Lifegroup #1

Our first Chi Alpha Lifegroup meeting (Laville halls sector) was awesome. Led by Patrick and Greg. We only had 5 people...but it's a committed group and God is able to add as He sees fit. We looked at Mark chapter 2, the paralytic lowered through the roof. The discussion was great. We went deeper and discussed many different subtle things within the scripture. For example, one point was that this paralytic man had been through many disappointments in his life and might not have had the faith to believe for his healing. Therefore, he needed his 4 friends to carry him and lower him through the roof and believe for him. Likewise, sometimes God uses people to believe for us, so to speak, when we don't have the strength to go on.

It was just a great time of study, fellowship, and setting goals of where we wanted to go as friends and men of God. After 2 hours of that, I went and stayed up late with The Iliad and other wonderful stuff.

Everything else is going pretty well. Later.

Beautiful Day.

Up at 7:40 am after a night of restless sleep, out at 8:25 am on Dad’s bike that he loaned me for use at college. Having this bike is awesome. I can get places so much faster and so much easier. It’s gotten to the point where I won’t walk the 1.5-2 blocks to the student union…bike every time. It’s really sweet.

This business calculus class of 500 doesn’t seem to be cutting the mustard, so to speak. In my opinion, math is taught much better in a smaller setting where you can ask questions than sitting in an auditorium looking at a big screen of all things.

I actually started to feel useful at work today, as Ms. Jacki was back, and Shelley, a senior psych major I’ll be working under the watchful eye of. The extra money is nice, as is the experience…and meeting new people.

As soon as work was over, I got back to the dorm to change to go workout…but couldn’t get in as they were having a fire drill. After that I changed and Pat and I headed to the Rec (Recreational) Center. I’d never been inside before. It’s awesome…they’ve got everything…a zillion weight machines, basketball, racquetball, squash, ping pong, treadmills, stair steppers, an indoor track…etc. etc.

Thank God for Pat. I never would’ve wandered to the bench press bench without someone else. I never lifted weights (except for machines) when I was younger because I never had anyone to go with. Well today was my chance. At one point, I was asked, “you hurt?” My response was, “no, just my pride’s hurt.” :-p

I tried a little bit of everything…dumbbells, bench press, bench press with incline/decline, curls, this that and the other thing…even something called the “preacher” bench, I kid you not. At least I can move my arms now. When I was done at first, my arms were so tight I couldn’t move them. I know. Sad. But I’ve gotta start somewhere. So I’ll revisit my actual performance weight-lifting wise…uh, later.

Ach. Internet’s down again. Tasty meal of microwave-warmed soup and chili…got this weird craving to watch a couple scenes from the movie Gladiator. Yes, I am one of those persons whose fate is being entranced by that movie. Sorry.

Off to Chi Alpha lifegroup study #1 over in East Laville…the “east side” I call it.

As Russell Crowe says in Gladiator, “Brothers—what we do in life—echoes in eternity.”

Keep looking up. Psalm 121

Interlude

Last Friday I went home from college because I had some stuff to do.

The main item of importance was formally receiving this Sav A Center scholarship of $1,000 that I got through my job this summer. It was a really cool banquet hall type place with chandeliers, mega-expensive floors and ornate paintings and all...

The coolest thing was the quartet, with the stand-up bass, drums, sax, acoustic guitar. It made me wish I could visit the big band era days...just hang out in the 1930's for a little while.

The food was fanastic...salad, soup with crabmeat, veal with bacon and cheese, green beans, a killer baked potato, iced tea, coffee, and luscious chocolate dessert with rich raspberry sauce.

Plus the guest speaker (whom I briefly met and shook hands with) was none other than Bobby Jindall, the Christian conservative who lost the Louisiana governor's race last year to a liberal democrat. Anyhow Jindall served as the chair of the Louisiana Health and Education Dept. or something...has worked with President Bush...is an awesome speaker...classic success story...from India...and worked his butt off to establish the American dream in his own life...and is an overt Christian. As you can tell, I think he's a cool guy.

The following day I went with my church to minister in a juvenile correctional facility (i.e. prison). There were about 50 kids...who chuckled and went to sleep at first but softened at the end to where over 1/2 accepted Christ at the altar call. I was kind of hoping to not have to speak or anything but all the sudden I was called upon to share...just looking out at the sea of faces and feeling the Holy Ghost wave of compassion gave me the words. The words I spoke were choppy at first but then began to flow out of just an aching heart for these guys (and girls). God especially moved through a guy from our church, Quincy, who actually had been in prison for a couple months on false charges (!), we'd been praying for his release, he was JUST RELEASED days before this...and imagine the impact of having him speak to these prisoner kids. He'd literally been in their shoes days earlier. Anyhow...the whole thing was powerful.

So here I am Sunday night (almost Monday morning), posting from an LSU computer lab in my dorm hall (because my computer is taking its merry little time downloading updates). By the grace of God I made it through two more chapters/books of Homer's The Iliad and got an "A" on an online Business Calc. quiz I just took...and I'd better go get my rest, which I haven't been doing enough of, sadly, as usual.

What's Going Down

Work was...interesting. On my second day, Ms. Jacki, who I'm working for, was away...so I was sort of alone and had to figure my way through things when students came in with questions. The number of times the phone rang could be counted on two hands...but students kept coming with questions which I tried to answer. At least Dr. Scheider, the Dept. chair, showed up in his office at some point, and I could direct people to him.

Let's see .... what else is going down? Well, I'm listening to a 2-minute sample of EastWest's She Cries for the 3rd time in a row. Someone tried e-mailing me the song...but we're having technical difficulties...

And here's the best news yet. I just got back from Chi Alpha. Check them out at http://www.lsuxa.org I believe this is the on-campus fellowship God has for me. The worship was tremendous. And it was not just a show...it was true worship. I can tell I'll be looking forward to Thursday nights. I met a lot of cool people.

Ouch. Hope this gum ulcer leaves soon.

Uncool

For some strange reason, I have absorbed a new phrase into my vocabulary since last Wednesday when I moved here.

When I'm chatting to my roomate or someone in Highland...such and such is just "NOT cool."

Therefore, I will attempt to provide a list of some not cool stuff that has come to my attention recently:

• There's a TV commercial that begins with this woman talking, while her husband is reading the paper in the background. She is "having trouble maintaining their relationship." What can she do? She whips out some miracle gel that promotes "greater intimacy." As soon as she describes the product, her husband loses his disinterested look, puts aside the paper, and looks at his wife. In other words, this woman is (pardon the blountness), leading her husband around by his...no, not his hand. What is uncool about this is the use of sex by females to manipulate men and men's stupidity in being so easily manipulated. What's even more uncool is that they're going through this charade while I'm trying to watch television (which is a fruitless endeavor anyway).
• Vulgarity and lack of creativity. Yeah, I never knew they had anything in common either. Until I noticed in our hall bath the vandalism...the writing all over the stalls. What is the most uncool is that the "f-word" was the most common writing there...and it had been reproduced many many times in a thoughtless manner. If you're going to vandalize (not that you should), try something a little more creative than a four-letter piece of substandard English that makes you sound as unintelligent as the the flushing of the commode you are sitting on while writing these obscenities.
• The repetitive bass guitar in between scenes on Seinfeld. Don't get me wrong...it has its funny moments. But this bass thing is uncool...it's just aggravating.
• Here's one of the top uncool things of all time. Being a zombie. Staying up late and then walking around like the living dead the next day I have learned (over a long and arduous process known as my teenage years) is one of the dumbest things we've ever done, people.
• Having ants crawl all over your computer and you don't know where they're coming from. What's even weirder is when they come and go at different times.
• Waiting so long to visit the laundromat in the base floor of the dorm and having such a big stack of undone laundry...that much to your dismay, you discover you're almost out of clean underwear. You realize this is not your ordinary problem. In fact, it will be harder to solve than the Calculus problem stumping you as a result of your falling asleep in class when Professor Gizmo showed you the class how at the 7:30 a.m. class.
• Listening through headphones that have the padded part gone.
• Getting out of bed in the morning.
• Alarm clocks.
• Staying in your dorm room too long. (You begin to have hair shoot out from your eyeball.)
• Being out of God's will.

More later, perhaps.

Until then, stay cool.

A Banana in one hand and a Dr. Pepper in the other...

...as I type this. Well, okay, I had to put them down to type this. But I'm proving that you can eat healthy and eat tasty, even as a college student.

Ok, let's see, the latest happenings.

One happening is Homer's The Iliad. The subject matter is interesting but the style is boring. Then again Prof. McMahon's lecture on it today was unbelievable...

...that guy is a fireball. It helps to have someone passionate about what they're teaching.

Here's another happening. There are a whole bunch of ants crawling all over my desk...I had several on my leg last night.

