Concerts

So I've had some extra time this holiday to reflect over this past year. And for some reason, I started to think back at the concerts that I have been to. There were a few that I went to in 2006, but this was really the first time in my life that I could actually go to all of the shows that I wanted to. Well, those I could afford to anyway!

So in 2007 (so far), I have been able to see The Roots, Aaron Lewis of Staind, George Clinton and Parliament, Rush, My Chemical Romance, AFI, Wolfmother, The Killers, The Bravery, Daugherty, Lifehouse, TV on the Radio, and of course....Incubus!

Planning on closing out the year seeing Ghostland Observatory on December 30th. But also hoping to catch how the Edge stole xmas on that Friday to see Jimmy Eat World and Coheed and Cambria.

The best show...Incubus! The show that impressed me the least? Probably either AFI and My Chemical Romance at Edgefest, or The Bravery when they opened for Incubus.

Who did I miss that I wish I hadn't? I would really like to have seen The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Incubus (at gypsy tea room), The Police (though I heard they weren't great), Erykah Badu, Alice Cooper, Joss Stone, The Killers, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timeberlake, Goo Goo Dolls and the Blue October/Yellowcard show. Will also miss Billy Joel and R. Kelly.

Who am I looking forward to seeing this next year? Well, at this point, the only the ones I know about or anticipate rolling through town are Foo Fighters, Van Halen and Bon Jovi.


What about you?

Mr. Wags

My Dog Wags had glaucoma, and had to get his left eye removed 2 weeks ago. He just got the stitches out Friday and is doing well. For those who don't know, he is a basset hound mixed with a lab. What really sucks is that when it initially started a little over a year ago, the vet didn't diagnose it correctly. He said it was just a scratch from playing with our other dog. Sucks.

So do you think marijuana is illegal for animals or just people? My dog could really use some of that medical!

Just Words?

Sticks and stones, eh? A co-worker was just really super rude to me, and it's totally changed my attitude today. I was in a good mood, but now can't even concentrate to do my job. Isn't it crazy how a great compliment or rude comment can totally change your mood in an instant ?

Happy Birthday to me !

Last Sunday the 15th I turned 32 ! And what a way to remember it. I started off by going to the last home game of the Mavs, against the Spurs. We not only had free tickets and parking passes, we also were platinum level. It included a buffett with a carving station! What a game, we were trailing for most of the game before coming from behind to win in the 4th. It was a rowdy, playoff like vibe in the AAC !

Then we headed straight from there to Frisco for Edgefest. By the time we got there, the sun was about to go down. We only caught the last 3 bands I think: AFI, My Chemical Romance and of course.....The Killers !

Had a great bday this year, thanks Staci!

Just Give Up!

So I am getting ready to turn 32. And over the past several months, one thing that I have been learning is the importance of just giving up. Here's what I mean: so often I find myself trying really hard to make something happen, whether it's a job, a goal or a relationship. And ususally it seems like the harder that I try, whatever I am trying seems to allude me even longer. Yet if I don't stress out, don't give into fear and if I just go with the flow, things have a way of working themselves out.

For example, I was recently laid off. My initial reaction was normal: fear. I totally didn't give in, and now I am making more money and my company is way more cool! And then today, I was having lunch with a really good friend. All of a sudden, another good friend of ours just randomly comes in. I had been trying for over a year to get the 3 of us together, and it never worked out. So today I am not even trying, and it just happens! It was the first time in 5 years the 3 of us were able to hang out together.

So my advise: have goals and work out to make them a reality, but don't give into fear and stress--go with it !!!

Great Weekend

Hope everyone had a great weekend, b/c I did ! It started Friday night when I went to my first ever Russ Martin/105.3 White Trash Party. Before hand, I met two new friends, Krisitie and Jimmy at Lee Harvey's. Even though we met at 7:00, they were already drunk enough that they arrived by taxi! We stayed for about an hour before going to the concert.

Once at the Paladium Ballroom (formerly Gilley's), one of the most fun parts of the night was trying to determine who was wearing costumes and who were actually not but looked like it! We met a really nice older couple, and I told them that Krisitie and I were married and celebrating our 5th anniversary, and she totally played along! We kept up the antic all night and people were totally buying it. I finally dropped them off and got into bed myself a little before 4.

