Notes from Basecamp

An Engagement and a Trip to Savannah

2009-03-17T09:38:00.003-05:00

Friday night March 13 April and I headed to the top floor of the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock where I proposed...and she said yes! I had spent the week leading up talking to her family and mine making sure everyone was on board. While I'm sure she had some idea it was coming soon I think I was able to catch her by surprise Friday night. We were able to enjoy a very comfortable night there afterwards before heading out to the east coast to begin a week-long house hunting trip in Savannah, Georgia. I'll be moving here sometime in the next month for work. We've also been able to work in a trip downtown and a trip out to the beach.

The hope is to settle on an apartment today before heading back out the beach. There is quite a celebration going on downtown Savannah in honor of St. Patrick's Day. We're watching to coverage on TV and listening to all the claims about this being the second largest celebration in the U.S. While it looks like a good time I think we'll be staying away from the large crowds to enjoy a day of relaxation with all the major life changes going on. Maybe today's pictures of the beach will feature clear blue skies!

For Sale

2009-02-26T18:10:00.004-06:00

A lot has happened since the update on here a month ago. I am in the process of relocating to another area with my company due to unforeseen circumstances. This has involved many changes at work, lots of work around the house, and a lot of stress over finding out where I'm moving. My house finally officially went on sale this week and is listed on the RPM website here. If you know of anybody looking for a house in Little Rock, send them on over...

I'll post more when I find out where I'm headed in a month...

Wii Fit

2009-01-25T07:32:00.002-06:00

When the Wii Fit first came out I was skeptical. I was very skeptical that a little board would be able to sense your movements and help encourage real physical activity. A few things have changed in my life since then and over Christmas it became a challenge (my mission) to find a Wii Fit for April's sister. I searched high and low, from Little Rock to New York to find one and somewhere along the way started becoming interested in them myself.

Fast forward to this past Friday where I was able to track one to a Target in Texarkana that I'd be passing while on my way back to Dallas for the weekend. When I got there, they had two in stock. I quickly grabbed both, thus fulfilling my commitment to find one for April's sister and to satisfy my own curiosity.

We hooked mine up in April's house yesterday and I was not disappointed (except when it came to the initial weigh-in. The games are all fun and do encourage a little working out. In fact some of the strength games even had me breathing a little hard. The fit helps you enter your own character, test your current health, then set goals for where you want to be. I'm sure the Wii Fit can't get me back in shape on its own, but I think it can act as the kick in the butt I need to start being more healthy.

Redskins Room

2009-01-18T17:58:00.002-06:00

My Redskins room is really starting to come together now...now that the season is almost over. My brother helped me put some extra work into it today while we watched the Cardinals beat the Eagles. The major additions were my brand new jersey frames I got from Mom and Dad for Christmas. That meant switching a few other things up as well. I put up a couple of new pictures, found some new football cases, and framed up the Cuatro Siete shirt signed by Jason Campbell and Fred Davis. I also just e-mailed Tanner Cooley (Chris Cooley's brother) back to see what the chances would be of Chris signing the shirt if I sent it off to him. Until then, I'm pretty happy with my new Jersey frames.

New York for New Years

2009-01-05T18:22:00.002-06:00

For the third year straight I made the annual New Years Eve in New York. April and I made the flight together from Dallas after having spent some time with family for Christmas. We met up with our friends to see some sites, watch some football, and spend a couple of days out in Riverdale. One of our friends house sits out in Riverdale each year for a family that is happy for us to enjoy the place for our New Years gathering. It was as wild and crazy of a night as ever as we made a nice meal, listened to records, played spades, and I learned how to play backgammon. It may sound boring to some, but we all enjoy it just to spend time with each other. Fun times were had.

A look up at the Guggenheim

A look at the snow outside the house in Riverdale

The tree at 30 Rock

The gang

Ropin' the Wind

2008-12-27T00:37:00.002-06:00

I'm proud to say that Cowboy pictured up above is my dad intensely watching the Rodeo we watched down at the stock yards tonight. It was both my first trip to the stock yards and my first real rodeo. Both were definitely a new experience. We saw some bull riding, calf roping, and barrel racing. Good times were had.

The view from our VIP seats

Happy to be there

Good ole bull riding

Christmas and Guitar Hero

2008-12-25T18:43:00.005-06:00

Merry Christmas! (Please imagine me shouting that Jimmy Stewart style in It's a Wonderful Life) It's been a fun Griswold family Christmas this year. Red and I made the trip to Texas late last night to join the family. He's had the company of my sister's dog outside all day while another three dogs run around inside. We've done stockings, opened presents, and eaten our traditional Dunkin' Donuts. I've even had some more practice holding a baby today. The real fun started mid afternoon when Brandon and I got the family going on Guitar Hero. It also gave me a great opportunity to try out my new camera lens as my brother rocked the house.

Brandon jamming out

A print that my brother made of him and me when we were little

A painting of the entrance to Shiloh in the fall that my sister made for me

Hail to the Redskins

2008-12-22T19:35:00.004-06:00

Yes, that's April sporting one of her new Christmas presents...her own brand new Washington Redskins shirt! She wore the shirt for our visit to Searcy to watch the game with Tim and Erin. After a few game losing streak I'm thinking the new shirt was the difference. Looks like she'll need to start wearing that every Sunday!

At Least Pregame Was Fun

2008-12-15T18:48:00.004-06:00

I was able to convince Chris to show up 90 minutes early to the game on Sunday so I could try my luck at getting a few signatures on my custom made 'Skins shirt. We got there as the gate opened and passed right by Ocho Cinco and Tony Siragusa on our way to the Redskins tunnel. It was a position that got me close enough to meet and get signatures from both Jason Campbell and Fred Davis. It was then Fred Davis who pointed the shirt out to Chris Cooley when everyone came up for full warmups. Though nobody had a chance to come sign anything when they had full pads on, I love this picture that shows me holding the shirt out for Cooley to look at on his way into the locker room. It also earned smiles from owner Dan Snyder, Antwaan Randle El, DeAngelo Hall, Santana Moss, and Clinton Portis. I just hope the laughs before the game aren't to be blamed for the terrible performance on the field.

I've got the rest of the pictures up on Facebook...

Cuatro Siete

2008-12-13T05:33:00.002-06:00

In about 3 hours I'll be boarding a plane headed for Cincinnati. I'll be going there to hang out with my buddies Marcus and Chris Ewing as that's where they are from. I'll also be going to see the Redskins whip up on the hapless Bengals. In honor of the game against Ocho Cinco's Bengals, I made a special shirt in honor of Chris Cooley. I will be there displaying it proudly as the Redskins start a three game winning streak that leads them into the playoffs!

Get Off My Lawn

2008-12-12T10:49:00.002-06:00

After months of recon work I believe I have figured out who put the note on my door telling me to mow my yard. I've taken the past two days off work because I came down with something. As I've sat watching TV and playing video games in the front of the house I've noticed a mom picking up her kids from the bus stop every day around 2:30 then walking with them to see Red in the back yard. (see "beautiful matted up dog") They then walk right through my front yard right up next to the windows to pass through to their house lower down the street. I'm certain it was her who was upset about me not mowing because it wasn't convenient for her to cut through my lawn with her kids. Well that's just great. So today I'm feeling like pulling a stereotypical old man move by telling those kids to get off my lawn. Should be fun...or at least a new way to pass the sick time at home...

Update at 9:30pm...I waited outside for the kids ready to let them have it when the smallest one cut through the yard and looked up at me to say "hello Mr. Red, what are you doing?" It was too stinkin cute to be mad at them so I smiled and said I was looking at my mail and let him hop on his merry way...

It's Beginning to Look...

2008-12-07T19:58:00.003-06:00

...A lot like Christmas. After splitting time between April and my family last weekend for Thanksgiving, this weekend was back in Little Rock. April flew in Friday night just in time to get in the holiday season by watching the Griswold's "Family Christmas." Properly motivated by the movie we woke Saturday to start decorating the house. I was able to borrow some of the older light's from April's family for the house and they all worked out great. My roommate Matt helped by holding the ladder while I hung the roof lights and April put the red lights in the yard.

We also put up the Christmas tree in the house and wrapped presents. This is the first year I've had my Christmas shopping finished so early and it's kind of cool to have wrapped presents sitting under the tree. To finish it all off we watched "It's a Wonderful Life" by light of the Christmas tree. Good times.

Pinnacle Mountain

2008-11-23T18:41:00.002-06:00

I've thrown up a lot of posts about Pinnacle Mountain in my time here in Little Rock. That being the case, this weekend's trip to the top was one of my favorites. The leaves were still colorful, the weather was outstanding, the people-watching was entertaining as ever, and I couldn't have asked for better company. Other activities this weekend included meals at Cheeburger-Cheeburger and Whole Hog, watching both 007 movies, and some great football watching. Hope you enjoy the pics...

Truck Ride

2008-11-17T12:12:00.002-06:00

After having the truck for several months now it was finally time for Red to take his first ride. We'd tried to go for a ride a while ago but Red decided the bed and back seat were both too tall to jump up to. So, today I headed out to a local pet store and bought him a ramp.

At first Red did not like the idea of the ramp at all. He ran all around the truck looking for another way in. He even army crawled under the truck for a bit. After a lot of investigating he finally started to give the ramp a try. After several minutes of training running up and down the ramp we were ready to go.

