what's the perfect christmas gift for someone with no driver's license?
(a gas card, of course)
there are really too many things on my mind to decide what i'd like to write about this afternoon. i am still processing seeing my brother again (although the exit polls are predicting good things for the relationship moving forward.). i've thought about a "year in review", but i guess most of that is somewhat chronicled in the previous 86 posts. i am still thinking about my annual music year review, but i am not quite ready to put that one up just yet. there are all sorts of year-end lists up and about, though, so if you are looking for some guidance on how to spend your best buy giftcards, good recommendations are everywhere. i'll let you see mine in the next week or so. the most intriguing and heavy thought i have currently has to do with a blog that is no longer in existence and that the reason, partially, has to do with me. you may or may not have taken the time to peruse chris perry's blog that's linked off my page. he wasn't the best at updating it (wink, wink) anyway, but it was removed from the blog-iverse christmas day due to some "concerned" members of his congregation. why were they concerned you might ask? because, among a couple other things, he had linked his blog to mine. mine, as you, dear reader, are well aware contains "inappropriate language" and his concerned members didn't think it was right for him to publicly condone or advertise such blatant disregard for the baby jesus as when a fellow christian says, "shit." in short, chris removed his blog out of respect to his "concerned" and whether he should have or not (as well as if i should cuss or not) is worth a great post and a great debate. i am not quite ready for that one yet either, but i will be soon. if you have any thoughts on the short version, i'd love to hear them....having said all that, i've decided to use today to look back on what were my resolutions for the year 2007 and see how i fared. i am a little nervous. i can't even remember half of what i said. here's hoping it wasn't because i had already failed with half of them. let's see.
1) don't get fat. this is my number one every year, and up 'til now, i've been blessed in that i really don't have to try. i've got a pretty good metabolism working for me. i work out three times a week. i play a sport (softball, basketball, and now flag football) year-round. i never eat more than twice a day. twice a year it seems i catch some sort of vomit-inducing stomach virus where i lose ten pounds in eight hours. those are the positives. the negatives? my diet sucks. way too much fast food. way too much of something called trans-fat. don't even know what the hell that is. don't want to know. i just know it's bad. sooner than later, the diet thing is going to catch up with me. i can't make fat jokes if i, too, am fat. most of my "make sarah's eyes roll material" will be lost if i can't make fat jokes. so, again, number one is don't get fat.
done. i didn't get fat, which is great. i had to give up my bench, but i've developed my own little "rocky training montage" workout that is working out, pun intended, ok. i don't feel quite as "pumped up", but i feel like i am doing fine. don't get fat? not this year, dammit.
2) don't die. let's not even wonder how this might affect the people around me. let's just focus on me. i've written about my deathdreams. best line i heard all year was from brand new. "i'm not scared of death. i'm a little bit scared of what comes after." i concur. i kind of "die" every night when i fall asleep. then i wake up, though. my mind is not at peace yet with the not waking up part. should be, but isn't. just being honest. so, right behind don't get fat is don't die.
that you are reading this is full-blown proof that i was successful with this resolution too.
3) be a better husband and father. i did ok with both of these last year. could be better. want to be better. don't let this being third on the list fool you. it's a really close third. you don't understand how much i don't want to be fat and die.
through the first eight months of the year, i feel like i did pretty good with this one. upon caroline's arrival, i backslid a little. that's not to say that i became a crappy husband and father. it's just to say that i could have been a lot more supportive in a lot of ways. the toughest part of the new baby was the simple fact that she was a baby, fully needy and hungry and crying and not able to tell me that i was doing an ok job of comforting her. i wasn't ready to go from my 4-going-on-fourteen year-old hannah to having a baby in the house again. i am getting better, though.
4) make you smile. whoever you are, if you are around me, i want to be a bright spot on your day and not a dark one.
this is probably going to be two straight misses with this one. if i can't claim to be a constant beacon of light in my own house, i have a feeling i wasn't always joe zippity-doo-dah outside of it either.
5) decide on what i am going to do to with the whole church thing. am i going to commit or not? this definitely goes back to the heart vs. brain battle from the last post.
well, i decided. and we went back. joined the "seeds" class. helped usher in a change in attitude and name (to the "weeds" class). here's hoping that whatever is ushered in next year continues to trend positive.
6) try and write more. writing makes me happy. i slacked off a little towards the end of the year. i should try harder.
let's look at the stats. 81 posts in 2006. this will make 87 for 2007 with a likely 88 on monday. technically, i win this one even if i still didn't have a chance to post as often as i felt like i had something to get off my chest.
