Enough

Enough endless hurricane stuff on my blog. A little normalcy. What I've been doing lately.

Tuesday I slept the whole day away till the evening, woke up and ended up going to Tollie's with Recka and Cody to stay up all night with video games, coffee, swimming, and other oddities. At daybreak, we ate breakfast. Then at 8 a.m. Wednesday we went to the PMAC to help volunteer. We were only there about a half-hour because they didn't need much help at the time. I went back, showered, talked to Recka about missionary work, and eventually went back to Tollie's for more video games / swimming. Then I ate and met with some friends to go back to the PMAC. I worked there for another 3.5 hours basically just walking around asking the elderly what they needed. I hunted everything from ambulance information to plates of food to female hygiene necessaries for poor stranded refugees in this field-house turned hospital. When I left, Emily and Lacey showed up back at Tollie's to pick me up and bring me to Nicole's birthday party. Whoa, and she cooked for her own birthday, how crazy is that?! Delicious, though. Great folks, great food, great fun. Now It's midnight and after staying up all night last night, I'm exhausted and going to sleep till probably noon.

Actually that's not normalcy, is it?

Should I Laugh or Cry?

Even a cop joins in the looting
Mike Perlstein and Brian Thevenot
Staff writers, Times-Picayune

Law enforcement efforts to contain the emergency left by Katrina slipped into chaos in parts of New Orleans Tuesday with some police officers and firefighters joining looters in picking stores clean.

At the Wal-Mart on Tchoupitoulas Street, an initial effort to hand out provisions to stranded citizens quickly disintegrated into mass looting. Authorities at the scene said bedlam erupted after the giveaway was announced over the radio.

While many people carried out food and essential supplies, others cleared out jewelry racks and carted out computers, TVs and appliances on handtrucks.

Some officers joined in taking whatever they could, including one New Orleans cop who loaded a shopping cart with a compact computer and a 27-inch flat screen television.

Officers claimed there was nothing they could do to contain the anarchy, saying their radio communications have broken down and they had no direction from commanders.

“We don’t have enough cops to stop it,” an officer said. “A mass riot would break out if you tried.”

Inside the store, the scene alternated between celebration and frightening bedlam. A shirtless man straddled a broken jewelry case, yelling, “Free samples, free samples over here.”

Another man rolled a mechanized pallet, stacked six feet high with cases of vodka and whiskey. Perched atop the stack was a bewildered toddler.

Throughout the store and parking lot, looters pushed carts and loaded trucks and vans alongside officers. One man said police directed him to Wal-Mart from Robert’s Grocery, where a similar scene was taking place. A crowd in the electronics section said one officer broke the glass DVD case so people wouldn’t cut themselves.

“The police got all the best stuff. They’re crookeder than us,” one man said.

Most officers, though, simply stood by powerless against the tide of law breakers.

One veteran officer said, “It’s like this everywhere in the city. This tiny number of cops can’t do anything about this. It’s wide open.”

At least one officer tried futilely to control a looter through shame.

“When they say take what you need, that doesn’t mean an f-ing TV,” the officer shouted to a looter. “This is a hurricane, not a free-for-all.”

Sandra Smith of Baton Rouge walked through the parking lot with a 12-pack of Bud Light under each arm. “I came down here to get my daughters,” she said, “but I can’t find them.”

The scene turned so chaotic at times that entrances were blocked by the press of people and shopping carts and traffic jams sprouted on surrounding streets.

Some groups organized themselves into assembly lines to more efficiently cart off goods.

Toni Williams, 25, packed her trunk with essential supplies, such as food and water, but said mass looting disgusted and frightened her.

“I didn’t feel safe. Some people are going overboard,” she said.

Inside the store, one woman was stocking up on make-up. She said she took comfort in watching police load up their own carts.

“It must be legal,” she said. “The police are here taking stuff, too.”

(Staff writers Doug MacCash and Keith Spera assisted in this story.)

The Latest

LSU cancels classes until Sept. 6, emergency medical operations set up on campus.

As the above article explains, no more school for me or my fellow LSU students through next Tuesday. The reason is that the university is being used as a MAJOR relief center in the region. Basicallly, there are so many homeless people in New Orleans with nowhere to go, they're having to go as far away as Baton Rouge to have a place to stay. As well, apparently, Baton Rouge hospitals are unable to function with the number of patients coming in, so LSU facilities are being used as makeshift medical centers. The Pete Maravich Center is being used as a hospital and even a temporary morgue. They are accepting student volunteer help, so I might volunteer for a mid-night shift this week. Anyway, this explains why I've seen FEMA people around campus. We're housing FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Association) reps around campus.

