I've Never Been So Alone, and I've Never Been So Alive

I'm pretty sure that people from the North (some might call them Yankees), probably laugh at Texans when we get all worked up over weather that they consider a wintertime staple. As I drove to school today, everyone was driving very cautiously and had this look on their faces as if driving in these "terrible conditions" was more difficult than selling their first child (not that I would know what that face looks like).

Citizens of Waco, I know that it was 75 degrees less than two days ago, but let's all agree to take this weather system in stride. Agreed? Agreed.

As I've been reading through Franklin Foer's How Soccer Explains the World, I've become quite interested in his candid descriptions of soccer hooliganism in other parts of the world. I guess the closest thing that we have to hooligans in the U.S. are college students who go into full-scale riot mode when their team wins the National Title.

The second chapter of Foer's book describes the age-old rivalry that exists between the Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic. On the surface, the matchup that they call "The Old Firm" might just look like a crosstown grudge match between Glasgow's two most famous soccer clubs, but it runs much deeper than that.
In the Celtic v. Rangers series, soccer is only another vignette detailing the battle between Protestantism and Catholicism in Western Scotland. Being caught in the wrong part of town wearing the wrong colors is more than just a sporting faux pas, it may be the last mistake that you ever make.

In the United States, we love to talk about the "hatred" between the Yankees and the Red Sox, Ohio State and Michigan, and the Cowboys and Redskins (hereafter known as the Indigenous Peoples of the Greater Potomac Basin), but these fan bases simply dislike each other because of what happens on the field. In "The Old Firm", the hatred arises from where you place your eternal hope of salvation. I think that makes the stakes a bit higher.

I Rest My Head on a Pillowy Star and a Cracked-Door Moon That Says I Haven't Gone Too Far

In case I had not told anyone, and assuming that you want to know, I decided to play flag football in the Law League this quarter. Last night, Team Gregory (whose moniker is derived from the surname of our quarterback. Creative, I know.) captured its first win of the young season by defeating the Extra Wide Receivers 42-34.

I would like to note that Team Gregory is averaging 44 points a game this season, so if any of you need an extra wide receiver to fill those missing spots on in your Law Flag Football Fantasy League, be sure to pick me up. I run much better routes than Scalia and I don't have those large glasses like Ruth Bader Ginsburg to hold me back. Go ahead, just do it and thank me for the advice later.

I'll be back with more wit and wisdom later today.

Close My Eyes and Believe Wherever You Are, An Angel For Me

It's funny how things that could seemingly be very frustrating have a way of dredging up these long forgotten memories of the way things once were.

Recently, I accidentally deleted all of the music off of my iPod. (If you want a full explanation of how I committed this blunder, feel free to ask, but I thought that I would spare everyone the details.) After losing about 16 gigs of music, I had to call up my parents in order to retrieve my CDs from home in order to reload the pod. Shuffling CDs in and out of a computer might seem like a tedious process, but it has been an interesting look back at how my life has changed through the music that I have listened to.

The abbreviated time line looks something like this:

• Circa 1995--DC Talk's Jesus Freak and Hootie and the Blowfish's Cracked Rear View were the first two albums that I owned. I'm not sure which one was the first, but I still remember playing both of these albums to death on my Sony boom box. If you are laughing out there, just remember that I was in 5th/6th grade during this time.
  
• Circa 2000-Around my sophomore/junior years of high school I became borderline obsessive with the Dave Matthews Band. I could tell you the length of "Lie in Our Graves" from the Live in Chicago release and what exactly Dave meant in "Crash Into Me". This period of musical exploration peaked with my trip to see DMB in May 2002 just before I graduated from high school.
  
• Circa 2003/2004-My freshman and sophomore years in college were marked by my foray into the world of Phish. You would be shocked to know that this period of discovery was not aided or enhanced by any type herbal supplements. I grew to love the music of Phish because it was blissfully chaotic. The idea of playing without a net and knowing that the greatest music that the band ever composed was not written on any piece of paper, but existed only in those moments of live exploration are what still endear me to Phish 2 years after their retirement.
  