7) buy good music. at least 25 purchases for the year. do not be "that guy" that resigns himself to the records he has in his collection already. keep buying new music. (soon to be bought: from 2006 - the format and the decemberists...2007 - the shins and fall out boy)
back to the stats. i am sitting at 19 purchases for the year, with maybe one more to go if i can get out to target or best buy by monday. i haven't stopped buying music, but my pace seems to be setting itself more realistic at between 15-20 for a year.
8) go back to an alabama football game. home schedule this year is too good not to.
did not make it to tuscaloosa, but did make it to one of bama's six wins in nashville. this counts, right?
9) keep bad-mouthing alabama basketball. you lose to arkansas by 27 points, you deserve it.
what speaks worse about the state of alabama basketball in my mind? that i bad-mouth the team, or that the team is worth so little attention that i haven't mentioned them all season. this basketball team is my laodicea, and i spit them from my mouth until further notice.
10) fool myself into thinking the braves will be back in post-season this year in order to enjoy baseball.
i did. until a woeful, hovering under .500 post all-star break broke my spirit around the first of september.
11) go back to a falcons game. bobby petrino...meet michael vick. love him. use him. he is the most wonderful toy you will ever be able to play with.
didn't go to a game and this comment is the funniest one, looking back, i made all year. i don't know if petrino ever met vick. he certainly never loved him. couldn't use him. and now they are both gone from the franchise that i had super-high hopes for at the beginning of this year. such a shame.
12) take a vacation.
check. documented it on the blog. a fun trip.
13) see lebron. and steve nash.
tv doesn't count. so, i missed on both of these.
final count? 7 for 13. not too bad. could have been a little better, though. somewhere around mid-january, i'll re-inventory and place some bets on what's to come in 2008 for me and mine. until then, that'll be all.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
the kiker claus, part two
(hannah and caroline and me)
((part six))
"In putting on the suit and entering the sleigh, the wearer waives any and all right to any previous identity, real or implied, and fully accepts the duties and responsibilities of Santa Claus, in perpetuity, until such time as the wearer becomes unable to do so, by either accident or design." - the santa clause
from last christmas.
that post from last december pretty much sums it up. not a lot has changed about his motives. not much has changed about his costume. his good-heartedness. his want to bring happiness to children he doesn't know. not much has changed about how good of a guy the man behind the suit really is. not much has changed, but everything has changed.
if you were to create a scale to determine how shitty a person's year could be/has been, with 'one' ranking as "i have no complaints. heaven, truly, is a place on earth." and 'ten' being "wow, so this is what emotional sodomy feels like.", the kiker claus would probably rank his year around the area of a spinal tap-ish 'eleven'. as his friend and without going into any details, i can only tell you it's been rough. a year unlike any other for kiker. a year unlike any other for one of kiker's friends. at times, i have felt like i've been supportive. there are times that i've felt somewhat disconnected. i've wanted to share with kiker that he isn't alone, no matter how often he feels that way. i am sure i've failed him in that regard. i've wanted to reassure him that there is, in fact, a light at the end of the tunnel even if i can't guide him to it. i've wanted to punish those that have made this magnificent human being, a human being with human flaws just like the rest of us, a shadow of his former self at times during this trying year. but it's not my place to do that.
sarah made a good point last night. she said to me that it must be pretty cool to be hannah. most four year-olds might freak out if, on some random december evening not christmas eve, santa claus just shows up at their door. don't get me wrong. she loves it. as kiker claus rang the doorbell last night and hannah ran to the door to see him, she yelled "it's santa claus!!!" but it wasn't the "holy shit. it's santa! let me run and hide!" kind of exclamation. it wasn't expected, but it was something she remembered happening from last year, santa just showing up at her house. we worry about spoiling hannah in a lot of ways. letting her do what she wants all the time. letting her eat candy for breakfast. letting her obsess over being hannah montana. we worry about certain things, but we won't worry that she is already spoiled by the idea that santa coming to see her is becoming part of her christmas routine. we will just feel lucky for her.
with everything that the kiker claus has been through this year, i would not have been surprised if the man behind the suit did not find his alter ego this season. but he did. but he has. while i videotaped hannah enjoying her time with the kiker claus, while caroline was dead asleep on the couch with no idea of the something special that was happening around her, i thought of my friend and his clusterfuck-tastic year. and i thought of how incredible it was for him to be able to forget about all of that, don a santa suit and make children happy. i thought of how strong he must be.
i thought of how proud i was to call him my friend.
thanks, kiker claus. you're the best.
