30 June 2008
29 June 2008
27 June 2008
Tottenham's New Keeper
YES! YES! YES! Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Tottenham's new keeper, Heurelho da Silva Gomes!
(pending personal terms and work permit)
(pending personal terms and work permit)
A Welcome Awaits
If you're not familiar with our new hire, you should read the recent post on Dwight. Although I know nothing about him, he shares the same name as the "Assistant to the Regional Manager" on the show The Office. Since he starts next week or the week after, I and a few others have began the "welcoming" process in his cubicle.
26 June 2008
25 June 2008
That Old Familiar Tune
Every time I hear the national anthem of Germany or England I burst out in song. The thing is, although I'm singing the exact same tune, I'm singing a completely different song.
Consider the old hymn I grew up signing in church, "Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken":
Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God!
He, whose Word cannot be broken,
Formed thee for His own abode.
On the Rock of Ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation’s walls surrounded,
Thou may’st smile at all thy foes.
Actually, the original tune was written in 1797 by Joseph Hayden as anthem for the birthday of the Austrian Emperor Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, which became the Austrian Emperors' anthem till the end of monarchy in 1918. The song was chosen as the national anthem of Germany in 1922. The Nazis only used the first verse as their national anthem and ironically, added their own second verse. In 1952 West Germany adopted the third verse as their national anthem and after the fall of East Germany, it has continued as Germany's national anthem to present day.
Moving right along, you all should be familiar with the American song, "My Country 'Tis of Thee":
My country, 'tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountainside
Let freedom ring!
Our father's God to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright,
With freedom's holy light,
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God our King.
This one cracks me up. Not only are we singing about our own country, but of freedom and liberty. The fifth verse even states that God himself is the author of liberty, and that our country's new found freedom is holy and of God's hand. Why is this funny? It's funny because it's set to the exact same tune as England's national anthem. What better way to pour salt in the wound 50 years after the fact then to take their national anthem and change the lyrics to include words such as those mentioned above!
What's even more funny about this situation is that this was unintentional. Samuel Francis Smith wrote the lyrics to "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" in 1831, while a student at the Andover Theological Seminary in Andover, Massachusetts. His friend, Lowell Mason had asked him to translate the lyrics in some German school songbooks or to write new lyrics. A melody in Muzio Clementi's Symphony No. 3 caught his attention. Rather than translating the lyrics from German, Smith wrote his own American patriotic hymn to the melody completing the lyrics in thirty minutes. He had never heard Clementi's symphony before and had no idea of its derivation or associations with the British national anthem, "God Save the Queen." Smith gave Mason the lyrics he had written and the song was first performed in public on July 4, 1831, at a children's Independence Day celebration at Park Street Church in Boston. For much of the 19th century this served as our country's national anthem.
And last but not least, the "Star-Spangled Banner". Our own national anthem. Yes, the lyrics come from a poem written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key, a then 35-year-old amateur poet. But did you know that the poem, and hence, our national anthem, was set to the tune of a popular British drinking song at the time, "The Anacreontic Song"?
Although the Star-Spangled Banner has different lyrics, humorously enough, the first three lines sound oddly like a reference to a drunken night out at the pub:
O! say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming.
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight...
These are the things we were never taught in school. So next time your hear the German national anthem, lift your hands in praise. Or, if you're in England, sing these alternate words when their national anthem is played and see how many people you can cheese off. Better yet, next time you're at a baseball or a football game and our national anthem is played, find a drunk guy in your section and go sing it with him. The tune sounds so much better with a beer in your hand.
Consider the old hymn I grew up signing in church, "Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken":
Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God!
He, whose Word cannot be broken,
Formed thee for His own abode.
On the Rock of Ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation’s walls surrounded,
Thou may’st smile at all thy foes.
Actually, the original tune was written in 1797 by Joseph Hayden as anthem for the birthday of the Austrian Emperor Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, which became the Austrian Emperors' anthem till the end of monarchy in 1918. The song was chosen as the national anthem of Germany in 1922. The Nazis only used the first verse as their national anthem and ironically, added their own second verse. In 1952 West Germany adopted the third verse as their national anthem and after the fall of East Germany, it has continued as Germany's national anthem to present day.