Saturday was spent nursing an all day hangover. I never ventured out besides having brunch with Kristie and Jimmy. I was planning on kicking it at my new crib just watching videos, but my friend Staci offered me a free ticket to see Bob Schneider at the Granada--wow ! I had not even heard of him until a couple weeks ago, much less ever listened to his music or seen him live. If you don't know, he is from Austin and dated Sandra Bullock and his music is amazing, especially live! Check him out if you don't know. So that was my really good weekend !

Dallas Peace Center

So last night was one of those events that I will probably always remember: I went to my first ever war protest meeting. I was on myspace last month, and came across a random comment on a random profile. Which in turn led me to a new website, Dallas Rally. I had just missed the February protest they had organized, and was bummed out. That is, until I discovered they were organizing another, bigger one for March 19th.

Last night was the planning meeting for this upcoming march/rally. I met a bunch of really cool people. Most of who were from Dallas Peace Center. They have been around since the 80's, but I had no idea! So glad that I met so many great people last night, and found out about their organization. PS--more details on the march coming soon. Our route will take us right to where the new Bush Presidential library will be !

Wags Update

My dog wags came back home! He has been missing since Friday. My mom went outside first thing this morning and there he was asleep! His left leg is hurt, so she is at the vet right now. She said that he went straight to the water bowl and drank for about 10 minutes straight!

Come Home Wags

I am really bummed out right now as I sit here writing this. My beloved dog Wags has been missing for about 36 hours now. He is very unique (like me!): a basset hound mixed with lab. Yes, you read that last part right! This past January, I have had him for 5 years, and he was 3-4 years old when I adopted him from a shelter. My mom has been taking care of him for me over the past year, in a small country town in Louisana. The good news is that it is such a small town, the chances of finding him are a lot better. I know there are a lot more terrible things going on in the world right now, and probably even for some of you who are reading this. But I still want Wags to come home!

Movie Update

Can you believe that it is March already? The year is flying by. Thought that I would update you on how my movie project is coming along. I blogged a while back about how I have finally been inspired to begin work on my very first script.

I found this video on youtube this week, and it is a good summary of what my script will be about. Writing a film is a lengthy process, of which I have just begun. I am still just in the research phase right now, but already have some great ideas. There is so much information and so many details to this story, the hardest part is deciding what to include and what to leave out! But like any great story, it will find a way to be told. And like many great story tellers, I feel like this story chose me, I didn't just choose it.

The Ehren Watada Story

While reading bloglines this week, I came across this story from MTV News. Ehren Watada is the first active solider to refuse deployment to Iraq. "The court-martial of Ehren Watada, an Army lieutenant who refused to deploy to Iraq, ended in a mistrial Wednesday (February 7) after a judge ruled that the soldier misunderstood a document he signed admitting to some of the charges against him. Military judge Lieutenant Colonel John Head, who set a March 12 date for a new trial, ruled that Watada intended to acknowledge that he did not go to Iraq with his unit in June but never meant to admit he had a duty to go there."


And you can watch this story on youtube here.


There are tons of videos about him on youtube, and here is his official website.

Love Your Enemies

Been inspired by my friend Mike and his blog lately. He's been reading a book called Nonviolence: 25 lessons from history. Thought I would post these here and see what you think:

