This morning I got to spend some time helping out at a little league try out. It was such a blast. Not just running down a few fly balls and feeding the pitching machine. But be able to help hype up some young guys because they are getting to play the best game ever.
Sharing with them the art of rubbing dirt in their gloves.
Cheering them on when they let that grounder take a bad hop and hit them sharply in the chest.
Watching them finally get that ball to jump off their bats.
Good day.
Although I might ice up my knees a bit tonight and I need to remember to loosen up my arm before I throw now.
2011-03-05
2011-03-03
Video: Poor Jon Cryer
I'll admit it, I'm fascinated by this whole Charlie Sheen drama.
It might be because he is Ricky "Wild Man" Vaughn.
Or it could be that, unfortunately, Carlos Irwin Estevez in these interviews reminds me of how someone I know in my life sounds.
Or it could just be some of the incredible sound clips Charlie Sheen's rattled off like:
But one person I'd hate for us to forget in this whole drama is poor little Ducky. With CBS at war with Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer is suddenly out of the job. Look what he's had to resort to:
It might be because he is Ricky "Wild Man" Vaughn.
Or it could be that, unfortunately, Carlos Irwin Estevez in these interviews reminds me of how someone I know in my life sounds.
Or it could just be some of the incredible sound clips Charlie Sheen's rattled off like:
- "I am on a drug. It's called Charlie Sheen. It's not available. If you try it once, you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body."
- "I'm different. I have a different constitution, I have a different brain, I have a different heart. I got tiger blood, man. Dying's for fools, dying's for amateurs."
- "I have a 10,000-year-old brain and the boogers of a 7-year-old. That's how I describe myself."
But one person I'd hate for us to forget in this whole drama is poor little Ducky. With CBS at war with Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer is suddenly out of the job. Look what he's had to resort to:
2011-02-25
Quote: Jack Kerouac
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square hole. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
- Jack Kerouac
2011-02-11
2011-02-10
Saying Goodbye
Now to be fair it wasn't always a perfect show. There were a few times the writers didn't just make a mistake, but just straight up screwed up (remember the dead body from season 2?). Nevertheless the stories were compelling and inspiring.
And I might be stretching things just a bit, but I dare say that Eric and Tami Taylor is perhaps the greatest TV marriage we've ever seen. I'd match them up against Rob and Laura, or Cliff and Claire, or even Ricky and Lucy. But moving even further I'd dare say that the couple of Eric and Tami Taylor is the modern day equivalent to Atticus Finch; fair and righteous in a difficult world.
And the best part is that NBC starts the final season soon. You'll love it.
2011-01-18
Photo: Mockingbird
This photo makes me happy. It seems to confirm that Gregory Peck was Atticus Finch.
Not only is To Kill A Mockingbird one of my favorite books, I've loved the film long before I discovered it was a book. In fact, as I'm typing I can remember sixth grade Trevor taking home one of those Scholastic book order forms that teachers are always passing out. "Hey dad, that movie we watched, it's also a book." We had just moved to Germany, and I had just started in a new school, and had not yet made any new friends. Harper Lee was one of my best friends in sixth grade.
Which also reminds me that the first quarter of sixth grade is the only time I ever got straight A's.
Gregory Peck rehearsing lines with Mary Badham.
2011-01-13
Trivia
Back during the World Series I side saddled into a booth to watch the game. I chose this place in case the Rangers were going to have a bad game and I might slip a word unbecoming of a pastor. But on that given night some lady approached my booth and asked if I'd like to participate in the trivia competition. I really wanted to give the ball game my full attention, but since there wasn't many people in the restaurant I thought I should at least participate. So, hardly paying attention I came in fourth place that night, one point out of third place and the third place prize which would have covered my bill for the evening.
What?! They give out prizes for knowing useless information?
I was hooked. And I've been back every week since.
Okay, not every week, but definitely every week for the past month and a half.
Until a couple of weeks ago I would always bet way too many points on the last question and lose out on any prizes. And the last couple of weeks I've come in third place.
