I'm not dead yet!

I'm not dead yet, I promise. But until I come back with something else, here's a video for Thrice's "Come All You Weary," an awesome song.

Thrice - New Music - More Music Videos

Blog Changes/Redesign

I'm thinking about redesigning this blog, or perhaps even moving it over to wordpress. I created a blog for the youth group I work with on wordpress, and I definitely prefer the format and variety of options they have compared to Blogger.

Anyone out there have any ideas or recommendations for this overhaul? Ideas definitely appreciated. I don't have to skill to really design my own stuff, and we don't have to money to pay for something so any suggestions with that in mind would be helpful.

Peace...

This is the best pizza ever

(photo credit to chicagoblogger.com)


And I will fight anyone who disagrees.

Chicago Stuffed Pizza. With Pepperoni. The best pizza ever. It's clearly my favorite, and next weekend, I'm going to eat as much of it as I possibly can as Jill and I venture to Chicago for her uncle's wedding.

There was one place in Atlanta (Nancy's over in Buckhead) that had this type of pizza. And there is no place here in Terre Haute (which is WAY closer to Chicago, what's the deal with that?). My first taste of it was at Giordano's in Chi-town, and there was a place in Lexington that delivered to Transy that had a pretty good imitation. But I haven't had it in over 3 years.

But next weekend, oh next glorious weekend, I shall dine on the best food in the entire world. And it shall be marvelous.

Peace...

Disc golf is awesome.

Played today for the first time, along with one of my youth and her dad. We had a great time. I was pretty bad, but not horrible for my first attempt. I've got this wicked right hook on my throw though that I need to fix. My mid range game is pretty good. Putting, well, could be worse.

You should go play. You can get a set of basic discs for like $20. And playing is free on nearly all courses, so it's a whole lot cheaper than that good walk spoiled, as Twain called golf.

I'm lucky- there's a park with a course right by our house. I can walk there, it's that close (and those of you who know how lazy I am, well this should tell you something).

Anyway, go play. I'm trying to convince Jill to go. We'll see if that happens. My guess is no.

Peace...

In which some faith in humanity is restored...

I was (finally) mowing the yard on Tuesday, and I saw something that helped reassure me that humanity isn't entirely the rotten mess it gets made out to be in the media. I was minding my own business, mowing away, lost in some random thought (likely the eternal debate ove pirates versus ninjas), and out of the corner of my eye I noticed one of the neighborhood kids standing on the sidewalk near our house.

Normally, our front lawn is the equivalent of a local playground- the neighborhood kids seem drawn to it like moths to flame. If the weather is good, they'll be out there, playing and enjoying life.

I stole a glance and saw the kid walk onto the grass and start picking up random small branches and twigs that are ever-present in the yard. Without being asked or bribed or anything, he just decided to help me out by moving them out of my way. Then, he left.

No real reason for him to help me. He didn't even say a word to me. Just walked by, saw that I was mowing and that the rest of his friends weren't in our yard playing. Instead of just walking away, he decided to help.

I don't know the kid's name. I didn't even get a chance to thank him. But his actions helped reinforce my belief that humanity isn't totally screwed up. There's some hope.

Thanks, random kid who picked up sticks from our yard. Thank you for, at least that moment in time, being a decent human being and helping someone out. A random act of kindness. It did not go unnoticed.

Peace...

Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them:

"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.

Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again?"

Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles.

But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home

Amazed at what had happened.

-Luke 24: 1-12

Finding the Holy in Holy Week...

Is really hard to do. For clergy, it's a busy week full of services and ideally contemplation. I wonder what the people in the pews think about it- is it any different to them, except for perhaps a new outfit on Sunday, because we all know Jesus can't be resurrected if we aren't dressed in three piece suits and frilly dresses adorned with floral patterns.

Maybe I'm just being snippy. It's just that it's hard for me (and I'm assuming others in ministry) to find time to really dwell in Holy Week when we're running around coordinating 3-5 services, all while trying to keep up with the rest of our day-to-day tasks in ministry. And I'm not even leading any services! I just have to show up, and it's tiring. It leaves one tapped out, which for me makes it hard to tap in to the beauty and mystery of this sacred time.