Moving right along, you all should be familiar with the American song, "My Country 'Tis of Thee":
My country, 'tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountainside
Let freedom ring!
Our father's God to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright,
With freedom's holy light,
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God our King.
This one cracks me up. Not only are we singing about our own country, but of freedom and liberty. The fifth verse even states that God himself is the author of liberty, and that our country's new found freedom is holy and of God's hand. Why is this funny? It's funny because it's set to the exact same tune as England's national anthem. What better way to pour salt in the wound 50 years after the fact then to take their national anthem and change the lyrics to include words such as those mentioned above!
What's even more funny about this situation is that this was unintentional. Samuel Francis Smith wrote the lyrics to "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" in 1831, while a student at the Andover Theological Seminary in Andover, Massachusetts. His friend, Lowell Mason had asked him to translate the lyrics in some German school songbooks or to write new lyrics. A melody in Muzio Clementi's Symphony No. 3 caught his attention. Rather than translating the lyrics from German, Smith wrote his own American patriotic hymn to the melody completing the lyrics in thirty minutes. He had never heard Clementi's symphony before and had no idea of its derivation or associations with the British national anthem, "God Save the Queen." Smith gave Mason the lyrics he had written and the song was first performed in public on July 4, 1831, at a children's Independence Day celebration at Park Street Church in Boston. For much of the 19th century this served as our country's national anthem.
And last but not least, the "Star-Spangled Banner". Our own national anthem. Yes, the lyrics come from a poem written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key, a then 35-year-old amateur poet. But did you know that the poem, and hence, our national anthem, was set to the tune of a popular British drinking song at the time, "The Anacreontic Song"?
Although the Star-Spangled Banner has different lyrics, humorously enough, the first three lines sound oddly like a reference to a drunken night out at the pub:
O! say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming.
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight...
These are the things we were never taught in school. So next time your hear the German national anthem, lift your hands in praise. Or, if you're in England, sing these alternate words when their national anthem is played and see how many people you can cheese off. Better yet, next time you're at a baseball or a football game and our national anthem is played, find a drunk guy in your section and go sing it with him. The tune sounds so much better with a beer in your hand.
24 June 2008
Your-Owe 2008
I haven’t posted much on the Euros this year, mainly because I haven’t really been interested in the tournament until now. Part of the problem has been the time difference. I really didn’t have 4 hours after work to watch the pre-game and full matches during the group stage, and, in all honesty, didn’t really concern myself with that stage of the tournament since it doesn’t mean much. There were no big surprises in the teams that made it out of the group…even considering Turkey (see my previous post).
I was hopeful when the quarterfinals began, yet I only enjoyed watching 1 of the 4 quarterfinal games. I only watched the Russia Netherlands match in its entirety. That was a good match. Germany Portugal was entertaining, but I fast-forwarded through a lot of the game because Germany was leading by 2 goals for long stretches at a time. It took 2 hours for someone to score in the Croatia Turkey match, and the Italy Spain match was just plain painful to watch.
In all honesty, I’ve been a bit disappointed with this tournament. It’s probably a combination of the fact that I don’t have any connection to any of the teams and the fact that the football played has been sub-par in my opinion (or at least the way the matches have played out). The only team that has looked good so far has been Russia…well, and the Dutch, but we all know that playing attractive football for the Dutch is all show and no substance at the end of the day.
So I enter into tomorrow's first semifinal hoping for redemption. I would like Germany to win, as Turkey is a great story but not the best ending possible. The story for Russia or Spain, beating long standing world power Germany in the final would be a far greater tale. Russia deserves it for their current form and effort, as well as being a huge underdog from the start of the tournament. Spain, for their long-standing underachievement despite each tournament possessing one of the most talented teams individually. In the end however, I’d settle for any team as long as the 3 remaining matches are nothing like the group stage and quarterfinals.