• Circa 2005/2006-This period has been marked by my move into a time of appreciation of bands like Wilco and the songwriting ability of artists like Mason Jennings. The music is a bit more somber than my musical past, but I think that is beginning to reflect my growing introspective nature and what it means to struggle with yourself and the world around you.
  

With that said, I still would choose Phish (assuming they could un-retire) if I had to attend one concert before I died, but the growth of my musical tastes has oddly followed my personal growth from youthful choruses to mournful ballads. I've been reminded this week that music is a special gift and for that I am thankful.

Current Reading

How Soccer Explains the World: An (Unlikely) Theory of Globalization by Franklin Foer

I Never Said Thank You for That, I Thought I Might Get One More Chance

Congratulations to Nina Patterson for correctly naming "Heroes" by David Bowie/The Wallflowers/Ewan McGregor/Nicole Kidman, etc., as the Wednesday Song of the Day.

My friends, I must apologize for the recent scarcity of posts. I realize that I could lean on the Thanksgiving holiday excuse as a crutch for not posting with my usual regularity, but I will not do that. You, the reader, deserve more from me and more I will deliver.

The Whitehouse Wildcats continue their dream run through the 4A Division II Playoffs. Their next opponent just happens to be the Waco High Lions. If you don't think that I will not use my current Waco citizenship to the utmost advantage in this situation, you must not know me very well. I plan on a covert and overt campaign of systematic intimidation and espionage against the Waco High coaching staff and players in order to gain the greatest advantage possible for the Wildcats. I'm sure that if this post is discovered by "the authorities", I might pay dearly for my devotion, but that's the price you pay for greatness.

Thanksgiving was excellent as usual although my family might be a bit unorthodox in our post-meal activities. I'm sure that many families go for post-meal walks in order to fight the effects of tryptophan, but a simple walk is just not good enough for our family. We had to go on a hike. When I say "hike", I mean whatever hiking is possible in the greater Waco metropolitan area. Also, we were wise enough to bring along my 81 year old grandma. Don't worry, she wanted to come. I don't think I'll be receiving any calls from elderly abuse centers in the near future, but if I do, I'm calling on the dream team of Prof. Contracts and Prof. PR to defend me.

On Friday, my sister and I went with our cousins to the UT v. A&M game in Austin. Yes, you might wonder why a student who graduated from ACU and now attends Baylor Law went to the UT v. A&M game clad in burnt orange. All I can tell you is that standing in Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium with "Texas Fight!" being sent back and forth between the stands is a special moment that I was thankful to participate in on Friday. Plus, it gives me some understanding of what it means to support a winning program. I know, I know. There is the eternal chicken/egg debate about whether proper fan support leads to winning or vice versa, but on this day, I simply wanted to spend time with family and to enjoy the Lone Star Showdown.

Classes start again tomorrow morning. Push on 'til the day...

The Guns Shot Above Our Heads and We Kissed as Though Nothing Could Fall

Congratulations to Jeff McCain and Dan Carlson. Jeff named "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel as the Monday Song of the Day and Dan named "Save It for A Rainy Day" by the Jayhawks as the Tuesday Song of the Day. Also, because both comments yesterday (Dan's in particular) seemed to endorse "Dannastics" as the new nam for competitive cheerleading, I expect to see the new name go into effect immediately. So it has been said, so it must be done.

You probably remember that in my post arguing that Gary Matthews, Jr., deserved a AL Gold Glove for his outfield play this year, I closed the post with a hopeful acknowledgment that Gary would re-sign with the Rangers and spurn the Angels and other suitors. Well, even though you know it is a business, it still hurts just a little when you find out that a promising young star signs with a division rival. You can read about Gary's signing with the Angels here.

I'm finishing up On Paradise Drive by David Brooks and one of the book's main points seems to apply with my thoughts on the Rangers' off-season so far. Brooks argues that one of the defining characteristics of America is our national belief in the power of the future. We believe that just over the next horizon, beyond the next bend, after our next test, we will realize our potential as individuals and as a nation. I know that it is a bit of a stretch to apply this to a baseball team but here goes...