For example, yesterday I worked in the am, then helped Jill and others at her church prep for a Seder meal, then I jetted back to the church where I work for Maundy Thursday service. I'm getting ready to leave our house to go back to Jill's church for their Good Friday service. Then Sunday, I've gotta be at church starting at 6 am for the sunrise service, then two more after that.

Wow. It's a busy time.

But in this time, I'm trying to really get a sense of what it is all about, instead of just rushing through it. I'm trying to get my mind around the fact that today, what we call Good Friday, Christ is dead.

Christ is dead.

And now we wait, holding on to a blessed hope. We wait. We wait for what was promised. We wait for the Kingdom. We wait for God.

Peace.

The (UK) world all atwitter...

The UK world has been all atwitter over the last few days (weeks), with rampant speculation about what will happen with current coach Billy Gillispie. Some want him gone, some want him to get at least another year, some just want this march of madness to end.

My favorite UK sports site, KentuckySportsRadio.com has been crushed under the weight of millions of hits. They've had to resort to a twitter account to get out the news (hence that cleverly worded title). So, despite my reservations about a program that facilitates the broadcasting of an abundance of minutiae, I signed up for an account. You can reach me @ rcoreyhoward (wow... such a creative name!).

I have been able to find a few fraternity brothers, though, so it's a nice way to keep in touch with some of those guys who I don't get to talk to often.

Back to this UK craziness...

I want the administration to give BCG another year to show improvement, personally. I think two years is not nearly enough time to dig us out of the hole we were in. However, the team regressed this year, getting worse as the year went on. I think that the tryanny of the new is weighing heavily on this decision, as the most recent events regarding the program haven't been overly positive (although the team did show some passion and hard work during the NIT).

But BCG is the same guy who went 12-4 in the (much tougher) SEC last year. The same guy who donates time and money to causes like Dance Blue, and the same guy who evidently bought a car for some woman in need. The same guy who was hired because of his passion and devotion to basketball. The same guy who managed to convince Patterson to come to UK after the last coach change.

This guy deserves AT LEAST another year. Give him that, and see if we don't have some improvement. I don't think we'll win a title next year, but with a full lineup (assuming Meeks and Patterson stay), we'll cause some havoc. Patterson, Meeks, Orton, Miller, Hood, Harris, etc. sounds like a good option to me. Let's see what BCG can do with them.

Peace...

I hate colds...

Yep. Hate 'em. And I think I have one now. The head congestion, the sinus pain, the "giant head" feeling. The running nose. It's all just a hassle. I'm fighting back with lots of sleep, vitamin C and a barrage of over the counter meds. I'm worried the DEA might come busting in, thinking I'm running a meth lab (For the record, I most certainly am not).

Enough whining about being sick.

It's been a busy few weeks. Between work and home stuff, I feel like I haven't had a lot of free time recently. I'm sure it's not the case, but it's like I've been running nonstop for a month. I realize that I'm a big slacker and I really enjoy being a bum.

Okay, enough whining about... well, anything.

I've been working on planning a retreat for our youth ministry. I think the hardest part was just juggling schedules between all the stuff our youth have going on in order to find a weekend that would work for the majority of our group! It's really ridiculous how busy everyone seems to be. I don't remember being that busy when I was in middle/high school. Anyway, we have a date, and a place. Now, I need to get working on praying, planning and all that stuff. In our youth ministry, I'm trying to build a real sense of community, to tighten the bonds among our youth and between our adults and youth. I realize that you can't force community (believe me- I've seen that tried before, and it does not work). But one can help to cultivate it. And that's what I'm trying and hoping to do.

Speaking of community, it's been a weird adjustment moving from Atlanta where we were surrounded by people our age, with whom we had much in common. Now we're here in Terre Haute, and it's been a difficult time trying to find people here our age. I'm sure I've written about this before, but it's been on my mind a lot as of late. Just how important community is, the value of great friends. It helps me value the friends I do have, even if they are states away. For example, some of my fraternity brothers went to Punxsutawney, PA over Groundhog day. A random trip, but I'm sure they had a great time. I had wanted to go along, but just couldn't get away. I miss ridiculous events with them.

