MySpace blog: peeyah-no

I played keys while I led worship tonight. I also played acoustic mostly. I thought it was the best I've done from a musical standpoint and in being spontaneous. Nate agreed. Eric said my voice sounded less strained and I got some voice compliments from some friends. Thanks people!

Set list:
Let My Words be few (Matt Redman)
Once Again (Redman)
Hungry (Kathryn Scott)
Breathing the Breath (Redman)-chorus only
Prepare the Way (Charlie Hall)
Here I am to Worship (Tim Hughes)
Facedown (Redman)
Sermon, etc.
Better is One Day (Redman)
Our Love Is Loud (David Crowder)
Everything that has Breath (Redman)

We did 5 1/2 Redman songs because his "Best of" CD just came out, so I've been listening to it. The songs all worked well with what Nate preached on. I played keys on the intro to "Once Again" (and the first verse). I played keys for the first verse and chorus of "Hungry" (I decided to at the last second), and I played keys for all of "Facedown." We had never done "Our Love is Loud," before tonight.

My blisters are annoying. I popped the one on my left big toe, but the one on my right big toe is so small I'm not going to do anything about it. I had to use a thumb tack for lack of anything else sharp and pointy. I agree with everyone else that those pictures I just posted totally sucked, so I'm posting a different one of me at the crags. It doesn't have my left eye in it, so it doesn't have a closed eye in it. I find it so weird and interesting that my left eye is so much more light-sensitive than my right one that I continually talk about it.

Currently listening : Can You Hear Us? By David Crowder Band Release date: 26 February, 2002

MySpace blog: "not a sore butt" or "the best shooting star ever"

Sometimes when I drive a long distance my butt gets sore. Usually, I get really tired. Today, I drove back to Redding and neither happened. My old name on Halo, back when we played, was "sore butt."

I went to the church and joined up with a few other people and headed up to Castle Crags to go on a night hike. I was pretty sure I could do it easily, because I thought I had done about 1/2 the hike a few years ago. Turns out, I had done about 1/6 of it. It was hard, but well worth it. The sky was glorious, and quite orange. Later, once it was dark, we were sitting at the base of the big crag (I'm not sure what it's called, but it's the big, dome-shaped one), and a few of us saw a shooting star cross the sky. It literally crossed the sky.

The crag was obscuring about 1/3 of our view, but it started shooting right as it came into our view, and crossed about half of the sky. In other words, it crossed about 1/3 of a normal field of vision. It was an orange fireball with a big, smoky tail. It was cool, because we could see the smoke. It looked a bit like a jet contrail, which is something I like looking at and taking pictures of anyway, but this was a lot better, since space junk was making this smoke. It headed straight South, and appeared to just be heading down the valley. I'm sure it was a lot farther away, though, because it burned up in the atmosphere, and was not just a flaming thing falling from the sky and about to blow up the Shasta Dam.

There was lightning up north in the Trinity Alps, and to the West-Southwest of us in the mountains. That made it fun. The stars were pretty too. Of course, God kind of reminded me of His bigness through all those things, along with the other shooting stars I saw.

I also saw a wild scorpion for the first time. Two of them, at different times, actually. Levi was in front on the way down, and he showed them to us. They weren't very big. My legs were a little sore for awhile, but not too bad, given that the hike has an elevation gain of about 2000 feet in 2.6 miles (it is dubbed a "strenuous hike"). My butt's not sore either. I do have the first blister I think I've gotten in the 11 years I've lived in California. It's on my left big toe. My right big toe might have a blister too, but I'm not sure if it counts as a blister unless it has fluid in it. Anyway, here are some pictures:


The 2 Tallest Crags after sunset. I got a star in this one!!!



That's the one we sat next to (we sat on the left of it, next to the lowest tree on the actual dome). Levi and Larry climbed it. Mt. Shasta is in the background.

I took some better pictures, but they're not as good crag-pictures. All the pictures of me show off my left eye's fast-closing stance on its hate of bright lights. Seriously, my left eye closes faster. I took a bunch of pictures last night, and held my eyelids, and my left eye closed much more quickly. My flash is so bright that it makes my left eye close way too much. I have taken at least 30 pictures of myself in the last 2 days (trying to get myspace pics or doing my little experiment on my eyes), that have my left eye completely closed or close to it.

I took some cool panoramas, but I wasn't thinking, so I let my camera auto-set the lighting, which means the panoramas aren't consistent color-wise. I don't even know how to set the aperture yet anyway, or the white balance. Also, they aren't all perfectly vertical. I can turn on lines to help me keep the camera straight (which are helpful for people like me, who can't hold a camera straight), but I don't know how to do that yet either.

The pictures this camera takes are huge!!! I guess that's because it's a 7.1 Megapixel. I feel like my camera is awesomer than most peoples'. Probably because it is. I have some new self-portraits in the pictures thingy.

Currently listening : The Boy vs. The Cynic By John Reuben Release date: 21 June, 2005

MySpace Blog: eww! gross coffee!! or big spender

I was just reading my friend JP's blog and had some deep thoughts going on. I was writing them down, but my wireless connection on my sister's lappy went out when my mom sat down. We don't have very good wireless reception in our living room, and she sat right between the computer and the router.

Anyway, as I wrote, I was enjoying a cup of lukewarm coffee. bleh. Too lazy to use the microwave, I suffered through the bitterness. Sounds like the words to a bad worship song: "I suffered through the bitterness, now I'm dancing in Your coffee." Notice the capitalization of "Your."

So, JP's blog was about Hell, and whether or not God could be there. I have thought about Hell and the translation problems there, and recently was re-alerted to some differences in the original language, which led me to become interested in blogging on said topic. JP's blog was to simply receive my response, but since my connection dropped and my whole response was erased, it is coming for all ya'll.

"God must be in Hell, because He is omnipresent"

Where does the idea of God's omnipresence come from? I am not aware of a specific passage besides Psalm 139 which says, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." (I am reminded of an Insyderz song from Skalleluia 2!)

Translation alert! The Hebrew word translated "hell" is sheol, which can also be translated as "the grave," or "the abyss." In the New Testament, this idea is conveyed through the Greek word hades. Hades was a place where all dead people went, regardless of their standing with God. The righteous were taken to Abraham's bosom, or "Paradise," while the wicked were taken to an area which was separated by a great chasm. In Luke 16:23, Jesus is talking about the rich man, and says "in Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side." In verse 26, Abraham says, "between us and you a great chasm has been fixed."

So, Hades is not necessarily a bad place, though it appears that the word was also used to describe the bad side of Hell. However, the word "Gehenna" is also translated "hell" in the New Testament. This word refers to the Lake of Fire, a place with "weeping and gnashing of teeth." In revelation, it is said that not only will Satan and those who did not know Christ be thrown in the Lake of Fire, but so will Hades itself.

Christ descended to Hell to preach to the righteous, who were "in Paradise." The righteous still needed to accept Jesus as the Messiah. God was present in Hades/Sheol. However, I do not believe that God is truly omnipresent. He is not in the Lake of Fire. A few months ago, God showed me that I am not worthy to be in His presence, or even in the presence of those He has made in His image (all of humanity), because I am a sinner. It is only through His grace that I can come into relationship with Him or anyone else.

In the Lake of Fire, I believe that total isolation will be experienced. Not only for a short time. Imagine going through the rest of eternity without seeing anyone. You know that you will never die, or see another person. Why? Why would a "loving God" do that? He doesn't want to. The Bible says He is willing that none should perish, but He also cannot be in the presence of imperfection because He is perfect. I suppose someone could be reading this blog that has never heard of all these thoughts. I do not claim to fully understand these ideas, but I do know that God does not want to see you suffer forever, and if you want to know how to have a relationship with Him, message me or comment.

OK, altar call is done, but here's what else is going on. I bought an HP zd8000 laptop the other night. I wanted a zd7000 last year, but my sister got one and I couldn't afford it. It's 3.0 GHz, so it's about twice as fast a processor as the fastest Macs available. YES!!! I should get it by August 12.

Today I bought a 7.1 Megapixel digital camera. It cost me $350 at Costco. It's an Olympus C-7000, and I'm enjoying playing with it. Expect a lot more pictures.

I feel very blessed this week. Between the computer and the camera, I spent $23 of money that I earned. The rest was given to me at various times (either for my birthday or as part of a very generous gift I received for no material reason). Thanks God.

My mom is making banana bread. My sister wants her computer back.

I just looked at all the pictures I took, and the ones of me are all really bad, because my flash is really, really bright, and my left eye closes faster than my right. be prepared for more sunglasses ones!

Oh, yesterday, I went kayaking in Tomales Bay with my dad, and today I went to the DMV and got my license picture re-taken (it was a pic from when I was fifteen)

I guess I'm kind of listening to a CD. My brother is working on a new electric guitar part for "Let Everything that Has Breath" and kind of is listening to this CD to see if he wants to take any ideas.

Currently listening : Blessed Be Your Name the Songs of Matt Redman, Vol. 1 By Matt Redman Release date: 19 July, 2005

MySpace blog: Laptops

I'm using my sister's computer right now, and since she uses internet explorer, it doesn't have the ad-blocking capabilities that firefox does. I'm not used to MySpace being in the redlight district.

