Who knew Willie Nelson rocked? I recently heard Willie Nelson’s song “Last Stand in Open Country.” It’s a nice anthem….and a duet with Kid Rock. They could have taken Kid Rock out of it and made it ten times better. His voice is too scratchy. You never would have heard this played on Top 40 Country. It’s not trendy enough. According to some people, Willie is past his prime. Thank goodness for Lightning 100 radio. I never would have heard this song without hearing it there.
While browsing the web, I found this picture of a July 4th parade float. I thought it was inappropriate to recreate a scene in which thousands of people were killed. It would have been more appropriate to have a painting or something. Just don’t use toy airplanes and model buildings
I recently downloaded the entire Howard Stern show from September 11th, 2001. 297 minutes worth. It’s very weird listening to it. Almost like reliving the whole morning in real time.
Yassir kinda looks like that Old Navy Lady when he wears glasses.

I saw a replay of the MTV VMAs, after hearing that surprise guests Guns ‘N Roses performed at the end. It was interesting, but Axl’s voice sounded strained. I didn’t care for GNR when they first came out when I was in junior high. Seemlingly back then in the late 80s, everyone had a GNR shirt. Maybe I didn’t care for them because they were so popular. Maybe it was the type of people who listened to heavy metal….the so-called long haired freaks….troublemakers.
But now I enjoy listening to GNR. Maybe it’s the nostalgia.
MTV does have a tendency to overplay things. If you happen to miss this year’s VMA’s broadcast almost live, you can always rest assured that MTV will replay it twice a day everyday for the next 10 days. I am not sure if they are in any dire need of programming. They seem to have enough Real World seasons to broadcast marathons over and over again. BRING BACK THE VIDEOS!
My original video tapes of camp have been loaned out to a friend. This friend is making a professional video tape which will include clips of the video (and other people’s videos) and of the digital pictures I took. I’m anxious to see the video, but I’m also anxious to get my video tapes back. We’ll be seeing this video at the camp reunion barbeque in a couple of weeks.
I usually don’t lend irreplaceable original video tapes to anyone. But I thought I’d have to make an exception in this case.
The church picnic was tonight. I didn’t go for a variety of reasons. Mostly it was because I don’t like feeling awkward in large crowds. Not having much to say to people who I don’t know.
Having layoffs at Nortel is kinda like being up for nomination for eviction on your favorite reality based tv show. You’re never sure if you will be going, but you know there is a chance you might be. I could moan and grown about it…and give myself a ulcer, but it is not worth it. God has blessed me so much I’m not sure it is my place to complain that my job is not permanent. I hope I’ll be staying, but if it is my time to go, then I should accept it and move on. We’ll see within the next 60 days.

Elvis died 25 years ago today. I was 2 years old when Elvis died, so I don’t remember him when he was alive. Having been to Graceland twice, I can tell you they paint an awfully biased picture of Elvis. At Graceland they make Elvis out to be a saint. They always emphasize that he gave huge amounts of cash to Memphis charities. What they don’t tell you is that he was a drug addict.
The fan devotion is sickening at times. I don’t mind that they buy his albums and memorabilia after his death. However when they wait in line for hours on end just to for a memorial, I get tired of it. If these people would get as excited about other things that actually mattered as they do about Elvis, the world would be a better place. But there they are with their candles walking around Graceland honoring some dinosaur. Sure, Elvis was a great entertainer. There’s no doubt about that. However all this devotion is unneccessary and silly.