(hannah and caroline and me)
((part six))
"In putting on the suit and entering the sleigh, the wearer waives any and all right to any previous identity, real or implied, and fully accepts the duties and responsibilities of Santa Claus, in perpetuity, until such time as the wearer becomes unable to do so, by either accident or design." - the santa clause
from last christmas.
that post from last december pretty much sums it up. not a lot has changed about his motives. not much has changed about his costume. his good-heartedness. his want to bring happiness to children he doesn't know. not much has changed about how good of a guy the man behind the suit really is. not much has changed, but everything has changed.
if you were to create a scale to determine how shitty a person's year could be/has been, with 'one' ranking as "i have no complaints. heaven, truly, is a place on earth." and 'ten' being "wow, so this is what emotional sodomy feels like.", the kiker claus would probably rank his year around the area of a spinal tap-ish 'eleven'. as his friend and without going into any details, i can only tell you it's been rough. a year unlike any other for kiker. a year unlike any other for one of kiker's friends. at times, i have felt like i've been supportive. there are times that i've felt somewhat disconnected. i've wanted to share with kiker that he isn't alone, no matter how often he feels that way. i am sure i've failed him in that regard. i've wanted to reassure him that there is, in fact, a light at the end of the tunnel even if i can't guide him to it. i've wanted to punish those that have made this magnificent human being, a human being with human flaws just like the rest of us, a shadow of his former self at times during this trying year. but it's not my place to do that.
sarah made a good point last night. she said to me that it must be pretty cool to be hannah. most four year-olds might freak out if, on some random december evening not christmas eve, santa claus just shows up at their door. don't get me wrong. she loves it. as kiker claus rang the doorbell last night and hannah ran to the door to see him, she yelled "it's santa claus!!!" but it wasn't the "holy shit. it's santa! let me run and hide!" kind of exclamation. it wasn't expected, but it was something she remembered happening from last year, santa just showing up at her house. we worry about spoiling hannah in a lot of ways. letting her do what she wants all the time. letting her eat candy for breakfast. letting her obsess over being hannah montana. we worry about certain things, but we won't worry that she is already spoiled by the idea that santa coming to see her is becoming part of her christmas routine. we will just feel lucky for her.
with everything that the kiker claus has been through this year, i would not have been surprised if the man behind the suit did not find his alter ego this season. but he did. but he has. while i videotaped hannah enjoying her time with the kiker claus, while caroline was dead asleep on the couch with no idea of the something special that was happening around her, i thought of my friend and his clusterfuck-tastic year. and i thought of how incredible it was for him to be able to forget about all of that, don a santa suit and make children happy. i thought of how strong he must be.
i thought of how proud i was to call him my friend.
thanks, kiker claus. you're the best.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
one (two) wedding(s) of a weekend
i don't feel old when i go to the wedding of a young adult that came through my group. ok, maybe i do a little. but, it's more of an odd feeling. almost like i am proud of them, which doesn't make a lot of sense. it's not like i have any claim on them to be proud, really. but that's how i feel. whether people like it or not, whether their parents are 100 percent approving or not, whether "the concerned" talk about them behind their back or not, they take the step. they get in front of family and friends and say, "ok. we are doing this." statistics say that out of the six (i think) so far ex-humc-kevin-o'kelley-era youth members that have joined the club, only three of them will "make it." i hope that's not the case. i hope they all do. i hope they have made the right and ultimate choice with the right and ultimate person that will see them and be with them through their golden years. my fingers are crossed for them.
this weekend has been a weird one for me. my first nights spent away from caroline. my first in quite a long time spent without sarah and hannah. i'll be glad to have them back tomorrow. after the first wedding friday night, i went and picked up a pizza and a movie and came home to the cats. i've told several people that i felt like it was ten years ago. working at the bank, dressed up and watching a movie alone. i enjoyed the "me" time, but it's overrated in a lot of ways. i overrate it. when we are together all the time, i am in a constant search for "me" time. i crave it. even if for only an hour to exercise in peace. to blog. to not have a baby screaming in one ear. to not hear hannah montana in the other. but this isn't what i signed up for, is it? i signed up for a family. i signed up for company that i can take for granted. i signed up for people to love and to annoy me all at the same time. without them, i feel pretty lonely. without them, i feel off. and i think that's a good thing. godspeed tomorrow, girls, and be careful. you'll have a christmas tree waiting for you. that'll be fun, right?
next weekend will be weird too. for the first time in years, i'll have my brother back. back in town. back in the fold for christmas. back for the first time for more than a couple of hours. i am sure that the time is going to fly by. anticipated time always does. i am excited to see how brian wears sober. many of my memories from our childhood have faded or been tainted by me being mad or disappointed in him. i need new memories. memories of us as brothers as adults. with adult conversations. brothers reunited, if only for four days. it should be a very good four days. and if those four days turn into more opportunities to see my brother, then they will be the best four days.
