Three's Company for this Chuck

So recently I moved into a home with my sister Chelsy. Her husband, Mickey, has been deployed to Iraq for 12 months. Since she didn't want to stay in El Paso, where they have recently been station before his deployment, moving here to San Antonio and us sharing a home together just made sense. Also, for the summer my other sister Cayla is staying here with us before returning to Mary Hardin Baylor in Belton, TX where she will finish her senior year of college.
So it's only obvious that I would hear several snickering remarks about how I'm living a Three's Company kinda life. Of course I'm not partial to this because, and only recently did I figure this out, that Jack was passing himself off as gay in order to share the apartment with the two ladies. I am not trying to pass myself off as gay, nor, for the record, am I of that persuasion. Plus I don't trip over couches, and I could never work as a chef at a restaurant.

I say all that because this past Sunday while chit chatting with a former student home from her first year of college I mentioned this recent life change and she referred to me as Chuck Bartkowski. Now this made me laugh. Although I don't work at the Buy More, nor am I handy with computers, I do have daydreams of secret missions.
Plus if I was living a Chuck Bartkowski life...well...allow me to introduce you to my girlfriend. (She's the one on the left.) Okay, so I'm not actually dating anyone at the moment, but life Chuck I'm clumsily pursuing my options.

Plus I could have a cool theme song and a wrist watch walkie talkie.

Sermon in a Sentence

I have a conviction that no sermon is ready for preaching, not ready for writing out, until we can express its theme in a short, pregnant sentence as clear as a crystal. I find the getting of that sentence is the hardest, the most exacting, and the most fruitful labour in my study. To compel oneself to fashion that sentence, to dismiss every word that is vague, ragged, ambiguous, to think
oneself through to a form of words which defines the theme with scrupulous exactness—this is surely one of the most vital and essential factors in the making of a sermon: and I do not think any sermon ought to be preached or even written, until that sentence has emerged, clear and lucid as a cloudless moon.”

—J. H. Jowett, The Preacher: His Life and Work (Harper & Bros,
1912), p. 133.

I remember my Homiletics courses where we were encouraged to have a clear Dominant Thought. I've gotten away in my teaching and thinking about the importance of a succinct summary. My professor, when preaching, would often say, "if I can wrap up my sermon in a sentence I would say ____________".
Also I once heard another youth pastor at a conference say that if you can't communicate what you want to say in 18 minutes then you still need to work on your message.
Since I'm no Mark Driscoll, I bore myself after 20 minutes, I need to work harder to achieve this goal.

I have some new goals...

Shouldn't be hard or take long to accomplish this:

24: Season 7

Didn't this show just have their season finale on Monday (yesterday)?
Wow! That went to video fast.

New Roommates

My new roommates are up playing Rock Band into the late hours.

I recently moved into a house with my two sisters.

Cayla will be here for the summer and return for her senior year in the Fall.

Chelsy's husband Mickey was deployed to Iraq a few weeks ago for a little over a year after they had just moved to Ft. Bliss (El Paso, TX). And if you've ever been to El Paso, or heard about all the borderline violence, you can understand why she didn't want to stay there.

And then of course there is Keaton, Chelsy's son, my nephew. He's unfortunately not joining the band this evening. Since he is only six months he was carded and sent to bed; no partying for him.

I love my sisters.

Brain Farts

Lately I have been incredibly scatter-brained. 

I just reread my last post and realized I didn’t finishing typing the late couple sentences.  I started them, just didn’t finish them.  Which should tell you something; I stopped writing one sentence in midsentence in order to begin the next.

Also, I sent a Twitter tweet recently that wasn’t supposed to be a tweet.  Tweet or not, it made no sense in the context I sent it and honestly was a completely random thought that somehow made it too my thumbs.  I still feel stupid and embarrassed over that incident.

I’ve walked into rooms over the weekend and stopped abruptly because I didn’t know where I was or what I was going in to the room for anyway.

Today I was on my lunch break and I was going to read from a library book (Pygmy by Chuck Palahnuik), and I did read one page, but then I woke from a daydream and realized my entire lunch break was over.  And the sad thing: I don’t remember what I was daydreaming about.

 

And to make matters even worse, I started typing this post about a hour ago but I got side-tracked (about two sentences ago) and just realized I hadn’t finished it. 

2009 Summer Blockbusters

I was thinking about all the good movies that were coming out this summer this morning.  And because I like lists I thought I map out the summer movies that I want to see.  For no particular reason except that I was sitting here thinking I wanted to do this.  The ones in RED are the ones I’ll probably pay to see in the theater. 

 

May 1

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

The Limits of Control

May 8

Star Trek (seen)

May 15

Angels & Demons

The Brothers Bloom

May 21

Terminator Salvation

May 22

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (still need to see the first one)

May 29

Drag Me to Hell

Up

June 5

The Hangover

Land of the Lost

My Life in Ruins

June 12

The Taking of Pelham 123

June 19

The Proposal

Year One

June 24

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

June 26

The Hurt Locker

July 1

Public Enemies

July 10

Bruno

I Love You, Beth Cooper

July 15

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

July 17

(500) Days of Summer

July 31

Funny People

August 7

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Julie & Julia

August 14

Taking Woodstock

August 21

Inglourious Basterds

 

Don’t judge me.  I tend to

Is there something I’m missing

Somedays I'm Jon Arbuckle

Garfield minus Garfield

Original

What Movies Make A Man?

