When I discussed slavery and the Bible a few weeks ago, I tried to deal with the various responses that I might hear from people who believe that the Bible is inerrant. Apparently there was one that I didn't think of, but I heard it today. I was talking with someone who believes that most of the Bible is the inspired word of God and I asked him what he thinks about the passages that condoned slavery. He said that he didn't see anything wrong with slavery because the Bible doesn't condemn it. I pressed him on this to make sure I wasn't misunderstanding. He confirmed that he sees nothing inherently wrong with owning another human, punishing him or her with beatings and using them for forced labor. He said that he is not racist and that he doesn't want to be a slave or own a slave now, but if the legality of slavery was put to a vote, he wouldn't bother to go to the polls to vote for or against it.

Plus one point for being consistent with his belief that the Bible is God's word. Minus one million points for moral reprehensibility.

I have little respect for somebody who kept silent during seven years of the worst government abuses of my generation, helped sell an unnecessary war based on false information and propaganda, and lied to the American public on a daily basis, only to suddenly develop a conscience long after the ship has sailed.

While I it's nice to hear that at least somebody in Bush's circle isn't pleased with what his actions have done to our country, your dissenting voice would have been far more helpful before the United States invaded Iraq, or at least while the president was running for re-election in 2004, to stop him from doing even more damage. Instead, you've chosen to speak only after the Bush presidency has reached total lame duck status and a vast majority of Americans have already drawn the same conclusions as you.

Yes, your book confirms what some Iraq war critics have been saying since the beginning, but in June 2008 it can serve no practical effect other than to relieve your own personal guilt.

Astounding.

(via Signal vs Noise)

If you somehow missed out the awesome documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters then check it out on G4 tonight. While I highly recommend the DVD and all its awesome special features, all you have to do is set your DVR and you can check it out for free. It's definitely one of my favorite documentaries of the past few years.

I received a tip about these free buttons from NBC featuring each of their popular shows. I chose the 30 Rock, Office, Heroes, and Conan buttons. They'll look good with the rest of my assorted pins and buttons I've collected working at Disneyland and at various comic conventions and the like. Free stuff is always cool so I figured I would share with you folks. Get them while they last!

Black Beauty was another audio book I gave a shot. I was never all that interested in reading it, but I have gone through the majority of the audio books of interest at the local mini-library, save The Last of the Mohicans, which I have been saving for last because of its lengthiness and the fact that I've been trying to finish reading it for many years. So I'm reading The Last of the Mohicans right now, which means that I'll soon have to venture uptown for my audio entertainment. Blahbity blah blah, I know. But really, my library adventures are probably more entertaining than Black Beauty was for me.

The book is basically a self-narrative from a horse's point of view. He tells of his youth, his training, and the many owners, drivers, and jobs he has over the years. He goes through a lot of ups and downs, but above all, he has many PETA-esque stories to tell about the treatment of animals. In fact, each chapter contains either a lesson about animal treatment or a religious point of view. The whole thing is propaganda disguised as a story about an animal.

I'm not saying that there aren't a few good characters, like James and John, or the taxi driver who treats Beauty so well. There are some episodes of excitement, and one does learn a little bit about the nature of a horse. But to me, it was far too preachy. I almost returned it to the library about a third of the way through, when I noticed the pattern, but decided to finish it because I've only ever really quit reading a book without finishing (with two exceptions: The Man in the Iron Mask - when I realized I could summarize the first few hundred pages in just about 10 seconds, and Herzog - because I hated the protagonist).

So I gave it a go, and it didn't do much for me. But I'm sure it's great for little kids who have a fascination with horses, and it's probably good for teaching kids about animal treatment. But for an adult, it's a pass.

Zack and Miri Make Pr0n

NSFW in any shape or form. Duh.

Kevin has said the official trailer will show up in front of Pineapple Express in August. He's been busy cutting the film and the last I heard it was a slim 96 minutes. For those wondering, I missed out on my opportunity to be an extra because of school obligations. Sigh....

Also, I had to change the title to get around our spam filters.

According to The Nigerian Tribune:

What could be described as a fairy tale turned real on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as a cat allegedly turned into a middle-aged woman after being hit by a commercial motorcycle (Okada) on Aba/Port Harcourt Expressway.

Nigerian Tribune learnt that three cats were crossing the busy road when the okada ran over one of them which immediately turned into a woman. This strange occurrence quickly attracted people around who descended on the animals. One of them, it was learnt, was able to escape while the third one was beaten to death, still as a cat though.

I know we're not supposed to look down on other cultures for their naive beliefs, but this is absurd.

I also think it's funny that the paper qualified its story by saying a cat allegedly turned into a middle-aged woman.