this is starting to feel like another diary post with not a lot to hold the thoughts together. i should stop and start another day. so, i will. but good luck to you, justin (and bride). and good luck to you, sarah o. (and groom). i miss you, my girls. and i can't wait to see you, brian.
i don't feel old when i go to the wedding of a young adult that came through my group. ok, maybe i do a little. but, it's more of an odd feeling. almost like i am proud of them, which doesn't make a lot of sense. it's not like i have any claim on them to be proud, really. but that's how i feel. whether people like it or not, whether their parents are 100 percent approving or not, whether "the concerned" talk about them behind their back or not, they take the step. they get in front of family and friends and say, "ok. we are doing this." statistics say that out of the six (i think) so far ex-humc-kevin-o'kelley-era youth members that have joined the club, only three of them will "make it." i hope that's not the case. i hope they all do. i hope they have made the right and ultimate choice with the right and ultimate person that will see them and be with them through their golden years. my fingers are crossed for them.
this weekend has been a weird one for me. my first nights spent away from caroline. my first in quite a long time spent without sarah and hannah. i'll be glad to have them back tomorrow. after the first wedding friday night, i went and picked up a pizza and a movie and came home to the cats. i've told several people that i felt like it was ten years ago. working at the bank, dressed up and watching a movie alone. i enjoyed the "me" time, but it's overrated in a lot of ways. i overrate it. when we are together all the time, i am in a constant search for "me" time. i crave it. even if for only an hour to exercise in peace. to blog. to not have a baby screaming in one ear. to not hear hannah montana in the other. but this isn't what i signed up for, is it? i signed up for a family. i signed up for company that i can take for granted. i signed up for people to love and to annoy me all at the same time. without them, i feel pretty lonely. without them, i feel off. and i think that's a good thing. godspeed tomorrow, girls, and be careful. you'll have a christmas tree waiting for you. that'll be fun, right?
next weekend will be weird too. for the first time in years, i'll have my brother back. back in town. back in the fold for christmas. back for the first time for more than a couple of hours. i am sure that the time is going to fly by. anticipated time always does. i am excited to see how brian wears sober. many of my memories from our childhood have faded or been tainted by me being mad or disappointed in him. i need new memories. memories of us as brothers as adults. with adult conversations. brothers reunited, if only for four days. it should be a very good four days. and if those four days turn into more opportunities to see my brother, then they will be the best four days.
this is starting to feel like another diary post with not a lot to hold the thoughts together. i should stop and start another day. so, i will. but good luck to you, justin (and bride). and good luck to you, sarah o. (and groom). i miss you, my girls. and i can't wait to see you, brian.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
oh, michael. where art thou?
a lot's been made today of mike vick's choice (or lack thereof) of clothing in yesterday's sentencing. everyone knows the details. i won't rehash them here. the short version is that he got 23 months in jail, and most of the experts think he'll get out of jail and re-enter society around october of 2009. by then, the nfl season will have started, so the hopes of seeing him in any league before 2010 are few and far between.
2010? that's a long time from now. hannah will be in first grade by that time!!! i am not really into judging whether mike got what he "deserved" or not. some think he should've gotten less. some think he should've gotten more. i just know he should've gotten something. quantifying the length of time he should serve just seems pointless. the point that i mourn today is that i'll never see one of my favorite nfl players ever on the field in the same capacity again. he may come back. but he won't come back as a quarterback that has to learn and run a brand new system at age 30. not that 30 is old (at least i hope not), but in nfl terms, youth and potential will always have favor over a guy that most perceived as a pretty crappy "quarterback" anyway. but i do mourn the loss of him on the field. the utter collapse of the falcons because he's gone. the future for vick and his old team looking grim for several years. it's just a shame.
back to the clothes he was wearing, though. why is this weird? he's in jail. what's he supposed to wear? a suit? that would be just as laughable as the black and white striped get-up is humbling. he's not going to be able to afford a suit when he gets out. no reason to pretend he's something that he's not, that being a free citizen with the right to pick his own clothes out.