I was able to obtain more information about particular aspects of the devastation in New Orleans, as well as Slidell, my hometown. At 11 p.m. last night, Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans listed the following items, per a meeting he had with FEMA, who made a preliminary inspection of the city and surrrouding areas:

• 80% of New Orleans underwater (with accompanying video footage that frightfully attests to this statistic)
• 20 feet of water in some places
• Both airports "underwater"
• The twinspans "GONE" (twin bridges across Lake Pontchartrain)
• There is an oil tanker leaking
• 17th Street Canal levee break
• Houses picked up off foundations and moved
• A barge hit the High Rise bridge, making the structure "unsound"
• "All of Slidell underwater, as well as Metairie" (a bit of exaggeration, but about half of Slidell is indeed submerged)
• Uptown/CBD/Fr. Quarter pretty dry
• Residents, do not come back!
• Contaminated city water
• No electricity "for a 4-6 week minimum"
• Time to start the process of rebuilding the city
• Bodies floating in the water
• "Significant loss of life in the city"
• 40,000 homes flooded in St. Bernard Parish alone
• Everything north of I-10 underwater
• 20,000 people in the Superdome, all restless. Allowed only once to get out for some "fresh air"
• Not sure about the Causeway
• "The whole length of the Twinspans GONE"
• FEMA guy said this is the worst he has ever seen
• A lot of looting. No one to stop them because the law officials are busy rescuing people
• Boats being commandeered to rescue people on rooftops, etc.

A Monday 9:45 p.m. news article related the following:

• Chief Mike Ross says information from the Northshore has been sparse because there is no communication available from that side of the lake
• No residents being allowed back into St. Tammany till further notice
• "St. Tammany parish officials asked those reading about the situation on the Internet to warn relatives not to return at this time" ...no certain time has been set for them to return.
• Massive storm surge in Slidell
• Lake Pontchartrain overflowed its banks and has chest deep water from Lake to Old Spanish Trail exit

The following is more "unconfirmed" and "hearsay" that I got from NOLA forums regarding Slidell:

• Eden Isles at least 10 feet underwater
• Northshore Square Mall under 8 feet of water
• New Chinese restaurant completely covered
• Many homes without roofs
• Bowling USA wall collapsed
• Mall "like a lake"
• Many trees covering I-12
• Not much of Gause Blvd. covered
• Race Trac destroyed
• Trees smashed in cars

WBRZ News video I watched stated this about Slidell:

• Military Road "underwater"
• Wall of water, the storm surge, eyewitnesses said 6 feet of water came in like a wave. No water to 6 feet of water in under 2 minutes.
• People who stayed in Slidell are trying to get out the city

If I get any other breaking information, I will post it. The point is that in some ways it's looking like the damage is a bit more extensive that I thought, especially with the bridges being washed out.

I want to thank everyone for the concerned comments on my blog, as well as phone calls and text messages of support. You are much appreciated, as are your prayers.

Disaster

First of all, my family and I are safe.

Hurricane Katrina has moved on and left a lot of destruction behind in my home State of Louisiana.

Last night my friends and I were playing games, even went swimming at 1 a.m., though monitoring the storm on T.V. In Baton Rouge, there was a little wind, a strong breeze, but nothing extraordinary. We all went to bed late, deciding nothing strong would happen. I slept most of the day away to awake to a call telling me that the rest of Baton Rouge was without power. I said, "Well, I see my roomate's over there on the internet!" Apparently, LSU is on generators or something so we've been the only ones with power.

Pieceing together what I've learned from T.V. and other sources, this could have been "much worse." Bad enough though. New Orleans could be without power for as much as 4 weeks, I've heard, with St. Tammany (where I live) for as much as 2 weeks. The massive Superdome of New Orleans had some of its roof ripped off. Certain areas of New Orleans are underwater. A levee collapsed, allowing water to pour in. Metairie was hit the hardest, with EJG Hospital's entire first floor flooded. My grandparents are miraculously alive after several oak trees in their front yard were knocked down, barely missing the house, else they would have been surely crushed. My mom and I had a somber conversation about home. Apart from a miracle, there's the possibility that our house is gone, because Slidell got hit the hardest. My family is in Memphis, Tennessee.

Here in Baton Rouge, it looks like we had some maybe Category 1 gale force winds because walking outside, I noticed downed trees, debris and a lot of other crap all over the roads and sidewalks. I just spoke to my friend while writing this. His power has been restored. Although his parents still don't, so they're cooking everything in the refrigerator before it spoils. LSU classes are, needless to say, closed again tomorrow.

My biggest concern is for my family and friends who live around Lake Pontchartrain. There's no telling how long it will be before my parents and siblings can return to even see if home is still there, as it's a disaster area. While we were sitting around Saturday night, my friend Zeke, in the Air Force Nat'l Guard, got activated, so he's assisting with disaster relief and such.

All in all, whatever happens, my family and friends are alive and very fortunate, very blessed by God. Still, many people I know will be very affected by this, for quite some time. This is only a small taste of the Biblical prophecy that "in the last days perilous times shall come."

But then take a look at Psalm 91.

Hurricane Katrina

You may know that there is a Category 5 hurricane on the Gulf Coast. That hurricane, named Katrina, will be making landfall a half-hour from my hometown in southeast Louisiana early tomorrow morning. It is the 4th biggest hurricane ever recorded, if I understand correctly. I am in Baton Rouge, though, a fairly safe distance away. My family has evacuated to Tennessee.