1. There is no proactive word for nonviolence.
2. Nations that build military forces as deterrants will eventually use them.
3. Practioners of nonviolence are seen as enemies of the state.
4. Once a state takes over a religion, the religion loses its nonviolent teachings.
5. A rebel can be defanged and co-opted by making him a saint after he is dead.
6. Somewhere behind every war there are always a few founding lies.
7. A propoganda machine promoting hatred always has a war waiting in the wings.
8. People who go to war begin to resemble their enemy.
9. A conflict between a violent and nonviolent force is a moral argument. If the violent side can provoke the nonviolent side into violence, the violent side has won.
10. The problem lies not in the nature of man but in the nature of power.
11. The longer a war lasts, the less popular it becomes.
12. The state imagines it is impotent without a military becuase it cannot conceive of power without force.
13. It is often not the largest but the best organized and most articulate group that prevails.
14. All debate momentarily ends with an "enforced silence" once the first shots are fired.
15. A shooting war is not necessary to overthrow an established power but is used to consolidate the revolution itself.
16. Violence does not resolve. It always leads to more violence.
17. Warfare produces peace activists. A group of veterans is a likely place to find peace activists.
18. People motivated by fear do not act well.
19. While it is perfectly feasible to convince a people faced with brutal oppression to rise up in a suicidal attack on their oppressor, it is almosty impossible to convince them to meet deadly force with nonviolent resistance.
20. Wars do not need to be sold to the general public if they can be carried out by an all-volunteer professional military.
21. Once you begin the business of killing, you just get "deeper and deeper," without limits.
22. Violence always comes with a supposedly rational explanation - which is only dismissed as irrational if violence fails.
23. Violence is a virus that infects and takes over.
24. The miracle is that despite all of society's promotion of warfare, most soldiers find warfare to be a wrenching departure from their own moral values.
25. The hard work of beginning a movement to end war has already been done.

Unfortunate 4th Anniversary of the Iraq War

Finally! For the past year I have desperately been searching for a group of people here in Dallas that I could protest this lame ass excuse of war with. I finally found one, and want to invite everyone to the upcoming Unfortunate 4th Anniversary of the Iraq War protest in March.



For more info, please see www.dallasrally.com. And help spread the word !

Global Warming a Myth ?

Jerry Falwell has done it again. Sometimes I wonder who is worse, this guy or Pat Robertson. On Sunday, Falwell delivered a sermon in which he called global warming a myth. According to him, it's a dangerous area that Christians should stay away from. The only thing we should be concerned with, he said, was saving souls. In other words, save people from hell, but to hell with the planet itself. It reminds me of the homeschool scene in the movie Jesus Camp, in which a parent instructs her child that global warming is just something those evil liberals made up.

Though you can find a link to this story on any number of news websites, I liked this one from a blog, which actually quotes Falwell in detail.

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/02/24/183040.php

Art pics

Thanks so much to my friend Justin (http://tribalicious.squarespace.com/from-the-heart-and-mind/), the producer of last Saturday's art love and magic show. He was so nice to let me steal, I mean use these photos of his! There are more pics in his flickr if you visit his blog.

Slavery and Sexuality

So very often we think that the issues facing our generation are unique to us. I came across this article from the New York Times, which compares how the church split over slavery and might do the same thing with it comes to the homosexual issue.

" A Divide, and Maybe a Divorce
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN

SLAVERY divided not only the United States, but also its churches. The Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists and others all split North from South, and some did not reunite for more than 100 years. Others, like the Southern Baptist Convention, never did.

Now some of these same churches are facing a rift over homosexuality that is proving more intractable than any social issue since slavery. It is not an explosion, but a slow burn that has been smoldering in some denominations for about 30 years — longer than the battle over women’s ordination.

Women won those battles in mainline Protestant churches, and though the churches bled some members, they stayed largely intact. But it is far from clear whether the strife over homosexuality will end the same way. That is why all eyes are now on the Episcopal Church. With 2.3 million members, it is only the 15th-largest in the United States, but it is a venerable, wealthy institution that has produced one out of four United States presidents, the Washington National Cathedral — and a civil war over homosexuality that has brought it closer to schism than any other church. Last week, Episcopalians were handed an ultimatum by the top leaders in the Anglican Communion: stop authorizing blessings of gay couples and ordaining gay bishops — or face banishment from the Communion. They were given until Sept. 30 to decide.

