12/28/2005

down with the nemesis

Take that, Arch Nemesis! Earlier in the year, I posted about my arch rival. I think, after all this time, I've finally come to the point of justification by domination. This villain of aggravation has been taunting me my entire span as an employee at my current company. I had come to grips with the fact that it would always outwit me in my goal of taping up boxes and various other shipping items. But, today, that is a thing of the past! I've found a way for it to do my bidding, without back talk or lip of any kind! So, take that Arch Nemesis, your days of glory are done!

12/14/2005

bad ears, bad

As some of you may already know, there are lyrics in songs, some very popular, where it is hard to understand a word or two in any given phrase, and can sometimes be miscrewd to be something that it's not. For example:

Red Hot Chili Peppers' song "Scar Tissue", I thought what he was saying was "with the purple shed, it's a lonely view..." Jessica thought it was "with the burning shed, this lonely view...", but it's really "with the birds I'll share this lonely view..." weird huh?

Here are some others that are humorous that I've heard of or have thought myself (*hint: it's funnier if you know the song and can sing along with the wrong words*):

AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds":
wrong: "dirty thieves and the thunder chiefs..."
right: "dirty deeds done dirt cheap..."

Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze"
wrong: "excuse me while I kiss this guy"
right: "excuse me while I kiss the sky"

John Mellencamp's "Authority Song"
wrong: "I frighten Dorothy, and Dorothy always wins"
right: "I fight authority, authority always wins"

Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water"
wrong: "Slow talkin' Walter, the fire engine guy"
right: "Smoke on the water, the fire in the sky"

The Police's "Message In A Bottle"
wrong: "I'll send an SOS to a squirrel"
right: "I'll send an SOS to the world"

You can find some more here.

What are some that you've heard?

11/25/2005

I've done it!

Fellas, I have done it! I have created the ultimate way to travel back in time! How did I do this, you mask ask! Well, all you have to do is grow your hair really long and let your beard get shaggy for as long as you can stand it over a period of a few years. After that, you can instantaneously make yourself look 10 years younger! Just look at what it's done for me!




For those of you who didn't know me back then, the 2nd picture is what I looked like at 19.

11/12/2005

loyalty

I guess I consider myself to be critical of music. I know what aspects of music I enjoy, and I don't listen to the other crap (sucky slide steel guitar -- you can have that). On the most basic of scales, that's how I measure what I like. Being a musician, it's musically-healthy to be critical of what you hear.

So, with that out of the way, I can say that I love music. If I could, I would have the mp3 player constantly hearing stuff, if not, then playing it. I like many kinds of genres, rock (goth, classic, metal, alternative), selective hip hop, classical, new age (world), blues (classic and modern), and selective jazz... just to name a few. My bias probably stays in the rock field, however.

There is the issue of loyalty. Some people like the sound of a few bands, and buy their albums, no matter what it sounds like. While some others like songs that come on the radio and have no idea who they are, or what else they sing. Not me. When I hear a song that I like, great. That by no means that I become loyal to that band. I might go to B&N or Yahoo Music to check out the album. But that's it. I also might like a band/musician and never buy any of their stuff, like Black Eyed Peas, Dave Matthews Band, Busta Rhymes, or any one-hit wonder. I may like one or two of their songs, but for the most part, I enjoy their artistic talent.

I will state, however, that there are bands that really have some great stuff over the years that have more good stuff than not: Sixpence None the Richer, Sarah McLachlan, and Disturbed. There are more, but I'll save that for later.

10/28/2005

Halloween

The season is upon us! I think maybe it's a mix of football season in there, but I love this time of year! There's a mystery in the cool breezes that finally comes down to Southern Louisiana. I love seeing the new line of costumes, and make up FX. It also is a season of horror movies!!! If you're looking for something scary to watch, then check these movies out (in no particular order):

Serpent and the Rainbow
Nightmare on Elm Street (best of series: 1,3,4)
Halloween (best of series: 1,2,H20)
Freddy vs. Jason
Friday the 13th (best of series: 6,7,Jason Goes to Hell)
The Exorcist
Poltergeist
Salem's Lot
Dracula (1931,1979,1992)
Saw
Van Helsing
Sleepy Hollow

10/21/2005

let me speak on this...