And here's a happening. Background: my roomate's TV is in between our computers...and from somewhere in the midst of this trio of machines keeps emanating a weird beeping sound with a rhythm to it. I never realized that it could be my cellphone...which I leave to recharge near the computers...

...and then today I heard this same noise while I was near another computer on campus. This dude was like, "it's probably your cellphone." I was like, "My cellphone?!" He explained that with Cingular service, for some uncanny reason...when the phone gets near a computer...it makes the computer give off weird beeping noises. Strange.

Oh...and I started my job in the Information Systems and Decision Sciences (ISDS) Dept. today. I'm working 2 hours per day Monday thru Friday. Just sorting mail, making copies, answering the phone, running errands, and other office stuff.

Ok, the school paper is calling...and so is my homework.

Note to blog readers

I can't respond to comments currently because I downloaded a Java something or another I need for a class...and it won't let me respond to comments.

If you are a pc whiz and have the solution or think so, I invite your suggestions.

Runnin'

Ouch. What a sedentary bum I was this summer. Running for 18 minutes this evening shouldn't leave me this pooped.

The cool thing is I ran by the lakes...and there are plenty of other runners out, giving you the whole moral support feeling thing.

New Balance shoes rock.

Class

Man...after living at college for over half a week and not having to anything but get adjusted and have fun...we actually now have to do what we're here for...oh yeah, class.

I'll be getting my exercise this semester, as someone I talked to mentioned. I have to cross campus a lot. Cool.

Made it to Economics 2000 at 8:30, where all of us "freshmeat" walked silently into our first class, where our professor, an Indian-looking gentleman by the name of something like "Subaran" (his name escapes me at the moment) handed out our syllabus. He softly talked about the class and had us introduce ourselves and in 20 minutes he sent us on our way. So I walked back across campus...to the Middleton Library. Chilled out in the Library's air conditioning and browsed The Reveille, our school newspaper...which has gotten national rave reviews as a college paper.

Then off to a huge auditorium for my biggest class. Unbelievable. 500 students in a huge auditorium to be taught Math 1431/Business Calculus. Big screen and everything...should be an interesting class.

They kept us a little late in Calc so I had to power-walk several minutes away to my second-floor Western Civ. Lecture. Lecture in this 6-hour course is M/W/F and seminar is T/TH. This was the only class we actually started into the course material in. I found the Myth of the Minotaur particularly cool.

I then trekked another good walk over to Highland Cafeteria. Talk about the day's highlight! It's all-you-can-eat and several different foodstations with different cuisines. I piled a plate up, went back for a salad, and then had an ice cream cone. We're talking good food too. Forget your high school rubbish. This is good stuff. I can tell my strategy will be to have my big meal and lunch off my meal plan and then go back and have a ravioli/soup/ramen noodles thing going on at night.

After lunch and chatting with Mark who seems to appreciate the buffet-style cafeteria just as much as I do...off to a math lab I only have on Mondays.

Here I am...got back half-hour ago. First day of class over. Now I will spend the afternoon learning to budget my time studying, hopefully going for a run to start getting back into some semblance of fitness, eating, chilling, hanging out with Jesus, etc.

My First LSU Sunday

Woke up at 7:15 am and ate breakfast with my grandparents about 8:20 a.m. I called Ryan at 8:00...he was going to pick me up. I think my call woke him up. Can't blame him...I could barely get out of my own bed. Then I went back to 119 West Laville and got another 45 mins. of sleep. At 11 a.m. I met Patrick, his girlfriend Mica, and John. Pat drove us to Healing Place Church. I enjoyed it and God spoke a couple things to me, however, I don't think this is my church home while I'm at LSU. I'll keep seeking God. But I'm glad God hooked me up with Pat so I could attend corporate worship with His people this morning. :)

Then we went back to the Union to grab a bite to eat. Great fellowship and discussion of what God wants to do at LSU. Then over to meet Greg, another Chi Alpha guy. Just 4 of us talked and I got the rundown on CA's vision and setting up a Bible study for East and West Laville.

Back to my room for a bit, then out to look at the poster sale. Mainly junk...some were almost porno...I left and decided I'll save my money to decorate my room on a different occasion.

Then I went on a campus tour with some R.A.'s and found all the buildings my classes are in.

Then I went to a free jambalaya lunch and the Chancellor's Welcome in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The Tiger Band put on an awesome show...I clapped and yelled "Geaux Tigers" and all the other stuff. Mike the Tiger, our mascot, is hilarious.

Then back to my room, straightening up, chilling out.

I should go sleep now as the first day of class is tomorrow.

Pirates, Purpose, and Piccadilly Cafeteria

I spent the day with my cousin, Ryan, and paternal grandparents. They took us out to eat twice and spent lavishly on us to get us more school supplies and food items. They have been an awesome blessing to my life.

I got back late, unpacked...then went to another of these social/party things.

We played games for a while. I played Twister. Great fun.

Then we watched Pirates of the Caribbean on a big overhead screen. My first time watching. Very weird movie. But very entertaining. Especially the pirate who kept losing his eyeball. The ending was not believable though. Pity. There were too many plot twists...they left me a little confused. But the basic premise of the curse and the moonlight revealing the true dead, skeleton state of the villains was interesting...though at times too freaky for my taste. My favorite character was definitely Captain Jack Sparrow. That dude was hilarious. Oh...and the girl freaking out when the captain drank the alcohol and she saw it dripping through his bones was weird but hilarious. Poor thing. But that was one resourceful lass. She wasn' t bad with a weapon, eh? The swordfights were terrific, as were the special effect. And if that movie doesn't make you want to shout "Davy Jones' Locker!" nothing will. I liked it.

Divine purpose. I didn't know where I'm going to church tomorrow...or later this morning. I get this email from this guy I met the other night inviting me to a church I'd already received correspondence from before...healing place church. Such a blessing. Tonight I've been like, "God, where in the world am I supposed to go to church tomorrow?" Thank you Jesus. :)

That's all for now. Man. I've got to get more sleep.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Here's the good:

Late night LSU was awesome. I walked in with my "homies" again. We went and played laser tag. It was awesome. Somehow I've never played laser tag before but I made up for it. Out of 7 people, I got 2nd for most hits on other people. I mean I went psycho in there with my little laser gun and yelling and the whole nine yards. :-D The course was fabulous. There were a zillion little trapdoor things and hiding places to where it felt like urban warfare. My favorite tactic was to hide in this one little trapdoor space and wait for unsuspecting people to come by and then blast the daylights out of the targets on the backside. Laser tag is just grand, that's all I have to say.

Then I went to watch two teams of students participate in a Family Double Dare mock game show...quite amusing. Remember that show on Nickelodeon back in "the day?" That and Nickelodeon Guts, What Would You Do...all that stuff. Anyway, this was Double Dare...host was Marc Summers...remember? Anyway...

Then I wandered around looking for more to do...and found something that became a real highlight of the evening. JENGA.

I'd never played Jenga before...but I got hooked. I lost the first game quick up against this pro dude. Then I played him again and this other guy...we were at that tower for an hour. It got slower and slower...to wear the tower was like barely there. My hands got shakier and shakier...to where I had to use one hand to pull blocks and the other hand I had to place on my pulling hand to keep it steady. In the end, I lost that one too. But it was cool that a crowd had gathered. I'm not sure if it was cool or uncool that everyone went "awww..." when I knocked it down.

Then I did something somewhat cool that turned into something cool. There's your ugly part of "the good the bad and the ugly."

And here's where things start to get sour.

I take this free handwritten personality test...my friends did it and it sounded cool...which it was.

But then the professor asks for help carrying everything to his room. Now this is at 1 am and there's one hour left in the party...and I want to get back to the party because they're about to serve pizza...and frankly I'm hungry for that and some more laser tag. The thing is...I felt this inner conviction...this nagging..."Josh you better help this guy out and carry the junk back to his room." So he took his merry time (which seemed an eternity) and what made it hard was he was so friendly...so I reciprocated...

Here's the problem. Later when I get back to the ground floor entrance with my ID...there's this huge police officer guy that says, "hey after 1 am the party closed, you can't get back in." The news hit me like a ton of bricks.

I was like..."oh ... no".

At this point I did something that really surprised myself. I could scarcely believe I was arguing with a police officer loudly...protesting my case like a lawyer in court. Of course, he wasn't going to budge...that's a law enforcement official's job. So I was like, "look, sir, I'm not going to give you any trouble, because I know it's your job. But this is really messed up."

So in a vain effort but with a thread of hope left at rejoining my friends (and my cousin Ryan mentioned in the other post...who I'd seen earlier)...I went to the second floor entrance where there's like 10 police officers. I try the same number but this time explain it like a lawyer in the courtroom:

"Look, I understand it's closed at 1 am. But, maybe you were aware, there was personality testing on the second floor. I just went to help a professor out...i brought his materials back to Coates Hall. There's a guy on the second floor in a red shirt...if I can get his attention..."