The Presbyterians, Lutherans and Methodists have also had battles over homosexuality, but the conflict in the Episcopalian Church is magnified because it is playing out on an international stage. The Episcopal Church is a member of the Anglican Communion, a global affiliation of 38 member churches that grew out of the Church of England. The Communion claims a membership of 77 million — making it the world’s third-largest church body after the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

Until the outcry four years ago, when an openly gay priest, V. Gene Robinson, was consecrated the bishop of New Hampshire, many Episcopalians said they had never even heard of the Anglican Communion. Now they are paying attention."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/25/weekinreview/25goodstein.html

Art love magic

So I log into myspace on Thursday, like I am addicted to doing nearly everyday. And I get an email from a friend of mine who I haven't really talked to in a while. Seems he is promoting a new art show called Reach on Saturday. It's being held by a new group called art love magic in the South Side of Lamar. Wow! I am so glad that I got the invite (thanks Justin!) and decided to attend. Art, photography, live painting and even spoken word/poetry were part of the event. The next one happens at the same location on April 28th. Check out the following links and help spread the word !

http://artlovemagic.com

http://tribalicious.squarespace.com/from-the-heart-and-mind

The Gay Samaritan

I have been online a lot more than usual over this past week, and that's saying a lot! We are basically getting paid to sit around at work due to the lay off, and most of my time has been spent job hunting. Today is the last weekend that I have to work here, and I decided to spend some quality time online just for me! I immediately came across 2 articles on yahoo news about the gay rights movement:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070224/ap_on_re_us/gay_rights_1

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070224/us_nm/usa_gays_suit_dc_1

It reminded me of a story I read a couple of years ago. I am referring to a modern retelling of one of the most classic parables Jesus ever offered: the good Samaritan.

"A traveler was going from Jerusalem to Jericho when some muggers attacked him. They not only took his money, they took his dignity too: they beat him up and stole his clothes, then ran away, leaving him half-dead in the gutter.

Soon a bishop came by. He was on his way home after going to Jerusalem to pick up a car given to him by a Cadillac dealer there, who was one of the biggest financial supporters of the diocese. The car rode beautifully, and the bishop particularly appreciated the cream-colored glove-leather upholstery. A little luxurious, perhaps, but after all (the bishop was thinking as he took the curve just beyond Bethany), good quality wears better than shoddy goods. In the long run, what looks like luxury is prudence.

Just beyond the curve, where the road descends to the Jordan Valley, he noticed something piled beside the road. “Litterbugs” was his first thought, but when he got closer, he could see it was a body. He slowed to see more, wondering if he should stop, and noticed that whoever it was had been beaten and was bleeding. He didn’t really want blood all over the interior of his new car, but somehow that seemed like a petty reason not to stop. Then he realized that the person was naked. That settled it; it would never do for a bishop to be seen with a naked person in his car. Think of the scandal! Preserving the good name of the church was more important than any passing act of charity, especially in times when the institution was under attack from wild, semi-educated preachers from the backwoods– and trying to keep the goodwill of the colonial administration, too. Anyway, this was a job for the social service professionals. Their agencies got a lot of funding from the diocese. It wasn’t as if the bishop weren’t helping indirectly. He drove on.

Fortunately, this being a main route for travelers, it wasn’t more than a quarter hour before another car came along. It was driven by a prominent layman, active in the local church and in an organization devoted to restoring religious values to a community that needed them desparately during a period of moral decay and spiritual uncertainty. Noticing what looked like a body beside the road, he too slowed down to find out more. The body, which was bloody and naked, wasn’t moving– for by now the mugged traveler had fainted.

The layman, like the bishop, wondered if he should stop and do something. After all, he was someone concerned about his community, not just a person caught up in his own well-being. This might prove an opening to evangelize this poor soul, who, judging from his naked condition, undoubtedly knew not the Lord. But when the person still didn’t move, the layman began to have second thoughts. What if the man was already dead? The police would involve him in all kinds of legal red tape. He didn’t have time for that; he had more important work. And what if the man lived but sued the layman afterward, claiming he was liable for something or other that happened on the way to the hospital? you couldn’t be too careful. Besides, why wasn’t the man wearing anything? Robbers don’t steal people’s clothes. This guy must have done something to provoke the beating. Probably made some kind of disgusting proposition to the wrong person, a healthy if hotheaded young football player perhaps, who did what any man would do in response to a filthy suggestion. Overreacted, of course, but boys will be boys. This guy must have deserved what he got. A God-fearing layman like himself couldn’t be going around with low-life scum; it would drag the reputation of his lay ministry through the mud.