Esquire.com has a list of 75 movies every man should see.  And because “I’m a man…baby”, this is another list I must achieve.  The funny thing is I’ve read through the list several times now and there is actually only 74 movies on the list.  That makes me laugh. 

My question is how many of these movies does one have to have seen in order to obtain his manly merit badge?  I’m going to say 65%.  Which out of 75 movies is 48.75; out of 74 movies is 48.10 movies.  So let’s say 45, but in order to be a man amoung men, I think having seen all would be a prerequisite.

(If I was lonely and bored I might actually make a Man Scout uniform, similar to a Boy Scout one, but only manly-er.  But alas I have a life.  Sure it involves watching a lot of movies, but nevertheless, it doesn’t have room for a Man Scout uniform.)

I honestly haven’t counted how many of these movies I have seen, but has I review them one more time I will highlight in red which I have seen.  Then I’ll add them up and see if it’s greater than 65%.

1.       In the Heat of the Night

2.       Slap Shot

3.       Iron Man

4.       Jaws

5.       Save the Tiger

6.       12 Angry Men

7.       Fast Times at Ridgemont High

8.       Chinatown

9.       The Godfather

10.   Fitzcarraldo

11.   Ghostbusters

12.   Glory

13.   Wall Street

14.   Runaway Train

15.   Rosemary’s Baby

16.   North by Northwest

17.   Lone Star

18.   The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

19.   The Conversation

20.   The Thin Blue Line

21.   Johnny Dangerously

22.   The French Connection

23.   Miller’s Crossing

24.   The Great Escape

25.   Dawn of the Dead

26.   Shaun of the Dead

27.   Hate

28.   First Blood

29.   Bottle Rocket

30.   Bad Day at Black Rock

31.   Tootsie

32.   Broadcast News

33.   The Terminator

34.   Shakes the Clown

35.   Dirty Harry

36.   Straw Dogs

37.   Raging Bull

38.   Citizen Kane

39.   The Shining

40.   Fatal Attraction

41.   The Incredibles

42.   Blade Runner

43.   Sling Blade

44.   Giant

45.   Glengarry Glen Ross

46.   Serpico

47.   Down by Law

48.   The Searchers

49.   Do the Right Thing

50.   Gone Baby Gone

51.   The Big Kahuna

52.   M*A*S*H

53.   The Verdict

54.   The Warriors

55.   Alien

56.   Stalag 17

57.   Bridge on the River Kwai

58.   The Misfits

59.   Reservoir Dogs

60.   The Maltese Falcon

61.   Dr. No

62.   Cool Hand Luke

63.   The Road Warrior

64.   Patton

65.   True Romance

66.   Run Silent, Run Deep

67.   All Quiet on the Western Front

68.   Platoon

69.   Caddyshack

70.   Hud

71.   Blazing Saddles

72.   Three Kings

73.   Paths of Glory

74.   On the Waterfront

75.   _____________?

Uh oh.  I haven’t counted yet, but I think my man creditials are in trouble.  Counting now….

 

Only 34.  That’s about 45%, but not nearly close enough to make a claim on that merit badge.  But only 15 away from achieving the dream.  This gives me even more excuses to visit Blockbuster. 

 

How about you?  Have you seen a good portion of these films?

 

What movie would you add to this list?  Here is a short list I would have every man consider, in addition to the list above (who am I to argue with Esquire magazine?):

-          Fight Club

-          American History X

-          Field of Dreams

-          Rudy

-          To Kill a Mockingbird

-          Dead Poets Society

 

Magnificent

Have you seen the new U2 video?
Check it out HERE.

"It's All Fun and Game..."

Sorry, but I saw this and had to post it. It's a bit long, but I thought it was worth it. Also there is a inappropriate word (i think i only heard one) so have your earmuffs close by.

But if this doesn't make you appreciate all the wisdom of your mothers I don't know what will.

80s Christian Rock Band

My friend Jon is going to see Stryper in concert. Also he still wears 80s spandex pants, but he doesn't have the hair.
He got me thinking about those few months in my life were I was a Stryper fan. I was also singing along to Psalty, so you must understand that I didn't know who I was or what I appreciated when it came to everything.
FYI - I don't like to say that I appreciate all music. I do appreciate a lot of music. But if I was being forthright I would have to confess that I think some music is just crap.
Now you're probably worried that I just might think your music choices are crap: well that's a good thing to consider. Maybe I do, maybe I don't. This isn't the post to discuss those issues.
So, back to Stryper. I starting looking up some footage on youtube. I forget how much these guys can wail. They're awesome!
Do you need help remembering? Here's a video:

Quote - Greg Levoy

“ We get so consumed and confused with all that’s going on that we live in such a way that sinful patterns never get confronted and changed, abilities and gifts never get cultivated and deployed, until weeks become months, months turn into years and one day you’re looking back on a life of heartfelt conversations you never had, great prayers you never prayed, exhilarating risks you never took, sacrificial gifts you never offered, and lives you never touched, and you’re sitting in your recliner with a shriveled soul and forgotten dreams and you realized there is a world with desperate need and a great God calling you to be a part of something bigger than yourself.  There is no greater tragedy than a life that was never really lived.”