Police: "I'm sorry, it's still closed. Doesn't matter."

Me: "I'm not going to kick against this or anything cause I know...it's just this is messed up."

I can't tell you how angry I was. It wasn't just the pizza. It wasn't just the extra hour of fun...or the friends. It was this feeling of aliention. It just wasn't right. I don't think I've ever had to bite my lip that hard ever. Walking back to the dorm room in a drizzle...I thought a quick prayer, "God help me not say anything profane." I guess I could've done better...the worst thing I did is raved to some guys outside that "this SUCKS that I tried to do a good deed and this happened."

I've cooled off some now. But this does suck, sorry.

God allowed it to happen I'm sure though. What is more important to me...helping out this professor...being obedient to God...or having fun and doing what I want to do?

I've never been so ticked off at a "good guy"...a police officer...ever. It's been about 15 minutes now...I'm doing alright now, I guess.

How delightful. I get to contradict policemen and help out lonely, not-with-the-party professors at University after only 2 days.

But it's ok, you know I'll live to fight another day...

Sounds Good

Don't you love the cereal TV commercial where the guy at the office desk is getting fired but he can't hear what his boss is telling him because all he hears is the sound of cereal crunching in his ears? Boss: "You're fired." Worker: "mm-hmm. Sounds good."

Sounds good.

How does free pool sound? Sounds good.

I did that but first hooked up with a few Slidell people...knew faces to me...at dinner at the union. The union is a 'happening' place.

Then I met some ultra cool dudes from Brother Martin who taught me pool...which we played for free, compliments of LSU tonight. I was no good at first, always hitting the bottom of the ball. Once I got "centered," I got to the point where I hit several in a row, was down to the 8-ball, but missed and got beaten. Coincidentally, these guys muttered something about "Ketron." I was like, "Wait, Ketron, who Ketron?" And indeed it did turn out to be Ryan Ketron, my cousin, who I'm hanging out with some tomorrow.

After that...got the hook up with my Pearl River High fellow homies to play pool...but unforunately my beginner's luck had run out. I sunk the 8 ball once and even (in a moment of seeming drunken stupour) hit the wrong ball. But it was hilarious.

In 20 minutes or less, one such homy (is that the singular form?) will ring me so we can go to Late Night LSU.

How does that sound?

Brave Somewhat-Less-New World

Yesterday I woke up early to go eat breakfast with my orientation group. $2.15 for small portions of eggs grits and bacon and a cup of water. Not bad at all.

Then a 2-hour orientation session that had its moments but for the most part was a sleeper type thing...although I've made it my own personal policy to not fall asleep during lectures as it's disrepsectful to the person giving the speech. After all...if I were giving a speech I'd worked hard on...it would be uncool for me to see people in the audience nodding off.

Made myself some lunch, had some Bible time, did some internet, then...went and stood in line for over an hour getting a post office box. Then off to buy books...which took a while. Actually I'm glad I grabbed somebody to get help. It was my orientation group leader. He helped me sort all the books out...one class has about 13 books if you can believe that. Some are small but still. The bill for books was $410. Yes, that's for one semester. Uh-huh. It could've been much worse.

Then to a free BBQ on the parade grounds put on by Chi Alpha, a Christian fellowship. Met some Christians there and we talked...was refreshing.

Then a block party from 8-11. Free pizza and coke. I hooked up with 4 other kids I knew from high school and we hung out for a couple hours. Then I went back to my room and was met by the weird scene of Thomas (my roomate) sleeping while Black Hawk Down played on his computer. He woke up while I was sitting down to watch it.

Today thousands of LSU freshman headed to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center to hear Eric Schlosser, the author of Fast Food Nation, speak. Fast Food Nation was a book we were all required to read this summer. After that I broke up into a 20-person group with a professor to discuss the book. I was really nervous at first and let everyone else do the talking but started chiming in more and more towards the end.

That's where I'm at now. I need to go grab a bite to eat.

Brave New World

Here I am at Louisiana State University in Rm. 119 of West Laville Hall.

It has been quite a day. let me briefly summarize this day of change. :)

Left at 8:45, got @ LSU about 2 hours later. Move-in traffic was unbelievably bad. We were in bumper-to-bumper for about 20 minutes before my a few of us got out the van and started walking to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center for registration. I made a deposit of Tiger Cash into my "Tiger Account." (LSU=Tigers, and the account is a debit type account for use on campus. You can swipe your card all over campus to make purchases...everything from Coke machines to copy machines to the bookstore. I also got my room and key and talked to people to get some info...

Then went and saw our mascot, who was in a cage. Mike the Tiger surely wasn't roaring today. In the hot sunlight, he was sleeping. He must've had a nightmare, as he threw his hands around in his sleep once, lifted up his head to look at us, then decided to return to his dreamworld.

After that began the laborious task of unloading our overpacked van. A zillion boxes, a fridge, a microwave and a hodgepodge of other stuff including my computer gear. The funniest moment of the move-in was by far me going into the wrong hall at first. And the floor was all girls...which I didn't realize at first. I go further and further with my hand truck and realize all I'm seeing is "Kristy, Suzy, Gertrude"...etc. And so I had a good laugh at myself after the response from a girl I asked, "what hall am I in?"

We were able to rearrange the room furniture, which was nice. My roomate showed up much later...Thomas...he's really cool, a senior majoring in Animal Science...this is his last semester. He's been really helpful. We just chatted for a while...now I'm blogging...

I've got a desk, a little bookshelf, closet with hanging clothes space, and of course a bed. I know that for a dorm it isn't anything special...but it could be much worse.

After that...a brief meeting with my student group for the next few days.

Then...finish unpacking...eat out at Ruby Tuesday's...said goodbyes...dad had a harder time than mom did. It was the strangest thing ever walking back into West Laville on my own. It's a brave new world ya know.

I then went back and managed by literal divine intervention to get my Ethernet internet to work...and I'll tell you. It's making dial-up look like child's play. :-D

Then a meeting with our RA..."don't be a bad boy in the dorm or you'll be in trouble basically." then a free ice-cream deal. Chatted with a couple random people. I can tell I'm going to meet a lot of people and become a much more social person here. Which is great.

Well that's enough for now. It's not too bad. After all, once I've had a week of class under my belt...I think I'll be loving it. Right now it just feels really awkward. My main prayer is that my relationship with Jesus not suffer...but rather...thrive like never before.

See ya...

Off to See the Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Actually there's no great Oz Wizard where I go...but there is a live caged tiger named "Mike."

For once, this will be a short post as I have a huge move-in day tomorrow.

Louisiana State University. 30,000+ students. Huge campus. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.

I packed everything...probably overpacked, but oh well.

It's happened so fast. My summer's gone and I'm off into the world of the unknown...

Yes, I'm excited. But I''ve been really nervous, too, more than ever in my life.

The Unknown. Ooh, spooky. Maybe not that spooky but...

It may be several days before I blog to the world of cyberspace again as there are bouque activities planned at LSU for the incoming freshman through next Sunday. (For those who don't know, Bouque is a French word for "many/much". We have many Acadian French in Louisiana.)

If you want to say a prayer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for me, it'd sure be appreciated.

It's been a hard last few days for my family and I. Beautiful time at the Olive Garden Sunday...though my dad lavished $30 for dessert. And I tried distracting myself with other things like this new webcam (webcammie for some ;)) acting goofy and making videos and even sending a few. But now it's here. Independence.

Family worship tonight was good...but awkward. Rich Mullins' "If I stand" and "Ready for the Storm" were quite emotional for me.

This must be a big occasion...I don't like talking on phones...and I've called several people to say goodbyes and stuff.

World here I come...

ROUND THREE: Endgame.

Ladies and gentlemen:

The moment of truth has arrived. After literal hours of consideration, the Life and Times of Joshua Clayton Blog is now ready to announce the results of judging in the first annual LATOJC Blog Summer Music Awards.

Drum-roll please.

We’ll start off with the Specialty Music Awards.