The promoter of religious values drove on, too. This time it was only a few minutes before the next person happened by.

A certain gay man was returning home after having been summoned to his head office in Jerusalem. He had been fired because of a rumor that he was gay. As he drove, he wondered if he should have denied the rumor. No, he decided, it wouldn’t have done any good. The truth would have come out anyway, when he went into court to testify against the gay-basher who had beaten his lover to death last month. Unconsciously he rubbed the dent in his own skull left by a similar incident he had suffered three years previously.

Suddenly he noticed what looked like a body beside the road. Stopping the car, he jumped out and rushed to look. A naked man, covered with blood and bruises. They looked a lot like the ones he had seen on Adam’s body when he had found him in the alley outside their building. Obviously, this man too had been mugged, and judging from the fact that the muggers took all his clothes, the gay man figured it couldn’t have been a simple robbery. He felt for a pulse: the man was still alive. Adam had not been; there had been nothing left to do for him. He was being given a chance to make up now for his helplessness then.

He rushed back to his car, returned with the first-aid kit, and did what was needed to transport the man safely. Then he drove him to the nearest emergency room. Because the man had no clothes and there was no way the admissions clerk could tell whether he had insurance, the gay man wrote a blank check to the hospital and promised to come back the next day to clear up whatever else might need to be taken care of.

Later, the newspapers got hold of the story and came to interview him. The bishop read the story and called a press conference, at which he announced that the diocese was giving its Good Samaritan Award to the man who had helped the mugging victim he himself had driven past.

At the award banquet, held at the episcopal palace, the bishop stood with his arm around the Good Samaritan and gave a little homily about showing mercy to our neighbor in distress. This act, he conclude, showed a true Christian spirit. He turned to the man and shook his hand, adding, “God will bless you abundantly for this.”

“Oh, I didn’t do it for religious reasons. It just seemed like the human thing to do. I haven’t been to church since my priest refused me absolution when I confessed I was in love with the redheaded guy who was captain of the wrestling team.” The gay man smiled at the cameras.

The bishop was trying to figure out how to deal with the question he knew was coming next."

Save Deep Ellum

Not like adding this profile to your friends list will actually save Deep Ellum, but they will keep you informed on what you can do. We at least have to put up a fight, right?

myspace.com/savethescenenow

Troops Against War

GIs Petition Congress To End Iraq War
More Than 1,000 Military Personnel Sign Petition Urging Withdrawal

"They say they are not disloyal. They say they are not shirking their duty and that they do not oppose war. But more than 1,000 active-duty and reserve members of the U.S. military are against the war in Iraq and have said so in an unusually public way — by petitioning Congress last month.

Several of them appear to explain their actions to correspondent Lara Logan this Sunday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

"I'm not anti-war. I'm not a pacifist. I'm not opposed to protecting our country and defending our principles," says Navy Petty Officer Jonathan Hutto, an Iraq war veteran who, along with another veteran, initiated the petition."

Find more here, and preview the video:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/22/60minutes/main2505412.shtml

If you live in Dallas, do something about it! Protest!

www.dallasrally.com

Damn it

This pissed me off !

YouTube deal with CBS unravels

"The two companies had been closing in on a multiyear deal, The Wall Street Journal said in its Wednesday edition, citing people familiar with the matter. The companies also discussed ways to peddle CBS Radio advertising spots to Google advertisers, the newspaper said.

But the media company and the Internet search company could not agree on issues such as how long the deal would run, the paper said, citing a person knowledgeable about the talks.

Although the talks could be revived at some later date, the paper said, for now Google and CBS intend to work together only on more modest initiatives."

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6160895.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=zdnn

Goodbye Gyspy !

That's right, the rumors are true. The best club (?) in Dallas is closing, perhaps as soon as this week.

"Despite rumors to the contrary, the Gypsy Tea Room will be closing on Mar. 31, as previously announced.