Sunday evening, Aidan and I took in a baseball game, just father and son. I had been looking forward to it, thinking about what a special thing it is to bond with my son. I worried for a while that day, because a few hours before the game a storm rolled through Auorora. The rain lasted only minutes, however, and did not prevent the game from being played.

We went to see the Kane County Cougars, the single-A team of the Oakland A's. Their stadium is about 15 minutes from our house, which is benefit number 1 compared to taking him to a Cubs game. Anyone with small children knows that sometimes the trip somewhere can waste precious "good behavior" time. Benefit #2 is the price of a ticket. I bought the best seats in the house, for $12 a piece. First base line, a little past first toward right field, 5 rows up. Benefit #3 is free parking. Benefit #4 is all of the activities they have for kids. Benefit #5 is having no one yelling "Soriano, you suck &*%$!!" I heard no foul language at the Cougars game, compared to the constant onslaught at Wrigley Field.

As we approached the stadium, we were handed a free sample of a Dunkin Donuts iced caramel latte. Aidan loves Dunkin Donuts, a love passed down from his Grandma, and he loves iced lattes, a love handed down from his mommy. Good start as far as he was concerned. We went to will call, picked up our tickets, and entered the stadium.

He actually exclaimed "Wow!" upon seeing the field, and immediately wanted to find our seats. I wanted to walk around with him a little, because we got there about an hour and a half before the game was to start. But we found our seats, watched a little batting practice, then went for a walk. We made note of all the concessions available, saw a little kids area with a giant slide and obstacle courses, and then sought out the souvenir shop. It had heated up quite a bit since the storm, and I felt my head burning already. So a got a Cougars hat, which was only $9.00!

Before the game, the crowd was invited down for autographs and photos with the players. I took a photo of Aidan with my phone, but being somewhat slow, I cannot figure out how to get the photos off of it to post here. After the photo, he turned to the Cougars dugout and said he wanted to go in there. I told him he couldn't, so he kicked dirt into it! Thankfully it was very chaotic, and I don't think anyone saw it. I guess it was his Piniella move.

By the time the game started, the sun was beating down on us from over the other side of the stadium. I now know that evening games should be watched from the third base line, because for a few innings I had to squint to see the field. Aidan had been acting tired, and for the first couple innings, he laid down on my lap. I thought this was the end for him. But as the sun went down and it got cooler, and as he made friends with Nick, the 4-year-old sitting behind us, he started getting re-energized. It was cool to see him interact with Nick; I told Nick's dad that they were peas in a pod.

The "skits" between innings featuring a bird called Birdzerk were probably Aidan's favorite part of the game. Birdzerk taunted the opposing players, he danced, he drove around the field. Aidan laughed and laughed, and when the game resumed he always asked, "Where did Birdzerk go?"

In the fifth inning Aidan told me he had to throw up; I thought maybe the heat, his Sierra Mist and the corndog were conspiring against his stomach. But when we got to the bathroom, he said, "I was just kidding, I don't have to throw up." Thanks.

In the seventh inning, while he was enjoying a raspberry slushie-type thing, he suddenly looked up and said, "Uh-oh, POOP!" We raced to the bathroom again, and this time it was not a joke. While using the facilities, he kept asking if Nick was going to use the bathroom after him. I was proud of the little guy for letting me know!

After the game, we were treated to a pretty cool fireworks display. Aidan kept saying, "I want a bigger and bigger and bigger one" while putting his arms wide in the air. And then after the fireworks, we were able to go onto the field to run the bases. He was so cute as he raced around the bases. I got a really cute photo of him between second and third, and another good one of him stepping on home plate. Again, the photos reside only on my phone.

Walking back to the car, he said goodnight to everyone we passed, even the police officer directing traffic. He said he couldn't wait to come to another ballgame, even wishing we could go immediately, right now, to another game. But he'd like it if Catie and Mommy could come to.

Babette's feast is the story of a small town in Denmark in the 1800s that gets rocked by a French meal. Two religious sisters plan to celebrate what would have been their minister father's 100th birthday, and the local townspeople are invited to join them. They have a French refugee who is their servant, named Babette. Babette wins a lottery from France and decides to use the money to put together a full French dinner for the sisters' celebration. The townspeople are afraid of her French concoctions when they see the ingredients arriving by boat, but determine to go through with the meal. The dinner also brings up several memories of the sisters' pasts (of which a few episodic flashbacks are shown earlier in the film) and forces them to think about the decisions they made that affected their futures.

The movie is very simple in style, which is certainly appropriate in proportion to the town where the people live, which is a tiny seaside village of mostly older inhabitants. They all live in rougher housing and aren't used to extravagances. This makes Babbette's dinner all the more surreal for them, especially when they have a beautiful table setting, a wine for each dinner course, and plenty of foods even I've never been exposed to.

As the dinner progresses, the moods and outlooks of the guests are all very changed. The wine helps them relax, and in such a fine social setting, they are able to forgive their difference and overcome prejudices.

