Cherry Chocolate Rain

So our friend Tay Zonday has gone from a viral wonder to an official spokesman for Dr. Peppers new flavor, Diet Cherry Chocolate, with a new remix of Chocolate Rain, with bonus verses from rapper Mista Johnson.

Filed under: Chocolate Rain, Dr. Pepper, Tay Zonday, YouTube

100k

Time flies when you’re having fun!

Filed under: 100000, Mud Puppy, Numbers, Stats

Documentary Reviews

I decided to throw my hat into the documentary arena. I have never rented or watched a single documentary before, and it wasn’t half bad. I think I may have spoiled myself a little by the order I watched these, as they got progressively worse. But I think as a whole it’s been a good experience and I’m looking forward to watching many more.

An Inconvenient Truth — This being my first documentary, I was extremely impressed. The flow and artistry of this film was awesome. It seemed to flaunt the fact that it was done using a mac, so that too was nice. I admit I went in skeptical, but I really enjoyed this documentary. Al Gore may be robotic, but he sure is passionate about this subject, and for that he should be commended. Although you will come out of this thinking that the sky is falling and that we will all die very soon (which I don’t believe), I do think there are some very good points about the direction we are heading on this planet. The only real problem I had with this film is that he spent very very little time on ways we can help solve the problem. Actually, it was mostly during the credits that we received solutions. I would have liked to have seen more discussion on the simple ways we can fix this problem individually.

Helvetica — Let’s say I gave An Inconvenient Truth an A. This one was off the charts. A+++ with bonus points and smiley stickers. I’m sure a lot of it has to do with my profession and passion, and a lot of people wouldn’t find it as appealing or informative, but I can’t wait to get my hands on my own copy. I’m even buying it as a gift for a few people I know. Not much more I can say about this. It’s just a great piece on a classic font. A must watch for designers.

Sicko — I’ve heard so much praise for Michael Moore in the last few years that I fully expected to not agree with him but still be impressed with his presentation. The complete opposite happened. His presentation was terrible, and he was painfully unfunny. However his case for a nationalized health plan was intriguing. I don’t think the idea is something that we should just throw out without putting some serious thought into. Our current health system is a joke, and only makes money when it denies you service. But that part of his film is where his idea falls apart. He goes on in length about how corrupt the government is, yet he thinks it’s a good idea to put our health care in their hands. Not sure that’s as brilliant as he made it out to be.

Jesus Camp — Documentaries like this one display some very real problems within christiandom. The problem is that they only further add to the stereotype and pigeonhole that the rest of us get lumped into. I wish there were some way we could impress upon the rest of the world that people like this, and the church in Westboro, are the extreme exception to those who follow Jesus. But for some reason these people get all the attention. As for the film itself, it was alright. It really didn’t have a direction or a point, other than to show you how crazy these people were.

No End In Sight —  Boooooorrrringgggggg. The war in Iraq was ill-concieved and mismanaged. Yeah? Tell me something we don’t already know. I thought maybe this would uncover some new material or hard hitting facts, but really it just chronicled the war and occupation, and all the missteps along the way. It didn’t get too much into our reasons for going into Iraq. It mainly focused on our lack of preparation for a post-war Iraq. Which is really why we’re still there today—a serious lack of planning. I almost fell asleep during this one. Twice.

Filed under: Al Gore, Culture, Documentaries, Fonts, Global Warming, Health Care, Iraq, Michael Moore, Movies, Reviews, War

Death Proof

I love great marketing ideas.

Filed under: Culture, Death Proof, Marketing, Movies, Quentin Tarantino

Online Community

I continue to be amazed at the wonders of online community. It’s as close to the community I had at college that I’ve experienced since I graduated. I think it primarily has to do with the way you gravitate toward people with similar likes and dislikes. It’s much easier to find and connect with someone that aligns with your thinking online—even if they are 1000 miles away. Carlos (Ragamuffinsoul.com) is even wondering how he might cultivate and use the community over on his blog for some serious good.

I have been thinking about that a lot lately. It has really been frustrating me that I have such a hard time finding people to relate to around me. For example, I’m planning on visiting Rob Bell’s speaking tour next month, and once again I can’t find anyone to join me. Yet I know if everyone on my blogroll lived nearby I’d have a ton of people to hang with. This happens all the time. I know it has a lot to do with where I live. It’s pretty rural and small, but you’d think it would be easier than this.