so, will the heavy sentence mike vick took make any sort of difference to anyone that's currently fighting dogs? i think, absolutely, that it won't. the longer this has dragged on, that mike took a two year hit seems to me to be because he's mike vick more than what i may have gotten if i was into killing dogs for fun. similar to barry bonds, there are always going to be divisive figures in sports/celebrity. if you happen to fall on the side opposite of those with money and power and influence, you better not slip up. because even if you have money and power yourself, "they" will get you when you slip. similar thoughts have been thrown out with regards to the double-standards present here, but let's just say that we find out tomorrow that brett favre (si's sportsman of the year) has a cousin in mississippi that is running the most expansive cock-fighting ring this country's ever seen. let's say brett owns the property. let's say one night, when brett was somewhat influenced by the alcohol he's consumed around the campfire, brett swings a rooster around like it's a lasso and ends the bird's life prematurely. let's say all this hits the fan tomorrow. does brett favre spend any time in jail? do you really think so? maybe dogs and cocks are different. maybe they aren't. maybe blacks and whites are "different". maybe they aren't. but i do know this. "news"papers, sports cable channels and societies on the whole need villains. mike has always been a villain, for whatever reason. i've never gotten it. i never will.
for the last time here, i'll say that dogfighting sucks. absolutely it does. and mike should've gotten something, paid some price for doing something so inhumane. but outside of that, i do hate to think that i'll never get to see mike vick blowing through a hole and up the field like he was the only player allowed to wear rocket-powered cleats. i'll miss that and i'll always think that "the system" took advantage of him in ways that were not entirely fair.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
"when jesus does cool shit, it’s called a miracle, but when tebow does cool shit it’s called hot-dogging. double standard. i consider jesus one of the biggest hot-doggers of all time. 'watch me walk on water because i’m the son of god.'"
(part two)
so, does this mean the holy trinity just became a quartet?
i suspect that it does. i have never heard an athlete give more props to the man upstairs than superman did last night. not that it's a bad thing. not at all. it just rings so weird to me. i didn't know before tebow's docu-piece last night that a doctor had recommended to his parents that, for the mother's own well-being while dreadfully sick, tebow should be aborted. but tebow would not have it. already in communion with powers we regular humans cannot understand, baby tebow told his father from inside the womb to pray harder, which the father did. not only was tebow born, but he was born into a world that did not, previous to last night, believe that underclassmen could win an award as prestigious as the heisman trophy. the doubters now believe. he was born into a world where college quarterbacks could not run for 20 touchdowns and throw for 20 touchdowns in the same season. they now can. he was born into a world that dictated to the young man that for you to be considered a "mobile quarterback", you had to be black or steve young. not anymore. because of tim tebow, it's now ok for white people to be athletic. god bless you, indeed, tim tebow for changing this world for the better.
and damn you to hell, darren mcfadden for not being tim tebow. for not being as outspoken with your god-fearingness. and you, colt brennan, for looking like a douchebag with your fancy passing stats and records. and you, chase daniel, for not being as handsome or as good as the tim tebow you are trying to be. damn you all...right?
i mean, i don't want to be too hypocritical of espn and their collective man-love for tim tebow. but if those other three guys in the room up for the award didn't feel like dirt as they left, they are more firm in their foundation than i would have been in their shoes. the ceremony ended with lee corso and kirk herbstreit agreeing that every parent in the country should wish their child grew up to be like tim tebow (or something like that). this was not confirmed with the families mcfadden, brennan and daniel, but i have to believe that they might have something to say about that.
hero worship is a tricky and thin line to balance on. and that includes worshipping the g-o-d, himself. for, what hope does tim tebow's success allow for people not fortunate enough to own a direct line to jesus? any? a little? a bunch? i mean, i am always in favor of a young person sharing their faith with as many people as possible. being thankful for the gifts that god has given them. shouting their graciousness from the mountaintops (or in front of the cameras). but what if tebow (or any athlete/actor/regular joe) were aware enough to share his faith and a need that their stature could help fill?
"tim, you just won the heisman trophy. what are you feeling?"
"man, i don't know what to say. i do want to give thanks to my lord and savior, jesus christ, and i want those that care to know that the children's place of huffman united methodist church could really use your financial support. the number there is 205-833-7636. christians and non-christians, alike, if you wanna be like tim tebow, you'll wanna give lots of your money and time to the children's place."
"uh. ok, tim. thanks."
or something like that. let's face it. everyone in espn's audience last night knows who jesus is (or is supposed to be). and they also know (because they watch a lot of sports) that thanking god after a game or after something good happens to an athlete has become cliche'. just doing it doesn't carry any weight any more. it's almost become annoying. and yes, i know that opinion is sad, but it's a solid opinion regardless.
rather than just name-dropping, before next season, maybe superman can find some depth to go along with all that praise. maybe he can find a way to use his tremendously large platform for good rather than setting himself up to be a punchline or a caricature.
if he can do that, i truly will have his baby.
