashes and what not.
-The low to mid 70's (outside) is the perfect temperature! It's perfect to go outside in shorts and t-shirts, and it's not too hot that I sweat by balls off. If it gets in the upper 70's I'll start sweating like a fag in a boys choir. I absolutely hate the heat! So I stay out of the kitchen. I can't stand going outside when it's above 90. It's stupid! But I love the cold. I would rather sit outside shivering and be cold in shorts and t-shirt in 40 degree weather than have to put up with 90+. I spent the summer in Houston where it's 80 degrees at 7 am, and gets hotter throughout the day. But then it's 80% humidity, and your clothes are soaking wet. It's the worst place on earth. I'm convinced that the only reason the people living there settled is because they didn't have enough gas to make it to the surface of the sun...
-Like many of you I too feel like just "disappearing" sometimes. Just take what I got in my pockets and go for a while. Hitchhike around, go from town to town picking up random jobs. Just see the country. But that'll never happen, I'm too comfortable!
-Most of you know I put on a pretty good front when it comes to the whole "emotions" things, but I've noticed that when I'm in an uncomfortable situation, or I'm nervous, I'll grab and pull on my left earlobe...don't know why...
-Every morning I wake up, and there is immediately a song playing in my head. I don't know when it started, but it's been going on for some time now. I've thought about writing then down and making a list, but I don't. It's usually a different song every morning. It's pretty random.
Anyway. There you go. That's my 6. I can't really "tag" anyone else 'cause there is nobody left. I guess I could "re-tag" the ones that haven't lived up to the task...
I don't think anyone tagged "The Lubbe" yet, so there you go
But now I'll retag, The Gooch and The Barber, and I'll tag Nick too. Not that he has a blog, but maybe he can post on Wack MCs
So have fun out there and take luck!
I guess I'm supposed to write some random stuff about myself and then tag other people. I think J-Dub started this whole mess in our circle of friends. So whatever...and then for some reason unbeknownst (I just wanted to use that word) to me you're supposed to say "here goes"
-Other than shoes for special occasions (sports shoes, dress shoes, work boots) I haven't owned a pair of shoes with laces since High School
-While driving I sometimes have thoughts about driving off cliffs or into poles, and even sometimes other cars. The one I think I have most frequent is on the highway, I think about ramming into the side of a Semi truck. Not suicidal thoughts, but more thoughts of I want to see what the damage and wreckage would look like, and what injuries I would sustain. Then I realize it wouldn't really be worth it, and continue driving on my way to wherever I was going. I also have thoughts of running stop signs at blind intersections (where you can't see if cross traffic is coming) just to see if I would make it. I think I was born to be a stunt(crash)man. I guess that could be another random thought, but I'll combine it into this. One of my dream jobs has always been to be a stunt man for the movies. Not so much the ones that do the stunts where they land safely or whatever, but more the stunts that involve huge crashes and what not.
-The low to mid 70's (outside) is the perfect temperature! It's perfect to go outside in shorts and t-shirts, and it's not too hot that I sweat by balls off. If it gets in the upper 70's I'll start sweating like a fag in a boys choir. I absolutely hate the heat! So I stay out of the kitchen. I can't stand going outside when it's above 90. It's stupid! But I love the cold. I would rather sit outside shivering and be cold in shorts and t-shirt in 40 degree weather than have to put up with 90+. I spent the summer in Houston where it's 80 degrees at 7 am, and gets hotter throughout the day. But then it's 80% humidity, and your clothes are soaking wet. It's the worst place on earth. I'm convinced that the only reason the people living there settled is because they didn't have enough gas to make it to the surface of the sun...
-Like many of you I too feel like just "disappearing" sometimes. Just take what I got in my pockets and go for a while. Hitchhike around, go from town to town picking up random jobs. Just see the country. But that'll never happen, I'm too comfortable!
-Most of you know I put on a pretty good front when it comes to the whole "emotions" things, but I've noticed that when I'm in an uncomfortable situation, or I'm nervous, I'll grab and pull on my left earlobe...don't know why...
-Every morning I wake up, and there is immediately a song playing in my head. I don't know when it started, but it's been going on for some time now. I've thought about writing then down and making a list, but I don't. It's usually a different song every morning. It's pretty random.
Anyway. There you go. That's my 6. I can't really "tag" anyone else 'cause there is nobody left. I guess I could "re-tag" the ones that haven't lived up to the task...
I don't think anyone tagged "The Lubbe" yet, so there you go
But now I'll retag, The Gooch and The Barber, and I'll tag Nick too. Not that he has a blog, but maybe he can post on Wack MCs
So have fun out there and take luck!
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
you're at a 10, we need you at a 2
Ok, it's that time of year again folks! Everyone is gearing up for the summer and I'm ready to start watching movies! I don't get out to the theater that much anymore. With it being like $87/ticket these days, why waste your money. But this year there are at least a few that are worth the price of admission. So let's recap the past few years...last year there were a ton of movies to see. Maybe the best list I've ever seen. This year doesn't quite hold up to last year's, but there are 2 that would beat out all of last years. Looking back, I would rearrange the lists a little but I'm not one of those high-paid movie critics that get to watch the movies before they're out. Maybe I could do a end of the year recap on what movies you should have seen...I don't know. Anyway, on to the fun!
2007
10- Mr Brooks
9- Evan Almighty
8- Ocean’s 13
7- The Bourne Ultimatum
6- Rush Hour 3
5- Shrek the Third
4- Live Free or Die Hard
3- Transformers
2- I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
1- The Simpsons Move
2006
5- Idiocracy (again, because it wasn’t released)
4- Nacho Libre
3- X-Men: The Last Stand
2- Superman Returns
1- Talladega Nights
2005
5- 3001 (Idiocracy)
4- Batman Begins
3- Kingdom of Heaven
2- Longest Yard
1- Episode 3
2008
We're going to do this a little different this year. I'm going to run through some of the top movies to see sequentially, then at the bottom, I'll give you the top movies to see...