Even though the Rangers have lost two of their most promising young players early in the off-season, I am still hopeful that something good is going to happen in Arlington during the off-season and when the first pitch is fired next spring. Some may call it a helpless myopic view of the true state of reality, but I'm going to defer to Andy Dufresne on this one:

"There's a small place inside of us that they can never lock away, and that place is called hope."

Even though we are currently sitting in Shawshank, I am looking for Zihautanejo. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it is in my dreams.

Pretty Little Hairdo, Don't Do What It Used To

This is the first edition in what will hopefully become a weekly feature here on Running Down a Dream called "Upon Further Review". Each week, I'll delve into a topic that has always bothered/confused me, and also integrate any possible suggestions that you, the readers, provide for discussion. If you would like to submit a topic, just leave it in the comment section or send me an email.

This week's topic: Competitive Cheerleading

(Disclaimer: I do not possess the requisite rhythm, flexibility, general sassiness, etc. that is necessary to become a successful member of a competitive cheer squad. Not that I would ever want to do such a thing, but some folks might. I am not denigrating it is a non-sport or as an undertaking that is not challenging. With that said, read ahead at your own risk.)

Maybe some of you have seen it on ESPN when you expected to see John Anderson and Scott Van Pelt on Sportscenter, others might have sat through Bring It On (certainly not I), and others might have small female relatives who are participants, but all of us have somehow become aware in the past few years of the phenomenon that is competitive cheerleading.

Competitive cheerleading has certainly become a underground sensation among hyper-active prepubescent females and their overeager parents. If that is what your child wants to do, I think that's great. I only have one problem. It needs a new name.

Why you might ask? Simple, it's not really cheerleading. Have you ever watched one of those competitions and thought, "Hey, that was a great routine. Go Baylor Bears!!!! Wooooooooooooo, Sic 'Em Bears. Rip out their intestines with your large claws, Bears!!!!!!!" (Note: no one actually says that last one here at Baylor. Well, as far as I know they don't.)

So, if it's not actually cheerleading, what is it? Dannastics (dancing/gymnastics)? I honestly have no idea on this one. If any of you have better suggestions, please feel free to offer your wisdom.

Lebanon, Charles DeGaulle, California Baseball

Congratulations to Joey Halbert for correctly naming "Time is Running Out" by the Muse as the Thursday Song of the Day.

Well, well, well. I'm back once again my friends, as if any of you noticed I was ever gone.
Remember to continue to stock up on non-perishable food items due to the fact that the Whitehouse Wildcats advan ced to the second round of the 4A state playoffs. The apocalypse is nigh my friends.



I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that our friend from "Northern Illinois" found a way to work the violent tendencies of early Germanic tribes into our discussion of trespass to chattel and conversion in Torts this morning. He never ceases to amaze me. I often compare him to Michael Jordan, who coincidently is also famously associated with the Windy City. Just when I think he cannot take it to a higher level, he shifts into that sublime, more bizarre gear and we are all astonished at the oddities that come out of his mouth.

I think I'm going to have a discussion tomorrow why competitive cheerleading should go by a different name, so if you have a strong bias towards the sport, check in tomorrow to berate me.

Current Reading

On Paradise Drive by David Brooks

You'd Never Dream of Breaking This Fixation

Congratulations to Nina Patterson for naming "The Weight" by The Band as the Wednesday Song of the Day. Yes, she never explicitly named the song, but her comment implied the answer, so I will give credit.

I was talking with someone the other day about playing waterball and he looked at me like I had a third ear. I think that ACU might be the only place where this fantastic sport is played (if by fantastic I mean borderline homicidal). If you have no idea what I am talking about, watch this video. It's a pretty good primer for the sport. (Remember, the good guys are in the green caps. The evil empire is in the blue caps.) GSP won 19-4.

That's all I have for tonight. I'm going home tomorrow for the weekend. It should be good times as usual in the 903.

Hey Mister, Can You Tell Me Where a Man Might Find a Bed?

Congratulations to Dan Carlson for correctly naming "Werewolves of London" by Warron Zevon as the Tuesday Song of the Day. Because of Searcey's comment inquiring about the Song of the Day Contest, I thought I would take some time to explain how things work to some of my newer readers.