I just attempted to buy a new computer, pretty much like my sisters' but a lot newer. I got some money to buy it, but my credit limit isn't high enough, so I'm going to wait until tomorrow, when I actually have the money in my bank account. Or I might use my parents' credit card so i don't have to use my bank card online, which I have never done, and I'd like to keep that precedent intact.

I'm not liking the whole laptop keyboard. It slows me down a lot, so I may keep using another keyboard, or I may attempt to write a lot before school starts on my laptop so I can use it to take notes. I'm sure I'll have plenty to write for (blogs), so that's a strong possibility.

Today I just sat around and watched dodgeball (the movie). I rolled out of bed around 2 PM. I ended up washing my truck and vacuuming it after the movie. Later, after dinner, my mom showed me a bunch of family heirlooms I'd never seen. My grandpa was Japanese, my Grandma is Chinese--we have some cool asian heirlooms. My Granddad is Russian/Italian/Georgian, and Granny's family has been in the US since Colonial times, so we have French, English, Scottish, Welsh, Scotch-Irish, Dutch, Hungarian, and more on that side. I really liked the Chinese and Russian stuff. Conveniently, all my grandparents were called different names by my siblings and me. Someday, I'd like to write books about the people in my family, but that will be after they are all gone. They'll be very interesting, because of the scandals in their stories, and I'll write them truthfully, but in a narrative way interesting to everyone. I've had this in mind since my sophomore year of HS, but it's more realistic, now that I'm writing all the time.

Here's the topical part of the blog.

I've known for awhile that I'm a "repressed clepto." Everytime I go into a store to buy something, I have an urge to steal it. I just realized that I may have blogged about this before. I'll stop and check. I can't find it, so maybe I'll just say it again. I skimmed all my blogs for the last month and a half. I'm going to sit down and read them all in order sometime soon.

Anyway, every time I'm going to buy something, I think of how easy and convenient it would be to not pay for it. Unless, of course, I'm buying a guitar or computer or something over $100 or so. Funny, I buy a lot of stuff over that plateau. Remember the days when $20 felt like a lot to spend. When I was cleaning my car today, I was reminded of my childhood in Hawaii, when my Grandma would pay me $20 to detail her car every Saturday. That was a lot of money for a kid, but she said, "I'd rather pay Joshua $20 than some guys I don't know, when he can do it just as well." I went by Joshua until I was in fifth grade, and all the California kids told me to go by "Josh."

So, stealing. I've never stolen anything, but I always want to. I guess it's not quite every time, but it is definitely every time I go shopping alone. If I'm in a store and "just looking," I never feel like stealing, but always feel like buying, so I buy a lot impulsively. My dad's home and he has a way bigger credit limit, so i'm going to buy myself a computer, I think.

check out this CD if you want worship music:

Currently listening : Blessed Be Your Name the Songs of Matt Redman, Vol. 1 By Matt Redman Release date: 19 July, 2005

MySpace blog: Happy Birthday to Me! Part 2

Ah, July 25th has come and gone, and with it has passed another year in the life of Josh Ratiani. I was born at 8:31 PM Hawaii time, so if I was in Colorado, I would probably have to celebrate my birthday on July 26th, so it's OK to blog about this now that it's technically the 26th.

I packed all my stuff in my truck today, and as I was doing it, I looked out to the north and saw a huge fire. I realized it was kind of close, and told Eric to get out his Emergency Scanner, which can hear the frequencies used by the fire and police people, and I think airports, too. He got it out, and I saw him later, as he listened to the firefighters putting it out. My sister ended up spending the night with her friend Sara, whose house is right next to the fire, which started this morning. It was Redding's first big fire of the year, as far as I know. Lauren said that as they got in Sara's car, one of the planes flew really low, right over them to drop the retardant on the fire. That would have been cool to see or video tape.

We drove back, and Lauren drove for awhile, which meant that I figured I wouldn't be as tired from driving, but I was still exhausted and had a headache. We wanted to visit my granddad in the hospital (he is recovering from surgery for a broken leg), but I wasn't feeling up to it. I'd like to see him tomorrow.

My uncle and cousin joined my parents, my sister, and me for dinner at the Olive Garden, which was good, except that the host skipped over us, so we waited for 50 minutes when we were only supposed to wait for "about 30 minutes." I got sung to again, and it was pretty bad again, and I wasn't embarrassed again. I had my first cup of regular coffee in the last month or so at Olive Garden. I've been getting Iced coffees or Americanos (hot or iced).

We came back and opened some presents, which I won't write about. I got some money. I think I'm going to buy a new computer. Yeah, it's expensive, but I could really use it. I might have to blog more often, though. Just kidding.

I ended up talking to my dad about ministry stuff until 1:50. he has to wake up for a prayer meeting at 5:30. I feel bad about that, but we enjoyed "talking shop" as he said. I was just sharing what's going on w/the Stirring and Risen King's building offering this weekend. If you're part of Risen King, this might be cool for you. Our church here (Mark West) is about a year ahead of Risen King in the whole building process, and it's been cool to see everything happening similarly, but entirely differently also. Yesterday was the groundbreaking ceremony, and construction was set to begin today, but had to be delayed for 2 or 3 days due to a mistake in the building permit, which should be cleared up very quickly. We've been anticipating this for almost 3 years, so it's mesquite.

I'm writing on my brother's computer, since he's at High School camp this week. I'm staying in his room and on his bed, so we can keep our living room a living room.

That's the way we celebrate a 21st birthday around here. No drinks still. I might have to always say that until I finally drink something. We'll see about that.

MySpace Blog: Happy Birthday to me! part 1

I'm an hour and 29 minutes into being a full-blown adult and I still haven't done anything like drink alcohol.

It's late to blog, but I don't have to wake up and go to work tomorrow, and I'm going to have a lot to write about this week, so I figured I should just write right now.

Weekend update:
Friday night I went to Starbucks with a bunch of Simpson people who I don't know that well, so it was different than just hanging out with Eric and Ike like I usually do. Fun times.

Saturday I woke up really late and got up a lot later, then I went to church and worked on a project for the worship team. I felt powerful and important as I wielded my key and opened the door to the church. I felt even more powerful and important as I commandeered Nate's office for my own use. Just kidding, but I did realize what it's like to hold the keys and the importance and honor placed in that position (I just got my church keys on Tuesday). Nate preached on the fact that we hold the keys to the Kingdom of God about a month ago, so I learned what that really meant.

I bought four binders and 200 sheet protectors at Costco on Tuesday. Yesterday, I made copies of about 40 songs (ones we have done at the Stirring or will likely do soon) and put them in the sheet protectors, which went in the binders. Now, the band will be able to turn to any song if I feel like spontaneously singing something that we hadn't picked out ahead of time. Too bad for the video guys, they're going to be the only ones who look bad, now.

I realized that certain types of structure create/allow for spontaneity. I thought of Jazz music. The chords and charts allow for improvisation. I'm not sure if that was an original thought or if I got it from the book Blue Like Jazz. Perhaps one of you could remind me if that's a statement that Don Miller made or if it just seems like it would fit with the theme and title. It's cool when you learn something from having keys or repeatedly putting pieces of paper in pieces of plastic. The worship team really likes their "Stirring Hymnals," which is what they say on the outside.

Today I went to Risen King for the first time in around a month. I led worship tonight, which was fun. We did an acoustic set, so Dan got to play upright. Jeremy didn't play bass, but played acoustic, which he has wanted to do. Kenny didn't play Electric, but played drums. Kate sang with us for the first time. Stephanie sang with us for the last time. Nate played Rhodes instead of Keys, so everyone got to do something different. I could tell I was doing something different when my fingers began to hurt, because I don't usually play acoustic for extended periods of time (at least in the last month).

We played "I will not forget you" with a jazzy feel, which I came up with on Friday night, and I like it so much that I want to play it every week.

At the end of our time in worship, Nate had us each ask God to show us in one word the way He is revealing Himself to us. For me, it was "Redeemer," which I realize now is what I felt like His theme for me would be for some time, back in the middle of June. Nate talked a little about the Year of Jubilee, which I also had forgotten about, even though he'd told me what he was preaching about. All I remembered was that he was going to spend some time on the idea of Firstfruits. Jubilee was a time when God had the Israelites cancel all their debts and return the land to its original owners. I realized at the Home Group Leaders retreat that Jubilee and Redemption go hand-in-hand, so I got to share a little about Genesis 4 and Hebrews 12 as we went back into worship with the song "Nothing But the Blood" (the Matt Redman one that is about Heb 12). Read those passages if you haven't.

After all those things, we went to Red Robin for my Birthday, which was kind of a party, but no presents were involved and everyone pretty much paid for their own food, except Lauren paid for mine.

Oh Yeah!!! I forgot. Eric was home for a wedding the last 2 days, so he was coming back today, and Lauren (my sister) surprised me by catching a ride up with him. I'm going to take her with me when I go home tomorrow.