As reported by numerous sources including CBS 11 (with a "blasting" from The Observer's Robert Wilonsky), the club has filed for bankruptcy, with a closing date set for the end of March. But rumors started circulating that the club would close even sooner. One even surfaced as a comment from a member of the Pegasus community, who'd heard from a supplier that the club was closed already."

http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2007/feb/02/gtr-closing-end-march-despite-scuttlebutt-contrary/

I was there on Monday night to see the Roots, and they said from the stage that this was the last week. Word has it that all shows currently booked will be moving to the Granada. Well now you know.

The Roots !

"Hip-hop has been more about the bling-bling than the boom-bap lately and has even been declared dead by some. But Philadelphia's legendary Roots crew and Chi-Town's Lupe Fiasco did their part to rejuvenate the genre with inspiring and entertaining performances before a sold-out crowd in Dallas' Gypsy Tea Room on Monday night.

Few rap acts are as efficient and innovative live as the self-contained The Roots, and the band took it up yet another notch by including Philadelphia's Collective Brass Heaven, a quartet of tuba, sousaphone, saxaphone and trumpet players that walked through the packed crowd and added depth and dimension to newer tracks such as "Game Theory," "Long Time" and the crowd favorite, The Tipping Point's "Star."

Digital cameras and chants of "forever, forever, Roots Crew forever" punctuated the atmosphere as the band dusted off old favorites and wove classic verses alongside their own. Eric B and Rakim's "I Ain't No Joke" melted into the late James Brown's "Get on the Good Foot," then veered back into Roots' territory with "Mellow My Man" and "Love of My Life."

The ecstatic crowd parroted Black Thought verse for verse as he, ?uestlove, Hub, Jeff Bradshaw and Malik charged through "Apache (Jump On It)," "Award Tour," "Get By" and even West Coast and Dirty South favorites such as "Deep Cover," "It's Goin' Down" and "Snap Yo' Fingers."

After a false exit and a couple of extended solos by Brass Heaven and bass player Hub, guitarist Mr. Bradshaw captured the country's cynicism about the war with his piercing rendition of "Master of War," earning cheers or approval as he achingly declared that "all the money you make could never buy back your soul."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/DN-roots_0221gl.State.Edition1.394a166.html

Masters of War

Just discovered this song by Bob Dylan. How timely and fitting, though it was written 40 years ago:

Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand o'er your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead

Laid Off: Happy Valentine's !

What a great day before Valentine's gift: getting laid off. At least we made the paper!

"ADDISON – About 550 Home Depot employees will lose their jobs when a call center closes on March 12, the company said this week.

The center, which opened in May 2006, had assisted customers who purchased floors through the Home Depot, said Ron DeFeo, a company spokesman. Local store associates would respond to flooring questions once the call center closes.

“As we continue improve the customer experience in our stores, we felt it was a priority to restore that customer-associate relationship,” he said.

The Home Depot has about a dozen call centers, including one in Dallas and New Braunfels. Those centers will remain open, Mr. DeFeo said.

Associates will be compensated for 60 days following their departure, the company said in a statement. The company said it was also helping employees with job placement.

The company announced its decision during a staff meeting on Tuesday."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/021507dnmethomedepot.826d6887.html

I wonder if it has anything to do with the CEO who left a couple months ago with a 200 million dollar bonus ?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/03/ap/business/mainD8ME3O781.shtml

Sam's Town ?

The Killers claim that Sam's Town is the best record in the past 20 years. Not sure about that yet, will have to see how it stands up to the test of time. But I finally purchased it on Itunes recently. I have not been able to stop listening to it nor have I gotten tired of it yet. That's saying quite a bit for me! I have listened to it about a dozen times so far.

27 Heaven

Hey everyone in Dallas: there is a really cool broadway musical/play
called 27 Heaven (www.27heaven.com) coming to the Granada Sunday Feb. 11th. I bought 4 tickets, and 2 friends can't go. I would much rather
sell these and attend with someone I know (you!) vs. just putting them
on Ebay or losing the money. They are $35 each, and I would probably
even let them go for less if you really want to go. Let me know,
thanks !