Iron Man 05/02 – Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow
Synopsis: Mega-Millionaire hot stuff Tony Stark gets pissed when his trip to Afghanistan is interrupted by a terrorist abduction. They put him to work to build super-weapons. But of course being the genius that he is, builds a super-suit of armor to escape. So he heads back home to fight evil...
I didn’t know what to think about this one. I wasn’t overly excited about seeing it. And it’s been out for almost a week, and I haven’t been out to see it. But I’ve heard nothing but good things from it. The first review I saw was on “The Giz” that called it “126 minutes of Gadget Porn” so you know it’s a must see! I've really liked most of the comics turned movies (Batman, Superman, Spiderman, X-Men), they've all been done pretty well. And I remember watching the Iron Man cartoons a bit as a teenager. So I definitely think this movie is worth seeing.
Speed Racer 05/09 Starring: Emile Hirsch, Susan Sarandon, John Goodman, Christina Ricci
Synopsis: Speed, Races around the track...duh! Not really, the story is kinda funny. Some rich dude tries to get Speed to sellout, but he turns him down. This ticks off the rich dude and he tells speed he'll never win a race again, and to be sure, he's going to send ninjas after him!
I think the best thing this movie has going for it is that the Wachowski brothers (dudes from the Matrix) are behind it. It should be fun to watch none-the-less. Especially if you're a fan of NASCAR
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian 05/16 Starring: Some people
Synopsis: The Cronic...WHAT...coles of Narnia! About a year after the kids came out of the closet, they're called back in only to find out that nearly 1,000 years have past! The evil Telmarines have taken over and booted Prince Caspian from the throne. The kids team up with the Prince to help him reclaim the throne...
Should be as spectacular as the 1st. If you're a fan of the books, I don't have to convince you to see this. But if you're not (like myself...I don't know how to read), then I really suggest you check this series out. I enjoyed the first one, and the stories are great!
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 05/22 Starring: Harrison Ford (duh) and that kid from Transformers who Sarah thinks looks like Matt Feldhues Shia LeBeouf.
Synopsis: It's been 20 years since Indy was swinging by his whip through Venice looking for his missing father (and hooked up with his dad's old girl-friend...gross). They haven't really given anything away on the story line. But we do know that it has something to do with finding a Crystal Skull! All I've heard is that he'll be facing off with Agent Irina Spalko, and he has a new sidekick named "Mutt" who could possibly be the love child of he and Marion Ravenwood from Raiders of the Lost Ark (because she is back in this movie)
Oh man, 2 weeks to go! I can't wait. Do the chills run down your spine everytime you hear that music? I've been waiting in anticipation for that last 3 to 4 years for this to come, and now it's here! If you miss this one, you've got issues...
The Happening 06/13 Starring: Marky Mark (but no funky bunch)
Synopsis: Marky Mark is underappreciated school teacher whose marriage is on the rocks. And then something comes along to make him forget the whole thing. People start dropping dead, and rumors start to fly about terrorist attacts or botched government experiments. This movie is the story of keeping the family alive during the apocalypse!
I’ve liked most of the stuff M. Night Shamma-Lamma-Ding-Dong has done. I’m usually not too sure what the movie is about going into it (ie Unbreakable, Lady In The Water, 6th Sense), but I usually come out pretty impressed with his work. Usually a bit on the “what the crap” side, but he does a pretty good job at holding your attention and at the edge of your seat, and your mind is always working to figure it out. This one looks just as promising as the rest of them. After watching the trailer, it's surely one of those "what the crap" movies!
The Incredible Hulk 06/13 Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler (and a sure appearance by Stan Lee)
Synopsis: Was originally plotted to be a sequel, but turned into a complete do-over (and probably a good idea). The Hulk is on the run from General Thunderbolt Ross. Does a bunch of the common comic book stuff. Not much of a story line I'm sure.
I wasn’t too excited when I initially heard about another Hulk movie. My 1st reaction was “Already? Didn’t they just make one of these?” But then I saw Edward Norton was playing Bruce Banner. It’s no secret that Norton is one of my favorite actors, he’s so versatile (American History X, Keeping the Faith, Red Dragon, Kingdom of Heaven, The Illusionist, Rounders, Primal Fear, Fight Club), and now he’s Bruce Banner. And then I watched the trailer and decided it doesn’t look too bad. The one they made back in 2003 was kinda lame. But this one looks to be done pretty well.
Get Smart 06/20 Starring: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, The Rock
Synopsis: Maxwell Smart (Agent 86) works for a top secret CIA type agency, and has always wanted to be a field agent like Agent 23 (The Rock). When the identities of the secret agents are uncovered, the chief is forced to let 86 go on a mission to thwart a plot for world domination.
I think the perfect person for Agent 86 is Steve Carell, so this should be good! Also, the Rock is in it, and he needs to be in like every movie! I don’t think Mel Brooks had a lot to do with this movie, so that is one downfall to it, but none-the-less, just let Carell be stupid and you’ll be fine. Could this been Michael Scott's chance to make Threat Level: Mignight! a reality?
The Love Guru 06/20 Starring: Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake
Synopsis: An American raised by Indian gurus comes back to the states to make his mark on America through the self-help industry. He's offered some phat cheese to play matchmaker to hockey star Darren Roanoake.
It looks like it could be a lot like Austin Powers, which is great! And there is sure to be plenty of bathroom humor that we are accustomed to with Mikey. And you get to enjoy Justin Timberlake in a Speedo! And Mini-Me plays the hockey coach! I give it two toe-thumbs up!