Anyway, there were a bunch of people at Red Robin: Ben, Jeff, Shelby, Bethany&Patrick, Lauren, Sara (Lauren's APU roomie who lives in Redding), Steve, Dan&Nina (yeah, that's an "and sign"), Amy&Jeremy, Paul (who I hadn't spent any time with before, but he's cool), Kate, and Eric. I just went around the table, so that's why the people are in that order. I told the hostess there were 12 of us. There were actually 16. Oh well.

I came back and did something I've done every year (i think) on my birthday since I turned 16. When I was 15, I learned about the concept of Firstfruits. The idea was that the Israelites were to give the first and best of their Harvest to God. I applied this to time. We had a prayer room at camp that year, and my birthday was during the middle of camp. Actually, I think it was on Tuesday, but I'm not sure. I prayed in the prayer room from 12 to 1 that night and I thought of it as giving God the firstfruits of my year. I've done that or something similar each year since (I think). Either I spend the first hour of my year with God or some amount of time with Him on my birthday. I try to do the same thing on New Years, though it's not that 12-1 AM thing, because, hey, it's New Years.

So, the reason I'm blogging so late was that I went out to the pond and played guitar, wrote a song, and read my Bible. I just finished Ezekiel, and I recently read Daniel, so I'm now reading Hosea, which has a number of themes, but one of the biggest ones, is REDEMPTION. God works in mysterious ways.

Here's the song I wrote.

I need You
Like the moon needs the Sun to shine
In the night

I need You
Like the Sun needs the sky to make
things light

So I sing a simple love song
to the One who made the Sun and Moon and Sky
So I give all of my heart
to the One who gave to me all of His life.

I need You
because I fall down everytime I try

I need You
because I was unworthy and you came
to die.

still working on it, and the second verse might change a lot.
There might be something about
"You rearrange my atmosphere," which is related to the line about the sun needing the sky to shine. It's based on a really cool chord progression I wrote in December and never wrote words for, besides the "i need You"s.
I was looking at the moon while I wrote it. anyway, i'm a going to bed.
Yeah, I meant to say "i'm a going to bed," because it just sounds cool.

MySpace blog: Maggot Treatment Saves Mich. Woman's Foot

This is totally gross, especially since I'm eating lunch right now. Read away.

Maggoty fun

Now I know why God made flies. they have a very important purpose in the world and directly benefit humanity. still, it's gross.

Currently listening : Fight the Tide By Sanctus Real Release date: 15 June, 2004

MySpace blog: Embrace the possibility of a mega-blog

This blog may be long. It's a potential "mega-blog." (no, not "megablocks"). I say that as I enjoy the taste of my Mega M&M's. I bought a huge bag of them at Wal-Mart on Monday night. I had never heard of Mega M&M's, probably because I don't have a TV. Are there commercials for them?

I have a mega issue with all of you. A few weeks ago, I said that I had changed some information on my profile. Among other things, I change my "status" to "in a relationship." Not a single person has asked about it. I just changed it back to "single," because the only reason I had it up was to see how much you all care about me. Apparently not enough to say anything or even look.

Onto another point of disappointment, my fridge has a strange ability to not close when I think it is closed. About 5 times this summer, I have gone to my fridge at lunch only to find that I have left it open since that morning, or upon opening it in the morning, discovered that it was already open from the previous night. This week, I found it open at lunch on Tuesday after I "closed" it on Monday night. All of the freezer stuff melts (including the frost which has formed on the sides) and gets the fridge soaked. Every time I do it, the wet stuff re-freezes with even more water, and so I have a grand amount of frost in the freezer. (that's an old-fashioned adjective). I probably won't fix it until I move into another room in a few weeks. The problem is that when I have salad dressing and a half gallon of milk/orange juice in the door, the door doesn't close, because it hits the shelf. If you didn't have to refrigerate the dressing, I could just keep it in the closet.

Speaking of the closet, Canada came out of the closet yesterday when it became the fifth nation to legalize gay marriages. I don't really care about preventing gay marriages. As far as I am concerned (and God, too), marriage is a religious institution, not a political one. I feel that the state should grant civil unions for whomever they please, and nothing more (not even for straight couples). Various religious organizations should provide marriage licenses. If Buddhists want to marry gay people, then they should. God cares about the sanctity of marriage, but he cares about marriage as He ordained it. Since the state and other religions aren't following God's law anyway, they can go ahead and do as they please when it comes to marriage/civil union. Their pronouncements of homosexual unions are not hurting the covenants which have been made before God anymore than my being "in a relationship" on myspace hurts my ankle.

or something like that.

I was thinking last night about the word "infidel." Why do Muslims get to use such a cool word? It's not fair. I thought about all of this stuff before the second London bombing, which I have been following very closely, and I'm glad no one was hurt besides the asthma person. I decided that if I was a friend of many Muslims, I would call my MySpace "the Profidel," a combination of Infidel and Profile, because I'm a Christian infidel to them. Mostly I just think Profidel is a funny word. It sounds like someone who supports Castro in Cuba. Someone who is Pro-fidel. Eric also thought it sounded like some kind of drug that is advertised on TV. You know, the kind that they don't tell you what it's for, but just tell you to ask your doctor and then give you the blurb, "Side effects may include: Nausea, dizziness, sexual side effects, headaches, and death."

Eric and I once thought it would be funny if the side effects listed were the same things as the commercial for Pepto Bismol mentioned, and in the same order. "Side effects may include: Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea."

Leaving the shallow end.

I was reading Eric's blog and I realized why I'm so picky about spelling. When I read, I "hear" what I'm reading. I'm an audio-thinker. I think it's partly because I learned to spell phonetically in the Hawaiian Educational system and not the Californian Educational system. So, when I saw Eric spell "slacker" as "slaker," I heard a word that sounded like "shake," not "shack." I'm going to call Eric a slaker from now on. I'll probably call everyone slakers from now on, actually, because I like the way it rolls off the tounge and sticks like a poison dart in the person being cited for "slaking off."

The deep end, but not in a pool deep enough to dive off of a diving board.

Often, I hear about science predictions that people tend to speculate about. For example, people talk about when the Sun is going to burn out, or when we're going to colonize the moon or Mars. I realize that these things are "theologically impossible," as I like to say. The reason being that God gives us a general understanding of how the world is going to end and certain scientific future scenarios do not mesh with the Bible's statements about the end. Jesus has to come back before these types of things happen. I guess the moon or Mars could be colonized, but something bad would probably happen before all was said and done.

I finished reading Ezekiel today, and in Chapter 47, Ezekiel talks about being shown a river by the angel/tour-guide, which flows from the Temple, through the Arabah (the wilderness of Judah, which is a set of hot and arid rolling hills), into the Dead Sea. It says that the river brings life to the Sea, and makes the salt water fresh. If you know anything about the Dead Sea, you know it is the lowest place on Earth the saltiest body of water in the world (http://www.trekker.co.il/english/dead-sea-salts-cosmetics.htm). So, Ezekiel's vision of the river is very significant. The River brings life to dead places.

Another important fact about the Dead Sea is that it is very quickly drying up. It is currently 400 meters deep, and has lost 25 meters of depth in the last 30 years. The sea could be empty by the year 2400 at the rate it is going (I made that calculation, based on the rate at which it has been emptying and the fact that the sea floor is sloped). So, in order for Ezekiel's prophecy to be true and the Bible to be valid, Christ must return in the next 400 or so years, or the drying of the sea must be stopped. I think the moon will be colonized by then, so I wouldn't be surprised if Christ returns sooner.

See, that was a deep thought. About 400 meters deep, and quickly shallowing out at a rate of almost a meter a year.

Points of interest:
My roommate Chris is back, which means a significant drop-off in my reading rate, a significant increase in the amount I hear mouse clicking (as he plays his video game), and a significant increase in time spent out of my dorm room. But, only for a few days. I'm going home for a week next week for my birthday. I've talked about my birthday and going home a lot because I'm excited to see my family and almost as excited to get away from the heat of Redding.

It was cloudy today. It may have rained in parts of town, and it was only in the 90s instead of over 110 today. A little more humid, though

9 of my friends blogged since I last was on MySpace (last night). Wow.

I passed the 4000 blog view mark, which is why I could post a megablog. Not to mention the fact that almost all of my blogs are this long or so.

Ike and I went to MarketFest and I video taped people dancing and walking around. The band was pretty good. 3 guys from NYC. A white guy playing drums, a black guy playing bass, and another black guy playing acoustic and singing. Kind of acoustic guitar soft rock with some funk. The singer sounded like Michael Jackson. Not the new Michael Jackson, but Michael Jackson as a little boy, from his Jackson 5 days. It was weird hearing a big, fully grown man sounding like a little boy or a woman. We assumed it was a woman until we saw him. very weird.

this is quite long, and I know you're all slakers, so that's it.

I spent 46 minutes on this one

Currently listening : Room Noises By Eisley Release date: 08 February, 2005

MySpace blog: I hope no admissions counselors read this

I'm at work right now, covering the lunch break for Lori, the receptionist. Once again, I left her little name thing up, so people all had a reason to think I was Lori for awhile. A few minutes ago (well, about 20), I was sitting in the back doing my "normal" job, data entry. We've had these things called "details" in the office that are 8 1/2 x 11 pieces of paper folded in half and stapled. We put all the info about prospective students in these details. The admissions counselors write things on there, such as notes about their conversations with the students and instructions for us data entry slaves. (I realized recently that data entry isn't really a slave-position, but it's not worth talking about).