We kept the first trip short just driving around the nearby neighborhoods. I wanted to give him a chance to get used to the ride without too much excitement. He spent the first few minutes nervously moving around the bed trying to find the best posture and finally settled with sitting facing forward testing the cool breeze on the passenger side.

The other reason I stuck to the neighborhood roads today was an uneasiness that it may be illegal to travel with a pet in the bed of the truck. I realize if it's legal anywhere it would be legal in Arkansas, but didn't want to take the chance until I researched it. I still haven't found the answer yet...

The next purchase will be some sort of guard so he can ride in the back seat without coming up to lick my ear when we hit the highway and travel to and from Texas together.

Ring of Fame

2008-11-13T04:59:00.001-06:00

ASHBURN, Va. -- Safety Sean Taylor will take his place among Washington Redskins greats when he is inducted posthumously into the franchise's Ring of Fame before the Nov. 30 game against the New York Giants.

The ceremony will precede the Redskins' 1 p.m. ET kickoff against the Giants, the first game following the one-year anniversary of Taylor's slaying at age 24.

Taylor died of massive blood loss after he was shot at his Miami-area home last Nov. 27 during a botched robbery.

Venjah Hunte, one of five suspects charged in the slaying, will serve 29 years in prison and cooperate with prosecutors after pleading guilty to charges of second-degree murder and burglary.

"It's appropriate that Sean joins our Ring of Fame after a stellar career cut short far too soon," owner Dan Snyder said in a statement. "His life touched so many of us in such deep and lasting ways. His presence is all around us, in our organization and among our fans."

A two-time Pro Bowl safety, Taylor played four seasons with the Redskins after Washington selected him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2004 draft.

Taylor will become the 43rd name on the Ring of Fame, which honors those who have made distinguished contributions to the Redskins. The ceremony will feature a tribute to Taylor, messages from former teammates and a presentation of a plaque to members of Taylor's family.

Petit Jean State Park

2008-11-09T08:45:00.002-06:00

After a year and a half hiatus I finally found great reason to return to Petit Jean State Park. I felt the Cedar Falls trail to the waterfall would be one of the best hikes I could use to show off how fun the Arkansas outdoors can be. I was lucky enough to get to play host this weekend for April's second visit to Arkansas. Most of the weekend was spent being lazy and watching football (two of my favorite things). The hike down to the falls helped us enjoy another of my favorite activities: being outside in the wilderness. Good times were had.

Bean Festival and Outhouse Races

2008-10-26T10:11:00.004-05:00

For the third straight year my friends and I headed out to Mountain View, Arkansas for the Bean Festival and Outhouse Races. It was a close call, but we barely made it into town in time for the beans. We were also able to enjoy the outhouse races and folk music around the square. I found the old man who used the coke can as an instrument last year and watched a little kid dominate a mandolin. The highlight, at the end of the day, was the Big Smith concert at the Ozark Folk Center. Already a fan of Big Smith, it was one of the better concerts I've seen in a while. It was also fun meeting the guys after the show was over.

As instructed I took lots of pictures throughout the day. I wasn't able to get many pictures at the concert but put most of the others up on facebook as usual.

The rest of the pictures are here...

It's Falltastic

2008-10-20T09:57:00.003-05:00

What an amazing weekend! We packed so much into our fall southern Shiloh reunion that I feel like I took a week off of work. It all started on Friday night with some pumpkin carving and wii sports. My favorite two pumpkins carved were the Shiloh symbol and April's depiction of Chris.

Chris woke up early Saturday morning to cook banana pancakes, eggs, bacon, and hash browns. I have to admit that they were the best banana pancakes I've had. Fully fueled up, we headed out for a day of fun.

Our first stop was at a farm just south of Conway. After sharing our mission to have a more entertaining weekend than our friends in New York with the family running the farm we had some new allies. They happily agreed to help saying they'd rather see Arkansas win over New York every time. We were sent into the fields to pick Muscadines and were given all we picked for free. After a few more pictures they sent us on a mission to find a corn maze a few miles away that had been cut in the shape of the Statue of Liberty. They felt this would be an especially great jab at the New York crew.

The corn maze was packed with families going on hay rides, picking through the pumpkin patch, and working their way through the maze. Despite my best efforts to get us lost, Chris did an excellent job leading us out to safety. Having worked up an appetite walking through corn we sat and relaxed with some corn dogs and fresh squeezed lemonade.

Our next stop was the Rendezvous Festival at Pinnacle Mountain. This event featured many interesting characters dressed both as pioneers and indians working to take us back in time. They were selling pioneer gear, performing indian dances, and offering a chance to throw a hatchet at a target. Chris stepped up to the plate and, after a few practice throws, successfully nailed the target.

Again hungry we stopped at Boscos for dinner before heading to our final stop: the Arkansas State Fair. We fought through the thick crowds around the rides at the entrance to people watch, enjoy fair food, and try to win Kristi Cooke a prize. We succeeded at all three. I tried the fried Dr. Pepper, Kristi went with the fried Orios, and April and Emily went with the classic funnel cake. Alex was able to hang a ring around a glass bottle winning Kristi a close to life size stuffed Spiderman. Good times.

Sunday was our final day together and it started with a family breakfast at IHOP. We took a relaxing walk over and around the "Big Dam Bridge" and played some cards by the river. April and Kristi headed back that afternoon leaving Chris, Alex, and I to watch the Redskins and the Tampa Bay Rays win big games.

Though the stakes of the contest between the southern Shiloh reunion and the apple picking up north were never agreed upon, I feel confident we won. I don't want my New York friends to feel bad about that. They tried. They just should have come to visit us. You can see more pictures here...

Revolution '08

2008-10-14T08:23:00.003-05:00

I'm back in Little Rock going through my usual feeling of withdrawal after returning from a trip to New York. It had been almost 10 months since my last trip to the city and definitely took some readjusting. However I quickly felt as if I had never left. I was able to pick up right where I left off with so many of the Shiloh kids. My friendships with everyone up there all feel as strong as ever. I even got to see what camp looks like in the fall.

It's an incredible and unnerving thing at the same time to feel so at home in two completely different places in the country. The transition period moving between the two is always very tough. I'm just lucky this time that I get to spend more time with friends traveling in from out of town this weekend.

Razorbacks v Gators

2008-10-05T21:37:00.002-05:00

Just when I thought I'd be spending the weekend at the house, I lucked into some free tickets to the Arkansas v Florida game up in Fayetteville. 6 tickets to be exact. So I gave four to my brother and took one of the guys from the youth group to sit up front with me. I had been told the tickets were good but had no idea how good until we got there. Needless to say they were well worth the 3 hour drive. More pictures are up on the facebook page here. I also took up some video that may be posted soon. Even though the Razorbacks lost it was a good time and we got to see last year's Heisman winner.

Recent Happenings

2008-10-01T20:49:00.002-05:00

It's been a busy month here in the great state of Arkansas. After my intense/stressful trip out to Minneapolis I headed out the next weekend for Fayetteville to see the Arkansas Razorbacks host the Alabama Crimson Tide. I traveled with Alabama fans so I went in support of the Tide. While I took some heat on the way in to the game, I was happy with my choice as we watched 'Bama hand it to the Razorbacks.

A day after driving back from the game I headed back out to the U of A to help do some exec recruiting for work. I had done enough traveling about at this point that I remember waking up in bed seriously wondering where I was.

I returned for a few more days of work then played host to my parents for the weekend. They had made the trip to Arkansas to bring my brother his new truck and visit with Brandon, Rachel and me. We spent time doing our favorite thing (watching football) and played host to a large group to watch the Tide take on Georgia. Watching 'Bama win another one in fine fashion has me growing a little partial to those guys from Tuscaloosa.

One of the great highlights has been watching the talking heads on all the sports networks scramble to explain how my Redskins handled the supposed best team in the NFL over the weekend. Even better has been talking some trash to all the Arkansans turned Cowboy fans that I work and go to church with. Good times.

On the Road Again...

2008-09-08T21:55:00.001-05:00

This is the view from my new home for the week...my sweet on the top floor of the Northland Inn in Minneapolis. This is where I'll be going through some intensive leadership training for work.

While the week may be stressful, I am again amazed at our accomodations. My room has a full living room overlooking the lobby, a nice bed room, and a large jacuzzi tub. No matter how tough the day is I'm sure I can relax here at night.

Red Sox Nation Represented

2008-09-06T22:34:00.001-05:00

In the bottom of the ninth I figured out closing my eyes made The Ballpark at Arlington feel more like Fenway. The Red Sox Nation was ignoring the 15-4 Rangers led scoreboard and were cheering for a rally. The Sox quickly responded scoring an easy four runs. Just as a Boston fan held up a sign reading "only 8 more runs" the Sox gave up the third out.

Little did I know I'd get to see a 15-8 game tonight. Good times. Thanks, Dad, for the tickets!

Wake?

2008-09-06T20:05:00.001-05:00

It would appear it only took one inning for the Rangers to figure out what to do against Tim Wakefield...just stand there. Wake has allowed one run on a wild pitch, one on a hit batter, and two on walks. In the second inning he's taken his pitch count from 9 to over 50. The once loud chant from Sox fans has since been completely drowned out as run after run comes in...
This just in...after allowing 7 runs in the second, Wake has retired for the night.