This blog is depressing...haha.

Life's not bad at all. I suppose I use this place to vent, now that I think about it. In the future, I'll have some more substantive posts. I've gotten involved with some different things that involve me doing book reviews, so I'll be posting reviews here in the near future. I'm reviewing books for Thomas Nelson Publishers (the first of which I'll be reviewing is The Faith of Barack Obama, by Stephen Mansfield) as part of a blogger review thing. And I'm also doing reviews for the Transforming Theology project. I think the first one I'll be doing is John Cobb's Reclaiming the Church. Of course, I've got to finish reading them first. But you can look for those in the near future, if you're interested in my take on them. It's pretty exciting, getting to take part in something like this. And it's only made possible by the rise of social media like blogs and internet forums, things like facebook and twitter. I'm interested in seeing what the next step is in this technological revolution as it changes the way the world works. I'm especially interested in seeing how it impacts the church.

Okay, I've rambled on for quite a while now. I guess I'll get back to being bored to death as Jill subjects me to the Oscars...

Peace...

This made me laugh...

I saw this picture on another blog, and thought I'd share it with, well... I suppose no one.

When I downloaded the image, it was titled "True Love." If (or I should say, when) the zombie apocalypse occurs, I hope my loved ones would do this to me.

Okay, kidding aside. It's been a busy week, and most of it because things all around me seem to be breaking.

Our TV was dying, but now I think it might actually be a problem with the xbox's GPU, after doing some research online.

Then, last Wednesday, our garage door would not open. It has a broken spring. Jill's car was in the garage at the time, which meant it was stuck in there. Fortunately, someone from her church came to help us open the door so we could at least get the car out.

Out into the 2 degree weather. That was the high one day last week. So, here we are, our cars stuck outside during the coldest week since we've been here.

We have under-appreciated our garage.

Oh, and Thursday morning, Jill's car wouldn't start. Dead battery. Fortunately, I didn't need my car, so she was able to use mine. We got her car jumped and got it a new battery. So now that's fixed. The garage door should be getting fixed on Friday.

I've always heard that bad things come in threes. So hopefully we're good for a while.

Other than that, I guess things have been going well.

I think I'm done for now. I think I'll go read some Lord of the Rings while Jill incessantly watches Inauguration coverage. It's a very historic day, but I can't stand just sitting there watching all the hoopla and hype leading up to it. Really, do we need to watch Dick Cheney make his way to a car, or watch the Obamas walk into the White House? Is that part really worthy of continual news coverage? Wake me when he takes the oath. That will actually be important. That is news. We don't need to know who designed their clothes. It's a waste of television time that could be used for something important (like me playing Left 4 Dead...haha)

Peace...

Our TV is dying...

I was playing some Left 4 Dead, just doing my thing, killing zombies and having a good time. Then the picture started getting darker and fuzzy. Then it just quit. I tried to fix it, changed cables, tested the receiver/xbox to make sure it wasn't causing the problem. Isolate and attack, right? The TV is the problem. Of course, I'm not surprised. I bought it my sophomore/junior year of college, so it's been over 5 years. That TV has been used in 2 states, moved around numerous times. I supposed it is to be expected. But it's frustrating, none the less.

So, we're left with the question of what to do about the TV? We have another one in the house, but it's pretty tiny. Just 20 inches. Not the best option for playing games, nor watching movies.

I suppose we could start looking for a new TV. A new HDTV, perhaps? Of course, they're expensive. On the bright side, we have a friend from Jill's church who works for Sony and I'm wondering if he could get us a good deal on one.

Maybe we'll have a nice new awesome HDTV soon? Assuming we can afford it. Donations gladly accepted...haha.

In other news, there isn't much other news.

Jill and I went to see the movie "Doubt" last night. It was very good. I recommend it. Complex, nuanced, well-acted. Of course, the whole time I was watching, I kept trying to picture Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the Penguin (currently floating around the interwebs as a rumored casting decision for the next Batman movie). He'd be awesome, I think. I'm already anticipating the next Batman movie. The Dark Knight was fantastic (though it did have some minor plot holes/issues).