Does anyone hear hymns on the radio? Maybe on Christian stations, or elsewhere at Christmas time. But what about the top 40 stations? Why not? Maybe it's because the music is out-dated. Maybe people just aren't into that style anymore. If that's true, then why sing songs that are 100 years old in church? Are they considered too sacred to disregard? Has it been done so long that we dare not change it? Do they even hold meaning anymore? These are just questions that came to mind when I originally wrestled with this matter.

Psalm 98 says, "Sing to the Lord a new song". God wants to hear new praises from His people. In recent years, it seems to have caught fire. And if that's what we ought to do, then why rehash old, played out tunes? Why continue on the way we've always done it? Do we assume that because God doesn't change that He doesn't want music to change? I've heard the argument that the style of traditional music represents a more pure time. I think that theory is about as solid as topsoil in New Orleans.

Is it the change? By nature, people fight change, but it's just as inevitable as death and taxes. Why not embrace it? Welcome it in to learn from and in-turn be changed by it!

If the songs we sing are for God anyway, then does the style matter? To God, I don't think it does. He enjoys the praises of His people, no matter what the medium. I believe God wants us to worship Him from our hearts, and when we do that, God smiles.

The style more has to do with creating a condusive enviornment for the worshipper to enter God's presence with joy in our hearts and repentence on our lips. Worship leaders are doing their job when that happens. This can be done in multiple arenas: music, art, drama, scripture reading, prayer, etc. The possibilites are endless, as long as the heart is open.

So, can people worship with the "old school"? Yes, but I think it stifles your expression to God. This also goes for songs that you've "known your whole life" and are not traditional. Those songs can just as much stumble out of your mouth without meaning because of it's repetitiveness.

Here's what I'm *NOT* saying: Hymns suck and should never be sung in church. Every song we sing in church should be brand new.

MY POINT: Keep worshipping and do it with your heart, soul and mind. Keep it fresh and fun. God deserves it.

10/04/2005

what the crap?

That phrase and others like it get on people's nerves. I'm sure that everyone can comment on this, so I'll just start the ball rolling with 2 of my anti-favorite sayings of the everyday man... or woman:

"...irregardless..."

"less is more"

Gimme some of yours

9/17/2005

getting my composure

At last, we've heard the words we've longed to hear since the ordeal has happened: "Metairie is open!"

That's right, we'll be moving back into our house in Metairie on Wednesday, Sept. 21. As you know, our house was not damaged or looted during the happenings of the past 3 weeks. We are amazingly blessed in this time of crisis, and we have no one to thank more than God for helping us through wonderful family and friends.

So, the time has finally come to return to our normalcy. It will be in the fact that we'll be back home, but not quite normal yet. We may be having guests with us -- family that was less fortunate than ourselves -- so that should be fun... seriously! We love to entertain and Jessica is close to her family anyway, so we're excited.

You'll have to read her blog to find out about her job (I've gotta leave something for her to post). I will be working again with my company as soon as they set up shop again.

My school, unfortunately, was devastated by flooding, as most of New Orleans East was. So, I'll be continuing this semester, if not next semester as well, online. Graduation date is still set for the spring, 2007.

END OF LINE (Extra kudos to whoever recognizes this tag line!)

9/12/2005

a new chapter

As you may have read in Jessica's previous post, we have evacuated and have landed in Lafayette for the time being. There's no telling as to how long our stay will be there, but we hope to have a plan in place by then.

Anyway, for now, I get to start back, finishing up my semester at school, which will be through correspondence/internet classes. I believe my school has temporarily relocated to Atlanta, GA, and I guess they'll play it by ear (as everyone from New Orleans is doing) to see when they will resume classes there. In any case, I will graduate on time, dang it!

Just for a side note, for those wandering, we made it out fine. Some of have seen living proof of this. The place we are renting in Metairie turned out ok. There was no structural or water damage to the place, but there are tree limbs that have filled the yard (which is extremely minor comparitively -- our relatives in the area were not so lucky). We were able to go over there on Labor Day and see the effects, of which I'll have pioctures of shortly. We grabbed some clothes, a few electronics that we didn't want stolen, and after almost 8 hours of total time going, being there, and coming home, we called it a day, and made our way to Laffy.

It's cool because we have gotten to see friends, family, which has been good. It's also been god that Jessica still has a job to go to so we can still have an income. That definitely puts me with less to do with a whole lot of time to do it in. So, I guess i'll be catching up on my reading for classes I should be able to get finished. Oh well, I guess I'll try to get a little smarter in the process.