Usually I've named my team, which has consisted of just me or me and a friend, something stupid like "I Know Stuff" or "Well What Do You Know" or " I Don't Know. However, since the past few weeks I had been losing to a team called "Prestige Worldwide". In case you don't know "Prestige Worldwide" is from a Will Ferrell and John C Reilly movie.
Well last night I went to trivia with the intent on sending that team a message that I meant business. So I named my team "Shake-'N-Bake" which is from another Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly movie...that came first. I wanted them to catch the reference and know that on that night they would be dominated my vast knowledge of useless information.
And not only did I beat them last night I also dominated a team called "Sex Panthers" which is a reference to another Will Ferrell movie. Strangely enough "Sex Panthers" is a team made up of an older couple (60s?) and their adult daughter (late 20s) and her husband. They were fun to chat with.
So now I am not only the defending champion of trivia, but I am officially in the league. Quarterly they have larger contest which can result in cash prizes up to $5000. That's amazing. You can get paid to know useless crap. This is totally for me.
2011-01-05
7 Billion...
7 Billion is the new population of the world. And it's continuing to grow.
This is having major implications on everything. The environment. The economy. The political climate. The medical fields. The classrooms. And even the church.
We must begin to think, and imagine, and create, and live, and give, and share, and move differently. And isn't that exciting?
This is having major implications on everything. The environment. The economy. The political climate. The medical fields. The classrooms. And even the church.
We must begin to think, and imagine, and create, and live, and give, and share, and move differently. And isn't that exciting?
2010-12-31
Goals for 2011
I try to set goals for each year. Last year I didn't because life was in the middle of the chaos that comes with moving across country. But this 2011 I'll be making up for that lost year.
I like to set goals and not resolutions, because resolutions sound so permanent. As if I weren't to somehow miss my resolution on day one then I would be a complete failure. Which I'm sure makes sense to only me.
Basically I assume if I don't attempt something I'm only allowing life to come at me. I want to pursue life.
1. Read 45 Books. Normally my goal has been 40 books, and I generally reach it. So this year I thought I'd challenge myself a little more. In a couple of days I'll outline some of the books I plan to read and/or finish.
2. Enroll in a couple of courses at the local community college. One course on something that just interests me. And the second I'll listen to the recommendation of some advisors. (maybe I'll take a class and work on my Spanish. Or they offer a cake decorating course. They even have a blog writing class. Any suggestions?)
3. Watch half of all the movies on AFI's Top 100 Movies list, both lists, that I have left to watch. Only 27 more to go.
4. Get a pet. I'm thinking a fish.
5. Buy a bike and ride it.
6. Go to the doctors. A regular check up is probably wise. An appointment with an allergy and asthma specialist would also do me good.
7. Get a new phone. And, perhaps, new cell phone service.
8. Visit a city that I have never explored before. (Atlanta?, Baltimore?)
9. Visit 3 MLB ballparks I have never visited. (Atlanta? Washington? Baltimore?)
10. Run in the White Deer Dash 5K. (sometime in August).
11. Send more mail than I receive. Of course that's exaggerated, seeing how I get a ton of junk mail. Essentially I just think I should send more letters, postcards and thank you notes. Sub-goal: go to the post office and buy lots of stamps.
12. Organize and minimize my closet. I hate knowing that I own clothes that I never wear. I got to get rid of them. It's incredible how much crap can accumulate.
13. No Dr Pepper. I did this back in 2008 and am going to give it another go. What I learned then was that if I wasn't drinking DP I didn't choose to drink any soda. So essentially this is a no soda year. I figure that at some point in the year, probably at the start of July, I'll narrow down my drink options to just water.
14. Mission Trip. I don't necessarily want to commit to a mission trip in 2011, but I do want to be making plans for another mission trip by at least 2012. Perhaps taking students with me.
I may have another one or two, which I will add later if I choose so. What about you? Do you set yearly goals?
I like to set goals and not resolutions, because resolutions sound so permanent. As if I weren't to somehow miss my resolution on day one then I would be a complete failure. Which I'm sure makes sense to only me.
Basically I assume if I don't attempt something I'm only allowing life to come at me. I want to pursue life.
1. Read 45 Books. Normally my goal has been 40 books, and I generally reach it. So this year I thought I'd challenge myself a little more. In a couple of days I'll outline some of the books I plan to read and/or finish.