Everyday, I use song lyrics as the titles for my posts. As you read in the previous paragraph, the lyrics for yesterday's title were drawn from "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon. The first reader to leave a comment with the correct song title and artist/band gets a little (hey, it's not like it's the NY Times you're reading here) name recognition on the next day's post. I've altered the rules as of late to allow people who see me in passing to mention their answer verbally, although I do accept smoke signals. Either way, it's a little treat for those who read my often convoluted musings. (The recognition not the smoke signals).
In response to Tuegel's comment about Mark DeRosa signing with the Cubs, I will say this: I think the Rangers are going to miss DeRosa more than they know. He is one of those "glue guys" that you can plug in at multiple positions and expect him to perform at a very high level each and every day. I'm not sure who the Rangers are going to find to replace DeRosa, but players like that are vital to a team's potential success.

As the business of pro sports has caused salaries to shoot into the stratosphere, I rarely flinch anymore when I hear about the off-season payday parades for free agents, but I almost spit my Cheerios at the TV this morning when I saw that the Red Sox won the rights to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka by bidding $51.1 million.

$51.1 million! That's just for the right to negotiate and is not even his contract!

Oh, by the way, his agent is Scott Boras. Theo Epstein is probably looking forward to these negotiations like members of the Jonestown Massacre looked forward to another glass of Kool-Aid. (Yes, I know that they all dead. Spare yourself the potential carpal tunnel syndrome.)

Random Question of the Day (Feel Free to Vote)

Which band's reputation is hurt the most by their song being used in a corporate commercial? (Also, I know that they agreed to give the company the rights. Again, save yourself the trouble).

• The Band: "The Weight" in Cingular commercials
• Led Zeppelin: "Rock and Roll" in Cadillac commercials.
• Oasis: "All Around the World" in AT&T commercials.

I Saw a Werewolf With a Chinese Menu in His Hand

Congratulations to Charlie Mitchell for correctly naming "Against the Wind" by Bob Seger as the Monday Song of the Day.

As I alluded to in last night's post, I'm back off of the wagon, or is it back on the wagon? I always remember that Seinfeld episode where they discuss whether it is on the wagon or off the wagon, but I don't remember what conclusion they came to in the end.

Either way, I've started running once again. I still remember leaning out of Angela Meyer's 4Runner on the way back from Austin after completing the Austin Marathon and simply puking my guts out. Granted, I downed two large Fruit Punch Gatorades and 2 whole wheat bagels much too soon after crossing the finish line, but at the time I did some extensive soul searching about running.

My apartment window at ACU faced the major jogging path on campus, and I remember looking out the window in those weeks after the marathon and just laughing at the poor saps who were out there running. I would think to myself, "If those jokers only knew how much pain and suffering that we can willingly inflict on ourselves, there's no way they would be out there." In time though, I came to realize that was exactly why I was out there in the first place.

I will never forget what my Dad told me in the days following the marathon. He could not make the trip to Austin with my Mom because he was very sick on the weekend of the race. It was a bittersweet moment to cross the finish line and to not see him there along with the rest of my family and friends. I will always remember Patrick and Cole running that last 10k with me, but when I came across the finish line, I just wanted to see my parents. My Dad told me that he admired the fact that I did not quit on the day of the race despite severe cramping that made me want to stop around Mile 22.

The reason that meant so much is because that race came at the end of a very difficult period for me. I had just gone through a messy breakup and had spent my entire Christmas break moping around the house. My parents' constant encouragement in the face of that trial was echoed with their words after the marathon.

That's it. Maybe I started running again this past week simply because I have a flat back tire on my bike, but I think there's something more at work here. Running has allowed me to focus and push in the face of some very difficult periods and I am back at it again.

'Til There Was Nothing Left to Burn and Nothing Left to Prove

Hello, my name is Justin and I've started running again.
(They say the first step of 12 is admitting that you have a problem)

I'll have more tomorrow. Goodnight everybody.