(part two)
so, does this mean the holy trinity just became a quartet?
i suspect that it does. i have never heard an athlete give more props to the man upstairs than superman did last night. not that it's a bad thing. not at all. it just rings so weird to me. i didn't know before tebow's docu-piece last night that a doctor had recommended to his parents that, for the mother's own well-being while dreadfully sick, tebow should be aborted. but tebow would not have it. already in communion with powers we regular humans cannot understand, baby tebow told his father from inside the womb to pray harder, which the father did. not only was tebow born, but he was born into a world that did not, previous to last night, believe that underclassmen could win an award as prestigious as the heisman trophy. the doubters now believe. he was born into a world where college quarterbacks could not run for 20 touchdowns and throw for 20 touchdowns in the same season. they now can. he was born into a world that dictated to the young man that for you to be considered a "mobile quarterback", you had to be black or steve young. not anymore. because of tim tebow, it's now ok for white people to be athletic. god bless you, indeed, tim tebow for changing this world for the better.
and damn you to hell, darren mcfadden for not being tim tebow. for not being as outspoken with your god-fearingness. and you, colt brennan, for looking like a douchebag with your fancy passing stats and records. and you, chase daniel, for not being as handsome or as good as the tim tebow you are trying to be. damn you all...right?
i mean, i don't want to be too hypocritical of espn and their collective man-love for tim tebow. but if those other three guys in the room up for the award didn't feel like dirt as they left, they are more firm in their foundation than i would have been in their shoes. the ceremony ended with lee corso and kirk herbstreit agreeing that every parent in the country should wish their child grew up to be like tim tebow (or something like that). this was not confirmed with the families mcfadden, brennan and daniel, but i have to believe that they might have something to say about that.
hero worship is a tricky and thin line to balance on. and that includes worshipping the g-o-d, himself. for, what hope does tim tebow's success allow for people not fortunate enough to own a direct line to jesus? any? a little? a bunch? i mean, i am always in favor of a young person sharing their faith with as many people as possible. being thankful for the gifts that god has given them. shouting their graciousness from the mountaintops (or in front of the cameras). but what if tebow (or any athlete/actor/regular joe) were aware enough to share his faith and a need that their stature could help fill?
"tim, you just won the heisman trophy. what are you feeling?"
"man, i don't know what to say. i do want to give thanks to my lord and savior, jesus christ, and i want those that care to know that the children's place of huffman united methodist church could really use your financial support. the number there is 205-833-7636. christians and non-christians, alike, if you wanna be like tim tebow, you'll wanna give lots of your money and time to the children's place."
"uh. ok, tim. thanks."
or something like that. let's face it. everyone in espn's audience last night knows who jesus is (or is supposed to be). and they also know (because they watch a lot of sports) that thanking god after a game or after something good happens to an athlete has become cliche'. just doing it doesn't carry any weight any more. it's almost become annoying. and yes, i know that opinion is sad, but it's a solid opinion regardless.
rather than just name-dropping, before next season, maybe superman can find some depth to go along with all that praise. maybe he can find a way to use his tremendously large platform for good rather than setting himself up to be a punchline or a caricature.
if he can do that, i truly will have his baby.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
to do "christmas" or to not do "christmas"
as a christian, christmas is supposed to be about "something." i am pretty sure that "something" is not throwing up all over ourselves to find our significant others and family something new, bright and shiny. kids are a completely different issue. how else are our young children supposed to learn the joy of giving if they are not given every little thing their heart desires, at least until the myth of santa claus is debunked? when hannah realizes that her mommy and daddy (and grandparents sometimes) are playing the role of santa, we will then transition to teaching her how to lie to her little sister, perpetuating the idea of a living, breathing santa for caroline for as long as possible. "only through the concept of deceit can a person fully understand the idea of truth.", right? surely, some famous person said that. anyway, i digress. i admit that i have always fallen victim to the idea of christmas and spending huge amounts of money on sarah going hand in hand. not one christmas since we have been together have we not gone above and beyond our agreed upon budget and spent money (thoughtfully) to make sure the other was satisfied with their bounty. and then a funny thing happened.