While my parents were evacuating last night, my roomate and I made fliers and passed them out to all of East Laville's residents, advertising the Bible study that was (is?) supposed to start Monday night. That's in the air now of course because of this massive storm. Class has been canceled though. Yeehaa! Hey I'm not belittling the threat of this storm, but we might as well rejoice about whatever we get that's good. And that would be class being canceled.

Also last night me and the boyz played Risk, a game which lasted 6 hours. Good stuff. I went to church at Hosanna today with everyone else because Chi Alpha was doing the church service for them. Nick told me that I was sharing a testimony about South Africa. I was like, "yeah I can do it." I was nervous but enjoyed sharing. I made it under the 5 minute mark, only because Tollie told me I had to. Then my roomate and I decided to wash clothes this afternoon. Of course it's a madhouse at the laundromat downstairs as everyone wants to clean their clothes before we lose electricity from the storm.

Tonight the boyz are having a hurricane party. And we're doing more of this:

Sick and Tired

I'm sick and tired. Not sick and tired of "...", just sick and tired. But some cool stuff happened today, I guess. Like eating an omelette/grilled cheese sandwich/smoothie/chocolate milk for lunch, watching a professor play with toys in Accounting 2101, seeing my friend James wear a cool hat he got in Scotland, staffing a concert I didn't know existed until a couple hours before it was starting, talking to three girls all named Emily in one day, hanging out with my new friend Cody, and getting blown to smitherenes by Tollie Martin Coates IV many times whilst playing Perfect Dark for Nintendo '64.

And this doesn't count cos it didn't happen today, but lately I've been told I look like 1) something out of the 70s, 2) "somebody," 3) Dave Grohl of the band Foo Fighters, and 4) one of the disciples on a Bible movie, and 5)Jesus.

....and bed.

Why I want to buy Relient K's Mmhmm

Because it's awesome and has song titles like "The Only Thing Worse Than Beating a Dead Horse is Betting on One." However, I shall not spend now. Money for car insurance and living doth beckon. There's always PureVolume.

Oh Happy Day (Night)

And here it is ... back again ... the college rush of fun cool things happening. Working out, then going to open the cafe and seeing some homies, and then...going to the cafeteria and eating with other equally notable homies. And then having a pre-lifegroup event of billiards with some new friends. And then going back to the cafe, only to be stopped by friends I haven't seen in ages. To talk to them about my and their mission trip over the summer over Raoul's burgers (and even be offered half of a burger that was unfinished). And then to close the cafe to have Anuj stop by and excitedly discuss his conversion to Christ and encourage each other. To then study chemistry in the lobby for an hour and then stop and talk to Renee at the desk to help her stay awake in her mid-night shift. To come back to my room and see my computer on and feel compelled to type this meaningless blog post. To put off the rest of homework till I'm sitting at the ISDS front desk bored tomorrow morning. To be waking up in ...5 HOURS?! Whoa, that's actually jacked up.

Eh, I dunno...

Wanna see something funny and embarrassing? It involves me.

Look Out

...here I come. John and I just worked out at the REC for the first time in months. We're gonna wRECk you up if you mess with us, UH! Actually we're both sore, so you'd probably kick our butts. In any case, it's good to be trying to be in the state of ...being ...fit ...again. Uh-huh.

Bean/Wrecka

Me and my roomate happily hauling other freshmen's belongings during Roaring into the Halls last week.

How the Mighty Have Fallen!

Man, all the people who used to live in East and West Laville my first year of college are GONE! The lobby is empty. There's no 24-hour-a-day crowd there to put a smile on my face when I wander through there studying late at night. All the people in my class, it seems, have moved to another dorm or moved off campus. I mean, it's going to be good to get to know new folks...but looking back I realize that my freshman year was the most fun year of my life. The dawn of a new day...

God Rest My Soul

I spent $565.00 on textbooks for the semester this week.

Food, Glorious Food

I now have a campus meal plan!

Last Day of Freedom

Classes start tomorrow. What classes am I taking again? Oh yeah, I need to get books, too.

Great church service put on by LSU XA at Bethel Temple. Jonathan Buras' testimony was soul-stirring. Ran around Baton Rouge and found a Piccadilly I could use my mom-given gift card at, as LSU decided not to activate my meal plan. Went to Michelle's surprise birthday party. Ate and played taboo. Then Zeke, Timothee, Tollie & I celebrated our last night on earth I MEAN ...last night of no class, playing some Perfect Dark and watching the Matrix. I donated my bike to Zeke. Before he rode away, he uttered a quote that has become another favorite of mine. He looked at me and said, "Dude, you're doing an impression of yourself!"

Saturday

Slept till past 2 p.m. For shame. Must have needed it as it was sound sleep and it felt like early morning when I got up. Discovered LSU decided to not activate my meal plan, so I hope they get it straightened out early enough next week for me to be able to EAT. Did a bunch of calling people to schedule volunteer workers for Cafe Chi Alpha next week. After nigh an hour, miraculously, I think the schedule is complete. We're doing this Monday through Wednesday in the evenings to provide a good atmosphere for students to study and get cheap coffee during the week. Great in-road to the XA community as well. Went to the Rock the Rec, and I climbed the rock wall ...twice, while my friends laughed at me putting on the climbing device. I exclaimed, "It's like a weird undergarment!" Climbing takes some upper body strength, I'll tell you! Then we went to the "Block Party" on the parade grounds. I never found the "block" and I don't know what happened to the "party" but there was loud music and folks standing around. Anyway, I got free pizza. Better yet, mingled and met a ton of really cool people! I invited a lot of people to the Gathering and to Lifegroup, because I really am excited about what God wants to do in students' lives this semester. I want us together to learn what it means to be at peace with being a living sacrifice. After that, John and James, 2 new friends, came with me, Zeke, Lionel, and Tollie to hit up some Perfect Dark for '64. Anyone remember that game? ...and bed.