We're getting rid of the old detail system to save time and paper (and money). There's a little "comment" section in the data program we use, so the counselors are just putting stuff in there now.

So, my job is to copy all of the comments off of the details for students thinking about attending in the fall of 2006. I just read the comments and type them in. I'm on my 3rd or 4th day doing this project.

Today, it got to me. The first few days have been fine, but today...

It's not so much the project itself (I like it, it's the least redundant form of Data Entry yet). Rather, the problem is the counselor's notes. Actually, the problem is just one counselor's notes. I don't know who it is, but some girl (as I can tell from the handwriting) called all the 2006 students last August and a few times in the fall. Her notes are incredibly annoying for me. They have smiley faces all over them, along with "he he" or "lol" or "haha." The lols annoy me most, of course, but the other ones get quite old.

Even when there aren't any cutesy phrases, the abundance of exclamation points (and the fact that all the dots on the exclamations and the letter i are x's) and smileys is driving me crazy.

One other thing I've been meaning to write about is Eric's, Ike's and my newfound lake game. Just wade in until you're waist deep, grab some rocks and skip them. That's not really a new thing for any of us, but the new thing is that we skip them at the Canadian geese which are all around the lake. These particular geese have done us no harm, but their bretheren here at Simpson are always dirtying the sidewalks and blocking our paths (occasionally they hiss and try to scare us away). I managed to hit one or two on monday, so I felt vastly superior to the winged fiends. Actually, it was more than just a feeling, it was an emotion. An emotion that made me say "lol! he he he! ha ha!"

MySpace blog: MySpace: A place for friends and the deleting of many words.

I had just written a really long blog that was pretty well written, though not entirely interesting, when I hit some random combination of buttons that made my browser go back, causing me to lose all of my work (22 minutes of it).

I realized last night that I drink too much soda. This thing I speak of may be known to you as "pop" if you're from Washington or Oregon or some other place.

I didn't used to be such a heavy soda drinker. There was the time at the Korean Barbeque in Hawaii when I drank 88 ounces of Pepsi in one sitting. That was after eighth grade, when we visited my Grandma. Korean Barbeque is one of my favorite kinds of food, and it disappoints me that they aren't that commonly found on the mainland.

But, besides that event, I haven't been much of a carbonation-consumer. My mom (a dental assistant) has always gotten on my case about having too much soda (even though I was only drinking one or two a week in High School. That's about how much I drink during the school year here, too. However, the last few weeks, I've been having a soda a day. Add that to all of my Ice Cream, Jamba Juice, and In-N-Out shakes, and you have a lot of sugar.

Last night, I decided to relive the summer of 2001. The last couple months of school, I had stopped drinking soda, so my friend Tim and I decided to be soda-free. Our other friend, Clurie joined us, and soon Eric did too. Tim and I got Frozen Cokes when we all went to see Jurassic Park 3 after Youth Group on opening night, and Clurie and Eric said they had won, even though Tim and I started way before they did. It doesn't matter. The fact remains that I went about 4 months without carbonation. In fact, after the Frozen Coke, I think I was still soda-less (technically) for another month or so.

I already messed up.

Today, I was going back to my room during a fifteen minute break (the first one I've taken during my 2 and 1/2 months at this job) to get my Pringles and the book I'm now reading (The Elegant Universe). I knew it was around 110 degrees outside, so I got a soda at the coffee shop. I just forgot about the whole no-soft drinks deal. Dang it.

Ironically, the reason I let myself start drinking soda again was so that I'd have something to drink when I turned 21 and my friends were having alcohol. I'm turning 21 on Monday. At the time, I thought I would try to go my whole life without having any liquor. I don't feel that way anymore. Partly because I had a couple sips of Cognac in January, that we were using to make Tiramisu for my mom's birthday. Last week, I accidentally swallowed some mouthwash. I was scoping out my stomach. hyuk hyuk.

I was thinking earlier (the first time that I wrote this blog) that I have stopped writing about certain things that I used to write about a lot because they have become routine. While I still find worship leading interesting and fun, I don't write about it anymore. I was just a couple weeks ago. Yesterday, I went to the lake. I didn't write about it, because I've been to Whiskeytown or the creeks that feed into it 5 times in the last 10 days. I even saw another bear (it was probably the same one, actually), and I didn't write about it. It was in the same place more-or-less (probably the same bear), but it was around 9 PM, so the beach was closed, and most people were gone. Ike, Eric, and I approached it somewhat, and it started walking toward us as we left. It was limping. I was thinking about how cool it would be if you could just walk up to it and pet it. I like bears.

Things you should check out:
Emunah: I finally got the jacket I bought about 2 months ago. It took a long time, but it was worth it. And, I completley understand why a small clothing company would have problems sometimes.

Number One Gun: This CD is awrsome. I'm already on my 6th or 7th time through the CD (it came out today), besides the release show (which was the CD, as I already wrote about), and the e-card. If you heard their old stuff, it still sounds like them, but it's also more driving. It's been reccomended for fans of Jimmy Eat World. Also, it was produced by the same guy who produces Acceptance and Anberlin's CDs, so it sounds like those bands a little, although I think it's way better than those 2.

I worked on those links for awhile and they're jacked up.

P.S. I have 3906 blog views, so this one may put me over 4000!

P.P.S. I just saw that it's currently 56 degrees in Santa Rosa (11:53 PM). It's still 83 up here. blah. I'm glad I'm going home for a week next week.

Currently listening : Promises for the Imperfect By Number One Gun Release date: 19 July, 2005

MySpace blog: growl

That would be my stomach growling. This would be me blogging on the clock.

I want Banana Bread.

MySpace blog: weekends! all about the weekends!

I feel bad that the title of this blog is a quote from Will Ferrell's impersonation of the devil, but it definitely fits for this blog.

I suppose I should continue to write deep blogs because Lauren said "Josh is back!" after my last one. I am feeling more intellectual still, and there will be some deepish things to come. but first, I need to brag about my amazing weekend (so far).

Friday: Questions
Amy (one of my plethora of bosses) pointed out that I was full of questions that day. Can I end each paragraph with a question?

I finally remembered to write down something that I realized last week so I'd remember to blog on it. I always mess up when using the Number Pad on a computer. I usually switch the 1 and the 7 or the 2 and the 8. This befuddled me for quite some time, until I realized last week that telephone numbers are flipped vertically in position from calculators and keyboards. Problem solved. Why did manufacturers decide to make such common things opposite?

Last night, Eric, Kate, and I went to Chico to go to the Number One Gun release concert. Levi and Melissa showed up right on time for NOG, but after the opening bands (who weren't that great, but I liked certain aspects of them). Bobby and Candace were there. That's the list of Redding people I saw, but I did see some Chico people that I've met once or twice, but they didn't remember me, most likely, so I didn't say anything to them (including some of the guys in NOG). I tend to do that, and I just realized that a lot of other people probably do too, so who knows how many conversations I've missed out on over the years?

It was my first release concert, but I've heard about a few others. I remember seeing reviews of others in which the band plays 2 new songs and 2 or 3 old ones. Well, Number One Gun played their entire new CD in order, then ended with a song from their 1st album and another old song for their encore. They weren't able to sell the CD at the show because it doesn't come out until Tuesday, so Tower Records sold the Liner notes, and anyone with them could go pick up the CD on Tuesday at Tower, which is great for people who live in Chico. Why does Tower have to be so mean?

After the concert, we went downtown to go to Jamba Juice, because I know there's one downtown. Since we couldn't find it, we got Slurpees and sat on Levi's and Eric's cars while consuming them (do you eat or drink a slurpee?)

We finally were ready to leave around 12:40, then 3 cop cars pulled over right next to us. We were on a one-way street, and a car had just pulled in going the wrong direction. They parked right in front of us. I think it was just a car full of 4 lost girls who didn't know they were going the wrong way. The cops let them go and stopped traffic to give them time to turn around. We had to sit there for 5 minutes or so while they sorted out the situation. What would have happened if the car had been full of 4 drunk girls?

Saturday: Answers.
I enjoyed a day of finality today.

Do you remember that last week Eric, Ike, and I went looking for a 300 foot waterfall at Whiskeytown? I think I blogged about it. Do you remember that we didn't find it? Ike and Kevin found the waterfall on Monday, and Ike told me how to get there. He told me to take a right, 3 lefts, and a right at trail junctions. So, Eric and I went to what I'm calling "Hidden Falls." The question of how to get there was answered.

The bottom fall is the only one visible from the end of the trail, and we spent a few hours just in that area, building a huge dam at the bottom of the pool. Kevin had suggested we dam it up to make it deeper for swimming, because the deepest part of the pool was probably only 3 feet, and there was a good location for damming it up. We pondered the possibility of building a dam, and today, Eric and I provided an answer by building one.