we don't really need anything anymore. and both of us are having a hard time thinking of things that we want. this is the god's honest truth, but we actually entertained the idea this past week of not doing "christmas" for each other. no, we weren't talking about the idea that jesus wasn't born in december or anything like that. we were talking about what "christmas" is really about. the presents. we threw out the idea to each other and i will be frank (you be judy). the idea felt, how do you say, foreign. i don't remember a christmas with no presents. i don't want to remember a christmas with no presents. do we really want to set this kind of precedent? what if we didn't spend money that we don't have on each other, take in hannah's (and caroline's) christmas and birthday and the joy that it will bring her and then realize that we could go to bed christmas night just as content as we ever have? what then? would that be it? would that mean that every christmas, we would remember 2007 and say things like, "remember last year (or remember christmas, 2007?)? we didn't need presents to be happy. why don't we do that again?" well, that idea freakin' scares me to death. what if ps3's drop 200 bucks in price and i want one next christmas? what excuse (holiday) are we going to use to buy a new television? july 4th??? that just doesn't make any sense!!! it's a line i am not sure that i want us to cross.
admittedly, we didn't talk about the idea for long. probably because we both felt weird about it. maybe it was just me. but the idea of christmas and presents is so wired into me, so wired into most of us, that to unplug from that world doesn't seem very worth it unless i could plug into a world where i have superpowers.
i'll definitely let you know how this "discussion" turns out. my guess is that it will end up with some sort of compromise. i'll just give her "permission" to go buy a lot of clothes and she'll "promise" me that a new hdtv might be in the cards before next football season. we'll have to see.
it's an interesting thought, though. trying to take "christmas" and reclaiming it as christmas. i don't know if i am strong enough to do it, but i'd like to be.
praise god from whom all presents flow.
as a christian, christmas is supposed to be about "something." i am pretty sure that "something" is not throwing up all over ourselves to find our significant others and family something new, bright and shiny. kids are a completely different issue. how else are our young children supposed to learn the joy of giving if they are not given every little thing their heart desires, at least until the myth of santa claus is debunked? when hannah realizes that her mommy and daddy (and grandparents sometimes) are playing the role of santa, we will then transition to teaching her how to lie to her little sister, perpetuating the idea of a living, breathing santa for caroline for as long as possible. "only through the concept of deceit can a person fully understand the idea of truth.", right? surely, some famous person said that. anyway, i digress. i admit that i have always fallen victim to the idea of christmas and spending huge amounts of money on sarah going hand in hand. not one christmas since we have been together have we not gone above and beyond our agreed upon budget and spent money (thoughtfully) to make sure the other was satisfied with their bounty. and then a funny thing happened.
we don't really need anything anymore. and both of us are having a hard time thinking of things that we want. this is the god's honest truth, but we actually entertained the idea this past week of not doing "christmas" for each other. no, we weren't talking about the idea that jesus wasn't born in december or anything like that. we were talking about what "christmas" is really about. the presents. we threw out the idea to each other and i will be frank (you be judy). the idea felt, how do you say, foreign. i don't remember a christmas with no presents. i don't want to remember a christmas with no presents. do we really want to set this kind of precedent? what if we didn't spend money that we don't have on each other, take in hannah's (and caroline's) christmas and birthday and the joy that it will bring her and then realize that we could go to bed christmas night just as content as we ever have? what then? would that be it? would that mean that every christmas, we would remember 2007 and say things like, "remember last year (or remember christmas, 2007?)? we didn't need presents to be happy. why don't we do that again?" well, that idea freakin' scares me to death. what if ps3's drop 200 bucks in price and i want one next christmas? what excuse (holiday) are we going to use to buy a new television? july 4th??? that just doesn't make any sense!!! it's a line i am not sure that i want us to cross.
admittedly, we didn't talk about the idea for long. probably because we both felt weird about it. maybe it was just me. but the idea of christmas and presents is so wired into me, so wired into most of us, that to unplug from that world doesn't seem very worth it unless i could plug into a world where i have superpowers.
i'll definitely let you know how this "discussion" turns out. my guess is that it will end up with some sort of compromise. i'll just give her "permission" to go buy a lot of clothes and she'll "promise" me that a new hdtv might be in the cards before next football season. we'll have to see.
it's an interesting thought, though. trying to take "christmas" and reclaiming it as christmas. i don't know if i am strong enough to do it, but i'd like to be.
praise god from whom all presents flow.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
welcome to arkansas!