It's not anything groundbreaking, but the setting, the sisters' stories, and the spectacle of the meal are all so interesting that I couldn't help but enjoy myself.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly didn't come anywhere near where I live when it was in limited release, so I had to wait for Netflix. (Wow, I think my blog is basically free advertising for them since I love it so much.. that and TiVo! Speaking of which, I need to buy a Roku Netflix Player asap.) I'm trying to remember which other foreign films I saw from last year... I'm pretty sure none of them compared with this one.

The story is a true one, about Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric), who was editor of Elle magazine until he had a massive stroke that left him with locked-in syndrome (complete paralysis, unable to speak). The movie begins with his point of view, waking up in a hospital after his stroke. The camera blurs often and is set at his eye-level, and the audience is able to hear his thoughts as he discovers what has happened to him. It's very effective (actually to the point where I was feeling a little bit queasy with the camera work and effects at first), and really gives the audience the experience of a person with locked-in syndrome.

Eventually, Bauby is able to communicate because he is able to blink his one working eye to answer yes or no. And after that, his therapist discovers that he can spell out words as she reads the alphabet to him and he blinks when she reads the correct letter. It's a slow process, but he actually writes a book using this method. As he goes through this process, he also has to deal with the changed relationships in his life, as a career man, a boyfriend, a father, and a son. Particularly touching is his relationship with his father, who is played beautifully by Max Von Sydow. There are many scenes flashing back to Bauby's former life, and eventually there is a flashback to the actual scene of his stroke. The way the movie weaves back and forth between his personal thoughts, his experiences, and his past is very fluid and very intimate.

The direction and acting in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly are superb, and I've never seen anything quite like it. It's a wonderful film and I would definitely recommend it to the mature audience.

At the dinner table last night, Aidan asked, "Daddy, is your finger ok that you drilled the way other day?"

I should explain that a few days ago I was installing new cabinet locks on every cabinet in the house so that Catie does not accidentally ingest cleaners), and as I was drilling into a cabinet door, the screw slipped and I drilled my finger. Nothig bled, it just hurt.

I told him that it felt much better. He said he wanted to pray for me.

He bowed his head, closed his eyes, folded his hands and said, "Dear Jesus, thank you that my Daddy's finger feels better. Amen."

I have never been part of a better prayer.

Sometimes when work is a little slow, I'll watch a movie or two using the instant viewing feature on Netflix while I go through the work motions. I don't think I can give as good a review for movies that I do this with, so I usually watch movies that seem like they'll be easy to follow. I definitely chose right this time. Kramer vs. Kramer is the simple story of a man (Dustin Hoffman) who has to change his ways and become an attentive dad when his wife (Meryl Streep) suddenly leaves him and leaves their son with him as well. Ted faces a lot of trouble when his fathering interferes with his career, and fathering is a big challenge for him since his wife had always taken care of their son. But just as soon as he gets the hang of things, his wife comes back and takes him to court for custody of the kid.

I had avoided watching this movie for a long time because the title sounded more like it was a serious courtroom drama of two parents battling it out for their kid. Instead, the custody battle doesn't take place until about the last third of the movie. The focus is more on Ted's development and his relationship with his son, which plays out wonderfully. I liked the dynamics caused by the twist of forcing a dad to be the sole caretaker of a child. It's obvious at the beginning that Ted has no idea what he's doing and doesn't necessarily have a great bond with his son, but when the boy is injured at the playground, one can see how much his love has grown over the time he has had alone with his son.

Meryl Streep was in the movie for a much shorter time than I expected, but enough to win the best supporting actress Oscar. Hoffman also won his own Oscar, and the movie also took home best picture, best director, and best screenplay. I don't know what else was out that year, but I'm not so sure I would have given the movie that much praise, but it is really good. Hoffman and Streep tend to be actors that I don't really enjoy even though they are good at what they do, but here they both shine more than usual. The subtle screenplay is just right, although I do feel that the ending is a little bit forced. Overall, a great little picture.

Bagombo Snuff Box by Kurt Vonnegut

It's been exactly two years since Daniel was born, which is a little hard to believe. But then it's also hard for me to remember a time when we didn't have kids.

And yes, that is a cake shaped like a truck. Daniel is fascinated with all manner of trucks, tractors, buses, and other large vehicles, so Erika decided to treat him to a special birthday cake that looks like a semi. It was cute to hear Daniel say, "Truck...Cake."

This is a very fun age. Daniel's starting to talk a lot and he tries to repeat everything we say, which makes us very self-conscious about the language we use.

I'm rambling, which is probably due to the lack of sleep that results from having a toddler and a newborn.

So anyway, happy birthday to Daniel.