Wanted 06/27 Starring: Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman (not playing God)
Synopsis: Wesley Gibson is a weak pathetic dork living the cubicle life. Then his father dies and sets into motion a serious revelation! Some hot chick starts following him around, who he finds out later worked with his dad, and is a super-assassin who is sent to track him down. Not to kill him, but to bring him into work! Wesley is gifted with the genes that his father had that made him a super B.A. killer. Wesley has to track down his father's murderers and return the favor.
When I read about this one I was saying “Not another comic book turned movie” There’s a half dozen this summer already! Then I watched the trailer and remembered it’s that movie with Angelina Jolie I’ve been seeing trailers for forever. I'm a sucker for action/adventure-movie slash run around killing people movies. It looks like it has quite a bit of Matrix influence which I’m excited about.
The Dark Knight 07/18 Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Morgan Freeman (still not playing God)
Synopsis: Picking up where Batman Begins left off, "The Dark Knight" is caught up in the fight against corruption in Gotham City. The Joker plots to turn the city and law enforcements against Batman in hopes of taking over the town.
It's not just another superhero movie! This series is pumping out great movies, period. The excitement is overwhelming! In my book this is the "end of the summer movie" but there are still a few others worth seeing. There is sure to be plenty of action and adventure to keep you on the edge of your seat. And you get to watch Batman walk on the edge of "The Dark Side"
Step Brothers 07/25 Starring: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly
Synopsis: Will Ferrel's mom marries John C. Reilly's dad and chaos ensues. They are both immature spoiled middle-aged losers that grew up without siblings. Now at 30-something the pretty much reenact the childhood they would of had.
It used to be that everything that Adam Sandler did, I treated as gold, but I don't even mention You Don't Mess With The Zohan in this years run down. Now if Will Ferrel is in it, I’m all over it. Some people say “Everything he does is the same” I say “So, that just makes another hour and a half for me to laugh my arse off!” How many times do you watch “Jack Ass”? It’s just the same thing over and over…but it’s funny as H-E-double hockey sticks!
I hate when they show trailers of comedies cause then you know the funny part is coming when you watch the movie, but I’m crying right now…
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor 08/01 Starring: Brendan Fraiser, Jet Li, Maria Bello
Synopsis: For the last 2,000 years, the Dragon Emperor and his 10,000 warriors have slumbered in terra cotta, stuck in the clay. Fraiser kid shows up and wakes them up. And runs home to tell mommy and daddy and Fraiser is plopped down in the middle of another mummy adventure.
Haven’t seen any trailers hit the web yet, but I’ve kinda liked all of these so far, and this one has Jet Li in it! Should be full of good action and adventure. An decent follow-up to the Indy adventure...
Pineapple Express 08/08 Starring: James Franco, Seth Rogan
Synopsis: Dude gets high and goes on a mad crazy chase across town.
I can’t give this a top nod, it just wouldn’t be right. But I laughed my arse off at the trailer! Crap, that’s funny! I don’t know, it seems too much like Half Baked, and that was funny enough to satisfy my weed movie desires.
Star Wars: Clone Wars 08/15 Starring: some cartoons
Synopsis: Pretty much nothing has been said about this one. All we know is that it is supposed to take place right after Episode 2: Attack of the Clones, but before Anikin falls victim to "The Dark Side". They become entangled in the plot in which the kidnapping of Jabba the Hutt's son is used to set the Hutt clan against the Jedi Knights.
Hopefully the dialog in this won't be as bad as most Star Wars films. You can pretty much do whatever you want with cartoons. It shouldn't be that hard to write a decent script. It should be a fun story line and it is set to kick off the series on Cartoon Network. The only problem I have with it is that it is a cartoon. I would much rather see live action movies. I feel like it will be a lot like watching the opening scenes to the Star Wars games. The good things about it being a cartoon is that there is no limit to the special effects that can take place. Not sure what it's going to be rated, but I hope they go into a little be on how Jabba the Hutt conceived a child...
Well that's it, the summer is over. Nothing much to brag about over the 4th of July weekend. The only movie really slotted for it is Hancock the Will Smith "superhero" movie that really looks like crap! But all in all, there are quite a few movies worth seeing. It was easy to pick the top 2, but then there is a huge drop off to number 3. It was really hard to pick the rest of the lineup, but without further a due, here is your list of 10 Movies Simon Says You Should See This Summer...
10- The Love Guru
9- Wanted
8- The Incredible Hulk
7- The Happening
6- Iron Man
5- Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
4- Get Smart
3- Star Wars: Clone Wars
Every once in a while, a movie comes about that sends that tingle through your body with excitement. The anticipation is overwhelming. Very seldom is there 2 movies in the same summer that bring this about! Back in ’05 I wasn’t all that excited for Batman. But it turned out to be excellent! I was HIGHLY impressed. And then the trailers for the new one…it sends chills through my body just thinking about the number 2 movie “The Dark Knight”. But even more so than that is the excitement that builds for this years #1 movie. I’ve always loved the adventure that this series brings about.
The #1 movie NOT TO SEE THIS SUMMER is: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull!
****Author's Revision****
After watching that crap last night, I can't bring myself to keep this as #1, please don't see this movie. Shift everything up, and make Step Brothers #10...
Sorry if you saw that movie...
Well I hope you learned something today. Give me some feedback. What'd I miss. What are you excited for? Who's coming with me in 2 weeks to watch Indy?
Bonus points if you can name the movie the title of this post came from...