All in all, I can't complain. With the biggest disaster to hit America landing in my backyard, God is still good. He spared us and blessed us tremendously. What more could I ask for?

9/01/2005

what now

speechless

8/18/2005

not a good way to diet


Ok, so vacation was awesome this year, as you can read on Jessica's Blog. Wednesday of that week, us men decided to go deep sea fishing. We got about 45 minutes into the boat ride, and I realized that it would be another 45 minutes until we stopped to fish. Apparently I had too much to eat for breakfast, and my stomach decided that it wasn't such a good idea after all to stuff my face. So, I tried to talk down my stomach by sitting down and forcing myself to think that it'll go away. It did... for about 5 minutes. Cold sweat was forming on my brow when I decided to get up and go to the back of the ship. I felt it coming and sure enough, I threw up... and it tasted like coffee. And I did it 4 times.

Cold sweats aside, I felt better. I moved to the cabin and got some cheez-its and a coke because you're supposed to keep your stomach full. Una palabra: Mistake. Not 10 minutes later, i'm back port-side, letting loose the stomach juice. I decide to hold myself up on my elbows on the side, which seemed to help... until we stopped. I think to myself that I would be much better off if the engine kept running. Without the engine, even in calm waters, the boat seemed to almost bounce from side to side, to where I could barely keep my balance. I proceeded to let more juice loose til I could conjure enough strength to just cast one reel. I pull it together, and cast about 3 times. I caught a fine red snapper, about 2 feet long. I also saw some dolphins coming along the side, eating what most people were throwing back because of the fish's size. That was a cool site to see them within petting distance. The thought of petting them or swimming them was heavily out-weighed by more thoughts of my impending water pollution from my mouth and its opposite end.

When I couldn't spew anymore, I finally laid down in the cabin and stayed there the rest of the 6-hour trip. The few moments that I got up, my brain alarmed itself and told me that if I got up again, my organs would be the next thing to leave my body. So, I gave in and laid down again happily.

The worst part of it really was that my father-in-law paid for me to go, only to lose my entire insides to the gulf. But at least I caught one fish right? Next time, I'll just take a double dose of dramamine. I've learned my lesson there.

8/04/2005

ribbed


Ok, so I wake up this morning, just as usual. I slide down to the end of my bed and turn off my alarm. (I put it that far away so I actually have to get up to turn it off, and once I'm up, then I'm up.) This is at 6:45am. Jessica, like most people, is not so happy to get up in the morning. She usuually tosses while I scramble to get dressed and go take Coca out.

Usually violence doesn't precede me getting up in the morning, but today was just different. When Jessica turned over, putting more sheets over her head to block the sunlight, her right foot decided to say 'good morning' by nudging, nearly cutting, my rib cage. I almost fell off the bed, and would have if not for being able to touch the ground. I looked back, not so wounded, thinking I'd see her smiling, as if she was playing a joke. She was covered with sheets, so I couldn't see her face, so I said "hey". I get a cute giggle, and I ask, "Why do I get kicked in the ribs in the morning?" I was answered by another giggle and apology. We got a good chuckle out of it. Good times.

8/01/2005

new blog

I started a new blog on xanga, where I talk about issues surrounding modern music. You might find it interesting: http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=daskoontas

Promise, the link works.

7/29/2005

ventrilo-fart

Ok, so I'm sitting in class, on the last day, and I'm listening to the professor, like everyone else is. I have my arms folded, and I notice that my finger-nails are a bit rough on my thumb. For some reason, I rub my two thumbs together, with my arms folded, and it makes a sound that anyone would hate to make in the middle of any social setting. If you haven't figured it out yet, it sounded like a muffled gas-passing... a social faux-pas. So, I thought to myself, "Don't act like it was a fart. No sudden moves.. no sudden moves... stop moving!" I moved my arms, and I thought it was too fast, so I'm sure my neighboring students were wondering if it was real or not. Of course, no fart = no smell, but not all farts smell, so I tried to ignore it as best I could.

It reminded me of something in the game, The Sims 2, where one of the new interactions in the game is to "ventrilo-fart". It shows your sim, farting (passing some weird yellow gas from their goolah) and pretending like it was the other person. Then, they both laugh it off. Good times.