That's all I have for now, I think. Back to watching the UK game. GO CATS!

Peace...

Be it resolved...

That I will be much better at updating this thing in 2009.

That I will not go 4 or 5 months between posts.

That I will instead go no more than a week or so without sharing something with you. All one of you who read this thing.

Since the last time I wrote, it's been a busy few months. I have a job now (which is a big part of the reason I haven't updated more). I'm the Youth Director at Mount Pleasant UMC in Terre Haute. It's going very well. I've been working there since 9/15/08, and at this point I'm starting to get to know the youth better, building relationships with them and hopefully teaching them something. Last night we had a lock-in, with almost 40 youth, mainly middle schoolers. I feel like I spent 14 hours herding cats. But we had a good time (though they didn't seem to like the Zombie Tag game I adapted for our use). Overall it was a great time, but I'm exhausted. I feel old- I used to be able to pull an all-nighter with just a headache to show for it. But today I feel pretty much worthless....haha.

So, I'm going to wrap this up for now and go watch the Colts with Jill. And our dog, Kole, the mini-schnauzer (we didn't pick the name or the ridiculous spelling). We got him back in September. He's a character. I'll talk more about him later.

For now, I'm going to try to not fall asleep on the couch. I'll be back soon with something of more substance.

Peace...

Quick Update

Just a brief update:

1) Got married. Again. And it was a wonderful weekend. The ceremony was great, the reception was a lot of fun, the rehearsal dinner was tasty. It was so great to see family and friends all together to celebrate with us. It meant a lot to me. I also got to play lasertag, where I proceeded to destroy everyone in our first game, winning by something like 150 points. I got to see my best friends that I had not been able to hang out with in forever. And the whole wedding party got along ridiculously well. So well, in fact, that we all became depressed when we got back to our respective homes, which resulted in the immediate planning of a reunion. And to top it all off, my groomsmen, those wonderful, upstanding young gentlemen, got me quite possibly the best wedding gift ever: an XBox 360.

2) I've been playing a lot of XBox since we got back. Which is probably why I haven't updated.

3) Still looking for a job. I've had some meetings/interviews, and I hope to hear from some places soon. I'm really hoping something comes through soon. I've been trying to be patient, to wait upon the Lord, as it goes. Again, I know this is what I'm called to do, what I want to do with my life. When you know that, it makes you all the more eager to get started.

4) Jill and I are getting ready to go to Alaska. We leave Sept. 1 and will be back the 9th. I'm extremely excited. This will be my first cruise, and my first time out of the country (as we depart from Vancouver, B.C., Canada). Yeah, I'll only be in another country for a few hours, but hey, it counts. Even if is it only America's hat.

5) My dad is feeling better. He's recuperating. Of course, my sister has been sick the last few days, with gallstone/kidney stone issues. My mom and I are wagering on which of us is next. It's ridiculous.

6) That's about all I have for now. I have to go get started on dinner.

Peace...

Blogstravaganza limps to the finish line...

The last entry in the inaugural (and likely last) Blogstravaganza is finally here. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. Or something.

Today was definitely better than yesterday. No random phone calls telling me a family member was in the hospital. In fact, my dad was able to go home this afternoon, where he is resting and recuperating. He's not the best patient, and he hates hospitals, so I'm sure he's glad to be home. He's sore and in pain, but it should get better in a few days/weeks. I'm relieved that everything went as well as it did. he's had a lot of health issues in the last few years, both he and my mom. It's hard not being there for them, unable to help out or lend support or just being present. So I pray. And I call. It's really all I can do.

In other news, I've decided that team handball looks incredibly fun. If you can't tell, I've been watching the Olympics quite a bit. At least, that is whenever I can figure out how to do so; whether a sport is on tv, or delayed, or streaming live. NBC has messed up in making their Olympics website user-friendly and easy to navigate. An absolute mess. Epic fail.

