i'm been sick a lot lately and had some time to think about what i'm looking forward to over our time back home this winter...
as you have probably noticed by my facebook tournament, i'm really looking forward to eating out.
watching the ou bowl game with a group and a big bowl of queso.
i hope to go to not 1 but 2 thunder games. i had a dream that i became friends with kd35 and Harden.
games with the Bauers.
spades with the Jaquas.
movies with the Smiths.
new years predictions with Alex.
bball games with the normcomm dudes way to early in the morning.
maybe tennis if there is a nice day.
watching my nephews Reed and Dossett interact with Rivers.
reconnecting with people. laughing. hugs.
christmas with both sids of the fam.
dreaming about Beirut.
taking walks/runs outside. nature.
wandering around target.
affordable starbucks brewed coffee.
rivers 1st birthday party.
the births of several normcomm babies.
speaking arabic to arabs.
driving.
fast internet.
diet coke with lime.
and more...
Friday, November 5, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Top 10(ish) movies of the otts
I grouped some together because they have the same feel to me...
10. Master and Commander
9. Royal Tenenbaums
8. Munich/The Hurt Locker
7. Up in the Air/Juno
6. The Two Towers
5. Harry Potter 3,5,6
4. Up/The Incredibles
3. Oceans 11
2. There Will Be Blood/No Country for Old Men
1. Batman Begins/The Dark Knight
Don't be a hate.
10. Master and Commander
9. Royal Tenenbaums
8. Munich/The Hurt Locker
7. Up in the Air/Juno
6. The Two Towers
5. Harry Potter 3,5,6
4. Up/The Incredibles
3. Oceans 11
2. There Will Be Blood/No Country for Old Men
1. Batman Begins/The Dark Knight
Don't be a hate.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Top 10 albums of the Otts
This isn't late. You have to give some time to the 2009 albums to soak and see if they will stick. I'm not going to give much justification for reasons why, but these are the albums that i think i will still frequent in 2020 and beyond. It was hard to narrow it to just 10. I hope i don't hurt your feelings.
10.
Probably the poppiest on the list... it always makes me want to dance, especially when i'm doing dishes. It reminds me of our time in Europe.
9.
Who doesn't like these slow grooves?
8.
7.
This one's been with me since '01. You should listen to it if you can...
6.
Go cruisin' with the top down to this one...
5.
What a beautiful, raspy set of pipes. The track "Been Here Before" is pretty sweet. I don't usually love "solo" projects, but Jeremy pulls it off.
4.
Some sweet lyrics and arrangements here...
3.
2.
1.
This one was a no brainer #1. The only album i've been to a midnight release for...
10.
Probably the poppiest on the list... it always makes me want to dance, especially when i'm doing dishes. It reminds me of our time in Europe.
9.
8.
7.
This one's been with me since '01. You should listen to it if you can...
6.
Go cruisin' with the top down to this one...
5.
What a beautiful, raspy set of pipes. The track "Been Here Before" is pretty sweet. I don't usually love "solo" projects, but Jeremy pulls it off.
4.
Some sweet lyrics and arrangements here...
3.
2.
1.
This one was a no brainer #1. The only album i've been to a midnight release for...
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Petra
Dad and i had an early morning to try and get some better light for shots of Petra. We got more than good light... we were the first ones in. We made our way through the canyons of the park and didn't see any other tourists until we had been sitting at the "Monastery" for a while at the backside of the park of after about 3 hours.
We rode some donkeys (poor suckers) up to the Monastery as seen in the horror of a film Transformers 2. i was a little worried my donkey would die on the way up, but he lived to carry the next guy as far as i know.
Only a mechanical space alien could create such a thing...
View from the top....
Monday, July 12, 2010
World Cup Finals
congratulations Spain on your 1st world cup victory. i would have rather seen Netherlands take home the trophy, but it is still good to see a new country win. your ball control is impressive and 2 goals allowed in the entire tournament is impressive. in the final i think it was something else that turned the tide, the thing that i don't like about soccer, the thing that you do well. you played the take falls, beg for cards, frustrate the other team to where they deserve some cards by arguing and playing recklessly. in the end it paid off. a brilliant, "egot" winning performance brought a bogus second yellow to a key defender in overtime causing team oranje to play with 10. you took advantage and scored in the final minutes. Holland got some raw deals in the officiating but they did luck out after the karate kick to the sternum in the opening minutes that could and maybe should have been a detrimental red card.