7/26/2005

slap you naked

Today, in my New Testament Interpretation class, our professor was talking to us about how stern his father was, as he was growing up. He emphasized something about admitting your weakness (I don't remember, but I wrote it down!), and he tried to imitate what Paul's father may have reacted when Paul was young. He said, and I quote, "It makes me wanna slap you naked and hide your clothes!" I seriously laughed out loud with the rest of the class, and couldn't stop thinking about it... obviously. I just thought I'd share that dose of comedy with you. If you don't get it, then you'd have to be there :-P

7/14/2005

New Pictures

Coca

I'm not usually one to post pictures, but because I'm sure a lot of you won't be visiting our house any time soon, here are some pics of our place in Metairie. Enjoy :)

Metairie Pics

7/11/2005

Hurricane Madness


Well, chalk another one up for New Orleans. This makes two years in a row that "the sky is falling" cries came from the media, and again, no storm. Last year, it was Ivan, that finally went back east. A whole week of school was cancelled! I have no quams with missing a few days school for a small vacation. Of course, I think half my life is wasted away sitting in traffic, just getting to Baton Rouge! In the chaos that ensued with the evacuation of this area, traffic was backed up going any direction out of New Orleans. I think it took one of Jessica's aunts to get from her house in Kenner to Zachary in just under 12 hours!! Ridonkulus!

This year, Dennis moved the same direction. There were no evacuations. The most we had over here was a few gusts and some rain. Nothing big... I've had heavier thunderstorms. Some people were "smart" this year, and stayed home. Good for them. We went to Zachary... just in case... and we were going anyway. So, just to let you know, of course we're fine. So is New Orleans. Gulf coast beaches on the other hand, may be a different story.

Stop it, media! I'm trying to sleep!!

6/17/2005

Movie Review: Batman Begins


May I say that when I originally heard of a 5th Batman movie, a few years ago, I can't say I was eagerly awaiting. If it was going to be anything like the last two disasters (Batman Forever and Batman & Robin -- if anybody comments anything good about George Clooney, I will delete your comment and maybe stone you), it was probably going to flop. But then I thought, who the crap is going to play Batman?? Is there anybody who could step up? Keaton was great, but I doubted that he'd even consider coming back. So, I knew they had to start from a clean slate.

So, that's what they did. They got some great actors, some old faces, some new, and really put it together. I'd like to start by talking about the authenticity. The writers, director, etc went all out, it seems, to be as correct as possible... and they were! Kudos to the purists who had this thing running, and I tip my hat to the dedication to bringing Batman out in a way that was true to the story.

His humble beginnings as a young boy, and his fear of bats, to his training by Ras-al-ghul. Speaking of which, Liam Neeson rocked. Very true to his character, and I dig the Orientalish-goatee deal. Check it out.

Gotham City was exactly like it was suppose to be. I'm not sure about the whole "island" deal... which makes it look a lot like Manhattan, but there were definite parts that gave the city a comic feel... kind of larger than life feeling, that only the world of Batman could bring.

I've already started this, but I'll give a character review:

- Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman = Solid! I'm not sure they could've gotten a better fit. He was very believable, as both the dark knight and a billionaire. Good job big wigs!

- Liam Neeson as Ducard/Ra's Al Ghul = Again, rockin! He has this mentor aura about him that puts him exactly in the right role.

- Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes = She played a part, I guess. Her character is made-up, I think. I don't ever remember seeing her in any comic. I may be wrong, but she didn't need to be in it. I guess she was to bring in some kind of love story. Although, who knows whether or not they're really together at the end... very ambiguous.

- Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon = He's definitely a great actor (The Professional, Bram Stoker's Dracula [1992]), and I guess it was the mustache, but I thought he was almost an exact duplicate of what I pictured Jim Gordon to look like.

- Michael Caine as Alfred = Michael Gough portrayed the Wayne care-taker in the Tim Burton versions, and did a great job, but I think Michael Caine, a veteran and accomplished actor, was better suited. I bought that he actually cared for the family and was willing to do anything to take care of them. I dunno, probably has to do with him being a better actor all around.

- Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow = Again, true to his character. Might not have gotten as much time in the movie as some purists would like, but he definitely was an intriquite part of the story, and was true to the story of how he affected his victims, and how he fell victim to Batman. Good stuff.

