Friday, April 20, 2007

March Field

Last Saturday dad and I went to the March Field Museum to have a look at the planes. The last time we were there was about 15yrs ago so alot had changed. A very fun and educational way to spend a Saturday morning.







































Dad getting crazy...
















Here I am strafing Nazi infantry in my cargo plane. Those little buggers are tough to hit...









I got sick on the simulator. But I landed the plane safely and that's what really counts.

























Oh yes... that's a real SR-71 Blackbird.

Current/Recent Reads:
- I Corinthians
- Psalms
- "Flyboys" by James Bradley (about our WWII fighter pilots vs. the Japanese, great history, we owe those veterans alot)
- "Ghost Soldiers-The Forgotten Epic Story Of World War II's Most Dramatic Mission" by Hampton Sides (the story of the men from the Bataan Death March, their internment and their rescue by Army Rangers, really a good read, the movie the Great Raid is about the rescue)
- "The Avengers" by Rich Cohen (the story of Jewish partisans under Nazi occupation and how they chose to fight back rather
than face certain death)
- "The Passion of Jesus Christ" by John Piper (50 reasons why Jesus came to die)

Current Music:
I don't know why but I haven't really been listening to alot of music recently. I really enjoying the silence as I drive to work. If I have it on it's usually at home and usually electronic or worship. Oh! Today on iTunes I found Cloud2Ground which I really used to like but only had on cassette so of course I never listened to it because, I mean, who listens to a cassette anymore? So I bought it because I only buy from iTunes when I have a prepaid card and today I just happened to have a prepaid card because I found $34 dollars in change in my locker at work and used it at the Coinstar machine. It's great. I bought some other songs too including "Remind Me" from Royksopp which I like because it's on that Geico commercial when the caveman is in the airport on the moving sidewalk and he sees the billboard with his picture on it. I like that he has a badminton racket in his bag. That's so great. I also got some Rita Springer and Plankeye's greatest hits.

Current Film:
Not much of this either. I have some old John Wayne's that I'm casually drifting through. I usually will watch about 20min or so while I eat so it takes about a week to get through a movie. I like John Wayne. El Dorado is one of my favorites.
I also have the 1st season of 24 on DVD that I borrowed but haven't started yet. I hear it's great, I'm just not sure I want to get addicted at this point.

It is raining right now. I absolutely love the rain. I think I'll go outside now and enjoy it. Thanks.

Also, I found a website that has the written lyrics of almost every song I could think of. It's probably a good idea to know what the words are to songs stuck in my head. Here's the address (i don't know how to do links):
http://www.songmeanings.net/
The man who needs no introduction...

Tuesday, April 17, 2007


From Donald Miller's "Searching For God Knows What":

"I know this makes God sound like a terrible narcissist, but.....the most selfless thing God could do, that is, the most selfless thing a perfect Being who is perfectly loving could do, would be to create other beings to enjoy Himself. Even Jesus says his glory comes from the Father, which I take to mean that even Christ, a perfect Being, was valuable because God loved Him. And I realize that this sounds weak and codependent, but what if a person isn't supposed to be alone, isn't supposed to have glory on his own, but rather get glory from the God who loves him? What if, in the same way the sun feeds plants, God's glory gives us life? What if our value exists because God takes pleasure in us?"

Friday, April 13, 2007

Surprise

It's getting late but I'm sure Desi will be here to surprise me any minute now...






From Larknews.com


In Mexico's 'mime alley,' everyone's a critic



TIJUANA — Las Noticias, the daily newspaper of Ensenada, called it a "sublime performance, worth bringing the kids." But it panned another, saying, "don't waste your lunch hour on this one."
The subject: American church human video performances, which have become a staple of local entertainment. In "mime alley," stretching from Tijuana to Juarez, local residents have become connoisseurs of the performances. Youth groups usually have no idea they are being critiqued, but residents of mime alley flock to city squares, or to poor neighborhoods near U.S.-funded orphanages, where human video troupes tend to perform.
In Tijuana in June, a full crowd is on hand to watch a city-square performance by Sheboygan First Assembly which was favorably previewed in the local paper. As the kids finish the drama and the song fades, people applaud.
"Much nuance, an original take on the standard human video theme," says one mother pushing a stroller, when questioned by a reporter. The youth group, flush with success, fans into the crowd to hand out Spanish-language tracts, but most locals aren't interested in the salvation appeal, leaving the kids bewildered.
"I thought we nailed it," says one teen actor.
At a human video performance by a Baptist church from Texarkana, the neighborhood crowd is less approving.
"Even the climax was flat," says one, shaking her head.
"Yes, but the make-up was good," says another.
One man gives the ultimate insult: "Solo uno mas Champion," or "It's just one more Champion."
Border town newspapers run Guides to Free Street Entertainment. This year Winston-Salem Christian Center was touted as a best bet, based on last year's performances; the papers say to avoid other churches which "disappointed" last season. After the youth groups leave, the paper is full of brisk reader exchanges about which evangelistic mime performance was most "artistic" and "compelling." •

Today

Wandered around a bit today. Didn't really have a plan so I just headed east up into the San Jacintos, had lunch at the little roadside cafe in Garner Valley, and then down the other side into Palm Desert. Did a little 2 mile hike into Tahquitz Canyon to a waterfall. It's on indian land so of course it costs money: $12.50! A nice little hike though, and the cool water was great for wading. Got back into town and played golf on the xbox with dad. Then went for my massage (free on birthdays!) and then to LAfitness to swim a little bit. Now home, dinner, blog, bed. Here's a few pics from the exciting day: