Best Book Title EVER

I was cleaning out the BSM's library because they're going to redo most of it this summer and part of what I was cleaning out were the old books they have.

So, as I was reading the titles and checking the copyright date, I noticed the best book title ever. I laughed at it for a couple minutes, then felt the need to share it with everyone else.

It's called:
And can I just say how awesome the cover is. This old, kind looking lady is tramping it up for the lord. Awesome. Just awesome.

I hope this has brought a little bit of joy into your life because it sure has brightened my day.

Later.

A National ID System? Seriously?

There's an act, the Real ID act, on Congress's floor that could change how the government issues driver's licenses. If this act is passed, driver's licenses will be "tamper-proof," which really means everyone will have an ID number on their driver's license that could be used to collect information on you in a national database. James Carafano, senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, defended the program, saying it does not establish a national identity card system or a new, national database, but rather would be a system of integrated databases that would help deter terrorism.

I say, whatever. If passed, the act could be the start of the end...if you know what I mean.

^{Rev. 16-17: "}And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads, and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."

That's all I'm saying on that.
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On a happier note, red fire ants are easier to kill off now. :)

Apparently there's some virus that kills them naturally, but it needs a stressor before becoming deadly. Those smart people, also known as scientists, have figured out a way to "stress" the virus. It's pretty awesome. And it makes me happy.
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Something else that makes me happy. I'm done with the Spring semester. Four more classes and I'm gone. I'm very happy. I'm clapping and jumping for joy right now.

I'm also out in Meridian, and have been these past couple of days. It's been fun. I'm working on finishing up a Board of Director's report for G3S2. They're having a BOD meeting on Wednesday, which is the day after I'm leaving. But I'm glad I get to be a little helpful around here.

There are a couple people coming in today. Some important people from HISG, two of which I've met before I think, and some other guy that worked here last summer. He just graduated from Hardin-Simmins, I believe.

Besides that, I've got nothing going on. I saw Spider-Man 3 yesterday with my family. It wasn't that good. I was expecting better. The fight scenes were hard to follow sometimes. And Peter Parker's 'bad side' came off emo and corny. Made me start going for the bad guys. Although, Topher Grace has a bad guy...not very believable. He can't pull it off, so he needs to stop trying.

I do want to see "28 Weeks Later," after I re-see "28 Days Later." I also want to see "The Ex" because I love Zach Braff and Jason Bateman, and "Shrek 3." So, if anyone wants to go see these with me, let me know.

Later.

You Know You're In College When...

*signifies what I can relate to
My comments in the brackets [ ]

*1. High school started before 8am, but now anything before noon is considered "early".

2. You have more beer than food in your fridge.

*3. Weekends start on Thursday.

*4. 6am is when you go to sleep, not when you wake up.

5. You know many different ways to cook Ramon noodles or macaroni and cheese.

6. The health center gives out free condoms, and people take them… just in case.

*7. Instead of falling asleep in class, you stay in bed.

*8. You know how late McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Wendy's, etc. are open.

*9. You think it’s the weekend on a Wednesday and you don’t know what month it is.

*10. You can't remember the last time you washed your car.

*11. Your underwear/sock supply dictates your laundry schedule.

*12. You check Facebook/MySpace more than once a day.

13. You get drunk dialed on any night of the week.

*14. You wash dishes in the bathroom sink.

15. You’ve fallen off a loft bed.

16. You talk about beer pong like it’s a sport.

17. Finding random people in your house is perfectly normal, and you even sympathize with them... sometimes when you wake up you have no idea where you are.

*18. Your primary news sources are the Daily Show and the Colbert Report.

19. You open a beer at 10 am and your roommate asks you if there’s more.

20. The standard of meals per day falls to two, sometimes just one.

*21. Your trash is overflowing and your bank account isn’t.

*22. You go to Target or Wal-Mart more than 3 times a week.

*23. You wear the same jeans for 13 days without washing them.

*24. Your breakfast consists of a coke or cereal bar on the way to class... anything with caffeine will do.

*25. Quarters are like gold.

*26. Your idea of feeding the poor is buying yourself some Ramon noodles.

*27. You live in a house with three couches, none of which match.

*28. You try to study but seem to procrastinate by eating, going to study breaks, talking to people, etc...

*29. You talk to your roommate on instant messenger when you’re both home.

30. You ask people what YOU did last night.

*31. Certain things are now deemed "Facebook worthy." When friends take pictures of you, you wonder how long it will take them to post them.

*32. You’ve seen a hit and run involving a bicyclist/pedestrian.

*33. You see people you know you’ve met but can never remember their names or how you know them.

34. You sleep more in class than in your room

35. Your idea of a square meal is a box of Pop-Tarts.

*36. You've traveled with bags of dirty clothes.

*37. You go home to do your laundry because you're too poor to pay the $2... or too lazy to go to a change machine.

*38. You pay $100 for a book you don't read once, return it four months later, and get $7.

39. More than 20% of your household furnishings are made from milk crates.

40. You recognize the meat in the dorm soup as yesterday's meatloaf, and thus decide to eat a nice bowl of cereal - a safe bet for any meal.

*41. You use words like "thus" (see #40).

42. You throw out bowls and plates because you don't feel like washing them.

43. Your beer pong table is nicer than all your other tables.

*44. It takes preparation... and 3 people... to take out your garbage.

*45. Going to the library is a social event.

*46. You wear flip flops in the shower your freshman year... you know why.

47. You start joining clubs because of the free food.

*48. Visits home depend on how much money you have for gas.

*49. You skip one class to write a paper for another.

*50. You have no idea where your tuition money is going... technology fees? I think not.

*51. Bicycles don't seem as lame as they did in high school.

52. You stay up late to finish homework then sleep through the class in which it was due.

*53. Girls: You've balanced your foot on a shampoo bottle to shave.

*54. Your backpack is giving you scoliosis.

*55. You've written a check for 45 cents or stopped to get $2.00 of gas.

56. Your bill in the bookstore will be comparable to tuition.

*57. Going to the mailbox becomes an ego booster/breaker.

58. Most of your T.A.'s are foreign...what's the deal?

*59. You never realized so many people are smarter than you.

*60. You never realized so many people are dumber than you.

*61. Western Europe could be wiped out by a terrible plague and you'd never know, but you can recite the last episode of your favorite show verbatim.

62. Care packages rank right up there with birthdays.

63. You craft ways to make any game into a drinking/stripping game.

*64. You meet the type of people you thought only existed in movies.

*65. Printers break down only when you desperately need them.

*66. Anything can be cooked in a microwave.

67. Two words: bike cops.

68. You have Safe Ride programmed into your phone.

*69. Old school Nintendo... and guitar hero... are pretty much the best things ever.

*70. Going to the grocery at midnight is completely normal.

*71. You call restaurants that deliver more than you call your own family. [I LOVE Wingzone and they love me.]

72. You've paid bills over $5... in coins.

*73. You can't imagine life without your computer/cell phone/ i-pod.

74. Hoodies and sweatpants become the norm - jeans are considered "dressy" at certain occasions... like school.

*75. A canceled class is almost as exciting as Christmas.

*76. Taking a nap in the library is perfectly acceptable.

77. Your professors speak English... as a second language.

78. Your teachers swear in class and no one cares.

79. Candles in your dorm room are considered contraband, but cigarettes are ok.

*80. You take condiment packets and napkins from fast food restaurants - hey, they're free.

81. Betta fish are like your family.

*82. You bring back socks from the laundry room that may or may not be yours.

83. You know what people carrying suspiciously heavy backpacks after dark are doing...

*84. The elevators take forever but you'll wait 10 minutes just so you don't have to climb stairs.

*85. Your roommate asks you to check the weather on your computer when they're standing 5 feet away from the door.

*86. Showers become more of an issue.

*87. You press the automatic door opener instead of simply grabbing the handle when you approach a door.

*88. Christmas lights seem to be acceptable all year round.

*89. Class size doubles on exam days.

90. You donate plasma even though you know it's pretty sketchy.

*91. You are no longer thankful that fire alarms are here to protect you.

92. You've bought Christmas presents from the book store and charged it to your student account so your parents pay for the gifts because you're too broke.

93. You begin to include ketchup on your list of acceptable vegetables.

*94. You stay on campus for hours in between classes when it's too cold to walk home.

95. People have to help you kick the vending machine just so you can get your 50 cent bag of chips.

*96. There's always a "question kid" in at least one of your classes, and you really wish someone would just tell him/her to shut the hell up.

97. You steal dishes from the cafeteria so you don't have to wash your own.

*98. Laundry is an all-day event.

*99. You no longer find it uncool to take naps. In fact, you quite enjoy them.

100. It's illegal to drink in the dorms yet they sell an assortment of shot glasses, beer mugs, tankards, etc. in the bookstore.