Hey there! I'm back from my five-day weekend. Ric and I both got Thursday and Friday off, and let me tell you, it was nice. We wanted to take a trip out to see our quickly-growing nephews and their tired but wonderful parents.

We like to drive at night - it helps Ric focus. So we decided to leave late Wednesday night, but not before a movie night at the Agadonis. We had breakfast for dinner, played a tiny bit of MarioKart on the Wii, and settled in to watch Funny Farm. After that, we went directly to get gas, pick up some coffee, and hit the road for Arizona. We made it in somewhere around three or four in the mourning.

Thursday, we slept in, but not too long, since the sounds of nephews and puppies (although pleasant) are hard to sleep through. Angie and I went out in the afternoon to get massages at a local spa, which was something I definitely needed! We hung out with the family the rest of the afternoon. In the evening, we met up with Becky and went to an Irish pub and Starbucks. It's always great to hang out with her and feel like no time has gone by, even though it's usually about half a year in between our visits.

Friday, we were supposed to go to the zoo, but it was rainy! We played a lot of Wii games and Angie made a turkey so we could all have turkey sandwiches whenever we wanted. In the evening we went to The Olive Garden for dinner, then went to the mall where the boys went wild in the mall's play area. That evening Ric and Jon went out to see Indiana Jones while Angie and I stayed home and talked for a long time.

Saturday, we were thinking about the zoo again, but in the morning Angie discovered there was entertainment for kids provided by the fire department, and Harrison and Jack got to go on a firetruck and a helicopter. I guess they did a cool safety program too, so Harrison came home and started inspecting his house for fire hazards. Three-year-olds are cute. We all drove out to look at some model homes, which is something the family does for fun. The kids like playing on the playgrounds in different housing communities. There were some great homes, but as always, Arizona just depresses me, and I'm not interested in moving. One thing I don't like about the area we were at is how far one has to drive to do anything. Anyway, we all had a nice dinner together and talked for a while longer before Ric and I headed home. Traffic was a breeze and we got home around two in the morning.

Sunday I felt sick, so I spent most of the day watching tv and movies. Ric got a sudden inspiration while in Arizona and decided to re-do our upstairs bathroom, so he went to Lowe's and bought supplies, and began demolition work. He tore out the linoleum, took out the ugly shower doors, took down a bulky cabinet, and took down a mirror as well. Now all he has to do is remove the vanity/sink, and then we can get started. He says it's practice for working on the kitchen. We'll see how it goes! He also bought a steam cleaner for the carpets and furniture. It was sorely needed, since the people who lived here before us didn't seem to vacuum ever, and the water he threw out after the first cleaning was black as black can be.

Monday in the early afternoon, we drove Ric's parents to the airport. Right about now, they are touring around Edinburgh Scotland and will be visiting many other Scottish locations in the next week or so. We're having them keep an eye out on what types of foods they think we'll like, since we're planning a Scotland/Wales/Ireland trip for the fall. After the airport, we went home and did more work on the condo. I did a lot of touch-up painting in the kitchen, which almost ended up being a complete coat, since the painters did a crap job in there. I'm disappointed with the edges/trim, so I'll be working on that some more. The kitchen is just hard to get looking great, although it is much improved. In the evening we did more shopping around Lowe's and Home Depot and got some food at the Flame Broiler (warning: the one in La Habra is more expensive!). The rest of the night was movies and tv.

Up this week: more condo painting/demo, a fun retirement party at work, a visit from Ric's brother, and The Cure at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday! I'm trying to find a day to do a make-up International Meat Day, since I was out of town for it this year. Maybe next week will work best.

I came across a quote that pretty well sums up my current view of religion:

What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof. - Christopher Hitchens

Which is very similar to

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. - Carl Sagan

So, if people want to accept an idea that has no proof behind it, fine, that's their right. But if they ask me why I don't accept it, I feel no obligation to attempt to disprove their idea. The burden of proof is on the person asserting something. I don't assert that there is no god, but I live my life without a belief in god. If you want to assert something with no proof, feel free, but don't expect me to take your belief seriously. I am just as likely to dismiss your belief as your are to dismiss someone's belief in fairies, astrology or unicorns. Perhaps that seems disrespectful. Why does religion deserve more respect than any other unproven idea?

To be fair, if I assert something without proof (as I'm sure do), I don't think I have a right to expect my ideas to be respected and taken seriously, either. They can be and often are dismissed. It's fun to discuss unproven ideas, but anyone asserting an unproven idea should remember that the burden of proof is on them.

Sorry for the lack of updates. I'm moving on Saturday so that has taken up a lot of my time. It's amazing how much stuff one can acquire in two years. When I moved into my apartment I was able to fit all my stuff in a few boxes. I guess I've nested a bit because I have a lot more than that these days. My DVD collection alone took up five milk crates. I'm finding it hard to believe that when I got back from China all I had was one large suitcase. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the holiday weekend. Mine was pretty great.