“We grew up way too fast
And now there’s nothing to believe
Reruns all become our history…”
I’m using Kai’s Power Show to make up this slide show. Much easier than trying to import the pictures into Power Point. What happens with Power Point is that the actual slide show becomes a HUGE file because it actually embeds the picture into the file itself. Kai’s actually just references the file without actually embedding it. Makes it a lot easier to run on machines with not much RAM.
Just some random thoughts today…..
The song “Speed Kills” by the rock band Bush had to be changed to “The People That We Love” since it came out so close to the September 11 attacks. If you listen to the lyrics of the song in the context of the attacks, you can see why they changed it. It’s like watching the plane hit the WTC over and over again. Still a good song though.
Blur’s “Song 2” is a really good song, but it is way too short – only 2 minutes. Seems like there should be an extra verse or something.
I tried that Vanilla Coke tonight. Didn’t care for it. But then again I don’t like Vanilla ice cream, so why would I like it in Coke?
I sincerely care about people. At camp I got to know some kids and their situation better than before. I worry about these kids’ well being….their spiritual upbringing….etc. The thought that keeps me awake at night is thinking that some of them are growing up in unsupportive environments. They might not have the best opportunities in life. They need role models. I’m concerned about how they will turn out in life. There’s not much I can do about it since I live so far away. Still it worries me.

U2’s 2000 album “All that You Can’t Leave Behind” seems to be a prophesy or foreshadowing of the September 11th attacks. For example….on the cover there’s a picture of the band members waiting in an airport. You’ll remember that the attacks were done through plane hijackings. The other songs seem to be a foretelling of the attacks. Perhaps the most inspiring song on the album, “Peace on Earth,” seems to be an earnest plea to God for something which we know could never be. The lyrics echo in my mind – “They’re reading names out over the radio. All the folks the rest of us won’t get to know…” These lyrics coorespond with the names of the terror victims being read over the radio.
“Stuck in a Moment” is what the whole world seemed to be stuck in….always thinking about the attacks. Never seeming to be able to get out of it. “New York” is a song about the daily occurances in NYC.
“All that You Can’t Leave Behind” is a refreshing rock album in a sea of boybands and pseudo pop stars. It is by far the best album I’ve heard in a few years.
Speaking of albums, I was going through my CD collection and came up with a few gems. I must admit I don’t know exactly what I was thinking when I bought some of these albums. (If you don’t remember these albums/bands, don’t worry because I don’t remember them either).

• Ned’s Atomic Dustbin – Godfodder. – I really only bought this for one song on the album, Grey Cell Green, which was a buzz bin video on MTV. Apart from doing a cover of “Saturday Night” on the “So I Married an Axe Murderer” soundtrack, there’s not much to tell about this band. I think they feel off the side of the earth.
• Crash Test Dummies – Ghosts that Haunt Me…I bought the album expecting it to be just as good as the “God Shuffled His Feet.” Unfortunately without a one-hit-wonder song on it, it turned out to be a dud.
• Live – Mental Jewelry…another album I bought when I was really into “Throwing Copper” by Live. I’d listen to this album more, except that it has a line in a song which goes something like this….“Heard alot of talk about this Jesus…but what a man was two thousand years ago means nothing to me today.” I can’t stomach that kind of attitude.
• EMF – Stigma….That one hit wonder band (“Unbelieveable”), came back with this album. I think it is possibly the least listened to album of my collection. Buncha skater punks.
• Jesus Jones – Perverse….another one hit wonder (“Right Here Right Now”) I was trying to get more songs for. Rarely listened to.
• Green Day – Dookie….It seemed like a good idea at the time. I think at one point in the summer of 1995, everyone had this album. Now it’s just a joke. Green Day itself is a joke band. Except for “Time of Your Life” and perhaps “Minority” I don’t think they’ve come out with any redeemable songs. I should have known better than to buy an album named after a euphemism for excrement, which also has a muppet dancing on the back.

I really should sell these albums on Ebay or something, but it probably isn’t worth my time or trouble.
So the theme of the upcoming camp is “Kids for Christ.” Each day we will spotlight a different person of the bible such as Samuel, David, Daniel, Timothy, and Jesus. I already knew alot of Jesus, Daniel, and David. I had to brush up on my knowledge of Samuel and Timothy. All of this just in case I’m called upon to do a brief devotional on the subject. I don’t want to be looking stupid.

“We are building a religion….” are the opening lyrics to Cake’s song “Comfort Eagle.” A friend of mine has a theory that it is making fun of televangelists. Regardless of what it exactly means, it’s a good song. I discovered it at the Cake concert and have been listening to it frequently ever since.
The worst part about camping was the cold showers. No matter what time I tried to take one, I always got lukewarm water. The times I tried were 7AM (obvious that it would be cool after everyone took a shower that morning), then again at 2PM (still cool). I don’t know when someone is supposed to take showers. They definitely need to give the water heater a bigger water capacity.
The best part about camping was sitting around late at night by the campfire talking to everyone. You learn alot about the people you’re with just by being with them for an entire weekend.