I Wandered Through the House Like a Little Boy Lost in the Mall, and an Astronaut Could Have Seen the Hunger In My Eyes From Space

Only a short post tonight, but I have big news. I played Dance, Dance Revolution for the first time this evening and loved it. It took me back to the days when I would gain the upper-hand on Nintendo's Track and Field by pounding my fists on the PowerPad (registered trademark) to simulate running instead of actually running on the PowerPad (registered trademark). As an aside, I was telling a very similar story one day in high school about hitting the PowerPad (registered trademark) with my fists and I hit the desk at the beginning of my Geometry class (before the teacher began) to demonstrate my ingenuous technique. Well, sure enough the teacher sent me to detention, but I digress.

Back to the topic at hand......

Dance, Dance Revolution, I may have no semblance of rhythm, but you get the Justin Scott seal of approval. Congratulations.

Well, In the End My Friend, We Will All Be Together Again

Congratulations to my dear old Mom for correctly naming "The Pretender" by Jackson Browne as the Friday Song of the Day. I'm pretty sure that my Mom naming that song before my Dad is the biggest surprise in my life since I found out at 7 that the real-name of Michelle Tanner on Full House was not Mary Kate Ashley Olsen. I had no idea that Michelle was in fact two people. I was in second grade, give me a break.


Is it just me or do most SEC games feature trench warfare reminiscent of the First Battle of the Marne? (Not that I actually participated in World War I). I saw higher point totals on IQ tests in my kindergarten class than you see put up on scoreboards across the South on a typical Saturday.


I've been contemplating the past few days whether to go see Borat in the theater. I'm not really a big "in the theater" movie viewer so I usually only go when I have high, high hopes for a film. I was talking to Heath Huston this afternoon during the Florida v. South Carolina game, and he mentioned that he had gone with a bunch of people to see Borat last night. Of course I inquired about the film and he gave this response, "It's really funny, but go see it with people that you know well. (Insert name of female friend from ACU here) almost got up and walked out at one point."


Now that's what I'm talking about. A movie that just makes you squirm in your seat from the palpable awkwardness present in the theater during certain moments. The last movie that made me do the "I'm just checking my watch" maneuver was that awful love-making/cave rave scene during the second Matrix film.
Borat, I may be coming to visit after all.

When the Morning Light Comes Streaming In I'll Get Up and Do It Again

Congratulations to Nina Patterson for naming "In My Life" by The Beatles as the Thursday Song of the Day. Yes, Nina did not submit her answer in the comments section, but she mentioned it to me in passing before Torts this morning and that's good enough for me.

• This video made my day. Yes, I am borderline obsessive about my pseudo-fraternity, but watching this video reminded me of why I am so proud to be a Gamma Sig. Like Patty V always says, "It's a great day to be a Gamma Sig."



• I'm becoming a big LeBron James fan. You know that you are watching someone special when every one of his team's games feels like an event because you just cannot wait to see what he is going to do next. Plus, he's only 21. 21! I know that we no longer live in an era where the NBA is full of players who conform to the traditional standard of college stars, but LeBron's maturity and leadership at 21 is a lot of fun to watch. Now if we can only get him to stop chewing his nails on the bench.



• The "LeBrons" is going to turn out to be this generation's "Mars Blackmon: It's Gotta Be the Shoes" advertising campaign. You heard it here first.


• What exactly are "The Bee's Knees" and why are they the standard of cool? Can anyone answer this?


• If I ever begin teaching in a business school somewhere, I am going to teach a course on "The Economics of Hotcakes". Think about it, you always hear people say, "(Fill in an item) is selling like hotcakes," but how many actually hotcakes stands do you see? All that the world needs is a man with a vision. I am that man and all I can see are hotcakes.

But of All These Friends and Lovers, There is No One That Compares With You

Congratulations to Joey for correctly naming "Bittersweet Symphony" by the Verve as the Wednesday Song of the Day.

It's been kind of funny lately. Maybe I'm just putting this pressure on myself, but I've felt this interesting tension recently. As I sit down to write here, I think about the various readers that will come to this site, or more likely stumble across it, in the span of a day.