Back to the point... handball is a cross between basketball and hockey, minus the sticks and fights and plus a few more teeth. Not to mention fewer Canadians. Or perhaps it's better defined as dry water polo. Either way, it looks like fun, and I expect it to see some rise in popularity here in the US due to these Olympics. Much like the recent rise in Dodgeball after the movie came out, handball can only benefit from some screen time. Even if it's only available on your computer. That is, if one can figure out how to watch it. I'm still struggling. I randomly fell into a match earlier today, but I'm not sure I can get back to the handball video section. Thanks, NBC. Way to make your website for this ridiculously huge sporting event incredibly difficult when it doesn't have to be.

End Rant.

End Blogstravaganza.

I have nothing more to say.

I'm out.

Peace...

Crappy day...

Today was kinda crappy. I got a call from my mom this morning, telling me she was at the hospital with my dad, who was having what felt like horrible indigestion/chest pain. Not a good sign for someone who had a heart attack 3 years ago. Turns out it wasn't a heart issue, but rather he had gallstones and a hernia. He had surgery this afternoon, and it went as well as it could. The gallstones are out and the hernia is fixed. He's recuperating and should be able to go home tomorrow afternoon as long as all goes well between now and then. So if you're the praying type, it would be much appreciated.

Other random small crappy stuff happened today that just made it a very frustrating day, like the universe just decided to smack me around a little.

That's all I have for right now. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Peace...

(I forgot to title this one yesterday when I originally posted it)

Blogstravaganza '08: now with electrolytes...

Jill and I just got back from watching "Stepbrothers." Absolutely ridiculous. Ferrell, Reilly & co. once again deliver a truckload of laughs from a handful of idea. There honestly isn't much there, just an outlet for these two actors to act as ludicrous as you can imagine. I laughed. Hard and often. If you need a good laugh, it's definitely worth your time. Although, I am pretty disappointed that the line about a dead raccoon filled with ricotta cheese is not actually in the movie.

In other news, the University of Kentucky Wildcats just got a commitment from a highly-touted Texas QB, Ryan Mossakowski (via KentuckySportsRadio). It's an extremely difficult task for UK to get great talent due to their rather pitiful past, much less great talent from football hotbeds such as Texas. Perhaps things are really changing, and the best prospects are now at least considering UK (and occasionally making their way there). This is good news for Cat fans. Hopefully Coach Brooks (and Coach-In-Waiting Joker Phillips) have started something here.

What else to add... I guess not much. This blogging every day experiment is a challenge, especially when I live a pretty uneventful life at present. I never have much to say to begin with, so trying to write something worth reading every day is... Well, I'm not even sure it's worth reading....haha. But I shall press on. I promised a week's worth of blogs. And I aim to deliver.

Anyway, that's all I have for now.

Peace...

Parting Ways and Part-time

Blogstravaganza '08: Eclectic Blogaloo

It's weird seeing Brett Favre holding a Jets jersey. Something's not quite right about the picture, like it's from bizarro world. There are no real winners in this situation, either. Green Bay loses a legend and its chances of a great season and Favre loses some of his legacy. The Jets do get a great QB, but he's almost 39, and is at best a short term solution to a long term problem. I'm a huge Favre fan; he's the reason I am a Green Bay fan. But even I know he is nearing the end of his playing career. Last season was great, and this season could have been pretty good had he made it clear from the start he wanted to play again. The team, initially left with the only option of moving on, did that as best they could. The whole thing just stinks.

Also, I had a meeting today with the pastor of the church where I'll be interviewing on Tuesday. It went really well, I think. It's only a part-time position, though, so I'm not sure what to do or how to continue on. The simple reality is that I need a full-time job (or at least full-time pay). And the other reality is that there is no such thing as part-time ministry. Doesn't happen. So, we'll see how it goes. It would be a very good place to work, and the position could grow to full-time. I just wonder if we can get by until that point. I could get another part-time job, but two part-times don't truly equal a full-time, once one factors in benefits like health insurance, etc.

Hopefully something will happen. That's all in God's hands, not mine. I'll do all I can here. The rest is beyond my control. Hopefully my creditors will be patient...

Just out of curiosity, does anyone read this? I'm thinking about adding a hit counter to see. I'm not sure who my audience is, if there is one.

I suppose that is all I have for today. Back to watching preseason football.

Peace...

And It's a Good Day...

Blogstravangza '08 marches on...