But last night I got a call from a new online friend, Dave Poland (Overactive Fork). Recently he added me as a friend on Facebook, he bought some of my movies, and earlier this week he emailed me a very detailed and intimate prayer request. And then last night we chatted on the phone about health, family, and religion. It reminded me of the time I got to share some life and Chipolte with Aaron.

This happens all the time online. All week long I have been emailing and instant messaging other people that I met directly through my blog. I think I’m starting to experience some Web 3.0… and I’m liking it.

Filed under: Community, Friends, Internet, Life, Online, Web 3.0

Bo Knows Best

ESPN E-Ticket has a great article on one of my favorite athletes of all time—Bo Jackson. It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years already.

» Bo Knows Best

Filed under: Athletes, Baseball, Bo Jackson, Football, Hunting, MLB, NFL, Sports

Sharpen The Pencil

My dad (the pastor) likes to tell a story about someone approaching him after church one day, complaining about how the pencils were dull in the pews—some of them didn’t even have lead. GASP! My dad, wise beyond his years, simply said, “Have you ever thought about sharpening them?”

I know this is a huge problem within the church—we’re all familiar with the 20/80 rule—but I think this problem extends to our everyday lives. Too often we get caught up saying to ourselves, “I wish someone would take care of this,” or, “That’s not in my job description.“

Maybe if we all just saw a need and filled it instead of complaining or waiting around for someone else to do it, things would run a little smoother. Maybe the next time we see a pencil that’s dull we’ll just go sharpen it.

ps. This post was inspired by a hair on the rim of the toilet at work.
pss. Said hair has been removed.

Filed under: Church, Getrdone, Pencils, Work

Movie Reviews

I’m getting a little behind in these, so brevity ensues.

Live Free or Die Hard — Awesome. My kind of movie. The jet scenes could have been cut, but otherwise I loved it. The mac guy was a perfect addition.

The Mist — Not my genre but I tried it anyway. Eh. It was alright. I didn’t get freaked out, which was good, but I really hated the ending. What a downer!

American Gangster — Not recommended for anyone who might get offended by violence, drug use, language and nudity. Otherwise it was a great movie based on a true story. And at 2 hours and 40 minutes long, you sure get your money’s worth!

Army of Darkness — I know this was intended to be cheesy, but I must have been too tired to like this one. That “Gimme some sugar” line was great though.

Just Like Heaven — I enjoy most of Witherspoons work. This was alright. Way too predictable though. Jared Hess was a welcomed surprise.

Memento — This one will give your brain a workout trying to keep up. It wasn’t bad. Jason says you can watch a version that plays the scenes in chronological order. I think I’d like to try that sometime.

Filed under: Bruce Willis, Culture, Denzel Washington, Die Hard, Jared Hess, Movies, Reece Witherspoon, Reviews, Russell Crowe, Stephen King

Edenews: December 2007

This month’s Edenews features Eden Organic Matcha, and offers a 20% discount on any Matcha you order through December 31, 2007.

Matcha is a stone ground tea powder, and originated in China as an herbal medicine. It was introduced to Japan in the 13th century, where it was embraced with a passion and has been enjoyed and revered ever since. To this day matcha remains the national beverage of Japan, and the centerpiece of the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

» Eden Organic Matcha
» How Matcha Is Made
» Matcha Recipes

Filed under: Coupons, Eden Foods, Japan, Matcha, Organic, Tea

Have You Seen These Men?

You know the guys I’m talking about. They’re there every year around this time. They are standing outside seemingly every single store in the world, bundled up, and ringing a bell.

To date I’ve never had one ask me for anything. Usually they just smile and greet me as I rush past them. But I know they’re there for my money. I can feel it. Why else would they have that little bucket? And for most of my life I felt very guilty as I walked by them.

That was until last year when it hit me, I have nothing to be guilty about. I give a lot of money to charities as well as to my church. Just because someone is standing there asking doesn’t mean that’s the place I have to chose to support at that time. It’s not that I don’t support what they are doing (although I do wonder if guilt-driven charity is a healthy practice), it’s just that I used to hate feeling guilty, as though I was kicking a homeless person by not dropping a few quarters in their bucket. But not any more!

So when you seen these kind people the next time you’re out shopping for bread, don’t feel guilty, just give them a smile and be on your way—that is unless you don’t give anything to anybody. In that case you’re a selfish bum, and should feel guilty.

Filed under: Charity, Christmas, Giving, Guilt, Salvation Army