Another boring update

Really. You shouldn't be reading this. Go see a movie, for crying out loud! Probably cheaper than the internet fees your creating for yourself reading this. I know you love me. I love you too. Whoever you are. I shouldn't even blog about today; but I am. Because the whole summer I've done huge blog posts about ideas and movies and trivial stuff. And now that my life is bubbling with excitement at uni again, my posts become short...now that I'm always tired when it's time to post at 1, 2 a.m. Here goes.

Slept till noon. Ran around LSU doing a 1034.2 errands, including going to the LSU Bursar, trying to buy books and not actually buying any, making TigerCash deposits, banking, picking up football season tickets, and the like. A quick shower, then to the parade grounds. Help set up for the XA barbecue. 6-8:30 p.m. Staff barbeque, mainly combing the crowd and talking to guys, trying to make friends and spread the word about Lifegroup (held in my dorm room). Got to pray with a guy who responded to salvation call. Then clean up. Then to the student union for Late Night LSU. Staffed XA contact table for about an hour at Student Org. Fair, then went to see the comedian, did a little Dance Dance Revolution, got some pizza, saw some folks, and left at 1:30 a.m. Walked down to get my cellphone from Cafe Chi Alpha as I'd lost it but happily it was retrieved and turned in by Pastor Nick there. You should have heard the mournful prayers I prayed that I find it. Thank you Jesus.
...and bed.

Tired.

Very. Not much sleep. Up since 7:30 a.m. til 2 p.m. helping with move-in into the dorms. Then cafe preparation the rest of the day and the conert tonight. It's been a day. Fulfilling though. So busy that I missed meeting the legendary Isaac Phillips as he and family were driving back home through Louisiana. Yeah. Blog posts will be sporadic and boring for a while, people.

Back

Well well. Back at LSU. Moved back into the dorms today. Thanks Roomate, Tollie, and Zeke. I will be busy with various things (even classes!) for an unforseeable amount of time, so...."run longer, sleep less, as the Indian dude off of that sledding movie said. What was that movie? Forgot. Meh. Tired. Bye.

A wake-up call for American Christians

This is what Chinese Christians are enduring to stand for their faith.

Because of Winn-Dixie

This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Period. My parents wanted to get together and watch a "family" movie before I went back to college. I inwardly moaned thinking that Because of Winn-Dixie was a Beethoven remake, another dog movie. I owe them an apology. The dog is a small part of the emotionally gripping slice-of-life story of a 10-year-old blonde-headed Southern girl who comes to grip with the troubled world around her. Set in what looks like either Louisiana or possibly Everglades Florida, the imagery is vivid and beautiful. The town's odd characters are so real, you feel like you've known them all your life. One of the best things is that the story has a bittersweet ending, just like the "melancholy" feeling created by the local candy and its special ingredient of "sadness." The most powerful scene is where Opal hangs out with an elderly black lady at her home. She points to hundreds of liquor bottles she has hung from a huge oak tree and refers to them as the ghosts of her past sins. Also charming is the lonely pet store guy who can charm the animals buy playing his acoustic guitar. He has a shady past, but Opal learns to judge him by the good things she knows about him, not the negative gossip pervading the town. This is a movie to which I cannot ascribe an accurate plot description. It is one of those movies, however, that is revelatory, edging on epiphany. There are certain points where a certain line, a landscape, or a emotion on a character's face that made me think, "That's it. That's exactly how life is. That's the answer to the question I've been trying to figure out."

Here's something else to figure out: Why does Hollywood rarely produce quality like this anymore, and why is it so hard to find out when they do?

5 stars. I recommend it to you, your Great Grandmother, your second grade bully, and of course, your dog.

Chi Alpha Retreat: Photo Time!

Here is my blog post reporting the retreat. I didn't have pics at the time, but thanks to Ashley Jackson posting them on her site, now we can all enjoy them. For more photos: LSU XA official site.

Our lifegroup, "The Wreckin' Crew," praying for God to lead us this semester. The blue-red-green-yellow color scheme was not intended, but God really worked a unity theme in there, didn't he? John Barreca (my roomate) in blue, Zeke Brewer in Red, Me in Green, Lionel Dennis in yellow.
Me (left) and my friend Tollie Coates (right) were gung-ho, the first to jump in the water to prepare for the day's water activities. Thank goodness I had an Eagle scout with me to do the "J-stroke"! We flipped over like 5x, and the lake even ate my t-shirt, and I almost lost my hat as well.
Nick and Adam flip over as we play a game someone invented on the spot. The best description I can give is "canoe football." (American football for non-U.S. readers.) Each side of the pond was an end-zone. Loads of fun, actually!
Lisa King poses for Cosmo.
Michelle Scott aging before our eyes! Wisdom beyond her years.
Dustin aka "Money" and Adam Stephenson represent the cross.
The RED team listens to instructions about the upcoming Capture the Flag event. What made the 3 rounds we played so interesting was that there was a pond right in the center, with two land bridges on the side. Left to right: Adam Stephenson, Derrick Brumley, John Barreca, Me, Angelique Ortego, Renee Nestor, Michelle Scott (with Kristin Shipp in the background).
Let the chaos of trying to get deep into enemy territory begin!
At some point in the first round, Jonathan Buras said, "Josh jump in and swim across to get their flag!" Now I knew we were desperate, but me, swim?! I tentatively ripped my sneakers off and started swimming across the pond, into enemy territory, toward the flag...
Reaching the shallow water, a couple blue team members met me, halting my advance. Suddenly red team members (my team) showed up on land and made a diversion! Seizing the moment, I climbed up onto the pier. I ran to the end of the pier, where the enemy flag lay on land, grabbed it, and while being chased by Casey Jaynes, ran as fast as I could down the pier, leaped off, and threw the flag to Renee Nestor. We swam it back to shore, winning us the first round!
Fresh out of the water, Ashley asked for a victory pose, and a tired, silly grin is the best I could
muster.
Renee, my "Navy SEAL" partner in crime. (A better swimmer than I).
Crystal Lengendre has got our flag! My bad. I was runnin after her when Tollie of her team blocked me. I tossed my flour-filled sock at her and missed. You can see the aftermath of me colliding with Tollie in the background. Yeah, that's my sorry behind lying in the dirt.
Third round. I'm somewhere on the other side of the pond exhausted. But Derrick Brumley (far left) has repeated my stunt, except with much better style, and brings the flag home! Bring it, baby!

About a Burning Fire, Blindside

This is a cool album. I love Christian Lindskog's Swedish accent, and he's the first I've heard to sing and scream equally well...and harmonize the two. The song "Shekina" (a Hebrew word for God's glory) is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard...probably one of the best songs I've heard. It combines a Swedish female vocalist yodeling, violin, and some soft singing from Lindskog in Swedish that is haunting, it's so beautiful. Purportedly about his born again experience. A great listen.

I THOUGHT ABOUT FIRE IN THE SKY, I THOUGHT ABOUT ...FIIIIIRRREEEE!!!

4 Days in One

Day 1 was the continuation of the preceding day. Midnight until I went to bed. We'd gotten in late from the scholarship banquet, and I stayed up till 3 a.m.

Day 2 started at 5 a.m., with less than 2 hours of sleep, as I awoke to get ready for work. It lasted until 8 a.m. During the first couple hours of work, I felt as if in a dream, I was so exhausted. Looking back, it's hard to realize that period of the actual day was real.

Day 3 started at 8 a.m. Sable showed up to work customer service, so I had someone to talk to...making me realize I'm actually awake. It lasted until 2:20 p.m., when I got off work and said goodbyes. It was my last day at Sav-a-Center.

Day 4 started thereafter, as I left from a full day of work at only 2:30 p.m. I talked to my friend Patrick for the first time since he's been married. Went and bought About a Burning Fire by Blindside, my first Blindside CD. Upon an album preview, I think it is a heavy-hearted work of brilliance and gusto. Drove to Aunt Ginny's house, where my whole mom's side of the family gathered for a dinner. It was good seeing my precious relatives again, whom I love dearly. My cousins are growing up so fast! Upon walking in, I noticed they had Dance Dance Revolution for PS2. I went to town using that apparatus. It was a lot of fun. I'd only played it twice before, but I once again confirmed that I'm no Napoleon Dynamite dancing genius. Great workout though! Big yum dinner. Jumped on the trampoline with my cousins and played a Disney trivia game. I was glad to spend time with them, as they are going through a difficult family situation now and need to feel the love of God.

I can't believe it. I'm driving back to Baton Rouge Tuesday, so I've got 2 days to pack my stuff before I leave home for university again.

Thanks for a pleasant eveningAnd the money

My dad and I went to a ritzy country club today to receive a $1,000 Sav-A-Center scholarship. I got the award last year, and by working at the store again this summer, was eligible to re-apply. Praise God! $1,000 goes quickly, i.e. a year's books.

2 hours of sitting at a table in a chandelier-laced room revealed pleasant and quite interesting people at our table. Aspiring lawyers, store managers, and a lady who told her whole life story in the 4 hours we were together at the table, everything from her scuba diving to selling Mary Kay. I guess I didn't fool anyone with my green suit; I'm not meant to be part of high-class society. I conversed most with the woman to my left who was really funny and ran a flooring business. Delicious meal, great jazzy music from a local trio, and hey, getting that scholarship check was not too shabby, either. Oddly enough, the guest speaker had canceled last minute and we ended up hearing from the VP of the Metro Crime Commission. Good speaker, but the worst speech that could have been given at a ceremony. He talked for 45 minutes about the corruption in the New Orleans Police Department, and then the next guy basically got up, coughed, and announced it was time to give out money.