Some of the readers are probably my fellow students from Baylor Law, others are close friends from my time at ACU, and some are others that I have known for much longer (my parents, friends from home, etc.) The tension that I feel from this is the search for what will keep people interested in what I have to say here. I am keenly aware that if I talk to much about the everyday minutiae of law school life, I may lose one category of readers, but if I talk too much about what happened in the past, I risk losing readers from the present.


Perhaps all of this so-called "pressure" seems a bit comical because it is not as if I am actually going to lose anything by losing readers, but it's a bit like Oscar Wilde once said, "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."
The answer that I have come up with to this "dilemma" is to simply continue to speak what is on my mind. Perhaps it will cause people who read this blog to think about something that they had not thought about that day or allow them to take a peek into my thought processes (as dangerous as that might be).


This might seem a bit like a wasted post, but I needed to sit down and work some of this out before I continued to write in the future. Thanks for continuing to read everyone. I'll be back tomorrow.

You're a Slave to Money Then You Die

Congratulations to Charles Mitchell a.k.a. "Ramblin' Texan" for correctly naming "Mary Jane's Last Dance" by Tom Petty and "Row Jimmy" by the Grateful Dead as the last two Songs of the Day. Dan, I've never heard that song by the Steve Miller Band, but I can be convinced to give extra credit with sufficient evidence.

We sensed that Prof. Contracts was excited (even more than usual) when he came into class this afternoon. I wasn't sure what it was. I thought to myself, "Perhaps he booked a new trip to Nepal next summer or perhaps he just found a Keith Richards signed guitar on Ebay", but my guesses were erroneous. He was simply on a post-Rumsfeld high. Prof. Contracts, we salute you for wearing your political affiliations on your sleeve and taking simple joy in victories. *

Who's having a worse week: The Dallas Mavericks or the Republican Party? I'm going with the G.O.P. at this point, but if the Mavs stay winless, Mark Cuban might be in the same position as Ken Mehlman.

Current Reading

The Dog Fighter by Marc Bojanowski

*Seeing Chicago's utter dismay at the news of the election results and Rumsfeld's resignation juxtaposed with the joy of Prof. Contracts was an almost surreal sight. Well, at least that's what I perceived from seeing the back of Chicago's head. (If you are reader who does not attend BLS, just ask me to explain)

Well I Don't Know, But I've Been Told, You Never Slow Down, You Never Grow Old

Happy Mid-Term Election Day Everyone!

As I sit here looking at a ballot full of people like Chet Edwards, Van Taylor, Kinky Friedman, One Tough Grandma, Governor Good Hair, and Mel Hailey, I just wonder about one thing: when can I vote again for this great American?

"England. Japan is sending Playstations. Stankonia has said they are willing to drop bombs over Baghdad."

Seems a Common Way to Go, Get Out and Row

Congratulations to Mr. Joseph R. Halbert for correctly naming "Sunken Treasure" by Wilco as the Sunday Song of the Day

An Open Letter to Ron Washington from One Texas Rangers Fan

Ron, Mr. Washington, Our Fearless Leader,

Welcome to the Texas Rangers. We are really looking forward to you being the new manager, but before you move to Arlington, there are probably a few things you should know. Well, to begin with, we have never won the World Series. Not even that, we have never won a playoff series. Wait, don't leave now. Maybe I shouldn't have told you that, but please do not get discouraged.

There's a lot of cynicism surrounding the franchise that you are coming to next year. I mentioned that you had been hired today to someone in class and all he could say was three words: "It won't matter." That seems like the rational thing to say after you have been watching our team for long enough, but Ron (if I may call you that), I think good things are on the horizon. You are inheriting a team with a great nucleus. Mark Teixiera, Michael Young, Hank Blalock, Gary Matthews, Jr., Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, Mark DeRosa, and Ian Kinsler are the kind of players that can take the Rangers to a place that the franchise has never been before, but two things have been missing in the last few years: pitching and a great manager.

Now, I know it might be a lot of pressure on you to say that we expect you to be a great manager, but we just need some new blood after Buck. Hey, Buck's departure may not be all that bad after all. If you doubt me, just look at what happened to the last two teams he managed in the year after he left town. In 1996, the Yankees broke the longest World Series drought in their history, and in 2001 the Diamondbacks took home the title in their 4th year of existence. I'm not saying it's a given next year, but in my limited experience as a first year law student, I will say that the available precedent is favorable to our position.