hey fifa! the world cup is awesome and all but make some changes. sure we want soccer to keep it simple so anyone can play, but this is a big deal. you have about a billion viewers worldwide that have slow motion replay, who can see how many mistakes your refs are making. lets let the officials have some better eyes. here is what i suggest:
get an extra ref on the field for every fifa game. basketball has a much smaller court/field yet they have 2 refs. more eyes equals more accuracy and accountability.
for the actual world cup tournament (which is the biggest sporting event in the world) put an official in a video booth to review everything as it goes. give all the refs and line judges earpieces and mics so they can have continuous communication with each other and the booth. make the transcription or audio of their communications public so nothing shady goes down. and because the refs have good advice coming from a good view you don't have to tolerate arguing.
stop the clock for injury time. not hard.
see you in 4 years.
hey fifa! the world cup is awesome and all but make some changes. sure we want soccer to keep it simple so anyone can play, but this is a big deal. you have about a billion viewers worldwide that have slow motion replay, who can see how many mistakes your refs are making. lets let the officials have some better eyes. here is what i suggest:
get an extra ref on the field for every fifa game. basketball has a much smaller court/field yet they have 2 refs. more eyes equals more accuracy and accountability.
for the actual world cup tournament (which is the biggest sporting event in the world) put an official in a video booth to review everything as it goes. give all the refs and line judges earpieces and mics so they can have continuous communication with each other and the booth. make the transcription or audio of their communications public so nothing shady goes down. and because the refs have good advice coming from a good view you don't have to tolerate arguing.
stop the clock for injury time. not hard.
see you in 4 years.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
2 weeks until the due date and coins on the wall...
2 weeks from today is Rivers's due date. I've been thrown into a world that I have never given a lot of thought about. Not once in my life have I thought about what kind of kid clothes i like, or what feeding/sleeping strategy i prefer. I'm reading books that need some editing... "Husband Coached Child Birth" did its best to give me as little actual information as possible in a lot of pages. I'm pretty convinced the book was written and then each paragraph was then shuffled around randomly... but in between the diluted books and inappropriate photos from 1972 i feel like i'm getting some insight into what the Lord has in store for Rivers and it is exciting. Rivers has an incredible invitation to a life of joy and fruit. I've been scanning my journal-like notes and the Bible and Zachariah's prophesy at his son John's birth is standing out:
"Blessed is the Lord, because He has visited and provided redemption for his people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of HIs servant David, just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets of old: salvation from our enemies and from the clutches of those who hate us. He has dealt mercifully with our fathers and remembered His holy covenant- the oath that He swore to our father Abraham. He has granted us that having been rescued from our enemies' clutches, we might serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness in His presence all our days. And you child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give His people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of our Gods merciful compassion by which the Dawn from on high will visit us, to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the way of peace."
On another note: our team has been experience the phenomena/wonder of coins and objects sticking to the wall. Briefly, a friend of our team visited Bethel Church in CA and reported that they were seeing stuff stick to the wall. Afterwards friends in Norman also were sticking stuff to the wall. Some of us began to try without success for a few days. Then during a team meeting after a time of worship Mary tried and a coin stuck. Others of us began trying and some stuck for varying amounts of time. It was a pretty hilarious and fun afternoon. Part of the natural response was to not believe it was a sign or wonder... maybe the paint is sticky or the humidity/temperature combo, etc. But after a 40 degree climate change over the next two days, wiping down the walls of any humidity and some google searches the number of coins sticking increased and amount of time they stuck increased. On the first day one two and a half cent piece and a 5 cent piece were still stuck when we left the meeting. A couple days later we had another meeting and the 2.5 piece was still up. After the meeting everyone starting trying again. People who didn't have anything stick before were seeing coins stick for a few seconds or more. A spoon stuck for about 5 minutes. When we left that night a 50 cent piece (over double the weight of an American quarter) was still stuck on the wall. The other day the 2.5 cent piece fell down after 8 days and as far as I know the 50 cent is still up after 9 days as well as several more on the walls of the room put on who knows when. Several of our other apartments soon got warmed up too. We had dinner with the Caldwell's and while the girls were talking Drew and I went to the hall to play. We were trying to get 1.56 JD (all of our change) on the wall at the same time. It was a lot of fun. It took maybe 30-45 minutes to do because you'd get some on and some would fall. Just before leaving we did again but it only took 3-5 minutes. We have seen paper money stick, various sized spoons and forks, and keys.