US car dealer in free gun offer - That dealership is in Butler, MO, 10 miles south of here.

Man, the last few days my throat has been killing me, usually starting with some pain in the morning, getting better through the day, then changing to severe pain by the evening. Today it is really bad. I feel like I am losing my voice too. I have awful post-nasal drip, and occasional headaches. It is most likely allergies, which have been getting worse and worse every year older I get. I wish it were a cold or flu, because then it would go away.

I guess I'll need to try out the new over-the-counter Zyrtec.

I just added another widget: books I am currently reading. I saw Kyle's library widget on his blog, and wanted just to add what I am reading right now. So I set up a LibraryThing account to do just that.

I haven't taken time to check out all I can do on my blog, but yesterday I dug into the admin portion and found some cool stuff. I changed skins so as to allow for a sidebar, into which I discovered I can insert widgets. I didn't even know what a widget was, but I managed to figure out that I could insert stuff from my last.fm account, such as recently played songs or most popular artists of the week. I also put a compilation (which I blogged about a few weeks ago) together on last.fm, and inserted it into my sidebar also. I feel pretty awesome. Now I want to find other sites where I can get more widgets to insert here, just because I know I can.

I keep hoping to start blogging regularly, but by the time I get a chance to login here, I forget whatever I was thinking of blogging about.

I've just recently discovered the TV show Shaun the Sheep. I love just about anything from Aardman Animation, and this show is a spin-off of Wallace and Gromit, featuring the little sheep from A Close Shave, so I knew I would probably like it.

I'm happy to say it's even better than I hoped.

The show is about the adventures of a flock of sheep on a quaint little English farm. Each episode is only 7 minutes long, and there is absolutely no spoken dialogue--even the farmer communicates in gestures, grunts, and mumbles--and what the show's creators manage to do using only visual jokes is excellent.

I decided to show it to Daniel to see what he thinks of it, and he also became obsessed with it immediately. He always asks to watch more, and after watching "Timmy in a Tizzy," he kept pointing to the TV and saying, "sad," meaning he wanted to see the sad baby sheep again. We watched that episode three times before I insisted we quit. Here it is:

Unfortunately, this show has not been released in the US on DVD (watch out for Region 2 DVDs that don't work in American players), but resourceful Internet users should know how to find it online.

Man or Astroman | Test Driver | Not even a song, more like a speaker test for A/V equipment
Billy Childish and Holly Go-Lightly | Let Me Know You | Great garage tune from Headcoats/Headcoatees genuises
Teengenerate | Mess Me Up | Awesome Japanese band singing in unintelligible English
Today Is the Day | Timeless | Another non-song. It's too bad this track popped up instead of an actual song, because I have been obsessed with this album lately
Mudhoney | Real Low Vibe | The title describes the way the song sounds pretty well
Gorilla Biscuits | Big Mouth | I didn't start listening to the Gorilla Biscuits until about 2 years ago, but these would have been great anthems for my high school years
Pixies | Gouge Away | Another album I discovered too late in life
The Infections | C'mon | X-Rip Offs on Rip Off Records
Offspring | Beheaded | This coincidentally played yesterday on my iPod also
Gaunt | Don't Tell | I really need to get more Gaunt stuff. I'm trying to sell my LPs, and replace them with CDs, like I Can See Your Mom From Here, Kryptonite, Whitey the Man, etc

It seems to me like people are being a little over critical of the movie. You really have to take it for what it is, which is a freaking Indiana Jones movie. They've always been on the cheesy side. They've always had scenes that defied the laws of nature. I really loved this movie, primarily because it made me feel like I was 9 years old again. It was fun to watch. The cast and crew did a great job of making it look and feel like an Indy movie. Yes, there are a couple of scenes that are a little out there even for an Indy flick, but they're still fun thanks to Harrison Ford. The guy is definitely still on. I also liked all the references to previous films and little in-jokes. The chemistry between Shia Lebouf and Harrison Ford was something I was worried about and it ended up being one of the best things about the movie. They were really great together.

People keep saying "It's no Iron Man." No kidding. It's not trying to be. If you love movies, Indiana Jones, and are looking for an enjoyable summer movie experience then I highly recommend this film. It's definitely a must see on the big screen kind of experience.

So we are 30 weeks along now in the pregnancy, and the baby is beginning to really kick and move around. The other day we were about to get out of the car, and the top quadrant of Steph's belly ("Big Belly, Big Belly!!" as I now always refer to it) was pulsing up and down. Yeah, all Alien-like. But according to all the ultrasounds, we are not in fact having a chest burster for a daughter.

And her legs have caught up to the rest of her body. We were quite concerned that she would have short legs like her dad, but no. Other ultrasound revelations have not been so comforting.