2007
10- Mr Brooks
9- Evan Almighty
8- Ocean’s 13
7- The Bourne Ultimatum
6- Rush Hour 3
5- Shrek the Third
4- Live Free or Die Hard
3- Transformers
2- I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
1- The Simpsons Move
2006
5- Idiocracy (again, because it wasn’t released)
4- Nacho Libre
3- X-Men: The Last Stand
2- Superman Returns
1- Talladega Nights
2005
5- 3001 (Idiocracy)
4- Batman Begins
3- Kingdom of Heaven
2- Longest Yard
1- Episode 3
2008
We're going to do this a little different this year. I'm going to run through some of the top movies to see sequentially, then at the bottom, I'll give you the top movies to see...
Iron Man 05/02 – Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow
Synopsis: Mega-Millionaire hot stuff Tony Stark gets pissed when his trip to Afghanistan is interrupted by a terrorist abduction. They put him to work to build super-weapons. But of course being the genius that he is, builds a super-suit of armor to escape. So he heads back home to fight evil...
I didn’t know what to think about this one. I wasn’t overly excited about seeing it. And it’s been out for almost a week, and I haven’t been out to see it. But I’ve heard nothing but good things from it. The first review I saw was on “The Giz” that called it “126 minutes of Gadget Porn” so you know it’s a must see! I've really liked most of the comics turned movies (Batman, Superman, Spiderman, X-Men), they've all been done pretty well. And I remember watching the Iron Man cartoons a bit as a teenager. So I definitely think this movie is worth seeing.
Speed Racer 05/09 Starring: Emile Hirsch, Susan Sarandon, John Goodman, Christina Ricci
Synopsis: Speed, Races around the track...duh! Not really, the story is kinda funny. Some rich dude tries to get Speed to sellout, but he turns him down. This ticks off the rich dude and he tells speed he'll never win a race again, and to be sure, he's going to send ninjas after him!
I think the best thing this movie has going for it is that the Wachowski brothers (dudes from the Matrix) are behind it. It should be fun to watch none-the-less. Especially if you're a fan of NASCAR
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian 05/16 Starring: Some people
Synopsis: The Cronic...WHAT...coles of Narnia! About a year after the kids came out of the closet, they're called back in only to find out that nearly 1,000 years have past! The evil Telmarines have taken over and booted Prince Caspian from the throne. The kids team up with the Prince to help him reclaim the throne...
Should be as spectacular as the 1st. If you're a fan of the books, I don't have to convince you to see this. But if you're not (like myself...I don't know how to read), then I really suggest you check this series out. I enjoyed the first one, and the stories are great!
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 05/22 Starring: Harrison Ford (duh) and that kid from Transformers who Sarah thinks looks like Matt Feldhues Shia LeBeouf.
Synopsis: It's been 20 years since Indy was swinging by his whip through Venice looking for his missing father (and hooked up with his dad's old girl-friend...gross). They haven't really given anything away on the story line. But we do know that it has something to do with finding a Crystal Skull! All I've heard is that he'll be facing off with Agent Irina Spalko, and he has a new sidekick named "Mutt" who could possibly be the love child of he and Marion Ravenwood from Raiders of the Lost Ark (because she is back in this movie)
Oh man, 2 weeks to go! I can't wait. Do the chills run down your spine everytime you hear that music? I've been waiting in anticipation for that last 3 to 4 years for this to come, and now it's here! If you miss this one, you've got issues...
The Happening 06/13 Starring: Marky Mark (but no funky bunch)
Synopsis: Marky Mark is underappreciated school teacher whose marriage is on the rocks. And then something comes along to make him forget the whole thing. People start dropping dead, and rumors start to fly about terrorist attacts or botched government experiments. This movie is the story of keeping the family alive during the apocalypse!
I’ve liked most of the stuff M. Night Shamma-Lamma-Ding-Dong has done. I’m usually not too sure what the movie is about going into it (ie Unbreakable, Lady In The Water, 6th Sense), but I usually come out pretty impressed with his work. Usually a bit on the “what the crap” side, but he does a pretty good job at holding your attention and at the edge of your seat, and your mind is always working to figure it out. This one looks just as promising as the rest of them. After watching the trailer, it's surely one of those "what the crap" movies!
The Incredible Hulk 06/13 Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler (and a sure appearance by Stan Lee)
Synopsis: Was originally plotted to be a sequel, but turned into a complete do-over (and probably a good idea). The Hulk is on the run from General Thunderbolt Ross. Does a bunch of the common comic book stuff. Not much of a story line I'm sure.
I wasn’t too excited when I initially heard about another Hulk movie. My 1st reaction was “Already? Didn’t they just make one of these?” But then I saw Edward Norton was playing Bruce Banner. It’s no secret that Norton is one of my favorite actors, he’s so versatile (American History X, Keeping the Faith, Red Dragon, Kingdom of Heaven, The Illusionist, Rounders, Primal Fear, Fight Club), and now he’s Bruce Banner. And then I watched the trailer and decided it doesn’t look too bad. The one they made back in 2003 was kinda lame. But this one looks to be done pretty well.
Get Smart 06/20 Starring: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, The Rock
Synopsis: Maxwell Smart (Agent 86) works for a top secret CIA type agency, and has always wanted to be a field agent like Agent 23 (The Rock). When the identities of the secret agents are uncovered, the chief is forced to let 86 go on a mission to thwart a plot for world domination.
I think the perfect person for Agent 86 is Steve Carell, so this should be good! Also, the Rock is in it, and he needs to be in like every movie! I don’t think Mel Brooks had a lot to do with this movie, so that is one downfall to it, but none-the-less, just let Carell be stupid and you’ll be fine. Could this been Michael Scott's chance to make Threat Level: Mignight! a reality?
The Love Guru 06/20 Starring: Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake
Synopsis: An American raised by Indian gurus comes back to the states to make his mark on America through the self-help industry. He's offered some phat cheese to play matchmaker to hockey star Darren Roanoake.