I was hopeful when the quarterfinals began, yet I only enjoyed watching 1 of the 4 quarterfinal games. I only watched the Russia Netherlands match in its entirety. That was a good match. Germany Portugal was entertaining, but I fast-forwarded through a lot of the game because Germany was leading by 2 goals for long stretches at a time. It took 2 hours for someone to score in the Croatia Turkey match, and the Italy Spain match was just plain painful to watch.
In all honesty, I’ve been a bit disappointed with this tournament. It’s probably a combination of the fact that I don’t have any connection to any of the teams and the fact that the football played has been sub-par in my opinion (or at least the way the matches have played out). The only team that has looked good so far has been Russia…well, and the Dutch, but we all know that playing attractive football for the Dutch is all show and no substance at the end of the day.
So I enter into tomorrow's first semifinal hoping for redemption. I would like Germany to win, as Turkey is a great story but not the best ending possible. The story for Russia or Spain, beating long standing world power Germany in the final would be a far greater tale. Russia deserves it for their current form and effort, as well as being a huge underdog from the start of the tournament. Spain, for their long-standing underachievement despite each tournament possessing one of the most talented teams individually. In the end however, I’d settle for any team as long as the 3 remaining matches are nothing like the group stage and quarterfinals.
23 June 2008
22 June 2008
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Coldplay released their fourth album this week. I'm downloading it as I type this blog. I'll admit that probably most of their fans are women, but that doesn't stop me from liking their music. The title track single is #6 and the album is #1 on iTunes right now, so I guess I'm not THAT alone.
I haven't heard any of the songs, but the album is supposedly very good. Some experts (from what I've read) think it could be the best selling album this year. Considering that I also like U2's music, I also found the iTunes review very promising:
"Coldplay's choice of U2 producer Brian Ono to oversee the majority of their fourth album, doesn't alter their sound so much as refine it...eager with melody...the extra guitar shimmers and the elegantly programmed orchestrations...several tracks veer closely to U2 territory..."
I'm hopeful that this will be their best album yet. Maybe in a few days, after listening to the album, I'll post the song that I like the best.
I haven't heard any of the songs, but the album is supposedly very good. Some experts (from what I've read) think it could be the best selling album this year. Considering that I also like U2's music, I also found the iTunes review very promising:
"Coldplay's choice of U2 producer Brian Ono to oversee the majority of their fourth album, doesn't alter their sound so much as refine it...eager with melody...the extra guitar shimmers and the elegantly programmed orchestrations...several tracks veer closely to U2 territory..."
I'm hopeful that this will be their best album yet. Maybe in a few days, after listening to the album, I'll post the song that I like the best.
19 June 2008
Ever Wonder...
...what were they thinking? I pulled into the parking lot at work today and saw this. I can't figure out what the owner was thinking or what he was trying to say when he put these on his car. Current conclusions are:
1) Nothing says "fire-fast" like an AWD Subaru Forester wagon
2) My car was lame, but now that I put flames on it, it's cool. Oh, and I'm really tough.
3) My Forester was present at Pentacost
A wise Smokey the Bear once said, "only you can prevent Forrester fires".
1) Nothing says "fire-fast" like an AWD Subaru Forester wagon
2) My car was lame, but now that I put flames on it, it's cool. Oh, and I'm really tough.
3) My Forester was present at Pentacost
A wise Smokey the Bear once said, "only you can prevent Forrester fires".
18 June 2008
Dwight Schrute
Two days ago we filled a vacancy in our department. The new employee's name is Dwight. To top it off, the "Blue Service Team" will now consist of Jim, Pam, and Dwight and will be assisted by Andy. We also have a Michael and a Kevin a few cublicles away.
QUESTION. What's up Big Tuna?
17 June 2008
16 June 2008
Grays and Torreys Peak
I was able to conquer two more of Colorado's 14,000 foot peaks on Sunday. We celebrated Father's Day on Saturday so that I could meet up with a group going up Grays Peak and Torreys Peak the next day. The two peaks are connected by a short saddle, so many people (including myself) take advantage of the two for one special and climb both in the same trip. The climb is one of the easier routes in the state, as the vast majority of the eight mile round trip is class one terrain. In addition to the ease of the climb, this area is very popular because of its proximity to Denver and the fact that it is literally off of I-70. Grays Peak is 14,270 feet above sea level and Torreys Peak is 14,267 feet above sea level. Interestingly enough, this makes Grays Peak the highest point on the Continental Divide in the United States.