One disconcerting moment occurred a couple of months ago when we got a good look at her face. I made a comment, perhaps a sentimental tidbit or perhaps a witty retort--who can be sure? Right afterward the little girl yawned. Bored of me already, eh?

So there are 10 weeks left until the due date. The other day out of nowhere I blurted out, "Steph, we're going to have a baby." It was matter of fact. It was informative. It was absurd. Steph assured me that she had already checked out all the appropriate books on the subject, and many of the salient passages had already been marked. It was as if she knew that my Oprah moment was coming, that great cosmic "Aha!" in which we come into contact with pure experience, the ground of being, the source of all, and suddenly the obvious becomes as obvious as it really is.

I have heard that the Aztecs did not see the Conquistador ships even as they grew larger and larger on the horizon. They had no way of conceiving of something like those ships; no analog to connect what their senses told them with what they knew to be possible. But suddenly someone entirely new and foreign set foot on shore and their world was forever changed.

Just to be clear, I don't think our daughter is going to take over my land, infect me with strange diseases, and steal my wife. That might be considered over-extending the metaphor.

Hi everyone,

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I was kind of busy decorating someone's cubicle to look like a Mini Mammoth made of tissue paper:

Staff are coming from all over to check it out, as if I didn't do the same thing last year to someone else, only with different colored tissue paper!

I was also busy going to lunch with the gang:

Over the weekend I had a lot of good times. On Friday, Erika was in town for a wedding, so she met up with all her friends at Mimi's. We had a meal, then went to Starbucks for a while, and then I had her over to see our condo. We hung out until midnight, then I had to drop her off. We ended up chasing around a stray dog at 12:15 in the morning for a while until we gave up try to save it.

Saturday I got some sleep, and was lucky that Ric ended up not having to work like he though he would. So he called my sister and had her bring my mom to meet us at the movie theater to see Prince Caspian. We ran a lot of errands after that, and then we got a free pizza (a reward for signing up for Charter cable, which we only had for a few months while we lived at the rental house) and had Jenny over. She bought Mario Kart for the Wii (which is awesome and I can't stop playing) and we pretty much spent the whole night playing video games.

Sunday we made it to church and were reminded yet again that we're in the right church with the right pastor. It was good to be back after having missed a few weeks. We had a Panera lunch and I spent the afternoon reading, then finally pepped up and started working around the house. I did dishes, cleaned, did laundry, organized a lot of stuff I need to sell, and did finances. Ric and I went out and got Chipotle for dinner (kind of overpriced for plain eaters) and started watching Wedding Crashers. We made a spur-of-the-moment trip to the grocery store for some snacks and watched some tv for a while.

All in all, a pretty good weekend. Last night we did more around the house as well as watching tv, and tonight we're hanging out with Josh if plans go smoothly. We've been having a mini vacation from working on the condo over the past week. I think my back needed it. And this week, we're taking a mini vacation from work too! We're both taking off Thursday and Friday, so we've got a 5-day weekend ahead of us. Only one more work day to go!

We got Wembley some bubbles today. He was pretty hilarious--be sure to notice how high he can jump. He is probably a prodigy or something.

~Kelly

My most recently read (listened-to) book was Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Borroughs. It's one of those books I just kept putting off reading but finally gave a shot. I don't know why I waited so long. It was really interesting!

The book begins with the story of Tarzan's parents, and how they became stranded on a deserted island. Tarzan is born on the island, and his parents don't survive, and an ape named Kala raises him as her own child. When Tarzan is young, he starts to notice the differences between the apes and him, and comes across the hut where his parents lived before they died (not knowing that they were his parents). He discovers reading primers in their trunks, which they had intended to use for him, and is able to learn how to read and write based on these and a big illustrated dictionary. When a group of abandoned treasure hunters are left by mutinous sailors on the shore of his island, he tries to make a connection with them through writing, since he can't actually speak English. One of those is the famous Jane of whom all of us have heard.

Only in this movie, there is no "Me Tarzan, you Jane" conversation. When Tarzan falls for Jane, the only language he can speak is apish. And actually, Jane falls for him as quickly as he does for her. That's not the impression I had of this story, so I was glad to read something that was a lot different from all of the Tarzan-inspired movies and cartoons I have seen floating around.

The story is actually a lot more intellectual than I expected, explaining Tarzan's learning process. It focuses a lot on how Tarzan had an advantage over the apes in many ways because, as a creature with a human brain, he was able to think more critically than his fellow apes. He learns to hunt with the aid of a piece of rope and a knife that he found in his parents' hut, and he becomes king of the apes because of his intellectual advances. Tarzan learns the instincts and ways of human dignity but also struggles with his desire to be free like the apes. He has a lot of inner conflict and certainly isn't as oafish as other versions I have seen of him. By the end of the novel, he's fluent in French.