After a couple hours, we hiked up the side of the falls and saw the other 3 falls. It was so crazy. It was just a little bit pretty. It was waaaay scary. Imagine standing on bare granite (well, not bare. There was some slippery wet moss on it) right next to a series of huge waterfalls. I wondered how my hiking boots would manage on bare rock. My question was answered--crappily. I didn't fall in, though, and after hiking back, I'm still alive. I am in such better shape than I was 8 days ago. I've done 2 fairly strenuous hikes and a hard swim in between. I'll put some pics of the waterfalls up soon. I'd rate the hike as moderate, and the trails to the falls as just plain dangerous. The trail from the bottom of the falls to the area between the second and third ones, where we looked at the 3 upper falls was the really scary one. I'd rate that trail as just plain stupid. But, it's well worth it.

On the way back, I had to stop for a sobriety checkpoint in the town of Shasta. They didn't make everyone stop, but I had to. Eric said it's because we were 2 young guys and I didn't have my shirt on, so we were more likely to be drunk. The cop asked me, "Hey, any drinks for you guys tonight?"
I answered, "no."
He looked around and said, "not any at all?"
"No."
"OK, just wanted to let you know you don't have to drink and drive."
Just like that, we were on our way. I always wondered how I would respond in this situation. I figured I would say something about how I don't drink or how I've never had a beer in my life. My question was answered when I had the experience just 9 days before my 21st birthday.

Saturday night: not questions or answers, really. well sort of.
Eric and I ate at Burrito Bandito, and when we came back, I was tired, so I read some. I'm reading a book called Einstein's Cosmos that we read for Modern Science and Society this last semester. We got less than halfway through this book and the other one we read for class. So, this summer, I'm reading them.

While talking about the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, Michio Kaku makes a very provocative statement. The Heisenberg uncertainty principle states that the more accurately you know the location of a particle, the less certainly you know its location. Heisenberg realized that in order to know the position of an electron, one had to shine a light on it, thus causing a photon to strike the electron and changing its motion.

Kaku states, "This was not just a by-product of the crudeness of our instruments; it was a fundamental law of nature. Even God could not know both the precise position and momentum of an electron"(164). Whoa! Wait a sec. I believe in an omniscient God. Kaku saying that my God could not know about the electron challenges my omniscient God. I also believe in a Transcendent God. If my God exists outside of this universe, He can exist outside the laws of the universe. One thing that Lewis says in That Hideous Strength is that the laws of Earthly science (and literature, language, etc.) are only simple versions of the true laws of the universe. Einstein also pointed out that Newton's laws were only simple versions of his own theory of relativity. In the same way, could not the laws of our whole universe be simple reflections of God's law? Take that, you atheist!! Go to church.

Another interesting thing developed in the field of Quantum Physics. Einstein had managed to show that gravitational effects traveled at the speed of light, and it seemed that all things held to the universal speed limit of c (the speed of light). However, the existence of anti-matter (proven through the discovery of positrons--electrons with an opposite charge) led to a thought experiment proposed by Einstein to quash the belief in Quantum Physics. Imagine an atom shoots out 2 electrons that were spinning in opposite directions. Probability, Physics, and the Heisenberg Principle say that each electron can be spinning in either direction until they are observed. So, at some point, after each electron has traveled for billions of light-years, you take a peek at one electron and discover that it is spinning up. This indicates that the other electron is spinning down. You have just discovered the spin of an object billions of miles away instantaneously. This discovery violates the cosmic speed limit of c. Eventually, someone pointed out that discovering something billions of miles away instantaneously was entirely different from transmitting information over vast distances in a flash (well quicker than a flash, because a flash would only travel at the speed of light). But, still, this is an interesting thought, that information can move so quickly.

Another huge thing was the proposal made that there are more dimensions of space that we cannot see. Light (and other Electromagnetism) were viewed as waves on this 4th spatial dimension. The theory was abandoned, but is currently popular in its present form--superstring theory, which I'm going to learn more about in the other book I have (The Elegant Universe). In Out of the Silent Planet, (the first in Lewis' Space Trilogy), Lewis spends a great deal of time supposing that the eldila (the angels and demons) live in a higher reality in which light is more like water or something to be moved through, but still seen. I don't know how much Lewis knew about 20th Century science, and I don't think that he had a perfect understanding of the heavenly realm, but he may have been on to something. I am thoroughly convinced that God gave us 5 senses to observe 4 dimensions--up/down, left/right, front/back, and time.

Right before I came on MySpace (nearly an hour ago--my blogs are long these days), I saw an ad for shark week on the discovery channel, which I actually clicked on. I was reminded that sharks have a lateral line, that allows them to sense vibrations and electromagnetic waves over great distances. Other animals are aware of impending natural disasters. Clearly, there are other senses not given to humans. Maybe animals can observe the heavenly in a way people cannot.

Lewis throws out the idea of there being 7 genders (on the other planets in his trilogy). Revelation talks about the 7-fold spirit of God, which I have wondered about. Maybe there are other civilizations on other planets which do not know about the same 3 parts of God as us. Maybe a matriarchal planet learns of God as Mother, Daughter, and more. I have no clue. But, I do know that there are mysteries never to be understood in this life (that's why I don't like that Brian Johnson song about God revealing "all of Your mysteries"), and I love the role that Science plays in helping us try to find some of them. If my last blog and the parts about animals not having emotion has led you to believe I hate animals, you misread that, and you should read some of my other stuff or talk to me.

As Einstein said, "The most beautiful and deepest experience a man can have is the sense of the mysterious. It is the underlying principle of religion as well as of all serious endeavor in art and science." Imagine that a Deist could understand this concept better than so many Christians who are into the mystical experiences. We are not meant to know everything! Life would be boring without mystery! The journey is the exciting part. Just like last week, when we couldn't find the waterfall, we still had fun looking for it. If we had just been hiking without an end in mind, it would have been fruitless pain in the legs. And, it made finding the waterfall all the more... mesquite today. Mesquite is the word I'm using now when I'm at a loss for an adjective. Eric and I chose it yesterday or the day before.

It took me an hour to write this blog. 15 minutes to edit it. I listened to one song from Coldplay's Brothers & Sisters EP, and all the way through Eisley's Room Noises, plus the first 5 songs a second time. I listened to a few songs by the Killers while I edited it. That's a long time to write during the summer. I bet it took a long time to read too. Or did you skip? cheaters.

The book I'm reading is the one below, but a totally different cover.

Currently reading : Einstein's Cosmos: How Albert Einstein's Vision Transformed Our Understanding of Space and Time (Great Discoveries) By Michio Kaku Release date: 16 May, 2005

MySpace blog: animals, spirits, people, deep thought

Current mood: pensive

This was originally a response to Trevor's comment on my last blog. I was going to write some of these things in the last blog, but I was only at the receptionist's desk for a short time. Here are my thoughts provoked by the book and the encounter with the raccoon, along with a discussion held in a myspace group I am part of (Students of the Old Testament).

I tend to agree with Lewis when it comes to animals. He basically says that animals have the chemical emotions that we have, but we have more, because we have spirit. I think this is the differentiation between soul and spirit (see the Armor of God--the word of God "separates between soul and spirit"). I'd say that animals have souls (well, at least some do--do slugs?), but not spirits. I used to think that self-consciousness was the marker of the presence of a spirit, but this messes up the line between animal and human, because dolphins and some primates have been shown to be self-conscious. But, the distinction remains, and animals have either soul or spirit, in order for them to be affected by man's sin. This raises the question--do plants have spirits? This supposition would explain the widespread animistic belief in tree and water spirits. Perhaps the reason why all of creation was affected by the fall is due to the presence of either soul or spirit in all things. (Note: I by no means would hold to this and have never thought much about it until today). Paul writes of humanity as the firstfruits of salvation among all creation-- God's redemption is for all of creation, not just mankind. This implies that all creation is fallen, as a result of a human sin.

If animals have a soul, but not a spirit, when they die, they do not go to heaven or hell; they cease to exist. If trees have spirit, their spirit is very much unlike the way it is viewed in paganism. The tree spirits of paganism are seen as supreme beings, while in my supposition, they are simply an existential core of the tree. Do I actually believe in these spirits? no. But, do I think such an existence is possible? yes. I see no conflict between my monotheistic Christianity and the possibility of tree spirits.

I'm kind of thinking along the lines of finding truth in pagan religion because that's what That Hideous Strength attempts to do. In fact, the whole Space Trilogy attempts to explain mythology, the "sons of God" in Genesis and Job, and the absolute oneness of God in a consistent manner. We had an extended discussion about the books and Old Testament debates in the "Students of the Old Testament" group. Most of us had not read That Hideous Strength yet, but we had read Perelandra.

Lewis suggests that in the past, not all angels had chosen a side yet. He cites the growing distinction between good and evil throughout the course of history. For example, Abraham lived before the law. While it may have been acceptable for him to have multiple wives (Hagar, and he actually had some later wives) because it was not yet wrong, as history progressed, God established that polygamy was bad, and looking back on Abraham's day, we can see that Abraham's choice to have multiple women had bad consequences.