Not only will I miss making money at this store, I will also miss the people. I will miss trying to stay awake Saturday mornings, talking to Sable and Mrs. Maria about the crazy customers. For example, the old woman who dug out of the salad bar. She consistently digs out lettuce from the bar and eats it, after being warned many times by store managers not to. She also one time complained, "You know what I just did?! Because there's no water fountain in this store, I was just FORCED to eat the icicles out of the freezer case!" She also grabbed the bookkeeper one time and started raving about the coffee machine being broken and saying something like, "Hey, these donut samples I'm eating, do you want to charge me for these also just like that free salad sample over there, or what! Hmph."

Reminds me of the woman in the local papers recently who drove through the front of a gas station. She said, "I was driving to the front to inquire about a receipt, and while gradually applying pressure to the brake, suddenly lurched forward, launching the car through the front of the store."

"If I Stand"

So if I stand let me stand on the promise
That you will pull me through
And if I can't let me fall on the grace
That first brought me to You
And if I sing let me sing for the joy
That has born in me these songs
And if I weep let it be as a man
Who is longing for his home

-the late, great Rich Mullins

Click here for full lyrics.

A Salute to Our Heroes

Click Here. It is a slideshow of photos of American men and women serving our country in the military. No politics allowed. Click and view the heroism of people who give their lives daily, putting everything they have on the line...(it's a very touching presentation, by the way.)

In Memory of a Legend

In memory of Peter Jennings, 1938-2005.
I literally was shocked at his passing earlier this week. This was my favorite newscaster that I have grown up watching.
I especially remember admiring his eloquence as a speaker and his heartfelt and warm moments of consoling the American public during the tragic terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001...
You will be missed.

New Music Tuesday

One is sorta new, the other one is new to me.

1. Switchfoot's new single, "Stars." Folks, this is rock n' roll defined. C'mon. You know you want to headbang. Even this nun, does. Click on the nun at right to hear the new 4:20 monster melody-rampage.








2. For those of you who'd rather "roll" than "rock" with some jazzy tunes......A video game soundtrack?! Yes. Anybody remember SimCity? I used to play it all the time. Haven't in years. My little bro and sis pulled out the game, I heard the music; on a whim, I searched to see if there was a soundtrack. There is. Downloadable for free. It's got great CD quality jazz, electronica, etc. Really, it's quality stuff. Instant favorite. Click on the nun at left.

2 more things...

This comes out Friday and looks like a great movie.

I'm growing a little facial hair. An attempt it is ...we'll see what happens.
Well, you already know my head hair is long.

Whole Lotta Fun

Now I need to vacuum my car.

LSU XA leadership retreat rocked!! After a quick birthday celebration, putting a couple checks in the bank, then picking up Crystal Legendre and John "the Recka" Barreca, we were on our way to Norwood, Louisiana. In the middle of nowhere, great outdoor-sy getaway. 3 days of Chi Alpha leadership seeking God, bonding with each other, planning ministry on campus for this year, and having a blast in nature.

Some highlights:

• Belting out Kelly Clarkson songs in the car on the way (and jamming on the breaks in a backwoords highway that suddenly deadended into the middle of another highway).
• Hearing Pastor Nick say things like, "I want this year to be the most spiritual ever...we need to have a restoration of a fear of the LORD...the Holy Spirit empowers us not for ourselves, but empowers us to serve others, the focal point of this year's ministry."
• Meeting with my Lifegroup Bible study co-leaders and excitedly discussing this semester.
• Playing something like football on a lake ...in canoes. Rules are you have to throw the football (a Dasani water bottle) to other canoes, with members from your team, and row to the other "end zone" (the other shore), and dropping it or getting hammered by someone whacking your canoe with their paddle is a turnover. We did this for 2.5 hours. Tollie and I flipped over like 5-6 times, the lake ATE my tee-shirt. (And almost my LSU hat.) After much ramming of canoes, being dumped overboard, Adam Stephenson injuring his leg, tired limbs, lots of yelling, we were tired but happy.
• Saturday night praying for each other in a powerful time of prayer.
• BBQ and campfire, roasting marshmallows, making s'mores, me jumping over the campfire.
• Playing capture the flag, (with a pond in the middle) and Renee and I went "Navy SEAL". We couldn't get the flag, so I swam across the pond, Renee following a minute later. Simultaneously, others on our team ran over there and created a diversion, while I emerged from the water, ran to get the flag, chased by Casey to the pier which I launched myself off of, threw the flag to Renee, as we swam back to our side. (Of course, my heroism didn't last long, as by the third round of capture the flag, I had heat exhaustion and couldn't get the friggin' vomit out. Props to D-Brumley for re-doing the Navy SEAL feat again much more stylishly than I did!)
• Water balloon toss, an exam on leadership topics we'd taken (including having to run across a field to take a written examination, where people plastered us with shaving cream to distract us while taking the test), and having a canoe race.

We've got a great year planned, great leadership, now we just need to seek God fervently, love with Him with all our heart soul mind strength, love people...