2. Enroll in a couple of courses at the local community college. One course on something that just interests me. And the second I'll listen to the recommendation of some advisors. (maybe I'll take a class and work on my Spanish. Or they offer a cake decorating course. They even have a blog writing class. Any suggestions?)
3. Watch half of all the movies on AFI's Top 100 Movies list, both lists, that I have left to watch. Only 27 more to go.
4. Get a pet. I'm thinking a fish.
5. Buy a bike and ride it.
6. Go to the doctors. A regular check up is probably wise. An appointment with an allergy and asthma specialist would also do me good.
7. Get a new phone. And, perhaps, new cell phone service.
8. Visit a city that I have never explored before. (Atlanta?, Baltimore?)
9. Visit 3 MLB ballparks I have never visited. (Atlanta? Washington? Baltimore?)
10. Run in the White Deer Dash 5K. (sometime in August).
11. Send more mail than I receive. Of course that's exaggerated, seeing how I get a ton of junk mail. Essentially I just think I should send more letters, postcards and thank you notes. Sub-goal: go to the post office and buy lots of stamps.
12. Organize and minimize my closet. I hate knowing that I own clothes that I never wear. I got to get rid of them. It's incredible how much crap can accumulate.
13. No Dr Pepper. I did this back in 2008 and am going to give it another go. What I learned then was that if I wasn't drinking DP I didn't choose to drink any soda. So essentially this is a no soda year. I figure that at some point in the year, probably at the start of July, I'll narrow down my drink options to just water.
14. Mission Trip. I don't necessarily want to commit to a mission trip in 2011, but I do want to be making plans for another mission trip by at least 2012. Perhaps taking students with me.
I may have another one or two, which I will add later if I choose so. What about you? Do you set yearly goals?
Quote: Cary Grant
“You know I have about the same interest in jewelry as I have in politics, horse racing, modern poetry, and women who need weird excitement—none.”
- Cary Grant, “To Catch a Thief”
- Cary Grant, “To Catch a Thief”
I watched North By Northwest today. Such a cool film.
2010-12-30
AFI Top 100 Movies (Update)
I'm getting closer to completing my goal of watching all movies on AFI's Top 100 Movies list. Both of them.
In the next couple of months I plan to make serious progress by seeing the movies that are easily accessible, like: Gone With The Wing, Schindler's List, The Deer Hunter, and a few others. Possibly with a little luck I might be able to find a few of these rarer films and actually have seen them all by the end of 2011.
Movies in red are the ones I've seen.
1998 List
1. Citizen Kane
2. Casablanca
3. The Godfather
4. Gone with the Wind
5. Lawrence of Arabia
6. The Wizard of Oz
7. The Graduate
8. On the Waterfront
9. Schindler’s List
10. Singin’ in the Rain
11. It’s a Wonderful Life
12. Sunset Boulevard
13. The Bridge on the River Kwai
14. Some Like it Hot
15. Star Wars
16. All About Eve
17. The African Queen
18. Psycho
19. Chinatown
20. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
21. The Grapes of Wrath
22. 2001: A Space Odyssey
23. The Maltese Falcon
24. Raging Bull
25. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
26. Dr. Strangelove
27. Bonnie and Clyde
28. Apocalypse Now
29. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
30. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
31. Annie Hall
32. The Godfather Part II
33. High Noon
34. To Kill a Mockingbird
35. It Happened One Night
36. Midnight Cowboy
37. The Best Years of Our Lives
38. Double Indemnity
39. Doctor Zhivago
40. North by Northwest
41. West Side Story
42. Rear Window
43. King Kong
44. The Birth of a Nation