There were so many tracks in many categories that I found it imperative to have some Honorable Mention awards. So close…it was a tough decision. Of course, I felt at first like listing several honorable mentions for each category. I forced myself to be tough and only do one for each, at most. I’ll start off with those:

HONORABLE MENTION

“Tired Heart,” Bleach, Best Guitar Solo.
“She Cries,” EastWest, Best Guitar.
“I’m in the Way,” Jars of Clay, Best Acoustics.
“Jealous Kind,” Jars of Clay, Best Piano/Keys.
“Landslide,” Seven Places, Best Backing Vocals.
“Landslide,” Seven Places, Best Vocals.
“Take Me Away,” Delirious?, Best Drums/Percussion.
“Entertaining Angels,” Newsboys, Best Strings Arrangement.
“Show You Love,” Jars of Clay, Best Pop Song.
“Jesus Freak,” dc Talk, Best Rock Song.
“The Sleeping Giant,” Hangnail, Best Punk Song.
“Show You Love,” Jars of Clay, Best Soft/Acoustic Rock.
DavidCrowderBand, Best Artist.
Illuminate, DavidCrowderBand, Best Album.
“Facedown,” Matt Redman, Best Worship Song.
“I Aspire,” Hangnail, Most Listens for a Single Track.
“Tired Heart,” Bleach, Most Moving Track.


I repeat, those were HONORABLE MENTION for those categories.

Now for the specialty award WINNERS.:

BEST GUITAR SOLO was dominated by several heavyweights. Actually the choice I arrived at surprised me, as it’s not necessarily the most catchy solo. But upon fair analysis, the most artistic and most articulate guitar solo I found to be, “ALIEN,” DELIRIOUS?.

BEST GUITAR was perhaps the hardest specialty award to award. In the end, the best all-around use of the guitar was heard in “LOVE IS THE COMPASS,” DELIRIOUS?.

BEST BASS goes to “HELLO MCFLY,” RELIENT K. No further comment to be made there. Great backing and solos.

BEST ACOUSTICS goes to “STARS,” DAVIDCROWDERBAND. It’s crisp clear and beautiful. Everything you’d want in an acoustic song.

BEST PIANO/KEYS goes to “FALLEN,” TAIT. They’re pretty and catchy.

BEST BACKING VOCALS goes to “I ASPIRE,” HANGNAIL. They complement the chorus beautifully and potently.

BEST VOCALS goes to a song that is simple musically, allowing for two male singers to sing off each other. The vocals of “INSIDE OUTSIDE,” DELIRIOUS?, simply defy the normal abilities of human vocal chords, seemingly.

BEST DRUMS/PERCUSSION goes to “I’M IN THE WAY,” JARS OF CLAY. They’re fast furious and inventive.

BEST STRINGS ARRANGEMENT award goes to someone I didn’t intentionally intend to receive it, but “RUN,” KUTLESS, deserves it. While other songs had louder strings and more of them, the repeating cello line played several times in the song’s course are perfect and complement the guitars perfectly. This is the way to arrange strings. Simply beautiful and adding a whole new layer of depth to the song.

BEST POP SONG is “COLORED PEOPLE,” DC TALK. The three singers of this group that defined modern Christian music sing off each other beautifully…it’s a great feel-good song that makes you think…and it’s not “over-produced.” This is the good kind of pop.

BEST ROCK SONG (coveted award) goes to “GET UP,” BLEACH. It beat dc Talk’s Christian rock-defining anthem “Jesus Freak” by the slimmest of margins, but it deserves first. “Get Up” is catchy, strong, riveted by raucous guitars, and recurring riffs and beats that leave you coming back for more…again and again. It’s 3 minutes of solid, chunky, stirring, complex noise.

BEST PUNK SONG is “SURVEY OF SELF,” HANGNAIL. This band takes punk where it hasn’t gone before. “Survey of Self” combines well-thought out lyrics with hardcore guitars and drums and leaves you breathless at the end. It starts and finishes suddenly…and the middle section is pure power.

BEST MEDIUM/HARD ROCK SONG is “YOUR TOUCH,” KUTLESS. This was the easiest choice. This is what hard stuff’s all about. Starting off with a restrained guitar rhythm and building constantly, taking plenty of sudden turns…and creating a soul-stirring cry that is eventually expressed in solid, shouted vocals in the end. Grunge with a message.

BEST SOFT/ACOUSTIC ROCK SONG is “SOMETHING MORE (AUGUSTINE’S CONFESSION),” SWITCHFOOT. Mixing various styles with this band’s trademark, rebel-against-the-status-quo “surf rock,” “Something More” uses strikingly extra-ordinary guitars to create a ballad about Augustine, who, “all this time…has never been awake before.”

BEST RAP/HIP-HOP SONG is “WHAT’S GOIN’ DOWN,” TOBYMAC. Cleverly playing off the oldie, Toby McKeehan combines thought-provocative verses with a red-hot chorus and electric guitars for a different sound. This will get you grooving to the beat of a different drum.

BEST ARTIST goes to a group who truly is an artist, in the sense of appreciating and demonstrating the artistic. British rockers DELIRIOUS? take it this year. Their variety of styles and true musicianship is appreciated. Just as no artist paints two pictures the same…no two songs sound or are crafted the same. Artistic.

BEST ALBUM is JESUS FREAK, DC TALK An oldie but a goodie, the definitive Christian rock album…traversing across a multitude of different styles…never have I felt such a sense of effort vision and purpose in a single album. The many messages expressed in each song…lavishly inventive lyrically and musically. And the three’s vocals are dynamic together. Let’s be freaky again like we did last summer.

BEST WORSHIP SONG is “WHO AM I?,” CASTING CROWNS. Gets you looking heavenward instantly. How beautiful and absolutely adorational of our Jesus. If you’ve heard the song, enough said.

MOST LISTENS FOR A SINGLE TRACK goes to “SHE CRIES,” EASTWEST. Actually I don’t own the song (will soon hopefully). I just played a 2-minute clip literally everyday this summer since I’ve had it. It’s amazing. Just imagine how many times it will be played once I get the full version (although I have heard the whole version twice before). The recurring soft guitar riff that rises and falls, with the softly-spoken then loud vocals is just spell-binding.

MOST MOVING TRACK is “MOUNTAINS HIGH, DELIRIOUS?”. It’s actually gut-wrenching. The teardrops of the opening piano…the wailing of the guitar madness at the end…the strained vocals…disturbing and liberating without being depressing. Musical expression at its best.

Next is an award for which no nominations were made. The list would have been to massive. BEST LYRIC(S), HONORABLE MENTION goes to:

“Little,” Seven Places.
“Headstrong,” Jars of Clay.
“Breakfast,” Newsboys.
“Reality,” Newsboys.
“Survey of Self,” Hangnail.
“What’s Goin’ Down,” TobyMac.
“Beautiful Day,” U2.

TOP 3 BEST LYRIC(S) ARE:

3. “The Sleeping Giant,” Hangnail. The song addresses the trend of the TV and the cinema in modern society and the subtle effects these media have in lulling us to sleep and dulling our view of reality. They are well-thought out and rock n’ roll. Unapologetically candid.
2. “Company Car,” Switchfoot. The song is almost a ballad, the testimonial of a businessman who has sacrificed his morals and values to further his life. As the speaker spills his guts, a unique viewpoint is offered on success.
1. “Jealous Kind,” Jars of Clay. Simply one of the best songs lyrically, ever. It examines the kind of love God has for us as…jealous. The piano gospel/blues track’s lyrics are as follows:

I built another temple to a stranger
I gave away my heart to the rushing wind
I set my course to run right into danger
Sought the company of fools instead of friends

You know I’ve been unfaithful
Lovers in lines
While you’re turning over tables
With the rage of a jealous kind
I chose the gallows to the aisle
Thought that love would never find
But hanging ropes will never keep you
And your love of a jealous kind
Love of a jealous kind

Trying to jump away from rock that keeps on spreading
Look for solace in the shift of the sinking hand
I’d rather feel the pain all too familiar
Than be broken by a lover I don’t understand
‘Cause I don’t understand

One hundred other lovers
More, one hundred other altars
If I should slow my pace
And finally subject me to grace
And love that shames the wise
Betrays the heart’s deceit and lies
And breaks the back of foolish pride

And now for the top 10 tracks, in no particular order:

Drum-roll please.
Da-da-da!

THE TOP 10 SUMMER TRACKS (in no particular order):

1. “Mind’s Eye,” Dc Talk, Jesus Freak. Starting off with a ghostlike guitars and a short poem by Toby McKeehan…the ghostlike guitars get more volume and then rocket into a catchy bongo-beat to start this song that is an explanation to the skeptic of how we can serve a God we can’t see. Containing a rap, Michael Tait’s soulical singing of the soothing chorus, a preacher in the middle reinforcing the song’s point, “Mind’s Eye” is one of those songs that connects with the soul and makes you think, “yeah, exactly what I’ve been thinking but unable to express.”