It looks like it could be a lot like Austin Powers, which is great! And there is sure to be plenty of bathroom humor that we are accustomed to with Mikey. And you get to enjoy Justin Timberlake in a Speedo! And Mini-Me plays the hockey coach! I give it two toe-thumbs up!
Wanted 06/27 Starring: Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman (not playing God)
Synopsis: Wesley Gibson is a weak pathetic dork living the cubicle life. Then his father dies and sets into motion a serious revelation! Some hot chick starts following him around, who he finds out later worked with his dad, and is a super-assassin who is sent to track him down. Not to kill him, but to bring him into work! Wesley is gifted with the genes that his father had that made him a super B.A. killer. Wesley has to track down his father's murderers and return the favor.
When I read about this one I was saying “Not another comic book turned movie” There’s a half dozen this summer already! Then I watched the trailer and remembered it’s that movie with Angelina Jolie I’ve been seeing trailers for forever. I'm a sucker for action/adventure-movie slash run around killing people movies. It looks like it has quite a bit of Matrix influence which I’m excited about.
The Dark Knight 07/18 Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Morgan Freeman (still not playing God)
Synopsis: Picking up where Batman Begins left off, "The Dark Knight" is caught up in the fight against corruption in Gotham City. The Joker plots to turn the city and law enforcements against Batman in hopes of taking over the town.
It's not just another superhero movie! This series is pumping out great movies, period. The excitement is overwhelming! In my book this is the "end of the summer movie" but there are still a few others worth seeing. There is sure to be plenty of action and adventure to keep you on the edge of your seat. And you get to watch Batman walk on the edge of "The Dark Side"
Step Brothers 07/25 Starring: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly
Synopsis: Will Ferrel's mom marries John C. Reilly's dad and chaos ensues. They are both immature spoiled middle-aged losers that grew up without siblings. Now at 30-something the pretty much reenact the childhood they would of had.
It used to be that everything that Adam Sandler did, I treated as gold, but I don't even mention You Don't Mess With The Zohan in this years run down. Now if Will Ferrel is in it, I’m all over it. Some people say “Everything he does is the same” I say “So, that just makes another hour and a half for me to laugh my arse off!” How many times do you watch “Jack Ass”? It’s just the same thing over and over…but it’s funny as H-E-double hockey sticks!
I hate when they show trailers of comedies cause then you know the funny part is coming when you watch the movie, but I’m crying right now…
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor 08/01 Starring: Brendan Fraiser, Jet Li, Maria Bello
Synopsis: For the last 2,000 years, the Dragon Emperor and his 10,000 warriors have slumbered in terra cotta, stuck in the clay. Fraiser kid shows up and wakes them up. And runs home to tell mommy and daddy and Fraiser is plopped down in the middle of another mummy adventure.
Haven’t seen any trailers hit the web yet, but I’ve kinda liked all of these so far, and this one has Jet Li in it! Should be full of good action and adventure. An decent follow-up to the Indy adventure...
Pineapple Express 08/08 Starring: James Franco, Seth Rogan
Synopsis: Dude gets high and goes on a mad crazy chase across town.
I can’t give this a top nod, it just wouldn’t be right. But I laughed my arse off at the trailer! Crap, that’s funny! I don’t know, it seems too much like Half Baked, and that was funny enough to satisfy my weed movie desires.
Star Wars: Clone Wars 08/15 Starring: some cartoons
Synopsis: Pretty much nothing has been said about this one. All we know is that it is supposed to take place right after Episode 2: Attack of the Clones, but before Anikin falls victim to "The Dark Side". They become entangled in the plot in which the kidnapping of Jabba the Hutt's son is used to set the Hutt clan against the Jedi Knights.
Hopefully the dialog in this won't be as bad as most Star Wars films. You can pretty much do whatever you want with cartoons. It shouldn't be that hard to write a decent script. It should be a fun story line and it is set to kick off the series on Cartoon Network. The only problem I have with it is that it is a cartoon. I would much rather see live action movies. I feel like it will be a lot like watching the opening scenes to the Star Wars games. The good things about it being a cartoon is that there is no limit to the special effects that can take place. Not sure what it's going to be rated, but I hope they go into a little be on how Jabba the Hutt conceived a child...
Well that's it, the summer is over. Nothing much to brag about over the 4th of July weekend. The only movie really slotted for it is Hancock the Will Smith "superhero" movie that really looks like crap! But all in all, there are quite a few movies worth seeing. It was easy to pick the top 2, but then there is a huge drop off to number 3. It was really hard to pick the rest of the lineup, but without further a due, here is your list of 10 Movies Simon Says You Should See This Summer...
10- The Love Guru
9- Wanted
8- The Incredible Hulk
7- The Happening
6- Iron Man
5- Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
4- Get Smart
3- Star Wars: Clone Wars
Every once in a while, a movie comes about that sends that tingle through your body with excitement. The anticipation is overwhelming. Very seldom is there 2 movies in the same summer that bring this about! Back in ’05 I wasn’t all that excited for Batman. But it turned out to be excellent! I was HIGHLY impressed. And then the trailers for the new one…it sends chills through my body just thinking about the number 2 movie “The Dark Knight”. But even more so than that is the excitement that builds for this years #1 movie. I’ve always loved the adventure that this series brings about.
The #1 movie NOT TO SEE THIS SUMMER is: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull!
****Author's Revision****
After watching that crap last night, I can't bring myself to keep this as #1, please don't see this movie. Shift everything up, and make Step Brothers #10...
Sorry if you saw that movie...
Well I hope you learned something today. Give me some feedback. What'd I miss. What are you excited for? Who's coming with me in 2 weeks to watch Indy?
Bonus points if you can name the movie the title of this post came from...
Monday, April 21, 2008
Do You Love Me?