Boston v. Texas

2008-09-06T18:40:00.001-05:00

Miles away from Arkansas my dad and I have taken our seats for the second of a three game series between Boston and Texas. Of the fans arriving early to the game it looks like 90% are for the Red Sox. Should make things interesting...

Cooley Zone's Fantasy Football

2008-09-03T21:04:00.001-05:00

Chris Cooley is, by far, my favorite current football player. This video just makes me love him and my 2008 Redskins even more.

**If you haven't picked up Cooley in your league yet, take note that the Redskins quarterback picked him up for his team. Yep, the guy throwing him the passes has a vested interest in Cooley getting as many catches, yards, and touchdowns as possible...

Fan of the Game

2008-09-01T13:03:00.001-05:00

I'm "That Guy"

2008-08-27T20:47:00.002-05:00

I think I've become "that guy." This evening when I returned from a bike ride around the river trail, a note was taped to my front door. I've managed to make my neighbors so mad about my yard, they now type in all capital letters. So mad in fact that they can't type complete sentences.

After working through my initial defiance and feeling that it's nobody else's stinking business, I drove over the Coop's old house to borrow his mower and weed eater. You see, it's not that I'm just lazy (though that is part of it). It's that my mower and weed eater haven't worked all summer and it's a pain in the butt to have to go borrow somebody else's. Yet, still, I know when I've gone too far and wouldn't want my CONCERNED NEIGHBOR to lose anymore sleep over my eye sore of a yard.

I was able to take care of most of the front yard before it became too dark to see. I may still be "that guy" but I'll be sure to finish mowing, weed eating, edging, and bagging tomorrow after work.

Sermon on the Plain

2008-08-22T19:17:00.002-05:00

Seems some laziness has taken hold of the blog as I've only been posting videos lately. And here's another one. This summer Shannon Cooper challenged the teens at Central to memorize the Sermon on the Plain. Similar to the Sermon on the Mount, this passage covers a wide range of topics. Amazingly several of the teens were able to memorize the passage spanning much of the 6th chapter of Luke.

To showcase the commitment these teens have shown learning this passage, Shannon had me create a video of several of the teens reciting sections. It will be shown in place of the scripture reading on Sunday this weekend. You can get your sneak preview here...

The Office - Coming Back Soon

2008-08-21T20:42:00.001-05:00

Favorite Commercial of the Olympics

2008-08-18T10:42:00.001-05:00

What One-Tenth Looks Like

2008-08-18T10:07:00.002-05:00

LaVar retires Aikman

2008-08-16T15:24:00.001-05:00

We ended Aikman's career....we can do it to Favre too....

Redskins vs. Jets tonight on NFL Network. Favre's starting his first game with the Jets...Could it also be his last?

The Office Season 5 Promo

2008-08-15T22:47:00.001-05:00

NFL Fantasy File: Chris Cooley

2008-08-15T21:14:00.001-05:00

The players are at camp and football is returning soon. As the excitement builds I couldn't help but throw up the new video of a favorite Redskin.

Smashing

2008-08-10T22:57:00.004-05:00

After a full day of watching all the olympic coverage I could find, the Men's 4x100m freestyle relay was quite the icing on the cake. Phelps needed this win to continue in his quest for 8 gold medals in these games and his team came through in strong fashion. The French team came into this talking to newspapers about their intentions to "smash" the US team. The French team took a commanding lead in the third leg of the relay and held that lead for much of the fourth leg. Yet, somehow, Jason Lezak made a huge comeback in the last 50m of the race to help Phelps to his second gold medal in these games.

I'm sorry for anybody who missed the opportunity to watch this real-time, but if you did, NBC has offered great media coverage on www.nbcolympics.com with highlights of the great moments and the chance to watch many events live as they occur. Be warned that checking it out could turn you into an olympics addict like me...

888

2008-08-09T16:31:00.002-05:00

After a long hard week at work, it has been an amazing treat to sit around and watch the start of the olympics this weekend. The opening ceremonies were an entertaining show last night. I woke up this morning to badminton and team handball. I've found the hundreds of videos on nbc.com to watch the women's gymnastics team training while watching the cycling road race in HD on the big screen. It's a little bit of sensory overload but has made for some great entertainment.

First Place!

2008-08-07T18:48:00.002-05:00

This is a screen shot of the latest rankings in my fantasy baseball league and that's my team name at the top. That's right, first place after the All-Star break! It is important here to give most of the credit to the Cooper brothers who have been a huge help throughout the season.

St. Louis Video Slide Show

2008-08-03T20:12:00.002-05:00

Bebo Norman

2008-08-02T07:37:00.003-05:00

Sticking to the track I started a month ago I decided on Thursday that this would be a good weekend for another trip to Collierville. I left straight from work yesterday and got in just in time for a Bebo Norman concert at one of the mega-churches in the area. The concert was amazing. Bebo left the full band at home and spent the whole night playing his older (read: all my favorite) songs. After the concert we headed back to the Cooper appartment to watch a few episodes of the office before bed.

The guest bed (where I'm sleeping) is in Jaci's room here. Thankfully she slept well through the night. The fun part was waking up to her standing up in her crib to talk to me to wake me up. Even on 6 hours of sleep who could be mad at that. It may have put me in one of the best moods I've ever been in waking up.

Special note on the Bebo concert...He sang his new song Britney for us there. It's his song for Britney Spears. Awesome song and now on iTunes. Check it out if you want...

Good Times

2008-07-30T21:58:00.002-05:00

Had a very large group for a Wednesday night at church tonight. Part of this was for everyone to offer fairwell for a couple of our kids. Part of this was from some visitors from Levi (the group that worked with us in St. Louis last week). Whatever the reason it made for some great worship which is just what I needed.

It has been a difficult adjustment back to work this week. I've had to remind myself several times during the day that being a Christian example at work can be as much mission work as the week in St. Louis. There has been lots of prayer involved to get me through each day as I reacclimatize. I'm thankful for the spiritual focus and energy I saw from the teens and a few elders both tonight. Should be just what I needed to maintain my focus throughout the week at work.

Gang Leader for a Day

2008-07-28T11:00:00.003-05:00

"How does it feel to be black and poor in America?" That's the question Sudhir Venkatesh naively asked of residents at a notorious Chicago housing project. Somehow, whether by pity or curiosity, a gang leader at that housing project looked passed that first question and allowed Sudhir to start hanging around them. Venkatesh was able to immerse himself into the gang culture of the Black Disciples at the Robert Taylor Projects in Chicago for several years gaining an unprecedented look into the underground economy of project life.

I was drawn to the book wanting to open my eyes to innercity culture before leaving my comfortable life in the suburbs to help in St. Louis for a week. I was given that experience and then some. Sudhir takes the ideas he started in his section of the best seller "Freakonomics" (Why do drug dealers still live with their mothers) and provides a detailed look into a culture completely foreign to me. Some of the language and content is very graphic for the reader but I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting a better understanding of innercity life.

Reflecting on St. Louis

2008-07-27T17:06:00.002-05:00

We spent some time talking through the youth group trips during class this morning with the teens. The idea we were wanting everyone to walk away with was that the trips were designed to teach us a way of service that shouldn't stop now that the "mission trip" is complete. That's a lesson I'm still trying to learn now as an adult.

Somewhat ironically "Lark News" had a satirical article back in March about a youth group traveling to innercity St. Louis to serve the community. The article finishes with this:

The youths said the trip gave them healthy appreciation for their "vastly nicer" lifestyles, and most vowed never to return, except to show their own children how bad life could get if they make poor choices.

"Our youth pastor was right," said one youth. "This trip really opened our eyes." •

Rather than gaining appreciation for my "vastly nicer" lifestyle, I've been reevaluating how I spend my time and money. Cody and I discussed a lot of things there in the city and the one that stuck with me the most is his focus on living simply. As I look around my house I am more and more aware of how far I am from a simple life while becoming more aware of the excess I indulge in.

I recognize the spiritual high I'm riding on returning from the trip and don't want to make any rash changes in my lifestyle. I want to be thoughful, planful, and Christ-focused in any changes I choose to make. Yet, I feel some changes will soon be necessary.

The Triumphant Return

2008-07-26T20:37:00.002-05:00

We're back. Back in Little Rock trying to make sense of things again. Trying to reconcile the things reminded of and things learned from the journey to the innercity with life back in the suburbs. Transitioning from an area full of poverty to my house with three TVs. The adjustment never gets easier and I'm somewhat thankful for it. Right now it's serving as a reminder. A reminder that my lack of comfort means a few changes need to be made.

I've been processing through my thoughts while working my pictures into video form. It's a project not quite complete so until then I invite you to enjoy a few of my favorites.

Day Four: St. Louis

2008-07-24T23:56:00.002-05:00

What a day. Day four has wrapped up similarly to the rest. We completed our final VBS with the kids without a hitch despite the drizzling rain all day. The kids displayed amazing memories again as they recalled details from all of the lessons. We also got to hear some of Cody's descriptions of living in the innercity. Hopefully his talk was pretty eye ole ing for many of our kids.

We finished off the day with a trip to the movie theater to see the new Batman flick. We were not disappointed. Good times were had and there were a wide range of reviews afterward.