2. “Get Up,” Bleach, Astronomy. Bleach knows how to rock. And the opening track from their last and final album release more than proves that. A growling guitar riff opens up, repeating over and over, louder and louder, with more and more drums till the lead singer scream-sings, “GET UP GET UP GET OUT YEAH!”, the recurring line in the song. No deep lyrics, but just a song to make you smile after a letdown or defeat and aspire to pick up and move on. Bleach shows their approach to picking up the pieces. Don’t have a pity party. Cough, sigh, scream, smile, and get to grooving again. The funky drum beat of this slow-tempo but high-energy rocker will leave you coming back for more, again and again and again. You may even look forward to waking up in the morning, if this is your “get up” call. And the growling guitars just make me smile everytime.

3. “Feel It Coming On,” Delirious?, World Service. While one band deals with hardship through lightheartedness, another may take an entirely different approach. And they both can work well. Here, delirious? chooses to stare pain in the face with an unflinching stance. The 5-minute rocker is full of twists and turns and is simply stunning. Opening with a restrained guitar riff that gets under your skin, and then proceeding with a funky bassline and weird drum pattern, Martin Smith half-whispers a verse ending “Careful when you look, for my heart has leprosy, all I want is to see Jesus, just one touch and I’ll be free.” And then the guitars change for him to sing “Oh…I feel….I FEEL IT’S COMING OOOOOOOO!, O-O-O-OON. And when you CALL…my name…IT FEELS LIKE HEAVEN!” Then comes in a killer riff, followed by verse two, which leaves the whispering for a crazed sing-scream until the chorus again, “HOLD ME TONIGHT” and then a cyberpunk guitar section. Here, the song simmers down into softness with interspersed piano, as the singer sings here and there…until the song speeds up a little bit again for a final…”hold me hold me hold me tight as we walk into Your burning light.” This is a modern masterpiece. And one rollercoaster ride that tugs at the heartstrings.

4. “New Way to Be Human,” Switchfoot, New Way to Be Human. Ever heard a band incorporate horns, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and pop sounds in a song that slows down then speeds up then slows down yet grips your attention to the end? Well then you have “New Way to Be Human.” A fresh way of looking at the redemption of lost humanity. The chorus is catchy and just makes you want to yell, “THERE’S A NEEEEEW WAY TO BE HUMAN!” And in truth, as the song concludes, God is the ONLY way to be human.

5. “Your Touch,” Kutless, Kutless. Some say Kutless emulates the band Creed too much, this and that. So I decided to buy their debut album and decide for myself if I’d like them. Hey kids. I found that we finally have a hard rock group to unabashedly proclaim the gospel. The album is great but no song can beat the opener, “Your Touch.” The opening restrained guitar leads into the grunge that simmers down into a repeated bass riff, then rockets into a “I was lost but now I’m found,” rockets back to the chorus, then ends with thrashing guitars and a screamed “YOUR….TOOOUUUUUUUUUUUU-UCH!” Hard rock isn’t normally my style…but this song seems too good to pass up for at least a listen.

6. “Landslide,” Seven Places, Lonely For the Last Time. The first time I heard it, I was like, “whoa! Who is THAT?” with a smile on the inside. “I feel crazy, hope is hazy right now…but I won’t freak out.” This is what I’ve nicknamed a “sugar punk” song. A song with loud guitar riffs that sets you at ease? Who would’ve thought? It’s so catchy…and the vocals are ethereal. “Here’s to the name above all names…I will trust you Jesus, I’ll be brave.” It’s a 2 and ½ minute joyride to get your hands back in the air where they should be and to affirm that we’re going to ride out the storm through the only Way out of the landslide.

7. “She Cries,” EastWest, The Light in Guinevere’s Garden. This was E/W’s first song I heard. So, naturally I couldn’t believe they were a metal band. This defo isn’t metal. It opens with a soft guitar riff that just sets your mind at ease. That and the gentle cymbals, along with the half-whispered verses are just beautiful. The thing that’s so good about the vocals is they almost seem unpolished…for the better. It’s a song sung from God to a girl who’s been down and trying to get things sorted out. She’s apparently been away from the Lord, or trying to recover from the past, in the need of acceptance. This is what I call talented musicianship. Volume doesn’t mean good music. And EastWest demonstrates this powerfully with “She Cries,” which ends with a whispered prayer from Psalm 51.

8. “I Aspire,” Hangnail, Transparent.. I can’t seem to get the opening punk riff out of my head. This is the most uplifting song I’ve ever heard…quite possibly. It’s one of those songs that rocks…yet is beautiful. The singer’s potent, “aspiring” vocals ring true with the listener: “I want to be a shining light, giving hope to those who feel hopeless, consuming the dark of the night. I want to be a burning light, giving charge to those who are weary, and keeping the fire alive!” The verses have a bit more creativity…but who needs creativity when the aforestated chorus is sung so beautifully? Ever since I’ve owned the CD containing this track, I’ve listened to it at least once a day…that’s been for over a month now.

9. “God Is Not a Secret,” Newsboys, Shine: The Hits. TobyMac joins the boys for this hip-hop/rocker. Hard guitars and turntables? That’s beyond the point. “You don’t understand, I’m not talking multiple choice. You don’t get it man. If the cries offend you, fine, another voice. I am not running for office here. I heard that new age lie…” “Take back your free advice…I will not play those games…God is not a secret to be kept.” This song is an answer to the temptation of people who say we should tone down our Christ-centered message. This got many listens this summer.

10. “The Sleeping Giant,” Hangnail, Transparent. Hangnail isn’t my favorite artist overall, but they must be pretty good for them to be the only artist to have 2 in the top 10. I guess it’s that I’ve never heard such eloquent lyrics in such a musically-great band. Here, we look at the fact that “Life is broken in Hollywood” and how “it’s hard to see the damage done” when “we can’t live without it (the T.V.) on.” The first part of the song is a mile a minute…but the simmering down ending of “Life is broken in Hollywood” allows the listener to contemplate what’s just been heard. And it’s a little unsettling to think of the ramifications.

AND NOW, IF YOU’RE STILL AWAKE, WE WILL OFFER THE AWARDS TO THE TOP 3 OF THESE 10, AND THEN THE #1 SONG OF THE SUMMER.

The bronze medal goes to “Get Up,” Bleach, Astronomy.
The silver medal goes to “I Aspire,” Hangnail, Transparent.

The choice between the song receiving the silver medal and the gold was as slim as the width of a strand of hair, but receiving the gold medal, the #1 song of the summer is

“LANDSLIDE,” SEVEN PLACES, LONELY FOR THE LAST TIME. Congratulations, Seven Places for putting out such a wonderfully addictive track!

Thanks for attending this year’s first annual Summer Music Awards. Have a safe and pleasant evening.

Music Awards: (intermission)

The judging panel is currently having a tough time making some final, binding decisions. With so many great artists, it’s hard to make definitive judgments…so prepare for a few “honorable mentions.”

As a matter of fact, I just finished the Specialty Awards after 2 hours straight of blasting music into my ears through my headphones. I could have easily spent longer listening to the many tracks up for each category, and the decisions have been very tough. I have yet to choose the list of top 10 tracks…and the top summer track…which is sure to mean more music listening this evening. Expect the finals results to be posted within 24 hours.

Once again, The Life and Times of Joshua Clayton Blog would like to thank our audience this year for their support.

The question has arisen of whether or not the audience, you, the reader, may vote. Not during this competition. The Life and Times of Joshua Clayton Blog may consider holding a music vote through a comments section of a future post. If you are interested in doing this…please respond to this round with a comment. We will only do this if there is enough interest.

So have a slice of pizza, grab a Dr. Pepper, play a game on your mobile phone, but don’t go anywhere. We’ll be right back with Round Three...

...and the bottom line.

ROUND TWO

Don't worry, there's only one more round to go.

Out of the massive list of original nominees...

Here we have the specialty list of nominees. There are artists, albums, and tracks nominated here for special awards. We are still in the nomination stage.