101. You find your list of acceptable napping places expanding daily to increasingly uncomfortable locations.

102. You fill out credit card applications for the free food.

103. You've eaten cereal out of a cup... with a fork.

*104. Dressing up for Halloween becomes cool again. [Dressing up for Halloween has always been cool.]

*105. You know at least one person who has dropped his/her cell phone into a toilet.

*106. You hang multiple shirts on the same hanger to save space/money.

*107. You become increasingly annoyed with the "old" people in class - props to them for going back to college but they generally ask really, really annoying questions.

108. You admire people's alcohol bottle shrines.

*109. You set your clock 5-10 minutes ahead so you can potentially make it to class on time.

*110. You check ratemyprofessor.com (or something of the like) before choosing your class schedule.

111. You text faster than you type.

112. You only find out a class is cancelled after you get there and sit for about ten minutes.

*113. You actually start using coupons, especially those school coupon books.

114. You open canned food and eat it... out of the can.

*115. You run out of black ink and, instead of buying a new ink cartridge, decide blue is a nice substitute... adds a little flair.

*116. You have numbers in your phone with labels like “Sketchy Steve” and “Alcohol Guy.”

*117. The food in your fridge may or may not be older than your little brother.

*118. You finish reading this and wonder how you can procrastinate next.
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For those Firefly/Serenity fans out there:

Go to Can't Stop The Serenity to find out how you can see the best movie ever and help out Equality Now, a woman's rights advocacy group. This charity is Joss Whedon's favorite one...not really sure why, since he's a guy, but more power to him for realizing women are a better cause than anything else.

For people who live in Texas there are two showings to choose from on Saturday, June 23rd:
Austin - Time and ticket cost TBA, hopefully soon
Dallas/Fort Worth - It's actually in Arlington - beginning at 6:00PM and tickets cost $12 pre-sale, $15 at the door

If anyone wants to go with me, I'm thinking about going to the Dallas showing. Just let me know.
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Well, this is my second to last day of finals. I have three to take in the next 24 hours. It's going to be a long night... And I just hope I can survive through tomorrow morning. After that, I'm going on auto-pilot until Saturday.

Oh, and I found out I can watch a lot more people I know graduate on Saturday since Baylor has grouped all non-College of Arts & Science majors together for the 2:30 commencement. Awesome. I'm bringing a book, btw. Not to be disrespectful or anything, but I have a feeling I'm going to need it.

And in case anyone cares, my commencement will be on Saturday, August 11th at 10:00AM. I say this now, because I know I'll forget at some point and need to look it up.

That's all I've got. I need to go back to studying since I think I've procrastinated enough. Later.

Will Someone Buy Me This Car?

Please??!!!?

It's flippin' awesome. And I do need a new car...

It's a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, only $450,000. That's nothing.

If you don't want to get me the car, at least think about getting me the most awesome clock ever. Someone, who will remain nameless, didn't think winning my made-up game was enough reason for him to purchase this for me, even though he agreed that it was pretty awesome.
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Anyway...today is the last full day that Brandi and Brandon are here. Brandon comes back after this summer, but by then I might already be gone. And Brandi doesn't come back for...a while. I know she'll come back to visit, hopefully, but she's not finished at Redcloud for two years. That's a long time.

I'm going to this dinner tonight with her and her family, kind of a going-away thing. It shouldn't be weird at all...right...like hanging out with someone else's family isn't always weird.
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So, I have to talk about Grey's Anatomy last night.

I like the idea of Addison having her own show. She's become overshadowed on Grey's since there are so many other storylines happening. I liked the premise and the other actors they cast for it, especially Chris Lowell, but more on him later. First, let's discuss the other characters.

Kate Walsh, who plays Addison Montgomery, is a great leading woman. She's pretty, without seeming artificial, and competent enough to realize when she's made a mistake.

Tim Daly, who plays Pete, the love interest, is still hot even though he's a year older than my dad. I'm not saying he's Christian Bale hot, but he's got the older man hot thing going on. Plus, he's good at that banter needed to sustain viewer interest in him and Addison working out.

Taye Diggs, who plays Sam, a friend of Addison's from med school and the ex-husband of Naomi, is hot too. I loved him in How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Equilibrium, as I'm sure I'll love him in this show.

Merrin Dungey, who plays Naomi, Addison's best friend from med school, is amazing. I loved her in Summerland and I loved her in Alias, plus she played a kickass bad guy in Alias. I know she'll be amazing as usual in this show.