- Tom Wilkinson as Carmine Falcone = I think this guy was made up, but it doesn't matter. He was kinda symbolic of big crime in the city that Batman was supposed to rise up against. Wilkinson did a great job because he stereotypically always plays a bad guy because well, he's good at it.

- Rutger Hauer as Earle = Another veteran actor that made the grade and kept the movie at an all-star cast status. Another great bad guy.

- Mark Boone Junior as Flass = Another comic-true character. The actor isn't that well-known, but he's been around a while. He'll be a typical bad guy but this is his chance to prove himself.

- Linus Roache as Thomas Wayne = I love how they showed lots of flashbacks to him and his connection to Bruce. I really brought to the surface the real anger that Bruce has for his parents' killer, and made you feel that with him. It helped that the actor was more of a father-figure kinda guy too.

Final Grade: A -- for sweet effects, great acting, true to the comics in story and characters, and all-star cast. I would have given it a A+, but it lost the plus because the fighting scenes were hard to follow and trying to push a love story.

6/13/2005

Holy Crap

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan. You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavily by John Wesley and the Methodists.

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

79%

Emergent/Postmodern

64%

Fundamentalist

61%

Charismatic/Pentecostal

50%

Neo orthodox

50%

Classical Liberal

50%

Reformed Evangelical

50%

Roman Catholic

36%

Modern Liberal

36%

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

6/07/2005

Communion Sunday

June is about the 8th month of our attendance at Destiny Place Church, and this is the 2nd Communion service (the 1st being 6 weeks before this one). Unlike most churches, our church's communion ceremony involves "intinction". This is where you have a plate of bread, that you break off while the holder says, "This is my body broken for you". The next person is holding a cup filled with some kind of dark fruit juice (ours just happens to be cranberry-grape), and you dip your piece of bread in the cup, and eat it as the holder says, "This is my blood shed for you".

I am the one put in charge of getting the necessities: bread and juice.
I knew that this was not a huge responsibility, but needed to be done. We drove in from Jessica's parents' house in Zachary on Sunday morning, and had to stop quickly to drop off our dog at the house. Following that, we stopped at "Save Yourself Center" Sav-a-Center, across from our house to get the goods for the service. Not too hard, right?

So, we get to the church, and set up for service, as usual. Jessica was then asked to take out the bread we bought out of the package, and place them on the plates. When she opened the bag, she immediately noticed a distinct smell. GARLIC! She saw the label that we obviously overlooked that read, 'Roasted Garlic Bread'. Eek-eek. The bread was pretty strong, and it even had thick cloves of garlic inside it! We could only gasp and snicker at the idea of using it for communion.

Of course, we had nothing else and no time to go pick up some regalar bread, so we proceeded as if it was a normal thing, and it went over just fine. Most people noticed that it was a strong bread, but didn't seem to mind. Most actually were overheard saying "man, that was good bread". We even saw someone carting off with it to bring home!

This just proves one thing: even when you mess up something like this, God is still glorified.

5/31/2005

Top 10 Guitarists

Everybody's got an opinion, and if this blog is nothing else, it's to state my opinion on things. This a list of my top 10 guitarists, with some extras on the side. Feel free to agree/disagree as you please. I don't really care who you like.. if I did, then I'd put up a poll. Again, this is just my opinion. I refuse to rank them because it's just too stinkin hard! This is not an exhaustive list, just the ones that I have heard, and have been influenced in some way by. So, here they are:

Top Ten
(in alphabetical order):
Angus Young of AC/DC -- the dude just rocks!! plaid shorts and all

Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top -- diggin the beard and killer licks!

David Gilmour of Pink Floyd -- piercing riffs to my soul!

Eddie Van Halen -- the name says it all; did you know he played guitar on Michael Jackson's "Beat It"?

Eric Clapton of several bands, but best on his own

Joe Perry of Aerosmith -- as if you didn't know; ROCK'N'ROLL!

Jimi Hendrix -- impossible to compare

Kenny Wayne Shepherd -- soulful and inspiring riffs, the best of the blues genre alive

Slash of Guns'n'Roses and Velvet Revolver -- you know the songs rock; how does he see his guitar? maybe he doesn't have to...

Stevie Ray Vaughan -- r.i.p. dude... you rocked!


Honorable mentions:
Brian May of Queen
Carlos Santana of Santana
Chris DeGarmo of Queensryche (my all-time favorite band!)
Eric Johnson
Joe Satriani
Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin
Lenny Kravitz
Prince
Steve Vai

If there were any of these you don't know, shame on you! Google them or something.