Tomorrow is the free day. Should be fun. More later.

Day Three: St. Louis

2008-07-24T08:13:00.003-05:00

Goodmorning! We finished up too late last night for an end of day update but breakfast isn't until 9 so I've got some time now. Here goes.

The Wednesday chores turned out to be much more labor intensive than the Tuesday chores were. We took on a few adoption projects around the church mowing, weed-eating, and planting flower beds. The most interesting thing that happened there was the help from the kids. It had been somewhat difficult to get some of our teens to help with the project at all. At noon our group left the project for lunch at which point some of the neighborhood kids started fighting for the chance to work. It was an awesome sight and made for a great object lesson throughout the day.

The VBS ran great on it's second day. I was most impressed by the memory of the kids. They were recalling many things I'd forgotten about.

The day ended with an ice cream run to a famous St. Louis ice cream shop. On the way back to the building Cody (one of he guys who works here) started into a conversation that lasted well into the night. I mostly listened but thought it was great to pick the mind of a man with such a heart for Jesus that he's now living in the innercity to serve this community. It was an incredibly thought provoking conversation.

Today will be our final VBS with the kids so I'd ask that you pray we can make an impact inour final day with them.

Day Two: St. Louis

2008-07-22T21:44:00.002-05:00

Today we were able to begin our work in innercity St. Louis. I woke at the crack of dawn like I normally do during the week and was able to spend a little time reading from my favorite book. It's a book by Jonathan Kozol about time he spent and people he met in the Bronx and is called Amazing Grace. I read a liitle from it whenever I get an opportunity to work with innercity youths.

We later started our day with a few light service projects around the building which were all accomplished quickly. While haning out between our service work and lunch we started meeting some of the youths we had come to serve. A few of them hung out with us through lunch and during our VBS prep time. Many of the early risers ended up also being in the 9-10 year old class I am leading which made for an easy transition to VBS time in the afternoon.

The afternoon turnout was pretty impressive and our kids did pretty well for their first day with everyone. There are some lessons to learn but all in all things went very well.

To finish out the day we've mAde out way into the enomous old sanctuary at this old Catholic church to watch "I am Legend." I can't imagine a creepier place to watch this movie. I also can't think of a more amazing place.

That's all for now. More tomorrow.

St. Louis: Day 1

2008-07-22T00:03:00.002-05:00

We're here! After leaving sometime around 10 this (Monday) morning we got into the area we'll be serving around 6. We were then given some background and a tour of the enormous building the group meets in here. So the story goes that the Area were now in was once much more afluent. Over time it somehow grew less so. As this took place the Catholic church in what had become the innercity decided it was time to relocate. In their eagerness to unload the gigantic property they owned here they dramatically reduced the price making it possible for those planting the innercity church to purchase it. The purchase was also helped by some e tremely generous donations (one being around $200,000) and a no interest loan. Kinda seems like God had a pretty big hand in that.

So we've been to en our orientation and done a dry run of our VBS that starts tomorrow. We enjoyed a fast food meal with some of the locals looking for cash or trying to sell some movies out of a car trunk. Now after a late-night devo we're settling in for a noisy night listening to the thunderstorm passing through.

That's all for now. Keep is in your prayers as we start the real work tomorrow. Out.

I Need Some Fresh Air

2008-07-19T17:18:00.002-05:00

The weather in Little Rock this morning was relatively mild for a July day so I set out to spend some time outside. My first stop was the Starbucks close to home to spend some time reading outside. No sooner had I walked inside to join the line than a group of smokers took up the table I had been eyeing outside. No big deal, I thought, there are plenty of other Starbucks around town that I can spend time at.

My second stop was the Starbucks on Chenal. I grabbed by coffee and laid claim to the remaining chair of three set outside. There I enjoyed close to an hour of relatively fresh air until another group opted to stand around a table and enjoy their cigarettes. Having grown fairly comfortable in my spot I tried to ignore the smoke at first but only lasted a few minutes.

I knew the Barnes and Noble across the street had several outdoor tables that I could relocate to so I made my way that direction. I even used the opportunity to grab a new book I've been looking forward to before finding an empty table outside. I happily found one of the very few seats still protected by the shade and allowed myself to think I may have found one of the few smoke free areas. Not long after that a guy dressed all in black braved the seats in the sun to light up and all but ruin my quest to read outside.

I've heard of some businesses beginning to post signs banning smoking within 25 feet of buildings. I hadn't given those signs much thought until today but am now in complete support of them.

Virtual Barber Shop

2008-07-19T08:44:00.001-05:00

Looks like I'm a little late finding this but wanted to share it all the same. You'll need to use a set of headphones to get the full effect...and it's worth it.

Mmm...Vacation

2008-07-18T12:10:00.005-05:00

I've decided to start my vacation one day early and am enjoying some relaxation time at home. After a long week at work I felt it was completely necessary to have some extra lazy time built into the beginning of the vacation. I also needed to run some errands and drop off a copy of my license at church to be added to the van insurance. All of that needed to be done in preparation for the bulk of my vacation time: heading to St. Louis.

I get to play chaperone next week for the youth group trip to the inner-city of St. Louis, Missouri. Now that I'm 25 it even means being one of the van drivers on the trip. This is going to be my first time chaperoning a summer mission trip. I've been on countless summer mission trips with my youth group back in Fairfax, Virginia. Now it's my turn to be the adult on the trip. Should be fun times next week.

We leave Monday and return the following Saturday. I'll try to not to abandon the blog again and keep the updates coming using my trusty iPhone. There may even be some pictures if I can get the "ShoZu" iPhone application to format a little neater.

Disconnect My Service

2008-07-16T19:38:00.003-05:00

For the past few weeks I've had some serious issues with my DirecTV service. In order to record programing on my local channels I have had to tune my box to the appropriate channel. Kind of defeats the purpose behind being able to record programing in the first place. Meanwhile without tuning to the channel I'm trying to record on I end up with a recording of a big DirecTV logo or a recording of a baseball game from one of the channels on my baseball package. Then just for kicks all of the programing gives out to a blank gray screen without warning once a week requiring a restart and some time disconnecting and reconnecting the cables.

As frustrating as all of that has been, I've been more willing to deal with all of that than the mental gymnastics of calling and dealing with the customer service techs. That was until the "upgrade" today that made ESPN and Comedy Central disappear from my guide list. So I made the call.

After running through the normal "restart your system, disconnect and reconnect your cables, reset your satellite" mess they normally put me through, I was told I'd need to pay more money for a tech to visit the house. Yep, I'd be charged $6 a month plus an additional $20 per service call for them to fix their equipment that doesn't work. Out of frustration I decided to call it quits with DirecTV. That was when the real fun started...

I was connected with another service rep who offered to discount the service plan to $1 a month. I told him that wasn't good enough so he offered a credit for the service plan and no charge for service visits. I still said no dice as I wasn't game for paying for service that I wasn't getting. Afterall no ESPN is as good as no service at all. That's when I got the final offer of a credit on service until the box was fixed. I softened for a moment and started moving towards an agreement until I realized the credit was only for a year of the service.

I reminded the rep that I didn't want to have to pay for the service and didn't appreciate him trying to sneak that in. I told him I'd really had it and wanted out. So he started disconnecting my service. Once disconnected he started running through a list of fees I'd incurred through terminating my service early. That's when I realized I was stuck. I either accept the sorry offers he'd made or incur close to a $300 early cancelation fee.

Feeling backed into a corner I allowed him to set the service plan up for a tech to come out to the house this Sunday. Yeah, I ended up breaking down and staying with the crooks. But, for the record, I'm not happy about it.

What's the deal with having to threaten "disconnect my service" four times to get the best possible offer from a company? It's enough to make me feel like I'm being taken advantage of unless I seek out confrontation and threaten to leave.

Personalized Marketing

2008-07-15T21:05:00.002-05:00

Just as I was sitting down to enjoy another over promoted All Star game tonight a piece of mail brought me right back to reality. that reality is that football is right around the corner. with some brilliant target marketing Direct TV sent me a fancy Redskins schedule for 2008 and a magnet to put it up. So I haven't wasted any time throwing it up on the fridge. I'm still sitting here watching America's pastime dreaming of football in the near future.

Josh Hamilton Hits 28 Homeruns In 1st Round

2008-07-14T21:39:00.001-05:00

Some video of the 28 home run performance...unless ESPN pulls the video from youtube...

Josh Hamilton

2008-07-14T21:13:00.002-05:00

I retract my statement from earlier that I don't have a favorite in the competition tonight. The show put on by Josh Hamilton has been amazing! If you don't know his story you can check it out here. After being voted into the All Star game he gave his old batting coach a call. 71 year old Clay Counsil threw out 51 pitches helping Josh to a record 28 home runs in the first round. If you missed it make sure to check out SportsCenter tomorrow. If nowhere else it should be number 1 on the top ten list tomorrow! As I write this he's sitting at 31 home runs, already qualified for the finals and just knocking a few out "to stay loose." To borrow a phrase from one of the announcers tonight, it's been like sitting down for dinner and being served nothing but dessert. I'm a big fan.