"27 Heaven is a rock musical/satirical play about the conversations in
heaven between four of the world's greatest rock stars who all died at
the age of 27 – Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Kurt
Cobain. One night only, starring the original New York Cast. 2 hour
show with intermission."

Left Behind...The Game ?

Yep, your eyes are not deceving you. The makers of the best selling, Christian horror fiction series Left Behind, have now created a video game.

"The people behind the kooky Christian "Left-Behind" science fiction novels (about the futuristic battles on earth after the Rapture takes all the good Bible-bashers to heaven) have produced a violent, bigoted video-game version of their stories. Ironicially, the game is drawing fire from Jack Thompson, himself a nutcase Christian Conservative who hates video-games more than he hates sinning liberals."

"Players can command the army of good - the Tribulation Force - against the anti-Christ's Global Community.

The game's makers reject criticism, saying their detractors "have a clear hatred of Biblical Christianity".

An alliance of liberal groups including the Christian Alliance for Progress, the Campaign to Defend the Constitution, and Talk2Action, have urged the giant retailer Wal-Mart, among others, to stop stocking the game, which was released last month.

"It's about religious warfare. The way to win is to convert or kill. You have both the Inquisition and the Crusades," says Frederick Clarkson of Talk2Action.

"Anybody who is not a follower of Jesus is the enemy," he claims. "

Too scary.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6178055.stm

http://www.boingboing.net/2006/05/31/left_behind_christia.html

Cloned Food ?

So much happens in our fast paced world today it can sometimes be very hard to keep up. And this is probably just the way that big brother wants it. Did you know that the FDA is wanting to clone cattle for dairy and beef consumption? And I am not a wacky conspiracy theorist (ok maybe I am !) talking about something that might happen someday in the distant future. They are trying to do this right under our noses, in the next couple of months! And nothing will stop them unless we do something about it!

"The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) draft risk assessment that meat and milk from cloned animals are safe for human and animal consumption does not give consumers the big picture when it comes to the impact of animal cloning, according to a critical issue report released by The Organic Center.




The 22-page report, "Is the FDA's Cloning Proposal Ready for Prime Time?," delves deeper into the technology background, safety and food quality issues, animal health effects, labeling and economic impact of what the FDA has proposed. One of the arguments made in the FDA assessment is that clones are "virtually indistinguishable" from normal progeny and therefore may enter the food supply.

"Virtually indistinguishable is not a scientific standard," says Jim Riddle, organic outreach coordinator at the University of Minnesota, and author of The Organic Center critical issue report on animal cloning. "The FDA report shows that subtle changes occur in the 4 to 7 percent of animals that survive the cloning process and appear to be similar to other animals. The public is not likely to accept similarity of appearance as the decisive food safety hurdle standing between animal clones and the American food supply."

The Center's critical issue report highlights the other side of the animal cloning debate that many consumers will not hear from FDA or biotech officials."

I ask you, can we really trust our government? Make your voice heard on the FDA's official website, while there's still time.

http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/070130/0209170.html

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01541.html

It's My Life

I was recently talking to a new, good friend of mine at the beginning of the year. We were discussing our lives: what we had been through and what were hoping for. I told her that I felt like my life had been on pause. She then asked me something that haunted me--why did I feel that way? I realized that I was in control of my life and it was up to me to unpause it, so I have ! My only resolution this year is to live life to the fullest.

So the same week that we had that conversation, I decided to finally do something that I have dreamed about for a long time: write a movie. I know, it sounds crazy and many of you will think it will never happen. Or if it does happen, it won't be any good. I know this b/c part of me feels the exact same way.

This weekend I was thinking of all the reasons that I have to be happy, and all of the reasons that I have to be depressed. I came to the conclusion that in reality, it's ultimately up to me! So I choose to be happy, and I choose to work on this script.

So hopefully, you are wondering what it's about, right? Well, all I will say for now is that its going to be a true story about how the CIA was involved in the crack cocaine epidemic of the 80's.

Thanks to everyone who will support me, and to everyone else...I am going to be myself regardless ! And to my friend, thank you for inspiring me, not only by our conversations, but by living it by jumping out of a plane !