I made the trip with three other people, two of which I met for the first time yesterday. I knew Deb from work, but I made two new friends in Richard and Jaime on this trip. We had a great time, and I'll remember this trip for the following reasons:
1) This was my first trip climbing two 14ers in one day.
2) Of all the places to run into someone, this was probably the best one yet. Near the summit of Grays (above 14,000 feet) I ran into a guy who I hadn't seen in 12 years. His name is Marc, and we lived next to each other our freshman year in college in Aden Hall. What's even more ironic is that I had stumbled across a picture of him a few days earlier on a Castle Peak trip report on 14ers.com (he's the one sampling the "local flavor"). I had originally planned on doing Castle Peak this weekend, but the group hike was canceled for various reasons. You can image my delight in seeing him for the first time in 12 years online, on a mountain I was about to climb, and then actually running into him in person a few days later on completely different mountain. Although he used different words, his reaction pretty much summed up what I was thinking: "Holy s***!" Exactly.
3) Mountain goats are awesome. A herd of mountain goats frequent this location and one of them decided to pay us a visit. To watch him move across the steep and rocky terrain is a lesson in grace, balance, strength, and skill. The humorous part is that he just sat at the top of the ridge watching two climbers coming his direction for about 30 minutes. It was almost as if he were entertained by watching them climb. Additionally, if you have any questions as to the origins of the term "goatee", I'm sure you'll have them answered after watching the slide-show.
4) The glissade. For those who don't know what this is, glissading is the voluntary act of descending a steep slope of snow in a controlled manner for the sheer thrill of the ride and/or to bypass a tedious descent. To simplify, it's sitting on your bum and sliding down a long section of mountain, usually steep, using your ice axe as a steering tool and brake. It's very fun and it makes the trip down a lot shorter and faster. The glissade between Grays and Torreys drops you down almost 1000 feet in elevation. We scouted out the area on the way up, so we knew what was below us when we were on top of the glissade route. In mid-descent however, a little rock popped up directly in my path. It went straight between my legs and just before making contact I was able to "bum jump" it and cleared it with no problem. The pictures don't do the almost 1/5 of a mile glissade justice, so look closely at the pictures and its size relative to a person coming down the route. It was so much fun.
The day was a huge success and I had a great time. I hope you enjoy the pictures. The song in the show has sort of become my 14er theme song. It really does a good job of explaining how I feel and what I'm thinking when on a mountain.
Music by Shawn McDonald (Captivated)
I made the trip with three other people, two of which I met for the first time yesterday. I knew Deb from work, but I made two new friends in Richard and Jaime on this trip. We had a great time, and I'll remember this trip for the following reasons:
1) This was my first trip climbing two 14ers in one day.
2) Of all the places to run into someone, this was probably the best one yet. Near the summit of Grays (above 14,000 feet) I ran into a guy who I hadn't seen in 12 years. His name is Marc, and we lived next to each other our freshman year in college in Aden Hall. What's even more ironic is that I had stumbled across a picture of him a few days earlier on a Castle Peak trip report on 14ers.com (he's the one sampling the "local flavor"). I had originally planned on doing Castle Peak this weekend, but the group hike was canceled for various reasons. You can image my delight in seeing him for the first time in 12 years online, on a mountain I was about to climb, and then actually running into him in person a few days later on completely different mountain. Although he used different words, his reaction pretty much summed up what I was thinking: "Holy s***!" Exactly.
3) Mountain goats are awesome. A herd of mountain goats frequent this location and one of them decided to pay us a visit. To watch him move across the steep and rocky terrain is a lesson in grace, balance, strength, and skill. The humorous part is that he just sat at the top of the ridge watching two climbers coming his direction for about 30 minutes. It was almost as if he were entertained by watching them climb. Additionally, if you have any questions as to the origins of the term "goatee", I'm sure you'll have them answered after watching the slide-show.