45. A Street Car Named Desire
46. A Clockwork Orange
47. Taxi Driver
48. Jaws
49. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
50. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
51. The Philadelphia Story
52. From Here to Eternity
53. Amadeus
54. All Quiet on the Western Front
55. The Sound of Music
56. MASH
57. The Third Man
58. Fantasia
59. Rebel Without a Cause
60. Raiders of the Lost Ark
61. Vertigo
62. Tootsie
63. Stagecoach
64. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
65. The Silence of the Lambs
66. Network
67. The Manchurian Candidate
68. An American in Paris
69. Shane
70. The French Connection
71. Forrest Gump
72. Ben-Hur
73. Wuthering Heights
74. The Gold Rush
75. Dances with Wolves
76. City Lights
77. American Graffiti
78. Rocky
79. The Deer Hunter
80. The Wild Bunch
81. Modern Times
82. Giant
83. Platoon
84. Fargo
85. Duck Soup
86. Mutiny on the Bounty
87. Frankenstein
88. Easy Rider
89. Patton
90. The Jazz Singer
91. My Fair Lady
92. A Place in the Sun
93. The Apartment
94. Goodfellas
95. Pulp Fiction
96. The Searchers
97. Bringing Up Baby
98. Unforgiven
99. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
100. Yankee Doodle Dandy
2007 List1. Citizen Kane
2. The Godfather
3. Casablanca
4. Raging Bull
5. Singin’ in the Rain
6. Gone with the Wind
7. Lawrence of Arabia
8. Schindler’s List
9. Vertigo
10. The Wizard of Oz
11. City Lights
12. The Searchers
13. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
14. Psycho
15. 2001: A Space Odyssey
16. Sunset Boulevard
17. The Graduate
18 The General
19 One the Waterfront
20. It’s a Wonderful Life
21. Chinatown
22. Some Like It Hot
23. The Grapes of Wrath
24. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
25. To Kill A Mockingbird
26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
27. High Noon
28. All About Eve
29. Double Indemnity
30. Apocalypse Now
31. The Maltese Falcon
32. The Godfather Part. II
33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
35. Annie Hall
36. The Bridge on the River Kwai
37. The Best Years of Our Lives
38. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
39. Dr. Strangelove
40. The Sound of Music
41. King Kong
42. Bonnie and Clyde
43. Midnight Cowboy
44. The Philadelphia Story
45. Shane
46. It Happened One Night
47. A Streetcar Named Desire
48. Rear Window
49. Intolerance
50. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
51. West Side Story
52. Taxi Driver
53. The Deer Hunter
54. MASH
55. North by Northwest
56. Jaws
57. Rocky
58. The Gold Rush
59. Nashville
60. Duck Soup
61. Sullivan’s Travels
62. American Graffiti
63. Cabaret
64. Network
65. The African Queen
66. Raiders of the Lost Ark
67. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
68. Unforgiven
69. Tootsie
70. A Clockwork Orange
71. Saving Private Ryan
72. The Shawshank Redemption
73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
74. The Silence of the Lambs
75. In the Hear of the Night
76. Forrest Gump
77. All the President’s Men
78. Modern Times
79. The Wild Bunch
80. The Apartment
81. Spartacus
82. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
83. Titanic
84: Easy Rider
85. A Night at the Opera
86. Platoon
87. 12 Angry Men
88. Bringing Up Baby
89. The Sixth Sense
90. Swing Time
91. Sophie’s Choice
92. Goodfellas
93. The French Connection
94. Pulp Fiction
95. The Last Picture Show
96. Do the Right Thing
97. Blade Runner
98. Yankee Doodle Dandy
99. Toy Story
100. Ben-Hur
In the next couple of months I plan to make serious progress by seeing the movies that are easily accessible, like: Gone With The Wing, Schindler's List, The Deer Hunter, and a few others. Possibly with a little luck I might be able to find a few of these rarer films and actually have seen them all by the end of 2011.
Movies in red are the ones I've seen.
