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.
8/18/2005
not a good way to diet
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
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 :)
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.
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):
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).