The Derby

2008-07-14T18:34:00.002-05:00

The first and only Home Run Derby will be held in Yankee Stadium tonight...and there won't be a single Yankee participant. That's not because none qualified for the competition. It's because Alex Rodriguez has chosen not to participate because it will "mess up his swing." He feels an hour or so of batting practice swinging for the fences will mess up his swing? This is the same guy who has hit 19 home runs this season and 537 lifetime. He hits home runs for his job. How in the world does he expect us to believe that excuse?

Regardless, I'll be sitting on my couch watching all the non-Yankees knock them out of the park in the "house that Ruth built." I don't have a favorite batter tonight so I'm pulling for the National league in general.

Settlers of Catan - Online

2008-07-13T19:14:00.003-05:00

Yep, that's a screen shot of my computer today. Since my friends Michael and Mindy moved off to Collierville, Tennessee, I've been in serious withdrawal from our favorite game. So, on a whim I went hunting for ways to keep in practice. That's when I found it. My new favorite website. Now I can play against the computer or against random people from around the world whenever I want.

It's important to note here that the online game is not to replace the real game. Like I just told Shannon, it's like going to the batting cages. Sooner or later I'm going to need some real game time again. Shannon and I are looking for some new players around her in Little Rock. Let me know if you're up for it.

Until then you can check the game out here...

iPhone 2.0

2008-07-12T09:14:00.003-05:00

While the new iPhone coming out soon might be an amazing upgrade, the iPhone 2.0 software made available to older versions of the iPhone (like mine) this week has left me perfectly content with my phone. One of the best features is the new app store. This offers games, news sources, and many other really cool features. One of my favorites so far is to now have the ability to use my iPhone as a remote control for iTunes on my computer. I can also search ebay mobile, check local news, and watch radar reports of current weather on weatherbug. I was already a huge fan of my iPhone and it just got so much better for free! I've also learned how to take screen shots on the iPhone so I can share what it looks like using the new apps feature. I'm sure there's a lot more to discover so I'm going to go back to playing with it some more.

What's Happened to Sportsmanship?

2008-07-10T18:38:00.001-05:00

Did he just bean the ump? Are you kidding me?!? Is that what we've come to in sports? I honestly don't know what bothers me more...the pitcher aiming for the ump, the catcher dodging the pitch, or the crowd cheering afterwards....

The House that Ruth Built

2008-07-09T17:51:00.000-05:00

By Rick Reilly

Yankee Stadium is our Roman Coliseum, our sports Louvre, our Delphi. So why are people planning to steal from it?

Because they should. They must! The cathedral of baseball has a date with bulldozers at the end of this season before the new Yankee Stadium (ugh) opens in 2009.

That means next week's All-Star game sets up as a kind of Final Viewing, and, like any good funeral, grievers will be trying to slide a wristwatch or a set of cufflinks off the corpse on the way by. This might turn into a pickpocket convention: armrests, pieces of façade, maybe even turnstiles will go missing. Even normally upright citizen Derek Jeter says he's going to steal something before this season ends. "When it's gone," Jeter says, "they're going to come after me."

"I'D TAKE THE WHOLE CLUBHOUSE," SAYS JOBA CHAMBERLAIN. "PIECE BY PIECE. HOPEFULLY, THEY WON'T NOTICE THEY'RE MISSING A ROOF AND LATER, A BENCH."

So here's the question: What will it be?

Where do you start in a place that has more history than Barbara Walters' closet? This is the joint that saw three popes serve Mass, heard the "Win one for the Gipper!" speech, watched the first sudden death NFL game ever played.

Will Jeter take the Babe Ruth monument? The bronze Gehrig bat rumored to be on top of the flagpole? The sign on George Steinbrenner's desk: "Lead, follow or get the hell out the way!"? Bob Sheppard's mike? Eddie Layton's Hammond? Mel Allen's hat? "Me, I'd steal some dirt," says Mariano Rivera. "Just from around the mound, where I work. I don't steal, but that would be nice. I'd display it somewhere special in the house."

Not bad, but how about the dirt at second base, where Sam Huff decleated running backs, where Pelé roamed for the Cosmos, where the boxing ring was set up for more than 30 championship bouts, from Louis over Schmeling to Ali over Norton?

Or maybe dirt from around third? Where Graig Nettles magical glove made the Dodgers disappear? Where John Philip Sousa conducted the Seventh Regiment Band? Where A-Rod kept an office on his way to what may become the greatest home-run hitting career in baseball history?

Hideki Matsui would be quite pleased just to take the left side of the batter's box, thank you. "It's the amazing history of the players who stood on that side of the plate," he said through an interpreter. "I don't have a backyard right now, but if I did, I'd dig out the dirt and haul it back in a truck."

Jeter says the thing he's taking is "bigger than a breadbox." The mind swims. Thurman Munson's empty locker? The old, rusty scale trainers have been weighing Yankees on since 1950? The "I thank the Good Lord for making me a Yankee" Joe DiMaggio sign?

Not near enough for some guys. "I'd take the whole clubhouse," says Joba Chamberlain. "Piece by piece. Hopefully, they won't notice they're missing a roof and later, a bench. I'd add onto my house."

There's plenty of stuff you wouldn't want, of course: Jason Giambi's thong, the 138-foot tall bat out front or Brian McNamee's needle-and-cotton-puff box. And plenty of stuff you'd love to have but is long gone: Wally Pipp's aspirin bottle, Billy Martin's four pink slips, Bernie Williams' purple sunglasses, the ones he wore while playing "Purple Rain" on his guitar before games.

It's a tough choice, taking this one last thing, because so many of Yankee Stadium's firsts were so big. This is where fans first saw numbers on baseball players' backs, where Giants' fans started the first-ever "DEE-fense!" chant, where the World Series was first televised and brought into American homes.

Wait a minute, why not steal home itself? Where Don Larsen smoked the only perfecto in Series history, where Yogi Berra found out, "You can observe a lot just by watching," and where Gehrig gave his luckiest (luckiest) man (man) on the face (face) of the earth (earth) speech 69 years ago last week?

Or maybe we should just simplify. "I'd take Alex Rodriguez's wallet," says Yankees fan Dave Villegas, an Ithaca College student. "I'd spend $4 million after the game because he'd cancel the card. I'd buy property—a nice Manhattan apartment—and probably a Shelby Cobra. And I'd still have his ID. I'd show that at bars." Sorry, pal, A-Rod's wallet is already spoken for—by C-Rod.

Personally, I think it's crucial that Jeter take something. Because here's what's going to happen: He's going to play in the opener of that new Yankee Stadium next year, with its 50 soulless luxury boxes and its 416 "party suites" and all the quiet they'll bring, and he's going to see a Hard Rock Cafe and a pair of electronic hands on the new high-def scoreboard telling fans to "CLAP!!!" And he'll go home after that game, weep softly, and hug what he stole very, very tightly.

I Must Be Crazy

2008-07-08T19:39:00.002-05:00

I was recently (last Saturday) challenged to run another marathon. I'm not sure how it came up but I'm not one to quickly back down from a physical challenge. I don't feel like I have anything to prove here as I've already run both a half and full marathon before. Yet the challenge has taken hold this time as a means towards getting back in shape. There's also something to be said for training and running with friends.

So I allowed the idea of running another marathon to take hold. I researched training schedules and race dates, put mileage goals on my calendar, and got my mind right. The race goals are to do the half marathon in Memphis in December and the full marathon in Little Rock in March. By my count that should be plenty of time to get in marathon shape. That was before I realized how far I have to go to get into marathon shape.

Today was the first "training" run of 3 miles. Since the completion of my first marathon in 2003 a 3 mile run hasn't been that big a deal. Today it was. I waited until 6:30 when I thought it would've cooled off. It hadn't. I chose a route close to home to make it easier. I can't believe I thought running back up Sam Peck (huge hill) would be easier than driving to a flat area. Day one of training kicked my butt.

As hard as day one was through it has only strengthened my desire to go through with this. There's no way that 3 mile run should have been that hard on me (especially at the pace I was on). If anything it's even more reason for me to need to get my lazy butt into training.

So there you have it. I'm back on course for another half and full marathon. I don't have any pace or time goals to go with this. My only goals are to complete all of the training runs and to run the entire race through the finish. Wish me luck.

Update

2008-07-06T07:48:00.002-05:00

Wow I didn't realize I had been gone from this for so long until other people started getting on to me about it. I now know at least two people do check this thing to see how I'm doing so here's a quick update.

The House:

Things are well. Only one roommate now as the other moved out to spend the summer in Africa then move to Searcy for PA school. Matt and I get along great and spend a lot of time playing FIFA. Also still good to have someone around to feed Red during my many trips out of town.

(Speaking of...) Red:

Red is still doing well and enjoying his backyard. Yes, his because nobody else has really gone out there in a while. I've started wanting to take him out again now that it's warmed up but have found him unwilling to jump into the bed of the truck. On our last try he just put his front paws on the tailgate and looked at me as if to say "now what." I guess it is a big jump for the five year old. May need to build an "old man" ramp for him.

Work:

Still busy but fun. Working the day shift Tuesday through Friday which allows me 3-day weekends to go play.

Other:

My good buddy Michael made the move to Collierville, TN earlier this week. After helping a bit with the move on the Little Rock side I decided to drive some more stuff of their's up in the truck this weekend. My first trip to Collierville has been fun and relaxing with a healthy dose of disc golf and Settlers of Catan. Both good things.