4) The glissade. For those who don't know what this is, glissading is the voluntary act of descending a steep slope of snow in a controlled manner for the sheer thrill of the ride and/or to bypass a tedious descent. To simplify, it's sitting on your bum and sliding down a long section of mountain, usually steep, using your ice axe as a steering tool and brake. It's very fun and it makes the trip down a lot shorter and faster. The glissade between Grays and Torreys drops you down almost 1000 feet in elevation. We scouted out the area on the way up, so we knew what was below us when we were on top of the glissade route. In mid-descent however, a little rock popped up directly in my path. It went straight between my legs and just before making contact I was able to "bum jump" it and cleared it with no problem. The pictures don't do the almost 1/5 of a mile glissade justice, so look closely at the pictures and its size relative to a person coming down the route. It was so much fun.
The day was a huge success and I had a great time. I hope you enjoy the pictures. The song in the show has sort of become my 14er theme song. It really does a good job of explaining how I feel and what I'm thinking when on a mountain.
Music by Shawn McDonald (Captivated)
15 June 2008
Happy Father's Day!
Happy 1st Father's Day, Aaron! I love you with all of my heart & I am so incredibly proud of you. You make an amazing father to Julia and we're blessed to have you in our lives.
We love you,
Stacey & Julia
Stacey & Julia
12 June 2008
There She Is!
A 15 sec clip of our fun game with Julia. It's hilarious to watch her look around for our faces and smile after the blanket comes off her head.
10 June 2008
Internet IQ Test
When was the last time you took an IQ test? You know, the "a train leaves Chicago at 8:12 a.m. traveling at 96 miles per hour" test. Stacey sent me a link to a fairly lengthy test tonight; roughly 50 questions (and difficult too). If you'd like to take the test, you can find it here:
Intelligence Quotient Test
As a forewarning, you have to create an account to take the test (all you need for that is a bogus email address). I included a standard Gaussian distribution (bell curve) graph from wikipedia on the distribution of IQ scores. It doesn't represent empirical data, but can still be used as a general guide as to where you fall in relation to everyone else.
After taking the test I did some quick research on my score. Apparently, 140 are where the "genius" categories begin. I won't tell you my score, but it was somewhere between 137 and 139, proving just how inaccurate these test really are. If anything, these tests are just for fun. I'm highly confident that any friend or family member reading this is highly intelligent or at least well above average. I would say, in reality, we're all probably in about the same range regardless of the actual score given from this test. But just for fun, I think you should take the test.
Intelligence Quotient Test
As a forewarning, you have to create an account to take the test (all you need for that is a bogus email address). I included a standard Gaussian distribution (bell curve) graph from wikipedia on the distribution of IQ scores. It doesn't represent empirical data, but can still be used as a general guide as to where you fall in relation to everyone else.
After taking the test I did some quick research on my score. Apparently, 140 are where the "genius" categories begin. I won't tell you my score, but it was somewhere between 137 and 139, proving just how inaccurate these test really are. If anything, these tests are just for fun. I'm highly confident that any friend or family member reading this is highly intelligent or at least well above average. I would say, in reality, we're all probably in about the same range regardless of the actual score given from this test. But just for fun, I think you should take the test.
08 June 2008
New Email Address
I'll send out a mass email later, but for those who read my blog I am changing my email address starting 1 July. Basically, I'm not willing to pay $100 for .mac service anymore since I only use the email portion of the package now. That's a pretty hefty price to pay for something that you can get for free.
I already had a Yahoo! account and it's one of the few accounts that work with my iPhone. So, the decision was easy. My new address is:
aaron_sudduth at yahoo dot com
It's the same address as before, just replace mac with yahoo. I didn't want to publish my exact email address in cyberspace since there are spam bots that surf the net for them. Cheers.
I already had a Yahoo! account and it's one of the few accounts that work with my iPhone. So, the decision was easy. My new address is:
aaron_sudduth at yahoo dot com
It's the same address as before, just replace mac with yahoo. I didn't want to publish my exact email address in cyberspace since there are spam bots that surf the net for them. Cheers.