Today is a good day. Today I a) won a prize from AAA where Jill and I had booked our honeymoon cruise. True, it was just a girly travel bag, but I won it nonetheless; b) I spent most of the day relaxing and running errands; c) I had a delicious chicken quesadilla for lunch and chicken teriyaki for dinner and most importantly...

d) I have a job interview on Tuesday of next week.

This is fantastic. Despite all my efforts so far, actually getting an interview is a difficult task. Most of my prospective jobs are moving a bit slower, still gathering resumes and not ready to interview yet. So the fact that I emailed this church just yesterday and they have already called me back and scheduled an interview for Tuesday (plus meeting the pastor tomorrow morning) is a remarkable feat. I really hope it goes well.

So, prayers and thoughts and such would be greatly appreciated.

That's about all I have right now.

Oh, also I've been listening to Obadiah Parker today. And you should too. Excellent music. Plus, their lead singer, Mat Weddle, did an amazing cover of Outkast's "Hey Ya." You can find it on YouTube and their music on iTunes. Go. Listen now. You can thank me later.

Peace...

Catnapping and Culinary Quests...

Blogstravaganza '08 continues...

Well, last time I mentioned the missing cat. This evening I was sitting on the couch watching TV and Jill was outside talking on the phone, when she suddenly comes back inside, telling me she thinks she has found the cat. I go outside and work my cat-whisperer skills, getting the cat to come right up to me. I (gently) grab it, and put it in our garage while Jill calls the number on the flyer.

I'm thinking we're about to be $1000 richer.

Turns out, someone had already returned their beloved feline to them. So, here we are. Cat-nappers. And not the afternoon-dozing kind. The kind that grab some random cat (who looks almost exactly like the one pictured on the flyer) and stick it in a garage for pseudo-ransom.

We released the cat, unscathed and no worse for wear.

Fin.

On to the rest of today's post...

One of the things I'm learning about married life is the fact that Jill and I have a limited repertoire when it comes to cooking. Between us, we can cook a few dishes well, and dinner each night involves us sitting around for anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes deciding what to do for dinner. The conversation usually goes as such: "What do you want to for dinner? I don't know; what do you want to do? Oh, I don't know...." The banter revolves around each of us suggesting the other make a decision, namely, I think, because neither of us is exceptionally picky or prone to intense cravings for some specific food.

Deciding what to do for dinner is the most difficult decision I make these days.

Jill, ever the creature of habit and order, likes to eat the same things often. I enjoy making/eating different things, but that desire is tempered by my inherent laziness and current lack of culinary prowess. Such a quandary.

We have a collection of nice cookbooks, gifts from the wedding/shower/etc., but we always seem to be missing some ingredient or another. One very interesting tool we discovered to combat this failing is www.supercook.com.

This site lets you enter in the ingredients you have on hand, and it spits back a collection of recipes using the ingredients you actually have. It's been pretty helpful, even providing us with our new favorite dish, which is essentially chicken teriyaki with rice and veggies. It's fantastic, if I do say so myself. (Did I mention I'm the head chef at Chez Howard?)

That's about all I have for now. Back tomorrow with something for the world to not read.

Peace...

Blogstravaganza '08

That's right! It's Blogstravaganza 2008, wherein I shall attempt the utterly remarkable, the monumental task of blogging every...single...day for an entire week. Starting today.

Today's post: Cat Hunting.

Evidently, there is someone in our neighborhood who has lost their cat. Lynus is an 8 pound tabby cat, and the owners are desperate to find him. So desperate, in fact, that they sent flyers out in the mail to places around us. One of these flyers ended up in the hands of someone at Jill's job who happens to live near us. She told Jill about it, and Jill brought home a flyer.

These people want this cat back so much, they have offered a reward.

A $1000 reward.

And here's the best part.

Jill and I are pretty sure we've seen this cat hanging around our house. On more than one occasion. So, I am now hunting for this cat. Being unemployed, this is a good deal. For no more than the cost of looking out our windows and catching this poor homeless cat, I could make a cool grand.

It's the best job prospect I've had since we moved here....haha.

So, I'm now in the animal control business. Wish me luck. I'ma go catch me a kitty.