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" This is the first and greatest commandment. Matthew 22:37-38
Why is it always hardest to do the first thing? All we have to do is two things and we're set. ("And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.") But why do we make it so hard? If I had to stand before Jesus right now and He asked me "Do you love me with all of your heart, soul, and mind", I'd honestly have to say "No" I am ashamed to admit it, but it's so hard to do. I can serve God, but not fully love with Him. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone on this either. I can worship God, but not be fully in love with Him. I can fear God, but I cannot say that I love Him! I love what He has done for me. I love that He died for me, I love that He paid the penalty for sin, I love that He allows me to do His work, but I can't say that I love Him! How can God love me (this worthless piece of crap) enough to die, and I can't love Him (The Creator of All Things)!
If you've ever loved someone or something, you know that your mind is constantly wrapped around that person or thing. You can't wait to see them again, to spend time with them. Every waking moment revolves around them. That's what God desires of us.
I remember loving God. It seemed easier to do years ago. It seems like it's come and gone just like any other "phase" of life. I've moved on to other things. I've filled my life with more "important" things. I wish I could just snap my fingers and BAM I'm in love with God again. But it just doesn't happen like that. I need to wrap my life around Him. It's funny how I can see this problem, but I don't make a conscious effort to fix it. I just drag on knowing that I'm living an unfulfilling life. It's so simple to do, right? Isn't that what we tell High School kids in Young Life? Jay used the illustration a few weeks ago at Club with the cup with holes in it. And poured water in it and the water drained out, and eventually was empty again. And talked about how that was our life w/o Jesus. Then said that Jesus comes and throws away our old holey cup and renews us with a solid one. Is it really that easy? Is that what I believed in High School, but no longer believe now? Where has my faith gone? Jesus tells us to have faith like a child! It was so much easier back then to believe. Why now that I'm older do I make everything more complicated?
Don't get me wrong here, I love Jesus! I'm still animately seeking Him, but I find it hard to be in that constant state of feeling an overwhelming love for Him!
Why is it always hardest to do the first thing? All we have to do is two things and we're set. ("And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.") But why do we make it so hard? If I had to stand before Jesus right now and He asked me "Do you love me with all of your heart, soul, and mind", I'd honestly have to say "No" I am ashamed to admit it, but it's so hard to do. I can serve God, but not fully love with Him. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone on this either. I can worship God, but not be fully in love with Him. I can fear God, but I cannot say that I love Him! I love what He has done for me. I love that He died for me, I love that He paid the penalty for sin, I love that He allows me to do His work, but I can't say that I love Him! How can God love me (this worthless piece of crap) enough to die, and I can't love Him (The Creator of All Things)!
If you've ever loved someone or something, you know that your mind is constantly wrapped around that person or thing. You can't wait to see them again, to spend time with them. Every waking moment revolves around them. That's what God desires of us.
I remember loving God. It seemed easier to do years ago. It seems like it's come and gone just like any other "phase" of life. I've moved on to other things. I've filled my life with more "important" things. I wish I could just snap my fingers and BAM I'm in love with God again. But it just doesn't happen like that. I need to wrap my life around Him. It's funny how I can see this problem, but I don't make a conscious effort to fix it. I just drag on knowing that I'm living an unfulfilling life. It's so simple to do, right? Isn't that what we tell High School kids in Young Life? Jay used the illustration a few weeks ago at Club with the cup with holes in it. And poured water in it and the water drained out, and eventually was empty again. And talked about how that was our life w/o Jesus. Then said that Jesus comes and throws away our old holey cup and renews us with a solid one. Is it really that easy? Is that what I believed in High School, but no longer believe now? Where has my faith gone? Jesus tells us to have faith like a child! It was so much easier back then to believe. Why now that I'm older do I make everything more complicated?
Don't get me wrong here, I love Jesus! I'm still animately seeking Him, but I find it hard to be in that constant state of feeling an overwhelming love for Him!
Monday, March 17, 2008
do you hear what I hear?
So it's funny when God tells you something. Sometimes He expects you to do it immediately, and sometimes it may take a while. For example, when God spoke to Moses through the burning bush, God was giving and expecting immediate response and results. But when He told Abram "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing" it was another 25 years until Abram had his first son.
I'm pretty sure that God is telling us to pack up and move to Ross. What I'm not sure about is if He means NOW, or soon. I am pretty confident God has said "Go to Ross, that is where your work for Me is!" (maybe not like that b/c God probably knows that you never end a sentence in a preposition). So being obedient (finally, after ignoring the call before), I know there are some adjustments I need to make to my life to follow God's call. It's going to take sacrifice and total reliance on God. Maybe that's where I'm slacking off. But we were excited about getting to do God's work and felt a real pull to pack up and get out there ASAP! So WE had planned to put some finishing touches on the house (from the remodeling we did last year), and get it out on the market by the end of February. Well...it's the end of March and it's not out there yet. Mainly because of the water problem in the basement. That just really ticked me off! It's pretty bad down there. If it rains, the cistern gets about 2-4 inches of water in it. The good thing is that it's contained in that room. The bad thing is that it never drys up and it ruined a bunch of our junk that was stored in there the first time it filled up. It just sucks that every day now I have to go down there and pump or vacuum all the water out. So now I'm planning on installing a sump pump (which I'm not excited about).
I'm just a little confused that God would be like "Hey, move to Ross", and I'm all like "I'm there man, if that's where you want us, who am I to argue!" Then we get excited and ready to go, and then BAM the basement sets us back a while. I don't know, I guess just be patient and go when we can...
But on to a less "serious" note.