It’s late. Just got back from that Cake concert. “We are Cake and we are ready to serve you” was the quote from the lead singer tonight. Look for a review of the concert soon. Todd Burka, who went with me, knows everyone. He saw about 10 people he knew tonight. Whereas I thought I saw one person whom I worked with at the Lipscomb computer helpdesk.
More than likely you won’t hear a peep from me on this weblog until Monday. Campsites, although full of life’s modern appliances, still do not have access to the internet. So unless someone brings a laptop and phone connection to Fall Creek Falls, don’t look for updates.
I’ve just got to slow down for a bit before going to sleep. I can’t come in from being out and immediately go to sleep. I need some down time before going to bed. Hence this late night weblog entry.

Getting psyched about the Cake concert this Thursday. Todd Burka, who is going, is a big Cake fan. I like some of their songs, but enough of their genre tends to get on my nerves sometimes. “Jolene”, “Rock N Roll Lifestyle”, “The Distance”, and “Sheep Go to Heaven” are all good songs and worth driving out for the free concert. From past experience, concert security searches bags and purses, so it is very unlikely that I’ll be able to sneak in my digital camera. Still, I might buy one of their CDs at a used CD place. Last time I got my Better Than Ezra CD signed by the BTE bassists after the concert.
My parents hosted a high school church devotional at the house yesterday evening. Our youth minister intern, Brian Manning, conducted the devotional. While he was talking, his cell phone vibrated and he just opened it up and hung up on it. Kinda funny because I would not have noticed if he had not said “Excuse me” and opened his phone and hung up. Felt sorry for Brian. He was driving back to Freed-Hardeman (near Jackson) last night. He had a class the next morning. He doesn’t formally begin working with the church until his short class is overwith at the end of this week.
The devotional brought back some good memories. When I was in junior high school they actually started up devotionals at members’ homes after Sunday night church services. I can remember the countless number of times Bill Speight led us off to some family’s house for a meal and devotional. It’s good to see that the basic concept hasn’t changed. It’s a good thing that has been kept up over the years.

Each summer I put together a special mix CD to listen to to throughout summer. Most of the time it is hits I’ve just discovered. This summer’s CD will include:

• Phantom Planet – California
• Moby – We Are All Made of Stars
• The White Stripes – Fell in Love with a Girl
• The Strokes – Last Night
• Wax – Southern California
• Goo Goo Dolls – Here is Gone
• Blink182 – First Date
• Midnight Oil – Golden Age

As you can see I’m having trouble filling it up. Since I’ve been working from home, I haven’t been listening to the radio, so I don’t know any new songs.
That prayer breakfast is at 8AM tomorrow. I wish they’d roll it ahead one hour, so I could get an extra hour of sleep.
I’ll be going camping next weekend at Fall Creek Falls. We’re going shopping for food next week. I can’t even remember a variety of foods. For now all I know is hotdogs, hamburgers, and sandwiches. We’re going for 3 days and those foods are going to get old pretty fast. Somehow I’ve got to figure out how to cook a pizza over a open fire.

When R&B Music and NASCAR Collide…this is the weirdest news story I’ve read this year. I didn’t know TLC had a large following among NASCAR pit crews.
There were goldfish in a bowl at the 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration of a couple from church. Probably bought just for the reception. Makes me wonder what will happen to them once the celebration is over.
Ray Combs, the late Family Fued host, was in the movie Overboard Ray committed suicide in 1996. Very sad. His role in Overboard was very brief, but I did recognize him.
So I’ve started trying to get rid of this spare tire, otherwise known at this gut. Sit ups each night. I’m also going to try to start biking. Something happened in since last summer. My body chemistry has changed to where I gain weight much easier. I’ve gone from a waist size of 29 to 32 in just a few months. I hate it.