-          Greg Levoy

Poetry in Motion

I just read this poem in W. P. Kinsella's book Shoeless Joe (which is later adapted into the movie Field of Dreams) and I thought I should share it here with you.
Here you go:

There are the saddest of possible words
Tinker to Evers to Chance
Trio of bearcubs and fleeter than birds
Tinker to Evers to Chance
Making a Giant hit into a double
Words that are weighty with nothing but trouble
Tinker to Ever to Chance

Beautiful eh?
Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance were a legendary double-play combination that played for the Chicago Cubs.
I'm trying to think of who poems could be written about today. That is, which players expressed the beauty of the game, not poems about steriods or pitch tipping.

Which players today are worthy of poetry today? Who would you write a poem about today?

Zack Greinke

Zack Greinke is on the cover of SI this week and the article (Zack Greinke is in Total Control) I thought was really good and worth a read by you baseball fans out there.  I remember first hearing  his story and thinking it reminded me of the movie The Scout, starring Brendan Fraser and Albert Brooks. 

You don’t often hear of the mental difficulties that ball players face, well at least not at the medical degree that Zack has struggle through.  Maybe Chuck Knoblauch.

Also I really did the cover of the SI issue.  It’s an aerial view of Greinke on top of the mound, setting himself on the rubber getting ready for battle. 

 

Yahoo Sports also had an article on Greinke today.

 

I have an affection the pitching position.  I loved being on the mound growing up.  Having the ball in my hand, taking responsibility of the game for my team.  When I would start heading to the mound and my coach would say, “Trevor, all you need is 9 pitches”, that wasn’t a burden that was a challenge. 

 

So to read a story of one young pitcher over-coming and dominating, that is just cool.

 

Captain Obvious

Apparently from my last post it’s pretty obvious that I’m not a Matthew McConaughey fan. 

Sorry, suddenly realized how bitter that post may have sounded.

I don’t carry how many of his cheesy romantic comedies he wants to make, but when you cross over into the films of comic book icons I get a bit defensive. 

I’m just saying…

 

Captain America

So today I heard or read some blurb about the role of Captain America in the upcoming Marvel movie may be cast with Matthew McConaughey.

Apparently this is just a rumor and not confirmed yet.  Hold on…let me double check with IMDB…um…yeah…nothing confirmed at the IMDB page for the movie.  Although if you’re interested the movie looks to be titled The First Avenger: Captain Amercia.

Now if Matthew McConaughey is cast as Captain America I would like to offer up my review of the movie now and spare myself from writing it later.  Indulge with me:

This movie sucked.  I want to be refunded the price of the ticket.  And because the retched film oozed off the screen so much and ruined my popcorn and slurpee, I also wanted to be refunded for that as well.  (The fact that I still ate the popcorn and drank the slurpee should be of no concern).  I could give you a recap of the story of Captain America, but I’m afraid that the performance of Matthew McConaughey would seep through my words and then cause this review to suck.  Plus the script of Captain America wasn’t bad, but because of the McConaughey casting who could tell?  Who knew Captain America could be so self indulgent.  And I thought Captain America wore a uniform that consisted of a shirt.  I would rather have seen Captain America portrayed by Teddy Ruxpin than Matthew McConaughey.  I dare say I actually enjoyed George Clooney and his Batman nipples more than this disaster of a film. 

Okay that may be somewhat of an exaggeration, but…um…no…that’s exactly how I think that that movie would be.

 

But thankfully the rumor isn’t true.  Thank God for the simplicity of a Google search.

Blogged Tired

I read over 500 blog post today. My reader was a little backed up and I used a few hours today to catch up.
I am tired.
My eyes hurt.
I feel bad for skimming.
I would never read all those words.
I need to cut some blogs out of my life.
Don't worry I won't cut yours.

Quote: Theodore Roosevelt

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt - "Citizenship in a Republic," Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

(thanks)

Milli Vanillied

I’ve never been a fan of Howard Stern.  I think I watched his movie back in high school.  I’ve never heard him on the actual radio.  I’ve watched enough of his show on whatever cable station played the video feeds to know I shouldn’t watch his show on whatever cable station that plays the video feed.  (Of course I’m sure some of you are thinking, “didn’t you know that from the movie?”  And the answer is yes.  I should have known better.  But I’m also an idiot.)

Saying all that leads me to the reason for this post.

I was linked today to this audio clip of Beyonce singing on one of the network morning shows.  The clip is actual from Stern’s show and they are listening to it and talking about it.  It’s the actual feed from her microphone.  Of course not many of today’s current pop stars would ever dare to have their real vocals used in a concert, so a pre-recorded version is played thru the speakers instead. 

Give it a listen.

Click HERE.