07 June 2008
05 June 2008
Euro 2008 Picks
Turkey may “gobble” up the Czechs and Greece may “slip” past Russia in the group stage. The group that I struggled with the most was group C. The Dutch could easily “windmill” over France and Spain, enjoying tulips all the way to the semifinals. Considering their long history of underperforming at tournaments and the fact that Italy and France always seem to find a way when it counts, I had to leave them in the group. That, and they wear wooden shoes, which isn’t particularly effective when on the football pitch.
Portugal
Croatia
.............Portugal
.............Germany
Czech Rep
Germany
.........................Germany
.........................Italy...................Italy
Italy
Russia
.............Italy
.............Spain
France
Spain
Portugal
Croatia
.............Portugal
.............Germany
Czech Rep
Germany
.........................Germany
.........................Italy...................Italy
Italy
Russia
.............Italy
.............Spain
France
Spain
04 June 2008
A Story From Josh
I just wanted to share my experience this morning that lifted my spirits.
As I was pulling onto the freeway this morning there was a hitch hiker standing on the on ramp. I pulled over to pick him up. Don’t bother trying to talk to me about the dangers of picking up hitch hikers, it’s not going to work. I’ve always picked up hitch hikers. Hitch hiking was my main means of transportation in college. I always felt blessed by the Lords provision when hitch hiking, so I’ve chosen to be his servant and provide for others in the same way. In the past couple of months though I found myself passing them by because my passenger seat was full of junk and I didn’t have room, or my schedule was tight and I didn’t have the time. This morning I was convicted to see that as nothing more than the lame excuse it was. The poor guy had to wait a couple minutes while I was throwing all my junk into the back seat. I told him I wasn’t going far, but he said that every little bit helps. He said he was on his way to Grand Junction. He had come from Florida and had been on the road for 10 days. He had been offered a job in Grand Junction, but didn’t have the money for a bus ticket.
He asked if the exit I was dropping him off at had a store. I told him no, the Briargate exit has nothing really. He then said he had been hoping to get a cup of coffee to help wake him up. He had slept near the railroad tracks and hadn’t gotten a great night’s sleep. I paused for a bit. What did the Lord want me to do here? I decided I could find this guy a cup of coffee. So I told him my work wasn’t far off the Interstate, if he had the time I’d take him there get him some coffee and bring him back down afterward. He of course said he couldn’t put me out like that, I insisted it wasn’t a problem, it went back and forth until he agreed.
Getting out of the car I realized he had a knee brace on and walked with a cane and quite a limp, so I asked what had happened. Well apparently he was self employed in Florida doing home remodeling for a while when he got hurt on the job. He messed up his knee and was unable to walk for nearly a year, but worked at it and was on a walker for a while and now just using a cane and knee brace. For the past two years he had been earning a living stuffing envelopes at home. The job he was headed for was getting him back into the remodeling business.
I took him to the cafeteria at work and bought him a cup of coffee, and an order of biscuits and gravy. We sat down at a table and had breakfast together. Before I said a thing he bowed his head and prayed a blessing for the food out loud. Then he started to sort of excuse himself for the prayer. I quickly stopped him and shared about my faith a bit and a bit about Focus on the Family. Neither one of us were big talkers, but it was a good breakfast conversation. After watching him eat I realized I should have bought him a double order of the biscuits and gravy.
Then the Lord gave me one more idea. I asked him if he would be interested in using the showers in our locker rooms before he left. I workout at the gym at work and so I had a towel and toiletries. He took a moment. I thought for sure he would refuse. Then he just said “that would be wonderful.” I grabbed my stuff and took him down to the locker room and said I’d wait outside. He said he’d just be 5 minutes. I told him to take his time and enjoy a good long hot shower. He did. It took him about 20 minutes. He looked a lot better after the shower, not just cleaner but he stood a little taller and smiled more. I made a comment about how after spending a while camping, it’s just wonderful to take a hot shower and get clean. He replied that that was probably why Jesus washed peoples feet, and after a brief thoughtful pause he looked at me and said “you know, I think Jesus just washed my feet in that shower.”