We Rangers fans really want to know what it feels like to be glued to the TV on September/October nights as we watch our team. I want to know what it is like to scrounge and scheme in order to get tickets to a playoff game at The Ballpark in Arlington. (Oh yes, I should tell you that I don't refer to the stadium with the name of the mortgage company who paid for the rights. ) Mostly, we want two things. We want to win our first World Series before the Astros win their first and before the Yankees win their next. That's really all we ask.

Thanks for listening Ron. Make us proud.

With hope,

Justin

I Was Maimed by Rock and Roll, I Was Tamed by Rock and Roll, I Got My Name From Rock and Roll

Congratulations again to the WJC for correctly naming "Wake Up" by the Arcade Fire as the Friday Song of the Day.

I've been thinking about writing something ever since I heard about the mess surrounding Ted Haggard. It seems that many times Christians are the ones who end up placing the largest roadblocks in the way of those who might be curious about what this whole faith thing is all about.

If you are an agnostic, atheist, or believer of another faith reading this post, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that Christians sometimes do such a bad job of living up to the life and example of Jesus Christ. Let's be honest, none of us will ever reach that standard of perfection, but sometimes we do a terrible job of getting distracted on the way.

We let things like the amorphous promise of earthly power, riches, influence, and success get in the way. Instead of living quiet lives of dedication and devotion that cause people to wonder what exactly that we place our faith in, sometimes we live these big, flashy existences that end up concealing some really bad stuff in our hearts, but please, please do not confuse mortal humans with the one that we follow.

Religion is not Jesus Christ. Sure, there's some connections there, but one is of this earth and one is not. That is why despite the mistakes people who are Christ followers make, you have to remember that this whole thing is not about the people following but about the one being followed. Yes, we have to put up with each other in the body of Christ, but we also have to remember that despite the fact that we may lose faith in each other, Christ is the same.

I don't know if this came off as a rant, and I certainly do not want it to be, but if you have questions or comments, please feel free to leave them in the comments section or send me an email. Thanks everybody.

Now That I'm Older, My Heart is Colder, I Can't See That It's a Lie

Congrats again to the WJC for correctly naming "Scarlet Begonias" by the Grateful Dead as the Thursday Song of the Day.

Editorial Note: The following post is being written after I got out of a 4 hour and 15 minute Civ. Pro. final an hour and a half ago. Any flubs or writing errors should be taken in stride. With that said...

I received the following comment on yesterday's post courtesy of Mr. Andrew Tuegel.

"Can you comment on Gary Matthews Jr. not winning a Gold Glove. How wrong is this? Slightly wrong? Really Wrong? Genocide Wrong? Please express."


Before I receive outraged comments on how could this Tuegel guy be so insensitive as to compare baseball to genocide, please relax folks. Count to 10, punch a pillow, sing an "I'm angry at men" Alanis Morrissette song, and then come back to us. Thanks.

Oh, I see that you're back. Well, I can say that I am disappointed that GMJ (I can call him that. We're close personal friends) did not win one of the three AL outfield Gold Gloves. They give out Gold Gloves for outfielders in a manner very similar to the way they conduct All-Star voting. The awards and starting spots in the All-Star game go to the Top 3 outfielders regardless of position. The winners this year in the AL were Torii Hunter (a centerfielder), Ichiro ( a rightfielder), and Vernon Wells (another centerfielder).

Now, I may take some flack for this next statement, but in my opinion, each team should put their best outfielder in center. I know that there are some great right and leftfielders, but the truly great ones have always been in center. Much like a great free safety, a great centerfielder knows how to play in space and cover more than their fair share of ground on the field. With that said, it would have been difficult for voters to give all 3 AL Outfield Gold Gloves to centerfielders and I guess they thought that GMJ was not deserving this year. I beg to differ.
If GMJ should have jumped anyone in the voting, it should have been Hunter. In my opinion, Torii Hunter is the Roy Williams (Dallas Cowboys version) of Major League Baseball. Sometimes they make the spectacular play, and then sometimes they simply let you down because they were looking to make the big play. Hunter's back-breaking error when he was diving for a fly ball that he clearly could not get into during the Division Series with the A's this year is a prime example.