There are two other doctors that are featured on the show, but I don't really have an opinion about them because I haven't seen them in anything else, but they did a good job last night.

Now, on to Chris Lowell.

Where did this guy come from? Apparently he was 'discovered' playing sand volleyball. He currently plays a reoccuring part on Veronica Mars, which is a great show btw. But last night, I really saw just how cute he is. Dang. And he's got a great smile.

That's a great smile...and he's only a couple months older than me. :)

I always like it when an actor I'm crushing on is older than me, but not so much older it's creepy.

He alone might be worth watching the show, if it's picked up for next season. It's not like I haven't watched a show before just to see a particular actor *cough, Drive, cough*.
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In other news, Spider-Man 3 opened today. Christopher and Brandon saw it last night, but I haven't heard if it's worth it or not. Actually, it doesn't matter if it's worth it or not because I'm going to see it regardless. I'm just not going to see it this weekend because I never see a movie on its opening weekend, unless it makes my list of exceptions. There are very few exceptions, but one of them will be coming out this summer, the new Harry Potter movie.

If you've seen it, let me know what you thought and why. Later.

National Day of Prayer and this thing called "Consumerism"

Today, May 3rd, is the National Day of Prayer. And what a fitting day to pick, since finals have officially started for Baylor University. Even though my finals don't start until Monday, I know some people are taking them today. To those people I say, good luck and I'm praying for you.
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This next issue is for those who watch 'Lost'.
*spoiler alert*

Last night's episode was crazy, wasn't it? It's insane how the writers are linking all the characters together. I never would have thought Locke's dad was the same man who conned Sawyer's mom all those years ago. Craziness...

I cannot wait for next week's episode! I wonder what's going to happen with the girl that crashed there...will they get saved or not? This will most likely be the question they will end on at the season finale.
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Since I've banned the Fox network, I've been having to find out what's happened on the shows I previously watched from people generous enough to write about them. And thankfully, this week on American Idol they did not vote off my favorite contestant, Blake Lewis. Instead they got rid of Chris and Phil. I'm not that sorry to see them go. If you haven't been watching, or following the performances on YouTube like I've had to do, you missed Blake's rendition of Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name". It was amazing and luckily for you I've made it easy for you to watch. *Just click here* :)
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This next issue is going to be a long one, and I have to give credit to Relevant magazine for getting me to think about it.

Everyone knows Americans are the worst people to consult when it comes to resource management. A report published by the Center for Environment and Population (CEP) in 2006 found that though the United States accounts for only 5 percent of the world's population, it uses 23 percent of the world's energy, 28 percent of its paper and consumes 15 percent of its meat. The average American is responsible for 5 pounds of waste per day -- that's compared to 3 pounds in Europe.

With figures like those you have to wonder, how are we, as Christians, supposed to live the teachings of Christ in this materialistic society?

Some of you may know about these "prosperity gospel" preachers who say if you live according to God's word you'll become rich and safe and live a good, long life, etc. Joel Osteen is one of these preachers. Or you may have seen, or even attend, a "megachurch", where the only thing that seems to matter is how many people they can bring in. (There are always exceptions, so please do not be offended if you are a member of one of these churches.)

The worst thing, in my opinion, is how much social justice involvement has become "the thing to do." I don't know how much more I can take. Now I'm a member of the ONE campaign and I think what they're doing is great, but is celebrity endorsement the only way to get people involved in something worthwhile? And what about (RED)? Their "manifesto" is about how if we buy a product that endorses RED, the product's company will contribute a percentage of its profits to RED, which will use the money to buy medicine to help people with AIDS in Africa. I think that's terrific, but why not just donate the money you're going to use to buy whatever product to an organization that does the same thing? Cut out the middle man. In my opinion RED is just another fad, just one more fashionable logo, of the current "getting involved" trend. Fashion reasons won't motivate you in the long haul, so that means something has to change.

So how do those who have been raised in this materialistic society cultivate a passion for giving, justice and faith if (and when) the initial motivation runs out?

Luke 18 -- Jesus tells a rich man who has kept God's commandments to sell everything he owns and give the money to the poor. But, unfortunately, this man cannot do such a thing. This reaction, and what I think Jesus is trying to show, points to where one's heart is and how much control money has in an individual's life.