Upcoming:

Decided to stay away from Shiloh this year. There are some things going on at work that I needed to stick around for. I also felt it was time for me to take a bit of a break from the yearly camp trip. Instead I will be helping with the Central Church of Christ youth group trip to St. Louis in a few weeks. I've been wanting to chaperone one of the Central trips for a while now but the two weeks at Shiloh were using up all my vacation time. This summer will be different.

That's all I can think of for now. Will try to update a little more this month. Thanks for checking in...

The Alaska Experiment

2008-06-04T21:17:00.002-05:00

Just when I thought I'd be stuck watching only American Gladiator all summer, I found "The Alaska Experiment" on the Discovery Channel. The Alaska Experiment sends four relatively inexperienced groups into the Alaskan wilderness to survive for three months. The groups start the experience late fall leading into the winter forcing them to gather and store up food early to survive weeks during an Alaskan winter. Survival guides are mentioned off camera and each group is given a survival guide giving the teams great ideas for wilderness life.

Even with the help from survival guides the groups still find ways to put their lives at risk. The scenery is beautiful and the groups are entertaining. One guy describes himself as having a little outdoors experience in that he goes camping every year on Memorial Day. With that in mind I get to watch the show with a bit of overconfidence. After all, if he can do it I'm sure I could do it...right?

Watch full episodes here.

Andy's Married!

2008-06-01T12:47:00.002-05:00

Can't you just see the excitement. The same excitement on his face came through loud and clear with a big goofy grin as a said "I do" yesterday in Nashville. I was one of the chosen few that got to stand up front as a groomsman in the wedding and had a good time doing so. So here's wishing all the best to Andy and Courtney...

Jaci enjoying a pre-wedding swim

Jaci and her uncle Shannon

Jaci and Andy after the wedding

Cross Canadian Ragweed

2008-05-28T18:55:00.002-05:00

Last night was quite a treat. I got to watch Cross Canadian Ragweed at Sticky Fingerz for free. I was, after all, "on the list." I actually never needed to be on a "list" because I walked into Sticky Fingerz well before they started allowing everyone else in. I walked in with Michael for his sound check and laid early claim to my favorite table (the tall one by the doors that open out onto the street). Several friends soon joined as we watched Coop warm the crowd up. Cross Canadian Ragweed went on next and put on a fun show though somewhat disappointing. I'm not a diehard fan but thought I'd listened to enough of there stuff that I would've recognized more than one of there songs during the night. I was mistaken. They used the show in the smaller venue to introduce some newer stuff and wee what the reaction was. Still in all, a good time was had. The only regret was the price I paid having to wake up early for work in the morning. I'll think a little harder the next time an opportunity comes to catch a concert in the middle of the week.

SNL digital short The Japanese version of The Office

2008-05-21T22:37:00.001-05:00

Foxboro Hot Tubs!

2008-05-20T18:41:00.002-05:00

If only I had known sooner...I didn't find out that the Foxboro Hot Tubs would be in town until close to 5:30 last night. As soon as I found out Matt and I rushed over to Juanita's to join the line. Unfortunately we were already too late. The line to get in wrapped around 3 or 4 blocks. The club only allowed 300 or so people in and we were beyond the cutoff line.

Why was I so excited to see the Foxboro Hot Tubs you may ask. That'd be because the Foxboro Hot Tubs is actually Green Day. The band has confirmed to be touring under the name of Foxboro Hot Tubs debuting their newest project featuring a very different sound. Somehow Juanita's here in Little Rock got the distinction of being one of the first locations in this round of tours. Just a friendly heads up that they could be headed to your town next. As this is one of the worst kept rock secrets (with all kinds of articles posted online) I'd expect much longer lines as they continue on through the tour...

Cadron Creek

2008-05-19T12:50:00.002-05:00

I got to go out camping again! It'd been a while... My last camping experience ended in failure hiking 12 miles through the storming rain seeking safety before the blizzard in the mountains. This trip was quite the contrast. Coop and I left from the Travs game yesterday to do a little car-camping next to the Cadron Creek. We found a campsite next to the Cadron run by Cadron Creek Outfitters. I worked through my ill-will towards my hammock to spend another night in it while Coop gave Shannon's new hammock a try. Good times were had...

Cadron Creek right next to the campsite

Coop stokin the fire

Coop's next album cover?

Midget Wrestling

2008-05-17T13:07:00.002-05:00

Yes, that's right...midget wrestling! Last night before the Travs game, a packed house got to enjoy a wrestling match featuring "Beautiful Bobby." I'm not sure why I was so surprised to be stuck in traffic on the way in or that the stadium was so packed out (a season high 8840 in attendance). I'm not sure why I was so surprised that the only tickets available one hour before the game was the general admission, sit in the grass in the outfield seats. After all, this is Arkansas, and the game was featuring midget wrestling.

I'm so glad I live here...oh, and the Travs won 11-4.

Overtime Pay?

2008-05-13T20:14:00.003-05:00

How long does it take you to get ready for work in the morning? Really think about it. How much of that time is spent just getting dressed? 5 minutes? 10 minutes? Surely it doesn't take you 30 minutes to get dressed does it? If it does you may be entitled to overtime pay according to a new law suit filed by Little Rock Police. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out this article.

A lawsuit by city police officers is seeking back pay for time officers spend putting on and taking off their uniforms.
The suit filed Friday in U.S. District Court seeks overtime pay for as much as a half-hour prior to a shift and a half-hour afterward.
The officers say that much time is needed to put on all their gear, including their protective vests.
The donning and doffing suit was filed on behalf of Thomas J. Rick Musticchi, a 13-year veteran of the Little Rock Police Department.
The suit seeks class-action status, representing the city's police officers. City officials declined comment, saying they have not seen the lawsuit. Other police agencies have been targets of similarlawsuits.
Workers in other professions, including in the poultry industry, have also filed similar court actions.

Are you kidding me?!? I have a lot of respect for our men in uniform but feel this is a little much. Overtime pay for getting dressed for work? How is that so different from any other person who gets ready for work putting on something different than what they'd normally wear? Can somebody please explain this to me?

A Relationship with Running

2008-05-13T19:47:00.001-05:00

I'm a huge fan of these new ads from New Balance. I, myself, have had an on again off again relationship with running for several years now. I have also been a fan of the gray New Balance 991 shoes for several years and have just recently purchased my third pair. There are few commercials out that make me feel directly influenced to do something I would not otherwise have wanted to do. The new New Balance commercials have got me back out running again and for that I am thankful...and really sore...

Truck Driving

2008-05-09T18:34:00.003-05:00

I'm still getting used to becoming an official pickup truck driver. So, I spent some time Wednesday afternoon embracing a little more of what driving a truck involves. I headed to the Arkansas State House to view the Marty Stewart collection, "Sparkle and Twang." The story is that Marty Stewart (musician and close friend of Johnny Cash) was once inspired by the creator of the Hard Rock Cafe to start his own country music memorabilia collection. That collection now travels around for at least dozens of people to enjoy for free on display.

I also put the truck to use getting the children's area ready for opening day this Sunday. In fact, the first thing loaded into the bed of my truck since its purchase was a couch for the fifth grade class room. We also loaded up a love seat, some computer stands, and a few tables for the class rooms. What better way to put the truck to use than haul stuff around for church.
Finally when all the loading and unloading was finished, Coop and I picked up a few of the junior high guys to break in the new projector with a tough Wii tournament...

Jason and Stoney

2008-05-05T11:31:00.002-05:00

I'm back. It's been a tough two weeks. Immediately after buying my truck two weeks ago I headed out to play in our company softball game. During that game I tried a slide in to home to beat out a play at the plate. The slide was so hard it inflicted the equivalent of a second degree burn on my left shin.

Last night was my first big trip out since the injury, and it was a great night out at that. Michael Cooper landed the job opening the show for Stoney Larue and Jason Boland. After a quick 6 songs from Coop, Stoney and Jason took the stage for an acoustic set trading songs back and forth. These long time friends put on a great show for the full crowd at the Rev Room. If you haven't heard either before you can see Stoney here. One of the few songs I recognized from Jason Boland was "Proud Souls" also recorded by Cross Canadian Ragweed.

A special note here...we found out last night that Sticky Fingerz has booked Cross Canadian Ragweed for an acoustic set the Tuesday after Memorial Day. You'd better believe I'll be there if I have any say in the matter.

New Truck!

2008-04-23T17:13:00.002-05:00

I bought a truck. After months of research and test drives, I bought a new truck on Monday. I'd always liked the idea of buying a truck but only had an image of the really big ones, far bigger than I felt I needed and way outside my price range. Anything less than the behemoths always seemed tiny. That was until I found my Toyota Tacoma. My truck is lifted up ready for off-road excursions and comes with enough seating to take friends with me. I found it Saturday and spent a few hours talking to and test driving with the salesman. In the end he let me take it home over the weekend to "try it out." I've done that with other cars before, but taking this one home really sold me. I returned on Monday to spend another 5 hours at the dealership haggling over price and options and walked out a new truck owner. I've only become happier with it since.