Best guitar solo: Get Up, Tired Heart, Jesus Freak, Your Touch, Yours, Landslide, Alien, Agnus Dei,
Best guitar: Get Up, Stars, Jesus Freak, Your Touch, Yours, Metamorphis, Inside Outside, Love Is the Compass, Something More, Everything that’s beautiful, Agnus Dei, 40 Days, I’m in the way, Breakfast, Survey of Self, I Aspire, The Sleeping Giant, She Cries, Yours, The Glorious Ones, Beautiful Day, Surrender, Beautiful Name
Best bass: Bliss, Feel It Coming On, Hello McFly, Headstrong
Best acoustics: Stars, Little, Trouble Is, Show You Love, I’m in the Way, Ready for the Storm
Best piano/keys: Who Am I, Fallen, Jealous Kind
Best backing vocals: Landslide, Reconnecting, Hello McFly, Wake-up call, I Aspire,
Best vocals: Colored People, Mind’s Eye, Your Touch, Run, Yours, Everything, Landslide, Thinking It
Over, Fallen, Inside Outside, Mountains High, Feel It Coming On, Only Hope, Enough, 40 Days, Wake-up call, Headstrong, I Aspire, The Sleeping Giant, She Cries, Everything About You, Surrender, Bless the Lord, New Way to be Human
Best drums/percussion: Everything, Feel It Coming On, Take Me Away, Trouble Is, I’m in the Way
Best strings arrangement: Colored People, Run, Entertaining Angels, Bless the Lord
Best pop: Colored People, Fallen, New Way to Be Human, Show You Love, Breathe Your Name
Best rock (coveted award*): Get Up, Jesus Freak, Your Touch, Pride Away, Yours, Landslide, Bliss, Metamorphis, Meant to Live, 40 Days, Hello McFly, God is not a Secret, Survey of Self, Beautiful Day, Cadence
Best punk: Yours, Landslide, Hello McFly, Survey of Self, I Aspire, the Sleeping Giant, Starting Line, Cadence
Best medium/hard rock: Get Up, Your Touch, Pride Away, Reconnecting, Bliss, Down, Yours
Best soft/acoustic rock: Stars, Something More, I’m in the Way, Show You Love
Best rap/hip-hop: Time Is, What’s Goin’ Down, Yours

Best artist: Bleach, David Crowder Band, dc Talk, Kutless, Seven Places, delirious?, Switchfoot, Jars of Clay, Hangnail, TobyMac, Tree63
Best album: Astronomy (Bleach), Illuminate (david crowder), Jesus Freak (dc Talk), Lonely for the Last Time (Seven Places), World Service (delirious?), Transparent (Hangnail),
Best worship song: Who Am I, Facedown, Enough, Famous One, Agnus Dei, I See You, Your Love Is Deep, Surrender
Most listens for a single track: Get Up, Tired Heart, Mind’s Eye, Landslide, Thinking It Over, Love is the Compass, Something More, Hello McFly, Reality, Survey of Self, the Sleeping Giant, She Cries
Most moving: Tired Heart, Who Am I, Stars, Mind’s Eye, Your Touch, Run, Pride Away, Landslide, Thinking It Over, Metamorphis, Mountains High, Waiting for the Summer, Only Hope, I Aspire, The Sleeping Giant, She Cries, What’s Goin’ Down, Beautiful Day

------------------------------------------------------------------

Be sure to stay tuned for the conclusion, Round three to find out who will be the:

Specialty Category Winners

Top 10 tracks

Top 3

#1 song of the summer

-------------------

And when the results come in...remember. The results will be as they are...because I say so. ;)

Don't worry. Scrupulous attention has been paid to ensure prudent judging.

ROUND ONE

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The Life and Times of Joshua Clayton is pleased to announce the first annual Summer Music Awards. The summer of 2004 has come and gone…but it’s boasted much new (and old) music listening…and in a somewhat pointless yet fun endeavor (revealing my slight interest in statistics)…

Here is round one of the summer awards.

ROUND ONE

The first round is simply a mega-list of the tracks that have garnered respect in my book…for some reason had to have that second listen…something that made it stand out among hundreds of other tracks (new and old) during the course of this summer’s listening. There were plenty of great Christian artists, albums, and songs…and the narrowing down process is hard. But here is a list of all the nominees. Remember, this is only round one. We still have to get to best artist, best album, honorable mention, top 3…and a few goodies like “best guitar solo,” best vocals, etc…

Congratulations 2004 nominees!

Bleach: Get Up, Tired Heart, Jaded Now
Casting Crowns: Who Am I?
Matt Redman: Facedown, Blessed Be Your Name
David Crowder Band: Revolutionary Love, Stars
Dc Talk: Colored People, Jesus Freak, Mind’s Eye, Time Is, Red Letters, What If I Stumble
Kutless: Your Touch, Run, Pride Away, Dry
Seven Places: Yours, Everything, Landslide, Thinking It Over, Little
TAIT: Fallen, Reconnecting
Delirious?: The Mezzanine Floor, Bliss, Metamorphis, Inside Outside, Mountains High, Feel It Coming On, Love Is the Compass, Alien, Take Me Away, Waiting for the Summer
Switchfoot: Meant to Live, New Way to Be Human, Company Car, Something More, Only Hope
Chris Tomlin: Everything That’s Beautiful, Enough, Famous One
Third Day: Agnus Dei, 40 Days
Relient K: Hello McFly, My Girlfriend, Wake-up Call
Jars of Clay: Headstrong, Trouble Is, Show You Love, I’m in the Way, Jealous Kind
Newsboys: Breakfast, Reality, Entertaining Angels, God Is Not a Secret
Rich Mullins: Ready for the Storm, We Are Not As Strong As We Think We Are
Hangnail: Survey of Self, I Aspire, The Sleeping Giant
Michael W. Smith: I See You
EastWest: She Cries, Down
Megalithic: Start a Revolution, Girl
Number One Gun: Starting Line
TobyMac: What’s Goin’ Down, Yours
Tree63: The Glorious Ones, The Answer to the Question
Sanctus Real: Everything About You
U2: Beautiful Day
Starfield: Filled With Your Glory
Something Like Silas: When I Search
Jason Upton: Dying Star
Jami Smith: Wash Over Me, Your Love Is Deep, Surrender
Jeff Deyo: Bless the Lord
Sixpence None the Richer: Breathe Your Name
Anberlin: Cadence
ZOEgirl: Beautiful Name
Matthew West: More
Sky Harbor: Welcome
Chris Rice: The Other Side of the Radio
Seventh Day Slumber: Candy
Darius J.: Exodus
Skillet: My Obsession

Remember to stay tuned for the conclusion of this year’s awards. Thanks and have a pleasant evening.

Alas!

Alas, alas, parting is such sweet sorrow.
A half-hour ago I finished my last day of cashiering at Sav-a-Center.
As I gathered my coupons, checks, Coinstar payouts, and credit slips and then cleaned my conveyor belt…I realized that it was for the last time.
Last night was my last customer service shift…last night and today were hectic…so I finished on a high note, I guess.
Will I miss working there? I’ll miss the money.
No, no, really. It was a great place to work…I enjoyed it…and the people there were wonderful and professional. I will miss working there. But then again, I wouldn’t want to cashier for the rest of my life: I learned that much.

College next Wednesday! Ah! Got a mobile phone, got a printer cable…okay okay…need to transfer files from one computer to the one I’m taking…my computer wizard Uncle Jan straightened out the forty (4-0 !) security risks on the pc…so now it will work better. Got countless other items…my room looks like a warehouse with all the college stuff that’s waiting to travel with me next week…seriously…there’s barely walking room in there…

I’m leaving in just a minute to go to church to have a meeting. We are preparing for our first prison ministry experience two weeks from today…I’m going to come back from college that weekend for that. Believing God for great things to happen as a result of ministry in Jefferson Parish’s juvenile penitentiary…

And I have to come back that weekend because (glory to God) I have to be awarded a Sav A Center scholarship at a banquet that same weekend!

Well, it’s all happening so fast…I’m almost done reading Fast Food Nation (it’s taken forever)…so I’ll be ready for the academic convocation to go over it at LSU next Friday…ok ok…

And gracious, people, let’s count our blessings and say a prayer for those people down in Florida who got hit hard by Hurricane Charley.

The Ultimate Political Thriller

Last night, in the wee morning hours (I know, I contradicted myself there...)...

I watched the 1962 original The Manchurian Candidate, starring Frank Sinatra.

I heard all the ruckus about the newest theatrical release starring good old Denzel Washington...and for some reason I decided to be daring and watch what I thought very well might turn out to be a very boring old black and white movie.

The original turned out to be far more than I expected.

In fact, it's one of the best movies I've ever seen.

Brief synopsis:
1950's Korean War. Squad or soldiers is captured then brainwashed by Communist troops. They are programed to go back to America and give a false story of what happens to them: they are under the illusion that they are at a meeting of a Ladies' Gardening Club, when it's actually a mess of Communist officers. At this meeting, these captured American men are in a hypnotic, brainwashed state and do whatever they are asked. The Commuinst leader presiding has one soldier strangle a fellow man to death then shoot another in the forehead. Another major is then programed to return to America and recommend this soldier who has just committed 2 murders for being a Medal of Honor recipient.

Years later, where the story picks up, this same major and other soldiers from this once captured squad of soldiers have a recurring nightmare. The dream is an odd mixture of being at a ladies' garden club meeting and back and forth to a communist leaders' summit. Those who have the dream keep remembering a medal of honor recipient, Raymond Shaw, as having murdered 2 fellow soldiers at the meeting. Whenever this point in the dream is reached, whoever has it wakes up in a cold sweat.

From this point on, unbeknowst to the other characters, Raymond, the "Manchurian candidate," who has been in fact programed by the Communists as their own assassin, is coerced into committing several other murders by Soviet contacts in the United States.