Matthews makes your highlight reel plays that are going to show up on Sportscenter the next morning, but he also makes the routine plays, and goodness knows that Rangers pitching gives up their share of deep fly balls. GMJ, it should have been you this year my friend. Now, after I've been nice, don't go and break our hearts by signing with the Angels. Deal? Deal.

Well, I Ain't Always Right but I've Never Been Wrong, Seldom Turns Out the Way It Does In a Song

Congrats to the WJC for correctly naming "To Be Young (Is To Be Sad Is To Be High)" by Ryan Adams as the Wednesday Song of the Day. Prof. CivPro, I'm not sure if that's really you out there, but you are getting the credit on this one. Again, congratulations.

Lost is beginning to get really interesting. Mr. Eko being killed by the bizarre black smoke that floats around the island, Locke and Sayid seeing the crazy eye-patched guy in one of the other hatches, and Jack being asked to flub the surgery on Benjamin Linus's spine so it looks like he tried to save him while intending to kill him all along. I'm not sure how many of you out there are dedicated Lost fans, but I will say this about the show: I do not fall into the category of viewers who demand that answers to questions be revealed in order to keep watching the show.
That is a huge part of why the show has such a large following and I think if they begin to reveal answers too quickly in response to fan pressure, they will lose a large part of the audience that is drawn to the show precisely for its mystery.

Here a just some of my thoughts on the future of the show:

• I have no idea what the black smoke is, but it was very interesting that Locke told Eko that he saw a "bright light" instead of the black smoke that Eko saw.


• The smoke is something that is completely out on its own. The Others probably know about the smoke, but they have no idea how to control or harness it.


• I'm not so sure that Juliet is the one that Jack should be trusting. Yes, Benjamin comes across as incredibly conniving and manipulating, but it just seems too easy for Jack to trust her. If the rest of The Others had wanted to get rid of Linus because of a power struggle within their ranks, why didn't they do it already instead of waiting for a plane crash that was apparently out of their hands?



• Speaking of that, wasn't Ben's comment last night to Jack very interesting? Ben asked Jack if he believed in God, to which Jack returned the question to Ben. To paraphrase, Ben responded with, "Well, two days after I discovered a tumor on my spine, a spinal surgeon falls out the sky. If that's not God, I don't know what is." Not even touching the theological aspects of that question, that seems to demonstrate that The Others either did not know specifically that Jack was on Flight 815 or that they did not cause the crash at all. Very interesting.

As you can probably see, this show has its hooks in me, and it raises many interesting questions. For those of you out there who are fellow Lost followers, what do you think about some of the points that I have put forth? Mainly they are just theories, but if you don't have theories after watching a episode of Lost, what's the use in watching?

Young Boy You Done Me Bad, So I Went and Did You Wrong

Joey had a great post yesterday about the great hype surrounding the "Will He or Won't He?" questions with Senator Barack Obama's possible run for President in 2008.

As I mentioned in a post earlier this week, I discovered the surprising world of podcasts available at the iTunes Music store, and lo and behold, Obama is the only politician that I have found with a podcast. As I have downloaded and listened to his keynote speech at the Sojourner's Call to Renewal, an interview he did with Tim Russert, and some of his thoughts on a responsible approach to rising energy costs, I am impressed with the depth of his intellect and his palpable authenticity.

The mere fact that he is the only U.S. Senator with a podcast shows that he is attuned to the rhythms of a younger generation. I think that he has the ability to energize young people and to perhaps restore the faith of the younger generations in the nobility of public service, but I say all of that with this caveat. He needs more time.

What I think we really need in America in almost everything is substance over style. I believe Obama has the substance and style to potentially be a great leader in this country, but he needs more time to develop his body of work and to learn how to navigate the treacherous waters of Washington. I still maintain that the likely Democratic nominees for President in 2012 are Obama and Eliot Spitzer, the likely future Governor of New York.

Barack, your time will come, I just don't think it's right now (or two years from now to be exact).