Games 3 and 4

2008-04-14T20:11:00.003-05:00

We're 15 days into the '08 season and I've already seen 4 games. That may not be much of an accomplishment for people living in a major league city, but I live in Little Rock. Mine is a minimum 5 hour drive to any major league stadium. Having seen opening day in DC, I started my tour of the four closest stadiums in Arlington. Making the most of the trip, I took April to the game Saturday night then my dad to the game Sunday afternoon. The Rangers were playing the Blue Jays which allowed me to see more Blue Jays fans than I knew existed. Both games were fun, I was not the only one booing the DH, and I got to be on TV again in the background of the FSN postgame report.

The rest of the pictures are up here on facebook.

***Special note that I'm working on posting pictures to another spot soon now that I have a mac and a ".mac" account.

Bacon!

2008-04-14T09:22:00.001-05:00

glumbert - Jim Gaffigan loves bacon

New Toy

2008-04-10T21:19:00.002-05:00

The new computer is here and has been a lot of fun to play around on the past couple days. I've created a web site, made a movie, and written a song. None of these were very good which is why I won't be sharing them here yet, but it's been impressive how easy all of these programs have been to figure out. I'm glad I made the switch and I'm glad Tim gave me the heads up on buying the "refurbished" mac with all the money I saved.

Upgrading to Mac

2008-04-06T10:58:00.001-05:00

My first Mac is in the mail on its way to my house. That's right, I've finally saved up the money to upgrade from a PC to a Mac. That being said, this will be the last post to the blog from my IBM ThinkPad that will soon be replaced by my new MacBook Pro. More to come when it gets here Monday or Tuesday...

Game Winner

2008-04-02T19:22:00.001-05:00

In case you haven't seen this from opening night, you should. Listen to the guys filming call the hit...

Welcome Home!

2008-03-31T19:33:00.004-05:00

Click this for all my other pictures...

This weekend I was able to be one of the 39,389 fans to welcome the Washington Nationals home for their first game in their new ballpark. Chris, Marcus, Jeremy and I all made the trip from different cities in different states to see the Nationals take on the Braves for opening night of the 2008 baseball season.

We got to spend much of Saturday seeing the sights and monuments around the city. We showed up at the stadium later that evening expecting to join other eager baseball fans starting to line up for tickets. Instead we found people leaving early from the final exhibition game of the season being played by the Nationals and the Orioles. After watching Chris and Jeremy sneak in a side gate, Marcus and I were given tickets by a couple leaving early. We enjoyed the exhibition game from row V on the first base side.

Even after the game we were surprised to see there was nobody lining up. News reports had been made the week prior announcing a $5 ticket give-away at 3:30pm on game day. They also said they would not allow a line to form before 3:00pm, that it would be one ticket per person, and once buying the ticket you'd immediately have to enter the stadium. The only true statements were that the tickets cost $5 and went on sale at 3:30.

Though nobody lined up the night before, a line of 8 had begun by the time we got back Sunday morning around 7. We proudly took up our spots on the concrete to patiently wait for our $5 seats. The line steadily grew throughout the day as we watched the stadium transform to game-ready condition. The Secret Service arrived in packed buses, Chipper Jones walked right by us, and countless fans dejectedly complained "they said they wouldn't let people line up."

We got our tickets and were able to enjoy the game from the upper deck. We watched awkwardly as the stadium booed Bush during the ceremonial first pitch. We cheered excitedly during the 2 run first inning. We screamed loudly in the top of the 9th when the closer came in the put the 2-1 game away. We stood speachless when the same closer threw a wild pitch allowing the Braves to tie the game back up. In the end we went absolutely crazy when Zimmerman crushed a two-out walk off homerun to win it.

First game in the National's Stadium. First game of the 2008 season. First pitch by the president. Nationals starting the season in first place. Braves starting out the season in last place. Walk off homerun.

Best game I've ever seen.

Ever.

Fantasy Baseball

2008-03-18T21:21:00.003-05:00

I've been roped into playing fantasy baseball this year. Strange seeing that I just gave up on fantasy football though it is my favorite sport. I think baseball will be better for me anyway because I don't have a true one-team bias like I do with football. I am open to players from any team judging them on their individual skill level. The only problem is I'm not sure what that skill level is. Thankfully Shannon and Michael have offered their help through the season. I'll need it. Check out the team and let me know your thoughts...

This is really all part of a bigger plan to become a real baseball fan this year. The real kickoff involves flying up to DC next weekend to camp out for tickets to the opening day game between the Nationals and the Braves. It will also be the first official game played in the new National's stadium. I can't think of a better kickoff than that.

More to come on my plans to become a baseball fan...

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-17T17:11:00.001-05:00

Basecamp Redesigned

2008-03-10T19:31:00.002-05:00

In the two years I've owned this house, the basement room has been many things. It has been a poker room, an ode to the Redskins, a home theater, Dave's bedroom, and a storage closet. Today it took on its newest form housing all of our outdoor gear. It's our ultimate basecamp. Whenever we're leaving on a trip we now know all our junk is in one spot. We've got a map on the wall for planning purposes, the shelves are lined with trail guides, and the mini frige is stocked with environmentally friendly New Belgium. Now we just need to plan our next trip.

Kind of a Big Deal

2008-03-07T11:24:00.003-06:00

What would you do with a $100 dinner? It's a lot of money to spend on a meal. It's probably the most I've ever spent on a meal for two in my life. The best part about spending $100 on a dinner last night was that it wasn't even my money.

I was one of the recent recipients of a $100 dinner for two from work. I couldn't think of a better way to use it then to head in to Dallas to spend some time with April Baker. Though the unusual Dallas snowfall made travel a little difficult, we were able to head downtown for a very nice meal.

For desert we walked the 50 yards from the restaurant to the American Airlines Center to see the Dallas Mavericks take on the Houston Rockets. April worked some magic to take hold of a couple season tickets to enjoy an up-close view of the game. So up-close in fact that I got to make my first appearance on Sports Center. Take another look at Tracy McGrady up top and you can see me just behind him in my gray Patagonia fleece. It seems April graciously gave me the money seat since hers was just slightly blocked in all the highlights I saw.

Our joke the whole night was that we got to do all this because we're both kind of a big deal. I had no idea we were such a big deal that we'd even make it on ESPN!

Ozark Highlands Trail

2008-03-06T08:49:00.004-06:00

With so many pictures to share between Brandon and my cameras, we decided to make a video. It also gave me an excuse to mess around with my parents new iMac. I think I may need to get one...

Rained Out

2008-03-04T12:32:00.002-06:00

"Getting to the summit is optional, getting down is mandatory." - Ed Viesturs

Ed's the first American to summit all 14 8000 meter peaks without supplemental oxygen. While highly driven to achieve his goal, he knew it was just important to recognize when to turn back.

Friday night my brother and I set out to spend 7 days on the Ozark Highlands Trail walking 67 miles in all. The trip started well with day-time temperatures reaching the mid 70s. Sunday night everything got turned on its head after we set up camp on top of Whiting Mountain. It was our first night to use the rainflys for our hammocks so we worked extra to check and double check them. Despite all the checks I woke at 1 am soaked to the bone. The rainfly didn't account for a rain that would come in sideways amid the lightening that struck all around us.

With all of our gear soaked through and temperatures quickly dropping below freezing we knew we had to get dry. We broke camp by 7:30 and set out on a trail that looked more like a running creek. We crossed rivers, streams, and waterfalls through a 12 mile hike to the Redding Campground. When we arrived we were greeted with Rangers and Sheriffs turning people away due to the rising water level of the Mulberry. The water was high enough to shut down roads and there was new promise of 4-6 inches of snow over night.

Still determined to finish the trek, I knew it was much more important to be safe, cut my losses, and dry out. Finishing the trip was optional, getting home was mandatory.

Leaving Basecamp

2008-02-28T22:06:00.002-06:00

My brother and I leave for the OHT immediately after I get off work tomorrow afternoon. Therefore there will not be any new "notes from basecamp" for the next week as I have left basecamp for the trail. I will more than make up for lost time as soon as I return.

In the mean time please pray that we weather the thunderstorm Sunday and encounter all wildlife from a safe distance. Thanks.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

2008-02-27T17:41:00.002-06:00

I made the all-important book selection for the trip today. After years of holding out because of the hype, I finally purchased Aron Ralson's book. When the book first came out it seemed he was everywhere. For whatever reason I prefer reading the lesser-known stories and avoided his book altogether. That was until my buddy juice from Colorado came to visit and endorsed it. It's been years since it was so heavily promoted so I've decided to give it another try. What better to read on a backpacking trip than a story about disaster and survival?

If you don't know the story here's what Wikipedia has to say: "Ralston was a student majoring in mechanical engineering and French at Carnegie Mellon University and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. At Carnegie Mellon, he served as a Resident Assistant, studied abroad, and was an active intramural sports participant. He left his job as a mechanical engineer with Intel in 2002 to climb all of Colorado's "fourteeners", or peaks over 14,000 feet high. While he was on a canyoneering trip in Blue John Canyon (near Moab, Utah), a boulder fell and pinned his right forearm, crushing it. After five days of trying to lift and break the boulder, a dehydrated and delirious Ralston bowed his arm against a chockstone and snapped the radius and ulna bones. Using the dull blade on his multiuse tool, he cut the soft tissue around the break. He then used the tool's pliers to tear at the tougher tendons. Although he didn't name which brand (other than to say it was not Leatherman), he did describe it as "what you'd get if you bought a $15 flashlight and got a free multi-use tool". [1] After Ralston was rescued, his arm was retrieved by park authorities and removed from under the boulder. It was cremated and given to Ralston. He returned to the boulder and left the ashes there."