Meanwhile, the Major who has had this nightmare invovling Shaw begins to put the pieces together and eventually confronts Raymond about his recurring nightmare. It's only a matter of time before Raymond commits the final assassination he was programed for when captured years ago in Korea: the President of the United States. The Major has only a short time to try and interact with Raymond, de-program him, and figure out who all is involved with this ghastly plot...

That is a very sketchy plot description...all I can say is that the movie is phenomenal and can only be experienced. The things that happen in the movie are truly haunting...the psychological aspects of the movie are what make it thrilling...rather than modern movies' mindless quick camera turns and bullet explosions. This is a thriller for the thinking man/woman. I guarantee you, as you watch the movie and start to put the pieces together, you'll probably hear yourself saying things like, "NO, it can't be!"

Generally, it's more than just a look at Cold War history or the power of being able to brainwash people. It's a movie that captures some of the finest acting talents in Hollywood's history and puts them together in one film.

Just remember...I'm not an old fogie or anything. I don't watch black-and-white movies all the time...but this one is too good to pass up.

In terms of offensive content: I was a bit shocked seeing as this is an older movie. Cursing is minimal, but there are some quite violent scenes, notably murders, the worst being blood splatters. And there's a scene where Raymond's love interest takes her shirt off to wrap a wound, revealing her brassiere. So it's not a family movie.

But the plot depth, the acting talent, the drama...makes me wonder if we're missing out with our mindless movies these days.

If anyone sees the new version of this movie in theaters...tell me how it was. I have an interest in viewing it.

Peace,

...

That cashiering shift was as blank as the ellipsis that forms the title of this post. I thought the morning shift was slow...

Working till close (midnight/12 am) has the effect of putting one to sleep. There's no coffee...no fresh newspaper to read...

Furthermore, the flow of customers gets slower and slower and sloooweer and ssssllllooowweerrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....tending to put one to sleeeeeeeeeeeep.

The only thing of note was kids racing their cars in the parking lot till a cop car showed up...but they'd already left the scene.

Anyhow, I've got to be at work tomorrow morning, so it's a good thing I don't have any new news of worth to post to the cyber-world. I need some sleep.

Chuck E. Cheese

After 7 hours on the clock and a 2-hour nap I awake and my family and I travel to Chuck E. Cheese’s to have a blast.

Welcome to the surreal.

It’s a mixture of both invigorated and overwhelmed as we walked into the mayhem of a 100+ kiddies running around screaming, plus their parents.

The pizza actually was decent.

The mechanized pizza rat and the several screens with the rock star redneck dog, cheerleader duck, and pizza monster singing music videos about pizza, baseball and skydiving are no less than a TRIP. So is the TV monitor…ok, so I briefly jumped in with the kids and got to be on screen in the foreground of Chuck E. and his buds.

Then I got my tokens, helped my little sis out some…then got lost in the maze of games.

Skee-ball is classic, timeless, and extremely addictive.

Star Wars racer is very complex but loads of fun once you learn how to drive using two sticks that you must push forward and backward to accelerate, decel, and turn left and right.

The ATV off road virtual reality has beautiful computer graphics but jolted me around so much I really felt it in my left leg.

The Sega 18-wheeler truck thing is slightly sadistic…running other cars off the road.

The Alcatraz Escape racing is too realistic and I didn’t do it too well…kept blowing my car up.

Basketball is typical.

Getting tickets to win prizes is a ripoff, a farce, and an unsettling way to deceive little kids.

Overall Mr. Cheese provides a surreal world worth visiting. After all, it’s where a kid can be a kid.

Afterwards we continued the party atmosphere at Shoe Carnival…it was hilarious as my dad picked out a pair of blue Converse all-star shoes and my mom looked at him like, “No, Ben.” And on the ride home…wow. I never knew a woman would be so upset about her husband’s pair of shoes. It was funny. I almost got a pair of either orange or black with flames Converses…but I decided I wouldn’t wear them that often…so I settled on a pair of hip Vans…although I don’t skate…I once tried that and fell off nearly busting my behind. My dad surprised me and bought them for me. (The Vans.)

Anyhow I’ve had more than my fill of Cherry Coke and pizza, so I’m going to go run a sluggish mile so I don’t feel so bad about that…oh and the 2 cheeseburgers, fries, and root beer I had on my break at work today…

…which I ate too fast. They said I could either take a 30 minute unpaid lunch break or a 15 minute paid break…the thought of eating and staying on the clock was too much to resist so I chose the 15…I had to dash across the parking lot, use the restroom, order, wolf down a 2-burger combo, run back and punch back in in 15 minutes…doesn’t promote digestion.

Anyhow till next time, be a kid. It’s superb.

Adrenaline

Ran on adrenaline today. Spent 10 hours on the clock at work…it was a long day. I was going to work less but a couple cashiers called in because they couldn’t work, so I stayed longer.

And it was one of those days. I can’t remember all the various problems we encountered today, and I guess it’s better that way. The most memorable experience was this woman walking out with her lone item: a bottle of wine, which she dropped, and which oozed it’s pink contents all over the floor where the exit to the store is. I helped clean it up and she looked in dismay and walked out saying, “I guess I don’t need that.”

But I usually think in terms of “customer relations,” or something. I was thinking how down this woman must be…I started to think, “well maybe she doesn’t need it after all, it’s booze…” but yet I thought the right thing to do would be to do what I did…

…I ran out and tried to console her and apologize for such a disappointment…I said, “Look ma’am, uh, do you want to come back inside, it’s such a letdown, maybe I could talk to a manager to see what we can do?” She came back in, I talked to the store manager…he was already aggravated…I dug the bottle top out of the trash and ran to put it on the service desk with the receipt. I was putting a fresh bottle of wine in the bag for the woman when the top of the bottle rolled off and now IT shattered. A nearby cashier said, “That bottle really is accursed.” After cleaning that up…back to the register…

…And it just seems there were gremlins in the registers today…we had all kinds of problems with items not ringing up right and just general stress-raising situations.

When 5 pm came (I started at 10 am), they said they’d need me till 8…and I ended up having to assume a bit more responsibility tonight…training a new cashier…and briefly watching the front end. It was crazy because we were shorthanded and we have a lady who’s new at running the front end (but she’s awesome and picked it up superbly quickly) so we were all having fun “running things” as various problems happened…

Like me having to explain to a lady that her 20% coupon did not include dairy products, tobacco, or alcohol, which are regulated by alcohol. “Well, my receipt doesn’t say that!” “Well, ma’am, I’m sorry, it’s in the fine print of the sale ad.” “Well still, it wasn’t on my receipt…” Back and forth…

Anyway…I guess I’m going out with a bang with this summer job, in terms of hours and cash.

It’s s 11:45 at night right now and I’ve got to be at work for 6 am tomorrow morning, working the Ghost Town shift. Then Sunday I’m working 6 pm till close (12 pm)…so thanks to the grace of God, a little coffee here and there, and adrenaline…I’ll be raking in some hours.

I’ll need the money for college spending for sure.

My parents rocked my world with all the presents. I got a phone for my dorm room, a new Italian weather wallet (ooh la la very nice), a dress shirt, a Hawaiian shirt, and a WAD of cash (for college spending, they said). And they’re going to get me a cell and add me to there plan for that…free nights and weekends…and always free calls to their mobile phones.

I’ve almost got all my stuff for college ready. I guess it’s good I’ll be working 6 days next week and lots of hours because the last thing I want to do is sit around bored contemplating and being anxious about college.

And tomorrow guess what? This is awesome…after I knock off at 1 pm (sorry Sav a Center, I’m not working more than 7 hours tomorrow **puts hands on hips**)…take a nap…

Our family is going to CHUCK E. CHEESE’S!!!

Do you have Chuck E. Cheese’s where you live? Probably not if you live outside the U.S. Get this…

It’s the ultimate kids party place. The main food is pizza. The main stage has these three mechanical animals, a dog a cat and something else, that play the banjo and cello and something else and sing songs about eating pizza and playing video games and summer and stuff…and you eat pizza and play games and win prizes and roll around in ball pits…and just basically act goofy.

Aaaah…I haven’t played in a ball pit in YEARS, literally. It’s going to be fun being a kid again. What an 18th birthday party…acting like a 5 year old. Sweet.

It seems like there was something else I was going to post about…something of interest. But in my head sometimes at the end of the day my arm is still in a scooping motion, I hear a grocery counter “beep,” or else I feel myself lifting a bag to double bag a load of items.

We cashiers don’t count sheep to go to sleep…we count the number of scanner beeps.