For the Bible Tells me so

A new documentary is being screened at Sundance this year, called For the Bible Tells Me So (www.forthebibletellsmeso.org). I look forward to seeing it b/c it describes where so many people like myself are at spiritually. We have grown up either fundamentalist or evangelical, and have either given up on Christianity and religion altogether, or we are seeking alternatives to our native faith.



Here is a description of the film from the website:
"For Hundreds Of Years...

The Hebrew and Christian Bibles have been used to sanction discrimination, repression, and injustice around the world. They have justified slavery, empowered segregation, and excused the subjugation of women -- and the tradition continues.

Today, a handful of religious passages are commonly exploited to justify condemnation of and violence against homosexuals.

FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO (working title) is a new feature-length documentary film that will look at this phenomenon and will directly confront the use of scripture by the religious right to deny gay and lesbian people basic human rights.

We will tell the story of V. Gene Robinson, a man from New Hampshire, whose consecration as the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican Communion (indeed in Christendom) has sent shock waves throughout the world. We will also feature Chrissy Gephardt, the lesbian daughter of Congressman Dick Gephardt, as she and her family struggle to deal with her very public coming out. (In addition, an undecided third story of theological transformation on this issue will be featured.)

Throughout the unfolding of three very human journeys, clergy and major Biblical scholars will also weigh-in on what those oft-quoted scriptural verses, so often cited by religious conservatives, really mean. Among those voicing affirming interpretations of scripture are Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Harvard's Peter Gomes, openly gay Orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg and Reverend Jimmy Creech."

Sounds interesting, can't wait till it comes to Dallas.

Militant Faith ?

So I saw an independent film a few months ago called Jesus Camp, which just got released on dvd. It was a documentary about children who grow up in evangelical homes. I saw it with two friends, one is who evangelical and the other who is agnostic. Of course we all 3 had different opinions !

I have been trying to convince as many people as possible to see this movie, but had a hard time trying to describe it. Finally, Danielle, the pastor at Journey (www.journeydallas.com) said something that put into words excatly how I felt about it. She said (on a totally unrelated subject) that while watching the news one day, she finally understood how it must feel to be a Muslim in our country. And it finally hit me: my frustration is that when people today think of Christians, they think of the people in this movie.




This is very troubling for people like myself, who are very spiritual people, and who try to follow Christ to the best of our ability. Modern evangelicals do not represent what it means to be a follower of Jesus today, yet that is what most people think of. I am also not saying that all evangelicals are horrible people who are all wrong. I am just trying to sum up the stereotyping and misconceptions that I feel.

God says . . . ?

Pat Robertson is in the news again. This time, claiming that God spoke to him of an upcoming disaster to hit America this year, possibly killing a million people. How many times is this guy going to do this ? What really worries me is that there are actually some sincere people in our country who will really believe that God spoke to him. What happens when they want to turn this into reality? Scary !

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/07/MNGA7NEDPU1.DTL&feed=rss.news

I guess that I haven't realized how much I have changed over the past several years. Anyone who claims to be so certain and absolute about anything, especially faith and religion, frightens me.

Burrrrrrr ! ! !

The weather outside is frightful. Well not anymore anyways. But the past 24 hours in the Dallas metroplex have proven much more cold than most of us have grown accustomed to. Some would say so what, it's only 30 degrees. But if you have ever lived in Dallas, that translates into really damn cold!

While not getting any snow, we did get some ice. My normal 25 minute commute into work turned into a full blown 90 minutes.

First Post

Hello internet! After taking a semi-permananent break from blogging over the past 9 months or so, I am back in the game. Unlike most, I first got into blogging in the early part of 2002, before xanga, myspace or anything else that made blogging trendy.

2006 was a year of major change for me. I went through a divorce, moved from California to Texas and struggled to find a job. After a few frustrating months, I finally landed a gig working for the 2nd largest retailer in the country: The Home Depot. No, I don't work in a store nor do I wear an orange apron. I work in a call center office where I spend my time hacking into myspace and blogging, amdist getting my job done.

I, and many of my friends, are way excited that 2007 is finally here! So, here's to the exciting possibilites of all that this year holds in store.