While I was down in FLO-rida this week, I had some time on Thursday night to go check out our beloved Cincinnati Reds. Affelt started and he didn't look too good. I'm not sold on him being a starter. He's a pretty solid pitcher outta the pen, and we need him there. I also saw the "pride of Northwest High School" pitch, no not Jaycie Phelps...Scott Sauerbeck. He looked pretty solid out there. Brandon Phillips looked marvelous as usual. I'm glad we locked him up for a few years. I guess that's a pretty good perk to my job! I'm excited that Cueto might be good. And Volquez has been outstanding thus far. Maybe trading Hamilton won't be all bad after all if he turns in a good year. But Josh is batting .607 right now! That's pretty sick. Bruce is only checking in at .270 and Votto at a disappointing .139! I'm looking forward to an exciting season. I'm not real sure that Votto will be starting the year off at 1B, with Hatteburg batting .355, you can't really just bench him. So, I know it's still kinda early, but here's my opening day starting lineup along with the starting rotation.
Almost the same as last year. With the exception of Gonzo. If he wasn't hurt it would have been...
CF - Freel
SS - Keppinger
RF - Griffey
2B - Phillips
LF - Dunn
3B - Encarnacion
1B - Hatteburg
C - Ross
P - Harang
the rest of the rotation:
Arroyo
Cueto
Fogg
Volquez
I'm going with Volquez now over Affelt. I just think Affelt offers more out of the bullpen right now than he would as a starter. I can actually look at this rotation and not hate it. Ok, scratch that...I don't care how bad Affelt was in spring training, he HAS to be in the rotation. He is the only lefty we've got! Now it all makes sense! That's why they've been trying to make him into a starter. Ugh, now that I think about it, I'm not too excited about the rotation.
Bruce will start the season down on the farm, but he'll be up soon-or-later. (hopefully sooner than later) and be manning the CF post for some years to come.
****UPDATE****
Ok you've got to be kidding me? They've given up on making Affelt a starter!!! So that makes ALL of our possible starters right handed! Good luck this year guys! Wayne...go make a trade!!!
****UPDATE OVER****
Griffey watch: Here are my predictions on Jr this year. As long as we're in the playoff hunt around the trade deadline, he's sticking around to finish out the year. Then he's off to Seattle to finish his career. If we're not hunting, he's getting sold to the highest bidding AL team to finish out the year and then he'll go to Seattle to finish out his career.
And Tiger Woods...are you kidding me? That's just stupid. He's so freaking good it's not even funny anymore. Why does anyone else even play?
And the 1st poll question to the right, about tootsie pops...are you guys kidding me? Only 2 people got it right (one of them was me). Do you not listen to Mr. Owl??? The answer is 3...sheesh! I think B's mom reads this because someone answered "1" and she's the only one that could do that!
I'm pretty sure that God is telling us to pack up and move to Ross. What I'm not sure about is if He means NOW, or soon. I am pretty confident God has said "Go to Ross, that is where your work for Me is!" (maybe not like that b/c God probably knows that you never end a sentence in a preposition). So being obedient (finally, after ignoring the call before), I know there are some adjustments I need to make to my life to follow God's call. It's going to take sacrifice and total reliance on God. Maybe that's where I'm slacking off. But we were excited about getting to do God's work and felt a real pull to pack up and get out there ASAP! So WE had planned to put some finishing touches on the house (from the remodeling we did last year), and get it out on the market by the end of February. Well...it's the end of March and it's not out there yet. Mainly because of the water problem in the basement. That just really ticked me off! It's pretty bad down there. If it rains, the cistern gets about 2-4 inches of water in it. The good thing is that it's contained in that room. The bad thing is that it never drys up and it ruined a bunch of our junk that was stored in there the first time it filled up. It just sucks that every day now I have to go down there and pump or vacuum all the water out. So now I'm planning on installing a sump pump (which I'm not excited about).
I'm just a little confused that God would be like "Hey, move to Ross", and I'm all like "I'm there man, if that's where you want us, who am I to argue!" Then we get excited and ready to go, and then BAM the basement sets us back a while. I don't know, I guess just be patient and go when we can...
But on to a less "serious" note.
While I was down in FLO-rida this week, I had some time on Thursday night to go check out our beloved Cincinnati Reds. Affelt started and he didn't look too good. I'm not sold on him being a starter. He's a pretty solid pitcher outta the pen, and we need him there. I also saw the "pride of Northwest High School" pitch, no not Jaycie Phelps...Scott Sauerbeck. He looked pretty solid out there. Brandon Phillips looked marvelous as usual. I'm glad we locked him up for a few years. I guess that's a pretty good perk to my job! I'm excited that Cueto might be good. And Volquez has been outstanding thus far. Maybe trading Hamilton won't be all bad after all if he turns in a good year. But Josh is batting .607 right now! That's pretty sick. Bruce is only checking in at .270 and Votto at a disappointing .139! I'm looking forward to an exciting season. I'm not real sure that Votto will be starting the year off at 1B, with Hatteburg batting .355, you can't really just bench him. So, I know it's still kinda early, but here's my opening day starting lineup along with the starting rotation.
Almost the same as last year. With the exception of Gonzo. If he wasn't hurt it would have been...
CF - Freel
SS - Keppinger
RF - Griffey
2B - Phillips
LF - Dunn
3B - Encarnacion
1B - Hatteburg
C - Ross
P - Harang
the rest of the rotation:
Arroyo
Cueto
Fogg
Volquez
I'm going with Volquez now over Affelt. I just think Affelt offers more out of the bullpen right now than he would as a starter. I can actually look at this rotation and not hate it. Ok, scratch that...I don't care how bad Affelt was in spring training, he HAS to be in the rotation. He is the only lefty we've got! Now it all makes sense! That's why they've been trying to make him into a starter. Ugh, now that I think about it, I'm not too excited about the rotation.
Bruce will start the season down on the farm, but he'll be up soon-or-later. (hopefully sooner than later) and be manning the CF post for some years to come.