(land of champions)
it was entertaining yesterday, having the shoe on the other foot. not a full week after their sixth straight victory over alabama, auburn fans and auburn news and auburn's football "coach" were all that jazz on the local sports-talk airwaves. "will he or won't he?" "a deal is on the table." back and forth went the talk-jockeys. my source said this. mine said that. for a full hour prior to lunch, each segment began with the "news" that tuberville could be gone and then the two guys proceeded to debate whether auburn needed tuberville more or vice versa. occasionally, they'd take a phone call from joe auburn fan. more often than not, joe was pretty defensive and good riddance about the whole thing. "if tuberville doesn't want us, then let him go." quite frankly, i don't know if auburn would really miss a beat if tubs went anywhere. from an outsider's point of view, i don't get the impression that he really does anything other than wear a headset and model under armour gear. borges runs the offense. captain mcpottymouth runs the defense. sure, tubby throws a pretty good hissy-fit, but i am not a big fan of coaches that don't have anything to do during the game other than throw tantrums and hold up one finger after a touchdown.
let's face it, auburn, the new car smell is off this era anyway isn't it? the program is solid. recruiting is solid, if not spectacular every year (it has only taken one year for saban to out-recruit auburn and take most the state's best players back). wouldn't it be cool to throw 80 hundred million at petrino again or some other "hot" coach and see if you couldn't take it up a notch for a few years? shoot, i would. but, then again, i am an alabama fan. my glass is half-full already. as for auburn, i wonder if yours isn't half-empty. 13-0 was great. 13-0 should have at least merited a shot at usc. but 13-0 isn't happening again. not anytime soon. not when you lose to georgia and lsu every year. not when you're about to start losing to alabama again sooner than you might let yourself believe.
if i am an auburn fan, i am crossing my fingers that tommy tuberville takes the cash at arkansas and fills their cupboard for years to come with 9-3 to 7-5 records just like he's done at auburn. and i am hoping that petrino comes to auburn and plays the kind of offensive ball that will be necessary to match up in two or three years with teams like georgia, lsu and alabama that will always have more "talent."
it's been fun as an alabama fan with a chip on his shoulder to have something to laugh about late this week. after hearing that julio came on the roundtable talking about oklahoma and florida, i needed a pick me up.
misery does love company. come on in, joe auburn fan. let's watch west virginia hang 60 on pitt and put me one step closer to being "that guy" that got one prediction right one time and rubs it in all his friends' faces for as long as he can (edit: ugh. or watch their starting quarterback and my pick go down in flames. kiker, andy, etc...you are off the hook.).
(land of champions)
it was entertaining yesterday, having the shoe on the other foot. not a full week after their sixth straight victory over alabama, auburn fans and auburn news and auburn's football "coach" were all that jazz on the local sports-talk airwaves. "will he or won't he?" "a deal is on the table." back and forth went the talk-jockeys. my source said this. mine said that. for a full hour prior to lunch, each segment began with the "news" that tuberville could be gone and then the two guys proceeded to debate whether auburn needed tuberville more or vice versa. occasionally, they'd take a phone call from joe auburn fan. more often than not, joe was pretty defensive and good riddance about the whole thing. "if tuberville doesn't want us, then let him go." quite frankly, i don't know if auburn would really miss a beat if tubs went anywhere. from an outsider's point of view, i don't get the impression that he really does anything other than wear a headset and model under armour gear. borges runs the offense. captain mcpottymouth runs the defense. sure, tubby throws a pretty good hissy-fit, but i am not a big fan of coaches that don't have anything to do during the game other than throw tantrums and hold up one finger after a touchdown.
let's face it, auburn, the new car smell is off this era anyway isn't it? the program is solid. recruiting is solid, if not spectacular every year (it has only taken one year for saban to out-recruit auburn and take most the state's best players back). wouldn't it be cool to throw 80 hundred million at petrino again or some other "hot" coach and see if you couldn't take it up a notch for a few years? shoot, i would. but, then again, i am an alabama fan. my glass is half-full already. as for auburn, i wonder if yours isn't half-empty. 13-0 was great. 13-0 should have at least merited a shot at usc. but 13-0 isn't happening again. not anytime soon. not when you lose to georgia and lsu every year. not when you're about to start losing to alabama again sooner than you might let yourself believe.
if i am an auburn fan, i am crossing my fingers that tommy tuberville takes the cash at arkansas and fills their cupboard for years to come with 9-3 to 7-5 records just like he's done at auburn. and i am hoping that petrino comes to auburn and plays the kind of offensive ball that will be necessary to match up in two or three years with teams like georgia, lsu and alabama that will always have more "talent."
it's been fun as an alabama fan with a chip on his shoulder to have something to laugh about late this week. after hearing that julio came on the roundtable talking about oklahoma and florida, i needed a pick me up.
misery does love company. come on in, joe auburn fan. let's watch west virginia hang 60 on pitt and put me one step closer to being "that guy" that got one prediction right one time and rubs it in all his friends' faces for as long as he can (edit: ugh. or watch their starting quarterback and my pick go down in flames. kiker, andy, etc...you are off the hook.).
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