1998 List
1. Citizen Kane
2. Casablanca
3. The Godfather
4. Gone with the Wind
5. Lawrence of Arabia
6. The Wizard of Oz
7. The Graduate
8. On the Waterfront
9. Schindler’s List
10. Singin’ in the Rain
11. It’s a Wonderful Life
12. Sunset Boulevard
13. The Bridge on the River Kwai
14. Some Like it Hot
15. Star Wars
16. All About Eve
17. The African Queen
18. Psycho
19. Chinatown
20. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
21. The Grapes of Wrath
22. 2001: A Space Odyssey
23. The Maltese Falcon
24. Raging Bull
25. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
26. Dr. Strangelove
27. Bonnie and Clyde
28. Apocalypse Now
29. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
30. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
31. Annie Hall
32. The Godfather Part II
33. High Noon
34. To Kill a Mockingbird
35. It Happened One Night
36. Midnight Cowboy
37. The Best Years of Our Lives
38. Double Indemnity
39. Doctor Zhivago
40. North by Northwest
41. West Side Story
42. Rear Window
43. King Kong
44. The Birth of a Nation
45. A Street Car Named Desire
46. A Clockwork Orange
47. Taxi Driver
48. Jaws
49. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
50. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
51. The Philadelphia Story
52. From Here to Eternity
53. Amadeus
54. All Quiet on the Western Front
55. The Sound of Music
56. MASH
57. The Third Man
58. Fantasia
59. Rebel Without a Cause
60. Raiders of the Lost Ark
61. Vertigo
62. Tootsie
63. Stagecoach
64. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
65. The Silence of the Lambs
66. Network
67. The Manchurian Candidate
68. An American in Paris
69. Shane
70. The French Connection
71. Forrest Gump
72. Ben-Hur
73. Wuthering Heights
74. The Gold Rush
75. Dances with Wolves
76. City Lights
77. American Graffiti
78. Rocky
79. The Deer Hunter
80. The Wild Bunch
81. Modern Times
82. Giant
83. Platoon
84. Fargo
85. Duck Soup
86. Mutiny on the Bounty
87. Frankenstein
88. Easy Rider
89. Patton
90. The Jazz Singer
91. My Fair Lady
92. A Place in the Sun
93. The Apartment
94. Goodfellas
95. Pulp Fiction
96. The Searchers
97. Bringing Up Baby
98. Unforgiven
99. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
100. Yankee Doodle Dandy
2007 List1. Citizen Kane
2. The Godfather
3. Casablanca
4. Raging Bull
5. Singin’ in the Rain
6. Gone with the Wind
7. Lawrence of Arabia
8. Schindler’s List
9. Vertigo
10. The Wizard of Oz
11. City Lights
12. The Searchers
13. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
14. Psycho
15. 2001: A Space Odyssey
16. Sunset Boulevard
17. The Graduate
18 The General
19 One the Waterfront
20. It’s a Wonderful Life
21. Chinatown
22. Some Like It Hot
23. The Grapes of Wrath
24. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
25. To Kill A Mockingbird
26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
27. High Noon
28. All About Eve
29. Double Indemnity
30. Apocalypse Now
31. The Maltese Falcon
32. The Godfather Part. II
33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
35. Annie Hall
36. The Bridge on the River Kwai
37. The Best Years of Our Lives
38. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
39. Dr. Strangelove
40. The Sound of Music
41. King Kong
42. Bonnie and Clyde
43. Midnight Cowboy
44. The Philadelphia Story
45. Shane
46. It Happened One Night
47. A Streetcar Named Desire
48. Rear Window
49. Intolerance
50. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
51. West Side Story
52. Taxi Driver
53. The Deer Hunter
54. MASH
55. North by Northwest
56. Jaws
57. Rocky
58. The Gold Rush
59. Nashville
60. Duck Soup
61. Sullivan’s Travels
62. American Graffiti
63. Cabaret
64. Network
65. The African Queen
66. Raiders of the Lost Ark
67. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
68. Unforgiven
69. Tootsie
70. A Clockwork Orange
71. Saving Private Ryan
72. The Shawshank Redemption
73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
74. The Silence of the Lambs
75. In the Hear of the Night
76. Forrest Gump
77. All the President’s Men
78. Modern Times
79. The Wild Bunch
80. The Apartment
81. Spartacus
82. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
83. Titanic
84: Easy Rider
85. A Night at the Opera
86. Platoon
87. 12 Angry Men
88. Bringing Up Baby
89. The Sixth Sense
90. Swing Time
91. Sophie’s Choice
92. Goodfellas
93. The French Connection
94. Pulp Fiction
95. The Last Picture Show
96. Do the Right Thing
97. Blade Runner
98. Yankee Doodle Dandy
99. Toy Story
100. Ben-Hur
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