****UPDATE****
Ok you've got to be kidding me? They've given up on making Affelt a starter!!! So that makes ALL of our possible starters right handed! Good luck this year guys! Wayne...go make a trade!!!
****UPDATE OVER****
Griffey watch: Here are my predictions on Jr this year. As long as we're in the playoff hunt around the trade deadline, he's sticking around to finish out the year. Then he's off to Seattle to finish his career. If we're not hunting, he's getting sold to the highest bidding AL team to finish out the year and then he'll go to Seattle to finish out his career.
And Tiger Woods...are you kidding me? That's just stupid. He's so freaking good it's not even funny anymore. Why does anyone else even play?
And the 1st poll question to the right, about tootsie pops...are you guys kidding me? Only 2 people got it right (one of them was me). Do you not listen to Mr. Owl??? The answer is 3...sheesh! I think B's mom reads this because someone answered "1" and she's the only one that could do that!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Shamma Lamma Ding Dong
I know it seems like years since I've written on this thing. Maybe I'm just jumping back on the Band Wagon or something now with Brad, The Gooch, Swordfighter, and all, but you know what, I don't care. If you still visit this site often to see when Simon is going to write something profound, well, congratulations! You're in for a treat!
I'm sure you're asking yourself "Is he really going to update this often?" And I'll answer your question by asking a question, Are you going to keep reading if I do?
I'm going to keep this short cause with it being my first post back in a while, I don't want to waste all my precious material on the first post!
If you can bring yourself to remember back when I posed the question about getting serious on my blog, there was a resounding "yes"! So you're going to get it. It's good to be able to gather your thoughts together and put them into print, and let the whole world judge you! (That was semi-sarcastic, if you didn't catch that). Half of that is true. If you've ever really hung with me, you know I'm a fairly quiet person when it comes to serious stuff. I don't really bring it up, but if I've got some time to gather my thoughts, I could probably be a more serious person.
So without further a due...
Something I've been pondering lately is the way I keep my life separated. It bothers me quite a bit. I have all these different parts of my life that I kinda like file away in different slots. It's like a tackle box. In one slot, I've got stuff with Sarah, then in another Young Life stuff, then another works stuff, then stuff with "The N-dub" crew, etc. All these things have their own little compartment in the tackle box, and very rarely do they mesh together. I don't know if I purposely decided to keep them separate once, but it's almost like I've got 8 different lives I'm living. In some ways it's good, but overall I kinda hate it. Sometimes, I find myself getting upset when one compartment is trying to mix with the other. For instance if Sarah is asking about Young Life stuff, I don't know why, but I get short with her sometimes, or if she's asking about work I give her little if any insight into what my day is like. It's like I don't want to allow my different "worlds" to interact with each other. Do you guys remember Nerds cereal? I remember having a Nerds Cereal Bowl that I got by sending in like 5 UPCs and $5 or something. But I bring this up because that's how I wish my life was. The bowl was sweet, you can see it in the link if you didn't click on it yet. But it was divided into 2 sides and had like a trap door in the middle that you could pull out and allow the two sides to flow together if you so choose. The idea behind it I guess was that since the Nerds Cereal came in 2 different flavors that you could put like grape in one side and like orange in the other and eat your breakfast with out having them mix, but if you wanted, you could pull the door out and mix them together. So there's my long analogy to my life. I've got all these different areas that I need to find a way to have them all mesh together. Anyone else have this problem?
Check by soon and maybe I'll have some more stupid crap up here for you to read aboot!
Spring Training starts tomorrow!
I'm sure you're asking yourself "Is he really going to update this often?" And I'll answer your question by asking a question, Are you going to keep reading if I do?
I'm going to keep this short cause with it being my first post back in a while, I don't want to waste all my precious material on the first post!
If you can bring yourself to remember back when I posed the question about getting serious on my blog, there was a resounding "yes"! So you're going to get it. It's good to be able to gather your thoughts together and put them into print, and let the whole world judge you! (That was semi-sarcastic, if you didn't catch that). Half of that is true. If you've ever really hung with me, you know I'm a fairly quiet person when it comes to serious stuff. I don't really bring it up, but if I've got some time to gather my thoughts, I could probably be a more serious person.
So without further a due...
Something I've been pondering lately is the way I keep my life separated. It bothers me quite a bit. I have all these different parts of my life that I kinda like file away in different slots. It's like a tackle box. In one slot, I've got stuff with Sarah, then in another Young Life stuff, then another works stuff, then stuff with "The N-dub" crew, etc. All these things have their own little compartment in the tackle box, and very rarely do they mesh together. I don't know if I purposely decided to keep them separate once, but it's almost like I've got 8 different lives I'm living. In some ways it's good, but overall I kinda hate it. Sometimes, I find myself getting upset when one compartment is trying to mix with the other. For instance if Sarah is asking about Young Life stuff, I don't know why, but I get short with her sometimes, or if she's asking about work I give her little if any insight into what my day is like. It's like I don't want to allow my different "worlds" to interact with each other. Do you guys remember Nerds cereal? I remember having a Nerds Cereal Bowl that I got by sending in like 5 UPCs and $5 or something. But I bring this up because that's how I wish my life was. The bowl was sweet, you can see it in the link if you didn't click on it yet. But it was divided into 2 sides and had like a trap door in the middle that you could pull out and allow the two sides to flow together if you so choose. The idea behind it I guess was that since the Nerds Cereal came in 2 different flavors that you could put like grape in one side and like orange in the other and eat your breakfast with out having them mix, but if you wanted, you could pull the door out and mix them together. So there's my long analogy to my life. I've got all these different areas that I need to find a way to have them all mesh together. Anyone else have this problem?
Check by soon and maybe I'll have some more stupid crap up here for you to read aboot!
Spring Training starts tomorrow!
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