Lewis understands that the growing distance between good and evil and the growing distinction between the two reflect something happening at a far greater level. Perhaps there were heavenly beings who had not yet chosen sides. This would explain the "sons of god"--bene elohim--in Genesis 6:4, for bene elohim is used in reference to angels and great heroes (I feel that Greek heroes and mythology are accounted for in this passage and by Lewis' thoughts). As history progresses, they choose to serve God or serve Satan. As the end draws nearer, these beings will all pick a side. Could it be that there was a "neutral" in the supernatural world that is fading quickly? The point is raised by Lewis because of the presence of Merlin (of the Arthurian legend) in the book and his use of magic that was neither good nor evil but now has fallen into one camp or the other (you'll have to read the book to discover on which side it falls in the story).

I am not sure about all these things, but I am a little more confident in my own understanding of animal emotion and the dilemma of the spirit and soul regarding animals. Lewis' thoughts are mostly compatible with my own and are forcing me to wrestle with this issue more (along with the recent raccoon events and my first wild bear sighting as I was reading about Lewis' bear). As far as the animals go, Lewis writes mostly about a bear, which is a main character of sorts, but he spends a few pages explaining that while a bear can realize something is missing and long for it, the bear doesn't exactly experience missing something in the same way we do. Their feelings are vague, while we can associate feelings with certain people, things and other stimuli. For example, he implies that the bear does not necessarily enjoy the company of Dr. Ransom (the main character of the Space Trilogy), he knows that being next to Ransom is pleasant and misses something when he's gone, though he can't exactly remember what it is. One of the characters attempts to remove emotion completely from the animal by saying that the bear does not even enjoy the company of one petting him, but enjoys the friction of one's hand upon his fur, which feels pleasurable and helps kill bugs. Lewis implies that this point of view has gone too far.

Animals do have emotion. However, humanity has a greater sense of emotion--we are made in God's image with body, mind, soul, and spirit. In The Abolition of Man, Lewis writes that what makes humans human is the mind--it unites the animal (body) with the divine (spirit). I would add that soul is part of the animal world (or perhaps heart). The "bad guys" in That Hideous Strength attempt to attain total objectivity, then open themselves up to the demonic, though they know it by a different name. It is a blend of Nihilism and New Age Thought. One of the main things I took from the book was the need for humanity to embrace emotion as God's gift to us (true emotion is for only us, not animals). I often think of the world in terms of body, soul, heart, mind, spirit, and the book and recent events are challenging me so much in this way of thinking. In fact, I wrote this blog over an hour at work (I'm covering a lunch break as the receptionist--BOTC), and saved it as a diary so you all couldn't see it, then went on my lunch break and finished it.

As usual, after I do theological thinking, I say, "what was the point of all that?" The test of the value of thinking theologically is whether or not something helps you or others to worship. Yes! This discussion helps me to worship. Knowing that God has made me in His image, with the capability for compassion that He has not bestowed on His lower creation helps me understand just how amazing it is to be in God's image. The possibility of tree spirits makes it possible to engage people in a tribal society with the Gospel without ripping out their worldview first, which would help them worship the one true God.

So, how does this all apply to the raccoons? The mother raccoon has an instinct to protect her young. It is irrefutably instinct and not love, because when the babies grow to a certain age, the mother leaves them and becomes a rival in the quest for food. Love would not leave, much less oppose. The baby raccoons feel insecure without their mother. This too is a result of instinct. When it comes to animals, emotion simply is a chemical in the head. Maybe there is a distinction between wild and domesticated animals. Maybe pets have more than just instinct, but even their emotion must stop at the level of Lewis’ bear. They may grow attached to their owners, but will not grieve from the loss of one at the same level as a human, who forges a spiritual connection with a friend, whether knowingly or unknowingly. This is 3 pages long, and you’re not going to read the whole thing, so I’m going to stop now.

MySpace blog: gonna make me a coonskin cap

Last night, I was tired and wanting to go to bed, but I had to wait for the shower, so I read my book and sat at my desk. I was only a few pages away from the end at 12:30 when I heard the shower turn off, so I decided to finish the book. At 12:40, with just a paragraph left, I heard a loud THWACK! coming from outside. The sounds of baby raccoons followed and I knew that somebody was locked in a cage.

I peeked outside with my video camera and discovered that the mom raccoon was in the cage and 3 of the babies were behind it, desparate for mommy. I had just finished the book, which talked about the way that animals don't have feelings but have something like it, just without emotion. I'm not totally sure if C.S. Lewis is right, but he might have been, so I didn't have a lot of sympathy for the babies or the mom. In fact, they would not shut up, so Chris grabbed his airsoft gun and shot at them a few times. The only problem was that there weren't any pellets in the gun. We stood in our door, and Chris called the maintenance office so they'd have a message as soon as they got in today, and suddenly, the 3 babies took off as we stood in our door. The babies came back around 1:30, when we were both in bed, and began their commotion again. I didn't fall asleep for awhile, so now I'm pretty tired. My leg still hurts from the lake too. So, to make myself feel better, I'm going to buy a shovel and make a small trap to catch the babies. then I'm going to kill the babies with the shovel and make a coonskin cap.

yeah, that's believable.

BOTC, baby! (blogging on the clock)

MySpace blog: despisation, blog groups, and bears, oh my!

I wanted to write a blog called "despisation." So, that's what the first part of this blog is.

Despisation
is despisation a word?

These are a few of my least favorite things:
*when people are on myspace for "dating" or "serious relationships"
*bulletins on myspace that say "new blog!"
*girls who don't shut up. I don't mind if you are quiet sometimes and loud most of the time, though you're not my type. But, if you're loud all the time....grrr
*dry contacts
*waking up early
*waking up before 3 PM
*that i look so much younger w/o facial hair
*when people burp and I don't feel like hearing/smelling it. I'm much more lenient for guys. Rarely do I want to hear some girl burp. Also, the longer I've known you, the less annoying your uncalled for burping is.
*breathing in people's burps
*coffee breath
*whenever the word "no" is repeated. "no no." AHHH!!!! or "n-n-n-n-no." you sound so ridiculous and cocky when you talk like that. What makes you think you're absolutely correct? What gives you the right to be all condescending? Why am I directing these complaints at my readers?
*taxation without representation

that's all for now, here's some stuff on blog groups:

If you scroll down a little and look to the right, you'll find a little blog group I started with some of my friends who's writing i most enjoy. I only invited the people whose blogs are thought provoking and/or literally "laugh-out-loud" funny. yeah, I know I hate the term, but if used correctly and tastefully, I can handle it. Also, these people have to have good grammar/spelling for the most part and have well-written blogs in general. so far 3 of us are in the group and 2 more have been invited. so, click on "next" to check out Trevor's blog, which happens to have a lot more details on what I'm about to say.

Raccoons. OK, now I can't figure out if i meant to put rickie or ricky or rockie or rocky. what the heck. I'll just make it "rotund." So, from now on, my last blog will be entitled "rotund raccoon." I think I'm misspelling raccoon now, but i don't care, I'm already in "people who write good." Anyway, there is now a raccoon trap right outside my room to catch the masked mammal. I had a number of thoughts regarding the trap, but apparently Trevor thought of the same things and posted a blog first. So read his blog. Like I already said, just click "next" under blog group. He also has some amusing thoughts on the coon that I didn't think of.

Along those lines, it's time to speak of bears.

I've seen my fair share of bears in my life. In zoos and.... zoos. I had never seen a bear in the wild until one fateful day in July of 2005 (that day being today). First, let me set the stage. We had an office lake day today. I got to go to the lake at 2ish instead of sitting behind my computer. I was there for 3 hours or so. I swam a lot. I went across the part of the lake we were in and back without stopping. around 10 minutes later, I swam to a rope with buoys and sat on it for awhile, then swam back. I can't really convey the distance, but if you ever go to Brandy Creek with me, ask me to point it out, if you care. I was so tired and my arms were killing me. So, I sat in the water. We found some big rocks and were throwing them, and I decided to pick one up and push with my legs as I threw, to get it as high out of the water as I could (about 5 feet). These rocks were about 18" long, 5" across, and 2" thick. They were heavy. As I threw the rock, my leg froze and I was engulfed with leg pain. My right calf cramped and stayed cramped for a long time. In fact, it still hurts.

I couldn't really swim anymore, but later, I hopped on a blow-up raft and paddled out a ways with my friend Cory, whose wife Danie works in my office. Cory and I heard a commotion in the part of the beach that is shallow and roped off for kids and families to swim in. The lifeguards were using their bullhorns and the sirens built in. Later on, I heard there was a bear over there. I had to leave to come back and prepare for worship team practice, so I checked out the bear as I headed out. My roommate, Chris, had also ended up at the lake, and he said it just ran out of the bushes, past the bathroom, and towards the picnic table. In fact, it almost ran into his girlfriend. I looked over and saw a juvenile bear (not a cub, but not an old bear), standing on a table, just eating people's food. Soon, the lifeguard had everyone in the tree-covered area move toward the beach or into their cars. I went to the beach as the park ranger came in with what looked like a paintball gun. Sure enough, that's what it was! He shot the bear with 3 paintballs, which made it run off the table. The lifeguards used their bullhorn sirens to direct the fleeing bear, as the ranger chased it and continued to shoot it. It was wadico. I just thought of that word--imagine a little boy who can't say the letter "r" trying to say "radical." That's wadico.