5/29/2005

Movie Review: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Well, in my latest edition of my commentary on one of my biggest hobbies, I dive into Star Wars Ep. 3. This movie, as many well know, has been a long time coming. I've always been a huge fan of Star Wars. I'm not the extreme, face-painting, dressing-up kinda fan, but it is fun to get into.

So, let's get down to it. First, I was very skeptical, as many were/are of Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker. I just don't think he had the right image or expectation of what I thought that he should look like (geez, his ridiculous hair style alone cost him). However, I did find that the character he showed had the necessary potential of turning to the dark side, as only Anakin could. I could see it building up, and I was hoping that his turn wasn't so blah. I mean, the scene where he saves Palpatine was crucial, but does that mean that he all of the sudden is gung-ho? Why does he go straight into killing like 15 jedi kids without thinking twice about it? I could justify that he was "so overtaken with fear over Padme's coming death" or "angry that the Jedi council 'betrayed' him", but there was no explanation. You kinda had to read into it. So, the scene was good, just the actual turn to the dark side seemed to abrupt.

Second, let's look at Padme'. Is this the same girl who was Queen of Naboo? The now seemingly meek motherly figure is a mere shadow of that character from episode 1 and some of 2. What's up with that? Was it the constant worry of Anakin? Who knows, but her abrupt character tranformation sucked.

Those are some pretty harsh criticisms, you might think, but there are some things I do like about it. Easily the scene where Anakin's legs and left arm are chopped off by Obi-Wan in their last encounter was breath-taking. His dark red eyes glowing while he was trying not to slide into the lava pit -- Obi-Wan's abandonment of his former apprentice -- Sweeeet.

Some other cool points -- Count Dooku's death (classic), Yoda going off on Palpatine (priceless), Palpatine's deformity (wicked), the double sunset with Owen and Beru holding young Luke (awesome), the two-second glance of Commander Tarkin (Governor/Grand Moff Tarkin in Episode 4), the starting of the Death Star (niiiice), and the emergence of the Darth Vader suit (justifably done).

Other sucky points -- Padme's death bed/stirrups, naming Luke and Leia in her dying breaths (dumb), seeing two seconds of Chewbacca (could've been way more), Anakin's lack of emotion besides his 'mean face' (underplayed), and Padme's character transition (lame).

So, overall: B- -- Good story, great action, cool scenes, but with details that needed help.

5/23/2005

my arch rival

All heroes have an arch rival. Someone who likes to do the opposite of what they want to do. Though I'm not much of a hero, I do have an arch rival. At work, I try to simply tape on something to a box to be shipped out. My enemy, the "tape gun" never quite likes to tear off at its given moment. It, instead, likes to pull more tape, thereby uselessly wraps most of the box that is well enough on its own. After that fiasco is over, the tape likes to fold over, sticking to the gun like it doesn't want to ever let go. Maybe it has some kind of love-bond with the brown plastic that gives it its power. Nevertheless, this sticking makes mehave to put down the box or whatever it is I wanted to tape up, and release the bond it has fixed onto the gun, so that I can over-tape another box. The rivalry begins... TO BE CONTINUED...

5/19/2005

and the grades are in... parte dos

last semester I posted my grades for the fall, so now I'm back once again to reveal the grades for the spring semester of 2005! And again, without further ado:

Marriage and Family Issues: A
Integrating Academics and Ministry: A
Music Theory II: A
New Testament Survey: B
________________________________________

Semester GPA: 3.75
Cumulative GPA: 2.89 (up from 2.67 last semester!)

WOO HOO!!! 2 down, and 6 more to go (counting summers)! Summer school starts Memorial Day! (If it seems I'm excited, I am... at least, that I have a two-week break from the vigors of school, but not so much that I have to go back so soon... gratefully, it's just a 2-week class).

5/18/2005

big momma

Yesterday, at work, they had me deliver some scaffolding pieces to a company, that wasn't far away. The delivery guy was out, so it was no problem. On the way out, I heard that it was a company doing construction on the set of "Big Momma's House 2". Yeah, I missed the original, but I thought it was cool to be on the set, even though it hadn't been finished.
The whole thing was raised up 5 or 6 feet high, and it was a huge maze! There was even a room that was completely encased by glass! It was fun to get to see it. If you have the chance, I recommend it.