Also surprising to me is how almost no illustrator seems to accurately portray Tarzan, who was probably 18-20 years old during this story. Everyone always makes him look so much older! I like the illustration I found for this post because it at least emphasizes his similarity to the apes and gets his overall complexion and strength right.

Overall, author Edgar Rice Borroughs keeps the story moving and thought-provoking, and actually takes the story to the soul to make it much more than just a simple adventure. That level of depth was definitely unexpected for me, and made it a really interesting book that I actually looked forward to reading every time I went to work out. In fact, after the ending that pretty much left me hanging (yet somehow satisfied at the same time, which I can't explain), I'll probably have to go out and buy the next couple books about Tarzan so I can hopefully find out what happens!

I saw this over at Ancient Hebrew Poetry. You may have already read it if you subscribe to my Google Reader shared items (it's a great feature--Sometimes I use it to share posts on other blogs instead of linking to them here).

While I haven't yet had time to read all of the minute details, it seems that researchers recently found a stone tablet, dated to the first century BCE, that contains language predicting that the Messiah would be raised from the dead after three days.

You can get a pdf of a scholarly article about it through this site (or use this direct link). Here are some essential excerpts of the document, translated into English:

By three days you shall know that, thus said the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, the evil has been broken by righteousness. Ask me, and I shall tell you what is this wicked branch tzemah...

In just a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth...

By three days, live, I Gabriel command you, prince of princes, the dung of the rocky crevices...

Apparently, the experts say it is authentic.

So what does this mean? If you're a Christian, it's yet another example of details of Jesus' life being predicted by prophets before his birth, which reinforces what you already believe.

If you're an atheist, it's more evidence that the doctrine of the resurrection was in existence before Christ, and was later grafted onto the Jesus story by Christians, which reinforces what you already believe.

Whichever angle you're coming from, it's at least an interesting historical find.

I can't recall if it is today or if it was yesterday, so my apologies if it was yesterday. Gringo was one of the people, along with a few other members of the LOD, who kept me sane at CCCB. We had many adventures together. Even though I haven't seen him in person in a few years, I still consider him one of my best friends. I miss you, man. I hope you're safe out there in the desert. I decided to use this picture since it's from the U2 concert we went to where we first really got to know each other. I can't believe that was 7 freaking years ago.

Third by Portishead

Juno

The Wages of Fear has two major protagonists named Mario and Luigi. They wear some kind of uniformed outfits (one with a cap) for half the movie. That made me laugh. And just so you know, the Super Mario Brother names were inspired by an Italian restaurant. At least that's what I found online.

But this movie is far from cartoonish! Although it is a little bit hard to decipher the locale, it's actually set in South America, in a place that one might call the middle of nowhere. Nearby there's oil, and the town serves as a home for the internationally diverse. They all came to the town where the prices were low, and now that the prices are so high, none of them can afford to go back home to their own countries. From France are Mario and Joe, who become friends, to the dismay of Mario's roommate Luigi, when Mario spends all of his time with Joe. A lot of tension builds up between these men.

Finally, the break that many of the people have been waiting for arrives, although it's not much of a lucky break. There is a fire at the oil site three hundred miles away, and men are needed to drive trucks over high, curvy, and bumpy roads to deliver nitroglycerin to the workers so the fire can be put out. The reward is $2000 - enough money to get out of the country. Of course, Mario and Joe are paired in one truck, and Luigi is paired with a German man named Bimba. They have to ride the distance without jarring the trucks too much in order to avoid exploding themselves.

The movie takes a while setting up the situation, the characters, and the relationships. But it's all necessary for the dynamics to play into the driving sequence, which is wonderful. The tension builds up more and more the closer they get to their destination. There are encounters with a cliff-lined road, a bumpy stretch of road called "the washboard", a giant pool of petroleum, and a massive boulder in the middle of their path. All of these are wonderfully filmed scenes, and the actors are all great in them.

Overall, The Wages of Fear is a very good movie and one worth checking out. It covers all sorts of themes, especially that of making a deal with the devil and (obviously) the wages of fear. With its acting, action, and great cinematic view, it certainly proves itself as a Criterion Collection film.

Hey you. Yeah you! Get yourself off the floor! Wipe those tears from your eyes! Clear the drool from the corners of your mouth! Put your clothes back on! While your descent into a desperate and seemingly unending depression is understandable in the absence of an update on our blog, a cure has arrived: A New Post!

The last weekend in April my sister Breanne got married to her Longtime Sunshine Zac. She looked great - that's her and me in the photo above. Kelly was a bridesmaid so she looked hot, and I was a groomsman so I was looking good too. That's why my sister made us put on sackcloths and stop appearing in photos. Aside from the itchiness of my unexpected evening wear, we had a good time visiting with Breanne, Zac, my parents, grandparents, and all sorts of extended family. Kelly's parents even came to the wedding! One highlight of the shindig was hearing my grandmother make a borderline inappropriate joke about condoms. Yeah!