Well maybe this was it…I see people I know all the time in the grocery…at lunch I saw a girl I recognized from the high school I graduated from at Subway (a sandwich store). I didn’t even remember her name though, I wasn’t in a mood for socializing, but I’m glad I asked to sit down and chat…it’s nice to not be selfish sometimes and consider the lives of other people. A bit nervous at first…I’m not good at starting conversations, but I tried and it worked…we talked about college and jobs and stuff…

…and she reacted to something a lot of people have been reacting to. I wear a ring on my left ring finger. People have said, “you’re not married are you?” I get to laugh and say, “no. It’s a purity ring.” It says “COVENANT”on it. I explained to this girl my dedication to Jesus Christ and to being pure waiting for my wife. She, like most people, just looked mildly shocked and interested. As I got a refill and left to go punch back in, I explained what is true for all of us as Christians. We swim against the tide. And I’ll tell you what. It can get lonely sometimes. But I’d rather walk in the dark with Jesus than walk in the light of my own.

"It's Who You Are"

Our family spent some dynamite devotional time with God tonight…my parents were encouraging me about standing for Jesus in college…

My mom told me whatever happens…speak the Word. God has to respond when we speak His Word.

I’m now listening to the delirious? song “History Maker”. I’m really wondering why it’s been a couple months since I listened to this song.

When I first heard it, I adopted it as my banner song. I don’t think I’ll ever have a different favorite song. How could I have forgotten and gotten discouraged lately. I want to be a shining light at Louisiana State University.

But lately due to some necessary humbling, I don’t feel qualified to shine light on a cockroach. I feel run dry. But just hearing History Maker again…it stirs something within my spirit…like God’s saying, “Josh, it’s not over. It hasn’t even begun yet.” I know LSU is the beginning of God using me to speak and live for Him…

I really was being silly. God’s purpose for me is still alive and well.

My mom turned to me and said, “You know why you like this song? Because it’s who you are.

If you’re reading this today, know that the gifts and calling of God, as Romans says, are “without repentance,” meaning they are still there for you. Read Jeremiah 29:11, and…

…remember that: it’s who you are. Be who God has called you to be. And don’t make any apologies to skeptics. Ever.

Eighteen

It was ironic last night before I went to bed listening to Switchfoot's "Let That Be Enough"...

It's my birthday tomorrow...no one here could know
I was born this Thursday...22 years ago

Would have been almost in the realm of the prophetic if that was "18"!

Anyhow, wow. Yummy chocolate cake and choco ice cream...I'm a chocolate freak.

I'm already impressed with being a major...now that I'm 18, I can...

• Be federally and formally prosecuted as an adult
• Be drafted as I've registered with Selective Service
• Buy tobacco
• Work long hours

Hmm...impressive. I go to work, they find out I'm 18...

"Happy birthday! Now you can work till close (midnight) Sunday night!"

Oh, joy.

And buy tobacco? Over my own dead body.

I really don't feel that much older...is this all there is to being an "adult"? Crasy/crazy (depending on whichever spelling floats your boat). ;)

I thank God that I'm alive at 18 and not a statistic...I know that the best is yet to come...and in terms of my future, as a song says, "If the driver's Christ, I'll go far"...

So, is anything else supposed to happen now that I'm 18? No fireworks or hair shooting out of my chest or anything like that?

Relient K's Advice

Marilyn Manson, he's not nice...
Marilyn Manson's shows are overpriced...

O Brothers, Where Art Thou?

No MSN buddies…

Isaac’s offline due to 40 days of prayer
Jenn’s at Lake Tahoe
Tina’s at her uncle’s
Leanne’s in England
David can’t access the computer
Shasha goes to bed earlier than I do
Everyone else is in a different time zone
Except for my friend John who probably has a life and can’t afford to be online…

Facing Changes

On August 18th, I will move into West Laville Hall at Louisiana State University. That's a Wednesday. The following Monday, the 23rd, classes will start. This means I have just over two weeks till I'm at my home away from home...

...for the first time in my life actually on my own. A bit scary...yet exciting. Hard to describe the feeling...

It's happening faster than I ever realized it would...but life is like that I suppose. You're never totally ready for anything. Just like combat. You can ask any soldier who's never had to take another man's life, "Would you be able to do it?" He would like to tell you he'd be able to perform his job without hesitation...but he can't be sure till that sweaty combat moment. Maybe an odd comparison...but I'm often told I'm full of those...odd comparisons. Anyhow...

I have 4 wonderful grandparents still living...and God has used the awesomely to get me toiletries, personal hygiene stuff, money, and food supplies for college...and of course my wonderful parents...I'll be taking this little Dell notebook computer, a printer/scanner...just pray with me that this little computer will start working correctly again before I take it to college. Apparently one class I have, ISDS, will require use of this computer on an almost everyday basis...

You may know that I'm blessed to have my tuition, room & board, and some most fees covered by scholarships. Christ Jesus gets all the credit for that, of course. Furthermore, I've saved up some spending money for myself and for food, supplies, etc...while I'm at college. I will have an on-campus job...but I probably won't have more than like 10 hours per week...I'll need every minute for study and getting used to the college environment I think.

And this money I saved from my job...it's just nice to have a job. To buy milkshakes at Sonic, CDs, ... just got my mom a watch...actually I never got her anything for Mother's Day months ago...because I had no money...she said "your love is enough Josh", but I wanted to do this...and money has wings. Always remember that...doesn't go far.

This guy who comes through my line at Sav a Center sometimes once told me..."Josh, you see all this stuff I'm buying, man? This is just a small shopping trip...and you see how much it costs? [It cost about 250 dollars and he had a wife and 3 daughters.] You don't want some joke of a job...you're going to need a well-paying job to support your family, man. Remember that."

And I do think about that a lot. I don't want my wife and kids to have to just get by. I guess that means not only do I need to work hard...I need to learn to rely on God right now...because after all, I know so many hard-working, well-meaning husbands who just about kill themselves working for wife and kids but can't seem to make it. If my ways please the Lord, though, I know I'll always have enough to provide for my family.

And I don't know if my wife will want to work...if she wants to, fine. But I want to have enough to where if it's her desire, she can stay home with the kids. Really, I hope she's predisposed to wanting to stay home and watch the kids rather than having a job. I want her to be there to nurture our children. That's how it's been in my household...my dad said, "I wouldn't have had it any other way." My mom has been grateful, too.

I wonder where my wife is.

Be right back...I need to pray for her.
******************
Back.
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I wonder if she's at LSU...or across the country...or on the far side of the world...

God knows, I'm expecting that He is keeping her pure for me...I've sacrificed in my youth. Believe it or not, and at the risk of seeming weird, I have never kissed a girl romantically. Needless to say I've also never had sex with a girl...I did not date in high school. I have preserved all that and saved it until I find someone truly prospective. I haven't wasted the love Christ invested in me...I didn't sow my emotions to the wind and get tied up and wrapped around the hearstrings of a bunch of chicks. Babe, when I find you, it's gonna be hot and spicy love...because I won't have any memories of any others. **Lord, please let it be the same for her...preserve her and keep her focused on You**...

Tomorrow I'm going shopping. My parents said, "Look, we want you to contribute some to the stuff you'll need for college with the money you've earned this summer." Uh-huh, and I know the contribution I want to make...

...clothing ;)

That way, I meet my "fashion" needs and I pay part of the cost. What a bargain.

I'm going to miss working at Sav a Center...*sigh*, in a slightly demented way, I'm going to miss the customer service shift they had me work once or twice a week. I know. Strange...okay, so I won't really miss customer service THAT much. ;)

My 1989 Buick's in the shop awaiting some costly repair work. My parents decided it's in my best interest to send me w/o a car first semester so that I can "adjust." True, I'll have enough on my plate dealing with rigorous studies, living on my own, dealing with all kinds of new social pressures and outings...etc. Anyhow, I have 2 cousins at LSU, and I can easily get transportation...I think I know the church God wants me to attend...I'll have to see...and there are plenty of Christian groups on campus I can hook up with...

Got my microwave and fridge...Mom's going to get me some bedding...

Gee, I'm excited about the independence...but why am I so nervous about the responsibility?

AH!

STUDENT TICKETS TO LSU FOOTBALL GAMES FOR THIS SEASON ARE SOLD OUT!!!

I was supposed to get online when at 8 a.m. student tickets were made available to freshman. You see, they were offered first starting with seniors, they working down to us underlings.

Apparently the remaining tickets were sold to freshman within a half hour...

...but I was on the site at 8:07 a.m....trying to access it...but it was so busy I never even got on! It just kept refreshing trying to access it...but there were too many people on...

...doggone dial-up. :(

Maybe I can cough up the mega bucks for regular tickets for at least one game...it's just not the same though! LSU football is a huge deal (we were the SEC champs last year)...and I don't have tickets but...

...I'll stop bellyaching.