34lbs

2008-02-26T15:50:00.002-06:00

I feel like I'm heading out on an ultri-light trek. I took a sick day today still getting over my cold and used the time off to get my pack ready. While I still need to head out to get rope for the bear bag and a couple other light incidentals, the pack weighs in at a very low 34 pounds. It is important to note that the weigh-in was done before adding water to all the water bottles I'll be carrying which will add quite a bit of weight. Still, I kind of impressed myself with my minimalist packing. It's also pretty empowering knowing all I need to survive for a week is packed inside a backpack in my living room right now. Just another thing I love about backpacking.

GORP: Good 'Ole Raisins and Peanuts

2008-02-25T18:04:00.001-06:00

I justified a big shopping spree today to make sure I have all the gear needed for 7 days on a trail. I've got all the clothes I need, making sure to leave all the cotton at home. I've got the stove and fuel, fire starter, and all-important first aid kit. I've even purchased most of the food needed. The one item I refused to buy while hungry this afternoon was the ingredients for my GORP. If you haven't watched at least part of the video yet, go ahead...then tell me what you'd include in your GORP mix.

White Rock to Ozone

2008-02-24T16:38:00.002-06:00

We've got a start and finish line folks. Friday night my brother and I will head out to the Ozone campgound to drop off one of our cars then head on up to the White Rock campground for the night. We'll then spend the next 7 days or so hiking back to the car left at Ozone. It's a modest 67 mile hike between the two sites which should make for a relaxing trip through the woods.

Prep-Week

2008-02-24T13:27:00.002-06:00

Spending a week in the woods requires some serious preparation. It's not like you can just hop in the car and head to the store if you forget something. It's also important to remember that everything you bring will be on your back for miles each day. Therefor each piece of gear must pass two tests...Is it essential and how much does it weigh?

With those in mind I've had to make the tough decision to leave the nice new camera at home. Part of my argument rationalizing the purchase of the new camera was to have it on this trip but it will still be left behind. In it's place I may pack a light disposable just in case.

With 6 days left till the first steps of the hike, today's agenda is picking which pack and shoes I'll use and wear. The pack will need to hold everything I plan to take and fit comfortably. The shoes will need to be functional and comfortable for the full 7 days. I'd hate to have to turn back early like a buddy of mine. He made it two short days before earning his nickname "tenderfoot" for developing the blisters that ended the hike.

I'll be fighting through the cold I just caught to field test the gear at Pinnacle Mountain this afternoon. Feel free to join me...

The Mission

2008-02-21T17:20:00.002-06:00

Shannon had prepared a few of the kids that had gone to Winterfest this past weekend to share during class last night. The Winterfest lessons were divided up into four parts: Know Jesus, Be Jesus, See Jesus, Share Jesus. Each student took a different part last night and offered their impressions. Each did a great job.

We started to spin off at the end when we talked about sharing Jesus. Jeff Walling challenged the kids to carry the red bibles they'd been given to school with them for 30 days then find somebody to give it away to. He talked about how people would see them carrying the little red book that said simply "the mission" on the front and would ask about it, opening the door for students to share Jesus. Part of me doubted the kids would go through with it but last night they told some great stories.

One girl had a friend start asking about it. The friend then started looking through it and asked if she could have it after the 30 days were up. When our teen said she could, the friend asked if she then would have to carry it for 30 days then give it away. They both decided that would be a great idea.

Another teen had her book out during a drama class. She described the drama teacher as in-your-face always looking for a way to embarrass people. When she saw our teen with the book the teacher asked, "what's that, some juicy novel." Our teen responded, "something like that." "Well then," the teacher said thinking the red book with 'mission' writting out on it was a cheesey romance novel, "I guess you wouldn't mind sharing some of that with us?" Our teen then got up in front of the class and began reading from the bible. She was also able to share about our trip to Gatlinburg.

Winterfest '08 Part 2

2008-02-19T17:56:00.001-06:00

Saturday night a few of the actors from skits during the weekend performed a version of this video recorded a year ago. I wasn't sure how to react when I saw it sitting in the audience...and now I can't stop watching. Pretty powerful stuff.

Winterfest '08

2008-02-18T15:50:00.001-06:00

This past weekend I got to chaperone the Central Church of Christ's youth group trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for Winterfest...and I'm so glad I did. A group of 33 of us made the 11 or so hour trip to the tourist trap to meet up with 12,000+ other Christians to worship. The primary speaker through the three day event was a guy named Jeff Walling who spoke at the youth rally where I was baptised a little over 10 years ago. Among many great things that happened there, one of my favorites was watching the art of Joe Castillo. Joe shared Christ with everyone through "SandStory." You can see a shorter version of what he showed us at the top of this post. Hope you enjoy.

I'll share a video of one of my other favorite parts tomorrow.

Just a Few More from the Weekend

2008-02-11T19:03:00.000-06:00

Ouachita Trail

2008-02-10T09:45:00.000-06:00

After spending way too long deciding where we needed to head out to, Matt and I decided on a section of the Ouachita Trail called Hillary Hollow for our camping trip last night. It felt great to head right back out to a trail for another night in the woods. We set a fast pace through the woods to reach the shelter at Nancy Mountain by sunset. Once there we met Mike and Gale who are apparently both friends of Tim Ernst (Arkansas backpacking celebrity). After talking with them a bit we decided to make our camp on top of the mountain. It was a great night for camping with a clear cool sky that never dipped below freezing. We even made it back to town in time for church...

Into the Wild

2008-02-09T14:09:00.000-06:00

The view from camp

I'd felt the need to get away for a few weeks now. I had to get into the wild. Too much time away from the wilderness and I get pretty cranky. The media-fast provided an excellent opportunity. I couldn't find anybody else to go on late notice, and I wasn't really looking to hard. I was fine with heading out by myself. I didn't decide on the destination until I left work Friday morning. Once I knew the destination, I couldn't wait to get there. I headed quickly (too quickly forgetting some important gear) for the Buffalo River to see Hemmed-in Hollow. Hemmed-In Hollow is the tallest waterfall between the Rockies and the Appalachains. Yesterday the waterfall was little more than a trickle, but the campsite on the river was well worth the hike. I ended up right on the river and woke during the night to the clearest view of the stars I can ever remember. I'd have stayed longer but when I woke I was out of food and working on my last bottle of water. I made the humbling hike back up the steep trail to do the 3 hour drive home. It was a great trip cut short. Hopefully I can talk Matt into heading back out somewhere tonight...

Sunrise from my tent

The "huge" waterfall

The river at sunrise

Silence...

2008-02-07T20:04:00.001-06:00

It's pretty quiet around here lately. It's weird to get home and not turn on the TV/internet/radio while doing things around the house. It's really weird driving without turning on the radio or popping in a CD. Everything's really really quiet.

Last night at church we talked about purposefully spending time in quiet with the teens. Coop put me on the spot to talk about my trips to the top of Pinnacle to "get away" and think. I really do enjoy those times to get away and have my quiet time with God. The media-fast however is providing a silence that I can't escape. It's awkward. It's uncomfortable.

We watched one of those "Nooma" videos (out of place, I know) with the teens last night that talked about silence. What is it that's so awkward about silence that we so actively avoid it? Is it possible that all the noise around us makes it harder to hear God? Do you think the louder the noise is, the harder it is to hear God?

When Jesus had to do some serious thinking, he withdrew privately to a solitary place (see matthew 14:13). After making some poor decisions with how I spent last Friday night, I'll follow his example tomorrow night and withdraw to a solitary place. I'm headed out away from temptation with a bible and a tent....and maybe my new camera.

As a side note, when the teens were asked to reflect on their experiences with the media fast so far, one quickly raised his hand. He happily reported that he had been spending his time reading the bible and he was already on page 6! I'm pretty proud of the way everyone has embraced this challenge...

Still Here

2008-02-04T17:20:00.000-06:00

Yes, that's right folks...day one of the media-fast and I'm sitting here typing away on my blog. Before you go say "I guess he's given up" or "I guess he's not all that committed to the fast thing, let me try and defend myself.

Since I started typing a few minutes ago the media has not been able to influence me. Nobody's on here telling me how to act, what to buy, and what to care about. This is just me talking about what's going on in my life. If anything this is just another form of reflection and journaling, this done in a format that other people can see. Other people that (except for one decenting voter) would like to continue to see me talk about how I'm doing on here. I guess when it comes down to it, there's only one person I'm even defending myself to. So, Jeremy, I appreciate your input, but I'm going to completely ignore it. No hard feelings.

Moving on...

The media-fast is going well but has been tough today. Monday's are typically my lazy days at home where I wake up to watch TV in bed, move to the other side of the room to mess around on the internet, then go watch the big TV for a while. I've been able to do none of those things. It makes for a quiet house. It also made for a very quiet drive to and from work without the radio or CDs.

Curiously through the silence the song "I can only Imagine," one I haven't heard in a while, has been stuck in my head all day. I'm chalking it up to the first really cool thing that's happened since tuning everything else out and letting God in. That's all for now, more to come...