4/26/2005

baptism

Growing up in a Southern Baptist church wasn't all that bad. I had great community, great friends, and learned a lot about God.

After being baptized for the 3rd time (the 1st, age 5; the 2nd, age 13 for the real thing, i think; the 3rd, age 17 for what, I dunno), it became kind of almost trivial. I know that I am following Jesus in obedience, as He was baptized by John (the Baptist, go figure). But I hadn't quite thought it out.

It wasn't until I realized that my wife, Jessica, had not been baptized as a believer. Yes, she made a public profession of faith at 12, but had only been baptized as an infant. So, the discussion came up at one of the membership classes at our new church: Destiny Place Church. I thought about my baptisms x3, and I remembered why I did it, and am glad I did. Jessica and I had had these discussions before, and after that class, she decided that it is important and needed to be done.

So, now here we are, this past Sunday, right after our first communion sunday at church, and we have a small baptistry downstairs where we have the church's second baptism service. We baptized four that day, one including Jessica. Going into this, as everyone is, she was nervous. I didn't realize how nervous I was until I got there and had the privilege of baptizing her myself. It was a beautiful experience that we shared together, as one in Christ. How many other husbands can say that they baptized their wives? I am happy to say that I did, and I am very proud of her!!

3/29/2005

Heroes

"...we could be heroes, but just for one day..." -- David Bowie

When I was a kid, I had my heroes. Superman, then Batman. G.I.Joe and He-Man. Youth ministers and pastors. Not that I longed to be like them, but looked up to them for their abilities beyond my own. I don't think I really have someone that I would call my hero. Maybe I'm too cynical, but it's not because I think that no one has an ability that I don't or couldn't have.

I'm not sure what it is, but I can think of people who possess traits that I wouldn't mind exlimplifying (sp?). Maybe they're heroes, maybe not. I admired Stevie Ray Vaughan (r.i.p.) for his amazing heart-inspiring and soulful guitar riffs. Dude, that man could wail.

I mentioned youth ministers and pastors. I have really come to learn a lot about how to handle situations and talking to people through watching these kinds of ministers at work. So, maybe in that way, they've been my heroes.

Whatever the definition of a hero is or isn't, the conclusion is the same. Everybody has people that they look up to and depend upon to make the right decisions, and doing things extraordinary. We may not know them personally, but those people are present in our minds, thoughts, and sometimes in our lives.

No moral or life-changing ideas, just some thoughts I had about it. Thanks, Drew, for the "blog idea".

3/17/2005

3 is a holy number...

...or something.

Tuesday marked the close of Jessica and I's 3rd year of marriage. The time has really flown by, and we've had some great times. We marked this special occasion by dining out, and renting a movie, as most couples do.

On a national scale, most would say that the honeymoon years are over for us, but such is not the case. We're even more in love now than when we started! Statistically, that is a triumph, as far as I'm concerned. How many couples can truly say that? I'm not sure, but if there was a record for the longest streak of "honeymoon years" then we'd be in the high running :) Woo-hoo!

3/01/2005

collision of calamity

I know, I know, I'm sure you're wondering... "Man, he never posts." That's ok b/c I think Jessica covers most of the stuff that happens with us, and that's cool b/c my time is limited to work, class, homework, time with Jessica and Coca (not necessarily in that order). Anyway, I did feel the need to inform everyone of 48-hour jinx. No, I don't really believe that's the case, but I can see how someone could argue it.

It started Sunday morning, as I was helping to get things ready for service at church. There was a mix-up in the coffee maker, and it started to majorly overflow. Being the hero I am, I went after it, and held a cup under the spout to catch the remaining overflow. I just happened to have touched the filter, which also was overflowing, and splashed my hand, burning me intensely. I have the marks to prove it.

After I got home that morning, I put some oil in Jessica's car, which slowly leaks of this oil. I put the remaining quart that we had in, and went on my way to Zachary to pick her up. Wouldn't you know that I forgot to put the oil cap back on, and it ended up spitting and spraying oil all over the inside of the hood, which ultimately got into the ventilation system. So, the whole ride home was spent smelling the refreshing scent of burned oil. How nice.