I don't think many people hear this without the thought, "ok, what is the point?" Here is what i have so far from processing together as a team and with our pastor:
We are promised as believers that signs and wonders will follow us. I see a coin on the wall for over a week and i'm reminded that i'm one of God's kids and nothing is impossible for God. Doesn't a sign or wonder have to have a redemptive purpose? I don't know... when Jesus walked on water, was that redemptive? or when he used spit and mud to heal? why didn't he use a "clean" method to heal the dude? There is a beautiful mystery the Kingdom and its our joy to search it out. What is the fruit to a coin on the wall?... for us a lot of laugher and boldness so far... Can it be a distraction? Yes, just like most any good thing in the Kingdom like marriage, kids, theology, charisma, tradition, solitude, etc can become unhealthy if it is your only food. Ken had a good point: the coins on the wall are like a sandbox in a playground. Playing is an integral piece of childhood development. If a kid doesn't play, it has unhealthy results as they grow older. Likewise if a kid only plays in the sandbox and doesn't eat, do his homework or cuddle with his parents it is harmful. Let's value the sandbox as it is intended.
I hope our experience with playing in the love and power of God builds us up for more because I want to see Rem's leg healed and put his walking boot on the wall for us all to laugh at...
"Blessed is the Lord, because He has visited and provided redemption for his people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of HIs servant David, just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets of old: salvation from our enemies and from the clutches of those who hate us. He has dealt mercifully with our fathers and remembered His holy covenant- the oath that He swore to our father Abraham. He has granted us that having been rescued from our enemies' clutches, we might serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness in His presence all our days. And you child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give His people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of our Gods merciful compassion by which the Dawn from on high will visit us, to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the way of peace."
On another note: our team has been experience the phenomena/wonder of coins and objects sticking to the wall. Briefly, a friend of our team visited Bethel Church in CA and reported that they were seeing stuff stick to the wall. Afterwards friends in Norman also were sticking stuff to the wall. Some of us began to try without success for a few days. Then during a team meeting after a time of worship Mary tried and a coin stuck. Others of us began trying and some stuck for varying amounts of time. It was a pretty hilarious and fun afternoon. Part of the natural response was to not believe it was a sign or wonder... maybe the paint is sticky or the humidity/temperature combo, etc. But after a 40 degree climate change over the next two days, wiping down the walls of any humidity and some google searches the number of coins sticking increased and amount of time they stuck increased. On the first day one two and a half cent piece and a 5 cent piece were still stuck when we left the meeting. A couple days later we had another meeting and the 2.5 piece was still up. After the meeting everyone starting trying again. People who didn't have anything stick before were seeing coins stick for a few seconds or more. A spoon stuck for about 5 minutes. When we left that night a 50 cent piece (over double the weight of an American quarter) was still stuck on the wall. The other day the 2.5 cent piece fell down after 8 days and as far as I know the 50 cent is still up after 9 days as well as several more on the walls of the room put on who knows when. Several of our other apartments soon got warmed up too. We had dinner with the Caldwell's and while the girls were talking Drew and I went to the hall to play. We were trying to get 1.56 JD (all of our change) on the wall at the same time. It was a lot of fun. It took maybe 30-45 minutes to do because you'd get some on and some would fall. Just before leaving we did again but it only took 3-5 minutes. We have seen paper money stick, various sized spoons and forks, and keys.
I don't think many people hear this without the thought, "ok, what is the point?" Here is what i have so far from processing together as a team and with our pastor:
We are promised as believers that signs and wonders will follow us. I see a coin on the wall for over a week and i'm reminded that i'm one of God's kids and nothing is impossible for God. Doesn't a sign or wonder have to have a redemptive purpose? I don't know... when Jesus walked on water, was that redemptive? or when he used spit and mud to heal? why didn't he use a "clean" method to heal the dude? There is a beautiful mystery the Kingdom and its our joy to search it out. What is the fruit to a coin on the wall?... for us a lot of laugher and boldness so far... Can it be a distraction? Yes, just like most any good thing in the Kingdom like marriage, kids, theology, charisma, tradition, solitude, etc can become unhealthy if it is your only food. Ken had a good point: the coins on the wall are like a sandbox in a playground. Playing is an integral piece of childhood development. If a kid doesn't play, it has unhealthy results as they grow older. Likewise if a kid only plays in the sandbox and doesn't eat, do his homework or cuddle with his parents it is harmful. Let's value the sandbox as it is intended.
I hope our experience with playing in the love and power of God builds us up for more because I want to see Rem's leg healed and put his walking boot on the wall for us all to laugh at...
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