When I dropped him off back on the Interstate I prayed for him and he prayed for me and my family. He then thanked me. Not in the usual way that I get thanked though. Most people just say thank you, he said “thank you for being God’s servant today. I appreciate what He’s done for me today through you.” I’ve picked up hitch hikers before that use Christian clichés, and this wasn’t one of those. He was sincere. Something happened between him and God in that shower today.
So please pray for Roger Gabe Michaels. Pray that his new job goes well. Pray that he finds a house in Grand Junction quickly. Pray that his knee continues to heel. Pray that he finds a good church home.
Josh
As I was pulling onto the freeway this morning there was a hitch hiker standing on the on ramp. I pulled over to pick him up. Don’t bother trying to talk to me about the dangers of picking up hitch hikers, it’s not going to work. I’ve always picked up hitch hikers. Hitch hiking was my main means of transportation in college. I always felt blessed by the Lords provision when hitch hiking, so I’ve chosen to be his servant and provide for others in the same way. In the past couple of months though I found myself passing them by because my passenger seat was full of junk and I didn’t have room, or my schedule was tight and I didn’t have the time. This morning I was convicted to see that as nothing more than the lame excuse it was. The poor guy had to wait a couple minutes while I was throwing all my junk into the back seat. I told him I wasn’t going far, but he said that every little bit helps. He said he was on his way to Grand Junction. He had come from Florida and had been on the road for 10 days. He had been offered a job in Grand Junction, but didn’t have the money for a bus ticket.
He asked if the exit I was dropping him off at had a store. I told him no, the Briargate exit has nothing really. He then said he had been hoping to get a cup of coffee to help wake him up. He had slept near the railroad tracks and hadn’t gotten a great night’s sleep. I paused for a bit. What did the Lord want me to do here? I decided I could find this guy a cup of coffee. So I told him my work wasn’t far off the Interstate, if he had the time I’d take him there get him some coffee and bring him back down afterward. He of course said he couldn’t put me out like that, I insisted it wasn’t a problem, it went back and forth until he agreed.
Getting out of the car I realized he had a knee brace on and walked with a cane and quite a limp, so I asked what had happened. Well apparently he was self employed in Florida doing home remodeling for a while when he got hurt on the job. He messed up his knee and was unable to walk for nearly a year, but worked at it and was on a walker for a while and now just using a cane and knee brace. For the past two years he had been earning a living stuffing envelopes at home. The job he was headed for was getting him back into the remodeling business.
I took him to the cafeteria at work and bought him a cup of coffee, and an order of biscuits and gravy. We sat down at a table and had breakfast together. Before I said a thing he bowed his head and prayed a blessing for the food out loud. Then he started to sort of excuse himself for the prayer. I quickly stopped him and shared about my faith a bit and a bit about Focus on the Family. Neither one of us were big talkers, but it was a good breakfast conversation. After watching him eat I realized I should have bought him a double order of the biscuits and gravy.
Then the Lord gave me one more idea. I asked him if he would be interested in using the showers in our locker rooms before he left. I workout at the gym at work and so I had a towel and toiletries. He took a moment. I thought for sure he would refuse. Then he just said “that would be wonderful.” I grabbed my stuff and took him down to the locker room and said I’d wait outside. He said he’d just be 5 minutes. I told him to take his time and enjoy a good long hot shower. He did. It took him about 20 minutes. He looked a lot better after the shower, not just cleaner but he stood a little taller and smiled more. I made a comment about how after spending a while camping, it’s just wonderful to take a hot shower and get clean. He replied that that was probably why Jesus washed peoples feet, and after a brief thoughtful pause he looked at me and said “you know, I think Jesus just washed my feet in that shower.”
When I dropped him off back on the Interstate I prayed for him and he prayed for me and my family. He then thanked me. Not in the usual way that I get thanked though. Most people just say thank you, he said “thank you for being God’s servant today. I appreciate what He’s done for me today through you.” I’ve picked up hitch hikers before that use Christian clichés, and this wasn’t one of those. He was sincere. Something happened between him and God in that shower today.