Also, on the way home, it started to rain. So, let's see, what happens to the Capertons every time it rains? Something goes wrong with the windshield wipers. Sunday night was no exception. It was misting on us, so we put on the good 'ol wipers like anyone else would. Unfortunately, the wiper's arm just had enough of the blade that it was holding and decided to throw it off into oblivion! That's right, it just flew off the car! So, of course, we had to stop b/c we couldn't see anything. Thankfully, it was on the passenger side. So, we got out, and while trying to balance holding the dog, we replaced the blade with a freshly washed sock. We tied it off as tight as we could, so that the arm wouldn't scratch or crack the windshield any more than it already is.

Finally, this was the kicker. Yesterday, at work, things were going ok until I decided to take one of the Budget trucks to a nearby business. I didn't get 200 feet away when I tried to squeeze between an oncoming truck and the parked Budget truck along the street, where I smashed the parked truck's small rear-view mirror with my own. How fun. It ended up ok b/c we had spare parts and I didn't have to pay anything.

I shudder to think what could happen today, but thankfully I'm at school all day. And so far, I've even had 2 classes cancelled this week. So far so good! If you pray, pray for me that nothing will happen to me that won't make me go tragically insane. Thank you!

1/27/2005

...and the grades are in!

Since the end of my first semester here at Leavell College (NOBTS), I've been waiting and waiting for my grades to show up, so I can show God's glory in the work He has done through my schooling so far. So, with no further ado, here they are:

Hermeneutics = A
Intro to Christian Education = A
Basics in Christian Rhetoric = A
Music Theory I = B
_______________________________________
Semester Average = 3.75
Cumulative Average at UL = 2.05
Cumulative Average now = 2.67 (and rising!)

God gets all the credit (no pun intended).

1/24/2005

bliss

Wow, it's amazing when things come together. Last Thursday, I was able to buy, after saving money and a generous Christmas gift, a brand new acoustic guitar, as seen in my earlier post. Of course, now I have to get down to Lafayette to pick it up, but the fun, of course doesn't stop there! Last week, we put down on a double (house) out in Metairie to rent, so we'll be on our own! Woo-hoo! It'll be nice to have the comforts of home: having our computer back, no cable tv, no couch to watch our no-cable tv, and just some good 'ol time to ourselves. We've enjoyed our time with Jessica's grandparents, who have graciously bestowed their living space upon us for the past few months.

So, we move in on Friday, all three of us. Yeah, I said 3! It's a... dog! Jessica is in that process of which should come to fruition shortly. She's very excited, as you may have noticed here.

Anyway, we couldn't be happier. It'll either make you want to celebrate with us or punch us. Either way, we're happy :)

1/09/2005

Masquerade!



It's been a few years now since I've seen The Phantom of the Opera on stage. For weeks after watching it the first time on broadway in New York City, I had a couple of my favorite tunes from the soundtrack in my head, with visions of myself as the Phantom. I can say "been there, done that, bought the t-shirt" quite literally, and twice!

A couple of months ago, I happened across a teaser trailer for the now released movie adaptation. The chills I experienced and remembered quite well, came back to me instantly, and I've been humming its tunes off and on since. Tonight, I got my chance to experience the magic once again. "Magic, you say?" Abso-freakin-lutely!!
For the last 24 hours I haven't been able to get the song "Masquerade" out of my head. I'm even humming it now! My soul was ready for this, and had been for awhile.

So, the movie unfolded. Every line, every note, and every word was sucked in like a vaccuum in my head and heart. You may think that I've gone overboard with this, and maybe I have... so what? It's just that good!

Anyway, the movie was fantastic! Scenery was incredible! The cast did a great job, and I was impressed with most of their voices. The Phantom himself vocally was ok, but I thought he could've been stronger. Visually, aside from the great makeup FX done for the face distortion, I expected the actor to be more... how do you say... ah yes... masculine? Not sure if that was right, but nevertheless, he did an ok job.

For those of you that have seen it... is it me or has Raoul always look like such a doof? Maybe this time it was his hair (not bashing long hair because that would just be criticizing my own kind) or something else, but every time his character is shown, he's never anyone that I would root for. Maybe it's because the Phantom is just so frickin cool!

So all of that to say, I loved the movie! Go see it! You'll thank me for it! I gave it an A all around! Great job Joel Schumacher!

1/07/2005

interesting read

I came upon this article from a lady at work, and thought it was a good short read. Here's the link. Let me know what you think.