I drove back to redding and ate and had worship team practice. That stuff isn't that interesting to speak of, but wow, a bear. Raccoon yesterday, bear today. What's next? maybe I'll see a hippo in it's native environment tomorrow. That would mean going to Africa. I don't even have a passport. I've never been out of the country. wadico.

Currently listening : How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb By U2 Release date: 23 November, 2004

MySpace blog: rockie raccoon--prophetic blogging

I made some small, but significant changes to my profile. Search away.

2 nights ago I wanted to write a blog called "rockie raccoon." I had absolutely no reason to, but I had a desire to write a blog with that title. I had only seen 1 raccoon in my entire life (as far as I can remember)--at Alliance Redwoods the first year I went to camp (after 6th grade).

Just now, I was outside reading on my camp chair, and I came in to get some food. I went back out and came back in and went out a third time. A bunch of guys were standing around, and one of them, CJ, said something to me that I couldn't hear. I asked him what he said, and he told me there had just been a raccoon in my chair. I looked around the corner and saw it leaving. Needless to say, my camp chair will remain inside from now on, unless I am actively sitting in it (if it is possible to actively sit). I sprayed it with lysol first to keep the little raccoon germs off of me.

I believe in the sovereignty of God to the point where there cannot be coincidence. God allowed that thought of the raccoon to pop in my head the other night. I'm reading a book called That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis. Yeah, I know, I started it a long time ago, but I have been reading much less since this whole MySpace thing began taking my time and while it's not taking as much time as it used to, there are other things I've been doing recently. All that to say, I've been reading this book for 2 months, while I usually get through books in a day or a week. Anyway, one of the main characters, Jane Studdock, has a gift of prophetic dreaming. I was just reading a part that looks at Jane's character for an extended period when the raccoon incident happened. so it's either God reminding me of the reality of the prophetic or it's something I don't yet understand. Not coincidental.

I bought a lightweight backpack today with a hydration system built in (a camel pack) for hiking. It was $82, and although I'm getting paid in a couple days, I realize that my spending habits are not very good. I'm getting useful stuff, but I'm not going to be able to buy a computer at the end of the summer, most likely. I think I spent around $150 today on various things, and only around $15 was on food and $10 on gas.

I had to try my pack out, so I went with Eric to the waterfall we went to on Saturday (the one that we found, which is only a quarter mile hike or so) and we ate sandwiches that we had made earlier. We came back and walked around ShopKo and saw a talking deer head that Jordan had told me about. It sings too, like Billy the Big Mouth Bass, but a lot bigger and expensive ($129).

I want to take my roommate's airsoft gun and go shoot the raccoon. I may go buy myself some supplies and make a raccoon trap on the other side of the hedge right behind my room just to kill that nasty bandit. Probably was eating the crumbs off of my chair. I am such a germ freak that I am going to jump in the shower as soon as I hit "post." then I'll read some more in my camp chair, inside.

Currently listening : Guero By Beck Release date: 29 March, 2005

MySpace blog: nothing to look at here

My feet hurt. I hiked yesterday. I played guitar/led worship today. Both of those make my feet hurt. My legs hurt too.

I told you there was nothing to look at here, but you had to click on it.

MySpace blog: Long Day

8 AM--wake up
8:25 AM--get out of bed for the 3rd time and actually stay out
8:45 AM--go to Starbucks
9 AM--get to church for Jared's memorial
9:15 AM--come back because I forgot some guitar stuff
9:30 AM--go back to church
10:30--Jared's memorial
Notes: There were a lot of people. I smashed my pinkie while carrying 5 chairs. I felt so manly carrying 5 chairs. It was a good funeral--the gospel was shared by many people. It was a high school reunion of sorts for a bunch of his friends. I still like funerals more than weddings.
11:45--play guitar for a couple songs at the funeral
1:20--leave the church over an hour after the service ends
1:40ish--go to Burrito Bandito with Eric and Ike
2:35--leave Burrito Bandito
3ish--leave for Whiskeytown with Eric and Ike
3:30ish--hike a short hike to Clear Creek Falls
4ish--start a long hike to an unmarked waterfall that we have heard about. Supposedly, it's 300 feet tall, but we end up not finding it after hiking for a few hours, and turn back.
7?--go swimming in the lake
8--come back and shower
8:25--go to round table with Eric
9:45--go to Batman Begins with Eric. How can this possibly be remotely related to "Batman & Robin" (the last batman movie) or the Batman show from the 70s?
12:37--write it all down and go to bed.

MySpace blog: O Sweet Nectar

This blog is about one of the greatest things on God's green earth. You know what's amazing, is that this little treat actually can truly fulfill the saying in the title, along with the saying in the first sentence. That's right, this blog is about Guava juice.

But, first, let me set the stage.

Today was the climax of dorm life. At least, it was one of them. Actually, it was one of the climaxes of living with people. One of the crucial parts of living with people is the constant tension between clean people and dirty people. This tension is caused by the fact that no two people share the exact same standards for cleanliness. Growing up, I lived with one of the cleanest people on the planet--my mom. Now, my mom's room is slightly cluttered, but ours never were allowed to be. And there was not a place in our house where mold, mildew, or bacteria would grow, because we fully cleaned it once a week (at least) and she would vacuum multiple times a week and usually have us do some vacuuming, too.

Since I've been at Simpson, I've had 5 roommates. 4 of them were dirtier than me. Aaron St. Peter and I were actually about the same. So, I guess it is possible to have someone be as clean as you. Except, I was more cluttered, and he was less hygienic. That tends to be the case--I'm not a neat freak, but I am a germ freak. This summer, I'm living with Chris, who's the least concerned with neatness of anyone I've had as a roommate. Even Chris, though, is upset by the state of our bathroom, and often complains about the grass and dirt and clothes that our suitemate, Tucker, brings in and leaves in the bathroom. I'm always perplexed, because our floor looks quite similar, with Chris' clothes, shoes, and oatmeal scattered about.

So I've been getting a little frustrated with Chris. And when I get mad, I clean. I had already decided to devote this afternoon and evening to laundry and cleaning because I've been at peoples' houses every other night this week besides Sunday and Tuesday (the Stirring and worship team practice). Oh, I gave myself another haircut tonight too. It was a lot quicker--I'm getting better at it. So, by the time I was ready to clean, I was in the mood to clean (which for me means I have to be a little ticked off). I have been the only cleaner of the bathroom (as far as I can tell) all summer. I tried to let the bathroom deteriorate in order to provoke someone else to clean it, but I couldn't last long enough. SOMETHING HAD TO BE DONE NOW! I had cleaned the toilet a bit, and the shower kind of, but tonight, o tonight, I killed many little bacteria and fungi. We don't currently have a toilet brush, so the inside of the toilet's still less than satisfactory, but I shall remedy that situation soon. Chris got motivated to do something, so he cleaned the mirror that I had already cleaned. Thanks for helping! He also grabbed a plastic bag and put Tucker's pile of dirty clothes in it. The pile of clothes usually sits on a chair in the bathroom and enrages Chris and me (and Trevor? post a comment, let us know). So, Chris put the clothes in a bag, and grabbed my sharpie. On the bag, he wrote, "Hamper," and on the second line, "get one." I agree. I said we should put a sign above the chair where he puts his clothes that says, "Salvation Army clothes collection pile." The idea is that any clothing stays on the chair for 48 consecutive hours or more, it will be confiscated and donated for resale in a thrift store.

All of this cleaning gave me one more thing to add to my list of things that would be nice. I have a list in my head, but I'm going to write it in my journal after I'm done with this blog, since I've been meaning to for a fortnight, which is 2 weeks, for you young people. This list contains the things I'm looking for in a girl. It has 2 parts--the necessary things and the things which would be nice. The latter list includes things like skills and certain looks. I feel like Napoleon Dynamite, but I'm serious about the skills (it's things like cooking, singing, instruments, coffee, etc.) Now, I'm adding something to the second list. Well, actually, it's kind of between the lists; it's somewhat important, but not as important as the essentials. This special item is the need/want for a girl who has the same level of cleanliness as me. Obviously, I don't want her to be less clean than me, and if she is too clean, that would mean that I'd never live up to her expectations. Now hiring?

Note: if you find the list idea stupid, everything Christian that I've read about relationships, and all the Christian relationship seminars I've been to say that making a list is a really good idea, because marriage needs to be about commitment, not just love/sex. And, since dating should be about marriage, you should have a list so you know what kind of person you're committing to. I've been to so many stinkin' dating seminars or camps and youth conferences that talked about it. And my mom made my sister and me read books on dating. Oddly, I'm almost 21 and have never had a girlfriend, which is mostly a result of my strong conviction that dating needs to be about marriage. And it's a result of my making a list and then being terrified whenever a girl comes along who meets the criteria. And it's a result of believing that God speaks about all important things, so I don't need to search and date/sleep/kiss/fool around. That was a rabbit trail. But, it explains why I'm not going to the Stirring retreat next weekend, which is designed to teach people how to date and such in a Godly way. A lot of people need that, but I grew up in a good family and youth group that have already brainwashed me. Thanks mom and dad.