The day following the wedding Kelly and I drove back to Houston and Kelly's parents came along to visit for a few days before heading back to Omaha. We hit up Moody Gardens and Galveston, played Trivial Pursuit, and played Boggle.

There are pictures from the wedding and the Parents Beck visit in Picasa. Click here or a virus will erase your harddrive. I swear.

Last night I went to Phil's house and played a whole lot of Mario Kart. The game is a BLAST. We spent a lot of time playing 12 player online matches. While Nintendo's online services aren't the best, it was still a lot of fun playing against that many human players. I haven't been into Battle Mode since the Super NES version. That is no longer true. The new courses along with classic courses are great and once again all those players make for a really fun game. The only problems I have with the game is the somewhat spotty online play. We got disconnected a couple times in the middle of a game and it was extremely difficult to try and play with Phil's brother. Every time we tried to create our own room we got disconnected. We were finally able to play with him once we followed him into a race but it was still kind of a pain. Also, I don't like that you can only play with one other person on the same console online and only one person's stats are tracked. The other player is designated a "guest" for some reason. Despite these minor qualms, the gameplay itself is as great as it's ever been. I'm very tempted to buy a Wii with some of my stimulus money, if I can track one down.

Last night, after Daniel had his dinner and his milk, I told him it was time for bath and bed, per our usual routine. We have a whole system that we go through each night without deviation: Daniel comes with me into the bathroom; I start the water and he dumps his toys in the tub; as the water is filling up, we go in his room and I help him undress; Daniel runs naked and laughing into the bathroom and I help him get into the now-full bathtub; I was him with a washcloth and brush his teeth; I drain the water; Daniel puts his bath toys back in their container while I count them one at a time; I lift Daniel out of the tub and dry him off; Daniel runs back into his room naked and laughing.

We go through this process every night without deviation, and it works well for us because Daniel really loves bathtime and he likes the comfort of regular routines.

Well, last night I told Daniel it was time for his bath, which is the cue to begin our ritual. Daniel didn't want to start it yet, though. He wanted to hug Eva, stroke her head, hug her some more, give her a kiss, etc. During all of this I patiently reminded him that it was time for a bath. When I finally got him moving in the direction of the bathroom, he turned to go down the stairs to look at something out the window.

Out of patience, I picked Daniel up and carried him into the bathroom. He cried and screamed and fought me the whole time that I started the water and dumped his toys in the tub. He continued crying and yelling, "NO!" as I carried him into his room, held him on the floor, and undressed him. He screamed when I carried him into the bathroom. He screamed when I placed him in the bathtub. He screamed when I shut off the water. He screamed and tried to push my hand away while I washed him. When I finished washing, I put the wash cloth in the water. And just like that, Daniel suddenly stopped crying, picked up the wash cloth, and handed it back to me. I said, "Do you want me to wash you some more?" He smiled and said, "Yes."

So I wiped his face and began washing him more, not because he needed washing, but because I wanted so badly to get back to our happy, loving relationship. Daniel looked up at me and said:

"Sah-ee"

"It's okay," I told him and patted his back.

"Sah-ee"

"I love you," I told him with a sad smile.

"Sah-ee"

This is a new thing with Daniel: when he knows he has done something to upset mom or dad, he looks at us with those big eyes of his and says sorry. It was nice to hear him say it at that moment, and I think it was appropriate for him to apologize for the way he was acting, but at the same time I wished he would stop saying it. Someone once said that being a parent means wearing your heart outside your body, which is absolutely true. Kids can make us feel a love so big that it hurts.

We were worried that when Eva was born Daniel would be jealous of the new baby, but his response has turned out to be far better than we ever could have hoped. From the moment he saw her, Daniel just wanted to hug and kiss Eva over and over again. By necessity Erika has been spending more time with the baby and I have been taking Daniel out of the house more to give her a rest. A few days ago Erika felt like she hadn't been spending enough time with Daniel, so I took Eva and let the two of them sit and hug for a while.

Erika was telling Daniel how great he's been with the new baby and how sorry she is that she hasn't been spending as much time cuddling with him. Erika started crying and Daniel looked up at her with those big brown eyes and said:

"Sah-ee"

Still crying, Erika told him, "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Sah-ee"

"I love you, Daniel."

Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut

What's with the overuse of the name Robert Hawkins lately? After watching Jericho, it was hard for me to separate the name and allow it to be used as the protagonist of Cloverfield, but I got over it. Cloverfield stars a bunch of lesser-known twenty-something actors as friends and acquaintances at a party who all get caught in Manhattan at the wrong time - when a giant mon