So please pray for Roger Gabe Michaels. Pray that his new job goes well. Pray that he finds a house in Grand Junction quickly. Pray that his knee continues to heel. Pray that he finds a good church home.
Josh
03 June 2008
Jungle Monkey
Monkey's jungle is still a work in progress, but it's almost ready for the "Beast". Approach this with caution, as poop may be indiscriminately flying through the air.
02 June 2008
01 June 2008
Euro 2008
What is the most watched sporting event in the world? The World Cup. What's the second most watched sporting event in the world? The European Championships, more commonly called The Euros. I guess it's not surprising considering the Euros are pretty much the World Cup less Argentina and Brazil. There are some African, Asian, and North American countries in the World Cup, but for all intents and purposes Argentina and Brazil are the only contenders outside of Europe.
I've watched the last two Euros in 2000 and 2004 at a local pub in Boulder and Berkeley, respectively. I don't know if there is a connection between liberal college towns and football, but I'm going to disprove this theory by watching this year's final at a pub in Colorado Springs. Luckily, ESPN2 is televising this year's tournament so I will be able to watch the weekday games at home after work. In 2000 and 2004 it was a challenge to find a television. This time around, the only challenge will be finding the best place to watch it outside of my living room. I believe this is just another example of the growth of the sport in this country over the past 10 years. It used to be on pay-per-view and shown in the dark, back room of an Irish pub. In 2008 it's going to be available to 88.4 million homes on ESPN2...and some matches will even be on ESPN with the final shown on ABC.
The final in 2000 between France and Italy is still my fondest football memory (or experience). Bryan and Stephanie joined me at the pub in Boulder, which made it that much more interesting since Bryan had recently returned from his exchange program in France. The place was packed...packed as in you were standing shoulder to shoulder with complete strangers and making your way to the counter was a 5 minute process. The color blue was everywhere: on shirts, on faces, in hair. The atmosphere was electric. Fans would break into song in the middle of the match for no reason. To top it off, the game was outstanding. Italy were winning 1-0 and at the very end of the game (injury time) France scored a goal to send it to extra time. A few minutes into extra time France scored again and the game was over (golden ball/sudden death rule at that time). The place was mostly filled with French fans, so the placed went berserk. To this day I still don't know the names of, or how many people I got hugs from after the goal went in. All I know was that it was an outstanding time and a great memory.
If this year's tournament and "spot" are half as good as they were in Boulder, I'm going to be a very happy little boy for the next few weekends starting Saturday.
I've watched the last two Euros in 2000 and 2004 at a local pub in Boulder and Berkeley, respectively. I don't know if there is a connection between liberal college towns and football, but I'm going to disprove this theory by watching this year's final at a pub in Colorado Springs. Luckily, ESPN2 is televising this year's tournament so I will be able to watch the weekday games at home after work. In 2000 and 2004 it was a challenge to find a television. This time around, the only challenge will be finding the best place to watch it outside of my living room. I believe this is just another example of the growth of the sport in this country over the past 10 years. It used to be on pay-per-view and shown in the dark, back room of an Irish pub. In 2008 it's going to be available to 88.4 million homes on ESPN2...and some matches will even be on ESPN with the final shown on ABC.
The final in 2000 between France and Italy is still my fondest football memory (or experience). Bryan and Stephanie joined me at the pub in Boulder, which made it that much more interesting since Bryan had recently returned from his exchange program in France. The place was packed...packed as in you were standing shoulder to shoulder with complete strangers and making your way to the counter was a 5 minute process. The color blue was everywhere: on shirts, on faces, in hair. The atmosphere was electric. Fans would break into song in the middle of the match for no reason. To top it off, the game was outstanding. Italy were winning 1-0 and at the very end of the game (injury time) France scored a goal to send it to extra time. A few minutes into extra time France scored again and the game was over (golden ball/sudden death rule at that time). The place was mostly filled with French fans, so the placed went berserk. To this day I still don't know the names of, or how many people I got hugs from after the goal went in. All I know was that it was an outstanding time and a great memory.
If this year's tournament and "spot" are half as good as they were in Boulder, I'm going to be a very happy little boy for the next few weekends starting Saturday.
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