Happy Birthday to Me

I'm on the run to go to a Chi Alpha retreat for this weekend, but I'll post later on the wonderful meal my family gave me and the presents they got me. :)
Cheers,
Bean

EDIT: Presents:
Saving Private Ryan, Special Edition -John.
Dr. Pepper 12-pack, Pringles, M&M's -Matt.
Squishy comfy pillow thing that is the invention of the century and rocks superbly and quite nicely, as well -Hannah & Jessica.
Gift Certificates to Piccadilly Cafeteria and Voice of the Martyrs t-shirt -Mom&Dad.

Now this is exciting.

This September, their 5th release. Their website has clips of most of the songs, and from listening, I can tell you that the melodies are (to my utter glee) even more infectious than those from The Beautiful Letdown. Sounds like a return to more of a straightforward guitar-rock record, the most so since The Legend of Chin, their debut. These are some intriguing thoughts that provide an outlook to the vibe of and reason for Switchfoot V. I haven't been this excited about an album release since late 2003, anticipating delirious?' World Service. September 13. Haste the day. Rock n' roll ...on. Beautiful artwork, eh?

Hero of the Week: Rich Barber

Congratulations, Rich! Visit his weblog for a fascinating account of his recent trip from his native England to the USA.

A Brilliant and Beautiful Breakthrough

Look what I found! Oh, it's a beauty. And you all thought I was kidding when I said I considered Super Mario Bros. 3 and the playing thereof to be a science.
Click Here To Enlarge.

American Idiot Review

"Don't wanna be an American Idiot!" Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day's frontman sings on "American Idiot," the opening track of the album of the same name. We've all heard it at some point in the past year or so, out in public, else we were stalked down by the ever-present "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," off the same album. What American Idiot attempted was rock opera, punk rock opera, that is. The album is a horrific in-your-face life story of a coming-of-age rebellious youth in America. Ironically, after the main character opens the album singing about avoiding being an idiot American ...he uses 12 more tracks of drugs, failed romantic relationships, misplaced political activism, and identity crisis to prove he is just that: an idiot. Another rebellious young idiot, who doesn't arrest any cultural crisis, but gets arrested, instead. Green Day's latest and now year-old endeavor is at times morose, bitter, vulgar, and depressing, but most unfortunately it's an accurate depiction of what it's like to grow up in the country this band is so angry with.

I was interested in AI when I first saw the odd album cover. I love intense imagery. Then I heard the first single, the title track on the radio. It appeared Green Day (the slang name for a day of smoking marijuana) were at their drug-induced angry state as usual, especially when watching the stupid guitar-throwing, green slime-oozing music video. And then of course there was the political, anti-Bush statement, "I'm not a part of a redneck agenda." As my friend Matt says, "Well then according to their [the band's] definition, I guess I am!" Of course you had to love the song musically, as well as the clean-slice rock single "Holiday," which was an equally musically likeable assualt of guitar-drum antics. Of course, the the song's implication about the war in Iraq made me want to severely slap the singer. But then there was "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," a cliche-ridden song that escaped the normal moan-and-groan ballad to become a simple lament about loneliness. And I really, really liked it. I read a little about the concept of the album as an opera, heard some clips, discussed it with several people as it was becoming popular, and recently eventually (gasp) just...
...bought it. It was both better and worse than I expected.

