all the cool kids are doing it

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Too much red

This is not what you want to see standing in front of you at an A's game. That was the closest I've been to a rally monkey...they are more annoying in person than they are on TV. Oh well, there's always next year.

vote general zod 2008

Q: General Zod, I had to pay $57 to fill up my Escalade yesterday! What are you going to do about increasing gas prices?

General Zod replies: Silence your ravings or my first duty as President will be to send you to the salt mines. This is the price you pay for your $32,000 SUV. You knew what you were getting into when you bought it. I suggest that you get a smaller car so that you can fatten your bank account for my eventual pillaging.

bassist convinced he's best musician in the worship band

FRANKFORT — Jerry Clark can slap the bass with the best players in town. And as a member of First Assembly of God's worship band, he's convinced he's better than anyone else on the platform.
"I'm way ahead of the other guys in terms of talent," he says during a break at Saturday worship band practice.
Clark has played in a local rock band for 18 years, honing his bass-playing gift. The band has made several CDs and tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky.
Clark began lending his musical expertise to First Assembly 11 years ago, but at times gets fed up with the amateurs in the worship band.
"The piano lady can only play notes you put in front of her," he says. "She can't jam. I'll be over there slapping and grooving, and these other guys look at me like, 'What? What?' They get so caught up in what I'm doing, they lose their place. I'm like, 'Dudes, play the worship music!'"
Clark says he often feels he's "carrying the band," but he's committed to it as his ministry.
"Everyone's got their cross," he says. •

From LarkNews

you are weak, old man

I think that everybody has different weaknesses that, from time to time, they have the opportunity to work on. For much of life we can trod along, ignoring these various weaknesses because we can plot our lives around them. And when it comes to some things, I think that's a good policy. It depends on the weakness of course. If your weakness is punching people in the neck when they upset you, and you just live with it...you're going to run into some trouble. But for the most part you can sort of work around your weaknesses and avoid them.

That's been my experience anyway. It's also been my experience that at various points in my life I am confronted with a certain weakness and it stays in my face for a while. I can do something about it, or I can fall victim to it and let it dictate what happens to me. If I endure that long enough, it will fade into the background again, and that moment where I am actually cognizant of it passes. I suppose I could do something about it even after that point, but it just never enters my mind.

Right now I am confronted with a particular weakness of mine, and I have a desire to deal with it but it's difficult to do so. It may seem stupid, but this weakness is my lack of following up with and contacting people I don't know. This usually has to do with the phone. As a youth pastor and church leader I'm called upon to do things like call people and let them know about different things, to call them and let them know of various opportunities to get involved with things, all that. Some weeks I'm supposed to call more people than others...but for some reason, when I'm presented with a followup card for someone I don't know, it terrifies me to call them. I don't even know what I am specifically afraid of, but it just takes a large act of the will to actually dial the number.

I have a feeling that this is something I need to get rid of and overcome, and I actually feel sort of silly typing it out. I mean, it's calling someone on a stinkin' phone. But it's a weakness of mine, a fear or something. And I want to be rid of it, I want to overcome it, and I'm doing my best to take steps to that end. These steps do of course include prayer and asking God to do something about it in my heart. Because I know it's not just rooted in being shy, but there's also a degree of selfishness involved. I'm more worried about my comfort than I am about these people getting a call hearing that they matter, or inviting them to be a part of something that can change their life. I need to get over it. Just thought I'd share something that's going in my mind and heart right now.

fatherhood.org

This is funny.

booom ooom ooom mooom oom

In the last few minutes I've heard four or five huge peals of thunder. Not quick ones, but the kind that sort of builds up in the distance as a low rumble, then rolls over you as it gets louder and louder, and then sort of lopes off into the distance while you hear it all the way. They say this is earthquake weather.

MAKE YOUR PEACE!!!11!oneone

Snickerdoodles

In case you were wondering, there is no manly way to order a Snickerdoodle. You can walk up with the best of intentions in preserving a masculine, mature front, but the moment you say "Also, I'd like a Snickerdoodle," any pretension at adulthood goes out the window. But, they're that good. I'd trade my dignity for a Snickerdoodle just about any day of the week.

bush needs a bathroom pass

So this is a photo of Bush writing a note to Condi Rice asking if he can be excused to go to the bathroom, during the U.N. meetings today. That is some pretty funny stuff if you ask me.

Link

niners win 28-25

So as of Week 1, the 49ers have now equalled half their win total from all of last season. I've gotta say my hopes are higher for 2005. The Niners were actually fun to watch, and Nolan had them doing some crazy stuff, like surprise onside kicks, Rattay lining up at Wide Receiver, etc. This game wasn't perfect, and if it weren't for that burst in the 2nd Quarter the 49ers wouldn't have won. The Niner Offense was fairly poor later in the game, and the defense, while they played great, were simply on the field too long and started to fade at the end. Without that interception at the end I'm not sure they would've held on for the win. But...there's no team I'd rather whup on for the first game of the season than the Rams. Those nancy boys still were talking trash after they lost. Torry Holt said "it goes to show you that the best team doesn't always win." Man, I hope the Rams get crushed in their own domicile by the Niners later in the year. Punks.

Testing mobile blogging

So in theory this is going to post to my blog as I am driving through the Santa Cruz mountains on the way home from disc golfing.

kanye west

Kanye West is a rapper. He says George Bush doesn't care about black people. I understand emotions are running high with this Hurrican Katrina tragedy in New Orleans...but come on. The poor guy looks like he really cares, but just isn't very well-informed. All that misguided passion; it's good to see, but I feel sort of sorry for him. He comes off as ignorant and, well, dumb.

Below is a link to the clip - Kanye is one of the many celebrities helping host this telethon. He's paired up with Mike Myers - and it's pretty funny to watch Myers' reaction when Kanye goes off script into this tirade against Bush and the press and whatnot. He gets all stiff and tries to stay professional, but you can tell he's surprised. So at least there's some comedy in there too.

Link