OK, here's what the blog is supposedly about. After I finished cleaning, I took a shower and headed to Safeway. I needed some more groceries, and I was going to get more trash bags because I thought we were out (I forgot to get them, which was good, because I found more later). I had planned on going to Coldstone or Starbucks afterward, but while I was getting lettuce, I realized I really wanted Guava juice. I love that stuff so much, and I love Passion-Orange-Guava (POG) juice a lot, too. I drank a whole gallon of one of those, plus other juices such as pineapple in less than a week the last time I visited my Grandma in Hawaii. That is not a good thing to do to your intestines. I've had 2 pretty good sized cups of Guava juice and I want more. I have to be up early tomorrow for the memorial service, and it's now 12:12, so maybe I should just make my list and go to bed. Wow, I've been writing this blog for 35 minutes already. That's quite some time. Sudden ending.

Currently listening : Live 2003 (CD & DVD) By Coldplay Release date: 04 November, 2003

MySpace blog: Mr. 3000

I passed the 3000 blog view mark. yippeee. I still don't believe that the views are entirely accurate. I saw the count go up by 40 (I think, maybe it was 60) in just 5 minutes the other day.

My brother got his license today. Now we're not a 5-car family with 4 drivers anymore. It's a bit weird that he has his license now, because that means he's older. That means I'm older, and it's all just plain weird.

The other night at Starbucks, Rachael, Eric, and I discussed various forms of the wedgie book. I think this was first mentioned earlier in the evening at home group, but I'm not sure. One book will be called "Wedgie," and will be a photo book (for your coffee table) of various wedgies around the world. Makes a great gift! Buy it for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, new babies, old babies!!!! "Wedgie"---only $18.99.

The second book would be written by all 3 of us, with whoever took the pictures for the first one receiving top billing (in our discussion, it was Eric). It would be called "101 ways to Wedgie," and would focus on things such as "the upside down wedgie," the "noogie-wedgie combo," and my favorite: "jackson's front wedgie," which i should point out, happened to a guy (jackson) at High School camp the summer after 9th grade. It was on the rope rocket, and he jumped off the platform with a harness that was a bit loose, and VOIP--front wedgie. I just wanted to say "voip" again-- that's the whole reason I told the story.

Potentially Embarrassing situations----

I've found myself in a rash of particularly embarrassing situations of late. 3 or 4 months ago, I would have found these occurrences simply embarrassing. These days, I have come to realize when a situation should not affect the complexion of my cheeks, because it is the fault of someone else. Case in point: last night, Eric decided to go through the drive-thru backwards at Taco Bell, because I was the passenger, and I was ordering, but he wasn't. I wasn't embarrassed, just perplexed. As we continued through the drive-thru, I knew there was potential for an embarrassing moment to happen, and I'll admit I was somewhat uneasy, but not embarrassed. Ultimately, the only embarrassing things that happened were the cashier's confusion, as she said "what the heck?" and Eric's running over of a few curbs as he tried to make the turn at the end of the drive-thru. I think my newfound courage relates back to my Bath and Body Works experience and the number of other "embarrassing things" I did that week that didn't find their way into this blog, due to the fact that I did not blog nearly as much back then.

Unique Experiences---

Ever since I saw Garden State, I feel justified in my lifelong quest for randomnimity. I don't think randomnimity is a word, but it should be. This week, all the furniture from the Currie-Ediger dorm building has been sitting in the gravel parking lot, as they re-carpet the building (i almost wrote "karpet," which would be a much better spelling, if you ask me). I think it's ridiculous that they have all the mattresses outside on gravel; people are going to have to sleep on those, and they allow bugs and dust and whatever else to get on them. I threatened to pee on all of them, but looking back, I now realize I may have been cited for indecent exposure. Nah....Campus Safety doesn't care about that.

La de da ( I tend to say "anyway" or "so" when I get back to the story, so I thought I'd switch it up with a "la de da"), Eric and I went to Starbucks, then Taco Bell, and came back to school. We saw the Couches (from the lobbies) sitting amongst the beds and planted ourselves in those delectable cushioned seats. We soon were joined by David, Sarah, and Tom. We talked and talked. We talked the night away, just sitting there. We laughed, we didn't cry, but we definitely sat on indoor furniture in the middle of a parking lot, surrounded by disassembled beds. That, friends, is randomnimity at its finest.

I said "rash" earlier in this blog because of the number of times i speak about itchiness. Goodness Me! My lunch break has found its end, and I must be back to work.

Currently listening : Hot Fuss By The Killers Release date: 15 June, 2004

cops abound!

Hello, Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to today's meeting regarding things I want to talk about. Here are the items on our agenda this fine day:
1. Fireworks
2. Cops
3. Sunburns & Hair conditioner
4. Corpse in my bed
5. Funny dreams
6. Illegalize this!
As we begin, let's all keep in mind the financial benefits we all have if you pay attention closely. That's right, your productivity will be lowered as you ponder the things I have to say.

1. Fireworks
Fireworks are interesting because of the flashing lights. They're interesting because of the loud boom. Wow! Look what some guy in a factory made! You know what I think? People like fireworks for the right reasons. The beauty in light and sound is astonishing. But, there is a much more powerful version of this beauty that man cannot capture, much less reproduce. Lightning. Sure, we can replicate it, but not reproduce. There is so much power in a single lightning bolt. We can't control it or predict it's exact location. So, fireworks are designed to stir the same feelings in us as lighting. feelings of smallness. the feeling that there's something bigger than us out there.

(ugh. my arrow keys, home, end, page down, etc. are not working)

2. Cops
I just was at Starbucks with Eric and Rachael, and there were 4 police cars there. One guy was detained because he has been banned from starbucks due to his tendency to have loud outbursts--a result of a head injury. He didn't really do anything wrong besides show up in a place he has been banned. A couple girls were being interviewed, then one was administered a breathalyzer. One guy was peeing on a hill next to Work World, just as a cop drove in. He got arrested. Probably, he just would have been cited for indecent exposure, but he had an attitude or was drunk, or was wanted for something else.

3. Sunburns & Hair Conditioner
My back itches, for it is sunburned. Yet, my face only began to itch approximately thirty minutes ago. I believe that my face was burned this afternoon, while my back was burned on our day of Independence. However, I cannot be sure. In addition, I cannot be sure if my hair conditioner is the cause of my past itchiness in the region of my head. I used some of it tonight after immersing myself in a chlorinated pool, and found my head slightly irritated after washing. Nevertheless, I cannot be sure of this observation; I can be sure, though, that this paragraph makes up for all my blogging by using phrases and words that I use frequently in formal papers, but not for blogs, usually.

4. Corpse in my bed
When I got back from Starbucks at midnight, I walked in my room, and looked at my bed, and I saw a body in it. Just a pale face on black sheets. I freaked out--I thought there was a dead guy in it. A few seconds later, I realized that it was just Chris, my roommate, and that we had switched bunks earlier in the day. But I was terrified for a few seconds.

5. Funny dreams
A few days ago (about a week?), I wrote a blog called "Strange and Funny Dreams," and tonight we listened to the first Andy Hunter CD on the way to and from Starbucks, which includes the song "Strange and Funny Dreams." We listened to that song on the way back. As we walked from the car back to our rooms, Rachael and I talked about how cool it would be to have hilarious dreams that just made you laugh and laugh. Imagine a dream where the whole thing is of being tickled. It might be creepy, because you're either being tickled by someone you can't see, or by someone you don't know, or by someone you do know, and then you'd be scared of them. Maybe you could have a dream in which there is a stand-up comedian telling jokes that make you laugh endlessly. Or maybe it's something completely normal or sad or enraging in real life, but since you're asleep, you laugh. Trevor wrote a blog that Tucker (his roommate and my suitemate) was laughing hysterically a few weeks ago in his sleep. If he remembers why he was laughing, I'm envious.
6. Illegalize this!
One thing we discussed at Starbucks was whether or not the word "illegalize" is actually a word. If not, it definitely should be. Then, I would tattoo "illegalize this!" on my rear end, and go pee on hills in public places, which would in turn lead to my citation for indecent exposure.

I guess I should recapitulate our topics for the meeting.
Cops, illegalize this:
Fireworks and Corpse in my bed with sunburns and hair conditioner.
Funny Dreams.

I bet when I wake up tomorrow that I fall out of bed, because I forget I'm on the top bunk for the first time in over a year. That's going to hurt. Especially, since I'm likely to land on my sunburn. Well, I'm sure it will have happened before most of you read this.

Right after I posted this, I downloaded the new Switchfoot song "Stars" off of iTunes. It's out, so all you switchfoot fans now know. Eric and I got it on video almost a year ago (last august) and the song sounds nearly the same, but I did like it better live. I don't like the way he pronounces the word "stars" on the CD, but it's a good song with really good lyrics for the whole world to hear. No, I do not have the whole CD already (it doesn't come out till September, despite the thing next to the picture). It's just that they don't have a picture for the single yet.

Currently listening : Nothing Is Sound By Switchfoot Release date: 16 August, 2005