Don Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz, gives his interpretation of what Luke 18 means and how it applies to us. "The real issue is about addiction," Miller says. "We live in a culture that's addicted to money, and we're addicted to what money can buy us. And we're fooled into thinking that, 'I can buy this product, and this product will make me happy.' And we're fooled because the average American sees 3,000 commercial images a day. It's like somebody constantly asking you if you want crack-3,000 times a day. And you only take it once a day...that's not good."

In my opinion, the whole commercial thing is going a little too far. Yes, I agree advertising is designed to make people want the product or service being shown, but it's not as bad as someone asking you if want crack. (Well, maybe in McDonald's case it is...) But, aside from that, people should be smart enough to realize the difference between an advertisement and reality. If that wasn't the case, the FTC would be fining ad agencies all day long. However, I do think advertising to children should be strongly restricted, which America is kind of coming around to...but this is a whole other discussion.

I don't know where your heart lays or how you view money, but here are some ideas that could help you get started.

• Tithing is always good -- not necessarily the 10% rule, but what you think would meet the needs of the church or of the poor

• Become a part of a community -- a place you can be yourself, where your life is influenced by the relationships you have with others, and where the nature of those relationships revolve around giving

• Make a conscious choice to get out of personal debt -- be it with a credit card, or student loans, or living beyond your means

And here are some sites you should look into.

• Relational Tithe -- an online network where people can connect over needs. You can contribute to the seed fund, or seek out a specific need to interact with.

• Medi-Share -- a Christian health care solution company that connects believers who share the costs of medical bills and, in turn, save money individually.

• Freecycle -- a movement of people across the globe who are giving and getting stuff for free in their local communities.

If you have any ideas or websites to add, feel free to leave a comment.
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Sorry this was such a long entry. People shouldn't leave me with nothing to do at work for three hours straight...because then something like this comes about...

My New Shoes...and other stuff

First of all...
I LOVE my new shoes!!
Love, love, love, love, love!
Aren't they the cutest shoes you've ever seen?!?

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There's a rumor going around the entertainment/television industry that Scrubs might not be picked up for next season. This saddens me because I love Scrubs, but more importantly, I love Zach Braff. NBC has until May 15th to renew the show, but I have a feeling they're not going to do it simply because I've recently come to the conclusion all television executives are morons. Not picking up Scrubs again, a show that has had constantly high ratings and a huge fanbase even though it's been moved to every night and time slot known to prime time, would be moronic and would prove my conclusion right. I'll let you know how things progress.

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Seeing as how I'm going into the marketing world at some point in my life (hopefully), I like reading stories that involve people's opinions on ads, agencies, or the marketing industry as a whole.

So, I'm proud to introduce the 'This Week's Advertising/Marketing Segment', or TWAMS, because everything's cooler when you abbreviate it.

I have to give credit to digg.com for leading me to this gem of a webpage -- The Ten Worst Movie Posters of All Times. First, is it correct to use 'times' or 'time'? I never remember the rule for that. Second, I have to agree with most of what was said. Those are some bad movie posters. I hope I can do better if I ever work for an advertising agency, although I doubt I'll ever work for an agency that creates movie posters, mainly because those agencies are centered in California and I don't see myself working in California...ever.

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I know some of you listen to internet radio, like I do, so I ask you to please support the "Internet Radio Equity Act" by going to SaveNetRadio.org and calling your state representative to co-sponsor this act and save internet radio websites, such as Pandora and Last.fm. And in case you want more information, you can check out this article detailing what's been going on.

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Well, it seems it's 5:00pm, which means I'm done with work...and with this post. Later.

It's Been A While...

So, what's been happening? Just wanted to catch up...

I've been finishing up school for this semester. I have three finals next week and then I'm done!...for two weeks...and back to school, or rather summer school. And then I graduate! It's exciting. I'm excited. Can you tell I'm excited?!?

Anyway, moving on... I've been busy entertaining myself with new shows and movies these past couple of weeks. A lot of hours logged in at my computer, staring at the screen...maybe that's why my head and eyes have been killing me...hmm. I'll look into that...later.

My real reason for writing this nonsense was this. The end of a semester and a school year is always sad, but this year is sadder than it has ever been. My friends are graduating and people are leaving and I have this feeling I'm not going to see some of them ever again. It's very sad and I know I'm going to have a hard time dealing with leaving the Waco area when I graduate in August.

'College life' is ending and soon my 'real life' will begin.

This sucks.

*Update: I did not mean I think I would never see Brandi again. I know I'll see you again, Brandi. I meant the people who are currently my friends, but for some reason or another will be those friends that gradually drift away over the next year or so.*