I listened through it once and was a little shocked, a little amazed. Before having a second listen, I went online to gather a little more understanding about the plot of the album's story. Basically, American Idiot is 13 tracks of back-to-back songs that blend into each other, in rock opera fashion. There are two 9-minute bookends that form the main plot structure. It is the story of Jesus. Not the Biblical Jesus, but a guy in his late teens named Jesus, who lives in Jingletown, USA. Possible interpretations of use of the name Jesus may be that this is a ridicule of Christianity, or that the character is attempting to save the town he lives in, the "Jesus (or savior) of Suburbia". The album notes give dates, which put the whole story at about a year in length. The opening track is a tone setter for the album. It is Jesus' statement of defiance and his own awakening to a perception that the media is clouding the public's judgment of reality. Track 2 is "Jesus of Suburbia," a 5-part, 9-minute song. It is my favorite on the album, musically brilliant and telling a mammoth story that is a slice of modern life, a portrait of the wickedness of this age. Jesus (of Suburbia) describes his upbringing in a divorced/torn family, experimenting with drugs, loitering at gas stations, becoming fed up with the poverty and social problems of Jingletown, and eventually deciding to run away from the "hurricane...of lies" that he has been raised in. He leaves for the city, leaving behind a tale "from another broken home." "Holiday," #3, is after Jesus has arrived at the city, and he runs into some war protestors. He joins them and finds security in the crowds, happiness in being passionate about something, albeit political activism. Next is the hit "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," where Jesus discovers that even in the big crowds of the city, it is easy to become isolated, and to feel alienated. Think modern literature's theme of "fragmentation." Track #5, "Are We the Waiting," is a beautiful short ballad describing a turning point for Jesus. After the disappointment expressed in "Blvd.," he is in a waiting room of sorts, feeling like a change in his life is about to happen, realizing that "the Jesus of Suburbia," the person he has tried to be, "is a lie." It is a marvelous concept song about the feeling just before change occurs. His response is to become "St. Jimmy," Track 6, and an alias he will now try to use to create a new image for himself. He starts a gang, becomes a criminal, has a following, and declares "I am a son of a gun", don't-mess-with-me sort of thing. "Give Me Novocaine," #7, is Jesus/St. Jimmy's turning to drugs, as he deals with the pressure of living a double life. After having tried political activism and now being a first-rate criminal, city life has proved to be "a toothache of the mind." 8 is "She's a Rebel," typical punk rock from Green Day. It is St. Jimmy's sudden meeting and the start of dating an astounding girl in the city. She is everything he is not; he is faking it, but she is really rebelling against the status quo and doing what she has dreamed. He is captivated by her. 9 is "Extraordinary Girl," a Mexican-guitar surprise where St. Jimmy learns he is too cowardly to provide what Whatsername (the girl) needs. She's extraordinary and he's, well...ordinary. 10 is "Letterbomb," Whatsername's bomb of a letter written to Jimmy telling him of the end of their relationship and bashing him for not becoming anything. "Wake Me Up When September Ends" follows and is perhaps the album masterpiece. Going from acoustic to acoustic/drums to acoustic/drums/electric guitars and back again, it is a beautiful ballad, new territory for the band. Jimmy is feeling loneliness after his girl has left him, and he wishes he could go back to happier times. There is a line about his father's death. (Armstrong, the lead singer, actually did loose his father to cancer when very young, pointing out that this album is largely Armstrong's personal story.) #12 is "Homecoming," the other 9-minute, 5-part track. First of all, Jesus "kills" the St. Jimmy identity, realizing it is a farce. He ends up getting arrested and filling out paperwork . Upon release, his friends start leaving him, and one writes him a letter stating that he's moved on to stardom, so he's leaving Jesus behind. This all culminates in Part V: "We're Coming Home Again," in which Jesus goes back to Jingletown. The closer, "Whatsername," is Jesus' musings on what could have been had things gone differently and wondering how Whatsername is doing. The track suggests that he has ended up in a mental institution, because he cannot remember Whatsername's actual name.

First of all, the album is musically brilliant, from typical punk guitars to use of piano, acoustic guitars, bells, even the glockenspiel, apparently. Secondly, the storyline is captivating. The plot is sketchy as are the characters, but the tale is something we've all heard before, but shut our ears to, maybe. A confused young guy tries everything out. The world chews him and spits him out, and though he has intentions of doing and becoming something great, he ends up coming back to his broken house of upbringing like a whipped dog with his tail between his legs. And he is worse off than when he started. The downside is the opera becomes depressing often, but Green Day's approach of "having a great time being miserable" carries things along well enough. So it's no secret that overall, I like the album. Some downsides are that the philosophies set forth are outright wrong, and there is quite of bit of profanity. The "f-word" is an album staple and the cynicism is mind-boggling. That said, it is not only an intriguing honest summary of the decadence of our time, but it is a masterwork of musical continuity. As a Christian, what should my response be to American Idiot? I don't know, but I like it. I don't subscribe to the hopelessness of the opera. I guess as a Christian hearing this, I am hearing a whirlwind of questions from desperate people who need answers. I know the Answer. They don't. They just honestly put forth what they see. And here is a little bit of that, all taken from one song ("Jesus of Suburbia"): I'm the son of rage and love...on a steady diet of soda pop and Ritalin... City of the dead at the end of another lost highway, signs misleading to nowhere, city of the damned, lost children with dirty faces today,no one really seems to care ... Everyone's so full of s***, born and raised by hypocrites, hearts recycled but never saved, from the cradle to the grave ... To live and not to breathe is to die in tragedy, to run, to run away to find what you believe. And I leave behind this hurricane of f****** lies. I lost my faith to thisthis town that don't exist ... I don't feel any shame, I won't apologize when there ain't nowhere you can go. Running away from pain when you've been victimized:tales from another broken HOME.

I came away from this album feeling surprised to have liked Green Day. Brit / classic / indie rock are where my heart is, and Green Day's punk would not seem my cup of tea. But there's something urgently real and honestly cathartic in AI. We can take the obvious "Jesus" jibes as persecution, which it may be. Or it may be an honest wake-up call to a weak and carnal church. Are we serving a false concept of Jesus, a Jesus of suburbia who doesn't have the power to keep marriages together or enable the Christian teen girls to keep from getting pregnant till marriage...a Jesus who wants to be served by just going to "youth group" once a week? There's something I like about these guys. I sometimes feel guilty about it, as if I'm condoning their druggie craziness and general ungodliness. But there's some bit of hope for people who remain honest. It's when we cover up what's going on that there's no chance of salvation. I used to love the music, hate the people of Green Day, but this time I found myself actually praying for them as I listened to this CD. That Armstrong would be born again...do we realize what an impact that would make on this generation? The cover of the CD is a heart-shaped hand grenade. This is a band of confused souls determined to passionately let their heart, however dark and erratic, explode for all to see. What if the church took the same approach? If the the world can explode and put out frustrated questions, why don't we explode with the Answer, Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected?